Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

President Obama at the U.N.; Gadhafi Not Welcome; Extending Jobless Benefits; More Terror Arrests Expected; Debating Health Care Amendments; Iranian Americans Speaking Out; Flood Relief in Hard-Hit Georgia; Gang Raids in Los Angeles

Aired September 23, 2009 - 09:00   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Addressing global problems while the world watches. Next hour President Obama speaks before the U.S. General Assembly and we will have it live.

And new hope for American hikers held for 53 days. Iran's president says he'll ask judges for maximum leniency.

And blood orange sky. A dust storm put the city in a shroud.

Good morning, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. It is Wednesday, September 23rd and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

An awful lot to get to this morning. In fact, let's give you a walk-through now of our correspondents are working on.

Suzanne Malveaux is in New York, as you see here, is in New York this morning. She is going to be handling President Obama and his very first address to the general assembly of the United Nations. The world will be listening. It's coming up next hour.

Also Mary Snow is outside U.N. headquarters where as you can see protesters have gathered. They are sending their own message. Will people listen to that? They are railing about this morning's speech by Libya's leader and what they say is his intrusion into a New York suburb.

Also Rob Marciano, who you see there, is still following the deadly flooding in the southeast. The flood waters are receding but the death toll is rising.

We begin this hour with President Obama's speech at the United Nations. When he takes the stage next hour he's expected to reach out to world leaders and to call on them to do the very same.

White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux joining us now from New York this morning. So, Suzanne, what exactly is his expected message here today?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, it really is all about engagement. That is what the president is going to talk about. Obviously, there's a lot of speculation about who is going to run into whom. We know that the president is going to be addressing the general assembly right after him the Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi will who be speaking as well. And who knows in the audience perhaps Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. There's going to be some cordial exchanges but we expect that most of these leaders are -- they're going to keep their distance from one another.

But the main point here, the main focus is that the president is really leaving what many leaders saw as a unilateral approach, a go- it-alone approach from the former President Bush and that it is going to President Obama who's going to call on world leaders to come together, that there's going to be a sense of listening, a sense of community, but also a greater sense of expectation.

We have some excerpts that the White House released in part of his speech. I want to read part of this here. He talks about groundwork for progress saying, "Make no mistake, this cannot be solely America's endeavor. Those who used to chastise America for acting alone in this world cannot now stand by and wait for America to solve the world's problems alone. We have sought in word and deed new era of engagement with the world. Now is the time for all of us to take share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges."

The main message here, Heidi, is that yes, there are going to be new expectations, there's going to be a new sense of engagement but there is also going to be a renewed sense of responsibility. That is what is going to be coming from the president today, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes. All right, well, we'll be listening for that. Obviously. We will have also live coverage of President Obama's speech. It is scheduled to get under way at the top of the hour.

Suzanne Malveaux, thanks so much for that.

Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi is due to speak right after President Obama, as Suzanne just mentioned, but already he is facing a firestorm in the New York suburbs. The town of Bedford, New York is demanding the removal of his tent on a leased estate. You see it there.

The tent is apparently part of a planned gathering there. Town officials say it violates zoning and land use laws but others say Gadhafi's long-standing ties to terrorism make him unwelcome under any circumstances.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDY SPANO, WESTCHESTER COUNTY EXECUTIVE: He's not welcome here. This guy's a terrorist. He's maimed and killed innocent people. He really doesn't belong here, let alone in Westchester in the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Here's a look now at the tense history the U.S. has with Libya. In 1981 U.S. fighter jets shoot down two Libyan jets over the disputed Gulf of Sidra. In 1986 President Reagan orders air strikes on Libyan targets in the wake of terrorism bombing in West Berlin. Two American servicemen are killed in that blast.

In 1998, seven years after the attack on Pan Am Flight 103, Libya hands over the suspects to authorities in Scotland. 2003, Libya agrees to pay $2.7 billion to the families of the Lockerbie victims.

2004, the U.S. resumes diplomatic ties to Libya. But just last month Gadhafi welcomed back one of the Lockerbie bombers with a celebration. Libya says it was a traditional tribal greeting and not meant as a hero's ceremony.

When Moammar Gadhafi takes the stage, he'll be competing with protesters gathered outside the U.N. headquarters. In fact, let's get a check on that very latest from the scene now and CNN's Mary Snow.

