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North Carolina Tornado Outbreak; State of Emergency in North Carolina; FAA Issues New Air Traffic Rules; Waco: Faith, Fear and Fire; Heartbreak in Japan
Aired April 17, 2011 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DEB FEYERICK, CNN ANCHOR: Good afternoon. So glad you could spend part of your day here with us. I'm Deborah Feyerick, in for Fredricka Whitfield. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. Let's get you caught up on some of our top stories
A state of emergency is in place this hour across the entire state of North Carolina. In some neighborhoods, devastation as far as the eye can see after the worst tornado outbreak in the state in more than a quarter century. This twister near Raleigh, one of dozens reported across the state yesterday. The death toll in North Carolina is at least 23. The system started Thursday in Oklahoma and swept right across the south. It has killed more than 40 people in six states.
One of the hardest hit areas in North Carolina, Bertie County where at least 11 deaths are now confirmed. CNN's Catherine Callaway is in one of the devastated neighborhoods there. Catherine, you have been touring the area. What are you seeing?
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: complete devastation. You can see it around me, Deborah. It's unbelievable. This little area here, including about four homes, several trailer homes and a workshop, you can't even tell where they once were located. There's nothing left except rubble. You can see some of the family members still trying to pick through what is left, trying to get clothing.
We spoke with one of the gentlemen here who lost his family home. His mother was inside their home when the tornado hit. His name is Charles Bond. He is still in shock today from the devastation of this storm. Here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHARLES BOND, BERTIE COUNTY RESIDENT: The first thing you got to ask yourself, why here? You know, that's a good question. Don't know if you can get the right answer, but, you know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLAWAY: That's why she actually called him when that tornado was hitting her home. He got here right after it hit. He found her in the front yard. She was severely injured. She is among those that is hospitalized today. There was another resident here in the home behind my photographer, was also injured, also in the hospital here. And Deborah, I mean, honestly, you cannot - we cannot tell you where these - these cars did not start out here behind me. They came from the other end of the lot. This is a good example of why you don't stay in a car when a tornado hits. It at least still has his wheels.
Mr. Bond's car was found across the highway in the field over here. And it has been devastated. But 11 people killed in this. And when we describe how - how wide it is, at least a half mile, they're saying. At least a half mile. And it lasted on the ground for about eight miles, they're saying. They can't even estimate the property damage because they can't even tell where their homes were once located.
They're going to have a team in here tomorrow morning that will begin trying to get the property damage estimates from this storm. But right now as to the death total, 11. And he believes that is going to hold steady. But the property damage estimates are going to skyrocket over the next 24 hours, Deborah.
FEYERICK: And Catherine, just incredible that that woman was able to make a cell phone call moments before the tornado hit. Imagine if her son hadn't realized that she was one of those injured. And then you look at that car, and it's almost as if some giant threw a spear through it. It's not just a question, I suppose, of piecing everything together. It's finding out where some of the pieces are, like you mentioned.
Catherine Callaway there for us in North Carolina. Thank you so much. Really appreciate that update. And look forward to checking in with you a little later on.
Well, today the FAA issued new rules aimed at keeping air traffic controllers awake on the job. The move comes after several controllers were discovered, yes, asleep in the tower. Sandra Endo is following this from Washington.
Sandra, big changes and certainly the head of the agency not happy. Not happy at all.
SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Deb. The changes are all in an effort to crack down on controllers falling asleep on the job. As you mentioned, the FAA and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood are making immediate changes to the schedules for air traffic controllers to combat fatigue.
Now, under these new guidelines announced today, controllers will now have a minimum of nine hours off between shifts instead of eight. They'll no longer be able to swap shifts unless they get those nine hours off in between. Controllers will not be able to work an unscheduled midnight shift following a day off and there will be more FAA managers covering early morning and late night hours.
Now, in a one on one interview Transportation Secretary LaHood told me that he vows to put an end to this problem.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAY LAHOOD, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: This is outrageous. As soon as I heard about these controllers sleeping, I expressed my outrage and talked about the fact that I wanted the controllers suspended, I want an investigation, and I want the public to know we will not allow controllers to sleep on the job. We simply will not. And I'm steamed about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ENDO: Now tomorrow FAA officials and the air traffic controllers union are starting a nationwide tour in Atlanta to talk to controllers about their concerns, but to really hammer home the issue of safety. Deb?
