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Wounded Warriors Triumph; Deadly Riots in Greece; Record Flooding Cripples Nashville; Changes to the No-Fly List
Aired May 05, 2010 - 09:58 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Also, major help is on the way for those severely wounded in war and the people who take care of them. Around 1:30 p.m. Eastern time President Obama will sign a new bill that improves health care for vets who have suffered major injuries. It also provides more than $1 billion to expand benefits and training for vets' caregivers who often have to quit their jobs.
The vets who need this bill are suffering major head trauma or lost limbs, injuries that leave them struggling to do the simplest motions. That's where the Wounded Warriors Project comes in and lets vets find strength in each other. And recently the Warriors took a special bike ride to shed light on what they're all going through.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Doors are opening and you're walking outside for the first time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on. You can do it. Keep going, man.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All cyclists, you must stay in the lane the cruiser is in when you're over there for them to accept the responsibility of the escort.
STEVEN NARDIZZI, EXEC. DIR. WOUNDED WARRIORS PROJECT: This is a great event. It's progressed into a rehab ride where we have over 30 warriors here right now participating in a ride and getting out sometimes for the first time in a hospital and learning what they can accomplish again in life.
SARA WADE, TED'S WIFE: I also always see a big change in his mood with the bike ride coming up. There's a lot of anticipation and a lot of excitement.
TED WADE, WOUNDED WARRIOR: I've been going to the gym and riding exercise bikes for several hours.
S. WADE: Ted had neurosurgery over in Germany and spent about two weeks in a neurosurgery intensive care unit there. It was doubtful that Ted was going survive.
It's kind of surreal and it definitely puts things into perspective. I think it definitely helps you stay motivated when sometimes it's easy with post-injury to burn out from rehabilitation.
T. WADE: It's continuing my momentum for the future and with the way are looking, going into the future.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: We're continuing to follow that breaking news. It's a crisis situation going on right now in Greece. Protestors, tens of thousands of them taking to the streets right now. They're mad as hell over the country's out-of-control debt and government plans to make big cuts in critical things like education and public safety.
The atmosphere is so toxic that those protests have turned deadly and the fallout stretches all the way to talking about Wall Street, rather, where investors are keeping close tabs on what's happening in Greece. We'll get an update from CNN's Diana Magnay in Athens in just a few minutes.
So who would have thought that Greece's economic misery would have such an impact on you, me and the markets? Well, it's true. Stephanie Elam is covering the story for us now out of New York. So Steph, we saw a huge sell-off yesterday because of the situation in Greece. How are things looking today?
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, taking a look at the markets right now, Kyra and we are in the red again. It's nothing like the numbers we saw yesterday. Yesterday, the Dow lost 225 points. Today, right now, the Dow is off 61 points, 63 points at 10,864. So it's not the same because partially we got some good economic data, but there are some concerns here.
The idea being that Greece getting this bailout of about $146 billion that they'll get over three years that that's not going to be enough to stop all of the problems that are going on in the European Union. There are still some hurdles to get through before they can get there and get this money. Also, are the other 15 countries in the European Union onboard with this plan.
For one, is Germany OK with this plan? If this plan does not get that support, it could fall by the wayside and that's part of the issue here. Also, whether or not this issue was going to spread to other countries. There was already a fear yesterday that - there were rumors that Spain was working with the IMF to find out some ways to work out their debt issues. Both Spain and the IMF denied that, but it just shows you the fear that if this spreads to other countries throughout Europe -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, why is this having such a big effect here, Steph? Put it in perspective because this is just one country and it's small.
ELAM: Right. That's true. You hear Greece and like why do we care so much? Well, the issue here is keep in mind that Greece shares the same currency now with these other 15 euro zone countries. So if it spreads to these other countries and there's a widespread credit issue then that means the economy could go further the other direction into a recession.
And if so, that is going to impact us as far as our trade, as far as our exports from here. We do a lot of business back and forth between Europe and if that happens, that effect could have an impact here on our numbers and whether or not our recovery will continue on the path that it's been on. That's why we care so much about this and that's why we'll be watching it so much.
The fear now is that even if they take care of the Greece issue other countries may still have a problem and it just may not be enough. This $146 million and that's what impacted the markets yesterday and you see some of that lingering today, despite the fact that we did get good economic data about jobs today. Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. We'll follow it, Steph. Appreciate it.
Also this hour, the Times Square terror suspect Faisal Shahzad under arrest and apparently in a talkative mood, too. So what is he saying to investigators? The feds are saying the 30-year-old Pakistani-American has admitted to building the crude concoction single-handedly. Shahzad apparently knew that authorities were closing in. Law enforcement sources directly involved in that investigation tell CNN now that when authorities placed him under arrest he actually said, "I was expecting you. Are you the NYPD or the FBI?"
