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American Morning
Homes Sheared in Half; Reach Homes Crumble In Conn.; Fed Stimulus Buzz Pushes Stocks Higher; Interview with Governor Dan Malloy; Suspect in Disappearance of American Woman in Aruba May Be Freed; Paterson, New Jersey Flooded; Young Conservative Women Profiled in "Elle"; Mad as a Mamma Grizzly; Libya Food Crisis
Aired August 31, 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: Then the floods came.
I'm Christine Romans.
New warnings and evacuations along rivers in the Northeast days after hurricane Irene hit.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Will he stay behind bars or will he go free?
I'm Carol Costello.
The prime suspect in Robyn Gardner's disappearance in Aruba is expected to learn his fate at a court hearing just about an hour from now.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Time is of the essence.
I'm Ali Velshi.
The U.N. secretary-general addressing the humanitarian crisis in Libya. More than half of Tripoli has no water or sanitation -- on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(MUSIC)
ROMANS: And good morning, everyone. It's Wednesday, August 31st. Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING this morning.
COSTELLO: Yes. Good morning to you.
We begin with the disaster after the storm.
Water is still rising three days after hurricane Irene hit the Northeast coast of America. Forty-three people now reported dead in 12 states, close to 3 million people still without power. Connecticut has ordered new evacuations as water surges downstream from places farther north in New England, and also along the state's shore line. There are scenes of total devastation.
Alina Cho is live for us in East Haven, Connecticut, which, of course, is east of New Haven, Connecticut.
Good morning, Alina.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, good morning to you.
I am inside one of the homes that was decimated during Hurricane Irene. And as we pull out wide, you can see there's just not much left of it, except, amazingly, the flat screen TV is still intact.
But, really, all you have to do is take a walk along this beach and you'll see that nearly every home was either damaged or destroyed. Three days after hurricane Irene, many residents are finally just getting back to their homes and they are finding so many of their homes were wiped out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DINO BRAINERD: The whole first floor is gone. This was the second floor actually.
CHO: This is the second floor?
BRAINERD: This is the second floor.
CHO (voice-over): The living room, kitchen, rooms that were once one floor up in Dino Brainerd's home are now hugging the beach at ground level.
Homes sheered in half by what many here call "the perfect storm."
BRAINERD: It's eerie. You come back and it's almost like it's so surreal.
CHO: Like this scene. People enjoying their summer, just feet away from total devastation.
(on camera): These are the pillars on which the homes were built to protect them. This is what's left after Irene. One resident told me if it's if someone picked up their home, threw it, and stomped on it.
All of the homes here flattened and reduced to rubble.
MAYOR APRIL CAPONE, EAST HAVEN, CONNECTICUT: We believe that we have 25 homes that are a total loss and maybe another 20 that are uninhabitable.
CHO (voice-over): Adding to the heartbreak? Cozy beach is tight-knit and many families have owned their homes for generations, like Jim DeLucia (ph).
JIM DELUCIA, RESIDENT: We did get a little water in here. That's very unusual.
CHO: Sixty-five of his 70 summers have been spent here. DeLucia says with the beach erosion over the years, owning a home on this beach is like playing Russian roulette.
DELUCIA: It wasn't a question of if, it was a question of when.
CHO: Lifelong resident Roberta Savo (ph) ignored the mandatory evacuation order.
(on camera): What did you see?
ROBERTA SAVO, RESIDENT: I saw the house coming down. What I see? I saw this -- this coming down and coming at me.
CHO (voice-over): Her mom was spared.
But for Dino Brainerd and his family, there is little to salvage. Yet, for him, leaving the area is not an option.
BRAINERD: I would not let this stop me from coming back.
CHO (on camera): When you hear the name Irene now?
BRAINERD: I won't be naming any of my daughters or pets Irene.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: Some of the homes in this area have been described as toppled doll houses. Others, quite literally, were just sheared in half. The goodness if there is any in this is that the mayor tells me that there were no fatalities. Not even any injuries and that's just remarkable, considering what happened here to the homes. But it appears that most of the residents, not all, but most of them did heed the warnings. They did get out prior to the storm.
As for the power situation, nearly half a million people are still without power in the state of Connecticut -- 15,000 right here in East Haven.
And, Carol, when I asked the mayor when do you think they'll will turn the power back on, she said, "That's a very good question, I have no idea" -- Carol.
COSTELLO: So many people are struggling with that. Even in Maryland, they are still, what, 250,000 people without power and who knows when the power will be turned back on. The people are getting pretty sorely about that now.
