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American Morning

Labor Unrest in Ohio; Clarence Thomas: The Silent Justice; Best Places to Live; Deadly Earthquake Devastates Christchurch, New Zealand; Signs Point to Crumbing Gadhafi Regime in Libya

Aired February 22, 2011 - 08:00   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. Thanks so much for being with us on this AMERICAN MORNING. It's Tuesday, February 22nd. I'm Kiran Chetry.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes. This is what we're following this morning, what the prime minister is calling New Zealand's darkest day.

A powerful earthquake that has devastated the city of Christchurch, the same city hit by a major earthquake just six months ago. But different outcome this time. Dozens have been killed, we don't have any idea right now how many could still be trapped. We'll hearing from the head of the rescue effort a little later this morning.

CHETRY: Also signs are growing that Moammar Gadhafi's iron-fisted regime in Libya is crumbling. Government officials have resigned, air force pilots defecting in protests of Gadhafi's bloody crackdown on anti-government protesters.

Coming up, the U.N. Security Council will be holding an emergency meeting on the situation in Libya is crumbling. Government officials have resigned, air force pilots defecting in protests of Gadhafi's bloody crackdown on anti-government protesters. Coming up, the U.N. Security Council will be holding an emergency meeting on the situation in Libya and we'll have details on that.

HOLMES: But, first, here, let's turn to a budget battle playing out at one of these state capitals. But, no, we're not talking about Madison, Wisconsin, right now. We are talking to Columbus, Ohio. That's the scene of maybe the next big labor battle. Thousands of workers expected to demonstrate there today.

CHETRY: The reason why, Ohio's Governor John Kasich is trying to balance the budget by getting public employees to contribute more for their benefits while surrendering their right to collective bargaining. It sounds familiar, doesn't it?

Deb Feyerick is live in Columbus for us this morning.

So, a similar situation that we've seen taking place in Wisconsin seems to be shaping up in Ohio now.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And Ohio has mainly stayed under the radar. But, you know, it's so interesting. Firefighters, teachers, state workers, police officers, they're being seen as special interest groups who are burdening taxpayers. The Senate bill wants to end their right to be able to negotiate for a salary increase or limit negotiating to salary increases alone. That means pensions, health care. All of that would be off the table.

Now, Republicans say this is necessary. They want to try to close an $8 billion budget deficit. They want to be able to attract businesses to Ohio -- some 400,000 jobs have been lost in three years. And they say they need to be able to rein in the unions in order to try to make Ohio a much more attractive state.

Now, the unions really see collective bargaining as their way to stay in the middle class, as their way to earn a livable wage. There have been certain unions who have taken pay freezes. They fear that without that, layoffs could definitely occur.

Here's what they have to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

RICK BENSMAN, TEACHER, COUNSELOR, WORTHINGTON CITY SCHOOLS: I understand budgets are bad but you also have to look at how we got in this situation. And it wasn't me in the classroom that did it.

CAROL BOWSHER, CHIEF OF STAFF, OHIO CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION: Public employees are not getting rich in this state. Protecting these jobs are -- they are middle class jobs. And what does this bill do to put anything in place of that?

WARREN EDSTROM, BOARD MEMBER, OHIO LIBERTY COUNCIL, TEA PARTY: I understand unions. I've been in unions. But you can't hold on when there is a huge crisis looming on the horizon. You can't hold on to your heels and say no.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

FEYERICK: And so, those who support the bill basically say this is the way to rein in the deficit. But, at the same time, the Republican governor is also promising to cut taxes. That would just make the deficit get even bigger. So, you've got this very fine balance.

Unlike Wisconsin, however, there are enough votes here in order to pass this. Some feel this is just a rubber stamp -- that the changes are going to go through regardless of what the unions have to say. That's why they're going to be here. That's why they want to protest today. But they're also going to be met with some Tea Party opposition who support this -- Kiran.

CHETRY: All right. Well, we'll see how this plays out as well. But as we said, it's spreading to other states. People are dealing with very similar budget crunches across the country.

Thanks, Deb. And stakes just got a little bit higher in the Wisconsin labor standoff because now, Governor Scott Walker refusing to flinch, threatening to lay off 1,500 government workers by April 1st if his new budget doesn't get passed. Walker wants the Democratic senators who fled to state to come back. He wants teachers and other public workers to pay more for their benefits and to give up their rights to collective bargaining. Teachers in Madison are expected to return to work today. Schools had been shut down since Wednesday.

