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CNN Sunday Morning

U.S. Embassy in Kabul on Lockdown; Tornadoes Rip Across the Midwest

Aired April 15, 2012 - 08:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): From CNN Center, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, look at the big monsters coming down.

KAYE: A tornado outbreak pummels the Midwest. Trucks overturned. A town flattened and now, confirmed deaths in Oklahoma. We'll take to you the scene.

A threatening message from a new leader. In his first public speech, North Korea's Kim Jong Un said his nation's time has come.

Also, Nick Kristof is back with us live. He's talking about his stunning epidemic among military veterans.

Ands today is the 100-year anniversary of the biggest maritime disasters in history. But while the Titanic remains silent, fascination with the ship is still very much alive.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: And good morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye. It's 8:00 on the East Coast, 5:00 on the West. We've got a lot to tell you about this morning. So, let's get you straight to the news.

We start with tragedy in Woodward, Oklahoma, overnight. That's where five people were killed in those storms.

I talked to the mayor last hour and he said the town is just flattened and devastated. He also said their early warning system failed.

Take a look at this. Our CNN crew shot this video in a different part of Oklahoma. Storms produced several tornadoes just like that one right there. There were as many as 88 reports of suspected tornado touchdowns.

In Creston, Iowa, a hospital was hit. Luckily, the patients made it out safely. They were taken to a nearby shelter.

Meanwhile, the mayor of Thurman, Iowa, says almost his entire town was damaged but no serious injuries. Around 100 people had to find another place to sleep last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We heard the sirens probably about five minutes before it really picked up and so we were trying to, OK, forget OK get the kids downstairs. It was like oh, my God, we got get down stairs. You know, the windows are blowing out.

And it was just panicky. There's just glass every where. There was stuff off our wall. There's grass just plastered.

We had a house fire and we lost our first house. It's like really -- I don't think I can do this again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: We're following a spike in violence out of Afghanistan this morning. The U.S. embassy in Kabul is on lockdown because of explosions and gunfire in the area. It is the latest development in what appears to be a wave of coordinated attacks around the country.

Police say attackers took over a central Kabul hotel today close to the presidential palace, a United Nations office, and various foreign embassies.

Just outside of Kabul, in Jalalabad, four suicide bombers tried to attack an airfield where U.S. troops are based. The airfield's commander says one of the attackers blew himself up. Police caught the other three.

A clear warning from North Korea for the rest of the world: we're heavily armed and we're not afraid to fight. New leader Kim Jong Un made the comments during a rare public speech by a North Korean leader. He said his powerful military could handle any kind of modern warfare. He also vowed to keep his people from going hungry.

Kim Jong Un making his first televised speech since taking over leadership of the military. It was at a military event in Pyongyang during a celebration marking 100 years since his grandfather's birth.

There's no information this morning on the prostitution scandal that's giving the Secret Service a bit of a black eye.

Representative Peter King telling CNN that some of the agents brought prostitutes back to their rooms in Cartagena, Colombia.

Eleven agents and uniformed officers were sent home from Colombia. They've been put on administrative leave.

And here's the White House reaction from Colombia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: This is a matter that's being looked into in an appropriate manner by the Secret Service itself. It would not be appropriate for the president to characterize something that's being looked into by the Secret Service at this time. All I can tell you is that it was -- he was made aware of it. But beyond that, I'm not going to characterize his reaction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: President Obama is in Colombia for the Summit of the Americas. Five military service members providing support in Colombia had been confined to quarters as well as part of this investigation.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney has made his first public appearance since undergoing a heart transplant three weeks ago. Cheney spoke for more than an hour at the Wyoming Republican Convention last night. He walked without assistance and seemed more robust than his appearances before the operation.

He also uncorked some pretty fiery comments, including calling President Obama an unmitigated disaster to the country. That was his quote.

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the Titanic's sinking. More than 1,500 people died that day. There are several memorials going on today, including this one where wreaths were laid at the spot where the luxury liner went down. The wreaths were laid by another cruise ship that is retracing the Titanic's route.

The death toll is rising from yesterday's outbreak of tornadoes across the Midwest and millions of people are on alert for more violent weather today.

CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti is in Wichita for us this morning. That is the largest city to be hit by these storms.

And meteorologist Alexander Steele has a look at today's new weather warning.

So, let's begin with Susan first in Wichita. Susan, have you had a chance to survey the damage out there?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, finally now that the sun is coming up, we'll be able to do that, Randi. But certainly, it's been a rough and scary night for people here in Kansas as tornadoes hopscotched across the state and we saw lightning filling the skies, hearing a lot of sirens going off. And at least here in the Wichita area, saw hail the size of only a dime but certainly it was a rough night for everybody.

