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Air Crashes in Afghanistan; Protests in Afghanistan; Bombings in Baghdad; H1N1 National Emergency; Following the Money
Aired October 26, 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: Hey there, John and Kiran, thanks so much. That's right. A very busy day ahead in the NEWSROOM. In fact, national emergency. What a government move means for H1N1 treatment. We'll also answer your questions about the pandemic.
He made billions investing with his buddy Bernie Madoff. A Florida philanthropist drowns in his mansion's swimming pool.
And family tensions explode. Police say a dad drove over his daughter. She's unconscious. He's on the run.
Good morning, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. It is Monday, October 26th. Thanks for being with us, everybody.
Violent deaths in two global hot spots to talk about and very high stakes for the United States. At least 14 people are dead in two helicopter crashes in Afghanistan. Our Chris Lawrence is actually covering that story. He's going to join us from the Afghan capital of Kabul with the very latest and all the details on that.
And also, CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom is in Baghdad where the Iraqi's capital worst attack in two years is raising security questions once again.
In Afghanistan, three helicopters, two separate crashes, and a rising death toll. Let's get the very latest from the capital city of Kabul now. CNN's Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence is there and joins us now live.
Chris, good morning to you.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. Fourteen Americans have been killed here in Afghanistan today. It is the -- it is the biggest loss of life on a single day in over four years.
Let's start with what happened in southern Afghanistan, where two U.S. helicopters collided. That killed four American crewmen and injured a couple others. In a completely separate incident, on the western part of the country, a strike team had gone into a compound where they believed insurgents were trafficking drugs.
What appeared to be a very vicious firefight erupted. We're told that over a dozen insurgents were killed. All of the Americans survived that firefight, but as they were leaving, their helicopter went down as well. Seven American troops were killed, along with three American civilians who had been working with the U.S. embassy here in Afghanistan.
When you add that to the fact that two other troops were killed over the weekend, one by an IED, one during injuries he received while fighting insurgents, it has been a tremendously tragic couple of days here in Afghanistan for U.S. forces -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes. Absolutely. Chris, meanwhile, we know that there are also students that are protesting in Kabul. What's going on with that?
LAWRENCE: Yes, it is the second day now of some pretty angry protests here in Kabul. Today, the police had to fire shots in the air, bring in about five trucks, trying to calm down the protesters. It's tall because of a rumor that American troops burned a copy of the Quran in retaliation for getting hit with an IED.
The thing about it is, it's just that, from what we've been able to tell, a rumor. U.S. and Afghan forces investigated this and found that it never really happened. Even the governor of the province where this allegedly occurred has said the ISAF forces had nothing to do with any desecration.
We actually went to this protest. And we could hear that some of the protesters were talking to police calling them slaves of America or sons of Obama. We got right up to it, but both the Afghan police and our security said this crowd was very angry, very anti-western and told us it would not be a good idea to go directly into the crowd -- Heidi.
COLLINS: OK. Chris Lawrence following all of the angles there in Afghanistan on a very, very tragic morning. We sure do appreciate that, Chris.
And if you would like more information on these stories and other developments across the world, you can always go to CNN.com. While you are there, you'll notice we've taken the number one online news site and made it even better. Made some changes for you to check out.
The future of Afghanistan, it ranks high among White House concerns again today. Later this morning, President Obama meets with his national security team to discuss the U.S. strategy there. One of the top questions, whether to commit tens of thousands more U.S. troops to the war.
The U.S. is also bracing for next week's presidential runoff and the threat of more militant attacks. Later today, the president heads to Jacksonville Naval Air Station in Florida. He'll be talking with troops and their families and thanking them for their service and sacrifice.
New questions this morning about the ability of Iraqi forces to protect their own nation. The increased focus follows yesterday's car bombing in Baghdad that killed at least 160 people.
CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom is joining us now live from the Iraqi capital.
Mohammed, you were actually at the bombing site today. What can you tell us about what you saw?
MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, if I could sum up the scene in one word, I would say anger. What we're seeing is a lot of anger from Iraqis that are out there. We had women shouting out, saying, why is the government not protecting us, why are people making us widows, why are our children being killed?
We also saw men questioning, how come the government can't protect these vital installations. These were government buildings that were targeted.
I cannot emphasize enough what a scene of utter distraction this was. I mean we were outside yesterday just a few hours after the bombs happened. It was shock. People were shocked. It happened in August, it happened now.
