Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Villaraigosa Press Conference; Californians Protest Proposition 8

Aired November 15, 2008 - 16:00   ET

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

MAYOR ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA, LOS ANGELES: The proof of their commitment is the fire hoses that are burnt into the asphalt. They stayed there until the very last moment. The community appreciates it, and notwithstanding the incredible loss.
(INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll have questions and answers at the conclusion. Thank you.

VILLARAIGOSA: Actually what I would like to do is tell you is a little more about Sylmar. The community of Sylmar is a very resilient community that has a number of community-based organizations. A very active community. And I'll tell you that the recovery process is already beginning. We are coordinating on the political level with the county, state and federal government to ensure that we get the resources to particularly those families who lost their homes as quickly as possible. The neighborhood council sprung into action immediately. Helped at Sylmar High School to open the doors and let me say thank you to the L.A. Unified School district for the four evacuation centers that they've established. They've been remarkable, particularly their police department. We thank them. But this community is a community that will pull together and the city of Los Angeles will coordinate with the other governmental units to ensure that they get every ounce of resources that they can. There are a lot of -

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: He's talking about Sylmar, California, which is burning. You can see, at the bottom of the screen over 2,000 acres have burned. Dozens of homes have been destroyed. Now you are seeing some of the newer images of exactly what this fire is doing. It is simply, I mean, just like fingers just kind of grabbing the hillsides there and also taking with it a number of homes. Thousands of people have been evacuated as well. You heard from the Los Angeles mayor there, Villaraigosa talk about how many of the shelters, four of the shelters are filling up fast as a result of these fast-moving fires, all being fueled by these Santa Ana winds. Wind gusts up to 70 miles an hour.

Our Kara Finnstrom is there in Sylmar and really near a location that's been devastated, hit very hard. A mobile home park behind you there, which is really no more. Kara.

KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And to touch on this really quickly, Fredricka, the other thing that I didn't hear the mayor refer to in that press conference is that L.A. City police have now confirmed to us that this is the scene of a potential arson investigation, or an investigation I should say into potential arson. They've sealed off this park below us. They aren't releasing any other details other than they are looking into potential arson. If we pan across this park you can just really get a feel for the utter devastation that this fire has caused in some areas. This is the hardest hit area that we have seen ourselves. One of the residents who lived here told us that there were about 600 mobile homes in this park. And as you can see, the vast majority of them are now gone. We spoke with that homeowner a little bit earlier. He said he's very worried for himself and his family and especially for his seven-year- old son.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's seven years old and he's autistic, and he doesn't do well with change so this is going to be very hard to explain to him and bring him. It's going to be very hard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FINNSTROM: Just really devastating for these families who have lost everything. Along with their homes. The Reyes family, you just heard from Augustine Reyes there has taken in a neighbor across the way. Also an 82-year-old neighbor who is living next door. They are all living with their in-laws and just taking this as they say hour by hour. A couple other things out of that press conference, Fredricka. Still major concerns about the power supply here in the Los Angeles county area. People being asked to conserve because a major transmission line had to be shut down because of fears of safety and also people being asked to conserve water.

WHITFIELD: All right. Kara Finnstrom, thank you so much. We'll check back with you as they continue to get a handle of this fire being fueled by these fierce Santa Ana winds. Our Jacqui Jeras is in the weather center, and I know at one point, Jacqui, you and I were talking about wind gusts of up to 70 miles an hour. We're talking about near hurricane-force winds.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, right around there. In fact you know the winds in the last couple of hours have been well up there into the 60s. So this is continuing to be a problem. but we're kind of peeking out right now, Fredricka. And I think you know maybe two, three hours from now we're going to see those winds begin to moderate a little bit and we'll see some mild improvement through this evening and then overnight tonight until tomorrow, we'll still see some pretty stiff winds, but by Tuesday, some really significant improvements.

The offshore flow will cease to exist and the winds will become relatively calm as our high pressure ridge begins to pull away. But in the meantime, you know, we've still got several fires burning across the area. The main one that we've been talking about right here in the Sylmar area. There you can see you know the terrain with these mountains here and the winds actually accelerate as they blow down the mountains. If you've got all these little valleys through here. So it just kind of channels right on through the area. Now these are heat signatures as detected by satellite at this time. And these actually extend all the way over towards the i-5 area where that area of the interstate is shut down at this time. We also have the other fire. You saw the pictures earlier over in the Santa Barbara area. Here's Montecito and that fire continues to burn doing what's called a T fire. That was about 40 percent contained and we're doing a little better on this particular one.

