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Hundreds Stuck on Lake Erie Ice Floe; Old Drug Test Catches Up With A-Rod; Senate Debates Stimulus Bill; McCaskill Excoriates CEOs; Health Insurance Tips for Laid-Off Employees
Aired February 07, 2009 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, breaking news this hour. Trapped -- as many as 500 fishermen stuck on an ice floe on Lake Erie. A rescue operation is under way. We'll talk live to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Also breaking today, a past drug test may have caught up to one of baseball's biggest stars, "Sports Illustrated" reporting that Alex Rodriguez has used steroids.
And a penny for your thoughts? OK, make it a nickel. An architect -- that guy right there -- twice laid off, thinks outside the box when it comes to making cash.
Hello. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, and you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
All right, first now to our breaking story in Ohio, at least 100 people stuck on an ice floe in Lake Erie. I'm joined now on the phone by Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Robert Lanier in Cleveland.
So what can you tell me about how this happened? We've heard everything from 100 to 500 people on an ice floe. Explain.
CPO ROBERT LANIER, U.S. COAST GUARD: What I can tell you is approximately 300 to 500 people are reported to be on this ice floe, which is in western Lake Erie, near Oak Harbor, Ohio. The call came in at approximately 10:45 this morning, and the Coast Guard and several state and local municipalities responded with several assets.
We have helicopters from three different air stations. We have the Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw responding. We have four Coast Guard stations responding. But we also have the Canadian Coast Guard responding, Ohio state patrol, Monroe County sheriff and the Jarvis, Carroll (ph) and Washington townships responding, as well. This is a tremendous interagency operation going on right now, and it's great coordination.
WHITFIELD: So any communication with any of the hundreds of people who are on this ice floe?
LANIER: Right now, we haven't spoken to anyone that's on the ice floe. But our main thing is -- and we've had a lot of questions of why were they on there...
WHITFIELD: How did you learn of it?
LANIER: Excuse me?
WHITFIELD: How did you learn of it, then?
LANIER: We -- well, somebody on the ice floe called the Coast Guard and responded and let them know that there were people stuck on the ice floe. And then the Coast Guard immediately dispatched and coordinated with other state and local agencies to get response teams out there.
WHITFIELD: And so how quickly might this ice floe be drifting?
LANIER: Well, we don't know if it's drifting quite yet. And the currents are fairly strong during this time of the year. But again, our main control -- our main goal is to recover these people in a safe fashion and get them back to safety, and then we'll determine all that stuff a little later.
WHITFIELD: All right. Petty Officer Robert Lanier joining us from Cleveland. Appreciate your information.
Let's go live now to our CNN affiliate WTOL. Reporter Colleen Wells joins us now on the phone with more information about the rescue. So Colleen, we heard from the Coast Guard how they're going to carry out this rescue effort. What are you hearing from your vantage point?
COLLEEN WELLS, WTOL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we have seen several of these fishermen come back across the water. They are coming back by helicopter, coming back by hovercraft. But they're coming back just a couple at a time.
We talked with several of them. They said they went out there this morning, and there were cracks in the ice, but there were some planks -- some people had put some wood planks on. They walked across (INAUDIBLE) on those planks. And then the wind changed and that ice that they were on started drifting out, and before they knew it, their plank had fallen into the water, so they were stuck.
Several of them are on four-wheelers or those ATVs, and they are driving down several miles -- we're hearing as far as seven or eight miles down across the lake -- until they can get to a point where they are crossing. We talked to several of those fishermen, and they said that it's been quite a morning and now afternoon for them, too.
WHITFIELD: And so for those fishermen who've already made their way back, what kind of condition have they been in?
WELLS: Well, they have -- to be quite honest, they're in kind of good spirits. They feel kind of embarrassed, I guess, that they got themselves in that situation in the first place. They said it was that offshore wind that really threw them off this morning. But they seem to be OK.
We have heard just in the last couple of minutes from the Ottawa County sheriff here that one of those snowmobilers who was trying to make their way across that several miles before they could cross over had fallen into the ice.
WHITFIELD: OK.
WELLS: We do know that his friends that he was with pulled him out of the ice and they were doing Corporate, and now he is on the way to the hospital. They were able to get -- the Coast Guard was able to get to him...
WHITFIELD: OK.
WELLS: ... and they're bringing him to the hospital. No word on his condition, but that is the only injury that we've heard of.
