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Reducing Nuclear Weapons; G-20: Why Pittsburgh?; Debating Health Care; Possible AIDS Breakthrough

Aired September 24, 2009 - 09:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No sign of the cat? Oh, too bad.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's some footprints.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's right here!

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HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Flooding triggers a blast, fumes build up and then a building blows up. Tell you that story.

And a substitute teacher and census worker found hanged with the word "fed" scrawled on his chest. Is the death linked to either job?

And for the first time ever, a vaccine shows some success against the virus that causes AIDS. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta breaks down a new clinical trial.

Good morning, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. It's Thursday, September 27th, and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Here's a walk-through real quickly now of what our correspondents are working on today. CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is following President Obama. Minutes from now he'll be opening an international debate on nuclear weapons. We'll get to that for you.

And also, our Christine Romans is on the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh. She's going to be looking at the city's rebirth, if you will, and the lessons to be learned there.

And also, you are looking at a picture of the U.N. Security Council there. Brianna Keilar is also going to be covering the health care debate on Capitol Hill. Both sides are finally finding common ground. Is that right? We'll tell you all about it.

Plus, this hour President Obama makes history at the United Nations. Just minutes from now, he'll chair a summit-level meeting of the U.N. Security Council. He and other world leaders are expected to take a big step toward reducing the world's nuclear weapons.

CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is covering that story this morning. So, Suzanne, what are we expecting out of this meeting? SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, President Obama, essentially, he's making history as the first American president to chair a U.N. Security Council meeting. And it's because of a rotation. But more importantly, the world body is going to be voting on a resolution and signing on to an agreement, which calls on the nations to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, to reduce the risk of nuclear terrorism, and promote disarming, essentially.

This is significant because it very much mirrors President Obama's own vision, his commitment to create a world without nuclear weapons. It is a goal that he laid out in Prague in April, and he has called for deeply cutting U.S. and Russia's arsenals, called for adopting a treaty, banning all nuclear tests. Tracking down loose nukes.

It's an agreement that is important, because, Heidi, it puts more pressure on Iran, essentially, to give up its own nuclear ambitions by having other countries lead by example. And it's reaffirming previous sanctions on Iran and North Korea for their nuclear activities.

And what would have been better for President Obama is if the group went even further. It called for additional sanctions on Iran if it doesn't comply, but I talked to one White House aide this morning who said, you know, that's for later when the U.S., a small group of representatives, they're going to sit down in October for direct talks with Iran to see where they go with all of this. But, clearly, this is very significant and it is very much expected.

COLLINS: After this meeting, though, all eyes are going to be on Benjamin Netanyahu and the remarks that he'll be making to the general assembly.

What will President Obama be looking for there? Obviously, we're talking, I imagine, about some of the comments that Ahmadinejad made yesterday.

MALVEAUX: That, but also important is that he sat down, he had that meeting with Netanyahu, the Israeli leader, as well as Mahmoud Abbas on the Palestinian side, and he walked away disappointed, frustrated, quite frankly.

He didn't get the kind of assurances that he had hoped that he had wanted and that is, over the Israeli settlement issue, whether or not they will continue to build the Israeli settlements on what Palestinians and the United States believe is Palestinian land.

They seem, both sides, rather entrenched and President Obama said to Mahmoud Abbas, look, you know, I want you to move forward with those final status talks, those broader negotiations. Don't let this issue get in the way of that.

And Mahmoud Abbas came back and once again said he was waiting for Israel to make a move. So I think there's going to be a lot of attention that's paid to Benjamin Netanyahu and what he says about that specific issue, how far is he willing to go, what kind of olive branch does he extend, perhaps, to the Palestinians, and to the Obama administration.

COLLINS: Yes. Certainly a lot to talk about there about who is the supposed to be the one offering the olive branch first, as usual, in this discussion.

Suzanne Malveaux, sure do appreciate that.

Also on today's schedule, as we're mentioning here, at the U.N., Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He is due to speak at 1:00 Eastern. So of course we'll carry those comments live.

We do have an update, too, on the outrage that Libya's leader stirred up in suburban New York. Officials in Westchester County have prevailed and workers have taken down the tent that was erected for Moammar Gadhafi.

The town of Bedford said the tent violated zoning and land use laws. Many neighbors living near the estate, leased from Donald Trump, objected to the very presence of Gadhafi in their community. They said he had a disgraceful history of supporting terrorism.

We could see more drama at the U.N. today. Just one day after the strangest days there ever, perhaps, between Gadhafi and Ahmadinejad, President Obama gave an important speech that got little coverage. But we're talking about all of it on our blog. So make sure you check that out, CNN.com/heidi.

And later today, the president does head to Pittsburgh for the group of G-20 economic summit called the G-20. It's made up of 19 countries plus the European Union, of course. But together they account for 85 percent of the world's economic output.

