Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Oklahoma Twisters Kill Five; Judging Elena Kagan; $1.5 Million in Damages; Toyota Recall Investigation; Gulf Oil Leak; Widespread Panic Impacts the World

Aired May 11, 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: That's right. We're thinking outside the NEWSROOM today. We've got the news, yes. We're also giving you a chance to be part of it.

A chance to impact your world with a little help from our friends in Widespread Panic. These guys know the healing and unifying power of music. A lot of people in your world need that power right now.

And we begin this hour with vicious weather in the southern plains. Two deadly tornadoes swirling in unison in southern Oklahoma. All of it caught on tape.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There comes one right there. Look at them. They are all over.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: As you can hear, storm chasers were only reporters because it was just too dangerous for anyone else. Two people killed in Oklahoma City. Three just south of there in Cleveland County. Dozens of more people were injured.

Now those twisters churned across much of the metro area, ripped apart homes and tore down power lines. They knocked out the power for tens of thousands of homes and businesses.

And Oklahoma could be bracing for round two today. CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras watching the warning signs for us.

Jacqui, what do you think?

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, well, I think we will see more severe weather this afternoon and into the evening hours, Kyra. But not compared to what we had yesterday.

Today is a slight risk day. The area that we're watching, though, is really the same. It includes Oklahoma City, northern parts of the state, on up into Kansas as well as into Missouri and Arkansas.

There is a 2 percent chance of tornadoes here today compared with about a 1-4 chance yesterday. So there will be some rotation likely. But we'll also see some hail makers. Again, this won't be developing until later on today.

What happened yesterday, a very dynamic situation. Check out these pictures that we have from storm spotters of the tornado. This was in north central Oklahoma near Medford. And there you can see multiple vortices.

Look at that. I count like three maybe four of them. And it's not terribly unusual to have multiple vortices within a tornado. They tend to happen because of the air incoming into the storm as well as a little bit of friction, Kyra.

But this is a lot of reasons why sometimes we'll see one house which is destroyed and then one standing next to it that isn't. So these were very classic looking super cells. Very violent day yesterday.

Today we'll have to watch out for more. But hopefully, not as bad.

PHILLIPS: OK. We'll watch it together. Jacqui, thanks so much.

Well, finger-pointing and grilling on Capitol Hill. Executives from BP, Transocean and Halliburton testifying on what went wrong in the gulf. Why did that oil rig explode?

We're still waiting for answers.

No time to wait in the gulf. Giant sandbags are being dropped around protected wetlands in Louisiana right now trying to stop the spreading of that oil slick that's already damaging protected wildlife spots.

BP is going to start shooting chemicals in the water around that lake to try and break up the oil. The EPA says that that's fine. Gave its approval yesterday.

$350 million. That's how much BP says it's spent so far on its response. More than four million gallons of oil have spilled into the gulf.

We should hear more about that rig and the explosions at today's hearings. Eleven people were killed in that accident, 115 survived. One of those was Chris Choy. He talked with CNN's John Roberts about that night aboard the Deepwater Horizon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Take us back, if you would, to that night, April 20th. You worked the night shift, had trouble getting to sleep. You finally had, it was about 10:00 at night. What happened?

CHRIS CHOY, DEEPWATER HORIZON SURVIVOR: When I first woke up, I woke up to an explosion. I didn't know that's what it was. I kind of turned and sat on the edge of my bed. And I sat there and waited to see if there was another sound or what the deal was. Then there was a lot bigger explosion after that.

ROBERTS: Did you fare for your life at that point?

CHOY: Absolutely. That was the main thing going through my head. It just hit me in my stomach. I just thought -- kept thinking it was -- there's no way we're getting off here, you know? We're all -- we're all dead.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Now Choy has filed suit against Bp, Transocean and Halliburton for pain and suffering. He says that he was forced into signing a legal waiver right after he was rescued.

Less than 24 hours ago, the public met Elena Kagan, the president's Supreme Court nominee. But what do senators think about her? Well, they're the ones who will decide her fate.

CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux looks ahead to that confirmation process.

So, Suzanne, what do you think? Is it going to be smooth sailing for Elena Kagan?

(LAUGHTER)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I don't think it's going to be smooth sailing here. But the White House is optimistic. I had a chance to talk to Valerie Jarrett. She's one of the top presidential advisors and she said look, she understands there's going to be a lot of noise here. But she hopes that the senators at the very least will give Kagan a fair hearing.

That is what they're hoping, that's what they're expecting. They also say they're somewhat optimistic because when she was up for confirmation as solicitor general that they called it bipartisan support. She got some support from the Republicans as well.

A couple of real hurdles, though, Kyra, obviously that she's going to have to deal with. This whole question of the fact that she's never been a judge so she lacks this judicial experience. And White House aides tell me they're going to point to a couple of things, the fact that the conservatives, William Rehnquist, back in '72 had no judicial experience. Conservatives did not complain about that at the time.

They're also going to talk about her experience as a dean of Harvard Law School, her academic background as well as solicitor general. The other thing is this paper trail, this lack of a paper trail. And that is a concern among the liberals.

The liberal activists who say what are you getting yourself into at this point? Is she liberal enough on the court or even that swing vote that's necessary?

Obama White House officials tell me they're going to focus on the fact that she can build a consensus. She did that at the law school and that she did work under the Clinton administration.

And then finally, Kyra, there is the record of what she did as the dean of Harvard Law School, the controversy over banning military recruiters from going on campus and presenting -- recruiting on campus because of the law school's position against the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy which they consider discriminatory.

She will have to answer some of those questions that we've heard from Republicans asking her why did she do that? Does she believe that that's the right thing to do?

We know that President Obama today is going to be meeting with Senator Patrick Leahy of the Judiciary Committee, very powerful figure. And they're going to lay out a plan here to try to make this as smooth as possible.

But as you mentioned, Kyra, we don't expect it's going to be so smooth.

PHILLIPS: Nothing in politics goes so smoothly. You know that. You know that just as well as I do, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Oh yes.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: All right. Well, we'll track it, no doubt. Thanks, Suzanne.

A barrage of missiles aimed at suspected militants in northwest Pakistan. American predator drones launching them. It happened along the border with Afghanistan in an area known for Taliban activity. At least 14 militants reported kills.

Officials say that those drones fired as many as 18 missiles. The U.S. military rarely comments on drone attacks in Pakistan.

And Afghan president Hamid Karzai in Washington today. He and his delegation holding talks at the State Department. That includes some one-on-one time with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Karzai meets with President Obama tomorrow.

We're willing to leave at a moment's notice. That's what the families of Shane Bower, Sarah Shore and Joshua Patel are saying right now. They've gotten word that Iran will let them visit the three American hikers who've been locked up since July.

This is video of the three just before they strayed into an unmarked border of the Islamic republic.

Yesterday, Iran's state media reported those families will be granted visitation visas. They applied for those visas six months ago.

Making it right. The volunteer spirit in the volunteer state. We are going to tell you who's helping the thousand of flood victims in Tennessee and how. Here's a hint. You probably love their music.

Widespread Panic is who we're talking about. A band with deep southern roots and a long record of charity that goes in every direction. They have seen disasters like this. And they're helping us raise money. Live for two hours.

(MUSIC)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Ten days after Nashville's epic flood, the one folks that will never forget. Music City is finally on the rebound. Federal aid is promised to the thousands of the flood victims. The secretaries of HUD and the Commerce Department toured that city yesterday.

That federal help, we're told, includes a 90-day reprieve on home foreclosures and unemployment insurance for those who lost their jobs in the flooding.

Hundreds of volunteers and many from Nashville's music community are pitching in to help storm victims. We'll have more of that in just a moment.

And how's this for a bombshell. Property damage in the Nashville area now more than $1.5 billion.

Justin McFarland from our affiliate WZTV is going to show us exactly what we're talking about. He's actually at a Red Cross center.

