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Toyota's Troubles Mount as Congress Presses On; Mercenary Accountability?; Delaware AG Biden Discusses Case of Pediatrician Pedophile; Wall Street Waits on Bernanke; Housing's Slow Recovery; Skating Through Grief

Aired February 24, 2010 - 09:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Poor, Christine Romans. Don't let him pick on you, Christine.

(LAUGHTER)

All right, we begin with a story this morning that not only outrages us but continues to send chills up our spines. We're talking about the pediatrician accused of sexually abusing his little patients. Red flags went up years ago. You think the horror story couldn't get worse? Oh, it does.

How's this for improving schools? Fire the teachers. Every single one of them. No pink slips left behind here.

And how do you make a pilot mad? Well, turn on that black box and listen to everything. Feel violated? Stalked? Big Brother or no big deal?

There's a lot happening on Capitol Hill, too. The man, the company, the reputation, and a nation's pride, all on the line.

Brianna Keilar's covering Mr. Toyoda in Washington.

Chris Lawrence with another grilling on the hill -- Blackwater mixed with hot water.

And Rob Marciano with the winter that just refuses to chill out.

So here's the question. Will "I'm sorry" be enough? We're expecting an apology from Toyota's president. Akio Toyoda testifies on Capitol Hill today. He just arrived moments ago. It's the second straight day of House hearings on the automaker in that massive recall.

But will Toyota's apology be enough for Congress? Enough for families traumatized by his failing cars? Not likely.

Rhonda Smith had a Lexus. She says it nearly killed her back in 2006. The accelerator stuck pushing her over 100 miles per hour. In yesterday's hearing, she talked about that scare and failures by both Toyota and the feds.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RHONDA SMITH, FORMER LEXUS OWNER: I prayed for God to help me. I called my husband on the Bluetooth phone system. I knew -- I'm sorry. I knew he could not help me but I wanted to hear his voice one more time.

In 2006 and '07 we hoped that our efforts might spare others the unnecessary terror and pain of an SUA incident. And it pains our hearts deeply to realize that we failed, but this failure is surely shared by Toyota and NHTSA today.

In our view they demonstrated an uncaring attitude and disregard for life. The results have been tragic, and today I must say, shame on you, Toyota, for being so greedy. And shame on you, NHTSA, for not doing your job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: So what's the response from Toyota? Here's the president of the company's American operations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES LENTZ, PRESIDENT, TOYOTA MOTOR SALES, USA, INC.: Listening to Mrs. Smith, I'm embarrassed for what happened. And we are going to go down and talk to them and get that car so that they feel satisfied.

I want her and her husband to feel safe about driving our products. I was embarrassed to hear the story.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: That was yesterday. But this is today and Akio Toyoda is the main attraction.

CNN congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar live on Capitol Hill.

So how heated could it get, Brianna?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is a committee that is known for asking pretty tough questions, as are all congressional hearing, which -- let's be honest, Kyra -- they're almost like contact sports if you've seen any CEO before them.

But this is where it's going to play out. We're in the hearing room of the House Oversight Committee. This is where Chairman Ed Towns will be opening up this hearing. And if you just take a pan around to the table you can see where Akio Toyoda will be sitting.

Actually Secretary LaHood, the secretary of transportation, will be on the first panel. And then Toyoda will be on the second panel. So perhaps we'll be seeing him some time after about 12:00 Eastern but he's going to be getting some very pointed questions, pointed questions that, by Japanese standards, could be considered rude.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KEILAR (voice-over): When Akio Toyoda goes before the House Oversight Committee, he'll face a tough crowd. This is what happened to the last guy who testified. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You gave lame excuses then. I believe you're giving --

TIMOTHY GEITHNER, U.S. SECRETARY OF TREASURY: That -- that is --

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it stinks to the high heaven what happened here. And I don't like the obfuscation.

KEILAR: They don't call it the hot seat for nothing. Lawmakers want answers and promises.

(on camera): What do you want to hear from Akio Toyoda?

REP. DARRELL ISSA (R), CALIFORNIA: I want to hear, one, a commitment to change.

KEILAR (voice-over): Darrell Issa is the top Republican on the committee. He says Toyoda must be held accountable. But as the former head of an electronics manufacturer, he's familiar with Japanese business culture where diplomacy and deference are paramount. The exact opposite of a congressional hearing.

