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American Morning

Writer Walkout in Hollywood?; Effects of Daylight Saving Time; Brownie's Story: California Family Rebuilds After Wildfire

Aired November 02, 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): Hollywood showdown.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our choice right now as to is to accept a completely unacceptable deal or to go on strike.

ROBERTS: Writers ready to walk. What they want and what it means for your favorite shows.

Watching the Dow. New job numbers coming out this hour. What will it mean for the markets?

Plus, ready, aim, fire!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoa!

ROBERTS: From cannon to catapult. Live from the Punkin Chunkin field of dreams on this AMERICAN MORNING.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: This is going to be so great.

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: You're fired up about the Punkin Chunkin.

ROBERTS: I wanted to be there. I wanted to be there this morning. I wanted to do the show out of there. That would have been great. Firing pumpkins almost a mile, that's incredible.

Hey, welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. It's Friday, November the 2nd.

I'm John Roberts.

CHETRY: And I'm Kiran Chetry.

To find something to do with your catapult, why not take it down to Delaware? How about that?

ROBERTS: Exactly.

CHETRY: We're going to have live pictures, by the way, all morning from there.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

ROBERTS: We're also watching oil prices holding this morning. Prices holding right now around $94 a barrel. Prices are being driven up by worries that supply will be tight during the wintertime.

It's been a rough year for Ford. Sales have been down in each of the last 12 months. Ford had predicted lower sales now as it cut down on less profitable business with rental car companies.

And New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is blaming the mortgage crisis in part on two companies. Cuomo says eAppraisal and its subsidiary, First American, gave into demands from Washington Mutual to use home appraisers who inflated home values. Cuomo released e-mails which he says show that company executives knew that they were violating federal regulations.

Obviously, Kiran, going to hear more about that one.

CHETRY: Absolutely. John, thanks.

Well, hope your TiVo is full, or your DVR, because you may have to go without some of your favorite shows for a while. Last night, a negotiating team recommended that the screenwriters hit the picket lines. The guy who bring the funny stuff say this is serious.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE SKROVAN, TV WRITER, "'TIL DEATH": Never been more united. And we are willing to deal and our decision makers are at the table. Their decision maker is not at the table, and that tells you pretty much all you need to know about how the companies are pushing this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Our Lola Ogunnaike is live in the newsroom.

So, we're hearing about this strike. This would be the first strike by the TV writers in 20 years.

When might it happen, Lola?

LOLA OGUNNAIKE, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: This strike could happen as early as this weekend, Kiran. They're meeting this afternoon to determine when they will actually go on strike.

It could happen on Sunday, it could happen on Monday. But, you know, they've been in negotiation since mid-July. Neither side is budging, so this is pretty much a foregone conclusion.

And, you k now, the two sides are debating about DVD sales and new media sales. They're having a problem coming to terms with -- the new media sales in particular is the biggest issue. They writers want a piece, it seems, of iTunes. They want a piece of, you know, downloads. They want a piece of YouTube, things that didn't exist in 1988, and they also want more of the DVD residual sales. Right now they get about 4 cents on every DVD sale, and they want 8 cents. And they are not budging, and the other side is not budging either, so they are at an impasse.

CHETRY: All right. When are we going to feel it, the viewers at home, if they do indeed strike?

OGUNNAIKE: Well, fans of "The Daily Show," "Leno," and "Letterman," they'll probably feel that immediately.

It takes about 15 to 18 writers per show to make that happen. They're topic-driven. You know, they're current events-driven shows. So you'll feel that immediately.

Soap operas you'll start to feel in about three to five weeks. Prime time scripted dramas, your Ugly Bettys, your Desperate Housewives, your Grey's Anatomys, you'll start to feel those maybe at the top of the year, depending on if they run repeats or they run all of their new shows concurrently.

CHETRY: I mean, is this a situation where when, let's say, companies strike, when unions strike and then management says they're going to come on and try to fill those positions? I mean, is that what we're going to see happening? People like Leno and Letterman and Jon Stewart writing their own material?

OGUNNAIKE: Well, they are not allowed to write their own material. And they can, you know, riff extemporaneously. They can, you know, stream of consciousness-type stuff. But if they write it, they're not allowed to read that material.

The interesting thing here is, though, that the last strike happened in '88. It cost the industry $500 million. And it lasted for five months. That gave rise to reality series. So, you know, expect a lot of repeats and expect a lot of reality series coming up soon if this strike does last.

CHETRY: Yes. "I Love New York Part 6."

