Visitors Swept Out to Sea at Acadia; Malaysian Woman to be Caned for Drinking Alcohol; Obama Taking Time off
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Tonight, family vacation -- the first family heads to the vineyard for some R&R.; Media in tow, of course, but there is no break in the debate over health care. Model behavior for misbehavior: Why a young woman seen drinking a beer faces lashes and jail time. The outrage grows overseas and here at home. Greece fires: Athens is burning with no sign of letting up. Thousands flee for their lives. Unfair competition: Is she a man? The women competing against her say she is. It's an official investigation now. And promises, promises. A lot of them made by candidate Obama, few of them kept to the gay community. They say, being left out -- they're being left out of health care legislation and it's a final straw. Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. We begin with a furious search underway right now off the coast of Maine. That's where officials say a rogue wave washed ashore and dragged Hurricane Bill sightseers right into the ocean. And we're told nine people have been rescued, but two are still missing. It happened about six hours ago at the Acadia National Park right near Portland. And Acadia National Park superintendent Sheridan Steel joins us now live by phone. Thank you, sir. Tell us the very latest on this. I understand that you had several thousand people at the park at the time?</s>SHERIDAN STEEL, SUPERINTENDENT, ACADIA NATL. PARK (via telephone): Right, Don, we had several thousand people lining what we call "ocean drive" inside Acadia National Park, watching the waves that were unusually big because of Hurricane Bill.</s>LEMON: And what about the people who were who -- were overcome by any of the waves. Tell us about that or the people who are -- are there people who are unaccounted for here, as well?</s>STEEL: At one time, we had as many as five people in the water and needing rescue. And the coast guard was able to rescue two people safely. We're still looking for three others. And another five people were injured enough, requiring transport to the hospital.</s>LEMON: Yes, broken bones we hear?</s>STEEL: Yes, broken bones and back injuries.</s>LEMON: Oh my gosh. So, those are incredible waves. Now, you being the superintendent here, have you seen anything like this?</s>STEEL: I have. I've seen other storm surges like this. They're quite dramatic, but this one came at the height of our visitor season when the most people were in the park. And so, even though we try to warn people and try to get people to watch from a safe distance, we weren't able to contact everybody in time.</s>LEMON: Boy, oh, boy, back to normal now, though -- as normal as you can get?</s>STEEL: Well, we still have aircraft in the air and boats in the water looking for at least two other people, probably three.</s>LEMON: They're still -- I asked you about people who were unaccounted for. So, you're telling me now that there are three people who are unaccounted for, yes?</s>STEEL: There are three people that we're still looking for. That's correct.</s>LEMON: All right. Get back to us and let us know what happens with that. But it's very interesting that this is going on right now and you said when thousands of people are in the park. Thank you, Mr. Steel -- who is a superintendent of Acadia Park. I want to go now to Jacqui Jeras. Jacqui, I'm also being told by producers that we're working on getting some pictures there.</s>JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes.</s>LEMON: And also if you have an iReport. We'd like to get it, as well.</s>JERAS: Yes, please do, we'd like to see what the wave action is look like in that area. Found some stuff on YouTube, by the way, that shows what it looked like a couple of years ago. It kind of gives you an idea of the area. But you know, what happens here, these are just very large swells coming in from Hurricane Bill. And a rogue wave is something that we would consider to be about twice the size of the regular wave action that's been taking place. We put some buoys here to give you some idea of what things are doing offshore. And we go ahead and query them. You can see this one right here, which is closest to the location, producing wave heights here around 12 feet. So, imagine that potentially doubled, very high, serious situation. Let's check this one over there by the Portland area. There you can see wave height about seven feet, and the one that's closest to Bill over here off Nova Scotia -- excuse me -- wow, incredible, 21- foot wave height right there. So, some very dangerous waves. Bill still remains a category one storm right now, pulling away from Nova Scotia, heading towards Newfoundland, and believe it or not, this thing is going to ultimately end up in the</s>U.K. LEMON: Jacqui, you were warning people yesterday to stay out of those waves and I'm sure the people -- the coast guard and life guards were saying stay out of the water. Is this typical in the back-half of a storm that it pulls that much water from the ocean that they create waves like that?</s>JERAS: It's very typical to get large waves, especially the larger the storm is, the greater swell that it will ultimately generate. And rip currents -- that was the other big thing, we talked a lot about that yesterday, those fast channels of water. So, people are out there swimming, they'll get caught up in that. It's very, very difficult to get out.</s>LEMON: Yes, I hate to harp on this. But how long? Because -- I mean, obviously, this is serious -- how long after the storm should things go back to normal?