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Homeland Security Dealing with Spillover of Mexican Drug War; Flooding Expected in North Dakota Following Excessive Rain and Snow; Congressional Committee Tackles Alzheimer's Disease

Aired March 25, 2009 - 09:59   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Dealing with Mexico's drug problem. The issue taking center stage on Capitol Hill right now. In fact, you're looking at live pictures of the Senate Homeland Security Committee there, hearing testimony now from Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. She's talking to the committee about the growing violence along the U.S./Mexico border. Here's a bit of what she said just a few minutes ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANET NAPOLITANO, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: We have seen the violence in Mexico spike. We've seen it spike because of the efforts of the Calderon government to take on these cartels, and we've seen it spike because we are increasingly trying to shut down the avenues by which the drug trade can move drugs into the United States, and therefore, the cartels are fighting each other for turf and for precedence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: From Capitol Hill to Mexico's capital city, that is where Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be today, with the administration's new security plan in hand. President Obama says the U.S. needs to share responsibility with Mexico's government over the flow of drugs into the U.S. and guns and money into Mexico.

But Mexico's drug war won't be the only thing on the agenda. They'll also talk about trade problems. Clinton meets with Mexico's President in Mexico City today before heading to Monterey. CNN's foreign affairs correspondent Jill Dougherty is joining us now this morning from Mexico City.

So Jill, there is significant arrests actually today we should talk about.

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the latest news, Heidi, is, you know, a couple of days ago, the Mexican authorities put out this most-wanted list, and they were offering up to $2 million for leads that would lead to the arrest or the detention of any of those drug lords. And it apparently has worked.

The report now is that Hector Guertorios (ph), who is in charge of the Monterey operation, has been apprehended. He has been detained. He is one of the top 24 drug traffickers in Mexico. So that is a good indication that perhaps that's beginning to work. And that will definitely be on the agenda. You know, this drug violence from the cartels will be the -- on the agenda with Secretary Clinton.

But you have a lot more. You have trade, you have energy, clean energy, education, et cetera. And they're going to try to broaden that discussion during this trip.

COLLINS: Yes, well, speaking of the trade dispute, what's the proposal? Just in general terms, how are they talking about resolving that?

DOUGHERTY: Well, that's what they're working on right now, because it's kind of complicated. They -- the Mexicans are putting tariffs on U.S. goods. A wide variety. $2.4 billion worth of goods that come in from the United States. But they want their trucks to be able to come into the United States, as was part of the NAFTA agreement.

So they have to work out some type of compromise on that, and that's what President Obama would be working on before he comes to Mexico in April.

COLLINS: All right. Well, we're watching all those numbers with you. Jill Dougherty, thank you.

In fact, we have new poll numbers to show you this morning. On Secretary Clinton and the job that she is doing. 71 percent approve of the way she is handling her job as secretary of state. 23 percent disapprove. Here is breakdown now by the sexes. 67 percent of men approve of the job that she is doing. 76 percent of women approve.

Here is a look at just how critical it is to settle the growing trade dispute with Mexico. Last year, the two countries exchanged $367 billion in goods. That makes Mexico the U.S.'s third biggest trade partner behind China and Canada. American companies also have hundreds of factories in Mexico.

Be sure to tune in tonight for that "AC 360" special report we've been telling you about. The war next door. Anderson Cooper will be live at El Paso, Texas with a look at Americans kidnapped by Mexican drug cartels and the flow of drugs from Mexico into the U.S. comes your way, 10:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

A quick check at the big board now. The Dow Jones industrial average, look at that, up 156 points or 152, as we watch those numbers obviously fluctuate all of the time. Resting now about 7800. Dow Jones industrial average watching the S&P, and the Nasdaq as well for you today.

President Obama is heading to Capitol Hill today to meet with fellow democrats. The president is pushing hard for his budget, which has drawn criticism from both parties for being too massive. In a prime time news conference last night, he said the budget is a key part of his overall plan to heal the economy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This crisis didn't happen overnight and didn't result from any one action or decision. It took many years and many failures to lead us here. And it will take many months and many different solutions to lead us out. There are no quick fixes and there are no silver bullets.

We put in place a comprehensive strategy designed to attack this crisis on all fronts. It's a strategy to create jobs, to help responsible homeowners, to restart lending, and to grow our economy over the long-term.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: President Obama offers encouraging words, and a spirit of compromise. Both will likely be put to the test, though. CNN crews are covering both sides of the widening debate. Brianna Keilar is on Capitol Hill. And Suzanne Malveaux is at the White House. Let's begin at the White House, Suzanne. Did he succeed in getting his message out?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, he certainly tried to strike a balance here. His tone was very serious, it was very cautious. You heard some of the words he used, "there is no silver bullet," and he is warning Americans that it could take months, many different solutions to get out of the recession but he also laid forward in detail his plans and the hope that Americans will be more confident that this is going to turn around.

