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American Morning
Tornadoes Devastate South; Texas Wildfire Arrest; Nic Cage Bailed Out; Rio Soars To First At Box Office; "Zero Tolerance" For Snoozing Controllers; A "Dressing" the Rumor
Aired April 18, 2011 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Total devastation. I'm Ali Velshi.
Stories of families huddled in the closet as their homes were ripped apart around them. Reality is now setting in after hundreds of reports of tornadoes tearing across the South.
ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning. I'm Alina Cho.
A man arrested in Texas. Police say his campfire ignited one of the wildfires that have overtaken the state. The governor of Texas is asking the government to step in, saying the entire state should be declared a disaster area -- on this AMERICAN MORNING.
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VELSHI: Good morning. It is Monday, April the 18th. Tax Day, by the way, for those of you who haven't filed, got a bit of an extension. Kiran and Christine Romans are off.
My great friend, Alina Cho, joins us this morning.
CHO: Office roommate, nice to see you, Ali.
And up first, people across the country are picking up what's left of their lives this morning. Some homes have entirely vanished. Some small towns nearly wiped off the map after tornadoes, reports of hundreds of them, tore across the United States over the weekend.
The funnel cloud on the left side of your screen, there is just one of the 230 twisters reported. The death toll is rising overnight to 45. Half of those deaths reported in North Carolina.
And David Mattingly is live for us this morning in Colerain, North Carolina, with the very latest.
David, good morning to you.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
Eleven of those deaths happening right here in this county, Bertie County, North Carolina. It is a very rural county, very sparsely populated. So, the fact that 11 people were killed here should tell you how ferocious these tornadoes were as they ripped across the landscape.
You can see what they left behind. Everything that was in front of them was torn completely apart, tossed all about the landscape. And this happening over an expanse of about a half mile wide, extending six to eight miles across the county. You can see some of the houses off in the distance.
Every bit of trees, they were stripped clean, broken off. Every bit of wood was splintered, every bit of metal was bent and torn. And officials are here are telling me that as they survey the damage, they can't believe that there was so -- there was widespread amount of damage. That they can't believe there weren't more fatalities to deal with.
Listen.
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ZEE LAMB, BERTIE COUNTY MANAGER: As you said, it's a sparsely populated county, 700 square miles, a very, very rule account. So, if it had hit a more populated area, I would anticipate that there would have been more deaths. But 11 deaths are a whole lot of deaths. I don't want to minimize that. You know, we've never seen anything like this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MATTINGLY: And just to show you how strong these storms were, as they come through this part of the countryside, this used to be a deck next to a house. You see how these 4x4s were absolutely splintered, pulled out of the ground. The house that was next to it, look what's left of it here, nothing but the brick foundation around the sides, every bit of belongings inside that house, every bit of plumbing, every bit of metal, every bit of wood that was part of this house is now just scattered across the landscape.
We're told by neighbors that three people lost their lives in this immediate area. Officials are confirming that two dead here in this immediate area. But, again, this storm coming in at a time that most people might have been sitting down to dinner on Saturday. This didn't catch too many people by surprise, but this is an area that doesn't see tornadoes like this very often. And this is an area close to sea level, not many people have basements, places where they could get away from the storm.
So, if they were in the crosshairs, all they could do was hunker down and hope for the best. Again, 11 people losing their lives in this one North Carolina county.
Back to you.
CHO: David, everywhere you look, as you've clearly demonstrated, evidence of the sheer force of that storm. David Mattingly live for us in North Carolina -- David, thank you.
VELSHI: And happening now, an arrest made in one of the Texas wildfires that has scorched all but two of that state's counties. Police say a man let his fire get out of control at a camp near Austin. Bone dry conditions and strong winds brewing up what officials are calling the perfect storm.
Kate Weidaw with our affiliate KXAN in Austin live with us this morning.
Kate, quite remarkable. We are -- I mean, Texas is a big state with a lot of counties and all but two in some way affected by this. Tell us what the latest is?
KATE WEIDAW, KXAN-TV CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. It is amazing.
City officials are telling us this is the world wildfire our area has ever seen. And this morning, we're actually live at the command center, because they are not letting the media back into the neighborhoods. They're not even letting residents go back yet to assess the damage.
Yesterday, they tell us 100 acres burned in all. And this morning, they are continuing to fight this fire. They tell us it's only about 50 percent contained. They tell us that basically, they're battling hot spots around the perimeter. And overnight, 100 firefighters from our local fire departments, as well as the Texas Forest Service, joined in on fighting this fire.
