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American Abducted in Pakistan; Straw Poll in Iowa Will Rank Republican Presidential Candidates; CNN Hero Provides Meals to Homeless; Political Analysts Examine GOP Presidential Field; Rick Perry Expected to Announce Presidential Candidacy; Philadelphia Imposes Curfew on Teenagers; Pitcher Purportedly Retires in Middle of Game; Search Continues for Missing American Woman in Aruba

Aired August 13, 2011 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And good Saturday morning to you all. Hello there from the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, on this August 13th, I'm T.J. Holmes. Thank you for spending part of your weekend here with us.

And a developing story out of Pakistan, where an American has been abducted there today, kidnapped even though he was being guarded by some well-trained security personnel. We'll have a live report from Pakistan in just moments.

Also, it's a big Republican weekend in Iowa, but, but the biggest impact on the GOP campaign for president may be felt a long way from there in South Carolina. That is where Texas Governor Rick Perry is expected to announce he, too, is jumping in the race.

Also, dozens of people arrested in Philadelphia. We'll tell you why they were all between the ages of 14 and 17.

But here at the top of the hour, let's start with that breaking story out of Pakistan. And I want to turn right to our Reza Sayah, who is live for us there in the capital of Islamabad.

Reza, hello to you once again. What do we know? Are we learning more about what happened overnight with this American?

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Reporter: Yes, T.J. as we listen to the evening call to prayer here in Islamabad, let's explain to you what we know. The way this kidnapping went down, it clearly looks like it was a very well-planned and coordinated plot.

The target of this kidnapping, according to the U.S. embassy in Islamabad and Pakistani police, Warren Weinstein, a development worker, one of the many here in Pakistan and an American citizen. The kidnapping, according to police, happening at 3:15 a.m. local time, in the city of Lahore.

It is Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, a lot of people fasting. Police say Weinstein's three security guards and his driver were in his front yard, getting ready for a pre-fast meal when there was a knock on the front gate. Three men saying they wanted to offer food, which is customary during Ramadan.

Well, that turned out to be a ploy by these three men to force their way in. Once the gates were opened, they did, indeed, force their way in. Other assailants scaled the wall, according to investigators. They tied up the security guards, duct taped their mouth, pistol-whipped Weinstein's driver, eventually forced them to lead them to Weinstein, who was in his room, and eventually left with him.

A neighbor security guard telling police that the assailants left with at least two weeks. Weinstein, based on what we know, worked for a Virginia-based company, J.E. Austin, a private development company, involved in economic and social development here, T.J. So he was doing some important work, but tonight Warren Weinstein missing, a victim of an apparent kidnapping plot, an intricate one at that.

HOLMES: And Reza, it's rare for an American to be taken like this, to be abducted there in Pakistan. So any idea why, why this one might have been targeted?

SAYAH: Not at this point, T.J. Over the past ten years, there's been about three or four Americans who have been kidnapped. A lot of people are inclined to come to the conclusion that it's the Taliban, Islamist militants. Sometimes they are involved, but for the most part, these are criminal gangs involved in kidnapping westerners who are looking for some fast cash. But at this point, in the clear who was involved in this kidnapping.

HOLMES: Reza Sayah, thank you, as always.

Well, just three minutes past the hour now. We turn our attention to politics and Texas Governor Rick Perry. He's not playing the waiting game or the guessing game anymore. The wait is over. He's expected to officially get into the Republican race during a stop in South Carolina today.

You have been hearing his name quite a bit. Here's a look at his resume. He's been the governor of Texas for longer than anyone in history. He took office there in 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush became president. He won the election three times.

But he wasn't always a fiscally conservative Republican. In 1984, he was elected to the Texas House of Representatives as a Democrat. He even campaigned for Al Gore in 1988. But the next year he switched parties to become a Republican.

Let's turn now to our Jim Acosta, who is in Charleston, South Carolina, this morning, where the announcement is expected here in just a couple of hours. And Jim, he's jumping in and a lot of people looking at him as already one of the front runners.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. He enters this race, today, T.J., as a top-tier Republican contender. He's going to be right up there according to our latest CNN/ORC poll nipping at the heels of Mitt Romney, vying for that front-runner title here in this GOP slugfest that's going to be playing out over the coming months.

And he was down in Alabama last night test-driving his speech that he's going to be delivering today. He focused heavily on his job as governor of Texas and his economic record down in Texas, which you'll hear a lot from Republicans on. Basically, nearly half of all the jobs that have been created in this country in the last two years were in Texas. That is something that Texans are very proud of.

