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American Morning
Severe Southern Storm; Key Vote in Wisconsin; Boeing Wins $35 Million Tanker Deal; Every Teacher Gets a Pink Slip; Emergency Landing On "Independence St."; Dog Rescued By Dolphins; Less Like The Lady?
Aired February 25, 2011 - 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: Developing right now.
A key vote in the showdown in Wisconsin. The house assembly voting to strip workers of their collective bargaining in rights. But will this mean an end to the standoff between the governor and the unions? A big day in this debate.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Also, we are watching budget problems in another state, where one city has now sent every single one of its teachers a layoff notice.
CHETRY: And did the military play mind games with Capitol Hill? We're going to hear from one of the senators who was reportedly targeted on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
CHETRY: And good morning. Glad you're with us on this Friday, the 25th of February. I'm Kiran Chetry.
HOLMES: And good morning to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes. Thank you for being here.
We need to start with some severe weather. Dangerous and now deadly weather that's in the South that has led to a tragedy in Paducah, Kentucky. Four children -- four Amish children swept away by flood waters from a swollen creek.
This happened after the family's horse-drawn carriage flipped over. Three of the bodies have been recovered. They're still searching for a fourth child. But this is part of a powerful line of storms going across a number of states right now.
CHETRY: Yes, in Memphis, there were flashes of lightning in the sky and storms brought down trees and power lines. You can see the lightning there. It was very dramatic stuff.
Tornadoes and 80-mile-an-hour winds leaving their mark in Shelby County, Tennessee. There were some damage to trees and homes. No injuries reported there. But this storm is now moving east, bringing with it some heavy rain and some thunderstorms, as well.
Let's check in with our Reynolds Wolf in the extreme weather center for more on what we can expect today.
Good morning, Reynolds.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: What an incredible night it was. Horrible, horrible conditions in parts of Tennessee, into Arkansas, and even into Kentucky, where we had 10 reports of tornadoes.
This morning, the big threat remains of flash flooding in parts of the Southeast. Now, when we get to the Great Lakes, it's a different story altogether, not rain, but actually some snowfall and some winter storm warnings there are in effect.
Let's zoom in a couple of few locations. Again, top half of the system, very simple to see, today, plenty of snow from Detroit to Cleveland. Southward over to about, let's say, Columbus, Ohio, even in to points east in Buffalo and even through Boston, it is primarily a snow event.
But the rain is still an issue. And where it really piles up in parts of the Deep South, especially in central Georgia, we might have some flash flooding. South of Alabama, same situation, south Auburn University, you could have some heavy rainfall with that. And poor drainage areas, a potential of flash flooding will exist.
Now, we can expect this to last quite a bit throughout the rest of the morning and into the midday hours, but mainly along the Eastern Seaboard. When you get about New York and points north where it's mainly snow, you cut that in half. And that point southward, primarily a rain event. You're going to see mostly dry conditions to the Central Plains, but then back out west. Central plains to about the West Coast, snow in the highest elevations but along the California coastline, a little bit of rainfall.
Guys, we have a big weather day to talk about. And, of course, we're going to take sneak peek of what to anticipate going into your weekend. Sit tight.
HOLMES: All right, Reynolds, we appreciate you as always. We'll be checking in with you plenty throughout the morning.
Also, this morning, still keeping a close eye on what's happening in Wisconsin where the lawmakers there have taken the first step towards stripping unions of most of their collective bargaining rights. The state assembly approved the bill overnight amid still more protests at the state capitol. Even though they approved it, it still must now pass through the Senate. But the hold up there is that 14 Democratic state senators are still AWOL.
The governor there, Scott Walker, has warned if no budget is passed by today, then it's possible 1,500 layoffs would have to happen, and it doesn't look like he is backing down.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. SCOTT WALKER (R), WISCONSIN: Well, as I've said time and time again, I've got two high school sons. I'm not going to allow this situation to pass on an even bigger burden to them. The days of passing the buck on from one budget to the next, from one generation to the next stop and they stop now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: As you may know by now, those 14 Democratic senators, at least one of them has to be there so they'll have enough in numbers to vote to pass the spending bill. But since they're gone and they can't vote on it, can't move on it in the Senate.
Those Democrats for the most part are believed to be in Illinois. But listen to this, state troopers were actually dispatched to their homes there in Wisconsin to see if they were around. They were not found. They are still believed to be in Illinois right now.
CHETRY: Meantime, in Providence, Rhode Island, they sent out termination notices to every single teacher in the school district, almost 1,900 teachers. The city school board voted to back the mayor's plan last night. Providence also facing a budget crunch of $40 million deficit next year.
