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Nine Dead From IV Infection; Rebels Lose Ground in Libya; Syria Blames "Enemies"

Aired March 30, 2011 - 10:00   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It is 10:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 7:00 a.m. on the west. I'm Carol Costello, in for Kyra Phillips. Syrians have been waiting to hear from their president after weeks of unrest. His speech today has some good sound bites, but little else of what the protestors wanted.

A big spike in radiation in the waters off of the Fukushima Nuclear Plant. More than 3,000 times the normal level. In the meantime, mystery smoke (INAUDIBLE) from another new plant, just down the road.

And that mystery hole at the side of the U.S. Airways plane, the pilot described it as the size of a bullet? Guess what, he was right.

We start off in Alabama. Nine patients are dead and 10 others infected with bacteria at several state hospitals. Health officials think their IVs might be to blame. The deadly bacteria was found in the IV bags.

Our Elizabeth Cohen is here to tell us how this could have happened. Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Carol, this is really a terrible story. As you said, 19 people have been affected. Nine of them have died. And we're told the other 10 are really not doing very well. They found this bacteria called Serratia marcescens and Carol, this is the stuff that you would see in grout in a bathroom or in the corners of a bathtub. I mean, this is pretty awful stuff in that case, it's not harmful but when you send it coursing through someone's veins for someone who is already sick, that is obviously not a very good thing at all. Carol.

COSTELLO: How is the bacteria found in grout get into IV bags?

COHEN: You know, that is what they are trying to figure out right now. They don't know if perhaps the wrong ingredients arrived at this plant already contaminated. Or maybe the packaging or the manufacturing items were contaminated. And so that's how it happened. They just don't know. Maybe someone did not wash their hands. It's very difficult to tell. That's what they're trying to investigate right now.

COSTELLO: So nine patients are dead. And the other 10 are not doing well. so some of them may die too? COHEN: That is a possibility. Yes.

COSTELLO: And there is no way to really protect yourself against this kind of stuff?

COHEN: No, there isn't. You know, I'm all about encouraging people to be empowered patients but in this case if someone hooks you up to an IV, and there is bacteria in that bag, there is really nothing you can do. And it's going to be especially deadly if again, as I said, that patient is already sick. I mean, this is something that these pharmaceutical companies, that these compounding pharmacies need to figure out what happened here. How do you prevent it from happening again? And how do you prevent it from happening some place else?

COSTELLO: Elizabeth Cohen, many thanks. We'll push this story forward in about 30 minutes. We will ask a health safety expert how often he sees cases like this.

Now let's turn our attention to Libya and a series of jarring losses for rebel fighters. Moammar Gadhafi's troops are pushing back and wresting towns from their control rebels were forced to retreat from Ben Jawad (ph). Those opposition fighters then regrouped in the nearby city of Ras Lanuf. That is a key hub in Libya's oil industry and one they desperately want to keep under their control.

In the meantime, there could be a dramatic shift in strategy among the coalition. For the first time, the White House is saying it could provide weapons to the rebel fighters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm not ruling it out. But I'm also not ruling it in. We are still making an assessment. Partly about what Gadhafi's forces are going to be doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: But one big concern about arming the rebels is we really don't know who the rebels are. There is even evidence that Islamic extremists are among the opposition and don't forget the (INAUDIBLE) supported the Afghan Freedom Fighters against the Soviet Union and one of them became famous, you know, Osama Bin Laden. In fact, the U.S. NATO commander issued this warning on Capitol Hill.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADMIRAL JAMES STAVRIDIS, COMMANDER, U.S.-EUROPEAN COMMAND: We have seen flickers in the intelligence of potential Al Qaeda, Hezbollah. We have seen different things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: CNN's Nic Robertson is on the phone from Tripoli. Nic, I want to ask you about this. How do the coalition know the difference between the good guys and the bad guys? NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (ON THE PHONE): Well, they said they're meeting with representatives of the opposition. And the opposition released a statement that said that sort of lived up to the expectations and the ideals of the international coalition. An aspiration for democracy and aspiration for political pluralism and aspirations that all groups, religious or otherwise could be represented but no extremism.

So the aspirations of that is the reality on the ground and probably what is troubling coalition leaders at the moment is if you arm the rebels, how are you going to get the quick results that you're looking for? That is in the words of a conference in London yesterday, (INAUDIBLE) the ouster of Moammar Gadhafi and the general's acceptance of the situation here is that arming the rebels would not bring a quick turn of events like that. And therefore, you lead the country into a sort of unknown war period where things are not always under your control and perhaps one of the biggest concerns at the moment.

