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American Morning
Gadhafi's Troops Pound Rebel City; California's Fish Kill; Astronaut Calls Grandma from Space; King Hearings: Islam on Trial; Facebook: Watch Your Back Netflix; Activist Targets NPR in Sting; Turn Off During Take Off; Signs Of Progress?; A Place In History
Aired March 09, 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: On this AMERICAN MORNING, the congressman critics are calling Joe McCarthy. Republican Peter King, the man who called a hearing on radical Islam in the U.S., so controversial he just got a security upgrade. Well, he'll be here live to tell us why he thinks it's necessary and why he's not backing down.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And a bizarre scene on the West Coast where millions of dead finish wash up. In some places, they're a foot deep. What in the world happened here?
CHETRY: And passengers say they felt like prisoners. It was supposed to be a four-hour flight, ended up being 12 hours. They flew in circles, stopped at various airports to refuel. Two aborted landings and no working toilets. We're going to speak to one passenger certainly happy to be back on the ground today.
HOLMES: Also, shuttle Discovery after a 13-day flight will land for good and won't take off again. We're live at the Kennedy Space Center on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Good morning. Gadhafi is turning up the pressure on rebels and launching a brutal attack on a key Libyan city.
CHETRY: Well, you're supposed to turn off your electronic devices on the plane, but do you? And if you don't, a new report says it could be more dangerous than you think.
HOLMES: Also, Facebook, do they really need to expand? Well, they are. They're now taking on the movie business on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Good morning to you all. Welcome to this AMERICAN MORNING for Wednesday, March 9th. I'm, T.J. Holmes.
CHETRY: And I'm Kiran Chetry. We're glad you're with us. We're following the latest developments out of Libya where this morning forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi are said to be in the midst of a major onslaught against rebels holding a key city. There are reports of fierce fighting today in Zawiya. It's about 30 miles from the capital. And it is the closest that rebel-held -- that's the closest rebel-held city to Gadhafi's main stronghold in Tripoli. Reuters reporting that the battle has forced the shutdown of Zawiya's oil refinery. Gadhafi also appeared with his entourage last night at a Tripoli hotel. This was a press appearance where he told foreign journalists that youths drugged by Al Qaeda are to blame for his country's civil war. Also last night, former Defense Chief Donald Rumsfeld telling CNN's Piers Morgan the situation in Libya could have been much worse.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD RUMSFELD, FORMER DEFENSE CHIEF: Gadhafi, we -- you can see what he is about. Now, the plus on Gadhafi was that after he saw what happened to Saddam Hussein, he decided he didn't want to be Saddam Hussein and he gave up his nuclear program. And we would be in a much worse situation today if he had nuclear weapons, which fortunately he does not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Rumsfeld also went on to say that he does not support sending U.S. troops into Libya. Of course, there have been increasing calls for more western intervention, enforcement of a no-fly zone. Are these options wise?
Coming up at 7:40, former undersecretary of state and former Ambassador Nicholas Burns will be joining us. The pressure is building for the U.S. to get involved in Libya.
HOLMES: All right. We need to turn right now to our Rob Marciano with an immediate and developing -- could be a dangerous, Rob, weather situation right now.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, we're looking at several tornado warnings this morning. And a couple of which are right along the I-10 corridor in southwestern Louisiana in the New Orleans area around Lake Pontchartrain. Several there, Saint James Parish, Saint John the Baptist Parish, Saint Tammany Parish, and these include some fairly populated cities like Covington and Hammond. These storms you see highlighted there in the purple polygons, that's where the rotation is detected on the radar and these storms are moving northeasterly at about 30 miles per hour. So if you live in this area around Lake Pontchartrain, you certainly want to take cover, get inside the inner core of your home and wait for these storms to pass.
A little bit farther to the north, we also have a couple of tornado warnings across parts of eastern Mississippi and Alabama, in Choctaw County for the next 10 or so minutes. And also with this system, a tremendous amount of rain overnight. Anywhere from four to six inches in some spots. And we have flooding and some rescues happening in parts of central Mississippi.
And look at the size of this thing. It is moving slowly off to the east. Tornado watch in effect. And this is going to dump a lot of heavy rain across areas that are already saturated. So much more than just the south, the tornado warnings, guys. We're going to be talking about this for the next couple of days here in the form of heavy, heavy rain that's going to be moving into the northeast. And also some snows behind this system across parts of the upper Midwest. But we'll keep an eye on this dangerous situation across parts of southwest Louisiana. St. James Parish, Saint John the Baptist Parish, and Saint Tammany Parish, if you live in those areas, you certainly want to take cover now and wait for these storms to pass.
T.J., Kiran, back up to you.
HOLMES: All right, Rob. We appreciate you. We'll be checking in with you plenty throughout the morning. Thanks so much.
MARCIANO: OK.
HOLMES: I want to turn now to tell you about a huge earthquake off the coast of Japan. This one struck off Japan's mainland. And listen to this, 7.2 magnitude earthquake. That is a major quake. It could be felt almost 300 miles away in Tokyo.
