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New Airline Carry-on Fee; Realities of War; 3D TV; Heading For Higher Ground In Haiti; Memphis At Risk

Aired April 12, 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: Hey, and good morning, everybody. 9:00 a.m. in the East, 6:00 out west. Let's get started.

He was a Russian orphan adopted by an American family. But in less than a year, they sent him back, put him on a plane with a backpack and a note. Was he really plotting murder?

An alarming number of birth defects and a toxic waste dump. What's going on in Kettleman, California? Our CNN investigation and the fed's findings revealed.

Nickel and dime you no more. A senator is outraged and launching new legislation. Can he really prevent airlines from charging you for carry-on luggage? Chuck Schumer joins us live.

We begin, though, with the outrage around the world. And a 7-year-old boy in the middle of a firestorm. He was adopted by a woman in Tennessee but she says he grew psychotic, threatening to kill the entire family.

So she took desperate action, put him on a flight to Moscow and thought the nightmare was over. Today, the drama is only, only deepening.

Martin Savidge has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It began when this 7- year-old little boy stepped off the plane in Moscow Thursday, alone, with a note from his adoptive American mom saying she was returning him because he was mentally unstable and violent.

Russians were outraged. The country's foreign minister even threatened to suspend all adoptions to the U.S. and the media flocked here to the small town of Shelbyville, Tennessee looking for the family that sent the kid back. Only that family doesn't want to be found.

(On camera): This has been our regular routine here in Shelbyville for the past couple of days. We come to the door every couple of hours, knock on it, never have any response.

Yesterday, there were a bunch of notes here from journalists but they're gone. Now there is this addition, a fruit basket. We're told it is from "People" magazine.

(Voice-over): We'd like to get the family's side of the story because right now they don't look too good in the headlines.

(On camera): So what we've been trying to do is track down the Hanson family with former addresses that they have. They are listed in at least four different states. And there are a lot of listings also here in Tennessee.

This is one of them, 2441-Q. It's Murfreesboro, Tennessee. It's not a home. It is a post office box.

(Voice-over): Another address we have for them turned out to be a vacant lot.

(On camera): In a phone call to CNN, Nancy Hanson, the boy's adoptive grandmother, described him as violent and psychotic.

(Voice-over): That he had a hit list of people he wanted to hurt. Number one on that list his American mom who, Nancy says, the boy threatened "to kill for her house."

The last straw last week when they caught him in the act of trying to start a fire in the home. Nancy said she was afraid he was going to burn the house down and kill everyone in it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Martin Savidge joining us live by phone with more.

You know, Martin, this note to the Russian Ministry of Education that was stuffed in this boy's backpack doesn't mince words at all. I mean the adoptive mother writes on this note, quote, "I no longer wish to parent this child. This child is mentally unstable, he is violent, has severe psychopathic issues and behavior. I was lied to."

She believes the Russian government lied to her about this child.

SAVIDGE: That's exactly right, Kyra. They had several visits with the child dating back to last year when they were beginning this adoption process. And they said on all of those visits to the orphanage, they never were allowed to be with the child by themselves.

They often would ask the authorities at the orphanage what was the mental condition of the child, were there any previous problems. They believed they were lied to. They were told that the child was fine. That there were no previous conditions. They certainly believe that was not the case as a result of the experiences they've had.

Right now, we've moved here to the center of town. We're trying to track down the family. After the initial phone call they made to CNN on Friday, they had gone into seclusion. So we're trying to find them as we pointed out to get this side of the story.

And right now we're trying to track down their attorney. It's believed that the attorney is going to be meeting with local law enforcement.

It's not clear at this point whether they've actually broken any laws, as outraged as many people are on both sides of the Atlantic here on this story. So the investigations are continuing -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And I think that's what a lot of people are wondering at this point. You know, you're hearing one side of the story. You're starting to hear the other part of the story. You know could this family face abandonment charges because they did adopt this child?

SAVIDGE: Well, that's certainly the attitude the Russians have. And in fact, in Shelbyville, which is no only filling through an invasion of media from all across the country, there are at least three different crews from Russian television here.

The Russians take this story very seriously. Because in the past, they say, there have been a number of instances Russian children adopted by American families that have suffered as a result. Some of them having much more tragic results than this particular case we're talking about now.