And one of the things that the White House is trying to do is reach the American people directly. They are doing something very unique, Heidi. That is an online town hall meeting that's taking place. If you go to whitehouse.gov, you can actually submit a question to the president, vote on which question you like the best, and then the president tomorrow morning will begin to answer some of these questions online.

So far, Heidi, about 10,000 people have actually logged on and have questions for this president. More than 12,000 questions so far. Obviously, people want to know some of the details, and they want - the president feels the frustration that they want to share that frustration with him too.

COLLINS: Yes, it will be interesting to see what those questions are, and how many of them go along the lines of the economy, obviously. Does the Obama budget include any so-called lines in the sand, though? I mean, the must-have items on which he is just not going to compromise?

MALVEAUX: Well, I just got off a conference call with the director of Office of Management and Budget, the OMB, Peter Orszag, and he says that there are four points essentially, that they're very pleased with that are almost identical with the President's plan. That's health care reform, it's education, it's energy, and it's cutting down the deficit, cutting the deficit in half.

The one thing that they're not getting here is that tax credit, 400 for individuals, 800 for couples. They're not getting it for four years, but rather two. He put a positive spin on it and says, well, two more years to work it out, perhaps get that tax credit extended. The way he put it was that the bill between the president and Congress, he says, it's not twins, but they're brothers who very much look alike. So for the most part are pleased. Heidi?

COLLINS: All right. Well, we've got that. Suzanne Malveaux, we'll be watching. Thanks.

Outside the Washington Beltway, how did the president's news conference play with average Americans? Did they like what he had to say? Did he boost their confidence? That's coming up in our snapshot across America today.

President Obama heads to Capitol Hill about two and a half hours from now. In fact, he's looking for support from congressional democrats for his $3.6 trillion budget plan. A key democratic senator is already proposing major cuts. CNN congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar is live on Capitol Hill this morning for us. So Brianna, what kind of changes are democrats talking about here?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Some pretty pricey ones, about hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts. And as you mentioned, Heidi, at the hands of the democratic chairman of the Senate budget committee, Kent Conrad. It includes, as Suzanne touched upon, scrapping President Obama's signature tax cut, $400 for individuals, $800 for couples.

Also, the plan -- this Democratic plan, would not include a $250 billion of sort of a fund that was set aside by President Obama for any future bank financial rescues. Also, it would not include increases in payments to doctors who take Medicare patients.

For this reason, that last reason, some republicans actually say that this democratic plan is disingenuous. That democrats are fudging the numbers, because the federal government will have to pay for those increased Medicare payments. But the bottom line here, Heidi, as you heard Suzanne mention, is that there is some resistance from these key Democrats...

COLLINS: Yes.

KEILAR: And President Obama is signaling that he is going to accept some of these changes.

COLLINS: Well, he's on Capitol Hill today, though, right? Why is he there? What's he doing today?

KEILAR: Today, the House and Senate budget committees are meeting, and they're hashing out the bills. They have made changes in committee. They could have votes as early as today. So if he is going to wield any influence or just touch base with them, this is the date to do it, because there is a lot of potential changes to this.

COLLINS: Yes, sounds like it. All right. Brianna Keilar, thank you.

In fact, day 65 of the Obama administration now. Here is a look at the president's day. Later this hour, he meets with the secretary-general of NATO. Then this afternoon, President Obama travels to Capitol Hill for the budget talks with democrats in both the House and Senate. Tonight, he delivers remarks at two democratic party fund raisers. The first one begins at 8:15.

Racing against the Red River. Parts of North Dakota at risk for major flooding. Our Rob Marciano is watching it all from the severe weather center.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Not only flooding, but as the flooding occurs, they're getting winter storm right now, with snow piling up as they race to fill those sandbags. We'll talk about that, plus another winter storm bout has come out of the Rockies when the CNN NEWSROOM comes right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DIRK MONSON, IREPORTER: We were told just in the two hours that we were on the sandbag line there that the water actually had gone up about a foot and a half. And it was one of those things where it's a race against time. They had to do sandbagging around about two dozen houses before they felt comfortable these dikes were going to be effective. But you could tell the water was coming up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Wow. More than a million sandbags have already been filled. The goal is a million more. Right now, the Red River is less than five feet from the top of the levees, and it is still rising. On the other side of the state, ice on the river is starting to thaw, and it's piling up on the Missouri River. That means even more flooding.

Some neighborhoods in Bismarck are being evacuated, and National Guard troops are talking about possibly using dynamite to break up those ice jams we have been talking about. I want to get the very latest in the situation in Fargo and other cities along the water's edge.

CNN's Rob Marciano standing by now in the severe weather center to let us know more about this. Maybe just remind everybody what those ice jams are, because we keep talking about them, and they're really not all that common of an occurrence, at least I've never seen one before.

