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American Morning
Violent Storm Slams New York; A New Sheriff in Town: Warren to Set Up Consumer Protection Agency; Low Fares, Better Service?; American Nuns Versus the Vatican; Meeting of the Conservative Minds; Illegal Drug Use Surges; Severe Storm Hit New York Yesterday
Aired September 17, 2010 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Well, good morning to you. Thanks so much for being with us on this Friday. It is September 17th. If you live around New York, you survived what felt like a tornado yesterday.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: Busy, busy, busy afternoon yesterday, and busy this morning as they clean up.
I'm Drew Griffin. John Roberts off this morning. A lot to talk about including the weather. Let's get right to it.
It is just about rush hour last night. What may have been a tornado struck New York City. One person dead. Some parts of the city still in the dark. Many without a way to work or school. We're going to show you the incredible aftermath.
CHETRY: A Harvard law professor taking on the titans of Wall Street. Elizabeth Warren handpicked by the president. He wants her to build a new Consumer Protection Agency and to keep the big banks in line. But will this new office hold or new appointment hold any real power?
GRIFFIN: And disappointing news this morning, a surge in illegal drug use. Its highest level in nearly a decade. Ecstasy, meth, and especially marijuana are fueling the surge. Jeanne Meserve is taking a look at this trend and why more young people may think pot isn't such a big deal.
CHETRY: The amFIX blog is up and running as well this morning. Join the live conversation right now. Go to CNN.com/amFIX.
Up first, though, we want to get to the weather. Thousands still reeling this morning, scrambling for a way to work in the dark after a powerful and deadly storm tore through New York City last night.
CHETRY: The National Weather Service still hasn't confirmed that it was a tornado that touched down, but they're going to find later today for sure. A lot of residents though say, hey, we don't need any confirmation. We know what we saw.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY (voice-over): It seemed to hit out of nowhere. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can see the rain coming down in sheets now.
CHETRY: A fast-moving, ferocious storm exploded over New York City and the surrounding area just as people were headed home in the afternoon rush. Commuters became storm chasers. And in a matter of minutes, sheets of rain, dark black clouds, 80-mile-an-hour winds, powerful enough to rip the brick off of store fronts. And for block after block, from Brooklyn to Queens, trees came down crushing cars, blocking roads, ripping down power lines. One woman was killed when a tree came down on her car after she pulled over on the highway.
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK CITY: The only thing that's important is that people are safe. We can always get power back. The trees will regrow, but if you lose a life, you never get that back.
CHETRY: Severe weather also slammed parts of the Midwest. People in Ohio say they saw a funnel cloud leave this trail of debris. And high winds tipped over this tractor-trailer as neighbors looked on in shock.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I thought it was going to take our house and my family, but it didn't. I was lucky.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I looked at my wife and I said we've got to run. We've got to run right now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: Well, there you see it. It wasn't just New York, but parts of the Midwest, as well. Rob Marciano in the extreme weather center this morning to talk more about this. And -- so what did we see yesterday here in New York? When will we know if it was actually a tornado?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, they're going to send a storm survey team out there today and they'll have a look at it and they'll take a look at the damage and the pattern of it and the extents of it and see if it was indeed a tornado. There was definitely some high winds obviously that went through there.
This is the radar between 4:00 and 7:00 yesterday. Obviously bright colors are always bad on these things. And when you get them lined up and the closer radar kind of shows things kind of bowing out a little bit and that will indicate you've got some strong winds that will be brought down from the upper levels.
Now it will definitely take down trees. That will definitely do some damage. There was some circulation spotted on the Doppler radar. But the problem is, there was so much rain in the area, it was rain wrapped and hard to see. So quite possible it was a tornado. We'll wait and see. Either way, I mean, the damage is done. This is a rough storm that came through the area.
We talked about how strong this system was. It did do some damage in Ohio. This was a substantial tornado that rolled into West Virginia, and numerous wind reports across parts of New York City. This is the radar now. So we're looking at much calmer conditions today. Most of the energy has moved well off towards the north and east, and we don't anticipate any more severe weather with this system. But with this system, Karl, we have to keep an eye on this, guys. It's now a major hurricane. Category Three storm and it's going to slam into Mexico later on this morning and this afternoon. We'll talk more about this in the next 30 minutes. Back to you guys in New York.
CHETRY: Wow. All right, Rob. Thanks.
MARCIANO: You bet.
CHETRY: Well, there's a new sheriff coming to town. The White House says that she'll be keeping a close eye on Wall Street and the fat cats who gambled away all of those 401(k)s.
GRIFFIN: Her name is Elizabeth Warren. This afternoon, the president plans to introduce her as his new special adviser. Her goal, set up a consumer protection agency. Keep the big banks on the straight and narrow.
Ed Henry is live at the White House this morning. Ed, Elizabeth Warren apparently not afraid to tango with Wall Street elite. But I have to ask, will she have power?
