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American Morning
Who Started Fires in California?; Dangerous Smoke: Do Masks Offer Protection?; Major Tax Reform
Aired October 26, 2007 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): Up in smoke. A sharply higher death toll and rising reward money for an arsonist.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd like to have 15 minutes with the guy -- alone.
ROBERTS: Plus, the cost of coming back. Who pays the hundreds of millions to give homeowners a fresh start?
New photos. New conspiracy theories about Syria and a mysterious air attack.
And road tests. Can inflating your tires with nitrogen save you gas? Or is it all just spin?
On this AMERICAN MORNING.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: You know, NASCAR does it, so why shouldn't you?
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Well, I don't know. If life is a NASCAR speedway then, hey, we should all do it.
ROBERTS: What's interesting though is that the air is mostly nitrogen anyway, so aren't you putting that in your tire?
CHETRY: That's right.
ROBERTS: We'll find out if this is a scam or if there is really something to it.
Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING on this Friday, the 26th of October.
I'm John Roberts.
CHETRY: I'm Kiran Chetry.
We're talking about progress. It's a little bit mixed this morning in southern California. They have made significant progress against the fires in southern California. The fire threat to homes ease. But now they are getting word that the number of dead has climbed. Authorities are saying that the wildfires have killed at least seven people at this point. They're heading back to neighborhoods and finding houses destroyed and, in some cases, they're finding the bodies of people who did not make it out alive.
Also, Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, it was the big evacuation center where thousands sought refuge after they were driven from their homes. Well, now it's going to be closing. There are only a few hundred who remain, and they're going to be taken to nearby fairgrounds and then helped with more permanent housing.
Also, a $250,000 reward is now being offered in the hunt for what authorities are -- for who authorities are calling an expert arsonist. They say the person who set these fires knew that a few sparks could trigger a catastrophe -- John.
ROBERTS: Five brigades are battling smoke and flames and thousands of firefighters can't even blink. This is what close to 800 crew members were up near a mountain resort in Running Springs, where the Slide Fire has blackened close to 12,000 acres.
Incredible pictures this morning of a mansion burned to the ground. This home was hosed down by firefighters in Poway, California, just north of San Diego, on Monday. It was too late though. All that remains now are just a few black pillars.
And coming home to nothing. A family finds out that their house was one of about 280 destroyed in Rancho Bernardo. Federal, state, county and city agencies are setting up a one-stop relief center to help families get financial assistance all in one place.
More now on that $250,000 reward for the person who set the Santiago Fire in Orange County. There have been five arson arrests in three counties so far. Still looking for the person who set that fire in Orange County, though.
AMERICAN MORNING'S Chris Lawrence is live with the latest. He is in Escondido on the western edge of the Witch Fire.
Good morning to you, Chris.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.
Yes, that fire in Orange County, the Santiago Fire, has grown to about 25,000 acres. And the fire chief had a very good question. He said if we hadn't had to fight this fire that apparently was started by an arsonist with these thousands firefighters, how many of those resources could have gone to all of the other fires, like the ones right here? How much lives could have been saved? How much help could those firefighters have given to all of the other fires if they didn't have to fight this one in Orange County that has consumed, again, 25,000 acres?
The fire chief said that he was actually driving in the county when he heard the call about the arson -- or about the potential fire. By the time he got to the point where they think the fire started, it had already spread three miles. That was a definite clue to him that this was an arson he was dealing with.
And again, the fire chief says it is definitely an arsonist that he is looking at. In all, there have been five arrests, four arson in three counties, two in San Bernardino, two here and one in Los Angeles County. But again, none of those are connected to the major fire.
The one they're looking for is the arsonist who started that Santiago Fire in Orange County. Right now, they have no suspects in that case -- John.
ROBERTS: You've got to wonder, Chris, about the mindset of someone who would do something like that. And, of course, this is not the first time. Malibu fires back in 1993, people were light fires. It's an amazing phenomenon, yes.
LAWRENCE: Yes, I've covered a lot of fires in California. I've covered a lot of fires in California. A small percentage of them always turn out to be arson. It is just something that the firefighters out here have to deal with.
ROBERTS: And the people, too. And you can imagine what they're going through as a result of these people.
Chris Lawrence for us this morning in Escondido.
Chris, thanks -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Also new this morning, there are some pictures out of Syria that may show the before and after of the site that Israeli warplanes targeted last month. The first picture was taken back in August. There you see it. And the second taken on Wednesday. That one is on the right side of the screen.
It shows the area completely wiped clean. No sign anything was ever there.
The U.S. government will not confirm that is, in fact, the site, but private analysts say that the evidence is mounting.
Our Barbara Starr spoke to David Albright of the Institute for Science and International Security, who shows us what used to be that location.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID ALBRIGHT, PRESIDENT, INSTITUTE FOR SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY: This is the boxy building that could possibly be a reactor. Here is what we suspect was a pump station and where water would be pumped out of the river to be used as cooling water for the reactor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Syria continues to insist the building was not a nuclear facility, but analysts say that Syria may have wiped the area clean to hide evidence of a bombed nuclear reactor. Discovery astronauts on the job right now. They're installing the new high-tech hallway.
