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American Morning
Teacher Honored for Keeping Students Safe; Pentagon: Cyber- Warfare is War; America, the Overdosed; Palin's Rolling Pep Rally; Gadhafi Meets with South African President; Obama's Approval Bounce; Protecting Your Private Information; Deadly Bus Crash on I-95 in Virginia
Aired May 31, 2011 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Courage and grace under fire, a teacher honored for keeping her kids safe and calm with the help of Barney and Friends as gunshots erupted outside the school.
Plus, red alert, places across the country may meet or beat heat records today on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. It's Tuesday, May 31st. Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Glad you're with us today. We are going to be talking about the amazing video that came out of Mexico, but first this morning. Keeping fans and reporters guessing. It is day three of Sarah Palin's rolling pep rally. The bus pulled into historic Gettysburg, Pennsylvania late yesterday. Hundreds of people spent a hot and humid Memorial Day waiting for a glimpse of the potential presidential candidate.
She was a no show, though, on the historic battlefield. The former Alaska governor also made a pit stop in Baltimore, visiting Fort McHenry, the birth place of the national anthem, but she still didn't answer the big question, is she going for it in 2012?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH PALIN, FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: I don't know. I honestly don't know. It's still, you know, a matter of looking at the field and considering much. There truly is a lot to consider before you throw yourself out there in the name of service to the public because it's so all consuming. ` (END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Jim Acosta is live in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, this morning. Some are wondering, why is she on the bus tour and why are you guys covering it? Those were some of the e-mails we got this morning?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kiran, I think it's safe to say this is more than a family vacation up and down the east coast. This is as close as we've gotten to Sarah Palin's bus, her one nation bus tour that has gone up and down the east coast the last couple days and just to give you a sense as to the Palin factor that may be at play in 2012 for the White House, she does have her loyal supporters.
Just a sense of that, people have posted notes on the side of her bus overnight. This one says I voted for you and John McCain. "I really hope you run in 2012," just one of the notes that were left behind by her loyal supporters yesterday here in Gettysburg.
All day long yesterday, it was a game of cat and mouse between the former vice presidential candidate and national news media. She started in Washington, D.C., made her way up to Baltimore as you said, and then here to Gettysburg, she's expected to go on to Philadelphia and New Hampshire last week.
We're even hearing she may be going to Iowa as early as next month, fueling all sorts of speculation that the final destination that she has in mind is 1600 Pennsylvania avenue. We briefly caught up with her yesterday evening for just a short question and answer session right outside this hotel we're out in front of at this moment and here's what she had to say about the speculation she may get into this race.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PALIN: I think the Republican field is already quite strong. It's going to change up a lot and I think that there will be a more strong candidates jumping in. Truly, there is still a lot of time for folks to make up their mind and jump in and get their campaigns together. The field isn't set yet, not by a long shot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Now just to give you a sense that the national news media are not the only ones in the dark -- we had a chance to talk to a spokesman for the Republican party chairman out in Iowa, asked him whether or not he's been contacted by the Palin team about this eventual trip to his state. He told us that no, they haven't heard about Sarah Palin coming to Iowa, which is an unusual step for a potential Republican candidate for president. Usually those types of advanced notices are given to the party in those individual states. That has not happened with Sarah Palin. But as she told us yesterday, Kiran if she does get into this race, it will be an unconventional campaign, Kiran.
CHETRY: That's one thing I think a lot of people are not surprised by. We'll see what happens, though. Thanks so much, Jim.
Coming up in less than ten minutes we'll speak to someone following Sarah Palin's closely, writer Jim Gary. The questions still remain, is she a serious contender, do Republicans want her to be? And what about her high negatives, how does she turn that around if she's going to make a run of it in the general.
VELSHI: An amazing story from across the border in Mexico. A schoolteacher is honored for displaying courage under fire. With a gun battle raging outside her classroom, she got her class and led them in a song from "Barney and Friends" to distract them. She recorded the scene and now the video has gone viral. It happened at a school in the Mexican city of Monterrey, plagued by drug violence. Nick Valencia has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK VALENCIA, CNN EDITOR, SPANISH DESK: Listen closely as this story unfolds.
(GUNFIRE)
This was the scene at a kindergarten school in Monterrey, Mexico, on Friday afternoon. A teacher calmly instructs her students to take cover and sing songs while suspected cartel members exchange gunfire outside of her classroom. The teacher, who was identified only as Martha, tells the students to put their faces on the floor. That nothing is going to happen.
