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American Morning
Pirates Attack Another U.S. Ship; Defining and Dealing with Addiction; Voice of an Angel
Aired April 15, 2009 - 08:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: And thanks so much for joining us on AMERICAN MORNING. It's Wednesday, it's the 15th of April, tax day. John Roberts here along with Kiran Chetry. Good morning to you.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. It's two minutes past the hour. Time to get a look at what we're working on this morning and breaking down for you in the next 15 minutes. Breaking news.
Prates attacking another U.S. cargo ship off the coast of Somalia, firing rocket propelled grenades and automatic weapons. They did not get on board. The navy, to the rescue yet again, one sailor e-mailing his mother under fire. We're going to show you what he sent her.
Although, the rescued captain of the "Maersk Alabama" taken on a detour. He's on the same navy ship that responded to this attack. Now plans are changing for Captain Richard Phillips to meet up with the rest of his crew. The latest details live from Africa ahead.
Also, the department of homeland security warning law enforcement agencies about a potential rise in right-wing extremism. The report says extremists could use the weakened economy and the election of our first African-American president as tools to recruit new members.
And, good morning, it's tax day. That's a wake-up call for millions of Americans who will be rushing to make the midnight deadline. Tax protestors will also be marking the day by holding close to 3,000 tea party rallies across the country.
ROBERTS: First breaking news as we speak. A crew of about 20 sailors on their way to Kenya this morning under navy escort after pirates attacked another U.S. cargo ship off the coast of Somalia. The "USS Bainbridge," again coming to the rescue with former hostage Captain Richard Phillips of the "Maersk Alabama" still on board. The pirates firing rocket propelled grenades damaging the ship the New York based "Liberty Sun." But unlike last time, the pirates did not get on board. The military says the crew is safe but as the cargo ship took incoming fire, one sailor Thomas Urbik, was sending e-mails to his mother.
He wrote, quote, "We are under attack by pirates. We're being hit by rockets, also bullets." He goes on to say, "We are barricaded in the engine room, so far no one is hurt. A rocket penetrated the bulk head but the hole is small." Small fire too, Urbik adds, but put out. "The navy is on the way, he writes and helos and ships are coming. I'll try to send you another message soon. Got to go now, I love you mom and dad and all my brothers and family." Earlier on AMERICAN MORNING we spoke to a relieved Mrs. Urbik and she told us what her first words will be when she is reunited with her son.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATY URBIK, SON EMAILED DURING PIRATE ATTACK: I love you. Thank God you're safe. Thank God for being an American and having a strong military that can safely see you into port and thank God for protecting you.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: And we're tapping into the world wide resources of CNN for the latest developments. We have David McKenzie with us live in Mombasa, Kenya. And David, fill us in on more details of this attack. How did it happen?
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Basically Kiran, what happened is a group of pirates came up to that U.S.-flagged cargo ship. They fired rocket propelled grenades and small arms fire. They were under sustained attack for some time. The crew then hid away, according to various sources. And eventually the pirates gave up. Then sometime later the "USS Bainbridge" came to escort that ship, which is on its way to Mombasa. But what you get from the sense from Katy and her son who are e-mailing back and forth is how connected the world is. How sailors all across the world here are coming to and from Mombasa. How families are affected. I know the 200 merchant seamen right now hostage off the coast of Somalia. Not just that family but scores of families certainly worried about their loved ones. Kiran?
CHETRY: Also, we know that the pirates had put out some statement threatening revenge against Americans. Was this a revenge attack for the Captain Phillips' escape and rescue in which three Somali pirates were killed, or is this just business as usual?
MCKENZIE: Well, there's no way for us to know 100 percent, Kiran. But it's certainly more likely that this is business as usual. Pirates have been operating off this coastline behind me for years. In the last year or so it's gone to really extreme levels. They are attacking ships on almost a weekly basis. It's more likely they had planned to go out and try and capture ships regardless of what the U.S. or the French navy might be doing. And certainly, those navy ships, those -- that flotilla out there can't be at all places at all times Kiran. So really the pirates have that advantage, they can go out and try to find ships at will, almost.
CHETRY: Yeah, our David McKenzie for us this morning. Thanks so much.
ROBERTS: Six and a half minutes after the hour now. Let's fast forward to stories that will be making news later on today.
Struggling internet giant Yahoo! expected to do more belt- tightening. Several hundred employees could learn today that they're out of a job. It would be the third round of massive layoffs at Yahoo! in the past 14 months. We're expecting more numbers today on the status of the economy at 8:30 eastern. The labor department releases the consumer price index. And at 2:00 p.m. eastern the fed will release the beige book. That's a summary of the current economic conditions. Stay tuned to CNN for full coverage of those numbers.
