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A Stormy Sunday; Myanmar Crisis: Victims of the Storm; West Virginia Primary; First Daughter Marries Today; 'Athlete': 40 Years of Sports Photography; Bloodshed in Beirut; Cease-Fire in Iraq; Interview with 'Supernanny' Jo Frost
Aired May 10, 2008 - 09:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have the capability to fly equipment in. We have the capability to air-drop some equipment. But again, we're waiting on the request from the government.
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T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, waiting, even though the U.S. military and dozens of aid agencies are ready to help. They're willing to help the thousands of victims of that cyclone in Myanmar.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: And the Democrats fight for the White House. That goes on and on and on. The best political team on television with what you need to know about the race.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALTER IOOSS, PHOTOGRAPHER: The picture of Nicklaus with the cigarette and sunglasses, you know, it's one of these things that just happened in a photo shoot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Yes, from the Golden Bear, to Air Jordan, to Muhammad Ali, Walter Iooss has seen and shot it all. And now he's telling all.
From the CNN Center, this is the CNN NEWSROOM. It is Saturday, May 10th.
Good morning to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: Yes, good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
Let's get you started with the severe weather outside, because we have a lot to tell you about a fierce tornado that we've been covering all week long, actually several of them. We're going to get to that in just a moment, but today we've got the watch boxes up. And Reynolds Wolf is following all of it for us.
Good morning.
REYNOLDS WOLF, METEOROLOGIST: Good morning. Yes, we're looking at another bad day, another rough day in terms of severe thunderstorms, possibly some large hail, some damaging winds, maybe even some flash flooding in a couple of locations. And the places that we're talking about are spots that have been affected by some rough weather over the past couple of days -- in fact, the past week.
Places like Arkansas and north Alabama could be under the gun once again today. Here's what I'm talking about. Follow me for a little bit. We're going to go over to the big screen, I'm going to show you the places that are really going to be affected today. And as Betty and T.J. have been telling you, any place that you happen to see on this map that is shaded in the orange or even the red colors, would indicate spots where we are more likely to see some rough weather.
Now, let's set the stage for you. Just over the last couple of days, temperatures have been warming up quite a bit over parts of the southeast, the Gulf Coast. What we have are temperatures today that will be warming into the 80s and into the 90s.
Now, that, combined with the daytime heating and that frontal boundary coming through, is going to give us a good chance of rough weather for not just today, but also tomorrow, too, where we're going to have a moderate risk for much of the Southeast as we get into Sunday for parts of Alabama, into Georgia, even into South Carolina and extreme northern Florida.
So, if you're in any of these locations, if you have any plans, you want to get through them early for today. And then tomorrow, we're going to be seeing much of the rough weather.
Again, about those temperatures, you know, the temperature map seems like it would be kind of a boring thing. But it's very important here because it really does show how unstable the atmosphere is going to be. When you have these warm temperatures and you have that frontal boundary coming though, that's really going to enhance lift and give us a chance at some very, very strong storms.
For the latest, make sure you stay here throughout the day. Jacqui Jeras is going to be in throughout the afternoon. We're going to keep you posted with all the weather information.
Let's send it back t you guys.
NGUYEN: And a lot to watch out for today. Thank you, Reynolds.
You know, earlier I spoke about that fierce tornado, the one in Alabama. And we've been following these storms. Well, that one was so powerful that it picked up 3,000-to-4,000-pound cars. Look at this.
HOLMES: This is the picture she speaks of.
A surveillance camera caught footage of a tornado tossing cars like toys, as you see. We spotlighted it there in Leighton, Alabama. Two of them flying a decent distance. The National Weather Service confirms tornado touchdowns in the north and western part of the state earlier this week.
We turn from weather, which we will be talking about all morning, but for now we're going to get some other headlines we're after this morning, including the bloodshed in Beirut.
(GUNFIRE)
Lebanon's prime minister is now accusing Hezbollah of trying to stage a military coup.
NGUYEN: Over the last few days, Hezbollah militias have forced pro- government forces from Beirut to Sunni Muslim neighborhoods. More than 100 people have been killed or wounded.
Now, at the bottom of the hour, we do have a live from the CNN reporter who was caught in that gun battle.
HOLMES: Also new this morning, the Iraqi government confirming a cease-fire between its troops and militia fighters that are loyal to anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. For weeks, they've been battling in Baghdad's Sadr City. Just overnight, more than a dozen people were killed in Sadr City violence.
Minutes from now, CNN's Michael Ware will have a live report from Baghdad.
NGUYEN: In Africa, a looming showdown in Zimbabwe's presidential elections. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who you see there on the right, says he will return to his African homeland to take part in a presidential run off. He'll face Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe in a vote that has not yet been scheduled. Critics say Mugabe rigged the first round of elections and used violence to intimidate his opposition.
