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Tornadoes Hit Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky; New Storm Warnings; Romney's Road Ahead; Can Taking Sleeping Pills Shorten Your Life?; Monkees Singer Davy Jones Dies at 66; Deadly Storms Take Aim at Southeast
Aired February 29, 2012 - 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: And, hello, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye.
We begin now with deadly storms roaring across the Midwest. We've got full coverage of the hard-hit areas and the incredible destruction as tornado watches and warnings continue.
Right now we've confirmed at least seven people dead, scores injured. Ground zero at the moment may be in Illinois where a twister devastated the city of Harrisburg early this morning, killing at least five people and injuring about 100 others. As many as 300 homes and businesses were either destroyed or damaged. Downed power lines and trees litter the streets there. Just a short while ago, we heard from the mayor.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
ERIC GREGG, MAYOR, HARRISBURG, ILLINOIS: So evidently, there was several minutes before it actually did hit after the sirens went off. I mean, we're very fortunate, we've got a good system in place that we do have an early warning detection system. So, we still have some time. But still, even given that, I mean, the way this came through and where it hit at, it just - it was utter - it just complete - you know, just - it tore everything up in its path. It was devastating.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
KAYE: And these pictures that you're going to look here show the massive damage in the small town of Harveyville, Kansas. That's about 20 miles from Topeka, destroyed sand damaged homes, trees uprooted, you can see it all there, power lines down as well. And take a look at this. A twister captured on film by a storm chaser in Kansas. Similar scenes of widespread destruction in parts of Missouri where two people died. Joining me now is reporter Wendell Edwards of KOCO T.V. He's live from Branson, Missouri for us. Right now, Wendell, do me a favor and set the scene for us there. How bad is the damage?
WENDELL EDWARDS, CORRESPONDENT, KOCO T.V.: You know, Randi, it's pretty bad. Take a look right over here at what's going on. This is a vitamin and health food store. People are just now assessing the damage and trying to clean up and see exactly what's left. What we can tell you, though, storms did rip through this main part of Branson, Missouri. This is the entertainment district, the main strip. A lot of theaters were here, a lot of plazas. As we pan over, you can see the quilt store, the fabric store, the top of that, too, just ripped off. We don't know of any injuries here or anybody that has been severely hurt but we just got here and are trying to assess exactly what's happening.
What we can tell you, they have closed down Highway 76. Again, this is the main strip here in Branson. A lot of theaters, a very tourist attraction, to say the least. And this is just a week or so before spring break starts, so thankfully a lot of people weren't here.
But they want to clean this up before the height of their season starts, just before the summer. As you can see behind me, people are cleaning up. There are several state troopers and people down here trying to assess exactly what is going on. We are here, too, trying to talk to people who survived these terrible, terrible storms - Randi.
KAYE: And Wendell, as I see people going through the devastation there, are they still searching for survivors under some of this rubble?
EDWARDS: Randi, they are not searching for survivors. We had heard - again, not confirmed yet, about 30 people may have had some minor injuries, but no people reportedly killed, at least here in Branson, Missouri. It really has been confined to the main entertainment district. There is a strip here of several theaters. You know, mini country music stars who come here to have many of their shows. It's like a second Nashville, so to speak, only it's in the Midwest here in Missouri. But we do not know of any search and rescue going on right now. All we know is assessing damage, cleaning up, picking up the pieces, as the cliche goes.
KAYE: And just very quickly, how about the warnings? I mean, we heard from some of the other people in other states just how quickly this storm impacted their area. Was there a warning? Were people able to get out of the way of this storm there?
EDWARDS: From what we understand, there was. But you have to keep in mind, the storm came in the middle of the night, shortly before 1:00 a.m., when most people were asleep. So, if there was a warning, again which we're told there was, many people were asleep and didn't even hear it or didn't even see it until by the time the storm had already blown through. So, then they woke up trying to assess exactly what happened.
We heard that it also did hit a subdivision maybe about half a mile or so off the strip, too. We're going to take our eyes and cameras over there. We understand one family (ph) was actually in their bedroom where they have a storm shelter and that's where they were able to get in it before the tornado hit, without any warning for them from what we're understanding. So, that's what we're trying to find out here, Randi. It seems to be pretty devastating but again, as they say, it would be much worse. KAYE: All right. Wendell Edwards there reporting from our affiliate, KOCO. We want to go now to a live press conference. We're listening to the mayor of Harrisburg, Illinois with KOCO. He's speaking live with our affiliate there. Let's listen in.
(BEGIN LIVE SPEECH)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (live): Along with municipalities and that for helping with the cleanup over here in Garrison City.
