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Texas Prison Uprising; Michael Phelps' Mistake; Israel Warns of Retaliation
Aired February 01, 2009 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICHARD LUI, CNN ANCHOR: The big chill leads to the big cleanup. Warming temperatures melt away the snow and ice in the midwest. National Guard troops goes door to door checking to make sure people are safe from that storm.
And America's gold medal man caught on camera. Michael Phelps fesses up to a lapse in judgment. Good afternoon. I'm Richard Lui, in for Richard Lui. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
And emergency crews are hard at work from the Ozarks through Appalachia today. Last week's brutal winter storm is blamed for dozens of deaths from Arkansas to Ohio and West Virginia. Large areas are still without electricity. Ice not only downed power lines. It piled up on the roof of this gas station in Rogers, Arkansas, causing it to collapse.
One person was hurt there. 4,600 National Guard members are fanned out across Kentucky today. They are removing fallen trees, distributing food and water and going door to door to check on people. Kentucky's governor calls the storm the biggest natural disaster in his state's modern history. CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti is in Louisville.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): About 400,000 households in the state of Kentucky are still without power. About a quarter of them are in the Louisville area. This is one neighborhood that is still without power and hasn't had it for about the last four days. In this neighborhood, we are talking about people who are very anxious for those hard working utility crews who were out there 16, 18 hours a day trying to get the juice turned back on.
We're in the front yard of John Rudolph. He was here. Made it through the storm. His wife and children have flown out of state on a pre-planned vacation. But nevertheless, they are out of harm's way. You were all here the night that this tree came crashing down. What was that like?
JOHN RUDOLPH, LIVING WITHOUT POWER: Well, about 2:00 in the morning, we heard some of the branches start falling. You could just hear the cracking and sort of the power and the branches falling and hitting the roof. And it was very frightening because you didn't know where they were going to land if they were going to hit the roof, hit the bedroom. It was a sleepless night, to say the least but we made it through. CANDIOTTI: First you had Hurricane Ike last September -
RUDOLPH: Yes.
CANDIOTTI: And now this. This is a lot of damage to clean up, right? It's going to cost -
RUDOLPH: It is. Some of these bigger branches actually - they fell on the driveway and fell on the side of the house and I was able to move them out. But this is going to be a big cleanup. And I'm sure a lot of people around Kentucky are going to have the same problem.
CANDIOTTI: Exactly. But are you getting by without the power. And how cold is it inside?
RUDOLPH: Well, it's pretty chilly inside. It's probably in the 30s or 40s. But now I guess today is supposed to be a little bit warmer. We have a fire going and some space heaters from the generator. So we're doing OK.
CANDIOTTI: All right. Well, thank you very much. Hope that power comes on soon. It could take another seven to 10 days to get everyone back online. Susan Candiotti, CNN, Louisville, Kentucky.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LUI: All right. Thank you, Susan. It looks as if Kentucky may be spared another round of severe winter weather right away. Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is in the CNN Weather Center for that with more. Jacqui, seven to 10 days is going to be tough for them.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. It really is. Today is a little bit better temperature wise. It's 54 in Louisville right now. So you know, that's pretty comfortable comparatively speaking. Of course, we're still dropping below the freezing mark in the overnight hours. Once the sun goes down, it's going to be feeling cold awfully fast.
Now, the biggest thing we need to deal with in the upcoming days is you see this little sliver of precip coming on down across the center of our map. That's our next cold front. That's out next push of cold air that's going to be coming in.
At this time ahead of that front, we got southwesterly winds. So the winds are coming in this way across the ice areas. That's what's transporting in those colder temperatures. But as the cold front pushes on. We'll watch those winds change direction. They'll become more north to northwesterly. So everything that was leaning one way is going to be leaning a little bit the other way.
And winds are going to be strong enough up, maybe up to 10, 15 miles per hour that it could be some issues of some of those branches that might be hanging by a thread or some of those power lines just barely hanging there. But right now it's nice and comfortable. Great to see some of these 40s and 50s back on the map. Now in addition to that, we have a developing storm system here in parts of the south, and at this time, our best thinking is that it's going to be enough to the east that it's going to be sparing most of these areas. So eastern Kentucky, eastern parts of Tennessee are going to be getting some of the snow. We will see rain, not snow we think across parts of the deep south and then we'll watch that right on through.
