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Soldier Suicides; McClellan Book Reaction; Battle for the West: Democrats See Opening
Aired May 29, 2008 - 10:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning again, everyone. You're informed with CNN.
I'm Tony Harris.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins.
Developments keep coming in to the NEWSROOM on this Thursday, May 29th.
Here's what's on the rundown now.
Soldier suicides on the rise. The Army putting the number at a two-decade high today.
HARRIS: Barack Obama taking flak from John McCain on Iraq. Now the Democrat considering a trip to the war zone.
COLLINS: It's not always dementia. Too many prescription drugs can make seniors seem out of the loop. Is granny high?
In the NEWSROOM.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Soldier suicides, the highest in decades. A disturbing report expected today from the U.S. Army.
Let's get right to CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr.
And Barbara, earlier in the week, PTSD numbers, you reported on those being up. And now these very grim numbers.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Very sad business, Tony, to report.
The Army will say later this afternoon that for the year 2007, last year, record suicide numbers to report. That in the year 2007, 108 soldiers committed suicide, and you can see there the pretty steady climb since the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq began.
Interestingly enough, what they're finding is the majority are not committed in the war zone. Many of them actually happen, most of them, perhaps, once a soldier returns home. And the real numbers, the real tragedy could be so much more significant, because what we're really reflecting here is just the numbers on the troops on active duty. This does not count reservists who may be back at home, no longer on active duty, or young troops in the last six years or so who have finished their enlistments, have gone back into civilian society. Those numbers are also out there, too, amongst the veterans population.
So pretty sad business. The Army has started a number of suicide prevention and suicide awareness programs, but I think you'll hear later today that they believe they have a long ways to go -- Tony.
HARRIS: Yes, it sounds like it.
OK. Barbara Starr at the Pentagon for us.
Barbara, thank you.
COLLINS: A nail-biter to the end. Each and every delegate matters. Now, the Democrats are considering a deal, a way to divvy up disputed delegates from Florida and Michigan.
Those states, you'll remember, were punished for moving up their primaries. Their 368 delegates taken away. A deal would reportedly send half the delegates to the convention or seat all delegates with half a vote.
A news conference happening right now. You can see it live by logging on to CNN.com. And our Susan Candiotti is there. She's going to be joining us in just a few minutes.
Also, a Democratic National Committee panel meets Saturday to hash all of this out. Right now, Hillary Clinton has 1,780 delegates. Barack Obama has 1,978. 2,026 are needed for the nomination.
We will be watching decision day for the Democrats. CNN's live coverage of that DNC meeting begins Saturday at 9:00 Eastern.
Traditional Republican states, can Barack Obama turn them blue? The battle for the West, ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: Today he is speaking for himself. Scott McClellan, former White House spokesman, bashed by the Bush administration over allegations in his new book. Now he is responding to that criticism.
CNN White House Correspondent Ed Henry is in Salt Lake City this morning.
And Ed, what is Scott McClellan saying in his own defense this morning?
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, the president is here in Salt Lake City to raise money for John McCain, but you're right, all of the focus is on Scott McClellan. He's basically standing his ground, standing behind his account in the book, and amid questions by Bush insiders about his motives, about his judgment in writing this book.
He basically says he's trying to change Washington. He thought the president could do that, change the tone, try to unite instead of divide. But he basically thinks Mr. Bush failed in that endeavor, and he points to two episodes in particular.
He says he was disillusioned by the fact that he was sent to the White House podium to basically say that Scooter Libby and Karl Rove were not involved in the CIA leak case, when that turned out to not be true. And also, while he stopped short of using the word "lie," he suggests that the administration manipulated the intelligence in the run-up to the war in Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT MCCLELLAN, FMR. WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN: You get caught up in trying to sell this war to the American people. Paul Wolfowitz went and said publicly that the rationale that we all agreed on that would be the best selling point for this war was the weapons of mass destruction, and obviously the connection to Iraq. And much of that information was based in what could be substantiated, but at the same time, as we accelerated the buildup to the war, the information that we were talking about became a little more certain than it was, the caveats were dropped, intelligent -- you know, contradictory intelligence was ignored.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: Now, a White House official this morning told me that Scott McClellan is flat-out wrong in his questions about whether the administration manipulated intelligence in the run-up to the war, but the White House, interestingly enough, is not getting into a point-by- point counterpoint with Scott McClellan. They say that they frankly don't have time to essentially do book reviews.