Take a look at some of the surveillance video we got here. Some surveillance cameras are on skyscrapers. You can see some of the shaking going on. No reports right now of any significant injuries or damage, but still, some of the video we're getting, you could see the rocking going on, including some boats that were parked along the coast. A tsunami warning was at one point issued. It was later canceled, however.
CHETRY: Also new this morning, a stunning and disturbing sight. Take a look at this. Millions of fish dead in the water at a Southern California marina. Officials say that the large school of sardines -- this is Redondo Beach, by the way -- depleted the water of oxygen and because of that -- and there were so many in such a short amount of time that they literally suffocated. They say there's no environmental cause. There's no pollution. They basically think that they were driven there by larger fish and then, of course, there were too many of them. Of course, very happy for the pelicans who then quickly landed to eat them. But some were called the floating fish a foot deep in parts of that marina.
HOLMES: Oh, that's a nasty thing -- like you said of the pelicans there.
Well, a familiar name and familiar face to a lot of people is making a comeback. Coming out of retirement, that might not be a big deal unless you're 36 years old and your job is as a running back in the NFL. Tiki Barber retired back in 2006. Now he's the New York Giants' all-time leading rusher. Now most recently a lot of people got familiar with him as a correspondent for the "Today" show and as well as on Sunday night football.
Giants right now do own rights to him. That's the team he retired from. He left when he had a contract still in place, but they don't want any part of him. Don't want to pay him so they're expected to release him as soon as possible. Now, even though he is 36 years old and it's hard to be a 36-year-old running back in the league, some hope is that he has a twin brother who is still playing, Ronde Barber, still playing quarterback for the Tampa Bay Bucks right now. CHETRY: Yes, it will be his 15th season.
HOLMES: Yes.
CHETRY: Well, if the weather conditions are right in just a few hours, space shuttle Discovery will return to earth for the very last time. And on this last day in flight, the astronauts woke up to Gwyneth Paltrow singing "Coming Home."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GWYNETH PALTROW, "COMING HOME": It's a four-letter word. A place you go to heal your hurt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Stop laughing, people. She's an actress, but she's a singer. If Discovery lands today, it will have spent a record 365 days in space. There are only two more shuttle launches left for NASA.
Coming up at 8:10 Eastern, we're going to be speaking with Colonel Bob Springer. He flew on the shuttle Discovery back in 1989. What does he think about this shuttle being retired and the future of this space program? We're going to talk to him at 8:10 Eastern.
HOLMES: All right. You folks out there, there's no excuse not to call your grand folks. You need to check in with your grandma every once in a while. And here is one guy who's giving you no excuse not to. Because last week, Gladys Roscoe got a call from her grandson, and where he is? Not 200 miles away. He's 200 miles up.
Yes, her grandson is Colonel Eric Boe. He is pilot of the shuttle Discovery and he was aboard the International Space Station when he decided to give his grandmother a call. That's a good grandson. The call was brief. And she talked about the call. But there was one thing she wanted to keep to herself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GLADYS ROSCOE, GRANDSON IN SPACE: I worry about him so, and his father said don't tell him that because he's been wanting to do this ever since he was a little boy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Even today, she didn't want to say that she was concerned about his safety. Again, it was a short call.
Now, this is -- it wasn't the first time he's done this. But the last time he was in space, he called his grandmother. She wasn't there. She missed the call. Why? What do grandmothers do? They square dance. And she was out square dancing.
CHETRY: Love it. That's awesome. No, but my husband checks in with his grandparents every day.
HOLMES: What are they doing?
CHETRY: And also, she's at bingo. He's working the puzzle, you know, in the group room.
HOLMES: Down at the bar.
CHETRY: So, you know, there's stuff to do.
Down at the bar. Playing bingo.
HOLMES: Take a look at these pictures, as well. There were some gray skies, but you don't think that's not going to stop the party in New Orleans, do you?
Fat Tuesday, they did what they do there in New Orleans. Parties, parades, all night goings on there to mark the celebration. Today, though, they're waking up with a few hangovers, I'm sure, and things are a little different for a lot of folks. It's Ash Wednesday now, beginning of Lent. Many people as you know, many Christians are fasting or giving up something right now. So good luck with that, folks.
CHETRY: Good luck, you're going to need it. Myself included.
Some Mardi Gras celebrators in Canada take the term "Fat Tuesday" quite literally. They celebrate the day with a 500-calorie treat called a Paczki. Paczki Day is a growing tradition in Windsor, Ontario, where locals line up for the Polish pastry. It's fried, it's stuffed with jelly, and then glossed with sugar ice cream. I mean, icing. But sugar ice cream would be good, too.
HOLMES: Yes, didn't have enough calories.
CHETRY: Right. HOLMES: Well, coming up here on this AMERICAN MORNING, you've been hearing a lot about these controversial hearings supposed to take place on Capitol Hill tomorrow. They're called hearings on the radicalization of American Muslims. Some say the man behind the proceedings, though, a New York congressman, is putting Islam on trial.