Not every teacher will ultimately lose their job, but the mayor says that by state law, all of them have to be notified by March 1st. They're still determining which jobs will be cut.
Our Jason Carroll is going to be taking a closer look at what's going on in Providence in our next half hour.
HOLMES: Also, a college student in Texas, he's due in court, accused of secretly planning terrorist attacks in the U.S., and wait until you hear about his targets. You're seeing him there. Khalid Ali Aldawsari. He's from Saudi Arabia. He's 20 years old. He was an engineering student at Texas Tech.
Prosecutors are saying that he was trying to buy chemicals in order to make bombs. One of his possible targets according to authorities was the Dallas home of former President of George W. Bush. Prosecutors say he wanted to plant also a car bomb in New York City, possibly during rush hour.
The police commissioner here in New York, Ray Kelly, talked to our Piers Morgan last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COMMISSIONER RAY KELLY, NEW YORK POLICE DEPT.: We look at it on three levels of risk. We see al Qaeda central, core al Qaeda. We see their surrogates. We see that's al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, and we see homegrown terrorists.
And this is sort of a manifestation of that last category. Although this individual appears at this juncture to have acted alone, he comes from Saudi Arabia. He's here on a student visa. And he talked rather openly about the reason he came here, was to conduct jihad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: And Aldawsari did come to the U.S. on a college scholarship.
We're going to be talking about this with one of our contributors, Thomas Fuentes. He's a former FBI assistant director. And also one of the questions is: does this mean that something was working and that we caught him? Or is it possible that once again the intelligence community just got lucky?
He's coming up at 7:30 Eastern Time, just in a bit.
CHETRY: Now, to the front lines to the fight for Libya. West in Tripoli, in a town reportedly under opposition control, pro and anti-government forces clashed. Witnesses say that blood is all over the streets. And it's a scene repeated across Libya.
But the fight will be won or lost in Tripoli. That's where in a speech Moammar Gadhafi blamed the resolution on al Qaeda. He also dismissed the protesters as drugged up kids.
Meanwhile, the international community is beginning to target Gadhafi's regime. The Swiss announced they're freezing the Libyan dictator's assets. Also later today, the U.N. Security Council will meet to discuss the violence. Right now, diplomats say all options are on the table, including sanctions and an arms embargo.
HOLMES: And governments right now scrambling, trying to get their citizens out of Libya. It's not clear this morning whether a ferry chartered to evacuate U.S. citizens from Tripoli to Malta will leave port. They've had a weather situation there. So, they've been standing by for the past couple of days trying to get Americans out.
The State Department says at least 275 people are onboard that ferry. But still, they're on standby right now. Other countries have been managed to be able to get some of their people out. A ferry that was carrying Chinese nationals reached port in the Greek island of Crete today. China has evacuated some 12,000 of its citizens so far.
Also, two ferries carrying 3,000 Turkish nationals reached Turkey. Turkey also has seven planes on standby.
And then in Paris, an Airbus belonging to the French air force landed there with 165 of their people onboard. That plane took off from the central Libyan city of Sabha.
Also, a plane carrying British citizens landed in Malta. Britain has evacuated more than 350 of its citizens so far.
More flights will be arranged today if necessary. One of those lucky few able -- who are able to arrive in Malta. Listen to them describe the chaos in Libya.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The air force, organized anarchy. And it is one term I could up with. Basically, it was just a complete mess. The whole place is just a rubbish dump. It doesn't matter. People are abandoning every last piece of luggage they've got.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, thankfully, some Americans did manage to get out of Libya. A couple from New Jersey is back home after catching a flight to Rome. Franz Fernley (ph) was working on a development project near Tripoli. He and his wife Erica had been living in the city for a year. The couple witnessed the recent unrest firsthand, hearing gun shots near their home, and they came face-to-face with Gadhafi's military at a check point on their way to the airport. And they say they feel they're lucky to be alive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTFIED FEMALE: They were shouting and yelling and very aggressive. They had their wands and kicking people's luggage to try to make lanes so that people could, you know, move. And they were -- they were -- it was frightening.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Coming up in the next hour, we're going to be talking live with two more Americans who've just arrived back from Libya. They say the country is a war zone.
HOLMES: Well, oil prices are once again cracking $100 a barrel, selling around $98 by the end of trading yesterday. Of course, the higher those oil prices go, it's going to cost you more at the pump. And we have seen both of these things continue to trickle up as we've watched unrest in northern Africa. And the fear is that a lot of this could spread into the Middle East and cause disruptions.
