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President Obama Addresses Swine Flu Outbreak: "No Need For Alarm"; Flu Fears on Wall Street; Presidential Challenge: Fix the Banks; Is TARP Working?; Keeping You and Your Family Safe During a Public Health Crisis
Aired April 27, 2009 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Swine flu outbreak. What is it? Where is it? And how do you stop the spread? This hour, everything you need to know about the virus.
Also, this hour, major changes for a troubled automaker. GM announcing job cuts and the end of the line for a once popular model.
And we are marking the first 100 days of President Obama in office. Ahead, his challenge to fix the banks.
It is Monday, April 27th. Hi, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
The swine flu outbreak. The information is rapidly changing. So let's begin with what we know at this hour.
Right now, there are 20 confirmed cases of the virus in the United States. None has been fatal. In general, the cases in the U.S. have been much milder than those in Mexico. There, more than 100 people have died. More than 1,600 cases have been reported.
Back in the United States, Washington has declared a health emergency now. And that means 12 million doses of flu-fighting medications can be taken from a federal stockpile and shipped to states.
As of now, cases have been confirmed in at least five states -- California, Kansas, Texas, Ohio, and New York. In Texas, more than a dozen schools will be closed for at least the next week. A New York City school where eight cases were confirmed will be closed today and tomorrow. School officials in Ohio and California have also canceled classes.
The swine flu is now suspected in at least eight countries. Canada joins its North American neighbors on the list. Also France and Spain. New Zealand now investigating more than a dozen suspected cases also and Israel and Brazil are looking at one case each.
Well, we do have our crews in place all over the world this morning. White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is following the president. And what his team is doing to monitor the outbreak.
Jason Carroll is in New York where health officials there are scrambling. That state now on high alert. And CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is in Mexico City, the epicenter of the outbreak of swine flu.
In fact, let's go ahead and begin there with Sanjay.
Sanjay, what's it like? What can you tell us about what you're seeing around you?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's been sort of an interesting experience. We arrived here yesterday and this is a city of 20 million people that is often very busy on Sunday afternoons and it was almost eerily quiet yesterday, Heidi.
This is the first day back to work after the weekend. And this is -- if Mexico City is the epicenter of this particular outbreak, then the hospital behind me is sort of the ground zero, if you will. This is where some of the earliest patients were brought. This is where they were trying to figure things out.
It took them some time to figure out that these patients that were coming here in their 20s, 30s and 40s for the most part, people who were healthy in the prime of their lives were getting so sick that they were dying.
The doctors were sort of mystified as to exactly what was going on and that's when someone found what is now a new virus. A virus that's never been seen by the world. So this is what we've been sort of exploring for some time.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA (voice-over): Two weeks ago, Mexico City, a young woman is rushed to the hospital.
DR. ALEJANDRO MACIAS, SENIOR ADVISER, FEDERAL MINISTRY OF HEALTH: She goes to the hospital. She doesn't feel well. She's febrile. She feels short of breath. She goes to the hospital.
In a very short time, she develops failure to take a good breath. People in our hospital had to put the patient in the machine.
GUPTA: A medical mystery. What no one could have known at the time, the patient had a brand new virus - H1N1, swine flu, and it was about to spread around the world. So we decided to fly to Mexico City to investigate.
(on camera): We have arrived in Mexico City. The plane ride was sort of unremarkable. A lot of people talking about the swine flu, somewhat concerned. But as soon as they got here, there was obviously something going on here.
Just take a look at all the people. A lot of people wearing masks. A lot of people have concerns. Adults and children alike, very concerned about the swine flu.
We're here in Mexico City because we want to go to the hospital where this all started to see if we might establish some clues as to where this is going. (voice-over): And clues started to emerge. At first it was thought to be a late season flu, but something didn't make sense to us. It wasn't the very young and the elderly that were dying, it was people mainly between the ages of 20 and 50.
