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President Obama: NIH to Get $5 Billion in Grants; Multiple Suspicious Packages in Minnesota; Travolta v. Alleged Blackmailers

Aired September 30, 2009 - 11:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. It is Wednesday, the 30th of September. And here are top stories for you in the CNN NEWSROOM.

A powerful earthquake kicks up a South Pacific tsunami. Dozens of people in the Samoa islands are swept to their deaths.

President Obama assembles his national security team in the White House Situation Room today, rethinking war strategy for Afghanistan.

And Raul comes home a doctor. We profile one of the Latinos in America ahead of a landmark CNN documentary.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris. And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Stimulus money for medical research. We are awaiting remarks from President Obama on a part of the government's effort to boost the economy, create jobs, and support critical research. The president is announcing $5 billion in grants awarded by the National Institutes of Health. The money is from the $787 billion stimulus program approved earlier this year.

We will take you live to Bethesda, Maryland, as soon as the president begins his remarks.

The death toll is rising after a massive tsunami flattened entire villages and swept cars and people out to sea in the South Pacific. At least 84 people are confirmed dead in Samoa, 22 more in the U.S. territory American Samoa, and seven in Tonga.

President Obama has declared a major disaster in American Samoa and sent FEMA officials to help out. The tsunami was triggered by a powerful earthquake. The governor says people just didn't have enough time to get out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TOGIOLA TULAFONO, AMERICAN SAMOA: By the time they got the first warning, the first waves had hit already. So, this is one of those situations no matter what you do, it would have been impossible to help a lot of people.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Very quickly now, let's get you to the president in Bethesda, Maryland.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

BARACK H. OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... Congressman Chris Van Hollen's district, a Democrat from Maryland. And Chris is here, and a great supporter of NIH historically. We are very grateful for him.

And we are so happy to have Senator Arlen Specter, who is directly responsible for so much of the funding for NIH research. He is a huge champion for your cause. And I know you already gave him a rousing round of applause, but I just want to echo what a great job he's been doing and what a great partner he's been.

Finally, somebody who is not here but deserves a little credit is my vice president, Joe Biden, who is managing the stimulus process. That's Joe trying to call in.

(LAUGHTER)

Joe is doing a great job. And -- but he is pretty tough when it comes to tracking the money. And so he's going to be paying attention, Doc, to make sure that it is going where it's supposed to be going.

You know, before I begin my remarks about this extraordinary institution, I want to say a word about the tragic events that took place yesterday in American Samoa. My deepest sympathies are with the families who have lost loved ones and the many people whose lives have been affected by the earthquake and the tsunami.

To aid in the response, I declared this a major disaster to speed the deployment of resources. And FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is working closely with emergency responders on the ground, and the Coast Guard is helping to provide immediate help to those in need. We also stand ready to help our friends in neighboring Samoa and throughout the region, and we'll continue to monitor this situation closely as we keep the many people who have been touched by this tragedy in our thoughts and in our prayers.

Now, today I'm here to talk about our nation's commitment to research. I want to thank Dr. Collins and his team for showing me and Kathleen some of the extraordinary, groundbreaking research being done at the National Institutes of Health.

The work you do is not easy. It takes a great deal of patience and persistence, but it holds incredible promise for the health of our people and the future of our nation and our world. And that's why I'm here today.

And for decades, the NIH has been at the forefront of medical invention and innovation, helping to save countless lives and relieve untold suffering. And yet, if we're honest, in recent years we've seen our leadership slipping as scientific integrity was at times undermined and research funding failed to keep pace. We know that the work you do would not get done if left solely to the private sector. Some research does not lend itself to quick profit. And that's why places like the NIH were founded. And that's why my administration is making an historic commitment to research and the pursuit of discovery.

And that's why today we're announcing that we have awarded $5 billion -- that's with a "B," in grants through the Recovery Act to conduct cutting-edge research all across America to unlock treatments, diseases that have long plagued humanity, to save and enrich the lives of people all over the world. This represents the single largest boost to biomedical research in history.

