Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Balloon Boy's Comments Raise Questions Whether It Was a Stunt; Pakistan Fights for Its Own Survival; Families of American Hikers Jailed in Iran Take Petition to Tehran's U.N. Mission; Hikers Jailed 11 Weeks in Iran; Holiday Fares on the Rise; Counting Stimulus
Aired October 16, 2009 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: A good Friday morning to you. It is the 16th of October. Thanks for joining us on the Most News in the Morning. I'm John Roberts.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Carol Costello in for Kiran Chetry. Happy Friday everyone, because boy, I'm glad it's Friday. It's been a long week.
ROBERTS: Still a lot of day to go, though, so let's kick things off in a big way.
COSTELLO: OK. I want to kick it off in a big way. Here are the big stories we'll be telling you about in the next 15 minutes.
The world was riveted. Admit it, you were too. A 6-year-old Colorado boy missing and feared trap in a homemade helium balloon 7,000 feet in the air. A massive rescue effort and then the boy is found. Turns out he'd been hiding in the attic in the garage the whole time. And now questions about the entire story because of six words the child said to CNN.
ROBERTS: The United States is leaning on Pakistan to help deal with Afghanistan, but this critical ally is dealing with its own violence. A series of deadly attacks over the past ten days. How is this chaos impacting White House discussions on how to proceed with Afghanistan? We're live at the Pentagon this morning.
COSTELLO: Plus, their children are being held in Iran. The mothers of three American hikers putting their lives on hold to get them freed. The women making a direct appeal through the Iranian mission here in New York printing out petitions containing 2,500 signatures, but will it help? Coming up, we're talking live to the brother of one of the jailed hikers.
ROBERTS: We begin this morning with a 6-year-old Colorado boy who had the whole world riveted to television sets and computers yesterday. A homemade helium balloon built by a storm chasing dad somehow untethered flying thousands of feet in the air. A family fearing that their little boy was trapped inside, and then a big exhale. Little Falcon was alive. He had been hiding in an attic the entire time.
Thelma Gutierrez is in Fort Collins, Colorado where it all unfolded. And this feel-good story took a little bit of a twist last night because of something the little boy said when talking to Wolf Blitzer on CNN last night, Thelma.
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, exactly. And it depends on how much stock you actually put into what a 6-year-old says. But first of all, John, let me just say that everyone is very relieved that little Falcon is safe and that he was never in that experimental balloon in the first place. But his answer as to why he was in the attic and why he didn't come out when people called him that actually started to raise questions.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD HEENE, FALCON'S DAD: Did you hear us calling your name at any time?
You did?
MAYUMI HEENE, FALCON'S MOTHER: You did?
R. HEENE: Then why didn't you come out?
FALCON HEENE, BALLOON BOY: I got scared (INAUDIBLE) that we did this for a show.
R. HEENE: Yes.
GUTIERREZ (voice-over): It was that curious response from a fidgety Falcon Heene that went over like a lead balloon.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: What did he mean we did this for the show?
R. HEENE: Let me interrupt this really quick, because I think I see the direction you guys are hedging on this.
GUTIERREZ: Could it be that the Heenes staged the disappearance of their 6-year-old son for publicity? The family is not camera shy.
R. HEENE: We're right in the middle of the eye right now.
GUTIERREZ: Their storm chasers appearing on TV many times before, frequently submitting iReports to CNN. They've also been on ABC's reality show "Wife Swap" twice.
R. HEENE: God, Karen has such an impact on me.
GUTIERREZ: That background and Falcon's comment about doing it for a show had many CNN viewers questioning the integrity of the story on "ANDERSON COOPER 360" last night.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm guessing 90, 95 percent of the people think this is some sort of a hoax.
GUTIERREZ: Law enforcement officials say they have absolutely no reason to believe Falcon's ordeal was a publicity stunt.
SHERIFF JIM ALDEREN, LARIMER COUNTY POLICE DEPT.: They were beside themselves with worry and it was real obvious from their demeanor early on that they thought he was in the balloon.
GUTIERREZ: Still, the question, the doubts clearly upset Falcon's father.
R. HEENE: I'm kind of appalled after all of the -- the feelings that I went through, up and down, that you guys are trying to suggest something else. We were on "Wife Swap" a couple of times, so the camera crews out there. I would imagine, they'd asked him a couple of questions in reference to this, and -- I believe, you know, he meant something to do with that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUTIERREZ: Now, the Heenes are absolutely adamant that their son was just confused and the neighbors stand by them. And at this point, so does the sheriff's department -- John, Carol.
ROBERTS: You know, Thelma, I guess you could see that the whole ordeal, the 6-year-old child, what did they really know? The swirl of events around them, they might say something. But he seemed to clearly say, you said, we did this for the show, but they completely reject any notion that any of this was done to either further their chances of getting back on one of those programs or the storm-chasing show that they do. Anything like that. I mean, one of their sons was videotaping at the time, as I understand it?
GUTIERREZ: Yes, that's very true, and that 10-year-old son actually told authorities and told his parents that he had seen little Falcon get on that balloon. And the sheriff said that they have no reason to doubt this family at all and as a matter of fact, the parents have said that when they found out that their son was safe, they actually screamed. They dropped to their knees with emotion knowing that he was OK. And I think that's the bottom line that he is OK right now.