MACIAS: No doubt about it, this is terrible. I mean this is a new disease, a new virus. No people have defenses against that virus. That's not good. Not for Mexico, for the whole world.
GUPTA: And there was something else. It was very contagious. Swine flu is normally spread from pigs to humans, but here it can live anywhere and hand to mouth contact is the biggest concern. ATM machines, computers, all potentially holding the virus.
MACIAS: Most efficient way of prevention is your hands.
GUPTA: This doctor doesn't even bother wearing a mask and no one seems to understand why Mexico has been so hard hit. It is a mystery which we will investigate.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: They're trying to protect themselves here, Heidi. Four million of these masks have been passed out around Mexico City. The population of this town is about 19 to 20 million people. Four million masks, a lot of masks, it's almost as if 80 percent of the people in Atlanta where you are right now...
COLLINS: Wow.
GUPTA: ... would be wearing a mask if you were to go outside. So it's a very different scene than what I think a lot of people expected.
COLLINS: Yes. I can't imagine how that looks. Hey, listen, Sanjay. Do us a favor. Tell us about the symptoms of swine flu so that everybody understands what to look for.
GUPTA: Yes. I've really been trying to drill down on this because some of the symptoms of swine flu are no different than the symptoms of the flu.
COLLINS: Right.
GUPTA: You may have a fever but the fever usually comes on early. So checking your -- checking temperatures often is something that we're doing and we're telling other people to do as well because it may be one of the first signs. But also the runny nose, the cough. You might get body aches.
Two things sort of struck out to me as I talked to doctors and talked about some of these patients. One is the patient seems to have this sudden onset of dizziness. It came on very suddenly.
And two is they often had what are known as gastrointestinal symptoms, nausea and vomiting. That seems to be pretty consistent as well across these patients with swine flu. But the only way to know for sure, Heidi, is to get tested and have that specimen sent off.
COLLINS: Yes. Absolutely. All right, well, Sanjay, we know that you're going to be there for us for a little bit later. We're going to talk to you again at 9:30 because I really want to know more about what you, in particular, are doling to stay safe as well so we will talk with you a little bit later on.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta in Mexico City for us this morning.
Thank you, Sanjay.
The largest number of U.S. cases of swine flu is in New York City where the CDC has now confirmed eight cases at a private school.
CNN's Jason Carroll is joining us now live from the New York Health Department with more.
Jason, good morning to you.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Heidi.
You know we are expecting a statement from the mayor later on today. So far, health officials say all the cases that they've seen here in the city have been mild cases. New York's governor came out with a statement trying to ease concerns, basically saying he does not see more danger lying ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL (voice-over): After days of speculation and worry, health officials confirmed what many had feared.
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (I), NEW YORK: Today we can tell you that as we anticipated, the CDC has confirmed the diagnosis of swine flu in children whose samples we sent them.
CARROLL: Governor David Paterson put New York State on high alert to mobilize resources to deal with any future outbreaks. New York City health officials tested eight of the more than 100 students from Saint Francis Preparatory School who exhibited flu-like symptoms this past week with all eight tests coming back positive for swine flu.
Officials were quick to point out that none of the sick appear to have a serious case of the virus.
BLOOMBERG: Every case of illness we have reviewed and we've spoken with 130 families, has been mild and many of the students are already improving.
CARROLL: Officials expect the number of confirmed swine flu cases to rise as testing continues on the students. As a precaution, the school's administration has chosen to sanitize the entire school and remain closed for the next two days.
BROTHER LEONARD CONWAY, QUEENS, NEW YORK: Now that they're talking swine flu, we wouldn't want to spread it any further and having kids in small room areas like classrooms could spread it.
CARROLL: New York's mayor says some of the six students' family members have come down with flu-like symptoms as well, but also said they have no evidence of swine flu spreading beyond this cluster and tamped down fears of a city-wide outbreak.