All right, Lola. Thanks so much.

Well, Imus returns. It's now official, he will be back on the radio December 3rd. Citadel Broadcasting hired Imus for "Morning Drive" on WABC in New York. It's a multimillion-dollar annual salary deal.

He'll be syndicated across the country again. This is just seven months after he was fired by CBS and MSNBC for his racist and sexist comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team. Imus sued CBS and reportedly settled with them for as much as $20 million.

Don Imus was one of a number of celebrities caught making a racial comment. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld defended his former co-star Michael Richards last night on "LARRY KING LIVE." Seinfeld tried to explain what may have sparked Richards' racist rant last year when he was on stage at a comedy club. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JERRY SEINFELD, COMEDIAN: That was I think a thing where you have a flaw sometimes in your personality or in your kind of emotional base that sometimes it just cracks and something happens that you almost don't want to do. I think people know what it's like to lose their temper.

LARRY KING, "LARRY KING LIVE": During all of your years with him, was he ever racist?

SEINFELD: Oh, no. No, no, no.

KING: So you were shocked?

SEINFELD: Yes. Completely.

KING: Did you talk to him?

SEINFELD: Yes, sure. We talk all the time. I talked to him a couple of days ago.

KING: How is he doing?

SEINFELD: He's doing good. He's doing good. You know, he still feels bad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Seinfeld also said his longtime friend is thinking about a return to show business -- John.

ROBERTS: There is growing opposition to the president's attorney general nominee, Michael Mukasey. The president says there is a chance that he won't name another nominee if Mukasey's nomination goes down.

Ted Kennedy is the latest senator to come out against Mukasey.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: After six long years of reckless disregard for the rule of law by this administration, we cannot afford to take our chances on the judgment of someone who either does not know torture when he sees it, or is willing to pretend so to suit the president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: He says Mukasey's unwillingness to say whether the interrogation method known as waterboarding is legal increases the chances that it could be used against U.S. troops. President Bush turned to the war on terror to say Democrats are making a mistake.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is no time for Congress to weaken the Department of Justice by denying it a strong and effective leader. It's no time for Congress to weaken our ability to gather vital intelligence from captured terrorists. It's no time for Congress to weaken our ability to intercept information from terrorists about potential attacks on the United States of America. And this is no time for Congress to hold back vital funding for our troops.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: Well, the swing vote in all of this could be New York Senator Chuck Schumer. The Democrat who initially supported Mukasey still hasn't said what he'll do when the committee votes next week.

Defiant Democrats passed a $35 billion expansion of the State Children's Health Care Program. And President Bush is ready to do what he did with the first bill, veto it. The revised Senate measure would still cover an additional four million lower-income children. Democrats say the new version addresses Republican objections. The one GOP congressman compared the changes to "putting lipstick on a pig."

Serious accusations this morning about the people who check for toxic toys. "The Washington Post" reports the head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission took trips and that toy companies picked up the bills. Records show that the agency's acting chairman, Nancy Nord, who was on AMERICAN MORNING yesterday, and the previous chairman, took nearly 30 trips since 2002.

We spoke to the reporter who broke the story earlier on AMERICAN MORNING.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELIZABETH WILLIAMSON, "THE WASHINGTON POST": It's difficult to know the true extent of it. But what I saw were just record after record of travel, speeches, appearances that were funded in whole or in part by industries that are regulated or under scrutiny by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: Destinations reportedly included China and Hilton Head, South Carolina. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had called for Nord's resignation before this came out. A commission spokesperson had no comment -- Kiran.

CHETRY: Well, it's time now to check in with our AMERICAN MORNING team of correspondents for other stories new this morning.

(WEATHER REPORT)

CHETRY: Well, Daylight Saving Time ends this weekend. And while most of us are happy to get an extra hour of sleep, it can also actually do some things to your body. The time change affects you in ways you may not even know about.

Elizabeth Cohen is at the Medical Update Desk with more details for us.

Hi, Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kiran.

Kiran, if you start feeling sort of sluggish or tired or having a tough time concentrating after this time change, well, apparently it really could be because of Daylight Saving Time, because of that one- hour difference. Apparently, one hour really can have an effect on the body's internal clock on Circadian rhythms. This is according to a new study done out of Germany.

Now, the German authors say it could take a month to adjust to Daylight Saving Time. Other people think that's a little exaggerated and it would just take a couple of days.

CHETRY: Hey, Elizabeth, what about what you can do if you feel a little bit off kilter? I mean, are there things that you should try to sort of start doing before Daylight Saving Time even hits?

