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CNN Saturday Morning News

Cruise Ship Sinks Off of Italy Coast; GOP Candidates Bring Ugly Political Fight to South Carolina; Schools Fighting Budget Cuts in Court

Aired January 14, 2012 - 09:00   ET

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

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN ANCHOR: As many as 70 people may be missing right now off the coast of Italy. They were aboard this cruise ship. These are new pictures of that crippled ship on its side. It ran aground tearing a huge hole in the hull. At least three people were killed in the accident; thousands of passengers and crew had to be rescued.

Journalist Barbie Nadeau is at the port where the survivors are being taken.

And Barbie, you are speaking to many of those passengers, are they still just in shock because of what happened?

BARBIE NADEAU, JOURNALIST (via telephone): Yes, absolutely. They also have a very similar tale, about how they just finished dinner. Some of them were attending various dance shows or magic shows, entertainment shows for the evening. The lights went out. There was an incredible shuffling, scraping sound, and then immediately the ship started to list. There's a lot of disgruntled passengers. Let's say along with their obvious emotional state because they didn't call a may day into the Italian Coast Guard.

The ship, they didn't call the passengers to the muster stations which is where they go when there are disasters aboard. Because the ship was just at sea for two and a half to three hours. So they haven't even done the safety drills, yet. People really didn't know what they're supposed to do when something went wrong. The people who come here to (INAUDIBLE) from the island of (INAUDIBLE), which is about 18 miles off the coast which is (INAUDIBLE) and which the ship ran aground. All are in a state of shock. Many don't have clothes on. Some of them are in their pajamas. They left all their belongings on the ship. They don't have phones, they don't have money, credit cards, they don't have their passport. There's a lot of confusion.

These people are then taken to either Rome or to the town of (INAUDIBLE) or to (INAUDIBLE) where they will be taken care of in one way or another. But their belongings are on that ship, which is on its side, 90 degrees on the rocks outside of (INAUDIBLE), off the Tuscan coast.

FEYERICK: You know, that's remarkable. Has there been any sort of explanation as to why? Because, you know, I get the sense that this is probably a very well traveled route. Is there any suggestion as to why it was so close to the coast or whether the sandbar wasn't there, you know, a couple of weeks ago when it made a similar voyage?

NADEAU: No, in fact the captain of the ship who was questioned by the authorities here in (INAUDIBLE) will be under investigation for what he did or didn't do in terms of this emergency. One of the thing that is most curious though is the Italian Coast Guard has confirmed that the ship did not call a may day, make a may day call, did not make an emergency call, which means even if they knew they were running aground or they if knew what was happening, they didn't cry out for help.

One passenger, Canadian passenger (INAUDIBLE) said to me earlier today that he felt that the ship turned, in his mind, the ship turned potentially to avoid these rocks and the sandbar that it ran aground. He, of course, you know, isn't the captain of the ship. That's what his impression was based on his many, many times at sea. All of the passengers I talked to felt that they knew that the ship seemed to try to adjust itself. to try to shift on some level before they heard this terrible shuffling scrapping sound.

And then the boat immediately started to lift. One of the most horrific stories I heard though was there was this couple from South Africa who were in one of the lifeboats suspended for about 45 minutes in midair because it was on the high side of the ship, let's call it the other side, it was listing down to the sea and they were tuck in mid air for about 45 minutes, it was about 2:00 this morning. And they were just incredibly - as you might imagine, shaken by that experience.

FEYERICK: They must have been terrified they were going to be actually pulled down with the ship as it began to go under. This may day call, is there a census to why the ship - did they not realize how bad the damage was? Clearly, it's probably all under investigation. But you know, if they were even suspended for that long or there is just a sense that the passengers seem to know what was happening?

NADEAU: That's right. The passengers seem to understand that something was going wrong but none of them were given any information about what they were supposed to do. One of the crew members told me earlier that they knew that they had been told that the ship was taking on water. But they didn't even know to the extent that it had been damaged. And actually how quickly it was going to list and eventually turn on its side.

The lifeboats that were on the - let's call it the bottom side of the ship, the listing side, the side that was closest to the sea, many of those lifeboats were obviously not used. Some of those lifeboats on that side were dropped several meters into the water in which people on those boats were also terrified. They felt they didn't have a lot of information. They did say there was a sense of screaming, pushing, chaotic panic but there was a real urgency as people filed, you know, in good order into these lifeboats to get off the ship.