Now that they are starting to assess the situation -- good news, no reported deaths or serious injuries so far.

Joining us now is the sheriff here, or the Lieutenant Jason Gill -- I just elevated you to sheriff here in Sedgwick County. But you have information about this mobile home park, about 100 mobile homes back there. We heard reports of maybe 15 or so that were destroyed.

What was it like, are you hearing from your people who were in there as the rain was pouring down and the high winds? LT. JASON GILL, SEDGWICK CO., KANSAS SHERIFF;'S OFFICE: As they got into the area, they weren't sure exactly where they were going. But when they got there, they had to walk in. They got to the point where the roads were flooded. There's power lines across the road, trees across the road.

So, literally, they had to walk in. Once they got in they were confronted with gas leaks and downed power lines and things like that.

CANDIOTTI: I heard there was a fire in there as well.

GILL: Yes, there was a fire that literally this had to be allowed to burn out because they couldn't get any of their fire equipment back there.

CANDIOTTI: And what's the status of any injuries, everyone been accounted for? What are you hearing?

GILL: Right now, we're hearing everybody is accounted for. We're double checking, triple checking, and actually we're going to do a fourth check now that the sun is coming up.

CANDIOTTI: Does this seem to be the worst hit area in Wichita?

GILL: Right now, it's the worst that I'm aware of. Certainly, we're the most houses that I can think of so far, yes.

CANDIOTTI: Thank you very much for joining us.

And one last thing, there was also big concert. Miranda Lambert was singing at the arena here in Wichita and they made sure that as the sirens were airing, they got everyone down and out to the concourse areas so they were out of harm's way and, in fact, no injuries there. She was taken off stage. The concert was stopped. And fortunately, everyone is breathing a sigh of relief this day.

Of course, more reports or rather more surveys will be done now, Randi, to see how they fared. Back to you.

KAYE: Susan Candiotti, thank you for that update.

And we may even see more tornadoes and more pretty severe weather. So, let's check in with meteorologist Alexandra Steele with much more on that.

ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, Randi, that's really the case. You know, we have had reports of five deaths. Those deaths, though, were in Oklahoma. But the balance of 101 tornadoes reported were in Kansas.

So here's a look at what we've seen. Throughout the morning long, I've been watching this line of thunderstorms, mostly. We did have one tornado warning but that's expired. Our tornado watch has expired as well.

But the line from Wisconsin, all the way down to Texas. So you'll notice the threat today moves east but it also moves north. It's kind of a very interesting play.

So let me show you where the bull's eye will be today. Here's a look at a robust line staying together, moving through eastern Kansas, eastern Oklahoma, certainly the hardest hit areas yesterday. They, too, have the potential for hail today and damaging winds, maybe an isolated tornado.

But here's where the bull's eye is -- Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. That's where we could see the greatest threat for tornadoes. South of that, though, St. Louis and a lot of other big cities, including Chicago and Little Rock and Houston, even including Dallas, they have the risk throughout the day for the potential for very damaging hail, big hail, softball size yesterday and some strong gusty winds, 60 to 70 miles per hour.

The day does not look to be as severe as yesterday was, so that is the good news. But, again, here's the bull's eye, that's the extent of the front and warm sector, that's where the threat is. Again, we're not out of the woods by any means today.

But also, farther east for those of you in New York or Washington, you're walking out the door going it's 20 trees above average -- going to be almost 90 tomorrow in Washington, D.C. So incredibly warm and only getting warmer. Today, it's warm on the East Coast. Tomorrow warmer still.

But, of course, watching that severe weather -- we'll continue to track that, of course, throughout the day, Randi.

KAYE: Alexandra, I'm sure you heard earlier this morning, one woman put on a bicycle helmet and put her family in the bathroom which was some pretty quick thinking, I thought.

STEELE: That's really what we've been telling everyone in the last year, year and a half or so. Get a helmet ready.

It seems kind of crazy.

KAYE: Yes.

STEELE: But people have them. They are around. All the kids have to wear them. So, they're certainly available.

And I think we have had reports, of course, of those five deaths. But if you look at the breadth, depth and scope of the tornadoes from yesterday, it's amazing there weren't more and a lot of that is readiness, being prepared -- having those helmets around. Having a plan in advance. And that's really been key.

KAYE: All right. Good to know. Thank you, Alexandra.

Well, a small town in Iowa is nearly leveled after a suspected twister rips through it. Nearly 75 percent of the homes there damaged.