WHITFIELD: Close calls for these fishermen. All right, Colleen Wells, thanks so much. We'll check back with you or with the Coast Guard to find out how the rescue mission for the other fishermen transpires.
All right, jump-starting the economy now. This weekend, it is job number one in Washington. Right now, senators are having their say about the stimulus bill. And some of them worked late into the night to hammer out some sort of compromise. Congressional sources tell CNN's Brianna Keilar the bill has been whittled down to $780 billion.
Still in it, Pell grants for low-income students, also money for energy-efficient buildings and other education grants. So what exactly is out? Well, billions of dollars for general education fund, school construction and cutters and an icebreaker for the U.S. Coast Guard.
Brianna is back on the Hill, keeping an eye on the debate that continues there, and CNN's Elaine Quijano is at the White House, as well. First let's go to you, Brianna. So who is still hot under the collar about all this in the what, three hours or so they've committed to continue to talk on the Hill today?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's almost all of the Republicans in the Senate because only a few of them signed on in this compromise deal because that's really all the Senate needed, 60 votes with those few senators, to get this through the Senate. Now, of course, the debate goes on, even though this deal that was reached last night really seen as the breakthrough towards passing this. There's not expected to be a final vote until Tuesday. A key vote on Monday, final vote on Tuesday.
So this debate going on. And we're hearing from some Republicans, like Jon Kyl, number two Republican in the Senate, who are hammering home the points they have been making for some time now. They feel like this bill is full of wasteful spending and there should be more tax cuts.
Here's what he said on the floor just a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. JON KYL (R), ARIZONA: It should be built from the bottom up based on what actually does the most good, rather than simply throwing a lot of spending at the problem and hoping that some of it sticks or trickles down and actually helps the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: It is possible, though, that these Republican protests could be futile if this deal holds, as Democratic leaders expect that it will. But Democrats like Barbara Boxer also making their voices heard on the floor, Boxer saying something we've heard from a few Democrats, which is -- she says that American voters backed this Democratic plan with their votes in November.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARBARA BOXER (D), CALIFORNIA: Get over it! Get over it! Come and talk to us. Come and work with us. This election was about change, not the same old, same old trickle-down tax cuts that don't work. Yes, there's 42 percent tax cuts in this bill. That's not enough for my friends on the other side. They want it all tax cuts or most tax cuts. We tried it. It didn't work. It's gotten us where we are today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: So just how much of a done deal, Fred, is this agreement that happened last night? Well, enough the Democratic leaders confident enough it will hold. They actually -- one Democratic leadership aide told me that staffers are now on the -- Democratic staffers from the House and the Senate are already, even ahead of this vote here a couple days out -- they're already hashing out the differences between the House and the Senate version. And like I said, the Senate hasn't even had their final vote on this, expected Tuesday.
WHITFIELD: All right. A few more steps yet to go. Brianna Keilar, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
President Obama says he wants that stimulus bill on his desk by the end of next week. So will it happen? Our Elaine Quijano is standing by at the White House. The president is also taking his case to the American people directly next week.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fredricka. He's going to be having a couple of town hall meetings, heading to Florida and heading to Indiana to talk about this. He'll also hold his first presidential news conference. That takes place on Monday night.
But President Obama is basically trying to ratchet up the pressure on lawmakers to get members to act quickly on this stimulus bill. In his weekly radio address and Internet address, the president called on lawmakers not to disappoint the American people with the same old Washington gridlock.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In the midst of our greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression, the American people were hoping that Congress would begin to confront the great challenges we face. That was, after all, what last November's election was all about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: But as we heard from Brianna just a moment ago, Republicans are continuing to argue that there is simply too much wasteful spending contained in this bill. They want to see more tax cuts, and they argue that Democrats on Capitol Hill really need to demonstrate the president's stated commitment to bipartisanship.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL STEELE, RNC CHAIRMAN: Republicans stand ready to work with reasonable Democrats to do what is right for America, but it will take more than bipartisan words from the president. It will require fair-minded action from Democrats in Congress.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Now, this is, of course, happening against the backdrop of more bad economic news. It was just yesterday that we learned the unemployment rate in the United States is now a staggering 7.6 percent. President Obama has said that any further delay by Congress would be inexcusable and irresponsible. And as you noted, the president very much wants to see a bill on his desk in about a week's time, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Elaine Quijano, thanks so much, from the White House, appreciate it.
