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Border Violence Continues as Obama Heads to Mexico; Do High- Speed Trains Have a Future in the U.S.?; YouTube Symphony Orchestra Debuts at Carnegie Hall; Virginia Couple Gets Bank Negotiation Help from Congressman
Aired April 16, 2009 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: South of the border, top of the agenda, President Obama heading to Mexico this hour for a meeting with his counterpart. It's his first trip to Latin America as president. At issue, your money and your security.
CNN's Suzanne Malveaux begins our team coverage this morning on President Obama's trip. She's joining us from Mexico City. So, Suzanne, what's the president's exact mission for this Latin American trip?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, certainly there's a broad agenda of trying to set a different tone with Latin America, but specifically we expect him to talk about this drug war.
It was just yesterday, before the summit, before the trip, his Homeland Security secretary announced this new position of border czar, really meant to address the drug violence, the violence in the border between the United States and Mexico, and Heidi, this is just one of many issues that he'll be dealing with.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX (voice-over): President Obama's goal -- to forge a new relationship with Latin America.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are ready to turn a page and write a new chapter in this story.
MALVEAUX: As a candidate, he slammed President Bush for neglecting the region.
OBAMA: We need to be full partners with those countries, show them the respect that they deserve. That's how all of us are going to move forward.
MALVEAUX: Now he says it's time to re-engage our southern neighbors. His first stop, Mexico, to show support for its president, Felipe Calderon, who's taking on his country's violent drug cartels.
FELIPE CALDERON, PRESIDENT OF MEXICO: We need to stop the flow of guns and weapons towards Mexico. MALVEAUX: Here Mr. Obama will reiterate what his attorney general and secretaries of state and Homeland Security have said visiting this side of the border. The U.S. shares the responsibility and blame for the deadly flow of drugs and weapons across the U.S.- Mexico border.
HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Our demand for drugs is what motivates these drug gangs.
MALVEAUX: Immigration reform which collapsed under President Bush will be another hot button issue.
Friday, Mr. Obama heads to the twin island Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago for the Fifth Summit of the Americas. There, he'll be one of 34 world leaders addressing the summit's official agenda, which includes the global economic crisis, the environment, energy, democracy, and security. But many political analysts say Mr. Obama's most important task will be to reconcile a bruised and neglected relationship with the western hemisphere.
PETER DESHAZO, DIRECTOR OF AMERICAN PROGRAM, CSIS: That's the key -- the key factor there. A desire to work with the United States just as the United States is going to demonstrate its desire to cooperate with the countries in the region.
MALVEAUX: Aides say the president's approach will be similar to the one he used in Europe last week, to listen and learn, as well as lead. But issues like immigration and Cuba could make changing U.S. relations with Latin America difficult.
Monday, ahead of the summit, the Obama administration announced it would loosen long-standing restrictions on Cuban-Americans who want to visit and send money to their relatives in communist Cuba. The move was aimed at fulfilling Mr. Obama's campaign promise, to improve relations between the two countries. But it is also intended to blunt criticism from some Latin American leaders who want Cuba readmitted to the Organization of American States.
Cuba is excluded because it is not a democracy. Cuba's former president, Fidel Castro, called the softening of sanctions a positive although minimal development, because it failed to lift the trade embargo between the two nations.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: And, Heidi, White House aides tell me that it is not likely after this trip to have any major big breakthroughs here, but what they really are trying to do is set a different kind of tone between the United States and Latin America - Heidi.
COLLINS: All right. CNN's Suzanne Malveaux in Mexico City for us this morning. Suzanne, thank you.
We'll be watching the president's travels closely here, of course. The two presidents do have lost a lot of ground to cover and some major differences to confront, as you just heard. Here to explain what's at stake for you and me, Mario Loyola, visiting fellow for the Foundation for Defense of Democracy and joining us now this morning from Washington.
Thanks for being with us.
MARIO LOYOLA, FOUNDATION FOR DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACY: Good morning, Heidi.
COLLINS: Let me just ask you about this straight off the top here. We know that the president has now added cartels to the list of banned foreign drug kingpins. What exactly does that do?
