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Stimulus: Boost or Bust?; Fake Passports Used by Hit Squad; Plane Crashes Into Palo Alto Neighborhood
Aired February 17, 2010 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Time now for your top-of-the-hour reset.
I'm Tony Harris in the CNN NEWSROOM.
It is noon in Washington, where the president says feeding a recession with stimulus dollars stopped a depression.
It is 9:00 p.m. in Dubai, where the trail of suspected assassins seems to lead to Israeli. Suspects named by police say the real killers stole their identities.
And in Florida, a Haitian musician finds the keys to recovery from the earthquake, and he has a Motown legend to thank.
Let's do this -- let's get started.
The $862 billion stimulus plan one year later, a boost to the economy or a bust? Critics say it has been a huge waste of money, but President Obama says it has saved jobs and prevent an even deeper recession.
White House Correspondent Dan Lothian is with us live now.
And Dan, if you would, boil it down. What is the messaging from the president here today?
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, what you heard from the president today are two things.
First of all, the president was trying to make it very clear to the American people that the stimulus did work and is working. And secondly, he was speaking directly to his critics, that they simply got this wrong. And you heard the president give one example of how there are people out there saying that stimulus simply doesn't work, politicians saying that it doesn't work.
On the other hand, they are attending some of the ribbon-cuttings at these projects as they're being unveiled and started. And so the president making it very clear that, you know, stimulus money, these jobs are being created, but that there's still a long way to go.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Now, our work is far from over, but we have rescued this economy from the worst of this crisis. And slowly, in new factories and research facilities and small businesses, the American people are rebuilding a better future. And we will continue to support their efforts. We will leave our children an economy that is stronger and more prosperous than it was before.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LOTHIAN: So, in phase one, what you saw over the past year is money going towards tax breaks and other things like that, but not to the infrastructure. And so the administration saying now in this second phase you're going to see more money, perhaps a doubling of billions of dollars going towards infrastructure, towards health care technology, things like that. That's where you're going to see the money going.
And again, the administration being very confident that they'll see additional jobs created. The president pointing out today that this year alone, they should see about 1.5 million jobs created -- Tony.
HARRIS: And Dan, I'm always curious, who are the people in the room where the president made those remarks?
LOTHIAN: Yes, sometimes you don't always get a good idea of who's there listening to the president.
HARRIS: Yes.
LOTHIAN: Well, we're told by the White House those were people, business leaders and others, who have been directly impacted receiving money, stimulus money. In addition to just sort of general business folks and others who were there, also was Blake Jones. He is the co- owner of a company out in Colorado, a solar company that the president toured just before signing the stimulus into law a year ago.
HARRIS: All right.
Our Dan Lothian for us at the White House.
Good to see you, Dan. Appreciate it. Thank you, sir.
We will drill down on the stimulus one year later with some experts on the economy and politics. We will check in with Josh Levs at the Stimulus Desk. How many jobs have been really been saved or created? That is ahead this hour, right here in the NEWSROOM.
A small plane has just crashed into houses. Boy, initially we thought it was just one house, but now it looks like houses in East Palo Alto, California. That's near San Francisco. Emergency crews are there, as you can see there.
One of the houses said to be -- oh, boy, this gets worse. One of the houses is said to be a daycare center.
Fire crews report two buildings on fire. We are also getting reports of widespread power outages in both East Palo Alto and Palo Alto.
We are hustling on this story to get you more information.
Other big stories we're following for you today.
Toyota says it is looking at steering complaints with the Corolla and will recall the subcompact if there is a defect. The company also says it plans a brake override system on future cars to prevent sudden acceleration. Quality control officers will be deployed nationwide, and an outside firm will test Toyota's throttle control system.
Republican Congressman Darrell Issa toured a Toyota dealership in his southern California district a week ahead of a House hearing on Toyota's problems.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. DARRELL ISSA (R), CALIFORNIA: There's questions about whether all the auto companies have periodic problems that aren't large enough for them to put the engineering to work to make sure they find the fixes on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Terrifying moments at an auto auction in north Georgia. Police say a car plowed into the crowd after its accelerator apparently got stuck. And the vehicle in question here? A Volvo.
More than a dozen people were taken to hospitals, some of them with serious injuries. The accelerator apparently stuck while the car was being driven into the hall for dealers to bid on it.
The capture of the Taliban's number two man, a major success for the Obama administration as it carries out the war in Afghanistan. This morning, the president huddled with his national security team. A key issue, Pakistan and its cooperation with the United States.