Coming up next, we'll take you to Thurman, Iowa, a town that is in complete blackout this morning.

And later this hour, the new film out this weekend that has many in the Christian community not too pleased. The folks behind "Blue Like Jazz" join me live.

But, first, good morning New York. There's a beautiful shot of the Statue of Liberty waking up with us this morning.

Glad you're all with us on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Across much of the Midwest today, emergency crews are awaiting for sunrise to begin searching for victims of the tornado outbreak. In Southwest Iowa, that search will be extensive. The mayor of Thurman says 90 percent of the town is damaged or destroyed. After the tornado, more bad weather forced all 300 residents to evacuate to a nearby town.

We want to turn now to Mike Crecelius. He's in Thurman, and he's the emergency management director for Fremont County. He's going to be joining us very shortly. As you can imagine there, it's very difficult to get people on the phone because the power is out, the electricity is out, and that is just such a mess there.

So, until we get him back on the line, let's turn to what's happening in Afghanistan this morning. The violence this morning in Kabul, Afghanistan, really reminds us that there is a war going on. Tens of thousands of American troops are deployed there right now. It's been a very long, tough fight.

You couple that now with the ended war in Iraq, and we get a picture of the hardships that the troops have been living with for a decade. But for many soldiers, of course, the war doesn't stop when they come home.

And that is the subject of Nick Kristof's column in the "New York Times" this morning. Nick is a columnist and author of the paper's "On the Ground" blog.

Nick, welcome back to CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Nice to see you again.

NICHOLAS KRISTOF, NEW YORK TIMES: Good morning, Randi.

KAYE: So, your column this morning, it really -- it sheds light on such a problem, the lack of resources available for troops returning home.

I want to share this quote with our viewers from your column. You write, "We refurbish tanks after time in combat, but don't much help men and women exorcise the demons of war."

That is so telling. What did you find in your research?

KRISTOF: Well, this was heartbreaking to report. Randi, as you know, we in the news business tend to cover the casualties on the battlefield very thoroughly.

But what we sometimes don't fully report is what happens to those soldiers when they come back. And that adjustment is really hard, especially for those who have post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury. That turns out that one unfortunately common result is suicide. This year, there will be for every soldier who is killed on the battlefield in either Iraq or Afghanistan, 25 veterans will kill themselves.

And that's just, you know, there are too many who are slipping through the cracks. We send them into harm's way and then we don't provide them support when they come home.

KAYE: You share a very heartbreaking story of one family, that's who you focus on, who lost a son, who couldn't get the help that he needed. I've got you reported on these families as well. One case in Minnesota where a veteran was told there's a waiting list at the V.A. and to come back in a week and he ended up taking his life in that week.

So, I just don't understand, Nick. How do you tell someone who is suicidal, who is really a shell of a person that he or she was when they left for war that they need to get on some sort of waiting list? Why is that happening?

KRISTOF: Well, you know, I wish I understood. The woman that I focused on, she sent two strong healthy sons to Iraq, and they both came back severely traumatized. One ended up taking his own life. The other is still fighting his own demons.

And I think that it's partly psychological question for us that when they are in Afghanistan or in Iraq then we're in the mindset, we'll provide them absolutely everything that they need, we'll provide the latest technology to fight mines, helicopter support to look for snipers.

But when they come back, then we're just not in the mindset of providing anything like that same support. I think we're doing a little bit better job than we were five years ago, but it's tragic to see so many people slipping through the cracks.

KAYE: And is it -- what's behind the suicide? Is it PTSD? Or --

KRISTOF: Well, you know, there isn't even enough data for us really to be sure. It seems as if it's some combination of PTSD and traumatic brain injury. It seems to increase with a number of combat tours that people have been exposed to. And it also, it seems in part to be a function that when people are in the Army, then they are part of a unit, they are getting support, they feel they have a function, they are busy. And then they come home and they don't have that support network.

And all of a sudden, they may feel less useful. And especially in a job market like this, it may be harder to find something that feels like as fulfilling. I mean, there's also risk of compounding this, as people hear more about PTSD, then employers sometimes are more reluctant to hire them, which only aggravates the problem.

KAYE: Right. As you pointed out, I mean, there have been some improvements, baby steps over the year at the V.A. But veterans certainly are still slipping through the cracks. I mean, clearly more needs to be done. What do families tell you that they need?

KRISTOF: Well, I think the biggest single thing would be much more rapid access to mental health support in the military. I think the V.A. has done a pretty good job at chipping away at the psychological obstacle that warriors are fine and that it's sissy to talk about mental health. I think they are making progress there. They've appointed suicide coordinators and to some extent they bolstered mental health services.

