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Charges Filed in Cross-Country Terror Probe; General Warns More Troops Needed to Succeed in Afghanistan; Atlanta Sees Flooding after Rain; Detective Describes Prior Experience with Escapee; Staggering Toll of Alzheimer's; Telemedicine Gaining Popularity; Where is the Civility?

Aired September 21, 2009 - 13:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Tony, thank you so much. Sounds like a night show.

Three suspects, one major investigation, one low-level charge. But stay tuned: we're pushing on a terror probe that now connects New York, Colorado, and Pakistan. Sources say it's only just beginning.

So much for the drought. Here comes the floods in Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina. Twenty inches of rain since Friday. We're live in the high water.

And if you walk your poodle in Paris, well, don't leave a mess. The bad behavior brigade take as dim look on filth in the City of Light.

Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips, live from New York, and you're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

The war in Afghanistan, we're pushing together on two important stories. Court dates for Afghan nationals accused of lying to the feds, who believe they've uncovered a real-deal terror plot.

And a formerly confidential report from the senior U.S. commander in Afghanistan, a grim assessment of the eight-year fight against the Taliban.

We begin with the terror probe, though, that first came to light a week ago today in the New York boroughs of Queens. It centers on a Colorado man who's suspected of plotting to set off bombs, possibly in a New York transit hub. Najibullah Zazi, along with his father and a New York Muslim cleric, are charged with lying to investigators for now, but more and heavier charges could be coming.

Our coverage beings with CNN's Deborah Feyerick here in New York.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, what we can tell you is that the imam here right now, big question is, is the imam part of a terror plot, as authorities allege, or was the imam trying to help investigators by actually reaching out to these two Denver suspects, as his lawyer says.

Now, the 37-year-old imam leads a mosque in Queens, New York. That's an area with a very large Afghan population. His name is Ahmad Afzali, and he is charged with lying to authorities investigating a plot to donate -- to detonate bombs in the U.S. -- excuse me -- that plot possibly targeting trains and subways. Video of Grand Central Terminal found on the computer of one of the suspects.

Now, authorities say the imam tipped off the Denver -- the Denver suspects. A bad sign, he told them, that they had been picked up so quickly. However, his lawyer says that he was simply reaching out to the Denver suspects because authorities wanted him to.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RON KUBY, AHMAD WAIS AFZALI'S ATTORNEY: The authorities generally requested that the imam find out, any way he can, where Zazi is, where he's been, where he's going, and what he is up to. That's what they wanted him to do. And that made sense, because they thought he was coming to New York for the purpose of carrying out a terrorist attack.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: But police say, otherwise, they say the phone calls make clear that, in fact, what the imam was trying to do was tip them off, give them a warning that, in fact, they were being looked at, even saying that they should not talk about subjects like Afghanistan and Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COMMISSIONER RAY KELLY, NYPD: Mr. Afzali was arrested, because he denied making that telephone call to both Najibullah Zazi and to Mohammad Zazi, when in fact, those phone calls were being recorded based on an authorized eavesdropping warrant given to the FBI.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: Now, according to sources, the imam was identified by employees at a U-Haul office in Queens as one of a group of men who tried to rent a U-Haul truck but was turned away after failing to provide either a credit card or identification, in order to rent the truck in cash.

But the imam's lawyer says not true. It was not him. The hearing is set to get under way by 2 p.m. today, and Mr. Afzali is expected to plead not guilty -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. We'll keep following up with you, Deb. Thanks so much.

Now, Najibullah Zazi and his father, Mohammed, are due in federal court in Denver about 2 1/2 hours from now. Deborah Feyerick updating us on that. That charge against the son stems from his alleged denial that he stored bomb making notes on his laptop. That same laptop investigators searched when the younger Zazi showed up in New York in a rental car more than a week ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) KELLY: The FBI had taken this computer, and mirrored it, had copied it. In essence, put it back in his car. Mr. Naji [SIC] did not know that that happened, apparently. So when he was questioned about whether or not he knew anything about these written notes, and they were shown to him, he denied that knowledge.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Najibullah Zazi was questioned by the FBI for three solid days last week. Investigators say that he admitted getting training in weapons and explosives at an al Qaeda site in Pakistan in 2008. Zazi's lawyer denies it.

We're going to talk more about the probe, the alleged plot, and the suspects later this hour with Clark Kent Ervin, former inspector general at the Homeland Security Department. That's about 20 minutes from now.