Now other news across America. A former transit officer charged with murdering an unarmed man on New Year's Day is out on bail, a $3 million bail. Yesterday dozens of demonstrators gathered in downtown Oakland to protest Johannes Mehserle's release.
A state of emergency and a citywide curfew have not stopped a fire bug in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, as the area in and around the Philadelphia suburb grapples with its 23rd case of arson since New Year's Day. No one was hurt in last night's blaze at a mobile home.
And check this out, this video coming out of Hawthorne, California. Early reports say a car flipped off a bridge and then right into that house right there. You can see how badly mangled the car was. At this point, there is an unconfirmed report of one death.
And authorities are on the scene of a crane collapse in Boston's Chinatown area. As of now, we have reports of at least two people injured. We'll bring you more as we get it right here in the NEWSROOM.
All right, he was destined for baseball's Hall of Fame. Now the only way he may get there is if he buys a ticket -- New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez, A-Rod for short, but his new nickname may be "A-Roid" as drug tests from a few years ago reportedly suggest that Rodriguez used a hard-to-detect steroid.
CNN Sports reporter Larry Smith joining me now. This is "Sports Illustrated's" report, and they're saying that this test came about in 2003. What's A-Rod's response to all this?
LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, he's not making any comment, as you can...
(CROSSTALK)
SMITH: Yes, he's not responding at all. So this is one -- and that's something, too, is how was this leaked now. This was back in 2003, when he was with the Texas Rangers. And it's big because this was the first of his three league Most Valuable Player awards. But it was a test that was not supposed to be leaked, but again, it has now been leaked out.
And so, as you mentioned, for his career, Fred, this is devastating. When you talk about three big names that have been linked to steroid -- not convicted, not proven that they took steroids -- Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. The latter two we know their current legal issues.
Mark McGwire was a surefire first-time Hall-of-Famer, first- ballot Hall-of-Famer. He's failed to get even 25 percent of the vote -- and you need 75 percent to get in -- in the last two years. He probably will not make the Hall of Fame just because of an association -- not a conviction, no proof. And his name now at 33 years old, Alex Rodriguez, has been linked to this now.
WHITFIELD: Yes, but what's interesting here, too, is, according to the reporting from "Sports Illustrated," this test was something that was administered by major league baseball as a prelude to, Should we carry out mandatory tests? So A-Rod apparently was one of about 100 or 104 other athletes who apparently tested positive. A-Rod is saying, You know what? Talk to the union. But what's the union saying about all this?
SMITH: Well, the union's going to say this test should not have been released. This was a confidential test that was done. And so, I mean, we'll get a legal person, let them get into the ramifications of that. But certainly, you know, my phone's been blowing up all day with people texting and calling in regards to this, saying, Hey, you know, it's supposed to be a private test.
The results are supposed to be kept secret. Now it's been leaked. And so that's why he is going to -- you know, spring training starts in a couple of weeks. I'd be stunned if he even looks at a TV camera, let alone talks to one.
WHITFIELD: Are there -- is there other testing that takes place, whether it be -- you know, just arbitrary testing since 2003, since this was kind of, like, a test to see if there should be a mandatory test? If all the other tests that he may have taken are clean, why does this 2003 test result, if it is, indeed, positive, matter?
SMITH: Well, it matters because if we are to believe this -- and there are four independent sources that "Sports Illustrated" used to say, Yes, he did do this -- it shows that one of the biggest names in the game, if it's true -- one of the biggest names in the game, again, a future Hall-of-Famer, has used steroids. Now, keep in mind, 2003 there was no, you know, penalty...
WHITFIELD: No penalty.
SMITH: ... process in place for baseball. They've gotten some teeth since then. The Mitchell report comes out in 2007. We know that Mitchell has gone to some of the witnesses that he interviewed and said, Hey, I'm looking for big names. A-Rod's name was one of the names that he did ask about.
WHITFIELD: That's a big name.
SMITH: And now you've got, you know, a little -- some more stricter penalties in there, trying to weed out those people who were cheating. But it's big because he's a big name.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
SMITH: You know, if we found out that Roger Clemens did something in 2001 -- he's not even playing anymore -- it would still be a big thing because of his stature.
WHITFIELD: And still scars the sport, doesn't it.
SMITH: Sure.
WHITFIELD: All right, Larry Smith, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
SMITH: Sure.
WHITFIELD: I know we're going to continue to talk about this a lot more throughout the day. We're actually going to be joined by one of the "Sports Illustrated" reporters who actually broke that story later on this afternoon. That's 4:00 Eastern time right here in the NEWSROOM.
