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New Radiation Concerns at Nuke Plant; Making the Case for Libya

Aired March 28, 2011 - 10:00   ET

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

COSTELLO: It is now 10:00 a.m. in the east, 7:00 out west. A new problem for Japan this morning, as if they need any more problems. Where to put contaminated water from that damaged nuclear plant. Some of that water has radiation levels tens of thousands times above normal. And officials are not sure what to do with it.

Here in the U.S., there is talk of a superbug. It is a deadly strain of bacteria that is resistant to almost all antibiotics. It has turned up in California and it seems to be spreading.

And Wal-Mart sued for sex discrimination. If the Supreme Court lets the case go ahead, it will eb the biggest lawsuit of its kind. And could put Wal-Mart on the hook for billions of dollars.

In Libya, rebel forces are marching toward the capital. After weeks of bloodshed those fighters seem to have seized the momentum. They say they have recaptured two towns that are essential hubs of Libya's oil industry. Now they're gearing up for what could be a pivotal fight for Moammar Gadhafi's birthplace.

Today, NATO is flying it's first sortie over Libya as it completes its take over of the no-fly zone. And by the end of the week, the military alliance will expand its role and take control fo the mission altogether.

The U.S. is trying to step down its role but so far it has supplied nearly all of the firepower. According to the Pentagon, the U.S. has launched all but seven of the Tomahawk cruise missiles, that's 168 out of 175.

CNN's Reza Sayah is in eastern Libya. So Reza, first off, how important will it be for rebels to capture Gadhafi's birth place?

REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, all of these towns are crucial as the opposition fighters move westward. But when you talk about Sirte, this is Colonel Gadhafi's birthplace, his hometown. The opposition says because of those reasons, they expect a fierce fight. So taking it would be key moving from Sirte westward. Then you're talking about Misrata. There has been fierce fighting over there for the past several days. That's the town that's just east of Tripoli. That town would be key because it would essentially be the staging grounds for the final push towards Tripoli, the capital which is the final destination for these opposition fighters.

COSTELLO: Reza Sayah, live in eastern Libya today. Thank you. Later today, President Obama will address the nation and make his case for the military action in Libya. Yesterday he dispatched two senior cabinet members to answer criticism that's coming from both sides of the aisle.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I think we prevented a great humanitarian disaster, which is always hard to point to something that didn't happen. But I believe we did. And now we are beginning to see, because of the good work of the coalition, to see his troops begin to turn back toward the west and to see the opposition begin to reclaim ground they had lost.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: But the White House also admits that the North African country posed no threat to the Americans. Here is what Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said about the administration's decision to launch air strikes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Secretary Gates, is Libya in our vital interest, as a country?

ROBERT GATES, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: No, I don't think it is a vital interest for the United States. But we clearly have interests there. It is part of the region, which is a vital interest for the United States.

COSTELLO: Got that? Let's go to the White House and CNN's Dan Lothian. So Dan, Defense Secretary Gates didn't exactly make it easier for the president when you heard him. He said "I don't think Libya is a vital interest for the United States." So how does Mr. Obama make Americans understand it is worth it?

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I should point out though that Secretary Gates is defending the overall mission there in Libya. But what the president will do is point out that he believes it was in the national interest of the U.S. to go there, to prevent humanitarian catastrophe. You heard Secretary Clinton talking about that. The president will repeat that theme again today.

But in addition to that, you will hear from the president and what they have been saying now for the last few days is that by going in, they've helped to prevent that area from being destabilized. Something that could ripple throughout the region and cause problems down the road. And so the president will again make the case tonight that it was important and necessary for the U.S. to get engaged in Libya. But then it was very limited and this was not something that will be long lasting.

COSTELLO: OK. Dan, so I heard from pundits and from analysts and whoever that this speech is very important for the president. He must get the American people on board with this or it will damage him. Do you think that this is weighing on the president or does he not pay attention?

LOTHIAN: Well, listen, I think anytime the American people are talking about something or even the pundits, they have to pay attention to what is being said. Clearly we've seen over history how any kind of military engagement in another country can impact a president long after that president leaves office.

And so President Obama is very cognizant of how important this speech is tonight. And that is why he has to make this case. That it is important to go in there. It will be tied again to the threat on innocent civilians in Libya. Believing that tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands would have been killed had the U.S. and its coalition partners not gotten involved there.

COSTELLO: Dan Lothian, live at the White House. Many thanks.