ROBERTS: All right. Thelma Gutierrez for us this morning. Thelma, thanks so much.
By the way, the Heene family is going to join us live at 7:30 Eastern right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
COSTELLO: Interesting story.
Also developing this morning, a nuclear armed country descending into chaos. This morning a deadly explosion in a busy neighborhood in Pakistan. Eleven people are dead, and that's on top of yesterday's attack which killed at least 37 people.
Remember, this is America's key ally, a country with nuclear weapons, a shaky government, and an army many say is not up to the task. It's also getting billions of dollars in American aid.
Barbara Starr is live at the Pentagon. And, Barbara, how is this violence impacting the president's deliberations on Afghanistan?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, you Carol, the White House has been talking about a comprehensive strategy for both Afghanistan and Pakistan, and, of course, President Obama just yesterday signed that $7 billion aid package for Pakistan, but this is now a Pakistan in deep trouble.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STARR (voice-over): The nearly daily chaos is raising more questions about the ability of Pakistan's security forces to maintain control. The last two weeks of attacks are largely the work of an increasingly powerful Taliban organization. It's all impacting the White House discussion about how to proceed with the war.
BRUCE RIEDEL, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: One should have no doubt about the relationships between al Qaeda and the Pakistani-Taliban.
STARR: Experts say if the White House struggles to decide whether the priority is fighting al Qaeda or the Taliban, it must first understand it's facing a web of interconnected networks in Pakistan.
JOHN NAGL, PRESIDENT, THE CENTER FOR A NEW AMERICAN SOCIETY: It's impossible, I think, to separate the Taliban in Afghanistan from the Taliban in Pakistan. They're both gaining strength and they present a real threat to the security of this entire region, this nuclear armed region. So it's enormously worrying.
STARR: Remember Mullah Omar, the one-eyed Taliban leader who fled the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan for Pakistan? He's back big time.
RIEDEL: Mullah Omar has presided over one of the most remarkable military recoveries in our time. An organization which was thoroughly defeated and discredited at the end of 2001 is now in its mind on the eve of victory.
STARR: Another Taliban faction known as the TTP (ph) also growing in strength. One senior U.S. official says recent intelligence suggests the group aims to launch attacks beyond Pakistan, perhaps even sending suicide bombers abroad. The Taliban factions are benefiting from al Qaeda's inability to launch significant attacks. Financial backers are seen as surging Taliban and an al Qaeda on the run.
RIEDEL: Donors, particularly those which donors in the Persian Gulf states have been sending their money to those who have been successful in the business of terrorism.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STARR: Like you said, Carol, why is this so important? Pakistan, of course, a nuclear power, and a Taliban movement now aimed at destabilizing that government, if not outright overthrowing it -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Barbara Starr live at the Pentagon this morning. Thanks. ROBERTS: Other stories new this morning to tell you about. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus says every Democrat in the Senate and at least one Republican will vote yes for a health care bill when the time comes. That would give the overhaul, the 60 votes it needs to advance to the full Senate. Majority Leader Harry Reid and White House officials are scrambling to finalize details before a full debate starts.
COSTELLO: Bank of America's outgoing CEO, Ken Lewis, is not getting a salary or bonus this year. That agreement was made with the government's payment czar. In fact, Lewis has to give back about $1 million that he's already been paid this year. He's been under fire for not revealing losses and bonuses at Merrill Lynch ahead of a merger between Merrill and Bank of America.
ROBERTS: And talk about a mother's worst nightmare, it was caught on tape at a train station in Melbourne, Australia. We want to let you know everything turned out all right.
OK, here's the video. Take a look at this. It shows a baby stroller rolling off a platform and, look at this.
COSTELLO: Oh, oh -- gosh.
ROBERTS: The baby was dragged down the tracks, as his mother watched in horror. You can see her reaction. She's literally in convulsions on the platform there as she watches the train go by. Just a slight bump on the head, though, for the baby. Look at the mother there.
Paramedics say the stroller's safety restraint probably saved his life. He was buckled in there, flipped over, bumped his head, pushed along by the train, but oh, my God.
COSTELLO: Actually I think what saved him was luck. Outright (ph) luck. I mean, a little baby safety strap usually doesn't save one when they're run over by a train. That was just luck.
ROBERTS: God was smiling on him.
COSTELLO: You're not kidding. I'm glad he's OK.
ROBERTS: Oh, Lord.
COSTELLO: That's unbelievable video, though.
Coming up, we're going to be talking to the brother of one of those hikers still being held in Iran. In fact, three American hikers are being held there. So is there anything that the United Nations can do, that the United States can do to get them released?
We're going to talk to a -- we're going to talk to a brother of one of the hikers to find out. Stick around.
It's nine minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
It has been eleven weeks since three American hikers were arrested in Iran accused of illegally entering the country. Now their mothers have gone directly to Iran's U.N. mission here in New York with the simple request, please, let our children go.
Joining us now is Alex Fattal. His brother, Josh, is one of the three being held. So yesterday, the three moms, you were there as well went to the Iranian mission at the United Nations, presented a petition with 2,500 signatures on it. This is weeks after Ahmadinejad promised at the United Nations general assembly that he would appeal to the courts for maximum leniency in this case. This has got to be frustrating for you that there are some signs of progress, some small signs of hope and then nothing happens?
