natchez hasn't just opened its shipping lanes. it's also opened its doors to its sister city across the swollen river, vidalia. dean reynolds reports any sibling rivalry has been set aside in the face of disastrous flooding. >> reporter: natchez, mississippi, occupies a prominent bluff overlooking the big river. a tourist attraction, the city is well off, and mostly dry. just across the water, in the lowlands, lies vidalia, louisiana, a working class town on the edge of a ruinous flood. at least 300 people are out of work there now, its riverfront businesses out of commission. the convention center, hotel, hospital and medical building are inches from inundation and losing as much as a million dollars a month. so it's just empty? >> it's a shell, right. >> reporter: dr. john white, the staff and patients at the medical building were out of business after the makeshift dikes went up and the evacuation orders went out. >> normally, at this time of day, things would be buzzing around here. >> reporter: now, empty halls, empty rooms,

david mattingly, cnn, natchez, mississippi. >>> well, 41 minutes past the hour.out doomsday today. the prediction that one california pastor made. why you might not be expecting the rapture the cdc is actually trying to get you ready for zombies. this is not a joke. it's there on their website and the man behind it. you'll meet him after the break. ooo. sounds pricey? nah, with the hotels.com summer sale, you can find awesome deals for places nearby. interesting... wow, i'm blown away. you look great. hotels.com summer sale, save up to 30%. and get a free kindle. hotels.com. be smart. book smart. >>> all right. we're a quarter to the top of the hour. with all the tornadoes and flooding and everything else, would you believe it's time to start worrying about hurricanes. karen maginnis, as i bring you in. hurricane season is upon us. >> we dealt with a lot this year. an awful lot. >> yes. >> these folks have along the gulf coast, we dealt with an oil spill last year. they were hoping nothing would develop in the gulf of mexico. a couple things did, but the steering

coast guard closed the port at natchez to barge traffic, effectively severing a major shipping artery. and, as national correspondent dean reynolds reports, that could cost the u.s. economy dearly. >> reporter: in vidalia, louisiana, carla jenkins tug boat business is down 80%. >> i would say probably $70,000, $80,000 a week which for a small company is a lot of money. >> reporter: her tug boats are usually out pushing barges on the mississippi now but orders have been shortened because flooded midwestern farmers had less grain to move for exports. now with the decision to close the river to barge traffic for 15 miles from the port of natchez plus a second stoppage near morgan city, things just got worse. >> we're going to do everything we can to hang on to our people but when there's no work, there's no work. >> reporter: the river at natchez is three feet higher than its record but closing the river at any point threatens to back up the conga line of commerce usually plying its waters. experts say a larger closure all the way to new orleans could cost the u.s. economy $300 million a

natchez, the record was 58. we're over 61, t.j., right now. it looks like that may go up a little tic by about noontime. >> it's always good to have with us on the weekends. thank you, karen. >>> i want to get back to a developing story in oklahoma. we've told you about a massive manhunt, looking for two people in connection with a shooting of an off-duty sheriff's deputy. he was picking up extra work as a security guard when he was attacked. i want to join now on the line oklahoma city sheriff john wetzel. i know it's a busy time for you guys, but can you tell us, first of all, an update about the condition of your deputy? >> the deputy is still listed in critical condition but also stable at this point. he is about an hour away from actually going into surgery so they can repair around his eye socket and also in the area of the jaw. he still has a bullet lodged in his skull, but he is stable, and we're hoping the very best as he goes into surgery. >> and sheriff wetzel, i think the reporting is that apparently this was outside? he was doing

natchez is a city that's famous for its sightseeing. it has a lot of antebellum mansions. the people here have never seen anything like this. you can see one gentleman over there taking a look. some people here taking pictures. others have come down to take the scene. the best vantage point, this lady who lives above the saloon, she's been taking pictures. generally this city's done pretty well. but it's a tragic situation in other parts along parts of the mississippi river where there has been a lot of significant flooding. they are keeping a wary eye on that weather cast and hoping it doesn't make the situation a lot worse. >> jeanne, commerce affected in other ways. what about this barge traffic? at least two barges that kind of got away from it all and crashed into a bridge. what else is happening? >> reporter: well e we have seen a little bit of barge traffic this morning. some towboats pushing barges up the river. they look like they're having a bit of a tough time. we talked to someone who owned a tugboat company. she says she's never seen the river quite this stron

