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American Morning
Oklahoma Ravaged by Tornados; FEMA Trying to Put Itself Back Together; Obama Cabinet Under Scrutiny; North Korea Missle Activity; Healthcare Reform; Israeli Elections Leave More to be Desired
Aired February 11, 2009 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: It's 7:00 right now here in New York. A look at the top stories this morning.
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill could reach a final deal on the president's stimulus as early as today. Democratic leaders from both chambers met behind closed doors with the three Republican senators who also support the bill. Nine hours of negotiations ended just before midnight. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid saying, "We're not there yet but we made a significant amount of progress."
Satellite radio provider Sirius XM is reportedly getting ready for a possible bankruptcy. According to the "New York Times," it's unclear how that could affect customers. Sources involved say it's unlikely the service would be interrupted but the company may have to end high price contracts with stars like Howard Stern and Martha Stewart.
And you might need to start stocking up on two cent stamps. The price of a first class stamp will go up from 42 to 44 cents. It doesn't start until May 11th. The postal service says the increase is needed because of rising production costs and that it matches the rate of inflation.
We begin the hour with breaking news, a string of powerful tornadoes and severe thunderstorms pounding the Midwest. Eight people are dead and dozens more hurt. Cars left mangled, trees uprooted, residents huddling in their basements and closets.
Take a look at this. The severe weather hammering a string of states in the Midwest, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas. Multiple tornadoes touching down around Oklahoma City, and all of these deaths happened in the small town of Lone Grove. It's just north of the Oklahoma/Texas border.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELANN OOTEN, OKLAHOMA DEPT. OF EMERGENCY MGMT.: We have eight official fatalities at this point. They were able to recover yesterday after the tornado had come to the community, they have 14 injuries reported. And this morning at daylight, they'll begin the process of continuing to look for any others that may be unaccounted for.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CHETRY: There were people hurt across the state, nearly 50. That number is expected to increase, though, as rescue efforts continue this morning.
Our Samantha Hayes is standing by on the line. We also have Rob Marciano tracking the storms from our Severe Weather Center, and Jim Acosta in Washington looking at FEMA's readiness. That agency still without a permanent leader.
Samantha, though, let's start with you. What is the latest this morning?
SAMANTHA HAYES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kiran, you just heard from Michelann Ooten. She is the director of Emergency Management in Oklahoma. She's on the scene here and yes, she said that eight people died in the storm last night. And you know, she looked at me this morning and she said, "It's going to be a tough day here," and it is.
And they're waiting for the sun to come up so that they can, you know, go street by street in this neighborhood and try to assess the damage, try and make sure that they haven't left anybody unaccounted for.
In terms of going back and looking at property damage, one of the things they may do, you know, is assess the damage to homes, cars, everything they can find and figure out if this area might qualify for federal aid and in that case you might see federal agencies come in but for right now, state agency they're handling it.
The Oklahoma National Guard is also going to come in today to provide some barrier control, some perimeter control. And the Red Cross also has a shelter open in nearby Ardmore City, just east of here. So it is going to be a difficult day. The damage is extensive.
We've just this morning been driving around to get a look ourselves and Kiran, it's what you would expect from a tornado. You know, some homes seem to be fine, and then there are others that are demolished and I mean brick homes that are -- they're completely wiped off their foundation.
I'm looking at one right now, and there's also a furniture store just down the road from me that also its furniture has been strewn everywhere. There are big sheets of metal that are hanging over a power line, almost looks like somebody, you know, hung up clothes to dry.
That's kind of the visual, some of the bizarre things you see in the aftermath of the tornado and certainly we'll see more as the sun comes up here shortly. We'll be providing reports for you throughout the newscast.
CHETRY: Samantha Hayes for us in Lone Grove, Oklahoma, this morning, thank you.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's now bring in our Rob Marciano. He's tracking the storm system from the weather center.
Rob, this thing is on the move. Where is it headed?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's headed east rapidly in about 40 to 45 miles an hour, but the threat for tornadoes today will be less than yesterday but there still is a threat.
We want to bring you back and start off with what happened last night. Squall line moving through this area. Here is the border of Texas and Oklahoma and that little cell and the cells this time of year that form ahead of squall lines will typically be the ones that will be the strongest and it just had a little bit of a purple blip there, indicating some hail and probably that tornado ripping right across Lone and Clark County last night or right around dinnertime. That's part of the system at least has weakened.
But the main part, the mother part, the low itself is strengthening and that means it's going to encompass a larger amount of real estate. We still have a couple of tornado watches that are in effect. These will probably be allowed to be expired.
The center of the storm as it continues to march off towards the north and east will spring a trail of showers and thunderstorms, some of which could produce some severe weather mostly in the form of hail and straight line winds, but a slight risk of seeing tornadoes today. And up just east of St. Louis, here is your line with the showers and storms.
All right. I mentioned the main threat today will be the low itself, which will be strengthening. And as it does so, it will be not only giving us a slight risk for severe storms but also winds around this low that will be gusting at times to 50 or 60 miles an hour.
So a high wind warning posted from a large part of the country from Memphis, all the way down up to southern Michigan today, or winds that could possibly do some damage and this is going to go over an area, John, that we mentioned earlier, the ice storm that affected these folks a couple of weeks ago, some still without power. Certainly trees and tree limbs still weak. We'll be enduring winds that could certainly take down some more power lines today.