As gunfire rages outside the classroom the teacher asks the kids to sing along to a song by "Barney the friendly dinosaur." Five people were executed outside the school. None of the children in the classroom was injured. The teacher later posted the video on YouTube. It's received more than a million hits.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VALENCIA: And guys, since 2006 when that drug war was launched by Mexican president Felipe Calderon. Most of the violence concentrated in northern Mexico.
VELSHI: It's remarkable to think that this teacher said that teachers in that area are trained to do this. This wasn't something you just sort of popped into her mind.
VALENCIA: What makes this situation all the more remarkable, Ali, it's in Monterrey, Mexico. This is like if it's a shoot-out that happened in Beverly Hills, a financial capital, financial hub of Mexico, and of course voted recently one of the safest cities not just in Mexico, but all of Latin America.
VELSHI: Nick, thanks for the great story, Nick Valencia joining us from Atlanta.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: A shocker from the world of college football one of the sports most respected figures, Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel has resigned. His decision to step down days after a "Sports Illustrated" article detailed alleged ethics violations under his watch dating back eight years. He says he's leaving Ohio State for the good of the university.
His troubles began when the NCAA began investigating several of his buckeye players for selling memorabilia to a local tattoo parlor owner, against NCAA rules. Tressel admits he knew about the violations and failed to report them. His departure leaving students disappointed and former players stunned.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a dream job. What he would have done until retirement and to kind of see him go out like this, it's sad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What he pushed for so long was tradition and respect and doing the right thing and having integrity, he obviously was not about that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the short term it's going to hurt recruiting. Who's going to want to come to Ohio State now?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Ohio State releasing this statement, quote, "During the course of an investigation the university and the NCAA worked jointly to review any new allegations that come to light and will continue to do so until the conclusion of the investigation beyond that we have no further comment." At the bottom of his resignation letter Tressel wrote, quote, "We know god has a plan for us, we will be fine. We will be buckeyes forever."
VELSHI: A brutal heat wave stretching from New England to Texas and could shatter dozens of temperature records today. It's triggering some severe storms. We have several reports of tornadoes touching down in Nebraska. This happened yesterday along with baseball-sized hail and heavy rain.
If you take a look at the map, every town or city highlighted here will either get within three degrees or break its all-time record, about four dozen different cities. They came close to doing just that in Chicago yesterday, the temperatures in the windy city climbing close to 90 degrees.
VELSHI: There's me. I was there. But I wasn't on the beach.
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: That wasn't you, I don't think.
(WEATHER REPORT)
ROMANS: A New York congressman on the defensive after a lewd picture was sent to a woman from his twitter account. Anthony Weiner's explanation ahead.
CHETRY: Also a new study saying your kids shouldn't have energy drinks according to pediatrician recommendations. They say they tend to be heavily caffeinated, full of sugar and herbal stimulants, and can lead to high blood pressure, high heart rates, insomnia and even worse. So our question today, should energy drinks be regulated?
VELSHI: And Sarah Palin is on that bus which she says don't call it a campaign bus, just a big bus.
ROMANS: That's just a vacation bus. Everybody takes a vacation on a bus like that.
VELSHI: It might be going to Iowa. Does that mean she's running for president? We'll talk about that on the other side. It's 11 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: It's 14 minutes past the hour. Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING.
This morning we're hearing about another alleged sexual assault on a hotel maid in New York City reportedly by another high profile financier. The NYPD arrested Mahmoud Abdul Salam Omar in connection with the alleged attack. Police say he is accused of sexually assaulting a 44-year-old maid at the Pierre Hotel on Sunday night. He is reportedly the former head of Egypt's bank of Alexandria, now the head of a major salt producing company. This comes as the ex-chief of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn awaits trial on charges of attempted rape and sexual assault on a hotel maid in New York.
CHETRY: Sarah Palin once again drawing crowds, creating buzz, in fact she roared back into the political spotlight on the back of a Harley- Davidson on Sunday taking part in the rolling thunder rally in the nation's capital.
Meantime, a large bus, iconic American backdrops, and hundreds of passionate supporters at every stop on her tour has a lot of the trappings of a presidential campaign. But Palin insists that's not what it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: This isn't a campaign bus. This is a bus to be able to express to America how much we appreciate our foundation and to invite more people to be interested in all that is good about America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, joining us now to talk about Palin's tour is Jim Geraghty. He's a conservative writer and contributor for "The National Review" and "National Review Online." Thanks for being with us this morning, Jim.
