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Campbell Brown
Michelle Obama's Campaign Against Childhood Obesity; Tracking Haiti's Children: One Family's Minor Miracle; Sean Penn Helps Haiti; No Flights Expected Tomorrow at D.C. Airports; Saints Homecoming Parade: MVP Moment With Drew Brees and Son
Aired February 09, 2010 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAMPBELL BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, everybody.
You are looking at live pictures right now from New Orleans. We're picking up where Wolf left off, where the city is celebrating a huge comeback tonight, the New Orleans Saints welcoming home -- being welcomed now as Super Bowl champions.
This is all about a lot more than football, but there right now is the quarterback, Drew Brees. This is about a city that was frankly nearly wiped off the map five years ago by Hurricane Katrina. I mean, just look at the pictures. This was then, a city under water with very little hope.
And let's go back to the parade. You can see it now, a victorious football team making its way right now to the Superdome, where so many people were camped out and living in the aftermath of the storm, so much change to this incredible city, a comeback story like no other.
And Ed Lavandera is live for us on the scene of what could be the biggest party in Big Easy history. And they have got a history of parties.
Ed, what's happening?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, and they do know how to put on a parade, and the best part about how they put on a parade is, where we are, which is toward the beginning of the parade, has already ended and the cleanup has begun.
And all of the revelers, if I don't get all these people on TV real quick, Campbell, they're going to run me right out of town.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
LAVANDERA: So, all these people have been hanging out here throughout the night.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who dat? Who dat? Who dat? Who dat? Who dat? Who dat?
LAVANDERA: All right. All right. BROWN: All right, we got the message, Ed.
LAVANDERA: Everybody, calm down. The parade is over.
(LAUGHTER)
LAVANDERA: So, you can imagine, Campbell, how hard it is to work in these conditions. Oh, but they have been -- the party is over. The party will continue well into the night.
And we have talked to countless people that just have been here throughout the day, tens of thousands or who have shown up here in New Orleans. And, obviously, the excitement -- it's never-ending excitement.
I think I'm going to give up here at this point, Campbell.
BROWN: I don't blame you, Ed. Give it up. We will come back and check in with you a little bit later, when things quiet down.
Here, we have got the quarterback right now, Drew Brees, toasting the city and the fans. Let's listen in to Mayor Ray Nagin.
RAY NAGIN (D), MAYOR OF NEW ORLEANS: First, we have our senator from the great state of Louisiana, Mr. David Vitter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Senator Vitter.
SEN. DAVID VITTER (R), LOUISIANA: Drew, we salute you as the unquestioned team leader of the world champion New Orleans Saints.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
VITTER: And, Drew, we just have one thing to say, which is, move over, Peyton. There is a new favorite son in town.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And, Mark Brunell, thank you for holding that field goal. Oh, beautiful, man. Beautiful.
NAGIN: All right. Here we go, you all. Everybody, raise their glass. And if you don't have one, act like you have one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To Drew Brees and the offensive line.
DREW BREES, NEW ORLEANS SAINTS QUARTERBACK: O-line, baby, O-line, O- line.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who dat?
BREES: O-line. Who dat? Who dat? Who dat? Who dat? Who dat?
Who dat say going to beat them Saints? Who dat? Who dat? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who dat say going to beat them Saints? Who dat?
NAGIN: All right. I know, Charles, you got something ready for them? Charles, you ready? Charles, where are you, man?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh. Hey, man, don't shake up the offensive line.
NAGIN: Charles.
BREES: We're good. We're good.
NAGIN: All right, never mind, guys. God bless you, Drew.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: God bless you.
BROWN: And the party has begun, in case you haven't figured that out. Again, that's quarterback Drew Brees there with the offensive line. They're pulling up where most of the local city and state officials have gathered.
We just heard Mayor Ray Nagin there toasting the team, along with Senator David Vitter.
And I believe we have our own James Carville and Mary Matalin in that crowd who just heard that toast.
Hi, guys. How is the party?
JAMES CARVILLE, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Hey, guys. We got -- great.
MARY MATALIN, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Who dat, baby?
(CROSSTALK)
CARVILLE: Who dat?
