Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Times Square Bomb Suspect in Court; Tea Party Claims Victory; Canned Food Concern; Air Based Attack; Primary Night Jolt; Attack On Bagram Air Base; Thai Army Retakes Bangkok

Aired May 19, 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: And good Wednesday morning to you. It is May 19th. Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING. Glad you're with us. I'm Kiran Chetry.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, the day after Super Tuesday -- if you want to call it that. I'm Jim Acosta, in for John Roberts.

Here are the big stories we'll be telling you about in the next 15 minutes, plenty of politics.

But, first, another bloody attack in Afghanistan, one day after a car bomber killed six soldiers. Suspected Taliban insurgents storming the Bagram Air Base in a pre-dawn raid. A live report from Kabul in a moment.

A tea party win, a veteran senator out, another fighting for her political life this morning. It was a big election night, crucial primaries in three states setting up a potential bloodbath for incumbents come November. We'll break down all of the results for you.

And a bloody crackdown on anti-government protesters in Bangkok, Thailand. Armed soldiers moved in, shots were fired, three people were killed. The army says it's back in control, but rioters set fire to banks, a mall and the city's stock exchange. We are on the ground with the latest.

And the amFIX blog is up and running. Join the live conversation right now. Perhaps you want to weigh in on what happened last night, lots of politics to talk about. Just go to CNN.com/amFIX -- Kiran.

CHETRY: Yes. And we're breaking down today exactly what the outcome will be and what the effect of is what happened last night at the polls. And the message seemed to be anti-establishment and anti- incumbent in Washington, major jolt to the political system in last night's primary.

In fact, in Pennsylvania, a 30-year veteran of the Senate will not be returning. Arlen specter, who is seeking his sixth term but his first as a Democrat, lost to Congressman Joe Sestak. Sestak was able to cash in on the Specter switch from Republican to Democrat last year.

Then we take a look at the Kentucky raise where a political newcomer Rand Paul, Congressman Ron Paul's son and ophthalmologist won. He rode the tea party sentiment to victory over the Secretary of State Trey Grayson.

Then let's take a look at Arkansas, another incumbent on the ropes. This was Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter forcing Senator Blanche Lincoln into a June runoff election, meaning, she needed to get 50 percent of the vote to continue on and she did not.

The best political team is here to talk about the implications of all of this. We have CNN contributor John Avlon and senior political analyst Ed Rollins with us this morning. Also in Washington, Democratic strategist Kiki McLean.

Welcome to all of you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning.

CHETRY: I just like to start off by getting your thoughts, because there was a lot of attention put on the Rand Paul race in Kentucky. And so, I want your thoughts on exactly what the implication of this is. I mean, he still has a battle to go. He still has to win, you know, the general.

ED ROLLINS, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Kentucky is a pretty good state for us. I think he will win the general. I think he's got a tremendous grassroots organization that no one else has ever had in Kentucky, including Mitch McConnell, the majority leader.

And I think he's going to be a very viable candidate in the fall. I think the reality is that people should not just pigeonhole him off as a tea party candidate as lone.

JOHN AVLON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, but he -- I mean, he wrapped himself off in the tea party mantle last night. He did ride a larger wave. It's a very profound wave. I mean, there's a lot of grassroots support.

But the Democratic nominee who won last night, Jack Conway, the state's attorney general, formidable candidate, Tim Kaine showing of Democrats hand last night, immediately firing off a press release after Paul won, saying that -- calling him, quote, "an extremist."

So, this is going to be contentious. It's clearly a Republican- leaning state. You know, Paul is in great position. But it's not a done deal until --

(CROSSTALK)

CHETRY: Kiki, does that give the Democrats in the state pause that it's Rand Paul who's up until now has really been a darling?

KIKI MCLEAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, in Kentucky, it will be a fight, but we're in the fight. I think what's really interesting out of this is the fight that it shows for leadership of the party. And it's not necessarily that one movement over the other. But you look up -- and Mr. McConnell, the leaders of the Republicans in the Senate got blown out of the water with his candidate. And what happened? Senator DeMint from South Carolina, who is riding on that tea party wave, came in to a state he doesn't belong in, endorsed Rand Paul and he's been doing it in other states. This really goes to the concept that there is no leadership in the Republican Party -- who's in charge. But right now, it's up for grabs.

CHETRY: Kiki, I want to ask you about that, though, because shortly after that, Mitch McConnell did shot off an e-mail -- we all got it -- saying that he has -- that Rand Paul has his support.

MCLEAN: Sure.

CHETRY: And this is the candidate he's chosen. But look, the same thing happened -- and you had President Obama putting in robocalls for Arlen Specter up until the last minute.

MCLEAN: Sure.

CHETRY: And that didn't work either. So, does it say that about the Democrats as well that you know, President Obama and others who supported Arlen Specter were not able to bring home a win last night either?

MCLEAN: I think what's been interesting among all of the races is I don't think there is a trend here. They're all very different, right? What is the flavor of the outsider? Is it an incumbent office-holder? You know, Bill Halter is the lieutenant governor. It's not like he's unknown to holding office in the Arkansas race.

