Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Swine Flu Outbreak
Aired April 25, 2009 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: In the meantime though, your health, it tops our news today. The head of the World Health Organization now saying the swine flu outbreak in Mexico has the potential to be a pandemic, that's the potential that is. People there are wearing masks while here in the U.S. some 75 sick New York school kids and their parents are anxiously awaiting test results, which we could possibly see today. The deadly strain of swine flu has killed at least 68 people in Mexico and infected eight people right here in the U.S. And in our last hour I spoke to the acting director of the CDC.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. RICHARD BESSER, ACTING DIRECTOR, CDC (via telephone): In the United States so far, we've identified eight cases of influenza related to the swine flu strain. In all of those cases have recovered. Seven of those were mild. One individual was hospitalized and has recovered as well. We're taking a very aggressive approach to the investigation for many reasons, but in large part due to what we're hearing from Mexico. Understanding what is going on in Mexico and how that relates to what we're seeing here is one of the critical activities we're undertaking.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
REGGIE AQUI, CNN ANCHOR: And with so many cases still under review right now, Randi Kaye takes a closer look at the potential for a pandemic.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Swine flu on the move and now health officials say the same virus that's killed dozens in Mexico is also in the U.S. Just hours ago, another case of the deadly flu found here in San Diego. That makes eight. In Mexico, more than 1,000 people infected. At least 68 dead. All of the victims in the U.S. have recovered, but in Mexico City, schools are closed, libraries and museums shut down, residences wearing masks. The Centers for Disease Control is working closely with California and Texas to learn more about the victims. Swine flu is typically found only in pigs or in people who have been around pigs. Health officials are stumped. None of the U.S. patients had direct contact with pigs. Only one had visited Mexico.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Clearly there is evidence of human-to-human transmission.
KAYE: Remember 2003 when SARS exploded? It spread from China to 37 countries in a matter of weeks. More than 770 people died.
JOHN BARRY, AUTHOR, "THE GREAT INFLUENCE": There is a real possibility that this is the next pandemic. You would find one community after another would have probably somewhere between 20 and 30 percent of the entire population would get infected with this virus. The overwhelming majority of those people would have a terrible two or three days and a week later they're fine.
KAYE (on camera): The World Health Organization said the world is now closer to an influenza pandemic than at any time in the last 40 years. On a scale of one to six, the organization puts the threat level at three, a pandemic alert. Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And as we've mentioned, New York City's health department is testing about 75 students for flu-like symptoms. They're hoping to rule out swine flu. Susan Candiotti is live outside St. Frances Preparatory School in Queens, New York. So, Susan, what can you tell us about the testing and what these students are undergoing right now to determine if indeed it is Swine flu?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Betty, here's what we know from the school. Kind of limited information at this time, but the health department is in the process of conducting blood tests on the 75 or so students that reported flu-like symptoms. The hope is to get those results back as soon as today. All this started here at the St. Frances prep school about Thursday when a number of students started reporting flu-like symptoms. For example, having headaches, dizziness, stomach aches, that kind of thing. That's when the board of health was contacted. They came out to the school on Friday and in fact began taking these blood tests.
What we know is this. According to the school, they have done air quality checks and found there to be no problem here at the school. Also, overnight they sanitized the building and we are told that that process was finished in the overnight hours. We also know that according to the board of health, they asked the school as a precaution not to hold any weekend events, for example, an international night was scheduled to take place over the weekend. And we just ran into a couple of alums who were here to attend a dinner tonight at the school. Their 50-year reunion. Some people flying in all the way from Arizona. They're still waiting to find out whether that dinner is going to take place at the school tonight.
But for now, the most important thing is to tell you there are no confirmed cases as of yet of swine flu here at the school. Blood tests are being taken and conducted and we hope to have those results as soon as today.
NGUYEN: Well, hopefully those results prove that there are still no cases of swine flu at that school. Thanks so much for that Susan, we appreciate it.
AQUI: Despite the situation in Mexico, U.S. health officials say there is no reason to panic. But people at risk who have these symptoms they should go and see their doctor. The symptoms include a high fever, 101, 102, that's the range we're talking about. Overwhelming fatigue, lack of appetite, coughing. Swine flu is a strain of influenza that's usually found in pigs. Typically people get it after coming into direct contact with an infected animal, although important to note, with this particular strain, officials say it appears there may be some person-to-person transmission. You should also know you cannot get swine flu by eating pork. We're just finding this out. The CDC is holding a teleconference about the swine flu situation at 1:00 p.m. eastern. Our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is going to be monitoring that conference, she'll bring us the details when she gets them.
