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No Deal on Budget; Troops Could Miss Paychecks in case of Shutdown; Airstrike Hits Libyan Rebels; Tough Talk from NJ Governor; Trump Moves Up in Polls; Government Shutdown One Day Away; Contest to Name Bronx Zoo Python; Asleep in Control Tower; Accused Kidnapper Philip Garrido in Court
Aired April 07, 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: It is 9:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 6:00 a.m. in the West. I'm Carol Costello in for Kyra Phillips.
This morning two Libyan rebels killed in an airstrike. Right now NATO is thinking this was a coalition mistake because Gadhafi has almost no air power.
Another air traffic controller accused of sleeping on the job. Authorities think he might have snoozed for five hours as planes try to land.
And the weekly jobless numbers are out. The number of Americans filing for first-time benefits fell by 10,000 from the previous week.
The budget drama is going down to the wire. No deal overnight. Fewer than 39 hours until the deadline and a possible government shutdown. President Obama says he will call congressional leaders this morning to urge them to hammer out something. If there is no movement, he will call for another White House meeting.
There is some hope, though, if you measure it in images. Bitter political rivals, House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid stood shoulder to shoulder. And that is a rare sight.
Both men and President Obama are holding on to optimism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I remain confident that if we're serious about getting something done, we should be able to complete a deal and get it past and avert a shutdown. But it's going to require sufficient sense of urgency from all parties involved.
SEN. HARRY REID (D), MAJORITY LEADER: I have confidence that we can get this done. We're not there yet. But hope lies eternal.
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R), HOUSE SPEAKER: There is an intent on both sides to try to continue to work together to try to resolve this. No one wants the government to shut down.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP) COSTELLO: President Obama also said it would be inexcusable not to get a deal passed because there is such a narrow difference between the two parties' plan.
So let's go to the White House and talk with Ed Henry.
Ed, I know it is difficult to tell exactly how negotiations are going especially when the Republican leader is saying, let's get a one-week extension to hammer out some remaining differences. That would keep the government fully open for business.
Would the president be receptive to that?
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: No, he is not, Carol. And here's why.
There is some politics being played because the Republicans have a one-week short-term spending measure as you mentioned that would cut $12 billion in spending, more cuts that Democrats on the Hill largely do not want and would also make sure that while the wider government is funded for one week, the Pentagon and U.S. troops are funded through September 30th.
And so basically Republicans are saying, look, Democrats, do you want to make sure, you know, military folks are not paid? And so Democrats believe that this is a political ploy. The president has rejected it so far saying we can't keep doing this one week at a time and throw inside issues like, let's pay the Pentagon but not pay the rest of the government.
So they are rejecting it because the Democrats are worried on the Hill also about losing some ground in these negotiations if they keep allowing John Boehner to cut $12 billion at a time without some broader budget deal. It's really going to hurt the Democrats' position. And Republicans are going to get a lot more.
COSTELLO: And you know what Americans are really upset about? I mean essentially, we hired these people to keep the government running, to put a budget into place. And they can't seem to do that. And it's been quite a while now. So there's political damage all around, isn't there, already?
HENRY: Well, that's why when the question is -- with the finger pointing, about who would be to blame, there are real lives here at stake, real livelihoods at stake. The president himself last night mentioned there are people who, for example, waiting for their tax refunds from the federal government.
They may need that to pay their bills, pay their mortgage. And here they are waiting as these games are played back and forth. So I think the bottom line is, there are a lot of people who would be hurt, would be impacted by this. That's why you saw the president taking the extraordinary step and Republican Speaker John Boehner taking that step as well of coming here so late last night at the White House.
Very rare meeting for them to come together, especially so late to try and work it out. They are not there yet. But it looks like they are inching closer to a deal -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right. Ed Henry, live at the White House. Thanks as always.
So much could happen in a shutdown. You heard Ed mentioned that. The fragile housing market could suffer, too, because the FHA would come to a halt. That could spoil mortgage deals and give private lenders the jitters.
We told you how the EPA has extra air monitors to watch for possible radiation from Japan? Well, (INAUDIBLE), if there's a shutdown the agency would stop monitoring for pollution.
And people who live in the District of Columbia would not get their trash picked up and here are a few more ways you will feel it. The IRS might stop sending tax refund checks. The National Weather Service might not deliver services like the five-day forecast and forget about that trip to a national park or a museum, like, you know, the Grand Canyon or the Smithsonian.
