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CNN Saturday Morning News

Government Shutdown Averted at Last Minute; Military Families React to Budget Deal; Rep. Steve Israel Discusses Budget Agreement; Examining the Upcoming Elections in Nigeria; Japanese Fishermen Angry at TEPCO, Japanese Government; Debris From Tsunami Headed Your Way; Top Sports Stories of the Week: Manny Being Retired, Tiger Hunting at the Masters

Aired April 09, 2011 - 08:00   ET

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

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.

And boy, that was close. A sigh of relief across the country this morning. Our government is still open for business today. A deal was struck just an hour to spare when it was struck.

The CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, this is your CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Good morning to you all, 8:00 a.m. in Atlanta where I am, also 8:00 a.m. in Washington, D.C.; and it's also 2:00 p.m. in Cairo where we are watching things develop closely there.

We have seen gunfire and clashes once again in Tahrir Square. Thousands of demonstrators once again calling for change. Does this all sound familiar, because it comes just two months after former President Hosni Mubarak was ousted. Now they have new demands which include Mubarak being prosecuted. We will take you there.

But we have to start with the last-minute, late-night budget deal. Most of us had already gone to bed and most of us were wondering if the government was going to be open when we woke up. Well, in fact it is still open.

Late last night, Democrats and Republicans reached agreement on not one, but two deals. One of them was a short-term plan to keep the government running for another week. The president is expected to sign that later today. It puts that in place to give them time to deal with the bigger deal, which brings me to the second one.

This is the once that will fund the Federal government through September. This is actually the end of the fiscal year and this deal is the one we're talking about which is the 2011 budget. It calls for almost $40 billion in cuts from the president's original budget proposal. Republicans had originally called for $61 billion in cuts, but Democrats thought that went too far.

One huge issue that the two sides ended up fighting over, funding for Planned Parenthood. Republicans dropped their demands to change funding for that program. Democrats agreed to bring the issue up, though, in a separate vote in the Senate. Democrats in the Senate also agreed to take up a Republican initiative to repeal President Obama's health care overhaul law. Listen now to the commander in chief.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We protected the investments we need to win the future. At the same time, we also made sure that at the end of the day, this was a debate about spending cuts, not social issues like women's health and the protection of our air and water. These are important issues that deserve discussion, just not during a debate about our budget.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: I want to turn now to CNN's Congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar, also our senior White House correspondent Ed Henry joining me on the CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

Guys, good to see you both.

And Brianna, I don't want to give them too much credit here. A lot of people may be just thankful that the deal got done and saying yes, there was compromise, but this thing is six months late.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. This is only for the remainder of the budget year which as we know in a fiscal year, goes to the end of September.

You know, what's really interesting looking at the negotiations yesterday, the number that they settled on, T.J., $38.5 billion in cuts. It's really not that far off of what Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told reporters somewhat early yesterday morning that they were talking about.

One of the things, though, that really did make a difference, those policy provisions that you mentioned, separate votes in the Senate on funding for Planned Parenthood and other organizations that provide abortions and also a separate vote on de-funding health care reform. Republicans initially had wanted to roll this into the package.

Why is this so significant? If for some reason it managed to get out of the Senate, President Obama could veto those provisions without, obviously, vetoing spending and it kind of just separates everything into different pieces, T.J.

HOLMES: And Brianna, something else that will be of interest to our viewers, can you assure our viewers, can you assure us, do you have any assurance as well, we hear again that there are two provisions, another extension that goes for a week. So a lot of people may be wondering, OK, if they put an extension in for a week, does that mean a week for now we could be talking about another possible shutdown and you're saying that's not the case?

KEILAR: The expectation is no and discussion of passing a short- term bill like the one that passed last night in the House after midnight, is just to fill in the gap until the big deal, the big bill, can take effect. Because obviously there's some logistical considerations that need to be taken care of. We are expecting that vote to be Monday night, so it's not even necessarily that Congress needs that entire week but it gives them a buffer, T.J.

HOLMES: I know our viewers have a concern about that, have that question. So that one is just supposed to be a place holder right now to buy some time.

Ed, let me bring you in here.

The president expected to sign that short-term deal at some point later today, but as far as the long-term, the other deal, the actual 2011 budget, is the president pleased with how -- maybe not how the process worked but at least having something done?