Here is a live picture right now of an astronaut at work. You see the gloves there.
This will connect three laboratories inside of the International Space Station. It is the biggest job ever by a single team in space. Yesterday's docking was the first in which women were in charge of both operations at the same time. Discovery commanded by Pamela Melroy, and the space station is being led by Peggy Whitson -- John.
ROBERTS: A call for countries to act now on climate change. A new U.N. report says the world must respond to planetary threats like global warming, species extinction and disappearing fresh water supplies.
It was prepared by 390 experts over five years. The report reviews progress made since a similar assessment back in 1987 and concluded that there has been a "remarkable lack of urgency."
Speaking of extinction, some of our closest relatives are in danger of being wiped off the planet. That's the warning in a new report from conservationists.
It says a third of all primates are in danger of extinction. The orangutan is said to be one of the animals in grave danger. On the other side, conservation efforts are credited with helping nine species get off the endangered list, including Africa's eastern gorilla.
And in case you missed it, don't forget to catch "Planet in Peril" tonight, a CNN worldwide investigation on all of the threats facing planet Earth and how they all link together.
An encore presentation starts at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time -- Kiran.
CHETRY: All right.
Time to check in with our AMERICAN MORNING team of correspondents for other stories new this morning.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CHETRY: Well, oil is trading at another all-time high. How is it affecting gas prices?
Ali Velshi taking a look at that from our Business Update Desk.
Hey, Ali.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I just want to say I'm sorry.
CHETRY: For what part? For which thing?
VELSHI: Because a little while ago, I told -- I told John that, you know, the prices of oil are not going to be like this for a long time.
CHETRY: Right.
VELSHI: And he beat me senseless. So I take it back.
This is just for pretend. I'm not really here. These are not really real prices.
This is where oil settled last night, $90.46. That's the highest price it's ever settled at. It was a jump of $3.36 in one day. That's the biggest jump in six months. But, overnight it went even higher, $92.22.
We've just never seen those kind of numbers. And sure, it could go up to a $100. It could also go the other way. And most people who study this for a living, economists who aren't traders and don't trade on the latest news about what's going on in the Middle East, say that these numbers don't make sense. That if you just trade it as a supply and demand commodity, how much people need versus how much we supply, it should be around $60 and it should be around that kind of price for the next 10 or 15 years.
The fact is though that it's not all about supply and demand. People do trade it as a commodity. And it's fears that are causing these kind of prices, $90 a barrel.
That's going to translate into gas prices. It's already starting to.
Take a look at what gas is going for right now. The national average for a gallon of self-serve gasoline, $2.82, on its way up. Probably got a little longer, a little further to go on that one. But that's what it's for.
And John, I'm not going to say anything about where it's going. I do remember though that the last time we did this, checking in on your reporters, I was before Rob Marciano so, clearly, I'm punished.
ROBERTS: Well, I expect to see 10 years from now, Ali, that the price on that barrel of oil will be $60. I'm holding you to it.
VELSHI: We're keeping this tape and we're going to play it back.
ROBERTS: Thanks.
In California, there's been a run on masks designed to protect people from all of the smoke and other particular matter in the area. They've even been handing them out at shelters. But just how much protection do they actually offer?
Our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has been looking into it. She's in Rancho Bernardo this morning.
Good morning, Elizabeth.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. John, I've been here four days now, and more and more, it's really amazing. So many more people are using masks, but it turns out that many of them really aren't doing much good.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COHEN (voice over): Look at this. It's not just smoke. It's an airborne toxic soup full of carbon monoxide, soot, ash, and formaldehyde. If you breathe this in, you could get sick.
Not surprisingly, there's been a run on masks around San Diego. They are not easy to find.
Finally, we found masks at this Home Depot in Poway, a suburb of San Diego. They just received a fresh shipment. The sad reality, according to experts, is that most masks simply will not keep out the junk that is abundant in the unhealthy air in parts of southern California.
Kim Prather (ph) is an environmental chemist at the University of California San Diego.
(on camera): Now this one, I've got to tell you, it feels so flimsy. Is this going to do me any good? Is it going to do me any good?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can see this is the main sealing. There's gaps all around the sides, and so the air is just going to go right through.
COHEN (voice over): The problem with masks like these, big particles will, indeed, bounce off, but little particles can seep right through. And it's the little particles that you have to worry about. They can lodge in your lungs and make you sick.
Now, this one she liked because of the seal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That one feels good. That one's actually sealing much better.
COHEN: But even this one isn't perfect.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not going to lock out the organic toxic papers such as formaldehyde and acrolyn and things that -- carbon monoxide. So the gases will not be removed at all.
COHEN (on camera): And your data shows those gases are out there in this air.
(voice over): For that, you need this, a HEPA filter mask made to filter out particles and gases.