So, Justin, give me a feel for the biggest need right now and how the Red Cross is helping.

JUSTIN MCFARLAND, WZTV REPORTER: Well, the Red Cross is doing a variety of things. They are right now housing -- still a week after this flood -- 446 people are still in shelters across Nashville that the Red Cross is taking care of.

The other thing that they're doing is they're going to a lot of communities and taking care of packages. Right now, we've been reporting all morning from a Red Cross facility just outside of Nashville in Madison, Tennessee.

And right now you're looking at all the volunteers who've come from across the country giving themselves a little cheer this morning, getting themselves hyped up for the day ahead as they have got a lot of work to do still.

Lots and lots of people still need assistance. But the volunteer assistance has been tremendous here in the volunteer state -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Now, Justin, as we look at these pictures, I understand, too, a lot of people showing up because there is a lot of frustration with the insurance out there. MCFARLAND: There's tons of frustration with the insurance company. A lot of the homeowners who thought they had flood insurance, they're finding out that the flood insurance is not covering everything that they thought it would.

They're finding now that the flood insurance just covers the house and not necessarily the things in the house. They're also finding out that people who have paying homeowner's insurance for years and years and years are finding out that not necessarily everything in their home is being covered by their home mortgage insurance.

I talked to a gentleman a couple of days ago who's been paying insurance for 40 years, come to find out that virtually nothing is being covered. And he's incredibly frustrated. And there are a lot of people in his same situation.

There are even more people who don't have flood insurance at all and we're told that they didn't need any when they originally bought their homes. So there are lots and lots of frustration as far as homeowners are concerned with their insurance policies.

PHILLIPS: All right, Justin McFarland, appreciate your live report.

We're raising money today to help exactly the type of people that you're talking about. And one leader who has felt this devastation firsthand, Nashville's mayor. Karl Dean knows exactly where the money being raised today needs to go.

Mayor, what part of your city is suffering the most at this point?

MAYOR KARL DEAN, NASHVILLE: Well, the city got hit really in a variety of places, north Nashville, the Bellevue community, and Madison, where your reporter was just at, the Antioch area and downtown.

The flooding damage occurred over a lot of different areas in the city in pockets. Probably, you know, 95 percent of Nashville was relatively unharmed. But we have a lot of people who are hurting, people -- you know, we have had nine deaths. Two people are still missing.

We've had families and individuals lose everything they had in terms of their homes being destroyed. We had people with very little to begin with who lost everything. So our heart goes out to them. We want to do everything we can to help them.

I'm encouraging people at this point to consider giving donations to the community foundation of Middle Tennessee which is www.cfmt. Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, which will allow a variety of nonprofits in Nashville to give money to the people who need it most as the result of this flood.

You know, our city is up and running. We're open for business. We have visitors and tourists and they're welcome. And we encourage them to come. And we're going to work hard each day with what we're doing with the huge volunteer effort to recover from this storm.

PHILLIPS: You know, as you know, we've got Widespread Panic here in the house helping us raise money for your area and other parts of the country as well. They are very charitable. They give to a number of organizations throughout our country.

And tell me exactly where that money could go now. The food bank is a very important charity for them. We've got that actually on our Web site.

Do folks there in your area not only need help with living conditions but food, shelter? Is this something that we can make a difference?

DEAN: Right. It is. I mean people need help with food. They need help with shelter. We are going to need -- people are going to be out of jobs because there are lots of businesses that are not open right now.

There are a lot of gaps that these nonprofits can help fill. And what's exciting about the Community Foundation process is, this is something that was set up when Nashville went through a tornado in the late 1990s.

And it allows the foundation to work with local nonprofits that can make sure that the money stays in the community and gets to where it needs to go.

PHILLIPS: Exactly.

DEAN: So that's why the Community Foundation to me at this point is the appropriate place to put money.

PHILLIPS: And I'm so glad you mentioned that, Mayor, because the Community Foundation is an important charity as the band that is actually on our Web site. And we're going to do everything we can to help you out today.

