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Supreme Court Selection; Iceland's Volcano Calming Down; Cracking Down on Wall Street

Aired April 21, 2010 - 11:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks so much, Kyra. We're going to talk to our senior White House correspondent, Ed Henry, a bit more on what exactly the president was meeting -- what was discussed during that meeting as they try to find a fill for the retiring justice John Paul Stevens.

Meantime, the big stories here in the CNN NEWSROOM for this Wednesday, April 21st are as following.

Cracking down on Wall Street. Financial reform heads for the Senate floor with Republican support in doubt.

I'm talking live with actress Jessica Alba about her effort to open school house doors to millions of children around the globe.

And a popular comedy show draws a veiled death threat. Radical Muslims are angry over "South Park's" depiction of the prophet Muhammad.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Fredericka Whitfield in for Tony Harris. These are the stories that we are following and here are some of the your comments right now that we're getting in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

WHITFIELD: All right. As you just saw, President Obama sits down with key senators to discuss picking a Supreme Court nominee.

Senior White House Correspondent Ed Henry joins us live now with more on today's meeting and what we can expect in this confirmation process.

Before we get even there, we've got to hear about some of the names that they might be considering -- Ed.

ED HENRY, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, sure. We've heard about Elena Kagan, the solicitor general. Many Democrats close to this White House think she's sort of the lead candidate.

She was already vetted last time around when the president ultimately decided to go with now Justice Sonia Sotomayor. There's many appeals court judges like that, who are out there, have been vetted before, maybe being looked at again. I think the significance here and the reason in part that this meeting came together this morning is that, basically, we've learned that the president, in recent days, has started placing phone calls to some of these prospective nominees, feeling them out a little bit about the post, perhaps, but also trying to pick their brains about where they are on some of these big issues.

You heard a reporter ask the president about what whether he would select someone who does not support abortion rights. Not surprisingly, the president said he does not have a litmus test. Presidents in both parties say that routinely, but pretty much everyone in this town knows that, ultimately, the president is going to pick someone that he believes is likely to support abortion rights. That's where the Democrats largely are coming from on that issue.

And, you know, look, part of the reason why they vet these candidates so carefully, these potential nominees, is that you hear people in both parties say they don't want another Souter in -- the retired Justice David Souter, retired last year. He gave this president his first vacancy, and he was someone selected by the first President Bush, widely believed to be very conservative, from New Hampshire, turned out to be much more moderate. Conservatives were very upset about that.

And so this president is going to go through everyone's records and try to select the best candidate he thinks is available. And reaching out to these senators is showing that he realizes they're the ones that ultimately that have to decide on this confirmation battle ahead. Republicans already saying they may filibuster the eventual nominee. The president trying to head that off by sort of reaching out to lawmakers in both parties -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And Ed, we heard one reporter asking about abortion and where that nominee may stand on that. What is the president, if anything, saying toward those Democrats who are saying they want someone who has a non-Ivy League history, and perhaps somebody who has not necessarily been a judge and certainly not served on the appellate court, as all nine justices have?

HENRY: Well, we've heard from people close to the president that he is very much intrigued by the idea of having what might be a sort of non-traditional nominee. It's been the case most recently, in recent years, for presidents in both parties that they go with someone who is an appeals court judge, sort of they've checked all the boxes on the resume, if you will. And that this president is intrigued in private about the possibility of a politician, for example, a governor, a Senator, someone who perhaps understands the political realities out there and has not just been in the Ivy League, not just been in an ivory tower, not just been on an appellate court.

Nevertheless, we have to go by the track record. Last time around, the president considered that and ended up going with a federal judge in Sonia Sotomayor, who's now Justice Sotomayor, obviously.

So, it's something the president is intrigued by. He's heard that advice from various senators, that maybe he should pick someone sort of outside the box. But I can tell you that Democrats close to this White House tell me that Elena Kagan, the solicitor General, who is probably a more traditional candidate, is really someone who at least people outside the White House, Democrats close to this president, believe is the frontrunner. Whether or not she gets it is a whole other matter -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Senior White House Correspondent Ed Henry.

Thanks so much from the White House. Appreciate that.