this is their station in ma s natchez, mississippi.ou she the flood control efforts here of the coast guard operation. they have cement barriers down here. sandbags on top. you hear the pump ls. think got an inch, inch and a half of water inside. so far, so good is their perspective. the river will crest on saturday. they expect to get an inch, maybe another inch and a half of water here. they're pumping it out as fast as they can. if you look this way, you see the ship there of the coast guard against the pier it's tied up. normally it would be tied up where the white circles are out there. because the water is so high, they can't tie it up there because it would buck in this way towards the coastline. so instead they've tied it up over there. now the guys say when they were working here the other day, putting out the sandbags, over here, you can't see the fence. you can see the back end of the fence over here. if you come to the left, the fence is underwater as the water gets deeper. they saw something swimming over here between the

natchez is open for business. i want everyone to know that.me our visitors to natchez. so we're in good shape. we had some problems with our waste water treatment plant in low areas. we got that corrected. and then we have our industrial park protected. so we're in good shape over here. >> i assume, sir, nobody living there has ever seen anything like this before. >> no, sir. 57 feet in 1937, i believe, was the highest anyone's ever seen it. so we're seeing something that i hope i won't ever see again in my lifetime. >> all right. mayor middleton, we appreciate you. sounds like you are making out okay. again, natchez mayor jake middletonment i appreciate you spending time with us this morning. good luck. we'll check back in. thanks so much. >>> we've been telling you about this river. it's a heck of a choice they're having to make. what do do you? do you flood out this area to try to save this other area? that's exactly what they're dealing with right now. in ths these 4 brands took home more allure best of beauty awards than any others. pante

this is at crest stage near vicksburg, holding at crest stage right now at natchez. it crested there at just under 62 feet, 14 feet above flood stage. it's still pretty dire proportions right now. >> thanks so much, brian todd in redwood, mississippi. appreciate that. >>> let's check with jacqui injury ras. >> the critical thing in the days and weeks ahead is these levees -- my fik phone is not on? >> i'm hearing you in an indirect way. >> is that better? >> sounds much better. >> sorry. we had a tour group in here earlier. what brian was talking about was the levees holding. that's a big thing in the days and weeks ahead. we talk about crested versus cresting. the best thing i can tell you is all the major gauges along the mississippi river have now crested or are cresting. the only two that are still cresting is artificial. it's because we've opened the spillways and floodways. we're maintaining this via other measures. there's still a lot of pressure on this big system. in fact, the river is still in flood which means you're above flood stage, all the way up towar

it's an area of miles extending around natchez, and could cost the united states hundreds of millions of dollars. so, who will pay that cost? well, yunji de nies spent the day along the river. yunji? >> reporter: good evening, diane. it is difficult to overstate the importance of the mississippi river when it comes to this country's commerce. over 500 million tons of cargo move up and down that river each and every year. everything from grain to steel, timber and coal. all of the commodities that make this country run. it's a decision no one wanted. the mississippi river is closed at natchez to northbound traffic to protect the already strained levees from more pressure brought in by big barges. but stopping those vessels will put an economic strain on so many far from the water's only. because this mighty river carries many of the goods that ultimately wind up on our plates. already, wheat is up 28 cents a bushel. corn is up 23 cents. soybeans, up 15. and with the water still rising here, there's no telling how long the closures will last. 4,000 people in mississippi are displaced. s

david mattingly, cnn, natchez, mississippi. >>> coming up next, a man battling brain cancer goes on ao make the technology we use every day safer. >>> but first, the average adoption in the united states can cost tens of thousands of dollars. this week's cnn hero decided something needed to be done after she adopted her two children. her organization helps parents adopt without breaking the bank. >> i don't care how you become a mother. it's a miracle. one is making the other laugh. it's the greatest noise ever. i waited a long time for that kind of noise. chase and brooke are both adotted. it was over $100,000 in after-tax money paid in full, paid up front. an adoption in this country can cost between $30,000 and $50,000 depending on the situation. there are plenty of loving homes out there, and the only obstacle is the cost of adoption. my name is becky fawcett, and i help people get adoptions by awarding them grants. it's the same dream, i dreamed of being a mother. our applicants are heard working applicants. >> she's the light of my life. she's everything to me. the the instrumen

