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American Morning
Europe Ready for Take-Off?; Discover Trying to Get Home; Fraud Charges: This May Get Ugly; Wasting Your Tax Dollars; Some Kansas Small Businesses Doing Well Despite Economic Downturn
Aired April 19, 2010 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. It is April 19th, Monday morning. Glad you're with us this morning.
I'm Jim Acosta, in for John Roberts.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Good to see you this morning.
ACOSTA: Good to see you.
CHETRY: I'm Kiran Chetry.
We got a lot of big stories we're breaking down for you in the next 15 minutes.
First, there are high hopes this morning that European airlines should get about a third of their planes back in the skies. They're hoping again that this happens after ash cloud shut down travel since last week.
A lot of questions, though, about whether they can guarantee safety in the skies and were authorities too quick to ground so many flights? In a moment, we're live in Paris.
ACOSTA: And it's a no-go for round one. NASA calls off the first landing attempt for the Space Shuttle Discovery because of bad weather. Will the crew get back to earth today? Our John Zarrella is live in Florida -- coming up.
CHETRY: And all eyes on Goldman Sachs, the Dow took a dive Friday after the fed charged the bank with fraud. Stock futures are also falling today on concerns about the fallout over Goldman Sachs -- charged with civil fraud tied to its dealings and bonds backed by subprime mortgages.
So, will the crackdown on Wall Street bring out the bears? We're re following that today.
And, of course, our amFIX blog is up and running. We'd love for you to join the live conversation. Weigh in on what you're hearing in the news this morning, CNN.com/amFIX. We'll read some of your comments throughout the hour.
ACOSTA: A lot of comments so far. But, first, the ash cloud that's casting a devastating shadow over international air traffic may be lessening. The agency overseeing European air space says that air traffic could return to one-third of its normal level today. Welcome news to an industry desperate to get its business back up and our running.
Our Ayesha Durgahee is live in France.
Ayesha, what is happening right now? Are things looking up there?
AYESHA DURGAHEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the cues are getting longer and longer as more passengers arrive at the ferry port here in Calais. Passengers are finding themselves in an increasingly desperate situation where the money is running out and they need to get to their final destination to go back to work and for their children to go back to schools. And the ferry companies have anticipated an influx of passengers and they have organized additional crossings.
Take, for example, Sea France, usually, in a day, they only carry 90 passengers. And yesterday, they carried a total of 540 passengers, and they expect around the same amount today. So, passengers are getting on to the ferries and continuing their onward journeys home.
ACOSTA: Ayesha, those passengers do not look happy. Ayesha Durgahee, thank you very much -- joining us live from Calais, France, this morning. Appreciate it.
CHETRY: And while many major European airports remain closed this morning, other several runways, most notably in southern Europe, that are open for business. There are flights going on to Rome, to Athens, Madrid.
ACOSTA: Right.
CHETRY: And they may have become the hot new ticket. Right now, passengers are finding flights limited and, of course, understandably, mostly sold out.
Well, as frustration mounts, there's pressure now building to ease some of these travel restrictions.
ACOSTA: That's right. The airlines say their tests show the ash is not a threat, though one NATO officials says several F-16s flying through the ash suffered engine damage.
Our Richard Quest joins us now live.
And, Richard, the airlines are really pushing back. They're losing more than $200 million a day. That's a lot of money no matter what the currency is.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And not only is it a lot of money -- as you might expect -- the airlines are now starting to seek support from European government, individual governments, and from the European Union. British Airways, in the last hour, has come out and says, it will be seeking airline support for the losses it has been supporting -- very similar to the sort of support that airlines received in the United States after 9/11.
You remember, back in 9/11, the federal government did come out and Department of Transportation did offer support to the airlines, financial cash support. And now, European airlines are saying this is a similar situation. They are devastated by what has been happening in this way. And it's not their fault.
CHETRY: The other thing that's different about it, because there are safety concerns, so, who wants to be the first one to potentially have a problem, have an engine go out? I mean, it is nerve-wracking to figure that out. And also, there doesn't seem to be an end in sight. We don't know when this volcano is going to stop spewing ash.
QUEST: The airlines are now substantially saying it's safe to fly in parts of Europe and they should be allowed to begin some form of flying schedule. Now, this is where it gets really interesting because what the aviation authorities are saying is, we're taking no risks whatsoever. The airlines then turn around and say, well, we're not stupid. We're not going to ask to fly if it's dangerous. And you have this tussle between the airlines want to get back in the air and the aviation authorities who are saying, no, not until we are 100 percent safe.
I spoke yesterday to one air pilot. And he basically said he was taking planes up. He would take planes up. It was quite safe and it was time to start flying again.
ACOSTA: And, Richard, you've been all over the world. You know, you've racked up more than a few sky miles in your day. Have you ever encountered or seen anything remotely close to what's happening right now in terms of a danger that is widespread to a huge number of air travelers?