LOYOLA: Well, it responds to the increasing militarization and sophistication of the drug trafficking networks. And the problem that we're having in Latin America increasingly is the assault on governance institutions and the rule of law by some of the same kinds of transnational networks that we've been confronting elsewhere in the war on terror. Which is why the Bush administration began the policies that Obama is now following of building partnership capacity of the same kind that we've had on the war on terror with countries in Latin America like Mexico.
COLLINS: OK. So what should be done here? We've just heard from our correspondent, Suzanne Malveaux, that they don't expect, you know, anything major to happen here, just sort of lay the ground work for better relations between the two countries. What would you like to see happen on that front, specifically?
LOYOLA: Well, I think, you know, cosmetics matter. And Obama, if anything, in the first 100 days, has emerged as a real master of cosmetics. I mean he's going down there. He's going to participate in the summit in Trinidad and Tobago, the Summit of the Americas. That's got a really, you know, lefty, you know, agenda of, you know, sustainable development and climate change and stuff. So he's going to go get lectured by the president of Venezuela on climate change.
You know, we've got to do is better relations with those governments in Latin America that are really allied with us, in terms of being interested in the rule of law, fighting corruption, fighting drug trafficking, fighting radicalism and bringing economic freedom to their people, and it's a long, hard struggle. But we've got to also recognize that there's been a lot of progress. I mean, people talk about China, but you know, the Mexican economy has five times the GDP per person of China. So we're making progress.
COLLINS: Well, also, there was a military report that was issued just last year. U.S. military report, that warned against Mexico. It said it's collapsing into a failed state with its government under siege by gangs and drug cartels. Did you agree with that assertion then? And you're talking about progress, so what has the change been on that front in your mind?
LOYOLA: No, and I don't - I didn't read the report, but I don't think that represents the consensus of the intelligence community or even of the Pentagon. And if I remember correctly, the report was, you know, the Pentagon backed away from this report and President Calderon hit the roof when he saw it. I mean, it certainly not the case that Mexico is collapsing into a failed state or anything like a failing state. Now, there are parts of it where...
COLLINS: That are...
LOYOLA: ... the government is under siege. Yes, and we have to establish the kinds of partnership capacity building programs that we responded with after 9/11 to make sure that the Mexican government can meet these challenges. But I think we're going to be OK.
COLLINS: All right. Mario Loyola, we sure do appreciate your time this morning for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Thanks so much.
LOYOLA: Thank you very much.
COLLINS: CNN's Karl Penhaul braves the dangerous streets of Juarez, one of those trouble spots we were just talking about. He takes us to the front lines of Mexico's drug wars. That will happen and come your way in the next half hour.
Also today, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is traveling to Haiti. She is there on the heels of welcome news. The impoverished nation is about to receive $324 million in international pledges. Yesterday, Haiti's prime minister said her country needs even more help, but the commitment is more than she expected in this global recession.
U.S. Envoy George Mitchell is in the Middle East today for talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials. While meeting with Israel's foreign minister, Mitchell reiterated Washington's solid support for creating an independent Palestinian state, and the issue of Iran's nuclear program also came up. Israeli President Shimon Peres emphasized dialogue, not war is the solution. Mitchell plan to meet Palestinian leaders tomorrow in the West Bank.
Quickly now, we want to take a look at the big board today. Dow Jones Industrial Averages down about 20 points, as you can see right there, resting at the 8000 mark or so. Right now, just about 35 minutes into the trading day. We'll keep our eye on those numbers as always.
And now to the economy and new clues where it might actually be headed. This morning we learned that the number of Americans filing their first claims for benefits has gone down. The new number, 610,000. That's far below the expectations of 655,000. That could be a sign that layoffs around the country are easing a bit. On the negative note though, people continuing to request benefits is the highest on record dating back to 1967.
We have another new record to tell you about, this one regarding foreclosure filings. They skyrocketed in the first quarter of this year to their highest levels on record. The increase, 24 percent over the first quarter of last year. March's numbers, equally grim. Last month, filings jumped 17 percent from the month before. And there is some help for homeowners in danger of losing their homes to tell you about. One answer, call your congressman. One family did, and got a big surprise. Tell you about that in just a moment.
Tears and cheers as the crew of an attempted hijacking at sea sets foot back on U.S. soil, we are there.
And Rob Marciano is eyeing more severe spring storms. Rob, what do you have?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Severe storms across the plains and winter's last hurrah. Again, into the mountains, Denver could see significant snow today. We run it down after the break.
