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American Morning
French Sky Driver Trying to Reach New Heights; Groundbreaking Pictures from Mars; Deadly Storms in Midwest; Finding Hope This Memorial Day
Aired May 26, 2008 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BOB BARR (L), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We can defend America without taking away the civil liberties and the privacy rights of American citizens and we ought to be doing that.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Former Congressman Bob Barr, now the Libertarian candidate for president. Thanks for joining us this morning. We'll see you on the trail.
BARR: Yes, sir, John. Thank you.
ROBERTS: All right. Thank you.
Kyra?
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: A French sky driver trying to reach new heights this morning and then fall to the earth. Michel Fournier trying to set a world record by free falling from 130,000 feet.
He'll rise up in a helium-powered balloon pod up to the edge of space and then jump. The jump is expected to happen shortly in the skies above Saskatchewan, Canada. And we'll bring it to you live.
Ground breaking pictures from Mars this morning. Now, for the first time ever, NASA successfully landed a probe near the north pole of the planet. Miles O'Brien joins us now live once again from Pasadena, California.
Miles, just thinking of the seven minutes of terror.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CHIEF TECHNOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, I was thinking about that free faller, too. It's a good thing NASA's parachute opened. Let's hope that his does as well, because the spacecraft came in, in a freefall -- the Phoenix Lander and everything happened according to plan after a long journey of 420 million miles over 10 months. They landed and they are about to hit pay dirt.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Phoenix has landed. Phoenix has landed.
O'BRIEN (voice-over): Talk about a happy landing. NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander arrived live and well on the surface of the red planet, opened its solar arrays and started snapping pictures like an eager tourist. 170 million miles away, the entrapped robot human keepers rejoiced.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is hardware that these guys have held in their hands. That they've nurtured, that they've sweated over for years. And then to see that very same hardware on the surface of another world, it's an incredible feeling.
O'BRIEN: It was an incredible descent. The $420 million Lander breezed through a searing perilous arrival at Mars. Pieces separated, the parachute unfurled, a radar started scanning the ground and a dozen rockets fired all as designed. And Phoenix slowed from 12,700 miles an hour to zero in all of seven minutes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today you had a chance to watch a team in action making something that is incredibly hard to do look easy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like trying to hit a hole in one. But you tee off in Washington and you hit the ball 10,000 miles and you score a hole in one in Sidney, Australia.
O'BRIEN: The last time NASA tried a soft landing on Mars like this, it was a disaster. The sister craft to Phoenix, the Mars Polar Lander crashed in 1999. The casualty of a cost-cutting program that NASA admits went too far. This time the space agency spent more money and is ready to focus on the mysteries of Mars.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a scientist's dream right here on this landing site.
O'BRIEN: They believe the rocky tundra here is filled with ice crystals which could hold clues about life on the planet.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For example if there are organic molecules, which is one of the key ingredients for life, they may be trapped within that ice.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: All right. Here is the Phoenix Lander, Kyra. And this is what's going to happen now. This is the way it is configured pretty much. They will continue surveying the landscape with this stereoscopic camera, does a 360. And then, when they are ready and they have a good sense of how the terrain looks, probably, sometime tomorrow, they will deploy this boom with a shovel on the end and they'll start digging into this hard as concrete tundra using a drill to help them.
They will bring it up, they will scoop it, and they'll put it in what amounts to a high-tech easy bake oven, cook it, put it through a spectrometer, and if there's some luck, they'll find that there are organic compounds inside that water frozen like in a deep freeze.
Kyra?
PHILLIPS: All right. When you say organic compounds, but in laymen's terms, people are wondering -- OK, could there have been life on Mars? What is the history of that planet? By these types of projects -- I mean, what is it that we could learn?
O'BRIEN: Well, big stuff, like are we alone in the universe. If there's water there, and we know that there is frozen ice crystals in that ground there. They're about to take a look at that and they are organics, and there's an energy source, that's pretty much a recipe for life.
So individually, they're getting all the ingredients kind of on the list. The question is maybe, could there possibly be some kind of life swimming around in an aquifer beneath the surface there. It could be.
PHILLIPS: Many alien? Little green Martians?
O'BRIEN: Yes. Yes. Think about that for a minute.
PHILLIPS: All right.
O'BRIEN: It's a mind bender, isn't it?
PHILLIPS: Miles O'Brien live from Pasadena, California. Thanks for getting up early.
O'BRIEN: All right.
ROBERTS: The latest now on the deadly storms in the Midwest. Tornadoes left at least eight people dead. One of the victims a two- year-old child in Minnesota. Seven people were killed in Iowa. Dozens of homes reduced to nothing more than splinters. More severe storms are expected today. One of the hardest-hit areas is Hugo, Minnesota. And you can see dozens of homes there, now just piles of timber.
AMERICAN MORNING's Ed Lavandera is live in Hugo this morning.