Now from the fight against terror at home to the fight against Taliban and Afghanistan. They are two fronts in the same war, and a senior U.S. commander in Afghanistan is warning the fight there could be lost if the U.S. and allies skimp on troops. The warning was meant for the Pentagon and White House only. Instead, it's all over the media now.

And CNN Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence joins me more with details.

Chris, what do you make of this?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, he says in this report that success is still achievable, but as he sees it, the insurgents have now overrun Afghanistan's prisons. They control or contest significant parts of the country. And that if he doesn't get additional resources, he feels the war will drag on, casualties will rise, and there will be a critical loss of political support, all of which adds up, to him, to the two words that no one in the Obama administration wants to hear, and that is mission failure.

General Stanley McChrystal says, "To insert momentum in the near term, meaning in the next year, while Afghan security capacity matures, risks an outcomes where defeating the insurgency is no longer possible" -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, do you think the release of the McChrystal report will speed up the process now, Chris?

LAWRENCE: It could, because there is a definite conflict here, in some ways, between, I think, the Obama administration's time line, based on what the president has said, and this report, which puts more focus on getting these resources quickly.

I spoke with Vice President Biden just a few days ago in Iraq. He very much wanted to take a wait-and-see approach on making this decision.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAWRENCE: Do you think that more troops are needed to win?

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I think that's premature. Look, the president made a decision back in March, setting clearly what our goal was. That is to -- to defeat al Qaeda in that region. And made a significant deployment of resources, civilian and military. They are now only getting in place. They're not all fully in place and deployed.

Secondly, the president said that he would re-evaluate resources after the presidential election. The presidential election is not over yet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAWRENCE: Yes. So there is a definite push and pull there between the administration wanting to wait and General McChrystal seeming to say that he needs this decision rather quickly. Again, these are things that are going -- they have to be hashed out before a decision is made on whether to send more troops and how many -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Chris Lawrence, thanks.

Rain, rain and more rain. That means floods, closed schools and submerged neighborhoods across the south. Right, Chad?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, exactly. We've had rain here now the past nine days.

This started as a storm that just wouldn't move over Arkansas. Arkansas flooded and Dallas flooded. And then it moved into Mississippi and Memphis, then northern -- northern Alabama. And now the last couple of days, this weather has been centered right over Atlanta proper.

And it's really OK when it rains in the -- in the non-developed areas and the water runs off. OK, some of the water runs up. But when you get it into an area like Atlanta, where there is to so much pavement, so many things that don't soak in, so many things that just run off, that has been the problem the past couple of days here in Atlanta. And the flooding now is significant.

From Birmingham back down towards Alabaster, this is another area of rain that may slide into that very same area that picked up all the rain earlier this weekend.

Now, let me show you. This is kind of a hard map to understand. But Atlanta has a big circle around it. We call it the perimeter. Up here in D.C., we call it the beltway. Otherwise, you have an I-75 that goes all the way to Michigan, I-85 that goes all the way on up towards North Carolina and South Carolina, and then I-20 which kind of slides out here to the east, and I-20 slides out to the west.

Well, everywhere to the west of the city, this area here, this white, that's a foot of rain or more in many areas here, almost much more. Almost 20 inches. And then over here in what we call Gwinnett County, that is a foot of rain or more just in the past seven days.

We have our T.J. Holmes on location up in Cobb County, right along the Chattahoochee River.

T.J., I'm looking right at you here. You're on Cochise Road. Is that right?

T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What is it, Teetalon (ph) Road, I believe I'm on over here. And Vinings (ph)...

MYERS: And Vinings (ph).

HOLMES: And Vinings (ph). You're just describing. Again, this is a little west, northwest of downtown Atlanta here.

You've seen -- I mean you've seen some scenes like this around town. This is the road we're talking about, Teetalon (ph), going through Vinings (ph). And you can see us across the other areas here, some barriers have been put up to try keep people from trying to drive through this. This is a road that does go under here.

But everybody's been talking about the Chattahoochee, and this is the issue here, Chad. And we know, this is Atlanta, not a lot of waterfront property right around here.

But if you look through here -- I'll let the photographer give you a shot -- and into these people's back yards, what that is back there, is, in fact, the Chattahoochee River. The river runs through here. This is the best you can do, I guess. It's a waterfront property around Atlanta. So that's great, but you run into the issue, when the river does rise, all of this comes into your back yard, comes into your neighborhood and, literally, this is what you have.