They fought it from the air. They used infrared helicopters to search the area, to look for hot spots. They tell us it was a lot easier overnight to battle this fire because they're table to see where certain sections are burning. But yesterday, 10 homes burned to the ground. Another 10 sustained major damage.
In all, about 150 homes were evacuated from the area yesterday. And it was just thick, thick black smoke that was in these neighborhoods. So, it was no wonder firefighters and police were going door to door, telling residents, grab what you can and get out.
They did set up an emergency shelter last night and only about 45 residents stayed there. But throughout the day, they are going to be battling this fire.
Now, as for the cause, you had mentioned a man had started it. It turns out it was a homeless man who started a small campfire behind a gas station. He later turned himself into police and now, he is booked on a felony arson charge and he is in jail. But as you also mentioned, the conditions out here, just ripe for wildfires.
In our area, we have received less than an inch of rain since January and our best chance of rain is only 10 percent later on this week.
Back to you.
VELSHI: Less than an inch of rain since January. That is remarkable.
Kate, thanks very much for that. Kate Weidaw with our affiliate KXAN in Austin.
Jacqui Jeras is in our severe weather center.
For all of that severe weather, boy, if we could just get a little rain on to the plains into Texas and Oklahoma, Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. That would be very helpful, absolutely. The situation is really out of control, basically. And this is really the worst drought conditions that they've seen here, some forestry officials say it's been 100 years since we've seen conditions this dry.
So, you multiply that along with really low humidity, along with gusty winds that have been in the area, and it's really a critical threat today again in parts of Texas, as well as Oklahoma, Colorado, and parts of New Mexico. So, the fire situation is certainly not getting better, unfortunately, in the upcoming days.
The temperatures are really way above where they should be for this time of the year. We're talking 90s today in Austin, where that fire is burning -- 89 in Dallas, 84 in Houston, and staying cool on the northern tier of the country. Cool enough that, yes, we've been seeing snow today across parts of the Dakotas and in Minnesota, as well as into places like Milwaukee, Chicago. Detroit could be getting two to four inches when all is said and done, and we're also seeing that over into the Grand Rapids area and Kalamazoo as well.
And this is just kind of a warm-up, unfortunately, compared to what we're going to get tomorrow. And like Minneapolis, could get as much as six inches of snowfall.
Lots of delays because of that snow and windy conditions in the Northeast, but only 30 minutes. That's the good news. The bad news is those delays are going to be on the increase and we can expect more of that. And last but not least, we have to mention the threat of severe weather back in the forecast for tomorrow. The middle Mississippi River Valley and Ohio River Valleys expecting to see tornadoes and damaging winds.
VELSHI: All right. Jacqui, thanks very much. Jacqui Jeras in the severe weather center.
CHO: Jacqui, thank you.
Battles raging in Libya. Moammar Gadhafi's forces dropping bombs in neighborhoods, rebel troops fighting back with rockets and machine guns. At least seven people have been killed in the attacks. Hundreds of others forced to leave their homes.
Moammar Gadhafi's troops bombing the Misrata area this morning with rockets and artillery rounds. Take a look at this video. Twenty-one people killed yesterday, 100 others were wounded.
Misrata is the lifeline to humanitarian aid coming into the country. Rebel forces there say they are desperate for more help. Gadhafi forces have taken over the city's hospital. Rebel leaders say the wounded are being treated at makeshift clinics. Access to food, water, and electricity are scarce.
The family of an American journalist missing in Libya is pleading for his release. James Foley is a reporter for Boston's "GlobalPost." He was taken prisoner by Libyan forces 14 days ago. Authorities say -- won't say where Foley is being held. He was captured in the oil town of Brega, where fighting has been continuous.
Foley's family held a candlelight vigil at his church in Rochester, New Hampshire, yesterday.
CHO: Well, best-selling books you've probably heard of, "Three Cups of Teas" and "Stones into Schools," but did the author fudge the facts? Allegations that the inspirational memoirs aren't true.
VELSHI: Pretty fascinating stuff. We'll talk about that. Plus, air traffic controllers sleeping on the job. Well, now, federal officials say enough is enough. There are new rules to tackle the problem.
It is 10 minutes after the hour.
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CHO: There's an around-the clock mission to find a miner 6,000 feet underground in northeast Idaho. And it apparently is working. Rescue workers are getting closer to the area where they believe a 53- year-old is trapped after a huge section of earth fell on him Friday.
Crews may begin using a remote-controlled digger today. That's smart. You know, they made it halfway through the 75 feet of rock that caved in by Sunday night. So, they are making progress, but work has slowed, because rescuers must shore up the roof as they continue to dig.