ISSA: Congress is famous for rude questions so I expect there will be some rude questions.

KEILAR: Issa worries some lawmakers might go too far.

(on camera): You sound a little worried about how your committee's going to behave.

ISSA: I'm -- I don't want to be embarrassed on behalf of the American people by us not focusing to the important part. Did government do its job? Did the industry do its job? And if they didn't, are they going to do it going forward?

KEILAR (voice-over): And if Mr. Toyoda is skewered by the committee or if he performs poorly, experts say Japan/U.S. relations could be strained.

VICTOR CHUA, CTR. FOR STRATEGIC AND INTL. STUDIES: If you have a situation in which these hearings go extremely poorly, and it gets splashed across the front pages of major newspapers and media in the United States and in Japan, I think you could have something that leads to a little bit of a difficult, uncomfortable relationship between the two countries.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: Now Mr. Toyoda is already in the building. Obviously not in the hearing room where we are. But we're expecting that if he does make his way -- I'm going to take you to the hallway that he may be coming through. There have been some accommodations made for him, Kyra. Looking down this way, down the hallway.

If he does come in this way, the front entrance to the hearing room, it's going to be a little different than, say, what we saw yesterday with the head of Toyota U.S. Mr. Toyoda is actually going to be, I guess you could say, protected from us members of the media.

And there are tons of us here today. This is sort of unlike any hearing I've ever seen, so much interest from the Japanese media. All of us -- we will be sort of penned in so that if he's walking through the hallway here we're not going to be able to get as close to him to shout a question at him as we normally do.

And he would be -- also have a buffer of Capitol Hill police around him. Judging yesterday by how there was such a scrum of reporters around the head of Toyota U.S., you can say that he does kind of need a little bit of protection so that he can at least move freely through this area -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And, Brianna, right now we're looking at that video that we just got in about five to six minutes ago. Mr. Toyoda arriving there early, shall we say? Getting ready and prepared for speaking before the committee.

And you know, you probably heard this, too, Brianna. There is a lot of concern overseas about how he's going to be treated here in the U.S. Matter of fact, we learned that Japan isn't even going to take the testimony live.

They're not going to show it on television there because there's concern about how he's going to come across.

KEILAR: Well, I have to tell you, what you need to realize about Mr. Toyoda is that in the Japanese media, he's actual referred to as "The Prince." He is the grandson of the founder of this company and he's very much exulted. He is considered a son of Japan and they're very proud of him.

So this is very important. What he's going to say today. And he has to do a few things for this to come off as successful. Of course he has to apologize, which he has done. And we're expecting that he's going to say -- this is part of the testimony that we've obtained -- that he will say they pursued growth at Toyota at the expense of safety.

So how well is that going to come off? That is the question. There's a lot of unknowns, even as the situation is trying to be controlled here -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Yes. There's a lot of cultural aspects to take into account here.

Brianna Keilar, live from the Hill, we'll be following with you of course all morning and throughout the afternoon. Brianna, thanks. You'll be able to actually see Toyoda's testimony live here on CNN. We're told the hearing will start at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time but we have much more for you before then, including the story of another victim whose car was not even part of Toyota's recall.

Also, how is Japan reacting to American attacks on this iconic company? Stay with us for more on that.

Toyota isn't the only company on Capitol Hill's hit parade today though. Remember Blackwater, the private contractor so loved and revered in both Iraq and Afghanistan?

Well, in just about 20 minutes the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee is expected to read the company The Riot Act.

CNN Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence has our preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Private mercenaries running around Afghanistan with no accountability. Taking weapons, shooting civilians. That's the picture being painted by a congressional investigation.

SEN. CARL LEVIN (D), ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: What you need is oversight and hopefully this hearing is going to lead to dramatically better oversight.

LAWRENCE: Last spring, CNN brought you an exclusive interview with one of the contractors now charged with murdering two Afghan civilians.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I got out of the vehicle, I had my weapon in my hands, yes.

LAWRENCE: This investigation alleges a series of problems that nobody caught led up to that shooting. It goes back more than two years and involves Blackwater, which now calls itself Xe, and the company it created to get work in Afghanistan called Paravant.

