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Eric Holder Sworn in as AG; North Dakota Awaits River's Crest; Blizzards Strike Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas; Tornadoes Plague Southeast

Aired March 27, 2009 - 10:00   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: President Barack Obama unveiling his new strategy for Afghanistan as well as Pakistan. He mentioned $1.5 billion that will be headed in that direction to the Pakistani people. A whole lot to talk about here regarding strategy and troops and much, much more.

Barbara Starr is standing by now at the Pentagon, our Pentagon correspondent. Pardon me, Barbara.

Boy, I don't know where to begin with this. First off, I did see him talking about September 11th in a way that I don't remember him talking about it much before. Sort of reminding everyone why a shift is taking place now and this additional 4,000 troops headed to Afghanistan.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Heidi. A reminder once again of how it all started in this country on the morning of September 11th and the war in Afghanistan that has unfogged since then.

But many people may not realize there was a fundamental shift in Taliban strategy about two years ago when the Taliban decided they couldn't defeat the United States militarily in Afghanistan one-on- one, head-to-head. So they shifted and they have gone to the insurgency across Afghanistan in the Pakistan tribal areas conducting IED attacks, ambushes, raids, terrorizing villages, really just trying to destroy any effort at normal life for the Afghan people, especially now in the southern and eastern part of that country.

That's what the U.S. is really trying to deal with now. How to restore basic security in Afghanistan, so the people there can get about their lives and have a functioning government.

COLLINS: Yes, absolutely. And he talked so much about this one- on-one training with the U.S. troops going in and training the police forces there, Afghan forces, but I thought that type of training had been going on for quite some time already.

STARR: It has been going on. It has been slow going, to say the least, and they want to ramp it up and they want do more of it.

Sort of think of it this way, just, you know construct in your mind a remote Afghan village where basically the Taliban might rule because there's no other government there, it's so remote. There's no army forces there. There's no police force. There's no security for the people, so the Taliban come in and start running things.

What the U.S. wants to do is change the construct of what is an Afghan village or town. Put local security forces in there, train enough of them so they can be in all of these villages in all of these towns and provide a barrier of security for the people there so the Taliban ban don't come in.

COLLINS: Yes and the challenge is a very big one. As you are well aware, just a couple of days ago, nine police officers were killed in an attack -- Afghan police forces.

STARR: That's what's been going on.

I want to say, there was one phrase that the president used that might have struck a few people. It certainly struck me. When he was talking about U.S. policy, he said, for the Obama administration, "they would not blindly stay the course." Stay the course.

COLLINS: Right.

STARR: Those are the words that he might remember from the Bush administration's policy in Iraq for so long. President Bush month after month saying that the U.S. would stay the course. Here, the president is saying that the U.S. will, you know, continue to evolve what it's trying to do in Afghanistan.

But there are a lot of questions already from republicans. Is the U.S. doing enough? Is there any really new here or is it just more money, more people being thrown at the problem without any fundamental shift in strategy.

COLLINS: Essentially staying the course in a way by putting more troops in. Absolutely.

What I want to ask you really quickly, though, before we let you go, Barbara, about this $1.5 billion that is going to be heading to Pakistan by way of supporting the people, he said.

STARR: Right. What the U.S. is trying to do is offer Pakistan, again, enough incentives for the Pakistani government and the Pakistani military to crack down on the militants. On the Taliban and al Qaeda in the safe haven on the Pakistan side who are coming back across the border into Afghanistan. Offer aid to the people there so there's less incentive for the Taliban to be there, offer more training to the Pakistani military.

But, again, very slow going. Eventually, they hope it works, but it may be a long before that happens.

COLLINS: Right.

STARR: You can put a lot of money against a problem, but you are dealing with a very deep-rooted culture in that part of the world.

COLLINS: And just to get a picture of the problem, the update that I'm getting right here about the mosque attack that took place in Pakistan - Islamabad, to be particular - today, killing at least 51 people, wounding more than 100 others. A suicide blast at a mosque.

Once again, that's in Islamabad, Pakistan. We expect those numbers will change to probably go higher. You can see some of the video right there.

So as you say, Barbara, very well that the problems continue. And we will watch very closely with this new strategy. We sure do appreciate your help with this. CNN Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr. Thanks, Barbara.

In Fargo, North Dakota, everybody has one eye on the Red River, the other on the levees. The river has reached 40.2 feet. That is a new record high. Less than three feet from the top of the levees. Water is already seeping through one of them. In fact, forcing some residents to leave. Some hospital patients also were evacuated as a precaution, but the staff is holding tight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are not closing. We will continue to be here for the community. Our emergency room is going to stay open until people's feet are wet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: We are also watching a developing snow emergency across several states. Warnings were posted earlier in Texas, Kansas and Colorado.

