today. >> given the last of my life there, needed to be some healing. for us, it's a place where i could sort of concentrate and think about what i want to do next in life. >> it's mark sanford live and exclusive on monday. good saturday morning. an american has been kidnapped in pakistan. a live report from pakistan in moments as we are digging for details about who he is and why this american might have been targeted. also, you heard a lot about the straw poll. it is just a straw poll, but it is a big deal because today's vote in iowa could be important in deciding who will stay in and

who will have to get out of the race for the republican presidential nomination. also, dozens of people arrested in philadelphia last night, but we'll explain to you why they were all between the ages of 14 and 17. at the top of the hour, we start with the breaking news out of pakistan. the u.s. embassy is saying an american was abducted from his home in lahore. we have the latest from pakistan. >> reporter: t.j., this is the third time an american has been kidnapped in pakistan. they are rare, but the way it happened is unprecedented. i don't think we have ever seen kidnappers ever break in to take someone. according to the embassy, an

american citizen by the name of warren weinstein, around 3:15 a.m. this morning, in the city of lahore, an sassailants brokeo his home and others scaled the walls. police say this house was being guarded by three very well trained security guards. they are saying they are retired military commandos. that is why police are considered these kidnappers were well trained to overpower these three security guards and get to warren weinstein and leave with him. these assailants left with two vehicles. we know weinstein works for j.g.

austin. they do economic development and social development here helping create jobs in pakistan. >> no one is taking responsibility? we have not heard a peep from them? >> reporter: at this point, no one is taking responsibility. kidnappings are on the rise in pakist pakistan. a lot of people think they are linked with the taliban. a lot of times it is criminal gangs that kidnap for ransom. it is not clear who is involved. >> reza sayah, we appreciate you. let's turn back to politics. the election is some 15 months away, but today is a big deal. today is a make-or-break deal for some of the republicans hoping to make it to the white house. we are talking about the iowa

straw poll. it is a straw poll in iowa. if you have a bad showing there today, it could mean the end of the road for you. let me tell you who will be there. they will be on the ballot although they are not actively participating or being in iowa. their names will appear on the ballot. there are another six candidates who will be there in iowa participating in the event speaking at the event. after today, we will see who will live to go on and fight another day. certainly more so than many others, many need a strong showing. our political director paul steinhaus is here with us. this is about the message this could send to the losers. >> reporter: good morning, t.j. there is no other straw poll. it is part vote and part party an and part fund-raiser for the

iowa gop. as long as they live in iowa or students in the state, they can pay for their tickets and have them vote for their candidate. candidates have tents outside of the coliseum. there is food and entertainment and music. it is a party atmosphere. there is serious stuff about it as well. there is a lot at stake. that is why we will bring in our political reporter. what do you think? >> absolutely. i think there are three candidates that people are keeping an eye on. ron paul, the texas congressman. tim pawlenty and michele bachmann. rick santorum could play around that third or fourth spot. things might have changed after last night's debate. pawlenty really needs to finish one or two to kind of prove that

his campaign is viable. he has been out here for a year and he is still mired in single dig digits. bachmann has surged to the front of the polls. >> reporter: thanks, peter. this straw poll has a history of bringing candidates down. tommy thompson did not do well. he stepped out of the race a few days later. we may have that again with candidates. t.j., back to you. >> stay with cnn for the coverage of the iowa straw poll for results later today. you can join don lemon and candy crowley. one playing a big role in iowa is texas governor rick perry. he is done playing the waiting game. some hoping he would get into the race. he is going to make it official today. he will have an appearance in south carolina a little later. you have been hearing this name.

texas governor rick perry. who is this guy? he has been governor of texas for longer than anyone in history. he took office in 2000 when then governor george bush became president. he won three things since then. he wasn't always a conservative. he was elected to the texas house of representatives in 1984 as a democrat. he campaigned for al gore in 1988. the next year, he switched parties and became a republican. he will announce his bid for the white house at 1:00 eastern. cnn will bring you live coverage of that. that is happening in charleston, south carolina. perry immediately becomes one of the front runners in the race. look at the latest cnn poll. perry is at number two on the list of republicans. just behind mitt romney. for mitt romney, he says a little competition, that is okay. he was in new hampshire. he welcomed the news of another challenger.

