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Nuclear Crisis in Japan; President Obama Speaks Out on Japan Emergency; U.N. Weighs Libyan Airstrikes
Aired March 17, 2011 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And now at, top of the hour, take a look at this.
It's a delicate and dangerous operation, helicopters dropping water on the crippled nuclear power plant, but hitting the target may not be enough.
Also --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM WALSH, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Inevitably, there's going to be human error.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: What happens when those brave plant workers run out of steam?
Thousands are dead. Thousands more are missing, but as survivors wait for answers, is the Japanese government telling the whole story?
Plus, the rush to evacuate Americans and the tests they will face before coming home.
Hello. And welcome back, everyone. I'm Brooke Baldwin. And the next 48 hours in Japan are critical. Why? Workers are racing to prevent a nuclear catastrophe, Americans right now being evacuated. And President Obama speaking out just moments ago here on the urgent situation unfolding overseas and whether the United States here at home should be worried.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want to be very clear: We do not expect harmful levels of radiation to reach the United States, whether it's the West Coast, Hawaii, Alaska or U.S. territories in the -- in the Pacific.
Let me repeat that. We do not expect harmful levels of radiation to reach the West Coast, Hawaii, Alaska or U.S. territories in the Pacific.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BALDWIN: Again, that was the president literally minutes ago here. We will get you more on the U.S. response to what is happening in Japan.
But, first, surviving a massive earthquake and tsunami, that's one thing, but living in the aftermath is something entirely different. In Tokyo, for example, grocery stores , they are packed with people, but very short on food. Food shortages are even worse in towns, as you can imagine here, where rescue workers have set up base.
Take a look at this video. This is from a store in Tendo, Japan, where rescue and reliefs workers have set up camp. And you see the store shelves? It's what you're not seeing that's so dire. They're empty. In the tsunami zone, it is freezing cold outside; most shelters do not have heat. Look at the snow on some of those branches. For people living just a few miles from the leaking Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, there's nowhere to go.
They have been told to stay inside.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEHBOOB ALAM, JAPAN: This morning, too, nobody can move, nobody can go outside, because this week you don't have to go outside. The air is not so good. So in the road is -- I don't see any people walking here. And some of the cars running on the road. So, but I never see the people who is just walking and just go anywhere.
We are living here too far from the Tokyo. So we don't have petrol to go somewhere. And some of the roads, there is some damage here. So this is a big problem from here to go to our side.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Also, 23-year-old Jessica Okabi (ph) and her family, they left their apartment 20 minutes before the earthquake destroyed it. And she lost everything, except the most important things in her life, her husband and her two children.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was so scared for them more than for myself, and just because they're so little. And for a day, we couldn't even feed Sakura (ph). There was no -- there was no baby milk.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: In devastated villages, rescue workers climbing these mounds of debris. They're searching for survivors. Did you see the red flag here? The red flags signify where they find the dead. They're also sharing heart-wrenching moments with victims' loved ones. Watch this with me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A woman finally arrives to identify the body of a family member.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Heartbreaking images.
A radiation leak in Japan has a lot of people in California on edge, and some people fear small amounts of radiation from Japan's nuclear plants could possibly reach the West Coast of the United States. Scientists say the radiation levels will not pose a risk to California. We just heard from the president echoing that same sentiment and repeating it, but the EPA is adding more radiation monitors just they say to be safe.
Take a look at what some of these monitors actually look like. They're on buildings all the way from California to Alaska, even Guam and Hawaii. This one there is perched atop a building in San Francisco.
And so we sent CNN's Dan Simon to go check some of them out.
And, Dan, it looks like a fairly small device. How does it work? And what exactly does it do?
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're going to show you in a second. But, Brooke, we're on the top story of a seven-floor building here in San Francisco. The radiation unit, the radiation detection unit right here, this silver box, you can see what it looks like when it's open, some computer equipment. There's a bit of a filtration system here that analyzes the air and is able to provide real-time data to the EPA on a 24/7 basis.
Joining us to talk about how this system works is Eric Stevenson with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. He manages this system for the EPA.
Eric, is this pretty simple equipment? Explain. I guess give us an overview of how it works.
