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American Morning

Fatalities and Radiation Fear Rising in Japan; Japan Reportedly Prepared to Ask for U.S. Military Help With Disaster; How Japan's Nuclear Crisis Unfolded; Radiation Fears at Japanese Plant; A $25,000 Nest Egg; A Kingdom in Chaos; Dems Take on Gun Control; U.S. Relief Teams in Japan; SAT Cheating Scandal; NYC Mom: $19,000 Preschool Just One Big Playroom

Aired March 16, 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: Right now on AMERICAN MORNING, we have the latest on Japan's nuclear crisis. New concerns this morning. And from the video you can see a plume of white smoke rising from the Daiichi power station. Officials say a containment vessel in one of the reactors has apparently been breached.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CO-ANCHOR: The very latest right now, helicopters are being brought in. The hope is they can drop enough water on the overheating reactors to stop them from meltdown.

CHETRY: Also this morning, millions of Americans are watching their retirement plans dry up. Is your 401(k) all right? "Minding Your Business."

ROMANS: And the mom who's suing a preschool because they didn't prepare her 4-year-old daughter for an Ivy League education, didn't prepare for an Ivy League education at 4 years old. A lawsuit from that.

CHETRY: As crazy as it sounds, this is a growing cottage industry in many wealthy parts of the country. We'll have much more on that. AMERICAN MORNING starts right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Japan's nuclear nightmare growing even more desperate this morning as a cloud of smoke forms above the crippled Daiichi power station, a sign that the containment vessel in reactor number three may have been breached. We're following the latest minute-by-minute developments on this changing story on this AMERICAN MORNING.

And welcome. Again, thanks so much for being with us. It's Wednesday, March 16th. I'm Kiran Chetry.

ROMANS: And I'm Christine Romans. A lot to cover this morning.

In Japan, the number of dead and the level of fear are rising fast. Here are the latest developments in what is likely to be the costliest natural disaster the world has ever witnessed. More than 3,700 people now have been killed. Close to 8,000 people are missing following Friday's 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami. CHETRY: Overnight, a cloud of smoke or steam rose from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear station. Now, Japanese officials fear that it may have been caused by a breach in the containment vessel of reactor number three. Officials are now bringing in helicopters to drop water into a cooling pond through the damaged roof of the reactor hoping to slow or stop any meltdowns.

ROMANS: For several hours last night, things grew so tense at the Daiichi power plant, work was suspended and everyone there was told to evacuate. Now, they've now returned to the facility.

Let's go to senior international correspondent Stan Grant. He's live in Tokyo with us this morning.

So, Stan, they told everyone to leave and now they're back working again furiously to get the situation under control.

STAN GRANT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely, Christine. You know, the story today has been radiation. These workers had to evacuate because these levels once again spiked. It's been a common trend the last few days. The radiation levels spike and then they drop back again. Now they had helicopters flying over today to try to check the level of radiation to see if they could actually drop water into these reactors to help in the cooling process. They actually found that the radiation levels were so high above the area that they simply had to suspend that activity. They will try again tomorrow.

Now, there's also been some traces of cesium and iodine found in the water supply in Fukushima. I say traces because they are very, very, very small amounts. In fact, the officials there are saying it does not affect the water, you can drink it, but you will not get ill. But this once again raises this concern about what is actually seeping into the atmosphere, particularly when you get reports about the containment vessel surrounding some of these reactors perhaps -- perhaps being breached. Of course, that would raise the level -- to raise the concern to a new level.

With all of this happening, the emperor, Akihito, unprecedented has never addressed the people before during a time of crisis. Well, he did today in a televised address. He recorded a video which was played across the country saying he deeply cares for his people, telling them to keep hope, thanking the international community for its support and saying that they will be able to build a better and a new Japan, but also expressing concern about what is going on, the unpredictable events at the nuclear power plant, Christine.

ROMANS: All right. Stan Grant live for us in Tokyo. Thank you, Stan.

CHETRY: The Japanese government is reportedly prepared to ask the United States for military help to deal with this growing disaster. And many of our soldiers are flying relief and rescue missions to aid victims. They've already been exposed to low levels of radiation.

Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence joins us live from Washington this morning with more on what kind of help the Japanese are looking for and also what kind of help the United States is prepared to give.

Hi, Chris.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kiran. Yes, I just got off the phone with U.S. Forces Japan. They say they have not yet received a formal request from the Japanese government. So it may not be that far along. He also said this is a very different mission than what we're used to. He said think of Haiti, things like that where we just came in and we just jumped in and started to help. He said every step along the way has to be mapped out and approved by the Japanese government. He said Japan is a very technologically savvy country. It has a lot of pride. And he said, so everything has to be formally requested before the U.S. military can act.