COSTELLO: And the reason you are saying that is because so you arm the rebels, but they have no training. They have no idea how to like use the weapons effectively. Training takes a lot of time. So does it even matter if the coalition decides to arm the rebels?

ROBERTSON: And training them, not only to use the equipment but to work together as an effective force, you know, communication equipment so that they can communicate together and work as a large entity on the ground. Beyond the fact that once you sort of get to where the rebels are at right now, you begin to arrive at territory that is much harder to fight through. That there are many more people there who support Moammar Gadhafi. This is a different area that we have seen the rebels make these tremendous gains in. And so the equation changes in many, many respects. That is why you would not likely get quick results by arming the rebels right now, Carol.

COSTELLO: Nic Robertson reporting live from Tripoli. Many thanks. Let's go to the White House now with CNN's Ed Henry. So Ed, I don't think things are much clearer for the American people about Libya and whether we should arm the rebels and what exactly our mission there. Is it?

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think the president's speech may have succeeded at least in giving the American people a better sense a couple of nights ago about why the president got in and got involved. The U.S. involved in this military action.

But certainly I think the reaction from Capitol Hill and both parties suggests are still people wondering how do we get out essentially. And what are the tools we are going to use to get to that point where there may be an exit strategy. And as Nic lays it out, just arming the rebels, it might not be as easy as some people think. Because there are a lot of other questions about the training, about exactly what they'll do to weapons but also who they are.

I mean, the president in one of the interviews he did with three networks yesterday, he said he was leaving the door open to potentially having the U.S. arm the rebels. And he said that there were some members of the rebels who are doctors and lawyers and that the U.S. could trust them. But Secretary Clinton made some other comments yesterday, suggesting actually the U.S. is not sure who these folks are. So I think there is a little bit of confusion within the administration itself about how much they can trust these rebels.

COSTELLO: Ed Henry, live from the White House. Thank you.

HENRY: Thank you.

COSTELLO: The workers trying to stave off a full nuclear meltdown at that Japanese plant may not be getting every thing they need. Coming up, concerns on how they are sleeping and what they are eating.

And you hear it there. Crowds chanting and the government bends and the world watches. We will have the latest from Syria and this morning's speech from its embattled president. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: After weeks of political unrest and violence that has left dozens dead, Syrians have wanted to hear from the president. He promised a speech today and it was expected he would lift a long-time state of emergency. Well, he didn't. What he did do, vow that he would not be toppled and he ranted about conspiracies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BASHAR AL ASSAD, SYRIAN PRESIDENT (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): We are now a target of a conspiracy, a worldwide conspiracy. And this depends on what is happening in the Arab world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So, let's get some insight into this speech and the situation in Syria from CNN's Hala Gorani. Hala, thanks for joining us once again. So as you listened to President Assad's speech, your thoughts?

HALA GORANI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I thought where are the premises of reform? Opposition activists told us they expected these promises to be made today. in fact, even the presidential advisor who spoke a few days ago and took questions from reporters said the state of emergency will be lifted. The state of emergency and the emergency law have been in place since 1963. They don't allow people to assemble in public.

COSTELLO: So when you say state of emergency (INAUDIBLE) because I don't really get that. What does it mean?

GORANI: Well, I'm trying to explain it. You cannot assemble in public. You can arrest people arbitrarily. You can imprison them without charge for a certain period of time. Of course then critics say even had, if you had today announced the lifting of the state of emergency, there are still so many law, the network of laws, in fact, that allows security forces and authorities to detain people, to hold them without a lawyer or without charge. So it is really a fundamental desire for reform in that country and today not even the near of those proposals was presented to the people.

COSTELLO: Hala Gorani, many thanks.

The U.S. has long accused Syria of terrorism and the instability there gives Washington only more reason for concern. Zain Verjee is in London with that part of the story. So Zain, how was the world viewing the turmoil?

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it really is captured today with the headline from the United Arab Emirates, which says, from "the National," the Arab spring needs to draw strength from within the region." It goes on to say this - "events in Syria in the next few weeks will have a crucial impact on the fate of the Arab Spring. The United States is watching this so closely because it is going to have a real impact on the whole of the Middle East, whatever happens in Syria affects the situation. Syria is a really important and key player in the Arab-Israeli conflict."

