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American Morning
Gas and Oil Prices Spike; Gadhafi Losing Libya; Ex-Libyan Official Says Gadhafi Ordered Bombing of Pan Am 10; Wisconsin Governor "Pranked"; Packers, Cheese and Protests; "The People Are in Control; Job Demands Facebook Password; Melo Mania
Aired February 24, 2011 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Now on this AMERICAN MORNING, the opposition reportedly now in control of Libya's third largest city. Could a showdown now be looming in the capital of Tripoli? And some are asking, is this going to be Gadhafi's last stand?
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Wisconsin's governor embroiled in a bitter battle with labor. Duped into discussing his strategy to end the stalemate. The prank call that's quickly spreading across the Internet and how Governor Scott Walker is explaining it all today.
HOLMES: Also, you want a job? How about this? You give your boss your resume, but you also need to give him your Facebook log-in and password first. That's what one man had to do. And now he's fighting back.
CHETRY: Also, some big worries about soaring gas prices as oil continues to spike on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Good morning. We are getting dramatic new video, showing the power of that earthquake in New Zealand. Meanwhile, there are concerns that time may be running out to find survivors.
CHETRY: His standoff against unions has been the focus of a national debate. Now Wisconsin's governor finds himself the target of a telephone prank and reveals one plan that he considered to break the stalemate.
HOLMES: And would you say this is a case of an employer going too far. The boss, your potential boss, asking for your Facebook username and password to check you out. This happened to one man. But it could also happen to you, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
And top of the hour here on this Thursday morning, Thursday, February 24th. Glad you're right here. I'm T.J. Holmes.
CHETRY: I'm Kiran Chetry. It is the news that unfortunately will cost you more this morning. Gas and oil prices surging on the mere threat of supply interruptions in the Middle East and North Africa. Right now, oil prices are above $100 a barrel. And gas prices also up about two cents overnight.
Our Christine Romans is "Minding Your Business" this morning. A lot of concerns, obviously because of Libya.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Sure.
CHETRY: But then other questions about larger instability, Saudi Arabia, and what may happen if that's the case.
ROMANS: I mean, this is the where the stuff that drives the global economy comes there. When you have deep political unrest there, of course, it causes a lot of concerns. You've got oil above $100 a barrel for the first time in a couple of years.
Yesterday, you can see what began over the past three weeks as steadily climbing oil prices turned into an outright oil spike. And there are calls for oil prices to continue to move higher, as we get more and more details about Libyan production being shut down and Libyan supplies starting to slow in some places.
There's a lot of -- I'm going to be tell you, to be honest with you. A lot of the oil companies they're saying they're not quite sure what the situation is. It's a little chaotic. They do know that less oil is coming to the refineries and coming to the market and that's what they're very concerned about.
Why is Libya so important? We've talked about how it's the largest proven reserves in Africa, but it's the third largest African oil producer, yes. But when any drop of oil isn't coming to market, it's something that you can feel because we produce a certain amount of oil every day in this world and we consume every last drop of it. The tad supplies are that tight.
Also, Libya producers light sweet crude. It's a grade of oil that is processed, refined in Europe and used right away. For European recipients of this oil have to go and find other supplies, it starts to get a little difficult. It probably means that Italy and other countries are going to be competing with the U.S. for Algerian and Nigerian oil. Nigerian oil is eight percent of American oil imports. Algerian oil is four percent of American imports.
So, again, it's important the type of crude you guys. It's important what's coming to the market. How big the disruption is, how chaotic the situation is. You're watching the headlines from Libya. It's clear, it's clear that this thing is just only beginning and that is the big concern.
You know, Libya -- Libya is a member of OPEC. There are a lot of other countries that are providing crude oil. OPEC members say they will raise production if they need to make sure that there's enough oil on the market. But certainly, investors are concerned about this. This will mean higher prices most likely for you at the gas tank. No question about it. This is where the headlines matter to what you're putting in your gas tank.
CHETRY: We'll be watching this with you all day, Christine. Thank you so much.
HOLMES: Thank you, Christine. CHETRY: We want to bring you up to date on other developments in Libya, where piece by piece, city by city, this 40-plus year of Moammar Gadhafi is clearly crumbling. Reports say that protesters are now in control of the Libyan city of Misrata. That is the third largest city in Libya behind Tripoli and Benghazi. Reports also say that the city of Zentan (ph) has fallen and that there are getting closer and closer to the capital. In Benghazi where this uprising started, they're celebrating. Ben Wedeman, the first western journalist to report from inside Libya was right in the middle of those celebrations. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We arrived in the mid-afternoon and we showed up sort of at the center of town where there were thousands of people already demonstrating. When they saw -- excuse me -- when they saw us arrive, they just exploded with cheers and clapping, people saying "thank you, thank you" in English, throwing candy and dates inside the car. The only thing I can really think of or I thought of at the time was, it was like being the first American soldier in a jeep driving into Paris after the fall in 1944.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: It could end up being Gadhafi's last stand. In this video which was posted on Facebook, you can hear tracer fire being shot into the air. The streets there reportedly being controlled by thugs with machetes and guns.
