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Earthquake Terror; Consumer Price Index Comes in Tamer Than Expected; President Bush Speaks in Israel
Aired May 14, 2008 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Well, in the midst of sheer misery, a "miracle in China." That's a quote form a Chinese fire chief after the rescue of a mother to be eight months pregnant who was buried in the rubble for two days.
Not far away, troops scramble to shore up a damaged dam. If the cracks aren't fixed, and fast, a horrible situation could be worse.
MELISSA LONG, CNN ANCHOR: And a win is a win. And Hillary Clinton hopes to make the most of a huge win in a small state very late in the game.
A day after West Virginia, Clinton sat down with Wolf Blitzer. And he will join us this hour.
Hello. I'm Melissa Long at the CNN world headquarters here in Atlanta, in today for Kyra Phillips.
LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon.
You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
LEMON: All right. So if those brushfires, those fires in Florida, won't bad enough, scorching acres and homes, there are 26,000 acres so far. And one man has been arrested for that.
But then it also closed down 34 miles of I-95, a major artery that goes from -- all the way from southern Florida, all the way up to the East Coast. Thirty-four miles of it was closed, and we are learning now -- this is new information just in -- that all of it has been opened back up because they got -- much of the fire is under control there. But I-95 reopens in Florida, the 34-mile section that had been closed because of these fires.
We'll continue to update you.
LONG: The buildings, the trees, the ground, everything shaking. Where do you run?
This is what millions in central China went through during Monday's catastrophic earthquake. And this dramatic new video shows it. Today, rescue and recovery efforts go on, along with urgent efforts to prevent a potentially devastated flood.
CNN's international desk of course watching the developments around the clock. And Isha Sesay joins us with the very latest -- Isha.
ISHA SESAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there.
Some absolutely incredible images that you're seeing there, pictures that really capture the terror and the confusion that were unleashed when that earthquake struck central China on Monday afternoon. That 7.9 earthquake, you see those pictures there, you feel the panic.
The 7.9 earthquake, it triggered landslides, flattened homes and schools, and buried entire villages. And now a dam in Sichuan Province, the epicenter of the earthquake, is in great danger according to Chinese officials.
While I tell you a little bit more about that situation, the state-run china.org is reporting that there are severe cracks in the Xoupingo (ph) dam. Now, that dam is actually up river from the Dongyang City, and government officials say the city would be swamped if major problems emerged at the dam. The city has a population of 630,000.
You're now looking at images of troops. About 2,000 troops have now been sent to plug up those severe cracks.
A grave situation. This 7.9 earthquake causing a whole lot of damage. All eyes now on that dam, which is up river from the epicenter of the earthquake.
Now, the official death toll we're getting is now close to 15,000 in Sichuan Province alone. Sichuan, we keep saying that name, the name of that place. That is epicenter of the earthquake. In that area alone, 25,000 people are missing.
But amid all the tragedy, you know, we want to point out to you that there are some glimmers of hope. People are being found alive. Take a look at this video that has just come into us here at CNN.
You're looking at images of rescue workers pulling out alive a pregnant woman. Those scenes taking place in Chengdu. A pregnant woman who was trapped beneath the rubble, the relief and joy you see there on the faces of her rescuers, and of course the onlookers that are just grateful that they're finding people still alive after two days.
Also want to show you some images of the situation involving children. Now, so many children were affected by this earthquake. So many children buried in schools.
Look at these images. These images also coming from Chengdu. Heart-wrenching images. Kids being pulled out, we're thankful, we can say, alive.
Young children coming out trapped beneath the rubble for two days. Trapped and being brought out up into the air. And again, we keep saying this over and over again, because given the scale of this disaster, their parents, just grateful that they're alive. Back to you.
LONG: And given the scale and also the devastating news, those glimmers of hope.
Thank you so much for sharing them. Appreciate that.
