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Bargain Hunters, Food Shoppers Keep Wal-Mart Afloat; Government's Mortgage Modification Program Has Helped 50,000; Notre Dame Grapples with Obama's Visit; Agency Says Electric Gadgets Use Too Much Energy; Pakistan Refugees Crowding into Camps
Aired May 14, 2009 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTY AGIUS, BROTHER-IN-LAW OF CRASH VICTIM: They're supposed to have their own accommodations, but we can't follow up on that. And that's totally ridiculous.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Those are just some of the harsh words we heard during the first two days of these hearings. There was also more criticism of the pilot and co-pilot. Testimonies that were hard for some to hear.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LYNN MORRIS, CO-PILOT'S MOTHER: I think I walked out of the hearing in shock because I truly felt that both she and the captain had been used as a scapegoat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: We are taking an in-depth look at this tragedy yet again today. Are there important lessons to be learned here? Here to help us wade through some of this testimony is our own Jason Carroll in New York, looking at pilot training in specific. And in Washington, former air safety investigator Greg Feith, getting ready there. He's going to talk to us about airline regulations and whether enough is being done to ensure your safety as a passenger.
Now, some are raising red flags over the training of the pilots in that crash. Here, in fact, Jason reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It happens after every airline crash, the investigation. What went wrong? Who was at fault?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are we ready to begin?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, sir.
CARROLL: Hearings into the crash of Colgan Air flight 3407 raised more questions. Should industry training and standards be upgraded? Margie Brandquist says yes. Her sister, Mary was killed in the crash.
MARGIE BRANDQUIST, CREASH VICTIM'S SISTER: I think this was a perfect storm accident. And so until we know, we want to make sure that the FAA is held absolutely accountable.
CARROLL: The Federal Aviation Administration says the Colgan Air Captain Marvin Renslow met federal guidelines which include being licensed and trained on the dash AQ400 Bombardier.
MITCHEL: All I can say is Captain Renslow was fully qualified.
CARROLL: Renslow failed test flights called check rides five times before passing. But there are no FAA regulations on how many times a pilot can retake these tests. One former NTSB investigator and current commercial pilot Ben Berman says that should have been a warning.
BEN BERMAN, COMMERCIAL PILOT: So if the pilot has a pattern of failing multiple check rides over their careers, it should and usually does raise a red flag for the airline.
CARROLL: Renslow ended up meeting FAA mandated experience in a flight simulator, but that did not include flight simulator training with a stall warning called a stick pusher. He only had classroom training. Why? Again, not required by the FAA. So Colgan Air didn't require it either.
MARY SCHIAVO, FMR. DOT INSPECTOR GENERAL: A number of proposals in the works -
CARROLL: Mary Schiavo is the former inspector general of the Department of Transportation.
SCHIAVO: It's a co-dependent relationship. The airline only did what the FAA required, even though going above and beyond would have been prudent.
CARROLL: The investigation showed Renslow pulled up on the control column when he should've done the opposite. The airline says it could not speculate why, since the accident "Colgan has instituted stick pusher demonstrations in a flight simulator. Even though it is not required by the FAA and is not the standard in the airline industry."
Families of the victims still have doubts the airlines and the FAA will take responsibility and make needed changes.
BRANDQUIST: I'm not confident at all. So you may see all of these family members canvassing Capitol Hill until we get some responses.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: CNN's Jason Carroll joining us now live from New York on this. So Jason, hearings are continuing today on Capitol Hill. Are these hearings going to lead to any changes from either the FAA or NTSB?
CARROLL: Well, you certainly heard from the families there. They are certainly hoping that these hearings will lead to some changes. But again, you're hearing that they are not very confident that we will, in fact, see some changes. And the reason for that is because, Heidi, you know, there have been so many aviation industry who have been asking for an upgrade in terms of regulations for years. This is not the first time that we have heard this. But years and years have gone by. There have been many accidents, and still no changes.
COLLINS: Absolutely. All right. Jason Carroll for us, coming from New York this morning. Thank you, Jason.
There is plenty that can be taken away from these hearings so far. Greg Feith is a former senior air safety inspector and a consultant for the NTSB. He's been sitting in on these hearings this week. Joining us now from Washington. Greg, nice to see you again. You know all of the players here. And I guess, there's so many questions that we could ask.
Off the top here, we talk about these stick figure simulations, and whether the pilots are actually trained on what the aircraft can do when it comes to being in the air. If it behaves the same when they simulate it. Was the training available? Should it be available? How do they decide on this?