Democrats will say, that's because of the business climate and the energy sector down there. Rick Perry's people will say, no, that's because of his conservative leadership in this big state. And he also talked about the perils of the national debt if it's not brought under control, and he zeroed in on that message last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RICK PERRY (R), TEXAS: If we don't get the federal government under control, if we don't get this debt issue addressed, we break this choke hold on -- that Washington has on the private sector. The consequences are going to be unthinkable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Let me tell you a little bit about where we're with at right now. Rick Perry is making this announcement here in Charleston, South Carolina. We're at the red state gathering. It's a conference for can conservative activists.

And this event was planned several months ago, and Rick Perry signed ton to speak at this event at a time when he was saying he was not running for president. And in the last 45 days to two months, Perry has decided that he's going to make a run at this.

And on stage right now is another conservative star that a lot of Tea Party activists are fired up about, Nikki Haley. She's the governor of South Carolina. And T.J., this is a name you're going to be hearing over the coming months as well as a possible vice presidential contender.

So even though there's a lot of action in Ames, Iowa, right now, the conservatives like who they're seeing in South Carolina this weekend. They see some of the people who are going to be here in South Carolina this weekend as perhaps the future stars of this Republican party. First and foremost, Rick Perry, who a lot of conservatives, a lot of Tea Party activists right now, are pretty fired up about. They think he could give Mitt Romney a serious run for his money. T.J.?

HOLMES: All right, Jim Acosta in Charleston, South Carolina, thank you.

And you heard him mention Iowa. That is where a lot of activity is happening. Rick Perry is not on the ballot for today's straw poll there in Iowa where the party's kind of going on, but there are nine others who are vying for a win there in this nonbinding vote. You don't actually get anything for it, but you do get attention, and you get that press coverage.

It's kind of a party there, a party atmosphere. As many as 14,000 people will gather inside the civic center to hear those political speeches. Then they'll pick their favorite candidates. Those candidates had to shell out about $15,000 a piece to get a place at that event.

Now, simple enough, but there's a lot at stake there. The winners, like I said, they get the press attention. They get some momentum. They get the bragging rights. But if you don't have a good showing here, this could be it for you.

Let's bring in CNN deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser, who is there for us. Paul, good morning to you. And I didn't really overstate it here, necessarily. If you don't have a bad showing -- if you don't have a good showing, rather, in Iowa, today, could be the beginning of the end for your campaign, because you need that momentum going forward.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes. Let's go back four years to the last straw poll here. There were a bunch of Republicans taking part. Former Republican governor Tommy Thompson of Wisconsin didn't do well here. The next day, he quit the campaign.

So we're going to look and see what happens today, T.J. And some of the candidates near the bottom, do they have -- can they keep going? We'll see. In fact, Rick Santorum, the former senator of Pennsylvania, he told our Candy Crowley yesterday that if he doesn't finish in the top five, he may have to reevaluate.

But, T.J., yes, it is a party atmosphere here. The music has just stopped from the Pawlenty tent, which is right next to us. But we went over there earlier and have some video of that. And this is an example of what's beginning on here. All of the candidates who are here have these tents. The Pawlenty tent is the closest to us, Bachmann's got one, Paul's got one and all the other candidates.

They surround the coliseum. The coliseum is where the candidates actually go in and speak. That's where people vote. It is a party atmosphere here. It is a straw poll. And it's also a fund-raiser, because all the money raised here goes to the Iowa GOP. So it really is quite a spectacle, T.J.

HOLMES: All right, when do we get our results?

STEINHAUSER: Well, it's going to be a couple hours from now. The voting starts a little later this morning. The candidates speak throughout the day. We're not going to see results until probably at the earliest, 6:00 eastern. We'll be around all day. We're not going anywhere. I promise you, we'll have live coverage of this throughout the day. It's going to be a lot of fun, T.J.

HOLMES: Paul, we'll see you again here shortly. Thank you so much. And to our viewers, you can stay with us for coverage of this. And our Don Lemon and Candy Crowley will have a special for you this evening at 7:00 eastern time, a special report, the Iowa straw poll, and we'll have the results for you.

Also, we're also just a few hours away from the coverage of Rick Perry's expected announcement that he is running for president. That's happening in Charleston, South Carolina. That comes your way at 1:00 eastern. We will have live coverage of it for you here.

