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Category 4 Hurricane Earl Expected to Pass Close to North Carolina Late Tonight; Bloodshed at Discovery Channel Headquarters in Maryland; Defense Secretary Makes Unannounced Visit to Afghanistan; Peace Talks Between Israel and Palestinian Authority Begin Today
Aired September 02, 2010 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello there, everybody. I hope you can hear me, at least. I'm T.J. Holmes in today for Kyra Phillips. We are going to be not talking about base-brawls today, but we've got a big fight on our hands with this storm right now.
Hurricane Earl, it's on the way. Could make it to the coast or close to the coast at least today. At some point tonight.
We're keeping a close eye on. Our Reynolds Wolf is here tracking it for us. And also our Rob Marciano is out there where the storm is headed. Checking in with both of those guys shortly.
Also, we are talking about a man. This is a strange scene that played out yesterday. Explosives, a gun, and a grunge, all directed at the Disney Channel? Why? We'll explain some of these pictures you're seeing as well. And the Discovery Channel -- excuse me. We're talking about the Discovery Channel, not the Disney Channel.
I heard you all guys. The Discovery Channel. But, still, why would somebody direct all that anger towards the Discovery Channel. We'll explain those pictures as well here in just a moment.
Also, got some news. We also always hearing about the gap, you know, the employment or the income gap between men and women. Well, some women now are out-earning the men.
But there is a catch here. These are very particular women in a very particular demographic. We'll explain that coming up.
Let's get back to this hurricane. Hurricane Earl. When I was on the air with you here just about 24 hours ago with this show yesterday, we were talking about a category 3 storm. Today I'm talking to you about a category 4 storm.
It has, in fact, picked up some steam, gained some strength, 145-mile- per-hour winds out there right now. We do have watches and warnings. All kinds of watches and warnings all up and down the East Coast right now.
North Carolina is bracing for the worst hit right now. At least the first hit, I should say. The storm, it's going to be really close. North Carolina, some point today. It's probably going to be sometime late tonight. But already the threat of these high winds, already the threat of a storm surge as well. These destructive waves and rip currents that are already causing some problems.
The president, he's already signed disaster declaration for North Carolina last night. FEMA, the Homeland Security secretary, also has been briefing the president. They are ready to jump in and help out.
Some evacuations are in place. Mandatory evacuations especially for tourists right now. Some of the residents, though, they are saying they are going to try to ride this thing out. But others are heeding the warning. They're starting to pack up and get out of there.
Meanwhile, at least one county -- Dare County -- in North Carolina, the schools there and also the city offices are closed today and tomorrow.
Then let's go further up the coast. All the way up to Maine. Lifeguards busy there. We are talking about these dangerous rip currents and this high tide right now where one swimmer got caught up in one of those rip currents. Had to be rescued.
And more on the south end. Possibly dangerous conditions on south Florida beaches. Big waves. Rough surf. Rip currents. Again that's been the problem now for the past 24 hours or so. People are being told to stay out of the water.
We are going to get the latest on the track right now where this storm is headed from our Reynolds Wolf. He is standing by for us. We're going to check in with him in just a moment.
But let's go to the coast right now where Rob Marciano is. He is at Kill Devil Hills in North Carolina.
Rob, hello. It's on the way to you.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is. And you know, you mentioned that rip current danger along the beaches on the East Coast including here in North Carolina.
But I think now that this thing has become a category 4 and the track continues to hold and bring a very close to the shoreline here, these people along these beaches and these inland communities are going to be talking about much, much more than just rip currents.
We could see category 1, 2 or even 3 strength winds here on the coast. Even if the thing stays offshore. So if you mentioned this, there's been evacuation orders for Hyde and most of Dare County. As a matter of fact, all of Dare County, they want all the visitors to be out. Schools are closed, as you mentioned. But the beachgoers and the storm onlookers are already out here.
You know the way that the landscape is set up here on East Coast is different from the Gulf of Mexico. You don't -- you don't worry so much about storm surge. It's low tide right now. The waves are building. High tide will be up about -- right where we're standing. But there are slivers of the outer banks where the main highway is. That in hurricane's past had been completely washed over. In some cases cut off to where you have people cut off from the mainland.
And that's certainly a concern here and that's one of the reasons that evacuation orders have been issued.
They haven't seen a hurricane here since 2003 when Hurricane Isabelle came in as a category 2 storm. So it's been quite some time. And some of the people that we talked to yesterday didn't really seem to be terribly concerned.
