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Kentucky Severe Weather; Obama Economic Stimulus Plan; Iraqis Vote
Aired January 31, 2009 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MELISSA LONG, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: Today we are talking about the nasty weather, no heat, no hot water. That's when hundreds of thousands of people from the plains to Maine are facing in the wake of a deadly winter storm. Food and shelter are at a premium. We're seeing the worst of it today in Kentucky. More than half a million businesses and homes still in the dark, today. Four people have died from carbon monoxide poisoning trying to stay warm and the governor is touring some of the hardest-hit communities, today. Earlier he expressed thanks for the help in Kentucky.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV STEVEN BESHEAR, KENTUCKY: We've got power crews that the utilities are bringing in from all over the place. We obviously waived any requirements for their trucks to stop at the border on these weigh stations. They're rolling in fast. The Red Cross and other private organizations are doing a wonderful job. FEMA is in here working with us and trying to move stuff in here as rapidly as we can.
Everybody is really pitching in, and I think we're moving about as fast as we can.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LONG: And that was the voice of the governor. The governor says he hopes to visit Louisville tomorrow and that's where CNN's Susan Candiotti is braving the nasty elements.
Susan, how are you doing? How's everybody there doing?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Melissa. Well, the sunshine feels awfully good, but it is still very, very cold here, temperatures only in the teens perhaps getting only into the 20s. It could be another seven to 10 days, Melissa, before power is restored to every part of the state, but they are making progress as you heard the governor say.
Yesterday 700,000 customers without electricity and now that number is down to a half million. Some of the hardest-hit areas are indeed in the western part of the state and as you also heard them say they're trying to get them water and more generators, as well. But, the long ter takes to get things back to normal for some people, the more frustration there is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MAYOR JERRY ABRAHAMSON, LOUISVILLE, KY: A lot of folks are going through some pretty tough economic times and then to throw on top of them the situation of having to move out of their house and having to find shelter with a friend, with family, at their church or here at one of our centers ends up being really difficult for them emotionally, mentally, but you know, everybody's soldiering through it as best we can.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: Aand in fact, we're in front of one of those shelters in Louisville where we met the Rowe family, father and daughter, a few kids here and they talk about how rough it is to get through this, but it's also been a learning experience for 16-year-old Angela Roe.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANGELA ROWE, STAYING WITH FAMILY IN SHELTER: It's been eye-opening seeing people of all walks of life reach out to the person next to them and help them with whatever they may need. And the Red Cross people have been phenomenal with making sure everyone has their needs met. Anything from people who have to be in the infirmary ward on the first floor to women and children on the third, you know, there's a lot of people, just that it's really good to have that help given to them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: She's learning quite a bit.
Temperatures here are expected to rise tomorrow possibly into the 40s and that could certainly do a great deal to help melt some of the ice that is on top of many power lines and trees, as well. But as some of those branches snap off as the snow and ice melt, they could also fall on houses or on additional power lines and potentially cause even more damage.
Melissa, back to you.
LONG: It's nice that we could have the warmer temperatures, though, for people that have been bitterly cold. We've heard reports that some people may not have their power back on for weeks, up to six weeks. Is that a real reality right now?
CANDIOTTI: It depends on what part of the state you're talking about, but they are getting help from outside the state. Utility crews coming in just as they do during hurricanes to help the state of Kentucky out.
So, potentially, some areas that are harder to get to where there are more power outages and for others, it could take longer. For others, seven to 10 days. But sometimes they do try to estimate on the upside and hopefully they can get it done a little sooner than that.
LONG: More conservative estimate, got it. Susan Candiotti, braving the elements for us from Louisville, Kentucky. Susan, thank you. Now, much of nearby Litchfield, has been in the dark for days now. Sheila Bullock, one of the hundred who left her homes in search of warmth. She is now at a shelter and joins us live on the line.
Thanks so much for your time, Sheila.
SHEILA BULLOCK, STAYING IN LEITCHFIELD SHELTER: You're welcome.
LONG: So, I understand you have been back and forth, you went to your home, you went to a hotel, you went to and in-laws and then you've ended up at this shelter. Tell us about the last few days and what it's been like for you.
BULLOCK: It's been pretty difficult. I have a 9-1/2-month-old baby and we've been to my in-laws, a hotel and everywhere has lost power and we finally came to the shelter last night and it just -- it's been difficult.
LONG: You mentioned you have a 9-1/2-month-old baby. Have you been able to get all of the necessities you need to care for your child?
BULLOCK: Yeah.
LONG: And how is -- I don't know if you have a little girl or little boy, but how is he or she doing and how are you holding up, right now.