GREGG: We've got mine rescue teams on site, the neighboring coal mines that have sent their rescue teams here. We've gotten support from up and down the state and probably from other states as well. So I mean, everybody is kind of coming to us as they did in Joplin, Missouri, when that horrific event happened there.
I mean, we're, unfortunately, in that -- not to the tune -- not to the -- I guess to the level of that, but still, it's just heartbreaking to see what we've got going on here in Harrisburg. And I would just ask everyone to keep us in your thoughts and prayers and not only today but in the days ahead for us and keep the ones that - you know, the families that have lost loved ones and those that are injured in your thoughts and prayers, first and foremost.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, Mayor, thank you very much. We wish you well. And of course , we'll stay in touch with you as this recovery effort continues here in Harrisburg. Once again, as you heard Mayor Gregg, relying upon a lot of outside entities to help with this recovery here in Harrisburg --
(END LIVE SPEECH)
KAYE: All right. You've been listening there to a brief interview with our affiliate, that is the mayor of Harrisburg, . That was mayor Eric Gregg.
Let's check in now with CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras, she has the latest on the tornado threat and some new warnings. Jacqui, was this the same storm that has actually hit many of these states?
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, it's the same storm system, that's for sure, Randi, but not the same individual storm cell that we're talking about. But we have seen storms train or repeat themselves and redevelop over some of the same areas.
You're looking at Kentucky here. Here's Louisville, here's Evansville, Indiana, where some damage has occurred. And now we're talking about central parts of Kentucky, and we have two active warnings as we speak, both of which are we what we call Doppler radar indicated tornadoes, but this one is heading towards a very populated area of Bowling Green, Kentucky. So, we're seeing a lot of lightening with this storm. We don't have a real major rotating signature on it, or we would get a little icon on that one. But it could drop down at any given time right now.
And this storm that we're talking about right now, this is Clay City, Kentucky, and Stanton, Kentucky. We've got major rotation on this storm which is heading your way, so a warning in effect on this storm, by the way. And just to put it into perspective, there you can see Lexington as well. So, the danger remains very heightened at this hour.
Randi, we have a new watch to talk about. All of the old boxes haven't been expired and we're talking about one specific area. Here, you can see it across Tennessee and Kentucky. This is a tornado watch until 8:00 local time. So, we've got a long day ahead of us. More tornadoes expected, more damage expected. Hopefully not more fatalities.
KAYE: Yes. And when you hear about the strength of this storm, Jacqui, I mean, we've had - we've had witnesses tell us that there was a -- people were being sucked into a building, sucked into the air, I mean, a two by four was stuck in a piece of concrete outside of Wal- Mart. How strong and how fast was this storm?
JERA: Well, these storms are moving quickly. The individual storms are moving like 50, 60 miles per hour, Randi. So, you can't outrun something like that. You can't outdrive something like that. We have one confirmed tornado report with intensity on it , the one in Harveyville, Kansas, that we told you about earlier.
That was an EF2 tornado and it produced winds somewhere between about 110 to 135 miles per hour. But based on some of the damage pictures that have been seen, particularly out of Illinois, I think we're going to see winds that are going to be higher than that.
KAYE: All right. Jacqui Jeras, appreciate that. Keep us posted on any other warnings coming your way.
And now, for a ground-level look at the hard hit city of Harrisburg, Illinois. And I'm joined on the phone by Terry Geese, he's the managing editor of the local newspaper, the "Harrisburg Daily Register." Terry, how widespread is the damage in your city?
TERRY GEESE, MANAGING EDITOR, "HARRISBURG DAILY REGISTER" (via telephone): The damage is limited to an area on the eastern side of the city, an area that's an older area was called Gaston City before it was annexed years and years ago. It was hard hit. The line of the storm was through a small shopping center next to a Wal-Mart, wiped it out, went across a drainage ditch, and at that point, there were at least three people who were killed in a small apartment building - a small apartment building that was collapsed and total rubble. That side of the city is heavily damaged.
KAYE: Are people still unaccounted for there in Harrisburg?
GEESE: Not to my knowledge. They have been doing house-to-house searches. They began that shortly after 5:00 this morning. They called for spray paint to mark houses as they did the -- each house. The -- one of the early problems was that there was debris on roads that led to the hospital which is also in Gaston City. They called for snow plows to clear that out.
KAYE: So is the hospital up and running? Can they treat people --
GEESE: The hospital is up and running, however, the hospital administrator is having a nonemergency evacuation of a wing of the hospital, because the damage to it involved two patient rooms and an office and no injuries there. But the air conditioning equipment, heating equipment on the roof went, so they are having a nonemergency evacuation. The emergency department is remaining open and accepting patients.