I think that has changed somewhat today. And we're seeing a little bit more as far as people that are on the move.
It is very dry here right now. And that's good news as far as the amount of humidity in the air. I think some of that dry air is going to get caught up into Earl and we may see a little bit of weakening at least. That's certainly the hope.
The other hope is make that right turn sooner rather than later. It really hasn't done that just yet. And Reynolds will expound on that a little bit more later on to see when that thing is going to turn.
If it jogs farther to the west by 20, 30 miles, then you're talking about this area being in the core or the western core of that eye wall. And that is much, much more dangerous than being 20 or 30 miles away from it.
So that -- that's going to be a dicey situation come around 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. tonight when this storm makes it close fast here along the banks and then heads up towards New England -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right. This is going to be a story for the next several days. It's exactly what this storm is going to do.
Rob, we appreciate you. We'll continue to check in with Rob. He's going to keep us updated on what's happening on the coast.
And, again, as he mentioned, Reynolds Wolf is here with me. He's keeping a close eye on the track of Earl. We will be checking him -- in with him in just a moment.
But back to the story we saw play out live on the air here yesterday. The story of what was happening at the Discovery Channel. One man taking out his rage on the Discovery Channel of all places.
A lot of people scratching their heads trying to figure out what in the world could have been in their programming to upset this man so.
Our Tom Foreman now has the play-by-play of what happened yesterday when a man stormed in with a gun and took hostages.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 1:00 p.m., seven miles from Capitol Hill in the Washington suburb of Silver Spring. Police say a man walks into the lobby of the Discovery Channel waving a pistol. Metallic canisters strapped to his body telling everyone not to move.
One witness says she hears a shot. Another calls police. Workers begin sounding the alarm throughout the building.
1:21, company officials send an e-mail urging employees to, quote, "seek protection in a locked office." Some do but most of the 1900 workers evacuate. Slipping out through passageways that bypass the lobby.
Children from a daycare center inside the building also are hustled away. But some people are trapped in the lobby with the gunman.
Police surround the building, the stand-off begins.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: There are heavily armed police officers surrounding the building. Police cars. I see an armored vehicle.
FOREMAN: 2:20. An hour and 20 minutes after the gunman entered the building police confirmed their tactical team has him in their sights and will later say they were also watching him through security cameras while other officers are trying to negotiate with him by cell phone.
Much remains unclear.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There may be other potential devices with -- with him.
FOREMAN: A short while later a law enforcement source identifies the man as James Lee who has clashed with the Discovery Channel before. Demanding attention for his ideas about humans and nature.
Negotiators keep talking. But will later say he has wild mood swings during their conversation.
THOMAS FUENTES, FMR. FBI ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: During this past hour, the negotiators would be trying to calm him down emotionally, to try to de-escalate the potential for violence, to try to convince him that there is a way to resolve this with nobody else being hurt or nobody being hurt at all. And to end this peacefully.
FOREMAN: It does not work. Police say at approximately 4:50 p.m. nearly four hours after Lee entered the building, a sniper shoots.
CHIEF TOM MANGER, MONTGOMERY COUNTY POLICE: The suspect was shot by police officers. The -- a device appeared to go off.
FOREMAN: Three hostages -- that's all there were -- are rushed to safety. While police secure the building and deal with what they believe are other possible explosives the suspect brought in backpacks.
In the whole ordeal no one other the gunman is hurt. And just before 6:00 p.m., police confirmed he is dead.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And just a short time ago, we got another -- a new snapshot of the economy. Encouraging depending on how you look at it here. The number of people filing first-time jobless claims has dropped. It's down to 472,000 first-time claims for the last week.
That still sounds like a big number, but that number is down 6,000 from the week before. That marks now two straight weeks of declines.
We'll have more on this coming your way in just about 20 minutes.
Also coming up in about an hour, we're going to see something we haven't seen in almost two years. The Secretary of State Hillary Clinton going to be hosting the first direct Middle East peace talks again that we have seen in some 20 months.
Some cautious optimism of course. But we're keeping our eye on what's happening there in Washington at the State Department. We're going to bring you some of those comments live when Hillary Clinton steps out with the leaders of the Palestinian Authority and of Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and also Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority.
That's coming your way, again, at the top of the hour. But first, let's head to our correspondent, our White House correspondent, Suzanne Malveaux who's standing by live for us.