Back up to you.
ROBERTS: Is that going to move into the northeast tomorrow?
MARCIANO: It will but it will weaken and then most of it will go into Canada. It will be much weaker by the time it gets to the northeast tomorrow.
ROBERTS: All right, good. We don't need any more problems at the airports here, Rob, that's for sure.
Rob Marciano tracking the weather for us this morning. Rob, thanks so much. These deadly tornados in Oklahoma along with the recent ice storms underscore the importance of FEMA and its ability to quickly respond. Right now, the agency is still without a permanent leader. It's also under intense scrutiny after its poor response to Hurricane Katrina and that was back in 2005.
Jim Acosta is tracking that part of story for us this morning. What's going on, Jim? Why no new leader at this point?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they say they're working on it over at the White House. And we know all too well that FEMA matters. Katrina, for example, was more than a hurricane, it was a government fiasco. During the campaign, President Obama promised to dramatically change the way this country responds to disasters, but as of yet, as you just mentioned, John, the new president does not have his own appointee running FEMA.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA (voice-over): When the first disaster on President Obama's watch, an ice storm, hit parts of the south, it was a holdover from the Bush administration on the scene for FEMA. The agency got good marks from state officials.
NANCY WARD, ACTING FEMA ADMINISTRATOR: Eliminate the peanut butter portion of the meal.
ACOSTA: But in its response, FEMA may have mistakenly sent salmonella-tainted peanut butter in its meal kits to evacuees. Nobody got sick but it was a reminder.
PROF. RICHARD SYLVES, UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE: FEMA is under a spotlight. It's under scrutiny.
ACOSTA: The Bush administration's bungled response to Hurricane Katrina was one of the Obama campaign's favorite targets.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We can talk about levees that couldn't hold, about a FEMA that seemed not just incompetent, but paralyzed and powerless, about a president who only saw the people from the window of an airplane instead of down here on the ground.
ACOSTA: He promised to fix FEMA saying as president the head of the agency would report to him and have real emergency experience.
GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job.
ACOSTA: Translation, no more brownies. Today, former FEMA chief Michael Brown says the one thing he learned from the Katrina debacle is that the agency should have a direct line to the president, something Brown claims he did not have.
MICHAEL BROWN, FMR. FEMA ADMINISTRATOR: You simply cannot have that in a crisis situation. You can't have that on the battlefield. And a disaster is like a battlefield. Somebody has to be in charge.
ACOSTA: Another Katrina veteran argues leadership is what counts.
KATHLEEN BLANCO, FMR. LOUISIANA GOVERNOR: I would hope that the next FEMA administrator is someone who has had direct experience with managing a very large disaster.
ACOSTA: A Democratic official says the names being mentioned include Florida's emergency management director, Craig Fugate.
SYLVES: You need a director that can go toe to toe with screaming governors, with governors who are saying we need help now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: Another name that has floated out is a former emergency manager in Iowa, but this is just the third week of the Obama Administration and officials tell us they are making progress in their search. And a Democratic official points out the cabinet secretary in charge of FEMA, Homeland Security's Janet Napolitano, did make it to Kentucky just yesterday and is promising more help for storm victims there -- John.
ROBERTS: Jim Acosta for us this morning. Jim, thanks so much for that.
ACOSTA: You bet. You got it.
CHETRY: Well, the president has called out people leaving failed companies with golden parachutes, but many on his money team may be walking away from their old jobs with some pretty sweet checks. So is it a double standard?
ROBERTS: A whiskey river on the steps of Kentucky's capitol, sort of a modern day Boston Tea Party with a little bit of an extra kick more than 200 years later. Yes, I know.
It's still about taxes. The details straight ahead. I assume that wasn't their prime grade stuff.
CHETRY: No. No blue label there.
Well, our special conversation with the captain and crew of US Airways Flight 1549, how they stayed cool under pressure. What it was like in the actual cabin, in the moments of that landing, and has some of this caught up with them since?
It's 10 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
Whiskey lovers better look away. Kentucky whiskey bigwigs taking a page out of history. Only this wasn't a tea party, it was the Kentucky Bourbon Party. They poured gallons of booze on the capitol steps in protest of, what else? Taxes, in particular. A new six percent tax on alcoholic beverages just approved by a state house committee.
Note to the big bank CEOs, better not arrive by private jet. They're scheduled to testify before the House Financial Services Committee today and expected to take a beating. Lawmakers want to know how they're spending the bailout money and why they're not helping more homeowners, why the credit is not flowing.
And Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo say their banks have not used a dime of bailout money for executive bonuses, dividends or lobbying.
Christine Romans Minding Your Business with more on what's expected today.
Fireworks, you said (ph) on the Hill today?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I think they could use a little glass of that bourbon before they head up there. You know, this will be fire up the grill on Capitol Hill. I mean, I think these congressmen really want to talk to these CEOs and they want to find out why the lending system isn't working better than it is.
The CEOs have been poring over their prepared statements and they're going to tell Congress that we are lending. And they're going to tell Congress we're not using taxpayer money for bonuses or for compensation or for jets or for parties, the like. We're using taxpayer money for one thing and we're using our other money for something else.