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COLLINS: Back on U.S. soil, and waiting for their skipper, crew members of the Maersk Alabama survivors of a hijacking attempt at sea are with their families this morning. No word yet on when Captain Rich Phillips though might be joining them. We do know he arrived in Mombasa, Kenya just a few hours ago aboard the USS Bainbridge and is now off the ship.
Our Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence is in Maryland this morning where the families are. So how are they doing, Chris?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're excited, Heidi. You know, this was the payoff.
COLLINS: Yes.
LAWRENCE: After watching their ship be boarded by pirates, the pirates shooting at them as they boarded, locking themselves in the engine room. Some of them having guns pointed directly at them, scuffling with the pirates on board, this was the real payoff, to finally be able to see their friends and their families again, just a huge turnout last night. They got a couple hours' sleep, most of them were up early having breakfast and are now preparing to go home and try to get back to normal.
COLLINS: So, Chris, are any of the crew members talking just yet, though? I imagine they're probably wanting to spend precious time with their family at this point.
LAWRENCE: Yes, I talked to one of the crew members just in the hallway with his wife, just briefly. And you know, he said I'm just exhausted. He said that we got in at 1:00 in the morning, then we had to come here to the hotel. We got like about an hour or two of sleep, then we were up, meeting with other people. He looked at his wife and he said, you know, I feel like I haven't even had any time with her, and she was what I was thinking about the entire time.
So, you know, definitely an emotional reunion here for this crew. Now the attention for the United States turns to trying to stop future attacks on other American ships, and that's why we're seeing a lot of initiatives, including sending an envoy to Somalia to try to get them to do more inside their own country, and as well trying to look at ways to track down and freeze the assets of some of these pirates so they don't have access to the money to buy these boats and guns and weapons.
COLLINS: Sure. All right. Well, continue to follow your reporting on that note. Certainly some great still pictures there of the family reunions too. Thanks so much. Our Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence this morning.
We want to head over to the Severe Weather Center now. Rob Marciano standing by with more.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: In Houston, Texas now, a story we want to tell you about. A somber tribute for two fallen firefighters. Captain James Harlow and rookie firefighter Damian Hobbs died early Easter morning in a house fire. They were reportedly looking for anyone who may have been trapped inside. About 2,000 firefighters from around the state attended the service. Both firefighters are military veterans.
Was it a prank for the camera or contaminating customers' food? Two pizza workers in trouble with the law after an online video shows them doing disgusting things.
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ANNOUNCER: News as it develops as only CNN can bring it to you. See for yourself, in the CNN NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: These next two stories might be a little unsettling for some people.
Workers at a pizza place caught washing dishes in a back alley. That happened outside a restaurant in Norfolk, Virginia. A woman took pictures and sent them to our affiliate WTKR. The witness says she saw the worker take a rag off the ground to scrub the plates and pans and pans and then rinsed them off with a hose.
A local Health Department official says washing those items outside is a no-no.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AGNES FLEMMING, MANAGER, NORFOLK HEALTH DEPARTMENT: They're not allowed to wash even your floor mats. You're putting organic material in a storm drain and that can attract rodents.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The Health Department and a team from Cici's Pizza are investigating where the washing was going on outside.
And then there's this, an online video has led to the firing and arrest of two Dominos Pizza workers. The video posted on YouTube showed a worker sneezing on food and playing with it. The worker said the video was a prank, and none of the food was served to customers. The two have been charged with contaminating food distributed to the public. If convicted, they face up to a year in jail. The restaurant was closed for a day, cleaned, and has now reopened for business.
Your child wakes up in the middle of the night with a fever, or she's playing outside and hurts herself. Every parent has faced the question, can I handle this on my own or do I need to go to the emergency room? In this week's "Empowered Patient," our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has tips on how to help you decide the answer to that question.
So, Elizabeth, did you decide to do this, "Empowered Patient"?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, partly because I myself as a mother have thought, do I - can I handle this on my own...
COLLINS: Right.
COHEN: ... or do I need to take my daughter to the emergency room, it is not an easy decision to make sometimes. I'm sure you've experience it too.
COLLINS: I'm only laughing, because I've actually done that. I wore a training kit and tried to mend a wound on my boy and then went to the emergency room.
COHEN: Right. There you go. Right and then you realize, you thought better, right. Then you realize that was the right move.