ERIC STEVENSON, BAY AREA AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT: OK. The operation is industry is pretty straightforward. Basically what occurs is a volume of air is passed across a filter. The material that's deposited on that filter is analyzed for radioactive material, beta particles, gamma rays, and that information is sent directly back to the National Air and Radiation Environmental Laboratory in Montgomery, Alabama, where it's monitored on a regular base.
SIMON: And you also clean out the filters, or you take the filters out on a weekly basis and then they're analyzed further, correct?
STEVENSON: That's absolutely correct.
What we do is we take the filters out twice a week. We send those filters back to Montgomery, and they're analyzed for more detailed information. SIMON: And we know that there are more than 100 of these across the country. At this point, you haven't see any sort of difference, you haven't seen a spike, nothing of that sort, correct?
STEVENSON: That is correct.
SIMON: All right, Eric Stevenson, thanks very much.
Brooke, again, devices like this fanned out all across the United States. As you said, the EPA is deploying more of them. This is really in sort of a transparent fashion on the part of federal authorities just to ease the public that there's no risk of radiation. And if you want to check this out, you can go to the Web site. You can view it yourself if you have any concerns whatsoever -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: So just to reiterate, Dan, we know authorities, including the president, the EPA that you just mentioned say there isn't a real risk here in terms of radiation on the West Coast, so then why few then maybe fuel some of the fears? Why add the monitors? Just to be overly cautious?
SIMON: It's to be overly cautious. And quite frankly they know the concerns are out there. And by adding more, you can basically tell the public we're doing everything we possibly can, we're being very transparent about this, and, look, if you have any concerns, we have all these monitoring stations out there and you can look for yourself. And it basically shows that there's no spike whatsoever. And so they hope that will ease some concerns somewhat.
BALDWIN: All right, Dan Simon, hopefully it will. My thanks to you live in San Francisco.
And now this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALSH: You have got people who are working 24/7 under emotional stress, physical stress, and the worst possible circumstances. Someone is going to make a mistake.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Well, many experts say the fate of Japan's nuclear crisis is in the hands of dozens of plant workers. You're about to find out what it is they're doing right now to prevent some sort of catastrophe.
Plus, we will take you live to Tokyo, where an unprecedented number of people are leaving town right this second. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Want to take you back live to Japan, go to live to Anna Coren from Tokyo.
And, Anna, I know there's a mass exodus, as I have been hearing, from where you are from the airports. How many people are actually trying to leave Tokyo?
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, in the thousands. That's what we're hearing, foreigners as well as Japanese.
We went down to the immigration bureau here in Tokyo yesterday. We had heard that there were long lines. When we got down there, there were thousands queued up in freezing conditions trying to get reentry permits. Now, these are people who live and work here in Japan, but to leave, they -- and return, they need to get this permit. so they were all queuing had been there for hours.
This queue just went on for kilometers. And people say it is completely unprecedented. This has never happened before. Normally 1,000 people go through that bureau a week. Yesterday, there were more than 10,000, the day before, similar numbers. So there is a concern within Tokyo that certainly people need this permit just in case the situation blows up.
BALDWIN: Yes. The images of the queues of the lines are quite stunning. In terms of countries here issuing evacuation orders, which countries are they, Anna?
COREN: They are not so much evacuation orders as they are advisories, governments basically telling their people, look, it's probably in your best interest to leave.
We're hearing it from the U.S. They're telling their people that they should consider departing. We also know that the U.S. Embassy staff have been offered seats on a chartered flight. So these are the, I guess, you know, services that are being offered.
Australia, Britain, New Zealand, France, Germany, they're also telling their people they should leave in case the situation exacerbates. But, you know, from the people that we spoke to in these lines, they're saying -- here in Tokyo, you don't really get a sense so much of the hysteria and the hype that I guess the rest of the world is hearing about.
Here, people are relatively calm. They're monitoring the situation. They're a little bit confused about conflicting reports. They would like the government to be more transparent, more open about the situation, because, you know, obviously information is a powerful tool. And then they can make their own decisions. But to have that reentry permit in their hands, they know that if the situation gets bad, they can leave.
BALDWIN: So, given the fact that you said the people there aren't really living up to the hysteria and the hype, are they then at all concerned about the spread of radiation in Tokyo?
COREN: Yes, definitely.
We're only 200 kilometers away from the Fukushima Daiichi plant. And radiation is one of those things that people don't know about. It's that scary word. You can't see it, you can't smell it, you can't hear it. There's no noise. So I think that we're looking at the pictures of the helicopter drops, of the water cannons, the fire trucks trying to, you know, control the situation, to cool these reactors, and reports that they're having to pull out because of the high radiation levels.
