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Violence Continues in Syria; Former U.N. Secretary General Meets with Syrian President; Technology Festival Profiled; Movie Critic Assesses Some Recent Box Office Arrivals; Financial Planner Gives Advice on Wills; New Medical Breakthroughs Allow Women to Conceive Well into Their 30s; Some EMTs Experience Critical Medicine Shortages

Aired March 10, 2012 - 14:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM where the news unfolds live this Saturday, March 10th. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

A top world diplomat asks Syria's president face-to-face to stop the carnage and killing in his country. Former U.N. secretary-general Kofi Annan is in Damascus meeting Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. Opposition activists say more than 30 people were killed in fighting across Syria. Nic Robertson joins me live in a few minutes to talk about any progress the two men may have made.

Israel launched air strikes against suspected militants in Gaza again today. It is the second day in a row. At least 15 Palestinians are reported killed, more than 20 others injured. A Palestinian Authority spokesman blames Israel for ramping up violence in the region. Israel says the airstrikes targeted terrorists who attacked civilian communities near Gaza.

In Washington state a search is underway for a suspect who allegedly shot a female deputy and stabbed a judge before fleeing. The incident began yesterday afternoon in a courthouse in Montesano, a small town south of Seattle.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDGE DAVE EDWARDS, GRAYS HARBOR SUPERIOR COURT: When I went to assist the deputy, he had a weapon to his head, a knife or something, and he was stabbing at her. I got him away from the deputy and pop, pop. And he turned and looked at me. And then he went out the front door with the gun in his hand.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Both the judge and the deputy were treated for their injuries and allowed to go home.

Mississippi's attorney general says he's looking for options, this after the Supreme Court of the state upheld more than 200 pardons granted by former governor Haley Barbour. Attorney General Jim Hood says he wants to put a measure before Mississippi voters to amend the state's constitution on how governors hand out pardons. The projected winner of the Kansas caucuses could be announced any minute now. CNN political director Mark Preston joins us now from Washington. So Mark, is there any indication yet of who just might be getting a win there?

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: I'll tell you what, Fred, I am here in Washington with the decision team. And we're awaiting results from the Kansas caucuses. They just closed as we opened up the show, awaiting on those numbers. Rick Santorum spent a lot of time in Kansas as his Ron Paul. We haven't any numbers at this point right now. And I'll tell you what, there are a lot of delegates on the line, 40 delegates exactly. So the candidates are clearly watching the next few hours to see who walks out with the most delegates from this caucus.

WHITFIELD: So far, so good for Mitt Romney who did pretty well in Guam as well as North Marianna Islands. What is the logic as to why he may have done so well there?

PRESTON: It's just good news from Mitt Romney. He woke up to find out that he won Guam's nine delegates as well as the nine delegates that the North Marianna Islands has, 18 in total. He sent his son Matt over there, Fredricka, to act as his surrogate, to talk about his father's policies. He also got some pretty big endorsements. Now, as our viewers are wondering, why you would go all the way over there? The fact is 18 delegates in this fight for the Republican presidential nomination is a lot. It's very important. Mitt Romney has the money and the organization to reach that far out, and he was very successful this morning.

WHITFIELD: All right, now, what is it going to take to win this GOP nomination? What can you tell us now about the delegate count?

PRESTON: So right now we have a new delegate count given the numbers that have come in this morning. You need 1,144 to secure the Republican nomination. Let's take a quick look at where we are right now. Mitt Romney in the lead with 447, followed by Rick Santorum at 170, Newt Gingrich at 118, and Ron Paul trailing in double digits at 67.

You know, there is an argue the right now being made that nobody but Mitt Romney could actually get the 1,144 the way this race is playing out right now. And the talk of this going to a brokered convention is starting to rise again. So we'll see what happens over the next couple weeks. But this race for Republican presidential nomination is certainly taking a lot of twists and turns that none of us thought would happen.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: That's certainly the case. All right, thanks so much, Mark Preston out of Washington.

