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American Morning
Big Turnout for Iraqi Elections; Transit Strike Threatened in New York; Study: Children in Danger from Flu; Baby Rescuer Shares Story
Aired December 15, 2005 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: I'm Soledad O'Brien.
It is all over but the counting in Iraq. The polls are closing right now. Amid bombs and gunfire, Iraqis risked their lives to choose their country's future. A live report on that ahead.
MILES O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: I'm Miles O'Brien. New York City transit workers threatening to walk off the job at midnight tonight. Millions of commuters already making alternate plans for Friday's rush hour. The latest on those contract talks are ahead.
S. O'BRIEN: And take a look at this. A mother, desperate to save her baby's life just chucked the baby right out the window. You can watch it again. The hero who caught the little boy, just three weeks old, tells us his heart-stopping story. That's ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.
M. O'BRIEN: Good morning. We're glad you're with us this morning.
S. O'BRIEN: The top story that we've been following all morning. Again, we start at 6 a.m. Polls closing in Iraq. It is 5 p.m. there. And here's what we're hearing.
Violence didn't play much of a part at all in the voting. The turnout was strong. Lots of Sunnis participated. Sunnis, of course, you may remember, largely stayed away in the two earlier votes.
We've got a couple of reports to bring you now. Chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour is in Baghdad with an update for us and senior international correspondent Nic Robertson in Ramadi.
Let's begin with Christiane this morning. Christiane, how did it look?
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it looks like a closed door, Soledad. Just two seconds ago they closed the door. It's 5 p.m. here in Baghdad. There have been ten hours of voting; it started at 7 a.m. this morning, and from all accounts it was a big turnout.
At this particular polling station, where they're going to be starting to count the ballots now, they've told us that 80 percent of those who are registered and listed to vote here did come and cast their votes.
And we've also heard in some of the Sunni provinces that there's been a high turnout, and that actually is important. And that really is a little bit the story of the day.
We know that the Shias and the Kurds have been coming out in huge numbers over the last several times they've come to the ballot box, but the Sunnis boycotted last January. They now feel that that was a mistake, that they have virtually no voice in the parliament or in the political process and they want to rectify that.
The big question, of course, is, is that going to have any tangible, immediate or soon effect on the insurgency? Most people don't think so in the immediate near future, but hope that it will be a first step, Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: First steps toward counting those ballots as well. Christiane, thanks.
There was an explosion in Ramadi early on in the voting. Nic Robertson, in fact, was on the air with Anderson Cooper when it happened. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: ... by tribal militias. The polling stations. That was one of the first big explosions in this city. That's what we're talking about here.
Anderson, we have to go in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: Nic Robertson and his team quickly ushered inside.
Nic is joining us now by video phone. Hey, Nic, we know, obviously, Ramadi is a dangerous place and some areas, though, the troops won't go because it is so unsafe. Wrap up the day for me. How did elections go there?
ROBERTSON: They seem to have gone better than anyone expected. Twenty-three polling stations in the city. Ten polling stations ran out of balloting material, an indication that the turnout exceeded what had been planned for.
The polling station just down this main street behind me here, one person (AUDIO GAP) came out to vote this time. Thousands voted in the western side of Ramadi. A festive atmosphere there. We're told people handing out candies, reminiscent of the elections back in January for the rest of the country earlier this year.
It does seem the early indications that the Sunnis of Ramadi, and they are the majority population here, that they did come out and vote in greater numbers. We just don't know how many actually came out so far, Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Nic Robertson with an update of just how it went there in Ramadi today.
CNN's got special coverage of this turning point in Iraq. It's on "ANDERSON COOPER 360." He is live from Iraq all week, and that's at 10 p.m. Eastern -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: By this time tomorrow it could very well be gridlock on the streets of New York City. A possible transit strike could force people to forget about riding buses or subways.
CNN's Allan Chernoff at Penn Station this morning.
Allan, talks resumed a couple of hours ago. Any progress?
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not at all. No sign of that, Miles. As a matter of fact, two hours ago talks on some of the departmental issues, such as safety rules, did get underway, but the main negotiators have actually not yet sat down at the table today, the final day before that strike deadline.