The U.S. has also key interests in concerns in the Middle East when it comes to security and energy, oil. So a lot is at stake for the U.S.. Syria is also a big buddy of Iran. The U.S. has for years been trying to kind of break that team of Syria and Iran. And they failed in doing so. So if the Syrian regime went down, I don't think the U.S. will be crying about it because Iran would lose its best friend in that neighborhood.

And lastly, the U.S. cares because Syria sponsors Hezbollah. And Hezbollah is a territory group at the State Department. So key things for the U.S. to look out when it comes to Syria.

COSTELLO: Zain Verjee, live in London, many thanks.

We're listening to a couple of important hearings on Capitol Hill this hour. The House Armed Services Committee talking about the defense budget. That hearing should have gotten under way a few minutes ago. And in light of the crisis in Japan, the Senate is talking about nuclear safety. They are asking the head of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission questions this hour.

While workers struggle to prevent a full meltdown at Japan's damaged nuclear plant, the company's president is out of the picture for now. Here's what's new on the crisis in Japan this morning.

President of the Tokyo Electric Power Company is in the hospital. And officials say he is being treated for fatigue and stress. He is expected to stay in the hospital for several more days. Also there are new concerns about the spread of radiation. Greenpeace says it has detected high radiation in a town 25 miles from the Fukushima plant. Town officials say radiation levels are decreasing but Green Peace says the evacuation zone needs to be expanded.

And another alarming figure, tests show that radioactive iodine in ocean water near the plant is more than 3,000 times the normal level. That is a new high.

There is no time for fatigue and no relief from the stress for hundreds of workers inside the Fukushima plant. They are sleeping on lead mats in sleeping in corridors and stairwells. They are getting two rationed meals a day. Those meals consists of crackers and juice for breakfast and canned food for dinner. There are no showers. Moistened wipes are used for bathing. Japan's chief cabinet secretary says they are working to improve the conditions which he calls "regrettable." But American experts say they're "inexcusable.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL FRIEDLANDER, FMR. SENIOR NUCLEAR PLANT OPERATOR: We are almost three weeks into this now. In my view, there is absolutely no excuse. And people need to realize that these workers are the life blood of this recovery effort. It is a global issue. It is not just an issue for the Japanese people. In my estimation, the global community needs to stand up and support these guys.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So, listen to the e-mails from two of the workers. One writes "my parents were washed away by the tsunami. And I still don't know where they are." And from another plant employee, he says "crying is useless. If we are in hell now, all we can do is crawl up towards heaven."

More than a year after a killer whale dragged its trainer to death, the whale is back in the spotlight. We'll tell you why officials at Sea World says the show must go on.

And the planet Mercury like you have never seen it before. Rob Marciano will show us some pretty amazing images. That's just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Teen pop sensation Justin Bieber is in such high demand. These days even his hair clipping attract crowds. "Showbiz Tonight" host A.J. Hammer explains in our entertainment update. This is crazy.

A.J. HAMMER, HOST "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": This is when you know you are a phenomenon, Carol. The teen sensation doesn't even to have around in person to cause a scene. People are reportedly standing in line for up to two hours in order to take a picture with his shorn locks of hair. Yes, I said two hours. Now, you may remember when "the Bieb" decided to change his famous haircut, he auctioned off the scraps to raise money for charity.

And now well that hair has a tour of its own. It was on display yesterday at a Miami bowling alley. Fans came out to pose with the hair. Fans who posed for photos were asked to make a donation to the Japanese tsunami relief efforts, which obviously is great. But people, you are being photographed with hair. Carol, the hair, apparently, and I probably don't even need to say this, but the hair needs its own security. Two security guards accompany said hair. COSTELLO: And I noticed it is under glass.

HAMMER: Of course.

COSTELLO: I understand that Lisa Ling is attracting some police attention for her latest documentary about drugs in the midwest. So what is the story there?

HAMMER: Yes, and Lisa Ling does terrific documentaries. She got a really in-depth look of heroin use in Ohio. She shot the (INAUDIBLE) for Oprah's own network. Now Ling and hew crew filmed people buying and using drugs, including one couple who did that with their child in the car. Well, after seeing the documentary, the local police, needless to say, said they wanted to consider charges against some of the people who were caught on tape.

"Showbiz Tonight's" Brooke Anderson spoke with the police chief from Shelby, Ohio to get his reaction. Here is what he told her.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROOKE ANDERSON, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Well, talk about what in particular really troubled you?

CHARLIE ROUB, SHELBY POLICE CHIEF (ON THE PHONE): You know, you had the parents of a one-year-old child that are doing drugs in front of that child. The child right there. And then taking that child on a trip to go buy drugs. That is a little disturbing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER: Yes, no kidding. There were reports that Ling herself could be charged as a result of the show. But Carol, the chief did tell us that is not going to be the case here.

