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American Morning
Stage Collapses at Indiana State Fair: Michele Bachmann Wins Iowa Straw Poll; Rick Perry Enters GOP Presidential Race; "This is the Kitchen of Life"; Indiana State Fair to Reopen; Iraq Attacks Kill at Least 69; Obama Begins Bus Tour; Did China Study Stealth Chopper?; Small Town Gems!; Autism Runs in Families
Aired August 15, 2011 - 06:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Absolute terror at the state fair, but this morning, inspiring stories of the human spirit and Hoosier (ph) pride after a freak stage collapse in Indiana.
ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: In presidential politics, Tim Pawlenty is out, Rick Perry in, and new frontrunners are emerging and fighting for the spotlight in Michele Bachmann's hometown.
COSTELLO: And brace for the aftershocks that could be another bumpy ride on Wall Street.
CHO: And children with autism, are their brothers and sisters at risk, too? Startling new statistics every parent will want to hear on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And good morning to you. Happy Monday. It's August 15th. Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING.
CHO: A lot to get to. Up first this hour, stories of courage and unimaginable heartbreak in the aftermath of that deadly stage collapse Saturday night at the Indiana state fair.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SCREAMING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Investigators are still busy working the scene this morning to determine an official cause of the collapse. Five people were killed.
COSTELLO: Dozens more injured. The fair set to reopen today after a memorial service for the victims. Susan Candiotti is live from Indianapolis. Has the investigation begun?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly it began after the accident happened and it will be continuing today, Carol. You know, after that memorial service is over then the fair will reopen, the midway virtually untouched by Saturday night's storm. Not so the sound stage. You can see what's left of it over my shoulder as investigators try to figure out whether this tragedy could have been prevented. But everyone will remember how quickly people jumped in to help.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: When the stage canopy collapsed at the Indiana state fair on Saturday night, everyone who could run did. Moments later something remarkable happened. Fans started running back, toward the stage, dozens of them coming together to lift hundreds of pounds of scaffolding and debris off trapped victims, using broken chairs as stretchers.
In all, some 40 people were injured. The National Weather Service estimates winds at the time of the collapse were between 60 and 70 miles per hour, the governor of Indiana nearly moved to tears by the quick response to the tragedy.
GOV. MITCH DANIELS, (R) INDIANA: Individual Hoosiers who ran to the trouble, not from the trouble. It's the character that we associate with our state. People don't have to be paid to do it.
CANDIOTTI: Brook Schnelle and Elisabeth Pilger were 12 rows from the stage when the sky darkened and the wind kicked up. They decided to head for cover, and barely made it out.
ELISABETH PILGER, ESCAPED STATE COLLAPSE: The wind was so heavy in a circular motion, and I was holding on to her like this. And we made it to the aisles and we turned around and we heard the like "shh," and we watched the stage collapse.
BROOKE SCHNELLE, ESCAPED STATE COLLAPSE: By the time we made it to the aisle all I can remember is looking back at her and looking at the stage and seeing the thing just completely fall down. I mean my main thing that I just remember is seeing the guy that was up in the lighting and I just saw him completely timbering down.
CANDIOTTI: On a gray Sunday as the rain poured down, friends and relatives grieved for the victims. And 23-year-old Alina (ph) Bigjonny (ph) of Fort Wayne was among the five people killed. She was about to start a new job teaching.
ARTURO PENA JR., VICTIM'S FORMER CLASSMATE: She was a good person and she was very smart and caring and loving, and she'd do anything for anybody.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: Now, the question among many, could anything have been done more to get people out of the way sooner as the storm was approaching? Remember, there was a severe thunderstorm watch issued two hours before the wind came through and ten minutes before that wind blast hit. Someone came on stage and told people that they might have to evacuate, but they were never told to leave. Carol? COSTELLO: Susan, we talked to somebody who was in the audience, she was seven rows back. Her name was Jenna Joy. She's not assigning any blame to this. She said in Indiana, these things happen, the wind crops up in a matter of moments. It just comes out of -- you know, it's just the way it is in Indiana. But what are other people saying? I mean, it was a 65-mile-per-hour wind gust, right? Should it have blown down a stage like this?
CANDIOTTI: Well, one of the questions they'll be looking at also is the construction of that stage, to be sure. But I've also talked to weather experts as well who say, look, you know, those storms were on the radar and they saw that approaching. It wasn't just a spot storm.
And you can never predict exactly what time things will hit and where they will hit. There's some flexibility there. And so, these experts were telling me that is something they are likely to look at and maybe not take a chance as some people are suggesting might have happened this time, to get people out of the way much sooner than they apparently did in this case.
