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American Morning
Afghan Troops and Taliban Militants May Be Preparing for Battle; Viral Video that's Popping All Over the Internet; One Human Rights Group in the Middle East Now Arming Civilians with Camcorders; Dozens of Gay Couples in California Waking Up Today As Married Couples
Aired June 17, 2008 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: All of that this morning. But we begin that. They thought the 1993 floods were once in a lifetime but turns out it's just once in 15 years. Coverage in all of that.
But we begin with the "Most Politics in the Morning." And former Vice President Al Gore, one of the last big-name Democrats getting behind Barack Obama. The endorsement was not a total surprise, but it does mark Gore's first foray back into presidential politics. He made the announcement last night in Detroit in front of some 20,000 cheering supporters saying that he will do whatever he can to make sure that Obama is the next president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT: I speak to you this evening as a citizen of the United States. I speak to you also as a citizen of the world because the outcome of this election will affect the future of our planet. For America to lead the world through the dangers we're facing, to seize the opportunities before us, we've got to have new leadership. Not only a new president, but new policies. Not only a new head of state, but a new vision for America's future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: And a joint appearance with Al Gore and Barack Obama has got insiders chattering about Obama's search for a vice presidential running mate. More on that now from CNN's Mary Snow.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Kiran, Senator Obama doesn't have a running mate but he does have a chief of staff for whoever he chooses.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW (voice-over): Barack Obama's campaign announcing that former Clinton campaign manager, Patti Solis Doyle, will serve as chief of staff to the eventual vice presidential nominee. She was pushed out of her job with Clinton back in February after the campaign hit hard times.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, FROM CNN'S "THE SITUATION ROOM")
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: She is not at this point the favorite person of Clintonites (ph).
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: So should we read into this that Hillary Clinton is not going to get that pick?
CROWLEY: I can tell you that some people do saying, well, if she's going to be in charge of the vice presidential staff, this certainly means that Hillary Clinton won't be picked. I'm not sure I'd go that far.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: Former Virginia Governor Mark Warner accepted his party's nomination for Virginia's open Senate seat, ruling out any chance of being Obama's running mate. And this guy -- former Senator presidential candidate and vice presidential candidate, John Edwards, is now leaving some room to maneuver.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, FROM ABC'S "THIS WEEK SUNDAY")
JOHN EDWARDS (D), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I'd take -- I'd take anything he asked me to think about seriously. But obviously, this is something I've done and it's not a job that I'm seeking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: Other names being mentioned, another former primary rival, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and two big Clinton backers, Indiana Senator Evan Bayh and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell. Add Virginia Senator Jim Webb, former Georgia Senator Sam Nunn, and Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius to the long list, too.
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No word on the McCain- Romney ticket?
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Not yet.
SNOW: The list of possible number twos on John McCain's GOP ticket hasn't changed much in the past few weeks. Among those mentioned are two one-time rivals for the nomination, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and ex-Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: Other names on the list of potentials for McCain, Florida Governor Charlie Crist, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, and Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. All are considered strong candidates -- John and Kiran.
ROBERTS: Mary Snow for us this morning with the VP stakes parlor game. KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: That's right. A lot of speculation. Still no real clues.
But Senator John McCain, by the way, is going to be delivering a major energy policy speech today in Houston. He's going to propose an end to the federal ban on offshore oil drilling and also create incentives for coastal states that pursue energy off their own waters.
It wasn't just energy on his mind. McCain also blasted Barack Obama for his "bitter comments about small-town America."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I won't tell them that in small towns across America and Pennsylvania that they are bitter or angry about their economic conditions. So therefore, they embrace religion and the Second Amendment of the constitution of the United States. I will never do that because I know why they embrace their constitutional rights, and I know why -- that they embrace their religion because they're fundamentally good and decent people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: McCain also criticized Obama for not visiting Iraq in nearly 900 days.
Well, Barack Obama taking his economic message to Michigan criticizing John McCain's spending policies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We've borrowed billions from countries like China to finance needless tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and an unnecessary war. And yet Senator John McCain is explicitly running to continue and expand these policies without a plan to pay for it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Obama promising to spend billions to improve America's education infrastructure, energy and health care systems. He also says he'd pay for it by ending the war, reducing government waste and ending wealthy tax cuts -- John.
ROBERTS: To California now where history will unfold today. It's the first full day that same-sex couples can marry. The court order legalizing same-sex marriage kicked in last night.
Dozens of couples lined up to tie the knot including Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, both in their 80s. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom presided over their wedding, something that the couple waited decades to see happen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR GAVIN NEWSOM (D), SAN FRANCISCO: Today we can confidently say it's the first day in the state of California that we are providing marriage equally and fairly to everyone, denying no one their right and their opportunity to live their lives out loud.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Opponents of the California ruling, though, are now pushing for a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as a union only between a man and a woman. Here's more on all that in your "AM Extra."