HOLMES: Doctors in Wisconsin -- excuse me there, Kiran -- doctors in Wisconsin who gave protesting teachers sick notes to excuse their absence from school last week -- well, they may be in a bit trouble with state health officials. Launching an investigation now, the Wisconsin Medical Society has condemned the actions. State regulations ban doctors from, quote, "knowingly making any false statement, written or oral, with fraudulent intent." However, some of those health care officials down there say they were writing them notes because some of these teachers were stressed.

Also, a developing story this morning, that deadly earthquake that struck New Zealand. At least 65 people killed. Now, the desperate search is going on to find people trapped under piles of rubble. This is a 6.3 magnitude quake. It shook the city of Christchurch. That is New Zealand's second largest city.

And just take a look at some of these pictures. These just show some absolute devastation. Some places, some buildings unrecognizable, just flattened. The city's 147-year-old cathedral has been toppled. People -- as you've seen some of these pictures here -- have been stranded on their rooftops. You see smoldering debris. There have been fires. Some flooding as well and eyewitness just outside the city had his camera rolling as the ground shook and a giant boulder roared down a hillside.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live. You can see the floors trembling. And the rocks are falling down and outside Christchurch. And this giant rock just fallen on the RSA (ph) building. And you can see it's crushed the building there and the -- and the cars. It's terrifying.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Also, more to show you here. Video from inside the city showing people just helpless as they watched a building begin to crumble. Look at this.

(VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now, you see the scene there afterwards. People were following the screams they were hearing, going through that rubble trying to find people, those who just escaped from some of those buildings. Listen to them now describe the horror.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I was on the fourth floor and I was just coming out of the -- I got thrown backwards down into the third floor.

A guy on the second floor that was (INAUDIBLE). Just never seen anything like that in my life and I never want to again, to be fair.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did everything crush down on you? Did you have to crawl out of there? What happened?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

HOLMES: Now, at least two aftershocks of 5.5 in magnitude or higher have struck since this initial earthquake, making the rescue effort even more difficult.

CHETRY: Now to the growing in Libya. Within the hour, the United Nations Security Council will meet to discuss Moammar Gadhafi's crackdown on anti-government protesters.

A "Reuters" report says that Libya's ambassador to the U.S. is breaking with Gadhafi, saying he no longer represents his country's dictatorship regime. He's also calling on Gadhafi to step down.

France is also sending air force planes to evacuate its citizens from Tripoli, where security forces are said to be firing on people on the crowd.

Now in Libya's second biggest city of Benghazi, protesters seem to have seized control, Gadhafi remains defiant. He went on Libyan state TV showing himself standing there in a car, with an umbrella, saying that he is not in Venezuela, unlike the rumors, that he is in Tripoli.

Bu there are more cracks in the Gadhafi regime. Two Libyan air force pilots depicted to Malta, refusing to fire on crowds of protesters. There are shots of the planes landing in the island of Malta where they've been radioed in for asylum.

HOLMES: Also some new video coming in to us from Bahrain this morning of the anti-government protests happening in the capital of Manama. People, as you see there, by some estimates tens of thousands in these pictures. The king there is making some concessions to some of the protesters. He has ordered the release of prisoners and closed cases against several opposition leaders accused of plotting against the regime. It's paved the way now for the head of Bahrain's biggest opposition party to return to that country.

CHETRY: Yemen's embattled president is rejecting demands that he'd step down after three decades in power. Ali Abdullah Saleh is also comparing the anti-government protests in his country to a virus like the flu, saying it went from Tunisia, to Egypt and it's now infecting other countries. Rebels who have been battling in the government for years are now joining the demonstrations in the street.

HOLMES: Well, we're going to turn now to some weather in this country, another round of winter storms. Take a look at what they got in South Dakota, in particular, Aberdeen here. At least a foot of snow and ice across some parts of the Northern Plains and Midwest, another round of snow, sleet, freezing rain, you name it, could be coming to the Mid-Atlantic now.

CHETRY: And Rob Marciano is in the extreme weather center. I love how the last hour you described whatever was coming in for us. There was a blip, or I don't know what you said. It ended up being six inches in the burbs to shovel.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, some of the burbs got a half of foot. You're right about that. So -- you know, but compared to what you see really, this is, you know, piece of cake, right? Continue to pile up the snow for the seasonal totals. And the ice also a huge deal with this system.

Check out some of the video coming to us from Ohio. Northern Ohio got hammered with an ice storm, so did northern parts of Indiana. Trees and power lines down. Southern parts of Michigan still over 100,000 people this morning without power because of this ice storm.

Obviously, there's cold air behind it. So, the thaw is going to be very, very slow today -- as a matter of fact, cold enough for snow in Chicago. Here's the radar. Chicago saw mostly rain yesterday, but, obviously, cold enough for snow off the lake and that will last for the next couple of hours, might see a couple of inches out of that.