FEYERICK: Well, Sandra, I'm amazed because we see going through any airport these days just the volume of traffic, the number of planes that are in the air at any given moment. What's fascinating is to think that there hasn't been some sort of real - or scheduling that takes all this into consideration, seems like perhaps we're just finding out something that's been a long time coming, really.
ENDO: Well, Deb, according to the FAA, they staff those control towers based on volume. Air traffic volume. That's why you heard of these midnight shifts being very poorly manned. In some cases one air traffic controller in those towers. Of course, when we heard about the incident at Reagan National Airport about that controller falling asleep, that is when those new rules were implemented that there has to be two controllers in towers at all times during the midnight shift.
But, as you mentioned and alluded to, this is not a new problem. Back in 2007, the National Transportation Safety Board issued its own recommendations addressing the issue of air traffic controller fatigue. And they said something had to be done to address the problem. Whether anything was done at that point or not, Secretary LaHood says under his watch, there are going to be changes made and he will not be satisfied until those changes actually result into something good.
FEYERICK: All right. Well Sandra Endo there in Washington for us, thank you so much. Seems to me, though, nine hours, still, you know, if you're traveling one way or another it still really leaves you only about seven hours in which to get some sleep. We'll check in with you a little bit later on. Thanks so much.
ENDO: Sure.
FEYERICK: Well, the budget debate shifts to raising the debt ceiling. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said today that responsible lawmakers on both sides of the aisle realize rejecting an increase, well, it's going to cause major problems.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIMOTHY GEITHNER, TREASURY SECRETARY: I want to make it perfectly clear that Congress will raise the debt ceiling.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you sure about that? GEITHNER: Absolutely. They recognize it. They told the president (INAUDIBLE) at the White House. They sat there with him and they said we recognize we have to do this and we're not going to play around with it. Because we know that the risk will be catastrophic. It's not something you can take too close to the edge.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FEYERICK: Well, crews are searching for a missing miner in northeast Idaho. He's believed trapped about 6,000 feet underground in a mine called Lucky Friday near Mullan. Part of the roof collapsed Friday. A second miner escaped unharmed. Special digging equipment is helping the rescue efforts. The condition right now of the miner, well, it remains unknown.
A Nashville church held a special service today for a missing nursing student. 20-year-old Holly Bobo (ph) disappeared from her Tennessee home last week. Police say her brother last saw her being led into the woods by a man dressed in camouflage. The pastor today said attendance was down mostly because a lot of the parishioners are helping with the search for Bobo (ph).
And this is a long, long overdue military honor for a U.S. Army officer who went missing during World War II. The remains of Second Lieutenant Martin Murray were buried yesterday in Massachusetts. 68 years after his B-24 crew crashed on a Pacific island. The Pentagon positively identified his remains that were found on the island back in 2007.
And Pope Benedict XVI ushered in Holy Week today with a Palm Sunday blessing of the palms and a procession in a jam-packed St. Peter's Square. Later the pontiff presided over an outdoor mass. The Pope who turned 84 yesterday has a full schedule of holy week ceremonies.
And the sandwich generation. People taking care of their kids and their parents. We'll be back in just two minutes to tell you how to save money.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FEYERICK: Well, it's after April 15th. Didn't file your taxes? Don't panic. If your tax returns are not in yet, you have until tomorrow thanks to the timing of a holiday in Washington, D.C.. Yesterday we had some tax tips for the so-called sandwich generation. Those of you taking care of parents and kids at the same time.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERA GIBBONS, FINANCIAL ADVISER: You've got more than 20 million Americans that are in this situation where they're caring for the parents, they're caring for the kids. Some of these people have had to leave jobs to care for their parents. So they're in a tough situation. You do want to take all the breaks, all the deductions you're entitled to.
And of course, a program like (INAUDIBLE) is going to make sure that you're going to take these breaks that you're entitled to. But one of the things you want to do, Deb, is claim your parent as a dependent if you can. If you pass the dependency test. You've got to pass an income test. Your parents income has to be less than the personal exemption rate of $3650. That excludes social security but interests, pensions are included in that calculation and you've got to be able to prove that you or your siblings combined are responsible for at least half of their expenses. So you have to pass a couple of hurdles in order to claim them as dependents.