CHETRY: Also, was the troubled Broadway musical "Spiderman" heading in the wrong direction? Details on what could be a complete overhaul of Broadway's most expensive musical ever.
HOLMES: And do you really need another reason to spend more of your time on Facebook? Well, here's another one. Soon you're going to be able to watch your favorite movies on the site.
It's nine minutes past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.
CHETRY: They're so much --
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, at 12 minutes past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING, a highly anticipated and controversial terrorism hearings set to begin tomorrow in Congress. Here's the official title of these hearings. The extent of radicalization in the American Muslim community and that community's response. Critics, however, call it by a much shorter name. Islam on trial. The head of the House Homeland Security Committee, New York Congressman Peter King, he says he wants to focus on the risk of radical Islam in the U.S. And he defended the hearings in an interview with our Dana Bash.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA BASH, CNN SR. CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Some do see you as an anti-Muslim bigot. And they're not happy about the fact that you're holding hearings in this room using your tremendous power as the chairman of this committee to hold hearings on the radicalization solely of the Muslim community in America.
REP. PETER KING (R), NEW YORK: Right. I have no choice. I have to hold these hearings. These hearings are absolutely essential. What I'm doing is taking the next logical step from what the administration has been saying. Eric Holder says he lies awake at night worrying about the growing radicalization of people in this country willing to take up arms against their government. I believe that the leadership, too many of the leaders in the Muslim community do not face up to that reality. And a number of too many cases are not cooperative and are not willing to speak out and condemn this type of radicalization that's going on.
BASH: There are lots of law enforcement officials who tell us at CNN that they have very good cooperation with the Muslim community and that they have helped in many investigations.
KING: I would like to know where they are. The reason I say that is I listen to this too, when they talk about the good community relations and how they have these meetings. I can tell you in New York, which is the epicenter, we're in the eye of the storm when it comes to terrorism. There's been virtually no real cooperation coming from the Muslim-American community.
BASH: You've been called a man obsessed, obsessed with the Muslim radicalization. Are you obsessed?
KING: No, I am very focused. I lost so many people in my district on September 11th. And within a 30-mile radius in my home probably, a thousand people, over a thousand people were murdered on September 11th. I never want to wake up the morning after another attack and say if I've only done what I should have done as homeland security committee chairman this wouldn't have happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Congressman King is also going as far as accusing mosques in this country of being a breeding ground for Muslim radicalization -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, even before the gavel comes down, Muslim-Americans claim they're being unfairly targeted by the King hearings. And the controversy has generated some threats against the Long Island congressman. So as a result, King is getting a personal security upgrade. He says he's getting a lot of hostile phone calls. But the main threats he says are from overseas.
Well, he's going to be joining us to talk more about it. Congressman Peter King stops by AMERICAN MORNING 7;20 Eastern Time today.
Also, another programming note, CNN's Soledad O'Brien looks at the fight over a construction of a mosque in Tennessee in a special report titled "Unwelcome: The Muslims Next Door." It premieres Sunday night, March 27 at 8:00 Eastern right here on CNN.
HOLMES: And also on this AMERICAN MORNING, Facebook is hoping to cash on all you movie buffs. We'll explain what they're doing now.
CHETRY: And you hear it - you hear it on every flight. Please turn off all your electronic devices. But are there any real risks to keeping them on in flight? The new study looks for answers.
It's 15 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Eighteen minutes past the hour.
Another major reported setback for the "Spider-Man Musical," already the most expensive production in Broadway's history. According to the "New York Times," the scheduled opening - I still can't believe this thing hasn't opened.
HOLMES: Not yet.
CHETRY: Right? I mean, we talk about it all the time. It's set for next Tuesday. Well, now it's going to be pushed back about - three months.
HOLMES: Months?
CHETRY: Not days, not weeks - months. Producers are reportedly planning a massive overhaul of the $65 million musical which has been plagued with technical problems, injuries, poor reviews. There are also reports that Julie Taymor, the creative force behind "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark," may leave the show. A spokesman for the musical tells CNN the opening night has not been rescheduled, so...
HOLMES: All right. Marriage can be tough enough, all right? The last thing you need now is Facebook being a problem in your marriage. But some are saying it could be hazardous to a healthy marriage. A survey now, the American Divorce Lawyer says that two-thirds of them say that Facebook was the primary source of evidence in divorce proceedings or custody fights.
As you know, those photographs can be damning, also people hooking up with their exes. You know, that's been a problem out there. So there you go, folks, just be warned. Speaking of Facebook, new feature, like they need one out there, something else to get you in. Six hundred million users is it now, Christine?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Oh, yes.
HOLMES: So if you've got access to that many people, you've got something you can push and sell, you might want to get it on there. Now it's movies.