But today you saw a lot of sadness. People are carrying coffins of loved ones. People are going to hospitals, searching for loved ones. When we were at the scene, they were still pulling bodies out of the ministries -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Well, it begs the question, I guess, doesn't it, then, will U.S. forces be able to keep this withdrawal timetable that they're on if these attacks continue?
JAMJOOM: That's the biggest question that's being asked right now. The Americans, they want to leave. They're committed to this troop withdrawal timetable that's been drawn up.
The Iraqis, the government here, they want the Americans to leave. The Iraqis are saying their security forces are up to the task. But there's a huge question as to whether they really are up to the task.
Again, this is the second coordinated bombing of its type in two months. It happened in August, it happened now. There's been so much carnage. And this is coming at a time when there's supposed to be relatively high security. The elections are supposed to be happening.
They may be delayed, people are worried about political violence, but you see, they still keep going back to the Americans. Yesterday, just after the bombings, we went out there, we saw there were American troops on the scene. We asked them why they were there, why they had been pulled off the bases and back into the city.
They said to us they had been asked by the Iraqis to help come assess the situation and help with the forensic investigation. So there's still a lot of question as whether the Iraqi security forces are up to the task. Heidi?
COLLINS: Yes, absolutely. All right, Mohammed Jamjoom, we sure do appreciate the update. Thank you live from Baghdad this morning. The entire country now under a state of emergency over the H1N1 virus. President Obama signed a declaration late last week. It's a move to speed up the response, as our Kate Bolduan explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Long lines and long waits.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We thought it was the end. It goes all the way around the parking lot.
BOLDUAN: The scene in Fairfax, Virginia this weekend as people young and old searched for H1N1 flu vaccinations.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think that we're just all a little scared about this whole thing.
BOLDUAN: In a move described as pre-emptive, President Obama late Friday declared H1N1 a national emergency. Quote, "The rates of illness continue to rise rapidly within many communities across the nation and the potential exists for the pandemic to overburden health care resources in some localities," Mr. Obama said in a statement.
The declaration allows hospitals to cut through bureaucratic red tape in the event of a surge of H1N1 patients, reducing paperwork requirements, relaxing rules for setting up medical tents near hospitals where patients could be treated. Also making it easier to transfer patients from one facility to another.
According to one administration official, the move is meant to essentially help free more doctors and nurses from administrative burdens so they can focus on patients. It comes as the government admits vaccine production is way behind.
DR. THOMAS FRIEDEN, DIRECTOR, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL: We're nowhere near where we thought we'd be by now. We're not near where the vaccine manufacturers predicted we would be.
BOLDUAN: Despite the delay, rare bipartisan agreement Sunday. Lawmakers saying they're pleased with the federal response so far.
SEN. ORRIN HATCH (R), UTAH: I think the government is doing everything they possibly can and the Centers for Disease Control.
SEN. BEN NELSON (D), NEBRASKA: I think they're making every move possible. I think it's a better indication that this is a monumental challenge and the monumental challenge is being met.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Kate Bolduan is joining us now live from the White House with more on this.
Kate, good morning to you. What exactly does the timing of this declaration really mean? BOLDUAN: Yes, it is a very good question, Heidi. When asked about the timing of the declaration, administration officials say that this is -- this declaration is not tied to any current H1N1 -- any count of any current H1N1 cases. Another official saying that this is a proactive measure not in response to any new development, seemingly wanting to tamp down any fears that there's something going on that the administration is not telling them about.
They really call it a -- we've heard it in other situations, a tool in their tool kit or in their tool belt.
COLLINS: Yes.
BOLDUAN: So they're ready to handle something on the front end rather than having to deal with it and make up for lost time if something would happen.
COLLINS: Yes. But when you hear those words at home, you know, "emergency declaration," I think there really...
BOLDUAN: Absolutely.
COLLINS: ... it has people listening. Is it going to speed up the delivery of the vaccine? Because, obviously, there's been some problems with that.
BOLDUAN: Again, another good question. While these clearly will work hand in hand, and they're meant to work hand in hand, the vaccine production or the lack of vaccine production at this point is an issue in and of itself.
This declaration coming from the White House is really focused on hospitals and local governments to help them basically free up resources if they would become overwhelmed with H1N1 patients so they could handle that. Vaccine production, a problem in -- on its own.
COLLINS: Yes, absolutely. All right, Kate Bolduan with the story from the White House today. Kate, thank you.
BOLDUAN: Thanks.
COLLINS: Harvard University says six medical school researchers were poisoned by contaminated coffee. The school sent out an internal memo on Friday saying the students and scientists got sick after drinking coffee from a machine near their lab.