Our forecast snowfall totals here giving you a good idea of just where things are going to be lining up for the next 48 hours. So you can see it looks like it's all going to stay east of there. So a little bit of good news that things will get interesting for the mid-Atlantic and northeastern states, we think, by Tuesday. Richard?
LUI: Jacqui, good Super Bowl weather though, right?
JERAS: Sweet. Yes. It's like mid-60s this afternoon. Upper 50s for the game time. Look at that.
LUI: Some folks got it good.
JERAS: The sun is shining. Fantastic.
LUI: All right.
JERAS: Love it. Go cards. Who are you rooting for, Richard?
LUI: You know, I can't say really.
JERAS: Tell me straight. Come on.
LUI: All right.
JERAS: Put it out there.
LUI: Cards. I tell you what. I'm a Niners fan.
JERAS: I'm wearing red, baby.
LUI: Yes. Well, it could either. All right. Thank you. Jacqui Jeras will be back again a little bit watching of course what's happening for us in the midwest and throughout the rest of the country. We appreciate it.
Our news across America begins in west Texas for you now. Authorities are trying to get the upper hand in a prison disturbance that broke out last night in Pecos. It's the second inmate uprising since early December at the a privately-operated facility. In the last incident, prisoners demanded better health care.
And then the federal investigators that are western Wisconsin today trying to figure out why this single engine plane crashed Friday night near Claire. All three people on board died. Authorities are identifying the victims today. NTSB agents are combing the wreck there for the plane's instrument data chip hoping it may help provide some answers there. Also an NTSB team is spending the day, checking out that tour bus that overturned near Arizona's Hoover Dam on Friday. Seven Chinese tourists were killed and 10 people injured. Investigators are checking the brakes and looking for any mechanical problems. They may have preliminary results in days but it could be a month before they pin down a cause of the crash.
And traffic tie-up in New York's jersey suburbs. Why? Well, this is the fuselage from that U.S. Airways jet that splash landed in the Hudson River last month. It was moved to a salvage yard today. Officials believe both of the jet's engines failed after colliding with a flock of geese. All 155 people on board survived that.
This is a big week for the president's stimulus plan. Debate starts in the Senate over the nearly $900 billion measure. But crucial republican backing might be in short supply. The House version passed last week without any republican votes. CNN's Elaine Quijano looks at this debate.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Obama calls it one thing.
PRES. BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES: This week, the House passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan.
QUIJANO: But republicans call the 800-plus billion plan something else.
SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R), MAINE: This bill has become a Christmas tree where members are hanging their favorite program on it.
QUIJANO: As the Senate prepares to take up the massive economic stimulus plan Monday, republicans are questioning whether every taxpayer dollar spent will really jump-start the economy.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), MINORITY LEADER: I mean, things like $150 million for honeybee insurance and $600 million to buy government employees' cars is not exactly what the American public had in mind.
SEN. JIM DEMINT (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: We need to realize if government spending improved our economy that we would have the best economy in our history right now.
QUIJANO: Even some democrats are having a tough time defending some of the spending programs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no pork in this, but there may be some sacred cows.
QUIJANO: Still with the economy expected to go from bad to worse, democrats believe after negotiations, some Senate republicans will ultimately back the plan to avoid being labeled obstructionists.
SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: They can't hold this up. The fragility of the economy is too great. We're going to get some republicans. The question is how many. And it will pass.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LUI: All right. Elaine joins us now at the White House. Elaine, what's the latest time frame on this bill? So much debate going on.
QUIJANO: Yes. So much debate. Well, as you know, the Senate is taking this up tomorrow. And then the full Senate is expected to take a vote on this on Wednesday. Now that legislation will likely have to be reconciled with the house version, but President Obama is hoping that he can get a stimulus bill on his desk ready for his signature by mid-February. Richard.
LUI: All right. Elaine Quijano, thank you so much at the White House this day.
More than half of Iraq's voters turn out in provincial elections. About $7.5 million Iraqis voted yesterday. This in stark contrast to what happened in 2005 when intimidation and violence kept most voters away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The elections were democratic and pleasant. We hope that such election will lead to some change toward reconstruction. Though there were some mistakes and delays.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (through translator): Thanks be to god, the elections were successful. They were better than in 2005. The elections have passed peacefully.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LUI: Prelimninarily election results are expected later this week with a final count down due at the end of this month.
