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American Morning
Toyota Executives Talking; Winter Storm Heads East; Getting to a Final Health Care Bill; Obama Says Take Your Time in Getting a Final Health Care Bill; Tea Party Organizers Cruise for a Cause; Federal Air Marshals in Chaos
Aired February 05, 2010 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING on this Friday, February 5th. Glad you're with us this morning, I'm Kiran Chetry.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Christine Romans in for John Roberts. He has the morning off.
Here are the big stories we'll be telling you about the next 15 minutes, a surprise news conference from the head of Toyota in Japan. The automaker's troubles are mounting. Lots of new information this morning, there may be brake problems now with their Lexus hybrid. And there are reports the Prius might be next on the recall list leading some customers frankly wondering if they can ever trust Toyota again.
CHETRY: And it's going to be a pretty big nightmare today for many people up and down the mid-Atlantic Coast as the East Coast is expecting to get heavy snow, high winds, ice, rain, blizzard warnings in some areas of New Jersey and Delaware, the storm already shutting down schools and putting a deep freeze on air travel. We'll be getting the latest on how the storm could affect your travel plans.
ROMANS: Plus, they're supposed to keep us safe while we fly. So after the failed bomb attempt over Detroit on Christmas Day, we put the federal air marshals program under a microscope. We found claims that hundreds of millions of your tax dollars are being completely wasted and we found allegations of an agency in chaos -- a CNN exclusive from our special investigations unit, that's coming up.
CHETRY: We're following breaking news this morning with Toyota, the CEO of the company about to hold a surprise news conference. These are live pictures right now, the topic we're told is quality. And the burning issue right now of course for millions of Toyota owners, including hundreds of thousands of people who own Prius hybrids, brake problems.
Toyota has maintained that a recall is not necessary, but there are some published reports that suggest one might be coming. Our Kyung Lah is on the phone right now from Nagoya, Japan. It is worth noting that it is 9:00 p.m. there on a Friday night, a public relations pro say that's the best time for corporations to hold press briefings if they're dealing with bad news. Good morning -- well good evening to you, Kyung. What's the latest? KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Good Friday evening here and this was so hastily prepared, Kiran that we are still on the train. We're just a couple of minutes away from Nagoya, but we're just barely going to get here to cover this (INAUDIBLE). They had basically notified all the media in Tokyo to hurry up and get to this news conference.
This is going to be the very first time that this is a new topic setting for the head of Toyota motor corporation, the man who represents this company where there have been so many quality issues and so many customers, millions of people are affected worldwide, really our first chance to pepper him with questions, to ask him, what is the problem?
What are you hiding? Are you hiding anything? So certainly it's going to be an interesting news conference, and really (INAUDIBLE) really ask the head of Toyota what is happening inside his company.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm hoping they're being honest about the fix, and I'm going to give them an opportunity to prove themselves.
LAH (voice-over): Many loyal Toyota owners battered by headlines of recalls and runarounds, now wary of a company they've trusted for decades.
And here's why. Number one, accusations the auto giant failed to come clean with customers about serious safety issues. According to the folks at CNNmoney.com, Toyota knew and didn't tell you. At least not right away. With the flaw in its braking system on the hot- selling Prius hybrid, the automaker knew about the problem at least a month ago and claims it made repairs on the assembly line at the end of January, little comfort for people who bought a Prius before this week.
Number two, the safety concerns keep mounting. Toyota confirming it's now checking for possible problems with the brakes on its upscale Lexus hybrid HS-250H. Number three, many Toyota service centers are swamped, staying open 24 hours to begin fixing those sticking accelerator pedals that prompted last month's recall of millions of vehicles.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It causes you to be anxious. I mean you know, you can't just jump in your car and expect it to do what it's supposed to do now.
LAH: And now many auto experts claim an electrical malfunction may be the problem, not those pedals and the big picture Toyota will almost certainly have a credibility problem long after all the repairs are complete.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every car manufacturer has issues.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right. LAUREN FIX, "AUTOMOTIVE REPORT": And the secret is that you know they do build a quality product. And I think it's going to cause a lot of customers to go elsewhere and some very hard and very expensive to earn their loyalty back.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAH: We are just arriving in Nagoya here. I'm running off the train heading into the press conference. This is going to be again our first time, very first time to ask the head of Toyota Motor Corporation in a news conference setting exactly what is happening inside Toyota, to give an explanation to the millions of Americans who are affected by this -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Yes, a lot of concerns. We know you're hustling to get there and to get that information to us and we just want to let everybody know as soon as we find out anything we're going to be monitoring this live and we're going to check back in with Kyung Lah throughout our show this morning -- Kyung thank you and good luck.