It happened back in August. All of the people reported dizziness or low blood pressure and one passed out. Testing revealed the potentially lethal chemical sodium aside, which is a common preservative used in labs. The university is tightening security and working with police to investigate the incident.
It's a mystery to all of us and there are plenty of questions about the Northwest Airlines flight that overshot the airport in Minneapolis last week. So what happened with that? ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I'm Rob Marciano in the CNN Severe Weather Center. Two places that are pretty much tired of this fall rain, central Texas and Chicago, Milwaukee, you're getting it again today.
Weather is coming up when the CNN NEWSROOM comes right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: What happened? One of many questions federal investigators have this morning about a Northwest Airlines flight that overshot the airport in Minneapolis by more than 100 miles. The pilots have been interviewed. Flight attendants may be questioned today.
Flight 188 was en route Wednesday from San Diego to Minneapolis. Air traffic controllers could not make contact with the plane for over an hour. There is speculation the pilots fell asleep or were in a heated discussion, which the copilot of the plane has denied.
Peter Goelz, former managing director of the NTSB, talked about the incident earlier on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETER GOELZ, FORMER MANAGING DIRECTOR, NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD: It's conceivable, but either explanation, you know, that they were asleep or they were distracted, really is unacceptable. So I would say both of these pilots are in very serious difficulty.
The NTSB is going to be talking to them. They're going to be looking at the flight data recorder, which will tell us whether the plane was being manipulated, you know, whether anything was happening in the cockpit whatsoever. But they're going to be in trouble.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The NTSB is hoping the plane's cockpit voice recorder will either confirm the pilot's account or provide another possible explanation.
Rob Marciano in the severe weather center now. I guess we are talking about -- well, that's nowhere we're looking. Where are we starting today, Rob?
MARCIANO: Well, you know, a couple of things I talked about before the break was the amount of rain in Chicago, in Milwaukee, and also Texas. Texas, we're going to get to in just a second. But places like Chicago, some interesting tidbits coming out of the National Weather Service there. There's a live shot there of the magnificent mile.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: Yikes. All right, Rob, we'll check back a little bit later on. Thank you. MARCIANO: OK. Sounds good. You got it.
COLLINS: H1N1 virus spreading with a vengeance. Now that the Obama administration is declaring it a national emergency, what does that really mean for you?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Checking our top stories this morning.
Now the funeral for a University of Connecticut football player begins less than two hours from now in Miami. Jasper Howard was stabbed to death nine days ago after a dance on campus. Howard's teammates paid a tribute to him at a game on Saturday. Two players carried his helmet and jersey before kickoff and the team wore stickers on their helmets.
Fourteen Americans died in two separate helicopter crashes in Afghanistan today. The military says hostile fire was not involved in either incident. Seven U.S. service members and three U.S. civilians were killed in the western Afghanistan crash. Four other U.S. service members were killed when two choppers apparently collided in the southern part of the country.
At least 20 percent of U.S. children between the ages of 1 and 11 are not getting enough vitamin D, and that could lead to a variety of health problems. The new finding was released online today by the "Journal of Pediatrics." The analysis also found almost 90 percent of African-American children and 80 percent of Hispanic kids could be vitamin D deficient.
We told you President Obama declared the H1N1 pandemic a national emergency. That move will help officials cut through any red tape if there's need to mobilize a faster response. Well, this flu is already widespread in 46 states, which health officials say would be considered the peak of a regular flu season.
Senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is joining me now live to talk a little bit more about this.
All right, first off, Elizabeth, people may not understand what it means to be a national emergency. How do you get to that level?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You get to that level when the government says, look, there are certain steps we need to take so that if this outbreak gets even worse, we can handle it in an efficient manner.
This really doesn't mean anything to you and me right now. Hopefully it means if things get worse, that things will go more smoothly, hospitals will have an easier time treating people.
Dr. Anne Schuchat from the CDC spoke to "AMERICAN MORNING" yesterday -- last week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DR. ANNE SCHUCHAT, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL: This was really a proactive move. It's a continuation of our preparedness efforts. We want to be ahead of things, and this means that there'll be less paperwork. It will just be easier for the hospitals to take care of extra patient should things get a bit busy.
Easier for emergency care, easier for transferring patients. So it's not something the average member of the public will see, but it's one more thing we're doing across government to be ready for challenges.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: All right. So, the point that Dr. Schuchat was trying to make, and she was on "AMERICAN MORNING" this morning, my mistake, is that this doesn't really mean anything to you and me right now, but if things were to get worse, hopefully it means the hospital would be able to handle the high volume of cases more efficiently.