We got one of our great athletes, the great Chris Paul, a little (INAUDIBLE) with the New Orleans Hornets, one of the great players in NBA.
We going to have a Hornets celebration here in a couple years, Chris?
CHRIS PAUL, NBA PLAYER: Man, it's going to be crazy here for the next six months, I would say. I just had to come out here to see what everything was about. These guys I think have inspired our team. We want to see what this feeling is like for the city of New Orleans, too.
CARVILLE: All right.
Chris is bundled up here. He is one of the great players in the NBA. Just like Drew Brees, he's a terrific -- makes a terrific contribution to our community. Campbell, we're really blessed down here that all our premier athletes are really, really topflight human beings, and that's something that we are really prideful for in New Orleans. And it's something we have deep gratitude to the players on the Saints, players on the Hornets, just real role models for our young people. It's really been a remarkable thing.
PAUL: It's crazy out here in New Orleans. There's no city like it. No city celebrates like this. I mean, last year I had my first opportunity to take in Mardi Gras, but with the Saints winning, you know, New Orleans will be crazy for the moment.
(CROSSTALK)
MATALIN: What you doing in Mardi Gras?
PAUL: What am I doing for this year of Mardi Gras? I don't know. That is still to be determined, but I will be here, I will tell you that much. I'm trying to come back. I'm rehabbing, but, right now, it's all about the Saints.
CARVILLE: Well, that's good.
Well, the Saints won the Super Bowl. Chris Paul will come back. And we're going to bring the NBA championship here, too, I promise.
BROWN: All right, James and Mary, again, enjoying the party there. And just for everybody who isn't living in New Orleans these days, Mardi Gras is about to get started. Literally, I think the first parade is tomorrow.
So, if you think this is the end, this, people, is just the beginning. For the next week, that city is going to be going pretty much 24/7.
And let me go check in, I have to, with Donna Brazile, because she is a New Orleans woman. This is quite a moment for her.
Donna, I feel terrible, because you're in D.C. You're going to get snowed in. You can't be down there. But how does this feel for you? You have got to be loving this moment.
DONNA BRAZILE, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, you know, Campbell, I had an opportunity to go down to the Super Bowl. I was with so many friends and wonderful New Orleanians and people from all over the state of Louisiana.
We had a great time in Florida. But, you know, I plan to go home to the Mardi Gras. Fat Tuesday is our national holiday in New Orleans. We celebrate it every year, because it is an opportunity to come together to really celebrate the spirit of a wonderful city and a wonderful region.
We have been celebrating Mardi Gras since the late 1800s. They celebrate it in Mobile, Alabama. It's an opportunity, as you well know, Campbell, to stir up some delicious gumbo, jambalaya, etouffee, shrimp remoulade, red beans and rice. And of course we like to drink it. We like to eat very spicy food and drink something very cold to swallow it all down.
BROWN: And, Donna, I was at that very first Mardi Gras after Katrina, and I have to say even -- the city was so hurting at the time. You know that. But people still came out, still camped out on the streets to be part of the celebration, to be part of the parades.
But just compare that to what this year is going to be like, when people are just feeling this enormous sense of optimism with the election of Mitch Landrieu and what that all means for the city, along with this victory.
BRAZILE: You know, the Saints have come to epitomize the rebuilding, the recovery, the long journey of bringing the city back from the brink.
As you know, 80 percent of the city was underwater, Campbell. Hundreds of thousands of people were displaced all over the country. Many of them are still displaced. But for those who came back, it was their resiliency, their determination to rebuild their city block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood.
And one thing people should know about the city of New Orleans, we talked about the French Quarter, the Warehouse District, but it is the city of neighborhoods. So, tonight, in Algiers, in Mid-City, Broadmoor, in Gentilly, Lakeview, people are celebrating because they love their city, they love the people, the rhythm, the food.
It's just a wonderful place to visit. And I encourage all Americans, whether you're a native-born or not, come celebrate with us. Come see our recovery. Come see how we're rebuilding a great American city.
BROWN: All right. Donna Brazile for us tonight as we watch the parade down in New Orleans.
Donna, thanks.
And we're going to be back with New Orleans hometown boy Harry Connick Jr. in just a minute.