Money doesn't have a fingerprint, that's part of the problem here. You can't -- and Roland Martin, you know, our colleague, well, Martin is a great example. It's like saying you borrow. You give your sister $20,000 to save her house and she throws a big party. I didn't use your money for the big party, you know, so this is what they're going to have to defend here. But you know, Citibank is going to say it has received $45 billion of our money, taxpayer money and $35 billion has gone to new loans.
Wells Fargo has already paid the government some money back. Bank of America's Ken Lewis is going to say they're ready to make their first interest payment to the government from $400 million maybe next week. So you're going to hear them defend their use of taxpayer money and the question is just how -- just how angry these congressmen are and how they're going to try to take...
ROBERTS: So if you're using all of this taxpayer money, why are the credit markets still frozen?
ROMANS: Well, a lot of people have been saying is they're not lending enough, but the pool of credit-worthy borrowers gets smaller every single day. And something we've heard from JPMorgan Chase, in other hearings, is that look, we're lending a lot of money. We're just not lending to people who can't afford to pay us back. CHETRY: And aren't people wanting to borrow taking the chance to borrow less, right? People don't want to borrow right now. They want to sort of pull back.
ROMANS: Yes, but you know, even Diane Swank yesterday on the program was saying look, you know, a lot of people with good credit want to go out and borrow and they can't. There are a lot of people who want to start a business and they can't. So there is something wrong in the credit markets.
Today, we'll see if it's just fireworks or they can get down to the nitty-gritty of what is the problem, if they say they're lending, then what is the problem here?
ROBERTS: And Wall Street certainly didn't like what Tim Geithner had to say yesterday with that, trying to fix the credit system.
ROMANS: No. You know...
ROBERTS: So it's going to be an interesting hearing today.
ROMANS: Yes, it really will be.
ROBERTS: Christine, thanks.
CHETRY: Well, some people joining the Obama Administration are taking a serious pay cut but they're also getting some nice parting gifts along the way. So, is that any different from getting a golden parachute? Is the president holding them accountable?
Carol Costello is live for us in Washington.
You know, another thing the president's railed about is CEO compensation saying that, you know, perhaps their pay should be capped at about $500,000 if they're taking bailout money. So, does that apply to everyone?
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'll let viewers answer for themselves. You know, Barack Obama has made a real point of shaming those Wall Street titans who have taken huge bonuses and golden parachutes. Listen to what he said just last week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: We're putting a stop to these kinds of massive severance packages we've all read about and discussed. We're taking the air out of golden parachutes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: But it appears that some members of his own administration are leaving their old jobs with plenty of gold themselves. Take new SEC chairman Mary Schapiro who walks away from her $2.8 million salary with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority with a $7.2 million severance package. Her new salary under $163,000, that's what she's getting for working for the government. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner walks away from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York with over half a million in severance and other benefits, his new salary under half of what he was making before. And Attorney General Eric Holder leaves a $3 million a year job with the law firm Covington and Burling with a $1.3 million severance package. And of course, that might make his new salary of under $200,000 a little more palatable.
But is it really fair to compare these golden parachutes so to speak to the hefty pay packages that companies that are receiving taxpayer dollars? Maybe not.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PROF. RAJEEV DHAWAN, GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY: They're not getting a payment to leave the job. They're just getting their due that was due to them legally for giving up a job, which is different from booted out from the private sector, and getting a payment on the way out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And you know, these people are giving up an awful lot of money to work in the public sector, where their new salaries may be only a fraction of what they were making. Still, it may be hard for the average American to sympathize with that because, you know, if you leave your job you usually don't leave with millions of dollars.
CHETRY: Exactly.
COSTELLO: Unless you're really lucky.
CHETRY: Yes, exactly.
Carol Costello, thanks so much.
Well, critics say that it could be an invite into your examining room. We're taking a closer look at the healthcare provisions in the new stimulus bill. Why more money could mean fewer choices.
ROBERTS: Life after a crash landing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOREEN WALSH, FLIGHT ATTENDANT, US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549: I was neck-deep in water. That's my dreams at night. That's my problem I'm going to have to overcome.
ROBERTS (voice-over): How one flight changed so many lives.
DONNA DENT, FLIGHT ATTENDANT, US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549: I'm happy for the things that I have, very grateful for the life that I have. I feel very blessed.
ROBERTS: The hero pilot, second-guessing those fateful moments.
CAPT. CHESLEY "SULLY" SULLENBERGER, CAPTAIN, US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549: Was there something else we could have done?
ROBERTS: You're watching the Most News in the Morning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Well, welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
A humble hero and his modest crew have become the toast of this town and the country as well. Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger and his team joined us for a special conversation.
CHETRY: That's right. They shared some of the new harrowing accounts of the Hudson River landing that you won't hear anywhere else. Here they are.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FLIGHT 1549: What's over to our right? Anything in New Jersey? Maybe Teterboro?
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: OK, yeah -- off to your right side is Teterboro Airport. Do you want to try to go to Teterboro?
FLIGHT 1549: Yes.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: Cactus 1529, turn right two eight zero, you can land runway one at Teterboro.
FLIGHT 1549: We can't do it.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: OK, which runway would you like at Teterboro?
FLIGHT 1549: We're going to be in the Hudson.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Wow.