we've got vicesburg and natchez. these are the areas that did see some showers earlier in the morning and now it looks like it's tapering off a little bit. at least that is the way it looks in the forecast. how will this affect the people who are already dealing with the flooding? the ground is saturated. we'll see little ups and little downs but i don't think we'll see anything bigger than what we've already seen. the central mississippi river valley. computer models are saying three to six inches of rainfall. well, if you remember karo was one of those areas that we were looking at that was practically under water. that is the extreme southern portion of illinois. over the next couple days, it does look like we could see more in the way of wet weather. it moves down stream, but these rivers are continuing to crest. in some cases, they're 13, over 14 feet above their normal flood stage that they would typically see and these are record flooding situations across many areas. nine states. this is included in the last

after shutting down a 15-mile stretch of the swollen river in natchez, mississippi, yesterday, the coastuard is now allowing vessels to pass through slowly, one at a time. traffic is being limited in an effort to minimize strain on the river's already stressed levees. >>> now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america. a gay rights activist in minnesota was looking for more than a signature at a book signing event for presidential candidate newt gingerich and his wife. the man shouted stop the hate before pouring a box of glitter on the couple. he was quickly wrestled away by security but later said the act was in response to gingerich's anti-gay positions. >>> a stretch of interstate 75 in ohio was shut down for hours after a tractor-trailer overturned, spilling its load of canned tomatoes. according to witnesses, the drivers seemed to lose control, driving off the road before a truck slipped on its side. he was taken to the hospital for treatment. >>> in maryland, a reminder of america's ugliest internal conflict is now on display. the amputated leg of a civil wa

jones lumber company in natchez, mississippi. trying to hold together a levee that keeps his family's business from being swept away. >> are you confident you can hold the river back? >> absolutely not, no. i mean i'm confident that it's not going to go over my levees, but i'm not confident that enough of this is going to cave off and i'm going to have a breach. i'd say it's 50/50. >> reporter: it's been four weeks since. up to eight feet higher in some places. now they're constantly plugging, bagging and patching what the river has gouged away. >> you can tell this is a patch deal. our primary tarps with ripped. >> reporter: barjs pushing waves upstream that jones says has been doing real damage. pounding away dirt from the leaves. he calls it a batter of attrition because this water is going to stay high for weeks. the coast guard stepped in, slowing boats to a crawl, keeping them to the middle of the channel and spacing them far apart. a small bit of comfort for a family with five generations of success. >> very humbling. very

. >> reporter: we're in an area called under the hill in natchez.owing down the street and if you can take a look, you see the water flowing down this boat ramp into the mississippi which is the last thing the mississippi river needs right now. you just heard karen talking about how this river here is already well above records that have been previously set. natchez will farewe well becaus there's small number of structures at river level but the situation is not the same up and down the river. yesterday the commandant of the coast guard was here and took an aerial flight. we have that footage. what you see is water, water, water and then more water. amongst the places affected, the coast guard station here in natchez in the middle of a flood situation, parking lot quite deep. deep enough that some of the coast guard men stationed there who wanted to greet the admiral had to wade out through the water to shake his hand and say hello. quite an unusual picture. here's a bit of what the admiral had to say. >> 16 people struggling not only to keep the s

for most of tuesday, the coast guard suspended traffic on a 15- mile stretch of the river at natchez. and downstream, ten freight terminals between baton rouge and new orleans were closed due to high water. >> reporter: indeed, the river is a major artery for carrying goods north and south from the midwest to the gulf of mexico. normally, up to 600 barges a day move up and down the mississippi, each carrying as much cargo as 70 tractor- trailers. the director of the port of new orleans warned today that flooding disruptions could cut operations to half capacity. and, that, he said, could cost the u.s. economy up to $350 million a day. meanwhile, the long wait for the damaging deluge continues in louisiana's cajun country. >> all we can hope for is that the dryness of the south will prevail and absorb hopefully 100% of the water. >> reporter: water levels in some areas have gone down, soaked up by soil parched from drought. on tuesday, dark green algae line marks near the town of krotz springs showed where the water had been on monday. still, people in the town continued to sand bag in