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Nobody could be impressed with how the process worked I suppose. But certainly when you have the Tea Party, for example, a spokesman for them coming out this morning saying they're disappointed. They think that this is a drop in the bucket in terms of spending cuts that's a victory for the White House, for Democrats because conservatives clearly wanted far more in spending cuts.

But it's also a victory for Speaker Boehner because Democrats had been pushing this narrative that Speaker Boehner wouldn't stand up to the Tea Party. They were going to shut the government down, etcetera, etcetera. At the end of the day, Speaker Boehner stood up and said this is the best deal I can get. You're going to have to accept it though his colleagues on the right.

But I think at the end of the day, neither side can pat themselves too much on the back because let's remind ourselves that $38.5 billion is a drop in the bucket, far less than 1 percent of the entire Federal budget. So if it took six months, all this heavy lifting, all these threats of a shutdown just to cut this much money how are they going to deal with Medicare, Medicaid, some of the other bigger programs? It leaves a lot of unanswered questions to say the least.

HOLMES: OK, unanswered questions, but another to you here, Ed, what is the concern now if this was maybe the preview, this was the big fight, you have the Republicans in charge over there in the House now, is this a preview of what's to come for quite frankly, you saw it a drop in the bucket, but now we're going to be talking about trillions of dollars, quite frankly, as we move forward?

HENRY: Right. That's why, you know, this is really a tiny step in the broader budget negotiations that have to happen. But I think as much as people want to bash Congress, bash the White House, politicians in general, they do have to look at the fact that now there's been two major deals.

They were not pretty, not defending how it was done or anything like that, but in December many people didn't think they'd get that tax cut deal, extend the Bush tax cuts. Democrats were still in charge of the House, but John Boehner was a key part of that as the Republican leader. He and the president and other leaders worked that out.

Against the odds they worked this out and prevented a government shutdown. Small steps but nonetheless, maybe hope springs eternal. Maybe this leads to some bigger deals down the road. You're right, there's a lot of heavy lifting yet to go.

HOLMES: Ed, did you just say hope springs eternal? I love it when you get --

HENRY: It's spring time. You got to get a little poetic. The cherry blossom parade by the way is going forward now that the government is not shut down. I'm getting a little bit of new information hearing that it could be as early as 10:00 a.m. Eastern hour for the president to sign. It's not locked down yet. They're working on the mechanics. It's probably going to be later this morning.

HOLMES: I would assume we're going to see that. They'll just let us know it's signed.

HENRY: We'll see. The president did come out late last night. He's already addressed the American people. He may just do that in private, you're right, because this is just step one as Brianna pointed out, that keeps the government open for a few days. The broader deal still has to be done. I would anticipate that being the big bill signing when they actually finish it.

HOLMES: We appreciate that nugget there as well. Ed Henry, good to have you and Brianna Keilar, good to have you with us this morning. Thanks so much guys. We'll check in again.

Like we've been talking about, this deal is done. Still plenty of finger-pointing and what not going back and forth between the two sides, but we want to know from you this morning and I am reading your comments as they come in.

Who do you think the winners and losers are in this? Does anybody come out looking good? Are you happy with anybody right now, whether it's' Congress, the president, Republicans, Democrats?

Go to our blog, CNN.com/TJ. Also, you know where to find me on Facebook at TJHolmesCNN. On Twitter it's simply @TJHolmes. Going to be reading some of your comments here on the newscast a little later in this show.

I do want to turn to Egypt. There are some significant developments happening there. They didn't like their former president as you know and it doesn't seem they're too happy with the new caretaker government either. There are renewed clashes on the streets of Cairo between police and government dissidents. Demonstrators now want the military council which is governing the country, to prosecute Mubarak for alleged corruption.

You're hearing that heavy gunfire. This is happening on the streets of Hams (ph), Syria. It's one of at least 10 Syrian cities where the government is warning of a big crackdown on protesters. We don't know which side firing in the video here that was recently uploaded to YouTube. But we do know the death toll in Syria is now going up, 22 unarmed civilians reportedly killed in the town of Daraa (ph). Amnesty International says many of those killed have died at the hands of Syrian security forces.

Also, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is planning to be there at the Kennedy Space Center for the launch of the next shuttle mission. Of course, her husband, Mark Kelly, will be commanding Endeavor.

Giffords still recovering from injuries suffered in January when a gunman opened fire in Tucson, Arizona, at that rally she was having. Her office says doctors will still have to sign off on her travel plans before she heads to Florida. Endeavour is scheduled to launch on April 29th.