MARCIANO: No, not unless you live in places like North Dakota or Montana or Wyoming or upstate Maine. Basically, during the spring thaw, you get ice on lakes, you get ice on rivers all winter long, and during the thaw, the ice starts to break apart and the snowmelt will kind of help break that apart.

But because the river is rising, breaking up that ice, and then it rolls it downstream. Well, just like any other debris in a stream, be it a log or a branch or what have you, it will get caught up downstream, and in spots create an ice jam, or maybe an ice dam is a better way to put it. And now we're forced to weather another...

COLLINS: Yes, but people have it inside their houses, right?

MARCIANO: Well, the water will get inside the house, and then that ice does float a little bit more easily than other debris, and, yes, the ice can get to wherever the water is going, and all of that, as well.

COLLINS: Sure.

MARCIANO: So it's kind of a kooky thing, for sure and a miserable thing. Let's zoom in on areas that are seeing the most amount of flooding. We mentioned the Red River, we want to show you what's going on around the Missouri River where the tributaries that are feeding into this area are really where you're seeing most of the action.

Here is the Fox Island area, and that's where they're thinking about, you know, dropping some dynamite up where those ice jams are to break apart that ice even more. And almost like, you know, crushing the ice in your ice dispenser, as opposed to just letting the cubes come out. You crush it and it will break up that jam that may be happening in your freezer. And that's kind of the idea there.

So flood warnings persistent for about 90 percent of the counties across North Dakota. And I haven't seen this many times, not only flood warnings from rising rivers, but you got winter storm warning that's posted for this part of the world. That we'll see five to eight inches of snowfall. That is recurrent right now. Temperatures went from being in the 50s a couple days ago, now into the 20s and wind chills in the single numbers.

So you can imagine just how miserable that is. And the only silver lining I can find with this situation is that the freezing temperatures or sub freezing temperatures which are expected to last through Saturday will actually help block some of that moisture up that would be underground streams and water tables that would feed into the river. So theoretically, that would help slow the rising river. But probably not all that much.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: Yes, no question about it. I don't know if you heard the guy that we talked to from Emergency Management there in Fargo, North Dakota. They're filling about 500,000 sandbags a day.

MARCIANO: It's really -- it's remarkable to see that community come together. And we're following what they're doing via twitter, and the volunteers...

COLLINS: Great.

MARCIANO: And the system that they have for getting people out to where they need to be to volunteer and do that work is mind- boggling. Really impressive. COLLINS: Yes, very cool. All right, Rob. Thanks for that. In fact, they're coming in from neighboring states and everywhere. City leaders say they're overwhelmed at the sheer number of volunteers who have turned out to help.

CNN Radio's Steve Kastenbaum on the phone with us now, from Fargo. So Steve, I guess everybody's question is, are these levees going to be ready when the river crests?

STEVE KASTENBAUM, CNN RADIO CORRESPONDENT: You know, that's the big question here. Have they built them up tall enough, are they wide enough, are they strong enough to hold back the waters of the Red River? They just had a situational meeting and an update this morning at city hall here in Fargo, and the word was, they have gotten 95 percent of the sandbagging done along the Red River here. And that they're protecting more of the city now than they did back during the historic floods of 1997. So they're feeling confident, but not overconfident at this point.

COLLINS: Yes, I know. I guess you never can feel overconfident in a situation like this. Talk a little bit more, if you will, because Rob has been telling us about the snow that's coming down on top of the situation with the flooding and the river cresting, apparently on a Friday or Saturday. Really adding to the mess.

KASTENBAUM: You know, it's really incredible. I came in last night, and it was raining when I came in, and I thought to myself, this is not good. This is going to add to the water in the rivers. And then I woke up this morning, and all of Fargo covered in a blanket of snow, and the snow continues to fall on and off today. It's really complicating matters in a big way here.

They're trying to keep people off the dikes, because it's very dangerous right now. And they say the sandbags that are already in place, they're OK in this cold temperature. It's the new ones that they want to place on top of them that have problems in the freezing temperatures like this.

COLLINS: Huh. All right. We're just looking at piles and piles and piles of them being moved around the area there. Steve, keep us posted. Great job. Thanks so much.

Preparing to part ways. The crew aboard the space shuttle "Discovery" packing up to head home after eight days. The hatches between the shuttle and the international space station will be sealed early this afternoon. Three hours later, undocking begins. "Discovery" is bringing back recycled water made from astronauts' urine. NASA wants to test the water before they allow astronauts to start dinking it while they're up in space. The shuttle is due back to earth on Saturday with the urine.