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, that is going to be the big question, Drew. I mean, she has become a darling of the left because she's been fearless about not just taking on the big banks, but taking on this Obama administration, frankly, in her role as chair of the congressional oversight panel of those TARP bailouts. She's been tough about keeping them honest about whether they are really being tough on Wall Street, et cetera.
What's interesting is we talk a lot about all the maneuvering for big jobs in Washington that may or may not really have an impact on our viewers' lives. This is a role that could very well touch the lives of all of our viewers because she is going to be helping to set up this new agency that is basically going to touch a lot of peoples' lives. This consumer protection agency that is going to basically be in charge of making sure that banks are dealing with all these new credit card laws, making sure also and overseeing student loan changes that are taking place. But also, providing free credit scores to consumers.
Bottom line is coming out of all the financial bailouts, the crises, making sure that consumers have a say in all of these big debates in Washington. But you're right, the question about her power is very relevant here because the president decided not to make her the actual head of this new agency. Instead, she's going to be an adviser setting up.
Why did he do that? Because Republicans have been blocking many of his nominees in the Senate. This would be a confirmable position if she was the head of the actual agency, so this sort of goes around that in a way and enables her to just set up the new office but not actually run it. This is pleasing a lot of liberal groups who want to see her in a key role. But many of them are saying privately, look, maybe she's going to essentially be the chair of all of this, you know, behind the scenes. But the White House is saying, no, that's not what's going to happen. She's going to set this up and probably move on. There'll be someone else that they'll name that the Senate will have to confirm. So in the end, there may be some disappointment on the left if she's not actually running it and doesn't really have some of the power that you mentioned -- Drew, Kiran.
CHETRY: Interesting. Also, on the issue, you know, your money, we're also talking about the extension possibly of the Bush era tax cuts for the middle class and whether or not that will kick up to the highest income earners, as well. Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House, seemed to leave the door open yesterday. Whatever came of what she was saying when it came to whether or not she'd introduce this legislation?
HENRY: Well, you're right, because, you know, Democrats had pounced on John Boehner's remarks. And so, look, there's a split in the Republican Party because he had left the door open to just passing the extension of middle class tax cuts, not necessarily tax cuts for the rich. He since sort of walked that back.
And so Nancy Pelosi was planning to may be bring up a stand-alone bill of just extending the middle class tax cuts because Democrats -- hey, look, you know, this will put Republicans really on the spot ahead of those midterm elections, but now there are a few dozen conservative House Democrats who have written to the speaker, as you know, saying, look, we're not going to support just an extension of the middle class tax cuts because if you don't extend the tax cuts for the rich, you're essentially raising taxes on the rich in the middle of this recession that keeps going on and on.
So Nancy Pelosi may not now have the votes to pass the middle class tax cuts only. That's why she's sort of leaving the door open to other things and it shows there's not just been a split maybe in the Republican leadership, but a split among Democrats about what to do here. It's a very thorny issue. Going to play a big role in these elections coming up, Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. Thanks, Ed.
GRIFFIN: Ed, thanks.
The president scheduled to introduce Warren at a 1:30 news conference. We'll be following that along with Ed Henry at the White House. It's going to be a Rose Garden ceremony. And you can see it live on CNN.
CHETRY: Meantime, Comedy Central funnyman Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are ready to rally. The two are planning their own National Mall rebuttal rallies at the end of October. Here's Stewart announcing his gathering on last night's show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JON STEWART, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART": For tonight, I announce the rally to restore sanity. We will gather. We will gather on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. A million moderate march where we take to the streets to send a message to our leaders and our national media that says, we are here. We're only here, though, until 6:00, because we have a sitter. A clarion call for rationality.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, not to be outdone, Stephen Colbert then called on all freedom-loving patriots to march on the same day at the same time for his "Keep Fear Alive" rally.
And, of course, "CNN Equals Politics." Coming up in less than 30 minutes, we'll be breaking down the big political stories of the day with our senior political editor, Mark Preston.
GRIFFIN: And some of the biggest are right there.
Some other stories this morning. It should be finally over another couple of days. Drilling completed on a relief well that intercepts with the damage BP well over the gulf oil disaster. BP can now proceed with the bottom kill. That's the process where they're going to dump that heavy drilling mud and cement from the new well into the bottom part of the original well permanently sealing it. Officials expect that to be completed by Sunday.
CHETRY: Well, the mother of missing teenager Natalee Holloway reportedly sneaked into a prison cell in Peru to have a face-to-face encounter with murder suspect Joran van der Sloot. Beth Twitty apparently got inside Wednesday with the help of a Dutch TV reporter. The meeting reportedly lasting five minutes before prison authorities removed her. The Peruvian news reporter tells NBC news that van der Sloot would not answer any questions. She asked about Natalee Holloway's disappearance in which he's been a prime suspect in Aruba back in 2005.
Well, a new book about Carla Bruni dishing on First Lady Michelle Obama. Did she really say that life in the White House is, quote, "hell"? We're going to hear how the White House is responding this morning to the first lady of France's new book.