And right now, hundreds of Americans are still waiting to leave Libya. Their ferry was scheduled to take them from Tripoli to Malta 22 hours ago, but rough seas put those evacuation plans on hold. State Department spokesman PJ Crowley tweeting that all American citizens are safe on board and that the ferry will leave when the weather permits.
HOLMES: And demonstrators remain defiant despite Gadhafi's orders to shoot civilians and reports that hired thugs are carrying out the crackdown. We are getting some new video, apparently shown rose of dead Libyan soldiers. We are going to show you this. Need to warn you it is disturbing, but we're just showing what is happening there, some of the reports coming out.
Now these soldiers appear to have their hands bound behind their backs. The person who took this video and posted it on YouTube claim these are, in fact, Libyan soldiers who were executed for refusing to fire on unarmed civilians. We have been unable to independently confirm what you're seeing here.
Meanwhile, Libya's ex-justice minister claiming that Gadhafi personally ordered the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 and he says he has proof, even though he's not saying exactly what that proof is. You'll remember that Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was the only man convicted in the bombing over Lockerbie and he was sentenced to life in prison but then granted a compassionate release by Scotland on the ground that he was suffering from prostate cancer and would soon die. That was in summer of 2009 he was released. He is still alive today. And last night, our Anderson Cooper spoke to Brian Flynn, whose brother was killed in that Pan Am flight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIAN FLYNN, BROTHER KILLED ON PAN AMERICAN MORNING. 103: I realized for two decades we've been saying that Gadhafi is illegitimate, that he's a brutal dictator, and any efforts to normalize relations or in the case of the U.K. to free, fraudulently free Megrahi from prison, every time we do something like that, we have blood on our hands today, because you've seen that, in fact, that that regime that we legitimatized, we even fortified it by establishing closer relations with them, they're in fact brutalizing their people today. And I think we're partly responsible for that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, President Obama is condemning the brutal response from the Gadhafi regime. It is the first time that he's spoken publicly about this since the uprising started.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The suffering and bloodshed is outrageous and it is unacceptable. So are threats and orders to shoot peaceful protesters and further punish the people of Libya. These actions violate international norms and every standard of common decency. This violence must stop.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, the president also said he's dispatching Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Geneva for international talks aimed at stopping the violence. The White House says that it took so long for the president to speak because of concerns about the safety of Americans in Libya.
HOLMES: A major reversal on gay marriage from the Obama administration. The president has now ordered the Justice Department to stop defending the Defense of Marriage Act in court. You'll remember this is the 1996 law that says that marriage is between one man and one woman. Justice has been defending it in court the past two years, but now says the law is indefensible and unconstitutional.
It's important to note here, though, that the law will continue to be enforced. It's still on the books. President Obama did stop short of personally endorsing gay marriage. His press secretary came out yesterday and said that the president is still, quote, "grappling with his views on the issue."
CHETRY: Civil unions though are now officially legal in the state of Hawaii. Governor Neil Abercrombie signed the bill yesterday. The new law will take effect the first of next year. And it extends the same rights to gay couples that spouses in a marriage have. Hawaii joins six other states in the District of Columbia in recognizing civil unions. HOLMES: As we take a look at some other things happening around the country, take a look at this. A pet store. Look inside. A woman was trying to park at that pet store in Dallas. Hit the wrong pedal. Was trying, of course, hit the brake, hit the gas. Went right through. And the SUV through that store. And it's all caught on surveillance video. Everybody, of course, shocked inside. But the good news is, nobody was hurt.
CHETRY: I never understand how that happens, though.
HOLMES: Me neither.
CHETRY: I mean, if you're going to park, aren't you breaking already if you're going to park?
HOLMES: It happens too often.
CHETRY: Do you zoom in to a space and then slam the brake on?
HOLMES: Maybe she's on the phone doing some other thing. Who knows what happens.
CHETRY: Wow. All right.