President Obama will mark tax day, tax deadline day, which is today, by highlighting tax breaks in his economic stimulus plan. At 11:55 eastern he delivers remarks on restoring fairness to the tax code and giving t ax relief to working families.
And we could see close to 3,000 tea party tax protests all across the country today. Organizes will be rallying against higher taxes, bank bailouts and what they claim is out of control government spending. Kiran?
CHETRY: All right, well, today's tea party protests already drawing a spirited response from our i-Reporters. A lot of them are throwing their support behind the idea.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STACEY LIDEN, IREPORTER: Government is a little out of control. The people aren't having much of a voice anymore. We just want to get back and have people learn about their country. Where it came from.
JEANY RUSH, IREPORTER: What we don't need is taxation without representation, but guess what, that's what we're getting. So here's a toast to tea day on the 15th and let's go join the local tea party. Why not?
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: We'd like to hear from you, go to cnn.com/amfix. Send us an iReport. You can also call our show hotline 877-my-amfix. But not everyone's outraged by bigger government. There's a new "USA Today" Gallup poll out today showing that 85 percent of people say that they're ok with expanded government to deal with the financial crisis for now. But by a 3-to-1 margin people wanted to cut back when the crisis is over.
ROBERTS: Call it a consolation prize. Comedian Stephen Colbert will have a piece of the international space station named after him but fans did not get what they wanted. Here's the big announcement last night from "The Colbert Report."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN COLBERT: My name will be in space, where?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. We have come up with something that will be in node three eventually. It will be launched soon this summer in August. It's actually called the C.O.L.B.E.R.T. -- the Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistive Treadmill.
COLBERT: Wait a second, the combined operational load bearing external resistance treadmill. The Colbert?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Colbert.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: This all started when NASA held an online contest to name a room in the international space station. Colbert won in a landslide but the space agency didn't see the humor in that so instead named the treadmill for him. It could have been worse though instead of the C.O.L.B.E.R.T. treadmill it could have been C.O.L.B.E.R.T. commode.
CHETRY: Yeah, no I love that, because they were pretty creative about it. They actually used all of the letters of his name and it made sense.
ROBERTS: NASA has a sense of humor.
CHETRY: How about it?
Homeland security officials says there's a heightened risk of homegrown terrorism right now from right-wing extremists. We're going to tell you two factors they're citing for the increased threat and why some people are saying that the warning is just political. Plus, the four most common mistakes we make on our tax returns. Did you make one of them? Well there's still time to fix it. We're going to break it down for you. It's 10 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY FALLON: Everybody, it's here. Tomorrow is tax day, April 15th. And if you didn't know that until Jimmy Fallon told you, then you're screwed.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: The clock is ticking now. You've got less than 16 hours to file those tax returns or file for an extension. It's April 15th. Today, it's deadline day. And if you're still crunching the numbers you might want to consider e-filing. Our personal finance editor Gerri Willis is minding your business. She joins us now with a last minute tax guide. Good morning to you.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Good morning guys. Great to see you.
CHETRY: You wore black on purpose.
WILLIS: I wore black on -- it's tax day, I'm all in black and we are t-minus 16 hours here right now till midnight, when your deadline is to file. Good news here over 77 million people have already filed electronically this year, that's according to the IRS. E-filing is supposed to break records this year and there's a good reason for it. You know why? E-filing is faster. Software programs can check the math for you and you get your return back a whole lot more quickly. But I know folks out there always have that lingering worry that if you push the button at midnight, your return won't make it to the IRS. Here's what the IRS commissioner had to say about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOUGLAS SHULAN, IRS COMMISSIONER: Our systems are going to be able to accept all of the tax returns that come in. April 15th is a busy day for us. We know it's one of the biggest financial transactions a lot of Americans have every year, paying their taxes and we're ready to take them.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Ready to take 'em? Yeah.
WILLIS: Yeah he sounds like he's ready to go.
Filing your taxes though at the last-minute if you don't use an electronic software program it can give you room for error. Here are the big mistakes that most people make, math errors. Simple math errors people. Check your math. Incorrect social security numbers that should be easy-peezy too. Forgetting to sign your return. Forgetting to sign the check, remember these errors can delay any refund you're going to get. So make sure you do it right.
ROBERTS: So what about advice for folks who are filing by mail?
WILLIS: You know some post offices out there are open late, until midnight. Not all of them, obviously. But if you want to know which ones will be open late to get your return go to usps.com, they have a little applet there. You can go in and find out exactly how late the post offices are in your neighborhood.
ROBERTS: So but it's not enough to put in a post box, right? It's got to actually be stamped.