Massachusetts is the only other state that currently allows same-sex marriages. It's been legal there since 2004. Residents of Rhode Island, New York and New Mexico can also marry in Massachusetts because their home states will recognize those marriages. Four other states allow civil unions with essentially the same rights as marriage -- Connecticut, New Hampshire, New Jersey and Vermont -- Kiran.
CHETRY: There are some new concerns this morning for cities and towns along the swollen Mississippi River. The River is expected to crest over the next several days, and the Army Corps of Engineers says more than two dozen levees are at risk.
Almost 40,000 people have been evacuated from their homes. Twenty-two people have died in the flooding. The economic toll is expected to be in the billions. President Bush plans to visit the region on Thursday.
Also, the federal government says that a strong Category Two hurricane could spell disaster again for New Orleans. It's been nearly three years since Hurricane Katrina and $7 billion in reconstruction efforts, but officials say that a strong storm surge could overpower many of the city's levees. The Army Corps of Engineers says it hopes to finish rebuilding New Orleans' hurricane protection system by 2011.
ROBERTS: New this morning, military lawyers warn harsh interrogation techniques could be illegal weeks before Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld approved them back them in 2002. And according to a Senate panel investigation, senior administration officials enlisted the help of military psychologists to find more aggressive methods.
Military leaders said the nation's new Homeland Security Nerve Center has "severe physical security problems." NORAD's new facility is located at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs. It moved there in May from Cheyenne Mountain. Officials say the existing security system at the air force base would fail if attacked by even a low level threat.
CHETRY: Flooding in the Midwest devastating lives and destroying crops. The impact will be felt across the country. Find out why your grocery bill is likely to go up.
Also new today, Barack Obama saying he'll visit Iraq before Election Day. It's been more than two years since his last trip and before the so-called surge. John McCain says a lot has changed since then. We go to Baghdad for answers.
ROBERTS: Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, devastated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not for sure I even want to go back to my house.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Neighborhoods destroyed by floodwaters. And while some families get their first look --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mud. Inch -- inch thick on everything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Others are left to wait and wonder.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We haven't been inside to see really how bad it is. We still don't know what we're going to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Inside a disaster zone. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Continue to follow the devastating floods in the Midwest, ruining living and destroying crops.
Stephanie Elam is in for Ali Velshi today to talk about the potential impact. They said what? A billion dollars in crop losses in Iowa alone and how that's going to trickle down.
STEPHANIE ELAM, BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: And the thing is, you know, you think about this, Kiran and John, it's something that may just affect the people in the Midwest. But this is far more wide reaching here when we look at what exactly could happen here with the crops because of the fact that corn, soybean, wheat -- all of these crops really taking a hit. And this is something that they're under water still right now. So that's --
We're not even talking about planting them again. So this is obviously a problem here. That could mean higher grocery prices next year as we head into that period and also take a look at the inflation fears that we've been dealing with. That's another issue.
So while we talk about corn, it's not just corn on the cob obviously. There's a lot of other uses. And so, let's take a look at that. Meat, because a lot of the animals out there, they eat corn so therefore, it could affect the meat prices as well.
Dairy, same thing. Sweeteners, you know, high fructose corn syrup. That's also made from corn, so it's wide reaching on the effects here.
And then beyond that, there's some uses that are not even related to food. Think about ethanol. There's also toothpaste, mouthwash that you use -- use these as well.
So all of these things coming together -- some plastics. So when you think about the costs involved in this, it really will be far more wide-reaching than we can even imagine at this point. So we have to wait and see how it looks after the waters recede.
ROBERTS: Stephanie, thanks. We'll keep watching that story.
With Hillary Clinton's campaign suspended, who will women voters turn to? New polls say Barack Obama leads John McCain in the female vote, but is it a lock for Obama? We'll take a look later on this hour.
Plus, Rob Marciano is tracking the extreme weather for us this morning. Good morning, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, John. Flooding continues to be the big story and will be as we go through this week. We'll tell you just how high it's going to get.
The Mississippi is next on the list, and it could be worse than '93. Weather is coming up when AMERICAN MORNING comes right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Rocco Mediate misses a par putt, and Tiger Woods wins the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines on the 91st hole. Tiger getting at golf's toughest test and a bum knee, finally beating Rocco Mediate after an 18-hole playoff and then one final sudden death showdown.
It's Tiger's 14th major win putting him now four behind Jack Nicklaus who has 18. Tiger's bum knee may keep him out of the British Open in five weeks. But, hey, you got to ask yourself, if you could win a U.S. Open on a bum knee why couldn't you win the British open?
