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Suspect Tied to International Terrorists; President Meets with Security Team; Dropping the Dome over Oil; Heartbreak in the Music City; Capping the Oil Leak; Starving, Stealing, Bedsores & Bugs; Glitch Exposes Facebook Chats; Oil Industry Oversight

Aired May 06, 2010 - 09:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everybody. I'm Kyra Phillips. Here's what we're working on this morning.

A game changer in the Times Square bomb case. We are learning this guy could have been Taliban approved.

Why are evangelicals already praying for change that they can believe in? A crusade against President Obama has begun.

And hey, what's a little private conversation among friends? Every single one of your Facebook friends? Would you want all 500 to know what you and your lover are messaging about?

But first, the attempted car bombing on Times Square. We're getting a better idea how serious he was. A law enforcement source tells CNN that Faisal Shahzad has described a practice run for the attack just a day before the failed attempt.

The source says Shahzad staked out potential locations to leave the car bomb. He then parked a second vehicle that he would use as a getaway car. Then the next night, Saturday, he allegedly parked the car bomb.

As he was walking away, he realized a colossal mistake. He had forgotten the keys to his getaway car inside the parked car bomb. He had to catch a metro train back to his home in Connecticut.

One of the big questions remains unanswered. Does the suspect, Faisal Shahzad, have any ties to international terrorism? One lawmaker who's deeply involved in intelligence matters says disturbing evidence appears to be mounting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PETER HOEKSTRA (R), RANKING MEMBER, HOUSE INTELLIGENCE CMTE.: Well, we won't get our first official briefing on classified information until hopefully later today.

From a number of other sources, you know, I'm gleaning the information that there probably is a very strong link between this individual and the Taliban in Pakistan.

And you're absolutely right. If this is accurate, it would be a game changer.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, that was an interview just a short time ago with CNN's John Roberts on "AMERICAN MORNING." John joins me now live from New York.

So, John, why a game-changer?

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: A game-changer, Kyra, because up until now it's believed that the Taliban in Pakistan could launch attacks across the border into Afghanistan but could not hit the U.S. mainland.

So if indeed Shahzad had received in north Waziristan as he claimed and had some liaison with the Taliban, this would be an indication that they do have that sort of global reach that would put the United States at risk, and according to Congressman Hoekstra would now make two the number of organizations trying to launch attacks against the U.S.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula -- remember Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab who tried to blow up that plane on Christmas morning, got some training from them -- and then the Taliban in Pakistan. So kind of being targeted from two sides which sort of changes up the game, according to Hoekstra.

PHILLIPS: I mean the fact that he -- sorry, we didn't have audio there for a minute. With regard to this being a game-changer, what about the issue of citizenship? I understand that there was some debate going on on how to handle these kind of guys that are naturalized citizens.

ROBERTS: Yes, Senator Joe Lieberman plans to introduce some legislation today which would -- in the case of somebody charged with terrorism, if they are American citizen, as Shahzad was -- strip them of that citizenship which would then allow the United States to put them into a military process as opposed to a civilian judicial one.

I asked Hoekstra if he supported Lieberman's move. Here's what he told me.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOEKSTRA: Senator Lieberman and I, we have talked about this. We're going to take a close look at that -- you know, that legislation to see exactly what options it opens up for us in terms of investigating.

Sure, I think that this is something that we should consider. You know this guy was a naturalized citizen. He pledged loyalty to the United States of America. He then went out and tried to, you know, perhaps kill hundreds of Americans in one day.

He's broken that oath to the United States. And we ought to clearly evaluate whether we should strip him of his citizenship. And what that would mean in terms of providing us with, you know, more opportunities to interrogate and investigate exactly what he did.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: So, John, what now?

ROBERTS: Well, now obviously the investigation is going to take place and as well, a debate over whether or not he should have been read his Miranda rights. So whether that afforded him too much leeway to keep his mouth shut. Apparently he's still telling investigators everything he knows.

But the one thing, too, that Hoekstra was concerned about was, what if Shahzad had been a suicide bomber? What if he had of stayed with that vehicle all the way through the process of detonation as opposed to kind of lighting it and running away?