You know, the question I have for you, Alina, whenever people see damaged homes along the water, in their mind, that little thing comes in where they say, why do those people live there anyway? But this is quite an unusual event in East Haven, isn't it?
CHO: It most certainly is. Listen, most of the residents I spoke to here -- and remember, these are families who have been in this area for generations, decades. And they tell me they have never seen anything like this. Most of the residents, I should mention as well, Carol, tell me that they do plan to rebuild. That is just how much they love this area.
I did speak to one man, however, you heard him in the piece, Jim DeLucia. He said I'm not so sure I will put money back in my home. Over my lifetime 40 to 50 feet of beach has eroded and we knew this was going to happen, that was a matter of when, not if.
So, he's not sure what he's going to do. But I have to tell you, Carol, it's incredible to hear, most of the residents do tell me they plan to rebuild and they do plan to come back.
COSTELLO: Oh, yes, it's a beautiful place to live. Alina Cho live in East Haven, Connecticut -- many thanks to you.
In just about 10 minutes, we'll talk with Governor Dan Malloy of Connecticut about the recovery effort in his state and the latest evacuation orders going out.
ROMANS: Goodbye, Irene. Hello, Katia.
Rob Marciano in the extreme weather center.
You know, let me ask you -- are all these rivers rising? And have we seen the worse? And what's happening out there off the coast of Africa that we might need to worry about in terms of water up here?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: We may need to worry about something closer to home than that. But let's take care of the rivers first of the -- the Passaic River has crested but it's going to remain in major flood stage right up until Friday morning. So, those folks are not going to be able to get back to their homes for quite some time.
The Connecticut River will be cresting on later today and tomorrow. So, there's still flooding in the lower half of Connecticut proper. Other than that most of the rivers have drained. That's the problems with these rivers across the Northeast -- they rise quickly and drain quickly.
That's why things were so tumultuous the last few days.
All right. Let's talk about Katia. This thing is ramping up in a hurry and it is heading towards the U.S. But there is some hope that it veers away. We can't say that for sure yet but looking forward to that.
West-northwesterly move at 20 miles an hour, 65-mile-an-hour winds at the moment and that is expected to increase in intensity with it becoming a category 1 by tomorrow. Category 2 by Friday and potentially category 3 by Sunday. Notice taking an aim at the Carolinas.
But, historically -- history tells us these type of storms with this type of trajectory have a good chance of veering off and being a gutter ball or heading to Bermuda. We can't say that for sure yet. But we'll be keeping track of that for sure in the coming days and we'll update you more appropriately.
More immediate is this concern -- northwestern Caribbean. This is going to drip in the Gulf of Mexico and our computer models are picking it up and spinning into something for the weekend. Potentially as a tropical storm into Texas. That would actually be good. They could use the rain.
But if it sits in the Gulf longer than that, it has the potential of becoming something stronger and some other models take it into the Florida panhandle. So, it certainly bears watching there.
Forest fires -- wildfires across parts of Texas, hot and humid conditions is not going to help that there, so that's why they'll take the tropical system if they can get it. And heat up over a hundred in Dallas, 89 degrees in Chicago.
Now, another lovely day across the Northeast. If anything is a bright spot in this disaster is that the days immediately following Irene have been very cooperative as far as recovery and rescue efforts -- guys.
VELSHI: Rob, thank you.
COSTELLO: Now is your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day.
The question for you this morning: are conservative women unfairly stereotyped?
Take a look at this month's issue of "Elle" magazine. You see the headline there. It says, "The Bigest and Rightest." That's OK. But the label -- but the article also labels these young conservative women "baby Palins." And that stings -- not because they don't like Sarah Palin but the negatives attached to Palin -- thanks to the media and, of course, "Saturday Night Live."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
TINA FEY, ACTRESS: Ultimately, what the bailout does is help those that are concerned about the health care reform that is needed to help shore up our economy to help -- it's got to be all about job creation too.
And I can see Russia from my house!
I don't know. Is it? Pow, pow, pow!
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
COSTELLO: Karen Agnes, featured in the "Elle" article, and founder of the conservative Network of Enlightened Women says the Palin brand has been so damaged by the media that the baby Palin label serves the purpose of quickly stereotyping and delegitimatizing us at the same time, i.e., not every conservative woman fits into the Palin stereotype, the gun-toting, not-so-bright mother of five. You know, not like all liberal women if the stereotype -- man-hating, hairy leg, bra-burner.
But the article's author Nina Burleigh defends her work, stating the women profiled in the article are into guns and motherhood and low taxes -- a rather new conservative female ideology first introduced to the national political discourse by Sarah Palin.
