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More Tornado Weather Today; Heartbreak and Hope in Joplin, Missouri; John Edwards May Face Charges; Witness Says Casey Anthony Was a Good Mother; Cleaning Up a Disaster
Aired May 25, 2011 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: The afternoon is heating up and new tornados are breaking out. This is Johnson County, Kansas. Take a look, video shot just moments ago. I want to get straight to CNN's Chad Myers so he can tell us exactly what's happening there -- Chad.
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Thank you. There may have been some brief touchdowns of very small tornados, maybe even gustnados, as we call them. There's not a major EF4 tornado over Kansas City. I know the sirens are blaring and you should be inside, you should get away from windows and get inside your house, get inside the smallest room and stay there for the next 20 minutes. That's all I'm asking, just stay away from it in case a tornado comes down.
We've been watching this video from KMBC for about 30 minutes now. I haven't seen anything that really that alarms me. There's been some of what we call scud. Scud kind of hangs down from the cloud, it can look like a funnel, but in fact it's not. It just hangs out as rapidly rising air into the thunderstorm.
We'll keep watching it all day long. There will be many tornados today, whether this produces one or not, Kansas City, you're under the gun for right now. I think probably over Raytown has a better chance here, another cell to the east, now this is Kansas City, Kansas. Here's Kansas City, Missouri, and there's Raytown here, Independence, as it travels from south to north today.
An odd direction from these -- for these storms here, but there may be some rotation here east of Raytown and there will be rotation throughout the rest of the afternoon from Nebraska, through Kansas and Missouri, back all the way down -- maybe even into eastern Oklahoma, certainly Arkansas, Memphis, St. Louis. Another high risk day for the potential for very large, damaging, deadly tornados.
Now is not really the time for the big-time tornados, we need more sunshine, need some more heat, need some more energy in the atmosphere. In a couple of hours, it'll all come together. Everything in the recipe will be there today, again, for another big tornado day.
KAYE: All right, Chad, we heard that warning loud and clear, thank you.
And at this time yesterday, Oklahoma was in the high-risk zone and that risk was realized many times over. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unbelievable. It's right here. It's a killer tornado! An absolutely killer tornado that's now crossing -- it's going to be crossing I-40 here shortly!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How you coming there?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got another -- sorry, we've got another tornado on the ground, but we're going to have to get out of here, guys. We cannot stay around here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Multiple vortex -- multiple vortex tornado on the ground. Where's the location as we're looking back there towards the south?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's an extremely large and dangerous tornado here by Canton, Oklahoma. Very large.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: We know of at least 10 people killed in Oklahoma, five more in Arkansas and Kansas, and that brings the human toll of this horrible tornado season to about 500, the most in almost 60 years. Two of the Oklahoma victims were children, siblings and a three-year-old from the same family is still missing.
I have to show you how capricious tornadoes can be. You see this pool? A tornado reportedly dropped a horse into that pool unharmed while smashing part of the house. And when we zoom in, you can see the horse is back on dry ground, still alive and still in one piece.
And we're still watching the torturous process of trying to find the hundreds of residents of Joplin, Missouri who have been unaccounted for. One hundred twenty-five people are known to have lost their lives in this single deadliest tornado to hit this country in decades. CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is there. And Jacqui, what is it looking like around you right now?
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, very different scene from yesterday in terms of we really switched to a clean-up mode in this location. You can see behind me, this was a residential area and all of that whole grassy area -- this entire area was filled with debris, and now, they're collecting these piles, the bulldozers are out, they're out here with chain saws trying to clean up this area and keep things safe for residents who are trying to come in and go through the pieces.
And it's just incredible, the things that we're finding in some of this debris as well. Residents have been trying to come out, we just saw a person who came up here to see their car for the first time. Their car was here and it's -- there's literally nothing left of that car as well.
The search and rescue efforts are ongoing, that's the big focus today. We were able to get into residential areas back here yesterday. Well, as of today, they say we don't want any people in there, we don't want any media in there any longer because now they have to focus to try and find anybody who might still be trapped in the rubble.