When you look at what happened between Admiral Sestak and Arlen Specter, you had somebody who'd been a Republican for 30 years.

CHETRY: Right.

MCLEAN: It's not like he came to the primary --

CHETRY: Right.

(CROSSTALK)

MCLEAN: Each of these is very different. And what that tells me is nobody should count on anything, except -- you know, I've had this joke all spring that the most dangerous place for a Republican to be is in a primary. And now, I'd say the most dangerous place for a Republican to be will be in their own caucus leadership meeting in November.

CHETRY: Well, I want to Ed about that.

(CROSSTALK)

ROLLINS: Jim Bunning, the senator who holds the seat basically endorsed -- a lot of very significant Republicans came in and endorsed. I mean, he was not McConnell's candidate but there are a lot of other Republicans. So, don't try to make him a fringe candidate.

I think at the end of the day, he wears the mantle of the tea party label gladly. I think at the end of the day here, it's still a very anti-incumbent, very anti-Obama. I think one of the weaknesses of yesterday was the Obama -- the White House operation was totally ineffective.

CHETRY: And I want to ask you, though, John, because you talk a lot about centrists and about moderates. But it doesn't seem that there's a place at the table at least in terms of winning primaries for people with moderate or say I'm willing to concede to the other side on some issues.

AVLON: Well, look, the center is under attack. We've seen all year, we've seen this rash of rhino and dino hunting. That continued last night. It was one of the dynamics. And these close partisan primaries are going to be the worse possible place for centrist running in this environment.

That said, I do think there was a consistent message voter were sending last night. It was summed up by Joe Sestak who said this is a win for the people over the establishment. I think that theme, an anti-incumbent, anti-establishment move was consistent throughout all of the races we saw last night.

CHETRY: And that's why --

MCLEAN: You know, I want to raise one thing. You know, I come from the centrist Democratic movement, the Democratic Leadership Council. It's where I used to work. It's where I sort of earn my chops.

But what we're not talking about is the only actual election that took place last night, that was a special election in Pennsylvania where Democrat Congressman Murtha's seat was actually retained by his former chief of staff, a moderate conservative Democrat held that seat. So, the win last night, the first one that goes up on the board in the season is really to Democrats.

CHETRY: You know, and, Kiki, I don't disagree with you but that was a Democrat -- a conservative Democratic district in general.

MCLEAN: Sure, it is. Sure, it is.

CHETRY: That was a very unique situation. But I want to ask Ed about this as well though. And you look at Blanche Lincoln. And Kiki is talking about people that are in the middle and Blanche Lincoln got attacked from both sides. I mean, both from the left and the right.

ROLLINS: I will make a prediction that she will not be the nominee in three weeks time.

CHETRY: Because she's too moderate?

ROLLINS: Well, I think the bottom line is that usually what happens when you don't win it the first round, you're the incumbent, you suffer I am measurably. AVLON: But she's won a runoff before. That's actually we got this season first place nomination, (INAUDIBLE) about incumbency.

But remember, she was attacked from both the left and Move On crowd supporting the lieutenant governor, but also from the right. That's why neither candidate was able to get 50 percent. There was a conservative Democrat running.

That's more likely to come her way. One point about the Pennsylvania -- the Johnstown race, very significant -- this is a conservative Democrat seat and its registration advantage to Democrats. Yes, it went for Kerry then McCain, which really shows they need character. But while Democrats should be very happy about they did paint a win up on the board on this one, it was on Democrat registration advantage for them.

CHETRY: All right. Well, I want to thank all of you for your input this morning.

Kiki McLean, Ed Rollins and John Avlon -- thanks so much.

Coming up in half an hour, we're actually going to be talking to Dr. Rand Paul himself. He's going to join us, hero of the tea party. The winner of last night's Republican primary in Kentucky.

But if he does make it all the way to Washington, how does he turn rhetoric into action?

We're going to speak to him about that, coming up -- Jim.

ACOSTA: Kiran, turning now to the bold attack in the early morning hours on America's largest military base in Afghanistan, the Bagram Air Base, just north of Kabul, coming under fire about 10 hours ago. We're told seven of the suspected Taliban insurgents have been killed.

Atia Abawi is live in Kabul this morning.

And, Atia, has the fighting subsided at this point?

ATIA ABAWI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It has, Jim. It lasted around three hours.

I got a call at 5:30 in the morning from the Taliban spokesperson to tell me that 20 gunmen wearing suicide vests were able to make it to Bagram Air Field, four of them detonating their vests at one of the entrances to clear the path for another gunman to get into the base. That's where a fire fight ensued. Many of the soldiers in the base went into their bunkers for at least 90 minutes.

And a NATO spokesperson actually said that it did last three hours. They were able to kill seven insurgents, the others may be in the hospital or maybe detained. Five NATO forces injured as well. This comes a day after another brazen attack here in the capital of Kabul, where 18 people died, including five U.S. service members -- Jim.

