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Little Kids Eat Cocaine At School; City Posts 5 MPH Speed Limit; U.S. Becoming More Diverse; Libya Announces Ceasefire; 33 Killed in Yemen Clashes; Nuclear Crisis Level Raised; Japanese Rescuers Witness and Suffer Tragedy; Calming Radiation Fears

Aired March 18, 2011 - 09:00   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, guys. And thanks so much. It is 9:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 6:00 a.m. in the West. I'm Carol Costello sitting in for Kyra Phillips.

Right now we're following two huge stories that are echoing around the world. In Japan new developments in the nuclear crisis and a new measure of just how dangerous the situation is.

And in Libya the world takes action against a dictator and the fear he could slaughter his own people. We are looking at the no-fly zone. The United States role in that and the military strikes that could begin at any time.

Actually there are quickly developing events in the Libyan civil war. Libya's foreign minister has just announced an immediate ceasefire. The move comes after the U.N. Security Council approved a no-fly zone and that cleared the way for possible military action against Moammar Gadhafi's regime.

A French official today said strikes will take place swiftly.

The mood in the rebel-held city of Benghazi, Libya, transformed from despair with exaltation with the United Nations vote. Opposition supporters there have been calling for a no-fly zone especially fearing an impending attack by pro-Gadhafi forces.

Chris Lawrence is our Pentagon reporter. He is at the Pentagon right now.

And -- you know, you hear there's an immediate ceasefire declared by Gadhafi forces in Libya but as you -- as you probably know, who can believe it? I mean what does it mean?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, it could be a political move, Carol, you know, to try to dissuade NATO from carrying out any sort of no-fly zone resolution like the one that was passed yesterday.

You know in terms of U.S. involvement, when you think of a no-fly zone, the first thing that comes to mind is American fighter pilots flying over foreign country. But the U.S. has many more ways that it could contribute to this effort. From folks I've been speaking to here in the building, there's also could be the possibility of unmanned drones being used in the area. The U.S. has signal jamming aircraft that could disrupt the communication between Colonel Gadhafi and some of his forces.

They also have a radar aircraft that could help coordinate some of the air traffic control if you had planes going out on no fly missions. Even planes from other countries. Right now, the U.S. has about five warships in that area, although the aircraft carrier, the USS Enterprise that was in the Mediterranean Sea, that has now left. Left earlier this week and now it's out in the Arabian Sea.

There has been, you know, within the U.S., a real debate about this no-fly zone primarily on two fronts. So one says the U.S. waited much too long. And in fact, the Air Force chief of staff said just yesterday, simply enforcing a no-fly zone at this point would not be enough --

COSTELLO: On that --

LAWRENCE: -- to sort of stop Colonel Gadhafi's momentum.

COSTELLO: On that point -- I'm going to interrupt you for just a second.

LAWRENCE: Sure.

COSTELLO: Because we've got Nic Robertson now live from Tripoli. But you stay there, Chris, because we have more questions for you.

Nic, this ceasefire that's been declared by Gadhafi forces, what do you think it means?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're still trying to figure it out. And I think the best information we're getting is from our own Arwa Damon who is in the east of the country, about 50 kilometers, about 35 miles from Ajdabiya which is the town we were outside of just two days ago where those massive encampment of Gadhafi's army.

And she says -- although she can't see who's doing the shooting, there's a lot of sounds of heavy explosions coming from the area of that town. So it's not clear if it's the rebels firing or if it's the government firing. But whatever it is, it sounds like the ceasefire is not being observed on the ground and that's despite the fact the foreign minister has said that there will be an immediate end to hostilities and immediate ceasefire.

The deputy foreign minister last night said that he couldn't say what the army was going to do. That wasn't his area of responsibility. And we certainly didn't get the opportunity to ask any questions of the foreign minister just a few minutes ago to find out some more details about ceasefire and what exactly the army is doing.

So while, on one hand, we have politicians here in Tripoli talking about ceasefire, it seems on the ground 600 miles to the east of here there is still fighting going on. So I think the situation right now appears fluid at the very, very best -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Well, OK. I don't know. Maybe I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe the forces far away from Tripoli haven't gotten word of the ceasefire just yet. I mean is that possible or is it the no-fly zone has struck a certain amount of fear in Tripoli and that is why they've come out with this ceasefire thing?

