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Tornado Hits West Central Mississippi; New Arizona Law Targeting Illegal Immigration

Aired April 24, 2010 - 16:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Today, a pretty dangerous storm across the south. Large tornado hit early this afternoon in west central Mississippi. And emergency crews say damage is extensive. We're told that some people are actually trapped in collapsed homes in Yazoo City, Mississippi.

This was south of Memphis earlier today. Take a look.

Yes, hail, mixed with rain. IReporter Cathy Cozad said she grabbed her camera as soon as the hail started pelting her house there. And then in Atlanta, it's been a day of fierce lightning and sporadic downpours. This is how it looked outside our newsroom window, just after noon earlier today. Jacqui Jeras is in our severe weather center tracking these storms. And we're talking about reports of at least one tornado touching down in Mississippi, right, and it is still on the move.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Still multiple reports, Fredricka. In fact, it's just an amazing outbreak. And we're looking at a tornado path, uninterrupted, not necessarily continuous, of probably about 150 miles in that very tornado remains on the ground as we speak. Mississippi emergency response people tell us that their response is massive to this.

This storm has really been tracking for hours now, literally. And this is the storm that we're talking about right here, and it continues to move quickly to the north and east at 55 miles per hour. So (INAUDIBLE) counties are still under the tornado warnings but most recently reported near Caladona with many, many reports of some structural damage.

We've also heard reports as the storm system has tracked and it has produced some multiple injuries. We want to show you some live streaming right video now. This is from storm tracker company call tornadovideos.net. And they are in Yazoo City. There you can see just how extensive the damage is. And I want to point out, when you see these tree tops just kind of cut off in half, we're definitely talking about tornado damage and not straight line wind damage as well.

Let's put this in perspective for you as well of how widespread this is and here you can see the Storm Prediction Center all there reports of tornadoes throughout the state of Mississippi. We'll take you into Yazoo City and then we'll progress through and show you some of the other cities which have been impacted. There was some damage along I-55 in Durant and then we also have some damage extending all the way up towards the (INAUDIBLE) area and now we're getting some reports even further to the north and the east of this area.

Now our next concern is that this storm is now going to continue to push over towards Alabama. In addition to that, look at this - look at what has been developing back behind it. This line is extending and stretching out and now we're getting multiple super cells. Here you can see the track of that storm as it moved all the way across central Mississippi and as it tracks now into parts of Alabama.

So tornado watches remain in effect across much of Mississippi as well as into Alabama. This stretches into Missouri. This stretches also into parts of Arkansas and Tennessee and some of these watches are what we call PDS watches or a particularly dangerous situation.

Storm Prediction Center putting out what we call a high risk of severe weather. And these are the kind of tornadoes, not just little hopper, skipper, jumpers that cause a little bit of damage, these are the big, you know, EF-3, maybe 4, even 5 potentially that stay on the ground for a very long period of time and cause the damage of exactly what we have been seeing across the state of Mississippi.

We are in the height of the severe weather event. The worst of the year, easily, so far. And you know, it has been a quiet year actually overall. It is kind of scary to me that we're coming out of the gates with such a big one. Hopefully people were prepared. We have been watching this system for days and days and anticipated this outbreak.

But you know, until those sirens actually go off in your neighborhood, you know, people don't always necessarily think about it, so we hope you have your NOAA weather radios on hand today and when the warnings do go off, make sure you get to the lowest level of your home, away from door and windows. And of course, we'll continue to track those tornadoes as they move across Mississippi and into Alabama in the upcoming hours. We think this could quiet down a little bit per se, Fredricka, maybe after 9:00 tonight, but we do expect severe weather to continue -

WHITFIELD: That's a long way away.

JERAS: It's a long way away.

WHITFIELD: Five more hours.

JERAS: Well, and it will likely continue overnight into tomorrow. But once we get towards late night into tomorrow, we don't expect as many tornadoes but still wind damage and lots of hail.

WHITFIELD: Gotcha. All right. Thanks so much, Jacqui. We'll check back with you momentarily.