QUEST: No.
ACOSTA: That's why it's unprecedented.
QUEST: The significance of this -- if you take 9/11, when, of course, the air traffic over the United States, it was a domestic and it was an international crisis. But there was almost like that we knew that travel would start again. It was just a question of when. The unknown wasn't as unknown.
Here, to quote a former U.S. administration official, (INAUDIBLE), the unknowns are unknown and we don't even know what we don't know.
ACOSTA: Right.
QUEST: And --
CHETRY: Exactly, because you're dealing with Mother Nature. You never know -- (CROSSTALK)
QUEST: Absolutely. So, Mother Nature --
ACOSTA: So, you don't want to be the guy that makes the call if it is the wrong call.
QUEST: Well, that's the interesting thing, because the airlines are saying, it's time to make the call.
ACOSTA: Right. But they don't want to make the call. They let some other guy make the call.
QUEST: Well, I think the European officials -- my gut feeling is that flying will start again and it will gradually build up. But, unfortunately, there are many tens of thousands of people who are at the back of the cue and -- yes, tonight, I become a refugee here in New York.
CHETRY: So, you were scheduled to go back?
QUEST: Tonight. Tonight, I was supposed to be on a Continental flight to London. It is not going to go. And the awful part --
CHETRY: Make yourself comfortable. There are showers on the seventh floor. There's also a gym downstairs.
QUEST: Well, you know, if it's your plane that's due to go and it goes, you are at the front of the cue because you are a confirmed seat. The moment your plane doesn't go, there is the back of the line.
CHETRY: Exactly. So, we talk about the travel headaches for all the people out there. And that is huge.
QUEST: Yes.
CHETRY: And -- I mean, everybody has their own story. We just heard from this married couple that went. They left their four young children with relatives and now, they've been stuck in Amsterdam, trying to talk to their kids on video, you know, Skype.
But what about them being able to recoup the losses financially? I mean, this is a huge hit for the airlines.
QUEST: It's a huge hit for the airlines. That's why the airlines are going to be seeking financial support from the government in some shape or form, tax breaks or direct financial support. For individual travelers, that depends on your insurance policy.
Back in January, I was stranded for 32 hours at an airport coming back from Egypt. Now, my insurance covered me, because it was a weather delay.
CHETRY: Covered you for putting yourself up?
(CROSSTALK)
ACOSTA: Travelers insurance.
QUEST: Travelers insurance. Whether or not travelers insurance covers you for this --
ACOSTA: Wow. Great question.
QUEST: -- an act of God. I'll tell you tomorrow morning, if I'm still here I'll come back with an authoritative answer on what that means.
ACOSTA: Because it's such a -- such a small fee that's tacked on to your airline bill, you can click it, but most people say, my flight will be fine. I'm not going to worry about it.
QUEST: I have one of those -- thankfully, I have one of those multi-policies that you buy once a year and covers you for many trips.
CHETRY: We'll see if it covers this one. Richard Quest --
QUEST: You are looking mean. You are looking mean.
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: No.
ACOSTA: You should enjoy this.
CHETRY: Whenever they pull out the act of God, you know you have some arguing to do, right, with the insurance company.
QUEST: Absolutely.
CHETRY: All right. Thanks so much, Richard.
ACOSTA: Good luck, Richard.
And stay with us. Coming up in less than 30 minutes, we will talk to Todd Barrett, an American stranded in London. And wait until you hear how he and his pregnant wife -- yes, very pregnant wife we should mention -- are passing the time.
CHETRY: All right. Right now, it's eight minutes past the hour. We'll check in with Rob Marciano for a look at the forecast.
Hey, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, guys.
Interesting things coming out of the U.K. Met Office, the equivalent of our National Weather Service and they have been tracking this ash cloud from the get-go.
Here is their forecast this morning. Some lines on the map here, greens and red. The red is the lower levels. And that actually has been moving westward. So, this goes beyond Europe and we've seen that just in the past day or so.
The typical westerly winds bring things into Scandinavia and parts of U.K. and northern Europe. And that's expected to continue today and, really, for the next couple of days as we get through the rest of this week. But the lower level flow is bringing some of that ash all the way into North American. Some flights have been canceled in St. John's Newfoundland because of that.
Now, it's not a dense cloud, but just enough to make them worry over there in the eastern provinces of Canada. We don't expect to get here into the Northeast. But nonetheless, it is spreading out and affecting just about everybody.
We'll talk more about that, the nation's weather, and whether or not they're going to be able to land that space shuttle. They already had a failed attempt because of weather. And we'll talk about their second attempt which will happen in the 9:00 and 10:00 hours.
See you, guys, in a little bit.
CHETRY: All right. It's either that or they head to Edwards Air Force Base, right?
MARCIANO: Yes. Exactly.