The feds say Shahzad claims to have received explosives training in a terrorist camp in Pakistan. U.S. attorney general Eric Holder says it is clear that this was a terrorist plot. Pakistani intelligence officials are now confirming to CNN that two people have been detained for questioning. They're the friend and father-in-law of Faisal Shahzad.
U.S. terror officials say that they are still trying to verify any connection to the Pakistani Taliban. That group has claimed responsibility for that failed attack.
Now, authorities in Pakistan are working with the American counterparts to chase down leads from the accused Times Square bomber. So what have they turned up so far? Let's go to CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson. He's joining me live from Karachi now. So, Nic, bring us up-to-date on the series of these arrests?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, we now know about the arrests of the father-in-law and the close friend last night, but today in and around Karachi, there have been a further series of arrests. Police are not saying how many people, not saying why they're arresting them.
But what we can see is that they seem to be sort of concentrating the arrests in and around the Karachi area, if indeed, as we are being told one of them is Mr. Shahzad's father-in-law, potentially going after that part of his family because from what we know, his father and his sort of where his family comes from is further north from here, closer to the border with Afghanistan and closer to the city of Peshawar.
So the moment that the arrests are focused around Karachi and it is not clear exactly how those ties work to those claims that he's making that he got training from the Pakistani Taliban -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. So what are you learning about the group, this group that has claimed responsibility, the Pakistani Taliban?
ROBERTSON: Well, number one, the government here, the Army spokesman is saying absolutely not. They have no evidence that he had any training from them or any connections whatsoever. One of his cousins, a family cousin has come out and said there are no connections in the family village and the family has had no connections with these groups before. So you have those sort of denials from the family and the government here.
But what is well known about the Pakistani Taliban, the TTP is that they do have close ties with Al Qaeda and they do run their own training camps in north Waziristan. They have been behind a bomb plot inside Europe and it's not beyond the expectation here and certainly we're hearing from experts here and that they might because of the attacks they're getting from U.S. drone aircraft in their training camps and on their homes in the border area of Pakistan and Afghanistan that they may want to mount attacks inside the U.S., but right now no firm connections proven -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. We'll follow it, Nic, appreciate it.
A previously scheduled Capitol Hill hearing is taking place and it's actually taking on new significance today. The Senate Homeland Security committee hearing is getting under way right now and it was supposed to be about terrorists and guns, but now you can add homemade car bombs to that.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly are among the witnesses testifying today. We're going to be keeping an eye on this and we'll take you there live as soon as it begins.
PHILLIPS: All right. Let's get back to Greece now where people are mad as hell and have taken to the streets in protests over brutal budget cuts designed to help the country avoid bankruptcy. CNN's Diana Magnay is in Athens.
Diana, are the protests still going strong?
DIANA MAGNAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.
Yes, they are. They're it's quiet behind me in the main parliament square and down in the streets, we are hearing that there are thousands of protesters who are trying to make it to the square, but it is currently sealed off and cleared out essentially by riot police.
We were just down the street a little earlier at the burned-out remains of a bank here in Athens where three people have died. The fire brigade confirmed to us as a result of a petrol bomb which was thrown into that bank and also several municipal buildings here in central Athens have been set on fire by rioters -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: Well, can you get a sense if there's any end in sight? We look at these pictures and it looks like more people are joining the protests and it's spreading across a larger part of the area.
MAGNAY: I think the numbers have definitely gone down since this morning. We went to join the demonstrators at one of their gathering points and at that point really where multiple tens of thousands congregating on this square but after a couple of hours and quite serious riots between police, people have had a lot of tear gas and they came prepared and a lot of people came with masks and with cloths to cover their faces but I do think that's a sustained assault by the riot police on these crowd has meant that a significant number have gone home.
But people are still very, very keen to make their point and in relation to that firebombing at the bank that I was just telling you about, for example, when we were standing there. People said "we don't believe that anybody has died in there." The police are torturers and liars and we'll see it when we believe which gives you a sense of the sort of strength feeling an anger on the streets of Athens today -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, we'll keep following the story with you. Diana, thanks so much.
And on the Gulf Coast, they're waiting for the oil to come ashore and the big bell to leave port. 210,000 gallons were coming out of three underwater leaks. BP says that one is now capped. So the same amount of oil is coming out of two leaks. The containment dome is expected to hit the water in just a couple of hours. That massive structure seen in this video will be taken out of the leak site today, but it will take several days to get it in place over the leak.