ALEX FATTAL, BROTHER OF MISSING HIKER IN IRAN: You know, it's certainly tough. Time is passing very slowly. In addition to maximum leniency, he asked that the judiciary treat the case expeditiously and we've been, you know, patiently waiting in early October hoping something is going to come through, a release. And unfortunately, it hasn't happened yet. We remain optimistic that it will happen soon.
ROBERTS: I know. We talked to your mother just before the United Nations general assembly and she had hope that Ahmadinejad might have even brought your brother and the two others with him to New York. So all hopes of that were dashed very quickly. What kind of implications do you have that anything might move in the future?
FATTAL: Well, we do think things are moving. We understand there are processes within the Iranian judiciary and they need to work their way through. But again, we hope that that's done in a quick manner. Eleven weeks in a long time. If Josh and Sarah entered Iran illegally, it can only be because it was an accident and hopefully they'll be deported promptly and get back to us.
ROBERTS: How did it go with the Iranian mission to the U.N. yesterday? I've seen innumerable protests where people march up to the gates of an embassy or mission. You basically have to throw the petition over the fence.
FATTAL: No, no. It wasn't like that at all. We were receives very graciously. We were carrying a box of petitions about this big, and they received them, and that was great. So --
ROBERTS: So you have some hope that at least they're paying attention to you here?
FATTAL: Hopefully they're being reserved. I mean, these petitions are from supporters all around the world, friends, family members, but also complete strangers. And that gives us a great amount of support and enables us to kind of continue.
ROBERTS: What he said at the United Nations general assembly was very similar to what he said about Roxana Saberi. I guess it was three, four weeks before she was released. Does that give you hope that this is the way that this case might progress?
FATTAL: We don't know. I mean, each of the cases are very different. But we appealed for leniency and Roxana was released. Hopefully, the appeal for leniency and our kids would be released. But again, we hope that it comes very soon. It can't quickly enough.
ROBERTS: And this also came up at the meetings in Geneva between US diplomats and Iranian officials, mostly - though most of the talk was about the nuclear issue, but this also did come up. Did anything come of that? Does it - does that increase the chatter (ph) through back channels?
FATTAL: I mean, a lot of people are appealing to the - to the Iranians on our behalf, and we appreciate all that support, you know, direct and indirect. Hopefully some of that will - will work out.
ROBERTS: And in the - and the Swiss Embassy which represents US interests in Iran, had been appealing for consular access to your brother and - and the two others, and we understand that that - that was granted and...
FATTAL: Yes. That was...
ROBERTS: ... and you learned something from that. What did you learn from that?
FATTAL: Well, we learned that they're being very well treated, they're being, you know, decently - you know, in decent physical condition, and that's the most important thing. I mean, that kind of put some of our worst fears at rest. But, again, they're in a dark cell in Iran. You know, they need to be out in the crisp fall air.
ROBERTS: Yes. So this has been going on since July the 31st and just kind of keeps grinding on day after day after day. How do you - how do you face every day?
FATTAL: It's tough. I mean, I - I personally - my - my personal therapy is to go out into the driveway and just shoot hoops, and - and that's what me and my brother, we loved to do, so I'm playing like one on zero right now. I can't wait until he's back and we're playing one on one.
But, you know, everybody's got their own coping mechanisms. I know for the parents it's extremely difficult, but they're doing - they're doing great.
ROBERTS: Well, a lot of things are moving. Hopefully it will be soon. Alex, great to see you. Thanks for coming in this morning.
FATTAL: Thanks, John.
ROBERTS: Carol.
COSTELLO: All of that stimulus money you so generously paid out to create jobs, where did it go? Which states benefited the most? We have the answers. It's 16 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Why are we playing "Santa Claus is Coming to Town"?
ROBERTS: You're about to find out. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. If you are traveling for Thanksgiving or Christmas, Santa Claus is coming to town. Don't plan on last-minute deals. Travel experts say that unlike last year when airlines slashed fares after a sharp drop in travelers. This year, ticket prices already on the rise, and not only will you pay more for a ticket, but also many airlines are hitting you with a $10 travel charge, and then there's $30 for your first bag, and then there's $50 for your second bag and there's...
COSTELLO: Have we - If it's Halloween...
ROBERTS: ... there's $0.50 cents to use the laboratory, and there's $5 to buy the (INAUDIBLE).
COSTELLO: (INAUDIBLE) Halloween yet and we've got to talk about Thanksgiving and Christmas...
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I'm OK with that, but see (ph), for people who need to buy plane tickets, such as myself, I would like to know because, you know, flying to California, it's - it gets expensive all the time.
COSTELLO: OK, I'm chastised.
ELAM: But, at the same time, "Santa Claus Coming to Town," I'm with you. That's a little...
ROBERTS: Yes, that's a little early. But, you know, if you haven't booked your Thanksgiving ticket yet prices are - every day, every minute.
ELAM: And that's the most traveled holiday every year. That is it.
ROBERTS: And - and here's a little tip I found, because I travel an awful lot, and I shop for my own tickets. Toward the weekend, some airlines will jack up the price of tickets even a month down the road, because they think, oh, it's coming up to the weekend. People are thinking about travel and by Monday those prices go back down again.
COSTELLO: At the same time (INAUDIBLE).
ELAM: Believe it or not, so do I.