ACOSTA: Tough times in the skies.
CHETRY: All right. We will take a quick break.
Nine minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
ACOSTA: Yes, it's a catchy tune.
Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
NASA is wishing it had a big enough umbrella for the shuttle Discovery. The shuttle's first landing attempt not so much, scheduled for 8:48 Eastern. It's been called off. Rain and clouds are making life difficult down there at the Kennedy Space Center, Kiran.
CHETRY: I know. So, will the crew get back to earth today?
Our own John Zarrella -- ella -- ella -- joins us live with this morning's "2010 Space." Well, we just always wanted to play that song when you were coming up and there we go.
ACOSTA: John, I'm going to make her stop doing that, by the way.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I love that song. That was really good.
ACOSTA: OK. ZARRELLA: I got to tell you, we need a bigger umbrella here too. It's been raining. It's really duck weather here in south Florida. It rained all day yesterday.
And, you know, it's starting to clear out. And that's what they're hoping at the Kennedy Space Center. The rain showers are moving away. Now, there are some clouds lingering behind. But they are hoping that they can get this shuttle down after a two-week mission.
The landing -- the next attempt would be at 10:23 a.m. Eastern Time at the Kennedy Space Center. So, they got to make a decision in the next 40 minutes or so, or else they're done for the day. No other options but the Kennedy Space Center tomorrow. If they have to land tomorrow morning, then they would also bring up the Edwards Air Force Base landing sites. They have that option as well.
Now, for the viewers across the United States, if they land today, could be a spectacular site, very rare landing path where they are coming from the north down to the south. They've only done it twice since the Columbia accident. This is the second time.
They'll come over Seattle, Washington, Denver, Tulsa, Little Rock, Starkville, Mississippi, Montgomery, Alabama and Tallahassee, Florida -- before they circle into the Kennedy Space Center. So, go on outside and look up if the shuttle is coming down and we should know in about next 40 minutes.
ACOSTA: In Dallas many years ago, I saw one of those flyovers from the shuttle. And it is -- it's dramatic. It's just beautiful. And it was, you know, about 9:00 at night -- you know, sort of almost right at twilight and this orange streak just comes across the sky -- just a beautiful site.
I hope it works out for folks to see this today.
ZARRELLA: Yes, I really do too. You know, say, in the eastern part of the U.S., it may be a little bit cloudy. But Midwest to the west, it should be a really spectacular sight if they can get this shuttle down today.
CHETRY: Yes. And it has even more significance because, really -- I mean, for those who, you know, are nostalgic about this, only three more shuttle flights and the program is done?
ZARRELLA: That's it, three after this one. You know, the plan was to end the shuttle missions by September.
The problem is -- the May mission looks good. The July mission doesn't look good. It may slip. They may have to flip-flop September with July. So, the program might not end until December or early next year. Real serious issues with the payload on that July mission.
ACOSTA: Wow.
CHETRY: All right, John Zarrella for us this morning, tracking it all. Thank you.
ACOSTA: Thanks, John.
ZARRELLA: My pleasure.
CHETRY: Well, still ahead, you may have heard of fraud charges the SEC is filing against Goldman Sachs, and it may get ugly. How does it all coincide with the push for financial regulation? Christine Romans is going to be joining us.
Fifteen minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Eighteen minutes past the hour. Right now, a developing story.
We have new developments this morning from Toyota as the automaker is slapped with the largest fine ever in the industry, $16.4 million, that's for holding out for four months before telling the government what it knew about faulty gas pedals. Now Toyota is expected to agree this morning to pay that fine. It has one month to do so. Transportation officials say the punishment does not protect Toyota though from either criminal or civil lawsuits relating to either accident or injuries related to the gas pedal.
ROBERT: Yes.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I have a little tidbit for you about that. So $16.4 million would be the biggest fine ever for an automaker. They have a month to pay it. That would be about 21 hours of profit. In less than one day, they make enough money to pay that fine.
ACOSTA: Wow.
ROMANS: Just to put it in perspective.
CHETRY: No, it may be the biggest fine but no sweat off their brow.
ROMANS: That's -- basically when we see these big fine, especially Wall Street -
ACOSTA: -- it sounds like pocket change.
ROMANS: Like, wow, that's 15 minutes of sales. So --
ACOSTA: Now Goldman Sachs -- I mean, I'm looking at the front page of the "Huffington Post" this morning. In big letters, what did they know over the pictures of various Wall Street executives and Goldman Sachs executives. And that's the question folks have this morning. What did they know? When did they know it?