Israel is warning of harsh and disproportionate retaliation after Gaza militants fired at least four rocket and mortar rounds into southern Israel today. Israeli officials say two soldiers and a civilian were wounded. Since a truce ended Israel's 22-day military operation in Gaza two weeks ago, both militant rocket fire and Israeli retaliation have been increasing.
Dozens of civilians a clash between Pakistani forces and Taliban militants. Pakistani officials say at least 43 civilians were killed when they were caught in crossfire. It happened in Pakistan's northwest frontier province. The mountainous region used to be a popular tourist and ski destination but is now a Taliban stronghold.
Now we take you to this, a terrifying ordeal for civilians caught in the civil war in Sri Lanka. Relieve workers say more than 200 people, including 30 children, have been injured in heavy fighting between government forces and Tamil rebels. Today, artillery shells hit a hospital killing at least seven people. Humanitarian groups say as many as 250,000 civilians are trapped in that area. In Colombia now, a three-step plan to free hostages held by rebels. That's set to begin today. The rebel group Revolutionary Armed forces of Columbia or the FARC, has agreed to release six hostages in all. Three were expected to be freed today, the others later in the week. Now these hostages include three police officers, a soldier and two politicians.
Analysts see the rebels' unilateral move as the first step toward eventual peace with the government.
Looking for a job? We know who is hiring. Thousands of openings.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LUI: New York's mayor says the city may have to lay off more than 20,000 workers plunging tax revenue, a rising budget gap and massive Wall Street losses have hit New York hard. The numbers well they just keep getting worse.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK: The last time we adopted a budget and then last November when we updated our estimates on expenses and revenues, I think we all know that the economy has worsened and worsened significantly. In fact, since November, it's continued its decline, and the economic numbers that were released today do not give us any reason to smile.
Unfortunately, they keep deteriorating, and with the deterioration in the economy, our tax revenues keep falling. And there's an extra $800 million gap for the current fiscal year and $2 billion for the cap in - for the gap in the fiscal year 2010 just from the November update to now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LUI: Well, Bloomberg is calling on labor unions to renegotiate contracts to save some jobs there. His plans also included almost a billion dollars in budget cuts and a rise in the sales tax.
OK. Trouble on the east coast, also on the west coast. California faces a $42 billion budget deficit for itself. Quite simply, it is running out of money. And state tax refunds. They're going to be delayed 30 days. And just this week, a judge signed off on an order that will force state workers to take two days off each month without pay. And that order takes effect next Friday. Almost 250,000 workers will feel this pain.
One major employer actually has the help wanted sign out. The federal government, though. Our Kate Bolduan has that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The pink slips keep piling up. The labor department reports a record 4.78 million people continue to claim unemployment benefits. But while see so many companies are cutting jobs, one employer is hiring in a big way. Uncle Sam.
JOE ARATA, U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION: Intelligence people. We're looking for human resources personnel. We're looking for mechanics.
BOLDUAN: Joe Arata is with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. One of the many federal agencies looking for workers. So much so, that agency held career days across the country this weekend with a goal of filling 11,000 jobs.
ARATA: I think that patriotism is a great seller for CBP. And that's a lot of times, that's one of the best reasons.
BOLDUAN: Patriotism is the draw for some job for some job seekers at this event in Washington. But the economy is undoubtedly part of the equation. Jim McCartin has been in the private sector for the last 15 years.
JIM MCCARTIN, JOB SEEKER: I have a family. So the insecurity of the corporate world has weighed on my head a little bit, with my mind.
JI KWON, JOB SEEKER: It's almost like no job is safe out there, but a federal government job is pretty secure and it's also something that you can feel good about doing.
BOLDUAN: They're not alone. Last month, the FBI announced a hiring blitz. Posting nearly 3,000 job openings. The largest since immediately after 9/11. And the agency received 90,000 applicants. The CIA is running television ads like this one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Care to join them?
BOLDUAN: Federal employment specialist Kathryn Troutman says so much pain in the private sector and a new administration coming in is the drive behind a surge of interest in government work.
KATHRYN TROUTMAN, THE RESUME PLACE: Huge number of first timers. Private industry to federal is more than half of our client base now. Also military to federal is also very important.
BOLDUAN (on-camera): So why all the job openings? Well, some argue its growing government but a study released last year by the non- partisan group partnership for public service reports, it's an aging workforce.