ACOSTA: It's pretty incredible how you hard about today's attack. ABAWI: It is. It is, but it goes to show you how progressive the Taliban are. The Taliban have been able to make their way into the heart of the capital here in Kabul, one of the largest U.S. bases today at Bagram. And they're reaching out to the media. They are trying to fight this media war when it comes to the Afghan people and when it comes to the western community.

The Taliban spokesperson actually said when he woke me up, he said, "I'm sorry to wake you, but it's very important that CNN and other media outlets know what we're doing."

And I got to also point out, Jim -- in the past, the Taliban had exaggerated on their numbers, exaggerated on their attacks. But the last few days, they've been spot on. They've had informants that have been able to look at the attack here in Kabul, tell us how many U.S. vehicles they were able to target. And they didn't lie today either when they said 20 insurgents were able to make it on to base.

Actually, NATO says that it could have been a couple dozen, even more than the 20 that the spokesperson said -- Jim.

ACOSTA: Thanks for pointing that out. Atia Abawi live in Afghanistan for us this morning -- thanks, Atia.

CHETRY: Meanwhile, at 10 minutes past the hour, some extreme weather to talk about this morning. We're going to get a quick check on the weather headlines with Jacqui Jeras in the extreme weather center. We're going to be showing some video later of those softball-sized hail falling in parts of Oklahoma.

It was a rough day yesterday and it looks like it's going to continue.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it really is, unfortunately. We're starting out very stormy, especially across northern parts of the state, where storms are ripping to the east and producing winds around 70 miles per hour. A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect just north of Oklahoma City.

And you can see that line, that big red thing that kind of bows out. That's indicative of those very strong winds within the system. Now, that whole complex of thunderstorms is going to be spreading eastward. And this is bad news for folks across the middle of Mississippi River Valley who are already drenched with very moist soil.

So, we're concerned about flooding in the northeast, we're still dealing with a remnant low there, bringing in just kind of some lousy, dreary conditions throughout the day there for today. Big-time severe weather again this afternoon and evening in Oklahoma. We'll talk more about that coming up with your forecast.

CHETRY: All right, Jacqui, lousy and dreary. That's a pretty good words to describe what we're dealing with today, weather-wise. Thanks so much.

JERAS: There you go.

CHETRY: But not politically, we have a lot going on today.

ACOSTA: No.

CHETRY: Super-charged last night for Super Tuesday.

ACOSTA: Absolutely.

CHETRY: And we're going to talk a little bit more about what the implications of last night's voting will be.

Meanwhile, we're following the latest in Thailand. The government cracks down on protesters in Thailand. A live report -- next.

ACOSTA: And more than two weeks after his arrest in the botched Times Square bomb plot, Faisal Shahzad finally appears in court. We'll tell you what happened -- just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Well, it's 14 minutes past the hour.

Military in Thailand says it is back in control of Bangkok. But that was not the case a few hours before. The city sky line covered in black smoke, rioters set fire to banks, to a mall and to the city's stock change.

ACOSTA: The government has declared an overnight curfew and that's after today's bloody military crackdown on anti-government protesters killed three people.

For more on that, our Sara Sidner is live in the Thai capital.

And, Sara, this curfew, is that just Bangkok or has the violence spread outside of the city?

SARA SIDNER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: At this point in time, we understand that this is Bangkok that is right now, they are being told that there is going to be a curfew put in place starting at 8:00 p.m. and going all the way until 6:00 a.m. tomorrow morning.

Now, here's what's happening right now -- instead of this thing completely dispersing and people going home and moving away from the protest area, what's happening at some of the protesters, small groups of them, have broken off and started rioting in other parts of the city, setting buildings on fire. You just note, one of malls was set on fire, a bank building earlier had been set on fire. And we understand a television station has been set on fire.

So now you're seeing little problems throughout the city, and now the government is going to have to try and figure out how to get things under control yet again.

ACOSTA: OK, our Sara Sidner live in Bangkok for us this morning. Sara, thanks.

And coming up next on the Most News in the Morning, when will the stock - stock market sell-off end? Christine Romans will be in next, "Minding Our Business". We hope it's soon.

Coming up in just a few minutes. Be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Well, it is 19 minutes past the hour right now. That means it's time for "Minding Your Business". We have Christine Romans with us this morning.

We've been talking about this up and down ride on Wall Street for some time, and you're just marking how many - how far we've fallen since the high of - what was it, April 29th?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It's been - it's been tough and it's been volatile and a lot of people who I really trust are telling me they expect it to be tough and volatile, you know, maybe even for the rest of the year.

Let's look at what the Dow was in. Yesterday was another tough day, down 115 points. We're down 6 percent from that - from that 18-month high, as Kiran pointed out, back in April. And now, we're back below after yesterday's loss at 10,510, the Dow is now back below where it was before.

Remember that flash crash? The unexplained thousand-point move?

ACOSTA: The fat finger? That may not have been a fat finger?

ROMANS: Right. Exactly.

CHETRY: Did they get to the bottom of it?

ROMANS: It looks like a big future - just exactly what - what people were saying at the time. It looks like a big futures trade triggered some unusual activity and some individual stock.