He's wondering if maybe these organizations like al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and the Taliban in Pakistan are looking at this, learning about it and plan to adjust if they launch another attack against the United States. Very troubling -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Of course. And all Americans (INAUDIBLE) are concerned if we're going to see like what happened in Mumbai and see other attacks pop up in other parts of the country.

John Roberts, appreciate it.

Now after that failed car bombing attempt, you knew that police in New York would be leery of any suspicious vehicle. Sure enough, four days after the Times Square attempt, one did pop up.

Police closed off the city's Robert F. Kennedy Bridge last night which used to be known as the Triborough Bridge. After a toll booth operator smelled gas coming from an abandoned rental truck, he acted. The bridge was closed for about two hours while police went over to the truck bumper to bumper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL BROWNE, NYPD DEPUTY COMMISSIONER: After the inspection by the bomb squad and no explosives of any kind was found, they inspected the engine, the undercarriage. They cut a hole in the side so they could visually inspect the vehicle. And nothing was found.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: And that bridge reopened about midnight.

Now as far as we know, Faisal Shahzad wasn't on anybody's radar. And now the Times Square incident raises questions about the possibility of radicalized Americans taking aim at America.

President Obama meets with his national security team today.

CNN's senior White House correspondent Ed Henry joins us now.

So, what do you think? Any sign the administration could make a shift here?

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, when you talk to top White House officials, Kyra, they say they've already been -- in their words -- increasing the tempo in terms of their attacks against terror leaders all around the world.

You heard John talking about both the Taliban and al Qaeda leaders. They say they've been doing that with drone attacks and other tools. They have been doing it not just around Afghanistan and Pakistan, but in Africa and other places around the world.

What's that has resulted in is that it's much more difficult for al Qaeda or the Taliban to plan some sort of a spectacular 9/11 style attack. Nevertheless, it allows these sort of sporadic, smaller attempts like we saw in Times Square, which may not be as large but still are very scary and still could happen here in America if they turn some of these radicalized Americans, as you noted.

So that's, in part, why the president is having this meeting today. They call it the Af-Pak meeting. It was really an outgrowth of a much broader scope which is the president's announcement last year that he was sending about 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan.

He's already sent about 20,000 of those. U.S. officials say that by the end of the summer, all 30,000 more of that beefed-up force will be on the ground. And this really brings it full circle when we see the Times Square attack, which is that this is not just about the war over there, it's about trying to make sure you disrupt the al Qaeda and Taliban and other terror groups to make sure they're not coming over here to the U.S. and launching these attacks -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Yes. It's a pretty scary time. And just puts us -- keeps us all on our toes, that's for sure.

Ed Henry at the White House. Ed, thanks.

HENRY: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Oil and politics -- just how do they mix as BP comes under scrutiny for the massive spill in the gulf? Its political contributions are now under the microscope.

During the 2008 presidential campaign, President Obama was the top recipient of BP related donations. According to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics he received $71,000.

But the White House quickly points out that the money came from BP employees, not the company itself. The group also says that BP spent $16 million lobbying Congress just last year.

Dropping the dome to cap the leak. Well, that's the plan today. BP is going to try and drop this four-story tall concrete bunker a mile down over a leak on the gulf floor. It's kind of like trying to grab one of those stuffed animals out of the clogging.

CNN's Tom Foreman shows us how it's supposed to work. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Here's the idea. They bring this device in here. And they bring it down slowly. The idea being that if they can, they will slowly bring it down above this well and completely cover over that spill.

Then, with this sitting up on top -- it's obviously not to scale here, because the size of the water -- they then hook a pipe to the top here. They'll always have -- already have one in place. And with that, they will be able to run a hose up from the top of this and that hose will go up to the top where it will feed into a barge and pump all that oil and water out.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, CNN's David Mattingly is joining us now live from Venice, Louisiana with more on the dome project.

David, have we ever tried this before?

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This has never been tried before in this much water. This was used successfully to cap some wells after Hurricane Katrina but in much shallower water.