In fact, last August, there was a seven-year-old Russian boy who was adopted by a Pennsylvania family. He later died. The investigation showed that it was as a result of abuse and malnutrition. His adopted American parents are now in jail awaiting trial.

That's why the Russians are so sensitive about this particular case. They sense a pattern, not just one instance.

PHILLIPS: And you mentioned in your piece that the Russians possibly were thinking about halting adoptions while this was all taking place. Do we know anything more about that? Do you think that could happen?

SAVIDGE: Well, here's their concern. They believe that there should be some sort of -- that there ought to be an official sort of document that outlines the behavior and how parents that adopt Russian children, the standards they have to adhere to.

They say there is no sort of standard at this particular point. So that's what they're saying, is that we are going to halt any further adoptions by American families until we have this agreement worked out between Russia and the United States.

That's where it stands right now. So while we have not heard the official canceling of adoptions, but there are about 1500 that take place every year. So there are a lot of families that would like to go forward but now are feeling in limbo as a result of this case.

PHILLIPS: We'll definitely follow it. And it's getting worldwide attention as you can imagine.

Martin Savidge, great reporting for us. Thank you so much.

Now the U.S. is calling on Russia to not carry out this threat to halt U.S. adoptions. Just minutes ago, the State Department actually said it will soon dispatch high-level officials to Moscow to better ensure the well-being of the children.

For Americans desperate to be a parent, Russia has been a leading source of hope. Last year, it was the third most popular country for Americans wanting to adopt. Nearly 1600 kids came to the U.S. to live with their new families.

Because of the economy, 2009 was a down here for foreign adoptions. Five years ago, in 2005, more than 4,600 Russian kids came to live in the U.S. Now through the years, about 60,000 Russian children have found new homes and new families right here in the United States.

We're talking about the little boy sent back to Russia on my blog this morning. And we want to know what you think. Go to CNN.com/Kyra. Click on comments and I'll read as many of them that I can.

Now tonight at 10:00 Eastern, what happens when adoptive parents change their mind and want to give the child back? Now a new program could keep these families together.

Anderson Cooper has a special report tonight on "AC 360".

After a long, hard week of waiting, watching and hoping, the grim work of removing the bodies of 22 workers from that West Virginia coal mine begins today. Search teams found the last four bodies early Saturday but couldn't recover any because of toxic gases still in the mine.

Twenty-nine miners died in the explosion last Monday. Recovering the bodies could take as long as two days. West Virginia's governor is calling for a moment of silence this afternoon at 3:30. Investigators will try to determine what caused that deadly explosion.

The scene in front of the presidential palace in Warsaw, Poland this morning is both beautiful and sad. Thousands of flowers and candles fill the broad sidewalk right now. They reflect a nation in mourning.

President Lech Kaczynski, his wife and many other political, business and military leaders were killed Saturday in a plane crash in western Russia.

Poland begins an official week of mourning today. The president's body was returned to Warsaw yesterday. But many of the bodies remain unidentified. Ninety-seven people died in that crash.

Our Nic Robertson reports that evidence is pointing to two possible causes -- bad weather and the plane's pilots failing to effectively communicate with air traffic controllers.

Our Frederik Pleitgen is actually in Warsaw. He's in front of the presidential palace.

Fred, an entire generation of poles admired this pro-western president. Thousands and thousands of people have flocked to the palace to prove that. What are they telling you?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Certainly, Kyra. I mean people are still coming in here. And you have to see, this is actually a working day here in Warsaw. But still, if you look behind me, you can see that there's literally hundreds, if not thousands of people in front of that presidential palace right now.

Of course, as you said yesterday, when the coffin was actually brought here, there were tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people lining the street. You know the interesting thing that people are telling me here is that they said even if they didn't agree with President Lech Kaczynski on many political issues, he is someone who was very conservative.

He was also, by the way, a staunch ally of the United States, very instrumental in bringing Polish troops into Iraq. Also, just recently, very instrumental in increasing the Polish contingent in Afghanistan. So certainly someone who was always very pro-American.

But they said even if they didn't agree with him on some issues, everyone in the country right now is simply in very, very deep sorrow of this loss. Because they do say that even if they didn't agree with him, he was a towering political figure in this country.