</s>JERAS: Well, you know, things are already starting to calm down quite a bit in the southeast coast like Florida into the Carolinas. But we still have those high surf advisories, which remain in effect across the Northeast. We think the waves will be greatly reduced by tomorrow. This is storm is moving really, really fast. It'll still be above normal, but we don't think the danger tomorrow will be quite what it is today.</s>LEMON: Yes, big vacation time. That's why I asked you so many questions, because people should know if they're watching. Be careful -- at least for the next day or so getting out there in the water. Appreciate it, Jacqui. Thank you. It is already early Monday morning in Malaysia where Islamic justice is about to be served on a beautiful female model. The court has ordered this woman, Kartika Shukarno, taken into custody and lashed six times with a cane. It will be the first caning of a woman in the history of the Muslim country. As if that weren't punishing enough, she'll have to spend a week in jail away from her two special needs children. Her offense: sipping a beer at a hotel nightclub. CNN's Anna Coren met with the young woman as she tearfully accepted her fate.</s>ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): All the children of the Shukarno household celebrate the end of the second day of Ramadan. This will be the last meal they share together as a family for a while. Thirty-two-year-old Kartika Shukarno is heading to prison. The mother of two is being punished for drinking beer in public in a Malaysian hotel, an offense for Muslims under Sharia law.</s>KARTIKA SHUKARNO, MODEL: When I drink alcohol, I didn't disturb people. I dint make noise. I didn't like do -- damage anything (ph), you know, stuff or what. I just sit and talk with friends.</s>COREN: Arrested in December of 2007, Shukarno's case has dragged on for more than 18 months. She's lost her health care job in Singapore where she lives with her husband and children. She's taken on part-time modeling to make ends meet. Her son has cerebral palsy, her daughter a heart condition.</s>SHUKARNO: I can't explain to my first son -- I mean, my first kid because he didn't know. Only my daughter, but she can understand, 5 years old.</s>COREN: A few days ago, the court finally handed down her sentence: six lashes of the cane and a week in prison, making her the first woman in Malaysia to be caned.</s>SHUKARNO: Even if I repent (ph), but I believe they have a reason.</s>COREN (on camera): While Malaysia tries to present itself as a moderate Muslim nation, there is a political and religious push underway to have Sharia law extended throughout the country. Analysts believe Kartika's sentence is not just setting an example to other Muslims but is a sign of things to come. (voice-over): The sentence has sparked heated debate in Malaysia and around the world.</s>LAILA BALAKRISHNAN, RESIDENT: I think it's totally ridiculous. It's not very uncommon here in Malaysia for people to drink beer.</s>KAJENDRAM ARUNIUGAM, RESIDENT: It's not too much. Six is OK, because I feel in other Muslim countries, they are giving harsh punishments like strokes under 25, 50 strokes, 30 strokes and every thing.</s>COREN: On Monday, authorities will pick Shukarno from her father's home and drive her 250 kilometers to prison in Kuala Lumpur. Her request to be caned in public so as to set an example to others was denied. She understands she will be hit across the buttocks while fully clothed with a bamboo cane, claiming the pain she's caused her family is far greater than her punishment.</s>SHUKARNO: I've already punished my family, you know? It's more painful to compare six lashes.</s>COREN: Anna Coren, CNN, Sungai Siput, Malaysia.</s>LEMON: Ten thousand American dollars, that's what the alleged mastermind in Wednesday's Baghdad attack said it cost in bribes to get a truck loaded with explosives to pass the city's traffic checkpoints to one of six sites targeted by insurgents. The suspect's alleged confession was broadcast across Iraq today. He's described as a 57- year-old former member of the Saddam Hussein's Baath party. He claims the attack was ordered by another Baath party member in Syria. Nearly 100 people were killed and more than 500 hurt in Wednesday's bombings. A 59-year-old soldier from Washington state has become the oldest U.S. service member to die in Afghanistan. First Sergeant Jose San Nicolas Crisostomo was killed by a roadside bomb in Kabul on Tuesday. The military reported his death on Friday. Crisostomo was a Vietnam veteran and twice received the Bronze Star for combat valor. His death underscores what the top U.S. military commander says is an increasingly dangerous situation Afghanistan eight years after the war started. Joint Chiefs chairman, Admiral Mike Mullen, had this to say today on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION."</s>ADM. MIKE MULLEN, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: I think it is serious and it is deteriorating, and I've said that over the last couple of years that the Taliban insurgency has gotten better, more sophisticated. Their tactics -- just in my recent visits out there and talking with our troops certainly -- indicate that.