KAYE: When you look at the damage there, I mean, really it looks as though your community has been, in a sense, just crushed. I mean, where can people go who lost their homes? What's left for them?
GEESE: This is southern Illinois, and we're used to it. We have devastating floods, and no one really pays attention to it. Federal government pays no attention to it. And - but they set up emergency shelters where people really don't show up, because they go to the homes of family and friends. It was - before 6:00 this morning, we started getting phone calls, where can I make donations?
KAYE: And how is the community holding up? I mean, is the concern over? Is the fear over? Or are you bracing for more?
GEESE: No, I don't think that there is -- I'm not gauging any high level of fear within the community, although I'm sure the forecasts are not good through Friday, so there's going to be extra attention to the sirens and the warnings.
KAYE: All right, we appreciate that. Terry Geese, thank you so much for the update. We wish you well there in Harrisburg.
Reporter Tyler Profilet of an affiliate station, KCVS, is in Harrisburg as well, and he showed us this report last hour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TYLER PROFILET, CORRESPONDENT, KCVS: People didn't have a lot of time to get to shelter. And even if they were able to get to shelter, the storm was so powerful, it ripped right through a lot of this time. If you take a look behind me, you can see a bank has been torn. And you be see, this starts the path of destruction here on the southeastern portion of town. You can see here, this is a strip mall close to a Wal-Mart here that has been destroyed.
There was an Alltel wireless center, a (INAUDIBLE) sport, Payday loan place, all in this strip mall here. I spoke to the manager of this Alltel wireless store. He grew up in Oklahoma, so he grew up in tornado alley, he says. He's very used to experiencing tornadoes and being able to survive them. He says he's never heard anything like this tornado, he's never seen anything like the damage that this tornado left behind.
We're also not too far away from where we've had the most loss of life. There's an area of town called Gaston City. It's about a quarter of a mile off behind me. You may be able to see off in the distance here. That's where authorities say they have recovered 10 dead, including two children.
And in Acrosonline (ph) County, more than 100 people have been injured so far. A lot of stories, talking to some of the survivors, most of them saying when they started to hear the sound of that freight train, it lasted two to three minutes long. A lot of them say they tried to get in a doorway or in a bathtub or even into a closet, so they just huddled together with their loved ones and tried to pray and hope that the storm passed over. Luckily, most of that storm was spared, but obviously, as you can see, not everybody was so lucky.
There was no one inside these buildings whenever the storm pass through, granted they did pass through shortly before 5:00 this morning, so luckily people were not there. But that's what the manager of one of these stores told me, he said, just imagine if someone had been here working. Imagine if a lot of people were had been at work and not been able to get maybe to a basement or underground or been with their families, this really could have been a lot worse.
Now granted, we do talk about a lot of times how when these tornadoes, or severe storms, hit, if they come during the night, that's usually the worst time. But in this case, especially for the folks that work here at this strip mall, they're lucky that it came in at that time, otherwise they may have been inside.
This Wal-Mart store here had a lot of damage actually on the backside of the building, and I've talked to some of the people who actually worked there inside. They were actually in the middle of a shift change, where people coming in to work in the early morning.
They say when those doors opened, whenever the wind started to come through, it actually started sucking people inside of the building because of the difference in the air pressure. Then people started running for cover. It was really unbelievable.
Lots of people after the storm passed, hugging, crying, looking for their loved ones. Obviously, a lot of the cell phone service has been jammed in this area for some time. So, a lot of the people at work did have to spend maybe a couple hours trying to get a hold of their loved ones. Obviously, for 10 families at least, they weren't able to contact them, because we do have 10 dead here.
But I want to say that the most memorable visual that I have so far is actually a two by four piece of wood actually stuck into the side of Wal-Mart. If you can imagine the force it would take for a two by four piece of wood to stick into a concrete building, that's how strong the storm was. The hospital since it's not too far behind me here, about a mile away or so.
So, here you can see Gaston City which is where we have had the fatalities and a lot of the injuries here and that devastation. Not too far away is the hospital. Now, we do understand that they have called in extra doctors. Other hospitals in this area have been put on standby so they can accept more patients. Now, there's a lot of the roads blocked off because they've had power lines, debris blocking the roads actually to get to the hospital. We had a person at one of the road blocks that said he was ill and just needed to go see a doctor. They turned him around and said, you need to go somewhere else. Unless someone is having a baby, you need to go find another hospital. That's how serious the situation is here in Harrisburg. We do know that the hospital did actually sustain some damage as well. Some busted out windows. But they still have been able to see patients and operate at least as smoothly as they can in a devastation like this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: And to find out more on how you can help those affected by the Midwest tornadoes, you can just go to cnn.com/impact. Right there you'll find all the organizations and the ways that you can help those in need. Once again that is cnn.com/impact.