But still look at this house we're giving you a shot at. You can see how it's built up a little bit, a newer home. The couple we talked to just built this home. They haven't even moved into it yet. You thought maybe this could delay them. Maybe they're just upset they got a new home, and now it's been flooded. Well, no. Not the case. There are specifications you have to build your home to in this neighborhood, which lifts it up. They said, literally, you can take a boat and drive it underneath the house, because it's been lifted up in such a way that any water that comes in, it will just get a little concrete wet and no issues.

We've been talking to the couple out here. They actually said -- this is a direct quote, Chad -- "It's kind of fun." Just to see this happen, because they know the house is built to withstand just this kind of thing. So they're not having any issues. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) sure, some inconvenience throughout the neighborhood, but for the most part, these newer homes are lifted up, and they are going to be OK here, Chad.

MYERS: T.J., I looked at that house on the Internet. That lot...

HOLMES: Yes. Yes. MYERS: ... sold three years ago for $900,000. They refinanced it for over 2 million a little -- just a few months ago, and they're laughing about it? That isn't quite the sense of humor that I don't think I would have.

HOLMES: They're smiling because they know the house is OK. They're going to be moving into it, still, in six to eight weeks. They said it's not even delaying them in their move-in.

But again, it's nice to see that the house is doing what it's supposed to do and the way it was built to withstand this kind of stuff and not to take any damage when there is this flood. So I makes them a little peace of mind to know the house that they're about to move into can withstand something like this.

MYERS: Aren't we all happy for the building codes that are now required?

HOLMES: Yes.

MYERS: T.J., thank you very much, buddy. Stay safe out there. Stay out of the water. It is never good to get in that water. I don't want you driving in the water if you're out there. Doesn't matter if you're in Atlanta proper or Alabama or Memphis. You need to stay out of that water and don't drive in it. And because now there's power lines that are still live. You don't know whether that power line is actually feeding power into that water or not. It still could be. You could be in big trouble if you get into that water -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Good advice. We'll keep following up. Thanks, Chad.

MYERS: Sure.

PHILLIPS: You're in the most remote area on earth and suddenly get chest pains. What do you do?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Education and the economy, inextricably linked, especially today. That's President Obama's message to students. And just last hour, he spoke at Hudson Valley Community College in upstate New York. He emphasized one of his biggest education goals. By 2020, he wants the country back at No. 1 with the world's highest proportion of college grads.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our strategy begins where innovation so often does: in the classroom and in the laboratory, and in the networks that connect them to the broader economy. These are the building blocks of innovation: education, infrastructure, research. We know that the nations that out-educate us today will out-compete us tomorrow. The ability of new industries to thrive depends on workers with the knowledge and know-how to contribute in those fields. (END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: And unlike his TV appearances over the weekend, President Obama only briefly mentioned health-care reform, saying we've got to bring down costs, if we want to lead the global economy.

It's an eye-popping stat. Every 12 minutes in the U.S., there's a death link to the lack of health insurance. That's according to Harvard researchers in the "American Journal of Public Health." We're talking about almost 45,000 people every year, and that number is about 2 1/2 times previous estimates. Researchers say that jump likely corresponds to the big spike in the number of uninsured.

And the search is on right now for a man after his wife and five young children were found dead in their home. Naples police say that the 33-year-old may have flown to Haiti. They say he's a person of interest. This is the man. And the victims were discovered Saturday at what police call a horrific scene.

At long last, Shuttle Discovery is expected to return home to Florida today, gritting (ph) -- riding piggyback, rather, on a 747. It's on the last leg of a cross-country flight to Kennedy Space Center. Bad weather forced the shuttle to land in California after ending its mission to the International Space Station.

OK. You're at work. You suffer chest pains. Call an ambulance, right? Well, what if there are no ambulances where you are? What if you're in the most remote corner of the world? It's exactly what happened to an American, working at U.S. scientific base in Antarctica.

The New Zealand air force is evacuating to New Zealand on a 16- hour flight after the man suffered heart problems. He's reportedly in stable condition. We don't know his name or his home town. He worked at the McMurdo Base in Antarctica.

See this guy? Take a look. He's insane. As a matter of fact, he's criminally insane. So why would anybody take him to the county fair on a field trip? This is one trip that's just plain crazy. And guess what happened next?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: An alleged plot to detonate homemade bombs in the United States, it's part of a growing FBI probe centering on a Denver- area airport shuttle driver. Najibullah Zazi is due in court this afternoon, and he flatly denies the charges. But the case is raising fears of another terror attack on U.S. soil.

