Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Half-Billion Bad Eggs Recalled; Nuke Plant and Drone Bomber: Bomber Unveiled Power Station; Children's Hospital Gets Overwhelmed in Pakistan; Should VA Take Over Arlington Cemetery?; Blago's Comeback?

Aired August 23, 2010 - 06:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good Monday morning, and thanks so much for joining us on the Most News in the Morning. It's the 23rd of August. I'm John Roberts.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN GUEST ANCHOR: Summer is almost over.

ROBERTS: You had to bring that up.

COSTELLO: I'm sorry.

ROBERTS: Starting a new week, starting off on the right foot.

COSTELLO: It's Monday.

ROBERTS: Hey, summer is almost over.

COSTELLO: OK. We have two more weeks of summer.

ROBERTS: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Now officially we have more than that, at least for --

ROBERTS: This week. We still have a long way to go. It's summertime so --

COSTELLO: That's right. And it's going to be a great day. It's going to rain today in New York City.

Good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello in for Kiran Chetry. We have a lot to talk about, so let's get right to it.

ROBERTS: Oh, my.

COSTELLO: One thousand people sick, more than half a billion eggs now possibly contaminated with salmonella. The whole thing traced back to two farms owned by a company with a history of violations. The latest on the recall, the outbreak and what you should do.

ROBERTS: A proposed Islamic center and mosque that could be built steps away from Ground Zero has tensions on overdrive today. We'll show you the rally where hundreds of people showed up both for and against the mosque, and we'll tell you what the Islamic religious leader is saying for the very first time. COSTELLO: And it's like page one of the political handbook before the president goes on vacation. (INAUDIBLE) this morning, critics asking why President Obama didn't spend more time on the Gulf Coast instead of playing golf in Kennedy country.

ROBERTS: And, of course, the amFIX blog is up and running this Monday morning. Join the live conversation going on right now. Just go to CNN.com/amFIX.

COSTELLO: Up first, just in time for breakfast, bad eggs. An expanding recall and investigation this morning. So far, over half a billion eggs are being pulled off the shelves. People in 17 states being told check the fridge so they don't end up like more than 1,000 people, poisoned by salmonella.

ROBERTS: Now the search for egg zero, I guess you might call it, has led investigators to two farms in Iowa. They're owned by the same family that does not have the cleanest record as the head of the Food and Drug Administration told our Don Lemon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. MARGARET HAMBURG, FDA COMMISSIONER: There is no question that these farms that are involved in the recall were not operating with the standards of practice that we consider responsible. We're continuing the investigation and as we find problems, we, of course, will respond. So the recall may extend since the companies involved have been cooperative and we are working closely with them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: Our Casey Wian is live for us this morning. He is in Galt, Iowa. And, Casey, when you look at this recall, it's so enormous. More than a half a billion eggs and this is a staple of so many people across the country. Every day they get up they crack a couple of eggs and get on with their day.

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, we're outside the facilities of one of the nation's largest egg producers and for years Wright County egg operated basically under the national radar. Not anymore.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WIAN (voice-over): This modest building in Iowa farm country is at the center of one of the largest food safety scares in recent history. Wright County Egg is based here. We met the chief operating officer inside, but he declined to speak with us about the company, its related businesses and their long history of fines for health and safety violations. They include animal cruelty, sexual harassment of workers, even rape, and the hiring of illegal immigrants.

This undercover video obtained last year by the group Mercy for Animals shows how chickens were treated at the company's farm in Maine. The owner agreed to pay more than $130,000 in fines. We met several local residents who are not happy with Wright County Eggs' expanding presence. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People moved away. Who wants to live by a mega site?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got more migrant workers than we have our own workers. Wages are low.

WIAN: In a statement, the company said, "When issues have been raised about our farms, our management team has addressed them swiftly and effectively." It also said the company is cooperating with the FDA investigation into what caused the outbreak of salmonella and led to the recall of more than half a billion eggs. About a thousand people have become ill this summer including the Danielson family in Minnesota.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody had diarrhea. That was kind of the first thing. And then headaches. And then throwing up. And then it was body aches, you just couldn't even move. You know, it was like in your joints. It hurts so bad, it was worst than any flu I've had.

WIAN: Already, lawsuits are being filed in several states by people who say they became sick eating eggs from Wright County Egg.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WIAN: Now federal investigators are still trying to determine the original source of the salmonella outbreak. And what's interesting is that here in Iowa, some locals are simply shrugging off this story. We spoke to one storeowner who says that she gets her egg supply from a much smaller local producer and she believes that means less risk of contamination - John, Carol.