According to the study, by 2012, the federal government will lose more than 500,000 employees, the majority to retirement. Kate Bolduan, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LUI: There's trouble for Olympic great Michael Phelps. Is it really him in a photo smoking marijuana? A look at the picture for you and his response to it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They still need to know they are appreciated. I think sometimes people forget that there's still a lot of troops over there and still doing their job everyday.
MARK EVANS,: I e-mailed General Petraeus saying it's coming together. He e-mailed back and said great job. It's going to be the best Super Bowl he'll ever experience.
LUI: You can bet a bunch of U.S. troops are thankful for these guys back in Chicago. A beer distributor and a pizza joint teamed up on the second annual Pizza for Patriots project. More than 2,000 pizza pies and plenty of frosty brews to boot all sent to troops in Iraq in time for tonight's big game. That's going to be good eating.
We're about two hours away from kickoff of Super Bowl XLIII. You can get that outside shot there. It looks fantastic. But there's another breaking sports story this afternoon. Not supersized but rather Olympic sized. Good friend Larry Smith is covering both stories for us from Tampa right now. Larry, let's start with the Super Bowl and the excitement around the building that you see there.
LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, the excitement is building and Richard, as you know, we've talked before about how this week we wondered some times if we landed in the wrong city. It was so quiet you wouldn't know that this major event was coming on Sunday. But the fans have made their way here at the Raymond James Stadium.
More than 70,000 already working their way in to see some of the pre- game festivities as we get ready to see the Steelers and Cardinals kick off. The Steelers trying to win their NFL record, sixth Super Bowl. The Cardinals playing in their first Super Bowl. So if they are nervous, you can understand why. Richard?
LUI: Super Bowl parties, do we have to pull you in from one to report for us today? Or is has it really been sort of a muted number of parties that are out there?
SMITH: It's been quiet. I tell you. We talk way too much about that I think there in the building. But, yes, no, there are parties here. But there are fewer parties. There's no question. A lot of big ones put on by magazines just were canceled this year because of the economy. Either they felt the expense wasn't worth it or felt it sent the wrong signal with so many people out of work and the economy in such disarray as it is right now.
Another, Maxim actually cut its list in half. So it has been a bit more subdued this week. It has been because of the economy, but Tampa Bay, the area still expects to collect about $150 million to revenue for the week, down slightly from what they would have liked but that's still a pretty hefty number. LUI: The other big story here, of course is, Michael Phelps. We brought that up earlier. This in a new picture. What are you hearing about it?
SMITH: Well, we're not hearing much here. The people here are just - they just want to see football. Steelers and Cardinals. But for Michael Phelps, you know, this is something. He's only 23 years old. But at the same time when you are an Olympic legend you have to understand that somebody somewhere is always watching.
He did have the DUI after the 2004 Athens Olympics. That his image survived that. Many believe his image will survive this, too. I mean his PR people put the statement out where he apologized. Promises fans in the public that he will not do this again. But you have to understand this is the 21st century. Somebody always has a camera attached to a Blackberry or a cell phone or something. Somewhere it's going to happen.
I recall Iowa state's head coach Larry Eustachy years ago getting caught drinking on a rival campus after a road loss with a bunch of college students. And at the time he was the highest paid employee in the state of Iowa and it cost him his job. Those pictures landed on the internet. You just can't do it.
LUI: Yes. Again that picture of Michael Phelps and what appears to be a marijuana pipe. But he later said - he admitted that was bad judgment and that it was regrettable behavior. So that's what we're hearing so far. The latest with Michael Phelps.
In this picture, on his website. And, of course, the big game that Larry Smith is at, all of us are going to be watching that on this afternoon once it get starting. Larry Smith, thank you so much.
SMITH: OK. We'll see you Richard.
LUI: We'll take a closer look by the way at 30 seconds of art. The best of the best when it comes to the super bowl ads. As lots of you will be turning in to the Super Bowl just for that. We'll break down those ads and the ideas behind them in 15 minutes.
Barack Obama made a lot of promises as a candidate, is he keeping them as president? One watchdog said he has found something already. That's in 20 minutes. We'll share that with you.
