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Revised 7.1 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes off the Coast of Miyagi, Japan; Clock Ticking Towards Government Shutdown; Speaker Boehner Discusses Budget Negotiations
Aired April 07, 2011 - 10:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Live from Studio 7, I'm Suzanne Malveaux. Want to get you up to speed for Thursday, April 7th.
We've got breaking news. There is a tsunami warning for northeastern Japan right now. It follows a 7.4 magnitude earthquake that hit just in the last 30 minutes.
Japan's meteorological agency says the epicenter was off the coast of Miyagi. That is the same area hit by the original 9.0 quake on March 11th.
Thirty-seven hours to a possible government shutdown, and President Obama is calling congressional leaders back to the White House in two hours for crisis talks. The president and House Republicans are trying to hammer out a budget for the rest of the fiscal year, from now until September 30th.
After talks at the White House last night, the two sides appear to be $7 billion apart on cuts. Now, that is chump change in Washington terms. They also have to agree on what to cut.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: The numbers are basically there, but I am not as nearly as optimistic -- and that's an understatement -- as I was 11 hours ago. The numbers are extremely close. Our differences are no longer over how much savings we get on government spending. The only thing -- the only thing holding up agreement is ideology.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: The Republican view, we're going to bring that to you shortly. House Speaker John Boehner will speak to reporters in about 30 minutes. We're going to have live coverage of his comments.
Also, troops on the frontline are asking the boss about their paychecks. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told U.S. forces in Iraq today a brief shutdown could mean a partial paycheck for April. Anything longer might mean no paycheck for a while.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Well, first of all, let me say you will be paid. I always -- you know, as a historian, it always occurred to me that a smart thing for government was always to pay the guys with guns first.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Want to follow the breaking news that is out of Japan, another reported earthquake out of Miyagi.
Want to go to Bonnie on the latest information on this.
What are we learning so far, Bonnie?
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, Suzanne, we're monitoring where the tsunami warning has been issued. And you can see the area right here on Google Earth. We've indicated where the earthquake has occurred.
Let's zoom in on that, and you see that there's been numerous aftershocks in this region just in the past 24 hours. There's Sendai. That's the coastal area that was devastated on March 11th earthquake then.
So, 7.4 is the magnitude now. This may be adjusted. Very close to the shoreline, and that's why the prefecture of the Miyagi region is under a tsunami warning right now. Again, that is pretty standard when you tend to have an earthquake that magnitude so close to the shoreline.
Right now the forecast from the Japanese meteorological agency is for tsunami height of about two meters, so approximately six feet. That may not seem that high, but it certainly can vary depending on the depth of the area of the coastline, the height of the wave when it comes into the shoreline. So it really is something to be monitoring. And anyone that's ever under a tsunami warning immediately has to leave the coastal area and seek higher ground.
I can show you a better view of where the warning is. It's a smaller area where we have the warning right here.
Here's Miyagi right here. And to the north and to the south for areas in the region, coastal areas, we have a tsunami advisory.
So right now a smaller area under a tsunami warning, but still a serious situation where people that are on the coastline need to seek higher ground and move away from the beach immediately, because even a tsunami that seems not that high at six feet, it can be damaging. And, of course, considering that they're still recovering from the major tsunami that hit not too long ago, any large earthquake is going to be damaging, as you've heard from Martin Savidge reporting from Tokyo. They did feel the shaking as far away as Tokyo, even from this quake.
MALVEAUX: And Bonnie, just to be clear here, is this a watch or warning? Is this actually a tsunami that is coming, that will come?
SCHNEIDER: It is a warning that's issued because the depth of the earthquake and the intensity is likely to produce a tsunami. And what the forecast from the Japanese meteorological agency is saying is that the tsunami will likely be somewhere in the vicinity two of meters.
So it is likely. And a warning is a serious situation, because that means it is likely to occur. However, the heights and the speed at which it comes and all those factors may vary. But when there's a warning issued, that's a serious situation, and you do need to move away from the coastline.
MALVEAUX: OK. Bonnie Schneider, thank you very much. Going to be following this breaking news.
Want to bring an iReporter in Koriyama. That is Ryan McDonald. We spoke with him just yesterday.
And I understand, Ryan, you actually felt this quake?
RYAN MCDONALD, IREPORTER: Oh, yes. I was asleep.
It's now midnight. It happened just a few minutes, maybe 10 or 15 minutes ago.
I was asleep, and the first 10 or 15 seconds I ignored. I thought it was an aftershock. And then it had that big feeling where everything started to shake, and I had things fall off my shelf.
And I jumped up and I said, oh, come on, this is not real. I ran outside. All my friends ran outside of their apartments. And then we just hear there's now a tsunami warning, like she was saying, coming, which is just unbelievable.
MALVEAUX: What are you doing now?
MCDONALD: I'm physically shaking. My hands are shaking because I had just gotten to the stage where I was almost over the aftershocks.
For a while, when the aftershocks would hit, I would go, oh, it's going to be another big one. But now it's like, OK, it's just an aftershock.
