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Japan's Threat Level Now Same as Chernobyl; Skull Found on Long Island; Pres. Obama's Debt Limit Reversal; Donald Trump as Independent; D.C. Mayor Arrested in Protest Over Budget; Arrest in Synagogue Bombing Case; Airbus Hits Smaller Plane on JFK Tarmac; Storm Slams Central Alabama; Giants, Dodgers Honor Beating Victim; Gbagbo Had Been Offered U.S. Teaching Deal to Leave Office; Airports Comfort "Overnight Guests"; Getting Chippy in the NBA

Aired April 12, 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: Have a great day both of you, thank you. It is 9 a.m. on the East Coast, 6 a.m. in the West. I'm Carol Costello sitting in for Kyra Phillips.

So take another look at this amazing video. An Air France jetliner clipping a smaller plane while taxiing at New York's JFK airport. CNN's Jim Bittermann was actually on the Air France flight. He said passengers felt only a small rumble but that's because they were on the big plane. No one was injured but both planes were damaged.

The mayor of Washington, D.C. is arrested in a protest outside the Capitol. Vincent Gray says Congress's budget deal freezes his local funding for low-income abortions. This morning, Gray's daughter paid 50 bucks for his release on a misdemeanor charge.

Oil and gas prices keep on climbing and now so do global concerns about a larger cost. Leading experts are warning that the spiraling cost could jeopardize the modest economic recoveries around the world.

Japanese officials have put the crisis at the Fukushima nuclear plant on the same level as Chernobyl. They have raised the threat to a category 7. That's as high as the international scale for rating nuclear accidents goes.

The worst nuclear accident, Chernobyl, back in 1986 was also a 7. The accident at Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island in 1979 was a level 5 and there have been more aftershocks in Japan.

CNN's Paula Hancocks is live in Tokyo.

Paula, I don't think anyone is really surprised by this but why did they wait so long to raise the threat level to a 7?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, what the government is insisting on now is that this isn't a sudden deterioration of the situation. It hasn't just suddenly got two points more dangerous. They're saying basically it's just a reassessment of what they already knew. Now there have been people, including Greenpeace Germany, who have been saying for the past couple of weeks this should be a level 7 but that hasn't been taken into account by the government itself. So what the government is saying is it took time to assess the data. It took time to read all the figures that they had and then they realized it should have been a 7.

But of course, for the people of Japan, it's very concerning. Tuesday morning, you make up, it's a level 5 and the nuclear disaster accident levels and then all of a sudden it jumps two points, you don't even see 6. So certainly there's a concern that maybe the government didn't act quickly enough, maybe they weren't being transparent enough.

COSTELLO: Maybe not. Paula Hancocks live in Tokyo. Thank you.

Here at home, police are examining a human skull that may be the ninth set of remains linked to a possible serial killer.

CNN's Allan Chernoff is in Jones Beach, New York, on Long Island, where the search for that suspect continues.

So, Allan, what are you learning this morning?

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, the police obviously are still looking for clues but they have suspended the search for victims after an exhaustive search yesterday here and they are looking -- trying to find clues that may lead them to what they believe is a serial killer who has been stalking prostitutes.

Yesterday some very grisly findings. First of all, a set of bones was found in the brush on the other side of the highway right behind me. And then several hours later, and a few miles away, a skull uncovered, the skull that you referred to. So this is possibility the ninth and maybe even the tenth victim of this potential serial killer here.

Now this story goes back over the past two weeks, four bodies were found in adjoining Suffolk County, just to the east of where we're standing, and then back in December, there were another four bodies found.

Now those four bodies were identified, all prostitutes who had been advertising on Craigslist.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. KEVEN SMITH, NASSAU COUNTY, N.Y. POLICE: We have eight sets out of Suffolk County already. We have two more now. It's all been very startling, all of it has been. I really -- I don't have a reaction for you because it's just amazing that we are finding these things. So obviously we have a lot of work to do.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

CHERNOFF: Police are still, though, searching for this woman, Shannon Gilbert. She is actually the prostitute whose disappearance nearly a year ago not far from here led to the beginning of this entire investigation -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I'm just curious, Allan, how remote is that area? I mean, 10 bodies found?

CHERNOFF: It is tremendously remote. I mean if you have to think of a place to dump bodies, this is actually a terribly desolate stretch of Barrier Island. Right now, I'm standing at Jones Beach in a parking lot and this is a very popular beach in the New York area.

But to the east of me, for 15 miles straight, there is a highway that just extends very far, very few people go there, just a few hundred people live in beachside homes around here.