ROMANS: That's an awful lot of eyeballs, and Facebook would like you to be the destination for everything that you need to do. To talk to your friends, maybe a network for a job, maybe to play, you know, Farmville game, and maybe to watch a movie. At least one major movie production company is teaming up with Facebook so that you can watch a movie on Facebook. The cost would be about $3 or 30 Facebook credits.
And right now, so far it's just -
CHETRY: They have their own money now?
ROMANS: They do, they do.
CHETRY: All right.
ROMANS: They use these credits. That's how you buy the - buy the application, buy some of the Facebook applications and you buy - you get credit - I don't - I don't play all those games, those application games, but you get credits and you don't either, yes.
CHETRY: So it's not real money?
ROMANS: Well, no, it is - it is -
CHETRY: I'm teasing, because people don't think it is.
ROMANS: Right. But Warner Brothers Digital Distribution says it's going to offer "The Dark Knight" for rentals through the Facebook - through Facebook and you're going to be able to do other stuff on Facebook while you're watching the film.
CHETRY: Right. Of course, because why would you just want to watch a film?
ROMANS: Right. I mean, look, this is -
CHETRY: You have to do something else.
ROMANS: You've got Red Box. You've got Hulu. You've got Netflix. You've got Amazon doing the streaming video - streaming movie thing. You've got Google and iTunes both have streaming, but no one has the eyeballs that Facebook does. So this is just the latest in Facebook trying to - a critic would say control your life. Others would say, you know, be the destination, the single destination for everything you need. Interesting is DVD sales are slipping for Hollywood overall. U.S. sales last year $7.8 billion, a 20 percent decline in DVD sales. So we are going to the movies more, the actual movies, but we're also trying all these new services like the one I just mentioned. Facebook trying to get in on that game.
HOLMES: They're starting with one movie? "The Dark Knight?"
CHETRY: They're starting - yes. They're starting with one movie house and then it looks like they're going to over the next months you're going to be seeing additional titles and a different - additional companies most likely pairing up with them over - over the next months.
You know, last year, Nielsen said the average person spent, I think, seven hours on Facebook. This was - for a month.
HOLMES: For a month, OK.
ROMANS: So this would allow you to get those eyeballs for an awful lot longer if you've got them for seven hours talking to their friends and then watching a movie as well. So Facebook clearly changing - two and a half years ago was the first time I friended somebody. Now, it's like you can rent a movie.
CHETRY: Right.
ROMANS: You know, all these things -
CHETRY: Changing by the minute. No more Blockbuster. And now you've got to (INAUDIBLE) online then.
CHETRY: And over the course of our lifetimes, boy, hasn't our - our media, the way we consume media has changed completely.
HOLMES: All right. Christine, we appreciate you as always.
ROMANS: Sure.
HOLMES: We'll see you again here shortly.
CHETRY: And coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, NPR punked by the activist behind the ACORN videos. You remember him. This morning, for the first time the executive caught in the hidden camera sting responds.
HOLMES: And they always tell you to do it, but you don't understand necessarily why. Turn off those electronic devices during takeoff. Is it really dangerous? Is it really necessary? Well, a new report taking on that issue.
It's 23 minutes past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Twenty-six minutes past the hour. National Public Radio is in damage control mode this morning after a top executive was caught on hidden camera making some controversial remarks.
As CNN's Brian Todd shows us, the conservative activist behind the video is certainly no stranger to controversy himself.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You're looking at a sting operation, a set-up by people who know how to do it. NPR Foundation Executive Ron Schiller thinks he's meeting with a potential donor, but he's actually being punked. Here are clips of what he's caught saying about Republicans and the Tea Party.
RON SCHILLER, NPR FOUNDATION PRESIDENT: The current Republican Party, particularly the Tea Party is fanatically involved in people's personal lives. And very fundamental Christian and I wouldn't even call it Christians. It's this weird Evangelical kind of move -
TODD: In the edited video, an actor posing as a Muslim foundation executive is heard prompting Schiller for his views.
AMIR MALIK, INTERVIEWING SCHILLER (voice-over): The radical, racist, Islamaphobic, Tea - Tea Party people?
SCHILLER: And not just Islamaphobic, but really Xenophobic, I mean, basically they are - they are - they believe in sort of white, middle- America, gun-toting - I mean, it's scary.
TODD: This meeting was set up by a group headed by Conservative activist and filmmaker, James O'Keeffe. I spoke with O'Keefe via Skype.
TODD (on camera): Why NPR?
JAMES O'KEEFE, CONSERVATIVE FILMMAKER: My colleague, Shaughn Adeleye, who posed as one of the members of the Muslim Brotherhood was pretty offended with what happened with Juan Williams. And he suggested looking into NPR after that incident back in the - back in the fall.
My other - my other colleague, Simon Templar, came up with the idea to have a sort of Muslim angle since Juan Williams was - was fired due to his comments.
TODD (voice-over): I spoke with NPR President and CEO Vivian Schiller, who's not related to Ron Schiller over the phone.