NGUYEN: U.S. secretary of state Hillary Clinton is in Iraq this hour. She made an unannounced surprise visit to Baghdad just one day after suicide bombers killed dozens in the capital. Clinton said she does not think sectarian violence is on the rise. She held a round table discussion on women's issues in fact and a town hall meeting with Iraqis and the U.S. military. It's Clinton's first trip to Iraq as America's top diplomat.
AQUI: Well, Taliban militants are pulling out of a district just 60 miles from the capital Islamabad. Their influence is still spreading across the country. And some analysts now think the rise of the Taliban in Pakistan exposes a fatal flaw in U.S. strategy for Afghanistan. Here's our pentagon correspondent, Chris Lawrence.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One of the president's biggest decisions in his first 100 days, sending 17,000 more troops to Afghanistan to take on the Taliban. But what if they do their job too well?
SEN. RUSS FEINGOLD, (D) WISCONSIN: What about the possibility that an escalation in Afghanistan could actually be more destabilizing to Pakistan?
LAWRENCE: Senator Russ Feingold worries that routing the Taliban in Afghanistan could push them into Pakistan.
FEINGOLD: In other words in terms of militants spilling back over to that border.
LAWRENCE: Instability in nuclear armed Pakistan presents an even greater threat to the U.S.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well there are people worried about that. In fact, the Pakistanis have expressed that concern.
LAWRENCE: Military analysts say the U.S. and Pakistan must trap militants between a hammer and anvil. If the U.S. succeeds in Afghanistan, but there's no progress in Pakistan --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Then you couldn't imagine a situation where some of the insurgents would go into Pakistan and start trying to destabilize that country even more. LAWRENCE: The Taliban control entire sections of Pakistan's northwest frontier and recently pushed within 60 miles of Islamabad.
COL. ANDREW BACEVICH, U.S. ARMY (RET.): And therefore why invest such a large effort in the stabilization of Afghanistan if that effort doesn't fix the larger problem?
LAWRENCE: But General David Petraeus was on Capitol Hill Friday asking congress for more money to better fund Pakistan's own counter insurgency force.
GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS, CMDR., U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: The military by itself can't do it. And they -- they are actually studying our counter insurgency manual.
LAWRENCE (on camera): In fact, Petraeus claims that it was Pakistan's paramilitary frontier corps that moved in to Bunar and helped push the Taliban out of that area. But some senior U.S. officials believe that may only be a tactical retreat as the Taliban prepare for a much bigger battle down the road. Chris Lawrence, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: President Obama says America faces an internal danger from rising deficits which the next generation will not be able to pay. In his weekly radio and internet address, the president said Washington needs to tighten its belt just like ordinary families are doing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: We need to adhere to the basic principle that new tax or entitlement policies should be paid for. This principle, known as pay-go, help transform large deficits into surpluses in the 1990s. Now we must restore that sense of fiscal discipline.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: And we do invite you to tune in at 6:00 eastern. It is a special "SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer and the best political team on television. Grading President Obama as we count down to his 100th day in office. That's at 6:00 p.m. eastern right here on CNN.
AQUI: All right Betty, what happens after the first 100 days, huh?
NGUYEN: The next 100. We'll be following it all, it doesn't end.
AQUI: The second 100. You're absolutely right.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
AQUI: The mayor of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina tells CNN this morning that wildfire around his city is about 50 percent contained now and the good news is it's turning away from the neighborhoods there. About 70 homes already have gone up in flames in Horry County and another 100 have been damaged since the wildfire began its destructive march on Wednesday. State fire officials blame the blaze on a homeowner who was burning yard debris last weekend. They've now fined that man 760 bucks. But a county fire spokesman says his department is not yet linking last Saturday's yard fire to the inferno that started on Wednesday. The question is what's the weather going to be like?
NGUYEN: Well, what's so unfortunate as well and we can bring in Reynolds Wolf to talk about this, is that guy is getting death threats now Reynolds, because people are pointing the finger at him and he's saying look, I called the fire department twice.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. I mean, the thing is at this point, blame is useless. At this point, you've just got to do what you can to get the fire out and then you start rebuilding and that's the thing you really have to focus on for the time being. What would be nice is to get a little bit of a welcome break from Mother Nature but unfortunately, that's not going to be in the cards. Take a look at this. Very dry conditions and not only that very warm conditions for parts of the coast and the Carolinas. Not only the Carolinas, but for much of the southeast high temperatures going into the 80s for many of the metro areas including D.C., Nashville and Atlanta. Some spots may actually get into the 90s.
