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American Morning
Tropical Storm Threatens Gulf; Obama's Phone Call with Sherrod; Storm Bonnie Bearing Down; Woman Beer Taster; Diversity and the GOP; Caught in the Web; Rebuilding Biloxi
Aired July 23, 2010 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good Friday morning, and thanks so much for joining us on the Most News in the Morning. It's the 23rd of July. I'm John Roberts.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kiran Chetry. Glad you're with us. We have a lot to talk about this morning. We'll get right to it now.
First, we start in the Gulf where there's an unfavorable forecast and work to stop the oil leak for good is now on hold as tropical storm Bonnie gains strength, heading towards South Florida this morning, but in the line of tracking right toward that oil spill site.
In a moment, we'll take you live to the Florida Keys.
ROBERTS: Cleaning up the Gulf one grain of sand at a time. It's a delicate and demanding task. Rob Marciano is breaking out the boom in the beaches of Alabama, joining a team of hard working men and women who are taking on the tar balls.
CHETRY: Also a call from the president. President Obama speaking with Shirley Sherrod after she was forced out of the USDA over the tape that twisted her words on race.
Here's what she said about the conversation earlier on AMERICAN MORNING.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: What did he say? Did he apologize to you?
SHIRLEY SHERROD, FORMER USDA OFFICIAL: Well, you know, he didn't say, "I'm sorry," in those words. And I really didn't want to hear the president of the United States say I'm sorry to Shirley Sherrod. I fell he was saying that in his talk just -- just by simply calling me, I fell it was a way he's saying I'm sorry, because he didn't have to do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Sherrod also told us that she'd love to have the president come to South Georgia to show him how race issues are playing out on the frontlines.
ROBERTS: And, of course, as it is every morning, the amFIX blog is up and running. Join the live conversation going on right now. Just go to CNN.com/amFIX.
CHETRY: First, though, as we speak, Tropical Storm Bonnie is closing in on south Florida. The greater threat, though, is in the Gulf where this morning the government is evacuating workers and also ordering cleanup vessels and drilling rigs to get out of harm's way. One piece of good news, though, the containment cap on the damaged oil well will stay in place.
ROBERTS: Louisiana's governor also declaring a state of emergency, fearing the winds and storm surge will drive the oil into Louisiana's coastline and deep into the marshes.
Our Reynolds Wolf is tracking Tropical Storm Bonnie for us this morning.
But, first of all, let's go to Vanessa Medina from our affiliate WSVN out of Miami. She's live in Marathon, Florida, for us this morning.
Are you seeing the first edges of the rain bands yet? Or is the weather still pretty good, Vanessa?
VANESSA MEDINA, REPORTER, WSVN: Good morning, John and Kiran.
No, no rain just yet. But we're expected to get it in about 30 minutes the beginning part of this storm. But everyone here keeps saying that it's out there. And guess what? It's coming, because that's the story here in the Florida Keys.
So, guess what, when do these people do? They've already been preparing since yesterday. They tied up their boats. And many of these fishermen out here putting covers over their electrical systems. They know what's coming.
You can see the wind starting to pick up. We're expected to have very strong wind, about 40, 45 miles per hour winds. We're expected to have a storm surge of about one to three feet here.
But the big concern out here could possibly be tornadoes. That spawned off the storm. But you know what? People here in the Florida Keys, they know storms and they're saying, "Come on, Bonnie. Bring it on." They are ready for it.
That's the very latest out here in Marathon. Back to you, guys.
ROBERTS: Yes. Not forecast restricted anymore before it gets to the Keys at least. And maybe they'll dodge a bullet this time.
Vanessa Medina for us -- thanks so much.
Our Reynolds Wolf is in the CNN hurricane headquarters. He is tracking the storm with the very latest on where it's going.
And what's the best guess, best estimate, I guess, we should say at this point, Reynolds?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, John, still more to the northwest. It looks like it will be moving into the Gulf of Mexico. The question is: is it going to be able to retain a little bit of its intensity? Because I'm telling you, right now, it's very disorganized.
Winds are currently at 40 miles per hour sustained. Some gusts have been up to 50. If we can hold together once it moves into the Gulf of Mexico, it doesn't, say, downgrade to a depression or even just a trough, it may actually strengthen a bit more.
Now, when we're talking about strengthening, the latest forecast we have from the National Hurricane Center brings it with winds of 45 into 50 as we get into Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. But some gusts may be stronger, up to 65.
And the reason why it may weaken before it gets stronger because it's going to run into a bit of shear, some strong upper-level winds which could really hamper the structure of the storm. But if it can make it past that obstacle, get back into the open Gulf, it should move into an area with very warm water and minimal shear where it could strengthen, could become a fairly strong storm.
And as we get into, say, 2:00 a.m. Sunday, passing very close to the oil slick. But one thing I mentioned very carefully, the storm could pass a bit more to the east. We're going to have cone of uncertainty, or possibly more to the west, towards Galveston (ph).