That country getting a lot of credit for helping capture Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. The military leader of the Taliban was found in Karachi, Pakistan. The operation carried out by Pakistanis and American agents.
New developments in the Hamas assassination story we brought you yesterday, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Surveillance video from Dubai captured the moments -- actually, the movements of an alleged international hit squad. Now there is evidence the 11-member assassination team used fake passports. The Israeli intelligence service being blamed.
Our Paula Hancocks is in Jerusalem.
Wow. OK, Paula, what are the victims of this apparent ID theft saying? Let's start there.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, there's seven Israeli residents -- many of them have dual citizenship with Britain, so they have British passports -- who say that they woke up and found in the papers that they were being accused of being part of an assassination squad. So certainly they are shell shocked, they are furious, and they are worried. Some of them saying, "What happens next time I try to travel out of Israel and maybe go back to Britain or travel anywhere?"
Surely, on the computer there is going to be something within the database, as this is with Interpol at the moment, which is going to flash red. They're going to be taken aside and questioned.
They're very concerned about this and they're also very angry about how this could have happened. And it's not just these Israeli residents that are angry.
The U.K. prime minister, Gordon Brown, this afternoon, in a radio interview, has said he wants a full investigation. He wants to find out how these British passports were able to be used.
And, of course, this is igniting even more speculation, as if there wasn't enough that the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad, is behind this. We have some of the Israeli media commenting on this as though it is Mossad, saying this is another failure, this is an embarrassment, that they failed with this, and this is a sloppy embarrassment -- Tony.
HARRIS: Wow. OK.
Any response yet, Paula, from the Israeli government?
HANCOCKS: Not as such. We did hear from the Israeli foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, saying the policy is to not to respond and not to deny and not to admit to this. And he said that there isn't necessarily evidence that is just pointing to Mossad, it could have been other people. So he basically responded by not responding.
And this is the policy. It's a policy of ambiguity. And certainly from Mossad, they never specify whether or not they've carried out an attack for two reasons that I can tell.
One, if they admit to something, then there could be international repercussions. Of course, this is on someone else's territory.
And the second reason is, even if they are falsely accused, it doesn't harm them. It still plays into that sense of deterrence.
So, we're not expecting to hear anything from Mossad. But, of course, they have failed in the past. Back in 1997, they tried to kill the Hamas leader Halad Mashal (ph) in Jordan by poisoning him. They were caught, and then the late King Hussein forced the Israeli prime minister to send the antidote over, save Mashal's (ph) life, and that was a huge embarrassment for Mossad. So, some Israeli editorials picking up on that and saying is this the same case?
HARRIS: Paula Hancocks for us in Jerusalem.
Boy, this is intriguing, to be sure.
Paula, appreciate it. Thank you.
We have new information about that small plane that crashed into houses in East Palo Alto, California. That's near San Francisco.
The fire chief says three people are dead. All three believed to have been on board the plane.
Now, the house is said to be a daycare center, and we have no idea at this point -- do we guys -- of kids inside the daycare center, if everyone got out OK of it?
OK.
We believe, but we really need to wrap up this detail, as to whether or not everyone in the daycare center -- if, in fact, that building is a daycare center -- if everyone got out OK.
We're also getting reports of widespread power outages in both East Palo Alto and Palo Alto.
We will continue to pull together the pieces of the story and bring you the latest as we get it.
You know, it's been a year since the Recovery Act was passed. Is the stimulus working?
We're going to break it down by the numbers with the best team around. That's next, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: All right. Very quickly, we want to take you back to East Palo Alto, California -- again, very near San Francisco -- and update the story that we've been bringing you throughout this hour.
Three people believed killed in a plane crash. A plane crashing -- we believe it's a small Cessna, a Cessna 310, that may have clipped a transmission line, went down into a residential neighborhood, into one house. Other houses in the neighborhood are impacted by it, as you would imagine, debris and such.
Again, at least at this point, three people in the plane killed. We have no reports of injuries on the ground.
The house in question that may have taken the brunt of the crash, believed to be a daycare center, but we are being told that everyone inside the daycare center was able to get out of the daycare center OK. That is, at least -- and Jen Cook (ph), remind me, is that the latest information that we have here, that everyone inside the daycare was able to get out OK.
So, we will continue to follow developments here.
A couple of homes involved now, we understand, may be burning at this point. And because of the fog that you can see associated with these pictures, our affiliates have not been able to get their choppers in the air to give us a better view of the crash site.
So, we're going to continue to follow this, get you additional information, bring you an update as soon as we can.