And by the way, a new CNN poll asked what kind of person the president should choose. Twenty-five percent say the nominee should be a liberal, 37 percent say he should be moderate, and 36 percent say a conservative.

Here's some of the other big stories that we're following this hour.

The U.S. Coast Guard is searching the Gulf of Mexico for 11 oil rig workers. They are missing after an explosion some 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana. Coast Guard video shows some of the 126 crew members lifted into helicopters. Several workers are hospitalized today. Some in trauma units, we understand.

And a welcome sight across Europe. Airports are reopening a week after flights ground to a halt because of the volcano eruption in Iceland. Seventy-five percent of scheduled flights in Europe are expected to be in the air today. The crisis has stranded tens of thousands of passengers around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICIA QUIRKE, STRANDED BRITISH TOURIST: Here we are, two taxis and cars later, and hundreds and hundreds and -- well, thousands of euros. And hopefully we'll get home this morning, today.

ROBBIE BULLOCH, BRITISH EMBASSY IN MADRID, SPAIN: I think people are tired. I think people who have managed to get on are happy to get on, but it's still a 40-hour journey, so it's not easy. But people have been incredibly resourceful in getting back and taking whatever -- .

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The shutdown cost airlines more than $1.7 billion through yesterday.

And CNN's Gary Tuchman is near the volcano in Iceland.

So, Gary, we hear the eruption seems to be calming down.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Fredricka. It's an incredibly cold day here, but remarkably clear, and we have our best view of the ground yet of this volcano. It is still erupting, as you can see.

You can see the plume blowing to the south right now. But that's the news we received this morning, that it's about 80 percent weaker than when it began. And right now, it appears that the eruptions are considered insignificant. There's no guarantee that it won't get stronger, but it's a very good sign that the worst is over.

But that's the volcano that we affectionately call E-15, "E" for the first letter of the volcano, "15" for the next 15 letters that are very hard for English speakers to pronounce. But here's the other story that's very interesting.

Just to the left of this volcano is another one in the distance. It's called Katla. Katla is a much more powerful volcano historically when it erupts. And the president of Iceland caused some controversy this week when he said that this volcano currently is just a dress rehearsal for Katla.

It angered tourism officials because they're afraid it will scare people from coming. But Katla has had eruptions much more frequently over history than this one. And coincidentally -- we're not sure if it's a coincidence, or we're not sure if they cause each other to erupt, but they happened at the same time several times over the last few centuries. So there are some people who are concerned that Katla can ultimately erupt because of the eruption of this one.

Now, if Katla erupts, in a worst-case scenario, they're saying there's so much glacial water inside -- it's six times the amount of water in the Amazon River -- and would cause immense flooding. So we want to emphasize that because this one's erupting, does not mean necessarily Katla will erupt, but historically they have erupted at the same time. So there's a lot of tourism officials here, a little angry that the president said this, but the president said, hey, it's just important to be honest about history.

Fredricka, back to you.

WHITFIELD: And just to make clear and underscore, there are no indications that Katla would be erupting anytime soon?

TUCHMAN: I'm going to take off my glove so I can indicate it to you. Zero indication that it's going to happen.

WHITFIELD: Zero. Give me a big zero.

TUCHMAN: OK. I don't want to panic people. Zero indication right now, but, hey, everyone is keeping their eye on Katla nevertheless.

WHITFIELD: And you better hurry up and get that glove on, because you already said it's very cold, very chilly today.

All right. Thanks so much from Iceland. Appreciate it.

Gary Tuchman. And it's a beautiful, clear day. It's nice to be able to see clearly now there.

All right. U.S. senators back in this country are taking up financial reform. What it means to you and the marketplace next with our Ali Velshi.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Cracking down on Wall Street to prevent another financial crisis on your street like the meltdown that left you upside down in your mortgage and the bailouts paid for with your tax dollars. A Senate panel started debate this morning on a financial reform bill. It's designed to give you, the consumer, more protection. It is also aimed at keeping a closer watch on risky dealings like derivatives that led to the financial crisis.

Former New York governor Eliot Spitzer says past regulators dropped the ball.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELIOT SPITZER (D), FMR. NEW YORK GOVERNOR: Regulators had the power over the last decade. They chose not to use it.