I would say, especially the next 12 to 24 hours, we're going to see some changes in the strength. But then as we go from, say, 24 to 48 to 72, possibly more changes in terms of where it will be headed. But right now, more to the Northwest.
That's the latest on the storm. We're going to have more updates throughout the mid-morning and into the afternoon, of course, and the evening -- around the clock.
Back to you, guys.
CHETRY: All right, Reynolds.
ROBERTS: Good heavy on the job this morning, Reynolds. Thanks.
WOLF: You bet, guys.
ROBERTS: Potentially dangerous weather is also forcing the wildlife rehabilitation center which is located along the coastline of Louisiana to relocate. That's an exclusive video this morning for you of crews moving the oiled animals to minimize the stress of transporting them. The animals and personnel will now be at a larger facility outside of the hurricane evacuation center.
CHETRY: Also new developments and more fallout in the Shirley Sherrod controversy, the USDA official who was forced to resign with her comments about race were twisted and posted on the web. She talked to President Obama on the phone yesterday who said this could actually provide an opportunity for her.
A short time ago, we asked Shirley Sherrod what she thinks about the White House's handling of race issues.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERROD: I'm assuming that this administration feels to that, you know, if they -- highlight issues of black people, it would -- the country would perceive it as something negative. I know they probably have to struggle with that, but I think they're wrong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Joining us right now, live, chief political correspondent and host of CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION," Candy Crowley joins us. Also we have with us, at the White House, senior White House correspondent, Ed Henry.
Thanks to both of you this morning.
I know, Ed, you've been doing a lot of running around this morning trying to get a handle on exactly how far up the chain of command the USDA decision went when it -- when it came to forcing Shirley Sherrod to resign in the wake of the spliced tape. Of course, now, we know the full story.
What is the latest in terms of whether the White House is saying they had anything to do with it?
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, they still insist that they really had no role in pressuring the Agriculture Department to push Shirley Sherrod out. But as you saw when I was trying to chase this story down over the last 24 hours -- we ran the piece the last hour -- the White House keeps saying, go talk to the Agriculture Department. They've got all the information.
We called the Agriculture Department and they bounce us from one official to the next and they basically have no new information. And so, here we are, four days after this video first surfaced, and we still don't know what officials at the Agriculture Department really spoke to, which officials here at the White House. Robert Gibbs still has to name which White House officials on Monday were involved in any of these conversations, discussions, et cetera.
And so, the administration that talks a lot about transparency hasn't quite nipped this story in the bud because we still don't know the full story as Shirley Sherrod continues to allege that it was really the White House behind her being pushed out. And it was not really Tom Vilsack, who's taken kind of the fall and the responsibility for them.
CHETRY: And so, Candy, where does it go from here? Because we were asking the question at CNN to the White House, our White House reporters were asking whether there were any plans on the part of the president to call Shirley Sherrod, and yesterday at this time, they said no. Yet, Shirley said that there was a text message as early as Wednesday night saying the White House is trying to contact her. And now, we know the president did make that personal call.
What -- what is going on when it comes to the White House and how they're dealing with this controversy?
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, here's the thing: Obviously, President Obama is the nation's first African- American president. And whether the White House likes it or not, he gets drawn into these sorts of things. Sometimes it's self-inflicted, as it was in the case of the white cop at Harvard versus the black professor at Harvard. And that whole thing when the president said, well, the cop acted stupidly. So, he sort of drew himself into that one.
But this is his administration. And the fact of the matter is we all know where the buck stops. That's been going on since Harry Truman. And so, it is on them.
But the pressure is also on the president because every time one of these things happened, people say, we need a national conversation, the president should lead a conversation. And the White House has been reluctant, both in the campaign and now, to get into -- to see an issue as black or white. This is not a president who particularly likes to do that, despite the fact that his strongest supporters, as you have seen in that new poll we have, are African- Americans.
And he has been under pressure, as Ed can tell you, from Congress to do some specific economic things aim at black communities which so far he has declined to do.
So, he's very much stuck between the way he is, which is that he does not tend to see things or want to see things in terms of black and white, and pressures from what's the -- you know, really one of the bulwarks the Democratic Party and that is African-Americans. So, he always gets stuck when issues like this come up.
CHETRY: And, Ed, I want to show you the new poll numbers out this week and have you comment. This is coming from CNN's Opinion Research Corporation Poll that was just taken this past week. The president's favorable numbers unfortunately tied for the lowest of the year at 47 percent; 50 percent saying they disapprove of his job.
How worrisome is this for the White House looking ahead to the fall's midterm elections, Ed?
HENRY: Well, I think what they're more worried about even beyond that number, which is worrisome, is that fact that when you go deeper, independent voters seem to be turning against this president. They went strongly for him in 2008 against John McCain. Now, they appear to be turning against not just the president but the Democratic Party. That could be big trouble in November.