Here's what it looked like in Colorado late yesterday. More than a foot of snow has fallen Denver. Colorado's governor declared a state of emergency and mobilized the National Guard. Pretty unusual in Colorado.

There could be more severe weather across parts of the south. Take a look at this map now. Several states are in the path of heavy rain, thunderstorms and possible tornadoes. People in southern Mississippi are still digging out after that. At least five tornadoes touched down yesterday. Twenty-eight people were injured in Magee, Mississippi, more than 100 homes and businesses damaged or destroyed.

CNN crews covering it all, of course. Jim Spellman is knee deep in snow out in Colorado. And Rob Marciano, of course, keeping an eye on the stormy south as well as North Dakota.

Rob, want to go to you first. What's happening?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: We'll start off with what's going on around the south, Heidi.

A number of severe weather warnings have been issued by the various local offices here. Most strikingly has been what's going on near the Florida panhandle, still have this tornado watch in effect for the next hour. And there have been a couple of tornado warnings embedded within this line that has produced some damage overnight notably in parts of southwest Louisiana. So here's this line, the straight line winds certainly gusty here. And again, a couple tornado warnings that at least indicated on the radar scope. Whether or not those touched down and actually verified will be another story.

All right. The backside of this system showing some snowfall. This is the cold side. Blizzard conditions from eastern Colorado into western parts of Kansas. We have already seen in some spots over two feet of snow falling in parts of Wyoming and the front range. Also in Utah, they've got quite a bit of fresh snow there.

And Denver, Colorado, anywhere from eight to 18 inches depending on what part of the city you live in. All right. The forecast calls for more than 10 to 20 inches of snow in spots, so this is going to continue.

Note this. Severe weather will strike again, I think, tonight and through tomorrow in the same spot that got us for the second night in a row last night. So that is certainly is unusual.

All right. Switch to the flood situation up to Fargo we go. Also, parts of Minnesota, we don't want to ignore our friends over there. This river as you know is the border of North Dakota and Minnesota.

We are now just getting word out of the officials that manage the Moorhead areas. This is a town of about of 30,000 or so people, and police are now ordering evacuations from the river itself, east of Fargo in the Minnesota area from Eighth Street west to the river, Main Street all the way down to I-94. This is a pretty wide swath of the city with the number of homes and subdivisions that are going to be involved there.

Here's a chart of the river. We are now at record flood stage -- 40.4 inches and on the rise, 40 feet and 40.44 and on the rise. It is expected to get to at least 42 feet and remain there probably for the next three to seven days, Heidi.

And as we mentioned, there have been some word from the folks who predict these things, which is exceedingly difficult, especially in this part of the world, that the tributaries that feed into the Red River doing things that they've never seen before. They are not quite confident as to how high the river is going to get or how it's going to act. So this certainly has officials, very nervous now, not only in Fargo, but here in Moorhead, Minnesota.

COLLINS: Yes. No question about that. I know you mentioned that last time we talked.

So, it's going to be a developing story throughout the weekend. Because we were kind of prepared for the crest to take place tomorrow at 43 feet, but now all bets seem to be off.

MARCIANO: And the important thing to remember is that no matter when it crests, because it is such a flat area...

COLLINS: Right.

MARCIANO: ... and a slow-moving river towards Canada, it's going to stay there for several days. So it is not one of these things that will crest and then come back down a couple days later.

COLLINS: Yes, even that has changed. Yesterday, they were saying, when we spoke with the governor, two to three days that it would be staying at that level, which is going to be a nightmare. Last time you said two to seven days, possibly. So, I guess it just depends on the amount of water they end up having to deal with.

MARCIANO: Exactly.

COLLINS: Rob, we're going to back with you later on. Thanks so much.

MARCIANO: All right.

COLLINS: Some relief, though, in Colorado this morning. Things are starting to move again after heavy snows crippled much of the central part of the state. CNN all-platform journalist Jim Spellman joining us live from Commerce City, Colorado this morning now. It's just outside Denver there.

So Jim, I would imagine one of the biggest problems obviously right now is travel, traveling on the roads.

JIM SPELLMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, all schools were closed and things are pretty quiet. And the roads are getting much better.

