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'High Risk' of Dangerous Storms; Next Generation of Air Traffic Controllers; Education Budget Wars
Aired April 26, 2011 - 13:58 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Violent storms, raging fires, rising rivers. Much of the country is bracing for or suffering through one or more natural disasters that seem to be coming at an unnatural pace. In west and central Texas the heat is critical and new fires are popping up by the day.
In southeast Missouri, the levees can't handle the 15 inches of rain in four days. Hundreds of folks in and around Poplar Bluff are out of their homes.
And Arkansas is right back in the danger zone, hours after storms killed eight people and flattened more than a dozen homes. I spoke last hour with Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe who says that the toll in his state could still rise.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOICE OF GOV. MIKE BEEBE, ARKANSAS: We had about 12 people in one community where four of the deaths occurred that were unaccounted for this morning. But they have subsequently been located and so we don't have -- that last report there are no other unaccounted for individuals located in that tornadic area.
KAYE: I actually --
BEEBE: -- but we just discovered another -- an eighth death in northwest Arkansas from flooding that involves somebody that was unaccounted for. So that possibility still exists.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The threat of dangerous weather still exists, too, especially in the areas seen right here in pink. And that brings me to our severe weather expert, Chad Myers, who is watching it all.
What area are you zeroing in on right now?
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, that is an excellent question, because I am focusing and I did last hour about the high- risk area. You have to understand that there is a moderate risk around it.
These are government terms. We don't make these up, the government makes them up -- NOAA and the U.S. making them up. And then there is a slight-risk area that goes all the way down to Pennsylvania.
So, you have to understand that, yes, I know that we have talked a lot about Arkansas and we've talked a lot about all of the other areas around it, including parts of Texas, all the way to Memphis, and that's the bull's eye. But there will be severe weather, and there may be tornadoes all of the way to Nashville. And this will be severe weather and there may be wind damage all the way to Pennsylvania.
So this is a large area, a large-scale pattern where the moisture is in. Walk outside and try not to have your hair curl here in Atlanta, right?
KAYE: Yes.
MYERS: I mean, it's all -- and then there is cold air coming in behind this as the front runs right through the middle of this. So I know we're focusing -- everybody is saying, oh, it's Arkansas, I'm OK. No. If you are inside any of this colored area, you have the threat of something making damage today, whether it's to your car with the hail stone, whether it's with wind to a tree.
Atlanta, three weeks ago, we had eight people die in the -- well, not in Atlanta, in the state. We had eight people die in the state as wind came through and knocked down trees on houses, and people died in their beds because the trees were on them. Everybody said, oh, it's not a tornado warning, we don't care.
KAYE: Right.
MYERS: You have to care when winds can be 80 to 100 miles per hour. That's a small tornado in itself. Tornadoes, obviously, spinning. Straight-line winds going in a straight line.
KAYE: So there's definitely concern about tornadoes. What about flooding? We are seeing some pretty bad flooding.
MYERS: It has been an incredible month, I think, and in the last five days through Arkansas, all the way through Tennessee, and then back into Texas, north Texas, where some areas here have had 10 inches of widespread flooding, of rainfall coming down. No place for this water to go.
And then Poplar Bluff, right about there, that's where they had the levee issues.
KAYE: Right.
MYERS: And if you have more storms like we're going to have tonight, that's just going to add up more rain, more -- we have something here. Where did that go? Go back over here.
We have something called iMAP. This is fantastic. We are going to use this tonight and -- get back here.
KAYE: Oh! It's fantastic when it works.
(LAUGHTER)
KAYE: Come on.
MYERS: I pushed the wrong button. I need more coffee.
There is a chaser right there, right about in there. OK. There is somebody driving.
KAYE: OK.
MYERS: I was just going to try to show you -- hey, Dave, can you get that off so I can just see -- there you go. I just want to show you where everybody is driving.
From Texarkana, there's one here. There's a chaser right there, just coming out of Little Rock, moving south. There's one near (INAUDIBLE) State Park, right there. Been there many times.
There's a chaser right there in Dallas. There's a chaser in Waco. And they are all moving, and they could all --
Now, Dave. Now go.
They could all send us live streaming --
KAYE: Dave is your magical little friend somewhere else?
MYERS: Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.
KAYE: He's a producer, for those of you at home.
MYERS: He's the man behind the curtain.
KAYE: OK. Quickly, yes.
MYERS: These cars are now driving. Look what they're seeing -- cloud cover.