There were some who tried, some of us who were out there aggressively, and we got beaten back pretty aggressively. But those who were in charge over the last decade, from Alan Greenspan to Tim Geithner, to Larry Summers, utterly failed, and I think that's what we've got to come to grips with. They did not use the power. They were wrong.

President Clinton, the other day, said the advice he was given by Bob Rubin and Larry Summers, devastatingly wrong on the issue of derivatives. And that was only one of many areas where they fundamentally led us astray towards a Libertarian world view that has destroyed our economy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. So let's get some perspective on the debate over financial reform and what it means for the economy.

Chief business correspondent Ali Velshi here to break it down for us.

So, we talk about regulation on derivatives. What do we mean?

ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: All right. So, two parts to this regulation that the president wants to put forward, financial reform.

One is the consumer financial protection side of it. Some debate about that, but let's put that aside. That's just things that will make it safer for products that people buy from financial services. The big part is what Eliot Spitzer was talking about, regulating derivatives.

Derivatives have been used for centuries. They allow farmers to hedge against weather and good crops. They allow airlines to hedge against the price of oil in case it goes up. They are used for a lot of things, but what has happened is since the last time we really fixed the financial system, since the last time we really regulated it in the '30s, what we've done since then has been to deregulate, to sort of make it easier for businesses to get more innovative and come up with financial products that can be very helpful and can be very damaging.

So, Fred when you look to how AIG nearly collapsed, those were derivatives that they were using, these credit default swaps. And what the Democrats are saying is that they want tools to limit and control and regulate derivatives.

What a lot of others are saying, including some Republicans, is that if you do that, it will limit the innovation that takes place in the financial sector and limit American companies' ability to continue to be the best place to do business in the future. So that's where the legitimate debate is coming in. How do you regulate things when you don't even know that they're happening, when Wall Street is coming up with these fancy, exotic tools to trade derivatives that regulators don't even really understand?

WHITFIELD: And who would actually be policing them if these --

VELSHI: That's the question.

WHITFIELD: --- new regulations were put into place?

VELSHI: And that's part of the issue here, is that there are regulations already in place that govern a lot of things that Wall Street ignored, and that's because there hasn't been a culture of effective policing. So, some people say put new laws into place. Some people say just enforce the current laws. And this charge against Goldman Sachs by the SEC is one example of the SEC coming and saying we're actually on the game and that's why we're dealing with big, complicated issues.

WHITFIELD: Ali Velshi, thanks so much. Appreciate that.

VELSHI: My pleasure.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, Google is the new online tool to unmask government censorship. We'll show you in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BUSINESS REPORT)

WHITFIELD: All right. Iran is gearing up for war games. Our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, joins me live with the impact on that.

Taking a look at the numbers right now, here we go, 11,131. And it's up 14 point, the Dow is. We like that. At least for now.

We'll check back with the numbers momentarily.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A look now at our top stories.

Young burn victim Michael Brewer returned to school in south Florida today. Doctors initially doubted the 15-year-old would survive the second-and-third-degree burns that covered most of his body. Three teens accused of setting Brewer on fire last fall face attempted murder charges.

And a rare public appearance for the Reverend Billy Graham. He attended the reopening of the remodeled library that bears his name in Charlotte, North Carolina. Graham, 91, and wheelchair bound, has lost much of his hearing and eyesight. He spends most of his time secluded at his mountain home.

And an ominous scene in Texas. Take a look. This tornado caught on camera after it dropped from the sky in Bushland, in the Texas panhandle.

No word of any injuries or damage. Another funnel cloud was also reported in the panhandle.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Arizona stirring up a hornets' nest with a tough new immigration bill. Some of you actually weighed in, and a state lawmaker and the sheriff of Maricopa County, they, too, are weighing in.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Iran is preparing to flex some military muscle. The country's elite Revolutionary Guard is about to hold war exercises in the Persian Gulf. This comes just days after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying, "No enemy can have a foul thought of invading Iran's territory."

Our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, is on this story -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred. How are you?

You know, in fact, this flash point in the Persian Gulf may be about to get a tad warmer these days because Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps is now expected to begin those military exercises as soon as Thursday, according to Iran's news agency. A U.S. military official separately confirmed to CNN that, yes, the U.S. military has observed in recent days Iran is moving some of its ship and aircraft around. The official didn't want to be identified because this is very, very sensitive.