And if you can see around me, it's starting to rain again here, Randi. No tornados, no severe weather expected, but this rain is making everything wet and making those search and rescues very, very difficult for people. There has been some good news. There's a church down the way, the cross is still standing, nobody was in it except for the 70-year-old pastor of the church who rode out the storm in the bathtub.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. JUSTIN MONAGHAN, PRIEST, ST. MARY'S CATHOLIC CHURCH: I got in the bathtub, face down, try to cover my head and I heard this noise and I thought, oh, what is happening? I laid there, I just prayed and said, if thy will be done and I decided to wait until the end of the noise and then I opened that door and everything was black, it was all covered there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JERAS: And Father Monohan there said he couldn't even be found. The rescue people who came to find him had to pick -- he had to pick up a piece of wood like this and stick it into the air, he was so covered in that debris. And it took them a long time to peel off all these pieces and move wires to get him out safely and believe it or not, he got out of there without a scratch.
But we've also heard devastating stories today, Randi, including one of a worker at the Pizza Hut who took all of his employees, put them in a cooler in a safe place and then he put himself into a less safe place and unfortunately, that 27-year-old Navy SEAL did not make it out of there alive.
KAYE: Terrible story. All right, Jacqui, thank you so much for bringing us the latest from there, we'll check in with you later on.
And to find out more on how to help those devastated by the tornados, go to CNN.com/impact. Right there, you'll find all the organizations and ways that you can help those in need. Once again, that's CNN.com/impact.
Once the wonder boy of politics, John Edwards may soon face federal criminal charges. This case is tied directly with Edward's affair with Rielle Hunter. A federal grand jury in North Carolina has been investigating payments the former senator's campaign and supporters made to Hunter. Sources close to the investigation tell CNN that the justice department has cleared the way for prosecutors to charge the former North Carolina senator and presidential candidate.
So, I want to bring in Joe Johns who is following this case closely for us, and joins me now from Washington D.C. Joe, I want to retrace the trail here just a bit. Give us the "Reader's Digest" version, if you will, of how Edwards got here? From a presidential run to now facing jail time. JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well you know, the 30,000 foot view here is that Edwards was running for president, and he was also having a secret affair with Rielle Hunter, who happened to work for the campaign. Rielle Hunter was sort of a documentary filmographer, if you will, and she actually did real work for the campaign, and this affair begins, she gets pregnant. All the while so many people know, Elizabeth Edwards, the wife of John Edwards, was ill with cancer and eventually died. John Edwards took a lot of time to admit he was the father of the child that Rielle Hunter had.
Meanwhile, the accountability question running through all of this was whether a lot of money, perhaps up to a million dollars given by some very deep pocket contributors that actually was used to cover this thing up.
KAYE: Right. We're hearing details of wealthy donors sending checks hidden inside boxes of chocolates to Edwards' campaign. So I mean, how - so we're talking about possibly $1 million and did these donors know, Joe, where this money was ultimately going?
JOHNS: Well, it's some of this and some of that. One wealthy donor who was a philanthropist who was asked the question and said, no, she didn't know where the money was going. There was another wealthy donor who happened to be the finance chairman for the campaign of John Edwards who actually said he was contributing money to try to keep this affair quiet to some degree. He's deceased, by the way, and he basically said that he was doing it without the knowledge of John Edwards.
John Edwards also, of course, has said publicly that he didn't know that all of this was being done behind the scenes on his behalf and that's a critical question because it's against the law to knowingly take federal campaign funds and use them for some type of personal purpose. The question of course is did he not?
KAYE: And what kind of charges are we looking at?
JOHNS: Well, that's it, I mean we weren't inside the grand jury, we have no idea, absolutely, what the federal prosecutors asked questions about, but we do know that it's improper to convert campaign funds for personal use and that's probably about as far as you want to go. I don't want to start, you know, quoting the federal code on charges that haven't been filed yet.
KAYE: So, you're a -- I mean, you're a lawyer, Joe, how do you see this playing out? I mean, it seems like they're giving him a chance to try and come up with a plea here or face jail time?
JOHNS: Yes, well, I've been to law school, I'll say that. But what I can tell you is that the way this generally works out is prosecutors will go to a person and say, look, here's what we have and here's where we're headed, to court.
Now, you can take a plea or you can take your chances before a jury and a lot of prosecutors, of course, will say they get the most favorable outcome, if you will, before indictment. So, it's an opportunity for John Edwards to really think about whether he wants to play something like this out in public in a trial. And we're also hearing CNN sources have been telling us that he doesn't necessarily want to go that route beyond the guilt or innocence question because he's concerned about starting a law firm later and would lose his law license if he pleaded to a felony.
KAYE: All right, Joe Johns with the very latest on John Edwards. Thank you, Joe.
