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The Uncertain Future of NASA Employees; Wall Street Rally; China Earthquake; Basketball Diplomacy

Aired April 14, 2010 - 09:57   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: President Obama has a plan for the future of space exploration and he'll lay it out tomorrow. We already know that future doesn't include the shuttle and there are only three missions left which has thousands of NASA employees looking at the end of the line with no idea of what's next.

We get to know one of them with the help of CNN all-platform journalist John Cowell.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TERRY WHITE, NASA TECHNICIAN: We are now standing underneath the right-hand wing of Atlantis. I carry the model because there's no place in this building that you can step back and see the entire orbiter.

We knew from the beginning that the orbiter was designed to fly 100 flights. So it wasn't some piece of spacecraft that was going to keep going on forever and ever.

All of the gray-looking ones were pristine black like the ones that you see right here. They've been on since the original build.

Like the rest of our space history, we envisioned that when the shuttles were done with their job that then we would go on to the next program of exploration.

The orbiter sees an average of about 4.5 million miles in each flight.

And we look at the orbiter. It's a very -- the whole space shuttle is a very amazing vehicle. We look at it as the eighth wonder of the world.

Would I necessarily be on the next program? Maybe not, but the fact that the work I've done on this program, you know, in my history, would make me a viable candidate for the next program.

Knowing now that we don't have a next program standing there to step into tomorrow, for me, it's a little bit frustrating because the United States has been the leader in space for many years.

Go ahead and walk out here. You don't realize that there's only a few people in the world that get to do this because you look down like the astronaut main entrance 2 and 3.

We had the 401 system. So you save for your retirement and we all know the last couple of years those 401s took a severe beating.

We get to see a couple of our spacecraft operators. Yes.

Are you guys working today?

I'm 61 years old now. So I still have to continue to work for a few more years. I'm not really ready to retire, so I'll probably have to leave the area and look for employment somewhere else in the country. It's been many years since I wrote a resume so the resume world out there is totally different so I have to go look at writing a new resume to the current standards.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Their livelihoods are on the line and their hope is the president's listening.

Let's go to senior White House correspondent Ed Henry.

So the space pioneers are saying the United States' position, I guess, on space exploration is in danger of falling into a black hole. Some not too happy about what the president might say tomorrow. There's a lot of pressure on the president, isn't there?

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You're absolutely right, Fred. I mean, look, White House officials insists that space exploration in and of itself is not in trouble, but that the president wants to shift some of the priorities and that does have a lot of people nervous, particularly lawmakers on Capitol Hill who are from states like Florida where Kennedy Space Center is. There are so many thousands of jobs at stake when you start shifting priorities.

But also some of the famous astronauts like Neil Armstrong, a very tight fraternity of former astronauts. They've written a letter, several of them to the president saying in part, "without the skill and experience that actual spacecraft operation provides, the U.S.A. is far too likely on a long, down hood slide to mediocrity. America must decide if it wishes to remain a leader in space."

Now what they're referring to is the president's initial program was to cut some funding. Basically cut off funding for some existing rocket programs. The president now going to revamp that somewhat tomorrow. We are told that if you take a close look at sort of the new plan, the president is going to lay out $6 billion in new money for NASA over the next five years. Going to jump-start new industry and says he'll bring in some new jobs, save about 2,500 jobs there around Kennedy Space Center.

However there are still several thousand more who are likely to lose their jobs. Also the president wants to modernize Kennedy Space Center, revamp the Orion crew capsule. What they were initially going to do was shut that down and now they're going to try to use it as sort of an emergency vehicle to save crews from the International Space Station in an emergency and also deal with the deep space rockets, speed up the development of that and have more shuttle flights in the long run over years to come.

But in the short term, there's a lot of fear there as you saw in that package from some of the astronauts and some of the workers along the line worried that several thousand people are going to lose their jobs that the White House is saying is look, these are tough times and they've got to make some tough choices or they're going to have to privatize some of these operations so that they're not just dependent upon the government. But clearly, some people are going to lose their jobs a lot and people obviously nervous about that, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Ed Henry, thanks so much. Appreciate that. Of course, we'll all be watching tomorrow. Appreciate that.

This hour, President Obama is following up on a "State of the Union" pledge to hold regular meetings with bipartisan leaders. The theme of the day is fixing Wall Street. The President wants greater accountability from top executives and stronger protections for consumers. The meeting comes before the Senate takes up a sweeping reform of the nation's financial system, but Republicans are ready for a fight on regulatory changes.