The red flag warnings which are in effect for the strong wind, for the low relative humidity, is going to be extended now through tomorrow afternoon. About 4:00. And then we'll watch for these to be lifted. So it gives you a better timing and we think the winds are going to be a little bit more reasonable. And here you can see, these are just from the past three hours. The worst of the wind gusts that we've seen. Camp nine which is up there in the foothills, 65 miles per hour. That's the closest observation site to that Sylmar fire. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Jacqui. Of course, we're going to have much more on the weather situation there, how it's impacting the firefighting efforts there on the west coast and much more straight ahead.

Right now, live pictures of Yorba Linda, California. Look at all that smoke. It's pretty incredible sight to see. Thousands of acres being engulfed by fire.

Also, he had it all, but drugs cost him everything.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WARREN SAVAGE: Warren Savage sitting in, you know, suits and ties, dwindled down to an orange jump suit in the Forsyth County jail asking myself, how did I get here?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The personal story of recovery for an Atlanta TV news anchor.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A nationwide demonstration showing support for same-sex marriage. From Los Angeles to New York, Houston to Chicago and cities and towns in all 50 states for that matter, thousands turn out to protest California's proposition 8. We have live reports now from both coasts. Ted Rowlands is in Los Angeles and Susan Candiotti joining us now from New York. Let's begin with you Ted, even though just north of you, we got major fires that are being battled. People still are collecting there behind you and making their voices heard about prop 8.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fredricka, organizers were pleased with the turnout, it was in excess of about 12,000 people. They think a little less than they'd hoped for initially, but given the fires, a dramatic situation unfolding here in Southern California. They say they were happy with the turnout they had and very happy, even the mayor of Los Angeles, to give you an indication how serious this has taken. And not only in the state but politically. Antonio Villaraigosa who you saw in CNN there talking about the fires, he also made an appearance down here at the rally and talked to the folks that gathered here.

Basically, the theme here was equal rights. And that's been the theme consistently in all of these rallies since Proposition 8 was passed by voters in California. The theory is, by organizers and by participants is that bringing this to the forefront, back into the national debate, may in the long run help their cause and that they say is the silver lining in losing the election. They say they are disappointed. They are challenging it legally. But they think that it has galvanized this community across that country and may end up in the long run helping their cause. They say they plan more rallies, more marches in the weeks and months to come. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Meantime, another rally taking place. What, 3,000 miles or so from you in New York. Susan Candiotti is there. Susan, what's the turnout look like?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, here it was loud, it was big and it was very peaceful. About 4,000 people braved what first was some pretty bad weather here but then the skies cleared to attend a huge rally here in Manhattan. Again, supporters of same-sex marriage fighting to try to make it legal. As you know, only two states currently allow legalized marriage. That is Massachusetts and Connecticut. But here, many hundreds, even thousands, as we said of people showed up to try to keep this battle going, even though Proposition 8 passed in California. They hope to keep the movement alive.

I'd like to introduce you to a couple of the supporters here. Carrie Harrington and this is your girlfriend Danni Ryan. You were here. What was the message you were trying to send today?

CARRIE HARRINGTON, PROPOSITION 8 SUPPORTER: I think the message was that although Proposition 8 was a California initiative, this is a nationwide cause and we're going to stand up for everyone in our community and all of our supporters and I think - and I think we succeeded. The crowd was so receptive and they just came out in droves. Even though the weather initially seemed like it wasn't going to welcome us, I mean, the weather even ended up being on our side.

CANDIOTTI: I guess the question is, where does it go from here? For example, as we know, President-elect Obama has said that he does not support gay marriage, does support civil union, but it is gay marriage that you are after. With everything else going on in the country these days, the economy being what it is, do you expect any kind of support from this new administration?

HARRINGTON: You know, I have confidence that the Obama administration won't put social progress on the back burner, although it's important that we concentrate on the economy. And you also can't ignore the impact of gay marriage on the economy. I mean, the recent study cited that gays have a $718 billion buying power worldwide. And, you know, in California, they saw the impact once gay marriage is legalized. I don't understand why anyone who wants this economy to come out of the recession would limit homosexuals from using the services that marriages, you know, provide and require.

