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American Morning
Safe Iodine Levels in Tokyo Water; Cleaning the USS Ronald Reagan; U.S. Toyota Plants May Shut Down; Legendary Actress and Activist Elizabeth Taylor Dies at 79; Presidential Primaries Scrapped?; Racing Success Depends On Drivers
Aired March 24, 2011 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: There's been a lot going on overnight. We want to get you caught up. I'm Ali Velshi.
A jet fuel tank at Miami International Airport explodes into flames. And this could cause problems for flyers this morning.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Christine Romans.
And a scare in the air. Two flights are trying to land at Reagan National Airport can't reach anyone in the control tower. We're going to play the tapes of the pilot trying to make contact with anyone before they can touchdown.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kiran Chetry.
Peanut allergies is a serious problem for a lot of kids, but deadly for a small group of them. One Florida school is under fire now after parents say they're taking things too far. We've got the latest on that, and the latest on the nuclear disaster in Japan.
So, let's get started. AMERICAN MORNING begins right now.
(MUSIC)
VELSHI: Good morning to all of you.
Good morning, Christine.
CHETRY: Good morning. Nice to see you this morning.
VELSHI: There's been a lot of news going an overnight. Obviously, the stuff that's going on overseas. But this travel stuff for people traveling, a few areas of concern for them.
CHETRY: You know, it's everybody's worst nightmare -- I mean, they say, what, the most dangerous part about flying is, what, takeoff and landing?
VELSHI: Yes.
CHETRY: It's probably more dangerous when the pilot can't reach the control tower to find out if it's OK to land. We're going to play the tapes. It's amazing. VELSHI: They're going to be interesting.
The other thing we're dealing with, of course, this morning is this fireball fed by jet fuel, burning overnight at Miami International Airport. More than 30 fire crews sent to battle the flames. They say that a jet fuel storage tank caught fire. They don't know how yet. All six storage tanks at the site were affected.
The flames were brought under control a few hours ago. No one was hurt. Airport officials say the flames were away from the runways and terminals, but it could lead to delays and in cancellations since tanker trucks are being brought in to refuel the planes.
ROMANS: Also new this morning, coming into landing and silence from the control tower. The FAA says two planes landed at Reagan National Airport early yesterday morning without help because the only air traffic controller on duty didn't answer. The pilot of the first plane was in contact with regional air traffic control and found out amazingly that they're used to this kind of thing. Listen.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
TRACON CONTROLLER: American 1900, so, you're aware, the tower is apparently not manned. We've made a few phone calls. Nobody's answering. So, two airports went in the past 10, 15 minutes, so you can expect to go in as an uncontrolled airport.
PILOT: Is there a reason it's not manned?
TRACON CONTROLLER: Well, I'm going to take a guess and say at that controller got locked out. I've heard of this happening before.
PILOT: That's the first time I've heard of it.
TRACON CONTROLLER: Yes. Fortunately, it's not very often. But, yes, it happened about a year ago. I'm not sure that's what happened now, but anyway, there's nobody in the tower.
PILOT: That's interesting.
TRACON CONTROLLER: It is.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
VELSHI: Wow.
ROMANS: Both planes did land safely. But changes are coming. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood released a statement saying, "Today, I directed the FAA to place two air traffic controllers at Ronald Reagan Washington National airports' control tower on the midnight shift. It's just not acceptable to have just one controller in the tower managing air traffic in this critical airspace. I've also asked FAA administrator Randy Babbitt to study staffing at other airports around the country."
CHETRY: We'll have more on that. Meantime, with the official number of dead in Japan, nearing 10,000 and a 6.2 earthquake rocking the country in the past two hours, there is one hopeful development this morning. Radiation in Tokyo's tap water has now dropped back down to levels that are considered safe for infants to drink.
You may remember a couple days ago that they deemed it unsafe and there was a run on bottled water because of it. Meantime, 150 miles to the north, black smoke has stopped at the Daiichi nuclear power plant, no one seems sure what caused that black smoke in the first place.
We do know two workers were sent to a hospital after they were exposed to high levels of radioactive materials after stepping in contaminated water.
Right now, work is continuing on all six of those reactors to prevent more radiation from getting into the atmosphere. These are some pictures onsite at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. They were just released by the Nuclear Industry Safety Agency showing engineers recording data inside of the control rooms of reactors one and two.
VELSHI: Officials in Tokyo are pleading with people to stop hoarding bottled water but it's not working. Radioactive iodine levels were way over the legal limit yesterday, making the city's tap water unsafe for infants to drink. Now, officials say they have fallen to safe levels now, but there's uncertainty and it's triggered a run on bottled water with store shelves emptying quickly.
