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Rivers on the Run; News Conference on Recovery Effort in Greensburg, Kansas; Alleged Terror Plot in New Jersey Foiled

Aired May 08, 2007 - 11:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. You're with CNN. You're informed.
I'm Tony Harris.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins.

Developments keep coming into the NEWSROOM on Tuesday, May 8th.

Here's what's on the rundown.

Rivers on the run. The Missouri swollen by days and days of having downpours. Now the Midwest facing floodwaters that may rival historic levels.

HARRIS: Alleged Fort Dix plot. Six men go before a judge today. Sources say they planned to gun down soldiers at the New Jersey Army base.

COLLINS: They call themselves the axis of evil comedians. Four Americans with roots in the Middle East ribbing audiences about Muslim stereotypes in the age of terror. A comedy of era in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Misery across the Midwest. Spring storms hammer the region with a vicious one-two punch.

Greensburg, Kansas, a town in ruins, families there in limbo. Cadaver-sniffing dogs now scouring the rubble for those still missing from the deadly tornado. President Bush will tour the damage tomorrow.

Meanwhile, flooding has forced hundreds of people from their homes in Kansas and Missouri. Weather expects are already making comparisons to the floods of 1993, some of the costliest in U.S. history.

Sean Callebs is covering the flooding for us today. Rob Marciano, the tornado recovery. And meteorologist Reynolds Wolf with the larger weather picture.

We are also letting you know we're expecting a press conference coming up from FEMA this hour. That will come our way live from Kansas. We'll carry it for you.

We begin though with rising waters and rising anxiety in Missouri. The governor has declared a state of emergency, National Guard troops are now mobilizing.

CNN's Sean Callebs along the banks of the Missouri River.

And Sean, every time I see you I just am amazed at how fast those waters are running behind you.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, exactly. And this is what your back yard looks like when a river runs through it. You can see how the Missouri has jumped its banks here.

We're in St. Joseph. This is an area that got hit hard in 1993. It's been a very anxious 24 hours. All this water is the result of all that flash flooding, the tremendous amount of rainfall this area has had over the last 24 hours, more than seven-and-a-half inches.

Now, Heidi, you talked about that current. We have a camera aimed at the middle. We're in the middle of the river, where debris is now rolling through.

And just look at that. A large tree is coming by right about now.

The other day -- or yesterday, rather, the police came out here with a radar gun and timed the debris coming down the river. They say it's moving at a clip of about 14 miles an hour. That's much more rapid than the usual four to six miles per hour. Lazy (VIDEO GAP) is the way it usually moves.

And we've been using this tree as a gauge throughout the day. The flood level here is 17 feet. Right now, the river is at 25 feet. They say it could go as high as 48 feet, but really, this is a microcosm of what has happened all over the plains states. It has been a very, very tense period.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CALLEBS (voice over): Flooding from weekend storms stranded residents of Topeka, Kansas, and surrounding communities in their homes. Authorities and volunteers used rafts to rescue some 500 people. Here, neighbors cheer as a wheelchair-bound woman was saved from rising floodwaters.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It had been raining and raining and raining and raining, I just kept thinking, well, it can't last forever. But it did.

CALLEBS: Nearly seven inches of rain has pounded parts of Kansas and Missouri since Sunday.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was very scary having it coming in our houses and having everything floating by our houses, and there's cars and trucks under water.

CALLEBS: In Jackson County, Missouri, two teenagers had to be rescued from a tree after losing their paddleboat in a neighborhood that was overrun by floodwaters.

Storms that ravaged Oklahoma City for days caused heavy flooding that wiped out roads and bridges.

And in southwestern Iowa, residents in the town of Red Oak headed for higher ground as water rose to more than seven feet above flood stage.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The roar was horrendous.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was asleep, and the police car went by with its lights and sirens, going -- saying that it was mandatory for us to leave.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CALLEBS: It doesn't appear we're going to really threaten the 1993 levels -- are here. The water went up to about 33 feet, which is seven feet higher than it is now. So clearly it's not going to get that high -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Wow. All right.

Well, Sean, we appreciate you watching it for us.

We're going to get to the other story as well right now.

Thanks so much. Sean Callebs, coming to us from Missouri -- thanks.

HARRIS: And Heidi, quickly, let's again everyone to Greensburg, Kansas, where we understand FEMA officials, along with Kansas State Police, are holding a news conference.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

STEVE HEWITT, GREENSBURG TOWN MANAGER: We've also allowed our folks back in to evaluate their properties. Our curfew still remains for the citizens from 8:00 to 6:00.