Mary, how do things look out there?

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Protesters have gathered across the street. Just to give you a sense who's out here. We have protesters from Lebanon who are protesting about a missing imam. We also have expatriates from Libya. And also joining them are some of the American families who (INAUDIBLE) victims died in Pan Am flight 103 in 1988.

And they've been gathering here this morning. What you can't see -- we'll just give you a shot here, just a short distance away, a dueling event, if you will. A stage set up saying "Welcome, Moammar Gadhafi." And you see school children dancing and performing on a stage. Right around the corner is the Libyan Mission.

So that is part of the scene that has been taking place here this morning. And among these protesters, as I mentioned, are some of the American families of the victims of Pan Am Flight 103 who say they have really had their anger re-ignited after you mentioned the convicted bomber in Pan Am Flight 103 was released about a month ago, and received that hero's welcome.

Some of these people have said they never anticipated more than 20 years after that bombing that they would still be this organized being out on the streets protesting. But they had say they have come together to protest Moammar Gadhafi's presence in the U.S. and his address to the U.N. Heidi?

COLLINS: Well, Mary, wasn't just a tent in suburban New York that caused all that outrage then behind you, correct?

SNOW: Yes. He is -- I'm having a little trouble hearing but, you know, he's had a tough time in New York finding options of where to stay. You saw the whole outrage in the suburban community of Bedford, New York.

You know, he had tried to pitch a tent in Central Park. That was rejected a few weeks ago. There were protests in Englewood, New Jersey. He -- where he tried to stay there. That plan also rejected. We talked to a realtor and a developer who say they rejected plans to have this Libyan leader stay in townhouses in Manhattan, one in the Bronx. So certainly a lot of emotion and tensions have been very high about where he would stay here in New York.

COLLINS: Understood. All right, Mary, it's getting kind of loud there as usual when we bring our cameras up. So the protesters behind you there right outside of the U.N. headquarters. We will continue to follow the story, obviously, right here on CNN.

Mary, thanks.

The controversial leader, the large tent, this really isn't your typical neighborhood uproar. We want to you know -- want to know actually what you think about Moammar Gadhafi's visit. Just go ahead and head to my blog, CNN.com/heidi. You can read a little bit about the story and what's happening at the U.N. today, and then go ahead and post your comments there. We'll share some of them with you a little bit later on today.

Moammar Gadhafi isn't the only one whose appearance at the U.N. General Assembly is controversial. Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is set to address the assembly this evening. He says while the nuclear issue is not on his agenda, he will not avoid or prevent a discussion on the topic.

We'll have more on that story at the bottom of the hour.

Now to the deadly flooding in the Southeast. People in north Georgia are hoping a second dry day will help stagnant waters move out so they can return to their homes and start cleaning up the mess.

CNN's Rob Marciano is joining us now live from the Atlanta suburb of Austell with the latest on the effects of this historic rainfall.

Rob, you were in the general vicinity of where you are today yesterday. What's the comparison now one day later?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, we got to this spot yesterday, late in the afternoon and evening. And if I were standing in this spot it would easily sweep me over the bridge and downstream. The waters have receded quite a bit in the last 12 to 24 hours.

That's certainly the encouraging part. What's not so encouraging is what's left behind. There's still some washed out roadway down there beyond this bridge and torn up asphalt and sidewalk and all sorts of stuff here on this bridge. So road damage certainly is a problem.

But also now that the floodwaters are receding what people have to go through who actually live in these flood-damaged homes. We caught up with a couple of folks yesterday, a family who's picking up the pieces from the matriarch of their family, her home after 50 years being flooded. This is what her son showed me and had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID MILLER, AUSTELL, GEORGIA RESIDENT: I didn't know it was this bad. The last -- she's been living here since '57. The water never -- it came up to the back of the house twice. Since '57.

MARCIANO (on camera): Never this bad.

MILLER: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: That particular family has gone through a number of tragedies in the last 10 years. They actually had two homes burned down. And now the 88-year-old mother of the family, seeing her home flooded.

Here's where Sweetwater Creek is right now. Not looking too sweet. Pretty muddy actually. I talked to the mayor yesterday. He explained to me why Austell is one of the areas that gets flooded so badly. It just kind of flattens out once it gets here.

