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American Morning
Bracing for Irene; Two Hurt In LAX Jetway Collapse; Russian Cargo Rocket Crash; Hurricane Irene Threatens East Coast; Rebels Put Bounty on Gadhafi's Head; Parts of Tripoli Still not Under Rebel Control; Turning Words into Speech
Aired August 25, 2011 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Battering the Bahamas.
I'm Christine Romans.
Hurricane Irene churning into a monster storm this hour. Fears the United States is next.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Wanted dead or alive.
I'm Carol Costello. Former Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi now running for his life with a million dollar bounty on his head.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Apple after Steve Jobs.
I'm Ali Velshi.
The man who catapulted this tech giant into America's second most valuable firm has resigned. What it means for the company that changed the way you live -- on this AMERICAN MORNING.
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ROMANS: And good morning, everyone. It is Thursday, August 25th. It's been a week that's seen -- we'll see -- a 42-year-long dictator lose his roost in Egypt, an earthquake for the first time in 100 years on the East Coast, and now, a very big hurricane coming right at us.
COSTELLO: Yes. And let's talk about that, because hurricane Irene is hitting the Bahamas right now. Power is out. We are getting some reports that homes have been destroyed.
VELSHI: A Category 3 storm on its way to the United States. Right now, hurricane watches are in effect for parts of North Carolina.
ROMANS: Jim Spellman is in the Bahamas, in the town of Nassau. Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon. John Zarrella is in Wrightsville beach, North Carolina. And meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is in the CNN hurricane headquarters.
Glad to have you all on board with us.
Let's begin with Jim.
What do you see in there now, Jim, in Nassau?
JIM SPELLMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine, the winds have really picked up just in the last hour. We're starting to see I think the beginning of a storm surge. The waves have really picked up and you can see it just pouring out over the sea walls here onto the streets that line the coast here.
They have been dealing with this for hours and they're going to deal with it a few hours more. We think we'll be entering the peak period here for Nassau before it passes on. They have done all the preparing they can do. Anyone (INAUDIBLE) has got out. Everybody is hunkered down. We haven't seen anyone out and about.
They're hoping to make it through the next few hours, the peak of the storm here in Nassau, Christine.
ROMANS: All right, Jim, we know you're going to be battered for much of the day. Stay safe because the wind is really blowing down there.
VELSHI: And the U.S. Navy is ordering its warships to move out of Irene's path.
Barbara Starr has new developments from the Pentagon.
Barbara, what's going on?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Ali, at this hour, right at the top at 8:00, the Navy began executing orders to set sail from Norfolk, Virginia, some 27 warships are now getting under way. They are putting out to sea today to get out of the way of Irene because, of course, these very expensive ships can't stay in port and risk being damaged.
So, 27 ships going out to sea, including an aircraft carrier. A second aircraft carrier will go to a naval yard where it is sheltered. And 28 additional ships will seek more sheltered areas. They will be moved into safer areas and remain in the Norfolk area.
But this is a massive movement of military personnel, 27 ships going out to sea. They'll be done by tonight and all be out of Irene's way. And this means hundreds if not thousands of Navy crew are going to be right in the storm out at sea while their families, of course, are back on shore.
But there's really no choice here, they have to get these ships out of the way of the storm because the damage will be too severe. They will make a decision in the next several hours about moving aircraft as well -- Ali.
VELSHI: All right. Barbara, thanks very much. We'll stay on top of that as well.
COSTELLO: Yes, it's getting bad. I hope there are evacuations already under way in North Carolina.
John Zarrella is on Wrightsville Beach.
So, John, it looks so peaceful and nice, but that probably won't last very much longer.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, we've probably got 36 more hours of this good weather here in North Carolina. We're actually under a tropical storm watch here, just up the road starting in Surf City and including all the outer banks is where the hurricane watch is now in effect. That was issued by the National Hurricane Center this morning.
You know, they issue those as best they can in the morning or early afternoon, so that people have a chance during the daylight hours to start preparing. They don't like to issue those warnings at night and then people don't realize they're in place until the next morning.
Now, you know, you mentioned it's really kind of nice here. People are taking advantage of the beach as well. The surf is starting to pick up all up and down the East Coast. Good opportunity for people to get out, enjoy the water. But by the same token, we know that as you move closer and the wave action continues to build, it's going to get really dangerous with rip currents and undertows and people do not belong in the water.
Now, here's the front page of yesterday's paper actually here. "Storm watch." and that's what people from North Carolina all the way up the East Coast, into New England where you folks are, are doing today and will be doing tomorrow, because, you know, it's just not clear exactly where the storm is going.
Now, they have mandatory evacuation orders already issued for the outer banks for tourists in the outer banks and a lot of those folks there are saying, you know what, we're still going to wait and see what happens.
COSTELLO: They always do that. Some people throw hurricane parties and then ride out the storm that way. Crazy stuff.
ZARRELLA: You know, Carol, what's interesting too is that down at the Florida Marlins baseball game. They played a doubleheader yesterday against the Cincinnati Reds, and I think there may be a photo, an image of the stadium, because they were concerned about the fact that they were going to have bad storm today and they couldn't play that second -- the doubleheader.