BP has promised to pay all legitimate costs related to the spill, but what is legitimate? Right now, there's a $75 million cap by law, but legislation introduced yesterday ups that number to $10 billion. So is BP ready to step up? Their COO talked about it on AMERICAN MORNING.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOUG SUTTLES, BP CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION (via telephone): Since the beginning that we'll meet our responsibilities and I think our behavior since the very beginning we've shown that. And that any impacts that are legitimate and created by this, we'll meet those responsibilities and we've shown that since from the very, very beginning. An example of that was the thing we did just two days ago with the $25 million state grants to unlock the process.
I mean, we're going to do what we need to do here, John.
ROBERTS: You say legitimate claims are, and how would you measure what a legitimate claim is and would you go beyond that $75 million cap if you find these claims under whatever terms that you're about to apply to them to be legitimate? SUTTLES: Well, John, I think the $75 million cap is going to be the issue. And of course things where there's impact from this -- from this event, this spill, whether they be economic impact or whether it be environmental impact, we'll have to meet those responsibilities.
It's just an example of that right now. You know, people can call our hotline, they can file a claim, and they'll actually get their money. We wanted to get it to them quickly because we know this is having an impact on people today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: A $75 million cap was put in place in 1990, just after the "Exxon Valdez" disaster. There's also $1 billion federal fund financed with your tax dollars.
Floodwaters starting to recede in Tennessee, but on some streets you still need a boat to get around. We'll get in one and show you the pictures that you simply won't forget.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: All right. Let's head to Nashville now where Music City is at its lowest note in years after this weekend's historic flood. The waters are expected to recede dramatically today giving people a better idea of the damage and the costs related to recovery.
CNN's Martin Savidge is live now with an update. Marty? Are you still hearing me, Marty? All right. We'll try to connect with Martin Savidge. He's actually there in Nashville, Tennessee.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We meet Captain Tony Clark, who's only had about eight hours' sleep since Saturday, as he leads his team into another neighborhood.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a lady that lives there by herself and she left yesterday.
CAPTAIN TONY CLARK, ASHLAND CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT: We still need to go in and do our search. I understand that. But just in case, we need to see if we can get into the house.
SAVIDGE: These specially trained firefighters were here over the weekend helping people to evacuate. Now they're back, making sure everyone made it out -- alive.
CLARK: This will keep us from having to search these houses again. We'll mark them, we'll know they're clear and we won't have to come back and waste resources again.
SAVIDGE: Located down the stream from Nashville, Ashland City is still battling the water. It's down some but still has a long way to go. And so does Captain Clark. CLARK: Everything's clear here, so we're going on to our next area from here.
SAVIDGE: A half-mile from city hall on a road that's now above ground, we hitch a ride with a group of different firefighters searching where only boats can go. For Deputy Chief Derek Noe, these are familiar waters. His son usually plays soccer on field 15 feet beneath us.
The floodwaters have brought new dangers of which propane tanks are just one.
(on camera): Here's the latest hazard these days of navigating the Cumberland. You have to avoid the traffic lights.
(voice-over): Out here, the water plays tricks on you. Some houses don't look so bad until you realize until you're looking at the third floor.
(on camera): Sunday, when these crews first came out, it was to warn the residents that the floodwaters were coming. About two-thirds decided to stay. Ever since then, the teams have been out pulling in all the people who stayed behind.
DEPUTY CHIEF DEREK NOE, ASHLAND CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT: We had some that even got ugly with us and said they'd sleep on their roof or whatever if they had to, that they weren't going to leave, they were going to ride it out. We picked them up the following day off their roof, so they got their wish.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): Just trying to get to a home for a closer look isn't easy. First you have to clear the trees.
NOE: You don't know what's underneath you, trampolines, swimming pools.
SAVIDGE: In the end, we fortunately don't find anyone and head back. You wonder how long it will be before Ashland City gets back to normal. From the looks of things, it's going to take some time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: And Kyra, back here in Nashville, you know, it's a gorgeous day, rather ironic, really, since it was the weather that triggered all of this disaster over the weekend, but they've been very fortunate since the weather has been absolutely perfect since the weekend.
That's allowed a lot of drying out and that's what's allowing the water levels to go down here in Nashville and elsewhere. It's a welcome sight to those who have to clean up, but there's a lot of cleaning to do, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Folks wondering - how about the Grand Ole Opry?
SAVIDGE: Yes, a lot of folks are because that really is almost hallowed ground to people who are fans of country music. The answer right now. We've not been allowed in there. The folks that oversee that are very, very careful at trying to protect that place and what we have heard from the inside is that apparently there has been water that has gone all of the way to the stage. Perhaps even over the stage.