And I can tell you, I've seen people here in front of the presidential palace with tears in their eyes. People praying, people laying down flowers, lighting candles. It is an unbelievable site that you can see here in central Warsaw -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And we're looking at the live pictures right now. Frederik Pleitgen, we'll continue to follow this story with you throughout the afternoon, of course, then into tomorrow as the crowds continue to fill for this remembrance.

Meanwhile, Republican power play over unemployment benefits. We saw it earlier this year with Kentucky senator, Jim Bunting. He held up the vote because he wanted to know how the government was going to pay for it.

Fast forward to today. The Senate back in session. But this time, it is Oklahoma's Tom Coburn with the same question.

CNN's Christine Romans live in New York today.

So, Christine, help us with this. How many people and how much money are we talking about here?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're talking about a couple hundred thousand people last week who rolled off the unemployment benefits, essentially, and overall for the month of April, if the Senate doesn't do something.

You've got a million people whose unemployment benefits will expire. I mean what it really underscores, I think, Kyra, is there are so many people who are long-term unemployed in this country. There are almost six million people who have been getting extension after extension of unemployment benefits.

Now what the Republicans are concerned about, this was emergency spending for the stimulus in the very beginning. And now we have a chronic long-term unemployment issue. They're saying, all right, let's address it. Find a way to pay for it. Find a budget offset as they say in Washington.

And the Democrats are saying, no, we need to do this quickly and get moving. Some Democrats want to go ahead and have an extension for this and for a COBRA health insurance subsidy through the end of the year so that we don't have to keep going and patching it up, you know, and then chasing it and patching it up again.

So a philosophical difference of opinion here. But one thing, Kyra, I think you're going to start to see now is this -- as this goes on, if we're starting to get some jobs creation, if we're starting to see signs that the economy -- at least the stock market certainly has recovered -- there is going to be this philosophical debate of how are you going to address the long-term unemployed in this country and how long are we going to allow people to be on unemployment benefits.

That's an economic and a philosophical debate, I think, that you're going to start to see more and more.

On a side note, Kyra, if I can throw this in. The National Bureau of Economic Research, the official agency that dates whether a recession starts or stops. It today said it's not ready to declare when the recession ended. And that's got people a little bit nervous.

I think it shows you there are these two kind of gears of the economic recovery and stock market that's done very well. But still, an awful lot of people who aren't feeling any kind of recovery this yet -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: We'll follow what Coburn does, that's for sure. And follow it with you.

Christine, thanks.

The world's nuclear powers putting their heads together in Washington today. Strategizing against a common enemy.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm Rob Marciano at the CNN Severe Weather Center. A nice weekend east of the Mississippi. But a western storm is now slamming into the west coast and pollen at record high levels.

Weather is coming up when the CNN NEWSROOM comes right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: A nuclear attack in the middle of New York City, in London, in Moscow, all possibilities and all the reasons for a major nuclear summit in Washington. And it gets under way today. Powerful world leaders, guests of President Obama.

CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux joining us now.

So, Suzanne, why do we need to pay attention to this right now at this time? SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, President Obama, Kyra, is trying to make the case that there is an immediate and urgent need. And that this is really a very dangerous threat. This is something that we've heard before from President Clinton and President Bush.

But President Obama is trying to convince world leaders that this is something that has to be addressed right now. And he is making the case that the threat is no longer about a nuclear war in the Cold War era when you have to deal with states or countries that have a nuclear weapon.

But this is -- this threat is about nuclear terrorism. The possibility that terrorists could get a hold of nuclear materials, build an explosive, set off some sort of kind of dramatic attack.

That is what the president is talking about today. He says that he wants all these other countries and world leaders on board because he believes it is the most dangerous threat.

Here's how he put it -- Kyra.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The single biggest threat to U.S. security, both short-term, medium-term and long-term, would be the possibility of a terrorist organization obtaining a nuclear weapon. This is something that could change the security landscape of this country around the world for years to come.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: So, Kyra, how do we know this is true? We did hear over the weekend from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as well as secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, rather. Both of them saying that the intelligence shows that this is a real serious threat that world leaders have to deal with.