What they're doing now, this device is huge. They've never had one this big before. And they've never had to lower it down to almost a mile down to the ocean floor.

They don't have a backup. This is the only one of these devices they have. So they're going to be very careful. And they're going to take a lot of care and a lot of time possibly two days to lower it down into position.

Now one important thing with the way this is going to work, they have to hold it perfectly in place. So they're going is to have GPS stabilizers on the barge that's lowering this down.

There's -- and there's going to be constant adjustments going on for current, wind, all sorts of conditions like that to make sure that this containment vessel stays in the right spot all the way down for a couple of days, possibly, going to that one spot on the ocean floor.

A very difficult feat of engineering. And again, Kyra, this isn't just a long-shot. It's the only shot. They don't have a backup device in case something goes wrong with this. They would have to go back to the drawing board and start over again.

PHILLIPS: So, David, where exactly is the dome right now?

MATTINGLY: Well, the dome left port over 12 hours ago. And we were told it was a 12-hour journey out to the location. It's possible it could be there. The Coast Guard this morning telling me it's their understanding it won't be there until noon.

The problem here is that every time I get a different piece of information from one different agency or another, I am told that there are so many moving parts here. It's difficult for any one agency or one group to keep track of what's happening.

Twelve hours later, which is where we are at the mark now, it could be there. It should be there. We're just waiting for Coast Guard confirmation to tell us, yes, it is there. And they're ready to start those operations to lower it.

BP this morning tells me that they should begin those plans to have actually put it in the water and start lowering it down sometime this evening.

PHILLIPS: All right, David Mattingly, we'll follow the progress with you.

Well, thick, black clouds of smoke roll over San Antonio. A big blast at a refinery set off a chain reaction of smaller explosions yesterday. The accident happened when a tanker truck was being fueled. One person was critically burned.

The fire burned itself out while firefighters cooled down tanks to prevent more explosions. The refinery is going to be close for a little while.

So will the circle be unbroken? Old-time hymn has new meaning after devastating floods. We're going to take you to Nashville.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And coming up the Cumberland River continues to drop right now in parts of central Tennessee. And I'll let you know how much rain is in store for Music City. That's right, more rain on the way.

Full story coming up right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: It's Election Day on the other side of the pond. Voters are heading to the polls in Britain, Whales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. They're picking a new parliament. And the way the polls have looked, they'll have a new prime minister, too.

Gordon Brown has the job now. But growing problems with the economy and immigration have dragged him down. That will also be the first thing on the new prime minister's agenda.

We're going to have more on the elections and the American-style campaign at the bottom of the hour.

There's a different sound coming out of Music City this morning. It's not the twang of the steel guitar or the plucking of a fiddle. It's the hum of generators and the sucking of pumps as Nashville struggles to recover from historic flooding.

Martin Savidge is there for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): To understand what country music means to Nashville and the millions who love it, we turned to somebody who knows it. Country performer Jo Dee Messina has had nine hit singles and sold over five million albums. And the first thing she did was get me on stage -- not at some honky-tonk, but at the Nashville Symphony.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can speak in a normal voice here and the person on the last row can hear it like they're standing in front of you.

SAVIDGE (on camera): And none of this was flooded or damaged?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.

SAVIDGE (voice-over): In a city that loves all kinds of music, that was a big relief. Then she took me to the real disaster. The basement. Eighteen feet of water drowning all sorts of instruments.

(On camera): Somewhere down there are two Steinways?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, two Steinways, really beautiful, concert grand Steinways, hand-picked for this hall.

SAVIDGE (voice-over): With the electricity out, the humidity and the smell are overwhelming.

Jody doesn't just know music. With five feet of water in her own basement, she also has a feel for what many in Nashville are going through.

(On camera): I think people think stuff like that doesn't happen to people like you?

(LAUGHTER)

JO DEE MESSINA, COUNTRY MUSIC SINGER: Oh, it happens.

(LAUGHTER)

SAVIDGE (voice-over): She takes me to another place that flooded. The Country Music Hall of Fame where everything country lives -- or did. Rumors were a lot had been lost. And judging by the sidewalk, it didn't look good.