COHEN: Not so much before it hits, Kiran, but certainly after it hits.

You can try to adjust your bedtime to make up for that one hour. So, for example, change your bedtime by 15 minutes a day and after four days you'll be at that one hour. So you can certainly try doing that.

You should also exercise. That will help make up for the one- hour jet lag, as it were. And try to get exposure especially to light, especially natural light, if you can. That can make a difference.

Now, the body apparently has a harder time doing the change in the spring, but the change in the fall can also make people feel a little bit off.

CHETRY: How about for people like us that get up right in the middle of the night? It just doesn't matter.

(CROSSTALK)

COHEN: You're in trouble anyhow. Right, you're so messed up anyhow it doesn't matter.

CHETRY: The lost cause. All right.

Elizabeth Cohen, thanks so much.

COHEN: Thanks.

CHETRY: John. ROBERTS: Thousands of people lost their homes in the California wildfires. We're going to talk to one family who had to evacuate twice and leave their best friend behind. We'll talk with them about the bright spot in their comeback story. His name is Brownie, and there he is.

That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Well, it's going to be a tough road back for many families, rebuilding after the devastating southern California wildfires last week. For the Hurley family, the loss may be made a little bit easier now that they know their family dog is doing OK. But there were scary times for Brownie.

Brownie broke both front legs and now is making a comeback. Brownie and the Hurley family join me now from the Cuyamaca Animal Hospital. This is in Santee, California, this morning.

Thanks for being with us.

We've got mom and dad, Dave and Jennifer, and Crystal (ph) and Kimmy (ph), 6 and 8 years old, as well as little Brownie.

Thanks for being with us, everyone.

JENNIFER HURLEY, LOST HOME IN WILDFIRE: Thank you.

DAVID HURLEY, LOST HOME IN WILDFIRE: Thank you.

CHETRY: Dave, first of all, tell us this morning how Brownie is doing.

D. HURLEY: He's actually doing really good. They've got splints on, so he can sort of move around, as to where, before, he was immobilized completely without us carrying him around. So his spirits are up and he is actually -- he's doing really great.

CHETRY: And Jennifer, what happened? I know that you guys had to evacuate your house and eventually had to evacuate your aunt's house, where you went for shelter because of the fire. And what happened to Brownie?

J. HURLEY: Well, we were just loading stuff up into the truck, evacuating from my aunt's house, and my children and the neighbors kids came by and were trying to get him up and give him treats and get him to play. And he wouldn't get up, and my husband and I ran down there after him and realized that both his front wrists were swelled up. And we finished evacuating from there and then brought him to the hospital as soon as possible.

CHETRY: You describe the situation as complete turmoil. Not only did you have to run from the fires, your home was destroyed, as well as all of your belongings. And then you're dealing with your family dog. I mean, the last thing you want to do is have to do something unthinkable. The Humane Society told you that they advised you you may have to put him out because of the extent of his injuries?

J. HURLEY: Yes. We drove up there and asked them, and they didn't even look at him. They just said, oh, just put him down, euthanize him. And that wasn't an option for us.

CHETRY: You ended up getting the help at this other animal hospital that you went to, but not cheap. Seven thousand dollars and counting, right, for all of this surgery, Dave?

J. HURLEY: Yes.

D. HURLEY: Yes.

J. HURLEY: Yes. He goes into surgery on Thursday.

CHETRY: And at this point, it's such a difficult situation. You guys lost everything with the fire, you're still living in a hotel. As we hear, though, it was the kindness of strangers that are trying to help you guys raise money so that his surgery can be paid for, Dave?

J. HURLEY: Yes.

D. HURLEY: Yes, it was. Countless people came out of the woodworks and just helped us. And people we didn't even know, we had never even seen before.

The animal hospital, they just totally covered us. I mean, without them and, you know, Mrs. Levy (ph) -- we met her, and just people coming out of nowhere, not to mention like people in the state, their house, offering us to stay at their house.

My uncle (INAUDIBLE) let us stay at his house for four or five days. Just help like that.

Still people offering -- you know, people we don't even know asking if we want to stay with them and stuff like that. It's just unbelievable, the kindness of people, when you come to a situation like this. You never expect it.

ROBERTS: John and I were out there at the fires. And we saw a lot of that. We saw a lot of the community helping those in need.

Jennifer, how big of a bright spot is this that you know your dog is going to be OK for your two little girls, their Christmas present three years ago?