COSTELLO: I know you want to say child endangerment. You want to protect the child. It doesn't matter if you're doing a documentary or not or I can understand the police chief's concern. I can also understand the other side.

I want to talk about Chris Brown now. We were talking about him yesterday. He appeared on "Dancing With the Stars." Nobody was certain about the reception he would get. So what was it like?

HAMMER: Well, a lot of people were saying they didn't want him to appear on the show. I have to believe the audience got coached to a agree. Because they appeared to just love him. They didn't give him just one standing ovation. He reportedly got two. The crowd seemed really into it. He performed two songs for the show. He did not do an interview. He didn't answer any questions about his recent incident at "ABC's Good Morning America." And it seems that all the drama may have actually helped him.

Brown's new album "Fame" as expected debuted at number one. It sold 270,000 copies in its first week out. That is Brown's first chart topper on the Billboard album chart. He has only gotten as high as number two in the past. Not to deny the strength of his fan base, Carol, but what is that they say about any publicity is good publicity?

COSTELLO: (INAUDIBLE)

HAMMER: That may very well have been the case here.

COSTELLO: I was for a moment, A.J., trying to make sense of it. But then I remember the story you just told about people waiting in line two hours to get picture with Justin Bieber's hair. And something you jut -

(CROSSTALK)

HAMMER: Pretty much sums it up, doesn't?

COSTELLO: A.J. Hammer, thank you. If you want information on anything breaking in the entertainment world, A.J.'s got it tonight on "Showbiz Tonight" at 5:00 p.m. Eastern and 11:00 p.m. on HLN.

Stories making news across country now. The killer whale that dragged its trainer to her death last year will perform again today at Sea World. It will be the first time (INAUDIBLE) has been part of the killer whale show since Dawn be in a show today. Officials at Sea World Orlando say it is important for the animal's physical and mental health to get back into the show. Trainers have to stay far away from him now and they will not get into the water with him.

From St. Petersburg, Albert Whitted Airport, a T-28 aircraft out shorted the runaway crashing as you see into the water. Both pilot and passenger are okay. Mechanical trouble is suspected. Two weeks after the tsunami that hit the U.S. west coast, the clean-up job in Crescent City, California picks up with the arrival of this long awaited crane to help with the piles of debris.

And NASA releases the first images taken by the spacecraft "Messenger" while in orbit of our solar system's inner most planet. Meteorologist Rob Marciano, I know you're into this, Rob. -

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, who wouldn't be, you know?

COSTELLO: It is cool.

MARCIANO: It is cool. Even if I wasn't a science geek. This is fascinating stuff. You know, we learned about the planet and the solar system as kids. You think about Mercury as that little tiny thing and it's that close to the sun. You think it is a fire ball. There's no way we can even get close enough to take the pictures. So we did it in the '70s. It wasn't quite this close or high resolution. So this is some cool stuff.

Let's share some of the pictures with you. You know, at first glance, you might say this looks like our moon. I mean, it's got craters. That particular crater you're looking at there, it is called the Debussey Crater and it's about 50 miles wide. There is no atmosphere that we know of on Mercury. So it is unprotected from things slamming into it. Much like our moon is. It doesn't have any moons or satellites around it. It goes around the sun. I think it takes 88 days or so to go around the sun. But a day, Mercury takes like twice as long. So it spins very, very slowly. So the temperature extremes. It can be very, very hot because it's close to the sun only 30 million miles away. Like 800 degrees Fahrenheit.

But on the dark side, it is like 300 degrees below zero.

COSTELLO: Wow.

MARCIANO: So we want to just take a closer look as to what's going on there. I think there may some ice there, of course, water, the source for life, you know. They will tell us a little bit of what is going on with our planet as well because it doesn't have a magnetic field and what's going on at its core.

COSTELLO: Fascinating. More pictures will probably be released later, right?

MARCIANO: Absolutely. They will take 75,000 pictures. I'm sure they will share a bunch with the tax-paying public. I'm sure.

COSTELLO: Of course. We pay for their missions. Thank you, Rob. We appreciate it.

MARCIANO: OK.

COSTELLO: Jenny Hausch and her family took a boat ride in the Florida keys. You might want to stick around for the story because I know you like sea creatures.

MARCIANO: Oh, is this the (INAUDIBLE)?