</s>LEMON: Meanwhile, Thursday's presidential election in Afghanistan is being marred by allegations of fraud and abuse. An election commission charged with overseeing the voting results says it has received 225 complaints of voting irregularities, including stuffed ballot boxes and voter intimidation. And right back here in the United States, the first family has swept into Martha's Vineyard just as Hurricane Bill blew past town. The island itself is abuzz over excitement over the visit. Rows of well wishers greeted the Obamas' motorcade and there are cup cakes and ice creams named for the first family. The White House says Obama is planning to relax and have a good time during his first vacation since taking office. So that -- what's the media doing then? Why is Dan Lothian in Martha's Vineyard if he's taking time off? Apparently he's not going to be making news, Dan Lothian. So, what is this? It isn't like a vacation -- working vacation for you?</s>DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It is. You know, we will always find something to cover, Don. Whether the president says something or if he's very quiet out on the golf course, somewhere we're staying behind the long driveway of that secluded farm.</s>LEMON: And that's part of it, too. He's not expected to be out and about that much, is he?</s>LOTHIAN: That's right. You might recall that President Clinton loved to walk around Martha's Vineyard, mingle with the folks. We probably won't see that. You know, I'm sure they'll go into Oak Bluff at some point, that's sort of the entertainment hub here. And so, they have to take the girls out to some of these attractions like the flying horses, a carousel in Oak Bluff. But they will spend a lot of time we're told on that farm. So, we won't have a lot of sort of daily sightings of the president, Don.</s>LEMON: But people can certainly get a, you know, piece of the president and the Obamas as they were talking about the soaps and all of that and the ice cream.</s>LOTHIAN: Right.</s>LEMON: And by the way, if you can bring a lobster roll, I would appreciate it. If you can send it right here.</s>LOTHIAN: I'm not a lobster -- yes, I'm not a lobster guy, you know? I would go for, you know, some of the other dishes.</s>LEMON: "Barack my world" I'm looking at. What is that?</s>LOTHIAN: Rock my world. That's right. There's "Barack my world" ice cream. We have a picture of that. And what -- what it is, it's espresso ice cream. It also has caramel, we're told, and also macadamia nuts. So, that's just one way to get a piece of the first family. Let me take up a couple of other things. There's Mexican restaurant. There's an Obama-ritos and Barack-o- tacos. There's also an adult drink, hail to the chief. There is a "yes we candy," which is the fudge candy. So, you know, everywhere you go, you can -- you can definitely get a piece of the first family here and I do want to show you this. I had a couple of t-shirts. Now, you know, I'm sure you've been here before. You know, those black dog t-shirt, even if you haven't been here, it doesn't matter where you travel, either around the country or across the world, people have those dogs, you know, those black dog t- shirts.</s>LEMON: Yes.</s>LOTHIAN: Well, here's another one. It's not the black lab that you normally see on the t-shirts. You know who that is?</s>LEMON: Oh, it's the Obama dog. Is that Bo?</s>LOTHIAN: Exactly, it's Bo. You turn it around and it says, "Bobama, the first dog." So, that's -- I do want to show one other one here. Here's another t-shirt. "Summer White House, Martha's Vineyard, 2009." You turn it around. It has kind of a checklist on the back here. Vacation plans, bailout, again, question mark, that's crossed off. Health care still a question mark there. Martha's Vineyard checked off and then things to do, flying horses and some other restaurants to go visit. You know, we at CNN had a chance to catch up with this young woman who said she had some ideas for what the first children can do here on the island. Take a listen.</s>MADELEINE HARRIS BENGSTON, 5-YEAR-OLD: The flying horses.</s>LOTHIAN: What's with the flying horses?</s>BENGSTON: You know, it goes around and around and these horses, they can ride them.</s>LOTHIAN: Like a merry-go-round?</s>BENGSTON: Yes.</s>LOTHIAN: Wow.</s>BENGSTON: Try to catch the golden ring.</s>MARGE HARRIS, GRANDMOTHER: Oh, I'm very excited. I think it's wonderful. I think anything to share our island and to see -- what a compliment it is to us that he wants to come here.</s>LOTHIAN: So, Don, you know, on that carousel, I have a couple of kids, we've been here many times. It's a huge hit. Essentially, if you grab one of the golden rings, there are like three golden rings as you go around those horses, you win a free ride. So, every kid out there, you know, trying to grab that ring and hoping that they can get another ride and ride free all day.</s>LEMON: All right. Dan Lothian, joining us in Martha's Vineyard, a little fun, it's vacation time. A lot of American families are on vacation, as well.</s>LOTHIAN: Yes.</s>LEMON: So is the first family. Dan is going to be back at 7:00 to talk more about whether or not the president might see Ted Kennedy, if they will visit and talk about a special connection between Martha's Vineyard and African-Americans. We'll see you at 7:00. Thank you, Dan. Raging wildfires in Greece, burning out of control, forcing mass evacuations and threatening ancient ruins. Plus, this for you...</s>TIO HARDIMAN, CEASEFIRE ILLINOIS: If you're coming up to do (ph) Killer Town here and people don't know who you are, we can get shot right now, for filming (ph) in this car riding down the street.</s>LEMON: We will head right into the middle of Chicago's deadly streets where people are desperate to curb the violence that's taking over many neighborhoods. And, of course, we always appreciate your feedback.