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American Morning
Immigration Bill all but Dead; Seal the Leaks: Save Energy and Money; Man Survives Being Dragged in Wheelchair by Truck; Ads Raise Awareness about Childhood Obesity; Teens Chronicle Post-Katrina Life in New Orleans; Will Tony Soprano Be Whacked?
Aired June 08, 2007 - 07:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: After months of negotiation and weeks of debate, the immigration bill is all but dead this morning. Sixty votes were needed last night to move to a final vote. The compromise bill got just 45.
Earlier on AMERICAN MORNING, I asked Senator Ken Salazar from Colorado if President Bush could have done more to help pass the bill that he had backed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. KEN SALAZAR (D), COLORADO: But I think when it came down to the final end, to the nut cut (ph) and end of this thing last night, it would have been useful for him to have weighed in as president of the United States. He had his people involved, and Secretary Chertoff and Secretary Gutierrez did a masterful job. But I think at that point we did need to have the president here. Unfortunately, he was out of the country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: So what does this all mean?
Andrea Koppel is on the Hill this morning.
Andrea, how much of a blow is this to President Bush? And when he gets back from his trip to Europe, might he ring in with his Republican colleagues on the Hill to say he's not too pleased about what happened?
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, I think you might get one or two of those phone calls, John. This was a big blow to the president.
It was one of his, if not the top domestic priority, he thought that he was going to get this bill. I don't think it's going to be a news flash to anyone to see that President Bush really wanted and needed to get something in the win column here.
That said, as far as what the future holds, we know that there is a real packed legislative agenda between now and the end of the year. Whether or not this is pushed to next year, there is a big question mark about the future of the bill -- John. ROBERTS: So how could it be brought back? If you couldn't get enough votes for cloture last night, how are you going to -- and you cut off debate and you didn't want to talk about it, how could you ever bring it back and get those votes?
KOPPEL: Republicans maintain that it was the Democratic leader, Harry Reid, who was insisting on really this arbitrary date, this cutoff, when you had to have the vote by the end of this week. They say that they really only need 12 more hours until this morning, they would of narrowed the list of amendments that Republicans had.
That said, you do have this huge challenge, John. Thirty-eight Republicans voted against this. Conservative Republicans just were not buying the line that 12 million or more illegal immigrants weren't getting amnesty out of this bill.
ROBERTS: All right. And we'll try to illuminate the Republicans' concerns about that a little further in less than 10 minutes' time. Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas joins us. We'll ask him what he thinks of the bill's future.
Andrea, thanks.
(WEATHER REPORT)
ROBERTS: Disturbing developments out of Kansas this morning about the kidnap and murder of 18-year-old Kelsey Smith. This is Edwin Hall. He's the 26-year-old who appeared before a judge on close-circuit television to hear the charges against him -- kidnapping and murder.
News overnight that Hall might have had a MySpace page calling himself "Jack" and saying he is a sweet, troubled soul who likes to hurt small children and animals. We also know now that police caught Hall because his neighbor's wife saw his face on television thanks to this surveillance video.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAMERON MIGUES, SUSPECT'S NEIGHBOR: She -- that was exactly what she said. She goes, "I saw the picture," and she goes, "And it looks just like our neighbor." And we both just kind of laughed it off at first, and then when I saw the picture of the truck and she mentioned it, then it was like, well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: The surveillance video from the shopping mall where Smith was last seen on Saturday actually shows her being taken, forced into a car. Kelsey's father, Greg Smith, says that his daughter lived an entire lifetime in 18 years and that her passion for living was unmatched.
CHETRY: We had a chance to talk to the parents of a 15-year-old from Connecticut who was found this week in a hidden room under a staircase. She had been there for almost a year. Well, they still haven't been reunited with their daughter. Danielle Cramer is being held in child welfare, where investigators had some limited conversations with her. And they believe that 41- year-old Adam Gault brainwashed her into staying in his house. Gault's attorney, though, is claiming that Danielle was not held captive, that she had a cell phone, and that she even attended school.
Danielle's parents respond to that claim earlier on AMERICAN MORNING.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNIFER HESSE, MOTHER OF DANIELLE CRAMER: There are no evidence to support that. She says otherwise.
JAMIE HESSE, STEPFATHER OF DANIELLE CRAMER: If I may, when they were asked about what school they were attending, they couldn't even give an honest answer as to a name for a school.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Gault, as well as two other women in the house, were arraigned yesterday on charges including unlawful restraint and reckless endangerment.
ROBERTS: President Bush is feeling well enough to finish the G8 summit in Germany. He missed some meetings this morning with a bad stomach. He got some extra rest. And just about an hour ago, posed for the final picture with the other G8 leaders. He's going to stop in Poland today and then be in Italy tonight.