The snows that have moved across the Delmarva are pretty much done. Some flurries this morning, some quick snow showers. But the accumulating snow with this system is done across the Northeast.

Thirty-four degrees is the high temperature in New York City; 35 degrees in D.C. I think your average high for this time of year is probably around 40, so below average temperatures once again, been that kind of winter, guys. Embrace it. Enjoy it.

We'll see you in about 30 minutes.

HOLMES: Yes, we'll get right on that.

CHETRY: Yes. When you're not out there shoveling, it's so enjoyable.

HOLMES: Enjoying. All right, Rob, we appreciate you, buddy.

MARCIANO: All right, guys.

HOLMES: Well, also ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING: that snow you've been hearing so much about this winter? Well, sometimes, it just gets a little heavy and sometimes a roof comes down. We'll show you the surveillance video. It was rolling when this roof caved in.

CHETRY: Also, new developments in the labor standoff in Wisconsin. The governor now is turning up the heat and threatening hundreds of layoffs if his budget doesn't get passed soon.

It's 11 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CHETRY: We want to show you some video right now of the after-effects of heavy snow. This is from Pontiac, Michigan. Their surveillance tape right there of a supermarket roof caving in. You see it happened. It gave way under the weight of all of the snow from the weekend storm.

Meantime, it was closed at the time. Owners say that no alarms even went off, but there you see some more of the damage after a news crew got in there. They say they showed up on Monday and that's how they found the store.

HOLMES: Well, this standoff seemed to continue in Wisconsin. And according to the governor, at least, the clock is ticking. The country is watching what's happening in Madison, Wisconsin. Could this mean the end of unions?

The governor wants to cut the rights to collectively bargain, the rights of those unions. But Republicans in the state Senate -- well, they're trying to get back to work today. Meanwhile, the Democrats are still out of town. Why? Because they are trying to hold up the process. You need those Democrats there to vote on the governor's big budget.

They are fighting now on one issue it seems -- only about the collective bargaining -- because the unions have said they will concede to some of the other points the governor wants them to when it comes to pensions and health care. So, what are we going to do now?

Well, Glenn Grothman is a Republican in the Wisconsin State Senate, and he is the assistant majority leader. He joins me this morning from Madison.

And then Jon Erpenbach, he's one of those Democrats. He is in the Wisconsin Senate, but he is still out of town, in Chicago for me this morning.

Gentlemen, thank you both so much for being here and being a part of what is certainly an important national conversation.

Senator Erpenbach, let me start with you, sir. You are still out of town. You can't be gone forever. So, what is your plan? When do you plan on going back?

STATE SEN. JOHN ERPENBACH (D), WISCONSIN: Well, we don't want to be gone forever. We want to be home right now and we would love to vote on the budget repair bill and move it forward. The governor has a balanced budget on his desk. All the public employees at the local level and the state level including the teacher had given the governor every single penny he's asked for to balance his budget in return to remove the language that's going after working families in Wisconsin.

So, we believe he has a strong financial package on his desk right now. He should remove the language, and we should move forward.

HOLMES: All right. It sounds like you are not going to go back until the governor caves on at least that point on the collective bargaining. Am I hearing you correctly?

ERPENBACH: Well, again, it's not so much about us going back and what we need to hear from the governor. It's more so about what the governor needs to hear from the people of the state. They are speaking very loudly on this particular issue. Again, they've balanced the budget. They got to balance the budget right there on his desk, and we could be back in Madison and vote today if he were to agree to it.

HOLMES: Is there anything that your colleague, Senator Grothman, who is here, as well. Is there anything you could hear from him this morning he could say to you right now that would get you back in your car and have you drive to Madison, Wisconsin?

ERPENBACH: Yes. What we would like to hear is that the governor is going to drop the language that goes after working people's rights in the state of Wisconsin.

HOLMES: All right. Well, Senator Grothman, are you willing to concede that point this morning that, all right, the unions have conceded to all of these things the governor wanted to save money and the pensions and the health care is just about collective bargaining? So, can you give him that and let him go back home?

STATE SEN. GLENN GROTHMAN, (R) WISCONSIN: No. But I want to clarify. Governor Walker will continue to allow unions to collectively bargain over wages, but over work rules, we have to allow the state, the counties, the school districts and the cities to deploy their workers more efficiently. We can no longer have to negotiate with the union every time you tell somebody to do something differently.

We are in a fiscal crisis here and part of solving that fiscal crisis is allowing the boss to be the boss, be it a city administrator or a school superintendent.