Ten minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: New information this morning about a murder/suicide at Baltimore's Johns Hopkins Hospital. We're now told the doctor shot in the abdomen will fully recover. Police say a 50-year-old gunman fired the single shot after the doctor was telling this guy about the condition of his mom. Witnesses say the suspect barricaded himself on the eighth floor. He then fatally shot his mom and then turned the gun on himself.
A spokesman for First Lady Michelle Obama denying that she said life inside the White House is hell. A new book on French First Lady Carla Bruni claims Mrs. Obama said that during the Sarkozy's official visit to Washington back in March. Carla Bruni was interviewed for the book but it is not her autobiography. The French embassy in Washington also says, hey, it never happened.
CHETRY: Well, they gave it a try, didn't work out so well for one university. They wanted to see if they could keep the students off of Facebook and other social networking sites. It was Harrisburg University of Science and Technology. So they announced last week they were going to block access to places like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, AOL's instant messenger and make students reflect on the role that social media plays in their lives.
Well, apparently they reflected their way out of the university grounds to find a way around it. They say that students did get around the firewall. Some of them walked three blocks off campus that had a hotel with Internet access and other practically figured out how to hack it and were able to break through with their skills.
GRIFFIN: Well, I mean, good for them. Science and technology, right?
CHETRY: Yes. They were also, I guess taking part in that experiment that they can't live without and they're going to do something about it.
GRIFFIN: They reflected on it.
CHETRY: They need their Twitter.
GRIFFIN: And broke it.
Hey, she went hunting for alligators in South Carolina. Oh, boy, did she get one. Huh?
Mary Ellen Mara-Christian hooked this humongous gator. Can you believe that? Thirteen feet long, 900 pounds. She says it took her husband and her --
CHETRY: That's a really gross shot there.
GRIFFIN: -- and a few friends a couple of hours to finally win that battle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARY ELLEN MARA-CHRISTIAN, CAUGHT 13 FOOT ALLIGATOR: Just pumping and pumping, and he was enormous. I mean, look at him. You can see this part of him coming out of the water. His big belly, and then you saw his head because his head had to come out for me to shoot him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: All right. Well, I hope that she's going to actually eat all that gator meat. She'll, you know, she can serve it for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, jerky some of it, have it next year.
GRIFFIN: Wow. Couple of belts.
CHETRY: There you go.
GRIFFIN: Coming up, flying the friendliest skies. We're going to tell you which airlines Americans like the best and why. "USA Today's" Eye in the Sky breaks it down for us on this International Pirate Day, gentlemen.
It is 15 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. We're "Minding Your Business" now.
They are famous for their low fares, but there's much more that airline passengers like about discount carriers.
CHETRY: Yes. Apparently, they're happy with the service, as well.
"USA Today" ranked 12 U.S. airlines for overall customer satisfaction, and, at the top, JetBlue, Hawaiian and Southwest Airlines. Delta, United, and U.S. Airways all ranked at the bottom.
Joining us now from Washington, "USA Today" travel writer, Ben Mutzabaugh. Thanks so much for joining us this morning, Ben.
BEN MUTZABAUGH, TRAVEL REPORTER, "USA TODAY": My pleasure.
CHETRY: Is it just a coincidence that passengers are ranking these lower-cost airlines that have sort of thought outside of the business model as their favorites when it comes to customer satisfaction?
MUTZABAUGH: Well, you know, the -- as you might expect, there's a lot going on here. You know, of course, you saw the -- the three lowest rated airlines were traditional airlines, and the three highest are two discount carriers and Hawaiian Airlines. Hard to get it wrong when you're flying to Hawaii.
But, you know, look, the -- the legacy carriers that are at the bottom, they were going through a lot for the last five years when this survey was conducted, and they were going through bankruptcy, employee morale was low, and, you know, that doesn't help service.
On the flip side, these low-cost carriers, they were smaller when -- you know, just -- even just a few years ago, they're still growing. That obviously helps employee morale. Not as many -- no layoffs, not as many cutbacks. And, you know, it's easy to -- to stay happy when you have a happy workforce.
And, you know, in a nutshell, that -- that's part of the reason that explains the -- the difference between these two types of airlines.
GRIFFIN: You know, as a traveler, I've got to ask you, isn't the difference now just the price? Because, basically it's the same service. You have no real great service on the big airlines. You just pay a higher price. So, it's kind of reduced expectations.
MUTZABAUGH: Well, you know, and a lot of times those -- the bigger airlines will even match those prices any more. So, you know, I think a lot of it is, you know, as you suggested, is expectations.
You know, when you pay, you know, $79 to fly Southwest, for example, you may not expect a whole lot, but if you pay $99 to fly a bigger airline, you may remember, you know, you may associate Delta and United with, you know, the glory days of PanAm, and, you know, brand back in the day, and you just -- fair or not, people, I think, have these expectations that are perhaps a bit higher for the -- for the bigger airlines.