Some tragic news involving a Canadian skier who was killed today in a horrific crash during a world cup race in Switzerland. We're about to show you video of the race leading up to the fatal crash. Nick Zoricic died of severe head injuries when he fell in the safety netting. He was wearing a helmet. Race organizers have since canceled the entire event, including tomorrow's world cup final.

And dozens more people are reported killed today in Syria. And there is new video into CNN right now. Witnesses say the Syrian army is targeting another city with heavy shelling.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In Syria today more than 30 people are reportedly dead after violent clashes in several cities. Also today, one of the world's top diplomats is meeting face-to-face with Syria's president to ask him to put an end to the fighting. Our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is watching the developments in Syria from Beirut. So who sent Kofi Annan to Damascus, or did he do this on his own initiative?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No, he was put forward by the U.N. and the vast majority of nations at the U.N. have been calling on Bashar al-Assad to stop the killing for some time. But he was also sent by the Arab League, who have been involved, closely involved in trying to get peace in Syria, having sent a mission there for about a month over Christmas. But Annan's mission right now is to stop the killing, get a political dialogue going, get political prisoners released, get access for humanitarian organizations.

But it's really run into a brick wall it seems withal Bashar al- Assad. So far today Assad has told him that there will be no political dialogue while what he describes are "terrorists, armed terrorists" creating chaos in the country. That's his reference, if you will, for the opposition here. So it seems that Annan, despite the fact that he has a lot of people in the international community backing him, is being faced down by Assad right now, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Is it true that Kofi Annan also met with the opposition or some representatives of?

ROBERTSON: You know, he did. I think we have to put the opposition that he was able to meet with in some kind of context here, because, of course, he met with them in the capital Damascus. There is none of the opposition that we've seen on the streets in demonstrations or the Free Syrian Army fighters that would be able to meet with him in Damascus. He's met with opposition members who have been long term, if you like, low level opposition activists, albeit some of them have been jailed over the years, but the ones that have been tolerated and accepted by the regime because they're not too -- they don't make too much noise and call directly for his overthrow.

From what they are told Annan is -- they don't think there can be any talks with Assad until the killings stop. So even from the moderate, if you like, opposition, it's an impasse as well for Annan, trying to get these two sides together. They're both as far back as deeply entrenched as they have been all along, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Nic Robertson, thanks so much from Beirut. And we're not done talking about Syria and the crisis there. CNN's Arwa Damon and her team were inside the besieged Syrian city of Homs. It is one of the most dangerous places in Syria right now. Join us tomorrow night as Arwa gives us an eye-opening account, a CNN special, "72 Hours Under Fire." That's tomorrow night at 8:00 p.m. eastern time.

All right, one year ago tomorrow Japan was rocked by a deadly earthquake and tsunami. The magnitude 9.0 quake triggered a massive wave and nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant. It was the first nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, and contamination concerns and cleanup efforts continue a year later. Next hour we'll go inside the plant for a look at the destruction and continued danger.

And it's been called sort of a spring break for geeks. A few years ago Twitter was unveiled there. Well, after the break, we'll take you live to Austin, Texas, for the South by Southwest festival and get a look at the next big thing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In the city of Austin, Texas, is the place to be right now for music and film lovers, and geeks, of course. That's because the music, film, and tech extravaganza known as South by southwest is underway. And that's where we also find our CNN's Brooke Baldwin, who loves the movies and music. I can call you a geek, too, and it's still a compliment?

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: It is the biggest compliment ever to be called a geek here at South by Southwest. By the way, check out this mac and cheese.

WHITFIELD: Sinful. I like it.

BALDWIN: Sorry to make your mouth water. We're at the CNN grill. This place is almost three months in the making. Guess how long it took to actually put this thing up in full order -- 24 hours. So this is interactive part of South by Southwest. This is how it works. It makes sense, right? You order your food here. Let's see if we want a bourbon mint ice tea. You actually order your food and beverages heave other an iPad. They're all working, moving and grooving. Can you move and groove along with me. You can get a little cup cooler. I sense a theme. There is a standing grill growler. There is actually CNN dark ale. Follow me along -- and CNN ale, of course. I'm not having any until I'm off is clock.