Suzanne, I want to break this down in two different ways. First question I want to ask is about, I guess, the things that divide them in what they're trying to accomplish. But also, the possibility of things that could bring them together as well.
So let's start with the things that they are not seeing eye to eye on.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, sure, T.J. One senior administration official I just spoke with said that, you know, it really is going to take political courage for these leaders to come together and compromise because there are some real serious differences here.
First and foremost, you're talking about the Israeli settlement issue. A moratorium that has been in place for about 10 months or so forbidding for the Israeli settlements to occur in the West Bank.
You have the Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, who says look, we have to continue that moratorium. We don't want any more Israeli settlements. You've got Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli prime minister, very unclear in terms of whether or not that is actually going to happen.
That's a huge sticking point. That much of the moratorium is going to expire in about a month or so. And that is critical. Whether or not they can resolve their differences around that.
Obviously after that, you're talking about security issues. A top concern of the Israelis. Border issues. Whether or not Palestinian refugees will be able to return and ultimately whether or not they're going to split and partition Jerusalem into pieces.
Those are things that they've got to work out in the future. This is about a year or so that President Obama says is the timetable to come together on these issues. But, T.J., it's far from certain whether or not they're going to be able to do that.
HOLMES: Again, those are the things now that we are -- as all been covering for some time now that keep the two sides apart. But is there something they can agree on that they have a common goal and a common purpose?
MALVEAUX: Well, one of the things, as you know, is the threat of Iran, a nuclear Iran. They have a year window or so. At least the Obama administration has told the Israelis look, they don't believe Iran will be nuclear capable until about a year or so.
But not only are the Israelis threatened by Iran but also the Palestinians. You have to realize that Mahmoud Abbas, his rival is Hamas in Gaza. Iran and Hamas have a very close relationship. So the Palestinians don't want to see a nuclear Iran.
You've got those other allies that are working with these top leaders of Jordan and Egypt. They don't want to see a nuclear Iran as well. And so all of them are looking at Iran as possibly something that brings them together that they can agree on as a common threat and that they've got to work together.
Perhaps Middle East peace will put them on a stronger footing and have the Israelis and the Palestinians working together against their rival Iran.
HOLMES: Well, Suzanne, we appreciate you and appreciate you working together with me this morning and me to get through that construction that's going on. Sounds like they're building another wing to the White House. But we appreciate you keeping your close --
MALVEAUX: You can't even imagine, T.J. It's going to happen for the next two years. We have major construction here.
HOLMES: Well, I guess you'll be used to it by then. Suzanne, we appreciate you, as always. Thanks so much.
MALVEAUX: Nice seeing you. OK.
HOLMES: Well, coming your way at the bottom of the hour, taking a look at the diplomatic hopes there in Washington versus the reality on the ground, though, in the Middle East.
CNN's veteran Mideast correspondent Ben Wedeman knows the harsh realities, knows them well. He was shot bringing the stories to you. That was him being led into that ambulance you just saw there. He's going to a long live to share some of his insights here in just a bit.
Also parents fed up California. They're starting to unite and to revolt against a failing school.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is time to all stand up together and fight for what we want. That one person can't win the battle. But together we can all win the war.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: We're going inside that war, as she calls it. And looking at a controversial model where school reform that could catch on nationwide.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We do want to let you know, we are not going to be going far at all away from the story of Hurricane Earl. Now a Category 4, expected to make a really close pass by North Carolina at some point tonight.
Also we're going to keep you updated throughout the newscast. You see at the bottom of the screen there, our weather screen, that we'll keep that up and keep you updated. But again, our Reynolds Wolf keeping a close eye on the storm. He'll continue to report for, and also our Rob Marciano, who is out on the coast for us as well.
Right now, I want to talk about fixing our schools. Those three words, Fix Our Schools, going to be driving much of what you see on CNN this week because, as America's school children go back to school, CNN has a mission here. We've sent reporting teams across the country to document the education crisis in America.
Most importantly, we're going to shine the light on success stories that can empower us to offer our children so much more than they're getting right now.
Today, fixing our failing schools. Twelve percent of America's schools actually produce half of the dropouts. The education secretary says there are about 5,000 low-performing schools that fail our kids at year after year. Half of them are in big cities. About a third are in rural areas, the rest in suburbs and other towns.
This is a problem that likely ripples into your community or one that's close by you. So, take you to California now where some parents are fed up, and they're starting to do something about it now. There's a controversial new state law that gives them a path to school reform. Its nicknamed the Parent Trigger Law. Teachers unions call it the Lynch Mob Provision. It passed both houses of the California legislature just by one vote.