JIM GERAGHTY, CONTRIBUTOR, "NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE": Always enjoy it.
CHETRY: So this is not a definite run for president for Sarah Palin. What is it?
GERAGHTY: That's a very good question. I kind of get the feeling this is a -- if Sarah Palin wanted to come out and run, she would just come out and run. She doesn't seem like the kind of person to do the hokie pokie, you know, one foot in the race, one foot not in the race.
I see the "New York Times" is calling it this morning a donor financed family vacation. I think that's a little bit of an understatement. Clearly this is -- when she announced this, this looks to me a lot like a dress rehearsal. The only reason Sarah Palin ever indicated she might not run in 2012 was concerns about her family. Well, what better way than to try on the trappings of a campaign, to go on a campaign-style tour, see how she handles it, see how her family handles it. Allegedly she is wondering about the -- some Palin I was quoted to "The Daily Beast" say she wants to see what the reaction is.
Well, everywhere Sarah Palin goes she gets a large reaction. I don't think there's any doubt about that. The one thing that's kind of strange about this is that the schedule is not up on the site.
CHETRY: Yes, I wanted to ask you about this.
GERAGHTY: Yes.
CHETRY: Not informing members of the media beforehand where she's going to be and then when asked about it, apparently, you know, her handlers say, well, check Sarah PAC USA or whatever the Web site is. Why that game of cat and mouse with the press?
GERAGHTY: Well, I pointed out that on Sarah PAC this morning there was no indication she was in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
CHETRY: Right.
GERAGHTY: So apparently that Web site needs to be updated a little bit more frequently. I think Sarah Palin perhaps she's inventing the field's (ph) first stealth publicity tour. That information is need to know and you're not cleared for it. But at some point she will just show up. And I supposed one of them, interesting measuring sticks is, they said, when she does her book tours, when she does her speaking engagements, people come out in droves and applaud for her. Maybe she wants to see what the reaction is when it's not a prearranged group of supporters. If she just shows up at Fort McHenry or Mount Vernon, or this other major events, are people happy to see her? Did they cheer and say, go run Sarah run, or there's kind of a myth (ph) response. Well, you know --
CHETRY: Well, you're giving her -- you're maybe giving her the benefit of the doubt and that you're saying that this is only to sort of test the waters. I mean, there are others who are alleging that this is quite calculated, actually, on her part and that it continues to help fuel that me against the mainstream media.
GERAGHTY: Well, she's always -- she always got along so well with the media, hasn't she? It's one of those things where, perhaps, I'm seeing a bit of a plan whereas this is, you know, improvising and making up as she goes along. But I think this is -- the reason we're all discussing it, the reason we're paying attention to it, this is the closest we've seen to an actual presidential campaign from her.
CHETRY: Right.
GERAGHTY: This is someone who pretty much has been the question since election night 2008, is what is she going to do and does she want to do this? And so, obviously anything that takes on the trappings of a campaign is going to get campaign-style coverage. Whether or not, you know, she just thinks it should have that.
CHETRY: That's right. And, Jim, it's interesting because one question that keeps dogging her is the resignation as Alaska's governor, came up again yesterday when she was on the bus tour. These are the types of questions she is going to get if she decides to run. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are you going to say when people ask you about leaving your term early?
SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: You have to read my book "Going Rogue." It explains exactly why I left. After all those frivolous ethics charges and lawsuits that were really going to bankrupt our state and my family personally, it was time to let the lieutenant governor take over the reins.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Is that sort of her, quote, Romney Care issue? People say, you know, Mitt Romney is really going to have to get over that whole health care in Massachusetts situation. Is she going to have to somehow try to find a way and can she get over the why did you quit as governor?
GERAGHTY: Sure. Presuming that she decides to run, at some point if she's up on stage at a debate with all those other candidates, you know, one of them is going to ask, Governor, if you are elected president, will you serve the full four terms or will you quit after two and a half years? And she's going to have to have a good answer for that.
I think one of the things that my Republican strategist said to me a while ago and it still seems to apply is the perception of Sarah Palin will change when the reality of Sarah Palin changes. And unfortunately, a really good book or a really, you know, well-worded argument isn't necessarily going to change people's minds so much as if they look at her and they see the way she's acting and what she's saying and say yes, that woman could be a president.
CHETRY: Yes.
GERAGHTY: And, you know, you look at the poll numbers, it's not there yet. Doesn't mean it couldn't happen.