We put the word out to parents. We said have you ever had a time where you have not been sure what to do? And Heidi, you wouldn't believe, we got so many responses.
COLLINS: I bet.
COHEN: Mostly from moms. And what it came down to, the bottom line, was that these moms said that instincts are what told them what to do. We have an interactive when we hear from four moms about how in all four cases their children's lives were saved because they listened to their instinct about what to do.
COLLINS: Sure.
COHEN: Not other people, but their own inner voice. And it works.
COLLINS: Very good. Well besides that really uneasy feeling that you often get, are there physical signs where you can definitively say, all right, if I see this, I definitely have to go?
COHEN: Yes. There are some guidelines you can go by. Let's go over a couple of them.
For example, tummy aches. Every kid has a tummy ache. Every parent has dealt with this. Usually, you don't need to go to the emergency room, but check and see if your child's stomach is swollen and is it tender to the touch. That could mean that you do need to go to the emergency room or at least get immediate medical attention.
Also, take a look at this one, fever. If your newborn baby, three months or younger, has a fever of 100.4, you need to get immediate medical attention. That is not something that you should try to deal with on your own, because it could be a sign of something terrible like meningitis.
Also, burns. Children get burns. Many times you can handle it on your own. If it's larger than your child's palm, if its deep or discolored, or if the burn is caused by a chemical, your child needs immediate medical attention.
Now, we have other examples, too, things you're going to want to look at to figure out if should you go to the emergency room. It is all on CNNHealth.com. That's where our "Empowered Patient" column is right now.
COLLINS: Great. Very, very good. Because I think that will answer some people's questions, just go if you feel like you need to go.
COHEN: Just go, right. Exactly.
COLLINS: So tomorrow, "Empower Me Fridays," going very, very well. People often send in questions for you to answer on the air. We get so many we have to sort of pick and choose. But first tell people where you can send those e-mails.
COHEN: OK. You can send your e-mail to empoweredpatient@cnn.com. Our goal is to solve your problems. For example, recently we helped a woman who was paying about $400 a month for her drugs.
COLLINS: Yes.
COHEN: We got it down to about $100 a month. So tomorrow we're hoping to solve problems for two 50-year-old couples who just lost their jobs and they need health insurance. So, write to us and we'll help solve your problems.
COLLINS: Will you help solve my problems?
COHEN: Sure, anytime. You and I, we can just chat. You don't need to e-mail me.
COLLINS: Perfect. All right. Elizabeth, thank you so much. We'll wait for that tomorrow.
Also, you don't want to miss a special report this weekend by senior medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. A mother, a writer, a student, all addicts. Could their brains hold the key to their addiction? Dr. Sanjay Gupta follows them on the journey through recovery and relapse. "ADDICTION," CNN Saturday and Sunday night 8:00 Eastern.
Quickly now, I want to show you some live pictures. You are looking at Marine One there. President Barack Obama, I believe, he has just landed in Norfolk, guys? Andrews Air Force base? Yes.
OK. And he is getting ready to come off of Marine One. He will then board Air Force One on his way for his first trip as American president to Latin America, first stop, Mexico City. We'll be reporting on that of course all day long, getting ready to possibly see him come out of the aircraft. We will wait to see some of those pictures for you.
Once again, this should take very little time for him to make his way over to Air Force One and again, heading to Mexico City for the first time as American president. You may recall he did meet with the Mexican leader a few months ago, but that was in January, and he will be meeting with him again, of course, once he gets there.
Again, we'll follow those pictures for you and bring you any development just as soon as they happen.
Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve has certainly been talking a lot these days, and we've been hearing about them lowering rates. So why are many banks not passing them along to you? We'll take a look at both sides.
Once again now, we do see President Barack Obama making his way across the tarmac there, heading over to Air Force One. He will depart shortly from Andrews Air Force base to Latin America. Mexico City, his first stop. Our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is there waiting for him. She will be reporting on his entire trip. We'll be back right here in the CNN NEWSROOM in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Heidi Collins.
COLLINS: Right now, President Obama is on his way to Mexico. There, he will meet with his counterpart, Mexican President Felipe Calderon. Their topics? Trade, immigration and the increasingly bloody drug wars. Tomorrow, President Obama travels to Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago. He will attend the Summit of the Americas, a gathering of Western-hemisphere nations.