My next guest pushes forward on that and our other top story, the war in Afghanistan. Clark Kent Ervin is the former inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security. He's currently director of homeland security for the Aspen Institute.

Clark, you know, the three Afghan nationals at the center of this terror probe are in court today. Two are in Denver, one in New York, but they're not facing terrorism charges. What's the deal with that?

CLARK KENT ERVIN, FORMER INSPECTOR GENERAL, DHS: Well, there's this terrific statute, from a counterterrorism perspective, that allows law enforcement authorities to hold people, to arrest them, to convict them, really, simply for lying to federal authorities.

In this case, this will be enough to hold them until such time that additional information can be produced that ties them directly to a terror attack.

PHILLIPS: Do you think what they were doing could have risen to the level of a 9/11?

ERVIN: I don't want to get ahead of the story, but based on everything that I've heard and read, it appears as though that is the case. There are sources that say that this is a serious plot, perhaps the most serious one since 9/11.

And Kyra, it underscores that here we are, eight years after 9/11, and I'm afraid that many Americans and even some people in our own government have become complacent. This underscores the urgency of keeping counterterrorism uppermost in our minds.

PHILLIPS: Yes, and we -- you know, we see how we, you know, pay so much more attention to aviation and to flying. And we've even seen a number of gaps in that system. Now you're looking at these plans with regard to mass transit. Do you think it's going to take a brutal attack for us to finally do what we need to do to protect all of us when it comes to transportation?

ERVIN: Well, that's a superb question, Kyra. I hope, of course, we all hope that the answer to that is no.

But part of our problem as Americans is that we're reactive. We don't get ahead of the curve. And it's amazing that there have been so many attacks against mass transit systems around the world: London, Mumbai, Madrid. It shows that they're very attractive to terrorists, and it also points out the vulnerability of our mass transit stations. And yet, relative to aviation, as you suggest, we've hardly done anything.

PHILLIPS: Well, it's interesting that this is coming out at a time when the fight in Afghanistan is intensifying, and you've got General McChrystal coming out, talking about this report, talking about more troops, less troops, how the Taliban is working with al Qaeda. And it's just -- it's so ironic, because it really underscores, when we see something like this, how we've got to win that fight in Afghanistan.

ERVIN: That's exactly right, Kyra. People wonder: does the fight in Afghanistan matter? And this case shows that it does. These three plotters -- apparent plotters -- were Afghans. And it shows that what goes on in Afghanistan can directly affect the safety and security of Americans right here at home.

PHILLIPS: Clark Kent Ervin, appreciate your insight today. ERVIN: Anytime.

PHILLIPS: All right. More from the CNN NEWSROOM straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: A criminally insane killer on the loose for three whole days in the Spokane, Washington area. He's back in custody now, but how Phillip Paul escaped has us saying "what the..." over and over again.

Get this. The mental institution where he's staying actually took him and other patients on a field trip to the county fair. That's right, the county fair. And Paul, the criminally insane killer, just simply walked away. But, wait, there's more.

Here's Colleen O'Brien from our affiliate, KXLY.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHERIFF OZZIE KNEZOVICH, SPOKANE COUNTY, WASHINGTON: It has been one of the largest manhunts in this region for the last many years.

COLLEEN O'BRIEN, KXLY-TV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): According to Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich, once Paul escaped from the fair on Thursday, he duped a friend into driving himself to Goldendale to stay with his family.

But when his friend learned that Paul was part of a nationwide manhunt, he quickly dropped him and called authorities. They found him on the side of the road. And when deputies approached him, with a helicopter monitoring from the sky, Paul simply said, "I'm done."

KNEZOVICH: He knew that he was -- he had been located. He had been feeling the pressure of the presence of the helicopter all day long. And he surrendered without incident.

O'BRIEN: When they found Paul, he had a red sleeping bag, a guitar, a backpack, and most disturbing, a rusty sickle.

KNEZOVICH: This is a situation that, in my opinion, should not have happened. And I will be asking the state legislature, the governor, and the secretary of the Department of Social and Health Sciences to help us change some laws so this does not happen again.

