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Planes Clip at JFK Airport; Japan's Nuclear Crisis: Level 7; Serial Killer Probe Widens; Japan's Nuclear Crisis: Level 7; Fix My Flight: Pack & Fly Like a Pro
Aired April 12, 2011 - 11:00 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. I want to get you up to speed for Tuesday, the 12th of April.
Japan's families who escaped the nuclear disaster. Watch video of their abandoned town. The anguished faces confirm what they feared. They'll probably never return to homes inside the evacuation zone.
Japan's government admitted as much today. It raised the nuclear alert level to 7, the maximum on the international scale. Now, that puts the Fukushima crisis on the same level as Chernobyl. Evacuees note the irony of the sign that boasts, "Nuclear energy, our town's future."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KYUNG LAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "That sign was a lie," says Nobiyuki Iraki (ph). "For the last 40 years, TEPCO has only been saying nuclear power is safe, that there's no chance of a meltdown. We, the people of Futaba, feel we've all been betrayed."
(on camera): Do you think your main street or your downtown will be filled with people ever again?
(voice-over): "No," they say.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Two major aftershocks, one a 6.4 magnitude, shook central and northeastern Japan today. Similar-sized quakes triggered mudslides on Monday, killing six people. In the months since the initial 9.0 earthquake, more than 400 aftershocks measuring magnitude 6.0 or greater have rocked Japan.
Well, gunfire rang out in Ivory Coast's capital city today, despite pleas by the new president for calm. Alassane Ouattara says his presidential rival will face charges. Laurent Gbagbo refused to step aside after losing the presidential election last fall. Well, he was arrested on Monday, following days of fighting.
Britain allowed former Libyan foreign minister Moussa Koussa to fly to Qatar today for talks with the Libyan opposition. Now, Koussa is the most prominent official from Gadhafi's regime to defect. Unconfirmed reports say that Koussa may be looking for a role with Libya's rebels. He's expected to return to Britain.
Misrata, Libya's third largest city, remains under siege by Moammar Gadhafi's fighters today. Witnesses say that five civilians have been killed in the latest street fighting. Now, two of the dead were toddlers. The British and French foreign ministers complained today that NATO is not doing enough to protect civilians.
In New York today, federal investigators are trying to figure out what went wrong at JFK last night. An Air France Airbus 380, the world's biggest passenger jet, clipped a commuter plane, spinning it at a 45-degree angle.
CNN's Jim Bittermann, he was actually aboard the Airbus headed to Paris.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Pulled away from the gate, and it was going around five, seven miles an hour, something like that. Made the turn away from the gate. And a slight rumble, and it felt to me like, you know, maybe they hit a rough patch or pavement, or something like that. But the pilots immediately stopped the plane, and within, I would say, a minute or two, the fire trucks started arriving around the plane.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: The House vote on the budget deal that averted a government shutdown has been now pushed back a day. It had been scheduled for Wednesday. Well, the Republican leadership now says that vote is going to happen on Thursday.
And Washington, D.C., Mayor Vincent Gray is out on bail today. Police arrested him and four others during a protest outside a Senate office building. Well, the mayor says that Republicans used the budget deal with the president to squeeze the district's financial autonomy. The bill bars the city from spending money on abortions for low-income women.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR VINCENT GRAY (D), WASHINGTON, D.C.: Frankly, what I would suggest is that Congress butt out of the business of the District of Columbia. I've heard no rational reason why the district shouldn't have the authority to approve how we spend our own money.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: AAA says gas prices edged up another two pennies just today. Gas costs on average $3.79 a gallon for regular. Four states already have average gas prices above $4 a gallon. The record nationwide average set in 2008 is $4.11 a gallon. Now back to our top story, Japan's nuclear crisis, now raised to a level 7. Now, that is the highest severity rating for nuclear accidents. We are getting reaction.
Our Kyung Lah reports now from Tokyo.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAH (voice-over): The crisis at the Fukushima nuclear plant, now among the worst in the history. The government raising the crisis from a 5 level, on par with the Three Mile Island accident, to a 7, a major accident declaration, the same as a Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
"The change in the level reminds us this accident have very big," says the government's point man in the crisis. I apologize to the residents of the area, the people of Japan, and the international community."