They only had 347 people at the first game of that doubleheader yesterday, which I'm just saying it may not be so much the hurricane coming as the fact that they're in last place.
COSTELLO: Yes, but still, where's the loyal fans? As a baseball fan, that hurts my heart.
John Zarrella, thank you so much.
COSTELLO: I know. Me, too.
ROMANS: Jacqui Jeras is in the CNN hurricane headquarters. Did I tell you tropical depression number 10 has formed? Don't worry about it yet.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, I don't think we're going to have to worry about it at all. It's way over by the Cape Verde Islands and it's going to head north. So, you know, just to let you know I know it's there, but don't worry about it.
Anyway, all right, so let's get to first and foremost -- and John was talking about the Marlins game and what's going on in Florida.
So, let's start there for a quick minute because this radar really shows you some of those outer bands beginning to move into Ft. Lauderdale and Miami. Winds are going to be picking up today, 40- mile-an-hour gusts easy, especially as the thunderstorms roll through. Beach erosion expected and a high risk of rip currents, so be really careful. Today is not a day to go into the water.
So this storm continues to hold very strong. This is a very powerful major hurricane, category 3, 115-mile-per-hour winds. We're going to see some changes in that intensity, likely to get a little stronger, at times might get a little weaker. That's common. That happens in hurricanes like that.
We saw Jim Spellman's live shot out of Nassau. This hurricane is about 60 miles away from there. And the hurricane-force winds extend out 70 miles from the center of the storm. So, those hurricane-force winds now lashing Nassau and will continue to do so over the next couple of hours.
The storm is moving northwest and we're expecting it to start to take a gradual pull on up towards the north. So, as you look at that forecast track, you can see it parallels that coastline a bit, making it a little more challenging for picking an exact spot for landfall.
But being this is such a huge storm, you need to prepare for it and all of this whole area is going to be feeling the impact from the winds regardless. So, the closest approach is going to be happening, we think, on Saturday, we think likely in the afternoon and evening and then ripping its way on up through the Northeast. And this is going to cause a lot of power outages, a lot of flooding all across the area, guys. This is a powerful storm.
You can track it all throughout the weekend as well, CNN.com/hurricane. You can see the satellite, you can see the latest track. So, make sure you watch us on the web as well.
ROMANS: All right, Jacqui.
COSTELLO: We will.
ROMANS: We certainly will. Thanks, Jacqui.
VESLHI: Jacqui said these hurricanes are so unpredictable that there's no way to know this far ahead exactly where they may it, where it may hit. That's why FEMA is telling the entire Eastern Seaboard to be alert and ready.
We spoke with FEMA administrator Craig Fugate last hour. Here's his advice.
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CRAIG FUGATE, FEMA ADMINISTRATOR: I think the biggest concern is getting people to pay attention and make sure they're ready. You know, if you've got your plan, you've got your supplies and you checked everything, then you're in good shape. And then the only thing you've got to be ready is if the local officials call for evacuation orders and you're in that zone, be ready to go.
What is really critical, you know, a lot of people look to FEMA for the answers. These answers about what impacts you can have and what you need to do in your community are going to come from your local officials.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: All right. A new aftershock from this week's East Coast earthquake rattling plenty of nerves overnight. The 4.5 magnitude aftershock was centered near the town of Mineral, Virginia. It's the fourth and strongest yet from the initial 5.8 quake on Tuesday. The tremors were felt in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C. No reports of any damage from those aftershocks.
COSTELLO: But actually, that initial quake did more damage than originally thought at the Washington Monument. Engineers found numerous cracks at the top of the structure, so the monument will remain closed for the foreseeable future.
Also significant damage to Washington's beautiful National Cathedral. It remains closed. The dean of the cathedral is confident they'll be able to hold the special events planned to mark 10 years since the September 11th attacks. That's what they're hopping. But there's damage to the spires -- also damage to some of those beautiful sculptures on the lawn.
VELSHI: (INAUDIBLE) came down.
COSTELLO: Really sad. But hopefully, they'll have it all fixed up -- and they're also asking for donations, I'm just saying.
VELSHI: All right. If only we could talk to the animals. Listen to this.
The National Zoo says many of the animals started going wild about five to 10 seconds before the earthquake struck on Tuesday. The apes went for the high ground. Orangutans bellowed. A gorilla grabbed her baby minutes before the quake.
I think we're just seeing general pictures here, right? This isn't them getting all crazy about it. The lemurs reacted apparently a full 15 minutes before it struck. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
DR. DON MOORE, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, ANIMAL CARE SERVICES: All of these behaviors were atypical given the behaviors that we observe in these animals at this time of day every single day.
K.C. BRAESCH, PRIMATE KEEPER: We thought it was strange. We stopped what we were doing and we watched her and then we knew what was going on once we felt the shaking.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
VELSHI: So, scientists say many animals actually have these extra sensory abilities and could warn of things like a quake or even heart attacks in humans. I did hear the pandas did nothing.