Now, this quake, of course, the deadliest in China in more than 30 years. Back in 1976, you'll recall an earthquake nearby Beijing killed nearly a quarter million people. But times have certainly changed since then.
Analysts say the government's response this week has been the most transparent of any disaster in China, with around-the-clock media coverage and troops rapidly deployed. They also say the quake will have only a limited impact on China's booming economy.
LEMON: And let's talk now about Myanmar. The nation suffering unimaginable loss and widespread death is about to get punched again.
A storm is headed for Myanmar's coast, where a cyclone turned the world upside down for millions of people. It happened just a week and a half ago. Myanmar's official death toll rose above 38,000 today, and that's according to the state-run media. But almost all aid experts, including the U.N., say the actual numbers are much higher.
Another large storm will, to say the least, hamper relief efforts in the cyclone zone.
LONG: One day after West Virginia and Hillary Clinton taking West Virginia by a wide margin, an important endorsement. Not for Hillary Clinton, but for Barack Obama from NARAL, of course the long- time leading abortion rights advocacy group. Let me directly read the endorsement right now.
And this is a quote from the president of NARAL, Nancy Keenan, saying, "Pro-choice Americans have been fortunate to have two strong pro-choice candidates in Senator Obama and Senator Clinton, both of whom have inspired millions of new voters to participate in this historic presidential race." It goes on to say, "Today we are proud to put our organization's grassroots and political support behind the pro-choice candidate whom we believe will secure the Democratic nomination and advance to the general election."
That candidate, Senator Obama. It's important to point out as well, that NARAL, again, the leading abortion rights advocacy organization, has long supported rival Hillary Clinton throughout her political career.
And again, Hillary Clinton did very well yesterday in West Virginia. Now on to Kentucky, on to Oregon.
Hillary Clinton keeps her campaign going with that crushing win over Obama in West Virginia yesterday. And as the polls had foreseen, Clinton cruised to that 41-point victory in West Virginia. Her celebration in Charleston a raucous affair. She explained why she's not giving up.
LEMON: All right. And let's talk now about our Political Ticker here.
Leading our Political Ticker this afternoon, troubling new poll numbers for John McCain are in. They just came in.
In a survey by Quinnipiac University, Barack Obama, well, he beats the presumptive Republican nominee in a hypothetical match-up 47 percent to 40 percent. Hillary Clinton beats John McCain 46 percent to 41 percent.
But first things first. Polls of Democrats indicate a split in Oregon and Kentucky. An Oregon poll gives Obama a 20-point lead over Clinton, 55 percent to 35 percent, with 10 percent undecided. A new Kentucky poll gives Clinton a 27-point lead, 58 percent to 31 percent, and 11 percent undecided. Both states vote next Tuesday.
Let's talk now about the Republicans. They lose another special election. Mississippi's first congressional district is switching sides after 14 years. Yesterday, Democrat Travis Childers beat Republican Greg Davis. Democrats also took back seats this year in Louisiana and Illinois. They now hold a 236-199 edge in the House.
LONG: A celebration right now going on in Jerusalem for the 60th anniversary of Jewish statehood. President Bush is in the Middle East for five days, focusing, however, today on the 60th anniversary.
We'd heard earlier from the Israeli leadership, from the president, and from Ehud Olmert. A lot of praise from President Bush today as well, and a unique and unusual comment from Ehud Olmert, calling President Bush as he sat there almost teary-eyed in the audience -- saying that Bush was an unusual person, an unusual leader, and he was so thankful for the support and the leadership throughout the years, not only with the Bush administration, but with prior U.S. administrations as well.
We are waiting to hear from President Bush. And when he steps to the podium there in Jerusalem, we'll bring you his address.
And Mr. Bush is getting a stark reminder of the challenges to Middle East peace. At least 10 people were hurt today in a rocket attack in a shopping mall in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon. A mother and her baby among them. Rescuers are still searching for even more victims. Islamic Jihad is claiming responsibility, though Israel always blames Hamas for attacks in or from Gaza.