But activists aren't accepting the apology.
THOMAS BREUER, GREENPEACE GERMANY: For me, it looks like they are putting the agenda for nuclear energy ahead of the people.
LAH: Greenpeace calls the government's elevation of the crisis "woefully late." Greenpeace tested the soil in a town outside of the mandatory evacuation zone and found dangerous levels of radiation, saying the disaster is much worse than what the government suggests. The anti-nuclear group called for a 7 level rating three weeks ago.
BREUER: It is Japan's Chernobyl. From our point of view, it's even worse than Chernobyl, because we have three reactors with huge problems with radioactivity. The fourth reactor has lost a lot of the spent fuel. And on top of that, where the accident happened, it's quite a densely-populated area.
LAH: For the people who live near the plant, now evacuees, the numbers, whether a 5 or a 7, don't matter. Their towns remain empty. They may never be able to go home again.
Futaba residents say they're beyond anger or hatred. They've simply lost everything.
"We lost something so big, it's unimaginable. We just don't know what to say."
(on camera): Japan's nuclear regulatory agency says there was no deliberate attempt to delay the elevation of this crisis. It just took a month to get reliable data. Japan's prime minister, in a nationally televised news conference, says progress at the nuclear plant is being made step by step, but there's still no room for optimism.
Kyung Lah, CNN, Tokyo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Now is your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the top stories, big stories of the day.
Today we're talking about gas prices. No matter where you live, you've seen the costs go up. We're all dealing with this.
Our Carol Costello is here with today's "Talk Back" question.
Carol, more than 50 bucks now to fill my tank.
COSTELLO: I know. It's crazy. We're going to hit $4 a gallon soon all over the country.
MALVEAUX: I want to know who to blame.
COSTELLO: Who to blame?
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: Yes. Yes. Well, here we go again.
Politicians blaming other politicians for high gas prices. Instead of doing something it, everybody is pointing fingers. In the meantime, you are paying more for gas again, an average of $3.70 a gallon.
On Facebook ex-governor and Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin blasted President Obama's reluctance on drilling after the BP oil spill, saying, "His war on domestic oil and gas exploration and production has caused us pain at the pump, endangered our already sluggish economic recovery, and threatened our national security." Palin called Mr. Obama the "$4-per-gallon president."
Except gas prices hit their all-time high of $4.11 a gallon in July of 2008, under President Bush. But there's enough blame to go around -- sky-rocketing oil prices, turmoil in North Africa and the Middle East, and those Wall Street oil speculators who keep betting up the price of crude.
Democrats want more controls on those speculators. Some in the gas and trucking industry agreed, but Republicans generally oppose such restrictions. And even though 70 percent of gas stations say people have been buying less gas in recent weeks, we still love our gas-guzzling SUVs and trucks.
Hybrids only account for three percent of the market, according to Trucar.com. And states like Texas might raise the speed limit to 85 miles per hour. That's not exactly great for good gas mileage.
So, is it Libya, is it Wall Street, or is it us?
"Talk Back" today: Who do you think is to blame for high gas prices?
Write to me at Facebook.com/CarolCNN, and I will read your answers later this hour.
MALVEAUX: All right. I admit it. Partly, it's my fault. COSTELLO: Gas-guzzlers. I know, when you said 50 bucks --
MALVEAUX: I don't have a hybrid and I'm not riding a bike to work. So, yes.
COSTELLO: I rode my bike this morning -- not.
MALVEAUX: I'm like, really? All right, Carol. I can't wait to hear what people are going to say.
COSTELLO: OK.
MALVEAUX: Thanks.
Here's what we have ahead "On the Rundown."
On New York's Long Island, forensic teams now are scrambling to identify what could be a serial killer's ninth victim.
And burglars foiled, caught on video.
And Japan's nuclear crisis, now officially on par with the disaster at Chernobyl.
Plus, a combo pill that could be the new weight loss wonder drug.
And --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to put my shampoo and my conditioner into Ziploc bags, and this fits much nicer. It kind of fits around the items that are in a bag.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: A flight attendant dishes on flying stress-free.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: The investigation of a possible serial killer targeting young women now stretches into two New York counties. Authorities found what appears to be a human skull in Nassau County yesterday. Now, since December, searchers have found multiple sets of remains in neighboring Suffolk County.