But OPEC and Saudi Arabia, that's the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, they have gotten together, giving reassurance they will release stockpiles to make up for any oil that's lost.
CHETRY: Officials in Iraq are blaming recent protests in their country on al Qaeda and Saddam supporters. In Baghdad today, the supporters are calling for a day of rage. Demonstrations planned at the Iraqi capital's own Tahrir Square, the same name with the site of the Egyptian protest, which means liberation in Arabic.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki is urging demonstrators to stay away from the protests. The protesters are denying any al Qaeda or Saddam links. And they say they're rallying against poor public services and government corruption.
Next on AMERICAN MORNING: Some stunning allegations that the military used psy-ops tactics on members of Congress in an effort to get more funding for the war and at the request of a general.
HOLMES: Also, it's a big win for Boeing, got a $35 billion deal. We're going to tell you what this actually means not just for jobs, but the economy as a whole.
CHETRY: And it could be lights off of the Easy Bake ovens. Why the classic toy is being forced to change as we move toward a greener world?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: (INAUDIBLE) NASA's most traveled spaceship takes its final flight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Two, one -- booster ignition. And the final liftoff of Discovery, a tribute to the dedication, hard work, and pride of America's space shuttle team. The shuttle has cleared the tower.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: There you go. You're watching the final, final countdown, at least for Discovery. The shuttle Discovery blasted off with six astronauts onboard. They'll be delivering several items to the International Space Station, including a humanoid robot.
The 11-day mission launched yesterday afternoon from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA officials say that foam insulation may have broken off of Discovery's fuel tank. This is a problem, of course, we've seen before. Astronauts will spend today assessing any damage to those tiles. NASA says this does not pose any safety concerns.
HOLMES: And listen to this now, a stunning report we're getting out of "Rolling Stone" magazine. It details an alleged attempt by the U.S. military to psychologically manipulate lawmakers. Why? To try to influence their views on the war in Afghanistan.
A group of leading senators reportedly targeted for influence, along with the Joint Chiefs chairman, Admiral Mike Mullen. The key source for this article was Michael Holmes. You see him. He's in the picture here with John McCain -- Senator McCain. He claims his army unit was ordered to use psy-ops on VIPs visiting Afghanistan.
He talked about this with our Anderson Cooper last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL HOLMES, FMR. ACTIVE DUTY NATIONAL GUARD LT. COL.: With the senators and the -- the congressmen, it was simply, how have these people voted in the past? What were their positions coming in? And what -- what could the generals actually say to them that will get them to do what we wanted them to do? Provide more money, provide more troops.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: General David Petraeus, of course, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, he's ordering now an investigation into this. The "Rolling Stone" article says that Democratic Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, he was one of those alleged targets.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JACK REED (D), RHODE ISLAND: My first reaction was, you know, trying to think back over the course of the multiple trips I've made to Afghanistan, and nothing stuck out unusually. I mean, most of these are very straightforward briefings. You understand that the briefer, the officer in charge has a point of view. He or she is an advocate for a position. You go in there with the notion of you've got to be somewhat skeptical.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Our Pentagon Correspondent Chris Lawrence will be along a little later this morning with more on this, what some would call a disturbing story.
CHETRY: Well, Boeing is very happy this morning. A $35 billion contract to build new Air Force tankers.
Christine Romans is "Minding Your Business". Are we talking U.S. jobs?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: We're talking U.S, jobs. We're talking maybe 50,000 U.S. jobs, 800 different suppliers in 40 different states. We're talking about jobs in Kansas and jobs in Washington because Boeing awarded this big, big Air Force refueling contract.
This has been a source of politics and business infighting for about 10 years now, speeding out EADS -- EADS, which is the European Consortium of Defense Contractors and airplane makers that EADS plane would have been built in the Gulf Coast. And so folks on the Gulf are really concerned today they've lost out on some potential jobs.
You're seeing a video of what this -- this refueling tanker does. It basically allows smaller aircraft to piggy back up there and fill up so that our smaller aircraft can fly longer ranges in the new, big globalized world with some of our threats that are far, far away from home. This is an incredibly important contract.
The first tranche of this is $3.5 billion. Boeing gets that and they're supposed to be delivering aircraft by the year 2017. Boeing says it means jobs, 50,000 of them, 800 different suppliers, Washington, Kansas, as I said, 48,000 to 50,000 jobs, 179 planes overall. But the potential to even be a bigger contract. But it also means is it there could be more jobs and more activity, economic activity at bases where they're going to be, you know, having to house these things, where they're going to have to have people on the runways to help land these things. So this is a very big defense contract.