LOTHIAN: OK.

COSTELLO: So how is that all playing out on the wider international stage? Let's head back to London and Zain Verjee. So Zain, tonight President Obama will be on television talking about Libya. Will the world be watching?

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely yes. Let me give you a little bit of the flavor or what the international papers have been saing today about Libya in general and some of the things that Mr. Obama will likely keep in mind when delivering that speech. Let's go first to the "Zaman" today in Turkey. The headline is "France likely to drag feet over political command on Libya." It goes on to say, "even after an eventual NATO decision for expanding its role in the on-going operation in Libya and giving it political command of the operation, France appears will continue efforts to hold the politically prominent role within the operation." That's what the U.S. wanted to shift command and control

"Arab News" in Saudi Arabia has this headline, "let a coalition of Muslim states do it." It says "Any popular revolt that has the approval of the west now runs the risk of being discredited as a foreign plot. It will also be much harder for liberal groups within Arab countries to gain support for their cause among the conservative and religious groups.

And finally, Carol, just take a look at the headline for the "Star" in Malaysia is. "Libya and nuclear crisis deepen. Besides the obvious criticism that this whole campaign was done in a hurry with each western country taking its own actions and having its own goals, the larger issue is whether the security council resolution has been abused as a fig leaf for military actions."

That's the flavor of the headlines that the president likely to speak to some that, at least at both the international and the U.S. audience.

COSTELLO: Zain Verjee, live in London. Thank you. Tune in to CNN for the president's speech and insights from the best political team on television. Our special coverage begins at 7:00 Eastern, 4:00 Pacific.

Turning now to the crisis in Japan. New video this morning shows how destructive the March 11th tsunami was. You can see a wall of water move cars and boats even building in the devastated city of Kesennuma.

New concerns about radiation levels at that damaged Fukushima plant. Water found in the tunnel of number two reactor is reported to be at least 100,000 times above what it should be for coolants inside the nuclear reactor.

CNN contributor Jim Walsh puts that into perspective for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM WALSH, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: The government suggested today at a press conference that it may meant hat water is leaking out of the reactor itself. That is the first time the government has suggested that that was the case. Remember we had water in reactor one, water in reactor two and water in reactor three. But if this water is coming from reactor two today, it's coming from directly inside the reactor. Then that means the containment vessel is cracked or broken. That is the big news of the day.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: CNN's Martin Savidge is in Tokyo. So Marty, what can you add to the story about these very high radiation levels in the water?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, as was pointed out there by Mr. Walsh, the concern is, of course, that this is now radiation that has been found outside of the reactor building. This was found in the tunnel that is described as an electrical tunnel. These are pretty good sized tunnels. You could crawl through them. And these are basically designed to carry the electric cables around the facility there.

TEPCO, that's the operator of the nuclear plant, decided "let's take a look inside of those tunnels. Well, when they opened them, they found, wow there's water inside there. Not only did they find a lot of water, they found that it was highly radioactive.

Well, this could begin to explain how some of these highly radioactive water is getting into the sea water. TEPCO could not say for certain that these tunnels have overflowed. And somehow that spilled into the ocean. But we do know that there has been exceedingly high levels of radiation detected in the sea water immediately around the plant.

Carol, that's one possible explanation but of course, none of this tells us exactly where it is coming from. Coming from, perhaps, a breach in the reactor containment vessel or as some others suggested it, maybe it is coming from the fuel rod pools that have somehow overflowed or that the fuel rods themselves have been exposed to the open air. And the radiation is coming from there. They just don't know. That continues to be a huge frustration. Carol.

COSTELLO: Martin Savidge, live in Tokyo. Many thanks.

We are getting some breaking news in from the U.S. Supreme Court. We're not quite sure what it is yet but it is (INAUDIBLE) so we're going to talk to our people there in Washington D.C., who follow the Supreme Court and when we get it, we will bring it to you. We're going to take a break so we can get that information.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: OK. So we got the information in about the U.S. Supreme Court. This happened just minutesa go. The Supreme Court announcing it will not stop the execution of a man convicted of killing a Savannah, Georgia police officer more than two decades ago. The justices rejected appeal from Troy Davis. Davis who has been on death row since 1991 claims he did not kill officer Marc MacPhail. CNN Supreme Court producer Bill Mears joins us on the phone. And Bill, tell us why this is so important?