Senior Correspondent Allan Chernoff joins us from Jones Beach, off of Long Island.
Allan, tell us, what are authorities saying about this latest discovery?
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT: Suzanne, the police said yesterday they were absolutely stunned to have found the remains, not only a skull, but also a set of bones as well. Now, yesterday was the first day that they had actually searched here in Nassau County, to the east of me. And in Suffolk County, that's where the other remains have been found in this case that has been dragging on now for a good year. Eight remains, discovered over in Suffolk County. And this area that we're standing on right now, this is about as desolate a spot as you can be in, in the New York City metropolitan area, a barrier island that stretches for more than 15 miles east of where we're standing right now.
The four bodies that originally were discovered back in December, they have been identified. The other items have not. The other remains have not. But those four bodies, they turned out to be women who had been working as prostitutes, who had advertised on Craigslist.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. KEVIN SMITH, NASSAU COUNTY, NEW YORK, POLICE: I mean, we have eight sets out in Suffolk County already. We have two more now. It's all been very startling. All of it has been.
I don't have a reaction to you, because it's just amazing that we're finding these things. So, obviously, we have a lot of work to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHERNOFF: And that work is ongoing. The medical examiner, now checking everything he possibly can with regard to those remains. That happening here in Nassau County, and the work continues in Suffolk County as well.
Now, let's step back. This story all started when this woman, Shannon Gilbert, went missing about a year ago, not far from here. She also had been working as a prostitute. She has not been found. He remains, if she is dead, have not been identified -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: And, Allan, do police think that a single person is responsible for all these killings?
CHERNOFF: They're certainly not ruling out any possibility. It was a little while ago that the police in Suffolk County said, you know what? It looks like we have a serial killer on our hands. But, certainly, it's possible there's more than one. They just don't know.
MALVEAUX: All right. Allan Chernoff, thank you very much. We appreciate that.
Other stories across the country.
Honolulu police are looking for two would-be robbers. They had their sights set on diamonds in this jewelry store, but try as they may, they could not break the glass on the display cases.
Firefighters from all over the U.S. are in Texas to help corral at least 10 huge wildfires. More than 300,000 acres have burned so far. Close to a hundred homes, now destroyed. Making matters worse, winds are kicking back up to around 20 miles per hour.
And here, from Los Angeles --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOMMY LASORDA, FMR. DODGERS MANAGER: I feel bad about that kid, and I just hope and pray that he comes out of that coma.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Former L.A. Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda talking about Bryan Stow. He is the Giants fan brutally beaten at the Dodgers season opener two weeks ago. Well, last night, fans raised money for Stow and his family. Police are still looking for his attackers.
Well, President Obama does a 180 from Senator Obama's position on raising the debt limit -- what the White House is saying about his reversal.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Want to tell you about three great stories. Only one of them is going to air in the next hour. And you let us know which story that you would like to see. All you've got to do is vote by texting 22360. So here are the choices.
First, you notice that every time you fill the gas tank, prices now are soaring and the wallet feels just a little bit lighter. What is behind this and what's being done about it?
Next, a cop, a baby squirrel, a can of mace. A police officer says he was simply trying to protect kids from a potentially dangerous animal. Hear what the kids say.
And finally, did you ever wonder what it would be like to be a princess? Well, our Richard Quest -- yes, that's right, our Richard Quest -- goes to the school that teaches the curtsy, the walk, and the royal wave.
Vote by texting 22360. Text 1 for "Soaring Pump Prices"; 2 for "Cop Versus Squirrel"; and 3 for "The Princess School." The winning story is going to air in the next hour.
And now I want to give a quick check here at CNNMoney.com's lead story.
Take a look at this. It's the 20 highest paid CEOs. Corporate chiefs now taking home the most pay in 2010. Some saw their compensation more than double, even triple, if you can believe it, up from a year earlier. Ford's CEO made $26.5 million.
I want to take a look at the stock market as well. It looks like the Dow Jones, down 138 points or so.
I want to also talk about tomorrow. President Obama, outlining his plan for dealing with the nation's ballooning deficit. He's also calling on Congress to increase the debt limit to prevent what economists say would be a financial disaster.