And after a big fight -- this originally went to Northrop Grumman and EADS a couple of years ago and there was a huge outcry. Just wait a minute. This -- this should go to an American company. And the defense had always been that, wait, these are going to be American jobs -- either way this is going to be American jobs. They're going to be built for building these tankers.
But here you go, Boeing finally getting -- the stock is up three percent right now in pre-market and overall, just to let you know, stocks are indicated to be higher this morning.
HOLMES: Well, that is a good economic news. It's amazing how one deal, one company can change things --
ROMANS: That's right.
HOLMES: -- or the economy as a whole in some ways.
ROMANS: There's a couple of people disappointed in the Gulf Coast. That they would have like to have been able to make those in Mobile, Alabama, but they'll be made in Kansas and Washington instead.
HOLMES: Christine, thank you this morning.
ROMANS: You're welcome.
HOLMES: Well, CBS pulling the plug on "Two and a Half Men." Charlie sheen is at it again. Another bizarre clip from another bizarre radio interview.
CHETRY: And he was taped shoving a player to the court during practice. Will a college coach now keep his job? Will he be charged? We'll update you on the story next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Twenty-two minutes past the hour.
New this morning, a firefighter let go over Facebook postings. Richard Doherty was with the Bourne Fire Department in Massachusetts for 16 years. His superiors say he violated rules by posting messages that contained offensive language including a gay slur. The spokesperson for the local firefighters union says the postings were taken out of context and they are planning to appeal his dismissal.
HOLMES: Hey, you'll remember this coach and his video? We have an update for you here. The basketball coach filmed in an altercation or it appeared to be an altercation with one of his players during practice. The kid ends up on the ground.
This is John O'Connor, he's the coach of Holy Family University. He has announced he will resign. He will not face charges, though, over this incident. It shows O'Connor knocking down one of his players during practice. That student, that player, Matt Kravchuk, has filed a police report. He says he suffered a bloody nose and a lip. The district attorney's office says it reviewed this entire event and says the incident does not constitute a prosecutor or a criminal offense.
Well, after 48 years of baking, the lights are about to go out on the Easy Bake Oven. The oven, as you know, everybody is familiar with this oven. It uses that 100-watt incandescent bulb. But next year, those bulbs, because of legislations, are going to be outlawed. So they'll be phased out.
So Easy Bake, what are we going to do? Well, they're going to upgrade. The toymaker Hasbro says they have a new oven that's on its way. It will use a different type of heating element and will not have to use a light bulb. So Easy Bake will get an upgrade. It's not going away.
CHETRY: But they say some people who don't -- are stockpiling these 100-watt bulbs.
HOLMES: Just for the Easy Bake?
CHETRY: Yes. Just for the Easy Bake?
HOLMES: Is it that serious? Does it make that --
CHETRY: Only to buy a new one, I guess.
HOLMES: Well, you know, I guess that's the thing as well. You're used to this one thing. You don't know what the new one's going to be like.
CHETRY: Yes.
HOLMES: It's been a part of Toyland forever.
CHETRY: Sure has.
Well, do you remember when we did the story about the biodegradable Sun Chip bags --
HOLMES: Of course.
CHETRY: -- and how loud they were? Well, they quickly pulled the plug on them because they were too noisy and they were not selling well. Well, they're back and this time the company says it is great. They fixed the ear-splitting crinkle.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Take a chip from bag "A." Did it startle you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now take a chip from bag "B." Oh, I hear birds chirping. Did you notice the difference?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: The company says that it found a more rubbery adhesive to use which creates a noise barrier.
HOLMES: Are the chips any good? CHETRY: The chips are fine.
HOLMES: OK.
CHETRY: It's just that, you know, there was no sneaking around snacking late at night. You'd wake up the whole family. Yes. They said the decibel was as loud as a vacuum cleaner, a couple of other things.
HOLMES: I miss potato chips.
CHETRY: I know. It is. But they want them in biodegrade, so there you go.
Well, coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, a budget crisis backs a school district against the wall. Now, every teacher getting a pink slip.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: A shot of Atlanta this morning where it is 60 degrees. They're still dealing with some thunderstorms, but it's going to clear out. Later on, a high of 65.
HOLMES: I want to give you a look now here at the bottom of the hour with some of the stories we're keeping a close eye on.
Libya, the unrest there continues, and it seems that it continues to get closer and closer to Tripoli. We have reports in now just to the west in the Coastal Town of Al-Zawiyah, that doctors are telling us that 17 people have been killed after government forces attacked there.