And so the bottom line in the summit is to try to get the world leaders together to sign on to a document and a communicae, if you will, saying, look, we are going to go ahead and try to secure these loose nukes within the next four years that are around the globe, Kyra. That is the goal.

PHILLIPS: So -- OK, that's the goal, Suzanne. But this isn't even a legal binding document. So does it really is any teeth?

MALVEAUX: You know what? That's an excellent point. It's not a legal document. It doesn't have teeth. It's a political document. It's essentially a statement of intentions by these world leaders.

But what we're going to hear that's important, Kyra, is some of these world leaders are going to say, look, we've got some ideas on the table, how to secure these loose nukes in our own countries.

For example, Chile says we've got highly enriched uranium. We don't know how to secure it. We're giving it to the United States. You guys deal with it. There are other countries, they'll say, look, we'll have third parties deal with some of these nuclear materials.

Those are the kinds of things we expect these leaders to talk about the next 24 to 48 hours.

Another important thing are those sideline meetings the president is having with some of these world leaders. One of them, Hu Jintao of China. They're going to be talking about sitting down, having Iran face possible sanctions for its own nuclear ambitions.

That's going to be something else that's important to watch out -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And we will watch it. By the way, what the heck is going on behind you?

MALVEAUX: I knew you were going to ask that. I knew it.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: You know me.

MALVEAUX: And that's why I asked -- I know you. I knew it. So I've been told that they're digging. They're trying to figure out like what's underneath, soil samples, because there's a tube with communications lines that they're going to run through.

So they've got to figure out if there's like rock or soil and how to get that tube through. And unless it's just top secret and they're lying to us, and it's something completely different.

PHILLIPS: Exactly.

MALVEAUX: That's what I have been told.

PHILLIPS: Some sort of nuclear weapon something or other being passed in secret tubes.

MALVEAUX: Could be a top secret thing.

PHILLIPS: Yes, exactly. OK. We are doing a great job with the distraction to say the least.

Suzanne Malveaux, thanks so much.

MALVEAUX: Thanks, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: OK.

A major storm system making this morning's rush-hour. Not much more fun for many Californians.

Meteorologist Rob Marciano has that and more in the Severe Weather Center. No distractions, though, behind Rob.

MARCIANO: No, no. But you know, with all the construction going on here at the CNN center, that wouldn't be odd. PHILLIPS: Yes. True.

MARCIANO: Certainly. A lot of banging from time to time.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MARCIANO: All right. We made it through that without any sort of distractions. From the construction crew here --

PHILLIPS: I've heard --

MARCIANO: So I consider that a success.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: Heard you perfectly well. Thanks, Rob.

MARCIANO: Take care.

PHILLIPS: Hundreds of firefighters descend upon Manhattan's Lower East Side to battle a massive seven alarm fire. Dozens of people are injured. Who are they? Well, it might surprise you. We're back in 90 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Possible mistaken attack by international troops in southern Afghanistan. It happened in Kandahar province. The government spokesman there says international troops opened fire on a bus full of civilians. At least four people are dead and 18 more injured.

The bus driver ignored the troops' commands to stop. ISAF says they regret the loss of life.

In New York's Chinatown it took more than 250 firefighters more than four hours to bring this seven-alarm fire under control early this morning. About two dozen people were hurt. Some of them were firefighters. Up to 60 families are now homeless.

And with this put, golfer, Phil Mickelson won his third Masters Sunday at Augusta National. But it was the shot after his winning round that's even better. Mickelson's wife, Amy, who's battling breast cancer, drove to the course just in time to greet her husband with a tournament winning kiss. Before getting his newest green jacket.

That was the shot of Phil and Amy that you just couldn't turn away from.

Well, she is back. And you can see her from your backyard in Alaska. No, not Russia. Tina Fey.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TINA FEY, COMEDIAN: If you like fun, you're just going to love our afternoon block of game shows. At 2:00 p.m., it's "Tea Party Wheel of Fortune." At 2:30, catch me in "Are You Smarter Than a Half-Term Governor?

I think you'll be surprised by the answer. I know I was.

Do you hate gotcha journalism? Well, get ready for, "Hey, Journalist, I Gotcha."

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Tina Fey has got some competition, though. Meet Gail Lortscher.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GAIL LORTSCHER, MANHATTAN, KANSAS RESIDENT: I walked in the door and I think about three gentlemen all said, oh, hi, Sarah, you know, how are you doing? And that happens a lot.