But I think, look, they've been hit by a whole series of problems. As Candy points out, there's been pressure on the left to do more about the economy, try and create more jobs. They still got unemployment well over 9 percent. They know, going into November, that's rough. Then you have had the oil spill, the Shirley Sherrod story -- all these other distractions.
I think it's pretty telling that this week now at Robert Gibbs' daily briefings, it's almost a relief for him when people start pressing him on the oil spill. That was one that they were dealing with, they couldn't stand -- all of a sudden, that's starting to turn a little better. It's still not over. But it's gotten a little bit better for the president and then -- bam -- he gets hit with this other story.
So, I think, behind those poll numbers and the fact that in addition to the economy, which Americans seem most anxious about, there's been a whole other list of distractions that have taken him a little bit off the message.
He won on Wall Street reform this week. He won on, you know, adding more unemployment benefits --
CHETRY: Right.
HENRY: -- something the Republicans didn't want to do. And yet, his numbers are still down.
CHETRY: Right. And, unfortunately, you wouldn't know it, that Wall Street regulations got passed this week because of the Sherrod controversy.
But, Candy, also, somebody else who is facing a little bit trouble lately is Charlie Rangel. The congressman, the Democratic Congressman out of New York, who now -- the House Ethics Committee is going to be holding what is essentially a trial, a session on alleged violations, ethics violations, failure to pay taxes on a home in the Dominican Republic and questions as well about rent controlled apartments he was using as offices in Harlem.
Is he in real jeopardy here?
CROWLEY: Yes, he is because they've gone the next step. I mean, this is something that the ethics committee had been looking at and now, they've taken it sort of to the trial phase, as you put it. And so, yes.
And also what in means is that it goes -- I mean, he is, I think, the fourth -- the fourth longest serving congressman on Capitol Hill and he's quite visible. He used to be head of the House Ways and Means Committee, had to step down from that, sort of indicating he'd like to come back when all of this gets cleared up. It doesn't look like this is all going to get cleared up any time soon.
So, they go into the fall with this. And the whole issue of ethics was one of the things that Nancy Pelosi had talked about when she first took over as speaker, when she said, "You know, I'm going to clean this, I'm going to drain the swamp, I'm going to do this." And now, here's this very high-profile Democrat and, you know, we won't know the outcome of this until well into the fall.
And I think that hurts Democrats certainly, the appearance hurts Democrats, as well as Charlie Rangel. But I doubt it will hurt him in his district. I imagine he will be re-elected. He is very popular there.
CHETRY: Right. It's sort of a headache for other Democrats getting caught up in it.
Well, you have a lot to chew over for sure on your Sunday show.
And be sure to catch Candy Crowley on "STATE OF THE UNION" this Sunday morning, 9:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.
Ed Henry, Candy Crowley, great to get your -- get your take this morning. Thanks.
ROBERTS: Well, here's something that caught our eye this morning: Archaeologists may just be another step closer to unraveling the age-old mystery of Stonehenge. A group was studying the mysterious site outside of London when they discovered the foundations of the second monument a few hundred yards away. It was apparently a wooden version of the iconic stone circle. They hope that it's going to shed some light on the landmark's purpose.
But certainly, it would, at least on the surface, appear to lend some credence to the theory that Stonehenge was built by the three little pigs. There was one of straw, one of wood
CHETRY: Right.
ROBERTS: And, of course, we see, over a millennia, who had the best idea, right?
CHETRY: The one of straw just -- I mean, blew away before they even finished it, unfortunately.
There you go. Congratulations.
ROBERTS: Stonehenge.
CHETRY: Thirteen minutes
ROBERTS: Do you remember this (INAUDIBLE) with a little Stonehenge --
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: Yes.
ROBERTS: So hard.
CHETRY: See, we should point (ph) that again this weekend. Probably already happened.
Best job in the world, tasting beer. Who's better at it, men or women?
ROBERTS: And putting Rob Marciano to some tough work: cleaning tar balls off of the Florida beaches without taking a ton of sand with it. There's a technique to it and Rob will demonstrate -- coming right up.
Thirteen and a half minutes after the hour.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. There is a silver lining in the Gulf this morning ahead of the clouds that are forming and closing in, a storm. A third of the waters that are off- limits to fishing because of the oil spill have now been reopened.
ROBERTS: Rob Marciano is live. He is in Gulf Shores, Alabama, this morning. It is great news for fishermen, Rob. But of course, this announcement taking a back seat to the threat of the oncoming storm, Bonnie, causing a lot of destructions right now?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For sure. They have evacuated all personnel and assets from the spill site. They got over 2,000 people that are working that particular area in a three to four mile radius, over 60 vessels. They pulled the plug on all of them. They are moving out of there as of last night, and that includes the drill ship which is drilling that relief well, and that's the biggest deal obviously, because we have halted that procedure and it takes two, three, four days just to get that thing unplugged and out of harm's way. Another couple of days to get it back.