Check this out. A 109-year-old and grandma still got quite an arm on her. This video we're seeing, 109-year-old, Violet Smith, invited to throw out the first pinch at the Great Lakes Looms (ph) season opener on her 109th birthday. Happy birthday to her and congratulations that she can still toss that ball at 109 years old.

Well, an election to tell you about. National elections taking place today, Nigerians heading to the polls. We'll introduce you to some of the candidates and explain why what happens in that election matters right here.

Also an 11th hour budget deal is cut preventing a massive government shutdown. We'll get reaction from a military wife who was on pins and needles as it was going down to the wire. Also, Bonnie Schneider in for Reynolds Wolf this weekend. What are you keeping an eye on? That picture behind you looks a little nasty.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It does. It's very ominous. We've got some really strong thunderstorms rolling through Missouri and Illinois right now. I'll tell you about that, plus hot and dry weather and dust storms across the southwest. It's all straight ahead on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: It's 13 minutes past the hour.

If you happen to just be waking up turning on the TV, this is what you need to know. Your government is still open. The government will keep running. Congress was able to cut a deal on the budget right before the midnight deadline. This avoids a shutdown.

That is a huge sigh of relief to literally hundreds of thousands of people, potentially hundreds of thousands of Federal workers were possibly going to not be working during a shutdown.

Then you had military families who were concerned about possibly getting their checks on time, like our next guest, now the CNN iReporter, Erin Disseler. Erin joins me now.

Erin, your husband is a veteran and now works for the government, disability. Government paychecks the only income you guys have. So were you up late keeping a close eye on what was happening last night?

ERIN DISSELER, CNN IREPORTER: I was, but I was so exhausted that I actually fell asleep before the deal came through in our time, so I woke up early this morning to find out that I did -- we did have a deal, so relief, I guess.

HOLMES: Was it just relief?

DISSELER: It was relief. Yes, definitely. I mean a little bit of less stress on my shoulders and my husband's too. Just -- I guess, prayer and faith came through in the end.

HOLMES: Erin, how much were you turned off, as we show pictures of your husband here now, how much were you turned off by this whole process? Some people just consider it, sometimes democracy can be ugly. Did you see OK, compromise and back and forth just happens or did you see this another way?

DISSELER: Well, at first, you know, months ago, I understand of course we need to compromise, come to a middle ground just like everything in life, marriage included. But then after so many months and days, extensions after extension and coming down to the last week, and then the very last minute literally last night, I became more and more frustrated. It's just -- it should have never ever got to that point in my opinion. They created so much chaos and panic among so many people for a lot of people that didn't need any more. I mean, the guys fighting overseas for us, that's the last thing they need to worry about.

HOLMES: Erin, you actually just used the word panic. Is that the correct word to use? Certainly for your case and your family and kind of the plans I assume you were putting in place just in case there was a possible shutdown?

DISSELER: Yes. It was definitely panic. I mean, you think, you know, if you're in the military or if you're a government worker, you kind of like to think you have job security. And my husband being the only worker in the house, I stay at home with the kids, you know, absolute panic. It's not much different than suddenly being unemployed. You got to come up with plan B really quickly. So definitely panic, rewriting the budget, trying to figure out what I can and can't do to bring in extra money. We were open to -- I was opening to getting a job too. It's not an issue.

HOLMES: Erin, I'm going to let you go, but I was struck by something you told me in the commercial break before we came on here and you said you actually still have faith in your government.

DISSELER: I do. If you don't have faith, you don't have anything. So that's all we clung on to and we prayed and in the end, prayer answers all.

HOLMES: Well --

DISSELER: I was glad that -- go ahead. HOLMES: Oh, no. I just wanted to say thank you for sharing the story. I know it's not easy coming on talking about difficult times possibly for your family, but again we're so glad we're able to talk to you this morning and hopefully everything will work out next week. We appreciate your time. Our best to you and your family. You all enjoy the rest of your weekend.

DISSELER: Thank you, you too.

HOLMES: Thank you so much. We're going to turn here to weather. It is, of course, spring time. That can mean a lot of things to a lot of different people. But for folks in the upper Midwest right now, it's sandbag season.

Take a look at this. Thawing winter snow can mean serious flooding threats. That's what they're dealing with now in the Eastern part of South Dakota, lakes bulging past their shorelines, spilling on to roadways and homes. Yes, they are doing a lot of sandbagging right now, even inmates from a nearby county jail helping with the communities anti-flooding efforts.