Well, we're going to take a break just for a moment from the storm coverage, but we'll have much more for you after the break. We'll share some new warnings that are out in the Midwest and bring you the newest pictures coming in of the devastated areas. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Updating you now on our top story. Deadly storms in the Midwest. There are tornado warnings right now in Kentucky. Elsewhere, at least eight people have been killed, including the six in Illinois where the city of Harrisburg was devastated by a tornado early this morning. About 100 people are injured. As many as 300 homes and businesses either destroyed or damaged.
These pictures show the massive damage in the small town of Harveyville, Kansas. That's about 20 miles from Topeka. Destroyed and damaged homes, trees uprooted, and power lines down.
And take a look at this. It's a twister captured on film by a very brave storm chaser in Kansas. Similar scenes of wide-spread destruction in parts of Missouri where two people died.
Let's check in one more time with Jacqui Jeras, who has some more new warnings for us as she keeps an eye on the skies there.
Jacqui.
JERAS: Yes, hey, Randi.
This literally just came in. This is a storm that we've been talking and telling you about in Kentucky. We'll zoom in here to show you this a little bit closer. Actually here's the one near Bowling Green. This one has a history of producing some large hail, in addition to some damaging winds.
But this is the storm right here that we're concerned about right now. This is Menifee, western Morgan, Powell, and central Wolfe County in Kentucky. This has a strong rotation on this storm. We can see a little bit of a hook signature on it. A lot of lightning, as well as damaging wind and hail possible. So this is not confirmed on the ground, but it is very strong indication by Doppler radar that a tornado could touch down at any given time. This is a very intense, dangerous situation.
We also want to show you the widespread situation, just to give you a better perspective of where these areas are that we're talking about. It's this line right here in central Kentucky that has been producing all of the damage. It's been storm after storm lining up and kind of training through the area. And they're moving around 60 miles per hour. So you can't outrun that. You can't chase it down in your car. You need to take shelter when this happens.
Now, we're also watching some new development here in the western parts of Tennessee. So this could be part of the line that's going to start to fire up in the next couple of hours. So, Nashville, you're under the watch area. Be aware that storms are going to start developing to your west and then beginning to move in.
We're also watching this area here in eastern Kentucky for some smaller storms which could be developing. And this is going to be ongoing throughout the day. This is a moderate risk day, Randi, as we call it. So widespread severe weather.
We've already had 19 reports of tornadoes. We consider 20 an outbreak. So we're pretty much there. At least 10 people have died. We think those numbers could possibly continue to rise as we get more information.
Six states have been impacted by this. And we're assessing the damage today. A lot of people being impacted, picking up the pieces and pieces of video coming in from all over parts of the mid-south and parts of the Midwest as well.
We have one confirmed tornado that has been analyzed by the National Weather Service. That was the one that was in Kansas and that was an EF-2 tornado with winds between 110 to 135 miles per hour. Somewhere in that neighborhood. But based on some of the damage I've seen, we could see a few tornadoes assessed that were stronger than that.
This is a video from near Elizabethtown, Kentucky. We have confirmed wind reports in here up to 70 miles per hour. And sometimes those damaging straight-line winds can cause just as much damage, and if not more. And we do know that some of the fatalities that have been occurring have also happened just in wind damage, not just tornado. So be aware of that. So if your sirens go off for severe thunderstorm warnings or for tornadoes, no matter what it's called, you need to be getting to your safe place, to the lowest level of your home or your office building, away from doors and windows.
So that one storm that we're watching right now, the Menifee storm, which is near Kimble in east central Kentucky, that one could produce a tornado really at any given time and, unfortunately, cause more damage, just like these pictures that we've been seeing going throughout the morning. This really began last evening. So we're pushing towards 24 hours of this outbreak. KAYE: Jacqui, I want to share some video with you and with our viewers as well. We know that Harrisburg, Illinois, certainly one of the hardest hit areas. Take a look at some video that we have of the hospital there, the medical center there. I mean you can see, parts of this were literally just blown out.
JERAS: Oh, wow.
KAYE: I mean we understand that there's -- people who can still be treated there. We asked one of the newspaper editors there in that area just recently this hour. He said, people can still be treated, but they are looking to evacuate the hospital.
JERAS: Right.
KAYE: What does that tell you when you look at pictures like this? What does that tell you about the strength of this storm?