But five years ago, Senator Obama argued against the idea. He said, "The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debit limit is a sign of leadership failure. Leadership means that the buck stops here. Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren."
Here's what the White House said about the president's vote this week and back in January.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president used it to make a point about needing to get serious about fiscal discipline.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(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 an administration's policies, you can play around with.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: And a sign of the times of just how bad things are getting. The White House warns of economic Armageddon if Congress doesn't raise the debt ceiling.
Take a look at the national debt over the last 20 years or so. Through the roof with expenses like Social Security and military operations. Now there is more than $14 trillion worth of debt.
I want to bring in our Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange to kind of help us explain, understand all of this.
What would actually happen, Alison, if we didn't raise the debt ceiling?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: OK. If we didn't raise the debt ceiling, Suzanne, in a nutshell, it means the government can't borrow any more money, meaning it can't pay its bills.
You know, it's kind of like if you were to reach your credit card limit. You know, what do you do? Well, you cut how much you spend or you ask your bank to raise your limit. But here's what happens if the government can't borrow money.
Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner says the government's payments would be stopped or would be delayed, at best. Think of everything the government funds. Military pay would be affected. Social Security and Medicare checks, they may be stopped or delayed. Unemployment benefits, they're into this as well. And for many of these people across the country, these checks are lifelines, Suzanne. It's how people live.
This really would be a big deal -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: And, Alison, what about the broader economy? What kind of effects do you think we would see? If the government can't pay its bills, how is this going to impact everyone else?
KOSIK: You know, no doubt about it, it would cripple the U.S. economy, and you would see this ripple around the world. They would feel it, too, in countries around the world.
Analysts say the recession we just got out of, the recessions in the past, would pale in comparison. You know, it's almost unthinkable that we'd default on our debt, because just like you and me, the government has kind of its own credit score, and what it happens to be is top notch. And that's what helps to attract investors and money into U.S. investments.
And if the government defaults, its rating would drop for the first time ever. Analysts say you would see the bond market crash, the U.S. dollar would fall, money would be pulled out of the stock market. So you'd definitely see it in your investments like your 401(k). And after that, it would be really, really tough for the government to borrow money, because you kind of have to get back your credit rating, get back your reputation.
So, if you're keeping score on the numbers right now with the debt ceiling, we're about $70 billion away from hitting the debt ceiling -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Alison Kosik, thank you for breaking it down for us.
As we mentioned, President Obama lays out his plan for dealing with the deficit. That's going to happen in a speech tomorrow. We're going to have live coverage of it right here on CNN.
Also, Japan's Chernobyl. We're going to look at how the world's worst nuclear disasters compare.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Ahead "On the Rundown," the Fukushima nuclear disaster and the one at Chernobyl in the '80s, they now share the highest severity rating.
Plus, the combo pill that could revolutionize the weight loss industry.
And there are some techniques to packing and flying like a pro. A flight attendant breaks them down for us.
Well, it was the first image that many of us imagined when the nuclear crisis in Japan began, Chernobyl, the worst disaster at a nuclear power plant ever.
Well, today, the Japanese government is officially confirming what so many of us suspected, that the Fukushima nuclear plant crisis ranks just as high as Chernobyl. The alert level has been raised from 5 to 7, the highest level possible.
Now, officials admit that damage to the plant caused by last month's earthquake and tsunami could cause result in substantial and long-term consequences for both health, as well as the environment.
So, what did Chernobyl look like back then? Does it give us a picture of what we're dealing with now?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX (voice-over): It's called the sarcophagus, a massive concrete structure built to contain the worst nuclear power plant disaster the world has ever known. An explosion in Ukraine in 1986 showed us just how high the stakes could be in producing nuclear power.
GEORGE H. W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It is unconscionable in this -- with this tragedy there that they are not coming forth in a new spirit of frankness and openness.
MALVEAUX: The numbers from that disaster are staggering. According to the World Health Organization, 240,000 cleanup workers received high levels of exposure in their attempts to contain the radioactive debris. Twenty-eight of them died that year. And public health experts believe that as many as 4,000 of those exposed to the disaster died later of cancers linked to Chernobyl.