Want to turn to all things weather related now and Bonnie Schneider in for Reynolds Wolf this weekend and Bonnie, you actually have some immediate weather going on right now. I was looking at that map, too many colors, not a good sign usually.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Twenty two minutes past the hour.

The deal is done. Democrats and Republicans finally got together on a budget deal to fund the Federal government through September, compromise both sides are publicly happy with.

Let's take a listen to John Boehner.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), HOUSE SPEAKER: I'm pleased that Senator Reid and I, the White House, have been able to come to an agreement that will, in fact, cut spending and keep our government open.

I expect that the House will vote yet tonight on a short-term continuing resolution into next week to allow for time for this agreement to be put together in legislative form and brought to the floor of the House and Senate for a vote.

So I would expect the final vote on this to occur mid-next week, but I do believe it will have a -- what we'll call a bridge continuing resolution passed tonight to ensure that government's open.

As you all know, this has been a lot of discussion and a long fight. But we fought to keep government spending down because it really will, in fact, help create a better environment for job creators in our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: All right. That's part of the Republican take on the budget deal. What are Democrats saying this morning?

A New York Congressman, Steve Israel, kind enough to join us from Capitol Hill.

Congressman, good morning to you. Thank you for being here.

I know it was a late night for a lot of you all. So I know you're happy the government is still open but are you happy with the deal itself, the package itself, the cuts that are in there?

REP. STEVE ISRAEL (D), NEW YORK: Look, the good news is that the government is open this morning.

The good news is that I've got a Boy Scout troop coming from Long Island, New York and they were going to be locked out of the Smithsonian Museum and now they get to go see the museums and capitol.

The bad news T.J. is that what you saw this week is just a sneak preview on what's going to happen. Before the ink was even dry on this very short-term extension, they announced that next week they're going to force a vote on a bill to privatize Medicare and end the guaranteed Medicare benefit for seniors.

So this was not even act one. This was the overture and we've got a long way to go on some profound and fundamental issues facing the American people.

HOLMES: Let's get back to those. The deal itself, everybody is happy the government is open. But the cuts that were agreed to and the compromises that were made on both sides, are you happy with that?

ISRAEL: We found common ground on some spending cuts. Some of those spending cuts, quite honestly, were very hard to swallow. We did have to find common ground on those cuts because the Republicans said that they would shut down this government if they didn't get their way.

We found higher ground. We occupied the higher ground on issues like do you close down the entire Federal government over a woman's right to go to Planned Parenthood and get a breast health screening.

Those are the profound issues where we kept the higher ground. We will not surrender the higher ground. I'm not conceding an inch of the higher ground. We're going to stay on the higher ground, although we did at the end of the day, have to swallow some compromises on a five-month spending bill.

HOLMES: Over the past 24 hours, sir, you're part of that body there, what -- we have all seen play out, are you proud of what happened up there on Capitol Hill the past 24 hours? ISRAEL: Nobody should be proud of what happened over the past 24 hours when you have a bunch of Republican extremists run by the Tea Party, who said that they are willing to shut down the government and lock out those Boy Scouts from the United States Capitol in order to pursue this extreme agenda.

I am proud that Democrats refused to budge on those high ground issues on a woman's right to get reproductive health care, on the EPA's right to monitor our air quality and our water quality.

I'm proud of the fact that Democrats stood firm on those issues, and I'm going to take a look at some of the spending cuts that are in the broader bill, the five-month bill and then make a decision on whether I will support it or not as we go into the week.

HOLMES: But sir, do you really think this is a matter of -- people like to throw in the Tea Party and call that the extreme wing. I assume that you believe that many people on the other side of the aisles, some Republicans up there, are your friends and your colleagues and I would assume they are just like you, they believe they are standing up for the right thing and they have good intentions as well. But the rhetoric is the part, and like you just mentioned, you didn't say hey, they're good people who are standing up for what they believe in. You go after them and attack them and say they're extremists and the Tea Party is running them.

Moving forward, is that dialog, that kind of rhetoric, isn't that a part, a big part of the problem up there?

ISRAEL: Oh, no. I'm very careful not to vilify my colleagues. I just don't like their ideas. I just don't like their choices.

The budget is a choice. The choice that we offered last week was let's tighten our belts, let's cut spending and let's do it by denying the tax subsidy to the five richest oil companies in the United States of America. They said no to that. They said instead, let's privatize Medicare for seniors.