Right here at the truck stop where I am in Commerce City. It is really starting to come to life. A lot of the truckers bunkered down here last night. Sleeping in their rigs, waiting for the roads to reopen. A lot of the highways were actually closed. They are reopened now. They are making sure to have the right chains if they are going across the mountains. They are heading east where the storm is headed. They are sort of waiting it out a little bit longer.

Things are not really too bad, but the problem is underneath the glare of snow you don't know whether it is snow packed...

COLLINS: Right.

SPELLMAN: ... which is not too bad to drive on, or ice. That's a lot of what I have driven across. It is terrible.

COLLINS: No question. And boy, when the schools close in Colorado, you know you are dealing with some serious, serious snow.

Quickly, I want to ask you before we let you go, Jim, about the airports. What's the latest?

SPELLMAN: Well, unfortunately, for about 300 to 400 people, they had to spend the night last night at the airport when flights were canceling. The airport never actually closed, but a lot of flights canceled. Crews were up all night getting the runways cleared away and trying to get people out there. Telling people to be ready to be patient. Be ready to wait. It's going to take awhile to clear all these runways.

COLLINS: Yes.

SPELLMAN: Heidi.

COLLINS: I would imagine that they probably knew that before anybody had to tell them. All right. All you have to do is just look outside the windows.

Jim Spellman coming to us from right outside of Denver Commerce City there in Colorado. Thanks, Jim.

Our iReporters are on the ground in the Dakotas as well, getting unforgettable shots of the massive flooding going on there. Kevin Johnson took these pictures of the frigid conditions volunteers are working in as they sandbag the vulnerable points along the rising Red River.

And take a look at these dramatic shots of a horse rescue in South Dakota. The horses were stranded on a small spot of land in the middle of the swollen river there. It took rescuers about an hour to pull them to safety.

If you want to see more amazing video, just go ahead and log on to ireport.com.

Prescription drugs, they are taking a huge bite out of your budget. We'll tell you the ways you can ease the financial pain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Heidi Collins

COLLINS: Quickly we want to get you updated as fast as we can on the situation in North Dakota.

We are getting in several incredible pictures and video from the area all along the Red River. But to be clear, it is not just the Red River that is cresting and reaching its banks and overflowing its banks. There are many different rivers there where people are really having to watch and stay on guard from today.

The sandbagging has been going on for days now and has been unbelievable. Particularly, in the Fargo dome we have had several shots from inside there.

Right now, we had originally planned to speak with the governor of North Dakota, Governor John Hoeven. We spoke with him yesterday, but understandably he is having to take care of the people in this his state.

We want to talk to right now is the governor's press secretary, his senior adviser -- excuse me, senior adviser, Lance Gaebe. He's going to be with us - will be with us. Lance, if you can hear me, I just want to know what you are telling the people of your state today and what the governor is saying. We know he had to move on to Fargo today.

LANCE GAEBE, SENIOR ADVISER TO NORTH DAKOTA GOVERNOR (via telephone): That's correct. I can hear you. This is Lance. I am with the governor in Fargo as well.

COLLINS: OK.

GAEBE: He just has lots of things going on today. What we are telling him is we are going to keep fighting. We're working side by side with city officials and volunteers to continue to try and shore up the levees and the temporary dikes that have been put in place. The effort first and foremost is to keep the levee in place, keep them from being breached, in fact raise them.

And secondly, we are poised to help move people to help with that fighting. We have done some evacuation of some nursing homes and some hospitals and some young folks who might not be able to help in the floodway.

COLLINS: Right. Yes, we have mentioned that here as well. The levees though, we are aware of at least one levee that is already starting to leak a pretty significant crack.

GAEBE: There have been a few neighborhoods with some cracked levees. They have engineers - Army Corps of Engineers and National Guard - on sight to help try shore those up with either sandbags or clay. They also have a lot of cases with temporary setback levees that are further back so they may end up losing partial neighborhoods. They want to keep it as a secondary dike in a lot of those locations.

COLLINS: OK. What about the sandbagging? You know, we have been talking about it for so long. I know you guys are upwards of two million sandbags now.

GAEBE: Hopefully by the end of the day they are talking about being closer to three million.

COLLINS: Wow.

GAEBE: We have a terrific response from across the region. The high school students and college students have helped with sandbagging. We got people across the region from Iowa, and Minnesota and South Dakota. Of the 1,700 guard troops that will be on the scene later today that the governor requested, 300 of those, in fact, are coming from South Dakota.

COLLINS: Yes.

GAEBE: So there's a lot of good help, but the sandbagging efforts continue. We have volunteers operating around the clock. We are making sure we have enough sandbags.