For two days they will focus on the worldwide financial crisis and work on how to avoid a repeat in the future. They're meeting in Pittsburgh to showcase a city that reinvent itself after its catastrophic loss of the steel industry.

So how dramatic has Pittsburgh's recovery been? Let's take a closer look now for a moment.

CNN's Christine Romans is there this morning and is joining us now live.

So yes, tell us. How does it look to you, Christine?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. Well, it looks pretty good. It's been raining for a couple of days, but you know, a lot of people coming here today from around the world.

You know the last G-20 was held in London. It's a city used to the global stage, but Pittsburgh, why Pittsburgh?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DENNY PIRRING, PITTSBURGH CAB DRIVER: This is it. This is our ground zero. This is original steel mill.

ROMANS (voice-over): Denny Pirring knows and loves Pittsburgh. Twenty-six years behind the wheel of his taxi, he's watched his hometown fall and rebound. And now his city will host 20 presidents and prime ministers.

PIRRING: All these leaders of the world are coming here to my city. You know, it makes you feel -- it makes me feel strong. It makes me feel like we did something right.

ROMANS: When Pirring was younger, this would have seemed an unlikely chapter in the Pittsburgh story. Driving these streets, he recalls hard times in his steel town, working for $20 a day in warehouses in the then desolate strip district.

PIRRING: Out of that $20, I might have kept about $2 out of that. Had to give the rest to my family. You see the stores now. I mean, back in the day, there was nothing here. You drive down here, there was nobody even down here. I mean it was deserted. It's amazing. But, yes, the whole city gives me goose bumps.

ROMANS: Steel left in the '70s and '80s and unemployment hit 18.5 percent. People left town. The city was written off as dead. To survive, Pittsburgh had to act boldly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We had no choice. I mean we had to do something. We created whole new industries that didn't exist 30 years ago.

ROMANS: By investing in education, health care, technology, and financial services.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's now 1,500 technology companies in the region, there's 400, 500 biotech companies and over a couple of hundred research centers here.

ROMANS: It's why President Obama chose the reborn steel city to host the world.

MAYOR LUKE RAVENSAHL (D), PITTSBURGH: The president himself continuing to talk positively about Pittsburgh speaks volumes, I think, to our turnaround.

ROMANS: A model for new jobs and the environment. This was once a sooty, grimy, polluted town.

ANDY MASICH, HEINZ HISTORY CENTER: Anywhere you go in the country, people still think of that Pittsburgh as that hell with the lid off kind of industrial town. But we know today, it's one of the greenest cities in America.

ROMANS: Ranked the 10th greenest in the world, in fact. Street by street, Denny Pirring has watched the renaissance.

PIRRING: I pick up people every day, and they say to me, you know, where's the pollution? Where's the dirt? That's why, you know, having this summit here, it's going to show the world what we are. I mean, it's going to show the people what Pittsburgh's really about.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: And show that transformative story, Heidi, that so many countries and towns are looking for that move from the 20th century to the 21st century and a way to grow jobs in what is an increasingly global economy.

Now they have not escaped unscathed from the recession, of course. 7.8 percent is the employment rate here. It is still better than the national average, but, of course, global recession is something that Pittsburgh is feeling as well, even though it has diversified its economic base quite a lot over the past 20 or 30 years, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes. Yes. Absolutely. Obviously, a lot of priorities and potential conflicts, though, between these leaders at the G-20.

ROMANS: That's right. You know, for weeks, they've been working out sort of the framework for what they're going to talk about, what they're going to try to accomplish here today. The big item on the agenda is really a regulatory overhaul. How do we make sure that the financial crisis that just reverberated around the world a year ago doesn't happen again?

They're all agreed, these 20 leaders are all agreed that we have to do something to prevent another financial crisis and to grow the economy in a sustainable away, the world economy in a sustainable way. The difference comes in how we do that, the approaches. And that's what we'll be hearing about the next couple of days.

COLLINS: All right, very good. We sure do appreciate the report. Great job, Christine Romans. Thank you.

ROMANS: Sure. Thanks.

COLLINS: And where the G-20 leaders are, you can bet on seeing protesters as well. Pittsburgh police say they are expecting thousands to show up. They've set up a three-block perimeter around the convention center. That's where the leaders will meet.

To make their point, though, some demonstrators took a bridge over the nearby Ohio River. They were quickly arrested along with several people helping them and a second group trying to rappel from another bridge.

Three men now being held in connection with a cross-country terror investigation are due in court this morning. That includes Najibullah Zazi. Investigators say they found bomb-making instructions on his computer.

All three men are charged with lying to investigators and federal agents are searching neighborhoods in Colorado and New York City for more information on possible targets and accomplices in the alleged plot.

We're going to be taking you live to Denver next hour for more on the investigation.

In about 20 minutes, the Senate Finance Committee gets back to the debate on health care reform. The members are going over Chairman Max Baucus' nearly $900 billion bill.