But then this one just kept going. I think it was over a minute and a half.
And it was just -- I jumped up and I was just freaking out. And I doubt I'm going to go back to sleep. It's just after midnight here. So, yes, I just immediately jumped on to Facebook and said, oh, that was just uncalled for completely.
MALVEAUX: Ryan, do you know -- are you clear whether or not you're in a place of safety?
MCDONALD: As far as what, as the building structure or the area or -- MALVEAUX: All of it -- the building structure, the area. Give us a sense even -- I don't know where Koriyama is in relation to Miyagi, because we now know that there is a tsunami warning, at least for some areas. Have you heard that about where you are?
MCDONALD: No. I'm 35 miles from the coast. And actually, I'm 35 miles from the reactor, as well. So I'm well within safety distance.
One of the big problems is a bunch of my friends went down to the coast today to work on tsunami cleanup, and I was planning on going down there tomorrow or Saturday to do some tsunami cleanup. But now they're just not stopping. So this is ridiculous.
I'm about 80 -- I think 80 miles away -- or 60 miles away from Sendai, which is the big city in Miyagi.
MALVEAUX: What was that like to hear -- to feel that kind of shaking? How did you know that this was something much more serious than an aftershock?
MCDONALD: Yes. It was just gut-wrenching.
All of the aftershocks we've been feeling -- normally, for the nine years I've been here, these little quakes, you just get over them. You're like, oh, that wasn't that bad.
But since the quake, all of the aftershocks are just gut- wrenching. They're just, oh, is this going to be the big one? Am I going to have run out? What am I going do?
And that's what this turned into. I jumped out of bed. I'm glad this is a phone interview. I'm not even wearing that much clothing. And we just ran outside, and we're all panicking. And -- oh, it is nerve-wracking at this point really.
MALVEAUX: I can understand. Is there anything that you and your friends -- that you have said to each other, that you're doing to help calm the situation down now?
MCDONALD: Well, right now I'm back in my apartment. We're all back in our apartments.
We had another small aftershock a few minutes ago, just before I started this call. We're kind of calm now. But I don't think I'm going back to sleep as far as tonight goes, because any -- if somebody even bumps into the side of the house or something, we're just going to panic. And we're all on the edge of our nerves now.
MALVEAUX: It's dark outside. Does that even make it worse in some ways, that you really can't even see what's happening?
MCDONALD: It does. I'd have to get dressed and go outside and look around. I don't know what's going on. I don't know if there's any damage. I don't suspect there was too much damage at this point, because it was only about a minute or so. It wasn't as strong as the previous one. But there could be some damage out there. And we're not going to know until tomorrow. We're just in the dark, literally and figuratively.
MALVEAUX: And Ryan, do you have power where you are? We're just seeing pictures now -- I know it's late at night and there's -- we're see something lights. Do you have power, or do you get a sense that there's some areas that perhaps are in darkness, where people don't know what's going on, can't figure it out because they just can't see?
MCDONALD: I would imagine that areas closer to Sendai and Miyagi, in that area, probably have power issues. We're so far away, that it was not an issue. And even after the last quake, I had power and Internet. But only my water and gas stopped working.
MALVEAUX: Ryan, you reached out to friends through Facebook, I understand. What are they telling you, what are they saying? You're all trying to comfort each other right now?
MCDONALD: Well, my friends here in Japan, we're all trying to comfort each other. My friends back in Atlanta and other parts of the world are saying, why are you still in Japan?
But I'm been here nine years, and it's not easy to just up and leave. A lot of my friends are here. And so -- but, actually, the more earthquakes we have like this, the closer I am to thinking about leaving.
MALVEAUX: Ryan, you had mentioned, too -- I think you said you are about 35 miles from that nuclear reactor, the damaged reactor. Does this cause you any concern? Is there any fear that because this other earthquake has happened, that perhaps it's going to be an even more dangerous situation with that radioactive material?
MCDONALD: I did have an initial concern, but a friend of mine immediately went to the NHK site in Japan here, and they said that there was currently no problem with the reactor. And the main warning -- our main problem now is the tsunami coming.
It's not going to reach me at all, but it's just -- it's gut- wrenching to know that these people already suffered through a horrible tsunami, and now another one's coming that's just going to wash everything else away. Hopefully, this one's going to be much smaller. I've heard less than a meter, possibly.
MALVEAUX: Do you feel, Ryan -- I know you and I have had a chance to speak from time to time throughout this whole crisis. Do you feel that you're getting enough information now, as you sit in your apartment, as you communicate with people through Facebook, reaching out for comfort, that you're getting the kind of information you need from the Japanese government now?
MCDONALD: Well, we do get information from them. But because of cultural differences, it comes out slower. They have to get together as a group and talk about things, and they're very careful as to what they say. So they don't release things as quickly as we would like.
I don't think they're lying or being dishonest about anything, but as a foreigner, as an American, I would like information. I'm used to information a lot faster. So it's a little frustrating. I get most of my information from Facebook, to be honest.