J. HURLEY: It's wonderful knowing that he is going to be OK, and he's one of the most precious things in the world to us.

CHETRY: Yes. How about...

J. HURLEY: He means a lot.

CHETRY: ... Crystal (ph) and Kimmy (ph)? Crystal (ph) and Kimmy (ph), are you guys glad that Brownie is going to be OK? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

CHETRY: Yes. He's adorable.

D. HURLEY: You're real happy, huh?

J. HURLEY: Thank you.

D. HURLEY: Thank you.

CHETRY: He actually seems pretty oblivious, actually, to everything that is going on, so hopefully he'll make a full recovery.

Thanks to all of you for being with us.

J. HURLEY: Thank you.

D. HURLEY: Thank you.

CHETRY: By the way, if you want to be able to help care for animals like Brownie that were victims in the California fires, you can contact the Cuyamaca Animal Hospital. Their e-mail is cuyamacahosp@yahoo.com. We have it there up on the screen. As well, we'll link it up with our Web site.

There are a lot of animals that were displaced. Not just dogs, but a lot of farm country, so there were horses and...

ROBERTS: Yes. A lot of horses out there are looking for homes. And similar to what we saw during Hurricane Katrina. So it's great that some of these people can get their pets back.

Well, you know the story about Popeye and spinach. All this mouse eats is cheese, and he just keeps putting on muscle. How scientists endowed this running mouse with super powers.

That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. Team Chunky (ph), how about that? This is the annual Punkin' Chunkin' in Bridgeville, Delaware, where it is 41 degrees right now and 10 miles visibility.

ROBERTS: That is perfect, you will be able to see those pumpkins get chunked as far as they need to go. And some of them go the better part of a mile. Looking forward to that. going to more on that coming up in this half hour on AMERICAN MORNING.

CHETRY: It will be interesting to see how this whole thing started. I'm sure it started with much less equipment than what we are seeing out there today. This is a virtual medieval arsenal to get those pumpkins launched. And we are going to be talking about it coming up in just a few minutes.

Meanwhile, welcome back. Friday, November 2nd. I'm Kiran Chetry.

ROBERTS: And good morning to you. I'm John Roberts. New this morning, just into the "CNN NEWSROOM" this morning, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice talking to reporters on her way to Turkey with a message for State Department employees, telling them that they are needed in Iraq and saying, quote: "We are going to meet our obligations."

The department facing a mini revolt from diplomats after hundreds of them were warned that they might be forced to serve in Iraq. Sixty will be needed when the new U.S. embassy there opens. Those who refuse could lose their jobs.

Also new this morning, new details in the disappearance of a woman in the Chicago area. And new questions for her police officer husband. The family of 23-year-old Stacy Peterson, a familiar name, at least half of it, reported her missing on Sunday. Her aunt says that Stacy told her husband, Drew, that she wanted a divorce two days before she disappeared. She says that Stacy was afraid of her husband.

Police searched the Petersons' home and their two cars on Thursday. Drew Peterson is a 29-year veteran of the Bolingbrook, Illinois, Police Department. He says Stacy left him for another man. Prosecutors are now looking at the death of Drew Peterson's ex-wife who was found dead in a bathtub three years ago. Back then police said the death was accidental.

CHETRY: Bombshell accusations this morning for the head of the Consumer Products Safety Commission. Records showing from a Washington Post investigation that she was traveling on the toy industry's dime as parents were buying millions of potentially lead- tainted toys. Records obtained by The Post show the agency's acting chairperson, Nancy Nord, who was on AMERICAN MORNING yesterday, and the previous chairperson took nearly 30 trips since 2002.

The destinations included China. all paid for by the toy, appliance and children's furniture industries, along with other manufacturers that they regulate. The CPC said at the time that the group had no pending regulatory requests. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for Nord's resignation. She has been under fire even before this latest story came out.

ROBERTS: Thirty-three minutes now after the hour, new job numbers just in to AMERICAN MORNING. Our Ali Velshi at the New York Stock Exchange with them and what they might mean for the markets opening in about an hour.

Well, how is it looking, Ali? ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Very good, actually, for the markets. A strong upturn in the Dow futures, which had been negative all morning. The job number is in. The unemployment rate for the United States in October remains 4.7 percent.

But the number of jobs created, much stronger than expected. The consensus had been for about 80,000 jobs to be created. We ended up with 166,000. As you know, John, these numbers tend to be revised but that is much higher than was expected.

