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American Morning
Alex Makes Landfall as Category 2 Hurricane; Gore Sex Case Reopened; Spies Like Us: Alleged Russian Secret Agents in Court Today; Elizabeth Edwards Opens Up; Elena Kagan "Walked a Very Fine Line"; Vets Exposed to HIV & Hepatitis; Food Dyes Dangerous to Kids?; Money=Happiness?
Aired July 01, 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 Thursday. Can you believe it? It is July 1st already.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Happy birthday to all of our friends north of the border up there in Canada.
CHETRY: There you go. Canada Day?
ROBERTS: Canada Day today.
CHETRY: I'm Kiran Chetry.
ROBERTS: Good morning, I'm John Roberts. Thanks so much for being with us. Lots to talk about this morning, so let's get right to it.
South Texas still being pounded by Hurricane Alex this morning. The storm now deadly over the border. And the new worry this morning that this violent storm will cause even more destruction with flooding, mud slides and tornadoes and disrupt the oil spill cleanup for days.
CHETRY: Well, the name is Chapman. Anna Chapman. We're learning more about the accused Russian spy and her double life here in the U.S. It turns out the 28-year-old redhead left a trail of videotapes.
ROBERTS: And it's the sign of the times. Moms and dads who text, but does all that attention you give your BlackBerry make you a bad parent? We'll hear from self-professed texting addicts and learn just what kind of message they're sending to their kids.
CHETRY: And the amFIX blog is up and running. Join the live conversation right now by heading to CNN.com/amFIX.
ROBERTS: Up first this morning, though, along the coast of South Texas in northern Mexico. Hurricane Alex is unleashing its fury. The massive storm is responsible for at least one death so far in Monterrey, Mexico. Slammed into the shoreline is a Category 2 hurricane with winds of 105 miles per hour, just south of the Texas/Mexico border last night. CHETRY: Alex is kicking up huge waves hundreds of miles away and it's keeping oil-skimming boats off the water. And that may be the case throughout the weekend. Now, the fear this morning, flooding, mud slides and tornadoes spawned by the violent storm.
The CNN weather team is tracking for you this morning. We have Bonnie Schneider in our hurricane headquarters. First, though, Reynolds Wolf. He is on the phone with us from South Padre Island, Texas.
What was it like, Reynolds, to be there when that storm hit?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST (via telephone): Well, I got to tell you, we really did dodge a bullet down here. The situation could have been far worse. We certainly had the strong wind gusts. We (INAUDIBLE) area anywhere between 50 to 60-mile-per-hour range. (INAUDIBLE) at least from my vantage point, the beach no longer exists. We basically have a few dunes with some saw grass, the wind and water pushed right up against the very brim of it.
What we got in terms of power outages, very, very limited here along the island, which is certainly some great news. But you have to consider what would have happened had the storm had a day or perhaps two days over the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Possibly getting much stronger, could have been a major hurricane as (INAUDIBLE) direct hit to South Padre Island like Dolly did in 2008.
The scenario could have been altogether different. That being said, you mentioned some of the other key threats from the storm. We have tornadoes. Someone there reported yesterday in the Brownsville area. There's potential mud slides as it moves deeper into Mexico. Certainly, flooding, that's going to be a concern. There was some street flooding here in South Padre Island. Even more over towards the Brownsville (INAUDIBLE) area and that is something we may be dealing with for quite some time.
Now in terms of the power outages, most of the power outages are really just inland. In fact the National Guard was activated just a few days ago by Governor Rick Perry. They are in the area to assist in any way they can. The utility crews on the scene as well.
In terms of getting off this particular island, the residents of South Padre Island, there's no getting on or off the island now. We have the waves and winds (INAUDIBLE) at 39-mile-per-hour sustained. When that happens, then that action can't be taken. But until then, we're just watching this die down as it moves deeper inland.
But, John and Kiran, one thing to consider, again, imagine if this had been a major hurricane and hit parts of the area down in south Texas. That (INAUDIBLE) much more an entirely different scenario if this is hit, the oil area, well, right over the oil spill. So it really was bad. We have one fatality. That is definitely a nightmare situation, but the scenario could have played out at an entirely different fashion. It could have been far worse.
ROBERTS: And considering, Reynolds, that that's the most powerful storm this time of year in a long, long time, there's still plenty of time for other storms to blow up there in the Gulf of Mexico. Reynolds Wolf on South Padre Island this morning. Reynolds, thanks so much.
Bonnie Schneider is tracking all the latest forecasts and advisories for Alex. She's in our hurricane headquarters in Atlanta this morning.
Hi, Bonnie.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, John and Kiran. Well, the danger and the threat is not over yet for Hurricane Alex as it bears down on Mexico and certainly Texas. Right now, the maximum sustained winds are at 80 miles per hour. Btu the gusts are even higher than that, all the way up to 100.
