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Partial Building Collapse in Garner, North Carolina; New Evidence North Korea May be Preparing for More Missile Launches; Roeder Gives TV Jailhouse Interview; Sotomayor Confirmation Hearing Scheduled; Allegations against Gulfstream; Dealership Closings Affect Car Loans
Aired June 09, 2009 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Breaking news we're following for you here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Two views of this scene. This is Garner, North Carolina, just outside of Raleigh, North Carolina. And the choppers are flying over what is obvious to you in these pictures. We're talking about a partial building collapses here. Not a total collapse, obviously, but a partial building collapse.
It looks like the roof of this portion of the roof of what used to be a former -- well, it is a former food factory of some sort has absolutely collapsed. And we will get a closer view of this, and you can see that several vehicles were essentially pancaked by the falling roof structure here.
We are told that there may be people trapped inside. Don't know that for sure at this point.
The pictures coming to us from our choppers, from our affiliate stations, WRAL, the picture you're looking at right now. Also, we're getting pictures from the helicopter of our other affiliate station who is covering this right now for us, WTVD.
Once again, this is not a complete building collapse, a roof collapse here, but clearly we've got a partial roof collapse.
Let's listen in to photojournalist Chad Flowers. He is in the helicopter for WRAL.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
CHAD FLOWERS, PHOTOJOURNALIST, WRAL: ... all over the building. We've seen two different -- three different areas that have had these chemicals just kind of spewing out into the building and running off the front of the building.
This is the area out front where they've created like a little triage center, all the MS trucks, the Wake County hazmat, Raleigh hazmat materials is on the scene. And a few moments ago, about 20 minutes ago, they had several people out on the front lawn here treating them, getting them to nearby hospitals. And they're trying to clean up that area.
Down at the far end of the parking lot here is where they've kind of pushed all the employees that are OK, and they're just kind of huddled around here just trying to stay out of the way, make sure they're OK. The police and the fire and rescue have been down talking to these guys just to make sure that no one has any other injuries that needs to be treated, needs to be taken to the hospital, whatnot.
But this is the area that is the entire complex here. Let me zoom all the way out so you can see it.
This is the entire building and facility here, the ConAgra Foods on Jones Sausage. They have a water tower there in the left-hand corner of your screen. A rather large building.
I think, Bill and Monica, you said it's 50,000 square feet of space there under the roof. But they've had a major explosion, and they've got a lot of issues and trying to figure out what's happened at this point.
Back to you, Bill.
HARRIS: All right. I think we're getting a better idea of what apparently has taken place here. As you heard Chad Flowers, the photojournalist for WRAL, describe this, as the scene of a major -- I believe that's the word he used -- a major explosion. Some of this -- some of the information from Chad we're going to obviously have to check for ourselves here at CNN, but he described this plant as being the location of a major explosion.
Fifty thousand square feet, that entire complex that we're talking about here. And as you can see there from one of the towers, ConAgra Foods, that is a facility for ConAgra Foods. You also heard Chad talking about a triage area that has been set up outside of this facility, and that some people are being treated right now at this moment.
We have obviously no idea of how many people were inside the facility at the time of the explosion. The earliest indications on this is that this was a former food factory, and that would lead you to believe that it was not in operation. But apparently, I think we have a better idea that it is operating at this point on some level.
Hazmat teams also are on this scene right now, and that information takes this to a whole other level. So, obviously we're going to continue to follow developments here. We've got a partial roof collapse on this facility, 50,000 square feet in this facility, a ConAgra Foods facility, and there are some people who are injured.
We don't know how many people might still be inside the building. It is -- it appears to be a partial roof collapse as the result of what the photojournalist for WRAL described as a major explosion.
We're going to continue to work this story and get you additional information as quickly as we can.
To other news, our other top story that we are following this hour.
A brazen warning from North Korea. The communist nation vowing to use its nuclear weapons in a merciless offensive if any country provokes it. In addition, new evidence Pyongyang may be preparing for more missile launches.
CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr with details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): U.S. spy satellites over North Korea have observed vehicles and other activities at west coast missile launch sites, indicating Pyongyang may be preparing to launch a long-range missile capable of hitting the U.S. and medium-range missiles that could hit Asian neighbors. Tensions are on the rise.
North Korea just accused the South of sending patrol boats into a disputed area off the western coast. And off the eastern port of Wonsan, shipping has been banned until the end of the month.
The Pentagon joined the tough U.S. talk, making clear Defense Secretary Robert Gates...
GEOFF MORRELL, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: ... is sick of responding to North Korean provocations by making concessions that get you back to the status quo ante only to see this all unfold again.
STARR: Gates is now looking at military options if North Korea doesn't stop its nuclear program.
MORRELL: He has tasked his policy team with trying to figure out creative and prudent ways to bolster defenses.