The unemployment rate did stay the same and Dow futures have now turned positive after a rough day yesterday, negative markets in Asia, a negative morning in Europe. We're now seeing that this might be what investors were looking for, some more good news on the economic front after a week of very, very mixed news.

We have a 4.7 percent unemployment rate, 166,000 new jobs in America. And for those of you worried about your 401(k), at least in the next hour, things are looking pretty positive, John.

ROBERTS: Well, after yesterday's downturn, a nice up day would be welcome. Ali Velshi for us at the stock exchange. Ali, thanks.

CHETRY: Well, it is time now for our Friday edition of "Ballot Jackpot." So let's get it over here.

(CROSSTALK)

CHETRY: It's our segment where we stuff political hot topics in the box and we pull them out at random and we let our guests weigh in.

ROBERTS: Joining us now from Washington to play our -- and we are switching things just a little bit, instead of political pundits we have got political reporter Chris Cillizza of the washingtonpost.com where he writes the fabulous "Fix" column. And reporter Emily Heil of Roll Call. She writes the "Heard on the Hill" column.

Welcome to both of you. A debut for both of them playing "Ballot Jackpot." Good to have you with us.

(CROSSTALK)

ROBERTS: Let's see, reaching deep down into the "Jackpot" box. Pelosi disapproves. Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the house, yesterday said something very unusual and something that Republicans jumped on. She said she didn't approve of Congress. Take a listen to what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), SPEAKER: I know that Congress has low approval ratings. I don't approve of Congress because we haven't done anything -- we haven't been effective at ending the war in Iraq. If you asked me in a phone call, as ardent a Democrat as I am, I would disapprove of Congress as well. (END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: Emily Heil, if you are a Republican, do you say, I hope Nancy Pelosi is the speaker of the house forever?

EMILY HEIL, ROLL CALL: Yes. Her comments a little bit sounded like a chef saying the food here is really bad, isn't it? But she was very quick right after that to qualify it and place a lot of the blame on Congress' inability to do anything on the White House, on the vetoes. So the blame is not just on Congress, even though that is where the disapproval is fixating right now. She is sort of echoing what a lot of people feel. Congress' approval rates are very low.

ROBERTS: Yes, I mean, you know, polls show them anywhere between 18 and 25 percent. But, Chris, I mean, the long-held tradition is that even when you're doing bad, you never admit it.

CHRIS CILLIZZA, WASHINGTONPOST.COM: Well, let me first, John, welcome Congress to the hallowed regions of lawyers, reporters and used car salesmen in terms of their job approval ratings. It's nice to have company down here at the bottom.

No, you're right. It's a little bit of a strange admission. What is fascinating is that the base of the Democratic Party and the Democratic elected officials, there is a real chasm there, there is a divide. The base of the party thought that when Democrats took over control of Congress in November 2006, we would be out of Iraq the next day.

Unfortunately, the legislative process doesn't work that way. I think what Nancy Pelosi is trying to say is, from another great Democratic politician, I feel your pain, I understand why you guys want us out of there. It's a more complicated argument why we can't get out of there, but I'm one of you, I understand what you're saying.

CHETRY: She also used the opportunity to say, that's why we need to elect more Democrats coming up, because we need more.

Let's grab another topic in here. And we'll start with you, Emily. Oh, Hillary versus pretty much everyone else. She is taking heat from the Dems and of course from her fellow -- I mean, from her fellow Dems and also from GOP wannabe presidential candidates as well.

A lot of it over this debate performance when she appeared to speak out of both sides of her mouth, if you will, about whether or not she supported Governor Spitzer's controversial plan in New York to give illegal immigrants driver's licenses. This big stumble, are they making too much of it?

HEIL: Well, I think that Democrats in particular have been just so anxious. She has been such a polished campaigner that they've been waiting to find that little chink in her pantsuit of armor. And they were going to attack it when they saw it. And they found that. And that is what you're seeing.

It's like maybe it seems a little disproportionate to be attacking -- with another candidate it might be a smaller deal, but with Hillary Clinton, who has been so polished, so on message, it was really an opportunity for them to criticize her on something that they've been looking for an opportunity to do just that.

CHETRY: Gotcha. You know, Chris, one of her former foes who then said, I think she is going to win this nomination, Newt Gingrich, now says, if I thought it was 80 percent, I think it is 50 percent now. Are people making too much of this gaffe at the last debate?

CILLIZZA: Well, Kiran, I don't want to bad-mouth Speaker Gingrich because he was a speaker, but I remember in 1998 him saying that Democrats were going to lose, Republicans could pick up 30 seats. So take his prognostication with a grain of salt. I think that everything as it relates to Senator Clinton is blown into massive proportion.