ROMANS: All right, Kiran, the east coast about to get hit by a mammoth winter punch. To give you an idea of just how big this system is, take a look here. The snow is expected to pile up from New Jersey to North Carolina with Baltimore and Washington getting anywhere from 16 to 24 inches. Our Reynolds Wolf is live in Alexandria, Virginia, where they're getting ready this morning. They're getting ready -- they're getting ready with the salt trucks, aren't they?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. You know, guys, we keep talking about the amounts in terms of amount of snowfall. Let's talk very quickly about the amount of money. Did you know that here in the state of Virginia their budgeted for about $79 million each year for snow removal, but already they spent about $84 million and they're going to spend more on the way.
Guys, see these trucks they are all lining up, it's all part of snow removal. I know we say removal but part of it entails actually dropping stuff like this, a lot of this sodium chloride, this ice on the roadways. This is actually step two in the process.
Step one actually started just yesterday when they put a brine solution on the roadway. Now you have these trucks that are coming on through and these trucks do a multitude of things. Number one, they put out the salt but they also use those snow plows on the front to push the snow away, which they plan to do later tonight, tomorrow, and possibly a little bit into Sunday.
It's going to be a busy time for them, no question. This is one of only 60 trucks that are going to be coming through here covering what could be up to thousands of miles of roadway, not just on the major interstates but also the side streets. There are a lot of those to deal with, too, so it's going to be a tough time for them.
They're going to be coming through. They're going to be loading them up and then out on the roadways. These guys working 12-hour shifts, certainly some rough times and as will Rob will tell you (INAUDIBLE) moments they're going to be working very hard with the potential of several feet of snow right here in northern Virginia and of course in the D.C. area -- let's send it back to you in the studio.
ROMANS: All right thanks Reynolds. Let's head now straight to Rob Marciano, he's live in the Extreme Weather Center -- hey Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Christine. As for Reynolds' point there, this storm similar to the last one that came through in December, if I can see anything different about it, it may be just a smidge warmer and what that will only do is maybe decrease the total amounts, but the snow is going to be even heavier, so removing that is going to be a tremendous effort.
All right look at the amount of moisture, the rain, the vapor, the moisture content of the air coming from the Gulf of Mexico. That's your source, heading into freezing air from Virginia up through the Delmarva. And we're starting to see it now begin to fall in the form of snow and sleet. Winter storm warnings are posted for a good chunk of this area, and blizzard warning up for extreme Southern Jersey and the Delaware coastline.
We're going to see winds in excess of 35 miles an hour, blowing snow sideways and reducing visibilities. Let's talk snow totals, Washington, D.C., 16 to 24 inches expected; 12 to 18 inches expected in Philadelphia. And notice how it drops off quickly as you go towards New York, four to eight inches. That's the big question Mark -- could be more, could be less.
But what we are very confident on is that we will see snow totals that will rival the last batch that came in December in D.C. and Philadelphia. And that will be a crippling snowstorm for the next two days -- Christine back up to you.
ROMANS: All right Rob, thanks so much.
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: We've got our sleds greased. We're ready to go.
CHETRY: Oh yes...
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: We are ready to go.
CHETRY: But boy, for the people in Delaware and New Jersey and Pennsylvania, what a mess.
ROMANS: Yes.
CHETRY: Well CNN is taking an in-depth look this morning all day at the Tea Party movement. Our Jim Acosta has more on the group's new way of organizing its members. And why they'll be cruising -- eight minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ROMANS: We want to give some breaking information about this press conference underway right now about two hours outside of Tokyo. The Toyota president, grandson of the company's founder, for the first time answering questions from reporters about the safety and quality problems plaguing Toyota.
"The Wall Street Journal" saying that right now he's been asked by a reporter why did it take you so long to come out and address your customers and he said, this time now I am here because there are customers who may be wondering if their car is safe to drive this weekend, and that's why I am here now. Also the AP reporting that the Toyota chief is apologizing for the safety woes of the company but clearly choosing his words very carefully.
And we'll set up a committee to raise quality control. Again, a hastily planned news conference for 9:00 p.m. Tokyo time to really address some of these concerns and is now really just getting underway after very brief opening comments from the Tokyo -- the Toyota chief.
CHETRY: And at least so far short on specifics. Are they acknowledging there's a problem with the Lexus?
ROMANS: Right.
CHETRY: Are they acknowledging that they didn't say there was a problem with the Prius, so a lot of questions. Obviously the most interesting part is going to be in the question and answer.
ROMANS: That's right.
CHETRY: Our Kyung Lah racing over there, as Christine said, this was just announced, and it was two hours from Tokyo. If you've got...
ROMANS: That's right.
CHETRY: If you headed there the second you found out about it, so again we're following this as best we can and we'll bring you the new information as it's breaking in front of us right now.
Meanwhile, in just over an hour, another indication of how the economy is doing. Critical jobs numbers for January will be released by the Labor Department and economists are expecting to see a slight improvement, likely a gain of about five to maybe 15,000 jobs according to our business unit. That wouldn't be enough, though, to lower the unemployment rate which stands right now at exactly 10 percent.