ACOSTA: And all the computers took over.

ROMANS: All the computers took over and it got all crazy.

So - so look, the Dow is now back below that flash crash level of a week ago, Thursday, and this morning we're looking at futures down again. So if you are agonizing and biting your nails over this, please don't, because this is - this is the way it's going to be working -

ACOSTA: And it could be the time to get in, for some folks.

ROMANS: Maybe. And - and some people are saying, like, if you have a lot of cash in the sidelines, they've been edging back in. But it's been -

ACOSTA: Write that down.

ROMANS: We've got - Yes. We've got futures down this morning and that's because it's been a - a tough go for the euro. This is all coming out of Europe again this morning.

It's been a real bad year for the euro. The euro's at a four-year low yesterday and -

ACOSTA: Let's go to Europe.

ROMANS: Yes. If - if you're traveling to Europe, you're going to get more for your money, maybe 15 percent more for your money than you would have just at the beginning of the year. But if you are, say, an American exporter, it's not so good for you. And if you're worried about what Europe means for the global economy because it is bigger than the United States in terms of the market, you're - that's not good either.

The news today that I wanted to tell you about, naked short selling. You love that title (ph)?

ACOSTA: Sounds hot.

ROMANS: Yes, it's - it's not really as hot as it sounds.

This is when speculators buy insurance against government debt failing, but they have no interest in the government debt at all.

ACOSTA: Right.

ROMANS: It's just raw speculation.

ACOSTA: Buying this insurance in case your investment tanks.

ROMANS: But you don't have the investment in the first place.

CHETRY: Right. So they're banning it in Germany.

ROMANS: They're banning it in Germany, and the German finance minister came out, banning it against all of these European - European debts, and then the big banks who operate there. And it was meant to say, look, we're not going to allow the speculators to take Europe's bad situation and make it worse, except now everyone's saying this shows just a real lack of confidence and now it's feeding on itself.

ACOSTA: At some point I think the folks at Parker Brothers need to get involved and create a board game.

ROMANS: Called "Naked Short Selling"?

ACOSTA: Called "Naked Short Selling and Other Shenanigans on Wall Street".

ROMANS: When I first started covering markets in the first, you know, like sort of stuffy, trader-type looked at me and said naked short selling with a straight face, I just giggled. I mean, it sounds so weird, but it's something that speculators have been accused of manipulating situations with, naked short selling.

But just basically speculating - ACOSTA: And the regulators are starting to catch on to this, not only here in the United States. Lawmakers over in Europe.

CHETRY: Starting to catch on. That's makes me laugh. I mean, they're just starting to catch on.

ACOSTA: But better late - better late than never, and it sounds like the Germans are going to say, you know what? We're going to device a scheme where some of this stuff isn't going to go on anymore.

ROMANS: Yes. So the Germans are really putting their foot down on this.

There's also an interesting chicken and egg conversation happening this morning. Which came first, the speculators pushing on Europe and exposing their - and worsening their debt crisis, or the debt crisis and market participants finding that look, there's ballooning debt. I mean, you - these are debts that cannot be sustained, and the speculators making money on it.

CHETRY: Maybe a little bit of both.

ROMANS: Maybe a lot of both. Yes.

CHETRY: We had a chicken and egg discussion this morning too.

ACOSTA: We did.

CHETRY: He ordered eggs and I got chicken parm.

ROMANS: There you go.

ACOSTA: And there was - there was no naked short selling going on at all.

CHETRY: Not at all.

ROMANS: Nothing naked with your chicken and egg.

CHETRY: Everybody was short selling fully clothed.

Christine, thank you.

ACOSTA: Thank you, Christine.

CHETRY: Well, it's 22 minutes past the hour. We're going to take a quick break.

When we come back, we're going to head to the Gulf Coast where experts are now working to save birds that have been threatened and harmed by the oil spill.

And also, is there any accountability going on? There were some tough questions asked yesterday in the Senate about just how we're going to make sure an oil spill like this doesn't happen again.

Twenty-three minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.

You know, BP is releasing new pictures of the oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico. There it is, what used to be the Deepwater Horizon, not seep trouble for the environment, plumes of oil and gas pouring from the damaged well.

BP claims their latest fix captures about 2/5 of the oil. That's prompted federal authorities to expand the federal fishing ban, and it now covers more than 47,000 square miles.

Yesterday, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar came under fire for not doing a better job regulating the industry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I), VERMONT: I'm running out of time, but can you give me an answer to the question? Is it worth the risk? Is three cents a gallon in the year 2030 worth the potential risk of another disaster like this?

KEN SALAZAR, INTERIOR SECRETARY: The reality of it is that we will be depending on oil and gas as we transition to a new energy future. You are not going to turn off the lights of this country or the economy by shutting it all down.

SANDERS: No one is talking about shutting it all down. We're talking about reinstating the moratorium that had been going on, existing for many, many years.

SALAZAR: You know, I think -

SANDERS: New drilling.