CNN congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar is on Capitol Hill this morning.

Brianna, good morning to you. Tell us a little bit about the tone of these proceedings now today.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Pretty partisan tone yesterday, Heidi, and this could certainly carry in to today as we are expecting the committee might start talking about that controversial government-run insurance plan, the public option, which is not in the bill before the Senate Finance Committee, but there are certain amendments among these 564 amendments from Democrats that would attempt to change that.

So we could see some of that a little later, but really setting the tone yesterday, right off the bat, Senator Jim Bunning, a Republican from Kentucky, proposed an amendment, a change to the Senate Finance Committee bill that would force the committee to put whatever bill they settle on in legislative language, online for about three days.

Now Democrats really responded to this very coldly. They said this is a delaying tactic because this is a committee, Heidi, that deals with tax issues. It's very complicated when it gets put into legislative language. You basically heard Democrats say, it might as well be in Arabic because Americans won't be able to understand it. And so partisan rancor ensued and here is a sampling of it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MAX BAUCUS (D), FINANCE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: I might also remind my colleagues of the almost excessive transparency that this committee has utilized in telling American people what we're doing and what we're working.

SEN. JIM BUNNING (R), KENTUCKY: If all this openness is so apparent, why is Congress's approval rating at 12 percent? I mean, this is not what the American people expect of their leaders.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: So what Democrats want to do, Heidi, and ultimately they got their way because that amendment failed by one vote, is to put whatever final bill this committee comes up with into really conceptual language. Essentially, as plain as English as you can for people to understand it online. And so that was the final word on that amendment.

COLLINS: OK. Very good. What about Medicare, though? We understand, obviously, that's become a pretty hot issue. KEILAR: It's become a very hot issue. This was part of the substantive debate yesterday. We're expecting more of it today. Because one of the ways that Senator Max Baucus in this plan of his to reform health care -- what he wants to do to pay for it is to squeeze $400 billion out of Medicare, which is, obviously, where a lot of seniors get their health insurance.

So yesterday you heard Republicans saying this is going to hurt seniors, it's going to hurt their care. You hear Democrats saying, we are just squeezing inefficiencies out of the system. In the scheme of things, over 10 years, this is really just a minute fraction of Medicare spending.

But, Heidi, this is really resonating with a lot of senior citizens out there. I can't tell you how many of them I saw at town hall meetings in August...

COLLINS: Right.

KEILAR: ... who said, this is what really got them hot under the collar. And so certainly they are paying attention. It's a really important topic to listen to as this committee goes through its process here.

COLLINS: Absolutely. All right, very good, Brianna Keilar, we're going to stay in touch with you throughout the day here and watch the developments in that story. Thanks so much from Capitol Hill this morning.

Also want to remind you of something else that is going on right now. And that is a pretty rare meeting of the U.N. Security Council. Actually, a summit that is taking place. Everybody seems to be getting in place shortly here. As you know, 15 council members, they will be attending today and it's a little bit rare, because it is the first time that a U.S. president has actually hosted a Security Council summit.

And obviously, the topic today, which we've been telling you all morning long, is an international debate on nuclear weapons and the possibility of eradicating them across the world. So President Obama will be hosting that summit.

We will continue to look at these pictures and of course bring you those comments, which should be coming up shortly here.

It also could be a monumental medical breakthrough. Something many doctors thought impossible. An HIV vaccine that appears to be working. Our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta is going to be filling us in.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: And I'm Rob Marciano in the CNN Severe Weather Center. Fires out west still an issue. Fire danger high again today, but relief is on the way.

Complete weather coming up when the CNN NEWSROOM comes right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Quickly want to bring you some more of these interesting pictures that we are watching of U.N. Security Council meeting. Pretty rare meeting, at least at this level. All the heads of state.

Of course, all the 15 council members have been invited to this today. We're looking at Gordon Brown there, Henry Kissinger, as well, speaking with each other. As we get ready to watch everyone take their seats.

The other reason it is rare is because it will be the first time that a United States president has actually hosted a summit of this kind and the topic will be preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and trying to eradicate some of the atomic arsenals across the world. So nuclear proliferation, obviously, is what we're talking about here.

We'll keep our eye on these pictures as we go and bring you the president just as soon as he comes into the room.

Meanwhile, this morning, a possible breakthrough in the battle against AIDS. An experimental HIV vaccine that's showing a lot of promise in clinical trials.

Our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a closer look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I think it's safe to say over the last 25 years, a lot of people in the scientific community were hoping there'd be a day like this, where they'd be able to report that a vaccine showed at least some degree of effectiveness when it came to HIV/AIDS.

You've got to understand, there's been a lot of pessimism and a lot of it for good reason. I mean there have been two vaccine trials in the past. One showed absolutely no benefit. Another one showed that it might actually increase the likelihood of developing an HIV infection.