Uncle Sam helping Americans climb up, but being blamed for keeping some people down.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN, the most trusted name in news. Now back to the CNN NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: In tough economic times, it may be comforting to think we're all in this together. But the fact of the matter is, unemployment is hitting some races harder than others. Last month's Labor Bureau numbers show blacks have the highest unemployment rate with 13.4 percent. Hispanics are dealing with a 10.9 percent rate, and whites are faring better with a rate of 7.3 percent unemployment. For Asians, it's even lower. 6.9 percent. Government programs aimed at helping all Americans are being blamed for boosting only some. Watch this now from CNN's Tom Foreman.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For all of the houses, stocks and savings, for each dollar of wealth owned by white families in America, black families have just $10 cents. They are less likely to have bank accounts, more likely to have been steered into subprime loans, all of that in a new report from the Insight Center for Community Economic Development, an advocacy group for poor neighborhoods. And what's more, Meizhu Lui, the author, thinks she knows why.

MEIZHU LUI, INSIGHT CENTER FOR COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: I would say that it is a matter of government policy over a long historical period but continuing to the present day.

FOREMAN (on camera): The government?

LUI: Yes, the government policies that have assisted some in building wealth and put obstacles in the path of others and not provided those same opportunities.

FOREMAN: As evidence, the report points to programs like the government mortgage bailout in the Great Depression. Social security, and tuition help for GIs after World War II, all of which, studies have shown, helped black people less than whites. The result? Black family wealth did not grow as quickly.

So, the center says young African-Americans have for decades been substantially less likely than whites to get an inheritance of any amount. Their college tuition paid for by the family. Or financial help to buy a home or car.

(on camera): The study points out that the latest government figures show average Americans also lost wealth in recent years. But minorities are still bearing the brunt of it, with even fewer African- American families now able to make it through a layoff. To move to where jobs are available. Or survive a serious illness without going bankrupt.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: America's ailing economy. President Obama talks about his remedy in a prime time-news conference. What do average Americans think though? Find out in our snapshot across America.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Heidi Collins.

COLLINS: A new report from the Urban League, painting a troubling picture of disparity between African-Americans and whites. Figures from the report suggest compared with whites, African- Americans are twice as likely to be unemployed. It also says blacks are three times as likely to be living in poverty, and more than six times as likely to be incarcerated.

When you shop, is green the only color that matters to you? A Chicago couple is conducting an experiment to try to spend their money only at African-American businesses. How is it working? CNN's Susan Roesgen takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAGGI (ph) ANDERSON, BUYING BLACK: We also need some shrimp.

SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Maggi (ph) Anderson better have all the items on her list before she leaves the supermarket. Because if she doesn't, it's a long way back. Anderson has to drive 20 minutes from her home to the only grocery where she'll shop, the one that has a black owner. She'll also drive out of her way to eat at a black-owned restaurant, get clothes cleaned at a black-owned dry cleaners and keep her money in a black-owned bank.

Maggi and her husband, John, have made a public pledge to try to buy only from black-owned businesses for one year. They call it the empowerment experiment, empowering black communities by supporting their businesses. Critics call it an experiment in racism.

JOHN ANDERSON, BUYING BLACK: We're not advocating that anybody make purchases along racial lines, OK? That's not what we're advocating. What we are advocating, though, is that African-Americans do have a higher sense of duty to support black businesses that are investing in the community.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How did it go yesterday at the church?

ROESGEN: Traditionally, black-owned businesses often struggle more than white-owned businesses. The grocery store owner says he sells only the best products, but he still has trouble persuading shoppers from the neighborhood, black and white, to get past the stereotype that black-owned stores are second rate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we are so diverse and we're so equal and everybody is the same, they why is it that (INAUDIBLE) bring an awareness to there's an African-American grocery store? An African- American grocery store is a very nice grocery store. It's a very fresh grocery store. You know, where is our business? If they do not seek out the business and shop at the business, then we're not able to sustain the business. ROESGEN: Three months into their one-year experiment, the Andersons admit they have not been able to buy everything they need from black-owned businesses. Not even close. The biggest monthly checks for the mortgage and utilities still go to anonymous, faceless corporations. But the goal is the same.

J. ANDERSON: At the end of the day, this is just about people, you know, in the African-American community getting their representative share of the American dream.

ROESGEN: Susan Roesgen, CNN, Chicago.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: I want to take you to Wall Street now, where we're seeing signs of life in the economy. But a full-blown turnaround can't come fast enough, because two of the nation's biggest states are battling huge problems. New York cutting thousands of jobs, and California's unemployment rate expected to keep climbing.

Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange now with more details on this and those numbers. We can't ignore the numbers at least, right? Up 158 points or so, Dow Jones industrial averages.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Enjoy those numbers, Heidi. Yes, we spoke at the opening bell. We had a rally at the open, but the rally is gaining strength.

Why is that? Well, we got the second major economic report of the day. The durable goods numbers we told you about, that came in better than expected, nearly 3.5 percent higher. Then at the top of the hour, we have got new home sales. They jumped 4.7 percent in February. That is the third favorable housing report this week. Three for three this week.