So I respect their opinion and quite honestly, I respect their tenacity in the pursuit of their agenda. I just fundamentally and profoundly disagree with their choices and their ideas and that's what this place is all about.

HOLMES: All right. Well this is just a preview of things to come. Like you said, the overture, but a lot of people saying, yes, this was just the opening act. Still have to deal with the debt ceiling, still have to deal with the 2012 budget, all of that still coming down the pike.

But sir, again, everybody is happy the government is open. We appreciate you taking a few minutes out with us this morning. You enjoy the rest of your weekend and trip back up to your home district.

ISRAEL: Thank you, sir.

HOLMES: We did invite Republican Tom Price on to discuss the budget deal with us this morning. However, this morning we got word he was going to have to cancel.

Also earlier this morning, asked you to weigh in on the last- minute budget deal about who the winners and losers are if there are any. Here are just a few we got from Twitter.

"The winners are the Democrats for putting up with this mess. The losers are the Tea Party in 2012 for losing tough with America."

Also another one saying, "The Republicans won. The Democrats had to let some things go, basically the Dems care more about the country."

Just a couple of a number of comments and a lot of you are weighing in. We appreciate it. Keep them coming. We'll continue to share them here on the air.

Also in Nigeria, parliamentary elections taking place there right now leading up to the presidential elections that are expected to take place next week. We'll take a look at the candidates there.

Also, how what happens there, matters to you here. Also, Manny is just being Manny. Now Manny is retiring, but you need to hear why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right. We're at bottom of the hour now and it seems like somebody is running through the newsroom this morning. He works here, don't worry about it.

Welcome back everybody to the CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Glad you could start part of your day here with us.

It is a good Saturday morning for a lot of folks, lot of Americans and that includes hundreds of thousands of government employees who thought they might wake up to a government shutdown but late last night Democrats and Republicans brokered two last-minute deals that averted an operational crisis.

One of those agreements keeps the government temporarily funded through next week. The second a more massive budget bill that covers the federal government for this entire fiscal year which ends in September.

In all, after all of this partisan haggling nearly $40 billion shaved from the president's proposed budget. The president described the negotiations this way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This agreement between Democrats and Republicans on behalf of all Americans is on a budget that invests in our future while making the largest annual spending cut in our history.

Like any worthwhile compromise, both sides had to make tough decisions and give ground on issues that were important to them and I certainly did that.

Some of the cuts we agreed to will be painful. Programs people rely on will be cut back, needed infrastructure projects will be delayed and I would not have made these cuts in better circumstances.

But beginning to live within our means is the only way to protect those investments that will help America compete for new jobs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Well, that temporary measure, the President is expected to sign that shortly, actually got word from our Ed Henry reporting from the White House. The sources are telling him possibly the President could sign that as early as 10:00a.m.Eastern time, so in about an hour and a half.

So yes, now these deals are done, took up until the last minute. So how do the American people see all this playing out?

Let's join our deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser and he's in Washington for us.

Paul, good morning to you. The Americans see what they wanted to see? They wanted a deal done, but didn't want it done this way.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes, they wanted a deal done T.J. and in the end of the day that's of course the most important thing and that's probably why lawmakers came to a deal.

Check out this recent poll. This is from Gallup and look at this here. What do Americans want? Do they want their Congressmen or lawmakers to hold out even if there's a shutdown? No, they didn't, only about a third of them wanted that. Most, a majority of Americans, almost six in ten, wanted their lawmakers to compromise and I think at the end of the day that's one of the reasons why lawmakers did just that.

Look at the blame game T.J. as well. This one by Washington Post, and you know what, the blame it looks like it was going to be spread around pretty equally. Look at that 37 percent said they would blame Republicans at Congress if there was a shutdown, the exact same amount said they would blame the Obama administration and Democrats and 15 percent say, you know what, we would blame both sides.

This is very different than in 1995, the last shutdown, when Republicans more than Democrats got the blame game. Other polls saying pretty much the same story here, T.J.

HOLMES: All right, and to help people understand, this is an important point. You and I and the rest of us here at CNN we were watching everything closely yesterday, all the back and forth in the press conferences and Planned Parenthood became a major part of the fight.

To many Americans, they were thinking, wait a minute, I thought this was all about numbers and how much to cut. Why did Planned Parenthood become a big part of this?

