i'm randi kaye, thank you for starring your day with us.lary clinton continues her african visit with a stop in kenya. on friday, mrs. clinton stopped to visit a school. she is in the region to discuss security with kenyan authorities and somalia's outgoing transitional government. a twist in the ebolla outbreak receiving treatment escaped overnight from the hospital at the center of the outbreak that began in western uganda with 53 confirmed cases. 16 have die and 312 people are suspected of being infected. police in peru tearing through massive feels of marijuana. they have destroyed 55 tons of the plants. they were found growing in a remote part of the country. peru was the top cocaine producer in the world and now this. the battle continues to rage in syria the day after the general a gem blee slammed the government for actions against its own people. we have reports of fighting for control of the state-run radio and tv studios. joining me from northern syria is senior international correspondent ben wiedeman. what is the latest we are

. >> welcome back to cnn sunday morning, i'm randy kaye and the bottom of the hour now. here are some of the stories that we are watching. any moment now we are expected to hear from wikileaks founder jou julian assange who finds himself in the middle of controversy as ecuador and london battle over his situation. >> julian assange has always fought for true justice and fought for human rights and continues to do so. he demands that quick release and his peaceful rights be respected. >> he is currently living at the ecuadorian embassy in london where he went for refuge after sweden are the brought sexual assault charges. he d i ins the charges. >>> and now the vice president of syria is rumor ed ed to be b defected. he was nowhere to be seen at this weekend's ramadan celebration with president bashar al assad. if he did leave, it will mark the highest level of the regime to have defected. >>> and yesterday president obama quoted republicans to be dishonest about his plan since they can't sell his own. a gop plan will force the seniors to pay more for medicare, and the go

i'm randi kaye.ay political junkies have been waiting for. mitt romney is expected to unveil his pick for vice president. sources tell cnn the pick is this man, 42-year-old paul ryan who is currently in his seventh term. the announcement is expected at 9:00 eastern in norfolk, virginia. let's go there live, where my colleague jim acosta is. jim, this is a daring decision, isn't it? >> it really is. we should point out to viewers romney campaign has not put out official notification that paul ryan is going to be the running mate. you see the scene. "uss wisconsin" is behind me. a u.s. flag, flag for the state of virginia. but there are no signs that say paul ryan, from an official standpoint from the campaign nothing has been suggested on the event site. but you were saying a few moments ago, is this a daring pick? yes, this is a daring pick. mitt romney could have gone with a safe pick when this was more than a 50/50 pick. he could have gone tim pawlenty and rob portman. a few days before this announ

i'm randi kaye. we take you to the pacific northwest where a massive wildfire is closing in on a small town in idaho. the fires are fueled by drought, summer heat. some families are returning to their homes. at least 60 houses were destroyed there. firefighters are working to detain some fires. they are worried weekend storms will bring more lightning. now, to louisiana where four men and three women were arrested in connection to a shooting that left two sheriff's deputies dead and two wounded. they are the most violent, evil people on the planet. it happened outside new orleans on thursday. they first attacked a deputy, then fled to their homes. later, more deputies came to their home to investigate and the suspects opened fire. >>> breaking news just into cnn. conflicting reports of syria. the vice president president defected. they are trying to get him safely to neighboring jordan where the former prime minister fled last week. the syrian regime insists the vice president is staying put. syrian

i'm randi kaye with cnn. >> no.u can get the camera out of our property, please. >> he's not on your property. >> bye. >> he's -- >> bye. >> in 2006, caulkins did tell a local paper he didn't do anything wrong blaming the coincidences of the missing men on very bad luck. he suggested maybe they ran way. >> if terrence was alive, terrence would have had somebody to contact his

tweet me at randi kaye cnn. thanks for starting your morning with us. we have more on this saturday morning that starts right now. from cnn world headquarters in atlanta a this is cnn saturday morning. job numbers are up and so is unemployme unemployment. each puts his spin on the new report, we will give you the faxes and what it means for the econo economy. we are number one here, but nowhere close here. all morning we put education in focus. why in the world is our system ranked lower than ireland, saudi arabia, and uzbekistan. did you see this? the happiest olympic worker has an interesting approach to rousing the crowd. we decided to see if the same trick in london would work in new york. happy saturday, everyone. i'm randi kaye and it's 7:00 on the east coast and 4:00 out west. extreme weather and wildfires and at least four major fires burning. we talked to the official at the department of emergency management and said the drought played a big part in all of this and said hundreds of homes are being threatened by these fires. they are preparing