People hear that. And they think, right, we don't want to stick around just in case there's some sort of explosion, this blows out of control; we don't want to be here in Tokyo.
BALDWIN: Anna Coren, stay safe to you in Tokyo.
And she mentioned the fears of the radiation. It's all emanating from one power plant. Let's -- walk with me, and I'll take you to our what we call our Magic Wall.
And Gary Was is with University of Michigan, you are a nuclear engineering professor. You are back to walk me through exactly what we are seeing here today. We've been looking at these different maps here. We have reactors one through six.
Quickly, which reactors were not functioning? Was it four, five and six?
PROF. GARY WAS, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN: Right. Before the quake, four, five and six were shut down.
BALDWIN: OK, we're going to talk about reactor number four here in just a moment, but I want to show you video. We're getting all kinds of bits of videos from our Japanese video affiliate affiliates, and this is some new material from some of the stricken reactors.
You have seen some of this. Gary, what do you see, other than just obvious damage, and what does it say to you?
WAS: Well, I looked at they just a little while ago, and it looks like we're starting at four and working our way down. So this first image, I believe, is of reactor four, and the next one is reactor three. And then beyond that is reactor two, which has its containment pretty much intact, and then one has the top panels blown off.
So three and four are clearly in the most destructive condition. There looks to be a lot of damage on those top floors of the reactor and in the area of the spent-fuel pool.
BALDWIN: And clearly, this is being shot from above, several of these plant buildings and the nuclear reactor buildings. And we know because there's been a whole issue with lack of electricity and lack of cooling, the gauges. And we heard that all night last night apparently they were trying to string a power line to the plant in the hopes they could flip on some of those cooling systems.
But given what you see in this video, are there any guarantees the cooling systems will flip back on and work?
WAS: Well, there certainly aren't, but the key to bringing the situation under control is keeping the rods in the reactor and the rods in the spent-fuel pool under water. And what would help tremendously is if they could bring power to the reactor sites, and if the pumps -- pumping systems are working, the cooling systems are working, that would allow them to get them under water. Getting them under water is still, we believe, that's the best path to follow to contain this situation.
BALDWIN: That's what, I know, you are looking for, to hopefully not the helicopters flying over trying to dump some of the seawater, that's a bad signs. That says to all of us that the cooling systems are not yet working. And that's one of the issues here, reactor number four.
And this is very serious and grave, because we've been talking about the spent, the used fuel rods that are stored in a roof area. Is that correct to say, a roof area of this particular reactor? And the issue, and we heard from NRC Chair Jaczko yesterday saying they could be empty or near empty of water.
What happens if that's the case?
WAS: That's true, and there's conflicting reports to how much water is in those pools.
If the water level starts to drop and the rods start to overheat, the zircaloy cladding can get to a temperature where it essentially combusts and burns. Not like a piece of paper, but a similar result.
And if that happens, then we're going to end up getting slumping and fuel melting in those pools. They don't have the same kind of containment that the reactor core does. So that's a very dangerous situation.
BALDWIN: So you're saying if there is some water that would still happened versus no water at all?
WAS: Yes, that had very well happen at the top of the rods. We believe any amount of water is better than none, because even if the water is boiling, the vapors, the steam vapors, can actually cool the zirconium cladding, too, to keep the rods cool. Any water is better.
BALDWIN: So, as we look ahead, what is it that you're looking for next?
WAS: Positive resolution to this situation really involves figuring out a way to get water into those spent-fuel storage pools and cover them.
BALDWIN: So it's getting those cooling systems up and back, and not seeing the helicopters and the ground fire trucks spewing seawater, hopefully, hoping to aim at a precise location on a particular reactor the spent fuel.
WAS: That's right. That's low probability.
BALDWIN: Whew. Gary Was, thank you. Well, tonight a major decision at the United Nations. The Security Council will be voting on whether to impose a no-fly zone over Libya. And as Moammar Gadhafi is warning here that he will rid Benghazi, rebel stronghold of Benghazi, of the traitors. That's his word. We're going to tell you about the possibility of the air strikes against Gadhafi's forces and also the stepped-up attacks against rebels on the ground.