CHETRY: That's right. And this one just went on and on. No wonder they played 91 holes when all was said and done, and he came out on top.
ROBERTS: You know, he won at the 19th hole yesterday. You know, some golf matches have been decided at the 19th hole, but it's usually over shots. Not, you know, actually playing through.
CHETRY: But it was thrilling for sure.
Rob Marciano is at the weather center in Atlanta. I bet you, you probably found that just as exciting as let's say your Yankees playing? Yes?
MARCIANO: Yes, yes. It's frustrating I was on the road so I was getting updates from my friends on the phone, and that's not quite as riveting as seeing it on TV. Good morning, everybody. Definitely a fantastic U.S. Open. Those 18- hole playoffs are usually snoozers, but Rocco and Tiger certainly put a show on.
All right. This show continues. These are the river gauges. The oranges are where you're seeing strong or moderate flooding. And the pinks and purples, that's where you're seeing the near record flooding in spots.
Let's go to Iowa. Obviously Eastern Iowa, southeast Iowa, the most extensive flooding here. Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, the Iowa River through Iowa City, much of the university there flooded. As far as where this water is and where it's going, we'll pull up the chart to show you when we expect it to crest. Well, it's already done that. So this is going to go down.
But it's still above the record stage. It's above major stage down here. Above the record stage at 28.5 until Friday afternoon.
All right, down the river we go. All of this has to flow into the Mississippi, and eventually get down to the Gulf of Mexico. So the Mississippi is beginning to swell as well. Down through Quincy, Illinois, this is where we expect to see flooding that could very much -- very well rival 1993.
A little bit of a crest here, but we're going back up. And on Friday morning, we could very well crest at 32 feet. That record set back in 1993, and at that time they said that was a 500-year flood. So if we touch it again that would be twice in 15 years, and that certainly would have to rework the statistics on that one.
All right. Here's where your flood watching and warnings are across these usual spots. Where we're going to see the rainfall today, luckily not so much in the flood zones but we do have a severe weather threat today across parts of the Tornado Alley and through the foothills of the Rockies. Damaging winds, large hail and a few tornadoes possible with this.
Good news for the East Coast. After the rough weather last night, you're clearing out, you're cooling down. A much more tranquil day expected across the northeast today.
Kiran --
CHETRY: Yes.
MARCIANO: Welcome back. Good to see you.
CHETRY: Thank you. I missed you, Rob. You know, I was going to file an I-report for you just for the heck of it yesterday. We lost power for about eight hours yesterday in Westchester County just north of New York City.
MARCIANO: Let's go. Come on. You know --
ROBERTS: Can you imagine, Rob. No electricity and she still comes into work looking like that?
Unbelievable.
MARCIANO: Fabulous. It's a natural beauty.
CHETRY: All the heavy lifting is done here in hair and makeup.
ROBERTS: We'll see you again soon, Rob.
MARCIANO: All right.
ROBERTS: New today, Barack Obama says he'll visit Iraq before the election. We're going to talk about the critical differences between the candidates on the war and whether the trip could change his stand. We're going to live to Michael Ware in Baghdad for some answers.
CHETRY: Also ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, viral videos.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not working.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to work. Give it a second.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: If cell phones can pop popcorn, can these subversive ads sell something you never see?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: But never in these videos do we even see a blue tooth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Alina Cho takes us behind the campaign that's popping up all over the Internet. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING.
Barack Obama says he'll visit Iraq and Afghanistan before Election Day, but Obama and his opponent John McCain have some big differences over just how they would wage the war in Iraq and how they would end it. McCain says Obama is wrong for opposing the surge, and Obama says McCain's judgment is flawed.
So we're going to go to the war zone to get some answers. Our Michael Ware live in Baghdad for us. And you know, Barack Obama spoke with Iraq's foreign minister. One of the things he talked about was reiterating this plan to pull out. Is there concern on the ground, Michael, about a possible Obama presidency?
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, not in the sense, perhaps, people in America might think. Certainly within the Iraqi government, the general mood is that, yes, I would like American troops to leave but in a gradual way. Essentially the Iraqis want to get their hands on this war.
They want to take over their own country. Now, some of the current administration believes the threat of withdrawal is a stick with which to motivate the Iraqi government. That just isn't so. So while officially there's very little support from immediate American withdrawal, many of the Iraqis certainly would like to see the Americans start going home. They'd like to have continued support.
But bottom line, you know, people here on the ground are far too worried about getting sewage off their streets, hoping for some trickle of electricity and literally manning the barricades around their communities here in Baghdad to really have much of a concern about the change in presidency. Most Iraqis think it will be much of a much (ph). They'll see a continuation of what they think is ongoing American policy -- Kiran.