WILLIS: It's got to be stamped, you want that post office open when you turn it in. Of course if do you it electronically you don't have to worry about this and you can download that software for free at the IRS website, irs.gov.
ROBERTS: All right, thanks so much, Gerri. Good to see you this morning.
Today may be tax day but tomorrow we're kicking off a new series "Money and Main Street" it's going to help you take control of your job, your money, and your home. Catch our new series "Money and Main Street," tomorrow beginning at 6:00 eastern only here on AMERICAN MORNING.
CHETRY: Can you cure addiction with a pill? We're paging Dr. Sanjay Gupta for the answer as part of our special report "drug nation". And they all have to take turns walking the dog, why? Because the president of the United States said so. It's Bo's official coming-out-party. It's the photo-op everyone's talking about. 15 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: That's how we warm up our voices in the morning. That's audiotaped right before the show. Welcome back to the most news in the morning, the most popular videos right now on cnn.com. Mail carriers in Grand Haven, Michigan, under attack from a roving pack of wild turkeys. The birds are vicious. Local mail men say they are now carrying clubs for their own protection.
Lindsay Lohan looking for love, (INAUDIBLE) the actress recently posted a fake eHarmony profile on the website funnyordie.com. She says she's into antiquing and passing out in Cadillac Escalades. It might be funnier if it wasn't true, right? Well, also if you want an inspiring story in this tough economy, 19-year-old Billy Jinx isn't old enough to rent a car but he's already making millions of dollars running his own limo service. Some how this Arizona teen convinced his parents to buy him his first limo about four years ago. Well since then his company has doubled in size each year. It's now worth a cool $3 million. Congrats. That's what's most popular right now on cnn.com. John?
ROBERTS: It is the photo-op that everyone was waiting for and reporters lined up at the foot of the south lawn for the first official glimpse of the first dog. And CNN's Joe Johns was following all of the action.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The White House press corps rushes to one of the biggest events yet of the Obama administration.
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm all over this story.
OBAMA: There he is!
JOHNS: The first family and Bo the dog, all out to perform for the camera.
OBAMA: We all have to take turns walking the dog.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Malia, give him the (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don't go.
OBAMA: Do it. Let's see. It's a little pressure here.
MICHELLE OBAMA: Here we go, we don't have the treats.
OBAMA: We have no treats, that's the problem.
JOHNS: At 6 months old this is his fourth home and his third name. Bo's first owner called him Charlie and his official registered name is Amigo's first hope. Can the president believe all the coverage the first pet is getting?
OBAMA: It is spectacular and well deserved. He's a star. He's got star quality. He is. Look at him. That's a good looking dog, though let's face it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Great dog.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is he going to be in a bed.
OBAMA: Not in my bed.
JOHNS: And the puppy does have his problems.
OBAMA: Portuguese waterdogs like tomatoes. So this dog is in danger.
M. OBAMA: I don't think we have tomatoes.
OBAMA: Not yet. So we've got to figure out --
MALIA OR SASHA OBAMA: He doesn't know how to swim.
OBAMA: Apparently they have to be taught how to swim. All right, guys, I think that you guys have got enough.
JOHNS: Enough, of this? Not likely. Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: You could watch that all day, they're so cute. Kids and dogs, how about it.
ROBERTS: The president and the dog too.
CHETRY: He said is he going to sleep in a bed? Not my bed. You can't start that habit or it's a tough one to break.
ROBERTS: You never know, the dog might chew the bed to pieces before anybody gets anywhere near it.
CHETRY: Knock on wood, hopefully he'll work out.
ROBERTS: They are feisty dogs.
CHETRY: Right wing extremists may be stepping up recruiting efforts in this country right now, that's a warning that's come from the homeland security department but some people say it's nothing more than politics. We'll break it down for you.
Also, tea party tax protests are popping up across the country. Have American taxpayers hit the breaking point? It's 21 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ROBERTS: Welcome back to the most news in the morning. An intelligence report from the department of homeland security suggests right-wing extremists might be stepping up recruitment efforts. The report was sent to law enforcement agencies last week. It says the bad economy and America's first African-American president creates a climate for extremists to find new members. Our homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve is on the case now and has more on the political storm warning that was triggered today. Jeanne, what are we looking at here, what types of groups, how many of them?
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: John, what they're saying is that there are no specific threats associated with these various kinds of right-wing groups but this report has stirred up a bee's nest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE (voice-over): Political conservatives are fired up.
RUSH LIMBAUGH, CONSERVATIVE RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: This is an effort to criminalize political dissents, standard, ordinary, everyday political dissent.