HOLMES: So, it sounds like Senator Grothman, are you willing, and the governor willing, to just wait them out? Are you banking on them having to come back to the state at some point?

GROTHMAN: Well, I think if Jon Erpenbach and his fellow Democrats came back in the state, they'd see the average person in Wisconsin is quite livid. They elected their legislators to work in Madison, not hang out in Chicago, and I like Jon, but I'm sure, he showed up the new glare as there (ph), Mt. Horeb, one of the little villages in his district, he'd find the people would say, Jon, get the work. What are you doing in Chicago?

HOLMES: And Jon, to that point, let me ask you this. You all left the middle of the last week. Have you been able to sneak back into state at all in the past few days?

ERPENBACH: No, not at all, and I really want to be home. I mean, I miss my kids, but I want to talk about a couple of things Glenn said. He brought up local units of government. Local units of government came out yesterday against what Governor Walker wants to do with binding arbitration. They don't want what the governor wants them to do. And sitting down and telling workers what to do and when to do it has absolutely nothing to do with balancing our state budget.

Glenn mentioned we're in a fiscal crisis. We are. And the local unions and the state unions and the teachers have agreed to give Governor Walker every single penny he's asked for to balance his budget. So, he should take this offer so we can come back to Madison today and vote on it.

HOLMES: Well, gentlemen, is it possible to just suspend the collective bargaining rights to agree to just put them on the back burner for now either to allow them for the next couple of years or to suspend them for two years? Is that, Senator Grothman, a worthwhile compromise?

GROTHMAN: No. This is part of the package. It's something that's vitally important for our budget. If we're not going to be able to give the cities or the schools the same amount of money they had last year, they need the option to deploy their workers more efficiently, and they can't wait years or decades to have a union agree to say you can do something differently.

HOLMES: And Senator Erpenbach, one more thing --

ERPENBACH: Wait a minute.

HOLMES: Go ahead.

ERPENBACH: Wait years or decades for unions to agree, Glenn? That's ridiculous.

GROTHMAN: Absolutely.

(CROSSTALK)

ERPENBACH: Glenn, what happened last week?

GROTHMAN: I think the unions realized that they were losing on one issue so they conceded on one issue.

HOLMES: OK. It sounds like a disagreement --

ERPENBACH: I'm sorry. This is a budget bill. This is a budget bill, and the employees have agreed to give the governor his money. His budget is balanced. What more does he want?

HOLMES: Well, I guess, that's the point --

GROTHMAN: He wants the ability to deploy his workers more efficiently. That is part of allowing school districts or cities.

ERPENBACH: What does it mean?

GROTHMAN: It means that if somebody wants to tell somebody to do something differently that they have in the past or hire more workers or a variety of things within the contracts, we cannot negotiate it with the unions. You have to be able to say --

ERPENBACH: Yes, you have.

HOLMES: Senator Erpenbach, one last thing to you here. Governor Walker has come out and said now that the clock is ticking. That if some package has not passed by this Friday, he might be looking at the possibility of having to lay off some 1,500 workers in that state over the next few months. Do you see that as a threat or is that the reality of your situation there in the state?

ERPENBACH: I see it as a threat. Last Friday, Governor Walker said if we don't pass the budget, he'll have to lay off people 5 or 6,000 people or he'll have to cut 200,000 kids from badger care in Wisconsin. So, I see it as a threat and nothing more than a threat.

HOLMES: Senator Grothman, is that the reality? Is that the way you see it?

GROTHMAN: Well, the reality is if we are unable to deploy our workers more efficiently, the cost savings has to go somewhere. Governor Walker has listed (ph) one of the reasons he's doing this budget as he doesn't want to lay off people, and that's why the Democrats ought to get back to Madison and pass the budget.

ERPENBACH: Does deploy mean firing the workers? What does deploy mean?

HOLMES: Well, gentlemen, I have to leave it there. I know, Senator Grothman, you probably like to answer that, but we'll have you back, but Mr. Erpenbach, we'll continue to check in with you and your fellow Democrats. From what you know, are all of the 14 senators still out of the state, Democratic senator?

ERPENBACH: Yes, we are.

HOLMES: All of them are still out. We will continue for follow-up. Senator Grothman, Senator Erpenbach, really gentlemen, appreciate you both. An important national story that's playing out there for you locally. Gentlemen, thank you so much. Twenty-one minutes past hour here. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Twenty-four minutes past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING. We should say happy anniversary to one Supreme Court justice. It was on this day, five years ago, that Clarence Thomas actually spoke during oral arguments. He has been famous for this, and people have talked about and written about this over the years, but he has said himself three years ago.