COSTELLO: Susan Candiotti, live in Indianapolis.
Coming up in our next hour we're going to talk to the Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels about what went wrong and whether it could have been prevented.
CHO: Campaign 2012 now shifting into a new gear this morning, after Republicans passed the first political signpost, the Iowa straw poll. Michele Bachmann was the big winner, Tim Pawlenty the big loser, and Rick Perry making headlines of his own. Jim Acosta live in Washington. So much went on this past weekend, Jim, it makes your head spin. Good morning to you.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Alina. That's right. Tim Pawlenty is out of the race and now we've moved from fried butter on a stick at the state fair to buttering up Republican voters this week for the GOP field.
And what we're starting to see emerge in this race for the GOP nomination is a battle for the Tea Party vote among two of the big contenders. Take this event that happened last night in the town of Waterloo, Iowa. Both Texas governor Rick Perry, who just threw his hat into the ring, and Michele Bachmann were at the gathering. This was Perry's first big speech in the state, but he chose the town where Bachmann was born to make it, and, coincidentally, also the town where she launched her campaign. And he appealed directly to the Tea Party vote, which is a key Bachmann base of support. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. RICK PERRY, (R-TX) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have heard people say, now, wait a minute, you Tea Party types, you all are angry. We're not angry. We're indignant. We're indignant in the arrogance and the audacity that this administration is showing about the values that are important to the people of America. (END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Meanwhile, Bachmann got on the same stage next and also reminded folks why she's been called the queen of the Tea Party, slamming critics of the conservative movement, and touting her own record against the president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MICHELE BACHMANN, (R-MN) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Enough is enough with the debt. It's completely changed the flavor, completely changed the complexion in Washington, D.C. That's why the Tea Party has been the best antidote to the out-of-control spending that we have seen. Rather than dissing the party, we should be praising the Tea Party in Washington.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: And observers in the room say Perry and Bachmann had a chance in that room last night to cross paths but didn't.
So what does this do for the rest of the field? You can say at this point and a lot of people are saying at this point, that there are basically three frontrunners in the top tier right now -- Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann and Mitt Romney? By the way, each of those contenders in different states, Romney in New Hampshire, Bachmann in South Carolina, Perry in Iowa, where, by the way, the president has a bus tour today. He's going to be reminding voters in that key swing state why he would like to be reelected. Alina?
CHO: Jim Acosta, live for us in Washington. Jim, thank you.
In just a few minutes we'll talk with -- - about, rather, the GOP race shifting into high gear, and the president's political counter offensive with Republican analyst Leslie Sanchez and CNN contributor Dana Loesch.
COSTELLO: On the subject of president Obama, now is your chance to talk back on one of the big questions of the day. The question this morning, what does President Obama need to tell middle America? With an approval rating this morning of less than 40 percent according to a new Gallup poll, President Obama is kicking off a bus tour of the heartland. The White House says it's so he can hear from Americans about their economic struggles.
It's worth noting he will be visiting Minnesota, Illinois and Iowa, states he won handily in 2008. But he won't be visiting Ohio or Indiana, swing states he won by the skin of his teeth. In the lead up to the 2008 election, candidate Obama spent 29 days campaigning in Ohio. Last year Mr. Obama stopped at a Youngstown, Ohio, steel plant, that created jobs thanks in part to federal stimulus money.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Youngstown can compete against anybody. You've got the best workers. There's no reason why we can't compete with anybody if you guys have the support that you need.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Fast forward to today -- Ohio is mired like the rest of the country in high unemployment and it isn't feeling the love. Youngstown university professor Paul Serasic (ph) says "There's clearly a perception in middle America that president Obama does not feel their pain. He says that to win over the rust belt, Mr. Obama has to do more than give a stump speech. In other words, less talking and, perhaps, more listening."
So the talk back question today -- what does President Obama need to tell middle America? Facebook.com/AmericanMorning, Facebook.com/AmericanMorning. I'll read your comments later this hour.
And by the way, CNN's Wolf Blitzer is riding along with the president. Be sure to catch Wolf's interview with President Obama tomorrow on "THE SITUATION ROOM" at 6:00 p.m. Eastern.
CHO: Looking forward to that.
Still to come this morning, new developments surrounding the wreckage of that stealth helicopter that was abandoned during the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Did China get a peek at the wreckage, and why? We're live at the Pentagon.
And on your next trip to New Orleans, don't miss Cafe Reconcile. The gumbo is to die for. And when it comes with a side of salvation for inner city kids, it's even more delicious.