You know, Iran's leaders, as you just pointed out, have made a number of, what can we say, fairly tension-raising comments in recent days. One Iranian military commander saying these exercises in the Persian Gulf will demonstrate Iran's "strength, will and national resolve" to defend its integrity. The U.S. is going to be watching very closely to see if they really do go and exercise right in that narrow Strait of Hormuz, which is a major transit point for world oil supplies. A lot of concern. U.S. military officials watching this very carefully -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Yes, starting as early as tomorrow.

All right. Barbara Starr, thanks so much. Appreciate that.

So, if President Obama runs for re-election, some Arizona lawmakers want him to prove he's an American citizen. The Arizona House has voted to require presidential candidates who want to be on the ballot in that state to fork over their birth certificate.

White House spokesman Bill Burton told CNN, "This is a question that has been answered exhaustively. I can't imagine Arizona voters think their tax dollars are well served by a legislature that is less focused on their lives that infringe right-wing radio conspiracy theories."

The full Arizona legislature, meantime, has passed the strictest anti-immigration bill in the country. It makes it a state crime to be in the U.S. illegally and requires police to question anyone they have reason to suspect.

It's creating quite the buzz, and some of it with CNN's John Roberts this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Cardinal Roger Mahony of the Los Angeles Archdiocese, Sheriff, said that this bill would encourage "German Nazi and Russian communist techniques."

What do you say to that?

SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO, MARICOPA COUNTY, ARIZONA: Well, I do know that the demonstrators call me Hitler. They have signs. They call me every name in the book. That's sad right here in Phoenix, but, no, that's ridiculous.

Law enforcement are trained. They're professionals. They know how to enforce the laws. So I'm very comfortable with the new law.

ROBERTS: Representative Sinema, you heard the sheriff there saying it gives them another tool to enforce the law. What's your point of view on that? Should law enforcement have every tool legally at their disposal to deal with this issue?

KRISTEN SINEMA, ARIZONA STATE HOUSE: Well, absolutely. Law enforcement should have every tool that they need to do their job.

The problem is that this law doesn't provide those tools. What law enforcement really need are the resources and the tools to crack down on criminal syndicates at our border. We've seen an increase in drug running, gun running, and people running all over the border regions. And there are pieces of legislation that we can pass to actually help that problem.

I just passed a bill that was signed by the governor last week to help crack down on sex trafficking, which is a huge problem in our border. Those are the kinds of tools we need to offer to police officers.

Unfortunately, this bill really puts them in a tough bind and actually ties their hands, makes it more difficult for them to do their job appropriately.

ROBERTS: Sheriff Arpaio, what do you say to that?

ARPAIO: This is garbage. I was a director in Mexico City with the U.S. drug enforcement, spent 14 years at the border. Everybody talks about the border. That's a cop-out, because no one wants to talk about enforcing illegal immigration laws in the interior because of politics, they want amnesty. So it's always secure the border.

But we have criminals right here in Maricopa County, in our jails. We have over 50 people charged with murder that are illegals, violence and everything else. So we have to hit this problem on all levels. The border, yes, but how about inside the United States too?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, some of you have been telling us what you think about all this.

Matt blogged, "Cracking down hard or people who come here without documentation is not going to solve the problem. The only thing that will help is to let more people become citizens."

And Jan wrote this saying, "The government has refused to do anything to stop illegal immigration into the U.S. and has left no other choice than for the states to protect themselves. It's good to see Arizona stand up to this crisis and pass legislation."

And Carlos says this, "People complain about America's treatment of illegals. But show me a country which welcomes illegal aliens with open arms, giving them the same benefits and services which their own citizens enjoy."

Of course, we always want to hear from you at CNN.com/newsroom and we did on this issue and we welcome other comments as well.

All right, actress Jessica Alba is using her star power to push one goal, education for every child in the world. She'll be joining me in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Starting this fall, graduating students can stay on mom and dad's healthcare tab until they turn 26. But some insurance companies are complying early, but not really all of them.

Ines Ferre is here with tips for those students who might not be covered right away, and all of this is right around the corner, right?

INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred. This law doesn't take effect, though, until September 23rd and while some companies are changing the rules now, a lot of young people won't be covered right after graduation.

COBRA is an option, but there are less expensive one, too. Think about on the individual plan that doesn't have comprehensive coverage and has a higher deductible.

Here's an example that could work for a young person without a preexisting condition. Ehealthinsurance.com calls it the bare essentials plan. Doctor visits are not covered. You can still go to the doctor, but you will have to pay a negotiated rate instead of a co-pay. Deductibles range from $2,500 to $5,000. You get preventative care at no or a low cost and all for a premium of $50 a month, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Wow. So, what are some of the other options?

FERRE: Well, you don't want to be caught without health care, so investigate high-deductible plans. You may have to meet a deductible of $10,000 to $20,000, but if you don't go to the doctor very often and you expect to get back on your parents' plan, this type of coverage is a good way to close that gap inexpensively.

Also, look at short-term health care plans. In this type of arrangement you may have to satisfy a deductible every time you go to a doctor or you have an accident, but as long as you're sure you'll be on your parents' plan in less than six months, it's a cheap way off insuring yourself. And also, that could be as low as $24 a month.

Keep in mind, though, you have to re-apply for short-term coverage every six months, so if you have a pre-existing condition or have a major accident it's likely you will not be approved for another half a year.

Also, if your parent's company is self-insured and insurers just administer the plans, you may have to wait until September or possibly November for open enrollment before the law kicks in.

WHITFIELD: And so what can students do now to get the most out of their insurance?

FERRE: Yes. You want to make sure that you take advantage of what you have now. Get to those doctor appointments, get an extra set of glasses, schedule time with the dentist.

If you've graduated and you're on an individual plan, try to limit your trips to the emergency room. If you have an accident that requires immediate attention go to an urgent care facility instead, unless it's really serious and that may require hospitalization. Insurance companies generally treat these urgent care offices as a doctor's visit and it will be much cheaper than footing the bill at an emergency room, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Wow! This is pretty complex stuff.

Ines Ferre, thank so much. Appreciate that.

FERRE: You're welcome.

WHITFIELD: All right, from health care we're going to be talking about education and poverty. I'll be talking to Jessica Alba about her fight against poverty and her one goal, education for everybody.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A look now at our top stories.

Airports across Europe start to reopen a week after a paralyzing shutdown caused by a volcanic eruption in Iceland. Seventy-five percent of scheduled flights are now expected to be in the air today.

And a day of mourning in China. Chinese stood with their heads bowed in honor of those killed in an earthquake one week ago today. Beijing now puts the death toll on the Tibetan Plateau at 2,064.

And that Benjamin Franklin in your wallet is getting a new high- tech look. The Treasury Department has re-designed the $100 bill. It includes a special security ribbon and tiny lenses that magnify objects on the bill when you move it in certain ways. The Treasury Department has been changing denomination designs to make them harder to counterfeit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JESSICA ALBA, U.S. HONORARY CO-CHAIR, 1GOAL: There's a boy named Stephen that I met in Ghana, and he plays soccer and he's being recruited because he's so good as a player. And that takes discipline and hard work.

TEXT: Despite his potential for success, poverty is doing everything it can to hold Stephen back.

HEADMASTER BROWN: : We have a problem with a high rate of poverty and this affects work in our schools.

STEPHEN: I sleep here with my brothers here. We are four. We sleep here together every night.

TEXT: Even though he is only in high school, he supports 9 family members.

ALBA: So this boy, Stephen, is supporting nine people. He's going to school full time, he's practicing soccer, and he works at night and still does his homework and still wants to learn.

STEPHEN: After, I have got to come to school, I have to go to training at 2:30, close at 6:30 and I will go and struggle for money so that I will use the money to come to school tomorrow. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So that's just one of the many moving stories of fighting poverty through education and, yes, soccer. Actress Jessica Alba joins forces with Congresswoman Nita Lowey to push the cause at home and around the world, you'll be hearing from them momentarily. They join me live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Pushing education and the fight against global poverty, actress Jessica Alba takes her message to Capitol Hill. She and Congresswoman Nita Lowey of New York are kicking off the 1GOAL: Education for All Campaign in the U.S.