he said that any of the current candidates on the gop side would be a step up from the guy who has the job right now. >> if rick perry or frankly anybody else on the stage last night were our nominee, i'll work hard for them. any one of the people on the stage would do a heck of a lot better job leading this country than the current president. >> also, mitt romney's campaign released his net worth to the federal election commission saying it is somewhere between $85 million and $264 million. that is about the same amount the former governor was worth when he ran for governor four years ago. there were dozens of arrests in philadelphia overnight as police enforced a stricter curfew for teenagers. the curfew expired minutes ago. this is a 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. curfew in response to several incidents of mob violence in

parts of the city. curfews in big cities are not anything new. sarah hoye has more. >> reporter: good morning, t.j. i believe law enforcement believes it did work out well. there were dozens of arrests overnight. police were out in force making their presence known. for this morning, it is a tangible difference. >> why it wasn't that much of a change? there was already a curfew in place and they moved it up by an hour and a half. why do they think that hour and a half is a big difference? >> reporter: they did move it up. you are right. the difference is a lot of the incidents, the flash-mob attacks, were happening right after curfew. in certain areas of the city,

the two areas in particular, they bumped it up hoping to curtail that activity at that curfew hour. that golden hour. >> all right. sarah hoye, thank you very much. it sounds like the curfew did what it was supposed to do last night. let's turn to berlin. they are observing a somber anniversary there. it was 50 years ago today that construction started on the berlin wall. the wall split the city in two. the country in two, really. communis communists east and the free of the west. it was finally torn down back in 1989. next month, president obama will present the medal of honor to a marine of afghanistan. sergeant meyer is speaking at his former high school in

kentucky. he ran through enemy fire to recover the marines in september of 2009. meyer had wounds to his right arm. he is the third living medal recipient. another recipient was on the mound at safeco field in seattle yesterday. that wasn't him throwing out the first pitch. that was his son. you see him. sergeant lero petry. his son threw the first pitch because the sergeant lost his hand during a firefight in afghanistan. at 11 minutes past the hour now, let's say good morning to reynolds wolf. how are you? >> good morning, t.j. we have a lot to talk about. it seems like the weekends have something big. we have the possibility of strong storms in the ohio valley

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go to cialis.com. these are scary moments. being in the dark like that. the lights are on. >> hello. i'm joined by reynolds wolf. it is not -- i cannot call these tropical storms. they are something of interest. >> one tropical storm. the other three areas -- areas of concern. the national hurricane center has put a bull's-eye on them. we are getting to the point where things start heating up. where things get active in the tropics. what we are talking about is if you look at the big picture of the atlantic ocean, a huge body

of water. not as big as the the pacific. it is along the convergence zone. you see a 30% chance of a named storm. we have tropical storm franklin which will move to the north. no threat to the united states. that is the good news. something else that is great news, believe it or not? rain in texas. we needed rain there for quite a long time. we are seeing scattered showers and embedded thunderstorms. it may be too late because of the heavy drought. it is better to get it than not get it at all. from dallas back to lubbock, we have seeing heavy rain. when you get to lubbock, it drizzles out. it may move to austin and i-35 and san antonio before the day is out. the chance of rain and the chance of storms will pop up

across the ohio valley. the best chance will occur later in the afternoon and evening. that is when the atmosphere tends to destabilize. if you have a plan to fly to chicago or detroit or indianapolis, you may have a few delays. across the southeast, there could be a boom of thunder in your day, especially by the afternoon. perhaps into atlanta and parts of alabama and mississippi and florida. back out to the west, plenty of sunshine along the west coast. especially the pacific northwest. you see the area of low pressure. another frontal boundary. as that gets closer, you will see clouds develop and by tomorrow, probably a big change in the forecast. more cloud cover. of course, in parts of the cascades with the stray showers. in terms of the temperatures, we still have the heat in texas. the big string of hot weather is beginning to drop a little bit in dallas. 101. they did break the string of triple digit heat. 99 is the high in houston.

69 in san francisco. all right. t. t.j., that is the latest with the forecast. back to you. >> how bad has it been in texas drought wise? >> it is awful. for so many people, it is too late to revamp the crops they lost or the livestock from the lack of rainfall. >> it is brutal. they have an idea how to get water? >> okay. >> take urine and turn it into drinking water. >> urine? >> they are building a new water treatment plant that has some people worked up, as you imagine. you heard me right, folks. this facility will cost about $13 million. that is not the problem people have. the plant will actually recycle sewage water. yes, including your urine. they will turn that into drinking water for the surrounding area.