ROBERTSON: I think it struck a number of things. I mean fear will be among them. The leadership here pushed ahead with this offensive a couple of weeks ago because they were worried about the possibility of a no-fly zone, that it would affect their ability to prosecute their war in the east of the country.

They weren't expecting the no-fly zone to be -- resolution to go through so there's going to be some surprise there as well. And they're still trying to figure out their way to respond to this.

I was told a little while ago that the Gadhafi family is altogether and there is, quote/unquote, a lot of denial there at the moment which tends to indicate that while we're hearing one version of event from government officials, the leadership here perhaps is still intent on trying to make some military gains on the ground and at least be able to take control of this strategically important town of Ajdabiya.

And at the same time move on to encircle the rebels in Benghazi. This would perhaps then be the sort of least worst outcome of being forced into a corner by the international community because it limits the rebels' ability to control oil and gas streams here in the country which is important for the regime and it will limit their ability to perhaps expand their influence if they get weapons which is something the government is very worried about if the rebels get additional weapons.

COSTELLO: Right. And there is word Egypt --

(CROSSTALK)

ROBERTSON: There has been a lot of things going on, and I think we're going to --

COSTELLO: I was just going to say that the other interesting development out of Libya, Nic, is that Gadhafi's son -- one of his sons has announced that these four "The New York Times" journalists will be released from custody soon.

What do you make of that?

ROBERTSON: Carol, I have a little trouble hearing you. If you could ask me again please?

COSTELLO: One of Gadhafi's sons says these four "The New York Times" journalists are going to be released from custody soon. What do you make of that?

ROBERTSON: You know this is a very delicate time right now. And there's a lot of things in play at the moment. The government is clearly on its backfoot, it's clearly trying to find its way forward through this resolution.

And I think really to talk about "The New York Times" reporters, the four of them, in any detail at the moment may jeopardize whatever is going on there to secure their release. So at the moment it will just be imprudent I think to discuss it further -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I understand perfectly.

Nic Robertson, I know you're doing fine reporting there. We'll get back to you as soon as we can and also thanks to Chris Lawrence live from Washington at the Pentagon.

We also have breaking news to tell you about out of Yemen this morning. As many as 33 people have been killed. Hundreds more injured. And anti-government protest in Sana'a.

Our Mohammed Jamjoom is live in Yemen.

So, Mohammed, walk us through what happened there.

MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, actually we're hearing by the monitoring events in Yemen, we were told just a short while ago by medics on the scene there in Sana'a that at least 33 anti-government protesters have been killed in the capital today.

There's tens of thousands of anti-government demonstrators that have been camped out outside what's become the main staging ground for the anti-government cause there in Sana'a. It's outside of Sana'a University.

Earlier today about an hour and a half ago, there were clashes between security forces and pro-government loyalists and anti-government demonstrators. We were told by eyewitness on the ground that pro- government loyalists started hurling rocks at the anti-government demonstrators. Anti-demonstrators then starting throwing rocks back then.

Security forces started shooting to disperse the crowd, first into the air, then into the crowd. The medics are saying it's quite a bloody scene. They're concerned there will be more injuries they'll find later. There's over a hundred that have been injured right now. They're trying to get them to hospitals. It's difficult for ambulances to get there.

And as I said before, we've just been told at least 33 killed and they expect that death toll may get even higher in the coming hours -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Mohammed Jamjoom, reporting live from Dubai, thanks so much.

Now we turn our attention to Japan. Crews are back at work this morning, spraying water on the overheated nuclear fuel. It may be working. International atomic experts say things are fairly stable right now. In the meantime, President Obama is assuring Americans that the radiation poses no threat risk to the West Coast or the U.S. territories. He also says that the United States has a responsibility to learn from Japan's crisis.

And the Japanese media is reporting that some 380,000 people have poured into shelters and they have no idea when they'll be able to leave those shelters. Many of the shelters are without enough power or kerosene to properly heat them so the people are pretty much living in freezing temperatures right now.

Also new this morning, despite that glimmer of hope I just told you about, Japan's nuclear agency is raising the crisis level on the damaged plant and overheated nuclear fuel. The new rating, five out of seven. That puts it at the same level as the Three Mile Island accident in 1979. Now this comes as crews were spraying water on a damaged reactor unit.

CNN's Stan Grant has been our point man on this weeklong drama.