All right. Meantime, something that's taking place further west, opponents vowing to fight a tough new Arizona law targeting illegal immigration. It requires police to question people they suspect of being illegal immigrants and those who can't produce documents can be arrested, jailed, for up to six months and fined $2,500. Governor Jan Brewer signed the bill yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JAN BREWER (R), ARIZONA: There is no higher priority than protecting the citizens of Arizona. We cannot sacrifice our safety to the murderous greed of drug cartels. We cannot stand idly by as drop houses, kidnappings and violence compromise our quality of life.

We cannot delay while the destruction happening south of our border, our international border, creeps its way north. We in Arizona have been more than patient, waiting for Washington to act.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Arizona Governor Jan Brewer. Meantime, CNN's Casey Wian visited a community market in Phoenix today to get more reaction to this new law. What is being said, Casey?

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, at that market, we talked to a lot of different people and they had a lot of different opinions about this new law. Many of them said they were worried about racial profiling, even though that law specifically prohibits police officers from using race or skin color as a sole basis for performing an immigration status check.

Several people we spoke with also said that they believed it was about time that this law was passed because the federal government has failed to do something about the illegal immigration problem that is so troubling here in Arizona. Now behind me you can see a smaller than yesterday, but slowly growing group of protesters, they're planning a prayer vigil this evening. They're expecting a couple hundred folks here tonight.

Tomorrow, a much bigger rally where there could be several thousand people including people coming from all over the country are expected here at the state capital to voice their opposition to this law, which is probably going to go into effect in late July or early August. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: And so yesterday you talked about a number of people who turned out, was the message any different yesterday as opposed to what you heard from the smaller groups today?

WIAN: I don't think so. The vocal message from the protesters obviously all in opposition. But folks in Arizona have been divided about this issue for a long time. The one poll that was done last week on this issue showed most Arizonans actually favored the law. But it is controversial because they're worried that it's going to be tied up in court. They're worried about the image it projects to the rest of the country, as perhaps showing Arizona as being intolerant.

So there is a lot of division about this law. What it is, and a lot of people have said this, is a cry for help from the federal government. They believe that too successive and even farther back, several successive administrations have failed to do with this issue of border security and illegal immigration. They're frustrated. They believe it is time that the state has to act.

WHITFIELD: Casey Wian, thanks so much, in Phoenix.

Meantime, President Barack Obama is voicing concern about the new Arizona immigration law. But he agreed that part of the blame rests with the federal government.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our failure to act responsibly at the federal level will only open the door to irresponsibility by others. That includes, for example, the recent efforts in Arizona, which threaten to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans, as well as the trust between police and their communities that is so crucial to keeping us safe.

In fact, I've instructed members of my administration to closely monitor the situation and examine the civil rights and other implications of this legislation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And earlier today I asked our legal guys Avery Friedman and Richard Herman whether this new law will actually hold up in court.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: The legislation, Fredricka, is flatly unconstitutional, flatly unconstitutional. And, again -

WHITFIELD: Because?

FRIEDMAN: Because several reasons. It violates supremacy clause, violates the 14th amendment, violates the 4th amendment, multitude of issues. But I thought more deeply about this and I understand that this is motivated by frustration. Doesn't justify an unlawful act, but I am certain that the legislators, most of whom know better, know it is unconstitutional. They're frustrated with Washington.

WHITFIELD: Well, if the federal judge may be enjoining and try to stop this law from actually taking place, how long would that take? Would that take months, months perhaps after this law actually goes into effect?

FRIEDMAN: Oh, no. I think it would be immediate. The court would grant a restraining order and stop it before it is enforced which would be late July, early August.

WHITFIELD: OK, so Richard, how do you see this playing out? The governor reassures people that police will be trained so that people aren't just arbitrarily stopped, that police feel that they have good reason to stop the people that they do. What kind of training would have to take place?

RICHARD HERMAN, LAW PROFESSOR: Well, the grounds will be reasonable suspicion that they're illegal. Those are the grounds in the statute that was enacted. Reasonable suspicion, as Avery knows, is a well accepted principle in criminal law. It is enacted every single day on detention, when police officers detain people, it is based on reasonable suspicion. So that is the standard there.

