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Indonesia's Second Quake; Pacific Ring of Fire; Iran's Nuclear Ambitions; Aid for American Samoa; President Obama's Olympic Bid; Carter Reopens Presidential Museum

Aired October 01, 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: Nuclear program on the table. Iranian officials sit down with world powers for critical talks.

Full court press for the Olympic Games. The final four vie in Copenhagen.

And preying on the jobless. Scammers are out there. We'll tell you how to protect yourself.

Good morning, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. It is Thursday, October 1st, and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

A whole lot to get to this morning, of course, once again, but the buildings have collapsed, the death toll soars. A second powerful earthquake rocks Indonesia. There could be thousands of people trapped. We'll take you there and tell you what's going on.

Meanwhile, our meteorologist Rob Marciano is looking at the quakes that have happened this week. They are separated by thousands of miles, but they are all in this general fearsome region known as the Ring of Fire. So we'll tell you about that.

Also, we'll be talking with Ted Rowlands, who is in the U.S. territory of American Samoa. He's going to be updating us on the emergency aid that is pouring into the region.

We begin this hour with those deadly earthquakes along the Pacific Rim. The death tolls are rising, both in western Indonesia and more than 5,000 miles away, the island nations of the South Pacific.

Now here is the latest. At least 130 deaths are confirmed in American Samoa, Samoa, and Tonga. Those islands suffered widespread destruction, as you know, from tsunamis that were triggered by the devastating 8.0 earthquake.

On Indonesia's Sumatra Island, the death toll has surged past 400. Frantic rescue efforts were dealt a powerful blow earlier today when a second earthquake jolted the region this morning.

In Indonesia, officials say thousands of people may be trapped in the rubble of collapsed buildings. Rescue crews and panicked family members are digging through the wreckage in search of survivors.

A CNN producer is on the scene of this collapsed hotel where a man has actually been buried and trapped for more than a full day. In recent hours, the man's voice has been getting weaker. Aid groups say power outages and downed power lines are making it almost impossible to access the full scope of the disaster.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YENNI SURYANI, CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICE (via telephone): I think the situation is quite very bad at the moment, because the report that we are receiving in Jakarta, the number of casualties just keeps rising and then the number of collapsed and damaged buildings also keeps rising.

We haven't heard much from the second earthquake that happened this morning, but I suspect that that casualties and also the damages in that area will also be bad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Some officials say the death toll in Indonesia could surpass the Java earthquake more than three years ago. That disaster left more than 5,000 people dead.

The earthquakes are scattered across the Pacific's so-called Ring of Fire. That's the epicenter of the earth's seismic activity. A lot of people probably have not heard of that. So Rob Marciano is now here to explain a little bit more.

Rob, what is this?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Basically, if you think about it as the boundary of the Pacific Ocean, and where basically landmasses occur near that boundary, that would include places like Alaska, all the way down the coastlines of the Americas, and you can kind of see it here on the scuba map imagery.

This area is all part of the -- where the pacific plate kind of drives into the Australian plates, the Asian plate. And that's where we get, not only earthquakes, but volcanoes as well.

All right, let's break down some of these earthquakes. The Samoan earthquake was an 8.0 that happened during the day on Tuesday. It was 11 miles in depth. So that's pretty shallow and likely one of the reasons that triggered those tsunamis that broke out.

Thousands of miles to the west here in Indonesia and Sumatra, two more broke out. The 7.6 broke out Wednesday around 5:15 local time. That was 50 miles deep. And then on Thursday or this morning for them and yesterday afternoon for us, a 6.6 magnitude near Padang.

This is along the Sumatra fault, very, very active fault. Some would argue it's not really part of the Ring of Fire. Nonetheless, it's one of the more active areas in the world, for that matter. And -- but those happening all at the same time.

You would think they're related. Well, the USGS saying, not really. Certainly not the one in Samoa and Sumatra and the one near Sumatra is so -- they're pretty far apart as well. So it just happens to be happenstance.

Want to point out one other thing while we're talking about that side of the world, Heidi. We have a second super typhoon that is now headed towards the Philippines. At this point, the forecast is for it to go a little bit farther north of Manila, but nonetheless, as you can imagine, this island country nation does not need anymore sort of severe weather. So we'll talk more about that and of course the U.S. weather in about half an hour.

Back to you.

COLLINS: Boy, that is certainly the case. And Rob, we know you're staying on top of it for us. Thanks so much. Certainly appreciate it.