And then there's the military. No budget deal, no timely paychecks for the troops and many civilian employees with the Defense Department could be furloughed. You can imagine how all this is going over in military towns like Fayetteville, North Carolina.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LINDSEY KNAPP, GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE: If I don't get to come to work on Monday, I don't know how I'm going to pay my bills. And are they going to pay my bills for me? Or are they going to pay the late fees on my bills if they pay me retroactively?
Well, I guess they just want me to tell my 3-year-old daughter in the meantime that she can't eat. That she'll have to eat retroactively when I get paid again.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Let's talk more about this with Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr.
Barbara, a Defense Department official says the troops will earn money but not get it. You know, it might be delayed. But come on. Military people are not paid what they should be anyway. Missing a paycheck is a big deal.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, Carol, I don't think anybody puts it out on the line more than the active duty, military forces, especially those young men and women in the war zone on the front line.
Bob Gates, Defense secretary, is in Iraq right now. And it was one of the first questions he got when he landed. The troops wanted to know right away what was going to happen. They are very aware of this situation and their families back home. The impact it will have on them. Gates told them if the government shuts down, in fact, yes, their pay will stop. They'll get back pay. But as you just saw from that person on that air, a small comfort, the troops really do live paycheck to paycheck, many of them.
COSTELLO: Yes, how much do they make? I mean how much does a typical soldier make?
STARR: Well, we have a graphic to show you on that. A typical army private 1st class who's been in the U.S. Army for two years -- we'll put up the numbers -- makes a staggeringly small amount of money, about $20,000 a year. They get some extra money for housing and other allowances. But these folks live paycheck to paycheck. And Defense Secretary Gates had some gallous humor about the whole thing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: As a historian, it always occurred to me, the smart thing for government was always to pay the guys with guns first.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: Yes, a little -- a little gallous humor there. But this will affect everyone from General David Petraeus to troops on the front line and yes, Carol, to the wounded troops still lying in their hospital beds trying to recover -- Carol.
COSTELLO: It would be the last thing I'd want to worry about on the battlefield, is whether my family had to pay late fees in their mortgage payments or not go grocery shopping for that week. Those are things that really the military shouldn't be worrying about. So that's really a concern to many Americans.
Barbara Starr, live at the Pentagon. Thank you.
STARR: Sure.
COSTELLO: The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is usually the most visited national park in the country. It's an easy trip for millions of Americans. We'll go there in a few minutes to tell you what a government shutdown could do.
And today at 2:00 p.m. Eastern in the CNN NEWSROOM, we turn the microphone over to the voters all across the country for their comments on the potential shutdown of our government. Watch "Countdown to Shutdown", a CNN NEWSROOM special that begins at 2:00 p.m. Eastern.
Now let's head to Libya where at least three people were killed and 10 wounded in a strike on an opposition forces today near the eastern town of al-Brega. It's unclear whether the aircraft was from NATO or pro-Gadhafi forces.
CNN's Nic Robertson in Tripoli where there have been blasts as well.
Nic, what can you tell us about this?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, as far as Tripoli is concerned, on several occasions today, at least two occasions, we have heard aircrafts flying overhead. And on both of those occasions, we have heard what sounded like heavy explosions coming immediately after or just before we've heard the aircraft.
It's not clear exactly what is being targeted sin and around Tripoli. But this is the first time we've heard explosions here that sound like a bombing raid. The first time we've heard this in six days. Unusual as well to have a bombing raid during daylight hours.
What has happened with what appears to be an airstrike on rebel forces in the east of the country, the details of that still remain unclear. However, I just had a discussion with former Congressman Curt Weldon, who was in a meeting with the prime minister here in Tripoli just a few minutes ago. And he told me that the prime minister took a telephone call in the middle of their meeting and the prime minister told former Congressman Weldon that there had been an airstrike in which there were 50 civilian casualties.
Now former Congressman Weldon couldn't verify that. The prime minister offered him no evidence of that. And this is in line with what we've heard from government officials here before of saying that there have been a huge number of civilian casualties but without offering any evidence of it. And it later proves to be at the very -- at the very least a fabrication and at the worst just blatant lies -- Carol.
COSTELLO: You mentioned Curt Weldon. He just spoke on "AMERICAN MORNING" about this potential meeting with Moammar Gadhafi which of course hasn't happened yet. So listen to this, Nic, and then we'll talk.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CURT WELDON, FORMER U.S. CONGRESSMAN: Nothing is clear. There is a lot of uncertainty here. I know there are a lot of concerns about the security of Colonel Gadhafi because of all the turmoil. Outside of our hotel last night, we saw traces of weapons fire and there are some planes that flew over and attempts to shoot them out of the air.