So, a year's gone by, billions of dollars spent, lots of jobs promised. But what's the reality here? How many have been created? We're talking about jobs saved and jobs created, right?
So, Josh Levs is on stimulus patrol.
And, you know, Josh, we are hearing all sorts numbers here. Maybe you can sort it out for us.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. How many jobs have really been created? That's what we're going to break down for you, because today is one year since President Obama signed it into law, that massive $862 billion stimulus.
And here's something he said at the time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: ... that will create or save 3.5 million jobs over the next two years.
We're putting Americans to work doing the work that America needs done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: 3.5 million over two years, Tony.
Now, what we can do -- the White House is saying they are pretty much well on their way, ,and they're saying that two million people are working who would not be working otherwise without the stimulus.
Let me show you what they're basing that on and then I'll give you some other sides here.
First of all, this is one thing that they have. The White House Council of Economic Advisers has taken a look at this, and they do say that there are 1.5 million to two million more jobs than there would be otherwise without the stimulus. There's also the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, which has been taking a close look at this. Look at how far the spread on this is, Tony -- 800,000 to 2.4 million jobs.
HARRIS: That's a crazy spread, yes. LEVS: It's a huge spread, and the reason is these are all major estimates and some hypotheticals. Where would we be if we did not have the stimulus, if maybe money had been spent in other ways.
Also, they're not just talking about direct jobs. They're saying once you get money flowing, that leads to even more people working. Very broad estimates.
Now, we've got some video for you. I want to tell you, it is a fact that there are people working because of the stimulus. Everyone knows this.
We have reported on some projects like this, some road projects that only exist right now because of this stimulus. But even the recipients out there that got this money, that have to report what they're doing in terms of jobs, they're not even having to say anymore that they would never have hired these people otherwise. All they have to say now is that jobs are funded by the stimulus, not necessarily that wouldn't have existed otherwise.
And we have a quote for you here from a conservative think tank, The Heritage Foundation, and this is what they're arguing. They say, "That's money that would have been spent somewhere else in the economy. And the effect is that you're going to cancel stuff out."
And they say, "That why unemployment numbers are not dropping." They say, you look at the big spending, the money might have been elsewhere, maybe it would have stayed in the private sector, various other things might ultimately have led to a different result.
That's why they say, ultimately, it's not working. Unfortunately, I can't stand here and tell you it's one or the other. Too many hypotheticals -- Tony.
HARRIS: Well, we've got a panel of experts, really smart people who are going to help us out.
LEVS: Really smart.
HARRIS: What are the viewers saying to us about all of this, Josh?
LEVS: Yes, let's take a look at this.
We're hearing from people like crazy, because you know we've been pushing it on the blog, Facebook and Twitter.
HARRIS: Well, there's one of the smart people right there, Ryan Mack.
LEVS: That is a smart person, but that is not the one we were going for. We'll get back with him in a minute.
HARRIS: OK.
LEVS: This is from Marisha (ph), I believe, on the blog. "I was laid off just over a year ago from a high-paying job in Texas. The stimulus package has supported my kids and me by extending by unemployment benefits and funding training."
Let's jump over to my Facebook page here from Flavia (ph). "It hasn't helped nor improved our lives. Furthermore, banks are very tight and not willing to lend."
Let's get to Lynn (ph) over on our blog. I think you can see that on the screen. "The stimulus act has helped my husband and his chimney and stove service with the provision of a $1,500 tax credit for newly-installed, fuel-efficient wood burning stoves."
And finally, will jump over to my Twitter page there. We got this from Alison (ph), who, as you can see, goes by LyricLover. "America should focus on spending on American manufacturing. Too many small towns are dying because our own industry has vaporized."
Here's how you can weigh in. Let's show everybody how you can jump in on this conversation. You've got the blog, CNN.com/Josh. Also, Facebook and Twitter, JoshLevsCNN.
But, of course, the number one place you should go to, always, all day long, at least once an hour, is CNN.com/Tony for all your blogging needs.
HARRIS: All right, Josh. I've got to go. I've got to talk to these --
LEVS: All right. You have the smart people waiting.
HARRIS: Yes. Yes. And they're waiting. And we're going to get to them before we have to run and get the top stories.
We want to talk more about this with an expert panel that we've assembled here.
In New York, Ryan Mack, financial planner and president of Optimum Capital Management. Also, Tami Luhby, senior writer for CNNMoney.com, part of our Money team who does such a terrific job for you. And in Washington, love Jeanne Cummings with Politico.com.
Jeanne, good to see you.