GREG FEITH, SENIOR AIR SAFETY INVESTIGATOR, NTSB: Well, one of the things, Heidi, that during initial pilot training that, is when you're first learning how to fly. Typically the pilot will go out and actually go through a full stall series. That is, they'll actually experience a full stall and recovery from it.
But as they progress in their career especially to the airline level, the pilots aren't trained to go through an entire stall series. They're only required to recognize the stall condition, because they don't want you going that far.
COLLINS: Of course.
FEITH: So the training is limited. Now, what Colgan is doing and saying, OK, we're going to expose our pilots to this stick pusher event. It's a prudent thing to do after the fact, it should have been prudent thing to do and is a prudent thing to do for all airline pilots before another accident like this happens. They don't necessarily need to train to a level of proficiency, you just need to train to a level of recognition so they've experienced it.
COLLINS: Yes. And when we're talking about pilot fatigue now. There's a lot to talk about here, obviously.
FEITH: Yes.
COLLINS: Because it's important to point out the captain apparently, according to Colgan, has more than 22 consecutive hours of down time before his trip. First Officer Shaw had been off of work three days since the last flight. But do me a favor and make this make sense for everybody at home. When they commute into their base, i.e., the origination of these flights, that time of which they travel to get to the beginning of their trips is not counted, does not play, right?
FEITH: That is correct, Heidi. It is incumbent upon the pilot to arrive at their domicile or duty station in a time that's commensurate with when they're going to fly. Up until the point of them showing up for their flight, it is their responsibility. So whether they live near the airport that they're going to fly out of, or they have to commute in. It is up to them to schedule that time.
If you look at the first officer, she commuted all night, riding jump seat on a Federal Express airplane from Seattle to Memphis, waited around, got on another Federal Express air plane and then went to Newark. She arrived early in the morning, spent some time in the crew lounge, never really got any rest and then arrived or showed up for her flight that day.
She technically had flown all night, her body basically said I can't handle this. I mean, we've all been there if we've pulled an all nighter. So you know how fatigued you are both mentally and physically.
COLLINS: OK. So why does the FAA allow that?
FEITH: Well, the FAA, there is no regulation that says you have to be in position for that flight. The airlines are trying to keep pilots, and so they allow them to live in a variety of different places as part of a condition to, you know, try and retain them, if you will. Because especially in the regional airlines, there's a great turnover.
COLLINS: Yes. Also, in her case, though, she was jump seating right? And when we talk about jump seating. Are you not then officially part of the crew, as well? And so she would have been on duty for any of those flights if something had gone wrong, right?
FEITH: Well, yes and no. I mean, she's not qualified to be a pilot at Federal Express. Even though she is utilizing their jump seats. Typically when somebody is jump seating, I jump seated a lot in my career with the NTSB. Was I an official part of the crew? No. But as pilot, I helped observe aircraft outside that may have been a potential conflict if there was a radio call, I would alert the crew. So she's not an official part of the crew. But the fact is that she used it as free transportation.
What the board is trying to draw is a comparison between their pay scale and, of course, their commuting privileges and domicile. Because this young lady was living with her parents.
COLLINS: Very, very, quickly. These are not new issues. Been dealing with them for a while. What comes out of this today? Or these last three days?
FEITH: Well, I would hope there's a greater emphasis now on fatigue. We've been studying fatigue for 20 years. Back in 1993, I did the first commercial aviation accident attributed to fatigue with a cargo airplane. We've been pushing for more stringent fatigue regulations. Hopefully this will push it over the edge and actually make something happen.
COLLINS: All right. Greg Feith, senior NTSB investigator, former investigator. Sure do appreciate your time today. Thank you. FEITH: You're welcome.
COLLINS: The bodies of five soldiers killed at a combat stress clinic in Iraq, are back on U.S. soil this morning. The plane carrying their flag-draped coffins arrived after midnight at Dover Air Force base. Joint Chiefs Chairman Michael Mullen was on hand for the somber homecoming.
Three of the soldiers' families allowed photographers to record what is normally private. All five were allegedly killed by a fellow soldier now in custody.
An about face from the president. President Obama now says he will fight the court-ordered release of more photos that allegedly show U.S. troops abusing detainees. He says the photos could put American soldiers in danger and inflame anti-American opinion. The reversal comes after top military generals expressed serious reservations.
The detainee photos are likely to come during hearings on Capitol Hill today. This hour, attorney general Eric Holder facing questions from the House Judiciary Committee. Lawmakers also will likely have plenty of questions about the so-called torture memos which authorized harsh interrogation techniques.
