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Special Coverage of Netanyahu's Addresses to Congress; Surviving The Tornado Terror; More Tornado Danger In Heartland; Talk Back Question; Stories Of Survival

Aired May 24, 2011 - 12:09   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: The prime minister of Israel speaking for almost 50 minutes or so before a joint meeting of the House and Senate -- very warmly received, numerous standing ovations. As you can see, another one at the very end right there. You see the Vice President Joe Biden, Speaker of the House John Boehner right behind him, right behind them.

I am guessing there are at least almost 30 moments that he was interrupted with not just applause, but withstanding ovations, laying out his vision of peace in the Middle East, obviously a lot easier said than done -- Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: And, Wolf, some of the -- let's listen in. I understand he's still speaking.

NETANYAHU: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: Shaking hands, thanking the audience, acknowledging his wife, as well.

This was a speech -- Hala, we know a lot of standing ovations. We've been keeping a close count. How many by your account?

HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Twenty-six.

MALVEAUX: Twenty-six standing ovations there and some very provocative statements. But coming forward, saying the conflict has never been about the existence of a Palestinian state but the existence of a Jewish state. He also talked about the fact that Jerusalem must remain the united capital of Israel. That Palestinian refugees -- that issue would be resolved outside the borders. Again, he called for a fully demilitarized Palestinian state.

GORANI: Going with the president, I also heard -- well, one of the statements that got him the loudest standing ovation is in the West Bank, in Judea and Samaria. "Jews are not foreign occupiers." He also said he was prepared to make far-reaching compromises, said that any final border would be the result of negotiation, but then went on to say Israel will be generous on the size of the state, but firm on the location of the borders.

And then ended by saying essentially no talks, so long as Fatah, the party of the Palestinian Authority president, is in some way, has found a way to deal with Hamas. Saying it won't negotiate with the Palestinian government, quote, "backed by the Palestinian version of al Qaeda."

MALVEAUX: I want to bring in Maen Rashid Areikat, PLO representative to the United States.

Just to get your response and reaction to some of the things we heard from the prime minister. Was there anything that stood out in your mind that was a jump-off point, if you will, for negotiations?

MAEN RASHID AREIKAT, PLO REPRESENTATIVE TO THE U.S.: I don't think so. I think it's a peak of all positions and statements. Again, I don't think the speech of the prime minister represents the basis for a resumption of meaningful negotiations.

Although he expresses a desire to go back to the negotiating table tomorrow, he laid down so many conditions, preconditions about the future security arrangements, about Jerusalem, about refugees, which are paramount status issues that should be negotiated between the Palestinians and Israel. The prime minister offered the solution for these issues before even the negotiations have started.

MALVEAUX: OK, Mr. Areikat, if you would, stay with us, we're going to take a quick break. We're also going to bring back our White House correspondent Brianna Keilar as well as our senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash after this quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Welcome to our special coverage, CNN NEWSROOM covering Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister's address. All of the points he made clearly -- in some way, some people felt he moved the ball forward, others frustrated that there was not somewhat of a breakthrough. I don't think we anticipated a breakthrough, but a lot of points he made when he talked about the fear of -- the threat of a nuclear Iran, and, of course, his vision moving forward for a two-state solution, Palestinian state as well as Israeli state.

GORANI: And as we heard from Ambassador Areikat, the PLO representative to the United States, nothing much new out there. But in the Benjamin Netanyahu style, very comfortable, leaning forward on the podium, cracking jokes at the beginning, in the middle, the end, getting 26 standing ovations, frequently interrupted by clapping and cheers from U.S. congressmen and women.

So, this was just a very warm, friendly, collegial event for the prime minister. This is not his first appearance at a joint meeting of Congress.

But the question is: has anything that was said today changed anything? Has it changed anything with the game?

We want to ask the Ambassador Areikat in Washington, is there anything else that you picked up on more than anything else that the prime minister said that stood out to you?

AREIKAT: Well, let me clarify that. I'm sure that the Palestinian leadership is also, you know, studying the speech of the Prime Minister Netanyahu. And I'm sure there will be an official reaction by the PLO and by the Palestinian leadership in the coming hours about this.