COLLINS: Wow.

LISOVICZ: And we have triple-digit gains on the Big Board. The Dow industrials right now off their highs, but still up 150 points. The Nasdaq is up -- yes, each of them are up about 2 percent. But states have been hit hard by this recession, especially the two most populous states.

New York State cutting 8,900 jobs. That is the first statewide layoff in about a decade, Heidi. It could affect highway crews, nurses, prison guards, forest rangers. And in California, very hard- hit by the housing recession, the jobless rate is expected to near 12 percent. It is already a state, one of four, Heidi, that has double- digit unemployment.

COLLINS: But the economic recovery and reinvestment plan, the federal money, there is money in there for the states.

LISOVICZ: There is. There's $140 billion in federal stimulus for the states.

COLLINS: Yes, and they're all fighting for it.

LISOVICZ: Yes, you better believe it. And there's 50 states. Meanwhile, New York and California have a lot of red ink, and when people lose jobs, they spend less, or when they're scared, they spend less, and that results in lower state income taxes. And that's where the deficits result -- Heidi.

COLLINS: So, if you're not going to cut jobs, though, I mean, how can cities and states make up for the budget shortfall?

LISOVICZ: Well, you go to the two favorite places to tax, and that is the sin taxes on booze and smokes. And you're seeing it, Heidi, in some unusual places like Kentucky, Kentucky, where bourbon is made, Jack Daniels, raising the tax on alcohol. Arkansas is raising the tax on cigarettes. Paired with the federal increase, a carton of name-brand cigarettes is up ten bucks in Kentucky. So it's just...

COLLINS: Good Lord.

LISOVICZ: ... it's just something that -- yes. It's even more taxing. The recession is bad enough. And then some of the basic, basic things that people enjoy are taxed further.

COLLINS: Yes. Certainly not that I'm condoning smoking or drinking, but, you know, you've got to wonder where that stops, if you're going to start there.

LISOVICZ: They're taxed quite heavily already.

COLLINS: Yes. Yes. All right. Susan Lisovicz, thank you.

LISOVICZ: You're welcome.

COLLINS: Fixing the economy. President Obama is pitching his $3.5 trillion budget plan today to Congress. Last night, it was to the American people in a prime-time news conference. He says the budget, along with his economic recovery plan, will work, but it will also take time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: This is hard. And the reason it's hard is because we've accumulated a structural deficit that's going to take a long time. And we're not going to be able to do it next year or the year after, or three years from now. What we have to do is bend the curve on these deficit projections. And the best way for us to do that is to reduce health care costs.

That's not just my opinion. That's the opinion of almost every single person who has looked at our long-term fiscal situation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: But are people still feeling patient, or do they want to see more action from the president on the economy and everything else we have to be worried about? Let's find out what a few people are thinking, anyway, about President Obama's news conference and his plans.

It's our "Snapshot across America" today. Sean Heatherton is joining us -- Hetherington. So sorry, Sean. That's a lot of consonants in a last name. He's joining us from Los Angeles this morning.

Heather Johnson is in Raleigh, North Carolina. And Julia Myers- Bartley is joining us from New York.

Sean Hetherington, I want to start with you, if I could. You are a personal trainer. Your clients include a lot of pretty wealthy people, well-to-do people in L.A. in the film industry. How's business been?

SEAN HETHERINGTON, PERSONAL TRAINER: It's been slow. In September, I was working about 30 to 40 hours a week, and then over a period of about two weeks in October, I went from 30 hours to seven hours.

COLLINS: Wow. Wow.

HETHERINGTON: So, that's a pretty steep dip in business.

COLLINS: What are your clients telling you? Why is it happening? Are they just not spending that type of luxury money, if you will?

HETHERINGTON: Sure. They're scared. I mean, they're watching the TV like everyone else is, and these are people that aren't hit right away in their pocketbook, but they are hit on their statement. And so, they're people who are good with money, and they're looking out for themselves long-term.

COLLINS: All right. Heather, I know that you are a self- employed bookkeeper. What's changed for you since the economy turned south? I think also your husband has recently lost his job, right?

HEATHER JOHNSON, SELF-EMPLOYED BOOKKEEPER: Well, several months ago, I noticed a major change in my business. I keep books for small companies and small businesses. And my business is booming. I've actually added a partner to my business since September.

COLLINS: Huh.

JOHNSON: And I think these are folks that are focusing more on how they're spending their money and in some cases, expanding business. So that's been very exciting.

COLLINS: Yes. Certainly not what a lot of people would expect, I doubt. Julia, how about you? You were a TV booker and reporter, but now you're unemployed. Tell us a little bit about your story.

