john zarrella. >> with us now, the python hunter. joe wasaluski, thank so much for being with us. there really 100,000 of these snakes out there? >> we really can't put a number on it at 100,000 or 150,000. or 50,000. it is so new in the game. we really don't have an idea. we know there is a lot. >> they are a danger to the ecosystem. when a new predator is introduced. we've seen that around the world. are they a threat to humans? >> you know, where pythons come from, where they originate, burmese pythons, there's never been a human killed and eaten by one. i highly doubt that will happen in florida in the everglades, that is. >> what is -- how serious a danger are they to the environment, to the ecosystem? >> they are a danger to the ecosystem just because they're a top predator. you know, and they will eat a lot of birds. we found a lot of different animal, mammals, birds and alligators in their stomach. on the other hand, people forget we have a big predator that lives in the everglades for millions of years. alligators. >> how long could they have been released for? they can't

john zarrella, cnn, tampa. >> that sounds like a job i know someone here could probably do. think? that's a tough job. but the story before that, too, the pythons are out of control. so you should do that story. will you go out on that story and catch some pythons? >> you know, i would go out and report on that story. you know, i'm a tough chick, but there's something about gators. i could even deal with a snake. gators, not so much. oh, look at that thing. that's a python. >> i'm so afraid of snakes i can't even look at the picture. i had a garden snake in my yard and freaked out. the neighbors are like what are you screaming about. i'm like, there's a snake in my yard. >> thank goodness there are people to take care of that for us. it's hot, a lot of kids want to be outside. stick around. this is a neat little story. 65 kids, were barred from a suburban philadelphia swimming pool. they went to disney world instead. look who they're with. the guest of film maker tyler perry. we can call him a movie mogul, right? he saw the news reports about the children and actually contac

cnn's john zarrella is in his hometown of jacksonville, florida. ll, you know, scott speicher's name is on this veterans memorial wall here behind me in jacksonville but until now, the community had held out hope that somehow, scott speicher was still alive. on an overcast monday in jacksonville, florida, people stood solemnly along a road leading from the naval air station, holding american flags, paying their respects as the hearse drove by carrying the remains of a marine corps private killed in afghanistan. >> we're here to honor this fallen hero. to let the family know that we care. >> reporter: in jacksonville, they continue caring, no matter how many years go by. for 18 years, they kept alive the name scott speicher, navy pilot, shot down on the first night of the first gulf war, never knowing whether he was alive or dead. a banner still flies above a fire station. speicher's name is etched on a veterans memorial wall. beneath it, a yellow ribbon and a letter to his family. he will always be remembered, it reads in part. >> these would be the

john zarrella explains. >> ah, yes. resort living.e's always a chair. >> your own private gym with state of the art equipment and you can work out all by yourself. there's nobody here to bother you. look at this parking grab inini. you never have to hunt for a space. and when you get on the elevator, you never have to worry about anybody getting off first. sounds great, right? maybe you should talk to victor. >> this is our condo on the seventh floor. >> reporter: this was going to be victor's and his family's vacation and retirement home in the oasis, a 32 story condominium building in ft. myers, florida. the new jersey fireman close in november, paid $430,000. >> i tell people at home. they say it's your own building. sounds great. kit be eerie. like a horror movie. >> reporter: why? because the rest of the building is empty. this is a ghost tower. when the housing market collapsed, ft. myers got hit hard. most of the units never sold. those that did -- the owners were able to move to the sister tower next door where there are peopl

. >>> anyway, john zarrella, he gets those animal assignments quite often being our miami correspondent a look at that. he actually went out with python hunters and we're going to have that story after the break. stay with us. my mother made the best toffee in the world. it's delicious. so now we've turned her toffee into a business. my goal was to take an idea and make it happen. i'm janet long and i formed my toffee company through legalzoom. i never really thought i would make money doing what i love. robert shapiro: we created legalzoom to help people start their business and launch their dreams. go to legalzoom.com today and make your business dream a reality. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side. and you know what, it works. nutrisystem for men: flexible new programs personalized to meet your goals. what's great about nutrisystem is you eat the foods you love and you lose weight. i'm dan marino. i lost 22 pounds on nutrisystem and i've kept it off for three years. for a limited time, get an extra three weeks of meals free! that's right, you can get an extra 21 breakfasts,