This mask isn't they very comfortable and can be hard to find. Probably explains why you don't see people wearing them. Instead, you see people wearing masks that might indeed make them feel better but masks that likely are not keeping out some of the most toxic stuff lingering in the air they breathe.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COHEN: Now, this is the gold standard HEPA mask. Equipped with the right filters, this will keep everything out. But you know what? These are incredibly hard to find. We searched high and low, and the guys at Home Depot ended up loaning us theirs.
So these are very difficult to find -- John.
ROBERTS: You know, if you can't find one of those, though, I would assume that something is better than nothing. I mean, what can people really do to protect their kids?
COHEN: When it comes to kids, you want to be extremely careful. I mean, you saw me trying those masks on. All of those masks, the paper ones, they were too big for me, and I'm an adult.
So, for kids, what you really want to do is talk to a pediatrician, try to get one who specializes in allergies and asthma, and ask them where to find pediatric masks, or go online. And what you want to look for is a pediatric ask that's NIOSH approved. That's NIOSH. Look for a NIOSH-approved pediatric mask.
ROBERTS: Right. And I guess the good thing to do, too, would be, don't wait for disaster to hit before you go buy a mask. Go buy them while they are -- you know, they're flush with supply and just keep it on hand.
COHEN: That's right. Especially so many kids have asthma these days. If you've got a kid with asthma, you ought to be ordering them online and having them there for this kind of situation.
ROBERTS: Good idea.
Elizabeth Cohen this morning for us in Rancho Bernardo.
Elizabeth, thanks -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Your "Quick Hits" now.
Could pollution from Midwestern coal plants be adding to high mercury levels in freshwater fish in the Northeast? Well, governors of New York, Massachusetts and other states want the EPA to do more controlled pollution -- more (INAUDIBLE) controlled pollution. And they've released a plan to reduce mercury emissions blowing in from the Midwest by 75 percent over the next three years.
And it's been called the mother of all tax bills. And the man behind it says it would help 90 million American families, but at what cost to taxpayers? Congressman Charlie Rangel tells us next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Seventeen minutes after the hour now. Congressman Charles Rangel calls it the mother of all tax reforms. The new plan from the House Ways and Means Committee chairman raises taxes on some people, cuts them for others, and the Republicans love the whole thing. They call it a political gift.
Congressman Charles Rangel here now this morning.
Just quickly, before we get into this, you want to Hillary's birthday party last night. How was it?
REP. CHARLES RANGEL (D), NEW YORK: It was exciting. Raised a lot of money, and she looked beautiful for her 60th birthday.
ROBERTS: Sixty years old.
RANGEL: It was a great evening.
ROBERTS: All right. Great.
Your tax plan, let's quickly take a look at it.
It reduces corporate tax rate from 35 to 30.5 percent, repeals the Alternative Minimum Tax, increases standard deduction, earned income tax credit. It also imposes a surcharge on high income earners at 4 to 4.5 percent.
And here is where you're getting dinged here, because people are saying this is a tax increase. Republicans are calling it the mother of all tax hikes.
What do you say?
RANGEL: I say when 90 million people have reduced tax liability and only a million and a half has a marginal increase, you can't call it a tax hike.
ROBERTS: So who is getting the increase? Where's this threshold? I've seen $200,000. Is it there? Is it higher? Where is it? Who's getting the tax increase?
RANGEL: Well, it's the marginal ones over those that make over $500,000. But below that, where we raise the money -- because we don't borrow the money to pay for this tax cut. What we do is close the loopholes that's there.
It's been since 1986 that we looked at it. All we did was look at the code, see who was getting preferential treatment. If it didn't make a lot of sense, we took it out and we transferred the money that we saved to the middle income people, so that for 90 million people, including those that will be subjected to what we call the Alternative Minimum Tax -- and those that are in that bracket, they know who they are -- we relieve them, we enlarge the child tax credit, the earned income tax credit, the standard deduction.
And so when people start looking at the bill, you look at the million and a half that can say, my God, I didn't know they were going to do this, they get the tax cut and we didn't pay for it.
ROBERTS: But some people will get an increase?
RANGEL: Yes.
ROBERTS: Yes.
Now, Republicans are saying, hey, repealing the Alternative Minimum Tax, that's great. Lowering the corporate tax, that's great. But they don't like this idea of the surcharge, because they say a lot of small business owners are going to get trapped by it and it's going to put them under stress.
Take a listen quickly to what the House minority whip, Roy Blunt, said about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ROY BLUNT (R), MINORITY WHIP: Very seldom in politics do your opponents say if we could just elect a president and if we can hold on to the House and Senate, here is what we're going to do: we're going to raise taxes on every small business in America that's not a corporation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Right. So what do you say about that? That this is going put stress on small business owners?
RANGEL: It's just not so. You know, just last night in the Congress, they were saying that providing health care to 10 million children was going to socialize medicine. But between now and the election, the voters are going to have time to see who are the beneficiaries in this tax bill and who are not.
So they can say what they want. But 90 million people will see themselves as the beneficiary.