This was a quote from him. He says, "You can do this job without asking a single question." He has also called it a matter of courtesy said, "If I invite you to argue your case, I should at least listen to you."

CHETRY: Yes. That would be near impossible for me. Five years and not ask a single question. Five years!

HOLMES: I was going to test you just for the next minutes of the show.

CHETRY: That'd be impossible.

Well, Vancouver, of course, is still riding high. They got to host the 2010 Winter Olympics. Well, now, they just got ranked the most livable city in the world for the fifth straight year. Thanks for the folks at the Economist Intelligence Units. It's an economist business research company. Rounding at the top three, Melbourne, Australia as well as Vienna, Austria.

The report says that these cities offer the same cultural and infrastructure benefits of a larger city but without crime and without congestion. Top U.S. city on the list is Pittsburgh, PA came in at 29. Right behind it, Honolulu, Hawaii, and at number 34, Washington, D.C.

HOLMES: Also, another barrier broken by the same woman. She's now the first woman ever to pitch batting practice to a big league baseball team. Name is Justine Segal, threw to the Cleveland Indians yesterday. She's already broken a few other barriers, as I mentioned. She coached at the professional and college level.

She attended general managers meeting back in the off-season, and she was there and she asked, hey, can I do this? The Indians GM said sure. She wore a patch honoring Christina Taylor Green, the 9-year- old granddaughter of former major league and manager, Dallas Green. Of course, Christina was shot and killed in last month shootings in Tucson.

CHETRY: And she didn't just seem (INAUDIBLE). The manager said she's making me look bad. He usually goes (ph) to batting practice. And some of the batters said she was impressive. So, good for her.

HOLMES: Nicely.

CHETRY: Well, another state joins the ban on so-called bath salts. These are actually legal chemicals that some say give you a high similar to cocaine or ecstasy. Quite dangerous, but still, not able to be sold in many states. Twenty-six minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Thirty minutes past of the hour. Let's get a check of our top stories now. We're still following developments in Libya where leader, Moammar Gadhafi remains defiant despite his country's growing unrest and demands for his removal.

Government officials have resigned in protest of the bloody crackdown, and two Libyan air force pilots actually defected seeking asylum in Malta rather than opening fire on crowds of unarmed protesters. The eastern part of Libya also appears to be under control of the opposition.

HOLMES: Then, in Madison, Wisconsin, teachers are expected back at work today after days of protests where some school districts had to be closed around Madison. But the governor there says time is running out now. Scott Walker is warning that the state may have to cut 1,500 jobs if his proposed budget is not passed by Friday. Those jobs would be lost over the next several months.

The holdup now is the 14 state senators. Those Democrats have left the state and they say they will not return to vote on that legislation. The governor, as you know, wants teachers and other public employees to contribute a lot more for benefits and give up most of their collective bargaining rights.

CHETRY: In New Zealand, there is a search for people trapped in the rubble following a 6.3 magnitude earthquake that hit Christchurch. A U.S. search and rescue team is headed there now. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley sending out a tweet a short time ago. There have been two strong after-shocks. They know at least 65 people were killed but fear but they fear that number could rise as they continue to sift through the rubble looking for survivors.

HOLMES: We spoke to the head of New Zealand's head of national crisis management. He is on the ground right now at Christchurch, working through the night to try to find anyone in that rubble. Listen to him talking to us earlier today on "American Morning."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHETRY: So what are your biggest priorities and concerns as you try to continue this rescue operation?

DAVID COETZEE, NEW ZEALAND NATIONAL CRISIS MANAGEMENT: You only have relatively small window, you know, to rescue people under these conditions. And, therefore, that is our absolutely priority right now, to do everything we can. We have deployed all teams we have, capacities we have in New Zealand. We have international teams on the way. Some have arrived earlier this evening, and some will be arriving tomorrow. So the quest continues.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: He also said they are using specialized equipment looking for signs of life. It may be a very slow and dangerous process, though, to get to survivors.

HOLMES: Also, two Iran warships passing through the Suez Canal. This is a first since 1979. They are on their way to the Mediterranean and reportedly headed to Syria on a training mission. The Egypt military Okayed this entry for a fee of $290,000, and while Israel sees this a lot differently, calling it a provocation. This Iranian ship is armed with torpedoes and missiles.

Meanwhile, a hijacked yacht with four Americans onboard reportedly is nearing the Somali coast. It is being followed by a U.S. Navy warship. Pirates took over this yacht a few days ago with four Americans on board.