VIVIAN SCHILLER, NPR CEO AND PRESIDENT (via telephone): The comments made by Ron Schiller are an affront to this organization and are contrary to everything we stand for as a news organization. We stand for diversity of opinion, intolerance, and open-mindedness. And I - his comments did not reflect those values.
TODD: As head of the NPR fundraising arm, Ron Schiller is not involved in NPR's news operations and his views are not aired on NPR. Schiller had announced last week he was leaving NPR for a new job.
Schiller did not flinch when the supposed Muslim Foundation leader said that Jews control the media and that the fictitious Muslim group was founded by members of the Muslim Brotherhood. But NPR said it rejected a $5 million check they offered.
Critics have long lambasted NPR as slanting liberal. Last year, NPR was criticized by Conservatives for taking a grant of more than $1 million from George Soros, the billionaire who supported left-leaning causes and for firing analyst Juan Williams after he confessed on Fox News that he's uncomfortable when he sees Muslim-garbed passengers on a plane. The House Republican budget passed last month would eliminate funding the corporation for public broadcasting by 2013.
For O'Keeffe, NPR is not his first target. Past undercover sting videos of his embarrassed liberal groups like Planned Parenthood and ACORN. He's accused of creatively editing out parts of his sting interviews. But O'Keeffe says the unedited NPR video is posted on his website.
O'Keeffe pleaded guilty last year after being caught trying to access the phone system of Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu. Last summer, he even tried to embarrass a former CNN correspondent on a boat set up with sex toys and hidden cameras according to a 13-page planning document. A former O'Keeffe associate warned CNN at the last minute.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: All right.
And CNN did obtain this statement from Schiller late last night saying, quote, "While I - while the meeting I participated in turned out to be a ruse, I made statements during the course of that meeting that are counter to NPR's values and also not reflected of my own belief. I offer my sincere apology to those I offended. I resigned from NPR, previously effective May 6th, to accept another job. In an effort to put this unfortunate matter behind us, NPR and I have agreed that my resignation is effective today."
HOLMES: And we're at the bottom of the hour now on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Give you a look at some of the stories making headlines:
Another ranting speech by Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, this time he's talking to his people on state television. And this is one quote he had: "America and France want to take your gas." Meanwhile, reports out there that forces are now pounding rebels in the strategic oil city of Zawiya.
CHETRY: Also, a deputy U.S. marshal shot while serving an arrest in St. Louis has now died. Authorities say 48-year-old John Perry was a 10-year veteran of the force. Two other officers were wounded and the suspect was killed during that shootout. It took place at a home in St. Louis yesterday morning. HOLMES: Also this morning for what it's worth, BP CEO Robert Dudley apologizing for the Deepwater Horizon disaster, told a gathering of oil industry executives that he's, quote, "sorry for what happened," end quote.
The oil spill disrupted, of course, oil exploration and production in the Gulf last spring. And again, 11 people were killed in that initial rig explosion.
CHETRY: They're calling it the flight to everywhere. Bad weather turned to what was supposed to be a four-hour trip from Barbados back to New York into 12 grueling hours on a packed plane. In fact, 200 passengers had to circle JFK because of bad weather. They got sent to Boston for refueling. They landed on the tarmac there, had to sit there for an hour and a half, and then took off for JFK again where they were told they would try to land two more times.
Some passengers say they literally felt they were within 100 feet of the runway, they could see signs, when the pilot made the quick decision to go back in the air because landing was not safe. Then they were told they were heading to Pittsburgh, and then they were told, no, they were heading to Philadelphia. And that's where they finally landed at about 2:00 a.m. Monday, they say with only one working bathroom that was then full. And limited food because they thought it was going to be a quick four-hour flight.
Coming up at 8:24, we're going to talk live with one of the passengers on that flight who was coming back from a vacation with her boyfriend and his rugby team.
HOLMES: All right. Speaking of planes, you know, every time you fly you get on the plane, you hear it. Turn off all your electronic devices. Why, though? Nobody really ever explains it to you what the danger is. But still, what are the risks of leaving your iPad on or your Droid on during takeoff or landing?
Well, a new study now from the International Airport Transportation is looking at the issue and so is our Jeanne Meserve.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You with me? OK. It's going to be a stomp, clap, stomp, clap.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Southwest rapping flight attendant got passengers to perk up and listen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Before we leave, our advice is put away your electronic devices.
MESERVE: But on the average flight, a lot of us tune out that safety instruction.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At this time, please turn off all electronic devices. MESERVE: Now, listen up. A new study cites 75 instances since 2003 where personal electronic devices may have interfered with the communication, navigation, or surveillance systems of a plane in flight.
DAVID CARSON, BOEING ENGINEER: If that interference happens at the wrong time, then it can be a threat to the aircraft and its safe operation.
MESERVE: It is impossible to say conclusively that electronic devices were to blame, but they have been implicated in malfunctions of an autopilot, rudders, GPS, and more.
The Federal Aviation Administration forbids any electronics during takeoff and landing at altitudes less than 10,000 feet. Above that, airlines must demonstrate devices are safe before the FAA will authorize their use.