Thelma Gutierrez talks now to concerned parents in one community who are already launching a petition drive targeting their middle school. You need to watch this closely, here, because supporters say this model may empower parents to fix schools all across the country.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Downtown Los Angeles, hundreds of angry parents organized to take over failing schools.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE SPEAKER: You need to sign the petition.
GUTIERREZ: In a suburb outside of Los Angeles, parents launch a petition drive to overthrow a school. And in a local cafe, a group of mothers plan a revolt against a middle school they claim is dangerous.
CHERYL POWERS, PARENT: He was getting bullied in school. And they didn't care.
GUTIERREZ (voice-over): A brand-new California law is giving parents that power.
GUTIERREZ (on camera): When you found out about this new law that had been passed, what was your first thought?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE SPEAKER: Great.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE SPEAKER: Thank God.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE SPEAKER: About time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE SPEAKER: Yes.
GUTIERREZ (voice-over): This group's target, Mount Gleason Middle School in Tujunga, California, near Los Angeles. It has failed both state and federal achievement standards for years. But they told us test scores are only part of the problem. Their top concern is basic safety.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE SPEAKER: He tried to stop him from kicking him, and it broke his arm.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE SPEAKER: My daughter was assaulted by a group of girls. It was a brutal assault. She was left with scars, bite marks on her neck and on her breast.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE SPEAKER: We had one incident around Christmas time.
GUTIERREZ (voice-over): Parent organizer Lydia Grant says these are not isolated cases. She says she collected dozens of serious complaints and witness statements from teachers and students about altercations on campus. This mother, who's afraid of being identified, says that the assault against her daughter was so violent, she had to get a restraining order against a student.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE SPEAKER: They completely and totally ignored our restraining order.
GUTIERREZ (voice-over): They say they went to school officials.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE SPEAKER: We had met with every single level there is to, from the assistant principals, principal, district directors, local superintendents, the district superintendents, the head superintendent of the district. We've met at every level. There's tons of documentation, parents have documentation. We have just fought the battle until we've hit knock nothing but a block wall.
GUTIERREZ (on camera): Out of the four of you, how many of you pulled your children out of Mount Gleason Junior High School?
GUTIERREZ (voice-over): But this year, Grant says California parents have a way to force school officials to listen. Under the new trigger law, if the school failed state and national achievement standards the principal and at least part of the teaching staff could be removed. The school could be taken over by a new charter school. Or it could be forced to close. All Grant would need is at least half of the parents' signatures.
RENE GONZALES, ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT, LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT: I think that parents should have a voice.
GUTIERREZ: Rene Gonzales, assistant superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District says there's already a program in place to reform failing schools. He says the trigger law is more of the same.
GONZALES: You start creating a number of different options and, in essence, confuse parents.
GUTIERREZ: What do you tell parents who are so frustrated? Not just about maybe school performance, but that these kinds of things are happening.
GONZALES: In general, I believe that schools make the best effort they can to address the concerns of parents and to assure the safety of children at the schools.
GUTIERREZ: We asked Gonzales about the incidents at Mount Gleason Middle School. He said he had no firsthand knowledge. We asked to speak with school officials who did, but the district declined and sent this written statement to CNN.
"The school and district are aware of these complaints and fully investigated them at the time they were raised. In each case, the school followed the proper procedures and corrective actions in dealing with the students' behavior."
Despite their anger, these parents say they don't want their teachers' heads to roll, and they don't want Mount Gleason taken over by a new charter school. But they do want the school principal removed and its leadership reorganized.
LYDIA GRANT, PARENT ORGANIZER: It is time to all stand up together and fight for what we want. That one person can't win the battle. But together, we can all win the war. GUTIERREZ: They demand accountability, and believe the trigger law is the only way to get it. Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Tujunga, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Coming up next hour, we're going on a house call. Not with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, though. With principal Steve Perry, our education contributor. He is checking in with a single mom who just adores her son. He's a sixth grader, one of those moms who just thought baby can't do no wrong. But now, he's starting to get into some trouble. And the homework is piling up. And Mom is having a tough time cracking the whip.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR: You're a single mom. He has to help out. You can't put all this on you. You can't go to work and go to school and come home and cook and clean while he sits there like the Prince of Sheba.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE SPEAKER: I have some reservations because of the lack of responsibility.