It isn't really changing my life. Maybe adding a little humor to it.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: And giving us a good story to talk about as well.

Well, the flying buckles up and pays out as one airline creates yet another new fee. But one lawmaker says enough is enough. He wants to have that fee killed and he's going to join us to tell us why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: OK. Traders on Wall Street cheered on Friday when the Dow hit 11000 and no wonder, that's the level that we haven't seen in a year and a half.

Stephanie Elam in New York with all the details and a look at whether -- well, that rally will continue today.

Hopefully, Stephanie.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Fingers crossed, Kyra. That's right. We were expecting a higher open' although, I can see right now that the Dow is down just a smidge here, but we could, eventually today, get back above 11,000 and close yesterday or should I say Friday at 10,997. So, we were very, very close, and there you have it. Now, we are above 7,000. So, it happened. Let's see if we stay that for today.

Investors are encouraged by news that Greece will get a bailout of more than $50 billions of needed. European leaders and the IMF pledged support for the debt ridden nation. Now here at home, the group that determines when the recessions begin and when they end, they're out with a new statement, and the National Bureau of Economic Research says, yes, it's just too soon to say it's over. The NBER says recent economic indicators have been upbeat, but many of the reports will be revised in the coming months.

And we're also watching shares of Best Buy today. An analyst upgraded the retailer, because there's been talk that it might buy Radioshack, something that could be good for future earnings. All right. So, with that in mind, let's see where we are with the numbers. We did go above 11,000, and now, we're back below it, but we're still very, very close; 10,998 is where we are right now, so up fractionally. Nasdaq is better by, oh, just a smidge too at 2,455. And Kyra, finally, before we go, I have to ask if you're one of those people who are going to be running out to get your 3-DTV. Will you be doing that?

PHILLIPS: No.

ELAM: Yes.

PHILLIPS: I can't lie.

ELAM: I just don't want, really, to wear the glasses. You're going to need some special glasses.

PHILLIPS: Okay. Maybe if I had, you know, a bunch of kids that already, but all I do is watch news. Why do I need to see, you know, Wolf Blitzer or Anderson cooper or Stephanie Elam in 3-D?

ELAM: There are just some things you don't need to see in 3D. I would agree that you don't need to be that way, but the reason why I ask you this is because another major player says they're going to jump into the market. Sharp will start selling 3-D TVs next March. No word on the price. Samsung and Panasonic are already selling 3D set, and Sony will join the 3D party later on this year, but I know they're going to have to do something about those glasses, because I find them very uncomfortable at the movie theater. So, I hope they're way more comfortable at home for the people who are going to get them.

PHILLIPS: Yes, I definitely agree. Thanks, Steph.

ELAM: Sure.

PHILLIPS: Today is the three-month anniversary of the Haiti earthquake, but sadly, survivors are now confronted with serious new health risks in the quake's aftermath. How a subtle change of scenery could be a lifesaver? We're back in about 15.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Three months to this day after Haiti's horrendous earthquake, survivors are now heading for higher ground. The first wave of Haitians made homeless by the quake began relocating this past weekend from tent cities that sprang up after the January 12th tumbler. Officials want to get earthquake survivors out of the low- lying areas and into resettlement camps that are less prone to flood.

And rainy season is about to ramp up and increasing chances of disease such as typhoid and malaria are about to increase. Danger in the earthquake zones, Haiti, Chile, Southern California, but did you know that one area at great risk is actually tucked into the American south. CNN meteorologist, Jacqui Jeras, joining us now with a closer look at Memphis and the danger that lies under foot there. Wow! Nobody probably would have thought unless maybe you live there, right, and you stay up on it.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Right. You know, a couple of weeks ago, we talked about the risk it in the southeast, in Charleston, and then today, we're going to be focusing on the new magnate (ph) fault zone which is the mid southern U.S. which has repeatedly produced a serious of major quake, and there's up to a 40 percent chance that another big one could occur in just the next 50 years, and the major difference is that when the last big ones hit in 1811 and 1812, the area was sparsely populated. Today, a major quake in this business and distribution hub could have a global economic impact.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHYLLIS STECKEL, GEOLOGIST: This part of the area around here was down dropped during the earthquake. It actually sank, and part of the river was affected by the change in local elevation.