COSTELLO: Yes. The Hausch family they were on this relaxing trip on the water. You know, they wanted to see some dolphins and soak up some rays. But this wasn't the kind of rays Jenny expected to hit her body. A 300-pound eagle ray came out of the blue, onto the boat and hit Jenny smack in the chest. She was underneath -

MARCIANO: Yes, pinned her down. When I first read this, I was horrified just reading it. Then the pictures of this thing is a gorgeous animal. But to be pinned underneath it while your family watches in horror this thing flapping around on top of you. I mean, that must have been absolutely terrifying.

COSTELLO: It was. We talked to the Hausch family. Here's what Jenny had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNY HAUSCH, HIT BY EAGLE RAY: As I was snapping a picture of the eagle ray in the water, it jumped out. I was able to get the picture of it flying in the air. Then the next jump, the eagle ray jumped straight into our boat, straight into my chest. It was 300 pounds, knocks me backwards and was flapping around on top of me. (END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So her husband is driving the boat, right?

MARCIANO: Right.

COSTELLO: So they are out in the middle of the water. Suddenly they see this thing on top of Jenny. They all surround her and wrestle this ray off of the top of her.

MARCIANO: It's pretty dangerous stuff. They have probes on the tail. I don't know what they call them at the tail, venomous - spears. I can't remember the word but -

COSTELLO: Barbs.

MARCIANO: Barbs, yes. That can be poisonous.

COSTELLO: She was so lucky,

MARCIANO: Yes, very much. But I'll be out there taking pictures too. They're beautiful.

COSTELLO: I can't believe she took a picture.

MARCIANO: That is bad luck for sure.

COSTELLO: Thanks, Rob.

Wildlife officials said the ray wasn't attacking. It was just an accident. Rays don't attack, right? And then Jenny said, you know, if she was hit a little higher, she agrees with you, it would have been much, much worse.

Coming up, we're talking with Bill Nye, the science guy. We'll ask him what the president needs to tell the nation in the next hour. His big energy speech. We'll also talk about how the White House has a cursed hand when it comes to energy policy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Nine patients are dead, ten others infected with bacteria at several Alabama hospitals. Health officials think their IVs might be to blame. The deadly bacteria was found inside the liquid inside those IV bags.

Michael Cohen is with the Institute For Safe Medical Practices. Welcome.

MICHAEL COHEN, INSTITUTE FOR SAFE MEDICAL PRACTICES (via Skype): Thank you very much, Carol.

COSTELLO: This is a real concern because there is nothing you can do to protect yourself against something like this. How often does this happen? COHEN: Well, it is tough to protect yourself beforehand. But I will tell you this. When somebody comes into your room, you should be aware of (INAUDIBLE) the nutrition, IV nutrition. As they change bags, if you develop a fever soon after or if you don't feel well, you obviously need to tell your nurse immediately. That is important. This can also happen at home.

Fortunately, these incidents are extremely rare. They do happen. I don't think there is anyone out there who could say it is absolutely impossible to happen. But there are some things that we have been doing in health care to avoid these situations.

COSTELLO: And hopefully they will work better than they did this time around. Michael Cohen, many thanks for joining us this morning.

It is half past the hour. Checking our top stories now. In Charlotte, North Carolina, FBI agents are investigating a nickel-sized hole that turned up on the fuselage of this Boeing 737. It appears to be a bullet hole. Officials believe it was random.

There are new concerns about the radiation leaking from that crippled nuclear power plant in Japan. Testing of ocean water near the plant shows that levels of radioactive iodine are more than 3,000 times above normal.

In Libya, Moammar Gadhafi's troops are pushing rebels out of towns they once held. In the meantime, President Obama says providing arms to the rebels could be an option. He says it has not been ruled out.

Libya provides a backdrop for President Barack Obama and his speech less than an hour from now. It is about America's energy security, and it comes amid two major stories that could shape energy policy. The instability in the Arab world and how it is pushing up oil and gas prices. Also, the crisis in Japan and fears about nuclear power as an alternative energy source.

The president is expected to outline a plan to cut foreign oil imports by a third over ten years with more domestic production, conservation, and a shift in bio-fuels and natural gas. But so far, the president has had a cursed hand with his energy plans. And not all of it is his fault. Last year, he wanted to open up new areas of the country for offshore oil drilling, and then the BP's oil rig blew up in the Gulf of Mexico.

This year, he wanted $36 billion for new nuclear plants and then Japan's nuclear crisis hit. Then his plan to regulate greenhouse gas emissions failed in the Senate and his energy czar is gone.