LEMON: As Kentucky voters get ready to weigh in on the Democratic race for the White House, analysts will be watching to see if Hillary Clinton's support there will be similar to what she got in neighboring West Virginia. We'll have a live report from Frankfort.
LONG: And what a time to enter the real world.
Members of the class of 2008, congratulations. Well, they're busy weighing their job prospects as they say farewell to the classroom. We'll hear their concerns coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. Well, the price of everything -- I'm sure you can attest to this -- seems to be getting higher, yet a major read on inflation. The Consumer Price Index came in tamer than expected?
Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange.
OK, are they reading the wrong tea leaves? What's going on here, Susan?
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: Everybody wants to go to the gas station that the Labor Department is frequenting, apparently.
Yes, big disconnect here it seems with what the government says and what people are feeling, what consumers are feeling. Consumer prices rose just .2 percent in April, and that was less than expected and obviously welcome news.
A growing number of economists say these numbers don't truly represent the pain consumers are feeling. For example, the CPI said energy prices last month were flat. Now, AAA told us that gas prices along jumped nearly 10 percent in April. In fact, there were 16 straight daily record highs, according to AAA, for gasoline.
The reason for the disparity is the two words known as seasonally adjusted. Gas prices normally go up in April in advance of the peak summer driving season. This month'' jump was no bigger than normal. In fact, it was a little bit less than normal, but the difference here is that the price rise this year is a more systemic problem. So prices didn't just go up in April.
LEMON: Susan?
LISOVICZ: Yes, Don?
LEMON: Yes, we'll get back. We've got to get to Israel now.
Thank you. We'll check back. We've got to get to Israel now.
LISOVICZ: All right. OK.
LEMON: Now to President Bush speaking at this presidents conference. Let's listen in.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: President Perez, thank you, sir, for your hospitality.
Mr. Prime Minister and Mrs. Olmert, it's great to be with you. We consider you friends.
Heads of state, thank you all for coming. I think it's a great tribute to this conference, as well as Israel, that so many heads of state have come. Ex-heads of state and ex-leaders, thanks for being here. Save a seat in the ex-leaders club.
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
Citizens of Israel, Laura and I loved coming to your beautiful country. And thank you for your warm hospitality.
(APPLAUSE)
Citizens of the United States, my fellow Americans...
(APPLAUSE)
... spend freely and behave yourselves.
Distinguished guests, I really appreciate your warm welcome. And we are thrilled to be here with one of America's closest friends.
Laura and I are honored to represent the American people on the 60th anniversary of your independence. Happy Birthday.
(APPLAUSE)
As we celebrate the anniversary, it is useful to look back at the story of your founding. It's a story of how faith guided the Jewish people through centuries of bitter exile. It is a story of how those living behind ghetto walls and barbed wire never lost sight of Jerusalem. It is a story of how brave pioneers risked everything to redeem the promise of this land.
It is a marvelous story.
When Israel's founders gathered in Tel Aviv to sign your Declaration of Independence, the threat of war loomed. But it could not overshadow the joy of people who had lived to see their prayers answered.
Celebrations broke out all across this land, and of course they broke out in America as well. In New York, young men and women danced the Hora in the streets. In Washington, a crowd gathered to watch a flag-raising ceremony outside the building that would become Israel's first embassy.
After one man saw the flag bearing the Star of David, he said, "I never thought I'd live to see this day." Looking back 60 years later, it's important to remember what the founders of Israel had to overcome at every stage of the journey.
They established one of the world's great democracies in a region where democracy had few roots. They formed a unified army out of immigrants and refugees from many different countries. They planted the seeds of a modern economy in the sands of an ancient desert. In these accomplishments, we see the visionary leadership of leadership of men and women like Herzl and Weisman and Ben-Gurion and Golda Meir and Rabin and Sharon, and we honor each of them this evening.