ROMANS: Yes, they did nothing.
VELSHI: So if you have a pet panda at home, it is not an early warning signal for the hurricane.
ROMANS: I just wish they could have sent in some iReports.
VELSHI: You know, I actually saw the story and it said animals react to the hurricane. Which I just assumed, are we interviewing animals now?
COSTELLO: No. The headline went on to say animals react to hurricane, except for the pandas.
VELSHI: I thought the pandas were like whatever, we've seen hurricanes before. I don't care.
COSTELLO: Give me some more food.
VELSHI: But that's kind of interesting. If I could find out what reacted well, that would be a good pet to have.
COSTELLO: Yes, get your orangutan, baby.
ROMANS: I saw video of a dog that ran to the window just a few seconds before it hit. The owner is like why is the dog looking out the window and then everything started to shake.
VELSHI: Oh, that's why. Yes.
ROMANS: Anyway, still ahead, it's the end of an extraordinary era. Tech visionary Steve Jobs stepping down as CEO of Apple. This man changed the way people live.
Now, what will the company do without him? Can Apple keep its momentum and stay ahead of the competition?
COSTELLO: Also ahead, an airport horror story. Two people walking of an airplane last night at LAX when suddenly the Jetway collapsed beneath them.
VELSHI: And frightening new video. A head-on crash between a cop car and an SUV that was going the wrong direction. Check this out, he never saw it coming. We'll tell you what happens after the break.
12 minutes after the hour.
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ROMANS: Two people were hurt at Los Angeles International Airport last night when a jetway, that's the bridge between the plane and the terminal, it collapsed. The airport says it happened as people were leaving an American Airlines plane that came in from Chicago.
American now tells us it was a pilot and passenger who fell about ten feet when part of that gave way. They were taken to the hospital. The airline says it's inspecting their jetways at L.A.X. as a result of this accident.
COSTELLO: Thank goodness for that, huh?
Check out this police dash cam video. It shows an Oklahoma City police cruiser in a head-on collision with an SUV. Oh, it's hard to watch, isn't it?
VELSHI: It really is. Even when you know that everybody got out OK.
COSTELLO: Yes.
VELSHI: It's still hard to watch.
COSTELLO: Some people didn't know because I didn't tell them and I apologize for that. The white pickup truck in front and swerved to avoid the SUV, but it was too late for the police car, because where do you go? Officials say the deputy and his canine partner were treated for minor injuries. The SUV driver was arrested for DUI. They never did hurt, do they?
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VELSHI: You don't tense up like everybody else when you're about to hit a car.
COSTELLO: Well, he's in big trouble with the law, anyway.
VELSHI: Wow.
COSTELLO: Wow. And he happens to run right into the law.
VELSHI: Yes, that's right.
COSTELLO: So, it was a very short visit between the accident and the arrest, I'm sure.
VELSHI: That's right.
All right. Russian cargo rocket which was on its way to the International Space Station has crashed in Siberia -- over Siberia. It was way up in space when something went wrong. It happened within five minutes after takeoff yesterday. The unmanned rocket was carrying more than three tons of food and supplies. Officials say the loss of this rocket doesn't affect the six astronauts who are on the International Space Station.
They pointed out that they have more than enough supplies to hold them over. Russia has, meanwhile grounded all of the supply rockets while they investigate what went wrong.
ROMANS: This morning, the debate is on over what Steve Jobs' resignation means to Apple, the company that revolutionized the computer, the smart phone and the music industry. Jobs has struggled with health problems, and it's been very visible, his struggles. He's been replaced now by the company's chief operating officer, Tim Cook.
In a letter yesterday, Jobs wrote, quote, "I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I'd be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come."
Joining me live now From San Francisco is Leander Kahney, editor and publisher of cultof mac.com and author of "Inside Steve's Brain." Welcome to the program. Is there Apple without the vision of Steve Jobs?
LEANDER KAHNEY, EDITOR AND PUBLISHER OF CULTOFMAC.COM: Yes. Most certainly. The company has got huge momentum, and it is going to thrive with or without him, but you know, will it have the same magic? I don't know. It's definitely the end of an era.
ROMANS: It certainly is. You think two, three, four years down the road when the things that he's got his hands in now may be coming to market. Is there the culture at this company to make sure that the magic that Steve has woven will continue with other people?
KAHNEY: Yes, I certainly think so. He has embedded his DNA really deep in that company in the last ten years. It works like clockwork, you know, with all these different processes he's set up, and I think that's the most important thing. He has a deep management team and a lot of creative processes already in place that I think the company will continue to function OK without him.
ROMANS: Leander, what about the note, the resignation letter? I mean, in a way it's just so sad having followed him for so long to hear him say in just four paragraphs, you know, I said if I wasn't up to performing my duties for Apple that I'd step back and that's what I have to do. For people who love this man and think that he has been such a visionary for America, it's kind of -- it's a really sad way to resign, isn't it?