JULIA MYERS-BARTLEY, UNEMPLOYED: Well, I left a secure job to pursue a dream, and, you know, unfortunately it didn't work out, or as I like to say, I hit a fork on the yellow brick road, you know, and now I'm hopeful. I'm hoping that something will pan out soon. I'm doing everything I can to get back on track.

COLLINS: Like what?

MYERS-BARTLEY: Well, you know, I'm pursuing -- I'm networking with friends, I'm joining all different kinds of organizations, and taking classes in Final Cut Pro editing and just doing everything I can, because I know the business changed. So, I have to change with it.

COLLINS: And to be specific, your dream was to become a reporter.

MYERS-BARTLEY: Yes, yes, yes. Here I am.

COLLINS: Well, you are on TV. Hey, Sean, I want to get back to you real quickly. You're a Democrat. You're an Obama supporter. What did you like and dislike last night in the press conference that President Obama held?

HETHERINGTON: Well, what I really liked was that I feel like I finally have my president. I have a president who speaks to me in all sorts of different ways. It feels like I'm finally in 2009, as opposed to 1960 or 1965. I have a president who is trying everything he can, with -- from clean energy to health care reform. All these things that we've been talking about for 20 or 30 years that are finally becoming a real possibility. And maybe only because the economy is so poor right now, that we have to try more progressive ideas to get ourselves out of the dump.

COLLINS: So it sounds like you specifically are going to be very patient with how long it may take for your business to get back to the level it was at.

HETHERINGTON: Yes. I'm willing to be patient, but I'm also -- I noticed that this isn't just about President Obama fixing my problems. I think that's one of the things that we hoped in the beginning of the Bush era that didn't happen.

So, I've lowered my rates, and I'm doing more advertising. I'm not opposed to getting a second job. And I'm cutting back expenses, because I'm not willing to give all of my hope to one single person. And I think that was one of the great things that he said last night, even if it was unpopular. It was that we all need to do our part to get ourselves out of this mess.

COLLINS: OK. And Heather, you're actually a Republican. You did not vote for President Obama. What did you hear last night?

JOHNSON: Well, what I did not hear were President Obama following through on his campaign promise to fight for the middle- class tax cut. When he was asked about it, he didn't answer the question. And I want to see him fighting for us, like he said he would. Instead, he promises that he'll tax the small business owners and the people who will be employing folks like my husband with construction jobs and infrastructure.

COLLINS: Are you patient? How long will you wait around for things to improve? As if you have a choice.

JOHNSON: Well, I'm working. I'm a hard worker, and I'm an activist, and I will continue to try to fight for conservative principles in my local area.

COLLINS: All right. Very good. Thank you for that. And Julia, you call yourself an independent, but you did, full disclosure, vote for Obama. What did you hear? What did you like and dislike last night?

MYERS-BARTLEY: Well, what I liked was, he talked about the philosophy of his persistence. And, you know, I just felt reassured. Something in his words really got me, and, you know, he talked about how the stimulus package is going to help folks like me, you know, who have fallen on hard times. So, I'm just -- I'm somewhat -- I'm hopeful. I'm going to go by that.

COLLINS: The philosophy of his persistence. What does that mean to you?

MYERS-BARTLEY: Well, just, you know, he's a strong-willed person like I am, and so he's not going to give up on this economy. He's not going to give up on what needs to be done. So, you know, he's going to pull out all the guns, the big guns, rather, and just see what can be done. So, I'm hopeful.

COLLINS: All right, so, I really appreciate all three of you. We were wondering, you know, sort of how this resonated across the country. Just three people that we were able to talk to this morning regarding that. Sean Hetherington, Heather Johnson and Julia Myers- Bartley, thanks so much, you guys, for joining us. Our "Snapshot across America" today.

And now, living with Alzheimer's. 5.3 million people suffer with the disease. A Senate panel hears from those affected and talks about the battle for a cure.

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COLLINS: The way forward in the fight against Alzheimer's disease. You're watching live pictures of a Senate Special Aging Committee. It's a hearing on Alzheimer's disease. California first lady Maria Shriver and former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor are among those getting ready to testify. Shriver's father and O'Connor's husband are stricken with the disease.

The committee will also hear a report from the Alzheimer's Study Group on the battle against the debilitating illness. CNN's senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, is following the developments at that hearing. So, Elizabeth, what are they going to be telling lawmakers today?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: They're going to be telling lawmakers that because the baby boomers are aging, among other reasons, that there are going to be severe problems paying for people who have Alzheimer's disease, and it's going to be very expensive to take care of these people, and that more money needs to be devoted to research and to treatment.

So, let's take a look specifically at what points they're going to be making to the lawmakers. They're going to talk about how the Alzheimer's disease costs the federal government more than $100 billion per year. And that's just the federal government. We're not talking about families or insurance companies or any of that.