COLLINS: Right. So just to be clear, it's not that there was some sort of explosion over the weekend in cases or in deaths. So it's not a change that you and I are going to see.
COHEN: Right. And that's not an excellent point. It's not as if something happened over the weekend.
COLLINS: Yes.
COHEN: This is sort of looking forward to the future. It's almost a paperwork kind of thing.
COLLINS: OK.
COHEN: If you think about it.
COLLINS: Yes. Yes. Resources. So what about the vaccine? Where is it now?
COHEN: It's not really here in large numbers. We certainly know that.
COLLINS: Yes.
COHEN: I know. I tried to look for vaccine for my children. I still can't find a flu shot for my children in this area. It is late. They had hoped that there would be ample supply by now, but they just -- they just don't have it and they keep saying it's coming, it's coming, it's coming, we'll have plenty at some point.
Here are some lines of folks who were actually waiting for the flu vaccine. I highly doubt that all of those people manage to get it. They keep saying it's going to be here in ample supply, don't worry, but what they haven't said is, well, will the ample supply be next week or will it be in February?
COLLINS: Right. COHEN: And this is important, because as you pointed out, we are in the middle of flu season.
COLLINS: Yes. Right now.
COHEN: That sounds like a strange thing to say in October, because H1N1 is different and the course of events has been different. We're in the middle of a flu season and there's very little vaccine out there.
COLLINS: Yes. Absolutely. Well, what's taking so long?
COHEN: Well, if you think about it this way, usually when they do a flu vaccine, they start in March to have it available in the fall.
COLLINS: Right.
COHEN: This year, they couldn't start until May because the virus didn't even exist until May. I mean we didn't even know about it until late April. So they couldn't start until May. So, already, they're two months behind in the process.
Plus you have to grow vaccine. You don't throw a bunch of chemicals together. You have to grow it.
COLLINS: Right.
COHEN: And they say it's not growing as quickly as they would like.
COLLINS: Stubborn, indeed.
COHEN: Stubborn, stubborn virus.
COLLINS: All right. Well, we're going to talk with you again next hour. A lot of questions out there.
COHEN: That's right.
COLLINS: Freakily asked questions. So, we'll try to get to some of those as well.
COHEN: Sounds good.
COLLINS: I also want to let everybody know, you can find out more about how the government plans to control the spread of the virus by checking out the new CNN.com, fully loaded with enhanced videos and options now designed so you can customize your own news experience.
Josh Levs is in the CNN.com newsroom to tell us all about it.
Yes, we've had some big changes here, Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Big day down here, Heidi. Absolutely. The world's leading news site is leading the world on how to do this. We've got new features, new interactives, a whole new way to use CNN.com plus your way to weigh in on what you think about all this. We'll show you.
COLLINS: All right, Josh, thanks so much. We'll check back with you a little bit later on.
Throwing out a lifeline to small businesses. The president wants banks to step up and hand out some money.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Heidi Collins.
COLLINS: On Wall Street, a tumble on Friday took stocks down for the week.
For a look at whether the selling will continue this morning, let's get over to Susan Lisovicz, who's standing by, actually not on the New York Stock Exchange today. But we see the folks there, clapping their hands, getting ready to ring that opening bell.
Good morning to you, Susan.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. Two words. Computer glitches. This is the first time that's ever happened in my recollection.
COLLINS: Yes.
LISOVICZ: So I'm up town, I've got the numbers handy, yes, and we can see the folks applauding as they await just a few seconds from the opening bell.
Last week's sell-off -- last Friday's sell-off came after stocks hit their highs for the year. Earlier in the week, today we're expecting a slightly higher open. Wall Street looking ahead to Thursday when we get the first read on third quarter economic activity. Many economists say that's the three-month stretch when the U.S. emerged from recession.
In the meantime, Dow component Verizon says its profit declined last month, but it still made more $1 billion and revenue grows. But another phone company, Fair Point Communications, has filed for bankruptcy. The company operates in 18 states with its biggest holdings in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.
In the banking sector, the tally of this year's failure now tops 100. Over the weekend, seven banks failed, bringing the total to 106 banks. That's more than four times the number that were closed last year.
ING has a plan to shore up its finances and repay a chunk of the money it borrows from Dutch government. ING plans to sell or list its insurance ARM and its investment management business. The company will also sell its U.S. Internet banking arm. ING says the plan provides a clear plan for resolving the uncertainty created by the financial crisis.