We will take you there live to Libya, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: U.N. Security Council vote on the no-fly zone resolution and potential other steps against Libya is set tonight for 6:00 Eastern. This as an all-out assault on Libyan rebels while western allies were scrambling to get this no-fly zone authorized.
CNN International correspondent Nic Robertson joining me from the capital of Libya there in Tripoli.
And, Nic, we know Gadhafi gave this televised phone address threatening the people of Benghazi, referring to them as traitors, that forces would be there tonight. What is this? Just total psychology, tough talk on behalf of this 42-year leader?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we've heard him get out ahead of the reality on the ground many, many times. I don't think anyone in Benghazi believes whether he's going to be taking over tomorrow, but the message is very clear one, put down your weapons and you'll be OK. If you're a foreign fighter, we'll go after you. But if you've got weapons, you're a Libyan, we find them in your house, then that is the end of the game for you.
That's what it -- it's a big, big psychological threat. And that's what he's trying to do, he's trying to beat down the people of Benghazi mentally. They know the Libyan army is massing at the gates of the next city a hundred miles away. They know that it could be well on its way to Benghazi soon, and he's trying to make it easier on his troops which is scare as many people away, scare as many rebels as possible to put their weapons down.
There's no indication that that's going to happen, but it is a psychological test, Brooke.
BALDWIN: The next city you were referring, I think, from Benghazi is Ajdabiya, and I know that state TV was reporting that Gadhafi's forces had overtaken that city. From what you've seen or heard, is that the case?
ROBERTSON: You know what we saw there yesterday were literally hundreds, probably between a thousand and 2,000 troops, and an army, the biggest formation of the Libyan army we have seen so far, organized, as you would expect a professional western army to be organized. A huge front line of multiple barrel-rocket launchers, tanks, anti-aircraft weaponry, radar-controlled systems. A real heavy mechanized army standing on the gates of the city. But behind that, this is a sophistication here, at the back you've got dozens and dozens of big trucks full of ammunition. Then you have a space, then you have the resupply trucks for oil for the vehicles and the tanks, and all the armaments that need to move into the city.
Then the water trucks and the food trucks, this was an army that's going places. And this is part of the psychological weapon.
But are they in the city? Yes, they are in the city.
Are they having a tough fight there? That's what soldiering told us.
And are rebels being able to hold on some parts of the city? It seems so.
It's urban warfare and neither side is (AUDIO GAP) for urban warfare. You see them with these great big anti-aircraft guns, that doesn't really do you any a whole lot of good in streets in a city. And that's what it is they are fighting right now, Brooke.
BALDWIN: But then you have the opposition forces who I know have said, where is the international community, where is the no-fly zone. We know the U.N. Security Council will be voting tonight 6:00 Eastern possibly on a no-fly zone.
Would that be too little too late for the opposition?
ROBERTSON: Gadhafi has got his momentum. He's got his troops in place on the ground. The air strikes, we hear about them, and certainly we're getting the independent reports. They tried to strike near Benghazi airport, missed that. Why did he strike there? Probably because he's worried about rebels having some helicopters that they've been able to recondition and get up in the air.
But it seems really that his strength on the battlefield is his army on the ground. Even if there's a no-fly zone, and it's going to take time to implement it, he's reaching effectively the next point in his game which is to threaten Benghazi and have that surrounded.
And pretty much once he's in that position, airpower is not going to be his best -- his best asset. It will be psychological pressure, surrounding the city, cutting off the fuel, cutting off the water, cutting off the food, supplies going in, and being able to bombard the city from outside. That's going to be his strength.
So a no-fly zone, at this stage, is coming too late, I think, for the opposition.
BALDWIN: You talk, Nic, about psychological pressure, and we know officials within Gadhafi's government are saying that the fighting will be over tomorrow. Is that just talk? Is that just psychology? Or have you seen any evidence to indicate that?
ROBERTSON: That's just talk. I mean, we've heard is so many times here.
What the government says and what's reality here are two completely different things. You can't dismiss entirely what they say, because generally it's a statement of intent rather than fact on the ground, but it's trying to -- they're trying to bring the population with them. They're trying to bring and keep on side all these tribes in the country who make a fundamental difference to the battle, and to be able to convince people on the other side of the frontline to put down their weapons.