Remember we said how -- good cloud cover? They're trying to get out of the cloud, looking for the sunshine, because that's where they know where the tornadoes are going to be. We'll be using this all night.
KAYE: All right. Thank you, Chad.
And thank you, Dave, wherever you are.
All right. Well, London may get some rain this week, which I mention just because, oh, well, a million or so people have outdoor plans on Friday. They'll line the route between Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace in hopes of catching sight of the just-married Will and Kate.
And all things considered, rain isn't the worst thing that can happen. Preventing real trouble is the work of Scotland Yard and the subject of our "Sound Effect." A former Scotland Yard commander says the relatively short procession of Will and Kate poses far difference security challenges from the longer route of Charles and Diana back in 1981.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROY RAMM, FMR. SCOTLAND YARD COMMANDER: This is somewhat easier, because you have got less of a route to worry about. You know, from Buckingham Palace, here, behind us, to Westminster Abbey, is about half a mile. And so the police really focus their activity here.
But what it does mean is the crush of the public will also want to be here. So, if you had a million people from (INAUDIBLE) to Buckingham Palace, that's a nice long road to step out into. Here, people are going to be 30 deep along the highway, at least, I would have thought.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: As for rain, Roy Ramm says it's usually a plus for security, but it would be very sad, of course, for the big day.
Turning to other big stories developing right now, a human rights group says the government crackdown in Syria has killed at least 416 people since March 18th. Security forces have fired into groups of protesters demanding reform. President Bashar al-Assad's government has denounced the protesters as armed criminal groups. The U.N. Security Council is considering a statement condemning the violence.
A man accused of trying to bomb a Colorado shopping mall has been arrested. Police in Boulder, Colorado, say they took 65-year-old Earl Albert Moore into custody at a grocery store today. Sources tell CNN that Moore is a convicted bank robber released from prison on probation two weeks ago.
He's accused of planting a pipe bomb last week at a mall in Littleton. A small fire broke out and the mall was evacuated, but nobody was hurt.
Another air traffic controller is fired for sleeping on the job. So that got us thinking, what kind of training to tomorrow's air traffic controllers get before they head to the tower? We will take you inside controller college, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Right now we're taking an in-depth look at air traffic controllers.
In recent months, the FAA has been plagued with problems in their towers. The latest incident is out of Seattle's Boeing Field. The FAA says a controller there has been fired after falling asleep on the job not once, but twice.
Last week, two other controllers got fired for napping. One in Knoxville, Tennessee, the other in Miami. There have been similar problems in Washington, D.C.; Lubbock, Texas; and Reno, Nevada.
So what does it take to be an air traffic controller? What kind of training do they get for such an important job?
CNN's Martin Savidge is at what you might call controller college in Daytona Beach, Florida, with a little insight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A plane in trouble.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mayday, Mayday, Mayday. Cactus 289 has number two flame out.
SAVIDGE: It's a 757 --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cactus 289, roger. Same tensions (ph)?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Request immediate landing anywhere we can.
SAVIDGE: -- with close to 200 people on board.
(on camera): OK. So, here's the deal.
Grant Paladino (ph), right?
GRANT PALADINO, EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY: Yes.
SAVIDGE: Grant Paladino is the one who's handling this emergency. And what he's done is redirect the aircraft to -- where?
PALADINO: Sanford.
SAVIDGE: Sanford.
And you might be wondering at this point, why would I be pestering an air traffic controller in the middle of a crisis? Well, that answer is easy. None of this is real.
(voice-over): Welcome to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach. Dubbed the "Harvard of the sky," it's final exams week.
For these would-be air traffic controllers, their grade depends on how well they handle everything thrown at them.
(on camera): Realism is what you're after?
SID MCGUIRK, EMBRY-RIDDLE UNIVERSITY: That's exactly what we're after.
SAVIDGE: In the scenarios and the training and all?
MCGUIRK: That's correct. We want our students to be as fully prepared when they get to the field as possible. SAVIDGE (voice-over): For these soon-to-be graduates, it's taken four years working in classrooms and state-of-the-art simulators, not to mention $120,000 tuition to get this far.
Miranda Blackwelder has learned all aspects of the job, from takeoffs and landings, to guiding flights across country.
So, what about the stress?
MIRANDA BLACKWELDER, EMBRY-RIDDLE UNIVERSITY SENIOR: That's the first thing everybody says. And it's like, well, yes, but what job isn't stressful?
SAVIDGE: Like a number of students, Murray Best started off wanting to be a pilot. Then he got a taste of controlling planes and liked it.
(on camera): Do you ever make mistakes?
