assaulting a hotel house maid. >> she can't go back to work. she has no idea what her future is going to be in any respect. so aside from what took place in the hotel room, the trauma what has taken place in her life is extraordinary. the mississippi river is heading for historic crest at vicksberg over the next 24 hours. it is expected to peak a foot above the 1927 record across mississippi and louisiana. and 9,000 people have had to abandon their homes already. but this man plans to to stay put. >> do you have a plan "b"y i mean, if for some reason, the levees broke, what would you do? >> hook my gps up and leave out on the levee, that's it. >> well, it's very peaceful. >> yeah, very quiet. that's why i'm getting a vacation right now, really. syrian newspaper reports the country's president admits that security forces have made mistakes in response to anti-government demonstrations. bashir al assad did not specify what those mistakes were, but the president is facing international criticism for his brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters. in dublin today, queen elizabeth honored soldiers with a wreath of red poppy. he's honored the 14 irish who died on bloody sunday. that was when british troops opened fire on a crowd igniting ireland's fire for independence. >> standing by. >> "endeavour" departed for the final mission today. it's going to look for the origins of the universe. the big bang. one more shuttle mission is planned this summer before the fleet is retired. well, i want to take a closer look now at this new caretaker appointed as an interim replacement for bin laden. his name is saif al adel, and he has a long history of militant and anti-american involvement. our pentagon correspondence chris lawrence is joining us live. chris, what do we know more about this guy and his background? >> well, suzanne, says that man who is known to defense officials and the intelligence community because his trail goes back decades. and he's been involved in militant activity, in a range of countries. you mentioned that he's egyptian. he's also around in his mid-40s. used to be a special forces officer. but he's sort of started some of his militancy with the libyan islamic fighting group. that's a group that was affiliated with al qaeda. back in the 1980s, he fought against the soviets in afghanistan. then after the fall of the taliban in 2001, it's believed he went to iran where he was sheltered there for a while. and some of the sources overseas are saying right now, best guess is they believe he is hiding out in the federally adminstered tribal areas in pakistan. >> chris, do we have any idea whether he has any military training, or any connection at all to the united states? >> well, no definite proof of that. back in the 1980s is when the u.s. first started its program of train something of the egyptian military and working with some of the egyptians. so by his age, you know, he may not be in that age range where, you know, that program is just getting off the ground, back when he was in egypt. so no proof of that right now. >> and how do we know how al qaeda actually decided to choose this guy? it's not like they can hold a meet and hold an election or something? >> no, that's a good question. basically, it's been presumed that osama bin laden number two, talkman al zawahiri would eventually take over for him. he was a saudi. he came from the aarabian peninsula from the mecca and hadina. there may about a pushback, in terms of egyptians taking over. there's some shot that al adel is put out there to see what the reaction is going to be to an egyptian, sort of an outsider, taking over al qaeda. and if he's well received, maybe that's a message that al zawahiri could step in and take over. again, the reason why he's been chosen now, there was starting to be, you know, a little bit of a void there. some of the jihadist communities around the world, wondering who's going to fill this void now that bin laden is dead. >> chris, thank you very much. appreciate the details. >> you're welcome. here's your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. president obama is going to deliver a speech tomorrow detailing his policy in the middle east and north africa. today's "talkback" question, should the u.s. play a major role in the middle east in the first place? carol costello with that question in mind. >> it's not like we've had late of success, right? president obama like many presidents before him says it's time to bring peace to the middle east. >> because of the many changes that are taking place in the region, it's more vital than ever that both israelis and palestinians find a way to get back to the table and begin negotiating a process whereby they can create -- two states that are living side by side in peace and security. >> oh, but we've heard this before, haven't we? president carter had camp david. president clinton, the oslo, of course. and the mideast road map for peace from president bush. and then the secret between the palestinians. four plans but none have led to a resolution. now, arab-american comedian dean oballah told me. >> america's like the cool kid in high school, everybody wants to sit at the cafeteria with us and be our friend. they see israel sitting with us all the time. they want to sit down and swap the apple pie. >> left out of the picture. don't expect president obama to break any new ground on israel in his speech tomorrow. and some say it couldn't have come at a worse time. israeli forces have clashed with protesters crossing its borders. the palestinians have joined with the islamist militant group hamas. today's "talkback" question, should the u.s. play a major role in the middle east. facebook.com/carolcnn. i'll read your comments. >> some say this is not exactly the time in the middle east with all that's occurring, this is the time that bin laden is gone. >> but president obama wasn't more supportive of the democratic uprisings, that's angered the arab world. you have to throw that in the mix and wonder is this the best time. can't