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American Morning
Violent Weather Batters West Coast; "Spider-Man" Actor Hurt in Fall; Actor Plunges to Stage; Operation Santa; FCC Vote on "Net Neutrality"; Cell Phone Distractions
Aired December 21, 2010 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Glad that you're with us on this Tuesday, December 21st. And this evening, it will be the official start of winter.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, it started early in a lot of places. Bad weather across parts of the country, as well, not necessarily in the form of snow in some areas. But in others, they're getting more snow than they've seen in a long time. It's the biggest storm that southern California has seen in years. Still not over. Nearly a foot of rain could fall before Christmas. Flooding and mudslides shutting down highways, forcing thousands of people to evacuate. And, of course, when you get up in the mountains, it's dumping snow and amounts that measure in feet. We're live in the ground in California tracking the extreme weather for you.
CHETRY: A tragic turn for the Broadway musical "Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark." In last night's performance, it was stopped midway through and the audience sent home after an actor was seriously hurt. It was a stunt double playing "Spider-Man" who leaped off of the stage like he was supposed to. However, the rope didn't secure him the way it was supposed to. And he came crashing down. Ahead, we're going to talk to two brothers who were in the audience. They shot this video of the terrifying situation and the aftermath.
ROBERTS: Cell phones are becoming a growing problem in schools across the country, but some administrators are trying to use the trend to their advantage. We'll tell you why they're actually giving students phones to use and use during class time.
CHETRY: Up first, though, violent weather battering the west coast. And the worst may be yet to come. There are heavy rains now pounding southern California. It's been happening there for days now and it may not let up until Christmas. The result, severe flooding and mudslides closing roads and forcing thousands of people from their homes.
ROBERTS: Now when you get up into the mountains, as much as 10 feet of snow has fallen on California's Sierra Nevada with another 10 feet potentially on tap. We're tracking the wild weather this morning. Casey Wian is live for us in Ventura County, California. Rob Marciano at the extreme weather center. Let's go first to Rob. How much is in store for us in the next few days, Rob? And when might this thing end? ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, look at this, guys, it's just a river of moisture that continues to flow right over southern California. Here it is on the satellite picture. I mean, it's just a fire hose just blasting into SoCal and we have to get this thing to shift its trajectory. It's starting to do that somewhat. You can kind of see the flow beginning to dip down in the trough that's controlling this, beginning to swing through. But that's going to take, still, another couple of days. And with that in mind, we have more rain to come. And some of this will be some of the heaviest we've seen yet. So that's the bad news. The good news is there's a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel. But I don't think that's going to happen really until Thursday. And then, you know, sporadically, it's still going to rain sporadically on and off throughout the weekend.
But this radar looks just like it did yesterday with a tremendous amount of moisture plowing into Los Angeles and San Diego, even streaming all the way over the mountains, getting into Las Vegas. That's how deep this moisture is and how powerful this storm is. And the amount of rain that we've seen in the valleys and this amount of snow that we've seen up in the mountains is utterly dumbfounding. And this is the forecast. It's for the next 48 hours what we expect to see.
Obviously you see bright red. You see purples on the map there, highlighted in San Diego. That is not a good thing. That means another three to potentially six, maybe even seven or eight inches more of rainfall over obviously what is already a very, very saturated ground. And what's most remarkable about this is that it's so, so widespread across the southwest corner of the U.S.
John and Kiran, back up to you.
ROBERTS: Pretty incredible to look at. Rob, thanks.
CHETRY: Yes, and our Casey Wian is in it. He's live along the Pacific Coast Highway in Ventura County, California. When we saw in the map, it's just this literally as Rob said, it looks like a fire hose of water coming in there. What's it like on the ground?
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's been raining pretty steadily here in southern California since Friday. And here at Pacific Coast Highway, we're standing in front of a road closure because of mudslides. There's boulders, lots of debris.
On the highway north of here in a 20-mile stretch of Pacific Coast Highway, north of Malibu has been closed. Caltrans crews have been working all right night to try to get some of that debris cleared. But right now, this road remains closed. It's not a major problem because we're north of Malibu, and that's the section of PCH a lot of folks are familiar with. And that's a major artery into the Los Angeles area. If this mudslide was in that area, we'd have big problems. But so far, that area has remained free of any significant mudslide problems.
And the burn areas in the Los Angeles hills that so many people are familiar with, those too have also held up pretty well so far. Not so in Bakersfield north of here. There have been heavy record rainfall in the Bakersfield area. The town, small town of McFarland, 2,000 people were evacuated in that town because debris built up in a creek and they were worried about significant flooding there. They removed that debris and allowed those people to return to their homes. And as you mentioned, some of the snow levels are really incredible in the Sierra Nevadas. We had about nine feet of new snow the Sierra Nevadas and wind gusts of over 150 miles an hour, creating a very significant situation up there.
Good news is that it increases the snow pack. And the western United States and California in particular has been plagued by drought for years. So that's really going to help out with that situation. Back here on the ground in southern California, we've had scattered power outages, about 20,000 people without power. We've also had swift water rescue teams deployed. And they've had to rescue several folks from swollen flood-controlled channels and from riverbeds. Over the next several days, we're anticipating as Rob said much, much more rain. So far, the damage has been very minimal, but we're bracing for more to come -- John, Kiran.