BILL MEARS, CNN SUPREME COURT PRODUCER (ON THE PHONE): ... talking about the procedures and such. This gentleman, Troy Davis claims he did not do it. They have the wrong man. And if they execute him, an innocent man would be put to death. So this case has a real importance about death row appeals and just when a death row inmate can make these kinds of claims.

COSTELLO: We missed the first part of what you said. So just give us a little bit more of the background of this case.

MEARS: Well, Troy Davis was convicted of murdering a Savannah police officer 21 years ago. It was a big case because the defendant was African-American and the police officer was white. So it increased the racial tensions in that city. He claimed that he is the wrong person, they got the wrong man and he should not be put to death for those crimes. His appeals have been going on for years and years. The Supreme Court just a few years ago allowed his execution to go on and then stopped it at the last minute. So this case has been up and down for years.

COSTELLO: And so how might this - this has been going on for 20 years, which is crazy. It has been going on for so long. So how might this affect other cases of death row inmates claiming their innocence?

MEARS: Well, there has never been a proven case where an innocent death row inmate was actually executed. His supporters, which include the Pope, former President Jimmy Carter, entertainer Harry Bellafonte. He's got a number of high profile reporters backing him, saying if this execution goes ahead, an innocent man will be put to death. And there was a case on eyewitness testimony, people who witnessed the crime, claiming it was Troy Davis who did murder in this case. So we will see how the state will proceed with an execution date. But this case sould have huge implications for other death row inmates who claim that they too are innocent of these crimes.

COSTELLO: Bill Mears, many thanks for clarifying for us. We appreciate it.

It is spring break and in any normal year, the beaches of Acapulco, Mexico will be crowded with American tourists, American college students. But not this year. The fear of drug violence in Acapulco is keeping tourists away. CNN's Rafael Romo reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After a series of murders last year, American and British authorities issued warnings to travelers about Acapulco. 18 bodies were found near Acapulco last November in a shallow grave and what appears to be a massacre by a drug cartel.

(on camera): Everywhere you go in Aculpulco, especially in tourist areas, you see signs like this one that says "Habla de Aca," Speak well of Aca, short for Acapulco. It is a new campaign spearheaded by the Tourism industry. But it is hard to do that when the violence is speaking so loudly. 15 headless bodies were found outside a mall in January. There were more than 1,000 violent deaths in Acapulco in 2010. Marking a steady increase over the last three years. With more than 300 deaths so far this year, Acapulco is on pace to break last year's record.

BRIAN RULLAN, NIGHT CLUB OWNER: This is not a violence against tourism. Any tourist who come here, they'll never see violence. Any person who come in, they will never see any problem against an attack, against anybody personally.

ROMO (voice-over): Brian Rullan owns Paladium, one of the hottest nightclubs in town. He used to see hundreds of spring breakers every night in previous years. Now it is only a handful.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, it's totally safe.

ROMO: But these four young Americans from the midwest say people are missing out.

AMY PETERSON, AMERICAN TOURIST: My mom actually came to Mexico a couple of weeks ago. Everyone kept telling us how safe it was. So it was no problem coming here. Once we got here, everyone felt so safe.

ROMO: Acapulco officials say last year they still received about nine million tourists. A number they expect will increase by 300,000 in 2011.

MAYOR MANUEL ANORVE, ACALPULCO, MEXICO (through translator): Acapulco is standing on its feet. And Acapulco is (INAUDIBLE) with problems.

ROMO: The mayor Anorve points to the fact that world-class events like the international diving championship and the Guiness record-breaking event were still held here this year. Rafael Romo, CNN, Acapulco, Mexico.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Violence in Syria is heating up. But Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the United States will not intervene but if the protest there turn into a full-on revolt, can the U.S. government ignore it?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: -- make sure that Gadhafi winds up in international criminal court. That sounds just as convoluted as anything Democrats are saying.

DANA LOESCH, "CONSERVATIVE ALTERNATIVE": It is, and I think that there is a lot of the convolution that you're hearing perhaps from conservatives is because they're so divided on it. I think there has been a lot of miscommunication or a lack of communication with the mission in Libya. I hope to hear from the president tonight.

You know, as Cornell was mentioning, I think that two things I would like to hear. I want to hear what sort of time line - what sort of time line we can expect from Libya? Because if we ever needed a time frame for military conflict, now is the time. Especially when you have the leader of the transition council for the rebels sort of inferring to Nicolas Sarkozy, saying, OK, well, you guys helped us win the first battle. Now let us get the rest of it by ourselves. I would like to sort of see how long our engagement will be in Libya. I think we have been able to so far neutralize Gadhafi's defenses and related capabilities. And I would like to see again, you know the timeline.