Instead, what they're doing is trying to basically raise questions about his judgment, raise questions about why he's speaking out now, and they're speaking out pretty forcefully.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The gloves are coming off. White House officials initially would not comment on Scott McClellan's explosive new book claiming President Bush used propaganda to sell the war in Iraq.
But now former colleagues are charging the tell-all is a betrayal of the president's trust.
DAN BARTLETT, FORMER COUNSELOR TO PRESIDENT BUSH: All I will say is that there is an enormous amount of disappointment among those who are closest to Scott. This is not the Scott we knew.
HENRY: Former White House insider Dan Bartlett lashed out, telling CNN it's "total crap" for McClellan to write the media was soft on the administration. BARTLETT: The fact of the matter was, the weapons of mass destruction weren't there. The intelligence was wrong. But that doesn't make people out to be liars or manipulators or propagandists.
HENRY: No reaction yet from the president himself, who delivered the Air Force Academy's commencement at a bitterly cold Colorado Springs.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Your parents are proud of you, and so is your commander in chief.
HENRY: Matching the tone of the official response from current White House spokeswoman Dana Perino, who declared, McClellan is disgruntled. "For those of us who fully supported him before, during and after he was press secretary, we are puzzled," Perino said. "It is sad. This is not the Scott we knew."
MCCLELLAN: The world is better off and America's more secure because Saddam Hussein was removed from power.
HENRY: McClellan's predecessor, Ari Fleischer, said, "If Scott had such deep misgivings, he should not have accepted the press secretary position as a matter of principle."
But a former Clinton White House inside said McClellan's account has credibility because his long proximity to Mr. Bush gave him a window on how the war was prosecuted, and he may now be having pangs of conscience.
JOHN PODESTA, FORMER CLINTON WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: The fact that we went to war on to some extent propaganda, I think he's come to the conclusion, as two-thirds of the American people have, that it was a bad mistake of judgment on behalf of the president.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY: Now, what about Scott McClellan's relationship with the president? You'll remember when McClellan stepped down a couple of years ago, the president famously said that one day they'd be sitting in rocking chairs together in Texas reminiscing about the old days. McClellan this morning said that given the hurt feelings now, he's not even sure if he and the president will ever speak again, let alone get into those rocking chairs -- Tony.
HARRIS: Boy, bridges burned, bridges torched.
Ed Henry with the president in Salt Lake City this morning.
Ed, appreciate it. Thank you.
And Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice wouldn't discuss the book directly, but she did have something to say about McClellan's allegation that the Iraq war was promoted by propaganda.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: I'm not going to comment on a book they haven't read, but I will say that the concerns about weapons of mass destruction in Saddam Hussein's Iraq were the fundamental reason for tens -- for dozens of resolutions within the Security Council from the time that Saddam Hussein was expelled from Kuwait in 1991, up until 2003.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Scott McClellan himself will be a guest on CNN's "THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer. You can catch that Friday. "THE SITUATION ROOM" kicks off at 4:00 p.m. Eastern.
An out-of-office experience. Former White House staffers with plenty to say. Much of it unflattering. What others have penned, that's ahead.
COLLINS: Your wallet, your worry. There are new numbers to crunch this morning. Just minutes ago we learned that oil and gas supplies dropped last week. That comes as a big surprise.
The markets registered their disappointment immediately. Within minutes of the surprising announcements, oil prices surged several dollars a barrel. So brace yourself for more bad news at the pump. Gas prices are at a new record high for the 22nd consecutive day. The national average climbed almost a penny, to more than $3.95 a gallon.
Earlier this morning, we learned the nation's economy continues to grow, albeit at a snail's pace. The federal government now says growth was a bit better than expected for the first quarter, .9 percent compared to .6, that was first reported.
We are also looking at new numbers on jobless claims. Those figures, also released this morning, show a jump of 4,000 new job seekers last week.