Also, we're going to turn to Philadelphia where police there are enforcing the city's new teen curfew. We'll take you live to the city of brotherly love to see if the new and more restrictive curfew and preventing what they hope it would prevent -- more mob violence. It's 10 past the hour. Stay with me on this CNN Saturday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Which one we going to go with?

WOLF; Let's talk -- shall we tell the people about the tropical weather?

HOLMES: We should have discussed this ahead of time.

It's more organic, more fun if we just have a conversation with the viewers.

HOLMES: All right, so we are talking about, not quite severe yet, but the possibility of, but you've got some stuff to keep an eye on.

(WEATHER BREAK)

HOLMES: We're about quarter past the hour now. And some kids in Oregon taking the money they earned this summer and they're donating it to famine relief in east Africa. Six-year-old Jonathan and his nine-year-old sister, Amaya, they're actually selling snow cones around their neighborhood. They saw the story on TV about the hunger crisis in Somalia and wanted to help. Their mother says that the kids just couldn't believe that there are other kids in the world right now who are in such many need.

Well, you can help people in Somalia as well. You can sell snow cones if you want to, but we've got some other things you can do. You can go to our "Impact your World" page on the CNN website and find information about the famine in Somalia.

Well, Philadelphia telling kids they need to be off the streets by a certain time, enforcing a new curfew last night. Why? Because they're trying to prevent scenes like this that they've been seeing in Philadelphia, certain parts of the city over the past several weeks. We will tell you though if last night's new curfew actually that worked out. That is next. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: It's 17 minutes past the hour now. Police in Philadelphia arrest dozens of teenagers overnight as they enforce a stricter curfew for anybody under the age of 18. There have been a number of high-profile incidents of mob violence that's prompted city officials to implement the new 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. curfew.

Our Susan Candiotti is in Philadelphia for us.

Susan, good morning to you, and did the curfew do what it was supposed to do last night.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Hi, T.J., good morning.

Yes, police are saying so far the curfew has been very successful because there was absolutely no trouble on city streets last night. That's because they said they had a strong police presence out there along with civilian volunteers who were also helping patrol the streets to send a message that further violence won't be tolerated.

You've already talked about flash mobs or groups of teens who were involved in some recent random attacks on people, some of them very violent, indeed, one alleged attacker only 11-years-old. So police last night for the very first time, extended a curfew that was already in place by just one hour. As you said, anyone under the age of 18 better have been off the streets by 9:00 last night or they would be picked up.

And in fact, they picked up 50 minors, 50 juveniles. And they were taken to the police department and they were not allowed to leave until a parent or a guardian picked them up. And in fact, someone came, in everyone's case, came to take them home, to pick them up.

So those kids will be cited for violating, breaking the curfew. Their parents or guardians were given a warning. And if they get into trouble again, the parents could be fined up to $500.

Last night, I talked with the police commissioner about why he thinks this extended curfew will work.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it sends a very strong message to children and parents, that we're serious about this. We cannot have any kind of attacks or kind of nonsense that we've experienced over the last couple of weeks in center city or any other part of our city.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: So, T.J., tonight is night number two. Again, they will have police officers out in a couple areas of the city where this curfew has been extended. And they're also opening up recreation centers, 20 of them throughout the city, so that teenagers also have another place to go, to play games, basketball, listen to music, this kind of thing so that they're not tempted to get into trouble.

HOLMES: All right, Susan Candiotti for us in Philadelphia. Thank you so much. We're about 19 minutes past the hour now. And coming up in just a moment, I want to introduce you to out CNN hero. And we're going to take you to the Love Kitchen.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: It's 21 minutes past the hour now.

She has spent the last two and a half decades just filling the stomachs and even giving some good soul food in Knoxville, Tennessee. She's well into her 80s now, and she's been operating a food kitchen that serves thousands of home-cooked meals each and over week.

And I want you now to meet Helen Ashe, founder of the Love Kitchen, and she is this week's CNN hero.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HELEN ASHE, CNN HERO: Daddy worked hard for what we got. He taught us not to take the last piece of bread from the table. Somebody may come by that's hungry. My name is Helen Ashe and I am the happy founder of the Love Kitchen. We address the needs of the five H's, I say -- the homeless, the hungry, the hopeless, the homebound, and the helpless.

Do you have the coffee and the cups out?

My sister, Ellen, is a blessing to me.

And how about those small tomatoes, Ellen?