CANDIOTTI: Well, clearly, this is a movement that you say will continue to grow. We had evidence of that today. Of course, those who oppose same-sex marriage say they, too, will not - will keep their movement alive as well. They battled it successfully in the state of California. And they say that they are not opposed to benefits for same-sex couples, but are sticklers when it comes to the term marriage. So this is clearly a battle royale that will play itself out in the months and possibly years to come. Fred, back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Susan Candiotti there in New York. Thanks so much.

This next profile of pitfalls and recovery. Warren Savage, well, he was a top Atlanta television newsman and he lost everything to drugs in part. We talked to the former TVA anchorman recently about success, failure and surviving both.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD (voice-over): For 10 years, his was the face and voice waking up Atlanta.

WARREN SAVAGE, FMR. ANCHORMAN: Good morning. I'm Warren Savage.

Warren Savage.

WHITFIELD: Then one morning, Warren Savage was the lead story. His mug shot plastered everywhere. Savage in his early 40s, busted for drug possession. Watching his fall from grace from a jail cell.

SAVAGE: it was humiliating. I mean, total embarrassment.

WHITFIELD: A dream job.

SAVAGE: Ten years had risen to this level. I mean, I'm very proud of.

WHITFIELD: A bachelor. Six-figure salary, cars, two houses.

SAVAGE: You were the number one local morning news show in the country, and I was very proud of that.

WHITFIELD: A dream life.

SAVAGE: It just got to the point where you know things just didn't matter to me.

WHITFIELD: All of it concealing a nightmare.

SAVAGE: They didn't know that Warren was depressed. That Warren was unhappy. They didn't know that Warren was very dissatisfied.

WHITFIELD: Depression had taken over.

SAVAGE: I went from depression to denial to detention.

WHITFIELD: But not but all at once. First -

SAVAGE: Dissatisfied with the news business. Dissatisfied with office politics.

WHITFIELD: So he abruptly quit his job minutes before he was to go on the air.

SAVAGE: I regret the way I left. I don't know that I regret leaving but I regret the way that I left.

WHITFIELD: Moved to Vegas.

SAVAGE: I thought that I'd be happier playing music. Las Vegas is a land of excesses.

WHITFIELD: Excesses that in his case translated into a lot of drugs and an overdose of bad judgment. He thought returning to the less glittery and slower paced Atlanta might be a quick fix.

SAVAGE: I had the presence of mind that you know the environment that I was in was not healthy. But you know addiction is merely a symptom of all the stuff that's screwed up in us. I mean, that's what I had to realize that my addiction was a symptom of everything that was wrong with me. And the things that I needed to fix with me. The character defects that I had to identify, to address and things, I mean, that I was struggling with for years. I mean, things that I didn't even know why I was unhappy.

WHITFIELD: Things like?

SAVAGE: Striving to be perfect. I was always a perfectionist. I put - I was always hard on myself. I put a lot of pressure on myself. Undue pressure on myself. And I think I put a lot of undue pressure on a lot of people.

WHITFIELD: The fast lane in Vegas now behind him. But a blurry $100,000 a year cocaine habit was still driving Savage. A traffic stop in rural Forsythe county outside Atlanta put the brakes on everything.

SAVAGE: From Warren Savage sitting in, you know, suits and ties, dwindled down to an orange jumpsuit in the Forsythe county jail asking myself, how did I get here?

WHITFIELD: And how to get back on track.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And there's more. This is just the beginning. Warren Savage said he had to lose everything to get what he needed. Find out what he needed in the second part of my interview.

Meantime, out west, wildfires raging out of control in southern California. Homes and lives are threatened. Our reporters are on the ground. Live report straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VOICE OF GINGER CHAN, KTLA HELICOPTER REPORTER: It is right there by the power lines. That is not good. Look how close it is to those fire lines. I don't see anybody close to this spot for them to put this out. Hopefully they'll get a water drop or something on this. Because if this catches on fire, it is going to be worse than what we're looking at right now. Boy, this is not good.