Listen to Derek and Kwomi (ph) Kwok, a young Tokyo couple trying to cope after becoming new parents less than two weeks ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEREK KWOK, TOKYO RESIDENT: The baby's Ethan, a baby boy. And he's just about 10 or 11 days old now. And he was born one day after the big earthquake in the Fukushima area. I actually went to the supermarkets, check down, and there's no water. So, what I had to do is being more resourceful, I ended up going to vending machines to see if they had leftovers. And I was able to pick up several bottles and that hopefully will last us long enough until Tokyo manages to get some of its water supply back.
KYOMI KWOK, TOKYO RESIDENT: I always think about my little son. Just I want to forget him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: And the Kwoks say they're considering moving to another city or even out of the country if the situation with Tokyo's tap water doesn't stabilize.
ROMANS: When the nuclear crisis hit Japan, the USS Ronald Reagan passed through a nuclear plume from the Daiichi power plant. There was limited exposure to radioactivity from that plume -- but our Martin Savidge shows us how -- you know, you have to spend some time scrubbing an aircraft carrier if you do something like that. He got a chance to spend -- 10 days later, he got to board the boat to see just how the crew's getting everything cleaned up.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right now, every piece of hardware, every aircraft and every piece of machinery used to move that aircraft is in the front of the USS Ronald Reagan as is -- where you can see a lot of the crew hands. You're wondering maybe, why are they all sitting around? We'll show you.
Look what's going on back over here. Water, lots and lots of water just being sprayed all over the deck right now in what is probably the biggest cleanup effort you're ever likely to see at sea.
As the crews went to work with the foam, with the brushes, there was music going. The idea here, though, is all about safety.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we're doing right now is just like they decontaminating the ship.
SAVIDGE: This aircraft carrier and some of its helicopters passed through the radioactive nuclear plume from that damaged nuclear plant, the Fukushima Daiichi plant. As a result of that, there was some limited exposure to the crew and some of the aircraft, and possibly the ship.
So, this is all designed to clean it, scrub it down, use brushes, use foam, clear every possible surface, then check it with special machines such as Geiger counters, while keeping the crew in protective suits.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: So, Martin Savidge is giving us an example of just how delicate all of this is and how much it has to go into it.
On the heels of a nuclear crisis in Japan, South Carolina and Washington state here in the U.S. went to court this week demanding that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission provide a permanent place to store America's radioactive waste.
Here's a look at our map right now where you can see nuclear power plants, there are 104 operating reactors. They're scattered across 65 plants in 31 different states. And if you take a look at this map, this gives you a better idea of exactly where this 63,000 tons of spent fuel, the darker the color of the state, the more radioactive waste that state has, according to the NRC.
So, again, we're talking about 63,000 tons of spent fuel as of January 2010. And if you take a look where we see most of the spent fuel -- let me just get the telestrator working -- Illinois is the state with most -- 776 tons. Coming in second place is Pennsylvania. As we know, Pennsylvania, the site of Three Mile Island, the nuclear site that had disaster back in the late '80s, 5,650 tons. And you're down here in South Carolina where they have about 3,700 tons of spent fuel. And then pretty much a tie between New York state and North Carolina here, about 3,300 tons each.
Let me show you another map that sort of illustrates what we're talking about when we say what's going on with the spent fuel. This is what it looks like. These are the spent fuel pools. They're steel-lined concrete pools. They are filled with water like this one. And they are similar to the ones we talked about at Japan's Fukushima plant that overheated, which allow those radiation levels to continue to rise. They're only good if they continue to stay under that water. that's the problem.
So, what is the potential solution? Well, one proposed solution for long term storage of this used fuel would be Yucca Mountain. This is in the deserts of Nevada.
George W. Bush, when president, approved Yucca Mountain as a storage site for radioactive waste. President Obama then cancelled work back on that project back in 2009 with more than $9 billion already invested.
And, Ali, what they're saying, and the scary part of this is we're already storing with the 63,000 far more spent fuel than we were equipped to store at this point. So, it's a problem that's not getting any easier.
VELSHI: The events in Japan have brought back to the fore. Again, we'll be discussing it a lot more. It's a great explanation. Thank you, Kiran.
A bomb blast in a crowded bus stop has shattered a period of relative calm in Jerusalem. One woman from Great Britain was killed, more than 50 other people were hurt in yesterday morning's rush hour attack. The bomb was left in a bag, exploded just as passengers were getting off a bus a few feet away.
So far, no claim of responsibility, but Israel carried out air strikes on Gaza overnight, saying that they were in response to recent rocket and mortar attacks.
ROMANS: Now, to the situation in Libya -- the assault by the U.S.-led coalition now in its sixth day. For the first time, coalition aircraft have been targeting Moammar Gadhafi's ground forces. Officials say Libya's air defenses have been wiped out. And there are reports that one of Gadhafi's compounds in Tripoli has hit with an airstrike. Still, there are no real signs the Libyan leader is ready to back down. Pro-Gadhafi's forces continue to attack rebel positions in Misrata.
VELSHI: Here in the United States, President Obama facing new pressure from Congress over the U.S. role in Libya. He cut this trip to Latin America short by a couple of hours, returning to the White House yesterday.