President Obama didn't shy away from the so-called snub by Arizona State University. Instead he made light of the honorary degree flap as he delivered his first commencement address as president. He congratulated the grads, but told them their best body of work is yet to come and the real world lies ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES: Other classes have received their diplomas in times of trial, an upheaval. When the very foundations of our lives, the old order has been shaken, the old ideas and institutions have crumbed and a new generation is called upon to remake the world.
It should be clear to you by now the category in which all of you fall. For we gather here tonight in times of extraordinary difficulty for the nation and for the world. The economy remains in the midst of a historic recession. The worst we've seen since the Great Depression. The result in part of greed and irresponsibility that rippled out from Wall Street and Washington as we spent beyond our means and failed to make hard choices.
We're engaged in two wars. And a struggle against terrorism. The threats of climate change, nuclear proliferation, and pandemic, defy national boundaries and easy solutions. For many of you, these challenges are also felt in more personal terms. Perhaps you're still looking for a job. You're struggling to figure out what career path makes sense in this disrupted economy.
Maybe you've got student loans. No, you definitely have student loans. Or credit card debts, and you're wondering how you'll ever pay them off. Maybe you've got a family to raise. And you're wondering how you'll ensure that your children have the same opportunities you've had to get an education and pursue their dreams.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: As you recall, Arizona State officials decided not to award the president an honorary degree suggesting he hadn't accomplished enough. Instead they renamed a scholarship for him.
Another controversy taking off over the president's upcoming commencement address at Notre Dame. Protests are planned over his support for abortion rights. We want to know what you think. We're getting all kinds of responses already. So make sure you post your comment on our blog. Just go to cnn.com/newsroom and then click on Heidi. We're going to be reading some of your comments a little bit later this hour.
Violent storms in the southern plains. Take a look now. This is only one of nearly two dozen tornados spotted in that area yesterday. So what does it look like today? Reynolds Wolf checking in now from the severe weather center. Hey, Reynolds.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Heidi, we're going to see a lot of that action begin to make its way to the south and southeast. As it does, we're going to see the threat go from tornadoes to flooding in many spots. We're going to give you an idea of where these places are going to be under the gun later on today and what to expect as we get closer to the weekend. It's all moments away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: At least three people are dead. Debris scattered for miles. We're seeing damage like this from Texas to Missouri. At least 23 tornadoes reported overnight. This one on the right there captured by CNN i-reporter Michael Ambrosia in northeastern Missouri. The town of () was especially hard hit. Two people there were killed. Dozens of homes and businesses crushed, including a car dealership.
Another woman in a neighboring county also died when a tornado slammed into her home. Dozens of other people are hurt and thousands remain without power. What are the radars showing today? That's the question everybody wants to know. Hi there, Reynolds.
WOLF: Hey, Heidi, what we're going to be seeing today is a lot of those storms. The storm system that produced many of those tornadoes, now drifting a bit farther to the south, losing some intensity, but still producing quite a bit of rainfall. And the big issue that's going to cause today is the potential for some flooding in many spots. We're going to show you those spots coming up in a few moments.
But first I'd like to share some of the video with America. Take a look at it. We're going to expand this a bit in Kirksville, Missouri. You see the widespread damage, you see a lot of the homes, a lot of the cars flipped over. You know, they say one of the best places to be during the times of a tornado would be underground preferably, storm cellar, basement certainly the best thing or although it is safe at times to be inside a car during a thunderstorm, not so much obviously during a tornado. Many of these places without power today in Kirksville and across other parts of Missouri and then back into Oklahoma. So they certainly have a clean-up.
One place we're going to be seeing quite a bit of a mess possibly today is right along that boundary, which you can really see just as you look at the radar imagery itself. Stretching from parts of the Ohio Valley and then clearing its way all the way back down into the southern plains. And it's going to be along that boundary. We could see a little bit of a training effect where you're going to have some of the scattered showers and storms actually form over the same topography, the same areas, parts of northeast Texas, back into Arkansas, into Louisiana, and Oklahoma.
And it's going the be those spots, that section of the Red River Valley where we could see that water begin to pile up. It could be some nasty stuff there later on today. In Dallas, you've had some hit or miss showers moving through. We have a Dallas tower cam, I believe, for you. The Dallas tower came show skies look pretty forbidding for the time being. Again, it looks like the worst is going to be gone. You may see some more thunderstorms today. Certainly there's going to be the potential for some delays at both of the major airports, we have in Dallas, both the love field and DFW.
Be patient today, anticipate more of those delays will be experienced across much of the Ohio Valley today, maybe even in spots like St. Louis. So by all means, you have to be patient. That's the latest we've got for you. Heidi, let's send it right back to you.