WHITFIELD: And that right there, the voice of reporter Ginger Chan with our affiliate KTLA describing the devastating wildfire there that has scored thousands of acres in southern California and threatening the power lines. The mayor of Los Angeles has declared a local state of emergency. The blaze is forcing thousands to evacuate. If the flames race through the area, hundreds of homes have already been destroyed. It is happening in and around the town of Sylmar, north of Los Angeles. CNN's Kara Finnstrom is in a community that has been wiped out. Very quickly.

FINNSTROM: Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Yes, I can hear you and see that it's still very windy out there.

FINNSTROM: OK. It is very windy and these gusts have begun picking up again. We're getting a little bit interference there. But behind me, you can see that this police investigation is going under - is under way right now into what they say is potential arson in connection with this Sylmar fire. We've had police crews, firefighters, all going in the gates. And it has been sealed off to the public. Now also, we have seen some of the homeowners begin to trickle back and try to peep over the wall, try to get some type of glimpse, a look at their homes. If we pan across this park you can get an idea of the destruction that this wildfire has caused.

A little earlier today, city officials said that as daylight broke today and they really got out to look at the damage from this wildfire it was much greater than they had anticipated. In some areas. And this is clearly one of them. Homeowners here telling us there were about 600 mobile homes in this area and as you can see, most of them are just completely gone. They were burned to the ground. You can see some of the homeowners actually kind of streaming in and trickling in down below us, Fredricka. But you know big concerns for them as this wildfire continues to burn and as these gusts, you know, continue to stay strong. We really haven't seen any relief from them today. And the big concern again for firefighters out here is as long as those winds stay strong, it's really difficult for them to gain any type of control.

WHITFIELD: And so it may be hard to tell, but we saw a couple of people walking behind you. Are they likely residents who have been allowed to come back in to see remnants of that motor home park community?

FINNSTROM: Well there's actually a wall right here. And what we've been seeing is they kind of have been trickling up, walking up to the wall and looking over the wall. I'm sure to see what's left of their homes. Because they are not allowed back in at this point. Only firefighters, police officials are going in as this investigation into potential arson continues. But we've seen, we saw an elderly woman just a short while ago with what looked like two family members, her arms wrapped around her, walk up there as well. So you know kind of touching. These people - you can just see they've lost everything. And, of course, they probably need to see it with their own eyes.

WHITFIELD: Yes, devastating losses for so many. All right. Kara Finnstrom, thanks so much from Sylmar, California. Appreciate it.

A local television anchor's fall from grace leads to his self discovery.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAVAGE: I had to lose everything that I had to get what I needed. And that was humility and a real sense of who I am.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The second part of my conversation with Warren Savage.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Up, up and away for the space shuttle "Endeavour" on a gorgeous night with a nearly full moon, seven astronauts began their two week mission. Today is devoted to a careful check of the shuttle's heat shield. NASA is then planning an extreme home makeover for the international space station. While the "Endeavour" is docked, astronauts will hook up extra cooking and sleeping gear on the station. They are also bringing plenty of turkey dinners for thanksgiving.

All right. Well, you heard of home and garden tours. Well, how about the Obama tour. Chicago's tourism industry is capitalizing on its new status as home to the president-elect. CNN's Susan Roesgen goes along for the ride.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRED BASSETT, BUS DRIVER: Now this is the closest we're going to get to his home. They don't allow us to get any closer than this now. Two weeks ago, we could go by the home, but now we are not allowed to get in.

SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: OK. So you can't peek into the president-elect's windows. But you can get the flavor of his life.

What would Obama have?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The garbage pizza?

ROESGEN: What's in the garbage pizza?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, green pepper, Canadian bacon, a mixture of things.

ROESGEN: Cashing in on the Obama name actually started before the primaries. And now there's no stopping it.

CATHY DOMANICO, CHICAGO TOURISM DIRECTOR: Everybody is walking a little taller and people are just so excited to have Barack Obama from Chicago.

ROESGEN: The Chicago convention and tourism bureau is already promoting Obama's neighborhood as part of a presidential tour. Want to get your haircut by Obama's barber? This is the place. And this is Obama's favorite little book shop.

TOM FLYNN, 57TH STREET BOOKSTORE: We think this is a great bookstore. And, I mean, he thinks it's a great bookstore. That's why he's been coming here so long. And if this gives it more exposure, that's fantastic.