Keep watching CNN. Our money team has you covered on all issues affecting your wallet. You can join us for a special report. It's called "ISSUE #1: THE ECONOMY." It comes your way today, noon Eastern, only on CNN.
HARRIS: Desperation in the destruction. Children at the center losing parents, friends and classmates.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Adding to the political pressure in Israel, the country's foreign minister now warning the ruling Kadima Party that it must be prepared to replace Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. The Israeli leader is embroiled in a corruption probe but denies any wrongdoing.
Just yesterday, you'll recall, Israel's defense minister called for Prime Minister Olmert to step down. He said he has no plans to resign unless he is indicted.
COLLINS: Heading into the home stretch in the Democratic primary season. Hillary Clinton campaigns together in South Dakota. South Dakota and Montana hold the last two primaries on Tuesday, Puerto Rico votes on Sunday.
Barack Obama is taking the day off. He says he's considering a trip to Iraq. John McCain had criticized Obama for not visiting the war zone since 2006.
Republican Senator John McCain campaigns in Wisconsin today. He moves to the Midwest after focusing on his home turf.
CNN's Mary Snow is live for us now from Los Angeles.
Hi there, Mary.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Heidi.
And you know, a real showdown is brewing out here in the West. Democrats see an opening out here, but Senator John McCain is vowing not to give in on his turf.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's wonderful to be here in Nevada, Nevada, Nevada.
SNOW (voice over): Senator John McCain of Arizona making his case in neighboring Nevada.
MCCAIN: Nevada is a western state. I am a western senator.
SNOW: In three days, McCain has taken his message to Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado, crisscrossing paths with Democratic Senator Barack Obama in three traditionally Republican states that are a key battleground.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to fight as hard as we can in these states, and we want to send the message now that we're going go after them, and I expect to win them.
SNOW: Democrats see an opening in the West after tight contests in the past two presidential races, particularly in 2004. "Denver Post" political reporter Karen Crummy says even though the states have 19 electoral votes combined, they can make a difference.
KAREN CRUMMY, "DENVER POST": If John Kerry in 2004 had won Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico, he would have won.
SNOW: Democrats lost New Mexico in 2004, but won it in 2000. Colorado and Nevada stayed red, but the races were tight. Democrats have made gains in recent years in state elections, and McCain is fighting to make sure the trend doesn't translate into a national election.
MCCAIN: I understand our issues of Native-Americans, of land, of water, of public lands, of dynamic growth and how we handle those challenges. SNOW: Global warming is another issue he stresses, along with his support of illegal immigration reform, an issue the campaign hopes will resonate with Independents and conservative Democrats. McCain has also been reaching out to the growing Hispanic population in the West.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: But the issue overshadowing all of this, of course, is the economy. And Nevada has the highest rate of foreclosure in the country. This is one area where we see the candidates really clashing. And Senator Barack Obama has been trying to paint McCain as being weak when it comes to economic issues -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right. CNN's Mary Snow for us from Los Angeles this morning.
Thanks, Mary.
HARRIS: Delegate dispute. Hundreds in limbo since the Democrats punished Florida and Michigan. Now is there a deal?
Let's go to CNN's Susan Candiotti in Florida.
And Susan, if you would, what came of the news conference? I guess it's just wrapping up, held by south Florida Democrats.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well this is actually held by a group of primarily black ministers in Miami and the greater Miami area. And they are here, they said, to inform the public, make sure the public understands, this community in particular, about the very important meeting coming up on Saturday in Washington, of course, for the Democratic National Committee and what to do about the all-important Florida and Michigan delegations. So this group, in particular, wanted to weigh in on how they think it should be solved.
And joining us now to talk about that is state senator Fredericka Wilson.
Now, you are a supporter of Senator Obama, but you are here in a non-committal way. You are not here to favor one candidate or another, you say.
FREDERICKA WILSON, FLORIDA STATE SENATE: I'm not. I represent district 33, and I'm here to inform all of my constituents of what's happening and what's going to happen.
CANDIOTTI: What is your message to the DNC and to both candidates, Senator Obama and Senator Clinton, about how this group feels as though things should be resolved?