And looking to the early numbers, green arrows across the board. Heidi, some final series of stats for you. As a Minneapolis Twins fan, you might not get it. The numbers are 6, 40, and 27. The New York Yankees, the New York Yankees win game six against the Anaheim Angels to win their 40th pennant franchise history.
(CROSSTALK)
COLLINS: Look at the time, we are running out of their time, Susan Lisovicz.
LISOVICZ: Their 27th...
COLLINS: Computer glitches.
LISOVICZ: ... 27th World Series.
COLLINS: I can't hear you!
LISOVICZ: Come on, you're a good sport.
Finally, I do have to give you one last number -- three. Three hours' sleep. I was there last night, Heidi.
COLLINS: Wow. Wow.
LISOVICZ: In the Bronx. You could have been with me.
COLLINS: I know. I know. When I'm not a Twins fan, I am a Yankees fan, which is so wrong. I can't believe I just said it out loud.
But anyway, Susan Lisovicz, thanks so much. We'll check back with you later on.
LISOVICZ: See you later.
Small businesses are crucial to the economic recovery, and the White House plans, want banks to step up and lend them some money.
Christine Romans joining me now live from New York with more on this. So, Christine, good morning to you.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
COLLINS: The president talked about doing this on his Internet and radio address to the nation this weekend.
What exactly did he say?
ROMANS: Well, you know, last week as well, a senior administration official briefed us about what they're trying to do to help out small businesses. Administration official calling it a perfect storm for America's small business saying that they're still really hurting and they have to do more. This is the engine of job creation. The president saying the same thing on his weekly radio address. All of that hue and cry about cutting the bonuses, but the president's weekly radio address was solidly about small business.
This is what they want to do. They have larger SBA loans, Small Business Administration loans, make them bigger. They have to ask Congress to do this, but they're putting together this package of requests for what they want Congress to do. They want more help for regional banks, specifically getting credit to small and mid-sized banks.
These are the folks who make loans to small businesses. They want to make sure that the money is there to get the credit from the regional banks to the small businesses.
And also, the senior administration official, Heidi, told us that health care reform, this is part of their small business move. Consistently, over the past ten or so years, this has been the number one complaint from small business owners.
COLLINS: Sure.
ROMANS: The health care reform. They can't afford, in many cases, to cover their employees and their own costs are rising pretty dramatically, Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes. And if you do work for a small business right now, you're already less likely to have health insurance anyway, right?
ROMANS: That's right. Over the past five or six years, I mean, you're more likely to have lost your health insurance coverage if you work for a small employer than for a big-sized company. And the reason is this growing burden of premiums.
I mean, you look at some of the most recent statistics, and premiums are expected to rise next year by 15 percent. That's $460 a month per employee. So think of that.
If you're an employer and have ten or less employees, your watching these premiums rise pretty dramatically. So all of this plays into the administration's point of view here. And the administration pointing out that they are serious about two specific areas where they're still saying that we need more work. Homeowners and small business. So they're putting together this package of reforms. They're going to try to jump start the small business lending again.
All right. What about today's Roman's numeral?
ROMANS: It's 65 percent. And this is a number that comes straight out of the president's weekly radio address. So for those of you geeks out there, who listen to everything --
COLLINS: I was trying to guess what it was, but I'm glad now I don't know. ROMANS: It's the percent of new jobs created in the past decade and a half by small business owners. Small businesses creates so much of the jobs here. So if you've got, what one administration official told us is a perfect storm for small business owners and the White House and Congress are trying to figure out how to get jobs created, that means small business has to be front and center here.
And I will point out that many people who study small business and have been watching this and following this say that so far they have been disappointed by some of the moves to try to free things up. Small business still hurting here. We need to do more.
COLLINS: Yes, yes, absolutely.
ROMANS: Sure.
COLLINS: All right, Christine Romans, we'll check back a little later on. Thank you.
A key investor who allegedly raked in billions off Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme has died. Police say millionaire philanthropist Jeffrey Picower's wife found him unconscious in the family pool at their mansion in Palm Beach. He was pronounced dead at a hospital. Picower was not charged with any wrongdoing, but a Wall Street analyst says investors may have been looking to get some if not all of the money back.
And you can find out more about the ongoing police investigation into how he died by checking out the new CNN.com. We've taken the number one online news site and made it even better. Our new site is designed to take you beyond the headlines.
And Josh Levs is in the CNN.com NEWSROOM now to tell us a little bit more about that.
