Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Eruption Gets Stronger: New Ash Threatens Plan to Open Skies; Toyota Recalls Lexus GX 460; Economic Air Disaster; Waiting for "The Big One"; Al Qaeda Leaders Killed; European Flights Resuming
Aired April 20, 2010 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you on this Tuesday, it's April 20th. Glad you're with us on this AMERICAN MORNING. I'm Kiran Chetry.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. I'm John Roberts. Thanks so much for joining us. Here are the big stories that we'll be telling you about coming up in the next 15 minutes.
As the volcanic eruption in Iceland is intensifying, a new ash cloud is forming this morning. Airlines are scrambling to get as many people out as they can while they still can. We're going to show you some new amazing pictures of the eruption and what it's going to mean for millions of people who are stranded right now.
CHETRY: Toyota announcing yet another recall due to the rollover risk that was found by "Consumer Reports" magazine. They are now recalling their luxury SUV, the Lexus GX 460, the 2010 model. The automaker, though, is still insisting the vehicle is safe. We're going to tell you what else Toyota is saying in a moment.
ROBERTS: Two of Al Qaeda's top leaders taken out. U.S. military officials confirm the men were killed during a joint Iraqi-U.S. raid north of Baghdad. We'll tell you what this sign of strength from a struggling Iraqi army might mean for U.S. troops in the region.
And, of course, the amFIX blog is up and running. Join the live conversation. It's ongoing right now. We'd like to hear from you about anything in the news, whatever is on your mind. Just go to CNN.com/amFIX. We'll be reading your comments throughout the morning.
CHETRY: First, though, the volcano eruption that has shut down air travel across the Atlantic is getting stronger this morning sending a new plume of ash 15,000 feet into the sky. Forecasters say that it's now spreading over the U.K. and that could complicate plans to resume to flights out of Europe on a larger scale this morning, especially in London.
Here's what we know right now. Europe's air traffic agency says less than a third of flights scheduled to take off yesterday actually got off the ground. Millions are still stranded on both sides of the Atlantic and thousands are living out of carry-on bags at airports all over the world right now sharing soap and living off of in-flight snacks, in some cases. The State Department says that 40,000 Americans are stuck in Great Britain alone.
Rob Marciano is here with the latest on where the clouds of ash are going now. But we are going to start with Sasha Herriman. She has an update for us and the situation at Heathrow Airport in London.
SASHA HERRIMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the latest information that we have is that because of the new ash cloud which is basically headed this way to U.K. shore, the situation is being described as variable. Now there are three main agencies that are keeping an eye on the unfolding situation. Those are the meteorological office, the Civil Aviation Authority and also the National Air Traffic Service. And they're monitoring the situation.
The latest information they've been giving out is that they're saying that parts of Scottish airspace will be open between 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Also, some English airports as well as airports like New Castle, some flights will be allowed.
The rest of U.K. airspace, though, is actually going to have severe restrictions. And now that's below 20,000 feet. Anything above 20,000 feet, and we're talking about transit flights here, that will actually be allowed between the hours of 1:00 and 7:00 p.m. local time.
Now another statement is usually given out around about 3:00 p.m. local time, so, of course, there could be changes later on in the day. That ash cloud is being scrutinized to see which direction it's headed.
Now London's main airports, as with Heathrow Airport behind me, those all remain closed. No activity at all. British Airways is saying that there are going to be no short-haul flights. They are hoping to have some long-haul flights later on. But as of this moment, nothing is actually happening.
Now the International Air Traffic Authority, they've been very, very critical of the flight ban that's been put in place. They're saying they're causing airline industry huge amounts of money, an estimated $200 million per day.
Sasha Herriman, CNN, Heathrow Airport, London.
CHETRY: Thanks. Sasha, thanks.
We want to know what you think about this. If you're one of the stranded passengers, would you be willing to fly taking that risk if you were stuck because of the volcano? Join the conversation. CNN.com/amFIX.
ROBERTS: So just as things start going, another plume of ash blows into the air some 15,000 feet high, threatening air traffic yet again. Let's get the latest on where the clouds are actually going. Rob Marciano is watching it all. He's at the weather center in Atlanta this morning.
Hi, Rob. ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, guys. A bit frustrating. Yesterday about this time, we got the latest advisory that said the volcano had all but ceased erupting at least for the time being. And sure enough it comes to bear that that was just temporary cessation.
Take a look at the map and show you where the ash is and where it's going. It has lowered somewhat because the eruptions have kind of been less volatile, the ash and debris isn't thrown up into the atmosphere quite as high so the bulk of the disruptive ash is between the surface and 20,000 feet. There you see it highlighted in red.