COSTELLO: Allan Chernoff, live on Long Island. Thanks.

More details for you now on the last-minute budget deal that averted a government shutdown. If you're wounding what programs will be slashed to save 38 million bucks, here are some of them.

Proposed cuts to highway construction and high-speed rail add up to nearly $6 billion. If approved by Congress this week, U.S. funding to the United Nations will be reduced by $377 million. And the federal budget for food and safety inspections would be pared down by about $10 million.

So that takes care of 2011's budget. Let's move on to the next big budget thing, the debt ceiling. As you've heard, the country will reach its debt limit of $14.3 trillion by May 16th. If Congress does not raise the limit soon, the U.S. could default on its loans and that would not be good.

President Obama says raise it now, but he is dealing with a bit of what some are calling hypocrisy.

Dan Lothian is at the White House.

So, Dan, tell us how the White House is explaining the president's past comments on raising the debt ceiling.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And let's rewind just a bit back to 2006. It was then President George W. Bush and then Senator Barack Obama from Illinois. And of course, he voted against raising the debt limit because at the time he said that it was a sign of leadership failure, that it would weaken the U.S. economy.

And then we heard yesterday from the White House something that we rarely hear that's an admission of making a mistake. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president, as David Plouffe said yesterday, regrets that vote and thinks it was a mistake. He realizes now that raising the debt ceiling is so important to the health of this economy and the global economy that it is not a vote that even when you are protesting that administration's policies you can play around w.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

LOTHIAN: And Carol, the administration is using really dire terms to spell out for the American people what would happen if Congress does not raise that debt limit, using words like Armageddon, saying it would be -- have a negative impact on job creation, on interest rates, on the overall economy.

What the president wants is a very clean vote on this. Essentially, he doesn't want any -- any cuts, anything additional added to this, but Republicans want deep spending cuts. And so you know, the battle that we saw last week to get a budget, well, that was only the start.

COSTELLO: Just not looking forward to it, are you? Oh, and by the way, Dan, hasn't John Boehner flip flopped on this issue, too?

LOTHIAN: It is interesting that you should bring that up because back in January, John Boehner did talk about the impact of not raising the debt limit. He as well saying things like it would impact the worldwide economy, not just the U.S. economy, but also the worldwide economy, but what his people are saying now is that you have to look at the reality of the moment now. The political reality is, is that you need deep spending cuts.

And so yes, he does believe that that would have an impact on the global economy, but you still need those spending cuts. That's something that we've heard a lot about in the past weeks and we'll continue to hear a lot about in the coming days.

COSTELLO: Oh, yes, we will, Dan Lothian live at the White House. Many thanks.

President Obama also coming under fire from, oh, shall we call him, flamboyant billionaire Donald Trump, who is considering a presidential run in 2012. The tycoon has repeatedly questioned the president's place of birth and the authenticity of documents the White House has offered in support.

Now Barack Obama's half-sister is weighing in. Here is what she had to say in an interview scheduled to air tonight on "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYA SOETORO-NG, PRESIDENT OBAMA'S SISTER: I think it's unfortunate. He was born in Hawaii. There is a tremendous amount of proofs that has already been presented. The then-Republican governor and head of the department of -- you know, health in Hawaii even attested to fact that the birth certificate that they inspected was, in fact, valid. It's in the newspapers. It's on the day of his birth. So I think that it is time for people to put that to bed, put it to rest completely and focus on what they can do to help, to build.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: To see the complete interview, tune in tonight. President Obama's sister tells Piers Morgan stories about her big brother, stories you've never heard before. That's at 9:00 Eastern right here on CNN.

The president may face a 2012 challenge from an independent with a big name and deep pockets. And Paul Steinhauser is here.

And I already know who that is. I think everybody does by now. Who knows? Tell us.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: The Donald. Yes, the Donald. Donald Trump.

Listen, Carol, the billionaire real estate mogul and reality TV star is very good at getting his name in the news and he's doing it again. In an interview this morning with the "Wall Street Journal," he says that if he decides to run for president and he says he'll do that by June.

If he decides to runs, he's going to run as a Republican. But let's say that doesn't work out, he doesn't get the nomination, he says he could run as an independent.

Carol, if you run as an independent, you don't have the help of the party structure, it helps to have money. We know he's got money. He says he could spend millions and millions, hundreds of millions of his own money.

Listen, this is what he tells the "Wall Street Journal" that he could possibly win as an independent, and he said, I'm not doing it for any other reason, I like winning. There you go. The Donald.

COSTELLO: That's why he's doing it? Because he likes winning? Not for the country to help country?