JERAS: Well, you can see that all -- you know, some of the walls are still up, Randi. So this thing wasn't completely flattened. Hospitals are very well constructed. And to see a wall come off like that, we definitely are talking about winds well over 100 miles per hour. I'd have to see a bigger picture of the hospital to give you a better estimate. But it's almost reminiscent, isn't it, of what happened in Joplin.
KAYE: Yes.
JERAS: You see that hospital and, you know, they sent -- had those workstations and tents up outside of the hospital and continued to treat people. It's amazing how medical workers are trained for these types of emergencies and how they can still operate even when you see pictures like this with the damage and you see hospital beds that are exposed to the open air like that.
KAYE: And when you think about the warnings in a storm like this, I mean even if the sirens were going off, I mean how quickly would people have had to move in a situation like this when you know how fast this storm is coming?
JERAS: We'll extremely quickly. You know, we'll have to look back at the statistics and look at how much time was between the warning and the actual touchdown. But, on average, the National Weather Service has been doing an extremely good job at warning in advance and giving people anywhere as much as 20 minutes before these storms move through.
Now, that's enough time for most of us in our homes to get to our safe place. But when you're talking about people who aren't mobile and people that have medical problems, it's very difficult to get them to a different level or to a different safe place. And so that's the concern when we're talking about medical centers like that and nursing homes as well, as opposed to homes.
KAYE: Yes. Just some frightening moment, certainly, for those people there in at least six states, as you said, that have been hit. JERAS: Yes.
KAYE: Jacqui Jeras, thank you. We'll check in with you again a little bit later on.
JERAS: OK.
KAYE: And to find out more on how you can help those affected by the Midwest 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, it's cnn.com/impact.
Well, we want to talk politics up next. It's a clean sweep for Mitt Romney, though he just barely won his native state last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We didn't win by a lot, but we won by enough. And that's all that counts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: But is it really enough? That is "Fair Game" and it's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Mitt Romney goes two or (ph) two in Arizona and Michigan. So is it smooth sailing from here or did his underwhelming win in his home state reveal potential trouble for the road ahead? The Republican race for the White House is always "Fair Game." Let's talk about it with Maria Cardona, a CNN contributor and Democratic strategist. She's in Atlanta. And in Washington, Republican Strategist Doug Heye.
Well, welcome to you both. Lots to talk about here. Let's start with Romney. He won Arizona handedly. He also won, of course, Michigan, though it was a lot closer. What happened to Rick Santorum? I mean was this his last chance, really, to gain on Mitt Romney?
Maria, let's start with you on that one.
MARIA CARDONA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I think what happened to Santorum is that, unfortunately for him, instead of sticking to his populist economic message, which is what really bolstered him in the last several weeks and brought him to the position of being front- runner, he went down this sort of odd alley of these social issues, which I think really hurt him with voters.
It hurt him with the media even because they then started digging up all of these other speeches and comments that he had made that made him then even go in deeper into these social issues. And I think at the end of the day, voters realize that this is not the same person that they had been hearing from and that they wanted somebody to actually talk to them about the economy. And he, I think, squandered an opportunity.
Is it the last opportunity? Maybe not. I mean out of Michigan, he is getting a good amount of delegates. And going into Super Tuesday, Mitt Romney is not very strong in a lot of these southern states where social conservatives are still looking for the anybody but Romney candidate. And the question is, can Santorum still be that candidate or does Newt Gingrich rise again?
KAYE: Doug, what do you think? I mean, can Santorum still derail Romney?
DOUG HEYE, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: You know, there's so much that has happened it's hard to make clear predictions about what is going to happen in the future because who knew that Herman Cain would be a flavor of the month in everything that we've seen. But if you're in the Romney campaign, a win is a win is a win and Mitt Romney won. I went to North Carolina. I'm going to see the North Carolina Tar Heels beat Duke. But if they win by one point, I would be happy with that as well.
KAYE: Let say a win is a win is a win.
Let's talk about that. Romney may have won Michigan but if you take a closer look at the CNN latest delegate estimate, Romney won 11 delegates, Santorum won 11 delegates. Really did Santorum lose of not. His campaign said he came in second place but it's still a win, Maria?
CARDONA: Exactly. And to Doug's point, a win is a win except when it really isn't. Last night, Romney won, but the fact that it was even a question whether he should have been winning his own home state, where he was born, where he grew up, where he's been campaigning for the last five years, where he has outspent Santorum, two to one, spent $2 million, he may have won, but he did not come out a winner last night. And he is tainting with Independents, Latinos. In terms of the broader picture he'll need if he wants to beat Barack Obama, he clearly is not a winner. And by the way, as a Blue Devil, I'm going to put my bet on Duke.