Now that could potentially be a very tragic circumstance because you may know that part of that stage is actually a six-foot diameter part of the flooring from the old (inaudible) auditorium. That's considered to be the heart and soul of country music. If it is damage or lost in any way, boy, that would break a lot of hearts. Hopefully, hopefully that is not the case. We'll continue to follow it and get you information as best we can, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Yes, I'm with you. It's a pretty amazing place and a big piece of American history. Thanks, Marty.
A well deserved dry spell on tap for much of the volunteer state. Jacqui Jeras, I am not liking what I'm seeing in Tennessee.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I know, but you know what, speaking of the Grand Ole Opry, the show must go on. They just relocated it last night.
PHILLIPS: There you go, which is so typical.
JERAS: So they still had shows.
PHILLIPS: That is such a part of their souls. Yes, no matter what, they keep going.
JERAS: Yes, and those waters are going down and the weather has remained very, very cooperative for that. And I want to show you some pictures that are in suburban Nashville right now. Take a look - this is what happens when the water recedes. This is part of a highway that got washed into a neighborhood which is pretty much gone as well.
The power of the water leveled some of these homes and moved that big chunk of asphalt right into the area. So amazing pictures of just how forceful it can be when those waters get high and the rush in the area. I also want to show you a visible satellite picture. You can see the floodwaters from space. That's how widespread and how deep some of these water is.
So take note right here. This is the Tennessee River and this is the Cumberland River and this is Kentucky and this is southwestern Kentucky and here's Tennessee. So amazing that you can see this. We're expecting those waters to continue to go down over the next couple of days so that's a little bit of good news. And it is going to stay dry.
We do have a cold front approaching, but all of the wet weather is going to stay up here across parts of the upper Midwest. They we're looking at some showers some thunder showers for you in Milwaukee. It's trying to make its way into the Chicagoland area and it's going to be a little on and off as we head into the afternoon hours but you're really going to feel the difference behind this system as those winds begin to gust.
The system that brought all of that rain into Nashville is now bringing in some showers and thunder showers across central Florida. It's a very, very slow-moving system. The nation as a whole showing you, that's really our big game in town. A slight risk of severe thunderstorms here across parts of the great lakes as well as in the Indianapolis and the Cleveland area.
Ahead of this front, man, it is gorgeous out there. Up and down the eastern seaboard, look at those high temperatures today, well into the 80s and we're looking at 90s across parts of the southern plain, Dallas and Houston, 90 and 91. I'm glad to be on the warm side of things, Kyra, as those temperatures are feeling a lot like summer out there.
PHILLIPS: Yes, good, we want the warm weather and all that rain and bad weather to go away.
Times Square bomb case is bringing changes to the no-fly list. The suspect was on it, but he nearly made it out of the country anyway. CNN's Homeland Security correspondent Jeanne Meserve is with us now. So Jeanne, what are the changes?
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (on the phone): Well, they're trying to plug a hole that they discovered in this incident. As you know, Faisal Shahzad was able to get on an airplane even though he'd been recently added to the no-fly list. The reason, Emirates Airline had not updated the list electronically. So he got a boarding pass, he got on the plane and authorities just got him in the nick of time.
Now the Department of Homeland Security is saying that airlines are going to be required to check the list within two hours of being notified of a special circumstance such as an addition to the no-fly list. As we saw with him, an airline is responsible for manually checking list against the no-fly list within 24 hours, but they didn't check this one. The suspect was allowed to purchase a ticket that he got on.
Under the new measure, the airline would be required to recheck the list within two hours of being notified of a special circumstance. Kyra?
PHILLIPS: All right. Jeanne Meserve working that story for us. Thanks, Jeanne.
Well, if you're thinking about giving your kids certain name- brand cold and allergy medicines, don't do it. We're going to tell you why and what you can do instead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: We're learning more about the suspect in the failed Times Square car bombing. Investigators say that Faisal Shahzad had admitted to building the explosive device all by himself. Investigators also say the Pakistani-American claims that he got trained at a terrorist camp in Pakistan.
Also better weather in the Gulf of Mexico. Good help in containing the oil slick. Skimmer boats will be able to go out. Booms can be repaired and the dome that BP wants to drop over that oil leak could be plugged in as soon as tomorrow.
And protests against government spending cuts turns violent in Greece. Three people are dead, at least four others missing after a firebomb hit a bank. Another 20 people are trapped on that floor above the bank and are being rescued right now by fire fighters.
Your vet goes vroom, but could also go boom. GM has found a flaw in the sports car that leading to a pretty big recall, you'll want to hear about.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Potential problems with your little red Corvette. General Motors recalling about 40,000 of the iconic sports cars over a possible steering problem. If the repeated readjustments of the tilting and telescoping steering wheel could mess up the electronic stability control. It applies to 2005 and 2006 vets.