ROBERTS: This doesn't really have a hope of passing in the next few months. Are you really just kind of setting the stage for after the 2008 election? Why introduce it now?
RANGEL: Because we did want to get the bill out there. We hoped that we would have enough time to do this, but early spring, we will be able to take it up. We do have to get a bill out now to take care of those provisions that expire in the tax bill, so we'll have a small tax bill this year.
ROBERTS: Yes. There is a patch in the AMT, which is also being applied.
But Congressman Rangel, is this an indication that if a Democrat gets into the White House, for many people in America your taxes are going to go up?
RANGEL: Of course not. You keep saying that. The more you say it, the more people want to know whose taxes will be going up.
ROBERTS: Yes. But some people's taxes will increase.
RANGEL: If you are receiving a preferential tax treatment that you don't deserve, you can call it what you want, a tax increase. We will be calling it a loophole and that you don't deserve it.
ROBERTS: So are you saying that high income earners are getting a preferential tax break now that they shouldn't be getting?
RANGEL: The only reason that we can bring down the corporate tax rate is because under the higher tax rate, some of the people are paying no taxes at all. So what we're doing is pulling out the unfairness, lowering the rate. And we're doing the same thing for middle income tax payers.
ROBERTS: All right.
Congressman Rangel, good to see you.
RANGEL: Good to be here.
ROBERTS: Thanks for coming in this morning. Appreciate it.
They paid a huge price in southern California. Now there's a growing fear that insurance companies will not pay them back. Why rebuilding could become an even bigger nightmare, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back.
Wildfire losses are now approaching $2 billion and counting in southern California. But when it's time to claim, a big question for a lot of these homeowners is, will the insurance companies actually pay?
ROBERTS: Yes. A big worry there.
CNN's personal finance editor, Gerri Willis, is with us now from Rancho Bernardo, where they're in desperate need of insurance payouts.
Gerri, a lot of concern -- a lot of people are concerned that this could turn into a real insurance nightmare.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: That's right. Hi there, John. Good morning.
Yes, there is a concern it could turn into an insurance nightmare. But let's make comparisons, say, with Katrina.
For example, in that disaster, some 350,000 homes were lost. In this set of fires, only 1,800 homes lost. So very different there.
But there are concerns that insurers are retrenching across the country. And just in July, Allstate said it wouldn't be writing any new homeowner policies in this state.
Now, people are beginning to wonder just what their response will be here. Recently, Dianne Feinstein had this to say about that topic...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: Companies must not be allowed to cherry-pick the United States and only insure areas that are safe and secure and say to other areas you're on your own.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIS: Now, what is really important here is that not just in California, but across the country, some 58 percent of American homeowners are underinsured. So if this happens to them, they won't have the money to rebuild -- John.
CHETRY: And also, Gerri -- OK, so people know -- they've been to their homes, they know that there is damage, and they know that they want to make their claims.
What do they need to do now?
WILLIS: Well, Kiran, the very first thing you want to do, you have got to get estimates of the cost of rebuilding. Now, your agent will give you numbers, and that is all well and good, but you need to come up with your own.
AccuCoverage.com is a great Web site to go to. For $8, it will give you an estimate of what it costs to rebuild. But it really makes sense to go out there, hire your own appraiser, get estimates from builders, from people who are in the business of doing construction -- Kiran.
CHETRY: All right.
Gerri Willis out there in Rancho Bernardo, a scene where many, many people are going to be doing that because of how many homes were lost there.
Thanks a lot, Gerri.
We also want to remind you that you can see Gerri tomorrow for a special edition of "OPEN HOUSE". She's going to be live from San Diego with innovative ways to protect your home, how to get your insurance claim paid.
"OPEN HOUSE," tomorrow morning, 9:30 Eastern, right here on CNN.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome back. It is Friday, October 26th. I'm Kiran Chetry. JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm John Roberts.
Breaking news this morning. More bad news for the nation's largest mortgage company, Countrywide.
Our Ali Velshi watching that in our business this morning. Good morning, Ali. How does it look today?
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, John. Everybody was expecting Countrywide to report a loss. It's a lot bigger than the most astute analysts thought.
Countrywide Financial is reporting a loss for the quarter that it's reporting, three months, $1.2 billion. Now, this has been a week of surprises. We all know that the market has been rough but Countrywide, a bigger loss than expected. Merrill Lynch, an $8 billion write-down. Bank of America coming out with a bigger loss than expected.
Washington Mutual saying its earnings are down. The financial sector in the United States is being hit very hard by this mortgage crisis, and it's bigger than a lot of people thought. And that's where the concern is sitting, is that how much more is there?
These are supposed to be the smartest people around. They know about money. They've warned us what's coming and yet when these earnings come out, they are worse than we expected. It just fans the fire that this could be more serious, and this all plays into what we're looking at right now, a fed meeting next week.
Will the fed do more to help out the economy? Countrywide coming in with $1.2 billion loss in three months -- John.
ROBERTS: All right. We will see what the market does. Maybe, this -- you know, we drive it down but then the idea that we may lower rates.