Notice the track takes us further inland into the mountainous areas of central sections of Mexico and that will help kind of, unfortunately, squeeze out the water. And we'll be looking at gusts at about 40 miles per hour by the time we get to Friday. The problem is the storm has so much rain associated with it that the threat for flooding will persist. You can see the spiral motion. Look at that. The eye almost evident even as it makes its way on shore which occurred late last night around 9:00 p.m. Central Time. We're still seeing very heavy rain and thunderstorms associated with Alex as far to the east as Alabama and Louisiana.
The bigger picture now, you can see the rain bands are still piling on the end, particularly to south Texas. And that's why we still run the risk for flooding there. And here's a closer look at the thunderstorms. Look at that. The southern parishes of Louisiana hammered again and again by thunderstorms. This will not let up any time soon, and that is why we have flash flood watches in effect. The warning just lifted now for southern sections of Texas, but the flash flood watch remains straight through tomorrow because we'll still see the rain work its way onshore.
Also, you can see the frequent lightning associated with these powerful thunderstorms. We even run the isolated risk for some tornadoes like we saw last night as well associated with the system. So, still the threat for wind and rain. And again, flash flood warnings now popping up in some of the parishes of Louisiana and also into parts of Texas.
It's not over yet. I don't want people to think that. Because the storm made landfall, they don't need to let up their guard and actually need to really keep their guard up because we still run the risk for flooding.
Back to you.
CHETRY: All right. Good advice, Bonnie, and we'll be checking it and tracking it throughout the morning with you. Thanks so much.
And as you just heard as we were hearing from Reynolds, heavy seas did shut down the clean-up and containment efforts 600 miles away from the eye of the storm. The latest now on the gulf oil spill. The Coast Guard says that rough seas are tossing around miles of containment boom. Also, 500 oil-skimming ships had to return to shore. The efforts to burn the oil also shut down.
ROBERTS: Reinforcements though are on the way in the form of what's being called the world's largest oil skimmer. It's a tanker from Taiwan called a whale. It's 3 1/2 football fields long, 10 stories high, retrofitted specifically for the gulf.
CHETRY: And BP say that despite the rough seas, the drilling is continuing on the relief wells. The two tankers also over the wellhead collecting the oil are still there.
ROBERTS: And Admiral Thad Allen turning in one half. He has now officially retired as the head of the Coast Guard but continues as President Obama's point man overseeing this disaster. We should clarify he has resigned from the Coast Guard, so he's given up his military commission but he's going to continue on as a civilian in his leadership position as the incident commander.
CHETRY: Also new this morning, police in Oregon are reopening an investigation into allegations that former Vice President Al Gore sexually assaulted a massage therapist in a Portland hotel room four years ago. Statements that police took from the woman back in January of 2009, then they initially closed the investigation because of lack of evidence. Well, now, the second look comes after the "National Enquirer" identified the woman. CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin spoke to Anderson Cooper about the allegations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SR. LEGAL ANALYST: What's obviously very much disputed is what happened in the hotel room. She says that he made a series of sexual advances, short of rape, but physically painful. She says she was in -- she had to get physical therapy for months afterwards because of injuries that she received. But she then managed to extricate herself from the room and eventually reported the crime. That's what she says. What's disturbing about reporting on it is that the police have only released her statement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Gore's spokeswoman also released a statement saying Mr. Gore unequivocally and emphatically denied this accusation when he first learned of its existence three years ago. He stands by that denial.
ROBERTS: And people closest to him are saying that this investigation would benefit him so they're going into this with a whole lot of confidence.
Also new this morning, Joran van der Sloot now faces federal charges in Alabama and he is accused of trying to extort $250,000 from Natalee Holloway's mother. He is a suspect in her 2005 disappearance in Aruba. Prosecutors said van der Sloot wanted the money in exchange for information on where Natalee was buried. He remains in a Peruvian prison charged with killing a 21-year-old woman back in May.
CHETRY: And what's shaping up to be another major problem for Toyota and potentially Toyota drivers. The company says 270,000 vehicles, including Lexus, have faulty engines that can stall while they're moving. It affects at least seven Lexus models. Also the Toyota Crown. Toyota says that accidents have been linked to the problem -- no accidents have been linked to the problem so far. Also, so far, they're not going as far as issuing a recall.
ROBERTS: And is it flying your car or driving your plane? However you want to look at it, it's one step closer to becoming a reality. The transition flying car has gotten FAA approval. The wings fold up. It turns from a vehicle into an aircraft in 30 seconds. That's about the same as folding down a convertible top. The manufacturer says it flies about 100 miles an hour, does around 70 miles an hour on the road. However, oil that performance is going to cost you. The price tag on this baby is going to be about $200,000.
CHETRY: Pretty neat though.
ROBERTS: You could get a nice car and a plane for that amount of money.
CHETRY: Yes, but, I mean, drive right to the -- drive right to the airport. Take off.
ROBERTS: Remember the James Bond movie? The car --
CHETRY: Not quite that cool yet.
Well, still to come on The Most News in the Morning, an accused spy doing what he does best, disappearing. An accused Russian agent skipping bail overseas, and now the manhunt is back on this morning.
It's nine minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: It's 12 minutes after the hour. Welcome back to The Most News in the Morning.