She is a larger than life figure, both in politics and in the culture more broadly. So when you see her make an unforced error, and I think what Emily has touched on is exactly right. This is someone who doesn't make unforced errors.

She really did. She weathered the first hour of the debate when she was the constant topic of conversation, when senators Edwards and Obama were sort of going after her constantly, but then towards the end, what I sort of deem as garbage time, when there is just questions being thrown around and no news really happens there, she stumbles over this illegal immigration question.

I think the problem for Senator Clinton is it plays into a narrative. She cannot look too political. People already think she tends to give the political rather than the honest answer. She doesn't want to play into that narrative because that is a losing narrative for her.

ROBERTS: Yes, well, part of the problem could be you fire too hard at the frontrunner, if they actually do win, then you might wound them in the general elections. It's great to see you. Chris Cillizza, Emily Heil, thanks for playing this morning. We'll get you folks back.

CILLIZZA: Thanks, guys.

HEIL: Glad to be here.

CHETRY: Still ahead, obese people can become social targets. Dr. Sanjay Gupta tells us about a unique program to help others empathize with those who are severely overweight. It's part of his "Fit Nation," and it's a new report coming up.

Hey, how about this one? Instead of throwing out that Halloween pumpkin, maybe you just need to chuck it, how about a mile? That is what is happening today in Delaware. It's the annual Pumkin' Chunkin' competition in Bridgeville. They have their catapults, they have their hats on, they have tons and tons of pumpkins just waiting to be thrown. We're going to see if 11-time winner can break his record this year coming up. ROBERTS: Extreme weather in southern Mexico to tell you about this morning. Flooding called one of the worst natural disasters in Mexican history. This morning a massive rescue effort is under way to get 300,000 stranded people, many of them clinging to their rooftops. After a week of steady rain, the state of Tabasco is 70 percent under water and more rain is on the way.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon calls the situation "extraordinarily grave." He is asking Mexicans to contribute bottled water, canned food, diapers, and other vital supplies.

CHETRY: What a mess there. Well, we've all heard the saying, walk a mile in my shoes. Well, now hospital workers are getting a personal look at what it's like to be overweight. They put on fat suits to see how they would be treated. Dr. Sanjay Gupta shows us how it turned out in today's "Fit Nation."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Let's face it, our society says thin is beautiful, thin is hip, which makes it tough to be obese. Studies show that overweight people are constantly discriminated for jobs, at school, even by doctors and nurses.

The Orange Coast Memorial Hospital Center for Obesity in Southern California wants to change that attitude. Their secret weapon is Lorraine Foran. Lorraine is a sensitivity trainer for the center. Every week or so, she slips herself into a suit that visually adds a couple of hundred pounds to her frame.

LORRAINE FORAN, ORANGE COAST MEMORIAL HOSPITAL CENTER FOR OBESITY: If you walk in the shoes of a patient of size, what better way to gather at least a little understanding of what they go through?

GUPTA: The center sees about 1,000 morbidly obese patients a year, most looking to have weight-loss surgery.

Dr. Peter LePort heads the program.

DR. PETER LEPORT, ORANGE COAST MEMORIAL HOSPITAL CENTER FOR OBESITY: It's very embarrassing, in this society especially, to be overweight, much less morbidly obese. So, we're here to help these parents and not in any way ridicule them.

GUPTA: After suiting up, Lorraine walks the hospital grounds to see what kind of reaction she will get from passersby. The day we followed her, she found people refused to make eye contact.

FORAN: People, when you meet them, just to encounter them walking, they purposely turn, so they don't have to look at you.

GUPTA: She shares her experiences with other staff workers to help them understand how difficult it is to be obese. The hospital hopes the training will persuade employees to be more empathetic when it comes to dealing with their overweight patients. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHETRY: Well, be sure to catch Dr. Sanjay Gupta on his show "HOUSE CALL." Worries about medicine from China, also stress at work. We get advice from Dr. Gupta to help you decompress. "HOUSE CALL" airs Saturday and Sunday mornings, 8:30 a.m. right here on CNN.

And "NEWSROOM" just a few minutes away. Our Tony Harris is at the CNN Center with a look at what is ahead. Good morning, Tony.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Kiran, good morning to you. Good Friday, everyone. We have got these stories on the "NEWSROOM" rundown for you this morning.