(APPLAUSE)

Now, one of the most exciting areas of research to move forward as a result of this investment will be in applying what scientists have learned through the Human Genome Project to help us understand, prevent and treat various forms of cancer, heart disease, and autism. And having been a leader of the Human Genome Project, Dr. Collins knows this promise all too well. And it's a promise that we've only just begun to realize.

In cancer, we're beginning to see treatments based on our knowledge of genetics changes that cause the disease and the genetics predispositions that many of us carry that make us more susceptible to the disease. But we've only scratched the surface of these kinds of treatments, because we've only begun to understand the relationship between our environment and genetics in causing and promoting cancer.

So, through the Recovery Act, the NIH is expanding the Cancer Genome Atlas, collecting more than 20,000 tissue samples to sequence the DNA of more than 20 types of cancer. And this has extraordinary potential to help us better understand and treat this disease.

And cancer has touched the lives of all Americans, including my own family's. 1.5 million people will be diagnosed in the next year. Half a million people will lose their lives. We all know the terrible toll on families and the promise of treatments that will allow a mother to be there for her children as they grow up, that will make it possible for a child to reach adulthood, that will allow countless people to survive a disease that's claimed far too many lives.

Through these investments in research, we will also have the opportunity to make strides in the treatment and prevention of heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. Since 1948, for example, researchers have been following generations of residents in the town of Framingham, Massachusetts, to better understand the cause of cardiovascular illness.

Now we have a chance to study the DNA of these participants and connect what we know after decades of observation to what we'll soon know about their genetic makeup. And perhaps we can identify those likely to get high blood pressure or high cholesterol, and find ways to intervene before heart disease even develops. And finally, we'll also provide the largest-ever infusion of funding into autism research. Across the country, grant recipients will have the opportunity to study genetic and environmental factors of a disease that now touches more than one in every 150 children. And what we learned will hopefully lead to greater understanding, early interventions, more effective treatments and therapies to help these children live their lives and achieve their fullest potential, which is extraordinary.

(APPLAUSE)

Now, we know that these investments in research will improve and save countless lives for generations to come. And as I was taking a tour with Dr. Collins and Dr. Fauci and others, just listening to the possibility of an HIV/AIDS vaccine, or hearing the latest treatments of cancer that allow people who previously only had to resort to the most violent types of radiation or chemotherapy now being able to take pills and seeing extraordinary progress, it is something that is entirely inspiring.

But we also know that these investments will save jobs. They'll create new jobs, tens of thousands of jobs, conducting research and manufacturing, and supplying medical equipment, and building, and modernizing laboratories and research facilities all across America. And that's also what the Recovery Act is all about. It's not just about creating make-work jobs, it's about creating jobs that will make a lasting difference for our future.

From the beginning, our goal has been to rescue the economy at the same time as we're laying a new foundation for lasting economic growth. And central to that foundation is a health care system that can deliver the treatments and cures you discover in an affordable way.

After all, decades of research make no difference to the family that is dropped from an insurance policy when a child gets sick, and breakthroughs with the potential to save lives don't matter when your insurance doesn't cover a pre-existing condition. And as costs rise and rise, that leaves less and less for the kinds of investments in health care and basic research that will actually improve our well- being. That's why we're working so hard to pass long overdue reforms.

Now, I should point out there are some who have opposed the reforms we're suggesting, saying it would lead to a takeover by the government of the health care sector. But this concern about the involvement in government, I should point out, has been present whenever we have sought to improve our health care system.

Here's an interesting quote from FDR. He addressed it nearly 70 years ago, right here at the dedication of NIH.

And he said, and I quote, "Neither the American people nor their government intends to socialize medical practice anymore than they plan to socialize industry. In American life, the family doctor, the general practitioner performs a service which we rely upon and which we trust as a nation, and there can be no substitute for the personal relationship between doctor and patient, which is a source of strength of our medical practice in our land."

FDR was being accused of a government takeover of health care. But he thought NIH was a pretty good idea.

