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President versus High Gas Prices; Senator Ensign to Resign Mar 3rd; Megan McCain Offers to Help Donald Trump; Obama Vs. High Gas Prices; U.S. Drones Target Gadhafi Forces; A Royal Dilemma: What to Wear; A Farm Grows in Brooklyn

Aired April 22, 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: Good morning, everyone. It's 9:00 on the East Coast, 6:00 a.m. out West. I'm Carol Costello in for Kyra Phillips.

We are watching Libya this morning and a hero's welcome for Senator John McCain. He's been in Benghazi showing his support for the rebels.

That pipe bomb found at a Littleton, Colorado mall on the anniversary of the Columbine shootings, how it got there, still a mystery. Its connection to the 1999 shooting rampage is not known. But we do know a Columbine widow was inside the mall when the explosion could have happened.

And Pabst calls it a blast. Actually, he calls it Blast. But attorneys general in 17 states call it a binge in a can. They are trying to cut off this powerful new Snoop Dogg approved drink.

Gas prices are rising. I don't need to tell you that. But are Americans being taken -- are American being taken for a ride? President Obama apparently thinks so. He's ordering an investigation of oil traders and whether fraud and price gouging are pushing up the costs of nearly everything we buy.

Here is a reality check that will make you cringe. Today, the average price of unleaded is $3.85. That's nearly $1 a gallon more than what we were paying just a year ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The attorney general is putting together a team whose job it is to root out any cases of fraud or manipulation in the oil markets that might affect gas prices. And that includes the role of traders and speculators. We are going to make sure that nobody is taking advantage of American consumers. For their own short-term gain.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: You heard the crowd going wild.

CNN's Stephanie Elam is in New York with a closer look. And Stephanie, many Americans are wondering, how much can the president or his Justice Department -- how much can they really affect prices at the pump?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, the truth of the matter is, Carol, is that this is something many administrations have talked about and wanted to find out if speculation is really an issue here.

It's really going to be hard to figure that out. First of all. Second of all, there's a lot of other things to factor into this. After all we know that there's all the unrest in the Middle East. We know that that is playing a part into it.

At the same time, while these prices are going up, they're getting to a point now where world oil consumption is actually decreasing so much so that Saudi Arabia has actually cut their production down for -- because of this weaker demand.

OPEC also downgraded its annual forecast for global oil consumption growth as well. So there's a weird situation here where it's gone to -- the price has gotten so high that people are saying, you know what, this may be too much. But at the same time, oil prices are continuing because they're still looking at the unrest there.

So high demand, low production. It's not going to get any easier. And if you try to go in and try to figure out who's speculating, who's doing all of these little transactions and deals, it would -- it'd be nearly impossible. No one has really been able to do it before -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Well, we're going to explore this issue a little later more in-depth.

Stephanie Elam, thank you so much.

Gas prices and a rising rate of inflation are contributing to a gloomy outlook on the economy. According to the latest "New York Times" CBS News poll, 7 in 10 Americans believe things are on the wrong track. That is the lowest measure of the nation's mood in two years. One in 4 Americans believe the economy is headed in the right direction. That's it.

As I said, join us 10 minutes from now when we get the perspective of a former prosecutor.

CNN's Eliot Spitzer built a national reputation fighting corruption. And the New York media even dubbed him the sheriff of Wall Street. If you're wondering who these oil sheriffs are and how they make money at the expense of consumers, Eliot will be here to fill you in.

It is Friday, the Muslim day of prayer. And that means a big turnout for anti-government protest in the Arab world. So -- but let's begin in Libya. They're saying thank you, America, because Senator John McCain is in Libya and he was greeted with chants of "thank you, America" as he arrives in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.

The Arizona Republican is calling for increased military strikes to help the rebels oust Moammar Gadhafi.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: A lot of help, they need more air support. The United States has unique capabilities. We should be restoring that. They want to be recognized as the French and Italians have recognized them.

And I just came from the hospital where I saw a number of people who were badly wounded and dying. And that puts -- frankly that puts a face on it that argues that maybe we should be doing everything we can to help these people and maybe we are not and they are dying.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: There are huge anti-government protests building elsewhere as well. Next stop, Yemen. Massive crowds are pouring through the streets of the capital and hundreds of troops are on hand to protect them. They are loyal to a general who has broken ranks with the embattled president.