And there are still plenty of issues on the table, including wages, contributions for health insurance and pensions. So New Yorkers simply have to get ready for a strike tomorrow.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm seven and a half months pregnant so that could be a little bit of a problem.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think my company is running shuttles. But I think they'll probably be too crowded and too infrequent to take.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It would be a major inconvenience. I wouldn't be able to go to work. I wouldn't be able to come to the city to do other things. It would be really difficult.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHERNOFF: I asked the transit authority spokesperson if there's any reason for optimism today, and he said there's no reason for pessimism. This is the way that collective bargaining works, meaning that it typically does go down to the wire -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, what is the city, nonetheless, doing to prepare for a strike, Allan?
CHERNOFF: Massive contingency plans here. They are, first of all, not going to admit cars into Manhattan with less than four passengers. So very tough restrictions on vehicles coming into the city.
Taxies will be allowed to pick up more than one passenger on one trip, and the passengers will be able to negotiate fares with the taxi cabs. And the schools, they won't be opening two hours, until two hours after their regular opening time.
So some real adjustments here, and those are just a few of the rules. Fifth Avenue also will be shut only to emergency vehicles and also buses. Those will be the only vehicles allowed down Fifth Avenue and up Madison Avenue.
M. O'BRIEN: So haggling over cab fare. That one is a story to follow, Allan Chernoff. We will see how that one plays out if it does in fact have to play out. Allan, thank you very much.
Carol's got more. Good morning, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, ANCHOR: Good morning, Miles.
Good morning to all of you.
A U.S. Marine has been killed in Iraq. We told you about this a half hour ago. We're told the Marine was killed Wednesday in a roadside attack in the Ramadi area. The Marine was assigned to the 2nd Marine Logistics Group.
Possible big debate on Capitol Hill today, the Senate taking up the Patriot Act. Some provisions of the anti-terror legislation are set to expire on December 31. The House approved its version of the measure on Wednesday.
Senator Arlen Specter is the author of the Senate version. He told us his version and was, and I'm quoting here, "forged on a compromise." Here's more of what he told Soledad earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (R), PENNSYLVANIA: What I'm urging my colleagues to do is come to the floor today to debate. I'll be on the floor. Let us take up their concerns one by one. And I ask my colleagues who are not decided yet, who do not know all of the intricacies, to listen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Some senators opposed to the measures say it gives police far too much power.
Bob Novak says the public should leave him alone and instead, quote, "bug the president." According to a North Carolina newspaper, Novak says he is confidence President Bush knows who leaked the identity of a former CIA operative. He says the public should press the president to reveal the source.
Novak, who was the first to publish Valerie Plame's identity, has never publicly named his source.
A House committee looking into the Hurricane Katrina disaster has a message for the Pentagon: show us the documents. It's subpoenaed Pentagon documents of how the military reacted to the storm.
Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco appeared before the House panel on Wednesday. She defended evacuation efforts ahead of Katrina, calling them a success, but she blamed faulty levees for her state's problems. The levee system is expected to be the focus of a Senate hearing on Capitol Hill that will come your way in about an hour.
If you live all along the East Coast, from top to bottom, a winter storm is moving on up and is going to make your life pretty darn miserable for at least today.
Atlanta and areas north into the Carolinas and into Virginia already have ice on the roads. Power outages reported already in Atlanta. Some schools in Richmond, Virginia, and parts of North Carolina have canceled classes today. Washington, D.C., well, you could have a mix of ice and freezing rain.
And hopefully, Jacqui that won't come their way at rush hour.
(WEATHER REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: Thanks very much, Jacqui. Appreciate it.
The video of the day coming up. Actually, the video of a life time for a baby boy and a mother and, for that matter, the building's super. A baby boy thrown out of the third floor window of a burning apartment. There you see the catch. Lucky for him, Felix Vazquez was there. We'll hear his story, their story in just a moment.
S. O'BRIEN: And later this morning, piling on problems in New Orleans. Are the landlords there gouging people who say they just want to come home? A look at that's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: One hundred fifty-three children died from the flu during the 2003-2004 flu season. That's according to a new study, and that number is more, more than the number of child fatalities from chicken pox and whooping cough and measles all combined.
Elizabeth Cohen takes a look at the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One day last year, Emily Lastinger, a healthy, energetic 3-year-old, wasn't feeling well. Her pediatrician diagnosed the flu. Five days later, she was dead.
JENNIFER LASTINGER, EMILY'S MOTHER: She was laying on the bed not breathing, and I just kept looking at her, like, this just can't be happening.
COHEN: It's a shockingly common story. Half of all children who died of the flu the winter Emily died were previously healthy.