STARR: Morell wouldn't be specific, but what about stopping North Korean weapons exports on the high seas, denying Pyongyang that cash flow? Experts warn it could get very nasty.
JOHN PARK, UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEACE: The North Koreans will not view this as something that is standard procedure or supported by international law. For them it would be akin to a violation of their sovereignty, and as they stated, a declaration of war.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr joining me live now.
And Barbara, what does the U.S. think North Korea -- and, you know, we ask this question so many times, it begins to become a frustrating question. But what does the United States think North Korea's really up to here?
STARR: And that is the question, Tony. What are they up to?
HARRIS: Yes.
STARR: Well, you know, first of all, clearly, they do have ambitions to become a nuclear state, to export their weapons to earn cash that they desperately need. But what are they up to right now?
You know, the U.S. intelligence community is beginning to look very closely at this question of succession. Kim Jong-il, who you saw there, is now frail and ill, by all accounts. He recently appointed one of his sons to be his successor, and the thinking at this point is, is there some sort of power struggle going on inside the highest levels of that very closed regime? That may be what some of this is all about, and it's something that the U.S. really doesn't have a good handle on, making it all the more worrisome -- Tony.
HARRIS: With tensions this high, any power struggle could -- that carries with it the potential to spill out and the potential to be misunderstood.
STARR: Well, that is -- that's one of the concerns.
HARRIS: Yes.
STARR: If you don't really know what's going on inside this country and you don't understand who the power players are and why they're doing what they're doing, when you see events in front of you, you see North Korea doing certain things, it's hard to know how to play it.
For now, the U.S. says they're not moving any U.S. troops, weapons, ships, aircraft, nothing new to the region. They feel they have enough there right now, according to the Pentagon. But certainly, I have to tell you, this is an issue being kept under very close watch, to say the least.
HARRIS: Yes. OK.
CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr for us.
Barbara, appreciate it. Thank you.
STARR: Sure.
HARRIS: You know, we will hear more on what options Washington may be weighing to halt North Korea's nuclear activity. I'll be joined later this hour by Jim Walsh, an expert on international security at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
And a rare interview with one of Kim Jong-il's children shedding light on who might take over leadership of the country.
Our Josh Levs joining us with that -- Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, we're going to pick right up where Barbara Starr left off. She was talking about how it's hard to get a handle, and it is hard to get a handle on what's going on inside that family and the secretive regime. I want to start off with this graphic here, because I want everyone to see what we know about Kim Jong-il having children.
We know of about four children. And if you take a look here, here's what I'm going to show you. You can see Kim Jong-nam, the second son, the second child, first son who's listed there. He did this very rare interview.
Look at the bottom of the list now, Kim Jong-un. He is the one who it is believed may be the successor, may ultimately be the one to take power.
So, we heard from the oldest son, and he was asked about what's ahead, what changes might there be. This is from Japanese TV. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIM JONG-NAM, KIM JONG-IL'S ELDEST SON: However, it's my father's decision. So, once he decides, we have to support.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you interested in succession?
KIM: No. Personally, I'm not interested in this issue.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why?
KIM: Sorry. I'm not interested in the politics.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: Now, if you had any trouble hearing what they just said on TV, Tony, what they said just now, what they asked him, "Are you interested in succession?" He said no, he's not, he's not interested in politics.
A lot of people are hanging on every word that is said. So, it could be an indication potentially that he is not the successor, and maybe people are right that the youngest son might be.
HARRIS: Well, how rare is an interview like this, Josh?
LEVS: Very rare. We very rarely hear from anyone inside that family.
In fact, it's even hard to find pictures of members of that family, so a lot of people in North Korea who hear about this, and around the world who are focusing very closely on this, it is a big deal.
And I'm going to show you one more quickly sound bite from this interview in which where we hear him talk about this whole idea that some people thought he might defect and become a voice for North Korea from outside the country.
Let's listen to what he said about that. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIM: No. What are you talking about? I never defected from North Korea, and I don't see the reason why I have to do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: And Tony, I'll tell you, there's a lot more information available at CNN.com. Just click on "North Korea" at the top of the screen. It will bring you to a whole spread. You can learn a lot about what's going on there, about our latest reporting.
Everything that you're hearing about North Korea, it ends up on CNN.com right here. So, take a look.
HARRIS: All right, Josh. Appreciate it. Thank you.
LEVS: You bet. Sure.
HARRIS: Right now we want to get to our Ted Rowlands. The man accused of killing a well-known abortion provider has just spoken directly to CNN in a network exclusive.
Live now to Ted Rowlands, outside the prison in Wichita where Scott Roeder is being held.
And Ted, if you would, talk us through the conversation you had with Scott Roeder.