And think about everything that's happened and all of the lives that have been saved, and all the progress that's been made, and all the commercial activity that's been generated as a consequence of that early investment. Now, these words are a reminder that while, we've made great advances in medicine, our debates haven't always kept pace. And these words remind us that there have been always been those who argued against progress, but that our best, we've never allowed our fears to overwhelm our hopes for a brighter future.

That's been at the heart of the work of the National Institutes of Health for decades. It was here that Dr. Roy Hertz would develop the first successful cure of metastatic cancer through chemotherapy, as a group of women who would have surely died began, actually, to get better. It was here that Dr. Nina Braunwald, the first woman ever to be board certified in cardiothoracic surgery, conducted some of the earliest operations to replace heart valves. It was here in the years after President Roosevelt's visit that polio vaccines would be tested to end the scourge that affected millions, including, obviously, the president that helped make the research possible.

We can only imagine the new discoveries that will flow from the investments we make today. Breakthroughs in medical research take far more than the occasional flash of brilliance, as important as that can be. Progress takes time; it takes hard work.

It can be unpredictable. It can require a willingness to take risks, going down some blind alleys occasionally. Figuring out what doesn't work is sometimes as important as figuring out what does.

All of this needs the support of government. It holds promise like no other area of human endeavor, but we've got to make a commitment to it.

And here, at the National Institutes of Health, and at universities and research institutions across this country, you are demonstrating our capacity not just as a nation, but as human beings, to harness our creativity and our ingenuity, to save lives, to spare suffering, to build a better world for ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren. That is our great promise, and it is one that we have once again begun to fulfill.

So, thank you for your extraordinary work. And we are going to keep on providing the support that you need. The American people are looking forward to the next set of discoveries that all of you are working on today.

Thank you so much.

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: Remarks from President Obama on a part of the government's effort to boost the economy, create jobs, and support critical research. The president announcing $5 billion in grants awarded by the National Institutes of Health. The money is from the $787 billion stimulus program approved earlier this year.

And this just in. We are tracking multiple suspicious packages around some Minnesota schools. It's not just schools, though.

Let's go to CNN's Chris Welch, who is on the phone with us.

Chris, what are you learning?

CHRIS WELCH, CNN ALL PLATFORM JOURNALIST: Well, Tony, it's the high school in Princeton. Princeton Public School District had a bomb scare. Apparently, a bomb threat.

A suspicious package was found there. Also at the post office in Princeton and the public utilities building.

Now, the entire Princeton public schools have shut down. They've closed all schools right now. They've bused kids from the high school to the middle school. They're sending everyone home as a precautionary measure. And we've actually just learned as well that the St. Paul Police department sending up their bomb squad to check things out.

At this point, that's pretty much all the information we have. But we'll get you more as we get it.

HARRIS: Yes. Chris, anything on a timetable for this -- I know there's a time difference where you are now -- as to what time this discovery was made?

WELCH: The announcement was posted on the school's Web site about 8:24 local time this morning. That's 9:24 Eastern Time. So, parents had a little bit of a warning, and it was posted on Web sites to let people know. But that was really was about it.

HARRIS: OK. Chris, when you get additional information on this, will you let us know?

WELCH: Absolutely.

HARRIS: OK, Chris. Appreciate it.

We're tracking several stories this hour, and we will get you the latest on all of them in just a moment, including actor John Travolta testifying in the Bahamas about what happened the day his son died.

And we will break down in just a couple minutes how the Baucus plan will help a family living on $90,000 a year.

But first, a quick check of the Dow, Wall Street.

The New York Stock Exchange right now. And as you can see, the Dow is in negative territory but off of session lows. The Dow down 84 points.

We're checking numbers throughout the morning with Susan Lisovicz, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Actor John Travolta in the Bahamas at this hour. He just finished testifying in an extortion trial stemming from the death of his son.

CNN's John Couwels joins us on the phone.

And John, what have we learned today?

Hi, Tony.

JOHN COUWELS, CNN ALL PLATFORM JOURNALIST: Today, John Travolta returned to the witness stand for the second time in an attempted extortion trial here in Nassau, Bahamas. John, who was very nervous, took a very deep breath prior to testifying, and he explained to the court how he had received a call from a friend of his here in the Bahamas who had heard that there had been a threat and a demand of money as told to his attorney, Mr. McDermott.