JOHNS: You bet.
KAYE: And we're also keeping our eye on a big legal case. A witness takes the stand today in Casey Anthony's murder trial, describing her as a good mother.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOSE BAEZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Did you ever see Caylee malnourished?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, sir.
BAEZ: Did you ever see Caylee neglected in any way?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, sir.
BAEZ: Did you ever see Casey strike Caylee at any time?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
BAEZ: Did you ever see Caylee teach -- I'm sorry, treat Caylee as if she were a burden or a negative.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, not at all.
BAEZ: All right, would you say she was a good mother?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I would.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sustained.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: More on what's happening in court today and the bombshells from the defense is coming next, and of course, we want to know what you think about the Casey Anthony trial, she's accused of killing her little girl. Join the conversation on our blog, CNN.com/Ali. And you can post on either Ali's or my Facebook and Twitter pages, let us know your thoughts on this case. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: It is day two of testimony in Casey Anthony's murder trial. The 25-year-old Florida mom is accused of killing her two-year-old daughter, Caylee, nearly three years ago. So, let's get right to what's happening in court today. "People" magazine staff writer Steve Helling joins me by phone from Orlando, where he is following this trial.
Steve, thanks for calling in.
Jurors heard today from former roommates of Casey Anthony's ex- boyfriend. She was living with them during the time that Caylee was missing. What did we learn from them?
STEVE HELLING, STAFF WRITER, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE (via telephone): You know, one thing that we learned was that there was really no difference in Casey's demeanor before and after Caylee's death. You know, they didn't know that Caylee was allegedly missing. They didn't see any difference. She wasn't sullen. She was happy.
KAYE: Was she just going about the normal business? I mean cooking, cleaning, whatever it is at the house?
HELLING: Cooking, cleaning, you know, saying that she was going to work, even though we know she didn't have a job. You know, doing all these types of things that was normal for her. So it was actually a big surprise to them when they found out that Caylee had, you know, disappeared and later, of course, that she had died.
KAYE: One of them, a guy named Clint House, said that Casey Anthony participated in this hot body contest at the club where he work during the time that Caylee was missing. Could you tell how that type of testimony and her behavior played with the jury and how important that is?
HELLING: I could. And, you know, it's really interesting to watch the juror's faces as they're learning these new details. I would say that the women of the jury looked a lot less impressed than the men did at that moment. A couple of them I saw shaking their heads, no. you know, just that she would be doing that type of activity while her daughter was missing and/or dead. So I think that it was actually very effective.
KAYE: It seems like it's sort of one bombshell after another and we're just getting started with this trial. Is there any chance that her brother is going to take the stand and might that be today?
HELLING: Well, he is on the witness list. And so we will see whether -- when that's going to happen. Right now the -- you know, it looks as though the prosecution is trying to kind of space out their bombshell witnesses. You know, the three that -- the four that went this morning weren't anybody who was all that explosive. But I am sure that to keep the jury's attention, they're going to bring somebody who has a lot to say very soon. And it may be Lee Anthony.
KAYE: I know that her father, George Anthony, took the stand yesterday. I want to listen to what he had to say when asked if he sexually abused his daughter, which the defense, as you know, has put out there to help explain Casey Anthony's odd behavior after her daughter disappeared. So let's listen to that and I have a couple more questions for you. HELLING: OK.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFF ASHTON, ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY: Have you ever sexually molested your daughter, Casey Anthony?
GEORGE ANTHONY, CASEY ANTHONY'S FATHER: No, sir.
ASHTON: Have you ever committed any sexually inappropriate act with or in the presence of your daughter, Casey Anthony?
ANTHONY: No, sir.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: I don't know if you could see that video, but in it Casey was shaking her head as if to suggest that her father wasn't telling the truth. I mean how do you think that went over with jurors?
HELLING: Well, you know, obviously creditability is going to be a big issue. And, unfortunately for Casey, she has a credibility problem. You know, she has told so many different lies and she acknowledges that she told many lies and her attorney acknowledges that. So they're going to really have to work hard to prove the allegations that she was molested. Right now I don't think the jury is buying what the defense is selling. But then again, it only takes one juror.
KAYE: And is it your feeling and has this started yet where the defense starts to attack the state's forensic evidence? Because there has been some trouble with that. They don't have certainly as much as they would like to have.