But Avery hit on something very important, Fredricka. You know it's easy on the East Coast to comment and criticize the statute. But where Phoenix is the kidnapping capital of the world, where the crime rate is through the roof, where the schools are overcrowded, where the murder rates are through the roof and they sit and wait year after year for the federal government to be responsible and enact a global immigration policy, it is not happening. And they're frustrated and took the first move.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Avery Friedman and Richard Herman. You can catch them every weekend on Saturday's new Eastern hour where they tackle some of the toughest legal cases on the docket.

All right. Keeping the art of penmanship alive. One New York City school is actually getting all As on that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: It is called PDS, a particularly dangerous situation right now, weather wise. At least one tornado confirmed a touchdown in Mississippi, a hard hit city would be Yazoo City, where we understand 20 to maybe even 30 homes have been damaged and people are reportedly trapped.

On with us right now on the phone is press secretary Dan Turner, press secretary to the Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour. So Dan, give me an idea what you're learning about, how emergency response teams are able to get to those people reportedly trapped.

DAN TURNER, PRESS SECRETARY, MISSISSIPPI GOV. (on the phone): Well, they're working to get to the people and rescue as many as they can. What we have right now that we know of is damage in at least four counties with injuries, significant injuries in three of the four and one possible death reported in Yazoo City.

WHITFIELD: Is it your understanding that there was one tornado to touch down or are you hearing that more than one may be on the ground in Mississippi?

TURNER: It's hard to say right now. The path of the tornado, you can draw a line from almost big spark and to (INAUDIBLE) and see damage across the way. There was extensive damage in Yazoo City. The state has set up - our emergency management officials have set up a command post near highway 49 in Yazoo City. And we have called in a rapid response team from Hattiesburg, which is a 25-man team capable of doing search and rescue. We have had injuries in (INAUDIBLE) county, in Itala county, in Warren county, in Eagle Lake (ph) area, about 30 homes were destroyed and there was some minor injuries there.

WHITFIELD: How difficult is it to get around, to get to these many cities that you just mentioned, most of them in central Mississippi, but especially after tornado or any kind of natural disaster, getting there can be the biggest obstacle.

TURNER: Well, one of the biggest obstacles is, of course, people are curious and want to get out and see the damage. We have urged people to stay away from those areas, not only because it slows down the emergency response, but there are also still live electrical wires, there are open gas lines that will have to be shut down. So there is a danger factor there as well.

WHITFIELD: OK. And, Dan, what are the governor's plans at this point?

TURNER: The governor is on the ground in Yazoo City. That's where his home is. He was in Yazoo City when the tornado hit. His home was not affected, but he was actually out working his way through some of the rubble and was headed toward the command post when I spoke to him last.

WHITFIELD: Wow, remarkable. We wish all the best to Mr. Barbour, who is a resident of Yazoo City and all the other residents there who are trying to pick up the pieces after this tornado touched down you said one death has been confirmed there in Yazoo City, yes?

TURNER: We have had one death reported. Has not been confirmed yet.

WHITFIELD: OK. All right. Thanks so much, Dan Turner, press secretary for Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour. Appreciate that. We'll continue to reach out to our reporters on the ground there. Our Jacqui Jeras is in the weather center. We'll check in with her momentarily. We'll have much more on this severe weather really taking the southeast by storm.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A look now at other top stories this hour. A Senate committee investigating the financial crisis has released potentially damaging e-mails about Goldman Sachs. The e-mails in 2007 show Goldman's top executives boasting about how much money the company was making from the housing market collapse. The Wall Street firm is the target of a civil fraud lawsuit by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Goldman denies the wrongdoing and says it will fight the charges.

And investigators in West Virginia are trying to devise a plan to vent potentially explosive gases from the upper big branch mine. Tests have found high levels of ethylene and acetylene and the gases are not normally found in underground air, but sometimes show up after an explosion and they could also indicate an underground fire. Investigators are trying to determine the cause of the explosion that killed 29 miners earlier this month.

And the Oberoi Hotel in Mumbai, India opened today after extensive renovations. It was one of three luxury hotels attacked by Islamic militants back in 2008. 166 people were killed and more than 300 injured. India blamed the attacks on a Pakistani-based terror group allied with Al Qaeda.