Well, you've seen the headlines, maybe even followed the numbers? The stock market is rallying and the Dow is at its highest point in 18 months, but here's the big question. How is this rebound helping you directly? Stephanie Elam joins us live to talk about all this and break it all down for us. There she is, Stephanie.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fred.

Hi, you know, you hear so much about these milestones. You know, you hear Dow 10,000 and now Dow 11,000 and you go, OK, what does that actually mean to me? We've broken through and now we're above 11,000 again for the Dow, granted the first time we did this was in 1999. But when we look at these numbers a lot of it, it really doesn't mean anything to be truthful about it.

It's just a psychological barrier that we like to see that we're passing, but take a look at this chart here and this is over the past year from April of last year to now. And you can see that we've gained about 37 percent. So that's a pretty nice gain there. If you want to look broader and take a look at the S&P 500 over that same period, it's up about 40 percent.

Nasdaq up almost 50 percent over that period. So the reason why we care about this especially the S&P 500 is because so many people's 401(k)s and investment product, they actually track along with the S&P 500. This means that over the past year you had your money in there and you're making back probably some of the money you lost during the great recession, right?

(CROSSTALK)

ELAM: This is a good time for people to get, yes, right. You know, it was a rough year. I don't think you have to tell people that. So it's just showing that things are coming back. And that your money is being made back now. Are you back to where you were before everything started? No. You're definitely not there for most people, but it's going to be a slow and steady progress. And that's what we've seen at this rally of late. It hasn't been big moves to get us back above 11,000 and it's been small moves, little by little, to get us back to this place. Fred.

WHITFIELD: Is there anything we need to do specifically to take advantage of this or just be patient, we're not quite there yet, to do anything drastic?

ELAM: The thing is I think the thing to keep in mind is that it's not something that's going to be a straight chart moving higher. We're not going have a nice arrow that just shoots us back to where we were above 14,000. That's not going to happen, but what is going on is there's a lot more looking at the economic data that comes out, seeing the how the housing sector is doing and how our consumers are doing?

Are they spending more? We're checking out those, that data more and factoring that in and then also just taking a look at overall, whether or not these companies are doing better and since earnings season just started this week, there's a lot of people looking to see what are they actually saying? How are their businesses doing? Are they spending more on businesses so that will also help the markets out. But a lot of people are waiting for that this week.

WHITFIELD: OK. Stephanie Elam, thanks so much, in New York.

All right. So we are talking about the market rally on our blog this morning. We want to know from you. Have you jumped back into the market? If not, what will it take? What's your behavior these days as it responds or may not respond to the latest Dow numbers in particular. Go to CNN.com/Fredricka, post your thoughts. I'll read some of your thoughts on the air, later on this hour.

All right. The Tea Party Express has rolled into Boston. The group is holding a big rally this hour with former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as the headline speaker. You're watching live pictures right now of the crowd. We've heard various descriptions as to whether this is considered big compared to other rallies that have taken place across the country.

We do hear that 10,000 are expected but they're not quite at that number yet. The rally is taking place just across from the Boston Harbor where the original Tea Party occurred, some 237 years ago. We'll have a live report 25 minutes from now.

All right. The Tea Party will wrap up its 47-city tour tomorrow in the nation's capital on tax day and CNN will be there. Stay tuned right here for live coverage.

Police officers honored for a job well done.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're just glad to be there. And I'm glad I was at the right place at the right time.

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WHITFIELD: He's being pretty modest. We'll tell you how quick thinking and bravery saved the day and a life.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I'm CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras in the severe weather center. The nation's midsection getting hit hard the next couple of days. We'll tell you what to expect and how long the warm weather will last in the east. That's coming up in your forecast.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: An Iranian in Memphis, Tennessee, not looking to play politics. He just wants to play basketball and he's pretty good at it. Of course, it helps that he is 7'2", but that isn't all his teammates see in him - their Iranian teammate.

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WHITFIELD: A volcano under a glacier has erupted for the second time in the last few weeks. This latest eruption is 20 times more powerful than the last rivers in the area have risen by as much as 10 feet. Authorities have evacuated about 800 people from the area. Pretty frightening-looking images there and at the same time, fascinating, too. Jacqui Jeras in the weather center. Glaciers, volcanoes and that being together, it's quite unusual.