Ed, what's the scene like now on the ground now that the sun has come up and you get a pretty good vantage point there?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. Well, assessment teams are going back into this neighborhood. This is the subdivision where that two-year-old child was killed. These rescue teams going back in making sure there's no other body -- there's nobody else trapped in the rubble or any other victims inside. This tornado was on the ground for just a short moments but all in all, it was incredibly terrifying.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Two states, two stories of destruction. In Minnesota, a two-year-old child was killed, at least nine people injured and dozens of homes leveled after a tornado and severe thunderstorms pummeled Hugo and suburban Minneapolis St. Paul. Authorities say many residents were away for the holiday weekend but those who were there were in disbelief.
VOICE OF MIKE ERICSON, HUGO CITY ADMINISTRATOR: The devastation is very real, the residents are very real. Seeing the looks in their eyes, they just almost can't believe that it's happened.
LAVANDERA: It was only part of the destruction left by severe weather that rumbled through the nation's midsection this weekend. In Iowa, at least six are dead. A tornado touched down in the north central town of Parkersburg taking several lives there before moving on. Wreaking havoc and taking more lives ten miles away.
Also badly hit, Waterloo Iowa, where storms where marble-sized hail devastated homes, trees and power lines. Iowa governor Chet Culver declared a disaster area in the three counties. A Memorial Day weekend marked by tragedy that residents will only want to forget.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAVANDERA: And John, one amazing story of survival here. A six- year-old child pulled out of the rubble in this neighborhood. Dead at the time that the child was loaded into an ambulance, but rescue teams were able to resuscitate that child on the way to the hospital. And now the child is one of the critical and we're hoping to hear an update here in the coming hours from the hospitals. How those other injured victims are doing this morning.
John?
ROBERTS: All right. We'll look forward to that. Ed Lavandera for us this morning in Hugo, Minnesota.
It's coming up on seven minutes after the hour now. Falling out of the sky -- a French sky diver we've been telling you about is going to attempt to set a new record today by dropping more than 130,000 feet. We'll have an update for you on that, coming up.
PHILLIPS: Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, driven to downsize. The race to trade in the SUV for something, anything that's easier on the wallet. Chris Lawrence on how to get your hands on a hybrid, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Gas prices hitting another record on this big travel day. AAA says the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded gas is now $3.93. That is up 6/10 of a percent over Sunday's price, the 20th straight increase.
PHILLIPS: And AAA is also saying that for the first time since 2002, Americans had plans to drive less this Memorial Day weekend.
ROBERTS: More drivers are looking for smaller, fuel-efficient cars. But demand is high and if you can find one, you could be in for some sticker shock. Our Chris Lawrence takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After dropping $500 on gas last month, this SUV owner broke down and bought a Prius.
DALTON BUCKELS, BUYING A PRIUS: I mean, I didn't even test drive this. I didn't come down. I just called them and said I'll take it.
LAWRENCE: Dalton Buckels says hybrids are what some homes were three years ago, a competitive market with no room to haggle.
BUCKELS: Pretty much you're stuck with what they sell it at.
LAWRENCE: In last month, hybrid sales jumped 58 percent.
KENNY BURNS, HOLLYWOOD TOYOTA: As soon as the car comes in, it goes out the same day.
LAWRENCE: Hollywood Toyota sales manager says his dealership sells strictly by a waiting list which is 60 deep right now.
BURNS: Up at the market is over sticker on the vehicle, if you choose to ask it.
LAWRENCE: That means some dealers are charging premiums, selling Priuses for $3,000 over sticker price.
BURNS: They get the cars in and then they ask whatever they want to ask.
LAWRENCE: And it's not just hybrids. A 10-year-old Honda Civic with 200,000 miles just sold for $3500. In JD Power and Associates found the average price of sub-compact cars is up about $700 from last year.
JORGE FERNANDEZ, WHOLESALE DEALER: It doesn't matter if it's domestic or foreign, they're selling right off the lot.
LAWRENCE: In 1992, this model Geo Metro listed for about $7,000 brand new. Last week, one like it sold on eBay for $7,200. That's 200 bucks over its original price 16 years later.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it shows you what kind of gas miles the car is getting in real time.
LAWRENCE: For hybrid owners, it may take years to save enough on gas to make up the difference in price. After shelling out 100 bucks to fill up their old SUV's, 48 miles per gallon is looking pretty good. Eventually, production of fuel-efficient cars will catch up to the surge in demand.
LAWRENCE (on camera): But until then, don't count on being able to haggle over the price of a hybrid.
Chris Lawrence, CNN, Hollywood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Small car frenzy means that sales of SUVs are plummeting. Here's a look at some raw numbers in the AM Extra. Sales of the jeep commander SUV dropped 49 percent in April. The Chevy Tahoe was down 35 percent. And the Ford Explorer dropped 39 percent. Meanwhile, sales of Ford's smaller focus jumped 44 percent and sales of Toyota's Prius Hybrid jump 67 percent.