MARCIANO: You bet.

COLLINS: We'll come to you a little bit later.

To this now, high-stakes talk underway in Geneva, Switzerland right now on what the U.S. calls Iran's nuclear ambitions. The meeting includes representatives of the U.S., Great Britain, France, Russia, and Germany.

A major concern, of course, Iran's recently revealed nuclear facility. We're going to be checking in with CNN's Matthew Chance live from Geneva in just a short while. We will get to him on the very latest on what specifically is going to be happening today.

Meanwhile, Iranian negotiators will get a chance to have their say in Switzerland, but as one former U.S. diplomat cautions, Iran is a nation, quote, "disinclined to compromise."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICHOLAS BURNS, FORMER UNDERSECRETARY OF STATE: We're obviously correct in trying to pursue negotiations, test the proposition that the Iranians might respond to diplomatic entities, to talk, to negotiate and to compromise.

Many, many more difficult problems have been resolved by diplomacy in years past. There's no reason why it shouldn't work now. But we are dealing with an especially obstructionist government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and a government that seems disinclined to compromise.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The U.S. has threatened tougher sanctions against Iran if it doesn't abandon its uranium enrichment activities, but the defiant Persian Gulf nation has been under economic sanctions for the past 30 years.

In fact, let's go ahead and take a moment now to bring in CNN's Matthew Chance joining us from Switzerland with the very latest on what will be happening today. Matthew, why are these talks different if, in fact, some people they are, this time around?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think, Heidi, they're different because this is the first time that the United States has engaged directly with the Iranians on this issue of negotiating about their nuclear program. And they've made it very clear.

They want to see actual concrete steps, U.S. officials that we've spoken to here, to show -- by the Iranians, to show that they're genuine about being transparent about that nuclear program. That it is genuinely, an exclusive peaceful nuclear program and is not some kind of front to develop a nuclear weapon, which quite frankly is the suspicion amongst many officials in the administration, U.S. officials, and officials from other countries that we've spoken to as well.

So they've outlined some concrete steps they want the Iranians to take, the first of which is to provide unfettered and immediate access for the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, to that newly revealed nuclear site in Iran, revealed last week to enrich uranium at. They want the U.N. nuclear inspectors to go in there immediately and be given access not just to the site, but to documents and personnel being associated with it as well.

We don't know what's being discussed right now in those talks. They're behind closed doors, everyone's being very tight lipped, but we're waiting to see a press conference later on this evening.

COLLINS: Right. And Matthew, I wonder -- you know, I'm not sure you'll have the answer to this, but just for discussion's sake. If Iran sort of tries to skirt the issue altogether of its nuclear program, what would be the next step? Do things get called off? Do these talks end?

CHANCE: Well, I don't think Iran is going to be able to avoid this issue. Before the talks, it said that it didn't want to discuss its own nuclear program. It says it's for peaceful purposes. But then this issue of this uranium enrichment that's outside of Qom in Iran came to the fore and it pretty much angered everybody in the international community and really changed the diplomatic equation somewhat.

So they will be speaking about this at this meeting. Now if they don't give the United States and the other major powers the signs that they're looking for, these concrete steps that they've outlined, then diplomacy isn't going to go very far.

And U.S. officials have been very clear about this. It's not an open-ended process. There has to be an end point at this. It is not a sense in which this diplomatic process can yield results. Then the United States and its allies will move on to the next step, which is renewed calls for tougher sanctions against Iran.

COLLINS: Lots of discussion about that, obviously. All right, Matthew Chance, sure do appreciate that from Geneva, Switzerland this morning.

No decision yet on where America goes next in Afghanistan. President Obama is in the process of reviewing what has worked and what has not over the past eight years. He met for three hours yesterday with his national security team, including his top commander in Afghanistan.

General Stanley McChrystal is pushing for more troops. Others within the president's administration and in Congress are at odds over that.

Currently, there are about 66,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Around half are under NATO's command.

And of course, developing this hour, the story we've been telling you about. On the U.S. territory of American Samoa, aid is beginning to arrive.

CNN's Ted Rowlands is available now joining us from the village of...

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I can't hear...

COLLINS: ... Leone on southwest coast of American Samoa.

Ted, I understand you're having a little trouble hearing us. If by chance you get me, go ahead tell us what you are able to see around you and what you have seen since you've been on the ground.