Congressional investigators say a Blackwater employee took more than 300 AK-47s from a storage bunker, the guns set aside for Afghan police. Both the company and the Defense Department admit there's no paperwork to document it. Three hundred assault rifles, no receipt.

But a new rule required Afghan officers to sign for any weapons. Blackwater takes another 200 rifles out of the bunker. Who signs for it? Eric Cartman.

(VIDEO CLIP, "SOUTH PARK")

LAWRENCE: There's a "South Park" character by that name. But Blackwater told investigators no Eric Cartman ever worked for the company. And Blackwater admits, quote, "Contractors should not have been armed without the proper approvals." Later that year, one contractor accidentally shoots another trainer in the head, partially paralyzing him. The company reports it to the military as the reckless use of an unauthorized weapon. But Senator Carl Levin says the right people never read it.

LEVIN: If that shooting back in December of '08 had been investigated, it would have been discovered that Paravant -- Paravant personnel were using weapons, unsafely, improperly, inadequate supervision.

LAWRENCE: Flash-forward to May of last year. On a dark, dusty road in Kabul, Blackwater contractors, with unauthorized weapons, opened fire on Afghan civilians they saw as a threat. The incident cost the U.S. military goodwill among some Afghans and sparked a diplomatic incident.

LEVIN: Reckless behavior by Paravant contractors to help set the stage. Government oversight failed and, thirdly, Blackwater broke the rules relating to weapons.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Chris Lawrence, the buck's got to stop somewhere. Who ultimately is responsible?

LAWRENCE: It's a great question, Kyra. Problem is, nobody really seems to know the answer. Now the military's investigating officers says the contractors involved in that last incident were poorly supervised. So the army's got to take some responsibility for that.

But what some of these contractors working for the Defense Department, others for state, others for intelligence, no one's really sure exactly who is supposed to hold them accountable.

One new proposal from Congress would create one central agency that would sort of oversee them all and ultimately that may be the way to get some accountability in there.

PHILLIPS: We'll follow up. Thanks, Chris.

Parents trapped in a nightmare. Will confiscated videotapes reveal that their children were molested by a trusted doctor?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All mothers are talking about this. It's on everybody's minds and it's just -- it hits you right there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: And here's another question we'll look at. Did investigators bungle the case over 10 years? We're going to have the latest from Delaware.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm Rob Marciano in the CNN Severe Weather Center. Still snowing across parts of the northeast. A bit of a break. And then a bit of a beast of a storm developing for the northeast again tomorrow and Friday.

We run down this storm when weather comes right back. Stay there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: In Delaware, a 160-page indictment reads like a horror story. A pediatrician trusted to care for his young patients now accused of molesting dozens of them. Police say there are more than 100 victims and there could be even more.

Parents are outraged and on edge wondering will confiscated videotapes of the attacks reveal that their children are among the victims.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All mothers are talking about this. It's just on everybody's minds and it's just -- it hits you right there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because I wasn't sure if anything had happened or hadn't happened, and now this thing about pictures on a computer and everything else. I don't know if my daughter's on there or not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: 471 charges, and counting. Prosecutors in Delaware say that they expect even more counts to be added against Dr. Earl Bradley. But suspicions have swirled around him for more than a decade. Did investigators drop the ball?

We're going to have a closer look from reporter Jeremy Tucker of CNN affiliate WBOC.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY TUCKER, WBOC REPORTER (voice-over): This is the massive indictment against Earl Bradley. The first charge dates back to December 1st, 1998. The most recent, December 13th, 2009. Just days before his arrest. A span of 11 years. A length of time that angers many.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's absolutely outrageous.

TUCKER: In 2004, Bradley's sister sent the State Medical Society a letter laying out concerns from others about Bradley's behavior. The society says the letter did not mentioned anything about improper touching and the letter was not reported to state officials.

In 2005 Milford Police began investigation into allegations at Bradley's Milford office. After reviewing evidence the attorney general's office decided not to prosecute the case. Bradley was once again under investigation in 2008 for abuse. Police asked a judge for a search warrant. That warrant was denied. It was another year before Bradley was arrested.