O'BRIEN: More specifically, Sheriff Knezovich wonders why nobody questioned Paul when he packed a large bag with clothes, money and food, to take to a fair; why the fair had no clue there were Eastern State patients at Family Night; and why security from the hospital waited two hours to notify his department that a patient had escaped.

KNEZOVICH: It was very, very concerned about this -- this situation. There was a lot of fear in the community. People locking their windows. I want the citizens of Spokane County to know tonight they can sleep in peace.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And that was Colleen O'Brien from KXLY reporting. Phillip Paul will go before a judge in the next few days.

Now, if you look back over what Paul is accused of, it just blows your mind that he was even allowed to go on a field trip. In 1987, he was acquitted by reason of insanity for the killing of an elderly woman. He incidentally (ph) soaked her body in gas to throw off the search dogs. He was then diagnosed as a schizophrenic and committed to a mental facility.

Well, joining me now on the phone is Spokane County detective Roger Knight. He's actually the man who captured Paul and, believe it or not, not for the first time. First of all, Detective Knight, why was a criminally insane killer allowed to go on a field trip to a fair?

DETECTIVE ROGER KNIGHT, SPOKANE COUNTY SHERIFF (via telephone): Well, you have to understand that the Spokane County Sheriff's office has no control over patients at Eastern State Hospital. That's a question best directed at the director out there or the director of Eastern's, you know, social services.

PHILLIPS: Well, that's got to drive your nut as a detective. I mean, not only have you had to go after this guy one time, but now twice.

KNIGHT: Yes, that's disturbing.

PHILLIPS: So, take me back to 1991. Apparently, he was on another field trip. And tell me what he did to you and how you captured him.

KNIGHT: He was allowed to wander the grounds of Eastern State Hospital with a buddy. And during that period of time, he left the grounds, and the next morning we located him in a very remote part of Spokane County.

We took him into custody without any problems at all. During the transport down to our jail, we had quite a conversation. He told me quite a bit about himself. Once we arrived at the jail, since he'd been out all night, we made arrangements for the jail to get him some food.

While he was in the holding cell, we were talking. I asked him if he had anything else in his pockets that we needed to remove before he went into the jail. He pulled some coins out of -- a couple coins out of his pocket, and then he punched me in the head. He was a very successful wrestler when he was in high school, and he did a wrestling takedown on me that ended up shattering my soldier. And when I hit the ground I shattered my shoulder and sustained a concussion. The jail's -- the corrections people came out immediately and found him on top of me, beating my head into the concrete.

PHILLIPS: Oh, my gosh. So, Detective Knight, when you heard he escaped again, what was going through your mind? I mean, there you were again, all these years later, going after the same guy.

KNIGHT: Yes, it was -- I was kind of dumbfounded when I heard he was at the fair and that he had been allowed to escape again.

PHILLIPS: Well, apparently, this mental institution is re- evaluating its policy about these field trips. What do you think about that? Probably a pretty good idea, yes?

KNIGHT: Well, I would certainly hope that they would reconsider their policies after this happened.

PHILLIPS: What do you think should happen to him now, Detective?

KNIGHT: Well, he definitely needs to be back at Eastern State and get the right treatment.

PHILLIPS: Well, it's unbelievable you're keeping a very calm, positive attitude about this. Detective Knight, appreciate your insight. It's one of those wild stories we couldn't believe when we read it.

KNIGHT: Well, we had a lot of help in getting him captured. You know, the arrest was with the help of Detective (INAUDIBLE) and Sergeant Bill Beaman (INAUDIBLE). You're driving down the road in a little minivan, and we were in the right place at the right time, and it was just supposed to -- one of those things that was supposed to happen.

PHILLIPS: Roger Knight, thanks for your time. Let's hope no more field trips.

KNIGHT: I certainly hope so.

PHILLIPS: Amen.

Well, a manhunt is under way at this hour right now. The target, a man whose wife and five young children was found dead in their Florida apartment. Police say that 33-year-old Mesac Damas may have boarded a flight to Haiti from Miami. The woman and children were found dead in their Naples home Saturday night.

No word on how they died, but the sheriff calls it, quote, "horrific and violent." The husband has not been named as a suspect but is a person of interest. Police say the couple had a history of domestic violence. Calls to their home over the past decade happened a lot, and they're asking the feds for help in finding him. Here's his picture.