ROMANS: North Korea said it's releasing an American who has been in custody there since December. Robert Park (ph) was detained after reportedly crossing into North Korea to bring the country's leader Kim Jong-Il a message about quote, "Christ's love and forgiveness." Park's (ph) father talked to journalists in San Diego and said his family has heard the news and they're happy, but they're still waiting for confirmation that their son indeed has been freed.
CHETRY: And a Wisconsin college student has filed a class action lawsuit against the company that owns FreeCreditReport.com. Of course you probably know their catchy commercials, but the complaint alleges that they're not exactly clear and it's not exactly free. The plaintiff said that she signed up to get her quote, "free" report but was unknowingly then enrolled in the company's credit monitoring service. Price tag for that -- 15 bucks a month.
ROMANS: (INAUDIBLE) trends. OK with the Democrats' supermajority in the Senate now history, President Obama's message to Congress is hurry up and wait on health care. The president telling lawmakers quote, "we should take our time finalizing a health reform bill." He said he wants to go through the legislation in detail with Republicans, Democrats and health care experts to see if there are better ways to improve the system. Suzanne Malveaux is following all the developments live at the White House -- hi there.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hey there. We've heard hurry up and wait several times, so I guess that's a good way of putting it. Obviously President Obama is trying to ratchet up the rhetoric, if you will, when it comes to Republicans trying to squarely put the responsibility on them to come to the negotiating table with some ideas.
Now it was last night, Christine, that it was at a Democratic fundraiser that the president called on high-level talks with Republicans to try to get some sort of health care reform passed. What's happening now is you've got the Democrats, both in the House and the Senate trying to work out consensus, negotiating their own separate versions of this bill, but the president is now using some new language. He is trying to put pressure on his own party to come up with consensus, at the same time saying Republicans are responsible for getting something done. I want you to take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What I'd like to do is have a meeting whereby I'm sitting with the Republicans, sitting with the Democrats, sitting with health care experts, and let's just go through these bills, their ideas, our ideas. Let's walk through them in a methodical way so that the American people can see and compare what makes the most sense. And then I think that we've got to go ahead and move forward on a vote. We've got to move forward on a vote.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: So, Christine, the real question here is, is any of this real? I mean, a lot of cynics are going to look at this and say, is this actually going to happen?
Well, it's far from certain. Despite the fact that he is calling for all this, White House officials say this is not a new strategy. But what is happening is, on Tuesday, it's one of those first meetings you might recall, the State of the Union, the president said he wanted to meet in a bipartisan way with Republicans, Democrats, in the leadership at the White House on a monthly basis. That's going to happen this Tuesday, so we'll see if, in fact, health care reform is something where people feel like there's a little bit of wiggle room, some give and take. We'll get something done when it comes to health care reform.
I should also let you know this is the big Super Bowl weekend. Last year, you may recall, he invited a lot of Republicans, along with Democrats, their families, kids, ate pizza, had a great time. But I talked to a lot of those Republican last year, and they said, look, we like this guy. We're having a great time here, the party at the White House, but we're not changing our position on health care. Clearly, that is the case as well, and what a difference a year makes. You know, here we are in this position.
ROMANS: All right. Suzanne Malveaux at the White House. Thanks, Suzanne.
CARROLL: Meantime, the first-ever National Tea Party Convention is underway in Nashville, Tennessee. The grassroots political movement has drawn supporters from across the country who want their voices heard in Washington. Former Congressman Tom Tancredo kicked things off with some very controversial remarks. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM TANCREDO (R), FMR. REP. COLORADO: People who could not even spell the word "vote" or say it in English, put a committed socialist ideologue in the White House. The name is Barack Hussein Obama.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We hope to come away from this convention with a clear feeling of where this movement might be able to take this country, ways that we can send messages to both major parties to straighten out policies in Washington so that they more clearly reflect the needs of the people that send them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm interested in having some fiscal responsibility in government. I don't think that anybody in Washington has gotten the message, and every time you turn on the television there's always something that's going on. They just don't get it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're a little disgusted with both parties and what we see going on in Washington. And when we read our constitution, it doesn't say what exactly what's happening today. We feel like we're going in the wrong direction completely.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: CNN is taking an in-depth look right now at the growing Tea Party movement with the best political team on television. And they're been finding different ways to organize, including cruising on the high seas. Our Jim Acosta has more on that in his final installment of our special series.
Good morning, Jim.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Yes, new ways to organize. There is the convention in Nashville heading into this weekend. There's all of those rallies that we see happening all over the country and the many Tea Party Web sites. But, Christine and Kiran, did you also know you could pack your bags and take a Tea Party cruise?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA (voice-over): On board this cruise ship, easing into the U.S. Virgin Islands, among the thousands of passengers ready for some fun in the sun...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People are just not ready for this mad charge to the left.
ACOSTA: Members of a rising American political movement are having a meeting of the minds. Led by former Republican presidential candidate Alan Keyes, more than 100 conservative and Tea Party activists and their families rented out space on this ship for what was billed as the Cruise for Liberty.