And Stan, the confusing part about the new level of severity is Japanese officials raised it to five and yet the International Atomic Energy Agency is sort of playing that down. Why would that be?

STAN GRANT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, It is confusing, isn't it? Because there's actually has been a period of time of stability, Carol. Remember, earlier in the week there were fires and explosions, radiation peaking and dropping, and people being evacuated.

We haven't had that at least for the past 48 hours. And the water appears to be getting into the reactor from the back of these trucks. And yet the rating has gone up.

I'll tell you why. Because the first level, when they rated it at a level four, that was taken about three days ago. The events since then, as I've just described -- the fires and explosions and so on -- have meant that they have ratcheted that up one more.

Level five means that there could be an indication of some severe damage to the core of the reactor. That's concerning because that then allow the radioactive material inside the reactor to actually get out, especially if it's damage to the containment vessel.

It also as if there may be greater public exposure. But at the same time the IAEA is saying that there's sort of arbitrary setting. It could actually come back. So it's just an indication, I suppose, of how fluid this situation is.

Interesting that you raise the Three Mile Island comparison because that's actually been seen as almost a good sign because Three Mile Island in the end, the radioactive material was trapped inside the building. It largely didn't get out. There were no deaths directly related to it. And those in the immediate vicinity, in the community only registered relatively low levels of radiation exposure.

So they're actually looking at that and saying, if it ends up like Three Mile Island, that would be a good thing -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Well, but there's something that could throw a wrench into things, right? I mean I understand there's a crack in the spent fuel pool and that would make it very difficult to keep water inside to keep that spent fuel cool.

GRANT: Every single time they think that they're getting on top of this that there might be a glimmer of hope, yes, there is something else that comes along and throws up another challenge.

You mentioned that pool. That pool contains spent fuel rods. Now when we talk about the other fuel rods encased within the containment vessels in the core of the reactor this isn't. This is actually exposed and of course there was a fire there which damaged the buildings.

If those rods, if those spent rods are actually exposed the radioactive material could go straight into the atmosphere. That is a real concern so they need to focus very much on that.

But, again, they're actually trying to get external power source generators hooked up which may allow them to kick-start the containment -- kick-start the processes there to cool it down. If they can do that, that would be a big step forward -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Stan Grant live in Tokyo, many thanks.

This note for you. A senior White House official is telling us right now President Obama will make remarks this afternoon and his remarks will be on the subject of Libya. Of course, we'll carry the president's news conference live.

In just a couple of minutes we'll head back to Japan and a cruel twist to the search for victims. Many of the rescuers are discovering their own heart-breaking losses.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Through Translator): My wife, my son's family, and four grandchildren, I lost them all.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Dr. Sanjay Gupta looks at the mental anguish of these rescuers. Many are driven by a sense of duty even as they reel from their own personal tragedies.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: In Japan, the horrible human toll has at times been eclipsed by the unfolding drama of the nuclear crisis. Well, today in the heart of the tsunami zone a moment of silence to remember those dead and still missing.

As you can see, life came to an absolute standstill in Miyagi Prefecture this morning, exactly one week to the moment that the earthquake struck and sadly it marked only the beginning of the terror for this region. Minutes later, the tsunami crashed in.

This morning, the death toll is again raised. More than 6900 people now confirmed dead and more than 10,000 people still reported missing. That number is eventually expected to climb into the tens of thousands and we'll explain why in the next hour.

There are thousands of rescuers spanning out across the bleak landscape of the disaster zones. They're not only witnessing tragedy, they are living it. Many are grieving their own terrible losses, but they are pushing on in a mission that is both vital and cruel.

Chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is in Tokyo.

You know, Sanjay, the Japanese seem so stoic but you know the emotion -- the emotional toll has just got to be enormous.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I think so, Carol. And I think part of that, as well, is for the people who are in the rescue teams, a sense of helplessness because it's been very difficult to get manpower, just to get, you know, bodies into some of these evacuation centers of which they are literally thousands, 2500 I believe now, across that region.

And also very difficult to get some of the basic supplies in, which is hard to believe but, you know, just food, water, blankets and medications for people.

You know, Carol, you had people who survived the earthquake, survived the tsunami, but now are at risk in these evacuation centers because of the cold. So many of these people are elderly. They lost all of their medications.