Look, I don't want to get all muddled here with this. This is a pretty, simple, straightforward discussion I want to have with you all.
And Jeanne, let me start with you. Is the Recovery Act working?
JEANNE CUMMINGS, POLITICO.COM: Yes, Tony, it is. It has created jobs. There are a number of jobs that governors across the country would say they would have cut if they had not gotten stimulus money last year.
I've been -- I went to a school in Florida where there were eight teachers that had been told that they were not going to be coming back, and then the stimulus money helped the state funnel that down, and those teachers went back to work. So, it is accomplishing some of the goals that the White House set out for it. Is it going to be fast enough for the Democrats politically?
HARRIS: Right.
CUMMINGS: Well, we'll see about that.
HARRIS: Yes. All right. And another point on this in just a second.
But, Tami and Ryan -- Tami, first -- is it working, in your view?
Yes. I mean, the states have needed this money. And, in fact, they're asking for even more.
TAMI LUHBY, SR. WRITER, CNNMONEY.COM: They've been using this money to keep teachers in the schools, to keep, you know, cops on the streets. They're now doing their 2011 budgets, and some of the stimulus money is running out, and they're desperately asking Washington for more.
Some estimates say that 900,000 people are going to be laid off in state and local governments if they don't even get more stimulus. So, in a lot of ways, it has been working for a lot of sectors of the economy, particularly states.
HARRIS: Yes.
Ryan, do you agree that the stimulus package is working?
RYAN MACK, PRESIDENT, OPTIMUM CAPITAL MANAGEMENT: I definitely agree. And if I can respond to the Heritage quote that you flashed up in the previous segment --
HARRIS: Sure.
MACK: The bottom line is that they said that the spending is casting (ph) out. Well, there was no other spending. The government was the only entity that actually had any money to spend during this recession.
You know, there's no point in living history, in studying history, unless you're going to learn from it. And all the economic experts, and Bernanke and Obama included, understood that in the Great Depression, the one thing they did not do was spend enough, fast enough, in order to stimulate the economy to make sure we can create sustainable growth, which Obama and Bernanke are doing.
HARRIS: OK.
So, Jeanne, why is this package viewed so negatively by so many in the country one year later?
CUMMINGS: Well, I think that the Democrats didn't necessarily sell it as it was -- you know, throughout the year. They went off and did health care and then came back to jobs.
You know, two million people may have been helped by it, but another eight million lost their jobs. So, more people are feeling pain than benefit.
And so, as a result, I think most people don't appreciate or really understood that, you know, it was a limited package. People thought it should have been bigger. It helped, but it didn't resolve the economic crisis we were in.
HARRIS: Wow.
Ryan, what's your view on that? Why do you believe so many people have such a negative view of the package?
MACK: I have to agree. We didn't sell it right. We didn't push it out there enough to really get people to understand the necessity.
HARRIS: Why do you have to sell something that seems on the surface to make sense, seems to make common sense?
MACK: Because it's called politics. Because at the end of the day, it's really called politics.
You have those on the other side of the aisle trying to play partisan politics, really trying to say that, you know, we want to vote against the stimulus, but we still want the money. Joe Wilson (ph) did exactly that, just saying that we want stimulus money for our district, but then at the same time he voted against the package.
I mean, if you look at the overall stats, the numbers show, you know, December, 2008, we lost 650,000 jobs, and that was before Barack Obama took office; 700,000 jobs right when he was sworn in. We lost 20,000 jobs a year later. You know, negative 5.7 percent growth in January, in the first quarter, the first-quarter growth.
We expanded by 5.7 percent. That's a 12 percentage point swing, which is the largest in almost three decades. We've increased manufacturing jobs since the first time since the onset of the recession since 2007.
It is working and people are working.
HARRIS: OK.
MACK: I've seen individuals going back to work.
HARRIS: All right.
So, Tami, what's the other view of this, that it would have been better to let the economy bottom out? I know you've been doing some reporting on this. Is that the other view of this?
LUHBY: Sure. Well, the Republicans are really pointing to the jobs numbers, saying, look, unemployment is still at near 10 percent. And the national -- the Council of Economic Advisors, Christina Romer, came out last week saying that unemployment was going to remain high for years to come.
The Republicans are jumping all over this, saying, see, stimulus isn't working, you know, we wasted all of this money. And, you know, there are a lot of people out there who are still unemployed. The president said it himself today.
That's why a lot of people aren't so supportive of the Recovery Act. All those millions of people who are unemployed saying, how is this helping me?
HARRIS: Yes. All right. Let's leave it there.