But I think you're also starting to see a turn. Now that these bigger airlines, the economy for -- for them is a little better --
CHETRY: Right.
MUTZABAUGH: -- not for the rest of us, but I think you're seeing some pretty dramatic service improvements at United, at U.S. Airways, at Delta. So I think if you conducted the survey just for 2010 or maybe over the next two years, I think it'll be really interesting to see how these airlines stack up now with the low-cost carriers.
CHETRY: That's interesting, because you brought up one of the points that people, you know, are -- you know, people in the -- in the travel service industry -- I mean, the -- the flight attendants are basically doing the exact same job, in some cases for less money than they were 10 years ago because of all of that restructuring. So how do the airlines turn that around when it comes to making sure that the people who are on the front lines of, you know, customer service are happy?
MUTZABAUGH: You know, and of course that's going to change by each airline. You know, Southwest and even JetBlue are famous for hiring people who are more of a better fit for -- for their company than necessarily based on the experience, on the resume. So they'll say this person will be a person who's most likely to make our customers happy and we can train them the details for the rest.
So, you know, that's one example of how Southwest is very successful in keeping customers happy, just very customer-focused front line employees. But I think now that we're seeing some stability return -- you know, look, when you're losing 20 to 30 percent of your pay and your hours are getting longer and more difficult, it's hard to -- it's hard to stay upbeat.
I think it's what a lot of these big airlines went through. I think you're going to see less of that, and some of them are even starting to hire now, and that -- you know, as tough as things may be, that can't help but boost morale. CHETRY: All right. Sounds good.
Ben Mutzabaugh, breaking it down for us on why we like to travel certain airlines more than others. Thanks so much for being with us this morning.
MUTZABAUGH: You're welcome.
GRIFFIN: Thanks, Ben.
Coming up, nuns versus the Vatican. Catholic nuns across the country fighting back, apparently, in the face of investigations into whether they've strayed too far from the teachings of the church.
Carol Costello has an "A.M. Original" next. It is now just about 23 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Welcome back. This is the Most News in the Morning.
And it is day two of Pope Benedict's historic trip to Britain. There he is meeting with students of a catholic school today and then religious leaders in London yesterday. For the first time the Pope admitted the church failed in handling priest sex abuse cases. He's expected to meet with victims tomorrow.
CHETRY: Well, in this country, the Vatican is squarely at odds with American nuns. Many of them feel they're under siege from the church, which is questioning the quality of their religious life and the sisters are having their say.
Carol Costello is live in Washington with an "A.M. Original" for us this morning. Hey, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well --
CHETRY: So what's going on with the Vatican and the nuns?
COSTELLO: Well, Kiran, the Vatican is now conducting two sweeping investigations of American nuns. The latest round of visitations are now underway. And the Vatican hopes to have a better understanding of how nuns live their lives in the United States. Nuns don't see it that way, though. Many think these investigations are nothing short of interrogations designed to take away all they've gained.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SISTER MAUREEN FIEDLER, HOST, "INTERFAITH VOICES": Some of my friends asked me why their Vatican officials suffer from a deep seed hatred of women.
COSTELLO (voice-over): On Sister Maureen Fielder's Washington radio show --
FIEDLER: Could they be serious?
COSTELLO: -- the role of women in the Catholic Church is a popular one. The talk has been heated ever since the Vatican ordered two sweeping investigations into the religious views and lifestyles of American nuns.
Investigations that have alarmed many sisters like Marlene Weisenbeck, whose organization represents thousands of American nuns across the country.
SISTER MARLENE WEISENBECK, LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE OF WOMEN RELIGIOUS: We weren't quite expecting to walk into this kind of a process that would test our authenticity and our integrity.
COSTELLO: One of the investigations involved a two-part questionnaire consisting of 120 detailed questions like, "What is the process for responding to sisters who dissent publicly from Church teaching and discipline?" "How does the matter of the dress of your sisters lend to the dignity and simplicity of your location?" And this, "What are the procedures for dealing with matters such as civil disobedience, criminal activity, sexual improprieties, et cetera?"
FIEDLER: I think they want to be able to control what nuns do. They -- you know, in every aspect of their lives.
COSTELLO: At this year's Leadership Conference of Women Religious, some nuns say these investigations feel like an inquisition and are fighting back by boycotting all or part of the questionnaire.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. Are we ready for prayer?
COSTELLO: Fiedler says many nuns who haven't lived in convents or worn habits since the 1950s fear the Vatican wants to force them back into both. She also fears Rome wants to silence nuns when they disagree with the pope on issues like gays in the church or women's rights, something the church now allows them to do.
REV. FATHER JOSEPH TOBIN, "CONGREGATION FOR RELIGIOUS": Some of it might be a very deep seeded misunderstanding.
COSTELLO: The Vatican is hoping that Father Tobin who was just appointed the number two official for religious life can help calm the fear surrounding these investigations.
TOBIN: There is a need for a dialogue. And I think dialogue means that the two parties are honestly conversing in -- in search of the truth.