KAHNEY: Yes. It was very abrupt. We all knew it was coming, of course, but it was abrupt. His letter was classic Steve Jobs. It was unsentimental and curt, short and to the point. So, yes, for the fans, it doesn't do a lot, but it's very much in character with him.
ROMANS: What about the fact that he's staying on as chairman. He'd like to stay on as chairman. You know, that means there will be Steve Jobs' magic -- and you say his DNA is embedded in the whole corporate culture. What's the significance of staying on as chairman?
KAHNEY: Well, hopefully, he'll be involved in all the major strategic decisions, and he'll be doing deal making and a lot of high level stuff that he's so good at. So, -- but it will be interesting. He still has a hand in the company, still an employee, and hopefully, he will still show up for product presentations, and let's hope that he's in that position for quite some time.
ROMANS: You know, it's really remarkable. I mean, the way we listen to music, the way we get information, the way we read the news, the way we use the telephone, all of these things have changed because of the vision of Apple under Steve Jobs. The company sells 70 iPads a minute or something. I mean, it's just incredible. You have to go all the way back to Thomas Edison to talk about a company and a leader that have changed the way we use technology.
I guess -- I guess -- can this company ever have a period of progress matched like this ever again? I mean, you just think of how much they've accomplished over the past four or five years. It's phenomenal.
KAHNEY: Yes, I doubt it. This is, you know, a single individual. He has had, you know, a massive influence on all of our lives, you know, going back to the 1970s. It's been a remarkable career. One massive disruption after another. Most CEOs are happy if they have, you know, one or two hits.
ROMANS: Right.
KAHNEY: And Jobs has had 30 years of hits. I doubt anyone can imagine.
ROMANS: And stockholders have loved this company. I mean, you know people -- you always hear about people who bought it at two. I bought it at 10. I bought it at 30, you know? Now, it's down maybe $3 overseas in German, you know, trading, but I'm wondering, I mean, what are you hearing? What are people saying about the possibility for this stock? Can the stock continue to have a 500 percent or 400 percent return over five years without Steve Jobs as the CEO?
KAHNEY: I think so.
ROMANS: Really?
KAHNEY: You know, it's going to take a hit today for sure. Yes, because the company has such momentum. I mean, they're just at the beginning of the whole iPad revolution. I think the iPad, the iPhone and hand-held devices, mobile devices are going to be bigger than the PC ever was, and Apple already owns this market. This is a massive market.
The company is firing on all cylinders. They've got -- already got a pipeline for several years of products. And, I think the stock is going to go -- long term is going to be a very good buy. I mean, I hate to say it, but today will be a good buying opportunity for people who are long on Apple.
ROMANS: All right. Leander Kahney, cultofmac.com, nice to talk to you. Thanks so much.
KAHNEY: OK. Thank you.
VELSHI: All right. We're following new developments from Libya right now. Die-hard Gadhafi loyalists engaged in a firefight with rebel forces at the former Gadhafi compound. We've seen plumes of smoke rising from the Bab al-Aziziya compound this morning. Meanwhile, no sign of Gadhafi himself. Rebel leaders are offering a $1.4 million reward for his capture dead or alive. NATO is assisting the rebels with intelligence and reconnaissance in that manhunt.
COSTELLO: And now is your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. The question for you this morning, what should happen if Gadhafi is captured? Moammar Gadhafi remains at large. The slippery dictator has evaded capture, only to pop up on the radio vowing to fight against the rebels for months or even years. Gadhafi spokesman has added, we will turn Libya into a volcano of lava and fire under the feet of the invaders and their treacherous agents.
While we all wait for the hot magma to start flowing, retired Major General Spider Marks says that this kind of rhetoric closes the door to a peaceful surrender by Gadhafi.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somebody needs to shoot him in the face or -- and I don't know that there's an alternative.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Libyan rebels have now put up a $1.4 million bounty to anyone who kills or captures Gadhafi. Still, knowing the eyes of the world are upon them, the rebels have also said they would offer Gadhafi a fair trial if captured alive. The International Criminal Court and the Hague wants Gadhafi, too. It has warrants out for the arrest of Gadhafi and one of his sons. We know what a criminal trail in a Hague would look like.
If it took place in Libya, would it resemble Hosni Mubarak's trial in Egypt or Saddam Hussein's trial in Iraq? Hussein, you remember, was found guilty and hanged. A videotape from his execution showed people taunting him, and it became an international controversy. So, the "Talk Back" today, What should happen if Gadhafi is captured? Facebook.com/americanmorning. Facebook.com/americanmorning. I'll read your comments later this hour.
ROMANS: All right. Meantime, up next, the market rally, will it hold this morning? Could there be four days in a row? We're going to check the numbers for you.
VELSHI: I have good news though, for coffee lovers. Your daily fix is getting cheaper. I'll tell you about that after the break. It's 24 minutes after the hour.
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VELSHI: Twenty-seven minutes after the hour. "Minding Your Business" this morning, Delta just announced that it has ordered 100 Boeing 737 aircraft. The planes are going to be delivered between 2013 and 2018.