ROMANS: And was it, as "Business Week" said, immoral or illegal. And that's what the SEC is charging, that it was illegal. That there was fraud committed. And this all seasoned well to what we've been saying earlier today that a lot of Americans feel like the game has been rigged, that the banks stand in the middle and make money on all sides of everything. But this one is specific. This is Goldman on behalf of one of its clients actually making an instrument to sell to unwitting investors that that first client, the big hedge fund was going to sell short. That first hedge fund helped design, so that it would fail and that person could make a lot of money on the upcoming housing collapse. This is what the SEC said. You know that they wrongly permitted a client that was betting against the mortgage market to heavily influence the mortgage security to include an investment portfolio while telling the other investors that it was selected by an independent third party.
Goldman says, you know, this is unfounded, et cetera, etcetera, that they will vigorously contest this. The question now, moving beyond from here, Friday was the fraud charge. It is still ricocheting around the world. Futures are expected to be lower. I mean Wall Street is unnerved by all of this.
ACOSTA: And we have something that's Jermaine to all of this.
ROMANS: We do, that's $36 million. $36 million a day.
CHETRY: Is how much Goldman Sachs made in 2009.
ROMANS: So Goldman was printing money as the rest of the world is reeling. And now, this is raising questions about how does Goldman make its money. Is it fair? Is it fair? Now, you mentioned last hour, talking about, is the SEC looking at other firms? Was there just one derivatives trade in 2007 where these sort of shenanigans were going on or was this more wide spread we, just don't know yet.
ACOSTA: People want answers, I mean that's just the bottom line of this. And eventually they are going to get them.
ROMANS: Get -- one last thing, it gives this administration a little more leverage on its financial reform almost everyone is saying.
ACOSTA: Right.
ROMANS: Because they didn't have a fire burning under them.
ACOSTA: The question is whether it was strategic. Whether this was orchestrated, which is what some of the Republicans are charged.
ROMANS: Yes, Jen Saki (ph) from the White House says, no, they did not have any advanced knowledge of the SEC investigation and the charges --
ACOSTA: It is going to get interesting.
CHETRY: The other question is what reforms if put into place would they make a difference? I mean would it have stopped this type of activity?
ROMANS: Right and specifically on derivatives.
CHETRY: Right.
ROMANS: Specifically under derivatives.
CHETRY: Christine, thanks so much.
ACOSTA: Christine, thank you.
And a California man and his pregnant wife stranded in London. We have been hearing these stories for the last several days. Here's a new wrinkle, how Facebook is helping them cope. Yes, Facebook. I guess he has free time on his hands. Todd Brilliant, he's stranded in the U.K., had a brilliant idea for dealing with all that free time. He is joining us in a few minutes.
It is 21 minutes after the hour. Thanks, Christine.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: We are back today with the Most News in the Morning. Our top stories are only a few minutes away. But first, our "Special Investigations Unit" has been tracking small airports across the country, and you are not going to believe this. Airports using your tax dollars to stay open and what got our attention. How some are getting the money.
CHETRY: They are offering free parking, they are offering even free flights. Confused? Well, we were too. So our Drew Griffin headed to West Virginia to take a look at what this is all about.
ACOSTA: Go Drew.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This airport near Clarksville, West Virginia boasts quick check ins, free excessive parking and convenient baggage claim, which is not surprising because the planes don't exactly cue up at North Central West Virginia airport.
(on camera): You can park here for free. You can park right next to the terminal. You can park all day and watch and you may not see a single plane.
(voice-over): And if you did stay all day, you would catch just three commercial departures, carrying on average six passengers. But still, the federal government pours money into this airport. Thirty million to length then the runway, last year, $1.6 million in stimulus cash. And for the last two years, an extra million dollars, money given to this and any small airport that can show it gets at least 10,000 passengers in a single year. Get just one passenger less than that magic 10,000, and you'll get a measly $150,000. It's an all or nearly nothing program that government waste watchdog, Senator Tom Coburn could only be devised in one place. SEN. TOM COBURN (R), OKLAHOMA: Congress did, created the incentive to weasel on it so you can get more money. And it is exacerbated because of the economic downturn.
GRIFFIN: Weaseling because at tiny airports, airport managers do just about anything they can to hit the jackpot of 10,000 passengers and get the government's money. And that includes free flights.
SUZANNE PIERSON, TOOK FREE FLIGHT: It was just a little.
GRIFFIN (on camera): Ad that said -
PIERSON: In the newspaper, free flights. Well they were trying to meet their quota and they were like 300 passengers short of the -- it.
GRIFFIN: So literally a free flight coming up of a free flight?
PIERSON: Yes. It was awesome.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): Last December, Susan Pierson saw an ad in the local paper for a free sightseeing flight.
PIERSON: This was quite a thrill.
GRIFFIN: The local news was there too, catching her, her grandson, Donovan, and hundreds of others flying a chartered 757 above Bridgeport and Clarksburg.
GRIFFIN: And where did the flight go?
DONOVAN PIERSON, GRANDSON OF SUZANNE PIERSON: Oh it went everywhere.
GRIFFIN: Actually, it went nowhere. Just up and down.