Good morning to you, Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Heidi. It does go way beyond the headlines. And this is it live right here. Let's zoom in. I want everyone to see the new look and the new feel of the new CNN.com.
And, in fact, I'll show you a story about the one you were just talking about. So this is it, the new home page. And it's packed with new interactive. You can click on the main page to see videos right here. You can see audio slide shows. You can see photos right there. This is something I want to show you, given what you were just talking about.
It's called News Pulse and it keeps its finger basically on the pulse of what people are looking at. Which stories are getting a lot of attention? This is one right here about the Madoff investigation, what we were just talking about.
But you can click on any of these on News Pulse. Find out the basics about what it's all about and also find out more details just by clicking over to the story.
We're going to show you some of the main pages that we have here. Some of the main stories going on, get embedded video like this. What I want to do right now is take a little walk through the CNN.com NEWSROOM. We don't get to come down here a lot, Heidi. We want to introduce you to someone, Jan Winburn, who is the features producer here. And Jan is going to tell us about the main story that's up on the main page of CNN.com right now.
Hi, there, Jan.
JAN WINBURN, CNN ASSIGNMENT PRODUCER: Hi, Josh.
LEVS: All right. Well, listen, talk to us. Tell us what this main story is right now on the new mainpage.com.
This story, "A Test of Convictions," it's an unusual story told in an unusual way. We've all heard the story of some of the wrongfully accused prisoners who have been exonerated by the Innocence Project across the country. This is one of those cases told through the eyes of the woman who had to stand by, not knowing whether he would ever be successful in getting exonerated.
LEVS: Show the pictures of this couple while we're talking about this.
WINBURN: And going on with her life.
LEVS: Wow. So what you've done, some of our great writers down here, they go off, they get these great stories that you've never heard about, right? They capture photos and videos as well.
WINBURN: One of the things -- first of all, Dean Cage had never been arrested before in his life. He was accused of a brutal murder. He was sentenced to 40 years. And one of the ways this couple stayed close, of course, was through letters that they exchanged.
LEVS: And we have the letters right there.
WINBURN: We do.
LEVS: If we scroll down this page, you can also see video, right? This beautiful video that we've put together from this feature story that takes you inside this couple's story. You've got the photos, you've got the videos, you've also got these letters that they exchanged over the years.
WINBURN: Right. And one of the unusual things, Josh, is this story leaves you at a cliff-hanger. You have to come back tomorrow to find out what happens.
LEVS: All right. Actually, we'll be doing that. And I'll tell you, Heidi, this is just one of the many new exciting features that's going on here. You can see the new look, the new feel. And we want to hear from.
Let's show everyone the graphic where you can weigh in. It's right there -- CNN.com/Josh, also Facebook and Twitter.
I posted about this at 6:00 this morning. I've already gotten hundreds of responses, Heidi. We certainly look forward to seeing what people think about the new dot-com today.
COLLINS: All right, very good. We'll be listening and watching.
Thank you, Josh.
LEVS: Thanks as well, Heidi.
COLLINS: Anger and outrage this morning at the war crimes trial of former Bosnian Serb leader, Radovan Karadzic. United Nation judges abruptly adjourned the proceedings after Karadzic boycotted the opening day. He says he has not had enough time to prepare his defense. The trial will resume tomorrow at the Hague with the prosecution's opening statement.
Later this morning in Dallas, Texas, an accused terrorist faces arraignment. 19-year-old Hosam Smadi is accused of trying to topple a 60-story skyscraper with what he thought was a car bomb. The device was actually a fake provided by FBI agents posing as al Qaeda operatives. The Jordanian teenager could face life in prison.
Are you feeling that new pain at the pump? Across the country, self-serve gas prices have jumped an average of 18 cents a gallon over the past two weeks. Lindbergh Survey blames rising oil prices and says investors are betting on even higher prices in the future.
The public option seemed as good as dead a few weeks ago, but could it find new life in the Senate today? A major announcement expected.
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COLLINS: An announcement on health care expected today. It could mean new life for the public option in the Senate. An aide says Majority Leader Harry Reid will push for it in the final version of the Senate's bill, even though he may not have the votes for it right now. Reid's idea would set up a government-run insurance program, but states could opt out of it.
Republicans wouldn't like seeing the public option revived in the Senate. They feel it would cost too much and hurt private insurers. But Democrats say it would provide some much-needed competition.