We just want to -- I just want to state that everything we've asked of FEMA and the National Guard, they are helping us. So when we've needed things, they've been right on top of that helping us, so we've got a good partnership going with them.

I want to let people know the Salvation Army will be setting up some areas here on Main Street for our citizens to get some food. So if they're out here all day working, trying to get their belongings, they can get some nourishment and food on Main Street.

We have the urban search and rescue team is on site. They are in the community. We continue do to do that and look for folks. And those folks who want to donate money, they can also contact the Red Cross and Salvation Army for help.

So that's all the information I have today, but we just wanted to give you an update.

QUESTION: What are your plans for the president's trip tomorrow?

HEWITT: Well, we're currently trying to get our community back in shape. And we are doing those efforts, and we're not altering those efforts.

There will be some issues with the president, some details that we'll have to deal with at that time. But he doesn't want to us stop working. We don't want to stop working. So we're going to continue on, and those efforts will just continue on today, tomorrow, and on into the future.

QUESTION: What are you hoping the president -- will come out of the president's visit?

HEWITT: Well, I think it's an opportunity for him to see the devastation and to see what a tornado did to a small community. And I guess tell our story to everybody out there.

And we just -- I guess, it's good for us, hopefully for future assistance. And we appreciate the assistance that FEMA and the government has given us at this time, and we expect to rebuild our community with that.

QUESTION: The Associated Press is reporting another death. What do you know about that?

HEWITT: I do not. You know, and I stated this yesterday. We are not going to give you information until we have it confirmed. So, until the KBI tells our staff and tells the incident commander, I can't release the information. And I have not heard any of that information at this time.

So -- and also today, our mayor here, Lonnie McCollum, is here. You may have some questions for him. He has been diligently working behind the scenes, talking to people, and he may have some information, or you may have questions for him.

MAYOR LONNIE MCCOLLUM, GREENSBURG, KANSAS: God morning, folks. I'm Lonnie McCollum. I'm the mayor here at Greensburg.

I'd like, you know, to tell you that typical of western Kansas, the outpouring of help has just been fantastic.

A true story. A true story. I was just -- the storm just went through, devastated my house. My wife and I were in the basement. I was digging my way up the stairs to see what was left of our town, and as I broke down my back door to go out, there's a fireman from Dodge City, Kansas.

He meets me as I'm digging out of the rubble to see if I'm OK. You know, and almost the next person behind him was somebody from FEMA, folks.

This is a massive effort. And we are getting all kinds of help. And we understand the frustrations, and we are concerned that -- the initial stuff here is, we've got to get some things done.

But you know, the first things we've got to get done is get the initial stuff done. And that's going. Going, very, very well. You know?

But there's a lot of people involved, and we're trying -- trying to work through all those issues. Those people out there, the citizens of this town, are our absolute top priority.

And I've lived -- I know these people. I've known them all my life. And I am deeply concerned with how we get our people back to some kind of normal operating -- operation in their life. And that's the top priority of everybody here that's helping us.

You know, and we understand that it's a tough going, it will be for a few days, but it is -- we're making progress, and a lot of progress. And it's going to get better every minute, every hour.

And our citizens are being patient with us. And we're doing the best we can for them. And it's going good. You know? So we appreciate your help.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

MCCOLLUM: I'm sorry?

QUESTION: Your top three priorities? Some of the things you're doing.

MCCOLLUM: Oh. Well, first of all, the human aspect is our, you know, top priority. But right now, we've got to get our...

HARRIS: And there you have it. FEMA, Kansas State police officials. You've been listening to the mayor, Lonnie McCollum, is how I heard his last name pronounced there. The mayor of Greensburg, Kansas, sort of updating everyone, us and everyone else, on what's going on right now, the effort to help the people of Greensburg who have been so devastated by the tornado, and also to give everyone in that community the information they need, what's available right now, what's coming on line.

CNN's Rob Marciano is standing by.

I Don't know how far you are away from that -- that press conference, but you can set the scene for us. Rob, I'm wondering, the tornado comes through on Friday evening, so we're talking about Tuesday morning. Now I'm just wondering, are we still in sort of the shock phase, or are you starting to see people really get down to the nuts and bolts of starting to pick up the pieces of their lives?

ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're picking up, Tony, and the press conference happening about 30 yards away. And we have producers over there monitoring what's happening. And if anything of substance comes out of that, we'll certainly report it to you.