STEINHAUSER: That was a big talking point yesterday from the Democrats from Harry Reid on down, you just heard Congressman Steve Israel on your show just a few minutes ago saying the same thing he brought it up twice, why?

Democrats in a way were trying to make this about women, about women's rights and Republicans trying to steal that funding, that federal funding for Planned Parenthood that goes towards health services for women. One of the reasons maybe is political here T.J., hard it to believe, right? Can't listen to them.

The Democrats did very well with women voters in '06 and '08 in those elections, not as well in 2010, they were making a pitch.

You know what, the Republicans were doing the opposite T.J., they were saying it's not about Planned Parenthood, it's about spending, why, because the tea party, those activists that helped give them back control of the house, they want more cuts. In fact you saw this morning alone some tea party groups saying this bill didn't go far enough. They want more cuts. T.J.

HOLMES: Paul Steinhauser, always good to have you with us on a CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Talk to you again here shortly.

Well, Nigerians are voting right now in parliamentary elections but they will decide - but they will decide next week who their president is going to be. We'll take a look at candidates hoping to lead Africa's most populated country and why this election matters to the United States.

Also, bunch of trash, slime and debris floating around after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and some say it's headed right for us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right. 38 minutes past the hour. Critical elections going on right now in the West African nation of Nigeria but they are happening after delays, bombings and assassinations. A lot of setbacks for a country plagued by corruption and a long track record of election rigging so why are we here in the United States determined to make sure elections there are free and fair?

Nadia Bilchik, once again with more on our morning passports, why?

NADIA BILCHIK, CNN PRODUCER: Because Nigeria is the fourth largest exporter of oil to the U.S. the first being Canada, then Saudi Arabia, then Mexico and then Nigeria. So we get a lot of our oil from Nigeria. It is the most populace nation in Africa.

HOLMES: Now, who are these players who could possibly lead it? One of them has been leading it, though he didn't necessarily win an election.

BILCHIK: Isn't this extraordinary and I know you've met him and I want to hear about that. Goodluck Jonathan and his name says it all. His father said when he had him, he saw this child, he said he's going to have good luck and he absolutely has.

HOLMES: He has.

BILCHIK: Because he was deputy governor, the governor was investigated, Goodluck becomes the governor because he's ousted, then he becomes deputy president. Umaru Yar'Adua at the time dies. Goodluck Jonathan becomes president.

Now, his opponent very interestingly enough, Muhammadu Buhari, now he's General Muhammadu Buhari who was the general ruling Nigeria from '83 to '85, he is militant, he is a religious muslim and he very much, you've said, you spoke about the corruption of Nigeria, during his reign it says that he was responsible for getting rid of a lot of the corruption. So those are the two key players at the moment.

HOLMES: Now, the other part, parliamentary elections, we talked about, are happening right now. All of these have been delayed but we have been seeing violence just yesterday even leading up to these elections.

BILCHIK: Yes. Violence for a couple of reasons, but starting today parliamentary elections, next week presidential elections and to understand a little bit about Goodluck Jonathan he has the support of the MEND, which is the movement for the emancipation of the Niger Delta, and this is where a lot of the violence comes from because you have people in the Niger Delta, which is the oil rich region of Nigeria, saying that the government is not doing enough for the people.

Now I don't know if you remember in around '95 there was famous poet, called Ken Sara-Wiwa and he was a Nigerian poet who spoke out against the corruption of the government, against its own people, and he was executed.

So you have this movement from the Niger Delta, militant group who will blow up pipelines and they interestingly enough, support Goodluck Jonathan. So, can you see what's at stake here? You have people in the south, the oil rich region supporting Goodluck, you've got people in the north supporting Buhari and both have a case because one is going to end corruption, be much stauncher about corruption, that's Buhari but some people say you're stepping back whereas Goodluck Jonathan is more progressive.

Now, you have Nigeria over 155 million people, it's half the size of Alaska, quite a lot larger than Texas, but you have extreme poverty. So, interesting. But you have to tell me about you meeting Goodluck Jonathan.

HOLMES: Well I happened to do an event in Washington, D.C. with Goodluck Jonathan. He spoke there and also President Zuma of South Africa, actually both men were on the docket that night but I remember we had a moment and I'm not sure how he feels about me, but has the trademark hat.

BILCHIK: Fedora hat.

HOLMES: And he had it on, of course, that night and after he spoke, I made a little crack about his hat and I'm not sure if he appreciated it or not.