Notice that it gets -- now the latest advisory bring it all the way to a sliver of Maine. That is expected to be temporary and not very dense, but nonetheless it gives you an indication how widespread this event is. But the bulk of the action with this latest plume that developed last night is driving south towards the U.K., and that's why the latest advisory has halted some traffic and when we thought things were getting a little bit more optimistic.
So this is a kind of go play by play, minute by minute here. We're at the whim of Mother Nature and as long as this thing is erupting and as long as the winds will be blowing and they're going to do that no doubt about it. We're just going to have to take it hour by hour at this point, guys, and hopefully things will calm down at some point. But right now, we're about the same level we were about two days ago. We'll have another update in about 30 minutes. Back up to you.
ROBERTS: I like that. Rob, thanks so much.
The volcano's ash cloud is an economic disaster for the airlines, losing as much as $200 million a day. In less than 20 minutes' time, we're going to talk with aviation industry consultant Mike Boyd about how many more days of cancellations the industry can take.
CHETRY: Yes.
ROBERTS: And you know, with the advent flow of the volcano, who knows, this could go on for months.
CHETRY: They were hoping to restart. I mean, some places like in France, they were hoping to get 75 percent of the flights up in New York today. But this newest eruption could change that. So we'll be following as Rob said hour by hour.
Meanwhile, you can add another model, unfortunately, to the growing list of vehicles on Toyota's recall list.
ROBERTS: It's the 2010 Lexus GX 460. A high risk of rollovers in the luxury SUV when it's making tight turns because the back end slides out, as you can see in that video. Christine Romans here tracking the latest developments. So Toyota says despite the recall it still believes that this vehicle is safe.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Toyota says this is still a safe vehicle. But if you don't want to drive it, they will give you a loaner. They say if you are driving this car, reduce speeds in turns and press the brake very strongly when making a high- speed turn. About 9,400 vehicles that they are recalling. We first told you about this April 13th, when "Consumer Reports" said do not buy this car. Toyota has stopped temporarily making and selling this vehicle. It's about 34,000 vehicles worldwide including a Land Rover -- Land Cruiser Prado that's sold in the Middle East and Russia.
Here's the problem. The vehicle stability control software. The Toyota Lexus actually did their own engineering test of this and found that they can fix this vehicle stability control software. They say probably by the end of April it will take about an hour when you take the Lexus to your dealer and they can fix this. The problem is the vehicle stability control. This is where the accelerator and the brakes, they work together to make sure it doesn't lose control when you're doing a turn. "Consumer Reports" found that and said that this car was something that you should not buy.
CHETRY: They give it a "do not buy" rating and they found it accidentally.
ROMANS: Right.
CHETRY: They weren't even testing.
ROMANS: Very rare, this is something found by a magazine, not by the government and not by the company itself. Another interesting thing apart is only 9,400 vehicles which paled in comparison to the nine million that have been recalled by this company. Six hundred thousand Sienna minivans, Toyota's Sienna minivans were recalled last week because corrosion on the cable could cause a spare tire to fall onto the highway. This is a company that has again and again had safety concerns now for some time. 9,400 vehicles, not a lot in the whole grand scheme of things but it is another dent in the reputation of Toyota.
ROBERTS: But you see how quickly they acted this time. They didn't wait. The "Consumer Reports" magazine had barely come out.
ROMANS: And they stopped selling it immediately, yes.
ROBERTS: Christine Romans for us this morning.
ROMANS: Sure.
ROBERTS: Thanks so much.
Also new this morning, all eyes on Goldman Sachs. The financial giant will announce its first quarter earnings in the next hour. They're likely to be huge, about $4 billion, right?
Yes. Goldman is going to also hold a conference call to discuss charges that it ripped people off by selling investments that were essentially designed to fail. Goldman calls those charges unfounded.
CHETRY: A major blow to Al Qaeda. Joint U.S. and Iraqi military forces killing two of the terrorist group's senior leaders. The men were found dead after a missile strike north of Baghdad. The top U.S. commander in Iraq says it could be the biggest setback for Al Qaeda since the beginning of the insurgency. Coming up at 6:30, Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr on what this means for the drawdown of U.S. troops in Iraq.
ROBERTS: The Food and Drug Administration planning a major push to reduce our daily salt intake. Government regulators plan to work with health experts and the food industry toward establishing the first legal limits for sodium in processed foods. High levels of salt increase the risk of heart attack or stroke.
CHETRY: And is this the next iPhone? Tech blog "Gizmodo" says it is. The device -- the Web site saying the device was accidentally left in a bar near Apple's California headquarters by one of the company's software engineers after posting photos and video online. "Gizmodo" says it received a letter from Apple asking that the device be returned and the Web site complied. The gadget appears to have a video chat camera on the front, a larger camera on the back. Plus, something that a lot of us will be very happy about, a bigger battery.
ROBERTS: It looks fatter too, doesn't it?