COSTELLO: At the same time, sometimes when you get your ticket early, it's more expensive than if you had waited and gotten it later.
ELAM: That's true.
ROBERTS: Yes. You've got to play this...
ELAM: But this requires all of us to have crystal balls - which we don't have - to figure out the best time to buy a plane ticket.
ROBERTS: You got to play this game. What have to you got for us this morning on the stimulus?
ELAM: Nothing about travel, but a lot about stimulus. And, you know, we've heard - we've heard a lot about there's going to be more transparency from the Obama administration about how the $787 billion of the stimulus act, how it's being spent.
Well, we're getting the first numbers on how - how many jobs have been created. So here's your numbers, 30,383. That's the number that is - of stimulus jobs, basically created directly from money coming from the government. Those are how many jobs have been saved or created, $16 billion worth of contracts, $2.2 billion has been paid out so far.
Here's the thing, the states with the highest unemployment rates as of August haven't gotten the most jobs. If you take a look at the numbers, you can see here, Michigan, 397 jobs. Well, their unemployment is the highest at 15.2 percent. Puerto Rico, also above 15 percent. I know it's a US territory, not a state. Nobody send me an e-mail. But still, 126 jobs created there. Nevada, 159. Look at Rhode Island, unemployment rate of 12.8 percent and only 6 jobs created there. So that - that's not a huge number at all. Six really lucky people.
COSTELLO: That's the understatement of the year.
ELAM: That's right. Exactly.
Let's take a look, though, at the top states that have gotten some of these jobs, starting off with Colorado, 4,600 jobs there, Washington State with 2,900, and you see the numbers there.
But these states don't necessarily have low unemployment rates. If you take a look at California, for example, their unemployment rate is 12.2 percent, triple digits for Florida and Tennessee as well as - you can see there on the graph. So still a lot of issues.
But the thing is the federal government can't necessarily say that this money has to go to these states because their unemployment rates are so high. It can't work like that because they are going through agencies and the agencies say, well, this is where projects that are already existing belong right now. But obviously there'll be some discrepancies here because there's a difference on how the job numbers are counted. If you look at how the - the US government counts them, they direct (ph) count. Direct jobs and jobs that were related.
Say someone who'd be able - was able to save their job working at a diner because they're supporting people who were working for those direct jobs, whereas people who are getting the money, these contractors, they just say direct jobs. So there'll be a discrepancy there.
ROBERTS: Six jobs in Rhode Island?
ELAM: Six jobs. I know it's a small state but there's a lot of people there in pain.
ROBERTS: And - and how much money?
ELAM: Well, when you take a look at overall, the contracts have been paid out so far is $2.2 and $16 billion have been awarded so far. So not - it's not going (INAUDIBLE) where it needs to go.
COSTELLO: But we assume that there'll be more jobs created to come?
ELAM: Yes. And, you know, if you take some - and spend some time in Rhode Island like I did earlier this year, you can see that they really are feeling a lot of pain in one small state. But, yes, hopefully there'll be more jobs coming, and the Obama administration they believe that one million jobs have been created in the first seven months of this, and so we'll see more about these numbers as the states come out with their numbers on October 30th.
ROBERTS: Stephanie Elam "Minding Your Business" this morning. Thanks, Steph.
ELAM: Sure.
COSTELLO: On the subject of politics, we know about senator Olympia Snowe. She courageously voted along with Democrats on health care reform. Well - well, you know, a lot of people are complaining about that, including some Republicans, although it's under their breath.
ROBERTS: Courageously for some people, outrageously for others, right?
COSTELLO: Exactly but - but ponder this. In "Just Sayin'," could Olympia Snowe's vote be a blessing in disguise for the GOP?
It's 24 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the most news in the morning.
She is the only republican so far to support a Democratic health care reform plan. Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine has been praised for her courage in breaking party ranks.
COSTELLO: Yes, she has, but could her vote be a blessing in disguise for the Republicans? It's time for "Just Sayin'." "Just Sayin'," is it a gift not to bipartisanship but to the Republican Party?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ms. Snowe? Ms. Snowe, aye.
COSTELLO (voice-over): Senator Olympia Snowe - ever since President Obama publicly admired her bipartisan courage, that courage has been publicly excoriated by Conservative talk radio.
RUSH LIMBAUGH, TALK SHOW HOST: This voice by the way is the voice of the new castrati, those who have lost all manhood, gonads, guts and courage throughout our culture and our political system.
COSTELLO: Still, Snowe has inspired something many politicians are not these days - admiration. On CNN's Political Ticker, half the comments went like this: "Leave it to a woman to keep things moving," "Good for her. I like independent thinkers," and, "I wish both the Senate and the House were filled with people like her."
"Just Sayin'", is Snowe's vote a gift for Republicans?
DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Olympia Snowe could help to rally what remains of a moderate Republican group that is important. If the Republican Party wants to be a national majority, they need moderates.
COSTELLO: Many analysts believe the Republican Party has been hijacked by Conservatives, to its detriment. According to a CNN opinion research poll last month, just 43 percent say Republican lawmakers would move the country in the right direction. Still, can one Republican bipartisan vote really change that perception?
MARTIN KADY, POLITICO: I don't see where the current leaders of the Republican Party are going to try to rebuild their party around the Olympia Snowe brand. But the folks who are going to be successful next year in 2010, they may very well be Olympia Snowe-type politicians.