BULLOCK: She's doing pretty good and I'm doing fairly well.
LONG: We've heard reports that it may take some time to get power back on. I know you tried on get to your house, but I understand you can't, there's something in the way. So, what are you planning over the next few days?
BULLOCK: Well, there's a telephone pole in our driveway, but we're planning to go to some relatives out of town. They're going to come and pick us up and we'll go up there and stay with them until we can get power and everything.
LONG: All right. So, you're relying on relatives to find some warmth and to get some food and some shelter, obviously, aside from the shelter. What has it been like for you in the shelter? A moment ago, we heard someone else who's relying on that shelter to have a warm place to stay. Have you been able to mingle much with people there? Are you getting what you need? Are you getting support you need?
BULLOCK: Yeah, we're getting the help that we need and everything. And we've talked to several people that are staying here.
LONG: Sheila Bullock is joining us live on the line from Litchfield, Kentucky, after being stuck out of her home, of course, because of the nasty weather and the utilities that have been shut off. She has a 9- 1/2-month-old and looks like she's going to be moving on to be cared for with some relatives.
Sheila thanks so much, best to you and best to your 9-1/2-month-old little girl, as well. Stay warm. Now, weather is not believed to be a factor that happened in a bus wreck, tour bus wreck, yesterday. It's left seven people dead, five more people in critical care in the hospital. The bus, carrying Chinese tourists, toppled over Friday afternoon near Arizona's Hoover Dam. Six people, there, died at the scene, a seventh in the hospital.
The bus driver is believed to be among the critically injured. And a motorcyclist was also hurt when trying to avoid that bus.
Six people dead in a plane crash Friday near the West Virginia/Ohio state line. The plane crashed two miles from the Huntington/West Virginia Airport after a pilot issued a may day call after it was low on fuel. The plane hit a power line as it went down.
There were more suspicious fires in Pennsylvania, overnight. Investigators are looking at three new fires near Coatesville, that's 45 miles west of Philadelphia. There have been at least 17 suspected arson fires in Coatesville this month. People are being told keep your porches clear, keep your outside lights on at night.
Military is now asking service members to throw away any treats that contain or possibly contain peanut butter. It comes as the Food and Drug Administration has launched a criminal investigation into the company at the center of the salmonella outbreak linked to peanut butter.
The company has issued a statement. It says in part, "We at Peanut Corporation of America express our deepest and most sincere empathy for those sickened in the salmonella outbreak and their families. Our top priority has been and will continue to be to ensure the public safety and to work promptly to remove all potentially contaminated products out of the marketplace."
That again, an official statement from Peanut Cooperation of America.
Let's get a little bit more on the weather forecast. We're talking about the nasty weather in Kentucky. So much nasty weather, really, up into Maine, and I understand there's another storm on the way, possibly into next week? Let's bring in meteorologist, Reynolds Wolf, who joins us live from the CNN Weather Center.
Reynolds, they're hoping for some good news, but at the same time if we get the warmer temperatures, of course this causes all of the melting.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Exactly. And the melting is not a bad thing. The issue that we have is that you have so many places that are without power right now, the warmer temperature is certainly going to be a good thing, but we're only talking about highs going up into the 40s and then you have a lot of trees in places like Kentucky and back into Ohio where you have -- a lot of the trees have been damaged by, of course, the ice. With the storm system we're expecting next time we're going to see some very strong winds, so the trees that have already been damaged, well, they can probably get knocked over due to the winds we're expecting in a matter of days. Right now, 21 degrees in Lexington, 16 in Cincinnati, 11 in Pittsburgh, 24 in Baltimore, the nation's capital, 27 degrees, 49 degrees in Birmingham. You notice the cold air comes to a screeching halt in its invasion of the southeast, right here in Nashville, 42 is about as low as it goes. But then, what we do anticipate for the day, as I mentioned, fairly mild day, plenty of sunshine across much of the southeast, but when you get into the Great Lakes, some scattered snow showers possible, especially back into portions of Wisconsin, back into Minnesota, everything's dry from the central plains and then into the Great Basin and West Coast.
Pacific Northwest, some scattered showers, but take a look at what we can expect as we get into Monday and Tuesday, even Wednesday of next week. A big trough develops in the jet stream, a lot of cold air begins to pile in through the Ohio Valley into the deep South and when that occurs, coupled with an area of low pressure, expected to form over parts of the Gulf Coast, severe storms in the Southeast. We're talking about major thunderstorms are certainly possible, severe storms, maybe even some hail, certainly a possibility of tornadoes.