Before departing for Mexico, the president spoke exclusively with CNN en Espanol. He talked with correspondent Juan Carlos Lopez about Mexico's battle with the violent drug cartels and how the U.S. is helping.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: My budget has actually sought to increase by about 50 percent the amount of money that we're spending. We are already moving forward on, for example, Black Hawk helicopters to be sent to Mexico to help in the fight against the drug cartels. So, I want to put as much additional resources as we can into this effort. I think Mexico's been very serious about dealing with the problem. There are a number of Central American countries who are going to need our assistance as well, and my commitment is to make sure that the United States, working in a multilateral fashion with all the countries in the region, are finally putting an end to the power and the strength of these drug cartels.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Mexico's fourth-largest city knows only too well the strengths of the cartels and their violent ways. Right across the border from El Paso, Juarez has been known as the most dangerous city.
CNN's Karl Penhaul takes us to the streets.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The police radio crackles. Shots are being fired downtown. A city cop asks these transvestite prostitutes if they heard. Six shots, they say, a few blocks away.
It's midnight in Juarez, Mexico's most dangerous city. The gunmen seem to have faded away, so the patrol heads up into gangland, the hillside slums that ring Juarez.
"We're arresting gang members before they get together, because then there will be killings," he says.
Police say there are 1,000 gangs in the city. They go by names like the Skulls, the Sharks, the Aztecs and the Artist Assassins. They peddle cocaine, crack and heroin, and fight gun battles for turf.
The gangs, too, have become a recruiting ground for narco- traffickers, looking to hire hit men. "Organized crime reports from these gangs. They come and choose the most dangerous members," the captain says.
Captain Pinedo and his men on the anti-gang patrol know the labyrinth of alleyways by heart. They pull suspected gang members out of vehicles, even sniffing their fingers to see if they've been using drugs.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: President Obama is scheduled to arrive in Mexico during the 2:00 hour Eastern time. Of course, CNN is there.
And new developments in a story we first brought to you yesterday. Involves a report issued by the Department of Homeland Security warning military veterans could be prone to joining right- wing extremist groups. The internal agency intelligence report offended numerous veterans organizations, many saying it was unfairly stereotyping military veterans as potential right-wing extremists, largely because it mentions Oklahoma City bomber and military veteran Timothy McVeigh. There was some confusion yesterday as to whether the department had responded to our request to discuss this specific issue and the evidence to support it. We said we had not, but in fact, the department had responded to our homeland security reporter Jeanne Meserve. And this morning, Department Secretary Janet Napolitano responded to Kiran Chetry on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR, "AMERICAN MORNING": You've been getting a lot of pushback over this leaked domestic intelligence report warning of right-wing extremist groups. Conservatives and veterans groups saying that it unfairly targeted veterans and gun- rights advocates without actually citing specific threats. How do you respond?
JANET NAPOLITANO, U.S. SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: Well, this is an assessment, not an accusation, as the Veterans of Foreign Wars released yesterday. But I know that some veterans groups were offended by the fact that veterans were mentioned in this assessment. So, I apologize for that offense. It was certainly not intended. I'll be meeting with the leaders of some of those groups next week.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Napolitano went on to say the topic of the report, quote, "struck a nerve" with her because she was involved in the prosecution of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh.
Finally, after many billions of dollars in losses, there are signs that banks are bouncing back. Last week, Wells Fargo said it expects to make $3 billion. Monday, it was Goldman Sachs. And now, JPMorgan Chase is posting a multibillion quarterly profit. Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange now with some details. Hi there, Susan.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Heidi. We like the trend, but we're very early in the game of hearing from the financial sector, so we'll just issue that little caveat. JPMorgan Chase made more than $2 billion in the first three months of the year. That was down, Heidi, 10 percent from a year ago, but it still beat Wall Street's estimates.
Areas of strength for the company: bond trading, foreign currency trading, a jump in mortgage refinancing and deposits. And the company's CEO, Jamie Dimon, says that JPMorgan is strong enough to weather the current downturn. Certainly JP shares are rallying. They're up 2 percent.
But the major averages right now, as you can see, are mixed. The Dow is down just 1 after a nice late-session rally yesterday. The Nasdaq composite is up 1 percent, Heidi.