Susan and her grandson became part of the airport's 10,000 passenger a year count. Dozens of airports have been chasing that number as well. In Tierney (ph), Nebraska, residents paid $15 for aerial tours of the city's Christmas flight. In Altoona, Pennsylvania, they offered free ten-minute.
Back in Clarksburg, airport director, Rick Rock even gets money to fly school students to Washington, D.C. for the day to bump up his passenger count.
GRIFFIN (on camera): How is that paid for?
RICK ROCK, AIRPORT DIRECTOR: It was through contributions through the Board of Education.
GRIFFIN: This is the restaurant. Looks like it is closed. Busy airport.
(voice-over): The airport just got a separate $150,000 grant from the FAA to, well, you guessed it, to promote itself. ROCK: No planes, no restaurant.
GRIFFIN: Now, consider this, those three scheduled departures a day, they do go to Washington but all stop in Morgantown, 35 miles away.
GRIFFIN (on camera): How are you doing? I took the flight myself.
ROCK: What time are we boarding, a quick ten-minute flight, cruising altitude of 5,000 feet.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): And no sooner were we reaching altitude, we were preparing to land.
(on camera): Every single person who leaves Clarksburg has to take that ten-minute flight.
(voice-over): The man who runs the Clarksburg airport says he is proud of what it has done to get as much money as possible.
ROCK: We had an economic benefit analysis study done that says that the economic impact to this community is $395 million. So I definitely think that, there is no question that we need this airport.
GRIFFIN (on camera): But how can you say that when you have got three flights a day. You can go to Morgantown, Pittsburgh. Most people do and obviously the community is not flocking in here.
ROCK: Well, I think and I see that they have in the past and I'm an optimistic person and think they will in the future.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: Jim and Kiran the question is, should federal taxpayers keep footing the bill while we wait to see if passengers show up at these tiny airports? Senator Coburn obviously says, no.
CHETRY: There you go but it is interesting to see the lengths they will go through to keep it going and keep the money going, right?
GRIFFIN: You bet, you bet.
CHETRY: You know you focused on that one airport. Any idea if we are talking about a lot more like that one?
GRIFFIN: You know it could be as many 36 -
ACOSTA: Wow.
GRIFFIN: It could be as many as 36 or more than that. The problem is, there is all these different grants, programs, and everything going through the FAA and earmarking, et cetera. Nobody really knows for sure, Kiran.
And this legislation did get through. Coburn is going to get some kind of accounting for all this money to find out what we are dealing with these airports across the country.
ACOSTA: Dr. Coburn on the case.
CHETRY: And so, is Drew Griffin this morning. Thanks, Drew.
We are crossing the half hour. Time for a look at our top stories this morning.
Two more survivors pulled from the rubble in western China nearly a week after major earthquake there. This was a woman and a four- year-old girl trapped under a bed in the rubble of a collapsed mud hut. The woman is in critical condition and the child suffering from some heart problems. The China quake killed more than 1,900 people.
ACOSTA: Keep your fingers crossed. Europe's air travel nightmare could improve. European authorities are hoping to resume at least 30 percent of all flights today. To nudge authorities, European airlines conducted test flights yesterday. Initial results indicated no problems during those flights and no damage to the jet engines.
CHETRY: Unfortunately the same cannot be said for a group of NATO fighter jets. Officials say several F-16 fighters suffered engine damage after flying through the volcanic ash clouds. They say that glasslike deposits were found inside of the plane's engine. Last week two Finnish bomber jets suffered similar problems while flying through the ash covering much of Europe.
ACOSTA: And right now, there are scores of Americans here in the U.S. and abroad that are feeling the pain -- pain in the ash, is that what we were saying earlier?
CHETRY: That's one way to put it.
ACOSTA: American Todd Barrett is one of them. He and his pregnant wife, Andrea, went to a wedding in Paris.
CHETRY: And they were supposed to leave from Heathrow, London, last Thursday. It is now Monday. Like a lot of others, they are still stuck. Todd and his wife, Andrea, join us via Skype. Thanks so much for being with us. Tell us what you are hearing about when you may be actually getting back here.
ANDREA BARRETT, STRANDED IN THE U.K.: Well, we have tickets for this coming Saturday, and we're hoping that we can make it out. I don't know the overall status of the international flights leaving Heathrow. It sounds like they are trying to resume some flights within the U.K., but for us, we are keeping our fingers crossed for Saturday.
TODD BARRETT, STRANDED IN THE U.K.: Sunday for sure.
ACOSTA: And you guys launched a Facebook group this weekend, "When Volcanoes Erupt." It sounds like a hit reality TV show, but not as entertaining as the real thing. How have you guys been coping? Are you trying to roll with it, have fun with it? Are you suffering? Tell us. TODD BARRETT: Yes, I think that's it. We're rolling with it and having fun with it.