JERAS (voice-over): Geologist, Phyllis Steckel describes how a powerful earthquake in 1811 forced the Mississippi river to flow backwards and create real foot lake in Northwestern Tennessee. She's worried if the earth moves here again, it will have catastrophic impacts on industry.

STECKEL: A lot of what we come to expect in 21st century society, and a lot of it comes through this area.

JERAS: Memphis, Tennessee, 100 miles to the south. You know it as the home of the blues and barbecue. Steckel knows it as America's distribution center and the most vulnerable city on the fault.

STECKEL: A lot of shipping goes up and down the Mississippi river, commodities, coal, cotton, rice, wheat.

JERAS: A government report that nearly 1/3 of all U.S. commodities pass through this region. Many fuel pipelines lie here, and it's in the top five busiest places for class one railroad service, trucking and inland port. Memphis also has the world's busiest cargo traffic airport. FedEx moves more than 1 million pieces of cargo towards the world headquarters in Memphis each day.

PAUL TRONSOR, FEDEX, GLOBAL OPERATIONS CONTROL: A run was built on reliability, and so we do everything in our power to anticipate these sorts of things. We understand those risks. We work very hard to develop these contingencies so that our customers don't see this.

JERAS: In the event of a quake here, FedEx, as Paul Tronsor says, the company could be up and running within one day at one of its other hub. AutoZone, another Memphis-based company, constructed its headquarters to withstand a 9.0 quake.

DAVID PERRY, AUTOZONE, DIR., FACILITY SERVICES: It's like big hockey puck, because it will absorb the motion from the ground. It will let the ground move and not transfer all the motion from the ground to the building.

JERAS: It's the only structure in Memphis built to such a high specification.

STECKEL: What I think we almost need is an earthquake that's large enough to get people's attention, but of course, not large enough to do any damage or any significant damage or certainly no injuries. We don't want that. I think it's going to take something here to wake people up.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JERAS (on-camera): And Phyllis Steckel says that this job is just too big for the government. That the focus has to be on the individual businesses and industries. So, she started giving these tours for people, for business executives, from St. Louis down to Reelfoot Lake to east on the feet (ph) in the Memphis to help give them a better idea just how great the risk is in that area.

PHILLIPS: I notice you have a little music in the background as well. Memphis is a very well-known music, place of sound for sure. So, why so much of this area?

JERAS: The fault itself is actually kind of large, but one of the other problems is that it's right along the Mississippi river. Okay. So, all the soil next to the river is made up of sediments, and it's really soft. So, it allows the energy from earthquake waves to travel like 20 times farther than it would in California.

PHILLIPS: That's pretty amazing. Like he said, it is like a hockey puck, you know, that could actually help a building withstand 9.0.

JERAS: 9.0.

PHILLIPS: It's a 9.0. That's unremarkable. Thanks, Jacqui. It's an interesting stuff.

A refreshing story about lost and found for one California lady after a futile search for her long lost $240. A sale-minded Samaritan comes to the rescue.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: She had that southern charm, but she could strike like a rattlesnake as well. Actress, Dixie Carter, died over the weekend. You may remember her as Julia Sugarbaker on the television sitcom, "Designing Women." Carter's publicist says she died of complications related to endometrial cancer. She was married to Hal Holbrook. Dixie Carter was 70 years old.

Did he do it or not? We'll learn today if Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, will face sexual assault charges in Georgia. Attorney in the middle Georgia City of Milledgeville will hold a news conference about 2:00 eastern. A 20-year-old college student says the two-time Super Bowl champ sexually assaulted her last month at a club in a city south of Atlanta.

Some affirmation that not everyone is out for the all mighty dollar. Meet California's Betty Radcliff, who for six months searched unsuccessfully for a missed placed $240. In all of her usually hiding places, she went through everything and then a call came from Oregon's Katherine Virgilio who went online to buy a purse that Betty had previously returned. Inside that purse, Betty's I.D. and that missing $240. Then came the phone call.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BETTY RADCLIFF, LOST PURSE: I love the purse. And it wasn't cheap, was it? It was an expensive purse.