The museum's wood floor and walls sat in piles. In the basement, the theater had flooded to the third row.

Upstairs, we found Carolyn Tate and her team working in the dark.

MESSINA: It's kind of -- a mess in here.

SAVIDGE: They were surrounded by what could only be called the crown jewels of country music which they had guarded and cared for all through the flood. It may not have looked pretty or organized but it was all there, including a squirrel sculpture belonging to Hank Williams, music awards, even Vince Gil's very first guitar.

In the rotunda, Jody found new meaning in an old song.

MESSINA: (Singing) By and by, Lord, by and by.

SAVIDGE (on camera): You have nice acoustics here, too, don't they?

MESSINA: Yes, we do.

(LAUGHTER)

SAVIDGE: But I guess you'd expect that here, wouldn't you?

MESSINA: Yes, it's pretty rocking.

SAVIDGE: Do you think that has meaning here at a time like this?

MESSINA: It all has meaning, all meaning, all the time.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Reynolds Wolf, I'll tell you what, they can -- you hear -- they ought to be singing the blues right now. That's what we should hear Jo Dee Messina singing. But I'll tell you what, they're pulling through and they're all coming together and they're helping other people in the area, not so much worrying about themselves.

WOLF: Absolutely. You know better conditions are going to be in store for them, too, in the Music City. They've got a couple of things working in their favor. The river is going to drop and then as we make our way into the weekend, dryer conditions, possibly had a chance of heavier rainfall, though, as we get into Monday of next week.

Switching gears, in the Gulf of Mexico, conditions are pretty good for people trying to contain this spread of oil. You know this oil, which is again a slick, we're talking about the size of the state of Delaware, is really at the mercy of two things. One, the wind, the second, the currents. But things are going to be favorable for the next couple of days.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WOLF: That's a look at your forecast. Let's send it right back to you at the desk -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: OK, Reynolds, thanks.

Well, someone give these actors some Oscars. The prop guy, too. The scene was so amazing, so amazing the cops thought it was a real crime scene. Never mind that camera, boom, mike and director yelling cut. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right, we've got some breaking news coming out of Seattle right now. What we're being told is that a baggage claim -- actually the entire baggage claim area at Sea-Tac Airport has been evacuated of a suspicious bag.

This is a live picture from our affiliate KIRO out of Seattle right now. We're going to continue to monitor the story and bring you any new developments as we get that information.

All right, checking top stories now. Dress rehearsal for a terror attack. We now know that Faisal Shahzad made a practice run before allegedly trying to blow up a car in Times Square. A law enforcement source is telling CNN about the suspect's questioning.

A container vessel could arrive this morning at the site of that underwater oil gusher in the gulf. BP will try to lower the container on to the broken pipe. The good news, the spilling could be stopped by Monday. The bad news, the process will probably have a lot of challenges.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus gets good news and some bad news. The good news, well, you got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Bad news, we'll share that with you right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: She is in the money, All right. A whole lot of it. According to the Associated Press, Jackie Wells Cisneros, an assignment editor at KNBC TV won this week's $266 million mega- millions jackpot. While the new multi-millionaire is keeping a low profile, her mom, as usual, is very ecstatic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, it was quite a shock and it's -- we're absolutely elated. It's an absolutely unbelievable experience.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, movie makers strive for realism. But here's a case of a movie scene maybe being a bit too realistic. In New York, Nassau County Police raced to a convenience store where people were waving guns.

As you can see, movie crews were just filming a scene. Enter stage right. Real cops with real guns. You see they had no idea the apparent scene of the crime was really the scene of a movie.

The filmmaker wasn't charged with any crimes but he may be charged nonetheless. He could be billed for the police manpower that was wasted on the false alarm.

And poor Julia Louis-Dreyfus. She got her star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame but check out the spelling. Uh-oh. (LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: Her middle name is L-O-U-I-S like St. Louis. Not L-U- I-S. Plus the hyphen was missing from her last name.

A CNN staffer was walking by and noticed the mistake. The actress says she wasn't bothered by it. Anyway the engraver hurried over to the Hollywood Boulevard spot, made a quick correction, albeit a bit rough. Another star with the correct spelling will replace the quick fix.