And we were hearing some just tragic stories, Carol, of people being evacuated from hospitals around that nuclear plant, for example, on buses and people dying literally on the bus on their way to these evacuation centers.

More people dying at the evacuation centers because of the reasons that I'm just mentioning. So it is a -- it is a heartbreaking situation. All of that compounded, as you know, Carol, by the anxiety about radiation which is very, very strong and persistent here.

COSTELLO: Give us a sense, Sanjay, of why it's so difficult to get supplies to these evacuation centers.

GUPTA: I have been asking that same question and, you know, to be fair, you know, some of it is just difficult to traverse these roads that have been so devastated by the earthquake and the tsunami. You know getting into some of these hard-hit areas can be a bit of a challenge.

But clearly, people are doing it. You're starting to see relief teams get in there. We as journalists, obviously, got in there as well. You know there appears to be supplies in the country, some of it coming from overseas. Some of these basic supplies again, water, food, blankets, medications, but getting them really from point A to point B has been a remarkable challenge.

And, you know, when you hear from the people in the evacuation centers saying look, you know, it's been a week, we're still waiting for some of these supplies to come, it is a bit mindboggling as to why exactly that hasn't happened. We've been trying to ask that same question.

Maybe aerial lifts, you know, actually employing the use of some of these helicopters to make those drops, to get some of those supplies in, may be part of the answer, but it needs to happen.

Carol, you can also tell -- I don't know if you can tell, but it's really cold, it's really cold. And it's snowing in many of these parts. They don't have any electricity. So these elderly people in these evacuation centers without their medications, without basic supplies, and now, you know, literally freezing to death in some situations. It's tough.

COSTELLO: An awful situation. Well, I know you'll get more answers for us, Sanjay. Thanks so much.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, reporting from Tokyo.

GUPTA: Thank you.

COSTELLO: The United States is watching for any spike in radiation levels here at home. If any blows over from Japan these little machines will detect them almost immediately. We'll talk about the risks next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Federal authorities say Americans don't need to worry about radiation coming to the United States from Japan. They say if radiation makes it over the Pacific the amount will be small and it will be harmless.

The federal government is watching for it, though. The EPA has set up extra radiation monitors on the West Coast and also in Hawaii. If there's even a slight change in the levels, these machines will pick it up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILIP FINE, SCIENTIST: We don't really know how much is being emitted from the reactor in Japan. But even if it was almost worst case scenario it appears that by the time it crosses the Pacific over four or five, six days, there's a lot of dilution and dispersion. And even though these very sensitive instruments may pick up a little bit, what we're being told is that radiation risk will be minimal and nonexistent.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: There are more than 100 radiation monitors across the country now. I'm talking about the United States. Gary Was is a nuclear engineering professor at the University of Michigan and Dr. James Cox is a radiation oncology professor at the Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and they are here to talk about the risks.

So let's just talk about these monitors because, Dr. Cox, everybody says it's harmful, it's not harmful, we don't have to worry about anything but they are setting up these monitors all over the United States on the West Coast. So it sort of sends a mixed message.

DR. JAMES COX, ANDERSON CANCER CENTER: Right. They are setting up the monitors to -- to monitor, that is to detect anything that might come but what they are expecting is, there will be something measurable but not of any health concern.

COSTELLO: So they're just doing it as a precautionary measure?

COX: They are doing it as a precautionary measure and they would be doing it anyhow, and if this happened anywhere in the world.

COSTELLO: Yet we're also hearing that anything coming in from Japan is also being checked once and twice for radiation levels as well. And I think when people hear that, they worry, too.

COX: I think that is worry that's unnecessary.

COSTELLO: OK. You can't say it enough. And I do think people are really scared.

COX: They are.

COSTELLO: I mean, they're buying these potassium iodide pills. They're buying stuff on the Internet, like even like tents that are supposed to protect you from radiation.

COX: But the potassium iodide pills carry a risk themselves. I mean they're not -- it's not like taking sugar pills. They can affect other parts of the body.

COSTELLO: Got you.

So, Gary, let's turn to you now and talk about what's happening in Japan at this nuclear facility. So the severity level has been raised to five. What should we take from that?

GARY WAS, NUCLEAR ENGINEERING PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN: I think that's just an indication that this has been a fairly serious accident as a result of loss of power to this facility and that we're looking now at a situation where we are dealing both with the reactors at each of the buildings and the spent fuel pools.