ROWLANDS: Well, Heidi, I'll tell you, you see a lot of despair and a lot of destruction here in Leone and this is the scene, scenario at a few, a handful of different spots on the island here where the tsunami was just completely devastating. Taking out complete neighborhoods and demolishing buildings, homes and businesses behind me.

Here is the post office or what used to be the post office of Leone, but if you look inside, there's debris from homes, from all around this area. There's a washer basket in there and other clothing items that obviously. It's the same thing we saw during Hurricane Katrina, along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, where literally the water came in and just -- not only toppled the buildings and the homes, but then mixed everything together and then the water left.

There's also a smell of fish in the air, because there was so much water, so many fish came on land and when the water left, they were left here to die as well.

Obviously, there were human fatalities, not only here, but across the island and people are dealing with that. The search and rescue effort, technically, yes, it's going on. But in reality, people know that if you have a missing loved one, that missing loved one is most likely dead because there aren't huge debris piles.

You're looking at one of the larger ones here. There's just absolutely no way that somebody is alive and wouldn't be able to be found in short order. That said, the military -- the U.S. government has sent several planes to help out with, not only search and rescue, but medical issues.

There's only one hospital on the island, so there are people that have been injured and need medical attention. That help has arrived here on the island and there is also help, Heidi, with mortuary services because of the bodies that they're dealing with. They're sending that help as well.

A sad reality here, people having to clean up the physical property and then also get their lives together after such heartbreaking lost, just -- in an instant when the tsunami hit. In fact, people here said that there have been reports of 20 minutes after the earthquake, not so.

They say it was five minutes they had before the 8.0 earthquake before this killer wave came in and destroyed their homes.

COLLINS: Boy, oh, boy, Ted Rowlands giving us the picture today and what a grim one it is at this point.

Ted Rowlands, thanks so much.

The president as pitchman. President Obama makes an Olympic- sized push in Copenhagen, Denmark.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: President Obama is off to Denmark later today. He's going to make a personal plea for his adopted hometown of Chicago to host the Summer Olympics in 2016. First Lady Michelle Obama already there along with heads of states for the three other finalists. That would be Japan, Spain, and Brazil.

CNN senior White House correspondent Ed Henry tells us about the president as pitchman in Copenhagen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If there was any doubt about whether President Obama will do anything to bring home the Olympics to Chicago in 2016, Mr. Obama pretty much put those doubts to rest last month when he played with a light saber on the south lawn.

MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: You should have seen the president in there fencing.

(LAUGHTER)

M. OBAMA: It was pathetic.

HENRY: White House aides are hoping his diplomatic skills are better than his fencing, as he and First Lady Michelle Obama embark on an unprecedented joint diplomatic mission to beat out Madrid, Rio, and Tokyo. VALERIE JARRETT, SENIOR WHITE HOUSE ADVISER: What a dynamic duo they will be. I think it will be high impact. I think their presentation will be both very personal, given that they know and love Chicago so well.

HENRY: But what if they fly all the way to Denmark and enlist the help of Oprah Winfrey and still fail to collect the gold medal?

KENNETH VOGEL, SENIOR REPORTER, "POLITICO": If he goes and does not bring home the Olympics, it's going to be kind of a blow for him on the international stage.

HENRY: Republican Party chair Michael Steele questioned whether the president should take on yet another challenge amid debates over health reform and whether to send more troops to Afghanistan.

ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Who's he rooting for? Is he hoping to hop a plane to Brazil and catch the Olympics in Rio?

HENRY: White House officials privately say they had little choice but to raise the stakes with competitors Brazil, Japan, and Spain, all sending their heads of state to Copenhagen, leading Mr. Obama to become the first U.S. president to ever make such a direct pitch for an American city.

Though dating back to his days as a senator from Illinois, he's also made no bones about his personal interests, too.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I only live two blocks away from where the Olympics are going to kick off in 2016. And I also, in the interest of full disclosure, have to let you know that in 2016, I'll be wrapping up my second term as president.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Aha! Ed Henry joining us now live with more on this. Is that what it's about? Is this about a legacy?

HENRY: Well, some wishful thinking, perhaps, that he's going to have two terms in office. Maybe wishful thinking that Chicago is going to land the 2016 Olympics as well. There's a lot of people buzzing here that perhaps the president had some sort of inside information, that maybe they know that if he comes here, it's in the bag and Chicago's going to win, but I can tell you, I've talked to top White House aides and they say, no intelligence, they don't know anything for sure.

These things come down to the very end. In fact, when London beat out Paris a few years ago for 2012, it was decided by four votes. This one could be very close as well and the biggest competitor to Chicago is considered to be Rio, Heidi.