this does not sound apparent ti good for a lot of people. >> if they do, we will have to leave town. >> really? >> yeah. >> not appealing, but going thirsty isn't either. >> he makes a good point. >> big spring? they will get water from ding-ding. that is disgusting. that is strange. they have to do what they have to do. when you have lack of rainfall and you see opportunities of rain come through. we had a tropical storm weeks ago that looked promising and fell apart. drastic measures call for drastic things. >> they do this in other places around the world. they do this on ships that are out at sea for a while. this is done. this is a larger scale. there was one where a guy says

it is like you are drinking your beer twice. he made light of it. >> i don't want to do that either. do you have varieties? smooth and chunky? i'm wondering. maybe these answers can be solved. i'm escaping. see you later. 17 minutes past the hour. i have a story here that got some of you talking. i sent this out and teased you this morning on twitter. here is a story that got the men and women talking this morning in our newsroom. would you give up billions of dollars to marry the person you love? billions of dollars? that story coming up. one european duchess did just that. i want you to stick around for this one. also, another story this morning that we are happy to bring you. 9-year-old girl had a birthday

wish. she had that wish before her life was cut short. you know what? that wish will come true in ways she never could have imagined. stay with us on this cnn saturday morning. enge run more smoothly by helping remove deposits and cleaning up intake valves. so when you fill up at an exxon or mobil station, you can rest assured we help your engine run more smoothly while leaving behind cleaner emissions. it's how we make gasoline work harder for you. exxon and mobil.

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about a girl's birthday wish coming true. the girl's name was rachel bechwith. she wanted to raise $300 to bring clean drinking water to an african village. she died in a car accident and people heard about her wish. i said $300. people heard about this story and they opened up their wallets and now the donations have come in and have swelled to over $1 million. there is a running count on the web page. the money continues to pour in. her mom is just so proud of the legacy her daughter was able to leave behind. >> she would be so happy and so amazed that she helped people because she did that on a daily basis in our lives. she is jumping up and down in heaven right now.

>> can you imagine? just wanted to raise $300. now it is up to over $1 million. you can find out more about her cause or maybe chip in. it is called mycharitywater.org. we are at 21 minutes past the hour now. a story you might not believe. a duchess gives up her entire fortune. she is worth billions. our nadia bilchik joins us after the break on what women will do for love and power. see if the bloodork is ready. review ms. cooper's history. and i want to see katie before she goes home. [ male announcer ] with integrated healthcare solutions from dell, every patient file is where dr. ling needs it. now she can spend more time with patients and less time on paperwork. ♪ dell. the power to do more.

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all right. 25 minutes past the hour now. nadia bilchik here with the morning passport. we are talking about what women will do and won't do for love and power. give us the update on the story you brought us about a married couple got divorced so the woman could try to run for president. >> correct. that was guatemala last spring. sandra torrez divorced her husband to run for president.

this week, the court ruled she divorced him, but she was married to him for much of her life so she cannot run. >> have they announced they will re-marry? >> it will be interesting to see if it was a scam. put it this way, what she wouldn't do or would do for power. let's go to spain where we have the duchess of alba who is giving it all up for love. we are talking about $4 billion. >> for love? >> yes. >> that is strong love. >> the duchess of alba is 85 years old. she is maria rosari maria rosario cayetana alfonsa. she has so many titles, that she

does not need to courtesy or bow to the pope. >> she is a big deal. >> she is worth a lot of money. this would be her third husband. he is 20 years her junior. when people come to spain, celebrities come to spain, they meet her. the children are not happy that she wants to marry. the social security worker alfonso diaz. >> he is a social security worker? >> they don't want to share their mother's billions. >> are they worried he is after her money or they will get a lighter cut? >> both. it has gotten to the king of spain to say don't marry. she has a solution. her solution is i will give my children, my six children, the inheritance early. there are 12 castles. there are art works and most

incredible amounts of jewelry and property. she says to her children, if you are so worried that i am marrying this man and you want this money, here it is. >> how does the groom-to-be feel about it? >> she says he loves me and not my money. i don't think the lifestyle is going to be compromised. they may be living in one castle instead of 12. she said how many beds can you sleep in? her six children have been divorced themselves. she is going at least i have never been divorced. the first husband died. the second was a priest and he died. now she is on husband number three. apparently this is a match of love. >> who is the guy? >> that is him in the picture.

that is alfonso diaz. she is with celebrities like tom cruise as you can see. this woman has tremendous power and wealth. she says to her children, if you are concerned that i am going to be giving this away to someone else, have it so i can have love. there will be love and luxury. >> i love this story. we put the question out this morning. people have been responding. what do you do? would you give up a fortune to marry the person you love? of course their life may not change that much. but it raises an interesting question. what would you do? >> i may give away 49 of the $50 billion. why not? she says how many beds can you sleep in? how much jewelry can one woman have? how much plastic surgery can you have? >> nadia bilchik, thank you. i love this.

thank you so much. coming up on the bottom of the hour. it could be the end of the line for some republican presidential hopefuls. it could be over today. we'll explain why. plus, police in philadelphia cracking down and enforcing a new stricter curfew put in place to try to stop mob violence. but did it work last night? stay with me. [ marn luther king jr. ] i stim that one day on the red hills of georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. i have a dream today! [ male announcer ] chevrolet is honored to celebrate the unveiling of the washington, d.c., martin luther king jr. memorial. take your seat at the table on august 28th. what if we designed an electric motorcycle? what if we turned trash into surfboards?