COSTELLO: In other words, analysts say Conservatives may have the loudest voices right now, but party leaders surely know that including moderates in the Republican tent is a key factor in rebuilding the Party.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And of course that could be why you haven't heard Republican leaders blasting Olympia Snowe publicly for her vote, and she likely won't face any serious consequences for bucking the party lines. She may have company too. Maine's other senator, Republican Susan Collins, also signal that she is willing to work with Democrats on health care legislation despite a move by Republican leaders to kind of slow down the debate.
ROBERTS: The Conservatives in the Republican Party will tell you that they need to appeal to that Conservative base in order to rebuild the party. But then if you're going after that great swath of the middle of America, which is actually growing, if you want to win back Congress, if you want to win the White House, isn't that who you have to appeal to as well? COSTELLO: Exactly. And maybe somebody should come out and stand up for Olympia Snowe on the Republican side. Although, we aren't going to hear them, I know.
ROBERTS: Yes, well, she seems to be standing for herself right now, and she's happy in that.
COSTELLO: And Susan Collins - of course, you know, she's from Maine too.
We want to know what you think about this. Is Olympia Snowe's vote a gift for the GOP? Write to me on my blog at CNN.com/amfix. That's CNN.com/amfix.
We'll read your comments a little later on on AMERICAN MORNING.
ROBERTS: President Obama asking Democratic supporters for time and patience when it comes to health care reform. Speaking at a sold- out fund-raiser in San Francisco, the president said he won't let critics bring down his agenda. He also assured the friendly crowd that no matter what the final health care bill, it will help millions of uninsured Americans.
COSTELLO: Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is warning America's economy is still fragile and we have to be careful not to remove support systems put into place during the stimulus too early. Geithner says the administration is working carefully to keep that from happening and he also added we should expect, quote, "a slower than typical recovery."
ROBERTS: Wages are usually the last thing to deteriorate in a recession, and it looks like that's what's happening according to "USA Today." Average weekly wages for private sector workers have fallen 1.4 percent this year to $616. If that trend continues, this year will see the biggest annual decline in wages since 1991.
COSTELLO: Oh, and now to one of our favorite segments - "Wingnuts of the Week." It's built on a simple premise that the far right and the far left are equally insane at times.
ROBERTS: Each Friday independent analyst John Avlon calls them both out for his weekly wingnut picks. John is also a columnist for the DailyBeast.com, and he's here with new additions to the ring of dishonor.
JOHN AVLON, INDEPENDENT POLITICAL ANALYST: That's right.
ROBERTS: Why don't we start with the wingnut on the right this week?
AVLON: Wingnut on the right this week. We've got one of the uglier figures from the fringes of politics has returned. You might remember Floyd Brown from the Willie Horton ads in 1988? He was also a member of what we referred to as a slimy little thug by George Stephanopoulos at one point. Well, he's trying to get back in the game with a new Web site called Impeach Obama. This is the new -- all the rage on the far, far fringe, but it's a really serious and particularly ugly accusation.
Let's look at some of the text in this nauseous Web site that he's trying to pump up.
First he's saying, how long must we wait? How long should we sit back and permit Barack Hussein Obama to rip apart the fabric of this country before we take action?
"Are you terrified of Barack Obama's campaign to change our country into a Third World nation?" "Are you willing to sit back and watch Obama bulldoze our great nation?" And finally, "Are you willing to let him construct a totalitarian regime, fascism, socialism, Obamaism, take your pick?"
COSTELLO: That Third World thing was new.
AVLON: Yes. I've seen some signs to that effect at some of the tea party marches that I've covered over the summer. But this sort of brings it all together. You know, you've seen this impeach Obama stuff. But it just shows, you know, we had this sort of impeachment, hyper-partisan ping-pong. You know, Nixon, Clinton. Now they just want to impose it on everybody. The far left did it to Bush, now they're all of a sudden trying to do it to Obama.
People, reality check. High crimes and misdemeanors. This is just a partisan football. And what's so offensive is these folks are trying to do violence to the constitution while pretending to defend it. And it just drives me bad.
ROBERTS: And he wears that wingnut, so jauntily just kind of cocked off to the right there?
AVLON: Yes. So it might be a good look for now.
COSTELLO: Yes. Another good look of the wingnut crown goes to the wingnut of the left.
AVLON: Yes. We know we are an equal opportunity offenders here.
Ed Shultz from MSNBC had a memorable rant on health care that just might have hit a new low.
Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ED SCHULTZ, MSNBC HOST: The Republicans lie. They want to see you dead. They'd rather make money off your dead corpse! They kind of like it when that woman has cancer and they don't have anything for her. That's how the insurance companies make money, by denying the coverage. My God, Democrats, what's wrong with you? You can't deal with these people!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: You can't handle the truth! AVLON: Yes. Some has been watching "A Few Good Men" a little too much in their search for ratings.
You know, this is really -- the Democrats who were so offended rightly by Sarah Palin tweeting about death panels, well, this is the flip side of that same argument. But, you know, of course, folks defend him because we've slipped into this idea of American politics that, well, he maybe crazy, but he's already crazy. And that's part of the problem.
ROBERTS: There's a bunch of those out there.