If you're in Paris, you better pick up after your pooch or else. It's just one of the dozens of "good behavior" laws in the city now. And be careful or you could get nabbed by the bad behavior brigade.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING) PHILLIPS: Well, you know, we've been talking about this debate and (INAUDIBLE) to whether to send more United States troops to Afghanistan. Well, there's no debate when it comes to remembering our fallen heroes, the servicemen and -women who have given their lives fighting there.

People like Army Sgt. Andrew H. McConnell, who died September 14th in a bombing attack in southern Afghanistan. The 24-year-old leaves behind his wife, Sarah. The two had just gotten married last December.

And First Lt. David T. Wright III. He died in that same attack. The 26-year-old enlisted in the Army in 2007 and was on his first deployment. And Air Force Staff Sgt. Bryan D. Berky was killed by enemy fire in western Afghanistan on September 12. The 25-year-old had married his high school sweetheart and enlisted a year after graduating.

As we talk about the terror attack in the U.S., the FBI came across it. We're also talking about the war in Afghanistan and how General McChrystal is coming out with his report. Let's just remember that these are three of the 837 U.S. men and women who have given their lives to the war in Afghanistan.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: And three men suspected in an alleged terror plot are due in federal court today. Najibullah Zazi and his 53-year-old father were arrested Saturday in the Denver area. A third man, a Muslim cleric, was arrested in New York. Right now, they're charged with lying to investigators, but more serious charges are expected.

Mother Nature dumping a deadly deluge on the Southeast today. Widespread flooding across the metro Atlanta area is blamed for at least two deaths now, and another person is missing. Torrential rains overnight have ramped up the threat of flash floods. Both victims died after trying to drive their vehicles through flooded roadways.

Protecting your child against the swine flu may be easier than you thought. Doctors say the immune systems of older kids are having a robust reaction to the H1N1 vaccine. That means protection kicks in after just one dose like it does for adults. Kids under 10 still need at least two doses to be safe.

PHILLIPS: A staggering new report just in time for World Alzheimer's Day. More than 35 million people globally have some form of dementia right now. That figure is 10 percent higher than what scientists had expected. Over the next 20 years, the number of victims is expected to double to nearly 66 million and double again 20 years after that. Now, according to the National Institutes of Health, one out of every seven Americans over the age of 70 has dementia.

I want to bring in senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen in Atlanta. Elizabeth, why are we seeing these types of predictions now?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, it's called the aging of America. As baby boomers get older, we're going to be seeing more people who have Alzheimer's disease. And what this report points out is, look, the people taking care of patients with Alzheimer's are families, and they say we need to be doing more to support these families and also need to be doing more to figure out how to prevent Alzheimer's disease from happening in the first place.

PHILLIPS: All right now, as you know, President Obama has been talking a lot about using advanced technology to help overhaul health care. And you've been taking a look at something known as telemedicine. What exactly is that?

COHEN: Right. This is something a little bit different, Kyra. I'm sure you've probably experienced this. You wake up. You just don't feel very well. But you really don't feel like hauling yourself in to see the doctor, and calling to make an appointment and all of that.

So, what we did was, we took a look at a different kind of house call. The doctor will come to you, but in a very modern way.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COHEN (voice-over): You bank online, you shop online. Why can't you get your medical care online? Well, soon the doctor may be coming directly to your living room or my living room.

(on camera): Hi, Dr. Avila.

DR. PATRICIA AVILA, INTERNIST: How may I help you today?

COHEN (voice-over): It's a house call for the 21st century, a pioneering program where doctors see patients online.

(on camera): So, it's $40 for ten minutes. And here we go.

(voice-over): Curious, I asked if I could try it out. I'd been having a minor health problem that's been bugging me for months, but I haven't had the time to go to the doctor to check it out.

(on camera): I have a question about a mole today. I woke up one morning a couple months ago, and I have this kind of funky-looking little red mole on my arm. And I'm a little worried about it.

AVILA: Has the color changed in any way?

COHEN: No, the color's stayed the same.

AVILA: OK. Are the borders round, smooth, or are they irregular?

COHEN: The border's pretty smooth.

(voice-over): Around the clock, whenever they want, patients who belong to this health care system in Hawaii can dial up a doctor like Dr. Patricia Avila. She's an internist, but you can also get a pediatrician or a dermatologist or any other specialist.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Say "aah" for us.

COHEN: It's part of the latest trend in telemedicine. In Houston, patients can pop in to a Wal-Mart to see a doctor via video. Opponents say it's impersonal. Supporters say telemedicine makes doctors more available and saves money.