CHETRY: Casey Wian for us this morning in Ventura City, thanks.
ROBERTS: We've got lots of wild weather here, but there's also extreme weather in Europe. Hundreds of thousands of passengers have been stranded. Snow and ice shutting down airports, closing roads and stopping trains. And a nightmare at Europe's busiest airport. Terminals at Heathrow airport in London transformed into makeshift camps. Hundreds of travelers cashing in on temporary mattresses since Saturday. Transportation officials say only one runway is operating at Heathrow and they do not expect things to get better until after Christmas.
CHETRY: Well, across Germany and Belgium, that storm system is causing huge headaches for commuter trains and for road traffic. This is a look at a highway in Belgium, an absolute parking lot, looked like a frozen parking lot. The big trucks and cars barely able to move, just sort of creeping along the roadway.
ROBERTS: A stunning accident last night at the most expensive Broadway musical ever produced. "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" had to be stopped when a stunt double for "Spider-Man" fell from a platform and came crashing down on stage. The audience was sent home. The actor was taken to the hospital. No word on his condition this morning.
You hear some cheers there. People cheering for the actor as he's wheeled away. He gave the high sign to the audience outside Foxwoods Theatre on 42nd Street. The $65 million show has not even opened yet because of a host of technical problems. In about seven minute's time, we're going to be joined by two men who were in the audience last night, shot this video, and watched the horror unfold.
CHETRY: And a new terror threat. The Department of Homeland Security uncovers a plot by Al Qaeda, they say, to poison food at hotels and restaurants in various locations over a single weekend. According to CBS News, the plot called for the use of ricin and cyanide and is tied to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The Department of Homeland Security tells CNN that it doesn't comment on reports of specific terrorist planning but that they do take all threats seriously. CNN sources say there is no specific intelligence to support the claim.
ROBERTS: Well, the U.S. government is expanding its domestic intelligence network and using all levels of law enforcement to make that happen. The "Washington Post" reports the FBI, state, homeland security offices, local police and military criminal investigators are all collecting information for the network. The report says the system collects, stores and analyzes information about American citizens, many of whom have not even been accused of a crime. The goal of the system is to expand and improve the intelligence network to better protect against terrorism.
CHETRY: The Department of Transportation says Toyota has agreed to pay $32.4 million in fines. These are penalties, the result of two separate investigations into how the automaker handled recalls that involved accelerator pedals and the loss of steering control. Toyota has already paid out $16 million for a violation earlier this year.
ROBERTS: Well, a lot of folks look to Echinacea to treat the common cold. In fact, it's reported that Americans spent $132 million on the herbal remedy. But new research out of New York suggests it might as well be eating your money as opposed to the Echinacea because they both have about the same effect on the common cold. The study of 700 common cold victims found those who took Echinacea shaved only about a half day off a week-long cold. And researchers say that benefit could have occurred simply by chance.
CHETRY: Well, the Monday night game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears wasn't much of a game at all, but it had some historic moments. Before getting knocked out of the game, Brett Favre threw what is likely the last touchdown pass of his career. The Bears ended up winning 40-14 clinching the NFC North title. And kick return, Devin Hester returned a punt 64 yards for a touchdown setting an NFL record with 14 career kickoff or punt returns.
ROBERTS: Nice cold game there too.
CHETRY: Yes, it was.
ROBERTS: It was the first time the Vikings had played outdoors in nearly 30 years. Here's a time lapse video capturing the process of getting TCF Bank Stadium on the campus of the University of Minnesota ready for the game. You can see there was a little bit of snow on the field that they had to get rid of and in the stands.
CHETRY: Wow.
ROBERTS: Both the field and the stands were buried from last week's storm. But you know, they got rid of it pretty quickly.
CHETRY: Look at that.
ROBERTS: Look at that.
CHETRY: When you speed it up, they sure did.
ROBERTS: Can you imagine if you could clear your driveway that way.
CHETRY: Exactly.
Well, we're following the latest on this tragedy that happened on Broadway. This is a show that was beset by problems. The "Spider- Man," the highly-anticipated super expensive "Spider-Man" production.
Well, an actor ended up being rushed to the hospital after taking a terrible fall during the preview performance of the new musical "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark." We're going to talk to the two men who were in the audience. They actually shot this video. They were there when the show was stopped.
ROBERTS: Did you catch the lunar eclipse this earlier this morning? A lot of people stayed up late or got up early only to have clouds obscure the view. Well, if you missed it, we didn't and we've got the pictures for you in just a moment.
CHETRY: Shaquille O'Neal trading in the basketball for a baton. That's right. Not the police baton either. We've got Shaq's big moment with the Boston Pops.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: It's 13 minutes after the hour now. Another stunning setback for the producers of the new Broadway musical "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark." With just about seven minutes remaining in a preview performance last night, a "Spider-Man" stunt double fell from a platform and came crashing down into a stage pit.
CHETRY: He had to be taken to a hospital by ambulance. This is video of the crowd watching as he's put into an ambulance. He ended up giving a thumb's up, showing he's OK. A round of cheers then broke out. But their performance had to be cut short. His condition is also unknown this morning.