We heard some rifle shots. So there is uncertainly here. And they're concerned about security. And in my previous meetings with Gadhafi, you never know until the last moment --
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Right.
WELDON: That you're going to have the meeting.
ROMANS: Right.
WELDON: We are here and we are available.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP) COSTELLO: So two questions. Who was the guy standing beside him? Maybe I should know that but I don't know that. And number two, why hasn't this meeting with Gadhafi taken place?
ROBERTSON: Well, the gentleman (INAUDIBLE) is a lawyer who essentially has been involved behind the scenes on setting up this trip. And he wanted him on camera there standing next to him because the lawyer has worked very closely with the vice president and he wanted that to be -- he wanted -- he wanted to show this sort of debt to this delegation and the team, if you will.
But the sort of situation for former Congressman Weldon right now is that he doesn't know when this meeting is going to come through or if it is going to come through with Moammar Gadhafi, but what he has told me is that the stakes right now are incredibly high.
That he still intends to deliver this message, that Moammar Gadhafi must step aside. If -- and he's not sure. He believes that the regime here is in confusion. They don't know which way to step but he says if the leader here, Gadhafi, goes for that, then that will open the door to many more things but he'd stressed this moment in time, these next few hours, are hugely important. And he's been stressing that to everyone in all the meetings -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Nic Robertson, live in Tripoli. Thank you.
In Afghanistan, the rhetoric was heated but the demonstration peaceful. Hundreds of people turned out in Kabul today to demonstrate against the burning of the Quran. Protesters are demanding a Florida -- a Florida pastor be sent to an Islamic country to face punishment for the burning.
Pastor Terry Jones sparked the protest when his church burned the Muslim holy book last month and demonstrations in Afghanistan last week took a deadly turn because of that.
In West Africa, the bloody fight over who will be the president of Ivory Coast. The Red Cross says a fierce gun battle is taking place at the home of the former president who refuses to admit defeat in last November's election.
We're getting word this morning that several African countries are offering a safe retreat but there is no sign he plans to surrender.
New Jersey's governor, speaking his mind. What else is new? Governor Chris Christie is calling leaders of a teacher's union political thugs. And that tops our "Political Ticker."
Mark Preston is at the CNN political desk in Washington.
So why the renewed rhetoric?
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, you know, Carol, there's a lot to talk about.
Chris Christie, a lot of people want him to run for president. But just so you know people are probably wondering what's happening behind me right now. All this talk about the government shutdown. Well, here at CNN obviously we've got to prepare for it as well.
We actually have Brett, Dave and Michelle here getting this all ready. If the government shuts down, Carol, what you see behind me is very likely to be one of the command centers for CNN to report what is going to happen.
Of course we all hope that there is some kind of deal reached. And we don't see a government shutdown. But if that's the case, that whole scene right there will be put in place. It's something you often don't see behind television.
But you know something, Carol? You talk about Chris Christie and a lot of people are running -- asking him to run for president. You know they like his tough talk, especially when he talks about budget cuts and when he talks about unions. Specifically teachers unions.
Let's hear what he had to say in an ABC interview regarding the New Jersey teachers unions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: I believe the teachers in New Jersey deserve a union as good as they are. And they don't have one. And they should start demanding to get a union as good as they are.
Because I believe the teachers in New Jersey and the Maine (ph) are wonderful public servants and care deeply. But they are union. The union are a group of political thugs.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PRESTON: And there you go, Carol. It's that kind of tough talk that a lot of people want Chris Christie to run for president. He was again asked in that ABC interview, why don't you run? Are you going to run? He said absolutely not. He says he doesn't feel it in his heart to run.
So not only a little bit of tough talk there, Carol, but a little bit of straight talk from the New Jersey governor.
COSTELLO: Let's talk about some poll numbers on possible Republican presidential contenders, because Donald Trump just moved up.
PRESTON: He just moved up. In fact, he continues to do interviews. Let's look at this new poll from NBC and "The Wall Street Journal" just out. It shows that Donald Trump has widespread support amongst Republicans, more support than most people think.
In fact, he comes in second place. He ties with Mike Huckabee, which a lot of people think would be a fantastic candidate to run for the Republican presidential nomination, if he decides to do it. Of course, at the top is Mitt Romney. Some people say he's the front- runner. But all the talk behind Donald Trump is, would he be a good president, because he's been a good businessman. Well, a lot of people think that he's been a great businessman, we're not sure if he'd be a great president, but he has garnered a whole lot of headlines, though, Carol, because he continues --
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: Well, let's look --
PRESTON: -- to talk about President Obama's --
COSTELLO: Right. Well, let's look --
PRESTON: -- birth certificate.