Well, a little over an hour from now, the Space Shuttle Discovery will fuel up for the final time. Discovery blasts off on a supply mission to the International Space Station at 4:50 p.m. It's the first of three scheduled flights before the aging shuttle fleet is retired. In an exclusive interview with NASA, with CNN NASA chief, Charles Bolden says that will be the end of America's space missions for a while.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHARLES BOLDEN, NASA ADMINISTRATOR: What is not acceptable is the fact that the most powerful nation in the world, the United States of America, finds itself in a situation that we didn't do the proper planning to have a vehicle in place to replace shuttle when it lands its last landing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Bolden continued on saying that Russian Soyuz capsules will have to supply the space station until commercial spacecraft can do the job.
HOLMES: Well, 10 minutes past the hour, let's turn to our Reynolds Wolf, keeping an eye on the weather for us just off the top here.
Reynolds, good morning. And is the weather going to cooperate, it appears, for this launch later today?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's going to cooperate very well for the launch today. The way it looks is fine. But for other people who are trying to have their own launch around the country, you might have a few wrinkles, especially in parts of the southeast, the Midwest and out in the --- Pacific Northwest is going to be just insane. Let's begin first and foremost what we have right in front of us. Then we've got some scattered showers that are developing across parts of the Tennessee valley, some snowfall in upstate, Pennsylvania even into parts of New York. But the rain that they're watching this morning, the primary threat we're going to see from this is going to be some flash flooding, especially in western Tennessee and western Kentucky. Or friends who may be turning in from Paducah this morning, be prepared.
Out west, as we wrap things up, the big story is not rain, but rather snow. In some spots we have the winter storm watches, warnings. They're scattered all throughout the west. Right along the coast, we can see anywhere from three to seven inches of snowfall. In the mountains, possibly above a foot in many places. So out west you can expect some delays in Seattle, in Portland, in San Francisco, and, of course, in Nashville this morning expect the delays to stack up there as well.
Guys, you get a full plate to talk about. Plus the severe weather potential for the southeast. We're going to touch on that in just a few. Yes, let's send it back to you guys.
HOLMES: All right, Reynolds. Looking forward to you shortly.
CHETRY: I thought you were going to get exact on us, but no it's --
WOLF: Hey, we're always -- we always keep it loose here. There you go.
CHETRY: Thanks, Reynolds.
Well, coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, we have a new look at the earthquake in New Zealand, as it happened, through the lens of a surveillance camera.
HOLMES: Also, this morning, Wisconsin's governor falls for a prank caller. He thought it was one of his supporters. It turned out to be a journalist, and it took 20 minutes of a phone call before anybody realized something might have been up.
CHETRY: Also, would you give up your Facebook password to get a job? One state agency is taking a background check to a whole new level.
It's 12 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Fifteen minutes past the hour now.
A prank caller was able to get Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker to reveal details of his strategy in its ongoing battle over union rights. The governor thought he was talking to one of his donors. He was actually talking to a liberal blogger by the name of Ian Murphy who works for the "Buffalo Beast" - thedailybeast.com.
CHETRY: Yes, and according to Murphy's website, Governor Walker discussed the 14 Senate Democrats who left Wisconsin to stall the vote on his budget bill, and he admitted in his call that he considered the idea to perhaps bring them back home by offering them a chance to talk, not negotiate. Then he'd have the 19 Republican senators declare a quorum, force a vote and get that spending plan passed.
He said, again, he considered that but then didn't do that.
Here's another portion of the prank call that's raising eyebrows this morning.
(BEGIN AUDIO TAPE)
IAN MURPHY, PRETENDED TO BE BILLIONAIRE DAVID KOCH: We'll back you anyway we can. But what we were thinking about the crowds was planting some troublemakers.
GOV. SCOTT WALKER (R), WISCONSIN: You know, the - well, the only problem with - because we thought about that. The problem with - or my only gut reaction to that would be, right now, the - the - and the lawmakers I've talked to have just completely had it with them. The public is not really fond of this.
The teachers' union did some polling in focus groups, I think, and found out that the public turned on them the minute they closed school down for a couple days. The guys we got left are largely from out of state, and I keep dismissing it in all my press conferences, saying, oh, they're mostly from out of state.
(END AUDIO TAPE)
HOLMES: Now, Walker is admitting he got pranked, again, being pranked by the guy who works for that website. It's called thebuffalobeast.com.
Now, he claims his planning to bring senators back to Madison was not a trick, and he doesn't believe this is a big deal at all.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: But the bottom line is, the things I've said are things I've said publicly all along. The fact of the matter is people have brought up all sorts of different options. And as you saw, if you've listened to the tape, we - we put that down.
I'm not going to allow one prank phone call to be a distraction from the realities that we have a job to do here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, before all of this, Wisconsin was probably known for the Green Bay Packers and Wisconsin cheese, but, like it or not, the state has suddenly become ground zero for the American labor movement.