HARRIS: OK. Great. MARCIANO: But as far as what's happening today, you know, the residents were allowed only to come back yesterday. So this place has been pretty much under lockdown the entire weekend so that they could clear the roadways, get the emergency crews in here, and then make it safe for the residents to come back.

So, this is really, you know, emotionally day two of this storm that came through all the way back on Friday. People are filtering in again today. And another sign of this spirit, any time there's been an American flag that has either been buried in the rubble or just strewn about the ground, somebody always picks it up and hangs it in some capacity to show not only the respect for the flag and of our country, but also to show the resiliency of the human spirit here, that they won't be buried, they won't be beaten down.

What we've also seen this morning are additional search and rescue crews. There was another highly-trained team that cane into town last night from Nebraska, and we've seen some of those people on the ground with canine units as well.

Some of the rubble so deep in spots, that the dogs actually having a hard time. Not sure if they can actually pick up scents.

We are seeing more homeowners today going through their belongings, trying to find valuables and things that mean something to them. Obviously, you can see that happening through all -- I mean, these tree, it's just mind-boggling to see what this wind does to these trees.

And then up here, Tony, we showed this a couple of hours ago, the grain elevator, certainly a symbol of this town, an agricultural community. In those grain elevators, all sorts of grain. What we see spilling out this morning is some corn, but with the re-enforced concrete, with the grain in those elevators, they remain standing 10 stories tall, and that also a symbol of the resiliency here in this community.

The shock will begin to wear off. Certainly there's grief in this town, but time and time again from the beginning, we've heard that they're going to rebuild. So that process begins now.

HARRIS: Yes. Hey, Rob, remind us again -- you're talking about the devastation behind you and the trees shorn off. Remind us again of the intensity of the storm that rolled through Greensburg, Kansas.

MARCIANO: Well, you're looking at, you know, an EF-5 tornado. We haven't seen that since 1999. Winds of over 200 miles an hour. I showed this to you in the last hour.

You know, when you think about what it takes to peel bark off a tree...

HARRIS: Yes.

MARCIANO: ... you really need a knife. I can't even do it with my fingernail. HARRIS: Right.

MARCIANO: Air did this. And air did this to trees all around this town. So 200 mile-an-hour winds, you have to be here on the ground to see exactly what it does, not only to nature, but to brick and mortar.

An extremely rare event, F4 and F 5 tornadoes only make up -- make up less than one percent of the tornadoes that we see in the United States. So, even though this is the heart of Tornado Alley, even they do see tornadoes routinely this time of year, a tornado of this size and strength is extremely rare. And unfortunately, for this town in Greensburg, Kansas, they were hit on -- straight on Friday night.

HARRIS: CNN meteorologist Rob Marciano on the scene for us.

MARCIANO: Tony.

HARRIS: Rob, thank you.

COLLINS: Alleged terror plot in New Jersey foiled. Sources tell CNN six men have been arrested, accused of planning to attack Fort Dix.

CNN's Brianna Keilar joining us from Washington now with more on this.

Brianna, what do we know about these suspects?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Jersey says the six men accused of planning this attack are Islamic radicals. Part of a complaint that was just filed in U.S. District Court in Camden against a man named Dritan Duka shows the government alleges that he conspired to kill members of the military, and four of his alleged conspirators are identified as Eljvir Duka, Shain Duka, Mohamad Shnewer, and Serdar Tartar.

And then there's a sixth person whose name is Aberan Abdullah (ph), who he is named in an FBI affidavit that was also filed with this complaint. But judging by the events that the FBI puts forth, he appears to have played a minor role, at least in what they have detailed, and his name is not there on the complaint.

Now, court documents say the men conducted surveillance at Fort Dix, the U.S. Army base, as well as other military bases. Fort Dix about 80 miles from New York City.

The court documents also say they practiced firing their weapons in Goldsboro, Pennsylvania. That's in the Pocono Mountains in northeastern Pennsylvania.

Now, an affidavit submitted to the court by the FBI says one of the suspects told a paid informant they couldn't target practice at shooting ranges, normal shooting ranges, because at least some of them weren't in the U.S. legally. Apparently, there is some videotape, an audiotape of some of this training. Sources say the suspects also played paintball for target practice.

And this is -- we actually have some video of a raid in Buena Vista Township. This happened overnight. Hoping to show that to you -- here we go. At least one suspect was netted in this particular raid.