CHETRY: Yes. Well, probably it's not nice and slim because they have to get that battery in there. It also looks like, if it is, that they have a flash this time with the camera.
ROBERTS: You know, you read stories that there was one found in Redwood City, another one that was found somewhere else.
CHETRY: Yes.
ROBERTS: I wonder.
CHETRY: Got to be --
ROBERTS: Is this --
CHETRY: Some marketing ploy?
ROBERTS: You have to wonder about that. The folks from Apple are pretty clever.
Still to come in the Most News in the Morning, airlines taking a huge hit because of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland.
CHETRY: Bless you.
ROBERTS: Thank you. We'll take a look at how much more they can take.
CHETRY: Also, forget about cancer concerns. Do people who use indoor tanners actually need 12-step programs? The possible connection between tanning and addiction next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ROBERTS: It's coming up now on 13 minutes after the hour. NASA hopes third time is the charm for the space shuttle Discovery. NASA scrubbed two landing attempts yesterday. The weather is looking good right now for the next landing opportunity just over an hour from now. 7:34 Eastern at the Kennedy Space Center is the plan. Discovery's seven astronauts are wrapping up a re-supply mission to the International Space Station.
CHETRY: President Obama was heckled during a Los Angeles fundraiser for Senator Barbara Boxer. Protesters shouted at the president asking what he was going to do about ending the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Here's a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: She's passionate about fighting for California's families --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
OBAMA: She is -- we are -- we are going to do that.
Hey, hold on a second. Hold on a second. We are going to do that.
AUDIENCE: Yes, we can. Yes, we can.
OBAMA: What the young man was talking about was we need to -- we need to -- we need to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which I agree with and which we have begun to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: There you go. The president in an off the cuff moment saying listen, we are working on that. He also called on Congress to change the policy that keeps gays and lesbians from serving openly. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Mike Mullen has also said that he would like to see the policy repealed.
ROBERTS: The Arizona State Senator has passed one of the most extensive immigration bills in the country. Should it become law, officers would be required to demand proof that a person is in the United States illegally. Critics say the bill, quote, "legalizes racial profiling." The state's governor is expected to sign that bill into law.
CHETRY: Well, it looks like hackers were able to penetrate Google's password system during a two-day Internet attack back in September, according to the "New York Times." The password system controls access to nearly all of Google's web services, business applications for millions of users. It doesn't look like the hackers stole g-mail user passwords, but Google is activating a new layer of encryption for the serviced anyway.
ROBERTS: And tanning may be as addictive as drinking. A new study days one in three college students who go to tanning salons may be hooked and can actually have symptoms of withdrawal if they don't get their UV high every week. Is it the ultraviolet rays? Is it something to do with vitamin D? Is it just the fact that they --
CHETRY: Like looking --
ROBERTS: Looking --
CHETRY: Nice and crispy.
ROBERTS: Yes.
CHETRY: I'm not sure, but the first nice day -- remember that 90-degree day that came early in March? There -- the lawn -- Sheep's Meadow here in Central Park was just littered with people, just laying down and trying to get their sun.
ROBERTS: Yes. Hang on. I'm getting a bulletin here. Hang on. I think the shuttle's been delayed again.
CHETRY: Yes. We -- we did hear that the shuttle is delayed. Unfortunately, this would be the third delay. It looks like they're going to have to land at Edwards now.
ROBERTS: Yes. Yes, it doesn't quite say what they -- what they're planning to do yet, but --
CHETRY: Mission Control, I'm just hearing right now as well. They decided to skip the first touchdown because of the rain.
And, yesterday, they had said that if they missed that window today, they were going to probably go ahead for a landing in California, which is a little bit more expensive, a little bit more -- you know, it takes a little bit more time, and just making --
ROBERTS: And they're going to fly the shuttle back for tonight (ph) --
CHETRY: Yes.
ROBERTS: -- the 747, which in and of itself is an incredible sight.
CHETRY: It is. We're talking about that yesterday, because this will be -- after this shuttle landing, there's only three more shuttle missions until they retire the program. And, I remember being really little and watching that 7 -- that 747 bringing in the shuttle once. An amazing sight.
ROBERTS: And after the shuttle missions are over, then it's, you know, stick out your thumb and hitch a ride with the -- the Russians --
CHETRY: With the Russians.
ROBERTS: -- Space Station (ph). Going my way?
All right. We'll keep you apprised in what's going on with the shuttle this morning.
CHETRY: Coming up on the Most News in the Morning, they're losing hundreds of millions of dollars a day. Airlines grounded by the Icelandic volcano, eager to start flying again.
We're going to find out what it means for the bottom line and whether or not they're -- they're going to go to the government and say, listen, we need money because of this.
Sixteen minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Nineteen minutes past the hour. Time for "Minding Your Business" this morning.