Children were also impacted. Five thousand cases of thyroid cancer were diagnosed among Ukraine's youngest victims exposed to the leak.
In all, nearly 350,000 people were forced to abandon their homes as a radioactive cloud blew over Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. And the invisible damage, the psychological wounds, were also astounding.
Chernobyl led to massive relocations, a shock to the economy, and mutations in animal and plant life in the surrounding region. A no- man's land of 36 miles still surrounds the Chernobyl site.
Now, a chilling confession from the Japanese government. The nuclear nightmare in Japan is now ranked with Chernobyl. When scientists talk about clean-up efforts, they don't speak in terms of months or years, but centuries. So four weeks now into Japan's nuclear crisis, it's clear we're still in the beginning of what will be a very long and difficult story.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Well, there are some stark differences, however, between the disasters in Japan and Ukraine. Chernobyl was a massive explosion that blew radioactive material into the air while Japan is more of a slow leak.
Still, the Japanese government has already evacuated 85,000 people from within 12 to 18 miles of the power plant.
Let's get a clearer perspective of the nuclear crisis. Our Michael Friedlander is a former senior operator at three nuclear power plants. He joins us via Skype from Hong Kong.
Michael, thanks again for being here, always appreciate your perspective.
I know you saw our piece here on Chernobyl. It may be too soon to compare this with Fukushima, but they've now both received the highest alert ranging. Tell us how similar they are and how different they are.
MICHAEL FRIEDLANDER, FORMER SENIOR POWER PLANT OPERATOR: For one thing, I think it's important to put it into a bit of context. The upreading, so to speak, going from a 5 to 7 was actually a consequence of authorities going back and looking at data and some computer modeling based on some events that happened in the early onset of the accident when the explosions, the dramatic explosions that we saw on TV, when those big releases occurred.
It's important because a lot of people I've spoken to today are worried that all of a sudden things have taken a dramatic turn for the worse, but, in fact, they haven't.
Now, there's some measure of consolation in that we can make the comparisons or Chernobyl and things like that. One thing that absolutely for certain, we actually have a pretty good handle of what's on the ground. Teams have been taken out, taken out the Geiger counters, they've been able to measure the radioactivity on the ground.
Now, it's not to say this isn't going to be a massive effort over the next decades in order to clean up, but I think we have a good handle on exactly what's on the ground and what's necessary to clean it up.
MALVEAUX: Do we know if it's worse than Chernobyl, if it equal or we think we have perhaps a better sense that this is not as dangerous as Chernobyl?
FRIEDLANDER: Well, some of the figures that I saw today -- and again, you know, these are estimates. Nobody has a hard handle on any other case for that matter, either Chernobyl or the reactor. But some of the commuter modeling and some of the meteorology that was, in fact, going on at the time, they've actually done some pretty reasonable estimates. And I've heard figures that range in the important radio nuclides (ph) that this is about 10 percent of the size of Chernobyl.
MALVEAUX: OK, so in terms of comparing it to the size, it's about 10 percent. So it's not as dramatic. What do we know about this rating? Does it tell us anything about the radiation exposure or the condition of the plant or the long-term impact?
FRIEDLANDER: No, it doesn't. The rating system was devised more than 10 years ago by an international agreement.
MALVEAUX: What does it tell us?
FRIEDLANDER: Of course, around the world, there's almost 500 different plants, different technologies, different jurisdictions. And so, it was an attempt to put everybody on equal footing.
The categorization of a seven basically means that it was a really bad accident. That's about the only characterization that you could make. So that if you're looking at this accident, say, compared to other ones in other countries, that everyone is reporting on a common basis. It really doesn't give you any notion of exactly how bad it is or what the level of effort is going to be.
MALVEAUX: OK. Michael Friedlander, I appreciate you giving us perspective. We appreciate it.
Well, a reminder to vote for today's "Choose the News" winner. You pick the story you'd like to see in the next hour by texting 22360.
Text 1 to find out what's behind the soaring prices at the pump. Text 2 for the confrontation between cop and baby squirrel. Or text 3 for a peek inside princess school where our own Richard Quest learns to act like royalty.
Again, vote by texting 2360. The winning story will air in the next hour.