WILSON: We think that it should be resolved so as not to favor one candidate over the other, because they were not given the opportunity to campaign in Florida. They did sign a pledge that I have a copy of, the pledge, and all eight candidates signed their pledge. So because you sign a pledge, you must honor that pledge.
So we're asking the DNC, really, to break the rules, because they said we would be allowed no delegates at all. But the Republicans have given their delegates one half. We're asking for one half of the delegates to be seated at the convention.
CANDIOTTI: Now, as you know, Senator Clinton feels that would not be fair. The question some people are raising is, how can it be fair if more people voted for her in Florida than Senator Obama?
WILSON: Well, that's because Senator Clinton probably was more popular in Florida. But if they had given Senator Obama the opportunity to campaign in Florida, he would have won Florida, and I truly believe that.
There were so many people who were told, there's no need to vote because your vote is not going count for this particular election. We were told that. We went to vote for the property tax, for or against.
No one was really focused on the primary because we were told that over and over and over again. We were told about the Democratic National Committee, all of the elected officials were told. All of the senators were told.
And so, we have the responsibility to educate our constituents, and so we told them that it would not count. So now that it's favoring one side, then we feel it is unfair for them for them to come up all of a sudden and say that they should apportion them according to the vote. We disagree with that.
CANDIOTTI: Thank you very much, Senator Wilson, for joining us this morning.
So that is the message coming here from Miami to the Democratic National Committee -- if you want to treat people fairly, split the vote 50-50 down the line.
Tony, back to you.
HARRIS: OK. Susan Candiotti for us in Miami.
Susan, thank you.
We will be watching decision day for the Democrats. CNN's live coverage of the DNC meeting begins Saturday at 9:00 Eastern.
COLLINS: Pill-popping seniors, drugged up and acting stoned, or maybe mentally ill. The problem with overmedication, live with medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: A community lines up for its favorite cashier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A person that makes your day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We love James!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We love James!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We love James!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bye-bye, buddy. Bye-bye.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: A new face for a friend in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: Do you know an older person who's forgetting things or slurring their speech? Falling down or maybe becoming depressed? It may be due to aging, or perhaps their medications are actually causing the problem.
How can you tell which it is? Well, CNN Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is in New York this morning to help explain all of this in this week's "Empowered Patient."
Hi, Elizabeth.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.
Heidi, you would be surprise how many times it's the medications that are causing elderly people problems. Here's one family's story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COHEN (voice over): Nancy Burns is 71 and lives on her own. She says she's doing great, but that's today. A few years ago, out of nowhere, she started acting strangely.
NANCY BURNS, SUFFERED DIFFICULTIES FROM MEDICATIONS: I was slurring my speech. I was running into walls.
COHEN: And leaving odd voicemails for her daughter, Kelli Phillips.
KELLI PHILLIPS, DAUGHTER OF NANCY BURNS: I had four or five messages from my mother wanting to know what day it was, what -- if it was morning or nighttime.
COHEN: Phillips helped rush her mother to the emergency room, where a neurologist diagnosed Alzheimer's Disease. Devastated, Kelli and her brother got a second opinion from a geriatrician. The geriatrician informed them it wasn't Alzheimer's at all. Instead, Nancy's medications were causing all the problems.
PHILLIPS: My brother and I looked at each other, and it was like we knew it. We knew it was something to do with all of the medication that she was on.
COHEN: At the time, Nancy was taking eight different prescription drugs, many of which don't mix well.
(on camera): Of course, only a doctor can make medication decisions, but there is something that you can do to be an empowered patient. Take a look at this Web site. You can type in the names of the drugs that you're taking and the site lets you know if the combination of drugs could make you sick.
(voice over): Nancy Burns talked with her doctors, and over time they found four drugs that could treat her health issues and not cause her any problems.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COHEN: Experts have come up with a list of drugs that should generally be avoided for the elderly. You can go to CNN.com/health and see that list -- Heidi.
COLLINS: So Elizabeth, this problem has gotten worse over the years. Why is that?
COHEN: It has gotten worse over the years, Heidi, and one of the reasons is that we live in the era of specialists. So a lot of old people see two, three, four, sometimes even five doctors for different ailments. And those doctors often prescribe without consulting one another, so they don't realize that they're prescribing drugs that don't work well together.