We're talking about this volcano thread. Just when it appeared that the spewing ash was starting to tamp down a little bit, starting to wane, yet another plume of engine-blocking ash headed to Europe's busiest travel hub in Britain.
ROBERTS: Airlines at both sides of the Atlantic are reeling from the massive flight disruptions.
Mike Boyd is an aviation industry consultant. He joins us now from Denver.
Mike, it's great to see you this morning. We've got some estimates that the airlines collectively, at least in Europe are losing about $200 million a day, but -- but you think that the effect goes -- goes beyond that and affects even domestic carriers here?
MIKE BOYD, CO-FOUNDER, BOYD GROUP INTERNATIONAL: Oh, sure. I mean, the U.S. carriers aren't hurt as badly, but, keep in mind, one out of four domestic enplanements (ph) in the United States is either directly or indirectly the result of international traffic, a lot of that from Europe, that those business travelers who were flying from Munich into the U.S., they don't stay in Atlanta, they make two or three other trips. We're losing that.
Now, what does it mean? It probably means Chattanooga is probably losing five or six passengers a day. But, when you add that up across the nation, it's probably 80,000 or 90,000 passengers we've lost.
Is it devastating? No, but it's an effect.
CHETRY: And you -- and uncertainty at this point also, not only a question of dollars there for the millions of passengers, those who were stranded or those whose travel plans have now changed. How long is it going to take to clear the backlog once all of these airports get the OK, that it's safe to fly again?
BOYD: Well, if Iceland stops blowing up, we're looking at probably airlines getting back maybe two or three days to operational levels, where they were before. But then, clearing up the backlog of all the people who were stuck, that will be a few more days.
Say, less than a week, but that means that there's no more disruption. It also means these airlines are not going to get back the revenues they lost during this disruption, and that could be lethal to some of these foreign carriers.
ROBERTS: You know, when we look at the shutdown here, there were some test flights that were conducted yesterday. They figured that some -- some of the air space at least was safe enough to fly in.
But there are -- there are criticisms and charges that -- that Europe overreacted in the -- in the initial shutdown, that they should have resumed flights much sooner than they did and that the airlines also didn't have any kind of a plan to cope with this. What about those aspects of this?
BOYD: Well, they're valid, and probably Europe did overreact. But, in this regard, there's no harm, no foul. If you overreact in -- in regard to safety, keeping an airplane on the ground, that's a safe airplane.
But airlines aren't going to fly willingly through ash if they think it's going to destroy the airplane and put it at risk. So they say, they think it's safe, I'd probably take their word for it. But if the E.U. has a higher standard, hey, nobody was killed and the airline industry is going to have to deal with that.
CHETRY: You know, and the thing that we've been talking about this morning is that when they thought perhaps this was clearing a little bit, the eruption started up again. And so, now we have -- we're sort of back at square one, in some aspect of this.
The airlines are scrambling at this point to try to get people out while they still can, and there are also fears about other volcanoes in the region, in fact, in neighboring volcano as well. How many more of these volcano weeks, I guess you could say, can airlines absorb before it means major, major problems?
BOYD: Well, it's an issue of, you know, it's ash versus cash. The more ash means the more cash goes out the door.
I mean, this -- for European carriers, some of them, say, like Ryanair, that flies within Europe, this is the same thing if in the U.S. the entire system would shut down for four or five days.
CHETRY: Right.
BOYD: You can't do that with an airline. Airlines live on cash, and this ash is killing the cash.
So we might see some very severe financial outcomes over the next two to three weeks if this keeps going on.
ROBERTS: Mike, you mentioned Ryanair, and its CEO, Michael O'Leary, said the other day, because, you know, there's a lot of talk from these passengers that, hey, we're stranded here. You've got to compensate us. You've got to put us up in hotels. He called that idea of compensation ludicrous.
So when it comes to something like this, which I guess a lot of the airlines are considering a weather event, what -- what's their duty to their passengers?
BOYD: Well, you know, it is a weather event. And somebody has to tell consumers, when you buy a ticket to get into a metal tube and fly across the sky, you have to bear some of the responsibility if weather shuts your airplane down in Omaha or ash clouds sticks you in, let's just say, Mastrack for, you know, two or three weeks.
It's not the airline's responsibility and airlines can't do anything about it. And when you do buy a ticket, there is a certain responsibility the consumer has to take.
It's unfortunate, but it's like you're driving your car down I-95 and it gets shutdown, what are you going to do? Sue the government? That's what happens with airlines.
ROBERTS: Well, it depends. If it's a Toyota you might be able to do something.
Mike Boyd, good to see you this morning. Thanks so much.
BOYD: Thank you.
CHETRY: And we want to know what you think about the whole situation. Would you be willing to take the risk and get on one of these planes if you were stuck because of the volcano? Join the conversation, cnn.com/amfix.