Joining us right now, Jonathan and Michael Dealwis. They were visiting from New Zealand. They were in the audience last night at Foxwoods Theatre. Welcome to both of you.
Jonathan, describe what happened, I guess.
JONATHAN DEALWIS, AUDIENCE MEMBER WHO WITNESSED FALL: Well, the show was going fine. It was normal. And the scene, Mary Jane was dangling from a bridge, "Spider-Man" was at the end of the bridge. And Mary Jane fell into the hole I think as she was supposed to, into the gap in the bridge there. And then "Spider-Man" just sort of slipped off the end of the bridge and just fell.
CHETRY: Did you guys know right away that it wasn't supposed to happen? MICHAEL DEALWIS, AUDIENCE MEMBER WHO WITNESSED FALL: We didn't know at first and then we could tell that something was wrong. We heard the stage manager say that we're going to hold for a second and that the show would continue later on. The lights went up and the curtains came down. And we could hear murmurs from backstage, the microphones were still on.
ROBERTS: Yes. You know, there is some video of this that we do not have access to at the moment. But you can see him on the edge of the platform there. He has a harness on and there's a rope attached to the harness and looks like he intentionally goes over the edge. And I guess the harness was supposed to catch him, but it just kind of all falls into the pit after him. When you saw him fall, how were you struck by it? Because he does go down head first, looks like he's falling a long way.
J. DEALWIS: The whole show they've been -- whenever they fell was slow, the harnesses just took them down slowly, sort of slow motion type effect. This time he just fell, you know, that quick. So you sort of knew something was different, but we didn't assume, OK, just a big part of the show. But yes.
CHETRY: Let's show a little bit more of the video you guys shot and explain sort of what we're seeing here. This is after he -- did everybody in the audience sort of gather outside to watch him be taken away?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
CHETRY: Explain more, Michael, of what we're seeing.
M. DEALWIS: Well, there were huge crowds out there, they made space, put barriers up and just made way outside the stage door for him to be pushed through. There were a few ambulances, some police, and a fire truck. Not everyone outside -- gathered outside was from the show. There were some people who didn't actually know what was happening, as well.
ROBERTS: Did you see the actor as he was being taken out?
And we should point out that this was -- this was a stunt double. It was not Reeve Carney, who's the lead actor in the show. We don't yet know the name of this actor. But did you see him as he was being wheeled out?
J. DEALWIS: Yes, we were out there by the barrier and he was wheeled out. There are other actresses and actors around. (INAUDIBLE) a few of them are crying and were consoled by security. And yes, we saw he was stretchered out, he had a neck brace on, and he was stretchered through and then put into the ambulance.
ROBERTS: Did he respond to the crowd that was out there?
J. DEALWIS: Well, he just lay there from what we could see. His eyes were open. And he just went through and everyone cheered so he must have done something.
CHETRY: You know, this was a production, as we've said, by lifts and bounds, is the most expensive $65 million production. It's been beset by a lot of technical difficulties. Apparently, this is the fourth injury on the set that opening's been delayed several times.
What was your sense of how confident everybody was during the play?
J. DEALWIS: Well, I mean, it seemed to be going fine until then. To be honest, we were expecting something -- we heard a lot about it --
CHETRY: Right.
J. DEALWIS: -- we're something to go wrong, but not this. I mean, the whole time, whenever they were harnessed up going around the -- flying over us, I thought at some point they're going to get stuck and suspended up there, but didn't really expect this. But I mean, yes, it was good until then it seemed fine.
ROBERTS: Yes, there was one incident where I guess the stunt double was suspended over the audience for a period of time.
J. DEALWIS: Yes.
ROBERTS: But this falling idea -- when you consider how high they go during a lot of the performance to fall from that height is probably -- if you're going to fall, better that you fall from that height than some of the others were they probably get 30 or 40 feet above the stage.
J. DEALWIS: Yes, even still it was quite difficult to watch. Like our younger brother (INAUDIBLE), who was only 11, I mean, he was quite shaken by it.
CHETRY: Understandable. Yes. Well, we hope for the best. Again, his condition's unknown this morning. We know he's in the hospital. Hopefully, we'll find out more details.
But thanks for coming in and sharing your experience. We appreciate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
ROBERTS: Jonathan and Michael Dealwis, good to talk to you this morning and enjoy the rest of the time in New York before you head back down South. Thanks.
Well, quite a show in the night's sky early this morning -- a rare lunar eclipse, the kind that hasn't been seen in 400 years. Unfortunately, clouds blocked the view from millions of stargazers. But if you missed it, we've got the pictures coming up for you.
CHETRY: And a dead man tells no tales, unless it's a trick play touchdown. We're going to show you how one Texas high school pulled it off.
Eighteen minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
CHETRY: Blast from the past there from Dave Matthews. "Morning Talker" time, some of the stories that has talking in the newsroom.
Did you get a chance to see the lunar eclipse? Or were you sleeping?
ROBERTS: I don't know if I was sleeping or if it was covered up by clouds or I didn't look up in the sky. But yes, I missed it.
CHETRY: I missed it, as well. Don't feel bad.
But a lot of people who did actually go out there and try to see it, unfortunately, it was obscured by clouds. But here's what it look at what it looked like. It's been nearly 400 years, by the way, or more than 400 years actually since the moon was eclipsed by the earth on the exact day of the winter solstice. Astronomers say it will not happen again until at least 2094.