MICHAEL O'FALLON, SOVEREIGN CRUISE PRESIDENT: We believe in free enterprise.
ACOSTA: Cruise organizer Michael O'Fallon markets the seven-day voyage as a chance to talk politics in paradise.
O'FALLON: Right now, people are wanting to be with other conservatives. Maybe they feel like they're a little bit out on an island someplace by themselves. And they're --
ACOSTA (on camera): So to speak.
O'FALLON: Yes, so to speak. Right, exactly.
ALAN KEYES, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Give everybody access to health care. And if you don't want it, we'll shove it down your throat.
ACOSTA (voice-over): At the pre-cruise kickoff at this Miami hotel, Keyes explained why he believes the Tea Party is gaining steam.
KEYES: I think it's quite obvious that this isn't about Republicans and Democrats. It may be about the failure of both parties and the whole party system.
ACOSTA: Conservative activist Alan Gottlieb sees a golden opportunity.
ALAN GOTTLIEB, 2ND AMENDMENT FOUNDATION: A lot of people have never involved in politics before. They know nothing about politics. They're extremely naive. They're angry and they're upset. And they're venting their frustration by attending these rallies.
ACOSTA (on camera): And so your job is to get them involved.
GOTTLIEB: Capitalizing, mobilizing.
FLOYD BROWN, CONSERVATIVE ACTIVIST: We could easily slip back into slavery.
ACOSTA (voice-over): Cruise for Liberty speakers Floyd and Mary Beth Brown have a Web site calling for President Obama's impeachment.
MARY BETH BROWN, CONSERVATIVE ACTIVIST: I know all of us need some encouragement in fighting this battle and -- against Obama who's trying to destroy America. And I know all of you love America and are fellow patriots.
ACOSTA (on camera): When it comes to President Obama, this is no love boat. Liberal critics of these conservative expeditions through the Caribbean say they're another picture-perfect example how the Tea Party movement can sometimes go overboard.
(voice-over): Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons worries the tone at some Tea Party events onshore and off is getting out of hand.
JAMAL SIMMONS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Are we just talking about voting differently, or are we talking about something a little bit more edgy than that?
ACOSTA: Want edgy? Keyes refers to the president as the present occupant of the Oval Office. He still questions Mr. Obama's citizenship, even though the White House and the Republican governor of Hawaii where the president was born have produced evidence refuting the charge.
KEYES: I don't see how you impeach somebody who may not be president in the first place. So - because...
ACOSTA (on camera): That's your position.
KEYES: If according to the constitution you are not eligible for the presidency and that does turn out to be the case, then Barack Obama was never president. You don't impeach somebody --
ACOSTA: Oh, come on. How can that be? How can he --
KEYES: No, I'm sorry. You don't understand what constitutional government is all about.
ACOSTA (voice-over): Later this year, there'll be more tea partiers in the Caribbean aboard the Liberty ship and the News Max cruise sponsored by the popular conservative Web site. But the founders of one leading Tea Party group wonder whether this is the best use of the movement's time during an election year.
(on camera): Would you go on a Tea Party cruise?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, right now we're working about 20 hours a day. I can't even imagine any cruise, much less a Tea Party cruise.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. We have no time for cruising.
ACOSTA: But other tea partiers on these trips argue hitting the high seas is just a new way of cruising for the cause.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: Now, Carnival Cruise ships did send a statement stressing that they do not agree with the statements made in this event that was held on their ship, and that they rent out space all the time to private groups. And that doesn't necessarily mean that they agree with what is stated among those private groups.
And getting back to this convention, what's happening this weekend, there's a new CNN poll out that shows some 40 percent of Americans don't know much about the Tea Party movement. So the question is, when you hear some of the rhetoric happening on whether it's the cruise ship or at the convention this weekend, whether or not that hurts the Tea Party cause.
CHETRY: All right. We'll be talking about that throughout the morning as well.
ACOSTA: You bet.
CHETRY: Thanks so much, Jim.
ACOSTA: You got it.
CHETRY: Also, just eight minutes from now, at 7:30 Eastern, we're going to be speaking with Republican Rand Paul, the son of Congressman Ron Paul. He's now running for the Senate seat in Kentucky. And he is getting a lot of support from the Tea Party movement. We're going to talk to him about why he seems to be picking up steam because of the movement.
ROMANS: And a special investigation coming up, too. A special investigation air marshals. Are they making you safer? Our Drew Griffin took a fascinating look at this program. And one lawmaker says we're simply not getting what we're paying for. Each arrest costs about $200 million. Think of that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Top stories are just minutes away. But first, something you'll see only on AMERICAN MORNING. An exclusive from our special investigations unit.
After 9/11, the Federal Air Marshal Service was beefed up. Now Uncle Sam spends hundreds of millions of your tax dollars on this program every year. But are we any safer?