ROBERTS: Falling from the sky, a French sky diver plans to reach new heights this morning and then fall from them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: Fournier's ambition is very nearly out of this world. Lifted by a balloon, he'll ride a capsule like this one up through the atmosphere wearing an outfit similar to a space suit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: We'll have more on this record breaking attempt coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.
And Democrats want to make sure that their party has more money, no matter who the nominee is. But in the heat of the primary, will Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama really work together when it comes to fund-raising? We'll take a look.
PHILLIPS: And finding hope this Memorial Day. We'll tell you what the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says about the progress being made in Iraq. That's story and today's headlines when AMERICAN MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: On this Memorial Day, Americans are remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. In Arlington National Cemetery, more than 3,000 U.S. troops placed more than 260,000 miniature flags at every grave. The tradition known as Flags In dates back to the 1940s.
And President Bush will take part in a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown. That scheduled just before 11:00 a.m. Eastern and we'll bring it to you live here on CNN.
PHILLIPS: As the nation remembers the men and women who sacrificed their lives, it's also honoring the men and women fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan right now. Earlier, I spoke to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Mike Mullen just about the progress that he's seen in Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADM. MIKE MULLEN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF CHAIRMAN: I've seen Prime Minister Maliki in recent operations in Basra. What he's doing right now in Sadr City and the Iraqi Armed Forces performance up north in Mosul. And they may have turned the corner in that regard. I mean, they have actually executed some exceptionally good operations. So I'm a little more optimistic in that regard than, say, we were a year ago.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And the U.S. government reports that violence in Iraq has dropped to a level not seen since March of 2004.
It's one of the loudest Memorial Day tributes. Take a listen.
Roaring thunder roared into Washington yesterday for the 21st Annual Ride for Freedom and bikers across -- the group 88 Chapters from across the country and overseas came together in honor of the service members held captive or missing in action.
John, you were there, part of that ride.
ROBERTS: Yes, third time I've done it. And everybody gathers (INAUDIBLE) picture of me. One hand at the bars, taking a shot --
PHILLIPS: He's always multi-tasking, folks.
ROBERTS: It's coming down Interstate 66 in Virginia toward the Pentagon. But out at the dealership, patriot out there in Fairfax where we gathered this morning. There were some incredible sights to see. I think we've got the pictures from that, don't we?
This chopper, commissioned by the army, by the folks that toddles up in Orange County choppers, really an incredible piece of work. It almost looks like a stealth motorcycle. That's an update on the old WLA Harley that they used to ride back in World War II.
PHILLIPS: Is it Orange County chop.
ROBERTS: Orange County chopper made it. It's got an M4 carbon on the side of it. It's got a string of 762 machine gun ammunition. You can see there, the OCC logo. Really, an incredible piece of work. And that was ridden in by a command staff sergeant who spent time in Iraq. He rode that into downtown and to the Vietnam wall as well.
PHILLIPS: Check out the wheels. Looks like they are straight off of a tank?
ROBERTS: Pretty cool.
PHILLIPS: Well, world record attempt to put a hold -- or is on hold rather because of the bad weather. If the weather improves, we're hoping that French sky diver Michel Fournier will actually try to free fall from 130,000 feet just a little later today. Murray Oliver of our affiliate CTV has more on his jump.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MURRAY OLIVER, CTV REPORTER (voice-over): All quiet here now, but in just a few hours, 40 kilometers above this sleepy prairie airfield, a man plans to fall to earth from the edge of space.
Michel Fournier aims to set a record and test the body's survival in extreme altitudes.
FRANCINE LECOMPTE, GITTINS TEAM SPOKESPERSON: Everybody is (INAUDIBLE). We're looking at Michel who is so ready. I mean it's like he wants to jump. OLIVER: Fournier's ambition is very nearly out of this world. Lifted by a balloon, he'll ride a capsule like this one up through the atmosphere wearing an outfit similar to a space suit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The maximum is set.
OLIVER: Twice before, Fournier tried and failed to rise high enough. This time, the former paratrooper says re-end nothing will stop him.
He'll rise past 39,000 feet, average cruising altitude for a 747. Past 62,000 feet, the Armstrong line where blood boils without a pressurized suit. Past 103,000 feet, the current record set in 1960, reaching 130,000 feet, Michel Fournier will jump. He'll be in free fall descent for around seven minutes. His body reaching speeds of around 1,500 kilometers per hour.
LECOMPTE: What we really need to know -- I mean, what scientists needs to know, NASA needs to know, everybody. I mean, it's like, can a man survive at 1.3 max? You know -- I mean, that has never been done. We can answer that. That's going to be a real steppingstone for them.
OLIVER (on camera): Authorities in his native France refused to give permission to attempt the jump there so he's trying here. Fournier says it's all for the good of future space exploration. That the lessons learned will hopefully one day allow for the rescue of astronauts from outer space. Murray Oliver, CTV News, Saskatoon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Pretty incredible stuff and we'll keep an eye on this to see if he actually can make that record attempting jump later on today. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
We're following breaking news for you. An attack on a major pipeline and the impact that it's having on oil prices.