Some coastal flooding could occur from the outer banks all of the way into New England. But then right behind it, the back side of the system, you get the cold air that's going to be moving right on through, very shallow layer, with the overrunning moisture that you'll get from the Gulf of Mexico and from the parts of the Atlantic, that where you could see some heavy snowfall, maybe a touch of ice, and of course, those near-blizzard conditions. So, not what they want to be dealing with, Melissa, in part of the Ohio Valley, but unfortunately, that certainly looks like it may be in the cards for many people.
LONG: All right, at least we've been warned, but you're right, it's exactly what they don't want to be hearing at this point. Thanks, Reynolds.
WOLF: You bet.
LONG: Pushing the stimulus, President Obama is challenging the Senate this morning. We're going to have a look right now at the president's schedule, today. President Obama used his weekly radio and Internet address to tout the need for transparency in the stimulus spending.
This afternoon, no scheduled events. Tonight however, the president is scheduled to attend the exclusive Alfalfa Dinner. The Alaska governor, Sarah Palin, is also going to be there in attendance. CNN's Elaine Quijano joins us live from the White House.
Hi, Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Melissa. That's right, President Obama used his weekly address to try to ratchet up the pressure on lawmakers to get them or to try to get them to get behind his more than $800 billion economic stimulus plan.
Now, as you know, that plan actually did go through the House, but it did so without Republican support. Now, it is heading towards the Senate where it is likely it will be facing some GOP opposition there, as well.
Now ahead of that, President Obama basically had a not-so-veiled message for Republican lawmakers. He said Americans are sick and tired of not only the bad economy, but also partisan gridlock in Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA (D), UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: Americans know that our economic recovery will take years, not months, but they will have little patience if we allow politics to get in the way of action and our economy continues to slide. That's why I am calling on the Senate to pass this plan, so that we can put people back to work and begin the long, hard work of lifting our economy out of this crisis.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Still, some Republicans insist that Americans are also worried about how the taxpayer dollars are being spent and they say that spending in this massive package, some of it, anyway, has simply got to go. They say that it won't jump-start the economy. In fact, Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell, said in a GOP address that in that bill there are so many items that look like what amounts to a $1 trillion Christmas list -- Melissa.
LONG: Well, of course, there are still some cabinet members that yet need to be finalized for the Obama administration. I understand there is a development, this morning, about the position of commerce secretary, a possible Republican.
QUIJANO: That's right. And in fact, an Obama administration official telling CNN just a short time ago, in fact, that Republican Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire is now the leading candidate to become commerce secretary and that a decision could come as early as Monday, according to this administration official.
Now, of course, this would be a critical move for the Obama administration. This commerce secretary post, a very important one, not only as the president tries to sell his economic stimulus plan, but also as the Obama administration tries to determine what now to do with the remaining $350 billion in the financial bailout plan. So, Senator Gregg could certainly play a role in being an ambassador as the Obama administration continues its outreach to Republicans - Melissa.
LONG: Elaine Quijano with an update for us from the White House, this morning. Elaine, thank you.
Tight security, strong voter turnout, Democracy in action in Iraq and eight babies, one mother. First we marveled at the story, but new details raising concern, today.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LONG: I hope you're having a nice Saturday it's 12:15 Eastern Time. For the second time since the fall of Saddam Hussein, Iraqis anything to the polls today voting in provincial elections and no matter who wins, today's election has to be considered a success with only two instances of violence reported. CNN's Arwa Damon is live with us from Baghdad with more on the story - Arwa.
ARWA DAMON, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Melissa. And many people here are actually going to be hailing today as a day that Iraq can be proud of. Iraqis themselves are also saying that they are proud to have taken part in today's vote and that is for a number of reasons.
What we have been seeing amongst Iraqis is an increased sense of awareness about what the voting process really means, about what elections are all about and many Iraqis we spoke to, going out today with a specific goal in mind of voting for a candidate or a party that they believe is actually going to be able to deliver them a better life.
Another key thing to mention in these elections is Sunni participation. In 2005, Iraq's Sunni population boycotted elections and analysts were saying that was a key contributing factor because of the political imbalances that it caused to the sectarian bloodshed that we saw rip this country apart, bringing the Sunni population into the fold, having them turn towards politics, is something that's very significant. This was a country that use to try to win its political battles at gunpoint and now many are hoping that today is perhaps a sign that it's going to try to do that through elections and through politics -- Melissa.
LONG: Sunni participants -- Sunni participation is certainly significant. But, what about the fact that we have women, not only participating, but going after some of the key positions?