Especially south towards Tampa forecasting a high of 88 but would not be surprised if outside the city, they get a little bit warmer. Something else to notice, is again, with this high pressure that is forming right off the coastline, we're not going to see anything in terms of precipitation. A lot of that is going to be farther back out towards the west. So with that in mind, you could see more of this activity. You've got this video here showing you the hazy conditions. These firefighters going after it, dealing with that accurate smoke at the same time, they're stepping over all kinds of debris. Many of these homes, you take a look, the only thing standing are some of the chimneys, a few of the garage doors have been folded over, just in the heat.
Take a look at some of the siding you see there, that vinyl siding just melts away with those temperatures that exceed 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit. Now we are seeing showers I mentioned, we're going to be seeing them in parts of the Great Lakes but when you get back down to parts of the central plains, especially North Texas into Oklahoma and southern Kansas, we could be dealing with some rough weather later on today. Some severe thunderstorms, damaging wind and large hail, possibly some tornadoes. The key hours to look out is between the hours of 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. for this area when you get that maximum daytime heating into the afternoon, coupled with this area of low pressure and all of that moisture coming in from the gulf. That's when things could get very loud.
For the time being we're seeing most of those showers forming up through parts of Michigan, crossing Lake Michigan. Detroit dry for the time being but we're seeing the rainfall back towards Grand Rapids and that will be moving through Motor City as we get to the afternoon. That is a look at the forecast. Certainly some rough times along the coast. Wish I could say they're going to get the rain. Looks like they may not see rain drops for the next five to maybe even 10 days for the Carolina coast. Back to you.
NGUYEN: All right Reynolds, thank you for that.
Wednesday is the 100-day benchmark. Time to step back and size up the new president. Well, CNN will do that on Wednesday with a special primetime coverage event. But since today is just day 96, let's get a jump on the 100-day hubbub with deputy political director Paul Steinhauser, he joins us now live. Paul, you've been looking at some polls lately, so how do people think the president is doing so far?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: You're right Betty, never too early to look at that. What do Americans think about President Obama? How is he doing? How is he handling his duties as president? Well, let's take a look. This is our CNN poll of polls. What we did is we took the most recent national polls and we averaged them altogether and you can see right here, 64 percent approve of the job Barack Obama is doing as president. About 28 percent say no, they don't approve. That is pretty similar to what we've been seeing the last couple of months as the president took over back in January.
But this is interesting and Bill Schneider always mentions this. That the president may be a little bit more popular than his positions on the issues. Take a look at this poll from Pew, it's a national poll that was just done over the last couple of weeks. On the economy, about 6 in 10 approve of the job the president is doing. That's a little bit lower than that 64 percent we just saw. And on some real specifics like the budget deficit and tax policy, only about half of the Americans, half of the country are giving President Obama a thumbs-up. So on the issues they're supporting him maybe overall though they like him a little bit more. Betty?
NGUYEN: All right, let's talk a little bit about those hurdles that he faces in the next 100 days. I know the economy has to be at the top of that list.
STEINHAUSER: The economy continues to be at the top of that list. There's going to be more fights over the budget. But related to the economy are going to be two big battles and those are health care reform and energy reform. Combating clean energy and combating global warming. If you thought the fight over the stimulus and the budget was tough in congress, these two battles will be just getting underway now Betty, are going to be pretty tough over the next 100 days. And then later this year, if they have time, they're going to start trying illegal immigration reform. That could be another big fight among democrats and republicans in congress. Betty?
NGUYEN: Boy, it is going to get tough there up on Capitol Hill. Get your boxing gloves on right. They're going to be duking it out. Paul Steinhauser as always, we do appreciate it.
STEINHAUSER: Thank you. NGUYEN: Ok, so join the best political team on television Wednesday night for the national report card. Anchors Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper, John King, Soledad O'Brien, many more. They're going to let viewers grade the president's first 100 days in office. Coverage begins Wednesday evening at 7:00 eastern on CNN and cnn.com. And it includes the president's 100 day news conference which will be live at 8:00 eastern.
So we're asking this question today. What do black leaders think about President Obama's first 100 days in office?
AQUI: My colleague T.J. Holmes sat down with leaders of the group 100 black men of America to talk about the president's progress.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If John McCain would have won then U.S. vets from wars past would have looked at John McCain and thought, we have one of ours in the White House. We have a friend in the White House. He's going to be looking out for us and our issues. We have a black man in the White House in the oval office now. In that similar vain is it ok for black people to look at him and say, we've got one of ours in the oval office and he is going to be looking out for us and looking out for our issues. Is that fair?