CHETRY: A new front in the gun debate. A new bill in Texas would give college students and professors the right to carry guns on campus if approved. Supporters say they want to prevent another Virginia Tech where they say unarmed students were sitting ducks. Many say it would do nothing but create a more dangerous environment.

Earlier on "AMERICAN MORNING" we heard from two Texas state Senate lawmakers on each side of the debate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF WENTWORTH, (R) TEXAS STATE SENATOR: As you pointed out at Virginia Tech, we had a deranged person who was suicidal who decided he'd like to take as many people with him as he could and went into what is considered a gun free zone, which I consider a victim zone, and picked off innocent kids sitting in their classrooms with nobody able to defend themselves.

EDDIE RODRIGUEZ, (D) TEXAS STATE SENATOR: Let me say I haven't heard from professors, deans or presidents of colleges, I haven't heard from law enforcement that they want this. In fact, I've heard from some law enforcement that they are worried this could actually create a more dangerous, unpredictable environment.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHETRY: Before Virginia Tech, a rampage at the University of Texas back in 1966 was the worst college shooting in U.S. history, 16 people were killed there. More than twice as many were murdered at Virginia Tech.

Alabama is expected to announce today they are taking so-called bath salts off the shelves. Drug experts say the products are a synthetic version of cocaine or ecstasy and that their effects can include psychotic episodes, hallucinations, and even suicidal thoughts. In most states you can buy these bath salts legally in little jars or packets, but now Alabama is joining, states that have already recently banned those drugs.

HOLMES: Also on this "AMERICAN MORNING," a tragedy. Former NFL star Dave Duerson takes his own life. But he leaves his brain to science. We will be talking to a neurosurgeon about what can be learned.

CHETRY: Also a little later, why younger Americans may be deciding to shut down their blogs and instead deciding to friend, like, or share their thoughts in 140 characters. It's 35 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Its' 38 minutes past the hour now.

Former Chicago Bear safety Dave Duerson is dead. He committed suicide last week. He is a four-time pro bowler and on the championship team of the Bears in the mid '80s. He sent text message to his family member requesting that his brain tissue be examined for evidence of a degenerative brain disease.

We talk to a Dr. Keith Black, chairman of the department of neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. I know it's early out there for you, doctor, but this is an important story will raise a lot of questions. First of all, is this normal that an individual could take it upon themselves -- he seemed to know something was wrong with him. Is that what would happen?

DR. KEITH BLACK, CHAIRMAN OF DEPARTMENT OF NEUROSURGERY, CEDARS-SINAI MEDICAL CENTER: Well, I think there's a lot of discussion among players in the NFL currently, you know, regarding the consequences of chronic repetitive brain injury. You know, the syndrome is talked about a lot in the NFL. It's mostly known in sort of the boxing area where it started, but there is a lot of awareness, I think, among players and among physicians and among the public currently.

HOLMES: You talk about that awareness there, but would someone around him certainly have noticed some changes in him? There are reports of that, but do you think is there a way they wouldn't have noticed?

BLACK: Well, it's hard to really know in any individual player, you know, until the brain is actually analyzed at pathology whether the symptoms that they may be having are actually related to the chronic injury.

And that is one of the benefits of actually being able to get the brains of these players and see if some of the things they may be experiencing is correlated with sort of this repetitive brain injury that occurs in sports like football and boxing.

HOLMES: Doctor, this is an important question here for every parent out there listening that has a young child or anyone they care about that is playing football, but a lot of people will make the assumption these are the NFL guys. These are the biggest, fastest athletes in the world running into each other at high speeds. So maybe they are the ones that are susceptible to these injuries.

Is it a mistake to think that, and can young athletes from pop warner to high school to college also be getting some of these same degenerative brain diseases?

BLACK: Well, we know that there are many more players at the high school level, at the collegiate level than at the professional level. So, you know, the risk to those players, I think, are actually higher because they don't have the expert trainers that are on the field that can recognize a player that may have, you know, post-concussive syndrome.

And the most important aspect we now are beginning to understand if a player has a brain injury and has a concussive syndrome, may not be knocked out, may not be totally aware to the trainer, and they have a repeat injury soon after that injury, that can really cause significant harm to the brain.

So it's very important to recognize these particular syndromes and very important to recognize it, I think, particularly at the high school and the collegiate level.

HOLMES: And sir, is it also unfair -- I shouldn't say unfair - but unwise to also assume it's always the big hits? People think, OK, it's the big hit that knocks somebody out that is going to cause the problem down the road. But football, people remind yourselves, every single play these guys are knocked around in some form or fashion. Is that more so, the accumulation of all these hits that is doing it?