COLLINS: Well, with Goldman and Wells Fargo doing pretty well, this doesn't seem to be a one-hit wonder, does it? I mean, can we be hopeful that maybe the banking sector is starting to recover a bit? LISOVICZ: Heidi, you know, I like the way you think, and I want to see the glass as half full, too. You know, not all banks are the same. These are big banks. They're...
COLLINS: Yes.
LISOVICZ: ... three of the strongest of the big banks that we're going to be seeing reporting. You know, it wasn't exposed to a lot those toxic assets that have gotten, say, Citigroup into so much trouble. But it is heavily exposed to the consumer market.
And that's where we saw a lot of red ink, Heidi. We see a lot of credit card loans default. We're seeing delinquencies there, so you're really seeing the fallout from the recession, and Jamie Dimon, the CEO, says it could go higher. Their reserves, their loan loss reserves, hit $10 billion in the first quarter, and he says it could go higher if the recession gets worse.
COLLINS: Yes, well, some of the banks have actually been paying back the government, too, for these, you know, loans that they were getting. What about JPMorgan Chase? If they're making so much money, are they going to do the same thing?
LISOVICZ: Well, Goldman Sachs raised $5 billion in additional -- issued all these additional shares earlier this week in order to repay the government as quickly as possible. And that's something that JPMorgan wants to do as well. Jamie Dimon saying it's becoming a scarlet letter to be the recipient of TARP money.
They had to take it, they did take it, they're waiting on the stress test results and guidance from the government. But Dimon said today, this morning that we could pay it back tomorrow. And that's not a statement, clearly, that every bank can make.
For instance, we're going to hear from Citigroup tomorrow, and we're going to hear from Bank of America on Monday. Could be a completely different story. We're expecting a big loss from Citi.
COLLINS: OK. All right. We'll be watching. Susan, thank you.
LISOVICZ: You're welcome.
COLLINS: If fact, if you have a bank of America checking account, listen up. The bank is changing its overdraft policy. Right now, it charges $35 per check, up to five checks a day. Beginning June 1st, it goes up to ten checks a day. So, if you write that many bad checks in one day, it will cost you an extra $350.
And a partner in marriage. New York's governor is pushing to legalize same-sex marriage.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: A showdown over gay marriages. New York Governor David Paterson introducing a bill today to legalize same-sex marriage. He announced his plans just a few moments ago. You see him there at the podium.
The proposal is the same that died in the state Senate back in 2007. If the bill passes this time, New York would follow Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont and Iowa in legalizing gay marriage. We'll stay on top of that story for you.
Right now, though, want to get over to the severe weather center. CNN meteorologist Rob Marciano talking about -- we have some fire concerns.
MARCIANO: Yes, you know, out ahead of this next system coming out of the Rockies, the winds are kind of kicking up and it's been very dry, so there has been some fires that have sparked across parts of the Plains. This, I believe, out of Oklahoma, where it's prompted the evacuation of about 25 to 40 homes. Firefighters in the air and on the ground battling that brush fire.
And also in Minnesota of all places, been very dry there. This is pretty dramatic video of some charred landscape there, and the winds kind of blowing the flames and obviously the black smoke filtering into the air. We do have a red flag warning out for parts of Minnesota once again today.
So, here it is on the map, out ahead of this entire system, which is a pretty strong severe weather threat expected today across parts of the Plains. Behind this, we're going to have a decent amount of snow.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: You see high-speed bullet trains in Europe and Asia, but not here in the United States. President Obama says that's time for that to change. He outlined his vision this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Our strategy has two parts: improving our existing rail lines to make current train service faster so Rob can, you know, shave a few hours over the course of a week, but also identifying potential corridors for the creation of world-class, high-speed rail. To make this happen, we've already dedicated $8 billion of Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to this initiative, and I've requested another $5 billion over the next five years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: So, where might you be zooming around the country on high-speed trains? CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow has our "Energy Fix" now this morning.
Yes, what's the deal on this? Where are we going to be doing it?
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: Well, here's what's proposed, Heidi. Nothing actually final yet. The president stressing no decision made on what states are going to get this money. A lot clamoring for just a little piece of the pie, though. Take a look here. We're going to show you a map. We're going to pull up full so you can see what we're talking about.