ROESGEN: One thing you won't find on the official Obama tour, not yet anyway, is the empty store that used to be a Baskin Robins. Why would you want to come here? Well, this is the spot where the first couple first kissed.

Now that's all I'm going to tell you on this tour. If you want to know more, you'll have to get on the bus. Susan Roesgen, CNN, Chicago.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And our Ed Henry is also in Chicago and he'll be joining us to talk a little more about the Obama transition team.

Meantime, let's transition to your dental health. As we get older, a lot more things to watch out for. But skip a night of flossing and a dentist appointment and you just might be in trouble. CNN medical correspondent Judy Fortin has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JUDY FORTIN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: As we age, we change. And so should our health care routines. One area that often gets overlooked is our mouth. And those aging dental care needs are slightly different if you are a woman.

DR. SUSAN GOODE ESTEP, COSMETIC DENTIST: I would say that different times of a woman's life, pregnancy, menopause and other hormonal changes and shifts in months, our gums are a lot more susceptible to inflammation and to irritation from the normal bacteria. So it might be more important for us, especially at those times of our life to consult with our dentist. Maybe see our hygienist more than just twice a year.

FORTIN: And while your eyes might be the window to your soul, your mouth and especially your gums might be the barometer of some other ailments. ESTEP: Now we're starting to find that if you are at high risk for gum disease or you have periodontal disease, you're going to be a higher risk for heart disease, different kinds of heart disease, diabetes and some other systemic illnesses.

FORTIN: And gums aren't the only thinks at risk. Those silver cavities might actually be cause for concern as they might be leaving some dentist refer to as toxic mouth.

ESTEP: A person who is walking around who hasn't been to the dentist in a really long time and is sitting with old, leaking silver fillings and there's two things going on there. One is that the teeth are cracking and the silver fillings are leaking. The bacteria can get back into the tooth and redecay the tooth.

FORTIN: The jury is still out on if that silver really is harmful. So simply ask your doctor when you go for your next checkup. In the meantime, the best way to preserve dental health is to fight back with the basics. Brush your teeth several times a day and employ your best gum disease weapon daily, the mighty floss. Judy Fortin, CNN, Atlanta.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: President-elect Barack Obama is spending the weekend at home in Chicago mulling over choices to serve in his administration. He may be getting closer to choosing a secretary of state, we hear. CNN's Ed Henry is in Chicago with the details. Ed?

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Fred. That's right. A lot of buzz because of the fact the president-elect here in Chicago over the last couple days has met with both Senator Hillary Clinton and Governor Bill Richardson about the secretary of state post, the potential for one of them taking it.

Obviously, Bill Richardson, a former Clinton cabinet secretary, as well as the former first lady and so the Obama team already getting a pretty strong Clinton influence.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HENRY (voice-over): Whether or not he nominates Hillary Clinton for secretary of state, President-elect Barack Obama is stocking his team with lots of Clinton veterans, starting with incoming chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, who cut his teeth with Bill Clinton and is now in Washington eying other former Clinton insiders for key posts.

Three officials close to the transition say Greg Craig is getting strong consideration to be White House counsel -- the powerful post of the president's chief lawyer. Craig represented Bill Clinton in his Senate impeachment trial, but picked Obama over Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primaries and played a key role in the vice presidential vetting process.

GREG CRAIG, PARTNER, WILLIAMS & CONNOLLY LLP: This is the first major decision that Barack Obama has to make in front of the whole nation. And he has done it systematically. He's done it carefully. He's included a lot of people in the process, in terms of candidates.

HENRY: Meanwhile, two people familiar with transition deliberations say retired General Jim Jones is getting a close look for energy secretary or national security adviser.

Candidate Obama touted Jones during the third presidential debate.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT: ... this committee, or General Jim Jones, the former supreme allied commander of NATO. Those are the people, Democrats and Republicans, who have shaped my ideas and who will be surrounding me in the White House.

HENRY: Jones is a bipartisan figure who also advised John McCain, who is coming to Chicago Monday for his first post-election meeting with the president-elect.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HENRY: And his transition did announce some high profile appointments to the White House staff. Valerie Jarrett, a long-time Obama ally from here in Chicago is going to be in charge of intergovernmental affairs. Also Ron Klain, a long-time Democratic insider will be chief of staff to Vice President-elect Joe Biden. And finally Phil Schiliro, a longtime Democratic congressional aide is going to be the incoming president's liaison to Capitol Hill. Fred?