So, the talk back this morning: are conservative women unfairly stereotyped? Facebook.com/AmericanMorning. Facebook.com/AmericanMorning. I'll read your comments later this hour.
ROMANS: All right.
OK. Still to come this morning: do prosecutors in Aruba have enough evidence to keep this man behind bars in connection with the disappearance of an American woman? A judge is expected to rule at a court hearing in less than an hour. He could -- he could walk free.
VELSHI: I got a way to make 500 bucks easy but you got to wait until the other side of the break to find out. It's got something to do with computer.
You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. Twelve minutes after the hour.
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ROMANS: All right. Irene dealt Connecticut a 1-2 punch. First, the storm ran over beach-front homes. Then, the floods came. The governor who toured the damage across the state said storm and flood- related losses could reach in the hundreds of millions of dollars. He's asking the federal government for help.
Joining us now is Connecticut governor, Dan Malloy. Welcome to the program. Again, I just want to reach out to everyone in your state and say that, you know, we're feeling for you, because this is still happening. You know, even as -- media types are arguing about whether there was too much hype or not enough hype, this is still playing out for you, isn't it?
GOV. DAN MALLOY, (D) CONNECTICUT: Yes. I mean, I think the conversation of hype is being hyped. The reality is people of Connecticut are hurting. Thirty-two percent of our population is without power days after this event. We've had homes destroyed. Infrastructure destroyed. We're now experiencing extensive flooding along the Connecticut River basin.
I just drove by the river. It's higher than I've ever seen it before. You know, there are incredible things going on, and I think this kind of post-hurricane analysis, whether some individuals call it a little too big for what actually happened, I think, is a ridiculous conversation to be having right now.
ROMANS: All right. Let's talk about the 32 percent of your state without power. We can show a graphic here to just show how significant that is and where these power outages are. You know, I'm told this is even bigger power outages, then, you got to go back to Gloria, I think, back in 1985. When do you think this power will come back online?
MALLOY: No. Let's be specific.
ROMANS: Sure.
MALLOY: This is twice as bad as Gloria --
ROMANS: Wow!
MALLOY: With respect to the amount of damage done to the electric infrastructure of the state of Connecticut. Literally, twice as many people are without power for some portion of this storm, and here we are days later. You know, Connecticut is a small state. It actually is population is concentrated. It's one of the more urban states, but that belies the fact that much of our state is, in fact, rural.
And that we have major agricultural communities in our state. And it's that those portions of the state right now where the most pain is being inflicted. We have farms that are under water. We have streams and rivers that are overflowing their banks, and we had this tremendous amount of wind damage done to the eastern portion of our state. We have communities, many communities still that are 80 percent to 100 percent without power.
ROMANS: New York and North Carolina both got federal disaster declarations today. This is, of course, an important step in getting aid from FEMA and the kind of aid they're getting from FEMA. What about Connecticut? What are you asking for?
MALLOY: I suspect that that will come. Certainly, I've been on the phone with the officials at FEMA. Two days ago, we had a long -- a conversation. We have filed the same paper work that they have filed, and, clearly, we're in the midst of a disaster. So, I suspect that that will be coming, and I certainly want it to happen as soon as possible.
As I say, if for no other reason that it gives people hope that the experiences and the losses that they're currently having, there'll be some assistance with respect to that at the end of the road. Once they get through it, we're in the midst of it, and I think that that's one of the things that people aren't quite understanding out there is that we -- although, it's sunny outside, we're still experiencing the effects of this hurricane/tropical storm Irene.
ROMANS: Can I ask you a question? You know, Ron Paul is running for president. I mean, he says FEMA just gets in the way and that wastes money and that tells people they can't go home. I mean, what do you think about this kind of -- this political debate about FEMA and the federal role of disaster response? I mean, and, quite frankly, talk about, you know, dollar-for-dollar if you're going to fund FEMA, you got to take a dollar from somewhere else.
MALLOY: I think he's an idiot.
ROMANS: That's blunt. (LAUGHTER)
ROMANS: That's quite blunt.
MALLOY: Well, let me -- you know, we're spending $900 million a week in wars, and he is arguing about whether we should spend some amount of money? FEMA now has currently $900 million budget available to it. This is a ridiculous conversation. Really don't understand what he's talking about, and I'm not sure he does.
ROMANS: I think I hear a frustrated Democratic governor of Connecticut who is frustrated --
MALLOY: No, listen.
ROMANS: About the conversation about the hype about the storm, about whether FEMA should be -- what the priority should be for FEMA because you're in the middle of a mess right now.