(APPLAUSE)
And looking back 60 years later, we've also got to remember the courage of President Harry S. Truman. As Israel prepared to declare independence, President Truman faced a tough choice over whether to recognize a new state. The future of Israel hung in the balance as Haim Weisman told the president -- he said, "History and providence have placed this issue in your hands." And today we know that the forces of providence could not have chosen a better man than America's 33rd president.
(APPLAUSE)
Eleven minutes after Israel came into existence, the United States became the first nation to recognize its independence. And because Harry Truman did what was right, instead of following the conventional wisdom, we can say today that America is Israel's oldest and best friend in the world.
(APPLAUSE)
With every passing year, the bonds of friendship between America and Israel have grown stronger. America stands for peace, and so does Israel. And as we stand in peace, we must understand the realities of the world in which we live. We must be steadfast and we must be strong in the face of those who murder the innocent to achieve their objectives.
(APPLAUSE)
And in the long run, we share a powerful belief and a powerful weapon against the terrorists. We believe that the surest way to defeat the enemies of hatred is to advance the cause of hope to the cause of freedom. Liberty, as the great alternative to tyranny and terror.
(APPLAUSE)
Mr. President and Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for inviting me to speak at the Knesset tomorrow. I hear it's a place of many a sharp elbow.
(LAUGHTER)
I'm looking forward to giving my speech. I'm not going to be throwing any elbows. But I will talk about the day when I believe every child in the Middle East can live in peace and live in freedom.
(APPLAUSE)
With trust in the rock of Israel, we know that day will come. And when it does, the United States of America will be at your side.
God bless Israel, and God bless America.
(APPLAUSE)
LEMON: All right. President Bush's speech there in Israel at the presidents conference.
The president bringing up Harry Truman, saying that America was the first nation to declare independence. And he said America is Israel's oldest and best friend in the world, of course starting by saying "Happy Birthday" to Israel, and what I thought was really funny, was save me a seat at the ex-leader's club.
LONG: That was cute. The ex-leaders club, absolutely.
LEMON: Yes.
LONG: After he was thanking the past leaders who were there in attendance and the current leaders as well.
LEMON: Yes, very interesting.
And while this was going on, we want to update you now on that rocket attack in a shopping mall in Jerusalem (sic). We're hearing now that at least 14 people had been wounded in that. Of course, this happened in the southern city, as we've been reporting, of Ashkelon.
Fourteen people wounded in that, including -- including a mother and an infant. That's according to the Israeli military and emergency officials there on the ground.
So while these people are having this presidents conference here talking about peace in the Middle East, there is a rocket attack, and it's happening in Jerusalem. We'll continue to update you on that.
Fourteen people -- 14 people wounded in that, including a mother and an infant.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LONG: It is the bottom of the hour. Do you think that the polar bear is threatened? Well the U.S. Interior Department believes so. And according to the Associated Press, it's decided to protect the polar bear as a threatened species because of a decline in arctic ice -- sea ice, due to global warming. This just into us here at CNN. Again, the Interior Department classifying polar bears as a threatened species.
Now in deciding to list the bear as threatened, the department will be citing its own studies by its own scientists, the decline in the Arctic sea ice off Alaska and off of Canada, could result amazingly in two-thirds of the polar bears disappearing by mid- century. Some beautiful pictures of the polar bear.
Again, this news just coming into us here at CNN and there's a news conference happening this afternoon with the Interior Secretary, Dirk Kempthorne. Again, the "Associated Press" giving us this news and we will keep you posted on this new classification of the polar bear. LEMON: We're following that story as well as a couple of others here, Melissa, in the CNN NEWSROOM. New video into CNN of the terrifying moments when that massive earthquake struck central China -- happened on Monday. Nearly 15,000 people are now reported dead. But the number is expected to rise and rise dramatically. The government says tens of thousands more are missing or, "out of reach." In the meantime, soldiers are working urgently to try to keep a massive dam in the hardest-hit province from breaking.