Also, coming up next on the Most News in the Morning, an "A.M. Original", Haiti, Chile, China. It seems as if earthquake activity has been on the rise, and now, when you take a look at the fault lines, many experts are asking, could California be next?
Twenty-five minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. Twenty- seven minutes past the hour right now. Time for an "A.M. Original", something you'll see only on AMERICAN MORNING.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is asking President Obama to declare Imperial County, California a major disaster. It is right across the border from Mexico and people there are suffering more than $90 million in damages in the Easter Sunday earthquake that rocked nearby Baja. (INAUDIBLE) it feels like the earth has been shaking a lot more than usual.
Ted Rowlands tells us that has even the most seasoned Californians concerned.
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Kiran, most of us living in California think about "The Big One". Right now, we are on top of the San Andreas Fault, and you can actually see the fault. Look at this rock over here. You see the curves? Those were formed by the two tectonic plates pushing up against each other for year, which creates what they call folding or faulting.
Seismologists say the San Andreas here is overdue to create a major earthquake, and, given the recent earthquakes around the world, a lot of Californians are worried that we may be next.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have three firefighters trapped, trying to (INAUDIBLE)...
ROWLANDS (voice-over): Members of the Los Angeles Fire Department's Urban Search and Rescue Team pull victims from a collapsed structure after an 8.0 earthquake.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're OK. We'll get you help in just a second.
ROWLANDS: This is just a drill, but since feeling the recent 7.2 quake in Mexico and seeing the devastation from other recent quakes, the 7.0 in Haiti, the 8.8 off the coast of Chile and the 6.9 in China, many Californians think the earth is rumbling more than normal.
And according to the numbers, they're right -- sort of. California and Baja, Mexico have had more than 80 earthquakes this year of 4.0 magnitude or higher, more than double the number in all of 2009.
But CalTech seismologist, Dr. Kate Hutton, points out all but a handful of those 80 were aftershocks from the Mexican quake. If you take that into account, she says, the numbers are about normal.
So what does that mean when it comes to determining whether "The Big One" is imminent?
DR. KATE HUTTON, SEISMOLOGIST: I can't say it's not going, you know, it's not going to happen, but it's -- I don't think it's any different than any other week or month.
ROWLANDS: The scientists may not think anything is brewing, but, online, the predictions are flying.
Luke Thomas, who has no formal scientific training, says he uses ground temperatures to predict earthquakes. He told us on his webcam from his home in Florida that he believes Southern California will be hit with a 5.7 quake or higher in the next few days.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you hoping for an earthquake so you're right?
LUKE THOMAS, EARTHQUAKE PREDICTOR: Well, sort of, but I hope it hits where nobody's living. ROWLANDS: Will nobody knows for certain when or where the big one will hit, seismologists do believe that drills like this one are a good idea because experts and laymen do agree on one thing, that, sooner or later, it is coming.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROWLANDS: And, again, John and Kiran, if there's a major quake in California, seismologists say this is a prime candidate. The San Andreas hasn't produced a major earthquake in hundreds of years. Of course, for all of us living here, we hope it holds off for a few hundred more -- John and Kiran.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Everybody does.
Ted Rowlands this morning -- Ted, thanks so much.
Crossing the half hour now and here's our top stories this Tuesday morning.
The Iceland eruption is getting stronger, another volcanic cloud on the horizon this morning threatening plans to open up the skies further over Europe. The State Department says 40,000 Americans -- 40,000 -- are stuck in the U.K. alone.
CHETRY: Also, another recall for Toyota. This time, it is the 2010 Lexus, GX 460. There's a high rollover risk in tight turns.
Toyota now is telling owners the SUV is safe if you just slow down. But they are offering loaners to anyone nervous about driving until they're ready to start the repairs which will be coming in the next couple of weeks.
ROBERTS: President Obama heads to West Virginia this weekend. The president will give the eulogy at a memorial service for 29 coal miners killed in an explosion earlier this month at the Upper Big Branch mine. It was the worst U.S. mining disaster in four decades. Since then, the president has called for more oversight in mines across the country.
CHETRY: And now to a developing story out of Iraq. Military officials say that two top al Qaeda leaders were killed after joint U.S. and Iraqi forces launched rockets on a safe house that was near Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit.
ROBERTS: Sunday's mission is being called a major setback to al Qaeda and major show of strength by Iraqi military forces.
Our Barbara Starr is live at the Pentagon with what it means for the future of our troops in Iraq.
Barbara, good morning to you. If Iraqi forces are showing such promise as many military leaders in the United States have said -- does that bode well for our getting out of Iraq?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, it certainly seems to. John and Kiran, good morning. It seems that this will help keep the U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq on schedule. Good news for those looking for a peaceful future for Iraq.