PHILLIPS: Deadly tornadoes pound the Midwest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know how my kid got out. I don't know how the rest of my employees got out. I'm just glad that they are safe and alive. I mean, I look at this and I can't believe that they are OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: We're going to have the latest on the extreme weather coming up.
ROBERTS: And behind the scenes in the campaign trails. We'll hear from a Clinton campaign insider on the mood of her supporters. That story when AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in the final stretch of the primary campaign now. After such a hard fought battle, will the two sides be able to join forces to win the White House for the Democrats?
Steve Grossman is a top Clinton fund-raiser and a former DNC chairman. He joins us now from Boston.
Steve, it's good to see you on this Memorial Day. Thanks for being with us.
STEVE GROSSMAN, CLINTON FUND-RAISER: Good morning, John, thanks for having me.
ROBERTS: Coming up on June 12th, you've had a very significant meeting there in Boston, where yourself, some top fund-raisers from both of the campaigns, and some surrogates are going to get together to sit down and have a big conversation. What's your goal from that meeting?
GROSSMAN: We're not only going to have a conversation, we're going to raise some money. We've got myself and the head of the Obama campaign in New England, Allan Solomont, former DNC finance chair, you've got Cam Kerry, John Kerry's brother who is being honored and we're going to raise a lot of money. And it's interesting, the sponsors for that event are pretty good mix of Obama and Clinton people.
So while people say I'm not sure these two sides can never come together, we've already found a formula because we know we're not going to win in November unless we're unified. So I'm pretty optimistic based on those signs. That even though people want this thing to end fairly and with respect, people need to know that there are unity efforts going on all over the country including here in Boston.
ROBERTS: So what you're doing there on June the 12th. Do you see this as being a template for the general election?
GROSSMAN: I do. Look, we need to not only win 270 electoral votes, we need to win a mandate. We need to win more seats in the House and more seats in the Senate. That's going to require unity. This has been the most exciting primary campaign of my adult lifetime.
40 million people will have voted. We need to find a formula. And for those people who are concerned about unity, we've got to keep reminding people what the Supreme Court would look like if John McCain is making those nominations as opposed to a Democrat.
ROBERTS: Do you have any question at this point that Barack Obama is going to be the Democratic nominee.
GROSSMAN: I'm not prepared to say this is over. Hillary Clinton has said she wants to stay in right through the 3rd of June. She wants to make sure that when the Democratic National Committee, rules committee comes together this Saturday that things are done in a fair way.
Look, she's won six of the last eight primaries. She will win the popular vote even without Michigan by the time Puerto Rico is counted. She's ahead in polling data against John McCain in places like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri. So this is not over. I understand the math is daunting. All of us understand this is a very, very huge uphill battle. But this is a race that should go right to the conclusion. Every vote should count.
ROBERTS: Here is what I'm wondering. Should Barack Obama become the nominee, what will the affect be among Hillary Clinton supporters and what, then, do you believe it would be incumbent on Barack Obama to do.
GROSSMAN: It depends a lot on the respect with which Hillary Clinton and her supporters are treated. That's why this meeting in Washington this Saturday is so important. Florida and Michigan have to be resolved.
Hillary has said I want every vote counted. And at the end of the day, if she comes up short, that kind of fairness and respect I think is critical to bringing those tens of millions of people who love Hillary and believe she would have been a great president or would be a great president.
I know it's a challenge but we've got to unify this party. The only way you're going to unify this party is for those people to be treated with the kind of dignity and respect and for her to be treated that way. I think Senator Obama understands that, which is why his rhetoric these days is highly respectful toward her and what she has meant to this country and to this race.
ROBERTS: Well, in terms of rhetoric, let me play for you a little bit of what he said the other day regarding Florida and Michigan. Let's listen to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The Clinton campaign has been stirring this up for fairly transparent reasons. They weren't stirring it up when they didn't need the delegates, right? So I think let's not be sort of pretend that we don't know what's going on. I mean, from their perspective, their last slender hope.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: You heard what he said, Steve. Is that the type of tone that you think he should be striking here?
GROSSMAN: Well, I think what he said last week more important was his sense that she has meant an enormous amount to voters in this country, her values, the way she's conducted this campaign. I understand. This is politics, John. This is tough business and we all understand that. The two and a half million people voted in those two states. I realized he wasn't on the ballot in Michigan. Those delegates need to be seated in some way that honors those votes.
So even though she may fall short, even having won the popular vote, we're going to come together. And I think you're going to see this process end in a way that gives Democrats our best chance in a long, long time.
You know, she talked earlier this week about how this campaign -- these campaigns have gone to June. Do you know that Franklin Roosevelt 1932 did not win the nomination until the fourth ballot in the convention? I mean, we've gone a long time into heavily contested primary processes and yet we've come out on top. So it's the way we end and the way we respect and treat one another that's absolutely critical to how this ends in November.