And not only convince them to put down their weapons, but in this structured country, which tribe you're in is hugely important. If the government can keep most tribes on their side and then use those tribes to influence the other tribes in and around Benghazi, that can really work to their advantage, because it will just help isolate the opposition.
So this is all about making yourself look bigger than you really are, and that's what we're seeing here. When people see Gadhafi winning, they're more ready to fall into line and kowtow. It's doesn't mean there aren't people in this city that want to see him gone, that even want to see him dead, but it's just that they're now too afraid. Things have gone back here at least to the way they were before.
And that's what he's trying to do, get this mental psychological pressure back on to people here that he's had for decades -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: Decades and decades. Nic Robertson for me in Tripoli, thank you.
And I want to stay on Libya here and I want to bring in Hala Gorani for perspective here on tonight's, as we just mentioned, the Security Council vote at 6:00 Eastern.
And specifically talking about the no-fly zone, we know the United States hasn't been as strong coming out thus far and saying they're absolutely in favor of it, but the tone has changed now. Why?
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR/CORRESPONDENT: They were markedly tepid, not just in coming out in strong support.
According to Hillary Clinton, other U.S. sources, it's the Arab League that changed things, because the Arab League has come out in support of the idea a no-fly zone, even though it was a bit confusing when they want they didn't want foreign interference. So two messages came out at the same time.
But the Arab League U.N. ambassador told our Richard Roth that he believes two Arab nations would participate in the imposition of a no- fly zone over Libya. When asked would that mean Qatar or the UAE, he said maybe.
So now you have Arab participation. It doesn't look like some neocolonialist sort of imperialistic bombardment of a country from the West. It looks as though this is getting support from the region. And I think that's what changed minds.
BALDWIN: So if it passes tonight, this resolution at the U.N. Security Council, then what's the next step?
GORANI: Yes, and by the way, for it to pass, they need nine votes. There are 15 members at the Security Council, five permanent members with veto-wielding powers. We do not, according to our U.N. reporters, our wonderful Richard Roth, expect a veto.
But getting the nine votes is going to be complicated because some of the language in this resolution is calling for the protection of civilians against Gadhafi forces by all necessary means and also on all non-humanitarian flights. This implies military intervention in some form or another.
If that happens, then it goes back to the NATO headquarters in Brussels, it goes back to the European capitals, to the Pentagon, on how to do this militarily. The timeline is unclear, of course, Brooke, but as Nic Robertson mentioned there --
BALDWIN: Too little too late?
GORANI: Perhaps a little too late.
However, I did speak on CNN International with one of the heads of the opposition in Benghazi, and he was essentially begging the international community, Brooke, through our air to do something and do it today.
BALDWIN: That's what I've heard Arwa Damon saying over and over and over.
Hala Gorani, thank you.
We just found out - we want to get back to Japan. We've actually just got a guest, someone who had been in that Fukushima Daiichi plant at the time the earthquake hit. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cracks were opening up on the ground. I looked over at the buildings around me. And glass was breaking, lights, sirens, people screaming.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: He is now back in Idaho, good enough to speak to us about what that experience was like, to be that close to a nuclear reactor when an earthquake hits. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: We are about to hear for the very first time from someone who was inside the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant during Friday's 9.0 earthquake. Chris Hope is a software engineer who was working on a systems upgrade at this plant when the quake hit. Chris is now, as you can see, safe and sound back home in Idaho Falls, Idaho.
And Chris, it is one thing to experience a 9.0 earthquake. It is quite another to be going through an earthquake while sitting in a building next to a nuclear reactor. Is frightening an understatement?
CHRIS HOPE, SOFTWARE ENGINEER WHO WAS DAIICHI NUCLEAR PLANT WHEN QUAKE HIT: Yes, definitely. I mean, you think about it, it's kind of a triple whammy. We had the earthquake, the tsunami, and also I happened to be at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant at the same time.
BALDWIN: Just describe the moment the quake hit.
HOPE: Well, you know, is it started off kind of slow. I was thinking, wow, this is kind of neat to be experiencing this earthquake in Japan. But quickly my mind changed. It got very violent. Roof tiles were falling, monitors falling off the desks, people were crawling under the desks trying to seek shelter from any debris that might be falling, and you know, it was just a scary moment there.
BALDWIN: Were people running? Were people yelling?