With new portable devices being introduced at a dizzying pace, it's hard to sort out what can be used and when.
CARSON: I was on a flight one time and the person next to me got out the electronic reader and just after the announcement was made to turn off the electronic devices. And I asked, why did you take it out after they said turn them off? And this passenger said, well, this isn't an electronic device.
MESERVE: The best guide, listen to the flight attendant.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) on/off switch, you turn it off now.
MESERVE: But you can't do that if you're talking on your phone.
VEDA SHOOK, ASSOCIATION OF FLIGHT ATTENDANTS: People want to say good-bye to their loved ones. You know, we get that. But there's a time and a place for it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE: You might wonder why the use of some devices is forbidden below 10,000 feet but allowed above that altitude. Well, experts feel if pilots have problems higher up, they'll have a chance to diagnose it and fix it before anything untoward happens.
T.J., Kiran, back to you.
HOLMES: OK. Like you say there, Jeanne, nothing conclusive, but I guess better safe than sorry. But I think we've all been guilty. They say turn them off and you want to send that one last text message to that loved one.
Is any more study going to be done on this? Is there any way to actually get some conclusive evidence?
MESERVE: Well, they're still going to be looking at this, looking for more data. But, you know, here's the problem, so something happens in flight -- how do you replicate that situation? How do you have that exact aircraft at that altitude under those conditions with the specific electronic device that may be implicated to prove conclusively that it's to blame? It's impossible to do. So, the attitude is better safe than sorry.
HOLMES: Yes, that's it. Absolutely right. Jeanne Meserve -- and yes, I have been guilty of it, as well, at times. I'm sorry. Jeanne, thanks.
CHETRY: Yes, people have gotten dumped off planes for that sort of stuff.
HOLMES: Yes, you won't turn them off? What's his name?
CHETRY: Who was it?
HOLMES: Josh Duhamel.
CHETRY: Josh Brolin or Josh Duhamel?
HOLMES: Josh Duhamel, he won't turn off his --
CHETRY: Josh Duhamel, that's right, Fergie's husband.
HOLMES: Yes, that guy.
CHETRY: All right. Next on AMERICAN MORNING: Somali pirates attacking a familiar pilot, the Maersk Alabama, off the coast of Somalia, ended very differently this time, though. We're going to tell you how the captain responded.
HOLMES: Also this morning, it's a saying we hear all the time, "a diamond in the rough." But this time, literally, there was a diamond in the rough on the golf course. We'll tell you how much this thing is worth and where it ends up.
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HOLMES: Well, 38 minutes past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Many people will remember the story of Somali pirates targeting the Maersk Alabama. It made huge international headlines with the rescue. Well, here we go all over again. It seems to be a popular target of pirates.
CHETRY: Unfortunately, yes.
CNN's Zain Verjee is live for us in London this morning with more details.
At the time of the first attack on the Maersk Alabama, the captain was highly critical of what went down. It was very different how different it was this time.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. You know, the Maersk Alabama was lucky this time around. What we were told is that they saw a suspicious skiff follow them. There were four men in it. They were carrying a ladder. These are all signs that this was a potential pirate attack.
And what happened was the captain really did follow protocol here. Warning shots were fired and the vessel sped off to the port of Mombasa in East Africa and they managed to get away.
This is part of a worrying trend, guys, because a lot of people in the maritime security community is saying that what we're seeing now is more Americans being targeted. Four of them as you'll remember, just a short while ago. They were killed by Somali pirates, and Somali pirates have also targeted the Irene SL, which is carrying $200,000 worth of crude bound for the U.S.
So, there's a real concern that Americans are being targeted but the violence is rising, as well.
HOLMES: So, Zain, with the Maersk Alabama this time, does it seem that, you know, they're learning lessons and figuring out the best ways to keep these pirates from doing what they do?
VERJEE: Yes, you know, in the maritime community, seafarers will refer to this book and it's called "Best Management Practices." And in it, you're just supposed to do things when you're traveling in the pirate-infested waters. Firing warning shots and speeding off quickly is -- are a couple of the things. But some of the other things, opening up water hoses just to keep firing the water down to trying to stop any pirate from climbing up, people put barbed wire on vessels, as well.
They're also encouraged to have what's called a citadel, a kind like a strong room that's bullet proof as much as possible. But you put food and water and medical supplies in there and kind of hide out there. And, you know, call for help.
But what everybody says, guys, is that the solution is really onshore and not in the waters, and Somalia needs a stable government and then only this can really be addressed.
CHETRY: Let's talk about this incredible story out of Paris where they found some missing Harry Winston jewelry in the sewer.
VERJEE: Well, I know you left your Harry Winston at home.
CHETRY: Oh, yes, I keep it in the safe.
(LAUGHTER)
VERJEE: But, you know, yes, what happens was back in 2008, $25 million of jewelry was stolen from the Harry Winston in this flashy area in Paris, one of the loveliest streets, in Avenue de la Montaigne. And it was found in a drain.