We are following developments this morning in the case of the alleged Russian spy ring operating here in the United States. Ten of the suspects were arrested earlier this week in Massachusetts, New York and Virginia. They'll appear in federal court today in separate hearings, trying to make bail. They're accused of trying to steal U.S. government secrets and pass them on to Moscow.
CHETRY: In the meantime, police say that an 11th Russian spy suspect, this one arrested in Cyprus has actually skipped bail and disappeared. He's accused of funding the deep cover operation in the United States. He was arrested at a Cyprus airport trying to board a flight out of the country.
ROBERTS: One of the alleged Russian secret agents is definitely not camera shy. 28-year-old Anna Chapman is having her 15 minutes. She's having it behind bars, too.
CHETRY: Yes. We're learning more about her double life in the U.S. in her own words. And Deb Feyerick has been following the story since it broke.
And just quickly to clarify this, he originally was arrested at Cyprus airport, taken and made bail and he skipped out of the bail.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They basically took away his passport. They said, you know what, check in with us in the evenings, don't leave. Don't go anywhere. It's really no big surprise. OK. It's actually going to help prosecutors today who are going to argue that these people cannot be let out on bail because they are a big flight risk.
ROBERTS: They kept them here because they knew that they would take off at the earliest opportunity.
FEYERICK: It's a different police department.
CHETRY: And that includes Anna Chapman who you've been talking about.
FEYERICK: That's exactly right. She has been denied bail. And it's so interesting because prosecutors call her a master deceiver and watching her during this interview is pretty interesting given the government's charges that she was sending information to Moscow's intelligence agency about possible U.S. recruits.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK (voice-over): Describing herself as founder of a real estate business with a holding company in Europe, 28-year-old accused spy Anna Chapman comes across as engaging, ambitious, coy, and at times flirtatious with a hint of a British accent. Watch this clip as she does a sound check for the camera.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNA CHAPMAN, ACCUSED SPY: La, la, la, la, la.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just tell me what you're going to do later today.
CHAPMAN: Well, shop. I will shop. I will have a business meeting at 2:00.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FEYERICK: In the interview, she says she was an investment banker living in London and came up with an idea to start a Web site pulling together open source apartment listings because she had such a hard time during her own search to buy an apartment with money she'd saved.
CHAPMAN: It was very, you know, very small how all this started because I wanted to bring value to all those people that, you know, who wants to get a new place to live in, so I launched this business purely because I wanted to help someone.
FEYERICK: She arrived in Manhattan sometime in the fall of 2009 after first stopping in Russia to get a business model together. This interview is from an entrepreneur's conference in April.
CHAPMAN: I think that is the best choice I've ever had to do in my life, and I never would go back. And that's something I never regret to do.
And, actually, to be completely frank with you, I studied a lot to be an investment banker and to really understand something in finance. It was very competitive all the time, although I did have a lot of success in doing so.
But I think the most challenging part of my life really started when I quit all my jobs, really cut all my salary and really did something I wanted to do. I was someone who just arrived to New York, basically just arrived. I mean, I didn't know anyone, so I - maybe in Europe, I know most of the people, but here, I knew no one.
FEYERICK: The interview was done by independent producer, John Palacio, hired to cover New York City Entrepreneur Week.
JOHN PALACIO, PRODUCER: Did she impress me? Well, she clearly is well spoken, very flirtatious, very attractive. I mean, when she walked in a room, she knew the power of her looks and was able to sort of connect with all the people in the room, male and female.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK: And, as we said, Chapman has already been denied bail.
The other nine suspects here in the United States are going to be in court, and it's interesting, you've got some who are in Boston, some in Manhattan, some in Virginia, all of this for detention hearings. Clearly, prosecutors are going to point to the Cyprus case and say we really can't let these guys go because if we do they're simply going to take off.
CHETRY: Right. And in the meantime, it's fascinating to - to see her sort of come to life in all of these videos as we are looking more into this case, and we'll see if they get their hands on -
FEYERICK: You know, you just have to wonder how much of her story is true, and that's what's so interesting. What if maybe she is being truthful during these interviews, that she really did want to start this company? There's that element, too, that we can't forget. So, anyway -
ROBERTS: Well, Robert Hanssen had a job at the FBI, too.
FEYERICK: He was - you know, exactly.
ROBERTS: You know? FEYERICK: That's right. Two jobs. You got to hold down an income.
CHETRY: Yes, a lot of juggling -
FEYERICK: That's right.
CHETRY: Thanks, Deb.
Well, coming up on The Most News in the Morning, Elizabeth Edwards opens up about the collapse of her marriage and also meeting the child that John Edwards now admits he fathered with the other woman. Her interview with Larry King, next.
ROBERT: And history made at the House floor, but it wasn't what this congressman from Hawaii said that got him into the books. Instead, it's what he read his speech from that did it. We'll tell you, coming right up.
Seventeen minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Twenty minutes past the hour right now. It means it's time for "Minding Your Business".