The lord sent two because there's so much work to do for one.

Do you want me to help you in?

We went to nursing school. Back then, segregation was pretty rampant. I saw black people that was having a problem with transportation and food. Every day on our way home, I told my sister, one day I'm going to do something about this.

We're getting ready to open the line.

The first day we served 22 meals. That was in 1986. And since that time, we've been growing, growing, growing, growing. Everybody here is a volunteer. They enjoy doing what we are doing. We deliver from 1,400 to 2,200 meals every Thursday to our homebound people.

We was taught to work for what we got and to share what we did get. And we have so many people that are in need, and that's what keeps us going.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: And remember, here, now, you've got just a little more than two weeks left to nominate somebody you know who's making a big difference in your community. And again, every single CNN hero is chosen from people that you tell us about. Go to CNNheroes.com right now if you want to nominate somebody.

Well, they're thinking about nominating somebody in the Republican Party. It's moving day in Iowa. The Republican presidential straw poll, the Ames straw poll happening today. But a couple of names that aren't even in the race are making bigger headlines than those in the race participating in the straw poll.

We'll get that with our political analyst and friends of our show here on the weekend, Lenny McAllister and Maria Cardona. They're coming your way in just minutes. Stay we me on this CNN Saturday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right, we're getting close to the bottom of the hour here on this CNN Saturday morning. Hello to you all once again. I'm T.J. Holmes. Glad you can spend part of your weekend here with us. Let's give you a look at some of the stories making headlines today.

We are getting more details out of Lahore, Pakistan, where an American businessman was kidnapped from his well-secured home there overnight. Business consultant Warren Weinstein was snatched in what Pakistani police call a well-orchestrated assault. Gunmen posing as neighbors with food stormed Weinstein's compound, tied up his bodyguards, and took off with Weinstein.

Police in Pennsylvania are investigating the crash of a Greyhound bus on the Pennsylvania turnpike earlier this morning. At least 20 people are hurt after the bus overturned. None of the injuries are considered life threatening.

And sad news for Atlanta Braves fans. Ernie Johnson Sr., he's a long-time announcer for the Braves, died last night. He was 87-years- old, had been with the organization for 50 years. His team says it will wear a patch commemorating him for the rest of the season.

All right, the political focus today on Iowa and South Carolina. In Iowa, six Republican candidates are actively campaigning and participating, trying to win a straw poll. Tim Pawlenty, Michele Bachmann are thought to have the most riding on the outcome.

Meanwhile, Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman, and Newt Gingrich also on the ballot for today's straw poll, but they've all decided to take a pass at actively campaigning there, at least. Two people who aren't on that ballot there at all still making a lot of noise this weekend. Those two, Sarah Palin -- she rolled into Iowa on her bus tour, and then the Texas governor, Rick Perry, he is in South Carolina, and that is where he is expected to announce his presidential bid later today.

Joining me now to talk all things presidential politics, our friends, Democratic strategist Maria Cardona in Washington, and also from Iowa today, our Republican strategist Lenny McAllister deciding to join that fun.

Good morning to you both.

Let me start with Maria and Lenny. What is or maybe what will be the political headline of the week for you? Maria, you start.

MARIA CARDONA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I think it's going to be, T.J., of all of the Republican contenders, who can be the most extreme conservative, please stand up.

HOLMES: All right, always the good democrat, isn't she, Lenny? Lenny, you tell me what the highlight was already or maybe could still be to come?

LENNY MCALLISTER, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I'm going to quote a fellow native Pittsburgher from Thursday night, or paraphrase, "Showmanship or leadership. Who's going to be the best showman and who's going to show to be the best leader coming out of this weekend." That's the main headline coming out of Ames.

HOLMES: All right, Lenny, first to you, give me one name, Lenny, who has the most riding on this Ames straw poll today.

MCALLISTER: It's absolutely Tim Pawlenty. There's another governor jumping into the race. Michele Bachmann went after him and called him a big government Republican, which is the worst thing you can call somebody here at Ames today. He has a lot riding on this. He hasn't looked that great in the debates, and if he doesn't do something soon to start turning this around, he's going to start shutting his campaign down.

HOLMES: And Lenny, you said he has a lot riding on it, where does he need to come in? First, second, third? Can he go as low as fourth?

MCALLISTER: No, he cannot go as low as fourth, and I don't think he can go as low as third. Third would probably be a surprise. In order to boost money for raising money and boost his name cache with other Republicans around the country, he needs to come in at least second place here. If he starts hitting fourth or fifth or something along those lines, he's going to start packing it in, I think.