Well, if you wish you could have waved a magic wand or pop a pill to lose weight, you're going to want to hear from our senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen. She's going to join us with details on a weight loss pill combo.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Well, everybody's wondering, is there a quick easy way to lose a little weight, a pill that could do the trick perhaps. Well, a new report says that two existing drugs in combo are helping people lose weight now.
Our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here.
You know, I'm just doing boot camp, but I guess that's the traditional way. There are folks looking at this and thinking, OK, could this be like the wonder combo.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: At the end of this segment, everyone will say, Suzanne is very smart for doing boot camp because it is probably more successful than this drug. So this drug is a combination. It's one pill called Qnexa, but it's a combination of Topomax, which is a seizure drug, and Fentermine, which is a type of amphetamine. And what the drug does is it tricks your body into doing two things. One, it makes you think you're full and, two, it makes yummy foods taste bad. So people who took this thought chocolate tasted kind of like metal and therefore, they didn't want to eat it.
MALVEAUX: Wow. So how much did the folks lose weight, those who actually took the pill?
COHEN: Well, before I give you the statistics, I want to tell you something interesting.
A third of the people who took this pill in this study dropped out of the study. That tells you something right there. Likely, it was because they weren't losing much weight, so they said to heck with this, I'm not doing this anymore. Or -- and/or, they had some bad side effects. So a third of the people dropped out, that's important to remember.
Of the ones who stayed in, take a look at these numbers. They started out at 227 pounds, so they were obese when they started out, and they lost on average 18 to 22 pounds. So 20-pound weight loss for someone who weighs 227 pounds isn't bad, but it's not gigantic either.
MALVEAUX: Not very significant. And could people actually get this combo drug? Is it something that could be available to folks soon?
COHEN: You know, it's not on the market and what experts are telling me is that it probably won't be on the market. The FDA has looked at this data and already said, no. They said get us better safety data than this, we want to see more numbers.
Now, the company can come back with more numbers, but they're going have to come back with something really impressive and big in order for the FDA to say yes, because diet drugs have a pretty bad history in this country of making people pretty sick. And they're going to have to come back with something really good for the FDA to say, sure, go ahead and put this on the market.
MALVEAUX: All right, so a lot of questions. I guess I'll stick with the boot camp.
COHEN: Stick with the boot camp. I certainly would.
MALVEAUX: All right, thanks, Elizabeth. Appreciate it.
New polls show that Donald Trump is in a solid position among possible GOP presidential contenders, but it doesn't always lead to winning the nomination. Details in our "Political Update."
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MALVEAUX: Olympic track star Carl Lewis is running again, but this time it's for political office. Lewis is a candidate now for a New Jersey State Senate seat.
Now, he may have nine Olympic gold medals, but Lewis knows he'll never have a gold record as an album.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARL LEWIS, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST (singing): O say can you see and the rocket's red flare.
Uh-oh. I'll make up for it now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Ah, learning that the past had come back to trip the track star when he runs head first into the rough-and-tumble world of politics. So he can't sing.
To presidential politics now and some positive poll numbers for Donald Trump. Paul Steinhauser, part of "The Best Political Team on Television," live from the Political Desk in Washington to tell us about the latest about the polls.
And, Paul, I guess Carl Lewis can't sing. That's OK, a lot of these guys can't sing.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Carl Lewis can't sing. I can't sing either, so I'm not even going to try. But Donald Trump, let's talk about him, he seems to be rising in the polls.
You know, Suzanne, it was only a month ago that we put out a big poll number that had Donald Trump at 10 percent. OK, take a look at these brand new numbers, we're revealing them right now for the first time, a national poll from CNN and the Opinion Research Corporation.
Look at Donald Trump right now; this is among Republicans and Independents who lean to Republican for choice for the nomination. There's Trump right at the top, 19 percent, tied with Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas who may run again for the White House. Sarah Palin at 12 percent, Newt Gingrich at 11 and Mitt Romney, who just announced yesterday an exploratory committee, also at 11 percent. Everybody else pretty much everybody else in single digits.