MALLOY: Well, you know, it's not that. I'm a supporter of FEMA. Listen. The reality is that this storm was handled in such a way that we have preserved hundreds of lives, without this warning system, without this system of response. We would not be standing here with as few people who have died in this massive storm that stretches from North Carolina through Quebec.
So, for someone whose state is actually escaped this problem, although leading into this broadcast, you were talking about wildfires in Texas. For someone in Texas to be talking about FEMA, perhaps, being defunded, really does rise to idiocy and hypocrisy. I mean, what state has benefited more than Texas over the years from declarations of disasters. I mean, let's just concentrate. This is pure politics playing out across individuals' misery.
ROMANS: All right. Daniel Malloy, we have to leave it there. Governor of Connecticut, thank you so much and best of luck getting the power back on and helping those folks whose farms and livelihoods are underwater right now. Thank you, sir.
MALLOY: Thank you.
VELSHI: Sometimes, simplicity is the most articulate.
ROMANS: You know, sometimes, from politicians, you get a very long answer to the question --
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: In fairness to Ron Paul, he's a libertarian. He doesn't really believe in many government programs.
VELSHI: I think Craig Fugate said it right and the governor said it right. We're talking about people's misery. We're not talking about government programs, otherwise. I mean, I think there is a distinction to be made.
COSTELLO: Well, the argument -- I'm just -- I'm just presenting the other side. Allow me to present the other side.
VELSHI: Carol, but I don't think that Carol needs (ph) to present the other side when there are people dead.
COSTELLO: I get it.
VELSHI: When people are out of --
COSTELLO: I get it. I get it. But there is another side of the argument.
VELSHI: Sometimes, I think there isn't another side.
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: OK. I won't give it then. Isn't that what CNN does?
VELSHI: You've been saying it for three days that it's overhyped and maybe we should think about it.
COSTELLO: No, no, no. That's not true. It's just part of the conversation. I'm not giving my personal beliefs on this. I'm just giving Ron Paul's side of the story.
VELSHI: We had Ron Paul on TV to give his side of the story.
COSTELLO: I'm just giving it again in case people didn't watch that particular day.
VELSHI: We did it again this morning.
COSTELLO: Ron Paul would say that people should have insurance, and they should take care of their own and that states should be able to handle their own crises. That's what Ron Paul believes.
VELSHI: All right. We had him on this morning. That's not what he said. He said FEMA comes in the way, comes -- and tells you what to do, what not to do --
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: Interferes with state and local officials, but we only had a tiny sound bite from Ron Paul, not his entire argument.
VELSHI: Let's do it again. After the commercial, we'll run Ron Paul's statement again.
COSTELLO: I heard that statement. I'm just broadening his argument as Ron Paul would present it.
ROMANS: In any case, let's move on, because we're talking about that wildfire in Northern Texas which is something that even Governor Malloy just mentioned. It's in Northern Texas. You got two dozen structures destroyed. You got a hundred more in harm's way. We're going to take you to Texas, not for the politics, but for the big wildfire there and give you the latest on that. VELSHI: And we're going to tell you how to make 500 bucks easy from Facebook. You'll never guess how, but it's actually interesting. If you have a little bit of a way with computers, you might be able to make some quick money after the break. It's 22 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Twenty-six minutes after the hour. "Minding Your Business" this morning.
More buzz about another round of stimulus for the economy pushed stocks higher yesterday late in the session. The feds had not officially announced any new measures to boost growth in the economy, but news that additional stimulus was just discussed during the Federal Reserve's last meeting was enough to encourage investors yesterday. And this morning, that buzz is pushing stock futures higher ahead of the opening bell.
A new study says 25 of the 100 highest paid CEOs in America were paid more last year than their companies paid in income taxes. That's according to a report by a left-leaning Washington think-tank. CNN's reached out to some of the companies highlighted in the study like eBay, General Electric, and Boeing for comment. So far, no responses.
Want to make a buck from Facebook? Try hacking their website. The company is offering $500 to anyone who can hack into the social networking site and prove it. So far, Facebook has doled out 40,000 in finder's fees.
Don't forget, for the very latest news about your money, check out the all new CNNMoney.com. AMERICAN MORNING will be right back after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Top stories now.
President Obama has now declared major disasters in North Carolina and also New York. Forty-three people are now dead in this storm. Hundreds of people have been pulled from their homes in New Jersey as floodwaters there surge into towns days now after the storm has moved out. Close to three million people on the East Coast still have no power. You just heard the governor of Connecticut saying that it's twice as many power outages from 1985 hurricane Gloria, which was the real ballots for them.