Are you worried about your investments? We're trying to make some sense of Wall Street, looking behind the Dow's big tumble yesterday and what could be in store today. We will break down the jobs report, released just moments ago, with Ali Velshi.

Mystery off Texas coast. A child's remains found in a box. Who is she? We'll go deeper into the investigation when we talk with authorities working the Baby Grace case.

And recording studio behind bars. Inmates cut a gospel CD. Can I get a witness? Sorry, Kiran, I couldn't resist. Heidi is with me in the "NEWSROOM." We get started just minutes away, top of the hour right here on CNN.

CHETRY: All right. We will look forward to it, Tony. Thanks.

ROBERTS: It is after Halloween tradition throwing out that pumpkin, throwing it way out. You're looking at live pictures there this morning just east of the Bridgeville, Delaware, where we are going to the Punkin' Chunkin' competition.

Will they be able to break the record that was set back in 2003? We'll find out when we come back on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Before you chuck out that Halloween pumpkin, take a look what is happening today in Delaware.

CHETRY: The annual Punkin' Chunkin' contest. It's huge for people in that area. I know because my husband hails from that area. They love it every year. They go down there, man and machine hurling pumpkins up to 4,000 feet and beyond.

ROBERTS: Our next guest is an 11-time Punkin' Chunkin' champion, current president of the World Championship Punkin' Chunkin' Association, Frank Shade joins us now live from Bridgeville, Delaware.

Frank, how big of an event is this going to be this year? FRANK SHADE, WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PUNKIN' CHUNKIN' ASSOCIATION: Oh, it's going to be huge. It's going to be huge. We are expecting 50,000 to 70,000 people here over the next three days.

ROBERTS: Wow, that's incredible. How many teams you go going here? And who are the ones to watch?

SHADE: Well, we have got 109 teams on the field today. And the ones to watch are the big air cannon guys I think. They make a lot of noise, but these boys behind me, Chunky 2 (ph), with a torsion machine, they are putting them out there about 3,000 feet. So they are going to be a lot of competition also.

CHETRY: You know, Frank, it is interesting you mention these air cannons. So this event started back in 1986. How has what they've used evolved to what you are seeing today as they try to set these records each and every year?

SHADE: Well, the original machines were made out of car parts and garage door springs and some tree limbs and stuff like that. And today we have got air cannons on the field that run upwards of $500,000 to build.

ROBERTS: Wow, I guess...

(CROSSTALK)

SHADE: So it has evolved tremendously.

ROBERTS: I guess the big cannon out there is the Second Amendment, which won last year, it also set the record back in 2003. Just describe for us, because we don't see it in there the background, what this machine consists of and how far can it throw a pumpkin?

SHADE: Well, we really don't know how far they can throw it. Like I said, the record is 4,434.28 feet. Basically it's a large air tank that holds about a thousand gallons of compressed air. It has a butterfly valve and then a barrel. It looks -- basically it looks like a military weapon.

CHETRY: You know, Frank, that is interesting, because you mentioned the -- you know, we're going to see a launch right here take place any second now, just go ahead and launch it, we'll check it out. Meanwhile, who is on the other side...

ROBERTS: Getting ready to go.

CHETRY: ... and, Frank, how do you figure out...

ROBERTS: Whoa!

CHETRY: There it goes. How do you figure out where that lands? Who is on the other side measuring?

SHADE: Well...

ROBERTS: Look at that, there it is.

SHADE: We have a team of spotters -- quads out on the field and they watch this coming in and they go to it. They mark it and we use laser triangulation survey equipment to measure the exact distance.

ROBERTS: Wow, this is all getting pretty sophisticated. How did -- this started in 1986, how did it start?

SHADE: Well, there were four guys sitting around a local blacksmith's shop. And according to what legend you listen to, they basically challenged each other to see who could throw an anvil the farthest. And it was too hard on their backs so they decided to throw pumpkins.

(LAUGHTER)

SHADE: In this area, everybody can build a machine to do something so they decided to build a machine to throw pumpkins. They threw down the blacksmith's hat, they all stomped on it and agreed to do it the Saturday after Halloween.

ROBERTS: You know, the first record was 128 feet. It shows how far they have come.

CHETRY: It really has. And also -- now so that is what I was wondering, you know, if you're up against an air cannon and you're sitting there with an old catapult, obviously, you're not having much of a competitive advantage. Do you break this up into different categories, Frank?

SHADE: Yes, we do. The catapults and trebuchets and the air cannons and the centrifugal machines all compete against similar machines. So the -- everybody has a fair chance of winning their own class.