But we do have some other news to bring you up to speed on. Coming up, we're going to have the very latest on a looming transportation nightmare, flights already being canceled, as the second big snowstorm in a week takes aim at the East Coast.
We will be back in just a minute.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: And you are looking at some very snowy roads tonight. We are following another developing story, along with what's happening down in New Orleans. As we have been telling you, tomorrow shaping up as a traveler's nightmare, because another major snowstorm is bearing down on the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states. Hundreds of flights have been canceled already. (WEATHER UPDATE)
BROWN: When we come back: What does Michelle Obama think about Sarah Palin, after the ex-governor's hopey, changey swipe at the president? Well, Larry King asked her. And you will hear the answer in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: And you are looking at live pictures of the parade down in New Orleans, the celebration to enjoy, to revel in the Saints' victory. And it is really marking the beginning of a week of celebration heading into Mardi Gras a week from tonight.
We're going to keep checking in with the folks down in New Orleans throughout the evening, but we want to take you to some other news.
Michelle Obama rolling out her campaign against child obesity today, not a lot of controversy there, but when the first lady sat down for a prime-time exclusive with Larry King just a little while ago, she also talked politics, including Sarah Palin's criticism of the president.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "LARRY KING LIVE")
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": What's your read on the former governor of Alaska?
MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY: You know, I -- you know, I don't have a read. I try not to make or set opinions about people that I haven't had any substantive interactions with. I know what you see on TV, and when you're in the middle...
KING: Does it irk you when she criticizes what the...
OBAMA: You know, democracy is about critique. And the president is no immune to criticism.
I think he's doing a phenomenal job. We have to think of where we were when he took office. We were on the brink of a depression, worse than anyone really ever imagined, and I don't think the country ever really knew how bad things were.
And because of some important steps, quick thinking, smart, strategic thinking, we're not even talking about that. We have got to do more on jobs. We need to get health care done. There is a lot of work to be done, and we need to do more to improve the civility in Washington. And I think, if there's a disappointment, Barack wishes that we had come farther in that effort.
KING: Is she a phenomena to you?
OBAMA: Again, I think it's wonderful to have strong female voices out there, but I don't know her.
KING: Do you think you will get health care?
OBAMA: I don't think we have a choice, when we look at these statistics. We're spending billions of dollars on preventable diseases.
And new health care legislation could go a long way to improving prevention, first and foremost. Health care reform -- people have to have a pediatrician in order to get good information from their pediatricians. People have to be able to take their kids to well doctor visits to have all this information tracked.
So, we have to get this done. And I'm hopeful that Congress will come together, that the American people will recognize that doing nothing is absolutely not an option.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: And Michelle Obama's own health care priorities, of course, children and weight, a cause that she says has touched her own family.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "LARRY KING LIVE")
OBAMA: I come to this issue as a mother. Before coming to the White House, especially when my husband was on the campaign trail, we were living the lives of average families, way too busy, rushing...
KING: Fast food.
OBAMA: Fast food, desserts too much, probably not monitoring TV.
I was fortunate enough to have a pediatrician who worked in an urban environment in the African-American community, and he was tracking BMI. And he saw a little uptick in the kids' BMI. And he kind of pulled me aside.
KING: BMI means?
OBAMA: Body mass index, which is a measure of sort of where people fall on the weight scale. It's one of the first indicators.
KING: And it was getting alarming?
OBAMA: It was getting to the point where he raised a red flag, and he was probably more cautious than most people because of what he had been seeing in his own practice.
KING: How did you react?
OBAMA: I was shocked at first, because I didn't -- I thought I was doing what I was supposed to do. And I hadn't noticed any changes in my kids.
So, it was a little bit shocking and a little disorienting, because I wasn't sure what to do. But I went home. And it was kind of a wakeup call, and we made some changes, even with busy schedules. And they were minor changes, but I thought, well, we have to do something. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: And you can see the full interview on "LARRY KING LIVE" tonight at 9:00 Eastern.
When we come back, I will ask New Orleans native and singer Harry Connick Jr. about the rebirth of this city. Less than five years after Katrina, it is a city of change.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: And we're back in New Orleans tonight for the big party to celebrate the Saints' Super Bowl victory. You're looking again at live pictures of the parade taking place tonight, a little early start to Mardi Gras.