BLACK: It's not really the big hit that is causing the concern I think, among medical professionals taking care of these athletes. It's the repetitive hit. We know now if a player has an injury, and if it's not recognized and that player is not taken out of the game or sort of given a period for his brain to recover and repair itself, if there is a second injury that occurs soon after, those consequences are much more dangerous.

This is the concern that we have particularly at the high school level, at the junior high school level, at the collegiate level, these repetitive injuries that are occurring and are not recognized and the players are not being given a period to sort of rest and allow their brains to recover.

HOLMES: And you mentioned the collegiate community. Last year, 21- year-old Owen Thomas, the Penn football player, committed suicide. They examined his brain and found he had CTE, this degenerative brain disease that a lot of people were amazed it was found in a 21-year-old young man. What can that tell you and the rest of the medical community that we need to be more closely paying attention to when it comes to these athletes?

BLACK: Well, I think it tells us that we need to do much more research and much more study on this disease. You know, the way to think about it is repetitive injuries impacts to the brain essentially causing a disease that is very similar to Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease. You can have behavior changes. You can have depression. And you can see things that are building up in the brain that looks very similar to these diseases that are occurring in the elderly.

And one of the things that we need to understand is what players may be at risk. Is there some sort of predisposition to these players develop this disease early? And how can we avoid the consequences of these in these players and to ultimately develop therapies that can protect the brain so we don't see this disease developing?

HOLMES: All right, again, such a tragic story. He is still, in a lot of ways, a young man, only around 50 years old. But this could move us forward in some way in research and finding out these brain injuries. Dr. Black, we appreciate you really being here with us.

BLACK: My pleasure.

HOLMES: A quick break here on this AMERICAN MORNING. It's quarter of the top of the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Beautiful shot of the Space Needle this morning in Seattle, Washington. Nice and early. It's 37 degrees, showers later going up -- showers later, shocking in Seattle, 44 degrees for a high.

HOLMES: Yes, I hear it rains there a lot. CHETRY: Yes but then some of my friends who live there say well, we just say it rains a lot to keep you guys out. It's actually beautiful, it's nice and green and lush and it just (INAUDIBLE) a little.

HOLMES: Well, their plan is working. And also, no, I've been in Seattle. It's a lovely town. It's a lovely town, well, I hope they are not up yet.

All right, well, we have to show you this out of Mountain Hood in Oregon. An amazing rescue there where a snowboarder had to be plucked from the side of a mountain by a Black Hawk helicopter. The Oregon Army National Guard had to be called into the rescue yesterday afternoon because the snowboarder got lost in blizzard conditions the day before.

The temperature got down to 16 degrees overnight. But he said he survived because he had a cell phone and he called his friend and he just covered himself up in pine needles.

CHETRY: Amazing.

Well, another heart-warming rescue in Mississippi but this time it was a dog named "Lucky" who was rescued. Lucky apparently wandered on to the ice and then the river was frozen over and then got stuck when the island thawed things out. So the -- the dog was stuck on the island park. The Black Lab barked for days; apparently rescue teams finally discovered he was missing and showed up.

He didn't want to go -- or she didn't want to go at that point, she was nervous so they ended up having to chase her around for an hour and in the end they had to use a little tranquilizer on her. But she is back and lucky to be alive and back on the mainland and doing just fine. She doesn't look too thrilled right there but you know what she'll get her -- she'll get the spring in her step back.

HOLMES: Yes got rescued and shot with a tranquilizer, it's hard. That's a good day.

CHETRY: They are very resilient.

HOLMES: Dogs?

CHETRY: Yes.

HOLMES: Ok.

Rob Marciano, good morning to you once again. Kind sir, what do you want to talk about?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, you know, well, dogs, I guess? I -- I don't know. They -- they like to go out on the rivers. And they like to play on -- they just like to do stuff and they get stuck.

CHETRY: They're -- they like to explore and then they get themselves in trouble. MARCIANO: Yes. You know, loveable, but not always the brightest of things.

Hey, speaking of -- of you know, ice that is melting. Roll that beautiful ice melting footage. Not nice for the folks who live in Ft. Dodge, Iowa. This is the Des Moines River which is trying to -- you know go down and melt just a little bit. Well, ice jam happened and that caused major flooding in this area and dozens of people had to be evacuated in this community because of that.

And this is -- becomes a problem this time of year. When what with the snow pack and obviously the ice and the ice trying to melt and with the snow pack and you get the ice stands further downstream and you can get flooding like this. And you know we're really worried about the Red River again which flows through north through Fargo later on this spring. And I think we're going to see probably some major flooding there. And we'll probably similar pictures if not worst.