AVLON: There's a lot of them. I mean, our politics are starting to look a lot more like a psychiatric unit than they should. And this is, this is -- so here on the left, Ed Schultz, congratulations.
ROBERTS: All right. A couple good wing nuts this week.
John Avlon, thanks so much.
AVLON: We do have a bonus round, real quick.
ROBERTS: Oh, OK.
AVLON: All right, we got a bonus round. We got a look at a town hall with South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham that got a little out of hand, given a snapshot of what's going on on the ground.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: (INAUDIBLE) John Kerry.
CROWD: Yeah! Yeah!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Article 1 section 9. You're a traitor, Lindsey Graham. You betrayed the nation! You betrayed the state!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Wow.
AVLON: Yes. Wow. So, again, this talk treason and the Constitution. In this case, the sin for Lindsey Graham was writing an op-ed in conjunction with Democrat John Kerry. So all of a sudden, even writing an op-ed with a member of the opposition party is considered treason by some folk on the extremes.
COSTELLO: You know, what's interesting about Lindsey Graham, I'm doing a series on talk radio that will air next week so tune in, but conservatives aren't very fond of Lindsey Graham these days. He's become the new whipping boy for them.
ROBERTS: Yes. He's a little too moderate for their liking.
AVLON: Yes. And here's the thing. I mean, this guy is -- you know, one of John McCain's best friends in the Senate. Someone who reaches over the aisle, but has been very conservative on many things. Lindsey Graham now is the subject of what they call RINO Hunt in South Carolina, Republican's name only. Exactly what you were talking about. A real problem.
ROBERTS: John, thanks so much.
AVLON: Thank you.
ROBERTS: Great to see you this morning.
COSTELLO: For more on John Avlon's wingnut picks, go to our blog at CNN.com/amfix.
ROBERTS: All right. So there's been concerns over cancer radiation doses at Cedars-Sinai Hospital after it was found that a machine was improperly calibrated. We'll have the latest on that for you coming right up.
Thirty-six minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
The plan was to improve stroke diagnosis in one of the nation's top hospitals. But we are now learning the CT scan, a critical tool, was misused leaving more than 200 patients at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center exposed to excessive doses of radiation.
Here's Kara Finnstrom with that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD BIGGLES, PATIENT: The side of my face went numb and my speech was starting to slur. And I'm like, uh-oh.
KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fifty-one-year- old Donald Biggles suffered a stroke in September of last year. Since then, he's been grateful to the doctors who treated him at Cedars- Sinai Medical Center. But now a frightening discovery about a test used to diagnose his stroke.
Cedars-Sinai is admitting to a major programming error with a CT scan machine. During a period of 18 months, the hospital says every stroke patient, 206 in all, received radiation doses six to eight times more than intended. Biggles says he was one of them.
BIGGLES: This paperwork is what they gave me when they released me from the hospital.
FINNSTROM: Medical experts say nobody knows exactly what risk Biggles faces but agreed that risk grows over time.
DR. BRUCE FAGEL, PHYSICIAN/ATTORNEY: They are now in a subset population that is by definition high risk for the development of various types of cancers. We don't know what kind. We don't know how long it's going to take for it to curb.
BIGGLES: They say, you know, cancer, it takes about 20 years for cancer to actually show up. I'm like, so, you're telling me I'm going to wind up with cancer around about age 70? And that's it? Five years after retirement, I get cancer? I'm like -- what? I don't understand this.
FINNSTROM: Biggles is struggling to make sense of it all.
Three weeks ago, he says he got a phone call out of the blue from Cedars-Sinai. Dr. Barry Pressman, chairman of the hospital's imaging department, had some questions.
BIGGLES: He asked me, had I had any blurred vision, headaches or hair loss. That's it. I said, hair loss, yes. I said I had a perfect ring around my head. He just do like this and there it was.
FINNSTROM: But he says Dr. Pressman never said anything about a radiation overdose.
BIGGLES: He never mentioned the word radiation or that they had over-radiated me. He just said something - there was an error with the procedure.
FINNSTROM: In fact, Biggles says the only reason he learned about the overdoses was this week's flurry of local news reports.
State House officials were alerted to the problem by the hospital and investigated.
Two years ago, Cedars-Sinai faced state censure in another high- profile mistake. The newborn twins of actor Dennis Quaid were given 1,000 times the intended dosage of a blood thinner. The twins survived and the Quaids launched a foundation to draw attention to hospital mistakes that kill as many as 1,000 Americans a year.
Biggles says he understands mistakes are made, what he wants are answers.
BIGGLES: They've taken me from my normal comfort zone to now I'm in a worry zone. I have a wife. I have a family. I'd like to be around to see my son graduate college and get married and, you know, that's my life expectancy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FINNSTROM: Biggles says his next step would be to talk with his personal doctor about the risk he may face.
Cedars-Sinai did turn down our request for an interview, but Doctor Pressman released a statement, saying in part, "As a physician speaking with patients, the goal is to address any side effects that may occur without unnecessarily alarming them. We continue to respond to patients' questions and concerns, and I sincerely regret if any patient feels they did not receive the information they needed" - John, Carol. ROBERTS: Kara Finnstrom for us this morning. Kara, thanks so much.
COSTELLO: It's snowing in parts of New York and Connecticut and Pennsylvania. Isn't that unbelievable?