COSTELLO: And if life in the big city is getting you down, try a smaller city. The best little cities in the U.S. according to "Money" magazine ahead. They'll break the news right here. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. It's 10 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It's 13 minutes past the hour.
The candidate who won the straw poll on Saturday and the candidate who stole some of her thunder collided in Iowa over the weekend. It was Michele Bachmann versus the newcomer to the race, Texas Governor Rick Perry. The GOP race is getting hot as President Obama hits the road with a counterattack.
Joining me to talk about it are Republican analysts Leslie Sanchez and cofounder of the St. Louis Tea Party, Dana Loesch. Welcome to you both.
LESLIE SANCHEZ, FOUNDER AND CEO, IMPACTO GROUP LLC: Thank you, Carol.
DANA LOESCH, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning.
COSTELLO: OK, so Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry are both tea party darlings. What's the difference between the two, Dana?
LOESCH: Well, one of the big differences to me is I think Michele Bachmann has really been on the forefront of a lot of the grassroots movement over the past couple of years. And her campaign is a little bit more different than someone who normally just comes from the House of Representatives in that she has this national appeal because of the grassroots movement.
That being said, I think there's a huge difference because statistically nobody comes from the House of Representatives. I think we've had one president in the past 100 years that came from the House of Representatives. Our best bets are typically from the gubernatorial pool. So I think that makes a huge difference and I think that's something that grassroots voters will be paying special attention to.
COSTELLO: Leslie, there was something interesting on "Politico" this morning. Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry were in the same room in Iowa. They did not engage. The difference was Rick Perry was mingling with the crowd. He was putting his arms around people. He was saying "y'all" a lot. He was very charming. Michele Bachmann sort of stayed on her bus until she had to take the stage. She was surrounded by security and really didn't let voters get close to her. What do you make of that?
SANCHEZ: I think it's campaign style. I wouldn't make too much out of it. They're both uniquely passionate in the sense that they have good, strong -- as she said, grassroots appeal.
Rick Perry, though, he is a retail politics candidate. One thing a lot of people may not know about him, he likes to burn through the shoe leather. He likes people and to engage and handshake and call them y'all. He -- it is not uncommon for him to sit on a barstool and talk to folks, you know, regularly about issues because he's very engaged in issues.
I had a chance to talk to both Bachmann's pollster and Perry's pollster extensively and they both talk about the positive attributes in terms of campaigning. Again, Rick Perry. somebody just getting started but a very strong campaigner. His team likes that. He's very direct on message. He's had a core team that's been with him some since 1998.
They're both going to be doing a lot to engage the base of this party.
COSTELLO: Of course, they both have conservative values.
And, Dana, I want to ask you about this. Michele Bachmann took some flack from reporters this Sunday about her previous statements on gay people. In the past, she said that people who are gay are in personal bondage, personal despair, and personal enslavement. She also said that she would reinstitute the Military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.
I want you to listen to this -- the exchange she had with NBC's David Gregory on "Meet the Press".
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BACHMANN: When it comes to marriage and family, my opinion is that marriage is between a man and a woman. And I think that's -- that's been my view. And I think that's --
DAVID GREGORY, NBC HOST, "MEET THE PRESS": So a gay couple with kids would not be considered a family to you?
BACHMANN: You know, all of these kind of questions really aren't about what people are concerned about right now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: But, still, the majority of the country was for overturning "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and many more people are for civil unions. If Republican primary voters are going to vote for the candidate who has the best chance of winning against President Obama, will they vote for Michele Bachmann?
LOESCH: Well, I don't think anyone -- and this is not an insult to any community -- is paying attention to a social issue like that at this moment considering that we're on a very bad trajectory economically. And I know that GOProud, the group of gay conservatives that are very active within the Republican Party aren't really even looking at this right now either because everyone is sort of looking to see what these candidates -- what these candidates are going to do when it comes to jobs.
We're looking to see what they're going to do when it comes to possibly some foreign policy, but it's all about the economy again. This election cycle, as it should be. We have 9.1, 9.2 percent unemployment. We're not in a really good place right now. And I think we have to make sure that we're even economically sustainable before we can start talking about issues like that, which I think are honestly downstream from the problems that we're dealing with right now.
COSTELLO: So, Leslie, on the subject of jobs, of course, Rick Perry is said to have a pretty good record when it comes to creating jobs in Texas. Mitt Romney is sort of running on, yes, I did a pretty good job in Massachusetts. So what's the difference between those two?
SANCHEZ: Well, in terms of the record, they're both governors, they both have proven records in the area, they both looked at the jobs issue and the health care issue.