(on camera): Is this the future?

AVILA: I think for me, as a physician, this has been an excellent tool because it gives my patients a chance to log on to me at their own convenience.

COHEN (voice-over): It's the type of idea the president says could help solve the health care crisis.

OBAMA: Our recovery plan will invest in electronic health records and new technology that will reduce errors, bring down costs, ensure privacy and save lives.

COHEN: Back to my suspicious mole. The verdict is in.

AVILA: I would like to you monitor your moles on a monthly basis.

COHEN: There are limits to this online doctoring. Doctor Avila tells me if my mole changes at all, I really need to see a doctor in person. But in the meantime, at least I've had my nagging health question answered without having to leave my home.

(on camera): Bye, Dr. Avila. Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: So, Elizabeth, give us a sense of what this is good for.

COHEN: Right. Dermatological problems are probably a good example. You can visualize them easy on the camera. The doctor can see them really well. So, that would be where it's useful. Now, if a doctor needs to let's say feel your glands to see if they're swollen, then telemedicine wouldn't necessarily work as well.

PHILLIPS: And so, where is this being used right now?

COHEN: It's being used right now in Hawaii, as a lot of people live in remote areas and might have trouble getting to a doctor. So, that's an ideal place to use it. They're using telemedicine on oil rigs because, you know, patients are out there on the rigs. They're using them in prisons where prisoners might not have easy access to a doctor. But they're sort of thinking that this may become more mainstream, and the rest of us may have access to telemedicine in the coming years. PHILLIPS: So, what are you going to do with that mole that you got checked out? You going to follow up there, young lady?

COHEN: That's right. I certainly -- I'm going to do exactly what she said, keep an eye on it and see if it changes.

PHILLIPS: OK. I have many good friends that are dermatologists, and that's the one thing they're always telling me, watch all those moles, spots, freckles.

COHEN: They are right.

PHILLLIPS: That's right. Elizabeth, that was interesting. Thank you so much.

COHEN: Thanks.

PHILLIPS: All right.

Well, straight ahead, she thought that it was -- well, be a breath of fresh air. It's an assignment that really got her students fired up about writing. Well, it also got parents pretty fired up, too. And you won't believe the essay topic. A serious "What the...?" coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: So, when was the last time you went streaking? Come on, be honest. I wish I could take a shot of our control room right now. I'd love to ask my director that. But don't think about doing it in China, OK, where a government campaign is cracking down on the crackpots. More now from our Miss Manners, Emily Chang in Beijing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EMILY CHANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Emily Chang at a bus stop in Beijing, where the local government has painted these lines on the ground instructing people on where to stand in line. It's all part of a campaign that started ahead of the Olympics to civilize this city in anticipation of foreign visitors. Pamphlets like these were dropped across town encouraging residents to mind their manners.

For example, don't take your clothes off when it's hot. And when eating in public, don't cough or burp, and if they do, say "excuse me." Since the Olympics, some say many Chinese have let their manners slide. But efforts to improve bad behavior are now spreading across China to Guangzhou in the south, for example, where citizens are going door to door asking people not to spit or talk loudly in public, not to cut in line. They're picking up cigarette butts and helping direct traffic .

Guangzhou has long had a bad reputation for being polluted and a little bit rough around the edges. Now, they're competing for China's Civilized City award. It's considered a very prestigious honor for local governments.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: All right, well, while we're on the topic of bad behavior, let's go ahead and head over to France. That's where the mayor of Paris is taking action as well. Better think twice before leaving your pup's business on the ground or possibly dropping trou and, you know, relieving yourself in public, maybe tossing your garbage on the street. That's another one. Well, these are just a few of the violations under the city's 60 tidiness laws, making sure that you obey the Bad Behavior Brigade.

Just can't make this stuff up. If you get caught, by the way, they could hit you with a pretty hefty fine.

Well, some stories that we're pushing forward next hour, semper fi, semper fake. A Marine's court-martialed for fabricating combat experience, injuries and medals. How he allegedly took advantage of perks meant for real wounded warriors. It's an outrage story we'll have for you next hour.

Plus, small business folks trying to drive Detroit's economic recovery. We're going to meet one lady who really hopes she's barking up the right tree with her new doggy day care.

Well, a big "fail" for a New Hampshire teacher. Yes, capital F, F minus-minus. She had been disciplined for an extremely inappropriate topic that she asked her high school students to write about. Apparently, this lady wanted to grab the kids' interest for a creative writing assignment. You know, kind of motivate them.