ROBERTS: It is cold out. It's cold out and it's windy and it's not a very nice day at all.
COSTELLO: It doesn't seem like October, does it? It's only 38 degrees. You know, we're not alone in our misery either. Out in California, there are storms. There's floods in the southeast. So, what is going on? What does El Nino have to do with this?
ROBERTS: Aha.
COSTELLO: Rob Marciano is hard at work at the weather center. You see him there. He'll have answers for you next.
It's 43 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: That's a song that's as dark as the weather today.
COSTELLO: Oh you're not kidding. Let's put it to man who has been working tirelessly through the wee hours of the morning trying to figure out what the heck is going on?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's cold. You're right about that. We had a number of record-high temperatures that were colder than usual. Yes, if that makes any sense. Basically, you went outside in the afternoon it was certainly cold, but to answer the question of whether this is all caused by El Nino, El Nino, the warming of the Pacific ocean.
What that does? Is it messes with the global circulation patterns for weather? And in the wintertime specifically, what it does, it kind of strengthens this Southern branch of the jet stream, and if you live in California, you know what that means. That typically means more storminess out in California, and across the South and Texas and Florida, more tornadoes and across the Southeast, typically a little bit more wet.
So the recent storminess in California and the Southeast you would think, that's all because of El Nino. I talked to Mike Halpert (ph), he is an expert of CPC. The global weather -- the patterns quite haven't changed enough to blame El Nino for the storms in California and the Southeast. But certainly, if this were to happen in winter, in the coming weeks, that may very well change.
Let's talk about the winter forecast, officially from the National Weather Service or at least NOAA. Their temperature outlook calls for warmer than normal temperatures across the plains and cooler than normal temperatures across the Southeast. Equal chances, not quite sure, across the Northeast. Let's talk more about precipitation. Of course, that's a big deal when we talk about snow. Well, wet across California, Texas and the Southeast. We know about that. But what about the Northeast? This is often a question mark, because there's more than just El Nino that drives the Northeast weather patterns, especially across the wintertime.
What goes on in the Atlantic ocean is even more important than what happens there, whether it be a positive phase or a negative phase will determine whether or not we had a snowy winter. Last year, we had a rather mild winter, and that caused -- well, that was caused by more of a positive phase. Right now, the phase is rather negative, and that may be why we've got this cool and unusually snowy pattern across parts of the Northeast right now.
We are seeing, my friends, record-breaking snows across parts of the -- across parts of the Midwest and specifically the Alleghenies and the Appalachians. Parts of Pennsylvania have already seen over four inches of snow, and it's still snowing there, and it's expected to keep on snowing, four to 12 inches possible across this part of the world. State college, the university of Pennsylvania has a huge meteorology program. They had 2 1/2 inches and it's still snowing there.
COSTELLO: At least they'll learn from real word.
MARCIANO: Yeah, exactly. We got some hands-on experience for the research students over there at Penn state to go after.
ROBERTS: October 16th, and we got snow across the land.
COSTELLO: The world is coming to an end. I don't know.
MARCIANO: Don't blame it all on El Nino. The best is yet to come. And there's some good news about El Nino. As you know, John and Carol, that knocked down the Atlantic hurricane season. So that was certainly a positive note for our friends.
COSTELLO: That is looking at the glass half full.
ROBERTS: Isn't it though? But now, it's time to pay the piper. Rob, thanks so much that.
MARCIANO: All right, guys. See you.
ROBERTS: So, the latest contraband in prison. What is it? We'll tell you, coming up next. 48 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Yes, I love that movie.
ROBERTS: Mike Tyson, what about, the best part?
COSTELLO: The end of that movie was like -- if you haven't seen "The Hangover" go see it. But, welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. When you hear the words prison contraband, you might think of knives, and guns, and drugs, but cell phones?
ROBERTS: Prisoner reports show more cell phones are getting into prisons that ever. And prisoners with cell phones are committing crimes while they're locked up. Prison officials state it's a huge problem and they're fighting back with their own weapon. Here's Alina Cho with that story.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Inside this maximum security prison, these highly trained K-9 dogs are on the hunt. Not for drugs, not for knives, instead, cell phones.
TOM MORAN, N.J. DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION: They even want these phones so bad they're willing to do anything and everything to get them.
CHO: Cell phones are banned in prison, but inmates are finding ways to get them in. Paying off guards, in some cases, hiding them in body cavities then using them to commit crimes. With the cell phone, the prisoner can contact gang leaders, deal drugs. One inmate even traded gold on the international market. It's pretty crazy.
WILLIAM MOLEINS, N.J. DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION: It is crazy. I mean, these guys actually been calling from cell to cell.
CHO: Worst, in Maryland, a witness to a murder was shot and killed after the suspect ordered a hit using a cell phone from behind bars. William Moleins runs this prison in New Jersey, which houses the state's most violent criminals.
MOLEINS: You're not worry about the Bloods if you're not worried about the Crips. If you're not worried about them, able to maintain ties with their leaders inside the jails, then I guess, you don't have anything to worry about. But we see that as a problem for the public.
CHO: Enter the K-9 unit.
Unknown male: The million officers including myself will walk right past them. They find it where we can't.
CHO: Inside toilet bowls, light sockets, even books. 400 hours of training for each dog.