With respect to Governor Perry, he's certainly somebody who looked at something a little bit different in 2010. He laid out a framework to say let's build and invest in infrastructure. If we do that with lower regulation, you're going to see increased revenues generated by the new generation of jobs. We can put that money into education and other areas that the state dramatically needs, especially because of the failure at the federal level. I think you saw the same kind of experience leading very much the way with Governor Romney. Both of them have different challenges in that sense. I think, ultimately, they're going to be appealing to a lot on the economic issues.
I was in Ames. That, again, is going to be the top priority, who can get the economy moving. The president has that kind of economic albatross (ph) around his neck and what voters are ideally looking for, what I heard in Ames, is somebody with credibility to prove they can get those jobs created and businesses to kind of relief that.
COSTELLO: So just quickly, because Warren Buffett has an op-ed in "The New York Times" and he said, you know, I talked to my really wealthy friends and we're ready to make a sacrifice, we want our taxes raised.
And since all of the Republican Primary candidates are totally against raising taxes, wouldn't that eventually work against them? Since the majority of Americans think taxes should be raised on wealthy Americans.
SANCHEZ: I'll tell you this much, too, what I heard a lot on the ground, you know, especially with some of these AARP voters is that they believe that 50 -- the 50 percent that are not paying taxes, that corporations, certain corporations, are the bad apples in the group and they are not paying taxes, and I had other business leaders who said, you know, we pay 31 percent taxes, we want to show that we're part and contributing to this economy.
I think there's a little bit of that class warfare debate that is really real. People feel that some are taking advantage of the system, gaming the system, so to speak. They want it fair all the way around, but what they don't want is to stifle the ability to grow private sector jobs. That they feel would burden --
COSTELLO: So there's no wiggle room, in other words, from any of these candidates. You don't -- you don't envision maybe Mitt Romney or Rick Perry or Michele Bachmann saying, maybe -- maybe we should raise a little revenue by making GE --
SANCHEZ: Not in this lifetime, no.
CHO: Not in this lifetime.
COSTELLO: Leslie Sanchez, Dana Loesch, thank you so much for joining us this morning.
SANCHEZ: Thank you.
CHO: And it's 20 minutes after the hour. We're going to get a check of the weather now with Rob Marciano. You're watching tropical storm Gert. So could it become a hurricane, Rob?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's possible. It's possible. Hello again, Carol. We're watching Gert. We're also watching a couple of other spots. If you imagine a couple of more Xs and Os here, it will get you in the mood for football season for sure. It looks like a pretty good play.
Gert is the blocking back here. It's going to head towards Bermuda. It's a tropical storm. This square is just a slight chance of becoming something and it will stay away from landfall. Here's the forecast for Gert. It's going to skim Bermuda later on today and then peel off towards the north and east. It may become a hurricane.
We, usually, by the time we get to the "G" storm we've had at least one become a hurricane. It hasn't happened this year. So if Gert doesn't become a hurricane that will actually be a record. So it's been active, kind of sort of, but, you know, not really as far as the impacts on land.
Lot of impact on land and lot of land under water yesterday across the Tri-State area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Over 10 inches at Lido Beach, over seven inches at JFK. That is a daily record for 24 hours. And they're going to get more rainfall today especially if you go east of the Thruway and up by 95 towards Boston. Slow moving system continues to sit and spin there, so you'll see flight delays at the New York airports, Boston as well, Philadelphia and Newark, to a lesser extent D.C.
We are seeing somewhat drier, somewhat cooler air coming behind this system. We are getting towards the middle of August. That will tend to cool things off a little bit. But compared to what we have seen, it is still pretty toasty.
So keep an eye on Gert. There's also a little disturbance that's rolling toward the Caribbean. But, right now, the U.S. mainland is looking good.
Back to you guys up in New York.
CHO: All right. Rob, thank you.
MARCIANO: You bet.
COSTELLO: Still to come this morning, the market's been up and down and then down and then back up again, and it's your money along for the ride. So what can we expect today?
We're "Minding Your Business" next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Twenty-three minutes past the hour.
After a dizzying few days on Wall Street, that's putting it mildly.
CHO: Putting it mildly is right.
COSTELLO: So, what can we expect this week? Felicia Taylor is "Minding Your Business."
FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. We did this last week. I mean, let's hope we're not going to go there today.
I think what you can expect is a little bit more calm. And people are trying to figure out, you know, where to put their money. What's interesting is that about $50 billion worth of money actually went into money markets. Now, those are instruments where you actually don't earn any kind of percentage whatsoever. So people are just putting cash into the sidelines and one trader told me basically she's got cash in a box.