And the summit produced a thaw in the Cold War relations between the United States and Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested using a Russian radar site in Azerbaijan rather than the United States installing a missile defense radar in the Czech Republic and then putting missiles in Poland. President Bush described the offer as "interesting".
CHETRY: Speaking of interesting, Paris Hilton could be headed back to jail. She will appear in court this morning. And the judge who sent her to jail will decide if the L.A. sheriff's decision to release her to house arrest was improper. The sheriff's department though is stressing she's not getting off easy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE WHITMORE, L.A. COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPT. SPOKESMAN: It is not an early release. It is a reassignment.
She is still in custody. She has a ankle bracelet, electronic monitoring, and she is confined to her home. Now, you can certainly say yes, Steve, but -- but I just want to make that distinction, that she was not released, she was reassigned.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CHETRY: That has not satisfied some people. There's a lot of people actually this morning saying that Paris got preferential treatment because she is a celebrity.
Earlier, I spokes with the Reverend Al Sharpton, who says he wants -- he says that he feels the judicial system is unfair.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: The reason why we're taking up this case is there are many people in Los Angeles -- and we have an office there -- that are concerned about the disparity of justice. I had nothing to say about Paris Hilton until it appeared that justice works for some and not others.
That's a civil rights issue. It has nothing to do with Paris Hilton.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Because I asked him if this should be his top concern right now, that Paris Hilton isn't serving jail time. He said that it was the fact that so many furious people called into his network and made him say, maybe I do need to look at this.
Also, he said that -- some have said that Paris actually got a tougher penalty, including defense attorney Mark Geragos. They say that some people -- or many people with this offense, violating your suspended license, would not have served any jail time at all.
ROBERTS: He is accused of hiding $90,000 of bribe money in his freezer. Now Congressman William Jefferson's assets are being frozen.
Time for our "Quick Hits".
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Well, a dramatic 10-minute chase at the G8 summit kicking off your "Quick Hits" now.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Sixteen minutes now after the hour.
The immigration bill looked doomed from the start from almost the moment that it was introduced three weeks ago. It came under attack from both Democrats and Republicans last night.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid summed it up like this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REID: There's lots of support for this bill on the outside. The problem was in the inside of this Senate chamber.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Reid says the Senate will now move on to other business.
Senator John Cornyn of Texas was one of the original negotiators of the bill but had a change of heart and voted against it last night as well.
Senator Cornyn, thanks for joining us.
Is this bill dead?
SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R), TEXAS: I hope not. This is the single most important domestic issue confronting our country today. And, you know, I really regret that the Democrat majority leader squandered an opportunity.
We were very close, I think, within a matter of days, of being able to complete this bill. And while I may not have been able to vote for it in the end, I do think it's important to get it down the road to the House so we can get a conference committee together and get a border security solution on the president's desk, eliminate identity theft and document fraud at the work site, and some sensible way to deal with the legitimate labor demands of American employers.
ROBERTS: So why did you vote against it last night after you were one of the key negotiators of the bill?
CORNYN: Well, the vote we had last night was on cloture to close off debate and prohibit any additional amendments. There were 12 Democrats who voted the same way I did because there wasn't an adequate opportunity to call up and consider amendments.
I think in such a complicated issue as this, this is a very importantpart part of the process, to allow people to debate and then have an up-or-down vote. And we all understand we can't dictate the results, but we can let majorities rule.
ROBERTS: Did the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, rush this?
CORNYN: I think he did. We were very close. We were at the point where we were negotiating actually a list of final amendments, maybe as many as 10 to 15, that if he had let us vote on, I think we could of finished this bill in the next couple of days.
ROBERTS: Because the Democrats are saying it's the Republicans' fault that this thing got voted against last night.
Here is what Colorado Senator Ken Salazar told us in our last hour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SALAZAR: Yes, those are just dilatory tactics. You know, they kept asking for six more hours, for 12 more hours. It's been going on for two weeks. The fact is, there were some members on the Republican side that didn't want the bill.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Yes. So, Senator Corny, basically what they are saying is you just wanted to drag this out until the timetable expired and would have killed it that way, not last night.
CORNYN: Well, I disagree with my friend Ken Salazar. I don't think democracy is a dilatory tactic.
This is the way the Senate is supposed to work. This is how we solve the hardest problems confronting our nation today. And I regret that the Democrat leader saw fit to pull the bill and squander an opportunity to solve one of the nation's biggest problems.
ROBERTS: So what happens now? I expect that you'll probably hear from President Bush when he returns from his European trip.