CHETRY: She still has a 16 percent unfavorable rating according to CNN's latest poll. That's tough.
GERAGHTY: It is. And it's one of those things where some of those folks if Palin becomes the Republican nominee, a good chunk of the Republicans will come home. That's kind of at this point in the stage, at this point in the game, there's a lot of folks who are of the perception that well, it's not my candidate, I won't support them.
Traditionally, most members of the party come home. I think what's more interesting are the independents. And I think the real question will be as she goes around this tour, obviously the loyal, you know, die-hard Palins will show up.
CHETRY: Right.
GERAGHTY: That's not the issue for her. The question is do they bring a friend?
CHETRY: Yes.
GERAGHTY: Do they bring someone who's a skeptic, as someone who's not quite convinced that Sarah Palin has what it takes to be president? Do they see her, do they get to witness, you know, the Palin that the die-hards fell in love with and do they say oh, now I see what the appeal is, now I see why she could do it.
CHETRY: Got you. Well, Jim Geraghty, it was great to talk to you this morning, contributor for the "National Review Online" and writer of the campaign spot blog. Good to see you.
GERAGHTY: Any time, thank you.
CHETRY: Sarah Palin or not, on Monday, June 13th, CNN will be hosting the New Hampshire presidential debate as GOP hopefuls gather to go for the party's nomination. It will be televised here on CNN, Monday night starting at 8:00, June 13th.
VELSHI: All right. One thing people keep worrying about is computer hacking. We've been -- we seem to have been reporting a lot of it recently.
Now, new targets have been hit including Lockheed Martin, a defense contractor. Now think if they can hit a defense contractor --
ROMANS: It was a tenacious attack they said.
VELSHI: What kind of chance do regular people have if they can get a defense contractor? Deb Feyerick ahead on the future of Internet security.
ROMANS: Also, our question of the day. Pediatricians are warning parents their kids should stick to water, not sports and energy drinks. That's because they often contain an awful lot of caffeine or sugar and other sort of stimulants.
So we want to know what you think? Should energy drinks be regulated? You can e-mail us. You can give us a tweet @CNNAM or you can tell us on Facebook, facebook.com/American Morning. We're going to read some of your thoughts coming up.
VELSHI: It's 21 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Twenty-four minutes after the hour. Here are this morning's business headlines. New information about consumer confidence and home prices expected to sway the markets this morning. Stocks open after a three-day weekend. The Dow on Friday was up about 39 points. The Nasdaq and S&P were also higher.
The House planning to vote and reject a proposal to increase the nation's debt ceiling. The measure would lift the current debt ceiling without conditions like spending cuts.
Home prices could hit a new low in the 20 largest metro areas. According to the "New York Times," the Standard & Poor Case-Shiller index will show that existing home prices in March dipped below the lows that were reached two years ago.
The "L.A. Times" is reporting Americans last year put $9 billion into government-run college savings plans, also known as 529 plans. That's up from $5 billion in 2008. Experts say one reason for the pickup, parents fearing their kids won't be able to go to college, won't be able to afford it.
And summer bummer, budget cuts forcing cities from New York to Sacramento to shut down their community pools. By doing so, the cities say they're able to save tens of thousands of dollars on insurance, operations and maintenance costs.
And for the very latest news about your money, check out the all-new CNNmoney.com. Coming up, protecting your identity in the Internet cloud. After hearing about all these recent security breaches, it's a special report you won't want to miss.
AMERICAN MORNING back right after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: We are crossing the half hour right now. A look at our top stories this morning.
Don't call it a campaign bus. Right now, it's not. It's just a --
ROMANS: A little family vacation.
CHETRY: Big family vacation. Sarah Palin touring landmarks testing the presidential waters. Her tour made stops in Washington, Baltimore, Gettysburg. She still has not said whether or not she's going to actually run for president in 2012, but some GOP analysts say that part of this is testing whether or not her family would be up for the run.
Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi talking with South Africa's president about a possible cease-fire. This comes as NATO says that Gadhafi's four-decade rule is coming to an end. The Italian government says that eight Libyan generals and more than 100 soldiers have now fled Libya and defected to Italy.
And a bounce for President Obama after the death of Osama bin Laden. His approval rating up six points since early April to 54 percent in the latest CNN/Opinion Research Poll and the numbers show has Republicans to thank for that. Ed Henry is live at the White House for us this morning. Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kiran. You're right, I mean, the president's approval rating up 12 points among Republicans. Just in the last few weeks. What might be behind that?