Spin around if you can to take a look at the live interactive wall. If you are actually tweeting and you do the hashtag-CNN Grill, or @CNNSouthbySouthwest, your pictures, your tweet are basically live tweet across that board. So it's just one cool aspect here. It's been -- spin back around with me here. I did just want to give you a little show-and-tell. And look who I found. Lunch for me?

VELSHI: Yes. A little salmon, a little greens. We're working hard.

BALDWIN: A healthy meal.

VELSHI: Yummy.

BALDWIN: We're having a tad bit of fun.

VELSHI: We are having a little more than a tad bit of fun.

BALDWIN: They're veterans. They're actually paying us to be here. We're loving this. Come up here with me.

MARIO ARMSTRONG, CNN TECHNOLOGY CONTRIBUTOR: That's my salmon! That's my dish.

BALDWIN: This is Mario Armstrong. Hello. By the way, I'm a first timer by South by Southwest. I have never been here.

ARMSTRONG: Welcome. We have to give you the official welcome hat. I won't do that because your hair is so beautiful. Now she's officially a South-byer.

BALDWIN: Explain to people at home. It's in three different parts. South by Southwest, you're interactive. You have the film section and then you have music.

ARMSTRONG: All together, it's like three conventions in one location. It spans 15 campuses, thousands of people are here, and all types of things are being launched, everything from creative artists over to new technology and new apps and services.

BALDWIN: I have to tell you, Fred, basically the epicenter of this whole thing is the Austin Convention Center and having hundreds of sort of startups, groups.

ARMSTRONG: It's big.

BALDWIN: It really is like an information interactive overload. We're walking around like, you know, tweeting everything, everyone I meet. What is the coolest thing you've seen so far?

ARMSTRONG: I've seen a couple cool things. The cool trends that people care about this is the place you learned about twitter. You learned about foursquare. Even Facebook got more exposure from being here. Big companies come here. The biggest trend -- People Discovery, being able to use an app that alerts you to friends that you may not know you have connections to.

BALDWIN: You are talking highlight?

ARMSTRONG: They don't have a privacy policy up yet. I'm sure they're well intentioned developers and they'll get around to it. Banjo was another one that I really, really liked. And social cam, it's like twitter for video.

BALDWIN: I know we could keep going. There is so much here.

(CROSSTALK) BALDWIN: Exactly. So we're overloading you.

WHITFIELD: It's good. It's exciting. We are there because you are, so we are living vicariously through you. Mario and Brooke, thank you so much, and Ali in the background there keeping your salmon warm. Thanks, gang.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: All right, lots of couples are doing it, living together. But our financial expert says in too many cases they are not planning for the what-if scenarios. Why everyone needs a will, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, it's the number one issue in American homes, getting your financial house in order. Well today in our weekly financial fix, the importance of having a will or some type of estate planning document even if you're not married and perhaps you're just living together. Karen Lee is the author of "It's Just Money, So Why Does It Cause So Many Problems?" And she is also a columnist in this month's "Lady's Home Journal." Congratulations.

KAREN LEE, FINANCIAL PLANNER: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: The hits keep coming, Karen.

LEE: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: We're talking about 55 percent of Americans don't have a will. That's an extraordinary number.

LEE: Isn't it?

WHITFIELD: I would suspect that maybe proportionately the number may be higher for those that are single or live together, because they figure, you know what? Why bother?

LEE: For 25 years we have been told to get a will. But it's always been married couples with children. Let me give you a little example. Let's say you have a couple our age, they've been married before to other people. They did their living together now. Let's say they buy a house together. But they put it in the man's name and he has a child from a previous marriage, for whatever reason they put it in his name. OK, she's helping to pay the mortgage and bills and he dies, no will -- that house goes to the child. She is out. So a will can solve that. And I have had three different times this past month people come to me with scenarios like this.

WHITFIELD: Interesting. A lot of people avoid the will thing. They just don't want to think about, you know, the inevitable. They don't want to think about the potential of something terrible happening. But if you plan, then you can have a safety net.