COSTELLO: Exactly. Let's look -- look behind those numbers, because I was reading Erick Erickson's blog, and he said the reason that Donald Trump has that percentage is because Republicans really aren't jazzed about the entire field.
PRESTON: There is something to be said about that. But we really haven't seen the field gel together. Tim Pawlenty, Newt Gingrich are really the two well-known names who have officially taken steps to run for president. The other ones haven't done so.
Republicans are looking for somebody to emerge from the field. I think that we'll start to see that happen over the next month or so. In fact, Donald Trump says he'll make a decision about whether to run for president right before June. He has the "Celebrity Apprentice" on NBC right now, and he says that he can't run for president.
So, Erick Erickson, who's one of our CNN contributors, a very-well- known voice in the conservative blogosphere, he's absolutely right. Nobody is excited yet. But still, there's a long way until the first contest in Iowa in February of 2012.
COSTELLO: Point taken. Mark Preston, many thanks.
PRESTON: Thank you.
COSTELLO: Also, a program note for you. Later today in the NEWSROOM, Donald Trump, will he or won't he? He answers questions about his presidential plans this afternoon with Suzanne Malveaux. That will come your way at 12:15 Eastern.
And we'll have your next political update in one hour. And a reminder, for all the latest political news, go to our website, cnnpolitics.com.
One group watching the potential government shutdown with intense interest, government workers. The president of the American Federation of Government Workers joins me next with his take on the talks and a warning. He's ready to sue.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: As the US government moves closer to a shutdown, one group is watching with a very personal interest. Government workers. If no agreement is reached, as many as 1 million nonessential workers will be told to stay home. And as long as the government remains shut down, they will not get paid.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to be difficult. I have a child, a young son. And my wife is also working in Congress, so -- we will be without both of our incomes. So, it may be difficult. Hopefully, it won't last more than a couple of days.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If it's longer than that, I'll eat ramen and do what I have to do to kind of make ends meet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: John Gage is president of the American Federation of Government Employees. His group represents many of those who will be without work if the government shuts down. Mr. Gage, thank you for joining us this morning.
JOHN GAGE, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN FEDERATION OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: Who do you think is to blame for all of this?
GAGE: Well, this is really political theater, but trying to drive this many cuts to the federal government in the 2011 budget, five months which are left, this will cripple agencies that deliver great service to the American public.
One of our great concerns, though, and while we're -- why we are going into court is that this is not a full shutdown of the government, obviously. It's a partial shutdown. Many employees in the VA and DOD, in border protection, in the prisons and transportation security, they will be ordered to work without pay and without any guarantee to be paid.
I think that's wrong, and we're going to court to try to get some definitions to that.
COSTELLO: And tell us about that lawsuit. Who exactly are you -- you're suing the federal government, right?
GAGE: Yes.
COSTELLO: And --
GAGE: Yes --
COSTELLO: I'm just wondering how fast --
GAGE: Well, this --
COSTELLO: -- that would go through the courts, because we're at the -- hopefully the last stages of this fight.
GAGE: Well, this is -- well, we've been through this before, and these issues have never been really defined. Now, I think this 2011 contest going on now is just a prelude of a much bigger fight on the 2012 budget, so we'd like to get into court anticipating that the 2012 budget is going to be more political theater --
COSTELLO: Mr. Gage --
GAGE: -- and with federal employees caught in the middle.
COSTELLO: -- and you say it is political theater. All sides say they do not want a government shutdown. I asked you before who you think is to blame. Who do you think is to blame?
GAGE: I think these cuts that are being proffered are totally unreasonable. It's not the cause. The cause of this deficit is not federal workers, and not the programs that we do --
COSTELLO: No, but is it the president? Is it John Boehner? Is it Harry Reid? I mean, who is it? Is it the Tea Party? There's a lot of finger-pointing going on --
GAGE: Well, I think so.
COSTELLO: But you're going to be effected the most, so who is to blame?
GAGE: Well, I heard -- I heard Speaker Boehner say, and this was not a revenue problem, it was a spending problem. We've lost 8 million jobs. That is certainly a revenue problem.
We had surpluses as far as the eye could see in 2000, and the tax cuts, two wars, Katrina, the financial bailout put us in this deficit position. But we can't cure this deficit position by taking it out of federal workers or public employees, their pay, their pension, furloughing. That is not the answer to our fiscal problem.
COSTELLO: John Gage, many thanks for joining us this morning. We appreciate it.
GAGE: Thank you.