The gentleman said that he was threatening, said that they had a paper that Travolta had signed in the Bahamas. And he said that this particular piece of paper would imply that he intentionally or was somehow culpable in the death of his son. He also said that the man wanted $25 million for this particular piece of paper and this attempted extortion.

HARRIS: OK. Was there -- was it just -- was there any cross- examination? Was there any questioning from the defense in the proceeding today?

COUWELS: Yes, there was. Two defense attorneys for the two accused in this particular case had wanted to know if either one of their clients had either contacted or threatened Mr. Travolta directly. And he said no. Neither one of them had he ever spoken to, he neither knew either one of them, other than the fact that he dealt with Mr. Lightheart (ph) when he was originally on the scene of his son, who had taken ill that day in early January.

HARRIS: And John, anymore testimony expected or is this moving to summation soon?

COUWELS: We believe that John Travolta, he has been cleared from testifying, unless at some point later on they call him back. But at this point, he was told he was clear.

We are expecting a surveillance tape that was set up by the Bahamian police to be played in court where it is shown, the conversation between one of the defendants and Mr. McDermott, an attorney of Mr. Travolta, will be played in court. And that should be taking place momentarily.

HARRIS: All right. CNN's John Couwels for us.

John, appreciate it. Thank you. The government watching you 24/7. Have you heard about fusion centers? They watch you, your activities, and your e-mails and blogs. Wow.

Our personal finance editor, Gerri Willis, takes you inside. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: You've probably have never heard of a government fusion center. That's the place where your personal information intersects with national security.

Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis looks at fusion centers and the potential for abuse.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEN KRAYESKE, POLITICAL ACTIVIST: I dropped the bike...

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR (voice-over): It was the morning of Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell's inaugural parade.

KRAYESKE: I pulled out my camera, and I just shoot Governor Rell, about 23 shots.

WILLIS: Moments later, Ken Krayeske was stopped by Hartford Police Officers, handcuffed, arrested and jailed.

KRAYESKE: I said, "Well, what did I do?" And they said, "You shouldn't have been making those threats."

WILLIS: Local police had been on the lookout for him after state police gave out a security bulletin with his photo on it. Officials wouldn't comment pending a civil lawsuit, but court documents reveal state police were alarmed by Krayeske's blog post. "Who's going protest the inaugural ball with me?" And, "No need to make nice."

KRAYESKE: Why do I have to be nice to a political figure simply because she won an election?

WILLIS: Police began digging for more information, mining public and commercial databases. They learned Krayeske had been a Green Party campaign director, had protested the gubernatorial debate, and had once was been convicted for civil disobedience. He had no history of violence.

Law professor Danielle Citron says police aren't supposed to gather information on citizens who aren't suspected of a crime.

DANIELLE CITRON, PRIVACY EXPERT: If we're interested in someone because they're an advocate for a Green Party candidate, and we think they're suspicious because they want to get other people to protest someone's ideas but not because we think there's a true threat to their lives, I think that's just troubling. WILLIS: Today law enforcement collects and shares more information than ever and much of it goes on at state intelligence centers called fusion centers.

(On camera): Fusion centers were started after 9/11 to help federal, state and local law enforcement connect the dots and stop a terrorist attack. The Department of Homeland Security says they are a critical tool in keeping the nation safe.

JANET NAPOLITANO, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: In a typical fusion center, an FBI agent might be sitting next to a state highway patrol officer. They don't merely share space. They share data bases and techniques.

WILLIS (voice-over): But what's going into those data bases has critics worried. The ACLU says there's evidence that some fusion centers have targeted Muslim groups and peace activists for surveillance.

MIKE GERMAN, ACLU: Collecting information about people that has no relevance to whether or not they are breaking the law.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're in the center of the analysis element.

WILLIS: The director of New Jersey's fusion center says law enforcement works hard to balance national security with individual privacy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We in law enforcement and certainly in fusion centers are very attuned to the Bill of Rights. We are not in the business of investigating First Amendment or constitutionally protected rights.