So the idea that a vaccine could possibly work at all was something that people were cautiously optimistic about. Now keep that in mind as I outline what the study was all about. They followed up approximately 16,000 people. The study took place in Thailand and these were people who were considered high risk for developing HIV infection.

Over a period of six months, about half the group, about 8,200 people received a series of six shots. Four priming shots and then two booster shots. Three years later, they were followed and here's what they found.

In the people who did not receive the vaccine at all, who received a placebo, 74 of those people developed an HIV infection as compared 51 in the vaccine group. If you do the math, it's about 31 percent decrease overall in the likelihood of developing an infection if you got the vaccine.

Again, what this shows more than anything else is proof of principle. The proof that a vaccine could work. Before these study results came out, a lot of people simply thought that wasn't possible.

Why is this different? Why did this work when so many others did not work before it? A lot of people believe it may have something to do with the sequence of six shots. A shot a month over six months. Maybe that made a difference.

It's worth pointing out that in people who did develop an HIV infection, even after having received the vaccine, they've really gotten no benefit. Their viral lobes were really no lower. Those are going to be two areas where researchers are focused on now, make this a better vaccine, and make it worthwhile even for people who still get the infection in some way.

A lot of work still needs to be done for the 33 million people who are living with HIV in the world. Keeping in mind, of course, over two million people still die every year from HIV as well. So a lot more work to be done, but exciting news, no doubt. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Let's get a look at the top stories we are following right now. You're looking live at the United Nations Security Council. President Obama will be presiding over the meeting today. He's the first U.S. president to do that.

It is the United States' turn to be president of a Security Council. Later today, the president will head to Pittsburgh for the beginning of the G-20 summit.

The FBI investigating the death of a census worker in rural Kentucky. Bill Sparkman, seen here, was found hanging from a tree with the word "fed" on his chest.

An FBI spokesman tells CNN federal agents are trying to determine if foul play was involved and if the man's death is actually related to him being a census worker. Sparkman was also a substitute schoolteacher.

In the Bahamas, John Travolta takes the stand and reveals heartbreaking details about the desperate effort to save his dying son. Travolta said his 16-year-old son was Jet was found unresponsive at the family's vacation home after apparently suffering a seizure.

The actor said he initially told ambulance workers to rush the family to the airport so Travolta could fly Jet to a West Palm Beach Hospital, but on the way to the airport, the family decided to go to the local hospital, where doctors declared the boy dead.

Travolta is expected to testify again today in the case against a paramedic and former Bahamian senator. They are accused of trying to extort $25 million from the actor.

Meet these guys. A couple of teenagers who don't just sit around watching TV. When the floodwaters rose in their neighborhood, they rose to the occasion.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Quickly want to show you some more pictures inside U.N. headquarters in New York. The U.N. Security Council meeting today. President Obama will be presiding over it, hosting it, if you will, for the first time ever. It's our turn, if you will, the United States taking a turn.

Going to be presenting a resolution, apparently, that will be laying the framework for military and diplomatic actions against the misuse of peaceful nuclear technology for military purposes. So obviously, that would be the topic of discussion.

Today many speakers in line supposedly talking for about 15 minutes or so a piece. So we will -- we saw how that went yesterday, though. Very, very differently. So we'll keep our eye on this for you and bring you any developments should we need to go that direction.

Two teenagers making a difference in this week's Atlanta area floods. Kevin Broyles and Matt Palmer, both of them 16 years old, have been on a mission. Rescue their neighbors whose homes were under water. They've helped more than 40 people.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN BROYLES, RESCUER: I've always been the one to go out there and get it done. I can't stand sitting inside and watch TV and watching helpless people not being able to do anything.

SONIA WILLIAMSON, RESCUED RESIDENT: Actually, I know both of these young men and they have been awfully generous to many of the residents of Austell to help rescue people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Good time now to get over to Rob Marciano who was out and about. You were up in Austell area, which was really hard hit, Rob. Obviously, we saw a lot of your video coming in. And now, good to see that some of these kids are trying to help everybody out.

How do things look today?

MARCIANO: Well, a little bit better, but that Sweetwater Creek is still in major flood stage right now and not expected to go below that until at least tonight. So they're still waiting for that river to recede, which is really just a glorified creek, but now rushing torrent and has been the last couple of days.

Still a number of counties from Georgia, Mississippi, and even in through Alabama. These two states still have some action. So the threat continues.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: All right. Very good, Rob. Sure do appreciate that. We'll check back with you later on.

Just want to let everybody know, we're doing what we call big little here. So we've got Rob up, our other stories we're covering, and then the small box that we had. A few minutes ago, we are looking and waiting to see President Barack Obama, who is now in the room.

And, obviously, we are looking at the U.N. Security Council. This time around, President Barack Obama will actually be hosting the meeting. So we are going to be watching these pictures all day long, of course.