HOPE: Basically, as soon as it started to get really violent, we all kind of knew we need to get out of the building. We were on the first floor of the old administration building. And we just said let's get the heck out of here. We made for the door , and as soon as we got into the hallway, we were immediately trapped. There was these steel fire doors that came shut that closed off both ends of the hallway. And there was a moment of panic. And one of my Japanese coworkers just football tackled that door as hard as he could, and it swung open and we were able to get out into the foyer.
And as you can imagine, there was all this debris and you know, crumbling sides of the wall and the roof and broken glass. And so we were able to pry apart these two glass entry doors, where we were able to get out on the road where once we got out there, just all the havoc and chaos was happening. People were screaming, lights, sirens, smoke, the buildings were still shaking, broken glass was falling. It was just a scene out of the movies.
BALDWIN: And I know that, you know, several nights later at a refugee camps, hikes, buses taxis and an airplane later, you're back home safe and sound in Idaho. But this is such an amazing opportunity for us here at CNN. You're the first person we have spoken to who has been inside this particular plant that's been in the news quite a bit lately.
I mean, can you just describe it for me? We've seen aerial pictures of this thing. How big is it, say from one of the nuclear reactor buildings to another? Is it like a football field in between?
HOPE: Well, it's basically, as you can see from Google maps, it's broken into two separate groups. There's 1 through 4 on one side there, which is what I was closest too, and then there's a short walk away on the other side of is the complex, and units 5 and 6 are on that side there. So, as far as unit - the closest one I was to was unit 1, and as soon as we got outside of the door onto the road there, we could see just the big, huge, tall smokestacks were swaying back and forth. We actually saw part of the hill come loose and block the main road there. There was a bit of a landslide. Cracks had opened up on the sides of buildings.
One of the most scariest parts that I saw for some other people was that inside the compound, or unit 1, it's all fenced off. And there's these big, tall iron fences that are kind of sharp at the top. And since the power was out, there was a group of probably 25 or 30 workers just terrified. They wanted to get out of this complex. And because the power was off, the gates wouldn't open to let them out. You know, some of them were trying to crawl over the top of the fence and some of them were trying to pry the gate open. Do whatever it took. And eventually they were able to pry it open to free themselves.
BALDWIN: How well, Chris -- and I imagine not very well since you were there for just a couple weeks - but have you at all been in touch with any of these workers that you met there? Have they reported back to you about what they're going through today with this international crisis kind of unfolding at this particular plant? Have you talked to them?
HOPE: I received a few different e-mails. I mean, I got to be really close with about three of them that were basically the ones that stuck with me as we were evacuating the area. And you know, we spent a couple days together in emergency shelters, and I was able to, you know, talk to them and hear how their families were doing and how they handled it.
There was a few of the workers that actually live in that area, in Okumu (ph) town, and Iwaki, which is just a little bit more north. And they're just concerned about loved ones. Some of them they haven't been able to get in contact with. And you know, just all that devastation and there's just a lot of concern about their futures ago well.
BALDWIN: What do you hear - you know, we've talked about they've been referred to as the Fukushima 50, or the Faceless 50. Some of these men and women who are the ones going in, essentially risking their lives to try to get this whole potential catastrophe under control. I don't know if those are any of your friends, but what do you make of this whole situation that's unfolding hour by hour?
HOPE: Well, you know, the Japanese people have a lot of honor and duty to their community and family. You know, I think it would be the same here in the United States. I know just the local community I'm in, you know - if this had happened here, you know, I know we'd all pull together and help each other out and do whatever it took to make sure that we were safe and comfortable. And you know, we just all wanted to pull through it --
BALDWIN: Did any of them at any given time feel unsafe working there? Did they ever echo that to you? HOPE: I never heard anything like that. As far as my personal feeling, I felt like it was a very secure, you know, place to be. I never at any time felt any concern for my safety or anything like that.
BALDWIN: So, now you're back home. Were you tested at all for radiation?
HOPE: Yes, I was.
BALDWIN: Are you in the clear?
HOPE: Yes. I am. Thank goodness, I can rest at ease.
BALDWIN: Wow. Chris Hope, I thank you so much for coming on. We're excited to be able to speak with someone who was behind those closed doors at Fukushima Daiichi. Chris, thank you.
HOPE: Hey, no problem.