It goes from dropping 10 feet per mile to only one foot per mile. And this area is susceptible. He think -- he's going out with assessment teams today and he thinks we might find 500 to 600 homes that may very well be damaged.

Check out some of these freight containers.

COLLINS: Wow.

MARCIANO: My goodness. Floating down the river and slamming up against this bridge. Talk about freight, talk about travel, talk about transport. Yesterday, just to get to this spot from about, I don't know, four or five miles -- by the way the crow fight took us four hours, Heidi.

Check out some of this video of I-20 being shut down. Imagine all of that traffic not only just personal vehicles but commercial vehicles, truckers that need to get through to where they are going.

COLLINS: Yes.

MARCIANO: I stopped by and talked to one trucker. And this is what he had to say about his day on the job.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some days it just doesn't pay to try and make a buck. I get paid by the mile. Can you imagine?

MARCIANO: You're not doing too good in the productivity today.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I started out in Tallapoosa, exit 5. That was like 11:30 this morning. You see where I am by now.

MARCIANO: Not a whole lot of money right there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. No. I'm losing money.

MARCIANO: Good luck. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But hey, I'll tell you, my heart goes out to the people that lost more than money. That must have been awful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: And that sentiment certainly rings around the north central Georgia area, Heidi. As you know, good news today is no that dry weather finally in the forecast for at least a couple of days. And these waters are quickly going down but still a lot of flooding issues and still a lot of roadways that are closed down and traffic still a huge issue today and probably going forward.

COLLINS: Yes. No question about that. All right, Rob Marciano, sure do appreciate that from the Austell area in Georgia.

Jacqui Jeras joining us now from the severe weather center to talk a little bit more about just that, Jacqui, because everybody wants to know what is in store by way of the forecast.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, overall things look pretty good today, Heidi. In fact, I think we're going to hold off on those rain chances. I couldn't rule out an isolated thundershower somewhere across north Georgia. We think most of that is going to stay off to the west.

The next two days, and as we head into the rest of the work week, you know, maybe a 30 percent chance at best. And then this weekend we have a very significant chance of getting some of those heavier rains back in the northern Georgia. Of course, not expecting, you know, another foot of rain but we could pick up an inch or two.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: The fire, snow, and flooding. That's quite a mix.

JERAS: What else could we add in? I'm not sure.

COLLINS: I don't know.

(LAUGHTER)

I don't know. All right, another busy morning in the weather center. We'll check back later, Jacqui. Thank you.

We are also following some breaking news out of Chicago want to go get to now. Police there are negotiating with a gunman at a VA hospital. About seven hours ago a man apparently walked into the hospital lobby and fired a shot into the ceiling. He then barricaded himself inside the emergency room.

No one has been injured and the rest of the hospital has not been evacuated. We are watching this scene for you and of course we'll let you know when we get any new developments.

A bill to extend jobless benefits has passed one chamber of Congress and is on to another. We'll tell you who would be helped. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: There is some hope today for more than a million Americans whose jobless benefits may be running out.

CNN's Christine Romans is joining us now to talk about an extension that is working its way through Congress.

So, Christine, this is a pretty good one if it makes it all the way through.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It passed the House, right, and the Senate, Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, says that indeed that they'll take this up as quickly as they can.

This would affect 314,000 people, Heidi, whose unemployment benefits would expire at the end of this month. Another million people expected to have their unemployment benefits expire by the end of the year, and as you know it's very difficult to get a job, so people are rolling off their benefits and there aren't jobs out there for them.

A lot of people are out of work six months or longer and in fact, you know, only a little over half of the people who have been unemployed -- getting jobless benefits for six months actually end up finding a job.

These are the high-unemployment states. These are the states that would qualify for another extension. It would be the third extension. These are states with an unemployment rate above 8.5 percent.

When you file for unemployment benefits, initially you get 26 weeks of unemployment benefits. Right now the average check is about $270 a week. It's not as good as probably what you were making on the job but it's better than nothing. And a lot of families are really using this to get by.

Now we have, because of a couple of extensions up to 79 weeks people are able to get unemployment benefits. And this would extend it, I think, to 92 weeks. I mean think of that. This is a big powerful economy. And we're just not creating the job opportunities for everybody right now.

COLLINS: Yes. A bit of a relief, though, for Bank of America customers on overdraft fees to talk about here, too. Everybody's really trying to obviously hang on to every dime that they can right now.