Three hubs are part of this first phase. It would upgrade three routes between Chicago and St. Louis, also Chicago -- sorry, to Madison via Milwaukee, also Chicago to Pontiac, Michigan and Chicago to St. Louis. Now, they would go 110 miles an hour, so faster than trains in this country right now. It would cut travel time on those routes by about an hour or more.
The initial price tag on that, $3.5 billion. Also, we've talked about this before, Heidi. California wanting a piece of that money for their proposed bullet train that would be much faster. There's some animation of it for you. It would go between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
It would take just two and a half hours. That's going to cut your five or six-hour driving time in all that traffic. Voters in California already approving $9 billion to finance that. But that line is estimated to cost more than $30 billion when all is said and done.
Florida also wants a cut for a line between Tampa and Orlando. Up here in the Northeast, they want to see that Acela line, Amtrak's Acela line made faster, upgraded for service between Washington and Boston and New York. So, Heidi, lots of different areas of the country fighting for that money, which is $13 billion, when all is said and done. But it's not a lot when you look at all the projects out there.
COLLINS: Yes. A lot of pros and cons, though, certainly, of high-speed rail.
HARLOW: The pros are pretty clear, right? You cut traffic, you cut greenhouse gas emissions and also foreign oil imports. But not everyone is sold, all right? These trains run on electricity. Half of U.S. electricity comes from coal. There's not an automatic reduction in fossil fuels.
So, cutting those greenhouse gas emissions, that's a hope down the road. The cost a big obstacle, $13 million. Splitting it up, again, it's not going to go very far. But interesting, Heidi, that the president took the time this morning before he heads to Mexico to talk about this issue and just this issue, putting a lot of weight behind it.
COLLINS: Yes, we had that live right here, in fact, in the CNN NEWSROOM. All right, well, Poppy, we appreciate it. Thank you.
HARLOW: Sure.
COLLINS: United Airlines says it will now bump some obese passengers from sold-out flights. Overweight passengers in coach who cannot put the armrest down and infringing on another passenger's space will have to buy two tickets on the next flight or upgrade to business class. United says it's making the change after receiving hundreds of passenger complaints last year. United says eight other carriers have similar policies. An orchestra assembled on the Internet blends magically on the stage. We've got a front-row seat for you, black tie optional.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Classical music for the modern age. The curtain has gone up on the YouTube Symphony Orchestra. Visitors to the Web site selected the 93 musicians, and now they've achieved a collective dream, taking the stage at Carnegie Hall. Sit back and listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome to an evening which is definitely a meeting of a lot of different worlds.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was great to see something that started with one small seed growing to a big tree.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I was conceiving this work on the street of New York, London, Beijing, Shanghai, I heard those street noises.
Then I thought, my God, this is the spirit (ph) beyond (ph). This is the peak (ph) spirit of today.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've been to Carnegie Hall before. I sat in the audience and watched performances and, you know, dreamed about being on stage. Never thought it would happen at all.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The whole world tonight is Googling around to what's happening Carnegie Hall.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Once you've made it to Carnegie Hall, you've really made it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The finalists of almost 100 musicians from over 30 countries. It's a great example of, already, of how YouTube really extends right around the world.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I probably won't know what it means until 10 years down the line when I look back at it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It brings people together and lets them collaborate, you know, transcending geographical and linguistic boundaries.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Sounds great.
Well, here's one from the "What Will They Think of Next?" file. Check this out, a rodent race. I guess you could say they're racing. It looks like these little critters are just kind of running around in circles. This annual running of the rodents was hosted by Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky. Students, faculty and staff also train the rodents. The winner gets fruit-flavored cereal.
A family on the brink of foreclosure. Did they contact their lender for help with their mortgage? No, they called their congressman.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: On the brink of foreclosure, some people are getting help from a surprising source, a person they may or may not have voted for in the last election. Here now, our congressional correspondent Dana Bash.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was Mary Theriault's last hospitalization that forced husband Stan to leave his trucking job, which kept him far from home.
STAN THERIAULT, HUSBAND: I honestly didn't think she was going to make it that time, and that's when I decided to come off the road.
BASH: Mary suffers from emphysema.
MARY THERIAULT, HOMEOWNER: The life expectancy is 10 years after diagnosis. I'm on borrowed time. I'm on my 12th year.
BASH (on camera): So, quitting your job to be here is...