So we're looking at futures trading a little bit higher, but only slightly. We're waiting for some numbers to come out in about an hour and a half and that will be a look on manufacturing, a lot of numbers coming out this week on jobless claims, consumer sentiment, earnings price -- producer prices and consumer prices.
And we've also got corporate earnings. We've got Lowe's, which is a home improvement company and Estee Lauder, the cosmetic company, reporting today.
But you've seen a real retraction in the luxury market, which is pretty interesting with major names like Saks Fifth Avenue, Tiffany and Company, all trending much lower. So people just aren't out there spending money right now and that's of concern, because if people aren't out spending money, then the consumer, which is about two- thirds of the economy, can't get things going again and that's what we're really -- really worried about is growth in this economy.
CHO: A lot of people scared we might see that double dip recession, right, that goes in 2008, which is so scary.
TAYLOR: Still talking about that.
CHO: All right. Felicia Taylor, thank you.
TAYLOR: Sure.
CHO: Still to come this morning, after America's stealth helicopter was left behind in that Bin Laden compound, there are new concerns that America's military secrets have fallen into the hands of China. We'll explain.
COSTELLO: And we'll take you to a rocking cafe in New Orleans where they're serving up gumbo with a side of salvation.
You're watching AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Twenty-eight minutes after the hour.
The next time you're in New Orleans, be sure to stop by Cafe Reconcile. Apparently it's one of the city's hottest restaurants. COSTELLO: It's hot, hot, hot. Also happens to be staffed by crime victims and ex-convicts with an owner serving up salvation along with some killer gumbo.
Here's Ed Lavandera.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JORON "CHEF JOE" SMITH, CHEF AT CAFE RECONCILE: We're going to put part of this --
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Chef Joe is cooking.
SMITH: When a pupil is ready, the teacher will appear.
LAVANDERA: But the ingredients in this kitchen are a heaping side of hope and a dash of reality.
SMITH: That's what a lot of people do especially in positions to hire. They judge you by your appearance.
LAVANDERA: This is Cafe Reconcile, a dining experience like you've never seen.
SMITH: This is a kitchen of life. You know, we don't only train in techniques in the kitchen, but we train in techniques to live life.
LAVANDERA: Cafe Reconcile opened 11 years ago in Central New Orleans.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Should I sing a little song about my church song or no?
LAVANDERA: Sister Mary Lou Specha is the Cafe's heart and soul.
(on camera): What does this place mean to you? Let's start off with that.
SISTER MARY LOU SPECHA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CAFE RECONCILE: Oh, wow. I can't say it without crying.
LAVANDERA: These are kids -- what -- on the fringe, you think?
SPECHA: Oh, yes. Many of them have experienced violence firsthand, lost somebody to death in their family. Murder.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Cafe Reconcile takes teenagers on the brink and prepares them to enter the workforce. Hundreds of these graduates now work in some of New Orleans' top restaurants, like inside the Loews Hotel. Each class learns to run this kitchen first, but before they get here they learn life's skills in a classroom.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You got no time. You got no money --
LAVANDERA: It's about building a foundation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You think before you speak. That's what we're talking about, OK.
LAVANDERA: Every morning starts with a prayer, a chance to talk through frustration and on some mornings, a time to talk about a friend that was murdered. Sister Mary Lou consoles the young woman.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What happened?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shot in the face, in the chest.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So sad. I'm going to put my hands on you and I'm going to pray and pray and pray.
LAVANDERA (on camera): A white Catholic nun from Iowa comes in here, one of the toughest neighborhoods in New Orleans, and connects with these kids.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She crazy.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): It's become a hugely popular lunch spot. Before Leonard Alvis entered the program he had been in and out of jail five times for drug procession.
(on camera): Where do you think you would be if you weren't going through this program?
LEONARD ALVIS, CAFE RECONCILE STUDENT: Yes, I would be somewhere in jail somewhere because I was -- I was really a wreck. I was a real wreck.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Cafe Reconcile is a safe place for these young students, but life outside this kitchen isn't safe. Two months ago, Sister Mary Lou got a phone call that made her question whether she could go on.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was horrible. I threw up my arms, said I was done.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Amazing. That was Ed Lavandera reporting. Tomorrow, Ed continues the story of Cafe Reconcile. We'll find out what made Sister Mary Lou want to walk away from the cafe and introduce you to a Cafe Reconcile student you will never forget, that's tomorrow on AMERICAN MORNING.
CHO: Great story. It's 31 minutes after the hour. Top stories now.