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we are just past the bottom of the hour on this cnn saturday morning. welcome back. thank you for spending part of your weekend with us. i'm t.j. holmes. taking a look at stories out of pakistan. the u.s. embassy is saying they are working with officials in hopes of finding an american national who was abducted a few hours ago. an embassy spokesman said warren weinstein was taken overnight from his home in lahore. the police suggest the kidnappers are well trained.

also police in philadelphia enforcing the city's new curfew. the curfew from 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. minors and parents face fines of up to $300 for a first offense. $500 if they are picked up again. and a federal appeals court in atlanta strikes down a big part of president obama's health care law. the provision requires all americans to buy health insurance was ruled unconstitution unconstitutional. it is unlikely the supreme court will have to rule on the legislation. the white house disagree was the appeal's court decision. in iowa, it could be moving day for the republican presidential hopefuls. some could face the hard truth and others could rise. today is the iowa straw poll.

it is the test of strength of political will and strength. the majority of the candidates are there to make their pleas. mitt romney is staying away. he has been spending most of his time and attention on new hampshire. iowa, it is a big deal. even though texas governor rick perry is not there, he is still a big deal in the race. he is not in it yet. he has been overshadowing the iowa vote. he will jump into the race. we have jim acosta with more. >> reporter: t.j., rick perry arrives in south carolina as a threat to the gop field. he is more conservative than mitt romney and more electable than the other candidates. that is why the obama campaign has taken notice. >> washington is broken. >> reporter: a tea party

governor from the wild west. rick perry sounded like he was running against president obama last year. >> that is why i rejected federal dollars with strings attached and fight misguided energy policies. >> reporter: now poised to shake up the race for 2012, he is facing a showdown with the white house. >> welcome to the contest. >> reporter: he is not in iowa for the straw poll this weekend, but he is on the minds of republicans. >> i'm pleased he is coming in because he represents the status quo. >> reporter: instead, the governor is sharpening his message against mitt romney. >> i want to look at the track record when mitt was the governor of massachusetts and i was governor of texas. my record doesn't need propping up. >> he is a fine man and

governor. the record of texas speaks for itself. >> reporter: president obama's re-election team is ready to join the fight. asked about the recent attacks on the economic record, a top strategists blasts back. >> a secession from the united states of america. we will see when he becomes a candidate. what he that's propose and has to say. his record will get strategized. >> reporter: a reference to his comments two years ago. >> if washington continues to thumb its nose at the american people, who knows what might come out of that. >> reporter: before life in politics made him the longest serving governor in texas, perry grew up poor in paint creek. no stop lights and it is a half a world away from washington.

>> our country has pretty much forgotten about christian ethics. i believe he is a good christian man. i think he will bring that back into our country like it needs to be. >> he came from paint creek, texas. he graduated in paint creek. he did not help paint creek so what can he do for the nation? >> reporter: perry is expected to tout his record in texas, but democrats say the governor has never been tested on the national stage. that process has just begun. t.j. >> thanks to jim acosta. at 1:00 p.m., we will have coverage of rick perry's expected announcement that he is officially in the race. 38 minutes past the hour now. i know you have been wondering. what does the world's oldest edible ham look like? would you believe reynolds wolf actually found it? yes, you can eat it. we are going on the road with

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40 minutes past the hour. i'm here with reynolds wolf now who has this great feature. trip on a tank. people worried about food prices and gas prices. everything is going up. you don't have to cut back that much if you are taking a day trip. >> most people can still afford to fill up a tank of gas. they cannot afford to take the family across the country to go visit something, they can at least take a trip down the street and find amazing stuff. take a look. today's trip on a tank starts in norfolk, virginia which is the home of the uss wisconsin. a long trip all the way from norfolk to washington d.c. let's keep going.

when you go on any trip, it is very important to have a great crew. we have photo journalist jeremy with us. >> at your service, governor. >> we have producer alicia eagan. how many miles are we going today? >> about 350. >> oh, yeah. first stop? smithfield, virginia. that is the ham capital of the world. that is great if you are hungry. the problem is this is a prop. we need the real deal. reality can sometimes be a little bit harsh. at the museum in smithfield, virginia, take a look at this. it is the world's oldest edible ham. the one in the middle. the museum's curator is here with us. >> this is a combination of smoke and salt and it is cured in 1902. we think you can still eat it.

