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Money and Main Street; Saturn to Close; Last Year's "Hero" Recounts What It Has Done for Her; Could Olympics Make Chicago Any Safer?; The Lifesaver in the Bronx

Aired October 01, 2009 - 14:00   ET

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


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Appreciate it, Poppy. Thanks so much.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Sure.

PHILLIPS: And for more in Detroit's struggle for resurgence, make sure to check out "Assignment: Detroit." It's a year-long storytelling project from "CNNMONEY.COM" and Time Inc. Just click on cnnmoney.com/detroit.

We're pushing forward this hour around the globe, but first, this from Anderson Copper.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Anderson Cooper. Every hour today we're revealing one of our Top Ten CNN Heroes for 2009.

From Chattanooga, Tennessee, meet Jordan Thomas. Jordan lost his legs in a boating accident and now provides prosthetics for children in need. I'll be back in an hour with our next Top Ten CNN Hero, and join me for a "360" special at 11:00 P.M. tonight to meet our heroes and begin voting for the CNN Hero of the Year, who'll win $100,000.

ANNOUNCER: "CNN HEROES" is brought to you by Subaru.

PHILLIPS: The body count is climbing before our eyes. Right now, search crews frantically looking for people, battered people who may have survived the tsunami and earthquake that devastated the Samoan Islands and Indonesia, so far, 130 deaths. In Indonesia, the quake's death toll has topped 500, it could climb into the thousands, and another quake struck today, but the horror doesn't stop there. Word now, a major storm is headed for the region. Typhoon Parma could slam into the Philippines this weekend, just days after another typhoon killed hundreds of people there.

In Indonesia, minutes can mean the difference between life and death. Hundreds of people trapped in the rubble are fighting to live. Listen as one of our own producers discovers a man buried under tons of debris in Pandang.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, I know it's hard for you to - do you know how badly you're hurt or can you - what you can move or -? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. One of your legs, but you can move your hands?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All the other parts are OK? OK, John (ph), let me see what I can do to get you out.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, we have gotten word now that the man and three other people have been pulled alive from that rubble, but another person has died.

In the Samoan Islands, tsunami destruction almost everywhere you look. CNN's Hugh Williams shows us now the damage at a popular resort.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HUGH WILLIAMS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the main entrance to the Coconuts Beach Resort that's been around here for 20 years in - on the southern coast of Samoa, and this is - gives you a bit of an idea of the amount of destruction that was caused by this wave.

Right behind me here is the remains of a kitchen that was shifted from its foundation, just 20 or 30 meters away. Up above, you can see a motor boat that's usually moored about half a kilometer away and was washed in by the tremendous force of the wave. And here, these ladies are working on salvaging what they can from the kitchen and gift shop, which is pretty much shifted completely off its foundation.

So really, the - the evidence here is overwhelming of the - the force and the power and the strength of the wave that came through yesterday morning and just decimated everything in its path.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Back to the Philippines, in the crosshairs again. Chad Myers, how bad is it?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is a big storm. It is 140 miles per hour. Now, let's go back and we'll talk about Katsana. Katsana was a storm that started in the middle of the Pacific and ran right through Manila then into Vietnam. This is taking a slightly different track, and the forecast earlier in the week was for it to make a big right-hand turn and miss everything. That does not look likely at this point in time.

It appears like it's going to clip the northern portion right here of the island of Luzon. Now, that's where Manila is, a little bit father down to the south. I don't think we're going to see a lot of damage in Manila from this, but the problem, Kyra, is look at the size of this thing. This thing is a category equal to a Category four hurricane in the US, and typhoons and cyclones and hurricanes, they're all the same storm, just oceans so they get different first names - typhoon, cyclone and all that kind of stuff.

The storm could still inch its way into the middle of Luzon and then still, as it begins to bring the wind around, push that water into Luzon Bay. This is my biggest concern for Luzon, not so much for the wind, but for what could happen here, the same thing that happened in New Orleans with Katrina. As the wind comes around and around and around, it may push water into this Manila Bay. Let me show you what look like - what Manila looks like, 10.5 million people in Manila proper, and if that floods, it would be a real disaster, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. We'll keep talking, Chad. Thanks so much.