Now let's take a look real quick at the map and I can show you a little bit about what the U.S. is dealing with here. You can see the Fukushima nuclear plant. There are helicopter crews that are running relief missions right around in that area. And for a second day, those U.S. helicopter crews came back with some low-level contamination of radiation. They had to be soaped down, soaped in water, all their clothes had to be destroyed. And when they retested them, they came up all clean. But again, they're now being told, some of the helicopter crews that are flying in and around this area are being told to keep their sleeves rolled down, to keep the windows closed in those helicopters.

Also, if you look down here, here are some of the U.S. bases in Japan. Some of those bases have now -- they've detected very, very low levels of radiation, at least one of them has. And at least on one or two of the bases, people are being told to stay indoors as much as possible. This is not only the U.S. military that are there but the U.S. civilians and all of their families. Tens of thousands of Americans on some of these bases. So again, to stay indoors and also to shut down their ventilation systems as much as possible.

Some of the U.S. ships, if you look there in the corner, they had been closer to the shore here in a little bit south. They've now moved north to get out of the downwind of some of the -- some of the radioactive plumes that have been coming out of there. And if we take you to this other map, we can show you how the U.S. has also changed tactics, as well. Three ships, ships that were bound for that side, the Pacific Ocean side, have now rerouted and they're going to go to the Sea of Japan, specifically because of some of that nuclear plume, that radioactive plume that is emanating from the Fukushima nuclear plant. We talked to one of the commanders of the Seventh Fleet and he said, a bar none (ph), this is one of the most challenging humanitarian missions the U.S. military has ever undertaken -- Kiran.

CHETRY: Just understandable and boy, it's just scary in what they're dealing with. Not only the resource issue, the humanitarian issue, but also the radiation levels and the fears about that.

LAWRENCE: Yes.

CHETRY: Chris Lawrence for us this morning. Thanks so much.

LAWRENCE: You're welcome.

CHETRY: Christine?

ROMANS: Kiran, we want to take a look back now at how we got to this point. These are the reactors before the disaster. Reactor one, two, three and four.

This is Friday. A 9.0 earthquake and tsunami hit Japan at 2:46 local time in the afternoon. Then a state of emergency was declared by the Japanese government later at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant. About two hours later, Japanese authorities reveal the cooling systems are not working.

So here's Saturday now. 4:19 p.m., officials reveal radiation levels in the number one reactor at Fukushima are eight times the normal level. Hours later, an explosion in reactor one. Here is why. Here's reactor one here. You can see what's happening inside as they're trying to get this cooled down. But when the power is cut, the water which keeps things cool goes down. At this point, the control rods should rise into the reactor to stop the nuclear reaction. But in this case, the fuel rods were still hot. Since the pumps failed, there was no water to cool them down. Then the fuel rods reacted with steam creating hydrogen. Pressure then built up inside the reactor in the containment building and an explosion occurred. So that's Saturday.

Take a look at Sunday now. Radiation exposure is confirmed in three people randomly tested in the "A" area. Monday, another explosion, this time the number three reactor. The blast damages the cooling system at the number two reactor. Then yesterday, another explosion rocks number two. A fire also breaks out in a cooling pond used for nuclear fuel at the number four reactor. The fire is reportedly put out, but then today, a second fire is discovered in the building holding reactor number four.

Kiran, they've evacuated most of the plant, most of the workers except for about 50. They're trying to prevent an even greater disaster. Last night on "ANDERSON COOPER 360," Jim Walsh, an international security analyst, took issue with how the situation is being handled.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES WALSH, INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: My question is, where is the International Atomic Energy Agency? Why are we letting a private utility manage a situation in which 50 workers, 50 poor workers are left to manage six reactors on their own?

The government should step in and take this away from the utility and the International Atomic Energy Agency which is in Iran and North Korea and all over, they should be on the ground helping to manage this. It's inexcusable that these 50 people are responsible for a set of six different problems and are working 24/7 by themselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: We're going to talk more with Jim Walsh live in our next hour.

CHETRY: Yes. I mean, it's just something we were asking yesterday too. I mean, I know we're in a bit of uncharted territory when it comes to this situation, but we were asking, as well, where are the international agencies that are responsible for this, as well? And why haven't we heard more? Seems like a scary prospect. These 50 people doing everything they can, and each and every day it seems that something new crops up.

ROMANS: Doing everything they can exposed by radiation.

CHETRY: Absolutely. At great, great risk to their own lives.

Well, our coverage of developments in Japan continue in just a moment. We do want to get a check of the weather headlines, as well, here in this country. Jennifer Delgado is in the extreme weather center for us.

Good morning, Jennifer.

ROMANS: Good morning.

JENNIFER DELGADO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Kiran. Good morning, Christine.