BLOOMBERG: The city's public health Dramex surveillance system, which captures and analyzes 60,000 data points a day, has not shown evidence of a city-wide increase in flu-like illness.
CARROLL: Some of the students from the school just retained from a spring break trip to Mexico, but no link has been made between that trip and this outbreak.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: And Heidi, there were several other suspected cases here in the city as well. Six children from a day care center in the Bronx were tested. Five of those tests came back negative. One came back undetermined but officials believe that that test will turn out to be negative as well.
In addition to that, two families here in Manhattan were concerned that their children also had the virus. Those children were tested. All those tests came back negative also. Heidi?
COLLINS: OK. All right. Very good. Jason Carroll staying on top of things for us in New York.
Thank you, Jason.
President Obama is expected to talk about the swine flu outbreak in this hour speech to the National Academy of Sciences.
CNN's White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is joining us now live from New York.
Good morning to you, as well, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.
Well, President Obama is going to be addressing the scientists momentarily. I am told that he is going to renew his commitment to science and to research saying that, obviously, hitting hot topic like stem cell research, as well as abortion funding.
I'm also told, though, as well, to expect him to talk about this swine flu, this potential outbreak and these crises, obviously, to give an update, if you will. If it happens, it will happen at the top of his remarks.
But let's take an assessment here of where we are, Heidi, with this administration. You have no head of Centers of Disease...
COLLINS: Right. MALVEAUX: ... Control and Prevention. You've got no secretary of Health and Human Services. You know, you have no surgeon general.
Despite all of this, what we saw yesterday was a rare briefing from the White House, the press secretary Robert Gibbs, along with the acting chair of the CDC, as well as the secretary of Homeland Security, all reassuring Americans saying, look, we've got this under control, we are taking measure with this, and we are reacting quickly.
We heard a declaration of public health emergency. That allows all of the government's various agencies to mobilize, get together and figure out what this is, what is the best response. We do know that the government is releasing a 25 percent of some stockpile of flu- fighting drugs. That's Tamiflu as well as Relenza.
And here's the real question here. So we traveled with President Obama just a couple of week ago, about nine or 10 days ago. We're all in Mexico City together. The question was whether or not the president's health was in any danger.
We heard from Robert Gibbs who said that he was not, despite the fact that a host in the museum who was giving the president a tour died after that day he gave the president a tour. Mexican officials say there were flu-like symptoms but it was not this flu. Heidi?
COLLINS: All right. Well, Suzanne, we know you're following exactly what the administration is doing here. We have a lot of other questions for you but, unfortunately, I am hearing that the president has just now been introduced with the event you were talking about.
Let's go ahead and listen in right now to the President Barack Obama at the National Academy of Sciences.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I was just informed backstage that Ralph and John both are 1965 graduates of MIT, same class. And so, I'm not sure this is the perfectly prescribed scientific method but there is sort of a control group, who ages faster. The president's science adviser or the president of the academy?
And we'll check in on a couple of years. But it is wonderful to see them, to all of you, to my Cabinet, secretaries and team who are here, thank you.
It is a great privilege to address the distinguished members of the National Academy of Sciences, as well as the leaders of the National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Medicine who've gathered here this morning.
And I'd like to begin today with a story of a previous visitor who also addressed this August body. In April of 1921, Albert Einstein visited the United States for the first time. And his international credibility was growing, as scientists around the world began to understand and accept the vast implications of his theories of special and general relativity. And he attended this annual meeting, and after sitting through a series of long speeches by others, he reportedly said, I have just got a new theory of eternity.
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: So I will do my best to heed this cautionary tale.
The very founding of this institution stands as a testament to the restless curiosity, the boundless hope so essential, not just to the scientific enterprise, but to this experiment we call America.
A few months after a devastating defeat at Fredericksburg, before Gettysburg would be won, before Richmond would fall, before the fate of a union would be at all certain, President Abraham Lincoln signed into law an act creating the National Academy of Sciences.