VELSHI: About a third of the state still without power.
Elsewhere a devastating wildfire is spreading fast 50 miles west of Dallas-Ft. Worth. It's a 7,500 acre fire. It's already burned about 30 structures to the ground, and 125 others have been evacuated. Officials say the blaze is zero percent contained and it's growing.
COSTELLO: New details to tell you about this morning about the suspect in the disappearance of American Robyn Gardner in Aruba. She's been missing for the past month. The last person to see her alive was Gary Giordano. They flew to Aruba together nearly a month ago. Giordano has been detained while police investigate. Later today a judge will decide if there is enough evidence to keep on holding him. CNN's Martin Savidge joins us now live from Aruba. Where do things stand?
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Morning, Carol. We are standing right now outside now what is called the CIA here on the island. That stands for Correctional Institute of Aruba. It's been Gary Giordano's home for the past two weeks. But that could change and it could change as early as this morning when he is expected to go before a judge. And the way the process works on this particular island is that every so often in this case, 16 days ago, he went before judge. The judge said we are holding you for 16 days.
Now he goes before the judge and the prosecution is asking for more time. But the bar of evidence has been raised because it's the third time he has gone before a judge and now the prosecution has to give a pretty good case. And the question is, do they really have it?
Here is what we know. They have witnesses that claim that Gary Giordano's story they were snorkeling on the beach didn't happen. They didn't see the couple in the water snorkeling when they said they were. There's also that $1.5 million insurance policy that Gary Giordano took out on Robyn Gardner days before they went on the trip and now she has vanished. So of course that looks very suspicious to authorities.
But the defense attorneys will say that may be some kind of motive in your mind, but that's not proof. He has already been held on this island nearly a month. That's far longer than he should have been held. It's nothing more than an accident. According to the defense, he should be let go.
And that's what's going to be waived by the judge. We expect a decision before the day sow. If he is freed he could be on his way home this evening or possibly tomorrow. We'll give you a full reporter when we know, Carol.
COSTELLO: I'm sure you will. Martin Savidge live in Aruba this morning, thank you.
ROMANS: In New Jersey search and rescue teams going door-to-door to check for residents. The water is gushing in so quickly in New Jersey there wasn't a lot of time to get out. In Paterson the water in the streets is over 15 feet high in some places. We spoke to the city's mayor just a short time ago and asked him about the fight over FEMA funding in Washington at a time like this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm outraged. I can only be outraged that those who can't speak for themselves, for those who sit on Capitol Hill and don't quite understand that America didn't put us in this place. We got here because the folks who are supposed to be paying attention probably weren't or don't quite understand the magnitude what we are all facing at this point in time. And to find that mother nature has a mind and will of her own, we can't have the petty wranglings going on when we have folks in dire need.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Also very hard hit is the town of Little Falls. Our Mary Snow joins us from there live. Good morning, Mary.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine. I know you live in New Jersey and you have seen these falls. They are usually a lot calmer. Just take a closer look. This is the Passaic River. We talk about the gushing waters. It's hard to believe this is much calmer than it was just 24 hours ago.
And what residents here are being told is that wild water is receding, that the river is expected to be above flood stage until at least Friday. So the mayor is telling residents it's impossible right now to estimate when the cleanup operations are going to get underway. There were a number of cities and towns here in Passaic County that were forced to evacuate because of rising waters on Tuesday. One of those cities, Paterson, New Jersey.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: For a city that is used to flooding, this became too much. As people could no longer get out of homes on their own in Paterson, New Jersey, rescue crews in boats had to bring them to safety, from adults to babies. The Passaic River hit levels not seen in more than a century.
This woman had gone to her mother's house with her two children. And 30-year-old Connell Kelly said he ignored evacuation orders because he's experienced many floods before. He lives on the second floor, but when waters topped the door to his building, he waited by his window for help.
CONNELL KELLY, PATERSON RESIDENT: I had food, I had water, I had things to live and survive with. So I was pretty much all right. But it just got scary to me at a time. When I see the water keep elevating, I had to leave.
SNOW: This father and son were swept away by currents. This YouTube video shows crews rescuing them. They were said to be checking on their property when the water took hold of them. Rescue crews later found them holding on to a log.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They were scared. They were more scared than anything, holding on and they yelled out in the beginning, a lot of people around, that couldn't get to them and they were the ones screaming.