We're actually in a wonderful, very lucky, we are in Stratford, England, where Shakespeare was born and died. And a group of neighbors have been amazing, given us their homes, four different homes so far in our short stay.
So we are in good shape compared to a lot of people that are out there. Andy, my wife, is 32 weeks pregnant. So she is the one with the discomfort.
CHETRY: You want your creature comforts when you are in your third trimester. You are not in any fear that you may deliver your baby on the other side of the pond, are you?
ANDREA BARRETT: At this moment, I'm not. I am in really good health. I haven't had any complications. But as the uncertainty of the air quality is here, it just does make me a little nervous. If we are grounded for several more weeks, then there is definitely the potential that my child may have dual citizenship.
(LAUGHTER)
TODD BARRETT: Our child.
ACOSTA: You are in the land of Shakespeare, so perhaps William might be a good name?
ANDREA BARRETT: We are taking that into consideration.
ACOSTA: Very good. So what do you do when you are stuck in England and you can't get out? There has to be a pub around the corner.
CHETRY: She is eight months pregnant. Clearly, she isn't doing that.
ACOSTA: I wasn't talking about her.
ANDREA BARRETT: I have been enjoying half-pints of Guinness every other day. It is doctor prescribed, so I feel safe about that, getting my iron.
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: The other thing that's interesting, though, is that you guys and millions of other people stranded either one way or the other, some people are trying to get back to the U.K., some people are stuck here in the U.S. and you guys are over there as well as many Americans.
And there is this big debate going on, some of the airlines were saying, look, we think it is safe. They put test flights out there. We want to be able to have it be our discretion. And as our Richard Quest was telling us, some of the aviation officials in Europe were saying, it is not ready yet, not ready for us to make a call on this. What do you think? Do you think they should go for it or wait until they are absolutely sure that everything is OK?
TODD BARRETT: I would rather be safe than sorry. It is an obvious risk-reward scenario. To me, this is just us.
ANDREA BARRETT: The feelings, I think, are definitely -- I feel conflicted. I would like to get on a plane as soon as possible and just get home and get safe. But if there is any chance that it is not safe to fly, I certainly am much happier here safe on the ground and comfortable in Stratford than risking something horrible on a plane.
TODD BARRETT: That said, there are a lot of people out there that don't have great lodgings that are sleeping in airports and outside. And it is probably a different scenario for them.
ACOSTA: Todd Barrett and his wife, Andrea, we wish you the best of luck, especially with the little one on way.
ANDREA BARRETT: Thank you.
ACOSTA: And congratulations on the Facebook page. It's just more proof that misery loves company when it comes to flying the airlines.
CHETRY: And you will have quite a story to tell your little one about what they went through without knowing it. Good luck to you guys. And keep us posted on when you finally get back. We will have our fingers crossed for Saturday. Todd brilliant and Andrea, thanks so much.
ACOSTA: Safe travels.
ANDREA BARRETT: Thank you.
TODD BARRETT: Thank you.
ACOSTA: We have a member of our own CNN team who is doing some traveling these days. Tom Foreman is on the CNN express in Kansas where there are no volcano problems. Why this winery is booming despite a recession. Tom Foreman is going to show us all of that. Stick with us. It is 36 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: That's one of our hits the control room loves. We try to play it every now and then. It's 40 minutes past the hour.
The next installment of our ongoing series, "Building up America." This morning, we're in Kansas, where people are embracing the past to get through difficult economic times. Our Tom Foreman live for us in Wichita this morning. You're not in Kansas anymore. Oh, yes, you are. Hello, Tom. TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, how are you doing? I am in Wichita, here.
And Wichita has really changed in the past 15, 20 years. It's remarkable how they have revitalized their downtown here, a tremendous number of excellent museums and excellent restaurants.
And what they have done throughout this state at the geographic center of America is tap into their past and their basic principles in these hard time to build things up again.
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FOREMAN: Out of the tourist attraction called Old Cow Town amid the canon and guns, Kansans are reenacting some battles from their historic past. But their present struggle is for the future.
(on camera): Do you see a lot of people around here worrying about the economy right now?
GREGORY HUNT, OLD COWTOWN MUSEUM: Yes. My friends, some of them, don't know where the next check is coming from.
RACHEL HUNT, OLD COWTOWN MUSEUM: I'm in the automotive industry. And we have seen a big downturn. Everybody is worried about it.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Worried, but like that famous Kansas Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz," not sitting still. Kansas has historically rolled out wheat, cattle, transportation, and aviation products worth billions. So to build up, many here have turned to past success for inspiration and a competitive edge. That's what Noah Wright did.
NOAH WRIGHT, OX WINERY: Kansas before prohibition was the third largest grape producing state in the nation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This wine is not too sweet, not too dry.