In the general public there is still outrage.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think there were signs all the way -- you know, all these years and there have been comments and people have reported him for various infractions, and I think it's totally ridiculous that it has taken this long.

TUCKER: Attorney General Beau Biden's office is investigating whether complaints against Bradley in 2005 were handled improperly. Governor Jack Markell has also ordered an independent investigation into the failure.

(INAUDIBLE) of (INAUDIBLE) University is heading up that review. Now everyone can only wait as they seek answers about one of the worst cases of child sex abuse in this nation's history.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And we're going to stay on top of this story for you. In just about a half-hour, we're going to get the latest on the investigation from Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden. He'll join me live to talk about it.

Rob Marciano. I tell you what I'm hearing this big storm is going to just smack New York City. I guess it's moving from Texas, right? All the way -- we blame El Nino?

MARCIANO: You can blame El Nino a little bit.

PHILLIPS: OK.

MARCIANO: You got to blame the Arctic oscillation. And if you like, you can blame me, too. So we'll just go with those three scenarios.

(LAUGHTER)

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: All right. Well, that's the good news. Thanks, Rob.

MARCIANO: All right. Take care.

PHILLIPS: Six-figure pension per year. And guess what? You're footing the bill while members of Congress get their payout. Others who paid into the system just get shut out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Mad as hell and not going to take it anymore. That's how so many Americans are feeling about the government these days. Well, we're tapping into your strong feelings all week long with a look at "Broken Government" and what needs to be done to fix it.

And here's something many of you say is broken but most lawmakers think it works just fine. We're talking about congressional pensions. You've already paid for these guys' salaries. Do you have to pay for their retirement, too?

Here's CNN's Lisa Sylvester.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Paul Dobosz worked for more than 35 years in the auto industry. He was promised a pension when he retired. But after his former company, auto parts manufacturer Delphi, went bankrupt, Dobosz found out his pension, taken over by the Federal Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation, was being cut by 30 percent.

PAUL DOBOSZ, FORMER DELPHI EMPLOYEE: I felt betrayed. I felt betrayed mostly because I put 37 years in with a company following the rules, doing everything I should, and then all of a sudden I found out that for the rest of my life, things would be changed.

SYLVESTER: Like many Americans, Dobosz is worried about how is he going to cover his bills in retirement. But one group doesn't have any worries, and that's members of Congress.

They can draw on their pension beginning at age 50. Depending on the years of service, they can get as much as 80 percent of their final salary. There are cost of living adjustments added on, and they're still eligible to receive Social Security.

According to an analysis by the National Taxpayers Union, Senator Chris Dodd will have a starting pension of $125,500 every year starting next year when he retires. Senator Byron Dorgan, counting his years in the House and Senate, stands to get more than $116,000.

Senator Gregg, an average of $63,000. Senators Bond and Bunning, both taking away $58,900 in annual pensions.

PETE SEPP, NATIONAL TAXPAYERS UNION: Unlike even state and local pension plans, the federal congressional pension system is simply a direct line into the taxpayers' wallet. There's no investments that need to be made. No fund balances that get worried about. Whatever the liability is for a given year, taxpayers cough up the money for it.

SYLVESTER: We called the senators to get a response, but our calls were not returned.

The congressional retirement system was reformed in 1984 to make the system less generous and more in line with that of other federal workers. Still, Representative Howard Coble says the system is broken. He has tried repeatedly to reform the pension program which he says hasn't won him many friends on Capitol Hill.

REP. HOWARD COBLE (R), NORTH CAROLINA: Well, it is -- it's too lavish. It's too generous when you compare it with pensions across the country. I elected to refuse the pension on the ground that taxpayers are subsidizing my salary now and I figure when I leave, they've taken good care of me, let me do the best I can once I leave after the service in the Congress has been accomplished.

SYLVESTER: And amazingly, up until recently, even if a congressional member committed a crime they could still get their pension. But in 2007, a law barred members convicted of felonies from receiving their pensions.

Still, there are a number of members like Congressman William Jefferson -- his corruption offenses took place before that year and he will still receive a pension paid for by the taxpayer.

Lisa Sylvester, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And we're going to show you signs of "Broken Government" all week. On "AMERICAN MORNING" tomorrow a plan to fix the trade deficit. How can the U.S. compete with chief foreign labor?