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, we were given 30 minutes to meet face to face with Scott Roeder inside this Sedgwick County detention center here. This is the jail adjacent to the courthouse in downtown Wichita. And we met in a room that was partitioned with glass.
We communicated over a phone. We could see each other, obviously, through the glass. And in the beginning, Roeder was very hesitant.
He was in his maroon jumpsuit, and he was very hesitant to talk about the case against him or really talk about anything. He said he was upset with an Associated Press article that he claims misquoted him, and so his stance was, well, I'm sorry, you know, that you came all this way, but I really shouldn't be talking about this, because I don't trust -- I don't trust you.
So, after a while we discussed different issues and he started to open up a little bit. And I asked him, "Aside from this case, what" -- and this sort of started the conversation. "What do you think about Dr. Tiller's death?"
And he then sort of quickly answered, "The fact that Tiller's clinic is closed is a victory for all of the unborn children." That was a direct quote. And that sort of changed the conversation, and from there we were able to have a back-and-forth conversation. And he went on to say, talking about Tiller's death and the fact that the clinic was closed, he said now there is, "no more slicing and dicing of the unborn child in the mother's womb and no more needles of poison into the baby's heart to stop the heart from beating, and no more partial-birth abortions." And when he delivered those lines, he became a little bit more almost robotic and he just rattled it off, and he seemed at that point to get some emotion, when he was saying this to me, and I was jotting it down.
But then I tried to push him, and he would retreat a little bit. He would never admit to killing Dr. George Tiller. But at one point I said, "Listen, there are witnesses outside this church that say they saw you walk up to this man and shoot him. They say they saw you wave a gun in two other members of this church's face and threaten them, and then they saw you get in your blue Taurus and drive away, and they got your license plate tag."
And while I was rattling off sort of the evidence against him, he was kind of nodding in acknowledgement. And then he said, all right, well, if in the end I am found guilty at a jury trial, then he said "the entire motive was the defense of the unborn. "
He also told us he was talking to us against the recommendation of his attorney, and that his attorney had said that if he kept talking to the media, he could face federal charges, which is something Roeder seemed to indicate that he really didn't want to go down that road. But in the end he did talk to us, and he did provide us with a little bit of insight into what is going on in his mind.
One thing he didn't say was, "I didn't do it." He didn't say, "Get me out of here, I'm the wrong guy." But he didn't go all the way to say that he did it, either.
HARRIS: All right. CNN's Ted Rowlands for us.
Ted, appreciate it. Thank you.
And we should probably point out here that we certainly are sensitive to the fact that perhaps the Tiller family is not happy with the fact that we've had a conversation with the man who is accused of killing their loved one. I will add that we have reached out to George Tiller's family for comment, and we are waiting to hear back from the family.
Our senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash has some new information for us on the Senate hearings for Supreme Court justice nominee Sonia Sotomayor.
Dana, what are you hearing?
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We are hearing that we finally have a date for the start of Sonia Sotomayor confirmation hearings, and that is July 13th, just about five weeks from now, Tony. That was announced by the Senate judiciary chairman, Patrick Leahy, on the Senate floor just moments ago. And this, as you well know, has been the subject of some tug-of- war between Democrats and Republicans, just when these confirmation hearings will start. Well, guess what? This was an announcement done by the Democrat. We have not heard anything from Republicans yet, ,as this just occurred a few moments ago.
Their argument has been that they need much more time. They wanted to hold off until September because of her thousands and thousands of cases that she has delivered opinions on as a judge on the federal bench.
So, it looks like they are not going to get their wish on the Republican side. We are still waiting to hear from what Republicans say.
But the news, the breaking news here, is that July 13th will be the start of Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearings. We still don't know, because it has not yet been set, what that will mean from there, when -- how long those hearings will go and when the committee and then, of course, the full Senate would expect to actually vote on her nomination.
HARRIS: And Dana, I want to turn to health care here. I know that House Democrats are caucusing on it. I know that the Senate is working on it as well.
BASH: That's right.
HARRIS: What are Democrats trying to accomplish here?
BASH: Well, you have so much going on.
HARRIS: Yes.
BASH: But specifically, what we are seeing begin to shape up in the House of Representatives, among Democrats, is an outline of what they want to go ahead and do. And let me just give you a couple of bullet points.
These are options that they are discussing inside the Democratic caucus. And first and foremost, a government-run program to compete with private insurers. That is something that Democrats across the board at this point say that they do want to do in some way, shape or form. Another is a mandate for all Americans to have health insurance.
Well, all of that, Tony, it's going to cost a lot of money. And one of the big, most prickly issues is how are you going to pay for it? Maybe a trillion dollars in the first 10 years.
One of the options that they are saying that they're discussing inside the House Democratic leadership is potentially to tax employer- based benefits. And, you know, we've discussed this, the president has opposed that during the campaign.