ROBERTS: Wow. The Florida school board member who tried to stop a gunman last week by whacking him with her purse, you remember that, Ginger Littleton, she's now auctioning off the handbag on eBay. Now, before you say, wow, that's really tacky -- proceeds are going to go to a charity in Florida's Panhandle that restores old toys for kids in need. So, she's doing a very good thing here.
A lot of people want Ginger's faux crocodile leather bag. By the way, it's going for $11,700 right now. The bidding doesn't end until tomorrow afternoon.
CHETRY: A bit of a controversy at first and eBay pulled it and said, no, it's for charity and they put it back on.
ROBERTS: Anything for charity, it's good idea.
CHETRY: Boston pops coming under a Shaq attack. The Boston Celtics center took the podium yesterday to lead the famous orchestra in the performance of sleigh ride. This is -- he is a renaissance man. He can do it all.
Guest conductor, Shaquille O'Neal making it look easy. He told reporters before taking the podium that his arms were shot after rehearsal.
ROBERTS: I'm amazed that he needed a podium at all.
CHETRY: That's true. He probably didn't.
ROBERTS: You think that he see here.
It seems like trick plays are all the rage these days in high school football. A Texas high school team pulled off a so-called dead man play so well that the defense just stood around waiting for something to happen. The result: 54-yard touchdown pass that helped give Pearland High School the Class 5A Division One state championship.
Look at that.
CHETRY: Wow.
ROBERTS: One -- only one guy in the team figured out what was going on.
CHETRY: They should -- they should -
ROBERTS: There's a guy on the wide receiver. So, somebody knew, but the rest of the guys caught sleeping.
CHETRY: They should play the Giants. They wouldn't even have to use a trick play. Just kidding -- oh, look, they're all mad. I said that for Brian's sake.
ROBERTS: Feel free to e-mail her early and often.
CHETRY: Now, that's going to be typos on the scripts.
Well, Conan O'Brien says that the holiday decorations on TV were beginning to look the same for him. He was sick of it, sick of the lights, sick of the candy cane. So, he hired an artist from Palm Springs to think outside the box, to give him an avant-garde Christmas decoration for his set. So, without further ado, here is the greatest Christmas decoration of the history of television according to Conan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CHEERS)
CONAN O'BRIEN, TV HOST: Three, two, one! Yes! Yes! Behold Godzilla with a candy cane. King Kong holding Santa's sled. And now, the Christmas UFO. Rise Robo Santa, rise!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Robo Santa, that could be -- that could be a float in next year's Macy's parade.
CHETRY: Scared the kids, but it was pretty cool.
(LAUGHTER)
ROBERTS: That's great. That is an avant-garde Christmas set, no question about that.
Net neutrality, sounds sexy, doesn't it? Well, maybe not. But it may just be the most important free speech issue that America has faced in decades. Coming up next: why everyone who uses the Internet should care about a big vote today by the FCC.
CHETRY: Also, there are some good news for all the procrastinators out there. Save their shopping maybe until tomorrow, maybe even Friday. Maybe Friday evening. Well, there are deals to be found. We'll tell you on what.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Coming up now, 28 minutes after the hour. Christine Romans here "Minding Your Business" this Tuesday morning. Good morning to you.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Only a few days left. Are you done with your Christmas shopping?
ROBERTS: I got a couple of small things.
ROMANS: Are you done?
CHETRY: I feel that you're never done, are you? Because you think you're done and then somebody gives you a present.
ROMANS: That's right.
CHETRY: And then you have to go get another one.
ROMANS: And I'm going to have tips for you where to get last- minute presents actually on Christmas morning. But, first, I want to say --
CHETRY: Don't say 7-Eleven.
ROMANS: Oh, I'm going to say 7-Eleven. But, Kiran -- you steal my thunder here, young lady. The best deals as Christmas approaches, you only got a few days left -- I want to tell you, first of all, Wal-Mart, according to Bloomberg, quietly raising prices on some toys. So, be careful with your toy shopping out there.
There are other bargains out there. But toys -- look, everyone's been very lean with their inventories. What does that mean? It means they're not keeping a lot of stock on hand. So, if f you see it now for a price you want, you better get it.
Apparel -- you know, prices of apparel have been going down. And the longer you wait, you're going to see the big retailers most likely, according to the retail experts, trying to move their lean inventories out. So, you're going to see better deals as the days pass toward Christmas and beyond and deals unlikely on the Kindle. They've sold out on the Kindle in a lot of places. So, right -- so, be careful there.
And, Kiran, you are very interested in the iPhone.
CHETRY: Well, we always say that certain things never go on sale. And one of them are Apple products. You know, you pay full price, you pay retail for Apple products.
ROMANS: That's right.
CHETRY: However --
ROMANS: However, at Wal-Mart, it looks as though Wal-Mart is giving the iPhone 4 for I think -- well, it was $50 discount, so it's $147 after a $50 gift card. And there's this -- one of the web blogs this morning or the tech blogs reporting that Sam's Club will be offering until Christmas the iPhone 4 for $147 with a two-year contract.
ROBERTS: Really?
ROMANS: Only for their members. So, you have to be a member.