DAMON: Well, you know, Melissa, it is all very interesting when it comes to the dynamics of the Sunni politics that take place, here. As you mentioned, they are going for key positions as is everyone who is taking part in this election, and that's where we come to another very significant point is that once we see the results from these elections, preliminary results expected within the next few days, official ones not before the end of this month, but when those results do come out there will, obviously, be winners and there will be losers and how those losers react is going to be very critical.
The United Nations, for example, fully expects that some of the losing parties are going to try to discredit the results and they are saying that how that plays out, if the results end up being credible and accepted across the board, that will defiantly will move the nation towards democracy. If they are not accepted, there is the concern that the political issues here could once again be resolved with violence.
LONG: The acceptance is such a critical part of this story and of these elections. Arwa Damon, live for us from Baghdad. Arwa, thank you.
Stop smoking programs, preventing a flu pandemic. It doesn't sound like it should be part of an economic stimulus plan, does it? But it is.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LONG: Important to know where the jobs are, President Barack Obama's stimulus plan goes before the Senate next week, this weekend, two senators are combing through the plan trying to delete items some consider pork projects. Who better to patiently -- you're such a patient guy -- wade though the specifics on this plan for us, than. Mr. Josh Levs.
Hi, josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Oh, lucky me, huh? I have been leafing through this thing. Have you seen how huge it is?.
LONG: Yes. Extensive.
LEVS: Let's zoom in here. I want everyone to see this. I mean, this the is version that everyone's been talking about. This version has 647 pages that you get to piece through. This is the version that went to the House and is the one that has a lot of things people are complaining about, many lawmakers. Also, we know 11 Democrats voted again it, as well.
I want to show you some of the points of contention and what it actually says about it. The Smithsonian, for starters -- $150 million for the Smithsonian for deferred maintenance projects and for repair, revitalization and alteration of facilities.
Then there's this one, $600 million for the acquisition of motor vehicles that includes plug-in and alternate offive vehicles for the federal motor vehicle fleet. Here's another one, $335 million for domestic HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted diseases, and tuberculosis prevention programs.
And one more here, this is getting a lot of attention -- $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts to fund arts projects and activities which preserve jobs in the non-profit arts sector.
And the thing is, Melissa, for any of these you can see an argument how it could an economic boost, but one person's pork, you know, is another person's job. And really the question right now isn't in general what's a good project, it's what belongs in this specific stimulus bill. Will these stimulate the economy? That's the debate to focus on.
LONG: Well, I know you're always connecting with our viewers and they have been writing in about that very topic.
LEVS: Yeah, they have big time, today, weekends@cnn.com. Let me show you some of the ones we've been getting, here. A lot of them criticizing the Republicans who voted against it.
We'll start off here, Renee in Tampa says, "The stimulus bill is for the people. No one complained when Bush give away the store. At least we'll know where this is going."
Here's another one similar. "The GOP thinks anything other than tax caught is an earmark/pork exception. Exception: if the earmark/pork is in their district," from Barb, in Arlington, Virginia.
But, from the opposite side, F. Zeuner write, "Of course, it's all pork." And something similar, "I do not think the politicians would allow the taxpayers to do what they're doing. Would it would it be OK for an average Joe just to borrow an amount so much more that he was bringing in to get out of debt," from J. Fox. Not Jamie Fox, different J. Fox.
You can keep weighing in here, weekends@cnn.com and we will keep bringing you some of the responses, are right here (INAUDIBLE).
LONG: You know, we started the segment saying you were patiently going through all of the information. Would your wife say that you're patient?
LEVS: No. No, let's give her a call, but I don't think so.
LONG: I was going according to the script. I just wanted to make sure.
LEVS: Well, I appreciate that that was written for me.
LONG: Thanks Josh.
LEVS: Thank you.
LONG: Well, whether you happen to be a fat cat or average worker we want to hear from you about this. What are you doing to keep your job or find a new one? E-mail your thoughts to weekends@cnnN.com or you can also send us an iReport, go to ireport.com and submit your story, right now. The reason, 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, today, we're going to dedicate our entire hour to job seekers. We're going to be talking about finding a new job, coping with a job loss, learning how to reinvent yourself, as well. That and much more in the 4:00 p.m. hour of CNN NEWSROOM.
High hopes and a fresh start, a new face of the GOP and eight little babies now raising some serious ethical questions.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LONG: Just turning on your television, here are some of the stories happening at half past the hour. President Barack Obama is turning up the pressure senators who might vote against his economic stimulus plan. Mr. Obama says Americans are sick of the economic mess and partisan gridlock, but opponents say spending and the massive plan will not do enough to jolt the economy back to life.