And facing the horror. He endured more than 50 years ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got to realize what these guys did. You know, they didn't slap you. They abused you, they sexually abused you. They mentally abused us and they beat you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LUI: CNN investigates the secrets of a reform school. Stories you won't forget, next hour in the NEWSROOM. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LUI: Jacqui Jeras is at the CNN Weather Center. We're hoping for better news for those folks. Right Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Today has been good news. The weekend overall has, just in the fact that a lot of the melting has been taking place. But we do have some changes on the horizon. Colder temperatures are going to be returning. I want to show you an I- report. It's a fun one but also helps tell the story of the chunks of ice which can be falling off now that everything is accumulated. Look at that. Are we saying icicle stick or light saber perhaps?
LUI: That's huge.
JERAS: This is from Amy Kehrar. This is a picture of her nephew. The icicle is almost as tall as he is at 55 inches. They don't have any power in Lexington, Kentucky, the nephews there, so they came to stay with their aunt. And get a little power, maybe some heat and a shower. Here's another concern.
It's not a huge one, but it is something to be really careful about. Just a little bit of light rain picking up here. Maybe a little snow as the temperatures drops down in the upcoming hours. This is a cold front approaching, right now our winds are coming in from the southwest and that is bringing in some of that heat. They are going to change directions tonight as that front blows on through. Keep in mind, the winds been blowing at you from one way, now the other way. If there's anything that is out there that is still unstable like tree branches or power lines that nobody's gotten to yet, we could see more damage as a result of that.
We've got another storm system developing here in the south. See some of the showers and thundershowers across parts of Louisiana. That's going to be catching up with this cold air advancing to the south. It's going to be bringing winter-type weather into parts of the Appalachians. We think the moisture is going to be here before the cold air arrives that we're not worried any longer about snow in the deep south. For all of those of you asking particularly here in Atlanta. However, we could see more significant snows down the line as it moves into New England. But we think the storm will be far enough offshore that we won't think it will be a big nor'easter event and it's also going to be far enough eastward that it shouldn't really be impacting all of these people without power as well. Could be a whole lot worse in the upcoming week.
Richard.
LUI: And the west just sitting pretty. They've got their feet up, enjoying the sun.
JERAS: Didn't I tell you? It's going to be like 80 in L.A. tomorrow.
LUI: Where is there justice? Jacqui, thank you.
News from around the world for you now. More than 100 are dead, another 117 injured after an overturned gasoline tanker exploded in Kenya. It happened early this morning in a small town about 80 miles south of Nairobi. Witnesses say here, regarding the story, that what they have seen is that the residents rushed to salvage the spilled fuel. When the rig exploded, a lit cigarette is expected then of igniting the blast. The tragedy follows Wednesday's deadly supermarket fire in Nairobi that killed 27 people.
Then there is a night club fire that's killed 15 people in southern China. At least 17 others were injured. Three are in critical condition. The fire started just before midnight local time. Reports say some nightclub patrons lit fireworks at their table setting the ceiling on fire.
Take you to Russia. Prosecutors there. The prosecutor general specifically will investigate a nursing home fire that killed at least 23 people. The fast-moving fire swept through the wooden structure in a small town in the republic of Comie, about 750 miles southeast of Moscow. Only three people were rescued. Investigators fear they may find more bodies in the rubble.
Jewish leaders claim the Venezuelan government is partly to blame for an attack on the oldest synagogue in Caracas. Armed vandals invaded the synagogue, desecrating scriptures and painting anti Israeli and anti Jewish slogans on the walls. Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez has been harshly critical of Israeli's recent military offensive in Gaza. Venezuela Jews say the anti-Israeli rhetoric is fanning anti Semitism.
There could be more movement tomorrow on President Obama's cabinet. His pick for health and human services secretary Tom Daschle, meets privately with the senate finance committee to talk about his tax issues. Let's go now to our senior political analyst Bill Schneider in Washington. Bill good afternoon to you. Is this appointment in jeopardy?
BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: The whole situation is making a lot of people uncomfortable, including Tom Daschle himself, the nominee for health and human services. He discovered himself that he had tax problems based on car and driver that were supplied to him for several years by a private business. And he should have paid tax on it and he did not. He apparently discovered the problem way back in June but only reported it in December and paid the tax in January once he was named to the health and human services secretary position.
So there are a lot of questions being raised. A lot of senators, his Democratic colleagues are uncomfortable. They'll have to go through this very carefully tomorrow in the Senate Finance Committee, but he is very close to most Democratic senators. They are in the majority. He was the leader of the Democrats in the senate for many years. Looks like it will go through but not without some discomfort.
