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American Morning

Volcano Near Iceland Erupts; Poll Shows Independents in Tea Party to be Conservative; Tea Party Politics; Jobs for New Grads?; Prozac Pilot Goes Public; Accidental Tea Partier; Calorie Restriction

Aired April 16, 2010 - 7:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. Welcome on this Friday, April 16th. I'm Alina Cho. Kiran Chetry has the morning off.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, I'm John Roberts. Thanks so much for being with us. Here are the big stories we'll be telling you about coming up in the next 15 minutes.

One of busiest travel nightmares ever this morning -- volcanic ash from a spectacular eruption in Iceland. It's the Eyjafjallajokull volcano. It's too dangerous to fly to and from Europe, though ironically you can fly into Iceland from the U.S. And our Gary Tuchman is there this morning. Tens of thousands of travelers stranded in Europe, maybe for days to come.

CHO: President Obama taking steps to end discrimination against same-sex couples in hospitals. He's issued an order directing public hospitals across the country to grant gay and lesbian partners the same visitation rights as married heterosexual couples. We'll have a live report from the White House just ahead.

ROBERTS: And pilots with depression, thousands of them suffering in silence, afraid to get help out of fear they'll be fired. But now their Internet advocate, the Prozac Pilot, is taking off his mask and making his case in public. It's a courageous gamble and it's an "A.M." original that we'll bring you just ahead.

CHO: But first, happening right now, what's being called the biggest travel disruption since 9/11. The cause, a monstrous cloud of volcanic ash coming from the middle of the Atlantic Ocean under a glacier in Iceland.

Look at those pictures, they are just incredible. The eruption sending ice chunks as big as houses into the ocean and a plume of smoke and ash up floating miles above the clouds.

ROBERTS: That cloud is traveling eastward and now covers most of the Great Britain, Scandinavia, and parts of northern Europe. Experts say it reached at least 36,000 feet, and flying through it, as history has shown, can shut down jet engines in a heartbeat, even melting turbine blades.

CHO: At least six countries have entirely closed their air space for a second day. The U.K. has grounded most nonessential flights until 8:00 p.m. eastern time. Nine German airports are closed and airlines have canceled more than 200 flights from the United States.

ROBERTS: We are everywhere that this story is happening. Jim Boulden is in Heathrow Airport waiting to get out, Rob Marciano at the Extreme Weather Center tracking the cloud. First, though, to Iceland and Gary Tuchman who is on the phone with us this morning. Good morning, Gary. What do you have on the ground there?

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Hundreds of miles away in northern Europe and Scandinavia, you have entire countries where people can fly because of the ash in the sky. I'm just a few miles away from this volcano to the west of it, and there is absolutely no indication whatsoever that anything is wrong. Life is going on completely normal to the west of the volcano.

To the east of the volcano, it's a different story. That's where the ash is going. There's a town there under a lot of ash. No one has been hurt or killed. They've evacuated hundreds of people in this lightly populated area.

There has been significant problems with flood waters because this volcano is under a glacier and its causing floods. The main highway in Iceland, which is National Route 1, a circle road that goes around the entire country, part of that is now cut off. That's a significant issue.

But it's very amazing as you pointed out, John, in the beginning the newscast here that we flew into Reykjavik this morning. There are no cancellations except for the flights to places like London and Paris and Berlin.

But you can fly from the U.S. to Reykjavik because it is to the west of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, and in English that means the Island Mountain Glacier. The last time this particular volcano erupted was in 1821, and it went on erupting for two years.

Obviously in 1821 that was before air travel. So you know if this went on for two years, it could cause significant problems. Right now they are hoping it's more like recent eruptions in Iceland which only lasted a couple of weeks. But so far here in Iceland, life, while problematic, is fairly normal. John?

ROBERTS: Gary Tuchman for us in Iceland with the latest on the ground, including the pronunciation for the sub-glacial volcano.

CHO: It's 16 letters.

ROBERTS: Icelandic is one of more difficult languages to speak. Gary is very brave.

CHO: We want to go to the airports now. The big question is exactly how many flyers are stranded and how long will they be stuck? Half of all trans-Atlantic flights are expected to be canceled today. Many of Europe's busiest airplanes are closed, including London's Heathrow.

And that's where we find Jim Boulden. He's live for us this morning. Jim, good morning to you. How are flyers reacting to this news?

JIM BOULDEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what's happening really is we're into the second day of this unprecedented shutdown of most of the air space in the U.K. London Heathrow full of people just waiting to hear.