ROBERTS: Will AT&T stores follow suit then?
ROMANS: I don't know.
ROBERTS: Will Apple stores follow suit?
ROMANS: And these look like these are temporary deals by the big mass retailers. There's no indication that Apple stores will follow through.
Now, 7-Eleven -- we'll talk about 7-Eleven because you have found yourself on the way to grandma's, and suddenly, a long lost cousins are going to be there and you don't have a gift -- 7-Eleven is going to make it easy for you. You could pick up a big gulp on your way to grandma's and get caffeine and can also get wine, gift cards, handheld video games, DVDs, CDs, they're amping up the stuffed animals. So, you can pick up something at the last minute.
CVS will also have bath and body gel sets. And also some small electronics -- retail electronics.
ROBERTS: Nothing says "Merry Christmas" like a Slurpee.
ROMANS: That's what I say. I'd say take the caffeine, pick up your last-minute gifts --
CHETRY: I thought you were going to say if you are dealing with your family and you run out of wine, you can head right to 7-Eleven on Christmas Day and they'll be open.
ROMANS: They're going to be -- convenience is the name of the game this Christmas. Everybody's going to be open 24 hours so that you can get caffeine or wine when you need them.
ROBERTS: All right.
CHETRY: Thanks, Christine.
ROBERTS: Good vintage. A Thursday, I believe. Thanks, Christine.
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: Well, we're crossing the half hour right now, time to take a look at the top stories this morning.
California, boy, they're getting it weather wise, drenched in the southern part of the state. These storms are expected to continue into the weekend. A foot of rain has already fallen. Thousands of people living in areas that are in the crosshairs have been told to evacuate. There are fear of rockslides as well as mudslides in many parts of southern California.
ROBERTS: And an icy grip on the continent. Europe enveloped in a winter storm that's left airports packed with stranded passengers, many who likely won't make it home for Christmas. Heavy snow is hampering train travel, as well. Many lines have shut down or have been tacked -- an extra couple of hours has been tacked on to the shortest of trips.
So, big, big problems in Europe.
CHETRY: And we could finally have a winner in the Alaska Senate race, seven weeks after Election Day. Lisa Murkowski's campaign expected the state to certify the incumbent Republican as the winner within a week. Alaska's Supreme Court is considering Joe Miller's appeal of a lower court ruling that amounted to a victory for Murkowski. A judge has not allowed any certification until Miller exhausted all legal challenges.
ROBERTS: Later on today, the Federal Communications Commission will vote on a new set of rules for the Internet. They are designed to make sure Internet providers give everyone equal access to the Web.
CHETRY: Yes. One U.S. senator is calling it the most important free speech issue of our time. Simply put, the -- if you use the Internet, you should care about what happens today.
Poppy Harlow joins us now with an A.M. original, a story you'll see only on AMERICAN MORNING. And you at the not enviable task of trying to break down net neutrality. And make I -- it's a big issue.
(CROSSTALK)
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: It's a huge issue, we should all care about it. Think of this as sort of the government's biggest step yet, guys, into regulating the Internet -- something we use all day every day for more than six years now. The FCC has been working to dramatically reshape the future of what the Internet looks like.
Today, that issue takes center stage and it may sound like just policy and politics out of Washington. But this could mean major, major changes for all of us. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HARLOW (voice-over): It's a virtual fistfight. Media giants duking it out over something you've probably never even heard of, net neutrality.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Without net neutrality, you might not be able to get to certain sites you want to or the sites you want to get to are going to be blocked or really slow.
HARLOW: Right now, all online content is treated equally no matter who the service provider is. But a battle is brewing between those Internet service providers and content companies that provide things like online video.
Think of the Internet as a super highway maintained by the cable and telecom companies.
(on camera): So, if I'm watching an H.D. show online on a site like Hulu, that's like driving a semi-truck. But if I'm sending an e- mail, that's more like a smart car, less wear and tear on the road. So, if I'm a gas guzzler or data hog, should I have to pay more? And if I do, will that stifle innovation?
BARRY DILLER, IAC: This is for the person who's in a garage -- the proverbial inventor, entrepreneur in a garage.
HARLOW (voice-over): And if access for the next big startup becomes challenged, could we miss out on the next Google or Facebook?
Barry Diller's IAC runs more than 50 Internet companies and he's an adamant supporter of net neutrality.
DILLER: Twenty years ago, you really didn't hear the word "entrepreneur" very much. Our endless use of this in the last 20 years came from essentially technology and came from the Internet.
HARLOW: And it seems like you're saying, Barry, that the big media folks are pushing the inventors, the entrepreneurs of the Internet into the dust.
DILLER: We've enjoyed something in this country that's a miracle, which is you press a button and -- on your computer or whatever, and you publish to the world. And there's no interference. There's nobody in the middle of the road taking a toll.
HARLOW (voice-over): But carriers want the freedom to maintain their networks as they see fit, even if that means additional charges.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The days of the all-you-can-eat buffet that is the Internet are over. You are going to have different tiers of pricing. People are going to pay to be able to get more data.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARLOW: Ready for like so much in Washington, there is give and there is take. Like it or not, get ready for the government's hand to reach much further into the future of the Web. The chairman of the FCC, guys, has basically said Internet distributors should not be allowed to slow down content from their competitors, right? They shouldn't be able to have a bias here.