COLLINS: OK.

GAEBE: The challenge of course is that the national weather service raise the forecasts a couple of feet so that they are putting, raised the levees even higher as we speak.

COLLINS: Yes. And according to our meteorologist Rob Marciano here, apparently there has been some new predictions. And the predictions are really just of uncertainty. It is possible that we are hearing it could go even higher than 43 feet. So, I'm sure you are all working diligently on contingency plans and how to try to hold back the water the best that you can.

Again, just looking at some great, great still pictures coming in from the area that we are talking about here now, Fargo, North Dakota. And quite frankly, several other parts of the state.

We sure do appreciate your time, senior adviser to North Dakota's governor John Hoeven, Lance Gaebe, this morning. Thank you, Lance.

GAEBE: Thank you.

COLLINS: Prescription drugs, they are taking a huge bite out your budget. We'll tell you ways to ease some of the financial pain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Quickly I want to show you what we are looking at here. The president is delivering some remarks now for Attorney General Eric Holder's installation at George Washington University.

Let's go ahead and listen for a moment.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... attorney general of the United States.

(APPLAUSE)

I want to recognize our Deputy Attorney General, David Ogden, for his outstanding service to this department, both in this tour of duty, and in his last.

Where did David go? He was here just a second ago.

(LAUGHTER)

Here he is. Come on out here. That's David.

(APPLAUSE)

I'd like to thank Special Agent Earl Camp for starting things off with the Pledge of Allegiance and for his tremendous sacrifice for this nation. Thanks also to members of Congress who have joined us, to President Steven Knapp for hosting us, and to Judge Robert Richter for administering the oath. Thank you very much. I also want to welcome Eric's entire family, who is here today. Like me, Eric married up...

(LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE)

...and we are grateful to his extraordinary wife, Dr. Sharon Malone, and their children -- Brooke, Maya and Eric -- for sharing him with all of us.

So, Sharon, thank you. Thank you, guys.

(APPLAUSE)

There are few more important jobs in our nation's government than that of Attorney General. As President, I swore an oath to preserve, protect and defend our Constitution. And as Eric himself has said, it is the Attorney General who serves as "the guardian of that revered document" that is the basis of our laws and the driving force of our democracy.

And that's what's always distinguished this nation -- that we are bound together not by a shared bloodline or allegiance to any one leader or faith or creed, but by an adherence to a set of ideals. That's the core notion of our founding -- that ours is a "government of laws, and not men." It is the motto inscribed on the library of my law school alma mater: "Not under man but under God and law."

But today, as we install the man charged with upholding our laws, we are reminded that the work of translating law into justice -- of ensuring that those words put to paper more than two centuries ago mean something for all of our people -- that is a fundamentally human process.

It is what so many of you -- the men and women of our Justice Department -- do every single day: keeping us safe from terrorist attacks; bringing to justice those who would do us harm; rooting out corruption and fighting violent crime; protecting our markets from manipulation and our environment from pollution; and upholding our most fundamental civil rights.

That's why I sought to appoint an Attorney General who understands that justice isn't about some abstract legal theory, or footnote in a casebook -- it's about how our laws affect the daily realities of people's lives: whether they can make a living and care for their families; whether they feel safe in their own homes and welcome in their own nation.

I sought someone who recognizes the very real threats we face, but has the wisdom, in those hard-to-call cases, to find that fine balance between ensuring our security and preserving our liberty. And most of all, I was looking for someone who believes deeply enough in the American people's cause to serve as the American people's lawyer.

And taken together, I think that's a pretty good description of our new Attorney General. It's a reflection of how he was raised, and of the choices he's made throughout his life. Eric's father came to this country as a boy and served in the Army during the second World War. And even though he couldn't get served at a lunch counter in the nation he defended, he never stopped believing in its promise. He and Eric's mother worked hard to seize that promise for their sons and give them every opportunity to succeed.

But Eric was never content to achieve just for himself. Each time he rose, he worked to pull others up with him: mentoring young people in college; working for the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund in law school; distinguishing himself as a prosecutor, a judge, and a leader in this department. All along, working tirelessly to right the balance of power so ordinary people could get a fair shake; all along, showing the independence of mind that justice requires -- never hesitating to take on members of his own party, including those to whom he owed his job. In fact, several months ago, Eric even had the audacity to comment to a reporter on my basketball skills.

(LAUGHTER)

He said, and I quote...

(LAUGHTER)

... here's what he said -- he said, "I'm not sure he's ready for my New York game."

