michael e. knight is the name. he will be here with me to talk about the end of an era, all my children's last episode on the air was yesterday. from the "cnn headline news" center in atlanta georgia, this is your "cnn saturday morning," 7:00 a.m. in laengz. wherever you are, glad you are right here. and if you are still here with us, that means you weren't hit up side the head by debris from that falling satellite. it came crashing back to earth. look at these dramatic pictures of it coming down. okay, not so dramatic, but still, nasa was getting us ready for this. it was supposed to break up into several pieces. this is out of san antonio. one piece of video here. people all over from minnesota to texas to hawaii to the philippines, to the netherlands, everybody claims they saw something in the skies last night. reynolds, did they? >> well, why don't you ask tad martin? no. everyone is going to -- the thing is, because this has been something that's captured the imagination of so many people, when you have something that's the size of a large vehicle like a buzz coming out of the sky breaking up, it's going to break up, obviously, people are going to be concerned about it. but the problem is, anytime anyone sees something that's suspect in the sky, they're going to automatically think, could that be part of it? that's a good reason to wonder because it is a lot of stuff that's coming through. t.j., it is believed that 26 separate pieces that would make it all the way to the earth's surface. some could be as much as 130 pounds, some could be acid as light as a few ounces. we had that video that you saw there. there was an ireport out of minnesota that's interesting, too. this is one is a little more dramatic. do we know for sure that this, taken in minnesota by chris rakowski, we have no idea. but if they are able to actually get some of the pieces of the stuff falling through the atmosphere, if nasa can get ahold of it, analyze it, perhaps, then we'll know. for much of this stuff, we will never, ever recover. >> but we can at least tell people no need to continue to duck right now. they know it has come into the atmosphere, it has crashed someone, just don't know right now. >> we can breathe easy. >> we can breathe easy right now. reynolds, plenty throughout the hour. now let's turn to politics and we're talking about another showdown over a possible shutdown. a week from today, your government, the federal government will run out of money. so with critical government programs and disaster relief hanging in the balance, congress has taken the weekend off. but they say they have good reason for it. need to cool off a bit. kate baldwin tells us what's holding up a deal. >> with lawmakers heading for the exits and after a long week of heated debate -- >> that's the danger to this country is the $14 trillion deficit and the 1.6 trillion we add to it every year. >> wake up! wake up! you can't kill these programs. this is the solution you are killing. >> congress leaves washington with no agreement on how to avoid another government shutdown. why the hold up as the september 30th deadline looms? neither side is backing down. top republicans and democrats continue pointing fingers at each other. >> harry reid is holding a bill up with full funding of what is needed right now for no reason, no reason but for politics. again, this is why the people just don't have the respect for this institution in this town any more. >> i can't understand their logic. do they want the government to shutdown? do they want fema to close? and fema will close. >> the house, late thursday night, narrowly passed a short-term spending bill that would keep the government funded through mid november. the measure includes what both sides say they care about most, urgently needed mep for federal disaster relief in the wake of the recent floods, storms and wildfires. >> it is a reasonable, responsible approach. >> but that plan was quickly rejected by the senate. the democratic majority strongly opposed to house gop demands the disaster aid be paid for or offset by cuttinging money for clean energy programs, including one linked to the now bankrupt solar company solyndra. yet democrats contend these programs are creating jobs. >> is it fair that the fund disaster relief we take american jobs? >> senator reid has countered with what senate democrats call a compromise, saying they're goal along with the house measure providing $3.6 billion in federal disaster relief, but they will not go along with the offsets in the house measure. the stalemate now forcing at least the senate to put off part of its scheduled recess next week. we'll see about the house. kate baldwin, cnn, capitol hill. and we just wrapped up the worst week we've seen in years on the stock market. the dow dropped more than 700 points. s&p and the nasdaq took big losses, as well. the drop can be blamed, at least in part, on greece's financial problems and fears over a possible new global recession. and the fbi has just paid out some $2.1 million in reward money for james "whitey" bulger's snitch, if you will. they told people, hey, if you recognize this guy, there's a reward for his arrest. sure enough, they picked up the phone. bulger was on arrest for 16 years with his companion, that was $2 million out on his head and another $is 00,000 for any information leading to the capture of his companion. in all, it was $2.1 million. we know at least two people got the reward money. the fbi is not identifying those people, of course. this alleged mob boss is accused in some 19 murders. the united nations security council could consider the palestinians' plea for statehood as early as monday. palestinian president mahmoud abbas personally delivered the request in paper and in person through the streets for the u.n. general assembly. a pretty symbolic move here, given that the united states has already said that it would veto the move. a short time after abbas stoke, benjamin netanyahu had has chance to fire back. listen to a little bit of both measures. >>. >> translator: this is a moment of truth. our people are waiting to hear the answer of the words. will it allow israel to continue the last occupation in the world? >> the palestinians should first make peace with israel. and then get their state. >> behind the scenes negotiators put together a rough timeline for further peace talks between israeli and palestinian leaders. a team of scientists on trial in italy for failing to predict what some say is impossible to predict, an earthquake. we're back in 90 seconds. stay with us. to stretch around h over 190 times. each brita filter can take up to 300 of those bottles out of the equation. helps defends against occasional justconstipation, diarrhea,alth probiotic cap a day up to 300 of those bottles gas and bloating. with three strains of good bacteria to help balance your colon. you had me at "probiotic." 