COSTELLO: She's getting -- but she's not buying from Wright farms, right? She's bypassing them because -- why?

WIAN: Absolutely. Well, that's what we're hearing, is that there's a lot of concern about the practices of these mega egg farming operations, that they may not be as clean and disease-free as some of the smaller, more tightly-run ships.

ROBERTS: I'm sure a lot of major distributors were buying eggs from them, so a lot of people obviously affected with this. Casey Wian this morning in Galt, Iowa for us. Casey, thanks.

COSTELLO: Find out which egg brands have been recalled and whether if the carton on your refrigerator is safe this morning. Go to CNN.com/amFIX for our links to the FDA's Web site. There will be a list of affected brands there. If your eggs are on the list, throw them out or take them back to the store. You will get a refund.

At 7:40 Eastern, we're going to talk to Commissioner Margaret Hamburg. How preventable was this outbreak. How can we be sure our food is safe to eat and why was this farm still up and running? That's in the next hour of AMERICAN MORNING.

ROBERTS: Also new this morning, hip-hop artist Wyclef Jean says he's not giving up on running for president of Haiti. Haiti's elections board disqualified him as a candidate last week. Officials didn't give a reason, but Jean says they ruled that he is not a resident of Haiti. Haiti's constitution requires that candidates live in the country five consecutive years before the election.

COSTELLO: Officials in Chile say it could take months to rescue 33 miners trapped underground. They were found alive after 17 days of searching. The men managed to tie a handwritten note to a probe that was lowered underground confirming they are all alive and inside a shelter.

ROBERTS: Former Agriculture Department employee Shirley Sherrod will meet with her old boss tomorrow. The Agriculture Department says she and Secretary Tom Vilsack will discuss a possible new job. It's the first face-to-face meeting that the two have had since Sherrod was forced to resign last month. You all remember, of course, the race- related scandal that started after conservative activist Andrew Breitbart uploaded misleading and incomplete video of a speech that Sherrod gave.

COSTELLO: And WikiLeaks founder, he says he's the target of a smear campaign. Swedish authorities issued a warrant for his arrest accusing him of rape, but then revoked it just hours later. After speaking with Al Jazeera, WikiLeaks' founder said he had suspicions of who's behind it but without direct evidence he couldn't make any allegations. He also said his site will publish more Afghan war documents within the next two to four weeks.

ROBERTS: Two announcements from Iran putting the West on edge this morning. The Islamic Republic unveiled a new long-range drone capable of bombing ground targets and flying long-distances at high speeds, according to Iran's state run media. And Iran started fueling its first nuclear power plant, something that Israel is calling, quote, "totally unacceptable."

Our Barbara Starr is tracking the latest for us from the Pentagon. Let's start with the latest on this drone, Barbara. Just how much of a threat is it, really?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, it remains to be seen, John. The Iranian leader, President Ahmadinejad, in fact, unveiled a prototype over the weekend of this very weapon calling it the "ambassador of death," according to Iranian media reports. This is a drone he says the Iranians say that will carry cruise missiles that can go perhaps as long as 600 miles. Not enough to hit Israel but enough to cause the U.S. Navy some concern in the Persian Gulf. It could be a threat to shipping in the gulf. But what's unclear right now is how many of these they really have on hand. Is there an inventory of them? Do they actually work, or is this another prototype that they are unveiling for public consumption? John?

ROBERTS: And the other big development out of Iran over the weekend, beginning to fuel the Bushehr nuclear power plant, and this is something else that other countries have said is very troubling if not unacceptable. How high are the tensions beginning to get there?

STARR: Well look, this is something that nobody wants to see but it's happening, the fueling of this power plant generated by nuclear fuel. The Russians are deeply involved. This is on Bushehr on Iran's southern coast.

Now, the U.S. has said because the Russians are overseeing it, they're pretty confident that all will be OK. But make no mistake, I mean there is a lot of concern that Iran is moving towards a real enrichment program for its nuclear fuel. That could lead to nuclear weapons. That's why Israel says all of this is totally unacceptable. The U.S. effort right now is really to try and reassure Israel, build its confidence if you will, that Iran is a good deal away from a nuclear weapon and that the West can do something about it through diplomacy, through sanctions to stop Iran. That certainly remains a very large open question - John.

ROBERTS: Barbara Starr for us at the Pentagon this morning. Barbara, thanks so much. And stay with us, by the way. We'll be talking more on Iran It 7:10 Eastern. ON our panel this morning, Robin Wright, the former diplomatic correspondent for "The Washington Post," and Patrick Clawson, with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

COSTELLO: Nine minutes past the hour. Time to get a check of the morning's weather headlines. And for that we head to Atlanta and Rob Marciano.