COLLINS: All right. Reynolds, thank you.
WOLF: You bet.
COLLINS: Going to show you this now. Live pictures from space. Repair work going on right now on the Hubble space telescope. Two of "Atlantis'" astronauts left the shuttle last hour for the first of five planned space walks. This one could take 6 1/2 hours. In fact today they are replacing one of the Hubble's main cameras. But this is no over the counter digital camera they're putting in there, it's the size of a baby grand piano. Can you believe that?
The new camera will let NASA look deeper into space. NASA is actually trying to decide what to do with the shuttles after they are retired. There are 20 institutions in the running now to get "Atlantis," "Endeavor," and "Discovery." Among them the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space museum in New York. They'd put the shuttle in a glass enclosure on Pier 86 in Manhattan. The carrier "Intrepid" was actually used to recover the astronauts and capsule from one of the Mercury space flights.
The Smithsonian in Washington and the Museum of Flight in Seattle also mentioned as possible landing spot. The show's expected to be ready for some type of display in 2012.
If you have a pre-existing health condition, listen up. Getting an insurance company to cover, of course, is not easy. We'll have some helpful tips in today's "Empowered Patient" segment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COLLINS: The nation's health insurance industry could be the next big business the federal government takes on. Senators are meeting behind closed doors today to consider whether to jump into the health insurance business. That issue, whether middle class workers and their families should be offered the choice of joining a government- sponsored health insurance plan. Big insurance companies say, a plan like that would put them out of business.
Getting any health insurance when you have a pre-existing condition, though, can be a big problem. Senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joining us now with tips for people who find themselves in this very frustrating and quite frankly, scary position.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It is a scary position. And that's one of the reasons why the government is thinking about getting into the health insurance business because nobody's taking care of this group of people. So these are people who have pre-existing conditions, they apply for insurance on their own because for some reason they can't get it through their employer, and guess what? One out of five times that people apply for insurance, they're told no, sorry, you have a pre-existing condition. Or you have a pre-existing condition, so I'm going to charge you a fortune in premiums. Or, Mrs. Smith, you have diabetes, I'll insure you for everything but your diabetes.
COLLINS: Yes.
COHEN: So it's a huge problem millions of people are facing.
COLLINS: What did you say one out of five?
COHEN: One out of five people who apply for private insurance -
COLLINS: OK.
COHEN: Have trouble getting it because of a pre-existing condition.
COLLINS: All right. So then what are the options become? I mean, a lot - you just said it, a of people have pre-existing condition.
COHEN: Well a lot of people think there are no options, and that's why we took this on as an "Empowered Patient" column. Because we wanted to see if there is something out there. And we found that there is actually are things out there. It's not easy, I'm not going to sugar coat it. It's not easy, but there are ways to get help.
For example, people don't realize that in 12 states, you can become a group of one. So you become a group all by yourself. And the beauty of that is that with group insurance the kind that you and I enjoy as employees of a company, when you're with a group, they have to insure you even if you do have a pre-existing condition, and they can't make the rates really high. So you can become a group by yourself. In every other state you can be a group of two. So somebody I talked to said go start a landscaping business, employ your brother in law and all of a sudden you're a group of two. There you go. Here is another hint is that you can join a state high risk pool. These high risk pool are for people with pre-existing conditions. Many states have them. And if you go to cnn.com/health right now, you can see the list of states.
COLLINS: OK. Very good. But always more expensive? Typically more expensive?
COHEN: Not always more expensive.
COLLINS: OK.
COHEN: Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't. It varies by state. And that's why in the column this week, we have linked lots of state information because it varies by state.
COLLINS: Yes. Got you.
All right. you are also going to be looking at e-mails today because you want to do your empower me patient segment tomorrow, which means we get questions from everybody who is watching -
COHEN: Right.
COLLINS: And then you address them.
COHEN: Tomorrow's my favorite day of the week, "Empower Me Friday." My favorite day because it's Friday. Tomorrow will be Friday.
COLLINS: I was going to say.
COHEN: If you are a recent graduate who is looking for health insurance, send me your questions, empowerpatient@cnn.com. It's part of a great segment, Heidi, that you're doing tomorrow, called the class '09, real world, real worries, one of those worries, getting health insurance.
COLLINS: Yes. We've been doing it for a while now. And some of these segments have been really great. It's such a huge group of society trying to go out there, get jobs, get health insurance. All of it.
COHEN: And they're facing challenges that certainly you and I didn't have to face when we were graduating, right? It was a different time.
COLLINS: Very true. All right. Elizabeth Cohen, thanks so much. We will see you tomorrow.