HELLING: Well, you know, forensics is going to play a big part in this. You know, the defense says that Caylee Anthony was never dead in Casey's trunk. And, you know, the prosecution, of course, says that they have all these forensic people who say that she was in the trunk.
KAYE: Right.
HELLING: So it's going to be a -- it is going to be a (INAUDIBLE) of the experts and we're going to see -- and that can get very confusing for the jurors who are hearing two different experts. But, you know, it would be great if there was a photo (ph) of the murder, but there isn't. So the next best thing is going by the scientific evidence. So we'll see what happens.
KAYE: All right, "People" magazine staff writer Steve Helling. Appreciate your expertise there as you watch this trial unfold. Thank you.
HELLING: Thanks. All right, thank you. Bye-bye.
KAYE: And we want to remind you, you can watch special coverage of Casey Anthony's trial all day on our sister network, HLN. You can also count on Nancy Grace to bring you up to speed on all of today's developments. That's tonight at 8:00 Eastern on HLN. Well, are you in the market for a used car? Get ready to dig deeper, much deeper in that wallet of yours. We will explain ahead in "Your Money."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back.
Buying a car just isn't what it used to be. In addition to tightened credit standards, there's new data showing used car prices have shot up considerably in just the past few years. Shoppers are finding it tougher to negotiate with dealers on price and, in some cases, it seems buying a new car is a money saving option. So, what is the deal? Peter Valdes-Dapena joins me now from New York.
What is fuelling the rise in prices?
PETER VALDES-DAPENA, CNNMONEY.COM: Well, really, it's good news for the economy. It means more people are out shopping. But really, when we talk about new cars, used car prices tend to track new car prices in terms of the direction they go. When new car prices start to go up, which they are now for a number of reasons, a lot of people shopping for a car will say, you know what, I can't afford a new car. I'm going to shop for a used car. That means more used car customers and that drives up the prices of used cars at the same time.
KAYE: So, have prices reached their peak, do you think, or is there worse to come?
VALDES-DAPENA: Well, they're probably at or near their peak right now. I talked to the people at Kelly Blue Book about this because I told them, look, we're telling people right now, this is not the best time. If you're in the market to buy a used car, this maybe isn't the best time to shop. Or a new car for that matter.
When should you go shopping? They said, late summer, early fall because a number of things are going to happen that are going to bring down new car prices. Japanese factories will be back up and running. Car companies will have their yearend specials when they try to get the old model year cars off the lot. That will make new cars cheaper. That will in turn make used cars cheaper.
KAYE: So when exactly then should we go car shopping?
VALDES-DAPENA: Really, right around that model year changeover, end of the summer, early fall, August, September time frame would be a good time to get back into the market the folks at Kelly Blue Book think because that's when prices for both new and used cars should start to soften a little bit.
KAYE: So with these prices, does that mean you have less room to negotiate because you know that's always every car buyer's favorite game to play with the car salesman?
VALDES-DAPENA: Yes, when prices are tight, what that's really telling us -- and, remember, when we talk about new car prices, that's exactly what we're talking about. We're not talking about sticker prices. We're talking about the price after someone negotiates for a car. And same thing, all used car prices aren't matters of negotiation. When prices are high, that means dealers and individuals aren't discounting as much as they used to. So, yes, there is less room for negotiation on that car.
KAYE: So we have high gasoline prices, high car prices. Boy, Peter, we're in great shape. We'll have to check back with you and maybe these prices will come down. Thank you.
And be sure to join Christine Romans for "Your Bottom Line" every Saturday morning at 9:30 Eastern. And don't miss "Your Money" with Ali Velshi Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. Eastern and Sundays at 3:00.
It is 25 minutes past the hour. Let's update our top stories right now.
More violent weather is possible today across the country's midsection. We've already had reports of tornados in Kansas this hour. At least 15 people have died in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kansas last night as a wave of twisters swept through the Midwest. The 2011 tornado season has shaped up to be the worst since 1953 with over 500 deaths blamed on tornados so far according to the National Weather Service.
The Justice Department's investigation of former U.S. senator and presidential candidate John Edwards might soon come to a resolution. A source with knowledge of the case says the possible outcomes from a grand jury investigation might include an indictment or a plea deal. The investigation focuses on payments made to his mistress, Rielle Hunter, from his presidential campaign and campaign donors. A former aide to Edwards claims that money was used to cover up the affair with Hunter, who later gave birth to Edwards' child.