But he's cutting down the middle in this proposal they're going to vote on today. He also says, look, the Internet has a lot of different purposes. We should maybe have a tiered system of payment. If I like to watch H.D. video all day, maybe I need to pay a little more than people that just want to send e-mails.
ROBERTS: It's kind of like the cable industry, right, where you can get basic cable and you can get premium.
HARLOW: Exactly right.
ROBERTS: Is today's vote the final word on this? Or is it just another step in the process?
HARLOW: Well, you know, it's close to it, right? It's probably going to pass. There's Republicans and Democrats on this commission. It looks like they have three of the five votes they need. Then it'll go through Congress. It's likely going to make it through Congress.
The question is: when does this head to court? There's going to be a lot of complaints about this.
AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, the big telecom companies, they don't want regulation. Their basic message here if you read through the lines is, it's not broken, don't fix it. They say we welcome the commission looking at this, but why are we changing the way the system is now?
And what the commissioner is saying is, you know, these rules fulfill a promise to the future to companies that don't yet exist. And entrepreneurs that haven't started work in their dorm rooms or garages.
I think bottom line here is: if I have to pay more for more data, more bits on the Web, am I going to create the next Google, the next Facebook? Or is that going to prohibit me from innovating?
And net neutrality, we think -- oh, what it does, it doesn't matter. This really, really matters to the future of jobs in this country, entrepreneurship, innovation. That's why it matters in a big, big vote coming up in just a few hours.
CHETRY: All right. Poppy, thanks for breaking it down for us this morning.
HARLOW: You got it.
ROBERTS: Good to have you on the case.
HARLOW: Sure.
CHERY: Well, cell phones in school, most teachers say this was their biggest battle, that it's the biggest distraction in the classroom. And some schools are saying, look, if you can't beat them, use them. We'll explain.
ROBERTS: Letters to Santa striking a very different tone this year. We'll tell you why Santa's helpers are surprised at what they're reading.
Thirty-seven minutes after the hour.
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CHETRY: Where is that today? That's a pretty shot. Oh, that's the Hudson River this morning. Look at the moon.
ROBERTS: Hey, it's back.
CHETRY: The moon's back.
ROBERTS: It didn't go away forever.
CHETRY: No, it didn't on this winter solstice. The moon is out in force, despite the eclipse earlier.
Well, we're coming up on 40 minutes past the hour right now.
We're talking about distractions in the classroom. Of course, teachers always trying to stop the distractions. But with more and more kids carrying cell phones, it's become quite challenging.
ROBERTS: Most schools have got policies in place, of course, to keep cell phones out of the class. But one school is actually turning that idea on its head, and bringing cell phones into the classroom.
Deb Feyerick is here with more for us this morning.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey you guys.
And this really isn't about if you can't beat them and then join them. You would never give a kid a car and say get behind the wheel, you're up. And yet, we do that with cell phones because we perceive them as less dangerous.
Well, this is about setting guidelines and boundaries using cell phone devices in a way that really helps kids figure out the best way to use them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK (voice-over): Seventh grader Caleb Coin (ph) has texting in class down to a science.
CALEB COIN, SEVENTH GRADER: Open it up, put the phone in it and act like I'm looking for something and send a text message.
FEYERICK: Hallways are also good.
COIN: It's harder to get caught in the hallways than it is in a class.
FEYERICK (on camera): Because you're moving?
COIN: Yes.
FEYERICK: Like a shark, always moving.
COIN: Yes.
FEYERICK (voice-over): Coin says his cell phone has been confiscated six times in six months. And he's not the only one, despite constant reminders from his principal at Haverstraw Middle School.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your cell phones are supposed to be where? Yes, in your locker, not in class.
FEYERICK: But class is exactly where they end up. According to the Pew Research Center, even in schools that ban cell phone use, nearly 60 percent of all students admit texting during class -- a growing problem in schools across the country.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, why are you so addicted to this technology?
FEYERICK: At Bayside High School in Florida, students risk being suspended if their phone is confiscated more than once. So far this year, 200 kids have had their phones taken away.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Students need to be fully, 100 percent, authentically engaged in the classroom. And pulling out a cell phone and texting their friends about whatever it is they might be talking about is not the learning environment that I as a principal want to promote.
FEYERICK: And despite that zero tolerance policy --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We still daily collect cell phones from students that have them out when they're supposed to be learning in the classroom.
MICHAEL RICH, PEDIATRICIAN AND MEDIA EXPERT: I don't think we're going to stop the tsunami.
FEYERICK: But pediatrician and media expert Michael Rich says the reality is kids use more than seven hours of media a day -- depriving them of it could backfire.
RICH: Pandora's Box is open here. The technologies are here. What we need to do is take control of them instead of letting them control us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can't put the genie back in the bottle. The cell phones are here.
FEYERICK: At Haverstraw Middle School --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, guys, turn on your (INAUDIBLE) please.
FEYERICK: -- teachers like Ronald Roycester (ph) have decided if you can't beat them, join them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not really a phone. It's their computer for class.
FEYERICK: The school handed out 75 cell phones to fifth graders as part of a unique pilot program.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Click on Ellis Island.