The Associated Press is reporting that the men were arrested as they tried to buy automatic weapons in a sale set up by law enforcement authorities.

And, of course, the big question here is, how significant was this threat?

It's important to keep in mind sources are questioning the capability of these suspects. The sense being that these suspects are not hard-core terrorists. And Tony Snow, White House press secretary, was asked a short while ago about this, and he said that this warranted a very strong law enforcement response, Heidi, but there's no direct evidence of a link to an international terrorist organization.

COLLINS: All right. Some new information coming to us on the story at Fort Dix today.

Brianna Keilar from Washington.

Brianna, thanks.

HARRIS: Also, the National Guard on point, dealing with natural disasters. But is the war in Iraq making it harder on the home front?

COLLINS: Oprah Winfrey's school for girls in Africa, just one of many stories making headlines on the continent and here at home.

Coming up, a first-hand view from our Jeff Koinange. His "Reporter's Notebook" coming up in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: And crisis in the Middle East. It's a laughing matter for these guys.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Arabs love to cuss in English. They cuss their heads off in English. They won't do it in Arabic because then god can hear them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: On tour with the so-called "Axis of Evil" comedians.

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: Here's a question, where do they go from here? Will things ever be the same? Serious questions for the people of Greensburg, Kansas, as they survey the damage and look to the future. The town still in shock from a massive tornado that left homes, businesses, churches and schools in shambles but already signs of recovery. FEMA trailers for displaced families are starting to roll into town tomorrow. President Bush arrives to tour the damage and offer some comfort to tornado victims.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: Talking with Rob Marciano a little bit earlier, Reynolds Wolf joining us now. People are really excited to see the president even among all that devastation. Hopefully it will help and offer them some comfort.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: No question about it. What they need is a shot in the arm. They also need some decent weather there. They're going to get the decent weather. They're going to get the shot in the arm. The problem is other people in parts of the world, especially in Oklahoma City are going to get a shot of rain. They don't need it. They've got flood warnings that are in effect and an around the Oklahoma City area. Certainly something we're going to watch out for. Also seeing some development back over towards Lubbock and into Amarillo. Not much in terms of tornadoes but still there's that potential for heavy rainfall in spots where they don't need it.

Let's show you something else that we don't need. What we don't need is a possible tropical system. What we're watching right now is this area of low pressure that is right off the Carolina and Georgia coastline. This not a tropical system right now, but the National Hurricane Center is monitoring this. They have hurricane hunter aircraft on standby and they're just going to watch it. That's all they're going to do for the time being. I'll tell you something right now. This cutoff low is producing quite a bit of rainfall out to sea but on shore, it's producing some strong winds and this video proves that we've got some strong waves, big waves to deal with, especially in Jupiter Beach. Take a look at this pier, just a perfect "T" right out there, actually been to Jupiter Beach many times, that's normally not as high as the waters that you'll see off the Florida coastline but it continues to bring in today alone they're going to have anywhere from eight to 10 foot swells.

It is going to be another rough day, all provided by that system we see right off the coastline. So something we're also going to watch. As we take a look again at what we have right over the center of the U.S., the big area of concern is going to be back into Oklahoma, also into Texas and right along the Missouri River in places like St. Joseph's where we could see some flooding later on this afternoon on the river with the water cresting around 29 feet. That's the latest we've got for you. Let's send it right back to you at the news desk.

COLLINS: All right, Reynolds. Thank you.

WOLF: You bet.

COLLINS: The true scope of the damage in Greensburg hard to believe unless of course you are there on the ground. CNN's Don Lemon is there. He's joining us now from Greensburg. Hey, Don, I know you've had a chance to walk around quite a bit and talking with people. Is there any change, are people feeling any better one day after all of this, after you spoke with them yesterday?

DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think people are feeling better. As a matter of fact Heidi, I spoke with a business owner just a short time ago. She was seeing her business for the first time, actually was pulling her cash register out. We just talked to her. We're going to bring that to you a little bit later on. She's pulling her cash register out of her business. All of the money is still there, but her business is flattened. She said you know, we hear time and time again from these people, you know what, we're alive. We're alive. We can rebuild all of this.