But go to the next number, and this is interesting, because there could be some trouble for Donald Trump. Sure, that's the good news there, but look at this. We also asked -- Who would you like to see? Regardless of who you would vote for, who would you like to see run for the nomination? Well, Huckabee, everybody. Everybody, seems like almost everybody wants to see him. But look at trump, only 56 percent say they'd like to see Trump run and about 43 percent say no.
So interesting number here. Carol (sic), I'll say one other things about these national horserace numbers, it's early. They're off in a beauty contest, a name recognition contest. Everybody knows Donald Trump, of course. Finally, why else is he rising in the polls? He's been in the news a lot lately, Carol -- I mean, Suzanne -- for questioning where the president was born to a bunch of other things. Donald Trump has been in the news nonstop the last couple days.
MALVEAUX: That he has, Paul.
Do the early leaders in the polls, do they often win the nomination? What's the history with that?
STEINHAUSER: Yes. Not so good. Let's just go back to the last presidential election. There was a woman called Hillary Clinton. Remember she was Senator Hillary Clinton from New York at the time? She was leading in the polls through most of 2007 on the Democratic side. Well, we all remember what happened in that marathon battle with Barack Obama, which she lost. She's now secretary of state. She's not in the White House.
Let's go to the Republican side back in 2007. The former mayor of New York, a guy called Rudy Giuliani, he was the leader in many of the polls, the horserace rolls on the Republican side in 2007. His campaign crashed and burned in 2008. And of course, John McCain won the nomination.
So, Carol -- I mean, so, Suzanne, it doesn't always, it doesn't always make a difference, I guess.
MALVEAUX: It's anyone's game, huh, Paul?
STEINHAUSER: Yes. It's early.
MALVEAUX: Yes, it is, very early.
All right, thank you, Paul. Appreciate it.
Well, Donald Trump, he has emerged as a voice for the so-called birther movement, those people who insist President Obama was not born in this country despite evidence that he was.
On CNN's "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT," the president's sister takes on the birthers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PIERS MORGAN, HOST, "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT": There's this whole, I think, ridiculous debate about whether he was born in America. What do you think about it?
MAYA SOETORO-NG, PRESIDENT OBAMA'S SISTER: I think it's unfortunate. He was born in Hawaii. There is tremendous amount of proof that has already been presented.
The then-Republican governor and head of the department of, you know, health in Hawaii even attested to the fact that the birth certificate that they inspected was, in fact, valid. It's in the newspapers on the day of his birth. So I think it's time for people to put that to bed, put it to rest completely and focus on what they can do to help, to build.
I love that part of his inaugural speech, that we are measured by the things that we build rather than what we tear down or endeavor to destroy.
MALVEAUX: What do you think of Donald Trump banging on about this every day at the moment?
SOETORO-NG: Well, I think it's a shame. And I think that my brother should definitely be president for a second term, and that's really all I have to say about it.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: You can see the entire interview with the president's sister on "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT" at 9:00 Eastern only on CNN.
For the latest, you know where to go, CNNPolitics.com.
We're getting a lot of responses to today's "Talk Back" question. We asked, who do you think is to blame for today's high gas prices. Our Carol Costello is back with some of your responses.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: A reminder to vote for today's "Choose the News" winner. You pick the story you'd like to see in the next hour by texting 22360.
Text 1 to check out soaring prices at the pump. Text 2 for police officer and the baby squirrel. Or text 3 to see CNN's Richard Quest at a school that teaches you how to act like a princess.
The winning story will air in the next hour.
Well, it seems that everyone has an opinion on increasing gas prices, so it made for a perfect "Talk Back" question today. Our Carol Costello, I know you're laughing about our "Choose the News."
COSTELLO: You got to choose the police officer and the squirrel.
MALVEAUX: Let's see what the viewers choose.
COSTELLO: OK, OK, we'll get involved in that one.
I will get involved in the "Talk Back" question today: Who do you think is to blame for high gas prices?
This from Bill, "The average American citizen. Our lifestyle is the reason gas prices are so high, we drive everywhere. We speed. We live in neighborhoods that aren't walkable. Many aspects of modern American life require a car. We're our own problem." This from Todd said, "Speculators are part of it. Oil companies making record profits are another reason. The government needs to regulate the oil companies. If they're making record profits, then they don't need $4.00 a gallon."