The U.S. is closely watching the uprising. The president is considered a U.S. ally and is credited with targeting terrorists in the country.

Thousands of protesters are reported in cities across Syria and once again social media is playing a role. A movement on Facebook calling the turnout great Friday. After weeks of daily protest, the government announced that it is lifting that emergency law that's been in place for 48 years.

Human rights groups are urging the government to refrain from cracking down on peaceful turnouts.

Back here in the United States, he said there are consequences for sin and today on Good Friday, we're learning Senator John Ensign will make May 3rd his last day on the Hill. The Nevada Republican has long been under an ethics investigation. He's admitted to an affair with a campaign aide who was married to his former chief of staff, and then there was allegedly a payoff involved to shut everybody up.

And that's not all. There are also allegations of fishy lobbying work. Ensign had already said he would not run for another term. But now he's decided he will not complete his current one.

So, Brianna Keilar is live in Washington to tell us why now.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, he says that it's to avoid -- he essentially comes out and says in a statement that was put out yesterday, is to avoid the spectacle, Carol, of an ethics investigation.

Just look at part of what he said. He said, "While I stand behind my firm belief that I have not violated any law, rule or standard of conduct of the Senate, and I have fought to prove this publicly, I will not continue to subject my family, my constituents or the Senate to any further rounds of investigations, depositions, drawn out proceedings or especially public hearings. For my family and me, this continued personal cost is simply too great."

And as you mentioned, Carol, he was being looked at by the Senate Ethics Committee for a number of things related to this affair. $96,000 that his parents paid to the family of his former chief of staff, Doug Hampton. They were looking to see if that would qualify as an illegal campaign contribution.

Ensign was also being looked at to see if he had helped Hampton inappropriately set up his lobbying business and if he'd actually met with him. A meeting where Hampton could have lobbied him at a time where it's actually illegal, you know, because when a member of the staff leaves Capitol Hill, there is a certain kind of blackout time if you will where they cannot come back and lobby.

So this investigation and certainly the proceedings, had they played out, would have been very high profile, would have been very embarrassing. And Ensign basically says that in his statement -- Carol.

COSTELLO: So the Justice Department, it did not find any criminal wrongdoing. The ethics investigation, will it continue to take place or does he just go home to Nevada and he can forget the whole thing?

KEILAR: You know this may be a way that he can avoid this. And that's certainly something that when you talk to people on Capitol Hill, they say that it seems like this would be a way that you can avoid it.

I mean only Ensign himself can tell us that. And the Ethics Committee, of course, is pretty mum. But yes, this is one way to avoid it. And on that issue of the Justice Department investigation, we don't actually know from the Justice department what happened there. They don't comment on these kinds of matters. But we did hear recently from Ensign's lawyers that they had decided not to pursue criminal charges.

COSTELLO: Brianna Keilar reporting live from Washington, thank you.

Now to a cross-generational hub that's meant to be totally helpful. Megan McCain, John McCain's feisty daughter, is offering to save Donald Trump from himself.

Our deputy political director Paul Steinhauser is here to tell us more about this.

Hi, Paul. PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes. Megan McCain, the very outspoken daughter of John McCain. Remember he was the last Republican presidential nominee. In a column in "The Daily Beast," she offers her services as a Republican strategist, I guess, to Donald Trump, who of course is considering a bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

You know how he responded? I love it. And he said he wanted some advice from her on some of the early states like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. She said she could definitely help him if he decides to run. So stay tuned on that one, Carol.

But take a look at this. A brand new poll out from Gallup, another one of those Republican horse race polls and look at where Donald Trump is again. Right there tied at the top. And this is interesting. You can see him tied with former Arkansas governor, Mike Huckabee.

Carol, remember, just a week and a half ago, that our own poll, CNN Opinion Research Corporation, showed the same thing.

But I will say about -- one thing about these national horse race polls this early there. It's a lot of it is name recognition and I think we can all be honest, a lot of people know who Donald Trump is -- Carol.

COSTELLO: And not a lot of people know who Tim Pawlenty is.

STEINHAUSER: Exactly.

COSTELLO: So -- exactly.

I want to get into this protest. There are protesters that interrupted the president with song. And so I'd like our viewers to listen to a bit of that and then we'll chat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, we actually wrote you a song. Can we sing it?