COSTELLO: Sister Marlene hopes that's true, but --
WEISENBECK: There is no turning back. I don't think that that happens in any kind of living organism. God doesn't turn the Church, doesn't turn creation in opposite directions.
(END VIDEOTAPE) COSTELLO: In other words, there is no turning back the clock for American nuns. Our CNN analyst John Allen tells us he expects the Vatican investigations will wrap up by December. And adds if the Vatican wants nuns to return to more conservative lives, they should just be patient, because young women who are considering sisterhood are more conservative than their elders. And many, Kiran, are even willing to return to wearing habits, although, convents -- maybe not so much.
CHETRY: That's interesting. And what is the fallout, if anything, about boycotting all or part of that questionnaire you were referring to?
COSTELLO: You know, we don't know. Everything surrounding these investigations is quite mysterious. The Vatican isn't talking much about it. But they're hoping that Father Tobin can calm fears and get more nuns to answer the questionnaires and also to answer -- you know, there are going to be people from the Vatican coming in and having one-on-one conversations with nuns. And they're hoping the nuns will feel comfortable doing that if their fears are, you know, calmed down somewhat.
We'll just have to see. We don't know.
GRIFFIN: You know, Carol, what's interesting about this is -- these women who are in the Catholic Church have been fighting with the church forever for a greater role, in taking part of this. But are there any financial ties between these nuns and the Vatican? I thought that nuns in this country pretty much were financially independent and had to raise money on their own. So, I'm wondering just why they even care what the Vatican says?
COSTELLO: Well, I think you've hit the nail on the head. And the Vatican is certainly aware of that because nuns own universities. They own their own property. They very much -- you know, work for charity and social justice issues. They're very much on their own and independent, yet they're very important to the church because they do a lot of work inside the church and for Catholicism worldwide.
So, the Vatican wants to keep them. But nuns know that they have a certain amount of financial power. And they don't really need the Vatican. But, you know, they're loyal Catholics. And it's not like they want to split from the church or anything, they love Catholicism.
So, hopefully, all will be mended soon. But these investigations, nobody knows exactly why they're being conducted and that's just creating all of this turmoil that doesn't necessarily have to be there.
GRIFFIN: Yes. Well, thanks, Carol. I mean, there is the faith and then there is the Catholic organization, and I guess that's where the two are disjointed from each other at the moment. But it's an interesting couple of days, couple of serious things. Thanks so much for that.
COSTELLO: Thank you.
GRIFFIN: Hey, and you know, tell us what you think about the role of women in the Catholic Church, especially if you are one. You can join the conversation live right now on our blog at CNN.com/amFIX.
CHETRY: And it's 31 minutes past the hour right now. We check our top stories.
This morning, New York City and some of the surrounding areas are recovering from a short, but very violent storm. One person was killed during the evening rush hour last night. She pulled over to the side of the road and a tree fell on her car. A lot of witnesses say they saw funnel clouds forming.
Tens of thousands of people lost power. There's still a big clean-up in the works today. Some commuter trains in the city, into the city will be suspended or canceled this morning.
GRIFFIN: Hey, troubling news on census data: 4 million new Americans falling below the poverty level just in the last year. That means more than 50 million people are now too poor to pay for health insurance. The numbers expected to be even worse next year with salaries and jobs taking hits. Poppy Harlow is going to break it down for us.
CHETRY: Also, Harvard law professor Elizabeth Warren has been tapped to keeping a close eye on the big banks on Wall Street. The president wants her to set up a new consumer protection agency and make sure that bankers are playing by the rules. The president will officially announce his appointment this afternoon.
GRIFFIN: Time now for the latest news from the best political team on television.
CHETRY: Yes, we're checking out the political ticker this morning.
Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski is about to reveal her plans for the general election in Alaska after losing the primary to Tea Party favorite Joe Miller.
Our senior political editor, Mark Preston, is live in Washington with details.
And it's interesting, Mark. A lot of these, you know, long time establishment candidates are having to scratch their heads and say, "Wait a minute, am I going to write myself in?" This could be the case in Delaware, as well.
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: No question, Kiran. Good morning to you and Drew.
Lisa Murkowski, what is she going to do? Of course, she was this upset loss just last month to the Tea Party favorite Joe Miller. Look, Lisa Murkowski had the money. She had the name recognition. She should have won reelection.
But guess what? She lost the primary. In fact, she was just here in Washington yesterday talking to her colleagues, trying to figure out what her plans are going to be.
Kiran, there's more on the CNN political ticker on CNNpolitics.com. We have story. We'll know more about her later this afternoon, later today.
But moving on, in Delaware, another upset. We saw Christine O'Donnell knock out Mike Castle, the Republican establishment candidate there. Well, guess what? Joe Biden, who held that seat for 20-plus years, is going up there to campaign today for Chris Coons. He's the Democratic candidate.