COLLINS: OK. Interesting. I don't know. That inside information is fascinating to me. What about the star power? We know Oprah is there, right? HENRY: Well, look, Oprah here, you know, I was at a briefing a couple of days ago at the White House with the first lady and someone asked Michelle Obama, what's going on Oprah's role? What will she do? And the first lady sort of blinked, put her head back and said, she's Oprah, what else does she need to do? She just needs to show up. She's got that star power, as you said.

Also Nadia Comaneci, the gymnast...

COLLINS: Yes.

HENRY: The Romanian gymnast...

COLLINS: 10.0.

HENRY: ... who won so many medals, first lady has already met with her in the last 24 hours here in Copenhagen and it's funny, because the first lady noted to us a couple of days ago that basically when she was a kid growing up watching the Olympics, she saw Nadia win those medals, and wanted to be a gymnast herself, but her dreams were dashed, she said with a smile, because of the fact that, as you know, Michelle Obama is about 5'11".

COLLINS: Yes.

HENRY: Not quite the height for a gymnast. The legs were just a little bit too long and she made a joke about that. But she said she's always, you know, dreamed about the Olympics and whatnot, and to be here really means a lot to her.

And so I think, obviously, the White House would not be sending the president unless they believe that he's going to make a big difference here. And it's interesting, because to give you an idea of the drama.

He's going to be flying out tonight about 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time, sleeping on Air Force One, and he's only going to be on the ground here in Copenhagen for about four hours total. So they are obviously -- his time is valuable. They think it's well spent, Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, well, Ed Henry, keeping us in the loop with all of the Olympic Committee decisions. And we will be hearing this announcement later on today. So, of course, everybody will be tuned in very sharply to that.

Ed Henry...

HENRY: We're going to hear on Friday, actually.

COLLINS: Friday, pardon me. You're right. Friday. Thanks so much, Ed.

Checking our "Top Stories" now. The funeral for a murdered honor student has been scheduled for Saturday. Derrion Albert's family says he hopes the attention the teenager's beating death has received will prevent future violence. Prosecutors say Albert was an innocent bystander who ended up in the middle of a street fight between two groups of students. Four people have been charged with murder. Authorities are looking for three more suspects.

The death row inmate convicted of killing 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford has died. A Florida state prison official says 51-year-old John Couey died of national causes. Couey was convicted of kidnapping, raping, and then burying Lunsford alive in 2005.

Twenty-three years ago today, President Ronald Reagan helped dedicate the Carter Center in Atlanta. Today, former president Jimmy Carter is celebrating again and we'll take you there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: A momentous day for the 39th president of the United States. Jimmy Carter is 85 years young today. In order to celebrate, he's reopening the museum at his presidential library.

Our senior political correspondent Candy Crowley is there this morning.

And I know you just talked with the former president. What did he tell you, Candy?

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, one of the things that I thought was interesting is when you walk through this museum, what you see is that approximately a third of this museum library is dedicated to the former president's post-presidency.

I talked to him about how so many people felt that he had a better post-presidency than presidency and he said, well, he thought they were basically both the same. We talked a bit about his controversial racial remarks. He said basically that he was taken out of context, that he was talking about the fringe.

And we also talked about today's story, the fact that the U.S. and other countries are sitting around with Iran today in Geneva to talk about Iran's nuclear ambitions and here was his advice.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY CARTER, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I hope and pray that Iran will be induced to permit international inspectors to come in and observe their entire nuclear program. Because when they're doing so far is entirely legal under the nonproliferation treaty. They have a right to purify uranium and even plutonium to be used to produce power.

I think the worst thing that we can do is to continue to threaten Iran, because if Iran is on the border line between going nuclear and not, on a weapons system, the constant threats that we or the Israelis are going to attack Iran is the best thing to force them, let's defend ourselves.

So I don't think that Iran has yet made up their mind about what to do and I think the best thing we can do is engage them and stop making these idle threats that force them to take the most militaristic action.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CROWLEY: That, of course, on the Syria side. I also talked to Mrs. Carter. I asked her what she had gotten her husband for his 85th birthday, and she looks at me and said, well, nothing. She said they sort of long ago stopped giving each other presents, although from time to time they did. But his big present is the opening of his rehabbed museum here, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes. Interesting to hear the president talk about that. Obviously it's the Iran hostage crisis when he was the president of the United States.