The problem is the airlines can't tell them much. The U.K. is shut for the second day. We won't have any word on flights for tomorrow until later today. Some airlines have been praised by frustrated passengers, who are getting vouchers and hotel rooms and food. Others aren't.

People just have to wait, because even though there are some flights going from Scotland and Northern Ireland and little in France, it moves as we know with this cloud. They have to make decisions every few hours.

It's probably a little bit easier they have shut the U.K. for the day so these people know they have to wait and find something else to do until the airlines say we can probably fly tomorrow. But we just don't know that yet.

CHO: Jim, that's today. I know tomorrow you're scheduled to be headed our way, booked on a flight tomorrow morning to New York. What are you being told about whether that flight will take off, if anything?

BOULDEN: Well, see the airlines can't cancel those flights until they are told they can because they would have compensation issues. My blackberry got a generated e-mail from British Airways that said don't forget to check in and pick your seat. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow morning. That's being done by computers.

As of now my flight to New York is still on. There are so many people who will want to get on the flights tomorrow if in fact they take off. The problem is the backlog, and we have tens of thousands of people who aren't able to fly.

CHO: I believe that's what you call the ripple effect. Jim Boulden live in London for us. Jim, thank you.

ROBERTS: So the lava continues to flow in Iceland and the ash still blackening the air over Iceland and drifting into Europe. The only thing that will help people out is a shift in the winds because the volcano is not stopping any time soon.

(WEATHER BREAK)

CHO: You know what's fascinating about this story is a lot of people think it's the visibility that is the big problem. But actually the bigger problem is that ash, which has glass particles in it can get into the engines and cause engine failure in these planes.

ROBERTS: There's been a couple of examples, one over Indonesia and over Alaska Mt. Redoubt where planes were flying 36,000 feet and all four engines went down. Thankfully as they planes were falling out of the sky they were able to restart them.

CHO: Just a bizarre story. We're watching that very closely.

And at 7:13 Eastern time, the popularity of the tea party continues to grow. But it may surprise you to hear who's jumping in and who they are aligning with in Washington. Can you say a Democrat? We're going to break it down for you.

ROBERTS: We'll talk to him.

At 7:26, a pilot's struggle with depression nearly ended his career. But thanks to a new decision and the use of Prozac, he is clear for takeoff. Why he thinks the skies will be safer than before.

CHO: At 7:30, a move by President Obama will make it easier for gays and lesbians to visit their partners in the hospital. Jill Dougherty is going to explain what it means for patients too sick to make their own decisions.

It's 10 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. It's 13 minutes after the hour. Stories we're watching for you -- a pilot's debut in an Australian air raid -- wait for it. It did not quite go as planned when the wing clipped the water and the plane crashed.

It's just incredible. Rescuers reached the pilot in just minutes. The pilot had whiplash and a couple of cuts and bruises, but he's otherwise OK.

ROBERTS: Can you imagine coming down that fast?

California officers ordered to turn in stun guns. The Bay Area Rapid Transit district says they need more training. A federal court judge recently tightened laws on when police can use tasers. Two weeks ago a BART officer tried to use his stun gun on a 13-year-old boy and thankfully missed.

CHO: And it's that time of year. The president's tax report is in. It shows his books are still a big success. The first couple made $5.5 million, mostly from royalties, and they paid nearly $1.8 million in taxes. Compare that to former president George W. Bush, who reported a little more than $719,000 in taxable income in 2007.

ROBERTS: A fellow who's hoping for big book sales is our John Avlon, who's with us this morning. We're talking politics and the tea party movement. Protesters out all across the country on tax day. Who are the people behind this conservative movement and how much clout are they going to have come November?

CHO: Joining us, John Avlon, CNN contributor, independent analyst. Good morning, John.

ROBERTS: Pretty good coin for the book. JOHN AVLON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Pretty good coin. I don't think it's representative of writing industry.

CHO: That's OK. It takes time. You have to be president maybe.

AVLON: I think it helps.

CHO: I want to start with this "New York Times"-CBS poll that came out. And it talked about the role of independents in the tea party. It says that 36 percent of tea party members consider themselves independents, as you can see there.

But you think of the tea party and think of them being right of Republican. Are we in a new normal and new independent as it's defined?

AVLON: No. I think it's important to put this in context. When they see independents in the poll, tea parties are and have been conservative populists. This poll made it very clear, they are the most conservative members of the Republican Party and these independents are people who have left the Republican Party because it hasn't been conservative enough.