It is one option for Americans struggling to pay their mortgages. We'll tell you how it works, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: Live from the CNN NEWSROOM, Heidi Collins.
COLLINS: The recession is forcing millions of Americans to seek out a good deal whenever possible. The proof, the world's largest retailer continues to succeed when others continue to flounder. Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with that. And a big headline from one of the nation's car makers, as well. A lot to get to, Susan.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. That's right, Heidi. It's Chrysler, Chrysler is eliminating nearly 800 of its U.S. dealerships. That's roughly 1/4 of the automakers' showrooms. We were expecting the number, we got the number, and it's painful no matter how you look at it because you're going to see a lot more layoffs, which is one of the reasons that Wal-Mart is doing so well. It's really the number one reason. The retail giant reported a first quarter profit topping $3 billion. That's the same as a year ago. So it's flat from a year ago, but it made money in three months.
Sales slipped overseas because of the stronger dollar, but Wal-Mart has been doing much better than just about anybody in the retail space because retailers -- because consumers are looking for bargains. Department stores and specialty stores have certainly seen large declines. Wal-Mart shares, by the way, are down 1 percent.
The broader market is hanging in there. The Dow industrials are up about nearly a half of a percent. The Nasdaq's up 1 percent. So, it's not erasing yesterday's losses, but we're on the right (AUDIO GAP).
COLLINS: Are customers expected to return to their old ways, and they're not going to be these bargain-hunters any more than they are right now?
LISOVICZ: (INAUDIBLE) Heidi, and millions of other Americans know this is not your garden-variety recession. And Wal-Mart understands that. The company is updating its stores. It's reducing its costs. And it also has a new price-matching program. The company's CEO says customers, consumer behavior and mindsets have changed and that they're long lasting change changes -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes, but not all the discounters are doing well, are they?
LISOVICZ: That's right, and that's a very good point here, because you'd think that if, you know, if you're just saying, we have really low prices, that you would do really well. But Target, which is the second-biggest discounter, is not doing well. Its last quarterly earnings plunged more than 40 percent. Now, Target is joining Wal- Mart with this price-matching program.
And, you know, Heidi, one of the reasons why I think that Wal-Mart may be doing so well, if you look at month after month what consumers are buying, they're buying essentials. Wal-Mart went into food in a huge way in the last decade. And that's what people are buying, and health care items.
Target does cheap chic very well. Nearly half of the revenue comes from nonessentials. So, what is Target doing? Target is getting into the essentials. It's expanding. It's making more room for food and things like health care to compete. COLLINS: Yes, some people call it Target boutique. All right, Susan Lisovicz, thanks so much. We'll check back a little later on.
Making Home Affordable -- it's an Obama administration plan to help struggling homeowners who don't qualify for other mortgage help. CNN's Christine Romans joining us now live from New York to explain how exactly this program is going to work. Hi, Christine.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi there. And it looks as though the Treasury secretary and the people who run HUD and some home advocates, home ownership advocates are going to be talking today about maybe the expanded version of Making Home Affordable. Let's talk about it first.
How many people have been helped in the two months, Heidi, since we've had the guidelines about how people can modify their loans or refinance their loans? About 50,000 people have been helped.
And today, we're going to learn more about what they're doing in terms of maybe offering incentives to lenders to help people have a short sale. That means you've got a buyer for your house, they're going to buy it for a lot less than you paid for it. Will the bank accept that lower offer and write down the principal?
So far, banks have not been eager to do that. They've been losing a lot of money. So, is there going to be a way the government's going to make that easier to do?
And also something called, you know, the deed in lieu, giving the property to the lender, saying, you know what? I can't make these payments, I can't afford this house, I'm incredibly under water. Walk away from the property and not ruin your credit and not owe a lot of money. What can the government do to help people who are in that kind of situation? So, we're going to learn more about that later today.
As you know, though, Heidi, 50,000 people being helped so far by the Making Home Affordable program. There are hundreds of thousands of people who are in trouble on their mortgage right now. Demand is rising. When you talk to the home ownership advocates and the people who are the housing counselors, they say that, you know, there's -- the phones are ringing off the hook. They need more help. They need -- more needs to be done. We're going to learn more about what is being done, and what other kinds of measures this government wants to take, actually, in about 15 minutes or so.
COLLINS: Yes, I'm just curious, and maybe I have only an elementary understanding of all of this. But when you talk about the short sale, I mean, the bank is losing a lot of money in all of this, too. I mean, isn't it better to take that lower offer that someone may be getting on their home than not to have an offer at all and have to go into foreclosure?