In the midst of civil war, Lincoln refused to accept that our nation's sole purpose was mere survival. He created this academy, founded the Land Grant Colleges, and began the work of the transcontinental railroad, believing that we must add, and I quote, "the fuel of interests to the fire of genius in the discovery of new and useful effects."
This is America's story. Even the hardest times, against the toughest odds, we've never given into pessimism. We've never surrendered our fates to chance. We have endured, we have worked hard, we sought out new frontiers.
But today, of course, we face more complex challenges than we have ever faced before. A medical system that holds the promise of unlocking new cures and treatments attached to a health care system that holds the potential for bankruptcy to families and businesses.
A system of energy, the powers of our economy. But, simultaneously, endangers our planet. Threats to our security that seek to exploit the very interconnectedness and openness so essential to our prosperity. And challenges in a global marketplace which links the derivative trader on Wall Street to the homeowner on Main Street, the office worker in America, to the factory worker in China.
A marketplace in which we all share an opportunity, but also in crisis. At such a difficult moment, there are those who say we cannot afford to invest in science. That support for research is somehow a luxury at moments defined by necessities.
I, fundamentally, disagree. Science is more essential for our prosperity, our security, our health, our environment and our quality of life than it has ever been before.
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: And if there was ever a day that reminded us of our shared stake in science and research, it's today. We are closely monitoring the emerging cases of swine flu in the United States. This is, obviously, a cause for concern and requires heightened state of alert. But it's not a cause for alarm.
The Department of Health and Human Services has declared a public health emergency as a precautionary tool to ensure that we have the resources we need at our disposal to respond quickly and effectively.
I'm getting regular updates on the situation from the responsible agencies and the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as the Centers for Disease Control will be offering regular updates to the American people.
Secretary Napolitano will be offering regular updates to the American people as well, so that they know what steps are being taken and what steps they may need to take. But with one thing is clear, our capacity to deal with a public health challenge of this sort rests heavily on the work of our scientific and medical community.
And this is one more example of why we can't allow our nation to fall behind. Unfortunately, that's exactly what's happened. Federal funding in the physical sciences as a portion of our gross domestic product has fallen by nearly half over the past quarter century.
Time and again, we've allowed research and experimentation tax credit which helps business grow and innovate to lapse. Our schools continue to trail other developed countries and, in some cases, developing countries. Our students are outperformed in math and science by their peers in Singapore, Japan, England, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, and Korea, among others.
Another assessment shows American 15-year-olds' rank 25th in math and 21st in science when compared to nations around the world. And we have watched as scientific integrity has been undermined and scientific research politicized in an effort to advance predetermined ideological agendas.
We know that our country is better than this. A half century ago, this nation made a commitment to lead the world in scientific and technological innovation, to invest in education and research and engineering, to set a goal of reaching space and engaging every citizen in that historic mission.
That was the high water mark of America's investment in research and development. And since then, our investments have steadily declined as a share of our national income. As a result, other countries are now beginning to pull ahead in the pursuit of this generation's great discoveries.
I believe it is not in our character, the American character, to follow. It's our character to lead and it is time for us to lead once again. So I'm here today to set this goal. We will devote more than 3 percent of our GDP to research and development.
We will not just meet, but we will exceed the level achieved at the height of the space race through policies that invest in basic and applied research, create new incentives for private innovation.
COLLINS: All right. Just wanted to give you a little bit of the flair of President Barack Obama's speech this morning to the annual meeting of the National Academy of Sciences, because, as you heard, we were looking for him to make comment on the swine flu outbreak and what is happening.
And just as a quick reminder, he did say that the country is on a heightened state of alert but that there is no cause for alarm. Of course, he's getting updates constantly, he says, and they are very closely monitoring the swine flu outbreak. Right there you can see 20 confirmed cases, one probably case right here in the United States.