ROMANS: Absolutely. And as you know, people are really having to rely on their credit cards and of course their debit cards. We've been telling you how it's so good to use a debit card instead so you can't run up all of these late fees and the like, but overdraft charges on these debit cards are expected to total $38.5 billion this year. And there's been an outcry from consumers and from Congress. And it's not just fair to be hitting people with overdraft charges in a debit card maybe four, five, six times a day. Bank of America says that it's going to ratchet back some of these fees that it's been charging that have been really, really drawing a lot of fire from consumer groups.

They are not going to charge fees if you are overdrawn by less than $10 a day. No fees on more than four items per day that you're overdrawn on and they're going to put an annual limit on the number of possible overdrafts.

You know this might sound altruistic but Congress is pushing forward to stop some of these practices, some would say shenanigans that many of the credit card companies do, the banks do.

You know a lot of times you might not even know it but you already signed up automatically for overdraft protection. So if you happen to go over your limit on your debit card, boom, you can be hit like that.

COLLINS: Yes.

ROMANS: With fees up to $38. It's pretty remarkable. I mean think about, you buy a coffee and you can owe 40 bucks just like that.

COLLINS: Yes. Yes, yes, yes. Not worth it, obviously. All right. Everybody should be watching those bills very, very closely.

ROMANS: Absolutely. Yes.

COLLINS: Christine Romans, thank you.

ROMANS: Sure.

COLLINS: I want to get you caught up on our top stories right now. We are awaiting President Obama's address to the United Nations General Assembly this morning. He is scheduled to speak at the top of the hour. We're going to bring that to you live when it happens.

The president is expected to talk about the direction of U.S. foreign policy.

Investigators in California say they found no evidence linking Phillip Garrido to two other disappearances but they say they haven't eliminated him as a suspect. Police say a bone fragment found in his yard is too old to help the investigation. Garrido is charged in connection to the kidnapping of Jaycee Dugard.

U.S. border agents fired at three vans trying to speed into the U.S. near San Diego, California. Three people were injured. Seventy- four undocumented immigrants who were stuffed in the vans were taken into federal custody. The incident shut down the nation's busiest border crossing for about four hours.

An alleged plot to detonate bombs here in the United States. Federal authorities are tracking potential terrorists.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: An update now on a developing story that we're following this morning. More arrests are expected in a wide ranging terror investigation stretching from Denver to New York. Still a lot of questions this is morning about the alleged plot to set off bombs in the United States.

CNN's Deb Feyerick has the report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A source with knowledge of the investigation said the Joint Terrorism Task Force is focusing on about a dozen people suspected of involvement in a plot to detonate home-made bombs.

The possible targets, trains and subways. The sources say video of Grand Central Station was found on a laptop belonging to 24-year- old Najibullah Zazi, now charged with making false statements to federal investigators.

Zazi used to live in Queens before moving to Denver. But in 2008, he spent several months in Pakistan. He said he was seeing his wife there. But federal investigators say Zazi has admitted he attended an al Qaeda camp and received explosives training.

On September 9th, investigators say Zazi left Denver in a rental car and drove 1,700 miles to New York.

(on camera): According to various sources and the criminal complaint, the same day Najibullah Zazi left Denver for New York a group of Afghan men came here to this U-Haul facility in Flushing, Queens. A source familiar with the investigation says the men wanted to rent a large 25-foot U-Haul. But when they wanted to pay cash and failed to produce the proper identification the manager says he turned them away.

(voice-over): Was it a coincidence or was there a connection? A source tells CNN authorities began to fear the men were getting ready to move a large quantity of bomb-making material.

PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: When you add up all those dots it sort of makes a constellation that looks a little bit more worse than many of the plots we've seen in the past.

FEYERICK: Hoping to get information on Zazi, NYPD detectives reached out to an imam they knew from New York's largest Afghan mosque. According to the official complaint the imam called Zazi, but rather than help authorities say the imam warned Zazi he was being watched, a claim the imam's lawyer denies.

The top priority now, a source tells CNN, is finding out whether suspects have a stash of chemicals for making explosives. Investigators have been scouring the Queens area of New York, questioning employees at storage facilities and places that sell chemicals.

(on camera): This is one of the storage facilities visited by police and FBI agents a few days ago. A manager tells CNN he was shown photographs of several men. But it wasn't until later when he was watching the new that he recognized one of them as the Imam Ahmad Afzali.