More than half a million people are without power in Kentucky. At least nine deaths in the state have been linked to this ice storm. Emergency workers are struggling to reach people in the remote areas. One local official says National Guardsmen who were called out had no chainsaws to clear the trees that had fallen.
And what kind of a mess are the crews dealing with? Let's bring in CNN meteorologist Reynolds Wolf who joins us now from the CNN Weather Center.
Of course, they're dealing with the mess and they're dealing with the freezing and then, of course, the melting that could happen because we're talking about warmer temperatures way above freezing.
WOLF: Well, I've got something even worse for your than that and that would be just the broken trees. I mean, think about it, these trees are in such a weakened state. Just your average tree, say of 40 feet, can weigh several tons, four or even five tons depending on how thick the ice would be. And the ice on many of those branches are up to an inch thick so a huge, huge issue.
One of the huge problems that we have with the trees that are in that weakened state, as we were talking about in the last half hour is the idea that we may see blizzard-like conditions for parts of the Midwest and into the Ohio Valley. So, with the weakened trees and you have the shallow rot systems, these tall trees, the big, expansive branches, even without the leaves and you have the strong winds, almost like a sail on a clipper ship. So, there is a chance that you may have these trees fall over, hit those power lines that have been fixed and then as you will see repeated blackouts. So, certainly terrible conditions, no question about it.
Right now at this time, temperatures are into the teens, into the 20s, we're expecting it to warm up in many places like Cincinnati and back to Louisville, into I'd say the 30s, maybe some 40s, say. and that is going to do some good. That's going to help melt things, so that is a tremendous advantage for people that are out there trying to restore the power and get life back to normal.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MELISSA LONG, CNN ANCHOR: Another one of President Obama's cabinet picks having some tax troubles. Former Senator Tom Daschle the nominee for health and human services secretary. Daschle recently paid $150,000 in back taxes and interest amid questions about his consulting work and the use of a borrowed car and driver. The senate finance committee has been reviewing Daschle's records and is expected to meet on Monday, but the move is not expected to derail his nomination to the post.
The Republican National Committee has elected its first African- American chairman. Former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele was chosen as the new face of the GOP after six heavily contended rounds of voting. The party chose Steele over four other candidates including former President Bush's handpicked GOP chief who bowed out saying the winds of change are blowing. The party is trying to recover from crushing defeat to November's national election.
But how will the change at the RNC really impact the GOP? For more on that angle let's bring in our deputy political director Paul Steinhauser. Paul, you're the hardest working man in our political unit I must say that. Nice to see you, Paul.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: I have to say, I was in that room yesterday, you just saw that video there and it was pretty loud when it was named that he was the winner. It really was. There was a lot of energy in the room when Michael Steele was named the winner in that sixth and final ballot.
LONG: (INAUDIBLE) say that we had such a contentious vote to get to that point.
STEINHAUSER: There were six candidates off the bat. One dropped out the day before and then five other candidates and they kept dropping out one after the other and Michael Steele finally winning after the last person to drop out backed Michael Steele and that pretty much brought the votes and put him over the top. Because what he needed was the majority of the 168 members of the RNC. He won it. And as you mentioned he becomes the first African-American ever to run the republican party and he's had a couple of firsts in his lifetime. The first lieutenant governor of Maryland, African-American to win that. He was also the first African-American to run the Maryland republican party. He did run for the senate in 2006 and did lose that election. He is known as you mentioned as a moderate. A little bit more moderate though I'm not saying he's a pro to conservatives in any way, shape or form, but he's known as a little bit more of a moderate when it comes to the issues.
LONG: Paul, a moderate but also there was that perception that he was more of an outsider.
STEINHAUSER: Oh, definitely an outsider because he wasn't a member of the committee, he wasn't one of the 168 members of the Republican National Committee. So yes, an outsider as well and they often vote one of their own in and he was a little bit of an outsider. This was the first open election to lead the republican party in almost a decade because remember President Bush got to choose. But as you mentioned, Melissa, he's got his work cut out for him now because the republican party did not do well in the 2006 elections. They lost control of the house and the senate, they lost even more in the house and the senate in 2008 and of course, they lost the White House. They lost among moderate voters, independents, they lost among young voters and especially minority voters. And these are all areas where he thinks he can make a difference.
LONG: They lost big time on November 4th. Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell earlier this week painting a really dismal picture for the party. So what are the priorities for the new head of the RNC going forward?
STEINHAUSER: A bunch of them. Step number one, I guess, reenergize the base, the conservatives because they've not been very happy lately either. They want to get back to smaller government and you saw that in the house vote where all the republicans voted against the bailout. Next thing is reach out to all those voters they did poorly with and are falling behind democrats because otherwise they will become the minority party permanently. So that's another thing, outreach to minorities and younger voters and women.