And as we continue covering the drama unfolding there at that particular nuclear power plant and really across Japan, I want to remind you that CNN is on the ground. We are around the world. So, coming up at 5:00 Eastern here, Wolf Blitzer has now left Egypt. He's now in Tunisia, traveling with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. And then a little later on this evening, 9 p.m. Eastern, Piers Morgan is face-to-face with Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel. And then at 10:00, we're going to take you back to Japan live with Anderson Cooper. Quite an evening here in CNN.
Back to Japan here in just a moment. But there is big, big news today on Capitol Hill as well. Congress voting on 2 things. Number one, whether to keep the government running. And number two, whether to cut off taxpayer money to NPR. The hot, hot issue ahead.
Plus, a lawmaker in Kansas under fire. Have you heard this story? He said sharp shooters should be used to control illegal immigration. He even calls people crossing the border, quoting here, "wild pigs." You're going to hear the sound and reaction, don't miss it. Next.
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BALDWIN: Want to go straight to Capitol Hill, live to Brianna Keilar here. Two items on the agenda, Brianna. But I want to begin here with the U.S. government shutdown. The vote in the Senate.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, crisis averted, Brooke, at least for three more weeks. This passed handily to fund the government for the next three weeks. 87-13, but here's the thing. Congress still has to figure out how it funds the government the rest of the budget year beyond April 8th. And Democrats and Republicans are still miles apart on what to cut.
As you know, House Republicans have been pushing about $60 billion in cuts. But there's another issue. You have conservative Republicans who want policy provisions, things that would defund health care reform, defund Planned Parenthood, for instance, and Democrats don't like that. Nor do they like a lot of the cuts. So, you have the White House talking to Republicans, talking to Democrats. But right now no compromise, and they're not close, Brooke.
BALDWIN: OK. Next, to NPR. It's a pretty hot-button issue, whether the public radio station should be funded by the federal government, and how did the House decide?
KEILAR: That NPR should not be subsidized by taxpayer dollars. That they shouldn't be directly funded through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which gets federal funding. But also that local public radio stations shouldn't be able to use their federal funds to purchase NPR programming, which as you know, if you listen to the radio, they fill up their lineup with a lot of that.
So, this was almost a total party line votes. Republicans for, Democrats against here.
NPR, when you cut it down, it's just not beloved by conservatives. A lot of them think that it smacks of liberal elitism. And that was especially the case after a conservative activist put out a video, a secretly-taped video, of an NPR fund-raiser saying that, ultimately, NPR would be better off without federal funding.
Now, liberals have eviscerated this video. They say it was overly-edited, things were taken out of context. But it's really the fuel to the fire here as Republicans are looking for spending cuts.
Bottom line, Brooke, this was quite the statement in the House. It's not expected to make it past the Senate, certainly not past President Obama.
BALDWIN: Two votes today. Ms. Keilar all over it.
Brianna, my thanks to you.
And we'll get you back to Japan here in just a moment, but here in the U.S., if you use an ATM, listen up. Because who doesn't? We're getting some word that some banks are testing $5 ATM fees.
That is next.
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BALDWIN: And now if it's interesting and it's happening right now, you're about to see it, "Rapid Fire."
I want to begin here with a man. Forty-four years, that's how long Raymond Clark will spend behind bars for killing that Yale graduate student back in 2009. He pleaded guilty today. Annie Le went missing just days before her wedding. Police say Clark strangled her then stuffed her body behind a wall at the lab where they both worked. He also admits to trying to rape her.
Tonight, the former president of Haiti plans to end seven years of exile. Jean-Bertrand Aristide is expected to board a flight in South Africa bound for Port-au-Prince. Aristide's return to his homeland comes just two days before the country's highly-anticipated election. The White House opposes his return, says it could disrupt Sunday's run-off vote.
To Florida, and a news photographer captures a funnel cloud near West Palm Beach. There it is. That's pretty impressive there.
In fact, he saw several of them, we're told. Thank goodness, there weren't any reports of injuries or any damage there.
And in California, take a look at this with me, a mudslide washing more than 100 feet of highway into the ocean. We're told the road in Big Sur could be closed for months. By the way, the drop is said to be just about 300 feet.
And gunfire erupts at a convenience store near Nashville, and it's caught on camera here. Two guys walk in with a gun, ready to rob. What they probably didn't expect was the clerk to fight back there or, in their case, fire back. The apparent armed robbery ended with the two fleeing the story, apparently not wounded.