JENNIFER LASTINGER: She was beautifully, beautifully strong and healthy.
COHEN: Joe and Jennifer Lastinger figured Emily was so healthy she could fight the flu. Two years later, the Lastingers say Emily did not have to die. JOE LASTINGER, EMILY'S FATHER: Careful with Allie (ph).
COHEN: They say she could be alive today, playing with her brothers and little sister, born two weeks after her death.
(on camera) Could Emily's death have been prevented?
JENNIFER LASTINGER: I do believe that the flu vaccination would have -- would have saved Emily.
COHEN (voice-over): So why didn't Emily get a flu shot? Ironically her own health worked against her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One, two, three.
COHEN: Pediatricians usually don't give flu shots to healthy kids. They follow guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control. The CDC encourages flu shots only for sick children if they're over age 2.
The CDC says the shot works and is safe for all kids. They just worry that if too many parents rush out to get their kids vaccinated, there won't be enough shots left for other groups like the elderly.
DR. JOHN ABRAHAMSON, CDC VACCINE ADVISORY COMMITTEE: We don't have that many doses right now so we have to build up the manufacturing capacity.
JOE LASTINGER: I look at these pictures and...
COHEN: The Lastingers, along with other parents who have lost children to the flu, formed Families Fighting Flu. They want the CDC to encourage flu vaccinations for all children.
They point out that vaccinating kids can save older people, too, since young children tend to have terrible hygiene and spread the disease to others.
Dr. John Abrahamson, head of the CDC vaccine advisory committee, says he can't publicly encourage parents to go out and get flu shots for their healthy kids, but he does make sure that his own healthy children are protected.
(on camera) So do you make sure that your children are vaccinated against the flu?
ABRAHAMSON: Our children are vaccinated against the flu.
COHEN (voice-over): The Lastingers wish someone had told them about flu vaccines.
(on camera): Do you ever think, "What if?"
JENNIFER LASTINGER: Only every five seconds.
JOE LASTINGER: Our lives would be different, completely different.
JENNIFER LASTINGER: Bye, baby.
COHEN (voice-over): It's too late for Emily, but they continue on, hoping that their fight will save someone else's child.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COHEN: During the flu season two years ago, flu killed more children than chicken pox, measles and whooping cough combined.
S. O'BRIEN: What a heartbreaking story. So if your pediatrician doesn't say, "Get a flu shot" or "I'll give your son or daughter a flu shot," what do you do as a parent?
COHEN: You know, as a parent you can ask for a flu shot. You can say, "Look, this year there's not the severe shortages that there have been in other years. I would like my healthy child to get a flu shot." And you can have that discussion with your pediatricians. I know there are pediatricians who don't offer them, but when asked they do give them.
S. O'BRIEN: Emily, who by all accounts seemed to be a very healthy little girl, got sick and then within five days was dead. Is that just abnormal or is it typical to happen like that?
COHEN: You know, Soledad, unfortunately it is not abnormal. In the study that just came out in the "New England Journal of Medicine," one-third of the children were dead within three days of getting sick, within just three days of getting sick. So unfortunately, that's not a strange occurrence at all.
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, my goodness. What a terrible story, but what great information for parents. You know, vaccinate your kids. Gosh, Elizabeth, thanks a lot. Thanks for that story.
Oh, my goodness.
M. O'BRIEN: Wow.
Coming up in the program, an alarming trend on college campuses. More and more kids are hooked on online gambling, losing big money, too. Remember that story we told you yesterday about the...
S. O'BRIEN: Class president.
M. O'BRIEN: ... class president robbed a bank.
S. O'BRIEN: Allegedly.
M. O'BRIEN: Allegedly; $3,000 allegedly stolen. Was in fact involved in all this. We'll talk to some people who know about the problem and know how to deal with it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) S. O'BRIEN: We showed you pictures of this baby caught. Remember we told you about this fire in the Bronx, the mom panicking, answers the calls of people below saying, "Throw the baby. Throw the baby." She tosses her baby out the Window. Take a look at what happens.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. And that is the building super, here in New York, in the Bronx. Amazing catch. Get that man a contract for the Giants. The infant dropped by his mom. And well, there's more to it than that.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, lots more, in fact.
Felix Vazquez is nice enough to come and talk to us about it.
How are you doing today?
FELIX VAZQUEZ, CAUGHT BABY: I'm doing great.