And it's important distinction between the two. They are housed in the same building but they are two separate entities and they bring their own issues with them.

COSTELLO: Is there any way to tell when this crisis might be over? WAS: Well, things are looking better with the reactors. It appears that the seawater injection is working in terms of cooling those reactors and so they are stabilizing. The decay heat produced drops each day from the one before so in that regard it's less of a problem each day.

The attention now is on those spent fuel pools which have a greater exposure to the atmosphere based upon where they're at and those are -- and the water level in those has been much more difficult to control as can you see from the attempts to get water in there.

COSTELLO: Right. Well, at least there are little glimmers of hopes in there.

Thanks to both of you for coming in. We appreciate it.

Americans are reaching out to the victims of Japan's crisis. In North Carolina a plane loaded with donated supplies is about to take off. I'll talk to Evangelist Franklin Graham about how his group is trying to help and what role God is playing in the tragedy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It is now half past the hour. Time for the latest developments from Japan.

Right now crews are spraying water on the overheated fuel at the damaged nuclear plant and they may be working. International atomic experts say things are fairly stable right now, but of course the situation remains very dangerous.

Japan's nuclear agency is raising the crisis level. It's now rated a five out of a possible seven. That puts it at the same level as the Three Mile Island accident in 1979.

Japanese media is reporting that some 380,000 people have poured into shelters and they have no idea when they'll be able to leave. Many of the shelters are without enough power or kerosene to properly heat them so people were staying in freezing temperatures.

The numbers in Japan are certainly sobering. Almost 7,000 are confirmed dead, more than 10,000 missing, and those numbers are expected to rise. So, how are we supposed to respond to such a tragedy on a grand scale?

Well, a plane loaded with 90 tons of emergency supplies from the Christian aid group, Samaritans Purse, is about to take off for Japan. The group's CEO and president evangelist, Franklin Graham, joins me now from the airport in Charlotte, North Carolina. Welcome and thank you for joining us.

FRANKLIN GRAHAM, PRESIDENT & CEO, SAMARITAN'S PURSE: Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: You know, this disaster is such a human tragedy, and people are having a hard time making sense of it. As an evangelist, what can you say to people who ask how can God let such a thing happen?

GRAHAM: Well, first, I don't always -- I don't believe God does want this to happen. I don't think it's ever God's intention, but we know that there are going to be storms in life, Carol, no matter what happens. We need to keep our faith and trust in Almighty God, and I want the people of Japan to know that God hasn't forgotten them, that God does care for them, and He loves them. And this plane behind me and all the materials that were on it, Carol, we're giving this to the people of Japan to help them in their hour of need.

It's got blankets, shelter material, hygiene kits. These are things that the people need desperately, and it's going to be there tomorrow night, and there's a lot of people, Carol, that have backed this. People like Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Amy Grant, people like that have helped us sponsor this. Lowe's Hardware, they have been sponsored this. Duncan Aviation out of Nebraska.

We have hundreds of people that have just bought pallet loads of material and put on this airplane. And so, we're just one of many people that are going to Japan and letting the Japanese people know that we care and God cares and we are standing by them.

COSTELLO: It's a terrific effort. I was just talking to Dr. Sanjay Gupta in Tokyo, though. He said that it's very difficult to get the supplies to those in need because the roads are in such terrible condition. How do you plan to overcome that challenge?

GRAHAM: Well, we're working on that right now. We hope that we'll have the U.S. military when we land at the airport later tonight. We have been told that -- or, hopefully, they'll have the trucks there waiting to unload the plane for us and get the material up there, but it's a difficult -- because of those nuclear reactors, this is really made it difficult, Carol.

It's almost impossible because that 50-mile radius to try to circumvent that and go around them to where we can get to the affected area has made it very difficult, but we're going to do it. And we're working on it as we're talking right now. I got people working on it.

COSTELLO: You already have people in Japan. What's it been like for those aid workers?

GRAHAM: Well, it's -- it breaks their heart because they have been up there and they've seen them without -- people without electricity, without food and cold. This is a modern industrialized nation, and to see this nation brought to its knees, it just breaks your heart. But, at the same time, your heart is broken, but you want to do something. We just cannot stand by. We have to do something. That's why we got the plane.