Just a little while ago, I spoke with singer Harry Connick Jr., asked him about how important the Saints' victory has been for him and to the people of New Orleans. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HARRY CONNICK JR., MUSICIAN: Well, I think it's so much bigger than football. You know, as we all know, New Orleans has had such a hard time, and it really needs a boost, and the Saints have always been that boost from the first season they played after Katrina until now.
And for them to even get to the Super Bowl was so uplifting for the city, not only economically, but I think, emotionally, it really was a big, big boost.
And then for them to win the Super Bowl, I'm still reeling. I still feel like I'm dreaming the whole thing. It's just the most exciting time I can remember in our city's history.
BROWN: And you were at the game, right?
CONNICK: I was there. And it was just -- it was incredible. I don't know how many fans were Saints fans, but I think, if you were not from Indy, you were probably rooting for the Saints. And I would say two- thirds, at least, of the people who were there were rooting for the Saints.
And it just -- I was sitting next to a nun, and all she was doing was praying the whole time. I kept putting my arm around her. I said, sister, we're going to be OK. We're going to be all right.
(LAUGHTER)
CONNICK: And, sure enough, we won.
And I'm telling you, it's just -- it's the greatest feeling in the world. And I think the whole country, unless you're from Indy, but even probably people from Indianapolis on some level are happy for us.
BROWN: At least, yes, understood how much this victory was needed. And you said this nun was praying next to you. In a way, it is a spiritual lift for the city. I mean, how do you sustain that in New Orleans going forward?
CONNICK: I don't think it's about sustaining it. I think it's about that's who we are. I mean, no matter what comes our way, as New Orleanians, we seem to have a very high threshold for things not going our way.
And Katrina was a perfect example of that. A lot of people left, but a lot of people stayed, and a lot of people came to help. And I think, barring the obvious catastrophe that Katrina was, I think there was a great silver lining around that cloud, you know.
BROWN: Yes.
CONNICK: New Orleans, in many ways, although it has a long way to go, is almost better than it was before in some regard, and that's who the -- that's the spirit of New Orleans, man.
We're a feel-good, happy people. And we believe in our Saints and we believe in our city, and win or lose. And the fact that we won this year is just -- it's incredible.
When I was at the after-party in Miami, at least four or five players that I talked to said, we are so happy to do this for your city. It was like -- almost like they were doing it as a service to us, lifelong fans. They took no credit, you know, we did this, we did that. We just said, we're happy we could help you.
And that's the spirit, and I think that's trickled down, by the way, from Sean Payton and Drew Brees.
BROWN: Yes.
CONNICK: That's definitely trickled down.
BROWN: Well, I got to ask you about that, too, because I know that you had a chance to meet Drew Brees. He was kind of an idol for you. This was last December. And I was a little surprised when I read that you were very nervous about that meeting, huh?
CONNICK: Well, I'm a big football fan. And I think most musicians probably fantasize about being athletes. And I'm certainly no exception to that.
And pro football is my favorite sport. And he's my favorite pro athlete. So, to meet him, I mean, it's like meeting a god or something.
(LAUGHTER)
CONNICK: You know, these guys are beyond human to people like me. And I'm more impressed with his character off the field than his playing ability, which is, you know, second to none. I mean, the guy is an amazing athlete, but he's an incredible guy with a beautiful wife and a beautiful family.
And it's all about giving for him. He couldn't do any more to deflect the spotlight off of himself. It's all about, what can I do for New Orleans? What can I do for this community. The guy just is nonstop in his charity work and just a class act. And it was great to meet him.
BROWN: Well, he signed right after Hurricane Katrina, just a few months after, and the city has just got to be in love with him right now, huh?
CONNICK: So in love with the guy. I mean, he really wanted to be in New Orleans, you know? And I think San Diego and Miami both are kicking themselves for not taking advantage of who we think is the best quarterback in the NFL.
But he just -- somebody sent me a picture of his house, which had a bunch of posters and everything on it. And I'm just so happy for the guy. And I'm happy for the whole team.