But when he talked about the recognition, the PLO recognized Israel in 1988. When he talked and we even in 1998, we convened the Palestine National Council upon his request after we signed the Wye River Memorandum in the presence of President Clinton, to reiterate our position regarding the recognition of the state of Israel.

So, you know, for him to demand and say that this conflict about not establishing the Palestinian state, but rather recognizing the Jewish state of Israel, I think that is a twist of history here, because it is the Palestinian state that needs to be established and recognized.

BLITZER: Mr. Ambassador, do you recognize a Jewish state of Israel? Because that was the point he kept saying, you might recognize Israel, but he kept saying he would want to hear from President Abbas, the leader of the Palestinian Authority, that he recognizes a Jewish state.

AREIKAT: Well, our position is clear. We recognize a state of Israel in 1988, in 1993, in 1996, 1998. We recognized the state of Israel.

Now, you know, the way Israel calls itself, the way Israel was to characterize itself, this was something left for the Israeli's to decide. And there are so many other issues to resolve that we have to resolve before we get to that issue. Both of the issue of refugees and the issue of rights of the Arab minority in Israel, which is 1.3 million, by the way, not 1 million like the prime minister said.

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: How do you respond to the prime minister when he says tear up your pact with Hamas?

AREIKAT: Well, you know, we don't interfere in Israeli internal politics. There are certain coalition members in the Israel government, Israel (INAUDIBLE) that has --

BORGER: It's a nonnegotiable for him.

AREIKAT: That has advocated -- that has advocated the transfer of the Palestinians that until today they called for the transfer of the Palestinians out of their homeland, that they called Jordan the homeland of the Palestinians. They are part of the Israeli coalition government.

We don't entire in Israel internal politics. The Palestinian people, when the elections take place in May 2012, will elect their representatives. There is a democratic process. We have to respect the democratic process, one.

Two, we are still in the process of forming a coalition -- not a coalition government, but a technocrat-independent government, to prepare the ground for these elections. And there is still much to be done in that regard. We cannot continue to be divided.

Before, when we were divided, the same prime minister will come out and say, "How can we negotiate with the Palestinians when they have a government in the West Bank and a government in the Gaza Strip?" Now that we are united, how can we be uniting with the Palestinians?

I think that ending division is important, because if you want to reach historic agreement with Israel that will end the conflict and end all the claims, you have to have the support of the majority of the Palestinians. If we continue divided, we are not going to be able to do that.

BLITZER: Let me button up this very sensitive issue of the September and United Nations assembly resolution declaring an independent Palestinian state. You heard the president of the United States urge you, don't do it, this is not the time. Are you still going forward with that?

AREIKAT: Well, the president, again, said also that he understands the impatience, the frustration of the Palestinian. There isn't international support for a Palestinian state. And the president alluded to that. He said that we cannot basically stand against Europe, Latin America, Asia, the rest of the world who are pushing us to recognize a Palestinian state.

We are not talking about unilateral action, going to the United Nations -- United Nations is a multinational, multilateral body. It's not -- it's not a lateral action. Secondly --

BLITZER: Let me just interrupt for a second. So, you will go ahead and seek this resolution?

AREIKAT: The Palestinian leaders said clearly that political engagement is our first option. It's not either/or. If we can't prepare the ground for genuine, sincere negotiations based on clear terms of reference, clear time frame, an end game that will lead to the end of the occupation of establishment of a Palestinian state, done in an utmost fear of a freeze of settlement of activities to reach an agreement, we will get engaged politically.

BLITZER: But you say you'll move -- you'll drop that provost.

AREIKAT: If there is a viable alternative.

BLITZER: In other words, if there are negotiations under way between now and September, you'll draft the proposal.

AREIKAT: But you have to be also careful about what are the bases of these negotiations. We don't want to engage in a process that will not lead to peace. We want to talk about substantive issues that will end the occupation and lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state.

BLITZER: Mr. Ambassador, good of you to join us. Thanks so much for listening closely. And you were taking notes throughout that entire nearly 50-minute speech that the prime minister of Israel gave. We'll continue our conversation.

Let me go back to Hala and Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Wolf, one of the points he made that was so important was this whole idea of the border. Where is the border here? Is it pre-1967, is it post, what kind of compromised negotiation is actually around what this will look like, Israel and Palestine together?