Back in this country, actress Jessica Alba is using her star power in a way that could impact every child in the world. She has signed on to a campaign calling for universal basic education. That means every kid in every country in the world would be taught how to read and write. Earlier this week I spoke with Alba and New York Congresswoman Nita Lowry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JESSICA ALBA, ACTRESS: After I had my daughter, everything sort of - put everything into a completely different perspective and my priority lies with children and women and that's where my heart has always been. And Queen Rana 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The campaign is called 1goal, education for all. It is calling on world leaders to provide education for 72 million children worldwide by 2015.

And while we're on the topic of education, reading and writing, you would think that it would come easy for kids, especially here in the U.S., but not so fast. With the increased use of computers, texting and other social networking devices, both inside and outside the classroom, some educators fear we are losing the art of penmanship.

CNN's Susan Candiotti went to a New York City school trying hard to make sure that doesn't happen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The more we use computers, or flex our fingers texting, the more our handwriting gets -

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bad.

CANDIOTTI (on camera): How bad is it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pretty bad.

CANDIOTTI: When was the last time you wrote something?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, a while ago.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): But at Public School 46 in Queens, New York -

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Favorite.

CANDIOTTI: Don't dare to suggest to teachers that the handwriting is on the wall poor handwriting.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Perfect. That's a perfect one. I love it. Thank you. Who else can try an 'h'?

CANDIOTTI: Their inner program called Handwriting Without Tears, using creative teaching methods to prevent penmanship from running out of ink.

ALISA SCHWARTZ, TEACHER, P.S. 46: The e, for example, is they say it is like a baseball and you throw the ball and you run around the bases. So when they make it exciting, they really want to learn about it.

CANDIOTTI (on camera): Do you like to write on the computer or do you like to write here?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On paper.

CANDIOTTI: On paper.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fingers in the air. Fingers in the air. Start with a 'c'.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Occupational therapists are even working with students to refine motor skills. Beginners use pencil grips to make sure fingers are in the right place.

ZUBIN SHIROOKAR, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST, P.S. 46: Handwriting is just one of the ways where we train our hands to use the muscles efficiently.

CANDIOTTI: By high school, poor penmanship can back fire when handwriting college entrance essays.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everybody start.

The pressures our teachers have, they don't have the time to go back and try to decipher what you meant on your paper.

CANDIOTTI (on camera): But some argue that penmanship is a waste of time. That children would rather be spending more time in a computer lab like this one, perfecting keyboard skills, not handwriting skills.

JAMIE KREMIN, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST, P.S. 46: If they can't hold a pencil with using only a couple of their fingers, and it is hard to move all of their fingers together to work a keyboard. So we really need to get these skills started out when they're young.

MARSHA GOLDBERG, PRINCIPAL, P.S. 46: The most important form of communication besides face to face is the way when we write to each other. That is a lost art that cannot afford to be lost.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Guiding young hands for generations to come.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Think you can do it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Make those A's really nice.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And Susan Candiotti joining us live now. So Susan, you know, is there a research on handwriting, how much it really does affect how a kid does in school, and if they're not spending enough time handwriting and on the computer vice versa, what are the benefits or what are the, I guess, setbacks?

CANDIOTTI: Right. Well, certainly in the early years they spent only about 10 minutes a day in class, but the studies show what you might expect. For example, if you're used to working with computers, students who take their tests on computers tend to perform better than they would if they took them in long hand.

On the other hand, some people suggest that if you write tests in long hand, it allows for more fluid thinking. But the bottom line is, as time goes on, if we're working in a world with only computers, will we really miss out without having long hand? All I know is it would be really hard to get a note that says thank you if it is written in e-mail or computer. Just not the same.

WHITFIELD: I know. Yes. I kind of like the handwritten notes and it's, you know, still good, isn't it, to teach kids to write a nice little thank you note or, you know, shout out a little hello -

CANDIOTTI: That's true.

WHITFIELD: - to grandma or something like that on paper? I hope that doesn't go away.

CANDIOTTI: Emily Post would agree.

WHITFIELD: Yes. All right. Thanks so much, Susan Candiotti, in New York. Appreciate that.