Jeanne Cummings, good to see you, as always.
Ryan Mack and Tami Luhby, appreciate it.
Good discussion. Thank you all.
And, of course, we want you to weigh in. We really do.
What kind of impact has the stimulus in the Recovery Act had on your life or in your community?
Go to my blog, CNN.com/Tony. Leave us a comment. You can also give us a call and let us know what you think. Here's the number: 877-742-5760.
We will share some of your messages and your comments on the air throughout the program.
Let's get you caught up on our top stories now.
You know, it just keeps getting worse for Toyota. The automaker now says it's gotten about 100 complaints about power steering on its best-selling Corolla model, and a recall could follow if it's found to be a safety threat. Toyota is already reeling from a string of recalls.
It will take an autopsy to determine how a mountain climber died after he fell into the crater of the Mount St. Helens volcano. Search crews found Joseph Bohlig's body yesterday, and they are not sure if he died from the fall or from exposure.
Safety investigators are heading to Amarillo, Texas, after a deadly plane crash. The small twin-engine plane went down this morning, killing both men on board. A witness says the plane spiraled downward before it crashed.
Another check of our top stories coming up in 20 minutes for you.
It's been a while since the snow started falling in Washington. Actually, since it starred and stopped, right? But the streets still barely passable. What's going on in the nation's capital?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): You've heard the gridlock in Washington is bad?
SEN. EVAN BAYH (D), INDIANA: We've got a lot of good people in Congress, but they are trapped in a dysfunctional system.
YELLIN: Now the standstill on Capitol Hill has spread to the streets. More than a week after the big storm, Washington is stuck -- literally.
Mountains of ice are narrowing roads, grinding traffic to a crawl. That's for folks lucky enough to get their cars out. Even the president got out of town.
(on camera): Is it embarrassing that the capital is so gridlocked?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think so.
YELLIN (voice-over): Civility is in short supply.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's been very rough on us. It's hard.
YELLIN (on camera): What are you hoping for?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Spring.
YELLIN (voice-over): Angry residents want to know why the city hasn't cleared the snow impasse.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Annoying. That's what I would say, very annoying. I'm disappointed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, I'm from New Jersey. I don't -- honestly, I didn't think it was very good.
YELLIN: The mayor blames the elements.
MAYOR ADRIAN FENTY, WASHINGTON, D.C.: Forty inches of snow in five days, 60-plus inches in one winter is more than the people of the District of Columbia have seen.
YELLIN: Part of the problem, budgets are tight. And so are the streets.
Did he just swipe that car?
(on camera): Think that's bad? Check out this side of town, where you could say the working folks live. This is Main Street America, and folks here are still waiting for their snow bailout.
(voice-over): I couldn't help but ask --
(on camera): Are we talking about the snow or are we talking about politics in Congress?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow. They've got so much on their plates.
YELLIN (voice-over): Her suggestion? Congress should start a snow commission.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think so. Why not?
YELLIN (on camera): Would they get anything done?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, they're as stuck as we are, so they should.
YELLIN (voice-over): Jessica Yellin, CNN, stuck in Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: You know, we've been hearing a lot about the Tea Party movement. Just who are they? How many of them are there out there?
We've got some new CNN polling information that gives us some answers. We'll get to that in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Got to tell you, frustration with Washington is helping fuel the Tea Party movement. The Republican National Committee chairman is trying to woo the unhappy conservatives. Michael Steele spent four hours answering questions for Tea Partiers on Tuesday, but most seemed to leave the talks unconvinced. CNN's deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser, is in Washington.
And, Paul, look, we had to get you on the phone this morning to have a little chat about this because the Tea Party movement is getting a lot of television air time, OK. So I just want some metrics, if we have them, to sort of figure out how many people we're talking about. So how many people call themselves a member of the Tea Party movement?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR (via telephone): Well, we've got some new metrics, because we've got a brand new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation national poll, Tony.
HARRIS: Terrific.
STEINHAUSER: We've just put it out moments ago. Take a look at this. The first question we asked was, "have you actively supported the Tea Party movement?" And 11 percent, so that's about one in 10 adult Americans, say that they are -- have actively supported the movement. So you can kind of consider them Tea Party activists, Tony.
HARRIS: Yes. Let's get a little more television time for the 89 percent there. Who are they? If you could, and if you would, paint us a bit of a profile of a Tea Party activist.