The Indiana State Fair reopens in just about 90 minutes. The day will begin with a memorial service. Five people were killed, 45 others injured Saturday night when high winds caused a concert stage canopy to collapse right on to the audience.
Earlier on AMERICAN MORNING, we spoke to Jenna Gioe, an eyewitness. She was sitting just a few rows from the stage when the wind kicked up and the scaffolding came crashing down.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNA GIOE, WITNESSED STAGE COLLAPSE: What we saw is after they changed the set from the opening act, they had come on to the stage and they had let us know that there was some severe weather coming our way.
They were going to try to proceed with the concert. They gave us an evacuation plan. And then they said to just hang time, they were going to try to continue on and Sugarland should start in just couple of minutes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: At least 69 people were killed. More than 180 were injured in a string of violent attacks across Iraq. Police are reporting at least 13 blasts across that country. Most of the attacks were targeting security forces. The violence coming just weeks after Iraq's leaders agreed to request U.S. troops stay beyond a January 1st, 2012 deadline.
CHO: Today, President Obama travels to Minnesota to begin a three-day bus tour across the Midwest. This afternoon, he'll hold a town hall event in Cannon Falls. The president then heads to Iowa for a second town hall meeting tonight.
COSTELLO: There are new concerns this morning that the technology on those classified stealth helicopters used in the Bin Laden raid, may have fallen into the hands of the Chinese. That's according to a report in the "Financial Times."
Our Barbara Starr is live at the Pentagon. Barbara, so how did China get to take a look at this chopper, which was downed in Pakistan?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Carol, we don't know really that they did. That's the suspicion, though, and the "Financial Times" article outlined it again.
This has been on the table, really, ever since those photos emerged of the stealth helicopter crashed into the Bin Laden compound. Pakistani officials have denied it. U.S. officials say they just don't know.
When that helicopter crashed, what was left behind was some of the United States' most classified technology about stealth. That, of course, is the technology that allows a helicopter, a plane, to go into air space and not be detected by radar.
What U.S. officials are telling us, is basically they have to assume the worst, but they don't know. You know, how would they know? But if it's classified technology, it's sitting in that compound in Pakistan, and it is not under your control.
You have to assume it's compromised. That's been their working assumption. Pakistan has denied it and the U.S. says, well, we're going to have to assume it is, but we don't know for sure.
That means they assume that the Chinese have seen it, photographed it, maybe even taken samples of it. It's the assumption the Chinese have a lot of interest in stealth military technology. Carol --
COSTELLO: And the theory is, that Pakistan was so upset that the U.S. came into its country to get Osama Bin Laden. That it allowed China to look at this piece of the helicopter?
STARR: Well, upset about it, but also, you know, don't forget, as I know you're well aware, Pakistan and China have a very close military relationship at times. There would be a lot of interest on both sides.
What the Chinese would have is the ability to sort of reverse engineer it, look at it, figure out how it works and see if they could make the same thing. Of course then that would be something Pakistan might be very interested in buying back from the Chinese. Carol --
COSTELLO: Barbara Starr, live at the Pentagon, thanks, as always.
Still to come this morning, rider info and passwords leaked. The hacker group "Anonymous" making good on its threat to attack Bart, San Francisco's transportation system taking credit for an on-line attack. What do they have in store next?
CHO: And an E. coli scare you need to know about. It's got one meat distributor recalling 60,000 pounds of beef. We've got the details you need to know.
COSTELLO: And if you're fed up with life in the big city? We have the best small cities in America in which to live. You are watching AMERICAN MORNING. It's 35 minutes past the hour.
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COSTELLO: It's 38 minutes past the hour. Good morning. Welcome back. We've got an exclusive look this morning at some of the best places to live in America. The small town gems.
CHO: That's right. "Money" magazine has spent months crunching the numbers and coming up with the best 100 small cities to call home. You can read all about it in the latest issue. You can find it online at cnnmoney.com.
But here now with the top five is Beth Fenner, she's assistant managing editor at "Money" magazine and she helped pick the cities.
So you've been doing this for a very long time at the magazine and you say small cities is the focus because that's where most of America lives, right? So what's the criteria?
BETH FENNER, "MONEY" ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR: So we basically looked at what the typical American family would want in place to live. You want a place that's affordable, low crime, good schools, good health care, lots to do and especially now, you want fiscal stability. You want a lot of jobs and you don't want your taxes to go up.
COSTELLO: You mean, places like that exist in America?
FENNER: That's why it takes us a while.
COSTELLO: We're going to count backwards from five to one. So let's start with Papilian, Nebraska.