Well, let's look at the radar. I want to show you what we're tracking this morning.

We have some rain moving through the northeast. As we go over to the radar, you can see the heaviest rain moving out of Philadelphia. You can see coming down through parts of New Jersey as well as New York. So the rain coming through, but the good news is, it's going to move through quickly and that's going to limit the heaviest rainfall.

I also want to point out to you, look up towards the north. We're dealing with a little bit of freezing rain, but that freezing rain will change over to all rain as we go later this afternoon. You're seeing those temperatures really in the upper 30s up towards the north in Vermont. We have temperatures in the 20s. But again, we're only expecting about a dusting of snow across parts of Vermont.

Now I want to show some of those delays. We're looking at anywhere if you're flying into around New York, expect some delays about an hour. Of course, we'll talk more about that.

And we'll take a look at what's happening on the Pacific Northwest. The flooding and mud slides in just a short while.

Back over to you two.

ROMANS: All right. Thanks, Jennifer.

Japanese officials say the rupture of a second nuclear reactor may have released radioactive steam. Up next, we're going to talk to a radiology expert about possible health risks.

CHETRY: Yes. A lot of concerns of people stockpiling iodide tablets. Is any of this necessary? Or is this, you know --

ROMANS: Overreaction.

CHETRY: Yes, overreaction and unfounded fears especially in this country.

Also, another major story today. A violent clash taking place between protesters and security forces in Bahrain. Neither side showing any intention of backing down. We'll take you into the heart of the chaos in that nation.

ROMANS: And reality is starting to set in for workers who want to retire. You know, many may not have enough money. Even in the best of times, we don't save enough for retirement. But what are you doing right now to build up that nest egg?

It's 11 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Americans along the west coast are racing into stores to buy iodide pills. They're worried about possible radiation exposure coming from Japan and believe iodide could help fight potential health threats. But U.S. health officials say there's no increased risk of radiation exposure in the wake of the disaster -- Kiran.

CHETRY: But there has been so much talk about these concerns, about radiation, potential exposure the last couple of days. Even the point of distributing iodide pills. Here to help us better understand what exactly is happening, separating fact from fiction, is Dr. James Thrall. He's a radiologist-in-chief at Massachusetts General Hospital, also a professor of radiology at Harvard School of Medicine.

Thanks so much for joining us this morning, Doctor.

DR. JAMES THRALL, RADIOLOGIST-IN-CHIEF AT MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL: Well, thank you.

CHETRY: You know, you hear radiation. You hear potential exposure from, you know, radioactive clouds and, of course, people get scared. I want to ask you because you obviously have a healthy respect for exposure concerns, what does this mean? First to the people working in the plant, those 50 workers that are there trying to get a handle on this?

THRALL: Those 50 workers are really heroes. From my understanding, they've actually raised the legal limit of radiation exposure that the workers can receive. There are upper limits and typically workers have to be removed from a work area when they reach that limit, but that has been increased.

So these are true heroes of Japan.

CHETRY: So you're basically saying that they are doing this - in essence, they're sacrificing themselves by the amount of -

THRALL: They're very dedicated. Very dedicated people. Our hearts go out to them.

CHETRY: All right. What about people living in the vicinity? I know they've evacuated the 12-mile radius of the plant, they've then asked people in the 20-mile radius to stay indoors. What are you looking at in terms of exposure and long-term consequences of that?

THRALL: I think the likelihood of any public health or individual medical risks for those people who've been evacuated that distance are essentially nil, zero. We know from the Chernobyl experience that all of the concerns were actually overstated, initially. We know a lot more based on that experience and, frankly, the experience at Three Mile Island that happened before Chernobyl.

So I really don't think those folks have reason to be concerned. They should be very careful about drinking the water. The authorities are testing the water. The authorities will say whether the water is safe to drink.

CHETRY: But you - so you're saying - I mean, in Chernobyl, they talked about the radioactive material settling on the grass, the cows eating the grass, the milk then being drunk by people. And you had a large -

THRALL: Yes.

CHETRY: -- large numbers of children coming down with thyroid cancers and other things that are very rare in children. So, I mean, in this case -

THRALL: Exactly.

CHETRY: -- how do you make sure that that tragedy doesn't get replicated here?

THRALL: So, first of all, in Chernobyl, the authorities withheld information about the accident from the local population, so the local population did not even know there'd been an accident. They continued to drink the milk and eat from the food supply in the region.

Moreover, there were really no alternatives for the people in that area. They didn't have international aid. They didn't have aid even from their own country to bring in clean water and uncontaminated food.

It's unimaginable in the situation we're facing today that the Japanese government would not be able to mobilize uncontaminated water and food, should that be necessary.