They're going to be talking about nuclear nonproliferation. So that will be the topic of discussion. Apparently, a resolution will be put forward, not quite sure what action will be taken on it, if any today, but several speakers will be talking and we will keep our eye on it for you, of course.

Standing by right now is Jim Walsh, who spoke with us a little bit yesterday.

And, Jim, we're just looking at these pictures here so bear with me. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton there we see now.

What are we going to see today? As I said, we're going to be talking about possible misuse of nuclear technology for military purposes. That seems to be the issue here. So are we talking Iran and North Korea specifically here?

JIM WALSH, INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST (via telephone): Yes, Heidi, but I think, really, the president has three different audiences in mind today. He's speaking to Iran and North Korea. You know, he named them by name yesterday in his speech before the U.N. and I expect he'll do the same in a few minutes. But, also, there are two other audiences. The other countries that he wants to come on board to help him resolve the issues with Iran and North Korea, Russia, China, and other countries that have been slow on some of these issues.

COLLINS: Right.

WALSH: And the third and final audience is the U.S. Senate. He has said quite forthrightly that he plans to try to have a comprehensive test band treaty, and a treaty to stop the production of nuclear material, material for nuclear bombs, but if he's going to get those, he needs 67 votes in the Senate. Not an easy task, but easier if he can show that the rest of the world supports him.

COLLINS: So that is quite a task, though. I mean, this is not the first time that the United States has looked for support from around the world on this very topic. WALSH: You're right. I must say that this is the first time -- we have certainly saw support of others in the past, but this is the first time that a president has gone before the international community and said the goal of the United States is to get rid of all nuclear weapons. We're willing to do our part. We're going to cut our stockpiles with the Russians, along with the Russians. What are you going to do? And to make that the focus of the first-ever time that a president has chaired a Security Council meeting, I think is a pretty powerful statement.

COLLINS: Where do we go from here? Because if that, in fact, is the case, somebody needs to go first, if you will, by way of concessions.

How does all that look as we sort of look into the crystal ball?

WALSH: Well, I think they've sort of mapped this out pretty well, the White House. Because the U.S. and Russia are already in negotiations, because the treaty they have, the start treaty, expires in December. And so I think you'll see an announcement that says both sides are going to reduce the number of nuclear weapons.

Then the president is going to host in Washington a summit on securing nuclear materials, that's probably in April. This is a summit aimed at preventing a nuclear materials getting to terrorists. You know, materials that might be stolen and used for a bomb.

And then in May, you have nuclear nonproliferation treaty meeting. They meet every five years, and many analysts think this is going to be the most important point in nonproliferation in quite some time. So, actually, they've set it up quite nicely, trying to build momentum going into next spring.

COLLINS: There's been a lot of talk, Jim, I know, as you are well aware, the missile defense program that the president came out just last week and talked about scrapping, if you will. Some people were saying, you know, is that sort of a concession to Russia in order to get Russia to be a little bit tougher regarding sanctions and Iran.

How does all of that play into what we'll be watching today?

WALSH: Well, I think it is relevant. Now, the administration would say, they're weren't scrapping it. They're going to refocus it on Iran's medium term missiles, which they seem to be doing a little better at, unless, on their long-term missiles, which they seem to be having problems with.

Certainly, there's suspicion that there's a deal there and you may have seen, in the news, that Putin -- not Putin, but the Russian president...

COLLINS: Medvedev.

WALSH: ... has said that they will support some sanctions. So, obviously, there's some suspicion that there was a quid pro quo there. Also, it may have affected this start negotiation that I just referred to, They have encouraged the Russians on making some deeper cuts on their nuclear arsenal. But, finally, Heidi, and just quickly, I would say, I read the Iranian press in translation, translating from Farsi. And I can tell you that the Iranians, all the articles in the Iranian press were condemning the U.S. decision on missile defense, because they were concerned that this would actually hurt their missile program and might mean that closer U.S.-Russian cooperation.

COLLINS: Of course.

WALSH: So in Tehran, that deal was not well received.

COLLINS: Yes. I wouldn't imagine so.

As we continue to watch these pictures, Jim, if you'll just stick with me. President Barack Obama going around the room inside the U.N. Security Council meeting that we expect him to be presiding over here and beginning very shortly.

What exactly will come out of this today? Is there any way to know? I mean, are we going to see action or some sort of vote, Jim, on this potential resolution that will be put forward?

WALSH: I think there's a good chance of that. I mean, they've been in negotiation now for a while. We've seen a couple of versions of the resolution that the U.S. is pushing in some last-minute negotiations. So, you know, I wouldn't bet my house on it, but normally, you don't go into these things unless you have a good sense of how they're going to come out. You don't want them to fail, especially if the president of the United States is showing up in person to do it. So I think we will get some something.

And, essentially, what they bargained over is some of the countries are concerned about proliferation. The spread of nuclear weapons.

COLLINS: Yes.

WALSH: The new countries.

Others are more concerned about disarmament. The fact that those that already have nuclear weapons do more to reduce the nuclear weapons they have.