Wal-Mart is writing a big check to settle a hazardous waste investigation in California. $27.6 million, all of the company's California stores allegedly dump stuff like fertilizer, paint and pesticides in the wrong places. There are 236 stores and distribution centers in the state. It ends the five-year investigation in California, but this may just be the start. Federal officials are still investigating other environmental allegations.
Well, if you're thinking of giving your child or children Tylenol, Motrin, Benadryl, stop and listen what we have to tell you about right now. It's pretty important. You probably know about the recall announced just a few days ago. Now we know why.
An FDA report reveals an alarming discovery at a plant where the medicines were made. Bacteria were found there and it's too early for the FDA to say exactly what it is. The FDA and even the drug makers are calling on parents to buy generic brands for now.
Earlier on AMERICAN MORNING, John Roberts spoke to a former FDA consumer safety officer about that recall. Here's what he told him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ] CARL NIELSON, RETIRED FDA CONSUMER SAFETY OFFICER: I think it's a very large wake-up call for the over-the-counter drug industry. It's well known that for the prescription drug industry 80 percent of the ingredients are imported. FDA does very little foreign inspection work on over-the-counter drug suppliers of ingredients, active and inactive and this is a wake-up call, very similar to melamine, to the food safety issue and heparin to the prescription drugs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Johnson & Johnson says that it has temporarily suspended production at that plant.
The one who nearly got away, whisked away from JFK. The Times Square bomb suspect could be intelligence gold for investigators.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Times Square terror suspect apparently has a lot to say. Faisal Shahzad is talking. So, what's he getting off his chest? Federal authorities say the 30-year-old Pakistani-American has admitted to building the crude concoction single-handedly.
Shahzad apparently knew authorities were closing in. Law enforcement sources directly involved with the investigation tell CNN when authorities placed him under arrest he said, quote, "I was expecting you. Are you the NYPD or FBI?" Federal authorities say that Shahzad claims to have received explosives training at a terrorist camp in Pakistan. U.S. attorney general Eric Holder says it is clear that this was a terrorist plot.
Pakistani intelligence officials confirm to CNN that several people have been detained for questioning, and among them, a friend and father-in-law of Faisal Shahzad. U.S. terror officials are still trying to verify any connection to the Pakistani Taliban. The group has claimed responsibility for that failed attack.
Same story, different player. Just how often are we seeing terrorists try something on U.S. soil? Josh Levs joins me now with a timeline. Josh?
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, ever since this happened, it's been on my mind. I keep thinking, we've been hearing about this too often, far too often. These scary stories of potential terrorism and terrorist attacks on the United States.
We're taking a look back at our own reporting here to see some of the big examples since 9/11. I can't tell you all of them because, unfortunately, there are too many. But here are some that will stick out in your mind as they stick out in mine.
We will start with Richard Reid, which, as we know, was not long after 9/11. Richard Reid, the shoe bomber, that was in December 2001. Let's jump ahead to the next year. Jose Padilla. A name you remember well. He was arrested in May 2002. When you see that name, you might think of the words "dirty bomb." He was originally accused of planning to set off radioactive dirty bombs, but later he was actually convicted for supporting terrorism.
Let's jump ahead a little bit. Next one. This is the "Lackawanna Six." This is in the area of Buffalo, New York, and this group was later convicted of providing material support to al Qaeda. Let's go to the next one here. Iyman Faris. I know you know this name as well. Arrested in May 2003; later pleaded guilty in a plot to destroy the Brooklyn Bridge.
A few more I'm going to show you here. The Sears Tower plot. This is when seven men were arrested in June 2006 for this alleged plot against the Sears Tower. Let's go to a couple more here. The liquid explosives plot. Obviously, no one will forget that. That changed the way we all go through security when we fly. Twenty-four men were arrested in London in August 2006, and that was on a plot on U.S.-bound jets.
And I think we've got a couple more here. Najibullah Zazi, a name that's been in the news so much lately, and several others arrested, and that was just in September 2009 in this plot against a New York City subway. We've been learning more and more about that week by week, and we cannot do this list, obviously, without talking about Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab and that is, of course, the Christmas Day attempted terror attack on a U.S.-bound jet.
Now, anytime I look at this, I always like to tell people about interactives. So, credit where it's due. Everything where we looked online. The best place we found that actually has a Web site that traces you through all this is from a conservative think tank called The Heritage Foundation, where they list more and more and more. They list their own conclusions as a think tank, but the list is right there. It's very interesting. You can check it out at heritage.org.
Kyra, obviously, no one wants to see more and more events added to a list like this, but every time we see something like this, we keep in mind this is something our nation faces.
PHILLIPS: Josh, thanks.