Meanwhile, the U.S. still trying to get Americans out. A ferry with 275 people supposed to depart two days ago from Malta, but bad weather has kept it there. They're trying to see if they'll be able to get them out today.
CHETRY: A college student in Texas heads to federal court today. He is accused of buying explosive chemicals online with the intent to launch a terror attack in the United States. Prosecutors say that the Saudi national researched possible targets including New York City as well as Former President George W. Bush's home in Dallas.
HOLMES: Well, Wisconsin has voted down to pass that bill to strip down union rights. They did this overnight. This happened in the House there in Wisconsin. You see some of the melee. This happened overnight. This pretty much takes away most of the collective bargaining rights for public unions.
Well, it now has to head to the Senate, and who knows how long it'll have to sit there because in order for it to move through the Senate, those 14 Democratic senators who fled the state will need to come back to vote.
CHETRY: And so the budget crisis also in one New England City has taken a desperate turn, and teachers are bearing the brunt of it.
HOLMES: Yes. Our Jason Carroll here with this story. And it -- when you first hear it, what's happened?
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, yes.
HOLMES: It takes some explanation, but it's amazing. You hear everybody gets (INAUDIBLE).
CARROLL: Yes, it really does. You know, teachers really feeling like they're under attack. And in order to find out what happened, you have to look at what happened at a really contentious school board meeting last night. And Providence, Rhode Island, this is where it was all made official.
The board voted to send termination notices to every public schoolteacher in the district, every single one of them more than 1,900 of them. Now, that doesn't mean that all of them will lose their jobs. They'll have to reapply for them.
The drastic decision was made because the city and school district are in dire financial straights. Teachers feel like they are being victimized by poor city management.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am heart broken. I can't tell you how much this hurts.
DEBBIE KROUS, TEACHER: I feel numb. I almost like I need to mourn like the death of an innocent. So, it's just surreal. There's no justifying this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: Providence Mayor Angel Taveras defended the decision, saying state law says teachers must be notified about changes to their job by March 1st. He says that deadline does not give him the flexibility to work out the city's financial crisis, which include a $40 million deficit in next year's budget.
The mayor declined a comment after last night's vote but addressed his decision to terminate the teachers earlier this week on CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR ANGEL TAVERAS (D), PROVIDENCE: We need to make cuts. We don't know exactly the extent of the cuts yet. And therefore, we thought it was most prudent to give the notices to all of the teachers to maintain the maximum amount of flexibility to make sure we can balance our budget for the next fiscal year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: OK. Well, the city plans to rehire some of the teachers. How many at this point is unknown. And because the teachers are being terminated instead of laid off, the city is not obligated to rehire by seniority.
Providence is not the only school district considering extreme cutbacks. Across the country, schools are in trouble as states battle budgets and federal stimulus grants run out. New York City may cut 4,700 teachers next year. Take a look at Los Angeles. They are considering 7,300 school personnel. And the state of Texas may have to let go as many as 100,000 school employees in order to absorb budget cuts.
So, what we're seeing are cuts across the board. So, once again, what you're looking at in Providence, you know, these 1,900 teachers all will receive these termination notices. They're going to have to reapply for their jobs.
And, you know, it really begs the question: how many schools then will have to be closed?
CHETRY: Right.
CARROLL: What will this do to class size of the schools that remain open? A lot of things are still being worked out.
CHETRY: And so, they're getting this today, continuing working at their current jobs while this reapplication process takes place.
CARROLL: Until the end of the year.
CHETRY: And it's also interesting about the seniority issue because that's a huge fight in New York as well. They're going to be hired then on merit?
CARROLL: And that's what they're looking at in Providence. Is it going to be about merit? Will about seniority? Will it be a combination of both? These are some of the things that the mayor, the school board and the district are still trying to sort of hammer out.
HOLMES: It's a rough spot. These teachers, their colleagues, essentially, they're going to be competing with for the same jobs. That's too bad. I mean, it's happening all over the country.
Jason, we appreciate you. Another important story, but it's sad what's happening across the country. Thank you so much.
We're at 33 minutes past the hour now. Coming up, we're going to head across the pond. Take a list of the notable snubs for the royal wedding. And wait until you hear who William and Kate are actually saving a seat for.
CHETRY: Also, cooler homes and a better night's sleep could help rein in the obesity epidemic. We'll tell you about a new study just ahead.
Thirty-three minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Well, 36 minutes past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.
The royal couple is getting set to say I do. But they're already making some official appearances.
CHETRY: Our Zain Verjee has the real outing and some other stories making international headlines.