Mayor Karl Dean, thank you so much.

DEAN: Well, thank you for all you're doing. The city really appreciates CNN.

PHILLIPS: You bet. Well, we appreciate you and not only the people there of Nashville but, you know, what music means to that area. And clearly, the people of Nashville and Middle Tennessee need your help.

If you want to be a part of the story, all you have to do is check out CNN's "Impact Your World Web site, CNN.com./impact and Widespread Panic is already getting involved. They're in our studio right now. They're hear both hours showing us all how you can impact our world, their world, our world. Making a difference never sounded better. (MUSIC)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Checking top stories. At least five people dead after tornadoes ripped through the southern plains yesterday. Forecasters warned more severe weather could be headed there later today. BP says it's doing everything they can to prevent the spread of that massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. So far the company says it's spent $350 million.

Mostly partisan reactions to President Obama's nomination of U.S. Solicitor General Elena Kagan to be the next Supreme Court justice. The 50-year-old native New Yorker says she's honored and she's humbled.

We will be back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, if you've seen the devastating pictures from Tennessee, you know exactly what we're talking about. Flood victims that need your help.

If you want to help, you can go to CNN's "Impact Your World" Web site at CNN.com/impact. On the "Impact Your World" Web site, you're going to find links to charities, also the favorite organizations of the band Widespread Panic.

And they join us live. You just saw those amazing images right there. Photographer Angela (INAUDIBLE). She's been chronicling the effects of the flooding in Tennessee, a disaster that folks there will never forget.

Well, the guys in the band Widespread Panic have Tennessee roots and they played to thousands of fans across the state for many years. They know the healing and the unifying power of music. And they're using that power again now in inviting you to be a part of it.

And we're going to talk to them right now.

Guys, thanks for being here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: You already -- you have lit up this entire building, not just our studio but the building.

Jojo, I want to start with you. You live in Tennessee. You guys were actually coming through Tennessee when the floods hit. Tell me the impact that it's had.

JOJO HERMANN, KEYBOARDIST, WIDESPREAD PANIC: Well, just driving around the neighborhoods. You know, I live in Franklin and the devastation is just unreal. You know nobody really saw this coming. You know, everybody went to bed at night and woke up. And this flood just overwhelmed everybody.

PHILLIPS: Now when you toured through, so to speak, it wasn't to play music. You were assessing the damage and you guys were trying to get all your equipment and everything, you know, through there. You're getting ready to hit a number of places for your concerts.

You know, what were people saying to you? I know it hit you right in the heart. You were watching people struggle all across the area.

HERMANN: Well, I went back to check on my family and everything was OK. But, you know, in the communities just surrounding us, it was just devastating. And, you know, the one thing the images have hit you over the head the most are just how the communities are coming together. What a tight-knit community --

PHILLIPS: Yes.

HERMANN: -- Nashville is. And everybody is just coming together and rallying around. You know they -- I saw a SUV with a Tennessee volunteer license plate on it, you know, packed with provisions.

And, you know, all of the sudden the word volunteer was not a football team but it really -- you know, the word volunteer has a new meaning in Tennessee right now.

PHILLIPS: And JB, what is it about music that just rallies people to give? Because it seems like whether it is Haiti or it's the flood victims in Tennessee, musicians like you guys come together, you play, you know it raises money, and you put it directly into the hands of the people.

What is it about your music, about music, that makes people want to give?

JOHN BELL, GUITARIST, WIDESPREAD PANIC: Well, there -- you know, there are kinds of music, obviously. But -- but music in its essence is a -- that's a universal language. It's -- it's been around since before the beginning and it's -- you know, right now, it's one of the things that -- you can't really mess with it. It's immutable in times of disaster and stuff, too.

Music is, you know -- it in itself is untouchable. You can destroy the instruments. You can, you know, share in the heartache and stuff. But you can also begin some healing with, you know, getting together and playing.