MURRAY BEST, EMBRY-RIDDLE UNIVERSITY SENIOR: Plenty of times.
SAVIDGE: Do you learn from the mistakes?
BEST: Definitely. Definitely, because I know that if I made the same mistake in the field, I would lose my job, and I'd also be responsible for anybody that happened to get hurt. So it's definitely serious.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): I asked Miranda if all the recent scrutiny on air traffic controllers had her rethinking her career choice.
(on camera): Do you feel good about the job?
BLACKWELDER: I do feel good about the job. I feel very confident and I'm very happy about my decision to be going into this field.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): One day likely to be guiding your flight. The class of 2011 feeling good about their future and sounding very much in control.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: And Randi, we just wanted to show you again, a continuation of just how real they try to make things look. This is a view -- actually, it's a simulator, but it's the view of, if you were standing up at the Daytona airport tower looking out, this is the view you would have.
And they have it right down to -- I don't know if you can see them, but little aircraft that are moving and taxiing and flashing lights there. Cars passing on the highways and, oh, yes, look at this. We've got an AirTran that is coming in right over here.
So, they really do make this as realistic as they possibly can for good reason. KAYE: I'm sure, Marty. I'm curious, after these students graduate, do they become air traffic controllers right away, instantly?
SAVIDGE: No. No, they don't actually.
This is really -- even though they graduate and move on, and they get a degree -- and it's a four-year Bachelor of Science degree -- that does not mean it's the end of the road. It's actually the very beginning for many of them, because they will have to pass additional testing by the FAA.
Then they have to hope to be hired by the FAA. And once that happens, they will be pulled into a training program that the FAA has. That's six to eight weeks there.
And then on top of that, if they are then assigned to a specific facility, it will be another maybe two to four years of additional training. So you end up actually with as much training as almost a doctor has when you add up the total time -- Randi.
KAYE: Well, as you know, air traffic controllers are certainly getting a whole lot of bad press lately. How is that going over, the sleeping air traffic controllers, the movie-watching air traffic controllers? How is that going over with the students there?
SAVIDGE: Well, you know, surely, there is a lot of joking that goes on here about it, but it's also been a very teachable moment as they have discussed the issue. And they realize that there are about 15,000 air traffic controllers that are in this country, and the actions of a few really don't sort of diminish the overall good of an entire industry.
However, it has sparked some debate as to how you handle the problem. And there are many who say, look, the idea of having naps or getting legitimate rest while on the job is one that is actually embraced by a number of countries around the world. And, in fact, if you look at long-haul airline pilots, they do the very same thing -- one part of the crew rests while the other one works, then they exchange places. All of that designed so everybody stays sharp on the job.
KAYE: Marty Savidge with a view from the tower for us today.
Thank you, Marty.
Well, what would you do if your state governor slashed more than a billion dollars from the education budget? It happened in New Jersey, and we'll tell you what some outraged voters are doing about it right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
KAYE: There is a bitter war over education being waged in many states across the country right now. One of the most intense was triggered when the governor of New Jersey slashed more than $1 billion from the education budget in a bid to deal with the state's massive overall budget shortfall. Now, some angry voters have taken the issue to the state Supreme Court.
Deborah Feyerick reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kindergartener Kamani Davidson (ph) is learning to read.
KAMANI DAVIDSON (ph), KINDERGARTENER: "He got down on the ground."
FEYERICK: Though she's still very young, because she lives in a high-risk neighborhood in New Jersey educators here at P.J. Hill Elementary provide a literacy coach to make sure she doesn't fall behind.
RAYMOND BROACH, TRENTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS: It's sort of like being in a race. To assume that we all start at the starting line together, it's not American even.
FEYERICK: Acting superintendent Raymond Broach oversees the Trenton School District. It has a higher number of at-risk kids and is supposed to receive a larger share of state funding than schools in wealthier neighborhoods. Last year, the state gave him no extra budget money. Incredibly, he wishes the same were true now.
BROACH: When you have had $12 million cut from your budget, you have just made that race for some learners almost next to impossible.
FEYERICK: A 2008 state law and funding formula was designed to close the learning gap between rich and poor students. But first-time Governor Chris Christie cut $1 billion from New Jersey's education budget.
At a town hall meeting, he said tough times call for tough choices.
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: Maybe we have to eliminate aid to all hospitals in New Jersey. I wonder how many hospitals will close when we have to do that.
FEYERICK: The problem, the decision may be unconstitutional.
DAVID SCIARRA, EDUCATION LAW CENTER: Governors all across country are saying the same thing, and they're wrong.