on the natchez side, most of the homes are up on the hillside and protected.tion, which, as you would expect, is right along the river, and that is flooded. they have an inch or so of water inside the coast guard building. i had these waders on. urgently they're trying to protect that. you see this all up and down the mississippi, eliot. in many communities, the cresting, some will be saturday. the cresting here will be next tuesday. as you mentioned, the governor says these record waters will be here forever. i'm chest deep here. this drops off pretty quickly if i step off. within days it will be up in the home, eliot. a striking, striking challenge for this state. >> you know, john, you see that, it is devastating. is there any estimate? first you said the governor said it could be up until a month until the water recedes. any way to estimate the economic damage in these communities that were sacrificed in order to save new orleans and baton rouge? >> well, these homes will be destroyed. the question is can you replace them. hundreds of millions of dollars.

. >>> flooding along the mississippi river is now cresting in natchez, mississippi. it crested one foot higher than the epic 1927 flood in vicksburg. a levee near the town of redwood is causing engineers a whole lot of concern, and cnn's brian todd is there as crews try to shore it up. >> reporter: it would be beautiful if it weren't so dangerous. floodwaters of the mississippi river have engulfed a lake and are threatening this crucial levee. they've caused what officials say is a 200-foot slide where the sheer pressure, the weight of the water, has saturated the underpinnings of the levee and shifted the earth underneath. we're in the middle of a key break, where the erosion has caused the slide of at least five feet from that level down here. you can see the seepage, very slow. it creeps down here, but very dangerous. this is what they're frantically trying to fill. the backhoes over here and tractor here just trying to shovel gravel to fill the gaps. it's not technically a breach, but that could happen. so the army corps of jers rushed in dozens of dump trucks fu

our own john king is in natchez, mississippi. john? flood control 101 in natchez, mississippi. this looks like a parking lot. it is a parking lot of the united states coast guard station right here in natchez. there are cement barriers in here. sandbags on top. they have an inch, inch and a half of water inside the coast guard station. you can see they're working 24/7. 12 hours on, 12 hours off for the coast guard shifts here. they have the pumps designed to bring the water outside. if you look around this building, it's amazing. the mississippi river is a couple hundred yards that way behind this building. normally plenty of room. pier space, dock space on the other side. now the water all the way through the parking lot. you see the building surrounded by this barrier. you see it this way. you see the flag pole there. just over my shoulder here, that's the gateway in. you're supposed to be able to drive a car in there and park it in here. on the other side of the, there's a basketball court. it's got five and a half feet of water in

swollen mississippi thundered south, high water forces the closing of the river to barge traffic at natchez, mississippi. the coast guard wants to reduce the water pressure on the levees. but in doing so it will increase pressure on the economy. the mississippi is a crucial economic artery. the barges carrying the ingredients that nourish and power america and the world. >> it's not going to mean the end of barges going through. but it's definitely going to put a delay there. and anytime you have delays there's cost incurred. >> reporter: costs are already climbing down river in louisiana. nine of the terrell river service's ten barges are tied up. high waters closed the locks they use to get to the mississippi and made the atchafalaya river unsafe to navigate. operations manager billy martin says the idle barges mean a loss of some $54,000 each day they don't work. >> how long can you go on without running your boats? >> i don't know. we need those boats to be running as soon as possible. >> until they tell us we've got to go, we're not going anywhere. >> reporter: in the morganza spillway

the coast guard closed 15 miles of the mississippi near natchez. the flood crest is expected to reach morgan city, louisiana today. randall pinkston reports. >> reporter: empty homes line the streets of butte larose, louisiana. most have packed up and left now that a massive flood is headed this way. james o'brian is one of the last to leave. >> one more truckload. i'll be ready to say good-bye. i don't think my trailer will be here when i get back. >> the army corps of engineers is diverting even more water from the swollen mississippi river into the morganza spillway. the flooding will cover a massive area in the next ten days and could reach 20 feet in some places. the government is flooding communities in the spillway to spare cities like baton rouge and new orleans. but that doesn't make it easier for jane solar who's live in this home for more than 60 years. >> they're not going to let the cities drown, they're going to drown us poor people. >> here in butte larose, they the national guard set up a roadblock to restrict access to the communit