(LAUGHTER)
KAYE: Oh, now, it's getting ugly.
Doug, I want to ask you about Maine Republican Senator Olympia Snowe. She said yesterday that she's not going to run for reelection. She blamed the gridlock in Washington, partisanship in Washington. Here's here statement. She said, "I have no doubt I would have won re-election. I do find it frustrating, however, that an atmosphere of polarization or "my way or the highway" ideologies has become pervasive in campaigns and in our governing institutions."
Are her comments a warning, do you think, Doug, to fellow Republicans?
HEYE: I think it's a warning to both parties. Remember, Barack Obama said, pass this bill, pass this bill. He didn't say, I'm going to introduce this bill and we can work together on a better legislative solution. But for Republicans, we're going to keep in mind we picked up the governorship. We picked up the state house and state Senate. In the governor's race in 2010, the Democratic candidate got only 19 percent of the vote. That's really significant and something to remember in this instant analysis that we deal with.
KAYE: Maria, what do you think is the message? Certainly, how does this effect Republican hopes to win a Senate majority.
CARDONA: I think the message here -- and it's coming from Olympia Snowe herself -- is that this is not a party that welcomes moderate views anymore. And that's exactly why Mitt Romney has had to out-extreme right wing every one of his Independents and why he's in trouble with Independents and that broader coalition of voters he'll need for the general election. He's now the most extreme candidate on immigration that might have helped him win Arizona in the primary. It's not going to help him win in the general election or frankly any other state with a growing Latino population.
(CROSSTALK)
KAYE: Maria Cardona --
HEYE: Randi, quickly, let me say to Maria --
KAYE: Yes?
HEYE: I would be more concerned about what's happened to blue dogs than the Blue Devils this weekend.
(LAUGHTER)
KAYE: OK. Well said.
CARDONA: We'll see.
KAYE: Well said, Doug.
Nice to see you both, Doug Heye and Maria Cardona.
HEYE: Thank you.
CARDONA: Thank you, Randi.
KAYE: That's "Fair Game" today.
Well, if you take sleeping pills to get some Z's, my next guest says you could die younger, but not everybody's buying it. The study's lead author joins us to explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back. I'm sure many of you have had those nights where you're tossing and turning and doing everything except the one thing that you want to be doing, which is sleeping.
The common solution? Sleeping pills, of course. Many of you have probably popped a few here and there. But the new research that I'm about to tell you about may prove to be a wake-up call. It may multiply your risk of dying early. Researchers found those who pop one to 18 sleeping pills over a year nearly quadruple their risk of an early death. Take three pills or more a week could multiply your risk five-fold. And there's more. The studies lead author says people taking sleeping pills increase their risk of cancer by 35 percent. That makes it a greater risk than smoking.
The findings are pretty shocking and come with their fair share of critics, which is why we are getting face time with the study's main author, Dr. Daniel Kripke.
Dr. Kripke, first, how many people did you study in order to draw these conclusions?
DR. DANIEL KRIPKE, CO-AUTHOR, SLEEPING PILL STUDY: We studied over 10,000 people taking sleeping pills and over 20,000 who took no sleeping pills over a period of about 2.5 years.
KAYE: And when you say that these people died earlier, those who did, how did they die? Do you know?
KRIPKE: We don't know what they died of, unfortunately. Our electronic records did not have that information.
KAYE: So you didn't actually meet with these people? These were -- this was an electronic study?
KRIPKE: It was a study of electronic medical records. We'll see more of those studies of electronic records in the future because they allow us to see risks we could never see before.
KAYE: Let's talk about some of the other risks. In your study, participants who took sleeping pills also, you say, had higher rates of health problems, such as cancer, asthma, cardiovascular disease, obesity, high blood pressure as well. How does this correlate to the increased risk of these problems?
KRIPKE: Well, to explain that, the patients had more health problems before they took sleeping pills and after. Now, there was nor increase in the patients who took sleeping pills but it's hard to interpret whether it's the sleeping pills that were associated with those increases in other health risks. So we're not very persuaded that the sleeping pills caused those increases. We're not sure of that.
KAYE: And when you think about the sleeping pills being related to this early death, I mean, is there a direct cause and effect? Were you able to establish that?
KRIPKE: No. Our study is a study of association. The sleeping pills are associated with much higher deaths. You could argue that that doesn't prove that sleeping pills are causing the deaths and it's true. It doesn't prove it. It's just we can't find any other explanation. It's the same situation with cigarettes where there was no proof but cigarettes are associated with cancer.