Myanmar is now bracing for a storm bearing down on its coast just a weak and a half after a devastating cyclone. Now the official death toll has topped 38,000, but aid groups believe it is much higher than that. And police plan to question a man in connection with the wildfires that have burned homes and thousands of acres in Florida. They say Brian Crowder was seen starting a small fire in a burned out town.
LONG: Hillary Clinton says it's full steam ahead after her crushing win over Barack Obama in West Virginia. Clinton beat the Democratic front-runner by 41 points in yesterday's primary. If Hillary Clinton ever had the slightest thought of dropping out of the race, she didn't sound like it last night in Charleston.
But Barack Obama is still the front-runner and he is looking ahead to November. The Senator campaigned in Missouri yesterday, today in Michigan. Senator Obama leads Clinton in both pledged and superdelegates. Now, five contests to go in the Democratic battle for the White House. Oregon and Kentucky will be holding their primaries on Tuesday. In Kentucky as in West Virginia, rising gas prices, grocery prices, job losses, all key concerns.
Dan Lothian reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JUDY MARTINEZ, RESTAURANT OWNER: Everything looks bad right now.
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Judy Martinez says running her two year-old restaurant in Frankfort is especially challenging these days.
MARTINEZ: Buying fish used to be $10 like I told you. Now it's $13.
LOTHIAN: This mostly rural state with its rolling hills and horse farms was already hurting before the economy went south.
TREY GRAYSON, KENTUCKY SECRETARY OF STATE: Our unemployment rate has been higher than the national average by about a percentage point the last few years.
LOTHIAN: Secretary of State Trey Grayson says many were laid off after textile factories closed and production went out of state or overseas. The auto industry has filled some of the gap, but it's not nearly enough.
Danny Walker runs a car wash and flower business in Frankfort.
DANNY WALKER, CAR WASH AND FLOWER SHOP OWNER: They need to get the businesses back in this country. It's really killing the middle class people, the blue collar workers here.
LOTHIAN: He wants the next President to bring back new jobs, while they're at it, do something about the high gas prices.
WALKER: Yes, they raised it here yesterday 10 cents.
LOTHIAN: Senator Hillary Clinton is expected to do well here. Her working class message resonates with many rural, Democratic voters.
GRAYSON: We have a state that's primarily white, primarily small town.
LOTHIAN: Less than 10 percent of the population is minority. Barack Obama has most of his support in the more urban areas of the state, like Louisville. Interest is unusually high in the Kentucky primary, because the Democratic race is still undecided, and because, as one voter put it, the stakes are high.
JOHN PHILLIPS, FRANKFORT RESIDENT: We're a lot worse off than we were eight years ago.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LOTHIAN (on-camera): Polls show that Senator Clinton has a large double-digit lead over Senator Barack Obama. She's hoping that voters here in Kentucky will give her another big win next Tuesday, and give her another reason to tell those superdelegates that she should be the nominee -- Melissa.
LONG: Now we've been reporting that Hillary Clinton's campaign is in the red, so what kind of concern is there that her campaign could simply run out of cash?
LOTHIAN: Well, if there's any concern, they're not really talking about it. Obviously, a lot of debt in the campaign. Senator Clinton herself has loaned the campaign at least $11 million. They're saying at least of now, they have enough money to make it through the end of the primary season, but certainly they'll have a lot of debt to pay off later. That's then, this is now.
LONG: Dan Lothian in Kentucky.
Dan, thank you.
So what is Hillary Clinton's next move after this convincing win in West Virginia yesterday, and what does she have to say to those that still want her to drop out? You'll want to hear Wolf Blitzer's full interview with the New York senator coming up in "THE SITUATION ROOM" coming up at 4:00 Eastern. It's only on CNN, your home for politics. LEMON: Well, they've got their diplomas. Now what? The class of 2008 entering the real world and a really, really, tough economy. A live report on new grads. Well, it is issue number 1 for them.
But first, some breeds of turkeys are too small to eat. Some chickens bring no profit to commercial farms, but that doesn't mean they have no value to society.