Tonight on "CAMPBELL BROWN" federal nominations held up. We look at the impact on the departments.

And later, contribution disconnect? Lawmakers get money from Toyota and now sit in judgment of the automaker. "AC 360" keeping them honest.

A split second, a life in balance. A traffic cop, an icy interstate, an out-of-control vehicle, and a life-changing exit strategy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Consumer confidence pretty much tumbled yesterday and that kind of sapped confidence on Wall Street. The result? Now, stocks dropped about 1 percent.

Poppy Harlow in New York with a preview of what we could probably expect today. Hey, Poppy.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Hey, Kyra. Yes. We're looking a little better here at the open. Stocks set an opening higher this morning. We aren't expecting investors, though I should know, to make any really big moves until they hear from Fed Chief Ben Bernanke. He's going to be delivering his semi-annual testimony before Congress today, also tomorrow, and you can bet those questions from lawmakers are going to focus a lot on unemployment in this country, the outlook for the overall economy, and of course, interest rates from the Fed.

And what happened last week that's really going to play in here is that the Fed surprised Wall Street. They raised the interest rate that they charge banks for emergency loans, so a lot of focus on that today expected as well. We're also going to keep a close eye on the housing sector today at the top of the hour. We're going get a report on new home sales. It is expected to show actually some good news that home sales jumped 5 percent last month. In the meantime, we've got one of the nation's biggest home builders toll brothers reporting earning, and the company also saying, listen, the housing market is still quote "in choppy waters, but the seas are getting calmer."

Toll brothers did report it first quarter loss, narrowed a bit from a year ago, but it's good news on the housing front. The shares are up just slightly, just about 2 percent this morning, and the Dow industrials is pretty strong open up about .3 percent and NASDAQ composite also higher by almost 1 percent today.

And finally Kyra, this is a great story. The most famous music studio in the world is a now a cultural landmark. Britain's Abbey Road is now a historic building. Abbey Road, of course, was made famous by the Beatles and draws many tourists every day. This day, the studio is losing money. Its owner, EMI, is looking for an investor, but it's historic now. It's going to be harder for them to sell that -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: We were talking about the story yesterday. We sort of want to put the pitch out there every day that you can't let this go. I mean, this is--

HARLOW: No, you can't.

PHILLIPS: A very special place in music history.

HARLOW: It is indeed.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Poppy.

Taking aim at Toyota on Capitol Hill today. Company president Akio Toyoda is going to be there to testify. We've already seen part of his opening statement. He'll apologize and explain that the problems stem from overly aggressive growth. You know, trying to get too big too fast at the expense of safety and quality. Congress has questions about the massive recall for sticky accelerators and bad floor mats. More than 8 million cars as you know have been recalled. What did Toyota know and when? That's what we all want to know, but it's not just about the automaker. They also want to know why the government agency in charge of our safety dropped the ball.

If day one was any indication, it should get interesting. Here's the crux of the whole thing. Are Toyota safe to drive? Check out the answer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. HENRY WAXMAN (D), CALIFORNIA: Do you believe that the recall on the carpet changes and the recall on the sticky pedal will solve the problem of sudden unintended acceleration?

JAMES LENTZ, PRESIDENT, TOYOTA MOTOR SALES, U.S.A., INC.: not totally.

WAXMAN: What do you need to do? LENTZ: We need to continue to be vigilant and continue to investigate all of the complaints that we get from consumers that we have done a relatively poor job of doing in the past.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Of course, you'll be able to see Akio Toyoda's testimony live right here on CNN. The hearing starts at 11:00 Eastern, but before then, we're going to talk to a man who says his wife was almost killed by their Toyota, and their car wasn't even part of the accelerator recall. Will it be now?

And is it a case of big brother spying on pilots? The government says no, but a lot of pilots don't feel that way. Here's the deal. "USA Today" is reporting that the National Transportation Board is making a big push to use so-called black box recordings to routinely monitor pilots' conversations in cockpits. They want to make sure that pilots are focusing on their jobs, but the pilots union is pretty outraged and says it's way too intrusive.