FENNER: Now, it's near Omaha, so it's not as isolated as you may think when you hear Nebraska. It is an amazing jobs picture there. That's where it really stands out. So agriculture is booming. It's right in the middle of corn fields and so forth and you're also near all the jobs in Omaha commuting distance. So it's amazingly low unemployment there.
CHO: Number four is, Leesburg, Virginia, about 40 miles from D.C. And you say that Leesburg is a hidden gem, why?
FENNER: It is. It's an adorable historic town. Lot of Antebellum brick buildings and again, the jobs of D.C., which is doing quite well are within commuting distance.
COSTELLO: I like this one. Solon, Ohio because I've been there. I mean, it's very small, the population is only about 23,000. And the unemployment rate is 8.2 percent, which when compared to the national average is below, but still not great.
FENNER: Well, that's pretty good. And, in fact when you look at the other -- really you have to give -- it's about 9 percent on average. For the Midwest that's pretty good.
Solon, I mean, there's a branch of the Cleveland Clinic there, near Cleveland. There's a big tax base of businesses in town. The schools are the best in the state bar none. They have a philharmonic orchestra, which is kind of amazing.
COSTELLO: Cleveland has a pretty good orchestra, I know that.
CHO: Number two is Milton, Massachusetts. Not far from Boston. You say the prices of single family homes in Milton has pretty much remained unchanged, which is remarkable. A big part is because they have really good schools, right?
FENNER: They're amazingly good. I mean, there's a French immersion program that starts when the kids are very young. It's right next to Boston. The negative is it's kind of expensive to buy homes, but the arts and culture, the health care, everything else is such a high level in Milton they made the number two slot.
COSTELLO: I feel like we need a drum roll for number one. I don't know if we have one. But Lewisville, Colorado, another place I've never heard of, but I want to go there.
FENNER: This is actually their second time on the peak at the number one slot at our list. In every area you can imagine they're amazing. Recreation, the Rocky Mountains are right there, really good school, lots of businesses, tech, green energy, a variety of employers. It's an adorable town.
CHO: You say it's like stepping back into the 1950s, right?
FENNER: Super friendly. It's so cute. I want to move there.
CHO: Exactly.
COSTELLO: It's strange, because you know I've recently read that the trend is for people to move back into the big cities, but you're saying maybe that's not the best idea.
FENNER: Well the thing is, you don't have to live in a big city to benefit from big city amenities. Drive in or consider a place more removed. It's not like life ends when you leave a big city.
COSTELLO: All right. You're in for a small town.
FENNER: That's right.
COSTELLO: Beth Fenner, many thanks. Thank you for joining us.
CHO: A girl who spends time in New York City and Washington, D.C.
COSTELLO: I know, but I live in Baltimore.
CHO: That's true.
COSTELLO: For a full list of the top 100 cities, small cities in America, in which to live, logon to CNNmoney.com. Coming up next, a look at the morning headlines.
CHO: Then new research shows that autism runs in families, much more so than previously believed. We'll explain. It's 43 minutes after the hour. We're back after this.
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COSTELLO: Forty-six minutes past the hour. A lot is going on this morning.
Here's what you need to know to start your day:
The Indiana state fair reopens in just over an hour. Five people killed Saturday night and 40 others injured when winds gusting close to 70 miles per hour caused a concert stage canopy to collapse on the audience.
The Syrian navy attacking its own town, shelling the coastal city of Latakia yesterday. It's part of a crackdown on anti- government protesters. At least 21 people were killed. The opposition says three of them were children.
A former Pennsylvania judge sentenced to 28 years for his part in a "kids for cash" scheme which unjustly incarcerated juveniles. A mother who blames his actions for her son's suicide says it's justice.
The hacking group Anonymous strikes BART, San Francisco's transit system. It appears passenger information was posted online, including names and phone numbers. BART is also warning riders about a protest that Anonymous has planned for today.
Sixty thousand pounds of beef recalled. National Beef Packing Company says it may be tainted with E. coli. The bacteria discovered during routine testing. So far, no illnesses reported.
And you're saving money at the gas pump, really. According to the latest Lundberg survey, the national average is now 3.61 a gallon. That's down almost a dime over the past few weeks.
You're now caught up on the day's headlines. AMERICAN MORNING is back in 60 seconds.
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CHO: Forty-nine minutes after the hour. Some surprising news in your A.M. house call this morning.
A growing body of evidence that autism runs in families. New research suggests the chance of having a second child with autism is much higher than originally thought and could be as high as 26 percent if that second child is a boy.
Alycia Halladay is the director of environmental research for Autism Speaks, an advocacy group that helped pay for the study.
So, Alycia, there have been so many startling statistics with respect to autism in recent years. Why is this study important? And what does it say?