PERRY: How's he going to learn it? How did you learn it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE SPEAKER: I don't know, but burning down the house is not the option.
PERRY: Well, you're not going to let him in there with a match. You've got an electric stove.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: We're going to meet the brave woman who let Steve Perry into her house, first of all. But he is going to be there helping out, really. Trying to help out, spelling out some of the problems and detail some strategies to fix some of those problems. He's going to be joining us live to talk about it. He's coming our way the next hour.
You're going to hear what Steve Perry thinks. Always opinionated. But what do you think? In particular, about homework? Are kids overloaded these days? You know what kids might say about there -- about that. What about the parents as well? They're involvement in this. Do parents do too much? Are they too active as well? How are your students' homework habits? We want you to chime in with this stuff. And that guy right there is keeping an eye on it for us. That's our digital producer, Derek Dodge. He's sifting through your answers. He'll be along to share some of your thoughts as well in the next hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Taking a look now at some of the stories making headlines. Yes, that hurricane. Hurricane Earl. It is now a Category 4. You're looking at the path it's believed it's going to stay on. And a lot of people hope it stays on that path, maybe veer a little to the east. But right now, everybody is hunkering down all up and down the East Coast. Watches and warnings in place. It could make a close pass in North Carolina, at least the outer banks of North Carolina sometime late tonight.
Also, the defense secretary, Robert Gates, he is in Afghanistan right now. He's there on an unannounced visited. He was, of course, in Iraq just yesterday, there participating in the ceremony that officially handed over military command to the Iraqis from the US. He'll be meeting with the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, and also military leaders while in Afghanistan.
Also, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, and Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, they are having face-to-face talks that are set to begin at about 30 minutes. The first time that the two will sit down and have face-to-face talks in about a year and a half. Trying to move the peace process forward. You're seeing video here last night of the president welcoming in all of the leaders who participate in the peace talks.
This is a live picture. What we're going to be keeping one eye on here at the top of the hour. Hillary Clinton coming out with the leaders of the Palestinian Authority and of the Israelis, going to be talking here shortly. We'll take that live when it does happen.
Meanwhile, let's turn to Wall Street. The opening bell about to sound. Our Alison Kosik keeping an eye on things there today. Alison, it's all about some job numbers right now.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It really is, and today's start expected to really just pale in comparison to yesterday's rocket ride to the top. Upbeat manufacturing numbers helped the Dow rally more than 250 points on Wednesday. Investors seem to feel a bit better about the global recovery.
Hopefully some of that sentiment can carry over to today. So far we've got some reports we are going through, namely weekless (SIC) jobless claims. They declined by 6,000 last week, to 472,000. That's actually the second week in a row that claims improved and it's a bit better than expected. Still those levels that we're seeing are far from what we consider healthy. They've been stuck in that 400,000 range for almost a year now.
Meantime, the country's biggest retailers have been reporting their monthly sales figures throughout the morning and they're surprisingly looking upbeat. Limited brand, Costco, JC Penny, and Macy's all topped estimates in August. It looks like big discounts and back-to- school shopping gave most stores a boost.
And wait, we've got more data coming. Just about half an hour from now, we get two more big numbers, one on factory orders, the other on pending home sales. Housing numbers have been pretty darned dismal lately while manufacturing has been one of the few bright spots for the economy. All right. And an Early going, let's take a look at the numbers. The Dow right now up about three points. The Nasdaq is down about a fraction. By the way, T.J., we are keeping an eye on Burger King shares. They are soaring now. Over 22 percent on reports that the company has agreed to be bought out by a private equity firm. We only hope that the Whopper is not going to change its recipe, though.
HOLMES: As long as it's still 99 cents, I'm good to go, Alison.
Alison, appreciate it as always. We know you're keeping an eye. We'll talk to you again soon.
We are keeping a close eye on this hurricane. Hurricane Earl, category 4, now described as the size of Colorado. And it is making its way towards North Carolina and then up the East Coast. We've got watches and warnings in place. Our guy, Reynolds Wolf, is here for us. Keeping a close eye. We'll be checking in with him. Figure out exactly where this sucker is going next. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We are keeping a close eye on this category 4 storm now. Hurricane Earl. Some mandatory evacuations are in place right now for some residents, also tourists have been told to get out of some places. Some of those places in the Outer Banks. We are keeping a close eye on it. We're going to check in with our Reynolds Wolf here in a second, but first, we want to show you how some people, yes, are getting out but others are hunkering down as well.