KAYE: We do want to point out that the drugs that you studied are FDA approved. And we did reach out to the FDA, which has reviewed these drugs, they say, and has ruled them safe. They wouldn't comment specifically on your research but this is what they told us. They told us, quote, "We are actively reviewing all available safety information for this drug." They are talking about Ambien there. "Drug labeling, prescribing new information, as it is learned. And we actively review data and work on updates to make sure that doctors and patients have the most up to date safety information possible."
Now, our medical unit, which is on top of all of this, spoke to a number of sleep experts, including a doctor you may know, Dr. Russell Rosenberg, the National Sleep Foundation chairman and Atlanta School of Sleep Medicine director, and he says, "Their methodology was flawed." Meaning your study. "Their methodology was flawed and control groups compare apples and oranges." What would you like to respond to that?
KRIPKE: Did you ask Dr. Rosenberg how recently he's been taking money from the sleeping pill manufacturers?
KAYE: Well, I'm asking you this question first.
KRIPKE: I think that's the answer.
KAYE: So you're saying your data isn't flawed?
KRIPKE: No, our data isn't flawed. It has limitations like all studies do, but it's not flawed in the way he described.
KAYE: Let's talk about a few other things in your research, a few other results. Some might see them as weaknesses. One is that people taking sleeping pills were not asked why they were prescribed the drug. You did not control for psychiatric disorders. And also the control group didn't necessarily suffer from sleeping problems. So it kind of begs the question, could there be some underlying conditions here that might increase the risk of early death?
KRIPKE: Well, we controlled for all of the underlying conditions that we could control for. But the emotional data is confidential under the laws of the state we were studying in. But we don't think that that is compounding very much because other studies that have had that data did not find that underlying insomnia was a factor. The other studies showed it was the sleeping pill, not the insomnia, that was associated with death.
KAYE: In your research -- I know I asked you about the cause and effect -- but were you able to figure out what is it about a sleeping pill, about any of these drugs that would cause an early death? Was there something specific that you were able to find or pinpoint?
KRIPKE: This study didn't pinpoint the causes but we know very well what some of the causes are. These are drugs that are used to execute prisoners. People die of overdose from these drugs. They make sleep apnea worse. They cause depression. Suicide is increased among sleeping pill users. Infections are increased among sleeping pill users. Cancers are increased among sleeping pill users. So those are some of the causes and probably not all. KAYE: All right. Dr. Daniel Kripke, appreciate your time. And it was definitely an interesting conversation to be had. Thank you very much.
KRIPKE: Thank you.
KAYE: Of course, we'll get to much more on the devastating tornado damage throughout the Midwest. We can tell you that eight people are reported dead. We'll bring you the latest, including the latest pictures and warnings right after the break.
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KAYE: We're watching a ferocious band of storms push out of the Midwest and now into the southeast. Tornado watches are in effect for parts of Kentucky. Already apparent tornadoes are blamed for at least eight deaths. Six in southern Illinois. The city of Harrisburg took a direct hit. Hundreds of homes and other buildings are damaged or obliterated, including the Harrisburg Medical Center. The building's south wall, you see it there, just gone. No longer standing. The storms killed at least two people overnight in Missouri. The state's governor has declared a state of emergency.
It sounds like a breakthrough, North Korea promising to stop enriching uranium, to stop testing long-range missiles, to allow inspectors to visit the main reactor, all in exchange for food and further talks. But if you think you have heard all of this before, so has Hillary Clinton. The secretary of state talked about today's surprise agreement in a hearing on Capitol Hill.
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HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: The United States, I will be quick to add, still has profound concerns. But on the occasion of Kim Jong-Il's death, I said that it is our hope that the new leadership will choose to guide their nation onto the path of peace by living up to its obligations. Today's announcement represents a modest first step in the right direction.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: A previous moratorium collapsed a few years ago and the North went on to test two nuclear devices. It's now agreed to stop that as well.
And now breaking news from the entertainment world. Singer Davy Jones, best known as a member of the Monkees, has died. Law enforcement sources confirmed to CNN that Jones died this morning of an apparent heart attack in Florida where he lived. The emergency call came in this morning and he was rushed to the hospital. Davy Jones was 66 years old. We'll bring you more information on the death of Davy Jones as we get it.
The man in charge of the British side of Rupert Murdoch's newspaper empire is leaving. James Murdoch, Rupert's son, became front-page news himself in an allegation of cell-phone hacking and alleged bribes of corrupt police. Both Murdochs were hauled before Congress and both deny breaking any laws. James Murdoch will move to New York to focus on an international operation.
In Syria, a group says the city of Homs came under the heaviest shelling so part in the government's ruthless assault. These pictures capture the destruction. A man desperately tries to pull an injured child from the rubble. At least one person has died so far today. At the same time, no let up in the bombardment. Helicopters flew over the city firing on civilians. Also, government troops reportedly moved into one neighborhood controlled by the opposition.