BILCHIK: Interesting to see next week will we be saying Goodluck Jonathan.

HOLMES: Goodluck Jonathan again, if he actually wins this election. You're right, good luck throughout his life. Thank you so much, again an important story we're going to try to stay on top of and make sure our viewers are aware of what's happening around the world.

Also the tsunami in Japan, caused some devastating ripples in the fish fishing industry now. The delicacies now sitting on store shelves untouched, fishermen now want someone held accountable.

Also, just where is that debris? All that debris from that earthquake and tsunami, where is it headed? It could be headed your way.

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HOLMES: Well, 44 minutes past the hour now.

The airport in Sendai, Japan, is set to get back into business a month after being inundated by a tsunami. Limited commercial service will resume next Wednesday with six daily relief flights from Tokyo and Osaka.

A wall of water washed over the airport's terminal and tarmac on April 11th. Special U.S. military teams were sent in to try to help clear the airfields.

Meanwhile Japan's fishing industry is in dire straits right now. Just like during the BP oil spill here in the U.S. the fear over contamination is chasing away customers, even though tests show the fish safe.

As CNN's Kyung Lah reports, fishermen want someone punished.

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KYUNG LAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nesioti Soci (ph) is usually just a quiet merchant selling his fish for 40 years at his Tokyo shop. Now he can't stop yelling about TEPCO.

"If we put poison in the river, we'd be arrested," he says, "but TEPCO won't be treated like that. It's unfair."

He's furious at TEPCO, the owner of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, and as far as Japan's lawmakers, "stupid government," he says, "both the government and TEPCO should act more responsibly."

He and nearly every merchant in Japan's famed fish market feels it, the rage from the financial pinch. Nuclear crisis is scaring customers and tourists, both domestic and international away from all fish in Japan. It doesn't even matter that all of this seafood has been checked and cleared for radiation. It's all perfectly safe to eat. These merchants say they still have seen a drop of business, of 80 percent.

Japan's fishermen are on the offensive, bringing cameras with them to confront TEPCO executives, handing over a scathing open letter. They call the release of radioactive water into the ocean an unforgivable action and they said they held, quote, strong rage against this irresponsible behavior and that TEPCO will destroy the nation's fishing industry.

"I apologize from the bottom of my heart," say TEPCO execs. TEPCO says it is making progress, plugging the leak of highly radioactive water into the sea. Japan's government says other releases of less radioactive water were unavoidable in an emergency situation.

TEPCO says it's doing everything possible to limit the damage to the industry. But Sushi Ichiban (ph) says the damage is already done. "Just look for yourself. This normally bustling restaurant is completely empty. Practically no foreigners are coming," says Terasuko Netchapic (ph).

People around the world are worried about how Japan can handle this nuclear situation. It's also a concern for the Japanese. "I'm worried about radiation even if the government and TEPCO says it's OK," says this father.

Distrust hammering one of Japan's critical industries currently drowning in wave after wave of bad news.

Kyung Lah, CNN, Tokyo.

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HOLMES: We're getting powerful evidence of the devastation of last month's earthquake and tsunami. Maybe some of it is headed to the U.S.? A massive debris field slowly moving across the pacific. The tsunami swept entire villages out to sea. 200,000 buildings in all.

Bonnie Schneider, here with me now.

You were telling me about this and I said, what, are you serious? This stuff could actually make its way, and it might take a while?

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It will take a while and then it loops and comes back. It's fascinating.

Take a look at this computer model. This was put together by University of Hawaii researchers, Nikolai Maximenko and Juan Chapter (Ph) and what they did is they projected using ocean currents and just general patterns of the pacific of where the debris would go once it left Japan. And remember, you saw some pictures of all that debris, because when the tsunami came in and slammed into Japan with that first wave, all the water retreated and it pulled back with it so much debris. Homes, cars, boats, and all of that has to end up somewhere.

So here's the model and you can see as we go through the next few years, by the time we get to 2014, that's when it comes closer to the U.S. west coast and also British Columbia and even as far south, some of the debris dips down to the Baja Peninsula.

Then, let's open up the scope and you can see it loops back, gets more concentrated and then hits Hawaii for a second time. As you can see on this computer model we're looking at a strike to Hawaii with the debris, not once, but twice, because the currents work in a clockwise fashion and they'll actually bring the debris back.

It will become more concentrated when it makes the second loop. There's a lot of factors that can influence this because not only do you have the natural breakdown of the debris but the debris slams into each particle slams into the other. So that will help to break it down.