STEINHAUSER: That's one -- well --

COSTELLO: To help Americans?

STEINHAUSER: Well, of course for the country.

COSTELLO: OK.

STEINHAUSER: But of course that goes without saying. But he likes to win.

COSTELLO: Just checking.

STEINHAUSER: And let's talk about Mitt Romney real -- yes. Let's talk about Mitt Romney real quick as well. Yesterday, the former Massachusetts governor, he did what we expected. He took the first formal step towards running for the White House, announcing an exploratory committee, and this will be his second run for the White House if he actually jumps in.

But what the surprise here is that his camp kept in secret, no leaks, nothing. In fact, they got the announcement up on their Web site before they alerted the media. So I guess, kudos to camp Romney for keeping a secret.

COSTELLO: This next story really surprises me because Chris Christie, he is a darling, you know in circles of the Republican Party.

STEINHAUSER: Yes. And we obsess I guess in the media over Chris Christie. Will he run for president on the Republican side or not? But look at this new poll from Gallup, it came out yesterday, it indicates that you know what, a majority of Americans don't know enough about him to form an opinion.

Here are the results. You know what, 27 percent said they had a favorable opinion, 21 percent said they have unfavorable opinion.

But, Carol, 52 percent of Americans said they didn't know enough about him to form an opinion. Interesting, and even among Republicans, it's pretty high.

But Carol, let's be fair here. Other people who were thinking about running for the White House like Santorum, Barbour, you know, you name it -- Pawlenty. They also have pretty high unknown factors -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Well, I'm sure they'll fix that because the season is upon us.

STEINHAUSER: Yes.

COSTELLO: Paul Steinhauser, thank you.

We'll have your next political update in one hour and a reminder for all the latest political news go to our Web site, CNNpolitics.com.

The mayor of Washington, D.C. spent much of his Monday in jail. He took part in a protest and got into trouble with Capitol police.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR VINCENT GRAY (D), WASHINGTON: The importance of this to me is that we needed to make a statement that what has happened in this budget process and what has happened repeatedly to the District of Columbia is just completely unacceptable.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So what has him so upset with Congress and the White House that he was willing to go to jail? That's great question. And we're going to ask Mayor Vincent Gray for some answers, next.

And here's something you don't see every day, thank goodness, a giant Airbus clipping a smaller regional jet on the tarmac. We'll tell you more about this, too, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The mayor of Washington, D.C. got out of jail just about eight hours ago. Capitol Hill Police arrested Vincent Gray and several D.C. council members yesterday for blocking a street and refusing to leave.

This is all about the 2010 federal -- or 2011 federal budget lawmakers agreed to over the weekend. D.C. officials feel like Congress and the president used their city and its people as a political chip and sold them out.

Washington, D.C. isn't like your typical city in America. Congress has the final say over its budget and laws, and D.C. does not have full representation on the Hill. Basically, its 600,000 residents have little say in how their local tax dollars are spent and for what.

Keep in mind that more than 90 percent of D.C. voters voted for President Obama, but their fate rests almost entirely with the Republican-controlled House, if you ask D.C.'s mayor. And let's ask him. Let's talk about that with Mayor Gray, who joins us, now. Welcome, Mayor.

MAYOR VINCENT GRAY (D), WASHINGTON, D.C.: Good morning, how are you?

COSTELLO: I'm good. As part of the federal budget compromise, the federal government would block not only the use of federal funds but city funds, your funds, to pay for abortions for low-income women. Why do you think that happened?

GRAY: Well, I think we were a bargaining chip in this political game that's been played around the budget.

As you indicated earlier, the district has no voting representation in the House. We have no senators. So we are an easy target. Folks in Congress, frankly, will do things to the District of Columbia that they wouldn't even do in their own home districts, and this is an example of it.

To be -- to impose upon us this restriction with respect to abortions, those decisions ought to be between women and their doctors and, frankly, there's no other jurisdiction in America that would be told that they can't spend their own local tax dollars.

COSTELLO: And Mayor, there are some who believe that since Planned Parenthood was not defunded, D.C., your city, paid the price. I want you to listen to Tea Party favorite Michele Bachmann. She spoke at a Christian rally yesterday. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MICHELE BACKMAN (R), MINNESOTA: We're the ones who decide how the money gets spent. And Barack Obama gets no money, zero money, unless we give it to him. And so, he can be held hostage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So, in order for the Democrats to negotiate with Republicans when you have that line of thinking, how does that play into how you're able to run your city, and to use your own taxpayer dollars to do with what you will?