In a letter to the president, House Speaker John Boehner claims they were left out of the loop on the Libyan mission -- "they" meaning House Republicans. He writes, quote, "military resources were committed to war without clearly defining for the American people, the Congress and our troops what the mission in Libya is and what America's role is in achieving that mission. In fact, the limited, sometimes contradictory, case made to the American people by members of your administration has left some fundamentally questions about our engagement unanswered."
CHETRY: And meanwhile, there are other problems around the Middle East. One is the situation growing increasingly violent in Syria, where security forces have been cracking down since last week on protests. In the city of Daraa, problems there, human rights activists say at least 15 people were killed when government forces opened up fire on the protesters. Witnesses tell CNN that President Bashar al-Assad's government has tried to isolate the city, cutting off electricity and phone service.
The U.S. State Department has weighed in on this, saying it is, quote, "deeply troubled" by the violence taking place in Syria.
ROMANS: Meanwhile, talk about March Madness -- after a few days of sunshine, the weather takes a turn for the worst in the Northeast. Rain, sleet, snow ice along -- with thunder and lightning, making travel conditions very dangerous. It was really amazing to see that snow coming down and hear the thunder and lightning last night.
There are reports of delays at New York's airports. But a check this morning shows most flights are on schedule.
In Oklahoma, wildfires fuelled by dry and windy conditions are now threatening about 40 homes there. Fortunately, there have been no reports of any injuries.
Our Rob Marciano, live in the extreme weather center. Hi, Rob.
CHETRY: Hey, Rob, it was crazy yesterday. At some points we had sleet. At some points, hail. At some point, this morning
VELSHI: And there is snow this morning.
CHETRY: What's going on?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You got to love March. That's what it does. You get all sorts of weather, especially when you get a strong storm like this, a pretty good one moving across the Northeast.
I was just out in west Texas doing a (INAUDIBLE). I've never seen the wind blow like that on a clear day. Dust is just everywhere. So, I can understand the pains they're going through in Oklahoma valley and those parts.
All right. Here's where that storms moving across the Northeast. It is finally dragging its heels out towards sea. But in the meantime, got cold air coming in behind it. So, yes, the smorgasbord of weather is beginning to taper off. Temperatures, though, are going to be kind of chilly in the wake of this thing. Yet another California storm rolling in, very active out west as these storms continue to line up across the Pacific Northwest and California as well.
I was also down in Birmingham last week, guys, got on the race track, IndyCar season is coming up. We're going to have that high-speed report in about 30 minutes. Back to you.
CHETRY: Nice.
VELSHI: Rob, we're looking forward to it. Thank you. Bring us something good.
Meantime, some nice weather up here.
All right. Coming up -- ahead on AMERICAN MORNING: a package full of explosives that sat in a federal building in the lost and found for three weeks. Wait until you find out how it got there.
ROMANS: And he's got better things to worry about than where he put his keys. The president comes home from a Latin American trip and he can't get in -- lockdown in the White House.
CHETRY: Also, remembering the great actress and activist Elizabeth Taylor. We're taking a closer look at her legendary work off-screen where she raised millions of dollars for AIDS research.
It's 14 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: A bomb spent three weeks in a Federal Building's Lost and Found in Detroit. A security guard has now been suspended for bringing the package into the building on February 26th without having it screened. Officials say the package was put through an x-ray machine last Friday. At that point, wires were seen and it turned out this mistaken package, this wayward package was a bomb. The FBI and the IRS have offices in the building and Joint Terrorism Task Force is now trying to find out who put it there.
And maybe he left the keys in Marine One. Does the president carry around a set of keys?
VELSHI: I wouldn't have thought so.
ROMANS: President Obama was locked out of the White House when he returned from his five-day trip to Latin America yesterday. He gave the French doors a tug, ah - ah. But, you know - he's - he's -
VELSHI: Try this one. Look at that.
ROMANS: The president came back a little early to deal with Libya. The president played it cool, got in another way. For security reasons, we doubt the Secret Service lets him keep the - the spare set under the mat like the rest of us do or stuck it in the dirt in the - CHETRY: Oh, don't give away our secrets, Christine.
ROMANS: It reminded us of when President Bush had a little door trouble one time. Remember that? Back in -
VELSHI: Right. He's trying - he's talking (ph) to a lot of reporters, walking off stage.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: He was like let me the heck out of here.
ROMANS: And he really hammed it up, too.
CHETRY: See, this is the difference. I know.
ROMANS: Anyway, it just shows you, you can be the leader of the free world, but you're really aren't in charge of where you're going.
CHETRY: So that's (INAUDIBLE) the president, though, he hammed it up and President Obama was playing it cool.
VELSHI: Right.
CHETRY: He pulled the one door. Did nothing. Kept walking.
VELSHI: There's another door.
ROMANS: Kept walking.