But the number of veterans coming home is just expanding like mad. There's another 1 million over the next five years. If they are struggling now, what are they possibly going to do with 1 million more veterans needing those services?

KAYE: Yes. Are you hopeful it will change?

KRISTOF: You know, I hope that these people speak out about their, these tragedies. I think that if more Americans were aware of it, then I think there would be pressure to provide a bit more support.

KAYE: Yes.

KRISTOF: I mean, you've seen this. I've just been struck on Twitter and Facebook, the number of people who have been replying to me and talking about their loved ones and just how common this seems to be all across the country. It's heartbreaking.

KAYE: It certainly is. Hopefully there will be more improvements along the way to take care of these great men and women who are serving this country.

Nick Kristof, I posted your article on my Facebook page and sent it out on Twitter, as you did as well @RandiKayeCNN is where you can find me. You can, of course, also check out the article and his column at NewYorkTimes.com.

Nick Kristof, thank you. Have a wonderful Sunday.

KRISTOF: Thank you so much, Randi.

KAYE: And coming up next, we take you to Thurman, Iowa, a town that's in a complete blackout this morning after a suspected twister ripped through there last night. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: We've been talking about the extreme weather that hit the Midwest all morning. The mayor of Thurman, Iowa, says 90 percent of the town is damaged or destroyed. And after the tornado, more bad weather forced all 300 residents to evacuate to a nearby town. So, we want to turn now to Mike Crecelius. He's in Thurman. He's the emergency management director for Fremont County there.

Good morning to you, Mike.

Tell me a little bit about the condition of your town. I mean, it was the hardest hit there.

MIKE CRECELIUS, FREMONT CO. EMERGENCY MGMT. DIR. (via telephone): Good morning. Yes. In the daylight, there's not a whole lot left standing untouched in the city of Thurman.

KAYE: What is your biggest issue this morning? Is it power? Is it damage?

CRECELIUS: Yes, the power company is up here. They're working feverishly to get power restored to this part of the county.

KAYE: So, if you had to make an educated guess for us, how much of Thurman is still standing? I mean, how many homes are gone?

CRECELIUS: Well, an educated guess, I would go with what the mayor said, between about approximately 75 percent to 90 percent of the town is either damaged or destroyed.

KAYE: Did you hear this thing rumbling through? Did you know --

CRECELIUS: No. Because I was in Sidney. That's where I live. And that's about 12 miles south of here.

KAYE: And where is everyone from Thurman? They've been evacuated to shelter.

CRECELIUS: Well, the Red Cross showed up immediately. Once we made a determination of what had happened. The Red Cross showed up and we opened a shelter up at the Fremont Mills High School in Tabor. I do not have any numbers on how many people stayed there.

Other than that, we put a couple of elderly folks, we made arrangements for them to go to one of the rest homes here in the county and everybody else went to stay with friends or relatives or a hotel.

KAYE: And what about injuries, and fatalities? Anything being reported?

CRECELIUS: From what I'm told this morning, a few minor cuts and bruises. But other than that, there was no fatalities whatsoever. There were five tractor-trailers on I-29, just west of Thurman that were blown over yesterday.

I understand that one of the truck drivers was transported to the emergency room at Hamburg, I believe it was, after which he was taken to Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs for a perforated lung is what I was told.

KAYE: And what about a search? Are there people missing? Are they looking for people this morning?

CRECELIUS: Nope.

KAYE: Everybody is account forward.

CRECELIUS: Yes.

KAYE: Wow, that's wonderful news.

CRECELIUS: The local fire department here in Fremont County, with assistance from other fire department in Nebraska City and Glenwood and Pacific Junction, they were all down here. They went door-to-door and accounted for everybody last night.

KAYE: We heard some folks in Oklahoma had problems with the warning sirens. How did yours work?

CRECELIUS: OK. The warning siren, according to the mayor, it worked fine. The tornado actually hit the town about three minutes after the fire department had turned the siren on.

The other thing is that a number of people here, we have an emergency warning system called Code Red, and what happens is Code Red has a tie in with information from National Weather Service, and if you're in the direct path of the storm and you're signed up for my Code Red project, you will get a phone call whether it's on your land line or your cell phone if the storm is approaching your area.

KAYE: That is -- that is terrific planning on your part.

Mike Crecelius, happy to hear that despite all the damage, just minor cuts and bruises. Thank you very much for your time this morning.

CRECELIUS: OK, ma'am. Thank you.

Well, today, we pay tribute to those who died on the Titanic 100 years ago today. Ahead, how victims' families and others are marking the occasion.