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[ kristy ] she's definitely not like other moms. yeah, my mom is pretty weird. ♪ you know, the ones who do such a super job, yeah, my mom is pretty weird. they're backed by the superguarantee®? only superpages®. wherever you are, wherever you're going, you'll find the super business you need. so next time, let the good guys save the day. get the superguarantee®, only at superpages®. in the book ... on your phone or online. ten minutes past the hour on this "cnn headline news" saturday morning now. i brought reynolds in on this story because it could have implications for you down the road. >> it is possible. >> possible. we talk about a trial going on in italy right now where they are putting scientists on trial because they did not accurately predict that an earthquake was coming. in particular, we're talking about six scientistes and a government official. they're loot at man slaughter charges in the death of more than 300 people. they're accused of not predicting accurately a deadly quake that hit italy in 2009. they downplayed the quake as imminent. journalists nick piesa explains. >> aboard a committee made up of scientists and experts from the national vulcanology constitute gathered together and in essence told people there's nothing to be worried about and they shouldn't be worried at all about the tremors, it was format plate tectonic activity in that area. there was a famous tv interview given by the scientists saying everyone should calm down, go home and have a glass of wine. five days later, this earthquake struck. >> they're concerned that if there are guilty counts on these guys, these scientists, that could have implications for people like you down the road, around the world, because can you really hold a meteorologist or scientist liable for predi predicting a disaster? it's one thing that he said go out and have a glass of wine. but can you be held responsible? the worry is will this set a press kept for other things? it's a really frightening prospect to think about, especially when it comes to matters of geology. not meteorologistology, but geology. you have to know that if you live near the san andreas fault, you'll be dealing with potential earthquakes, same thing on the pacific rim and including parts of italy. >> have you ever heard of anything like this before dealing with a meteorologist where someone held them responsible? >> to be honest, i think tlrs there was something that did occur at one point where there was a meteorologist that failed to predict mudslide situation. >> make sure your forecast is right. the pressure is on, whew. this is not the flag of surrender. we're going to get things started with the tropics, namely with tropical storm ophelia. earlier we were talking about hurricane hilary which is in the pacific. today, it is ophelia we're dealing with. we often see a fluctuation of power with these tropical systems. there will be no exception with this one. we see a forecast where it is going to change in power and it's fluctuating a bit. we're seeing something else ramp up. tropical depression 17 is off the coast of africa. we're going to watch this for you very carefully. to be honest, ophelia is our biggest concern. it will look like it's moving closer to the u.s. the forecast will keep it out to sea. although, you have to keep in mind, these things can be fickle. it may stray from the track. if it will, we will keep an eye on it. it will veer its way to the north, perhaps coming close to bermuda. for the rest of your forecast around the nation, the east coast situation will be a rainey one for you. if you happen to be in blacksburg, virginia, perhaps you're in charlotte, north carolina. you're going to need the umbrellas for today. scattered showers possible for the sunshine state of florida, a mix of sun and clouds, possible showers across portions of the ohio valley and into the great lakes. very sunny out there for you. we have a fire threat into parts of southern california and california. the reason why, very low humidity, strong winds, dry conditions, any fires that may pop up may spread very quickly. as we wrap things up, temperatures going from west to east, highs going in the 70s and 80s. 88 in salt lake city, 69 in kansas city, 94 in dallas and wrapping up in washington, d.c. with 79 degrees, the expected high. all right, t.j., back to you. >> reynolds, that you can so much. we'll see you again here shortly. for some of you folks, maybe planning a vacation, you need to listen to allison on this week's on the go. >> i'm coming in hot, baby. >> if you are thinking about adding adventure to your next trip, you're not alone. many people are taking their vacation to the edge. but you need to be prepared if something goes wrong. people don't realize that their normal medical health insurance doesn't always cover when you're doing on an adventure. >> supplemental insurance can be purchased online up to an hour before you leave. if you want to bring your own gear, it can cost you. airlines cost for equipment that's more than 50 pounds or longer than 42 inches like a surf board or skis. >> when it comes to big gear, i generally recommend people rent on location. >> when you get to your destination, you may need time to get to your defendant nation, especially in the mountains. >> you want to make sure you have enough time for your bodies to get used to the next oxygen levels. >> if you are diving, take a break before you head home. >> the general rule is 12 to 24 hours after your last dive, that's when you're safe to fly. >> consider the extra time a chance to relax on the go. 16 minutes past the hour. stay with us because there's some high stakes going on in the state of florida right now. the republican presidential candidate focusing in on that state this weekend and for good reason. stay with me. at exxon and mobil, we engineer smart gasoline that works at the molecular level to help your engine run more smoothly by helping remove deposits and cleaning up intake valves. so when you fill up at an exxon or mobil station, you can rest assured we help your engine run more smoothly while leaving behind cleaner emissions. it's how we make gasoline work harder for you. exxon and mobil. a dab of concealer here... a flurry of powder there. what if there was a makeup that didn't just hide your breakouts... but actually made them go away. neutrogena skin clearing makeup. it has our proven blemish fighting formula blended with silky gorgeous makeup. so it gives you a beautiful flawless look while undercover it works to clear breakouts. does your makeup do that? neutrogena® cosmetics. 