Of course, something else we're keeping close tabs on today is that nasty weather, tornadic activity taking place in much of the southeast. We'll have much more on that straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Welcome back. We're watching severe weather, confirmation at least one tornado touched down in Yazoo City, Mississippi. We understand at least 20, maybe even 30 homes were damaged. And apparently there is an ongoing search for people who may be trapped and all this took place as tornado touched down just as the Governor Haley Barbour of that state was also in his home there in Yazoo City. But we understand he's just fine.

Let's go to out affiliate WAPT and reporter Joseph Pleasant who is right there in Yazoo City, give us an idea of what is taking place. I see the traffic behind you.

JOSEPH PLEASANT, REPORTER, WAPT: That's right. This is highway 16 in Yazoo City. This traffic is actually going back into an area called Benton, about three or four miles up that road, people are being turned around because the damage is so bad. Many other people you see going back down towards highway 49 off camera have not seen what their houses look like yet.

They're telling us they have no idea what their houses look like because only emergency personnel is being allowed past that point. If we pan a little bit over to the left, you'll see a military helicopter that has landed on the hill here. That's just one of a few of emergency responders that are now on the ground here in Yazoo City, Mississippi.

Just on the other side of that hill is a church that has been completely leveled. It was a church and a Baptist academy. An amazing story of survival in that church because in that church there was a man painting. He saw the tornado and dived under the altar. That altar saved his life. The church collapsed on top of him but he came out with only three scratches.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my. Wow. He's a lucky person. Now, give me an idea, have you noticed whether first responders have come in a very big way to try and find people who are reportedly trapped? Is that indeed the case that there are people reportedly trapped still?

PLEASANT: That is indeed the case. And actually north on Highway 49 there is a shopping center that has been turned into a command center where emergency personnel are coordinating. That includes medical helicopters flying in and landing in that parking lot to take the injured back to Jackson.

There are also a number of ambulances as well as law enforcement agencies that are gathered there. Right now I know there is at least one search on for a man who was parked at a stop light when the tornado came through Yazoo City. His car was picked up and thrown out of sight. Right now, searchers are looking for his car and looking for that man. We also have gotten a call from a woman frantic, at our station, because she knows her grandmother lives in a trailer somewhere where our live shot is right now. And can't see that trailer now. So a lot of people now are trying to get to Yazoo City to see how their loved ones are. And in fact some are just trying to see if they have anything left.

WHITFIELD: Yeah. Frightening moments. We're hoping the best for people there in Yazoo City where you are. Thanks so much, Joseph Pleasant of WAPT. Appreciate that.

We'll be hearing from our Jacqui Jeras momentarily to give us an idea of the path of this tornado and whether indeed there might be others in the forecast as well. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, a day of dangerous and unpredictable storms across the South. We have seen intense lightning, fierce winds, hail, even tornadoes. And one tornado actually has torn through Mississippi, first hitting near Yazoo City, as we just saw, that recent report coming out of here, some of the recent pictures of the damage.

The spokesman for Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour just told us that there are unconfirmed reports of at least one fatality in Yazoo City. And he also said the governor was there in his home, in Yazoo City, when the tornado touched down, but the governor's home was not damaged. The governor himself is OK. We understand he's now at the command center there in the center of town. The National Guard is also there along with a number of emergency crews.

Entire state right now is still under a tornado watch. Let's get more on that from Jacqui Jeras.

How unusual is that, the entire state, to be under a tornado watch?

JERAS: Yeah, not that unusual. It happens. Right now we have got a couple more watches that have been issued. Now they stretch from Mississippi, all the way down to Louisiana and then over here into the panhandle of Florida and Alabama, parts of Tennessee, parts of Kentucky. So this is a lot of real estate we're covering. And that threat continues to be very real at this hour.

Two of these watches here are what we call PDS watches, or particularly dangerous situation. And that's when they expect to see these very large violent long, track tornadoes and that's exactly what we have been seeing in the state of Mississippi. In fact, we have got 36 tornado reports. Not necessarily different tornadoes, it was likely numerous reports of this one tornado as it moved across the city.

Now we still have some warnings in effect. Three of which we have been very concerned about. The tornado that caused the damage in Yazoo City is now moving towards through the Winfield area. It looks like that warning has just expired. We heard just about 15 minutes ago that there was a wall cloud still associated with this storm. So even though we're not seeing that purple box, you know, I know this is still a pretty intense storm at this time. I would take cover and wait until that one has passed.