MALVEAUX: Have you heard anything at all? I know this is happening very quickly, but have you heard anything, gotten instructions from anyone, as to what you should be doing now, if you should be in your apartment, outside the apartment, seeking shelter?
MCDONALD: Not yet. We haven't had any information.
At the last earthquake, the big one, a truck drove around. And in Japanese, it announced what we should do. But we immediately went to an evacuation center, mainly because we didn't have gas or water.
But now, because my apartment is fully functional -- I hear some friends outside the apartment walking around, and they don't seem to be panicking. So, as far as I know right now, we're just going to stay inside for a while and ride it out.
MALVEAUX: You haven't seen any of those trucks giving you information about what to do?
MCDONALD: Right, not yet. We would hear them, we would hear sirens last time. There were sirens and helicopters flying by, and the trucks were going -- it felt like we were in a movie, to be honest. But now everything is quiet outside.
MALVEAUX: Ryan, when you were outside and you saw what was taking place, did you notice if anyone was injured or needed help?
MCDONALD: Not this time. It wasn't that big of a quake that would injure people unless, possibly, they were on the stairs or something.
But everyone in our neighborhood -- we have some elderly people that live around us. And whenever something like this happens, a few of us go over and check on them immediately. And so far, we haven't heard of any injuries in the area. But then again, this is -- this only happened 15, 20 minutes ago.
MALVEAUX: Well, Ryan, we know that you're not going to be able to sleep. You said so. We certainly hope that you are safe, you and your friends, that you're getting the kind of information you need.
I understand so far the government has not provided any information, that you are now getting this from Facebook and, obviously, through CNN at this moment. But we wish you the very best. And Ryan, we want you to keep us posted in terms of what is taking place with you, with your friends there where you are, as this continues. Thank you very much, Ryan, for checking in with us.
I want to go to our Marty Savidge.
Marty, tell us where you are and what you felt.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Suzanne, we're in Tokyo. We were in the Tokyo bureau. This was by far the strongest aftershock that we have felt here since the earthquake, the original one of 9.0 on March 11th.
Right now we're being told by TEPCO that they have evacuated their employees from the Fukushima Daiichi and the Fukushima Daini nuclear facilities out there. Now, at this time at night, it would have been a relatively small crew. In fact, we're told it's about 13 people. But as a precaution, they have evacuated both of those nuclear sites.
As you would know, the real concern here is, you've got three very damaged nuclear reactors up there that TEPCO has been struggling to keep under control. But the worry has always been, because of the tons and tons of water that they have been pouring on those reactors to keep them cool, you have a great deal of -- instability is the ward I'm struggling to find out there. So, in other words, that these buildings are taking on tons of water they were never meant to hold. And now they're being shaken violently as a result of a 7.4 magnitude earthquake.
No reports of damage out there as yet, but it is too early to really tell. All we can tell you is what TEPCO tells us, and that is that they have evacuated their personnel.
We also know that up in Morioka, the entire town there is in blackout. That is Iwate prefecture. CNN's Paula Hancocks is up there, and she phoned in to give us that report.
We also know that the first wave of the tsunami has come ashore. It was projected to be about a meter or less, quite frankly, in the dark. And right now it is still too early to tell exactly what kind of problems, if any, have been created as a result.
But there were tsunami warnings and alerts that sprang up immediately after the shaking. It was already known that there could be, of course, that possibility. And we knew that here.
But the Japanese television screens immediately light up with the map showing you exactly where. And you can bet that anybody who might be near the water at that particular time would take those kinds of warnings extremely seriously.
If there is any positive news, it is that so many areas have been so devastated from the initial tsunami, it is unlikely there would be too many people still in those areas to be hit by this event. Nonetheless, the warnings go out.
So that's where it stands right now -- Suzanne. MALVEAUX: And Marty, you had said at one point there the tsunami had already hit certain areas. Do we know where those areas are?
SAVIDGE: Well, the immediate concern was Miyagi prefecture and up in the area near Sendai and that sort. So that's where we're presuming right now.
We haven't been told specifically, but those were the closest to the epicenter. And the way this works, those tend to be the first struck.
The difference that can happen sometimes is, depending on how the wave comes in and what kind of topography is underneath, the water can affect greatly as to the speeds at which it travels and also the height of the wave. So, individual areas of the coastline can feel different waves even from the same event.
But right now, no reports of damage and no reports of any injuries when it comes the tsunami. Now, we're still waiting to get reports on the earthquake.
It's relatively fresh. It's only been about 40 minutes since we felt it.
MALVEAUX: Sure.
SAVIDGE: And you knew it here the moment you heard it and felt it inside the bureau here. We feel many, many aftershocks. But this one grew with an intensity that, those who live here quickly said this is different than the ones we felt, pick up the camera, start rolling. And it was. You could tell it just grew and grew and grew -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: And what kind of instructions have you been given? Has anybody told you or alerted you?