Flat broke, Greece paralyzed by a money crisis. And now deadly protests. It's not over yet. We're going to tell you what's in store today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: A protest in Greece made headlines all around the world, and here at home, it helped send the markets lower yet again. Today, more protests. How will investors react? Stephanie Elam in New York with the details.

Hey, Steph.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra.

Yes, you know, over the last two days, we've seen the Dow drop about 300 points as investors keep a cautious side to the world's economy. Today, stocks are set for another lower opening and that's what we've gotten so far. Greece is still a concern. The country's parliament is voting today on budget cutting measures like wage and pension reduction, and really, this is part of what it has to do, they got to cut spending in order to get the $146 billion bailout from the EU and the IMF.

But we do have here at home some positive economic signs that are coming into play. We got new jobless claims, and they dropped by 7,000 last week to 444,000. This marks the third decline in a row, and that's a sign that lay-offs are slowing. We also have retailers like Costco, the Limited, and Macy's, they're all reporting upbeat sale numbers for April.

However, Freddie Mac, there are more troubles. The government controlled company lost $8 billion last quarter and says it needs another $10 billion from the government. Freddy has already received $50 billion from the treasury and says, housing in America still remains fragile.

All right. So, let's go ahead and check the numbers as we get going here today. The Dow off 18 points, 10,849, Nasdaq off 11 at 2390, so we're off too in the red right now. But, Kyra, before I go, one little story that we kept out specifically for you. It's National Hamburger Month. So, if you're going to celebrate that, you know what, better way to do that than to get a candle that smells like a White Castle burger. The candles, they're $10 and believe it or not, they're sold out right now, which is probably the scariest part of that whole story.

PHILLIPS: OK. That's pretty gross. I mean, White Castle hamburgers are really good, but do I want my house smelling like that? I don't know.

ELAM: I think when people make burgers in their house, they try to open up the windows to get the smell out, not bring it in. And then take it into the bedroom.

PHILLIPS: Oohh, that is so not romantic.

ELAM: Not at all.

PHILLIPS: But then again, maybe for some people. OK. We won't go there.

ELAM: Exactly.

PHILLIPS: All right. Steph, thanks.

When you hear the word bullies, what do you think of? Protecting the students, right? What about the teachers, they're actually getting bullied too and they've got the bruises to prove it. So, what do you think, time to bring back the paddle?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: You can't tell the players without a scorecard. No, it isn't a ball game. the elections in the UK.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who is this man?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, no, one of these.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It looks like a Kennedy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who is that man?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh that man is the Prime Minister of the UK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gordon Green?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gordon Red?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gordon Black?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gordon Brown. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Identifying challenger, Nick Clegg, was much harder?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where you from?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: New York.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where are your papers?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It looks like Michael J. Fox. I don't if it is.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He looks like the guys from family ties, but I know he's not.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The current candidate shouldn't feel too bad.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my goodness. I've seen that face, but I don't know his name.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's Winston Churchill

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is sad as his life (ph).

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: No, it's on tape and we just put you on CNN.

All right, so the streets of New York didn't give us any answers on who is in today's election. So, here's the proper lesson. That's Gordon Brown on the left. He's the current Prime Minister and the flag bearer of the labor party. You'd call them moderates here in the U.S. Labor has been in power since Tony Blair took over.

Now, in the middle, powerful conservative leader, David Cameron. He's the likely winner here. Margaret Thatcher led this party. They want to cut immigration and taxes for the rich. On the right or really left in politics is Nick Clegg, called the Obama of Britain, because he is calling for change. The liberal Democrats are more critical of the U.S. and want better oversight with Afghanistan operations.

Now, Clegg is the fast riser in all of this. He even has his own YouTube admirers. Was that ring a bell? CNN Zain Verjee has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the online for the election, we've seen spoofs and jokes and plenty of laughs, now, some YouTube. Here's the latest buzz.

The U.S. election campaign had Obama girl. Now, the British elections hitting the YouTube charts with the Clegg girls.