I want to play a quick bite, if we can, a bit of sound from the prime minister on that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NETANYAHU: As the leader of Israel, it's my responsibility to lead my people to peace. Now, this is not easy for me. It's not easy, because I recognize that in a genuine peace, we'll be required to give up parts of the ancestral Jewish homeland. And you have to understand this: in Judea and Samaria, the Jewish are not foreign occupiers.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: We want to bring in Matthew Chance. He's in Jerusalem, just to get some reaction to the prime minister's speech there. Matthew, what did you hear?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Palestinian reaction, except for the stuff we have been hearing on CNN over the last couple minutes in (INAUDIBLE) to the United States. But clearly, there's not going to be enough in this speech by Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, that's going to make the vast majority of Palestinians I've been speaking to, many of them over the past couple of days, going to make them anymore believing in the idea that there's going to be some kind of negotiated settlement with Israel, with this prime minister in power.

He talked about the borders of a future Palestinian state and a future Israeli-Jewish state, as well. But he didn't appear to make any of the kind of compromises I think that the Palestinians would be looking for when it comes to settlement blocks for instance. Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear that those population centers that have been constructed on land, that was captured in the 1967 war, the Six-Day War, by Israel, would stay within the borders of a future Jewish state. That's not something that would necessarily be acceptable to the Palestinians in their negotiating position.

And that's, of course, before he even got to this central issue of this place behind me, the old city of Jerusalem. Benjamin Netanyahu again making the point that in his opinion and in the opinion of many Israelis as well, Jerusalem would remain united as the capital of the Israeli/Jewish state. And that's something that's going to obviously be a major sticking point in the future.

GORANI: All right. Matthew Chance in Jerusalem, thanks very much.

Dana Nash, senior congressional correspondent, is live on Capitol Hill with more on what's happening now.

So, Benjamin Netanyahu exited the chamber. What's going on now on Capitol Hill?

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Hala, now, he is going to meet with members of the congressional leadership, the Senate and the House, Democrats and Republicans. He's going to have a meeting. They're actually going to come out to the microphones, all of them, and talk to us, and then they're going to have a private lunch, just them.

And then the prime minister is going to stick around here in Congress. He is going to have another meeting with Jewish members of Congress.

So, you know, as we talked about beforehand and as we saw for lack of a better term, this was a love fest. This Congress now just as over the past many years has been incredibly pro-Israel, and you could see with, as you said, Hala, that more than two dozen standing ovations he got.

I was talking to a couple members of Congress about what really struck them the most. One told me that it was the idea that he talked about the Holocaust, saying we never forget, and we really mean it -- talking about the fact that Israel really has to protect itself from its neighbors who want to annihilate it.

But the other thing that I think was very clear in watching the members of Congress was the fact that he said that dealing with Hamas is like dealing with the Palestinian al Qaeda. Boy, did that resonate here in the United States Congress and it just bolsters that he -- the prime minister in Israel is getting from this Congress.

MALVEAUX: All right. Dana Bash, thank you so much.

We want to bring in our Brianna Keilar, very quickly, out of London, who is with President Obama. Is there any reaction there, any reaction? And did you hear any daylight between President Obama and what we heard from the prime minister?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Suzanne, no response yet. In fact, if you were watching President Obama here in London, you wouldn't have even had an indication that this speech was going on back in the United States. He visited a school with British Prime Minister David Cameron for sort of an education and innovation effort.

But even as there has been this rough spot between the prime minister and the president, and we're certainly going to be peppering Jay Carney, the press secretary, when he has a briefing here in London not too long from now. But even with this rough spot, I think you would hear the White House emphasize that the president is going to be dealing with this issue here, the Israeli/Palestinian peace process, as he talks to European allies, and also that he tried to go out of his way on Sunday to really assuage some of those concerns that Prime Minister Netanyahu has, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Thank you, Brianna. Appreciate it.

And we appreciate all our viewers for this CNN NEWSROOM special on that address by the Israeli prime minister.

GORANI: All right. Thanks very much. I'm going to be joining you in about half an hour for all our international viewers at the international desk. For now, I'm Hala Gorani. Thanks for watching.

MALVEAUX: I'm Suzanne Malveaux. And CNN NEWSROOM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: I'm Suzanne Malveaux. Want to get you up to speed on some of the day's other top stories.