The House has passed a sweeping overhaul of the financial system. Yesterday's vote was largely along party lines, most Democrats supporting it, most Republicans opposed. The bill aims to protect consumers, prevent firms from getting too big to fail, and tries to crack down on risky bets that could leave taxpayers on the hook.
Republicans, though, argue that it's more government intrusion into the lives of everyday Americans. The Senate will not vote on the bill until after next week's Fourth of July recess.
ROBERTS: Well, history has been made on the House floor. Hawaii's new Republican Congressman Charles Djou became the first of his peers to use an iPad while speaking yesterday. He says it's excellent for his 12-hour, one way commute to his home state, though we should mention it's still unclear whether he violated House rules which prohibit laptops but do allow BlackBerrys and other smartphones.
It's kind of a way point between BlackBerrys and - and -
CHETRY: Yes. They're in a class of their own. Maybe we'll have to amend that - that rule.
ROBERTS: You know, when Mayor Bloomberg was here last week, he had his iPad with him and he showed me. So he reads speeches off the iPad all the time.
CHETRY: Right. And isn't there an - and app that it actually acts as a teleprompter and could roll?
ROBERTS: I don't know. He was - he was doing it with his fingers, but -
CHETRY: Just a matter of time.
ROBERTS: I asked him, I said, what happens if it crashes? He says, well, it hasn't crashed yet. I was, OK.
CHETRY: Maybe there's some hard copy on the side, just in case.
But speaking of crashing, Sony is recalling 233 laptops. They say there are concerns that it can actually overheat. Sony says that it has reports of 30 laptops getting so hot that the case and the keyboard actually warped.
Information on which models are affected can be found on Sony's website.
ROBERTS: Elizabeth Edwards speaking out in an exclusive primetime interview for the first time since she and John Edwards legally split. She told Larry King that the two have an amicable way of dealing with one another.
CHETRY: She also told Larry about the time that she met the baby girl that John had with mistress Rielle Hunter.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LARRY KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And you've not seen the child or anything?
ELIZABETH EDWARDS, AUTHOR, "RESILIENCE: REFLECTIONS ON THE BURDENS AND GIFTS OF FACING LIFE'S ADVERSITIES": I - I have seen the child -
KING: You have?
EDWARDS: -- actually.
KING: In what occasion?
EDWARDS: When - when John and - and I were together and he was, you know, wanted to be a father, which I admired. They should, you know - he - when he found out that in fact this was his child, he wanted to be a father and - and if that were the case and were together, I would be this - this child's stepmother. And so it was important.
We - went down --
KING: Right.
EDWARDS: We went down to - I know. We went down to Charlotte, and a third party picked up Quinn and brought her to where we were and - that John spent some time alone with her.
We bought Christ - we bought Christ - it was before Christmas, we bough Christmas presents and dresses and little things. KING: Was this strange for you?
EDWARDS: Yes.
KING: Awkward?
EDWARDS: No, it was not awkward in the least. You know, she didn't know who I was.
KING: (INAUDIBLE).
EDWARDS: You know, that was something she - she was going to learn over time. And, unlike John, she didn't have a - a name - or there was not going to be a name that she then associated with me.
But I love children and, you know, sitting there playing toys with her, you know, she - you know, seemed like a really nice child --
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: Well, Edwards also says that she's feeling good, despite having stage four cancer. Her advice to other cancer patients, don't spend your time worrying about when you're going to die but live for today.
ROBERTS: Confessions of text-obsessed parents. One mom says that she's - her young son - says that her young son accused her looking at her BlackBerry more than his face.
Find out why it's a dangerous distraction that can have long- lasting effects.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Twenty-six minutes after the hour.
No doubt about it, teens and preteens are generally the titans of texting. Remember that 13-year-old girl who sent more than 14,000 texts in one month?
CHETRY: Yes, but more and more, it's parents who have their eyes glued to their phones, their BlackBerrys, their iPhones, not their kids.
Alina Cho has an interesting development about what can be a pretty damaging distraction in some cases. Hi, Alina.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, these are guys - you know, people say, you know, it's not a big deal and they laugh about it.
It's pretty serious stuff, guys, with some long-lasting effects, potentially. You know, it's no secret that a lot of us are addicted to our iPhones and BlackBerrys, but what happens when that gets in the way of parenting? Well, some parents are spending so much time looking down and typing that they're ignoring their children, and child development experts say that's a problem.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPH THOMPSON, MOTHER OF TWO: How was field day (ph)?
CHO (voice-over): Stay-at-home mom Steph Thompson has three children of sorts, the two you see, and the one you may not know exists - her BlackBerry.
THOMPSON: I look at it a lot. Often, as my one son told me, more than at his face.
CHO: Like many, 39-year-old Thompson fully admits she's addicted to the very device that allows her the flexibility to work from home and be with her kids. The irony is not lost on her.
THOMPSON: You guys, hold on.
CHO: The BlackBerry that makes her constantly available to others is making her unavailable to her children.
CHO (on camera): Don't you worry that you're taking your eye off the ball, so to speak, your child?
THOMPSON: I do worry that I - that I'm ignoring my children.