And you can help the people devastated by these natural disasters and make a difference. Just visit our "Impact Your World" page at cnn.com/impact. Log on and impact your world.

By this time tomorrow we should know whether Chicago will host its first ever Olympics, whether Rio will host the first games ever in South America, whether Tokyo will host the games a second time or whether Madrid will bring the game to Europe for a third time in four years. If the IOC decided on star power alone, there'd be no contest. President Obama, Mrs. Obama, Oprah and all twisting arms for Chicago.

CNN's Ed Henry is watching Copenhagen, Denmark. So Ed, which country is believed to be in the lead and what are Chicago's chances?

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, I've just picked up some new information from two sources close to the process here on the ground in Copenhagen who are telling me that this race now is really neck and neck between Chicago and Rio, that those are really the two front runners. As you mentioned, Tokyo and Madrid, still in it obviously.

There's a lot of behind the scenes lobbying going on, but one of my source said bluntly it's close as hell between those two countries that basically it's really coming down to them and that President Obama's last ditch effort here - this last minute lobbying tomorrow morning - he's only going to be on the ground for four hours - could be pivotal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HENRY (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 lightsaber on the south lawn.

MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: You should have seen the president in there, fencing. It was - 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, WHITE HOUSE SENIOR ADVISOR: 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 question 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 US 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 interest too.

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

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HENRY (on camera): Now, maybe some wishful thinking there by the president that he's going to be serving two terms in office. Wishful thinking as well, is he's going to be able to deliver for Chicago? There's a lot of speculation here on the ground in Copenhagen that perhaps the White House has been tipped off that Chicago is going to win and that's the only reason why the president would put this much political capital on the line because he's already been told that Chicago's going to win.

But I can tell you, two sources close to the process insist the White House has not gotten a heads up like that. They have been getting, I'm told, private progress reports from Chicago Mayor, Richard Daley who's already on the ground here in Copenhagen, saying that it's looking good in his conversations in private with the IOC members, but by no stretch of imagination is this a done deal. People close to the White House insisting they've gotten no intelligence, no heads up and that this thing is still up for grabs, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. We'll know in 24 hours. Ed Henry, thanks.

And we asked you whether you think the president ought to be lobbying the IOC. Here's some of your responses. SNOWMICKEY (ph) writes, "I think it's worth the president's time. After all, the other ones in the running have their leaders representing them. Why not the USA?" MERCURY1050 (ph) writes, "Hopefully the president is just making an appearance to seal the Olympic deal. The games certainly would help the city."

And this person writes, "Job creation starts Friday if Chicago wins the Olympics. There isn't a better use of Obama's time than job creation." And this viewer put it this way, "Chicago doesn't deserve the games. Let them clean up the crime issues and gang problems. Let's make history and give the games to Rio."

Thanks to all of you for your comments.

Choking smoke, searing flames, and a little boy trapped inside. Tragedy was just moments away - fortunately so was Billy Cretan.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: OK. We're getting word from a meeting near Geneva that Iran will cooperate fully and immediately with the UN Nuclear Agency and let it have a look at its new nuclear enrichment facility soon. We are expecting a statement from President Obama. At the top of the hour, leaders of several world powers are in Switzerland talking with Iran about its nuclear plans, and last week, Tehran revealed it's building a second facility where it can enrich uranium. It claims the work is for peaceful purposes.

And the world is watching what Iran does and what it says, especially Germany and Israel. Our correspondents are on top of it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Fred Pleitgen in Berlin. What you see right there is the Chancellery Building here in the German capital where Angela Merkel has just won the right to stay there for another four years. The first major issue on the new administration's foreign policy list - Iran.

Germany will be participating in the talks in Geneva, but Germany also has major economic ties to Iran, and the question is will they get tougher on Tehran and allow those business ties to dry up?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Paula Hancocks in Jerusalem. Israel is not directly involved in talks with Iran, but you can guarantee it will be watching for any potential progress very closely. Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has made his views abundantly clear, consistently saying that he believes a nuclear Iran is the biggest threat to the world right now, and time is running out.