FEYERICK: David Sciarra's Education Law Center and others are suing the governor and state Supreme Court.
SCIARRA: It's really a matter of policy choice. It's a matter of commitment. Do we want to have strong public schools or not?
FEYERICK: The state argues court should let the legislature decide how much money is spent.
As for Superintendent Broach, his choice was to keep reading coaches. Instead, he cut nurses, social workers, substance abuse counselors, custodians and others.
His reasoning?
BROACH: To know you can't read often turns students' attention to being discipline problems. Those are the students that we fear we need to put a web of support around so that they don't drop out of school and, for that matter, drop out of society.
FEYERICK: Deborah Feyerick, CNN, Trenton, New Jersey.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: CNN's Soledad O'Brien reports "Don't Fail Me: Education in America." This CNN documentary examines the crisis in our public education system and why America's financial future is at risk if our students can't excel in math and science.
"Don't Fail Me: Education in America" premiers Sunday, May 15th, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, only here on CNN.
It is the anniversary of a tragic accident that affected so many lives. One photojournalist was able to capture the disaster with his camera, and now he tells CNN the story.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Today is the 25th anniversary of the 1986 meltdown at Chernobyl. The initial explosion killed two people, but radiation exposure killed 30 others. According to the World Health Organization, around 4,000 people could eventually die from that accident.
The area around the plant is virtually a ghost town. Photojournalist Paul Fusco vividly remembers the victims of Chernobyl and hopes that Japan will avoid sharing the same fate and the same hopelessness.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL FUSCO, FREELANCE PHOTOJOURNALIST: My name is Paul Fusco. I'm a freelance photographer. I have been with Magnum Photos since 1974.
I was very concerned about Chernobyl and when it exploded in 1986. It was the news, everybody knew about it. But then, after about a year or so, like, it disappeared.
And then, in 1997, a friend of mine told me about children who were being accepted by families to get them away from the radiation of Chernobyl. And I was kind of stunned.
So, I thought, I want to go see why. So, I was able to get permission, and then I got -- I rented a car and a driver, and we headed for Chernobyl.
It's hard to just describe it. There's nothing going on in that station anymore. They have reinforced it with steel and concrete to try to keep the radiation in it, but it keeps feeding groundwater under it with radiation.
It was a town that had 50,000 residents in it, and it was abandoned in a couple of days after the explosion. There were times when I was in Belarus and I was looking at a different species of human being. What I was looking for photographically is, what is life like for that person? And seeing people in clinics and institutions, hospitals, and began to realize the enormity of the problem and how many incredible, awful things can happen to people because of this one terrible onslaught.
Radiation -- you go to the asylum like Novinki, and most of the people there had young children, up to late teenagers. Most of them were incredibly damaged emotionally, and their bodies didn't work right.
Some of them were on the floor eating like animals, because they can't manage to eat sitting up in a chair. Some of them didn't walk. They just crawled or rolled around.
There were hundreds of kids there. They did not get any education or any training in anything except how to stay alive.
I want everyone to see what they have done. I owe that to all of those people.
When I first heard about Japan, it was a terrible feeling of hopelessness and oh, no, here we go again. It's impossible to get the feeling and understanding of how permanent and how complete and total this radiation poisoning is until you see it. People really should understand, because the consequences are so unbelievably horrendous.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes are threatening the South again today. We'll tell you what you need to know, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: It is about half past the hour. Here are some stories you may have missed.
According to the National Weather Service, a rare and dangerous outbreak of severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes could erupt this afternoon and into the night across parts of the South from northeast Texas across the Mississippi River.
Over 60,000 lost power in Arkansas after storms slammed through there on Monday. Eight people have died in that storm and more than a dozen homes were destroyed. The governor has declared a state of emergency. The governor of Missouri also called a state of emergency after receiving 15 inches of rain in four days. Look at that flooding. Hundreds of people in and around Poplar Bluff are out of their homes after a levee failed. National Guard troops have been called in to help shore up levees and also to lay sandbags.
The Texas Forest Service is currently working on 10 major fires covering over 530,000 acres, although much of that area is burnt, and 211 of the 254 Texas counties are reporting burn bans.
According to a source, three people were killed and 14 injured today in Libya when shelling by Moammar Gadhafi's forces hit a tent of refugees from Niger waiting to get into a Red Cross camp in Misrata. The Libyan foreign minister also said they want a heads of state meeting convened by the African Union to discuss ways of dealing with those Western airstrikes.