Casey Wian is live in Madison this morning, and this is where expect some of the demonstrations to be the largest ever in the state. CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Actually, Kiran, what's happening is most of the demonstrations have been centered here in Madison at the state capital since last week. Thousands and thousands of people have been here outside of the capital and by the hundreds spending the night inside.
What we're actually expecting to happen today is those demonstrations will fan out throughout the state. Towns and cities all over the state of Wisconsin, more than two dozen demonstrations in what organizers are saying is going to be the largest demonstration in the history of Wisconsin, outside of the capitol.
Now, Governor Walker yesterday seemed to take a new approach in trying to persuade some of those union members, state union members who have been protesting here at the capital, that his budget repair deal will be good for them, despite the fact that it would strip them of many of their collective bargaining rights. He pointed out that they may save about $1,000 a year because they wouldn't have to pay union dues if this bill passes.
Now, of course, that does not sit well with union leaders who are visiting here, and I spoke with the head of the Teamsters yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM HOFFA, TEAMSTERS PRESIDENT: Let's face it, this is a conspiracy. Right to work has been introduced in 13 states simultaneously. Does anybody think that's a coincidence?
I mean, we know what's going on here. And the same thing that's going on here is going on in Indiana, it's going on in Ohio, then they're going to do it in - in Minnesota, then they're going to do it here.
That's what the battle is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIAN: Meanwhile, the legislative process is crawling behind me, the state assembly is debating more than 100 amendments to this budget repair bill. But nothing is going to happen on that bill unless those 14 Senate - Senate Democrats who are in Illinois, outside of state lines and outside the reach of the governor here, return to the state - Kiran.
CHETRY: All right, Casey Wian for us this morning. Thanks so much.
HOLMES: And we have been telling you that our Ben Wedeman was the first western journalist to get into Libya and to do reporting there since the unrest unfolded. Well, he continues to be there for us. He's joining me on the line once again this morning from Benghazi with new developments.
Ben, hello to you. What are we expecting here soon from Gadhafi?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, nobody knows what to expect whenever - whenever Colonel Gadhafi appears on television. His speeches are largely unscripted and largely unpredictable, scattered with fairly random and incomprehensible statements. So, honestly, we don't know.
What we do know, we're at - at the Benghazi Airport at the moment. We spoke earlier with the pilot in the Libyan Airport (ph) who has come over to the side of the anti-Gadhafi forces. He told us that morale among his colleagues in Tripoli, in the areas under the control of Moammar Gadhafi is very low, that many of the pilots have refused to carry out the orders coming from the regime.
He said that he understands that several of those pilots have been executed for refusing to carry out those orders, and many of them, in fact, have been replaced by mercenary pilots from Algeria who have been hired to carry out the missions that Libyan pilots simply refuse to do.
HOLMES: All right. Our Ben Wedeman, again, on the ground there in Benghazi with an update for us of what's happening in Libya. Again, expecting possibly to hear from Gadhafi soon, but it's anybody's guess what we are going to hear from him.
We continue - we'll keep an eye on it.
CHETRY: Meantime, up next on AMERICAN MORNING, Lindsay Lohan is hoping to stay out of the jail, as we know, but those hopes may have been crushed by a tough-talking judge. We'll have the latest for the troubled starlet.
HOLMES: And the struggles continue for Tiger Woods, an early exit at a tournament he has done really well at over the years.
It's 21 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back.
Well, this has got to be getting old for Lindsay Lohan. This is her eighth court appearance in nine months. And things are not looking good for the troubled actress as she tries to avoid jail time with her latest run in with the law, this jewelry theft accusation. A judge at her hearing yesterday said that any guilty plea would include jail time and that the only way she can avoid serving time is if she's acquitted in trial.
Lohan is accused of stealing a necklace worth $2,500 from a Los Angeles jewelry store. She has pleaded not guilty to that charge.
HOLMES: Also, the struggles continue for tiger. How much worse can it get? Early match from the Accenture Match Play Championship and he has made an early exit. You see there, that was him trying to get out of the desert, essentially there, on the course. He trailed his - the guy who's he's playing against, Thomas Bjorn, for most of the match. But he was able to square things up with a birdie on the 18th and then you see all that trouble he got into on the extra hole and he could not survive. It's determined that Tiger's won several times, but only the second time in his career that he has made a first round exit.
CHETRY: I always ask you, why is it news when Tiger gets booted out? I mean, how long is it going to be news that Tiger gets booted out of a tournament early?
HOLMES: It's going to be a long time.
CHETRY: Well, it's a tough game.