S. O'BRIEN: You feel like you're...
VAZQUEZ: Excited. A little tired, but excited.
S. O'BRIEN: What happened? I mean, when did you realize that obviously, the building was on fire. You guys all rushed there. Those are your workers. You're the supervisor, who had their arms up, saying, "Drop the baby. Drop the baby." What was the mom doing?
VAZQUEZ: The mom was panicking. There was a lot of smoke in the apartment. She was nervous. And she said, "It's either me or my baby." She let the baby go. And thank God I was there at the right time.
M. O'BRIEN: Were you scared at all or was it just sort of on autopilot?
VAZQUEZ: I was scared. Yes, I was.
M. O'BRIEN: So when the baby's coming at you did you have time to think, "Oh, boy."
VAZQUEZ: No. It was instant. Go for it, I just went for it and did what I had to do.
S. O'BRIEN: Now, the baby lands in your arms, and we were saying, the baby is only a couple of weeks old.
VAZQUEZ: That's correct. The baby was only three weeks old.
S. O'BRIEN: Probably 10 pounds or something.
VAZQUEZ: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: Felt like a feather, I bet.
VAZQUEZ: Yes. S. O'BRIEN: And then what did you notice? The baby...
VAZQUEZ: I noticed the baby wasn't breathing or crying so I gave it a quick mouth to mouth, got him back. He started crying. And I gave him back to my caretakers and they took over. The fire department came over, and they did their part.
S. O'BRIEN: Gosh, you're a hero on all fronts.
M. O'BRIEN: Another day in the Bronx. Now wait a minute. You did CPR 20 years ago.
VAZQUEZ: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: And it came back just like that?
VAZQUEZ: It's just instant. Yes, it's just amazing. I amazed myself. That was -- it was a quick reaction.
S. O'BRIEN: Were you shaking?
VAZQUEZ: Yes, I was.
S. O'BRIEN: Are you still kind of shaking?
VAZQUEZ: Yes, I am.
S. O'BRIEN: Really?
VAZQUEZ: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: It was probably one of those things when you're doing it you're probably not thinking so much about it. Afterward is when you go, "Oh, my God. I can't believe what I just went through." Right?
VAZQUEZ: That's correct. That's correct.
S. O'BRIEN: Have you talked to the mom?
VAZQUEZ: Yes, I did speak to her yesterday afternoon. She's doing excellent and also the baby.
S. O'BRIEN: Really, the story continues, because I mean, now the baby's out of the apartment, which is still on fire. Fire department goes in and has to go rescue her.
VAZQUEZ: That's correct.
S. O'BRIEN: Because she couldn't get out of the window because you've got those child guards.
VAZQUEZ: That's correct.
S. O'BRIEN: So they were able to bring her out as well.
VAZQUEZ: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: How is she doing?
VAZQUEZ: She's doing great. She took a lot of smoke in, but she's doing excellent.
M. O'BRIEN: What did she say to you?
VAZQUEZ: She came up to me, hugged me, kissed me and just kept thanking me, thanking me.
S. O'BRIEN: That's never going to stop.
VAZQUEZ: Probably.
S. O'BRIEN: For the rest of your life, she's going to be, like, "Thank you, thank you, thank you." Gosh, how do you thank somebody? I'm not sure -- I'm not sure I'd be able to throw my baby out the window.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, that's the thing. I mean, it would be interesting to talk to her. Did you ask her about that? Did you have a chance or...
VAZQUEZ: No. I haven't got a chance to speak to her.
M. O'BRIEN: Because imagine that. You really had -- talk about a leap of faith or a drop of faith, whatever, that whoever is at the bottom, fortunately, a man with good hands was there to do the right thing.
VAZQUEZ: Thank you.
S. O'BRIEN: You're a catcher for the Port Authority baseball team?
VAZQUEZ: For the housing authority baseball team. Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: Really?
M. O'BRIEN: Golden glove for you.
VAZQUEZ: Thank you.
S. O'BRIEN: How's the team doing?
VAZQUEZ: We took three years in a row division champs for the housing authority.
S. O'BRIEN: On all fronts. He's a rock star! I love it.
M. O'BRIEN: Felix Vazquez, what's next for you? I don't know.
VAZQUEZ: I have no idea.
M. O'BRIEN: How are you going to top that one? It's going to be tough.
VAZQUEZ: It's going to be tough.
S. O'BRIEN: Are people calling you to say, "Listen, this has made for TV movie all over it, Felix. Come on, I'll be your agent"?