So, let's talk this over with Bill Nye The Science Guy. Bill, as one expert told CNN, the president picked three losers from the get- go. What do you say?

BILL NYE, THE SCIENCE GUY: Well, he was working with the hand he was dealt. If you are asking me, and I got the impression you were -

(LAUGHTER)

NYE: -- I think the United States should pursue better solar panels and wind energy. And the big thing we need to figure out is how to store and especially distribute all of this energy. We have five times the energy we need in wind. If we could store it and move it around.

Just think about your own experience. Here is a modern flashlight, the ones on light-emitting geodes (ph). Here is an old- style flashlight that you would crank with your hand. This uses a tenth as much energy as this. And this is a result of science. This is a result of investing in research.

COSTELLO: That is beautiful. But we had a big fight in the political arena in this country in this country about the changing of energy-efficient light bulbs. Like, getting rid of the old light bulbs and going to more efficient ones --

NYE: I think that was based on scientific illiteracy. Banning the specific style of light bulb is not the issue. It is getting the light bulbs to be more efficient. And you can do that with tiered energy pricing with regard to electricity.

As far as the nuclear industry goes, in my opinion, they have gotten away with a lot for many years. They've cut a lot of corners. It is not just true in the United States; it happened in Japan. I'll make you a deal. We will have nuclear energy if you can figure out what to do with the waste. I mean, really figure out what to do with the waste. Because it is a big problem.

COSTELLO: So - so, you're of the opinion that we should, like, call a temporary halt to the building of new nuclear facilities until we have these things worked out?

NYE: Well, yes. That is important, but a small part of the problem. To me, we need to invest in much more efficient solar panels. This is physics. This is basic research. And so, to my little business, when you cut funding, for example, to the space program, you cut funding to research. This is what will keep the United States from being a world leader in energy.

Now, nuclear power -- I hope it is one day like eight-track tape. Where - oh, it was good. I enjoyed my eight-track tape. But really, if given the choice, I would not use it.

COSTELLO: Well, see, it is interesting you say cut funds to NASA. Because the president was certainly in favor of that, right? At least cutting the part of the exploration of space. So --

NYE: The word exploration has been used to mean the space shuttle. To me, the space shuttle -- if you had a globe, a 12-inch school globe, the space shuttle - or international space station is 5/16th above it. It's not like you're exploring these new places. You're just going to places that people have already been for 60 years or so --

COSTELLO: What about those valuable experiments they perform on the international space station?

NYE: Well, those are - they're good! In the same way we maintain a presence in Antarctica, we always have a science base in Antarctica. In that same way, we will always want to have a science base in the lower orbit. I mean, that's great. But it's not the same as going to someplace new.

COSTELLO: Right. So, OK. So - (AUDIO GAP)

NYE: -- these are all things we could be working on. We need to invest in basic research. This is easy for a guy sitting here to say. But I'm really serious, congressmen, senators. If you want the United States to stay ahead and change the world and be independent of the stuff going on in the Middle East and this misery that is going on on the east coast of Japan, we need to get down to fundamental research.

My watch is solar powered. It is about 10 percent efficient. What if it were 50 percent efficient? It would change the world, right? So, this is all science.

COSTELLO: It is all science. Science is good. We will see what President Obama has to say a little later.

Thanks so much, Bill Nye, The Science Guy.

NYE: Thank you.

COSTELLO: As I said, we will have live coverage of President Obama's speech at Georgetown University, scheduled next hour. 11:20 Eastern, 8:30 Pacific (sic).

Take this job and shove it? We have not heard that much in the last few years with the economy in shambles and unemployment so high. Well, it turns out, more and more worker bees are ready to buzz off now. Details straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Stock market opening bell rang about an hour ago. Let's check the number. Up - oh, just about 57 points. Just over 57 points.

It is an interesting way to measure the economy. Are you willing and able to quit your job? According to a new report, lots more people say they are. And they plan to. Interesting.

Stephanie Elam is here with more details. So, what does this mean?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Basically, Carol, it is a good thing that people feel like they can quit. Because that means that they feel there are more opportunities out there. You know, during the recession, people were hunkering down. They felt like, I just need to stay where I am, keep the job that I have, and just make it through this recession. This shows us that people are feeling better about things. So, this is what we can tell you. 73 percent of people say they plan to leave their job at some point. While 27 percent say they plan to keep their job they have right now forever. They don't plan on ever leaving that job. Forty percent say they could find a new job within six months. So, this is obviously a lot of optimism that we haven't seen.