VELSHI: A story you've been following. A San Francisco Giants fan who was badly beaten outside Dodgers Stadium on opening day was put back into a medically induced coma over the weekend. That's according to the hospital. Bryan Stow suffered severe head injuries and is in critical condition after what police said was an unprovoked attack in the parking lot. They're still looking for two attackers and offering $100,000 for information leading to their arrests.
CHO: Well, divers going back into the water off Long Island, New York, this morning in search for more human remains. They are trying to figure out if, indeed, a serial killer is on the loose. The remains of at least eight bodies have been found since December on the remote beaches of the south shore. Four sets of remains have been ID'ed as prostitutes who advertised on Craigslist.
VELSHI: And check this out. Caught on camera, a semi-truck nearly crushes a group of bikers in China. Traffic cameras show the truck driver racing to make a last-minute left turn. You see a great shot of it in a second. He zooms over the cross roads. The truck topples.
Now, take a look at this angle. The container smashes on to the street, almost hitting the bikers. Actually, there's another this is the one I'm looking for. Look at the bikers. Going forward, truck comes forward -- oh, look at that!
CHO: And they just kept on going.
VELSHI: Yes, they managed to get out of the way. No one, in the end, was hurt.
CHO: It's incredible.
VELSHI: Yes.
CHO: Good for them. They kept on going, like nothing happened.
VELSHI: Yes.
CHO: Meanwhile, there's a wake-up call for snoozing air traffic controllers. Federal officials have rolled out new rules to help keep them awake. Now, under the new guidelines, controllers will now have a minimum of nine hours off between shifts instead of eight. They will no longer be able to swap shifts unless they get those nine hours off in between. Controllers also will not be able to work an unscheduled midnight shift following a day off, and there will be more FAA managers covering the early morning and late-night hours.
Now, the changes come after a series of incidents involving controllers sleeping on the job, very well-publicized incidents, I might add. FAA officials today are touring air traffic control facilities across the country.
VELSHI: I have to say, I think that not having that eight hours in between, I mean, just having an eight-hour shift, get home, mellow out, go to sleep, come back to work with less than eight hours, I think that's a good one to fix.
CHO: Yes, it is. Hopefully, that extra hour will help them either snooze or rest or something, but help them be more alert on the job.
You know, Oscar-winner Nicolas Cage, this is such an interesting story, I just heard about this yesterday, arrested in New Orleans, accused of getting into a drunken argument in the street, and it gets even more strange. Who bailed him out the next morning? Our "Morning Talkers" are next.
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CHO: Well, that's a snappy way to wake up on a Monday morning. The author of two best-selling and inspiring books is now being accused of making up parts of his story. Listen to this. Now, you've probably heard of the books, "Three Cups of Tea" and "Stones Into Schools." "Three Cups of Tea" has been on the bestseller list for what, four years, you said, Ali?
Both are written by Greg Mortenson who promoted building schools in the areas around Pakistan and Afghanistan as a way of undercutting the growth of terrorism in the region after his journeys there.
VELSHI: Now, a report by "60 Minutes" is claiming that many of his stories were made up. Earlier, we spoke to CNN national security analyst, Peter Bergen, who knows the region and some of the players in Mortenson's books well. He said while the method may have been bad, the message, still good.
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PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Let's be fair here. I mean, the guy has done quite a lot of good. Not as much good as perhaps he's claimed and perhaps his charity has claimed, but he's certainly, you know, built these schools. And that, you know, whether they defeat extremism or not, I mean, providing girls education in parts of the world which have very little of that, that's just a good thing.
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VELSHI: He does make claims, however, about being taken hostage by the Taliban in a particular area, which Peter Bergen says couldn't have been possible. The Taliban were not active in that area at the time that Mortenson said that he was captured. Mortenson has not responded on camera but says he stands by the information conveyed in the book.
CHO: Here's an interesting story that we've been talking about a little bit this morning. Actor, Nicolas Cage, is out of jail this morning. Thanks to a name you may know. You probably do know this name. The Oscar-winner was arrested and charged with domestic abuse Friday night in New Orleans' French Quarter. Police say he grabbed his wife, made a scene, beating on cars in the street, if you can believe it.
Well, now Cage has been released from jail. It happened on Saturday afternoon. Apparently, Duane Chapman, better known as "Dog, The Bounty Hunter," bailed Cage out. In a statement, Chapman said he is a truly dedicated fan of Mr. Cage, but that's not the reason he bailed him out. He said he was simply doing his job.
VELSHI: What job is that that he was --
CHO: Dog to the rescue.
VELSHI: I guess so. I didn't know there's a bounty out for Nic Cage.