After the Christmas Day terror plot unfolded in the skies over Detroit, our Drew Griffin started asking some questions, tough questions. This morning we're bringing you those answers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIVE UNIT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The federal air marshals' mission, protect America's commercial aircraft from future terrorist attacks. With a nearly $1 billion budget, how many attempted terrorist attacks have the federal air marshals foiled? None that we've been told about.
They did shoot and kill one man, a person at Miami's airport with mental health issues who claimed to have a bomb in a backpack. As far as arresting terrorists or anyone else --
REP. JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR. (R), TENNESSEE: I have the statistics for last year that they made four arrests for an appropriation of over $800 million. It came out to more than $200 million per arrest. It's just ridiculous.
GRIFFIN: So what's going wrong? Air marshals CNN talked to for this story describe a federal agency in chaos where bored and frustrated air marshals focus more on internal squabbles than watching for bad guys. The marshals asked we not show their faces.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't have managers that provide training or provide leadership or do anything other than produce conflict.
How can you say you're protecting the public when you're playing games?
GRIFFIN: Look at this dry erase board in an air marshal's office in Orlando, Florida. CNN was told managers use the board to keep track of how many minority air marshals had been disciplined. Employees told CNN managers were awarding each other scores for their harassment activities.
The Transportation Security Administration says it's investigating and that all employees are entitled to be treated in a fair and lawful manner. But Orlando's not the only example. All over the country, from Las Vegas to Seattle to Cincinnati, air marshals have filed official complaints, claiming age, gender and racial discrimination.
In Cincinnati alone, 20 percent of the office filed complaints, according to their lawyer. Six marshals say they were then retaliated against in the workplace with undesirable assignments. Managers allegedly spent nine months at an unknown cost to taxpayers investigating whether one female air marshal had her car registered in the proper state.
SHANE SIDEBOTTOM, ATTORNEY REPRESENTING FEDERAL AIR MARSHALS: At the conclusion of that, she was notified that the car in question belonged to a different air marshal so they were dropping the inquiry. My one month -- almost 1-year-old child would probably be better at picking up the phone and dialing the drivers license bureau than these guys are.
GRIFFIN: Then there is the story of this woman, a girlfriend, now wife of an air marshal who complained to the Department of Homeland Security she was followed, photographed and investigated by the air marshals all because, she says, her then-boyfriend had a workman's comp claim. "MEGAN," WIFE OF FEDERAL AIR MARSHAL: Americans' safety is being put, you know, on the backburner because, you know, we're 40 miles away from the airport investigating private citizens.
GRIFFIN: Despite repeated requests, the Federal Air Marshal Service and TSA declined to give CNN an interview. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee believes the air marshals program put together hastily after 9/11 now needs to be reinvented.
REP. SHEILA JACKSON-LEE (D), TEXAS: We've got those kinds of problems. We need to get a ready broom and sweep it out. The only way we're going to ensure the security and safety of the American people is that we have staff par excellence. And I know they're out there.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: The allegations of retaliation of discrimination of gays and minorities is so widespread Congress is now demanding an immediate investigation, but also, as you heard, Christine, a potential overhaul in the entire management of the F.A.M.S..
The air marshals themselves say they are dedicated to this mission of protecting the public but literally they're telling me they're hampered by mismanagement, and that is creating a security risk. Christine.
ROMANS: What an incredible report. Drew Griffin, thanks so much, Drew.
All right. It's 30 minutes after the hour. And that means it's time for our check of the morning's top stories, a potentially powerful winter storm brewing up right now, already paralyzing travel on the east coast. Several major airlines canceled flights to and from Washington and New York.
Amtrak also canceling several trains. Check ahead, folks. The storm system which is already dumping rain in the south could bring at least two feet of snow to the mid-Atlantic.
CHETRY: Wow. And we're watching your money right now. Overseas markets have been knocked down by heavy losses on Wall Street. The Dow lost 268 points yesterday to close just two points above 10,000. And the sell-off was fueled in part by fears over European countries racking up huge deficits. It's all a big cycle here. In an effort to revive their economies.
ROMANS: Toyota's chief executive says he's sorry so many customers have been disappointed and inconvenienced by the company's safety problems. And he's promising to set up a global task force to improve the car marker's quality control.
At a hastily called news conference that started 30 minutes ago in Japan, Akio Toyoda was asked if his company has withheld safety information. He responded by saying he is committed to cooperating with U.S. safety regulators. CHETRY: Well, the first-ever national tea party convention is under way in Nashville. And here at CNN, we've been shining the spotlight on this grassroots political movement, people who want their voices heard in Washington. And one in particular, not only embraces tea partiers anger but he was actually born from it.
The final part of our series, "Welcome to the tea party," we're talking to a Kentucky Dr. Rand Paul. He is the son of former presidential candidate and Texas Congressman Ron Paul. He threw his hat into the Kentucky Senate race last year, where he's campaigning against big government. And even got the special seal of approval from Sarah Palin, who is a keynote speaker at the convention. Dr. Paul, thanks for being with us.