But it's interesting to note we'll be talking be about this debris affecting the west coast, parts of Canada and certainly Hawaii, not just this year, next year, but next several years as it works its way across the pacific ocean. Fascinating science coming out of the University of Hawaii.

Well, stay with us. We'll have a lot more straight ahead on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

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HOLMES: All right, have you heard, there's a big retirement that took place in Major League Baseball. It came out of nowhere and it's not for the reasons you might think someone is retiring.

Also, Tiger, is making a push at the Masters right now.

HLN Sports Anchor, Carlos Diaz joining me, this morning, live.

All right, let's start with Manny being Manny. That's what they say about him, but this came out of nowhere, and frankly, it was a little sad.

CARLOS DIAZ, HLN SPORTS ANCHOR: Well, you remember back in 2009 with the Dodgers, he suspended 50 games because he failed a drug test. Lot of Dodger fans upset about that.

He goes to the Tampa Bay Rays, signs a one-year deal. Apparently fails another drug test. Rather than serve a 100-game suspension he says I'm out of here, I'm going to hang up the cleats, I'm going to retire. So Manny being Manny is now Manny being retired, gone.

HOLMES: This doesn't look good at all. If he didn't even want to fight it, quite frankly. Even when the last failed drug test came up, he had a way he was trying to explain certain stuff was in his system.

DIAZ: The baseball season is 162 games, talking about two-thirds of the season, so he's like, you know, I'm getting older. But the sad thing is, you know, you're talking about a guy in his prime who was talking about getting to the hall of fame. And now, he's not going to get there.

HOLMES: All right. Let's turn now it another guy who's still there, a lot of people will put in the golf hall of fame, Tiger at the Masters. This is essentially where at a young age he became a legend, if you will, but it was nice to see him making a move.

DIAZ: It was so great. Birdie after birdie after birdie yesterday. Going to the back nine. Tiger shot a 31 on the back. It's one of his best rounds in a long time. He's had a really tough year. He is three shots off the lead right now. But I tell you what, I'm not over exaggerating this, I honestly believe that today, is the most exciting day in golf ever. Think about it.

HOLMES: Ever?

DIAZ: Think about it. Rory McIlroy is leading the Masters, he's 21 years old, he's a kid. You got Tiger making a charge at 35 years old. Then you got Freddie Couples at 51 he's there too. Three generations of golf. Today, it's going to be amazing.

HOLMES: Explain to people who may have not been keeping up. Tiger hasn't been winning, just how off he has been this year.

DIAZ: He has not won a tournament since the scandal broke which is unbelievable. That drought dating back to November of 2009. So this is imperative today, that Tiger put together two good rounds in a row. He hasn't done that all year.

HOLMES: All right, we've got 20 seconds here. It's sad this has to happen but they have to increase security at Dodger Stadium.

DIAZ: Yes, it's tough. The owner of the Dodgers came out yesterday and said they're going to really increase security in a lot of ways, better cameras, more cops. This all happening after that dodger fan -- that giants fan was beaten into a coma on opening day.

HOLMES: Yes. All right. It's that sad note we have to end on. See pictures there. Sketch of the possible suspects there, they're making a plea for them to come forward. Thanks so much. The most exciting day.

DIAZ: The most exciting day in golf today. Today.

HOLMES: All right. Thanks so much.

Well, also today, a last-minute budget deal has taken place to avert a government shutdown in Washington, D.C. we'll tell you what's in, what's not.

An alarming new report about medical mistakes in hospitals, you need to hear this. Our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen talks to me about avoiding becoming a victim.

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HOLMES: Well, Patrick Dempsey plays a doctor on TV, but he's doing his part as a healer in real life as well after being inspired by his own mother's battle with ovarian cancer. He established a foundation to raise awareness and money for cancer treatment.

Patrick Dempsey, impacting his world.

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PATRICK DEMPSEY, ACTOR (on camera): I am Patrick Dempsey and you can make an impact on cancer.

Cancer awareness started with my mother's diagnosis of ovarian cancer. She survived and I decided to open up the Patrick Dempsey Center for cancer hope in healing in Maine.

We've come a long way with the technology and the surgeries and we treat the whole person psychologically, physically and spiritually.

Impacting our own world, it's really look outside your own door. For me it was cancer. Join the movement.

Impact your world at CNN.com/impact.

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