the coast guard closed the mississippi river at the natchez port today, because barges on the water couldput more pressure on already strained levees. the interruption could cost the u.s. economy hundreds of millions of dollars a day. as darren gersh reports, the rising water is also putting financial pressure on a national flood insurance program that already faces a huge deficit. >> reporter: thousands of miles have been flooded, and almost too many farms and homes to count. this is widely expected to be the most expensive flood damage since hurricane katrina, with a cost as high as $4 billion. the heritage foundation's david john says the price tag is another example of how federal flood insurance is not priced to reflect the true risk of a loss. >> this program has a monster deficit from hurricane katrina, and it has virtually no chance of repaying that deficit and now it is going to suffer still larger losses-- another quarter, perhaps, as large-- and this is just going to put it further under. >> reporter: the floods come as congress considers yet another round of reforms. the house

there in natchez, mississippi next, cresting at 64 feet. in baton rouge, 47.5 feet, another record. finally in new orleans, 19.5 feet, inches from the top of the levees. steve osunsami is on that route. he's on the famous but flooded beale street tonight in memphis. >> reporter: this is arguably the most famous street in memphis. b.b. king has a club up the street. this street sings the blues. tonight it is under several feet of water. for long time residents here, this is all a bad sign. old man river keeps rolling and rising tonight. >> i had to come down and see this, because this is historic. >> reporter: today the river at memphis was at 47 feet, the second highest ever. major flood stage, putting the city's leaking levees to a test. >> the rivers aren't expected to crest until wednesday? wow! >> across arkansas, missouri, mississippi and tennessee, authorities are asking thousands of residents to evacuate and find higher ground. in south memphis, the grandmother who now lives inches from rising flood waters was refusing to leave. >> this is going to take her to the point that

including those in natchez, where the river has been reopened to critical cargo traffic. but water is backing up in its tributaries. the yazoo river has nowhere to drain and is spilling over, sometimes with little warning. karen brown, cbs news, warren county, mississippi. >>> the mississippi valley isn't the only part of the country with weather-related troubles. on the east coast, a persistent storm system spun off tornadoes in maryland and philadelphia. in drought-stricken west texas, cattle cannot find enough grass to eat, forcing ranchers to trim their herd. but in northern california, a spring snowstorm decorated the tahoe national forest. >>> just ahead on the "morning news," wall street salivates ahead of a big tech stock offering. >>> plus the crew of the shuttle "endeavour" get an early start to a big day, installing an important new piece of the space station. >>> this is the "cbs morning news." with being fed on. we demand k9 advantix ii. it not only kills fleas and ticks, it repels most ticks before they can attach and snack on us. frontline plus kills but do

natchez, mississippi, may 22nd. baton rouge, may 23rd. new orleans, the next day. all at or near record highs. >> you'll have a crest that could last seven to ten days but you could have elevated water levels last for weeks after that. >> reporter: the water has already closed highways. on interstate 40 between little rock and memphis, the detour is two hours long. a sewage plant in memphis is holding on, still operational, but surrounded by rising water. two rivers have joined to become one, flooding this regional airport. the water is so high, this is a plane poking through. one neighbor we talked with said that he believes this is god's plan and that he gives everyone here plenty of time to get out of the way. george? >> and they are going to move tonight. okay, thanks steve. >>> still ahead on "world news," a stunning increase in allergies. what's behind it, and how you can find relief. >>> if you add up all the jobs a mom performs, what should she get paid? would it ever be enough? the numbers tonight. >>> and the 4-year-old boy who saw the towers fall on 9/11