HOLMES: I don't know. It's going to be a long time. He's been on top of that game for a long time. He's still number three in the world. And people are waiting for him to get back on track. So those are the hopes every time.
CHETRY: All right. Well, Ted Williams, the once Homeless Man with the Golden Voice, you remember him?
HOLMES: Yes, of course (ph).
CHETRY: He is now going to be starring in a reality show. Reports say the show called "Second Chances At Life" will be filmed in his hometown of Brooklyn, New York, and it will document his rollercoaster life, from promising radio personality, to his alcohol and drug issues, life on the street, and then the YouTube star has then - has now added a new chapter to his life.
HOLMES: All right. Another episode of "Mascots Behaving Badly." If you haven't seen this, I need you to look at your TV screen right now. That is Mr. C, the mascot for the Vanderbilt Commodores who is going through the crowd during this wave surfing this thing they call and he clops one of the guys in the crowd. Now, this is being investigated right now.
But you can see there, a bit of a struggle and it appears that the student at least had a hold of Mr. C's leg or something. And Mr. C was trying to get out of it, took a swipe, and the kid ended up bleeding badly from the nose. He was actually using a newspaper to try to stop the bleeding in the crowd there. Again, this is being looked into now. But it's kind of a - it's supposed to be a fun scene, but apparently Mr. C packs a punch.
CHETRY: Aren't they like -
HOLMES: You would think soft.
CHETRY: -- made of soft and foam and felt? OK. Well -
HOLMES: Apparently not.
CHETRY: Ouch.
Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, the first moments of New Zealand's earthquake captured on camera. New surveillance video out in the Christchurch area. We'll show it to you.
HOLMES: And you know you want that job. Do you want it so badly, though, would you hand over your Facebook log-in and password to your new potential boss so they can check you out? This happened, folks. But could it happen to you?
It's 27 minutes past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: News we are just getting in that British Court has ruled that the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will, in fact, be extradited to Sweden where he is accused in the sexual abuse case. He hasn't been charged with a crime. However, Swedish prosecutors have been trying to question him in connection with sexual misconduct allegations related to separate incidents back in August.
He had been there in Britain, trying to avoid having to go back to Sweden. But now, a judge there has ruled in fact that he will have to go. He now has seven days to appeal this ruling.
CHETRY: Top stories now as well, just in to CNN. We're waiting for Libyan Leader Moammar Gadhafi to speak. He's speaking a moment. His power is slipping away this morning.
He may be now -- he may now be bombing one of his own cities not too far from Tripoli in an effort to hang on to power. Several more cities have fallen this morning, including Libya's third largest.
HOLMES: Also, take a look now at some of the new pictures we are getting of the earthquake in New Zealand. This is inside, surveillance video inside a store. A camera capturing this. You see the shelves moving around. Bottles, things falling off of the shelves there.
At least 19 -- excuse me, 98 people have been confirmed dead. But the search continues for at least another 226 who are reported missing. Eighty percent of the city of Christchurch now has no water; half the city without power. The search continues. But in some cases, they say, it is too late to find survivors under some of that rubble.
CHETRY: And today's labor demonstrations in Wisconsin are expected to be the largest in the state ever. Governor Scott Walker is trying to pass a budget that forces state governments to give up their collective bargains rights. Meanwhile, Walker was dupe into revealing some strategies he thought of dealing with protesting unions when a liberal blogger made a prank call to him pretending to be a billionaire conservative donor.
Well, if you wanted to keep tabs on your crush, there's no longer an app for that. Facebook had shut down an application yesterday that had allowed users to select friends whose relationship they wanted to monitor. In a letter, Facebook reportedly pull the plug on the, quote, "breakup notifier" because it appeared to -- it appeared to be a, quote, "spammy application."
All right. Well, if you want a job, hand over your Facebook password. One state agency is taking background checks to a whole new level. HOLMES: Yes, our Jason Carroll on the story for us here. This would be the equivalent of what? Someone saying this is like a boss asking you, "I want to open your mail," is that it?
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly what it is. That's exactly what it is. And not only open your mail but then see who else you might be talking to and see what their communications are as well.
You know, I think a lot of companies are going to be looking at this and reviewing some of their own policies. You know, we've heard of companies looking at employees' Facebook pages. And we've also heard about companies asking an employee for their -- for their maybe Twitter accounts or things that they've looked at on Facebook.