CORNYN: Well, I know this is near and dear to the president's heart. And as a fellow Texan, I certainly understand the need to solve this problem on a multiple level, starting with border security, effective work site verification, and eliminating document fraud and identity thet. And as I said, supplying for the legitimate legal immigration needs of American employers, as well as people who are now currently fearful for their status here in the country.
ROBERTS: All right. So what happens now?
CORNYN: Well, I think it's up to the majority leader. He is in charge. He can put the bill back on the floor literally at any time. And I think there is an opportunity for us to agree to a set number of amendments and debate, and let the debate run its course and let people vote.
ROBERTS: Does the president still have any credibility on this, Senator Cornyn, particularly after he called opponents of the bill such as yourself, people who "don't want the best thing for the country"?
CORNYN: Well, you know, the president is a friend of mine. And I think he just got carried away with himself. That certain comment was uncalled for. But I think what he meant is that we need to have a solution.
I agree with that. We may differ somewhat about what that solution looks like, but I've tried to be constructive, tried to be helpful to produce an outcome that we can be proud of that reflects our values and American interests.
ROBERTS: Well, I take it that we haven't heard the last about this.
CORNYN: We have not..
ROBERTS: Senator Cornyn -- yes. Thanks for joining us. Appreciate you coming in, sir.
CORNYN: Thank you, John.
CHETRY: Well, with summer on the way, electric bills starting to climb. Is there anything we can do to keep our bills down as the temperature goes up?
CNN's personal finance editor, Gerri Willis, tells us how a few simple tweaks maybe that you make to your home could make a big difference.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: That's absolutely right, Kiran.
You know, you may think, I want to protect myself from these rising energy costs. Well, a makeover may be easier than you think.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILLIS (voice over): George Malek and a team of energy auditors are inspecting this house to see where energy is being wasted. This blower door test determines how much the house leaks.
GEORGE MALEK, "ENERGY DOCTOR": The fan is actually depressurizing the house. So the fan is running at high speeds, and the only way for the air to come in is through leaks.
Of course, everybody's favorite, the great stuff, where you just spray foam and plug holes like we were seeing on these air leakage areas.
WILLIS: When it comes to leaky walls, Malek's team uses an infrared camera to find hot spots where insulation should be added. You probably don't have an infrared camera, but another test you can do yourself involves saving on your heating bill.
MALEK: So, you run the water first to make sure that hot water is coming to the faucet. Just gather it in the cup, and just a meat thermometer is good enough. And I take the temperature of the water coming out. And, by gosh, it's over 140, 145. That is way more than you need!
WILLIS: Anything over 120 degrees is too hot. Turn your water heater down, and you could save $40, $50, even $100 a year. A few simple tests that can save you a bundle of money.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: Wow, you learn something new. I think my water is way hotter than it needs to be as well.
But one of the biggest things that gets you with your bills are the air-conditioning. You run the air-conditioning nonstop during the summer. Can do you anything about that?
WILLIS: Yes. Yes, you can definitely do something about it. You can turn the AC down, for one thing. But if you're buying a unit this summer to put into your wall, you want to make sure you match the BTUs to the size of your room. Make sure that you get the right amount, because if you buy too much, Kiran, you're just paying for energy you shouldn't be using.
CHETRY: And what about other energy hogs that we don't even think of?
WILLIS: It's the refrigerator. It is all about -- you know, people have two, three refrigerators in their homes now, and you really don't need them, and they use a ton of energy.
Now, you should know that ENERGY STAR has a refrigerator retirement calculator. And it will tell you if your refrigerator is too old and completely useless in terms of energy consumption.
Go there, plug in what kind of unit you have, how old it is. And it will tell you if it makes more sense to sell it and get a new one, because the technology is so improved, you can really save money now.
CHETRY: And is it a myth -- my parents used to always say, keep the refrigerator door closed! Does it make that big of a difference?
WILLIS: Yes, it does. Well, you know what is interesting about that? Is they found out that -- you know how everybody had side-by- sides.
CHETRY: Yes.
WILLIS: Energy hog. Much better to have the top and the bottom, where you have the freezer on the bottom or the top, but you keep those two units separate. It saves a lot of energy.
CHETRY: Right. Because you don't need to open up the freezer unit every time you're get something out of the fridge.
WILLIS: No.
CHETRY: Pretty cool.
Gerri Willis.
By the way, don't forget to catch Gerri on "OPEN HOUSE" this weekend. She's going to have more energy tips for us, plus fixing your cracked driveway, and hidden dangers for your pets.
It's all tomorrow morning, 9:30 Eastern, here on CNN.
Thanks, Gerri.
WILLIS: Thank you.
ROBERTS: Twenty-four minutes after the hour. And time now for a look at what is ahead on "CNN NEWSROOM" this weekend.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: And a beautiful shot this morning. There you see on the tip of Manhattan, Lady Liberty.