(voice-over): Now he, like Zazi and his father, is under arrest. Also charged with making false statements. Sources familiar with the investigation say more arrests and charges may follow but for now, when and where any attack was supposed to take place remains a mystery.

Deborah Feyerick, CNN, Queens, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Protesting in a new way. Iranians in America speaking out appearing on this human screen. Demonstrating on behalf of people back home who cannot protest freely themselves.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: A big day on Wall Street. The Federal Reserve will make a decision on interest rates. The opening bell there, just a couple of seconds ago after a look at what to expect today.

And let's get to Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange. Good morning to you Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.

Well, the three major averages closed at the highs for the year going into today. Fed decision day and we're adding to it modestly in the first few seconds of trading. The Central Bank almost certain to hold its key rate steady, near zero. But many recent report shows the economy is healing and the Fed Chief himself said last week that the recession is likely over.

So Wall Street will be paying close attention to the statement looking for clues about future actions. It needs to strike a balance between continuing to support an economy that is still very weak and prevent inflation from getting out of hand from all of this stimulus.

Speaking of recovery signs, GM says its adding shifts at three assembly plants. The move will add 2,400 workers in Michigan, Indiana and Kansas. GM trying to restore dealer inventories following the "Cash for Clunkers" sales boom.

And finally, consumers don't need a stimulus to stock up on Wheaties and Cheerios. General Mills says its quarterly profits surged more than 50 percent. It raised its full year earnings outlook overall. Consumer product companies have fared better in this recession because well, their products are deemed (ph) not as -- not as luxuries but as necessities. Also helping General Mills, new high fiber soups and Heidi, listen to this, gluten-free cookies... COLLINS: All right.

LISOVICZ: ... and brownie mixes. They also have a gluten-free line of Chex (ph) snacks.

COLLINS: I know we have them all.

LISOVICZ: It tastes good too.

COLLINS: OK.

LISOVICZ: ... there you go, adding, adding to the profits. And actually, General Mills shares right now are up four percent. Overall we're seeing some gains of the three major averages.

COLLINS: Great.

LISOVICZ: A nice start to the day.

COLLINS: Great, we're going to call you back when it goes above 10,000 too. Susan, thank you very much.

LISOVICZ: I'll be here.

COLLINS: All right. One bill, 500-plus amendments: Is it any wonder why health care reform is taking so long in the Senate, probably not? Congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar is joining us now live from Capitol Hill with more on this.

So Brianna, what exactly is going to be happening today? Boy, that's a lot of paperwork in your lap.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A lot of paper works. These are all of those amendments, all 564 of those amendments with really a lot of language that explains it, because it's pretty detailed stuff, Heidi.

But a marathon session yesterday, back at it today. 12 hours yesterday that the Senate Finance Committee -- and they're about to get under way here -- 12 hours they spent yesterday, basically debating, doing their opening statements. There's going to be more debate today.

I got to tell you even -- at least one senator fell asleep yesterday.

I believe they are just coming to order, in fact. So here they do get under way, Heidi. But you know, it's interesting, yesterday of these 564 amendments they voted actually only on one of them.

COLLINS: No.

KEILAR: Now, to the committee's credit -- yes only one -- to the committee's credit they did debate a couple dozen other amendments they are expected to vote on those today. But here during these first couple of days of this mark-up as we call it where the committee goes through the bill and they are essentially marking it up as they make changes, they're really dealing with how patients get their health care, not their health insurance, which is the more controversial topic.

So we're expecting those amendments on the public option as well as that sticky subject of how you pay for this. Remember, this bill pays for the health care overhaul through fees on the health care industry as well as of course on taxing those high-end (INAUDIBLE) plans.

COLLINS: Yes.

KEILAR: And we're expecting those topics here in the coming days -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Wow. I mean, I don't know if you put that pile of paperwork on a scale or not to see how much it weighs, but I mean, as you said, there's hundreds of amendments. They apparently only got through one yesterday. Is there any chance they get through them all this week?

KEILAR: Senator Baucus, that is his goal, he's hoping to get through it by the end of the week. Certainly the weekend is a possibility here.

Some people doubt, Heidi, that they'll be able to get through this by the end of the week. But if yesterday is any indication they're going to be working very long hours and essentially just breaking for lunch and dinner.