FEYERICK: What about medical expenses, can you deduct your parents' medical expenses if in fact you are caring for them in that way?
GIBBONS: Yes, that's a good point, Deb. If you are taking them as a dependent, you can take their medical expenses, use that to your advantage, take that deduction, providing you itemize expenses and you also have to - your medical expenses have to exceed your adjusted gross. They have to exceed 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income. That's an important point to make.
FEYERICK: So you've got your parents on one hand. You got the boomerang kids who moved back in on the other. What about them? Can you claim them as dependents? To what extent?
GIBBONS: You know, a lot of these guys do have boomerang kids. Kids that went away, thinking they're going to get a job and they come back right. So over 50 percent of college kids are now back living with their parents. You can take them as a dependent, again, providing you meet certain criteria as set forth by the IRS, support criteria, age requirements as well. You could also take their medical expenses and lump those together with yours and with your parents providing they're under the age of 27. So there's lots of things you can do to minimize the tax bite.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK: Waiting for resurrection. True believers hopeful for the return of their prophet who died in the infamous Waco tragedy. But has another taken his place?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FEYERICK: Well, another guru has taken the place of Branch Davidian prophet David Koresh trying to revive the sect. 18 years ago this week, federal agents near Waco, Texas moved in to end an armed standoff with Koresh and his Branch Davidian religious group. 76 Davidians including Koresh and 24 children died. Two survivors still in Waco recently spoke to our Drew Griffin. Their views on who was responsible for the death of their families may surprise you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLIVE DOYLE, BRANCH DAVIDIAN: You need to read this in its entirety.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT (voice-over): Clive Doyle and Sheila Martin.
DOYLE: Behold the Lord God will come with strong hand, his arm -
GRIFFIN: Disciples of David Koresh. They lived on a 77-acre communal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, two, three, four.
GRIFFIN: Koresh claimed he alone could explain the Book of Revelations mysterious verses.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
DOYLE: As his message developed, we came to see him as more than just a prophet.
GRIFFIN (on camera): A messiah.
DOYLE: Right. A manifestation of god in the flesh.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): Describing himself as a sinful messiah. Koresh had sex with underage girls. And with his various wives, he fathered at least 13 children.
DAVID KORESH, BRANCH DAVIDIAN: We should be having another one here in about a month, huh?
SHEILA MARTIN, BRANCH DAVIDIAN: It wasn't so much this is a man who's doing something that we don't approve of.
KORESH: Our little one, Holly.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was teaching us greater things.
GRIFFIN: In February 1993, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms went to the compound to search for allegedly illegal guns. Each side blames the other for firing first. Four ATF agents were killed. 20 others wounded. Inside, Branch Davidians, dead and injured, including David Koresh.
KORESH: Want to see one of the holes here? Here's one of them.
GRIFFIN: Over the next seven weeks FBI negotiators tried to get Koresh and his people to surrender. Sheila Martin and her three youngest kids came out, leaving behind her husband and four oldest children.
MARTIN: They believed in god for themselves. They used to tell me that no matter what the situation, if I chose to leave they wanted to stay. Clive Doyle also stayed. And his 18-year-old daughter, Sherry. Waiting for instructions from god.
GRIFFIN (on camera): So you listened to David, believing David was receiving his messages from God.
DOYLE: Correct.
GRIFFIN: And David was initially telling you - DOYLE: If you didn't think god was talking to him, you wouldn't have been there.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): By April 19th, 1993, the feds were ready to make arrests for the murder of the ATF agents 51 days earlier. With specially modified tanks and grenade like canisters they launched a tear gas attack to force the Davidians out. Three hours into the operation, there was smoke and fire. 45 minutes later, the building was engulfed. Only nine people would make it out.
DOYLE: I came out basically driven out by the fire.
GRIFFIN: In all, 76 Branch Davidians died that day, including 24 children.
Critics blamed the FBI's tear gas. But an independent special council ultimately found David Koresh ordered the fire set. Sheila Martin's family died from smoke and fire.
(on camera): Do you still cry?
MARTIN: Yes. I think the middle of the night is the worst. When you wake up and you think about things and you see a picture, and see their smile. I can't remember the way they sounded. You can't remember their voices.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): At least 20 deaths were from gunshots. They were suicides and mercy killings. Among them, David Koresh and Sherry Doyle.