This mission killed two critical figures in the al Qaeda and insurgency movement in Iraq. One was Abu Masri, the other was a man named Omar al-Baghdadi. Now, that second man, you see him there on the left, he'd been rumored to be killed so many times in the past years, people were wondering if he even existed.
Vice President Joe Biden came out at the White House to talk specifically about what this says about the improvement in Iraqi security forces that led the mission.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This action demonstrates the improved security strength and capacity of Iraqi security forces. The Iraqis led this operation. And it was based on intelligence the Iraqi security forces themselves developed following their capture of a senior AQI leader last month. In short, the Iraqis have taken the lead in securing Iraq and its citizens by taking out both of these individuals.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: And that right there, the improvement in Iraqi security forces, U.S. commanders have said for years now, that improvement will be the way home for U.S. forces.
Both of these men found dead in a hole in a city near Tikrit, north of Baghdad. Once the mission was launched, they looked for them. They found them dead in a hole, and now, a lot of people looking forward to more improvements in the security picture in that country -- John, Kiran.
CHETRY: Yes, and they're calling it very significant as you said. But in the past when leaders have been taken out, other people have stepped in to take charge. So, why do they think it maybe different this time around?
STARR: Well, you know, that's a really good point. In fact, al-Masri stepped in and took charge several years ago when Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed. And that has been indeed the routine procedure, if you will. Once a leader is killed, somebody else comes up and they step in.
What U.S. and Iraqi officials say, this time, they will be something a bit different, that the insurgency has been so decimated by attacks over the years by Iraqi and U.S. forces that there simply may be nobody of real stature and capability to step in and take over and have these organizations function the way they did in the past -- John, Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. Hopefully, that will be the case. Barbara Starr for us this morning -- thanks.
ROBERTS: Coming up next on the Most News in the Morning, for multiplatinum to the Great White Way, from punk rock to Broadway. I sit down with Green Day as their musical opens tonight. Stay tuned for that.
Thirty-four and a half minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ROBERTS: Coming up now on 38 minutes after the hour.
The band Green Day has come a long way since their 1994 album, "Dookie" -- 9/11 changed their approach to music and they released back to back albums that defy their simple roots. They're more rock opera than punk rock. Now those two records, "American Idiot" and "21st Century Breakdown" had become a Broadway musical. The show is also called "American Idiot" and after a month of previews, it opens tonight.
In this "A.M. Original," I had the chance to talk with the band, the cast, and director about how it all came together.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ROBERTS (voice-over): From multiplatinum recording, to rehearsals, to the Great White Way, "American Idiot" brings to the stage Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong's anger and frustration in a post-9/11 world.
BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG, LEAD SINGER & GUITARIST, GREEN DAY: After 9/11, there was a sense there was an opportunity for us to sort of join the world a little bit more. And -- but I think what ended up happening, you know, for the next seven to eight years was that we ended up welcoming more alienated by just sort of the remarks and the things that -- the policy and going to war.
(MUSIC)
ROBERTS: That outrage was the underpinning for the "American Idiot" C.D. which has sold more than 13 million copies.
MICHAEL MAYER, TONY AWARD-WINNING DIRECTOR: And it's this thing --
ROBERTS: From the moment he heard it, Tony Award-winning director, Michael Mayer, wanted to take it to Broadway.
MAYER: It's about a response to the culture at large and it's about not wanting to be the American idiot who just sits in front of his or her television set accepting everything that comes in.
(MUSIC)
ROBERTS: The story focuses around Johnny, the so-called "Jesus of Suburbia," a small town guy (ph) with big time dreams who travels to the city only to find his soul torn between an evil drug dealer and the woman who loves him.
ARMSTRONG: It's someone that's seeking a new thrill, a new sense of adventure, and I think ends up feeling lost on the way, but somehow it sort of trying to find some sort of meaning through the journey.
(MUSIC)
ROBERTS: Tony Award-winning lead actor, John Gallagher, Jr. knows the music and the sentiment well. Down and out of work in the winter of 2004, his sister gave him the C.D. as a Christmas present.
JOHN GALLAGHER, JR., ACTOR, "AMERICAN IDIOT": I love the energy of it. I love the message of it. I love the desperation and the loneliness. And I just remember driving around and listening that record on repeat. And so, it always had a special place in my heart, all that music.
ROBERTS (on camera): It really spoke to you, didn't it?
GALLAGHER: Absolutely. Yes, totally.
(MUSIC)
ROBERTS: People have called this the "Hair" of the post-punk generation.
MAYER: I'll take that.
ROBERTS: Yes?
MAYER: I'll take that.
(LAUGHTER)
MAYER: I love "Hair." What was great about "Hair" to me was that it was -- like "American Idiot," a direct response to where the country was at. And it felt like at the time, it was the voice of a whole generation of Americans.