HOLMES: We turn to Myanmar now, where the promised flood of aid still just a trickle. Here we are some week after that storm hit. Aid agencies have been stopped from entering the country by the military government, thought just today the International Red Cross says they were able to get in with relief supplies for prisoners in southern Myanmar.
NGUYEN: Well, the U.S. has finally gotten clearance to send in some supplies on Monday, but that's being limited to just one transport plane. Neighboring countries have sent supplies and the U.N.'s World Food Program has resumed sending aid. Its first was confiscated though by government troops.
HOLMES: Well, if the Myanmar government is not focused on helping its people, what is their focus? Apparently, solidifying their rule. They're going ahead with today's voting on a constitutional referendum that could give them even more power.
NGUYEN: And we'll give you startling numbers right now, because the United Nations says as many as 100,000 people were killed in the cyclone. HOLMES: That led us to look at another side of the humanitarian crisis, the rising number of orphans looking for help, looking for homes.
This report now from a British TV reporter in the battered southern delta region of Myanmar.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): We arrived at the school to try to learn about the fate of the refugees. The teacher introduced us to some of the displaced from villages around Laputa (ph). It's not easy to document their fate and those of their loved ones, such as the chaos and uncertainty still enveloping this disaster.
It turned out there were 87 children here, many of whom had lost both parents.
(on camera): No father, no mother?
(voice over): The blackboard carried details about thousands of refugees who had been brought to this town from their destroyed villages. Details the regime is reluctant to divulge.
All the while, we're being watched by a military man. The insidious presence of the army is everywhere here. No wonder they appear afraid to talk.
This is a place where fear compounds fear. And now they have plenty more to worry about.
Off camera, we were told by the teacher that our presence would be reported. It was time to go.
There's certainly a heavy army presence here. And we saw many trucks, but all appeared empty. Transporting aid into the region apparently not their priority. The military junta's paranoia is hamstringing aid.
Prevented from going south, we headed west, where we found more pockets of misery and many more orphans. At this Baptist community of Batine (ph), we were taken to the church packed full with refugees. At least they have a roof over their heads here.
A group of children were brought out to meet us. They're from villages around Laputa (ph), and all lost their parents in the devastating cyclone.
This young boy explained how he lost both parents and all six brothers and sisters when their house was swept away and their village destroyed. He survived by clinging to a tree branch for hours in the torrential rain. Clearly numbed by the loss, he said he simply didn't know what to do now.
For 12-year-old Sae Pul (ph), the loss was written in her eyes, staring somewhere into the distance. Her parents and siblings are also gone.
The teacher explained that she didn't know how to express her feelings. She just hopes her grandmother will take her in, but she's not sure.
For the young boy at the end of the road, such hope has already gone. It's still hard to take in that so many thousands have lost their homes and their loved ones. This is just one little girl facing an uncertain future alone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And coming up next hour, more on the difficulties faced by international aid agencies trying to help those children. We'll talk to one aid workers inside Myanmar who was watching the growing problem firsthand.
NGUYEN: It is absolutely heartbreaking. And we know that you want to help.
At CNN.com, we have a special page on the devastation in Myanmar, complete with links to aid agencies that are organizing help for the region. It is a chance for you to impact your world, so let us be your guide.
HOLMES: Well, Barack Obama has cleared a lot of hurdles over the past year.
NGUYEN: Yes, no doubt.
HOLMES: And after all he's been over, this hurdle not that big of a deal. He can handle this one.
However, the race for the White House isn't over yet. He's got a few more hurdles in his future.
NGUYEN: Well, these folks have something else on their minds -- the gown, the guests, the groom. The president's daughter ready to tie the knot tonight. And we have details for you.
Plus this...
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And he said that he would only put it down if I gave him $200 because my handicap thing wasn't displayed.
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NGUYEN: Grandma goes up against a tow truck, and, oh, she is mad, and she is not taking it.
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NGUYEN: All right. So the finish line, it is getting closer, but the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, well, that keeps going and going.
HOLMES: Yes, Barack Obama has cleared some political hurdles to close the superdelegate gap with Hillary Clinton.
NGUYEN: Can he do it? Can he do it?
HOLMES: He took on -- yes.
NGUYEN: Oh.
HOLMES: I thought he was an athlete.
NGUYEN: He can play basketball.
HOLMES: He's supposed to be an athlete.
NGUYEN: I don't know about bowling though.
HOLMES: He can jump a hurdle, though. Come on, Mr. Obama.
NGUYEN: He has the height for it.
HOLMES: He took on -- yes, actual hurdles. This was in Oregon yesterday. Kind of hanging out with some folks at a track there.
Clinton is going to be attending a Mother's Day event in New York. No word on her jumping over anything. And she heads for West Virginia tomorrow.
CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser is in West Virginia today with the Election Express in Charleston, West Virginia.