And what happened was, was that police found it was concealed in a plastic container and then set in some kind of a cement mold inside a house. They interrogated about 25 people and managed to locate it. But that was a good find. It was 19 rings and three sets of earrings.
HOLMES: Who gets it now? Where's it going?
VERJEE: It goes back to Harry Winston.
HOLMES: Oh.
VERJEE: No finders keepers there. Sorry.
HOLMES: All right. Zain, always good to see you.
VERJEE: All right, guys.
HOLMES: And if our viewers, if you want to see more Zain, you watch her every morning right here, 5:00 a.m. on "WORLD ONE" on CNN.
CHETRY: Let's talk about another find. A golfer in Florida literally found a diamond in the rough. He discovered a 2 1/2 carat diamond ring worth 20 grand. The golf house in Hollywood Beach tracked down the ring's owners. It turns out it belonged to a couple all the way in Chicago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She waits two days to tell me she can't find her ring. And we look frantically around the room and in the car and all over.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: After all the looking and realized I wasn't going to get it, I started crying to myself.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just happened to look down and see the metallic part of a ring. So, I just picked it up and looked at it and it was big. So, I figured it was just a fake.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, it was not a fake.
Speaking of fake, before returning the ring, the golfer played a prank on the couple. He handed them a phony ring to see their reaction. Hilarious. Hilarious.
HOLMES: After she cried.
CHETRY: Yes. Anyway, he did turn over the real thing. Good on him that he found and gave it back. But maybe that was a poor taste of a joke there.
HOLMES: They should be happy.
CHETRY: And also in her defense to wait two days because you don't want to go tell your husband --
HOLMES: In her defense? CHETRY: Yes, you lost it. You want to exhaust all possibilities of finding it before you break it to hubby that you can't find the ring.
HOLMES: Is there a defense for a woman losing a $20,000 ring that her man gave to him? There's no defense for that.
CHETRY: Come on, accidents happen.
HOLMES: There's no defense for that.
Still to come on this AMERICAN MORNING: we have some weather to tell you about, some nasty weather. Rob has been keeping an eye on some watches and warnings taking place right now. He's going to join us again here in a moment with what you need to hear. CHETRY: Also, tell you about something else coming up. More proof that the labor standoff in Wisconsin will become an important part of our nation's history. We'll explain, coming up.
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CHETRY: Wow. A pretty shot of the sunrise this morning over New York City. It's 34 degrees right now. A little bit later, we're going up to a high of 43 degrees. If we do get any break in the weather, it'll be short because we're expecting, unfortunately, another storm moving east.
HOLMES: Yes, and not all pictures are that pretty this morning. Our Rob Marciano telling us about some problem areas in the country. Rob, you're still looking at some watches and warnings in place?
MARCIANO: Yes, it's not even more active across parts of Southeast Louisiana. I want to show you the radar here. Several tornado warnings are out in and around the New Orleans area at this time. How many (ph) parishes, to name a few, St. John the Baptist was under the gun here. So, both I-12 and I-10 areas west and north of Lake Pontchartrain have tornado warnings out.
Radar-indicated, but there was one confirmed tornado earlier this morning at I-12 just north of Lake Pontchartrain where there was debris on the roadway, and police report of that tornado actually crossing the highway, and also confirmed tornado reported in parts of Southern Mississippi.
So, this is a serious situation taking place, and a lot of this activity around very highly populated Lake Pontchartrain, and some of those storms are heading in the direction of Northern New Orleans. So, be aware of that and certainly take cover until these storms pass. They're moving northeast about 30 miles an hour. These are the two warnings about -- in eastern parts of Mississippi and Central Alabama, a little bit less populated there, but nonetheless, a very large system with straight line winds with this bow echo that's now moving towards Montgomery.
So, even if you don't have a tornado warning out, certainly going to see some strong and damaging winds. Check out some of the damage coming to us from Lamar County, Texas. This happened last night. Three confirmed reports of tornadoes, certainly some structural damage. The good news here is there was no reports of injuries. We certainly hope that will continue to be the trend as we move through the severe weather event today as it pushes off towards the east.
The other part of this situation is going to be the tremendous amount of moisture with this system. We've had anywhere from three to isolated areas of six and seven inches of rainfall across parts of Mississippi, and that moisture is all heading to the east, already saturated the ground from the rainfall that came through last week. Flood watches are post for this area as the storm slowly makes its way east, and the backside of it, Minneapolis through Milwaukee seeing some snowfall.
Right now, you're dry across the northeast, but you will be wet come this time tomorrow. Some delays at the airports, 30 to 60-minute delays, and depending on what you have, wind, rain, visibility, or snow, backside of this is drier and more calm, but it's a slow-moving system, guys. So, that will make it obviously a longer term event, but I think the bigger problem with this is that we move it to the northeast. Tomorrow is going to be the flooding in areas that have already seen a ton of moisture. Back to you, guys.
CHETRY: Yes. Big problems in parts of New Jersey, as well. Thanks so much, Rob.