STEINHAUSER: Sure will. And just want to keep this in mind that the people who said they were Tea Party activist was a pretty small sample. But look at these numbers. First of all, where are they from? Only about one in 10 say they leave in the cities. In urban areas. About half the people who said they were Tea Party activists live out in the countryside and about 41 percent say they're suburbanites.
What about their education? This is interesting, Tony. Three out of four say they have had some college education. Only one out of four saying they haven't. That's a little bit higher than the national average on college education.
And one other thing, Tony, and this was pretty outstanding. About more than three out of four said that they would call themselves conservatives. Only about 20 percent said they were moderate. And barely any of them said they would be considered liberals, Tony.
HARRIS: OK. So now we're pretty clear here. So Tea Partiers claim to be independent, but there are two parties fielding candidates. So, Paul, who do they support?
STEINHAUSER: Well, to your first point, let's look at their party breakdown.
HARRIS: Yes.
STEINHAUSER: We asked, do you belong to the Republican Party, independent or whatever? About half of them said they were independent, 52 percent. Forty-four percent said they were Republicans. And only, you can see there at the bottom, just 4 percent said that they were Democrats.
Your other question, and here it is, look at this number from our brand-new poll. If you had to vote for a Republican or a Democrat, Tea Party activists said -- 87 percent said they would go for the Republican candidate. Only 5 percent said that they would vote for the Democrat candidate.
And, Tony, one other thing. We asked about the possibility of, you know, if there was a Tea Party candidate on the ballot, as well as a Republican and a Democrat. Well, it seems the support would divide the Republican. The support would go away from the Republicans and that would give an advantage to the Democrats.
HARRIS: Yes.
STEINHAUSER: Interesting stuff here. If you want to see more, go to cnn.com/thepoliticalticker. We've got a lot of results there, Tony.
HARRIS: That's good stuff. That is -- that is really good stuff. Appreciate it, Paul. Thank you.
Disposing of nuclear waste. The newest hot-button issue for President Obama as he fires up his nuclear energy plans. We are back in a moment?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: All right. At this time we like to direct your attention to our terrific money website, cnnmoney.com. You met Tami Luhby (ph) earlier in the hour. She is part of that terrific Money team. The lead story at cnnmoney.com is "new credit card traps." OK. We need to work up a segment on that for tomorrow's show.
Let's get you to The New York Stock Exchange, big board. Better than three hours into the trading day and you can see the Dow is in positive territory, off of session highs a bit here, but still positive territory. We're up 37 points. The Nasdaq is up 6. And we are following these numbers throughout the day for you.
President Obama's plan to expand nuclear energy is generating new fallout over radioactive waste. Specifically what to do with it? Our Brian Todd reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Some 70,000 metric tons of nuclear waste, stored in so-called casks of steel, concrete and lead, at more than 100 commercial nuclear power plants across the U.S. and other locations. Two thousand tons added to the pile every year. U.S. officials say the spent fuel can be safely stored in these containers for 90 years. But that's storage, not disposal, and it's the disposal problem that's got some in the industry worried.
(on camera): If the nuclear fuel is safe at the sites where it's stored now, and if it can be safe almost indefinitely, why do you need a nuclear repository?
JACK EDLOW, PRESIDENT, EDLOW INTERNATIONAL: You ultimately need a nuclear repository because just like all wastes in this society, we have to put them someplace. We deal with biological waste, we deal with chemical waste, we deal with trash, everyday trash.
TODD (voice-over): Jack Edlow runs a company that transports nuclear materials. He's against President Obama's decision to cut funding for the Yucca Mountain project in Nevada. That was supposed to be the nation's underground storage facility for nuclear waste.
(on camera): Why did the president pull the plug? Some charge this is purely political. South Carolina's Republican governor, Mark Sanford, accuses Mr. Obama of what he calls a Chicago-style political payoff to Democrat Senate Majority Leader Henry Reid.
(voice-over): Reid's from Nevada, where Yucca Mountain is located, and he's in a tough re-election battle.
GOV. MARK SANFORD (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: It is the Obama administration's choice in this interest based on an election outcome that they might fear in Nevada to make this decision.
TODD: Sanford has political motivation, too. His state ranks third in the country in the amount of nuclear waste stored. Contacted by CNN, an Obama administration official emphatically denied this is political, saying the president's always been against Yucca Mountain. The White House official says there have been mounting cost overruns for the project and serious concerns about its scientific viability and the security of transporting nuclear fuel to Yucca Mountain from all the commercial nuclear power plants across the country.
An aide to Senator Reid also denied political motivations. He cites Reid's own concerns about costs and security for Yucca Mountain.
SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: Leave it on site, where it is. You don't have to worry about transporting it. It saves the country billions and billions of dollars.
TODD: In place of Yucca Mountain, the president's appointed a blue ribbon panel to study alternatives. The Nuclear Energy Institute, a lobbying group for the industry, is against the decision to cut the Yucca Mountain project, but does support the president's new panel.
ALEX FLINT, NUCLEAR ENERGY INSTITUTE: There are significant developments over the last several decades that can be taken into consideration. France has gone forward with recycling their spent nuclear fuel. They're having a lot of success with that program.
TODD: But one energy industry executive points out, the United States has other types of spent nuclear fuel that cannot be so easily recycled from places like naval facilities where they process fuel for nuclear powered ships and submarines.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: All right. Very quickly now, checking our top stories.
One of 10 Americans being held on child kidnapping charges in Haiti is being taken to a hospital. We're not sure if she's one of the people seen here in this videotape. A source inside the judicial headquarters says the woman is a diabetic and is in a lot of pain.
Still unfolding in the San Francisco Bay area, a small plane slammed into a neighborhood in East Palo Alto a short time ago. At least three people, all on board the plane, are confirmed dead. Witnesses say the plane clipped a utility tower before plowing into a house.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: OK. Solar power has its critics. Let's face it, the sun doesn't shine 24/7. And even on a sunny day, harnessing those rays can be expensive. But that is not stopping some companies from embracing the technology. Here's CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: You know, we hear so much about renewable energy, solar energy in particular, from the president on down, but how many people do you really know that have solar panels like these on their roofs or corporations that have major solar fields? Not many. But we found one in the middle of New Jersey. They get 20 percent of their energy from the sun. What do they do with it? They make M&Ms.
(voice-over): These iconic chocolate candies are made in a factory that now gets a fifth of its power directly from its backyard. Where candymaker Mars provided 18 acres of land to PSEG Solar Source. The utility company paid more than $10 million to install some 28,000 solar panels. And Mars gets a discount on that renewable energy.
(on camera): What were the biggest challenges in making this project work?
BRIAN SUWALSKI, SITE DIRECTOR, MARS CHOCOLATE NORTH AMERICA: It took the company, it took PSEG, it took the community, it took the town of Hackettstown, it took the state of New Jersey and federal for this to happen. And to think that it happened
HARLOW: That's a lot of players.
SUWALSKI: That quickly in a time frame is pretty amazing in itself. That when you have the right goal in mind, we can align and we can do the right thing.
HARLOW (voice-over): And while Mars now pays less for its energy, PSEG received significant incentives from the state and federal government to construct, own, and operate the facility. Diana Drysdale spearheaded the solar project for PSEG.
(on camera): Have the president's initiatives helped?
DIANA DRYSDALE, PSEG DIR. OF DEVELOPMENT, RENEWABLES: Absolutely. The incentives are the only way we're able to actually get these projects off the ground right now.
CHRISTINE WHITMAN, FORMER EPA ADMINISTRATOR: It's a huge example. It's a major company. A big, international company, making a commitment saying, look, we can invest in this kind of thing and still help our bottom line. And that's the message people need to get. There seems to be this breakdown that says you're either clean and green or you're making a profit. That you can't have a thriving economy and a clean and green environment. That's just wrong.
HARLOW (voice-over): Right now, though, the bottom line is solar power costs more than traditional energy sources, but that will change as more solar power is generated. And so far, this solar field is pumping out more energy than expected. And it's reducing Mars' carbon footprint equivalent to taking about 200 cars off the road.
(on camera): Is this America's energy future?
DRYSDALE: It absolutely has to be. I mean, the extra cost is the cost for environmental protection. If we don't pay it now, our children are going to have to pay it later and it's going to just keep going up.
HARLOW (voice-over): In Hackettstown, New Jersey, Poppy Harlow, CNNMoney.com.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Time now to take a look at what's hot on the web. It's what you're talking about on cnn.com. The military offensive in Afghanistan and the fight for Marjah. CNN's Atia Abawi is embedded with U.S. Marines. She reports Marjah is turning into a ghost town, but some Marines say Taliban fighters may be hiding and waiting to attack.
On Twitter right now, one of the top-trending topics is Ash Wednesday. Vice President Biden, among the Christians seen with the ashes on his forehead today. Ash Wednesday, as you know, marks the beginning of Lent.
And one of the top searches on Google is the stimulus. Today is the one-year anniversary of the $862 billion Recovery Act. And web surfers are looking for information on how the money is being spent.