(LAUGHTER)

We will see about that, Mr. Attorney General.

(LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE)

Now, I can't vouch for Eric's skills on the basketball court...

(LAUGHTER)

... but I can confirm that he is thoroughly prepared to take on the law enforcement challenges of this new century. As a student of history, he also knows history's lessons about what happens when we let politics and ideology cloud our judgment -- and let fear and anger, rather than reason, dictate our policy. These are mistakes he will not repeat. Because in the end, Eric comes to this job with only one agenda: to do what is right under the law.

It's no easy task. And it is one that falls to every member of this department, because our laws are only as effective, only as compassionate, only as fair as those who enforce them. In the end, our union is only as perfect as we are willing to work for. It endures only to the extent that we are willing to fight for the ideals on which it is based -- to do our part, as generations before us, to breathe new life into them with the more enlightened understandings of our time.

That has always been the core mission of this department. It is the story told by the murals that adorn the walls of your headquarters, installed years ago to illustrate the power of law to improve our lives. Now I haven't yet seen it yet myself, but I'm told that one of these murals, painted back in the 1930s, depicts black children and white children attending school together, sitting side by side in the same classroom. This was years before Brown vs. Board of Education, at a time when Washington, D.C., was still a segregated city.

It is, to this day, a moving reminder that sometimes, law lags behind justice -- and it is up to us to bridge that distance. That's been the work of Eric Holder's life and so many of yours. I thank you for answering the call to serve this nation, and I look forward to working with you in the months and years ahead to meet the urgent challenges of our time.

So thank you, God bless you. Keep up the great work, and let's install our outstanding Attorney General.

(APPLAUSE)

(OATH OF OFFICE IS ADMINISTERED)

(APPLAUSE)

COLLINS: There you have the official swearing-in of Attorney General Eric Holder. President Obama speaking before that. And you can also see his wife there. The attorney general now taking to the podium. All taking place at George Washington University today.

Every week, CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen gets lots of e-mails asking for advice on how to become a more empowered patient. We're answering some of those e-mails in a segment we like to call "Empower Me Fridays." Elizabeth joining me now. So, Elizabeth, a lot of people want to know about how to save money on a lot of different fronts. But particularly, we want to talk about prescription drugs today.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, because you can really just end up spending a huge chunk of your income on prescription drugs. So, we can't save everyone from the high cost of prescription drugs, but we did try to help Bernadine. So, we're trying to solve this problem one person at a time.

COLLINS: Bernadine, right? I think from Florida. Isn't that right?

COHEN: That's right.

COLLINS: Let's go ahead and look at the question here. This is what she wants to know: "I am 60 years old and unemployed. I do have a prescription supplement via AARP that pays up to 50 percent" -- so half -- "of my prescription cost, but even with that, my monthly prescriptions cost me over $300." So, what do we do?

COHEN: Over $300 -- actually, you know what, she was wrong about that. That's what's interesting. Once we checked into it, she was actually spending almost $500 a month on prescription drugs. This is a woman who doesn't have a job. So, that's a huge amount of money for anyone.

So, what we did is, we went to a team of doctors and said, does she really need to be taking these drugs? Usually, for any given illness, there's a bunch of different drugs you could take. So, we said, does Bernadine need to be taking these? This is what her doctor prescribed, but might there be an alternative...

COLLINS: Sure.

COHEN: ... that she could look into. So, you would not believe what we found.

COLLINS: What?

COHEN: We saved this woman money big time.

COLLINS: Really?

COHEN: Take a look at this. She was taking a drug called -- or is taking a drug for acid reflux called Zegerid, which is $154 a month. And that's with her discount card. Well, the doctors we talked to said, gosh, she really ought to try over-the-counter Prilosec. It's $24 a month. So, $154 versus $24, and they said Prilosec very well could work for her. She doesn't need to be spending all that money.

Now, let's take a look at the second drug that Bernadine is taking. Bernadine has herpes, and she's been taking a drug called Valtrex, which is $197 a month. And that was all she's ever taken for it. And so the doctors we talked to said, hmm, why isn't she using a generic drug called Acyclovir? It's $4 a month.

COLLINS: Wow!

COHEN: It's one of those $4 generics you get at Wal-Mart and Target and CVS and all those places. I mean, look at that difference. That's incredible. And they said she really needs to ask her doctor about taking Acyclovir.

All right, let's get to the third drug. Bernadine, like so many Americans, has high blood pressure. She's taking Azor, $138 a month. Again, we talked to doctors. This one was at "Consumer Reports." And he said, well, golly, she could try Benazepril, $22 a month. Why is she taking Azor? It wasn't clear to him that she really needed it. Why doesn't she ask her doctor about the $22 blood pressure drug rather than the $138.