WHITFIELD: OK Ed and then do we know whether we're any closer maybe this week to hearing President-elect Obama appoint or name any other cabinet members?

HENRY: Oh, we'd all like to know that answer to that. We've been pressing them every hour of the day. We know we are edging closer at least because in all seriousness, Obama aides have said that they expect the president-elect to move a little more -- a little quicker, I guess, than the other presidents in the modern era. Most of them have done a lot of cabinet appointments in December. The expectation is at least some of these will be done in November. So it's within the next couple of weeks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: I know we've heard from a lot of people who know him well say that he's very thoughtful, he likes to take his time and not rush into anything. Maybe that's what we're seeing. Ed Henry, thanks so much from Chicago, appreciate it.

It could have been worse in the Great Depression. That's what President Bush said today about the current economic downturn. He says if he hadn't taken decisive action, there could have been a meltdown worse than what happened in the 1930s. The president's comments came at the end of the world financial summit in Washington. Leaders from nearly two dozen countries agree to work together.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We must make the markets, the financial markets more transparent and accountable. Transparency is very important so that investors and regulators are able to know the truth. Considered improving accounting rules so that investors can understand the true value of the assets they purchase. We agree that we need to improve our regulations and to ensure that markets, firms and financial products are subject to proper regulation and oversight.

CNN's Richard Quest is also in Washington. So, Richard, we heard the president talk about many promises to work together. But any other hard core commitments?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. The G-20 have agreed to look at further cuts in interest rates and, where appropriate, Fred, they've said there should also be increased fiscal stimulus, which is a way of saying increased government spending. In other words, what we heard from President Bush certainly about the U.S. economy was quite breathtaking. He basically told us that he had been advised that unless he moved pretty fast, what is a recession could rapidly turn into something worse than the Great Depression. And that gives us a very good idea of now why this $700 billion package was introduced so quickly. Why he agreed to call this G-20 meeting. And why he's now so resolutely still bustling away in the dying days of his administration.

WHITFIELD: I wonder, is there any surprise, perhaps from other world leaders or entities that say, wait a minute, that everyone agreed to be a participant in terms of all the world leaders agreed to be participants in this pretty last-minute pulled together summit involving the U.S. president.

QUEST: Yeah, the reason is if you look, the devil is in the detail. Here's the communique. For the first time that I can remember, we have an action plan within the declaration. And the next key date is March 31st of next year. It's the beginning of April when they'll all get together again.

Now, it won't be President Bush. It will be President Obama. So what will happen between now and -- now really is the time when the Obama transition people can get stuck in to some extent because the negotiations for the real change, the regulatory change, the accounting standards, the new supervisory colleges that's in this document. Now is the time when that work gets under way and there really is the new lot, not the old.

WHITFIELD: Which is why you wonder if they're going to have to start all over again in their discussions with ...

QUEST: No.

WHITFIELD: No, no, no? Even though it will be the first time President Obama will have been involved come what is going to be an April 30th when that next summit is to take place, even though he turned down the request as president-elect to be involved in this summit?

QUEST: No, I don't think they'll have to start again for two reasons.

WHITFIELD: Why? QUEST: First of all, they've got Madeleine Albright and Jim Leech in Washington having talks. They know exactly what's in this document. And I suspect a lot of other countries wouldn't have signed on to it if they'd known really that it wasn't going the right way.

But secondly and perhaps more importantly, a lot of what is in this document will be the sort of thing that a Democratic president would wish to see. Greater supervision, greater regulation, more accountability, greater transparency in the markets.

So to some -- there will be nuanced differences, to be sure, but I think that the G-20 will find a far more receptive ear in the new president than perhaps they have had until now in the existing administration.

Now that's just an assessment. But I don't believe they are going back to square one. You are going to have Robert Rubin. You're going to have Larry Summers. You're going to have people who really know this stuff backwards. And are probably more in tune with what it says.

WHITFIELD: So indeed, a real commitment given there are going to be a series of these summits. The next one taking place April 30th, as I mentioned. Do we know how many in all they've agreed to?