that is happening downstream at natchez.y building his own levee system to protect his property. >> are you confident you can hold the river back? >> absolutely not. no. i mean i'm confident that it's not going to go over my levees, but i'm not confident that enough of this is going to cave off and i'm going to have a breach. i'd say it's 50%-50%. >>> here's a movie preview. terminator 5 is going to have to wait. arnold schwarzenegger is putting his movie comeback on hold while he works on his personal crisis. the former governor admitted this week he fathered a child outside his marriage to maria shriver. >>> no surprise here but republicans are about to get another official presidential candidate. a source tells cnn former minnesota governor tim pawlenty will announce his bid for the gop nomination. that is going to happen on monday and the rally comes in iowa. that's the first state to hold caucuses next winter. >>> a couple of "endeavour" astronauts take a six-hour spacewalk today. take a look. >> this view of drew foist

and then our friends up to the north in vicksburg and natchez, they've got crests coming in the comings as well. if there's one little sliver of optimism or hope i should say, and it may be unwarranted, guys, we've had a fairly dry spring here, about nine inches below normal as far as the amount of rain we should have had since january 1st and there may be a little bit of absorption from this -- in this flood way and that's the hope as this water slowly makes its way downstream. but with these rivers, the water not expected to crest for a full week now in some of these spots it's going to be another excruciately long wait for that to happen and then with the water making that sort of pressure across the levee system for that long of time the question is can those levees hold and that's been the question for the past couple weeks. so far with a lot of maintenance, it's been successful. guys? >> all right. thanks so much, rob. >>> up next, coming up soon on "american morning," get ready to dig a little deeper if you're looking to buy a new car. we'll tell you how much prices are rising a

in the big cities down river from natchez, baton rouge and new orleans, the river has crested. the levees are holding. but new estimates show that by opening the morganza spillway, nearly 30,000 acres of farmland have been sacrificed, costing farmers hundreds of millions of dollars. >>> and here in new york, the hotel maid who accused the powerful international monetary titan of a violent sexual assault was in court today telling her story to a grand jury. meanwhile, some of the people who know her are painting a portrait of a fearful, fragile widow, single mom. "20/20" anchor chris cuomo has the latest on her story and the case being built against dominique strauss-kahn, the suspect from france. >> reporter: new details are emerging about the background of the 32-year-old hotel maid. her lawyer says she's a muslim. a widowed mother of a 15-year-old daughter who came here seven years ago, seeking asylum from guinea. >> she's extraordinarily vulnerable here. basically having her life taken away from her. >> reporter: but in france, there's growing sympathy for strauss-kahn. in f

flood waters are expected to peak in vicksburg and natchez.s is greenville, mississippi where homes are 15 feet under water. >> california could face a serious flooding threat this spring if the snow in the sierra melts all at once. some town in the valley were placed on alert. >> this past winter will remembered for near record snow fall in the sierra. it is a bounty for the california water situation, it could create problems for those down stream. >> the main area of concern is in the river valley. >> dave is chief of the snow survey. >> with that much snow in the central and southern sierra . the reservoirs are full. they will have a major juggling act to pass that flow down in the river in the valley without inundating the system. >> major rivers are running high especially in the jan -- valley. they have released gradually. but if the weather gets too warm, too soon, things could change in a hurry. >> if it gets too hot flows will create flood issue. >> no is the former chief for the army corp of engineers. >> we have a snow pack that wi

the coast guard reopening a 15-mile stretch near natchez.losed. >>> al qaeda has a new leader. saif al adle is said to be an interim replacement, egyptian with a military background serving as a special forces officer. wanted by the fbi for the 1998 u.s. embassy bombings in nairobi and tanz knee ja. >> amtrak's president appeals to congress for more money for security on the rails. new technology can provide advanced warning if tracks have been tampered with. >>> in defense of the french fri fries, some u.s. lawmakers are questioning the plan to reduce the amount of potatoes and other starchy vegetables in school meals. they say the federal government shouldn't be telling kids what to eat. >>> sales of an app that allows users to locate police sobriety checkpoints have soared after efforts by congress to restrict them. the head of buzz alert says his companies sales have doubled and insists the application is not intended to help people drive drunk. >>> incredible image of tornado damage from space. these satellite images show the path of de