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: Might cut rates and might cause people - so this is what makes it exciting.
ROBERTS: That will be a crapshoot (ph). We'll take a look. All right. Thanks, Ali.
VELSHI: OK.
CHETRY: We want to update you now with the latest on the California wildfires. Officials there now looking for the arsonist they say set the Santiago fire in Orange County. They say that whoever did it had a good knowledge of what they were doing.
Two small fires reportedly set along a rural road and winds quickly fanned the flames. There have been five arson arrests in three separate California counties so far. Well, an artist sketch may show the person who took 4-year-old Madeleine McCann. The parents of the missing British girl released the sketch of a person that they believe abducted their daughter in May from a hotel room in Portugal.
It's based on a family friend's description of someone spotted after the girl disappeared. The face is blurted because she was not sure of those details.
ROBERTS: I love it. A conspiracy protester tried to give Bill Clinton an earful in Minneapolis and round up getting an earful back. While Clinton was speaking at a fund-raiser for his wife Hillary's campaign on Tuesday, he was interrupted by hecklers.
They shouted 9/11 was a fraud and an inside job. That's when Clinton struck back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What do you want to talk about?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 9/11. You know it's a fraud. (INAUDIBLE)
CLINTON: A fraud? No, it wasn't a fraud, but I'll be glad to talk to you if you'll shut up and let me talk.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Security quickly removed the hecklers and Mr. Clinton continued speaking.
Rudy Giuliani is responding to testimony that he was once almost marked for a mob hit. Here is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUDY GIULIANI (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There was more than one. But the FBI always did a really good job of getting them resolved, and I always felt it's my obligation to kind of put that on my mind. I just do my job.
I remember two, three times when the FBI was seriously concerned about what they described as contracts. I remember the first one getting resolved. The one that just came up, I don't remember.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: That plot was revealed during the trial of an ex-FBI agent in New York City. According to the testimony, the bosses of all five New York crime families voted three to two against the hit on Giuliani in 1986, who was then a federal prosecutor. That same year, though, and this was the reference to resolve, Giuliani indicted the Dohanns (ph) in the so-called commission trial. He said it was because he wanted to wipe out the five families. Well, time now for our Friday version of the "Ballot Jackpot." When we stuff political hot topics into the ballot box, fold them out at random. Letting our guests weigh in.
CHETRY: And joining today to talk with us, Republican strategist Jennifer Millerwise Dyck, and Democratic strategist Steve McMahon.
Great to have both of you with us from D.C., this morning. All right. Let's get it started. Let's grab one.
Happy Birthday, Hillary. And Steve, I'd like to start with you because you actually wrote something. You actually quoted in an article this morning about this situation. It was her birthday. She had a huge party. And at the same time, she's getting a lot of really good press.
And you even say here, "If we were at a wedding, it would be to speak now or forever hold your peace part." Talking about whether or not other Democratic candidates have a shot at passing Hillary at this point. What do you say?
STEVE MCMAHON, DEAN '04 CAMPAIGN STRATEGIST: Well, I mean, she is obviously the frontrunner. She seems to be gaining momentum every single day. The Hollywood party was an interesting case, where she's trying to demonstrate momentum, and the Hollywood folks are trying to cozy up to the winner.
But I'll remind you that I was part of the campaign four years ago, the Howard Dean Campaign that was declared the winner at about this time, and it didn't go so well. So there's still time for other candidates. It's going to be difficult, but it can be done.
CHETRY: Another quote from a strategist, Jennifer, about Hillary is that, "If she wins Iowa, she can practically start shopping for a running mate." Is it really all over?
JENNIFER MILLERWISE DYCK, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: You know, it's amazing. But it looks like she really is the clear front-runner. I think a lot of people have been waiting and waiting for Barack Obama to do something that really catches on. Everyone has been talking about what a rock star he is, but he really hasn't had that rock star moment yet.
I think a lot of Democrats aren't happy with Hillary. When you look at, you know, a lot of the baggage she brings on from, you know, back in her years at the White House, whether it's fund-raising scandals that are still plaguing her. If it's bringing back someone like Sandy Berger or stealing classified information or, you know, her Hillary Care.
I think there's a lot of Democrats that are nervous about her, but they just aren't being faced with someone who's a good alternative it looks like.
ROBERTS: Well, if you were a Democrats never sit out then Republicans would say that. Next topic here. Rudy and the mob. Jennifer, you want to take this one on. A word came out in the last few days that he was marked to be waxed back in 1986. The mob bosses voted three to two against it.
Does this increase his street cred while, at the same time, the fact that he is a Yankees fan supporting the Red Sox may reduce his street cred?
MILLERWISE DYCK: Well, you know, I think that this reminds people of what a tough and tenacious leader Rudy Giuliani is. That's why people like him. So I think this is a great story for his campaign. I certainly think that, you know, he is clearly is at this point, the front-runner. I don't think he can get too cozy at this point because there' still a lot of shaking out that could happen in the primary for the Republicans.