They are ambiguous at best about this concept over at the White House. But at least House Democrats are putting that on the table. And, you know, over in the Senate, they have put it on the table as well.
HARRIS: Yes. OK.
Our senior Congressional correspondent Dana Bash.
A lot going on, on your beat today. All right, Dana. Appreciate it. Thank you.
BASH: Thank you.
HARRIS: If you're flying on a regional jet, how much experience do the pilots in the cockpit really have?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: All right. Once again, we want to bring you as much information as we have right now on this developing story out of Garner, North Carolina. That's just outside of Raleigh.
Two views of this building collapse, at least a section of the building that you can see here has certainly collapsed. And there is a hazmat situation at this location.
This is a ConAgra Foods facility, a 50,000-square-foot facility. We can tell you that according to Chad Flowers, who is the photojournalist flying for WRAL, in that station's helicopter, that there's been an explosion at this facility.
A triage center has been set up, and some people have been treated. We have no idea the extent of the injuries.
We're also hearing reports that there may be people trapped inside that building right now. That is literally all we know right now. But you can see for yourself the number of vehicles essentially pancaked by the debris from the roofing from that building right now.
We will continue to follow developments in this story and bring you the latest as we get it right here in the NEWSROOM.
Twenty-four bodies now recovered from Air France Flight 447. The whereabouts of the plane and the cause of last week's crash still very much a mystery.
This morning, the first of the bodies were flown back to Brazil, where they will be identified. Investigators are looking at a piece of the plane's tail found yesterday by the Brazilian Air Force. Officials say it could provide clues into what happened and where the flight data and voice recorders are.
Meanwhile, in the United States, federal officials say they plan to beef up their inspections of pilot-training programs at regional airlines. This comes after last month's testimony showed critical errors by the captain and co-pilot of the deadly Buffalo crash on February 12th. The plane stalled before plunging to the ground, killing all 49 people on board and a man on the ground.
The testimony revealed the flight's captain may not have had hands-on training on a critical cockpit safety system, and not long before the crash the co-pilot described her lack of experience flying in icy weather on a cockpit voice recorder.
Senior correspondent Allan Chernoff has been reporting on allegations of maintenance and crew scheduling violations at Gulfstream International Airlines, as well as concerns about inexperienced pilots sitting in the cockpit of the airline. Gulfstream operates Continental connection flights in Florida.
Allan returned to Florida this week and spoke directly with Gulfstream's executives.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMES BYSTROM, GULFSTREAM TRAINING ACADEMY DIRECTOR: It's not the quality of time, it's the quality of training. And what we provide is a first-class opportunity for them to get the right type of training.
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Students at Gulfstream Training Academy arrived with as little as 250 hours of flight experience. Yet after three months of training, they'll become first officers, co-pilots on commercial flights. They'll fly for the academy's parent company, Gulfstream International Airlines, to gain an extra 250 hours of experience.
Veteran pilots who say the hiring standard at major airlines is a minimum 1,500 flight hours believe that ticket to the cockpit was too quick.
PAT MOORE, COMMERCIAL PILOT: But I don't know how they can justify that. When I get on an airplane, I expect a fully qualified crew.
CHERNOFF: Gulfstream differs.
(on camera): Do you think the passengers sitting in the back would be comfortable knowing that the first officer would just come out of school and has perhaps 250 hours of flight time?
BYSTROM: Right. Importantly enough, I think it's important for me to reiterate, they already have all their ratings. By the time they get here, they've already completed almost 90 days of flight training before they even step in behind the wheel.
CHERNOFF (voice-over): When they get behind the controls, the new pilots who have just paid $30,000 tuition will earn $8.00 an hour, 79 cents above Florida's minimum wage.
(on camera): The minimum wage here in Florida is $7.21. And you're saying co-pilots are paid $8 an hour? Is that really what a co-pilot should be earning? DAVID HACKETT, PRESIDENT, GULFSTREAM INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES: Well, it's a career path. And this is the first step on their career. They earn a lot more money later on.
CHERNOFF (voice-over): Later on, if hired full time, the new pilots earn about $20 an hour.
(on camera): The FAA made its investigation. Current, former employees have made some allegations against the company. Are you just saying it's all a bum wrap?
HACKETT: I think there's a misunderstanding of a lot of these regulations.
CHERNOFF (voice-over): A recent FAA investigation found multiple cases of Gulfstream scheduling pilots beyond federal limits designed to prevent pilot fatigue. Gulfstream concedes there were discrepancies between pilot logbooks and the computerized system tracking pilot hours, but says, the FAA got it wrong. Only once, the company claims, was a pilot accidentally scheduled to illegally work eight days in a row.