Now, the big question, of course, is what about the 70 people that may or may not be missing? We don't know if it's just a discrepancy in the passenger manifesto or if that's actually 70 people, likely crew members as we have been told who stayed on the ship for some reason or who were still somehow, got pulled in under the water. And there are divers right now that are investigating that who are trying to look around the perimeter of the ship and inside the ship, the part that is under water right now.

We are expecting to get more information from that later today. But you know, it's late, mid afternoon here. There aren't a lot of daylight hours left. So I'm not sure how far they will get today before they have to stop for night fall.

FEYERICK: And Barbie, just finally, the three who are confirmed dead, do we know were there crew members working at the bottom of the boat? Were they passengers? Again, I know it's still developing, but do you know who they are?

NADEAU: We don't know. We only know one bit of information about those three confirmed dead. And that was one of the confirmed dead was a 65- year-old woman who died of a heart attack when she hit the water. She obviously jumped into the water. The other two people, we don't know if they were crew members or if they were passengers. But the 65-year- old woman whose nationality we are not sure of actually died of a heart attack. The other two, I don't know, I can't confirmed if they were drowned, victims of drowning or other injuries.

But people were jumping into the water. Many of the passengers talked about how people around them were completely wet. You know, they had jumped in and tried to get to shore. Because, of course, they weren't that far off this island. They could see the lights. They could see that they could possibly make it. And there was a situation which people didn't know what to do so they jumped ship.

FEYERICK: You know, it's amazing because you see this cruise ship and I was - within the last year, I went on one of these. These ships are massive. They are like small villages. So to think that this one now is just so badly damaged, you know, again, whether it was a sandbar or whether it was rocks, you are looking at it physically. What sort of impression do you get looking at this sort of massive village on its side?

NADEAU: It really does seem surreal. It is just such an enormous structure, that it doesn't actually seem like a ship, obviously at this point, especially on its side. When you first approach it by ferry, which is I thought, that's wrong, you know, you get this idea that it's a little island in and of itself. And then as you get closer, you realize, you see personal effects floating around in the water. You see sort of the curtains and the windows, kind of, you know, flapping the wrong way. The windows - people must have been breaking their porthole windows and things like that. It is just really a massive wreckage now.

It's going to take a long time for the Italian authorities to pull that into some harbor, I would assume, and break it down and take it apart. This is a very pristine part of Italy, this Tuscan (INAUDIBLE) coastline is very popular summer place. I'm sure they will be rushing to try to get the ship off the view, out of the view before the season opens here in about late March or April. FEYERICK: Well, absolutely. Especially when you think of those 70 people. I mean hopefully it is just a question of a mistake on the passenger list, what we call the passenger manifest. At the same time, you know, we don't often see cruise ships sinking. It conjures up, in some respects, images of the Titanic which went down completely. This one you can see because of where it's located.

NADEAU: That's right. Exactly. Everybody on the ship that came out were talking about, you know, this is like scenes from obviously the movie "Titanic" that they saw. Of course, the "Titanic" actually was 100 years ago, April 15th this year. So it's quite a coincidence that this terrible shipwreck would happen so close in time, I guess, in terms of the season.

They are not blaming weather. They're not blaming anything but potentially the fault of the ship itself and problems with either the steering or electronics or something like that. Because the weather is calm - the sea is very, very calm this time of year. So for the people that even jumped into the water, it wasn't this frigid cold water that you might have in other places in the Mediterranean. It doesn't get really that cold. But the people who I spoke to, which there were many, many upset people were happy to go on another cruise. People who like to go on cruises can't be stopped, I guess.

FEYERICK: Yes.

NADEAU: Where they can pick up another one.

FEYERICK: Well, it can be a little bit addictive. Because everything is pretty much taken care of when you are on those cruises. And just finally, you said that initially they said it was an electrical problem, and then there was that shifting. Is there a sense that the navigation system did go down, an electrical component failed, and then the ship hit it ground or is it the other way around?

NADEAU: Well, no. Because the passengers, if you take into account what all the passengers seem to say is that the electricity went off first, the announcement over the generator driven PA system was that they had an electrical problem, and then they felt this shuffling sound. I'm using terms to describe that I have heard over and over again, in which this ship obviously ran ashore, either hitting the sandbar. There were rocks out jutting, very visible to the rocks, as well as the sand bar.

So, it seems to be by taking into account what the passengers are saying, the electricity went off, they said there was an electrical problem, and then the accident happened.

FEYERICK: Interesting.

All right. Barbie Nadeau, thank you so much. We'll check back with you in a little while there.