But as you guys were coming to me, I'm looking at this, just unbelievable how these trees and stuff, everything thrown around. But this just - I mean it's really smooth, just ripped the stuff right off of it, so you can get an idea of the intensity of the wind. Just a short time ago, people may be wondering, you can hear, that's the sound of progress there, a backhoe, if you hear that sound. People may be wondering what happens to simple (ph) services. What happens to things like mail. Well there's a post office right across the street. Take a listen to what they said about the mail and about the money and the stamps that were in there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM PAPPAS, POSTAL WORKER: ...maintenance person from Dodge City. We have probably about eight others coming in with some heavy equipment. We're going to remove that rubble where the safe is underneath and recover that and because there's accountable property and stuff like that in it. And that's what we're doing right now.

LEMON: People wonder about the mail, how does the mail get out? What's happened to it?

PAPPAS: Right now, the mail is going -- is being brought in from Wichita and it's going to Pratt, Kansas. Eventually there will be a mobile unit set up out here where residents of Greensburg can pick up their mail, but as of now all the mail will be going to Pratt, Kansas and sorted there. Residents can pick up their mail in Pratt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So it's just an idea of just some of the difficulties they're having here. But there you go. That's rebuilding that backhoe you heard. They're trying to get that truck moving. Obviously it says it's propane, so they want to be careful about that, but anyway, that's what's going on here. As we take this wide pan back across here Heidi, you can see the destruction we've been showing you and it's all over and it's not going to go away for quite a while. Just from this press conference, a list of names of people who have died in all of this. We're going to continue to update you on this story throughout the day here Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, CNN's Don Lemon coming to us live from Greensburg, Don, Kansas, thank you.

HARRIS: Still to come in the NEWSROOM this morning, he could hear them. He just didn't know what they were until doctors evicted them, spiders living in a boy's ear.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED BOY: It was like this weird popping noise.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He called it snap, crackle pop like Rice Krispies.

HARRIS: Itsy bitsy spiders in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: The tornado outbreak in the Midwest this past weekend makes 2007 the deadliest tornado season in the U.S. since 1999. Back in March, 19 people were killed when a twister ripped through Alabama and Georgia. Eight of those victims were at a high school in Enterprise, Alabama. It was there that one woman's spontaneous act of courage kept the death toll from rising even higher. That is why Debra Boyd is today's CNN hero.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is Miss Debra your hero?

EMMA SMITH: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Will you tell me why she's your hero.

SMITH: Well, she just saved me from the tornado.

DEBRA BOYD: We knew it was bad weather, but we have bad weather a lot of times. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary, I didn't think. And then all of a sudden, tornado sirens were going off. There was a tornado coming this way. This was full of parents. We were pushing them into this office. We had gotten them all in and I was like the last person and I was about to close the door, when I saw Emma with her mother Barbara. She had no idea that a tornado was about to hit. There wasn't time to yell or -- I just ran out and grabbed Emma and grabbed Barbara and we ran, I said we've got to get down.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Front door blasted out, glass went everywhere.

BOYD: The wind had just taken one of the trophy cases, put it right there where she was. I just took them over to the side and got on top of them.

SMITH: Mama was on my head and Miss Debra hair was on mine. They were trying to protect me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I shutter to think what would happened to us had I been standing in that front door when that glass blasted out and trophy case shattered everywhere.

BOYD: It's just really something that I did. There wasn't time to do anything else. I really never thought of myself as a hero.

SMITH: Well, she's a super girl because she's not a man like superman.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Debra Boyd is just one of example of everyday superheroes, people whose spontaneous acts of courage save lives. For more visit cnn.com/heroes.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange. When (INAUDIBLE) returns, I'll confirm what many of us already know firsthand, when comes to on-time airline arrivals. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Just 15 minutes from now "Your World Today" is on CNN and that would be Rosemary Church.

HARRIS: There she is.

COLLINS: Hi Rosemary.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you both. We've got a lot coming up actually at the top of the hour. Iraq saw or at least one of Iraq's most popular radio stations becomes a target of al Qaeda. It was once considered a beacon of hope. It's now a pile of rubble, but it has not been silent. We'll have that.

A find of biblical proportions, an Israeli archaeologist unearths an ancient burial memorial. Could it be the tomb of Herod the Great, king of the Jews? We'll go live to the city Herod built and dig a little deeper.

And we have an exclusive interview with Bill Clinton, chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta sits down with the former U.S. president to discuss his foundation's new AIDS fighting initiative and a new once a day AIDS pill. That and more coming up for you all at the top of the hour in "Your World Today." We hope you'll join us.

COLLINS: Didn't he come up with a crossword puzzle lately, too?

HARRIS: He's got time for that? Was it Sanjay or the former president.

COLLINS: The former president.

HARRIS: Oh, OK. Sanjay doesn't have time for that.