HACKETT: When you don't understand how the proper crew paperwork was done, it appeared that each time that person flew, he might have been illegal when in fact he was perfectly legal.
CHERNOFF: Former and current Gulfstream employees claimed dispatchers would sometimes shave hours from computerized logs of prior flights so that pilots would appear to be legal to fly extra routes.
(on camera): But it is possible for somebody to go back into the system and change times, is it not?
HACKETT: It's theoretically possible. When this issue first came up, we pulled hundreds and hundreds of records to see if this was possible, and we found absolutely no discrepancies other than a few clerical errors which had nothing to do with making a pilot illegal who otherwise would have been legal.
CHERNOFF (voice-over): The FAA also charged Gulfstream maintenance with using automotive air conditioning compressors in its aircraft. The company counters it purchased the correct compressors. The only issue, Gulfstream says, is that the FAA had not approved the maintenance manual Gulfstream was using.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Senior correspondent Allan Chernoff joins us live from Miami.
And Allan, let me make sure I'm hearing what I think I'm hearing here. So, is the company claiming FAA investigators just didn't do a proper job?
CHERNOFF: Well, they're not quite going that far, but there are saying there were some misunderstandings here. They are explaining away some of these alleged violations by saying there were clerical errors and, in some cases, the FAA investigators just didn't understand the Gulfstream systems. That's pretty much what's going on here.
HARRIS: Got you.
CHERNOFF: And they are now challenging the proposed $1.3 million fine that was supposed to be levied against Gulfstream.
HARRIS: So, Allan, when passengers step onto a Gulfstream plane, do they always know it's Gulfstream?
CHERNOFF: This actually is the case with most regional airline. They operate, in this case Continental, connection flights. So, most people think of it as a Continental flight.
HARRIS: Yes.
CHERNOFF: It's operated by Gulfstream International, but you get on the plane, on the tail, it says Continental. So, it's very easy for people to think that this is a Continental plane. Continental, by the way, did say to us that they expect their partners to basically operate to the highest standards of safety.
HARRIS: Sure. OK.
Allan Chernoff for us in Miami.
Allan, appreciate it. Thank you.
Iranians are taking to the streets as elections join near. Could change be in the air?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Let's see, we're trying to get you the latest information, but we certainly want to give you what we do have right now. And that's this, four different views of this situation. It is Garner, North Carolina, just outside of Raleigh, where we're watching, boy, the aftermath, the immediate aftermath of a partial building collapse here.
You can see the hole in the roof there, the result of what we're told was a pretty major explosion in that plant. A ConAgra Foods facility. Fifty thousand square feet, the entire square footage of that facility. And as you can see from this view, look at that, a number of vehicles pancaked by the debris from the roof. Boy, that really -- a collapse there. We want to listen for just a moment to see if we can get some more information from Chad Flowers. He is the photojournalist flying in the helicopter for WRAL.
FLOWERS: All the way to the back. There are collapses in the center, and the back and the front. So if you were inside, I can only imagine it would be a very frightening scene that unfolded in there. HARRIS: OK. I think that's the first view where we're actually able to see what Chad was just describing there. Several areas of that roof actually collapsed. And as Chad mentioned, he's absolutely right, if you were anywhere in that building, pretty frightening indeed. Let me listen in just a bit again.
FLOWERS: So the fire department is (INAUDIBLE). You can see...
HARRIS: All right, we lost that signal. There is a hazmat situation there. Hazmat teams are at the location. We understand that 12 to 15 employees in this ConAgra Foods plant suffered some exposure to toxic fumes from ammonia leaks at the plant. Boy. And some employees also suffered chemical burns. The number, 12 to 15 employees. Let's listen in again.
FLOWERS: They've extended the ladder up on top of this building. These guys -- let's see if I can see. They appear to have their air packs on. They have been assessing the area up front. They do have their air packs on, so I'm sure at this point it's better to take precaution and not need any assistance than to not take it and overcome by whatever chemicals.
HARRIS: That absolutely makes sense. We heard earlier from Chad that a triage center had been set up near the building for some people who were being treated. We also understand that the Wake Medical Center is standing by, prepping for 10 to 12 patients right now. We hope that those patients have already been taken to the area hospital for treatment.
But take a look at this scene. That's pretty dramatic stuff right there. A number of cars, vehicles, just pancaked by the falling debris. A number of areas of this roof have actually collapsed. And, again, we have no idea at this point. We're hoping that everyone who was inside the building has made it out safely, but we have no way of knowing that at this point.
There were early reports that some people were actually trapped in the building. We haven't been able to confirm that as well.
We saw a number of people leaving that general area, being loaded onto a bus. We're assuming -- maybe it's a mistake to do that -- that those are actually employees who had managed to get out of the building safely and were being taken to a safer area away from the building. Again, this is a hazmat scene at this point.
