Congress Begins Hearing on Toyota Safety Issues; Toyota's Deadly Defects; What's Hot
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get going here. Time for your top-of-the-hour reset. I'm Tony Harris in the CNN NEWSROOM. It is noon on Capitol Hill, where a top Toyota executive faces lawmakers over his company's safety recalls. Still in Washington, stalled healthcare legislation, one example of our broken government. Our panel weighs in, part of our weeklong series It's 11:00 in Austin, where one Texas businesswoman thrives during the downturn by telling stuff you don't want. So let's get started. Demanding answers about Toyota's deadly defects and the company's response. The House Energy and Commerce Committee opens the first congressional hearing into the auto giant's safety problems. CNN congressional correspondent, Brianna Keilar on Capitol hill for us and that noisy hallway. Good, good activity. We like that. Brianna. What have you heard so far?</s>BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A lot of questions from lawmakers, Democrats and Republicans. The big one that we've heard is what did Toyota know and when? And did Toyota really see the writing on the wall or were they just kind of in denial about the fact that maybe they had a really big problem on their hands? At the same time, we also heard from the top Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Joe Barton of Texas and he was cautioning against jumping to conclusions. Listen to what he said.</s>REP. JOE BARTON (R), TEXAS: What we need to do, Mr. Chairman, you know, I don't believe that we should -- and I'm not saying that you're attempting to do this, that we should go on a witch hunt. We should actually try to find out, in the true and best sense of protecting the American people, if there's a problem, what it is. If there's a problem, what Toyota's going to do about it.</s>KEILAR: And this is a concern of many lawmakers, because Tony, on the flip side of this, what you have is a lot of American jobs that are supplied by Toyota, tens of thousands of them. And actually, some of the folks behind me here are from Toyota. A lot of them have gone to a nearby overflow room so that they can watch this hearing and they're here to send a message saying that they're comfortable with these cars and they really don't want there to be a witch hunt either as you heard in the words of Congressman Barton -- Tony.</s>HARRIS: Absolutely, got a quick follow up for you here Brianna, the big question is whether the problem goes beyond the floor mats we've talked about and the gas pedals and the actual problem might be with the computers?</s>KEILAR: This is a huge concern of some of these lawmakers. And this is what we're actually going to hear from some of the witnesses on the first panel. It might have to do with the computers in the cars. We've -- we've -- pardon me. James Lentz, the head of Toyota U.S. he came in a short time before the hearing began. We got some video of that and we also obtained his testimony and he is going to say, we are confident that no problems exist with the electric throttle control system in our vehicles. That electronic throttle control being the computer, Tony, but I got to tell you, there are a lot of lawmakers who are skeptical and are worried that it could be a bigger problem than Toyota has admitted so far.</s>HARRIS: Including the chairman of the subcommittee, Representative Stupak, correct?</s>KEILAR: That's right, Congressman Stupak is concerned about it and he points to the testimony that we should be hearing after these opening statements wrap up, including from one man who is really going to press some of the assertions that Toyota has made about its computers in its cars and saying, actually there are the sort of loopholes in a way that could create the sudden accelerations and that Toyota is flat wrong is what we're expecting one expert to say.</s>HARRIS: Can't wait for that. Brianna, appreciate it, thank you. Safety problems have forced some six million Toyotas to be recalled in the United States for these quick fixes. How big is the Toyota story? Well, a couple of numbers here for you to consider. The Japanese auto giant has more than 320,000 employees worldwide, 35,000 of them right here in the good old US of A, plus another 115,000 employed at U.S. dealerships, a big, big story. And a few others that we are following for you. A few Republicans side with Democrats to advance a Senate jobs bill. The $15 billion measure is expected to get final approval maybe tomorrow. The package rewards businesses that hire with tax breaks. It also refunds highway construction projects. The five Republican crossovers, Massachusetts' Scott Brown, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, both of Maine, George Voinovich of Ohio and Missouri's Kit Bond. In Afghanistan, another deadly day, a bombing that killed 10 people in two separate attacks, one of them in Helmand province, where allied troops are carrying out a big operation against the Taliban. In that attack, the bomb hidden on a bicycle exploded in a bush station. Eight people were killed including a woman and a child. The other attack was in eastern Afghanistan, a bomb on a motorcycle exploded when a police convoy was passing through. Two people were killed. A hearing on defense spending, funding just wrapped up on Capitol Hill. Senator John McCain is the ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee. He sees progress in Afghanistan and wants the troops get the resources they need to do the job.</s>SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Now, we have the right mission and the right leadership in place in Afghanistan. The additional 30,000 troops ordered by the president are beginning to arrive and the burden on the institutional army is high. It's incumbent on you to field the best trained and equipped force in the world and it is incumbent on us in Congress to approve resources sufficient to do so.</s>HARRIS: And more now on our top story. Congress demanding answers from Toyota about its safety defects. Today the company's U.S. president testifies on Capitol Hill. Tomorrow the big chief, Mr. Toyoda himself, will face the House panel. CNN's Kyung Lah reports from Tokyo.</s>KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He's called the prince, Akio Toyoda, grandson of the company's founder, took a job most saw as inevitable. His promise that he took over the financially struggling company last June, restore the Toyota way. The youngest president in the company's history is instead facing a historic crisis. Eight million cars recalled around the world and this first major test of his leadership say many analysts, he bungled the company's early response. After the recalls began, it took two weeks for Toyota to finally hold a news conference and then only after mounting pressure and a direct invitation from Washington is he now going to testify before lawmakers. "I'm pleased to go," says Toyoda. "What I want to stress most is our cooperation and determining the causes and our firm's stance on safety." Japan's transport minister piled on the pressure saying he's glad Toyota finally decided to go. It's a pity that we heard he was going and he wasn't going and now he is going to the</s>U.S. KEITH HENRY, JAPAN ANALYST: He's been under pressure his whole life because he's the grandson of the founder of an icon.</s>LAH: Japan watcher Keith Henry believes Toyota can handle the hot seat but notes he is notoriously publicity shy, so private there are no public family photos. Toyoda will be in the spotlight, making his case to an American audience.</s>HENRY: In the U.S., it's -- it's a different yardstick that we're going to assess him by. And it will be a test as to not only Mr. Toyoda but Toyota as a corporation.</s>LAH: In a sign that he is growing into his public role, Toyoda surprised customers in Japan by showing up at a dealership, to apologize for the Prius recall, a humble move by the scion of Japan's most powerful company. Toyoda acknowledged at a recent news conference that he is not perfect. "I too have to make constant improvement," he said. He will now quickly have to learn how to handle U.S. lawmakers, in a situation most Japanese corporate heads never experience, being grilled in a very public setting. These hearing will also carefully be watched here in Japan. Even embattled, Akio Toyoda does remain one of this nation's favorite sons. Kyung Lah, CNN, Tokyo.</s>HARRIS: And of course we'll bring you live coverage of Akio Toyoda's appearance before Congress tomorrow right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. You know, as part of our examination of broken government, we are looking at health care. Why isn't the system working? Is there any way to fix it? First, though, our random moment in 90 seconds.