COLLINS: Well, specifically remind us what problems can be caused by overmedicating.
COHEN: Right, overmedication can cause a whole host of problems. Let's look at some of the more common ones.
For example, it can cause confusion, depression, dizziness, especially when you go from a lying down to standing up position. And that can lead to falls, and we all know how devastating falls can be for an older person.
COLLINS: Yes, no question. All right. Some good information.
Thanks, Elizabeth.
COHEN: Thanks.
COLLINS: And for Elizabeth's column and your full "Daily Dose" of health news online, just log on to our Web site. There you will find the latest medical news, a health library, and information on diet and fitness. That address, CNN.com/health.
HARRIS: Heavy rain in the quake zone. The job of draining China's quake lakes just gets harder. We'll show you in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: The Atlantic hurricane season's almost here. Are you ready? The story in less than five minutes. COLLINS: Good morning once again, everybody. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Heidi Collins.
HARRIS: I'm Tony Harris.
Adding to China's problems this morning, new pictures now from Sichuan province. The side of a mountain literally tearing away. Landslides are a constant threat, causing the buildup of those quake lakes. As many of those 28 lakes now near the breaking point. Efforts to relieve the building pressure are being hampered, this morning at least, by bad weather. Already 158,000 people have evacuated from downstream areas. The official death toll rose today of more than 68,500. There are at least 19,000 people still missing.
HARRIS: Living in the aftermath of china's tragic earthquake. CNN's Hugh Riminton has been there covering the story for us.
Here are his impressions of the desperate situation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HUGH RIMINTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Now reporters see stories everywhere. We can't help it. It's just in our DNA, and stories, of course, as everyone knows, depend on characters, and as we've been reporting this story, the character that presses itself in on us and is unavoidable, that's everywhere, is the earth itself. What was the force that didn't just make buildings fall down, but that shattered them, that brought them down to elemental level of bricks and dust, that caused so much destruction so that the very hillsides seem to be in the act of reshaping themselves. Vast mountainsides collapsing down into valleys. Landslides going off all the time.
Perhaps the most compelling experience that proves that to me was lying in a tent at night trying to sleep in one of these mountain villages when the aftershocks were coming through, and not only feeling the ground and jolt and shake underneath it, but also hearing a sound that I've never heard before. My ear was to the ground, and it was like these massive, deep moans that were coming as the shockwaves were coming through the earth, something I have never experienced before anywhere and something I'll never forget.
Now plainly, this was someone's bedroom. And one of these inescapable aspects of a disaster is loss. There's been so much of it in this tragedy. The thing which brought it home to me, I think, probably more than anything, the saddest thing, was seeing the children from Bachuan (ph) Middle School playing, playing ball, walking around with their friends, and recognizing that fewer than half of their number, fewer than half of the children who went to school that day lived out that day. And when you look at those children's faces, apparently normal on the outside, but then starting to tell you stories, telling about how they saw their classmates trapped in the rubble, about how they would try and scramble down to them, how they managed to get some water to their trapped classmates, only over time to watch them die inside the rubble. Those are children who have seen things which they will never, ever be able to expunge from their memories, and some of those children themselves lost both parents in the same disaster. That, that is loss.
The other absolutely indelible impression that's come out of this has been the resilience of the Chinese people, the way in which, again and again, we've seen people who've lost so much working so hard, putting aside their immediate griefs to retrieve stuff from the rubble, to help themselves everywhere they can. These survivors are true survivors. They've had outside help, but they've done so much to help themselves. And I think if there's another lasting impression, it is that, the stoicism and the courage of the people of China in this earthquake zone.
Hugh Riminton, CNN, in Sichuan Province in China.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: The U.N. gets full access in Myanmar. The military government has approved all visas for United Nations aid workers. That ends the more than three-week delay of getting aid experts into the badly damaged Yuriwadi (ph) Delta. As many as 78,000 people died in the cyclone. At least a million are now homeless. The U.S. has made about 70 relief flights into Myanmar, but still can't unload supplies from Navy ships directly into Myanmar. The head of U.S. Pacific Command says those ships may leave the area within the next few days if they don't get clearance.