Now, another possible tornado has now weakened a little bit but still producing severe weather near Starkville and through the West Point. This one has been producing some hail about half dollar sized. That's like an inch and a half in diameter. That can cause a lot of damage in and of itself. We have new development off to the west, also.

Here is the storm that we were talking about that caused all the damage and this shows you the loop of the history of the storm, how this whole thing kind of held together and then weakening now, as it moves into parts of Alabama. The history of this thing, I want to -- oops, sorry, wrong map. There we go. I want to show you what we were looking at. There is all the reports across the state of Mississippi. While the path may not have been consistent, which means it could have hopped, skipped and jumped a little bit, it is at least 150 miles long at this point.

WHITFIELD: Wow. That's amazing to stay on the ground or close to the ground that long.

JERAS: Yeah, really incredible. Just a very violent storm and this is the very thing that we were concerned about for this outbreak that we're seeing here for today. This is going to continue now, Fredricka, you know, well into the evening hours. These watches in effect until at least 9:00 o'clock, Central Time and then we'll watch this progress off to the east. We'll likely see severe weather tomorrow, too, more towards the Eastern Seaboard, but the threat of tornadoes tomorrow not nearly as great as what we're seeing tonight.

WHITFIELD: Well, partially good news right there. Thanks so much, Jacqui, we'll check back with you throughout the evening through at least that 9:00 p.m. hour. Appreciate it.

Now back to the growing controversy over an Arizona law targeting illegal immigrants. Hispanic groups say they will file lawsuits in a bid to block it. And they say the new law will lead to racial profiling. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, who signed the bill yesterday, denies that.

The law requires police to question people they suspect of being illegal immigrants, regardless of whether any other law has been broken. Immigrants without documents can be jailed for up to six months and fined $2500.

President Barack Obama calls the new Arizona law, quote, "misguided". But he says Congress is partly to blame for the controversy because it hasn't acted on yet federal immigration reform. Senior CNN White House Correspondent Ed Henry is in Asheville, North Carolina, where the president is vacationing.

So, Ed, I wonder does this now put immigration on the front burner for the president to try to get something on a federal level going?

ED HENRY, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, you're right. The president is trying to get it on the front burner. Just yesterday in the Rose Garden before he came here to Asheville, he said this Arizona situation is really a wake-up call; that you need federal immigration reform to prevent states from going off and coming up with this patchwork system, if you will.

But we have just picked up new information, my colleague Dana Bash and I, that suggests there could be a major roadblock now thrown in the president's way. We have just gotten a letter from Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, that he sent out today, saying he's walking out of these bipartisan talks on a separate bill, climate change legislation, because he's upset that Democrats now want to move so quickly on immigration reform. He thinks it is too controversial, it will get in the way of climate change.

Graham in a sharply worded letter say, quote, "that moving forward" on immigration, quote, "in this hurried panic manner is nothing more than a cynical political ploy." So we now understand Senator Graham has told Democrat John Kerry and Independent Joe Lieberman he is not going to attend a news conference with them Monday laying out the new climate change bill as so many people expected. And because he's upset about immigration. He's linking these two issues and it is throwing up a huge roadblock for President Obama, Fred.

WHITFIELD: I wonder if Graham is saying that, you know, tackling one is going to put another in peril, I would imagine the White House would say, well, this is a president already who is putting a whole lot on the table at once, and trying to address each of these things. What is the White House saying in response to what Lindsey Graham is doing? Or proposing to do?

HENRY: You're exactly right. I spoke to a senior White House official a short time ago who is telling me, they're not completely surprised by this, that in private it has just broken out now here in the last few moments, but basically in the last couple of days they have privately, the White House has been warned by Senator Graham he was going to bolt these climate change talks. Now this spat has sort of spilled out into the public.

This top White House aide said look, this president is still going to push forward on both climate change and immigration reform. As you noted, in Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, in fact, just put out a statement saying that he's frustrated that Senator Graham is trying to link these two issues. But Senator Reid is planning to move forward on both that you can't afford to shelve either one of the big things, climate change or immigration reform.