LEE: Exactly. How do you get started? We're going to start talking first what happens if you die without a will? It is calls dying intestate. And there are laws of intestacy on the books of every single state. So the first point is, know your state laws. If you die without a will, you're state is going to dictate where your assets go. Now it's typically going to be spouses and children first. If no spouses and children, then you're looking at parents and siblings. But let's say you have none of that but you do have stuff. If you don't have a will, the state is getting your stuff and your money. So no will equals no control.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness.

LEE: Most people want to leave stuff to a friend or a charity.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Once they hear that scenario, maybe that will inspire them. So is that really a will? Is that only way or the smartest way in which to let family members know you're intentions?

LEE: Right. It's not the only way. There are two things that trump even a will, and that is the actual registration of an asset. So in our example, if a couple did buy a house together, joint tenants with rights of survivorship, it wouldn't matter what the will said. It would go to the other one.

So registration of accounts, you can actually title your bank account to Fredricka Whitfield transfer on death to so and so. And lastly anything that has a beneficiary designation, life insurance, IRAs and 401(k)s have a beneficiary designation. And that trumps all wills.

WHITFIELD: That contradicts a will?

LEE: No, the beneficiary designation is number one.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

LEE: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Sometimes people think, you know what? I wrote it down somewhere. I put it in a safe. That's going to be enough. Handwritten wills versus one executed by an estate attorney --

LEE: A handwritten will is a thing of the past.

WHITFIELD: How about online?

LEE: That is another one of the points. Handwritten, I would avoid at all costs. I did a bunch of research. Virtually no states even take these anymore. If they do take them, they're very specific rules to how they must comply.

I'm always asked about online will writing services. I'm going to start by saying something's better than nothing. If it's hard enough to get people -- but I'm going to tell what my lawyer friends tell me. They tell me that legal jargon varies so much from state to state and so easy to mess up that it could void your whole will. So I'm saying on this one -- skip the flat screen TV this year and get yourself a will. (LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: OK. Now, when should you update a will so you have one or you had one for 10 years, 15 years, marital status changes, family structure changes?

LEE: Exactly. You're hitting all my points there. I'm reluctant to even bring it up because we're trying to get to the 55 percent to write one in the first place. But if you have a will already, you do need to update it any time with birth of children, change in marital status, any substantial life changes, estate planning. So I'll give myself as an example. I wrote my first will two weeks before my first child was born. I updated it probably seven, eight, ten years later. We were starting to build assets and the estate tax laws. I'm waiting about three more years, my youngest child will then be of majority age and we're waiting for some estate tax laws to get fished out in this new administration.

WHITFIELD: So often you have to make modifications.

LEE: I would sasy every 10 years. Also if you move from one state to another, it's recommended you at least seek legal counsel.

WHITFIELD: Very important. And this really is something that, you know, couples will talk about, married couples will talk about, families talk about. So often when people live together, they don't think that this applies to them. It should.

LEE: When I wrote that article for "Lady's Home Journal," it's about the married couple. I thought, you know this is someone that everyone needs to be thinking about.

WHITFIELD: Karen Lee, thank you so much for helping us think about that and act on it too. Thanks.

LEE: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Of course, you can get more information from Karen's book "It's Just Money, So Why Does It Cause So Many Problems?" or reach Karen at KarenLeeandAssociates.com.

We all know by now that it's harder for some women over 35 to get pregnant. But one-third of couples when the woman is under 35 or actually having trouble conceiving, and a lot of those couples seek fertility treatments. Chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has more on what doctors can do to help families conceive in today's "Health for Her."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Michelle and Mike Herring now have the family they always wanted, but it wasn't easy. At 30 she had to use hormone therapy to get pregnant. The result was their son Levi who is now seven-years-old. Two years later they again had a hard time conceiving a second child, so they tried hormone therapy and IVF, in vitro fertilization. MICHELLE HERRING, FERTILITY PATIENT: By the third time I sort of knew, OK, it was becoming -- it's stressful.

GUPTA: But after rounds of unsuccessful treatment, she learned she had premature ovarian failure. She couldn't produce any viable eggs. So she chose to use an egg donor, and Mae was born.

HERRING: It was an emotionally taxing journey. I knew that one day I would look back and forget the struggle. And I did. I mean, it's hard for me to think about it now. But, you know, we had a wonderful family. I can't imagine it being any other way.