CHETRY: All right. Also concerns about exposure, we talked about the vulnerable children and pregnant women. Japan has now distributed 230,000 doses of potassium iodide tablets. This would be a preventive measure if levels of iodine would get into the thyroid and then cause problems, such as thyroid cancer.

But we're also reporting that in the West Coast residents are stockpiling tablets, as well, that - that sites that sell these are actually sold out. Is that a proper precaution? Is there a radiation risk in the U.S.?

THRALL: In my opinion, there is no radiation risk in the U.S. whatsoever.

However, we also know from previous experience that there's a psychological reaction to radiation. There is a mystique about radiation.

And so, even though I don't think people need to take potassium iodide, if it makes someone feel more secure having a supply on hand, that's a personal decision that that individual should make.

CHETRY: Right. Well, can a - can radioactive material from what's going on in Japan make its way to America?

THRALL: We will undoubtedly, at some point, measure very, very low levels of radiation from the Japanese disaster somewhere on American soil.

And the punch line there is that whenever dust gets into the atmosphere, it eventually makes its way all around the world. So if it's a volcano in the Philippines or a nuclear disaster in Chernobyl or an atomic test in the middle of the Pacific, that radioactivity will be detectable.

But we have to remember that our instrumentation is exquisitely sensitive and can measure radiation that has no consequence to human health or the individual medical situation of a person.

CHETRY: All right. Well, hopefully that will calm some concerns out there.

Dr. James Thrall, Radiologist-in-Chief at Mass General, thanks so much for joining us this morning.

THRALL: Thank you for the opportunity.

CHETRY: Christine.

ROMANS: CNN's Anderson Cooper is in Japan right now, tracking the ongoing relief effort. He's going to have the latest tonight on "AC 360". That's live at 10:00 P.M. eastern time.

If you want to help relief efforts in Japan, we've made it easy. Find out what you can do by going to the Impact Your World page at CNN.com/impact.

Two deadly tour bus crashes, only three days apart. Now the spotlight is on safety and lawmakers are cracking down on discount coaches.

It began as a peaceful protest, but quickly turned ugly when demonstrators stormed a Tennessee Senate building, forcing police to literally drive them out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: An unbelievable crash and a close call for one St. Louis, Missouri police officer. The stunning scene all caught on tape. The patrol car was diverting traffic yesterday when another car plowed into it. The force sending the police cruiser spinning wildly. But look at the officer. He narrowly - and there he is on the far left. Narrowly misses -

CHETRY: Well, he jumped over the - he jumped over that - that wall.

ROMANS: Over the median. That's right. And - and here's the irony, the police were responding to an earlier accident. Luckily, no one was seriously hurt.

CHETRY: Well, the bus company involved in the deadly New Jersey crash has now had been flagged for safety issues in the past. Super Luxury Tours has racked up speeding and improper passing violations. Two people were killed in the accident including the driver.

This was the second fatal bus crash that happened in the area over the past week. You may remember last Saturday, a New York bus crashed killing 15 people in a very gruesome, gruesome accident that took place as it was coming back from a casino, putting the spotlight on safety concerns. Yesterday, police in New York pulled over buses in China Town for random inspection.

ROMANS: All right. Reality is starting to set in for a lot of Americans who have dreamed of a comfortable retirement. We've been talking about this for two years now and they're starting to see they don't have enough money saved.

Carmen Wong-Ulrich is "Minding Your Business". She's written books about this, about how we -

CARMEN WONG ULRICH, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

ROMANS: -- have got to know what our numbers are and push to make sure we have enough numbers to retire. We just don't.

ULRICH: The numbers are scary. And a new survey, this is a Retirement Confidence Survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute. Fifty-six percent of American workers have less than $25,000 saved, and that's not including home values and benefits, but that's still a really, really low number. And 29 percent have less than $1,000 saved.

But really the worst number here is, folks, within 10 years of retirement age - 55 and over have less than $10,000 saved. Twenty- nine percent, almost a third of them have very low money saved.

Now, in this survey, 21 years, the EBRI has been doing this survey, confidence in retirement has never been this low.

ROMANS: Wow.

ULRICH: Twenty-seven percent of workers are not confident at all. And in 2007, you talk about the recession effect here, in 2007, pre- recession, 79 percent of us were totally confident in retirement.

ROMANS: We felt rich with the retirement.

ULRICH: We felt very, very rich. But the economy's impact is clear. Thirty-four percent - a third of all workers today have dipped into their savings, and 74 percent say they're going to work through retirement. I know I will.

ROMANS: I know. Well, here's the thing. Even in the best of times we don't have enough money saved for retirement. And a lot of people don't even know what the number is.

ULRICH: Yes.