wait to hear. president obama is going to give an address tomorrow on the recent dramatic developments in the middle east as carol mentioned and the policy in the region. we want you to tune in for the special coverage at "cnn newsroom" beginning at 11:30. wolf blitzer is going to join us. live coverage of president obama's address. here the rundown of some of the stories we're covering in the next two hours. flooding along the map maississ how it's going to affect the rest of the nation. also, a milestone for congresswoman gabrielle giffords. the latest step. plus, tracking last month's deadly tornado images. satellite images tell a story. and jeanne moos finds the best one to show us. and finally, the millennial generation hits the job market. these kids have been told they're the best on the earth since they've been born. >> the millennial generation. and ensure muscle health.the i've got revigor. what's revigor? 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[ tires squeal ] an accident doesn't have to slow you down. introducing better car replacement, available only from liberty mutual insurance. if your car is totaled, we give you the money to buy a car that's one model year newer, with 15,000 fewer miles on it. there's no other auto insurance product like it. better car replacement, available only from liberty mutual. it's a better policy that gets you a better car. call... or visit one of our local offices today, and we'll provide the coverage you need at the right price. liberty mutual auto insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? focusing now on the flood disaster you've been watching almost in slow motion now. the worry today is will the levees hold against the swollen mississippi river. about 9,000 people in mississippi and louisiana have been forced to evacuate so far. the river still hasn't seen crested in many areas. louisiana's governor says the record water levels could last more than a month. our john king is deep in the disaster zone. >> reporter: as you can see, we're about chest deep here, department of homeland security, this would be the united states coast guard. this is the natchez station. you're looking at 3 1/2, 4 feet. you start coming this way through the parking lot, it's slow-going, trust me. right under here somewhere, i'll find it just a second. back to work. punch in your code. here's the keyboard right here. here's the top of the console right here. the coast guard, this is not the way they come in and out of work. >> the only way to get out. >> the impact of the floods could spill over on to your dinner table, that is because the mississippi river is say highway for barges full of corn, wheat and soy and other crops heading to the supermarket near you. they don't call it the mighty mississippi for nothing. it is the largest river system in north america, flowing through ten states, from minnesota, louisiana and into the gulf of mexico. so when authorities slow or halt traffic on the mississippi, the cost of produce jumps. our allison costa joins with more on the impact. it's incredible when you see the mississippi, all that it carries, food prices already beginning to rise, i suspect. >> you're right about that. food prices, they're already high, suzanne. corn hitting a record last month. soy hitting a three-year high in february. as far as the impact from the mississippi flooding, that's going to take some time for disruptions to work their way through the supply chain. but if it's a long-term disruption, you can expect prices on food to rise. the problem who are is the army corps of engineers says water is going to be on the levee for another month. this could mean a long-term disruption which could mean higher prices at the supermarket. it's not just about the mississippi being shut down. it's crops being wiped out. it's also going to put that upward pressure on prices across the country. >> allison, could you move the produce from train or truck, for instance? >> trains or trucks are good options but not great options. barges are just cheaper. it's because of the size. barges are huge, you think about it. a spokeswoman for american waterways operators, tells us one barge holds the same amount of cargo as 16 train cars. one barge also holds the same amount of cargo as 70 trucks. we put together some graphics to should you how much. we've got cnn reporters on the ground, they tell us, these barges, they're still moving towards the mississippi but moving slowly. only three going through at a time. even the new orleans homeland security chief says that if the river rises just one more foot, they're going to have to stop all traffic at the port of new orleans. so these other options that you mentioned, trains and trucks, they may eventually be the only way to move things through there, suzanne. >> alison, do we know what foods are affected? >> they don't call the midwest the bread basket for nothing in that grain is the biggy. 60% of the grain travels on the mississippi. grain is used in everything from bread, cereal and alcohol. this goes beyond food at this point. 20% of the nation's coal, that also travels on the mississippi. think about what coal is used for. it's used to generate electricity in this country among other things. also a lot of home heating oil moves along the river. so the northeast is the biggest consumer of home heating oil in the u.s. so the problems happening in the south they could easily soon be felt in the north, even though they're thousands of miles apart. suzanne. >> alison, thank you very much for laying it out. arizona congresswoman gabrielle giffords prepares for another milestone. our senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen talks with her doctor about the next step in her recovery. of beef tenderloin? of beef tenderloin? you inspired a very special dog food. 