Tim Geithner, the money man. We're used to seeing the treasury secretary testify on Capitol Hill. He's going to do that next hour when a house committee grills him about the 2011 budget, but check this out -- he is featured in a fashion magazine spread. There's Geithner profiled in next month's issue of "Vogue" which has already hit newsstands. He's described as angry about the financial meltdown, but he's also seen as friendly, relaxed, athletic and apparently strikes quite a pose there.

There's manpower, horsepower, then there's idiot power. Fleeing police is stupid begin with, but this is not going to ahead and taken to the new level. We're looking at our Van Halen CD "Might as well Jump."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: We know we can truly all live in a submarine, men and women together under the sea. OK, that's starting to sound a little weird. What I mean is the navy now says it's OK for women to serve on submarines. Changes coming. As soon as they get separate crew quarters arranged, current female officers will be the first to make this historic step. You know, it's just 17 years ago that women were first allowed to even serve on ships.

OK. Talking about that big snowstorm. It's going to be --

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I'm curious, Kyra. I know you've done a number of military stories.

PHILLIPS: Right.

MARCIANO: Have you ever been in a submarine?

PHILLIPS: I actually have, yes.

MARCIANO: So they thrilled (ph) the protocol right there. PHILLIPS: Yes.

(LAUGHING)

MARCIANO: Or they made an exception for you?

PHILLIPS: Yes, I get lucky every now I get an exception, but really, the concern was that there you were in such close quarters, men and women, you know, difficult to, you know, get out and about if there's an issue, if there is a problem, so it's been a huge debate for years, so this is a pretty big move on behalf of the navy.

MARCIANO: I don't have an opinion, but I think it's --

PHILLIPS: You think it's cool.

MARCIANO: I think it's cool.

PHILLIPS: Because you are pro-women, Rob Marciano.

MARCIANO: Oh, yes. Absolutely.

PHILLIPS: Yes, you are. Big fan.

MARCIANO: And specially when being in close quarters, why not? San Francisco, San Diego, along I-95 Corridor we starts you out on the West Coast. Let's just give you an idea how active this weather pattern is, another storm coming into the West Coast. Live shot of San Francisco. There you go. KGO, thanks for that shot. Sun is just coming up there as we look off to the south and east. You'll get some cloudiness and some fogginess. You already have a few delays at the airport because of that, so be aware, and that's going to slide down to Los Angeles as well.

We're sliding the map over to parts of the southeast where, at least, in the Southern Plains in Texas yesterday. These are some of the snow totals that we piled up; Baird, Texas, five inches; Midland, seeing 4.4; Abilene, 4 inches and Waco, 3.1. I believe that is a record. Dallas didn't quite hit their record, but they're almost there. For the month of February, they've had more snow than Buffalo. Remarkable stuff. Then we look at this which shows snow at least on the radar across Alabama and Georgia, and you know, any other year, we look at this on the go bananas because it's so rare, but this year it's almost become par for the course.

Not a whole lot of this hitting the ground, but nonetheless, it's that energy that came out of Texas, and it's sliding off to the east. We also this piece of energy. This is really the big upper low that's slowly meandering off to the east and that is what's going to tap into some of that Texas energy, tap into what's left over here in the northeast which is still bringing snow to parts of upstate New York and Northern New England and that is what's going to bring this next storm system to the Tri-State area of New York, Jersey and Connecticut.

This is what we think at the moment. Even though it is going to start off as rain, it will eventually change over to snow in some of the bigger cities. Five to ten inches anywhere from really Philly up to New York. Philly might end up getting more than New York in this case because it is a little bit farther west. We're going to get warm air off the ocean and that's going to limit snow amounts across parts of say the I-95 corridor, but it's going to be tremendously windy with this, and we will see blizzard conditions certainly in upstate New York and Eastern Pennsylvania. We may very well see those kind of conditions across parts of the New York metropolitan area.

All right. Ground stop at Chicago. Ground stop at LaGuardia. So, travel is going to be an issue not only today but tomorrow and likely on Friday as well. So, it may be your best bet to travel up the eastern seaboard, Kyra, is to take a submarine with your favorite friend.

PHILLIPS: There you go. Perfect. Thanks, Rob. You always got side in.

All right. Top stories, "A" for effort, "F" for execution.