All right, bail-outs and CEO pay. If your tax money is helping to keep them in business, do they deserve those huge salaries and bonuses? One lawmaker has a very angry answer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, anger in California now as more than 200,000 state workers began furloughs Friday. Many took to the streets in protest. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered the furloughs to help make up for a $42 billion budget deficit the state is facing. Government employees being forced to take two days a month off without pay through June of 2010. That amounts to a nearly 10 percent pay cut. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DERAL DAVIS, CALIFORNIA STATE EMPLOYEE: I just have to make ends meet. You know, I just have to find other means of income to pick up the slack.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The economic news isn't getting any better. The government says another 598,000 jobs were cut last month -- this is nationally, now -- the biggest one-month hemorrhage since 1974. Economists were bracing for the jobless rate to jump to 7.5 percent. Instead, it is 7.6 percent. And you can bet those figures aren't lost on the senators still debating the stimulus bill.
All right, bail-outs and corporate America. If a failing company gets billions of your taxpayer dollars, should the CEO still be paid a huge salary and bonus? One lawmaker says no, and she's demanding change.
CNN's Jim Acosta has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. CLAIRE MCCASKILL (D), MISSOURI: They don't get it. These people are idiots! You can't use taxpayer money to pay out $18 billion in bonuses!
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ever since Claire McCaskill took to the Senate floor to publicly shame those bailed-out financial firms that handed out billions of dollars in bonuses, the Missouri Democrat says she's gotten one basic response: you go, Senator.
(on camera): Did that feel good?
MCCASKILL: Oh, yes. It felt great. And what's felt even better is the reaction we've gotten from around the country. Our phones won't stop ringing. The e-mail traffic is unbelievable. It's hard to be confident about our financial system when you're so damn mad.
ACOSTA (voice-over): There's already a new bail-out shocker. CitiGroup, a firm that received $45 billion in taxpayer money, just announced its former CEO, Sandy Weill, will no longer use the company's private jets. The company says Weill had used one of its planes to fly his family to a posh Mexican resort over the holidays.
MCCASKILL: Taxpayers are on the hook for hundreds of billions of dollars in their institutions. They owe the taxpayers something other than business as usual.
ACOSTA: McCaskill has introduced a bill to cap the pay of bailed-out CEOs at $400,000 a year, the same as the president's salary. A staunch ally of the president during the campaign, she may be gaining traction.
OBAMA: ... will ensure that CEOs are not draining fund that should be advancing our recovery.
ACOSTA: The administration is looking at ways to crack down on executive bonuses, but Republicans in Congress are skeptical.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MINORITY LEADER: I really don't want the government to take over these businesses and start telling them everything about what they can do. Then you truly have nationalized the business.
ACOSTA (on camera): You voted for the bail-out.
MCCASKILL: I did.
ACOSTA: Any regrets?
MCCASKILL: Sure! Clearly, I've learned my lesson going forward. We've got to put a lot more controls on these bills, making sure that these executives understand that taxpayers cannot afford to pay them what they're used to being paid.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: That was Jim Acosta reporting.
Well, hopefully, you're not facing a lay-off. But if you are, how to get the most out of your medical benefits before you lose your job.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: So what if the worst happens to you and you lose your job? There are some important health questions that you need to ask. Senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen walks through them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: If you've just been laid off or if you fear you're going to be laid off, what is the best way to use your waning days of health insurance? Hundreds of thousands of people are asking themselves that question right now. In December, nearly 700,000 people lost their jobs, and you can bet that a lot of them lost their health insurance right along with it.
So for example, let's say you're laid off and you're told you have a month left of health insurance, what do you do? The instinct for a lot of people is to run out and make every doctor's appointment you can and get every medical test you can. That may not be the wisest decision, according to some experts I talked to.
They said you should talk to your doctor about what tests you should and should not have when you're at the end of your health insurance. You may get a test that may not help you much medically but could make it difficult for you to get insurance later because if that test reveals that something's wrong, you then have a preexisting condition. So an example that experts gave me is if a woman has a lump in her breast and the doctor wants her to get a biopsy, that should definitely happen. That's a life-or-death decision. However, let's say someone has had a snoring problem for a year and they've been thinking about having a sleep study. That may be something that you want to put off until you have more secure health insurance.