They're also going to make these points: that prevention and treatment needs to be improved; that Medicare needs to be modernized, because the way that the fees are structured now, it's not really designed for families who have people with Alzheimer's disease; that funding needs to be increased; and that there needs to be a national, strategic plan. Ten million Americans from that baby boom generation, Heidi, are expected to develop Alzheimer's as they age.

COLLINS: Wow. That's, that's just...

COHEN: That's a huge number.

COLLINS: Really huge number. What's the very latest that we know about Alzheimer's?

COHEN: The very latest that we know about Alzheimer's, unfortunately, is that we don't know nearly enough. So, what we know is that there are some treatments that when -- I wouldn't even call them treatments. There are some drugs out there that can help decrease the severity of the symptoms for a limited period of time and maybe delay the onset of symptoms for some time. But there's certainly no, like -- nobody uses the "cure" word. We'll put it that way.

COLLINS: Yes, definitely. And those treatment options, is that really about all we know, or are there other ones available that people can...

COHEN: There are always ones that are being -- that are in the pipeline, but there's nothing in the pipeline that is going to cure Alzheimer's. We'll put it that way. I mean, no one talks in those terms.

COLLINS: Yes, no, they sure don't. Anything you can do, though, to risk -- I mean, reduce the risk of getting it?

COHEN: There are a few things you can do. But I want to be clear from the outset that -- that's why I'm going to talk about some of these things. No matter what you do, no matter if you live perfectly, you still can get Alzheimer's disease. So, having prefaced it as such, let's talk about some of the things that can be done to possibly decrease your risk of Alzheimer's disease.

First of all, control your weight and your blood pressure, which you should be doing for other diseases, as well. Control your cholesterol. Stay mentally and physically active. You hear the term, you know, use it or lose it. So, crossword puzzles, learning another language, things that can keep your brain going and also keep your body going.

There are some thoughts that statins, which are drugs to lower cholesterol, and that ginko, which is an herb, and Vitamin E, taking those, according to the Mayo clinic, may decrease your risk of Alzheimer's disease. But, again, you can do all of those things and still get Alzheimer's disease.

COLLINS: Yes, that's the scary part...

COHEN: Right. Exactly.

COLLINS: ... for sure for everybody. All right, Elizabeth Cohen, thanks for that.

COHEN: Thanks.

COLLINS: Red River rising. People living along the bank of that river racing against time to keep the water out of their town in North Dakota.

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COLLINS: Rob Marciano joining us now in the weather center, watching some of these severe storms across the South and flooding concerns in North Dakota that we've been talking about for a while now. Five hundred thousand sandbags that they're able to fill a day, and looking at all that snow, because that seems to be the major issue right now.

MARCIANO: Well, it is now. They've gone from, you know, warm rain to a cold snow on top of rising rivers. That's Fox Island there. We'll show you that in a second. That's downstream from Bismarck. They've got issues with ice jams in tributaries that lead into the Missouri River. And they're thinking about drastic measures like dropping dynamite out of helicopters.

COLLINS: Yes, what's that about?

MARCIANO: Well, they just want to free up the ice, you know, kind of just crush it a little bit and get it flowing more freely, and then obviously -- the amount of volunteers that we're seeing in and around the Fargo area is just mind-boggling. Thousands of them filling hundreds of thousands and over a couple million sandbags.

And you talk to these officials, and you know, everybody from high school students, football players, even, you know, prisoners are out there helping out. Of course, the military. These officials seem, at least to me, remarkably calm.

COLLINS: Yes, we had the gentleman on earlier with emergency management in Fargo, and, I mean, it's part of their job to remain calm, right? But he did say very optimistic, because they had all of these people helping them coming in from neighboring states, as well. And we just saw some of that video from the National Guard there, too. Eight hundred, I guess, National Guard troops in the Fargo area.

MARCIANO: Wow.

COLLINS: Yes.

MARCIANO: So, anyway, let's talk about the lay of the land. A number of rivers, not just the Missouri and the...

COLLINS: Right.

MARCIANO: ... Red River, but a number of them out here. This is Google Earth, and anything that you see with red is moderate flooding. Anything you see purple is a river gate (ph) that's experiencing major flooding. And that would include the Red River, which flows to the north, through Fargo up towards Canada.

And the forecast for this is to -- for it to crest still around 40 feet. Right now, it's about 35 feet. That's well above flood stage. Expected to crest sometime Friday or Saturday, potentially at historic levels that could date back over 100 years. So, that's certainly remarkable.

All right, over to the Missouri River we go. This is towards Bismarck and at least the headwaters of the Missouri. Bismarck here. A little bit downstream from Bismark is that Fox Island area, and again, there's a lot of tributaries that feed into the Missouri, and a couple of these are jammed up with ice. So, they're just trying free up some of that ice and get the water flowing a bit more freely.