So, this has put a wrench in the plans and certainly delayed things just a little bit. Good news is they are going to keep the cap on there. And kind of let it go and monitor it until the storm passes. All right. We have been showing you how they skimmed for oil out there in the Gulf of Mexico. We have been showing you how they cleaned the wildlife and released the birds. Well, I also had an opportunity to clean the beach. Let me tell you something. It is not as easy as it looks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO (on camera): Adam, hey. I'm Rob Marciano.
ADAM HIGGINS, PERDIDO KEY SITE MANAGER: Rob, nice to meet you.
MARCIANO: Nice to meet you. So, you are in charge of this operation?
HIGGINS: Yes, sir. Got you a shirt here and put you to work.
MARCIANO: All right.
HIGGINS: I hope you are ready.
MARCIANO: I'm ready.
MARCIANO (voice-over): The first thing I noticed on my trip to the cleanup site, it was hot. Really hot.
HIGGINS: When it gets up in the middle of the day, you will see this, the heat index will be over 100. When you are out here working in the heat, like these guys right here, rubber boots, rubber gloves, long pants, shirts, there is no shade out here, just sun.
MARCIANO (on camera): I have my sunscreen. There's some tar balls to be picked up. I think this is going to be a tedious work day. All right.
MARCIANO (voice-over): After suiting up, it was time to work. Are you in charge of this crew, by the way?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am. I am the foreman.
MARCIANO (on camera): So he is the boss. He is my boss. And for today, or at least for now, you are my buddy as well.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's correct.
MARCIANO (voice-over): I picked up a broom and got started.
MARCIANO (on camera): Just trying to very lightly brush it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly.
MARCIANO: So you don't take that much sand. This requires the touch of a surgeon trying to get these little tiny tar balls off the beach without taking a ton of sand. It is not easy.
MARCIANO (voice-over): The sand in the oil is piled up. Shoveled up and then placed in a plastic bag to be disposed of.
MARCIANO (on camera): I feel bad I'm taking that much sand. But there's just no way else to get it. I mean, the sand here on these beaches is precious. I don't want to take too much. You rather have a clean beach with a little less sand than a beach that has a bunch of oil on it. This feels like it will take forever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO: Well, once you are able to clean up a patch of beach as far as the tar is concerned, they will get these -- what I like to call -- beach zambonis out and they basically churn the sand and clean up the seaweed and other debris so it looks pristine like it would normally look here on the Northern Gulf Coast. But you can't put one of those bad boys out there just in the middle of tar balls because it will just make a big mess. It is a frustratingly slow process both on the water and on the beach here. And I have a newfound respect for the people who are cleaning up the Gulf of Mexico, both in the water and on land. John and Kiran.
ROBERTS: I mean, as much as must just seem like an endless procedure when you first start to go after the tar balls there. It is taking you a number of minutes just to sweep up that little bit and then you have miles of beach.
MARCIANO: Yes, we have a team of six, seven, maybe eight people and we only cleaned up 150 yards in eight, nine hours shift. So, that gives you an idea of how slow the process is. And often once you are done, it comes right back.
CHETRY: Speaking of that, a silver lining at all to this storm, Bonnie, keeping the oil off of the beaches at least?
MARCIANO: Well, the fact that we have skimmed quite a bit of it and -- the well has been capped for seven days, we have some forward progress. So that's the good news. And -- the other slice of good news is that -- Bonnie is not forecast to become a hurricane but it is going to be strong enough to where it will take whatever oil is out there and push it at least on the right side of the storm closer to the shore lines.
CHETRY: Closer to the shoreline.
MARCIANO: In orange -- well, in some cases infiltrates -- we just don't know at this point. We have to see what Bonnie does. How much oil is out there and how much it kind of wells up also. From here, Orange Beach, Gulf Shores all the way down to Louisiana, people are going to be on edge until Bonnie comes and goes this weekend.
ROBERTS: Got to love those sandbonis, though. They are pretty cool machines. Rob, thanks so much.
CHETRY: Thanks, rob.
ROBERTS: Be sure to join Rob for his special report, Rescue: Saving the Gulf. Rob takes you inside the largest, most ambitious cleanup job ever. One that is sure to last for years. Saturday and Sunday night, 8:00 p.m. Eastern, only on CNN.
CHETRY: Coming up, it is a job you might love, you taste beer for a living. It turns out women may be better at it. Twenty-one minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Coming up on 24 minutes past the hour. "Minding Your Business" now. Don't we all wish we could have this job? The woman you are about to meet has perfected an enviable skill, the art of beer tasting.
CHETRY: We know that men usually like beer more than women do. And judging by some TV commercials some men like beer more than they like women. But when it comes to the art of beer tasting, we are actually drinking the guys under the table.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RHONDA DANNENBERG, BEER TASTER: It is always funny to hear my children talk to other parents or to their teachers, when they are asked about what does your mom do? My little daughter said she drinks beer all day. So, when we went to parent/teacher conferences, I had a little bit of explaining to do.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Three samples, to do a profile on. Appearance, aroma, flavor and finish.
