Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Sunday Morning

Tornadoes Kill at Least 37; Snowe Not Seeking New Term; Japan After One Year

Aired March 04, 2012 - 06:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN ANCHOR: It's 32 minutes past the hour. Welcome back. I'm Gary Tuchman. Thank you very much for starting your day with us.

At least 37 people are confirmed dead after tornadoes hit several states impacting an estimated 17 million people. National Guard troops have been deployed to Indiana and Kentucky. President Obama has pledged federal assistance to state officials.

Ohio Governor John Kasic echoing the sentiments of many of those affected saying "We're knocked down, but we're not knocked out." One of the hardest hit areas was in southern Indiana, seen as Athena Jones in Henryville, Indiana, of course, this morning. Athena, good morning to you, and what's going on there right now?

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Gary. Well, today officials tell us here in Henryville that they're going to be focus on clean-up efforts. You can see behind me there's going to be a lot to clean up. They're also going to be focusing on trying to get some of the services back in order.

We saw electricity workers out last night working on power lines, but, meanwhile, the families here, families who have been affected, are still grappling with their loss, loss of property, injured loved ones. We spoke to one young mother yesterday who lost her home. Let's listen to what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TUESDAY GUERNSEY, TORNADO SURVIVOR: We nothing. Our place was completely devastated, and there was nothing left. I mean, everything I have on is not mine. It's been borrowed. Probably the worst part was not knowing if anything my kids and my husband were OK or any of my family.

Finally, made it to my road and right up my road and found my husband with the debris, and then he told me my kids were OK. Well, my prayers have been answered. I asked the lord you could take everything from me, but my family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: And now this woman, Tuesday Guernsey, her story is not unusual. She said that the lord answered her prayers, and she, in fact, lived in a modular home and she lived on the street, the one street here in Henryville where there was a fatality in this town. So her family was certainly blessed. There was another family about 20 miles southwest of here who also lived in a modular home, four members of that family were killed. The one remaining survivor, a 20-month- old Angel Babcock is in Louisville Children's Hospital in critical condition. Her young mother and father 21 years old, 20 years old and her two young siblings were all killed in the storm on Friday. Family and friends of that family spoke with the media. Let's listen to what they had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's very hard to imagine that it happens to the all of them. (INAUDIBLE) was a month and a half old and she was in her car seat upside down. (INAUDIBLE) is two years old and he was found under the rubble.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: Now, family and friends say that the Babcock family did not have insurance, and so there's been a fund set up, called the Babcock family fund at the Bank of America that people can donate to help pay for funeral costs and to put into a trust for Angel who they're hoping that she recovers. Back to you, Gary.

TUCHMAN: Athena, so devastatingly sad. Thank you for joining us. We'll talk to you later this morning.

It's now time to check some of our other top stories. Mitt Romney won the Washington caucuses last night. He carried 38 percent of the vote versus 25 percent for second place finisher Ron Paul. That means Romney gets the lion's share of Washington state's 40 delegates.

President Obama speaks to the APAC conference today. APAC is the largest Jewish lobbying organization in the United States. The president has come under fire recently for his stance on Middle East peace and on Iran. We'll have much more on APAC and the importance of the president's speech a little later in the show.

In Washington, it seems like there's very little room for compromise across the aisle. That reality led to a surprise announcement this past week for Maine Republican Senator Olympia Snowe. She's not going run for a fourth term. CNN senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash has more on what that means.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Flashback, September 2009.

SEN. OLYMPIA SNOWE (R), MAINE: I want to do my job, and our job is to sit here and do it as long as it takes.

BASH: A frustrated Olympia Snowe out on a limb working with democrats on health care reform. SNOWE: And people in this country are rightfully worried as to whether or not we can possibly get this right.

BASH: Snowe was the only Republican to vote for the president's health care plan in this committee. She ultimately opposed the bill, and was the last Republican trying to work across the aisle on the issue. It makes her surprise retirement announcement so telling.

SNOWE: People deeply frustrated and angry by the inability of, you know, elected officials here in Washington to get together.

BASH: The Maine Republican tells CNN even she can no longer stomach the partisanship.

SNOWE: It's an all or nothing proposition, and that failure, think, has really eroded public's confidence about the direction of this country.

BASH: Just eight years ago Snowe was part of the gang of 14. Bipartisan senators trying to unblock judicial nominees. Now centrists like Snowe are already a rare breed, and five other moderate senators are also leaving this year, including Joe Lieberman.

SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (I), CONNECTICUT: People are sort of pulled apart by this process and end up in worrying camps.

BASH: In recent partisan years Snowe's attempts to find compromise sometimes angered both parties. In 2007 she challenged the Bush Iraq policy.

SNOWE: The administration has not placed the emphasis on the political resolution. It's absolutely essential.

BASH: And during the health care battle when democratic negotiators try to woo her -

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) I'm for her.

BASH: Some liberal democrats lashed out.

REP. LYNN WOOLSEY (D), CALIFORNIA: This is the United States of America. This is not the United States of Maine.

BASH: After 33 years in Congress, Snowe knows her departure is a bad omen for the institution she still loves.

