0 >> but stay right there because there's so much more ahead in the next hour of cnn "newsroom" and we turn it over now to our colleague fredricka whitfield. >> good to see you guys. you had a full morning, we have a very full afternoon. we'll pick up where you leave off. have a great day and see you tomorrow morning. hello, everyone. welcome to the cnn "newsroom." i'm fredricka whitfield. a look at the top stories we're following this hour right now. nearly two dozen u.s. embassies get ready to close their doors amid fears of a terror attack. a former u.s. ambassador says this move is unprecedented, and the threat is impacting u.s. travelers everywhere around the world. the message to americans around the world next. one of the cleveland women abducted by ariel castro goes back to the home where she was held prisoner for 11 years. we have neighbors' reaction to michelle knight's incredible strength. a global travel alert is in effect right now for all americans around the world. that's after sources say there is growing intelligence that al qaeda is planning an attack possibly in the middle east or north africa. as a precaution, the u.s. is closing 22 embassies and consulates tomorrow mostly in that region, and the threat is expected to last until the end of august. emily schmidt is live for us in washington. so, emily, former u.s. ambassador said today this is unprecedented. how big of a step is this to close so many embassies at once? >> we hear officials saying they are taking this ver seriously. they have said this number could expand. we've seen that happen overnight. yesterday we were talking about 21 embassies an consulates that would be impacted, now the number is up to 22. it's not just the u.s. involved. british and german embassies have said they're going to close their embassies in yemen. now the french have said they will also close their embassies. you're seeing all of this playing out because of threats people say they're taking very seriously. >> reporter: nearly one year ago americans saw what happens when terrorists attack a u.s. diplomatic compound. in benghazi, four americans died, including the u.s. ambassador. now that the u.s. government is dealing with what could be a new round of regional threats. officials say they tracked the chatter coming out of yemen for weeks, and then it changed over the past few days, more of it. enough that key members of congress were briefed about the threat. >> obviously it's serious enough we're taking concrete steps to make sure that our personnel overseas are safe. >> reporter: the state department has taken the unusual step of issuing a worldwide travel alert to americans abroad. the action is clear. nearly two dozen embassies will close on sunday, and those closings could stretch into the week. officials say the intelligence makes them particularly concerned about the u.s. embassy in yemen over the next few days. multiple sources tell cnn al qaeda in yemen could be in the final stages of planning an attack. for the past two years, u.s. drones have targeted regions of yemen trying to eliminate the al qaeda threat there. the threat has also been described as ambiguous, meaning it could target other u.s. or western targets across the region. >> i think this closing all of these embassies in the middle east to north africa is, in fact, unprecedented. at least i didn't see this during my career. >> and a bit of perspective, christopher hill spent more than 30 years with the state department. officials now with the state department say they can't remember closing so many posts because of this kind of terror threat. fredricka? >> how about from the white house. any new comments? >> they're telling cnn they're not going to comment on intelligence in this case, particularly as it relates to a "new york times" report that says some of this intelligence might have come from intercepted electronic communications between senior al qaeda operatives. we talk about the president, what he's doing today. so far it looks like he's following his regular routine, going golfing this morning, camp david later today to celebrate his birthday. the white house is pointing out he's being updated on a regular basis on this threat. has directed his national security team to take all appropriate steps they say to protect the american people. >> all right. emily schmidt, thanks so much. keep us posted from washington. the travel alert will impact americans all over the world for about a month. nick valencia is live for us at atlanta's airport, the busiest airport in the world. so, nick, you have been talking to passengers today. are they noticing any differences? are they at all nervous about their travels? >> reporter: hey, fred. domestically it is business as usual and passengers who are traveling this weekend out of the atlanta airport, which you mentioned is the busiest airport, about 240,000 passengers a day, they shouldn't notice any change. it's no longer lines, no delays related to this travel warning. the state department also says for those traveling internationally they should see no visible change in the security. we just came from the international terminal. it was very calm there. some passengers were aware of the travel