A nationwide manhunt is over and an arrest has been made in the attempted pipe bombing of a Colorado mall. This man, Earl Albert Moore, was taken into custody at a grocery store by Boulder police. The 65-year-old man was released from a federal prison one week ago after serving a sentence for a 2005 bank robbery. He has been turned over now to the FBI.
A federal judge has ruled in favor of NFL players, issuing an injunction that ordered the league's owners to lift their lockout. The league says it will file an immediate appeal. And the showdown threatens to delay the start of the 2011 NFL season. The lockout was imposed after talks between the players and owners broke down last month, and the players disbanded their union.
More gunfire erupts in the Syrian city of Daraa, the center of deadly clashes between army troops and anti-government protesters. Is President Assad running out of time to restore order? The latest on the government's crackdown there, up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: More gun fire was reported today in the Syrian city of Daraa, a day after army and security forces fired on anti-government protesters. Witnesses say at least seven people were killed. A Syrian human rights group says more than 400 people have been killed in the protest since March. The government blames the violence on armed criminals.
The United States and several European allies are considering sanctions against Syria in a bid to force the government to end the crackdown. And the U.N. Security Council is considering a statement condemning the violence.
Joining me now to talk about all of this is Hala Gorani. How are you? Let's talk about - first of all, it seems the younger Assad - does it seems to you as though he's starting to walk in the footsteps of his father?
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, those who are, of course, observing the situation and seeing that from the beginning when there was a combination of carrots and sticks, in other words, an offer of concessions from the presidency lifting the state of emergency, for instance, while cracking down on protesters has turned into sticks only. So, in other words, over the last few days, especially with Daraa on Friday, we have seen more of a crackdown. We have seen army troops now enter that southern city, the starting point of the wave of demonstrations across Syria.
And we're also seeing basically a military occupation of some parts of Syria in order to quell and quiet the unrest in that country. And it seems to be working. Over the last 48 hours or so, we have not seen that many videos emerge online. It could be a combination of both cutting off communications and also this large army presence that's keeping people indoors at this stage.
KAYE: So, who - can you tell - I know we have not been given permission. CNN has not gotten permission to enter Syria, but who seems to be calling the shots the? Is it the younger al Assad?
GORANI: Yes, it seems as though - I mean, of course, it is difficult. Not only because we are not in the country, but because we are not usually privy to what happens in the inner circle of this regime, which is controlled by this religious minority in Syria. But it seems as though, from the higher echelons, according to many observers of Syria, orders are now being given for the army to take control of the situation and for the presidential guard, the more unofficial security forces of the presidential of the regime, to go in some cases in homes and in Daraa. In some cases, door to door say, according to activists and pluck people from their homes, and in some cases, imprison people. We have heard of hundreds of arrests across Syria over the last few days.
KAYE: So, we talk about the U.S. taking action and possibly sanctions against Syria. Do you think that would help?
GORANI: Well, it won't because freezing assets -- targeted sanctions, for instance - freezing assets of Assad officials in the U.S. won't have much of an impact. It's more symbolic because Assad inner-circle people don't really have assets in the United States, and sanctions have been applied against Syria for years now by the United States and other Western countries. So it is more symbolic.
But it is external applied on Syria whilst observers say and analysts say it is really internal pressure that might a difference. But right now, we have not seen in the last 48 hours or so, as many protesters out on the streets. As always, as has been the case over the last few months, Randi, the big test is Friday what will happen.
KAYE: Right. And just real quickly, we've seen the U.S. taking action in Libya. Why not Syria?
GORANI: Well, that is a question. Thank you for asking. Because if you end up with not hundreds, but thousands of deaths, then where is the bar there for foreign and international intervention?
And it is a good question. Intervening in Syria means intervening in the Syrian/Iranian access. It is a very different situation, and many more factors have to be taken into consideration. But, there's going to have to be a point with the international community if the violence and the deaths increase substantially where people are going to be asking that question a lot more seriously.
KAYE: All right. Hala Gorani, great to have you here to talk about that. Thank you.
There is still a lot of mystery surrounding Will and Kate's wedding. Secret details are -- well, they're coming out just a little bit. Things that we are itching to find out. Well, you are in luck, because we are breaking it all down for you next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Okay. So, we are admittedly all over the royal wedding, maybe just a tad bit obsessed. We admit it. Just a little bit? But it is the wedding of the century, after all. So, here is the wedding scoop, all the essentials you need to know about Will, Kate and their big day. You ready?