LUI: Let's move to another open seat. Not a lot of them. That's the commerce secretary seat. Republican Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire looks to be the leading candidate here. One of the important issues when we talk about this is who might take his seat if he takes this job?
SCHNEIDER: Democrats have been interested in this because the governor of New Hampshire is a Democrat, and traditionally, a Democratic governor would appoint a Democratic senator. They appoint someone of the same party. But he doesn't have to. John Lynch, the Democratic governor you see him here. He is famously rather independent. He can appoint anyone he wants. And today, Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader of the senate said that Judd Gregg had given him private assurances that if he does take the position in the Obama cabinet, that the governor will appoint someone who will caucus with the Republicans in the senate.
Democrats were really interested in this because if Al Franken ends up getting the Minnesota senate seat that's been in dispute, then they'd be only one seat away from that magic number of 60 senators, which would be enough to control the agenda and stop any Republican efforts at filibuster.
LUI: That is going to be a story line, no doubt in the coming weeks.
Bill, Sarah Palin, as we move to something perhaps a little different, a little softer in the same room, we believe, with President Obama at a dinner last night is that right?
SCHNEIDER: That is right. She was at the Alfalfa Club Dinner, which is the summit of the peak of the top of the a-list in Washington. It's a private dinner. She was invited. A formal dinner. President Obama and Sarah Palin were there in the same room. She has been having a bit of a lift in her profile recently in Washington. She has a political action committee. She attended this dinner in Washington. I don't believe she spoke at the dinner, which was mostly humorous speeches. But it was a very important dinner. She's here in Washington making sure that people remember that she is a very influential person with a following in the Republican Party.
LUI: Definitely keeping her name out there certainly. Bill have a great super bowl Sunday, wherever you are watching it.
SCHNEIDER: Thank you.
LUI: We're barely into the second week of the Obama presidency. Controversy is brewing. According to the website, Politifact.com, he has broken a promise. Josh Levs has been watching this. He's here to tell us more about that.
Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey. What's going on? What's going on? We've got a whole bunch of cameras here. It's not every day you go to a reality check website and see a website like this. Are you freaking serious? That's our current headline. There's a quote from someone who wrote them. There's a back story to it. Politifact.com has been running this thing they caller the Obameter. Keeping track of more than 500 promises that Barack Obama made before he was president and they have now declared one of those promises broken. So this morning, I got on the phone with the head of politifact and I asked what is this promise that President Obama broke?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL ADAIR, POLITIFACT.COM: The first one that he broke was one where he said he would post bills on the White House website and give a five-day comment period before signing them. But he didn't do that with his first bill. His first bill, as I'm sure many viewers know, was the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.
LEVS: We have some video of him signing that.
What this boils down to basically is when he signed this; he did not post it for five days in advance to allow public comment. You guys are pointing out that he said any no emergency legislation he'd post on the website for five days.
ADAIR: Clearly, this one didn't meet the promise he had made, so we rated it as our first promise broken on our Obameter.
LEVS: So did you contact the White House and ask them about that?
ADAIR: We did. They've been busy there. They haven't had e-mail for much of the first week and a half in office. We haven't actually heard any response from them. But we did hear from a lot of Obama supporters who were very unhappy with us.
LEVS: I want to talk to you about that. Let's zoom back in on the board behind you. Look at the headline; this is one thing that really struck me. This is your headline right now. Are you freaking serious at Politifact.com. Some viewers were not happy that you are declaring this a broken promise. Why did you decide to lead with this?
ADAIR: We wanted to give our readers a voice on the site.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: So that's a little controversy out there. Some didn't like that being considered important enough. But they are keeping the Obameter going. Of the ones they've seen so far, six promises kept one compromise. They've only declared one broken. We'll keep an eye on their Obameter in the coming weeks, days and months and even years.
LUI: They'll have a long job to undertake 480 something is that what you said?
LEVS: Over 500.
LUI: All right.
You'll be there along with them. Thank you Josh Levs.
LEVS: Thanks.