CHETRY: The foreign minister also saying this morning that there is a security agreement within reach to be hammered out with Americans. What are still the biggest points of contention?
WARE: Well, obviously from, you know, this happening on several levels, there's the nature of U.S. bases, the rights to Iraqi air space. That kind of thing. But really what's at stake here is will America be able to continue fighting its war here in Iraq.
What the Iraqis want according to an aide to the prime minister is for Americans to be set on certain bases and to be forced to remain there. And if they want to leave those bases they have to ask the Iraqis' permission. That will impede any -- any bid to curb Iranian influence or indeed to attack al-Qaeda.
But more greatly, beyond the conduct of war is the victory or defeat of the U.S. mission. And that's going to be saying things about who's going to control the intelligence services here in Iraq.
Right now, the CIA runs one of them. An Iranian-based faction runs another. Under this agreement that Baghdad has to strike with Washington if it decides it wants to continue that kind of relationship, what becomes of the intelligence agencies?
America doesn't want to see Iran running the show. But if that's the Iraqis choice, they're technically free to make it -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Very interesting. There is still a lot to be hammered out. Michael Ware for us in Baghdad today, thanks -- John.
ROBERTS: Twenty-three minutes after the hour.
The battle for female voters is on. John McCain may have a tough road ahead if he wants to woo women. What can he do to take them away from Barack Obama?
Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, afraid to go home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just seeing my backyard, I'm not for sure I even want to go back to my house.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Their houses destroyed by floodwaters. Families come face to face with reality.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We talked about just moving and not even try to fix it or rebuild it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: A look at what the floods left behind. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK, "THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN")
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": John McCain now, you've got to be smart if you're going into politics. It's not like a dumbbell TV show. You got to be pretty bright to go into politics.
So John McCain, listen to this. He's going after the Hillary Clinton female voters. Yes. And as a matter of fact, today he was campaigning in a pantsuit. Now, that's true. That's a true story.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Hey, it's a battle for women voters on the "Most Politics in the Morning."
John McCain might not be wearing a pantsuit, but he is trying to appeal to disaffected supporters of Hillary Clinton. It's looking like it might be tough go for McCain, though.
A recent Gallup tracking poll shows Barack Obama with a 13 percent advantage among women voters. So are women a lock for Obama?
Let's ask Patricia Murphy. She's the editor at Citizenjanepolitics.com, an independent non-partisan political Web site, and she joins us from our Washington bureau this morning. Good morning to you.
PATRICIA MURPHY, EDITOR, CITIZENJANEPOLITICS.COM: Good morning.
ROBERTS: So John McCain actively courting Hillary supporters. Again, as we said, not in a pantsuit as David Letterman might suggest. But let's listen to a little bit about what he said in his appeal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I know how to reach across the aisle. I will attract independents, Democrats. By the way, those supporters of Senator Clinton, I welcome you here today. But, so --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: So there you go. The active outreach. Does McCain have any kind of a chance with these hard-line Hillary supporters? What are you hearing from them on your Web site?
MURPHY: Well, I think he has a chance with some of them. There has been some recent polling that most of those Hillary Clinton supporters, about 60 percent of them, have already decided to go for Barack Obama. But then among that 40 percent that's left, we've got about 20 percent, I think, who John McCain does have a shot with. Twenty percent of those women are probably going to go over to Obama eventually because he's so similar to Hillary Clinton on policy issues.
But a lot of women who I'm hearing from and I get e-mails from them all the time, say they either think that Obama doesn't have the experience to be president, Hillary Clinton did. John McCain is their next choice. And the rest of them are just worried about how it all ended for Hillary Clinton. They are still very disappointed. They may go over to Obama, but they're very open to supporting John McCain.
ROBERTS: Yes, Patricia, are some of them just angry that Barack Obama beat their preferred candidate?
MURPHY: I wouldn't -- I don't think it's anger. I think it is disappointment over the way, maybe, Hillary Clinton was treated. But women have gotten, I think, past that disappointment, and now they're really looking at the issues. And they are there -- the women who are still open to John McCain I think are still the ones who think that experience is more important than somebody who's going to bring change.
ROBERTS: Right.
So on that point, Barack Obama is ridiculing John McCain's outreach to these women saying that he's wrong on every issue that matters to women voters. But among white women, at least, as we saw during the primaries, Barack Obama ran into some trouble.
Hillary Clinton won white women, running away. Does he have some work to do to court that very, very important voting bloc this November?
MURPHY: He does. He has some work to do. He's very lucky that he has a lot of women's groups who are helping him do that, and they are convinced that the more that women know about John McCain and his record, particularly on abortion and Roe v. Wade, that they will come over to Barack Obama rather than John McCain. But I will say just because a candidate is pro-life doesn't mean they couldn't win the women's vote. Reagan won the women's vote both times.