CHETRY: That was January 15th, just after 3:25 in the afternoon and Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger telling air traffic control that Flight 1549 was going down into the Hudson River. Moments later, Sullenberger and his crew pulled off really a miracle.
ROBERTS: And nothing short of a miracle. The crew of Flight 1549 joins us now, over 100 years of experience among them. Among the crew members here, Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, First Officer Jeffrey Skiles, flight attendant Doreen Walsh, flight attendant Sheila Dail, and flight attendant Donna Dent.
Good morning to all of you. It's great to have you here. A real honor to have you in the studio this morning. FIRST OFFICER JEFFREY B. SKILES, US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549: Good morning.
SULLENBERGER: Great to be here.
ROBERTS: Got a lot of things that we want to talk about but it's only a couple of things I've been wondering because it was just such grace under pressure that you and your co-pilot demonstrated. But you in particular, you are an Air Force pilot, you flew F-4s.
SULLENBERGER: Yes.
ROBERTS: And you know, when you fly a fighter in the Air Force, you are trained to complete the mission. And I'm wondering how that Air Force training helped you in doing what you have to do?
SULLENBERGER: It wasn't simply that. I think in a lot of ways my entire life ended up being a preparation for January 15th. In some way, everything I'd learned, everything I'd trained to do, everything I'd read about that someone else experienced was a factor.
ROBERTS: It's an amazing piece of flying.
CHETRY: It certainly is. And you know, we've seen the video and a lot of us have been wondering, and I know a lot of our viewers are wondering what exactly was going on back in the cabin? We're going to talk a little bit more about what was happening in the cockpit in a minute.
But I'd like to start with you, Doreen, and if you could just tell me what it was like being back there, knowing what you had to tell all of the passengers about what was happening.
DOREEN WALSH, FLIGHT ATTENDANT, US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549: Well, no one really knew. I mean I've been flying long enough to know something definitely happened. But I assumed that we just -- an engine went out and we were circling back to go back to LaGuardia and land which, you know, we've all been through a million times, not a million, but a lot -- a common -- not uncommon for a flight crew. And that's what I assumed and I got up just to calm some people down and check things out because there was a smell from the birds, and then heard the "brace for impact."
CHETRY: And Donna, what did you say to the passengers and how did you keep calm in the midst of the crisis situation in the cabin?
DONNA DENT, FLIGHT ATTENDANT, US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549: We just begin our commands, "brace, brace, heads down, stay down. Brace, brace, heads down, stay down." We just did that over and over until we got the evacuation command.
CHETRY: But Sheila, tell me a little bit about how you kept calm and how you kept the passengers calm. One of the women, I understand, had a baby with her and a 4-year-old?
SHEILA DAIL, FLIGHT ATTENDANT, US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549: Well, she was actually toward the back of the cabin, but I did have one gentleman in first class who we could make eye contact and he seemed very anxious and I just told him, you know, "It's going to be OK. Just try to breathe," because he looked like he was going to come up out of his seat.
And you know, I tried to remain calm myself to just keep people calm, but it was so quiet, you know. It's like being in a library. You know, I heard nothing. And I heard no -- and I could lean and look down the aisleway and no passengers were showing a lot of reaction. They were looking out the windows.
CHETRY: The other remarkable thing that we all watched unfold is that once, within it seemed minutes of you guys or even seconds of you guys actually landing the plane on the water, these rescue boats and these commercial boats were there next to you. Can you describe for me, Jeffrey, what that was like, knowing that, you know, you did your part of it, you landed safely and you guys got people out, but you needed -- you needed help at that point? So what was that like, knowing how quickly everybody mobilized on the water?
SKILES: Well, actually Sully and I were in the airplane for quite a long while after it actually touched down. Sully was looking for passengers. I was throwing life vests out onto the wings so that people would exit out the emergency exits. So when we finally left, when Sully finally came by and said "You know, everybody's gone, let's get out of here" the airplane, as I recall, already was pretty much surrounded by boats. They were already there at that point when we finally put our heads out the door.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: After the break, we're going to bring you part two of the interview. One of the flight attendants tell us why she isn't ready to put on her uniform just yet.
Its 25 and a half minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. There are 150 people who might not be alive today if it weren't for Captain Sully and his crew.
CHETRY: It's amazing how they were able to keep their cool in the face of such potential danger. And part two of our special conversation, John and I asked whether such a stressful situation is having a lingering effect and if there's anything they would have done differently.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SULLENBERGER: I think that's a common post traumatic stress symptom. I know Jeff and I have talked about, we both have that same feeling. I think it's just human nature to have that feeling to wonder, was there something else we could have done. But in the final analysis, I think that we all feel like we did the very best that we could as a team, given the situation that we face and the time we had to deal with it.
ROBERTS: And Jeff, I want to talk to you about this a little bit off camera before you came out here to the studio and you said you've been going through a lot since the 15th. Give us an idea of what you've been going through.
SKILES: Oh, very much so. You know, in fact the evening after, when we finally got to a hotel, our pilots union actually had people who were trained in psychological ramifications was there to kind of talk us down and they basically told us exactly what was going to happen. I said, "You're going to sleep tonight. You may not sleep tomorrow night. Then you'll maybe sleep an hour or two, you'll wake up, you'll spend the rest of the night running it through your mind, what I could have done differently. What is it?"