PHILLIPS: And you know what, we've already seen that. I mean, Dave, whether it's you guys in Widespread Panic or other musicians that live in Nashville, cut records in Nashville, write in Nashville, I mean, it's a music hub.

You know, tell me why you guys are being -- you are very focused on your charities. I mean you know exactly what you want to give to. You want that money to go right into certain communities.

Why be so directed with that money and what you're doing right now?

DAVE SCHOOLS, BASSIST, WIDESPREAD PANIC: Well, when we started becoming in a position to help people out, we wanted to put money into things that were local. So in the case of Athens, Georgia it was the food bank, local shelter.

And as we grew more regionally, we took that to like the public schools with the Tunes for Tots program. And simply being from the south, we're very affected by Katrina. Our families were very affected by this recent devastation in Tennessee.

It just -- it makes sense to us. We want to just get it as quickly as we can into the hands of the people who need it.

PHILLIPS: You've always done that. All of you guys have given back to your southern roots.

What do we say we fire up again and take it to break? Sound good?

Widespread Panic, raising money, impacting your world today with us for two hours.

Thanks, guys.

(MUSIC)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Opening bell this morning. Dow futures down about 100 points after yesterday's rally. We're going to go ahead and talk about that rally. Was it too good to be true? Wall Street marked its best day in more than a year after the EU announced a debt relief plan. A day later, a lot of dollars shorter. World markets falling. Will the Dow also drop?

CNN's Christine Romans joining us from New York now. Great rally yesterday, but now, we're wondering what's going to happen today.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kyra.

You're right, a very good rally yesterday. I mean, stocks up very sharply. A nice day. One of the best days as you pointed out in a year.

Now, the opening bell opening here on the big board, and we're expecting some losses. Dow futures were down about 81 points about ten minutes ago. So, that could tell you they're going to take a little bit off of that rally yesterday, but it's not as bad as some of the losses that you saw in Asia and Europe. Asian markets were down about 1 percent and some European markets like the FTSE 100 in the UK were down more than 2 percent. So, we will see how bad and how sustained any kinds of losses are.

Remember, volatility is the key here. When I say that, I mean, fear is running hot in this market and so you got big intra-day swings. I don't think we should be surprise by that because there's a lot of second-guessing about what's going on in the world. Yesterday, they were talking about the bailout and the rescue. It was a lot of confidence about the European bailout. Today, some concerns about the follow through of that. They need to see that it is working and how much it will ultimately cost Europe, and they said the bailout overall doesn't solve the debt crisis.

It's just some people say it's a band-aid to it. Also, watching some science of inflation in china. Why does that matter? Because China is such a huge driver of global growth. If China starts to weaken, that could be a problem for the rest of the country. And you still see like this volatility that's moving all around the globe in oil, in stocks, in bonds and commodities as people are looking for safety some day and then other days, they're having a renewed appetite for risk. So, I think, Kyra, we can see volatility is the name of the game here in the very near term. It could be wild for some time -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. We'll be tracking that well ride. That's for sure. Right there with you, Christine. Thanks.

A new investigation into Toyota's mechanical problems. This time, the government is taking a closer look at a 2004 recall. Toyota recalled small trucks in Japan over a steering problem, but they supposedly told safety inspectors that there were no complaints in the U.S. and that the trucks were built differently. Internal documents dispute that. There were complaints and concerns and Toyota ended up recalling some of those same trucks in 2005. Despite all the bad press and recalls, Toyota announced today it made a $2.2 billion profit last year. So, who's to blame?

The Gulf oil leak and oil re-explosion are at the center of a pair of capital hearings today. The first kicks off next hour. Executives from BP, TransOcean, and Halliburton will testify before the Senate Energy Committee. They likely point fingers at each other for the accident, and there's also a public hearing going on right now in Kenner, Louisiana. The Coast Guard is leading that investigation.

So, is BP keeping a secret, controlling the message, plugging another kind of leak with great success? We're talking about video of the oil leak from a mile down.