Prince William and Kate will tie the knot at Westminster Abbey. But you already knew that, right? OK. Well, you know what? This is also where Will's uncle, his aunt and his grandmother, the queen, were married as well. All of them divorced, actually, except the queen. And Kate will have plenty of time to think about that, because it will take four long minutes for Kate to walk down the aisle to reach her waiting prince. So, get those stopwatches out. You're going to want to time her and keep track.
And you'll need to know this man. There he is. Meet the archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. He will marry Will and Kate. But those are just the basics. We are just getting started here.
The vow itself is bound to be a mouthful. The prince isn't just William, no. He has four names, actually. Remember Princess Di's famous flub when she reversed some of Prince Charles' names? Well, Kate has her work cut out for her. Try, "I take William Arthur Philip Louis." William Arthur Philip Louis. Try saying that in front of millions of people, including the queen. Yes, just try that.
Oh, and did I mention that Kate and Will are actually related? Yes, I know. Kind of strange, but they are 12th cousins, once removed. There they are in the family tree.
And let's talk numbers. The wedding is rumored to cost more than $30 million. Don't forget Will and Kate's request for a so-called low-key wedding? But it is far from the most expensive royal wedding ever, but still, $30 mil.
Oh, and they are infamous, but I'm sure delicious wedding fruit cake costs as much as a new Ferrari! $80,000, that's about $134 per slice. That better be a top-quality fruit cake. $134 a slice!
And to help you remember Will and Kate's big day, let's not forget these. Yes. There's royal wedding cupcakes, royal wedding Ring Pops. And what's more British that royal wedding tea bags. Those are just the edible souvenirs, of course, to get you started.
If all of this has you feeling a bit queasy, well, there is a royal wedding souvenir for that, too. The royal wedding sick bag. Yes, there is really one. But we assure you, you will not need it. So, enjoy the royal wedding and watch it here on CNN.
But let's not forget about the flowers, of course. They are expected to be everywhere and a major focal point during the royal wedding. Clarence House has kept all of the details hush-hush until now. We have got the details.
And Max Foster got an inside look. He joins me now from Westminster Abbey. Hi, Max.
MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Randi. We can show you some of the flowers, because they are being delivered all day, and we have a new batch coming in. Over there, at the entrance of the Abbey, you can see some greenery there. And this is the theme, I can tell you. We're going to show you some pictures now of a delivery a little earlier on.
The van over there was unloaded with huge trees! We can reveal to you that we do have exclusive information that the aisle in the Abbey will be lined with an avenue of trees all of the way up to the altar. There is going to be all sorts of greenery. I spoke to the royal florist. I was gathering plants with him in Windsor Great Park to the west of London just last week. You're going to see lots of blossoms, white blossoms. Blossoming trumps they are calling them as opposed to flowers. All seasonal, all UK-grown.
I can tell you, Randi, that William had to ask permission from his grandmother to gather them, because they've all been grown in the queen's gardens.
KAYE: Never have trees and white blossoms gotten so much attention. Max, I'm curious. We've heard a lot about Will and Kate, but what about Prince Harry? How is Will's best man holding up through all of this?
FOSTER: Well, I was with him this morning. He was at charity event and he looked pretty cool. He always is, cracking a few jokes, as he does. But I did - he was there. He has been part of an expedition with wounded soldiers recently, and they just returned. So I couldn't grab Prince Harry. He wouldn't give me an interview, unfortunately.
But I did speak to one of the guys who he went on the expedition with, and he said Harry's quite nervous. It wasn't visible, but he's nervous. But he needs to sort those nerves out, because his job on the day, of course, is best man to William. He's going to have to be calming William's nerves, because the next time we see him, Randi, will be on the way to the church in a car with William. KAYE: I am sure they are both nervous. Any word from, Harry, though on how the best man's speech might be coming along? I can only imagine what he is going to say on the big day.
FOSTER: Well, he is a funny guy, and I think it's going to a good speech, but no, Clarence House, his side of things, not saying anything about that final part of the day. We have the service here. You have the queen's reception. We have been in there filming in there and we have got some details about that.
But there is this final section, the private dinner hosted by William's father, Prince Charles. We're not being told anything about that. That's when the speech will be, though, we assume, and he is going to do a speech. We've got that inside information. But it is not a particularly a scoop. You would expect him to make a speech.
KAYE: And what about Kate's dress? I'm not sure if you have any new information about that. I understand that it is being made at Buckingham Palace, very secretive. Any new details at all coming out?