LEVS: You got it.
PHILLIPS: About 40 million people visit Times Square every year, spending their hard-earned cash on the sights and sounds of New York City. But could the attempted terror attack keep people away? CNNmoney.com's Poppy Harlow's in New York. Poppy, what's the impact on the economy?
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: It looks like nothing will keep folks away from here in New York. This is what we were asking after the initial shock of the terror scare. Are people still going to come to New York? Are they still going to spend all that money? Forty million people, as you said, they come and they spend $28 billion in New York City. That's how much they spent last year.
They spent $5 billion of that alone in Times Square. You've got all of the hotels, all of the restaurants, all of that shopping. So tourism is a huge, huge industry for this economy and obviously, New York hurt badly after 9/11. The impact here, though, at least in Times Square, surprisingly not bad at all.
We went down to talk to the man who's sort of head of the Times Square alliance to ask him what his initial reaction was, and what all of the people flooding into Times Square are saying. Take a listen to what he told us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIM TOMPKINS, PRESIDENT, TIMES SQUARE ALLIANCE: I was worried that I would have to do a lot of spin this week, because people would be scared and Times Square would be empty and we have to do what we did after 9/11 when you had the whole Broadway community come here and you had Mayor Giuliani say come see a Broadway show, show your support of New York, and it didn't happen.
I called the head of the largest Broadway ticket organization. The people who sell the discount tickets here as well, and also the hotel general managers. And all of them said that business is normal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Business is normal. That was a big surprise to us. Kyra, I have to tell you, the day after the terror scare this past Sunday, they tell us there were 27 percent more people in Times Square than there were a week ago. So, not only has it not only hurt tourism, maybe people are coming to see just what went on and show their support. But it's interesting to look at that number and good for this economy, that's for sure, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: You live there. You cruise through that area every single day. What are tourists saying?
HARLOW: That's a good question. When I got on the subway - I was gone over the weekend, I got back to New York -- and I was on the subway Monday morning and in Times Square -- I was looking around and wondering what people were thinking. And it really was business as normal. A lot of people were talking about it. But some of the tourists we talked to were surprising us in terms of their responses in that it didn't really affect them. So, take a listen to some of those tourists.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think there is no danger because the police is looking for everything, so I think it's safe.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not worried. New York's always been a very safe place.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel safe because there are lots of cops here, but at that time, I was at the theater, and I felt a little bit worried.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Being from North Carolina, we hear all kinds of stuff that does go on in New York, and when I heard about it, I was, like, wow! Do we still want to go? And then it just kind of went away.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: That is good news for the city, Kyra. I do have to say, though, that what we heard from the man that's head of the Times Square Alliance, he said, listen, this is one act. If we see more and more like this, they are really concerned that that will impact the economy here. We'll keep an eye on it; more about it on the Web site. But good news, at least for New York, people still coming to Times Square, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Good. Thanks, Poppy.
Well, Greece, you think vacation destination, right? Not riots, tear gas and deadly protests. Believe it or not, that's the situation right now.
(VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Tens of thousands of protesters right there taking to the streets. They're mad as hell over the country's out-of-control debt and government plans to make big cuts in critical things like education and public safety.
The atmosphere has become so violent those protests have turned deadly. At least three people have been killed. The marches came during a day-long general strike that grounded flights, shut down ports and closed schools and government services. We're following that story for you.
Now let's get to New York, where Stephanie Elam is following the crisis in Greece as stocks in the U.S. are taking another hit. How much do you think is related to what's happening there in Greece, Steph?
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: A lot of it is, Kyra. Greece has been on investors' minds for quite a few months now. That's why we've seen so much volatility on Wall Street.
Just look at the past few days here. If you look at the markets, the Dow has posted a triple-digit move in five of the past six sessions. And despite having some really firm details on the bailout now, it's still a cause for concern and not just here. Most of the major stock markets in Europe are down more than 1 percent.
Here at home, we have some upbeat economic reports, so the losses are not as bad as they could have been today. The Dow off 47 points -- 10,878. The NASDAQ off about 1 percent at 2,401.
The protests that we're seeing, they show that the road to the bailout is not going to be an easy one. Sure, Greece is getting the money, but it hasn't been handed out just yet, and it's a three-year plan. And Greece needs to rein in its budget. That's one of the conditions.
That means salary cuts, higher taxes and also a boost in retirement age for women. So, that's why you're seeing the outrage on the streets in Greece, and Wall Street is worried that this crisis could spread. That's why we're keeping our eyes on it here, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. We'll watch it with you. Thanks, Stephanie.