But what would you do if your employer asked for your Facebook login and password? Well, that's what happened to Robert Collins when he re-applied for his job as a corrections officer after a leave of absence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT COLLINS, SAYS EMPLOYER INVADED PRIVACY: I was taken off-guard completely by -- I wanted more than anything to be reinstated back to my position, which I held for quite some time, my gainful employment. And it was quite clear to me that if I did not comply, my consideration could be jeopardized to being reinstated back to my position.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: Well, Collins says after providing his password, he watched his employer logon to his Facebook account, checking his personal messages, status updates and pictures.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: I was absolutely shocked, outraged, disgusted for them to ask me such a thing like that. I thought it was absolutely invasive and it went entirely too far.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: Well, after the interview, Collins immediately contacted the ACLU. They sent a letter of complaint saying of the policy, "Not only is this demand a gross breach of privacy for Officer Collins and his friends on Facebook, it is illegal under the Federal Stored Communications Act."
Well, Maryland's Department of Public Safety and Correctional Service says, because correction officers work with criminals, they go through an applicant social media sites as to way to help determine whether they've committed any crimes or have any gang affiliations.
But they also say their policy, quote, "does not require corrections officer applicants to provide any information related to social media. If any information is provided by an applicant, it is done so voluntarily. If an applicant does not provide this information, it is not held against them. And the interview process moves forward."
Well, Collins says, if it is voluntary, that was not made clear to him. And in light of this complaint, this week, Maryland's Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services temporarily suspended its policy for 45 days, saying it's under review to be sure it's being used consistently and appropriately.
Now, we should also point out that Collins says that he does not want any monetary compensation for this. He wants to see that policy permanently suspended.
HOLMES: What about the job? Is he going to get the job back?
CARROLL: Yes, he is -- he is going to get his job back.
HOLMES: OK.
CARROLL: He has been reinstated. It took a little while. But he is, in fact, going to be reinstated. But the question becomes what would have happened if he had not gone to the ACLU for help.
CHETRY: But I have a question about the larger issue when you're dealing -- I mean, there's certain levels of security or you get certain levels of security where you get subjected to a much stronger and more vigorous background check if you want to be able to have security clearance, if you want to be able to work and --
CARROLL: Depends upon the job.
CHETRY: Yes. I mean, would this be something that is just exclusive to that type of area of work?
CARROLL: Well, it depends on the type of job. Let's say you're a police officer, firefighter, going to work for the FBI, something like that -- obviously, there's going to be situations where they're going to have to check into your back ground more extensively.
The larger question is: what does the law say on this? And quite frankly, the law is evolving as more and more of these social media Web sites pop up. And people are challenging based on what type of access their employers are trying to get.
HOLMES: All right, interesting story this morning. I wonder how many more people that's happened to they've never said anything about it. Jason, we appreciate you this morning.
CARROLL: All right.
CHETRY: Thanks, Jason.
Well, still to come this morning, it's being called one of the leading causes of heart attacks in America. Researchers say it's being ignored. We're going to show you what it is and talk more about it, coming up.
Thirty-six minutes past the hour. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: When talking about states in crisis, a lot of people believe that we may be witnessing a labor movement's last stand in America. Here's why. We want to show some other states that are dealing with this as well. This is a look at what's going on in Providence, Rhode Island. We'll play the video.
Basically, every single teacher in the city has gotten a layoff notice, nearly 2,000 of them. They're not losing their jobs yet, but they're being told that they should be on notice, that they could lose their jobs by the end of the school year. The school district is dealing right now with a $40 million budget deficit.
Let's take a look at what's going on in Allen Park. This is in the Michigan, where the city council voted to send layoff notices to the entire fire department. Twenty-seven firefighters will be getting 30 days' notice this morning. And what the mayor is saying about this situation is that he's hoping to avoid layoffs by negotiating for concessions.
And then let's take a look at what's going on right now in Pennsylvania. This is a very sad story in Pennsylvania. Two children were killed in a row home fire on Tuesday. And what happened is nearby Engine Company 61 which would normally be the first responder was not able to respond in a timely way. Because of the budget crisis, the engine company was browned out Tuesday, closed, because of a cash crunch -- T.J.
HOLMES: Kiran, in Indiana, a state official is out of a job this morning. Why? Because of a tweet he sent. We're talking about the deputy attorney general. His name is Jeffrey Cox. He tweeted and I'm quoting here, "use live ammunition," end quote, on the protesters in Wisconsin. In his tweets, he also referred to protesters as thugs. And he also tweeted this, and I quote again "You're damn right, I advocate deadly force," end quote.
Now, he was insisting this is meant to be satire. He is now regretting some of the words he used.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFFREY COX, FORMER INDIANA DEP. ATTY. GENERAL: I think in this day and age, that tweet was not a good idea. And in terms of that language, I'm not going to use it anymore.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Great idea. Indiana attorney general's office did make a comment and they said, quote, "We respect an individual's First Amendment right to express their personal views on private online forums, but as public servants, we should strive for civility."