CHO: It can be dangerous. I spoke to one man who says he actually saved a baby who wandered into the street and was nearly hit by a car. He says both of the parents were texting side by side and not paying attention.
Other mothers we spoke to say their mobile technology obsession has made them take pause, too.
JUDITH KENNY, MOTHER OF 8-YEAR-OLD: I'm with my eight-year-old son in the middle of the street and he's telling me a story and I'm just kind of on auto pilot while I'm - really, where my presence is answering the e-mail or whatever I'm doing with the phone.
CHO (voice-over): More than 285 million Americans now communicate via mobile devices. That's potentially a lot of parents texting.
Child development experts call the texting, e-mailing, phoning while parenting trend alarming.
DR. LORI EVANS, NYU CHILD STUDY CENTER: You don't feel good about yourself when your mother is saying, oh, I need to just, you know, answer this e-mail. What message does this send? That you're important, but just hold on a minute.
CHO: Thompson is so aware of her problem the freelance writer even wrote about it on an online parenting site, Babble.com, asking does my BlackBerry make me a bad parent?
EVANS: Sometimes, we find a middle path to everything, and it may not be that I'm not going to answer my Blackberry or use my cell phone. I think it's about what would it be like to turn the Blackberry off for 20 minutes?
CHO: Thompson says she's willing to try that. Her goal, to look at her kids more than her Blackberry.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: The kids, by the way, like to play games on the Blackberry, so there you have it.
You know, there is very little research on the effects of texting and e-mailing while parenting, but there is no doubt that engaged parents are better ones. Studies show that parents who talk to their kids and answer their questions, guys, raise children who are better learners. That is not a news flash.
But you know what's interesting? Steph Thompson - listen, we're not parent-bashing. You know, by all accounts, she's a lovely woman and a wonderful mother, you know, she's just a little addicted to her BlackBerry, and - and she fully admits, listen, you know, I've got to be conscious about putting it away at time. And she says the - the blessing is that the ringer on her BlackBerry actually doesn't work anymore so she can't answer phone calls.
But, you know, it is a problem and people laugh about it. But, you know, when you're looking down and not paying attention, it only takes a split-second for a small child to wander off, right?
ROBERTS: Sure. You're captivated by all this, and camera in front of you, you leave the gate to the playground.
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: We were teasing Alina about that one. I know that playground well.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: And the parents will go, they will get very mad at you.
CHO: Nothing is lost on you, John Roberts.
CHETRY: But you're right. And, you know, you got to find a happy medium.
CHO: Yes, and listen, she says, you know, Steph Thompson says, listen, I say to my kids, this is a great teaching moment. You know, I say, listen, this BlackBerry allows me to work from home and not go into the office. Stay with you guys, spend more time with you guys, and her kids say, you know, yes, we do appreciate that, we do like that you're home. We'd just like that you look at our faces more.
ROBERTS: Were her kids home when she was writing the blog entry?
CHO: You know, I'm not sure. I'm going to have to get back to you on that.
ROBERTS: Yes, kids, I'll be right with you. But I just need to write this blog entry about whether or not I'm being a bad parent (INAUDIBLE) using my BlackBerry.
(LAUGHTER)
ROBERTS: Thanks, Alina.
CHO: You bet.
ROBERTS: Crossing the half hour and checking our top stories this morning.
Across southern Texas and northern Mexico, thousands of people taking cover as Hurricane Alex roars over land now. The fear? This massive flooding could create mud slides and kick up tornadoes. Alex is responsible for at least one death so far, that being in Monterrey, Mexico. The storm made landfall late last night as category two hurricane.
CHETRY: Anna Chapman as well as nine other alleged Russian spies will be in federal court today. They're trying to make bail after arrests in New York and Massachusetts and Virginia last week. An 11th suspected spy, the alleged money man in the Russian deep cover operation, has disappeared after skipping bail in Cyprus.
ROBERTS: And Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan getting a break from the hot seat. Today, supporters and opponents will testify on her Senate confirmation hearing.
Yesterday, Kagan was asked to weigh in on social and economic issues but much like other high court nominees, she declined to say how she might rule if she's confirmed.
CHETRY: Elena Kagan did, however, defend her decision to briefly bar military recruiters from Harvard's career office because of the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
ROBERTS: But her handling of that controversy has drawn mixed reactions from leaders on campus.
Our Jim Acosta is live in Washington this morning.
And, Jim, her point of view is that she thought the policy was discriminatory --
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right.
ROBERTS: -- and flew in the face of the campus' discrimination policies. What do other people say?
ACOSTA: Well, as you know, this week, John and Kiran, Republicans has accused Elena Kagan of punishing military recruiters during her time as the dean of the Harvard Law School. But up on the Harvard campus, it's sort of mixed report card for Dean Kagan -- a bit more nuanced, a bit more academic in terms of the opinions on her handling of the controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA (voice-over): Elena Kagan's biggest fight was never in the courtroom, it was on campus. Back in 2004, as dean of the Harvard Law School, Kagan briefly kept military recruiters out of her campus offices of career services. Kagan said the military policy of "don't ask, don't tell" which bars openly gay members from the armed forces violated Harvard's anti-discrimination rules.