HOLMES: Maria, same question to you. Give me one name who has the most riding on today.

CARDONA: I agree. I think it's Tim Pawlenty, because when he first started into this race, people had -- a lot of GOP voters had high hopes for him because he had been a governor and he was showing his record and his record as a governor and as being able to lead a state. But, unfortunately, he hasn't been able to register with GOP voters in terms of enthusiasm or in terms of his record.

I think another person is Newt Gingrich. If those two don't do well today, I think that you're going to see them really starting to think about dropping out. And I think that that's what's going to be the major thing for those two candidates.

HOLMES: Maria, I'll stay with you here for a second. If he needs to have a good showing, who would actually have their campaign deflated a bit with the expectations game? Is it Michele Bachmann, who's expected to do well? If she doesn't come in first, second, or third, could that do damage to her? Give me a name of a person who if they don't have the good showing as expected, could really take some wind out of their sails?

CARDONA: I do think at this point, it is Michele Bachmann, T.J., because I think against all odds and against everyone's expectations, including my own, and I know my friend, Lenny, as well. She has actually done well. She has excited the Republican base. She has been able to command a crowd. I think she's done quite well for herself in the debates.

So, now, unfortunately, though, going into the straw poll, she does have expectations that she is going to be at least one, two, or three. I actually think she probably will do well in the straw poll. But if she doesn't, I think that that will be one thing that will deflate her a little bit in terms of how well she's done thus far.

HOLMES: Lenny, let me come to you on Michele Bachmann. Can she win? You and I have gone back and forth on this question for a while, and every the time you give me a firm no. Are you starting to be a believer yet?

MCALLISTER: Can she win in Ames? Yes, she can win today. And I would not be surprised if she won today even though she didn't win Thursday. The person that won the debate Thursday night was Newt Gingrich by far, but I don't think he's going to do well today. Can Michele Bachmann win something like the Ames straw poll? Yes. Can she win the nomination overall? No. Can she win the general election November 2012, at this point in time I say no.

HOLMES: All right, Rick Perry now in South Carolina, he's stealing a lot of thunder from the folks in Iowa. Who -- I guess who is most threatened by Rick Perry right now? Is it Mitt Romney? It is Michele Bachmann? Who should be shaking in their boots right now, Maria, that Rick Perry is getting in the game?

CARDONA: I think it should be all of them, T.J., but because Mitt Romney is the current front-runner, he should be the one that's most nervous, because we see in polls already that when Rick Perry comes in, he's going to be already a close second to Mitt Romney. And frankly, a lot of the conservatives have their eye on him in terms of becoming the frontrunner when he jumps in.

Unfortunately for the general, though, if he does end up becoming the nominee, he is a very out of the mainstream candidate who likes to tout job creation in Texas, but yet unemployment in Texas has gone up from 8.1 to 8.2. And the jobs that he has created in Texas, mostly government jobs. And he likes to rail against the government. So a little hypocritical there. I'm actually looking forward to really focusing on his record or lack thereof in terms of growth for the middle class in Texas.

HOLMES: Lenny, you agree, he's a threat to everybody in the race?

MCALLISTER: He's a threat to everybody in the race. But, listen, if it's between Romney and Bachmann, I think it's going to be Bachmann, because, again, at least Romney has the executive experience to go from governor to president. And don't be surprised if somebody like a Michele Bachmann and even perhaps a Romney or Pawlenty starts tying Perry to Bush and saying do we need another Texas governor in the White House? And as they do that, Romney will slowly be surely create a different image for himself and try to separate himself from the fray.

HOLMES: Last thing for both of you, and Lenny, I'll start with you. We'll talk about President Obama. Kind of a rough week for the president, the economic news, the killing of 30 American forces in Afghanistan, and now the president's going kind of on a Midwest tour. And Lenny, some critics are saying, and this always comes up, but the president's about to go on vacation. He's taken this bus tour, but he's going to Martha's Vineyard for vacation. Presidents, you're kind of damned if you do, damned if you don't in a situation like this.

But what can the president do and how can his president play into the perception of him being disconnected or tone deaf when it comes to feeling the pain of the people in the country right now?

MCALLISTER: Unfortunately, part of his image in 2008 that made him so great is part of the image that's affecting him now, which is that he's professorial, he's detached, he's cool and calm above it all. When you're cool and calm above all this crisis, it makes you seem as though you're aloof and you don't care.