Mark Kerrigan, brother of Olympian Nancy Kerrigan, has been acquitted of involuntary manslaughter of his father at the family's Massachusetts home in January last year. He was convicted, however, on a lesser charge of assault and battery. It took the jury about two days of deliberation to come to this decision. Sentencing is scheduled for Thursday.
President Obama continues his European trip. He addresses the British parliament and has another date, if you would like to call it that, with the queen. Ed Henry will give us all the details, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAYE: President Obama making a little history today, addressing the British parliament.
Senior White House correspondent Ed Henry joins me now from London.
Hey, Ed. There's been chatter that the president and British Prime Minister David Cameron don't really get along as well as Bush and Blair did. But they certainly seemed determined to show that they get along pretty well, don't they?
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I think they want to erase that chilly image, literally almost with the flame of a barbeque grill.
Today, they were flipping burgers together, if you can believe it. The context was that they were flipping burgers at a barbeque at 10 Downing for military families, U.S. and British troops serving so admirably in Afghanistan and Iraq, and also providing military power in Libya, among other places.
And so the bottom line is, look, we get along, we've got the shirt sleeves rolled up. But your Bush-Blair point is apt because they don't want to go quite that far. They both made the point today in a joint news conference that, whoa, whoa, wait a second, we're friends, we get along here.
But this is not Bush-Blair redox (ph) because on the camera inside, he doesn't want to be Obama's poodle as Blair was to Mr. Bush. And on the Obama side, he doesn't want it to be seen that he's rushing into military action in Libya or anywhere else, the way he believes Mr. Bush rushed into Iraq. And that's why at the news conference, Mr. Obama underscored we've got a broad, U.N. mandate in Libya unlike the previous guy. He never mentioned Mr. Bush, but -- the point was unmistakable. So they're walking a fine line. They're trying to show we're friends but we're not Bush and Blair.
KAYE: Yes. And speaking of that news conference. They certainly covered a lot of substance. You mentioned Libya. They made some news there and the Middle East peace process, as well.
HENRY: Yes. I think the bottom line is both men say look, we are going to stick it out in Libya as longs it takes to push Gadhafi out of power. They were both pretty firm on that.
On the Middle East peace process, what was interesting is that both men seemed determined to get that peace process, which is woefully off track, get it back on track and I found it most interesting that President Obama, while, you know, the White House is never going to say he's back peddling from last Thursday's Mideast speech, the fact of the matter is, when he got a question about you know, Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech on Capitol Hill yesterday and his stance being a hard line on Palestinian refugees, he had a chance to criticize the Israeli prime minister.
Not only did he not criticize the Israeli prime minister. But then he went out of his way to say, look, the Palestinians need to do a better job. They've got to step up here to get back to the table and he -- you know, they have obligations. And he also said if they're going to have a reconciliation deal with Hamas, Israel can't deal with them. That's really the Israeli talking points.
So I think if you watch closely and read between the lines, this president is determined to not get into another fight with the Israeli prime minister right now and instead, now after pushing the Israelis, push the Palestinians, Randi. KAYE: All right. Ed Henry, reporting from London.
Ed, thank you.
Elizabeth Smart faces her kidnapper. The end of her gruesome story of kidnapping and rape finally nears. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back. Thirty-five minutes past the hour. Let's check the latest headlines and other news that you may have missed.
In Canadian County, Oklahoma, emergency workers are searching for a three-year-old boy who's been missing since last night's tornado. A string of storms through Arkansas, Kansas, and Oklahoma killed at least 15 people last night, making this the deadliest tornado season since 1953. More tornados have been reported in Kansas and Missouri in the past hour.
In the meantime, the death toll from Sunday's tornado in Joplin, Missouri, now up to 125. The city was under a brief tornado warning last night. The severe weather delayed search efforts, but rescue teams were able to pull two more people from the rubble and those people were alive.
Former presidential candidate John Edwards may face criminal charges for allegedly using campaign donations to cover up his affair with Rielle Hunter. Sources close to the investigation say the Justice Department has authorized prosecutors to charge Edwards. This development follows a two-year federal grand jury investigation into Edwards and claims he or his supporters paid Hunter hundreds of thousands of dollars, possibly up to $1 million in campaign contributions to keep their affair and love child secret. An indictment could be avoided if prosecutors and Edwards' lawyers reach a plea deal.