Good morning, Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol. Wet weekend for a lot of folks. And in some cases, the rain was coming down pretty heavily especially across the northeast yesterday. Three, four inches of rain in some sports and it's still winding down. And so from New York up to Boston, you're going to get off to at least a wet start to this work week.

A little bit farther down to the south, a little tropical connection. Heavy rain across parts of the Carolinas and Georgia yesterday. Check out some of this video of a sinkhole in North Georgia. White County. The little town of Cleveland up there. This little eatery got washed out or at least parts of it did in the parking lot there with three inches of rain falling in just a couple of hours, and sinkhole developed there and no injuries reported but certainly a frightening site there. A little car wash and it looks like next door as well.

All right. Let's talk about what's going on with the tropics. We've got Tropical Storm Danielle now. I mentioned this yesterday, or on Friday, that would probably develop. And sure enough, there it is in middle of the Atlantic. Where is it going to go? At this point the forecast track showing it to be a bit of a fish storm, might even go east of Bermuda. So at this point in time, we're not terribly worried about it but it will likely become a hurricane later on today or tomorrow. John, Carol, back up to you.

ROBERTS: Rob, thanks. See you about half an hour for the travel forecast.

MARCIANO: Sounds good. COSTELLO: A man known for his intensity and his base-throwing ability. And we mean base-throwing ability. I can't believe Lou Piniella has retired. He was all tears yesterday. After 23 seasons as a major league manager, the Cubs' skipper said goodbye to baseball.

ROBERTS: He said that he was planning to leave at the end of the season but said retirement just couldn't wait. Piniella won more than 1,800 games. That puts him 14th in the all-time list. He managed the Cincinnati Reds to the world title back in 1990, won two titles as a player when he was with the New York Yankees.

COSTELLO: He had a rough time with the Cubs though especially on the day he retired. They got slaughtered.

ROBERTS: Everybody has a rough time with the Cubs.

COSTELLO: I know. It's a tradition. He should have expected that.

The debate over proposed religious cultural center and Islamic mosque near the site of Ground Zero with the number of opponents growing, what are supporters of the project saying now? Susan Candiotti talked with some workers who say they intend to take a stand.

ROBERTS: Plus, new rules about the plastic in your wallet. They're now in effect. Find out what that means for your bottom line coming up. It's now just touching 12 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Blast from the past this morning. My goodness.

New this morning, the government catches up with at least 20 car dealerships that broke the rules in the cash for clunkers promotion. "USA Today" reports an investigation into last year's $3 billion trade-in program found that $94 million in rebates may be no good because incorrect paperwork was filed for some 22,000 clunkers. The audit also found that dealers skipped steps and in some cases illegally shipped vehicles overseas. These are vehicles that were supposed to be destroyed.

COSTELLO: The TSA is creating quite a stir for testing a new more intense pat-down at security checkpoints. Listen to this -- screeners at both Boston's Logan airport and McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas are using a palms-forward search - there it is - to search passengers. Wouldn't that make you feel comfortable? You know, usually they use the back of the hand thing.

The ACLU is now questioning if the more invasive search is really going to be all that effective.

ROBERTS: Most invasive search I ever had, we were in -

COSTELLO: Oh, my God.

ROBERTS: We were in Britain for a presidential event. George Bush was meeting with Tony Blair at Checkers (ph) and the SES was doing the pat-down outside. And they do the arms, and they do the legs, and then the guy turns to you and says, "Now I'm going to have to touch your groin."

COSTELLO: No.

ROBERTS: Yes.

COSTELLO: Did they use palms forward or the back of the hand?

ROBERTS: They absolutely did. More like palms up.

Now, to a developing story this morning, speaking out, Abdul Rauf, the religious leader of a controversial Islamic center and mosque a stone's throw away from Ground Zero, says New York City should move forward with the project to create, quote, "harmony and understanding" between religions.

In a Bahraini newspaper yesterday, the imam also said that the declaration of independence speaks of, quote, "principles that comply with Islam." He also pointed out that rights given to Americans are much better than what are found in many Islamic countries.

COSTELLO: But even attempts by the cultural center of the mosque's backers to explain both its purpose and location have not subdued protests at the site of the 9/11 attack. Hundreds gathered there yesterday.

Susan Candiotti tells us how blue collar workers intend to take a stand. She has more from near Ground Zero.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John and Carol, good morning.

Dueling rallies without facing each other and without, for now, showing much hope of compromise.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Passionate protesters. They argue that an Islamic center and mosque two blocks away from Ground Zero is what they call a slap in the face to those killed on 9/11.