DOYLE: I'm not happy that she died. But I'm resigned to the fact that she died.
GRIFFIN (on camera): Remarkably, Clive Doyle and Sheila Martin blame neither the FBI nor David Koresh. To them, the fire, the deaths, their grief, it was all part of a bigger plan by a much bigger power.
DOYLE: God permitted it to work out the way it did. He didn't stop it.
MARTIN: We don't want to feel that something horrible is something good. But that was what we were supposed to have that faith, that if something happens, you trip, you fall, you trust god has a reason for it.
GRIFFIN: I guess, Sheila, is the fact that something horrible did happen and I'm not seeing the good.
MARTIN: The Bible says that all things work together for good. For those that love the lord.
KORESH: Revelation 14.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): They still believe David Koresh will lead the world through the final days.
MARTIN: I feel even stronger as a result of what has happened.
GRIFFIN: Faithfully, patiently, they are waiting for the resurrection. David Koresh. Messiah.
KORESH: What can I say? They call me a rambling man, don't they? Anyway, god bless and we'll sign off.
GRIFFIN: Drew Griffin, CNN, Waco, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK: And Drew is back tonight with his documentary. He goes inside the 51-day standoff. You'll hear the actual recordings between the FBI and David Koresh. "Waco: Faith, Fear & Fire" airs tonight at 8:00 Eastern.
And if you have a mentor, well, you're lucky. But do you know the five questions you should ask? That's coming up. Stay with us on the other side of the break. Two minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FEYERICK: Well, in life and career, the lessons we learn from a mentor can shorten our own learning curve, helping us reach our goals faster. But asking the right questions is crucial. Valerie Burton, author of "Why Not You? 28 days to Build Authentic Confidence" takes us inside the five questions you should ask a mentor in today's "Reclaim your Career" segment.
Advice from mentors or someone who's been there, done that could prove invaluable. So Valerie, there are five questions. The first question which is crucial is, what is the best decision you ever made?
VALERIE BURTON, AUTHOR "WHY NOT YOU? 28 DAYS TO BUILD AUTHENTIC CONFIDENCE": Yes, the best decision. So you know, some people have a mentor. Some people are just around people that they need to learn from. And so you always want to be able to ask those insightful questions. One of them is what's the best decision you've ever made?
And a lot of times when we look at someone who's had some success, we feel like, oh, we can look and see what those best decisions are. But a lot of times those decisions go under the radar. It's a risk that they took or an opportunity that they took advantage of.
FEYERICK: Or it may even be a job that they didn't think that it's going to be worth anything that allowed them to make contacts that led them to the next stage.
BURTON: Exactly.
FEYERICK: OK. So another question, what is the worst decision you've ever made?
BURTON: This is a really good one. We've all made bad decisions. And this is one that you want to learn from because you can avoid the same mistakes. You always want to know, what was it that happened? And what would you do differently if you could go back?
FEYERICK: OK. So, for example, maybe one of the worst decisions was not taking the risk you thought you should have taken.
BURTON: That's right.
FEYERICK: OK. So regret, that's never a good thing. The third question, what is the one thing you wish you had known then?
BURTON: Right. So when you started, what do you wish you would have known? This will shorten your learning curve more than anything else if you can ask them if you were in my shoes, especially if you're starting out or you're early in your career, what would you have done if you had known better? And so you want to be able to shorten your learning curve. It's a great question to ask.
FEYERICK: OK. Fourth question, how do you handle setbacks or disappointments? And this is a big one. Because a lot of people either they get discouraged or they think "boy, I'm never going to make it or this person is out to get me or this person doesn't like my work." So how do you handle setbacks?
BURTON: So the most successful people are the ones who handle failure the best. There's a Japanese proverb I love that says Fall seven times but stand up eight. The people who are most successful are the ones who always are able to get back up. They tend to be very optimistic in the face of failure and setback. So you want to be able to learn, what is it that they're telling themselves when they go through difficult challenges at work?
FEYERICK: All right. And so, for example, if you make a mistake it's only a mistake if you make it again.
BURTON: That's right. Absolutely.
FEYERICK: Now what is the wisest step I can take? That's question number five, the last one.