Tell us, how contested is West Virginia right now?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Not so contested. Twenty delegates at stake when this state votes on Tuesday, and the public opinion polls here have Hillary Clinton up big, big time.
This is a state that's really kind of tailor-made for her if you look at the demographics. But as you guys mentioned, Barack Obama's definitely in the driver's seat. But if this race is over, nobody has told Hillary Clinton.
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SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: People say to me all the time, "Well, are you going to keep going?" Well, yes, of course, I'm going to keep going.
STEINHAUSER (voice over): Those don't sound like the words of someone who is giving up. Hillary Clinton campaigning in Oregon and Kentucky, two states that hold primaries in 10 days. With the primary clock running out, Clinton trails Barack Obama in just about every category, but she continues on, touting her electability and separating herself from her rival.
CLINTON: You have to have a seamless health care system which covers every single person. My plan does, my opponent's plan doesn't.
STEINHAUSER: Obama's in the driver's seat now, but on the trail, he's a modest man.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We do not have this nomination locked up. So we're still competing, and she's going to do very well in West Virginia and Kentucky. She will win those states in all likelihood by significant margins.
STEINHAUSER: But about the only time he talks about Clinton is when he's asked. Otherwise, the person in his sights is John McCain.
OBAMA: John McCain has served this country with honor, and I respect that service. But when I heard him say that he had surveyed the Bush economic record over the last seven and a half years and concluded we had made great progress, I was curious about who it was that he was talking to, because I think he's dead wrong.
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STEINHAUSER: As for John McCain, he's had the luxury of already wrapping up his primary fight about two months ago. So he has a fund- raiser today before being down for the rest of the weekend. He's back up on the trail Monday in Oregon, so the march continues -- T.J.
HOLMES: The march continues and the Election Express continues on, as well.
Paul Steinhauser for us in Charleston.
Good to see you. We'll see you again in the next hour.
NGUYEN: Well, CNN is your election 2008 headquarters. And up next for the Democrats, West Virginia. Join the best political team on television for complete coverage Tuesday night, May 13th, starting 7:00 p.m. Eastern, only on CNN. Again, you home for politics.
HOLMES: And be sure to tune in today for CNN's "BALLOT BOWL." It's your chance to find out what the candidates have to say in their own words. "BALLOT BOWL," today at 3:00 p.m. Eastern, noon Pacific.
NGUYEN: Well, she is the president's daughter, but Jenna Bush won't be exchanging her vows at the White House tonight.
HOLMES: The western White House she has chosen.
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: She and her fiance will say their "I do's" deep in the heart of Texas at the family ranch in Crawford.
NGUYEN: White House Correspondent Elaine Quijano is there with a preview.
Unfortunately, she did not get invited to the actual wedding.
So, from where you're standing, what do you know about this big event?
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, we know, Betty, that the official start for the wedding weekend got under way yesterday. That is when there was a bridal lunch. There was also a rehearsal dinner, of course, and a big party afterwards. All of it really a prelude to the big event just hours away.
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QUIJANO (voice over): She is the daughter of the president. He, the son of a well-connected Virginia Republican. After meeting in 2004 while working on her father's reelection bid, Jenna Bush and Henry Hager say "I do" in Crawford this weekend on the president's 1,600- acre ranch.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I had to face some very difficult spending decisions, and I've had to conduct sensitive diplomacy. That's called planning for a wedding.
(LAUGHTER)
BUSH: La boda (ph).
QUIJANO: The plans are largely under wraps, but they call for gathering by a lake in front of an altar and four-foot-high cross from Texas limestone.
LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY: This is a time when wildflowers are all blooming, and I think it'll be a very, very lovely wedding. And it will be very like Jenna and Henry.
QUIJANO: More than 200 guests are expected.
JENNA. BUSH: All relatives. Our family's really kind of big, so it's half family and then half very close, you know, friends.
QUIJANO: Not all of Jenna Bush's friends will be on hand, though.
DOUG WEAD, AUTHOR, "ALL THE PRESIDENTS CHILDREN": Because according to them, they -- she would be afraid of their behavior.
QUIJANO: Doug Wead is a former aide to George H. W. Bush and author of "All the Presidents Children." He says unlike the pageantry of White House weddings past, like that of Trisha Nixon's in 1971, the Texas ceremony will take place away from the glare of the media spotlight.
WEAD: The Bushes are very private. It's at a time of war. It's at a time of economic struggle. This president has high negatives right now. It's much more of a low-key event.
QUIJANO: And for the couple, another consideration.
WEAD: They know that they don't own the White House, that they can't go back. But Crawford, Jenna and Henry can walk through the moonlight and hold hands and say this is where we were married, and it will always be theirs.
QUIJANO: The first lady's office is keeping a tight lid on specifics, but the bride did reveal dress details to "Vogue" magazine describing her gown as an Oscar de la Renta creation made of organza, with embroidery and matte beading.
