American Morning
Death by digital: Virgin Megastore folds
In another sign of the times, Virgin Megastore is shutting its doors.
The death of the CD was written long before the current financial crisis, but the economy may have been the final nail in the coffin.
Fast Forward
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At 11:00AM ET President Obama will unveil the details of his plan to help out the struggling auto industry in a news conference at the White House.
At 10:00AM ET NASA unveils a full-sized mock-up of its spacecraft Orion on display at the National Mall in Washington. Orion is on target to bring people to the International Space Station in 2015 and to the moon in 2020. It's currently in its testing stages and will head down to Cape Canaveral Florida after it's stint at the Capitol.
And all day long we'll be watching the weather conditions in the upper Midwest. The swollen Red River began to recede slightly yesterday, but it still remains at dangerous levels. Officials warning residents in North Dakota and Minnesota to keep their guard up. Forecasters say a storm could bring as much as 10 inches of snow to the area.
What’s on Tap – Monday March 30th, 2009
Here are the big stories we’re following for you this morning:
- General Motors’ CEO is out effective immediately. The government says he has to go and is putting G.M. and Chrysler on the clock as part of a new bailout deal. The president will talk about his new deadline for the auto industry at 11am eastern time. Do you want more of your money going to Detroit? Let us know at 877-MYAMFIX.
- Global Blame Game – Thousands protesting in London, demanding jobs and justice, ahead of President Obama's arrival for the G20 economic summit. It’s a much different Europe than he remembers from the campaign trail. His visit comes less than a week after the current E.U. President called his rescue plans a "way to hell."
- North Korea Ready to Launch – Developing now: There are new pictures of what the U.S. claims is a North Korean missile on the launch pad. The defense secretary says there’s little doubt that it’s meant to advance the country’s military capability. Our navy is at the ready to shoot it down... if it comes to that.
- Madonna’s Adoption Dispute – Madonna in the African nation of Malawi to adopt a new four-year-old daughter, but one child advocacy group is slamming her for that. Where is the child better off? We take a hard look at the facts of life in the little girl’s homeland.
We Listen!
Here’s your daily recap of the best feedback we got from YOU on the blog, Facebook, Twitter, Email. Continue the conversation below. And remember, keep it brief, and keep it clean. Thanks!
American Morning viewers latched onto the Brazilian president’s statement about the “white man” being to blame for the financial crisis. Many were in agreement that this was the case and were displeased by CNN’s response to his comment:
- Why are you so quick to be critical of Brazil's President's comments on who is to blame for the economic crisis? While maybe uncomfortable, what a missed opportunity for real journalists to speak about the glass ceiling in the financial and banking industries.
Was President da Silva correct in his assertion that the “white man” is to blame for the financial crisis? Do you believe there is a “glass ceiling” regarding race on Wall Street and in the financial industries? Tell us your thoughts.
Regarding President Obama’s virtual town hall and his discussion on marijuana, viewers perceived Mr. Obama’s response as a dismissal of an extremely important issue:
- The columnist from Wired was way off base if he thought Obama handled the marijuana questions "well." He answered a question that thousands of Americans asked with a chuckle and a one liner. I'm insulted as I'm sure many others are.
- President Obama said that there is no economic advantage to legalizing marijuana. (1) It would reduce prison over crowding, and keep violent offenders in longer. (2) It could help us be less dependent on fossil fuels, using hemp for bio-fuel. (3) Would spend less time and money trying to eradicate a plant that grows naturally here in the United States. Could spend more time and effort stopping seriously hard substances i.e. cocaine, heroin, that destroys people and families not to include all the money that leaves our country and stop it from getting into our country (4) most of all people suffer everyday from nausea, and pain, that can, and do get relief (the FDA considers it a drug so that means it must have some medicinal purpose) I don't belong to any special groups. I am just someone that doesn’t get this unfair law without merit.
What are your thoughts on President Obama’s response to the issue of legalizing marijuana? Were you pleased with his response or were you offended? What would be your solution to the issue? We want to know.
Kiran: Fargo – City with a lot of heart
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Happy Friday everyone!
My thoughts are with the people of North Dakota and Minnesota as they band together to try to save their own homes, while helping their neighbors do the same against the rising waters of the Red River.
Not only are they fighting the power of Nature, they are also entering into uncharted waters so to speak.
This morning, the Red River rose to 40.2 feet, breaking a 112-year-old record. This means emergency officials can no longer rely on historical data to figure out how to best handle the situation.
But facing the unknown is exactly what the brave people living in this flood zone are doing.
We brought you the pictures today and yesterday of the tireless efforts of the volunteers filling sandbag after sandbag. At the Fargodome, the music was blaring, but the volunteers were quiet, yet determined while going about their back-breaking work. Our Susan Rosegen gave us a first hand look at the local efforts to surround the banks of the river. Watch
Meantime, hundreds have already evacuated Fargo neighborhoods, hospitals and even a nursing home. And people living just across the state line in Moorhead, Minnesota, are also being urged to leave.
So will the heroic efforts of the rescue crews, local law enforcement and everyday citizens be enough? We hope so. But we won't know until this weekend when the river is expected to crest. Meantime we are thinking about and praying for the folks living there.
God bless!
Kiran
PS – If you want to help, here's the link.
Movie Buff Seeks Bailout
CNN’s Kareen Wynter recently filed a report on how the movie business is one of the few industries whose bottom line has actually improved despite the struggling economy. You can check it out here.
The movie studios may be thriving, but their success is taking a heavy toll on the wallets of movie buffs everywhere, and I’m one of them. According to the National Association of Theater Owners, the current average movie ticket price is $7.20. When you hear that number, it’s easy to understand why a night at the movies might seem like an economically sensible form of entertainment in these tough economic times.
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