We talked to Ryan McDonald, who said the last time, the big one, that certainly there were people who were outside on bullhorns, they were on trucks, there were alarms going off. Any of that happened this go-around? Have you received any word or any instruction from anyone from where you are in Tokyo about what is taking place?
SAVIDGE: Well, if you mean, like, here in Tokyo, are their sirens wailing, are there people running into the streets, or anything like that, no, they're not. And as you can see by the buildings behind us, the electricity is on and everything seems to be operating pretty much as normal.
I mean, this city is built to withstand and it has withstood many, many kinds of earthquakes. And even though as strong as this aftershock was, it is not one that would have done significant damage here.
Now, the impact in other areas, that's a different matter, because you're talking about many places that had been weakened, many places that had been affected as a result of the tsunami. So, any further shaking even like this could do significant damage, especially -- there are some people who had gone back to their homes who felt that the worst was passed and they didn't like being in shelters. And as damaged as their homes may be, it was in fact still their home.
So that's another concern. So, the closer you're going to get to the epicenter up in Miyagi, the more likely that there could be some kind of damage -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: And Marty, I don't know if you've had time to even get a chance to talk to people, if you're running from the situation or grabbing the photographer, but can you give me a sense of the psychological impact this must have on folks in Tokyo? You say they come home, their homes aren't great, but they're here. They feel settled in, and something like this jolts them from their sleep. I mean, it must be scary and perhaps really frustrating for people.
SAVIDGE: It is. I mean, these are very unsettling times in Japan for a lot of reasons.
I mean, first of all, because of the magnitude of the natural disaster by which they've been struck. But then, on top of that, you have this nuclear disaster and drama that is playing out.
And then, there's a great deal of frustration with the government. There seems to be an inability to cope with all of these things that are happening.
Power had been cut back. Many places are dark. Business had been curtailed to try to save on electricity because of the lack of electricity being generated by the nuclear plant.
So, on and on and on, there is kind of this angst that has been hanging over this nation. And not to mention the fact that you have, you know, 16,000 people dead and you have 15,000 that are missing.
There are just tremendous emotional stresses that are wearing on people whether they were directly affected or not in this country. And then to feel the earth move once more is just another brutal reminder of what they've been through and how much more they still may face -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: All right. Marty Savidge, thank you very much for putting that into perspective.
Obviously, there's a lot of frustration, and even fear, some anxiety there, as you can imagine, as the Japanese people, again, facing another earthquake.
And Bonnie Schneider has the latest on the impending tsunami.
Can you explain to us where this warning applies, whether or not it's actually hit some areas already?
SCHNEIDER: Well, Suzanne, you heard from Martin reporting that there was a report of an initial wave about a meter high, and it was right where the warning was issued right here in the Miyagi prefecture. And then you could see areas to the north and to the south also highlighted for an advisory.
Now, here's what's important to note -- the Japanese meteorological agency, when they put out this tsunami warning, they anticipated the tsunami height to be between half a meter and two meters. So we have reports of the initial wave coming in as a meter.
Remember, a tsunami is a series of waves, it's not just one wave. Typically, it could be up to four waves. And generally speaking, the second or third can be larger than the first.
So it's important to know that just because one wave has hit, this may not be over yet. The warning is still in place.
And this was all the result of an earthquake that happened just off shore. And we have a shake map now to show you that this was a pretty strong, intense earthquake.
You can see areas here. If you zoom in here, you can see this area indicates where there was strong shaking felt, and potential damage is listed as light here on this legend. So, nowhere do we see severe, violent or extreme shaking like we saw from the original earthquake that occurred on March 11th.
But, as you've been hearing from our reporters on the scene, this was a significant earthquake that was well felt. And unfortunately, a very strong one that has now issued a tsunami warning for one region, a coastal area of Japan, in the Miyagi region. But areas to the north and south are also under advisories.
A tsunami warning is always serious, whether it's just a few feet or it could be a tall tsunami. And whenever a tsunami warning is issued, you must evacuate the coastline immediately and seek higher ground, because as martin has been reporting, the wave height can vary. And it may come in as one or two or three feet in some areas, but depending on topography and the topography underneath the sea, the imagery of what's happening beneath the sea, there could be different heights there.
That all influences the size of the wave coming in. So it's always important when these advisories are issued to take them very seriously -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: All right. Bonnie, thank you very much.
We're going to be following the developing news, the breaking news, out of Japan. Another earthquake. This one, 7.4 magnitude off of Miyagi, Japan. Also, the tsunami warnings. We're going to follow that after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Following this breaking news story out of Japan. This is a 7.1 -- it's been slightly downgraded -- 7.1 earthquake that struck off of Miyagi, Japan, leading to significant tsunami warnings in certain areas. We have spoken to several people already on the ground saying this only contributing to the sense of fear and anxiety of many of the Japanese people there and those who have been covering this story after that major earthquake that happened just weeks ago.
People scrambling, describing things falling and shaking, and really trying to get as much information as they possibly can about the impending tsunami, as well as the earthquake, the impact of that earthquake that struck really just about 40 minutes ago. It is still breaking news.