It's shaping up to be 90 degrees. It's going to be a pretty soupy day, I think, here in New York. So cool off where you can.
And welcome back. It is Friday, June 8th.
I'm Kiran Chetry.
ROBERTS: And I'm John Roberts.
Lots of weather on our radar this morning.
Extreme weather in the Midwest. Take a look at this.
We've got hail to the left of us, lightning to the right, and here we are stuck in the middle. Even tornadoes in the Midwest.
And lots of delays at O'Hare airport yesterday. Trying to get things back on track this morning.
We'll have the newest pictures for you and the new threat for extreme weather today.
CHETRY: And this is a story that when we first saw it yesterday, we could not believe it. A young man in a wheelchair, a semi truck did not see him as he was going across the crosswalk.
His wheelchair ended up getting caught in the grille of the semi. The driver did not notice and hit the highway at speeds of up to 50 miles an hour. This brave young man is going to be joining us in just a few minutes to tell us about that harrowing adventure and how he is doing today.
ROBERTS: You can just imagine, other drivers coming the other way saw this happening, got on their phones and called 911.
I mean, what do you say to the 911 operator?
CHETRY: Well, we're going to hear it, actually, because we do have the 911 tape as well.
ROBERTS: Just amazing.
And is it lights out for Tony Soprano? We're making predictions on whether Tony survives this weekend's finale. Or does he get whacked?
CHETRY: Everyone is a little bleary-eyed Monday mornings when you stay up to watch "The Sopranos". A lot of fans of it here.
So, we'll find out, what's it going to be like? The season finale coming up.
ROBERTS: We begin on Capitol Hill, where the immigration bill appears to be stalled and all but dead this morning. After months of negotiations and two weeks of debate, the bill fell 15 votes short of moving on to a final vote last night.
Democratic leaders in the Senate say they will move on to other business.
President Bush is feeling well enough now to finish the G8 summit in Germany. He missed some meetings this morning, suffering from a bad stomach. He got some extra rest, and just about an hour and a half ago he posed for the final picture with the other G8 leaders.
He's going to move on to Poland today for a quick stop, and then finish off the day in Italy tonight.
Baseball-sized hail, tornadoes and heavy rain slammed the Midwest. At least five twiststers touched down across Wisconsin, including one that tore apart a resort.
Kayaks were thrown 30 feet into trees, like spears. One mobile home was wrecked and other buildings were damaged.
CHETRY: Well, here's just one of those impossible to believe stories when you hear about it. It really is tough to believe. But it really happened. A semi truck seen pushing a man in a wheelchair down the highway, reaching speeds at times at times of 50 miles per hour. Police actually at one point thought it might be a prank until 911 calls started pouring in like this one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nine-one-one emergency.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm at the corner of Hayden and Red Arrow. There is a westbound truck dragging a man with a -- in a wheelchair. He did not see him crossing in front of him when the light changed. He's out in front of the middle school right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's westbound?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's westbound. He doesn't know he's dragging this man.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, we'll get help on the way.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, the truck did drag the wheelchair for about four miles, roughly going at speeds of 50 miles an hour. Luckily, Ben Carpenter was secured to his wheelchair with his seatbelt. Joining us this morning, along with his father, Don, and his mom, Joyce. Boy, thanks so much for being with us, all of you.
DON CARPENTER, BEN CARPENTER'S FATHER: You're welcome.
JOYCE CARPENTER, BEN CARPENTER'S MOTHER: You're welcome.
CHETRY: And Ben, have you heard the 911 tape? People were just flabbergasted but also extremely concerned for your well-being when they saw this happening.
What was -- first of all, tell us exactly how this happened.
BEN CARPENTER, DRAGGED IN WHEELCHAIR BY TRUCK: Well, I was crossing -- the light for the traffic was red. I crossed in front of him. It must have turned green as soon as I got out there.
CHETRY: So he had no idea and, at the time, what happened after that? You, obviously, became entangled in the grille, and then what did you do?
B. CARPENTER: Well, I guess I just went along for the ride!
CHETRY: You know, you're -- you're so cool and calm about it, but you must have been terrified?
B. CARPENTER: Yes. I was.
CHETRY: What did the truck driver say to you afterwards?
B. CARPENTER: I don't remember what he said.
CHETRY: Yes, I mean, I'm sure it was -- probably couldn't remember what was going on because it was so overwhelming at the time. But they say four miles, hitting speeds of 50 miles an hour. And at no point, the semi didn't hit anything, and you're not hurt at all this morning, are you?
B. CARPENTER: No.
CHETRY: And Joyce, what did you think when you heard this happen to your son?