BURTON: Yes, this is a question where you're asking them to look at your career, look at where you are and give you some advice. And you need to be able to take that constructive feedback. That's one of the best things you can learn to do to advance your career. So when you get feedback that you might not like, you know, say, is there a grain of truth in this? How is it that I can move forward despite the fact I might not have liked hearing that feedback? Because it's usually that feedback that can help you move forward.
FEYERICK: So it's really taking a negative and turning it into a positive.
BURTON: Absolutely.
FEYERICK: All right. Valerie Burton, always a pleasure speaking with you and getting all your insights to how to make things better in the workplace. Thanks so much.
BURTON: Thanks so much, Deborah.
FEYERICK: Well, we move to weather. Heartbreaking scenes in North Carolina. Whole neighborhoods just flattened by one of the worst tornado outbreaks in decades. The latest from the storm zone coming up the other side of the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FEYERICK: Well, the tornado outbreak across the South has ended on a tragic note on the Atlantic coast. At least 23 deaths are reported in North Carolina. The entire state, it's under a state of emergency.
This funnel cloud that you're seeing here swept through Sanford near Raleigh. Homes and businesses were demolished. The system started Thursday in Oklahoma. There are reports of more than 40 deaths in six states.
Over in our weather center, Karen Maginnis -- boy, the number of tornadoes that have touched down is just incredible.
KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is staggering.
Now, the Storm Prediction Center counts them in different ways than they used to. But, overall, we had several hundred tornadoes.
Now, this is a little difficult to see, but we'll bring the camera on in and you can see some of the tracks that these tornadoes made. We had squall lines just rake across North Carolina. Here you see one track that goes from Fayetteville to Greenville. So, this Rocky Mount, actually, this system traveled just like this -- from southwest to northeast.
Look at this, from Sanford through Raleigh, up towards Virginia and then from Durham northward. But these were long track tornadoes across this region. Now, great reporting of the severe weather coming out of WRAL. And they have time lapse pictures coming from downtown Raleigh.
Deborah, this is incredible. This is a time lapse from a tower cam downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. And there you can see it as it makes its way.
You can almost see some little vortices right on the periphery on this. And then, wham. This moves toward the camera. You can see just how dark and menacing this is.
There were fatalities in Lee County, Bertie County and Wake County, lots of damage being reported.
I want to show you the tornado clusters that we've seen over the last several days. These are from not large cities, but certainly populated cities, like Jackson, Mississippi. Just to the west of Jackson. Certainly, different populations right along loss the border between Mississippi and Alabama. And then this cluster where severe storms raked across east central sections of North Carolina.
And coming up in the 5:00 show, Deborah, we'll show you some more pictures of the damage there.
FEYERICK: Well, just to see that tornado just coming, physically coming towards you, has got to be very frightening. Karen Maginnis, thank you so much.
Also, speaking about frightening tsunami, across parts of northeast Japan people wonder if their communities will ever be made whole. The devastation is still so staggering.
And as CNN's Martin Savidge tells us, the heartbreak overwhelming.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Since disaster struck Rikuzentakata, Mayor Futoshi Toba has made hundreds of decisions. But it's the one he made just before the tsunami that bothers him most.
"She was missing. I wanted to go find her," he says. "Maybe I should have gone to find her."
When the wall of water was bearing down on his town, Mayor Toba faced an agonizing choice. Leave his post at city hall and race home to save his wife or stay to do what he could for the city. He stayed.
The tsunami roared ashore and one in 10 people in this town of 23,000 disappeared or died, including his wife.
"I told myself that this is the way it is meant to be," he says. "I've stopped struggling."
Amidst the devastation around them, many tsunami survivors are increasingly struggling with the devastation within them. Health officials report they are seeing the first suicides directly related to the disaster.
"In the four weeks since the quake, the initial acute stress has converted gradually to post-traumatic stress disorder," he says. That's where the need for the psychiatrists comes in.
Dr. Fuminori Chida has been focusing on those who have worked nonstop doing the grim job of recovering the dead. He says one in every two police officers he's met with show symptoms of PTSD.
But this is Japan, a culture known for its stoicism. Psychiatric medicine is not accepted outside of major cities. The idea of confessing your feelings to a stranger is almost unthinkable.
(on camera): Signs like this are common in evacuation centers for all the people to see. The main word in it is "Ganbarao." It's very Japanese for hang tough. Be strong.
(voice-over): That talk may sound good, but experts say it really doesn't help. Instead of holding feelings in, they say it would be better for survivors to let them out.