We are still getting lots of information from those on the ground. We're going to continue to update you on this breaking news story as we get more information.
We are also following another major story. The clock is now ticking. The budget negotiators, they're talking because President Obama has called for another White House meeting less than two hours from now.
What are they going to get done? We really don't know. But, so far, no deal to prevent a government shutdown by tomorrow's deadline.
Our CNN's Brianna Keilar, she is following the developments on Capitol Hill.
And Brianna, so they've been summoned back to the White House. What does the president hope to do in that room? What does he hope to say to them? What do they need to do the next 24 hours?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, I think it has to do more than anything -- because this is the third meeting that we've seen in three days. This is just sort of crystallizing exactly how far apart Senate Democrats and House Republicans are.
There was a meeting yesterday. There was a meeting the day before. This is going to be number three.
The other thing we're watching right now is the House floor, where House Republicans are pushing a bill to fund the government for one more week. But they're doing it in such a way that House Democrats are not planning to sign onto it.
And meantime, after the meeting last night, Suzanne, at the White House, where we heard sort of positive signs coming from both Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker John Boehner and President Obama, although, of course, they admitted they didn't have a deal, we then heard this coming from Reid on the floor a short time ago --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REID: The numbers are basically there. But I am not as nearly optimistic -- and that's an understatement -- as I was 11 hours ago. The numbers are extremely close. Our differences are no longer over how much savings we get on government spending. The only thing -- the only thing holding up an agreement is ideology.
(END VIDEO CLIP) KEILAR: So, what is he talking about there when he's talking about ideology? Well, in addition to the amount of spending cuts, one of the issues here, a big issue, has to do with policy provisions that would be in this bill and that House Republicans are demanding to defund health care reform, to defund Planned Parenthood, to say to the Environmental Protection Agency that it cannot regulate greenhouse gas emissions.
I should tell you, Suzanne -- and we're trying to turn this sound around -- House Speaker John Boehner was on the floor a short time ago, and he said -- which is different from what we heard from Reid -- that there is no agreement at this point on the number on spending cuts and that there is no agreement on those policy issues as well. Negotiations continue.
MALVEAUX: All right, Brianna. We'll get back to if you there's any information, any developments out of that meeting, and see if there's any kind of breakthrough. Thank you so much, Brianna.
Want to take a closer look at how the shutdown would affect all of us.
Different government agencies, as many as 800,000 federal workers, could be off the job. But so-called essential services would still continue.
So what does that mean? Well, it includes air traffic control, airport security screening, food inspections, Border Patrol. Basically services considered necessary for safety of life and protection of property.
What about some of the agencies and departments that affect our daily lives? We're talking about Social Security recipients who would continue to receive payments, but some disability applications could be delayed.
The IRS would continue to process electronic returns, but audits and processing of paper returns, that would stop.
And paychecks would be delayed for members of the military. Medicare payments would still continue.
So it's your chance to "Talk Back" on today's big story. We are talking about the looming government shutdown. It's just about dollars and cents, right? Or maybe it's about something else. It depends on what side of the aisle you are on and who you're talking to.
Carol Costello, talking to a lot of folks.
And boy, I tell you, I mean, this is down to the wire now.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Down to the wire on what some call ideological issues. But that's what my whole "Talk Back" segment is.
So, you know the saying "Don't sweat the small stuff." Sage advice, except when it comes to budget negotiations in Washington.
Of course, small is all in how you look at it. Democrats and Republicans remain at odds over funding for the EPA, NPR, and Planned Parenthood. Small stuff if you see it in terms of federal dollars.
Planned Parenthood, for example, costs American taxpayers $330 million a year. Small dollars in comparison to the $3.5 trillion federal budget. But some might argue it's big on something else -- political ideology and beliefs.
Listen to how Speaker John Boehner on "Good Morning America."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOEHNER: When it comes to an out-of-control bureaucracy in Washington, we know that that's also getting in the way of creating jobs in America. Now, the EPA is out of control. And the American people do not want taxpayer dollars used to fund elective abortions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Except federal dollars do not fund abortions provided by Planned Parenthood. That would violate the Hyde Amendment.
Planned Parenthood also offers things like birth control and breast and cervical cancer screening for mostly low-income women. You see where I'm going here.
President Obama and the Democrats say this budget battle is turning into a fight over ideology, that issues like abortion should not determine whether there is a government shutdown. For Speaker Boehner, Republicans are justice cleaning up the fiscal mess left by Democrats.
So Talk Back today, is the budget battle over ideology or fiscal responsibility? Write to me at Facebook.com/CarolCNN, Facebook.com/CarolCNN. And I'll read your answers a little later this hour.
MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Carol.
Another story we're following, that other earthquake, an earthquake that hit about 40 minutes ago, this out of Miyagi, Japan, and the tsunami warnings that have followed, already have arrived at some of the coast along the Japanese coast there.
TEPCO, which is responsible for the nuclear reactors in Japan that essentially have been having so many problems since the last major earthquake. We understand they're giving an update now on the state of the nuclear reactor after this earthquake.