L. BUSH: So I'm very, very excited. It's a very interesting passage of life when you get to that time in your life when your child -- first child is getting married, and we're getting for us our first son.
QUIJANO: And already the first lady is joking about names for possible grandchildren down the road.
L. BUSH: George, Georgia, Georgina, Georgette.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUIJANO: Now, President Bush will be leaving office in eight months, and has said privately he would like grandchildren sooner rather than later. A point that he has already made to daughter Jenna as he considers life beyond the White House -- Betty and T.J.
NGUYEN: My goodness. The pressure is already on and they're not even married yet.
OK. Thank you, Elaine.
Well, you know, fans of "Sports Illustrated" certainly know this guy's work.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IOOSS: The most poignant moment is when I got Ali and Joe Frazier to pose together after 30 years in Philadelphia, Frazier's gym.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: And now, Walter Iooss is sharing his story.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, Walter Iooss is one of the world's most famous sports photographers. Even if you don't really recognize that name, you will certainly recognize the work. It's been on the cover of "Sports Illustrated countless times.
NGUYEN: More than 300, in fact, and now he has compiled 40 years of sports photography into a new book. It's called "Athlete," of course.
CNN Sports Correspondent Larry Smith had a chance to talk with Walter Iooss. What an experience.
LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Oh, this was fantastic. I mean, I - you know, we've talked before. I love what I do, but talk about the ultimate job. This guy, there may not be an marquee athlete who not a target of Iooss. We talked, the two of us, about some of his most favorite work and about a frustrating part of his job.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IOOSS: The love of sports and photography came together one day in 1959 when I shot a roll of film at a football Giants game that my father purchased tickets to. And we came back to my house in East Orange, New Jersey, and processed the roll of film and held this one roll of Triaks (ph) up to the light and it was -- it was an epiphany.
My favorite athlete would have to be Michael Jordan, because I've spent more time with him, and we've done a couple of books together. I documented his '93 season and his '98 season with the Bulls, the last Bull run, which was like following The Rolling Stones around. And, you know, I was able to go inside his life and document a life that few people ever see.
The picture of Nicklaus with the cigarette and sunglasses, you know, it's just one of these things that just happened at a photo shoot. I was shooting for a cover of "Sports Illustrated" in West Palm Beach, and, you know, he was smoking, and I guess we were joking around. I don't have a great memory of this whole shoot, but I know I gave him my sunglasses and he rolled his collar up to this green jacket and lit the cigarette, and we took a few pictures. And everyone loves this picture except Jack.
You really don't hear from the athlete too often when they don't like the photo. What you usually hear is when you've taken a photograph of somebody and they don't use the picture in the magazine and you sort of wasted their time. And I always find that very frustrating when you go to someone that you've built a relationship with and you photograph them and, you know, say a Jeter and Rivera, who I photographed this past March, and then they didn't run the photograph.
The P.R. people called me back and said, you know, the players are saying, where's that picture they gave you time for. And, you know, there's nothing I can do about it. I hate what I say using up your bullets with these guys, because they remember everything.
I've had some very nice photo shoots with Muhammad Ali, and there's I guess about seven or eight pictures in the book of Muhammad. And some are from his early fights in '67 and '68. And then there's a portrait of his house against a white fence when he's on a bike.
But the most poignant moment is when I got Ali and Joe Frazier to pose together after 30 years in Philadelphia, Frazier's gym. And we spent an hour in the ring.
And most of the pictures had been sort of joking pictures, glove under the chin. And the last three I just said no, just stare at the camera. And we shot them in sepia, black and white, and that was the picture that ends the book which is -- shows two men that left their lives in the ring trying to kill each other, basically.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH: You know, one thing about the Michael Jordan picture in the blue court -- you might have seen that, remember that from "Sports Illustrated" -- he actually painted a second court all red just in case Michael showed up wearing his home white uniform.
HOLMES: Wow.
SMITH: But he says his best day of all, though, was with Kevin Garnett. They had seven hours together, and he said these guys not only have the talent on the court, but they have great charisma.
NGUYEN: Yes.
SMITH: The real greats are great at everything. They're just born with a natural gift.
It was great talking to him.
NGUYEN: What a history, yes.
HOLMES: And some of those pictures, a lot of people don't know his names...
SMITH: Yes.
HOLMES: ... but you know those pictures. That first one of Joe out on the -- out there by the...
NGUYEN: Yes, it's burned in your memory.
SMITH: Yes, exactly.
HOLMES: I love that picture.
Larry, thank you. Good to see you.
NGUYEN: Great job.
SMITH: Good seeing you guys. OK.
NGUYEN: Absolutely.
SMITH: All right.
NGUYEN: Well from that to this -- battles in Beirut. You saw them play out live right here on CNN.