ALYCIA HALLADAY, AUTISM SPEAKS: This is an update from the past 10 years or so that put the recurrence rate of siblings at 3 percent to 10 percent. So this number of 19 percent is a lot higher than previously reported.
CHO: And we're talking about for younger siblings of children with autism, correct?
HALLADAY: Right. This is even much higher than the rate we see in the general population, which is 1 in 110. This is now one in one in five.
CHO: So, what should parents with children with autism who have younger children did to know in terms of testing their younger children -- how soon should they do it and what should they do?
HALLADAY: It's never too early to take them to the pediatrician to have their child's developments for milestones monitored. Some of the early signs of autism don't really emerged until six to 12 months. But it's never too early to start looking.
CHO: So, what should parents be looking for then?
HALLADAY: There are some early signs, such as reduced babbling at six months and lack of response to name at 12 months. But a full list can be found on the Autism Speaks Web site, where parents cannot only se the signs, but also look through the video glossary, where they can get a better view of what those signs are.
CHO: This is such a touchy subject. I have very good friends who have twins. The son is severely autistic. The daughter is perfectly healthy. And yet they consciously made the decision not to have more children.
What would you advise parents to do who have a child who is autistic and are thinking about having more children? Would you advise them not to have more children?
HALLADAY: I would advise them to think of talking to their doctor, to each other and making that decision.
CHO: But what would you do?
HALLADAY: What would I do? The risk is, say, one in five -- the risk for having a child. It's now four in five for not having a child affected by autism. So, it's really a very personal decision.
CHO: Right. Let's talk a little bit about the causes of autism. Obviously, there's so many dollars now, thankfully --
HALLADAY: Yes.
CHO: -- being put into trying to determine a cause.
HALLADAY: Yes.
CHO: There's this whole vaccine debate. Where do we stand on that?
HALLADAY: This study doesn't really look at what the causes are outside of family history which is, again, shown to be a very strong risk factor. However, there are studies that are ongoing across the country that are looking at prenatal risk factors, environmental risk factors for autism.
CHO: But in terms of the vaccine debate, I just want to remind our viewers, where do we stand on that?
HALLADAY: The Autism Speaks, and we have a statement on the Web -- it maintains that the epidemiological evidence does not show a link in the general population between vaccines and autism.
CHO: And why do you think it's still out there then? Because this has been repeated many times now, right?
HALLADAY: Parents definitely report changes in their child's behavior sometimes after the point at which they receive that either 12 to 18-month vaccine. Not all, but some. And as we're now seeing, those are about when the signs start to develop, behavioral signs.
CHO: And back to this study because I want to be clear that the study did not show that older siblings of children with autism are at an increased risk, correct?
HALLADAY: It looked at -- the sample they drew from was specifically --
CHO: Younger?
HALLADAY: Those with an older child, and then, there was an older child who was asked, they received a diagnosis and then they were looking at the outcomes of that younger child.
CHO: Got it. All right. Alycia Halladay with Autism Speaks -- we thank you for joining us.
HALLADAY: Thank you.
CHO: Carol?
COSTELLO: Now is your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day.
Today, President Obama hits the heartland. His three-day bus tour will take him through Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois. The White House says the president wants to hear from the Americans who are angry about the economy and the political gridlock.
So, we ask you the question today: What does President Obama need to tell Middle America?
Here are some of your responses.
This from Leigh, "Obama needs to tell the American middle class that he was wrong. None of his big-money programs have nurtured the economy. Instead, they have choked it into almost another recession. He needs to tell the American people that he will cut corporate taxes to bring American companies back home and cut payroll taxes so employers have an incentive to hire."
He actually did cut payroll taxes.
This from Sohail, "Nothing he can say will help struggling Americans like myself. He told us he wanted us to know in 2007. Now, it's time for some action. I would be happy if he pushed for tax hikes or tax reform for the richest Americans."
And this from Fred, "Two words, you're hired."
Keep the comments coming. Facebook.com/AmericanMorning. We'll read your thoughts a little later.
CHO: Certainly no shortage of comments this morning.
COSTELLO: No.
CHO: Whenever you talk about politics and your money, you know?
And the president, of course, we should remind our viewers, is headed on a road trip this morning. And our Wolf Blitzer will be with him. He will be interviewing the president. And that interview will be on CNN tomorrow, on "THE SITUATION ROOM."
Still to come this morning, fighting back with the facts. A group of Muslim Americans now advertising a new way to educate people about the beliefs of 1.6 billion people around the world. Just call 877-WHY-ISLAM.
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