Clearly as you mentioned, terrorism, his approval ratings on handling of terrorism and those issues, has gone up. Specifically, the raid on Osama Bin Laden, the killing of Osama Bin Laden, has helped him with Republicans, independents and Democrats.
Look at these numbers, approval on handle of terrorism, 65 percent, disapproval 34 percent. Look even on the issue of taxes, president's approval 46 percent, disapproval 53 percent.
Taxes normally an issue where a Democratic president would have much lower approval numbers, but with Republicans coming to him ever so slightly on issues like terror.
All of a sudden, he's evened it out. Even on issues like taxes that are normally very friendly to Republicans. Kiran --
CHETRY: You know, also the fact that there's no clear-cut GOP challenger I imagine, you know, that also - I mean, for 2012, that must be working in his favor right now.
HENRY: No doubt about it. I mean, we were in Europe last week. The president is on the international stage again touting his credentials as commander in chief with no real Republican sort of shadow boxing one on one. Instead it's a very muddled field. The silver lining, though, for Republicans on our latest poll is look at the president's approval ratings on jobs, the economy and gas prices, approval on the economy 41 percent, disapproval 58 percent.
Approval on gas prices, only 25 percent approval, 73 percent disapprove of his handling of the issue of gas prices. That's obviously because those gas prices are high. They traditionally come up in the spring and summer months. They're likely to come back down.
But it shows you that as much as the president may be riding high on terror and national security right now, he's still very soft on the economy and gas prices. Once the Republicans have a nominee, they have a chance here to really soften him up. But right now he's riding high.
VELSHI: All right. Ed, thanks very much for that. We'll check in with you later.
HENRY: Great.
ROMANS: OK, guys, New York Congressman Anthony Weiner talking exclusively to CNN explaining how a lewd photo was sent to a 21-year- old woman in Seattle from his Twitter account. A controversial conservative blogger broke the story. Weiner has hired an attorney.
More now from senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It came from Congressman Anthony Weiner's Twitter account over the weekend, a photo of an anonymous man's bulging underwear.
The lewd picture immediately deleted from Weiner's account was sent to this 21-year-old Seattle college student, but also available to the public to view on Twitter.
Outside his New York home Monday, Weiner, an outspoken liberal Democrat, insisted to CNN it was the work of a hacker.
I was hacked. It happens to people. You move on.
BASH: It's not clear who sent it. Weiner tried to brush it off as a prank and a distraction.
REP. ANTHONY WEINER (D), NEW YORK: This is a prank. Not a terribly creative one and it's a distraction. Look, you know, you've got the Republicans who are playing games with the debt limit.
You've got a Supreme Court justice who is refusing to recuse himself despite conflicts of interest. You have a health care act that is under siege. You know, this is a distraction.
BASH: Gennette Cordova is the Seattle college student the tweet was allegedly addressed to. The 21-year-old issued a lengthy statement to the "New York Daily News" admitting Weiner did follow her on Twitter, but insisting that she never met him.
"There have never been any inappropriate exchanges between Anthony Weiner and myself, including the tweet/picture in question, which had apparently been deleted before it reached me," said Cordova.
She blamed an anonymous person for harassing here, quote, "many times after the Congressman followed me on Twitter a month or so ago. After she sent a tweet saying, quote, "I wonder what my boyfriend at Rep Weiner is up to."
As for the Twitter account Weiner said was hacked, he's still using it. He tried to downplay the swirling story with tweets like this, more Weiner jokes for all my guests, hashtag hacked. Trademark Weiner humor.
WEINER: I use vote for Weiner he'll be frank. Vote for Weiner he's on a roll. Vote for Weiner, he'll relish your votes.
BASH: But questions surrounding the lewd photo quickly became the subject of a serious internet war, between liberal blogs suggesting it's a right wing conspiracy and conservative blogs questioning Weiner's hacking claim. Andrew Brightbart, a conservative blogger whose biggovernment.com first reported the story suggested to CNN there should be a, quote, "forensic analysis to determine the veracity of Weiner's hacking allegation, which certainly bears criminal implications."
(on camera): In fact, spokesmen for both the Capitol police and the FBI tell CNN they're not yet investigating this alleged hacking of a member of Congress's Twitter account.
Weiner's spokesman tells CNN he's hired a lawyer to quote, "Explore the proper next step and get advice on what civil or criminal actions could be taken."