That's why we're air-lifting it. We're going to do all that we can as long as we have the resources. We're going to keep helping Japan, and if we have to next week, we'll send another plane just like this and bring more material. The people of Japan, especially there in the north, they're without electricity. They don't have enough blankets. The shelters that they're in, many of them don't have heat. It is a difficult situation.

And it's cold and it's snowing. So, you know, all we can do, Carol, is pray for them and pray that God will put his arms around them and bring comfort to them and healing to this nation. But, more importantly, for the aid workers, that God will watch over them and protect them as they try to help them.

COSTELLO: All right. Well, thank you so much for joining us. Franklin Graham and good luck on your journey. We appreciate it.

GRAHAM: Thank you.

COSTELLO: It's been a crazy roller coaster ride this week for global financial markets. Here at home, the Dow fell more than 400 points between Monday and Wednesday, then a triple digit gain on Thursday. Now, the opening bell has rung. Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange. So, Alison, should we strap on our seat belts for another wild ride today?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Carol, safety first especially when the markets are this volatile, but, you know, we've got a strong start today. This follows a gain in the Nikkei of almost 3 percent. This is all happening because central banks around the world, they joined hands overnight to help Japan's economy. The U.S., Canada, the UK, the ECB, they're all taking steps to prevent the yen from rising.

Now, this move is pretty rare. You know, we haven't seen a coordinated currency intervention happen in 11 years. This, of course, has happened because what happened after Japan's disaster is that the yen surged this week to a record high against the dollar mostly because of speculative buying. So, the problem is, is that the stronger yen makes Japanese exports more expensive and less attractive. What could have happened is it could have thrown a wrench in the global economic recovery, especially because Japan's economy relies so heavily on exports.

But today, we are in the green. The DOW up 140 points. The NASDAQ better by 25. We've also got our eye on oil. Oil sitting at about $101 a barrel. We've watched it initially jump after the U.N. voted for that no-fly zone over Libya but then pulled back after Libyan comments about a ceasefire. We'll have our eye on all of it for you today. Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: Alison Kosik, reporting live from the New York Stock Exchange, thanks.

The 2010 U.S. census data is rolling in and my next guest coming up says the Hispanic population is growing much faster than expected. How fast and what does it mean? That's next.

And there it is. Lurking amongst the clouds. And it's coming closer and closer. The super moon is nearly here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: Let's take a look now at stories making news across the country. Police in Washington, D.C. say four elementary school kids between the ages of eight and nine were sickened after swallowing and snorting cocaine. A student allegedly brought it to the school and that student now faces a drug possession charge.

City officials in Raymond, Wisconsin have instituted a five-mile an hour speed limit. I want to make sure you got that. Five miles an hour, that's the speed limit for a stretch of road considered too bumpy to travel at 45 miles an hour. Residents think it's a bit much. The town's chairman says repairs to the road should be finished by summer's end when they'll be back up to speed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CHANTING) United! Never be the same!

COSTELLO (voice-over): In Arizona, five proposed anti-immigration bills targeting undocumented workers were defeated yesterday. They follow up on last year's passage of SB-1070 considered the toughest anti-immigration law in the country and the target of a federal lawsuit by the U.S. Justice Department.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO (on-camera): Even if you only had political rhetoric as your guide, you know the United States is growing more diverse. In 1980, the number of those who said they were Hispanic just over 14.5 million, about 6.5 percent of the population, but, by the year 2000, that number more than doubled. The Hispanic population then at over 35 million, now, making up 12.5 percent of the population.

Columnist, Ruben Navarette, has been watching the latest census data coming in. So, it's funny because I've done stories on the census, and Hispanic people traditionally don't trust census workers to answer questions, so the Hispanic population could be even bigger, right?

RUBEN NAVARETTE, CNN.COM CONTRIBUTOR: Carol, absolutely. You know, as my friend, the comedian, George Lopez, would say these are just the people who answer the door when the census guy knocks. I think there's a lot of possibilities that these numbers are even bigger than expected and that the figures are still going to grow. The ideas that we've only counted so far 33 states or 17 states left to go, and the numbers are already huge.

COSTELLO: So, how will this change the culture in America? How has this changed it, I should say.