VAZQUEZ: I don't have that break yet, but it feels good. It's hitting me now. It feels excellent.
S. O'BRIEN: I bet it does. Good for you.
VAZQUEZ: Thank you.
S. O'BRIEN: And also, all your workers who were...
VAZQUEZ: Definitely, yes, I've got to also thank the staff for being there for support.
M. O'BRIEN: Tip of the hat to them all.
S. O'BRIEN: Great job.
M. O'BRIEN: Thanks for coming in.
S. O'BRIEN: Job well done as we like to say. Yes, thanks for talking to us.
VAZQUEZ: No problem.
S. O'BRIEN: What a great story.
M. O'BRIEN: Felix Vazquez.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: Good to meet him, wasn't it?
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, yes, what a great story, what great luck.
M. O'BRIEN: Coming up, it is voting day in Iraq, but it's also voting day outside of Iraq. We'll talk to a couple of people, a couple of expatriates here in the United States who are just thrilled that they're able to participate in what appears to be a burgeoning democracy.
Stay with us for more AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: We've got this word in, we should get to out of Baghdad. Iraq's election commission in fact has decided today to extend voting by one additional hour. They say there are so many people who are interested in voting that they actually are going to try to deal with this large turnout of people who are hoping to be part of the seeking of a new parliament.
M. O'BRIEN: Right.
S. O'BRIEN: We're getting that word which, of course, that extended hour will be another 34 minutes or so, because we've been watching the clock, in fact.
In some places we did, in fact, see the polls close, but of course, in it looks like in the places where the lines continued the polls will remain open for another 33 minutes or so right now. So that word coming to us now.
M. O'BRIEN: And the good news aspect of that story, of course, is that turnout is very high there. And it's very early to say what the Sunni component of all of that was, because that is a key aspect of this. Had they, in fact, participated. They participated in strength with the Sunnis along with the Shias and the Kurds, hope for some kind of government that adopts compromise as a way of life.
In the meantime, Iraqis, really, all over the world have been participating. Brothers Nadir and Hasheem Essa (ph), two Kurdish Iraqis, drove all the way from Connecticut to McLean, Virginia, through the night so that they could vote.
Congratulations, gentlemen. I know you voted last time, as well. Let's begin with you, Nadir (ph). What is it like being able to vote?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, today is a special day for us. I come from Connecticut to come to Virginia to vote for the Kurdish people.
M. O'BRIEN: And do you feel -- do you have the sense that your vote really matters right now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't hear you.
M. O'BRIEN: OK. Hasheem (ph), can you hear me OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: Compare what you've just done today, the ability to vote freely, with what you experienced under the rule of Saddam Hussein.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Saddam Hussein, he was a really bad, bad regime, you know. He was killing many Iraqi innocent people in the north or the south part, even in neighborhoods like Kuwait and Irani people. Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: Now you have -- go ahead, finish up. Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And Saddam Hussein he used chemical against us, Kurds in the north part of Iraq in 1988 and in 1991, too.
M. O'BRIEN: What is it like? We're seeing pictures right now, Hasheem (ph). I know you can't see them. We're seeing pictures of Saddam Hussein on trial. What's it like, given all the history you have, to see him on trial and to see elections underway?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. We watch him every day, you know. Every time they bring him into the court. Yes. He will get it.
M. O'BRIEN: Tell me, you have family and friends, of course, especially in the northern part of Iraq, the Kurdish country. What do they tell you about the way things are there right now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't hear you good.
M. O'BRIEN: The question is the family and friends you speak with in Iraq, do they tell you that things are getting -- do they tell you things are better there?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Especially in the north part. We have, like, federal independence day. We have new government, everything going up, technology and parliament. And they want to rebuild like 4,500 village from our (INAUDIBLE) they destroyed. And then they Saddam Hussein they destroyed, and then they move them all over Iraq, and all new government Kurdish, they want to rebuild village, and then they want to take them again to their village, and then everybody happy. We are new parliament, new government, in the north part especially.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, gentlemen, do you have the purple fingers that you want to show us? Do you have the ink-stained fingers?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Excuse me?
M. O'BRIEN: Did they stain your fingers like they do in Iraq?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: Show us. Show us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We do. We do, by this finger.
We bring like 500 people from Connecticut, like at least seven hours we drive from last night.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, great.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have to vote.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, congratulations. Next time there's an election here, we'll remember that one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks a lot. Thanks.