I want to take a listen to some sound that we're getting in right now.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS) UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We can repeat an update on the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant current status. As for reported injuries, there were two workers near reactors one and two and then also seven workers near the intake. They have not been injured, and they have all taken shelter in our seismic-resistant building.
(END COVERAGE)
MALVEAUX: So we are following that story and seeing if what just the impact is of that earthquake out of Miyagi, Japan, as well as the tsunami there, the latest information about the nuclear plant that has had so many problems. As we know TEPCO has also changed its story numerous occasions.
So we're going to be following the developing story about their statements about the state of the nuclear plant and whether or not they are actually accurate. We're going to be taking a look at that.
We're also following a major story and that is the potential of the government now shutting down. We are just hours away from a deadline and potentially a government shutdown. We're going to hear from House Speaker Boehner, who is going to be coming before the microphone to talk about the latest in negotiations. A small -- relatively small amount of money between the Republicans and Democrats, but it is very significant. If they do not resolve this, the government will shut down.
We're going to go to a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Want to go to House Speaker John Boehner who's at the microphones on Capitol Hill, talking about the very latest negotiations between Republicans and Democrats over the budget and whether or not the government will shut down. He said just moments ago he certainly hopes that does not happen.
Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN COVERAGE)
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), HOUSE SPEAKER: -- for most spending cuts possible but also common sense policy restrictions on how taxpayer dollars are spent.
Looking ahead, Paul Ryan and the Budget Committee put forward a jobs budget that will deal with the drivers of our debt and get America on a plan to prosperity.
For all these things to work and to bear fruit, we need to end the spending binge in Washington and we need end it now. That's why we're working to resolve last year's budget in a manner that makes real spending cuts possible to help our economy.
We're doing our job today. The House is preparing to pass this troop funding bill that makes real spending cuts and I hope the Senate will find a way to support our troops and keep our government open.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) -- on this matter when so many people around the country are most concerned about keeping the government open?
BOEHNER: You know, the House took up the funding for this year's government after the Democrats failed to pass a budget last year and failed even into December, when they still had supermajorities in the House and Senate and the White House, failed to enact any spending plan for this year.
So the House took this matter up in January, and we had a wide- open process, involved hundreds and hundreds of amendments and days and days of debate. In the House, in its normal procedure for dealing with spending bills, attached policy riders to it. It's been a long- time practice of the House and the Senate to not only set spending levels, but also dictate how that money is to be spent because the Constitution requires us to determine how spending will occur.
And so the House worked its will, and there are some 40 or 50 policy restrictions that were attached to our bill. We sent it to the Senate. I can't speak for the fact that the Senate hasn't acted in 47 days. This whole process would have been a lot easier if the Senate and the White House actually had a position, but they don't.
And so the House has worked its will. I'm proud of how the House worked its will and all of these policy issues are continuing to be on the table.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) -- Republicans are not going to get every policy rider they want.
BOEHNER: That would be correct. That would be correct.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
BOEHNER: There's far more than one provision that's holding up any agreement, I can tell you that.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
BOEHNER: Well, there were a lot of options available to us. But I think all of you know that we're going to try and meet the commitment that we made to members and the American people to allow for a three-day layover of any bill before we brought it to the floor.
And over the last weekend, we had to make decisions about what to put online Monday night so that there was ample time for members and the American people to read the bill. And we made a decision last weekend. Because we're now in three wars, because operating under a C.R. drives up the cost for the Department of Defense, we think it is the responsible thing to do.
We believe that the cuts that are attached to this are nothing in here that's any deal breaker and to keep the government open. As you've heard me say, every single time I've address this issue in private and in public over the last three months. Our goal here is to cut spending, not to shut down the government.
QUESTION: Speaker Boehner?
QUESTION: Last night Speaker Reid said that he was optimistic you that you guys would be able to reach a deal and then this morning he seemed to indicate that you guys moved further apart, that the discussions had deteriorated.
Do you agree with that, and what seems to have happened over the last 12 hours?
BOEHNER: We made some progress last night, or at least I thought we did. But, you know, when I see what the White House has to offer today, it's really just more of the same.
We're going to have real spending cuts. And I don't know what some people don't understand about this. But this is a -- this is the first time we've all been in this environment.
The first time we've had a Republican majority dealing with this president. First time we've had a Republican majority dealing with the Senate. There's certainly some time -- it's taken us some time to get acquainted with each other and to work our way through this. Because understand that this process that we're in is likely to be repeated a number of times this year. I think everyone is taking their time try to get this right.
QUESTION: Speaker Boehner, the Senate unanimously passed a bill --
BOEHNER: Why are you so loud all the time?
(LAUGHTER)
BOEHNER: You speak up over all your colleagues. You know, it's one thing when you're standing there because you're taller than most of them.
QUESTION: It's a football huddle (ph), sir.
But, the Senate unanimously passed a bill that would prohibit members of Congress from getting their pay in the event the government shuts down. You guys have the same bills that's attached to a legislation that had no chance of passing the Senate.