So while I've been talking about things not to do when you're in your waning days of health insurance, let's talk about some things that you should be doing. For example, you should get all your prescriptions filled while someone else is paying for them. That means that even if you aren't due to fill something for another month, go to the pharmacist and see if they will do it now instead, since you're about to lose your insurance.
Also, do negotiate fees with doctors while you still have insurance. Go to your doctor and say, This is the last time I'm going to see you with insurance. Can I negotiate a rate with you that I can pay once I no longer have insurance? We talked to a woman who negotiated a deal that she would give her pediatrician $40 per office visit. The doctor said that that was fine with her. She understood that a lot of people were in difficult predicaments at this time.
Now, for more details about what to do if you're about to lose your health insurance, you can go to CNN.com/empoweredpatient. For "Empowered Patients," I'm Elizabeth Cohen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right, well, with these tough economic times, you have to try to think outside the box, right, to survive. Well, a Seattle architect who has been laid off twice this year has set up a small wooden booth at the local farmers' market. Think Lucy's psychiatric health booth in the Peanuts cartoons. Well, for five cents, the architect says he'll answer your questions or give out advice on architecture. Just five cents.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN MOREFIELD, ARCHITECT: One nickel turns into one conversation, turns into one design job, turns into one local contractor who hires, you know, a local painter who buys from a local supplier.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: John Morefield says he's gotten e-mails and calls from across the country. And as for all those nickels that he makes, he actually will be donating them to the food bank.
All right, so what's on President Obama's list of must-haves for the economic stimulus bill? Our Anderson Cooper finds out.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, happening right now, a rescue effort under way near Toledo, Ohio. Hundreds of fishermen are stranded on an eight-mile-long chunk of ice on Lake Erie. Federal, state and local authorities have teamed up for the rescue. It's believed as many as 500 people may be stranded on this ice floe.
Stimulating talk in the U.S. Senate today as lawmakers voice their opinions on a compromise stimulus bill reached last night. They hope to vote on the plan early next week.
And the Bronx Zoo (ph) is abuzz with a bombshell report from "Sports Illustrated" today. SI.com cites four sources as saying star slugger Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids when he played for the Texas Rangers back in 2003.
In his Saturday radio address, President Obama urged Congress to complete work on the stimulus package quickly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: From the beginning, this recovery plan has had at its core a simple idea: Let's put Americans to work doing the work America needs done. It will save or create more than three million jobs over the next two years all across the country -- 16,000 in Maine, nearly 80,000 in Indiana, almost all of them in the private sector and all of them jobs that help us recover today and prosper tomorrow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: In his weekly address, that is. Mr. Obama hopes to sign the stimulus bill by Presidents Day, which is February 16th.
All right, new Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele is questioning some of the items in the stimulus plan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEELE: Democrats in Congress want a $1 trillion spending bill. You've heard about the pork barrel programs they want to fund -- $45 million for ATV trails, and removal of fish passage barriers is one that caught my eye. Exactly what is a fish passage barrier? And why does it cost $45 million to stimulate the economy with it? That's why Republicans in the House voted against uncontrolled spending.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Steele adds that the fastest way to help hurting families is to let them keep more of their money that they earn.
All right, a new administration, a new foreign policy and a new tone the high points of Vice President Joe Biden's address to the Munich security conference today.
But as CNN's Frederik Pleitgen reports the vice president touched on a number of topics, some more diplomatically than others.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The vice president arrived in Munich ready to tell the world what it can expect from the new U.S. administration and what America expects from the world.
JOSEPH BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I come to Europe on behalf of the new administration, an administration that's determined to set a new tone not only in Washington but in America's relations around the world.
PLEITGEN: The vice president told the delegates the U.S. is willing to engage the Iranian government.
BIDEN: We will be willing to talk. We'll be willing to talk to Iran and to offer a very clear choice: Continue down the current course, and there will be continued pressure and isolation. Abandon the illicit nuclear program and your support for terrorism, and there will be meaningful incentives.
PLEITGEN: Concerning relations between the U.S. and Russia, Biden made clear the United States will continue developing a missile defense system which Moscow vehemently opposes but wants to consult with the Russians and NATO in a bid to improve relations.
BIDEN: The last few years have seen a dangerous drift in relations between Russia and the members of our alliance. It's time -- to paraphrase President Obama, it's time to press the reset button.
PLEITGEN: A view echoed by the French president.
NICOLAS SARKOZY, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): Confidence must be restored. I don't think the Russia of today is a military threat to NATO or the European Union.