FOREMAN: Just three years ago, he had an idea to combine the state's little known wine-making past with its fame as Dorothy's home, and Oz winery has been booming ever since despite the recession.
WRIGHT: Since we have opened, we have grown every year. We don't know if we would be ten times more than that or if we would just be at the same level. We just don't know if it is affecting us yet. We have no way to tell.
FOREMAN: Such efforts by thousands of small businesses have helped produce an unemployment rate well below the national average, a housing market on the rebound, and a population, if not entirely upbeat, at least hopeful.
(on camera): That classic American tune "Home on the Range" was written in Kansas almost 140 years ago. And since that time, it has become a lot more than just state song. For many people here, it is a measure of commitment, their commitment to always build up whenever times turn down.
DINA BISNETTE, SMALL BUSINESS OWNER: The people here still have the same mentality. Whatever happens to us, we are going to manage. We are going to make do.
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FOREMAN: It's truly a situation where they have felt the effects of the recession here, no question about it. People have lost jobs, homes. They have had the same problems other states have had.
But just like that little place, the Oz winery there in a little place near Topeka, many, many folks here have simply said, we must rely on ourselves out here on the great plains where they always have, and we must build up again.
And it really is working, and we are going to spend this whole week traveling around visiting folks in small communities around this state seeing what they are up to.
CHETRY: Great. It is great to get a chance to highlight the success stories, because you are looking for those gems in a pretty tough time.
FOREMAN: They have had some real gems here. And in many cases, it is exactly what we are talking about there. They found variations on what they have done in the past.
For example, we are going to visit later today with a company that makes farm implements, a little husband and wife team that said, you know what, we see an opportunity here, and they got in there and started making them some years ago.
And they have held on through the hard times and they are competing with the big companies and competing really well by offering a high level of service and that down home attention that especially in a big economy sometimes people really rely on because they want real quality for their money. That's what folks in Kansas are saying they can bank on.
CHETRY: If you are not spending very often, when you do, you want it to be good. Tom Foreman for us this morning in Wichita, thanks so much.
ACOSTA: Thanks, Tom.
And there is another story we are keeping our eye on. And that is down in Florida, showers there delaying the next space shuttle landing.
Our Rob Marciano is going to be tracking this. He is going to have, I guess, an update for us in a few moments here. We want to find out if the shuttle is going to make a landing today. And you know, with only three shuttles left --
CHETRY: I know. ACOSTA: You know?
CHETRY: Going fast, you've got to this one closely.
ACOSTA: We've got to savor every moment.
CHETRY: Yes, you're right.
Well, it's 45 minutes past the hour. We'll be right back.
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ACOSTA: Perfect. Its 47 minutes after the hour. Boston, Massachusetts, good morning to you; 46 degrees partly cloudy later today, a high of 59 degrees and we should mention that the Boston Marathon is being affected by the volcano. Apparently 10 percent of the runners scheduled to take part in the event --
CHETRY: Yes.
ACOSTA: -- are stranded in Europe. No word on the Kenyans which is what my big question is.
CHETRY: Oh yes because they clean up every year.
ACOSTA: Every year.
CHETRY: I thought you were going to say it was perfect marathon weather, actually 59 degrees --
ACOSTA: That is nice.
CHETRY: -- it's not too bad, right? So we'll see what happens.
Well, we do have an update by the way on that Icelandic volcanic ash that's been causing so much trouble. Right now we're hearing that the eruption -- the erupting right now at least have virtually ceased for now and Rob is following the latest for us.
ACOSTA: Wow.
CHETRY: That's certainly news that many of these stranded travelers want to hear but just because it's stopping now, it doesn't mean it can't you know, wreak havoc down the road, right?
MARCIANO: Exactly. And as far as percolating more stuff into the air no promise of that not reemerging some time soon. More update on that through the morning. But right now, it does appear that it was slowing earlier and now the eruption beginning to wane and that would obviously lead to less in the way of ash and debris getting into the air hopefully clearing some of that out as we go through time. That would obviously be the common sense solution to it.
Raining, it would -- that would help too. The rain is in Florida and a lot of it. Anywhere from two to one and a half inches from the Keys up through South Florida onto the West Coast as well. And this rain has certainly impacted what's going on with the space shuttle trying to land today and having a hard time doing that because of the showers that are around the Kennedy Space Center.
So they are starting to move out a little bit but last check, the observations at the landing facility, was basically at 300 foot ceiling and fog and mist so even though the heavier showers are moving off shore not exactly ideal weather to land this space shuttle. But if they allow for de-orbit burn, which would happen in about the next 30 minutes.
What happens thereafter will be fairly -- pretty rare because this is going to come out actually over North America, up through Seattle, through Rock Springs and cooking (ph) along at Tulsa at about Mach 18 and descending rapidly from 200,000 feet in Seattle to obviously ground -- sea level down across parts of Florida.