ANDREW SULLIVAN, ANTI-ISLAMIC CENTER PROTESTER: This is Andy from Brooklyn. Forget about it!

CANDIOTTI: Andrew Sullivan is urging blue-collar workers to sign a pledge refusing any job at the proposed religious site. Hardhats were handed out at the protest rally. This man, who works for the fire department, put one on.

MIKE MEEHAN, ANTI-ISLAMIC CENTER PROTESTER: If they build it uptown, I'd have no problem with it, believe it or not. I would have no problem. Just not down here.

CANDIOTTI: For others, the Muslims behind the project are nothing short of sinister.

SHAWN GILFEATHER, ANTI-ISLAMIC CENTER PROTESTER: I think the people that are backing it, the people that are funding it, are actually in cahoots with them, you know - you know, with the terrorists.

CANDIOTTI: About a block away, supporters scoffed at suggestions that an Islamic center would be a cover for terrorists.

DR. ALI AKRAM, ISLAMIC CENTER SUPPORTER: There are many Muslims who lost Muslim family members at Ground Zero, so when they come to visit Ground Zero as a memorial, they should be able to walk two blocks down and pray for their loved ones.

CANDIOTTI: An Ohio army reservist on his way to Afghanistan sees the controversy as a perfect platform to prove what troops are fighting for overseas.

LT. COL. CHRIS DZIUBEK, ISLAMIC CENTER SUPPORTER: They have the -- certainly the right and the ability to do it whatever they would like. And - and that's what I like about the country, is the ability for people who disagree with one another to hash it out without guns.

CANDIOTTI (on camera): On Sunday, the wife of the imam involved in the Islamic center controversy said there are no changes planned, but the move could be considered after consultations, as she put it, with all major stakeholders.

DAISY KHAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR MUSLIM ADVANCEMENT: We have to be cognizant that we also have that constitutional right. We have the Muslim community around the nation that we have to be concerned about. And we have to worry about the extremists as well, because they are seizing this moment.

And so we have to be very careful and - and deliberate in - when we make any major decision.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI: The Islamic center planners say they are working with the rabbi to pattern the building like a Jewish community center. That's of little interest to protesters - John and Carol.

ROBERTS: Susan Candiotti this morning. Susan, thanks.

With Americans trying to save money, more and more people who need a new ride are buying a used car. The problem? That high demand is pushing up the price of used cars but as much as 30 percent.

COSTELLO: And the president's return to Martha's Vineyard turning into fuel for his critics. Why his visit to the Gulf Coast wasn't long enough for some of them.

Nineteen minutes past the hour now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Twenty minutes - 22 minutes past the hour. "Minding Your Business" this morning.

The price of a used car is skyrocketing because more consumers unsure about the economy are buying pre-owned instead of new. Edmonds.com says the average hike on a three-year-old car is 10 percent or $1,800. Some used SUVs and Crossover vehicles prices have jumped by 30 percent or more, and the highest jump is the used Cadillac Escalades. They're up nearly 36 percent.

ROBERTS: Wow. Because people don't care about the high cost of gas.

The new rules on your credit cards are now in effect. They block banks from charging you more than $25 for late fees except in extreme circumstances. Creditors are also banned from charging you for not using your card.

COSTELLO: Betty White won her sixth Emmy on Saturday night for her recent stint hosting "Saturday Night Live." But at 88 she is still so busy, she was not on hand to actually accept the award. The win came at the Creative Arts Emmy ceremony in Los Angeles held before the main Emmy ceremony which is, of course, this coming Sunday.

Other big winners, in case you're interested, Neil Patrick Harris for his appearance on the Fox Musical comedy "Glee" and for hosting the Tony's. John Lithgow took home a trophy for a guest spot on Showtime serial killer drama, "Dexter". And Old Spice took best commercial for one of its Old Spice guy commercials.

ROBERTS: I didn't even know there was an Emmy for a commercial.

The night's biggest winner though was HBO, the premium cable network, which is owned by CNN's parent company, Time Warner, took home 17 trophies, mostly on the success of World War II - the World War II miniseries "The Pacific."

COSTELLO: Just ahead from the funny ha-ha to the funny just plain weird, we have a look at the season's best political ads.

It's 24 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

President Obama trying to keep a low key during a weekend get-away at Martha's Vineyard. For any commander in chief, some time away is a vacation in name only, but appearances can be everything. And his critics are trying to make it the only thing as election season approaches.