Missouri's governor now confirms that 118 deaths, people dead in Joplin, with hundreds of people still missing. A tornado left parts of the town with a look of a Hollywood disaster movie. It now ranks as the deadliest tornado since record-keeping began back in 1950.

Crews are going house to house in Joplin today, looking for anyone trapped in their homes. So far, they have pulled 17 people from the tornado wreckage. One young man who is still missing is Will Norton. Tornado tore his seatbelt in two, yanked him through the sunroof of a Hummer. Will was driving home with his father after his high school graduation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRACEY NORTON, WILL NORTON'S AUNT: The Hummer was destroyed. It was in really, really bad shape. And so my family, we found it. So we went back today, and we have been searching with -- search and rescue team out of Tulsa, Oklahoma with their dogs. And my son found this in the car. And this is actually his cap.

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "AC360": He had just graduated.

NORTON: He had just graduated within 30 minutes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Mark Norton got trapped in that twisted Hummer, and he is reported to be in stable condition today.

Well, the people of Joplin are simply stunned by the devastation they are finding. The tornado wiped some 2,000 homes and businesses off their foundations, turned them into splinters. One woman says split-second decisions made the difference between life and death.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is my grandmother's car right here. It was parked across the street, which now you can see what it looks like now. So that's where she is just so lucky to be alive right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And this is -- she was just getting ready to leave and get in her car and take off.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. She told me she got very scared and she was about to walk out the door until this lady told her not to go outside. She was going to try to get home before the storm hit, and she was actually walking out the door, and a lady grabbed her and told her no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: The tornado shredded the roof and walls of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Joplin. But it left the cross standing on top of the building. The priest survived by taking cover in a bathtub in the church rectory.

And the mayor of Joplin urged people to keep the faith. Even using a bit of colorful language, probably not appropriate for the church.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR MIKE WOLLSTON, JOPLIN, MISSOURI: This is just not the type of community that's going to let a little F-4 tornado kick our ass. So we will rebuild, and we will recover.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: This is what President Obama will see when he travels to Joplin on Sunday. He is going to go to Missouri the day after he returns from his working trip to Europe. And the president spoke today about this from London.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The American people are by your side. We're going to stay there until every home is repaired, until every neighborhood is rebuilt, until every business is back on its feet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: President Obama is in Great Britain for a state visit hosted by Queen Elizabeth. He received a 41-gun salute on his arrival at Buckingham Palace. That earlier today. The Obamas will spend the night at the palace.

Well, flooding from the lower Mississippi river is targeting Butte LaRose, Louisiana today. A mandatory evacuation took effect just minutes ago. The small town is in the path of the Morganza Spillway, which was open to cut flooding in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Floodwaters have been slow to reach Butte LaRose, and most of the 800 residents left two weeks ago.

Aviation experts say that gritty volcanic ash from Iceland will cover the entire British Isles by the end of the day. Now, this cloud forced airlines to cancel 252 flights today. Most routes are between Scotland and northern Ireland. And so far, this eruption has not caused the kind of problems another volcano did when it blew last spring.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT OLAFUR RAGNAR GRIMSSON, ICELAND: If the ash goes up in the air and might go to other countries, as you were just mentioning. But listening to you describing to what's happening in the United States, we can be blessed here in Iceland that this hasn't really caused any damage to the people. But, of course, great difficulty to the farmers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: There may be more severe weather on the way for Joplin. Our own Chad Myers has more on the weather that is headed for that tornado-ravaged city.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Here's your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. Today's question: are Republicans right to radically change Medicare? Our Carol Costello with that question. Hey, Carol, good to see you.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: "Talk Back" is better late than never! So here goes!

We have demanded our politicians to be more fiscally responsible. Quit spending willy-nilly and for goodness' sake, tell the truth. If entitlements are what's adding to our deficit, fix them!

Republican Paul Ryan is trying. He wants to radically reshape Medicare by privatizing it. In other words, instead of funding Medicare, the government would help elderly Americans buy private insurance. Critics say that would mean no more guaranteed coverage for seniors. Those on the liberal left go a step farther.

(VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: I know, it's awful. What is this, Medi-scare? This year's version of death panels and quote, "Obama care"? You remember the backlash from that caused the Democrats to lose the House in 2010. That ad, as vile as it might be, well, it has staying power.