Seeing some volatile trading of stock futures overnight. Right now, the futures on the Dow and the S&P 500 trading slightly higher and NASDAQ futures are down. Wall Street still holding out hope the Federal Reserve chief, Ben Bernanke, will announce some new measures to help the economy in a big speech on Friday. Potential market movers today, the weekly jobless claims reports coming out in just a few minutes.
Wall Street will be watching Apple's stock today. Investors are concerned about the future of the company after Steve Jobs announced that he's stepping down as CEO. The stock is down 2.5 percent in electronic trading overseas, trading at about $360 per share right now.
And gold prices retreating from record highs. There was a steep drop of about five percent as investors felt more confident in the economy following a strong report on new orders for durable or long- lasting manufactured goods yesterday. Gold future is trading at about $1,700 an ounce right now.
Good news for caffeine junkies. Kraft is cutting the cost of its Maxwell House coffee brand six percent, about 20 cents less per pound. J.M. Smucker Company cut its prices by about that much last week for Folgers and Millstone Brands. Thanks to better coffee growing weather conditions. Futures for coffee have dropped almost two percent in the past six months.
Coming up next, Hurricane Irene. It's time to take this one seriously, folks. The powerful and destructive storm is tearing through the Bahamas and headed our way. AMERICAN MORNING back with all the details after this break.
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COSTELLO: It's 31 minutes past the hour. Happening right now, hurricane Irene now a powerful category three storm with winds topping 115 miles per hour. It's expected to get even stronger, possibly churning into a category four. The U.S. Navy is sending 27 ships based in Norfolk, Virginia, out to sea just in case to ride out the storm.
VELSHI: As a non-sea faring fellow, I always find that interesting, that a ship can withstand these things because they don't get battered around. They can go out there, and that's what they're meant to do. Irene is pounding the Bahamas right now. Dozens of homes have been destroyed, trees ripped out of the ground. You can get a real sense of the power of this storm. It has knocked out power in some areas of the Bahamas. Residents are dealing with severe flooding as well.
ROMANS: And overnight hurricane watches have been issued for some parts of North Carolina. Residents told to get ready for Irene's worst.
And mandatory evacuations are under way for vacationers. John Zarrella joins us live from Wrightsville Beach where it is beautiful right now, but you've got 36 hours of beauty left before the beast rolls in. Hi there.
ZARRELLA: Yes, that's about right, Christine. What you're seeing down in the Bahamas, that video, for all you folks up from North Carolina north into New England, what they're seeing there is what is quite possibly what we're going to be experiencing starting sometime Saturday here.
This is not a storm to take lightly. It is paralleling the U.S. east coast, which means tens of millions of people could very well be affected depending on whether it slides a little to the left or a little to the right.
And remember historically, 1991, hurricane Bob hit around Boston, Massachusetts. 1985 you folks saw the hurricane Gloria come right up there into Long Island. But the big one was 1938, the storm they called the Yankee clipper, the most powerful hurricane to ever strike the New England area. We're not saying this could be that kind of a storm, but the folks in New England who haven't experienced very many hurricanes need to take this seriously.
And remember, the greatest loss of life from storms is not storm surge any longer but inland flooding. When you start to see that water rise, people try to get out of the way. They get bogged down in their cars, and that's where the greatest loss of life from these kinds of storms are.
So this is not to be taken lightly. People need to start paying very close attention to the forecasts and to their local emergency managers about where exactly this storm is starting to track.
VELSHI: A lot of hurricanes, but even you didn't cover the Yankee clipper in 1938.
COSTELLO: Oh, man.
ZARRELLA: No, I did not. That's one I did miss.
(LAUGHTER)
VELSHI: You haven't missed any other, certainly in recent memory. John, you will always be safe. He knows how to take care of it.
Take a look at what's going on in Miami right now.
ROMANS: Because it's cloudy, I think it's about 80. You can see -- well, it's cloudy so the outer bands are starting to lap. But it's going to be rainy, believe it or not, and winds later today, and we all know why, right?
COSTELLO: Well, I think that Florida, Jacqui, and correct me if I'm wrong, it's going to miss the brunt of this storm.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: But they'll certainly feel impacts. You can see how lousy is looks there. And take a look at this map I have got for you. I put the visible satellite along with the radar there and there you can see the outer bands moving into Florida already and the cloud shield already moving inland past the I- 95 corridor.
You're going to be feeling gusts of around 40 miles an hour today. A lot of beach erosion can be expected. I know you want to surf, but it's a really dangerous thing to do because we'll have major swells today and the threat of rip currents will be really high. Even Olympic swimmers have a tough time getting out of a rip current. If you get caught in one, swim parallel to the beach until you get out of the rip current and then make your way towards safety.
All right, let's talk a little more about some of these statistics on Irene and where it is. It is closing in through the Bahamas. It's about 67 miles away from Nassau, now, a very intense category three storm. We call that a major hurricane, with maximum winds around 115 miles per hour. It's going to be moving through the northwestern Bahamas today, going about 200 miles east of the Florida coast throughout the day today and tomorrow, and then head towards the Carolinas into Saturday with a possible landfall late in the day on Saturday.