Our Dan Lothian is traveling with the president in Martha's Vineyard.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: John, Carol, as far as we know, President Obama did not take a poll to decide where he should vacation, but as a presidential historian put it, vacationing is politics. The public pays attention to a destination. And critics find plenty of reasons to say it's wrong. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LOTHIAN (voice-over): It may have looked like a vacation, swimming, bike riding, golf and ice cream. But by the dictionary's definition, freedom from work, President Obama has never been on holiday.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When a president goes away he can't really escape the job, not only does he have briefings and so on, but it's got to be in the back of his mine the sense that something could erupt at any moment.

LOTHIAN: And it does. President Obama's Hawaii Christmas getaway was interrupted almost before it began by the so-called underwear bomber.

ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: We're learning more as the night goes on about what the White House is calling an attempted act of terrorism.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: The American people should be assured that we are doing everything in our power to keep you and your family safe and secure during this busy holiday season.

DENNIS MCDONOUGH, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL CHIEF OF STAFF: My BlackBerry started to go off quite vigorously. And while I tried to ignore the First Couple, I wasn't able to ignore it for long and so we went right to work on this.

LOTHIAN: Dennis McDonough, a top National Security advisor traveling with the president managed the flow of intelligence information linking Hawaii to the White House situation room.

MCDONOUGH: Arranging for the - the phone calls, making sure that General Jones was in regular touch with the president. John Brennan was in regular touch with the president, to make sure that we're doing everything we can to stop the immediate threat. LOTHIAN: It isn't always a national crisis. While the First Family was on Martha's Vineyard last year, Senator Ted Kennedy died and the White House announced the re-appointment of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you've been in the pool on - in either Martha's Vineyard or Hawaii, I think you could attest to the fact that the notion of a - a presidential vacation is - is one sit room call away from becoming a -

LOTHIAN: Well, from becoming just another day at the White House.

Correspondent Ann Compton, who has covered seven presidents for ABC News has seen her share of disruptive presidential vacations, but none more than while traveling with George Herbert Walker Bush.

ANN COMPTON, ABC NEWS WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Saddam Hussein invades Kuwait. President Gorbachev of Russia is subject to a coup and held hostage. Every single time the president got to Kennebunkport, all heck would break loose somewhere around the world. LOTHIAN: A vacation may mean freedom from work, but rarely for the president.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LOTHIAN: President John Adams came under fire not for vacationing lavishly but for spending seven months away from the White House caring for his sick wife, Abigail. Critics said he had abdicated the presidency, John, Carol.

COSTELLO: Oh, sick was bad back then, too, and had he a sick wife. I'd say that was a good excuse.

ROBERTS: Absolutely. You know, the politics, we all think of politics is so vicious now. Go back 150 years and see how vicious it was.

COSTELLO: It just -- it just wasn't so widespread and constant.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: Yes.

Thirty minutes past the hour. That means it's time for this morning's top stories.

More than half a billion eggs now part of a nationwide recall and salmonella scare. The FDA says more than 1,000 people have gotten sick. The outbreak is being traced back to two Iowa farms this morning.

ROBERTS: Miners trapped for more than two weeks in Chile are still alive. But listen to this: they may not see daylight for months. Yesterday, a camera brought back these first images of them since August the 5th. They also sent up a note saying that they were huddled in a shelter.

But authorities say it could take at least two months to dig them out. Meantime, food, water and medicine will be lowered to the miners through a small hole. In fact, there are some estimates, they might not get out of there until the New Year.

COSTELLO: That's just insane. But amazing they are alive and they can survive down there.

Hostage situation unfolding right now in the Philippines. Authorities say an ex-cop stormed a tour bus with 25 people on-board demanding that he get his job back. He was wearing his uniform and carrying a rifle when he flagged down a bus asking for a ride. So far, police say nine hostages have been released and the hostage takers' family is talking to them.

The head of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, called it the worst disaster he has ever seen, even bigger than the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 and the recent earthquake in Haiti. More than 1,500 people are dead in Pakistan's floods. While the death toll pales in comparison to what happened in the tsunami and earthquake, now, disease is spreading. The United Nations says up to 3 1/2 million children are at high risk of deadly waterborne diseases and many people are not going to get any help. Hospitals left standing simply can't handle the chaos.

Our Sara Sidner is live in Islamabad this morning with a look at a very desperate situation -- one that's growing increasingly desperate almost by the hour, Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's absolutely true, John. You had mentioned earlier the UNICEF number that they had earlier on, predicted 3.5 million children at risk of waterborne diseases. Well, we saw some evidence of that in southern Punjab in a town called Multan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER (voice-over): Six-month-old Kalsu (ph) won't stop crying. His mother is beside herself after rushing her child to the hospital from the flood relief camp.