In one conservative New York district, New York 26, a Democrat may just win a traditionally Republican House seat in a special election. The reason? The Republican candidate support's Ryan's Medicare plan. Some political analysts say New York 26 is a sign of pending Republican doom. Others say Republicans are engaging in a much-needed dialogue.

So our "Talk Back" question today, are Republicans right to radically change Medicare? Facebook.com/carolCNN. Facebook.com/carolCNN. I'll read your responses in a couple minutes.

MALVEAUX: That was a very, very jarring and shocking commercial there.

COSTELLO: It's all over the Internet.

MALVEAUX: Really?

COSTELLO: Oh, yes. And people don't like it. But as you know, sometimes the more vile the political ad, the more staying power it has.

MALVEAUX: OK. Thank you, Carol. Can't wait to hear what folks have to say about that one.

COSTELLO: Sure.

MALVEAUX: We've got more on the deadly tornado up next. Our own CNN's T.J. Holmes is in Joplin, Missouri with an amazing story of survival.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Suzanne, I want the viewers -- you have to stick around after the break. Because just off the camera, I am watching a woman right now in tears. Her husband is still alive today because he did something that goes against what he usually does, which is ignore the tornado siren. A lesson that everybody needs to hear that could save your life. Because it saved his. That's after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM ROGERS, TORNADO SURVIVOR: It probably wasn't 15 seconds after we entered the bathroom underneath the stairwell that we took cover that the flights began to flicker. And then we started to hear the freight train that people describe that actually happens.

OLIVIA ROGERS, TORNADO SURVIVOR: I was very scared. I thought me and my dad were going to be gone. But we lived through that terrible tornado.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVUEAX: Unbelievable. So far, rescue crews have pulled 17 people alive from the rubble out of the tornado in Joplin, Missouri. And also, emerging from the devastation, we've got some amazing stories of survival.

And our own T.J. Holmes, he is there in Joplin. T.J., you've talked to an individual, and you have his story. Tell us what happened.

HOLMES: Suzanne, I have heard this story time and time again, since we have been in Joplin. People who say. It's Joplin, it's the Midwest. We get tornado warnings and watches all the time. We hear the sirens, and we just keep going about our business. Rick Morgan did the same thing for most of his life.

Would that be fair to say? Why do you ignore these sirens?

RICK MORGAN, TORNADO SURVIVOR: I don't know. Just, you know, they go off, and it's like, you know, tornado never comes, it seems like. And so we have a little storm shelter in our house, and, you know, I can't tell you how many times -- only got a four-foot ceiling so it's kind of uncomfortable going down there. And my wife and kids go would go down there, and I would stay up and watch the storm and say if it's really bad, I'll go down there. But.

HOLMES: Rick, will you admit right now, and forgive the language, but that's a pretty stupid thing to do.

MORGAN: It's more than stupid. It's more than stupid.

HOLMES: OK. Now let's get what happened to you.

MORGAN: I'm sorry, I'm about to cry now.

HOLMES: No, no, no, really. But you're at a place now -- Sunday -- I doubt you'll ever ignore another siren.

MORGAN: No.

HOLMES: Sir, how close were you to ignoring it? This time?

MORGAN: Well, let me tell you what happened. It was the day before my birthday; my birthday was yesterday. And my kids were going to take me out for dinner, and so I left church a little early to go home and make sure our dog got let out --

HOLMES: You knew the weather was getting bad.

MORGAN: They already had tornado watches. Let us know we were under a tornado watch, which means it's already sighted, not a tornado warning. But a watch.

HOLMES: But you decide -

MORGAN: But the sirens hadn't gone, so I'm driving home and thinking it's just going to be another thing. And I think, well maybe I should get some milk. So I stop at the store, Dylan's Store on 20th Street here, on my way home and, you know, it's raining a little bit and the wind is blowing a little bit. And --

HOLMES: But you get in and the sirens go off.

MORGAN: I get into the store and the sirens go off and the store manager says, you know, everyone who's in the store, you need to go back to the produce cooler, right now, because the sirens are going off. Well, instead, you know, following my MO, instead of going back to the produce cooler, I think, well, I'll just drive home.

HOLMES: He's telling you the tornado siren is going off --

MORGAN: Yes.