JOHN B. HAMMOND, CEO, 100 BLACK MEN OF AMERICA: I think it is fair. I think it's absolutely right and good that black people are able to look at the highest position in the country and say that one of our own is there.
HOLMES: During his presidency, I know it's still young, but where have you seen -- or have you seen race play a role in the way he's covered by the press, in the way he's criticized by the pundits, the way he's criticized by his political opponents, the way they take him on. Have we seen race yet play a role in the presidency?
REV. EDDIE LONG, PASTOR, NEW BIRTH MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH: I don't feel that we've seen race really come to the forefront during this presidency. Most of the things that are being dealt with, with the president is basically on policy, what he's doing, the content of what he's doing, and how he's addressing the economy and the other issues.
HOLMES: We talked earlier about, yes, it's ok for black people to look at him and say, yes, we've got one of our own in the White House and expect him to look out for this community. How much time -- we've talked about it's early now. How much time, how patient will the black community be with him until they're waiting to see something from him that's different from other presidents in that they feel like they do have one of their own in the White House and he is, in fact, looking and speaking to the black community?
HAMMOND: I'll speak on that just a little bit. I think we've waited for nearly 400 years to get him there. I think we can wait another eight to see what he does with it. We could wait eight. I think we all have expectations. We all think that he is going to -- and hope that he continues to keep the priorities of our country first and all of his citizenry first. So I don't think that black people want to have any exclusive domain over, you know, over the largest of his presidency.
JOHN THOMAS GRANT, CEO, 100 BLACK MEN OF ATLANTA: Well, I think, you know, history is always the measure. You know, this president has been in office as of this -- less than 100 days. You know, the country is more than 200 years old. And it -- I think it's unfair to expect something immediately. I think what we are seeing, though, is his willingness to attack issues boldly, even in the face of resistance and criticism, even in the face of, you know, lock opposition. This country is going to require something different. That is what he campaigned upon and that is what he promised. I think that we are seeing his attempt to deliver upon that promise.
LONG: I just want to add, I don't know if we'll have that much patience. I think the issues, the economic issues, the educational issues, the things that were motivated in pushing this whole campaign will rise above color. I think within the next two years or so, if things haven't changed, if the policies of President Obama did not work or are significantly not making a difference with touching our mothers and grandmothers and health care because he said in a year I'll introduce universal health care. 47 million people are without health care, those kind of things. If those things are not starting to work, I think that you will find African-Americans starting to become more verbally critical because these issues have to be resolved. Have to be dealt with. Because it's affecting everyone.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
AQUI: Now, the president isn't the only one being judged in the first few months in office. Also the Republican Party's first African-American chairman is getting the score card. T.J. asked these same black leaders what they think about Michael Steele. That's coming up in a few minutes.
NGUYEN: The answers are very good on that one as well.
You know, just two Saturdays ago, he was held by pirates. This Saturday, there's a huge outdoor party for Captain Richard Phillips. We're going to take you there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, the town of Underhill, Vermont, is holding an all- American picnic today for its all-American hero. It is BYOL, bring your own lunch, that is. Captain Richard Phillips and his family will be the guest of honor next hour at Vermont's Mills Riverside Park. Philips was held as you recall for five days by pirates off the coast of Africa this month before navy snipers rescued him. The captain tells NBC there were times when he was sure that he would not make it out of that predicament alive. We're going to bring you some of that hometown celebration a little bit later when it begins.
AQUI: BYOL, huh?
NGUYEN: BYOL.
AQUI: We've started a new series here called "My City, My Secret." It's a chance for viewers to share some of their city's hidden hang-outs. In honor of the NASCAR race at Talladega this afternoon, we're taking a lap with driver Carl Edwards around his home town in Missouri.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARL EDWARDS: I'm Carl Edwards. I'm from Columbia, Missouri and here are some of my city's secrets. We're here at the rock bridge, one of Columbia's best secrets. It's a beautiful place to come mountain biking, hiking. There's a cave that runs under this ground that goes for over 50 miles. When I was a kid, if the school went on a vacation, they'd come here to this park. This is the Katy Trail, this used to be an old railroad and now it's a state park. It's 10 feet wide, it's over 200 miles long. All of this is open to the public. I ride my bike on the Katy Trail probably two, three times a week if I can.