JERAS: Well, it's a recipe for disaster, really, right? Because you get all the heating of the glaciers and all that mountain ice and fortunately and so the flood threat is the big concern here and not to mention the lava and the chemicals, you know, the pollutants in the air from this. Also we're worried about the airlines and whether or not they're going to have to re-route some of the flights, you know, the jet stream goes over here and that goes down towards Great Britain as well. So they could potentially get some of the impacts of this as well and possibly even a little bit of ash fall.

WHITFIELD: Look at that.

JERAS: Yes, really amazing. It's beautiful, though, in a way.

WHITFIELD: Yes, it is.

JERAS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Nature is fascinating. It's beautiful.

JERAS: It certainly is. You know, Iceland, you think to yourself, volcanoes, what? I've heard a lot of that in the newsroom today, but you know, the whole area is made up of over 100 volcanoes throughout Iceland. So yes, most of them just happened to be covered with ice.

WHITFIELD: You don't think about that usually. JERAS: You don't. So there you go.

WHITFIELD: No.

JERAS: Something to learn hopefully.

WHITFIELD: Hopefully, we'd like to learn.

JERAS: We like to teach you.

WHITFIELD: Making them smarter.

JERAS: Absolutely. Well, hopefully we can help you prepare for your day weather wise as well and you're going to need an umbrella across parts of the upper Midwest today. It's been quite - to start you in Minneapolis but those showers are moving in from the west and expect them to be there by lunchtime. Omaha just about to get wet and Kansas City we'll see some more action a little bit earlier today, nothing very strong or severe will be expected, but that's just enough to kind of create some problems for you.

Mostly dry conditions across the east and we've had a few sprinkles here across the mid Atlantic down towards the Carolinas with that morning fog but that's going to break up and we'll see better conditions by the afternoon. Temperature wise it really kind of helps set that pattern up where you can see what the jet stream is doing and a back front here across the northeast and that's why it was a little cooler to start you off with today and a nice big bubble across the nation's midsection here where temperatures are going to be between 10 and 20 degrees above average. That's all ahead of that front and this weather system is going to stay put over the next couple of days.

WHITFIELD: Wow. All right. Very good. Thanks so much, Jacqui.

We're going to go back to a report of what's been taking place out of western China. Take a look at some of these images right here. Hundreds of people actually are dead and thousands have been injured after a 6.9 earthquake that hit western China. And you saw the people there. Thousands more who are simply stunned as to what took place. It was the strongest of the series of tremors that rocked a remote Tibetan area called Qinghai (ph).

Officials now fear as many as 400 people are dead and 10,000 injured. With the casualties expected to rise even higher. Our John Vause is on the phone with us now. He is en route to one of the hard- hit quake site areas.

John, what can you tell us?

JOHN VAUSE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Yes, hi, Fred. Look, we've been driving throughout the last - gosh, the last six hours now. We're winding our way up into the mountains, essentially we're headed to the foothills of the Himalayas on the Tibetan plateau. That gives you an idea of where the epicenter of this earthquake is. We're heading to a small town called Jeigu (ph). (INAUDIBLE) 100,000 people. That's what we're told the most amount of damage was done when these series of quakes struck earlier today. What we have been told is that there are thousands of people who are simply without a house right now, and I can tell you that the higher we get, the colder it gets.

There are some gale-force winds blowing as well and there's also been the occasional snowfall. So as we head into night here, it's just after 10:00 at night, those people who don't have a home and some people have told us they don't have a house. They've got nothing to sleep in and they are in for a very cold and a very dangerous night because the temperatures here are falling below freezing and so the people who survived the quake are now into this very difficult few hours ahead, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And so you tell me you've been on the road for about six hours now. How much further do you have to go before you're at that hard-hit area and what's your expectation as to how far you will actually be able to get before you have to go on foot because this is a very remote area hit hard by this earthquake?

VAUSE: Yes. We don't know how far we'll get by vehicle. That's kind of a crap shoot. We're hoping we can go all of the way there. We are told the roads have been damaged leading into Jeigu, so we'll just see how it turns out. One of the problems we have up here is that the air is very, very thin. We're at 4,000 meters above sea level and I'm actually having a great deal of trouble breathing and concentrating.