Why don't we do this. We'll take a break. Get you any new information that comes to us. We're back in the NEWSROOM in just a minute.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: All right. Three hours into the trading day. We'll get to Wall Street in just a second. But certainly want to direct your attention to cnnmoney.com. I tell you what, you can't do better than this site if you want the latest financial news and analysis, cnnmoney.com. And the top story today, "the big bailout payback." Go to that site, click on that story, and send me a note on whether or not we're making money on the money that we gave to banks and now banks are paying it back. I want to know.
Let's get you to the Big Board now, three hours into the trading day. And as you can see, it's a flat to down day. Just slightly down three hours into the trading day. Let's call it flat. The Dow down 1 point. Just over a point. The Nasdaq up 15 points. We're following the numbers today with Susan Lisovicz right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Actor Jon Voight had some choice words about President Barack Obama's foreign policy at a GOP fundraiser last night, calling the president a false prophet. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON VOIGHT, ACTOR: Are we supposed to be sitting and waiting, watching for the possibility of a new holocaust? Whose going to take the responsibility to keep America -- Israel safe? I'll tell you why this really scares the hell out of me, because everything Obama has recommended has turned out to be disastrous.
It saddens me greatly to think we were the great power for good in the world. We, as Americans, knew America to be strong. And we were the liberators of the entire world. We are becoming a weak nation.
Obama really thinks he is a soft-spoken Julius Caesar. He thinks he's going to conquer the world with his soft-spoken sweet talk and really thinks he's going to bring all the enemies of the world into a little playground where they'll swing each other back and forth. We and we alone are the right frame of mind to free this nation from this Obama oppression.
Let's give thanks to them for not giving up and staying the course to bring an end to this false prophet, Obama.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: OK. We wanted to do a lot more on this today, but because of all of the breaking news out of Garner, North Carolina, we weren't able to get to it. But we certainly want to hear your comments on what actor Jon Voight had to say.
If you would, leave us your comments on my blog. It's cnn.com/newsroom. Yes, it's not my blog. It's this team's blog. Cnn.com/newsroom. What you do is you click on my face and then you can leave your comments right there.
Still to come, the wave of dealership closings means you may be at risk if you trade in a car you still owe money on. We will take a look at what you can do to protect yourself.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Let's show everyone the pictures again. This is Garner, North Carolina, where we are following a -- boy, a roof collapse in several places here of this 50,000-square-foot ConAgra Foods facility. Workers are believed trapped inside that roof collapsed building today.
The incident happened just, boy, not that long ago. We're trying to pin down exactly when it happened. The mayor of the city, Garner, North Carolina, says that somewhere between 12 and 15 plant workers were injured by toxic fumes from ammonia leaks at the plant.
We are continuing to follow developments on this. You can see a lot of traffic. A lot of rescue efforts and firefighters, EMS, on the scene right now. A makeshift triage area has been set up to treat folks. We understand anywhere from 12 to 15 people have been taken to an area hospital for treatment.
ConAgra Foods, a leading food company there. You talk about brands like Healthy Choice, Chef Boyardee, Orville Redenbacher among others.
But that is the facility. It is a huge facility. And a number of portions of that roof collapsed in the aftermath of what was described earlier as a major explosion. We'll continue to gather information on this and bring you the latest as we get it right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
So, no matter what happens with the bankruptcy of Chrysler and GM, more dealerships will be closing their doors. Yes, that can mean deals for consumers, but you still need to be pretty careful here. Cnnmoney.com's Poppy Harlow has "The Breakdown" from New York.
Good to see you, Poppy.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Hey there, Tony, good to see you, too.
You know, this is a problem at dealerships across the country, not just Chrysler or GM dealerships that are closing. Here's the issue. If you trade in your old car, a few months later you might find out that the dealer you traded it in with never paid off your loan. It's a big concern.
No hard numbers on it now, but consumers for auto reliability and safety, that group, says this is a huge problem. Says it's a bloodbath, actually. It can devastate your credit if you don't pay it off. And you could even be sued because keep in mind the original loan is still in your name. And this is not always intentional when dealerships close, right?
They're not just closing and saying, hey, we're not going to pay this off, Tony. Sometimes the creditors freeze their assets and the Iowa attorney general's office said they're worried they're going to see more of this as we see more dealerships closings because, Tony, today, of course, marks the day when almost 800 Chrysler dealers can't sell new Chryslers anymore and GM has announced thousands of dealer agreement ending. Meaning the same thing will happen at those GM dealerships.
HARRIS: Hey, Poppy, what can we do to protect ourselves?
HARLOW: Sure. What the experts say is don't trade in your car if you owe money. Try to sell it yourself. You're probably going to get more money anyways. If you don't have time to do that, what you want to do is ask the dealer for a check up front to pay off that loan when you do close the deal, Tony. Then you don't run into this problem.