QUEST: No, we just know that basically, besides the immediate crisis, which is fiscal stimulus, monetary policy, it will be interesting to see what happens there.

But besides that, we're looking at three to a four-month gap and then a much longer period. Watch and wait and listen to see the howling on Wall Street as to the effect of this new regulation. Hedge funds, substantially, when it's all finished, my reading of it tonight, when it's all finished, no market. No exotic derivative as we would call it will be unregulated.

WHITFIELD: All right. Now maybe for the immediacy we should be all be encouraged that at least everyone seems to be on board, at least on the same page, so to speak, for now. Richard Quest, thanks so much from Washington, appreciate it.

Experience, as they say, is a very tough teacher.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WARREN SAVAGE, FORMER TV NEWSMAN: I know what the -- if I had to speak, if I could speak to children now, I mean I could speak to children. There are only two roads that lead, that drug addiction, that drug use, that any drug can lead to jail or the graveyard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A man who had it all and lost it all to drugs. I continue my conversation with former TV newsman Warren Savage.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: Oh I kind of dread this day, reading the front page over a cup of coffee may be headed in a digital direction. Frederik Pleitgen has the story of the paperless morning paper on the edge of discovery.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Four billion. That's an estimate of how many trees are cut down every year for paper products. Gentlemen, put down your chain saws because the plastic logic e-reader is almost here.

RICHARD ARCHULETA, CEO PLASTIC LOGIC: The device is very thin, very light. It is about the size and weight of a pad of paper.

PLEITGEN: Due out next week, the e-reader says so long to all of those piles of paper.

ARCHULETA: It works by taking anything that you would normally print out or read on paper, like a newspaper or a magazine, and transfers them from either computer or wirelessly to the device so that you can read them.

PLEITGEN: At this one of a kind production facility in Dresden, Germany, Nanotech is saving Mother Nature where an environmentally friendly process creates the e-papers' unique flexible plastic design. And with the swipe of a thumb, Plastic Logic hopes to usher in a green reading revolution.

ARCHULETA: No more cutting down trees, mass production of paper, no big printing presses. And of course, no big trucks distributing the paper.

PLEITGEN: An estimated 1.7 billion people read one of these every day. If Plastic Logic has its way, selling a few e-readers might just save a few of these. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Much more of the NEWSROOM coming up with our fave Don Lemon.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: You're my fave.

WHITFIELD: What have you got?

LEMON: Oh, we've got a lot. We want to get into it because we're following all of this breaking news that's happening out west. Really tragic. We're continuing to work the three major stories. Three fast-moving wildfires we've been telling you about in California. A state of emergency declared today and up to 10,000 residents evacuated. You've heard Fredricka reporting on it all afternoon. We're live on the front lines at the top of the hour. Also some new information on that, you won't miss it. Also, the Prop 8 protests taking place in cities across the country right now, Fredricka. We'll take you live to Los Angeles. Also to New York where two big protests are going on right now.

And we'll continue late into the evening. And the economic summit happening in Washington as well where world leaders are meeting with President Bush today to come up with answers to the global financial crisis. Let's hope that works. We will break it down for you. Let's hope it works.

Plus, tonight at 11:00 p.m., you don't want to miss this. We're going inside President-elect Barack Obama's inner circle again. My interview with his friend, Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: On a personal level, just sitting here watching, do you go, oh, my gosh? Or I don't know, for you, is anything possible? I think anything is possible, but deep down, did I really think I'd see an African-American president? Maybe not.

REP. JESSE JACKSON JR. (D), ILLINOIS: Well, I never thought that a kid with a funny name would be president of the United States. That's his own recognition of himself. I never thought that a guy named Jesse Jackson with a controversial name could be a member of Congress. But now the ceiling because of Barack's victory has been lifted off of everyone's expectations. And so possibility, Barack has brought us hope. He's brought us possibility. And as a result of that, a lot of things have changed for a lot of people in this country. And that's a good thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: What's also interesting, too is he is at least being considered for Barack Obama's seat in Illinois as well as a number of people there. Also, you know, we want to know what's going on. We want to hear what you think, Fred, and as well as our viewers. Make sure you log on to any one of those platforms you see right there. Send us your responses, your questions, whatever you want to talk about and we'll make sure we get them on the air for you. We'll have that interview tonight at 11, but of course we'll be here at the top of the hour with the very latest on all the breaking news we told you about.