warning were others were just sort of oblivious to it, though there were some who did tell us their travel plans would be affected by this warning. >> i do take the threat seriously, but very aware of where i'm at and my surroundings, and just trust god to take care of me. >> reporter: did it give you cause for pause before you got on the plane? >> not at all. >> reporter: airlines that fly internationally, they have not changed or canceled any flights. for those wondering about perhaps waivers or refunds if they're worried about traveling, right now they're not offering those waivers or refunds. that policy could, however, change depending on the updated information that's released by the tsa and the state department. fred? >> all right. and, nick, what about for people who are traveling say in the next month. any kind of new precautions or any advice that's being given to them? >> reporter: yeah. the state department is encouraging those that are traveling abroad to register their trip with the u.s. embassy. depending on the country you're going to, get in touch with that embassy where you're going to be at. also you can register for the smart traveler enrollment program to get alerts about possible crisis situations or emergency situations. i registered yesterday to check out the website. it's pretty easy to navigate. they also encourage the state department encourages passengers to check on the state department website for updates and alerts. fred? >> all right, nick valencia at atlanta's hartsfield-jackson airport. thanks so much. neighbors along seymour avenue in cleveland, ohio, call michelle knight a real inspiration. on friday knight returned to the home where she and two other women were held and tormented for more than a decade by ariel castro. castro was sentenced on thursday to life plus 1,000 years in prison with no chance of parole. knight thanked the neighbors for their help in the rescue, and they praised for her bravery. >> i was surprised and i gave her a hug, and she was really nice. >> she inspired me a lot because her attitude, her demeanor and all that, she is a very strong person. >> meantime, castro's house is set to be demolished as part of his plea deal. hundreds sickened in more than a dozen states. now the fda confirms it was bagged lettuce from a processor in mexico that made diners at two popular chain restaurants sick. but the ceo of taylor farms tells cnn that all tests for cyclospora is his company's mexico facility and all have been negative. cnn chief medical correspondent sanjay gupta has the latest. >> fred, we're getting some new information on what has caused the illness of around 400 people in 16 states. as you know, we've been talking about this prepackaged mixed lettuce for some time causing illnesses in iowa, but we're also now learning from the fda specifically what farm provided produce to a couple of restaurants in iowa and nebraska as well. the farm, taylor forms of mexico. the restaurants, olive garden and red lobster. both those restaurants are part of darden restaurant group. so taylor farms of mexico is where the fda is now focusing their attention. they're undergoing an environmental inspection right now and the fda is also saying they're monitoring all leafy greens that are coming in from mexico. i'll tell you as well, fred, that theaylo farms was actually at the heart of an inspection and investigation earlier this year because of a nationwide recall on baby spinach. that was in february of this year. that was taylor farms of salinas, california, part of the same parent group. but, again, some more information here. taylor farms of mexico and at least in the states of iowa and nebraska, we're talking about olive garden and red lobster being the two restaurants where at least four clusters, four groups of people, became ill. fred, as we get more information, we'll bring it to you. back to you for now. >> thanks so much, dr. sanjay gupta. darden restaurants group, which owns olive garden and red lobster, released a statement saying this, quote, iowa and nebraska health authorities have said this is not an ongoing outbreak and the product is no longer in the food supply in those states. the health and safety of our guests is our top priority and it is completely safe to eat in our restaurants, end quote. it's as if something kind of took a bite out of the kansas prairie. take a look. this is a giant sinkhole that opened up in wallace county in the western part of the state. 200 feet across, 90 feet deep, and guess what? it's still growing. thankfully there are no homes nearby and we're told these things are rather common in western kansas. watch your step. fears of a terror attack lead to what's being called an unprecedented move. u.s. embassies around the world closing. our national security analyst tells us why this threat is being taken so seriously. and the highest paid player in baseball answers his critics, and a-rod's bat also made a big statement last night. [ male announcer ] if you can clear a crowd but not your nasal congestion, you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec-d®. powerful relief of nasal congestion watch your step. and a-rod's bat also made a big zyrtec-d®. at the pharmacy counter.