Once upon a time, they were the Cameron girls.

So, why the YouTube turn?

HAYLEY AND SASKIA, "CLEG GIRLS": We just thought the personality cope (ph) surrounds the election. All messages they put in the government (ph), really.

VERJEE: They're equal opportunity to leaders, even laboring over this song.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All over the country, all over the town, women are screaming, we want more Brown.

VERJEE: But will the girls' chorus make voters change their tune?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Gordon, Gordon, don't ever want to say good-bye. Gordon, Gordon, don't leave now, don't make us cry. Gordon, Gordon, don't ever want to say goodbye. Gordon, Gordon, don't leave now, don't make us cry.

VERJEE (on-camera): Even though, it's all good fun and a big laugh, what's important to understand is that social media has not set the agenda as expected it might for this election. Instead, it's the traditional media, like TV that has.

Zain Verjee, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Checking top stories now. We're learning more about terror suspect, Faisal Shahzad. Sources telling CNN he made a dry run for his bomb attack the day before, and he left the keys to his getaway car inside the car bomb.

The dome is in place, a mile away, I guess. BP says their containment dome is at the site of the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, but they still have to drop it down 5,000 feet to the gulf floor.

Life is trickling back to normal in Nashville today. Bus service supposed to start. Teachers expected back at school, but large parts of the city still under water. The Nashville's mayor says, the flood damage will probably top $1 billion.

You know the saying, spare the rod, spoil the child? In Dallas, there's a push to return the rod. Well, the paddle anyway. Five years ago, the Dallas Independent School District banned paddling, but now one tutor has started a movement to bring back what's called "licks." He says just the threat of physical punishment keeps kids in line, and teachers agree they need more to control the students. Just ask the teacher who just now recovered from the torn cartilage in her knee courtesy of a second grader. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIMBERLY LINDSEY, DALLAS SCHOOLTEACHER: We have students that don't take teacher seriously. They are send on referrals to the office and sent back, and it's like a joke to them.

GILBERT LEAL, CREATOR, BRINGBACKLICKS.COM: The psychology of it that the threat of licks, I think that's what's so effective.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Dallas Morning News reports suspensions in Dallas schools have surged since the district ended paddling.

We want to know what you think. Should schools bring back corporal punishment? Put the paddle back on the table. Go to CNN.com/Kyra and let us know what you think. I'll read some of your comments in the next hour.

It doesn't matter who you are. Everybody is suffering from the Nashville floods. The heartache and loss could be expressed in a country music song. In fact, one of country's greats tells us about it in his own words. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Don't get upset about all the bodies in there. No inspection that starts that way ends well, believe me. And here's what they found. A pile of dozens of bodies in a funeral home garage in Riverdale, Maryland. Around 40 bodies in body bags piled up for who knows how long. They were supposed to be cremated.

The funeral home director told the Washington Post quote "we felt we handled things appropriately." He also said they had limited space, but come on, a 12-foot by 12-foot pile of bodies? Many are believed to be cadavers donated for research in Georgetown University's medical school. Even worse, give your body to science only to be dumped in a pile.

Rich and poor, old and young, black and white, everyone in Nashville has been touched in some way by the massive flooding. You can tell about some of the progress like city workers returning to their jobs today. Buses are running. Students are back at school, and most importantly, waters from the Cumberland River are receding. But those receding waters are revealing images of devastation. Country music star, Kenny Chesney told our Anderson Cooper, everybody is hurting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KENNY CHESNEY, SINGER: Yes, that was flying back home. You could see all of it from the air. I couldn't believe what had happened. I just couldn't believe that. You watch it on the news and you see this stuff happen all around the world but you know, this has really had an effect on this town and on this state. It's really been a really tough thing for people to deal with, including me. (END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Got it. Well, the mayor says the damage could easily top $1 billion. And here is something that you won't find in the ledger books. Twenty-one people have died in Tennessee from that flooding.

Reynolds Wolf watching those river levels, the creek levels. What do you think? Is it going to get any better?