The other interesting thing here, though, is 38 percent of employees say they plan to find a new job in less than three years. Now, of that group, more than half of them are between the ages of 18 to 34. So, that kind of gives a word to the employers about what to look out for. This is coming from the Glass Door Employment Confidence survey.

And they take a look at this every quarter. So, this is looking at the first quarter here. It is also interesting, Carol, when you look at it by married versus single people. Because married people tend to stay in their jobs a little bit longer. So, single workers plan to leave their jobs in less than three years -- 56 percent say they plan doing that while 31 percent of married workers plan on doing that. But 26 percent of married workers say that they are never going to leave their jobs, while only 16 percent of single works say that --

COSTELLO: Don't you find it sad that only 26 percent of people will want to keep their jobs forever? That's sad!

ELAM: Well, it could be -- there are a few things. Part of it is age. The older you get, the more likely you are to stay with the same company. So, that factors in if you look at the whole broad spectrum of it. And obviously, if you have a 19-year-old, 21-year- old, they think they are going to go out and work for everybody and conquer the world and become CEO of the universe. So, that's part of it, too.

The other thing, too is that we have more tech jobs out there now, Carol. That is a good sign. And we've seen a lot of trends this way. Google saying they are going to hire this year. We have Facebook moving the headquarters for more people, we have Twitter saying they need more people employed. They want to have, like, 3,000 employees by 2013. So, all of this shows things are looking a little better out there for everybody in the economy.

COSTELLO: Gotcha. On another topic, what is all this about Utah going for the gold and doing away with some taxes?

ELAM: Yes, and we are not talking about the Olympics or anything like that. They are going for the good ol' coin in Utah. This is what's happening. The governor, Gary Herbert, has signed it into law that now there will no longer be state taxes on gold or silver coins in the state. That's of course, when they are exchanged. That is a nice pretty one on the screen there for you to look at.

But it now makes coins legal tender in the state. And obviously, most people usually see them as investments, not something that you would, like, go out and buy a soda with or something like that. So, now wit them being a currency and not an asset, that means they cannot get hit with capitals gains taxes, which is really what the governor liked about it.

But this also points out one little things that people need to keep in mind, Carol. The face value of the coin is all it is worth now. So, even with gold being at $1,400 an ounce, you'd still have $50 worth with the gold coin. So, why you would ever go and use it as tender is beyond me. No one should really want to do that because they would be losing out on a lot of dough, especially outside of the state of Utah.

COSTELLO: OK. Warning. Warning, people. Don't do it. Stephanie Elam --

ELAM: It also will just weigh your pants down. You know, that could be a problem.

COSTELLO: So true! Stephanie, thank you.

Popular products like Jell-O and Lucky Charms cereal could soon carry warning labels about the possible negative health effects of food coloring on kids. The Food and Drug Administration has been defending the safety of food coloring for years. But now it's asking a panel of experts to weigh in on a possible link between food colorings and hyperactivity in children. That panel starts meeting today and tomorrow. There are a growing number of studies suggesting food dyes can trigger adverse behavioral changes in children.

Members of Congress rack up $15,000 in unpaid parking tickets. That story is ahead in our Political Ticker.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Something to ponder. Or not. Possible presidential candidate Rick Santorum says Social Security is in trouble, and the root cause is abortion. He said it on the radio. Listen.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

RICK SANTORUM, FORMER U.S. SENATOR: What is happening with Social Security? Look, the Social Security system, in my opinion, is a flawed design. Period.

But having said that, the design would work a lot better if we had stable demographic trends. The reason we do not -- and this caller is absolutely right. The reason Social Security is in trouble is we don't have enough workers to support the retirees. Well, a third of all the young people in American are not in America today because of abortion. Because one in three pregnancies end in abortions.

And so, we are de-populating this country. And we are seeing our birth rate is now below replacement rate for the first time in our history -

(END AUDIO CLIP) COSTELLO: Did you connect the dots? We hope we helped. For the record, Santorum is an outspoken critic of abortion. A real social conservative, many on the right applaud him for those views. And that could help him in the GOP primaries.

There is a new poll out that shows support for the Tea Party slipping away. CNN deputy political director Paul Steinhauser has the latest poll and kind of tells us what it means. Paul.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes, let's take a look at these numbers, Carol. Brand new out, just a few hours ago. Let's go right to them. Only three in 10 say they have a favorable opinion of the Tea Party movement, that two-year old movement. And look at that number right at the top there. 47 percent now say they have an unfavorable view of the Tea Party movement.