SGT. WILLIAM CRAMPTON, SUPERVISOR, K-9 UNIT: We look for something the dog wants to do, and his love is to play and want to have fun. And that's what we do. We capitalize on that. We did take the towel, and we imprint it with the odor of the cell phone.
CHO: And he's looking for the cell phone, but he actually thinks he's looking for a towel he can play with.
CRAMPTON: I think he is looking for a towel. That is a correct.
CHO: The dog's reward? The towel, carrying the sweet distinctive scent of a cell phone. And this is what they found. More than 130 cell phones and accessories in the past year at this prison alone.
You know, several states are using cell phone sniffing dogs, thousands of phones have been confiscated so far. And there's another push to combat this. There's actually legislation aimed at jamming cell phone signals that's making it's way through congress right now. Critics concluding the FCC say jamming is imprecise that corrections officers phones could be jammed in the process.
What if there was a problem in an emergency? So, two senators are working on a bill to give wardens the leeway to jam signals on a case-by-case basis. Just to talk about how much these inmates want these phones, just to give you an idea. These prison officials freely admit that there are guards that are being paid off essentially, and that these cell phones can go for up to $1,000 a pop.
ROBERTS: Amazing. But really does beg the question -- to a dog. What does a cell phone smell like?
CHO: Just think about it. I mean, you know, a dog's nose is 1,000 times -- sense of smell, 1,000 times stronger than humans, right? I actually, you know, they'll put a towel. I was talking about how they want to play with that towel, right? But smells like a cell phone. It does smelt, because a sweet sort of electronics smell, but they actually imprint the towel with the cell phone smell inside a sealed box, and that's what they're doing. And all cell phones smell the same.
COSTELLO: Even though someone has used the cell phone and put other smells on it.
CHO: That's right. They do. They do. They put these dozens of cell phones with the towels inside the sealed box. They sometimes leave it in there for a day, sometime a week, and then the dog smells that and they go after it.
ROBERTS: You know drug-sniffing dogs, they train them like giving them a little bit of the drugs. So, what do they do here? Let them talk on the cell phone?
CHO: That we didn't see while we were in there. But, they may be hiding something.
ROBERTS: Alina, thanks so much.
Scene described to "CSI" meets "House" at one hospital helps solve medical mysteries. We got that story coming up. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. It has been 11 long weeks since three American hikers were arrested in Iran for illegally entering the country. Their families are renewing their appeal pleading with Tehran to let the hikers go. Earlier, I spoke with one of the hiker's brothers, Alex Fattal, and asked if there was any indication that things are moving forward.
ALEX FATTAL, BROTHER OF JAILED AMERICAN HIKER IN IRAN: Well, we do think things are moving. We understand that our -- you know, process within the Iran and judiciary, and they need to work their way through. But again, we hope that's done in a quick manner. I mean, 11 weeks is a long time. If Josh and Sarah entered Iran illegally, it could only have been because it was an accident.
COSTELLO: Here in New York, the families of the three hikers took their case directly to Iran's U.N. mission. They came on with 2,500 signatures on a petition and a simple request. Please, let our children go. Mary Snow got a chance to talk with the three moms and ask how the meeting went.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Inside this New York hotel room -- these mothers are on a mission. They are doing everything they can to win the release of their three children being held in Iran. And that includes gathering some 2,500 petitions from friends, family and strangers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Keeping you in our prayers. We get a lot of prayers. A lot of people are praying for these kids.
SNOW: Those kids are Sarah Short, her boyfriend, Shane Bower, and their friend, Josh Fattal. The three went on a hiking vacation in Northern Iraq. From reports say, they accidentally crossed in unmarked border into Iran. The three have been held there since July 31st and had not had any contact with their families.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Josh, Sarah, and Shane.
SNOW: And that's the image of the hikers that the mothers attached to several boxes of petitions they prepared to deliver to the Iranian mission here in New York. They didn't want cameras to go with them to the mission, but they met with us after making delivery.
How did it go? What happened?
NORA SHOURD, MOTHER OF DETAINED HIKER: We delivered the petitions to the Iranian mission, and they accepted the petitions. We think it went well and we're encouraged that they accepted them. We think the petitions are extremely important, because they have such positive messages from all our supporters around the country and around the world.
SNOW: And they're staying positive. Hoping the messages will ultimately reach Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Back in September, he told CNN's Larry King, the hikers illegally entered the country, but said he wasn't happy they are in prison. These mothers say they found some of his words encouraging.
LAURA FATTAL, MOTHER OF DETAINED HIKER: President Ahmadinejad is a father, and I think he can easily imagine how difficult it is for the families of the hikers, and we very much think this as a humanitarian issue unrelated to anything else.
SNOW: We have some diplomats, Swiss diplomats, who were able to visit with them. Tell me what they told you about that?
CINDY HICKEY, MOTHER OF DETAINED HIKER: That the children were in good health, or the young adults were in good health. They're always our children. And they were able to give them a hug, which, for me, personally, you know, as soon as I heard that, I felt that. You know, I thought I hope they feel us, feel that hug. They offered them chocolate and just let them know that we were doing everything we possibly can. And that, to me, hopefully offered them more hope.
SNOW: These mothers looked to one another and now wear bracelets with three stones marking the birthstones of each of their children.
Mary Snow, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