GUPTA: The decision to use sperm or egg donation is a personal one. Embryologist Dr. Peter Nogi says it's often the best solution since donor egg and sperm can often offer higher success rates.

(on camera): So a 40-year-old woman says I'm not making eggs, good-quality eggs anymore, so I'll take a donor egg from a 25-year-old woman. It has that 25-year-old woman's genetic material and you combine it with sperm from --

DR. PETER NAGY, EMBRYOLOGIST, REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY ASSOCIATES: From the husband.

GUPTA: The person's partner. Is this something that happens a lot?

NAGY: Oh, yes, absolutely. Here in the United States about 10 to 15 pregnancies is a donation.

GUPTA: Interesting.

GUPTA (voice-over): Reproductive specialist Dr. Mitchell Leef says more and more families are choosing this route to have a family.

MITCHELL-LEEF: They have a baby picture they can choose from. They also know most of their backgrounds, history, what their genetic makeup is, their interests, maybe their education.

GUPTA: They get to choose their eggs?

MITCHELL-LEEF: Yes, they get to choose them.

GUPTA: How much would that process cost?

MITCHELL-LEEF: It is $16,500, and that includes everything.

GUPTA: If a woman in her mid-40s is pregnant, has a baby, is it -- is it almost assumed that woman had an egg donor?

MITCHELL-LEEF: I think I had five women overall in 30 years that got a pregnancy at 45 with their own eggs. That's not a lot.

GUPTA: Michelle and Mike say they plan to share their conception stories with both of their children. HERRING: It needs to be OK for it to not be looked at as some weird thing to use alternate methods that, you know, a non-traditional way to have a family.

MIKE HERRING, HUSBAND OF FERTILITY PATIENT: If we're describing it in 10 years, hopefully it's like describing, you know, to the doctor that it becomes a prevalent the stigma is gone. So that'll help too. It's nothing we've worried about.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: American Airlines responds to a terrifying incident aboard a packed flight. Details on what happened and what airline is saying about it next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Checking today's top stories, the Kansas caucuses have just wrapped up, and the projected winner could be announced any minute now. Forty delegates are up for grabs, but the delegates handed out proportionately. Earlier today Mitt Romney was declared the winner in Guam and the North Mariana Islands.

Israel launched airstrikes against suspected militants in Gaza again today. It is the second day in a row. At least 15 Palestinians are reported killed, more than 20 others injured. A Palestinian Authority spokesman blames Israel for ramping up violence in the region. Israel says the airstrikes targeted terrorists who attack civilian communities near Gaza.

A top world diplomat asks Syria's president face-to-face to stop the carnage and killing in his country. Former U.N. secretary-general Kofi Annan is in Damascus meeting Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. Opposition activists say more than 60 people were killed today in fighting across Syria.

Despite these diplomatic efforts in Syria, the street fighting has not stopped. And today we're learning about how Syrian forces are targeting the opposition. Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr is with me now from Washington. So Barbara, the satellite images taken over Syria show a lot. What specifically?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: You know, they really do, Fredricka, even as the diplomatic initiatives struggle on. These declassified images were released on a state department website. You will slowly see here the scope and devastation of the regime's constant artillery barrages in cities across -- the markers are there marking every place there has been an artillery barrage, and the damage to mosques, playgrounds.

Why is some imagery so important? We've seen the YouTube videos, the internet material, the social media postings. This is the kind of detail that the U.S. intelligence community looks at to get the broader scope, town by town, city by city, a picture of where the Syrian forces are, what their capabilities are, how they are targeting. This gives the U.S. military, the CIA, a very broad look at just how devastating these barrages have been and where the Syrian armored vehicle vehicles, artillery and tanks, are on the move. So this is part of the key intelligence picture, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: So what are the reports to be made of as it pertains to people leaving Assad's inner circle, these defections?

STARR: Well, as this continued artillery shelling goes on and fairly indiscriminately killing so many civilians, of course, what you pointed out -- are they appalled at this or begin to split away from him? Could this split the regime? And the answer from U.S. intelligence analysts is, no. They do not see any cracks in the inner circle around Bashar al-Assad. He remains in control. His key advisors remain around him all directing this campaign.