HOLMES: And you still want to get in the car and drive off?

MORGAN: That's what I wanted to do.

HOLMES: So what made you stay?

MORGAN: I got to the door and he said, you can't go out there. And he opened the door and people literally -- some -- like four people came -- ran screaming into the store. Already at this point I guess the wind was so high and the debris was probably cutting them to pieces. They ran screaming into the store. I mean when I saw what was out there, it's like, oh, this is the real thing. This is not, you know -- and the thing is, we had, from that point, just a minute before destruction came. Maybe two at the most. We all just ran back to this produce cooler. And there was probably 35, 40 of us crammed into this little tiny probably 6 x 10 foot space.

HOLMES: There's not much left of that grocery store. So what would have happened if you had got in that car and done what you normally do and ignore sirens?

MORGAN: I would be dead. Without a doubt, I would be dead. So, anyway. I -- we all crammed into this little produce cooler. And then, you know, people have asked me numerous times, you know, what was it like? What did it sound like? You know you always hear people say it sounded like a freight train. I don't remember the sound. I mean I just don't. I'm sure there was some huge roar.

What I remember is, like, Armageddon. I mean it's like -- like everything you think is, like, real and solid is suddenly -- everything is like blowing up. As we stood, the door was open on the produce cooler and looking into the rest of the store, and it just exploded. I mean, and everything is flying everywhere, and there's just -- I mean, I don't have words to describe it. I've told people that it's like -- have you ever woke up from a really bad nightmare and then later on you remember it and it's like, oh, it's just a dream.

HOLMES: Well, Mr. Morgan, this is why we wanted to have you on because I'll admit I have been guilty of the same thing and I've heard the stories from many people here. And, Suzanne, I'll bring you in here and hand it back to you. But so many people say we just ignore the sirens. We get them in Georgia all the time. You hear them and you go back to sleep.

MORGAN: Yes.

HOLMES: This man right here, who's on, Mr. Morgan, is a testament to why you should stop ignoring the tornado siren.

MORGAN: Yes.

HOLMES: He's still here. His wife is walking around right now in tears, Suzanne, seeing some of this for the first time herself. And her -- she wasn't even in town when all this was happening. She couldn't get a hold of him. And he's been literally watching TV sometimes while the siren goes off. I'm not here to get on to you. I'm guilty, too. But still, it's a good story to hear, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Yes, we're so glad you're OK.

MORGAN: (INAUDIBLE).

MALVEAUX: All right.

MORGAN: I mean you hear it as a platitude of perspective. It's like, I'm a computer programmer of a business now (ph) which has been laid off and it's like I've been discouraged and it's like, you know, I am -- I mean this so puts things in perspective, you know? I mean I am -- I mean I know people who have lost their homes. Our home wasn't hit. And I'm so thankful. And I know my kids and my family, they would be happy if our home was destroyed and I was alive. So I will go down to the basement the next time the siren goes off.

HOLMES: Mr. Morgan. Mr. Morgan.

Suzanne, let me hand it back to you. But thank you for allowing us to bring you that story again and important for people to hear, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right, thank you. Thank you so much, T.J.

Our own Chad Myers is joining us with the outlook for later today.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes.

MALVEAUX: You're talking about bad weather in Missouri, Midwest, some other folks. What's the outcome here?

MYERS: Sirens will go off today. And they will go off for big reasons. For real reasons. We will have significant tornadoes today from Kansas through Oklahoma and Texas and even into Missouri. And the people there that are trying to recover -- now, they have a lot of loose boards. You have to understand this. This is kind of a situation where a 40 to 50 mile per hour storm could significantly impact those people that are in Joplin in that tornado zone.

Forty mile per hour winds will pick up everything that's already demolished. OK, it won't take a shingle off a real house, but there aren't any real houses left in some of that stuff. If you are in that area, you think you're going to clean up and you see a storm coming in Joplin, you need to get away from that damaged area, period. That's all I have to say on that one. That's all I got.

Right now, a couple storms coming into Kansas City from the west. Could be a little bit of wind there. Forty, 50, 60 miles per hour. Also into parts of West Virginia, into Kentucky, Tennessee.