(on camera): Do you think she did the right thing?
SETH MOULTON, HARVARD VETERANS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION MEMBER: I think she walked a very fine line.
ACOSTA (voice-over): Seth Moulton, a member of the Harvard Veterans Alumni Association says Kagan tried to strike a balance, restricting recruiters while going out of her way to show respect for the military.
(on camera): Is it fair to say, though, that she did treat you a little differently during controversy?
MOULTON: It's fair to say that. I think a lot of veterans would like to see her do more. We don't like to feel like the military say is a second class citizen when it comes to recruiting.
ACOSTA (voice-over): But Kagan did allow the military to continue recruiting through Harvard's Veterans Association. That disappointed students on the other side of the issue.
ADAM SORKIN, HARVARD LAW GRADUATE: As a student leader of the gay and lesbian group, you know, I -- it had the same effect of allowing the military on campus.
ACOSTA: Adam Sorkin, a former president of Harvard's Gay and Lesbian Association, believes Kagan took a pragmatic approach to protect her image and future prospects.
SORKIN: And did that affect her decision? I'm sure it did. Only Elena Kagan can know that, but from the outside looking in, I definitely think that she was cautious.
ACOSTA: But Kagan had another reason to be cautious. Something called the Solomon Amendment, a law that threatens to pull federal funding from colleges that block military recruiters. At her hearings this week, Kagan defended her actions, insisting the recruiters had full access to her students.
ELENA KAGAN, SUPREME COURT NOMINEE: The military recruiting did not go down, indeed, in a couple of years, including the year that you're particularly referring to, it went up.
CAROL STEIKER, KAGAN'S FORMER CLASSMATE: I think it was absolutely the right call. ACOSTA: One of Kagan's longtime colleague and former classmate, Professor Carol Steiker argues there's more to the story of the former dean.
STEIKER: I think we have a pretty good idea of the kind of person Elena Kagan is. Her political bona fide such as they are, are that, you know, she clerked for two great liberal jurists, she worked for two presidential administrations. She's been a solid liberal Democrat.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: Kagan ultimately lost the battle over those military recruiters, but it looks like she'll win the war over her nomination to the Supreme Court. The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee predicts she will be confirmed, John and Kiran. Even Orrin Hatch, one of the big Republicans on that committee, says it is very doubtful that this nomination will be filibustered at all.
CHETRY: All right. Jim Acosta for us this morning -- thanks so much.
And today, of course, it continues but she no longer has to do any answering of questions.
ROBERTS: Correct. The confirmation hearings are back on today, you can watch them right here on CNN, online CNN.com/live, also on CNN app from your iPhone.
CHETRY: And this morning, just four cities are now in the running for the 2012 Democratic National Convention. The finalists include St. Louis, Charlotte, Minneapolis, and Cleveland. Democrats say that a decision will be made sometime before the end of the year.
Last month, the Republican Party chose Tampa, Florida, for its convention.
ROBERTS: Well, 1,800 vets in a V.A. hospital in Missouri possibly exposed to both HIV and hepatitis. How could this have happened? Coming up next, we're talking to a Missouri congressman who wants some answers.
Thirty-six minutes now after the hour.
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ROBERTS: Thirty-nine minutes now after the hour.
More than 1,800 veterans who went to a Missouri V.A. hospital are now facing possible exposure to HIV and hepatitis. And this morning, we know why -- improperly cleaned dental tools. The hospital officials say laziness was not a factor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. GINA MICHAEL, ASSOC. CHIEF OF STAFF, JOHN COCHRAN V.A. MED. CTR.: They were actually doing additional work in order to protect their delicate instruments. Sometimes, policies don't always get followed because people have very good intentions. But the end result is the policy that was supposed to be followed wasn't followed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Missouri Democrat, Congressman Russ Carnahan is calling for a full investigation into what happened. He joins us from Washington this morning.
Congressman Carnahan, good to see you this morning. You know, we got this and we also had the dirty colonoscopy story, inappropriate radiation doses, the Lou Gehrig's letters that were sent out to veterans and said you might have or you may have Lou Gehrig's disease, the slow claims process. It makes you wonder what -- what else these veterans going to go through to try to stay healthy?
REP. RUSS CARNAHAN (D), MISSOURI: Yes, these veterans have fought for us. They should not be fighting this fight today. You can imagine these veterans around the St. Louis area that got these letters in the mail cold, saying that they may have been exposed to hepatitis or HIV -- this is just outrageous.
ROBERTS: Yes. You heard the statement there from the spokeswoman of John Cochran Hospital that employees hand-washed these dental instruments, instead of putting them in an autoclave. That would seem like a "what the" moment if there ever was one.
CARNAHAN: Well, there's been varying explanations of that from the, you know, this -- just the series of things that needed to be done before they were sanitized properly. But the bottom line is, procedures were not followed and it's just absolutely outrageous and unacceptable.