Going forward, would you guys bring up a clean bill to prohibit you from receiving a salary in the event the government shuts down similar to hundreds of thousands of federal workers?
BOEHNER: We passed a bill similar to the Senate's. We sent it over there and we're hoping they'll act on it.
Thank you.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) -- reported that you were closer on the numbers and the real issue were these policy riders. He named abortion and the clean air policy riders (INAUDIBLE).
Is that what these negotiations have come down to?
BOEHNER: They have not. I don't think that -- there is no agreement on a number. In fact, I think we were closer to the number last night than we are this morning. There are a number of issues that are on the table. And any attempt to try to narrow this down to one or two just would not be accurate.
(END COVERAGE)
MALVEAUX: You've been listening to House Speaker John Boehner. Not surprisingly both sides -- some political posturing, neither side wants to be blamed for a possible government shutdown.
Speaker Boehner putting much of the blame now the White House and Democrats, where he says is much of the same. Speaker Boehner will be meeting with the president, the Democratic leadership, as well, in the next couple of hours. The hope is certainly for some sort of breakthrough in these negotiations. We're talking about a relatively small number when it comes to the budget. We're talking about $7 billion.
But key to this debate and what makes it so heated is what is going to be cut in the budget, and also a lot of things that people are talking about that have nothing to do with the budget itself, some social issues regarding stances on abortion, on EPA, on Head Start, those kinds of things that really pull at people's heartstrings and political landmines, if you will, for some that are part of that document. And that is what the president says needs to come out in order for them to resolve this matter.
We're going to have more on the budget debate. This means -- could mean a potential government shutdown affecting every one of us across the country if that in fact happens. So we're going to be keeping a close eye on that story.
We're also paying very close attention to another, another earthquake that hit Japan. It happened just within the last hour or so, 7.1 magnitude out of Miyagi, Japan, and tsunami warnings to follow.
We'll have more of that after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: A 7.1-magnitude earthquake out of Miyagi, Japan, as well as tsunami warnings.
Our own Marty Savidge is in Tokyo, and he's got some more information, I understand, Marty, about another nuclear plant. Some more information, not the Fukushima plant, but another plant that they are keeping a close eye on?
SAVIDGE: Right. There's actually two of them that they're keeping a close eye on it, and really this is just a cautionary y thing. I mean, these two plants, it appears, have had some disruption as far as the electricity coming to them.
Even though these plants generate electricity, they need electricity coming in because that's how you run the cooling pumps, it's how run many of the basic functions that keep the lights on and keep the gauges going, and there has been reports of some disruption.
This is not something like Fukushima-Daiichi by any means. It's just that there have been some reports of some possible power disruptions to these facilities.
Now, some of these facilities automatically shut down when you get a significant enough shake. So it's still being worked out exactly what their power problems are.
We do know that in some of the cases the backup diesel generators have come online. No problems with the coolings, no reports of any threat what so ever to those reactors. It's just that they've suffered some sort of power disruption.
And then getting to the Fukushima Daiichi plant, the news seems to be -- good's never a word it use for the facility, but at least stable, I guess, is the terminology that's probably better to apply.
They report that there has been no surge in any of the radiation up there. They do -- they say that the reactors are unchanged. And they also report that the containment water levels continue to remain unchanged, as well.
That's a good indication that there has not been a rupture of some sort of pipe, that there's some sort of major leak that's been sprung or that there's been a collapse in any way, because those tanks are holding a great deal of radioactive water.
So the initial report, even though they had to evacuate everyone, that was probably for the concern of getting them into a building safely away from any tsunami that might come ashore. And, of course, those are out and still watching. No reports as yet of any significant damage. The initial tsunami wave was projected to be around a meter, but it can vary greatly depending where you are on the coast.
MALVEAUX: And, Marty, just to be clear, those other nuclear facilities that you had mentioned that ran, the power went out, that got backup generators, are those nuclear facilities near the ocean or water at all, or there's no threat to them of impending water or tsunami?
SAVIDGE: You know what? I'm not going to try and give you a specific answer. I don't know.
We have been told, at least by listening to the Nuclear Regulatory Safety Administration here for Japan, that they are not concerned about them and that every indication they had for those reactors -- and we're not even sure that all those reactors were even online -- that there is no problem with them. They did not feel that in any way were they threatened as a result of the tsunami warnings that were out there.
So I can't answer the geography question. I can just tell you that they're indicating that they were not concerned.
MALVEAUX: Well, that is good news, cause we know for the major earthquake, the 9.0, the problem ended up with the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was that you had the power knocked out, then you had the generators knocked out because of the waves, because of the water that just created a complete disaster at that nuclear power plant.
It sounds like what you're saying to me, that's not at all the situation with these other power plants. They are not concerned about any potential water or flooding happening there.
Marty Savidge out of Tokyo. Thank you very much, we'll be following this breaking news right after this quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Following the breaking news story now. A 7.1 magnitude earthquake out of Miyagi, Japan. This following that 9.0 huge earthquake that happened just weeks ago. Japanese people waking up, essentially it is the middle of the night, early morning there, reporting things falling, things shaking, very violent shaking and a lot of fear about what this means next.