SNOWE: Even in the most perilous times facing our country, we couldn't get together.

BASH (on camera): Snowe says she still sees the need for a vital political center in this country, but she can't see running for another term and spending six more years on an increasingly fruitless effort to get things done in what she calls the lowest common denominator, politics.

Dana Bash, CNN, Capitol Hill. (END VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: Thank you, Dana.

It's been almost a year since Japan faced down a monster quake, a killer tsunami, and a nuclear disaster. Ahead, we're taking you inside the crippled Fukushima power plant. Find out why it's still vulnerable.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TUCHMAN: We are one week away from the one-year anniversary of the day that everything changed in Japan. On March 11th, 2011, a powerful earthquake triggered a monster tsunami. A wall of water swept over Japan's northeast coast sweeping away everything in its path. This unbelievable video watching that night and that day.

Nearly 20,000 people died in Japan. A teenager shot this video of the water engulfing his town. Another young man was clinging to a telephone wire screaming for help. The teen threw down the camera, waded into the water and carried him to safety. After the tsunami hit just one day after it hit I saw the damage it caused firsthand in a city that was nearly erased.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN (on camera): This is (INAUDIBLE) Japan. About three miles from the Pacific Ocean. Never in my career of covering natural disasters have I seen a town so utterly pulverized. Just completely mowed down. But this is not from the earthquake. This is from the tsunami.

And we know that because this is where the water stopped on its way from the ocean. If you go to the half a mile away from here, a half a mile to the west, there is absolutely no damage whatsoever in the nearby neighborhoods. But here there's nothing left. We see cars. We see trucks. We see motor homes. Trees. Personal belongings of people all over the place. They come from all over this town of 20,000 people.

Now, there are still thousands of people unaccounted for. That doesn't mean they're all dead. It doesn't mean they're all hurt. It's hard to keep track of people. The fact is there are still many bodies under this rubble.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: The tsunami caused Japan's worst ever nuclear disaster. It crippled the Fukushima Daichi nuclear plant. Three reactors melted down and radiation leaked. 80,000 people had to flee the area. Reporters, including CNN's Kyung Lah were allowed into the stricken plant just last week.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A year after these reactors at the Fukushima nuclear plant exploded in a triple meltdown, reporters were reminded this is still one of the most hazardous places on the planet. We wore head to toe protective gear, full facial respirator and hazmat suits. Then we drove up to the world's worst nuclear accident in 25 years.

(on camera): This is our first look on the ground at the reactors. This is the heart of the nuclear problem in Japan. What you are seeing over my shoulder are the reactors. There are four of them. The two that you see over my right shoulder, those are two of the reactors that exploded in the early days of this disaster.

When you take a look at the reactors, you can see that they have a long way to go. This is a year after this disaster, and you can see that the force of the explosion crippled those buildings? You can understand how so much radiation spewed from this point when you are standing here.

(voice-over): An army of 3,000 workers are now here daily in shifts to control the melted nuclear fuel and contain the further spread of the radiation. Inside the on site crisis management building at the plant a control center monitors the progress and safety 24 hours a day.

TAKESHI TAKAHASHI, FUKUSHIMA PLANT MANAGER (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): The highest risk we still see is if something goes wrong with the reactor says plant manager, Takeshi Takahashi. The plant is in cold shutdown, but the nuclear fuel needs constant cooling, and the situation is far from over.

LAH: TEPCO says the plant won't be decommissioned for at least 30 to 40 years. The challenges evident as we drive around the Fukushima plant. Debris still mangled from the tsunami sits untouched because of radiation concerns. These blue tanks and these larger gray ones hold water contaminated with radiation. TEPCO is continuously challenged with finding more space for the water. Work conditions and safety, while they've improved since the early days of the disaster, remain a constant concern.

Kyung Lah at the Fukushima nuclear plant.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: Kyung Lah has done amazing courageous work over the last year, and so has everyone in our CNN Tokyo bureau. So a shout out to all of them.

Well, an actress killed off the show "Desperate Housewives" sues for wrongful termination. Nicolette Sheridan said her dispute with the show's creator all started over a slap. We'll talk about it next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TUCHMAN: "American Idol" has been the gold standard for a successful TV show for more than a decade now, but the singing competition that's made stars of Kelli Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood has been losing viewers. About five million people have tuned out from last season.

Joining me now is entertainment journalist John Murray. John, it's nice to have you here again.

JOHN MURRAY, ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST: Good morning, Gary.

TUCHMAN: Are people starting to, like, just get over this talent contest?

MURRAY: Well, it seems to be the case. Folks are tuning out, and surprisingly so now, "The Voice" is actually beating it in the ratings. It's not even just beating it in overall ratings, but it's outperforming it in key demographics. It seems like folks are bored with "American Idol."

TUCHMAN: So how is "The Voice" besting "American Idol?" How is that happening, do you think, with your expertise?

MURRAY: Well I think "The Voice" is now focused on talent. I mean it's all about the talent. You don't see the long lines. You don't see the people wearing the costumes who can't sing. If "American Idol" wants to survive - and I really think it's run its course - it has to get back to the singing. I suggest they do an all-star sing- in. Bring all-star season. Bring back some of the previous contestants from the past that didn't win. Super-size the prizes and then try it again.