This from Will, "Everybody saying, of course, it's oil company and speculators. It's just mostly wrong. That's like blaming prostitutes for adultery. We did this."
This from Karla, "All to blame. The oil companies, they will keep charging higher prices as long as they can. They're in it to make money. The politicians will keep bickering about it as a way to get elected and therefore they won't change anything. We keep driving what we want and we keep paying."
And this from Rye, ""It's my fault, folks...I'm union."
Keep the conversation -- I love that one. Keep the conversation going, Facebook.com/CarolCNN.
MALVEAUX: I wonder what his fellow union workers think about that.
COSTELLO: He's joking.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: Our viewers have great senses of humor.
MALVEAUX: They do. They do. It seems like there's blame to go around.
COSTELLO: We're all a little bit to blame, I think, and that's what most people are saying on Facebook.
But I'll be back in, again, in about, what, 10 minutes, 15 minutes?
MALVEAUX: All right, I want a pledge from you, Carol. I want you to ride your bike. Ride to work. Commute, change your commute. I want you to make a pledge.
COSTELLO: I would get up at 4:00 a.m. And I would.
MALVEAUX: That's tough.
COSTELLO: Dangerous, actually.
MALVEAUX: All right, thanks, Carol.
COSTELLO: Sure.
MALVEAUX: All right.
Whether it's baggage fees, long delays, packing, the long wait can cause you money. Before you load up for your next trip, I've got a preflight packing demo that you need to pay attention to.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: In 10 years, about 1 billion passengers will fly in the United States, each one with some complaint. So we're spending three days offering some solutions. We call our series "Fix My Flight."
Location point, packing. People carry stuff they simply don't need -- I'm guilty of that -- which they end up paying for, sometimes handing over to airport security even. But then there are tricks to traveling light, hassle free, and a flight attendant shows us how the pros are doing it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JENNIFER MILLS, AIRTRAN FLIGHT ATTENDANT: This is just a medium- size roll-aboard bag. It's awesome. I can take this on a seven-day trip.
The key to travel is really just organizing. I always take a scarf with me when I'm traveling because it makes a great blanket on board the aircraft.
Always put a couple of dryer sheets in my luggage, just to keep everything nice and fresh.
When I unpack my pants, I roll them up, like this. This keeps them from getting wrinkled. So, that is the way I roll.
People just tend to overpack. At the end of their trip they're looking at their luggage and they've only worn half of their clothes that they have brought.
You cannot take all of this. It will not fit into your quart- size bag that needs to go through security.
The smaller bottles are so hard to refill. I'm going to put my shampoo and my conditioner into the Ziploc bag and this fits much nicer. It kind of fits around the items that are in the bag, and then when I get into the hotel, I just cut a hole in the end and I squeeze it out almost like you would if you were frosting a cake.
There you have it. This will last me for about a week.
Often there isn't enough time to grab something to eat, so I always bring something. What's great in the morning it's an instant oatmeal. It's great. You can pour it into a coffee cup and ask a flight attendant to bring you a hot cup of water.
Customers often think that they can't ask for more to drink or more to eat. If you ever need more pretzels or you didn't get a lunch, we'd be happy to help out.
Don't put me in the middle seat. No, the middle seat's the worst seat. I don't like sitting in the middle seat. Most of the flights are pretty full these days, but by all means, if it's getting near departure time and you notice there are some seats available but before you get up and move, though, there might be other customers coming in that are actually in those seats, just ring your flight attendant call button and ask a flight attendant, and we would be happy to move you if the seat is available.
My best advice is to worry about the things that you can change and not worry about the things that you can't. Weather delays and acts of nature you can't really control that. So, it's best to just sit back and relax.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Well, we try.
If you simply don't want to fly, you're not in the mood to fly, there's always trains, cars. Our Sandra Endo takes a look the other options that are available for traveling. How do they compare? That is tomorrow on our "Fix My Flight" series.
And don't forget to choose today's "Choose the News" segment. Just text 22360 to pick the story that you'd like to see in the next hour. Text 1 to check out soaring pump prices, 2 cop and squirrel, or 3 to go inside a school that teaches you how to be a princess. The winning story's going to air in the next hour.