WILLIS: But Ken Krayeske thinks police in his town crossed the line.

KRAYESKE: The police did not determine the difference between who was dangerous and who was merely expressing protected constitutional -- constitutionally protected viewpoints.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Gerri Willis, live now in New York. And Gerri, after seeing that piece -- yes, yes, the Rockwell song. I always feel like someone is watching me and I have no privacy.

WILLIS: There's a reason for that, Tony.

HARRIS: Well, yes. I mean, look. There's probably good reason in my case. So, Gerri, how many of these fusion centers are actually out there?

WILLIS: Well, there are 72, Tony, all around the country. And while there's no strict federal oversight, there are guidelines in place that fusion centers are supposed to adhere to. HARRIS: Got you. And you know it sounds like a bit of trouble to me. Maybe I'm just paranoid. I don't think so. But how concerned should we be?

WILLIS: Well, look, even if you're not a political activist, it's always advisable to watch what do you and what you do online. If you're on social networking sites, like I know you are, make sure to set privacy settings.

It's not just law enforcement you have to worry about. Employers also are increasingly searching the Web for information on job candidates. Tony?

HARRIS: All right, Gerri. And, FYI, the chorus on that song from Rockwell sung by Michael Jackson.

Gerri, good to see you. Thank you.

WILLIS: Good to see you, sir.

HARRIS: The war in Afghanistan is the focus of the White House this afternoon. What's the strategy and are more troops need? We will talk to some smart people who have some insight on today's discussion next in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: The White House situation room. Four hours from now, President Obama sits down with his national security team to reassess his Afghanistan war strategy. Reporters won't be allowed in the room, of course, but we can try to mirror the discussion and debate with our CNN journalists.

Barbara Starr at the Pentagon, Dan Lothian at the White House, and Atia Abawi is joining us from Kabul, Afghanistan.

And Barbara, first to you at the Pentagon. Based on your interviews and reporting, what are the mission options on the table today?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, Tony, the critical thing on the table is what to do, what comes next. Basically, there's two options on the table.

Think of one of them as the double-down option. Essentially adding a significant number of troops, perhaps as many as 40,000, to carry out that counterinsurgency broad strategy that General McChrystal laid out to protect the people of Afghanistan, to go after the Taliban and really trying to deal with insurgency a death blow.

The other option? Think of it as option B. Plan B. The Joe Biden option. Much more narrowly focused. Counterterrorism. Just go after al Qaeda, stating that that was the original reason, the original threat that the U.S. faced in Afghanistan, and narrow the mission to just that.

It's going to take a long time before we find out which option or what mix of options they decide on.

HARRIS: Yes. And let me turn to -- thanks, Barbara. Let me turn now to Dan Lothian at the White House.

Dan, will NATO, a key player in this, sign on to whatever the new U.S. strategy is or are there limits?

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it certainly sounds like there's a lot of support from NATO. We saw the secretary- general who was here meeting with the president yesterday and I apologize for the sound behind me with the president arriving back here at the White House.

But what he pointed out is that it is important for all of the strategy to be in place before there's any talk about sending in additional resources. But making it very clear that NATO would be a team player with the United States and really address the issue in Afghanistan, Tony.

HARRIS: OK. And let me turn -- you know what, Dan, because Marine One coming back in, you know what we're going to do? We're going to go to Atia then we'll come back to you with that question.

OK. So let's turn now to Atia Abawi in Kabul, Afghanistan. And Atia, will Afghanistan succeed if it doesn't stop government corruption and opium production?

ATIA ABAWI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No. It will not succeed if you do not stop corruption. The key to success in Afghanistan whether you talk to the military commanders on the ground. Whether you talk to the diplomats on the ground, and this includes General Stanley McChrystal and it includes U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Karl Eikenberry.

You need a government of Afghanistan to succeed. You need a government that the people can trust and when you have a functioning government, when you have a government that's not riddled with corruption, you won't have that opium trade succeeding as well.

Many Afghans that you speak to, they'll tell you that the reason that they turn to the Taliban, the reason that they turn to certain parts of the insurgency, in critical elements, is for protection from the criminal elements within the Taliban.