So it's actually not indicative, not reflective of the independent movement as a whole, that 42 percent of the American public who are independents and tend to be centrists.

CHO: So it is a subset of the independent part. But could they be a margin of victory then?

AVLON: Remember, in midterm elections, relatively low turnout, so high intensity can make a big difference. You have a lot of frustration at the economy, a lot of political frustration. These folks are raising the flag about deficit and debt. So, they are definitely motivated. Now the danger is, can their enthusiasm, let's say, alienate voters in the center who ultimately determine who win or lose in the elections.

ROBERTS: But let's just drill down on the independent thing here for a second, because there's no question that worry about deficits, spending, the amazing amount of debt that this country is taking on is of concern to people from the far right to the far -- almost the people in the far, let's go the middle left.

So, I mean, is it possible that maybe they start to attract more of the so-called centrist independents that you're talking about, people who think, hey, we've got to be fiscally responsible, why should we be selling tens or hundreds of millions of dollars of debt to places like China, which could come around to bite us?

AVLON: Look, in the macro sense, that's the opportunity, that's the foundation that the tea party movement, the Republican Party can use to attract independents, to attract voters to the center. Look, it's good when people get engaged about the deficit and debt. There are not only economic implications, there are geo-strategic implications. They're very serious. The problem is -- the question is, you know, when you have the strain of Obama derangement syndrome, which have been baked in the cake of the tea party movement, those folks, those extremes alienate voters in the center. They alienate moderates and mainstreams.

CHO: Yes, which kind of points to another part of the study which I think is so interesting. It says most Republicans say they are dissatisfied with Washington, tea party supporters are more likely to classify themselves as angry. You know, you hear some people saying the Obama administration is a gangster government, this is a mad democracy.

AVLON: Yes.

CHO: So then how do you bring more people in with that kind of rhetoric?

AVLON: You don't. And that's the line they are walking and they've frequently, you know, crossed. You know, if you are too extreme you alienate mainstream America, because we tend not to -- we tend not to trust folks on the fringes. So, this is the opportunity. The fiscal message, they've got a real opportunity to reach out and win over voters. But the more extreme they get, and you see here -- I mean, only 7 percent support President Obama. That's half Republican in total. This becomes a real barrier to really spreading their fiscal message which could have a broader appeal.

ROBERTS: Let's drill down on that, because we have a graphic made up of the poll and if you've got a graphic, use it.

(CROSSTALK)

ROBERTS: Somebody spent a long time putting this together, so we'll put it on the air.

Seven percent, as you said, of tea party supporters think that President Obama is doing a good job, 14 percent of Republicans, 39 percent of independents, Democrats 75 percent. You know, you talk about this Obama derangement syndrome. You dedicate a whole chapter to it in your book. "Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringes Hijacking America."

AVLON: Thank you. There you go, 5.5.

(CROSSTALK)

ROBERTS: So is that a demonstration of that Obama derangement syndrome?

AVLON: It is. Absolutely. You see it right there. You see the tea partiers are to the right of the Republican Party. Again, this is a conservative populist movement. And the independents are in between Democrats and Republicans, as they generally are. So, again, that's a great example of this overall dynamic. Again, this poll shows it's a conservative populist movement.

CHO: John Avlon, independent CNN contributor. We thank you for joining us.

AVLON: Thank you. Good to see you.

ROBERTS: Glad we got the graphic in. Because that person got paid to make it.

Graduation right around the corner, that means that they're all going to be looking for a job. Maybe some could get into our graphics department.

CHO: Yes. It would be nice.

ROBERTS: Making some of those fabulous graphics we put in the air.

(CROSSTALK)

Christine Romans is here with a preview.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: All right. Class of 2010 or the parent and grandparent paying for the class of 2010. Listen up. I'm going to tell you how this job market is going to fare compared with 2009 - 2009, and where you have the best chance of getting a job this summer. Two minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Time for a little bit of fun this morning since it's Friday. Have you gotten your paws on a new iPad yet? Like really your paws? Because Iggy has. That's Iggy, right there. The latest cute kitty to go viral on the Web. It's like you do not need to have pawsable thumbs to enjoy Apple's new iPad.

CHO: But Iggy better watch out, because the Internet may not be big enough for him and this guy -- watch.

(VIDEO CLIP)

CHO: So one is tech savvy, one is musically inclined.