J. CARPENTER: Well, I was at work, and I happened to work in the hospital where Ben was taken for treatment afterward. And I heard my son was hit by a semi. And that is all I heard.
CHETRY: Yes, and -- right. So you didn't have any details about this. When did all of these pictures come out? Because this is a story that's been all over the Internet and all over the news. I mean, a lot of people. It seems so improbable that he would be fine and, today, he is. What do you think, dad?
J. CARPENTER: Right.
D. CARPENTER: Well, we're just glad that he's here. And it was hard for us to believe that he couldn't have gotten hurt in any way, either. Those pictures, I think, came out fairly quickly from the state police.
CHETRY: Yes. And did the -- did the truck driver say anything to your family? Did he say what happened?
D. CARPENTER: We've had no contact with him at this point. Yet.
CHETRY: And charges, are there any charges pending? I mean, could he be in trouble for what happened?
D. CARPENTER: Well, I really don't know what's going to happen with that, other than they said they're going to turn it over to the prosecutor, but that's just a formality, I think.
CHETRY: And you wanted to use this opportunity, as well, to explain a little bit about Ben's condition and what you guys are trying to do to help fight it.
D. CARPENTER: Oh, thank you very much. Yes. Ben has degenerative muscular dystrophy. And we work with an organization called Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, and we do grassroots fund raising for that. We basically try to fund research exclusively.
And we also do lobbying in Washington every year to get the NIH to fund research projects.
And if I can add that real quick, like, it's www.ParentProjectMD.org, if anybody wants to go and take a look at what we do.
CHETRY: All right. Well, we certainly will.
And Ben, you seem to be taking it all in stride. The ride of your life. You had no idea that was going to happen. And good thing, though: you're alive and well to tell about it.
Thanks for your time this morning, Ben, Don and Joyce Carpenter, all of you.
D. CARPENTER: You're welcome.
J. CARPENTER: You're welcome. Thank you.
ROBERTS: Wow. What a ride.
Thirty-four minutes after the hour. "ANDERSON COOPER 360" airs week nights at 10 p.m. Eastern. Here's Anderson now with a look on what's on the program tonight -- Anderson.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: John, tonight, people locked up for crimes they didn't commit, while others get away with murder. How the justice system fails and how science is helping to fix it. Freeing the innocent, finding criminals and "Keeping Them Honest". Justice on trial, tonight 360, 10 p.m. Eastern -- John.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Looking forward to it. Anderson, thanks.
Some "Quick Hits" now.
Police have charged the man they say killed a Kansas teen. Twenty-six-year-old Edwin Hall is accused of kidnapping and murdering 18-year-old Kelsey Smith. News overnight that Hal appeared to have a disturbing MySpace page with hobbies listed that include harming small children. The page has been taken down.
Robert Bork is suing the Yale Club for more than a million dollars. Judge Bork fell as he was about to speak at an event there last year. You'll remember back in 1987 the Senate rejected Bork for the Supreme Court.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS (voice-over): Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, are you feeding your child a diet of disease?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dad, could you buy me some diabetes?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can I (UNINTELLIGIBLE) sugar?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pretty please?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please?
ROBERTS: Calories and kids. Inside the ad campaign that gives parents a serious reality check. Next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: A high-risk operation put on hold. Your "Quick Hits" this morning.
Surgeons in Cleveland trying to separate 3-year-old conjoined twins stopped the operation because of swelling in the brain of the larger, stronger girl. The parents say they'll try for another surgery to separate them.
A new study out today about Vitamin D. It lowered the overall cancer risk by 60 percent in older women. Researchers at Creighton University were studying the effect of calcium on bones, but the drop in cancer risk was what stood out.
And researchers in Arizona say they have found a common gene that may be behind an increased risk of Alzheimer's. The gene, called GAB2, seems to affect the odds that someone will get the progressive neurological disease. Some five million disease suffer from Alzheimer's. CHETRY: There's a growing percentage of kids suffering from obesity, and now there's a new ad campaign to remind you that it's the parents' job to keep kids away from unhealthy foods.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These ads might seem shocking.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dad, could you buy me some diabetes?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can I drink (UNINTELLIGIBLE) sugar?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pretty please?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please?
ROBERTS: The state of California hopes the ads will force parents to stop and think before they give their kids junk food.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't look unhealthy. But the food I ate sure was.
ROBERTS: The ads warn parents that poor diet can lead to weight problems, illnesses, even early death.
KRIS PERRY, DIRECTOR, FIRST 5 CALIFORNIA: We're trying to convey to you that these little choices all day long, a cookie here, a doughnut there, a glass of juice, some chips -- by the end of the day, your child has consumed far more calories than they really needed.