So when Barbara Starr was talking about the two options that are left here for Washington, there's really only one option in Afghanistan when you talk to those commanders and you talk to these diplomats, and that's winning over the Afghan people because history has proven in Afghanistan if you don't win over the support of the Afghan people, you cannot succeed in Afghanistan because success will only go to those who the Afghans support.

HARRIS: Wow. OK. Atia, appreciate that. Let's turn back to Dan Lothian at the White House.

And Dan, the question again is NATO. A key partner in this effort in Afghanistan. Will NATO sign on to the new U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, whatever that new strategy is, or are there limits?

LOTHIAN: Well, it certainly does sound like NATO is willing to sign on to whatever it is that is reached in terms of deciding how to go forward. The secretary-general was here meeting with the president yesterday and really making it sound like NATO wanted to be a team player here but also pointing out that it was a very important to get the strategy right before you decide on committing additional troops into Afghanistan.

So clearly setting the stage here saying that perhaps, yes, you know, sending in more troops is a good idea but you really have to get the strategy right first and that's what the president has been saying and his press secretary pointing out yesterday that this is not about getting it done quickly but trying to get it done right.

HARRIS: All right, Dan Lothian at the White House, Barbara Starr at the Pentagon, and Atia Abawi in Kabul, Afghanistan. Thank you all.

We have some new pictures, first pictures, out of Indonesia where a powerful earthquake struck earlier today. Let's quickly get you over to Jacqui Jeras. Jacqui?

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, Tony, we have these pictures just in along with some new breaking news, by the way, out of Indonesia. We've got a report now from the Associated Press there quoting the health -- or the head of Health Ministry's crisis center saying that thousands of people are now trapped under collapsed buildings.

A field hospital is being set up to help the injured people there. The quake has also triggered a land slide so it has cut off transportation to the area closest to the epicenter in addition to power and telecommunications being cut out.

So the situation very, very serious and as we continue to get more information, of course, we'll bring that along to you. We also have some pictures that we want to show you. This is from the Red Cross in Indonesia. Just to give you an idea of how extreme some of the damage is in this area.

So this is that earthquake that occurred earlier this morning. There you can see it. There's the Indian Ocean. Here's the island of Sumatra and it was very close to where the 2004 earthquake occurred that triggered that major tsunami.

You know so much disaster in the last couple of days, Tony. It's very sad. And so we want to try and give people a chance...

HARRIS: Terrific.

JERAS: ... to help. So please go to CNN.com/impact. And you can see this is the "Impact Your World" site. You could help people from the Philippines, from the flooding in the Manila, as well as the Georgia flooding, in addition to the tsunami yesterday or the earthquake today in Indonesia. HARRIS: Yes, you're talking about just a slew of agencies, NGOs, who will be doing terrific work and that's guarantee they'll be on the ground doing terrific work there. And if you'd like to help their efforts, you can do that by going to CNN.com/impact.

Jacqui, appreciate it. Good stuff. Thank you.

And you know, our iReporters have been sending us powerful photos and videos of the devastation in Samoa. Josh Levs is following that for us.

Josh, what do you got?

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: More of Mother Nature's fury.

HARRIS: Yes, yes.

LEVS: It was amazing what we're seeing in different parts of the world today. Let's zoom in here because I want everyone to see the kinds of things that we've been dealing with.

We've been getting a lot of pictures from Samoa. And also, you know, from western Samoa. You can see a picture behind me here. This was a car that's been destroyed. This is just one of the many we've been getting from Alvin (INAUDIBLE) who's in Western Samoa, who went around town there.

And you can just see there's devastation all over. We've also been getting videos as well. Let's go to a little clip now and I'll tell you what we're seeing.

HARRIS: OK.

LEVS: Tony, this is more from inside American Samoa. This is -- you can see there from one of our iReporters, Lance, who went around what he saw there along the coast. And you can see destroyed property, destroyed vehicles. Obviously we've been following all the details throughout the region and bringing you the latest as we get it.