"This is the kind of thing we should be publicizing more," he says. "You're not alone. You're not the only person suffering so much fear and agony. And you can recover."
Meanwhile, back in Rikuzentakata, the stress continues to grow on Mayor Futoshi Toba. He has another difficult decision to make. When to tell his children their mother's body has been found.
Martin Savidge, CNN, Rikuzentakata, Japan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK: And Martin Savidge joins us now from Tokyo.
Martin, you've been there since the day after the quake. You have seen so much. Tell us about everything.
SAVIDGE: Well, I have to say, Deb, that this is the absolute worst actual disaster that I've ever personally had to cover -- the extent of the damage, how far it goes, the massive amount of trauma that was done both to people and to objects.
Every time you enter into a new community -- and there are so many that have been impacted along that coastline -- you are just once again staggered by the amount of destruction. It begins with very obvious things. A debris field that picks up and picks up and goes from, "Oh, my goodness" to "Oh, my God," in the description process of your head. And it just never ceases to shock me of the kind of stuff you see -- whether it's massive boats that are a mile or two away from shore, whether it's automobiles that have been picked up and put on top of five-story buildings, whether you try to even wrap your mind around the fact that you had a wall of water that in some cases was over 115 feet high. And then, on top of that, of course, is a death toll that continues to rise.
So, I think all of that really just weighs on your mind as you go into all these different communities. And even a month later, they have made tremendous progress -- and I'm not putting anybody down by saying this -- but even a month later you go into some of these areas, and you almost feel as if you're arriving the day after. There is just so much yet to be done.
FEYERICK: The people that you've met, which ones have struck you the most? And I'm sure all of them did, but who stays with you?
SAVIDGE: Well, you know, of course, the mayor in that piece we've just seen, he sticks with you, because of the choice he had to make and how quickly he had to make that choice. I mean, many people across the tsunami area had to make decisions in a matter of minutes and in some cases, in a matter of seconds. It could be what street they turned on. It could be in which direction they happened to be heading when the wave came ashore. Or it could be who do they go and grab and who will be beyond their reach.
I mean, all of these decisions made by tens of thousands of people in the throes of absolute disaster. And yet those instantaneous decisions, they're going to have to live with them for the rest of their lives. So, I think those are the kinds of stories that you remember. You can tell the people you're talking to are hurting. The thing about the Japanese is, of course, they're very conservative people. They don't wear their hearts on their sleeve. They don't tend to show a great deal of emotion.
And yet, you can look in some of these eyes here and you can see that they are falling apart on the inside. And I think those are the faces and those are the words that you're going to hear, that I've heard, that will hang with me for a long, long time to come.
FEYERICK: You know, when I think of the image of the emperor kneeling and speaking to some of the people who are in those shelters, clearly, we wonder when their lives will resume as normal, if that's even a possibility for this generation.
SAVIDGE: And that's a very poignant part you bring up there, the image of the emperor. The emperor who, you know, I believe appeared on television for the first time, speaking to the general public after this disaster, and that unto itself, just that image of that stately sort of grandfatherly-looking man speaking on television, probably reinforced the people of this country that this must truly be a horrible disaster if he's up here speaking to me now on television.
So, that was one of the many, many indicators that the Japanese people have had, whether they were directly impacted or not.
FEYERICK: And Marty spent five weeks in Japan from the day after the tsunami hit. He told me that the country -- they still do need financial donations but most of all, they need volunteers, people with expertise. To find out more, go to CNN.com/impact.
And now on a little bit more of a lighter note, what works for men may not work for -- well, us lady. Why your workout should be tailored to your gender. That's coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FEYERICK: Serious sports injuries are not confined to men who play hard core contact games. Women get them, too.
Listen to what Dr. Bill Lloyd told me about gender and personal fitness.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. BILL LLOYD, HEALTHY LIVING EXPERT: Women suffer far more ACL injuries. Their ligament is more lax than men. We think estrogen has a lot to do with it. But they don't get it from contact sports. They get it from doing things like cheerleading or jogging or yoga. So, women who exercise have to spend a few extra minutes stretching to protect those valuable ligaments.
FEYERICK: OK. And for men and women, for example, as I mentioned, dieting -- is it enough if you're looking just to shed a few pounds or is exercise crucial?