HOLMES: Thanks, Rob.
MARCIANO: All right, guys.
CHETRY: Coming up, your top stories just minutes away, including Congressman Peter King, the man who called the very controversial hearings on radical Islam in the U.S. American-Muslims says he's putting them on trial. He said there's all Qaeda among us, and he's not getting into political correctness. He's going to be joining us live to talk about his decision.
HOLMES: Also, more proof that the labor standoff in Wisconsin will become an important part of our nation's history. Are the signs museum worthy? It's about 12 minutes till the top of the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.
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HOLMES: Eight minutes till the top of the hour here on this AMERICAN MORNING. Publicly, you know, the Wisconsin governor, Scott Walker, he's been standing pretty firm in his fight with state Senate Democrats. Privately, though, in some e-mails just released, we have a different story possibly. These e-mails show that Walker has been possibly willing to make some concessions, at least, to his budget bill that would restrict collective bargaining rights for most public workers.
Now, in some of the e-mails that have been released, it just says that he would, in fact, allow collective bargaining on some issues other than wages. Now, these e-mails came out between his staffers and two Senate Democrats released after a Milwaukee newspaper filed a freedom of information request.
Well, you've seen a lot of signs that were up, protesters were using during their protests. Could you believe that some of them now could get a permanent place in American history? A curator from the Smithsonian Museum headed to Madison to evaluate some of these signs. Want to see whether the protest signs from this labor dispute are museum material. You might be asking, how is that possible? But, the museum says they have a long tradition of documenting how people participate in the political process.
CHETRY: Well, if you think it's easy being Scott Walker these days, think again. The Wisconsin governor is certainly under a lot of political pressure, but just having the name Scott Walker is proving to be a burden.
HOLMES: You can see where we're going here. Jessica Gomez has the story for us from Madison.
JESSICA GOMEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: T.J. and Kiran, the standoff here in Wisconsin is frustrating to both sides of the budget battle, and a couple of people we talked to, especially want a speedy resolution, though, not for the reasons you might think.
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GOMEZ (voice-over): In Madison, Wisconsin, these days, it's not easy being this guy.
SCOTT WALKER, TECHNOLOGY SALESMAN: I'm Scott Walker. Not the governor.
GOMEZ: The technology salesman says he's been explaining that a lot lately.
SCOTT WALKER, TECHNOLOGY SALESMAN: I went to a party and introduced myself, and half of the room wanted to talk to me, the other half was sneering at me like I did something, like, I'm actually the governor.
GOMEZ: His co-workers having a little fun with him.
So, this is not the capitol building, clearly.
SCOTT WALKER, TECHNOLOGY SALESMAN: No, and nor do I live in a house on the lake either like the governor gets to.
GOMEZ: And to avoid yet another political conversation, sometimes, he even goes by a different name.
So, one of your customers is the state of Wisconsin.
SCOTT WALKER, TECHNOLOGY SALESMAN: Correct.
GOMEZ: How does it feel walking in there?
SCOTT WALKER, TECHNOLOGY SALESMAN: I am Bill Walker.
(LAUGHTER)
GOMEZ (on-camera): There are no shortages of opinions about what's happening here in Wisconsin. And if you have the name Scott Walker, you're certainly hearing them all.
SCOTT WALKER, REALTOR: My name is Scott Walker. I'm a real estate broker and owner of walker real estate. And I am not the governor of Wisconsin.
GOMEZ (voice-over): This Scott Walker had to amend one of his listing signs.
SCOTT WALKER, REALTOR: It says, not the governor.
GOMEZ: After it was vandalized twice.
SCOTT WALKER, REALTOR: Somebody had tagged my sign with some unpleasant, you know, verbiage, directed at the governor, not at me.
GOMEZ: And the e-mails and phone calls keep coming despite this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi. You have reached Ana Scott. This is not the phone number for Governor Scott Walker, so please do not leave a message for him at this number.
GOMEZ: One caller even wanted him to change the name of his company.
SCOTT WALKER, REALTOR: I've been in real estate for 13 years, so people know me in town. And so, I have no plans to change the name. I'll ride this out.
GOMEZ: Until then --
SCOTT WALKER, REALTOR: I'm still waiting to be mistaken, you know, when it comes to receiving a paycheck or something of that nature, but --
GOMEZ: That hasn't happened yet?
SCOTT WALKER, REALTOR: Not yet. No.
GOMEZ (on-camera): Now, in all seriousness, both of the Scott Walkers we spoke with say they hope there's a compromise here that satisfies both sides. Until then, they say, they'll take this all in stride.
For CNN, Jessica Gomez in Madison, Wisconsin.
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CHETRY: Got to change his real estate business after all those years?
HOLMES: It's been contentious there in Madison right now.
CHETRY: Scott Walker's not that you know -- it's a pretty common name.
HOLMES: Yes.
CHETRY: All right. We're going to take a quick break. Fifty-six minutes past the hour. Your top stories coming right up.
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