DR. RAND PAUL, SON OF REP. RON PAUL (R) TX: Good to be with you.
CHETRY: You remember, I interviewed you last August. You were here. We talked to your dad as well. And this is when you were first announcing your candidacy for the Senate. You were a long shot. Now, fast-forward six months and you're a viable candidate. What do you think has changed?
PAUL: Well, it's just been amazing and astounding campaign so far. We started out 11 points down and we're actually 19 points up in an independent media poll. I give a lot of credit to the tea party, the largest events that I've been to in Kentucky have all been tea parties.
In my little town of Bowling Green, 700 people showed up for a tea party, in Louisville, 4,000 people. I mean, the largest events in Kentucky have all been tea party so far.
CHETRY: And what is your platform or your message that resonates with people that you say are coming to these tea party events?
PAUL: The number one reason why I run for office is because I'm worried about the debt. And that's what you find at these tea parties. They don't want more taxes, but they're mostly concerned about the fiscal insolvency of our nation and that we could be ruining or bankrupting the nation, that we're passing on a great debt to our children and grandchildren.
And I go one step further and say it may be more imminent that we could destroy our currency. And we have to do something and it's not going to come from the career politicians.
CHETRY: You know, I want to ask you about that. Because we've been talking about the tea party movement, it's sort of trying to get a handle on exactly, you know, who these people are, what political affiliations, if any. Are these independent voters? And when you look at some of the people who are sort of very actively involved, there are some questions here.
I mean, Tom Tancredo, former congressman out of Colorado, this is what he said at one of these events. He said people who could not even spell the word "vote" or say it - and then there were cheers - put a committed socialist ideologue in the White House, his name Barack Hussein Obama. Do you subscribe to that wording and language?
CHETRY: Well, I think what you see is that it's an amorphous movement. It's people from all walks of life. But really there are some politicians who have gone into the movement and try to become part of the movement. Really the movement is about individual people. I met with the leaders of the Louisville tea party recently. And it's a-common citizens like the west of us who work every day, who are middle class, who are not wealthy.
But what resonates most with them is they look at the issues based on the issues, not on which party. Now, I think they tend to be more Republican than Democrat, but they will tell you, if there's a good democrat, they would support them. They base it on the issues. And I think they're not about the over-the-top rhetoric.
I do think that President Obama has gone way to the left and is leading the country towards bigger and bigger government. but I tell people it didn't start with him. I think it started really 60, 70 years ago with an expansive understanding of the constitution where we say the commerce clause means anything and big government is driven through the commerce clause.
CHETRY: Right. I mean, I totally hear your message about fiscal conservatism, and it has been what has really galvanized many people. but then you see some of the video that we just showed of Obama as Hitler, a picture of him dressed up with blood coming out of his mouth, looking like the Joker in "Batman."
PAUL: That's not the kind of stuff, you know, -- I don't see much of that actually. You know, what I see is, for example, one of the big things we talk about is reading the bills as a reform. And I do fault the president when he comes forward and he actually sounds like he wants to capture some of the tea party because in his "State of the Union" he says, oh, we all admit the bank bailout was wrong.
Well, if they admit it was wrong, explain why they voted for it, him and many Republicans, and explain why it was 1,000 pages long, printed at midnight and passed at noon the next day. And they don't read the bills. The tea party movement is about reading the bills, it's about constitutional government. But it's not about name- calling. I see very little of the name calling where I go.
CHETRY: All right. And I want to ask about the pure politics about some of this. You have Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell who is actively endorsing your primary opponent. You've won the backing though of former Republican leader Dick Armey, who runs FreedomWorks, flat tax advocate Steve Forbes. You know, when you look at it, it's an anti-establishment campaign for you. Is it enough to win though without the backing of the mainstream GOP?
PAUL: I think so. I think it's an enormous movement here, and I've been told the National Senate Committee won't get in, they're not positive that their endorsement actually is a help at this point. And so we see it really as the grassroots.
Most people in Kentucky don't want to be told by somebody in Washington who to vote for, and so I think we have a great chance and a huge momentum. I mean our momentum really astounds me at this point.
CHETRY: I mean, it does. It has a lot of political watchers saying - you know, attributing a lot of it to the tea party movement and they look at what happened in Massachusetts. I mean, you think you can win this thing?
PAUL: Yes, I think we're on our way. I think really as we go forward it gets bigger and bigger with each day. Sarah Palin's endorsement has been huge for us. We've also been endorsed by gun owners groups. We've been endorsed by conservative groups. We got a lot of people endorsements.
CHETRY: Let me ask you about that, though, real quick. Do you see eye to eye with Sarah Palin on a lot of the social conservatism issues, or is your you message more fiscally conservative?