So, it may have been that the folks on that boat were trying to deal with the electrical system not realizing that they were about to create a much larger, much serious problem. Seventy people still missing. And we are going to get an update on that hopefully in just a little bit.

Alexandra Steele is going to be joining us on not only the weather but on the geography and the topography of that area to see what perhaps may have caused that. That's going to be in just a little while ahead.

Moving on to politics, a setback for four presidential candidates. They lost their bid to get on the Virginia primary ballot. They lost their bid to get on the Virginia primary ballot. A judge ruled that they waited too long to file claims to get their names added to the super Tuesday primary. That means that Virginia can only choose, no, not Rick Perry, Mitt Romney or Ron Paul. They are the only ones who got their names on. The others had sued saying that the ballot requirements were unconstitutional.

To get on the ballot in Virginia they have to collect at least 10,000 signatures including 400 from each of the state's 11 congressional districts.

And to South Carolina now where the candidates are getting ready for next Saturday's primary. The campaign there has gotten pretty ugly with candidates and super packs littering the air waves with attack ads.

And joining me now from Greenville, South Carolina is CNN political reporter, Peter Hamby.

Peter, is that going to continue right up until the votes are cast? Because this is pretty mean, pretty bitter.

PETER HAMBY, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: It really is. I have been watching a little bit of TV here and there. It's impossible to miss these ads. You know, they really, in the last couple of days start to fill up every commercial break. You can watch ESPN or you can be watching the local news, they are everywhere. It's not just on TV, you know, it's also in the mailboxes. If you talk to voters they are getting slammed with mail from these super packs supporting different candidates in the campaigns but we know that the candidates themselves are also delivering sharp contrast to each other.

I was at a forum near here last night with Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich who are vying for that conservative anti-Romney vote. Listen to what Newt Gingrich said about the problem of conservatives dividing themselves ahead of next Saturday's primary, Deb.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If we end up splitting the conservative vote, we are going to stumble into nominating somebody that 95 percent of the people in this room are going to be uncomfortable with.

And it's just that simple. And I believe if you look at the polling data and you look at everything that's going on, you look at the scale of the campaign, I believe if you will help me, if we can win on the 21st we will go into Florida with momentum.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMBY: Gingrich is a little starry eyed there about the, you know, the conservative vote rallying to him. The reality is and this is Romney's dream scenario and a certain vote is divided, it's divided between Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and, you know, way behind, Rick Perry, sort of trailing there but you know, Newt and Santorum aren't laying a glove on each other right now. They're both going after Romney and that a problem for both of them because they are both dividing up the conservative vote. Deb?

FEYERICK: And what's interesting, Peter, watching South Carolina. They are smart voters. And so it's not a done deal for any of the voters. They really are getting out and at least trying to listen to what they have to say.

Peter Hamby for us there in South Carolina. We'll be checking in with you in a little while. Thanks so much.

Well, a cruise ship runs aground with thousands of passengers on board. Now three people are dead, dozens are missing. More on this breaking story that's coming up, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: And we are following a story. As many as 70 people may be missing this morning, dead from a crippled cruise ship off the coast of Italy. Take a look. This is what the cruise ship looks like right now. It's on its side. There's a huge hole in the hull. It ran aground off the western coast of Italy. Three people were killed in the accident. More than a dozen others injured.

We have learned that the Coast Guard, that Coast Guard divers are not only searching around the ship but they are also going inside the ship. One of our reporters who was on the scene describing personal belongings simply floating out to sea as people there are trying to get help. Thousands of passengers were rescued off that ship. But they say that a may day call was not issued before the ship clearly ran aground.

As for the 70 people who are possibly missing, we don't know now right now, if they are in fact missing or whether there's some sort of discrepancy in the ship's log. Our reporter telling us that there was an electrical problem, an announcement was made, and then what sounded as a dragging, scraping sound could be heard. One of the three dead, a woman who suffered a heart attack after jumping into the water. The survivors are in shock. Many of them were dressed in pajamas. Their possessions all left behind on the ship, including cell phones, passports, and identification.

An investigation is under way to determine what happened and how it was handled. We have heard reports the power did go out. It's possible the navigation system may have been compromised. Investigators want to know how and when passengers were alerted. Alexandra Steele in our weather center but you are also monitoring the topography, the topography of that area of the Coast and what it's like. Alexandra. ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, you know, the island of Giglio is about 27 kilometers long. And you know, you just talked of it being cold. I was reading a report of a woman saying it happened the first night, it happened during dinner time, so everyone was dressed up. It was like a formal occasion, it was dinner time, they were in evening wear.