We are in the process of getting those people in to be tested. And there has to be special care given to them, clearly. They range from being worried sick to angry, as you would expect. But also, there's been a chilling effect of other veterans worrying about going to get services at the V.A.
So we don't want to broad brush, you know, everything with the V.A. with this because there are some great professionals that do work there. But there clearly is a problem at this dental facility. And we've heard of other stories in other V.A. facilities.
We've got to understand if this is a systemic problem, or, you know, these isolated incidents. But we've got to get to the bottom of this and investigate it, have transparency, and really hold those responsible accountable.
ROBERTS: The fact that she said sometimes procedures don't get followed -- I mean, that would almost sound like Boeing aircraft saying, "Well, sometimes, we don't bolt the wings on tightly."
CARNAHAN: Yes. It's just outrageous. And again, this gets back to proper oversight and accountability. We've got to see this done. I have talked to Chairman Filner of the House Armed Services Committee about conducting a hearing on this, as well as calling for an investigation within the V.A.
We can't let this go on. If not for the people affected directly but, again, for the chilling effect it has on veterans everywhere to hear these stories.
ROBERTS: Yes. You know, you sent a letter to the secretary of Veterans Affairs, General Eric Shinseki, asking for this to be looked into. We asked for the general to come on this morning. The V.A. said no. We said, OK, well, you can provide somebody else? They couldn't come up with somebody else to talk with us this morning to explain what's going on and what they're doing about it.
They did give us a statement, though, that said, quote, "V.A. leadership recognizes the seriousness of the situation and is taking stakes to prevent this from happening again. V.A. has implemented to prevent a similar situation from occurring again."
It's similar language that we heard about the colonoscopies and the radiation doses and all of that.
Does that give you any comfort, Congressman, that this is adequately addressed?
CARNAHAN: Yes, I'm not worried about giving me comfort. I'm worried about these veterans. I don't think it's enough for them. And we need to look into this much further.
ROBERTS: What about accountability? Where does the buck stop here?
CARNAHAN: Well, of course, overnight, we heard stories about -- a fired employee has come forward about saying there's been conversations about this. So, this is -- we need to dig into this and find out.
What we've heard from the V.A. is they've -- that they discovered this in a routine inspection.
As we've heard some conflicting stories, we need to find out exactly what happened.
ROBERTS: Right. What about the V.A. administration? Does it go all the way to the top or does it stop at the hospital?
CARNAHAN: Again, it's too soon to tell. We've only gotten preliminary information. We need to find out, talk to some of these employees, talk to some of the -- some of the management there and find out where it stops.
ROBERTS: And have you heard back from the secretary yet?
CARNAHAN: We had a meeting with some folks from the V.A. yesterday. We also, later today, are going to be talking to my veterans' panel back home in Missouri that's been doing a lot of outreach, talking to people impacted on the ground.
ROBERTS: Have you gotten any answers yet?
CARNAHAN: Well, we've heard some -- again, we've heard from some people impacted by this. One woman veteran who is so frightened that she didn't even want to go in to have the test done. I mean -- so this is really scared a lot of veterans to death. And we've got to really address this to build confidence back so veterans can get service.
Right now, I think it has this chilling effect that's going to try -- that's going to keep people away.
ROBERTS: You know, and after all they've been through in their service to keep this country safe, the last thing they needed is to be scared to death about health care.
Congressman, thanks for being with us this morning. We'll keep following the story very closely. We really appreciate your time.
CARNAHAN: Thanks for following this.
ROBERTS: All right. You bet -- Kiran.
CHETRY: It's 45 minutes past the hour now.
Bonnie Schneider tracking Hurricane Alex this morning as the storm makes landfall. She'll have the latest right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: And a look at Atlanta this morning where it's 72 degrees. There are some clouds. A little bit later, 86 degrees and thunderstorms. We'll see this is a very popular song among the crew this morning.
ROBERTS: There are a lot, a lot of Miley Cyrus fans in the studio this morning. You can see, I'm one guy, I really know, I got her name down.
Time for your "AM House Call" now, stories about your health. The weak economy is --
CHETRY: Don't feel bad. You and my 4-year-old should not have the same taste in music.
ROBERTS: Mike Stein (ph) sitting over here like -- Miley Cyrus.
CHETRY: He loves Miley Cyrus.
ROBERTS: Anyway, as that goes, get back to where we're talking. The weak economy is overloading the federal program of life-sustaining drugs for people with HIV and aids. "The New York Times" says 1,800 patients who can't afford the drugs are now on waiting lists that were down to zero less than three years ago. Eleven states have closed their programs altogether because of a lack of money. That's just a shame.
CHETRY: It is. A Washington-based consumer advocacy group is now issuing a warning about some of the food dyes that your kids may be eating. The Center for Science in the Public Interest wants three of the most popular dyes, red number 40, yellow number 5, and yellow number 6 completely banned. The group says that food dyes can increase cancer risks and hyperactivity in children along with causing allergic reactions.