SNOW: While Paterson has a history of flooding, city officials say what's different this time is that some areas not prone to flooding were underwater. It's just one of several communities in northern New Jersey seen here on Monday that have been inundated by water following the heavy rains dumped by hurricane Irene. (END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: And we want to show you some pictures this morning of Paterson, New Jersey. Some of those waters are receding. The mayor, though, saying that he expects there will still need to be some evacuations with people trying to come out. It's a beautiful day here in New Jersey.
You know, Christine, county officials are saying last night that while waters are receding, it could take several days before -- or some towns that is, could be underwater in Passaic County for several days. Christine?
ROMANS: School starts this week or next, depending on the district. So it's going to be a little hairy in the meantime while they figure out what to do. Some towns just right over the hill perfectly fine with some trees down. As soon as you get down near the river, wow, a lot of water. Mary Snow, thanks, Mary.
VELSHI: Over in the state Texas, they have never seen so many fires in a single year. A record 3.5 million acres have been burned so far and it is not over yet. The latest fire is raging 50 miles west of Dallas/Ft. Worth. Well over two dozen structures destroyed and more than 100 others are in harm's way and have been evacuated. Ground zero for this widening disaster is Possum Kingdom Lake, Texas. Let's go there now.
Stephanie Lucero of CNN affiliate KTTV joins us live this morning. What is the situation there, Stephanie? All right, we can't hear Stephanie right now. We will work on getting her audio back in in a few minutes and get a live report.
But the situation there it is zero percent contained. Authorities are telling us that it is, in fact, growing. This has been ongoing in Texas. There have been a lot of wildfires, particularly since that area has been going through a drought for more than the last year or so. So we will continue to cover that story, the fires in west Texas in a moment.
I think we might have Stephanie Lucero back. Stephanie, can you hear me?
STEPHANIE LUCERO, KTTV-TV CORRESPONDENT: I can, Ali.
VELSHI: OK, good. Sorry about that, Stephanie. We had an audio problem. You are very close to this. Tell us what is going on.
LUCERO: Well, there a lot of heart broken families out here as 30 families lost their homes yesterday. And overnight it seemed like the fire settled down, at least that is what fire officials told us. Right now we are watching as flames start to flare up again. More than 100 homes are in jeopardy today and those who lost their homes yesterday are just devastated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It happened so quickly and I was thinking, not again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This time, it happened like now before we knew it was coming. It was taking time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LUCERO: The winds are expected to top out today at about 25- mile-per-hour gusts. Firefighters would like to prevent a repeat of yesterday, but it's just going to be tough because the terrain here in north Texas is so dry. We are in the midst of a serious drought, and there is no rain in the forecast for today or tomorrow. The winds are expected to kick up and we are also experiencing a lot of embers here in the area. Back to you, Ali.
VELSHI: Stephanie, thanks very much. We will stay on top of the story to see how it's going.
COSTELLO: Still to come this morning, the growing crisis in Libya. A severe shortage of food, water, and medicine in Tripoli and no place to go. We'll have a live report from Tripoli just ahead.
ROMANS: And young conservative women are not too pleased about one magazine calling them, quote, "Baby Palins." We'll find out why. It's 39 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: We have been talking about this all morning long about a story in "Elle" magazine. Take a look at the headline, "The Best and Brightest. The article profiles you conservative women, and it also calls them "Baby Palins." But not all the women liked being called "Baby Palins" not because they dislike Sarah Palin but because of all the negatives attached to Palin thanks to the media and of course "Saturday Night Live."
The editor in chief of "Elle" did respond to this by saying "Elle" is committed has featuring strong, intelligent women in the pages of our magazine and on Elle.com. As in this instance we support without prejudice each American woman's right to make her life as full and gratifying as she can in any way she chooses."
We are joined now by three of the women profiled in that article, Karin Agness is a conservative columnist and founder of the Network of Enlightened Women, Alyssa Cordova coordinates on campus lecture for the Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute, and Ashley Sue is a conservative activist. Thanks all of you for being here.
KARIN AGNESS, FOUNDER, NETWORK FOR ENLIGHTENED WOMEN: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: Good morning. Karin, let me start with you, because you've been the most outspoken about this. Explain to us why the term "Baby Palin" is not such a good term.
AGNESS: It's inaccurate, carol. None of us self-identified as baby Palins and none of us actually became engaged in the political debate as a result of Governor Palin hitting the national scene. I started the Network of Enlightened Women, a book club for conservative women on campus, in 2004. At least two of the other women who were interviewed identified 9/11 as their inspiration. So it's an inaccurate label.
COSTELLO: Alyssa, do you admire Sarah Palin? Is she a role model?