ROBERTS: There you go.

CHO: Both equally talented.

ROBERTS: Well, you know, there are keyboards that you can get on your iPad as well. So (INAUDIBLE) get to play the iPad.

Christine Romans is here "Minding Your Business" this morning.

Hi.

ROMANS: Good morning. I'm here to tell you about the class of 2010 and your job prospects. College graduates or soon-to-be college graduate. You know, 2009 was not great. In fact, if you're in the class of 2010, you could very well be competing in the job market with people who are in the class of 2009. So consider that. Another thing to consider, I keep telling you, there are five and a half people applying available for every job. Well, that doesn't count college kids. A couple of million of college kids who graduated and are not officially counted in the labor market. So what you need to know. A couple of important surveys that show how things are loosening up a little bit for college grads. According to Challenger Gray and Christmas, about 50 percent say it's the same as a year ago. The survey found that the job outlook is the same as a year ago. A year ago wasn't great.

But here's that small little sliver of good news. Twenty percent slightly better, 12 percent much worse, 10 percent worse. So we're focusing in on that slightly better, the same or slightly better. The best chances of success for the class of 2010, health care jobs. This is, listen up, nursing, physical therapy, pharmacy sciences and medical technicians. And I can't tell you the number of people who've emailed me saying that business is brisk in America's medical labs and there are good jobs there. Business grads, 18 percent computers, accounting, finance, liberal arts. I can't believe we all even have jobs. Liberal arts major, there's not a lot of demands there. Still --

ROBERTS: Were you a liberal arts major?

ROMANS: Quintessential French and journalism. I mean, my dad, mom --

ROBERTS: Journalism is good.

ROMANS: Yes, I know it is, it is. But, you know --

CHO: I think that worked out well for you.

ROMANS: Yes, it did. It did. But, you know, it's tough.

ROBERTS: OK, so let's look at work experience. This is the number one thing that employers say they want to see on a resume, folks. So you need to have work experience on a resume. What qualifies as work experience. Well, 62 percent of employers said internships do. A lot of unpaid internships out there, and we are seeing, believe it or not, a lot of folks after graduation taking the unpaid internships you used to take before you graduated because they just want something on the resume.

Part-time jobs count, volunteer work counts, class work counts and volunteering for school organizations and working for school organizations. Make sure you put all of those things on the resume. Again, 2010, you're competing with some people out there from 2009. And you're going to have them.

CHO: Any numeral today?

ROMANS: Numeral is $47,673, and this is if you're one of those class of 2010 who manages to get yourself a little job offer.

ROBERTS: Starting salary? ROMANS: That is the average starting salary for the class of 2010. Forecasted --

CHO: Not bad.

ROMANS: That's way more than I ever got as a starting salary, or as a second job salary or as a third job salary, which might be just --

ROBERTS: I did 25 bucks a week.

ROMANS: Which might be dating me, right.

CHO: Double my first starting salary.

ROMANS: I didn't make a lot of money when I first started. But, boys, if you're going to get a job offer, that's what they are telling us is about what they are offering out there. $47 grand.

ROBERTS: French major, huh?

ROMANS: Oui.

ROBERTS: You know, I love it when you speak French.

Thanks, Christine.

ROMANS: You're welcome.

ROBERTS: Christine Romans, "Minding Your Business" this morning and your language.

CHO: You know, thousands of pilots flying while cynically depressed. They are too frightened to get help out of fear that they're going to be fired. Well, now, one of them is going public. He is the Internet's Prozac pilot. And we're going to tell you why he feels that now is the time for him to take the bag off his head and show his face to the world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Twenty-eight minutes after the hour now. Your top stories coming your way in just a couple of minutes. But first an "A.M. Original." Something that you'll see only on AMERICAN MORNING.

He calls himself the Prozac pilot. And for two years now, he's been on a mission wearing a paper bag over his head to shed light in the struggle of thousands of pilots who are battling depression, including his own story.

Jeanne Meserve on why Colin Hughes is taking his story public.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COLIN HUGHES, PROZAC PILOT: I am the Prozac pilot. I am force by society to hide my face in shame. A pilot who suffer from depression. I'm not allowed to operate the controls of an aircraft. There are thousands of pilots who suffers from depression, but do not dare seek help for they know that their career will come to an abrupt halt.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Internet's Prozac pilot can now reveal his face. He is Colin Hughes, a charter pilot who two years ago grounded himself when he realized he suffered from depression.