ROBERTS: Plus, thanks to the Fab Four. We know we can't buy you love, but can money buy happiness? The folks at Gallup asked 136,000 people around the globe that question, and the answer, sort of. The study found plenty of cash does bring satisfaction, but positive feelings don't always follow that. So, if you're like Mr. Burns in "Money Makes You Happy," then life is excellent, short, though. It depends on how you define happiness.
CHETRY: It also depends on whether you have it or not. If you don't have money, you think it'll make you happy.
ROBERTS: They say if you are affluent or you live in an affluent country, yes that can sort of raise your mood a little bit, but happiness is not dependent solely on, you know, finances. There are plenty of other things that will make you happy even if you don't have money.
CHETRY: Right. As long as you can pay the bills.
ROBERTS: I'm still looking for them.
CHETRY: It's 50 minutes past the hour right now. We get a check on the morning's weather headlines. Bonnie Schneider in the Extreme Weather Center, and even though, we talk about Alex making landfall, it's still -- something to be concerned about here in the United States.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely, Kiran and John. We still have flood watches and warnings, and they will persist straight through the evening hours. You can see as the satellite plays, the drama of hurricane Alex as it made its way onshore. I want to point out right here that we had a big strong eye as the storm made its way onshore and that indicates strengthening and intensifying winds. So, the storm came in, not as a category 1 the way it is now but as a category 2 with even more intense winds. Right now, we have winds at about 80 miles per hour. The gusts are up to 100.
We'll be getting a new advisory shortly, and we'll be able to give you even more recent information. We're just waiting for that from the National Hurricane Center. But we are still getting wind and rain associated with Alex. The track takes it even further inland over mountainous region of Mexico. That will just ring out the moisture. So, we'll see heavier rain. Check this out, the spiraling bands continue to pound parts of Texas and Mexico. And not just there. These outer bands extend all the way up and to the north into Louisiana. So, we're going to see the threat for flooding in those southern parishes. We actually have flood watches for the remainder of the day for places like here in two areas of Southern Louisiana, and some of that rain is just working its way onshore to coastal Mississippi and Alabama. Heavy, heavy rain expected, at least 3 to 6 inches more inches in some parts of Texas, possibly another 2 towards Southern Louisiana. That's why you see some flood watches and warnings. This is St. Mary's Parish. There is a flood warning there for the rivers in that region that they make it a little bit high, and we might see more flooding. And the flooding here is all coastal flood threat because the easterly winds associated with Alex that will continue to batter the shoreline.
Another reason we're going to see heavy rain as Far East as even the panhandle of Florida is this front flight here. It's really helping to kind of compress the moisture and force it to stay down here in the Gulf Coast region and that will, again, bring even more rain. Elsewhere, across the country, high pressure's bringing gorgeous conditions. All the way from Chicago to New York should be a nice day. Much drier and a lot less humid, but we will be looking at some hot temperatures. Now that we're into July, (inaudible) July 1st, but we are looking at some hot temperatures here, up to 84 in St. Louis and 83 in Washington -- John, Kiran.
ROBERTS: That's actually a little lower than it was earlier in the week. I hear it's really supposed to get hot by the end of the weekend.
SCHNEIDER: Yes, it will be short-lived.
ROBERTS: Bonnie, thanks so much.
CHETRY: It is July after all.
ROBERTS: It's what happened in the summertime. This morning's top stories just minutes away for you, including new developments in the spy game with Russia, one making himself disappear overseas, but another has popped up all over the web. Yes, you know what we're talking about. We'll take a look at the red-headed femme fatale of the case.
CHETRY: Also, a powerful AM Original to show you some of the meanest streets in the country where reputation is the only thing that some kids have and violence is the only way they can hang on to it. T.J. Holmes takes a walk-in their shoes to find out why they fight. Those stories and much more at the top of the hour.
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CHETRY: We're ready. Ever wish that this happened to the fan sitting next to you, the one yapping on the cell phone at the ball game? Check this out. There's a man on his phone, Tuesday night's Yankees' game. See the ball? He didn't. He's On the phone. Bam.
ROBERTS: Ooh. Awww.
CHETRY: Poor guy takes it right on the nose. At least, he wasn't waving or anything. It looks like he actually saw the ball, right, and tried to make a play.
ROBERTS: I don't think he tried to make a play.
CHETRY: He sort of holding at the wrong hand there. Well, poor guy.
ROBERTS: That was one of those moments where it's -- I don't think he was making a play. It's like, oh, my God.
CHETRY: I know right? Wrong hand.
ROBERTS: They say you shouldn't drive while you're talking on the cell phone.
CHETRY: No. You should not watch a Yankees game either. I actually got hit with a puck at a hockey game. I got hit and it landed in my beer cup. And I actually get, when that happens, when you catch your puck at the hockey game, it's just an Erie, Pennsylvania (ph), you get a gift certificate for free dinner --
ROBERTS: For a free beer?
CHETRY: I know. I got a free dinner.
(CROSSTALK)
ROBERTS: I played hockey from the -- like the age of 5 and never got -- I got hit by the puck, but I never had a puck in my beer.
CHETRY: You fish it right out and keep drinking.
ROBERTS: Top stories coming your way right after the break. Stay with us.
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