And then ripping on up towards that east coast. And we heard John Zarrella talking a little bit about the long island express. This is potentially taking a very similar track. And he had some great information about that inland flooding, because, you know, while not everybody will get the eye of this storm, almost everybody in this area will get all that rainfall.
And this is a forecast for five days showing you how much rain. And everybody in this whole area, the Carolinas, New York city, Atlantic City, Washington, D.C., we're talking 6 to 12 inches of rainfall and it's already saturated. So a huge flood concern. And big concern for power outages too, guys. Have your safety kit ready. We're going to have more details on the safety kit about an hour from now in the CNN Newsroom. I'll pull out my little bag of tricks, Carol, that you've been wondering what's inside of there. Make sure you tune in an hour from now for that.
COSTELLO: I've been waiting for that. Thank you, Jacqui.
VELSHI: Well, people who watch before 9:00 a.m. don't get to see what you're supposed to have?
ROMANS: Bag of tricks. Holding out on us.
JERAS: Go to twitter and Facebook. I have it posted there.
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: Well an earthquake aftershocks -- we've had an earthquake, we've had aftershocks of the earthquake, we've got this hurricane coming, one thing after another during President Obama's vacation. The White House says the president has no plans to change his schedule in Martha's Vineyard this time. Today is day seven of his nine-day trip. I would imagine he's not getting the peace that he might have thought he was getting.
COSTELLO: No, but let's say he goes back to Washington. He'd feel the effects of the hurricane there, so why not just stay in Martha's Vineyard?
ROMANS: I read that they gutted the White House kitchen, so I think if he came back early, they'd have to order Chinese. I think there's a joke in there somewhere.
Up next, rebels in almost complete control of Tripoli right now. The Libyan war's focus turning into an all-out manhunt for Moammar Gadhafi. It's 38 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Questions still this morning, where is Moammar Gadhafi? It's a $1.4 million question. Now that's how much rebel leaders are offering as a bounty for capturing Gadhafi dead or alive.
VELSHI: Meanwhile rebels are engaged in a fierce firefight with Gadhafi loyalists to keep control of the former presidential compound in Tripoli. CNN's Sara Sidner is on the ground there for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARA SIDNER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're here in Martyr Square, and suddenly we have been a witness to huge plumes of smoke that we believe are coming from the area around Bab al Aziziya, if not Bab al Aziziya itself. There appears to be a firefight still going on in that area. Our team that has been there was not able to get all the way inside. They did see people coming from one part of Bab al Aziziya. They're not sure if it was rebels or if it was Gadhafi forces, but they were armed.
The situation still a security threat in and around Bab al Aziziya. Right now we're seeing very large plumes of smoke from the south of martyr square which is in the same area. The situation is always changing here in Tripoli. One moment everybody says rebels have control of 90 percent of the city, and the next moment we hear there's some serious problems in sections in which they already said they had control of. So things change very quickly.
We do know the city has been relatively quiet until this point in the day, about noon time here, so the big headline right now at this time is that there is a massive amount of smoke coming from the south of the square near Gadhafi's former compound, Bab al Aziziya.
Sara Sidner, CNN, Tripoli.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: And, oh, the ink that is being spilled about this administration and what's happening in Libya. What are the morning papers saying about Libya and other news of the day? Here's you morning opinion. Rebel fighters encountering fierce pockets of resistance with pro-Gadhafi forces. Our CNN crew on the ground reporting, as you just heard, huge plumes of smoke coming from the compound in Tripoli.
In today's paper, many writers wondering what effect Libya will have on President Obama's reelection. It was just a matter of time before they went there, wasn't it? A "Los Angeles Times" op-ed said the president deserves credit for the way he's handled the war in Libya, but in the end it won't make a difference with voters come election time.
So he deserves the credit, but it won't matter. While it's possible, quote, "that the president will get a bounce in the polls if Moammar Gadhafi is captured, it's not likely to help him much in 2012."
But the "Washington Post" says Republicans are wrong for criticizing the president for his policy of limited engagement in Libya, quote, "Less than six months and no American casualties were obviously not good enough. Should we have done this the way we did things in Iraq?"
VELSHI: You remember when Osama bin Laden was killed. There were all sorts of people who got on TV and said this guarantees a reelection for President Obama. We're all smart enough to know that nothing that happens that far from an election, what did you say, three days can --
COSTELLO: I think you can boil it down. It's the economy, stupid.
VELSHI: I think you're right. And it's going to be the economy in September and October and the first week of November of 2012 more than it's the economy now.
COSTELLO: And it will still then be it's the stupid economy too. No projections show huge job growth. VELSHI: We don't need huge. We just need things to feel better than they have in the previous several months. The reason we talk about a double-dip recession now isn't that we have one or have evidence that we are in one. It's just that so many people are not feeling better.
COSTELLO: No confidence. It's the economy, stupid.
VELSHI: There you go.
COSTELLO: Morning headlines coming your way next. It's 44 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: 45 minutes past the hour.