The political reality is Lindsey Graham was basically the only major Republican working with democrats on both these issues. So if he's bolting now, they have got to find somebody else. As you know, Republicans have not been stepping forward to help this president on his agenda. It is a difficult political situation for the White House.

What they hope to do is turn it around on the Republicans and say, they're just the party of no, as we have heard before. They're trying to block these things and they hope the public pressure will, you know, sort of force them away as it has, for example, on Wall Street reform. Republicans have been trying to block that. And now it looks like they'll give in on some of the issues. And in the end, the president is probably going to win on Wall Street reform, Fred. He's going to try to keep up the fight on both immigration and climate change as well.

WHITFIELD: Ed Henry, thanks so much, in Asheville, North Carolina. I appreciate that. Iceland's volcano has been putting on quite the fiery display lately, wouldn't you say? The important lessons it could teach all of us about protecting your health, especially when you're traveling.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Devastated by a tornado, just three years ago, a Kansas town is now a model for going green. CNN's Tom Foreman explains in today's "Building Up America" segment.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The tornado that ripped through Greensburg three years ago was a swirling black cloud with winds exceeding 200 miles an hour. And it left this small town in ruins.

DANIEL WALLACH, GREENSBURG GREENTOWN: It was a 1.7 mile wide tornado. And the town is 1.5 miles wide.

FOREMAN: But the storm of rebuilding that Daniel Wallach and others have led since is proving just as powerful, only this one is green.

WALLACH: And so this town knew they had to have a unique identity.

FOREMAN (on camera): And that's what you set out to do with this plan?

WALLACH: Yes.

FOREMAN: With the strong backing of the local government, this town is being rebuilt as a model of environmental sustainability. At the new school, drainage systems capture and conserve rain water to feed the landscaping. Salvaged wood covers the walls. Cabinets are made of wheat harvest leftovers and natural light pours in everywhere. Superintendent Darren Hedrick is expecting much lower power bills.

One of the town's many new wind turbines generates up to 30 percent of the new hospital's electricity, while power and water saving utilities dominate. And all over town, houses are springing up with eco-friendly designs. The payoff, by most accounts this was a small dying town before the storm, but with each new stage of the green comeback, it is being reborn, and every day fewer folks are looking back. Tom Foreman, CNN, Greensburg, Kansas.

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WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories right now. Positive economic news from the nation's top money man. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner says the government's financial bailout may cost less than originally expected. In a letter to Congress, Geithner wrote that the controversial plan may cost less than 1 percent of GDP, or $87 billion. That's down considerably from the 3.5 percent of GDP, or $500 billion estimated a year ago. A legal victory for a man who was sexually abused by a former assistant scoutmaster. An Oregon jury ordered the Boy Scouts of America to pay Kerry Lewis $18.5 million. The scoutmaster admitted to abusing Lewis and 16 boys in early 1980s. It is believed to be the largest such jury award against the Boy Scouts.

And a man in Spain is recovering from the world's first full face transplant; 30 doctors performed the 24-hour operation late last month. The patient who was severely injured in an accident received a new nose, lips, teeth and cheekbones. He indicated in writing and gestures to doctors after the surgery that he was grateful and satisfied with his new face.

Well, we have all seen the ash cloud over Iceland, right?, disrupting flights across Europe, and disrupting lives here in the U.S. as well. The volcano's eruptions impacted the lives of millions of people. So are you prepared to manage in such a situation? Whether you're traveling or whether it is happening in your own backyard, a little advance planning before a natural or manmade disaster can save your family plenty of distress.

Medical educator Doctor Bill Lloyd joins us now from Sacramento.

Good to see you.

DR. BILL LLOYD, MEDICAL EDUCATOR: Hi, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: OK, so if you live in Iceland or maybe even Hawaii, yes, you're going to be concerned about Volcanoes. But how realistic is this concern for those who are living in other parts of the continental U.S.?

LLOYD: Well, Fredricka, we're surrounded by disasters everywhere as we know in central Mississippi. They're having a tornado today. There is a long list of problems that can cause your family to be displaced. You know, 75 percent of U.S. disasters, are declared disasters, and involve severe weather and flooding. There is other problems as well in this part of the country, we're concerned about wildfires. They have already had the first earthquake of the year in Southern California.