CHURCH: You'll join us right, as well as having fun there.

COLLINS: Thanks Rosemary. HARRIS: On the airlines' report cards are out for the first three months of the year. Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange to tell us how they did and Susan, as I recall, the first three months of the year, Jetblue comes to mind. Good morning.

LISOVICZ: Good memory, for a lot of us it's hard to shake that image right, all those planes strand on that frozen runway and that's one of the reasons why you would have to give it a grade it would be an "F" for flunking out. According to government data, one in four flights arrived at least 15 minutes late in the first quarter of this year. That's the worst Q1 performance for late flights in 11 years. So which airline had the most on-time flights? In March Hawaiian Airlines came out on top, followed by Aloha. As for the worst performances in March, U.S. Airways, Jetblue and Northwest. Tony.

HARRIS: So Susan, the obvious question seems to be why the delays. Is it more than just bad weather?

LISOVICZ: Weather is a huge factor. Obviously the first three months of the year in many parts of the country, not great weather, but it's only one of the factors and that explains why Hawaiian and Aloha have fewer problems than other carriers. It's nice to be out there in the island chain. The nation's airlines have also coped with some unusual storms this year, including the one that you referenced, the northeast, right on Valentine's Day.

Another other issue however is the nation's air traffic control system is simply overloaded. The head of the FAA recently said and this a quote, if the system is stretched tight when the weather is good, we don't have a prayer when the storms roll in. That's the head of the FAA, pretty much says it. As for the stocks, they're kind of flunking out as far as the bulls are concerned today. Stocks broadly lower today. Investors locking in some profits after a month of steady gains. Also some caution ahead of the Federal Reserve's meeting on interest rates. Tomorrow the consensus on Wall Street is that policy makers will hold rates steady at 5 1/4 percent. Right now, the Dow is down 60 points or 1/2 a percent. Nasdaq's down by a similar percentage and that's a look at how we are on Wall Street as we approach the noon hour. Tony and Heidi, back to you.

HARRIS: All right, Susan. Thank you.

COLLINS: Well, as you probably know, boys like their bugs but this kid was bugged by spiders. In fact, they moved into his ear and don't call him spider boy either.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED BOY: I want to be Spiderman Jr. because you know, it's not close, but two spiders in my ear, what's next?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Fifteen minutes of fame, that's what's next. Spiderman Jr., in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Lawmakers breaking the law, we're talking about a throw down in Taiwan. Look at this. This one guy, you're not going to be standing up there long. Legislators -- oh, there he goes, literally came to blows over an election reform bill, punches, papers and people thrown all about, look at the gash on his arm. Opposition lawmakers want a say in the makeup of Taiwan's election committee. The ruling party not going along with that and upset about the debate, delaying work on a budget. There you go.

COLLINS: Talk about super find for show and tell, a nine-year- old brought spiders to school, not that big of a deal, he didn't get them out of his backyard. He got them out of his ear. Jane Smith of affiliate KGW explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE SMITH, KGW CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jesse Courtney said something was wrong with his ear.

JESSE COURTNEY, SPIDERS FOUND IN EAR: It was like this weird popping noise.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He called it snap, crackle, pop like Rice Krispies.

COURTNEY: It kept on bothering me.

SMITH: So Jesse's mom took him to the doctor.

COURTNEY: He told the nurse to flush it out. The first one came out dead, then the second one was in my ear, struggling to get out.

SMITH: For two days, a pair of spiders prowled around inside Jesse's ear, likely feeding on ear wax. The spiders roughly the size of a pencil tip eraser, neither one poisonous.

COURTNEY: That was the one that was still alive but he's dead right now.

SMITH: Jesse's dad marveled at the discovery.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It gives you the willies.

SMITH: Jesse's not sure how the spiders got into his ear but he thinks maybe they crawled in while he was sleeping. He hasn't been able to sleep in his top bunk ever since.

COURTNEY: The one on the top I call Floatie and then the one on the bottom I call Drownie.

SMITH: Floatie and Drownie, now souvenir spiders but it's Jesse who is soaking in the limelight. Friends call him spider boy, but this boy who survived the spiders has a preference.

COURTNEY: I want to be Spiderman Jr. because you know it's not close, but two spiders in my ear, what's next?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: No, no, no.

HARRIS: Oh, man. Leave the house and dip that kid.

Rain on the plains and that means high water. Hundreds leave the flooding. The story live to Missouri, in the NEWSROOM.

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