SALAZAR: Senator Sanders, I don't mean to be argumentative with you, but I think what we need to do, as the president has - has done and as we have done, is we hit the pause button.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Interior Secretary tangling with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders there.

We're also seeing images of the threat this oil spill poses to wildlife. Birds covered in crude in a story you will only see on AMERICAN MORNING.

Our Rob Marciano sees first hand the efforts to cleanse and release these animals.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAY HOLCOMB, DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL BIRD RESCUE RESEARCH CENTER: And they have their own pool to swim in. And these are two pelicans that were cleaned.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rescue facilities like this one are taking in oiled birds and other marine animals along the Gulf of Mexico.

HOLCOMB: They've actually plunged into the oil, probably because fish was below the oil. And so they're 100 percent covered, which means they're dripping with oil, so quite a few of them didn't like that.

And these birds using the surface of the water and they get it on their feathers. It doesn't take much to impact them.

MARCIANO (on camera): Of course, ingesting oil is not good for the birds, but when they get oil on their feathers, they lose the ability to shield water and often they can die of hypothermia.

MARCIANO (voice-over): This royal tern one was rescued last week in Mississippi and taken to the bird rescue facility in Alabama.

JULIE SKOGLUND, THEODORE, ALABAMA BIRD RESCUE CENTER: He was pretty thoroughly oiled and he's responded really well to treatment.

MARCIANO: Wildlife officials says since the Deepwater Horizon explosion a month ago, 35 birds have been found covered in oil. Twelve have been rescued and cleaned, four released back into the wild. So far, 23 birds have died from the spill.

JON ANDREW, U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE: And I am surprised but - that there haven't been more birds that have come in because there's a significant number nesting, concentrated near the coast and so there are a lot of birds that are at risk now.

MARCIANO: But the oil doesn't need to be right where they nest.

MAURA WOOD, NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION: We've seen nesting birds that are on a pristine, beautiful barrier island, but we know that those birds also depend on the larger body of water which is full of oil and at this point is sort of a toxic soup.

MARCIANO: With the slick spreading, one of the biggest challenges is finding a safe spot to release rehabbed birds, like this pelican that was released in Florida.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here you go.

MARCIANO: And now ocean currents could bring oil to South Florida, where other protected wildlife resides.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARCIANO: As for other marine animals like dolphins, they found 12 of those dead on shore, but that's nothing unusual, no signs of oil there.

But turtles - turtles, 156 turtles have been found dead on beaches. That number is high, especially in - in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama where most of those turtles have been found. The average for the month of May is around 47, so about three times as many turtles found.

But no oil found on those turtles. They are doing more tissue test right now, which takes a while, to see if they at all ingested oil there.

Most of those turtles were Kemp's ridley, a very - a rare breed and they were juveniles, so the turtles certainly seem to be raising a red flag and the birds are going to have an ongoing issue going forward.

ACOSTA: Wow. And - and Rob, yesterday we saw that video of those tar balls that washed up in Key West and raised a lot of questions as to whether or not the oil in the gulf has reached that loop current, if it's starting to make its way towards Florida. Anything new on that?

MARCIANO: Well, it looks like the lower part of at least the sheen is tapping into that loop current. And they are sending a hurricane hunter aircraft every day out to track that current because it does migrate on a daily basis. But it looks like some of that oil getting that current, it's a fast-moving current, kind of a fast pace as you would walk.

So, there is legitimate fear now that at least some of that oil will be heading towards the Florida Keys. The timing of that would be maybe Key West Sunday and Monday and then into the Middle Keys and Florida Straits by the middle or end of next week.

The bright side of that or the silver lining was that by the time it gets there, it will be rather withered, a lot of toxic fumes will have evaporated and it won't be nearly as bad. But any sort of oil, whether it's a day old or a month old, Jim and Kiran, is definitely not good.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: Right.

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: It is. And it's sad when you see the animals struggling like that and also so many of the people in Key West are very, very worried. I mean, all the keys.

ACOSTA: For good reason.

CHETRY: That's their livelihood. Yes, absolutely.

All right. Rob Marciano for us -- great look this morning of a very, very sad situation. Thanks.

Well, it's half past the hour right now. Let's take a look at the other top stories. The primary message to Washington seems to be --

ACOSTA: Say that again.

CHETRY: -- get the incumbents out.

ACOSTA: Yes.

CHETRY: Crucial votes in three states and measure of voter mood across the country.

ACOSTA: To say the least.

CHETRY: A 30-year veteran of the United States Senate, Republican- turned-Democrat, Arlen Specter, is not making it out of the primary round. He's out in Pennsylvania.

Tea party is putting Rand Paul over the top in Kentucky -- and he's going to be joining us to talk more about what he would change if he does ultimately make it to Washington, in just a couple of minutes.

ACOSTA: Yes. We're also watching Thailand. The army says it's back in control in Bangkok. The government is declaring an overnight curfew. No one is allowed out of their homes.

But rioters are setting fire of banks and malls and city's stock exchange. Earlier, soldiers stormed the anti-government protester camp. Three more people were killed, bringing the total to 38 since last week. And protest leaders did surrender there, Kiran.