DANNENBERG: For appearance, I said clear, golden, low foam. The aroma, I said was low to moderate. It is very little beer that we actually do taste. We take very small sips. I will go grab a glass. Almost done. You can tell by the dryness in the finished product. It is a good competition between the men and women. We have a lot of fun in our taste panels.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Women are very good tasters because they have great ability to express themselves as far as, you know, what they are smelling, hearing, tasting. Just overall very expressive with the way they described beers.
DANNENBERG: There's certainly times, many times, that we pick out a lot more aromas and flavors than men do. We are maybe a little more discriminating against the beer. I really think it is the greatest job ever. I get to come to work with a great group of people, and being in a relaxed environment and make beer. I mean, who couldn't love that job?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Would you like that job?
CHETRY: Heck, yes. This one is the skunk. I have to take this entire keg home. See you later.
ROBERTS: So women are much better at expressing themselves? Men just usually burp.
CHETRY: That's right, and that means you like it. In Japan, it does.
ROBERTS: You have to interpret the burp. A rich, guttural deep, sort of bubbly burp --
CHETRY: Gross. People are still eating breakfast. Well, in light of the Shirley Sherrod mess, how does the Tea Party attract African-Americans? Our Carol Costello with a gut check.
ROBERTS: And the Shirley Sherrod case shows that something posted on the internet can ruin someone's life. So, we are asking a broader question. Is the internet destroying our culture and our values? We will talk to the author of a book on that exact topic. Andrew Keane coming up in just a few minutes. Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: We are crossing the half hour right now. Time for a look at our top stories this morning. The government is temporarily suspending operations to seal off the BP well. Last night incident commander, Thad Allen, ordered most of the rigs and vessels at the spill site to move because of tropical storm Bonnie. It is now moving closer to the Gulf. The decision to evacuate containment crews could delay efforts to permanently kill the well for at least ten days. Tropical storm Bonnie is expected to hit the Florida Keys later this morning.
ROBERTS: Government investigators are confirming a whistle blower's charge that a cozy relationship between the Federal Aviation Administration and Northwest Airlines compromised passenger safety. A report by the transportation department's inspector general says Northwest repeatedly failed to follow federal safety orders for more than a decade while the FAA routinely allowed the airline to avoid fines and penalties.
Northwest merged with Delta last year.
CHETRY: The president admitting they dropped the ball in the Shirley Sherrod controversy. He spoke actually on the phone with her yesterday a few days after she was forced out of her USDA job over a tape that twisted her words on race.
This morning she told us that the invite to meet face-to-face is still on the table.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: You thought that could maybe enlighten him a little bit as to what it's like there on the frontlines. Did you have that conversation with him yesterday?
SHERROD: We didn't get -- we didn't have a chance to get into that kind of conversation yesterday. But, you know, towards the end of the conversation, I told him, I'd love to have him come to South George.
And he does that -- I think I can take him around and show him some things. It wouldn't take a lot of time. But definitely I could bring the point home.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, this weekend we are taking a walk in her shoes. An intimate look into life of Shirley Sherrod. A woman who overcame prejudice after her father was murdered and was forced to actually defend herself against charges of racism this week.
"THE WOMAN BEHIND THE CONTROVERSY," this Saturday night at 7:00 and 10:00 Eastern, only here on CNN.
ROBERTS: The Shirley Sherrod controversy comes at a time when the Republican Party is trying to attract more African-American voters. But that edited video that was posted by a Tea Party activist may have cost them votes.
CHETRY: Carol Costello has the "A.M. Gut Check" for us this morning.
Hi there, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Kiran.
The possible fallout from the Sherrod affair has some powerful Republicans worried. They've been trying to attract more African- Americans to the party and already the racial tit-for-tat that's gone on between Tea Party members and the NAACP has caused concern.
So what do? A gut check this morning from one African-American who loves Republican ideals but not the party.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO (voice-over): Sophia Nelson is a political strategist, a blogger and longtime Republican. Well, at least she was until she says it became uncomfortable.
SOPHIA NELSON, LONGTIME REPUBLICAN: I think that the problem that the party has -- the Republican Party -- is it's now has identified with the Tea Party, with the conservative movement, exclusively so that people like myself and others feel like well, there's really not a place for someone like me in that party because we are RINOs, Republicans in name only.
COSTELLO: She says some Republican leaders are sensitive to that. And even more worried now in light of the Sherrod affair. As perhaps they should be.
A CNN poll shows 73 percent of African-Americans think some or all of Tea Party supporters who generally lean Republican are racially prejudiced. And only 26 percent of African-Americans think the Republican Party does a good job of reaching out to minorities.
Nelson says Republicans have been calling her lately for advice and she is sharing.
NELSON: If all of your messengers are gray-haired white males, middle-aged white males -- and there's nothing wrong with white males, I'm not saying anything bad about them, but I am saying that it's a perception issue.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, everyone, for coming today.