PLEITGEN: In a speech that covered a broad spectrum of issues, from global warming to the world's economy, Biden also called on America's allies to do more to share the burden in conflicts like the war in Afghanistan. The vice president will hold bilateral meetings with leaders from around the world at the conference, but the central message is this. Yes, America will do more, but it expects its allies to do more, as well.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right, on to Lagos, Nigeria now. The search is on for a killer advertised as medicine but suspected to be poison. The search focuses on a domestically produced teething formula called My Pikin. The sweet-tasting syrup is suspected in the deaths of 84 infants and children. The nation's health ministry believes the formula contains a chemical often found in antifreeze. Several pharmaceutical company executives are already in police custody. It's uncertain how much formula remains on the store shelves.
And a U.N. delegation is set to arrive in Zimbabwe in two weeks, where they will investigate the current cholera outbreak blamed for killing more than 3,300 people and sickening as many as 65,000. Longtime ruler Robert Mugabe has blamed Western nations for the cholera crisis, but Mugabe opponents say the epidemic illustrates the breakdown of basic government services.
Authorities in Australia are calling this the worst outbreak of wildfires in a quarter of a century. Thick plumes of smoke fill much of the southern Australia sky. On the ground, 14 people have already died, and officials are warning residents to stay inside as crews try to extinguish the fires. An estimated 30,000 acres have already been charred.
All right, all that ice in Kentucky is, for the most part, gone. That's the good news. But a lot of downed trees and power lines are still piled very high. About 100,000 people are still without power. That's down from more than 700,000. Last month's devastating storms are blamed for 55 deaths, from the southern plains to Maine, 28 of those in Kentucky -- of those deaths. President Barack Obama declared the state a disaster area earlier in the week.
Let's check in with our Karen Maginnis. Good to know there's a little bit of a thaw-out, but still pretty painful that a lot of people are without power.
KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It certainly is, with over 100,000, and here we are more than a week later. And they're seeing cloudy skies today, but at least the temperatures are in the 60s. We've got live towercam out of Louisville, Kentucky. Take a look at this now, cloudy skies, but don't let that fool you. The temperatures are in the 60s. Should climb to around 64 degrees in Louisville today. This is courtesy of our affiliate WAVE there in Louisville.
Well, as we move on and show you what's happening across the rest of the country, temperatures fairly mild across the south central United States and the Southeast, 60s and 70s, a little bit above normal for this time of year. But tomorrow, we could see some thunderstorms break out across the south central United States.
Well, for southern California, temperatures are a little suppressed because we've got a late winter storm system that is moving on in from the Pacific. As a result, those snow levels, they're dropping down rather dramatically. We'll get one area of low pressure to move onshore, another one a little bit further to the north. But this is going to enhance the moisture across southern California. Here you can see the radar imagery out of LA, a few showers here and there, on the order of one to two inches possible.
Now, you may remember back in November, right around Sylmar -- that's at the edge of the San Fernando Valley -- they had wildfires, ferocious wildfires that we saw day after day. Well, that is having a secondary effect now with the rainfall. We could see some mudslides. Sierra Madre, they already saw about three feet of mud in some areas in the past 24 to 36 hours.
Temperature-wise, we've got 50s across this region, but winter storm watches and warnings out for the southern California mountains, Ventura County and Los Angeles county. Fredricka, back to you.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Karen. Appreciate it.
All right, our Anderson Cooper will be along, talking stimulus with President Obama.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, President Obama hit the interview circuit this week. He faced some pretty tough questions from CNN'S Anderson Cooper. Here's a piece of that interview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Explain what happened today. Tom Daschle -- you've let one of the most important domestic issues, which is health care, get caught up in what looks like to many Americans as politics as usual.
OBAMA: Well, I think what happened was, is that Tom made an assessment that having made a mistake on his taxes that he took responsibility for and indicated was a mistake -- made the assessment that he was going to be too much of a distraction in trying to lead what is going to be a very heavy lift, trying to deliver health care and...
COOPER: Do you feel you messed up in letting it go this far?
OBAMA: Yes, I think I made a mistake. And I told Tom that. I take responsibility for the appointees...
COOPER: What was your mistake, letting it get this far or you should have pulled it earlier?
OBAMA: Well, I think my mistake is not in selecting Tom originally because I think nobody was better equipped to deal both with the substance and policy of health care. He understands it as well as anybody, but also the politics, which is going to be required to actually get it done. But I think that -- look, ultimately, I campaigned on changing Washington and bottom-up politics, and I don't want to send a message to the American people that there are two sets of standards, one for powerful people and one for ordinary folks who are working every day and paying their taxes.