ALYSSA CORDOVA, CLARE BOOTH LUCE POLICY INSTITUTE: Yes. I admire Sarah Palin a lot and I know a lot of other young women who do as well. I didn't particularly take offense to the term. I probably wouldn't label myself as a "Baby Palin." But I also, you know, wouldn't expect a self-proclaimed liberal feminist like Nina Burleigh to necessarily give me a very nice title or anything like that.
And I think out of all the things she could have called us, that's not too bad. And I think I know a lot of conservatives who actually probably think the label is more of a compliment.
COSTELLO: Ok, you brought up the term "liberal feminist". I want to tell you what the author Nina Buehrle the author of this "Elle" article said. She is defending her work of course. She told us she wasn't out to do a puff piece and she wanted to talk about some of the unusual or interesting aspects of your politics. And as for the baby Palin line, she said, "You are all into guns and motherhood and low taxes, a rather new conservative female ideologist" -- "ideology" rather "first introduced to the national political discourse by Palin."
So Ashley, I'll ask you this question. Why is it wrong? Why -- why is the comparison negative, at least in Karin's mind?
ASHLEY SEWELL, CONSERVATIVE ACTIVIST: Well and I'll agree with Karin 100 percent. That it's not anything that's offensive, but it's not something that I identify with. You know, I didn't get involved politically because Sarah Palin was there leading the way, if you will.
So for me, it was -- it was more of a personal action and choice based on my experiences. But you know, she -- Sarah Palin is definitely an asset to the movement and I -- I -- I don't necessarily agree with it, I don't identify with it, but I don't think that it was a fun suit (ph) either.
COSTELLO: Got you. Ok so I'm just going to read a little bit more about what the author of this article said, because you -- because you brought up this liberal feminist thing. The author told us that -- and I want to quote her -- she said, "All of you claims feminism made it impossible or dishonorable for women to stay home with the kids when in fact, none of them do that anyway and they fail to give any proof of how the women's movement dishonored motherhood".
So I guess some liberal feminists out there might see you as ungrateful. So Karin, I'm going to throw that ball to you.
KARIN AGNESS, FOUNDER, THE NETWORK OF ENLIGHTENED WOMEN: Well, she brings up a good point about the motherhood versus career choice. And I think one of the things that's really frustrating with feminism today is rather than really giving women a choice, they've made the choice for us.
On college campuses where a lot of us organize, you know, careers are really focused rather than motherhood. And I think you have to recognize that being a mother and focusing on that is very valuable to society.
COSTELLO: But you know, what if I said to, well, geez some feminists actually value motherhood too.
AGNESS: Well, I think that's great. I just think we need more feminists out there being vocal about it and that's what's important.
COSTELLO: Ok I want to get your thoughts on Michele Bachmann. Because there's an -- actually Kathleen Parker had an interesting op- ed on the "Washington Post" today because some analysts out there are calling Michele Bachmann a diva because she spends money on her hair and makeup and she cares about things -- things like lighting and sometimes she's late to events because she's maybe a putting on her lipstick.
So Alyssa, when you hear criticisms like this about Michelle Bachmann from analysts, what goes through your mind?
CORDOVA: I think if that's all they can find to criticize her about, she is doing pretty well. I think it's really silly. You know I hate to beat a dead horse but I mean, there is John Edwards with his $400 dollar haircut. I mean these kinds of things are interesting to a lot of people because, you know, they like to label others as superficial but I don't think it's wrong or bad that Michele Bachmann cares what she looks like.
And I actually think it's really great. I think that you can embrace your femininity in the way that you look and still be a smart, intelligent woman. And it doesn't say anything about her character that she cares about her hair and her makeup.
COSTELLO: It's interesting you say that because you look at the way Michele Bachmann dresses she wears sleeveless dresses and she wears open-toed sandals sometimes, which is quite different than one we usually see of a presidential candidate.
And you know, the only thing I can liken it to is Hillary Clinton and her pant suits, right. So Ashley when you see Sarah Palin dressing like this, what message does that send to you?
SEWELL: Well, I think that it's fantastic to see women just embracing their femininity. I don't see any problem with open-toed shoes. Obviously I don't have a problem, with sleeveless dresses or blouses. And I think that -- you can still convey professionalism. You can still be as articulate as anybody else.
So I think that it's fantastic.
COSTELLO: Ok last question we have to do this quickly. So Karin, why do you think Rick Perry is ahead of Michele Bachmann?
AGNESS: Because I think he has had a strong executive record and I think people want -- want a new president that's really going to create jobs and he's done that in Texas.
COSTELLO: Karin, Alyssa and Ashley, thank you for a very interesting conversation this morning. We appreciate it.