PHILLIPS: Watch how this police chase ended Monday near Houston. Oh, yes. Watch this. On the front, on the bumper. Smart move. Let's sachet right on to the hood of a moving vehicle, outrun police. Not a good idea there, slick. He fell down, almost gets nailed by a patrol car but he's got another jump and fall in his future. Police say he ran for a parole violation. Add attempting to flee police to his list of achievements and there you have it.

Former NBA star Jason Williams locked up for at least five years. He was sentenced yesterday for the 2002 shooting death of his Limo driver. A tearful Williams apologized to the victim's family. Williams must serve at least 18 months before he's eligible for parole.

A quick thinking cop makes the most of a split second to save himself. Check this out. Officer Bryan Kashak (ph) is recovering after this close call Monday in Suburban, Detroit. That's when an out-of-control car nearly pinned him to another vehicle during a traffic stop. Amazingly, the officer walked away and should be OK.

Still ahead, the horrific case of a pediatrician accused of molesting his young patients. Prosecutors say there are more than 100 victims, and even more may be discovered. We're going to talk to the state's attorney general, Beau Biden.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: In Delaware, it's the talk wherever parents and families gather. A pediatrician now accused of molesting more than 100 children. Dr. Earl Bradley faces nearly 500 counts of sexual crimes, and what's even more unsettling, prosecutors expect to add even more charges as the investigation deepens.

Let's get the latest on the case. Beau Biden, state attorney general in Delaware joining us now live from Wilmington. You know, Beau, as a parent, as an attorney general, as someone, you know, your job is to look after the people with whom you serve, this has got to be one of the toughest cases you've ever seen.

BEAU BIDEN, DELAWARE ATTORNEY GENERAL: It's the toughest case I've ever been involved in. And it's the toughest case that I've seen in a long, long time. You know, there are things in this case that I feel deeply in the core of my being. And that I'm just simply not allowed to get into at this point in this case.

We just indicted on 471 counts, 103 victims. We'll have an arraignment in the next four to six weeks. We'll have a trial. And there'll be a place and time to let the facts develop and a place and time for me to be able to tell -- to tell folks how I really feel about this. You can imagine just as a dad of a 3-year-old and a 5- year-old how I feel.

But also as a prosecutor who's very focused on making sure justice is done for 103 victims and possibly more, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, let's talk about that justice. I mean, there have been complaints against Dr. Bradley since 2005. I mean, we've been able to get the records and the evidence. Why has it taken so long to arrest this guy?

BIDEN: Well, these are incredibly complex cases. Three or four years before I -- two or three years before I became attorney general there was a complaint and an investigation that didn't go any -- that didn't go anywhere. They are incredibly difficult cases.

I'm conducting a review right now. And I've instructed my state solicitor to do a parallel proceeding to review whether or not anyone had a responsibility to report this misconduct and the allegations of such that were made about this doctor over the last eight, nine years and whether or not those who had a responsibility to report fulfilled that responsibility.

PHILLIPS: Well --

BIDEN: But my main and primary -- yes. Yes.

PHILLIPS: Let me ask you why you're there because we understand there is a current investigation into the behavior of the Milford Police Department for its failure to actually report Dr. Bradley's sexual misconduct back in 2005 to the Professional Regulation Board. Are you investigating that? Are you listening to that?

BIDEN: Yes, we're reviewing and looking at and I've instructed my state solicitor to look into and examine anyone, any entity, anybody who had a responsibility under Delaware law to make the referral and a report to the medical board.

I have asked my state solicitor to do that, to report back to me as quickly as possible and to see who had or failed to fulfill any such responsibility. It includes law enforcement but it also includes medical professionals and other entities.

We have subpoenas out right now throughout the state on that very matter but my prime focus right now, Kyra, as you can imagine, is to make sure that justice is done and to prosecute the criminal case to the fullest extent of the law, and -- and -- make sure we provide for the victims and their families in this case.

And we opened our office in Lewis, Delaware on January 2nd that's been staffed every day. And that's my incredibly big concern, is making sure and providing for these families.

PHILLIPS: And you bring up a very good point. I mean, you're going after this now, you're going after it hard but you bring up a very good point. Is that why did it even get to this? I mean, we're talking about just disgusting, brutal evidence on videotape of kids as young as three months old being sexually abused.