LONG: Let me ask you about a different kind of outreach as well. We were standing together at the capitol during inauguration, at the very moment we were watching President Obama take the oath of office, a new website was unveiled, whitehouse.gov for the new administration. We know how Barack Obama's team really embraced the internet and embraced new technology. What does the republican party need to do over the next four years with respect to technology?
STEINHAUSER: Exactly that. And it's funny because one of the other candidates running, that was pretty much his whole platform was we need to catch up with the democrats when it comes to outreach online because they have really run away with the game there. Because what the democrats have done especially Barack Obama has been using Facebook, Myspace and other websites to not only raise money, but just to reach out to people who were not a part of the political process before. This is an area where Michael Steele and Republican Party need to catch up and catch up quickly. We have another mid-term election just a year and a half away and that will be the first big test to see if he can turn things around.
LONG: Paul Steinhauser, our deputy political director, a little shameless plug for our internet as well. Of course we talk every day Monday through Friday online, of course, we rely on your expertise not only online, but here on television. Thanks Paul, happy Saturday.
STEINHAUSER: Thanks Melissa.
LONG: Governor no more, how it all went down for Rod Blagojevich. Also it's called muck city and it has a unique connection to the super bowl.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LONG: Governor Blagojevich kicked out of office this week. A coach charged in the death of a football player, a lot to talk about in today's legal briefs, we turn to our legal guys. Avery Friedman, the civil rights attorney and law professor and Richard Herman is a New York criminal defense attorney and law professor. Gentlemen nice to see you. Thanks for joining us on this Saturday, appreciate it.
Let's first talk about Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, he spoke before the senate in his state. He appealed to his colleagues, but they still decided he should not be the governor of that state. He says he will fight still to clear his name. Richard, what is next in this saga with Mr. Blagojevich.
RICHARD HERMAN, : Look, he's not the governor anymore and that's over for him. He's now going to prepare for this federal criminal prosecution against him. But you know most of this is culture in society that if someone is indicted everybody believes he's guilty. They rush to impeach this guy, they should never have done that. They should have waited until after the criminal prosecution.
LONG: Avery, did I just hear a blah?
HERMAN: Come on, Richard, hey you know what, there are snippets of hours and hours of tapes, snippets we heard, that's all? Where do you draw the line between political contributions for political favors? Where is the favor? Come speak at my school, is that criminal? I don't know, I don't know what happened in this case but I'll tell you what, he has a defensible case here, you have a republican prosecutor who feared losing his job, jumped the gun to indict because he thought he would be transferred and thrown out by President Obama.
LONG: All right Richard, let's go to Avery now.
AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Let's get to reality. The truth is that an impeachment process, Melissa, is a political process. Pat Quinn said it best. One day a peacock, next day a feather duster. The reality is that there are no standards when it comes to impeachment. Richard's right. The focus has to be on the federal criminal trial coming up, but for purposes of the impeachment he did a perfect job. Of 59 voting Illinois senators he got none of them. Actually, Larry King, Melissa, got more evidence out of Blagojevich than the entire Illinois senate. That matter is closed and let's look to the federal criminal judge.
LONG: I want to move on to the next segment, I want to move on to the next topic, but you said Richard that it's a defensible case. Would you take on this case?
HERMAN: Just because Genson's out as lead attorney I would love to come on and defend this case. I think it's defensible.
FRIEDMAN: And I'd love to prosecute it.
LONG: I'd like to see that. Let's talk about one of the other big stories, a lot of people have been talking about and this relates to youth sports. A coach now charged with reckless homicide after the death of a 15-year-old back on a sultry August day. First coach to face these kind of criminal charges.
Right.
LONG: Avery, I'll give you the first perspective on this one.
FRIEDMAN: Reynolds Wolf talked about the ice storm in Jefferson county near Louisville, the fact is this is a red, hot legal battle going on in the area and that is Coach Dave Stinson, you're right, has been indicted for reckless homicide on the question of whether or not he is responsible for the death of Max Giplynn(ph) who was the sophomore linebacker when the temperature was 94 degrees. The argument in the case is he denied the football players water that equals reckless homicide.
HERMAN: No. The issue here is whether he should have known his conduct caused the death of this poor young man. Let me tell you something, there's been no autopsy in this case, number one. Number two, this death took place one month into the training season. There are prescribed rules and regulations for water in that district which this coach complied with. This is a ridiculous case. It's not going anywhere criminally. He's absolutely going to be acquitted.