You can help, though. At CNN.com, there is a special page on the devastation in China and Myanmar, plus links to aid agencies that are organizing help for the region. It's a chance for you to impact your world.
HARRIS: Heidi, we're just getting some breaking news into the CNN NEWSROOM. We don't have a lot of details, but something tells me when we do get them they'll be pretty grim. We're getting word of a helicopter crash into a hospital, if you can imagine that. Grand Rapids, Michigan is the location. OK, Spectrum Hospital is the name of the facility. Boy, no pictures yet, obviously, but again, this is a helicopter crash into a hospital, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Spectrum Hospital the location, and again, no reports of any injuries at this time. Of course, that will change shortly and when we get more details we will, of course, bring the details and the pictures to you right here in the NEWSROOM.
In the meantime, a tropical storm barrelling toward Central America right now. People across much of the United States are bracing for hurricane season, or are they?
CNN's John Zarrella is in Miami and, John, warning people to prepare is one of the things we kind of pride ourselves on. Are people listening to us, and if they're not listening to us, at least listen to the experts?
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and unfortunately, Tony, they're not really listening to anybody, at least not in large numbers, and that's kind of frightening. You know, We're here at the National Hurricane Center. You mentioned the first tropical storm over my shoulder there. That's Alma. And it's in the Pacific. So if you're in the Atlantic right now, nothing to worry about. But it is in the Pacific, and the Atlantic hurricane season starts June 1st, just a couple of days away.
And just a little while ago they wrapped up a major news conference here, where many experts were talking about the absolute need to be prepared, because people just aren't paying attention. One of those who spoke, Florida's Governor Charlie Crist.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. CHARLIE CRIST, FLORIDA: Being prepared for a hurricane, if a hurricane comes, it's a disaster. It's a catastrophe. We have to understand the importance of that, and one of the priorities that each and every one of us have to do in our personal budget or our state budget is make sure that we're doing the first things that are the most important. That means having food, having water, having good shelter. I think Floridians are smart enough, and Americans certainly are, to make those priorities and those purchases that are so important to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZARRELLA: Governor sound a little vice presidential there, maybe? I'd throw that out there. Anyway, this survey that was released today found that despite the fact we had Katrina, and Rita and Wilma, less than three years ago, large segments of the population are not preparing for this season, and that has people very worried.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA (voice-over): Neil Rubin is getting a new garage door installed at his home.
NEIL RUBIN, HOMEOWNER: This one's supposed to withstand I think 150 miles an hour in that area which was left embedded (ph) in the head. And since I have the accordion shutters, why have a weak spot on your house?
ZARRELLA: And the garage door is considered the weakest spot in a home.
JACK TROUT, CONTRACTOR: Lose the garage, you lose the roof, you lose the contents of the house. Everything is gone.
ZARRELLA: But a new Mason-Dixon poll conducted for the National Hurricane Survival Initiative found a staggering 95 percent of the 1,100 adults questioned didn't' know this. And 30 percent said they would not start preparing their homes until a hurricane warning is issued.
CHUCK LANZA, BROWARD CO. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: All the water is gone from the stores at 24 hours. The plywood is gone from all the larger stores. People need to make those plans early in the season.
ZARRELLA: The survey found bad habits resurfacing that existed before the devastating wake-up call season of 2005. Katrina, Rita and Wilma. An astounding 50 percent said they had no disaster plans or survival kits. Why the complacency?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because we've been through it so many times that, you know, most time it doesn't hit.
ZARRELLA: Emergency managers say while many people may not be prepared for the long aftermath, they do in most cases enough to survive a storm.
LANZA: People still at the last minute usually will make the right decision. Problem is they don't have a plan in place, and they haven't bought the supplies that they needed.
ZARRELLA: And this may not surprise you. The high price of gas is compounding the underpreparedness problem. That's because people aren't buying the supplies they need because they're spending so much money to fill up their gas tank.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA: Another finding: 85 percent of those surveyed, said they have done nothing to improve the strengthening of their home -- to strengthen their homes against hurricanes.