VELSHI: I mean, he's going to keep on going until some Marine told him, well, we get the door for you, sir. All right.
CHETRY: Just shoot it open.
VELSHI: If you are looking to buy a Toyota, which many Americans are, well you might actually hit some delays because of what's going on in Japan.
Carmen Wong Ulrich is "Minding Your Business" for us. We thought this would happen and it's happening.
CARMEN WONG ULRICH, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It is happening.
The 12 Toyota automotive plants in Japan have been mostly quiet since the earthquake and now the effects of that shutdown are being felt here in the U.S. Toyota's 13 factories in the U.S., Canada and Mexico have been told to prepare for a possible shutdown, because of a part shortage from Japan. Now, Toyota spokesperson told CNNMoney that the plant may not shut down completely but should expect interruptions.
Now, the 13 North American plants, they employ about 25,000 workers who will remain on pay. And the part shortage isn't just hitting Japanese automakers but the American big three as well. General Motors has already suspended production out of their Shreveport, Louisiana plant this week due to shortage of parts from Japan. And the plant makes the Chevrolet Colorado and the GMC Canyon. And GM has also temporarily laid off workers at its Buffalo, New York facility, which makes the engines for those models.
Now, analysts say there's going to continue to be tight supply on some Toyota GM models through the summer, but prices are not going to go higher unless there's just too much competition out there.
VELSHI: That's good. And the one thing that we have to concern ourselves with is, of course, are these workers. You said they're still staying on with pay?
ULRICH: Yes. And Toyota has a habit of doing that, when they suspend production, they do keep them on pay and actually find them different other jobs to do.
VELSHI: Because ultimately, as you know, Carmen, you're married into an automobile family. You know, people will get cars if they want. I mean, that's not the end of the world.
ULRICH: Absolutely. Here's the one thing, the Prius. This is the one where the plant production -
VELSHI: Because the hybrids are (INAUDIBLE), yes.
ULRICH: This is a popular car. This is like the iPad 2 of the car world. There already is a backlog of Prius demand, so it's going to get backed up even more.
CHETRY: Wow.
ULRICH: But there's so many other hybrid models on the market now. So they're not going to go above list - list price.
CHETRY: And it will be interesting to see if it gives opportunities for some of the other lesser known popular hybrids to get a second look by car (INAUDIBLE).
ULRICH: They will try to take advantage, no doubt.
CHETRY: All right. Carmen Wong Ulrich, great to see you as always, until the next hour.
ULRICH: Thank you.
ROMANS: OK, guys. Next on AMERICAN MORNING, remembering a true Hollywood icon, Elizabeth Taylor was more than a great actress, she was a great humanitarian, most notably her work on behalf of AIDS research.
Alina Cho stops by with a look at that.
CHETRY: Also, some parents think that a Florida elementary school is going too far in trying to protect a student. But she has a life- threatening peanut allergy, so why do some parents want her booted out of the school? We're going to be talking about this coming up. Twenty-one minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Twenty-three minutes past the hour right now.
Hollywood is mourning one of its greatest stars. Actress Elizabeth Taylor, she passed away yesterday at the age of 79. But beyond the big screen, Taylor's activism was also legendary. She raised millions of dollars and tons of awareness for AIDS research.
Alina Cho joins us with that part of Elizabeth Taylor's legacy. Good morning.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning.
Hundreds of millions of dollars. You know, Elizabeth Taylor really was the first celebrity to talk publicly about AIDS. It was not a popular cause at the time. But after her dear friend Rock Hudson died of Aids back in 1985, she decided to speak up and loudly. She co- founded amfAR, the most famous AIDS-related charity she testified before Congress. She lobbied presidents and she helped raise hundreds of millions of dollars for AIDS research.
Bur perhaps more than anything else, Liz Taylor wanted people to know that those suffering from HIV and AIDS should not be feared. They should not be shunned. And she inspired others including other celebrities like Elton John.
I spoke with Elton John a little more than a year ago about his own AIDS foundation, and he talked about the woman who inspired him.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHO (on camera): She took on AIDS when nobody cared about AIDS, when it really wasn't even part of the national conversation.
ELTON JOHN, MUSICIAN: I have to say Elizabeth Taylor is the inspiration for me. You know, she - she had - is the first celebrity to get out there when AIDS was happening and generally, you know, supporting the cause.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: Elton John also dedicated a song to Liz Taylor tonight at his concert in Pittsburgh. Just yesterday, I spoke with Kenneth Cole, who happens to be a fashion designer and the current chairman of amfAR. Here's what he said about the woman who held the position before him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KENNETH COLE, DESIGNER: People supported Elizabeth and she was very convincing and very compelling. And she didn't ask you to do anything she would not have done herself. She had the courage to - to do this early on when it is weren't (ph). And that's invariably when you make the most impact. And, you know, you can whisper in a quiet room and people hear you. It was very quiet in those days, and she wasn't just whispering.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Very well said. Cole said she will be missed but she will be remembered. And, of course, her message will leave on. Taylor, if you could believe it, was on Twitter under the handle Dame Elizabeth. Last July, she tweeted, "Give, remember always to give. That is the thing that will make you grow."