Here's "Today's Solution" from CNN's Kyung Lah.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JENNIFER CERMAK, OWNER, BERLIN FARMS: Morning!
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jennifer Cermak greets her animals.
CERMAK: Hi, gang.
LAH: She's not your average farmer, and these aren't your average farm animals.
(on-camera): How many of these turkeys exist in the U.S. now?
CERMAK: I believe about 5,000.
LAH: Only 5,000?
CERMAK: Yes.
LAH (voice-over): You're looking at a Royal Palm turkey, a breed that dates back to Colonial America. In modern America, it's in danger of extinction.
CERMAK: They're mostly endangered because they didn't make the cut as far as commercial industrial birds. They're too small to be Thanksgiving dinner. So we're raising them here in hoping of bringing the numbers up.
LAH: That's the hope for nearly all of the animals here at Berlin Farms.
CERMAK: This is Gaylord, he's a Giant Dewlap Toulouse goose.
LAH: They're examples of breeds that are dying off, listed by the American Livestock Breeds Conservatory as threatened or endangered. Why should you care? Cermak, who holds a Doctorate in Pathology says animals like her hardy Southdown sheep are security for your food supply.
CERMAK: You're seeing warmer temperatures and then illnesses that are quite unexpected.
LAH: Like the bird flu that threatens to wipe out segments of the food chain, having a greater variety of birds could mean that some birds could develop resistances to diseases that might wipe out a commercial breed, or be better to withstand environmental changes caused by global warming. Cermak has another full time job, working at a bio-tech lab in Boston. She's a fourth generation farmer who runs this farm, she says, because it's fun.
(on-camera) : This is getting mauled is part of farming.
(voice-over): But she also believes in keeping these old breeds of America's past alive, and in doing so, perhaps giving the world's food chain a safer tomorrow.
Kyung Lah, CNN, Berlin, Massachusetts.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. Well, not just smart, but safe, too. Those itty bitty Smart Cars hold up surprisingly well in crash tests.
Wow. I just saw one. I said, man.
LONG: They're really cute.
LEMON: If that was hit by something, it wouldn't be good. But I guess I'm wrong.
LONG: No. We're going to have the results right now.
LEMON: CNN's Alina Cho has the results.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In a 40-mile-an-hour crash, the lightweight Smart Car spins around, but the dummy inside stays relatively intact. The Smart Car 4-2 got the highest rating in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's front crash test.
ADRIAN LUND, INSURANCE INST. FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY: The Smart engineers have done a good job of getting as much safety as they can into a small package.
CHO: Larger cars like this Ford Fusion have a bigger crush zone to protect passengers in a frontal crash, but researchers believe the Smart Car's design compensates in other ways.
LUND: The seat belt and the air bag inside has to do much more work to protect the occupant from hitting something very hard in the vehicle.
CHO: The Smart Car also got high marks for side crash protection and was rated "Acceptable" in preventing whiplash in rear crashes. Still, bigger cars tend to be safer.
LUND: Larger and heavier cars, given the same safety features, can protect you better than smaller, light-weight cars.
CHO: Proving that when it comes to safety, smart design makes all the difference.
Alina Cho, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LONG: It's a cute car.
Well, it does not take a degree in economics to figure this out. The class of '08 is facing challenges as it enters the workforce with job numbers down and costs up. How are the new grads feeling about their prospects?
CNN's Richard Roth has been talking to quite a few of them.
He is at Yankee Stadium where NYU --New York University -- just wrapped up its commencement, Richard.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. We're here -- a little ways from the Yankee Stadium. As of now they're going to convert everything to be ready for the Yankees and Mets this weekend.
But it was a lot happier occasion a few hours ago as New York University celebrated its first-ever graduation at Yankee Stadium. Nearly 4,500 students and family members jammed into the big ballpark here. Many of the graduates say they are optimistic about what's happening in the job market, despite some of the scary reports. Some say they still need to send out more resumes. Others say they already have jobs. I think internships here in Manhattan already helped them at various schools.