It's a natural reaction. It's post traumatic shock and over a long period of time it will slowly go away. And I mean, it has. But I'd say the first two weeks afterwards, I probably averaged three hours a night.
ROBERTS: And you said bad enough the reaction that you had, given the fact that you landed the aircraft safely and everybody survived.
SKILES: Yes. That's what I was telling you earlier. I could not imagine what it would be like if there was an accident that you felt you had some complicity in and people actually died. I could not imagine how you get past that.
CHETRY: Are any of you guys afraid to fly again?
WALSH: I'm not ready to even -- I'm the only one not in my uniform for a reason and I have no idea what's going to happen, you know, day-to-day, because my experience was so different.
ROBERTS: So what are you trying to work through. You say you're not ready to come back yet. What are the issues that you have to work through as a result of this?
WALSH: Well, I was neck deep in water and about one or two seconds from, you know, if I didn't get out of there within a few seconds I wouldn't be here doing this interview. So the water, that's my dreams at night. That's my problem I'm going to have to overcome and the -- you know, just the fear, it just seems so dark. And I met a passenger yesterday that was back there with me and it was nice to know that some -- not nice, I would not wish it on anyone but understood what I went -- what we went through back there. It was -- we had seconds.
ROBERTS: You know, we talked to someone about the effect that this has all had on you. And I'm wondering when you kind of reflect back over what happened in the last three weeks, how has this changed you? Maybe we could go down the line.
SULLENBERGER: My family and I are determined it's not going to change who we are. What we are learning to do is to deal with our new reality, to learn that we have a different path in life than we otherwise would have had, some for good and some just different.
ROBERTS: Jeff?
SKILES: Well none of us are 25 years old anymore. I mean we're the people we're going to be now, regardless of what, outside the fence, you know, how they influence us. In my case I'm pretty confident that my 15 minutes of fame are just about over.
(LAUGHTER)
SKILES: Two weeks from now nobody's going to know who I am.
ROBERTS: Doreen?
WELSH: Well, I just, you know, little more thankful for God every day for what we went through and just day by day. This -- since this happened, we have been on this whirlwind. We haven't really had time to, you know, after this week in New York we're just going to go home, I think, and be ourselves and, you know, get back to normal somewhat.
ROBERTS: Sheila?
DAIL: I had a very strong feeling that day, I mean I felt God, God was present with us, and I think he put us where we were and gave us the skill and the talent to do what we did and I just plan on going home and just relaxing a little bit and going back to work.
ROBERTS: And Donna?
DENT: I would like to say it hasn't changed for me personally but I think that would look -- I'd look at things differently now.
ROBERTS: And how would you look at them differently?
DENT: I'm happy for the things that I have, very grateful for the life that I have, feel very blessed.
CHETRY: You guys are certainly an inspiration. We could talk to you all day. I know that, unfortunately, we have to go, but thank you for your time, and you certainly, we can't underestimate what you guys have gone through and the impact that it has on your lives but, you know, a lot of thankful people for all of your parts in that miracle for sure.
So thanks so much for being with us today.
SKILES: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
ROBERTS: It's an honor to meet you and if I ever get on a flight and I see the five of you I'll feel really confident.
(LAUGHTER)
Great to talk to you. I'll tell you, it could have turned out so differently, just like that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: And the interesting thing, they're all so humble, that's the other thing that we both got out of it when we're talking to them. One of them, I think it was Jeff said to me, this is -- any time you get on a flight, this is what we're here to do. We're not just here...
ROBERTS: Yes.
CHETRY: ... to serve coffee and take you to -- from point a to point b. We were -- we're supposed to be able to do what we did.
ROBERTS: And Sully came up to me afterwards. I asked him the question about what influence his Air Force training had on the whole thing, and he said, you know, thinking about it, he says my dad flew fighters in the Navy and he says he imparted upon me a sort of a responsibility of leadership creed.
And he said that's really what kicked in when I was up there and both engines went out. He said, just thinking about leadership, you've got command of this aircraft. You've got to bring everybody in safely.
And another really interesting aspect, as I said to him, I guess you guys train for this sort of thing all the time.
CHETRY: Right.
ROBERTS: You know, theoretically, but practically, you know, you can't have a chance to, and he said actually we don't train for low altitude both engines out.
CHETRY: Right. It's just the worst area.
ROBERTS: So he said we had to leave the whole thing.
CHETRY: Yes.
ROBERTS: So I bet they start training for that now.
CHETRY: Exactly. And the other interesting thing, you'd think they'd been together forever. These -- the crew and the captain in the cockpit, they don't really know each other. They had, what...
ROBERTS: Four days.
CHETRY: Four days, four days together, but they're bonded for life now, that's for sure.
ROBERTS: Yes, it's a real testament to the training that they go through.
It's now 34 minutes after the hour. We're following breaking news this morning. A tornado warning just lifted across Oklahoma but not before powerful thunderstorms and tornadoes killed at least eight people overnight, leave nearly 50 more were injured.
All the fatalities happened in the town of Lone Grove, south of Oklahoma City. Homes were flattened, trees snapped, cars crushed as residents took shelter wherever they could.