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know, things are going to get better. In fact, as we make our way later on today into the afternoon, things are going to be below flood stage, which is great news. We may have a straight shower tomorrow, but in terms of the rainfall that we saw, that second to be in the picture. We may see some heavy rainfall on Monday, but as we get close to that opportunity of rainfall, the rivers are going to continue to drop considerably. So, that's all good news.

In fact, when you take a look at the map, here's what we have for you. A bit of stationary in the front that's going to leave (ph) in the parts of the southeast. A mix of sunshine and clouds, but really, in terms of Nashville's forecast, pretty good for today. Fairly warm in parts of the southeast. Look for chance of heavy rainfall in parts of the northeast, but the thing I really want you to focus in on the is the possibility to gain some severe weather right here in parts of the central plains, and Kansas City may be under the gun later on today. Perhaps even Lincoln, Nebraska, strong thunderstorms, maybe, maybe an isolated tornado.

And then when you get back down to the west, we're talking about entirely different types of weather phenomenon, not tornadoes, but believe it or not, some snowfall. Some locations, up to a foot of snowfall for this time of year. Certainly, it looks like may be breezy for you, though, in parts of the Four Corners in West Texas.

And for the Gulf Coast, for people who are trying to harness that oil, trying to keep it in place from spreading. Conditions out there pretty good. In fact, winds should be very gentle coming in from the south moving towards the north, but a very, very weak wind, and in terms of your waves, anywhere from say 1-2 feet. So, certainly, a favorable forecast for much of the nation, just chance of rough weather and portions in the Midwest and central plains. Kyra, that's the latest. Let's send it back to you.

PHILLIPS: All right, Reynolds thanks.

More from the CNN NEWSROOM straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Remember all that ridiculous "pull the plug on grandma" talk last year. Yes, apparently if you want bad things to happen to grandma, just send her to a nursing home in Oklahoma.

A state investigation found that residents with bedsores weren't getting the right treatments. And it was bad enough to do serious harm. Now, if that doesn't get grandma, maybe the starvation will or the nasty cockroaches. But hey, on the up side, at least one employee might have stolen thousands of dollars from grandma's bank account.

More now on this outrageous story from Dan Matthews of KWTV.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAY EMERY, MOTHER IN NURSING HOME: They are virtually starving those people to death.

DAN MATTHEWS, KWTV REPORTER: Kay Emery's (ph) 92-year-old mother has been a resident of Mustang Manor since August. First, Emery noticed bruises on her mother's face, then a drop in weight.

EMERY: My mother has lost so much weight and she's a small person. She's maybe probably not quite five foot tall now. And she has lost so much weight that her bones are protruding.

MATTHEWS: In the last two years, the Health Department has found enough problems at Mustang Manor to impose fines of over $35,000. More fines are coming because since February, inspections have found 27 deficiencies in nutrition and sanitation.

Meanwhile, Mustang police have investigated reports of crime at the center including embezzlement.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We received a call that a resident had -- actually had written checks to an employee of the business to have them cashed and have the money returned to her and that she had not received those funds.

MATTHEWS: The Health Department says some of the problems have been cleaned up, but others remain.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Most people complain, but don't do anything about it and so we are doing -- we are trying to do something about it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: You know, if you judge a civilization on how it treats its elderly folks this place would be stuck somewhere in the Stone Age. At least seven complaints filed against Mustang Manor this year. No one from the office is talking, of course. They're supposed to come up with a plan to fix what's wrong. Shame on you.

Still ahead, President Obama versus Evangelicals. We go one-on- one with David Brody of CVN. That's coming up at the bottom of the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Hey Rockwell, who's watching you? Try every single one of your Facebook friend as you have a private chat, maybe as you chat with your lover or talk smack about another Facebook friend, maybe even your boss. Yes, thanks to a Facebook glitch all your friends could see your private talks -- awkward.

Christine Romans is here. So Christine, it's not the first glitch for Facebook, right?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: No. No, it isn't. And it's embarrassing. I don't know if it's more embarrassing for the person who got caught saying something bad about their best friends or for Facebook for having a privacy glitch yesterday.

PHILLIPS: Both.