CROWLEY: Absolutely. And he -- I mean, this is an area of the world, obviously, that he has a lot of interest in. He, of course, helped broker the Egyptian/Israel peace pact. And he talked a lot also about how so many the problems he was dealing then, the Middle East and energy, to name the two big ones, are now exactly what President Obama is dealing with about three decades later.

And I'm not sure whether that's a good news or bad news, but nonetheless, what we do know is there are ongoing problems and certainly something that's dealt with in his library.

COLLINS: All right. Appreciate that, Candy Crowley this morning. Thanks so much, Candy.

A seat at the table. Iran meets with the U.S. and other world powers about its nuclear program. What western nations want, coming up right here in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Heidi Collins.

COLLINS: Investors have closed the book on the third quarter, and what a quarter it was. The last three months was the best in more than a decade. For a preview of what to look for at the start of the fourth quarter now, let's go to Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange.

Hi, there, Susan.

The bell is ringing as we speak, and I hope that the first day of October doesn't look like the last day of September.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, we hope -- we certainly hope that. But, remember, September, historically, is a lousy month for stocks and it was -- defied the history books. And we can only hope that October, which comes with its own special baggage, does the same.

But we do have, I should say, Heidi, new economic reports that raise questions about this recovery. First time jobless claims rose more than expected last week, showing that even though the job market has been improving, it's still weak. The number of people applying for government help for an extended time fell, but remains above 6 million. A separate report shows that consumer spending jumped last month, but it was because of cash for clunkers.

Meanwhile, drama in the corner suite. One of the most high- profile CEOs of this financial crisis is retiring. Ken Lewis, the head of Bank of America is stepping down at the end of the year. He was stripped of his chairman title in April. Lewis has been criticized for his handling of the takeover of Merrill Lynch, and he's entangled in several state and federal investigations.

GM, meanwhile, is shutting down Saturn. This move affects thousands of workers at manufacturing plants and auto dealerships. Penske Automotive Group had agreed to buy the brand, but is now walking away. Penske says it couldn't find a manufacturer to make the vehicles.

Today's economic reports are pressuring stocks early on. Right now the Dow, the NASDAQ are down at least about a third of a percent. So we talked about how strong the third quarter was. October, as I mentioned, have some historical history.

COLLINS: Historical history.

LISOVICZ: Yes.

COLLINS: I love that kind of history.

LISOVICZ: Redundant, yes. It has some historical drama, I should say, with it -- 1939 and 1987. We're not going there.

COLLINS: We are not going there.

LISOVICZ: It's going to be a much better month.

COLLINS: True. All right, Susan Lisovicz, sure do appreciate it.

Thank you.

LISOVICZ: You got it.

COLLINS: Critical talks between Iran, the U.S., and five other world powers about Iran's nuclear program are under way in Geneva, Switzerland, today. Here's what we know.

The key focus of the talks will be Iran's recently revealed uranium enrichment plant. The U.S. wants Iran to allow a U.N. watchdog group to have unrestricted access to that facility. The western nations also want Iran to freeze its uranium enrichment program. Now if talks fail, the U.S. and its allies could push for more U.N. sanctions. The stakes, as you know, are high.

What is the likelihood the talks will lead to some sort of breakthrough?

Let's discuss this now with David Albright, a former U.N. nuclear weapons inspector.

David, thanks for being with us again.

Boy, there are an awful lot of opinions out there this morning about what exactly is going to go on during these talks. One I read actually suggested that these talks could be the most significant and in depth since the Iranian revolution.

DAVID ALBRIGHT, FORMER U.N. NUCLEAR WEAPONS INSPECTOR: It's possible. There certainly are historical talks. I mean, for the United States and Iran to sit down finally and start to talk about the significant differences between the two countries is extremely important. And I think it's long overdue. The Obama administration has prepared carefully for this. It's thought through various contingencies. It's opening its hand to Iran, and is welcoming their initiatives. It's drawing the line, though, that the nuclear program will have to be discussed. That's the key initial purpose of these entire negotiations.

But at the same time, this is just the first day. And this isn't going to be a day where it either makes or breaks the talks, unless Iran does something very draconian, like reads prepared statement and says we'll never talk about the nuclear issue.

COLLINS: Yes. Well, that's very curious to me. And I would love to know what you think about the validity of some of the things -- other things I'm reading this morning, about this Iranian proposal that is apparently out there. That the chief negotiator may actually be bringing this proposal that is going to be shifting that focus of discussion more to things like Afghanistan or reform of the United Nations in a way to sort of test the sincerity of the United States and how they'll cooperate on these other issues before, or if ever, they talk about the nuclear program.