"I'm like a rolling stone, going here and there. My life is over. I have lost everything," she says. "And now, I'm at the mercy of others and the government."

At this government hospital, nurses rush to give Kalsu an I.V. drip to rehydrate him. His tiny body is now racked with diarrhea and fever, and one of hundreds of young but sick survivors of the flood in Pakistan's Punjab province.

(on camera): In the Punjab province, this is the closest children's hospital to the flood zones. There are about 200 sick babies and children who come into this ward daily, but there are only 25 beds. So, three or four children have to share a bed.

(voice-over): Others are outside in what looks like a long table top.

(on camera): It sounds like it's overwhelming with 200 patients.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is. It is. Two hundred plus patients we're dealing (ph) in 24 hours, in 24 hours. This is a huge amount of patients to deal.

SIDNER (voice-over): Overwhelmed is an understatement. This hospital is the only one dedicated to children for an area populated with an estimated 40 million people. As Dr. Amare Ijaz (ph) rushes around trying to keep up with the wave of flood victims, there's an urgent call about one of her regular patients. A new born has stopped breathing. Her team is trying everything on this tiny 2-month-old Fahsan (ph). They manage to keep him alive but they don't know for how long.

There is no time to mentally process and separate each patient here. Instead, the medical team goes right back to the other 200 young patients crying out for help. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are using our own resources to deal with the patients.

SIDNER (on camera): But you don't have enough to save them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't have enough -- we don't have enough space, we don't have enough doctors, we don't have enough medicines.

SIDNER (voice-over): If doctors here have to keep up this pace with no additional funding, they say they'll completely run out of everything for these tiny little patients in about three months.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: You heard the doctor there. Not enough food, not enough medicine, not enough beds. There is simply not enough. And that is the story around Pakistan and has been for the last three weeks -- John.

ROBERTS: Well, is there any hope, Sara, of getting anymore supplies, more doctors to them?

SIDNER: Yes. The good news is there are people coming in. Lots of different organizations are here now. Lots of contingents from different countries are here in different areas. But there are still places that are currently flooding where people are just running from the floods and places the U.N. estimated that there are 4 million people that still don't have shelter. So, a lot of those people don't even have a roof over their heads -- have nothing to get out of this terrible heat here. So, the situation is still a very dire one here in Pakistan -- John.

ROBERTS: Sara Sidner for us this morning from Islamabad -- Sara, thanks.

To find out how you can help provide relief to the flood victims in Pakistan, visit our "Impact Your World" Web page, that's CNN.com/Impact.

COSTELLO: Dozens of American heroes had their graves mislabeled or left unmarked. Is it time for the Army to turn over control of Arlington National Cemetery?

It's 35 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

Coming to you by radio, television and most certainly on Internet, it is the political ad season. Try as you might, you can't get away from political hopefuls who will soon invade just about every medium available.

COSTELLO: I think they have already invaded. To get your attention, candidates are out to shock you, humor you, or even scare you for a vote.

Joining us from Washington this morning to break it all down: Evan Tracey, the president and founder of Campaign Media Analysis Group.

Good morning, Evan.

EVAN TRACEY, CAMPAIGN MEDIA ANALYSIS GROUP: Good morning. How are you?

COSTELLO: I'm good. We're going to start out with the funniest political ads because I'm in the mood for funny ha-ha right now. So, hit us. First of all, we'll show you a clip, then ask we'll ask you about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(INAUDIBLE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Well, I know you're laughing and rolling out of your seats at home. Of course, we had an audio problem. Can we actually roll it again with the audio or we just don't have it?

I'm waiting for the wise person in my -- we don't have it.

OK, Evan, it's up to you. Make that spot funny and tell us why it's funny and why it works or doesn't.

TRACEY: Well, it's really probably more of a metaphor of things to come this fall as far as the, you know, old "go for the shock value kick in the groin" type commercials. But those are just some of the ones we're seeing already this year. I think it is probably a pretty good metaphor of things to come.

ROBERTS: You know, some candidates are, you know, using a clever way to make a point. John Hickenlooper in Colorado who is the candidate for the governorship there has done that. He's trying to inoculate himself against negative ads.

Let's see if we can get some audio on this one and show it for the folks at home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN HICKENLOOPER (D), COLORADO GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: I'm John Hickenlooper. And I guess I'm not a very good politician because I can't stand negative ads. Every time I see one, I feel like I need to take a shower. And you see a lot of them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: All right. So, Hickenlooper keeps coming back and forth into the shower. Can a candidate inoculate himself by saying -- or herself -- by saying, look, these negative ads, you know, I don't like them, you shouldn't like them either?