i'm randi kaye. it is 7:00 on the east coast. 4:00 a.m.out west. we begin with new information on the terrifying moments in new york city after a gun battle. it left two dead, including the gunman and nine others injured. the brother of the slain victim says stephen was a loving person. we are about to show you video you may find disturbing. we are showing it to illustrate how the chaos unfolded. here you go, a surveillance tape released from the nypd. it shows the gunman, jeffry johnson carrying a briefcase. the police point something at im, he shoots and dies. he used to work with the man he shot. they had an ongoing dispute. the vp of sales said johnson wasn't selling enough and he lost his job. rebecca fox witnessed the shooting. you work across the street and saw people running. describe the scene for us. >> i was getting a cup of coffee as i normally do and this morning in particular, i took the green line up instead of the yellow line, which would have put me in the scene of action. i was walking on the street. i saw people running. i though

i'm randi kaye. thank you for starting your morning with us. we begin in syria where rebels are braces for what could be a final showdown with the government military. the government troops are advancing on the city of aleppo. warplanes and tanks have been pounding the commercial hub relentlessly. opposition fighters say they have surrounded aleppo's highest point, where regime forces are already holed up. senior international correspondent ben wideman is in syria. >> reporter: clearly, the syrians far outgun the rebels. and the concern is that we are really on the verge of a major government counteroffensive to win back control of aleppo, syria's biggest city, and its commercial hub. of course the concern among syrian officials in damascus is that if aleppo falls, that's really the end of the game >> the fighting is forcing a surprise move by hillary clinton. she plans to go to turkey next weekend for talks on the escalating crisis in neighboring syria. >>> in oklahoma now firefighters are renewing

i'm randi kaye. it is 10:00 on the east coast, 7:00 a.m. out west. cuba, the gulf coast and florida are bracing for a brush with tropical storm isaac. preparations for the oncoming storm are already under way in cuba, which is isaac's next target. crews have been piling up sandbags and barricading homes, and we are already getting a firsthand look at what the powerful storm can do. isaac's gale force winds and pounding rains have been battering fragile haiti for hours now. power has been out on the southern coast, homes are damaged, trees uprooted, but the biggest danger may be still to come, and that is landslides. cnn's martin savidge has been getting tossed about by the winds and rains in jacmel, in southern haiti. martin, any letup there yet? you've been getting the winds and the rains now for hours. >> reporter: yeah, randi, we're seeing a bit of an improvement, at least as far as easing of some of the wind. the winds are not as severe as they have been throughout the night. we suffered since about 11:00 last night is when they really kicked up,

none of it makes sense. >> randi kaye for us tonight. randi, thank you. time to get back to susan hendricks. she's got the "360" news and business bulletin. susan? >> soledad, the court-martial is on hold of major hasan. because it violates army regulations. hasan appealed and an appeals court stopped it for now. he's accused of killing 13 people at ft. hood, texas, in 2009. >>> we have learned that general ward, the first four-star general to command u.s. military operations in africa could face demotion. officials say an investigation by the pentagon's inspector general found that ward spent thousands of dollars on inappropriate travel expenses. >>> powerball fever has gripped the nation. tonight's jackpot is worth $320. million. powerball is played in 42 states, washington, d.c. and the u.s. virgin islands. chances are, you're not made of money, so don't overpay for motorcycle insurance. geico, see how much you could save. >>> anderson has a criminally good riduculist now. it is time for the rediculist. tonight we're adding a toilet caper that's been p