I mean, one of the players on the team was telling me that, since Sean Payton got there, it's a really great group of guys. They all really want to succeed for the city. And he said it's rare to find a professional team that has that kind of brotherhood and camaraderie.
So, we just feel so lucky to have him, Campbell. It's really an exciting time.
BROWN: You wish you were down at the party a little bit tonight?
CONNICK: You're darn right I wish I was at the party.
(LAUGHTER)
BROWN: I know.
CONNICK: I had to come home. I had some work to do in the Northeast, but I'm with them in spirit. And it couldn't be at a better time, right before Mardi Gras. And I just -- it's going to be chaos down there. I wish I could be there.
BROWN: On fire. I know.
Harry Connick Jr., so -- so good to have you on. Thanks for chatting with us. Appreciate it.
CONNICK: It's a pleasure, Campbell.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: The party continues in New Orleans. We will check in once again a little bit later.
When we come back, we're going to take you down to Haiti, down to Port-au-Prince. A family reunited after disaster. Anderson Cooper is there with the story. Also, Sean Penn. That's right, Sean Penn, the Academy Award winner in Haiti tonight. We'll explain why. He'll talk to us as well when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: We have been paying special attention to the children who are struggling right now in Haiti, and tonight we're following one family's incredible story. Anderson Cooper spent the day with the team from UNICEF that has been trying to identify children whose parents are thought to be dead. And a minor miracle happened today.
Anderson Cooper is in Port-au-Prince. And, Anderson, explain to us what happened.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, the problem here is no one really knows how many kids are in need here right now. There's not a central database. They can't say there's 10,000 kids who've been orphaned by this earthquake. They simply don't know. So right now, a lot of groups like UNICEF and Save the Children and the Red Cross are working to try to get their hands around the numbers.
We went out with a UNICEF child protection team today, and they had gotten word that there was a little boy who they had interviewed a few days ago on the USS Comfort who was injured in the earthquake, his leg had been injured, he's receiving treatment. This little boy is five years old. He's been crying out for his parents, asking where his mother is, where his father is. Today, UNICEF was able to track down this little boy's mother and the father. And we were with the child protection worker when she showed on her camera a photograph of the little boy to these parents. I wanted to show the father's reaction.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: When you see him, what is the first thing you're going to say to him?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, I love you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: I love you. He had just seen his little boy for the first time. The little boy's name is Kenzi (ph). They hope they're going to be able to be reunited in the next day or two aboard the USS Comfort, and that's going to obviously help in his recovery, this little boy to learn that his parents are alive. The parents thought that their little boy was dead all along. So it's been for that one family a remarkable reunion but for so many others right now, they are separated and there's really no sense of how big this problem is.
BROWN: I know. It's heartbreaking. The smile on his face, though, Anderson, you've got to be so overjoyed for those folks. I know you also spent some time today at one of the major tent cities there. Tell us a little bit about that.
COOPER: Well, you know, we've been watching these tent cities grow over the last almost now a month, and they've really become like permanent mini cities within the larger city of Port-au-Prince. What originally started out as just a sheet used to give some shade to a family is now a corrugated tin house. And there's no real sense of when these are actually going to be removed, when people are actually going to be able to either go back into their homes, which is unlikely because most of these homes are damaged, or whether they're going to move to some sort of larger central place where they can get more concrete medical services and food and water distribution. But at this point, there may be as many as half a million people in the city of Port-au-Prince just living in these makeshift shelters, and we'll show you tonight on "360" what it's like inside the kind of mini city that it has become.
BROWN: All right, Anderson Cooper for us tonight from Haiti. Again, a lot more on "AC 360" at 10:00 Eastern Time.
They have canceled flights into both of Washington's big airports. Tomorrow, a huge storm heading for some of the East Coast's biggest cities. We have the latest on all the weather news when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: And let's bring in right now, actor and activist Sean Penn, who is in Haiti. He's been lending a hand to relief efforts there. And, Sean, tell me how long you've been in Haiti and what are you focusing your efforts on while you're there.