It's really staggering.
HARRIS: Yes, it really is.
ZARRELLA: Considering how much we've gone though, yes.
HARRIS: Isn't that the truth. All right, Z, thank you.
John Zarrella for us in Miami.
COLLINS: Quickly want to get you back to Grand Rapids, Michigan.
We are looking, I believe, on top of Spectrum Hospital. Where Tony was mentioning a few moments ago. This helicopter that apparently crashed on the roof of the hospital. Once again, Spectrum Hospital.
You can't see a whole lot right now. Moments ago on one of the web sites from local television stations there, there an immense amount of smoke and the scene looked pretty nasty, as you might imagine. But now, none of that -- even think that I see people walking up there, but not positive, there.
Not sure what type of helicopter it was. Your mind goes to MedEvac or possible donor flight, of course, because we're talking about the top of a hospital. We do see some rescue lights now, up there as well, I think. But we're just going to keep our eye trained on this. All we know at this point is that a hospital has crashed on top of Spectrum Hospital, which is in downtown Grand Rapids.
I'm getting a little bit more information on here now. Apparently a witness standing outside another medical building there, said she saw the helicopter's tail hit a radio tower. You see that very nearby radio tower there protruding into the sky. And then, apparently this helicopter crashed on top of the roof. So again, that was just a witness account. We have not been able to verify that, but just letting you know a little bit more as we get it.
We'll follow these pictures for you. Our affiliate there, WZZM, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
HARRIS: An out of office experience. Former White House staffers with plenty to say. Much of it, unflattering.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: We want to bring you the very latest information and pictures on this helicopter crash. Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Let's roll the video that -- this is tower cam video from our affiliate there WZZM. WZZM's web site providing those images just a moment ago and a live look now -- got you, a live look now at the top of the hospital. The roof of the hospital. This is Spectrum Health and the Spectrum Health campus hosts the crash. We, at this point, still have no idea of how many people might be injured.
There is an eyewitness account that goes a bit like this. The woman describes seeing the helicopter spinning around and debris flying everywhere. She describes a scene of the helicopter hitting the roof, exploding into flames. We have not been able to confirm any of this information yet.
Clearly, the Grand Rapids fire department is being inundated with calls right now. They're certainly responding to the scene. And again, can we take a look at the view from WZZM's web site?
OK. When you have it just throw it up and we'll speak to it. Clearly a television images a bit earlier of thick, black smoke visible from the roof of the Spectrum Health campus and Heidi, I think you're right on, on this.
We're just trying to figure out if this is a life flight situation where the helicopter was either departing or arriving on a mission. But we are still trying to effort more information on this.
The eyewitness account that I just described to you, we just haven't been able to confirm that ourselves, but we are working feverishly, as you can imagine, to get the latest information to you and when we get new pictures and new information we will bring that all to you, right here in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: A community lines up for its favorite cashier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We love him. He is the kind of person that makes your day.
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: We love James.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bye-bye, buddy! Bye-bye!
COLLINS: A new face for a friend, in the NEWSROOM.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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COLLINS: I want to get you back to the situation that we're trying to get as much information as we can for you out of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Where apparently a helicopter crashed into the top of a hospital. This is possibly the actual incident as it took place, guys? Is that what we're about to see? This is WZZM's 13 -- no, I don't think so. That was another helicopter trying to get pictures. Their web site's live look at that right now.
And what we do know, again, is very little. Not quite sure if this helicopter was attempting to land on top of that hospital because it was a MedEvac type flight, or what exactly that it was trying to do there.
I'm just kind of keeping an eye on this because I'm not quite sure what we're watching other than what we see here, the live look, apparently.
So anyway, Spectrum Hospital, is the name of the facility, downtown Grand Rapids. And again, we do know a helicopter crashed on top of there. Apparently a witness reported to one of the local media there, that she saw the helicopter's tail hit that radio tower that you see jutting into the sky, before it went down. She said it spun around, debris flew everywhere and then the helicopter exploded in flames.
Obviously a very unfortunate situation. We'll continue to try to get information for you and just as soon as we learn more, we will pass it along.