HARRIS: If you realize this has happened to you, what do you do?
HARLOW: Yes, what you can do is you can contact the lender. Explain the situation. Provide copies of your paperwork from the dealer. Try to pay off that loan if you can, because, again, it's in your name. If you can't afford to pay it off, what you want to do is contact credit agencies in writing, make them aware of the situation, then get in touch with your DMV and even your state attorney general's office. They're going to help you to file a claim about this. They're more and more aware of it now. The problem is, Tony, some people have even ended up in bankruptcy because they can't pay on their new car and then they find out they're paying on their old too. That's a problem -- Tony.
HARRIS: That's crazy. All right, Poppy, appreciate it. Thank you.
HARLOW: You're welcome.
HARRIS: Are the U.S. and North Korea headed for a confrontation? If the answer is yes, what would that confrontation look like?
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HARRIS: Tensions with North Korea escalating by the day. The communist nation now warning it will use nuclear weapons in a merciless offensive if any country provokes it. Add to that U.S. intelligence has evidence that Pyongyang may be preparing for more missile launches. Our Anderson Cooper discussed the escalation with CNN's senior political analyst David Gergen.
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ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, CNN'S "ANDERSON COOPER 360 DEGREES": David, you feel that the U.S. basically, separate from these two journalists, is heading to some sort of, what, confrontation with North Korea?
DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: I think we're heading to a possible showdown now. It's been very interesting. This administration came in ready to talk. You know, they said they'd go to Pyongyang. Hillary Clinton might go there. They appointed Steve Bosworth, this very distinguished former diplomat, as a special envoy to North Korea. They can't break the code. They can't get in. They've been rebuffed by the North Koreans.
But more than that, the North Korean have suddenly set off on this very mischievous, dangerous, path, you know, sending -- blowing up a nuclear weapon and doing missiles. And the administration, strikingly now, has been setting off signals in the last few days, it's not going to play the game that the Clinton administration and the Bush administration played.
I was there in the Clinton administration when we decided to essentially buy them off. If you'll stop the nuclear program, we'll give you oil, we'll give you a nuclear power plant, we'll give you food. We tried that. It didn't work. It failed.
The Bush administration came along and said, we don't want to do that. And then they eventually did. It failed again.
This administration is saying, we're not going to bargain with these people anymore. We're going to get tough. We're going to crack down on this. We're not going to allow them. The administration has decided apparently that North Korea's intent on getting nuclear capacity. And they're going to try to stop it.
And, Anderson, it could lead to a confrontation. And it's going to be a very important signal to the Iranians about what -- how the U.S. will handle a nuclear capacity in a dangerous country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: This could lead to confrontation, Gergen says. Joining me with his insights on this escalating situation, Jim Walsh, an expert in international security and a research associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. And he joins us from West Newton, Massachusetts.
Jim, as always, great to talk to you.
Help me here, please. So, when we hear comments like those from our analyst, David Gergen, who's been inside several White Houses, right, using words like showdown and confrontation to describe what he thinks this administration, at least where it might be headed. A, do you believe we are on a path to a confrontation with North Korea? And I'll ask b after you answer a.
JIM WALSH, MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY: Sure. On, A, Tony -- well, first of all, let me say that I'm a lifetime member of the David Gergen fan club.
HARRIS: OK.
WALSH: But that being said, I disagree with David in two respects. One, I don't think everything that happened before was a failure. He referred to the agreed framework under the Clinton administration that froze that program for 10 years. If you had a disease and I told you if you take this pill it's going to go into remission for 10 years, you would call that a victory.
Similarly, I thought we had made some progress at the end of the Bush administration. But with changes inside North Korea that have nothing to do with the outside world, that's what's pointed this in a different direction. I think there's a danger, that is to say there could be miscalculation, an accident, a confrontation at sea. But I think it would be foolish, and I hope David is wrong, that if he's saying that the administration is going to pursue a showdown. You don't pursue showdowns with countries that are in the middle of regime changes. That's the sort of thing that leads to crisis.
HARRIS: But, Jim, here's what we do know from Barbara Starr's reporting. The Pentagon is looking at military options if North Korea doesn't stop its push to be fully nuclear capable. All right, talk us through the obvious options here.
WALSH: Well, you could, in theory, attack the nuclear sites that you're aware of in North Korea, and that was something that was, in fact, considered early in the crisis, '92-'93, under Clinton. But, remember, you know, this is the nightmare scenario. It's not as if the North Koreans are going to sit back and say, OK, you bombed us, we give up. They're going to want to retaliate. They're going to have lost face. They're going to feel like this is the last of all wars. That we're coming after them even if only we're carrying out "a surgical strike."