ROBERTS: Right.
MURPHY: And George H.W. Bush won the women's vote. So John McCain has an opening.
ROBERTS: Yes. You know, Barack Obama gave that very eloquent speech on Father's Day calling on M.I.A. dads to come to the table. Let's listen to a little bit of what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We need families to raise our children. We need fathers to recognize the responsibility doesn't just end at conception. We need to help all those mothers out there who are raising their kids by themselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: What kind of resonance does that message have with women today?
MURPHY: That has a lot of resonance, and it is especially has resonance with single women and single moms. And Barack Obama, when you hear his personal story, he talks a lot about being raised by a single mom. And I think that message was to single women.
Single women are growing blocs for the Democratic Party. They're much more likely to vote Democrat than Republican, and that is the outreach that Barack Obama is making to those single women who he thinks he can get over to his side.
ROBERTS: All right. There's so many different aspects of this campaign, each and every one of them fascinating. We'll keep following this.
Patricia Murphy, thanks for being with us this morning. Good to see you.
MURPHY: Thank you very much.
CHETRY: And it's 30 minutes after the hour. A look now at some of our top stories. Afghan troops and Taliban militants may be preparing for battle. Afghan officials say hundreds of Taliban fighters have taken over villages outside of Kandahar and are blowing up bridges and planting mines.
Heavy rains in China expected to last for up to 10 more days. The Chinese government says flooding has killed at least 169 people and more than 2 million acres of crops have been damaged. Soldiers are shoring up levees with sandbags.
And the American Red Cross says its disaster relief fund is broke. The agency says it must now borrow money so it can continue to provide relief to flood victims in the Midwest. So far, the flood response has cost more than $15 million. The Red Cross estimates that figure could reach as high as $40 million.
And there are some new concerns this morning for the cities and the towns along the swollen Mississippi River. The river is expected to crest over the next few days. And right now, record floodwaters are on the move. More than 38,000 people forced from their homes and $1 billion worth of crops destroyed in Iowa alone.
CNN's Ed Lavandera is live in Cedar Rapids for us this morning.
Ed?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kiran. You know, as residents here begin the process of trying to get back into their neighborhoods, they're finding that getting past the check points isn't always easy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mud. Mud.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's all over the streets.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Inch thick on everything.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): It will take more than a hose and some water to wash away Shaun Kiene's pain right now.
SHAUN KIENE, FLOOD VICTIM: After just seeing my backyard, I'm not so sure I even want to go back to my house.
LAVANDERA: Shaun is in the Iowa National Guard. He and his wife, Julie, were allowed to go back to their home briefly, but couldn't even get inside.
JULIE KIENE, FLOOD VICTIM: Piles of garbage and our backyard has 12 inches of water in it. Floating garbage.
LAVANDERA: The basement filled with water and another six feet poured into the first floor. Mattresses and debris strewn all over the backyard.
J. KIENE: I wanted to go in the house, but then when I walked to the backyard and seen all that garbage and --
S. KIENE: Destruction --
J. KIENE: Destruction --
LAVANDERA: It's dangerous.
S. KIENE: It's -- luckily, we got a quick glimpse and now I fully understand why they won't let us down there.
LAVANDERA: The Kienes and their 9-year-old daughter are staying with family until they're allowed back home.
COURTNEY KIENE, FLOOD VICTIM: I miss my room and everything that was in there because there was a lot of special things down there.
LAVANDERA: Fortunately, a 9-year-old is immune from the frustrations of adulthood. Shaun and Julie don't have flood insurance and the disaster cost Julie her job. And filing for unemployment benefits on the Internet is frustrating.
S. KIENE: You must file an unemployment insurance application along with the appropriate disaster unemployment assistance forms. Sure. If you can find the damn thing online.
LAVANDERA: The floodwaters are receding but the Kienes are left wondering if life as they remember it in Cedar Rapids has also dried up.
J. KIENE: We've talked about just moving and not even try to fix it or rebuild it. But we haven't been inside to see really how bad it is. We still don't know what we're going to do.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAVANDERA: If you look at the street behind me, the floodwaters have made it rather close to where we are standing here, just a few feet away from us. And even though the floodwaters are gone for the most part in the neighborhoods you see behind us, people aren't being allowed back in until teams throughout the city here in Cedar Rapids go through the neighborhoods and make sure all the homes are still structurally safe.
At that point, people will be allowed to be -- to go back inside their homes. But up until now that has been a frustrating proposition.
Kiran?
CHETRY: Yes, a lot of frustration, you could see that. You talked about her trying to file an unemployment claim. How did the flooding cost her her job?