I will tell you, Kiran and Drew, had O'Donnell lost and Mike Castle had won that seat, Democrats were concerned that they were going to lose that seat. Joe Biden's seat would have gone Republican. But now that O'Donnell has won, even the odds makers are saying that Democrats have a better shot at that seat.
And then, of course, closing it all out, we're talking about 2010 for the next seven weeks. Well, why not talk about 2012? Well, the Values Voters Summit is happening here today in Washington, D.C. It lasts over the weekend.
And what is that? It's a confab of social conservatives from all across the country. They're going to come here and talk strategy, talk policy, and more importantly, at least for me, they're going to talk about presidential politics in several potential presidential candidates, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Mike Pence, Rick Santorum -- they're all going to address this group. And Christine O'Donnell -- she's going to be here today. She's probably going to be the rock star -- Kiran, Drew.
CHETRY: Mark, is this taking on new significance as we've been seeing the rise of the Tea Party and a little bit of a split between the mainstream GOP and this new and very, very well-organized, it seems, other movement that's coming in there, saying, "Let's get more conservative, let's get back to our roots"?
PRESTON: Yes, and I will tell you, there is this incredible amount of frustration right now, Kiran, amongst establishment Republicans because they don't really know how to battle back against this movement. They want to accept this movement in. They want these voters to vote for them in November, which will happen, but they had so many problems during the primaries. They had their own candidates, these establishment candidates. But, yet, these candidates such as Christine O'Donnell, Joe Miller, came out of nowhere.
So, yes, Republicans, national Republicans, are glad that these conservatives are anxious and eager to vote. They're just a little frustrated that they've been fighting them through the primary season.
GRIFFIN: Hey, what's the -- what's the odds on Murkowski? I've been looking for any hints. She's pretty much playing this close to the vest.
PRESTON: She's absolutely playing it close to the vest. And, look, Drew, you spent a lot of time in Alaska when you were covering Sarah Palin during the presidential race. You know that Alaska voters tend to be a little finicky. She has the money, but she doesn't have the backing of national Republicans.
And, in fact, late last night, Drew, the National Republican Senatorial Committee put out a statement in no uncertain terms told Lisa Murkowski, you know what? You should do the right thing for Alaska and back Joe Miller.
So, it doesn't appear that she has the backing of these establishment Republicans.
CHETRY: And, Mark, you're a guy that looks at the polls all the time. You see, you know, it almost sometimes takes on a chess match. You have to look where you have to win, you know, here and there to shift the balance of power. And when you're talking about states now like Delaware that many people thought if Mike Castle won it, it would go Republican.
What are the chances now for O'Donnell that in the general election in Delaware, a blue state, she'll be able to pull out a win against this candidate who looked like he was actually the -- you know, lagging behind Mike Castle before this upset?
PRESTON: You know, that's a great question because, you know, if you talked to the Tea Party activists, if you talk to the conservative activists, they say that she actually has a good shot of winning. But if you look at the numbers, if you talk to analysts, if you talk to independent thinkers and what they think about the race, it looks like Democrats have a better shot.
Moving into the general election, Delaware is a Democratic state. I will tell you this: the only chance she does have of winning this race is if the Democratic support is dampened and the Republican base is so energized they want to get out and put her into office. Although, you know, we've seen all these stories that have come out over the past couple of weeks about some of her past statements, a number of past things, which has been hurtful. And it certainly doesn't help when Karl Rove goes on FOX News Channel and attacks O'Donnell.
So, she has a tough road ahead of her. I suspect she will get a lot of money, though, from social conservatives and base activists from across the country who want to see her win.
GRIFFIN: Boy, the Biden family just got to be regretting their decision not to run Beau Biden as Senate candidate. They thought that that state was lost, didn't they, Mark?
PRESTON: They sure did. And, look, you know, not only were Democrats concerned about Delaware, Drew, they're also concerned about Illinois. Republicans could pick up that seat. And, of course --
GRIFFIN: Yes.
PRESTON: -- that was President Obama's seat.
GRIFFIN: Right. Right. OK. Thanks.
We're going to check back in with Mark in the next hour. And a reminder: for the latest on political news, go to the Web site: CNNPolitics.com. That site is buzzing with news.
CHETRY: Remember Cherry Garcia, the Ben and Jerry's flavor?
GRIFFIN: Yes, I do.
CHETRY: Well, there's a new one out there now.
GRIFFIN: What's it's called?
CHETRY: I don't know if you want this one, though. This is called Bananabis Foster. Yes, it is ice cream that contains marijuana. There are other flavors as well. And this is being sold in California.
GRIFFIN: Part of the problem.
Thirty-eight minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
It gives new meaning to smokeable, a medical marijuana dispensary -- what?
CHETRY: You just said that.
GRIFFIN: I said what?
CHETRY: Smokeable, I can't believe you just said that.
GRIFFIN: Well, it's on the prompter.
(LAUGHTER)
GRIFFIN: Take me, camera two. Here we go. Medical marijuana dispensary in California is offering a pot-infused ice cream. The creator says it was his lifelong passion.