SEWELL: Thank you.
CORDOVA: Thank you.
ROMANS: About that $2,700 makeover. Everyone in the world should just know that there's a lot of stage craft no matter what the political party.
VELSHI: Right.
ROMANS: And that's all part of the stage craft, right?
COSTELLO: Right.
ROMANS: It's so true.
VELSHI: Good discussion.
ROMANS: All right, its 49 minutes after the hour. We'll be right back.
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ROMANS: With Libyan rebels now controlling Tripoli a humanitarian crisis is emerging. There are severe shortages of the food and water and also medicine in the capital.
VELSHI: CNN's Dan Rivers is live for us in Tripoli. Dan, what's the situation in -- in Tripoli now that the rebel government, the Transitional National Government is in control of it? Things are still pretty bad on the street.
DAN RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the fighting has stopped. That's great news. There is no more sort of pockets of resistance in Tripoli itself. The port behind me now is open as well and that's another bit of good news so ships are already beginning to come and go today and yesterday and that's going to be a vital supply line to get food and water into this city.
Food is not so much in short supply, but water is because it's being cut off from the pumping plants way down south about 400 miles or 500 miles south of the capital. So at the moment, people are getting by on tanker deliveries which are ferrying water back and forth from wells. Some individual houses have wells but the water shortage is really critical here at the moment.
VELSHI: Dan, we're just looking at some pictures of -- of what -- what we're seeing there. You got those water shortages. It looks like people who are siphoning petrol from car-to-car. What is the plan? For all of these people who were there and supporting the rebel troops, now that it's been liberated? Is there some overall plan for getting Libya moving again and getting Tripoli moving again and becoming sort of a functional -- functioning economy?
RIVERS: Well, the National Transitional Council, the new government, claims there is a plan. They said that they would have the water up and running within a few days. The problem is that to the south, there is still forces loyal to Colonel Gadhafi who are controlling that area which is where the pumping plants are for the water, for example.
Fuel is another big problem. But the border now, the coastal highway below me here that goes all the way to Tunisia is now open so that should begin to alleviate the fuel shortages. They can start to bring that in.
There is a degree, though, of factionalism between the different rebel groups that are now on the ground controlling Tripoli. You know, there are groups from Mesrata, from the -- from the western mountains, from Benghazi. They are getting along ok but there is a sort of sense that all these forces need to be galvanized into one cohesive government and administration.
And at the moment, that's not really happening at the moment. There is an awful lot to do to get this economy and city back on its feet.
VELSHI: Dan, the work of nation-building always much more complicated than we think it is going to be. Dan, thanks very much. This is always the problem. We have been waiting for so long for the liberation of Libya and as it comes, now we worry about how do they move on their own, how do they get things going?
COSTELLO: And who pays for it.
VELSHI: Moammar Gadhafi had really denuded (ph) the place. I mean he really, really did. The infrastructure is not just there for somebody else to step in and take over.
COSTELLO: Coming up next, our "Talk Back" question of the day. We will read through some of your responses. It's 55 minutes past the hour.
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COSTELLO: All right. We asked you to "Talk Back" on the big story of the day. Our question this morning are conservative women unfairly stereotyped? Here are some of your responses.
This from Brian, "It's only unfair if it's not true. If some people don't like how they are painted perhaps they should listen to the things they say."
This from Lee, "Yes, I'm a conservative woman because I'm a mother first and foremost. I have to think about my children's future. That does not include toting guns or seeing Russia from my house", I think that's what she meant.
And this from Joel, "It's not conservative women that are the problem. It's people like Palin and Bachmann who have such bizarre ideological beliefs. There are much better conservative women like Murkowski, you know from Alaska. But let's face it, Palin and Bachmann are not good examples. They're strong women but their political rhetoric makes no sense."
Keep the conversation going. Facebook.com/American Morning. And thanks, as always, for your comments.
ROMANS: I love that thread. Very interesting today and people are really fired up about it.
COSTELLO: Yes. I like that.
ROMANS: "Unfair stereotypes oxymoron," that's still my favorite e-mail of the day.
All right. That's going to do it for us for today.
VELSHI: It's a -- our coverage, of course, of Hurricane Irene and its after effects continues. We're still seeing a lot of heavy flooding in the New Jersey are and in Vermont. We have got teams out there and we will continue to cover that. Remember that some of these rivers have not crested and won't crest until the end of the week. So stay safe. It feels good out there but it's still dangerous.
That's it for us. "CNN NEWSROOM" with Fredricka Whitfield starts right now. Good morning, Fred.