ROMANS: Well, in some cases, you just wonder what the math is. Each situation is a little bit different. The banks are going to take, in some cases, a lender, a big hit if that property is sold at a really distressed level. In some cases, they're not -- and there's a lot of bureaucracy, we're told. Many of the housing counselors say there's just a lot of bureaucracy in a short sale.
And so, they really haven't seen an ability to work out the kinks here yet. So, we'll see how well they are going to help try to work out the kinks. This is a work in progress. You know, this whole program is still a work in progess, making changes, perhaps expanding it. We'll learn more in a few minutes.
COLLINS: No question. Very, very interesting. All right, Christine Romans, appreciate it. Thank you.
We will hear more about the president's efforts to crack down on credit card companies. Also, he's holding a town hall-style meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at noon Eastern. He's likely to get an earful from people who feel they've been treated unfairly. So, of course, we'll bring that to you live when it happens.
Scenes now from Kirksville, Missouri, where two people were killed by a tornado yesterday. Dozens of homes and businesses are damaged. One man who rode out the storm in his basement said it was all, quote, "just a blur." Another woman in a neighboring county died when a tornado slammed into her home. Dozens of people there are hurt.
In all, 23 tornadoes were reported overnight. This one, in fact, captured by CNN iReporter Michael Ambrosia in northeastern Missouri.
So, what's on the horizon for today? And Reynolds, also want to ask you, 23 tornadoes overnight, is that a lot?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, I mean, all things considered, I mean, it is significant. I mean, there have been outbreaks that have been far more significant than that. But still, pretty impressive if you're into that severe weather thing. Certainly just devastation from many places. They certainly had their work cut out for them in Kirksville. They're going to be cleaning up in parts of Oklahoma.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: President Obama is used to the cheers. Now the jeers. Protests over his upcoming commencement address at Notre Dame. We'll talk about it with the editor of the campus newspaper.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: The president speaking at your graduation. It's usually thought of as an honor. But when President Obama speaks at Notre Dame this weekend, he is likely to face protesters. Some students and alumni have already been protesting the president's support for abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We do not believe it is right to celebrate a man who has gone so against Catholic principles.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can't afford to be sending a message to people that we value power and fame over our Catholic identity.
REV. THOMAS REESE S.J., GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: I think when we start banning speakers, we look afraid. We look like we feel we can't come up with convincing arguments. And I think that's a self-defeating strategy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Joining me now is Jenn Metz. She's the editor in chief of the campus newspaper, "The (Notre Dame) Observer." Jen, thanks for being with us. You know, the first thing I wonder is, in general, if you had to sort of characterize the feel on campus for someone who maybe comes on campus for the very first time, is this issue in the forefront? What will they notice when they walk on campus?
JENN METZ, EDITOR IN CHIEF, "THE OBSERVER": I would say it is definitely in the forefront of everyone's mind here on campus, especially as we approach commencement on Sunday. If they come on campus right now, they'll notice, you know, the seniors preparing to graduate, and they'll also notice some airplanes flying overhead, and maybe some protesters outside the campus gates.
COLLINS: Airplanes for security is what you're saying, right?
METZ: Actually, they're airplanes sponsored by The Center for Bio- Ethical Reform...
COLLINS: Really?
METZ: ... with images of aborted fetuses and messages to Father Jenkins calling for him to change his mind about inviting Obama to speak at commencement.
COLLINS: All right. We should probably make very clear that it seems like, from everything that I have read, there are clearly two issues here. One, the issue of having the president come and speak at commencement. And then the other about whether or not he should be honored. Can you lay those out for us?
METZ: Sure. I think a lot of the outrage that has been expressed over this decision is mostly about the honorary degree that the university will confer on Obama when he comes on Sunday. A lot of people feel that honoring the president goes against a document issued by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2004, which says that the church or Catholic institutions should not honor politicians that stand against some principal, you know, morals, teachings of the church. And many feel that in honoring Obama with a degree, they are honoring everything that he believes in, including his stance on the protection of life.
COLLINS: Understood. In fact, your paper has gotten so much response on this. I'm reading here, close to 1,000 letters from students and alumni, as well. We want to put a couple of them on the screen.
This first one is from senior Mark Weber. He says, "It is our responsibility, not our commencement speaker's, to continue to cultivate our Catholic identity and apply it beyond graduation." The next one from alumnus Eoghan McGill. He says, "I have just thrown in the trash four Notre Dame T-shirts, a Notre Dame hat, sweatshirt and flag. I will not associate myself with a university that offers an honorary degree to a politician who lauds abortion."
You say the students tend to favor President Obama coming. But when we talk about alumni, they seem to oppose it.