Elizabeth Smart's kidnapper will be sentenced later today and Smart is expected to take the stand during the sentencing hearing. Brian David Mitchell, a homeless street preacher, was found guilty in December for abducting, raping and holding then-14 year-old Smart captive for nine months. Mitchell faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
A judge may decide less than an hour from now if Jared Lee Loughner is mentally competent to stand trial. The Arizona man faces multiple charges for allegedly shooting Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and killing six people in a mass shooting in January. Loughner was ordered to undergo a mental evaluation to help the judge make his ruling today.
Well, get ready to say good-bye today to Oprah Winfrey. Sort of good- bye. After 25 years, the talk show queen will sign off in her final daytime show. The final "Oprah Winfrey Show" audience included her boyfriend, Stedman Graham, filmmaker Tyler Perry and her fourth grade teacher. Winfrey says she has no regrets, saying her departure is all sweet and no bitter. Well, you've seen the powerful images out of Joplin, Missouri, of the widespread tornado damage that's killed and injured many people. Next, the health challenges that usually follow a storm like this one.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: It has not only been a historic tornado season, but a deadly one, too. The worst in nearly 60 years. More than 500 people have died and many more have been injured.
Our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us now to talk about the health challenges that come after a tornado.
So let's talk about what happened in Joplin. How -- what makes the difference between whether or not someone survives?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Number one, access to air. Right? If you're caught in a tornado and maybe you're buried under some rubble, some people have access to air and some people won't and that's the most important thing.
And secondary to that will be access to water because you can live for several days without water. And then after that, it would be whether you have a crush injury and whether any injuries you have get infected. So those are kind of the four things that people think about.
And in Joplin, there definitely has been some concern for water. I mean, clean water.
COHEN: That's right. Exactly. As a matter of fact, they're telling residents now to boil their water before drinking it.
KAYE: Is that enough?
COHEN: Yes. The things they're concerned that might have gotten into the water, boiling can take care of it. So that's why they're telling people to boil water.
KAYE: It's amazing because when you look at the pictures, you know, those are things you don't think about. You think about power, you think about electricity, but you don't think about water.
COHEN: Right. And you don't think about infections, and you don't think about things that are sort of less visible. You think about the kinds of things we're seeing now.
KAYE: Yes. And I also think about these people like we're seeing there, you know people who were there to help rescue and get through all of that rubble. They can be injured, as well, even as the clean- up efforts or even people who are trying to return to what might be left of their homes, right?
COHEN: Here's what people forget. They forget that about half of injuries in tornados come in the clean-up and the rescue phase.
KAYE: Really?
COHEN: Not in the tornado phase. And so, for example, a lot of people step on nails. They step on nails when they're rocking around which, left unattended, when they're walking around, which left unattended can get pretty dangerous. So people need to be really careful. They need to think about their footwear, they need to think about wearing masks because there's a lot of stuff, asbestos, and what not, that's been released into the air. So these are things that people need to think about as they're getting their lives back together.
KAYE: And power lines, too. I mean, we mentioned that a lot of the power is out, but, boy, those can be pretty deadly.
COHEN: That's really true.
KAYE: Even covering it as part of the media, you just -- you know, you're not prepared. You don't know what to look for --
COHEN: Right. You think the tornado's over, but the aftermath can be really dangerous.
KAYE: All right. Good information. Thank you, Elizabeth.
President Obama's tough new warning to Libya's Gadhafi. What he told the British parliament and the latest on NATO air strikes right after this quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: President Obama is warning Gadhafi there will be no letup in the campaign to force him from power. The president's tough new words came during a speech to the British parliament. He said the United States and Britain quote "Will not relent until the people of Libya are protected and the shadow of tyranny is lifted."
At a joint news conference earlier, British Prime Minister David Cameron echoed Mr. Obama's resolve saying that the two governments are looking at all options for turning up the heat on Gadhafi..
In Libya, NATO airstrikes pounded the Tripoli for a second day. The target again was the area around Gadhafi's compound. NATO says it's being used as a base for troops to attack Libyan civilians. Libyan government officials say NATO's goal is to kill Gadhafi.
Analysts say the conflict has bogged down into a virtual stalemate with rebel forces controlling the eastern country and government forces still in control for most of the west.