GRAY: Well, it's an outrageous position that was just expressed, when you think about the fact that we raise our tax dollars in the city just like other states, just like other cities do.

The authority to spend our money ought to rest with the District of Columbia, but every year, after our city council and the mayor approve a budget, it has to be sent up to the Congress to be approved by people, in many instances, who know absolutely nothing about the District of Columbia and will oftentimes impose their ideological views on the District of Columbia that they wouldn't even do in their own home district.

COSTELLO: I was just going to ask you about that. Should abortion even enter into the decision about how your tax dollars are spent?

GRAY: Absolutely not.

COSTELLO: In your budget?

GRAY: Absolutely not. And certainly, vouchers, which is another issue that's on the table, should not enter into it. There's been debate about whether our needle exchange program should continue in the District of Columbia. It's successful here. It's successful in 200 other places around the nation.

But we've become a political pawn in the game around this budget and around other ways in which this country is run. We ought to be left to make those decisions. Our budget ought to be approved by the people of the District of Columbia, and we've demonstrated our ability to do that.

COSTELLO: So, Eleanor Holmes Norton, the D.C. delegate, recently said that Congress should go to hell. Do you echo that sentiment?

GRAY: Well, there's no question that we feel that way at this point. Frankly, what I would suggest is that Congress butt out of the business of the District of Columbia. There -- I've heard no rational reason why the district shouldn't have the authority to approve how we spend our own money.

COSTELLO: Well, in fairness, Mayor, I just want to ask you about the Democrats in Congress, because there are lots of them. They didn't help you out of this mess either.

GRAY: No, they didn't. As a matter of fact, when you look at the vote that got us to where we are today, and we'll have another vote coming up later this week, it's clear that we had very little support.

I'm not sure what the White House did in all of this, to tell you the truth. It looks like the District of Columbia was, essentially, thrown under the bus in order to be able to get a political deal.

COSTELLO: Mayor Gray, thanks for joining us, we appreciate it.

GRAY: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Here's a quick look at news happening Cross Country. Law officials believe this is the man who set off a homemade bomb last week at a California synagogue. They arrested 60-year-old Ron Hirsch in Cleveland. And they say he's a transient who often went to synagogues for charity. No one was hurt in the explosion.

Check out what happened at New York's JFK last night. An Air France jetliner clips a smaller plane on the tarmac. CNN's Jim Bittermann was actually on the bigger plane, said the passengers felt only a small rumble. No one was hurt, but both planes were damaged.

More than 20,000 people in central Alabama lost power during an overnight storm, and they've got a lot of cleaning up to do today. The worst damage hit the Birmingham area, uprooted trees, flattened dozens of homes and cars.

And players for the Dodgers and the Giants came together on the field before last night's game in San Francisco. They honored Giants fan Bryan Stow. He was wearing Giants' garb at a Dodgers game, and he was brutally beaten outside of Dodger Stadium.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEREMY AFFELDT, SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS: We ask that you respect that rivalry, and you respect each other as fans. But when the last out is made, that rivalry ends on the field.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Amen to that. Stow, the fan, is in a coma and has brain damage. Fans have been donating money for him and his family. No arrests yet in the case.

The former president of Ivory Coast has been arrested. The civil war in that African nation appears to be averted, for now. We're learning new detail about the negotiations to pry Laurent Gbagbo from power, including an offer to teach at a university right here in the United States.

And the White House relieved him from duty as top military commander. Today, General Stanley McChrystal returns. We'll tell you about his new mission.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: We are learning fascinating new details about negotiations to end the standoff in Ivory Coast. A senior African diplomat tells CNN that Laurent Gbagbo was offered a chance to teach at a university here in the United States. That is, if he would renounce his claim to be president. He rejected the deal.

He was captured yesterday after his compound was shelled for several days by French and United Nations forces. Our Zain Verjee joins us live from London. And Zain, tell us some other details of this deal to get him to leave.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Boston University, Carol. That's the university that Laurent Gbagbo had had a chance to go lecture at and be a resident in a program at the African Presidential Archives and Research Center if he gave up his claim to be the president.

Apparently, this also involved the possibility of him going to other universities around the United States and being kind of like a guest lecturer.

So, we reached out to Boston University. Now, they publicly deny it. They say absolutely not, there was never any deal for Laurent Gbagbo on the table.

I spoke to the head of this center, his name is Charles Stith. And he said this, Carol. Had Laurent Gbagbo left after the election, and even if he had protested the results, for the good of the country, if he had left, Boston University would have considered him a potential candidate.