HARRIS: You remember that movie "Elephant Man?" Well, a store clerk in Washington state has a similar disfiguring disease, but he is not letting that stop him. His customers love him, now they want to help him.
Here is Michelle Esteban, of affiliate KOMO.
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JAMES O'NEAL, HAS GENETIC DISEASE: How's your day going?
MICHELLE ESTEBAN, KOMO REPORTER: James O'Neal knows his deformity shocks people. He knows others with the same genetic disorder would rather hide than work. But for seven years, James has proudly worked the registers at this Redmond Safeway.
(on camera): Can you share with me how it is that you manage to fit in so beautifully in a world that is so critical? O'NEAL: I just tell people, this is who I am, it's the way I am. And if you don't like me, you don't like me.
ESTEBAN (voice-over): But his customers, they love him.
AUBREY RICHINS, SHOPPER: He's an amazing man and we love him. He's the kind of person that makes your day.
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: We love James!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I really love James.
O'NEAL: Here you go.
ESTEBAN: Every shopper told me the same thing. James is an inspiration.
O'NEAL: Katie, have a great day!
ESTEBAN: And besides that, he's lightning fast on the register.
Katie Kanopp (ph) has put her money where her mouth is.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want to change his life.
ESTEBAN: Katie knows James' insurance won't likely cover all of the costs of difficult and extensive surgeries. So she's launched this web site, asking for donations for reconstructive surgery. Her generous heart tugged on Safeway's Heartstrings. The grocer told the problem solvers, they'll kick in the first $10,000.
CHERIE MYERS, SAFEWAY: James is our employee. He is one of us and we absolutely think the world of him.
O'NEAL: It makes me feel really honored and proud.
ESTEBAN: James has lived with his disability since birth. Like the elephant man he has neurofibromatosis, not elephantiasis. The tumor stopped growing when he stopped growing. Surgery would rid him of the deformity for good.
O'NEAL: Think it's amazing what they want to do for me.
Bye-bye, buddy. Bye, bye.
ESTEBAN: And it's because of what you, James, do for them.
O'NEAL: Have a great day.
ESTEBAN: Michelle Esteban, KOMO 4 news.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Safeway stores in four states plan a three-week fundraising effort to help pay for O'Neal's surgery. COLLINS: Let's go ahead and take a look at the big board, why don't we? DOW Jones Industrial average is up about 66 points there and I'm also told the NASDAQ is up about 22 points. So, some positive numbers, no matter how small they may be.
We'll continue to watch the numbers for you throughout the day.
HARRIS: And again, back to Grand Rapids, Michigan, and a look at -- well, the fire and the smoke associated with this helicopter crash on the top of the hospital there, Spectrum Health.
The pictures provided by a tower cam from WZZM 13's tower cam. It's available there on their web site. Pretty dramatic stuff to say the least. And seeming to at least confirm what we've been reporting, at least bits of it. Kind of a smoky, fiery explosion of that helicopter. That was the reporting from an eyewitness who was in contact with a local affiliate there. Boy, just a dramatic images of the smoke. And clearly, where there is smoke in this case, there is plenty of fire.
This is the scene now. A wider view of the hospital there in Grand Rapids. Again, Spectrum Health, that is Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, Michigan. No reports right now of any injuries. As you can imagine, the fire and police are on the location right now. We will continue to follow the story and see if we can get an update on possible injuries associated with the crash.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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HARRIS: CNN NEWSROOM continues one hour from now, I'm Tony Harris.
COLLINS: And I'm Heidi Collins.
"ISSUE #1" with news on the economy begins after a check of the headlines.
We quickly want to get you to this breaking news we've been following out of Grand Rapids, Michigan. A helicopter there has crashed on the roof of a downtown hospital, Spectrum Health Butterworth. This is some video that came in a while ago from WZZM 13's web cam live tower cam. That we believe obviously, because of the proximity of that smoke, was on top of that hospital. So, some amazing smoke shots there just completely engulfing that area.
As of right now, we don't know much about what may have happened or even what type of helicopter it was. No word on injuries either at this time. But a witness did tell the local newspaper that she saw the helicopter's tail clip that radio tower there, and then spin out of control and burst into flames.