And in Yemen, a third day of heavy fighting between anti-government protesters and security forces. Take a look at this. You see demonstrators tearing down a poster of the President Saleh. In the capital of Sanaa today, hundreds of tribal forces occupied the government's news agency compound and the tourism ministry. They've also seized other ministry buildings. The tribe's leader recently joined with anti-government protesters demanding that the president stepped down as he has promised to do several times. More than 40 people were killed in fighting there yesterday. Saleh accused the tribal forces of trying to start a civil war, something he vows to prevent.
The latest round of fighting erupted Sunday when President Saleh once again backed out of an agreement to step down. The Obama administration is watching the developments slowly because of Yemen's role as a key U.S. ally in the fight against al-Qaeda.
In Pakistan, another deadly suicide attack in the northwestern city of Peshawar. A suicide bomber drove a car packed with explosives into a police station, killing seven police officers and wounding several others. The building was close to a Pakistani army facility and a U.S. consulate.
The Pakistani Taliban says it carried out the attack in revenge for the killing of civilians. A spokesman says Pakistani forces are killing civilians on instructions from the United States. Today's attack is the latest of several the Taliban say they've carried out in revenge for the killing Osama bin Laden by U.S. Navy SEALs back on May 2nd.
Forty-six minutes past the hour. A look now at our top stories.
President Obama doing something no other American president has done. Speaking to the British parliament in Westminster Hall. He's talked to assure his host and the rest of the world that U.S. and European influence remain as dominant as ever even as China and India assert themselves.
A judge may decide less than an hour from now if Jared Lee Loughner is mentally competent to stand trial. The Arizona man faces multiple charges for allegedly shooting Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and killing six people in a mass shooting in January. Loughner was ordered to undergo mental evaluation to help the judge make his ruling today.
So, what if I told you that you could peel away toxic waste and radiation? Just peel it away with just a little bit of spray. Yes, it could be true and happening now with our "Big I." And it's next.
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KAYE: Welcome back.
Devastating just doesn't seem like a strong enough word for what the people of Joplin, Missouri, are dealing with right now. The city manager says that the tornado split the town in half. A storm chaser in the area says parts of the city are unrecognizable.
Now, take a moment and imagine the massive cleanup for this area and all that debris that you are looking at. Beyond carting everything off in trucks, there is always a danger of chemical exposure of a cleanup of this magnitude. And think about Japan and their cleanup efforts from the tsunami, they not only have to worry about cleaning up debris, but also radiation.
One of the products used to clean up radiation in Japan is actually called Decon Gel. The manufacturers are based in Hawaii and Decon Gel has the consistency of hair gel, if you will.
And here to tell us much more about this is Eileen Zimmerman. She spoke to the inventor of this miracle goo.
Eileen, thanks for coming on the show. First of all, tell us a little bit about how this works.
EILEEN ZIMMERMAN, JOURNALIST, WRITER, EDITOR: Decon Gel is a gel that goes on as a gel over radioactive waste and hazardous waste to clean up a mess in the lab or anything with microscopic particles and it hardens and that it can just be rolled up and thrown away. So, it can encapsulate whatever is hazardous so that it doesn't leak or leech out, and that it stays and it lowers hazardous level of the waste and then it's just tossed out.
KAYE: So, you just spray it on or brush it on?
ZIMMERMAN: It's brushed on, and it can be brushed on almost any material, whether it's concrete or it's like a lab bench. It just goes on like a gel and it's spread very thin. It dries and it can be rolled up and folded and compressed and thrown out.
KAYE: And what sort of hazardous waste that this gel can actually clean up?
ZIMMERMAN: Well, in Japan, it's helping to clean up the radioactive waste, but it can be used for any kinds of hazardous waste, like the Department of Energy has used it in their lab to clean up beryllium. And it can only also be used in anything that's toxic. It was used to clean up, there was a problem in western Hungary with a village that had an alkali sludge, and they had to clean up alkali with it, which can burn your skin on contact. So, that went down and cleaned that up -- anything like that, anything that is dangerous or toxic to be around.
KAYE: And from what I understand, this is actually discovered by accident. How did that happen?
ZIMMERMAN: Well, the CEO of the company is Hank Wuh, who is in Honolulu. And he has a venture, capital and technology acceleration firm called Skai Ventures and they have a team of scientists and they work on various project, and they were working with some gels on something unrelated to this, and overnight, some of the gel fell from the lab table on to the floor, they paint it in the morning, they cleaned it up and they found out that the floor underneath was completely pristine white, just completely white and they tried to match the floor around it by scrubbing it, and cleaning up and they couldn't, and so, Hank Wuh says that's when they realized that they had something there that was unique.