M. O'BRIEN: They just drove all of the way overnight just to register to vote. Nadir and Hasheem Essa from McLean, Virginia.
S. O'BRIEN: Gosh, good for them. Did they vote already? Because I couldn't see things on their fingers.
M. O'BRIEN: Couldn't see it. I thought they had.
S. O'BRIEN: I just find that such a moving, you know, one of those pictures that really says a thousand words, you know, ink on the finger, you know, maybe not from Connecticut having risked your life to vote, but certainly their counterparts overseas.
Lots ahead this morning. Lots of Katrina victims want to come home to New Orleans. They can't afford the rent. Why? Is it gritty landlords, or is there a good reason for the rising rental prices there? A look at that's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: Let's get back to New Orleans this morning? Thousands of Katrina evacuees actually dream of doing just that. Seems to be another roadblock in their return.
AMERICAN MORNING'S Alina Cho in new Orleans this morning. Hey, Alina, good morning.
Soledad, good morning to you. You are absolutely right.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Many resident do want to return to New Orleans, but they simply cannot. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, rental prices are skyrocketing in the city, and many residents feel priced out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHO (voice-over): Chiquita Sims is a New Orleans resident, forced to call Atlanta home.
CHIQUITA SIMMS, KATRINA EVACUEE: This is not the way a freezer looks for a household in New Orleans.
CHO: The two-bedroom apartment she shares with her son is just as empty. She sleeps on a blow-up mattress in the living room. Her son got a bed last week.
SIMMS: The clock radio is our only form of entertainment.
CHO: Simms is desperate to move back to New Orleans.
SIMMS: At a time when people are down to their least and wanting to come back to contribute to the economy or wanting to come back, you can't, because you can't afford it. We're priced out.
CHO: Pre-Katrina, Simms paid $800 a month for a two-bedroom apartment in the uptown area. Now she's finding rents have surged by as much as 100 percent.
(on camera): Would you go so far as to say this is price gouging?
SIMMS: This is definitely price gouging.
JUDSON MITCHELL, LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL: Landlords are trying to take advantage of this situation to turn a profit.
CHO (voice-over): Attorney Judson Mitchell is representing Loyola University students and faculties searching for affordable housing. The problem is threefold. An estimated one-third of the city's homes were wiped out in the storm. FEMA workers are willing to pay top dollar for a place to live. Finally, state housing laws allow landlords to evict month-to-month tenants without cause.
MITCHELL: So the previous tenants, when they come back, they generally find that the landlord doesn't want to talk to them, does everything to avoid them, tells them that they have to leave, and in many cases just straight out evicts them so they can clear the way for these new people to come in and, you know, get those big rents.
CHO: And it's al perfectly legal.
ANDRE HOOPER: It's about our survival as landowners.
CHO: Andre Hooper manages more than a thousand rental units in the city. He's collecting rent on half. The other half damaged in the storm are under repair at double the cost.
HOOPER: I think we've probably gone up 10 percent on the stuff that we can right now, but our expenses far outweigh that. I mean, it's not even close.
CHO: Chiquita Simms says she could live with a 10 percent hike, if only she could find it.
(on camera): Because if the prices drop, you're there tomorrow.
SIMMS: I'm there tomorrow.
CHO: No question.
SIMMS: No question.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: Now government officials are trying to do something about this.
The city council in fact will be meeting today to discuss a measure to stabilize rents in the city, and there's even a measure before the U.S. House, but, Soledad, there likely won't be any action on that until at least January.
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, gosh, what a terrible situation. It just mirrors so many other ones we always seem to talk about. Alina Cho for us in New Orleans.
Alina, thanks -- Miles.
We've got some live pictures now just coming in to us from WPLG. Their helicopter hovering over the Hialeah area of Dade County. What you see is a scene the Palmetto Expressway, which is currently shutdown on account of what you're seeing. In the right there, in the green garb, heavily armored garb, is someone from the bomb squad. But clearly, also, the threat must be relatively neutralized as he's standing by two others who are not similarly in that garb.
And, meanwhile, down, what you're seeing there is the traffic which has ensued as a result of shutting down the Palmetto Expressway on the middle of this rush hour in Miami. It's Dade County, the Higha Leah area. A report of a suspicious package in that van. There you see a member of the bomb squad as part of that response.
And we're trying to get details for you.