HOLMES: And meanwhile, battles in another hotspot could be coming to an end. Word of a cease-fire in Baghdad. This morning, live reports from both cities straight ahead.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Josh Levs.
Will the Myanmar's cyclone worsen the world's food shortage? Could it even mean higher food prices everywhere?
I'll have the answers coming up right here on CNN NEWSROOM.
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(WEATHER REPORT)
(GUNFIRE)
NGUYEN: You hear it right there, a gun battle in Beirut. And CNN viewers were thrust into the live coverage this past week. Days of bloodshed and a morning filled with new accusations. So let's get you the latest now from Beirut.
CNN's Cal Perry is the reporter who was caught in that firefight on Thursday.
I believe I was talking to you live that day. But today, Cal, I understand that you're hearing about a potential breakthrough in the situation..
CAL PERRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. Right, Betty.
I want to touch on a statement that has just been released by the Lebanese army. The two main issues that were going on here in the past two days, the first, the head of security out at the airport had been dismissed by the government. They said that he was sympathetic to Hezbollah. And number two, that, of course, telecommunications network that Hezbollah has been using.
Now, the Lebanese army just released a statement that says they're going to reinstate the general out at the airport until the investigation is complete. This is exactly what Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, said that he wanted.
And number two, that they consider "the issue of the telecommunications network could be resolved without harming the public interest or the security of the resistance." The resistance being Hezbollah.
Now, this really is, Betty, Lebanese politics at its finest. We heard the prime minister of Lebanon today come out and say that Hezbollah had basically been hijacking the city. He called on the army to clear the fighters off the streets.
This seems to be a response to that. The Lebanese army basically saying, we're going to clear the fighters off the streets by virtually giving Hezbollah what they were asking for, which is to reinstate the head of security and basically put on hold this idea of bringing down this telecommunications network. So everybody in Beirut hoping this will bring a cease-fire, basically, in the western part of the city, and hopefully those fires will withdraw -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Hopefully so. And this morning, at least I don't hear gunfire behind you here today. We'll be watching this very closely.
Cal Perry joing us live.
Thank you, Cal. HOLMES: Well, time to shift the focus to another story developing in the Middle East. This morning, the Iraqi government is confirming a cease-fire between the troops and militia fighters loyal to anti- American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. For weeks, they've been battling in Baghdad's Sadr City.
And CNN's Michael Ware is in the Iraqi capital with the latest for us.
Michael, thank you for being here. Good to see you.
Al-Sadr has maybe a job on his hands. As powerful as he may be, you know, this Mehdi army of his, not everybody in that neck of the army is still operating as one cohesive unit under his command. Some of them have branched out.
How can he really rein them in now?
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, T.J., this is going to be a great question. I mean, as you say, we've seen more than six weeks of fighting in and around Sadr City, which is part of the capital of about two million people. And in this fighting between U.S. and Iraqi forces and the Mehdi army militia of Muqtada al-Sadr, hundreds and hundreds of people have died.
So what we now have is statements from the government spokesman and from the Mehdi army spokesman saying that an agreement is in place. And it's now hoped that a cease-fire will take effect sometime tonight or tomorrow morning, Sunday, local time.
Now, one of the things that we've seen during this conflict over these six weeks or so is that the various branches of Muqtada's militia, which as you say had been fracturing and breaking up, had been infiltrated by rogue criminal groups at the lower level, and whose hard liners had been cleared (ph) aside and recruited by Iran and sent back to Iraq to attack mainly U.S. forces, have all come together. So the main body which has remained loyal to Muqtada throughout has since been receiving assistance from these other elements, particularly this special groups trained by Iran. And we saw them blend and fuse as one.
This may have helped consolidate some of the Iranian power, it may not. But certainly this, in many ways, might be viewed as something of a victory for Muqtada because his militia does not have to disband -- T.J.
HOLMES: Does not have to disband. We're not sure if they will disarm. But you're right, a tricky situation as always there in Baghdad.
Michael Ware, we always appreciate the updates from you. We'll be checking in with you again later. Thanks so much.
NGUYEN: Back here in the states, it does seem like prices for everything are going up. A penny here, a penny there. Now the post office wants a penny more too. That's right. But the news out of the post office, well, it's not all that bad. HOLMES: Yes. We will give you that.
Also, we have a picture for you here that might look like a picture of family bliss. But how long will the love last?
NGUYEN: Reynolds.
HOLMES: What can Reynolds and his wife do to make sure these two angels remain little angels? We will help our guy out by asking the Supernanny.
Stay tuned.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Let's talk about your money now, because if you are filling up your gas tank this weekend, be prepared.
HOLMES: Yes. Gas prices have reached yet another record high. AAA reports the national average -- are you OK, Betty?
NGUYEN: I don't know.
HOLMES: The national average for a gallon of unleaded regular now at $3.69. That's up two pennies over yesterday and more than 33 cents from a month ago. Diesel, $4.30 a gallon.