SEAN PENN, ACTOR/ACTIVIST: I've been here almost two weeks. We have spontaneously formed an NGO called the (INAUDIBLE) Penn Haitian Relief Organization. The idea is to bring seven doctors down. We have a total of 30 people, relief workers. And then after three days in an abandoned house, we were able to get our doctors working. We saw helicopters overhead landing nearby, and explored the area and found out it was where the 82nd Airborne had their base at Petionville camp, where there's about 60,000 people in a displacement camp there. And so they were gracious enough to let us camp on the perimeter of their base and then to contribute incredible encouragement and assets.
So we were able to get to where we had as many as 30 doctors at a time and we do tailgate strikes with the military in the morning. We take them over to the DMACC (ph) clinic and now have a full hospital functioning at the camp. All of this with the support of Lieutenant colonel Foster. And so we're just treating patients. We've done three food distributions and building every day in a situation that needs a lot more building by a lot more people.
BROWN: Let me ask you, it's been a month since the earthquake, I mean, first struck. In your mind right now, given what you've seen, what do you think the most pressing concern is?
PENN: The rain. When the rain comes, it's going to be a public health disaster. They could easily be on the scale of the earthquake itself.
Disease is spreading already, tuberculosis, typhoid, tetanus, malaria. The place, you know, which already had incredible hygiene problems within the neighborhoods, now with the earthquake, this is a new disaster waiting to happen.
BROWN: Sean, you know Americans have sent millions of dollars there, but this, like, you know, any other crisis, is going to fade from the public eye, it's going to fade from the headlines, the TV cameras are going to leave. What do you do? What do you think we can do to keep people's attention focused it? What do you want people to keep in mind going forward?
PENN: It can't fade. Americans are an utter failure if it fades. And America won't be a failure. I've seen this military and I know the military won't be able to stay here for an endless period of time, but if the military can have the kind of human conscience it has had with a humanitarian disaster, and the people and the media have to stay interested in. And if we don't, we have failed the governments of the world, rather than the other way around. It's time to show the governments that we can do it, because no government can handle this by itself.
This is a much bigger -- to be here -- I was at Katrina. And Katrina, you know, so many people said it's not what you saw on television. It was a horrible thing that happened there. So many people lost so much. But you really could see it on television. This is something like nobody I've talked to has ever seen before. This is an apocalyptic city, and these are some of the most resilient souls in the entire planet and for them to be challenged like this is for us to help them.
BROWN: I remember seeing you at Katrina. I was going to ask you about that just days after it happened. Why would someone like you, an actor who clearly doesn't have to be there, whether it's Haiti, whether it's Katrina, what do you think you can contribute uniquely that inspires you to pick up, to drop whatever you're doing and to go and be there yourself?
PENN: Well, you know, everyone contributes in the way that they can. In my case, you know, I'm in a very fortunate position to be able to afford the ticket. Then when I did that with Katrina, I met some people who had some more experience than I did in disaster relief issues, and those were the few people that I called originally. And by that time I had had some experience and certainly given a lot of thought to a lot of it and talked to a lot of people about it and learned what I thought would be a valuable thing to bring. And then -- you just -- you come in and you find that there's, you know, obviously new challenges and new disasters. But what happened was I called those couple of people. We were going to come down the next day, and I ran into Diana Jenkins (ph), who's a businesswoman and entrepreneur, who had faith in what I was intending to do on a very small scale, and she seed money, the ability to do something on a larger scale.
So the next thing, four people turned into 30 on an airplane full of supplies and doctors, and that 30 people has turned into many more. And on top of that, the treatments of tens of thousands of patients that we've encountered, the ability to bring x-ray machines, ultrasound machines, ventilators and an enormous amount of narcotics and antibiotics into the country, and to find out where the best places for it, where the places in need were for them, we had transports going all through the night. Again, the food distributions that we do sometimes on our own, sometimes with the military when it's a larger amount of people. But there's an endless amount of contribution that people can make on all levels.
And number one, and really the challenge is on the people that do what you do. I think that, you know, after a period of shame in the media and the news coverage that allowed a war to happen that shouldn't have happened, I think that now it's time that there can't be the question anymore about whether this is going to fade or not. It's up to the media to not let it fade. It can't fade.
These are our neighbors, and these are strong great people who have been through too much for too long. We cannot let it happen.