it is cresting here, natchez further south. that will crest probably tomorrow. record levels, wolf. stay in close touch. thank you. brian todd on the scene for us. >>> likely gop presidential candidate taking heat from conservatives for praising his former boss. the president of the united states. also another boss, secretary of state hillary clinton. we are going to hear from jon huntsman. tensions between the u.s. and israel. spokesman for israel's prime minister will join john king at the top of the hour. [ male announcer ] nature is unique... pure... and also delicious. like nature valley. granola bars made with crunchy oats and pure honey. nature valley -- 100% natural. 100% delicious. >>> another republican is making the rounds in the key primary state of new hampshire. he gets closer to making a decision on a presidential run. we are talking about jon huntsman who served as president obama's ambassador to china. cnn's john king is joining us now from new hampshire with more. you had a chance to speak with the former governor, former ambassador today. how did that go, jon? >>

the same for natchez and baton rouge. notice we're dealing with moderate flooding for new orleans. that's good news with the area being so low, they need all the protection they can get. >> my goodness, still talking about potentially two more weeks of agony, being on the edge of your seat? >> absolutely. may 22nd. >> jennifer, thanks so much. >>> other stories making news right now. two islamic leaders in south florida and one of their relatives in california arrested today, charged with providing support to the pakistani taliban. that's a terrorist group with close ties to al qaeda, responsible for carrying out attacks on the pakistan-afghanistan border. three other people in pakistan were also indicted. a federal indictment says all six conspired to kill, injure or kidnap people abroad. >>> thousands of people who thought they won a green card to stay in this country are out of luck. the u.s. state department is invalidating results posted on its website because of a computer glitch. every year millions apply for 50,000 green cards. a new lottery will be held in july. >>> welcom

then as we go may 21st, 12.2 for natchez. this is major flooding. down towards the south near new orleans we're talking about moderate flooding, and that is better news than major flooding. certainly everybody across new orleans needs to pay attention to this problem with the mississippi. >> they and we will be keeping tabs all day long. thanks so much, jennifer. appreciate that. >>> in other news, the u.s. state department is apologizing for a computer glitch that left thousands believing they had won a green card. millions applied for just 50,000 green cards. officials invalidated the results posted on a website after learning of the mistake. a new lottery will be held come july. >>> jury selection in a sensational florida murder trial continues into the weekend. you're looking at live pictures actually right now. lawyers are still trying to seat jurors to hear the murder case against casey anthony. she's accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter three years ago. the little girl was missing for six months before her skeletal remains were found in

we've crested in vicksburg, we're cresting in red river valley -- landing, excuse me, as well as natchez and retaining the man-made flow in baton rouge and new orleans. we're still looking at three weeks, talking middle of june, fredicka, before all the areas will be above flood stage. >> that's incredible. thanks so much, jacqui. we'll check back with you throughout the afternoon. >>> meantime, politics now. a big day in the world of politics. let's start off in atlanta where a new name has been added to the list of gop candidates. herman cane officially declared his candidacy. the former ceo of godfather's pizza told e supporters why he felt the need to run. >> we have become a nation of crises. we have a moral crisis. we've got an economic crisis. we've got an entitlement spending crisis. we've got an immigration crisis. we've got a foggy foreign affairs crisis. and we've got a deficiency of leadership crisis in the white house. >> cain is a tea party favorite, but he is trailing his gop rivals in early polls. >>> former utah governor jon huntsman is making a swing through new hampshi

to the south, in natchez, mississippi, four feet. the next day in new orleans, 19.5 feet of water. just six inches from the top of the levee walls. and less than two feet below the record. making matters worse, dan and bianna, there's a chance of more rain this afternoon. >> the last thing they need. steve, thank you. you can just imagine all these people can do is wait for what they know will be devastating. >> this is a story we'll be covering for weeks. >>> let's check the other top stories with ron claiborne. >> good morning, everyone. we begin with new sanctions against southeastern officials for the violent crackdown on protests there. the white house is backing the freeze of assets of government officials. at least 30 people were killed in clashes on friday. >>> and the father of the only known u.s. service member held captive in the afghan war, is breaking his silence. he appeals to his captors for his son's release. as well as the head of the pakistani army. bergdahl is believed so be in pakistan. >>> seve ballesteros has died. the champion of the masters and other tournam