My head's kind of spinning right now, so forgive me for that which is about 12,000 feet above sea level. We're almost on the same level as Tibet. So we think we've probably had another six hours of driving to go on these winding, twisting mountain roads just to get there. Let me explain why. You know, on the way up we passed a few military convoys carrying relief supplies and soldiers and that kind of thing. I haven't passed a lot on the way up so maybe they're behind us.

We are told there are something like 5,000 soldiers and emergency workers who are being sent here, but at this stage, we just haven't seen them.

WHITFIELD: Wow! All right. At the half way point as you face considerable challenges as you make your way to a hard-hit area there in western China.

John Vause, thanks so much. We'll check back with you throughout the day.

Back stateside now. Three Indiana police officers are being called heroes this morning after rescuing a man from a burning car. The officers were called to check on a car accident in Bloomington, but they were shocked to find the car actually in flames. Smoke everywhere. The driver inside desperately fighting for his life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATT GILMORE, BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA POLICE OFFICER: When I was driving up to the scene, you could definitely see the car was on fire. It was really going and you couldn't really see if anybody was in there until you got really close because there was so much smoke inside.

DAN COONS, BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA POLICE OFFICER: The one thing that really stuck with me was hearing him cough inside and then just hear him go silent. That absolutely made me act.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Their bravery didn't go unnoticed. The officers were actually honored for their heroism at an Indiana Pacers game this week. They rescued the driver moments before the car actually exploded and he was in critical condition, but he is not out of the hospital just yet, but we understand he's doing just fine.

All right. You know how hard it is to get a teenager out of bed. We'll tell you about one high school where teens are making a pledge to get out of bed for their health.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Checking our top stories right now. When "Consumer Reports" talks Toyota listens. The troubled automaker says it has temporarily suspending sales of the Lexus GX460 model after the consumer watchdog group put the vehicle on its do-not-buy list over safety concerns citing the SUV's risk of roll over.

And we're learning more about the return of the Russian boy by the Tennessee woman who actually adopted him. As you know, the boy who turns eight this week, was put on a flight, an overseas flight by himself to Moscow. A driver was hired to take the boy to the Ministry of Education and in an exclusive interview with CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING," that driver said he had no idea he was returning an adoptee or even that the boy was Russian.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARTHUR LOOKYANOV, RUSSIAN DRIVER, TRANSPORTED RETURNED ORPHAN: We had a chat, tried to -- tried to speak and learn some Russian words. And I was very, how to say, amazed how I didn't know he's Russian and I was really amazed how fast he was learning Russian words, like we tried to, repeat, what is, like, car in Russian, Machina or dog like Sobaka in Russian. So singing abcdefg -- so it was fun.

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: But then you did say that there was a time in the car when he did start to cry, right? He started to cry. He also talked about missing Grandma Nancy.

LOOKYANOV: Yes. Yes. Right before nearby Ministry of Education, we stuck in traffic jam, and in the mirror I saw he started to cry, and he responded that he's missing very much his Grandma Nancy. So, I didn't know all background and I responded that be strong, be man, and you will see Nancy soon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. You know that early detection is a key to fighting cancer, right? But did you hear about the woman in Tennessee who credits her cat with fighting her cancer? Kathy Minton says Honey, the name of her cat, was sitting on her lap when she started acting strangely.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATHY MINTON, CANCER SURVIVOR: Focused right here in this area, she kept, you know, pawing, just right here, you know? Over and over and over again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Wow, Minton later noticed a bruise that simply wouldn't go away. She went to the doctor who told her she had breast cancer. After Minton began chemotherapy and lost her hair, the cat slept on her head.

An Ohio mom diagnosed with melanoma has a wake-up call for kids. Get out of the bed, the tanning bed. These teens are signing a no- tanning bed pledge. In return, Beth Mancini is treating them to a free spray tanning session before the prom.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIELLE ZUERCHER, STUDENT: This year I'm confident with myself. I'll have my nice dress and I'm going to have my hair done and have my makeup and I think I'm going to feel confident and look good even though I'm not tanned.

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WHITFIELD: Mancini who says she felt peer pressure to tan when she was young plans to spread her message to other schools as well.

Basketball diplomacy. An Iranian standing tall in Memphis. Talking hoops, not nukes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: On the heels of President Obama's nuclear summit there's a Capitol Hill hearing this morning that we want to tell you about. The Senate Arms Services Committee is looking at U.S. policy towards Iran. Negotiations or sanctions? At the summit China agreed for the first time to consider sanctions against Iran. Russia is onboard as well, but both say that's only a last resort.