COLLINS: Yes, that's a huge disparity.

COHEN: It's a huge disparity. And the bottom line is, all these experts told us, is you've got to ask.

COLLINS: Yes, definitely.

COHEN: When someone hands you a prescription, you don't necessarily need that drug. You can ask. COLLINS: And we just talked about this.

COHEN: We did, but we haven't solved the problem yet.

(CROSSTALK)

COLLINS: Yes, yes. So, quickly, how much did you end up saving?

COHEN: OK, let's take a look at the difference. Before, Bernadine was spending $489 a month on drugs. The cost after with our adjustments would be $50...

COLLINS: You're kidding.

COHEN: ... if these drugs worked for her. I mean, look at that difference. Four -- cha-ching! -- $439 a month savings.

COLLINS: Holy cow.

COHEN: Holy cow is right. And the doctors we talked to said they see this all the time.

COLLINS: Really? Really?

COHEN: That people are taking brand names when they could be taking over the counter or generic.

COLLINS: Yes, sure. Sure. So, what type of resources are out there for people? I mean, can they do a little bit of this research on their own and then go to their doctor? I mean...

COHEN: They can.

COLLINS: ... I don't know, maybe people don't like to question their doctor. Because we hear a lot about that, too.

COHEN: Well, first of all, you've got to question your doctor. I mean, this is your money. So, first of all, you've got to question your doctor. Second of all, there are a lot of online resources. And you just need to go to CNN.com/empoweredpatient. You'll see a column that has all the links you need.

COLLINS: "Empower Me Friday." I like it.

COHEN: Well, thank you.

COLLINS: Very good job. Saved her $440 or so.

COHEN: That's right. And she needs it.

COLLINS: All right, thank you.

COHEN: She doesn't have a job.

COLLINS: Yes, that's right. Elizabeth Cohen, appreciate that very much. Want to get back to this story, too. Floods, blizzards and tornadoes. Straight to CNN meteorologist Rob Marciano now for the latest.

MARCIANO: Yes, there are mandatory evacuations being ordered on both sides, both the Minnesota and North Dakota side of the Red River as that river continues to rise. Meanwhile, yes, we've got a blizzard, and we also have severe weather plaguing the South in the same spots that got hit yesterday. A couple tornado warnings out.

One actually in Plackmans (ph) County and also one in Decatur and Seminole County across southwest Georgia. We'll run it down when the CNN NEWSROOM comes right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Stocks and our 401(k)s and other retirement plans have recouped a lot of ground these past two weeks, so that's good. The Dow has jumped about 1,300 points during that time period. Stephanie Elam's at the New York Stock Exchange now with details. But unfortunately, Stephanie, we are seeing triple-digit losses right now about an hour into the trading day.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS REPORTER: Yes, we are seeing that, Heidi. And, you know, it's pretty much expected. This could mark the end of the bear market. The Dow hit its low of this bear market on March 9th. Since then, it's gained about 21 percent. The S&P 500 over that same period up 23 percent.

Now, normally, that would actually fit the standard definition of a bull market, but many analysts not so sure at this time. They're worried that this could be a bounce during the bear market run. So, we hear a lot of caution out there right now. Today, stocks are lower, as you were saying, a bit of a pullback after that big run-up. It's generally expected, though, that that's what would happen here.

Let's take a look at the numbers. The Dow on the downside by 107, so off its lows at this point, off 1 1/3 percent at 7817. Nasdaq is off 1 1/2 percent at 1561. But, you know what I've got to point out is that beginning today's trading, Nasdaq actually started in positive territory for the year. So, that's a little bit of news that I'm sure a lot of people didn't really expect to see after the losses that we saw earlier this year, Heidi.

COLLINS: No way. No. Probably not. So, obviously, the bigger picture is what we try to keep our eye on. But I'm afraid that some people might be asking that question they've been asking for so long: Is the worst behind us? I mean, we have no idea just yet.

ELAM: Yes, we don't. And I think at this point, Wall Street is being cautiously optimistic, to use a phrase we hear a lot around here, but that's because the surge came in such a short time, in just two weeks. That's really huge. That's the fastest 20 percent rebound that we've seen since the 1930s. Bear markets usually hit bottom several times before starting a bull run, as well. So, that's another reason why people expect maybe to be a little bit more cautious right now, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes, a lot of this week's economic reports have been stronger than expected, too. I mean, not hugely, but definitely stronger, especially in the housing sector. That could be a sign of hope.