we haven't cut into it. >> i'll take your word for it. wow. something else that is cool here. check it out. it is the world's oldest peanut. amazing here in smithfield. you think something that neat would have its own museum. here in waverly, virginia, the first peanut museum. >> it's locked. >> we're going. next on the road? we go to colonial williamsburg. despite the hot day, it is frozen in time. the proof is all around you. you have the old tavern and wig maker and silversmith on one side. it brings you back to a simpler time. a time without air conditioning. let me tell you it is hot. jeremy, you ready to get back in the car?

yeah, me too. i'm feeling nostalgic. >> me, too. i'm thinking civil war. >> we are in virginia. more specifically to the final resting place of stonewall jackson's left arm. he lost his arm in 1963. he lost his left arm. i'd give my right arm to get out of here. let's get going. along the journey, we have been finding bits and pieces of americana. here in culpepper, they are making whiskey. these are the all american spirits? >> this whiskey has been made here for 400 years in the united states. >> let's watch them roll.

well these bottles are on the move and so are we. well, we finally made it. washington d.c. right behind me you can see the washington monument. beyond that, the lincoln memorial. if you pivot around back here, you have the nation's capitol. 350.7 miles from norfolk here to d.c. what a trip it was. i hope you enjoyed it. we will see you next time down the road. >> the ham scared you? >> a little bit. i wasn't expecting that. how can they prove you can eat that ham? >> when you go into any fast food restaurant and you see the food behind the counter and you take their word for it. >> you can order it. i need somebody to cut into the

ham and let me know it is edible. >> we actually went back that night and broke in and i ate that ham. it was the best ham i had in my entire life. i need a toothpick. >> the moonshine? did you wash it down with the moonshine? >> that is how i got it down. exactly how i got it down. we sampled some later on. it tasted pretty good. with a ham that is over 100 years old. >> where are you going next? that is up to the viewers. >> we are going into the four corners. we covered the east coast pretty well. we will keep it going. anyone who would like to help us out with a few ideas, go to my facebook page. i'm the only weirdo on the internet with the name reynolds wolf. tell me where you would like us to go. >> thanks, reynolds.

reynolds will be with us throughout the morning. we will check in with him over the weather. we have a developing story from pakistan where an american was kidnapped. taken from his own home there hours ago. stay with us.

12 minutes until the top of the hour. more developments from pakistan where an american was abducted from his home in lahore in eastern pakistan. we have reza sayah with more on

the update. just who is the american? >> reporter: we are getting new information about the kidnapping. all indications are right now, t.j., this was a well planned and coordinated kidnapping. the victim in the kidnapping is an american by the name of warren weinstein. one of the many development workers here in pakistan. the kidnapping taking place at 3:15 a.m. local time. it is the holy month of ramadan here. a lot of people are fasting. and investigators say at 3:15 a.m., warren weinstein's three security guards and drivers were getting ready for a meal in the front yard when they got a knock on the gate. three people said they were offering them food, which is customary in the month of ramadan. that was a ploy to get in. once the gate was open, they forced their way in. tied up the security guards. pistol-whipped the driver. other assailants, according to police scaled the walls of the

home. they found their way to warren weinstein who was in his bedroom sleeping. they left with him. a nearby security guard at the neighbor's is telling police that eight-to-ten of them left in two vehicles. warren weinstein works for a development company headquartered in virginia. he was working here as a development worker. many companies out here like j.e. austin involved in social development and creating jobs here. american warren weinstein, t.j., kidnapped according to police. tough time for his family. >> reza, you talked about how rare it is for foreigners to be targeted there in pakistan. do we have any indication why this man may have been targeted and it seems like these assailants went through some trouble and maybe some planning and did have some skill to

overcome his security he had there. >> reporter: there is no question about it. investigators say the security personnel working for warren weinstein were well trained and retired military commandos. that is why they were convinced the kidnappers were able to pull it off. it is the third time in nearly a decade an american has been kidnapped. it is rare. the way it has happened, breaking into a home and targeting an american, that is unprecedented. we have never seen that happen. not clear exactly who the assailants are at this hour. >> reza sayah, we appreciate you this morning. entertainers from around the world are joining the relief effort to try to save the children in east africa. we will tell you how they are using social media to get the word out. stay with me. in here, the planned combination

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♪ we need your questions ♪ each and every kind ♪ every kind ♪ will this react with my other medicine? ♪ ♪ hey, what are all these tests even for? ♪ ♪ questions are the answer ♪ yeah ♪ oh we are getting close to the top of the hour on the cnn saturday morning. more than 150 entertainers joining the aid group save the children to raise money for starving children in east africa. ♪ ♪ i'm going ♪ to be ♪ your friend >> the campaign released a short film this week set to the song by bob marley and the whalers.