FOSTER: No. I mean, there is so much speculation around this. And what is so interesting here is that the palace is allowing the speculation to continue. And the designers aren't denying any of the speculation either, because it is in their interest for everyone to think they are the designer. Also confusion because Kate's mother and sister and Kate all have different designers, so we don't know who it is. They are doing a brilliant, brilliant job to keep it quiet.
Even Prince William's outfit, we're not sure which uniform he's going to go for. We do know that's at Clarance House. Kate's dress will be somewhere. There is going to be a lot of worrying over it, I'm sure. It is going to be, at least we know, at the Goring Hotel where all the Middletons will be staying the night before the wedding. So, I'll be there on the morning. I will see the dress first, I think, because she's going to be driving straight past my camera.
KAYE: All right. Well, you text me or call me right away. I want to know what it looks like, all right, in case you see her first. All right, Max Foster, thank you.
We will bring you every unforgettable moment during CNN's royal wedding experience, starting bright and early Friday morning. That is at 4:00 a.m. Eastern. You don't want to miss that. Anderson Cooper, Piers Morgan, Cat Deeley and our team will be there to bring you those little details that you can't get anywhere else. So, be sure to watch it right here on CNN.
Did you know that libraries in New York City can't prevent anyone from over 17 from accessing porn on library computers? Well, that is right. Any pornography that is legal can be viewed right next to you and right next to your children more importantly. But is porn free speech protected under that First Amendment or should it be censored in a public library? W debate this very hot topic next on Stream Team. You're not going to want to miss this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAYE: Peter Rabbit, Cat in the Hat and hard core porn? Did you know that at many public libraries, adults can watch computers to watch whatever videos they want to under the protection of free speech, and yes, that does include porn. Libraries in New York City, for example, cannot prevent visitors over 17 from accessing adult content that is legal. But should porn be protected under the First Amendment or should it be censored in public libraries where families and children can both hear it and yes, see it?
This question had our morning editorial meeting up in arms. So, we wanted to bring in a group of great minds to debate this. Joining me now, legal analyst Sunny Hostin who contributes to "In Session" on our sister network, TruTV. And Asha Dornfest, the founder and publisher of parenthacks.com.
Sunny, let's start with you. It's the law in New York that patrons over 17 that people can watch this porn. Is it like this everywhere?
SUNNY HOSTIN, LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR, TRUTV: Well, no, it isn't. In fact, the Supreme Court in 2003 dealt with this issue. And what the Supreme Court found, Randi, was that it is completely appropriate for a library to monitor its content. Its completely appropriate for a library to determine what is would be available to patrons. And I think that is why you don't see magazines, porn magazines all throughout libraries.
All they need to do, quite frankly, is put in a filter, a policy that allows these porn sites and the like to be filtered out. And if there is a patron that wants to see it, then that patron can ask for this site -- the filter, rather, to be disabled. If the library determines that the Web site is sort of okay, if it's in line with the library's vision and the library's policy, then that patron can view the online porn.
I have to tell you that, when I put my legal hat on, I think that New York got it wrong by having this policy. And when I take that hat off and put on my mommy hat on, which is a hat I wear all of the time, as you know, Randi, I am outraged! I live in New York, I take my children to the library. Maybe not so much anymore, because I don't want them exposed to Internet porn. Unbelievable to me!
KAYE: Asha, why don't you weigh in here? What do you think? Should porn be censored at libraries?
ASHA DORNFEST, FOUNDER, PARENTHACKS.COM: Yes. I think I can be pretty unequivocal about that. The library is a place to go for learning and research, and I am generally very liberal about things like this. I believe that the children are going to be exposed to pornography because of Internet use sooner or later, and I tend not to get too upset about it. But for it to be available in a library where children are learning and in supposedly a safe haven, that does not seem to make any sense to me at all.
KAYE: But what about the argument for free speech? If porn now, what next, Sunny? HOSTIN: Well, listen, a lot of people -- and again, as a lawyer, of course, I think that the First Amendment protects free speech and it should. The First Amendment, however, does not protect all speech. And again, you have to weigh the public interest, and the interest for myself, for our viewers to have the right not to have our children exposed to this, and weigh that against a person's right to look at Internet porn.
And when I sort of do that balancing test and when the Supreme court did it quite frankly, they said, uh-uh. There is a way to protect First Amendment rights in the library. And again, New York just simply got it wrong. I'm a lifelong New Yorker, born and raised here. I'm embarrassed.
KAYE: Asha, I just want to ask you, if you censor this material, wouldn't it also include - wouldn't it also block searches for other material that maybe you don't want children to see such as maybe even breast cancer research or information that might show pictures that some people in the library don't want to see?