MESERVE: This fury, a reaction to an assessment from the department of homeland security saying right-wing extremist groups could exploit fears about the economic downturn, gun control and the election of an African-American president to attract new recruits. It says groups dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration may fall within the definition of extremists.
LIMBAUGH: We are not extremists. They are the extremists.
MESERVE: To make its case, DHS cites a surge in purchases of guns and ammunition and the recent shooting of three Pittsburgh police officers by a man reportedly influence by racist ideology and fears of gun confiscations. An organization that tracks extremist groups thinks DHS has the picture at least partially right.
MARK POTOK, SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER: The election of Obama certainly has played for these groups in the last six, seven, eight months. The economy, I think, is much more questionable. We really don't know if that is having an affect.
MESERVE: A homeland security official says DHS is not trying to squelch free speech. There is no link between extremists being talked about in that report and conservative political thinkers, activists and voters. But conservatives aren't buying it.
ROGER HEDGECOCK, CONSERVATIVE RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: If the Bush administration had done this to left-wing extremists, it would be all over the press as an obvious trampling on the first amendment rights of folks and dissent.
MESERVE: In fact in January, there was a warning about left-wing extremists. It was issued by the Obama administration, but both reports were begun under President Bush. (END OF VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE: This new DHS assessment says right-wing extremists may try to radicalize disgruntled veterans to exploit their military knowledge. Some conservatives find that offensive but DHS points to Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, a veteran of the first Iraq war. John?
ROBERTS: Jeanne Meserve with the latest on that for us this morning from Washington. Jeanne thanks so much. Kiran?
CHETRY: All right, 26 minutes past the hour now. Time to go look at what other stories are developing this morning, we'll be breaking them down for you in the next 15 minutes. First these tea party protests taking place across the country on this tax deadline day. Happening from California to Texas to our nation's capital. Almost all points north and south along the east coast. There's close to 3,000 rallies expected to take place, according to taxdayteaparty.com.
An hour before the opening bell now and world markets a bit mixed this morning. Stocks in China and Hong Kong are up. Major markets in Tokyo, Taiwan and South Korea though all down.
And, Iran's president speaking out once again, saying his country is preparing a new package of proposals to settle the nuclear dispute. Also saying that the west should not try to force Iran to stop enriching uranium.
And again back to our top story we're following for you right now. Thousands of Americans marking tax day by throwing tax day tea parties to protest government spending. It's not clear how many there will be but there are a lot of estimates saying it could be thousands taking place across the country. It's not happening without some controversy, though. Karin Agness is the founder of the Network of Enlightened Women. She'll be speaking at one the tea parties live this morning in Charlottesville, Virginia. Good morning, Karin.
KARIN AGNESS, SPEAKING AT A "TAX DAY TEA PARTY": Good morning.
CHETRY: Also joining us is John Avalon, a columnist, independent. And will be covering tea party for "The Daily Beast" dot com. Great to see you as well John.
JOHN AVALON, COLUMNIST: Good to see you.
CHETRY: All right Karen, let me start with you. So you're taking the name from the Boston tea party protesting the colonist taxation without representation. What exactly is the message that you guys are hoping to get across today?
AGNESS: I think we're really at a crossroads right now in deciding what the appropriate role of government is. And I think people are gathering today around the country to send the message that the government should not go on this adventure of taxing and spending all over the place. We want responsible government and we don't want the government just focusing on taxing and spending everyone.
CHETRY: So who are you protesting?
AGNESS: I like to think of it as more of a rally and less of a protest. It's rallying the American people to get together. And I think the action item after this is to call our representatives and senators and let them know that we are frustrated with all of the bailouts in Washington and government getting into a lot of business decisions.
CHETRY: John, what are independents telling you about how they feel about these tea parties today designed to be a rebuke of the Obama administration's stimulus, the bailout, the spending. Is that just a conservative point of view?
AVALON: Independents are wondering where these tax protests were during the Bush administration when the republican congress did oust control pork barrel spending. And that's the problem I think here. We'd all love to see a Trans partisan movement to restore a sense of generational responsibility and fiscal responsibility again. That's become both parties' (INAUDIBLE) on them in terms of Washington being out of control in fiscal spending. But this is being pumped up in a partisan echo chamber. And if there's not a purpose beyond partisanship, then it's just an anti-Obama administration and it's going to fall flat on Main Street moderates and middle class.
CHETRY: And Karin I want to ask you that, John, brings up a point. Where were the protests when there was record spending, deficit spending taking place during the Bush years?
AGNESS: I think that's a great question and I think this is a culmination of frustration. It's not just pointed at the Obama administration. You had republicans voting for some of these big spending increases in the Bush administration and then now some of Obama's legislation. So I know ours is billed at the nonpartisan. My speech at the rally is not going to be pointed at the president. It's pointed at our politicians in Washington.