BROWN: Sean Penn in Haiti for us tonight, making a substantial contribution there. Appreciate your time. Thanks for coming on.
PENN: Thank you.
BROWN: And when we come back, we're going to bring you up to date on the monster storm that is hitting the East Coast over the next 48 hours. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Tonight, hundreds of flights already canceled as the airlines prepare for another bad snowstorm in the Midwest and the northeast. And meteorologist Chad Myers is in the CNN's severe weather center with more on what is happening out there.
Chad, what do we know?
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: We know that Dulles and D.C. aren't even going to try to get planes in and out tomorrow. They just said, way too dangerous, not even going to think about it. There are no planes in the sky to or from D.C. right now, and I think that's probably a pretty good idea.
At anywhere from New York City right along I-95 to the northwest of that interstate, there will be a foot of snow or more and right along Interstate-2.
Now, if you take a look at it and we kind of go city by city. D.C., you're not in the thick of this, and thank goodness, but you still could get 10 inches of snow. Farther to the north is the thick of it, which would be right through New York City. And then the storm may re-intensify as a nor'easter and really pound down east Maine, pound the cape and into Boston.
I'm going 10 to 16 for Boston, but I still reserve the right to change my mind on that. But it's still a little bit away. I might say it's probably still another 10 hours away from really getting going in Boston. And so by the time it does get going, we will know whether that low pressure center will develop as a coastal low and make literally blizzard-like conditions all up and down the east coast. If it does, from Boston all the way down even toward Islip and the Hamptons, could see at least 18 inches of snow and winds to 50 miles per hour.
Don't try driving around in that. I don't know. Take a train in that kind of weather. So if you don't have to go to work tomorrow in New York City and you're not one of those employees that they say you must be here, I think it may be a real smart idea to stay home and try to work from there if you can -- Campbell. I know we can't but --
BROWN: I was going to say, I don't know if I could convince them to sort of set up the camera in my living room. But you know, I'll try.
MYERS: I always wanted to get one of those green screens in my office, you know.
BROWN: Not a bad idea, Chad. Thank you.
MYERS: All right. Sure.
BROWN: We'll be checking with you again as things develop. Chad Myers for us. More must-see news happening right now. HLN's Mike Galanos here with tonight's "Download."
Hi, Mike.
MIKE GALANOS, HLN PRIME NEWS: Hey, Campbell. First off, update on some vehicles here. Let's start with Honda, today expanded its recall of 2001 and 2002 model year vehicles. It needs to replace the driver's airbag inflator in addition of 378,000 models. It includes Accords, Civics, Odyssey mini vans and some Acuras. Now the airbag can inflate with so much force that metal fragments are dispersed like shrapnel.
Let's talk about Toyota now. More problems for that carmaker. Federal safety officials are reviewing complaints involving the Toyota Corolla. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has gotten more than 80 complaints about steering problems in the 2009 and 2010 Corollas.
Let's move on now. Senate Republicans and some Democrats today blocked one of President Obama's nominees to the National Labor Relations Board. Today, the president started to make recess appointments during the congressional break next week. So you want to update you on that and also this.
If you're planning on flying American Airlines this spring, bring some extra cash. This is what we got coming at you. The airline says it will begin charging for a pillow and blanket set on all domestic flights starting May 1st. For eight bucks, you get a nice blue fleece blanket and an inflatable neck pillow. And, Campbell, you get to keep it as well.
BROWN: Oh.
GALANOS: Yes, we did that story -- we did that story on my show and folks were calling in not happy about it, but you get to keep it. BROWN: Yes, hey, take what you can get, I guess.
GALANOS: Exactly.
BROWN: Mike Galanos, thanks, Mike.
GALANOS: OK.
BROWN: Today's parade in New Orleans is a feel-good moment for the whole country. Take a look.
Looks like Coach Sean Payton there. Big moment for New Orleans, obviously. Holding up the trophy. We listened earlier. We have some sound from Drew Brees, the quarterback, from earlier. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DREW BREES, NEW ORLEANS SAINTS QUARTERBACK: How is the "who dat" nation doing tonight?
(APPLAUSE)
All right. Well, this toast goes out to you. We love you and we won that championship for you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Quarterback Drew Brees. And we want to bring in New Orleans own Mary Matalin and James Carville who have been there for the party out on the parade route. What's going on now, guys?