And -- see some here, I'll show you one more really quickly. You can see how this works. People put some video directly into iReport.com. This is one that we've got from a new iReporter Manny who's also in American Samoa who drove around town and is showing there some of the devastation in that area.

Just more and more of this coming in throughout the day, Tony. Just keeps on coming. And I want to encourage every one of these iReporters that we show you, we have vetted in advance that this person did not go into any danger in any way or in any way get into anything illegal, from crossing into properties he shouldn't be at, in order to bring these to you. Lots more coming throughout the day, Tony, at iReport.com.

HARRIS: Josh, thank you.

LEVS: You bet, thanks.

HARRIS: We will break down how the Baucus plan will help a family living on $90,000 a year. Our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is next.

ANNOUNCER: I-report Desk is sponsored by...

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Health care reform and how it affects you. We are examining the impact of the various plans on families and individuals. Today we're focusing again on the proposal by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus.

Senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is back to introduce us to another family.

What have you teed up this time, Elizabeth?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: All right. What we've got to you this time is the Rich family. And we decided to name them the Rich family because, well, they're rich. You can see they live in a mansion. And Mrs. Rich has a string of pearls.

This family makes $90,000 a year.

HARRIS: That's good money.

COHEN: OK?

HARRIS: That's really good money.

COHEN: So that's good money. That's good money. And so you might think well, why would the Baucus bill help them? But in fact it does which is one of the many interesting things about this piece of legislation.

For this family, for them to get insurance, it's going to cost them approximately $15,800. Now they could afford it but you know, they're trying to save for college for their kids. It would take a chunk out of their income.

HARRIS: Yes .

COHEN: And they don't get insurance through their employers so they need to buy it on their own.

Under the Baucus plan, with tax credits, this family, they wouldn't pay $15,800 for health insurance policy. Instead they would be paying approximately $10,600. So they would save approximately $5,000 under the Baucus plan.

HARRIS: Wow.

COHEN: So it's interesting that this plan helps not just low- income people but rich people like the Rich family. COLLINS: And that's interesting. Some might ask the question of why do you want to help folks with health insurance if they're making $90,000 a year? You take that money and help more folks on the low end.

COHEN: Yes, you know what? I think some people would say that and some would say that's a legitimate criticism of this plan.

HARRIS: Yes.

COHEN: Other folks would say, yes, $90,000 is a pretty good living, but still nearly $16,000 for health insurance, that is a big chunk, and what they're afraid is that some families might say let's try to get away without health insurance.

HARRIS: Right.

COHEN: And that becomes a problem for all of us when people don't buy health insurance for whatever reason, who ends up paying for it? You and I do because they end up going and sort of being a burden in some ways on the rest of us.

So that's sort of the -- that would be the explanation for why they're helping people make as much as $90,000 a year like the Rich family.

HARRIS: Got you. Got you. Got you. All right, very good. I have other questions for you on the news of the day, news of yesterday, about the public option going down in flames in the Senate Finance Committee. But we'll do that later.

COHEN: OK.

HARRIS: We won't do it now. We'll do it later. All right, Elizabeth, appreciate it. Thank you.

COHEN: Thanks.

HARRIS: Dissecting health care option continues next hour when we talk to two senators entrenched in the make-or-break battle. Democratic Ron Wyden and Republican John Cornyn, both join us live next hour at 12:30 Eastern, 9:30 in the west.

CNN tonight at 10:00 Eastern, do insurance companies make filing a claim complicated on purpose? A look at why some say the insurance industry needs real reform. "360" is keeping them honest tonight at 10:00 Eastern on CNN.

A community supports a young person. Now that man with three degrees from Harvard returns to say thanks.

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HARRIS: Let's learn more about the devastation in Indonesia following a powerful earthquake earlier today. Wayne Ulrich is disaster management coordinator for the Red Cross. He is in Aceh, Indonesia.

And, Wayne, good to talk to you. Thanks for the time. If you would, give us a bit of the assessment of the damage you and members of your team have been witnessing there.

Wayne, are you there? Wayne Ulrich, are you there? Are you on the line with me?