This is not the time for him to take a vacation because it only plays into that perception. This is not a good move for him. I don't know who his political advisers are telling him to go ahead and get some time and space away from this, but it's not going to play to his advantage. It's going to play right into the image that these folks here in Ames, Iowa, are going to hit him over the head with over the course of the next several hours.

HOLMES: Maria, wrap it up for me here. The guy works hard, he never gets time off. He deserves a vacation. But does it look back in many people's eyes?

CARDONA: Look, this president has woken up every single day trying to figure out how to create American jobs. We would hope that the Republicans would try to join him in his effort. And that's what he's doing right now with his Midwest tour, T.J., really focusing on the fact that we need job creation policies in this country and he needs help from the Republicans to make that happen.

He goes on vacation -- he's never really on vacation. You know that, T.J. And he does work hard. I don't think that we should begrudge any president, Republican or Democrat, trying to take some time down -- some downtime, trying to energize again, because it is a tough job and it has probably been the toughest job for this president overall, as you said in the last couple of weeks.

But he is laser focused on how to create more American jobs in this country. He hopes that the Republicans will join him, because since they have taken over the house, they have done absolutely zero to try to create American jobs. We need to change that. HOLMES: All right, Maria, Lenny, good to see you both, as always. Lenny, you enjoy the party, as it's described there in Iowa today.

CARDONA: Thank you.

HOLMES: We'll see you both soon. Thanks so much.

So at 1:00 eastern time today, we'll have live coverage, Rick Perry expected to make that announcement that he's running for president. Just a few hours from now you certainly will be able to see it right here on CNN.

Also, a story we want to share with you coming up next -- a little girl who had a wish, a birthday wish to raise money for a village in Africa. She just wanted to raise $300. That number is up to $1 million now. We'll explain her story and her legacy, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right, 40 minutes past the hour now.

(WEATHER BREAK)

HOLMES: All right, well, we've got somebody here we want to introduce you to. It's a little girl who had a birthday wish, but she wasn't able to be around to see that wish come true. Nine-year-old Rachael Beckwith, all she wanted to do was raise $300 to bring clean drinking water to an African village.

Well, unfortunately, she died in a car accident before she was able to make that wish come true. But when people heard about her story, listen to what they did. Her donations were at $220. People started donating and donating and donating until those donations got up to $1 million. Yes, from her $300 wish to $1 million, and that count continues to grow on her Web page.

Her mom is so proud right now of the legacy her daughter was able to leave behind.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She would be so happy and just so amazed that she helped people, because she did that on a daily basis in our lives. So she would -- she's jumping up and down in heaven right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now, you can learn more. The website is mycharitywater.org. Again, that young lady's name is Rachael Beckwith, nine-years-old, had a $30 wish. It's turned to over $1 million in donations now. It's 43 minutes past the hour. I'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HOLMES: I'm joined again by my good friend from HLN Sports, Ray D'Alessio. Good to see you, my man. And I appreciate you being on time, because time can cost you.

RAY D'ALESSIO, HLN SPORTS ANCHOR: Thank you very much. Yes, I'm not two minutes and 15 seconds late, which is good.

(LAUGHTER)

HOLMES: That's a big deal in the PGA tour.

D'ALESSIO: Absolutely. Poor Brant Snedeker. I mean, it's on honest mistake, T.J., but the guy yesterday thinking his tee time was at 8:20. He didn't realize it until he was actually on the practice green that his tee time was at 8:10. So there he is. Photographers caught him trying to run to the first tee to make it on time, but, again, he got there two minutes and 15 seconds late. The PGA, still, that's a two-stroke penalty if you're late. They docked him that. It cost him two strokes right off the bat. And he missed the cut by three strokes. Now, did those two make a difference?

HOLMES: Yes, it did.

D'ALESSIO: Yes, right off the bat, you're two strokes behind. So you've got to think that that certainly played, you know, played a part may played a part in that.

HOLMES: How do you make that mistake?

D'ALESSIO: I don't know how you do that, especially if you're playing in a championship. Maybe you've got things going on, but you're focused, at least I would think. And it's up to your caddie to tell you, hey, we've got to get going here. I would blame it on the caddie.

HOLMES: You can blame it on the caddie.

D'ALESSIO: I think you should blame it on the caddie.

HOLMES: Let's move on now. Apparently someone retired in the middle of a baseball game.