Whether it was the weather or whether it was the atmosphere inside Yankee Stadium, it was very cheerful as other stars such as Michael Strahan, the football player, and Michael J. Fox, the actor, accepted degrees. Those two stars I talked to about their advice to the graduates.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm still in the process of interviewing and looking. And I think that the job market is actually doing pretty well, a little softer than maybe last year. But overall, a good number of our classmates have jobs lined up already.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Actually I got lucky because I did an internship last summer, so the timing is perfect. But it's definitely tough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROTH: Those were students from the business and marketing school.
Basically, Michael Strahan and Michael J. Fox were saying, in effect, to follow their dreams. Both of them have had some big successes and some setbacks in their own personal lives.
Back to you, Melissa.
LONG: Richard, of course NYU is a private university, a pricey university. Any of the students talking to you about their worries about paying down their student loans?
ROTH: Oh, yes, there was concern.
Most were just glad to have made it through. Most of that reaction came from the parents. The $50,000 tuition per year -- it is going up 6 percent for year semester. There was sheer horror at that. And the parents use a combination of -- whether it's out of their own wallets or some financial aid, it's a huge hit on them. They're just glad, I think, that they don't have to pay it anymore. But they're still obviously going to have to pay back the loans.
LONG: Yes, of course all the students now celebrating, but thinking about loans and, of course, day one on the job.
Congratulations to all of them.
Richard Roth in New York for us, outside of Yankee Stadium.
Richard, thanks.
LEMON: Give them a little time just to celebrate.
LONG: I know that, but we were talking off camera that you were hard working even before graduation.
LEMON: I didn't even go to my graduation. I don't remember what day it was.
LONG: I did.
LEMON: I don't even remember what year it was. I didn't go. I was working.
LONG: Think about the investment, the financial investment that the parents made.
LEMON: Well, it was all me.
LONG: Oh, OK.
LEMON: And a lot of people it's all them, because you end up paying those loans back afterwards.
LONG: Right, absolutely. And for decades after.
LEMON: Yes, but they should enjoy it now, because everything will work out. Trust me.
LONG: I'll trust you. I'll take that advice.
LEMON: Yes. They're telling us something but I'm not going to repeat it. All right. Emotional testimony today for actor Dennis Quaid and his wife. We'll tell you why they believe they're entitled to sue a drug company.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LONG: Actor Dennis Quaid is in Washington on Capitol Hill today to talk about a mistake a hospital made that jeopardized the lives of his twin newborn daughters. Quaid and his wife blame a confusing label on a blood thinner and they have sued the manufacturer.
They say drug companies should be held responsible, even when the products have received government approval. For more on this, medical correspondent -- let me try that again -- correspondent.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I knew what you meant.
LONG: Good.
Elizabeth Cohen, helps us to better understand the testimony and this possible lawsuit.
COHEN: Right, actually there is a lawsuit. Quaid has sued in state court. And What he basically told Congress today was, look, I sued in state court because something went wrong with a drug maker's product and everybody should be allowed to sue in state court.
Here you see him as he was getting ready to testify this morning.
Here's what happened to the Quaids' newborn twins. What happened was that they were given a dose of a drug called heparin that was 1,000 times higher than the dose that they were supposed to get, and the two little babies almost died. And so Dennis Quaid says the labels on these drugs, you can see, they're very similar.
Those are two different dosages. Look how similar they are.
And he says they're so similar that they should have been taken off the market. The drugs were fine, but the labels were so similar that the drug should have been taken off the market.
Let's listen to what he told Congress today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DENNIS QUAID, ACTOR: Our feelings are, they recall automobiles, they recall toasters, they even recall dog food. But Baxter failed to recall a medication, that, due to its labeling, had already killed three infants and severely injured three others just a year earlier.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: So Quaid told lawmakers, look, in a situation like this, people should be allowed to sue in state court.