ROMANS: I know. This happened yesterday and it was suddenly viewers or Facebook users noticed Kyra that they could see private conversations, chats between others of their friends and they could even see friend requests. This is when they were specifically working under certain privacy circumstances.

So there was a glitch in the software and Facebook has on its own site explained what happened and to whom it happened, under circumstances and say this glitch has been picked. But essentially what this was, if you were in the "Preview My Profile" feature, you could see these private chats between friends and that is something that is a little unnerving to people who are having more and more communication on these sites.

Keep in mind there are 400 million people using Facebook; 130 friends on average a piece. They're sharing 70 pieces of information a month and in many cases, you think that that is private, but at least for a spell yesterday it was not private.

Facebook says it has been fixed, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Ok. Well, Facebook says it's been fixed, but can we trust services like Facebook to protect our private information all the time?

ROMANS: Privacy experts say assume that everything that you are writing and saying, every group that you are joining, everything that you are buying is available out there in millions of places in cyberspace. That is the most conservative way you can think of it.

It's ironic, too, Kyra that this happened on the very day that about 15 different privacy and consumer rights groups were in Washington asking the FTC to review the most -- latest privacy move of Facebook. Facebook is allowing people to share with all their friends what they're looking at or what they're buying online.

Just like the like button you can click. You can like something, a store, a shop, a product and that's something that privacy experts are concerned that maybe they're going a little too far. So the irony of both of those things happening on the same day is not lost on people who are a little worried about how much of the information and private conversations are available in cyberspace.

PHILLIPS: I don't know. I just can't take the risk. I can't do it. What about you? Are you a Facebooker? ROMANS: I am. I do like it because I love what viewers tell me, but I tell you something, when I talk to people about getting jobs, the number one piece of advice for young people on getting jobs, get rid of the pictures of you with the drink in your hand. Do not join groups that are political in nature. Don't say -- don't join groups that are either for or against the President or a piece of legislation.

PHILLIPS: That's right. Future bosses are looking at this. You're right.

ROMANS: All of these things are going to follow you. And if you are middle aged and you are trying to get a job, also be careful about those Cancun pictures with you and your husband and the umbrella drink. All of these things reflect on you if you were to friend somebody or you have a former colleague that's a friend who is looking to hire.

PHILLIPS: Or you and the secret lover with the drink, with the umbrellas in it on the beach. That's a whole another story.

ROMANS: That's a problem with the husband, not the boss.

PHILLIPS: Christine -- all right. Well, it's not funny, of course, in many ways about what's happened. We'll follow with you. Christine thanks.

ROMANS: Sure.

PHILLIPS: Well, Elizabeth Hasselbeck from "The View" might have gotten just a bit too chatty, too. She was talking about the outfit that Erin Andrews wore on "Dancing with the Stars", the same Erin Andrews who was the unwitting star of a stalker's peephole movies.

Watch Hasselbeck's foot go directly into her mouth.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELISABETH HASSELBECK, HOST, "THE VIEW": However, for the past, like, three weeks she's been wearing, like, next to nothing, ok? So she come in, and I think in light of what happened, and as illegal and as inexcusable as it was for that horrific guy to go in and try to peep on her in her hotel room, I mean, in some way if I'm him I'm, like, man, I just could have just waited 12 weeks and seen this a little bit less without the prison time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Oh, boy. Love the awkward -- are we supposed to laugh after that comment? "The View" was a bit different yesterday, complete with tears.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HASSELBECK: And I told her and I promised her that I would use my words more mindfully like I try to do to build people up and not break them down. And thankfully she's fine and so cute, she said to me, "Mommy, why don't you just call Erin and tell her you're sorry." So, thankfully, I listened to her. She's a wise little girl.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Dropping the dome to cap the leak. That's the plan today. BP is going to try and drop this four-story tall concrete bunker a mile down over a leak on the Gulf floor. Now, they've never even attempted this move at that depth so they're not sure it's going to work.

And while they're out working the leak, there are thousands of people basically patrolling the coast for oil. The oil slick has already messed up fishing grounds, but there's still a chance to save the beaches.