Hi, Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's always good to be on the royal beat. Happy Friday, by the way, guys.
And Kate and William are taking a trip down memory lane today. They're at their old university, St. Andrews in Edinburgh in Scotland. And they're just meeting their old professors. They're checking out the old residences. It's also, of course, where they met and where their romance bloomed.
William is actually the patron for the 600th anniversary for the university. So, that's the official reason that they're there. But St. Andrews is supposed to be a very romantic place. Easy place to fall in love, and they want to go there, guys.
HOLMES: Zain, what does that mean, an easy place to fall in love?
(LAUGHTER)
VERJEE: Well, you know, the buildings are old, and the town is so quaint. It's got so much history and these lovely little garden paths. So, I'm given to understand by a reliable royal source that St. Andrews is the place to be if you need a boost to your love life.
CHETRY: All right. They don't necessarily need a boost right now, right? They just need a little bit of time to work out all the wedding plans. They have --
VERJEE: No, they don't. But others might.
CHETRY: They have an unusual addition to their guest list. This is pretty cool.
VERJEE: Yes, you know, President Obama and Michelle Obama on the guest list. Fergie is not on the guest list for the wedding, 1,900 people are. And you know who's on it? This guy, John Haley.
Have you ever heard of him? Well, nobody had until today.
So, this guy was the landowner of the local pub that Kate Middleton and her family used to go to. It's called the Old Boot Inn. We say pub but they say pub over there.
And this guy was so excited. He couldn't believe he got this invitation. So, he's saying, I don't know what I'm going to wear and I don't know what I'm going to get them as a present. He's so excited. William and Kate used to go to his pub and have these cozy dinners there.
CHETRY: Pretty cute. Speaking of cozy, we just need an excuse to show the pictures of Nagano snow monkeys, right?
VERJEE: Yes.
CHETRY: But this is so cute. T.J. doesn't feel the same way, but I can't help it. I love this.
VERJEE: Yes. You know, it is cute and it's also an inspiration to book a spa appointment here I think. These guys are in Nagano, Japan. And they're in the hill.
Just look at how happy they look. They look so relax, snow monkeys. They're lounging in this hot spring and sleeping and up to their shoulders in hot water.
Basically they used to steal bananas and food and really be a royal pain to everyone in the area. But then they built the monkeys this hot spring. And they seem to lead quite the life there. We love these pictures, guys.
When was the last time you went into a nice little Jacuzzi, hot spa, tub bath. You know, monkeys have it good, Kiran.
CHETRY: They sure do. Cute. And it's turned into a tourist attraction too, so it's good for the town. Smart thinking.
VERJEE: Yes, absolutely.
HOLMES: Well, Zain, glad it's Friday so we don't have to show that video again this week. But, Zain Verjee --
VERJEE: T.J., why don't you like that video?
HOLMES: You call the monkeys cute, and it's just a little creepy. And the one that was doing something to his partner -- come on.
CHETRY: He was picking, you know, lice off of his --
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: Come on, I don't need to -- Zain, it's good to see you this morning. You have a good weekend.
VERJEE: Yes, thank you.
HOLMES: To viewers, you get Zain every morning right here Monday through Friday, 5:00 a.m., on "WORLD ONE" right here on CNN. We'll see.
CHETRY: Thanks, Zain.
VERJEE: Thanks, guys.
CHETRY: Well, an A.M. house call this morning, in a new study says exposure to a banned chemical, PCBs, can greatly reduce a woman's chances of conceiving through in vitro fertilization. Researchers of the University of Michigan found that women with the highest level of this chemical, the PCBs, had a lower chance of actually having a live birth after going to IVF. Although PCBs were banned in the '70s, the chemicals are still pervasive in the United States, byproducts of industrial waste. The study suggests that the risk may also extend to women who are trying to conceive naturally.
HOLMES: All right. And listen to this, folks -- is it this simple? Just turn down the heat at your house and you could take off some weight. Really?
There's a study now that links home temperature and lack of sleep to obesity. It found that people who keep their home warmer were twice is likely to become obese. Now, how is this possible?
There's one theory, at least out there -- is that your body burns more calories if it needs to work harder to maintain a stable temperature. You get it? Also, for each hour of sleep people typically get each day, the odds of obesity drop by 30 percent. So turn the heat down, sleep a little more, maybe that could help.
CHETRY: All right. Good luck with that.
Well, there's good news for women going through menopause, the hot flashes might actually be a healthy sign. A new study says that women who experience them at the start of menopause actually have lower risks of heart attacks and strokes. As many as 80 percent of menopausal women get hot flashes. The researchers who tracked 60,000 women say that more studies needed to determine why there is a link between hot flashes and hearth health.