METZ: Right. In terms of letters to the editor that we have received, we've seen a great difference between the alumni and the student responses. Roughly 70 percent of student responses we've received are in favor of Obama's coming to the university and receiving an honorary degree, where it's the opposite with alumni, with roughly 70 percent opposing the decision.
COLLINS: One more letter I want to show, too. This is from Sean Lyttle. He's a graduating law student. He says this: "Do not turn our special day into a political circus. It is our day, not yours."
You know, I've got to say, I found that one really interesting because, you know, you don't want to overshadow the students' accomplishments. But then again, certain people who are graduating went to Notre Dame for very specific reasons.
METZ: Right. I think a lot of students are concerned that the spotlight's being taken off them on their graduation day, and that a lot of these outside groups are using this event to, you know, further their own agendas. But then again, there are also students who believe very strongly in the pro-life movement and are very strongly opposed to abortion. And they feel, I guess, offended or discouraged that the university would invite Obama to speak at their commencement.
COLLINS: Understood. All right, well, we will be watching very closely, obviously, throughout the weekend here. Jenn Metz, the editor in chief of "The (Notre Dame) Observer." Thanks so much for your time, Jenn.
METZ: Thanks, Heidi.
COLLINS: Appreciate it.
You know, much of this battle has been taking place online through a series of Web sites, as you imagine. And we have a way for you to weigh in online. Our Josh Levs is here now to show us how to do that. Hey, Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, hey there to you. I want to show you a couple things. It's really interesting. Jenn's own paper right there, "The Observer," wrote about the fact that the Internet is playing such a big role in generating the discussion and the debate. One of the major Web sites they point to this. It's ndresponse.com. There's a video here. Let's take a look at a clip.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bestowing an honor on him is equal to bestowing an honor to those policies which are in direct contradiction to Catholic teaching.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: There you go. You can see a sense of it right there, and you can see more at ndresponse.com. Now, I was looking to -- we're going to balance this out with a video from a student-run group that is in support of President Obama coming. But the newspaper says that's actually the only student-run group that there is, involved in this whole thing.
But there are other Web sites out there on different sides. And a big one in support of President Obama coming that deals within the whole Notre Dame community, it's called WeSupportNotreDame.org. They have a petition going here, Heidi. At this point they have 35,000, a little bit more signatures. And I have a graphic for you with a quote from what they're saying and what their argument here is. Let's go to that.
And that's not coming in right. So, let's come back to the screen here, and I'll just show it to you right here. I can show it to you here. They say that "for decades, presidents of both political parties have been invited to Notre Dame for this occasion to engage in rigorous discourse about the most pressing issues of our day.
And they continue to argue, "it should be no different for this president" right here. They say, "through this invitation, Father Jenkins is honoring the best of our nation's democratic and religious values." So, that's their position, Heidi, and you can see it continues to battle online there.
COLLINS: Yes, and it goes on and on. There are others who say, you know, there have been presidents who have come to the school that are for the death penalty, also something that many Catholics would argue that's not what we're about. So, I'm sure there's an incredible amount of discussion. How about our viewers? What do they think?
LEVS: Our viewers are pointing to some similar things. Take a look at this. This is at the Heidi blog is what we call it here at CNN NEWSROOM, cnn.com/newsroom you get to it. One of our big questions. Just click on "Heidi," and I pulled out some interesting responses. Carolyn (ph) says, "Why can't Obama be gracious and just decline to appear? Because he opposes Catholic doctrine and is direct opposition to the faith."
On the flip side, David writes, "Notre Dame has a history of inviting newly elected presidents to speak. However, the nation's pre-eminent Catholic university should not award an honorary degree to this president."
We have time for a couple more here. This is from Richard: "Obama's being honored simply because he's the president. Where were these same student voices when George Bush was similarly honored? He launched an Iraq war that was condemned by the pope and most theologians as immoral," and it continues to go here. This is Eric (ph) saying he's a Catholic and agrees with the previous one.
So, obviously, we're getting lots and lots, dozens, and I think we've actually passed 100 already. You can weigh in there, CNN.com/newsroom.
COLLINS: It is such a hot-button issue. Is've never heard a pope, actually, promote war in any realm. So, interesting.
LEVS: That's a point, yes.
COLLINS: We will be watching all of this very closely. All right, Josh Levs, thank you.
LEVS: Thanks, Heidi.
COLLINS: Lots of responses on that.
LEVS: Yes.
COLLINS: Be sure to stay with CNN for President Obama's address at Notre Dame. You can watch it live in its entirety right here on Sunday.