ALBRIGHT: Well, if Iran makes it a condition that that's all that will be discussed, then the talks will be short lived. But if Iran introduces that as its opening position and listens to the P5 Plus 1 position and then the U.S. position, I think that there may be some future for the talks.

So it really -- one would expect that each side will present their opening positions and the others will listen, and they'll try to create a framework for future negotiations, which, unfortunately, I think really have a time deadline. And so it's all going to happen pretty quickly through this fall. But I do expect that talks will continue after today.

COLLINS: Yes. I wonder about some other things, too. Eliot Cohen, who is a professor and actually a former counselor of the State Department wrote this in the "Wall Street Journal." He said, "the choices are now what they ever were. An American or an Israeli strike, which will probably cause a substantial war or living in a world with Iranian nuclear weapons, which may also result in war, perhaps nuclear, over a longer period of time."

Has the world not been tough enough all along on Iran, or is this going to make the difference, this time around?

ALBRIGHT: I think, with all due respect to Eliot Cohen, I think the situation is not so simple. I think it's very risky to try to make it sound like there's just two dire options. There's actually a spectrum of possibilities.

COLLINS: Like?

ALBRIGHT: And there's no intention by the United States to live with Iran's nuclear weapons. If, unfortunately, after negotiations, sanctions Iran seeks nuclear weapons, then you still don't have to launch a war against Iran. I mean, we didn't do that against the Soviet Union in 1949 when they got weapons. We launched an effort to contain the Soviet Union. We can launch an effort to contain Iran. We can have military components, economic, and political components.

COLLINS: How much is the president of Iran come into play, though, when we're talking about comparing the leaders of those two country?

ALBRIGHT: Well, it's -- I think, like the Soviet Union, Iran is very hard to figure out. I mean, we know the supreme leader, ultimately, is responsible for all national security questions. President Ahmadinejad has a voice at the table. He certainly has allies high in the regime that want -- appear to want a confrontation with the United States and probably want nuclear weapons. But I think we can counter that in many ways, and I think the future will be very hard to predict, but one thing that's going to be critical is that the Obama administration has to keep its focus on this issue and not make unnecessary compromises over Iran's uranium enrichment program.

COLLINS: Exactly. Good point. And I sure do appreciate your time here today.

David Albright is a former U.N. weapons inspector. Thanks so much.

ALBRIGHT: Thank you.

COLLINS: And we are getting new information about a Tennessee dad now who has been jailed in Japan over a custody case. And it puts the story in a bit of a different light.

Japanese authorities say Christopher Savoie became a naturalized Japanese citizen four years ago, and they say his marriage was never annulled in Japan. Savoie is telling his side of the story in an exclusive interview with CNN. Our Kyung Lah talked with Savoie in a Japanese police station.

Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a second-floor interrogation room, we waited for Christopher Savoie on our side of the glass. Police gave us 15 minutes, a stopwatch running in the corner. He took our electronic devices -- no cameras, no tape recorders. And then, an emotional Christopher Savoie entered the room.

"I'm so scared," he said, carefully choosing his words and speaking in Japanese, as required by police during a jail visit. "I don't know how long I'll be in here. I want Americans to know what's happening to me. I didn't do anything wrong. Children have the right to see both parents. It's very important for my children to know both parents."

Police have charged him with kidnapping his two children as they walked to their school here in Yanagawa, Japan. Savoie drove 8-year- old Isaac and 6-year-old Rebecca to the U.S. Consulate, but Japanese police arrested him just steps from the front gate. Under U.S. law, Savoie has sole custody, but in Japan, ex-wife Nariko, who abducted the children from the U.S., is the recognized guardian.

"Japanese people think she's the victim here," Savoie told me, "In the states, my ex-wife is the one who's in the wrong."

In this rural town in southern Japan, those who heard about the case side with the mother, even knowing the U.S. courts awarded custody to the American father.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

LAH: "They belong with their real mother," says this woman.

That cultural divide is what Savoie's attorney says is difficult to fight. He says Japanese law clearly sees Savoie as the criminal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

LAH: "He technically may have committed a crime according to Japanese law," says his attorney, "but he shouldn't be indicted. He did it for the love of his children."

Savoie wanted us to get this message to his children. "I love you Isaac, Rebecca. Your daddy loves you forever. I'll be patient and strong until the day comes that I can see you both again. I am very sorry that I can't be with you."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: And Kyung Lah is joining us now live.