Well, air pollution, it causes more heart attacks than cocaine? Yes, according to a study, just as risky for your heart as alcohol, caffeine and physical exertion. The study was done by scientists over in Belgium. It was released in the "Lancet Journal."
But sex, anger, marijuana use and respiratory infection, they also pose heart attack risk. But it's air pollution, especially those who have to sit in heavy traffic, that is the major contributory heart attacks. These findings suggest that air pollution needs to be taken more seriously.
CHETRY: America's organ transplant network is considering rules for kidney donations, favoring those who are younger and healthier and over those who are older and sicker. Right now, priority is given to patients who'd been on the waiting list the longest. Kidneys are the organs in highest demand. The idea is to more closely match available kidneys to recipients who stand the best chance of longevity with those donated kidneys.
HOLMES: Also this morning, a proposed kidney transplant that got two sisters freed from jail has now been postponed. You'll remember this story. The Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour suspended the sentences of the sisters Gladys and Jamie Scott. This happened at the end of the last year. One of them has a severe kidney failure. That's Jamie who has that.
So, under the condition of their release, the other sister had to give Jamie a kidney. The surgery is on hold because doctors say Jamie has to lose 110 pounds before this can go forward. Until she does, it's not clear she's even compatible with her sister. The two served 16 years in jail for an armed robbery conviction.
CHETRY: Still to come this morning, we're keeping an eye on the potential for severe weather in the Southern Plains this morning. Reynolds Wolf is in for Rob and he'll have the morning's forecast for you right after the break.
HOLMES: Also, you remember so much in the news about the Cleveland Cavaliers and their long losing streak. That was nothing compared to this school who just ended their 26th year losing streak. The happy ending to this story, coming up.
It's 43 minutes past the hour.
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HOLMES: Beautiful shot this morning, the sunrise over Manhattan. Good morning, New York City, and good morning to the rest of you this morning. In New York, it is going to be a balmy 44 degrees today, but it's not snowing. It's not sleeting. We're on the way to work in the morning, and it's going to be a good day, but a beautiful shot this morning in New York.
CHETRY: All right. We're going to show you another beautiful shot, especially if you're a kid. Check out this one. This dad created an awesome snowman slide. Ricky Wright (ph) said it took 80 hours of shoveling. This is in Lake Tahoe, California. He built it for his kids. Check that out. Now, he has the most brag-worthy front yard that the internet has ever seen. Eighty hours of shoveling, and they get a ton of snow. That's pretty cool, though. HOLMES: That is very cool. Reynolds joining us now. Reynolds, I guess, in Lake Tahoe, that's one place this could work?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, 80 hours?
CHETRY: Yes.
WOLF: Man, he's making the rest of us look bad.
CHETRY: I know.
WOLF: My gosh.
CHETRY: That's the dad you want, right?
WOLF: Yes, exactly. I mean, my poor kids. I mean, as soon as the snow comes in, I shovel it away. No slides at all. Hey, we're going to be seeing some weather, you know, spot in two parts of the southeast, and when it comes through, it's going to be causing all kinds of issues. Take a look at what we have. This is our severe weather threat for the day. It includes Paducah, Kentucky, back to the Nashville, Huntsville, even into Jackson, Mississippi as far to the west as parts of Oklahoma and into Texas.
Now, that is where we have the possibility, but it's most likely into portions of Tennessee, back into Arkansas and even parts of Mississippi. The reason why we're going to see it happen is very simple, this area of low pressure, this frontal battery is all going to be pulling off towards the east. As it does so, scattered showers and storms developing, especially as we get through (ph) around 9:00 this evening.
So, this is going to be a nocturnal event. Top half of the system, not rain, but rather, some snow that will be piling up anywhere from three to six inches of snow, but it's fast forward into Friday morning at 8:00 a.m. Thunder boomers moving right towards Atlanta, and place like Kennesaw Mountain, you could have some rain there and maybe some thunderstorms, but looks like the most severe weather is going to place, as I mentioned, back towards Tennessee.
Again, as I mentioned, Friday morning, we're seeing the rain come through, then into Friday evening in New York, you can expect those scattered showers to come through in upstate New York, back into Vermont, even into Maine. We could see anywhere from seven, even 14 inches of snowfall in the highest elevations, and that's one of this today (ph) we're seeing. As we speak, though, what's happening is we currently have the rain in parts (ph) of Tennessee.