Out in the middle of the mess. The massive oil slick hasn't hit the coast yet, but it's been causing havoc with wildlife in the water. We'll take you out there to look. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Suspected terror attacker Faisal Shahzad is spilling his guts to the feds. He admits he built the Times Square bomb all by himself, but he also says he was taught how to do it in Pakistan. Just minutes ago, a spokesperson for the Pakistan Taliban praised Shahzad's attempted bombing in Times Square, but insisted he's not a member of the terror group.
The FDA found numerous violations at a plant that makes children's liquid medicines. Parents are being told not to use anything made there. Liquid forms of children's Tylenol, Motrin, Benadryl and Zyrtec.
The water's going down in Nashville, but slowly. The Cumberland (ph) River still nine foot above flood stage. That means that water damage for tourist favorites like Opryland and the Country Music Hall of fame, a no go.
Talk about getting knocked out of the park. Did you see the Phillies fan get Tasered? Got to wonder if that was an unforced error.
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PHILLIPS; Well, we've been talking a lot it morning about that containment dome being deployed to stop the underwater oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. That oil has been gushing out for two weeks now. 210,000 gallons a day.
Our David Mattingly wanted to see what the oil looked like up close. He joins us now live from Venice, Louisiana.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, we've got some good news today. BP announcing they've capped off one of those three leaks that are at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. It is the smallest of the three leaks, but it's a step in the right direction.
We went out there to look for that oil slick. We saw a lot of it and something very disturbing was swimming inside of it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY (voice-over): Boat captains in port told us where to find it, an ugly reddish-brown wave of oil. A bumpy two-hour ride later, it was impossible to miss.
MATTINGLY (on camera): Finally, here we are, 15 miles out. We've slowed down. The seas are still pretty rough, as you can see, but I don't know if you can see it or not, but just right here in front of us -- which looks almost like a red, muddy line through the water. That is the oil.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): National Wildlife Federation president Larry Schweiger believes the impact on wildlife is inevitable.
MATTINGLY (on camera): You can see it's been treated, so it's breaking up and it's dispersing into the water column.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): It looks like tea-sized blobs in the water, millions of them, all the way down.
MATTINGLY (on camera): OK. I'm going to grab a towel here.
This stuff is rubbing up against the side of the boat. There it is. That's what's in the water. That's sticking to the side of the boat right there.
If this is doing this to the boat, what is it going to do to anything that lives in this water?
LARRY SCHWEIGER, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION: It's going to be very, very hard on the fish and shellfish.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): And the oil seems to go on forever.
MATTINGLY (on camera): Over here, as far as the eye can see, there is like a red line of that oil going right across the Gulf of Mexico. It is endless.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): And as bad as it looked, it was about to get worse.
MATTINGLY (on camera): This is something we didn't expect to see. This is a sea turtle. It's right here in the water. It's right near the top. It's swimming right in the middle of all that oily mess out there.
We're going to try and get as close as --
SCHWEIGER: And he's -- he's having trouble, that's why he's doing that. He should not be doing that.
MATTINGLY: Clearly in stress.
The turtle has to come up for air?
SCHWEIGER: The turtle's coming up for air, and when it does it's gulping the surface, so it's picking up that oil that's floating on the surface.
MATTINGLY: So it's taking it into its body?
SCHWEIGER: So it's taking it into its body. And, of course, if you're -- if you're drinking oil, it's not -- not good for the digestive system. So he's -- he's in distress.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): It seemed to be having breathing problems. After a few moments, it disappeared into the reddish, oily muck.
MATTINGLY (on camera): OK, we're about to take off. Didn't want to leave without getting a souvenir. There it is, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. That's just one leading band of it, and see how it's floating to the top and how nasty it is. And all of this is going that way, back towards shore.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY: And I still have that bottle right here, Kyra. What is happening in this bottle is the same thing that's happening out in the Gulf of Mexico. You have a thin, oily film on the top. In the middle, a bunch of suspended solids, and down at the bottom, we have settling pieces that look like brown cotton balls. This is all oil that's come in contact with the dispersion that's falling down through the water table, and what the turtle was encountering.
PHILLIPS: I know, David, I was thinking -- kind of hoping to see you guys somehow try and retrieve the turtle there in the water.
MATTINGLY: Well, these turtles are protected, so we might have been doing more harm than good if we had attempted to do that. We found out today that the National Wildlife Federation has identified that that was probably a loggerhead turtle. It was a threatened species, not an endangered species. There was some concern at the time that it might be a kinchriddley turtle (ph), and they're in this part of the Gulf. They are endangered species. But possibly a loggerhead, but it was out of our area of expertise.
PHILLIPS: Well, it definitely puts everything into perspective. David Mattingly, thanks so much.
More from the CNN NEWSROOM straight ahead.