All right. The animated film "Rio" soaring to the top spot at the box office this weekend. The 3D comedy took an estimated $40 million, making it the biggest opening of the year. The weekend's other big release, "Scream 4" settled for second place with half the take, $19.3 million. CHO: I don't care this well, anyway. This story, I do care about.
VELSHI: Yes.
CHO: The most expensive shoes in the world apparently on display in London. Please indulge me, Ali.
VELSHI: It would be the first most expensive pair that's not actually on display in Alina's closet.
(LAUGHTER)
CHO: Whatever. You know, the shoes cost a whopping -- listen to this -- 140,000 pounds. That works out to about $227,000.
VELSHI: Comfortable, though, that they are.
CHO: They're made of solid gold and more than 2,000 diamonds totaling 30 carats. The shoes apparently have been on sale for five months. No surprise here. They haven't sold yet.
VELSHI: I always assume that the most expensive pair of shoes, that sort of thing would be a custom thing, not something you make and then try and sell.
CHO: Right.
VELSHI: But I guess, if anybody's looking to buy them, they might be offering them at a discount.
Hey, going the -- coming up next, the FBI shutting down big-name online poker sites. We're "Minding Your Business."
CHO: Plus our top story, hundreds of tornadoes reported from Oklahoma to Virginia. Up next, an amazing story of survival when one store manager in North Carolina heard the tornado warnings, then heard his steel roof ripping off and then everyone rushed to the back of the store. It's 23 minutes after the hour.
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VELSHI: interesting.
CHO: Interesting.
VELSHI: The day of reckoning today.
CHO: Yes, it is. We're "Minding Your Business." And today is Tax Day. You know, it's the 18th. Normally, April 15th is Tax Day, but today, Monday, April 18th is time to settle up with Uncle Sam. It's the deadline for filing those tax returns. You need to get them in by midnight.
This year, however, it was pushed back because of a little-known holiday in Washington, Emancipation Day. The IRS says it's already processed nearly 96 million returns minus Ali Velshi's.
VELSHI: That's right. Mine's still coming.
Pack a few extra pennies, by the way, if you're headed to the post office, which I'll have to do to send my extension in. A first- class stamp still staying 44 cents, but, if you've got a heavy thing, it will cost you more also to mail postcards and packages. It costs you a little bit more money.
CHO: The world-renowned Philadelphia Orchestra is expected to file for bankruptcy this week. A lot of orchestras have been struggling, and you know, this is bad news, but perhaps, good in the end. The decision was reportedly made by the board of directors as a way to dig itself out of debt. Officials say the musicians will still be paid, and the concerts will continue, but the orchestra will now be able to review all contracts with its business partners.
VELSHI: And the FBI shutting down three of the largest online gambling sites in the United States. Eleven people, including the owners and founders of those sites have been charged with fraud and money laundering. Now, the indictment alleges that the offshore companies got around gambling laws by disguising payments to make it look like U.S. residence for buying everything from jewelry to golf balls from fake online stores.
CHO: Our friend, Donald Trump, is knocking likely presidential contender, Mitt Romney. Trump told our Candy Crowley on "State of the Union" yesterday that he's not only a better businessman than Romney, he's also got much more money.
(LAUGHTER)
CHO: Trump also suggested the U.S. has become the laughingstock of the world.
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DONALD TRUMP, CEO, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: Candy, I hate what's happening to our country. We're not respected, we're scoffed at, we're laughed at, we're a whipping post for the rest of the world. China, other nations, they're taking our jobs, they're taking our money. I hate what's happening.
People agree with what I'm saying. I'm honored by the polls.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: And they also know your name, you would admit that's part of it, at this stage of the game. They recognize your name.
TRUMP: But you know why they know my name? Because of success. That's why they know my name, essentially.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: He's so modest. But we do like Donald Trump. He says he will make an announcement about his candidacy on the finale of "The Apprentice," which is coming up.
VELSHI: Unusual way to do it, but we'll be waiting for it. Don't miss Candy's "State of the Union" Sunday mornings, 9:00 a.m. eastern right here on CNN.
All right. Crossing the half hour now top stories. What's being call an epic streak of extreme weather?
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VELSHI (voice-over): Violent storms have now killed 45 people in the south. The dead toll rising overnight as people surveyed the damage in Virginia. There have been 230 reports of tornadoes since last Thursday from Oklahoma to Virginia. Another storm brewing right now. The same region could see more twisters tomorrow.
A man accused of letting his campfire ignite. One of the Texas wildfires has been arrested. The record dry conditions stoking wildfires that have affected all but two counties in the state of Texas. Governor Rick Perry saying he wants Texas to be declared a federal disaster area because Texas does not have the manpower or the resources to fight it alone.