When it comes to the Yankees, I don't know. I mean, I kind of tend to go for the old style teams to the classic teams.
ROBERTS: Right.
MILLERWISE DYCK: He is an American league guy. I take him for it -- for what he said.
ROBERTS: Yes, but Steve -- Steve, can you be a Yankees fan and root for the Red Sox?
MCMAHON: Well, I tell you what.
ROBERTS: And mean it?
MCMAHON: I tell you what, if you're going to be campaigning in New Hampshire, you better be a Red Sox fan. And if you're a Yankees fan up there, you know, then you don't really have very much street credit. So you probably did, I mean, listen.
The Republican presidential nominee contest has been really a contest in flip-flops. And he has now flip-flopped on one of the most important questions there is to a Red Sox fan.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: You know --
MILLLERWISE DYCK: I think Hillary says she is going back and forth depending on where they are, so I think she's voting for both of them.
(CROSSTALK)
ROBERTS: Well, she's trying to be a Cubs fan and a Yankees fan.
CHETRY: Right. It's just funny how politics and sports -- because people take it very seriously. When you're a Yankee fan and you're saying, "Hey, I don't mind if the Red Sox win the World Series." That is considered, you know, a real slight. Hillary, of course, got a lot of flak back in the day, Steve, when she was running for Senate, when she wore a New York Yankees cap and said in the past she was a Cubs fan.
MCMAHON: Right. Well, listen. Again, you know, you sort of dance with the one that brung you. And the people that might bring Rudy to the White House are the people in New Hampshire. So there are a lot of Red Sox fans up there. There are not very many Yankees fans. He probably did the right thing.
Hillary, when she was running for the Senate, I think did the right thing to put on a Yankees hat. She's still wearing it.
ROBERTS: Yes, if she becomes the nominee - if he becomes the nominee, though, and she becomes the nominee, then there'll be a second battle in the state of New York at which this may become an issue.
Anyway, folks, we're out of time. Thanks for joining us. We really appreciate it. Steve McMahon, Jennifer Millerwise Dyck, and we'll be back again on Monday with another edition of "Ballot Jackpot." Be sure to join us.
Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING. Filling your tires with nitrogen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIAN BRASCH, GET NITROGEN INSTITUTE: Every American household could save up to $300 a year for every vehicle that they put nitrogen in the tires.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Can inflating your tires with nitrogen really help you save on gas? Or is it all just a lot of hot air? Find out ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the most news in the morning. We have some incredible shots in our quick hits now.
The first was a plane that went nose-first into the jungle of the Philippines. Officials say it was an Airbus 8320. It overshot a runway, came to a stop in a banana and coconut grove. It really caused a lot of extensive damage. Luckily, though, no one was killed, 19 people hurt.
Wading through high water in Brazil. Relentless rain triggered severe flooding forcing more than a thousand people out of their homes. It was near Rio de Janeiro, that rain causing trouble in Brazil's second biggest city. There are reports that a mudslide blocked the main road between the north and south side of town.
And it's been a part of the White House since the 1800s, but now, a huge tree came crashing down. It happened during severe weather in Washington yesterday. That crash -- crashing tree nearly took out a nearby guard post. Just missed it -- John.
ROBERTS: Now, that's the northwest gate there.
How often do you check your tires to see if they're properly inflated? CNN's Greg Hunter has been looking into a new tire trend and whether consumers are getting a rise out of it, and a lot of NASCAR teams do it. So is right for you?
Greg is live on the streets of New York City this morning. Greg, what are we talking about here?
GREG HUNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're talking tires, John. You know, everybody is always looking for ways to make their car safer, especially these days. Get better gas mileage, and some people say look no further than the air or the nitrogen in your tires.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTER (voice-over): The latest boom in tire inflation is nitrogen. Some retailers like COSTCO are offering customers free nitrogen when they buy new tires.
ROGER ZIGABARRA, COSTCO TIRE CENTER: I believe in it. It does leak it out less, and I think it's a better option to have in your tires. With everybody now, the last thing that they check is air pressure in their tires.
HUNTER: The trade group the Get Nitrogen Institute says that industry sponsored toils have indicated truck tires lasts 50 to 80 percent longer when inflated with nitrogen.
Nitrogen advocates claim that since nitrogen molecules are larger than oxygen, they are less likely to leak out.
BRIAN BRASCH, GET NITROGEN INSTITUTE: Every American household could save up to $300 a year for every vehicle that they put nitrogen in the tires.
HUNTER: "Consumer Reports" compared 31 identical sets of tires and rims over the past year. Half were filled with regular compressed air that already naturally contains nearly 80 percent nitrogen. The other half with nearly 100 percent nitrogen dispensed from a special machine.
DAVID CHAMPION, CONSUMER REPORTS: From the testing that we've done, we've seen that it doesn't do any harm but it's probably not worth paying for.
HUNTER: "Consumer Reports" says after a year of sitting outside our bracks (ph), the tires with nitrogen lost on average only about 1.3 pounds less than tires filled with regular compressed air.