Plus, the Titanic is not the only shipwreck to fascinate treasure hunters. A closer look at other shipwrecks in our "Morning Passport".

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: One person is dead and another four are missing after a boating accident off the coast of San Francisco. The U.S. Coast Guard says 38-foot sailing vessel called Low Speed Chase ran aground yesterday during a yacht race. Three other crew members have been rescued.

Levi Read with the U.S. Coast Guard joining me now to talk about this.

So, what exactly, Levi, cause this accident? LEVI READ, U.S. COAST GUARD: Good morning. The report was that the vessel ran into some heavy seas, about 10 to 12 feet. One of the bigger waves came across and washed four people off the boat. And the boat turned around to rescue those four people and then they got hit by another wave, which crashed them into the rocks.

KAYE: So we have the four missing. Can you tell me about the efforts to find them?

READ: Yes, the Coast Guard -- the accident happened about 3:00 Saturday afternoon Pacific Time. And the Coast Guard has been searching nonstop since then with on sea assets, Coast Guard cutter Sockeye, motor lifeboat from Station Golden Gate and helicopter from Air Station San Francisco, along with helicopters from the International Guard.

Overnight, we had helicopter out searching, and so far, unfortunately, there hadn't been any sightings of the four missing. As it gets light over here on the Pacific Coast, we will be sending two more helicopters from the International Guard out, along with two cutters and another small boat.

KAYE: All right, Levi Read, thank you for that update. We'll continue to watch this story as well. Best of luck in those rescue efforts.

READ: Thanks.

KAYE: It has been 100 years since the sinking of the "Titanic". This morning hundreds of family members and supporters held a memorial service. Crew members toss wreaths directly of the site of the shipwreck. Passengers sat in silence as the names of 1,503 victims were projected on a big screen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wish that in some way they would know that 100 years later we're still remembering them and thinking about them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Two chartered ships were a part of that memorial. The "Titanic" may be, of course, one of the most famous shipwrecks ever found but there are many, many more down there that have become a treasure hunter's dream.

In today's "Morning Passport" we are talking about centuries-old shipwrecks and treasure. Nadia Bilchik is joining me now to talk about. So there's a lot down there. We didn't find any, of course, but we might take a look one day.

But let's start with Spain. Because it just came into a pretty big treasure that they didn't even find themselves?

NADIA BILCHIK, CNN EDITORIAL PRODUCER: Yet half a billion dollars that was found by an American exploration company, the Marine Odyssey Exploration company. But after five years of legal wrangling, the Spanish government now owns the coins; all of them, all half a billion dollars of them.

KAYE: Half a billion dollars. What are they going to do with all of those coins?

BILCHIK: Well at the moment they are polishing them as you can see with all the corrosion and the water pressure.

KAYE: Yes.

BILCHIK: They need a lot of work because the Spanish government says they want to put them up for artistic exhibition.

KAYE: Really, they look like they have some work ahead of them though in cleaning those things up.

BILCHIK: There is and think about the firm the Marine Odyssey company who spent $2.5 million finding the coins that are now owned by Spain.

KAYE: That's not very good luck.

All right now of course a lot of us are very fascinated with pirates. You actually spoke to a professor who is working on a -- on a pirate shipwreck in the Dominican Republic.

BILCHIK: Yes. Professor Charles Bliko (ph) from Indiana University, now another fascinating one because this was the ship of the very infamous pirate Captain William Kidd and this was apparently sunk in around 1699. And what's unusual about this ship is you can actually go and visit --

KAYE: Oh, really.

BILCHIK: -- the remains, yes.

KAYE: Wow. I don't know if I want to do that. But --

BILCHIK: So there are people -- it's only about ten feet under water.

KAYE: Oh ok.

BILCHIK: What it is, is an underwater museum. And you can see all kinds of things like canons and apparently according to the Charles Bliko from Indiana University it's very beautiful because you can see the coral with the canons. And they are in May of this year going to invite people to come and visit it. So I thought what an amazing, unusual gift for somebody.

KAYE: That is pretty cool. Well look at what they are doing with the "Titanic" right. I mean, they are sending out this memorial cruise with all of the passengers on it.

BILCHIK: But that's only about --

KAYE: Yes that's true.

BILCHIK: Are you interested in scuba diving?

KAYE: No.

BILCHIK: We can go 10 feet below and we can see the remains of Captain Kidd's --

(CROSSTALK)

KAYE: No I do the pool, if you move -- if you move the treasure into a pool I'll dive for it, that's about it.