And then also, if NATO is taking charge, I think that the Europeans and Arab League - I think they're more than capable of sort of taking the lead on this as opposed to the United States. So, I would like to see something of that nature being said. And I know there's been kind of different answers from both Secretary of State Clinton and Secretary of State - Secretary of Defense Gates in an interview that they gave on Sunday morning, so --

COSTELLO: Well, actually, let's talk about what Secretary Gates said. Cornell, I want to pose this question to you because Secretary Gates says that Libya is not a vital interest to the United States. And it said it on all three: ABC, NBC and CBS. So, it is out there. Now Americans are really wondering. And does this put more pressure on the president?

CORNELL BELCHER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I think we have to define vital interest. Because I think the president is going to lay out why it is an important interest to us right now.

I mean, look, if we had not intervened there and the slaughter that was going to happen there, then pumped into our nightly television every evening, Americans would be outraged. COSTELLO: Yes, but Cornell, if that's the only reason, then Americans will wonder are we going into Syria? Will we go into Jordan? Will we go into Yemen? Will we go --

BELCHER: Hold on. There is not a value sort of proposition to this, which I don't take lightly, but also let's not pretend that the oil in that area is not a vital interest. And also, from a larger standpoint - look. I was at the Brussels forum this weekend, and what you're seeing is sort of what they think is sort of 1989, what happened in central and eastern Europe, where the communism collapsed. We could be looking at an Arab spring here, where America and Europe have to get out in front of this, because that world is changing very rapidly.

COSTELLO: Dana? Did you say something?

LOESCH: Well, I think it is a tricky proposition. And you know, I was actually rooting for the president, but when he was not wanting to get involved in Libya, I was disagreed with Secretary of State Clinton and Nicolas Sarkozy on a lot of this.

I think the president needs to lay out why Libya is different from Yemen or why Libya is different from Syria or even Iran. Because really, one of the big basis for - the reason that we're intervening is for humanitarian aid. Well, you can probably make the case that Iran needed humanitarian aid as well when their regime was shooting protestors in the streets or in Syria, where protestors are being shot in the streets.

So, I think that needs to be made clear. A lot of convolution comes from the fact that there isn't a difference. People don't know one.

BELCHER: And one quick other point to this before we go is that also the Arab world actually asked us to do this. I mean, they haven't asked us to do this in Syria. So, we have to be careful about how we sort of intervene there without that community asking us to do so.

COSTELLO: Point taken. I know both of you will be back tomorrow after the president's speech. Thank you for being here this morning. It should be an interesting speech. I'm sure many people will be glued to the television.

As I said, Dana and Cornell will join us tomorrow, 10:30 Eastern time to tell us what they thought about the president's speech.

Checking our top stories now. More confusion and contamination at Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant. Today's worry, highly radioactive water found in a tunnel near reactor number two. The radiation is at least 100,000 times what it should be. Officials don't know how the water escaped the turbine building, and they don't know if it has been seeping into the Pacific Ocean.

Former president Jimmy Carter is expected to arrive in Cuba in just about 15 minutes. They'll start a three-day visit at the government's invitation.

A second trip down the aisle for Reese Witherspoon. The actress married agent Jim Toth over the weekend at her ranch in California.

They are known for their low, low prices, but Wal-Mart could be looking at some big, big bucks if the Supreme Court signs off on a huge discrimination suit. More information on that, next.

And you won't see that face on a milk carton. A deadly cobra, that is, missing from the Bronx Zoo. We'll tell you why zoo officials are telling people not to worry about this poisonous cobra who's on the run.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Stock market opening bell rang just about an hour ago. Quick check on the numbers. Up just about 49 points. It is always good when it is in the plus category.

One of the world's biggest companies could face one of the history's biggest lawsuits. Wal-Mart big wigs are crossing their fingers right now, hoping the Supreme Court denies a giant sex discriminations class-action suit.

Stephanie Elam's got the lowdown for us from New York. And this involves a lot of women.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: A lot of women and a lot of money for the world's largest retailer, Carol. That's what you're talking about here. So, it is a big deal. A lot of people are paying attention to this one just because of what it could mean.