So, Kyung, what were your impressions when you spoke with Mr. Savoie? How did he look? How was he feeling?

LAH: He looks very tired. This entire experience certainly is wearing on him. He did say that he was very sad, that he was scared by everything that was happening, but what he was really doing is trying to really keep it together. He was very restrained, but there was so much more, Heidi, that he wanted to say that he couldn't say because first of all, he had to speak in Japanese, that's not his primary language, English is his primary language. And there was an officer sitting right next to him, who was listening to everything he said. So it was really quite a surreal experience, because you could see behind his eyes that he wanted to share so much more.

COLLINS: Understood. It's a heartbreaking story, no matter how you look at it.

Kyung Lah, sure do appreciate it. Thank you.

Checking our top stories now. A huge celebration in China. Beijing staged its biggest ever military parade today, marking the 60th anniversary of communist rule. And in New York, the Empire State building was lit in red and yellow in honor of communist China. Critics question whether it's right to commemorate a country that has such a poor human rights record.

Back together again. The so-called Miracle on the Hudson, pilots are reuniting in the cockpit for the first time. Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger and First Officer Jeffrey Skiles are piloting a flight today from LaGuardia to Charlotte, North Carolina. Charlotte was also the destination of the disabled plane they ditched in the Hudson River last January. You'll recall, all 155 people aboard that plane survived.

Sure, your 401(k) took a big hit a year ago, but what if you had lost billions of dollars? America's rich getting poorer.

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COLLINS: Tonight beginning at 11:00 Eastern, Anderson Cooper reveals CNN's heroes top ten. Watch for Anderson across the day, then see all ten tonight at 11:00 Eastern on a special edition of "ANDERSON COOPER 360."

Just like you, the richest Americans have felt the sting of the economic downturn. The difference, some of them lost billions. But they still have billions leftover.

CNN's Christine Romans joining us now with the new Forbes 400 list, which looks a little different now, I imagine. The recession, obviously, has hit the rich very hard as well.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It's hit everybody. I mean, rich or poor, the recession has really sapped a lot of income and wealth from people. And in fact, the Forbes 400 is now the Forbes 391, because only 391 Americans were rich enough to be on this list. And together they lost about $300 billion in the year. Their total worth, altogether, $1.27 trillion. That's an awful lot of money for $391 billion to have.

Average age, about 65, in case you're wondering. And this are the list that includes everybody from real state to -- well, let's look at the list. Let's look at number one.

COLLINS: Yes.

ROMANS: It's Bill Gates, in case you're surprise. Bill Gates, $50 billion. Think of that. That's $50,000 million. He lost about $7 billion over the last year. That's tough losing $7 billion...

COLLINS: Good Lord.

ROMANS: I know. But he still has $50 billion. And the other richest, rounding out the top five, at least, Warren Buffett. He's got about $40 billion. That's down $10 billion. You've got Larry Ellison -- I should say Lawrence Ellison than Larry Ellison, $27 billion. He is the Oracle guy. He actually didn't suffer. It's pretty much the same. Christy Walton, Jim Walton, these are the Walton heirs. Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart. There's more of those people further down the list. You know, you've got hedge fund managers. You've got the director, George Lucas, the "Star Wars" franchise, the Cowboys' owner, Jerry Jones.

So pretty interesting, 274 of the people on this list, I found, were self-made billionaires.

COLLINS: Love that. Good for them.

ROMANS: Yes. There's hope for us yet, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes, I know. You know, I'm working on that every second of the day.

ROMANS: Yes. Every second it will take us, what, 19,000 years to be able to earn enough money to be on the list. I actually work out that number, too. It's about 19,000 years.

COLLINS: I was going to say, wow, you really have been obsessed.

Christine Romans, thank you. Appreciate it.

ROMANS: Sure.

COLLINS: Rob Marciano joining us now from the severe weather center.

Hey, there, Rob. Central part of the country, some trouble today?

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COLLINS: I know. It's my favorite part of the year.

Thanks so much, Rob. We'll check back later.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Sounds good.

COLLINS: We want to know what you think today. Chicago is making an aggressive bid for the Olympics, as you know. But are there political risks involved in the president's decision to get involved personally in that pitch to bring the 2016 Olympics to his adopted hometown?

Tell us your thoughts, and we will read some of them in our next hour. You can go to my blog at CNN.com/heidi. Jobless and feeling desperate? That offer you got online may seem too good to be true, and it probably is.