TUCHMAN: Super-size the prizes. Sounds very fast food-ish of you, John. Meanwhile, on to another topic. On Oscar Sunday media mogul Sean Diddy Combs wrote this on Twitter. He said, "God has blessed me wit a nomination as a producer for the documentary "Undefeated." And then he added this tweet. He said, "God is greatest. Thank you, undefeated." What I want to ask you, John, he didn't actually win anything, did he?

MURRAY: He sure didn't, Gary. He went on to say "I got to promote my new TV network, and I won an Oscar today." But you can't win what you're not nominated for. I mean God is great, but he is not going to give you what belongs to somebody else. Apparently Diddy signed on to be a producer of this new film, the documentary "Undefeated." It was nominated for an Oscar before he signed on.

The announcement just came out on February 9th, which was two and a half weeks before the ceremony. So he went to support the film. He is trying to bring more visibility to the documentary, and he is involved in turning the documentary into a feature film. So he didn't win an Oscar. He kind of misled the public. I understand his excitement about the documentary, but you got to tell the truth, Diddy.

TUCHMAN: All right. Well, the former Puff Daddy may have puffed it up a little bit.

Meanwhile, let's move on to actress Nicolette Sheridan. We were just talking about her $4 million lawsuit against ABC's "Desperate Housewives." What do you know about that situation? MURRAY: Well, if you listen to Nicolette Sheridan, "Desperate Housewives" sounds more like the rural housewives of Beverly Hills. Now, she's mad because she said she was written out of the script. She is suing for wrongful termination, and she said that the show's crater Mark Sherry, hit her. Now, he said, well, "I did hit her, but it wasn't like she is saying." He said "I was rehearsing some lines with her. I was giving her an example of how I wanted her to execute one of the parts." Now, she claims that he got mad because she didn't like one of the scripts. There was some line in there with a reference to a Beatles song, and so she is saying that because she complained, because he struck her, and because she went to the brass about it, that's why he wrote her out of the script.

She was in court on Friday, and there's a report that said she kind of lost her cool during cross-examination when they accused her of embellishing the whole thing.

TUCHMAN: Is it a desperate lawsuit? Stay tuned. Right, John Murray?

MURRAY: Stay tuned, and her former co-stars will be testifying against her.

TUCHMAN: Yes. That will be good television fair in itself. John Murray, it's always good talking to you. Thank you very much, OK?

MURRAY: Thanks, Gary.

TUCHMAN: Well, a big speech today for President Barack Obama. He is speaking to the powerful Jewish-American group, APAC. What impact would this have on his re-election? We'll take a look next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TUCHMAN: Relations with Israel and issues with Iran highlight the president's day today. He is scheduled to speak this morning at APAC. A major meeting of the largest Jewish-American lobbying group. CNN chief White House correspondent Jessica Yellin has more on the stakes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the president prepares for a visit with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a much anticipated speech to APAC, an unexpected outburst at a New York fundraiser.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Change none - nobody has announced a war, young lady, so you're jumping the gun a little bit there.

YELLIN: But the Israeli prime minister was less reassuring.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: But the warnings that I and others have been giving over the years will materialize unless Iran is stopped. YELLIN: The president is trying to walk a fine line between voicing full-throated support for Israel. Yet, playing for time to head off a preemptive Israeli strike against Iran's nuclear program. He told the Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg "When I say we're not taking any option off the table, we mean it. That includes a political and economic, diplomatic and a military component. As president of the United States, I don't bluff." He added, "We've got Israel's back."

But Israeli leaders argue time is one thing they don't have. They say they fear their window to set back Iran's nuclear program is rapidly closing. Former ambassador Dennis Ross.

AMB. DENNIS ROSS, FORMER MIDEAST ENVOY: Both sides will want to talk, I think, about if, in fact, diplomacy gets underway, how much time does one give it? What are the chances of it succeeding? What are the signs that it's moving in the right direction?

YELLIN: Publicly, U.S. officials say they want more time.

HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I think it's probably smarter for us to be pressing on the sanctions and the negotiations.

YELLIN: Sabotage has also reportedly set back Iran's nuclear program. Iran believes Israel and the U.S. are behind it.

GEN. MARTIN DEMPSEY, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: We think that it's not prudent at this point to decide to attack Iran. I mean, that's been our counsel to our allies, the Israelis, well known, well documented.

YELLIN: Officials here insist the president's relationship with Netanyahu is far healthier than their prickly public display. Remember when the Israeli leader lectured the president in the Oval Office?

ROSS: I believe that they have a professional relationship. I choose those words deliberately. They have a relationship where they do business together.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

YELLIN: The president says he does not expect the Israeli leader to ask for a U.S. commitment to join any Israeli attack against Iran. At the same time U.S. officials do not necessarily expect any advance warning if Israel does decide to attack. Gary.

TUCHMAN: Jessica, thank you very much.

We'll get back to the tornadoes in just a moment. This morning we're focusing on the survivor stories. As we look for ways to recover their lives in the middle of the debris.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)