CHETRY: Yes. And also, ongoing situation right now that we're bringing you out of Afghanistan -- a surprise pre-dawn attack on America's largest military installation there, the Bagram Air Base. Suspected Taliban insurgents are firing rockets and grenades at the air base. Army officials say at least five U.S. service members were wounded. Seven of the attackers were killed.

ACOSTA: Another story we're staying on top of -- we're following developments this morning in the Times Square bomb plot investigation. The suspect, Faisal Shahzad, is finally making his first court appearance after 15 days of questioning by investigators. That was a long time.

CHETRY: It was a long time.

ACOSTA: Yes.

CHETRY: And it stopped abruptly which leads to other questions about this.

ACOSTA: Right.

CHETRY: And we're learning that the alleged terrorists may have had other New York landmarks in his site.

Susan Candiotti was in the courtroom yesterday and she's with us now.

It's interesting. You were saying that you were making calls until noon yesterday and he was still being interviewed.

(CROSSTALK)

CHETRY: And it changed.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It changed all of a sudden. We're still trying to get to the bottom of that. But he appeared at least on the outside pretty calm and collected, even smiling at his newly appointed defense attorney. It's very interesting.

So, or just over two weeks, he talked and talked. Even about other targets besides Times Square, a senior counterterrorism official says Faisal Shahzad told investigators he even scoped out Rockefeller Center, Grand Central Terminal, the World Financial Center and the Connecticut helicopter manufacturer, Sikorsky.

Now, in court, Shahzad wore a light gray sweat suit and was asked if he understood the charges, he said yes. The judge told Shahzad anything he said could be held against him. But since May 3rd, when he was arrested on a plane about to head to Dubai, he decided to talk without a lawyer present.

Prosecutors say, each day, he signed a paper saying he'd been advised of his rights. Yesterday, that changed, he pulled the plug. It's unclear why.

Before Shahzad's 10-minute appearance, the judge cleared the courtroom for a security sweep. U.S. Marshalls surrounded the accused terrorist and you could hear a pin drop. He faces five charges, two of the most serious: attempted use of a car bomb, a weapon of mass destruction and attempt to kill and maim. Both carry a maximum life sentence if convicted. He was not expected to enter a plea and he didn't.

ACOSTA: And, Susan, a lot of people are watching this in real-time as this case develops. What is the next step in all of this?

CANDIOTTI: Well, he does have scheduled a preliminary hearing, probably a grand jury will meet before then to indict him. At that arraignment, that's when he's expected to enter a plea.

ACOSTA: Wow. We're going to watch all of this as it develops. It's going to be happening, I guess, over weeks and months coming up ahead.

CANDIOTTI: Oh, yes. Long road ahead.

ACOSTA: Yes, definitely. Susan Candiotti, thanks. Appreciate it.

CHETRY: Thanks, Susan.

ACOSTA: And still to come on the Most News in the Morning -- we will talk to tea party candidate -- he calls himself a Republican -- Dr. Rand Paul about his big win last night in Kentucky.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC)

ACOSTA: All right. You are looking live, that's right. That picture of New York City this morning.

CHETRY: Yes, you are. It is a picture of Columbus Circle where it's 52 degrees.

ACOSTA: Yes.

CHETRY: It's cloudy right now. It's not getting that much better actually. It's 63 degrees for a high in New York City and partly cloudy today.

ACOSTA: It was like a monsoon walking around in the city yesterday.

CHETRY: It wouldn't stop raining. It felt like --

ACOSTA: It was unbelievable, the wind and rain, all better now.

CHETRY: Thank goodness.

ACOSTA: Yes. A little business story this morning, "Minding Your Business."

Just what your kids need -- another social network? Yes, this one is only for boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 10.

Hang on to your hats here folks. It's called Togetherville. Kids can play games, watch videos, send messages to friends. Parents must create their kids account -- thank goodness. They can also approve or reject their children's friends.

CHETRY: Now, I was shaking my head to you. But what they say is it's a way to keep them away from some of the more adult social networking sites like Facebook. They say that, you know, you have to participate directly -- is what the CEO hopes and that it's a much safer environment.

ACOSTA: Yes.

CHETRY: And it's also geared toward, you know, 6 to 10-year-olds.

ACOSTA: Exactly.

CHETRY: But you know how quickly these things can get away from you know, parents --

(CROSSTALK)

ACOSTA: The privacy concerns that have come up with Facebook and MySpace, and, you know, to hear that at first, that all this is safe for kids, you got to be a little careful I think. That's probably a good thing.

It is 6:30. Let's get a quick check on this morning's weather headlines.

And, Jacqui Jeras, we're just talking about in New York yesterday, it was just gusty and rainy and nasty, but it's cleared out. Has this system sort of moved off the coast here? Are we looking a little better in that department? JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it's in New England now. You I think you're going to be better off in New York City today. You're still probably going to stay cloudy and cooler than average, but I think most of the rain is out of there.