BILCHIK: Well certainly an unusual trip. And they are going to be selling tickets from May. Because May is the memorial, around 300 years when the infamous pirate Captain William Kidd was hung for his infamous pirate crimes.

KAYE: You're so passionate about that.

All right, Nadia. Thank you very much, we'll check it out.

BILCHIK: The only pirate ship in the Caribbean.

KAYE: Very cool. Thank you.

And still to come this morning, there is cursing, drinking, drugs and sex. So how is this new Christian-themed movie going over with the religious crowd? Well it depends on who you ask, of course.

Up next, the author and co-producer behind the hit, "Blue Like Jazz."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But it turns out that I'm ashamed of Jesus.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back.

Fans call it groundbreaking, critics call it blasphemous. Just don't call it a Christian film. "Blue Like Jazz" just hit theaters this weekend and already it is causing a big rift in the religious community.

The film follows a Texas teen as he leaves his strict Christian upbringing behind and enrolls in one of the most liberal colleges in America. There are drugs, drinking, sex and a lot more racy material that some in the Christian community say "simply goes too far".

But my next guest begs to differ. Joining me now to talk about the film: co-producer and author, Donald Miller and the film star actor, Marshall Allman; good morning to both of you. Thank you for waking up with us on this Sunday morning.

Donald, I'd like to start with you. The film was written and produced by Christians and is about Christianity. Yet you say you don't want this to be labeled a Christian film. Why is that?

DONALD MILLER, WRITER & CO-PRODUCER, "BLUE LIKE JAZZ": Well, I don't know about that so much. I just know in the last five years Christian film has gotten a reputation for being a little bit too sentimental, maybe a little bit cheesy, the production quality isn't very good even though it's been quite successful at the box office. And I think some of the -- the stories coming out of Christian films are very intriguing.

We -- we just wanted to differentiate ourselves from that. There are a lot of people who are Christians who don't go to Christian films because they don't think the quality of art is good enough. And we wanted to up that quality a little bit and we hope we've done that without being too gratuitous, without being too over the top.

KAYE: Well let's talk a little more about it, I mean, tell me a little more about the film which is based on your best-selling book by the same name and loosely really on yourself. I mean, why you think some in the Christian film world find it offensive?

MILLER: Well I grew up in Texas. I'm in Portland, Oregon now where I live. But I grew up in Texas in a very conservative southern Baptist household. And then I went off to school in Portland at Reed College which is one of the most godless campuses in the world.

So it was a clashing of those worlds -- my conservative upbringing with the most God less liberal campus in the country. And yet my faith in that place survived. But when we told the story, when we made a movie about it we had to be true to what Reed is like and we tried to do that. And -- and it's just a college campus where there's a lot of wild kids running around.

And so I think with a lot of Christian films we kind of hide that or would tie everything up in a nice bow. And that's just not the way reality worked for me.

And what's interesting for me about that is if you take all the family friendly parts of the bible out of the bible you have a really short book. So we like to think we're a little more biblical than the average Christian film.

KAYE: That's very funny.

Marshall, you said that this was never meant to be Christian movie --

(CROSSTALK)

MILLER: It's true.

KAYE: -- but rather just a good movie. Can you explain that a little bit?

MARSHALL ALLMAN, ACTOR: Yes. Well sometimes, you know, if you -- if you take a movie and you try to tell a story and you try to manipulate the elements and the principle of the story to get more of a message then it's kind of -- you know it's -- it's not -- you're not trying to tell a good story you're trying to get a message across.

In this film it was clear from reading the script that these guys are just trying to tell a true story, a good story, and an entertaining story and they did that.

KAYE: And Marshall, what do you make of some of the criticism about it?

ALLMAN: You know, I mean really all I've heard is just -- I mean, touring the country with the movie and you know, seeing it in so many different cities, all I've seen is people being really impacted by this film.

So I haven't really paid attention much to the criticisms. But what I do know is this film means so much to so many people and I'm so proud to have been a part of that and seeing people impacted every night. They are in tears, people laughing.

(CROSSTALK)

KAYE: And you've been on this -- you've been on this 35-city bus tour. I mean, so you've gotten some pretty good feedback. What are they saying?

ALLMAN: People are saying thank you so much for telling our story in a real way. Thank you so much for making a Christian film that isn't cheesy. Thank you so much for making it funny, you know. I haven't had a good laugh at myself in a long time.

And you know, or at things of faith in a long time. You know, it's really -- it's really pretty fantastic the impact that people are having. I mean, just last night I went in and sat in on a theater and I heard a girl, you know, weeping at the end of the movie, holding back just like effusive tears and then you know at the same time in that very same scene she was -- she laughed.