COLLINS: Yes, yes probably and very short lunch and dinner as well. All right, Brianna Keilar, our Congressional correspondent I sure do appreciate that wading through all of the paperwork.

Massachusetts clearing the way to replace Senator Ted Kennedy: State lawmakers pass a bill to let the governor Duval Patrick name a temporary replacement. So that person would serve until a special election that would take place in January.

The White House backs the idea; it wants Democrats to keep that 60-seat majority, of course, in the Senate to hold-off a filibuster over health care later this fall. Senator Kennedy as you know died last month.

At the top of the hour, President Obama is due to deliver his first address to the U.N. General Assembly. He is expected to say the U.S. will show a new spirit of cooperation on global problems.

And he will call on other world leaders to reach out as well.

You're looking at live pictures right there inside the U.N. Headquarters, we're watching President of Federative Republic of Brazil, the president is expected to speak after him. So again, we will bring it to you live just as soon as it happens. The Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is one of the world leaders speaking as well today at the U.N. and many Iranian Americans are not happy about it. They're protesting his visit to New York.

CNN's Allan Chernoff introduces us to one Iranian who plans to speak out against Iran's disputed June election and civil unrest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Saharnaz Samaenejad is filled with heartache checking her Facebook account and reading messages from home in Iran, here are her friends Medi, Ali and Fatima (ph). Saharnaz fears they were all arrested last week in Tehran amid the protests against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

SAHARNAZ SAMAENEJAD, IRANIAN STUDENT: My friends are upset in torturing and I am thinking of them every day and night. In a sentence I just feel very sad for them. And I think that we have to do whatever we can to help us get out of the prison.

CHERNOFF: Now Saharnaz says it is her time to speak out. Her time to stand against President Ahmadinejad who she suspects stole this summer's presidential election from challenger Mir Hussein Mousavi.

SAMAENEJAD: I am the voice of my friends. And I got a lot of messages, e-mails and Facebook and everywhere and they just ask us that go there. And I want to just go out and tell Ahmadinejad that be afraid, be afraid. We are all united.

CHERNOFF: Twenty-four-year-old Saharnaz wears her political allegiance on her wrist, the bright green of Iran's opposition. She has lived in the U.S. for just a year. She's a visiting student at New York University studying Middle Eastern affairs. But American history now is providing inspiration for her.

Rosie the Riveter watches over her Brooklyn apartment.

SAMAENEJAD: We're the children of reform in Iran and we want the reform from within and we're asking for our civil liberty and not anything else.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Allan Chernoff is joining us now from New York with a little bit more on this. Allan, what do we expect to see today? We're hearing 5,000 to 10,000 protesters could be bussed in.

CHERNOFF: People are being bussed in from across the country from Canada as well. Iranian-Americans feel obviously very strongly about the situation. Not only the election, the repression, but also alleged human rights abuses. And that will be the focus today.

We're going to have at least two separate major rallies, one beginning about noon time outside of the Iranian mission. They will then march to the Doug Hamishville (ph) Plaza where another rally will begin also around noon time. And that of course is right across from the United Nations.

So as you can see, a very, very...

COLLINS: Yes.

CHERNOFF: ... emotional day for many Iranians who are here in the United States right now.

COLLINS: Yes, certainly. All right, Allan Chernoff, thanks so much for that.

General David Petraeus is in Washington today to talk about what's going on in Afghanistan. He is scheduled to speak about counterinsurgency tactics during his speech at the National Press Club this afternoon.

But we don't know if he'll weigh in on the classified assessment by General Stanley McChrystal saying more troops are needed. Petraeus is McChrystal's boss, of course, and some in Congress are calling on both generals now to testify on Capitol Hill. We'll stay on top of that one for you.

In our top stories now a Honduran journalist says his country is paralyzed over a presidential standoff. Despite a curfew yesterday supporters of the ousted president Jose Manuel Zelaya fought with police outside the Brazilian Embassy. Zelaya remains holed up inside the embassy with just a few followers. Brazil is calling on the U.N. to guarantee the compound's safety.

In a small Illinois town where people don't lock their doors residents are now being told to be on alert for a homicide suspect. Five family members, the parents and three children, were found dead in their home Monday. One survivor, a 3-year-old girl, is still in the hospital.