TRACEY: Right. And what he -- what he's doing here is he's using humor really to kind of set up an "I told you so" moment. I mean, this is very early in the governor's race. The primary just ended. So, when he does get attacked he'll have already basically said, oh, look, here they go again and probably setting up his next ad here.

ROBERTS: So, you think it actually could work.

TRACEY: Yes, it's a great way to talk about process. You don't have to talk about policy. And again, it's inevitable that he will get hit with negative ads.

ROBERTS: Yes.

TRACEY: And it sort of sets up that "I told you so" moment.

ROBERTS: And, Evan, the thing is with negative ads, that while people may find them distasteful, history has shown, a research has shown, that they do, in fact, work.

TRACEY: They absolutely work. They connect with voters. Voters may say they don't like them but in not liking them, they're actually hearing them and paying attention. So, the messages become sticky. And that's why negative ads work.

COSTELLO: The thing that stuck to me was why he was going into the shower with his clothes on. But the thing that stood out to me.

OK. Let's move on to the next one because these are the gross- out ones. This is from -- this is for a Republican Senate candidate in New Hampshire, Jim Bender. Let's take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: The federal government is devouring everything, taking over everything in its sights. We've seen it feast on businesses, kids' college loan programs and our personal health choices.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Uncle Sam actually belched in that one, Evan. That one actually turned me off. But would it turn off other voters out there?

TRACEY: Well, we'll probably find out on Election Day? These ads have been a little bit over the top. Certainly, Uncle Sam devouring the U.S. economy is a metaphor for government spending.

Candidates are trying to find interesting ways to sort of tap into voter anger. A lot of political ads run the problems of sort of looking like other ads and just sort of blending together. So, this is really an attempt to sort of jump out and get noticed and run something a little over the top.

COSTELLO: But again, the thing that stood out with me was Uncle Sam belching. That's the thing that I noticed. So, I guess it's all part of our extreme culture -- go on.

TRACEY: Yes. They may -- they may have gone a little far with the belching.

ROBERTS: And if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Daniel Freilich, who's a Democratic candidate in Vermont, is certainly paying homage to the Old Spice ads with this one. Have a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL FREILICH (D), VERMONT SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: Hello, Vermonters. Look at your senator, now back to me, now back to your senator, now back to me. Sadly, he isn't me.

But if you decide not to vote for the same old Washington nonsense, and switch to Freilich, you can count on me to work for you. I'm on a cow. Yaw!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: OK. So, clever. Now, this is a Web-based ad, Evan. We're going to see a lot of these. When you are publishing solely on the Web, do you have a little more latitude to get goofy with things?

TRACEY: You do. But the real challenge in trying to get your Web videos noticed is for everyone that gets noticed probably 1,000 don't. So, this is a way to sort of parody or borrow a format that's had a lot of success for Old Spice. I think we just saw they won an Emmy for it.

COSTELLO: But it's goofy. I mean, would you trust this guy in like creating jobs in Washington?

TRACEY: Well, there's probably a reason he doesn't have enough money to run these on TV. It's clearly, you know, doesn't have enough people willing to give to his campaign. So, that's a pretty good test right there.

But, you know, the fact of the matter is: you got to get noticed somehow on the Web. There's so much clutter. So, you parody or borrow one of these formats that's already worked for a brand like Old Spice and you hope to sort of, you know, piggyback on that success and get noticed. And, you know, look, we're talking about it on CNN this morning.

ROBERTS: And on the subject of money, $4.2 billion is expected to be spent on advertisements in this election cycle. And this is a mid-term election. Does that surprise you?

TRACEY: It's not surprising when you start to look at just how close and how competitive these races are going to be this fall. When you get into a political environment where you have a lot of competitive races, look, both parties want to maintain control of governorships. They want to maintain control of the House or take control of the Senate, whatever the case may be. And when you get these really competitive environments, the money follows in and you throw in rulings like the citizens united ruling where you can level out more outside money into the process, and it makes for an awful lot of spending and most of that is going on to some form of advertise.

ROBERTS: All right. And for those of you at home who are just wondering how close (INAUDIBLE), come to the real thing. Here's the real thing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello, ladies. Look at your man, now back to me, now back at your man, now back to me. Sadly, he isn't me. But if he stopped using ladies scented body wash and switched to old spice, he could smell like he's me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: All right. So just a little bit different.

COSTELLO: That was nice and much nicer than looking at Mr. Freilich. My apologies to Mr. Freilich. Evan Tracey, thank you for coming in this morning.

TRACEY: Sure, thanks. Good morning.