. >> reporter: john zarrella, cnn, fort myers, florida. >>> how many times have we complained we can'tn elevator in any building because it's on another floor? >> one extreme to the other. >>> we are counting down to the top of the hour. people across the nation are gathering to watch the first hispanic woman take the oath of supreme court justice. >>> melissa long has important tips to help you put the miles to good use in this week's "on the go." >> reporter: maximize your frequent flier miles by playing it smart. >> if you're considering buying, do your plath. if you find a particularly great fare it might make sense to pay and save your miles for when prices go up. >> reporter: some airline delta and united offer programs to combine miles and cash for a flight, but be sure to read the fine print before redeeming miles. >> plenty of great deals with frequent flier miles. beware there are restrictions. >> reporter: check in with your airline on upgrading seats and sharing miles and arm yourself with information. >> a great resource, points.com learning about earning, buying and selli

here is john zarrella. >> reporter: resort living. at pool, there is always a chair.rivate gym with state-of-the-art equipment. you can work out all by yourself. nobody here to bother you. look at this parking garage. you never have to hunt for a space. when you get on the elevator, you never have to worry about anybody getting off first. sounds great, right? well, maybe you should talk to victor. this was going to be victor and his family's vacation and retirement home in the oasis, a 32-story condominium building in ft. meyers, florida. the new jersey fireman closed in november, paid $420,000. >> i tell people at home and they say, it's your own building. sounds great. it can be eery at night. why? because the rest of the building is empty. this is a ghost tower. most of the units never sold. those that did, the owners were able to move to the sister tower next door where there are people but victor's lender won't agree to let him swap his unit here for one there. >> i called them up a couple times. i got their law department that told me, don't leave your unit. the

john zarrella really doesn't, either. so why has he been searching for a big snake tale?ad he's now got medicare on his side. but jack knows that medicare part b cpders only... 80% of medical expenses. so, he got himself an aarp... medicare supplement insurance plan -- insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. a medicare supplement plan... lets you to keep your own doctor, helps you budget medical costs, and it picks up some of that 20%, potentially saving you thousands of dollars... out of your own pocket. if you're turning 65, or are 65 already, call now for this free information kit... and medicare guide. learn more about aarp medicare supplement insurance, and its wide range of coverage options, competitive pricing, and, plans that travel with you nationwide. so call now, just like jack and millions of others have done. because when it comes to medicare, we should all be on a roll. call now for your free information kit... and medicare guide. ♪ >>> it's a story that we told you about on the very first day of the hunt. hit men creeping through the everglades in th

and john zarrella has more. >> reporter: the federal government tried painting megahi as a terrorist.ajor set back, an immigration judge has dismissed the case, saying prosecutors didn't prove it, no surprise to garry maringer. >> whatever he did, there's no evidence of it, thank god in this country, you have to prove somebody guilty before you can incarcerate them. >> megahed who came to the u.s. from libya in 1988 was charged with transporting explosives. after a three-week trial. they circled not guilty on the form. for megahed, freedom, right? no, megahed was rearrested. now they're saying you're a terrorist and you're going to be deported how do you react to that? >> i would say this is a false allegation, baseless. and i go to fourth to fight against those allegations. >> we talked by phone with yousef megahed. how 2kid all this unfold? two years ago, megahed, a student at the university of south florida, went on a road trip with a friend, am med mohammad. they were pulled over and police found a detonator for model rockets. it was a video posted on youtube that made the case ag

john zarrella, cnn, tampa. >>> well, how to provide in a tough economy, that's the question.r series "money and main street" watch our sister network cnn tonight at 8:00 eastern. >>> i'm not going to move and you are not going to arrest me. >> yes, it was a shoutdown at a health care protest. why police moved in with handcuffs. i've helped somebody. you know, it makes me feel pretty good. we're offering a solution for a customer that maybe has to choose between paying their credit card or putting food on the table. our main objective is to reach out to the customers that are falling behind on their payments. a lot of customers are proud and happy that bank of america actually has a solution to help them out. i listen. that's the first thing i do is i listen. you know what, what happened? what put you in this situation? and everyone's situation is different. we always want to make sure that we're doing what's best for our cardholders. i'll go through some of his monthly expenses, if he has a mortgage payment, if he pays rent. and then i'll use all that information to try and s

john zarrella, cnn, tampa. >> more stories like this.eastern right here on cnn. also if you'd like tips for finding work for yourself and others, go to cnn.com/moneyinmainstreet. you plug in your age and your salary and how much you're saving and spending and you get a chance to see how you score. maybe you don't want to look, maybe you do. >> i never liked looking. >>> oh, danny, tropical storm danny making its way up to the west coast, expecting to become a hurricane. could it be a washout for the weekend for some parts of the northeast? the very latest coming up. 44 minutes after the hour. i would say convenience is something that the bank of america really has the market cornered on. let me make it easier for you. let me show you how i can make it easier for you. we have the number one rated online banking website. it has an alert system that can text message you, so you're mobile banking, your bank's telling you what your current balance is. it's telling you if a certain check is cleared. customers that use the internet, use online