Ken Smith with reports from our affiliate WRAL.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEN SMITH, WRAL REPORTER (voice-over): South of Kitty Hawk, at Rodanthe, that house made famous by the movie "Nights in Rodanthe" is shutting down at least for a day or two.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't want p to lose any of the famous blue shutters.
SMITHOLMES: A mandatory evacuation order for Hatteras Island let to a traffic jam on the only road off the island. And an all too familiar scene when a storm threatens the Outer Banks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hopefully I will be here and gone by Friday morning midday. Just take it all down and store it somewhere.
SMITHOLMES: Some vacationers are cutting their stay at the Outer Banks short.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's disappointing.
SMITHOLMES: Opting to ride off into the sunset with memories of a hurricane shortened vacation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Time to go home. (END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. Take a look. There we are. Look at that there. That storm. This is from NASA.
I wanted you to explain this. You just see a blob there of clouds almost for some people looking, but explain, Reynolds, what we're seeing there and how impressive it is.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: This is the view, a tremendous view of a tremendous storm. If you were to include the outflow of the storm, that would be the clouds at the far-reaches of it, it could actually cover a good deal of the state of Texas. It truly is an immense storm and the best place is to view it from space.
This is a shot from the Space Station and it is breathtaking in scope. It is amazing that when you these clouds, the effect that this could have on millions of people. Millions of Americans living up and down the Eastern Seaboard.
HOLMES: But the point you made before we came back here was about the Outer Banks and how scary it is to be there.
WOLF: Terrifying place to be because some of the places like where Rob Marciano is set up, it's basically a sand (INAUDIBLE). It's a barrier island. It is called a barrier island for a reason. It's a barrier between the mainland and the sea itself. It's not a very high area and if you had a tremendous storm surge, it would be just devastating to that land.
The storm surge we're expecting for the time being, if it were to brush along the Outer Banks, would be around two to three feet. The latest we have on the storm, here it is. Hurricane Earl. It's a cat 4 storm. We've got Angela Fritz (ph), she's our producer back in the weather center.
Angela, let's try to move this frame by frame so that our viewers at home can get a look at what's happened over the last couple of hours. Bring it back a little bit and then put it into motion. You can see the structure of the storm. You have you eye right here. You have a lot of, say, reds and even purples that surround it. That's the area where you have your coldest (INAUDIBLE), where you have your strongest part of the storm.
We're also beginning to see something else. Little bit of dry air that's trying to break into the center structure of the storm, which is a sign of some weakening. As we advance it, again, few more frames, you'll notice it starts to re-strengthen.
This is not a efficient machine. It's a sputtering machine, if you will. It's a rotating storm so changes in strength often happen. And that is going to be the case for this storm. I would not be surprised if we were to see this weaken to a category 3 and re-strengthen again back to cat 5. It happens with these storms.
Something else that's going to happen is we're expecting it to make the turn more to the north and eventually veer off to the northeast. Take a look at this. We get into 2:00 a.m. Friday. Winds 135, gusts to 160. Still the strongest storm in the planet. By 2:00 p.m. Friday afternoon, winds at 115, gusts at 140. It's going to move farther to the north. As it does so off of coast of Cape Cod, expect to be into very cool - or at least cooler water -- where it should help weaken it with winds at 100. Still a tremendous storm.
Keep in mind though as we wrap things up, this storm, although the path has it and even the cone of uncertainty keeps it offshore, this is something that extends way, way out. We've got hurricane force winds that are going to extend some 90 miles away from the center. Tropical storm winds up to 200 miles off the center.
Even if the storm weren't to make landfall on the coast, you could have widespread power outages that are going to affect millions of people along the Eastern Seaboard. There could be some flooding along the coast and flight delays for a lot of folks as we venture closer to the holiday weekend.
A lot to talk about T.J., all morning, all day and all evening, we're going to be here for you.
HOLMES: Reynolds, appreciate you as always, buddy.
W: You got it.
HOLMES: Thanks so much.
Middle East peace talks underway way in Washington right now. But it's a lot different for the diplomatic hopes versus what's actually happening on the ground in the Middle East. Our Ben Wedeman knows all too well about the realities of war. He was actually shot bringing the stories to you. He's sharing his insights with us. He's coming up in just a moment.
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HOLMES: Taking look at some of the stories making headlines.
Federal agents visiting the Iowa farms in the middle of that whole egg recall. The "Wall Street Journal" now reporting that the FDA, which has been investigating, now their criminal division is getting involved. So far the egg farms are cooping.