Out of the rubble and into the heart of Stevie Wonder.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVIE WONDER, MUSICIAN (singing): Romel, I am hoping you've enjoy this keyboard that I'm giving you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: A blind earthquake survivor strikes a chord with a music legend. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: So last month we told you about Romel Joseph, a blind violinist who survived the earthquake in Haiti. Joseph remains hospitalized, but thanks to a Motown legend, the real deal, his recovery is, well, a lot easier. Here's John Zarrella.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For 18 hours, Romel Joseph lay buried in the rubble in his music school in Port-au- Prince. For 18 hours, until his rescue, the concert violinist stayed alert and alive going over in his head one by one every concerto at every concert hall he'd ever played. Romel was badly broken. His legs crushed. Bones in his left hand, shattered. But the concrete that covered him would not, could not, kill him.
ROMEL JOSEPH, VIOLINIST: I thought my time was up under the ground. And God says, no, you have things to do. ZARRELLA: Three weeks ago we met Romel, who is legally blind, for the first time. He mentioned he'd like a keyboard to help strengthen the fingers in his left hand so that some day he could again play the violin. Stevie Wonder heard and answered Romel's request.
STEVIE WONDER, MUSICIAN: What better way to really express God's love than to give something that is special to you to someone else who is in need. So that's why I did what I did.
Please take it away.
ZARRELLA: Wonder's keyboard was packed and shipped arriving Tuesday to Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital. Romel didn't know it was on the way.
(on camera): Romel?
JOSEPH: Yes, sir.
ZARRELLA: Hey, John Zarrella from CNN.
JOSEPH: Hi.
ZARRELLA: How are you?
JOSEPH: Oh my goodness.
ZARRELLA: It's so good to see you again. You look terrific. I think we have something for you.
JOSEPH: OK.
ZARRELLA: It came. It's coming in the door right now.
JOSEPH: Oh, my goodness.
ZARRELLA: Now, who sent this to you?
JOSEPH: Stevie Wonder?
ZARRELLA: Stevie Wonder.
JOSEPH: Oh, oh, oh.
ZARRELLA (voice-over): As the keyboard was set up, Romel was carefully moved to a wheelchair.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The wheelchair's over here.
JOSEPH: Oh, OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So I'm going to have you go sideways. Keep your legs on the bed.
ZARRELLA: He sat over the keyboard, his legs, one held together with metal rods, resting on pillows.
JOSEPH: I'll play something.
ZARRELLA: He began to play. Of course, a Stevie Wonder song. Even the fingers on his damaged left hand glided across the keys with a gentle touch. Stevie Wonder also sent a message.
WONDER (singing): Romel, I am hoping you'll enjoy this keyboard that I'm giving you. I used it on the last project that I did.
JOSEPH: And I would like to really thank him, Stevie Wonder, for his generosity. And I'll be practicing on that keyboard every day to keep my fingers going.
ZARRELLA: Romel will be out of the hospital soon. When that happens, he'd like nothing more than to play a concert for Haiti. He on the violin, and Stevie Wonder on the keyboard.
JOSEPH: I mean, you know, nothing is impossible.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: How good is that, huh?
You know, after a dozen years of construction, the International Space Station finally -- finally gets a window!
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: How about this? A room with a view from space. Shuttle astronauts have finished installing what amounts to a bay window aboard the International Space Station. Not only is there more room, but it offers an impressive view of earth. So impressive, in fact, the flight director said it brought some of the astronauts to tears.
Still to come, an assassination plot, an international manhunt, intrigue in one of the world's most intriguing places. Why Dubai? Some answers straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: You know, there is growing intrigue over the recent assassination of a senior Hamas official. He was killed in Dubai allegedly by an 11-member international hit squad. Earlier we brought you details. Now we look at why Dubai. Our Stan Grant is there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STAN GRANT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As authorities continue to investigate the killing of the Hamas figure, it is shone a light into an altogether much darker side to the city. Now Dubai is a cosmopolitan place. It brings people from all around the world and not all of them here to make an honest living.
In the past, the city has been linked to drug running, to money laundering and also to weapons smuggling. Just last year, a consignment of weapons was intercepted on a ship en route from North Korea to nearby Iran.
Also, a Chechen leader, a former Chechen leader was assassinated in an underground car park here in Dubai just last year, believed to be a revenge hit.
A.Q. Khan, the father of Pakistan's nuclear bomb, ran his nuclear proliferation network right here from Dubai.
(on camera): So, Dubai, while it has established itself as a financial center, also has a history for more sinister activities, as well.
Stan Grant, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