You know, and I asked Kenneth Cole, what do you think Elizabeth Taylor's impact will be when all is said and done? And he think - he said, "I think millions of people are alive today because of her. And going forward, millions of people will live because of her tireless work."
You know, what's interesting is that amfAR at its gala in New York actually honored Liz Taylor just 30 days ago, just a month ago. And Kenneth Cole told me that up until the night before the gale, they really thought that Elizabeth Taylor was going to be there in person. In the end, of course, now we know she had already been hospitalized. But he spoke to her by phone. She was, of course, honored and wanted to be there, but couldn't. But her message, as he says, will certainly live on.
ROMANS: When celebrities try to use their celebrity for a cause, no one has done it the way she has.
VELSHI: Right.
ROMANS: She was the first to really do that.
CHO: She really was the first. And, you're right. And she inspired people like Elton John. I mean, really, really extraordinary.
VELSHI: And remember, back then, there was that stigma.
ROMANS: That's right.
VELSHI: It seems weird to be talking about this in 2011. But when Elizabeth Taylor started talking about Aids, it was that uncommon.
CHO: Ali, you're - you're absolutely right.
VELSHI: Yes.
CHO: I mean, think about it, 1985, she headlined the first AIDS benefit. It wasn't until 1987 that Ronald Reagan actually uttered the word "AIDS" and by then, 40,000 people had died.
VELSHI: Wow.
CHO: And so she really was a trail blazer. She had a megaphone, of course, because of her fame.
VELSHI: Sure.
CHO: And as you pointed out, Christine, a lot of people have followed since. And, you know, she will be missed.
ROMANS: All right. Alina Cho. Thank you, Alina.
CHO: You bet.
CHETRY: All right. Well, coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, a deadly crackdown on protesters in Syria. Witness some of the details and we have new video on what the U.S. response is to what's going on there.
ROMANS: Also coming up, how the tight economy could impact the 2010 election. Not who you vote for, but when you vote. We'll explain.
It's 27 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Hello. Good morning, everyone. It's Thursday, March 24th. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING.
CHETRY: And we're following a lot of stories for you this morning. Let's get you up-to-date on what's going on in Japan.
First, there are new tests showing radiation levels in Tokyo's tap water have dropped back down to levels considered safe for infants to drink. Now, yesterday, you may remember, parents were warned not to mix formula for children for tap water. That sparked a run on bottled water because the cities have been rationing bottled water.
Now, to the north, at the Daiichi nuclear power plant, two workers have been hospitalized. They were exposed to high doses of radiation after stepping in contaminated water.
More coalition airstrikes as the U.S.-led mission enters its sixth day now. Military officials say the bombings have crippled Moammar Gadhafi's air defenses. But there are no real signs that Gadhafi is ready to back down.
Meantime, President Obama will be meeting with his national security team later today to discuss plans for scaling back the U.S. involvement in the Libyan mission.
And to Syria, where witnesses say that security forces opened fire on anti-government protesters, killing 15 people yesterday. This is video that was uploaded to YouTube of the fighting. The U.S. State Department says it is deeply troubled by the deaths. Syria's President Bashar al-Assad fired the governor of the province where the protests have been taking place for several days now.
VELSHI: All right. The latest information on America's housing market is painting a troubled picture.
According to the Commerce Department, new home sales are down 16.9 percent in February. They're being sold at the lowest pace since the government began keeping records for new homes back in 1963. New home sales are a smaller proportion of the number of homes sold. Most homes are existing home, used home, if you will. But new homes are vital to the economy because each new built creates on average three jobs a year and $90,000 in taxes. That's according to the National Association of Homebuilders.
So, what is responsible for the sales drop in new homes? You can blame it on the weather. I don't really. Look at the snowfall that we had in the beginning of the year. That might have kept people from seeing homes, signing contracts.
And then there is that glut of existing homes or used homes on the market. They're substantially cheaper than new homes right now.
And finally, all of these foreclosures, they continue. Foreclosures typically sell well below market value, making them more attractive than going out and buying a brand-new house. In fact, one of every four homes purchased last year in 2010 was either a foreclosure or a short sale. Short sale is when you give the house back to the bank and write off your mortgage.
That means fewer new homes are being built. That leads to fewer jobs and a slower economic recovery -- Christine.
ROMANS: And it means that the value of your biggest asset is probably going down right now. And so, that's why so many people really care about the story. Thanks, Ali.
The slow economy may also have a big impact on our political process. This could actually change the way we vote for president next year.
Jim Acosta is live in Washington to explain.
Hi, Jim.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine.