For now, however if you're traveling in that part of the world, I would avoid the Palmetto Expressway in the Hialeah area of Dade County, Florida. We'll keep you posted on that.
We told you that story yesterday about that college class president who was arrested, charged and by police for allegedly robbing a bank to the tune of $3,000. It turns out that he had an online poker addiction, or so it is said by authorities, which raises a lot of questions in our mind about online poker and whether it is perhaps being focused on and used excessively by many college students.
Joining me now from Chicago is admitted online gambling addict Lauren [last name has been removed], and from Baltimore, also with us is Joanna Franklin, who is with the Maryland Council on Problem Gambling.
Good to have you both with us this morning.
Lauren, when you heard this story yesterday, having experienced what you experienced, were you surprise to hear there was an online gambling link, maybe?
LAUREN [LAST NAME HAS BEEN REMOVED], COLLEGE STUDENT: I'm sad to say that I'm not surprised, only because I relate a lot to the kid who did the robbery, you know, president of his class, generally good kid, well liked, and you know, it doesn't surprise me because it is such a solitary addiction, and nobody really is paying attention to this issue. It's surprising to me at all that he got to that amount of desperation. I think it's really sad and unfortunate, and I know that I really want to draw more attention to this issue, because it's not being noticed.
M. O'BRIEN: You know, son of a Baptist minister, good student, class president, cello player, in the orchestra, popular fraternity, and on and on it goes, and yet what is happening on college campuses is it's become quite a rage, hasn't it? And you sort of just fell into this. Why don't you explain how it happened, how you suddenly became an online gambler.
LAUREN [LAST NAME HAS BEEN REMOVED]: Well, it started off watching, you know, celebrity poker and other poker tournaments on television. I had never played cards beyond like go fish or anything like that, and then I went online to see if I could play a game of poker online, nothing to even, like, play with real money, and then quickly discovered that I could play with real money. So just to spend some time, I put in a $20 bet, and quickly turned it into $100, and really got a good rush from that, because what college kid, especially with an unpaid internship, doesn't need money? And quickly lost that, but then I figured, oh, well, I'm just a novice, I can increase my winnings twofold if I just keep practicing, and it became an addiction.
M. O'BRIEN: And on and on it goes.
You wrote about it. You said, "It's 2:00, a.m. I've got an economics exam very early in the morning. I can stay on for just one more tournament. This time I can win. I can feel it. I need to make up for what I lost today. I absolutely have to. Maybe I can buy a new outfit for this weekend and put a little bit of money toward my credit card bill. I can feel it. This is the one. Come on, aces. Come on, aces."
Joanna, when you hear that, that sadly is not an unusual kind of mindset, isn't it?
JOANNA FRANKLIN, MD. COUNCIL ON PROBLEM GAMBLING: No, it's very common, much more so than people realize.
M. O'BRIEN: What is going on? I have the sense from looking at the way these online poker sites are marketing themselves, that they're rally focusing at college students. Why?
FRANKLIN: Well, college student are really in a very vulnerable position. They have some downtime. They have energy. They have interests. As you can hear from our recovering person there -- and thank you for the courage to speak out about it -- they're poor. They can always use the extra cash, and it's fun, exciting. It's all the ingredients that has to be to appeal to somebody that age.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, and some of them will say actually in their online advertising, Absolute Poker, one of them, has an ad for claiming "College Students Win Your Tuition."
Couple that with the general risk-taking that goes on in college, Joanna, that's a volatile mix, isn't if?
FRANKLIN: Incredibly volatile. Yes, it is. It's a very seductive kind of thing, and it draws people in by the thousands.
M. O'BRIEN: Lauren, what's to be done about it. You know, there's been so much focus over the years on binge drinking and risky sex on campus. This is something we know less about. What should be done to try to rectify it?
LAUREN [LAST NAME HAS BEEN REMOVED]: Well, I think the first issue definitely is awareness to parents. Parents don't even realize that this is an issue that children are confronted with, but some parents aren't even aware that you can gamble online. I don't think parents are even ready to deal with this as an issue. We're used to drugs, sex, those being our issues that parents need to talk to their children about. This definitely needs to be one, because I would say at least 50 percent of students on college campuses are playing, if not playing for large sums of money.
M. O'BRIEN: What was the number you said? What percentage do you say?
LAUREN [LAST NAME HAS BEEN REMOVED]: Well, I mean, that's just a random number, just from my personal experience, but a lot of my friends play, and play frequently, six to eight hours a night, not doing their studies, but playing online, and I think that the college campuses need to go to greater lengths, like blocking the software on university servers might be a first step.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, Lauren [last name has been removed], good job speaking out on this.
