American Morning
Calculating the risks of skiing in Quebec
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/04/09/gupta.mont.tremblant.jpg caption="Dr. Sanjay Gupta on assignment in Mont Tremblant, Canada."]
By Dr. Sanjay Gupta
CNN Chief Medical Correspondent
Watch Dr. Gupta's full report Thursday on AC360 at 10pm ET.
I just returned from Mont Tremblant, Canada. It is one of the more beautiful ski resorts in eastern, Canada, and it is also the place where actress Natasha Richardson fell and suffered a fatal brain injury. What caused her death is now well known, but there were some other details that struck me while I was there. Let me try and work through this with you.
What no one knew at the time was that she had hit her head hard enough to cause a fracture in her skull. Just underneath that fracture is a small blood vessel that runs just on top of the brain, and it was that blood vessel that started to bleed. By many reports, Richardson got up after her fall and felt well enough to go back to her room and wave off paramedics who had been called. In neurosurgery, we refer to this as a lucid interval. She may have lost consciousness briefly, but now felt fine. The problem for Natasha or anyone with an epidural hematoma is that the pressure continues to build up in the brain.
What’s on Tap – Thursday, April 9, 2009
Breaking now… a standoff with pirates developing minute-by-minute. An American captain is being held hostage on a lifeboat by four armed attackers. He’s their last bargaining chip. A Navy destroyer has it in its sights. AM has an angle on the story you will not see anywhere else.
We were actually working on a story with a crew member's father when this all went down. Joe Murphy was teaching a first-of-its-kind course in fending off pirates at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy when he got the call that his son’s ship was hit. He spoke to his son, Shane Murphy – who’s now in charge of the crew's safety – with the captain in danger.
Will the Navy act? Will the pirates flinch first? Answers could come over the next three hours… Don’t miss
We Listen!
Here’s your daily recap of the best feedback we got from YOU today. Continue the conversation below. And remember, keep it brief, and keep it clean. Thanks!
Wednesday’s American Morning viewers weighed in on President Obama’s trip abroad, with most feeling great pride and accomplishment. A minority were upset with the President’s apologetic tone during his trip:
- Gabe: I'll tell you what President Obama has accomplished abroad. He has restored the good name of America and renewed its leadership in the world. As Americans we can now hold our heads high abroad, even in Muslim countries. It is one of his greatest accomplishments, and in such a short time, undoing all the harm that Bush and that craven bully Cheney did during their disastrous presidency. And don't bother taking the Republicans seriously in their criticisms of Obama. Politically, they are an endangered species.
- Vic: Watched the President apologize to another nation about the way American people react to Muslims. How embarrassing he is. Does he not remember 9/11!!!
How do you feel about President Obama’s trip abroad? Was it a success or a failure? Do you believe the president was too apologetic, as the second viewer states? Let us know your thoughts.
Viewers were especially opinionated about Michelle Obama’s figure unveiled at Madam Tussaud’s Wax Museum:
- Rosa: Carol Costello's on air disdain for Michelle Obama's wax figure is a disgrace. Obviously she does not appreciate the fact that “beauty' is not just reserved for those women who only have European features. But to laugh on air is sick. She should be fired!
- Don: The wax replica makes her mouth TOO BIG.
What do you think of the President and Mrs. Obama’s wax figures? Are they appropriately depicted or have the artists failed in their attempts to capture the Obamas in wax? If you disapprove, how would you change them? Let us know what you think about this or your opinion on any of today’s stories.
Exclusive: Interview with father of crewman aboard hijacked ship
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/04/08/maersk.art.jpg
caption="Attackers hijacked the Maersk Alabama, shown here, formerly known as the Alva Maersk."]
See the entire interview tomorrow on American Morning, 6-9am on CNN.
BUZZARDS BAY, Massachusetts (CNN) — U.S. crew members have “taken down” one of the pirates who hijacked their vessel early Wednesday hundreds of miles off Somalia’s coast, one of the crew members told his wife and father.
Shane Murphy relayed the information in quick phone calls to his wife and father in his home state of Massachusetts.
He told his wife that the crew — all of whom were unarmed — knew that help was on the way and made their move on the pirates when the U.S. Navy began to arrive. Murphy said the crew let the pirates think they had control of the vessel, but the entire time felt confident that the situation would be resolved.
Four hijackers boarded the Maersk Alabama early Wednesday, and one is in custody, according to Pentagon officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The three others tried to escape, and their status is unknown, they said.
CNN's Jason Carroll spoke exclusively with the father of crew member Shane Murphy.
Joe Murphy: They also sent a global distress messsage which was recieved by the United States Navy and the US Navy responded immediately. The problem is that the Navy was almost 200 miles away. They used evasive maneuvers to keep the pirates off.
Jason Carroll: And they did that for several hours?
Murphy: 3 hours- over 3 hours, 3 to 5 hours. And once the pirates get onboard there's nothing that can be done.
Carroll: Do you know if anyone was armed onboard?
Murphy: No. The ship is not armed.
Carroll: The pirates made their way on board?
Murphy: They made their way onbaord and they held the crew in ther secure area. they shut down all communication- no further communication. Stopped the ship and it progressed from that point on.
Broke, unemployed, and you owe the IRS
From CNN’s Sarah Hagen
This year tax attorneys are expecting an increased number of people will wait until after the April 15th deadline, to file their taxes. An estimated 81-100 million people have not yet filed, according to Roni Deutch, the author of "The Tax Lady's Guide To Beating the IRS". Only 70 million people had filed their taxes as of March 15th, according to Deutch.
Anyone can apply for a six-month extension (Form 4868). According to Deutch, in a bad economy, individuals will most likely owe the IRS and won't be able to afford their taxes. Tax attorneys are expecting a rise in the number of automatic six-month extensions.
Hypothetically, you're broke, you're unemployed and you owe the IRS. Well, there are a few opportunities to save some money. President Obama's new administration is working with the IRS to ease the burden for 2009. For many unemployed workers, the first $2,400 received from unemployment compensation is not subject to taxation, according to the IRS; however, "There is no such thing as a tax fairy, ultimately, unemployment will qualify as taxable income," according to Deutch. Don't be fooled by severance packages either, those are taxable too.
Chimp attack – who pays?
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/04/08/art_travis_child_news12.jpg caption="Police say Travis, seen here as a younger chimp, was like a child to his owner, Sandra Herold."]
From CNN's Vinita Singla
Remember the horrific chimp attack last February when the Connecticut owner called 911 as her friend was being brutally mauled? Hear the call.
Now the family of the victim Charla Nash, may be suing the state, claiming that state officials knew the wild animal was a ticking time bomb.
“We’re looking into all potential avenues of recovery,” said Matthew D. Newman, an attorney representing the Nash family.
The commissioner at the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, an agency responsible for wild animals that are kept as so-called pets, admitted the DEP could have been “more aggressive” in handling the 200-pound primate.
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