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PHILLIPS: A garden in the middle of downtown. Hard to imagine where pavement and tall buildings rule, but that's what's taking sprout in Miami. Fresh fruits and veggies, ready for the picking. Good for the farmer, good for the customers.
CNN's John Zarrella has more in today's "Building Up America."
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JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the shadow of high rises, a garden of greens: turnips, broccoli and something called callaloo, or Jamaican spinach.
(on camera): So, do you cook them or what? Put them in a salad?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, we cook them. You can put them in a salad, too.
ZARRELLA: Really.
(voice-over): Here, too, once a week on Wednesdays, small family farmers sell their produce.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don't have to go to Canada for green house cucumbers anymore. You can go right to homestead.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's absolutely delicious.
ZARRELLA: This is Overtown, smack in the middle of downtown Miami. A supermarket? Not around here. In a unique way, this farmers' market fills that void. Here, Eddie Stewart can use cash or his EBT card, known as food stamps, to fill his bag with fruits and vegetables.
EDDIE STEWART, OVERTOWN RESIDENT: It's home grown, more fresh than anything else. You can't beat that. .
ZARRELLA: And you can't beat the prices. For every $1 in food stamps --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does 21 work? Is 21 good?
ZARRELLA: You get $2 worth of produce, even exotic fruits like lokwat.
(on camera): I don't know. What does it taste like? You're the chef.
MICHEL NISCHAN, FOUNDER, WHOLESOME WAVE FOUNDATION: It's like a cross between an apple, a melon and a kiwi.
ZARRELLA: This subsidized market is the brainchild of chef Michel Nischan (ph). There are more than 100 now open around the country funded by donations and money from Nischan's foundation. The idea: give small family farmers an outlet for their locally-grown produce.
Try tamarind.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're eating the flesh which is around the seed.
NISCHAN: You think Worcestershire.
ZARRELLA: Most importantly, this market provides fresh food at an affordable price to communities where access to groceries is limited.
NISCHAN: When you provide the access and the resources, both, miracles happen. It's pretty cool.
ZARRELLA: You can pick up the Overtown Cookbook here, too.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here we have a dessert. This is a mango- banana smoothie with granola.
ZARRELLA (on camera): Oh, I like that a lot.
(voice-over): Students at the neighborhood's Booker T. Washington High produced the book using recipes from home, but substituted healthy ingredients. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Instead of using molasses to sweeten up your food, you can use things like honey, apple juice.
ZARRELLA: In this neighborhood, the seeds of healthy eating have definitely taken root.
John Zarrella, CNN, Miami.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: So, thinking of running out on to the field of a baseball game? You might be in for the shock of your life. We're getting your thoughts on the Taser shot that came out of left field.
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PHILLIPS: So have you seen the teen in Philly who got shocked silly? Monday in the City of Brotherly Love, a 17-year-old Phillies fan runs on the field, gets rewarded with some voltage. Whatever happened to the chase, tackle and big escort off the field? Not sure. Come on, fans run on the field all of the time. It just happens. At least this one kept his clothes on, right?
Are these random acts of trespassing now a Taserable offense? That brings us to today's blog question. We asked you for your thoughts on the Philly fan Tasing. Here's what some of you had to say.
Joy said, "Actions have consequences. Maybe if the irresponsible yahoos were Tased, they'd think twice before ignoring common sense and common courtesy."
Butch says, "This guy could have had a gun, or a knife or razor blade, and his mission could have been to harm or kill a player. The officer was right on the money in the way he handled that situation."
And Jonathan says, "Tasing can be deadly. Take it from a cardiac nurse. Anytime you introduce electric shock with enough strength to mobilize - or immobilize -- you risk stopping a heart altogether."
Finally from Charlie, "Should have put the cop on a fitness program instead of issuing him a Taser. Then he might have caught the kid."
Remember, we want to hear from you. Just log on to CNN.com/kyra to share your comments.
Tennessee flooding, a disaster that just keeps getting worse. Coming up in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM, a closer look at the cleanup and when the waters will hopefully recede.
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PHILLIPS: Boca Raton, Florida, buzzing over a possible UFO sighting. A hovering light in the sky.
Here's what they were looking at. Thank God for cell phone video. According to witnesses, the light stood still, and then moved in weird ways. Some thought it was an alien invasion, so they flooded police with 911 calls.
So, what was it really? It was really space invaders? Of course, not. It was a bicycle light tied to a kite, for goodness sake. Our local affiliate there, WPBS, says a teenage girl grabbed it, ran off when until it finally fell to earth.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Tony Harris picks up all of the space stories from here. Sorry. That was a bad segueway.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: No, no, but it's all good. We'll make it work. All right. Kyra, have a great day.