Well, she motivated the parents instead, sparking lots of calls to the school with this essay question: "If you knock your brother down, would you urinate in his mouth?"

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACK ROBERTSON, SUPERINTENDENT, GOVERNOR WENTWORTH REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT: While on the one hand, I appreciate her interest in trying to get kids to write, there are other topics, and there are more appropriate prompts that can be used that would create that same kind of interest.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: That's an understatement of the year. The superintendent says that this teacher's got a good record up to now. No word on why she chose that topic. A supervisor will monitor her assignments, we're told, for the foreseeable future.

Chronic depression with a touch of narcissism. That diagnosis may reveal something about the way we treat one another. Don't get mad. Just stay tuned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, you've seen the rants, the shouted outbursts, the tea party protests. What's happened to American civility, and why is John Q. Public so ticked off?

Our Carol Costello goes behind the headlines to get a sense of what's causing all the anger.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, I asked a psychiatrist, if America was your patient, what would be the diagnosis? She said, chronic depression, anxiety, with a dash of narcissism.

I wondered if she was right, so I went to western, Pennsylvania. You decide.

(voice-over): The Gateway Gators versus the Latrobe Wildcats on a cool western Pennsylvania night. What can be more American?

(CHEERING)

But even here, where love of a game unites us, is the fear America is being torn apart.

CAROLYN MURRAY, REPUBLICAN: I just hate to see the name-calling and the innuendoes and the digs at everybody. And I think we need to get together. We need to work and have some compassion and understanding.

COSTELLO (on camera): You have tears in your eyes.

MURRAY: I do! I love America.

COSTELLO (voice-over): But Carolyn Murray's wish isn't likely to be granted.

CHRIS WESLING, CONSERVATIVE: America's angry. Everybody I talked to is angry.

COSTELLO: It's buffalo wing night at the Kecksburg fire hall in Pennsylvania.

COSTELLO (on camera): Do you think that the anger, Janet, is just about health care, or is health care just a symptom of a bigger...

JANET REED, DEMOCRAT: Yes. It's the bailout, it's the stimulus, it's the health thing. Why don't we have a vote on so many things that's going on in the country?

COSTELLO: So, is it that people feel powerless?

REED: Yes, very powerless.

COSTELLO (voice-over): Middle America is still bleeding jobs. Janet feels her middle-class way of life is over.

REED: Somebody has to bring us back to where we was 40 years ago. COSTELLO: Chris Wesling owns a trucking company.

WESLING: What we really need in Washington is common sense. You've got too many people that have their own agendas, and they don't care about us, the people.

COSTELLO: And, they say, that's led to an "every man for himself" mentality.

DR. GAIL SALTZ, PSYCHIATRIST: We are, you know, not in the decades of nationalism, patriotism, community-minded. We have moved -- the pendulum has swung to the individual.

COSTELLO (on camera): Whatever happened to ask not...

JOHN F. KENNEDY, THEN-PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody thinks about that.

COSTELLO: Why?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ask the politicians.

COSTELLO: Erwin Polanski (ph), who's retired, has embraced individualism. He says all the shouting is cathartic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If it makes you feel better, yes.

COSTELLO: Really? So, it's OK to call someone a liar or for someone to call...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. If he is a liar, yes, call him one.

COSTELLO: Or a racist?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Call him one.

COSTELLO: Even if he is the president of the United States?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Call him one. If that's -- you call it as you see it.

COSTELLO: But some in Pennsylvania fear that attitude.

LEON MCCRAY, DEMOCRAT: Well, when people are angry and people feel powerless, at some point people will strike out and take action.

COSTELLO: The McCrays are retired, Leon from the post office.

COSTELLO (on camera): Do you fear there'll be violence?

MCCRAY: Sure. When you hear phrases like "Taking America back," taking America back to where? I'm 81 years old. I don't want to see America go back to what I saw. COSTELLO (voice-over): Back at Gateway high school, many do yearn for the past, for the part in our history where love of country also meant compassion for one another.

(on camera): This is just a snapshot of what one part of the country is feeling, but I leave you with this from Ronald Reagan's second inaugural address. He said, "We look forward to a world rich in possibilities, and all this because we have worked and acted together, not as members of political parties, but as Americans" -- Kyra.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Carol Costello, thanks so much.