ROMANS: They just kind of think, oh, I'm some putting stuff away. But, I mean, you could be saving for retirement for a rainy day, for your kid's college. For, you know, the lost - what you've lost in your house.

ULRICH: Yes. I don't - I don't think this is -

ROMANS: I mean, it feels overwhelming.

ULRICH: This is not pessimistic to me. Actually this is not pessimism here. This is realism. We're all kind of getting the idea of this is what we have to do. I'm a little bit of glad seeing these results so people pay more attention to their retirement.

CHETRY: Right. And you can't forget the rising cost of health care and we're all living longer, as well, and that's a huge -

ULRICH: Thirty percent of your budget after 65, health care.

CHETRY: I think about that (ph).

ROMANS: You know, one last thing, though, don't rob your retirement to pay for your kid's college.

ULRICH: Do not. You know, we agree on that one. Don't do that.

ROMANS: Don't rob your kid's college to pay for retirement.

CHETRY: I didn't know parents pay for kid's college. I've got to call my (INAUDIBLE).

ROMANS: I like the way you think.

ULRICH: Well, I know - well, you know, some of them do. Don't do that. Listen. Say to them, do you want to take care of me? I'll move in. And they'll be like, oh, it's OK.

CHETRY: All right. I take that's a really nice thing to come home for your mommy then. I tease them with that. And then they say, just wait until your kids get older.

ROMANS: They're watching (ph). CHETRY: Still ahead, 27 minutes past the hour right now.

Tear gas, rubber bullets, and batons, a dangerous run-in between protesters and security in Bahrain. Officials say the escalating violence is a huge concern for more than just this nation. We'll explain.

ROMANS: Plus, in the past, many Democrats have been gun control shy, but that could be changing? We're going to take a look at why, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: We're crossing the half hour.

We want to get you updated on the latest in Japan. The nuclear crisis continues this morning. A cloud of white smoke is now rising above the Daiichi power station. Officials say they think it's a sign that the containment vessel in one of the reactors, reactor number three, has been breached.

ROMANS: And now, emergency teams are testing out helicopters to see if they can drop water into the facility's cooling pond or to slow or stop a meltdown. And there are reports that the Japanese government is about to ask the United States for military assistance, likely the world's costliest natural disaster ever.

CHETRY: Well, thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators are hitting the streets of Bahrain. They're pressing for political reform from the country's Sunni-led rulers. The capital, Manama, is at the center of the movement. There were violent clashes between protesters and Bahraini security forces. The army is even attacking a hospital, reportedly beating the staff inside the hospital.

Our Mohammed Jamjoom joins us now from Manama.

Give us an update on this escalating situation.

MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kiran, the government is saying that the protesters have all left Pearl Roundabout, which is about half a mile behind us that way of their own volition, that they basically cleared out. But that differs greatly from what we've heard from so many eyewitnesses on the ground today and protesters. They said there were a violent crackdown started around 7:00 a.m. local time. Bullets being fired into the crowd; we saw a lot of tear gas being dispersed behind us, from out vantage point. We saw a thick black plumes of smoke.

A lot of video has been coming in on YouTube, as well, showing people injured, being carted away. We spoke to medics at a hospital earlier. They said they were being blocked from leaving the hospital and that injured people were being blocked from coming in.

Now, the government says that's not the case. They say that these are baseless allegations. But several staff members in that hospital, Salmaniya Hospital, one of the main medical complexes here in Manama, said they were very concerned about the safety of the injured. They believe that possibly a massacre happened today and they were not able treat the Bahrainis who were injured.

Also one of the things that's causing great concern, because there are troops here from foreign countries, this is a predominantly Shiite country here, Bahrain. There's concern that this is only going to ratchet up the level of sectarianism, which is already been a concern here the past month since protests started -- Kiran.

CHETRY: And people are, you know, drawing differences between what's going on in Bahrain and what we saw in some of the other countries that had uprisings like Tunisia, like Libya, and Egypt, that this is more of Sunni-Shiite clash. What can you tell us about that -- just to give us some perspective here in the States?

JAMJOOM: Well, Bahrain is a predominantly Shiite country. About 70 percent of the population is Shiite. The government, however, is Sunni. There's been a lot of tension because of that for a long time.

You've seen protests here in the streets in the Bahrain before. You've seen Shiites here feeling oppressed, lighting fires to cars and tires. This has happened a lot in the last several years. But in the past few weeks, you've seen Shiites and also Sunnis, you've seen an opposition calling for reform.

Now, there is divisiveness among this opposition. The hardliners want a complete, basically regime change here. The moderates, they just want more constitutional reform. But because now you've gotten armies coming in, troops from countries, Sunni countries in the region into a predominantly Shiite country, that's ratcheting up the level of sectarianism. We've heard reports that there are armed sectarian gangs going to neighborhoods.