CHETRY: (INAUDIBLE) 14th.
GRIFFIN: Yes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JONATHAN KOLODINSKI, POT ICE CREAM CREATOR: Everybody who has tried it has told us that they absolutely loved it. And we've had lots of people who have come back for seconds, thirds, and fourths. They (ph) don't have snowy vision because of this. You guys at home would love this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: I know this is supposed to be funny. But I don't think it's very funny at all. I think this is part of the problem. Finishing off a half pint would be like smoking eight joints. Customers can choose from three flavors. They have Bananabis Foster, Straw-Mari Cheesecake, and Triple Chocolate Brownie.
CHETRY: Oh, man. All right. Well, kids, please don't try that at home.
(INAUDIBLE) say that pot dispensaries like this one are sending the wrong message to teens.
GRIFFIN: You think? Really?
CHETRY: You feel like smoking pot or in this case, eating it, isn't such a big deal any more.
GRIFFIN: In fact, a new report says illegal drug use is higher that it's been in nearly a decade. Marijuana -- to blame for most of it.
Jeanne Meserve has more on the surge and what's causing it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Drew and Kiran, drug use is up. The question is: Is that because current policies don't work or because talk of changing those policies has made drug use look less harmful?
(voice-over): Illegal drug use is higher than it has been in a decade. According to a new government survey, usage among Americans 12 and over rose from 8 percent in 2008 to 8.7 percent in 2009, with an upswing in the use of ecstasy, methamphetamine, and particularly, marijuana. Among teenagers, marijuana use jumped from 6.7 percent in 2008 to 7.3 percent in 2009. Though it is still less than it was in 2002.
GIL KERLIKOWSKE, DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY: Young, heavy marijuana users are much more likely to report getting Ds and Fs than As and Bs are more likely to be trouble with the law for crimes like theft.
MESERVE: The survey shows a change in teens' attitudes towards using marijuana.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Marijuana has a very low risk compared to other things, I'd say.
MESERVE (on camera): Like?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like -- well, alcohol, for example.
MESERVE (voice-over): The nation's drug czar says fewer teens see marijuana as dangerous because of media coverage of current policy debates.
KERLIKOWSKE: I absolutely cannot rule out that this constant discussion of so-called medical marijuana, marijuana legalization, and the downplaying of marijuana harms that is prevalent in the media.
MESERVE: With California voting in November on a ballot measure legalizing marijuana, that debate has picked up tempo. Earlier this week, former heads of the Drug Enforcement Administration urged the Obama administration to take a strong stand against the measure. But supporters of legalized marijuana say the new survey numbers illustrate the failure of current government policy criminalizing marijuana.
MIKE MENO, MARIJUANA POLICY PROJECT: We need a legal, regulated marijuana market.
MESERVE (on camera): And that will lead to less teen use of marijuana?
MENO: It has for alcohol. It has for tobacco.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE: In fact, the survey shows the rate of teen alcohol and tobacco use stayed essentially the same during the past year. Other trends, the abuse of prescription drugs is up, but the use of cocaine has declined 30 percent since 2006.
Drew and Kiran, back to you.
CHETRY: Interesting. Seems people are just changing what they're using to sort of get high.
GRIFFIN: Yes. Yes, yes.
CHETRY: It's now 45 minutes past the hour. Rob's going to be along. We're still trying to figure out whether it was an actual tornado that touched down. It was a very severe storm that hit the New York yesterday. In fact, they're still struggling trying to get some of the debris off of rail lines like the Long Island Railroad and others. So, we're going to talk more about that with Rob and see what your travel forecast has in store today.
GRIFFIN: Yes, it was bad no matter what they caught. And in ten minutes, Jeanne Moos with the latest trend in automobile fashion. We're back in the blink of an eye. Harr. It's 45 minutes past the hour, mates.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: You know, there are certain things that go on behind the scenes around here. Sometimes, we like to tell you about them.
GRIFFIN: Sometimes, we can't do it.
CHETRY: Sometimes, we can't. Most of the time, we can, but I'll tell you what, our crew is very excited for today. Why? Well, today they're celebrating a couple days early, International Talk Like a Pirate Day.
GRIFFIN: And some of them are dressed like a pirate. And it is 48 minutes --
CHETRY: There we go.
GRIFFIN: Hey, look at that.
CHETRY: He was going to borrow a gold hoop, but he didn't think he was going to be on TV. Surprise!
GRIFFIN: Rob, we're missing you up here, buddy. You're not dressed like a pirate. You're like one of those British officers.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, I've always tried to pretend to be a bit of a royal, but nobody wears an eye patch like Peter. I tell you that. And even the peg leg. I know you're not showing that, but that was awful when that happened, but you get around like nobody I've seen. Hey, listen, I just want to touch on this as long as we're talking about the Pirates of the Caribbean. This rolled into now the Bay of Campeche here, Southern Gulf of Mexico.