natchez, 16 feet about flood stage.se rivers, drew, are going to be staying in flood for at least seven to ten days. that's at the high crest level and slowly recede for weeks beyond that. they are talking about opening up the spillways. they will likely be opening the spillway on monday morning down near new orleans to help relieve a little pressure there. >> thank so you much. arab-american pokes fun at himself. he's next. ♪ it's true. you never forget your first subaru. then...over time... become dull... and lose their luster because washing in the bargain brand can leave dirt from the wash on your clothes causing your whites to get dingy. new improved tide plus bleach helps to remove the dirt in one wash to bring your whites back to bright. turning white-ish to...wow. tide plus bleach. style is an option. clean is not. also try tide stain release, the in-wash booster from tide. . >>> when a disaster strikes, you don't really know what you're going to need. that's why we packaged up four tractor-trailers, loaded with

speed can keep the current from smashing the boats and barge into the bridge between vie dahlia and natchez. >> very nervous. very. >> they are closer to the bridge's piers than they would like and can feel the river fighting for control. >> can you feel it sliding? we're breaking into a slide right now. >> reporter: but they make it and further up river the boats untie, the boat heading north alone with its cargo. the river is flexing its muscles. it is so big and so strong, there is little doubt the towboat will need other assists before it reaches its final destination. jeanne meserve, cnn, va dahlia, louisiana. >>> let's check in with jacqui jeras. it is hard to believe we're talking mid-june, so many weeks away before a lot of this water goes anywhere like out of there. >> takes a long time for the river to get back within its banks and for the water to run off too. this has been setting up for a very long time. unfortunately, there's more rain in the forecast and some of these thunderstorms today, are going to be severe and we're talking about a large area of the country from minnesot

natchez, 16 feet about flood stage.rivers, drew, are going to be staying in flood for at least seven to ten days. that's at the high crest level and slowly recede for weeks beyond that. they are talking about opening up the spillways. they will likely be opening the spillway on monday morning down near new orleans to help relieve a little pressure there. >> thank so you much. arab-american pokes fun at . but with 24-hour zyrtec®, i get prescription strength relief from my worst allergy symptoms. so lily and i are back on the road again. with zyrtec® i can love the air®. pure... and also delicious. like nature valley. granola bars made with crunchy oats and pure honey. nature valley -- 100% natural. 100% delicious. >>> when a disaster strikes, you don't really know what you're going to need. that's why we packaged up four tractor-trailers, loaded with just about every type of tool and gear and piece of equipment. we got the generator running. we're going to power up this search. we roll those rigs all across this country

the crest of the flooding mississippi river has now reached natchez, mississippi, about 100 miles northna. the water is not expected to rise but it's not expected to go down either. stressed levees may have to hold up for weeks more. health officials warn the floodwaters are extremely dangerous with e. coli levels up to 200 times higher than normal. >>> herman cane tossed his hat into the ring for the presidential race. the former ceo of godfather's pizza and former radio talk show host is the fourth republican to officially jump into the race. >>> the international space station took an unusual call. benedict xvi became the first pope to speak to astronauts in space. he e pressed his concern to mark kelly after his wives a wounded in an attempted assassination. i'm don lemon keeping you informed. cnn, the most trusted name in news. take it foa terive, see that's stealing.rence: s i say it's sampling. what do you think? gecko: yeah, um, listen clarence, i can't really speak to the moral bit, but if you switch to geico, you could save hundreds of dollars on yinsurance. you could buy a wh

the river has never been higher in the mississippi towns of natchez and vicksburg, and it is still ona farnler near vi farmer near v is like a slow death. martin, i understand that it is hard to get around there. >> it is, randi, indeed. we are standing in what is known as the kings community area and north of vicksburg and an area we have been at before, but the water is higher here than before, and it continues to rise here in vicksburg with the levels of 57 and they hope to crest out thursday at at 57.5, but you can see that the whole community here, and there are hundreds of homes spread throughout this area. i am standing on rail road tracks not that you would know that, but home after home on this street, and the farther down the street, the deeper the water gets, and it is 11 feet here and 15 feet in the back street, and you have bizarre scenes. you know, you have the railroad crossing there sticking out of the water and the dead end sign and you would only know that you were at pittman and railroad by the signage there. and the locals say that when the army corps of engineers