So, it raises a lot of different questions here. And the fact that this is out there is going to raise a big one for the State Department, today.

COSTELLO: I was just going to ask you that. Did the State Department -- did the State Department have any role in this?

VERJEE: Well, it's going to be interesting to see how they parse this out today. And it's likely that they did.

I was just looking at "The Oklahoman" that was reporting a high- ranking State Department official reached out to the one man, Senator Jim Inhofe, to basically intervene in the Ivory Coast, because he's someone who has a relationship with Laurent Gbagbo in the past. He knows him, he knows his wife, and he has a lot of excellent knowledge about Africa.

So, the State Department, according to this report, asked him to reach out to Laurent Gbagbo and say, "Well, maybe Boston University could be an option for you."

We got a response from Inhofe's spokesperson who said Inhofe refused to communicate a Boston University offer from State to Laurent Gbagbo.

My read of this, if you look between the lines, here, there may have been an offer, that that could have been the case, here, but I think the timing is what we need to look at, here.

If it was a few months ago, it would have made more sense, because an election was just over and it could have been a way out. If it was last week, it's unlikely they would want to take a man that's held a country hostage and has blood on his hands. So, we'll see what they say today.

COSTELLO: Fascinating stuff. Zain Verjee, thanks, as always.

Gas prices, they keep on rising, up for the 21st straight day and counting. But it's more than just a strain on your wallet. It's hitting the entire economy. We'll go to Wall Street to learn just how bad it may get.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Another day, another increase in gas prices. AAA says the national average now stands at $3.79 a gallon. And make no mistake, this has big implications. New reports out this week show it could hit our economic recovery.

Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange. So, Alison, how big an effect could this have?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You know what, Carol? $100 oil we are seeing these days is already beginning to hurt the global recovery. That's from a new International Energy Agency report that came out today.

And I'll tell you what, this is really terrible timing. U.S. economic growth it is already very fragile. And we heard the same thing from the IMF yesterday, which cut its own forecast for U.S. GDP this year to a 2.8 percent pace.

I want to show you exactly what this means with this chart. Take a look. Last quarter, we grew at a 3.1 percent pace. Now, 3.1 percent is pretty mediocre by historical standards. 2.8 percent that would be considered below par. So you know what? expect the economy to be under pressure for some time.

The IMF sees oil averaging $107 this year and next as well - about the same as where it is right now. We are just below $109 a barrel today. You know what? I hate to say it. Time to get used to it when we drive up to the pump. Carol?

COSTELLO: I guess so.

KOSIK: Sorry.

COSTELLO: What will this mean for every day Americans, though?

KOSIK: You know what it would mean? People would have less money to spend on other things. They go out less to eat maybe, go to the movies less. They wouldn't fix up the house. It is going to be tougher to pay bills as well.

We may even begin to rethink vacation. Remember the rise of the staycation back in 2008 when gas topped $4? That could be coming back as well.

Also, we will see it in companies. Companies are going to have less room to hire because they are going to be spending more, too. You know, corporate America is dealing with more than oil prices going up. They're seeing prices on copper, lumber, aluminum, other commodities soaring as well. So, this is going to hurt their bottom line as well.

And we are deep in the red right now on Wall Street. The Dow right now down 86 points, the NASDAQ off about 16. Alcoa. Its first quarter revenue missed expectations. It said that high oil prices are eating into their profits, so we are seeing it with Alcoa as well. Shares of Alcoa right now down almost 6 percent, Carol.

COSTELLO: Alison Kosik, thank you.

It's just past 9:30 in the East, just past 6:30 out West. Police on Long Island, New York, stepping up their search for a serial killer. Investigators found what they think is a human skull along a beach highway. They believe it could be the killer's ninth victim. Earlier in the day, a police officer and his dog spotted another set of remains about a mile-and-a-half away.

Japanese officials have put the crisis at the Fukushima nuclear plant on the same level as Chernobyl. They have raised the threat to a category 7. That is as high as the international scale for rating nuclear accidents goes.

And Libya's former foreign minister Moussa Koussa heads to Doha to meet with the Qatari government and Libyan representatives today. That's the word from the British government. Koussa was part of Moammar Gadhafi's inner circle for years until he defected to the UK several weeks ago.

In just a few hours, the White House run veil a new program to help U.S. troops and their families back home. But its also a homecoming of sorts for the retired Army general who will lead the mission. Stanley McChrystal was fired as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan when he publicly bad mouthed the Obama administration.