Now, there have been some low-level defections, even some generals and top government officials, but not the people really around Bashar al-Assad. It's not until that kind of defection happens you begin to see a crack in the regime that Assad may start to believe he can't win. And he may decide to come to the negotiating table, if you will, or even step down. But right now the assessment by the U.S. intelligence community is that is a long way off and the leader of Syria is going to hang on at least for the foreseeable future unless something changes, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Barbara Starr, thanks so much from Washington.

American Airlines is apologizing for a scary incident aboard one of its flights. Here's how it all unfolded. As a plane was taxiing down the runway yesterday, a flight attendant grabbed the loudspeaker and went into a tirade. You can hear the audio there in the background. She said the plane was going to crash. A passenger caught it all on tape. Other passengers and a crew member were able to restrain the attendant. American airlines says both the attendant and another crew member who restrained her were taken to the hospital. The airline says it is continuing to investigate. And we'll talk more on this case in the 4:00 eastern hour.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees says he was never aware of the now infamous bounty program. In a letter to fans, he also said there is no place for it in the NFL or any sport. Some current and former Saints players have admitted to taking part in a scheme that paid bonuses for hits that knocked players out of the game.

NCAA March Madness is almost here. Selection Sunday, well, that's tomorrow. I'm filling out a bracket. Are you? If you are, test your bracket skills against mine. It will be easy. Visit CNN.com/bracket to join the March Madness CNN group.

All right, Disney's new sci-fi epic "John Carter" hits theaters this weekend, and our iReporter sat down with the star of the movie.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's truly a character-driven, woven epic adventure movie.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So find out how our critic grades it next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Horror and sci-fi is the theme for this and there are movies.com to give us some of her movie reviews.

GRAE DRAKE, MOVIE CRITIC: Hey, I'm doing great. It's a great weekend for movies.

WHITFIELD: Very good. I'm glad to hear it. That means we're going to get high grades. Let's begin with "The Silent House." Shall we? Set it up for me.

DRAKE: Yes. Elizabeth Olson, the youngest Olson sister is punished for going to her family's lake house to clean it up. Thing goes horribly wrong. The big selling point of this movie is that it's done in one 88-minute long continuous take.

WHITFIELD: That's going drive my eyeballs crazy then. Well, let's watch a clip of it.

That doesn't look like it. That's not the right movie. Can we see --

DRAKE: That's the next one.

WHITFIELD: There it is, "Silent House."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Daddy? Dad?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: You will not want to sit next to me during this movie because I'll be screaming the whole time. You'll be deaf in that one ear because it's very subliminal, I can see. You may not literally see it all, but there's a lot of inference here. And that is scary enough for me. What were your thoughts?

DRAKE: Yes, exactly. This movie makes your imagination go crazy.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

DRAKE: And I think the biggest selling point, it is a remake of a Spanish film. And the gimmick gets in the way of this film, I think, for me. I was a little annoyed, because in order for a camera to follow her around as she's running around this house screaming, the cameras get really close to everyone. It sort of made everything feel like a scary Beastie Boys video.

(LAUGHTER)

DRAKE: Now aside from that, though, Elizabeth Olson is definitely the focal point of the movie. And she is fantastic. I mean I've never seen anybody with such a damp face win so many screams captivate me for so long. So she really does a good job, proving that her work in "Martha, Marcy, Mae, Marlene" last year is not just a fluke. The youngest Olson sister is the one to watch.

WHITFIELD: Wow, talent. So what was your grade?

DRAKE: I gave this movie a C because the gimmick got in the way for me and I wasn't a huge fan of it. and even though this movie made me more nervous than one of Rush Limbaugh sponsors, it didn't scare me.

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy. OK. Watch it there.

So now let's talk about "John Carter." Set this one up for me. This is making me think kind of "Conan the Barbarian" and all that. Is it?