NGUYEN: It seems like it goes up every single day.
HOLMES: Oh, yes, it does, doesn't it?
NGUYEN: And two cents overnight. I don't know what happened overnight, but, hey, there you go.
Gas is not the only thing that's going up, though. The U.S. postal service is adjusting its prices beginning Monday. But, believe it or not, it's not all bad news, because while the cost of mailing a letter will bump up another penny, prices will go down if you send express mail packages closer to home. There could also be savings for those who use online services.
HOLMES: Well, the economy may be stopping some people from planning their summer getaways.
NGUYEN: Yes. But CNN's Veronica De La Cruz has some tricks to stay on the go for less.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): An affordable vacation may be all about the timing.
CHRIS MCGINNIS, EXPEDIA.COM: If you can time your trip properly and travel during non-peak travel times, you can save 40 or 50 percent right off the bat. The cheapest time to fly is midweek. The key is to travel when business travelers are not traveling. DE LA CRUZ: But the opposite may be true when searching for the best deal on a hotel.
MCGINNIS: Weekends and business travel cities are a lot less expensive. In vacation destinations like Las Vegas or Orlando, you'll find that you'll get the very best deals if you're willing to travel midweek.
DE LA CRUZ: McGinnis also suggests thinking outside of the box when choosing a vacation destination.
MCGINNIS: Consider going somewhere like Arizona in the summer. Some of the most beautiful and luxurious spas in the world are in this area. You can have a great time and pay maybe $100 a night for a room that you typically pay $500 or $600 a night for in the middle of the winter.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And if you're on the go or just staying home, you're still affected by the rising cost of gas and groceries. Learn how the number one issue in this country and how people are facing it, the economy, how it's affecting you. "ISSUE #1" all this coming week at noon Eastern Time right here on CNN.
NGUYEN: Well, you know her as the Supernanny.
HOLMES: Yes. She has tons of advice on how to handle those misbehaving kids.
NGUYEN: Bad kids.
HOLMES: And now she's out with a new book. There she is, and she has the 411 on what every parent needs to know in the first year of their baby's life. And our Reynolds Wolf will be listening quite closely to what she has to say.
NGUYEN: Actually, he not only is listening, but he will have a lot of questions for her.
So we'll be talking to you, Supernanny, in just a second. Jo Frost is her name.
JO FROST, "SUPERNANNY": Thanks.
NGUYEN: Thanks for joining us today.
HOLMES: That's coming up. Stay here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: A week after a cyclone tore into southern Myanmar, we still don't really know how bad it is.
NGUYEN: And as we've been telling you, aid is still not getting to most survivors. CNN's Josh Levs joins us now with a closer look at this tragedy -- Josh.
LEVS: Yes. Hey there, guys.
I'm standing right here at the CNN international desk, where we're literally working this story 24/ 7. We have been ever since the news of that cyclone first broke.
What I want to do right now, I want to take advantage of an opportunity that I have on the screen here to put you in the location where you can really see what's going on, a bird's eye view. Let's start off where Myanmar is.
I want to take you to this Google map. It's going to give us a little bit of a feeling like we're starting in outer space.
Here we are over in Myanmar. We're going to head in over to the location right near Bay of Bengal, where you can see the worst devastation was in this section right here.
So, over here, you've got this section over here. We've got India, China above it.
Now, what I want to do is to take you to a new section. We've just put this together. You haven't seen this before.
This is going to show you a satellite image before and after in a village. Take a look at this.
Right here, we're seeing one village that was destroyed. I'm going to do something here. This line that I'm putting right here with my finger, there you go. That's a river from before the devastation.
Now we're going to go into the after. And I want you to see what happens.
See how that line was the river? Look at this. This whole thing is now the river. This entire area, the village, was completely wiped out.
All of this, all of this, everything you're seeing throughout here is now the river. That's all water.
Now let's go down to the ground eye view. I want you to see some of the devastation that we've been able to get from the video crews that have gone into there throughout this past week, some of the devastated areas inside Myanmar. I'm going to step aside so you can get a better image of this picture.
Now, one thing we hear a lot is these people were not warned. Now, that's true, that some people say they did not get an adequate warning. However, think about where they're living in the first place.
I was just showing you right near the water. The truth is, it's not just about a warning. The government there says, we did let people know, but the truth is, they're living in an area that used to be Mangrove Forest. That's gone.
These people are particularly in danger of being hurt when the water comes in, guys. So you can get a sense of why this is so significant in that area right off the coast and why there was so much devastation -- Betty, T.J.
NGUYEN: Josh, let's broaden this out for just a minute...
LEVS: Yes.
NGUYEN: ... because we have been following the food shortages around the world...
LEVS: Right, yes.
NGUYEN: ... and the high price of things like rice. With that cyclone in the area there -- and we saw a lot of those rice factories that were just devastated by it -- is this going to lead to an increase of a rice shortage around the world?