LUI: It's not easy being green but a new report says we all have to try harder. A conversation with the so-called guru of green business that is next hour. And the super bowl ads are all sold out, but are they worth all that cash?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LUI: A Wisconsin company is wiping up this super bowl season. The McArthur Towel and Sports Company makes those rally towels waved by Pittsburgh Steelers fans. Last week, they shipped out 450,000 of the yellow terrycloth terrible towels. The rabid noise of the fans, well, music to the company's ears.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEIL MATTISON, V.P., MCARTHUR TOWEL & SPORTS: Considering the economic environment that we're all facing right now especially in licensed goods, it's amazing what one team or two teams can do to increase the volume for a lot of companies like us. It's not just impacting McArthur Towels, but a lot of other companies that are like us in the sports licensing business.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LUI: That company says a Steelers win could mean up to 500,000 more orders. A special edition of the towel would include the winning score.
Some companies are just saying no to the high cost of advertising during this year's super bowl. You'll still see plenty of soft drink and beer ads, though. Even some for cars. But nothing from General Motors and for the first time in 12 years, FedEx says it can't justify paying the high price of a super bowl ad.
Well, Griffin Stenger is a founding partner at the New York Ad Agency. The Concept Farm, ad space and the game finally selling out yesterday here at record prices. I think something like $3 million for 30 seconds. That's $100,000 a second. That's outrageous. Let's talk about the issue, though, of backlash. When you look at those high prices, $3 million for 30 seconds, and that could be 30 jobs for some people out there. Some of these brands, are they going to face a backlash?
GRIFFIN STENGER, THE CONCEPT FARM: I don't think you'll see some much of a backlash. You have to recognize this is very quality air time to be buying. Yes it comes at a premium, it is very expensive but they aren't just paying for that 30-second slot. They are paying for all the buzz, for you and I to talk about the commercials on television before and after.
LUI: Does this mean based on that development in the last year or two of the economy, will their messages be very different then what we've seen in the past or at least put a nod to what's happening at work?
STENGER: I think you'll see two strains of spots. You'll see a lot of comedy spots. A chance for people to laugh and take their feet up and watch the game and enjoy themselves. You'll see commercials that do address the economic situation and try to bring value to the consumer that they are trying to reach. LUI: One other objective could be that they are just trying to say, hey, we are OK. We are still alive and we are still a business. FedEx, GM, clearly saying we've got to watch our books. We can't do it this time around. Those doing it are they making a specific point about how well their business is doing?
STENGER: I hope so. The super bowl is going to be here to stay. It's not going anywhere. We'll have big super bowl commercials next year. I think it's appropriate for General Motors given the fact that there's a public bailout being considered. For FedEx, personally, I'm a little disappointed. FedEx has always done great work during the super bowl. We'd love to see them come back to it. I hope that this helps them get back on track for next year.
LUI: So Griffin a lot of these companies are cutting out the advertising again to watch their bottom line. But there some are researchers that say if you do advertise in recessionary times, in big events like this, like the super bowl you have more business after the recession. After the super bowl is done later on.
STENGER: Absolutely. I mean, that's true because when the economy goes down, companies that are aggressive and have a good value proposition for their consumers will gain market share. And that loyalty during a down time is extremely important to the consumer. When someone does something for them when times are tough, they will remember it when times come back.
LUI: You work for an ad agency. You run it. How have your clients dealt with you differently in these very trying times. Super bowl ads, no doubt, I bet every CEO is making sure they are doing exactly what they want.
STENGER: They are doing that. I mean, to some extent, everybody is watching the spending very carefully. They are looking for a return on investment. But we, as a culture, are trying to do the right thing. And doing advertising for products and services that help people out is the right thing. And so we need to continue to communicate that message so that everybody's life can get better. It's all part of the same wave of change that is sweeping over the country and it's going in the right direction.
LUI: Griffin, we've got to go. One thing that won't change is that you'll be evaluating the ads today and tomorrow and the day after. Preview very quickly which one do you think will be your favorite?
STENGER: I love the Miller spots. The one-second spot if they get slotted in right will be hysterical.
LUI: One-second ads. We'll be looking for that. Griffin Stenger thank you. Have a very good Sunday.
STENGER: Thank you for having me.
LUI: President Obama makes quite an impression overseas in the classroom.
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LUI: Iceland's new leader will undoubtedly make headlines around the world for her sexual orientation. 66-year-old Yohana (ph) has been named the new prime minister. As a lesbian, she's the world's first openly gay leader. She was the minister of social affairs and social security in the cabinet which resigned on Monday amid the political turmoil which has rocked the country. Iceland's currency and major banks have been hard hit by the global financial crises. Unemployment in Iceland has skyrocketed.