Barbara Starr joins us from the Pentagon. So Barbara, the president essentially fires general McChrystal and his wife hires him?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's what it's beginning to look like, Carol. You know, I think it's going to be a case of proving you can go home again. General McChrystal will be back at the White House later today at the invitation of first lady Michelle Obama to head up a new group working on problems and issues to help military families and veterans. General McChrystal will head a new organization called Joining Forces. Trying to encourage local businesses, employer, governments, philanthropic organizations, religious groups, to reach out to veterans and lend a hand after so many years of stress on military families from deployments.

General McChrystal, of course, long remembered over the last year for that "Rolling Stone" article in which he made disparaging remarks. President Obama firing General McChrystal as the head of the war in Afghanistan for that lapse in judgment.

But General McChrystal is a retired four-star, very respected in so many military circles for his contributions to military service. Not to say that he hasn't been controversial, but it is clearly a bit of a redemption. General McChrystal has spent the last year largely out of the public eye, doing some teaching, some speaking. Now, he's stepping back into public life.

COSTELLO: Well, I just wanted to ask you, because he is a controversial man, and since families are involved in this project, I just wanted to add this to the mix. The Tillman family also accused General McChrystal of knowing about the military cover-up of their son, Pat Tillman -- you know, dying by friendly fire. So, it just makes you wonder if the families of the troops will accept this without reservation.

STARR: Well, I think every family, of course, would have to make its own decision about how they feel. But I have to tell you, there are a lot of troops and families out there that are sort of beginning to wonder if after ten years of war, the American public is perhaps still supporting them but perhaps not remembering them as often every day. Not seeing the problems of veterans' unemployment, family stress, posttraumatic stress for the troops.

So, there's an awful lot of military families that do welcome help wherever they can get it especially on the key issue of unemployment from veterans, coming back from the war who are finding it hard to get jobs. General McChrystal lending a hand here; it's going to be up to individual people to decide if they feel comfortable. Carol?

COSTELLO: Barbara Starr, live at the Pentagon. Thank you.

STARR: Sure.

COSTELLO: Things are getting chippy in the NBA as teams gear up for the playoffs. Right after the Atlanta Hawks Zaza Pachulia scored on the Miami Heat, the Heat's Zydrunas Ilgauskas - gosh I hope I pronounced his name right. He threw the ball the at his back. Is it dodgeball or basketball? Ilgauskas (INAUDIBLE) from last night's game. This show of poor sportmanship comes just one day after the Heat's Lebron James threw a ball at a Celtics player.

Jeff Fischell from HLN Sports joins me in 20 minutes with highlights of NBA stars actually throwing the ball at the baskets.

Plus, a Major League Baseball player with a unique way of turning off the booze. And are Americans making informed decisions when they step into the voting booth? We will talk to a CNN.com contributor who thinks they are definitely not. He says they are ignorant. That's coming up.

Also, that unexpected layover at the airport could become a sleepover. Coming up in our "Fix Our Flight" series, how airports are helping passengers navigate flight cancellations that turn into overnight stays.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: We would like to introduce to you CNN's newest member of the family, LZ Granderson. He now writes an online op-ed for CNN.com every week, and he has an intriguing background. He's written about sports, about gay and lesbian issues, about politics. And politics is what his op-ed is about today. Welcome, LZ.

LZ GRANDERSON, CNN.COM CONTRIBUTOR: Thank you very much for having me.

COSTELLO: OK. So the first line in your op-ed is "Should ignorant people be allowed to vote?" Ouch!

GRANDERSON: Yes. It's ouch, but I tell you that the spirit of the column, the ideas that I'm pushing, are not as mean-spirited as that initial question may sound. The word ignorant has been pretty much boiled down to just meaning an unsophisticated person. And what I'm just saying something you don't know, one subject area you don't know a lot about. And so, that is the ignorant part that I'm stressing.

COSTELLO: OK, so the less educated voter, let's say. But you say that politicians are taking advantage of these particular types of voters. How?

GRANDERSON: Absolutely. Because they know they are easily misled. You know, if they don't have the foundation of truly understanding the current issues and what -- how the government works and how laws are made, then you can tell them anything and if you have the right message, if you are likable, if they have a catchphrase they can remember, then all of a sudden it gravitates toward you, whether or not they have actually processed the information.

COSTELLO: OK, when you say catchphrase, what do you mean?

GRANDERSON: Obamacare, for instance. You know, it's like -- it's -- it dumbs down having an intelligent debate about health care reform, which I think is very important. I think some of the things in the bill are grossly wrong, and I think some things are right. But we can't get to that place if we are just going to say Obamacare. Now, you are asking yourself well, do I like Obama as opposed to the idea he is trying to push.