And, remember, it's the South Koreans and it's the Chinese who are on the ground next to North Korea. They do not want a war. I think they're not going to be up for a confrontation that risks that sort of open war on the Korean peninsula.
HARRIS: And, Jim, thanks for another perspective on this. We appreciate it.
Jim Walsh with us.
WALSH: Absolutely.
HARRIS: Still to come, our "Help Desk" team is tackling your financial questions.
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HARRIS: We want to take you now to a news conference underway now in Garner, North Carolina, on the building collapse.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have at this point. Are there any questions?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Could you tell us again how many people have been transported and what was the chemical event (ph) that you think they may have been exposed to?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now 20 people have been transported to area hospitals. It may be related to the anhydrous ammonia. We're not sure. We're still looking for three people inside the building at this point in time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you getting any information as far as to how it might have started?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. It's going to take some time to look in to this and determine a cause of the explosion. I'm not expecting that any time soon.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you aware it may have started here on the south side of the building?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly. Right now we believe that a lot of that -- the damage is from the south side of the building. But don't know exactly the cause or either the damage done as far as numbers wise.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Many people transferred suffered from second and third-degree burns, do you know?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't have any information about that right now. I just know that 20 were transported.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How many employees were in there?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't have any information about that either. I know they have a count somehow, but that all -- like I said, three are still unaccounted for in the building and they do have search and rescue teams inside the building right now trying to locate those individuals.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Talk to us again about how you said it's still an unstable situation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, like I said, you still have a building that apparently has collapsed due to some kind of explosion. So, of course, the search and rescue teams are going to take the care they need to take in going through this building and trying the locate these individuals. So it's still very much a moving situation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And does the heat today play a role in that effort as it relates to the building and people?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of course the heat, you know, any kind of extreme temperatures or extreme things always, always play into that, especially with the rescue workers that are responding to the scene.
Kelsey (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sergeant, how many people did you say they're still looking for?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Still looking for three that are unaccounted for.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do we know what kind of work usually (ph) goes on in the south side of the building? What part of the plant that is?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The plant is a manufacturing plant for Slim Jims and other food stuffs. So it's a processing plant and a packaging plant.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You said there were three unaccounted for. Is there any fatalities at this point?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've not been made aware of any fatalities at this point.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you been able to identify these three people that are unaccounted for?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The -- I'm sure the command post at this time knows who they are. Of course, they have a number at all times, I believe, inside the building. So that's how they can actually tell there's three unaccounted for. So I'm sure they know who they are and they're actively looking for those folks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We obviously can't see the plant from here. Can you kind of give us a brief description of what it looks like when you walk up on it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The plant itself is -- it appears -- I mean it's got some extensive damage on the south side and there's really no way to explain it. I think the crews in the helicopters can probably see a good image of that. But there's just -- it's not -- you can't see the entire damage from the street. So I couldn't begin to tell you exactly how extensive the damage was.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you tell us about the crews that are actually on scene. I know there are several folks from Perry, Garner, Raleigh. I mean how many folks are here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. A situation like that, they have an incident command set up and that staged there near the plant. The Raleigh Police Department, I'm sure Wade County Sheriff's Department, EMS, Raleigh Fire, Raleigh Police, there's a lot of units involved in this. It's a very multi-jurisdictional effort at this point and everybody's working to the common goal of trying to get these folks out and making sure everybody stays safe.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Since we can't see the damage from here, how long do you expect the search to take?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't give you a number. I mean they're going to search the -- if you look at it, it looks like the roof -- some of the roof has come down. So I'm not exactly sure how long it's going to take. As long as it takes to identify and find out where these folks are.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who called 911?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That I can't tell you. I don't have any idea.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What about the chemicals in the air? Is that still a danger at this point?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's a localized danger at this point or else we'd be a lot further away. The hazmat crews are working with that and trying to contain that to where they can get into the building and actually conduct and finish up their search and rescue efforts.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So they're fully suited up?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's correct. They're suited up and doing what they need to do to get into the building and . . .
HARRIS: There you have a spokesman, maybe an officer, certainly one of the first responders on the scene there of this ConAgra Foods facility roof collapse, explosion. What a scene there in Garner, North Carolina. And this is a scene that we have been following for the last hour.
We have some updated information now. Twenty people have been transported to area hospitals for treatment. We have a hazmat situation there. But probably more importantly, more grave right now, that there are three people still -- three people unaccounted for. Confirming early reports that there were people believed to be trapped inside that building.
As you take a wider look at this area now, there are a number of spots in the building where we can -- we can clearly identify a roof collapse in several different portions. Again, 20 people transported to area hospitals. Three people still unaccounted for. Kyra Phillips will continue to follow developments in this story in the CNN NEWSROOM. Let's hand it off now to Kyra.
