American Morning
Fmr. Obama insider warns Dems of 'slaughter' at polls
(CNN) – Steve Hildebrand helped get President Obama in the White House. In a one-on-one with our Ed Henry, he said if Democrats don't deliver real political reform in Washington, they could get "slaughtered" in this year's midterm elections.
We wanted to talk to him some more about that warning. He joined our Kiran Chetry and Jim Acosta on Friday's American Morning.
Read more: Ex-Obama adviser: Democrats may get 'slaughtered' in fall
Clinton makes women's rights a priority at State Dept.
(CNN) – During the 2008 presidential election campaign, then-Senator Hillary Clinton almost shattered the nation's ultimate glass ceiling. After her defeat, she thanked her supporters for putting 18 million cracks into that ceiling.
Now, as secretary of state, Hillary Clinton is bringing new power and prestige to her fight for women's rights. Our Jill Dougherty reports on Sec. Clinton's push for women's rights at the State Department.
Study: Pregnant women in peril
(CNN) – Amnesty International has headlined its new study on the state of health care in America for pregnant women, "Deadly Delivery."
Here's why: hundreds of women will die from pregnancy-related complications this year. And half of those deaths are believed to be preventable. Our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has the report.
Are we wiring the wrong America?
(CNN) – Communities across America are in a fierce competition right now. The prize: high speed Internet.
Last year's federal stimulus package set aside $7.2 billion for broadband access. The government is now getting ready to choose who gets the second and final wave of the grants.
But not without major criticism from House Republicans. They're crying foul, saying money for broadband is not going to the areas that need it most. Our Mary Snow spoke to some who feel like they were left in the lurch.
Paula Deen's recipe for success
(CNN) – Our Christine Romans sat down with cooking maven Paul Deen to talk about getting ahead in a rough economy.
Testing for toxic air
By Allan Chernoff, CNN
(CNN) – Could the air on board your next flight be toxic?
Cabin ventilation air comes through the engine. So, if there's an oil leak, engine oil mist – containing neurotoxins – can seep into the aircraft. Though relatively rare, it has happened on commercial flights, triggering neurological symptoms like severe headaches, tremors, and dizziness in crew members and passengers.
CNN recently tested the air on board a transcontinental flight. (We're not going to mention the airline because this is an issue affecting all airlines.)
Toxicologist Chris van Netten of the University of British Columbia, who has studied air quality on board planes for years, provided CNN with two portable air monitors. They use small fans to blow air through a filter which can capture contaminants.
On board, I don't sense anything unusual about the air in the cabin, aside from the typical airplane dryness. Once the plane is at cruising altitude I turn on the monitors, which run for about 90-minutes on battery power.
If there are toxins in the air, they should leave residue on surfaces of the cabin. So, wearing a plastic glove, I wipe the cabin wall and tray table back with sterile alcohol swabs which I then store in plastic zip-lock bags.
Shortly after our flight, I’m in a laboratory at The University of British Columbia, presenting the samples to Professor Van Netten, who places our air filters and alcohol swabs into test tubes. His research associate, Tim Ma, adds solvent to extract whatever chemicals the filters and swabs captured. The scientists also analyze strands of producer Laura Dolan's hair to see if it collected toxins from her seat back cushion.
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