they are using social media to urge their fans to contribute. they are expected to reach a global audience of 600 million people. you can see the video at savethechildren.org. some of the stories of pain and suffering coming from east africa. so many of them and so many have to do with sick and dying young children. the u2 front man, bono says the country needs to do something. >> reporter: no sacks of grain for the starving somalis. these heavy, wet meals of soy and corn are pre--cooked to eat them now before it is too late. for thousands of somalis, it is too late. more than 29,000 children under

the age of 5 have already died as a result of the famine. >> 30,000 of them -- >> reporter: bono has been sounding the alarm. >> people seem to prevail watching people in the high streets of london fight police rather than watching children of somalia fighting for their lives. people watch the values -- stock values crumble, while i think about our sense of values tumbling. >> reporter: u.n. officials warn the crisis is spreading faster than aid agencies can cope with. they say half of the somali people are at risk for famine. some agencies could run out of supplies by the end of the month. the u.n. needs $2.5 billion for the horn of africa, but so far, it has received less than half of it. jonathan mann, cnn.

police in philadelphia arrest almost two dozen people. they are all under the age of 18. we'll tell you about that and much more coming up next. this is your cnn saturday morning. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] more people are leaving bmw, mercedes, and lexus for audi than ever before. ♪ experience the summer of audi event and get over 130 channels of siriusxm satellite radio for three months at no charge. but not in my neighborhood. ♪ [ female announcer ] we're throwing away misperceptions about natural gas vehicles. more of the vehicles that fuel our lives use clean american natural gas today.

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good saturday morning. we start with the developing story. an american has been abducted in pakistan. we will have a live report from pakistan in moments as we dig for details about who this american is and why he might have been targeted. also, it is just a straw

poll, but it is a big deal. today's vote in iowa could be critical in deciding who is in and who will have to get out of the republican presidential nomination race. dozens of people arrested in philadelphia overnight. we need to explain to you why they were all between the ages of 14 and 17. let's get to the breaking news from pakistan. the u.s. state department issued a travel advisory there after an american is abducted from his guarded home. this happened in the eastern pakistani city of lahore. warren weinstein was taken from that home. our reza sayah joins from us islamab islamabad. you are getting details on how this went down? >> reporter: yes, new information coming in about the kidnapping that appeared to be well coordinated in the kidnapping that got violent. the target of the kidnapping is

an american citizen by the name of warren weinstein. one of the many western development workers here in pakistan. the kidnapping, according to investigators, taking place at 3:15 a.m. this morning in the eastern city of lahore. investigators say at least eight-to-ten assailants forced their way into the home of warren weinstein in an upscale neighborhood. they tied up the three security guards at warren weinstein's home. they pistol-whipped his driver in the front yard. forced him to take them to warren weinstein who was sleeping in the home. the assailants left with him. according to investigators, these were very well trained assailants because the security guards at weinstein's home were retired military commandos. it took time to tie them up and

escape with weinstein. the assailants left with two vehicles, but not clear where weinstein is and who the assailants are right now. >> reza sayah, thank you. we need to turn to the politics in the country. 15 months before the election and it is a big deal for the republicans. the iowa straw poll takes place today. it may not sound like the s sexiest thing in the world, but this race may not be for you. here is who is on the ballot. six candidates will speak at the event today. some hoping to build on past success. others hoping to live to fight another day. mitt romney, the proposed front runner is staying out of iowa today. jon huntsman and newt gingrich are on the ballot as well, but

not attending the event. we have paul steinhauser speaking about the poll. it is not about the winners, but it sends a message to the losers. >> reporter: good morning, t.j. the republican presidential straw poll in iowa. there is no other straw poll like it. this is a spectacle. it is part vote and party and fund-raiser for the iowa gop. here is how it works. the campaigns can bring supporters in as long as they live in iowa or students in the state. they can pay for them, their tickets and have them vote for the candidate. candidates have tents on the complex. there is food and partying and music. it is a party atmosphere. there is serious stuff about it as well. there is a lot at stake for the candidates. that is why i want to bring in our political reporter, peter. what is on the line? >> there are three candidates

that people are keeping an eye on today. ron paul. tim pawlenty and they are looking at michele bachmann. republicans are thinking they will finish in the top three. rick santorum could play around that third or fourth spot. things might have changed after the debate last night. that is what we are looking at. pawlenty needs to finish one or two to prove that the campaign is viable. he has been out here for a year and he is still mired in single digits. >> reporter: thanks, peter. this straw poll has a history of bringing campaigns down. we may have that again. a repeat with candidates this time around. t.j., back to you. >> you can stay with cnn for the iowa straw poll results when they come in later today.