GUPTA: Now, the campaign is funded by the state's tobacco tax and is part of a larger state initiative to get kids fit. And the ads are getting noticed even by celebrities.
ADAM SANDLER, COMEDIAN/ACTOR: A child obesity commercial came on. They showed a kid that's eating and eating. The family keeps feeding him and then eventually he gets diabetes and stuff. And we're watching it. It's a very powerful commercial. Me and my little girl just both took the cheeseburgers out of our mouth. And we're like...
DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, CBS'S "LATE NIGHT WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": Yes.
GUPTA: California is not the only state to take on childhood obesity, but it's the first to fund millions of dollars into an anti- obesity effort of this magnitude.
But states with smaller budgets can still do their parts. Look at Arkansas. They were the first state to push for better nutrition in public schools by getting rid of vending machines.
KEN STANTON, UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE: Arkansas would be a good example, because that's certainly not one of the most affluent states, and yet, they were sort of the head runner in terms of where we started our obesity report card.
GUPTA: Back in California, state officials say about 60 percent of all Californians have seen the ads since the campaign was launched about a year ago. Their hope: parents will think twice the next time their kids ask for unhealthy food.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: You can see more of this story and other health news on "HOUSE CALL" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Saturday and Sunday mornings, 8:30 a.m. Eastern.
ROBERTS: Some amazing video just in this morning from that cyclone that hit Oman the other day. Take a look at this: a truck being swept away by flood waters.
Officials say the cyclone has claimed at least 35 lives in Oman and Iran. It is now moving on, entering the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil shipping route. Landfall, though, took some of the bite out of the storm.
Chad Myers now down in our weather center in Atlanta.
And Chad, that was a big, big, big storm and, obviously, the results have pretty dramatic.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Truly was. It was a Category 5 hurricane for a while during the day on Monday. Then it was a Category 1 hurricane, down to it. And it was called a cyclone, but we'll just use those categories, because we understand what they are here in the U.S. and Canada here.
Those categories now, bringing this storm down about 85 miles per hour. But it did make it onshore, and there is a family in that vehicle. You can see them struggling there. Thirty people still missing from this storm.
The water -- the eye of the hurricane or the cyclone never really even made landfall here in Muscat. But as it did -- as it didn't just brush the coast; it got so much rainfall in the mountains, and that water came right down through and right down through that coastal town.
Here is what it looked like on Tuesday as the storm got a little bit closer. And here is -- the pictures are from right there. Here's Oman. Here's basically the Gulf of Oman and then the Strait of Hormuz, right up there, where all the shipping channels come through.
Now I'm going to push you ahead until yesterday. And here is Oman. Hard to see. But there is the town that was flooded so hard. There is still a center, even though it was only a tropical storm at this point.
It has now moved on into Iran, and that will eventually kill it, because it's basically a desert down there on the northern sections there of Oman and southern Iran. All desert. You get that desert air getting sucked into any cyclone, typhoon, or hurricane -- it doesn't matter -- that will kill it.
(WEATHER REPORT)
ROBERTS: Chad, thanks very much.
And from cyclones in the Middle East to memories after storm here in the United States. School is out in New Orleans. And time for us to check in on the children of the storm, our student survivors of Hurricane Katrina.
Back in January, CNN's Soledad O'Brien and director Spike Lee gave 11 kids cameras so they could tell their own stories. Here's Soledad with an update.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Brittney Ruiz, Amanda Hill and Daryl (ph) Alexander live among half-fixed homes, empty stores, smelling debris and lots of uncertainty.
BRITTNEY RUIZ, SOPHOMORE, CHALMETTE HIGH SCHOOL: There's a lot of things that make me cry. The first thing is the people who used to live in St. Bernard Parish in New Orleans, who aren't coming back or even thinking about rebuilding.
O'BRIEN: For 16-year-old Brittany, the cement slabs are sharp reminders of just who's missing.
RUIZ: Even if the storm did knock it down, I would definitely try, as hard as I could, to rebuild my house back.
O'BRIEN: The Ruizes recently moved back home.
Remember 18-year-old Amanda Hill? We saw those heart-wrenching images of Amanda writing on her mother's grave with a Sharpie pen. Her 66-year-old grandmother, Delores, was going to work before sunrise, at McDonald's, but still couldn't pay all the bills.
Thanks to volunteers, the home is now being fixed, but Delores' health has now deteriorated.
AMANDA HILL, CHALMETTE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE: She has been very sick lately and hasn't been able to work for about three weeks.
DELORES HILL, AMANDA'S GRANDMOTHER: It feels horrible, because I know I have lot of bills to pay, that I'm hoping that I can make it to your graduation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With honors, Amanda Lynn Hill.
O'BRIEN: Grandma made it, but the graduation was anything but normal.