LEVS: Authorities are saying no, but for a pretty depressing reason. Let me tell you what the deal is with that.
Let's go back to some of that video of the devastation, if we can, because I want you to see how impoverished this area is in the first place.
These areas were doing a lot of rice farming. So there was rice. About 65 percent of the rice that's provided to the country is gone. So, for Myanmar itself, it's even more of an economic disaster.
About two-thirds they're saying of the farms producing rice for the country are gone. However, I was reading an Associated Press report that says, you know what? Particularly under the junta, over the last 40 years there's been so much economic devastation, they've barely produced the amount of rice they used to, just a fraction of it.
So, in the end, it's not going to have that much of an impact on world food prices. The U.N. is now saying the same thing. They don't think in the end that this will have a big impact on the world. It will have a tremendous impact nationally on Myanmar.
And like I said, Betty, it's for a depressing reason. Because they already lost so much of their economy, that this isn't big enough to have a huge impact on the world that way.
NGUYEN: Well, then you've got about a million people homeless. And no telling how those numbers are going to rise when it comes to the death toll. They're looking at least 100,000.
LEVS: Yes, could be.
NGUYEN: All right. Josh Levs joining us live.
Thank you.
LEVS: Thanks, guys.
NGUYEN: Kids out of control. I mean, temper tantrums everywhere.
HOLMES: However, answers to those problems.
NGUYEN: Thank goodness.
HOLMES: With real solutions -- next in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: OK. We have seen them, OK? Kids throwing tantrums in stores at the mall, everywhere. That's where our next guest comes in handy.
I want you to take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Stop!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Open the door.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because I asked you to.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Or else what?
FROST: It's so hostile in this house.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you're trying to...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Oh, my goodness. All right. She is known as ABC's "Supernanny," but Jo Frost is also an author. Her new book, "Confident Baby Care: What You Need to Know for the First Year," is out, and Jo joins us now from New York.
Looking at that video, my goodness. That is almost instant birth control there, seriously. I mean, it is frightening. But that's where you come in.
I mean, what do parents need to know when it comes to kids acting out? I know we're going to get to the babies in just a moment, but looking at these little ones just throwing these fits, you almost want to tear your hair out, but that's where you come in.
FROST: Well, you know, as parents, you need to be able to lay down some very firm rules and to establish a good ground boundaries so that these kids realize that when they start to misbehavior there's a follow-through, that there's a consequence. And as you will see, that's very difficult for some parents to be able to do...
NGUYEN: Right.
FROST: ... because they're met with combative young children. But being able to follow through and remain consistent really teach our children the values of really thinking before they act. So there's more self-discipline.
NGUYEN: I don't know how you have the energy for it. In fact, you've been hanging out with lots of babies lately, little bitty ones, because your new book is called "Confident Baby Care."
FROST: Yes.
NGUYEN: And let's talk about those, because I have questions. Let me tell you, I'm not a parent myself, but we have tons of them here in the NEWSROOM. And they're throwing questions at me. And one of them is, how do you get your baby on a schedule so that parents can actually get some kind of sleep?
FROST: Yes. I mean, I think it's important to realize that, naturally, keeping a baby log -- and there's certainly one at the back of the book -- allows us to see the history of our baby's sleeping and feeding pattern. And generally young babies will feed on demand and then feed every two hours, every three, and then every four.
So we're able to establish a good feeding pattern, and with that comes cycles of 90 minutes and two hours of sleep. And the younger a baby is, the more they sleep. So we generally see this natural routine take place.
And when that does happen, we can start to put in the corner stones of the routine and then implement good sleeping patterns during the day and also the nighttime. But it's not until that the child is having a good regular meal time and nap time during the day can we then follow through and have consistent sleeping techniques put in place. And that's normally around 6, 8 months.
NGUYEN: You really had to get this on a schedule in order to make it happen.
All right. I want to bring in our meteorologist, Reynolds Wolf, who just recently had an addition to his family. He hasn't been sleeping in the past, I don't know, how many weeks now, Reynolds?
WOLF: Sleep? What is that?
Yes, the thing with sleep, Jo, it's kind of like sky diving. I hear that people do it, I just don't do it myself.
We do have a new baby in the family, and I wanted -- we also have a 2- year-old -- or she's about to be 2, and we've got one that's a 1- month-old.
What advice would you give parents about having two kids now in the house, with the older trying to accept the younger?
FROST: Yes, I think that's basically what it's all about. It's about the older one accepting.
And the most thing that parents say to me is, how do I get my older child to realize that this one is not on sell and return and our second child is here for good? And I think it's really about letting your first born do the little things around the house with you that supports and really bring them closer to the new addition. But at the same time, to help the first born with life skills.