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SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: The only real way or one of the best real ways to bring costs down is a new entity competing. The insurance company's industry would not do it on its own, the government would. And the one other thing I would say, and this is really important, you're not required to take the government option. It's not a government plan being forced on people. That was the rhetoric in August. It's an option. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), KENTUCKY: We had the first vote in the health care debate last week, and there was a bipartisan majority. 100 percent of Republicans and 13 Democrats agreeing that we should not borrow a quarter of a trillion dollars at the outset. In other words, not send a bill to our grandchildren in the very first vote of the health care debate. So we'll see how it unfolds.
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COLLINS: As the health care debate goes on in Congress, some Americans are going to extremes now to find coverage, like Bill Caudel of Wisconsin, whose wife has ovarian cancer. Caudel lost his job and his insurance earlier this year. So to get coverage, he enlisted in the army at the age of 39. At first, his wife wasn't sure he was serious.
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MICHELLE CAUDEL, CANCER PATIENT: I just kind of laughed, you know, and then all of a sudden, he was down there at the recruiter's office. You know, and I'd decided, because I've been through this cancer and he's been there for me, that I would support him.
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COLLINS: Bill Caudel left for boot camp at Ft. Knox just a few weeks ago.
Rob Marciano standing by in the severe -- maybe we should just call it the rain center. I feel like we've been talking about rain kind of all over the place for a couple days, at least.
MARCIANO: Well, yes. If there's rain to be found, we're going to find it.
COLLINS: That's good. You have those maps, don't you?
MARCIANO: And we're going to hang out in this very dry, very climate-controlled and pleasant studio.
Most of the rain though -- I think what you're alluding to -- has been across Texas really for a good -- seems like a couple of weeks, but certainly the past week and a half, they've had a glutton for a little bit of rain. Mostly San Antonio, Austin, northward and eastward, and Houston right now about to get clocked pretty good with some heavy thunderstorms that are rolling down the I-45 corridor and the I-10 corridor, slowly down to the south and east. Because they're moving so slowly, the threat for flooding is certainly in the forecast; 2 to 4 inches of rain on top of what they've already seen.
Flash flood watches have been posted and there are some warnings, especially out for parts of Dallas and points eastward. This will all be rolling slowly off to the east as we go through time.
I do want to point out this. There was a ground stop, in effect, for Intercontinental and it still is until 9:00 local. They may very well extend that with that line of thunderstorms rolling through. Ground delays at Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Dulles are seeing some ground delays as well.
Here's where the forecast looks -- well, what it looks like for today. East of the Mississippi, for the most part, looks to be dry and another day of mild conditions although below country, the Carolinas looks to be on the wet side.
And then warm conditions again, a bit of an onshore flow for Santa Ana winds today, again for parts of San Francisco and southern California.
You have that one fire across the Santa Cruz Mountains. That is spawning some evacuations and winds will once again be a little bit tenuous today.
Tomorrow, a little bit of help from a cool front that's going to be rolling into California, but until then, they'll have a difficult go of it as far as fighting that fire out there in north central California.
COLLINS: All right. Well, we will keep everybody posted on that, obviously.
Rob, we'll check back. Thank you.
A father on the run, a daughter in the hospital, and a family ripped apart; the clash of values with a tragic result.
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COLLINS: This morning, we're following the rising death tolls in Iraq and Afghanistan. At least 14 Americans are dead in two separate helicopter accidents in Afghanistan. One incident involved two choppers colliding in flight. The cause of the crash is now under investigation, but it does not appear hostile fire played a role.
Meanwhile, Iraqi officials say the death toll from twin car bombings in Baghdad has climbed now to 160. At least 540 people were wounded in yesterday's attacks.
Two-year tensions between a father and the daughter he felt he could not control; and in a hit and run almost impossible to believe. Now, with the father on the run and the sister lying in a hospital, a brother is speaking out for their shattered family.
Jose Miguel from our affiliate KPHO has the story.
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PETER-ALI ALMALEKI, BROTHER OF HIT-AND-RUN VICTIM: Just never thought, like, this could happen.
JOSE MIGUEL, KPHO-TV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For days now, Ali's sister Noor has laid in silence at an undisclosed hospital. ALMALEKI: She's still unconscious, hasn't woken up, said a thing. She is moving around a little bit; they think it spontaneous movement.
MIGUEL: Noor has undergone spinal surgery but there is still a chance she may never recover.
ALMALEKI: It's hurt my mom more than anybody.
MIGUEL: Ali says part of the hurt is the tension between father and daughter for the last two years.
ALMALEKI: The people that she's living with that triggered my dad's anger.