And look at that rise from January 2010. Twenty-six percent, now up to 47 percent. Go to the next figure, Carol. This is interesting. I guess you could say the Tea Party is in good company. Look at the disapproval ratings or the unfavorable ratings for the Democratic and Republican parties. It is right about the same. 48 percent for the two parties. 47 percent for the Tea Party movement.

And look at that. The favorable rating or the favorable opinion of the Democratic and Republican parties, much higher though, than the Tea Party movement. Carol --

COSTELLO: Yes, but Paul - but Paul -

STEINHAUSER: Yes, Carol? Yes, Carol?

COSTELLO: The Tea Party was supposed to be an alternative to the Republican and Democratic party, which, of course, everybody hates. But ow it is becoming one of them, so to speak, or so it seems.

STEINHAUSER: Yes, and here is one of the reasons why this may be happening. The Tea Party movement is becoming much more political. It got very involved in the last election, in the midterm elections. We are also finding our polling director, Keating Holling, points out that a lot of this rise in the unfavorable view of the Tea Party is coming from people making less than $50,000 a year. So, that may be a factor in all of this, Carol.

COSTELLO: Interesting.

STEINHAUSER: One other thing I want to talk about. Take a look at this. If you want to raise some big bucks, Carol, what do you do? You bring in a big name. And that's what the National Republican Congressional Committee did. They brought in a really big name in Republican circles. Governor Chris Christie from New Jersey. And I confirmed this morning that he is helping them in their annual fundraiser tonight raise $10 million. It's a lot more than they raised last year or the year before.

You know, Carol, Chris Christie a rock star amongst some Republicans. And some want him to run for the White House. But he keeps saying forget about it.

COSTELLO: I know it! He is interesting to listen to. He is so feisty.

Tell us about these parking tickets. It's a tragic story!

STEINHAUSER: I heard you mention it there before the break to tease it. It is a good story by Roll Call this morning. They cover Capitol Hill. $15,000 in parking tickets by members of Congress. A lot of money there. Carol.

COSTELLO: A lot of money there. I think they are taking advantage of the system because they don't have to pay those parking tickets.

Paul Steinhauser, thank you so much. We will your next political update in one hour. And a reminder, for all the latest political news, go to our Web site, CNNpolitics.com.

Hard times in the nation's heartland. We will tell you how one city is on the rebound, thanks to basketball and a whole lot of teamwork. That is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: In today's "Building Up America," we are looking at a city on the rebound. And much of the thanks goes to a basketball team. CNN's Tom Foreman explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Every time the Thunder takes the floor, the home crowd cheers not just for the team but also for the remarkable transformation it represents.

KENDRICK PERKINS, OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER: I love what I've seen. I think it's been great. It's been great.

FOREMAN: For almost two decades through targeted use of a voter approved one-cent sales tax, Oklahoma City has been rebuilding itself, with a new ballpark, new attractions, refurbished entertainment centers, museums, schools and more.

MAYOR MICK CORNETT, OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA: We're creating a city where your kid and grand kid is going to want to live.

FOREMAN: Mayor Mick Cornett --

CORNETT: The past paradigm has been that people went to where the jobs were. And what I believe is that in the future the people are going to go to the cities where they want to live and the jobs are going to follow the people.

FOREMAN: The acquisition of the Thunder three years ago was a milestone in the process of making this a prime place to live and a coup for this town that is one of the smallest to host an NBA team. It was made possible in large part because that same tax money was used to build an arena with no loans to hang over the profit-making potential of the new franchise.

GARY DESJARDINS, REGIONAL GENERAL MANAGER, SMG: There's no debt on the building. It's paid for.

FOREMAN: That's pretty unusual.

DESJARDINS: Extremely unusual.

FOREMAN: Thunder coach Scott Brooks called it team work.

SCOTT BROOKS, COACH, OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER: It's important that we all get behind each other's endeavors.

FOREMAN: So today, Oklahoma City enjoys one of the lowest unemployment rates of any city in the country. Sales tax revenues have soared and this town is charging back from the recession.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Oklahoma City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: I was there last summer. Oklahoma City is gorgeous. And its memorial, unbelievable.

The quake and tsunami disaster in Japan is leading to rationing of car parts here in the United States. Suzanne Malveaux will have details for you in the next hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It is time to continue in the NEWSROOM with Suzanne Malveaux. And Suzanne, I'll join you in just a second to talk Donald Trump.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Oh! Can't wait.

(LAUGHTER)

MALVEUAX: All right. Thank you, Carol.