Some of the evacuation orders are being lifted this morning for residents of Ventura County, California. The wild fire there has destroyed 8,500 acres so far. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in that area.

Emergency officials ordered evacuations for hundreds of homes, workers at oil fields near the fire are being told to be ready to shutdown pipelines if the fires get too close.

Backing up allegations of racism, a human rights panel says a Pennsylvania swim club was wrong when they said a group of minority children had to leave.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: His political career ended in disgrace. Now former Congressman Mark Foley has a new gig on talk radio, his evening show, "Inside the Mind of Mark Foley" is now on WSVU in Florida. It's about politics of course but that's not Foley's only focus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MARK FOLEY, FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE: It my example of at least being back in town, working in business, being on radio, gives somebody the glimmer of hope that despite a painful chapter in your life there's still that forward thinking hope. Maybe we've done a good thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The Florida Republican resigned three years ago after sending lewd e-mails and instant messages to underage male pages.

The wife of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford has a book deal. Jenny Sanford's memoir is to be published in May. Ballantine Books says Sanford will write about maintaining integrity and a sense of self during difficult times. In June Mark Sanford acknowledged a year-long affair with an Argentine woman. Jenny Sanford moved out of the governor's mansion but the couple has said they are trying to repair their marriage.

A Philadelphia area private swim club now faces a hefty fine for refusing to let minority children swim there. A state panel ruled that racism was behind the decision to bar children from a local day care center. The center's kids are mostly Hispanic and African- American. The club denies the charges, they refunded the money the camp paid to be there, saying there weren't enough life guards to handle the crowd. The club could be fined as much as $50,000.

Several police officers and drug agents in Polk County, Florida are under investigation after being caught on camera playing video games. The problem is they were in the middle of a drug raid. Officers and one supervisor were there for nine hours searching the home. They say they found drugs and weapons, but they did not see the hidden camera.

A new law banning flavored cigarettes is now in effect. The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act bans the sale of cigarettes that include fruit or candy flavoring. President Obama signed the bill in June. The law does not apply to menthol, pipe tobacco or real candy cigarettes.

There used to be a city here somewhere, a dust storm covers up a state capital and causes transportation problems. We've got more pictures, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: The sky turned to blood orange color in Sydney today. Look at this. A dust storm swept through Australia's largest city. Landmarks, like the Opera House there were hard to make out. Ferry service was cancelled, airline flights disrupted; it was Sydney's first dust storm in seven years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The color was amazing. I've never seen it. I'm 72 years old, and I've never seen that in my life before. It's the first time ever. So it's really a phenomenon.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel my eyes are a little bit sore and my throat. Yes that is affecting me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Health officials warn people not to spend too much time outside because of the high particle levels and hazardous air quality.

The threat of more rain hanging over the southeast today but the nasty stuff has left skies over the Atlanta area where people will take any kind of break they can get. The death toll from the flooding in Georgia is up to at least nine people now.

Even if the deluge is over though, high waters remain. Driving is dangerous in some areas. Dozens of schools are still closed. State officials estimate at least a quarter billion dollars in damage.

Catherine Callaway is actually live for us this morning in Douglasville, Georgia. It's one of the hardest hit areas by these floods.

Catherine good morning to you. Are people getting what they need there by way of help?

CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's very difficult for help to get to the people because of what you just said. The transportation problems; so many roads are closed here. You mentioned how many fatalities in Georgia because of these floods.

Six of those fatalities happened right here in Douglas County. And we are at the Douglasville First United Methodist Church to give you an idea of how desperate the situation is. Here at this church, they are distributing water.

People are in dire need of water because there's about 100,000 people in this county. The entire county is under a boiled water alert. They have to boil all the water they use.

We're going to talk now with Matthew Kent, he's with the Douglas County Communications Department. He's here overseeing this operation we have going.

You had about 1,300 cases of water delivered here this morning. You're almost through delivering those.

MATTHEW KENT, DOUGLAS COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT: Yes, that's correct. We are expecting another truck from Coca-Cola; they have donated vitamin water to come in later today. We're not sure when they're going to come in. But we're down to about 18 cases and we started out with 21 cases of -- there were 1,300 cases.

CALLAWAY: 1,300 cases and it's amazing the line, Heidi, is wrapped all of the way around the church of people trying to get this water. The problem is that so many water mains have broken and there's low water pressure in the other areas where people aren't able to get water, are they?