Upriver from Bismarck, the Garrison Dam, which holds one of the larger reservoirs there in North Dakota, in the Northern Plains, as a matter of fact -- there it is -- the Army Corps of Engineers actually has decided to shut down the spillways, and they've never done that. So, that's a precautionary measure to try to get some of the water to stop flowing downstream.

All right. Where's the good news here? Let's try to find some good news. I mean, if you live in this area, you've got flood warnings in about 90 percent of the counties. But on top of that, you've got winter storm warnings across parts of Grand Forks and Fargo. Five to eight inches of snow expected today.

And the good news is, even though it's miserably cold and snowing right now, with temperatures in the 20s, some of that cold air will help lock up some of the moisture that would otherwise be melting and rolling into the river. So, trying to find a silver lining there. But I guess the flip side of that is that the sandbags don't work all that well with subfreezing temperatures.

A quick note on the Southeast. Severe thunderstorms and flooding potentially here not only today, but over the next several days. Want to talk briefly about what's going on with Mount Redoubt, which continues to erupt. It was quiet there for a little while, and then we just got word that about an hour ago, they had a minor explosion, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes.

MARCIANO: This is all happening on the northern flank of the drift glacier there. Down at the bottom of the valley, there's I believe a Chevron facility, where they've actually evacuated some people because there's lahar mudflows and other things that are heading down that glacier because of the heat and eruption.

So, this continues to percolate. And from what the experts are telling us, you know, they could -- they should have at least, you know -- last time this erupted, they had, like, 20 eruptions. So, we're not even halfway there yet. It's going to continue to percolate.

COLLINS: Is that normal, I mean to have that many eruptions with it? I mean, who knows (INAUDIBLE).

MARCIANO: Apparently, with this sort of volcano, it is. And I guess they just go by history, and 20 years ago, last time it erupted, they had about 20 explosions. So, the good news is, we're not looking at, you know, these massive things, which just blows out things like a nuclear bomb or something you'd see in Hawaii, but there's just this magma is just trying to percolate into the surface.

COLLINS: Just making its presence known.

MARCIANO: That's all. You know, it's Mother Nature just saying hi.

COLLINS: All right. Very good. Well, we appreciate that. We will keep our eye on Mount Redoubt, of course. Rob, thanks so much.

MARCIANO: Good to see you.

COLLINS: Somber times in churchgoers' lives. In fact, some of them, no church to go to. Their houses of worship, foreclosed.

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COLLINS: Churchgoers not exempt from the recession. Some houses of worship have been foreclosed, while other congregations are forced to look for temporary digs. Here now, CNN's Jim Acosta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Metropolitan Baptist is more than a megachurch, it's a Washington institution. Founded by freed slaves in the 19th century, the church once played host to President Clinton. With all its success, Metropolitan secured financing for a new, bigger church in the suburbs three years ago.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're ready to go on that as soon as we can get the available financing.

ACOSTA: Today, the $30 million, 3,000-seat sanctuary sits unfinished. The church has run out of money to complete construction. (on camera): It must be frustrating to not be able to move into your new home. I'm just thinking like a homeowner. A homeowner would feel that way.

PASTOR H. BEECHER HICKS, METROPOLITAN BAPTIST CHURCH: Absolutely. And if I had had my way, I probably would have written the scenario a little bit differently.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Pastor H. Beecher Hicks says skyrocketing construction costs during the housing boom sent the project over budget. Then the recession hit, and collections plumetted, forcing Pastor Hicks to seek out new lenders.

HICKS: The church is also a business institution that is affected by the financial realities that surround it.

ACOSTA: Bishop Joel Marcus Johnson (ph) knows that all too well. When collections dwindled at St. Andrew's Anglican Church on Maryland's Eastern Shore, Bishop Johnson could no longer pay the mortgage. His picturesque church was foreclosed on last year by the local bank. The bishop, like many troubled homeowners across the country, is packing up.

BISHOP JOEL MARCUS JOHNSON (ph), ST. ANDREW'S ANGLICAN CHURCH: When St. Andrew's purchased this back in the middle of 2005, of course, everything was going swimmingly for the whole country. The word economic -- the phrase "economic failure" simply did not yet exist.

ACOSTA: A recent study of church finances found 28 percent of congregations across the country falling short at collection time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we've had over the last decade is lots of expansion, lots of church building, and, yes, it's true some churches have overextended themselves.

ACOSTA: Metropolitan Baptist is in a tough spot. It's already moved out of its old church and is holding warship services at this D.C. school...

HICKS: We believe that victory is only a moment away.

ACOSTA: ... where the faithful pray for divine intervention.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: One financial institution that specializes in church lending puts it this way. Before 2007, it had never foreclosed on a church. Now it has foreclosed on seven, with more likely this year.

I'm Heidi Collins. Join us again tomorrow morning, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern. For now, CNN NEWSROOM continues with Fredricka Whitfield.