While Israel have publicly endorsed the US negotiation road (ph), Israel's also publicly said that all options are still on the table and there are very few experts who doubt that Israel could carry out a preemptive military strike against Iran's military facilities if it believes the time was seriously running out.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILIPPS: And another meeting with Iran and world powers will happen later this month in Switzerland. Let's not forget the three American hikers, either. Remember that they stumbled into Iran from Iraq in July and have been detained ever since?

People in Berkley, California are not forgetting, neither are people across the country. Vigils nationwide for Shane Bauer, Joshua Fattal and Sarah Shourd, keeping them front of mind and calling for their release. Iran claims that the hikers entered that country illegally. Swiss diplomats visited the three earlier this week for the first time and said they appear to be OK.

Trying to find a job is no picnic. It helps to have skills fewer people have to give you an edge. We're going to talk live with a guy who brings rare skills to the table, and if you're hiring, come on. Give him 30 seconds of your time.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Out of work, out of savings, out of option. That's why we bring you the "30 Second Pitch."

And today, you're going to meet Justin Drezner. He reached out to us last week with a story that we're hearing from so many of you: I'm educated. I have gone on hundreds of job interviews. And I will go anywhere for work.

But Justin has a very special skill that caught my attention. He is deaf and is fluent in sign language.

Now, I grew up in a family of teachers for the deaf, so I know that deaf people can thrive at any job, but Justin says being deaf and being out of work means you pretty much get the short end of the stick.

Justin Drezner joins me now live from Rochester, New York, along with his interpreter.

Justin, why do you feel like you're getting the short end of the stick.

JUSTIN DREZNER, JOB-SEEKER (through interpreter): Well I think that -- that, being deaf, people assume that I'm not educated, that it's too much of a challenge to work with me. The perception is, we can't do anything.

PHILLIPS: And -- and, so, tell me why that is. Why do you think there is that perception? And -- and why do you think there is such an ignorance? I mean, I grew up with it. I -- I have my own opinion, but you're right there in the middle of it and you're dealing with it right now.

DREZNER (through interpreter): I think that it's more a matter of people being uneducated, unaware. You know, we're -- it's almost like we're an invisible community. People don't know about us.

You know, you see people of different races. You don't really see a deaf person. I mean, a person doesn't look deaf. So, people just don't even think about it. We're kind of, I don't know, pushed aside.

PHILLIPS: You know, I was looking at this picture of you and your family at the Yankees game. I know your family has been very supportive of you.

What did they tell you as you were growing up, going to school, getting ready for the work force? Did they say to you, you know what, Justin, it might be tough, because you're deaf and you're going to have to work it a little differently?

DREZNER (through interpreter): Well, I know how to work hard. They told me that I would have to work twice as hard, because nothing comes easy. Life is full of challenges. So, you have to overcome that.

But, right now, I'm looking for a job, and that's my newest challenge. And I will overcome that, too. But it's not just about me. It's about all deaf people, people who -- deaf people who have degrees. But just because they can't hear, the -- or the employers aren't aware of their abilities, that's the issue.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: So, tell me why you decided to go to grad school.

DREZNER (through interpreter): Well, the biggest reason was to help me to find a good job. You know, all -- all things being equal, between a hearing candidate and a deaf candidate, they will probably go with the hearing person. So, I need to make sure that I'm extra prepared. You know, I have to put the playing field in my favor.

PHILLIPS: All right, Justin Drezner, are you ready for your 30- second pitch? And, if so, we're going to start the clock, and you can go for it.

(LAUGHTER)

DREZNER (through interpreter): I'm more than ready.

Hi. My name is Justin. I'm a graduate student at RIT studying service management. I have experience working in hotels for two years. And I'm looking for a company that prides itself in service, putting their customer first, someone who's willing to hire a deaf person.

I'm very much a team player. And I believe that a team environment is -- is critical to success, that it's not just about me, but it's about the company and all the team players in it. So, don't be afraid to take a chance on me.