Meanwhile, we are covering this story all morning long right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. In a few minutes we're going to be asking the CDC some more questions about swine flu. Stick around, everybody.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Keeping yourself and your family safe from the swine flu. What can you do and what steps is the government taking now? One of the best people to answer those questions is Dr. Anne Schuchat, the director of CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases right here in Atlanta.
Dr. Schuchat, thanks for being with us this morning. I'm sure you've gotten a plethora of questions. I guess we just want to start by asking you specifically how serious is this outbreak right now?
DR. ANNE SCHUCHAT, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL CENTER FOR IMMUNIZATION AND RESPIRATORY DISEASES, CDC: You know, people are concerned and we at CDC are also concerned. We're taking this very seriously and working hard to take steps to help people know what to do to protect themselves, their families, to stay informed, to keep our information accurate and timely, and to work in partnership with the state and local health departments to investigate new cases and introduce control measures.
COLLINS: All right. But it's all everybody is talking about and we sure don't want to overreact but what is the first thing that someone in the United States -- and does it depend on where you live? Because, obviously, we have heard of cases in specific states, five states now.
What is the first thing you should be doing to make sure that you're OK?
SCHUCHAT: You know, every viewer should know that they have their -- an important responsibility and an opportunity to protect themselves and their family and it sounds corny, but it's actually mom's advice, you know? Washing your hands, staying home when you're sick, not traveling, not going to work or school when you're sick so that you don't spread the illness to other.
Keeping a distance from people who are sick and those types of measures. We think that those are really effective at reducing respiratory infections and protecting one self.
COLLINS: All right, so do these masks that we keep on seeing today really work?
SCHUCHAT: You know masks can sometimes give a false sense of security.
COLLINS: Yes.
SCHUCHAT: And we really think it's important to think about a combined effort here, to think about the hand washing. I think it's so basic people don't think it's going to be effective but it is one of the most effective ways to reduce infectious diseases.
COLLINS: And what exactly happens next now? You know we keep on hearing everybody's monitoring, monitoring, monitoring. What is the next step? And if we go to -- I don't even know if we can get to a higher level of alert here but I'm just wondering a plan of action begins with step one, which is what?
SCHUCHAT: Well, what we're doing now, as you said, is monitoring. We're looking for cases and we're getting them into diagnostic testing so that we can understand whether the respiratory symptom somebody is having might be due to this particular new virus.
We're working on evaluations of the severity of the infections, and the epidemiologic pattern, how it's spreading, who's at higher risk. How transmittable is it. Our laboratory scientists are working with this new virus, the strain itself.
COLLINS: Right.
SCHUCHAT: Preparing a strain that will be handed off to industry if we decide to go forward and make a vaccine, which would take many months to be produced. But that's a big decision that will be coming up in the near future. And, of course, we're working with Mexico and the international authorities to understand what's going on there.
COLLINS: Yes.
SCHUCHAT: Because we think the situation there sounds like it's more serious than what we've gotten here so far.
COLLINS: Absolutely. Certainly when you look at the number of deaths at this point. We are all very aware even at this point here in the United States that things could change and could change pretty quickly so we appreciate your work, Dr. Anne Schuchat of the CDC. Thank you very much.
SCHUCHAT: My pleasure.
COLLINS: A news crew chases a tornado until it turns on them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get in the ditch. Get in the ditch.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where do we go?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get in the ditch.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Running for their lives and taking cover. See it for yourself.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Heidi Collins.
COLLINS: Wall Street now. Two of the big three automakers are making inroads on cost cuts, but investors are focusing on swine flu and its effect on the broader economy.
Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange now with a preview of the trading day.
Boy, I never thought I would toss to you like that, Susan.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Boy, I tell you, timing not very good thing, Heidi. We are expecting a sell-off right at the open. The big concern is how swine flu will affect the global economy that, of course, is already, severely crippled.