COSTELLO: Conservatives have tried to change that perception. For example, when Congresswoman Michele Bachmann called her Tea Party caucus together, at least five speakers were people of color. Nelson says that's not good enough.
NELSON: Just because have you a black face doesn't mean you have credibility in your community. Right? I mean, so people look at you based on what you've done, what organizations you are a part of, are you helping, you know, to make things better in the community you're a part of? That's the kind of stuff that resonates with people.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: It is the kind of thing that resonates with people. Nelson says that's why Barack Obama's work as a community organizer resonated with so many African-Americans.
She says if Republicans really want to attract more African- Americans to the party, they should reacquaint themselves with somebody like Colin Powell, a moderate Republican who yes, endorsed Barack Obama for president but he is respected in the black community. He is connected -- John, Kiran.
CHETRY: Very true. Now you invited people to weigh in on your blog this morning. So what are they saying?
COSTELLO: Lot of well-thought out comments this morning, and I thank you for that. This came from Joe. He says, "For Republicans to attract minorities to the party would require they change their entire philosophy. They believe it's every man for himself. They don't believe government has a role in helping others who are less fortunate."
And this from Andrew. "The idea of taking our country back and the constant call for smaller federal government beckons back the state's rights. African-Americans familiar with the history are aware that state's rights have not generally been favorable for African- American interests."
And this from Victor. "If the GOP wants me to pay attention then talk to me about issues that are important to me -- job, security, housing, education. If they take positions that I agree with then I would support them. Simple as that. No need to have a parade of African-Americans as a way to get my support. I didn't support the president because he was black. I supported him because of his position on the issues."
Keep them coming, CNN.com/amfix.
CHETRY: Good stuff, Carol. Thanks so much.
ROBERTS: Carol, great to see you this morning. Thank you very much.
In the wake of the Shirley Sherrod case, we are asking the broader question this morning -- is the Internet destroying our culture and our values? Author Andrew Keen coming up next in the "Most News in the Morning." It's coming up now 36 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Thirty-nine minutes after the hour. Could happen to anyone. The message from Shirley Sherrod after losing her job and having her life turned upside down.
When an out-of-context clip is posted online and branded her as a racist, it came close to ruining her life. But now that the apologies and reversals are rolling in, what does Sherrod's story say about the state of our hyperspeed Internet society?
Andrew Keen is the author of "The Cult of the Amateur: How Blogs, MySpace, YouTube and the Rest of Today's User-Generated Media are Destroying Our Economy, Our Culture and Our Values."
He also hosts "Keen On." His show on TechCrunch.TV. He's with us from Berkeley, California this morning.
Andrew, great to talk to you this morning. So what does the Shirley Sherrod case say about the Internet and our society and the ability of anyone to ruin somebody's life simply by posting something out of context on the Internet?
ANDREW KEEN, AUTHOR, "THE CULT OF THE AMATEUR": Well, certainly this lady -- I'm not sure if her life has been ruined. I think her life in some way has actually been made more interesting. In a sense, perhaps she's won a lottery -- in a sense she won a lottery ticket and then lost it and then found it again.
I think what it says generally is the Internet is a mirror. It reflects us. It is easy to blame the Internet. But we have to take responsibility for it because the Internet is us. The Internet enables anyone to publish anything.
Either by taking responsibility for what they publish or by doing it anonymously. Either by trying to publish the truth or by publishing malicious rumors as the fellow did in this case.
What I think it reflects is a certain sort of paranoia about media, an obsession with conspiracy. A kind of a lunacy that reflects us extremism, a bitterness, but also a degree of responsibility.
I think this case is interesting because it shows the worst of the Internet in the sense that someone printed a lie or published a lie which then was virally spread and almost ruined her life.
But then part of the Internet and also mainstream media -- guys like you -- came to the rescue. And you sorted the case out. You showed that it was alive. You revealed the fact, the reality, the truth, which was actually the very opposite of what was published.
What I think we need to think about, though, is if that hadn't existed. What happened if all we had was rumor, all we had was malicious people on the Internet printing stuff or publishing stuff to suit their own agenda?
ROBERTS: And --
KEEN: That's really scary. We do need a gatekeeper here. Someone to keep score and tell the truth. ROBERTS: Yes. Let me ask you about the gatekeeper in just a second and who that should be. But, you know, this particular case, this was very high profile one because secretary of Agriculture was involved.
How many times across the spectrum of the Internet does something similar to this happen where we don't come in and tell the real story can someone's enemy simply post something online and begin to whittle away at that person's reputation simply by putting it out there in a place where this stuff goes viral in a heartbeat?
KEEN: Absolutely. We live in what people now call it the age of reputation. We all have to take responsibility for our reputations online. We have our Facebook pages, we have our Twitter feeds. And that for better or worse is the reality of our age.