ARMSTRONG: This song is a big (EXPLETIVE DELETED) to all the politicians.
ROBERTS (voice-over): If Green Day is the voice of a new generation of Americans, it is a brash, aggressive and uncompromising one. It has also been misunderstood.
(MUSIC)
ROBERTS: They may be critical of the policies that took the nation to war in Iraq, but they insist they are not anti-American or anti-military. In fact, drummer Tre Cool is immensely proud of his father who flew helicopters in the Vietnam War.
TRE COOL, DRUMMER, GREEN DAY: I consider myself a proud American. You know, my dad is a veteran of, you know, the Army, and, you know, for us to travel around the world and to be viewed as idiots and (DELETED EXPLETIVE) because we're Americans, kind of bummed us out.
MAYER: To me, "American Idiot" is one of the most pro-American albums I've ever heard because it's all about how can we be a better country and a better population. And that -- what can be more American than wanting to be the best.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: And I got to see the show in its, I think, second or third night of previews. And you know, it always a little rough around the edges because they'd just taken it from rehearsal to the stage. But I'll tell you, there's no intermission. So, it's just 90 minutes of sheer pa-pa-pap --
CHETRY: It's high energy.
ROBERTS: Yes, the audience gets as tired as the casts and crew do.
And I met a couple of guys, made friends with the guitar player in the band who's really a terrific guy. And just everybody just puts it all out as much as they can. And at the end of the night, everybody is just exhausted.
CHETRY: I'm excited to see it. That's great. Kids are jumping on the bed to know -- do you know the enemy? I mean, you know, that music really just -- I mean, people love it.
ROBERTS: It's interesting to think that, you know, here's a punk rock band --
CHETRY: Right.
ROBERTS: -- that just achieved such mainstream and massive appeal.
CHETRY: And now, they're on the Great White Way. That's pretty neat.
ROBERTS: It's a great show. Well worth seeing.
CHETRY: Absolutely.
All right. Well, it's 42 minutes past the hour. Rob is going to be around with the travel forecast. He also has an update for us on the Iceland volcano and the ash situation.
ROBERTS: And in 10 minutes' time, it's a name that doesn't easily roll off the tongue, Eyjafjallajoekull.
CHETRY: That's why I said the Icelandic volcano.
ROBERTS: Jeanne Moos with a look at how people in the media are avoiding saying the name of that volcano in Iceland.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Good morning, New York. A beautiful shot this morning at the Hudson River, taking a look at -- just pretty good (ph) is going to be today. It's supposed to be a high as 67 and sunny a little bit later. Welcome that right now. It's 46 degrees. Temperature will be going up throughout the day.
ROBERTS: It's always a good thing. Let's get a quick check of this morning's weather headlines. Rob Marciano in the Weather Center for us. Good morning, Rob.
MARCIANO: Good morning, guys. Trying to get the Shuttle down again for a second day at row. It looks like the weather is becoming an issue. So, across Florida, not as much rain as we saw yesterday, but some low clouds and some fog along the landing facility has prompted them to stay.
You know, we'll get a try this at Edwards later in the morning but just a little shower just off shore but nothing too terrible but just enough. And they were landing a pretty expensive aircraft. It's coming in pretty fast, and it's coming in from a pretty high place. So, they want to make sure things are right. That's for sure.
All right. A little disturbance roll in across parts of the southeast from Nashville back to Atlanta. It's just some light rain, a little bit disturbance that will be going across the Tennessee valley and into the Appalachians, but no severe weather expected with this particular system. Kind of chilly across the northeast this morning. Temperatures in the 30s and 40s in some of the outlying areas away from the cities. We got some frost and freeze advisories out, so kind of a chilly start in a few days, but sunshine will warm things up just a little bit. Almost getting to 70 in New York, 69 for the high temperature there.
It will be 66 degrees in Boston, 66 as well in Chicago, and 68 degrees in Atlanta. An update on the ash situation. As we mentioned earlier in the program, this when we settled things down yesterday, another plume and eruption yesterday late afternoon and through the evening and that sent a plume of ash to about 10,000 or 15,000 feet. So, the main concern now is the surface to about 20,000 feet and goes all the way from extreme northeast back to England and then back through parts of Eastern Europe.
All air space, by the way, guys, above that level, above 20,000 feet is open but getting through that area obviously is a problem. So, flights that I guess traveling from say here to Tokyo will have no problem. That air space at the higher levels are open but that doesn't help people who were stranded in Europe. Back to you, guys.
CHETRY: Yes, you're right or the Europeans stranded here like our Richard Quest. He's going to be joining us a little later. We call a quest is grounded day two.