OBAMA: Well, let me --

CROWD: Dear Mr. President, we honor you today, sir. (INAUDIBLE) $5,000.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: OK. The singing protesters were let out. They are protesting Private 1st Class Bradley Manning and, you know, there were allegations that the government was actually torturing him.

So on the way out, these protesters, Paul, said, gosh, I hope you don't torture us to the authorities who led them out.

(LAUGHTER) STEINHAUSER: And you know it's interesting, Carol. This was in San Francisco yesterday morning at a fundraiser he had out there. And they paid. They paid their money to attend the fundraiser, donated to the president's reelection campaign.

Asked about it later in the day, Jay Carney, the White House spokesman, said that the president thought it was quite amusing and, quote, "that you don't get that every day."

I think that's pretty fair. You don't get that every day.

COSTELLO: It went on for such a long time.

STEINHAUSER: Yes.

COSTELLO: I'm surprised.

STEINHAUSER: They can carry a tune.

COSTELLO: Yes, they can.

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.

Gas prices soar and the president launches an investigation into the murky world of oil speculators. We'll talk to a former prosecutor who rooted out corporation on Wall Street.

Also ahead a daughter and her army dad together again.

It'll make you cry. The surprise reunion next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Whether you pay at the pump or at the grocery check- out line, all of us are feeling the pinch of skyrocketing gas prices. The question is, are we being scammed by greedy speculators manipulating the market?

President Obama is launching an investigation. And we have questions of our own. Actually, they're from Otis, who drives a car for a living. He jotted the questions down for me yesterday because, you know, every price hike at the pump chips away at his livelihood.

CNN's Eliot Spitzer is here to answer Otis' questions.

And, Eliot, you were known as the sheriff of Wall Street for fighting corrupt trading practices so if anyone knows the answers, you do.

OK. Here's the first question from Otis. Who are these speculators?

ELIOT SPITZER, HOST, CNN'S "IN THE ARENA": Well, look, here's the good news. Here's the bad news, Carol.

The good news is: yes, we're going to investigate this stuff and I'm glad the president is doing this. The bad news: it's not going to matter a bit. This is not -- this price rise in the oil markets right now is not being driven by illegality here. It's being driven by one enormous illegal cartel. It's called OPEC.

OPEC has been around for decades. We've never done anything to break the power of OPEC, because we don't have an energy policy here. And as a consequence, OPEC can manipulate prices. When there's tumult in the Middle East and when there is demand from China, and when we don't have an energy policy, prices go up.

Yes, there's speculation. It is illegal. But that is not what is driving this price hike right now. We got to get our act together.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: So, you're saying that oil speculators -- oil speculators on Wall Street have nothing to do with the price of gas because demand is down.

SPITZER: Sure, they do.

COSTELLO: Production of oil is down or Saudi Arabia cut its production, right?

SPITZER: What they do -- oil -- Saudi Arabia cut its production because they said the market was in equilibrium. They said, if anything, there was oversupply. But speculators -- being a speculator is not illegal. There are people who bid on what they think the future price of oil is going to be.

Unless there is collusion, unless there is some illegal way that they are trading, then they are just playing the casino that we call the stock market, and the options market and the futures market and commodities. That is not illegal. And they are merely betting on the psychology of the oil markets.

Remember, people bet in the options market for commodities based on what they think the future price will be, because of what's going on in the Middle East, because the Chinese are driving enormous demand, because OPEC can always control the supply, they are making all these bets about what they think the future will be and they're driving the price up.

We need an energy policy here in this nation. Yes, I'm sure there's some illegality out there in the market. Some people are gaming the system. They should be sent to jail. But that's not why oil is going up right now.

COSTELLO: OK. So, why do you think Americans believe that? Because when you talk to typical Americans out there, they always say it's the oil speculators. The president specifically brought that up in his speech. And then the Justice Department comes through with this task force.

Then why is it all of that happening?

SPITZER: Well, two observations. First, all these prosecutors should have been doing this already. They don't need to create a task force. If there is illegality in these markets, where was the SEC, where was the CFTC, where was the attorney general? The attorney general hasn't made a significant case after years of the biggest economic cataclysm in history.

So, this is a cheap press release. Let's be honest about it. This is not something that's going to address the issue. We have not had an energy policy.