PHILLIPS: Perfect timing. Look at that, two seconds to spare.

Justin Drezner, I'm so excited that you reached to us -- out to us. It really meant a lot to me and out team. You just sparkle, I have got to tell you. So, please keep us updated on -- on job opportunities.

And thanks, also, to Jim Moore (ph), your interpreter.

Fabulous job, Jim.

DREZNER (through interpreter): Thank you for having me.

PHILLIPS: Absolute pleasure.

And, once again, Justin's e-mail, justin.drezner@gmail.com. We have that posted also on our blog. That's at CNN.com/Kyra.

And if you want to be part of the "Pitch," get in touch with us, just like Justin did, there, or on Twitter at KyraCNN.

Top stories now: If you want a flu shot, act fast. The Associated Press says the largest U.S. supplier is telling customers that some vaccine shipments are delayed. That's partly due to the production of a separate swine flu serum.

OK. Watch the guy talking. He is not former President George W. Bush, but he does get the latest flying footwear award -- ooh -- handed out in Istanbul, Turkey, today by a critic of the International Monetary Fund.

The shoe-thrower was apparently targeting the IMF chief, but missed.

Back in the big chair, America's favorite pilot, Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger again took to the skies today, reprising the New York-to-Charlotte route he was on before that unscheduled landing in the Hudson River. Along for the ride, trusted co-pilot Jeffrey Skiles -- luckily, no bird strikes today.

It's the custody case where two parents disagree and two countries disagree: a Tennessee father in a Japanese jail. He's got 15 minutes to talk, not a second more. And he talked to us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right, get this

A Tennessee dad has court-ordered custody of his kids, but his wife abducts them and takes them to her native Japan. So, why is dad sitting in a Japanese jail now?

Chris Savoie spoke exclusively to CNN, but his intended audience was his two children caught in an international tug-of-war and bitter post-divorce battle. Kyung Lah has the latest -- Kyung.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, he appeared very tired. This entire thing is wearing on him.

He said he was scared and he was worried. But he also said that he wanted to get his story out. He wants to share it, because he wants international law to change.

(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. They 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 will 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 in Yanagawa, Japan. Savoie drove eight year old Isaac and six 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 Noriko, 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 have heard about the case side with the mother even knowing the U.S. courts awarded custody to the American father.

"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.

"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 will 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."

(on camera): We have reached out to Christopher Savoie's ex- wife, Noriko. She does live in this town. She so far has not responded to our request for an interview. As far as the two children, they have been returned to her custody -- Kyra.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, some big storm clouds are brewing in parts of the U.S.

Chad Myers watching it for us at the CNN Weather Center.

What do you think, Chad?

MYERS: Hey, a brand-new severe thunderstorm watch box just issued. We haven't had one of these probably for two or three months, it seems like. There's been a huge lull in the severe weather activity.

There it is right there. Here's Oklahoma City. And, obviously, this would be I-40 right through here, the lightning and thunder already east of Oklahoma City, but probably head to -- it looks like I would say east of Fayetteville, Telemina (ph) State Park that way and down into southeastern Oklahoma. We'll clear this and we'll pan around a little bit. We'll move you on up here a little bit farther to the north. Some showers in St. Louis into Annapolis and even some rain into Chicago and I think if I move right over here -- there you go. Look at that, downtown Chicago from our tower cam. (INAUDIBLE) Looks like so far so good, although I do believe that with the rain showers, O'Hare will probably slow down here in just a little bit. There are more showers and even more thunderstorms back out to the west and south west of Minneapolis. It's just going to be one of those days, Kyra. I think we could probably see some hail probably a little bit of wind damage, but the likelihood of a tornado is probably less than one or two percent today.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Chad.

Hundreds of families desperately trying to save their homes. The money is out there, but patience is running out. Four months ago, we profiled a government plan to help ease the housing crisis. Since then, it's come under attack. And this is truly "Money & Main Street." Here's Ed Lavandera.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LISA LOCASIO, NEW HOMEOWNER: Super duper. Thank you.