WHITFIELD: Yes, all of this has been very engaging because no matter where you go, whether it's on line or whether it's person to person, everyone has something to say about expectations for what's next.

LEMON: For what's next.

And also we're talking about those platforms like Facebook and MySpace and all that. This whole Prop 8 debate, all these protests, a lot of it was sparked and it fueled on Facebook, on those platforms for people reaching out on social networks saying meet us here, do this, do that. That's why thousands of people are showing up to some of those rallies. WHITFIELD: All right, we'll be watching this evening. Thanks so much, Don, appreciate it.

Also straight ahead --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAVAGE: I was heading down a destructive path, headed for a cliff. And not for my arrest, I would have gone over that cliff.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: You recognize him? He was a very popular TV news anchor. Well now he's coming clean about his drug addiction and recovery. The second part of my interview with Warren Savage, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: We're continuing to monitor dangerous wildfires in Southern California. It burned 6,500 acres now north of Los Angeles. Hundreds of homes have been damaged and destroyed. And about 10,000 people evacuated.

Warren Savage, once a pretty familiar face on Atlanta television. First as an anchorman and then for his mug shot after a cocaine arrest. Well, he wants the story of his painful fall to serve as a lesson to all young people thinking about using drugs.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD (voice-over): From seemingly on top of the world Atlanta morning anchorman to rolling the dice in Vegas as a musician in search of true happiness to Warren Savage, hooked on cocaine, busted for drug possession. The fall was hard.

SAVAGE: I had to lose everything that I had to get what I needed. And that was humility and a real sense of who I am. I had to lose all of that stuff.

WHITFIELD: A big salary, cars, two houses, local celebrity.

SAVAGE: Good morning. I'm Warren Savage, and you're not. You know, that type of attitude had to be knocked down.

WHITFIELD: But you were comfortable with that for awhile. You admitted that to me.

SAVAGE: I was. I was comfortable with that for awhile. But after awhile, it became so vain. It wasn't me. I mean, it wasn't me. I -- I began to feel unlike me. And trying to be someone that I'm not. A lot of character defects. I was a very egotistical, very arrogant argumentative. I was hard on other people. I didn't realize until after I got arrested.

WHITFIELD: With this image on the air, instead of reporting the news, he was now the lead story. Savage painfully realized this was no longer about just him.

SAVAGE: I got so many letters, so many letters from so many people. I mean, I well up even today when I read them. They are just so heartwarming and encouraging.

WHITFIELD: Tired of dismissing his depression, running away reality, Savage pleaded guilty to drug possession in exchange for 18 months of enforced rehabilitation. Rehab now complete, he lives modestly in rural Georgia. His bike, his most valued possession, getting him to work stocking shelves overnight at a retailer.

SAVAGE: I was heading down a destructive path, heading for a cliff. And if not for my arrest, I would have gone over that cliff. I try to do the best I can one day at a time. And I know -- I know if I had to speak -- if I could speak to children now, I could speak to children. There are only two roads that lead, that drug addiction, that drug use. Any drug that lead, jail or the graveyard. There's only two roads. I mean, that's it. That's it.

WHITFIELD: Hopeful, anyone else fighting this same kind of inner demons on the road to almost certain self-destruction, or worse, can learn from his wild ride.

SAVAGE: We all have demons. We all have things we're dealing with. Sometimes you think you know your neighbor. Sometimes you think you know your co-worker who you work side by side, next to every day. You never know what they are masking.

WHITFIELD: If that was Warren Savage then. Who have you discovered Warren Savage is now?

SAVAGE: I have a purpose. I think I know what my purpose is. And I think it is to help other people. I think it is to help other people who may feel like they are hopeless and that they are helpless. And that they can turn their lives around.

WHITFIELD: He hasn't mapped out what's next or whether he'll get back into television. But admits it's impossible to plan ahead without reflecting often on exactly where he has been.

SAVAGE: I had to learn that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, but the road back is paved with humility. And I needed to be on that road.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And nearly four months now after rehabilitation, Warren Savage admits it is still one day at a time, just like it is for anyone who is trying to kick an addiction.

Well, you might remember the school collapse story in Haiti just last week. Well if you see stories like that, and you want to know how to help, we'll tell you how.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)