Areas that rely on travel and tourism are of particular concern. Remember, you know, we're coming up on peak vacation season. And the premarket, shares of Delta Air lines were down 8 percent. Hotel operator Marriott off 5 percent. Carnival Cruise shares were off 9 percent.
As you mentioned, Heidi, that's not the only headline. Automakers are slashing costs. Chrysler has reached a tentative deal to rework its contract with the UAW. Meanwhile, the Canadian UAW ratified cost cuts. It's a key step in avoiding bankruptcy. But Chrysler still must work out deals with fiat and its lenders by a Thursday deadline, or the government won't give the automaker any more cash.
Rival GM holding a press conference right now. It's cutting 23,000 hourly jobs even more than expected. And as we reported, Friday, it's phasing out Pontiac, which debuted way back in 1927 and slashing 40 percent of its dealer network. GM also trying to cut $27 billion in debts by offering its bondholders a stock swap instead.
The White House says the moves represent an important step to give to GM's efforts to restructure. GM shares right now up 11 percent on hopes that this plan may help it avoid bankruptcy.
But the Blue Chips not getting any help or not getting much help from GM. It's down 80 percent. The NASDAQ right now is down 1.25 percent. It's coming off its seventh straight weekly win streak, Heidi.
COLLINS: Wow!
LISOVICZ: The Dow and S&P 500 got real close, Friday, but fell short. But still, got real close. That's encouraging in and of itself, Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes, no question about it. We are watching closely, Susan.
Thanks so much.
We'll check back later on.
LISOVICZ: You got it.
COLLINS: Back to the story that, Susan, was even mentioning. Swine flu and what the government is doing to keep us safe.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Now back to our coverage of the swine flu outbreak.
The U.S. has declared a public health emergency. That move designed to free up federal, state, and local agencies and their resources for prevention.
Twenty cases have now been confirmed across five states. Only one person in the United States has had to be hospitalized. The swine flu is now suspected, though, in nine nations. The World Health Organization says it's too early to predict whether there will be a mild or serious pandemic.
As we find out more about the number of reported swine flu cases worldwide, people here in the United States are getting more worried, of course, about this virus, and everyone is wondering what the government is doing to keep us safe.
Homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve is joining us now live with more on this.
So, Jeanne, Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano has put a trip on hold in order to deal with this.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: That's right. She was supposed to go to Prague this week. She put that trip on hold to quarterback efforts to deal with what has been declared as you said a public health emergency.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JANET NAPOLITANO, U.S. SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: The Department of Health and Human Services will declare today a public health emergency in the United States.
That sounds more severe than really it is. This is standard operating procedure. It allows us to free up federal, state and local agencies and their resources for prevention and mitigation and allows us to use medication and diagnostic tests that we might not otherwise be able to use, particularly on very young children. And it releases funds for the acquisition of additional antivirals.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: Federal officials are putting an emphasis on medical surveillance to get a better handle on who is sick, how many are sick, where they are, and how sick they are. Meanwhile, more than 12 million doses of antiviral medications in the strategic national stockpile are being made available to governors.
There are no travel restrictions in place at this time. Although, the CDC has issued a notice about the outbreak in Mexico, outlining precautions that travelers should take. Border agents are looking at people entering the country for signs of illness. If they manifest symptoms, they'll be questioned, and if necessary, isolated while medical officials are called. The airlines, likewise, are keeping an eye out for ill passengers before takeoff and in the air.
Also a big emphasis, Heidi, on communications. Among federal agencies with state and local officials and health departments with the World Health Organizations, other governments and especially with the public.
I think, Heidi, given what we're seeing, we can probably expect to see further steps taken in the near future.
Yes. And it's really interesting, too, when you see Janet Napolitano coming out to talk about this. I mean, no surgeon general.
We're just talking about this with Susan Malveaux. No surgeon general, no director of Health and Human Services, and no director of the CDC.
Is this country ready for a pandemic?