MARY MATALIN, NEW ORLEANS RESIDENT: Well, Sean Payton, Campbell. Oh, you who dat girl, Sean Payton is getting all the accolades. We ought to check in, baby. Sean is right behind us. This town is -- Sean, he's an amazing coach.
JAMES CARVILLE, NEW ORLEANS RESIDENT: It should be amazing. Look at the job he's done in the NFC championship game in the Super Bowl. How can you beat that?
MATALIN: You know, he's been sharing the Vince Lombardi with everybody. He's letting everybody kiss it and touch it, and it's for the whole city.
CARVILLE: He's riding around neighborhoods with this trophy.
BROWN: So guys, give me your sense. I know he's -- is he making his speech now? Let's listen in for a second if we can.
MATALIN: Yes, he is.
BROWN: Yes, let's listen in.
SEAN PAYTON, SAINTS HEAD COACH: It will be a little different, but everybody that's here tonight can't touch this. And I know on behalf of the team, the organization, we just wish you could spend one night with it. Because your support and just your following means so much to us. And we thank you and we'll see you again this time next year.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you so much.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hold on, coach. Hold on, coach. I want everybody who's in the house to raise their glass.
BROWN: One more toast. James and Mary wouldn't be New Orleans without one more toast.
And we're almost out of time here, but I just want to let people know that for those outside New Orleans, Mardi Gras is just getting started here. It's a week from tonight, Mardi Gras day in New Orleans. So this party is basically going on for the next week, right?
I think we lost James Carville and Mary Matalin, who have been our parade correspondents for the evening. Big congratulations to the folks down in New Orleans.
"LARRY KING LIVE" starting in just a few moments. Coming up, Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees' magic moment after the big game. It is tonight's "Guilty Pleasure."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Drew Brees' team won the Super Bowl MVP in dramatic fashion. But a special moment after the big game is the replay we just got to show you one more time. Here is Jeanne Moos with the "Guilty Pleasure."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was one of the most memorable plays of the game. The winning quarterback playing catch the confetti with his son sort of made those e-trade (ph) baby commercials forgettable. Saints quarterback Drew Brees cradled his son instead of a football, eyes brimming.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Guys, that's what it's all about. Drew Brees with his son.
MOOS: And his mascara, otherwise known as eye black, didn't even run. Brees could be seen mouthing the words, I love you, little man, as he later told Letterman --
DREW BREES, SAINTS QUARTERBACK: I tell him the whole time just how much I loved him, and I just tell him, little boy, you just don't even know what you're experiencing right now.
MOOS: Little Baylen Brees drove the ladies gaga.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Gorgeous baby, oh.
DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST: There you are and your son on the cover of "Sports Illustrated." How about that? MOOS: Baylen was watching with mom in the Green Room as dad passed Letterman. After a less graceful pass reception, floor manager Biff Henderson hit the floor.
LETTERMAN: Oh, there's Biff's great catch.
MOOS: Biff had to go to the hospital and is now recuperating at home. Sandra Bullock, on the other hand, managed to stay on her feet.
Baylen pretty much stays on all fours.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The kid can really move.
MOOS (on camera): Baylen was born a little over a year ago, born on his father's 30th birthday.
(voice-over): And already he shot a commercial with dad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BREES: If you want to play at this level, you need a high-performance diaper.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: In a web spot for Pampers, Brees proves that hitting a diaper sure beats changing one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The boom goes to dynamite.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's one tough diaper.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: And this was a tough quarterback in a tender moment.
(on camera): And what made that head-to-head moment even more adorable was the set of giant headphones.
(voice-over): As one admirer posted, kids should really come standard issue with a set of those headphones. Sure, it's fun to see the players rub the Super Bowl trophy. But patting the kid is nicer. Talking to the trophy -- talking to the kid is nicer. And raising the trophy and kissing it can't compare with raising the kid and kissing him.
Brees connected with two face kisses and two hand-offs, kissing his son's hands to win MVD, most valuable dad.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: That's all for us. Thanks for joining us. "LARRY KING LIVE" starts right now.