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COLLINS: People who have lost their jobs because of the tough economy may become victims again, this time from con artists trying to scam them with new job offers.

CNN personal finance editor Gerri Willis joining us now with some tips on how to avoid being taken.

This is awful, Gerri. What kind of scams are out there?

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: It really is. You know, there are folks out there who are posing as head hunters, but they're really just scam artists. As our own Drew Griffin reported yesterday, company called Arthur Group Executive Search was nothing but a scam operation. Victims were charged thousands of dollars, never saw their money again. Remember you don't pay head hunters. Head hunters get paid by the companies they work for for finding new talent. So at the end of the day, if you're contacted by a group like this, you've got to walk away.

COLLINS: Understood.

What about work from home scams? I see things like that all the time. Little signs along the highway even saying, you know, make $5,000 a month and work from home.

WILLIS: No, don't believe it. Look, you know, there are some work from home opportunities that are legitimate, but most of them are scams. Federal Trade Commission is all over this. Beware of the classic schemes like medical billing or envelope stuffing. Legitimate work at home sponsors should tell you in writing what's involved in the program, what you'll be paid, a salary or by commission. Get the total cost of the work at home program, including supplies, equipment, membership fees.

COLLINS: So what's the best way to protect yourself from all this?

WILLIS: Well, look, you know, the takeaway here is that just because you're familiar with the Web site you were working with, say a jobs Web site, maybe an advertising Web site, that doesn't mean you can let down your guard. That's what happened with this head hunter story.

They were working through Career Builder, and they thought because Career Builder had it out there, it was legitimate. Look, they don't have time to go through absolutely everything on those Web sites. You've got to protect yourself. Watch out for the red flags. Beware of offers requiring fees, big promises, guarantees of employments, e-mails that ask for sensitive info.

Look, if you have a fishy feeling about a company, check it out with a better business bureau or call your local attorney general's office for any complaints that may have been filed or lodged against that company. Bottom line, it's your responsibility to make sure that those companies are legit.

COLLINS: Yes, definitely.

All right, Gerri, some good tips. Thank you.

WILLIS: My pleasure.

COLLINS: We do have a lot going on this morning. And CNN crews are in place to bring it to you. Let's check in first with Ed Henry joining us from Denmark for the big Olympic meetings.

Hey there, Ed.

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, good morning again. The president about to go for the gold. But what happens if he winds up with the silver or even the bronze? I'll have the inside story on the political stakes for the president at the top of the hour.

MARCIANO: And I'm Rob Marciano in the CNN severe weather center. Another cyclone, a super typhoon out there in the Pacific. Plus, we had three earthquakes, a couple of tsunamis. Lots to talk about. That's coming up at the top of the hour.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Elizabeth Cohen in Atlanta. The swine flu vaccine is due out next week. Well, now the question is, do you want it? I'll help you make that decision at the top of the hour.

COLLINS: Good question. All right, guys, thanks so very much.

And we will also have more about the politics behind the president's trip to Copenhagen. We'll hear from the left and the right on the Olympic-sized push from the White House.

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COLLINS: An incredible story of heroism in New York. Take a look at this. A complete stranger rescues a young boy from a burning building in the Bronx. The man was working in his nearby store when he heard a boy screaming as smoke billowed from a fourth floor apartment.

Boy, oh, boy, look at this.

He raced up the fire escape where firefighters handed him the limp, unconscious 4-year-old.

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HORIA CRETAN, RESCUED BOY FROM FIRE: Well, I heard somebody scream. I didn't know what was happening outside. And as soon as I went, I heard that the screams come from upstairs. And when I looked, you just couldn't see nothing. It was too much smoke. And I guess I just kicked in. I kicked in gear. I put the ladder down. I went upstairs, and I did the best I could.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The boy was rushed to a hospital. He is expected to survive the ordeal.

What a story.

Checking some of our other stories happening right now. A Senate Committee resumes work on a compromise health care plan this morning. Finance committee chairman Max Baucus believes the proposal could clear his panel by the end of this week. The debate on the Senate floor could begin by the middle of the month.

A protestor threw a shoe at the director of the International Monetary Fund today. It happened at a university in Istanbul, Turkey, where the IMF director was speaking. He was not hit. Security officers took the protester away.

And a series of earthquakes hit California's eastern Sierras this morning. The largest tremor, magnitude 5.1. No damages or injuries have been reported.