It is now category three storm hurricane Karl. And I tell you what, this is going to make landfall later today and tonight as a major hurricane. So, the coastline is going to get beat up with a lot of wind, obviously, and storm surge and coastal flooding and then it's going to slam into the mountains, and it's going to go pretty much right over Mexico City.
Talk about population. Now, it's going to get crushed with the mountains. So, there's not going to be a ton of wind when it hits, but it's going to be a ton of rain. So, they got their hands full there from the coastline to the highly populated city. And also, I want to talk about Igor. This is still on track to get very close if not go right over Bermuda Sunday night or during the day on Sunday and into Sunday night, and it could be a major hurricane there.
So, they're preparing also. Video from New York. Boy, you guys got hammered, and this stretch from Ohio to West Virginia where there were confirmed tornadoes and a fatality, and then just a bunch of trees down across New York City from Manhattan to Brooklyn and Queens. And that may have been a tornado. We're going to up there with assessment team later on today and check it out.
It'll be much quieter and cooler today as this cool front rolls through, and then another cold front coming down the pipe. This is going to bring some higher elevation snow to the Rockies. This is our first real taste of fall, that northern tier folks will be enjoying. I don't know how to say that in pirate talk, but that's the best I got for you. It's actually Sunday, isn't it? Talk Like a Pirate Day? GRIFFIN: Yes, it is Sunday. Hey, Rob, this real quickly, Mexico City, is this storm going to move quickly?
MARCIANO: Once these things hit the mountains, they typically slow down and get torn apart. But because it's going in as a major storm, it's not only going to have some leftover wind. It'll probably be a tropical storm or even depression by the time it hits Mexico City, but it'll have some wind and it'll have torrential amount of rain.
GRIFFIN: Yes. Mudslides.
MARCIANO: Mudslide is going to be an issue, yes.
CHETRY: Rob, thanks so much.
MARCIANO: All right, guys.
CHETRY: We'll check in with you in the next hour, as well. Hopefully, we got some more information on that potential tornado. Sure looked like one. Fifty-one minutes past the hour. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back. You know, there's a new trend. There's always something going on, especially with the eyebrows. Now, it's carlashes.
GRIFFIN: This is a trend hard to figure they qualify as an automotive accessory of just excess. Here's Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Careful when you go through the car wash if you don't scrub off your car's eyelashes? Carlashes, the latest automotive accessory, flexible plastic lashes you attach above your headlights, $24.99 a pair.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's adorable and very whimsical, but I don't know that I would put it on my own car.
MOOS: Would you put lashes on your car?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I would. It's a little girly.
MOOS: Carlashes are aimed at women, not men.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: BMW, oh, please, you're messing up the car.
MOOS: But on a pink caddy? Carlashes are the brain child of a Utah couple, Robert Small and his wife, Dotty (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They really do spread joy in the world.
MOOS: Dotty (ph) dreamed up a second accessory, crystal eye liner. But not everyone is seeing rainbows.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Unnecessary. A little -- might appeal to my children.
MOOS: Like the Pixar movie, "Cars" or Disney animation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Isn't she a beauty?
MOOS: Creator, Robert Small says --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I always thought that cars had personality that the headlights looked like eyes.
MOOS: They had friends like this one test market their carlashes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am getting the most attention I ever got in my whole life. It's bloody hilarious.
MOOS: As for whether fake eyelashes --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And then press the ends in --
MOOS: Or carlashes are easier to put on.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Carlashes.
MOOS: It takes about 15 minutes. You attach them with automotive trim tape that comes with the lashes.
MOOS (on-camera): Unlike fake eyelashes, carlashes can even help you park by providing a mark so you know where the end of the car is.
MOOS (vice-over): Carlashes already have a male competitor, the car stash. OK. Maybe, you'll never see carlashes on Danica Patrick's race car or the presidential limousine. But Robert and Dotty has sold almost 2000 carlashes since June and boarded (ph) another 2000
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are they just cute or they functional too?
MOOS: What would you like them to do?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought they were little windshield wipers that would go bat their eyelashes as they clean.
MOOS: Dotty says men may not put carlashes on their cars, but they like seeing women driving by with them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They feel like they're being flirted with a little bit when they see them.
MOOS: Will carlashes give the guys whiplash? Put a little hussy in your headlights.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: Now, I know what to get you for Christmas.
GRIFFIN: Yes. Put them right on.
CHETRY: You want the (INAUDIBLE) eyebrows?
GRIFFIN: I want those eyebrows as wild Andy Rooney things with one hair going way out here.
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: Yes, right. You can actually whip --
GRIFFIN: Guys wouldn't have those on their car. I mean, it's obvious.
CHETRY: No.
GRIFFIN: That's not for guys.
CHETRY: But the lady had point. If they were functional, meaning, you know, if they could blink or wink, clear off a little light, maybe to sell more.
GRIFFIN: Yes.
CHETRY: Then, you'd consider it.
GRIFFIN: Top stories coming your way right after this break. Maybe an eye patch.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