COSTSELLO: A lot of US businesses with government contracts will also be hit hard by a shutdown, as well. According to "The Wall Street Journal," businesses feeling an impact include those who provide information technology services, those with building construction and maintenance contracts, and those who provide food service at federal facilities and at national parks.
President Obama's buddy got arrested in a prostitution sting. He allegedly tried to solicit sexual favors, but found out that the prostitute was an undercover officer. A look at stories Cross Country next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: On Wall Street today, we're expecting a flat open. Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange. But Alison, stock futures were higher this morning, so what's happening?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They were -- yes, we did get some upbeat reports, Carol, on the economy. But the thing here with these reports is they weren't blockbuster figures. So, that's why we're seeing futures right now flat before the open.
Still, we did get some pretty good news on the jobs fronts. We found out that new jobless claims dropped by 10,000 last week. The level itself is still at around 382,000 people signed up for those new unemployment benefits, but the fact is, we are continuing to move in the right direction.
We also got a generally upbeat report on retail sales, a couple of reports from The Limited, posting a double-digit gain in March. Other winners on the retail front, Costco, BJ's, and Bed, Bath and Beyond, as well. Target came in better than expected.
This is all really a good sign, because these figures came in during a month when we were watching those gas prices soar. That usually gets consumers to spend less on other items, so it shows that they still are going out there and shopping at the mall. So, together, those reports do show that we have that slow economic improvement.
Wall Street also keeping its eye on Europe. The European Central Bank raised its key interest rate today. It's the first rate hike by a major economy since the recession. What it could wind up doing is putting pressure on the US -- on the US Fed to boost rates to keep inflation under control here in the US.
As you know, when you go to the grocery store or the gas station, Carol, we know that these prices have been going up and up and up. Right, Carol?
COSTELLO: Yes, we do. Unfortunately, yes, we do. I really feel it. Alison Kosik, live at the New York Stock Exchange. Many thanks.
Are you happy where you live? According to a Twitter survey, it may depend on where you live. Here is the list of the top five happiest states in all of America. At number five, the sunshine state, Florida. Number four, Georgia. And the third happiest state, North Carolina. Can you guess which states rank numbers one and two? We'll have the answers after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: We're back with our look at the top five happiest states, that's according to Twitter. Remember, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina ranked number five to number three.
The second happiest state -- Colorado. And Twitter's happiest state -- Tennessee. The results are based on the use of happiness related words in your Tweets, things like "nice" and "best." People from Tennessee seems to use the most positive language. So, take the study for what you will.
If Democratic and Republican lawmakers can't agree on a budget by tomorrow's deadline, should they get paid? Earlier on "Good Morning America," George Stephanopoulos asked the House speaker about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC NEWS: Can I take you to your word that you don't want a government shutdown? I believe you do not want a government shutdown. If it happens, do you think members of Congress should get paid?
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R), HOUSE SPEAKER: No, they shouldn't be getting paid, just like federal employees shouldn't be getting paid.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: OK, Brianna Keilar. You heard Speaker Boehner say, no deal, no paychecks for Congress. But, is there a plan, a bill, something in writing to back up what he said?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: OK, well here's the thing. Actually, both the House, Carol, and the Senate have passed bills saying if there's a government shutdown, members of Congress and President Obama should not get paid. Here is the thing, though. They're different bills.
So they don't have the force of law obviously. This hasn't cruised through Congress. But at the same time, even though technically it appears members of Congress would be paid in the a case of a shutdown, there's a strong appetite here amongst Democrats and Republicans to not be appearing to get that paycheck when you have Military families who may not be getting paid, when you have 800,000 federal workers who would not be seeing a paycheck.
And so they're kind of pledging, if you will. In fact, today, Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a Democrat, is circulating a "dear colleague" letter that says, let's pledge to not be paid and we will give the money we get either to charity, or we will send it back to the Treasury. And there seems to be a strong appetite for that, Carol.
COSTELLO: Interesting. So, on the subject of Congress, what will we see today?
KEILAR: Today, we're keeping an eye on the House, of course we're keeping an eye to see if maybe House Republicans and Senate Democrats, if they start making signs, like they're closer to a deal. I mean, that's what we're watching, watching, watching.
But what we're going to be seeing on the House floor today, or what we expect to see is House Republicans bringing $12 billion in cuts in a one-week stop gap measure that would keep the government running for another week. But just to give you a sense, congress had agreed to cuts at a level of $2 billion per week over the last several weeks. This is six times that amount. And we've already heard from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. He said earlier this week that he is not on board with this. But, of course, House Republicans in here are trying to call his bluff. They're calling this a troop funding bill, because it also funds the Department of Defense through the rest of the year, and they're kind of saying to the Senate, try to vote against this, because obviously one of the worst visuals of a shutdown would be what I mentioned, Carol, Military families who aren't getting paid.