Thanks so much to both of you for joining us.

ALBA: Thank you for having us.

REP. NITA LOWEY (D), NEW YORK: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: So, Congresswoman, let me begin with you. What does this U.S. commitment to this global effort mean?

LOWEY: First of all, I'm thrilled to have Jessica Alba here because she is a strong supporter of the 1GOAL campaign, in honor of World Cup that will take place in June. And Jessica understands, as did the 9/11 Commission, as did George Bush, as does President Obama and President Clinton, that education, education all, educating all children, especially girls, is the best way to prevent a community, a country from succumbing to terrorism.

So we are working together with countries around the world, with foundations, with private industry to promote education. This is the key for preventing turmoil, preventing terrorism and I'm thrilled to have Jessica Alba here to work with us.

WHITFIELD: Well, Congresswoman, I'm wondering, working in what way? I mean, everyone knows, you know, verbally, to empower young people with an education certainly helps them come up with more constructive goals, but how will this translate into a U.S. commitment? Does this mean more money? Resources? Education? You know, teaching, teachers abroad? What?

LOWEY: First of all, President Obama understands there are three pillars of national security, defense, diplomacy and development. And I've been very enthusiastic about the Congress investing in education. It means money, it means coordination, it means training teachers. It means developing communities of learning where our schools are working in partnership with health clinics, diplomacy, democracy programs. This is a key priority of our development goals.

WHITFIELD: And so, Jessica, there are a lot of organizations that are making a very similar commitment. How might this effort enhance or be any different from other commitments from other non- government agencies, for example, around the world that are saying, we're trying to educate children who are in impoverished communities?

ALBA: Well, I think what's -- I think to really make a systemic change that everybody wants is truly about coordinating those effort efforts. So people who, you know, NGOs and people who are working tirelessly on education need the support of government to fully realize and see true, tangible results.

WHITFIELD: And how did you get involved in this, Jessica? Why was this tugging at your heart strings?

ALBA: Well, after I had my daughter everything sort of put -- everything got put into a completely different perspective and my priority lies with children and women, and that's where my heart has always been. And Queen Rania of Jordan invited me to join in this campaign to make sure that every child has access to an education. You know, most of the children who don't have access are women.

WHITFIELD: Was there a particular real eye-opening experience for you where you realized that this problem is huge?

ALBA: It's massive, but it can be tackled. And that's what, for me, that's what's so exciting. It could really be tackled.

And around the World Cup which is a moment where everybody sets aside their differences around this game, around this amazing game and they unite. And if we can get everyone to unite around something that will affect all of us, which is education and making sure that our children go to school. Because we're not, you know, we're not countries living in a vacuum anymore. We're global citizens.

WHITFIELD: And, Congresswoman, when we talk about U.S. schools, so many school districts across the country are in real trouble. There are major cutbacks, schools closing, teachers being laid off, et cetera. How might this global effort, the U.S. commitment to this global effort either hurt or enhance what's taking place right here in this country as it pertains to education?

LOWEY: The United States is a great country, and we will continue to be a world leader. We can both invest in our schools at home and ensure that every child has the best education, and also address the fact that there are 72 million children internationally that can't go to school.

I remember when I was in Tanzania not too long ago in a place called Arusha and girls were walking two hours just to get to school. And they talked about how they want to be doctors and teachers and principals and scientists. I much rather have those youngsters talk about those goals than working with al Qaeda and terrorists.

So we can do both. We have to continue to invest in schools here to make sure we are providing a first class education. And we're living in a global economy, global development is absolutely key to preserve the United States leadership in global economy. So we can do both.

WHITFIELD: Congresswoman Nita Lowey and Jessica Alba, thank you for your time.

ALBA: Thank you for having us.

LOWEY: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Here's what else we're working on for the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM.

The pope speaks out about the clergy abuse scandal. He promises "church action" in response to the crisis. CNN's senior Vatican analyst John Allen weighs in on this new development.