COLIN HUGHES: It is the most difficult thing I've done in my life.

MESERVE: Hughes made the tough decision to, as he says, come out of the hangar about his mental illness with the council and support of his wife, Jean Marie. He could have done what some other pilots do, lie.

COLIN HUGHES: I was tempted. I kept saying, honey, you know, I don't have to report this.

JEAN MARIE HUGHES, WIFE OF COLIN HUGHES: Well, the goal was to be happy, and I don't think we would have been happy if we would have been lying.

MESERVE: Initially the couple says leaving the cockpit aggravated his depression.

JEAN MARIE HUGHES: It did.

COLIN HUGHES: At first it did, yes.

JEAN MARIE HUGHES: Because flying itself is like an anti- depressant.

MESERVE: But now Hughes takes anti-depressant medication. Playing by the rules, walking away from his career was difficult financially and emotionally.

JEAN MARIE HUGHES: You have to stand for something even if it's hard. You know, it's not always easy to do the right thing so - sorry.

MESERVE (on camera): New FAA rules may make it easier for other pilots to do what Hughes has. Pilots with mild to moderate depression can fly if they are taking one of four approved anti-depressants and if the FAA certifies they've been successfully treated for one year.

This change in the policy will allow those people to get the treatment. Allow us to monitor and return to the cockpit a safe and better pilot.

MESERVE (voice-over): Through his Prozac pilot blogs, Hughes hears from another pilot with depression.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're not alone, keep up the fight. Anonymous, for now. MESERVE: Hughes says he would be a better pilot now that he's gotten treatment and he encourages others to take off the mask.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am the Prozac pilot.

MESERVE (on camera): But a pilot who does come forward could be grounded for months and there's no guarantee the FAA will ever certify them to fly again. So no one is predicting how many will follow Colin Hughes and acknowledge their struggle with depression.

Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Leesburg, Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: We're crossing the half hour. That means, it's time for this morning's top stories. The looming cloud of ash over mainland Europe could ground some 17,000 flights across the continent today. Already some of Europe's busiest airports are closed. The prime minister of Norway is stranded here in New York City. At least one flight from the U.S. was turned around mid flight because the ash can cause the jet engine to shut down instantaneously.

CHO: Coal mines across West Virginia are grinding to a halt today. Governor Joe Manchin using the day to honor 29 miners killed this month as well as review safety procedures. He wants inspectors to reexamine mines at greatest risk of an explosion similar to what happened at the upper big branch mine.

ROBERTS: And another day of remembrance for the third anniversary, three years already, the deadly Virginia Tech shootings. The bell tower in the university campus will ring 32 times today in honor of those killed. The governor has also ordered all state flags to fly at half staff.

CHO: Also, new this morning, President Obama issuing a new order for public hospitals across the country. It requires them to allow visits by same sex partners and gives those partners the right to make key medical decisions when a patient isn't able to.

Jill Dougherty following the developments for us. She is live at the White House. Jill, good morning.

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alina. You know, this presidential order will affect almost all hospitals in the United States because almost all hospitals in the United States receive Medicare and Medicaid funding. So here's how it would work.

Any hospital that does receive Medicare and Medicaid funding, must allow patients to decide who can visit them. Also, they must prohibit discrimination based on a variety of characteristics and that could include sexual orientation and gender identity. And then finally, it would guarantee all patients advanced directives, and that means things like who should make health care decisions if the patient isn't able to do that. And this is an important step for an important constituency for the president which is gay voters. They by and large supported him during the election and this they say is a very important step. Alina?

CHO: And I want you to talk a little bit more about that, Jill, the president promised that he would fight for the rights of gays and lesbians. Look at his promise to repeal don't ask-don't tell, for example. You know, inside Washington circles, you know, is this a big deal? How big of a deal is it? And is there - has there been reaction from the gay and lesbian community to this?

DOUGHERTY: It has. I mean, they are saying that it is important. And it's something that kind of has an emotional as well as legal context to it. It was based on a case in which couples were not allowed to be together along with their children. Same sex couple, when the woman was dying. And so there's an emotional context but there's also this legal context.

And on all levels they do say that it's important. And it's something that the president was able to do with the presidential memorandum as opposed to things more complex, like don't ask-don't tell.

CHO: Jill Dougherty, live for us at the White House. Jill, thank you.