VOICE OF KATHERINE VIRGILIO, FOUND PURSE: I have to tell you, though, you're not going to be too happy. I got it on sale.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Not only honest, but a bargain hunter too.

New airline fee to use the overhead bin? What's next, paying for the bathroom? When are these airline fees going to end. One lawmaker says, enough is enough. We're going to talk to him in two minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Outrage at 30,000 feet. Remember that new airline fee that we told you about last week, Spirit Airlines is going to start charging you for carry-on bags, $45. But one lawmaker says not so fast. U.S. Senator, Chuck Schumer, vowing to fight that plan and stop other airlines from following suit.

Senator Schumer joins us now from Washington. So Senator, what are you going to do?

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: Well, I've sent a letter to the Treasury this morning asking them to prevent this from happening, which they can do. There are all kinds of tax incentives actually for airlines to charge these extra fees, because they don't pay anything on it, any extra tax on it.

And so if Treasury were to say that an overhead bag is a necessary part of travel, no airline would do it. It is a necessary part of travel. You're a business traveler; you need something in that overhead bag. You have kids, you're an older person, you need medication or you need food or whatever else for them.

And you know, this is the last straw. Everyone understands the airlines have difficulty, fuel prices and everything else. So when they took away the pillows and the meals and even the leg room, that's very annoying to me. I'm not that tall, 6'1", but sometimes I can't fit in some of the airlines.

But everyone said, ok, ok, ok. Now, this is step over the line. An overhead bag, which we've all been conditioned to use, because so many bags, when you -- first, you need them. They are a necessity almost for many travelers. But second, everyone is worried if they check their luggage, it will get lost. This is a step over the line. Enough is enough. And I am very hopeful that Treasury will go along. If Treasury doesn't go along, we'll introduce legislation and my guess is that legislation will go through the Senate and the House like a hot knife through butter. I have heard lots of outrage, more about this issue than many others in the last week.

PHILLIPS: Well, let me ask you, let me just take it another step further. Aside from paying for carry-on baggage, and you say that you can introduce this legislation and the Treasury Department can stop these airlines from doing this. Is there anything else that bugs you when you fly?

SCHUMER: Well there are lots of things, you know, in varying degrees, but I guess other than the carry-on baggage which is just over the top, so to speak I didn't mean to make a pun.

The other is when they know the flight is delayed, significantly, but they don't tell you. They don't tell you until you get on the plane or at least until you've gone to the airport in an effort that you'll still fly anyway?

PHILLIPS: Right, they don't want to make you angry. And that happens all the time. I mean, that's like a routine --

SCHUMER: Yes, no, it's not it's -- Kyra, it's not that they don't want to make you angry. They want you to get on -- they want you on that plane so you spend the ticket. I mean, there are lots of times if you know the plane is going to be delayed four hours and you knew it in advance, you wouldn't go to the airport. You would cancel. You would do it another day.

But they don't tell you sometimes until you're on the plane. Sometimes until you're at the airport and that's wrong. Once they know there is a significant and real delay, they ought to let people know.

PHILLIPS: Can you make them tell us, though? Is that something that you can do? Can you --

SCHUMER: Well, there is something called the Passenger Bill of Rights, which I've worked on with others, like Senator Boxer and some others. And we're trying to make this part of the Passenger Bill of Rights. So that they would be required to tell you, there is nothing wrong with that. It's only fair, it's only right. Most people will fly; they just would fly at a time when making the trip made sense if the flight was so delayed that you would even want to go.

PHILLIPS: All right, reality check, yes, we're dealing with this right now.

SCHUMER: Yes.

PHILLIPS: And of course, a lot of flyers are afraid of the domino effect. Look, if Spirit Airlines can charge up to 45 bucks for carry- on baggage. SCHUMER: Yes, exactly.

PHILLIPS: What's going to stop other airlines from following suit tomorrow? How quickly can we see something go through?

SCHUMER: Kyra -- ok, you've hit the nail on the head. It's not just Spirit. Usually what happens is one of the smaller airlines experiments, the airlines, the larger airlines look to the reaction. If there is not much of a reaction, they all institute it. And so I am hopeful we can get this done before it spreads to the other airlines.

Treasury could act on this rather quickly. I'll be calling the Secretary of the Treasury following up on the letter. And if they don't, I think we could get legislation through the House and Senate quite quickly. I can't imagine who would block it.