Also, the signs we got just short time ago that may be some encouraging economic news. 472,000 first-time jobless claims last week. Sounds like a lot. But that's at least less than it was the week before. But this is the second straight week now that the number has fallen.
Also, Dutch authorities are saying never mind. The two Yemeni men who just a few days ago were considered terror suspects, they were arrested at the airport there in Amsterdam as possible terror suspects because they had suspect stuff in their luggage. Well, now, they're saying it is all clear, it's all good. Let the men go.
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HOLMES: It's considered another fresh start for Mideast peace talks. For the first time in more an year and half, Israelis and Palestinians resuming direct peace negotiations. Face-to-face talks taking place in just a moment at the State Department. They're being hosted by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Last night President Obama hosted a working dinner, as it was called, with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and the Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. Also the leaders of Egypt and Jordan there, as well. The leaders all expressed a commitment to making this work.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Although each of us holds a title of honor, president, prime minister, king; we are bound by one title we share. We are fathers, blessed with sons and daughters. So we must ask ourselves, what kind of world do we want to bequeath to our children and our grandchildren?
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER, ISRAEL: We don't seek a brief interlude between two wars. We don't seek a temporary respite between outbursts of terror. We seek a peace that will end the conflict between us once and for all. We seek a peace that will last for generations.
MAHMOUD ABBAS, PRESIDENT, PALESTINE: We will spare no effort as we work diligently and tirelessly to ensure that these negotiations achieve their goals and objectives in dealing with all of the issues.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: And talking peace in Washington is one thing. It's a lot different on the ground in the Middle East right now. And our Ben Wedeman knows it too well. He has covered the Middle East for some 16 years for us. He knows the dangers firsthand.
And in fact, he was shot during the Israeli/Palestinian clash. He was held in there, we saw him there being taken into that ambulance there. Ben, still in the region for us join me now from the town of Ramallah in the West Bank.
Ben, there is renewed hope and optimism about the possibility, you know, of something working this time in the peace talks. That's one thing in Washington, D.C. On the ground, is this new round of talking being greeted with the same kind of hope and optimism there in the Middle East?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: T.J., I was here in the early 1990s right after that first Oslo accords were signed in 1993. And at that time you could really feel tangible optimism and hope and enthusiasm. I remember I was in a bus with a group of Jordanian and Israeli journalists one time.
And they had become friends; they were exchanging phone numbers and taking pictures. And so you really at that time felt that there was hope, there was a real chance for peace. Nowadays -- you feel both on the Israeli and the Palestinian side that people are just exhausted with expectations and hope rising only to be dashed by events oftentimes out of their control.
So you speak to almost -- and it's like everybody I have spoken to, in the West Bank, in Jerusalem, in Gaza, across the border, everybody is very pessimistic. That doesn't mean they wouldn't like to see a positive outcome.
But the feeling is that the two sides are too far apart, the issues are too contentious to -- to respond even to the best efforts of the U.S. administration and the highest level involvement by President Barack Obama to move the situation forward.
In a sense, it is deja vu all over again for the people here. And they've just gone on too many of these roller coaster rides and then been disappointed at the end -- T.J.
HOLMES: Well, Ben, even if the two sides were able to come to some kind of agreement, nobody expects it in Washington over the next couple of days. But even though over the next year if negotiations continue, even if the two leaders are able to come to some agreement, how long would it take, do you think, for people there on the ground, the civilians, the Palestinians, Israelis, to actually put their hard feelings behind as well and get onboard with the new agreement and start to actually love thy neighbor.
WEDEMAN: Well, it all depends, T.J., on the agreement itself. If it has all components that both sides are looking for, the Palestinians want a state, they want an end to Israeli settlement construction, the Israelis want security.
If that is achieved, most people would actually sign on to it. In fact, the other day I spoke to a senior Hamas member and I said look, even if there's a one percent chance of success, and that one percent turns into a success, what would you do? He said I would kiss the hand of Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president. I would apologize for all the nasty things I said and I would sign, I would jump onboard to that agreement.
So really, it's a question of what sort of agreement comes out of it. We've seen all too often in the past that the agreements were based upon sort of procrastination, that eventually the hard issues would be dealt with, they deal with the small issues first, hoping that -- trust will build up to allow the parties to focus on the really difficult issues, like Jerusalem, borders, rights of refugees to return.