FRIEDMAN: We don't know what the other football players said to the grand jury. In fact, the civil matter, Melissa, has been stayed because whatever is being said, whatever Coach Stinson can say can be held against him in a criminal case. So we're just at the beginning of this. LONG: We do know what the attorney has said. Attorney Brian Butler telling reporters the coach was devastated by the events and it was not his fault. Let's move on to one other topic I want to talk about with you right now. That is a story out of Wisconsin.
Love this.
LONG: Why do you love this story?
FRIEDMAN: The fact is that Brittany (INAUDIBLE) had a great argument. She said this isn't like hockey or football where you've got an opposing team contact sport and the lower court ruled in her favor saying not a contact sport that means you can go after the school district. The supreme court, however, said the opposite and I'm not sure I agree with the supreme court. They're saying cheerleading is a contact sport, therefore she can't go after the school district.
LONG: Exactly. Justice Ziegler, the Wisconsin Supreme Court saying cheerleading involves a significant amount of physical contact between the cheerleaders. That is a direct quote again from the justice. The court ruling this former high school cheerleader cannot sue after a teammate failed to stop her fall several years ago. What does this say about the sport?
HERMAN: Now the issue is recklessness. Were they reckless in causing her injuries. If they cannot prove recklessness. A cheerleader is precluded from suing her school or his school if they are dropped mistakenly. That's not going to do it anymore and the court in Wisconsin said no more, we're not going to allow litigation in this area.
FRIEDMAN: Melissa, Richard is exactly right.
LONG: Really, you're agreeing.
HERMAN: Melissa he's always right, come on, Avery.
FRIEDMAN: Yeah.
LONG: The national cheer safety foundation saying the decision is the first of its kind in the nation. A couple of firsts that we've discussed today. Richard Herman, New York criminal defense attorney and law professor and Avery Friedman, a civil rights attorney and also a law professor. Gentlemen, so nice to see you on this Saturday, so nice to have you do battle and then, of course, agree.
FRIEDMAN: At the end.
HERMAN: Great to see you.
LONG: Nice way to wrap it all up with a red bow. Thank you.
At first we were amazed, eight little ones born to a single mom, but now come the serious questions.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LONG: Five newborns were killed in a fire at a hospital this morning in India. All of them less than two weeks of age. Three other babies are now being treated for burns. The victims were receiving light therapy used to treat neonatal jaundice. It's believed an electrical short circuit caused that fire. India's prime minister has promised to give $2,000 to each of the grieving families.
Certainly a story so many people are talking about. A woman gives birth to just the second set of octuplets ever delivered in the U.S. and then it turns out she already has several children at home. As David Mattingly now reports her story is raising a very troubling question.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eight babies, one mother. The news was startling enough and then we learned the mother already has six children at home and that's produced a frenzy of questions.
ED SULEMAN, OCTUPLETS' GRANDFATHER: She's fine. The babies are fine. Everybody's fine. Except us because of you. That's all.
MATTINGLY: The grandmother told the Los Angeles Times that the mother had undergone some kind of fertility treatment. Why we don't know. Hospital doctors say the mother came to them in her first trimester and they advised her she could selectively remove some of the fetuses. She declined.
What kind of risk this was woman taking when she chose to have these babies?
DR. MICHAEL TUCKER, REPRODUCTIVE PHYSIOLOGIST: In my mind at that point with seven and ultimately eight babies onboard, an extreme risk.
MATTINGLY: Reproductive physiologist Michael Tucker says the case goes against modern fertility treatment practices of limiting multiple births. He says the case will be scrutinized for how fertility drugs might have been used or how many embryos might have been implanted.
TUCKER: Somebody who's already known fertile to transfer more than one or two embryos is quite unreasonable, to say the least.
MATTINGLY: Guidelines of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine says doctors normally would not implant more than two embryos at a time for any woman under 35.
(On camera): Her age has not been confirmed, but with eight new babies she now has a total of 14 children. So far she's trying to hold on to her privacy, but through the California hospital where she's recovering, she called the octuplets a miraculous experience.
(Voice-over): But the questions about these births address more human concerns, the babies' grandfather says multiple births were not part of the plan.
SULEMAN: She did not seek to have more children. She thought she was going to have one more child and it happened.
MATTINGLY: And the surprises continued up until delivery on Monday. Mom thought she was having only seven babies. She was carrying so many that the eighth escaped detection until the landmark c-section. David Mattingly, CNN, Atlanta.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
LONG: It's named for its rich soil, but muck city is known best for football and some NFL superstars.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: I wish the best to the Cardinals, they've been long suffering. It's a great Cinderella story, but other than the Bears, the Steelers are probably the team that's closest to my heart.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
LONG: President Obama making his pick for Super Bowl XLIII, he counts Pittsburgh Steelers among his supporters. Pennsylvania went for Mr. Obama in November. Arizona of course, went for John McCain.