ELAM: Yes, and that's one sector that has been beaten up.

COLLINS: Absolutely.

ELAM: We know that. So, seeing some signs of life there is definitely great. Upbeat economic reports are always encouraging. So, you've got that existing- and new-home sales unexpectedly rising. Mortgage rates are at record lows right now. But we still need to see some lending and corporate profits to pick up.

So, the bottom line here, really, when you look at this, is slow and steady is the way to go when it comes to the economy and the stock market. So, that's what people are looking for. So, caution, but also you can feel a little glimmer of hope now exists down here on Wall Street -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Very good. We like to hear that, especially on a Friday.

ELAM: Yes.

COLLINS: Stephanie Elam, happy weekend. Thank you.

ELAM: You, too.

COLLINS: CNN tonight, Anderson Cooper, Ali Velshi and the CNN Money Team search for hints the economy could be turning around. What do they mean for you? We get together the sharpest minds on money to help you make sense of it all. We're following the money on "CNN MONEY SUMMIT" tonight at 11:00, only here on CNN.

Snowdrifts several feet high. That's the scene in Denver, where they've already declared a state of emergency, and more snow could be coming today.

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COLLINS: Weather emergencies on the horizon. Look at this. The Red River reaches a new high in Fargo, North Dakota, and it's still on the rise. Everybody there hoping the levees will hold.

The blizzard that dumped so much snow on Colorado yesterday moving into Oklahoma and Kansas now. And we could see more tornadoes touch down across the South. Twenty-eight people hurt yesterday in one small Mississippi town.

Tens of thousands of people are working nonstop to build up the levees around the city of Fargo. So, will their hard work pay off? We certainly hope so. CNN'S Susan Roesgen is in Fargo now with the very latest. Susan, what are you seeing behind you? I see a lot more sand.

SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, a lot more sand. They are still filling sandbags here, Heidi. And we're with a guy who drove all night from New York to get here with something that will help if the dikes don't hold. This is Tad Agoglia. He is one of our "CNN Heroes." And you've come here, Tad, with your team to do what to help out here?

TAD AGOGLIA, FOUNDER, FIRST RESPONSE TEAM OF AMERICA: Well, we brought a hovercraft with us, which is a great tool to use for water rescues. And because the boat floats eight inches over the water, we can oftentimes navigate against very treacherous currents.

ROESGEN: Now, you've come -- you're a nonprofit organization, your group, you raised funds for this for disaster relief, but you don't work for the government. How do they deal with you? Do they like to see you when you come and help out and bring things like a hovercraft?

AGOGLIA: Well, I think they like us because we have a professional group. We've got very specialized equipment, and we don't charge them anything. So, oftentimes, the local communities who don't actually have these resources welcome them, and we always work underneath their supervision and underneath their leadership, providing our resource to them free of charge.

ROESGEN: Now, you may not have to use your hovercraft here. The latest little bit of good news is that perhaps the river will crest perhaps at 42 feet, not 43. They may survive this with the sandbags. In that case, where do you go next?

AGOGLIA: Well, we'll obviously head to the next community where the water is headed and assist them in whatever they need.

ROESGEN: How about the tornadoes and other disasters around the country? Will you just sort of prioritize?

AGOGLIA: Well, a tremendous amount of disasters -- already this week, we have had 30 tornadoes. You know, tremendous whiteouts from snowstorms. It's a very active week. Disasters are happening all over this country. The reason why we chose to come here was because the mass potential destruction. And we usually try to respond to where the need is the greatest.

ROESGEN: Well, I know as much as people like to see you, we would like to have you go on now and leave because they are hoping that they won't have to do a big evacuation here.

This is Tad Agoglia, once again, one of our "CNN Heroes" who's come out with a hovercraft in case they need it -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes, absolutely. Great, great story there. Susan Roesgen, we sure do appreciate that, keeping us updated as well on all of the sandbagging that's going on.

Rob Marciano, we just heard from one of the governor's senior advisers a few minutes ago talking to us about how many they've done. They're hoping to do three million now. They started with one. They did that. They're nearing two million. Now, they're feeling like they have to bump it up to three million because they don't really know when this is going to crest or how high.

MARCIANO: You know, one of the statements we read from the Grand Forks National Weather Service, that's where they try to predict how high the river is going to get, they're like, this is in unprecedented areas -- levels. And we're not sure how the river is going to react, how high it's going to get. So, 42 could go to 43. It could go to 44.