DRAKE: A little bit, yes. And 100 years ago they wrote a series of novels. Not that you would ever know it because Disney hasn't done a great job of marketing this film. So no one knows that "John Carter" is a civil war soldier who has been teleported to Mars in the middle of a great war and he has to pick sides.

WHITFIELD: OK. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC)

WHITFIELD: OK. Yes, so a little sci-fi. A little, I don't know, Stone Age combo here.

DRAKE: Right, fantasy. This is actually a really good movie. I don't know if anybody is really going to go see it. It cost D$250 million. And there's a lot to like about it, and I'm not even talking about all the half-naked people running around this time. It's a really good fantasy that reminded me of movies from the '80s that were full of sweeping landscapes and lots of action and crazy magical things that glow and confuse you.

The performances are really good. And I even did an interview with Taylor Kitsch as well that's on the home page of movies.com where things got really heated between us. It's very hot. But even the side from my prejudice, this movie is good.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: You kill me. OK. So what was your grade on this one?

DRAKE: This one I gave a B. The reason that it got bumped down in my grades is because I feel a little unqualified to talk about the plot without a master's degree in Martian. It is a little bit complicated. I recommend you definitely go see it but take a pad of paper and pen. Take notes.

WHITFIELD: I think it's the loin cloth that I'm seeing there that is making me think he "Conan the Barbarian." "John Carter," remember that name, right?

DRAKE: Yes.

WHITFIELD: OK, great. Thanks so much. Thanks for your grades. Appreciate it. Always good to see you. Remember, you can get all of Grae's movie grades at Fandango and Movies.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Remember West Liberty, Kentucky, and how it was nearly wiped off the map from tornadoes last week? Well, now new images from surveillance tape to capture the devastation of that twister that swept through. These are images taken from several, in fact, surveillance cameras in the area capturing an EF-3 tornado as it ripped through that town. The tornado packed winds of somewhere around 140 miles an hour, and at least 21 people were killed in Kentucky alone.

Bonnie Schneider with us now. You talk about the force of that tornado. You know, over the last week, I think now when people see images like that, if everything hear a tornado coming their way and about the tips you and others give, you see the images. You do take it seriously the devastation it can cause.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. One of the things that stood out to me in the video is the pieces of wood coming out like missiles. That's what happens during a tornado. Anything that is average and ordinary that doesn't seem like kit hurt you can become a flying object and can come quickly. Look at the debris coming off that building. You can see how fast it's moving. Boy, that is real what does a lot of damage.

Let's show what you is going on. I'm happy to report it's a much calmer day. We had a front that pushed through yesterday, severe weather to the southeast. Now it's no longer that we're monitoring one area that still has some rain that we're keeping a watch on. There is San Angelo into Dallas, Texas. Dallas, you had storms yesterday. The rain in Texas is beneficial. There is still the drought we're dealing with.

All the rain that comes in definitely helps much that's one good thing. The only problem is some of the weather that we're getting is causing some airport delays. For those of you travel this Saturday, we have delays in Florida, San Francisco as well, ground delays there but not too bad.

Well, earlier for the past couple months I've been traveling around the country to talk about my book "Extreme Weather." One of the stops that I went to is Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. I had an opportunity to meet the heroes of the 18th Weather Squadron. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER: The heroes of the 18th Weather Squadron at Ft. Bragg are not only meteorologists, but they also jump out of planes to gather important weather data.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This attaches to the aircraft. This stays on and pulls the chute out.

SCHNEIDER: Battlefield weather forecasters support the army by tailoring the weather data to meet the mission's need. This ranges from long range outlooks to real time tactical mission execution of combat operations.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And that's going to take it, and we can read the data.

SCHNEIDER: Battlefield weather airmen use weather balloons as the upper air sounding system. As the balloon sends through the atmosphere, wind, pressure, temperature and dew point data are recorded and trans mitted to a ground computer. They also face the challenge of setting up weather stations in remote locations all over the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm in communications. I have a 152 radio with a system to cancel out sound and hear what I need. If I'm in a remote location, I can hear or communicate via back to my base.