Again, his office is downplaying this as a prank and insisting they are, quote, "loathed to treat it as more." Dane Bash, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VELSHI: And one point to make while the story says that he did -- he was following this college student, Anthony Weiner seems to follow everybody who follows him.
CHETRY: A lot of people do that.
VELSHI: Anybody follows him on Twitter. You follow them back.
CHETRY: That's right. So that's an important --
VELSHI: It's a distinction because I was thinking to myself, why is Anthony Weiner following this college girl because she follows him. It's how it goes on Twitter.
But this business of hacking, it's happening a lot, don't know if it's happening more or we're talking about it a lot more, but hackers are grabbing headlines because they're penetrating high-profile companies and computer systems. Sony, we've been talking about Lockheed Martin just last week, I mean, a defense contractor.
ROMANS: Lockheed Martin said it was a tenacious attack, so it shows you whoever was going after them was serious about it. Just think about it. If they can crack that level of security, how safe can our own systems be when we log on from home?
Deb Feyerick is with us this morning. You're about to take us inside a state-of-the-art facility, Deb, when we come face to face with the cloud.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The cloud, exactly. Whatever it is that is. But you know, it's really not systems that we're dealing with. Our computers have become portals to information that we store and access outside our homes and offices.
In fact, really from anywhere. We did take an inside look at this facility and you know, the kind of security that you get when you share space with somebody else. It's better than security you would get on your own. The question though is, how safe are we really?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK (voice-over): You do it, I do it, in fact, hundreds of millions of people do it every day -- each time you log into your web e-mail or visit social media sites, like Facebook or Flicker, or stream TV shows or movies, you're accessing a virtual world anyone can share from anywhere. Welcome to the cloud.
JOHN C. ABELL, WIRED MAGAZINE. They allow you to not use expensive, a bulky storage space here on earth and instead allow you to put things in somebody else's computer for free or for very little cost.
FEYERICK: John Abell writes about the cloud for "Wired" magazine and warns with innovation comes risk.
ABELL: Assume that your stuff will be looked at. Assume that it will be lost.
FEYERICK: There's no guarantee your data in the cloud is ever 100 percent secure. Recent breaches at Sony Playstation network, Epsilon data, even RSA security, affected upwards of 100 million people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pretty much an open season.
FEYERICK: Dale Meyerrose served as chief information officer for the United States Intelligence Community.
FEYERICK (on camera): If I were to touch it, I would be touching the cloud.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You would be touching the physical case that performance -- performs cloud functions. A single rack of equipment could literally replace the entire I.T. technology enterprise of a global Fortune 500 company.
FEYERICK: Huge machine.
(voice-over): Meyerrose and his team at Harris Corporation took us on a tour of the first of its kind state-of-the-art cyber integration center designed to secure critical information for Fortune 500 companies and government agencies. The key --
DALE MEYERROSE, FORMER CIO, UNITED STATES INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY: It's being able to prove through continuous monitoring, are you getting this level of trust that you signed up for and pay for?
FEYERICK: As virtual information storage becomes even more popular, experts warn safeguarding your data will be an even greater challenge.
ABELL: There is a cat-and-mouse game between security people and, you know, dark hackers.
FEYERICK: The only way to protect your most precious information in the cloud, maybe not to put it there in the first place.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK: Now they built the cyber integration system after years in the intelligence community. So the level of security and monitoring at that facility, they are really incredible, if not almost impenetrable.
In the end, Meyerrose says it really comes down to trust. We have to trust the companies that you're doing business with, that you're giving your information to, whether it's an e-mail account, whether it's Facebook, every time you click that little button that says accept, you're acknowledging that while they're going to give you a level of security in the end, there's no guarantee 100 percent.
ROMANS: We know information is in thousands and thousands of places, so safeguarding that information seems almost, you know, like such an uphill battle.
FEYERICK: Well, think about Sony Playstation. They were just hacked, 77 million users, their credit card numbers, potentially, compromised. It's potentially. They're not going to come after you or me individually.
It's the big companies that they're really looking to get into. That's why Lockheed Martin, that's -- they penetrated the I.T. Department, but even the Pentagon, they get so many hits every single day. People trying to get into the Pentagon so no one is really immune.
ROMANS: All right, Deb Feyerick, thank you.