And forget about nukes for a while. Let's talk about Iranian hoops. One player in particular, working hard at making people look past the politics to see him as just a good teammate.

CNN's senior United Nations correspondent Richard Roth is live from New York this morning with an interesting twist.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR UNITED NATIONS CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, there's a large Iranian man battling Americans and others across the country for the last six months, but he's quite nice and you'd never want to sanction him.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROTH (voice-over): The end of the long grind of an NBA season is in sight for Hamed Haddadi, the 7'2" center, is the only Iranian to play in the NBA. On this night Haddadi and his team, the Memphis Grizzlies, are on the road in New Jersey playing the worst team in the NBA, the Nets and that means a better chance for Haddadi get in the game.

(on camera): What kind of player is he and why haven't you played him that much?

LIONEL HILLINS, MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES COACH: Well, you know, like anything in life, you have to earn the right to be above the guys that are ahead of you.

ROTH (voice-over): In the NBA, a country's nuclear policies don't determine playing time. The U.S. government had to sign off before the league could accept Haddadi, now a two-year pro, Haddadi draws praise from his American teammates for hard work and fun spirit.

RUDY GAY, MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES: I've had the chance to be around for two years now and he's one of my best friends on the team and he's a great guy and he's really learning the culture a lot, you know?

Let's give you a taste of Memphis.

ROTH: Haddadi has sampled barbecued ribs and country music in Memphis in the American south. Haddadi also turned the tables.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're having a kebab fest with the Memphis Grizzlies. Hamed Haddadi, Mike Conley and (INAUDIBLE), the first taste of Persian food.

MIKE CONLEY, MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES: He took me out to a Persian restaurant when we're in Vegas in the summertime. The food was different, but it was good.

ROTH: Persian music greeted the Grizzlies in practice and the Nets' own big man from China was in the house for Chinese culture night. Earlier this year Haddadi played diplomat. He shook hands with an Israeli player in Sacramento, a no-no back home.

Haddadi wants to talk only hoops, not nukes. His family lives in Iran.

HAMED HADDADI, MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES: I'm not happy about what happened to my country, but my family, but I'm thinking about my job. My job is basketball. ROTH: Haddadi got in against Jersey, eventually tying his season record for playing time in the victory. He's really looking forward to the summer when Iran would play the favored United States in the World Championships in Turkey.

(on camera): Did you tell him that?

GAY: Yes, I tell him that often.

ROTH: Who will win the United States or Iran in the World championships later this year?

HADDADI: I don't know. We'll see.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROTH: Haddadi told me his biggest challenge is learning the English language. The long grind of that NBA season, Fredricka comes to an end tonight. The Grizzlies, his team, are in Oklahoma City. They're not going to make the playoffs. They're in that very tough western conference. He did set a new career record Monday night for minutes played, 18 minutes and 11 points scored. He's a project, as it is said in the league.

Back to you.

WHITFIELD: He's a project and he's also a consummate diplomat. We can see that by not wanting to answer your question about who would win. So what about his family, any idea whether his family would get an opportunity to come stateside to perhaps see him play?

ROTH: Oh, that's still -- he's very close to his family. I think they'll go see him in Turkey if they're lucky when they play the United States in the group meeting, but he definitely steers clear of any political questions.

WHITFIELD: Okay. Thanks so much, Richard Roth. Appreciate that. That's a very fascinating story. I like that one.

The Tea Party goes back to its original tea pot, Boston. We're headed there in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Fredricka Whitfield.

WHITFIELD: All right. On Wall Street, we've been getting a lot of upbeat signs on the economy, but Main Street wants to know when that's going to translate into jobs. We'll have some good news on that front, perhaps. Felicia Taylor is in New York with details on that. All right, bring on the good news.

FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Oh, I am so relieved to bring this news to you. I haven't said this in a long time, Fredericka. J.O. Morgan Chase is hiring up to 9,000 workers in the U.S. Intel also plans to hire at least a thousand worldwide. We don't know exactly when this hiring is going to begin or how long, but what it does mean is that the companies are confident about where the economy is going, and for good reason. Both companies reported big first-quarter profits. J.P. Morgan made more than $3 billion last quarter. The bank's CEO says the economy is, quote, "showing clear and broad-based improvement." He expects that to continue.