FEYERICK: Texting and calling features are disabled. And Internet sites are filtered. Phones are used for things like note taking and research.
For 11-year-olds, Kiara (ph), Ryan, and Nya (ph), learning is different now.
(on camera): When did you make a movie? Did you make a movie during home room?
UNIDENTIFIED BOY: No, this was actually in math. It was about decimals. You can sync it, which means the teachers will get it and they can grade you on it.
FEYERICK: So, it really is helping reinforce the lessons?
UNIDENTIFIED BOY: Yes, because we're like -- we're memorizing things so much easier on here.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: It's almost like you want to look at the screen. It's almost like a mini-TV where you're like, you want to look at it. You don't want to go look at a piece of paper.
FEYERICK (voice-over): The district superintendent says dollar for dollar, buying phones is more efficient than new computers.
(on camera): There are some educators who say these should not be in school. What is your response to them?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think we're in the middle of a new revolution. It's part of who they are today. And why not use something in a positive way that they're bringing with them?
FEYERICK (voice-over): As for these fifth graders --
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: I actually started texting less when I have this.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: I have this, it's kind of more fun to go on the Internet on this and experiment with it when I'm home instead of texting all day like doing nothing.
UNIDENTIFIED BOY: It's like, bye, phone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK: So, really, cell phones now are the great equalizer, especially in communities that aren't as rich. Everyone can have access to the Internet. And by programs like this, they're also taught how they can use them, where they can go, how they can have the most fun.
So, it's not just -- here you go, and here's the Internet. You know, have at it. So, it's much -- it's much different. And the kids really enjoy it.
ROBERTS: But basically, they're being used like little tiny computers.
FEYERICK: That's exactly right. And that's what they said it's so efficient because they can learn better. It's more interesting. It's more exciting to them. And then at the end of the day, they don't feel the need to sort of go home and text. They're done. They've done it during the day.
So, why bother? You know, it's very interesting.
CHETRY: It is. It's still amazing how many cell phones they confiscate even though they have a zero tolerance at those schools. I mean, kids are addicted.
FEYERICK: They are. They are. It's conditioning. It's just that whole sensation of tapping and touching and, you know -- so --
CHETRY: And needing to be constantly connected with their friends.
FEYERICK: Exactly.
CHETRY: Deb Feyerick for us, thank you.
ROBERTS: Thanks, Deb.
Still to come this morning, Rob's got this morning's travel forecast right after the break. You don't want to be in California this morning.
CHETRY: Well, it's not looking too good for the first family. They're heading to Florida for Christmas, but they could get rained out. In Hawaii? Wow. Advice for other vacationers straight ahead. Forty-five minutes past the hour.
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ROBERTS: Good morning, New York City. Lovely shot across the Hudson this morning. The moon, and it's return after the eclipse. Twenty-five degrees out there right now. Later on today, 35 degrees. Winter's chill continues on this first day of winter here in New York.
CHETRY: Pretty (INAUDIBLE) this morning. Beautiful. Both in New York and New Jersey. Hoping for a Christmas miracle this holiday season. They got thousands of letters from kids, and they've been pouring into the post offices around the country. Some of them are heartbreaking. Because of the rough of the economy, many kids aren't making the usual toy requests.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some of them will state, I don't want anything. I just want to see my mom get a new coat or I want to see my brother get a hot wheel track. They're not asking for anything themselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Operation Santa helps grant some of those wishes. You may remember last week, we interviewed one of the program organizers, a big supporter in New York City. The post office now says that it's gotten twice as much help from the public as it did last year, and it's not too late. You can check it out to see if there's secret operation Santas in your area by going to USPS.com/newsroom.
ROBERTS: And now at 11 minutes to the top of the hour, let's get a quick check of the morning weather headlines. Rob Marciano in the Extreme Weather Center for us. You want to be just about anywhere but California today.
MARCIANO: That's true. And, especially, Southern California, guys. It continues to get pounded with rain. The moisture plume is still pointed right at SoCal, but here's the driver of this system right there. That's the upper level trough. You kind of see it starting to swing, starting to kick, and eventually, will change up this pattern, but I think we've got another day and a half, maybe two solid days, of seeing this continue to surge in moisture.
So, the pattern in that respect hasn't changed a whole lot and neither has really the weather as far as what's going on on the ground, which is heavy rain. San Diego up towards Los Angeles. Now, we're starting to see it start to turn the snow at the higher elevations. It's the first time we've seen that. So, the snow levels are starting to drop, and that will be the trend as we go through the next 24 hours, and that will mean not only snow across parts of southern California at the higher elevations, but of course, Utah and Colorado, which (INAUDIBLE) get dump with this stuff.
A little bit of snow across Minneapolis. This is what's leftover from last night, heading through Green Bay. You'll get another piece of this pie from SoCal, I think, later on tonight. And check this out. Still snowing in parts of Eastern Massachusetts. Here's what it looked like yesterday in Boston. We talked about maybe a few inches of snow. Yes, they were out there scraping and plowing, but eastern parts of the state and out on Cape Cod and Chatham, they got a foot of snow.
So, how about that? Snow showers on and off throughout the day today. That'll cause some travel problems, maybe a few flurries in New York City, but once again, the Big Apple kind of striking out as far as snowfall goes. Here's your travel forecast of delays here. It's 30 to 60-minute delays in Boston. New York City metros and Philly, still blast with the winds and the cold. The temperatures really haven't changed much across the past of the northeast over the past couple of weeks really.