LAVENDERA (voice-over): Finally, Lisa Locasio has the key to a new home, the first she's ever owned.

LANCE CONNOLLY, REAL ESTATE AGENT: When's the house warming party?

LOCASIO: Right now.

LAVENDERA: But reaching this moment has been a test of endurance. She bought the house with the help of the federal government's Neighborhood Stabilization Program, or NSP, which has $6 billion to help people buy foreclosed or abandoned homes in 250 cities nationwide. But most of the money hasn't been spent yet and how it's distributed vary from state to state. But in Phoenix, Arizona, the goal is to help 900 home buyers. But six months into the program, Lisa is just the third person to close on a home.

(on camera): So what's it been like?

LOCASIO: It's been rough.

LAVENDERA: Yes.

LOCASIO: It's been a long process.

LAVENDERA: Tired?

LOCASIO: No, I was more annoyed.

LAVENDERA (voice-over): Since June, we've tracked Lisa's progress through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program. One of the NSP programs offers prospective home buyers up to $15,000 to cover down payment and closing costs. The idea was also to help banks get foreclosed homes off their books and keep neighborhoods from deteriorating in value.

But Lisa's real estate agent, Lance Connolly, doesn't think banks got the memo.

(on camera): Did you find that banks were willing or eager to deal with you?

CONNOLLY: No. No, pretty much every bank except for Fannie Mae was pretty much unreceptive to the program whatsoever.

LAVENDERA (voice-over): The Housing Department official in charge of dishing out the money here in Phoenix, Maria Bears says people like Lisa Locasio are competing with real estate investors. They offer the banks cash, usually at a lower price. Locasio bid on nearly 30 homes before striking a deal.

(on camera): Do you still think this is money well spent?

MARIA BEARS, PHOENIX DEPUTY HOUSING DIRECTOR: I do. Anytime you stabilize a neighborhood, that's the fabric of our community, so ghost towns don't do anybody any good, at all.

LAVENDERA (voice-over): Maria Bears is trying to build momentum. She's helped organize this Spanish language telethon to get the word out.

City housing officials say there is reason to be optimistic about the plan. Another 72 families have been approved and are ready to start home shopping.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA: Everyone here agrees this program is off to a slow start, but the Neighborhood Stablization Program won't last forever. The clock is ticking. It's set to expire toward the end of next year.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Phoenix, Arizona.

PHILLIPS: As we reveal CNN's Top Ten Heroes of the Year all day today, we're going to check in with our friend Liz McCartney. Your dedication and heart have helped hundreds of Katrina victims and earned her top honors in '08.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: First it was Oldsmobile, then Pontiac. And now Saturn is being shut down. GM killed off another branch. Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange. So, Susan, GM had a buyer for Saturn all lined up. What happened?

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, this is a troubled company and -- or troubled brand I should say, in a troubled industry. It's lean and mean in Detroit.

And just to give you an example of how tough it is, we just this afternoon got the latest sales figures for the Big Three. And each of them, GM, Ford and Chrysler, all saw their September sales drop at least 33 percent from August.

Why such a big drop? Cash for clunkers expired in August. So, let's get around to Saturn. Saturn never made any money for GM. You may recall, I certainly do, Kyra, it was launched in 1990 as a different kind of car company. Had this low-key -- low-key show rooms, no haggle pricing. It was really launched at a time when Japanese imports were starting to really make a dent into the Big Three in Detroit. It got high marks for customer service.

But Saturn never made money, GM was going to sell it to Pensky Automotive, run by, yes, the famous legend, Roger Pensky. And it was supposed to close this week, but Pensky couldn't find a manufacturer to make the cars. So now it looks like, yes, just like Oldsmobile, that Saturn is going to ride off into the sunset. A very sad moment indeed, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: What's going to happen to all the employees and the workers at the dealerships?

LISOVICZ: That's what makes it especially sad. There are hundreds of Saturn dealerships, Kyra. There are 350 Saturn dealerships; they employ roughly about 13,000 workers. The good news -- I put that in quote -- is that we're not expecting at this point any big factory layoffs because Saturn plants also make other plants (sic). So, that is a relief at this point.