So, what we are talking about here is the Supreme Court is going to decide whether or not that this case can continue as a class-action suit with these women. It all started in 2001 with six women in California who did know each other, but had similar claims saying that sex discrimination was entrenched at Wal-Mart. They alleged that they were passed over for promotions, that they were told to be cute in certain parts of their jobs, things that men weren't told. That's what they claim.

Well, this has gone on for almost a whole decade now. It is now the Supreme Court's decision. They're going to decide, can we continue to look at this as a case that we will look just as a class- action suit? As of now, it is the largest class-action suit in U.S. history, and tens of billions of dollars are at stake. Because if it is allowed to go through as a class-action suit, then that means that maybe as many as 1.6 million women could then join the class-action suit.

Wal-Mart says they are not against working with these people and addressing their claims. It just says that they want to do it individually because they say that the reason people are bringing the claims are varied. And so, they want to address them one by one. Others on the other side of it, they're saying that basically, Wal- Mart thinks that they're just too big to have a class-action suit and they're saying that's a ludicrous argument.

That is what is going on now here. Obviously, if hundreds of thousands of women join a class action suit, that will be pretty painful for Wal-Mart.

COSTELLO: Oh, yeah. Right in the pocketbook. What might this mean for other businesses in the United States?

ELAM: Right. That's why it is not just Wal-Mart folks watching this one. Because if it is allowed to go through with this many people and as Wal-Mart said, with just a lot of different reasons under one big banner, then that will effect how business gets done. It's a precedent here because it is the largest one. So, what they are waiting to see if it goes through the Supreme Court and they decide to look at it, then that could show that this would be a precedent where any other company doing business in the United States could be liable for anything like this if something like this were alleged at their companies.

COSTELLO: Interesting. Stephanie Elam, live in New York. Thank you.

Staying with gender issues for just a second. A new study just reinforces men and women look at aging very differently. According to pollsters from -- I love this, -- Avalon Funeral Plans -- most women consider themselves old once they've hit 29. But oh, surprise. Men give themselves a little more leeway. More than half of them feel old at 58 or just about the time their performance falls off.

After that last line, I was going to go, hi, Jeff Fischel.

JEFF FISCHEL, HLN SPORTS: The worst set up ever.

COSTELLO: I will not ask you to explain what that means. I'll ask you about basketball --

FISCHEL: You need air quotes. "Performance."

COSTELLO: "Performance." As in basketball.

(LAUGHTER)

FISCHEL: You know, we have been watching college hoops all weekend. And talk about age. We saw adults probably crying like kids or jumping up and down like little kids. It was just a fantastic weekend. We have seen one Cinderella in the final four, but not two. And this Saturday, they will actually play each other for a spot in the national championship game.

VCU. Experts said they did not even belong in the tournament! The Rams dominated the only number one seed left, Kansas. Joey Rodriguez to Bradford Burgess. That shot beat the clock, and they beat the Jayhawks. VCU won 71-61.

They will face the other Cinderella, Butler. Back in the final four for the second straight year. Sheldon Max (ph), three on Saturday. That was the game winner for the Bulldogs. This is what it was like for the Bulldogs at 1 a.m. Sunday morning when they arrived back on campus in Indianapolis. The students, of course, love them, especially after their final four run last year.

Kentucky is back in the final four for the first time in 13 years. DeAndre Riggins, the three in the final minute to knock out North Carolina. They'll face off with U Conn. Arizona had two chances Saturday night in the final seconds in the three pointer and win the game. Both missed. A month ago, the Huskies, they totally lost. Now they have won nine games in 19 days.

Here are the match-ups for Saturday. This is the bracket you predicted, right?

COSTELLO: Oh, my God!

FISCHEL: It is a mess! All the number one seeds are gone. All the number two seeds are gone. We have a three and a four. Those are two heavyweights, U Conn and Kentucky. Boy, that other match up. They have national titles in their history. But boy, that other matchup. VCU and Butler. One of thOSE teams is going to the national championship game. And we could see a Cinderella win a national title.

COSTELLO: That just proves that the people who win brackets have no idea what they are doing.

FISCHEL: Yeah, right. They probably predicted the moon and sun would collide and all the crazy things. This time, the crazy things actually worked out. Two teams in the final four.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Jeff.

FISCHEL: OK.

COSTELO: Just ahead, a deadly drug-resistant bacteria is hitting nursing homes and hospitals throughout the country. Elizabeth Cohen separates fact from fiction about the superbug, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: So, what could be more germy than sticking your hand in a public toilet? Something you probably do quite often, right? Well, listen to this. A recent study found there are more germs and more other things on a shopping cart handle than a public restroom. So, some grocery stores are taking things into their hands.