Also, Intel's earnings nearly quadrupled, coming in at more than $2 billion. So, what a relief to bring good news like this.

WHITFIELD: Yes. That's great relief.

All rigth. How about any other expected hiring announcements? Might we expect anything from any particular companies out there?

TAYLOR: OK. Don't get greedy, Fredericka.

WHITFIELD: Yes, we know. Give a little, take a mile.

TAYLOR: But the truth is there's no easy answer to this one, and obviously the problem is we're not out of the woods yet, and we won't be for a while. Not all companies are as confident as J.P. Morgan and Intel. J.P. Morgan says there are still a growing number of people falling behind on the mortgage payments. And those are actually people with good credit.

You have to remember, J.P. Morgan is one of the healthiest banks out there. So, not surprising to see them to begin to recover early and to begin hiring again so early. So, it's rivals may not be so quick.

One thing is certain, earnings have to pick up before we see any broad-based hiring. So, at least we're moving in the right direction.

Just to give you an indication of how strong the market is today, Intel shares are up about two-and-a-quarter percent. J.P. Morgan is also up about two-and-two-thirds. Both these stocks were up stronger before the open. They're members of the Dow 30. The blue-chip index up about a third of one percent, so we're still over that 11,000 mark. The NASDAQ is also up about a third of one percent. A good day so far.

WHITFIELD: All right. So far so good. Thank you.

We're talking about the market rally on our blog this morning. We want to know from you, have you jumped back into the market? If not, what will it take? What are you doing? Go to CNN.com/fredericka and post your thoughts and I'll read your comments later on in the hour, what's left of it.

All right. The Tea Party Express has rolled into Boston. Live pictures right now. The group is holding a big rally this hour with former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, expected to be the headline speaker. You're looking at live pictures right now and seeing folks as they respond to some singing going there, and some 10,000 people are expected. The rally is taking place just across from the Boston Harbor where the original Tea Party occurred some 237 years ago. We'll have a live report in just a few minutes from now.

So, just who makes up the Tea Party? A new CNN/Opinion Research poll shows that roughly 10 percent of all Americans say they have actively supported the Tea Party movement. Ninety percent say they have not. Sixty percent of the Tea Party activists are age 50 or older, compared to 45 percent of all Americans. Sixty percent, rather, are men. And 67 percent have attended college. About a third have no college education.

The Tea Party will wrap up its 47-city tour tomorrow in Washington on Tax Day, and CNN will be there. Stay tuned right here for live coverage.

All right. The buzz, rather, in Williamson, New York, has townspeople going on a killing spree. Grab your fly swatter and black flag. We're back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Nebraska's new abortion law. None after 20 weeks, mandatory mental health screenings. Why 20 weeks, and could this new law be your state's new law? We'll take a look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Some advice now for insect-plagued Williamson, New York. Venus flytrap plants. Resident of the Rochester suburb say their town is being overtaken this spring by a literal swarm of flies. Making fly swatters, tape, traps, making anything to combat the seasonal pests difficult to keep on the store shelves. Shopkeeper Richard Bentley noticed the aerial hoard last week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD BENTLEY, WILLIAMSON RESIDENT: I was (AUDIO GAP) every time somebody opened up the door, there was just hundreds of them. You just couldn't swat them fast enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Despite the anecdotal evidence, the state and county health departments say they haven't received any reports of a fly infestation in Williamson. I guess they haven't seen this tape, either.

(LAUGHTER)

Let's go to meteorologist Jacqui Jeras. I have guess you have to officially file a report before someone acknowledges it.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEORLOGIST: It has to be official or it just didn't happen, right?

WHITFIELD: Yeah. Look at them all! The flies are everywhere. JERAS: No fly swatters to be found around, huh?

WHITFIELD: No.

JERAS: Hate it when that happens.

WHITFIELD: I know. It's annoying.

JERAS: I wonder why. You know, I did research to try and figure this out. I don't know. Warm weather, cold weather. Maybe because it was cold all winter that now everything is hatching at once? I don't know. I'm just guessing. I don't really know.

WHITFIELD: That's a nice educated case.

JERAS: I don't know. I'm not an entomologist.

WHITFIELD: Makes two of us.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: OK. Cool and quiet. Not bad. I like it. Thanks, Jacqui.

JERAS: All right.