And a wake-up call for snoozing air traffic controllers. Federal officials have rolled out new rules to keep them awake. Among the changes, controllers now must have a minimum of nine hours off between shifts. They can't work an unscheduled midnight shift following a day off. Today, the FAA began a tour of air traffic control facilities across the country.
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CHO: Back to our top story now. People across the south are just beginning to find out what's left of their lives after a weekend of violent tornadoes. More than half of the deaths reported were in North Carolina. Bryan Mims of affiliate, WRAL, has a look at the devastation.
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BRYAN MIMS, WRAL-TV CORRESPONDENT: I'm standing along Yadkin Road in West Fayetteville where Saturday's storms cut a disastrous path through the city. The Yadkin Road here behind me is still closed and likely will remain so for much of the day. Despite this rampage of destruction, life is beginning to pick up and push on.
MIMS (voice-over): Along Reilly Road, there is now such beauty in the mundane.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cleaning. Got to get open for the public. They miss us.
MIMS: Cleaning. Tedious, yes, but so invigorating. Jay Burke knows with every drag of the rake, every toss of the trash, he's that much closer to getting the Reilly Road farmer's market open for business. His building is a total loss. Life happens. Life goes on. JAY BURKE, BUSINESS DESTROYED: We got to. The public loves us. They get upset when we close down.
MIMS: Just down the street, there's a soothingness about the chainsaw noise. It's the sound of a neighborhood brushing itself off and getting back up again.
DANIELLE HENDERSON, HOME DESTROYED: We're fortunate to have our house still standing. It's livable, fixable, need a new roof, windows, stuff like that, but we have a house.
MIMS: Danielle Henderson did lose her dog in the storm. Others lost their homes, their school, their businesses, but not their sense that this, too, shall pass. We found a young mom walking down Yadkin Road with her two little girls. Their home wasn't terribly damaged.
HENDERSON: I came and got their stuff and we've got to go. I've got to get ready for work.
MIMS: Get ready for work, such a mundane statement that now sounds so beautiful.
Last evening, officials in Cumberland County released preliminary damage reports, 167 homes in this county alone were torn to pieces. Another 144 homes were damaged, half of those considered major. And as we headed into the night Sunday, there were still nearly 11,000 people in the Fayetteville area without power. But crews have been working feverishly to get the electricity stored and these roads cleared and open to traffic once again. Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VELSHI: And one of the big stories to come out of the storm happened in a Lowe's in Sanford, 40 miles southwest of Raleigh, North Carolina. Take a look at this. That's what's left of the store now. More than half of the roof is missing, most of it flattened, but everyone, all 100 people in the store got out alive. They're crediting the staff, who spotted the tornado and knew exactly what to do.
We spoke with the assistant manager of the store earlier on "American Morning".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOBBY GIBSON, ASSISTANT STORE MANAGER, LOWE'S: Let's get everyone to the rear of the building. We know that's the safest part of the building for everyone. At that point, it's instinct, get everyone to the rear of the building as fast as we could and at that point, it was just people helping people. It wasn't one or two people, it was people helping people, it was customers, it was employees, it was everybody, just working together to try to help everybody.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: Southern hospitality at its best, that's for sure. And here's a look at what they were up against. I mean, unbelievable. This video posted on YouTube showing the tornado that hit the Sanford area.
VELSHI: The person taking this video, by the way, narrowly missed getting h hit himself by that tornado.
A suicide bomber kills five members of the U.S. army's 101st airborne division. The man was wearing an afghan military uniform when he detonated himself Saturday at a forward operating base in Afghanistan's Laghman province. The same army division lost six troops in a series of firefights in eastern Afghanistan in late march.
CHO: House Speaker John Boehner visited Iraq over the weekend. He led a delegation that met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki. The delegation focused on post-war cooperation between the U.S. and Iraqi governments. U.S. combat forces are scheduled to leave Iraq by the end of the year.
VELSHI: And we've been talking a lot about education costs. With expenses soaring, more college students are carrying more debt. Now, how do students pay for an education without going broke?
CHO: That's right, CNN education contributor Steve Perry weighs in next. It is 33 minutes after the hour.
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CHO: Good morning, New York City, where it is partly cloudy and 52 degrees, mostly cloudy later and going up to 59. Welcome back.
It's that time of year when the college acceptance letters are in and those first tuition checks will soon be going out. And because college costs continue to skyrocket, a new report is finding that student loan debt has now topped credit card debt for the first time ever.
Joining me now is CNN Education contributor and the founder of Capital Prep Magnet School in Hartford, Connecticut, Steve Perry. Steve, great to see you. It's expected that student loan debt will actually top $1 trillion. You know, the average debt is $24,000 for kids graduating from college, as you know, but the reality is it's much higher for many, many students. What is going on?
STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR: What's going on is, it can be blamed on both sides, both the students, as consumers, and the colleges. The students, what we want is we want our kids to go to a college in which there's a wow factor. We walk on campus and there's Wi-Fi and there's cable in every dorm room and that costs money.
On the other side, the colleges are building and building and building and they don't have the money to sustain the growth. So what's happening is they need to raise the tuition in order to meet the needs that the students said they want. And these expectations have created really a bubble that will burst. CHO: And Steve, you actually have a personal story from a couple of your students that really illustrate this, right? What happened?
PERRY: Well, actually, just this morning, two of our students came in. They visited the college this weekend and we're all very excited that they were there and this is the top school they wanted to go to. But after they got on campus and heard their financial aid situation, they came back while they had the t-shirts or the sweatshirts on and the hats this morning, they're pretty heartbroken because for them, like so many other students, it is not going to happen.
CHO: So disheartening to hear that. You know, what do you say to these kids? Are we at a point now where a top-flight education is only reserved for the superrich? Or if you don't have a lot of money, how can you get a good college education?
PERRY: Well, we are really in -- we are looking at a time in which the superrich may, in fact, be the ones most likely to get an education. We have children who would otherwise have gone to a top flight institution, but because the financial aid is not where they can be, they may be go to a lower tier, where even the lower tiered colleges are more expensive. Our state colleges are more expensive.
We have a time in which our children are struggling, and that's what's most heartbreaking, because they're finally living the American dream. And if you haven't been saving money since the time the child was conceived, many parents are going to find themselves looking at a debt that is beyond reason specifically because we believe that you can just borrow money. But there's not enough money to borrow that you don't have to start paying it back. Those are the subsidized or unsubsidized loans.
CHO: One expert said in "The New York Times" by the time some of these kids finish paying off their college debt, their kids will be in college. So I want to talk about the ripple effects a little bit because there are so many ripple effects. What happens is, these students graduate from college. They're under mountains of debt, and they can't pursue that American dream. They can't buy a car, they can't buy a home. In some cases they can't even rent an apartment. Isn't that the case?
PERRY: Alina, it gets them even before that. I have many students -- we send 100 percent of our graduates on to four-year colleges and I have kids calling me in their sophomore year and they have to tap out. They're out of money. So if they make it to the fourth year of college, because in many cases they only have four years worth of money, they do come out with significant debt.
And we're talking about paying $200 to $400, maybe $500 a month in student loans alone, just getting started in life. That doesn't leave a lot of room for anything else.
CHO: Well, the reality is, as my friend, Ali Velshi says, if you have a college degree and an advanced degree, you're much more likely to get a job. Having said that, if these kids can't even finish college, I mean, what are you telling them? Is it, is it fair to say, maybe start at a community college, go there are for two years and then transfer?
PERRY: This is the first time, I've been sending kids to college for about 12 years now, this is the first time we're looking at college based upon price almost solely. And we give kids access to community college classes before they leave.
However, many of our kids are coming back and they're not finishing at their four-year colleges. They're coming back and going to the community college here the Hartford until they can get their credits up and hopefully finish at the four-year colleges.
The colleges have to be honest with themselves and say we can't meet every need and whim of every incoming student. We can have a field house that houses everything. We can't have student government quarters. I went to the University of Central Florida. It's an amazingly beautiful campus. It looks like a cross between a nice resort and an outlet mall. It's beautiful, as I was driven around in a golf cart. These campuses are gorgeous.
But on some level, we have to be honest with each other. We as a consumer and the colleges and say, if you want that level of education and you want those amenities, you're going to have to pay for them, and many people cannot afford to pay for them.
CHO: Or is the solution then, do these colleges need to have a reality check and cut their own costs so they can lower the costs. Is that realistic?
PERRY: To some degree, the colleges have to stop some of the building projects. They simply cannot afford to do them. The government bailout that has been going on at the college campuses for so long is drying up.
Before what colleges used to be able to do is depend both state and private colleges, they used to be able to depend on the state and local governments to come in and offset some of the costs. That's not the case anymore, as well as their endowments have shrunk. Somewhere between there, there needs to be an honest check.
But on the same token, college campuses are expected to do much more. They're hiring more support staff, people in student services and mental health services, as well as tech support. Colleges are an entirely different experience than they were some 10, 15 years ago. So, while there is a need for a reality check, the reality is that college costs are going up and this has no end in sight.
CHO: All right, Steve Perry, CNN education contributor, thank you for that sobering news, I think. Nice to see you. Ali?