COOPER: Do you feel you've lost some of that moral high ground which you set on yourself for day one (INAUDIBLE)
OBAMA: Well, you know, I think this was a mistake. I think I screwed up. And you know, I take responsibility for it, and we're going to milk sure we fix it so it doesn't happen again.
COOPER: Let's talk about the economy, the stimulus. Every day, you get an economic briefing, along with an intelligence briefing. Which to you is more sobering, the economic news you get or the national intelligence? OBAMA: Well, look, the national security briefing is always sobering because my most important job is obviously keeping the American people safe. And we have to remain vigilant. The threats are still out there. But I will tell you, in terms of what is alarming right now is how fast the economy has been deteriorating. I think even two or three months ago, most economists would not have predicted us being in as bad of a situation as we are in right now and...
COOPER: It keeps a lot of Americans right now up at night. Does it keep you up at night?
OBAMA: It keeps me up at night and it gets me up...
COOPER: Literally?
OBAMA: Literally, because -- because we've got a range of different problems, and there's no silver bullet. We're just going to have to work our way through the problem. So number one, we've got to have a recovery package that puts people back to work and ensures that states that are dealing with rising unemployment can deal with unemployment insurance, can provide health care for people who lost their jobs. That's one set of problems.
Then you've got a banking system that has undergone close to a meltdown, and we've got to figure out how do we intelligently get credit flowing again so that small businesses and large businesses can hire people and keep their doors open and sell their products. And you know, part of the problem, unfortunately, is, is that the first round of TARP, I think, drew a lot of scorn.
You know, we learned -- you know, we've now learned that, you know, people are still getting huge bonuses, despite the fact that they're getting taxpayer money, which I think infuriates the public. So we also have to set in place some rules of the road. And tomorrow, I'm going to be talking about executive compensation and changes we're going to be making there.
Even after we get that done, we still have to get a financial regulatory system in place that assures this crisis never happens again. And we've got to do this in the context of a world economy that is declining because, in some ways, the Europeans are actually doing at least as badly as we are. You've even seen China, which has been growing in leaps and bounds over the last two decades, starting to decline.
So trying to do all those things on parallel tracks at a time when people are scared, and legitimately so, I think is going to be a big challenge. I think we're up to the challenge, but it's going to take some time, and I think the American people recognize that.
COOPER: On executive compensation, Paul Krugman suggested in "The Times" on Sunday that your tough talk may be just for show. What can you really do?
OBAMA: Well, I think, you know -- we'll talk about it tomorrow, but we're going to be laying down very clear conditions in terms of where...
COOPER: Do you support Claire McCaskill's idea of capping...
OBAMA: Well, I -- again, I don't want to completely preempt my announcement tomorrow.
COOPER: You could here.
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: But the -- but I think there are ways -- there are mechanisms in place to make sure that institutions that are taking taxpayer money are not using that money for excessive executive compensation.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right, next Anderson Cooper asks the president which parts of the stimulus package are not negotiable.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, the stimulus -- the stimulus package, lawmakers are still speaking out about what should be kept in and what should be left out. President Obama told CNN's Anderson Cooper what's on his list of must-haves.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: On the stimulus plan for you, what is non-negotiable with Republicans?
OBAMA: The unemployment insurance, health care for people who have lost their jobs, you know, providing some relief to the states on those fronts, and providing families relief. That's very important. Infrastructure investments that lay the groundwork for long-term economic growth I think is critical.
You know, so for example, when we say we're going to weatherize two million homes, that's not just makework. First of all, you can employ people weatherizing those homes. We are also then saving families, individual families, on their energy bills. But the third thing is, it's making this country less dependent on foreign oil.
So the same is true for health IT. The same is true when it comes to education. We want to train thousands of teachers in math and science and invest in science and technology research. All those things will make us more competitive over the long term. What I do think is negotiable is some programs that I think are good, good policy, but may not really stimulate the economy right now.
COOPER: How did they even get into the bill in the first place? I mean, why did they get this far?
OBAMA: Well, Anderson, you know, there are 535 members of Congress who have their own opinions about... COOPER: Do you think some of the House Democrats went too far?