This is Shakespeare's Pizza, everybody loves this place. They've got everything you want. They've got whole wheat crust if you're into the health stuff like I am and it's so good they even catered my wedding. There are places that come and go and then there are places that stick around. Booches has been around for over 100 years. They're nationally recognized for the tastiness of the burgers. So now you've seen my city, Columbia, Missouri and you've seen its secrets and I want to see yours. Go to ireport.com/mycitymysecret.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, since inauguration day you've heard us talk a lot about the first 100 days, which president first started -- well the question is which president first started that countdown? Well, we're going to delve into that and you might actually be surprised.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: We are coming up on half past the hour today. And here is what is happening right now. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Baghdad. Her first trip there as America's top diplomat. Her unannounced visit comes a day after two suicide bombings killed at least 65 people.
The World Health Organization calls it a serious situation. After at least 68 people in Mexico died from swine flu, more than 1,000 others they are ill and people there are wearing surgical masks to avoid further infection. Here in the U.S., eight cases have been reported and 75 students at a New York school are tested after coming down with the symptoms. We should get those results possibly sometime today.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
REGGIE AQUI, CNN ANCHOR: Wednesday marks President Obama's 100th day in the oval office. And as political pundits weigh the upcoming milestone, CNN's senior political analyst, Bill Schneider looks at where it all began.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): Senior White House adviser David Axelrod has called the 100 day benchmark quote, an odd custom. The journalistic equivalent of the Hallmark Holiday. The custom goes back to Franklin D. Roosevelt who used his first 100 days in 1933 to launch the new deal. Democrats had just won huge majorities in congress and were ready to do the president's bidding. But if congress should fail to act, Roosevelt warned in his inaugural address, he would ask for --
FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT: Broad executive power. To wage a war against the emergency as great as the power that would be given to me if we were, in fact, invaded by foreign foes.
SCHNEIDER: Congress gave President Roosevelt nearly everything he wanted. 15 major bills in the first 100 days, including the emergency banking relief act, the public works administration, the civilian conservation corps, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the National Industrial Recovery Act, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Oh, and the beer/wine revenue act that set the stage for the end of prohibition. A White House adviser remarked that members of congress had forgotten to be republicans or democrats. Congress doesn't pass legislation anymore, Will Rogers said. They just wave at the bills as they go by. Nothing since has equaled FDR's first 100 days.
OBAMA: A week from tomorrow marks the 100th day of my administration.
SCHNEIDER: President Obama may have the boldest 100-day agenda since FDR, but congress has passed only a few major bills, including the economic stimulus package, the public land's preservation bill, and an expansion of children's health insurance.
(On camera): What's changed? Presidents can no longer count on the kind of bipartisan cooperation FDR got in 1933 even at a time of crisis. Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
AQUI: Tonight at 6:00 p.m. eastern, a special "SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer and the best political team on TV, counting down to President Obama's 100th day in office. Again, 6:00 p.m. eastern right here on CNN.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: But, you know that President Obama is not the only one being closely watched. So is Michael Steele, the Republican Party's first African-American chairman.
AQUI: Our T.J. Holmes talked with some African-American leaders about Steele's controversial tenure a little more than four months in the job.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: What do y'all think about Michael Steele?
JOHN THOMAS GRANT, CEO, 100 BLACK MEN OF ATLANTA: Look, I'll lead it. First of all, I'm proud of Mike Steele. You know, the fact that Michael Steele is in the position that the two major parties in this country are headed by African-American men is an opportunity. I think that Michael Steele also is trying from his best vantage point and ability to lead the Republican Party in a different direction. Now, whether the party is willing to go is another question. And I think he's being hammered by that. But the fact that he is in the job, I take pride in that. And without being in the job, there's no opportunity.
HOLMES: But when I said the name initially, what was all that about?
JOHN HAMMOND, CEO, 100 BLACK MEN OF AMERICA: I know that the Republican Party is at a point in its history where it's struggling to find leadership. I think that it's hard to be a leader if you're going to equivocate on issues that are central to moving forward. I think you -- you know, one has to pick a direction and go in that direction and defend a point of view in the face of incredible challenge. That's what determines -- that's where leaders are made. I have heard reports and seen reports about some equivocation around some important issues. I think it's important that if Michael Steele or any other black leader is going to rise to the level of scrutiny that he is, is going to live successfully and represent so many others, then it is important that he demonstrate leadership in a very consistent way.
BISHOP EDDIE LONG, PASTOR, NEW BIRTH MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH: Michael is a personal friend of mine. And I -- [ inaudible ] but the situation with him -- I whole-heartedly believe he's trying to lead the Republican Party back into a great posture. The question is will they follow, number one. And I think that there was kind of a -- as you were saying, being president there's no real manual, it's on-the- job training. Even with that and new frontiers and the opportunity presented to him as an African-American, his heart and commitment towards everything he does is very, very positive. But yet it's on- the-job training again because you're going into new territory.