NAVARETTE: Well, you've got, you know, the statistics are pretty startling. You've got 600,000 more Hispanics than were expected, so far. Again, of the 28 of these 33 states have more Hispanics than were expected. The total figures are 37, 38.7 million, which is 1.5 percent higher than expected. So, again, these are all sort of showing a trend that's going to continue to show up all over the country. Not just in pockets like Texas or California or New York or Florida, but in states that, frankly, have not been used to having this kind of population, Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas and Kansas, and it's going to impact the culture in a variety of ways, be it media, politics.

COSTELLO: I was just going to say, one way, it has already affected our culture. The Arizona State Senate just shut down five bills pertaining to illegal immigration, including one that sought to stop automatic citizenship for children -- U.S. children, you know, children born here in the United States by illegal immigrants. So, how do you read that? Why is that going on?

NAVARETTE: Well, you know, I lived in Arizona. I've covered the immigration issue in Arizona, Texas and elsewhere, and I would say that 90 percent, this is somebody who's written about immigration for 20 years, 90 percent of the anxiety that Americans feel about immigration, both legal and illegal, comes from this changing demographic. And I think you can make all the talk you want about how it's law and order and respecting law and order and people shouldn't come legally or illegally.

We understand, but the idea that America is changing is profound. It always frightens people. It frightened people when we went from a protestant country to a catholic one. And now, it's frightening people again. So, this is a profound and impactful scenario in Arizona. It's one of the reasons that the legislators there have been so desperate to try turn back the tide and return Arizona to what it used to be.

COSTELLO: Ruben Navarette, thanks for joining us. And if you want to read Ruben's article on this subject, CNN.com.

Japan's deadliest nuclear disaster happened during World War II. Those who lived through the atomic bombing say today's nuclear crisis reopens painful wounds. Just ahead, Hiroshima survivors, in their own words.

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CAROL COSTELLO, CNN GUEST ANCHOR: I want to update you quickly now on the news breaking in Libya. That country's foreign minister declaring an immediate cease-fire; it comes not long after the U.N. Security Council approved a no-fly zone. That action opens the way for a quick military action against Moammar Gadhafi's regime.

This is exactly what rebels wanted. They are celebrating in the city of Benghazi. Opposition supporters there have been calling for a no- fly zone especially fearing an impending attack by pro-Gadhafi forces this weekend.

Turning now to Japan: Japan's Prime Minister says his country is facing its worst crisis since World War II. That of course was when the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Japan to end the war. Survivors say they were the first victims of the nuclear era.

CNN's Kyung Lah reports. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CORRESPONDENT, CNN INTERNATIONAL (voice-over): Japan races to control the emergency at the Fukushima nuclear plant. Nervous residents flee from the growing crisis. But the elderly running from a disaster, this is their second nuclear crisis of their lifetimes.

"It's so scary" says the 75-year-old evacuee. For this generation this all echoes of 66 years ago when these men were children. They survived Japan's first nuclear crisis when the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki ending World War II.

MIKISO IWASA, HIROSHIMA SURVIVOR (through translator): It felt like being hit by a baseball bat in the head and that was only the beginning --

LAH: says Mikiso Iwasa; he was just 16 years old then living less than a mile from Hiroshima's epicenter. Among the estimated 140,000 killed his mother, his sister, every single one of his relatives except for one aunt.

(on camera): Are you a living example of the price of nuclear technology?

(voice-over): "I am," he says. "We are the first victims of the nuclear era."

As he watches a crisis at Fukushima and the impact on their generation now hit twice by nuclear emergencies, he says, "I strongly question whether nuclear energy is helping peace and life."

Both Iwasa and Terumi Tanaka believe nuclear energy should not exist especially in earthquake and tsunami-prone Japan.

(on camera): Do you believe the benefit of nuclear energy outweighs the cost?

"For me no", says Tanaka; only 13 years old when the bomb fell on Nagasaki. He was less than two miles from the epicenter spared from the burns but he sees the long-term health impact of radiation.

Nuclear power, unless made 100 percent secure, should never be allowed in any form near mankind, they say. Japan's past and presence says Tanaka proves it.

(on camera): Japan has seen darker days. Rose from the ashes to become this, a world class country and an economic super power. The World War II survivors believe that Japan will emerge from this nuclear crisis. They just wonder if it will be with new lessons learned.

(voice-over): At age 81, Iwasa still suffers from radiation-related health problems. But they are nothing, he says, compared to the constant nightmares of his dying mother that haunt him.