LLOYD: You always have to blend exercise with diet if you want to lose weight over the long run. Now, when a guy wants to lose 10 pounds, he just switches to light beer. But if a woman wants to lose 10 pounds, she's got to combine diet, exercise.
If you go with diet only, you will not enjoy a total fitness workout. Exercise will burn fat, but dieting won't burn fat. Also, you're metabolism changes when you're on a diet, and for many women, the appetite actually gets worse when they're trying to diet. So, they're not going to burn the fat, they're not going to lose the weight, they're not going to enjoy the long-term benefits of whatever weight loss that they accomplish.
And again, dieting alters nutrition. If they're not careful about what they eat while they're trying to lose weight they could end up behind.
FEYERICK: And so, does metabolism actually slow the less you eat? Is that what you're suggesting?
LLOYD: Well, I would say it's important that you combine the exercise with a diet. You have a balanced nutrition while dieting, reducing the total number of calories, but ensuring that you include the proper balance of carbohydrates, fats, right, and protein and combining it with 30 to 60 minutes of daily exercise to get the best results, the greatest long-term weight gain and improved overall fitness.
FEYERICK: And there's new information that exercise can actually lower a women's risk of developing cancer. And men, what about them?
LLOYD: We know it's true for women because there's a large study that went for 16 year. They followed women and the amount of exercise they did for 16 year. And they found out that women who exercise at least five hours a week had a tremendous drop in their risk for serious breast cancer.
Now, you say, where's the studies for men? Well, they don't exist. But I have to tell you, if you exercise regularly, you're going to enjoy improved digestion and better balance of your body's hormones. Both of these factors we know are linked to cancer formation.
So, by everyone staying fit, men and women, you can reduce your overall risk for cancer
FEYERICK: And so, do you have to go outdoors or workout in a gym? Or do these interactive video games like PlayStation and Wii, do those count? Are those as good?
LLOYD: They are just as good. I got two words for you, Deb: step and hula. The step and hula games are in the medical literature. You will burn as much calories as fast as walking 3.5 miles an hour outdoor, except there's no wear and tear, you can do it 24/7 and have a lot of fun with your friends.
So, get into those interactive video games. And think about step and hula.
(END VIDEOTAPE) FEYERICK: All right. No way around it. Exercise is it.
Well, when he's not giving his all on stage, R&B singer Usher is giving back to the community, through his New Look Foundation. He explains how in this "Impact Your World."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
USHER, NEW LOOK FOUNDATION: Hey, this is Usher. And we can make an impact on our young people.
The New Look Foundation was founded in 1999. I started it because I wanted to do something I felt would impact youth. We mostly focus on mentoring youth, showing them a new look on life through real world experience. There's a focus on leadership as well as service.
My hopes are I'm introducing tomorrow's service-minded youth leader. Our children are the future. This is our opportunity to make it better by motivating them now.
Join the movement. "Impact Your World," CNN.com/Impact.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK: And CNN's "Impact Your World" is challenging you to pledge at least 11 volunteer hours in 2011. Go on CNN.com/Impact or text "Impact," space, and the number 11 to 22360 to make your pledge today.
It's just 11 volunteer hours. When you complete your hours go back to the Web page to submit your photos or your video. Little bit of proof.
Your volunteer story could be featured by "Impact Your World."
And some air traffic controllers falling asleep on the job. Hear the new plan to put a stop to it. Will it work? Coming up.
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FEYERICK: Well, it's that time. "CNN Equals Politics." We've got the update. We're keeping an eye on all the latest headlines on the CNNPolitics.com desk.
Here's what's crossing the wires right now:
Well, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner says Congress will raise the debt ceiling. He says both Democratic and Republican leaders told President Obama their plans last week after recognizing there's no alternative to increasing the amount of money that the federal government can borrow.
House Speaker John Boehner and other members of Congress made a surprise visit to Iraq this weekend. They met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and discussed strategic and political cooperation between Iraq and the U.S. And Sarah Palin is taking members of her own party to task for not making deeper spending cuts. At a Tea Party rally in Wisconsin this weekend, Palin challenged Republican leaders to, quote, "fight like a girl," unquote. She made the comment while pointing to members of a women's college hockey team who were in the crowd.
And for the latest political news, you know where to go, CNNpolitics.com for the very latest.