We're focusing today on the nation's midsection and severe weather the top story. We're already starting out with some strong to severe thunderstorms across north central Oklahoma. This is a line -- see how it bows out there. We call that a bow echo.

And when we start to see that signature -- that indicates that the winds can be very, very strong. So, expect to see some gusts around 70 miles per hour. And look at all the lightning associated with this, too.

These storms are going to stay north of Oklahoma City for now, and make their way across parts of Missouri. And we're really concerned about that because Missouri is already very saturated and where you have flood watches in effect. It's an additional one to three inches of rain is expected as that system moves on through.

Now, redevelopment expected this afternoon and this evening along the dry line. And the Storm Prediction Center issued a moderate risk across central Oklahoma. This could be upgraded to a high risk later on today. And we could see those violent tornadoes that stay on the ground for a long period of time and caused a lot of destruction. So, be aware of that later on today.

The northeast -- here's the storm that you guys asked about, Kiran and Jim. There you can see -- it's already north of Boston. But we do expect to see occasional showers today. And, yes, you're going to have some delays at the airport as a result of it as well.

Back to you.

CHETRY: All right. Delays at the airport, no one likes to hear that. But what you're going to do.

ACOSTA: Yes.

CHETRY: You can't fight Mother Nature all the time.

Jacqui, thanks.

Hey, we're going to take a quick break. When we come back, we're going to be speaking to Dr. Rand Paul. He pulled out a big win last night in the Kentucky primary.

ACOSTA: He did.

CHETRY: So, what now? We'll ask him -- coming up.

Forty minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.

You know, the tea party has put its stamp on yet another election, helping Dr. Rand Paul win the Republican primary in the Kentucky Senate race. It's a pretty big victory, although not unexpected. He was leading in that race heading into last night.

CHETRY: Yes. But a year ago, it was quite unexpected.

ACOSTA: Definitely.

CHETRY: He beat out Secretary of State Trey Grayson. He was backed by Kentucky's Republican establishment, and that includes Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Paul had something to say to all of them last night in his victory speech. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. RAND PAUL, REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FOR KY. SENATE: I have a message, a message from the tea party, a message that is loud and clear and does not mince words: We've come to take our government back.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Dr. Rand Paul joins us live this morning from Bowling Green.

Thanks for getting up with us. Boy, 59 percent to 34 percent. This wasn't a squeaker. We had you on the show a year ago when people were saying it was a long shot for you to even get this far.

What do you think changed over the past year that allowed you win this primary?

PAUL: I tell people it was the perfect storm. You know, it's the mood of the country and our message being exactly equal to the mood of the country which is: We've got to get our government back.

Our government is out-of-control, spending is out-of-control, and really, the deficits are getting to the point where they endanger our country. I mean, you look at Greece right now and the chaos in Greece with the debt crisis, I don't think people want that to happen in our country.

ACOSTA: And you mention a lot of things there that Republicans are talking about these days, the national debt being first among them. But your minority leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, your fellow Kentuckian, was not behind you in this race. He was behind your opponent. What do you make of that? Are there any bad feelings there between you and the Minority Leader? How do you expect to rally Republicans, all of them in your state behind your campaign during this election?

PAUL: I don't think there'll be any bad feelings. I've already had a lot of Republicans coming up to me and saying, you know what, we will work together and will support you. For the last month, I've had nothing but Republicans come up to around Kentucky and saying after you win, we'll be supporting you. I got three personal letters this weeks saying, yes we'll be supporting you after the primary. And so now, I think primaries divide people, but general elections will bring the Republicans back together.

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: You know, a lot of what you said sounds good on the campaign trail. The rhetoric was very attractive to many people. Nobody wants to see run a huge deficits. Nobody wants to country fall into a debt crisis. Nobody wants to see, you know, runaway spending. But how do you put that into action if you, indeed, do make it to Washington? I mean, you have a state that relies heavily on getting federal subsidies for many aspects of life. In many cases, your congressional delegation found themselves re-elected because of the ability to gain seniority and steer more federal money toward Kentucky.

PAUL: Well, I'd say, first of all, that's sort of the old mentality. Let's snatch up as much federal dollars and bring them home. The problem is so much of the money is lost in the bureaucracy in Washington. And as you turn it and swirl it to the bureaucracy, money is lost and doesn't come home. So, I say, if you want money for projects, if you need new policemen, don't send your money to Washington to pay for policemen in Kentucky. Let's just leave the money here in Kentucky if we need policemen.

ACOSTA: And Dr. Paul, let me ask you because, you know, the Democrats who are going to be running against you here in the fall in Kentucky seem to be licking their chops a little bit at the prospect of running against you. They say that you would eliminate the Department of Agriculture, you would eliminate the Department of Education, that you have come close to talking about eliminating the federal reserve. Are all of those things true? Would you eliminate Department of Agriculture, the education department, and the Federal Reserve?

PAUL: The interesting thing is we're licking our chops about running against President Obama and his platform. In fact, I invite President Obama, if he's watching this morning, come on down to Kentucky. We love to have you campaign the Democrat nominee. President Obama's agenda has gone so far to the left, and it's not popular here in Kentucky.