Still to come this morning, we're watching severe weather in the south. It's moving east and through the mid-Atlantic. Reynolds Wolf is in for Rob. He'll give us the travel forecast after the break.
HOLMES: Also, it seems like this week, every day, there's been a different dog that has gotten in trouble and needed to be rescued. Well, we've got another one for you. But this time, dog rescued by dolphins. Seriously?
It's 42 minutes past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.
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CHETRY: Shot of Columbus Circle this morning. We have a rainy start to the day right now in New York. It's 41 degrees, a bit warmer than we've seen.
A little bit later, it's going to be rainy again, going up to a high of 52. But we're dealing with some windy weather, as well -- some winds moving in, part of that system that we saw through the South now making its way up the East Coast today.
HOLMES: All right. And an update now on what has been an ongoing cycle for Charlie Sheen, the star of "Two and a Half Men" on CBS. They have now canceled it after he went on another radio rant. This time, he called Alcoholics Anonymous a cult, said its members are a bunch of sissies. He also talked about the creator of "Two and a Half Men," called him a clown -- also made some remarks some might see them as anti-Semitic.
He also, to let you know here, the production had been shut down earlier. They were on hiatus, but they had planned to possibly, at the end of this month, to start up again, but now, it's been shut down for the rest of the season. They did have, at least, four more episodes they were supposed to shoot following the announcement.
Sheen released a statement to the TMZ, and he went off again going off on the creator of the show calling him a maggot who can't handle the truth. So, some unfortunate words, once again, from Charlie Sheen. Not really sure what's going on with him right now.
There was a landing where a plane wasn't supposed to land on the street. Independence Street was the name of it. A pilot had to make an emergency landing. This was in Missouri. He has lost 80 percent of his power to the plane. He was about 4,000 feet up. He said he could not make it to an airport. He knew he couldn't. So, he had to land that sucker right there on the road. The pilot doing OK. The road was closed for a couple of hours. Something hit (ph) that plane out of that.
CHETRY: It was raining tens and twenties in Kansas City. A bank robber lost some of the loot trying to get away. Authorities say that a dye pack went off as the suspect fled leaving piles of cash scattered all over the street in front of the bank. They did manage to get a description of the suspect in the get away car, but their best clue may be someone who is, of course, soaked in red dye.
HOLMES: Parts of California getting hit with some snow right now. Nevada County, this is north of Sacramento. Winter storm warning in effect there. The snow is coming in and causing all kinds of problems as you would imagine right about now.
CHETRY: So, they're dealing with that system in California right now, and we've got one in the south that's moving up the East Coast. Reynolds Wolf keeping track of all of it for us this morning. Hey, Reynolds.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey, guys. If you look at the thing on radar, it really is impressive. I mean, check it out. This thing extends all the way from the U.S./Canadian border clear down to the Gulf of Mexico, and everything is driving off towards the east, and this storm system is going to mean a great deal of different things to millions of people.
As we zoom in, especially in parts of the northeast, we see some snowfall up towards the green mountains, also the white mountains of Vermont. By the time the day is over, they could have a foot of snow in that area. Back towards Buffalo to Cleveland, anywhere from three to seven inches of snowfall. Same story in Detroit. But in New York, it's going to be mainly a rain event early, but then, the wind is really going to intensify from New York to Philadelphia to Washington.
We're talking wind gusts that could get up to 55 miles an hour. So, delays are all but a certainty. So, just be advised. Meanwhile, in parts of the southeast, what we're dealing with, just some rain. It really has lost quite a bit of intensity. The story system had a very rough history, especially back in Tennessee and the Kentucky and into portions of Missouri with ten tornado reports and, of course, widespread flooding.
Now, we're seeing some of the strongest storms developing south of Atlanta and Montgomery at this hour as it gets close to the I-10 corridor. Again, we will see of it's beginning to weaken in the few spots. Valdosta (ph), Augusta, Columbia, get ready, the rain is on the way. But out west, we're seeing a combination of rain, sleet, and snow, and there's also a chance that San Francisco could see its first measurable snowfall in over 30 years.
So, we're going to keep an eye on that for you, too, but there's no doubt that snow is going to continue to pile up in portions of the Sierra Nevada. Big story, of course, we're seeing is that storm system out towards the east that's going to give you the headaches up and down the eastern sea board. A nice break, though, for you in parts of the Central Plains.