I want to go to our Bonnie Schneider who has more on the tsunami, the impact of the tsunami that followed.
And I understand this certainly isn't over.
SCHNEIDER: Well, that's why the tsunami warning continues, Suzanne. You know, this hasn't been issued as a major tsunami meaning wave heights three meters or greater.
What the Japanese Meteorological Agency has been projecting is that the wave that will come in -- and one wave has already come in at approximately one meter -- half a meter to two meters.
So it is not considered a major tsunami, but it is considered strong enough that a warning's been issued and that's why evacuation has been ordered for this region right here.
Let's zoom in.
This area in orange is where we have warning issues. It's the Miyagi Prefecture. Now, to the north and south you see yellow lines here that indicate other areas under advisories including Fukushima, Ibaraki and Iwate.
So it is a pretty wide area. It looks small on the map, but just to give you perspective, from the beginning of this yellow line to the end we talk about an area of roughly 400-plus miles. That's about half the state of California, if you were to do a comparison. So it is a large coastal area.
However, the area where the warning has been issued and where the evacuations have been advised is right here. That's only a 70-mile coastline, but still important to note because this was indeed a major earthquake. At first it came in at 7.4, then it was downgraded to 7.1.
Does that make a difference? Well, looking at the earthquake magnitude scale, either one is considered a major quake. And you can see here the one that occurred on March 11th, which was 9.0, was considered great, 8 or more. So that's on the highest scale.
And in terms of the violent shaking that some people say that they felt, well the shake map shows most of the shaking that was felt was fairly concentrated to that region. You can see areas here. Here's the epicenter, so areas to the closest in yellow indicate very strong shaking to strong or moderate shaking.
Unfortunately, a lot of the structures are still hanging on very barely after the major earthquake that occurred there. So that's why any shaking is bad. And this is one of the largest aftershocks we've seen thus far since the quake on March 11th.
The tsunami warning continues, but so far, the wave height has been very small. It's important to note, and we talked about this earlier, Suzanne, that a tsunami is not one wave, it is a series of waves. And often, some of the second or third waves can come in stronger. We haven't had any reports that that has occurred, but until that warning is lifted, the evacuation orders continue for Miyagi Prefecture specifically and the advisories to the north and south.
MALVEAUX: Sure. And, Bonnie, if you can help us understand this, some of the people we spoke about on the ground, one of our iReporters, Ryan McDonald, and others, they are saying they thought it was perhaps an aftershock from the original big earthquake that hit.
This is a separate earthquake? Can you help us understand what the difference is?
SCHNEIDER: Well, it depends on where exactly the earthquake occurs, but to some degree they're all related.
Any time have you a very large earthquake in the region, you're going to have instability and you're going to aftershocks in and around the region, and not just for weeks or days, months, possibly even up to a year after.
That's why this region is so unstable and that's why you heard from our reports and our iReporters that there is that unsettling feeling. Specifically with the one that occurred at midnight local time overnight. That this one was not like the other aftershocks, this was a larger, more intense one.
MALVEAUX: All right, Bonnie, thank you very much. We're going to be following this breaking news story, still tsunami warnings. As Bonnie Schneider said, this is a series of waves, not just one wave. And so, there are a lot of people who are watching to see what happens next.
And also, just what the newest, latest information is out of the nuclear plants. There's been a lot of discussion about the state of Japanese nuclear power plants and whether or not they in fact are stable.
We're going to take a quick break and bring you more on the other end.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Budget battle is looming, both Democrats and Republicans now trying to gain advantage. Both of them saying that they're willing to negotiate through the weekend to avoid a government shutdown. The president will be meeting with both sides just within the next couple of hours or so. We are talking about the possibility of a government shutdown within hours, not days, if this is not resolved.
Want to bring in sound that we've just heard from Republican Eric Cantor who is describing the state of play right now in Washington that could have a huge impact on all of us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: House will come to order.
REP. ERIC CANTOR (R-VA), MAJORITY LEADER: Mr. Speaker, we are committed, we are committed to getting our --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gentleman will suspend. The House will come to order.
CANTOR: Mr. Speaker, we are committed to getting our fiscal house in order and to keep the government functioning. Therefore -- therefore, members should keep their schedules for this weekend as flexible as possible and I yield back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: So we'll see if that works. Potentially, members of Congress working over the weekend to try to resolve all this.
But we are talking about a deadline that is looming. We're talking about midnight Friday to see whether or not the government will actually function and continue as we know it starting early Saturday morning.
They've got a lot to work through, but it is a $7 billion difference between these two sides and the president calling both sides again to the White House to try to work all of this out.
We're going to give you the very latest as this develops throughout the afternoon.
We are also going to be talking to someone very interesting. He's been a real estate mogul and a reality TV superstar. Now his supporters want him to add American president to his resume. We are talking about Donald Trump. He joins us live in the next hour of NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