Mach 6 expected at Tallahassee and then slowing down quickly to make that landing at the Kennedy Space Center. But right now, a little bit icy. I think NASA is going to make the call here in the next 30 minutes. And then if they do allow for that de-orbit burn, you'll see this thing streaking across the sky and then landing around 10:23 Eastern Time.
ACOSTA: That's what they call it, the over-burn?
MARCIANO: The --
ACOSTA: That streak across the sky?
MARCIANO: Oh the de-orbit burn is they fire the engines and getting this thing rolling on it.
CHETRY: De-orbit.
ACOSTA: De-orbit?
MARCIANO: Yes. That's it yes, exactly.
ACOSTA: You know, it's such -- it's such an impressive sight that we really hope it does make that landing but they have to -- they've got to make the right call here so --
CHETRY: That's right and that --
MARCIANO: Everybody wants to fly safely. That's the problem today.
CHETRY: No of course.
MARCIANO: Yes.
ACOSTA: There's a running theme through this show.
CHETRY: Exactly.
ACOSTA: That's it right there, Rob. CHETRY: And isn't it just as interesting, though, to see when it's piggy backing on one of the huge airplanes coming back from Edwards? That's also a sight to see.
MARCIANO: That's very right, yes, but a costly one.
CHETRY: I know.
MARCIANO: So as a taxpayer, I know you, Kiran, you don't want that to happen. So you want it to come down in Florida nice and easy.
CHETRY: Exactly. Thanks Rob.
MARCIANO: See you guys.
CHETRY: Well, we're talking about some of the health risks associated with the volcanic ash that's swirling in the atmosphere. We're going to be live with more on that coming up.
Fifty two minutes past the hour.
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CHETRY: Welcome back to The Most News in the Morning. Fifty- five minutes past the hour. Time for your "A.M. House Call".
A lot of conflicting advice about whether or not it's safe to breath in the volcanic ash flying across Europe. Obviously, it's not safe to breath in the ash. But the air around it, some experts are warning that respiratory problems, especially those with asthma, could be aggravated. But others say the debris is so fine that it actually doesn't pose the same risk even something such as second hand cigarette smoke.
ACOSTA: You would think it would be unhealthy --
CHETRY: Yes.
ACOSTA: -- just looking at it.
You want to talk about risk. How about getting this close to the Iceland volcano while it was still erupting? That's what our Gary Tuchman did. He joins us live from the base of the volcano.
And I have to ask you Gary, when you flew over this thing, did it get warm, did you feel it? Or was it just like looking out the window at the Grand Canyon?
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That was one of the amazing things, Jim, is that we were about 400-600 feet away from the crater where the volcano was erupting, but it's so cold here on the ground and so cold at 5,000 feet in the air. We did not feel any heat whatsoever.
We saw rocks coming out. We saw fire. We saw lava. We didn't feel the heat. Over my shoulder, that cloud you see -- that white cloud -- that is the ash plume from the volcano. But when we came up to it 300 to 600 feet away it obviously looked a lot different.
And one of the things that people say to us is, "How can you get so close to it when people all over Europe can't fly?" That's because we were on the side of the volcano where the wind was coming from and going away from us.
Also, yesterday, we took a drive to the other side of the volcano, not a flight but a drive on the east side of the volcano. The wind was heading in that direction. And there, because we had lightness turn into complete darkness with the ash falling, we wore masks.
What they're telling people here is if you don't evacuate -- they're not forcing people to evacuate right now, which is very interesting. They are telling that if you live on the east side or the south side from the volcano that's where the ash has been coming down for the last few days, it is imperative to wear a mask because we don't know the exact (INAUDIBLE). Play it safe, wear a mask. And wear a mask, Jim, is what we did when we were on that side of the volcano.
ACOSTA: Very good. Gary Tuchman, boldly going where few reporters have gone before. Thank you, Gary. Appreciate that.
CHETRY: 400 feet away.
ACOSTA: I tell you, that's -- that's a little scary. A little too close for comfort for me, if you asked me.
CHETRY: Yes, I hear you. Agreed.
We are going to take a quick break. Three minutes until the top of the hour. We'll be right back.
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ACOSTA: Welcome back. Now, continue the conversation on today's stories, go to our blog at CNN.com/amFIX.
CHETRY: Yes. We would love to hear from you. Meanwhile, that's going to do it for us this morning. Thanks so much for joining us for this AMERICAN MORNING. We will see you back here bright and early tomorrow.
ACOSTA: Thank you very much. That's right. And thanks for having me once again. Always good to be with you.
T.J. Holmes is in the "CNN NEWSROOM". He's got the latest on everything that's happening right now.
Good morning to you T.J.
CHETRY: Hey, T.J. T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, I'll try to live up to that guys and get to everything in the next couple of hours. You all enjoy the rest of your Monday.