BERNARD TAYLOR, SR., ATTORNEY, ALSTON & BIRD: I think he's got a tough job, but we all know that many of our grandparents and great grandparents were republicans. And they were republicans for a reason. And if Michael can tap into that, then I think he can make a big difference in regards to the appeal of the Republican Party across the group of African-Americans in the rest of our society.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Let's talk about the economy for just a minute because Chrysler drives toward either a deal or bankruptcy next week. And it is the scrap heap or is it for GM's Pontiac division? We're asking the question.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, Chrysler has reached a tentative cost-cutting deal with Canadian workers as it faces a crucial week. The automaker is scrambling to qualify for another $6 billion and a lifeline from Washington. It needs a deal on an alliance with Fiat by Thursday. It has to win more labor concessions and it has to get banks to accept pennies on the dollar for $7 billion in debt.
AQUI: Another motoring icon apparently has already reached the end of the road. A source familiar with the decision says General Motors has decided to kill off Pontiac. That announcement is officially expected on Monday. The treasury department loaned GM another $2 billion just this week. The company faces a June 1st deadline to restructure or enter bankruptcy protection.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: President Obama will hit his 100th day in office on Wednesday and our Josh Levs takes a look at which promises he kept and which ones he didn't.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well in his first 100 days in office, the president has been tackling some huge issues and giving a lot of speeches.
AQUI: And that means a lot of statements to fact check. How is the president doing so far? Josh Levs is here with the breakdown. Are you cranking out that truth-o-meter again?
JOSH LEVS: It's time for the truth-o-meter.
AQUI: All right.
NGUYEN: I love the pants on fire portion of it. We'll get to that in a minute, right?
LEVS: Yeah, we have some cool sound effects for that one, too. You guys like that one. So it's all thanks to this great website politifact.com, does a really good job of this. I got to talk with the head of Politifact and I asked him so far when it comes to that truth versus falsehoods, how is this president doing?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL ADAIR, POLITIFACT.COM: We have rated about 21 claims by either Obama or others in the administration. I think it's 11 of them have been either true or mostly true. On the other end of the spectrum, though, he has had, I think, four false ratings on the truth-o-meter, particularly for some of the claims they've made about the economy.
LEVS: I don't think the president should get gold stars for telling what's true. So what I want to do is focus on the falsehoods just so that we can make sure the viewers get the truth. ADAIR: You bet. One of the falsehoods was for a claim that your viewers heard a lot, and that was that the economic stimulus bill did not have any earmarks in it.
OBAMA: It's a plan that's been put together without earmarks or the usual pork barrel spending.
ADAIR: There were a fair number of things in there, at least a handful, that were -- really could be considered earmarks. So we gave that one a false.
LEVS: One was about whether there was some disagreement among economists about what the government should be doing in a recession, right?
ADAIR: Yes. This was one that Obama said to try to get support for his economic stimulus bill. And he characterized it as if economists were unanimous about the need for government to step in and do something.
OBAMA: There is no disagreement that we need action by our government. A recovery plan that will help to jump start the economy.
ADAIR: That's not true. You know, there are some economists that we talked to who would say let the free market work and let things go. Now, it's probably the case that the majority of economists would -- might support government intervention, but the way Obama said it was false.
LEVS: And Bill you certainly found some falsehoods when republicans attacked the president as well. I'm going to point to one thing to be fair, you say still it's important to point out that overall this administration so far has been right more than it's been wrong.
ADAIR: It has. And another thing that's notable, on Politifact we rate the -- the most ridiculous falsehoods with our lowest rating, pants on fire. And Obama can claim that, indeed, he has succeeded in getting and earning no pants on fire ratings so far into his presidency.
LEVS: So far as president, no pants burning.
ADAIR: That's at least a small victory. Exactly.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS: So there it is, the pants on fire rating. You guys saw the breakdown. So a lots more on politifact.com. Also, we're hearing from you on this about the president's first 100 days. What do you think? Let's show everywhere where they can weigh in. You've got Facebook and there's my Twitter page, twitter.com/joshlevscnn. While you're there, send me tips on how to use it. Still trying to figure it out.
AQUI: So am I. LEVS: When I get off, Reggie, I'm going to go Twitter friend you or -- what's it called Betty?
NGUYEN: You can follow them on Twitter.
LEVS: I'm going to follow you.
NGUYEN: You can friend them on Facebook.
