Pets Flood Victims; Campaign Trail
NGUYEN: Welcome back on this Sunday and Happy Father's Day to you dads out there. I'm Betty Nguyen.</s>HOLMES: And I'm T.J. Holmes. A look at some of our top stories, now. The news program that Tim Russert hosted for years paying tribute to him this morning. The moderator's chair on NBC's "Meet the Press" left empty in honor of Russert who died on Friday of a heart attack.</s>NGUYEN: Weather is helping firefighters battle a huge wildfire in northern California. Winds have died down a little bit and crews hope to get the fire under control tomorrow. It has destroyed dozens of homes in the town of Paradise.</s>HOLMES: And in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, water from the Midwest flooding is slowly starting to recede, but now the city faces another problem -- a shortage of clean drinking water.</s>NGUYEN: And let's get to this, the Iowa River, it is still rising and people in its path they are waiting to see how high it is going to go.</s>HOLMES: Christian Farr reporting there on the scene, had been following the threat for us this morning along the Iowa River, joins us now again live from Coralville. Any changes this morning? What are you seeing there?</s>CHRISTIAN FARR, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: It seems like the water has gone down a little bit. I want to give you an idea what we are looking at, here. This street is right along a condo complex, not even a year old and you can see that the water has filled the street, here. But, I was just talking to a city councilman who told me he feels like the water has receded a bit, and it has receded a bit, here. Behind me is the Iowa River, it's about 100 yards behind this hotel, between the hotel and the Iowa River sits a pond and a group of homes and the water is up to the roofs of those homes, so you can just get an idea of how swollen the Iowa River is. Let's walk over here so you can see these sandbags. This is a sandbagging effort done by volunteers and workers at this condo complex and hotel. They've put it up about four feet, but it is completely dry on the other side, so these sand bags are working. In Iowa City, about 600 homes have been evacuated, people finding temporary shelter. That thing about the Iowa River is that it normally crests at about 25 feet, it's expected, possibly, to crest 33 and 34, late Monday evening, but that timeline possibly could be pushed up to Monday afternoon, which means those numbers would be lower, that would be good news. We still have the threat of thunderstorms, here as well, but as we look into the sky, the weather looks pretty good. In fact the sun popped out, but of course we have to wait for those projections. After that we should have clear weather and that's good news for people that live here.</s>HOLMES: Well, it was nice, there is a little matter of good news to report there, at least, there as far as the river cresting and maybe the weather is going to hold off. Christian Farr, for us. Been keeping us updated this morning, we certainly appreciate you.</s>NGUYEN: In the middle of the flooding disaster that has just overwhelmed parts of the Midwest, are countless victims who cannot fend for themselves. We are he talking about dogs and cats that just a few days ago were safe and secure in their homes. Well, Susan Manson of the Cedar Valley Humane Society in Cedar Rapids joins us now by telephone to tell us what's being done to help out those animals. First off, when we talk about those animals, do you have any idea how many are in need, right now?</s>SUSAN MANSON, HUMANE SOCIETY: Oh, it's beyond counting at this point. We have 106 here at our shelter and at the shelter across town, they were taking in over 50 an hour yesterday afternoon.</s>NGUYEN: Fifty an hour?</s>MANSON: Yep. So, there's hundreds out there needing help.</s>NGUYEN: So, what's the biggest concern, right now, for pets caught up in this flooding?</s>MANSON: Well, for the pets that are still out there in the floodwaters, there's rescue efforts being taken to try to get them out of the floodwaters and into safe, secure housing and getting them fed food and water. Beyond that it's kind of a long-term commitment here before their owners are going to be back into a situation where they'll be able to house their pets again.</s>NGUYEN: How do they actually get in to get their pets? Because, when I was out there just a few days ago, I was talking to a family who had to leave their cat behind and they were worried the cat, one, got out of harm's way and, two, how is it going to survive over the next few days if they can't get back in to help him. So, what's being done? Is there a number people can call or are there ways to get back in by boat to rescue these animals?</s>MANSON: Yeah. The rescue effort is underway. We have the Humane Society of Missouri here and also the Humane Society of the United States, they've both come in to Cedar Rapids to help with the rescue efforts. These folks are trained at these kind of endeavors, so they're out there, they're getting the animals picked up. Fortunately, we had warning here and there were a lot of folks who heed the evacuation warnings on Wednesday and got their pets out before the floodwaters hit.