It's all too easy to ruin people's reputations. There are young women who have committed suicide after people spread malicious rumors about them. There are people whose careers are ruined every day through the Internet. There are businesses on sites like Yelp which are ruined by their rivals.
When you don't have a gatekeeper, when you don't have an official relatively honest non-anonymous middleman who is keeping score, anyone can publish anything about anyone or any business, and essentially undermine them.
And that's what's going on a lot on the Internet. When you go to these consumer sites. Often you're reading reviews published by rivals. It's very, very unreliable. It brings out our worst. It brings out our most dishonest side because when you can publish something without taking responsibility.
It's like the intellectual property stuff. If you're able to steal stuff online, you do it. It doesn't necessarily mean you're evil but it brings out the worst in us.
ROBERTS: OK. So here's the really controversial issue and it gets right to the heart of the First Amendment. Who should be the gatekeeper here if there is to be one?
KEEN: It has to be you, John, doesn't it?
ROBERTS: Well, I mean, we -- we do the following. In this particular case, we did the follow-up work. But somebody in --
KEEN: Well, no, I'm sort of --
ROBERTS: -- our position can't police the Internet.
(CROSSTALK)
KEEN: Well, you can't -- I don't know if I can replicate Johns all over the place, but I mean we need CNN. We need NPR. We need relatively honest middlemen who are able to take the facts. Because there are always facts in these cases. And actually investigate. And you've got to pay your journalists. You've got to have journalists who aren't anonymous, who aren't peddling on agenda.
I think one of the most dangerous illusions or delusions that's going on at the moment is there are some people who are arguing that all news by definition is biased. All news promotes a certain agenda. That no fact is actually independent of one's views.
And if that's the case, then news services should be biased. But I don't think that's true. I think this case shows that some things are lies and some things are true. You need the professional media to actually sort out the truth from the lies.
It's very simple. And that media is the very backbone of democracy. When you do away with it, then you just have mob rule.
ROBERTS: Yes. Well, some people say, though, that the Internet is democracy in action and, as Donald Rumsfeld once said, democracy is often messy.
But I wanted to ask you very quickly about --
KEEN: But let me say -- let me just respond to that because we live in a representative democracy. These debates were fought out at the foundation of this country. The debate between direct and representative democracy.
The Internet is media. It's not politics. And that's a fundamental error to misrepresent it. And to present it as a form of direct democracy which is actually rejected by the founders of this country in the first place.
ROBERTS: All right. I wanted to get to the idea of people posting comments anonymously. But we don't have time this morning. Perhaps we can get you back because this is obviously an issue that's going to be with us for the rest of our lives.
Andrew Keen, good to talk to you this morning. Really appreciate it.
KEEN: Thank you very much.
CHETRY: Well, we're covering tropical storm Bonnie. She's accelerating right now and heading for the Gulf. Due to hit the Florida keys later this -- today actually. And Reynolds Wolf is following all of it for us.
It's 45 minutes after the hour.
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WOLF: I'm Reynolds Wolf. Welcome back to CNN AMERICAN MORNING, The Most News of the Morning. And right now we're making a transition from news to weather and news. Making news and weather, here is tropical storm Bonnie and the latest we have, sustained winds at 40 miles an hour and gusts to 50. This is a ragged system. It is not really well defined right now. And it is expected to fluctuate in strength as it makes its way across parts of south of Florida and across the Straits of Florida into the Gulf of Mexico.
However, there is a chance the storm may strengthen as it makes its way into the Gulf, it will move into an area of warm water. In Tier will not be quite as strong so there is every potential of this developing into a little bit stronger of a storm, still not anticipated to become a major hurricane at this point.
However, there is a line of possibilities that as it moves into this area near the oil slick as we get into Saturday, at 2:00 p.m. and then into Sunday and possibly making landfall in parts of Louisiana. This storm could become a bit stronger or possibly die out altogether. These storms are very fickle in the late stages.
There's a chance the storm could pull a little bit more to the Northwest going towards Panama City, perhaps over towards the Central Coast of Texas. We'll watch it for you carefully here on CNN.
We've got more coming up in a few moments. Keep it here. You are watching CNN AMERICAN MORNING, The Most News in the Morning.
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CHETRY: It's 51 minutes past the hour. And welcome back to The Most News in the Morning. What if a child's life could be greatly improved before they were even born? Well, a government worker in California took matters into her own hands after uncovering the spending budget for treating sick babies.
Meet Katherine Hall-Trujillo, grandmother, mother and founder of the Birthing Project USA.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATHERINE HALL-TRUJILLO, BIRTHING PROJECT USA: African-American babies die two to four times the rate of other babies. As a public health administrator, I use the words infant mortality every day. But until I held a dead baby in my arms I never realized that that meant counting dead babies.
My name is Kathryn Hall-Trujillo. And I remind women that they are sisters and can help each other have healthier babies.