COSTELLO: Oh ,you've got that right.
Brianna Keilar, live from Capitol Hill. Thanks.
The Great Smoky Mountains national park is usually the most visited national park in the country. It's an easy trip for millions of us. But, if you are planning to go and the government shuts down, you better think of a plan B.
CNN's David Mattingly is in Pigeon Forge Tennessee. And David, let's say you have plans to go there like today or tomorrow.
What should you do?
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, everything right now is just a waiting game for the people who come here. A lot of vacation plans completely up in the air. And if there is a government shutdown, we are going to see an immediate human and economic impact by the closure of the national parks.
That's because -- now listen to this number -- 800,000 visitors a day nationwide. Those 800,000 visitors spend $32 million at communities, gateway communities outside the park. So you're looking at an immediate, almost daily, economic impact for those people not coming here and not spending their money here at the Smoky Mountains national park. We've got a nice crowd today, beautiful skies. It's just a great day to be here. So many people with spring vacation plans right now.
I talked to some of them this morning. And they're saying if they could have a chance to talk to Congress, they would say, don't let this happen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would be disappointed if I wasn't able to see these nature hikes and paths and things that we came down to see. I know there's decisions that are beyond my understanding, and so I would trust that they would make some wise choices. But it would be disappointing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wouldn't want to think about that. The parks have been a long part of our history. They've been a great place for people to go and enjoy. I've got a T-shirt that says the park is America's greatest idea. It is. It's great that stuff like this has been preserved and I can't imagine what it would be like if it was closed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MATTINGLY: Now, a shutdown would also affect 20,000 Park Service employees. About 17,000 of them could be furloughed. And it would also affect 22000 other employees of the park system who work the concessions. So we're talking about a lot of people being inconvenienced, a lot of paychecks involved and a lot of money that's for the local communities here, also being cut off immediately if there is a shutdown -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, let's keep our fingers and toes crossed, shall we?
David Mattingly, live in Tennessee. Thank you.
Today at 2:00 p.m. Eastern in the CNN NEWSROOM, we turn the microphone over to the voters all across the country for their comments on this potential shutdown of the government. Watch "Countdown to Shutdown," a CNN NEWSROOM special that begins at 2:00 p.m. Eastern.
Checking our top stories now, near al Brega, Libya today, an air strike killed at least three rebels. It's unclear whether the aircraft was from NATO or pro-Gadhafi forces.
In Alabama, police arrested a man shortly after a shooting at Southern Union Community College. One person killed, three wounded, all from the same family. A suspect turned himself in to a local television crew saying I'm the guy you're looking for.
The jury in the Barry Bonds perjury trial could get the case today. Eight women and four men must decide if baseball's home run king lied about taking performance enhancing drugs. Bonds could spend up to 20 years in prison if he is convicted.
That was cut short, wasn't it? It's springtime in Augusta and today the first round of the Masters gets underway.
Jeff Fischel from HLN Sports is here. So, what can we look forward to?
JEFF FISCHEL, HLN SPORTS: Well, you know the names everybody talks about this time of year at Augusta, right? The questions: will Tiger finally find his game? Can Phil Mickelson repeat? Those are just some of the questions being asked around Amen Corners today. I'll have a preview coming up.
Plus, yesterday was the traditional Par 3 tournament at Augusta. The players joined by their kids on the course. There was a lot of laughing and playing around. In the actual competition, it was a great day to be a walrus. Goo goo gachoo. I'll have more on this memorable shot.
And, I'll have the latest, of course, from the courtroom on the NFL lockout. The judge has spoken but the players and owners are still at odds, Carol.
COSTELLO: Oh, bummer. Thank you, Jeff. We'll see you in a bit.
FISCHEL: Yes. OK.
COSTELLO: Asleep at the switch. We'll tell you about a second air traffic controller caught sleeping in as many months, and why the FAA chief says the latest case is must worse than last month's napper at Washington Reagan National Airport. That's just ahead.
And the Bronx Zoo cobra that captured the headlines for days will get a name today. Thousands of people have sent in suggestions. We'll hear some of them, next.
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COSTELLO: The Bronx Zoo cobra that went from missing to media darling is going to get a name. The zoo and the "New York Daily News" are asking the public to come up with one and here are the top five out of 33,000 suggestions.
Agnes.
Amaunet, who was an Egyptian goddess meaning the female missing one.
Cleopatra, because, as you know, she apparently committed suicide -- well, that's the rumor anyway -- with an Egyptian cobra biting her.