Well, we know you love your electronic gadgets, but do you really know how much energy they eat up? We've got a number to make you gasp. Plus, tips on cutting down your bill.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: There's no doubt about it, most of us are addicted to our gadgets. We have TVs, computers, cell phones, iPods, BlackBerries, and demand for these items is rising. But did you ever stop and think about how much energy all those gadgets use? CNNmoney.com's Poppy Harlow has our "Energy Fix" from New York.
A lot of them just take batteries, don't they?
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: You know, some of them do, but I definitely plug this in. Heidi, I know you have your BlackBerry there on the desk, right?
COLLINS: Yes.
HARLOW: We all do. We've all got them.
COLLINS: On battery.
HARLOW: On battery. Not many people in this newsroom don't have a BlackBerry, an iPhone, something they have to plug in. The amount of electronics we have is staggering. And there's a new report out that we're going to tell you about, coming from the Paris-based International Energy Agency, saying there are about 2 billion televisions in the world. The number of computers in the world could top 1 billion this year, and over half the population around the globe now owns cell phones. All of these take electricity. Even if they run on batteries, you still have to charge them. That's the whole point. And this report says because the demand is growing so much for these gadgets, really we could triple our energy use on electronics by 2030. So, we could offset some of the gains we're making elsewhere in conserving energy.
That's a big concern out of this report. This could push our global electricity bill up to $200 billion. And to meet that demand, Heidi, the report says the world would have to build 200 new nuclear plants. So, we may be turning the lights off, but if we're plugging in more gadgets, we're sort of, you know -- it's canceling out the gains we're making.
COLLINS: In some ways, I guess. But I don't think you're telling people to give up their TVS, for God's sake, are you?
HARLOW: No, I basically sleep with this thing, honestly. I mean, we're not going to give it up, but the newer the product you buy, the more energy efficient, generally, it's going to be.
For a cell phone, that means a longer battery life. That's going to help cut back on the amount of time you have to charge it. That's an easy fix. Manufacturers can market that. It's a selling point.
But what this report has said is that when there's no commercial driver like that, it's up to governments of different countries to step in. Think about it. There are energy standards for cars, also for household appliances. So, maybe your cell phone, Heidi, will have an Energy Star sticker on it someday, too. That's what the report out would like to see -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Interesting. All right, our "Energy Fix" from Poppy Harlow. Thank you, Poppy.
HARLOW: Sure.
COLLINS: Desperate times in Pakistan. Refugees digging in the mud just to survive, and driven from their homes by fierce fighting.
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COLLINS: Forced from their homes. Hundreds of thousands of people in Pakistan huddling together in refugee camps as Pakistani troops try to push out the Taliban. ITN's Julian Manyon visited one of the camps to see how the refugees are coping with the uncertainty.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIAN MANYON, ITN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Missiles from a Pakistani helicopter gunship strike targets on the ground. In this army video, assault troops shout war cries before attacking the Taliban. But attacks like this are also helping to drive thousands of civilians out of their homes and into refugee camps.
At a camp not far from the fighting, refugees crowd forward to get pieces of cooling ice in the unbearable heat. Children collect fragments of the ice from the muddy ground. This is the U.N. refugee camp at Mardan. Sanitary conditions are basic. It is seriously overcrowded. And the camp has now closed its doors.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See, we have little space, and the number of people is more. And it's overcrowded. We have stopped further registration. But still, many people are coming. We are trying to direct them to other camps established in other parts of the province.
MANYON: In another camp a mile away, Atifullah has just arrived from the war zone. He's putting up a tent for his wife and child, who he hopes will get here tomorrow. He says that he had to walk for two days after intense fighting drove them from their home.
ATIFULLAH, REFUGEE: (INAUDIBLE) killing the people. Taliban's also killing the people. There is no saving of life. There is no saving of any person. Everybody's life (INAUDIBLE).
MANYON (on camera): This attempt to crush the Taliban is doing serious damage to Pakistan. Already there are more displaced people or refugees in this conflict than in any of Pakistan's previous wars. And no one here knows how long they will have to go on living like this.
(voice-over): The Pakistani government is doing its best to help the dispossessed. In the camps, food is prepared for thousands, but resources are stretched. There were angry scenes as some in this camp received only pieces of stale bread.
The challenge with about a million now homeless will be to maintain stability. It's on that that the success or failure of this war against the Taliban will depend.
Julian Manyon, News at 10 in the refugee camps at Mardan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: We'll continue to follow that story here on CNN.
I'm Heidi Collins. Credit card reform. President Obama takes his agenda straight to the people in a noon town hall meeting. CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Tony Harris.