ROBERTS: Steve Grossman up there in Boston. Steve, thanks very much. We'll be watching that meeting very closely on the 12th of June.
GROSSMAN: Thanks for having me, John.
ROBERTS: Good to talk to you.
Kyra?
PHILLIPS: Turning now to extreme weather. More expected today in the Midwest. Just a day after tornadoes leave eight people dead including a two-year-old child. This was the scene in Iowa. At least seven people have died in that north central part of the state. The storm decimated the town of Parkersburg dropping hail the size of marbles. Here is how one witness described the chaos.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TYANN LESTER, WITNESSED TORNADO: I was on the phone with them the whole time that it was going on. And I got the "It's here, it's here, it's here. Get down, get down, get down, and then phone died." I mean, for a mom, for -- knowing your son is in the building. I mean, that was like the worst thing in the world for me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Officials declared a disaster area in three counties. And similar scenes of destruction in Minnesota. The hardest hit, the town of Hugo. About 25 miles just north of Minneapolis. Here is how the town looks right now.
A two-year-old child was killed in that storm. One witness described it as actually being pushed around by the twister.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUSTIN MOEN, WITNESSED TORNADO: We're in the lake in a little John boat. And it pushed us in ashore. We're in the (INAUDIBLE) and can't even get to shore. So we're just holding on. He was looking at me. Goes Kyle, look. I looked back and it was nothing but brown debris everywhere. (END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: 50 homes were destroyed there. Another 150 are damaged. Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty is planning to actually tour the area today. So, what does the weather hold in store for us? Actually today, Rob Marciano with us on the latest on all that extreme weather. Hey, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN, METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Kyra. Hey, John. We do have more severe weather in the forecast to look forward today. We'll talk about that just a second. But you know, this video that we've been showing of this destruction. You know, we've seen it time and time again. But to actually see a tornado form live on the air, that's remarkable. Take a look at this stunning video.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO (voice-over): Around 3:30, the storm spotted northwest of Oklahoma City by helicopter pilot Mason Dunn talking live with KWTV meteorologist Gary England.
MASON DUNN, HELICOPTER PILOT: It's not that strong right now but it could be, Gary.
MARCIANO: Minutes later at 3:33, Jacqui Jeras is live on CNN as the storm forms.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: There it is. There you can see the touchdown.
MARCIANO: At first, there's nothing but farmland ahead. Then less than a minute after touch down.
DUNN: Guys, there's structure there. I don't know if that's a house or whatever. There's a barn, several barns. And it's going - it looks like it's going to be right in the path here very shortly.
MARCIANO: The barns are part of a sprawling pig farm where six workers are running for cover.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We turned and look and turned left over here and that's when we've seen the tornado.
MARCIANO: Then a direct hit.
JERAS: Oh, look at that roof come off of that building. Wow. Really being thrown very far. Incredible pictures. This is actually happening right now.
MARCIANO: The barns are shredded in seconds. The workers ride it out in a brick office building.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We heard glass breaking, doors rattling.
MARCIANO: Less than two minutes later they are in the clear but the storm is on the move. DUNN: It's getting huge.
MARCIANO:: It would spawn at least four more tornadoes over the next hour, but nothing as vicious as what destroyed the farm where there was little left but piles of debris and some shocked little piggies.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO: The pigs are fine but that video amazing. That chopper pilot certainly knows what he's doing. And that video almost like something out of a movie. All right. We do have more severe weather expected today. It will stretch from parts of the Texas- Oklahoma panhandle through the usual spots, in through Kansas, Oklahoma. That's where we'll see the greatest threat for tornadoes. And then stretching across the Ohio River Valley, and through parts of upstate New York where the threat there will be hail and some extreme wind possible today. Unbelievable stuff, guys. How about that, huh?
ROBERTS: The most extraordinary video I've ever seen of a tornado. Question, what the heck is a helicopter doing in the air that close to a storm?
MARCIANO: These are affiliates out of Oklahoma City, John.
PHILLIPS: New form of storm chaser.
MARCIANO: They do it and they do it right. Gary England is legendary as a far as meteorologist in tornado ally. He certainly had guidance. These guys know what they are doing. To see the funnel form, and then reach down to the ground, touchdown. And then we picked it up on CNN and see that barn blown apart, it's like the finger of god...
ROBERTS: Unbelievable.
MARCIANO: A bad god at that, dropping down there. But luckily at least for that farm nobody was hurt.
ROBERTS: And all those pigs were inside. They were unharmed.
MARCIANO: They were well protected. You know, they sit pretty low to the ground. So, that sort of always helped.
ROBERTS: You don't want pigs standing on their hind legs when something like that comes along. That's for sure.
MARCIANO: Wild stuff.
ROBERTS: Extraordinary pictures. Rob, thanks very much.
MARCIANO: You bet.