Our CNN's Ed Lavandera reports BP is keeping the video close to the vest while using other videos to tout their can-do attitude.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the most revealing image we've seen so far of the actual oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The short video shows robotic arms from an underwater vehicle capping one of the leaks. Look closely and briefly. In the background, you can see a dark cloud shoot into the water. Three weeks after the explosion, this is the only glimpse of the leak BP has released. BP is in control of the video recorded by the underwater robotic vehicles. We're told by multiple government sources that these cameras have captured extensive video images coming from the sight of the leak 5,000 feet under water.

(on-camera): CNN has asked BP repeatedly since the explosion for video of the leak, but company officials will only tell us that they'll look into it. Environmentalist and scientists say BP's unwillingness to share this video highlights a bigger problem with the company's response to the oil spill. And the critics say that's a lack of transparency about the extent of the disaster.

(voice-over): Aaron Viles is with an environmental advocacy group called the Gulf Restoration Network, a group that's been critical of BP's response to the oil spill.

And why do you think we haven't seen much of that video yet?

AARON VILES, GULF RESTORATION NETWORK: If I had to guess, it's that BP doesn't exactly want the public to see what's happening. They want to control the message. They want to control the information, but I think the public needs so see what's happening both at the surface and at the sea floor.

LAVANDERA: On Monday, we asked BP officials again about releasing the video. Once again, they said they'd look into it, but BP insists, this isn't about controlling the message.

DOUG SUTTLES, BP, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER: We're being extraordinarily open and transparent, whether it's ourselves or the government agencies involved. We're sharing tremendous amounts of information.

LAVANDERA: A BP spokesman also told us, it's a question of priorities, but when it comes to putting out videos, the BP public relations team is finding time to post videos on the company's website touting its disaster response.

TONY HAYWARD, CEO, BP: This is another report from the frontline.

LAVANDERA: That's BP's CEO, Tony Hayward. He shows up in at least four videos.

HAYWARD: I'm filming this in the Mobile Incident Command Center. I'm incredibly proud of the way in which I can see BP and the people of BP are responding to this terrible incident.

LAVANDERA: The BP videos do show the company's widespread response to the disaster, but these videos don't show you what it looks like when 5,000 barrels of oil a day spill into the Gulf of Mexico.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Ed Lavandera joining us now live from New Orleans. So, Ed, what do environmentalists and scientists hope to get out of seeing this video?

LAVANDERA (on-camera): We've talked to many over the last couple of weeks, Kyra. What we keep hearing over and over again is that there is this concern that what we're seeing on the surface of the Gulf of Mexico is really what they say is the tip of the iceberg, that the real environmental damage is being done thousands of feet underwater there, that that's where the most of the oil is still pooling and collecting. So, environmentalists want to be able to see that the oil leak and what's coming from there.

They also said they want to be able to use it as a gauge to figure out whether or not the response that the companies and the government are having to this oil spill is actually being affected. They'd like to see it early on to see what it looks like and see how it changes over the coming weeks.

PHILLIPS: All right. Ed Lavandera, we will follow the investigation at every level.

Barrage and missiles fired from predator drones. That's what locals are saying happened in Pakistan aimed at militants near the border with Afghanistan. At least 14 people are reported dead now, rather.

CNN's Reza Sayah is live in Islamabad, Pakistan this morning. At least deadly drone attacks, how much do they hurt the Pakistani support -- Reza.

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There is very little public support here in Pakistan for U.S. policy in the region, and many say it has to do with these drone strikes that fuel anti- Americanism. We talk to people here in Pakistan. We look at surveys. The public basically says these drone strikes kill civilians. They're a violation of sovereignty. They're illegal and they're not convinced that they work.

It's the Pakistani government's position that they're also not good for the fight against militancy, but we've talked to sources here in the government, and they tell us that Washington and Islamabad have a tacit understanding. That these drone strikes will continue while the Pakistani government publicly condemns them and puts up with them and that's what's been happening here. We've seen a lot of them. 52 last year. This year, we've seen 31. This was the 31st today. We are on pace to see more than 80 this year, 80 of these drone strikes -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Reza Sayah live from Islamabad. Thanks, Reza.