CHETRY: Right.
AGNESS: And I think that's something that we're focused on.
CHETRY: And, John, there seems to be a partisan debate over the tea parties in general, whether they were ginned up by right wing groups. You have a former republican congressman. Dick Armey saying no that's not case but then you have liberal "New York Times" columnist Paul Crudeman saying they're not grassroots they're Astroturf. So which is it? Is it this grassroots' groundswell due to blogs and alternative media, Facebook, Twitter? Or is this something that the usual suspects in terms of politics are behind?
JOHN AVALON: Well, I think we have seen the energy from this come from a partisan echo chamber. One of the things in the internet that leads to political self segregation. And in conservative site, in particular this is being seen as a populist revolve. I think the liberals are making a mistake dismissing into some kind of fringe festival joke. However, they're going to be shocked at the numbers of people who show up.
The question will be, what is all this anger transition to? What is the purpose beyond the protest? If they can move for a continued protest to restore fiscal responsibility then it might be the beginning of something good but if it's just an exercise to wrap yourself in the American flag, associate yourself with the founding fathers and attack the Obama administration in somehow being socialists for bringing us on the road to tyranny, well that may be good for ratings but it's not good for the country.
CHETRY: All right. We'll see how it turns out. Karen, good luck today. I know you're giving your speech in Charlottesville, Virginia. And John Avalon, always -
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thanks you.
CHETRY: -- great to talk to you as well. Thanks, guys.
AVALON: Thank you.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: And here's an A.M. refresher on what the Boston tea party was all about. The 13 colonies are getting increasingly angry about taxes imposed on them by the British government. Things like the stamp tax and the sugar tax. The tea act, though, of 1773 was the last straw. The act allowed the British East India Company to sell tea in America without paying the usual tariffs and because there were no colonists in the British Parliament they were outraged by taxation without representation.
On December 16th, 1773, three ships filled with tea sailed into the Boston Harbor. Colonists known as the Suns of Liberty, climbed aboard and dumped all the tea into the harbor.
Economic news that matters to you, new inflation numbers came out just moments ago. We'll break them down for you, straight ahead and you might just may have a cow when you hear about all the pork projects that you are paying for. Courtesy of your local politicians. We'll run them down for you. 32 minutes now after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: 35 minutes after the hour and just into CNN, latest numbers on consumer inflation. Christine Romans "Minding your Business" this morning with the details. How are we looking today?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're looking at core inflation that was up a little bit, 0.2 percent, but the number overall is down 0.1 percent. What does that mean? It means the prices that you pay your kitchen table, inflation is actually declining. And there's another number in here, John and Kiran, that is really interesting.
The Bureau of Labor Statistic says that this index, this inflation index has decreased 0.4 percent over the last year. The first 12-month decline since August 1955. That's a sign of a weak economy, folks. That means - ROBERTS: Oh, yes.
ROMANS: That people can't charge more for products because you won't buy them or you're not buying them so prices declining. Disinflation and after this inflation comes deflation. That is a sign of a very weak economy. It could have its own problems.
ROBERTS: We were talking before we came on the air though about the president's speech yesterday, do you think that that was in some ways a turning point?
ROMANS: I think that the president is trying to reboot the American economy. Not just this financial crisis but using this financial crisis to fix a lot of problems, as he sees them in the economy. And I think that even though there wasn't news beyond using that phrase, glimmers of hope again, news in that speech. I think he really managed to turn the page.
We've gone from shocked about what is happening in the economy to now we're getting used to it and trying to deal with what to do next. Listen to how he sort of how he boiled down this big picture problem within this other - right now, the near term of fixing the economy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES: I want every American to know that each action we take and each policy we pursue is driven by a larger vision of America's future. A future where sustained economic growth creates good jobs and rising incomes. A future where prosperity is fueled, not by excessive debt or reckless speculation or fleeting profits, but is instead built by skilled productive workers.
By sound investments that will spread opportunity at home and allow this nation to lead the world in the technologies and the innovations and the discoveries that will shape the 21st century. That's the America I see.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: So the president telling us about all these plans that he has in place. You know, a real progress report, John and Kiran. But you know, the plans are in place. Now he's got to sell those plans and he's got to help restore confidence without being overly confident as we continue to get all of these, you know, weekly and daily economic reports that look weak. So I think we've turned the page on being shocked about just what happened to the economy and now we've moved into the next phase.
ROBERTS: Well, maybe those little glimmers of hope out there will start to catch fire.
ROMANS: Sure.
ROBERTS: All right. Thanks, Christine.