All right. We don't have Wayne. We will try to get him. We probably just lost him moments before we were ready to take him to air, but we will try to get Wayne back and give you an update, at least the latest information we have coming out of Indonesia.

You know, in three weeks, CNN brings you the documentary "LATINO IN AMERICA." How a community is reshaping the political and social landscape of our country. CNN's Soledad O'Brien now with this preview.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Tony, two hours southeast of Los Angeles sits the small town of Coachella, California. Its 40,000 citizens are mostly Spanish-speaking, working-class immigrants. In spite of limited financial means, 20 years ago the town made an investment in a teenage boy who thought maybe one day he could become a doctor. The bottom line, the investment paid off for everyone.

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O'BRIEN (voice-over): Raul Ruiz is a busy ER doctor.

DR. RAUL RUIZ, EISENHOWER MEDICAL CENTER: Did you have that pain up here?

O'BRIEN: He's the only full-time Latino physician on staff at Eisenhower Medical Center. The Coachella Valley's only nonprofit hospital.

(On camera): How old were you when you knew you wanted to be a doctor?

RUIZ: 4 years old.

O'BRIEN: 4?

RUIZ: Mm-hmm.

O'BRIEN (voice-over): Not an easy feat for the son of migrant farm workers.

RUIZ: I used to type it as my practice typing, all things are possible. All things are possible.

O'BRIEN: He was a good student but a terrible test taker. English wasn't his first language.

RUIZ: According to my SAT scores I should never have gone to college.

O'BRIEN (on camera): What were your scores?

RUIZ: I'd rather not say.

(LAUGHTER)

O'BRIEN (voice-over): The biggest obstacle wasn't grades, it was money. A family friend paid for him to apply to UCLA. But it was the community of Coachella that helped put Dr. Ruiz through school.

Coachella is a small farming town with mostly Spanish-speaking immigrants. The average family income is less than $25,000 a year.

RUIZ: I started knocking on doors saying I'm from this community, I want to become a physician and I am going to come back. I want to offer you the opportunity to invest in your community.

O'BRIEN: He handed out homemade contracts to sponsors like Juan Torrez, owner of the local hardware store.

RUIZ: I was able to raise about $2,000.

O'BRIEN (on camera): Wow. That's a lot of dough.

RUIZ: $20, $50, $100 at a time.

O'BRIEN (voice-over): He was 17 years old. With the money, and more importantly, the community backing, Raul Ruiz went off to UCLA. After graduation, he went to Harvard Medical School to become a doctor. And that's not all.

RUIZ: I have a master's in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School. The School of Government. And I have a master's in public health from the Harvard School of Public Health.

O'BRIEN: Three degrees from Harvard. The first Mexican-American ever to achieve that.

RUIZ: My efforts are not just mine alone. It's my family's and my community's. So, you know, we've worked hard.

O'BRIEN: He could have practiced anywhere. But he came back.

RUIZ: A promise is a promise.

O'BRIEN: And he continues to give back. Mentoring eight Coachella teenagers.

RUIZ: There's only two obligations. One is that they show up. And, two, that they participate with me in community service. And then we'll see if we can make a difference.

O'BRIEN: To ensure there'll be a next generation in Coachella who will also give back.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Tony, health care statistics for Latinos are dire. A third of Latino Americans lack health care. Dr. Ruiz says he wants to use his public policy skills to improve communities like Coachella and around the world, too. Tony?

HARRIS: Very good. Soledad, thank you.

You know we are less than a month away from CNN Presents "LATINO IN AMERICA" coming on October 21st and 22nd. We will show you a comprehensive look at how Latinos are changing America. They're reshaping politics, businesses, schools, churches and neighborhoods.

"LATINO IN AMERICA" coming next month on CNN.

In the next hour in the NEWSROOM, we are talking to senators entwined in the health care debate. Senators Ron Wyden and John Cornyn join me live for an in-depth discussion about the future of reform.

Plus, these neighborhoods had potential. Now they're called zombie subdivisions. A look at the homes and construction plans the housing bubble left behind.

ANNOUNCER: "LATINO IN AMERICA" is brought to you by...

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