M. THERIAULT: It's what I needed.
S. THERIAULT: Yes.
BASH (voice-over): Stan had trouble getting another job, and they missed a mortgage payment. They contacted the lender but got the runaround.
M. THERIAULT: And we never heard from them.
BASH: On the brink of foreclosure, a friend suggested something they never thought of. Ask their Congressman, Republican Frank Wolf, for help. They did. Suddenly, the bank called back and said...
M. THERIAULT: Your congressman notified us. Can I ask what's going on?
BASH: The lender agreed to restructure their mortgage.
S. THERIAULT: We had everything in hand within four days. It was incredible.
REP. FRANK WOLF (R), VIRGINIA: There is a lot of... BASH: Congressman Wolf never met Mary and Stan, but at a food bank for his Virginia district, he told us it's his job to be a resource for struggling constituents.
WOLF: Yes, I think a congressional office ought to find out what's going on in their district and be willing to help.
BASH: That's a bipartisan philosophy. Democrat Elijah Cummings represents inner-city Baltimore.
REP. ELIJAH CUMMINGS (D), MARYLAND: People looking for foreclosure help, that's increased probably maybe five or six times.
BASH: So, he hired Harry Spikes to troubleshoot for constituents.
HARRY T. SPIKES II, ASSISTANT TO REP. ELIJAH CUMMINGS: Are heat and light being cut off?
BASH: He works the phones and walks the neighborhood.
SPIKES: Yes, these are hard times. But you can help somehow. You can try.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Congressman Wolf's office returning your call.
BASH: Back in Wolf's Virginia office, it's Lucy Norment who answers calls for help.
LUCY NORMENT, ASSISTANT TO REP. FRANK WOLF: All right, why don't you tell me what's going on.
BASH: She isn't always able to save constituents from foreclosure, but can usually cut through red tape.
NORMENT: It's really just asking them to consider the circumstances as laid out, and the case comes on the front burner instead of sitting where it was.
BASH: That allowed the Theriaults to keep their house. They still struggle...
M. THERIAULT: I don't know how we're going to do it. I just don't know how we're going to do it.
BASH: ... but hope others learn what they did: Your congressman can help.
M. THERIAULT: That's what they're there for, you know, to serve us, and we should use them.
BASH: Dana Bash, CNN, Sterling, Virginia.
(END VIDEOTAPE) COLLINS: We now know what our president and vice president are paying to the IRS. The White House released their tax returns yesterday. It shows President Obama and the first lady with an income of about $2.7 million last year. Most of that coming from the sale of the president's books. The Obamas reported paying more than $900,000 in federal and state income taxes and donating more than $172,000 to charity.
The White House says Vice President Biden and his wife earned more than $269,000 last year. They paid about $58,000 in taxes and donated almost $1,900 to charity.
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin back on the national scene. She's scheduled to speak tonight at a sold-out Right to Life fundraising dinner in Evansville, Indiana. As the Republican vice presidential candidate, Palin drew large crowds in the state. GOP national chairman Michael Steele will give the keynote address at the dinner.
It's a war, CNN virus -- versus Ashton Kutcher on Twitter. No casualties, just beneficiaries. The actor challenged the network to a popularity contest on the social media site. The first to reach one million followers wins. Larry King took up the challenge for us, and the network is matching Kutcher's charitable offer to help save lives in Africa.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": We have our own Twitter update. Yesterday, war broke out between Ashton Kutcher and us. Who will get to a million followers first? Here's an update on the numbers: CNN, 951,024. Ashton, 925,158. Ashton's gaining. Help us out so we can end this feud once and for all and get on to normal things.
Go to CNN.com/larryking, and you can sign up to follow CNN's Twitter page and mine. Ashton's got Michael Phelps, Pete Wentz and Sean Combs pulling for him. We still say he's going down because we've got the everyday people going for us.
By the way, Ashton pledged to donate 10,000 mosquito bed nets to charity for World Malaria Day if he beats CNN and 1,000 if he loses. CNN is matching the pledge, and we'll do exactly the same.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: All right, Larry, well, look. Here's the latest count, everybody: CNN has more than 961,000 followers. Kutcher, more than 944,000. Keep them coming, everybody.
I'm Heidi Collins. President Obama on his way to Mexico City. Air Force One left less than an hour ago. More on the trip and its mission in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM with Tony Harris. It starts right now.