That's right. States are trying just about everything these days to save a buck. Well, just one example of this desperation for dollars at the local level is the idea of moving or scrapping presidential primaries altogether. Yes. That's right. At least six states, take a look at this, and the District of Columbia are in various stages of talking about delaying or get the rid of primaries to save money.
Here's why? Holding elections are not cheap, folks. D.C. wants to move its primary. Here's some dollar figures, saving $1 million just in D.C.
Kansas has already voted to scrap its primary, trimming $1 million. Washington state has expected to decide next week to make the switch to a caucus system for 2012, saving $10 million. And California hopes to save -- this is unbelievable -- $100 million just by delaying its primary to June of next year. Those are big numbers.
Now, some of these changes are pending, so local lawmakers still have to vote on these proposals. But supporters of delaying the date in D.C. ask, why have multiple primaries on the calendar like they have here already, one local contest, one for the presidential primary, when you can have one?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACK EVANS, D.C. CITY COUNCIL: So, I think we see a higher turnout by having one primary in April, rather than one in February and another one in June. And then, secondly, the Democratic Party is giving extra delegates to the convention for jurisdictions that move their primary away from February and March. And so, by doing it in April, we get 25 percent more delegates to the convention, which means more people go to the convention. So, there's a couple other reasons that factor in as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: And let me give you some context for what the councilmember was saying. In 2008, states were trying to move up primary dates to compete with Iowa and New Hampshire where voters have a big say over presidential races. Now, to save money, there is a race in the other direction. And the parties are offering up, as Jack Evans with the D.C. City Council was saying there, their own incentives to sweeten the deal.
For example, the Democratic Party is offering bonus delegates for the states to wait until the spring or even summer.
And, Christine, you'll remember, the last time around, in 2008, there was this big controversy -- Florida and Michigan moving their state primaries up because they wanted to have just as much influence as Iowa and New Hampshire. The parties are trying to keep that from happening this time around, but it may just be budget priorities that delay these primaries altogether.
And that in turn may give some of these candidates -- we keep saying -- what are you waiting for, guys, jump in the race. This potentially could buy them some time to hold off and not announce that they're running right away because a lot of these critical primaries may be later in the schedule, Christine.
ROMANS: We've been complaining about how long the political -- the whole season is for so long, it's getting longer and longer. Maybe budget constraints make it a little bit shorter.
ACOSTA: I think so.
ROMANS: All right. Jim Acosta, thanks, Jim.
ACOSTA: You bet.
CHETRY: Talk about pressure, so, you've got your big brother, the one that's heir to the throne. He's handsome and he's getting hitched and the whole world is talking about his wedding. What do you do if you're next in line and you're single?
Zain Verjee tells us how Prince Harry is moving up the ranks --
VELSHI: I'm not sure he's troubled by that situation. CHETRY: Well, he's moving up the ranks of the most eligible. That's a lot of competition.
VELSHI: The competition is out of the way.
All right. The Florida public school is taking extreme measures to protect a first grader with a life-threatening food allergy. Some parents are not happy about it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: OK. This just in -- look at that picture. This is I-20 outside of Fort Worth. That's the cab of a big rig hanging over a bridge on I-20. An emergency worker managed to get to that cab and reach the driver. They've used a harness to remove the driver.
But crews are working to see if anyone is trapped in a car that's believed to be part of this wreck. What an incredible predawn accident. Traffic on I-20 is being diverted, but that cab is still hanging over the edge of I-20.
They used a truck ladder, which I think you can see in the shot -- a truck ladder in the rescue. That is -- that is -- we're just getting video of that in. But they're still trying figure out how to handle the truck.
CHETRY: It looks like they're taking the driver in a stretcher. I mean, that's a precarious thing to do. That could have plummeted over the side of that ramp.
VELSHI: Hopefully, there's an all-around good ending to the kind of thing. Can you imagine the split seconds that big rig starts to --
ROMANS: And they're still trying to figure out if there is someone in that car. They're investigating the car that might be involved.
VELSHI: It tells you how serious it is, though, that they're still trying to find that.
CHETRY: I know.
VELSHI: We'll bring you more on that. But if you're traveling on I- 20 around Fort Worth, there are still diversions going on.
ROMANS: OK. With Prince William off the market, it looks like Prince Harry is the most eligible bachelor. Zain Verjee joins us live from London.
So, suddenly, he moves up the ranks. He's the one if you want to be princess. He is the guy.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, he is. He is number one.
And there's this interesting trend going on where young women in the U.S. are coming over to England to try and find Harry. Basically, they want to meet him, seduce him and hopefully marry Harry. This is -- what they're doing is they're studying up on royal history, learning all the British manners and protocol and also trying to figure out what his favorite hangouts are so they can go and hopefully bat their eyelashes and meet him.
And you know what, these group of women are being called, guys? The throne-rangers.
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: I love it.
So, they're not just going over to London to actually see the royal wedding, they're going to find Harry?