I've spoken to a lot of Bahrainis yesterday, both Shiite and Sunni. They are concerned this could possibly lead to civil war -- Kiran.

CHETRY: All right. The situation is worsening there for sure. Mohammed Jamjoom from Manama this morning, the capital of Bahrain -- thank you.

ROMANS: The United Nations Security Council is considering a new draft resolution designed to put pressure on Libya's government. It includes a no-fly zone, along with an arms embargo and financial sanctions. However, there are doubts whether this no-fly zone will be approved because there's still confusion about who will implement it.

CHETRY: Well, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Egypt this morning. She made an unplanned visit to Tahrir Square. You remember that that was ground zero for the popular uprising that toppled longtime President Hosni Mubarak. Secretary Clinton later met with Prime Minister Essam Sharaf.

Coming up in the next hour, we're going to be live -- our own Wolf Blitzer is also in Cairo this morning.

ROMANS: The government may be getting some more breathing room -- a deeply divided House agreed to provide enough federal funding to keep your government open for three more weeks. Now, the measure heads to the Senate. If approved, the extension avoids a government shutdown on Friday. It is expected to pass. This will give the House and Senate some extra time to negotiate a more long-term budget plan.

CHETRY: And there were some hot-button issues that in the past Democrats have tried to avoid: Gun control being one of them. But it is beginning to look like the Democrats are ready to break their silence, if you will, on the issue.

Jim Acosta is live in Washington this morning.

Hey, Jim.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kiran. That's right.

For years, Democrats have feared backing gun control legislation. But that may be changing in the House. Democrats this week are introducing a bill that would beef up the instant background check system for gun buyers.

Take a look here. It would close the gun show loophole that allows buyers to get around background checks at gun shows. The bill would also stiffen penalties for states that forward criminal, mental health and other pertinent records to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

That's interesting because in the case in Tucson, it's believed that that suspect there, Jared Loughner, may have been able to get around the system because of those holes that are in the system. And this -- all of this follows a call from President Obama for similar measures in an op-ed that appeared in an Arizona newspaper over the weekend. It's a risky move for Democrats who normally stay clear of the powerful gun lobby in Washington, the NRA.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Are you concerned that this issue -- raising this issue could make Democrats vulnerable in the next election? Make the president vulnerable in the next election?

REP. CAROLYN MCCARTHY (D), NEW YORK: No, because if you look at any poll you want to look at, the majority of Americans, the majority of gun owners all feel people should go through background checks. That is undisputed by anybody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Now, over the next couple of weeks, Justice Department officials are holding meetings with gun controlling advocates in Washington with the hopes that some NRA officials would join them. That's right. But the top man at the NRA says he has yet to receive an invitation and adds he's not going anyway.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WAYNE LAPIERRE, NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION: Why should I go sit down with a bunch of people who just spent their life trying to destroy the Second Amendment? I understand what's going on. I mean, this is a political maneuver.

ACOSTA: Aren't they trying to find some common ground?

LAPIERRE: They say they are. I understand -- what's happening here is very transparent, the president's political base, anti-Second Amendment political base, is screeching. And he's trying to appease 'em.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Now, two months after the tragedy in Tucson, gun control advocates believe the public is now on their side. A new poll out from "N" and "The Daily Beast" finds 86 percent of Americans support background checks for all gun buyers. That is a strong indication, Kiran, that folks out there want to close that gun show loophole, an issue that's been lingering for a long time. And I have to tell you, I did call the Justice Department, Kiran, and they do say that invitation is forthcoming over to the NRA.

CHETRY: And, quickly, what does Wayne LaPierre say about closing the gun show loophole? Because -- I mean, all along the NRA said they support background checks, right?

ACOSTA: That's right. They're absolutely against it. They don't think this is going to solve the problem. So, therefore, they say they don't want to do this.

One interesting aspect to all of this, they do indicate some support for this effort to stiffen penalties for states that don't beef up their background check systems and bring information into that system. So, there might be a little bit of common ground there, whether it's enough to get legislation passed in a Republican House, that's a totally different matter.

CHETRY: All right. Jim Acosta, thanks so much.

ACOSTA: You bet.

ROMANS: Meantime, rescue teams from the U.S. have now been sent to Ofunato, Japan. It's one of the city's hardest hit by the earthquake and tsunami. Relief workers there are now scrambling to locate survivors of the disaster.

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ROMANS: Rescue teams from all over the world now are helping to locate survivors in Japan. Several teams from the U.S. have been sent to Ofunato, one of the hardest hit cities in the disaster.

CHETRY: Yes, it was the city that was closest to the epicenter of the quake. It's located right off of the ocean. And as Brian Todd reports, relief workers have a long way to go.