We all remember -- you are too young. But I remember Jimmy Carter's speech 30-plus years ago, he's there sitting with cardigan sweater saying we need an energy policy. We still haven't done anything.

And so, let's not go to the cheap political answer, put a press release, create a task force -- that's not going to do it. This is politics. Look, I was in politics. I know when there's a real answer.

I was a prosecutor. Yes, you want to make these cases. We should have made the cases on Wall Street years ago, that could have saved us from the economic cataclysm.

The oil markets right now were driven by OPEC. They are being driven by Chinese demand. They are being driven by macroeconomic factors and we are paying the price for political failure here not to get an energy policy. That's what's going on.

COSTELLO: I don't think you made people feel much better, but at least you were truthful.

SPITZER: I didn't make people -- you know what, Carol? I'm not going to try to, you know, put a sugar-coating on this one. This is a political press release. It's not going to address the problem, that we still don't have an energy policy.

COSTELLO: All right. What's your show going to be about tonight?

SPITZER: Boy, we are going to be continuing to look at what's going on in Libya. John McCain is over there. Are we ramping up? Can we ramp up in a way that's going to save the civilians in Misrata? Are we going to finally help the folks, the leadership of the opposition in Benghazi push Gadhafi back and bring freedom to Libya?

And, of course, Donald Trump, what's he worth? You know, we had this big expose last night where we used his own words in a deposition to show that over and over and over, there is a big gap between what he says and what the facts show is the reality. COSTELLO: All right. We'll tune in at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. Eliot Spitzer, thanks for joining us this morning.

SPITZER: Thanks, Carol.

COSTELLO: Checking stories cross-country now:

A deadly pipeline blast last year is pumping in you safety measures from a California utility company. PG&E is sending out safety and informational letters to millions of homeowners and businesses that are located within 2,000 feet of its natural gas pipelines. This September -- the September pipeline blast killed eight people and destroyed 38 homes.

DUI offenders in one California county could soon have their cases dismissed. The Ventura County district attorney's office says faulty breathalyzers were used in convictions. The county is returning all 125 of the devices to the manufacturer.

And an Easter surprise for a Florida high school student. Army Specialist Robert Pierce (ph) showed up at his daughter Rachel's school armed with a stuffed Easter bunny. That's so nice. Pierce is home on leave from Afghanistan. And safe to say his daughter was really happy to see him.

The United States has a new weapon for rebels in Libya -- new to them anyway -- unmanned predator drones. They've been used in Afghanistan and in Pakistan. We'll find out if they could give Libyan rebels an edge over Gadhafi forces.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The State Department might send up to $25 million in aid to Libyan rebels fighting Moammar Gadhafi's forces. The rebels already have a new American ally working for them. They would be predator drones.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates believes the unmanned planes have already flown their first missions over Libya.

Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr joins us now.

So, Barbara, the United States is using drones in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Do they have enough to use in Libya and why now?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, it's because, basically, Carol, by any stretch, this conflict in Libya is really stalemated, according to military officials. They hope this Predator will be a new tool to go against Gadhafi's military target, troops in the field, the weapons, bunkers, any of his military formations, radar.

There's a lot of advantages to these unmanned drones, no pilot to get shot down, a lot of precision, a lot of ability to get into a heavily contested area. Just yesterday, the Pentagon explained a bit more of the reasoning behind all of this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. JAMES CARTWRIGHT, VICE CHMN., JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: What they will bring that is unique to the conflict is their ability to get down lower, therefore, to be able to get better visibility on particularly targets that have started to dig themselves into defensive positions. They are uniquely suited for areas -- urban areas, where you can you get low collateral damage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: And that, Carol, is one of the key priorities for the NATO mission right now in Libya. We are told, as always, avoid civilian casualties. They want to go after the military targets but not inadvertently, of course, kill civilians. A lot of people, however, are making their views known that they think this is an escalation of the U.S. military involvement.

COSTELLO: I was just going to ask you that, Barbara, because a lot of people have that on their mind. The U.S. -- the United States has military advisers on the ground, right, advising the rebels in Libya. The United States is sending them uniforms and other equipments. Now, the United States is allowing its drones to be used.

So, what is next?

STARR: Yes. You know, let me -- let me just go back a minute. Actually, just to clarify, it's not U.S. military advisers but it is personnel from the U.S. intelligence community, from the CIA, now acknowledged to be on the ground in Libya, if not assisting the rebels, at least trying to get a better lay of the land as to who the rebels are. Plus, the $25 million in equipment, plus the Predators now.