PERRY: Nice to see you as well, Alina.
VELSHI: All right, Alina, is it a royal scoop or just a rumor? Kate's wedding dress details, coming up next. And also up next, wet and possibly even snowy weather in the north. Plus, the threat of more tornadoes tomorrow. Jacqui Jeras is tracking it all for us. It's 43 minutes after the hour.
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VELSHI: A lot going on this morning. Here's what you need to know to start your day.
Officials now say it will take six to nine months to fully stabilize and rebuild the badly damaged nuclear power plant in Fukushima, Japan.
A vicious storm system killing 45 people across the south, two more deaths reported overnight in Virginia. Witnesses have reported 230 tornadoes since last Thursday.
A man arrested in Texas in connection with one of the hundreds of wildfires scorching the state. Police say he started a campfire at a homeless camp. Dry conditions making wildfires in the state unstoppable, the governor wants it declared a disaster area.
You've got until midnight tonight to file your taxes. Because of Emancipation Day, a holiday in D.C., taxpayers had three extra days to file this year.
Subway announcing it has cut sodium in its so-called fresh-fit sandwiches by 28 percent, that's compared to what it was in 2009. The fast food chain also cutting salt in the rest of its sandwich line by 15 percent compared to 2009.
You're caught up on the day's headlines. AMERICAN MORNING is back right after the break.
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VELSHI: Raleigh, North Carolina. Is that Raleigh, North Carolina?
(CROSS TALK)
CHO: Yes it is.
VELSHI: It's a little like Central Park with some foggy building -- buildings on the east side; 55 degrees, mostly sunny, getting up to 81 today. But boy that's an area where they had some very rough weather over the weekend.
Jacqui Jeras, in our Severe Weather Center for us with that -- hey, Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey guys, yes you know, Raleigh could see some more storms again I think Wednesday night into Thursday. A couple of those could be strong, but we'll be focusing in on the nation's midsection for our next severe weather threat. Let's show you some of that damage, too, by the way. You know a lot of the areas that were hit, North Carolina over the weekend, were rural but Raleigh, major metropolitan area. And they sustained a lot of damage. Residential damage, damage to some of the buildings, into the downtown area as well, it was an EF-2 tornado when it moved through Raleigh. So winds were estimated between 111 to about 135 miles per hour. Three people were killed in that Stoney Brook Mobile Home Park, so unfortunate circumstances there.
And we learned that that tornado passed by the way, was 63 miles long. So that's an incredible length of time for a tornado to be on the ground and have one big path like that.
We do expect to see long-lived tornadoes tomorrow, again -- and this is the nation's midsection -- the Mississippi River Valley, into the Ohio River Valley, and then a slighter risk from the great lakes stretching down to Texas. We also think in addition to a threat of tornadoes, we might see those long squall lines of storms that produce a lot of wind damage move through. And a lot of this is going to happen into the overnight hours.
So keep that in mind, your NOAA Weather Radio is your best friend again tomorrow if you live in this area. Because it's going to be after dark, it's going to be hard to see the tornadoes, and chances are you know, you probably go to bed around 10:00 or so, at least I do. Not when I work this shift, but hey.
All right, let's talk about what's going on today. This is the national outlook, and it kind of shows you most of the northern tier of the country getting in on the weather today. We have what we call a zonal flow in the jet stream. And when the jet stream is flat like that, we tend to have pretty benign weather. You'll get wet weather, but not real extreme weather.
Well, by tomorrow, we're going to get a big kink in this jet stream and that's why we're expecting the severe weather. That helps provide rotation in the atmosphere and those strong jet stream winds also helps support and sustain those storms.
Now, today, we've got cool enough air across the north that, yes, we're dealing with snow. You know this isn't really unheard of. I know its mid-April and you don't want to see it, but for example Detroit, you've seen snow in May before. So this is nothing new to you. Two to four inches expected here today. We've got rain on the south side of the system, and this is relatively light.
But the system that's coming in to bring the severe weather tomorrow too, by the way, is going to bring another round of snow to the Midwest, and even Minneapolis could be seeing as much as six inches of snowfall.
Travel conditions, not great because of this system. We're looking at a ground stop now at Chicago O'Hare. So that means that people across the country that are trying to get into Chicago aren't able to take off. So there's a little bit of a delay there. Boston, 30-minute departure delays, as well as Providence, and we've got 30- minute departure delays in Windsor (ph) today as well.
Now as we take a look at the big pictures of the nation as a whole today, we'll be talking about fire conditions, and that's another top story across the state of Texas, where those fires continue to burn at this hour. Critically dry conditions expected, Texas, Oklahoma, down through New Mexico as well. The ongoing drought there is just extreme, guys.