PAUL: I talk mostly about fiscal issues but I am socially conservative. But on the stump I primarily talk about the deficit, out-of-control government, pork barrel spending, term limits, a balanced budget amendment. But I am socially conservative, and I think what people like about Sarah Palin is basically she's very likeable, I think.
There are things about her that people say, well, that could be me in the sense that she has a family. She has to deal with issues in her family and things. But she comes out as a good mom and a person who wants what's best for the country.
CHETRY: Well, she is polarizing, though. I mean, people who love her love her. People who don't, don't. So it's very interesting. But anyway, it is a key endorsement. We'll certainly tell you that.
Rand Paul, good luck. Thanks for joining us.
PAUL: Thank you.
CHETRY: Once again, lots of change since we saw you six months ago.
PAUL: Yes, we're real happy down here.
CHETRY: All right. Thanks so much.
ROMANS: Kiran, meantime, Sarah Palin who delivered the tea party's convention keynote speech reportedly failed to pay taxes on properties in Alaska. Records show a workshop, sauna and house sized cabins built on land partially owned by Palin were not included in property tax assessments. Taxes were paid on the land itself. Palin's attorney claims it's not the owner's responsibility to report structures going up on their land.
CHETRY: We're going to be talking when we come back about the Super Bowl, not the actual game but an ad that's raising a lot of controversy starring Tim Tebow with an anti-abortion message. And Carol Costello is talking more about whether this is a big win for the pro-life movement. 38 minutes past the hour.
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ROMANS: Welcome back to the most news in the morning. It's 41 minutes past the hour.
Time for an "A.M. Original." Something you'll only see on AMERICAN MORNING. You might say it's getting more buzz than the game itself. We're talking about a Super Bowl ad featuring football player Tim Tebow. Our Carol Costello is live this morning to give us a play by play of what we'll see on Sunday. Hi, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Christine. Hey, everyone. Have you heard? Tim Tebow is doing an ad that will run in the Super Bowl. This morning I'd like to actually step back from the issue itself and break it down another way.
Some say this is the culmination of a brilliant marketing strategy by the anti-abortion movement. It has quietly found a way to rebrand itself as hip, modern, and, yes, feminist.
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COSTELLO (voice-over): Tim Tebow is a star, Heisman trophy winner and clearly devout. In short, he is the face, focus on the family, which opposes abortion has been looking for.
GARY SCHNEEBERGER, FOCUS ON THE FAMILY: We really hold up Bono as a great example of someone who stands up passionately for what he believes. I think we should send the same applause toward Tim Tebow for doing the very same thing.
COSTELLO: Tebow's Super Bowl ad will feature his mother and cheerleader Pam, who against doctor's orders, gave birth to her son after falling ill. Focus says the ad will not mention the word "abortion" but emphasize family.
SCHNEEBERGER: We're not interested in culture war as much as we're interested in cultural change. And that's where I think having a dialogue, talking about ways in which we can reduce abortions in this country, is a good conversation to have.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To women's choice...
COSTELLO: Although the ad has inflamed some women's groups, it's a far different message than in years past, back when the politically powerful Reverend James Dobson was focus on the family's face.
REV. JAMES DOBSON, FOCUS ON THE FAMILY RADIO SHOW HOST: It just grieves me greatly of how the blood of maybe 46, 48 million babies who have been aborted cries out to god from the ground. COSTELLO: Dobson left Focus on the Family last year, but abortion rights advocates say the group's core belief remains that all abortions are wrong.
KATE MICHELMAN, FORMER PRES., NARAL: Focus on the Family's ad represents that they have learned their lesson that they have to appeal to that more mainstream group of Americans and they have a warm and fuzzy ad.
COSTELLO: Many abortion opponents have stopped calling women baby killers are using signs with aborted fetuses. The core of their new strategy was succinctly put in "America" magazine.
Monsignor Harry Byrne writing in 2001, "a new strategy must include a strong and legitimate feminism." It's why you'll likely hear something more like this in Tebow's Super Bowl ad.
TIM TEBOW: That's the reason I'm here, because my mom is a very courageous woman.
COSTELLO: Even some of the abortion rights movement think it's an effective strategy, one they should have taken a page from.
MICHELMAN: I think we could make broader points I think in reaching a greater number of Americans by saying, good for her, Pam Tebow. That's exactly what we're fighting for, for every woman to make the decision for herself.
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COSTELLO: Abortion rights advocates say what Focus on the Family is - what Focus on the Family is doing is dangerous because it's not being honest about its message, which has nothing to do with choice and everything to do with having a baby at any cost.
Of course, no one really knows that because no one has seen the commercial yet. Focus on the Family is not releasing any part of the ad so the ad has maximum impact on Sunday - Christine.
ROMANS: All right. And so we'll keep talking about it. All right. Carol Costello. Thanks, Carol.
So what do you have to say about the Tebow ad, which we haven't seen? You can post comments on our blog at cnn.com/amfix.
It is 45 minutes after the hour.