And, Joanna Franklin, thank you as well.
And we hope this gets the word out to people who need to hear it. Thanks -- Soledad.
FRANKLIN: Thank you.
M. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, does King Kong live up to his giant-sized hype? We're going to take a look, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
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M. O'BRIEN: I want to say "King Kong" meets "Jurassic Park" or something. An icon of the silver screen returning to theaters this week. Yes, King Kong is back, but why? We'll find out. It's a big budget remake. It's big in every way, including length of time. But movie fans have been waiting for this one for a long time. Let's check in with Devon Gordon of "Newsweek" magazine.
He not only writes about movies, he actually got to go to New Zealand and participate in this whole filming process. Peter Jackson, the director,"Lord of the Rings." That should tell us a little something about how big this movie is.
DEVON GORDON, "NEWSWEEK": Yes. Yes. It's go -- there's a lot of movie here. It's a three-hour movie, $270 million budget. There's a lot going on there.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, let's -- I mean, in a word, a thrill?
GORDON: Oh, it's a thrill. I had a great time. I've seen it twice now, and it's a blast. It holds up. It's three hours long and it's not dull for a second. If anything, it's one of those movies that by the end of it you're like, OK, I'm worn out. Enough.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, 1933 version, Fay Wray, just absolute Hollywood. You know, famous scene. Just being re-released on DVD. And, you know, really, the special effects haven't changed a bit, have they, though? GORDON: No. Unfortunately, they've worn out just a little bit over the time.
M. O'BRIEN: That was 100 minutes and told a wonderful story. You still think that three hours, this story is justified over a three-hour time period?
GORDON: Well, I mean, I think the movie could have been 15 or 20 minutes shorter. But one of the reasons why this movie is so much longer is that if you go back to the original, there are no characters in the original. There are people who say lines in the original, but there are no characters. And the story just blitzes right through it. It's almost like they're in a rush to get to the gorilla.
And in this one, you're actually engrossed in the relationships and the entire story means something to you here. It's an emotional ride, as well as a thrill ride.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, so Fay Wray, you know, absolute -- you know, it was her role. And Naomi Watts, does she rise to that level?
GORDON: I think Naomi Watts is the soul of the movie here.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes?
GORDON: She gets you from the opening seconds when you see her. She's a beautiful woman, a great actress. She's so charismatic and she really makes you care, not only about her, but about what happens to this gorilla through the course of the story. And she inhabits the role, as well as anybody I can imagine.
M. O'BRIEN: What about Jack Black? The comedian Jack Black. You know, was he cast right in this role?
GORDON: I think so. I mean, a lot of people are sort of divided about it. He was definitely the unusual casting. He's certainly a departure the guy in the 1933 movie. But the character as they've conceived him in this one is not just a filmmaker and an adventurer, but he's sort of a con man. And that really does play to Jack Black's sort of excited, anxious, ticky kind of strengths. And he's pretty great in the move.
M. O'BRIEN: So a bit of "School of Rock" came through, kind of?
GORDON: A little, bit, yes, you do see it.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. So, of course, the real star is the monkey, the gorilla.
GORDON: yes.
M. O'BRIEN: How did he pull it off? Is it all done by computers and green screen?
GORDON: It's all visual effects. There's absolutely nothing real about this gorilla. There's -- the movements and the performance is played by an actor. But, of course -- and that actor Andy Serkis was the guy who did Gollum for "The Lord of the Rings" movies. But all of his movements are transposed onto a digital creature, and it looks incredible. I mean, you will -- you'll forget within moments of seeing him that you're watching a digital creation. It's so engrossing and so lifelike.
M. O'BRIEN: So this one has awards written all over it and has Hollywood blockbuster written all over it.
GORDON: Yes, absolutely, absolutely. I mean, some people have said that it's going to rival "Titanic" in box office. I think that that's pushing it a little bit, but it's certainly going to be the biggest movie of the year.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. Devon Gordon of "Newsweek" magazine. Thanks for your time.
GORDON: Thank you.
S. O'BRIEN: He likes it.
Coming up this morning, could a New York City transit strike put Wall Street out of commission? We're "Minding Your Business," just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
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S. O'BRIEN: We are back in just a moment.
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