"It's our hope to have us as the final victims," he says. "I hope it won't ever happen to your generation."

Kyung Lah, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: CNN is launching a new high tech way for smart phone users around the world to take immediate action to help disaster victims -- disaster victims in Japan. Throughout our coverage we will show you special black and white codes which you can see on the screen right now. There they are.

They scan this image with your smart phone and loads our "Impact Your World" Web site automatically. You don't even need to type anything else. There you will find links to charities that are helping disaster victims in Japan. And we'll air this code later in our show and throughout the day on CNN. So keep your smart phones handy.

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COSTELLO: Breaking news to tell you about, we have a man on the phone out of Mesrata, Libya. He's a member of the provincial council which is part of the opposition forces in Libya. As we've been telling you, Moammar Gadhafi's government has declared a cease fire, but opposition forces really aren't seeing that.

So sir, thank you for joining us. We won't name you for your own protection, but we appreciate you talking with us.

What is happening in Mesrata?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The murderous dictator started shelling the cities at 2:00 last night. They started shelling civilian areas. Dr. Hazmi will speak just after me, he will tell you about the civilian casualties. We have 20 civilian casualties from last night and more than 20 today.

The dictator is telling the world that he has declared a cease fire. Mesrata is in fire -- on fire as we speak. He's bombing the city from three directions, from three directions bombs are coming into the city and he's bombing his way and shooting his way to the center of the city which he hasn't succeeded in doing.

He's trying to take Mesrata and at all cost. Mesrata is the last standing city on the West Coast. He will try to take it today at all costs. He is killing people left and right.

There is no cease fire. Please tell the world there is no cease fire. He is killing people, civilians in Mesrata now.

COSTELLO: The -- the United Nation has voted to implement a no-fly zone. Does it come too late for you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. We have -- you have to bomb them into submission. This war criminal has to be brought to justice. Now we want him -- we want him brought to justice now. Bomb him into submission, please. He is a lying dictator -- he's been lying to the world for 42 years.

(CROSS TALK)

COSTELLO: Why do you suppose --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are shouting outside because they just brought another dead victim.

COSTELLO: -- why do you suppose sir that the Libyan government came out and declared a ceasefire, and held a news conference for the world to hear?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Could you say that again, please?

COSTELLO: Why do you suppose the Gadhafi government came out and -- and told the world that it was implementing this cease fire?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, we will not stand for this. We want him tried for all of the deaths since 1969 and for the last four weeks. And for the last four weeks, he killed more than 2,000 people.

Now we hear from my friends that there is a hospital being bombed. Right now as I speak to you. I can take the phone outside and you can hear the bombs.

COSTELLO: Only if it's safe to do that, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sorry?

COSTELLO: Is it safe to do that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I go -- I go closer to the window, maybe you will -- I'm moving closer to the window so maybe you can hear the -- the -- the shelling, the shelling.

This -- this war criminal has to be brought to justice. We called up on the international community -- community to bomb him into submission and take him to The Hague and try him and free Libya of this dictator, murderous dictator. He's killed the Libyan people and wasted their resources.

COSTELLO: The -- the no-fly zone probably won't be put into effect. I mean, it's not going to be put into effect immediately. How -- how do you suppose that Moammar Gadhafi will deal with that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He will -- he will tell the world that he has -- he has declared the cease fire and on the ground he's going kill as many as he can and gain territorial advantage so he -- so he can improve his bargaining position.

But there is no bargaining with this man, even if he kills all Libyans. He has to be brought to justice and bombed into submission. We call upon the international community to bomb his bases. This thing will be concluded in three days if it is a swift and a strong campaign. It will end in three days. We promise you. All Libyan people will rise against him. Even a city like Tripoli is simmering underneath. If they bomb his power bases in Tripoli, Tripoli will rise, I assure you of that. I am positive.

COSTELLO: Thank you so much for talking to us. We know how dangerous it is for you and please try to stay safe. Thank you so much.

That was a member of the opposition forces within Libya, from Mesrata, Libya saying that despite a cease fire declared by Moammar Gadhafi's forces, there is no cease fire.

Our coverage continues at the top of the hour. Our Nic Robertson live in Tripoli, we'll get to him in just minutes.

And we're going to go to a break. We'll be back.

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