No doubt about it President Obama has his own style. Especially in the way that he speaks and it's translating overseas. In fact as CNN's Kyung Lah reports for us it's inspiring.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In this high school English class in suburban Tokyo the teacher is relying on an outside voice.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): The world is watching what we do here.
LAH: You may have heard of him.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE U.S: The world is paying attention.
The world is paying attention.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): He is paying attention.
OBAMA: We say, we hope, we believe.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): Yes, we can.
LAH: Their textbook is an English language book and CD set featuring the speeches of Barack Obama. The students mimic his speaking style and take grammar quizzes from the president's election night victory speech in Chicago's Grant Park.
OBAMA: It belongs to you.
LAH: The way he speaks is different from us. Their teacher says that difference is aspiring them to learn English. The book isn't just a hit in high schools. It's a best seller across Japan. A nation that's embraced guides on learning English with gusto, but never like this. This book has sold so well, the publisher has followed up with a sequel. This one featuring the inaugural address of Barack Obama. This is number one on Japan's version of Amzan, this one number two based on book reservations alone.
OBAMA: Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real.
LAH: People wrote us letters saying they were moved and they cried, said the publisher. Obama is giving Americans hope and Japanese people feel it as well. As far as a book on President Bush? Not really best selling potential, says the publisher. And Japan's own lawmakers, quite a bit more subdued than the American president. Most readers don't understand all the words, but the publisher says the speeches still manage to capture the Japanese imagination.
OBAMA: Yes, we can.
SHIZUKA ENDO, TEACHER (via transcriber): It's not just English, says this teacher. It's communication. Beyond language and proving beyond borders.
LAH: Kyung Lah, CNN, Tokyo.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LUI: Cheering your team on and chowing down, too. Standard M.O. at any super bowl party, right? Maybe not a healthy one. We'll show you how to slim down your super bowl spread.
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LUI: Chicken wings. A must have for any super bowl party. Sadly, many parties in the northeast will be wingless tonight because of a shortage of the poultry part. Industry experts say it's simply a matter of demand exceeding supply during super bowl week. Here's some comforting news for hungry fans. At last word, there were plenty of nachos and chips to be had all across the nation. We'll be watching that one for you certainly.
It is possible to lay out a healthy spread for the big game. CNN's Judy Fortin checks that menu for us.
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JUDY FORTIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A spread like this on super bowl Sunday may be a couch potato's dream. But it's a nutritionist's nightmare.
JULIE SWARTZ, DIETITION: It would be very possible to consume thousands of calories.
FORTIN: Registered dietitian Julie Swartz says those calories come from piling the plate with fattening foods like wings.
SWARTZ: It's really not much meat. You are basically eating fried chicken skin dipped in a high fat dressing.
FORTIN: Schwartz has a healthier plan.
SWARTZ: Have half your plate be fruits and vegetables and the other half be those other foods.
FORTIN: She recommends skipping the chips and digging into the vegetable-based salsa with baked potato chips. And if you are worried about drinking your calories.
SWARTZ: For every alcoholic beverage you consume have at least 16 to 20 ounces of water. And that helps because you are hydrating with the water.
FORTIN: And don't just watch your favorite players get a workout. Join in.
SWARTZ: Instead of sitting and being that couch potato that just is glued to the TV. Get up, high-five, jump around.
FORTIN: Showing your team spirit while watching your waistline.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LUI: Busy weekend for emergency crew workers from the Ozark's to Appalachians they are cleaning up from a huge winter ice storm blamed for dozens of deaths. The governor of Kentucky calling it the biggest natural disaster in his state's modern history. Power crews are working to restore electricity to hundreds of thousands of customers. And then, 4600 National Guard troops have fanned out across the state clearing fallen trees and going door to door checking on residents. CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti is in Hardinsburg, Kentucky.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Early this morning, a group of national guardsmen who are part of that effort came down here. About 170 of them or so from the air National Guard based in Louisville. Arrived here before dawn, they started off, anyway in a 20-truck convoy to come down here to help these people. They wound up their assignment in Breckenridge County. The city of Hardinsburg and stand out from here. Population 20,000, but these people needed a lot of help. What happened during the morning time, they found two elderly people during a door to door check. And according to the fire chief here, this elderly couple has more than twice the lethal dose of carbon monoxide poisoning. If it hadn't been for the door to door check the fire chief says these people might have died.