DORNFERN: Well, I'm not a fan of keyword-based searches. I mean, obviously, those really are sort of a blunt instrument when talking about filtering information, and that is what libraries are all about, accessing information. So, we use the library all of the time. We use the Internet all of the time, and I think it makes sense to have some sort of context-based filter, just like Sunny was talking about to filter out the pornography, but obviously not educational content.
KAYE: And sunny --
HOSTIN: That is right, and --
KAYE: I was going to give you, Sunny, the final word there.
HOSTIN: Well, there is the CIPA, which is the Children's Internet Protections um - Act, and it provides that the children must be protected in these places. They must be protected in public libraries, they must be protected from this type of content on the Internet. And the public libraries receiving federal funds need to be in line with that. So I'm not sure what New York's answer is to that. I would love to hear from someone from the New York Public Library System to answer that question. What are they doing about the Children's Internet Protection Act?
KAYE: All right. Sunny and Asha, we will have to leave it there. Thank you both for the interesting discussion.
Meanwhile, right now, we have some breaking news coming in to CNN. Katie Couric is leaving CBS Evening News after five years in the anchor chair. Couric confirmed -- this is an exclusive interview with "People" magazine that's who she told, and we have that confirmed as well. She released a statement, in part, saying, quote, "I am really proud of the talented team on the CBS Evening News and the award winning work we've been able to do in the past five years in addition to the reporting I have done for '60 Minutes' and 'CBS Sunday Morning.' In making the decision to move on, I know that the Evening News will be in great hands, but I'm excited about the future."
What that future is remains unclear at this point. We continue to work this story and follow it as more develops. We will, of course, bring those details to you, but Katie Couric departing the CBS Evening News after five years.
Time now for a CNN political update, and one name from the 2008 election may be closer to a 2012 run. CNN deputy political director Paul Steinhauser joins me from Washington. Paul, sounds like Ron Paul is taking baby steps here.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: He sure is. In less than two hours from now, Randi. In Iowa. Of course, Iowa, very important state, right? Its caucuses lead off presidential primary caucus calendar. Ron paul is going to announce an exploratory committee, which is a step towards running for the White House, but sources say he is not 100 percent sure if he is ready to run.
Let's take a closer look at him. Ron Paul, a 12-term congressman from Texas. Let's go back to 1988, he ran as the Libertarian party's presidential nominee. He made another run for the White House just four years ago, this time for the Republican presidential nomination. He's got strong support among many Tea Party activist. In fact, you could almost say he was the Tea Party before there was a Tea Party.
Randi, also, he polls right now in the high single digits, so he is behind a lot of big names, but also ahead of names. But let's talk about his money. This is a man who can raise some big bucks in a quick amount of time. Those money bombs from the last presidential run he ran. He raised a lot of money, could do it again if he goes all the way. Randi?
KAYE: It is starting to get interesting. Paul Steinhauser, thank you.
Remember the good old days when we used to type with our fingers instead of our thumbs? Well, some of us do. My tearful XYZ, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Time now for my XYZ. And today's XYZ brings up some very old memories, makes me a little bit emotional, in fact. We got word today that the last typewriter factory in the world is closing up shop.
Yes, there is Brooke there behind me. Hi, Brooke.
It is in Mumbai, India, and I guess last year they only had 800 orders come in. Well, the typewriter has truly become a dinosaur, which brought me back to my middle school typing class when I first learned to type with two fingers. I thought that the giant humming typewriter in front of me was the coolest thing ever. It was like the size of a small house. But I loved it! The iPhone or the iPad or iPod wasn't even on the horizon. The only i that I knew was the I that was in between the u and the o on my typewriter keyboard. I loved learning to type, loved how quickly I could get schoolwork done. In fact, I learned to type so fast that I actually held the record for fastest typist at my school. In those days, I could type 92 words per minute and yes, I typed plenty of friends' term papers in college. Those papers would have taken them forever.
So, today, as the typewriter takes another step toward the once- treasured technology graveyard to join the likes of the flip cam and the Walkman -- yes, remember the Walkman? I'd just like to say thanks for the memories. And I promise, when I turn on my pint-sized tablet computer, I will always remember the good old days.
CNN NEWSROOM continues now with Brooke Baldwin. Nice to see you, Brooke!
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Good to see you. I totally want one of those old typewriters. Put it on a bookshelf.
KAYE: Do you? Let's get one.
BALDWIN: Antique. Antique these days, Randi Kaye. Thank you so much.