MIGUEL: Ali says his sister is married to an Iraqi man and lived in the Middle East with him until recently. Well that's when she moved back here state side. Ali says, she moved in with a new man and her parents didn't approve.
ALMALEKI: The past two years she's been going out of her way being disrespectful and the person that -- the boy that's supposedly her boyfriend right now, I don't like him.
MIGUEL: And for a traditional Muslim family, Ali says that disrespect was the ultimate insult to his father.
ALMALEKI: Different cultures, different values. One thing to one culture is not going to make sense to another culture.
MIGUEL: Ali doesn't condone what his father did.
ALMALEKI: And just seeing her in the hospital it broke my heart. Nobody should have to go through it.
MIGUEL: And even though he doesn't know where his father is now, they have heard from him.
ALMALEKI: He did call yesterday to ask how she was and my mom yelled at him and hung up.
Stop running from it. That's really the best way.
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COLLINS: An Arizona police report says another woman was also injured. She's described as a roommate of the woman who was run over. Police say the father was last seen driving a gray or silver 2000 Jeep Cherokee.
Public schools reopening in Pakistan's capital today but several private schools are still closed in Islamabad. The doors were shut after a pair of attacks nearly a week ago. Two suicide blasts killed seven people at a university. This comes in the middle of a large- scale military offensive in Pakistan. Troops are targeting militants in South Waziristan. There is a lot going on this morning. We have our CNN crews all over the world to bring you their stories. We want to check in with our correspondents beginning with Ivan Watson in Islamabad, Pakistan. Ivan, good morning to you.
IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. The war against the Taliban has spread to Pakistan schools, one young man narrowly survived when he walked out of his classroom into the fireball of an exploding suicide bomber. Heidi, I'll have the whole story for you next hour.
COHEN: I'm Elizabeth Cohen here in Atlanta. I'll be taking your questions on H1N1 flu. What are the symptoms? Where's the vaccine? I'll have those answers and more at the top of the hour.
LISOVICZ: And I'm Susan Lisovicz in New York where the jobs picture may be getting better. A new survey says that, for the first time since the recession began, the number of companies planning to hire workers outnumbers those that are planning layoffs. Heidi, more on that at the top of the hour.
COLLINS: All right, guys, thanks so much.
Also ahead, two soldiers make a pact, only one survives, though, to see it through. We'll tell you about an NFL mission for a fallen comrade.
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COLLINS: This morning, a young woman only known as Jane Doe has been identified. Our national correspondent, Susan Candiotti takes look at how police in New York were able to solve this mystery with little to go on.
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SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Her real name Kacie Aleece Peterson of Hansville, Washington. She's 18 years old. After her ordeal friends are relieved she's safe. Last week police asked people all over the country to help identify her.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: New York City police say they got a mystery on their hands. A teenager can't remember her own name.
CANDIOTTI: CNN and other media described the girl's dilemma. The publicity worked. An unidentified CNN viewer from Maryland recognized the girl, called police and that led them to the teen's family in Washington.
The teenager was found about 2 1/2 weeks ago on the sidewalk outside a home for runaways in New York but she wasn't a client there. People found her in a fetal position and called police.
They described her as disoriented, and guessed she was anywhere from 14 to 20 years old. They said she had been missing for more than a month, and doctors said she appeared to have amnesia. LT. CHRISTOPHER ZIMMERMAN, NYPD MISSING PERSON BUREAU: Her answers to my detective's questions so far have been, "I don't know, I don't know." Very clear and concise with "I don't know."
I mean I don't know whether she was disoriented when she was found, if she's a 14-year-old girl, she's definitely scared.
CANDIOTTI: This fantasy book might hold some clues. The teenager was said to have mentioned some words from a novel called "Fool's Fate" by Robin Hobb and was apparently also writing her own story.
Clinical psychologist Dr. Judy Kuriansky suggests the teenager may have been lost in that fantasy world.
DR. JUDY KURIANSKY, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: The book she had with her "Fool's Fate" is about an epic, almost like Harry Potter. It's phantasmagoric, where the characters are going on the search to slay a dragon. And that fantasy is what she was also looking perhaps to write about and that she's living in her own life.
CANDIOTTI: A local sheriff says the teenager was once found lying by a stream without any memory how she got there or who she was. Now, her father reported her missing a few weeks ago and the police were reportedly following her bank activity and did not issue an amber alert.
So while we know who Kacie Peterson is, we still don't know why she vanished or how she got to New York.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.
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