LAVANDERA: Well, she was running a restaurant. So that restaurant has been flooded out. She has nowhere to go. So she's trying to figure out what to do in the meantime until they can rebuild.
CHETRY: Just such a sad situation for so many people struggling because of this weather. Ed Lavandera, thank you.
ROBERTS: It's coming up on 35 minutes after the hour now. Hundreds of same-sex couples in California will be getting their marriage licenses in the next few days. Massachusetts legalized gay marriage four years ago. So have there been any changes in attitude there? We'll take a look in our next hour.
CHETRY: Also ahead on AMERICAN MORNING --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's working. It's going to work. Give it a second.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: 8 million hits later. What was this viral video selling? Here's a hint. It wasn't popcorn or cell phones.
And the secret everyone wants to know.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If it wasn't the cell phones popping the popcorn, what was popping the popcorn?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: 37 minutes after the hour. It is the viral video that's popping up all over the Internet. Cell phones on a table ring and some kernels of popcorn situated in between them suddenly pop. Is the video real? Could a cell phone ringing really pop a popcorn kernel? Who's responsible for all of this and why?
Our Alina Cho joins us now with the answer.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to work. Give it a second.
CHO (voice-over): Truth or fiction? Cell phones radioactive enough to pop corn? That's what millions were asking after three videos popped up on YouTube last week, showing friends making popcorn by simultaneously ringing their cell phones.
This was no scientific experiment. Instead, a stealth marketing campaign by Cardo Systems, the makers of one brand of Bluetooth headsets.
KATHRYN RHODES, MARKETING MANAGER, CARDO SYSTEMS: We wanted to create something that was very unique within the industry and evoke curiosity around our brand.
CHO (on camera): But never in these videos do we even see a Bluetooth.
RHODES: We wanted to leave that very vague so people would then wonder who was behind these videos.
CHO (voice-over): Viral videos like these are a powerful advertising tool. But a clever ad may not be enough. Just as important where the videos are posted. REUBEN HENDELL, CEO, MRM WORLDWIDE: Just putting videos out there doesn't make it viral. Actually having something that's engaging enough, where friends will pass along to friends is what makes it viral.
CHO: The ultimate success, Internet buzz. Cardo Systems says nearly 8 million hits in 12 days, spawning parody videos and also fear. What could a cell phone do to a person's brain?
RHODES: We don't ever discuss or imply that there's any health risk with using a cell phone.
CHO (on camera): You don't state it. But I think that the message seems to be clear.
RHODES: No, that wasn't our intent. And in fact, it would take more than 10 million cell phones in a very small space to even attempt to create enough power to pop any type of kernels.
CHO (voice-over): Ultimately, Cardo Systems came clean, posting on its website, "Making popcorn with a cell phone happens only in the movies."
CHO (on camera): So one final question. If it wasn't the cell phones popping the popcorn, what was popping the popcorn?
RHODES: Well, that's a Cardo Systems' trade secret that we really want to keep a secret so we can keep the curiosity intact.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: They wouldn't tell us. So, Cardo Systems says the company may reveal what's behind the popcorn mystery eventually. You may have to wait until they make another series of video ads. And a little bit about the process because this is really interesting.
The company actually systematically rolled out the videos after each one received a certain number of hits, finally revealing that Cardo Systems was behind it. Now that drove traffic to their Web site as you might imagine. And the company says, John, that sales of Bluetooth handsets have spiked exponentially just because of these videos.
If you consider this, a Web expert said 500,000 hits is considered a success. 8 million in 12 days and counting, it's become something of an urban legend, really. But not true.
ROBERTS: It's amazing though that it can attract that many hits with a lie. But you know -- I mean, it's a very clever marketing campaign.
CHO: Listen. I mean, it is clever. It fooled a lot of people including our staff. Our executive producer said she got wind of it and said -- listen, you know, you interns go check this out. So we had interns working on this for four hours trying to -- can you imagine sitting around there. We almost got video of it, but we shouldn't probably attend that, but really interesting. Listen, the whole thing --
ROBERTS: Are they going to get college credit for that?
CHO: We hope so. We hope so. Listen, you know, this Web expert said -- you know, you're a success if you fool people.
ROBERTS: Yes. Well, they certainly did that.
CHO: And they did that. Get them wondering, is it a nod or not. You're a success already.
ROBERTS: Right. I wonder if truth in advertising law is ever going to come to the Internet. We'll see.
CHO: Well, we'll have to see.
ROBERTS: All right, Alina Cho for us this morning. Alina, thanks.
CHO: You bet.
CHETRY: So the woman said it was a trade secret. I wonder if our e- mailers will know what it is. So e-mail us.
ROBERTS: It was probably the laser (INAUDIBLE).