SCHNEIDER: Other tools they use include a laser range finder, GPS receiver, night vision goggles, and satellite phones. The 18th Weather Squadron members come from a wide variety of backgrounds but share the common passion of meteorology and serving their nation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER: It was incredible to meet those young people, some of them 22, 23 years old jumping out of airplanes, gathering weather data and being able to set up the weather stations in remote areas like the desert in the Middle East. So incredible opportunity.

WHITFIELD: That's fantastic. Great shot at that. Thanks so much, Bonnie. Thanks for bringing that us to, and thanks for the folks at Ft. Bragg.

All right, saving money at home, ways to do it coming up next.

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WHITFIELD: A lot of us are trying to save money any way we can. And there are things we can do to cut the cost on the home front, starting with a cheaper mortgage. Here's this week's "Smart is the New Rich" with Christine Romans.

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CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Here are four ways for homeowners to unlock the money in their house. If mortgage rates are two percent less than the rate you're paying, you need to refinance, even if you have done it recently. The 15 years, a popular refinancing tool, those rates, 3.36 percent.

Next, appeal your property taxes. Most people who do get money back, on average around $1,300 a year, that's according to valueappeal.com. Do your homework. Call the assessor's office first to make sure you understand the formula for determining your home's value. The assessment listed on tax bills is only a fraction of the real value that determines your tax.

And do sweat the small stuff. They add up. Using a programmable thermostat will save you $180 a year. This is according to Energy Star. And don't overpay for your technology. Bundle your Internet, phone, cable. Shop around. You can save up to $60 a month if you switch to a bundled plan. You got to make sure you assess your needs and you don't pay for too much. Are you paying for multiple boxes? Have you considered Internet phone service? An hour of comparison shopping and several more hours of waiting for the proverbial cable guy could save you a bundle.

I'm Christine Romans with this week's "Smart is the New Rich."

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WHITFIELD: All right, it's been a concern of the FDA, and now the problem is spreading. Inside the growing problem of drug shortages in the U.S.

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WHITFIELD: A nationwide drug shortage is hitting home with first responder, emergency medical technicians. And for them, it could mean the difference between life and death. CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti tells us about the problem and a family which worries about it every day.

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SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Ken and Kathy Rapsas daughter suffers daily seizures and without drugs, Mary would not survive.

CATHY RAPSAS, MOTHER: She would die, and that's the bottom line. Mary has already gone into cardiac arrest once. And I just don't even want to think about it, what would happen if we didn't have those medications that would save her life.

CANDIOTTI: Yet the New Jersey family may have to think about it. The very same ambulance company they call for help is running short of the drugs that could save Mary's life.

SCOTT MATIN, MONOC HEALTH SERVICES: As we're almost out of one drug, we're using another drug to take its place, but pretty soon that drug will also be out. CANDIOTTI: Nationwide intravenous anti-seizure drugs are among the dozens of drugs, including cancer treatments that are in short supply. This New Jersey ambulance service tells CNN it had to special order a temporary replacement anti-seizure drug to avoid running out this weekend. Mary's parents are beside themselves.

KEN RAPSAS, FATHER: It's a terrifying situation. Just knowing that the lack of equipment or lack of medications that would take our daughter's life. It's a very, very scary thing.

CATHY RAPSAS, MARY'S MOTHER: And it's very difficult to even think that help wouldn't be there.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The FDA says it tracked at least 220 shortages last year, and claims it prevented 114, but admits the problem is far from solved.

SANDRA KWEDER, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF NEW DRUGS: There's no question that we have our work cut out for us. But this is a public health crisis and we're responding.

CANDIOTTI: On Capitol Hill, drug makers testified overregulation is partly to blame for drug shortages, not greed.

RALPH NEAS, GENERIC PHARMACEUTICAL ASSOCIATION: Manufacturers do not and would never deliberately reduce the supply of essential medicines to push prices up.

CANDIOTTI: For the Rapsas family and others like them, political finger-pointing will do little good the next time their loved one needs an ambulance.

K. RAPSAS: She's an integral part of our family. We wouldn't be the same without her.

CANDIOTTI: President Obama supports bipartisan legislation requiring drug companies to report drug shortages to the FDA. But so far, Congress has failed to act -- Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.

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