You know, so that was -- it was -- I mean, it made me emotional.

(CROSSTALK)

KAYE: Right.

ALLMAN: You know, because at this point I've seen the movie so many times I was just paying attention to how people were reacting.

KAYE: Well there is -- there is some, some criticism, of course. I want to just share a little bit of it, Donald. I'd like you to react to this. This is from a prominent blogger "No matter what stage of doubt one is having I don't think it's ever a good idea to cure it with a facile arguments for God or shallow emotional porn." And another "This kind of hollow, plastic caricature of religious life and belief can do nothing but harm the current landscape of religious progress and dialogue."

ALLMAN: Wow.

KAYE: So what's your reaction to that?

MILLER: I don't that that -- yes I don't that that criticism is about our movies. I think that criticism that were -- were sort of fighting with our movie. It may be. But we're getting sort of the opposite reaction at our film that the -- the dialogue is very real. And we actually think it's kind of groundbreaking.

It's hard because so many Christians will not go see Christian movies because they are disassociating from the sort of cheesy sentimentalism. And we're afraid they're not going to go see our movie because they think we're in that camp. And we're simply not.

And I think anybody who sees the movie kind of walks up and saying I've never seen this done and I didn't even know it was possible.

KAYE: Yes.

MILLER: But it's hard to be the people out front you do take a lot of hits.

KAYE: So who are you trying to reach really then with it?

MILLER: Well, we're trying to reach, I think, people -- people of faith who -- who live in between faith and doubt, honestly. They live in between the church and the world. They live in this middle space. Sometimes they are ashamed of their faith because it's kind of embarrassing or it costs them in culture. And that's the person who this film is about.

Anybody who -- whose desires cause them to be uncomfortable and fight with their faith, anybody who is sometimes wakes up and thinks this whole this belief in God thing is absurd but yet I can't walk away from it, that's our target market. And we think that target market is -- is pretty big and we'd love for them to give -- give a shot to our movie.

KAYE: Donald Miller, Marshall Allman -- thank you both very much. Once again the movie is "Blue Like Jazz". Thank you both.

MILLER: Thank you.

ALLMAN: Thank you.

KAYE: And for more stories on faith be sure to check out our widely popular belief blog at CNN.com/belief.

Bill Cosby speaking about the Trayvon Martin case; we'll ask CNN's Candy Crowley what he told her when they sat down for a conversation.

Plus "Saturday Night Live" spoof Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum. You do not want to miss this. It's right after the break.

A very good morning to Washington, D.C. this morning -- we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now that you're out of the race I just want to tell you in person you ran a great campaign.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks Mitt and congratulations on the nomination. It was hard fought.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What can I get you two?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well we're celebrating for my friend so I'll have a chocolate milk.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I'll have a napkin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Always entertaining. That was "Saturday Night Live's" way of wrapping up the political primary season. Very funny.

Let's go to Washington now. CNN "STATE OF THE UNION" is coming up at the top of the hour. Candy Crowley has an interview with legendary actor and comedian Bill Cosby on the show today.

Candy, good morning to you; you sat down you spoke with him about the Trayvon Martin shooting. What did he tell you?

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": You know, it was a very interesting response. As you know Bill Cosby lost a son to gun violence, and so has obviously personal ties to this particular issue. And, you know, it was about -- we've heard so much about, you know, what was it racist, what did it have to do with and he blames the gun.

But in a really nuanced way because he said look I'm not against guns, I own a gun, I had it for self-protection, I think people should have one for self-protection if they want but the idea of community watch people having them, he said those are people who ought to dial the police when they see something and not be armed with a gun because a gun essentially sort of emboldens you to want to go fix things because you have the gun. So I thought it was an interesting nuanced answer from him.

KAYE: Yes, it sounds like it was a really interesting conversation. I look forward to it.

Also on the show today some Republicans still, of course, having reservations about Mitt Romney's ability to beat President Obama. And you have the RNC chair on the show. What do you think he's going to do to rally the Republican Party?

CROWLEY: Well, I think he's in an interesting position because I don't know if you have heard Newt Gingrich lately. But he's been saying this isn't over. I'm still in this race. Lots of things could happen.

So they're kind of -- you know here they have this presumptive nominee Mitt Romney but they still have Newt Gingrich going. And you're right, they have still a problem with the conservative voters who voted for Santorum or who voted Gingrich and those who are voting, still voting for Ron Paul who is still in the race. Those are not the people attracted to Mitt Romney.