i want this kid to get a fair shake. >> john zarrella, cnn, miami. >>> u.s.erving its right -- their right to appeal megahead's release until it has a chance to review the judge's ruling. >>> an explosion of swine flu cases. health officials warning that it's on the way. are america's schools doing all they can to protect your kids? the education secretary, arnie duncan, he's standing by live right here in "the situation room" to answer your questions. >>> and hurricane bill roaring toward bermuda. but it's raising danger signs in vacation spots all along the u.s. east coast. >>> plus, michael jackson won't be buried on his next -- what would have been his next birthday. we have details on a change in plans. >>> fredricka whitfield is monitoring other stories inghog the situation room. >> well, federal drug agents investigating michael jackson's death raided a beverly hills, california, pharmacy today. authorities have been looking into whether use of the sedative propofol may have contributed to jackson's death in june. the pop star will now be buried on sep

john zarrella talks to folks in jacksonville, florida, about sunday's big news. >> reporter: on an overcast people stood solemnly holding american flags and paying their respects as the hearse the drove by carrying the remains of a marine corps private killed in afghanistan. >> we are here to honor this fallen hero. to let the family know that we care. >> reporter: in jacksonville, they continue caring no matter how many years go by. for 18 years, they kept alive the name scott speicher, navy pilot, shot down in the first night of the gulf war, never knowing when he was alive or dead. a banner still flies above a station. his name is etched on a veterans memorial wall. he will always be remembered. >> this would be the first gulf war when this was put up there. >> reporter: a retired naval aviator knows his family. in all these years, his widow talked only once to a national magazine. there is a reason, he says. >> joann has focused on her family and her kids and done a wonderful job of taking care of them and raising them to as close to a normal situation as possible. >> reporter: she rema

an incredibly disturbing report from cnn's john zarrella. >> reporter: the dirt road leads away fromen-acre pasture where yvonne rodriguez last saw her horse alive. back in here, nobody would ever have seen them. at the end of a road next to a palm tree is where geronimo was found, what was left of him. rodriguez got the call from her dad. >> he said, don't come, because it's not very nice. >> geronimo had been slaughtered. >> not only was my horse stolen shall he was butchered. he was tied to a palm try. >> so all these are blood stains here. >> yeah. from up here to down there, geronimo is the type of horse that, my goodness, if you had an apple in your hand, he was your best friend. >> the meat had been carved from his bones. >> reporter: this is part of his mane? >> yep, it is. >>. >> reporter: say it is port of a growing black market for horse meat in florida. he examines the remains of another slaughtered horse. >> i found a puncture wound under the chin. the horse bled out. probably took a while for the horse to die. in most cases than not, the horses are actually butchered al

. >> reporter: john zarrella, cnn, tampa. >>> money & main street, stories of americans surviving in these tough times tonight at 8:00 eastern. at bank of america we are keeping our finger on the pulse. we actually move with the economic times. we're not just sticking with the same product. so that's why, you know we've adjusted... ...a lot of the different processes we have in place such as rolling out more innovative products to really meet the needs of our customers. because what might have been good six months ago for them, might not be good now. there's a lot going on right now with helping out customers. one of the unique features that we just brought out recently was actually called add it up. our risk free cd is a very powerful tool that we have for our customers. we're refinancing their mortgages. how are you saving for the future? how do you pay your bills? my own dad uses online banking and he loves it. every single day. he's looking at his account, if he's a penny off he's calling me. you just have to learn to just, you know, just be there. we want to make sure that our c

you, me and john zarrella. oh, yeah.. >> thanks, chad. >>> california firefighters are work overtime battling almost a dozen wildfires on both ends of the state. they're making progress on a fire around the santa cruz community of bonnie doon. officials are allowing hundreds of people to return home but the danger's still real. in santa barbara county, officials say a campfire started by mexican marijuana growers sparked a fire which is now 64% contained. >>> is affordable health care nothing more than liberal rhetoric? we will take you to san francisco, where the answer is a resounding no. >>> so is the future of affordable health care for everyone existing right now in san francisco? as part of our health care in focus series, san francisco photojournalist jeff king and jim castle break down the program known as healthy san francisco. >> right in here. >> i had mitral valve prolapse. i was diagnosed with that about nine years ago. after i lost my insurance, i would have to pay out of pocket for everything, 100%. it wou

. >> reporter: john zarrella, cnn, ft.t cost for health care reform? president obama could launch the ultimate political slap against republicans and one powerful republican accuses the white house of keeping a possible enemies list? >>> bill clinton breaking his silence today after helping to free the journalists from north korea's grip. wait until you hear what he will and won't say and why. >>> new demands on congress to buy american. is it protectionism? could it leave u.s. troops unprotected. cnn's chris lawrence investigates on broken government. i am wolf blitzer for breaking news, politics. and extraordinary reports from around the world. you are in the situation room. >>> the obama administration insists it won't be pushed around by critics. a powerful republican is accusing the white house of a richard nixonlike dirty trick. it comes amid word the president could do an end around the republicans in congress to get what he wants. as many of you grade president obama's 200 days in office, one grade remains up for g