ROBERTS: Well, it's 34 and a half minutes after the hour. Coming up next on the most news in the morning, the tea party is out with its list of endorsements for Congress for the midterm elections. And guess what, there's a Democrat on the list. Congressman Walt Minnick is going to be joining us. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

ROBERTS: Welcome back to the most news in the morning. With tax day protests behind them, tea party activists are setting their sights now on November. The conservative movement releasing a list of heroes and targets ahead of the mid term elections.

CHO: And listen to this, just one Democrat is on it. We're talking about the heroes list. Idaho Congressman Walt Minnick, he's going to take the endorsement but he might be asking, "why me?"

ROBERTS: Congressman Minnick joins us now from Washington. Congressman, great to see you this morning. So you're on this list of approved candidates, the lone Democrat who is on the list along with such luminaries as Joe Wilson of South Carolina, of course, who famously shouted out, "you lie," during the "State of the Union," and Michelle Bachmann from Minnesota.

How does it feel to be on that list, first of all? And do you agree with the tea party and its agenda? REP. WALT MINNICK (D), IDAHO: Well, they are just ordinary folks who think the government ought to balance its budget. There's nothing very radical about that. So I'm pleased to have their endorsement.

ROBERTS: But how do you feel about being on that list along with Joe Wilson and with Michelle Bachmann?

MINNICK: Well, I'm pretty independent and I have got friends from - Michelle Bachmann and I know each other, we're good friends. You can be friends and disagree on things. And that's what makes for politics. So there will be some folks I won't vote with, but doesn't mean they aren't good folks.

ROBERTS: All right.

CHO: Well, congressman, you know, you voted no to the stimulus. You voted no to health care but you are a card carrying Democrat. So I wonder, I mean, are you a little concerned that this tea party endorsement support might alienate your base of Democratic voters?

MINNICK: Well, not particularly. I'm not 100 percent on anybody's list. I'm a real independent. I spent 35 years as a businessman. We had to balance our budget. I think that my state supports independent people who do what's best for our constituents and good ideas come from both political parties.

ROBERTS: You're a blue dog Democrat, of course. You're a fiscal conservative. As Alina mentioned, you voted against the stimulus bill. You voted against the health care bill and a couple of other things in there as well. Clean energy and security act was among them. Significant departure from your colleagues in the Democratic side of the fence. But 70 percent of the time you also do vote with Democrats. The tea party as they seem to have to some degree with Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts, may have well buyer's remorse from time to time for endorsing you?

MINNICK: Well, I don't think so. I just introduced a bill to ban all earmarks forever. And I think that's right in line with what most fiscal conservatives of both parties believe. And that's something tea party believes. I also, am an original co-sponsor of a constitutional amendment to balance the budget. So I think in terms of fiscal conservatism and smaller government, I line up very well with most of the folks that associated with tea party.

ROBERTS: But as we saw with Scott Brown, tea party supporters did not like a couple of his votes and some of them turned on him, expecting that you might get some blow back from time to time?

MINNICK: Well, I think there will be some tea party folks that don't agree and there will be some Democrats, but as I said, I do what's best for my state. I'm independent and I think the majority of my voters respect that.

CHO: Congressman, you were the only member of the Idaho delegation to attend a tea party town hall back in August. I found that surprising, really at the height of the health care debate. You know, I'm wondering is there a message for your fellow Democrats, reach out across the aisle to Republicans, independents and tea party supporters and you might just win a re-election?

MINNICK: Well, in fairness Senator (INAUDIBLE) called into that, he was out of town. But I accept invitations from every political group, liberal, Democrat or conservative Republican, I'd like to hear what the full set of views of my constituents. And I don't know that that might anger some people. But, boy, if you get - if you understand the range of political views, I think you make better decisions and I try to be - I try to be the voice of my constituents who tend to be real independent. I like to say I'm as independent as Idaho.

ROBERTS: Right. You know, congressman, when you look at the party affiliation makeup, this is based on a recent "New York Times" CBS News poll of tea party supporters, 54 percent say Republican, 36 percent independent and only five percent say they are Democratic. But you know, they are trying to present the appearance here that they are representing all of America, tea party organizers say you just can't be a Republican organization, you need to be an influential force in both parties.

Do you think that their endorsement of you is genuine or might you just be a little bit of window dressing here?

MINNICK: Well, I think the Idaho tea party people, they don't like earmarks. They want to balance their budget. And I get a lot of support from, you know, people both Democrats and independents, tea party and non-tea party -

(CROSSTALK)

ROBERTS: But they also are - tea party supporters though in Idaho are also sort of scratching their head over your inclusion. Why didn't they support a Republican?