You know, we have a lot of comments coming into our live blog this morning from number of different topics, but we had been asking specifically about whether or not you think you would take that chance to try to get back home if you were stranded because of this ash. David Franklin writes, the airlines want to start flying again. The regulators are cautious. Here in the U.S., we've seen a number of examples were commercial interests have trumped safety when the airlines, itself, are in charge. That's one point of view this morning.
ROBERTS: Another one comes into us this morning from David K. He says, why is the U.S. government not doing anything to help us out, stranded citizens, like myself and my friends. The U.S. embassy here in London advises us to call home for money and call the airlines for update since five British pounds will buy me a cup of coffee. We're in serious need of help here yet nothing. Do we need to have a tsunami or earthquake for this to get the attention of public officials? If I was a U.S. senator, he's saying, stranded, I'm sure there would be an immediate response. John, please help. I love to help but short of flying over there to pick you up. I don't know what I can do.
CHETRY: You know, you can command, perhaps, one of these beautiful boats like here in the Hudson that had over there, the royal navy is getting people -- over there crossing the channel and bringing back some of the their citizens.
ROBERTS: Yes, particular British military who have been stranded over in Europe. And you know what's ironic, though, is that it probably would have been faster to jump on a ship.
CHETRY: Yes and some people are actually taking that choice now, deciding to try to book on these cruise ships instead. Not used of being cruising with some of the older folks but are having fun.
ROBERTS: CNN.com/AMFix, that's where you can go to leave your comments.
This morning's top stories just minutes away now including the great wait continues. Seven million travelers already stuck. Another volcanic cloud on the way. Will there be any relief today? We're watching the skies.
CHETRY: At 25 minutes after, teens addicted to texting, it's now the primary form of communication for most kids, more than cell phone calls, instant messaging, and social networking and face to face talking, that's so last century. So, what is constant texting doing to the minds of our young people? Do their need to be strict their limits from parents? We're going to be talking more about that coming up at the top of the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Time now for the Moos News in the Morning. Travelers across the globe are not the only ones being inconvenienced by that volcano. That volcano, but the name of this long is not a nice one (ph).
CHETRY: That's right. It's certainly inconvenienced reporters and anchors who fell themselves tongue- tied trying to pronounce the darn thing, the 16-letter name. Here's Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): While it spewed ashes, newscasters spewed a molten lava of syllables.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eyjafjallajokull.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Eyjafjallajokable.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's eyafjapbloyerkel.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eyjavolek.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's it?
MOOS: It's a name so unpronounceable we can't even tell when someone says it right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I'm not going to get this name right. But it's efyarkul--
MOOS: Most of us are so terrified of its 16 letters -- we avoid any mention of the name.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The volcano.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That volcano.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: From that volcano whose name nobody can pronounce.
MOOS: "Saturday Night Live" caught on to the way the press is suffering from volcanic naming avoidance syndrome.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: By huge clouds of ash shot into air by Iceland's. I hope I'm saying this right -- volcano.
MOOS: The real networks are trotting out Icelandic interpreters.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The pronunciation is Eyjafjallajokull.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. Now, I get it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The glacier is called Eyjafjallajokull. Am I pronouncing that correctly?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nearly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nearly. How do I pronounce -- UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, geez, it looks like we have lost al.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See, that's what happens when you try to pronounce the name of that volcano. He might have said something dirty.
MOOS: Even showing folks the name doesn't necessarily help.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eja --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shawlyjai --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lajokull. I don't know.
MOOS: Altogether now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God!
MOOS: Time to go up to Iceland to get schooled by the natives.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eyja means island. Fjalla means mountain and jokull means glacier.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: An easy name to say, Eyjafjallajokull.
MOOS: Yes, but what English words trip them up?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pneumonia. How do you spell it? P-N, sonomia.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the same as tired, being weary (ph) or something. I cannot say it. I've been practicing for 60 years.
MOOS: Then we have 60 years to learn this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's pronounced similar to yo, I forget the light yogurt.
MOOS: The light yogurt part.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The light yogurt, I had it close.
MOOS: The U.S. military has figured out a way around pronouncing it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Operation e-15. E for the first letter of the volcano, 15 for the 15 letters following that.
MOOS: And so has this lady.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So we're just going to call it Bob.
MOOS: If you can't say it, make like this opera singer and sing it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eyjafjallajokull MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What?
MOOS: New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Do you want to take a swing?
CHETRY: Eyjafjallajokull. Better? I mean, that helped. Sing that pronounce -- I mean there are certain words, I mean, my family that's from Nepal, they cannot say film, they call it flim. And they say that all for years and years and years. It's just some words that just don't roll off the tongue.
ROBERTS: And that's what they have in common with rest of ferians (ph) in Jamaica who say flim as well.
CHETRY: There you go. Well, your top stories coming up after the break. We'll be right back in two minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