don lemon and candy crowley have the special at 7:00 eastern. texas governor rick perry is done playing the waiting game. a lot have been waiting on him. the wait is over today. he is set to officially enter the race for the white house. he will make it official during an appearance in south carolina. who is this guy? he has been the governor of texas for longer than anyone in history. he took office in 2000 when then governor george w. bush became president. he has won election three times since then. he wasn't always a republican. in 1984, he was elected to the texas house of representatives as a democrat. he campaigned for al gore in 1988. the next year he switched parties to a republican. we will have live coverage from charleston, south carolina.

perry immediately becomes a front runner. perry is number two on the list of republicans behind mitt romney. mitt romney welcomes perry to the race. there was an event in new hampshire where he welcomed news of a challenger. he said any of the current candidates would be a step up from president obama. >> if rick perry or anybody else on the stage last night were our nominee, i'll be out working hard for them. any one of the people on the stage as well as rick perry would do a heck of a lot better job leading this country than the current president. >> the romney campaign has released his net worth to the federal election commission. that worth between $85 million and $264 million. that is about the same amount the former massachusetts governor was worth when he ran for president four years ago. there were dozens of arrests in philadelphia overnight as police were enforcing a new stricter curfew for teenagers.

anybody under the age of 18. the curfew is now from 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. it is in response to high profile incidents in the city. there were arrests in one of the mob beatings this week. the mayor, michael nutter expanded the curfew which had been at midnight on weekends. let's say good morning to reynolds wolf. weather wise, you have concerns out there? >> just a few. it is this time of year that the tropics get active. the situation this morning as well. we will look at what is happening and what is brewing. we will see temperatures that we expect to go up quite a bit today while rain across the ohio valley and parts of the midwest continues to go down. we will give you the latest coming up. [ male announcer ] you never know when a moment might turn into something more. and when it does men with erectile dysfunction can be more confident in their ability to be ready with cialis for daily use. cialis for daily use is a clinically proven

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all right. 10 minutes past the hour on this cnn saturday morning. i'm joined by reynold wolf.

it is amazing how far out these develop. >> we have the inter tropical convergence zone. you have the unstable air. >> i love it when you say that. >> i'm a rodeo clown. i'm a freak. not to insult rodeo clowns. this is the time of year you see these develop. these squares in the middle of the atlantic. one has been named. this is tropical storm franklin. this will move off. what happens is, t.j., these veer off and more north. that is the good news. you get some moving into the caribbean and some moving closer to the u.s. we hope these are fish storms that die out in the atlantic. there is the possibility this time of year that they become stronger. something that we are watching. things are hot in texas. the hot streak you had in

dallas. 40 straight days of 100 degree heat. that went from july 2nd to august 10th. there are other streaks that are popping up. namely in waco. 44 straight days of 100 degree temperatures. the longest streak in history eclipsing 1980. one thing that is interesting, you have cooling rain that is moving into parts of the lone star state. unfortunately, for many people, it will be too late for the growing season. you have a lot of crops that were never able to develop because of the lack of rainfall. livestock desperate for the rain. back in the texas hill country, burnett county, expect the rain. austin will see it later on. perhaps in enchanted rock. keep your fingers crossed. we will see things as we wrap up, the heat across the southern plains, but in the ohio valley, a chance of storms in the afternoon. pop-up thunderstorms across the southeast. out to the west, a mix of sun

and clouds in the four corners. the frontal boundary is moving in from the gulf of alaska which is a big game changer. more clouds and a chance of rain by tomorrow. t.j. we appreciate you as always. we will check in with reynolds throughout the morning. 12 minutes past the hour. the republican presidential hopefuls are battling it out today in the iowa straw poll event. one person is not in the race and has taken up the spotlight. her name? sarah palin. at the state fair. that is coming up next. the iowa straw poll is different than most. you have to have a ticket to get in and participate. do you have any idea how much it costs to participatparticipate? $10 or $20 or $30 or do they give them out for free? that answer is next on cnn saturday morning. s born in this. [ automated voice speaks foreign language ] [ male announcer ] in here, everyone speaks the same language. ♪