COLLINS: Sure.

WALSH: And it's that balancing act that's probably the center of a negotiation.

COLLINS: And then who enforces all of this?

Are we still talking about the IAEA?

WALSH: Well, I think IAEA will always have a prominent role. You're right to say that, Heidi. But I think one of the interesting things allegedly in this council resolution is that it proposes to give more enforcement power to the U.N. Security Council. In other words, traditionally, you wait for the International Atomic Energy Agency to refer a case to the Security Council. That's what happened with Iran, for example. And this resolution may make it easier for the Security Council to have the mandate to act on their own.

COLLINS: All right. Very good.

Jim Walsh, we sure do appreciate you sticking with us to continue, sort of analyzing the pictures that we are watching right now, live pictures from the U.N. Security council meeting, where President Barack Obama is now seated along with all of the other 15 council members who were invited today. The gavel drops.

Let's go ahead and listen to the president.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The 6,191st meeting of the Security Council is called to order. The provisional agenda for this meeting is before the council in document S/Agenda/6,191, which reads, quote, "Maintenance of International Peace and Security, Nuclear Proliferation, and Nuclear Disarmament." Unless I hear any objection, I shall consider the agenda adopted.

Agenda is adopted.

I wish to warmly welcome the distinguished heads of state and government, the generals -- the secretary general, the director general of the IAEA, ministers, and other distinguished representatives present in the Security Council chamber. Your presence is an affirmation of the importance of the subject matter to be discussed.

The Security Council Summit will now begin its consideration of item 2 of the agenda. Members of the council have before them document S/2009/473, which contains the text of a draft resolution prepared in the course of the council's prior consultations.

I wish to draw council members' attention to document S/2009/463, containing a letter dated 16, September, 2009 from the United States of America, transmitting a concept paper on the item under consideration.

In accordance with the understanding reached earlier among members, the Security Council will take action on the draft resolution before it, prior to hearing statements from the secretary general and council members. Accordingly, I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now.

Will those in favor of the draft resolution contained in document S/2009/473, please raise their hand.

The results of the voting is as follows. The draft resolution is received unanimously, 15 votes in favor. The draft resolution is received unanimously as resolution 1887 of 2009. I want to thank, again, everybody who is in attendance. I wish you all good morning. In the six-plus decades that this Security Council has been in existence, only four other meetings of this nature have been convened. I called for this one so that we may address at the highest level a fundamental threat to the securities of all peoples and all nations, the spread and use of nuclear weapons.

As I said yesterday, this very institution was founded at the dawn of the atomic age, in part because man's capacity to kill had to be contained. And although we averted a nuclear nightmare during the cold war, we now face proliferation of a scope and complexity that demands new strategies and new approaches. Just one nuclear weapon exploded in a city, be it New York or Moscow, Tokyo or Beijing, London or Paris, could kill hundreds of thousands of people. And it would badly destabilize our security, our economies, and our very way of life.

Once more, the United Nations has a pivotal role to play in preventing this crisis. The historic resolution we just adopted enshrines our shared commitment to the goal of a world without nuclear weapons. And to bring Security Council agreement on a broad framework for action to reduce nuclear dangers as we work toward that goal. It reflects the agenda I outlined in Prague, and builds on a consensus that all nations have the right to peaceful nuclear energy, that nations with nuclear weapons have the responsibility to move toward disarmament and those without them have the responsibility to forsake them.

Today, the Security Council endorsed a global effort to lock down all vulnerable nuclear materials within four years. The United States will host a summit next April to advance this goal and help all nations achieve it. This resolution will also help strengthen the institutions and initiatives that combat the smuggling, financing, and theft of proliferation-related materials.

It calls on all states to freeze any financial assets that are being used for proliferation, and it calls for stronger safeguards to reduce the likelihood that peaceful nuclear weapons programs can be diverted to a weapons program. That peaceful nuclear programs can be diverted to a weapons program.

The resolution we passed today will also strengthen the nuclear nonproliferation treaty. We have made it clear that the Security Council has both the authority and the responsibility to respond to violations to this treaty. We've made it clear that the Security Council has both the authority and responsibility to determine and respond as necessary when violations of this treaty threaten international peace and security.

That includes full compliance with Security Council resolutions on Iran and North Korea. Let me be clear. This is not about singling out individual nations, it is about standing up for the rights of all nations who do live up to their responsibilities. The world must stand together and we must demonstrate that international law is not an empty promise and the treaties will be enforced. The next 12 months will be absolutely critical in determining whether this resolution and our overall efforts to stop the spread and use of nuclear weapons are successful. And all nations must do their part to make this work.

In America, I have promised that we will pursue a new agreement with Russia to substantially reduce our strategic warheads and launchers. We will move forward with the ratification of the comprehensive test ban treaty, and open the door to deeper cuts in our own arsenal.