Special program note, tomorrow we're kicking up a new series to help you take control of your job, your money and your home. It's called "Money and Main Street." It begins tomorrow morning at 6:00 Eastern only here on AMERICAN MORNING.
CHETRY: I want help taking control of my home.
ROBERTS: I need help taking control of everything.
CHETRY: Well, still ahead, manure management, tattoo removal? Some of the pork programs that you're paying for. It's a list that goes on and on but even more interesting is how vigorously the local politicians are defending these programs as very necessary. You're watching the most news in the morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
CHETRY: 40 minutes PAST the hour. We're going to fast forward now to the stories that are making news later today. The crew that kicked the pirates off the "Maersk Alabama" heading home today but unfortunately their captain isn't going to be with them. He was detoured when the navy ship that was carrying him responded to another pirate attack.
Also a day before President Obama head down to Mexico City, the administration is set to name a border czar. White House sources tell us, it's former justice Department official Allan Burston, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is touring the border today and is expected to make that announcement.
Also, all day long, we're keeping a close eye on weather conditions in Texas. You may remember the intense fire situation there last week. Well, now dry conditions have brought the wildfire threat to critical level yet again. So Rob Marciano is joining us now with a little bit more on what they can expect. How bad it's going to get out there. Hey, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN, METEOROLOGIST: Hey, Kiran. A lot of wind and low levels of humidity, pretty much the same scenario they saw just a week or so ago. This time it's going to be mostly across western parts of Texas and through parts of New Mexico. All right, sliding off to the east, all the damage that was done across parts of Florida. This storm system weakening as it heads a little bit farther to the north and east.
Let's take a look at some of that damage, first off in Florida, just north of Tampa. This is some of the tornado damage. It was an EF-0. So not a very strong one but was on the ground for about a mile. So there was a chapel, the Wesley Chapel that got some damage because of this particular storm.
All right, the hits just keep on coming for parts of North Dakota. They are still dealing with the flooding situation up there. Dikes still in place from the last big flood. They still have, don't have the spring that runoff yesterday. This is the Cheyenne River, one of the tributaries into the Red River. They got a national guard out there. Voluntary evacuations for about 7,000 people with this particular situation that's happening out that way.
All right, let's talk a little bit more of what is going on in the northeast. You're going to see some travel delays. Look at all this rain. Big shield from New York, all the way back to Chicago, light to moderate rainfall but there will be some wind with this. So that's going to create some issues at the airport. Here's what we think is going to happen later on today. Rain and wind delays in the New York metropolitan airports, Philly, D.C. as well. Probably an hour or better once we get to the afternoon.
Cleveland and Pittsburgh, similar situation. And then Atlanta, San Francisco, and Vegas will also have some delays, mostly because of wind. Kiran, that's the latest from the weather department. Back up to you.
CHETRY: All right. Rob, thanks. John?
ROBERTS: I love the weather on the magic wall. That's working rather well. Well with the nation struggling through a recession and millions of Americans out of work, this was supposed to be a year to trim the pork. But the watchdog group, Citizens Against Government Waste, says just the opposite seems to be happening. The group just released its yearly pig book report on 2009 spending bills. Our Drew Griffin now with a look at some of the more egregious examples of pork. Good morning, Drew.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. You know, they had a lot of fun with this but remember this is your money especially if you're sticking that stamp on the envelope today to send to the government. The pig book massive. Check out some of the worst offenders.
First up, the road to nowhere in West Virginia. I've stood on this road with no cars going by. Senator Robert Byrd gets $9.5 million for this lonely road. That actually got the pig book's highway robbery award. Other winners, a stinker here, Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, $1.8 million in swine, odor and manure management research. California congressman Howard Burman, he got $200,000 for tattoo removal. And former republican congressman Chris Shays, 1.9 million earmark for the Pleasure Beach Water Taxi in Connecticut.
Despite all those campaign promises, John, from the president on down to clean up the pork, the pig book catalogs, 11,610 earmark projects. And it's costing us $17.2 billion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID WILLIAMS, CITIZENS AGAINST GOVERNEMTN WASTE: They believe the president when he came out and said that he was against earmarks. And what happened? The new congress comes in oh they continue to vote republicans in '08, mind you. But the new Congress comes in and they've spent a billion dollars an hour since taking office.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: In fairness President Obama did inherit part of this year's pork from the Bush administration. But we want to also point out, Mr. Obama approved a huge chunk of it when he signed the big '09 spending bill in March. And while Senator Obama didn't ask for any earmarks, plenty in his party did. This year the democrats got the most. One analysis of strictly democrat or republican earmarks, racked up $2.6 billion for democrats. $1.9 billion, John for the republicans.