So, what is next? Well, Carol, very interesting. NATO has made it known -- it is warning Libyan civilians in the next few days to stay away from any military areas. NATO is making it very clear now it plans to step up the action against Gadhafi's military capabilities.

Stay tuned. It could get very interesting in the coming hours in and around Tripoli.

COSTELLO: I'm sure you will keep us posted. Barbara Starr live from Washington today. Thank you so much.

STARR: Sure.

COSTELLO: It's been a pretty scary few weeks for the parents of two American journalists detained in Libya. Clare Gillis and James Foley were taken into custody on April 5th, along with a Spanish photographer. Forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi promptly dumped them in a detention center in Tripoli. And since then, no concrete news on their fate until Clare Gillis was allowed to call home this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANE GILLIS, DAUGHTER DETAINED IN LIBYA: I was so happy to hear her voice. And she said that she was well. Her major concern was that she had caused us worry. And that is what she's been worried about for the past two weeks. We were ecstatic but realize this is a first step towards getting her and James released.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Talk about James, James Foley's parents say they are staying close to the phones, hoping they will get a call from Tripoli as well.

I'm going to show you a picture right now. But, first, I want to warn you, it's disturbing.

OK. Take a look. Children reenacting the 9/11 attack. This picture is part of a series that relives some of the worst tragedies in recent times. I'm telling you, the pictures get worse.

Coming up, we'll tell you who shot these pictures and why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's not just gas prices rising each day. Our food costs are going up, too. In fact, McDonald's is announcing it's going to have to raise prices more than it originally thought. Stephanie Elam has more on that.

They just hired 50,000 people. You'd think things are going well for them and prices would remain low, but no!

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, let's be clear. They are still making money. But hey are saying their quarterly margins are being hurt because of the fact that things, these commodities - so that basically means wheat, cheese, meat, all of those things are starting to cost them more. And because of that, it is more than they expected. It is kind of putting a little bit of a pressure on their numbers.

But you can see this here. They say the average price is going to increase 4 percent to 4.5 percent in the United States and Europe. They previously said it was going to be between 2 percent and 2.5 percent in January. So, they're saying this is already increasing, and they see inflation this year being worse than expected.

So, when you take a look at these numbers, you can see the largest restaurant chain in the world is saying that this is a problem, it is going to be hurting other restaurants as well.

And just take a look at commodity prices. We have a chart here to show you of just how rough things have been over the last six months. If you look at that, you can see it has pretty much been straight up. Everyone is dealing with this. Everything that they are using to make your Big Mac is getting more expensive.

And the question is, how long will it be before they pass that price on to you and your McDonald's fries when you need a little fix, go up a couple cents or so.

COSTELLO: Not long, I bet.

ELAM: Yes, probably not.

COSTELLO: Stephanie Elam, thank you.

COSTELLO: Time to check some of our top stories this hour. An enthusiastic welcome for senator John McCain as he arrives in rebel- held Benghazi, Libya. The senator has been pushing for more military strikes to oust Moammar Gadhafi from power.

The body of a missing North Carolina teenager has been found in a river in Maryland. Phylicia Barnes was last seen in Baltimore back in December. Police say there were no obvious wounds or injuries to her body.

And cooler temperatures and even a little rain helping crews battle wildfires across Texas. More than one million acres have burned so far. Two firefighters have lost their lives.

Checking sports right now. Every night, we are getting an overtime thriller in the NHL playoffs. Here's another from the madhouse that is Montreal's Belle Center. The Canadians hosting the Boston Bruins. Montreal kept going ahead in this game, but Boston kept on coming back to tie. The Bruins only led one time when it counted. Look at that! A three-on-one break. Mitch Peverly misses the net. But Michael Ryder does not. The Bruins win twice on Montreal ice. The series is tied at two.

Lebron James says it was a play that started a run for the Heat. You will see the highlight of the night.

And a shallow fly to right that turns into a home run. Really? More sports in 20 minutes.

Also coming up, an urban farm smack in the middle of Brooklyn lures foodies and the green crowd. We will pop by to check it on this Earth Day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's a story that challenges the innocence of children pretending to be adults. A photographer creates a photo series of kids reliving some of the greatest tragedies of our generation. Want you to take a look at a few of them. A warning for you: some of the pictures that might disturb you.