COLLINS: Good lord.

MARCIANO: And for how long, we don't really know.

We'll break down a couple things. There are mandatory evacuations that have been going on across the river. You don't want to ignore what's happening in Minnesota. This, as you know, borders North Dakota and Minnesota. So, what's going on in Moorhead is just as dramatic as what's happening in Fargo, albeit a lessly (ph) populated area.

We mentioned this a few moments ago. From 8th (ph) Street west towards the river, in Moorhead, we've got evacuations that are ongoing here. We'll zoom in a little bit more. This is a highly populated area of the city. About 30,000 to 40,000 people live in Moorhead proper, and a lot of subdivisions in this particular area. As a matter of fact, Concordia College is in this area. They've suspended classes, obviously. Everyone being asked to get out of town or at least seek higher ground.

Across the river in Fargo, there are also evacuations being ordered. Mostly south of downtown towards River Road, South River Road, banked up against the river. So, these are areas that have a potential for flooding or are seeing some weakening of the levees that either have been built or the earthen levees that have been ongoing.

By the way, Grand Forks spent a lot of money downriver after the last big flood. And they are maybe better off because of it, but we'll see how that holds up as time goes on.

All right. Another big weather story, severe weather, and our printer continues to fire off advisories as the National Weather Service and various offices issues these tornado warnings, which have been fairly numerous over this morning. One in Plaquemines Parish, actually, outside of a tornado watch that's been issued, and these polygons east of Panama City towards Apalachicola and Tallahassee. Those indicate radar-indicated tornadoes that may very well touch the ground at some point. So far this morning, we haven't had many verifications of them reaching the ground. That of course good news. We'll hope that holds true going forward.

Eastern Colorado to western Kansas, Oklahoma, the panhandle of Texas, are you kidding me? It's almost April 1st here, and the forecast calls for another 10 to 20 inches potentially in this part of the country. We already saw 10, 20, in some cases, almost 30 inches in Utah, Wyoming, Colorado. Heavy know expected to get into the Plains.

And then, with that energy in the atmosphere comes the threat for more severe weather. Tonight and tomorrow, tornado-strong winds and large hail possible in the same areas that got hit with it over the last couple of nights. So, this would be three nights -- three days in a row, Heidi, where we're expecting more in the way of severe weather.

And then tomorrow's forecast weather map looks to be a little bit ominous once again. And looking ahead, I don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves...

COLLINS: Yes, yes.

MARCIANO: ... but over the weekend, another storm that could create blizzard conditions comes into the same spot. So, fairly crazy stuff.

COLLINS: We're going to put you back in your box because there's just too much stuff that's going on across the country here. Really keeping an eye as well on North Dakota over the weekend because as we have been originally telling everybody, Saturday, tomorrow, was supposed to be the day that the Red River was going to crest. So, really keeping an eye on that.

In fact, something that is really interesting that you were telling us earlier, the Red River flooding not just in North Dakota, but north of the border because this is a river that runs north, of course, into Canada. So, today, the concern focusing on some small towns there along the river in Manitoba. Those ice jams that you've also been telling us about for quite a while, they thaw at some point with the spring thaw. This year, the ice is more massive. It's thicker. So, the locals there say three feet thick, in fact, in some places.

MARCIANO: As you mentioned, this river runs north. And so, the problem with the river running north is that you've got the river melting and then running into areas that are still slowly melting. So, that's where you get that ice jam problem. And ice jams create a bit of a problem. I think the mayor of -- I don't want to misquote this, but one official in Fargo said ice jams, quote, unquote, "are kind of like my teenage daughter. You just never know what they're going to do next."

COLLINS: They always have a good sense of humor up there.

MARCIANO: It's amazing to me the spirit.

COLLINS: As hard as they're working, they really need it. We are going to take a very quick break for now. We'll be back in the CNN NEWSROOM in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COLLINS: Quickly, we want to get this to you just as soon as we're getting it into the CNN NEWSROOM here. Rapper and actor T.I. was just sentenced to one year and one day in prison on federal weapons charges. He was also ordered to pay a $100,000 fine under a plea deal. The 28-year-old rapper has already completed about 1,000 hours of community service and warned young people about the pitfalls of drugs and violence. T.I. has released his sixth CD, "Paper Trail," which has sold close to two million copies.

I'm Heidi Collins. Join us again tomorrow morning beginning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern. Actually, that will be a different team, T.J. and Betty. CNN NEWSROOM continues right now, though, with Don Lemon after a quick break.