ROBERTS: You know, it's always said, Drew, that one person's pork is another person's necessary project. I mean you might question it when it comes to tattoo removal or water taxis but let's say Senator Tom Harkin's support of this swine odor mitigation plan in Iowa. Is that a necessary project? And might all of these be necessary?
GRIFFIN: Well, they're all necessary to the congressman or to the senator who asked for them and now they have to put their names on them, but critics are saying, listen, especially on this time, John, on this day, on tax day, should we be hearing about all of these things? Where is the trimming of the fat and the people that put out this pig book say there is no trimming the fat. They're just dumping more pork into these budgets.
ROBERTS: So there is no trimming of the fat but is there more transparency this year?
GRIFFIN: Well, yes and no. You still have to spend a lot of time digging through the bills to match names and the dollar amounts. It's very labor intensive. But you can do it. But even - you know this year was the year that all House members were supposed to put all of their new requests, this is for next year's spending on their websites.
22 lawmakers have missed that deadline. Other lawmakers have decided to call earmarks something else and you have to navigate through their websites to try to find it. So it's still dicey to find the information. But it is out there if you spend the time.
ROBERTS: Drew Griffin for us this morning with that report. Drew, thanks so much for that. Appreciate it.
GRIFFIN: Thanks.
ROBERTS: Kiran?
CHETRY: Still ahead. Pills that cure alcoholism? Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a closer to look see if they actually worked. And she shocked Simon and really the rest of the world. The incredible story of a British reality TV contestant who is now a youtube sensation and the odds on favorite now to win the British competition. It's 47 minutes after the hour.
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CHETRY: Welcome back. 49 minutes past the hour now. Our special report we've been calling "Drug Nation" continues this morning. President Obama's traveling to Mexico tomorrow where he's going to show his support in the country's fight against drug cartels. Earlier on AMERICAN MORNING, we talked to Mexico's former president Vicente Fox, who says he thinks that the deadly violence - there's something that can be done to fix it. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VICENTE FOX, FMR. MEXICAN PRESIDENT: On one side of this huge market of consumption here in the states. Number two, the large- producing drug market, countries, in the south. The Colombias, the Venezuelas today, Ecuadors, Bolivias and so Mexico just happens to be in between. At the very end, we don't have to blame each other. What we have to do is to work together, meet the challenge and solve the problem.
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CHETRY: And former President Fox also says that cutting the supply of drugs to young people is a joint responsibility for both the U.S. and Mexico.
Well, we're covering all angles of the global drug problem in our nation, in our "Drug Nation" series, including a look at those battling drugs, and alcohol additions. Well experts tell us that more than 17 million people meet the criteria for an alcohol abuse disorder.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, our chief medical correspondent, has been exploring the science of addiction for his new documentary "Addiction: Life on the Edge." And he joins us this morning from the CNN Center in Atlanta. So what does the evidence say about the best way to get people sober but also staying sober?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, in order to answer that question, I think that you have to take a step back and ask a more fundamental question, which is, what exactly is addiction? Is it more a lack of willpower? Sort of a lack of - or is it more of a disease of the brain? How do you sort of stratify addiction? It is a fascinating debate. One that we found a lot of people engaging in as we're working on this documentary. And I found some evidence of this debate at a most unusual place. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA (voice-over): This is the last place you'd expect to find a recovering alcoholic.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is one of my old favorite watering holes.
GUPTA: But this is where Walter Kent hangs out, a bar called Goober's. Walter is a giant of a man. But for most his life he couldn't find the strength to put down that bottle.
WALTER KENT, RECOVERING ALCOHOLIC: I was the type of person that the only time I drink is when I was alone or with somebody. Other than that, there was never a problem.
GUPTA: He tried rehab, and AA, nothing worked.
KENT: Nothing seemed to get through that urge. I couldn't get rid of the craving.
GUPTA: But then in 2000, he tried again. An experimental program at Brown University. This time he got counseling once a week and a daily pill. A medicine called naltrexone. And this time it worked.
KENT: When you can lose the total urge, the total craving for alcohol, you can beat it. There's no doubt in my mind because I'm living proof, the proof that this can happen.
GUPTA: Several recent study show that alcoholics do better when they get medicine as part of treatment, especially newer drugs like naltrexone or topiramate. And they are not addictive. And side effects like a dry mouth are minor. But not everyone is sold, most leading rehab centers use medication only rarely, if at all.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We do not use them at the Betty Ford Center.
DR. KEVIN CLARK, MEDICAL DIRECTOR, HAZELDEN: With the health care professional staff here at Hazelden. Our experience tells us that having that network of support and recovery is what really makes the difference.
GUPTA: More so the medication.