VERJEE: Yes, they want Harry. They want to try and get into a circle of young aristocrats and there are a few clubs that are well-known for that. And hopefully, you'll be there and they can meet him.
VELSHI: You mean, like clubs that everybody can go to, they have a velvet rope and they tend to attract the aristocrats?
VERJEE: Exactly. Velvet rope, private corners, private rooms, but, you know --
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: Well, not only are we out of that loop, given the hours that we work, we need an early bird special, the blue plate special at those clubs.
CHETRY: Right. We're out clubbing
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: Zain, good to see you.
VERJEE: You, too.
CHETRY: Thanks, Zain.
All right. You can watch Zain, by the way, every morning, 5:00 a.m. on "WORLD ONE," right here on CNN, and watch AMERICAN MORNING for the complete coverage of the royal wedding. We'll be there the whole entire week, culminating in the big event on Friday, April 29th.
Well, in Florida, controversy over the steps taken by officials at an elementary school to protect a student from a life-threatening peanut allergy. Well, now, parents of some of the other students say that the school's gone so overboard protecting this one student that their kids aren't learning as much as they could be learning.
We're going to have more on this. The parents say they're annoyed. The kids have to wash their hands, rinse their mouths three times a day. And they suggested that perhaps the first grader with a peanut allergy needs to be removed from class and home-schooled. Jason Carroll will have more on the story, coming up in the next hour. We're also going to talk to a doctor about the rise in food allergies.
ROMANS: And still to come this morning, snow ending, thank goodness.
VELSHI: Is it over?
ROMANS: We're told it's over. And I'm holding Rob Marciano to it. I'm telling you, I'm holding it. It's still going to feel like winter, though, for a little while. Rob's going to have the travel forecast for you.
VELSHI: And, Rob, while we have him, he's going to tell us why IndyCar racers who know the weather forecast might just reach the finish line a little bit faster. It's a great story. You're going to love it.
Forty-three minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: It is 46 minutes past the hour. You're getting excited just thinking about it, right?
CHETRY: I am.
ROMANS: Not the weather.
VELSHI: Is it the car racer?
CHETRY: Yes, Helio Castroneves. We had a chance to talk to him yesterday. We're going to be showing a little bit of that interview.
ROMANS: He's dashing.
CHETRY: Yes. He was adorable, funny, sweet, smart, cute.
VELSHI: Happy. I heard it all. Apparently, I missed this.
CHETRY: And apparently, you picked the wrong field because race car driving is where it's at. And Rob with us right now.
VELSHI: On cue, cue the race car driver weather guy.
MARCIANO: I wish.
(CROSSTALK)
MARCIANO: You know, you pretty much now hang out with these guys and gals who drive these race cars. It's pretty amazing how fast they go, how they carry themselves, and just hurl themselves around the track at over 200 miles an hour and still have the where withal to deal with the media. Bravo to them. Let's talk weather first off. Pretty decent storm that were rolled across the northeast. Rain and snow.
Actually, some decent snow totals here across parts of jersey over 10 inches in spot and Andover seeing 10 inches. And parts of Pennsylvania also seeing nine and 10 inches there, but we also had a decent amount of severe weather with this. Thunderstorms, five reports of tornadoes. Here are some of the damage coming to you out of Pennsylvania.
This is tornado that touched down yesterday in Westmoreland County, just south of Greensburg, and it did do some damage. So, pretty intimidating stuff there. No reports of serious injuries, but number of houses were torn up in the neighborhood in and around the Greensburg area. The threat for severe weather today is going to be diminished slightly.
Temperatures behind this front are going to be a little bit chillier, that's for sure. About, you know, 10 maybe 15 degrees below average over the next few days. Still some leftover showers from D.C. back to Richmond into Virginia Beach as well, but they're tapering off also. The active pattern continues out west. I mean, California continues to get slammed with the heavy rain and heavy mountain snow.
Tahoe continues to get dumped on, and you'll see another storm, I think, behind this. If you are traveling today, aside from the jet fuel tank explosion there, 30 to 60-minute delays in New York metros, Philadelphia seeing 15 to 30, and maybe over an hour delay there in San Francisco. This next storm coming has a little bit of a bang to it, as well.
You know, winds are going to blow across parts of the high plains today. So, critical fire danger for parts of New Mexico. Same deal for parts of the southeast. It's going to be a breezy day behind this front. And as I mentioned, temperatures will be on the chilly side. Forty-five in St. Louis. It will be 43 degrees in New York City and 49 degrees in D.C.
One thing I learned when talking to the IndyCar kid is that cooler weather is good. More dense air. Gets that downward pressure on the race car. Check out this high-speed report from Birmingham, Alabama.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO (voice-over): It's high-speed world of IndyCar racing, and adjusting the changing weather condition is key to success. Three- time Indy 500 champ Helio Castroneves knows all about it.