Subira, which means patient in Egypt.
And, Mia, which means missing in action.
The winning name will be picked today.
Look for these stories later on CNN NEWSROOM. At noon, alleged kidnapper, Philip Garrido will plead guilty in the Jaycee Dugard case today. He's accused of abducting, raping and imprisoning her in a hidden compound behind his California home for 18 years. Garrido will please guilty to all but two counts.
At 1:00 p.m. Eastern, the House Armed Services Committee holds a hearing to take up implementation of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." How will gays be allowed to sever open in the military? They'll hash everything out.
And tonight at 6:00 p.m. Eastern, First Lady Michelle Obama will name the Child of the Year for each of the Military service branches. Operation Homefront, a support group for Military families sponsors this annual event.
There has been another incident of an air traffic controller found napping for hours on end on the clock. We'll talk more about that after the break.
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COSTELLO: Call it a rude awakening for lawmakers looking into last month's sleeping air traffic controller at Reagan National Airport. FAA chief Randy Babbitt told lawmakers of a second incident involving an employee found slumbering on the clock. It happened in February at Knoxville, Tennessee's McGhee Tyson Airport where a tower man working the overnight shift was found sleeping for five hours. Babbitt says the employee in question is going to be fired.
But you got to wonder, how frequently does something like this happen?
Mary Schiavo is the former inspector general of the U.S. Department of Transportation and she now represents clients suing the airline industry.
Welcome.
MARY SCHIAVO, FMR. INSPECTOR GENERAL, U.S. DOT: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: So, this guy was sleeping for five -- I mean, this was deliberate. He was sleeping for five hours. He decided to go to sleep and he's going to be fired. How often does this happen?
SCHIAVO: Well, several times a year. When I was inspector general, deliberate cases, cases like this where somebody intentionally decides they are going to take a nap. This usually got turned over to the office of inspector general because defending upon if there was any collusion or there are people that gotten together and decided to cook up a scheme to do this, it could be very serious. And not just firing. In some case, if they were falsifying time records, it could be criminal.
But here, it was just one person involved and not the second person who was working in the tower. So, it's happened before. Let's hope it doesn't happen too often again.
And people probably -- it's the wrong time for this to happen because air traffic controllers are deemed essential personnel. And when the government shuts down, they still get paid and go to work. So, let's hope they go to work and stay awake.
COSTELLO: Let's hope so. So, the guy in Knoxville was actually fired because it was willful. But the guy at Reagan National who fell asleep was suspended. So, explain the difference here. I mean, either way, both were asleep when planes were landing.
SCHIAVO: It's your intent. It's your intent to break the federal rules and regulations under which you are hired and which you agree to work by. If you go to work and say, "Well, I'm not going to follow the rules, I'm going to make a little bed here and, you know, get in my nap and go to sleep," then you've intentionally broken the rules. And that can be serious.
As I said, if you intentionally, for example, you know you're going to go to sleep and you're still on the clock getting paid, that could actually be criminal. It's very serious in the federal government, if you get caught. Now, a lot of people don't get caught. But that's the difference.
The other fellow should have been awake, but didn't appear to intentionally go to sleep.
COSTELLO: Got you. So, a lot of people are listening to this in the airports. So, make air travelers feel a little better about this.
SCHIAVO: Well, you know, there are, you know, you have 14,000 air traffic controllers and usually, they do a great job. I can honestly say that, you know, one saved my life once when I was flying, when I was a pilot, got some air traffic that had strayed into my clearances out of the way.
So, they are life-saving. They are valuable. We love our have a traffic controllers, but not when they're asleep on the job.
So, ordinarily, they do a great job. So, 13,000 of them did great a job and we have a couple bad apples.
COSTELLO: OK. I like that. Mary Schiavo, many thanks, as usual.
A garage filled with years of garbage yields an incredible find: a 1966 Shelby Mustang in pristine condition. We'll check it out, next.
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COSTELLO: Checking stories across the country this morning.
An Ohio man is accused of barking and hissing a police dog outside of a bar. When police asked him why he was barking and hissing, the 25- year-old claimed the dog started it. The man has a court date later this month on a misdemeanor charge.
Near Kansas City, an incredible find at a garage -- in a garage filled with junk -- a classic 1966 Shelby Mustang nearly in showroom condition. The fast back is one of only 1,100 ever produced. It is expected to be auctioned off for thousands and thousands of dollars.
In Maine, fifth grader Nick Maxim won a National Penmanship Award. He was born without hands or forearms. The contest sponsors are so impressed they've named a category named after him.