(CROSSTALK)

PAUL: 30 percent of the people.

ACOSTA: Right. But in order to cut the deficit and reduce the national debt, you're going to have to make some drastic decisions and your opponents have said that you would -- your Democratic opponents have said you would eliminate the Department of Agriculture, the education department, and perhaps, the Federal Reserve. Is that true? Would you do those things? Would you support those things if a vote if they were to come before the Congress?

PAUL: There's a good book by Christopher Edwards called "Down Sizing Government". And he says what for everyone of those, Department of Education, Department of Agriculture, you'll do a multi-step test, can you eliminate it, can you down size it, can you privatize it, and can you make it smaller? We have to do that multi-step test for every department of government. Now, it doesn't mean someone who's going to eliminate government or get rid of departments completely.

But it means you look at every step, and there will be some departments you might be able to get rid of, and with the very least, they all need to be down sized. What we really need is we need a rule that says you have to balance the budget. I think that's a very reasonable proposal and something that the American people and those in Kentucky will embrace.

CHETRY: I want to ask you about some of the questions of spending and about people feeling overtaxed. I mean, how do you reconcile a couple of the stats that came out recently? Interesting article from the USA today that quotes the bureau of economic analysis reporting saying that tax bills in 2009 technically are the lowest level that we've seen since 1950, you know, and when you look at record unemployment that we're dealing with right now, people in the state of Kentucky rely on getting checks from the federal government to keep food on their table.

So, how do you explain to people that while this may sound good and this may be a good idea in theory, practically, it may be very painful?

PAUL: Right. I think what's interesting is that if you go to these tea parties and you ask people, are you taxed enough already? That's the acronym. They do. They don't believe in higher taxes. But if you ask them, would you accept the same level of taxation for simply reducing federal spending so we don't keep adding to the deficit? I think they'd all say yes. So, it's really about the debt and it's really about the federal spending more than it is about reducing taxation.

I also say that we as republicans have given false promises often because we say we'll cut your taxes, but we still bring home the pork. What I would say is that if you care about people and you care about putting food on the table, you can't keep spending us into oblivion. If we destroy our currency paying for this massive debt, then nobody has anything. So, I would say that it's more important to get our fiscal house in order than it is to say I'll just bring home the bacon.

ACOSTA: Dr. Rand Paul, the tea party favorite who won big in Kentucky. We'll be watching you throughout the fall campaign and looking forward to November. Thanks a lot for joining us, Dr. Paul. Appreciate it.

PAUL: Thank you.

CHETRY: Thanks for getting up early and congrats.

ACOSTA: And coming up in our next hour, you're going to want to watch this. Another one of last night's big winners, Congressman Joe Sestak of Pennsylvania who sent home 30-year veteran, Arlen Specter, a big upset, perhaps the biggest race of the night last night. And we'll have Congressman Sestak -- Admiral Sestak in our next hour.

CHETRY: Meanwhile, a live look now at Bangkok, Thailand. This is a city that's still in chaos. You see smoke rising from some of the buildings. The military says that it is back in control, but the black smoke there coming from fire sent by rioters. We also notice several banks, a TV station, a mall, even the city's stock exchange are all burning.

And it comes after a bloody military craft down on the anti-government protesters. The clashes killing three people. The government declared a curfew to start at 8:00 p.m. local time. We're going to get much more at the top of the hour.

ACOSTA: And this morning's top stories just minutes away, including Bagram under fire. The Taliban attack America's largest military base in Afghanistan. How CNN was tipped off to the attack?

CHETRY: And mom's back at basic training. Dad, though, folding under the pressure. Jason Carroll continuing with a soldier's story, dramatically ending before it even began. Those stories and much more at the top of the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. You know, a warning is out about some of the canned foods you may eat. A report by environmental health group found the chemical BPA almost present in every can. They say it can pose a health risk to infants and pregnant women and in animals. The chemical has been linked to behavior issues and increase risk of cardiovascular disease. It's unclear whether it's harmful to humans. The FDA is not commenting on the report.

CHETRY: You never open up a can and you it almost looked like it's lined with this substance or --

(CROSSTALK)

ACOSTA: Yes, that's what they're talking about.

CHETRY: I know that as a, you know, new mom we all went out of our way to avoid BPA in bottles.

ACOSTA: Oh, yes.

CHETRY: Even though the FDA is not commenting.

ACOSTA: Not exactly. Right. But you know, parents want to be safe, that's what they do.

CHETRY: Also, how about this, after a tragic situation for Travolta, some happy news for John Travolta and his wife, Kelly Preston. They're expecting a new baby. The couple announced from their website that Preston is three months pregnant. They said quote, "it's impossible to keep a secret especially one as wonderful as this." It's just been over a year since their 16-year-old son Jet died after suffering a seizure in the Bahamas. They also have a 10-year-old daughter, Ella. So, congrats to them.

ACOSTA: Yes, especially after everything they've been through.

CHETRY: Yes, absolutely. It's going to be three minutes until the top of the hour, and we're going to have your top stories after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)