HELIO CASTRONEVES, INDYCAR DRIVER: When it's cooler weather, absolutely, you have much more doubt (ph). The air is like more dancing. That's why when you're going on the quarter man (ph), it feels like you have a new tires all the time. And when it's hot, it's a complete -- it's the opposite.
MARCIANO: Danica Patrick splits her race time between NASCAR and IndyCar, and there are big differences.
DANICA PATRICK, AMERICAN AUTO RACING DRIVER: In IndyCar, we have this rule called the 50/50 rule where it's got to be 50-degree track down, 50-degree ambient. In NASCAR, it doesn't exist.
MARCIANO: And NASCAR never races in the rain. As long as it's not an oval, IndyCars just change the tires and keep on racing.
No windshields or wipers on this babe (ph). What do you do for visibility?
PATRICK: Rain-x on the visor. That's about it.
MARCIANO: Track side instruments are dialed into changing conditions.
MARCIANO (on-camera): This weather center feeds all the teams on the track, and look at the huge temperature change between the ambient, the air temperature, and the track temperature. This is the gun, the device they use to know the track temperature. This asphalt, 82 degrees.
MARCIANO (voice-over): But what you measured track side isn't always what's happening on the course. Indy legend, Al Unser Jr., shows me what to look for on the track.
AL UNSER JR., INDY LEGEND: We had a little bit of rain this morning so you'll see a little bit of wet spots as we go through the track here. We call them weepers. When the sun comes out, then it starts drawing the water back up out of the asphalt.
GRAHAM RAHAL, AMERICAN RACE CAR DRIVER: Weepers are tough because you never really know where they're going to come up.
MARCIANO: Graham Rahal's first win came in the rain.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rahal wins.
RAHAL: I've been very fortunate to be good in the rain. And so that, I've always loved driving in the rain.
MARCIANO: Rain or shine, it's time to start your engine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO (on-camera): Oh, yes, just the sound of those cars going by.
CHETRY: What do they call them? Weepers. You got to watch out for the weepers, Rob.
MARCIANO: Better watch out for the -- I don't think there'll be weepers this weekend. They start the season on Sunday down in St. Petersburg, and of course, they'll be traveling around the country pretty much every other weekend raising in your neighborhood.
VELSHI: And you know, no matter how hot it is there, when that car goes by you, it's like it goes up 20 degrees as it zips by you. I mean, it's a hot sport no matter what.
CHETRY: And they sweat it on NASCAR, too, right? And the suit, they're just at their pouring sweat. They have to drink whatever their sponsor --
(LAUGHTER) MARCIANO: But they always look cool as a cucumber once they get out of that ride, don't they?
ROMANS: All right.
CHETRY: They do.
VELSHI: Rob, good to see you, my friend.
Hey, your top stories are just moments away. You know, airfares are going up. There's been another increased in airfares. We're going to tell you about what some people say you might be able to do if you're planning a trip. How do you think about you're planning for it and whether you can save some money. We'll tell you that when we come back.
CHETRY: Also, we get one of these a every couple months, a big foot sighting, but this man out of North Carolina says, no, no, no, this is real. He caught the --
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: He caught the Bigfoot. He has it on video. And we're going to show you more coming up. Fifty-two minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: It sounds like a great gig if you can get it. A high-profile TV and radio job reciting a single word.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Aflac!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What did you say?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Aflac!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pays you cash if you can't work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: The one line to remember. Aflac is holding open auditions next month for a new spokesperson for the Twitter post about Japan's earthquake and tsunami cost (INAUDIBLE). Aflac says the position calls for just a few days of voice work and you pays six figures.
VELSHI: That's crazy.
CHETRY: It's just anything -
VELSHI: Aflac!
ROMANS: I think you got a new job.
CHETRY: Wow. That's pretty good. You used to be able to just imitate Gilbert Godfrey.
VELSHI: Right. Exactly.
CHETRY: So, you got a little more --
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: Aflac!
CHETRY: All right. You just --
ROMANS: Let's just give it up. We're going to take a quick break. Your top stories including latest from Japan and latest out in Libya coming up.
VELSHI: It is 56 minutes after the hour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Stewart Cink, Professional Golfer: I'm Stewart Cink. I'm a professional golfer on the PGA Tour, and I'm on the road about 28 to 30 weeks a year. I've lost my bags so many times. So, the items that I like to have with me are always at least one day of clothes for golf, which means, you know, all the way down to the boxers. I usually book myself. I used the kayak.com app on my iPhone, and I always go and look and see what's available before I call a travel agent.
For me, when I fly out to a place, especially if its more than two or three-hour flight, you know, the body goes through that little change in your time zone or the change in the oxygen level on the flight, and you just don't feel the same. So, one of my things I try to do when I first get off a long flight is to exercise first. Golf has given me the ability, and you know, and afforded me the opportunity to see some of the neatest places, really, in all the world. So, very lucky to be able to travel. Bye-bye, guys.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