15 minutes past the hour now. we turn to politics and catch you up on what the candidates are doing. cpac hold ago major gathering in orlando, florida, this weekend and giving the republican presidential candidates another chance to reach conservative voters. here are some of the highlights. >> we need a nominee who is not ashamed of the tea party, who is willing to stand up for our tea party and tea party values, who believes we are taxed enough already. >> it's time for us to recognize cheaters for what they are. on my first day in office, i will issue an executive order identifying china as a currency manipulator and allowing us to apply tariffs on our goods where they're cheating and killing american jobs. >> if we want to get america working again, we need washington to get out of the way. and with your help and people like you all across this great country, that is exactly what we will do. we will get america working again and take this country back to the great values and the principles that made america wonderful. >> cpac, just part of the political action in florida this weekend. it's call the ongoing presidency five conference in orlando. our political reporter peter hanbury is in florida for us. peter, there's so many conferences to keep up with, but what's the importance of what's happening in orlando right now sfp. >> there's three debates down here, and today there's the presidency five straw poll which is a test of grassroots support here organized by the republican party of there are. so like you said earlier, this is a great chance for the presidential candidates to really come down here, drill down and meet some of the voters and the important republican activists who are going to really have a say in this primary, which has been decisive in the past in picking the republican president. it was for john mccain in 2008 over mitt romney, it cemented the nomination for mccain back then and it probably will this time, t.j., too. it's an important weekend here. >> did they make any news necessarily in some of the speeches they made in orlando? can we expect that or are we going to hear a lot of the more of the same? the debate thursday night defined how the rest of this weekend has unfolded. mitt romney had a strong debate. most people think thursday night. rick perry was on his heels. he came out at the cpac event yesterday and again this morning at a republican breakfast that i went to here. listen to what he had to say in painting mitt romney as a good talker and a slick candidate. take a listen, t.j. >> what americans are looking for in the slickest candidate, they're looking for an authentic principled leader. think about it. you have -- you've seen what happens when our country chooses leaders who emphasize words over deeds. >> there you hear perry sort of knowing that he was bruised in that debate the other night, stepping up his attacks against mitt romney and trying to portray himself as the true conservative, the conservative who can win as opposed to somebody like romney who has been perceived as inauthentic on the issues. expect him to get more aggressive in the coming weeks, t.j. >> and you're talking romney/perry. they're not spending the entire weekend in florida, however. >> no, they're not, actually. perry just left florida. he's flying out to michigan where there's yet another gop conference at mackinac island, which is a beautiful pastoral resort up in michigan where a bunch of activists are covered. there's another straw poll, so we get to see how these candidates are faring among the debate among these trushl voters, t.j. >> peter, thank you. president obama has an important night ahead of him. he has a speech to the congressional black caucus. the caucus has been critical of the white house for the way the president has handled the issue of jobs. unemployment among african-americans was almost 17% last month. we're down to ten, ten they're rows we're talking about. the cnn heros top ten list is out. did your favorite make the cut? you will find out, next. still to come this morning, it's the end of an era. after 41 years on the air, "all my children" has said good-bye. coming up, i'm talking to the guy that the ladies know so well, michael e. knight, or better known to you as tad martin here with me this morning. we're at 24 minutes past the hour now. all year, we have been bringing you inspiring stories, people who have made it their mission to help others. we call them our cnn heros. today, you get to meet the top ten for the year. they each win $50,000 and a chance to be named cnn's hero of the year. anderson cooper with the introductions. i'm anderson cooper. all year, we've been introducing you to every day people who are changing the world. we call them cnn heroes. now we announce the top ten cnn heroes for 2011. the honorees are amy stokes, she uses the internet to match teens lacking role models with adults around the world. bruno serato is serving up a solution so motel kids don't go to bed hungry. derek kyango collects hotel soaps and remross them. diane latiker, opened her doos to invite gang members in. edly canales, alaineduron miranda. patrese mullet, robin limb helped poor women have healthy pregnancies and safe deliveries. sal demesilli pays for basic rent and food to keep the working poor afloat. and tr aryn davis. congratulations to the top ten cnn heroes of 2011. which one inspired you the most? go to cnn.com to vote for your hero of the year. >> the final decision will be up to you. vote tore your favorite cnn heros. the winner will get $250,000 and the distinction of being our fifth cnn hero of the year. we're getting close to the bottom of the hour. the palestinians, as you know, have made their move now at the u.n. but what impact will the demand for statehood have at the united nations and have on u.s. politics? that's just one of the topics i'm going to get into with ou