They were shot by a noted Canadian photographer, Jonathan Hoban. He calls the series, "In The Playroom." Here is one with a set of twins reliving the 9/11 tragedy. You see a child holding the second plane hitting the Twin Towers and you can see tiny people jumping from the Twin Towers.

Here is another one, reenacting Hurricane Katrina slamming into the Gulf Coast. One child is wearing a life preserver with FEMA written on it. And there are more.

Let's find out more about the photographer and why he did this from CNN's Zain Verjee in London. So, what do we know about this artist?

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, he is pretty controversial right now with this photographic series. His name is Jonathan Hoban, as you said. He works and lives between Ottawa and Toronto.

I just want to show you some more of his pictures here, Carol. Take a look at this one. Anyone who was following what was happening in Iraq during Abu Gharib is going to recognize this photograph. But it is disturbing because you have kids reenacting this. You see a kid on the box covered in black with a black bag over his head. Then, you've got the young girl posing and having a laugh at that situation. A little boy on the right there you see screaming. And then there's all this Halloween stuff, Carol, down there at the bottom. You see a pumpkin and ghosts stuck up like that.

Let me show you another of his pictures. This is a reenactment of the Natalee Holloway story that the media had covered. You can see, there us a girl there, Carol, in the middle. She is dressed as a cheerleader and she's like, standing in a grave with three guys -- the three kids that represent the three guys that were sort of at the center of this, Joran van der Sloot and his two buddies.

A lot of people, Carol, so outraged by this. But it is making a point.

COSTELLO: What point? I was just going to ask you. What's the photographer trying to say?

VERJEE: What he is saying is that these are iconic moments of our contemporary history. These are so iconic that he wanted to capture it with kids in order to capture a reality that they face and make people think.

Here is what he said in his statement. "I hope to prompt viewers to think about the first time they heard about or saw the aftermath of current events and to imagine how a child with limited context and to imagine how a child with limited context and experience might perceive the same event."

So, you know, images in the media are bombarded all the time. Kids are in the room, they're watching on TV and seeing stuff on social media. So, he is trying to say, hey, wait a minute, what kind of impact does this have as kids have to integrate this in their lives today and process it?

COSTELLO: Oh, but like you say, causing a lot of outrage despite his artistic explanation. Zain Verjee, many thanks.

You may have noticed we blurred the faces of those children in those pictures. That's because CNN has not gotten written permission to use the pictures from the kids' parents. However, coming up at 11:00 a.m. Eastern, one of the parents and the photographer will join us live. The mother's child is in the picture of the reenactment of the Natalee Holloway case. Amanda Etherington will tell you why she allowed her child to appear in this disturbing photo series. And the photographer, Jonathan Hobin, will tell us who are about why he did it. That is coming your way live at 11:00 Eastern, 8:00 a.m. Pacific time.

All right. There is more severe weather out there. It is Easter. We can't deal with that right now, Jacqui.

JERAS: I know. It is not what you want to hear.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Oh, you're not kidding! Wow! I know people here in Georgia are freaked out over all the rain. Because this is unusual for this time of year. And then you look close by in Texas, no rain at all.

JERAS: I know. A lot of nothing there.

COSTELLO: Jacqui, thank you.

JERAS: Sure.

COSTELLO: Abandon ship, save your life. That's exactly what this boater did when her watercraft caught fire and then exploded. The stunning scene and much more next in the NEWSROOM.

Plus, Kate is not the only one with royal wardrobe dilemmas. We'll hit the shops with CNN contributor Cat Deely. She's looking for a dress for the big day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Look ahead at news happening later today. In about an hour, Pope Benedict will preside over the annual Good Friday Mass in Vatican City.

In the meantime, back here in the United States, actress Lindsey Lohan returns to court today at 11:30 Eastern. This time for a preliminary hearing on a felony theft charge.

And just after 2:00 p.m. Eastern in our nation's capital, first lady Michelle Obama marks Earth Day with a service project at a D.C. activity center. Local children will join her.