HUNTER (on camera): Some people are left with the impression you don't have to check your air pressure as much as your tires when you have nitrogen. Is that true?
CHAMPION: No, that's not true. Even with nitrogen, you still need to check the pressure inside the tires.
HUNTER (voice-over): The Get Nitrogen trade group says, the "Consumer Reports" study only addresses one small benefit of why nitrogen is better for your tires and did not take normal conditions into account. Thus, bypassing an extremely important set of variables.
Get Nitrogen also says America could save 3.7 billion gallons of gasoline every year by filling tires with nitrogen. Not so, says "Consumer Reports."
CHAMPION: If you check your tire pressure regularly, keep them to the manufacturer, the vehicle manufacturer's recommended tire pressure, you'll get the best fuel economy. The tires will wear the longest, and you will have a safe vehicle to drive in.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HUNTER: And keep this in mind. The air you breathe, the same air they have is regular compressed air is already 78 percent nitrogen.
And so, really these special machines just strip out the oxygen and make it all nitrogen. So you still have to, when it comes to nitrogen, have to check the air pressure in your tire. Everybody agrees on both sides of the issue. Once a month, you have to check the air pressure.
ROBERTS: You know, I was reading this morning, Greg, one of the reasons why NASCAR teams use nitrogen is because it expands less under heat than oxygen does. And therefore, keeps the tire profile better. But is it really worth for the general consumer to do this? I mean, particularly when you look at the cost, and what is the cost?
HUNTER: John, listen. If you buy a new set of tires and they have a nitrogen machine that strips out the -- about 20 percent oxygen in the tires, yes, get it! I would get it. I have it in my car. But some people are taking their cars in like this, draining all the compressed air out and paying $5 a tire to put in nitrogen.
And "Consumer Reports" says, "Hey, it's just not worth it." You still have to check your tires once a month, and a properly inflated tire will save you gas mileage.
Look, if you're worried about gas miles, go out there and check those tires. One of the best things you could do to get better gas mileage, especially with gas over 3 bucks a gallon or whatever it is, wherever you are.
ROBERTS: But it's a trend, right? And for 5 bucks a tire, I mean, you know, where could you get a cheaper trend than that, right?
HUNTER: If you get a new set of tires, get it for free, it's OK.
ROBERTS: All right. Thanks very much, Greg Hunter for us this morning.
CNN NEWSROOM now, just minutes away. Tony Harris at the CNN Center with a look at what's ahead. More into you, Tony.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, good morning. Good Friday to you, John. Now, we've got these stories on the Newsroom rundown for you this morning.
Returning to rubble, more southern California residents are going home. But some are finding homes no longer there.
Facing challenges from corruption to post-Katrina. We talked with Louisiana Governor elect Bobby Jindal. And more than just -- a rub on the gums.
Police say a mom mixed a whiskey cocktail in her baby's bottle. Just wait until you hear what the baby's blood alcohol level was. It's not funny at all.
Join Heidi. We're in the Newsroom. Top of the hour, minutes away, right here on CNN.
John, good weekend. Back to you.
ROBERTS: Thanks to you, Tony. Looking forward to it -- Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. Well, blame it on the kids. Your quick hits now.
A school bus driver in Bradenton, Florida says she didn't deserve to be fired for failing a marijuana test. She says she never smoked pot. She just unknowingly inhaled the smoke when the kids on her bus did.
She is not appealing the firing, right? But she says it would be too expensive to hire a lawyer. So now, isn't it all -- can you also be in trouble for allowing minors on a bus to be apparently smoking marijuana?
All right. Well, a surprise, quite a surprise. In Wisconsin, a farmer discovered a huge crop of marijuana. There's a thing here apparently growing on his farm.
A group of drug dealers planted it on the back of the property. They even camped out there without him knowing about it. Police say they removed $3 million worth of drugs.
And it's what you're watching and laughing at online. We're going to get a look at this week's popular viral videos.
It's Veronica de la Cruz. She is going to show us some. Coming up on AMERICN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Well, as promised, your questions for the Dalai Lama answered. On Monday, CNN's chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta had a chance to sit down with the Dalai Lama for an exclusive one-on- one. Sanjay was on with your questions for him submitted to our Web site CNN.com/AM.
Ingrid from New York asked about the Congressional Gold Medal that the Dalai Lama received from President Bush. She wrote, "What motives do you think President Bush had in giving you the award?"
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DALAI LAMA: I don't think -- I think American public -- I think generally very -- I think sympathetic. (INAUDIBLE) These are not politically motivated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Stephanie also from South Dakota asked Sanjay to ask the Dalai Lama, "I get emotional when I think of the strength and courage of the monks in Myanmar. How do human beings separate power from the policies and life of public service?"
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DALAI LAMA: I think every authority of people - only because it's the power. So there never some threat for power comes. Huh? Anything under their disposal (INAUDIBLE) could use that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: And we also learned the Dalai Lama is not a strict vegetarian actually. And this is one that Sanjay said was pretty shocking. And when he heard about it, he says he does eat meat but he only does about once a week or so.