ROBERTS: Good to see you. Thanks.

Coming up to the top of the hour, our top story, the massive egg recall. We're live at one of the egg producers now under scrutiny for safety violations.

And a rainy start to the work week for many people this morning. Rob got the travel forecast right after the break. A lot of people still trying to either get home or get to work after a lot of cancellations because of that yesterday. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Not such a nice day in Boston, would you say?

COSTELLO: No. I was going to say this song is so cliche because we're showing a shot of Boston. But it is nasty out, John, even though we have four more weeks of summer.

ROBERTS: Wait a minute, 50 minutes ago you started off this program by saying, oh, summer's almost over. Now it's like the music is cliche.

COSTELLO: Don't you have the doldrums now though?

ROBERTS: No. I mean --

COSTELLO: You're happy and peppy?

ROBERTS: Do I seem happy and peppy?

COSTELLO: Yes.

ROBERTS: Did you hear me saying conned sending things about our musical choices? No.

COSTELLO: OK. I take it back. It was an excellent musical choice.

ROBERTS: Lighten up. There you go.

COSTELLO: OK. It is -- what?

ROBERTS: First of all, I can say Boston, awful weather today. 65 right now. Later on rain and just 68 degrees, so --

COSTELLO: Did I skip over Rob Marciano.

ROBERTS: No, no, not yet, not yet. If you' are like Marosa (ph) about the fact that summer is coming through an end, like it's going to really be in the doldrums today because of the weather in Boston.

COSTELLO: OK. I'm going to be peppier. My lesson's learned. It's 49 minutes past the hour. Shall we get a check of this morning's weather headlines?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Day in, day out. John Roberts, if it's one thing, it's peppy. So, come on, visit us a little bit more often, Carol.

COSTELLO: That's his middle name, John Peppier --

MARCIANO: Drink the Kool-Aid.

COSTELLO: Right.

MARCIANO: Hey, a lot of folks want the summer to be over. I'd say that has been so dreadfully hot in so many areas. So, any sort of cool down to at least more September or October-like weather that certainly would be welcome. It's definitely wet and has been yesterday. Check out some of these numbers, Hilton Head, South Carolina, 4 1/2 inches. Syracuse, New York saw 4.2. Poughkeepsie at the Hudson (ph) 3-1/2, even White Plains just outside of New York City, 3 inches of rainfall.

Here are some of the results. There is some video out of Queens just south and west of White Plains where folks were having a hard time getting around. The roads and sewers kind of jammed up and even some of those smaller vehicles stalling out. A little manpower having to push some of those vehicles through the wet and tumbly weather. The only good news is that this didn't happen during the week. Rush hour yesterday would have been just a nightmare, and yes, help your brother out there. One thing that New Yorkers do, they help each other out, that's for sure. All right. We got some rain that's going to continue. You kind of see this swirl. It's not really going anywhere too quickly. So, rain will be on and off. And yes, Boston will be a somewhat miserable day today if you are fan of hot and dry weather. So, over and hour delay, I think, at Boston and New York City airports. Philadelphia will see some airport delays as well.

And this is tropical storm Danielle. 60-mile-an-hour winds at this point. It is forecast to become a hurricane, maybe in the next day or two, but it's far out here in the Atlantic, and right now, most of our computer models keep it in the Atlantic. We certainly hope that holds true. We'll keep an eye on it for you. AMERICAN MORNING is coming right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: New this morning, veterans groups and lawmakers suggesting the upkeep of Arlington National Cemetery should be transferred from the army to the Department of Veterans Affairs. This comes after an army investigation in June found 211 American heroes had their graves mislabeled or left unmarked. Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill has said that number could actually be in the thousands.

ROBERTS: Former Illinois governor, Rod Blagojevich, promises that he's a comeback kid. He vows that if he's retried on corruption charges, he's going to call witnesses like White House chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel and Senators Harry Reid and Robert Menendez to testify. The disgraced lawmaker also says he may try to return to political office once the legal case against him winds down.

COSTELLO: Now that will be interesting.

Blackberrys, Droids and iPhones, every day your teenager uses them to connect to the web, the Facebook, the twitter, and to each other. And experts warning now that your kids are addicted with one doctor telling CNN this is like the new nicotine and with all this technology comes the threat of cyber bullying and sexting. So, how can you protect your kids? Some advice at 8:40 eastern from former education secretary and talk show radio host, Bill Bennett.

ROBERTS: Top stories are coming your way right after the break. And coming up in about 15 minutes, a great discussion on Iran now that they're fueling up the Bushehr nuclear power plant and continuing with their nuclear program, where is all of this going? Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)