VELSHI: Want to update you on the bus crash we were telling you about. It's on northbound I-95 north of Richmond. CNN has now confirmed four people dead in that crash and multiple injuries. This is -- it's at the 103 mile markers on interstate 95 that's north of Richmond.
Here's what we know, it is a commercial tour bus. Apparently went right off the side of the road, it overturned and came to a rest upside down. Police are still on the scene right now. But because it's heavily forested between the northbound and southbound lanes, there's no rubber necking because people on the southbound lanes can't see what's going on.
So it's northbound I-95, still closures there. They're closed off while Virginia State police take a look at this thing, but four people confirmed dead and multiple injuries in a tour bus crash on I-95 north of Richmond.
ROMANS: All right, up next on AMERICAN MORNING, America's hidden drug problem, may be not so hidden. Americans consume far more medicines than any other country.
Think of this, 48 percent of Americans are on at least one prescription, one in 10 takes five prescriptions or more. Are we overmedicated or are these necessary?
VELSHI: Just in time for this heat wave. What we've got going across much of the country. Find out which sunscreen ranks the best at protecting you and your family. It's 41 minutes after the hour.
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VELSHI: Not imagining things. Though side effects labels on your medications have been expanding in recent years and according to a study, the average label now lists 70 reactions per drug.
That's a number making it difficult for physicians to weigh the risks and benefits when prescribing medicine. Researchers say the list has potential risks, but it's a way to protect manufacturers from potential lawsuits.
CHETRY: They now have called a patient packet insert.
VELSHI: The paper that opens up.
CHETRY: Well, if you're wondering which sunscreen to use this summer, you may want to go cheap. Consumer reports tested 22 different creams, spays and lotions, all SPF above SPF 30 and they found the scoring sunscreen was SPF 45 no ad with aloe and vitamin E. It was also the cheapest, just 59 cents an ounce. For all your latest health news, by the way, check out cnn.com/health.
ROMANS: All right. We want to take an in-depth look this morning, you guys, at what some may call overmedicated Americans. According to the CDC, 74 percent of doctor visits result in a prescription. As a result, 48 percent of Americans now use at least one prescription, but three quarters of people, three out of four Americans, are misusing those prescriptions.
Joining us to talk about this is Dr. John Abramson the author of "Overdosed America." Dr. Abramson is also a lecturer at Harvard Medical School. He's in Boston this morning.
Welcome to the program.
So all these drugs are not making us healthier. You point out that 70 percent of your health is derived from lifestyle choices, not by the drugs you take.
So, why are we taking so many drugs?
DR. JOHN ABRAMSON, AUTHOR, "OVERDOSED AMERICA": Christine, that's the key question. And the reason is, that we believe, we public believe, and the doctors believe, that the way to get good health is to take drugs. The problem is that almost all the information that is coming to the public and almost all the information that is coming to their doctors is coming from the drug industry itself.
So the drug industry is providing what we take as scientific information that's designed to make us believe that good health comes out of pill bottles, when, as you say, the most important fact for people to understand is that 70 percent of your health depends -- is a result of how you exercise and eat and not smoke and drink in moderation. ROMANS: But, you know, the drug industry, they're inventing things if used properly and for the right people will make you healthier. The problem is, people who don't need these drugs who are taking them, is that -- or who are misusing them, we know a lot of people are misusing the prescriptions that they're taking.
So is this doctor driven or is this patient driven, what we're talking and how we're using it?
ABRAMSON: It's both. And it's also drug company driven.
So Christine, there's many new drugs that are beneficial, no question about that, and it's important that people understand that. But still, many of the new drugs that come out aren't better. The new diabetes drugs, well they lower blood sugar, but they don't reduce heart disease any better than the older, less expensive drugs.
So new only means that the drug has been approved by the FDA and that it's better than nothing. But new also means that the safety of the drug hasn't been tested in the large number of people who are going to be taking it once the drug's released on the market.
ROMANS: Let me ask you a little bit about antidepressants because there are so many different antidepressants on the market and there are some studies that show -- evidence that shows that 20 percent of people who are present with -- have depression are helped by these. The other 80 percent aren't. We're not treating them exactly right for their depression.
Why are we taking so many antidepressants then?
ABRAMSON: We're taking so many antidepressants because the studies that were published showed that the drugs work, but half of the studies show the drugs don't work and a very small percentage of those studies were actually published, Christine.
So what we've got is a situation where people respond to the ordinary stresses of life and god knows we've got a lot of stresses now. But when they feel stressed, when they feel down, they and their doctors turn to a pill instead of looking at how their lives are unfolding.