AQUI: She's got all the terminology.
NGUYEN: Come on, guys. Get with it.
LEVS: She's got it down.
AQUI: And you've got the terminology, too, because you're talking about the Obometer next hour.
LEVS: Exactly, yeah next hour it's the Obameter. We're going to take a look at this president's pledges during the campaign, how many so far has he kept, how many has he broken. We'll break that one down for you.
NGUYEN: Very good, all right we'll be following you on that. Thanks so much, Josh.
AQUI: So planning a business trip to Mexico? A lot of people are making sure they have premium protection on their cars before they go. We're not just talking about high-rollers here. CNN's Ed Lavandera takes a tour of a specialty shop.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): People who buy fully loaded cars from Trent Kimball don't take leisurely drives.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no gaps in the armor and that's what we want. We want 100 percent of protection.
LAVANDERA: They drive in the most dangerous cities in the world.
TRENT KIMBALL, TEXAS ARMORING CORP.: The fear is real. There's people being killed and kidnapped all the time.
LAVANDERA: Kimball runs the Texas Armoring Corporation. From this warehouse he turns every day cars into rolling cocoons. He offered us a glimpse of what it's like to be on the wrong end of this.
KIMBALL: They want it to be protected from rifles like these, high-powered assault rifles.
LAVANDERA: The view from behind bulletproof glass less than two inches thick. We're going to stick our camera back here. It's a very expensive camera, you know that? It's a brand new HD camera.
KIMBALL: Nothing will happen to the camera. LAVANDERA: Our cameraman is nervous. I'm not that nervous. Wow. You can feel it shattered right here. You come over to this side. Feels completely smooth. You don't feel any shreds of glass right there at all.
Armoring a vehicle can cost between 50 and $150,000. You get special tires that keep rolling after blowing out. And to escape kidnapping situations, options include road tacks and electrified door handles. These cars can also be equipped with a smoke screen. And what happens is that essentially creates a big wall of smoke and you're unable to see the car in front of you and you're able to make a quick getaway. With gun battles and kidnappings making headlines across Mexico, the private car armory business is booming. Kimball usually armors just over 75 cars a year, this year he'll retrofit about 150. And more Americans doing business south of the border are buying the protection.
KIMBALL: They're not targeting these large executives of these large companies anymore, they're targeting just regular business owners or --
LAVANDERA: Anybody who might have money.
KIMBALL: Even if they think they have money, that's the danger.
LAVANDERA: No one buying these cars would talk to us on camera. The customers come from around the world. Private car armory used to be a luxury of the rich and famous, Trent Kimball says that's changing.
KIMBALL: The amazing thing is there are people that, even that don't even have that type of money that feel the need to have the vehicle that's armored. That's what's more amazing to me.
LAVANDERA: What do you take away from that?
KIMBALL: It's just a scary world. It's a scary world.
LAVANDERA: Ed Lavandera, CNN, San Antonio, Texas.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
AQUI: Nike still makes Air Jordans, but if you think they're making Air Obamas, you're getting played.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Frankly disrespectful to have the president of the United States depicted on this sneaker. It's just absolutely disgraceful.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
AQUI: A huge counterfeit bust left Brooklyn's D.A. outraged and these fake kicks they're just the beginning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right. So Brooklyn's D.A. calls it disgraceful. Fake Nikes that feature President Barack Obama's image on them.
AQUI: These were seized in a major counterfeiting crackdown. And as CNN's Mary Snow reports, New York investigators say they've only scratched the surface.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's labeled Nike and features the president's image. But it's counterfeit and it's part of an estimated $20 million of fake goods seized in a sting operation in New York.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Frankly disrespectful to have the president of the United States depicted on this sneaker. It's just absolutely disgraceful.
SNOW: Prosecutors say all these fake rip offs of brands like Coach, Polo and Dooney and Bourke are traced to China. They say they counterfeiters use storage lockers in this warehouse to sell to dealers, unaware that an undercover investigator was posing as a dealer, bringing in representatives from companies like Nike to identify fakes. But officials say there may be up to 18 other facilities like this one just in this area, and the Brooklyn D.A. say the counterfeiters aren't the only ones to blame.
CHARLES HYNES, BROOKLYN DISTRICT ATTORNEY: We're responsible, and I mean we, the public, is responsible for this stuff. Because if the public was careful about from whom they purchased, you wouldn't have this kind of industry.
SNOW: Counterfeits typically wind up selling on streets. But investigators say they are making their way into retailers as well. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates that it costs the U.S. up to $250 billion in lost sales each year, and 750,000 jobs. Organizations trying to crack down on counterfeits says the problem is only growing.