And in 2010, Fredricka, there is newer problems to be concerned about, the resurgence of pandemic flu, problems with large scale power outages could cause problems with health care delivery, and the potential problem for cyber attacks and interruptions in our Internet and computer communications, which could have a direct effect on your family's ability to enjoy good health.

WHITFIELD: And even your prescriptions, say, for example. We'll go through a long list of these things that could be interrupted. Let's talk about the upcoming summer season. How might this time of year play a role in whether your health is interrupted?

LLOYD: Well, Fredricka, aside from seasonal related weather problems, warmer weather also means more people are traveling. So maybe you think you live in the safest part of the world, and you don't have a volcano in your backyard, but guess what, you could suffer from the ripple effect. And problems that are far away could still interfere with your family. So you always want to make sure you have an up-to-date list of all the contact information, of anyone who is involved in taking care of your family's health.

Get yourself hard copies of duplicate prescriptions, medical summaries. If you're far from home, you need to be able to tell your doctor what kinds of health problems that your children and your family members are dealing with. Also duplicate copies of your insurance or Medicare cards as well. You'll need them if you're in Europe. Any one in the family that wears a medical alert tag ought to make sure the information has been updated. And something as simple as direct deposit, to make sure that your monthly pay will continue even if there is disruption in mail service.

WHITFIELD: A lot of our doctors, offices, dentists, et cetera, they have gone paper free. Why do we want to kind of keep a carbon copy or a hard copy of everything when all we have to do is call them up and say, hey, what about that information you have on file for me?

LLOYD: That's a wonderful point. You can't call them up if there is no phone service and they can't answer if they don't have any electricity, if computers are down because of a cyber strike, or again, because of a large scale electrical shut down, they may not be able to get you the information you need. So, again, the value of having hard copy duplicate prescriptions, copies of your insurance card, are going to be useful if you're stranded far away.

Real quick example, earlier this week we were talking about the ripple effect, I traveled to New York. I had a confirmed reservation with a leading car rental company. I get to the airport, we don't have any cars.

WHITFIELD: No record.

LLOYD: What? All the Europeans, all the Europeans stuck in the United States, stranded because of the volcano in Iceland had to stay with those rental cars, some of them were living in those rental cars. And I couldn't get a car because of the ripple effect. Same thing can work for your family's health as well.

WHITFIELD: OK, now you're traveling with small kids, or maybe you have some family members with special needs, maybe you have -- you're traveling with your older parents, grandparents, there are certain considerations you need to be taking when you're traveling with them-when you're with them.

LLOYD: You always have to think about an evacuation plan. That starts right at home. How can these people get to where they need to be? If there is going to be an evacuation, you probably are going to think about relatives, or where you're going to travel to. If someone has a special health need, like hemodialysis, you have to make sure that there is a dialysis center where you are going to go. And that there is also qualified healthcare providers in that new location. You can't think about it the day the trouble comes, like the people in central Mississippi. You have to have a plan so that when you know that you're going to be evacuated, the resources your family needs are going to be available.

WHITFIELD: Have a plan just in case something unplanned were to happen. Dr. Bill Lloyd, thanks so much. Good to see you.

LLOYD: We'll talk again soon.

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much.

Well, the next guy I'm about to talk about, he's one of television's favorite bartender, but now he's share something sobering information about our environment.

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WHITFIELD: We're kicking off something new this weekend, spotlighting celebrities taking on big causes that impact the planet. In this first look, Ted Danson talks about why he got involved in Ocean Issues.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TED DANSON, ACTOR: Hi, I'm Ted Danson. And we can make an impact and stop overfishing our oceans. If we do the right thing, we'll be able to fish for the rest of our lives. If we do the wrong thing, we actually could possibly commercially fish out our oceans.

This could be turned around. It is a hopeful situation. You want to save the planet, you actually at this point in history can. Join the movement, impact your world. CNN.com/impact.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Thanks, Ted. Thank you for joining us. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Don Lemon is up next with the latest updates on the dangerous storm system rolling across much of the Southeast right now.

And also just how far would you go to put food on your family's table with jobs still scarce, you won't believe what phone calls some women are making to earn money. Don Lemon has that and much more straight ahead in the next hour of the NEWSROOM.

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