A threat against the creators of the cartoon series "South Park." Their depiction of the prophet Mohammed prompts a warning of retribution from a radical Islamic website.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Wheels up across Europe. Seventy-five percent of scheduled flights are expected to take off today, a week after volcanic ash from Iceland caused a shutdown of European airspace. Hearing from passengers who had been stranded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICIA QUIRKE, STRANDED BRITISH TOURIST: Here we are, two taxis and cars later and hundreds and -- well, thousands of euros. Hopefully we'll get home this morning, today.

ROBBIE BULLOCH, BRITISH EMBASSY IN MADRID, SPAIN: I think people are tired. I think people who have managed to get on are happy to get on, but it's still a 40-hour journey, so it's not easy. But people have been resourceful in getting back and taking whatever.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We circled around to try and -- he knew he had an extra four hours fuel, so he circled waiting for the deadline, and then got the OK. So it was brilliant gamesmanship.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We won't crash, don't you worry. We've been circling around for quite some time. So we were thinking about going to Shannon but I decided to land at Heathrow. It's open.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A little bit chaotic in Vancouver because everyone wants to get on a flight. We were supposed to be home Thursday, and obviously it's now Tuesday night. So it's been three- week holiday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Well, at least they have a sense of humor about it all.

Fallout from Europe's travel crisis is being felt around the world. Authorities say more than a million passengers were affected each day. Our Stan Grant looks at how Emirates Airlines is dealing with the delays. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STAN GRANT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the center for Emirates Airlines here in Dubai. This is the war room, if you like, as Emirates has managed track these massive disruptions caused by the volcanic ash cloud.

Have a look behind me here. This green map shows all of the flights that Emirates is able to operate to and from around the world. Back here, behind me, is a real-time monitor of the flights actually in the skies. A lot more flights than there were a day or so ago. Emirates had to ground around about a fifth of its overall fleet and it was costing a lot of money, about $10 million a day lost to Emirates. That's added up to more than $60 million during this length of these disruptions.

Now, just look over here and you can see the ash cloud itself. Emirates have been able to monitor the volcanic ash cloud and see how it has spread and how it has affected the various flight paths.

Now Emirates, like other airlines, have had to deal with a great number of people who have been stranded. Around about 6,000 passengers in transit stuck here in Dubai, but they have managed to accommodate them and also feed them at a cost, around about $1 million a day.

The good news though, like other airlines, Emirates is slowly getting back into the skies. So far, it's managed to move about half of these 6,000 passengers that were stuck here at the height of this crisis.

And, of course, if you can't get the information here at Emirates Airlines, even they know where to turn as a last resort. Look up here. Here, they also watch CNN.

Stan Grant at the Emirates headquarters, CNN, Dubai.

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WHITFIELD: And maybe that means they're checking in with Jacqui as well to see exactly where the winds might be carrying that ash.

You know, our Last shot of the Gary Tuchman, it was clear -- it was a clear view of at least of the volcano. And it really did appear as though that ash had thinned out. But you're the expert, you tell me.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Huge difference. Oh, yes, night and day. In fact, I've got a progression of a couple of maps, hold on, down the line here that's going to really show you what's happened over the last couple of days.

One of the big things is -- wow! -- look at those airlines in the air. This is a happy picture for a whole lot of people. And so flights are moving. The problem that we still have out there is that there is still some ash in the lower levels of the atmosphere, 20,000 feet and below. Airplanes fly up there between 35,000 and 40,000 feet, and those skies are looking clear.

So these are the conditions and where some of that low-level ash has been all of the way over to Canada as of this morning. And check out the forecast now as we head into tomorrow. And they can see just over the northern parts of the UK and then heading west from Iceland, which is right there, which is where that volcano is. So the prognosis through tomorrow certainly looks good.

All right, let's show you some of the satellite pictures off of the Motis (ph) satellite from NASA . And this is the picture from Monday, really easy to pick out that ash plume right there. You can see how thick that certainly is. Now we're going to progress into Tuesday, that is much, much lighter. There you can see a little bit of that haze with those southerly winds which happen to be relatively light.

And look at this, this is as of this morning, you can hardly see it. So really huge difference over the last threw three days. It's good to see some of that ash pulling out of the area.

WHITFIELD: Wow, that is good news. I know all those travelers who are finally boarding flights. They're very, very happy.

JERAS: We'll see if it holds out.

WHITFIELD: Well, that's true too.

All right, thank you, Jacqui.