randi kaye, thanks. >>> coming up next, people helping the four legged survivors of the wild first outest. while energy development comes with some risk, north america's natural gas producers are committed to safely and responsibly providing generations of cleaner-burning energy for our country, drilling thousands of feet below fresh water sources within self-contained well systems. and, using state-of-the-art monitoring technologies, rigorous practices help ensure our operations are safe and clean for our communities and the environment. we're america's natural gas. >>> firefighters still have their hands full all across the west. but there's another battle going on as well. the fight to save the pets and the livestock left behind. dan simon has the story. >> reporter: from sheep to alpacas to turkeys to pigs. the washington county fairground has turned into a giant animal rescue center. it all began when people were forced to flee their homes. while they went to shelters or to stay with friends or family, the animals needed a place to go. so the county said they could come here. and

i'm randi kaye. glad you are with us. we begin with more information on the terrifying moments of gunfire in front of the empire state building. two dead and nine injured. stephen was a loving person and the light of so many lives. we are about to show video you may find disturbing. we are showing how the chaos unfolded. here is anderson cooper. [ bleep ]. >> reporter: this is the aftermath of the gunman opening fire in one of the most crowded streets in america. police say they fired at this man, jeffry johnson, after he shot at them. at this point in the video, he appears to be alive. minutes before johnson, dressed in a business suit carrying a briefcase, found his target and pulled out a .45 caliber pistol. >> in front of 10 west 33rd street, a disfrunt led former employee shot and killed a former co-worker. >> reporter: johnson had been laid off as a woman's accessory designer last year. his victim was a vice president there. police say johnson and him had a long standing dispute. both men filed prior complaints agai

i'm randi kaye, it is 8:00 on the east coast, 5:00 out west. we start with medical news and a major spike in cases of west nile virus. health officials say it is the biggest rise since 2004. so far we've seen 240 cases across the country with four deaths. the cdc says the cases have been in texas, mississippi and oklahoma. august is traditionally the peek month for wes nile. the virus is carried by mosquitos. to colorado now, where the university of colorado has hired an independent investigator to probe the school's handling of colorado theater shooting suspect james holmes. holmes was being seen by university psychiatrist, lynn fenton. cnn affiliate reports that she had concerns he might be a danger to others and told her colleagues but holmes dropped out of school before any investigation was before. >>> in oakland a brick was thrown through a window of a obama office. reports say several car windows were broken as well. >>> to oklahoma now and the wildfire disaster there. there are at least four major fires burning this morning, hundreds of

>>> gmg, i'm randi kaye. i'm 8:00. we begin with a big question about about one of the most powerful man in syria. wheres syrian vice president farouq sharaa. all this is happening as the death toll in syria is rising, at least 34 people have been killed across the country today. we'll have a live report in just minutes on the situation there. >>> now, a heart-wrenching story. a pregnant 16-year-old leukemia patient has lost her life in the dominican republic and now her grieving mother says doctors failed to put her daughter's health first and delayed chemotherapy because of their stringent anti-abortion laws. >> the teenage girl died from xlicti of leukemia according to authorities in sanity domi o domingo. doctors were hesitant to give her chemotherapy. she was admitted to the hospital in early july but 20 days passed before she finally began receiving the chemotherapy that could have saved her life. a hospital official told cnn her condition worsened thursday evening. she suffered a miscarriage friday morning, foll

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randi kaye, cnn, jonesboro, arkansas. >> obviously a lot will depend on those autopsy results.ining me now is dr. michael hunter. he's the chief medical examiner in panama city, florida. and lou polomo, former police officer. all the years you worked in law enforcement, does this make any sense to you? >> no. it warrants being looked into, anderson. and to be quite honest with you, there are some problems here. and the first problem is simply stated when you take someone into custody as a law enforcement agent, you're responsible for their safety from that point going forward. he obviously was unsupervised. to i guess their own admission they didn't properly search this individual because they're working from the premise he shot himself. there are some issues here that need to be looked into, which is probably why the fbi is looking at this as well. when we get into the autopsy and the forensics, we're going to look for residue on his hand. in this case, being that this individual was left handed, should be on his left hand, am i correct, i would think they would have taken pho