MINNICK: Well, I think some tea party people will be with me, some won't. That's democracy in action. And I think they think I was a better candidate to better represent Idaho.

CHO: Congressman Walt Minnick of Idaho, a Democrat with tea party support, we thank you for joining us this morning.

MINNICK: My pleasure.

CHO: Forty-three minutes after the hour. Rob is going to be here with this morning's travel forecast right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Good morning, Atlanta. Waking up with a little bit of Tom Petty.

It's 59 degrees right now, but later on today, sunny with a high of 85.

CHO: Put your shades on, John.

ROBERTS: I'm heading down there later on this morning and hope to see you there. It's - what a beautiful day you got in store for us. Thanks so much.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. For you only, John. Yes, for sure it's going to be nice, and across parts of the mid-Atlantic it would be beautiful as well.

Go north of there and things are again a little bit dicey. We've got a cold front that's going to try to slide to the east and finally nudge this big old ridge that's been protecting much of the eastern two thirds of the country with a really nice stretch of weather.

The back side of that, it's been bringing some rains across parts of western Texas. That will be the case again today. Yesterday, we had some flooding issues. A little bit of light rain trying to get into Bloomington and through Chicago, Illinois, back through Detroit. And then, New York to Boston - look at that. A little bit of snow trying to fall out of the skies there across parts of Northern New England and maybe a little bit of rain across parts of New York City.

Drastically different temperatures between New York and D.C. So this is where the rain is, 58, thunderstorms as well; 85 degrees in Washington, D.C. and delays today will be in New York and D.C. and then flight delays, of course going over towards Europe.

Now, one positive thing that these - these - this ash cloud has given are some beautiful sunsets and sunrises. We should have a couple of pictures of those. Check these shots out.

Of course, the more debris that's in the air, the more scattering of that white light into spectacular hues of yellow-orange, even - even purple. Gorgeous stuff there coming out of Iceland and Europe because of all the stuff that's in the air from this volcano that continues to erupt, and unfortunately give travelers to and from and around Europe headaches, continue today because of the ash that's in the air.

We might see a little bit of dispersion here the next couple of days as winds begin to change a little bit, but I think that ash will hang enough to at least give folks nice sunrises and nice sunsets.

CHO: Now, there is a silver lining. Those shots are gorgeous.

ROBERTS: Yes. Great sunsets through volcanic eruptions.

CHO: And a nice one. They have no idea what's going on. (INAUDIBLE) they don't. It's just - but it's business as usual there in Iceland.

MARCIANO: It is, at least - at least in the west side.

ROBERTS: Yes. We'll be checking in with our Gary Tuchman who's in Iceland in a just a little while. Rob, thanks so much.

So you watch what you eat, right?

CHO: Calorie counting is -

ROBERTS: How - how stringently do you count calories?

CHO: Depends on the day.

ROBERTS: Is it a fat day or is it a (INAUDIBLE)?

CHO: That's right. Some days are better than others.

ROBERTS: Well, there's - there's plenty of research out that not just by watching what you eat but severely restricting your calories could actually make you live longer.

CHO: That's right, and -

ROBERTS: There's some theories you could live to be 140 years old.

CHO: And be healthier.

ROBERTS: Yes.

CHO: Healthier and live a happier life. I mean - but, you know, how much is too much I guess is the question, right?

ROBERTS: But the new research suggests, as you were saying, that for the time that you're alive you're actually much healthier than other people, lower rates of cancer, cardiovascular disease, things like that.

We're going to be talking, coming up right after the break, with a fellow who I first met in 1997. He'd been on a calorically restricted diet for about five years.

Well, it's 13 years later now and he's still doing it. We'll check in with him to see how he is.

It's 49 minutes after the hour.

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ROBERTS: Fifty-two minutes after the hour.

Calories and aging - they might just go hand in hand. A new study suggests that cutting your calories by 10 to 50 percent could not only help you live a very long life but a very healthy one as well.

With us today from Stockholm, Sweden to talk about it, the president of the Calorie Restriction Society, Brian Delaney.

Brian, it's great to see you. I should point out too that you and I first met 13 years ago when I was doing a story about calorie restriction and there was also research going on at the NIH with monkeys that showed amazing effects if you were to dramatically reduce your calories.

What's life been like for you? How are you feeling these days?