The Super Bowl is just a day away. The game will be seen in more than 200 countries, heard in 34 different languages, nearly 100 million will watch it in the U.S. alone. But now maybe no one paying closer attention than the residents of muck city. CNN's Larry Smith is styling in Tampa getting ready for the big game tomorrow. Hi Larry. Good morning, good afternoon.
LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, good afternoon to you. It's about a three-hour drive from here if you head east from Tampa and pick up U.S. 27, that's the state highway that bisects the Florida peninsula and you'll find this area that's known for sugar cane and football.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH (voice-over): Just off Lake Okeechobee in Southeast Florida, lie vast fields of sugar cane, an area known as muck city.
WILLIE C. MCDONALD, RESIDENT: To sum it up, what is muck, it's a black soil and it's very rich and you can grow anything in it.
SMITH: But beyond its sugar, muck city produces something else. Football players.
JESSIE HESTER, GLADE CENTRAL FOOTBALL COACH: Football is a religion. Ain't no if ands or buts about it. They live it, they eat it, they breathe it, I mean it's everything.
ANQUAN BOLDIN, CARDINALS WIDE RECEIVER: You can't really describe it to somebody. You only have to take them there and let them see for themselves. SMITH: Muck city will have two of its own in Sunday's Super Bowl. Glade Central's Santonio Holmes from Belle Glade and Anquan Boldin of Pahokee. Those two schools have combined for 12 state championships and produced more than 50 NFL players, but none of that matters when the two rivals square off each year in the biggest game around, the muck bowl.
PATRICIA BROWN, SANTONIO HOLMES' MOTHER: The muck bowl was the game to go to. If you didn't go to football during the whole season, muck bowl was the game to go to.
HESTER: As a fan it's a nice game to see and watch, but as a coach, man I tell you it's one that you do not want to lose.
SANTONIO HOLMES, STEELERS WIDE RECEIVER: We play nine games, we don't care if you win or lose all nine games, but when it comes down to that muck bowl game, that's the game we have to win.
BLAZE THOMPSON, PAHOKEE FOOTBALL COACH: Well, we lost this year so, no, I don't stop hearing about it.
SMITH: In muck city, if you're not playing on the field you're working in the field. U.S. Sugar provides more than 1700 jobs to the area, but plans to sell its farmlands to the state and close its factory in six years, making a tough place to find work even tougher.
BOLDIN: That's what that town is built around. A lot of -- the sugar company employs a lot of people in that area.
HOLMES: There's no Wal-Mart, there's no Target. There's no movie theater, there's none of those things, Starbucks. There's no job opportunities there for a lot of people.
HESTER: You're hoping it don't become a ghost town in a sense. They don't want to leave it, but this is all that they know and all that they love, but you have to when your livelihood's at stake.
SMITH: For many, football provides the only way out of an area where according to the 2000 census, almost one-third of the population lives below the poverty line.
HOLMES: Either you're going to sell drugs or you're going to play football. You know you're going to do sports or you're going to be on the corner. And I think a lot of those guys chose a different route, which is play sports and it's helped us get out of there and provide for our families.
THOMPSON: Our kids come to school having gone through more things than I would like to imagine, but it's amazing to see how resilient they are.
BOLDIN: A lot of great people. A lot of hardworking people and a lot of talent there. It's just unfortunate that there's not as much opportunity as there are in other places.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE) SMITH: Certainly a tough place to live, but Sunday evening at 6:30 p.m. eastern you know they'll be rooting for one of the teams because they have two reasons to root. Also not only are these guys going on to the NFL, but they go back to give back. So many of them do a lot of charity work back home and Jessie Hester for one, spent many years in the NFL, you saw him now, he is now a head coach back in his native town. It's a great story down there and we certainly wish everyone well down in muck city. Back to you.
LONG: Terrific story, really inspirational as well.
Do you see a lot of people now starting to crowd into Tampa or because of the economy just not seeing the same excitement we've seen in prior years?
SMITH: We have not. We've been talking about that, we've all done multiple super bowls and we've actually kind gone out looking for fans. We've seen a few pockets of Steelers fans here and there, but not like you usually see by this time of the week. And there's no question the economy really has taken its toll on people visiting here. Hopefully not too much. I think they're still expecting a sellout in tomorrow's game, you can expect that. But the crowds have not been what they usually are.
LONG: Larry Smith live for us from Tampa. Larry, thank you so much.
(WEATHER REPORT)
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