And there are Saturn plants in Kansas, Michigan as well as south of the border in Mexico. The big question is whether demand for GM's remaining brands are strong enough to move those Saturns. For any of our viewers who own a Saturn, you can go to GMs dealership for service.

PHILLIPS: Got it. Thanks, Susan. LISOVICZ: You're welcome.

PHILLIPS: Beached ships, flattened homes and people swept out to sea. We're now hearing at least 1,100 people are dead in Indonesia. Another 150 in the Samoas after a furious run of earthquakes and a tsunami. Rescuers now combing through what's left, saying thousands of people could still be trapped.

Iran opening its doors -- at least some of them. It says it will give U.N. inspectors access to a once-secret uranium enrichment plant. That's according to the State Department after a senior U.S. official met face-to-face with Iran's top nuclear negotiator today. We're expecting President Obama to make a statement on Iran at about 3:05 Eastern time.

A tug of war in the Senate Finance Committee over the health care overhaul. Republicans say it would mean a middle class tax hike, but Democrats say they can wrap up the debate tonight with plenty of support while sticking to their priorities of covering the uninsured. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says that could clear the way for a full Senate debate starting the week of October 12.

Ordinary people doing extraordinary things. We call them Heroes, and today we're revealing our Top Ten CNN Heroes of 2009. We're also checking in with our last year's Hero. Liz McCartney. She made a selfless decision while watching the destruction from Hurricane Katrina. She left her home and job and has been helping victims rebuild their homes ever since.

She joins us live from Seattle. Liz, great to see you.

LIZ MCCARTNEY, 2008 CNN HERO OF THE YEAR: Nice to see you, thanks for having me on the show.

PHILLIPS: It's our pleasure once again. And as we get ready for our next round of our Heroes this year, tell our viewers, and maybe even though who will be participating in this next round, what it did for you and what you were doing in Katrina when you were able to win that Heroes spot?

MCCARTNEY: The Heroes program, the impact has just been extraordinary. It's really brought out the best in the American people. I think what the Heroes program did was give voice to the truth of the New Orleans area, and the truth is that there's over 10,000 households that are still struggling to rebuild.

And many of these are hard working families. Over 70 percent own a home, they just don't have the funds to rebuild. What the Heroes program did is brought light to the situation and really inspired people to get involved and to act and to come down and be a part of the solution. So, it's been great to see the results from that.

PHILLIPS: And how did it change your life?

MCCARTNEY: You know, it hasn't really changed my life. What it has done is it's inspired me. You know, it's really inspiring to hear stories from so many people who watch the show, and heard about the ongoing needs and said, "You know what? I think I can be a part of that, so they decided to either come down and volunteer or make a donation to the project."

PHILLIPS: Give us an update on the project, too. Since we last talked, it's been a year, what have you been able to do, provide, see right there where you've been working in St. Bernard Parish?

MCCARTNEY: As of today, we have 239 families homes rebuilt. We have expanded our capacity, and we're working on about 50 homes, both in St. Bernard and in New Orleans. In February, we opened up a center for wellness and mental health in partnership with LSU, and we're providing services to just over 140 patients on a regular basis.

We have been able to attract all kinds of new donors and partners thanks to the Heroes program. So, we have really been able to move the ball forward, significantly, but like I said, there's still a lot of work to do.

PHILLIPS: Liz McCartney. We'll keep following up on all the great work you're doing. What a pleasure to see you again.

MCCARTNEY: Thanks for having me.

PHILLIPS: You bet.

And you want to know who this year's Top Ten Heroes are? Well, tonight, beginning at 11:00 p.m. Eastern, Anderson Cooper reveals CNN's top ten Heroes. Watch for Anderson all day and this evening. Then you can see the ten Heroes tonight at 11:00 Eastern on a special edition of "Anderson Cooper 360."

The Olympics aren't just fun and games. They change their host cities forever. Could they also take a bite out of crime?

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PHILLIPS: We have been looking at Chicago's bid for the 2016 Summer Games, and met a sensational wave of brutal and often deadly violence by and against Chicago teams.