The biggest threat with this happens to be the possibility of flooding along parts of I-55 to the north of Memphis and to the north of Nashville also. Out west, we're not talking about rain at all, but it is all snow, and it has been just massive. There's a mint (ph) snowstorm that's going to give you issues on parts of the I-5 corridor. In fact, yesterday, the snow was so heavy, there was about 30 miles of cars stranded along the I-5 corridor, the heaviest snowfall in the cascades, possibly into a foot in some locations. You couple that with wind gusts topping 40, 50 miles an hour. Visibility will be almost, well, I've seen in some places, virtually, nonexistent. That's a quick snapshot of your forecast. Let's wrap it up and send it back to you with nice big bow on it, back to New York.
HOLMES: We do appreciate it. Reynolds, thanks.
WOLF: You bet, guys.
HOLMES: We'll talk to you again here soon.
CHETRY: Remember this guy, the rent is too damn high. He was running for governor in New York, and he was pretty funny at that time, and he said, you know what, I'm back. I have a new party and a new catch phrase, and I'm gearing up for 2012.
HOLMES: Also this morning, check the cushions of your couch. If we all did that this morning, do you know how much money we'd all find? Maybe, we could pay down the debt in this country. We'll have the number for you coming up. It's 10 minutes to the top of the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.
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CHETRY: He really came in with a bang. Carmelo Anthony, perhaps, starting a new era for the Knicks. He made his debut with the Knicks last night at Madison Square Garden after he was traded from the Denver Nuggets. Knicks' fans, of course, gave him a standing ovation, and he returned in kind. Anthony had 27 points, 10 rebounds, and he helped the Knicks beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 117-108.
HOLMES: Also this morning, a win that hasn't come in 26 years. You're seeing video here of the last game of the year for Caltech. This is their first conference win in 26 years. A 310-game losing streak in the Division III, Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. They beat Occidental, 46-45. And you might be wondering, how the rest of the team at the school?
The baseball team is on 170-game losing streak. They've lost 412 in the conference. The volleyball team has lost 154 in a row. As you may know, Caltech is one of the best research institutions in this country. They don't give out athletic scholarships, but they have a lot of valedictorians. So, a lot of the kids who are on the team literally, some of them, never even played basketball before. So, this is why the streak has continues, but congratulations. A new era (ph) coming to them as well.
CHETRY: Thanks for explaining that. I just thought they were in a tough division.
HOLMES: No, no, no.
CHETRY: Fifty-four minutes past the hour. L.A. Clippers, Ricky Blake Griffin, of course, one of the NBA's most exciting players, might have seen him, of course, in the All-star game. Yes, in the slam dunk. Took it to a whole new level, soaring over a 2011 Kia Optima. HOLMES: Yes, but now, one of his fans crying foul. Here's our Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Blake Griffin dazzled fans by leaping over a car to win the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Who knew the dunk would get slammed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel like it was my idea.
MOOS: Twenty-three-year-old Ohio resident, Michael Skribner, says that when he heard Griffin asking for great dunk ideas, Michael sent him this tweet 11 days before the event.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Park the car on the court, jump over the car while the driver throws you at hoops through the sunroof.
MOOS: And that's exactly what happened. Though, they could have both had the same idea, Michael kept waiting for credit, tweeting Griffin, where's the love on my dunk idea? Where's my props, homie? But the L.A. Clipper star said he dreamed up the stunt.
BLAKE GRIFFIN, LA CLIPPERS FORWARD: I originally had the idea like a long time ago, and you know, I talked to some people about it, one like real serious about it, but you know, they got me to do mentions (ph) and everything and I thought I could do it, and then I asked for the sunroof.
MOOS: But Michael said if Griffin had the idea already --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why reach out to your fans and ask for ideas?
MOOS: No comment so far from the L.A. Clippers.
MOOS (on-camera): And where did Michael get the car jumping idea. He said it came to him in a dream.
MOOS (voice-over): A dream two years ago, but instead of Griffin leaping over a Kia, he dreamed that LeBron James jumped over a hummer as the ball was passed through the sunroof. Michael says he isn't looking for money.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm still a big Blake Griffin fan. None of this was ever meant to bash him or whatnot.
MOOS: He just wants a shout out from Griffin and maybe an autograph or tickets to a game.
Now, do you dunk?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I cannot dunk. Unfortunately, I'm only 5'8".
MOOS (on-camera): For most of us, the closest we get to dunking is a doughnut. MOOS (voice-over): But now, with this new dunk like Blake Griffin web time-waster, you, too, can be head and shoulders above the crowd even if it's only your head on Griffin's shoulders.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: I didn't know Jeanne's biceps were that cut. Good for her.
HOLMES: She's been working out.
CHETRY: Yes, apparently.
HOLMES: All right. We're getting close to the top of the hour here. Quick break and your top story is coming up on this AMERICAN MORNING.
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