A. HILL: Another thing that makes me sad, besides my grandma being ill, is my old high school. Go Eagles!
O'BRIEN: Amanda's old school never reopened, so Amanda graduated as an Owl from Chalmette, a former rival.
DARYL (ph) ALEXANDER, CHALMETTE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: First things first. I don't cry.
O'BRIEN: But 15-year-old Daryl (ph) Alexander became choked up when he spoke on camera about his deceased grandmother.
ALEXANDER: My grandmother, I loved her so. But it's over. Now I got my mama being a grandmama.
O'BRIEN: Yes, Daryl (ph) is a father of 4-month-old twins.
ALEXANDER: My sons are on my leg. One has stars, and that's Daysean. Then I got Dawnell. That's my music.
O'BRIEN: He says they cheer him up.
Soledad O'Brien, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: And you can see stories from all 11 children of the storm on our web site at CNN.com/AM.
CHETRY: Meantime, "CNN NEWSROOM" is just minutes away. Heidi Collins is at the CNN center with a look at what's ahead today.
Hi, Heidi.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, there, Kiran. That's right; we have these stories coming up in the "NEWSROOM" rundown this morning.
President Bush back on schedule. An apparent stomach bug sidelined him at a summit session. He now leaves the G-8 for Poland.
And congressman in court. William Jefferson faces a 16-count indictment. The feds say he used his influence to make deals and money.
And Alabama Senate smack-down! A bipartisan battle gets pretty personal, as you can see.
Tony is with me in the "NEWSROOM". Of course, we're going to have all the Paris updates, as well. We get started at the top of the hour right here on CNN.
CHETRY: Your favorite story.
COLLINS: Absolutely!
CHETRY: All right, Heidi. We'll be watching. Thanks.
Meanwhile, taking drastic action to stop tsunami false alarm. That tops our "Quick Hits" now. Angry residents in Indonesia's Aceh province smashed an electrical box on a tsunami warning system after a false alarm triggered widespread panic Monday.
Also hot off the presses, it's this year's list of best beaches, courtesy of Dr. Beach of Florida International University. Ocracoke Island on North Carolina's Outer Banks tops the list, and then there's Caladesi Island off Clearwater, Florida, as well as Coopers Beach in Southampton, New York.
ROBERTS: And Hanalei Beach in Kauai in Hawaii, another one.
CHETRY: And then Coast Guard Beach on Cape Cod.
ROBERTS: They're all beautiful. I've been to all of them, and they're all beautiful.
CHETRY: So you give your thumb's up on the beaches?
ROBERTS: I do, yes.
CHETRY: Wish I was on one of them now.
Well, the big question, if you're going to be watching on Sunday "The Sopranos" episode, who is going to get whacked and who's going to survive? Before we fuggedabout "The Sopranos" forever, we're going to have some predictions about the final episode.
In fact, our own Lola Ogunnaike got a chance to get a sneak peek at some of the final trailers for the final episode. She's going to dish for us, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: The prognosis is in for a controversial "Grey's Anatomy" star. Some "Quick Hits" now. ABC is not going to renew the contract of Isaiah Washington. Washington checked into rehab earlier this year, you'll remember, for using a derogatory term to describe a gay cast member.
Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora has checked into rehab. The reason wasn't disclosed. Sambora recently broke up with actress Denise Richards. They started dating after his marriage to actress Heather Locklear ended. Bon Jovi is going to tour this summer to promote a new album.
And singer George Michael is going to be sentenced today in London. He pleaded guilty to being unfit to drive after police found him slumped over the steering wheel of his car. Tests found drugs in his system.
CHETRY: What a mess.
Well, will Tony survive in the swan song of "The Sopranos" this weekend? They're placing bets now. Will Tony make it? Will his nemesis, Phil Leotardo end up sleeping with the fishes? Well, AMERICAN MORNING's Lola Ogunnaike joins us now with more. A little bit of a prediction, if you will, about what's going to happen. This is it. This is it for all the guys we've followed for years.
LOLA OGUNNAIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is it. They've been in our lives for over eight years now. And yes, this is the end, Sunday night.
CHETRY: All right. So what's going to happen? Let's take a look at some of the characters. What's going to happen to Tony?
OGUNNAIKE: I think Tony is going to live, actually. A lot of people are saying he's going to go down and that's going to be it. But I think he's going to live, because if they do a "Sopranos" movie, he's got to be around.
CHETRY: Unless they do a prequel.
ROBERTS: OK. Hang on.
CHETRY: OK.
ROBERTS: What about all the other guys who get whacked? They won't be around for the movie. So it's going to be -- like, a party of one.
OGUNNAIKE: Only Bobby Bacala got whacked. Silvio is in critical condition.