CLARK: More so than just medication, absolutely.
GUPTA: The medical directors at Hazelden and Betty Ford each told us therapy is much more important. And they both said that years of success, treating alcoholics backs that up.
Some say once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic. But sitting in Goober's with Walter Kent, I have to say, it changed my view of what that means.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: Now what we heard from a lot of the doctors at places like Hazelden, places like Betty Ford is a lot of the same conventional wisdom which people have probably heard for many years. But you know, again, as I mentioned, the debate is raging, the head of the federal agency that oversees a lot of research on alcoholism says about one in about 10 addicts right now, alcoholics hears medication as an option. Only about 10 percent, Kiran. But those numbers are starting to change.
CHETRY: And tell us what is the drug that he was taking that worked for him. Naltrexone, how does it work?
GUPTA: Well, it seems to do a couple of things. It seems to sort of take away some of the euphoria that people have when they take a drink. So one of the theories is that you take a drink like this, and you have a heightened sense of euphoria. So it tends to tamp that down a little bit. And it also tends to work on the other end of the spectrum where it may reduce some of the withdrawal symptoms that people when they don't take a drink. It heightens the pleasure or diminishes the pleasure, rather. And heightens some of the withdrawal-type symptoms.
CHETRY: Very fascinating. All right. Hopefully more people will find out about the other options, the growing options out there.
GUPTA: Ask about them, that's right.
CHETRY: Sanjay, thanks so much.
And also don't miss Dr. Sanjay Gupta's special "Addiction: Life on the Edge" as he follows the lives of four addicts, trying to stay sober for a year. A writer, a teenager, a mother and a retiree. The special debuts Saturday and Sunday, April 18th and 19th at 8:00 Eastern, right here on CNN. John?
ROBERTS: A star is born. She said that she's never been kissed. Well, now she's touching millions of people with her voice. She even made Simon Cowell melt. The story of the British reality show contestant that has everyone talking. It's 55 minutes now after the hour.
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ROBERTS: Well, we've all heard the phrase, don't judge a book by its cover and a popular British television program at least one familiar judge, that lesson was learned once again. And the woman with a voice is now an internet sensation. Our Alina Cho joins us now to explain all of this.
ALINA CHO, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: So incredible. Such a heartwarming story, guys. Good morning. Good morning, everybody. 47-year-old Susan Boyle has never had a boyfriend. She's never even been kissed and by her own admission she looks like a garage but boy can she sing. All I can say is the newsroom, a pretty cynical place but after watching this last night, more than a few of us, myself included, were moved to tears.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SIMON COWELL, REALITY SHOW JUDGE: All right. So what's your name, darling?
SUSAN BOYLE: My name is Susan Boyle.
COWELL: And how old are you, Susan?
BOYLE: I am 47. I'm trying to be a professional singer.
COWELL: And why hasn't it worked out so far, Susan?
BOYLE: Well, I've never been given a chance before but here is hoping it will all change.
(SINGING)
I dream a dream as time gone by.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: can you believe it, really. The song by the way was "I dreamed a dream" from the musical "Les Miserables." Now you saw the crowd jump to its feet but what about the judges? Well, it takes a lot to impress Simon Cowell but this unassuming Scottish woman with a voice like an angel just may have found a way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PIERS MORGAN, JUDGE: Without a doubt that was the biggest surprise I have had in three years on this show.
AMANDA HOLDEN, JUDGE: I'm so thrilled because I know that everybody was against you. I honestly think that we were all being very cynical. And I mean that's the biggest wake-up call ever. And I just want to say that it was a complete privilege listening to that.
COWELL: I knew the minute you walked out -
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, Simon!
COWELL: ... on that stage that we were going to hear something extraordinary and I was right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Simon Cowell just won't admit it when he's wrong. You know, Boyle as you might imagine, already an early favorite in the show. The winner gets about $150,000 and get this, the chance to perform in front of the queen. And Kiran, I know that you were just pointing out. Number one video on CNN.com.
CHETRY: Number one and two.
CHO: Number one and two? And on youtube, already 5.6 million views. It's incredible. Last night I think it was like 3.5 million. But good for her. Let's hope they don't make her over.
CHETRY: I know waiting for the makeover. They do it to everybody, right?
ROBERTS: Maybe they will let her play Crossett, what do you think, in the next edition of "Les Miserables."
CHO: OK. That's the character, yes. You got me there.
(LAUGHTER) ROBERTS: Thanks, Alina.
Thank you so much for joining us on this AMERICAN MORNING. We're going to see you back here again, bright and early tomorrow. We hope that you'll join us.
CHETRY: And right now here's "CNN NEWSROOM" with Heidi Collins.