BRIAN DELANEY, PRESIDENT, THE CALORIE REDUCTION SOCIETY: I feel great. I feel good. A little bit hungry, but great.

ROBERTS: A little hungry but great.

This new study that's out suggests that not only can you extend your life span by severely restricting the calories in your diet but you can also live a healthier lifestyle, lower rates of cancer, lower rates of heart disease and other, you know, cardiovascular problems, lower rates of cognitive - cognitive decline as well.

You know, tell us from your standpoint, you know, how has your health been? Is - is there any sort of empirical evidence to back this up? Because this study was done in animals, does it work in humans?

DELANEY: Exactly.

Well, what we've finally been seeing now in humans is some research results that - that shows -- we wouldn't have mortality data, that is the actual length of life for another century, and most of the researchers will be dead unless they're also on the diet.

But the short-term trends in humans show that all the things that we've seen in animals for decades now seem to be occurring in the humans on C.R. as well, lower risk of type 2 diabetes, lower risk of heart disease, subjected reports of more energy, but that's not as scientific as the actual bio markers that we measure, various other measures of cardiovascular health, like arteries and blood vessels are more elastic.

So there are all kinds of changes that we're now seeing in humans, and the people who are actually on the diet who talked to them, and I can confirm this myself, all say they feel better. Whether or not we're going to live a lot longer, that's going to take many decades to know for certain.

ROBERTS: All right. We'll check back with you in another 40 years and see if you're still alive. You're - you're 47 right now -

DELANEY: Sounds good.

ROBERTS: -- and you're looking great, I got to tell you.

There are a lot of theories as - as to why this works, Brian. It slows down your metabolism. Maybe there's some benefit to your body always being in starvation mode. It slows down your mitochondrial processes, less free radicals that are produced, leading to less oxidative damage on your cells.

Do you have any real idea of what this is doing to your body?

DELANEY: It's a great question, and, the fact is, it may be that all of these theories are correct and the real question is which one is primary.

For example, there are researchers who say the primary effect is that the body temperature goes down and being a little bit cooler preserves the body, just like you put food in the refrigerator and it lasts a little bit longer and that everything else we see is secondary. Other researchers will - researchers will say that it is the change in the body's use of glucose, the, you know, primary energy molecule that is primary and everything else, including the lower body temperature, is secondary.

So all these things are seen in people and laboratory animals on calorie restriction. Which one is primary, we simply don't know yet.

ROBERTS: So - so tell us a little bit about you. You know, what - how tall are you? What's your weight? How much do you eat a day? How difficult is it to stay on this?

DELANEY: I'm a little bit under 5'11", and, right now, I weigh about 140 pounds. When we met 13 years ago, I weighed 129 pounds, and I was hungrier than I am now.

The hunger wasn't the real problem. The problem was actually just looking so scrawny. It just - it just didn't feel like me, and I'm very skinny as it is. But at 129 pounds and almost 5'11", I just didn't like the way I looked and other people didn't like the way I looked.

ROBERTS: Right.

DELANEY: There's something about being that skinny that makes people feel uncomfortable. They - they either worried that you might be sick and you feel great or they worried that you are implicitly criticizing them for not being just as thin, and I don't care how thin people are.

But I just went around feeling like my weight was an issue, so I thought, you know, I think I'll eat a little bit more and look -

ROBERTS: And -

DELANEY: -- still skinny but not really as scrawny. So -

ROBERTS: And has it been really tough to stay on? And - and if the theories hold, you may live to be another 60 - live for another 60 to 80 years. Are you going to be able to stay on it that long?

DELANEY: You know, that's a great question, and the - the truth is, I don't know. The way that I - that I look at it now is that I feel good now. Whether or not I live to be 120, 130, or 140, who knows? I could get hit by a bus, you know, walking out of the studio today. I hope I don't, but you never know.

So I - I do this for - for the way that it makes me feel now, and I feel great. So - I mean, I - I think, according to all the research, according to what I feel, according to my own tests of blood pressure and pulse rate and fasting glucose, I'm in very, very, very good health. So I'm not going to die of old age soon.

ROBERTS: Brian Delaney, it's great to catch up with you. And maybe we'll revisit this sometime down the road.

DELANEY: See you again in a couple decades.

ROBERTS: All right. Take care.

Brian Delaney this morning.

Once again, Brian Delaney is the author of "The Longevity Diet" on calorie restriction and a real proponent of this whole thing. It seems to be working for him.

Top stories coming your way in just a couple of minutes. Stay with us.

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