Also making headline this morning, political chaos after elections in Israel. The leaders of the two largest parties in the Jewish state jockeying to form a ruling coalition with each claiming a mandate to govern. Unofficial results show a virtual tie between the Kadima and Likud parties.
And First Lady Michelle Obama is gracing the cover of the upcoming March issue of "Vogue" magazine. Mrs. Obama is only the second presidential spouse to grace the cover. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was the first back in December of 1998. The cover shot made page spread was snapped by famous photographer, Amy Lebowitz.
Turning to a developing story out of North Korea this morning. A senior U.S. official says an American satellite has caught new activity at a missile site inside the secretive nation.
Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr broke the news. She is with us now from the Pentagon.
Barbara, what's going on there?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, good morning. What U.S. officials are telling us is that several days ago, a U.S. satellite snapped a picture of a North Korea missile launch site and what they saw was unsettling.
The satellite image now showing telemetry equipment being assembled at this launch site. Telemetry, of course, being those sophisticated electronics that are put in place at a launch facility to monitor either a satellite or a missile launch. That's what they're seeing so far.
Now the reason this is so significant, of course, is this is the same location, the same place when the last time they saw this type of activity was back in July of 2006 when North Korea went ahead and did test-fire its long range Taepodong-2 ballistic missile.
That missile launch wasn't very successful. It only flew 30 or 40 seconds and then crashed into the sea but the Taepodong is North Korea's longest range missile, potentially. If it works it could reach the coast of Alaska.
So they will be watching this area very carefully to see if a missile actually moves to the launch pad and what response the U.S. might have, whether the Obama Administration would have to make a decision to raise the alert status of the National Missile Defense -- John?
ROBERTS: Keep watching it this morning. Barbara Starr for us from the Pentagon, Barbara, thanks so much. CHETRY: Still ahead, if they get the munchies they won't be reaching for frosted flakes. Marijuana activists are now boycotting Kellogg's because the company dropped Michael Phelps after he was photographed looking like he was taking a hit from a bong.
It's 36 and a half minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: You know it's an age-old debate. There are strong opinions on both sides when it comes to marijuana and whether or not it should be legal. But, you know, for police it's serious business. They've reportedly made eight arrests in connection with the Michael Phelps alleged bong hit. It's according to a local TV station in South Carolina.
The Olympian was not one of them but the alleged owner of the bong was. So much for keeping a low profile. He reportedly tried to sell that bong for $100,000 on eBay and now there are some weed activists who say that Phelps is getting a raw deal.
Jason Carroll joins us now with more on this.
And it's a big community out there that thinks this is a real double standard.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, double standard because what you've got going on here is...
(LAUGHTER)
You've got the, you've got the pot, you've got the steroids with another case. A lot going on. We're going to explain all of it to you.
As of late we've seen two prominent sports figures linked to illegal substances but since then a chorus of people are asking, where is all the balance in all of this? How does the punishment fit the crime?
Take Michael Phelps, for example, caught in a photo smoking from a bong, we all know that by now. According to WIS, a TV station in Columbia, South Carolina, eight people have now been arrested in connection with that photo from that party, and the local sheriff's department is still considering pursuing charges against Phelps.
We also know Kellogg's decided not to renew its contract with Phelps, saying his image was no longer consistent with the cereal giant.
Now listen to some of the reaction coming in to all of this. One from a marijuana advocacy group, the other from "Saturday Night Live".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's sad that this incredibly accomplished young man feels like he's in a position of having to apologize and act like he did something terrible for relaxing with something that's safer than beer.
SETH MYERS, ACTOR, "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE": Really, Kellogg's? Marijuana is not consistent with your image? Because I thought it was totally consistent. You know every one of your mascots is a wild-eyed cartoon character with uncontrollable munchies. Really, Toucan Sam, a frog named Dig 'Em, Snap, Crackle and Pop. I knew some guy named Snap, Crackle and Pop and they were drug dealers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: Inspired marijuana activists are urging a boycott of Kellogg's, some pointing to how Alex Rodriguez has been treated after the Yankees started admitting to using illegal steroids for three years. Rodriguez has not been punished by the Yankees while Phelps was suspended by USA swimming for three months.
Still no word on whether Rodriguez' endorsement deals are in trouble. Both athletes apologized for what they did but again to some people the punishments here just don't seem to fit the crime.
CHETRY: That's right. And when you read some of the blogging about it online they also say that Michael Phelps, right, he had a DUI years ago?
CARROLL: He had a DUI. That's correct.
CHETRY: Yet, he was -- he still had endorsement deals after that but now this so.
CARROLL: Yes, so it makes you wonder, you know, when it comes to sports, you know, even though we've seen a lot of sports figures take a fall, you know, after using illegal steroids but there does seem to be, according to some, a double standard.
You smoke a little pot, you know, you -- really get, you really punished there, and...
(LAUGHTER)
You take illegal steroids in all seriousness, and in some cases you seem to get a free pass.
CHETRY: I got you. All right, Jason, good stuff, thanks.
CARROLL: All right.
ROBERTS: It's 43 minutes after the hour now. We've got breaking news for you, a growing disaster, deadly tornadoes on the move. The death toll rising across the nation's midsection. A live update from the town that took the worst of it. That's just ahead.
And hidden healthcare in the stimulus bill. Critics say some new provisions could handcuff doctors treating you. We'll take a look at the facts coming up. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
You've likely never seen Congress quite like this. It's the view of two freshman lawmakers who are starring in their own Web reality show exclusively on CNN.com.