Because your first born is the apple of your eye before the second one came along, that you did so much for them, and then the second one comes along and, all of a sudden, they're left to the side to not really not know how to deal with those life skills. So, being able to dress themselves and putting on their own shoes and spending time with them where you can still concentrate on doing the little things that they enjoy doing really help to bring the family all together.
Otherwise, they feel kind of left out. And it's really a time of where they're feeling where they fit in. And we shouldn't have high expectations of our children expecting to do that within a week.
WOLF: Well, Jo, you bring up things that they like to do, that they enjoy doing. And that's where this next disturbing part comes in.
NGUYEN: Uh-oh.
WOLF: My daughter, who is about to be 2, has got this real problem. It doesn't matter where she, it doesn't matter what the time of day is. She takes off her clothes all the time.
NGUYEN: She is going to hate you for putting this on national television when she's 18 years old.
WOLF: Well, you know, it happens. It's a true picture. She does this. And truth be told, I did the same thing too.
NGUYEN: I kind of did, too, truth be told.
WOLF: But I was a sophomore in college at the time. It was entirely a differently situation.
(LAUGHTER)
WOLF: But what can we do, honestly? I mean, she -- this is something that she does all the time.
FROST: Well, you know, do realize it's going to be a short phase. And secondly, I do think it's important to be able to give her the choice of the clothes that she chooses, you know. Just a few little things during the day that aren't a big deal, so that when she does start to take her clothes off and she is outside, you can actually tell her that you want them put back on. And if she doesn't listen to you, you can then start to implement discipline.
Now, she is of the age right now where you can follow through with that. So she starts to realize that she needs to listen to you and to do as she's told. WOLF: One last question.
FROST: But she's going for a reaction. You know, she's looking for a reaction, as well.
WOLF: One very quick last question. She's about to turn 2. Got a birthday present for her. Power tools, good idea or bad idea?
NGUYEN: Oh, Reynolds. Get out of here.
FROST: Only if it's plastic.
WOLF: OK.
NGUYEN: Let me get to a real question. This coming from one of our anchors, Fredricka Whitfield.
She's got a 3-year-old and she reads to him, trying to -- you put him down at night so that he'll sleep, and then she'll put him in his room, thinking that he'll eventually go to sleep. Well, no. He stays up and plays for three hours.
How do you prevent that?
FROST: She needs to look at her schedule, most definitely. Maybe he's sleeping too long in the afternoon. So, by the time she wants him to go down so that she can have an evening, as well, there's not enough break between the afternoon nap and the time he goes down for sleep. So he's going to be awake.
And that really sounds like this is the problem here. By the end of thee day, your little one should be absolutely looking forward to going to sleep.
NGUYEN: What were you saying, Reynolds?
All right, we've lost Reynolds.
But, Jo, this is some really good advice.
Bottom line, though, for those who are watching at whit's end, when do you know that, you know what? I need some professional help. I need the Supernanny or somebody?
FROST: Well, you know, I think it's really about recognizing what you can do yourself. And that's what the book's all about. It's about instilling the confidence from the beginning. So, you know, I really want to encourage parents to read the book and understand that you can break this down.
NGUYEN: You can do it -- yes.
FROST: Well, you can break it down. You know, the book does that. It breaks it down for you. Even though you're going to be anxious and worried and feeling excited all at the same time...
NGUYEN: But you can do this.
FROST: Of course.
NGUYEN: And they can do it with the help of the Supernanny.
FROST: Yes, of course.
NGUYEN: Thanks for your time today. We do appreciate it.
FROST: Thank you.
NGUYEN: Lots of good advice.
HOLMES: All right. And we've got another showdown.
NGUYEN: Uh-oh.
HOLMES: Not parents versus kids here...
NGUYEN: OK.
HOLMES: ... but an elderly woman going up against a tow truck driver.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARA GRAHAM, DISABLED DRIVER: He said that he would only put it down if I gave him $200 because my handicap thing wasn't displayed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Find out who backed down and whether the woman's car got towed.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: A dispute over a handicap parking space pits a tow truck driver against an elderly woman. The towing company says the driver was just doing his job, but grandma stood her ground.
The story now from Jack Penning of affiliate KGW in Portland.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JACK PENNING, REPORTER, KGW (voice over): An unusual scene outside Portland's downtown post office. A grandma...
GRAHAM: Although I will stay if I have to, but I don't want to do that and make the cops arrest me.
PENNING: ... facing the grill of a tow truck.
GRAHAM: And he said that he would only put it down if I gave him $200 because my handicap thing wasn't displayed.
PENNING: It all started when Sara Graham, who suffers from emphysema, parked in the disabled spot. When she went inside, a tow truck driver on an assigned patrol hooked up her car.
JOHN GRAHAM, DISABLED DRIVER'S SON: And I saw him towing the car, and I said, "Well, she has a handicap thing." And he said, "It's not displayed." I said, "Well let me display it."