On the eve of the IOC announcement, we wonder, could the Olympics make Chicago any safer? Here in Atlanta, host of the '96 Games, violent crime actually dropped by a quarter from 1995 to 2000. William Rathburn was the director of security for the '96 Games. He's a former police chief in Dallas, and he's now a consultant and he's on the phone with us from Mineola, Texas.

So, William, what do you think? We saw a decline in Atlanta, and our top story for weeks now, actually months has been this surge in violence, especially among teens in Chicago. And then just in the past week, this brutal video of the 16-year-old boy being beaten to death. If indeed the Olympics were to come to Chicago, could it make a dent in the crime we're seeing?

WILLIAM RATHBURN, CONSULTANT: First, Chicago can and would do some extraordinary things to ensure safety during the Games if they were fortunate enough to get the award, and I certainly hope they do.

But -- it takes -- so, they certainly can provide a safe environment for the games to be hosted in. And more importantly in the long-term is that in the years leading up to the Olympics, they will have to put programs in place that if they worked and they should work, will affect crime for years after the Olympics.

PHILLIPS: And so what was it that was put into place that made, for example, Atlanta safer? Is it more security? Funneling money into the city, created more jobs? What was it specifically that made a difference and could make a difference in Chicago?

RATHBURN: It's a whole combination of things. One thing that's really critical is that the Olympics requires a close coordination between all law enforcement agencies at the locals, counties, state and national levels. The result is a much stronger law enforcement community that can address the problems, all the problems after the Olympics.

So that's part of it -- there are other parts, there's an economic part, certainly, a buildup in Atlanta to the Olympic games in 1996, there were certainly -- there was a vast increase in jobs. There was an area of the city, right near CNN headquarters, between CNN and Peachtree Street, that was a blighted areas that are now the beautiful Centennial Olympic Park.

So, a lot of the crime that occurred in that area no longer exists. So, it's a combination of factors, but certainly law enforcement is strengthened by the fact that they have to prepare and work together for the games, but also there are a lot of jobs that are created as a result of the games, as well.

PHILLIPS: I have to agree with you, it's definitely been rebuilt, and it's pretty amazing down here by the CNN Center now. But at the same time, William, even with all that security and all that money, we had the bombing that took place during the Olympics here.

RATHBURN: Yes, that's true. And it's pretty amazing, we had 8.6 million people actually attend the Olympic events, and the bombing was basically the only thing that occurred of a security nature. It certainly had tremendous impact on the Games -- not only the Atlanta games, but the games after Atlanta.

But I think it shows you the vulnerability. You can do everything right and still have, in a free society, you can still have something like that occur. Olympic Park, Centennial Olympic Park was in fact a park, and everyone has the right to go there or the freedom to go there, and so those things can occur and did occur. And we certainly were saddened by it, but the Games were a tremendous success overall. And I think that the law enforcement community in Atlanta was much better after the Games than it had ever been in history.

PHILLIPS: Final question, William. If the Olympic Games is going to take place in Chicago, if they get the bid, will you be involved in consulting? Will you be involved in security? And if so, what would be your first step? RATHBURN: I don't know that I would be involved. No one has yet asked me to be, but I certainly have a lot of experience, and I could certainly help them and would be willing to help. I guess the first thing -- I'm disturbed like most Americans about what I have seen happening in Chicago, but I guess I'm more concerned that I don't hear the people in leadership positions saying the right things, which means to me they're not doing the right things to address the problems in a decisive way.

PHILLIPS: What are the right things? Tell me what you want to be hearing?

RATHBURN: I don't want to get into too much detail, but first you've got to believe you can make a difference before you can make a difference. From what I have seen -- interviews of the people in leadership positions in Chicago, I don't see any expression of confidence that they can do the things that need to be done.

You've got to believe in it, and you've got to set about the hard work to make changes. It can be done, but it takes leadership and it takes decisiveness, it takes a lot of resources, but it can be done.