Twenty-four hours of terror. Tornadoes rip across the plain and that threat of more violent weather is closing in.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Top stories now, mostly partisan reaction to President Obama's nomination of U.S. Solicitor General Elena Kagan to be the next U.S. Supreme Court Justice. The 50-year-old native New Yorker says she is honored and humbled.

BP says it's doing everything they can in trying to prevent the spread of that massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico. So far, the company says it spent $350 million.

At least five people are dead after tornadoes torn through the southern plains yesterday. Forecasters warn, there's a chance for more severe weather there today.

Another look at your top stories in just 20 minutes.

All right. Let's take a look at what's brewing in the southern plains today. Meteorologist, Jacqui Jeras, has more for us now in the CNN Weather Center. You're tracking it minute by minute.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, an incredible day yesterday. Today, we could see more tornadoes, but we don't think it's going to be quite as big of an outbreak compared to what we saw yesterday. The threat is real. We got another upper level system that's going to be making its way into the plain states and that's going to interact with this warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico. We don't think things are going to trigger up until late this afternoon or into tonight. There's a cap in the atmosphere for a warm later up high that needs to be broken through before things are going to really start to kick in.

So, the same areas that were hit yesterday across Oklahoma into Kansas as well as Missouri will be our threat area today. Another concern in addition to tornadoes is going to be some large hail. We saw tennis ball size hail yesterday. We could see some large hailstones again this afternoon. All right. We're at the storm system from yesterday. Today now, it's making its way across the upper Midwest. Nothing really severe expected here, but it's going to be a nuisance for you if you're trying to travel. So, a wet go of it from Minneapolis to Milwaukee over towards Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and this is eventually going to make its way toward the northeast.

We don't have a lot of rain moving in the Chicago land area right now. We still have the low clouds. We've been trying to catch up a little bit since this morning. So, we do have some airport delays to talk about in this area. Look at that. Chicago, midway, ground delays. 30 minutes as well as at O'Hare. We got some delays now at Newark, and we expected a few more of that.

Our other top weather story today has to do with the cold temperatures. Hello, it's almost mid-May already and we're talking snow into parts of Wyoming and Montana. Temperatures here 10-20 degrees below where we should be for this time of year. So, a lot of folks miss winter like me and you today -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Right. And we turned up the air in here. What's wrong with us?

JERAS: It's the lights.

PHILLIPS: I think it's the band that getting things fired up here.

JERAS: Can I stay?

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Jacqui. All right.

Miranda rights for terrorist suspects. Do you think they have the right to remain silent? I don't, but I'd like your feedback. Change my mind.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have a right to an attorney. And if you can't afford an attorney one will be pointed for you." Miranda Rights, designed to protect your Fifth Amendment right to refuse to answer self-incriminating questions. If you're an American citizen, you've got them. Congratulations well, done.

If you're a terrorist, you don't deserve them. Why? Think about the environment we've been living in since 9/11. We're talking about a terrorist mentality, the mentality of a shoe bomber, an underwear bomber and now a bumbling want-to-be SUV bomber. They don't play by the rules of war; they have no rules at all, just destruction by any means.

You know, I respect the law and due process and the idea of innocent until proven guilty. But it's mind-boggling to me that an American citizen would have the same rights as some dirt bag who comes into the country to kill us. If we try to play fair with these people, give them Miranda Rights and so on, we're affording them the privileges that they would take away from everyone if they ran the world.

If America is so corrupt and immoral, why duck under our Constitution? If you expect rights like an American, then maybe you ought to stop trying to blow us up. And that's why I am glad that the Attorney General has decided it's time to loosen the Miranda rule when it comes to interrogating these radicals.

Faisal Shahzad, I'll tell you what you have the right to do, go south to purgatory.