OBAMA: You know, I think that if you look at -- first of all, I think, in fairness to the House Democrats -- and this hasn't been talked about enough -- if you tally up all the programs that have been criticized on "AC 360" or anywhere else, that amounts to less than 1 percent of the total package.
So they actually were remarkably disciplined, considering the size of this package. They left out, at my request, all earmarks. So there aren't private pet projects. And by the way, many of the critics of the current package can't say that about any of the budgets that they've passed over the previous six or eight years.
COOPER: But this is what American people are hearing about, whether rightly or wrongly. And I mean, did the Republicans beat you on selling this, on selling the message? Did you lose the message?
OBAMA: Well, no, no, I don't think we've lost the message. That's why I'm here with you. Everybody's going to be watching me talk to you today. But I think that the American people understand something has to be done. They want to make sure that we're serious about it and that we're not using this to promote politics as usual, and that's what I'm insisting on.
You asked earlier, do I lose sleep. Look, the only measure of my success as president, when people look back five years from now or nine years from now, is going to be, did I get this economy fixed? I have no interest in promoting a package that doesn't work because I'm not going to be judged on whether or not I got a pet project here or there. I'm going to be judged on, have we pulled ourselves out of recession?
I think that the members of Congress understand that, as well. I don't question the sincerity of some Republican critics, who may think that they can do better on this. And I'm happy to negotiate with them. If they've got better ideas, I'm happy to do it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And there will be more on Mr. Obama throughout the next week. Mr. Obama holds his first primetime news conference Monday night, and CNN will bring that to you live at 8:00 Eastern. Don't forget to watch Anderson Cooper weeknights at 10:00 PM Eastern.
All right, proof that hard work pays off. From a park in Nairobi to the world stage, these young men are on their way.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: President Obama's campaign slogan, "Yes, we can," takes on new meaning for some elementary school children on New York's Long Island. The school board said yes to their proposal to rename their Hempstead school Barack Obama Elementary School. School officials believe the former Ludlow Elementary is the nation's first to be named for the 44th president. Students closely followed the presidential campaign, including the final debate at nearby Hofstra University. The school got its official Obama title earlier in the week.
Well, they were a hit at the presidential inauguration, young men with a big dream. David McKenzie visits with the Boys Choir of Kenya.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's just a rehearsal, but whenever the Boys Choir of Kenya sings, they treat it like opening night.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Welcome back, everybody. You're listening to the beautiful sounds of the Boys Choir of Kenya.
MCKENZIE: You may remember seeing them on the Washington mall. They performed at the inauguration celebrations for President Barack Obama. Their big TV moment helped them nab a record deal with Universal Music, which they signed in the transit lounge of London's Heathrow airport as they traveled home.
JOSEPH MUYALE, ARTISTIC DIR., BOYS CHOIR OF KENYA: To me, I think it's a challenge to us and it's a God-given gift because our beginnings were so humble.
MCKENZIE: Joseph Muyale started the choir 10 years ago as a way to promote talent and foster community. Over the years, they have struggled for funding and sponsorship. But the choir was always about more than just performance. To stay in the choir, the young men need good grades, and the money they bring in pays for their school fees.
MUYALE: Some of these boys are orphans and all of them come from very humble economic backgrounds. We are mentoring them for good leadership tomorrow.
MCKENZIE: Leaders like Frederick Masambaya (ph). He joined a decade ago and paid for his education all the way up to university. The youngest and arguably the most enthusiastic of the group is 14- year-old Alan Odhiambo. At first, he was afraid to show off his voice.
ALAN ODHIAMBO, BOYS CHOIR OF KENYA: I didn't even know I could sing. I just hid myself. I didn't let anyone know that I could sing well. It's just amazing. It's like a dream come true. And I came here and knew that I had a talent in music.
MCKENZIE: A talent that the choir uses to showcase a different side of the continent.
MUYALE: From this world we are in, to get to Washington, D.C., to be signed up by a world -- large world recording company, I think that's an achievement for us. So it meant a lot to us. People look at Africa on the darker side. Our message is that we have hope and there's something positive that we can also send out there.
MCKENZIE: They're set to take that message from a park in Nairobi to the rest of the world.
Dave McKenzie, CNN, Nairobi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And breaking news near Toledo, Ohio. Hundreds of people are trapped on an ice floe. A rescue is under way.
And they're duking it out on the Senate floor over how to trim billions from the stimulus plan.
And A-Rod outed. "Sports Illustrated" reports he tested positive for steroids six years ago.
Hello again, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, and you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