ROBERTS: Wow. Breaking news overseas, and an explosion on a crowded passenger train in the capital of Sri Lanka. Police say at least four people killed. So far, no word on how many were injured. Authorities there already on heightened alert after three bombs were found in three different towns.
And more breaking news this morning. Militants say they destroyed a major oil line in Nigeria. The government there has confirmed an explosion at a Royal Dutch shell plant. But so far the impact on oil output not clear. Right now oil prices are up at $133 a barrel. And the rising price of fuel prompting hundreds in Indonesia to protest. The crowds through rocks and fuel bombs at police. But officials say no one was injured during the protest.
PHILLIPS: Mothers win their children back. It's a battle of church versus state with kids caught right in the middle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was so comforting to hold them, to take them out and put them in the car and know that we were going to stay with them that night.
PHILLIPS: But hundreds of children are still in shelters across Texas. CNN talks to one of the families who got their kids back.
ROBERTS: And a working weekend for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in Puerto Rico this weekend. We'll tell you about their pitch to the island's voters. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: It wasn't quite a vacation but Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were campaigning in Puerto Rico over the weekend. 55 delegates will be up for grabs in next Sunday's primary. And guess who's there covering all the action? Our Suzanne Malveaux. Good morning to you. Looks like the sun is coming up, another beautiful day.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, we got another beautiful day, John. Really nice. Good to see you. There are two messages that coming out here over the weekend. One from Barack Obama that is "si, modemos." That means "yes, we can" in Spanish. There's another message from Hillary Clinton that is front page of the paper here, and it is essentially any time, any place she wants another debate with Barack Obama.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Campaigning Puerto Ricans call (borico) style.
Barack Obama at a camanica, traditional Puerto Rican political parade.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To make a difference. It's exciting. Really exciting. And I think I'm really proud to be part of all this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For some reason we do have a big delegation. So it does make a difference in the amount of delegates. That's a big factor.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If we win the nomination, we'll win the general election.
MALVEAUX: Obama first opened a campaign office here two months ago. He put out ads in Spanish. He talks about growing up on the island of Hawaii with little means and stresses the need to bring U.S. troops from Puerto Rico serving in Iraq home. For Hillary Clinton facing increasingly tough odds to win the nomination, capturing as many of Puerto Rico's 55 pledged delegates and the popular vote is critical in convincing undecided superdelegates to swing her way.
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I promise you this, I will work for a resolution for Puerto Rico status by the end of my first term.
MALVEAUX: Bill and Chelsea Clinton have stumped here before. Clinton is the favored. As the senator of New York, she represents one million Puerto Ricans in her home state and she's got a strong Latino following.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's the best candidate not only for Puerto Rico but for the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're hoping that she continues and that once they decide the votes of Michigan and Florida, hopefully she will still be in the game.
MALVEAUX: Since Puerto Rico is a commonwealth and not a state, residents here can vote in the primary but not the general election. Issue number one here is state hood. Both candidates pledge to resolve it during their first term leaving it up to the Puerto Ricans to decide what's best while Clinton went a step further suggesting a constitutional amendment which would allow those in the island to vote.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX (on-camera): John, there are four million people who live here, another four million Puerto Ricans on the mainland. So, Clinton is certainly hoping that gives her an edge here. Barack Obama is moving beyond Puerto Rico. He's campaigning in New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, obviously looking forward to the general election. John.
ROBERTS: Obviously there are a lot of issues that go into this idea of staying the commonwealth as opposed to becoming a state. Because there have been referendums before but is there any thought from the Puerto Ricans you've talked to before, like, hey, we've had so much fun in this primary season, let's become a state and let's be able to play in the general elections, get some electoral votes here.
MALVEAUX: Well, there a lot of people who are excited about that possibility. If they were to become a state, they could actually vote for president. Now, what's interesting is nine of the candidates have actually committed to that. They have both stayed neutral on the issue. That is really kind of safe position, stay neutral on the issue. That is really kind of a safe position and say, look, we leave it to you, Puerto Ricans, to decide what's in your interest, in your best interest. Both of the candidates also saying we're going to take this issue on. We're going to resolve this, if we become president in the first term. So, obviously a very important, a hot issue for Puerto Ricans. A lot of people say hey, let's jump on board here. We want to participate because this is very exciting, very interesting.
ROBERTS: It opens up a whole new conversation. And if I see you do one live shot from the lounge chair, I'm coming down there to get you myself.
MALVEAUX: Come on, John. The more the merrier. We were on those lounge chairs.
ROBERTS: Suzanne Malveaux for us in Puerto Rico this morning. Suzanne, thanks.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS (voice-over): Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, the summer shuffle. Jeanne Meserve tries to take off.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the crew just announced that we're going to be delayed for about an hour.
PHILLIPS: Tagging along on her quest to put airlines to the test.
MESERVE: So here we are in Dayton. We got here four minutes early even though we took off from Newark, almost an hour late.