In January, we will call upon countries to begin negotiations on a treaty to end the production of fissile material for weapons. And the nonproliferation treaty review conference in May will strengthen that agreement. Now, we harbor no illusions about the difficulty of bringing about a world without nuclear weapons. We know there are plenty of cynics and that there will be setbacks to prove their point. But there will also be days like today that push us forward. Days that tell a different story. It is the story of a world that understands that no difference or division is worth destroying all that we have built and all that we love. It is a recognition that can bring people of different nationalities and ethnicities and ideologies together.

In my own country, it has brought Democrats and Republican leaders together. Leaders like George Schultz, Bill Perry, Henry Kissinger, and Sam Nunn, who are with us here today. And it was a Republican president, Ronald Reagan, who once articulated the goal we now seek in the starkest of terms. I quote, "A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. And no matter how great the obstacles may seem, we must never stop our efforts to reduce the weapons of war. We must never stop until all -- we must never stop at all until we see the day when nuclear arms have been banished from the face of the earth."

That is our task. That can be our destiny. And we will leave this meeting with a renewed determination to achieve this shared goal.

Thank you.

In accordance with the understanding reached among council members, I wish to remind all speakers to limit their statements to no more than five minutes in order to enable the council to carry on its work expeditiously.

Delegations with lengthy statements are kindly requested to circulate the text in writing and to deliver a condensed version when speaking in the chamber.

I shall now invite the distinguished secretary general, his Excellency, Ban Ki-Moon to take the floor.

BAN KI-MOON, SECRETARY GENERAL, UNITED NATIONS: Distinguished head of state and government, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: All right. So there we have Ban Ki-moon, the U.N. secretary there, begins to speak. We've just heard from President Barack Obama, obviously, the host of this particular U.N. Security Council Summit at this high level, of all the heads of state. We've just watched the resolution be voted on and voted on unanimously.

We're talking about U.N. Resolution 1887 regarding, laying the framework for military diplomatic action against any nations that misuse peaceful nuclear technology for military purposes. A very brief account, if you will, of that, inside that resolution, pages and pages of different detail that we will continue to look at throughout the day here on CNN.

In the meantime, we are going to take a very quick break, and we'll be talking a little bit more about this on the other side.

Stick around, everybody.

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COLLINS: All right. So just a few moments ago, President Barack Obama making history at the U.N. He's hosting a Security Council meeting on nuclear weapons. He and 14 other world leaders adopted a resolution that vows to stop the spread of nuclear weapons.

Also on today's schedule at the U.N., Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He is due to speak at 1:00 Eastern, and of course, we'll carry those remarks live as well.

We want to take a moment now to get over to CNN's Richard Roth who is at the U.N., and of course covering all of the developments there.

All right. So we just watched this happen live on our air. The adopting of this resolution; I believe it's 1887, regarding nuclear weapons.

Tell us what we saw and a little bit about if you could, Richard, the mood inside of that room which is very interesting.

RICHARD ROTH, SENIOR UNITED NATIONS CORRESPONDENT: Well, for the administration of Barack Obama, this meeting was really the centerpiece of this entire general assembly week, getting all the heads of state of the Security Council, heads of government into one room, and to as we just saw approve a resolution which the U.S. believes can be momentum drawing toward a world without nuclear weapons.

We heard President Obama say he has no illusions of this, but he thinks it's important that the 15 countries and they did sign on to a resolution which pledges toward a world free of nuclear weapons.

COLLINS: Right.

ROTH: But also in this resolution, Heidi, it notes the challenges without naming particular countries threatening nonproliferation which really means Iran, North Korea.

COLLINS: Yes, understood.

So what is different about this resolution? What sort of power or impact does it have?

ROTH: Well, it's designed to provide momentum to tell all the United Nations member countries that they must deal in peaceful technology regarding nuclear affairs.

Look, no one thinks that certain countries are not going to do away with weapons. And that's the problem.

COLLINS: Yes.

ROTH: The Security Council can sign on to this, but there are a lot of countries in the world that say it's a double standard. That the big countries like the U.S. can still keep their arsenals, and what about Israel. You hear this often in the Middle East.

How do they get to keep their weapons? Why are other countries such as Iran targeted regarding their nuclear program?

COLLINS: So does the resolution say anything about that specifically then for countries who already have.

ROTH: No, it doesn't. It doesn't. The U.S. would have liked to have name names, but there was no way China and Russia were going to agree to have specific countries like North Korea named in this resolution. It does reaffirm other resolutions where those countries were named. It's the usual United Nations maneuvers.

COLLINS: OK. So then it begs the question. What's really behind all of this that we saw today?

I mean, is it the paperwork? Is it the public commitment if you will? And I use the word lightly of signing onto this?