CHETRY: There's no Christopher!
ROBERTS: Please.
OGUNNAIKE: There's no Christopher.
CHETRY: There's no Adriana.
OGUNNAIKE: But Adriana, I mean, she was a great cast member, but she was never really a part of the crew, so she'll be fine. But look, Tony is a fighter, and he's a survivor. He's not going down until he's taken down.
CHETRY: So we did take a little bit of an informal poll here. I also don't believe they're going to kill Tony. What about you?
ROBERTS: I think he's going to end the series lost and alone.
CHETRY: You think his whole family is going to abandon him?
ROBERTS: No, no, no, no. Just sort of in his own mind.
CHETRY: Oh, really?
OGUNNAIKE: In a long remembering sequence? ROBERTS: Remember a long time -- no, remember a long time ago when he said to Dr. Melfi, "I'm the sad clown, laughing on the outside and sad on the inside." I think he will just be a hollow shell of a human being at the end of this episode.
CHETRY: Well.
OGUNNAIKE: Wah, wah, wah! Doom and gloom so early in the morning!
CHETRY: Meanwhile, Phil Leotardo, I mean, if anyone deserves it, this character has been a pain.
OGUNNAIKE: You know what? Phil is like, "Look, I had to take all of this abuse. I was in prison. My family has been taking the abuse for decades. I'm coming hard. I'm going after the Sopranos. I'm taking them all out."
And he's been successful so far, but I do not think he's going to get Tony. Tony tried to get him, remember, in the last -- in the last episode. Bungled the preemptive strike. Phil went underground. I don't know if we'll ever see him again, but I definitely think there are going to be a few more deaths but no explosions. Not like last week.
CHETRY: All right. Well, we're definitely going to be watching. This is it. It's kind of sad. It's the end of an era.
OGUNNAIKE: It's the end of an era. Let's just hope it's better than the "Seinfeld" ending.
CHETRY: You're right.
OGUNNAIKE: Because that wasn't so good. It was awful.
CHETRY: I hope it's more like "Sex in the City" ending, which was pretty good.
OGUNNAIKE: That was really good, actually. Mr. Big and Carrie, together forever.
CHETRY: We found out his name was John after all that.
ROBERTS: Who likes a happy ending?
OGUNNAIKE: Clearly, not you!
CHETRY: Well, here's a quick look at what "CNN NEWSROOM" is working on for the top of the hour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): See these stories in the "CNN NEWSROOM".
Stalled in the Senate. Immigration reform falls short. Summertime blues for drivers. Hotter weather, less gas for your buck.
Shuttle launch tonight. Moon mission on the horizon?
And out of jail, into court, back to jail. Paris Hilton's saga continues.
You're in the "NEWSROOM", 9 a.m., 6 Pacific.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Fifty-eight minutes after the hour. A two-toned purple frog tops our "Quick Hits" now. Researchers say the creature is among two dozen new species discovered in the South American nation of Suriname.
CHETRY: Beautiful. The frog's skin's actually covered with a fluorescent lavender looping pattern. They are concerned, though, that the creatures may croak soon, because they're threatened by illegal gold mining.
ROBERTS: I had a couch that looked just like that once.
These warty piglets -- take a look at these -- made their debut at the San Diego Zoo this week. The piglets are wild, native to only two small islands in the Philippines.
CHETRY: I had a boyfriend who looked like that once. I'm kidding.
These little guys are part of a breeding and conservation program. How cute.
ROBERTS: Yes. And check out this guy, a real-life baby machine.
CHETRY: This is disturbing.
ROBERTS: It is. It's just -- that is scary. Japanese scientists designed this robot to mimic the behaviors of a young child. The skin feels real. The robot even responds to touch.
CHETRY: So pretty large 1-year-old, I will say this. They're hoping it provides some new clues on how kids grow.
ROBERTS: That's almost freaky real. Isn't it?
CHETRY: Yes, it is a little creepy.
Well, that's all for here for us on AMERICAN MORNING. Thanks so much for joining us today.
ROBERTS: We'll see you again on Monday. "CNN NEWSROOM" with Tony Harris and Heidi Collins begins right now. HARRIS: And good morning, everyone. You are in the "CNN NEWSROOM". I'm Tony Harris.
COLLINS: And I'm Heidi Collins. Good morning, everybody. Watch events come into the "NEWSROOM" live on this Friday morning. It is June 8. Here's what's on the rundown.
Celebrity justice challenged. Paris Hilton heads to court and may be jailed again.
HARRIS: The Senate slams the brakes on immigration reform. A vote on a White House-backed bill falls short.
COLLINS: And severe storms put a hold on travel. We're watching for more wicked weather in the "NEWSROOM".
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