CHETRY: Well, we'll see what people think. Americanmorning@cnn.com, e-mail us. We can try to figure out if you know the trade secret.
Meanwhile, still ahead, one human rights group in the Middle East is now arming civilians with camcorders. We're going to tell you why and how they hope it will bring justice to the West Bank.
Also, our Rob Marciano is here. He's tracking extreme weather. How do you get popcorn to pop?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Jiffy pop, baby. I don't know any other technology that works better than that. Old school for sure. There was some old school thunderstorms across the northeast yesterday. I don't have to tell you about it if it woke you up last night. We'll talk about that. Forecast ahead when AMERICAN MORNING comes right back.
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CHETRY: You can hear the hail. They're cleaning up this morning after severe weather ripped across Upstate New York. Powerful line of storms packed with winds, rain, and damaging hail. At one point, more than 2,000 people were without power -- myself included.
Then you start to think to yourself -- man, I should have put batteries in those flashlights.
ROBERTS: Or bought a generator which you can always do for the next time.
CHETRY: That's right. I'm going to do it. Go to Home Depot, grab a generator.
ROBERTS: Go anywhere, grab a generator. They're great things to have on hand.
44 minutes after the hour. Rob Marciano is tracking the extreme weather for us.
How about that hailstorm up there in Buffalo which we should point out too is Wolf Blitzer's hometown. So obviously he's pretty concern about the weather up there.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CHETRY: And still ahead, there's a human rights group in the Mid-East that's now hoping to use the camcorder to transform personal stories of abuse into a powerful tool for justice. We're going to show you how, next, the "Most News in the Morning."
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ROBERTS: It's coming up now on 11 minutes to the top of the hour. New arrests this morning after a compelling video was released by the Israeli human rights group, B'Tselem.
The group says it shows an attack on Palestinian villagers by Israeli settlers. B'Tselem has been around for almost 20 years and says its primary goal is to change Israeli policy in the West Bank. We warn you that some of the images in this report may be very disturbing.
CNN's Atika Shubert reports for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The video is shaky. The sound is weak. But the menacing appearance of four masked men is clear enough, especially when one takes the first swing. This video was provided by Israeli human rights group, B'Tselem. It's part of the group's shooting back project. A program that gives video cameras to Palestinian communities to document what they say is daily harassment.
B'Tselem said this woman shot the video and was severely beaten in the attack. The group says the women's husband and brother-in-law were also injured as they tended their sheep next to an Israeli settlement. Police use the video as evidence to make two arrests Tuesday morning. Young men from the nearby Israeli settlement of Shushia (ph). First time B'Tselem's cameras have been used in a police investigation.
SARIT MICHAEL, B'TSELEM: We are very much hoping we'll break the equation of Palestinian versus secular or soldier. And of course, we know that the Israeli security forces are always much more willing to believe settlers and soldiers and mistrust Palestinians when they report this type of violence.
SHUBERT (on camera): These are the Hebron Hills. The area where the attack took place. Tensions are particularly high here because Israeli settlers and Palestinian villagers often live literally a stone's throw away from each other, competing for the same grazing areas and agricultural land.
(voice-over): Palestinian attacks on Israelis also occur. Police say there are nearly daily reports of rocks thrown at Israeli cars driving in West Bank settlements.
But the violence allegedly by Hebron settlers captured on B'Tselem's video has caused a lot of discussion among many Israelis, especially as soldiers are clearly seen in the video, looking on, not interfering. Still, Israeli police insist these types of incidents are rare. And they say they're now investigating whether the Palestinian shepherds may have provoked the attack by not wearing traditional dress.
MICKEY ROSENFELD, ISRAEL POLICE: The way they were dressed could also possibly have been something which was provocative and this might have been something which led to the actual incident itself.
SHUBERT: B'Tselem said it will continue to deploy cameras ready to record whatever may happen next.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SHUBERT: Now, John, Israeli police say that these incidents are rare, but just this morning we have fresh reports of another attack on Palestinian shepherds near an Israeli settlement in the West Bank. This, according to B'Tselem shows what they've been seeing which is an increased trend in the violence and the frequency of these attacks.
John?
ROBERTS: Atika, let me just come back to the Mickey Rosenfeld said about the dress that they may have been wearing. How are they expected to dress and why would dressing in a different way provoke an attack?
SHUBERT: Well, the reason he said that was many of the sheepherders there are traditional Bedouin Arab sheepherders often seen in traditional Bedouin dress.
His reasoning was that some of the settlers may have felt provoked because they were not wearing -- the shepherds were not wearing traditional dress. They were wearing much more modern dress -- a baseball cap, a T-shirt, and jeans. And this, according to him, is what may have provoked the settlers to come out and see what was happening.