So, check this out. This is a new product that is being tested at a grocery store in Oregon. As you head into the store, you just push the cart through and, viola, it is disinfected. Don't you approve of that, Elizabeth?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: That is very interesting. You could also just take a wipe out of your purse and wipe it down.

COSTELLO: That would be too simple. That is taking the fun out of it. Geez!

COHEN: Yes, sorry!

COSTELLO: But you are hear to talk about something else. There is this deadly strain of bacteria that is out there right now that is resistant to almost all antibiotics. Cases are popping up in hospitals and nursing homes across southern California, and it is spreading. Health officials are calling it the superbug.

And senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is actually here to talk about that. So, first of all, what exactly is the superbug?

COHEN: A superbug is any bug that is resistant to antibiotics. In other words, someone gets sick and their first-guess antibiotic, and it doesn't work. Tries a second-line antibiotic. Doesn't work. Doesn't work. Doesn't work. And this bug, which is called CRKP, they've tried a bunch of antibiotics against it, and only one works, and it doesn't work very well and it can causes kidney damage. So, this is a tough one.

COSTELLO: So, you have a loved one in the hospital. What should they be looking for? How likely is it that they pick up the superbug?

COHEN: When you are in the hospital or nursing home, you don't want to think about just this superbug. There's a whole bunch of superbugs out there. There are mersa, which we've talked about before. There are several of them.

And so, you want to be really vigilant to make sure you don't catch it. So, I have my Empowered Patient tips for what to do. And I've had to do this myself when I've been with loved ones in the hospital. The first thing you want to do is ask doctors and nurses to wash their hands. And Carol, I know that sounds so stupid. Like, aren't they doing this already? But study after study shows many of them are not. And you have to ask them. If you don't see them wash their hands, ask them even if they are wearing gloves. Because the gloves could be dirty.

COSTELLO: And don't be embarrassed or intimidated just because it's a doctor or a nurse.

COHEN: Exactly. Just ask them. Make a joke. I try to make a joke out of it. I said, I'm like Howie Mandel. I have this germ thing. Can I see you wash your hands because that made them feel better.

The other thing to watch out for is if someone has a catheter or a tube, anything from the outside going into the body and it is staying there, that is a place that is ripe for infection. So if someone, if your loved one has one of those, say "Get this out ASAP." I mean, they obviously need it. But get it out of there as soon as you can.

And another one, and this is the easiest one, is eat yogurt.

COSTELLO: Eat yogurt? COHEN: Yes. Yogurt has all that good bacteria. And it can help fight some bacteria that live in the gut.

COSTELLO: Wow, it's that strong? I mean -

COHEN: Studies have shown that it really has controlled some - not all, but some bacteria.

COSTELLO: So, let's say the worst happens and you get the superbug. What then?

COHEN: Well, it is tough. I mean, I was corresponding with a doctor in Israel just now because they've had one of the biggest outbreaks ever. And there, the death rate from the superbug was 44 percent. All right? And this is a place with good health care. So, 44 percent, and he thinks that maybe it's a little bit lower in other places, but still. When it kills about one-third or more of the people who get it, that is pretty serious. You really want to work on prevention.

And what is interesting about this new study that has just come out, is that on the West Coast, they thought, oh, this is a problem the East Coast has. We don't have this problem in our nursing homes and hospitals. But then, when they checked, they found that in seven months last year in Los Angeles county, they have 356 cases. So, that is a lot in seven months.

So, don't assume. Just if it looks clean and looks fine, it still could be a problem. Take those precautions.

COSTELLO: Don't touch me until you wash your hands.

COHEN: Right. And watch them wash their hands. I want to see you wash your hands.

COSTELLO: Right. Elizabeth Cohen, many thanks, as always.

Here are stories making news "Cross Country." A man in northern California was seriously injured when a pipe bomb hidden inside a morning newspaper exploded. The force of the blast dug a crater a foot deep in his neighbor's front yard. Federal authorities are now involved in the investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Stella! Stella!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: Cracks me up every time I see it! This is the 25th annual Tennessee Williams Festival in New Orleans. And as you can see, it ended in this shouting match with contestants yelling Stella! And Stanley! At the top of their lungs. It was inspired by the author's famous novel, "A Streetcar Named Desire." I could watch that all day.