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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They're the cavalry he's been waiting for.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd like to express our thanks.

TODD: The relieved mayor of Ofunato greets U.S. and British rescue teams as they start their first full day of operations. But his city's condition could lie beyond their reach. The tsunami came through Ofunato's narrow inlet with such force that a tug boat was thrown several blocks, cars violently scattered for miles.

(on camera): What do you do when you get here and it's such devastation everywhere you look? What do you do first?

CAPT. SAM GRAY, FAIRFAX CO. SEARCH AND RESCUE: First thing, we find a place to search. We have map grids that are set up by the local emergency managers in the area and they give us an area to search, put it up, we take coordinates, we go through the buildings, search building by building that's standing up or laying down.

TODD (voice-over): The teams fan out through mountains of rubble and teetering buildings using every tool they brought.

(on camera): One of the rescue officials just told us that there was a paper posted on the side of this beige house here saying there was someone alive inside. Now, the teams are checking it out. They're about to bring the dogs to see if they can detect anything.

(voice-over): The dogs don't detect the scent of anyone alive. Listening devices, audio signals yield nothing. Residents who did escape the tsunami are in shock.

We initially shot Tomoku Shida lost her husband in this disaster, but when we approached her --

(on camera): What happened to your husband?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her husband already died and she had his bone in the book, precious stuff. And she put it in really high places at the room. But when the tsunami came, she couldn't reach the bone and she ran away first.

TODD (voice-over): She's still looking for her husband's remains.

For those who did lose loved ones in this tragedy, the final casualty count here may never be known.

(on camera): Realistically, what do you think your chances are this time, this event of finding people alive in here?

CHIEF CHRIS SCHAFF, VIRGINIA TASK FORCE ONE: With the way we're operating now, there's still plenty of opportunity for us to find live victims. But, you know, as time goes on, you know, the possibilities diminish.

TODD (voice-over): In many of these places, rescuers say they rely on local citizens flagging them down to come and get a loved one out of a building or out of a pile of rubble. But one team member told us that here in Ofunato, whole families might have gone missing and there might not be anyone even looking for them.

Brian Todd, CNN, Ofunato, Japan.

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CHETRY: So, we've been talking a lot about the human toll as well, and, of course, that's the main concern right now. Bu the quake and tsunami also uprooted hundreds of animals, many of them pets. Animal charities around the world are helping work with rescue crews to help these animals.

And take a look at this video that's gone viral. It shows two dogs standing in the middle of the wreckage. One dog appears to have been injured and because of that, the other dog won't leave. He seems to be, at one point, walking back and forth, frantically trying to get attention and then in the end, waiting for help to arrive for the other dog.

So, that video went out, and I believe they were able to finally get to those dogs.

ROMANS: Showing you of all the different layers of suffering and hope and waiting and rescue happening there. That's just one of them.

All right. Still to come this morning, more rain for the northeast this morning, even some snow in parts. Jennifer Delgado's going to have the morning's travel forecast right after the break.

CHETRY: Also nearly two weeks after its star player collapsed and died on the court, Michigan's Fennville High School basketball team goes for its fourth playoff in a row.

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CHETRY: Rise and shine. It is 6:48 here in New York today. Oh, sorry, that's Atlanta. I get confused. All those tall buildings out there. It's Atlanta, this morning. It's still 6:48. OK. Forty-four degrees going up to 65 degrees a little bit later. So, good morning to our friends down south. It's a little darker still now because did you notice at about 7:00 last night, there was still a little bit of daylight. You like that?

ROMANS: I like. I do like it. It means spring and summer are around the corner.

Officials at a prestigious New York high school are investigating a cheating scandal. Students at Great Neck High School are accused of paying thousands of dollars to have someone else take the SATs for them. The cost is $1 per score point. Can you believe that? SAT officials say students caught cheating will have their scores canceled, and the colleges they're applying to will also be notified.

CHETRY: Also, a New York City mother says that her daughter's private preschool did not do enough to prepare her child for an Ivy League future. She is now suing the school because officials refuse to refund her $19,000 that she paid in tuition. Now, the lawsuit claims that the school turned out to be just one big play room.

What she wanted, instead, was that her daughter would be prepping for these vital tests that they start giving at very young ages to prep their kids for an Ivy League future. She says, instead, her kid was lumped in with other kids half her age and that they were playing blocks and doing shapes. Can you believe that?

Well, the lawyer for the school says that this is the first such complaint in the school's roughly 20-year history.

ROMANS: But if you're testing a four-year-old for preschool, isn't it blocks and shapes and things like that?

CHETRY: She said that they shouldn't --

ROMANS: They're not doing calculus.