LONG: Obviously there are those siding with Quaid and his wife. But what about those against this lawsuit?
COHEN: Right. There are people who say that people like Dennis Quaid should not be allowed to sue in state court. Now, not a big surprise, drug companies say that they should not be able to be sued in state court.
And the Bush administration supports drug companies. The Bush administration, meaning the Food and Drug Administration, says in certain situations you should not be allowed to sue in state court.
Here's what the FDA is scheduled to testify to today: "The FDA is concerned that product liability lawsuits that challenge FDA's careful determination of safety, efficacy and appropriate labeling can have detrimental effects to public health in a number of ways."
In other words, the FDA is saying the ability to sue in state court hurts public health.
LONG: OK. So the lawsuit that Quaid has filed, along with his wife, what's the status of it?
COHEN: The status is that it's still being filed and it's being processed in the courts in Illinois.
And Baxter, the company that makes heparin, they say that there should be a preemption. They say they have a civil liability shield and so they're hoping to enact that shield and get the lawsuit thrown out of court.
LONG: All right. Interesting.
And of course, all this and much more in terms of medical stories online at CNN.com/health.
LEMON: Also in medical news, a retired Supreme Court justice went public today with an issue very close to her heart. Appearing before the Senate Special Committee on Aging, Sandra Day O'Connor talked about Alzheimer's Disease.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR, RETIRED SUPREME COURT JUSTICE: I'm here in the position of being a caregiver. My beloved husband, John, suffers from Alzheimer's. He's had it for a long time now, and he's not in very good shape at present. And so I have some appreciation for the depth of feeling that you have that's generated the interest and the people who are in this room today. You magnify that...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: O'Connor says Congress needs to act fast so that the generation now living with Alzheimer's will be the last.
LONG: Most of us took those physical fitness tests back when we were in school. Now that we're all grown up, there's a new way for us to tell whether or not we're in shape. The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports has just introduced this new test. It's for people over the age of 18. There are three components to it: aerobic fitness, muscular strength and then flexibility.
The aerobic test involves a one-mile walk or one-and-a-half mile run. That is if you run regularly. The muscular strength test involves pushups and situps. And then the flexibility test -- it involves a stretching exercise called the sit and reach. You can then enter the results online --
Why are you laughing?
LEMON: Nothing.
LONG: Because you can't reach your toes?
LEMON: No. Go ahead.
LONG: Evaluation form online at adultfitnesstest.org -- adultfitnesstest.org.
What?
LEMON: Where are you supposed to reach to? Just wherever.
LONG: To your toes. Touch your toes, go beyond if you're into yoga.
No, not like -- you're sitting. That's easy.
LEMON: OK. Show me, then.
LONG: When we're in the commercials.
You're just teasing.
LEMON: You're the expert.
All right. We'll move on. Let's talk about airline seats. Airplane seats. Most of them, not so comfortable unless your in business, first class. They're pretty comfortable, but they're thrones compared to where one passenger allegedly had to sit. Wait a minute, no they're not. We'll tell you about it coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LONG: Certainly a lot of us have had bad flying experiences, but a New York man's, well, his experience may take No. 1 on the list. He is suing JetBlue after crew members allegedly -- allegedly forced him to give his seat to a flight attendant. He says he had to sit in the plane's bathroom for three hours of this sold-out cross-country flight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a bizarre question, but when people have to use the bathroom and they're knocking on the door...
GOKHAN MUTLU, SUING JETBLUE AIRWAYS: I guess they used the other one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So they didn't use your bathroom?
MUTLU: No. No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You just stayed in there by yourself?
MUTLU: I did. Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LONG: Bizarre question, but an understandable question certainly.
Now, this suit accuses JetBlue of endangerment and violation of federal law for giving a spot with no seat belt. No comment yet on this from Jetblue.
The next hour of the NEWSROOM starts right now.