That music always makes me laugh! With just a week to go until Britain's royal wedding, tailors are scrambling to get Kate's gown ready. But she is not the only one worried about her threads. Guests have to be in their royal best too. CNN's royal contributor Cat Deely tries on a few outfits for size.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAT DEELEY, CNN ROYALS CONTRIBUTOR: One of the biggest events the world has ever seen is fast approaching on the 29th of April. Now, I'm hosting with Pierce and Anderson. And the thing is, it's very easy for them. They can just put on a suit and they look dapper and handsome and charming.

For me, I've got to find something to wear which isn't going to be too much of a problem because I'm here at Mulberry.

(CROSSTALK)

DEELEY: This is Ana Foster (ph) celebrity stylist extraordinaire. We've been working together for approximately --

ANA FOSTER, CELEBRITY STYLIST: Yes, seven oh, oh no, three years.

DEELEY: Three years at least.

FOSTER: Because we are both under 30.

DEELEY: Exactly and we moisturize heavily. Getting around.

FOSTER: I think we should go for two options, I think we should go for a short and a long.

DEELEY: Ok.

FOSTER: How are you going to be sitting, et cetera?

DEELEY: Yes, probably a bit like a man. I'm just not the most graceful person on the planet. I think on stools.

FOSTER: Ok.

DEELEY: And I think Anderson doesn't have arms, because it makes him --

FOSTER: He doesn't have arms.

DEELEY: No, he does have physical arms but he doesn't have arms on his chair because it makes him hunch back.

FOSTER: Ok --

DEELEY: If Piers was (INAUDIBLE) --

FOSTER: But I think it matched so it's not -- it's not too shiny. And on camera, it might look -- I think it might look really lovely.

DEELEY: Yes.

FOSTER: We'd have to kind of pare down the accessories a bit more but the same as this one.

DEELEY: Ok.

FOSTER: And then we've got --

DEELEY: Now, do I need a multitude of birds to make this work for me? A bit shy.

FOSTER: Well, I think some birds did die in the making of this tree.

DEELEY: Does this come in any other colors? Good.

FOSTER: But you know, I like the bra, I like the idea of it.

DEELEY: And it's having that kind of texture to it that will look really interesting on stage.

FOSTER: Yes.

DEELEY: Ok. I have made some selections. It's now trying-on time. A girl needs options.

There you go, lots of lovely options to choose from. But it's a woman's prerogative to change her mind. I have a couple of favorites but you're just going to have to tune in to CNN on 29th of April to see exactly what I choose.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: I bet it didn't cost $89 like my dress did. Good bargain.

Cat Deeley will join us live in the next hour for more on the royal big day. The countdown is on after all. Sunday night 8:00 Eastern, CNN presents, "THE WOMAN WHO WOULD BE QUEEN" and one week from today, join millions around the world toasting the prince and his new princess.

CNN's royal wedding experience starts at 4:00 a.m. Eastern with Cat, Anderson Cooper, Pierce Morgan and Richard Quest.

In the meantime, lots more in for you at CNN.com/royalwedding.

In Major League, he was the wild thing. But in Atlanta, Charlie Sheen had a bit more self-control while visiting their baseball team at Georgia Tech. We'll show you more of that next in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Checking stories cross-country now, the decision to abandon ship may have saved the life of this hydroplane racer. Take a look at that. Kylie Perkins was making practice runs in Lake Washington when her boat caught on -- and then you see part of her watercraft exploded.

But thankfully Kylie was able to swim safely. There she gets out. Ooh. She was able to swim safely back to shore.

Detroit-area singer Kid Rock made a surprise visit to his former high school. Besides donating a few thousand dollars to the school's performing arts program, Kid Rock told Romeo High School students not to be quote, "Knuckleheads."

Segue to Atlanta, Georgia where actor Charlie Sheen hung out with the Georgia Tech baseball team. Sheen was in Atlanta for his comedy tour, and he talked to the local media about, what else, himself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would you rather be out here playing ball than doing your shows? Is this your true passion?

CHARLIE SHEEN, ACTOR: Yes. I mean, I'm more comfortable out here than I am up there. But -- but I use a lot of analogies that -- that connect the two.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why are you more comfortable out here?

SHEEN: Just because it's more fun.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Caught on camera. A 19-year-old woman flashing inmates outside an Ohio jail. Police took the woman into custody after she bares her chest outside the Erie County lockup on Tuesday.

CNN affiliate WJW reports the defendant pleaded no contest to the public indecency charge.

We're following a lot of developments in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM. Let's check in first with Ed Henry at the White House.