And the next time you need cash, you might want to think twice before hitting up the ATM. Some banks are hiking fees as much as $3. Others, testing out fees for $4. Dare I say $5? That doesn't include fees your bank charges for using another bank's ATM, by the way.
One person found a pot of gold for St. Patrick's Day in Sacramento. This is a seven-pound gold nugget. It was auctioned off last night for $400,000 to an anonymous phone bidder. It is believed to be the largest intact nugget found in the state during the gold rush.
We will take you back to Japan here in just a moment. But first, there is a controversy brewing here in the United States over a show possibly coming to television. Find out why the name of the show, the title alone here, has religious groups up in arms.
That's next.
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BALDWIN: Controversy over this new TV pilot that the ABC television network might pick up with a not-so-family-friendly title.
Joe Johns has the skinny with today's "Political Pop."
And Joe, I'm not saying it. You say it. What's the title?
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm not saying it. You know -- OK, kids could be watching, including my kids. And I just don't want to contribute to any misbehavior, so listen carefully.
This is a TV pilot based on a book whose title contains a seven- letter word that starts with a "B," rhymes with riches. The name of the book is "Good Christian (EXPLETIVE DELETED)." Yes. And it's also the working title of the pilot program that ABC might or might not pick up at this stage, done, by the way, by the guy who directed -- or actually created, I should say, "Sex and the City" -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: OK. Well, you've piqued my interest. What's the show about?
JOHNS: Right. If you think about it and listen to it, it's probably a sort of "Desperate Housewives" sort of thing. The story, we're told, of a mean girl from Dallas who comes home, and people have to forgive her for acting badly.
But here's the deal. Some conservative media watchdog types like the American Family Association are not liking this at all. They don't like the subject matter, they're not liking the portrayal of women that they think is on the way. And, of course, they do not like the title. That's the big problem.
BALDWIN: Well, the B-word, we've heard it, and it's been very much though criticized. Rappers use it, hip-hop artists. They've been hounded for using the word in their music.
So why does a TV network think they can use it for their show?
JOHNS: Exactly. I mean, Snoop Dogg got chased all over the place over this thing.
BALDWIN: Right.
JOHNS: The network is telling me that it's only a working title and the name is going to change if the pilot actually gets picked up. But here's the thing -- even if the name is changed, the people at American Family Association say they're not going to drop their opposition to the program. They say it's more about the portrayal of Christian women and creating the image of cattiness and so on in the Christian Church.
BALDWIN: OK. Well, let's get to a "B" word we can say on television, and that's brackets.
JOHNS: Yes, absolutely.
BALDWIN: We know the president chose his -- we know who he thinks is going to win the NCAA Tournament. He has the Jayhawks, the Kansas Jayhawks. And UConn winning the women's tournament, right?
JOHNS: Yes. Where did you go again? You went to North Carolina.
BALDWIN: Carolina. That's who I have number one, baby. I have --
(CROSSTALK)
JOHNS: There you go. Absolutely.
Well, you know, I'm from Columbus, Ohio, so I've got Ohio State. But back to the president, he's got Duke, Kansas, Ohio State, and Pittsburgh in the Final Four, which isn't a bad deal, although you would think he would have Ohio State, because he picked nothing but safe teams. On the women's side, he's got Baylor, Connecticut, Stanford and Tennessee.
And so, you know, he's not venturing too far out. Two years ago he won the whole thing, picking Carolina.
BALDWIN: Carolina. Go Heels. I can't believe he has Duke beating Carolina, but that's for another day off line, Joe Johns.
I like your tie colors, by the way.
JOHNS: Well, thank you.
BALDWIN: Mr. Johns, thank you so much. The color of my Tar Heels.
OK. Back to Japan.
And a sign of hope that's actually coming from man's best friend. If you haven't seen this video, you've got to see it. That is next.
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BALDWIN: OK. We've been showing you all kinds of destruction in Japan, and these pictures certainly tell a heartwarming story.
You see that? That's a little shaking, mud-spattered Cocker Spaniel in the Sendai area, hard-hit Sendai area. The exhausted animal watched over his injured friend since the earthquake and tsunami destroyed his home.
The good news here, rescue crews took both dogs to a nearby vet for treatment.
And on that, let's go to Candy Crowley. She is anchoring "THE SITUATION ROOM" -- Candy.