KENT: That's correct. The water and sewer authority has many mains broken and they're working 24/7 to get those fixed but it's looking like maybe Sunday before we get all of those fixed.

CALLAWAY: That's amazing. And then it took this truck quite a long time to get these cases of water here this morning because of the transportation issues we have around the city.

KENT: Yes. It actually took from Lawrenceville, Georgia, it took about six hours to get here.

CALLAWAY: Six hours to go what should have taken under an hour?

KENT: Correct. It's about -- I would say -- 60 miles from one side of Atlanta to the other side and it took quite a while because parts of I-20 are closed down. It's hard to get here.

CALLAWAY: Matthew thank you so much. I will check back with you.

And Heidi, again, another 18-wheeler is on its way. We're hoping it's going to be here.

The line of cars goes out the church parking lot and onto this highway. You can't see the highway but the highway off of this church, off of this small road here is back-to-back cars trying to get around Interstate 20 which has been closed for several days now because of flooding conditions. It is a desperate situation for many here in Douglasville.

COLLINS: That's what we've been hearing obviously and certainly seeing in the area. It's always such a long time after the actual weather event happens with the cleanup and starting to get around these cities when these things happen.

So Catherine Callaway, sure do appreciate that from Douglasville, Georgia this morning.

Meanwhile, there's an awful lot of stories to get to this morning. Our CNN crews are in place to bring you all of the latest developments. Let's go ahead and check in now with them beginning with Rob Marciano and more on this deadly flooding in Georgia.

Rob, good morning.

MARCIANO: Good morning. In Austell, Georgia, floodwaters are receding rapidly but still have a long way to go and the cleanup efforts as you can imagine are massive and they start today. Live report coming up at the top of the hour.

SNOW: I'm Mary Snow outside of the United Nations where demonstrators have gathered to protest Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's address to the U.N. We'll have more at the top of the hour.

KEILAR: I'm Brianna Keilar on Capitol Hill where the Senate Finance Committee is plodding through 564 amendments to its health care bill. We'll give you a look inside the room at the top of the hour.

COLLINS: All right. Very good. Thanks so much guys. We're also keeping a close eye on the United Nations as you saw Mary Snow there where President Obama is due to begin speaking in a few minutes. We'll have live coverage of his first address to the General Assembly.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Dozens of gang members rounded up as part of massive anti-gang sweep through neighborhoods near Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles.

CNN's Casey Wian has more on the operation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: More than 1,300 local and federal law enforcement officers launched a pre-dawn raid against one of Southern California's most notorious street gangs Tuesday.

ERIC GARCETTI, LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL: I woke up to the sound of helicopters at my house just over that hill. And I knew it was a good morning.

WIAN: They arrested 40 alleged members of the Avenues Gang, named for the numbered streets in the shadows of Dodgers Stadium where gang members have operated with impunity for decades.

MAYOR ANTONIO VILLARAIGOZA, LOS ANGELES: We will hold you accountable when you break the law, when you terrorize communities.

WIAN: A 222-page federal indictment details how gang members used Internet videos to boast of their power.

GEORGE CARDONA, ACTING U.S. ATTORNEY: It was part of the Avenues effort to reinforce its authority over the neighborhood by directing violent attacks against law enforcement officers and bragging about those attacks in Internet communications.

WIAN: The raids sprung from last year's investigation into the murder of Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Juan Escalante (ph). Three alleged avenues members are awaiting trial in that case. A fourth remains at large.

Tuesday's raid sought 54 Avenues members or associates on charges including murder, weapons trafficking and drug dealing. Among those arrested, a state corrections officer accused of helping gang members in prison. Including Avenues members already in custody for other crimes police say they have apprehended more than 80 of the gang's 400 members.

DEPUTY CHIEF CHARLIE BECK, LOS ANGELES POLICE: It took 40 years to get to this point. We're not going to cure this with one operation. WIAN: Each of those arrested on Tuesday face federal charges that carry a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years and a maximum of life in federal prison without the possibility of parole.

(on camera): With 86,000 gang members roaming the streets of Los Angeles, Sheriff Lee Baucus (ph) says more deputies and police officers are needed to bring that number down. Budgets are tight and there's little chance they can expand their ranks any time soon.

Casey Wian, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)