WHITFIELD: Watch those flies.

All right. Let's take a look at top stories.

Nearly 400 people are feared dead after a strong earthquake hit western China toppling earthquakes and triggering landslides. The state news agency says at least 10,000 people were injured, and others are trapped under rubble. But we are just now learning that some 1,000 people have been pulled out alive. The 6.9 quake hit the mostly Tibetan region, and it was followed by a series of aftershocks. We have crews on the way there.

First lady Michelle Obama is flying solo now. Today, she's in Mexico City talking education and economics with her Mexican counterpart. She began her trip with an unannounced stop in Haiti, and touring the post-quake capital of Port-au-Prince with vice president Joe Biden's wife, Jill. The first lady is due back home in D.C. tomorrow.

A new frontier on the abortion debate is coming out of Nebraska. The state has just passed two first-of-their-kind laws that could change the face of how abortion is handled across the country. The laws limit when abortions can take place and who can receive them.

During "AMERICAN MORNING," CNN senior analyst Jeffrey Toobin shed light on what the two new bills actually do.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Two provisions in this law are very important. The first is it bans all abortions after 20 weeks. Previously, the point of viability has been the significant dividing point, and that's usually between 22 and 24 weeks. So, this is the earliest that abortions have ever been banned by the state.

The second provision requires women to get mental health screening before they have an abortion on the theory that they could suffer some sort of psychological damage down the line. That's a very controversial idea if they have an abortion. So, it's the screening process and the 20-week limit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The two bills were actually signed into law yesterday. Lawmakers say they chose the 20-week ban based on some doctors who say fetuses can feel pain at that stage.

No pass, no play. We'll tell you who's threatening to step on the toes of the NCAA's big dance.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Okay. Now that March Madness is over, how about a reality check? Too few college athletes are making the grade, graduating and getting diplomas. The U.S. education secretary is crying foul and threatening to bench some teams from post-season play. CNN's Gary Tuchman has more in this installment of "Building Up America."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The U.S. Secretary of Education has issued a first of its kind challenge to collegiate athletic teams.

ARNE DUNCAN, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF EDUCATION: I think I have an obligation to challenge the status quo. I'm going to continue to do that.

TUCHMAN: Arne Duncan says if a college fails to graduate 40 percent of its athletes based on its teams for past years, the current team should be banned from postseason tournaments.

DUNCAN: If universities can't graduate 2 out of 5 of the student athletes, how serious are they about their core mission?

TUCHMAN: The NCAA would have to approve it, but if Secretary Duncan's proposal is enacted, 12 of the 65 teams in this year's NCAA Basketball Tournament would have been under that 40 percent level and therefore not allowed to play in the tournament.

But then there are schools like Butler University.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're actually going to head inside and see a (INAUDIBLE) right now. We actually had Madeleine Albright come.

TUCHMAN: The small Indianapolis campus was the proud home of a team that made it all the way to the NCAA championship game before losing to Duke, and like Duke has a very high graduation rate.

DR. BOBBY FONG, PRESIDENT, BUTLER UNIVERSITY: It confirms for me that it is possible to achieve athletic excellence and academic excellence at the same time.

TUCHMAN: Dr. Bobby Fong is the president of Butler.

DR. FONG: The men's basketball team practices at 6:30 in the morning. That's the time when all of them have free from class.

TUCHMAN: We talked to one of the team's stars, Willie Veasley, as he got ready for final four weekend.

WILLIE VEASLEY, STUDENT ATHLETE, BUTLER UNIVERSITY: I know that we've got the whole final four stuff going on, but I think coach is more worried about our grades and making sure that we're taking care of that stuff with all this stuff going on.

TUCHMAN (on camera): So what does the NCAA think about Secretary Duncan's proposal. Will the organization jump through hoops to get this done? Doesn't look that way.

(voice-over): In a statement, the NCAA declared, "We share Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's concern. However, imposing a ban on teams for the academic performance who entered as freshmen 8 to 11 years ago, is probably not the best course of action. Basing post- season bans on graduation rates penalizes the wrong students."

The NCAA currently uses a complex point system to ban teens from post-season play. But it's much harder to get kicked out. Many colleges think it's the fairest system.

As for the president of Butler --

DR. FONG: I didn't think the NCAA would go for it, but I would be in support of it.

TUCHMAN: He's all for the tougher system.