So if he's the presumptive nominee he not only needs to sort of gather up the conservative base and reassure them, Romney also has to kind of go to the middle of the road to try to get those swing voters and all the time he has to watch for playing into that whole rap on him that he's a flip-flopper.

To this is a man with a huge agenda and the Republican Party obviously is there to support him. And so we wanted to talk to Priebus about what he thinks that entails and how he used the race as it shapes up for this fall although it's going on right now. Now is essentially the fall campaign.

KAYE: Right. Oh, yes. We're almost in full swing, I guess.

Candy Crowley, thank you very much. Nice to see you.

And of course, keep it here for "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley. It starts in about 15 actually about 11 minutes at this point, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time, 6:00 a.m. Pacific right here on CNN.

At Boston's Fenway Park he takes the mound but he's not over the hill. 100 years old and he's not the only one who's celebrating a century. We'll take you out to the ballpark right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: And we would like to say good morning, Los Angeles. Look at that beautiful shot of downtown. Folks there just starting to wake up. The good news is probably no traffic at this hour. Or maybe there is. Who knows? But good morning L.A.; nice to have you with us.

And of course, this morning we want to pass along a couple of milestones. Boston Fenway Park is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. And to mark the occasion the Red Sox invited a 100-year- old fan to toss out the first pitch. There he goes. Bill Hogan Jr. was just six days old when the legendary stadium opened back in 1912. Very, very nice.

Ok. So let's take a look at what you need know for the week ahead. This is our "Week Ahead" calendar. It's something new. It's a new little gadget. I'm trying to get the hang of this so be patient with me. On Monday we have the suspects in Tulsa, Oklahoma they're going to in court. They're there because of the Oklahoma shooting; the suspects are both white in that case. It could be a racially involved case. The victims of course were black.

Also on Monday, big day for Roger Clemens. His retrial begins, of course for him lying to Congress about his performance enhancing drug use. We'll see where that goes.

On Thursday the "Discovery" shuttle goes to the Smithsonian. It's on the road. It goes on permanent display at the Smithsonian in Washington.

On Friday we have George Zimmerman's bond hearing. Of course, he is the man in Florida who's charged with shooting 17-year-old Trayvon Martin who was just carrying a bag of Skittles; he's the neighborhood watchman there.

And Sunday, that's a big day, one of my favorites the year, it is Earth Day. You get to do something nice for the environment that day. Maybe learn how to compost. Drink a green shake. Do something like that.

So there you have it, "Our Week" ahead. Get you up to date there.

Yesterday's deadly tornadoes may just be the beginning. We'll tell you where severe weather is headed today. That's coming next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Deadly tornadoes laid waste to parts of at least three states yesterday and more bad weather unfortunately is expected today. So let's check in with Alexandra Steele one more time to see what we should be on the lookout for. Good morning.

ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning Randi. You know, we are going to see rough weather today, isolated tornadoes. But I don't think the gravity of it today from what we saw yesterday, five deaths yesterday, but 121 reported tornadoes, the balance of those in Kansas.

Here's a look at the current radar picture. Things are quiet. We did have a tornado watch that has expired, a tornado warning that has too expired; so, much more benign conditions.

This is the line I've been watching from Dallas all the way up to Wisconsin. Kind of there was some robust (ph) line too within this but a lot has broken apart. So just keeping an eye on that.

Really I think the strongest and the most potent storms will come later this afternoon and tonight. And let me show you where a little bit of a different area. Kansas and Nebraska really hit the hardest yesterday.

Today, though, this is the bull's eye this afternoon and tonight. Look at how far north it is. Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, that's where the greatest chance for tornadoes will be today. But along that southern fringe right ahead of that front in that warm sector this is where we could see the potential, isolated tornadoes not out of the question but I think the balance of the severe weather reports will be wind, some 60, 70 mile-per-hour wind gusts and maybe large damaging hail as well. Green bay, Chicago, St. Louis, Little Rock, Houston -- again those primary risks for winds and large hail. Big picture -- there's the severe weather threat in the center of the country.

Again, kind of the last day of it and then east of that, Randi, if you were walking in waking up in Washington, walking the streets of New York City, almost 90 degrees tomorrow in Washington, D.C., and only getting warmer. So today warm, tomorrow even warmer. But East Coast-Northeast also along the southeast really quite mild.

KAYE: 90 degrees. Wow.

STEELE: 89 in Washington. We'll see what happens.

KAYE: All right Alexandra. Thank you very much.

And thank you everybody for watching today. You can always continue the conversation with me online. You can find me on Twitter @RandiKayeCNN.

And "State of the Union" with Candy Crowley starts right now. Thanks for spending part of your morning with us.