</s>NGUYEN: Have you seen any kind of injuries? I mean, what has been the biggest problem when it comes to trying to save these pets?</s>MANSON: Their stress levels. They're just very, very scared, very freaked out. They don't understand what's going on and in the long-term, we've got to keep them as calm and comfortable as possible to keep them healthy and from getting sick. So, no major injuries to report yet at this time due to the floodwaters, but over the long-term we need to keep them safe and secure so they'll be ready to head home when their owners are ready.</s>NGUYEN: No doubt. Susan, it's got to be tough on you and your staff. You are taking in a whole lot of additional pets that are in need. And it's one thing to deal with your own home and seeing humans go through it, but how are you holding up when you see animals that are just pretty helpless in some of these conditions?</s>MANSON: Well, at least -- we're very, very fortunate, here. Our staff and our shelter, we're on high ground and our staff are all secure in their homes. Fortunately we lived on this side of town, so we feel good that we're able to help those folks less fortunate than ourselves and if we have to put in a few extra hours to keep these guys comfortable and fed and taken care of, we'll do it, that's what we're here for.</s>NGUYEN: Well, it does matter because to a lot of people pets are like family and you are doing a good thing in trying to help save as many as you possibly can. Susan Manson with the Cedar Valley Humane Society, thank you for your time and thank you for your effort.</s>MANSON: Thank you very much.</s>HOLMES: Well, still not a lot of relief in sight for folks in Iowa. We're talking more rain on top of all of this.</s>NGUYEN: And that's what they do not need. Meteorologist Reynolds Wolf is in the Severe Weather Center. So, OK, which areas, in particular, is going to see some rain today?</s>WOLF: OK, Betty, let me answer that with a question -- what areas do not need rain? OK, those exact places.</s>NGUYEN: Eighty-three counties in the state of Iowa?</s>WOLF: Exactly. Well, you got to think, OK, the Mississippi River, the largest river on the continent, all this water that we have, all of the floodwaters are going to feed right into it. Now, today, we're going to see more rain that's going to cause, of course, a lot of run-off and that run-off is also going to feed into the Mississippi. We're going to see more rain in places like Chicago, southward into Kankakee. You have some severe thunderstorm watches that are in effect moving out of Iowa, and then another one that is moving into Iowa. This one we have some strong storms near Lincoln, Nebraska, near the campus of the University of Nebraska up by War Memorial Stadium. All of that is going to be drifting eastward to places like Des Moines. Now, we've been telling you over the past couple of days the extreme flooding you've had in Des Moines, looks like they're not going to get much of a break. Although the water levels are beginning to drop in places we're going to see the additional rainfall again right where we don't need it. So, that will spill into the Mississippi. So, communities along this big stretch of river are really going to be affected in places like Keokuk, it's a tri-state area. You have Illinois on this side, Iowa here, Missouri here. Currently the stage is at 24 feet, expecting to crest right around 28.6 feet by Wednesday afternoon. Today's Sunday, we're talking Wednesday. So, it takes a while for all this water to feed its way into the Mississippi. And it is going to feed downstream in places like Hannibal -- Hannibal, Missouri, the famous hometown of Mark Twain, currently at 25.77 feet forecast to get to about 32.1 feet. For point reference, if you have 16 feet, that's already a flood, we're forecasting 32.1, so this is extreme, extreme for Thursday morning. From Hannibal, we head southward to the gateway of the west, we're talking about St. Louis and it is forecast to go to 39.4 feet on Friday afternoon, flood stage at 30 feet. So, you are seeing that more people are going to be affected by this other than just parts of the Midwest. As you make your way farther to the south, you see this water, this live shot here, these homes which just a week ago, just one week ago, this house you see in the foreground in Coralville, you saw plenty of grass. I mean, this was a beautiful day, people were out, doing chores, cleaning up around the house, maybe planning a barbecue. Places like this city street, people were maybe on their way to shopping, some of them may have had an umbrella or two because the rain had started, but who would have ever dreamt that they would have had a situation like this just develop right in Middle America. That's the situation that we are facing this morning, affecting millions of people. There's not doubt that it is going to have a huge effect on our economy. Timing on this could not be worse. Let's get back to you.</s>NGUYEN: And like they call it, it is a flood of epic proportion.</s>WOLF: No question.</s>NGUYEN: Thank you. So, looking at the damage, you know, it is hard not to be affected and now the presidential candidates, well, they are reaching out, as well.