And that pattern's really not going to change. Chicago and Minneapolis also seeing a little bit of action here. And yes, just a couple of clouds rolling in across parts of the eastern half of the country. Not quite as clear as we were hoping for that lunar eclipse last night, so a bit frustrating there. But, you know, just wait another three or four hundred years before that happens again on the winter solstice.
Oh, not quite that long. About 80 years, I guess, before that happens again. Either way. Temperatures in Dallas, 78 degrees today. That's the spot to be, baby.
ROBERTS: That is the spot to be. And no gray Christmas for us in New York this year.
CHETRY: It may still -- 30 percent chance, I thought.
MARCIANO: Yes, there's a shot.
ROBERTS: Which, of course, is the color of snow about five minutes after it falls here.
(LAUGHTER)
MARCIANO: Exactly.
ROBERTS: All right.
MARCIANO: Among other colors, yes.
ROBERTS: If you're in Central Park or some of the other parks, it's beautiful, but on the roads, it's just yet another hassle. Thanks, Rob.
MARCIANO: All right, guys.
ROBERTS: I'm not being too much of a Grinch.
CHETRY: Yes, you are. It is pretty as it's falling.
ROBERTS: You're right. There's nothing more pretty than, you know, piles of snow on top of cars and covering up garbage cans and things like that along the sidewalks of New York. Just nothing says Christmas like that to me.
CHETRY: I'm going to stay out of it, OK?
ROBERTS: Monitoring America. New technology giving law enforcement the tools they need to fight crime and terrorism, but is it coming at the expense of your privacy? CHETRY: It's the most expensive Broadway show in history. Also appears to be one of the most dangerous. Last night, an actor playing Spiderman was injured when he fell during a performance. There were people who were watching it who actually taped him being taken to the hospital. We still don't know his condition this morning, but we will update you on what's going on.
ROBERTS: And it's been touted as the greatest bowl game you'll ever see. A collection of former football greats. We'll take on our soldiers overseas. We'll talk about it with former NFL quarterbacks, Jim Kelly and Rodney Peete coming right up.
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CHETRY: Fifty-five minutes past the hour. The first lady and the first family, actually, spending the Christmas holiday in Hawaii again, but this vacation looks much different than last year's. Our Ed Henry has been covering the president's Christmas trip back in 2009, a difficult assignment, of course, back then. Ed was forced to sit on the beach for hours slathering on suntan lotion. This time around, though, things are a little bit different in Hawaii. Here's why.
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: John and Kiran, President Obama's Hawaiian vacation has been delayed by all that action back there on Capitol Hill, but we expect later this week he'll join his wife and two daughters who are already there behind me in the vacation rental. And when the president gets there, he's going to find out this beach which is normally pretty private and quiet. He's going to be even more quiet because it's been raining for days now.
And forecasters say it's probably going to rain until Thursday or Friday. That's why you see there's just a couple of lone surfers out there braving the waters. The bottom line is that people here on the beach are telling me they have all kinds of advice about how the first family should pass the time.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEEYON BARNES, FOURTH GRADER FROM AUSTIN, TEXAS: We're still having fun.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: We're still having fun
HENRY: Yes. What are you doing?
BARNES: We're swimming, we're going to snorkel, and we're going to have fun.
HENRY (voice-over): On Waikiki Beach, these sisters from Texas refuse to be stuck in a hotel room. So, they had some simple advice for the Obama girls.
What would you do?
BARNES: Annoy your parents. HENRY: Or the grandparents.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hopefully, she gets tired out and takes a nap. So, we're trying to tire her out a little bit now, get her swimming.
HENRY: Parents on Kailua Beach closer to the president's house could feel their pain. Their own kids were stir crazy, too.
Now, we were on Waikiki beach and we asked some kids down there what advice they had for the first daughters to do and they said annoy your parents.
Well, that's what these two guys have been doing. It's been raining, they're on Christmas break. So, that one said let's go surfing. I said, anything to get him out of the house.
HENRY: And if you're already wet from the ocean, a little rain won't even cramp this surfer's style.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it's better than going to work.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY (on-camera): Now, before the president can reunite with his family here on Oahu, he has to sign the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" into law on Wednesday at the White House. And then, he's waiting around in Washington to see whether or not the Senate ratifies the new START treaty. He's hoping to get that done so he can get here as early as Wednesday night or Thursday the latest. And hopefully, the sun will return, as well -- John, Kiran.
ROBERTS: But even if the sun's not shining in Hawaii, it's almost like liquid sunshine, right?
CHETRY: Still Hawaii. And they've got time for the weather to clear up in time for Christmas.
ROBERTS: They'll probably get a beautiful week next week.
CHETRY: Well, we just told you about operation Santa. We had the wrong address, and we want to make sure that we get it right since people are really interested in taking part in this. If you want to help, you go to USPS.com, that's U.S.PostalService.com/holidaynewsroom, all one word, and then you can click on the letters to Santa icon, and you can fulfill these letters until the 23rd at 7:00 p.m.
ROBERTS: Top stories are coming your way after a quick break. Don't go away.
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