To put this in perspective a little bit, that winning toss the first year of 120-some feet, today we have cannons with barrels that range out to 140 feet so they could just roll out the end of the barrel and beat that first...

(CROSSTALK)

ROBERTS: So the machines are bigger than the original throw. Hey, you're an 11-time champion, are you still competing or did you have to give that up when you became president of this association?

SHADE: Well, I'm a member of the team -- the Bad to the Bone (ph) Team, which is 11-time champion. And I did have to give it up six years ago when I became president. And I still keep my eyes on them a little bit but had a little conflict of interest there so I had to step back.

ROBERTS: Right.

CHETRY: You know, Frank, my in-laws are down there in Lewes. We know what a humongous event this is for locals every year out there in Sussex County. Why is it such a draw though? You're talking about getting 50,000, 75,000 people out there to watch this.

SHADE: Well, I think there's a number of reasons. I think basically it starts in childhood because all little kids start by throwing food off their trays, then they go to rocks, they skip them into water. I think it is just an innate thing that people want to see things fly.

You know, and here is a pumpkin just laying there, want something to do. So we're going to make it fly and have a good time.

ROBERTS: Yes. I mean, I guess it would be cruel to make pigs fly. So pumpkins I think you can get away with. Frank, it is not only about the competition and seeing how far you can make a pumpkin fly, but you folks there at the Punkin' Chunkin' contest do some awfully good work there with money to charity, scholarships. Tell us a little bit about that.

SHADE: Well, every year, we donate between $60,000 to $100,000 to local charities. Our favorite national charity is the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. We also do Autism Foundation, the Cancer Society. We have a huge scholarship program where every year we award students, you know, scholarships that are deserving of it and that usually ranges between 15 and 20 scholarships a year that we award to deserving students.

CHETRY: Wow.

(CROSSTALK)

SHADE: ... steps up to the plate and needs our help, we'll help them out.

CHETRY: That is pretty incredible. Hopefully we are going to get to see one more launch before we go here. Do we have any of them ready, Frank? Ready to go one more time?

SHADE: Really, I can't see them, they're all behind me, but I'm sure they can put one together real soon.

CHETRY: All right. We'll throw one off. Meanwhile, before we go, what are the prizes range? You know, what kind of monetary incentive if you win?

SHADE: Well, actually nobody wins any money at this event. They win a trophy if they win their class, a couple of medallions, a hat that says they won. But the biggest thing every one of these chunkers is striving for is bragging rights for the next year, saying that they are a world champion. Absolutely no money goes to the chunkers.

ROBERTS: All of the pumpkin pie you can eat as well. Frank Shade, it really is a tremendous weekend. Hope that a lot of people get down there to Delaware to see this. Can't wait to see some of those cannons go off this weekend as well. This is something we'll keep following. Thanks for being with us this morning. It was a pleasure talking to you.

SHADE: Thank you for having us, and we appreciate the coverage.

CHETRY: Take care, Frank. We wish we were there. We both wish we were down there watching it in person.

Well, here is a quick look at what "NEWSROOM" is working on for the top of the hour.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS (voice-over): See these stories in the "CNN NEWSROOM."

The Dow's big dive. What triggered the 362-point drop? What can we expect today?

Noel grows up. Hurricane may cause problems along the East Coast.

Frozen pizza recall. Concerns over possible E. coli contamination.

And TV writers ready to walk out? What does it mean for your shows?

"NEWSROOM," just minutes away at the top of the hour, on CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: And before we say goodbye for the week, a final check of how your voting went on this morning's quick vote question. We asked to rate your last airline trip. Was it smooth as silk, a little bumpy, or absolutely the worst? That would not be where you would want to have an airline trip, catapulted.

(CROSSTALK)

CHETRY: Fifty-three percent say it has been smooth as silk. That is more than half; 22 percent say their trip was a little bumpy; and about a quarter of you saying it was the absolute worst. For all of you who voted, thanks.

ROBERTS: And by the way, that was just a little tease. Back to Bridgeville, Delaware, there where we see one of those -- what was that? We're telling them...

CHETRY: There we go.

ROBERTS: Well, apparently, there you go. Look at that. We missed the actual moment. So much for that.

Thanks so much for joining us on this AMERICAN MORNING. We are going to take the weekend getting our coordination back together again and we will see you on Monday.

CHETRY: We hope you have a great weekend. "CNN NEWSROOM" with Tony Harris and Heidi Collins starts right now.

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