BOB BARCHESI, INTL. ANTI-COUNTERFEITING COALITION: In this economic landscape where industries are hemorrhaging jobs, I mean it's just so widespread, and it's more pronounced with industries having to spend money on combating this problem as well as law enforcement whose resources are stretched thin as it is.
SNOW: One former customs special agent has seen it firsthand.
JOSEPH KING, JOHN JAY COLLEGE OF CRMINAL JUSTICE: U.S. customs still has the primacy for inspection of the goods. They have not had a tremendous increase in manpower but they have had a huge increase in their work load.
SNOW: Investigators say what's making their job even tougher is counterfeiters are becoming more sophisticated, making it difficult to identify fakes. Mary Snow, CNN, New York.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Note to self, if the president's image is on some Nikes, it's a fake. We're going to move on to this story. Feeling a little awkward about attending that upcoming high school reunion? Well, here is one woman's solution. She sent a stripper in place and through a coach, she talked to her in an ear piece. It's amazing, she coached the stripper to pretend that she was her. CNN's Jeanne Moos has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Want to yank the chains of old classmates at your high school reunion? Send a stand in.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You look very different from high school.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know.
MOOS: An imposter, who is a go-go burlesque dancer playing a stripper.
That is cricket.
MOOS: And coach her through an ear piece.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's got the same birthday as you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have the same birthday as me.
MOOS: Where better to reinvent yourself than at your reunion.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I invented post-its.
MOOS (on camera): The invitation alone can provoke dread. The name tags, the forced joviality. Comparing wrinkles and weight gain.
ANDREA WACHNER, COMEDY WRITER/FILMMAKER: I had that initial reaction of oh, my God, I would never, ever go to this.
MOOS (voice-over): This being her 10th reunion at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School in California. But then comedy writer Andrea Wachner decided to turn it into a video project.
WACHNER: So I bought a ticket, got a hotel room directly above the ball room and hired a crew.
MOOS: And sent in Cricket, with cameras feeding Andrea images so she'd know who was who.
WACHNER: Chantelle Covington.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Chantelle Covington.
MOOS: And what to say.
WACHNER: You were a young republican.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You were a young Republican.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How did you know that?
MOOS: When a classmate suggested she didn't look like Andrea, Cricket said she'd gotten work done.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you gotten work done too? Because if you did, you have an awesome surgeon. You look beautiful.
MOOS: And then there was Alex Wormbrand.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I believe he was your first kiss.
WACHNER: Yeah, I kissed him once when we were like 6 years old.
MOOS: So Cricket planted one on him and eventually Cricket the stripper lived up to her name.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I felt like I jump started the party right then and there.
MOOS: She figured this is when her classmates really got suspicious.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I remember Andrea. She can't do that with her body. She was no way that flexible.
MOOS: And then disaster struck.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I lost the ear piece. The ear piece fell out.
WACHNER: It's on the floor, it's on the dance floor right in front of you. Right in front of you. Oh, she can't hear me!
MOOS: For more, go to Andrea's website, ihateself-promotion.com where she's promoting the trailer she hopes to turn into a documentary.
(On camera): What more memorable way to end your high school reunion than getting thrown out, shortly after that dance routine Cricket was asked to leave. But not before this guy realized Cricket wasn't Andrea.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like you better.
MOOS: Or interested in union than a reunion. Jeanne Moos, CNN.
Hit it. Here I go.
MOOS: New York.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Oh, my gosh.
AQUI: Is that not the best story of the week?
NGUYEN: What's so terrible is he said I like you better.
AQUI: And here's the thing, you know one of our anchors here at CNN Melissa Long she went to her reunion.
NGUYEN: Tell me she didn't send a stripper.
AQUI: She didn't send a stripper, but one of her classmates is now a stripper. A he and he was passing out his business cards, very proud of his new profession.
NGUYEN: Hey, you could hire him for your class reunion --
AQUI: To be me?
NGUYEN: Yeah. Put an ear piece in.
AQUI: My ear piece fell out. Yeah I love that story.
NGUYEN: That's great. She was trying to talk to her and she's like, wait, she can't hear me. Oh goodness.
Fredricka is coming up at the top of the hour. Hey, it's a pretty good idea. You thinking about it, Fred?
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Not thinking about it but it was entertaining, nonetheless. But there were a couple moments that were starting to kind of look like a control room at times right?
NGUYEN: I was embarrassed for her, yeah.
WHITFIELD: That was cute. All right thanks so much. You all have a great day.