PHILLIPS: Cracking airline arithmetic and other myths ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Reunited after the raid, three families from that Texas polygamist ranch have their children back this morning but they're still not allowed back into the compound where officials say they found pregnant teens and child brides. CNN's Sean Callebs sat down with one of the families.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For weeks, FLDS members have complained Texas officials had no right to seize more than 450 children from the sect ranch near El Dorado. Now, that an appeals court has sided with the FLDS, a dozen children for the time being have been reunited with their parents.
JOSEPH JESSOP, FLDS MEMBER: It was so comforting to hold them, to take them out, put them in the car and know we were going to stay with them that night.
CALLEBS: Joseph and Lori Jessop were reunited with their children Friday. We're not showing the faces of any FLDS children because it's still unclear if they were victims of a crime. The Jessops say their children were hospitalized while in state care and the entire incident has scarred the young ones. And they believe the raid was a form of religious persecution.
JOSEPH JESSOP: We don't feel like they will just back off until they have thoroughly investigated everything and prosecuted us for anything they can.
CALLEBS: Allegations of multiple marriages and child brides. One of the conditions of the interview with the couple is that the Jessops, who say they are monogamous not be asked about polygamy. Renee Haas is their attorney.
RENEE HASS, JESSOP LAWYER: I see every indication that CPS wants to keep these children and I see every indication that they want to destroy the religion.
CALLEBS: The state remains adamant that child abuse was prevalent at the ranch and that the children were removed for their own safety.
The ordeal has made the Jessops targets of taunts.
LORI JESSOP, FLDS MEMBER: People yell at us, polygs. It hasn't been so much now but it was first.
CALLEBS: Polygs stands for polygamists. The Jessop say they just want to live in private on the YFZ ranch but believe Texas authorities won't let that happen. Sean Callebs, CNN, San Antonio, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, families currently living together but under state supervision San Antonio. They are not allowed back into that compound.
ROBERTS: It is 14 minutes now to the top of the hour. And CNN NEWSROOM just minutes away. Tony Harris at the CNN Center now with a look at what's ahead. Good morning to you, Tony. Good memorial day to you.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, sir. Good morning, everyone. Good morning, John, memorial day in the NEWSROOM. President Bush with remarks live from Arlington National Cemetery this morning. He speaks at 11:15 a.m. Eastern time. We'll bring those comments to you live. The governors of Iowa and Minnesota tour tornado damage this morning. Eight deaths after violent storms roar across the Midwest. The Phoenix lander beams back incredible pictures of the Martian arctic. Hey, where is the ice?
And would we surprise you with a new gas record? Didn't think so. Join us in the NEWSROOM. We get started at the top of the hour on CNN. John, back to you.
ROBERTS: Where is the ice?
HARRIS: Where is the ice? Where is the red? Where is all the red?
ROBERTS: It doesn't look the same as it does in the movies.
HARRIS: Hello. Help me someone.
ROBERTS: Tony, thanks.
For cancer patients dealing with the illness can be daunting. One of the biggest problems, sorting out the good information from the bad. Coming up, we'll show you where to get the info that you need to be an empowered patient.
PHILLIPS: And our Jeanne Meserve puts the airlines to the test by flying the most delayed route in America.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE: The board showed Continental Flight 2286 on time. We headed for the gate and boarded just a few minutes late. But just after they shut the door, well, the crew just announced we're going to be delayed for about an hour because of airport traffic.
PHILLIPS: How it turned out straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Cancer. Hearing the word from your doctor can be devastating and life changing. So what do you do after being diagnosed? Our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us now with how you can become an empowered patient. Elizabeth, what's the first thing that somebody facing a cancer diagnoses needs to do.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: One of the first things that they can do John is they can turn to the internet for some quick information about their disease. Usually a cancer diagnoses comes out of the blue. People don't know anything about it. And we point people to some of the best sites to get quick information. And if you look on the internet really carefully and we do that work for you, you can find sites to teach you all sorts of things.
For example, there are sites that will teach you how to read a pathology report. And that will tell you what kind of tumor you have, how fast it's growing. There are sites that tell how to pick a doctor. There are also sites that gives you specific treatment options. If you have cancer x, you a, b, and c options. Those are extremely valuable sites to have. We link to several dozen Web sites on our column this week at cnn.com/empoweredpatient. John.
ROBERTS: So, there are a number of different aspects of a cancer diagnosis, there's the emotional, physical component but there's also a financial component because seeking treatment for cancer can be financially devastating. What can people do?
COHEN: It absolutely can be. Even if you have good insurance it can be financially devastating. And John, I'll tell you, I was surprised, pleasantly surprised at how much help cancer patients can get and you can find all the information on the internet. For example, you can find places that give grants to help people find treatment when they can't pay for it, also to give grants to pay for medicine, and there's even money available for travel. Many people need to go to a cancer center to get the care that they need.
ROBERTS: What about support groups? We hear an awful lot about that from people who have beaten cancer. They say I did it with the help of a support group.