KAYE: Yes, what a lucky discovery that was. I would imagine that this is a pretty hot product. Can you -- do you have any idea who is expressing interest in it already?
ZIMMERMAN: Well, according to the Hank Wuh, he just says that the entire world is calling now, especially since the unfortunate situation in Japan. But lots of countries are interested in it because -- those that are worried about terrorist activity that might use radioactive or hazardous waste, but also, any like universities or hospitals that have radioactive or hazardous waste that needs to be cleaned up. Almost any industry that deals with radioactive or hazardous waste is interested in what CBI Polymers and Decon Gel has to offer.
So, he feels that it's pretty limitless. Also, countries and organizations that want to stock up and be prepared for environmental disasters like what happened in Japan or --
KAYE: Yes. When we were talking about this in our morning editorial meeting, we all thought it was pretty cool. But a lot of us wondered, are there any toxins left behind once you use something like this? Or is it -- I mean, is there anything in this Decon Gel or anything like that? Or is it completely clean and good to go?
ZIMMERMAN: You know, they tell me it is completely safe, and what's really, really great about it is that it completely encapsulates whatever it's designed to clean up. So unlike if you're cleaning up radioactive waste with water and soap, you know, you have to contain the water, and that's really hard to do and it's really heavy. But with this, it's completely contained, it won't leach out, and also, it can be compressed because with hazardous and radioactive waste, one of the biggest problems is -- one of the biggest costs is disposing of it by volume.
So, this really reduces the volume enormously and because nothing can leak out, it reduces the level of -- the hazardous level of the waste.
KAYE: Well, it is certainly fascinating. Eileen Zimmerman, thank you for explaining all of that to us, and I love that it was discovered by accident. I just think that's great. Appreciate your time today, Eileen.
ZIMMERMAN: Thanks a lot.
KAYE: And to get more information on the Decon Gel, and to read Eileen's entire article on the product, you can head to our blog CNN.com/Ali.
Sarah Palin starring in a new movie? Details next in our political update.
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KAYE: Time now for CNN political update.
CNN deputy political director Paul Steinhauser joins me now from Washington.
And, Paul, Democrats won a seat in New York state that had really been considered a safe bet for Republicans.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes. You're talking about a local election that's really been in the national spotlight and we're talking about New York 26. This was vacant seat of the Republican congressman up there, Chris Lee, a little bit of scandal and resigned earlier this year, and it is a district the Republicans have dominated for a long time.
But there were three candidates in this race and the Democrat edged out the Republican last night by about six percentage points to win.
The Republicans are saying, you know what, the reason the Democrat won up here in this district where we normally dominate, they say, is because there was that third party candidate, Davis, who is a former Democrat. He was running as a so-called Tea Party candidate.
But Democrats, Randi, they say this was all about Medicare. They were really pushing the issue in the election and they were tying the Republican candidate to Budget Chairman Paul Ryan and his plan. His plan that has been passed by the House which would alter Medicare for those under 55 years old.
I was talking to Democratic strategists this morning, and they are saying, you know what, expect to see that strategy in elections to come, Randi.
KAYE: Well, let's talk about the 2012 GOP field that we know it's certainly not set, and I understand we have another hints that Sarah Palin may be interested in running for president.
STEINHAUSER: Yes, this is fascinating. What we are talking about here is a movie -- a movie that was made by a conservative filmmaker that's going to be premiering next month. Where is it going to premiere? In Iowa.
KAYE: Oh, of course, it is.
STEINHAUSER: Iowa, of course -- the state that kicks off the primary caucus calendar.
Here's the back story. Some good reporting on this on the CNN "Political Ticker." Last year, Sarah Palin reached out to this conservative filmmaker and asked him to make a series of videos that would recapture her as spirit a maverick that we heard so much about back in 2008 when she was the vice presidential nominee for the GOP. He went a step further and made this movie, got a lot of back -- a lot of access to Sarah Palin and her friends. We'll see.
Listen, it was just the other day, that she said she still has fire on her belly when it comes to campaign politics, we will see if this is another hint that maybe, maybe Sarah Palin still wants to run for the Republican presidential nomination -- Randi.
KAYE: Maybe. All right, Paul.
STEINHAUSER: Maybe.
KAYE: Thank you. Appreciate it.
STEINHAUSER: Thank you.
KAYE: And your next update from "The Best Political Team on Television" is just an hour away.