And we mention that the police department is being investigated. You mention certain medical facilities being investigated. But also we should point out the Attorney General back then was Jane Brady. And Jane Brady refused to move forward with the prosecution of Dr. Bradley because ultimately she said that he's not a criminal.

Now did the attorney general's office also fail these parents as well by not pushing forward with this?

BIDEN: I've instructed my state solicitor to review all aspects of this. That is anyone who had a responsibility to report and whether or not they fulfilled it. The reality is, is I'm not going to second-guess judgments made by professional prosecutors prior to my tenure but I am going to make sure that our state solicitor and our office looks at and makes sure that anybody that had a responsibility, whether or not they fulfilled it.

It's an important component of this. Remember, too, that these are incredibly difficult cases. These are people and I'm speaking hypothetically now and generally -- about abuse of trust cases where they abuse trust. This is a kind of -- these types of crimes -- and I'm not commenting specifically on this case -- where people who are in positions of power, where they have a victim population that is basically voiceless and in this case, in our case, truly voiceless and where the community and patients and parents put themselves in the hands and trust of these people.

And so they are -- these are cases that are very, very difficult. That's why I'm so proud of our Child Predator Task Force and their commitment over the last year to make sure that we don't -- any wall we came up on against on this case that we overcame and we resulted in a 103 -- 471-count indictment on Monday.

PHILLIPS: Well, you know, Dr. Bradley's sister came forward, said this guy had issues. A former colleague came forward, called him a pedophile. There's videotape of these rapes and abuses that go back to 1998.

Beau Biden, you're now the Attorney General. And I think there's a lot of people counting on you to hold this guy accountable and take care of these victims. More than 100 of them, possibly even more.

BIDEN: Well, that's what I signed up to do. That's why I sought this job and that's what I intend to do. And just to be clear, as you know, these videos were found in December after a very exhaustive investigation and execution of a search warrant. And had our team not done it the way they did it, I'm not sure we would have ever gotten those videos.

And to be honest with you, I think our team was stunned at the degree to which there were as many videos as there were and as the indictment lays out, so -- so tough.

PHILLIPS: Yes, we'll follow it.

Beau Biden, Delaware Attorney General, I really appreciate your time today, Beau.

BIDEN: Well, thank you, Kyra. And thanks for following this.

PHILLIPS: You bet. We're back in a moment.

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PHILLIPS: Toyota's question and answer session with Congress heads into overdrive now. We've got global team coverage. Let's go ahead and start with Brianna Keilar. She's on Capitol Hill.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And this is the headline-grabbing hearing. We are inside the hearing room. We're going to bring you an update at the top of the hour and show you -- well, this is the hot seat where Akio Toyoda will be. We're going to talk to you about the type of questions that he's going to get.

KYUNG LAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Kyung Lah live in Tokyo where this testimony is deemed right here as a make-or- break moment for the automaker but also for the made-in-Japan brand. That's coming up at the top of the hour.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I'm Rob Marciano. If you are driving a Toyota today across the northeast, a 4runner (ph) might do you well, another snowstorm heading that way. Details at the top of the hour.

PHILLIPS: All right, thanks guys.

Plus next hour President Obama's first appointee to get hounded of his job over appearances garners an image award, no joke.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Competing for gold; it's every athlete's dream, but for one Olympic princess, it's so much more than that now. CNN's Mark McKay live in Vancouver this morning with a real heart breaker. Mark we're talking about Canada's top hope in women's figure skating; a lot going on behind the scenes.

MARK MCKAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No doubt about it Kyra.

Yes, an emotional night last night at Pacific Coliseum in downtown Vancouver as the Olympic skating program for the women began with the short program.

The skater you're referring to, Joannie Rochette, took to the ice just two days -- just two days after the sudden death of her mother who traveled here from Quebec to Vancouver to watch her daughter compete. Rochette, she put on a brave face and skated a program that actually has her, Kyra, in bronze medal position going into Thursday's finale. There really wasn't a dry eye in the house after this young woman, a brave young woman, courageously finished that program and took in the applause.

It's going to be quite a night Thursday as Rochette skates and a whole nation will be behind her.

PHILLIPS: It had everybody in tears this morning, just knowing the story, seeing the two of them together. She was definitely not only skating for herself, her country, but her mom.

Mark, thanks so much.