Northern plains, however, a little bit of snowfall, but back in ski country, it is the snow season that will never end. More snow is back in some spots. We're foot of snow fall before the day is over. That's a quick snapshot on your forecast. We have so much more ahead. Let's pitch it back to you in New York.
CHETRY: All right. Thanks, Reynolds.
WOLF: You bet, guys.
CHETRY: We have something to tell you about. This dog who may have been lost for good if it was not for some dolphins, they say, in Marco Island, Florida. According to the 11-year-old dog's owner, she says that "Turbo" disappeared Sunday night. They couldn't find him. She says it turns out that nearby, a group of dolphins were splashing around and making noise and that neighbors went out to investigate, and there they found "Turbo" stranded in canal water.
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CINDY BURNETT, TURBO'S OWNER: The lady here who had gotten him out of the canal, she said, no, the dolphins were with him. It's a miracle because if he had to tread water all night long, I know he wouldn't have been able to.
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CHETRY: Fifteen hours, he had to have been propped up by those dolphins. Turbo's owner says, of course, she's glad that he's back home safe and sound.
HOLMES: Dogs have been getting into a lot of trouble this week, it seems.
More of your top stories coming up in just in a moment.
And also, something you're going to like to hear. Your paycheck is going up? Is that how it feels to you? But apparently, there's some evidence that some companies may be loosening the belt.
CHETRY: Also, what's the fastest growing music format, is it mp3s? Is it something else digital and portable CDs? How about going back even further? Think happy days making a comeback. Forty-nine minutes past the hour.
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HOLMES: Seven minutes till the top of the hour now. Lady Gaga, maybe not as well liked as she once was on Facebook, we're talking about here. At last check, Eminem now the most liked artist by some 11,000. Now, their numbers are just off the charts here with about 28 million -- almost 29 million the two of them have individually, but Eminem now a little ahead. Lady Gaga overtook President Obama last summer.
A lot of people may remember the social networking site, Facebook. As far as her friends and fans go, she took -- overtook President Obama. We're just talking about likes this time. People just clicking, I like that artist, but still, both of them a little behind Michael Jackson who has 29.1 million likes on Facebook.
CHETRY: Wow!
HOLMES: Hope you all understand that lingo.
CHETRY: Instead of -- yes. When you have like a fans site or celebrity site instead of friending the person because they most likely won't friend you back, you like the person, and it's somewhere to being friends with them. You get all their info, right?
HOLMES: I don't know. I have no idea. I was just depending on you.
CHETRY: Don't say you have no idea.
HOLMES: I have no clue.
CHETRY: Well, Lady Gaga has been, of course, a digital download star. You know that, right? You can go on iTunes and you can pick a song?
HOLMES: Yes, I've heard of it.
CHETRY: Music technology is actually giving way to old-fashioned sound of quality. You know, I wonder about this. Are they selling record players now? Because Nielsen's Sound Scan says that Vinyl Records are the fastest growing format last year. Now, a lot of people don't have, you know, a record player in their house anymore.
They have just, you know, an iTunes with speakers or a little iPod set up with speakers. Anyway, CD sales plummeted in recent years and record store owners say that people are now lining up to buy Vinyl. They say fans consider listening to a record, quote, "And event."
HOLMES: I can absolutely tell you I have bought a number of Vinyl Records. I have a record player at the house. I love it.
CHETRY: You know, we do too, but it's all in the basement and dusty.
HOLMES: Mine is out.
CHETRY: Pretty cool.
HOLMES: We use it all the time.
Speaking of music, let's continue with the sounds of Motown at the White House. Last night, the event, the Motown Event at the White House, Jamie Foxx served as the host. This happened in the east room. A concert celebrating black history months and 50 years of Motown. That's Foxx. You're seeing sensation song, "Get Ready."
Also featured Motown legend, current star, as well, Stevie Wonder, was on hand with "You Are the Sunshine of My Life." President Obama talking about the iconic record label like --
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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Over the years, this room has hosted some of the most talented musicians in the world from classical to country. But Motown is different. No one knows exactly when jazz began. Nobody knows who the first person was to sing a freedom song, but we know where Motown came from. We know it was born in the basement of a house on West Grand Boulevard in the Motor City, Detroit.
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HOLMES: Now, Motown founder, Barry Gordy, he's talked about the house there in Detroit. The full concert, you can actually see it yourself. It's going to be on TBS next week, but the event took place last night.
CHETRY: That's the coolest part about being president. Whatever you like to listen to, you can get your own private concert any time.
HOLMES: Come on in. I was like going to accept that invitation.
CHETRY: Oh, yes. We're going to have your top stories coming up after the break. We'll be right back.
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