PHILLIPS: Well, we're counting on you, Senator Chuck Schumer. I appreciate your time today.

SCHUMER: Thanks, yes.

PHILLIPS: Ok.

SCHUMER: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Well, the shot heard around the south on this date in history, April 12th, 1861, the first shots fired on Fort Sumter in South Carolina, starting the Civil War. South Carolina troops took control of Federal Fort the next day.

In 1945, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt died at the little White House in Georgia, 63 years old. Vice President Harry Truman took over.

And take me to the stick, in 1960 San Francisco's Candlestick Park opened. The Giants played in the win there for 39 years. One bit of trivia, the Stick played host to the Beatles' last concert in 1966.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Zombies do exist. Hey, if you don't believe me, just ask the Feds. The government says they have been filing tax returns in New York for years. Yes, I know, in this horrible economy when desperate people need every penny that they can get, we have total low lives out there taking advantage of us.

Operation Brass Tax has uncovered a series of scams including these tax returns for dead people. And get this -- tax preparers would reportedly take the refunds themselves. But that's not all. These slime bags would also make up fake dependents using the stolen identities of other peoples' kids and write-off losses from phony businesses.

Guess what that cost honest taxpayers like you and me -- almost $100 million. By the way, there are only a couple of days left to get your taxes done. I'm not trying to nag.

Here's what we're working on for you ahead in the NEWSROOM starting with Nic Robertson, live, in western Russia where Poland's president and dignitaries died in a fiery plane crash -- Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'm at the site of the crash right now. Investigators say they have discovered the black boxes, the data recorders from the flight. They show that there were no mechanical faults with the plane. I'll have the latest from the investigation at the top of the hour.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I'm Rob Marciano in the CNN Severe Weather Center. Beautiful weather again on the east side of the U.S. but the West Coast is seeing a big storm. Pollen levels -- if you haven't had any rain the past couple of days -- absurdly high. We'll have that forecast at the top of the hour -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Thanks, guys.

And forget the old fashioned M.A.S.H. Unit; we're going to show you the new-age military emergency room, armored and on wheels. That's ahead in our next hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Even the smallest mistake in battle can be deadly. So it's easy to understand why the Military tries to make training as realistic as possible.

But what you're about to see takes realism to the next level. The look and feel of an Afghan village, even the smell, is recreated for troops headed to the front lines. Here's the story from CNN Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Halt; Marines on patrol in an Afghan village with insurgents nearby. Well, not exactly. We're actually inside an old tomato packing plant at the Marine Corps Base at Camp Pendleton, California.

(on camera): We are in this Afghan village, of course, it is simulated Afghan Village.

(voice-over): These Marines are headed to the front lines of southern Afghanistan, but first they are getting some of the most realistic training the Military can offer -- a village of narrow lanes, mud walls and blind corners; religious calls, smoke grenades and odors as unattractively names as they smell like dinosaur dung and gangrene are piped in.

(on camera): So just tell -- tell people what we're seeing here.

SGT. SAMUEL WALTON, U.S. MARINE CORPS: These are digital avatars that we use for shooting those shoot scenarios. Marines enter a house -- they could be presented with any type of situation when they go into it.

STARR: Bullets, even though made of chalk, are flying. While the Marines patrol at one end, those playing the role of the insurgents are getting ready.

Tensions build. Marines enter the village squire. Villagers are upset.

(on camera): This kind of training is about as realistic as it can get for these Marines. This is what General McChrystal worries about -- incidents of civilians being killed by military action and then it all spins out of control.

What did the Marines learn here?

DIRK LENS, TACTICAL INSTRUCTOR: Tactical pause, figure out what's going on. You just had an IED go off.

STARR: How to work as a team under fire.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you know what was going on all the time?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. When you guys got contacted you just - who said who the contact was from. I couldn't even hear what was really going on.

STARR (on camera): How does everybody think it went here today? How realistic, how good is the training?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like this. It's good training. We get in there. You have actual role players speaking the language, smells different.

STARR: At the end of the day, the whole idea is if a young Marine is going to make a mistake, better to make it here in training than on the front lines of the war.

Barbara Starr, CNN, Camp Pendleton, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)