ROBERTS: Wow, rather odd. Atika Shubert for us this morning. Great story. Atika, thanks so much.
ROBERTS: Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, trail blazers. One of the first same-sex couples to be married in Massachusetts, on what it meant then and what it means now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel very secure now that we're married.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: And the fight to stop others from following in their footsteps.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is an ongoing issue. It has not gone away.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN: Gay folks are now allowed to get married in San Francisco. Gay couples can get married in San Francisco, all in California. So right now gay men are asking themselves the big question -- who's driving and who nags. They've got to get that figured out because they'll be married.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: David Letterman on the topic (INAUDIBLE) today in California. Dozens of gay couples in California waking up today as married couples. Weddings were being held until 8 p.m. last night, just hours after a ban on same-sex marriage was lifted.
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom presided over the first between 87- year-old Del Martin and 84-year-old Phyllis Lyon. More than 600 couples are scheduled to get their licenses in the next ten days.
Well, some county offices stayed open late, one didn't. Corn County which is home to Bakersfield and about 100 miles north of Los Angeles closed its office. The clerk announcing no marriages would take place until this morning. One man was so angry he asked for a recall pact to get the clerk fired. 35 couples are scheduled to get their licenses there today.
CHETRY: California is actually the second state to legalize gay marriage. It was back in 2004 that Massachusetts became the first. So had attitudes changed there in that time?
CNN's Deborah Feyerick joins us here in the studio with a look at one couple's life today.
Hi, Deb. Good to see you.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, there, Kiran. You, too. Welcome back. Well, the debate to legalize same-sex marriage was heated and intense. Now, four years later, those passions have largely died down and the real impact is being felt. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK (voice-over): David Wilson and Rob Compton pay their taxes, love their kids and work through their problems much like any other married couple.
ROB COMPTON, DAVID WILSON'S HUSBAND: I feel very secure now that we're married. It feels like, you know, we have a legal right to each other.
FEYERICK: Wilson and Compton married four years ago. The day same- sex marriages became legal in Massachusetts. Since then, an estimated 12,000 gay and lesbian couples living in the state have tied the knot.
(on camera): When u first saw this and realized this is your certificate of marriage, this legalizes the whole thing?
COMPTON: It was a pretty -- a pretty important moment.
FEYERICK (voice-over): They now have a will together. Co-own their homes and filed joint state taxes. David also joined Rob's dental plan. They say the biggest change is the way people treat them.
COMPTON: They don't have to make the judgment who are they, what's this couple? It's been defined for them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let the people vote.
COMPTON: People rallying around telling us the sky is falling and the earth is going to come to an end if this is allowed to happen and then it happened. And the clouds suddenly cleared up and the sky's blue again.
FEYERICK (on camera): These halls were filled with people.
PAUL LOSCOCCO, MASSACHUSETTS COUPLE, 4 YEARS LATER: Oh, it was a total zoo.
FEYERICK: State lawmaker Paul Loscocco vividly recalls the crowds in the State House warning same-sex unions would destroy marriage. He had objected on legal grounds but like others changed his mind after speaking with constituents.
LOSCOCCO: It's certainly more than half I think in Massachusetts now are very comfortable with the idea of same-sex marriage.
FEYERICK: And by default getting used to the idea of same-sex divorce. 48 in four years.
COMPTON: Our relationships have the same stresses and strains, and sometimes they break as well.
FEYERICK: Groups opposed to same-sex marriage say the fight though less visible remains strong.
KRIS MINEAU, MASSACHUSETTS FAMILY INSTITUTE: It has not gone away in the hearts and minds of people particularly parents.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK: Now the federal government does not recognize same-sex marriages leaving couples without benefits like tax breaks. Advocates believe California could help lay the ground work to change that as people from across the country head to California to say, I do.
CHETRY: And that opens up another interesting legal question. Because unlike in Massachusetts, you can come to California, get married, and then go back to your state. What happens if your state has made gay marriage illegal?
FEYERICK: And that's a good question because there are states where you cannot. There's a ban against it. Some states actually are even looking to possibly file criminal penalties against anybody who wants to try to go to California, come back and say -- hey, look, we're married there, why can't we be married here? So all that could change the political and legal dynamics certainly.
CHETRY: Very fascinating. Deb, great to see you. Thanks for being here.
ROBERTS: Hey, here's an "AM Extra" look at where the presidential candidates stand on the issue. John McCain says marriage is between a man and a woman. He opposes a constitutional amendment, though, that would ban same-sex marriage. He supports legal benefits for same-sex partners.
Barack Obama opposes same-sex marriage but does support civil unions. He also opposes a constitutional amendment that bans same-sex marriage.
CHETRY: It is 7:00 on the nose here on the East Coast. A look at what's making news this Tuesday.