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CHETRY: We have some new developments overnight in the case of Michael Jackson's former doctor, Conrad Murray. He was expected to give himself up to the authorities by now, but he is still a free man because negotiations have broken down.
Joining us is In-Session's Beth Karas. She's from our sister network, TruTV. She broke this story. Good morning. Thanks for being here to talk more about it. So what happened, basically?
BETH KARAS, IN-SESSION CORRESPONDENT/ TRUTV: Well, he was supposed to surrender this morning, and up until the end of business yesterday in California, they were negotiating the terms of that surrender.
The district attorney holds all the cards in this case because there isn't any judge involved yet. Until the complaint is filed, the DA basically can make the decisions, but the defense doesn't have to agree.
So things broke down. There's not going to be a surrender. There's not even going to be a filing of a complaint today. That's going to happen in the near future, and you know what? They don't even expect a surrender anymore. And you know what that means? He's probably going to get arrested.
CHETRY: So - and this is the question. So it's just a matter of formality, right? Either he turns himself in or he gets formally arrested. But, either way, he's going to be facing some charges here.
KARAS: Oh, no question. He's going to face charges. It's just a matter of when and how he's going to be brought into custody. Will the LAPD go out and arrest him now or is he going to surrender?
CHETRY: But what would be the bargaining chip for - for Conrad Murray to, you know, to say that talks, I mean, what are the talks?
KARAS: Well, unfortunately I'm not at liberty to say, but there are certain terms that they just couldn't agree on. Bail conditions, perhaps, how he's going to get bailed out. You know, it's a very low bail for what he is theoretically facing, involuntary manslaughter, $25,000. He's going to post that, but there may be some conditions attached to that.
ROMANS: Meanwhile, this is somebody who - clearly his professional career has stopped. He's got financial problems as well as now (ph). I mean, this is - this is literally hanging over this man's head, and it's been some - it's been months we've waited to see what's going to happen legally with him.
KARAS: You know, he's licensed to practice Medicine in three states, although he's not active that I'm aware of than California.
ROMANS: Right.
KARAS: But he could lose his license even before a conviction, if it even comes to that.
CHETRY: And what did - a little bit about what he told investigator, he did admit that he administered the anesthetic propofol, according to investigators?
KARAS: Yes. He admitted it. The question is, was he honest about the amount?
He's not the first doctor to give it to him, but that's - that will be part of his defense, I'm sure.
CHETRY: All right. Well, interesting stuff. And, again, you broke the news that these talks that were supposed to be underway for a surrender indeed broke down. We'll have to see what happens from here.
Beth Karas, great to have you with us, though, this morning. Thank you.
KARAS: My pleasure. Thank you.
ROMANS: All right. This morning's top stories just minutes away, including another PR nightmare, more safety worries for Toyota. Another brand may now be affected by the same problem drivers are having with the Prius' brakes. And we'll hear from one of those drivers - our own Jessica Yellin.
CHETRY: At 8:15 Eastern, a former Congressman saying that the revolution has come as the National Tea Party Convention kicks off in Nashville. We're taking a fair but firm look at why this movement has exploded and what we can expect from Sarah Palin, who's the keynote speaker tomorrow.
ROMANS: And at 8:50 Eastern, a house and a restaurant divided by the Super Bowl? He's from the Big Easy but he like the Colts. She's from Indie and a Saints fan. They'll put on the pads and join us live.
Those stories and more at the top of the hour.
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CHETRY: Fifty-five minutes past the hour now. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
It's time for your "AM House Call" and you may not know this, but after your baby is born, your newborn is then routinely screened for several genetic diseases at the hospital. Well, in some states that DNA is then stored in a government lab without your consent.
For more, let's bring in our Senior Medical Correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen. So, technically, my kids' DNA's in a lab somewhere?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Absolutely, Kiran. Your children were born in New York. Their DNA is sitting in a lab in New York State and will stay there for some 27 years, and this has a lot of people worried.
They say, OK, sure, it makes sense to test kids for genetic diseases, but do we really need to be storing them and those samples are often given out to outside researchers, and often the names are attached. So they're not given out anonymously, but the names are actually attached to those samples. CHETRY: Interesting. What do you do, though, about it? If you don't want this to be taking place, can you - can you contact somebody?: Can you tell your state I don't want my children's DNA stored?
COHEN: You know what, in a lot of states it's really hard. I was talking to an expert on this. He said, I don't know that you can get it out of those labs.
If you take a look at cnn.com/health you can see my entire article on this. In some states, it's relatively easy. There are forms to fill out. But in other states you can write a letter and say please destroy my kid's DNA, but you know what? They're not always going to listen, necessarily.
CHETRY: That's amazing. All right.
Well, if people want to find out more, again, as you said, go to cnn.com/health. Elizabeth Cohen for us this morning. Thanks.
ROMANS: And some of the things I'd (ph) - top stories coming up your way in about 90 seconds.
It's 56 minutes after the hour.
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