We're just getting this story in out of Brazil. At least 15 children were shot by a man who entered a classroom in Rio de Janeiro. We're working on more details, don't know why it happened. When we get those details, we'll pass them along to you.
We're following a lot of developments in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM.
Let's check in first with Brianna Keilar.
KEILAR: Carol, we're 38 hours and counting to a government shutdown unless Senate Democrats and House Republicans come to a deal on spending cuts. I'll have the latest on this at the top of the hour.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Kate Bolduan. I'm on the National Mall on a gorgeous day. And I will tell you, this potential shutdown couldn't come at a worse time for one of Washington's biggest draws: tourism -- the museums and everything. We're drilling down to the potential impacts of this potential shutdown, just steps from the Capitol, coming up at the top of the hour.
KOSIK: And I'm Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange where investors are keeping their eyes on Capitol Hill for a potential government shutdown, and how it could affect the already struggling housing industry. Carol, I'll have more in the next hour.
COSTELLO: Thanks to all of you.
Ahead in the next hour, too -- I'm going to ask Eliot Spitzer, a former governor and the host of the CNN's "IN THE ARENA," what he thinks about the politics of the shutdown. He knows a thing or two about tough negotiating.
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COSTELLO: Jeff Fischel of HLN Sports has joined me now.
It is day one of the Masters. And should I ask if you there have been any Tiger sightings?
FISCHEL: You know what, this is the thing about this year, right? For the first time since 1999, Tiger is not the favorite.
COSTELLO: Oh.
FISCHEL: Everyone's wondering, well, who is? Well, of course, we know who it is. It's going to be Phil Mickelson this year.
Tiger scheduled to tee off at 10:41 Eastern this morning. No one really thinking he has a great shot this year.
The more likely contenders, the defending champ, Phil Mickelson. He's won three green jackets. So has Tiger for that matter.
Yesterday, in the Par 3 Tournament, it was a great day for one of the big names from the past. Craig Stadler, a former Masters champ known as the Walrus. And he gets it to back up -- watch it, watch it slowly. It's golf. You have time and -- in. Stadler puts a little -- count it. It was a nice hole in one.
Yesterday, a federal judge -- let's skip to the NFL now. In Minnesota, a federal judge said she'll need a couple of weeks before she can rule on a players' request to lift the lockout imposed by owners. Judge Susan Nelson urged both sides to return to the negotiating table and said, you know, you guys, you can settle it. No matter how, she rules the losing sides is likely to appeal. So, it looks like we're still a long way from actually seeing football players on the field instead of in the courtroom.
Sometimes you just have to change the song if you want to hit the right note or home run for that matter. Troy Tulowitzki of the Colorado Rockies, he started the season 0-8. He had let the fans choose his song when he walked up to the plate. They picked Katy Perry's "Firework." So, because of the slump, he said, I need a new song. And Tulo has a bit of a sense of humor, he went with Justin Bieber's "Baby."
And now, he's hitting home runs right and left. He hit one at home, and then another one yesterday. Tulo, one of baseball's greats also has a good sense of humor.
Now, you know, Tulo has a mullet, by the way. So, he appreciates fine hair. So, he's a big of fan of Justin Bieber.
And bizarre moment from the Reds-Astros game. Ramon Hernandez at bat, the double steal and the ball gets away. And the Reds are coming home.
Now, what happened to the ball? Well, if we take another look J.R. Towles, the catcher, throws it and hits off the batter's bat. Boing! Right there. You just don't ever see that. That's incredible aim.
The Reds scored. The guy comes home. The Reds go on to score a bunch more runs and beat the Astros.
COSTELLO: That's a double ouch.
FISCHEL: Yes.
Finally, LeBron James expanding his sports kingdom. The man who took his talents to Miami, of course, is now reaching out to the soccer world. King James is partnering with Boston Red Sox owner John Henry and his Fenway Sports Group. As part of the deal, James gets part ownership in the English soccer team Liverpool F.C.
And, of course, this is kind of controversial for LeBron fans because he's always been known as a Yankees guy. You see him many times wearing the Yankees hat. So, now, he's teaming up with the Red Sox. That can't sit well in the Bronx.
COSTELLO: At this point, I don't think he cares what anyone thinks. He's doing what he's doing.
FISCHEL: No. But it will be forgiven, I'm sure, if he wins a championship.
COSTELLO: Maybe. Not by Cleveland fans.
(LAUGHTER)
FISCHEL: It's a whole other level of bitterness.
COSTELLO: I know. Exactly. Jeff, thank you.
FISCHEL: You got it.