randi kaye will join us. with a 360 bulletin. >> ecuador has granted political asylum to wikileaks founder julian assange, a decision that's escalated tensions with britain. assange has been holed up in the ecuadorian embassy in london since june. he's trying to avoid extradition to sweden where he faces sexual assault charges. britain has vowed to extradite assange. despite ecuador's move. >>> a jury has awarded a former university of michigan student body president $4.5 million in his lawsuit against a former michigan assistant attorney general who posted about him in an anti-gay blog. chris armstrong who is gay, accused the man of defamation and causing him emotional distress. >>> milwaukee police made a startling discovery. a five-foot long, 70-pound alligator. they confiscated the gator. it is said to be resting comfortably at an animal control shelter. his owners are reportedly trying to get him back. soledad, i can't imagine having that thing as a roommate. >> yeah, no, seriously. all right, randi, tha

i'm randi kaye. it's 9:00 a.m. on the east coast, 6:00 on the west coast.for waking up with us. this morning we're learning more about the office grudge that led to a deadly shooting, left two dead, one of the gunman. nine others injured. the brother of the man dead said he was a loving person and the light of so many lives. we're about to show you video that quite frankly is disturbing but we're showing it to you to show how the chaos unfolded. here is anderson cooper. >> this is the aftermath of a gunman opening fire on one of the most crowded streets in america. police say they fired at this man, identified at 58-year-old jeffrey johnson after he shot at them. at this point in the video, he still appears to be alive. just minutes before johnson, dressed in a business suit and carrying a briefcase navigated the crowds around the empire state building found his target and pulled out a semiautomatic pistol. >> at 9:03 this morning in front of 10 west 33rd street a disgruntled former employee at a company at that address shot and killed a former co-worker, s

i'm randi kaye. we're following breaking news this morning.hours, the last piece of the 2012 presidential campaign will finally be in place. that's when mitt romney will announce his running mite. and sources tell cnn, he is this man. seven-term wisconsin congressman, paul ryan. the announcement is expected around 9:00 eastern this morning in norfolk, virginia. the man who many experts thought romney would tap says he did not get a phone call from mitt romney. former minnesota governor tim pawlenty. had been considered at the top of romney's list for months. he says he's not going to be in norfolk with romney today. >> i'll give you my schedule in new hampshire tomorrow. i won't be at the announcement. you can deduce from there, i'm keeping my schedule in new hampshire, i can't also be in virginia at the same time. delighted to help his campaign any way i can. i'm going to continue to work hard to help him in any way i can. >> disappointed at all? >> i didn't enter this thinking i was going to be the vice presidential candidate. >> when tim pa

i'm randi kaye. some reaction after republican presidential hopeful mitt romney picked paul ryan to be his running mate. our political analyst acosta takes us on the road for a view of what they're calling amera's comeback team. >> reporter: mitt romney descended from the battle ship "uss wisconsin" to call for a campaign of republican arms. >> we take another step in helping to restore the promise of america. >> reporter: and there's no bigger gun in the conservative movement than the gop's vice-presidential candidate congressman paul ryan. >> wow. hey! and right in front of the "uss wisconsin," huh? >> reporter: his persona is fiscal nice delivered a message right out of train gospel. >> we won't duck the issues, we will lead. we won't blame others. we will take responsibility. >> reporter: romney campaign officials say the gop contender made his decision and called ryan on august 1st, one day after he returned from his overseas trip. the two men then met four days later when ryan accepted the offe

i'm randi kaye, and it is 7:00 on the east coast and 5:00 a.m. out west, and glad you are starting your morning with us. the white house is getting more heated this morning as republican vice presidential campaign paul ryan and the president battle it out over the future. the president taking it to ryan directly over his bucket. and a familiar topic over recent month, mitt romney's taxes. >> his new running mate, congressman ryan, put forward a plan that would allow governor romney to pay less than 1% taxes each year. that's a pretty good deal just paying 1% in taxes. you are making millions of dollars. here's the kicker, they expect you the pick up the tab. >> the president is referring to paul ryan's 2010 budget proposal which by one estimate would eliminate taxes on capital gains and dividends and interest which is a main source of romney's income. meanwhile, romney is making a stop in florida to take it to the seniors, and the secret weapon is his mom. she is herself on medicare. and ryan offered praise to her in the appearance. >> mom, i am

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