The big story, though, will be parts of Oklahoma and Texas. Let me get rid of this map and I will show you the severe threat. It is big. It is important. And these tornadoes will be huge today. Kansas City, all the way back down west of Oklahoma City, down to Dallas, Texas, Little Rock and that's our little Joplin, Missouri, right there. Right in the middle of all this. They will fire about 4:00 or 5:00, 6:00, 7:00, 8:00, 9:00, 10:00 and they will be big. Some of these tornados could be, again, F-3s, F-4s. Two hundred miles an hour. It's that type of day. This is a big tornado day. I know we don't need it, but it's here. Get ready.

MALVEAUX: All right, Chad, thank you.

MYERS: You're welcome.

MALVEAUX: Thank you very much for the warning.

To find out more on how you can help those who have been devastated by the tornados in Missouri, go to cnn.com/impact. And there you're going to find all the organizations, all the different ways that you can help those folks who are in need. That is cnn.com/impact.

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MALVEAUX: This just in. We're getting some news from our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr. A Pentagon spokesman now saying that that stealth U.S. chopper, that helicopter that was used in the raid to kill Osama bin Laden, has arrived now in the United States. Arrived over the weekend. But we now have official confirmation that that stealth helicopter, state of the art, as well as full of some secrets, as well, which was in Pakistan, was clipped during that raid to kill bin Laden, is now in U.S. custody on the grounds, on U.S. soil. That was something that the administration had been asking Pakistani officials to comply with. And that has finally been done. So now that stealth chopper back in U.S. hands.

It's Election Day for New York's 26th congressional district and Medicare is a top issue, even ahead of budget and jobs. Well, that brings us to today's "Talk Back" question and Carol.

Carol, what are we learning?

COSTELLO: Yes, a very conservative district could elect a Democrat all because of Medicare. Our today's "Talk Back" question, are Republicans right to radically change Medicare?

This from Marc. "Yes, it's way past the time that people can just say that a proposal is wrong without any proposal of their own."

This from Belinda." There are tens of millions of Americans that are being thrown off the cliff when it comes to paying for medical care. It's not just the elderly, but now they are going to be abandoned also."

This from Candy. "Politicians should be obligated to do what serves the country, not just their own self interest. Medicare needs to be changed. Social Security needs to be changed. Politicians need to demonstrate courage rather than self preservation." This from One-simus. "The last time I checked, Republicans had absolutely no problem spending billions in wars and freeing people around the world, supporting schools and health care, hearts and minds programs, in Afghanistan and Iraq, but when it comes to the people who pay for it, the American electorate, they say (EXPLETIVE DELETED) off. Don't even mention veterans. This hypocrisy blows my mind."

And this from Chris. "Would it be possible to go back to 1967 prices for medical coverage?"

Please continue the conversation, facebook.com/carolcnn and thanks, as always, for your comments.

MALVEAUX: Thanks. Nice to see you, Carol.

COSTELLO: Sure.

MALVEAUX: After the show, tornado survivors. They're telling their own stories in their own words.

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MALVEAUX: We're hearing some amazing stories of survival following the deadliest single tornado to hit this country since record keeping even began some 60 years ago. Here are some of the accounts. These are survivors in their own words.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unbelievable. That's -- just not much else you can say to explain it. It's hard to believe.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was on the highway and turned off on to the interstate and I was trying to get underneath an overpass, trying to get some sort of protection and stuff. We started seeing debris flying around. And then we saw this whole just wall of debris coming right at us.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was trapped in a bathroom because all the dining room furniture came in. And -- because I thought it was buried. It was a very, very long tornado.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was, you know, really just starting off with hail. I'm used to that. And then it just went insane afterwards.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The winds were so strong, it made my ears pop. I mean my ears kept popping. The force, you know, the suction of it, I mean it literally lifted up the ceiling and it dropped it back down on us.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I had a few minutes warning. I've never taken any of the warnings seriously. But something snapped in me. And I put blankets and pillows in the bathroom. And we were running to the bathroom. You could hear the home shaking. Everything busting out. We got down. He was between me -- Zack was hunched over us. And we were just, you know, praying, screaming, and, you know, it was very loud. And it all happened so fast.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm 22 years old. I have a wife and two kids, 14-month-old. We lost everything in the tornado. We're just trying to salvage what we can and make the best of it. We've got family that are helping us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's indescribable. I don't know what to say.