But it never really gets to that. It's all incremental and the steps are so short and in a sense impalpable that people have lost patience.
But as I said, it's not like people here, for instance, in Ramallah want to renew violence. That's the last thing anybody wants. But they want real progress, real agreements, not just superficial agreements and photo opportunities where wonderful words are said and then the leaders go home and nothing changes.
HOLMES: Yes. Ben, one last thing here; you used the word a moment ago, people just exhausted. Nobody wants violence. And I know the people there are exhausted of war. But are they so exhausted that they are willing to compromise on some of the things they want or are they so dug in into the things that they really want from an agreement. That no matter how exhausted they are they will continue the fight?
WEDEMAN: Well, if there's no progress, the worry is that there will be a renewal of violence. But the situation is so entrenched that a political solution sometimes doesn't seem clear. For instance since 1967 the settler -- the Jewish settler population in the West Bank in east Jerusalem has gone -- risen to half a million people.
Politically an Israeli government will -- will almost surely collapse if suddenly they just say -- they say a large portion of that population has to be uprooted and moved somewhere else.
On the Palestinian side, if the Palestinian leaders say the right of return of Palestinian refugees, forget it. It's off the table. We or they say Jerusalem as our capital we are no longer interested.
They will collapse. So in a sense they've reached a dead end. There's -- they are so mixed up in this situation that pulling the two people apart and creating two separate states is increasingly difficult -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right, Ben Wedeman, again, we're talking about the hope and optimism in D.C. But again, Ben with a look at the realities on the ground after covering this for so many years in the Middle East. Ben, we appreciate you as always. Thanks so much.
And coming up at the top of the hour, we are expecting to hear from the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. She'll be joined by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. You're seeing a live look there at the State Department. When that event takes place we will dip into it live for you.
Stay here.
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HOLMES: Well, crossing our political ticker now, we're talking about Arizona Governor Jan Brewer. You know she was in the news a lot over that controversial immigration law that her state passed.
Well, she always had a response when she was criticized about that. But now people are scratching their heads because last night she didn't have much of a response on another topic. The Republican Governor and her Democratic opponent Terri Gutter (ph) went toe to toe during a televised debate last night.
He accused Brewer of hurting Arizona's image by portraying the state as a violent place because of border-related crime. He called on her to recant what he said was a false statement that she made that there had been beheadings in the desert.
Brewer sidestepped the response in the debate and again later, when reporters tried to ask her about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Governor, why wouldn't you recant the comment you made earlier about the beheadings in the desert?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seriously, that's a serious question, governor.
GOV. JAN BREWER, ARIZONA: Well, this was an interesting evening tonight.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor, please answer the question about the headless bodies. Why won't you recant that? Do you still believe that? Come on, governor.
BREWER: Ok, thank you all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, reporters didn't appreciate that last night. However, Brewer insisted (INAUDIBLE) union supporters are damaging the economy through a boycott in protest of the state's immigration law.
Rob Marciano, he is watching Hurricane Earl for us in North Carolina. Here's a look now at what he'll have for us in the next hour. Hello to you Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hi T.J. Bracing for the impact here along the North Carolina coastline is Hurricane Earl, now a category 4, continues to make its way towards this state, a vulnerable state. Hasn't made that right turn yet. We'll have a live report at the top of the hour.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Suzanne Malveaux at the White House. Middle East peace talks will begin momentarily at the state department; Israeli and Palestinian leaders meeting face-to- face. President Obama saying he's under no illusions that passions run deep and this will be extraordinarily difficult. We'll see what these leaders have to say coming up at the top of the hour.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange. Weekly jobless claims fell for a second week in a row, but the unemployment picture, the employment picture is still far from healthy. I'm going to have the latest numbers for you along with a preview of what Wall Street expects from tomorrow's big monthly unemployment report. That's coming up in the next hour, T.J.
HOLMES: All right, Rob, Suzanne, Alison, appreciate you all. See you all here shortly.
To all you parents out there, I want you to listen to this. Tell me if it sounds a bit familiar. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR: How did you do last year in school?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't do so well.
PERRY: Yes. What happened?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See, part of the fault was my teachers.
PERRY: What did the teachers have to do with you doing your homework, son? Come on, man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: That's legitimate, right? It's always the teachers. Ok, the homework's piling up out there, the kid's room was a mess, mom is at her wit's end. So our Steve Perry making a house call, trying to help push things around. He's talking solutions. He's coming up in our next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM.
Stay here.
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