Alina Cho has been following the show for us this morning and she joins us now.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: C-SPAN. C-SPAN, it is not.
(LAUGHTER)
CHO: This is no committee meeting, guys. Good morning.
ROBERTS: "Big Brother," it's not either.
CHO: No, you're right.
ROBERTS: What's the MTV one?
CHO: Something in between. "Real World."
CHETRY: "Real World."
ROBERTS: "Real World," yes.
CHO: That's right. Good morning, guys. Good morning, everybody.
The latest reality show is right here on CNN.com. Kind of a departure for us. It's called "Freshman Year" and it features not college students, but two freshmen congressmen who are politically and personally polar opposites. Thirty-three-year-old Jared Polis is a Democrat from Colorado, 41-year-old Jason Chaffetz, a Republican from Utah.
Now we have armed them with their own high definition flip cameras so that they can give viewers a behind-the-scenes look of what it's like to be a member of the world's most powerful legislative body, again, from the inside and we mean inside.
Now the series is airing exclusively on CNN.com. We're going to show you a bit on TV. Both congressmen, we should mentioned, are shooting their own video for the most part, they are documenting both their days and their nights on Capitol Hill.
In the first installment, Polis was still learning his way around those underground Capitol tunnels and Chaffetz, well, he showed us his rather unusual sleeping arrangements.
Here's a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REP. JASON CHAFFETZ (R), UTAH: I throw this down like that, put this out like that, and the idea here is that you work late into the night, you get a few hours' sleep and I just lay down on this little cot here and get back up and go all over. And I save $1,500 a month doing it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Now Polis says he's sleeping in his office because, "We get paid a handsome salary but we need to save every penny like everybody else." Tough times, you know?
Polis and Chaffetz were picked specifically because they have contrasting backgrounds. Polis is the first openly gay male elected to the House as a freshman. Chaffetz is a married father of three and a Mormon.
Now you got a peek at the first installment. The second one posted last night on CNN.com and here's a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JARED POLIS (D), COLORADO: OK, getting a quick haircut before I go speak to the I Have a Dream Foundation here in Boulder. I've needed a haircut for a while and haven't had time, so I'm just going around and get it quickly and (INAUDIBLE) speak to I Have a Dream.
CHAFFETZ: Let me show you this. This -- zoom in right here. See this little pin right here? This is magic. It gets you access anywhere you go. As a member of Congress they give these out, that way security and other people know that you're a member of Congress.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: In the second installment they also talked about the Senate subway. They say it's like a ride on Disneyland. By the way, you can catch the full series on CNN.com's political page, politics page rather.
Really interesting stuff, really an inside unique look at how these people live, in some cases, in their office. By the way, in Chaffetz's case, he says the only downside to that is the cleaning crew. There's this Zamboni-like machine and, you know, they work through the night. There's a horn and he says it works.
And the other thing is that he does keep his clothes right there in the office. He has another separate closet. And then he...
CHETRY: He also keeps his buoys...
CHO: Yes. Granola bars...
CHETRY: He just -- cereal bars and granola bars.
CHO: And pop tarts. In the fridge, there is -- there's Jell-O, pudding and some Slimfast. So he washes it all down with the Slimfast.
CHETRY: How about that? A shout out to Utah. He keeps his Jell-O in there even though he's in the city.
ROBERTS: Not to be the cynic here either, but if they're comparing the Senate subway to Disney World, they are easily amused.
CHETRY: Well, yes.
CHO: Well, I think if, you know, they say keep your hands and feet inside. I mean that's the (INAUDIBLE).
ROBERTS: It's a cool little thing to ride on but it's exactly Magic Mountain.
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: Not...
CHO: Right. That it is not.
CHETRY: Thanks, Alina.
CHO: You bet.
CHETRY: Well, what if prisons become so overcrowded that they're forced to let criminals go free? We're going to show you where that could happen, getting out of jail free.
It's 49 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
The president's economic recovery package throws billions of dollars at healthcare reform. Critics say there are provisions, though, in the fine print that actually let the government dictate what kind of medical care your doctor gives you.
Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here to give us a fact check.
So, what is it in this stimulus that has critics worried about this, that we're moving toward a situation where it's the federal government that may ultimately decide how your doctor treats you?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, Kiran, that is the concern. Those are the accusations, if you will, that are being lodged, that somehow this bill gives the government a long arm that reaches all the way into your doctor's examining room.
Let's take a look at what two critics have had to say in print. First of all, Betsy McCaughey, a former lieutenant governor of New York, a Republican, this is what she had to say. She said, "The stimulus bill will monitor treatments to make sure your doctor is doing what the federal government deems appropriate and cost effective."
And this from Scott Gottlieb of the American Enterprise Institute. "The bill will be used to create guidelines to direct doctors' treatment of difficult, high-cost medical problems.
Now, we asked Betsy McCaughey, because she's been through this bill page by page, point us to the language that says that this bill will dictate what your doctor does, and she showed us language that didn't actually, specifically say that. It didn't say the government will have the right to dictate what your doctor does.