ROTH: Well, President Obama deeply believes in trying to reduce nuclear stockpiles, nuclear weapons in the world. It's one of his major themes. He made a big speech in Prague talking about a world without nuclear weapons. He has another high-level summit coming up in April, which was just announced yesterday. He talked about nonproliferation in his speech to the general assembly. The U.S. is very worried about what's going on in North Korea; what's going on in Tehran? And, of course, every administration is worried about, as President Obama mentioned, any type of rouge weapon in the hands of someone and a bomb going off in a major city.

COLLINS: Yes, of course. Everyone would be worried about that, I would imagine.

So I'll ask you the same question that I asked Jim Walsh. He is our international security analyst that we have on often.

I wonder what happens if you don't abide by this resolution? What sort of teeth does it give by way of inspections to make sure that people in these different countries are using their nuclear power in a way that is acceptable?

ROTH: Well, the Security Council resolution calls for countries to follow up in these ways. Look, a lot of it is procedure. We've heard it before in other themes.

I think what was very interesting in the Security Council is that Col. Gadhafi did not show up. He may show up still. Libya speaks down the road about ten countries away from this meeting.

You're watching Costa Rica's President Oscar Arias speaking now. But Gadhafi, yesterday, accused the Security Council of being a terror council.

COLLINS: Right.

ROTH: And Libya gave up its arsenal allegedly a few years ago, and has diplomatic relations with the United States. We're wondering here will there be any type of attempt by Gadhafi to meet with President Obama now after that meeting in the Security Council.

COLLINS: Yes, very, very interesting. And just to remind everybody for people who understand it, obviously, it's the 15 permanent members that have been invited to this. Libya does not have a permanent seat here, but is currently a nonpermanent member of the council. So we were wondering whether or not he would show up, and we will continue to watch these pictures. You're looking at them live right now.

Richard Roth, so appreciate you.

Thank you very much.

From here President Obama goes on to Pittsburgh and the G-20. What can we expect from that world economic summit?

We'll talk about it in a moment.

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COLLINS: Later today some of the leaders that we have been watching today are going to move on to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the third time in less than a year that they're getting together to talk about the world economic state.

So I believe that we're going to talk with Bill Flanagan.

Am I right?

I see him. There he is. Terrific.

With Pittsburgh's chamber of commerce has been helping the city get ready for everyone to submerge upon it.

Forgive me, Bill. We've been watching all these pictures coming out of the Security Council right now, and weren't sure if we were going to be able to get to you. I'm glad we can.

Listen, the eyes of the world on Pittsburgh today.

How does it feel?

BILL FLANAGAN, PRESIDENT, G-20 PARTNERSHIP: It's terrific. Obviously, we're honored. We're also a little bit humbled that the president chose to bring the summit to Pittsburgh.

COLLINS: Why? He calls you a handsome city.

FLANAGAN: But that's not Pittsburgh. This is not a braggy, sort of a place. I think a lot of us feel really good about what's been achieved here over the last 30 years. It really is one of America's greatest comeback stories.

But, you know, folks here in Pittsburgh didn't do it to impress the world. We just did it to give choices to our kids and grandkids. And we feel good about that. It's great to have the president saying so, too.

COLLINS: Yes. Tell us a little bit more, though, if you would, about the process. How do you go about getting the G-20 to come to your city?

FLANAGAN: Well, you know, they say it's better to be lucky than good. I think it's a little bit of both in Pittsburgh's case. I mean, the fundamentals were working in our favor. We have really rebuilt our economy. The unemployment rates here has been about two points below the national average throughout the recession.

But on the lucky side, the president spent a lot of time here last year during the presidential campaign, more than usual. So he got to know Pittsburgh. He got to know Dan Rooney, the new ambassador to Ireland. The owner of the "Steelers." All of that fell into place as well, and we think that contributed to his decision to bring the summit to Pittsburgh.

COLLINS: Yes. It's kind of a little bit of success with that football team, too, haven't you?

FLANAGAN: It's been a good year -- yes.

COLLINS: Yes. Listen, I wonder if you would looking back upon the steel industry of course is what we're talking about here, for other cities, and I'm thinking about Detroit right now. And, obviously, the auto industry and some of the incredible struggles that that city faces.

FLANAGAN: Well, I think one of the lessons of Pittsburgh is don't give up on your traditional industries. But you've got to come to grips with the fact they may never be the same in terms of how they contribute to your economy.

We kept the steel and the metals industry in Pittsburgh. They're not the employers they used to be, but they create an enormous amount of wealth here. And that's allowed us to invest in new industry, health care-like sciences, and they created a lot of jobs. And that enabled us to balance our economy.

COLLINS: Well, Bill Flanagan, it's been a pleasure. We certainly do appreciate you being with us today, and certainly wish you luck.

Do you wish luck for a good G-20?

FLANAGAN: Well, we'll take it.

COLLINS: A smooth one. How about that?

FLANAGAN: All right. Very good.

COLLINS: All right. Very good. Thank you once again.

We're going to take a quick break right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. We're back in a moment.

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