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quarter past the hour now on this cnn saturday morning. before the break, i asked how much does a ticket cost to vote in the iowa straw poll? free? $10? $20? $30? the ticket will cost you $30, but most of those voting in the straw poll have their tickets provided free by the candidates' organizations. you can probably figure out how that works. it is moving day in iowa. some will see their fortunes

rise, others face the hard truth that they don't have a shot. here is who is on the ballot for the iowa straw poll. the majority of candidates are there. they will make their pleas in person. mitt romney is not going to be there. he is spending time in new hampshire. ahead of the straw poll, most of the candidates made an appearance. one did not appear. i'm not talking about rick perry, although he has plenty of buzz, but palin. our don lemon caught up with her. take a listen. >> reporter: t.j., sarah palin spent a lot of time answering my questions from giving advice to the candidates on stage during the debate to who is responsible for the u.s. credit downgrade and is she stealing the spotlight by being here in iowa when she wasn't declared? >> i don't think i'm stealing any spotlight. if anybody thinks i'm stealing

the spotlight, go find the other folks and say hello. >> reporter: a lot of people are saying the tea party is responsible for the downgrade? >> if it weren't for the tea party the discussion would never have gotten where it got. i appreciate the passion that the federal government needs to live within its means. the last entity to be blamed for the downgrade should be the tea party. the question should be asked is the president responsible for the downgrade? yes. the leadership of our country starts from the top. i'm not the only one that has not decided yet and not ready to announce one way or another yet. there is still a lot of contemplation that needs to go into such an earth-shattering decision. it is passe to pit two women in

the race that michele once put it, get in the mud and engage in cat fighting. it is a sexist notion to consider two women would be duking it out. if i duke it out, i'm duking it out with a guy. >> reporter: are you concerned about the popularity? >> not at all. i'm glad michele bachmann is in the arena. i'm glad she has had opportunity to be on stage debating good ideas. i'm proud of anything, male or female, willing to put it all on the line and get out there and fight for what is right in this country. michele is one of those. >> reporter: no doubt sarah palin will continue the bus tour in the united states. when i asked her and her husband what was in their future? todd responded by saying, lunch. t.j., back to you. >> you can stay with cnn for the live coverage of the straw poll. you can join don lemon for the

iowa straw poll at 7:00 eastern time. the retirement plan. are you putting money away for a number of things? add one more to the list. your grand kids. you may be the financial safety net that they need. clyde anderson is with me after the break. build a new app for the sales team in beijing. and convince the c.e.o. his email will find him... wherever he is. i need to see my family while they're still awake. [ male announcer ] with global services from dell, jim can address his company's i.t. needs through custom built applications, cloud solutions and ongoing support in over 100 countries. so his company sees results. and jim sees his family. dell. the power to do more.

all right. 22 minutes past the hour. i'm joined by clyde anderson. our financial analyst. we know when the auto industry or banks need to be bailed out, they have the government. when kids need to be bailed out, they have their parents or

grandparents. >> your parents or grandparents want to see you do better than they did. we are at a time when people are losing jobs and losing homes. the parents or grandparents are stepping in to fill that void. >> a lot more grandparents. >> 65 million grandparents. the baby boomer generation. they are taking care of the sandwich generation. >> is this hurting the grandparents? people waiting longer to retire anyway. this is one more expense on top of the struggling grandparents. >> it is a huge expense. it is the investment that they made that did not pay off. a lot of them are paying tuition and expenses. living expenses and mortgages. they are paying for toys and diapers. i heard one family that came in

and helped grandparents with $59,000 last year. everybody is not able to do that. that is a huge amount they are having to supplement. >> will this be something that financial analysts or the planners out there that they talk to that they add this in and you need to allow for your grandparents? will they get to that point? >> you have to look at it and have to. the 401(k) has taken a hit. the stocks have taken a hit. they don't have the nest egg they had before. because they don't have the nest egg, they cannot count on that money. they have committed to helping the children out. you do have to plan for it to a degree. you will see changes. grandparents will work longer or go back to work. those are the new trends. >> are we finding that grandparents when faced with that situation would prefer -- i will do whatever i have to do to help out the grand kids.

if i have to work longer or i struggle myself. it sounds like grandparents are going in that direction. >> they are. we are seeing multigenerational households where the grandparents are moving in to take care of the grand kids. grand kids have so much more opportunity than they had growing up. they want to make that investment. >> the economy at this point, you have more and more of the young folks unemployed. the grandparents are bailing you out. >> the grandparent bailout. >> thank you. clyde anderson, good to see you. thank you so much. 25 minutes past the hour now. police were out in philadelphia slapping handcuffs on more than 20 teenagers. why? because they stayed out too late. we will tell you about the latest effort to stop the violence. did it work last night? stay with us. spec lots of advice...

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coming up on the bottom of the hour. taking a look at stories making headlines. the u.s. embassy is working with local authorities to try to find an american who was abducted in pakistan hours ago. warren weinstein was taken overnight in a coordinated assault on his home in lahore. police suggest the abductors are well trained because they subdued four retired military commandos on security for weinste weinstein. the straw poll is being held in iowa later today. rick perry is expected to announce his candidacy later this afternoon. police in philadelphia overnight arrested dozens of teenagers for violating the city's new weekend curfew. the curfew from