This is just in to CNN, the Labor Department announcing 417,000 unemployment claims were filed for the first time last week. That is not great news for the economy. A footnote on this report, though, at least 8,500 of those unemployment claims were due to the Verizon worker strike that has since ended.
Economists were forecasting that the number of jobless claims fell last week. And instead they increased by 5,000 from the week before.
That news will likely move U.S. markets, which open about 45 minutes from now, in the wrong direction, right? Right now futures on the Dow and S&P 500, trading higher -- higher slightly I should say. NASDAQ futures are down ahead of the opening bell.
Steve Jobs, the man behind Apple's iPod, iPhone and iPad has stepped down as CEO from the tech giant he helped create. Jobs had been on medical leave since January. He'll stay on as Apple's chairman.
Hurricane Irene pounding central and southeastern Bahamas leaving damage behind. Hurricane watches have been issued for parts of North Carolina, evacuations now under way. And the Navy is sending ships based in Norfolk, Virginia out to sea to ride out the storm.
A pilot and a passenger were hurt at the Los Angeles international airport last night when a jet way collapsed; the two victims fell about ten feet when part of that jet way gave way. They were taken to the hospital.
Baltimore Orioles pitching great Mike Flanagan has died. Police say they found his body on a trail near his home in Maryland. He won the Cy Young Award for his stellar 1979 season with the O's. Mike Flanagan was 59 years old and a much beloved figure in Baltimore. We'll miss him.
Casey Anthony reported for probation in Florida last night. An appeals court ruling she must serve a year after being convicted on check fraud charges. Anthony, as you know, was acquitted of murder charges in the death of her daughter, Caylee.
And in a new poll Texas Governor Rick Perry is now the leader of the pack, the Republican pack that is. That's according to Gallup, 29 percent of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents favor Perry. Mitt Romney comes in second with 17 percent.
And that's the news you need to start your day. AMERICAN MORNING back after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: For the American family now, this is a joke coming up, the best way to save for retirement is to keep your first wife. We don't know who first said that and it's kind of a sexist joke, but people in the south aren't following this advice.
A new U.S. Census Bureau report says the south has the highest rate of divorce, this in the year 2009. The northeast has the lowest rate of divorce. The states with below average rates of divorce are in blue. The above average rates of divorce are in red. It gives new meaning to red states and blue states.
Arkansas had the highest divorce rate in the country, about 13.5 for every 1,000 men and much higher than the national average of 9.2. Now, I don't know why it was just men because, you know, to divorce in most of these places --
(CROSSTALK)
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Right.
ROMANS: -- it's whatever.
VELSHI: You need both.
ROMANS: It takes two.
VELSHI: Yes.
ROMANS: The report says people in the south get married earlier. They divorce more. They get married again sooner. So more marriages equal more divorces too, I guess. Women who got divorced were also more likely to be in poverty than recently divorced men.
COSTELLO: I mean there has to be -- that's really interesting.
ROMANS: Isn't that interesting?
COSTELLO: Yes, I'm going to delve into that further. Those figures came from the Census Bureau -- the census report.
VELSHI: It could be the weather.
ROMANS: What, it's colder in the northeast so we have to huddle together?
VELSHI: Yes, yes, yes, you -- you lose your -- your spouse, your heating bill goes up.
ROMANS: That sounds like -- that would be a good question for tomorrow, Carol.
COSTELLO: I think it would be a good one. I've -- I've --
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: I mean that's the only thing I can surmise.
COSTELLO: And it's as good a theory as any.
VELSHI: There you go.
And "A.M. House Call" now; he was the candidate who went jogging straight to McDonald's you will recall, Bill Clinton now going vegan. The 65-year-old former President says several doctors convinced him to follow a low-fat, plant-based diet.
Now the strictest types of vegetarians -- vegans are the strictest type of vegetarian there is. President Clinton had quadruple bypass surgery in 2004 and stent surgery in 2010.
ROMANS: It's like only three percent of Americans are vegetarians. True -- true vegetarians, less than one percent are true, true vegans.
COSTELLO: It's tough. It's even tough to find food to eat that is vegan appropriate.
ROMANS: I know. I've never found vegan at McDonald's.
VELSHI: Yes, I -- that's -- I don't know what to say.
COSTELLO: It's a little easier for him.
VELSHI: I don't know that's one of those stories that I can just tell, I can't really comment on. I can't get involved in I don't understand.
ROMANS: No, relation whatsoever with Ali's life.
COSTELLO: Ali is a carnivore.
VELSHI: Yes.
COSTELLO: In this week's "Human Factor" a man who's own trouble with reading inspired him to invent a new technology. CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta has this story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For Ben Foss who has dyslexia, this device is something he doesn't leave home without.
BEN FOSS, HAS DYSLEXIA: Unsweetened cocoa and I can get semisweet or really sweet or -- and that could screw up the recipe.
GUPTA: The Intel reader, a device Foss helped design turns written words into speech.
(on camera): But once you actually use the technology, I mean, you take the picture.
FOSS: Yes.
GUPTA: Allow it to process.
FOSS: Yes.