But she says, it's vague enough that the government would be able to do that. And, of course, we ran this by the folks who wrote the bill. They said any accusations that this bill will allow the government to dictate anything to your doctor, they say, those accusations are wildly inaccurate and preposterous -- Kiran?
CHETRY: There's controversy on this point. So what does the bill definitely do for sure when it comes to healthcare?
COHEN: OK, what everyone agrees that it does is that it's trying to encourage doctors to switch over from those paper records that most of them use to electronic medical records. And the bill says, hey, if you don't switch over, Dr. Smith, by the year 2014, we're going to reduce your Medicare payments.
So there's no question that this bill gives a financial incentive to switch from paper records to electronic records, which many say are much more efficient and allow for much more patient safety.
CHETRY: All right. And, you know, it is to me that's very expensive as well to switch over, but a lot of people say that in the long run it will save a lot of money.
COHEN: That's right. That's right.
CHETRY: Elizabeth Cohen, thanks so much.
COHEN: Thanks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS (voice over): Who wants a shout out like this?
OBAMA: Fort Myers had the highest foreclosure rate in the nation last year.
ROBERTS: Not something to be proud of. The mayor of Fort Myers fires back live.
Plus, get out of jail free?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: California's problems are so bad they may have to release thousands of inmates.
ROBERTS: The crisis of prison overcrowding. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You get sick real easy. It's not very sanitary.
ROBERTS: Will prisoners be walking the streets again soon?
You're watching the Most News in the Morning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: New developments overseas to tell you about this morning. Right now Israel's elections have left the country in somewhat a political chaos. The leaders of the two largest parties have both declared victory. With 99 percent of the vote in, moderate foreign minister Tzipi Livni's Kadima Party has eked out a one-seat victory against Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party.
So where does all of this lead in Mideast peace process?
I'm joined now by former Middle East negotiator, Aaron David Miller. He's the author of the too -- "The Much Too Promised Land." And he's with us now live from Washington.
Aaron, it's great to see you this morning. So where do you think we are? We've got Tzipi Livni who believes that she might be able to form a government, Benjamin Netanyahu, on the other side.
What do you expect to happen in the coming days there?
AARON DAVID MILLER, FORMER MIDDLE EAST NEGOTIATOR: An already confused situation, John, has become a lot worse. Now in addition to a Palestinian Humpty Dumpty broken in the two parts between Abbas and Hamas, you have an Israeli version.
And the reality is, we're in store for some confusion paralysis. It's either going to go to a national unity government between Livni and Netanyahu, or if they can't put that together, then Netanyahu will be able, since he probably has the votes, to form a right-wing government. Either way, the pursuit of Arab/Israeli peace is in big trouble.
ROBERTS: Yes, I mean, either way you cut it, the right wing certainly gained a lot of support here in these elections. What does that indicate about the direction that the country may head in?
MILLER: Well, the reality is that the peacemaking from the Israeli side has always been a story of transformed doves or hawks. Menachem Begin who was prime minister of Likud, made peace with Egypt. Shamir went to the Madrid peace conference. Netanyahu, in his first incarnation, reached a couple of agreements, even Yitzhak Rabin was a -- was a centrist, a center right politician actually.
So the right has always had a big influence. I think Israelis are confused. None of these leaders have impressed them with the kind of moral authority and historic legitimacy necessary to take care of the security problems. And the reality is the way most Israelis see it the security situation is critical and it's likely to get worse. So there's a drift right ward.
ROBERTS: Let me just drill down on that particular point that you made there, because you illuminated it in the column that you did for the "Huffington Post," talking about the leadership there. You said, "It is eminently fair to ask whether any Israeli leader now has the historic legitimacy, moral authority, and power to make the tough choices and overcome the challenges Israel faces on peace and security."
You know you talked about some of the historically powerful Israeli leaders and you say that nobody there from this new generation really has the same sense of authority that these previous leaders do.
MILLER: That's the real problem. We're out of the age of hurling politics when it comes not just the Israeli peacemaking, but Arab peacemaking. King Hussein, Anwar Sadat, even Yasser Arafat in his first incarnation when he had a capacity to make decisions, they're all gone. And we're now left with politicians who frankly are prisoners of their politics, not masters of their constituencies.
So Arab/Israeli peacemaking really has always been about leadership including on our side. And if you can't summon up the will to make these big decisions, frankly not much is going to happen.
ROBERTS: Bill Clinton once famously remarks to Benjamin Netanyahu, he thinks he is the superpower and we are here to do whatever he requires. What might that -- if he becomes prime minister, what effect might that have on the Obama's administration stated commitment to try to reach a Middle East peace agreement?
MILLER: Well, the reality is if Netanyahu becomes prime minister either in his own government or part of a national unity government, which may rotate, he may find himself prime minister after Tzipi Livni is prime minister for a year or two if they work that out. The fact is American's find a way, even though it's hard to work with any Israeli prime minister. And last time around, '96 to '99 when Netanyahu is Prime Minister we actually reached -- Bill Clinton reached two agreements with Netanyahu after he committed himself not to deal with the Palestinians. So there's much that -- that can change here. I just wouldn't look for a quicker, easy breakthroughs in the coming years, though.
ROBERTS: Aaron David Miller, thanks for your perspective on things. It's good to catch up with you this morning.
MILLER: It's a pleasure, John. Thank you.
ROBERTS: See you again soon.