And what we find when we put all the studies together of all the antidepressants, it's only the most severely depressed people who get a benefit from the antidepressants and then it's only one out of four of those very severely depressed people who actually benefit.
ROMANS: And meantime, the other people are still either on their antidepressants -- you know, it's not as if the doctor maybe is changing their course of action. There's so many things to talk to you about. We're out of time, Dr. Abramson, but it's interesting, as well, when you talk about higher costs for health care in this country, what that means.
So we'll talk about it again soon. "Overdosed America," is the book.
Thank you so much, Dr. Abramson, really appreciate it. ABRAMSON: Pleasure to be with you. Thank you.
ROMANS: This morning's top stories right after your break. It's 48 minutes after the hour.
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CHETRY: Fifty minutes past the hour. Here's a look at your headlines this morning.
We start with severe weather. Storms pushing across Nebraska. Several reports of tornadoes touching down across the state. Heavy rain and large hail described by some as big as tennis balls and grapefruits. People went running for cover near the town of Atkinson.
Cyber-sabotage is considered war. According to the "Wall Street Journal," the Pentagon has concluded a cyber-attack from another country can constitute an act of war and because of that the U.S. can respond with military force.
Carbon emissions from energy use hitting a record high last year. The latest estimates come from the International Energy Agency finding Co2 emissions were up five percent from the previous record set in 2008. The agency calls it a serious setback to efforts to combat global warming.
The commanding officer of the Blue Angels, the U.S. Navy flight demonstration team has been grounded. Commander Dave Koss says he's leading the elite squad after performing a maneuver at a dangerously low altitude.
The Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks tip-off tonight, game one of the NBA championship series. It's a rematch of the 2006 final. The Heat won that series in six after dropping the first two games.
And you're caught up on the day's headlines. AMERICAN MORNING will be back in 60 seconds.
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CHETRY: Well, the nation's pediatricians are warning that those energy drinks especially and also sports drinks are not good for our kids. When they're talking about energy drinks they're saying there's a lot of caffeine and other herbal stimulants. When it comes to energy drinks, it's the -- to the sports drinks, it's all that added sugar.
ROMANS: Right.
VELSHI: All right. So we want to know what you think. Should energy drinks be regulated?
Here are some of your responses.
Ryan says on Facebook, "More positive parenting and less government regulation." CHETRY: LadyBigMac says, "Is regulation completely taking over? Where has common sense and personal responsibility gone?"
Jamie (INAUDIBLE) on Facebook says, "It doesn't matter what a parent says, if a kid wants one, they're going to get it."
As a parent, that's frightening to me.
CHETRY: They can walk into any convenience store and load up on all of those energy drinks.
VELSHI: But you can do that with cigarettes, too, and we've discouraged that. We've made people --
CHETRY: You can't do that with cigarettes now.
VELSHI: Right, we've made the stores check on it.
CHETRY: That's right.
VELSHI: But kids still get cigarettes if they want them. They do a lot less of it though.
Here's a kid, though, Chris sends into our blog, "I'm a 16-year-old junior in high school and energy drinks give us what milk and water don't give us -- energy. Dump loads of homework on me and expect me to get a full eight hours of sleep? Haha, no."
CHETRY: Good point. I love when the actual people we're talking about write in.
ROMANS: He should be getting ready for school. Hey, buddy.
CHETRY: James Brown writes on Facebook, "Yes, they're being used like drugs by kids and college students."
ROMANS: And (INAUDIBLE) says, "Regulate energy drinks? How about regulate the parents."
CHETRY: All right. Keep your comments coming. Send us an e-mail, a tweet or tell us on Facebook and we'll read some more of your thoughts in the next hour.
VELSHI: And here is the video of the day. It's required that we run this every year and it never disappoints. Once again, time to roll that cheese.
ROMANS: Has it been a year since we saw the cheese down the?
VELSHI: Yes. They go down the hill in Gloucester. The cheese roll of 2011. The event was officially canceled due to health and safety concerns. But 500 people showed up anyway to toss a wheel of cheese down a hill and then --
CHETRY: It looks like the guy that run was actually running. I mean, he was running. Some people just throw themselves head first down the hill. And sometimes the hill does it for them, clearly.
ROMANS: Wow, that was a fast year. I feel like we were just talking about that yesterday.
OK, we're getting close at the top of the hour now. Your top stories are after the break. It's 55 minutes after the hour.
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