GUPTA: At that point if you're -- if you're good at being able to listen at 250 words per minute, you could essentially catch right up to --
FOSS: I can eliminate a lot of the challenges. So when most people are reading, they're hearing language. I don't. When I read text, it's like having a bad cell phone connection to the page. Things drop out. I miss pieces of information.
When I was a kid, my mom would read out loud to me, which wasn't a big deal. When I went to college, I used to fax my term papers home to her in New Hampshire and she'd read them to me over the phone so that I could find my own spelling mistakes.
GUPTA (voice-over): Remarkably the next step for Foss was Stanford Law.
(voice-over): At one point you say you want to go to a law school. Was that almost to say you know what, I'm going to do this in spite of dyslexia?
FOSS: I would do it in spite of the books. I was a very good public speaker. I was a debater. That's what lawyers do, right? It turned out also read -- which I've kind of overlook in the whole formula.
GUPTA: Still, he got his law degree and a business degree. But Ben says it was his own experience with dyslexia that drove him to develop the device.
FOSS: That was basically so I didn't have to call my mom every time I needed something read, like good for me. Good for my mom. The result was that I wanted to be able to take a photograph of any printed material and to read it on the spot.
GUPTA: Nowadays Ben helps fight for folks just like him as the Executive Director of a disability rights organization.
FOSS: Think about who you are and what your story is.
GUPTA: He encourages people to be open about their disabilities and to find ways to adapt.
FOSS: It's definitely faster than I read, but it's doable.
GUPTA (on camera): It's doable.
FOSS: Yes.
GUPTA: But you -- you can listen to it that fast?
FOSS: I can. But that's the result of years of practice. You spend five years learning how to master text. And I spent five years how -- learning how to master this.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: Kind of amazing to -- to just hear him describe it as the way he does. I mean he -- he said he once had to give a -- was invited to a White House event but got his Social Security number wrong because of his dyslexia so he couldn't get in. Reading a menu at restaurants, even medications he has sometimes had trouble with because of the dyslexia. So that's his -- that's his real life and that's why he came up with this device.
VELSHI: Sanjay, you've got the -- you've got the device with you?
GUPTA: Yes.
VELSHI: The Intel reader.
GUPTA: Come over here.
VELSHI: How does it work?
GUPTA: This is it here. Take a look. And basically it -- it's just -- it's something you carry around and it basically takes a photograph.
And if you take a photograph of language over here.
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: Right.
GUPTA: It processes it for a second and then basically shows you the written word but also --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can speed up the language to about 250 words per minute, which is fast. That's what Ben listens at. But for someone who struggles with reading it gives them the tool to be able to function in society at a pace that is reasonable. End of document.
GUPTA: That's it.
VELSHI: And you can pick up the pace?
GUPTA: And it does it pretty quickly. And you can pick up the pace and what Ben -- Ben sort of is talking about, is that it was 110 words per minute --
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: Right.
GUPTA: -- but he uses it all the time. He can put it up to 250 words per minute and as a result is almost getting that information off labels or off reading as fast as someone is reading it. So you know --
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: That's great.
GUPTA: -- it works pretty well for him.
COSTELLO: All right, Sanjay.
VELSHI: And very neat.
ROMANS: Thanks, Sanjay.
GUPTA: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: Coming up next are the answers to our "Talk Back" question of the day. The question was, "What should happen if Moammar Gadhafi is captured?" We'll read your thoughts in, oh, just about three minutes.
Its 55 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: We asked you to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. We asked you this question, "What would happen if Moammar Gadhafi is captured?"
This from Dan, "If at all possible, he should be captured and turned over to the International Criminal Court for trial. Unfortunately, Libya doesn't have the infrastructure or judicial system needed to fairly try him in that country."
This from Binaya. "Executing him without making him without making him face trial at the International Criminal Court is definitely not the right, humanitarian or lawful way to take him down into history. However, if he is found by any of the rebel fighters, I don't think he'll be alive for another moment. I think the bigger concern is how Libya is going to get itself organized again."
And this from Chase, "The United States should stay out of the fate of Gadhafi; he may be a murderer but we can't interfere with his trial. We can oversee his trial, but we shouldn't interrupt it in any way. Just let the Libyan citizens take control. If they choose to kill him, then they will. But if they decide to release him, which obviously won't happen then let it be. The citizens will make the right decisions for themselves." Facebook.com/Americanmorning and thanks as always for your comments.
VELSHI: I checked. We haven't heard any of the idea that somebody is going to find him and release him.
COSTELLO: Yes, I don't think that's going to happen.
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: Or elect him.
COSTELLO: He maybe escapes to another country.
VELSHI: If not escape, then house arrest.
ROMANS: That's true.
VELSHI: I mean this is the thing, these rebels have done a good job but they have been disorganized and this is what happens. This is a topic that they must be thinking very seriously about.
COSTELLO: There's an international hunt for him now.
VELSHI: Yes.
ROMANS: That's right. And it's a hunt that our good friend and colleague Kyra Phillips is following as well.
"CNN NEWSROOM" starts with her right now. Hi Kyra.