COSTELLO: I think that a lot of voters feel that intellectualism or elitism is actually hurting our political process and maybe they shouldn't pay much attention to what those people are saying. And sometimes that's good thing, sometimes it is a bad thing.

GRANDERSON: Absolutely. I mean, look, this -- my column offers an ideal of having the naturalization test be a foundation before you get a voter registration card. That isn't to weed out people who haven't been to college, who, you know, come from maybe a poor background, but just to make sure that we are all talking about the same thing. I think that is more important. I can understand hesitation and not wanting some rich snob telling people what to do --

COSTELLO: Exactly.

GRANDERSON: -- and I don't want that, for sure. But I also think the opposite is hurting the country. And that is running away from information, running away from facts, running away from the very foundation of the constitution.

COSTELLO: Well, let me stand up for the voter.

GRANDERSON: Yes. And I'm standing up for voters, too.

COSTELLO: I know you are. I know you are. I'm stand up for them even more. I believe there are many smart people in this country, and many of them certainly vote.

GRANDERSON: Absolutely. Absolutely.

COSTELLO: So, if you say the ignorant voter puts politicians into office who perhaps should not be there, then where are the smart people out there and why aren't they voting? And if they are not voting doesn't that make them more ignorant than the ignorant voter?

(LAUGHTER)

GRANDERSON: You bring up really, really great points, right? but here is the thing. Smart people tend to outsmart themselves, right? So, they get so frustrated with the conversation, they withdraw and just rather name pick or point fingers and name call each other and just looking like a Sarah Palin, her followers and just say, "Oh, they are dumb." And look at Obama, and go "Oh, they are just a bunch of liberals" and not really engage because the conversation isn't really intellectual, not mentally engaging. It has been dumbed down.

So, I'm advocating for the voters who actually want to have an intelligent conversation about these topics and not just yell back and forth and finger point.

COSTELLO: Gotcha. So, you bring up many interesting points yourself. Thank you, LZ, and welcome. Appreciate it.

If you'd like to read LZ's column, go to CNN.com, click on the opinion tab at the top of the page and find commentaries there on a wide variety of topics from a wide variety of perspectives. Thanks, LZ.

With more people flying every year, that means more people stranded at airports for that dreaded overnight stay. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Overnight, we had about 250 passengers. So, the Hotel Laguardia is up and running.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Next, there's no room service but some airports are finding ways to make the sleepover a tad easier.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Taking a look at stories making news across the country, activists in Arizona are celebrating a federal court decision reaffirming a previous injunction against Arizona's controversial anti-immigration law. Arizona's governor and attorney general say they are now considering their legal options.

Police officers in Bainbridge Island, Washington are now wearing cameras on their chest. The police chief says the cameras are meant to document encounters officers have with the public and provide evidence in case there is a difference of opinion.

An Arizona woman recently amended her will to include her Facebook page and her online blog. Inheritance lawyers say it's important for people to identify all their digital assets and passwords and designate someone to administer them after they're gone.

Within just a few years, it's expected we will have a billion passengers sharing our skies. And like most of us, you likely have a bunch of gripes about flying. Over the next few days, we're going to talk about solutions. We call our series "Fix My Flight".

So if you spend any time in the sky recently, you know airlines are canceling flights more quickly at the first sign of trouble and rebooking is a bear because there are fewer flights with more people on them.

So, the dreaded airport sleepover is more and more becoming a reality. Allan Chernoff shows us that some airports have this problem on their radar.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Stranded at the airport overnight. It happened to Assad Mobben at New York's LaGuardia during a December blizzard.

(on camera): How many hours do you think you did sleep?

ASSAD MOBBEN, STRANDED PASSENTER: An hour and a half, tops.

CHERNOFF (voice-over): But at least he had place to sleep, along with many other travelers.

THOMAS BOSCO, GENERAL MANAGER, LAGUARDIA AIRPORT: Overnight, we had about 250 passengers, so the Hotel LaGuardia is up and running.

CHERNOFF: LaGuardia hauled out the cots during seven storms this winter.

(on camera): Ok, here's what you get at the Hotel LaGuardia: a blanket, brand new; paper sheet, not sure what the thread count is here, and this is your pillow case. Not exactly five star but you know what, when you're stranded, you can't be choosy.

(voice-over): There are free diapers, baby food, even $10 vouchers for food concessions, some of which the airport will keep open all night during a storm.

BOSCO: They'll have hot food. They'll have more casual fare and even the bar -- our bar will stay open for that late night adult beverage.