Now, I would love to hear what you think. Should terror suspects be given the Miranda Right? Blog me at CNN.com/Kyra, we will read some of your comments in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM.

From middle class American teen to radicalized Muslim terrorist. We'll break down the disturbing evolution of a convicted al Qaeda operative and the similarities between him and the accused Times Square bomber. That's next right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: And welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM. You know, you have seen the devastating pictures from Tennessee, flood victims still need your help. As we roll through these pictures, from a photographer, actually, good friends with Widespread Panic, the band that's here with us today, a wedding photographer, but actually went out into Tennessee to take pictures of how this area has been affected by the floods.

They're pretty amazing pictures. You can check out all of these and you can also find links to charities and the favorite organizations of the band, Widespread Panic.

This is what you do. Just go to CNN.com/specials/impactyourworld and right here on the front page we've got all of the latest information about what's happening in the State of Tennessee.

And you can actually go down and click on to "Feeding America" which is one of the charities that this band feels very deeply about. You just click on the various other charities as well.

Community Foundation, you heard the Mayor of Nashville talking about this. The band is in big support of the relief efforts through this organization.

We also have Salvation Army of Nashville, but right here, Feeding America, this is one organization the band has been dedicated to for a number of years and where folks in Tennessee need your help as well.

They've actually put an offshoot to this, Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle, Tennessee. As you can imagine, if you've seen those pictures out of Nashville and all those communities, a lot of poverty in that area, food being one of the main things that people need right now.

Jojo, tell me why you guys, why this organization, this charity in particular, Feeding America, is so important to the band?

HERMANN: Well, the Second Harvest Food Bank we've worked with for many, many years. I would say 10, 15 years. I know personally you can go down to Woodmont Christian Church and they work with Second Harvest Food Bank and volunteers who are just filling in their pack of lunches.

Thousands of meals have been delivered throughout the whole community and that's just one church of thousands of thousands. And I know they're connected with the food banks very closely. So you really can't tell the whole story without the Second Harvest Food Bank, without the churches and all the work they're doing.

PHILLIPS: And J.B., you actually see -- I mean you guys are very picky about these charities. Jimmy, you go ahead and get that -- we have a little feedback going on from one of the Marshall amps. Nice amp, by the way.

Well, a plug for Marshall there. You guys have all the best equipment, I see. You know, you even said to me, ok if we're going to do this, we're going to talk about the charities that we're dedicated to because we want to make sure that the money raised goes directly to the people. You guys are very conscious about that.

BELL: Well, you know, that's not uncommon for either, if you work with a big organization that has a lot of overhead that way on down the line, people go, how much of my donation actually was feeding these people?

You like to find a situation where most of the overhead is taken care of either through volunteers or taking care of the front end of other entrepreneurs and stuff; and that the money is just, like, going directly to the cause. And, so we do seek that out in the various charitable endeavors that we're involved with.

PHILLIPS: Well, you definitely did it in Louisiana, Dave, right there in the 9th Ward. So many great musicians have come out of New Orleans. You guys are -- I mean heck, Domingo's jammed with Dr. John. You guys have had -- you all have jammed with Dr. John and a number of musicians from that area. You've given so much to the people of New Orleans as well.

Why, specifically, the 9th ward? You guys were hands-on, too. You were right there helping rebuild and raise money.

SCHOOLS: Well, we tried to do as much as we could immediately and because of the things J.B. just described, you know, it's kind of tough. There's so much disorganization in the wake of a disaster like that, and you just want to like fill a truck with water and supplies and drive it down there yourself.

So we took a good bit of research to finally make it right and it was something that we felt satisfied all of the criteria and that we could build houses quickly and efficiently and get people who need shelter back in them and that's the best we can do. It makes us happy.

PHILLIPS: It is so obvious and your fans are so dedicated to you. And now you're doing it for Tennessee.

What do you think? Should we jam to break again? Raise some more money and encourage all our viewers to go to CNN.com/impactyourworld and click on to your specific charities.

Let's take them there with music, all right? Let's go.

(MUSIC)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)