CHETRY: Apparently, they are these days. I mean, the pressure that they put on these kids, I mean, it's astounding to me that, you know, they're already prepping them at age four and five for what will eventually become their Ivy League education or their ticket to getting into an Ivy League school. We've really -- we lost touch with reality.

ROMANS: With 2,000 high school in America that are dropout factories.

CHETRY: Exactly.

ROMANS: And then, on the very high end, you have people who can pay somebody to take the SAT for you, apparently, and then also, pay $19,000 for preschool.

All right. You know, it's ten minutes till the top of the hour. Let's get a quick check of the morning's weather headlines. For that, we have Jennifer Delgado in the Extreme Weather Center. Good morning, Jennifer.

DELGADO: Good morning, Christine. Good morning, Kiran. We are starting off right now looking at the radar. We have two problem spots out there across the U.S. I want to show you looking at the northeast, we have some rain moving out of Philadelphia. That's the heaviest moving into New York, and it's going to continue to push offshore. This rain will be coming to an end late this morning, but then, we'll still see some rain sticking around for New England as we go through the early afternoon.

I want to point out to you, dealing with a lit bit of freezing rain out there, but the temperatures warming up by, say, by 11 o'clock 12 o'clock that's going to be changing all over to rain, and then, we'll be dealing with just a little bit of dusting of snow across parts of New England. Now, out to the west, this is the other problem. I was talking about yesterday, heavy rainfall as well as some snow is still in the forecast for today.

Let's go to some video coming out of California, and this is going to show you mudslide. Yes, once again, today, coming out of California. Also affected parts of Seattle, Washington. In fact, train service was disrupted in Seattle. This is actually part of the rainy month season for Seattle and parts of the Pacific Northwest. Another storm system will be coming in later on this weekend. So, that means more rain in the forecast.

Now, let's take you back over and leave you with some good news. Temperatures are going to be warming up. Look at the numbers there, 77 for a high in Dallas, 91 in Phoenix, 62 for a high in Washington, but I want to leave you with something a little more positive. Kiran, Christine, check this out. Temperatures coming up later this week, Thursday into Friday, temperatures about 10 to 20 degrees above average, and that is going to last through the weekend for areas east of the Mississippi.

That should make you happy. And guess what, you're right, those days are getting longer. Indeed, spring starts on Sunday, 7:21.

CHETRY: It's official. Now, we did have to get --

DELGADO: It's official.

CHETRY: Now, we just have to get out of the freezing temperatures that we're still feeling up north.

ROMANS: Rain in Northern Jersey. That sought to dry out, too.

DELGADO: One more day.

CHETRY: All right. Thanks, Jennifer.

Hey, we want to bring you a little bit of an update. You know, a lot of people weighed in on seeing the two dogs in Japan, and I mean, amidst all of the tragedy that we've seen, the human toll, of course. This is just a small part of it, but one of the dog was -- did you see him put his paw on the weaker dog? This is an area hard hit.

Apparently, this was shot by somebody, and there's now a Facebook page up just explaining what happened by a man by the name of Ken Sakurai (ph) who says that it took them a couple of hours to get the one dog to calm down.

ROMANS: The dog with the spot --

CHETRY: Right.

ROMANS: To calm that dog down so that they could go in and rescue both of them.

CHETRY: Right. Because, I guess, he was just trying to protect the other dog. Anyway, they say that the one dog, who had this paw in the other, is now in a shelter and the weaker one is in a vet clinic. So, you know, with everything that they're going through in Japan, they're also trying to look out for their four-legged friends, as well.

So, I mean, this video just brought tears to the eyes for many who saw it. So, we just wanted to give you that update, and if we find out more about their fate, we'll let you know.

ROMANS: All right. Still ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, Japan scrambling to stabilize its damaged nuclear plant as a new fire is reported there this morning. We'll have the very latest on that.

CHETRY: Also, Sarah Palin losing some luster. Why a new poll could affect her decision about whether she's running for president in 2012? Fifty-three minutes past the hour.

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ROMANS: Eleven days after their teammate collapsed and died on the basketball court, Fennville High School's emotional playoff run has ended. The Blackhawks lost 86-62 to Schoolcraft in a regional semifinal last night. The team from Michigan has pulled off three straight playoff victories following the tragic death of their friend, 16-year-old Wes Leonard.

CHETRY: Their coach was talking a little bit about how tough it's going to be for everybody. I mean, they were really banding together and running off their emotional energy, you know, to get through --

ROMANS: They have a lot of attention media after that because they have been really pushing forward in his, you know, in his memory, and so now, that playoff run is over. We -- you know, best wishes to those kids, for sure.

CHETRY: Absolutely. It's been tough.

We're going to take a quick break. Three minutes until the top of the hour. We'll have your top stories coming up.

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