CHERNOFF: Similar emergency accommodations can be had at Boston's Logan Airport and Chicago's O'Hare where the amenity package includes a toothbrush and toothpaste. And Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport offers not just cots but also little pup tents for kids and what it calls comfort zones. The airport is also considering a check-in service for baggage.

JAMES CRITES, EXEC VP, DALLAS-FORT WORTH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT: We turn down lights a bit. We try to create a bit the right mood and the ambiance.

CHERNOFF: Airlines are quicker than ever to cancel flights when bad weather is on the way. That keeps many people with travel plans at home. But for those trying to return home or make a connection, airport accommodations can ease the frustration of not being able to fly.

Just ask Antonio Christopher who was stranded five nights during his recent marathon round-trip vacation from London to the Caribbean.

ANTONIO CHRISTOPHER, PASSENGER: It is military style. You have to go commando and just really, just do a "Rambo".

CHERNOFF: Old recedes frigid weather and last year's volcanic ash cloud have turned airports into hotel.

MARCUS STANTON, HEAD OF OPERATIONS, LONDON AIRPORT: We're creating facilities to -- to help passengers so additional seating areas across the terminal, TV facilities, additional power outlets, bench seats with somewhere I can charge my -- my phone.

CHERNOFF: Nobody is happy about airports becoming hotels, not passengers, airlines, or airports, but it's the reality of flying these days. As high-tech as we are sometimes you just can't get to where you want to go.

Allan Chernoff, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE) COSTELLO: Coming up later, you're being hit with extra fees for those extra bags now, so packing like a pro could save you some big dollars. We've got tips from some pro-flyers; flight attendants will show us their packing secrets.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: We're following a lot of developments in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM. Let's check in first with Alison Kosik.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Carol, gas prices, they keep going up and up and up, it's now 21 straight days and no end in sight. How did we get here? I'm going to take a look in the next hour.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm John Zarrella at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, one of the bidders on a retiring space shuttle. Will they get one? I'll have that story coming up.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: I'm Zain Verjee in London. I'll tell you about Moammar Gadhafi's former Ukrainian nurse. She is speaking out and giving us all sorts of details about what it was like to be around him. We're going to hear about his odd habits and she also had a nickname for him. I'll tell you what that was.

COSTELLO: Oh, I'm afraid to hear that. Thanks to all of you.

Also coming up, when she was named Miss USA, a crown was placed on her head. After recent appearances on reality TV though, someone put soap in her mouth. Rima Fakih will join me to talk about the controversy over her Miss USA title. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Tempers are really flaring on the basketball court. Jeff Fischel from HLN Sports is here. And we're seeing some anti- social behavior on the court these days.

JEFF FISCHEL, HLN SPORTS ANCHOR: We are right now. Carol, you know it's very late in the season; these guys have been playing for six months. Their regular season is almost over, games end tomorrow but in intensity levels high because the playoff are about to start.

Lebron James and the Heat taking on the Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta's Zaza Pachulia (ph) head on to Brutus Ilgauskas (ph) for the score and look at him throw the ball at Pachulia. He's not happy (INAUDIBLE).

Let's flash back to the day before, the Heat playing the Celtics and Lebron did the same thing. Did they practice this in practice at the Miami Heat?

Check last night. Ilgauskas was ejected. Dwyane Wade, they find Lebron inside, the Heat channel that anger in a positive way and get the win.

You know, it was a disastrous Sunday for Rory McIlroy. He led the Masters for three rounds and wound up tied for 15th after that epic collapse. But McIlroy all smiles now. He shared a plane ride afterward with the winner, Charl Schwartzel for their next tournament.

Yes, cool. McIlroy put this pic up on Twitter. He even said, "I'm flying to Malaysia with Charl. Glad one of us has a green jacket on. I mean 21-years-old he's got it all together like that.

COSTELLO: They're not throwing any golf balls at him.

FISCHEL: Nice.

All right. One more thing, Kim Clijsters she is likely out of the next major, the French Open because of a wedding reception injury. Clijsters is the ranked -- she's number two in the word. She was wearing heels at her cousin's wedding and while she was out on the dance floor maybe doing the Dougie -- maybe not the Dougie -- she tripped on someone else's foot.

She'll be out six weeks.

COSTELLO: Oh, that's so embarrassing.

FISCHEL: And to think you have to worry about when you're a professional athlete. I guess that --

COSTELLO: Even when you're not.

FISCHEL: Hopefully that cousin and she are very close. It's the only way it's worthwhile.

COSTELLO: It's true. Thank you so much Jeff.