PHILLIPS: We're definitely following that trend in violence in Chicago in addition to what happens with regard to the Olympics, if indeed they will head to Chicago. And we'll stay on the story in talking about both the good and the bad, and hopefully just the positive impact that could take place.

William Rathburn. Good to talk to you. Appreciate it.

RATHBURN: Thank you, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: You bet.

Thanks to a bunch of no-show neighbors, some folks in California found themselves in court. On a trip to their town's post office, they were hauled off by sheriff's deputies, under judge's orders to find bodies for a murder trial jury pool. See, not enough people who got jury summons showed up. So, well, as you might imagine, the lucky group was more than a little ticked off about bailing out his honor.

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PAT SKOGEN, CALLED FOR JURY DUTY: I'm standing in a post office getting stamps and told that if I don't go to jury duty, I'm going to jail? I don't know what land I'm in right now.

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PHILLIPS: Well, some of the folks drafted were told a man holding a baby, a woman out of work on her lunch break, and get this, a 78-year-old man who just loaded up his groceries and was heading to pick up his wife at the beauty parlor. Geez, I hope all you know no- shows are feeling really guilty right now.

As always, Team Sanchez back there working on the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM. Rick never feels guilty.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Well once in a while.

PHILLIPS: Really? What makes you feel guilty? Do tell.

SANCHEZ: My wife.

PHILLIPS: Yes. Forgetting her birthday, her anniversary, I have already heard about that. Anyway, what do you have coming up in the next hour?

SANCHEZ: But loving her every day of the year.

Hey, listen, the president's going to be speaking any moment now and this is the thing everybody's talking about: what's going on with Iran, what's going on with Ahmadinejad and whether they're trying to second a message to the United States. It seems like the United States is about to send a message to Iran here shortly. It's going to happen in about three or four minutes after we get started, and we're going to dip into it and let you take it live.

The other thing going on is that everybody's talking about the health insurance companies, whether they're buying Congress, whether they're buying these guys big bucks. We have been looking into that, by the way, and we find that in many ways they kind of are.

But anyway, I digress. I have got somebody on my show today. His name is Wendell Potter. He was a big wig with the insurance industry. He was an executor for 20 years. He worked with Cigna, he worked with Humana. He's going to come on our show today and tell us things that most of us don't know from an insider's perspective. He's, like, what you would call a whistle blower. This should be good.

PHILLIPS: All right. We'll track it. Thanks, Rick.

From shopkeeper to superhero, meet a regular guy who did something extraordinary and helped save a little boy.

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PHILLIPS: Good Samaritan? Oh, he's more than a good Samaritan. He's a lifesaver and a little boy in the Bronx owes him his life. A dramatic scene caught on camera, a new hero emerges. CNN's Tony Harris has more.

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TONY HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's an image you never hope to see, smoke pouring from an apartment building. For one man that image, the sound of screams, was enough to move him to action.

Horia Cretan stepped outside his shop, grabbed a ladder, and climbed up to the fire escape. What happened next is truly dramatic.

HORIA CRETAN, RESCUED BOY FROM FIRE: 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.

HARRIS: Firefighters inside the building handed Cretan a limp, four-year-old boy. He carried the child down the fire escape. At a landing, he kept telling the child to breathe, breathe.

CRETAN: He couldn't breathe. I just held his head up. I put my hand underneath his neck so he could breathe better. I felt his heartbeat. It was faint, but it was all right. And I made sure I protected him with the curtain because they were throwing glass from on top of the stairs. But he's fine.

HARRIS: Firefighters rushed the boy to the hospital still alive, thanks to the stranger who kicked into gear and risked his own life.

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PHILLIPS: That story once again from our own Tony Harris. The boy was listed in serious but stable condition after he was taken to the hospital. He is expected to be okay.

And speaking of heroes, tonight beginning at 11:00 Eastern, Anderson Cooper introduces the Top Ten CNN Heroes of 2009. Watch Anderson at the top of each hour, then see all of the Heroes tonight at 11:00 Eastern on a special edition of "AC 360."

I'm Kyra Phillips. I'll see you back here tomorrow from 1:00 to 3:00. Now, Rick Sanchez take it from here.