So everyone was freezing because it was nighttime and those were the clothes that they had. Temperature wise in the water and on land, you know, it's really not that cold. On average, the water temperature is about 50 to 60, 65 degrees. So that's relatively mild. And temperature wise on the whole, it's about 50 degrees on the high side. And at nighttime when it happened, the temperature drops to about 42 degrees. So the seas were calm. The weather was quiet and continues to be quiet for the next few days which was certainly good in terms of rescue efforts.

I just want to give you a little perspective to show you this as we kind of Google Earth in and go. Again the island of Giglio is off the Tuscan coast and again pretty long but it's quite mountainous as well. It's made up of rocks and cliffs all around. So again it ran aground just off this island but this is a huge, huge ship. Two thousand cabins. So it's massive. Weather doesn't seem to have been a factor with this. Again, the seas were calm. The weather was quiet. There was no rain, no precipitation of any sort. And there continues to be quiet weather, Deb, for the next couple days. Certainly it's good news for these rescue efforts.

FEYERICK: Absolutely. Boy, terrifying moments there. I mean think about how desperate, you know, you are when you think jumping into the water, your sort of way to get out.

Alexandra Steele, thank you so much.

It is now 20 minutes past the hour. Many school districts may be in a no-win situation. They are facing disappearing budgets along with tougher standards for teachers. Now some schools are fighting back.

But first, CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta has launched a new program called "The Next List." And each week it profiles innovators from all walks of life and all fields of endeavor. This week, he talks to a ukulele player, Jake (INAUDIBLE).

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I was a kid, there was no such thing as a touring solo ukulele player. But I do remember the first time she took it off the shelf and placed it in my hand. And I remember it was - I was so nervous just holding this instrument.

I just - I just fell in love with it. There was something very special about the ukulele. It's very peaceful and people of all ages aren't afraid to pick it up and play it for the first time.

(END VIDEO CLIP) FEYERICK: School districts across the country are filing suit against states. They want the courts to order more spending on public education.

Steve Perry is CNN's education contributor. He's also the founder of Capitol Preparatory Magnet School in Hartford, Connecticut. And he joins me now to talk about this controversy. Is that the only recourse that folks have?

STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR: Absolutely not. It's like a child suing his mother because she's unemployed and can't pay bills. These districts have to understand that they are suing the state and the state has no more money than they do. In fact, most people need to understand that over 75 percent of the money in a school district's budget is personnel. So you are not getting better schools by paying more. You are not even getting more hours in the day or more days in the year. You are getting exactly what you were getting before but you will be able to give the people in the schools a raise.

FEYERICK: So basically, it's almost as if they are asking for more money, but they are not fixing the root problem, which is better education and better schools for the kids?

PERRY: Absolutely. If you look at Newark, New Jersey where it's estimated that they spend approximately $24,000 per pupil, I don't think there are many people in Newark think it's a $24,000 a year education. We have to realize that education is not driven by the amount of money that we spend but in fact the quality of instruction.

We need to make sure that if we're going to give more money, let that be tied to greater accountability. If the individuals in the school districts want to sue somebody, maybe they want to sue the people in the schools who are not necessarily providing the level of education that the children deserve.

FEYERICK: Now, quickly, you got states like Texas, California, Florida, Kansas, all of them have filed suits. Is this what we're going to see from now on, more states suing?

PERRY: I hope not. It's naive and really misplaced.

FEYERICK: Right.

PERRY: And the focus needs to be on what's happening inside the schools. One of the reasons why education costs as much is the labor cost inside but it's also because when people retire, let's say you retire at 80 percent of your final -

FEYERICK: You need better education -

PERRY: Right.

FEYERICK: You need more for the students. All right. Steve Perry, sorry to cut you off. Thanks so much, really appreciate it. We'll check in with you later.

PERRY: My pleasure.

FEYERICK: Well, a cruise ship runs aground with thousands of passengers on board. Now three people are dead, dozens missing. More on this breaking story, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Twenty-nine minutes past the hour.

The top story we are watching now, a cruise ship rolling over off the Italian coast. As many as 70 people may be missing right now. They were aboard this cruise ship. It ran aground tearing a big hole in the hull. At least three people were killed in the accident. Thousands of passengers and crew had to be rescued. We are going to be having a live report at the top of the hour. A lot of panic. A lot of belongings and identity left aboard the ship.

Do you want to know how you can retire with more than $1 million in the bank? Well, our Christine Romans has all the answers. "YOUR BOTTOM LINE," it starts right now.