More of Sanjay's interview with the Dalai Lama on Sanjay's show "HOUSE CALL". It's Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 a.m. Eastern.
ROBERTS: Well, it's Friday, which means it's time to look back at the funniest stories and best video that flooded our inbox this week.
Veronica de la Cruz here now.
CHETRY: Yes, that's right. She has a look at what's online. The viral videos of the week.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Happy Friday to you, guys.
CHETRY: You too. Do any of them have you laughing?
DE LA CRUZ: Yes, they all did. We're going to start with the video. We're going to start with the story. This is from the U.K. It made its way into a couple of our inboxes and mailroom this week or newsroom rather.
You might remember last Friday, I reported that J.K. Rowling, famed author of the "Harry Potter" series, out of the character Dumbledore, saying he was gay and had fallen in love with a male wizard.
Well, the news didn't sit so well with proud parent Paul Croft, who spent a full year getting the character Dumbledore ashen to his skin as a tattoo. He says he did it as a surprise for his five kids. And Croft now says, it's been terrible.
I've always liked Dumbledore, just not in that way. Also flooding our inboxes this week. We're going to take a look now at some video. It's found on videochart.com., viralvideochart.com. Just take a look for a second.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(VIDEO SONG)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DE LA CRUZ: All right. Do you remember all your favorite viral videos? All the stars are right there. It's definitely a nice little trip down memory lane.
You can find that one at viralvideochart.com. How many did you guys know?
(CROSSTALK)
ROBERTS: I know just a couple.
CHETRY: Too many.
DE LA CRUZ: Did you. Which ones did you see?
ROBERTS: Well, there was the --
DE LA CRUZ: The Dean Scream?
ROBERTS: The Dean Scream, yes. And there was the Indonesian prisoners.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes, the Filipino prisoners dancing.
CHETRY: From the Thriller.
DE LA CRUZ: Right.
CHETRY: And the guy, just leave Britney alone.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes, yes, yes.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: I thought he was a guy or a girl for a while there. The Britney blogger.
DE LA CRUZ: Finally, one more piece of video I want to show you. This is from our friends at the Newport Aquarium in Newport, Kentucky.
They made news with their scuba Santa. Now, just in time for Halloween. We've got sword-fighting pirates. And take a look, I don't know if you can tell. They are in the shark tank. They're swimming with sharks.
ROBERTS: No. There's somebody there with what looks like a modern day saber there.
DE LA CRUZ: Do you see it right there. The shark circling her head. The sharks are like, who are these idiots in this tank again, and do they have any food?
DE LA CRUZ: Well, speaking of Halloween. Are you guys going to dress up this year?
CHETRY: We're wondering. He said the only thing he'll be is what?
ROBERTS: Walter Cronkite said.
CHETRY: Which doesn't require much of a costume.
DE LA CRUZ: And Kiran?
CHETRY: I'm still deciding. How about you?
DE LA CRUZ: I've got this red wig, and I'm not quite sure what to do with it. I'm thinking Little Red Riding Hood, maybe Raggedy Ann. I'm not sure. Well, Pippi.
CHETRY: And you said, Bree from "Desperate Housewives." She could be, right?
DE LA CRUZ: I can go bald like Britney.
ROBERTS: You could be anything you want with a red wig.
A quick look now with CNN NEWSROOM is working on for the top of the hour.
See these stories in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Search for a fire-starter. $225,000 reward tied to one of the California wildfires.
A seventh grader said to die from staph. What you should know about the bacterial infection.
Vowing to battle corruption. We talk with Louisiana's governor- elect.
And a good reason to pick up an instrument. A violin saves a boy!
NEWSROOM, just minutes away at the top of the hour on CNN. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Before we leave you for the weekend, we want to give you a final check of our quick vote question today. And we've been asking if you're feeling stressed out. If you are, you're not alone.
ROBERTS: Who isn't stressed out? That's the question.
New study says almost 50 percent of Americans say that they are more stressed out now than they were five years ago. Almost half of you are losing sleep over and lying awake at night because of the stress.
So we wanted to know what you think. What keeps you awake at night?
Final tally of our votes here. Thirty-two percent say their job, 43 percent say their money.
CHETRY: I see 10 percent, their family and kids. And 15 percent say their health. We want to let everyone know who voted, thank you. And we hope you can at least enjoy a nice relaxing weekend. Ease some of the stress.
ROBERTS: Do you ever wake up? Well, in the middle of the night like late in the evening or so.
CHETRY: No. For us to wake up in the middle of the night, that would require waking up at about, what? 6:00 p.m., 8:00 p.m.?
ROBERTS: So you never wake up with a cold sweat.
CHETRY: No.
ROBERTS: What are you going to say?
CHETRY: I like to sleep too much.
ROBERTS: Bless you. All right. My goodness.
Thanks so much for joining us on this AMERICAN MORNING."
CHETRY: We'll see you back here Monday. Meantime, CNN NEWSROOM with Tony Harris and Heidi Collins. Begins right now.
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