All right. Listen, the snow that came through the New York City area, here are some of the tallies for the northeast: eight inches in Newton, New Jersey; Greenwich, Connecticut, 7.5 inches. Harrison, New York, there in Worcester, County, 6.1; Philadelphia 4.5 and in the city seeing 2.5.

So not -- not a huge amount in the city but further away you don't have to put (ph) a snow, not -- not too shabby. A little bit of snow heading through Chicago right now. This is lake effect it'll be done in the next couple of hours. The lake effect comes down and it comes down pretty hard and it's pretty light and fluffy so it piles up pretty quickly. We might see a couple of quick inches.

We do have a ground stop at O'Hare because of that: Philly, ten-minute delays and Ft. Myers are seeing departure delays at about an hour.

I have a little front that's moving through to the Panhandle of Florida. It's relatively quiet behind this next system but the one coming through the Pacific Northwest will drive south and that could spawn some severe weather Thursday and Friday.

In the meantime, 70 in Dallas for a high, it's kind of chilly up north; 31 in Chicago and 34 degrees in New York City. No major thaw in the city at least for the time being.

T.J. and Kiran, back up to you.

CHETRY: All right, Rob have a good day. Thanks so much.

HOLMES: Thanks Rob.

MARCIANO: All right, you too.

CHETRY: Just a few years ago blogging was of course popular. Everyone had a blog, right. It was a Merriam Webster's word of the year actually but man, times had changed. It turns out people who want to express themselves online especially younger people are turning to social media sites like Facebook and Twitter and doing away with the blogging.

According to a study by the Pew Research Center only 14 percent of kids between the ages of 12 and 17 who use the Internet have blogs. Now that's half of what it was in 2006. Former bloggers are saying they just don't have the time anymore and sites like Facebook are all they really need to socialize online and to update their friends on what they're up to.

HOLMES: All right. Well coming up next here on the "Human Factor". People overcoming odds, a doctor who overcame severe stuttering by talking to animals.

It's nine minutes to the top of the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING.

You know, decades ago a young boy growing up with a stutter figured out a unique way to control his speech. He turned to animals.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta has today's "Human Factor" which are stories of everyday people doing extraordinary things.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You're looking at the jaguar. Few people are as familiar with the animal's fate than this man, named Dr. Allan Rabinowitz.

DR. ALLAN RABINOWITZ, PRESIDENT AND CEO PANTHERA: Sixty percent of their habitat is gone, they still range throughout 18 countries but they are killed on sight.

GUPTA: He launched Panthera, his mission -- to save the jaguar and its peers.

RABINOWITZ: We felt strongly that there had to be something focusing only on the world's great cats, 24/7.

GUPTA: But what's most fascinating is how his love for the jaguar began.

RABINOWITZ: When growing up I had a very, very severe stutter. It was so severe that I would -- I would get these very intense blocks. My mouth would freeze -- freeze up, go into something called frozen mouth.

GUPTA: That is until he started talking to animals.

RABINOWITZ: I could not talk to the adult world because there was too much expectation put on me, too much impatience. But when I turn -- turned to the animals, I could speak.

GUPTA: Experts say between 70 percent and 80 percent of children who stutter will recover spontaneously. For the minority who don't, becoming what's known as a fluent speaker takes various therapies.

(on camera): So you have to focus on not stuttering. I mean, are you consciously thinking about it as you're talking to me?

RABINOWITZ: Yes. Not as much as I used to have to do.

GUPTA: For the Dr. Rabinowitz, his therapy was the jaguar.

RABINOWITZ: But once I found those big cats and found these big powerful animals locked inside those -- their -- their cages, locked in their own bodies, unable to get out, I felt that was like me.

So I always would go to their cage and talk to them and I promised that if I ever got my -- my voice, I would try to be their voice.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, if you're counting down to Hollywood's biggest night that is coming up join "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" A.J. Hammer and Brooke Anderson for a live red carpet access at the Oscar. The "ROAD TO GOLD" airs this Sunday at 7:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN and then see some of the most compelling moments of the night from our sister network HLN coming your way at 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

CHETRY: Well, so we still have a few days to catch a few of those Oscar-nominated movies.

HOLMES: Yes. I am up to one.

CHETRY: I have a lot of catching up to do and a lot of stories to recount. All right. Well, we're going to take -- we're going to say good-bye for today. We're going to be back tomorrow bright and early. Hope you can join us then. Thanks so much for joining us today.

HOLMES: And we do want to hand it over to Atlanta and "CNN NEWSROOM" with Kyra Phillips right now. Good morning to you -- Kyra.