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Carol. All of a sudden the U.S. has authorized the use of predator drones in Libya. Is this an expansion of the conflict? We'll have answers at the top of the hour.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS NEWS CORRESPONDENT: I'm Stephanie Elam in New York. Going green. We all say we want to do it, but it looks like we're less prone to do it if our bank accounts are in the black. I'll explain coming up in the next hour.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METOROLOGIST: And I'm meteorologist Jacqui Jeras. What does dry ice at the South Pole have to do with dust storms? Well, we're talking about Mars here. We'll explain coming up.

COSTELLO: Interesting. Thanks to all of you.

Plus marrying out, a new term for some. It means marrying outside your race, and it's the topic of this month's "Ebony" magazine cover story. Interracial marriages have reached an all-time high but there's still some opposition. "Ebony" magazine's editor-in-chief will join us in the next hour to explore this issue.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: In the heart of Brooklyn, New York there's an unexpected oasis amid all the vacant warehouses and graffiti. A small organic restaurant, an urban farm, is drawing some big crowds. Photojournalist Rick Hall takes us there for today's look at "Green Solutions in Focus".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICK HALL, PHOTOJOURNALIST (on camera): We're in the industrial zone. This is the industrial park of -- of Brooklyn. For many, many blocks it is warehouse buildings and manufacturing.

BRANDON HOY, CO-OWNER ROBERTA'S: I'm Brandon Hoy. I'm one of the co-owners of Roberta's.

We're in the back yard. And this is, you know -- this is like where our growing operation exists. This was all just junk yard back here. There was, you know, cars pieced out. It was a disgusting mess. Then we hired a farmer, Melissa, who's here right now.

MELISSA METRICK, GARDENER, ROBERTA'S: I'm Melissa Metrick. I am the gardener at Roberta's. We're attaching a piece of wood to the plastic that's going to go over the hoop house. We use hoop houses to extend the season. And we're hoping to make a lattice out of greens with this.

HOY: And the -- and the benefits to growing our own stuff is -- is obviously like we have the control, the flavor profiles. A lot of these things are very specialized and packaged for our chefs. And our chefs are very involved with Melissa, the farmer, to be like these are the things I like, this is the ripeness in which I like them.

All these containers are very isolated. And the atmosphere inside those things are optimal for -- for what we're growing.

So actually, like besides air quality, this is, this is you know, the equivalent of farming in Long Island.

METRICK: I think it's great that chefs want to grow their own food. I think that's super important. I was going over like the seed catalog with the chef, and he was getting super excited. We were both -- we both were. Just of what he's going to be feeding people and what I'm going to be growing for people and together what that can be.

Lovely.

HOY: We're giving our customers the opportunity to see their food growing right next to them. And I think that's a unique experience.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLY: In sports, Miami Heat fans are getting their brooms out. The Heat taking on the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Watch this play by Lebron James. He steals the ball. You see him there. He dribbles down the court. It caught between his legs. He falls down. And then passes underhand to Dwyane Wade for the basket. Heat win the game and go 3-0 in the series. That's amazing.

More NBA playoffs. Indiana hosting Chicago. It wasn't the best shooting night for the Bulls' star Derrick Rose but he had that basket you saw there. The game on the line. The Pacers cannot answer and fall to the Bulls. Chicago can close out the series tomorrow.

More love for second city sports. The Blackhawks' Marian Hossa has been missing in action in the playoffs. He broke out last night. Look at there. Two goals including a breakaway. The defending NHL champs stave off elimination for the second straight game. Pressure mounts on Vancouver as the series returns to Chicago.

In baseball the New York Mets' Jason Bay, he hits a fly ball to shallow right. There it goes. Easy out, right? Wrong. Three Houston Astros converge on the ball. It drops in there. You see it? Goes off the fielder's glove. The runner on base scores. And then Bay comes all the way around to score himself. That would be an inside the park home run.

The right field foul pole at San Diego's Petco Park now features an 88-foot replica of a tailor-made golf club. It's part of a deal between the company and the Padres. Before last night's game the LPGA's Natalie Gulbis (ph) hit some golf balls from home plate. That's pretty cool.

And check out this neat soccer goal. Juan Agudelo of the New York Red Bulls flicks the ball up to himself and kicks it in for the score. The 18-year-old Colombian is a huge star in the MLS.