</s>HOLMES: Take a look here, that's Senator Barack Obama you see, there. He picked up a shovel in Quincy, Illinois, helped fill some sandbags, yesterday. He's calling on federal officials to provide aid to flooded areas. Officials in Quincy fear the water could rise even higher than the record level that was set back in 1993. Flooding there is expected to peak later this week.</s>NGUYEN: Meanwhile Senator John McCain issued this statement, saying, "Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those impacted by the flooding throughout the Midwest. Cindy and I would like to extend our sympathies to all those who have lost loved ones and stand ready to help those in the Midwest to recover and rebuild."</s>HOLMES: Well, with Senator Hillary Clinton out of the presidential race, where do the voters stand now? We want to check in with our buddy here, Ken Rudin, political editor for National Public Radio. Good to see you again this morning, sir, we will start with Senator Obama. He has set up this Web site to fight some of the rumors out there about him over the Internet. As much as we have covered him and seen him over the past, really, year-and-a-half of campaigning, he still feels he needs to introduce himself to the American people.</s>KEN RUDIN, NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO: He does. Good morning, T.J. and happy Father's Day. Absolutely, because, I mean for all the excitement about Barack Obama, many people still know very little about him. There have been rumors, of course, you know, that he's a Muslim, that he was sworn in on the Koran, that when he was a kid in Indonesia he attended a radical madrassa. Another rumor recently that spread around that Michelle Obama used the word "whitie" at a speech before Trinity Church of Chicago. So obviously, once you spread a rumor, once you get a rumor on the Internet it spreads like wildfire. And the Obama campaign is trying to head it off by having this Web site.</s>HOLMES: And are we seeing this is going to be something -- he's going to take stuff on head-on, because this is some swift-boated -- I mean, that's a word we all know now, after what happened to John Kerry in the last campaign, but is this an effort to make sure that doesn't happen to him?</s>RUDIN: Absolutely. I mean, if you don't respond to a rumor, a false rumor, then it just spreads like wildfire and again, if you don't respond to it -- remember what happened to John McCain in 2000 when he was running in South Carolina, there was a rumor he had fired an illegitimate black child, when in actuality he adopted a child from Bangladesh. So, once the rumors spread, it is tough to combat it and you can't just ignore it.</s>HOLMES: All right, McCain versus Obama, it's still early right, in, I guess, the general election campaign, but are we starting to see how this thing is going to shape up and how these two plan on running against each other?</s>RUDIN: Well, you do, of course, you know, obviously as soon as Barack Obama -- as soon as Hillary Clinton dropped out of the race, you saw where Barack Obama was going and was heading to Virginia, North Carolina, a bunch of states that had been voting Republican regularly, but feel because of a large African-American turnout, because of newly enfranchised and registered Democratic voters that he thinks that, Barack Obama thinks, that these could be pick-up states for the Democrats. John McCain, of course, is looking obviously if Hillary Clinton had won he'd be targeting African-Americans, but now that Barack Obama got the nomination, he's targeting female voters and he's going after women.</s>HOLMES: And you mentioned Hillary Clinton, there. Is it official, now? Are the Clintons over, if you will, as far as being a powerhouse, a force, in politics in this country, the name that's really ruled Democratic politics for a good couple of decades, here?</s>RUDIN: Oh, no, absolutely not. I mean, I think what happened to Ted Kennedy, he ran for president in 1980, failed in his bid to beat Jimmy Carter. Went back, became one of the most effective senators in the history of the Senate. Hillary Clinton has tremendous amount of options. Of course is also the possibility of the vice presidency, which I don't think will happen, but she could go back to the Senate and become a giant in the Senate and took on the kind of role that Ted Kennedy took since 1980.</s>HOLMES: All right, and you mentioned some VPs, we'll see what happens there, that favorite guessing game. Everybody likes to guess who the VP is going to be but...</s>RUDIN: I will not accept if it's offered.</s>HOLMES: You will not accept. Well, we're all relieved that you won't, Ken.</s>RUDIN: I'm not 35.</s>HOLMES: All right, Ken, we appreciate you this morning. Thank you so much, good to see you, again, happy Father's Day to you. Hope to see you again soon. I know we will be, talking politics with you.</s>RUDIN: Take care.</s>NGUYEN: Well, on your mark, get set -- shop!</s>MCINTYRE: Should we synchronize our lists?</s>FOREMAN: Yes, let's do it.</s>VERJEE: Yeah.</s>MCINTYRE: Milk, bread, cereal, meat, eggs, cheese, veggies, crackers.</s>VERJEE: Soda, desert and a prepared meal.</s>MCINTYRE: All right, let's go.</s>FOREMAN: Let's go.</s>VERJEE: See you back at the bureau.</s>NGUYEN: This is going to be good, our intrepid reporters cover three angles to find the best food store value.