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"first, looking for a job, the cia has launched an unprecedented effort to recruit people with diverse backgrounds. second, from multiroom hotel suite to one person's prison cell, days are quite different for imf chief dominique strauss-kahn as he awaits the next step in his sexual assault case. and third, a mayor in indiana has replaced 80% of his town's traffic lights with something he says it making traffic move a lot smoother. will it work in bigger u.s. cities. vote by texting 22360. text to help wanted, 2 for life at rikers, or 3 for relieving the traffic. the winning story will air in the next hour. good news, arizona congresswoman gabrielle giffords prepares for her next step in her recovery. giffords is in rehab in houston, recovering from a gunshot wound to the head. the next milestone will be a procedure to reinsert part of her skull. our senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen spoke exclusively with the doctor who will perform this surgery. >> reporter: when congresswoman gabrielle giffords was shot in the head she defied death. not only did she live through this traumatic injury. she can walk. that's her at the top of the stairs. and talk. and even traveled in an airplane to watch her husband mark kelly take off on the shuttle "endeavour." and now four months after the shooting, another milestone, an effort to make gabby giffords whole again. after the shooting, doctors in arizona cut a hole in her skull like this one to give her brain room to swell. now the swelling is gone and the hole can be repaired. i sat down with giffords' neurosurgeon, dr. dong kim, who will be performing the process. >> is this a big step? >> yes, it is a big step. >> reporter: dr. kim will implant a piece of synthetic bone made especially for giffords. >> it will fit in perfect as you can see. then we take these little plates and screws, we went to put in generally one here, there and there. >> so this is holding the implant and the real skull together? >> that's right. it really is a significant step. and more than just getting the bone back, it's a marker for where we are. >> reporter: dr. kim told me patients like giffords often need another procedure, this one, to get rid of a build jum of fluid in the drain. he inserts a tube to drain excess fluid from the brain to the abdominal cavity. people wear this called a shunt forever. >> so people walk around with this tube for life? >> yeah, it can last the rest of their life. at some point, patients can forget they have it. >> reporter: for gabby giffords, it's the end of one stage to the next. trying to get back to the life she knew. >> elizabeth cohen joins us live. that's a fascinating story when you look at it. i guess the question that i have, how is it that she was able to move around to get around without a large piece of her skull. >> she flew to florida, she did physical therapy. she flew to florida twice, actually, it's amazing because if you think you're missing that big of a gap, that's amazing. but what they do is they usually but helmets on people like this. doctor was explaining to me, if they need to move around, they wear this helmet. the good thing about the upcoming surgery, she won't have to wear the helmet. >> this is a permit fix once it happens? >> is it a permanent fix. you put it in, the bone actually grows into the implant. she's getting an implant. a synthetic piece, you see it right there. the bone of the skull grows into the implant and it becomes a part of the skull. >> that's absolutely fascinating. you can see he's pinning it on there. what's the procedure to put that thing on? >> what he does, he puts four screws on, just as you see here. that's it. he's showing us exactly what he does when he does this surgery. >> unbelievable. we wish her the very best. thanks, elizabeth. a programming note, sunday night on cnn, senator ted kennedy's son, patrick kennedy, comes clean with dr. sanjay gupta about addiction, what he learned from his father and his new dream of curing brain disease. patrick kennedy coming clean. cnn sunday night. well, we are closely monitoring the flooding disaster along the mississippi river. a live report from morgan city, louisiana. network all across. we're adding new cell sites... increasing network capacity, and investing billions of dollars to improve your wireless network experience. from a single phone call to the most advanced data download, we're covering more people in more places than ever before in an effort to give you the best network possible. at&t. rethink possible. the authentic, the rare, the hard to define. to those always searching for what's pure and what's real from we who believe we know just how you feel. haagen-dazs. look at all this stuff for coffee. oh there's tons. french presses, espresso tampers, filters. it can get really complicated. not nearly as complicated as shipping it, though. i mean shipping is a hassle. not with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. that is easy. best news i've heard all day! i'm soooo amped! i mean not amped. excited. well, sort of amped. really kind of in between. have you ever thought about decaf? 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[ male announcer ] visine-a is clinically proven to relieve all your worst eye allergy symptoms. it goes right where you need it, relieving allergy eyes in minutes. get visine-a. the most complete allergy eye drop. here's some of the stories we're working on. first, high anxiety in morgan city, louisiana. that is where residents are waiting for the waters to rise. then, the ground splits over in new york state, putting homes in harm's way. and 30 minutes from now, is the new generation of workers too high maintenance to make it in the world? that's the question. and right now, we're going to the mississippi delta, our sandra endo joins us from morgan city. sandra, what is the flooding situation where you are? i know a lot of people there are very concerned. >> reporter: absolutely, suzanne. we've been here since the morning in front of this house in morgan city. and so far, we've seen the water rise about 5 inches since this morning. and this boat is normally parked in the back part of this house. the owner says they're g