What we're saying is that you don't have to have this by yourself.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Birthing Project takes regular women in the community like me to work closely with the little sisters throughout their pregnancy and after they have the baby.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wanted a big sister that have (INAUDIBLE) in life already to teach me things I don't know. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My job is to just really help you, whether it is figuring out how you're going to pay your rent, do you have food in your house. And making sure she is making her prenatal appointments. It's all because I'm trying to make sure that you're not stressed in order for you to have a healthy baby.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Healthy babies are born into healthy communities.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pretty special how we grow in our house.
TRUJILLO: We've been doing this long enough now that you can hear a child say -- I was born into the Birthing Project. That means more to me than anything that I may have given up because in return I have received a whole community.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to The Most News in the Morning. Four minutes until the top of the hour now.
When hurricane Katrina battered the Gulf Coast five years ago, Biloxi, Mississippi was in jeopardy of losing its total identity.
ROBERTS: The city has such a rich history but many of its most treasured historical sites were damaged or destroyed in the storm; I mean Biloxi was almost literally wiped out.
Tom Foreman joins us live from Biloxi this morning. And Tom you found some people determined to build a better future for the town by keeping an eye on the past.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. This is tough, John and Kiran. It really is.
When you have the need to recover from a massive hurricane or maybe you have a catastrophic oil spill or maybe another storm threatening, it's a very hard sell to say to people we need to spend time and money looking after our historic sites.
And yet, many people here believe you absolutely must because those are the things that convey stability. And they say to people you should reinvest. You should build up again.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN (voice-over): The 150-year-old lighthouse is gleaming again in Biloxi, reopened just this year after a massive restoration. And other glimmers of hope are appearing all over town.
BILL RAYMOND, HISTORIC ADMINISTRATOR, BILOXI: This is the Magnolia Hotel. It is the only surviving antebellum hotel along the Gulf Coast. FOREMAN: Bill Raymond, historic administrator for Biloxi is overseeing the revival of more than a dozen landmarks hammered by Katrina.
(on camera): How much damage did you have here?
RAYMOND: We had seven feet of water. We had water up to about there.
FOREMAN: And he's sharply aware that with so many jobs lost in the recession and so many in peril from the oil spill, many citizens are asking hard questions.
RAYMOND: Why would you spend money to save a historic structure? You need to help get people get jobs.
FOREMAN: What did you tell them?
RAYMOND: think about the future. Think about a few years from now when you do have a house, you do have a place to work.
FOREMAN: You are going to also want a town with an identity.
RAYMOND: exactly.
FOREMAN: For three centuries, this town, one of the oldest on the Gulf, has had a deep identity rooted in fishing and tourism.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a 103-year-old building right here.
FOREMAN: And in the newly restored city hall, the mayor believes regaining a sense of that history is critical to convincing tourists to come back, business leaders to reinvest. Everyone to believe his town will fully return from all of its calamities.
You lost a lot of history in this storm.
MAYOR A.J. HOLLOWAY, BILOXI, MISSISSIPPI: We lost a tremendous amount of history. But we are going to bring it back as much as we can.
FOREMAN: Inside the lighthouse, the wall shows how high floodwaters have risen over many years. But sites all over show that this town has always built up no matter how far it is beaten down.
RAYMOND: It is not our history but it is a reminder and the -- markers of our history.
FOREMAN: And Bill Raymond is convinced with each bit of history he can save, a future, too grows brighter.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN: It really is just the living record. Living proof that they know how to recover here and they say you have to show that if you want people to believe you are going to recover again.
Yes, they have the casinos and all of that. Yes, they have right now this morning a beautiful beach here with dolphins jumping. It is telling to you have no idea any of these troubles have hit here at the moment if you are standing on the beach.
But that history, that history really matters. It is not just a feel-good thing. They say that's the secret to building up again here -- John and Kiran.
ROBERTS: And you know, it is amazing that they can do it with such conviction knowing that the law of averages suggests they are going to have to do it again at some point.
FOREMAN: Yes. But you know, just think about it. A lot of the places they are building up. These are places that have already been through this many times. They were through hurricane Camille. They were through some of the big storms in the early 1900s.
I will tell you this, John. You will particularly like this. Kiran, you have to come down and join in on this, too. We ate last night at Mary Mahoney's old French house here; a building that opened up before -- 30 years before the war of independence in this country.
ROBERTS: Wow.
CHETRY: Amazing.
FOREMAN: Let me tell you, I had some stuffed snapper there. That's history worth saving.
CHETRY: It always comes back to food, doesn't it?
ROBERTS: You want him to send some up?
FOREMAN: It does, doesn't it?
CHETRY: A snapper? I'd say no. But I'd like to come down and taste it.
ROBERTS: Thanks Tom.
CHETRY: Tom thanks.
ROBERTS: Continue the conversation on today's stories, go to our blog at cnn.com/amfix. That will wrap it up for us. Have a great, great weekend.
CHETRY: And the news continues right now, "CNN NEWSROOM" with Kyra Phillips starts right now.