D'ALESSIO: So he says. Carlos Zambrano of the Cubs, he was pitching against the Braves last night, had a horrible, horrible outing, gave up five homeruns, back to back homeruns. Fifth inning, he gets upset. Here's one of the homeruns there. Fifth, he gets upset.

Zambrano gets upset, starts throwing at Chipper Jones. And yes, the umpire is like, you are out of here. He goes into the locker room, reportedly cleans out his locker, packs up his things, walks out of the stadium and reportedly told somebody, I am retiring. And of course the Cubs manager furious, furious afterwards, saying that this guy walked out on 25 other guys and they don't do that. So whether he's retired or not, we shall see. But the game wasn't even in Chicago. It was here in Atlanta. Where you going? (LAUGHTER)

HOLMES: He has a history of some temper --

D'ALESSIO: Absolutely. And he's undergone anger management classes and trying to get better. But just to quit in the middle of a game, walk with out on your teammates --

HOLMES: Maybe he'll be back. Ray D'Alessio, thanks for being on time, my man.

We're about 10 minutes of the top of the hour. And coming up here, it's the middle of the baseball season. If you want -- if you wait for the right pitch, you can actually catch a game at a great price. Carlos Diaz tells us how to make the most of the next trip to the ballpark. He has our "On the Go."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CARLOS DIAZ, HLN SPORTS ANCHOR: If you're headed out to the ballpark this summer, there are ways to make the most of a national pastime. When you go can make a big difference.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's days of the week that are better than others for finding a great deal. Family value days actually happen often on Sundays. Tuesday night seem to be days of the week that need the most help, with tickets being upwards of 50 to 60 percent off.

DIAZ: Be sure to catch your tickets, because some include coupons for concessions. And if you have the appetite for it, paying for the all you can eat section could be the way to go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: By having two hotdogs and a drink and having a ticket, you've already covered the cost of what you normally would be paying.

DIAZ: Also consider the minors. It's more of an intimate experience. And get this -- ticket prices start as low as $5. And check out your team's website, where you can find deals and unique promotions that can make the experience all the more special. Like this the bark in the park event with the Gwinnett Braves. What better way to spend the dog days of summer?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: The search for a missing American woman in Aruba expands to the U.S. We'll tell you where the FBI has been looking and why. That's next.

Also coming up at the top of the hour, the latest on a breaking story we've been telling you about this morning -- an American abducted in Pakistan.

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HOLMES: About six minutes to the top of the house now. The search for a missing American woman in Aruba has widened to include a house here in the U.S. FBI agents searched the Maryland home of Gary Giordano last night. He's the 50-year-old traveling companion of 35-year-old Robyn Gardner. She's been missing since August 2nd.

Our Martin Savidge is live in Aruba with the latest here. Martin, they have expanded this search. Exactly what are they looking for? Do we know if they found anything, even, in the search of the home?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this search was at the request of the Aruban government here, because, of course, they're running this investigation on the island, trying to determine whether Robyn Gardner died as a result of some tragic drowning accident or whether in fact there could have been something more to it here. And that has the Aruban authorities concerned and also why they are detaining Gary Giordano.

But we don't know what FBI agents found inside of Giordano's home. They aren't saying. They expect to pass that information on to Aruban authorities.

Clearly, what Aruban authorities want to know is there anything in his home, maybe on his computers, that gives an indication as to what could have happened to Robyn Gardner and whether there is some sort of ulterior motive, something bad, or whether there was something that totally negates that and says that maybe he's right. Maybe this was just a terrible accident. So that's what they're looking for.

They also searched Robyn Gardner's home as well, trying to ascertain, again, computer communication, because they do know, and down here they confiscated both I believe it was an iPad and some smart phones. They're going over those to try to determine if there's any information, any messages, anything that says, where is Robyn Gardner, what happened to Robyn Gardner.

So that's where it stands right now, T.J. There was also a search on the island itself yesterday in what they call some old phosphorous mines. They did find some clothing. This is in an area near the beach where she disappeared, and they found some flip-flops. But beyond that we do not know if they're actually linked to this investigation. But it's another woman disappearing in a beautiful place. T.J.?

HOLMES: All right, Martin Savidge for us in Aruba, thank you so much.

And we're getting close to the top of the hour here. In just a moment, we'll reset and give you the very latest on all the developing stories this morning, including the latest on an American abducted in Pakistan. Stay with me.

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