Here are six words sure to get your attention. A cobra is on the loose. The 20-inch long snake, poisonous, mind you, escaped its cage at the Bronx Zoo. But officials there are quite confident that it is still safely inside the reptile house somewhere. That building is of course, closed to the public until this venomous snake can be found.

Last hour, we spoke to wildlife expert Jack Hanna last hour about how dangerous this snake is.

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JACK HANNA, WILDLIFE EXPERT: You know, they are toxic. For example, if you were bitten - I've never been bitten by one. I've been bitten by other lot of snakes, but not a poisonous snake like this. My understanding is you get blurry eyes, your heart starts to slow down. It's just like a kind of numbing effect. Nausea, a little bit of nausea, that type of thing. That's neurotoxic. The hemotoxic snake is like a rattlesnake.

But again, the cobra -- this type of snake is not an aggressive snake, so to speak.

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COSTELLO: Not an aggressive snake. So, don't go poking around in bushes and stuff with a bronze suit (ph). That would be bad! Hanna says this cobra will never strike unless it threatened. That's why you shouldn't poke around. He says since it's cold outside, the cobra almost certainly stayed inside the reptile house and is finding a warm, confined space to hide.

Authorities in Massachusetts say don't worry. The drinking water is fine. But even with those assurances, when people hear that is even tiny amounts of radiation in the water, they will be nervous.

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COSTELLO: New developments this morning in the crisis in Japan. New radiation fears at the crippled Fukushima plant. Officials found alarmingly high levels of contaminated water in a tunnel near the plant. They are trying to find the source of the water.

New testing today found elevated levels of radiation in the sea water near the plant. It was more than 1,100 times what was normal.

The effects of the disaster in Japan may have reached all the way to Massachusetts. Trace amounts of radiation has been detected in rainwater there. Now, this is from Japan. It has to cross an entire country, like our own country and other things, to get to Massachusetts.

So, Reynolds Wolf is here to tell us it's no big thing.

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It sounds spooky, doesn't it? It really does, I mean, radioactive material getting there. But guys, there is radiation in everything. You'll get radiation just walking outside on a sunny day going from your car to your place of business or your home.

Now, in this situation, it is kind of interesting how these microscopic particles have made their way from one side of the globe to the other. Think of when we have wildfires in southern California. You see the smoke billowing up. And it's very thick in the beginning. It goes up and disburses.

Well, it doesn't really vanish. What happens is these tiny little smoke particles get caught up in the upper-level winds of the atmosphere and they get cast away. Well, in this situation, they make it all the way over to the other side of the globe, and then over in Japan, of course, we have the issues with the reactor. What happens is we have some of the radioactive material that leaves and then gets caught up with the upper level winds and is carried over to other points of the globe.

So, that's basically how it happens. So, just plain and simple, it is picked up almost like a leaf on a stream. The water is being carried along and that is basically what happens. Tiny particles, radioactive, from one side of the planet to the other. Go figure.

COSTELLO: Yes. Go figure. Don't worry about it. Reynolds Wolf, thank you.

Next hour in the NEWSROOM, with Suzanne Malveaux, as work crews try desperately to contain Japan's nuclear crisis, America is marking the thirty-second anniversary of the worst nuclear accident in history. Three Mile Island.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is a form of psychological terrorism that occurs during a nuclear accident because you don't know how it will turn out and you don't know how it is going to be affected. And to be frank, neither do the experts.

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COSTELLO: Suzanne will speak with someone who lived just three miles from the plant and ask what advice she has for those living in Japan.

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COSTELLO: Looking at stories making news later today. Senate majority leader Harry Reid is holding a rally at 12:30 Eastern to push for legislation protecting Social Security. Reid and the Social Security Works Coalition want to prevent Social Security from being privatized. Reid will join the rest of the Senate when it convenes at 2:00 p.m. Eastern.

Up first on the agenda, extending the small business innovation research and small business technology programs. President Obama's speech on U.S. involvement in Libya is at 7:30 p.m. Eastern. CNN's coverage with The Best Political Team on Television begins 30 minutes earlier at 7 p.m. Eastern.

I want to toss it over to Suzanne Malveaux for a continuation of the NEWSROOM.

And of course I'll join you in about 10 minutes.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Fast wording (ph), Carol. That was really good.

COSTELLO: I was talking fast, wasn't I?

MALVEAUX: All right. I'll see you soon, Carol. Thanks.