Gary Tuchman, CNN, Indianapolis.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Another possible case of bullying in a school. This time, the alleged tormenter is the one in the hospital.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. A big Tea Party rally is underway right now in Boston with Sarah Palin as the headline speaker. The anti-tax movement has returned to the city where tea party took place centuries ago, like right now. To CNN political producer Shannon Travis, who is there in the crowd. What is the crowd like, Shannon?

SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: Fred, earlier when we got here the crowd was sparse. In the past few hours, it has multiplied by dozens and dozens. Obviously, no way to tell the exact count, but they are pumped and they are waiting for Sarah Palin to come in and spread their message, the Tea Party message of smaller government, less taxes and what they feel -- they're elected leaders are not paying attention to the constitution.

One other notable thing is the Tea Party Activists are trying to dispel any idea that some have said that senator Scott Brown has snubbed them. Of course, you remember that this Tea Party member helped Scott Brown and are claiming his victory in Massachusetts as them helping him win. They're dispelling any idea (INAUDIBLE) they have lots of energy money to help him get elected so that he could do his job, and that's what he's doing today.

WHITFIELD: All right. Shannon Travis, thanks so much. A noisy crowd there. Got a chance to hear part of that, talking about Scott Brown, newly-elected Massachusetts senator and some of the Party members feeling they're being snubbed because he is not planning to appear there. But former Alaska governor Sarah Palin is. And of course, we'll continue to check throughout the day and the Tea Party planning -- a big rally in the nation's capital on Tax Day after leaving Boston today.

All right. A possible case of a bullying victim actually striking back. Not many details right now, but police in Canyon, Texas, near Amarillo say a 14-year-old student stabbed a 15-year-old during lunch Monday. They think it was retaliation for bullying. The 14-year-old is facing assault with a deadly weapon charge. The 15- year-old is recovering with minor injuries.

Some parents told our affiliate KD -- KFDA that they had complained about bullying, but that the school hadn't done anything about it.

Bill Cosby talked with Larry King about bullying, and Cosby says adults should be able to see the red flags and stop bullies before someone gets hurt.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL COSBY, COMEDIAN: There are supposed to be adults who have gone to college, studied psychology or something, who are around these children or should be around these children. They should be able to recognize it when they see it as they're walking around hallways, as the kids are sitting in the classrooms. They should be able to recognize it and play it for real.

I'm really asking all of them to wake up because -- you know, for a child to hang him or herself, to me that's a very, very violent, violent act. A way of taking yourself out because some people are practicing hatred towards you, whether they know what they're doing or not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Cosby was referring to the teenage girl in Massachusetts who hanged herself. Prosecutors say she had been bullied for months before she took her own life.

And the Pentagon has enlisted some real characters to help military children cope if they lose their mom or dad. It's the serious side of Elmo and the gang.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

WHITFIELD: All right. You don't see this everyday. Sesame Street intersecting with the Pentagon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (as Elmo): Hi, Secretary Lin (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, Jesse -

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (as Elmo): How do you do, Admiral Mullen?

ADMIRAL MIKE MULLEN, CHAIRMAN OF JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: Hi, Jesse. Welcome.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (as Sesame Street puppet): Yes. Ha.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Oh, yes, that's Elmo, Jesse and Admiral Mike Mullen. The Sesame Street characters were at the Pentagon Tuesday to help debut a military-themed episode of its series, called "When Families Grieve." The newly released installment deal with the challenges of confronting death and loss, and in the DVD, Elmo's cousin Jesse has lost his father in combat.

So, you've seen the headlines about the stock market's rally. The Dow is at its highest point in 18 months. Well, that brings us to today's blog question. And we asked the question, have you jumped back into the market? If not, what will it take? This is some of what you said.

This is what we got from Michael Armstrong, Sr. "The market is too risky and unstable with marketers trying to conduct the same old habits. I would rather invest in private stocks."

Shaw said this. "At age 73, I don't have the faith in the market. If I want to ride a roller coaster, I'll go to the amusement park."

Remember, we want to hear from you. Just log on to CNN.com/Fredericka, share your thoughts. And just as you just heard from those two, we'll get your comments on the air.

All right. Tony Harris is coming up next with much more of the NEWSROOM straight ahead.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's rock.

WHITFIELD: Big day, Tony.

HARRIS: It really is. Fred, you have a great day.

WHITFIELD: Thank you.