I'm going to have a big segment coming up on the fire danger, coming up in about ten minutes from now.
VELSHI: Ok and we talked to a reporter down in Austin who said they've had an inch of rain since January and none --
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JERAS: Yes.
VELSHI: -- no more rain predicted for the next few days.
JERAS: Very minimal chance.
VELSHI: Wow, all right, Jacqui, thanks very much for that.
CHO: I want to talk about the royal wedding.
VELSHI: Sure.
CHO: I'm fascinated by this. I'm going to wake up very early. I've got to be here.
VELSHI: Sure, yes.
CHO: You do too. But you know, one of the biggest questions that royal watchers want answered is what will Kate Middleton's dress look like? Who will design it?
Well, we just might have the scoop on that. According to the "Huffington Post"" designer Sophie Cranston of Spanish label Libelula was leaked as the creator of Kate Middleton's wedding dress.
Now, if the name doesn't seem familiar, it certainly didn't to me, and that's --
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VELSHI: Yes, that's -- that's unusual.
CHO: I know that's -- that is unusual, I have to admit.
VELSHI: Yes.
CHO: You know this 29-year-old princess-to-be wore one of Cranston's velvet dress coats to a January wedding she attended; now that, I remember. There is no official confirmation of the dress designer, of course, says the royal family. Kate Middleton, everyone surrounding that wedding has vowed to keep everything about the gown top secret. It is the one thing that she can keep secret.
VELSHI: We've even heard -- you suggested that there are -- somebody suggested there were various types of dresses being made, two or three of them, and that there might even be decoys.
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CHO: Yes, why not? Yes, I mean, in case somebody sees something --
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VELSHI: I hear you. I mean, I can't imagine if I actually found out what Kate Middleton was going to be wearing, I'd pull my hair out.
Just a couple of weeks now before Prince William and Kate Middleton actually tie the knot, of course, one can only imagine what the royal wedding will actually look like.
That's not an actual video of the rehearsal for the wedding.
CHO: That kind of looks like William, though, doesn't it?
VELSHI: And that certainly looks like Camilla.
CHO: That does -- wow. Well, you know, there was that Kate look-alike, a Camilla dance -- look-alike dancing down the aisle to East 17's "House of Love." Of course, the video isn't actually a royal wedding rehearsal.
No, it is an ad, a very clever one, made by Team Hopeful. It's great, the video, no surprise there, has gone viral on YouTube. That's great.
VELSHI: Well, if you're waiting on pins and needles in anticipation of the real royal wedding, we have got you covered, as Alina said.
CHO: That's right. We're going to take you behind the scenes of Prince William and Kate Middleton's big day, it's April 29th. You can watch, you can DVR, you can even participate. Be a part of our global viewing party and no RSVP necessary. We will see you there.
VELSHI: It is 56 minutes after the hour. We're coming right back.
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VELSHI: Getting everybody's blood flowing.
CHO: Nice music selections this morning; Michelle Murtaugh (ph), congratulations.
VELSHI: Now, the point was, we were dancing -- I was dancing to that on Saturday night.
CHO: You were.
VELSHI: I was sort of standing, watching other people dance.
CHO: You were in Los Angeles, taking part in something that you take part in every year, right? What is it?
VELSHI: Yes. This was the visionary weekend for the X Prize Foundation. And the X Prize -- you'll have heard of this -- it's an organization whose mission it is to foster breakthroughs in space exploration, energy, environment, and education. So this weekend, we had this two-day brainstorming, basically, where scientists, engineers, and philanthropists who give a lot of money to this things discuss the challenges we're facing right now and figure out how to find a prize to solve the problem.
Take a look.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The bio-resin, that's a big issue.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought about it, and my dad was really --
VELSHI: The problems and the remarkable solutions and the approach to solutions that we're seeing here today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When there was the oil spill, we didn't know where the plumes were. We never had that data, because the satellites can only see the top few meters of the water column.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Basically, what's happened is, many countries subsidize their fishermen, because they cannot make ends meet.
VELSHI: Ladies and gentlemen, $101 million is what we have just raised.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Why weren't you dancing there?
VELSHI: Because I didn't know the camera was looking at me. That was Will.I.Am. He came in to deejay, made a big contribution to the X Prize and then deejaye'd Saturday night. Lots of fun.
CHO: So they'll create a prize, a big one, and they'll solve world problems in the process, we hope.
VELSHI: We hope.
CHO: Ali, great.
VELSHI: Great to see you this morning.
CHO: Great to see you. "CNN NEWSROOM" with Carol Costello starts right now.