Well, the debt ceiling, in plain English, and a plan to keep air traffic controllers from sleeping on the job. Take a look. It's a quick round up of what newsmakers and lawmakers said when they hit the talk show circuit this weekend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, ABC NEWS: The debt ceiling is going to be the next big battle. It is the next big battle. Can you really spell out in plain English for our viewers what is the impact if it's not raised for the United States and for the average American?
TIMOTHY GEITHNER, TREASURY SECRETARY: Well, I want to make it perfectly clear that Congress will raise the debt ceiling.
AMANPOUR: You're sure about that?
GEITHNER: Absolutely. They recognize it. And they told the president that on Wednesday in the White House. I sat there with them. And they said, "We recognize we have to do this and we're not going to play around with it because we know -- we know that the risk would be catastrophic."
CANDY CROWLEY, HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": Are you willing to send the president a clean bill?
SEN. RAND PAUL (R), KENTUCKY: I don't want default. But I also don't want to just keep giving an irresponsible government more money. You know, if we give them $1 trillion increase in the debt limit, it will be gone by November. It's out of control, and someone needs to stand up and say, "The emperor has no clothes. We have no money."
REP. PAUL RYAN (R), WISCONSIN: The problem is Medicare goes bankrupt in nine years. And unless we do something that save it, it won't be there for future generations like my generation. And the ideas we're talking about for reforming Medicare is a system that works just like the one that I have as a member of Congress, that federal employees have. It looks like the prescription drug benefit works now for seniors, which is proven to lower cost and expand choices.
REP. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D), MARYLAND: The whole reason we created Medicare to begin with was because the private health insurance market could not provide seniors with affordable health care. And that's why the Congressional Budget Office, an independent entity, said that if scrap that plan and you throw seniors into the private insurance market to eat the escalating cost, they will pay $6,000 more in the year 2022 than they would under the current Medicare system. CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS: Let's look at the disturbing record of what's been going on recently with air traffic controllers. What's the problem and has this been going on for a long time? Or are we just hearing about it?
RAY LAHOOD, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: We cannot allow controllers to fall asleep in control tower. We're not going to stand by and let that happen. And we've taken steps, as of this morning, to begin changing schedules for controllers, to change schedules for managers, and to make sure that controllers cannot switch in and out of their schedules in order for the convenience of them if they're not well- rested.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
FEYERICK: Well, we've all heard about basketball great LeBron James. Well, his mom now is accused of slapping a Miami parking valet. She's suing -- he's suing her, excuse me, the parking valet, that is. He's suing her for $15,000 in damages. But wait until you hear how he says it's affected his life.
Our legal guys, they're going to weigh in. You're going to want to stick around for this one.
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FEYERICK: Well, a slap and then a lawsuit. Right in the middle of it, LeBron James' mom. This one got our legal guys talking.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: You couldn't hire screen writers to come up with this one, Deb. I mean, the guy's name is Rockefeller. Not Rockefeller. Rockfeller Sorel.
And Rockfeller became a slapped feller. And he claims that the slap was so traumatic that he has lost the quality of life and the future value of life, hedonic damages. It's a jackpot justice case because it's LeBron James's mother.
By the way, if they wouldn't have left Cleveland, they wouldn't have got in this trouble. But in any event, the case is going to be settled. She's going to be convicted of some minor misdemeanors. Case is going to go away.
FEYERICK: Richard, for Rockfeller to prove that actually he suffered this kind of humiliation, that he's unable to work -- you know, the other side of the story, she slapped him. The mom slapped him after he came after her. She also had words with police. There is some video.
Could she argue that maybe he was just getting too rough with her?
RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: No. He wasn't getting rough with her. She was plastered, Deb. And she was a little upset at 5:00 in the morning that he was late with her car. Who knows how late he was.
But, listen. There's one thing for liability. There's another thing for damages. If he wants to prove all this emotional distress, he's going to have to go to a shrink three times a week for over a year, two years. He's never going to do that. He's going to be unable to prove damages.
And do you think Rocky would really be suing her if she wasn't LeBron's mommy? I don't think so.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK: Always an interesting angle. And you can catch our legal segment right here on noon Eastern every Sunday.
Well, Rod Blagojevich retrial start this is week. The ex-Illinois governor wants to use some testimony from President Obama. Can he? Our legal guys will be back in the next hour. They're going to answer that question.
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