You might forgive Mitt Romney if he considers yesterday Super Tuesday. A week before the real Super Tuesday, Romney eked out a win in a state that doesn't need much delegate-wise, but would have cost him dearly if he lost. Michigan gave its native son a 3 percent victor over Rick Santorum. It's a much needed boost ahead of next week's voting in 10 states, worth more than 400 GOP delegates. Romney is campaign in Ohio where Santorum has a solid lead in the polls. Santorum is in Tennessee, where he also tops the polls. In another primary yesterday, Arizona, Santorum came in a distant second. Romney won by 20 points there.
Formal charges will be filed by tomorrow against the high school sophomore accused of shooting five fellow students Monday morning in Chardon, Ohio. They will like include three counts of aggravated murder. And T.J. Lane, the 17-year-old suspect, will be tried as an adult. Lane appeared yesterday in juvenile court, after which authorities made public some of the 911 calls from Chardon High School where lane allegedly opened fire.
(BEGIN VIDEO FEED)
9/11 OPERATOR: 911, where is your emergency?
CALLER: We just had a shooting at our school. We need to get out of here. Oh, my god.
9/11 OPERATOR: Ma'am, -- we got a school shooting.
Ma'am, what school?
CALLER: Chardon High School.
9/11 OPERATOR: Chardon High School?
CALLER: Yes, ma'am.
9/11 OPERATOR: All right.
CALLER: Everyone is running away, so --
9/11 OPERATOR: Where is the person with the gun?
CALLER: I don't know. He was in the cafeteria and everyone just started running.
(END AUDIO FEED)
KAYE: We've also heard briefly that the football coach who is being called a hero for chasing lane out of the school. Frank Holtz talked to our affiliate WEWS.
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FRANK HOLTZ, CHARDON HIGH SCHOOL ASSISTANT FOOTBALL COACH: I just want to say I'm sorry for the families, for the victims. I wish I could have down more.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Of the two young victims who survived, one remains in serious condition. The other one, Joy Rickers, went home from the hospital yesterday.
We're keeping an eye on the devastating tornadoes that ripped through the Midwest. They are now heading south. Many more warnings and another new tornado watch. We'll bring you the very latest right after the break. Keep it here.
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KAYE: Those deadly storms in the Midwest are taking aim at the southern states. Tornadoes are possible for parts of Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina and Tennessee. So far twisters are blamed for eight deaths, six in southern Illinois. Much of the city of Harrisburg is devastated. You see the video there. Hundreds of homes, other buildings, all damaged and destroyed, including the Harrisburg medical center. The building's south wall no longer exists.
Storms killed at least two people in the state of Missouri. That governor has declared a state of emergency.
Jacqui Jeras has been watching all the warnings, tracking the path of this storm.
Jacqui, what's the latest?
JERAS: We're still watching central parts of Kentucky, Randi, for this line producing two new tornadic thunderstorms that are showing signs of rotation here. This is a storm here and this is a storm here. That's what those purple boxes mean, a tornado is likely occurring. We don't have reports from people on the ground saying this is producing damage right now, but we've been getting signatures here of meso cyclones, as we call them, showing strong rotation of this storm.
So this is Bering Green and Hart Counties in Kentucky. And the second one we've been watching that's been rotating for about an hour now, this is Magoffin and Morgan Counties in eastern Kentucky. This is just north of the Jackson area. So two still very dangerous storms.
And the threat now is expanding a bit. We've got a new tornado watch. This is the one we're talking about right here. So this includes parts of West Virginia, the eastern half of Ohio. And this is going to be ongoing until 9:00 tonight. That's the new threat area. We could see thunderstorms developing here. And we're also expecting these storms in Kentucky, then, to continue to propagate eastward.
And we need to it beyond this and talk about the bigger picture. As we head into nighttime and the skies begin to darken and nightfall continues, we expect storms to develop all within this orange area. So we're talking about the Carolinas. We're talking about parts of Alabama into Georgia, and some of these could happen while you're sleeping. So you need to have your NOAH weather radio on so you stay safe and you are alerted during the nighttime hours as these storms continue to come down.
This is the one we're most concerned about, again in eastern Kentucky, that Morgan County. And there you can see some strong rotation in this area just north of West Liberty.
Back to you.
KAYE: All right, Jacqui, thank you very much.
Of course, we will go live to Harrisburg, Illinois, some of the worst hit areas just minutes from now.
CNN NEWSROOM continues with Brooke Baldwin right after this very quick break.
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