COHEN: John, there are so many support groups out there. When we went on the internet we found them listed in all sorts of various places. We put it all together so you can find a support group that you need, whether it's one you sit in a room with other cancer patients or some people refer to do it online support groups. So, what you want is go to cnn.com/empoweredpatient and you'll find a listing of many, many support groups that you can join.
ROBERTS: Elizabeth Cohen with some important information for us this morning. Elizabeth, thanks.
COHEN: Thanks.
PHILLIPS: "Big Brown" will try to deliver a triple crown win on an injured hoof. "Big Brown," you remember the winner of the Kentucky derby and the Preakness, missed two days of training with an injury to his left front hoof. He's got two more weeks to recover. The Belmont stakes is the third leg of the triple crown, by the way, June 7th.
And New Zealand's Scott Dixon won the Indianapolis 500, taking advantage of a starting position on the pole but Dana Kilpatrick's dreams were pretty much dashed by a crash on pit road. Yes, she was entering the pit, her car was clipped by Ryan Bristow, breaking the rear suspension and basically knocking her right out of the race. She wasn't too happy about it and try to actually go "talk to Bristow." She didn't have talking on her mind, by the way. And then she got whisked away from Security. There she goes, the gloves are off. She's got the strut. She's cussing up a storm right now. She's ready to take off the helmet and ready to blow his one between the eyes.
ROBERTS: I love the security guys who jumps over with a head on his shirt like, I think you might want to rethink this thing. I mean, no fighting in the pits.
PHILLIPS: She's already got the adrenaline rush coming. You know a woman when she gets upset with a man.
ROBERTS: She is tenacious.
PHILLIPS: To say the least.
ROBERTS: She is tenacious.
PHILLIPS: Well, headaches on the tarmac as more people begin traveling, Jeanne Meserve decided to put the airlines to the test and one flight dubbed the worst delay in the country, by the way. Did she ever make it to her destination on time? We'll have the answer. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING on this Memorial Day. A big travel day for the country as many families return home from the long weekend. Looking at live pictures there as the sun is coming up in California. This morning at Los Angeles International Airport. And get this. And this is so unlike a Monday morning. No delays. No major delays anywhere right now. Janell, our producer comes in our ear, no traffic either. No traffic going to the airport at least. Could be later.
PHILLIPS: Well, we did put the airlines to the test. Jeanne Meserve got pretty gutsy. She braved the most delayed flight in the country, 90 minutes late on average, by the way.
ROBERTS: See, we paid her to do it. She joins us now live from Newark Liberty International Airport. How was the flight, Jeanne?
JEANNE MESERVE: Well, I'll tell you, we really got an education on this one. The idea was to find out whether or not travelers would face the kind of delays this summer that they did last summer. We took this flight, the most delayed for the longest time, most often according to the most recent statistics. It originated right here in Newark.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE (voice-over): Our journey started last Wednesday evening.
That's Europe. We don't need that unfortunately. We wish we were flying to Europe but only Dayton today. The board showed Continental flight 2286 on time. We headed for the gate and boarded just a few minutes late. But just after they shut the door, well, the crew just announced we're going to be delayed for about an hour because of airport traffic. We waited in a long line for takeoff. And it was, indeed, almost an hour before we were airborne.
So, here we are in Dayton. We got here four minutes early even though we took off from Newark almost an hour late.
How is that possible? Continental put an hour pad in the schedule to compensate for Newark's routine delays. That gives passengers a realistic arrival time but it also means that our wait on the tarmac wasn't recorded as a delay, which makes this statistic even more amazing. In March, this flight was officially late more than 92 percent of the time with an average delay of an hour and a half. This flight may be the worst, but the cascading affects of bad weather, congested airspace and the over scheduling of flights at some airports is making plenty of other flights late, too.
SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: Passengers were delayed by 320 million hours last year. 320 million hours. If you divide that by 24 hours in a day, 365 days a year, passengers were delayed a total of 36,500 years.
MESERVE: And if your flight is canceled, it could be tough to get another.
BYFORD TREANOR, DALLAS-FORT WORTH INT'L AIRPORT: Because of load backers being as high as they are and the flights are limited. It's not just a simple thing of getting up the next day, it may take you one or two days to get out.
MESERVE: The airport at Dallas-Ft. Worth is trying to ease that pain. It now has a stock of cots and pillows, toiletry kits, even diapers and formula for stranded travelers.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE: Now, steps are being taken to try and make this better. The Federal Aviation Administration has announced that they'll be opening some military air space to commercial aviation. Also pilots have been given the chance to go around bad weather. Back to you.
ROBERTS: Jeanne, are you heading home today?
MESERVE: You bet. And I'm going by train.
ROBERTS: Good deal. Jeanne, thanks very much. Good Memorial Day to you as well. Thanks so much for joining us on this AMERICAN MORNING. We'll see you again tomorrow.
PHILLIPS: And remember our fallen heroes today.