MESERVE: Well, I should point out that under the pandemic plan that was drawn up, the secretary of Homeland Security is supposed to be the one coordinating across the different agencies. And some people say even though those top officials aren't in place, there is a strong cadre of professional staff who are ready and able to deal with this.
But as to the larger question, are we ready. We're certainly more ready than we were five years ago. There is a big pandemic plan that has been written that delineates who is responsible for what. Vaccine production has improved. Still not where experts would like it to be, but certainly it's better than it was.
There has been a beefing up of public health laboratories so they're better able to deal with that. There is more in the national stockpile of medications than they're used to be. So certainly we are better off than we were. But if you read about the 1918 pandemic...
COLLINS: Right.
MESERVE: ... which was simply massive, it's clear that it's virtually impossible to prepare for something of that magnitude.
The hope is that because medical science is far ahead of where it was then.
COLLINS: Sure.
MESERVE: Because we're aware of this, early. Because aggressive steps are being taken now that we won't have anything like that.
COLLINS: All right. Yes, boy, fingers crossed, that's for sure.
Homeland Security correspondent, Jeanne Meserve, this morning.
Thank you, Jeanne.
MESERVE: All right.
COLLINS: So stay with us right here in the CNN NEWSROOM, because we will have a veteran of international health crises joining us a little bit later on with crucial information on swine flu and the very best ways to avoid it.
Another new health concern this morning, the FDA says you should avoid raw alfalfa sprouts because of a link to a Salmonella contamination. A total of 31 cases of illness have now been reported across six states according to the CDC. Health officials say contaminated seeds sold nationwide may be the source. The warning does not include bean and other types of sprouts.
Your tax money helping to make broken banks whole again. Financial institutions are making profits again, but most are still slow to lend a lot of money. So if our banks are getting healthy, what's really going on with all of that TARP money?
Here now is CNN's Christine Romans.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mr. President, your challenge - to heal the banks, fix the economy, keeping it all transparent and accountable. Good luck.
NEIL BAROFSKY, BAILOUT CZAR: Never so much money has been pushed out in such a short period of time.
ROMANS: Neil Barofsky is the bailout czar, tracking the billions spent on the banks that made terrible bets.
BAROFSKY: We're now charged with overseeing 12 separate programs, involving by our calculation up to $3 trillion.
ROMANS: Billions for bad assets to boost lending for student loans and cars, for small businesses and homeowners. But at the core, a belief held by two administrations, America can't recover without healthy banks. A belief not shared by many Americans outraged by executive bonuses, lavish corporate jets and retreats, and their own mounting bills.
PROFESSOR ELIZABETH WARREN, CHAIRWOMAN, CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT PANEL FOR TARP: People are angry that even if they have consistently paid their bills on time and never missed a payment, their TARP assisted banks are unilaterally raising their interest rates or slashing their credit lines.
ROMANS: TARP, of course, is the much maligned Troubled Asset Relief Program, the bank rescue. But economist John Ryding says that anger against TARP is holding back the recovery.
JOHN RYDING, RDQ ECONOMICS: That whole populist issue is providing a roadblock to the plan to work more effectively.
ROMANS: Now, banks are reporting profits, sort of.
DIANE SWONK, MESIROW FINANCIAL: That is the oxymoron out there. They're making money because we gave them money, but they also want them to make money to pay us back.
ROMANS: So, Mr. President, is the bank bailout working?
KENNETH ROGOFF, HARVARD ECONOMIST: I'd say it's a modest success but it's not enough.
ROMANS: Kenneth Rogoff is among those economists who believe if anything it may take more tax dollars.
ROGOFF: We may end up spending more. The recession may end up lasting longer.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: CNN's Christine Romans joining me now live from New York.
So, Christine, you have to wonder, how healthy are the banks?
I don't know, if you had to grade them or something.
ROMANS: Well, clearly, they are more stable today than they were, say, six months ago.
COLLINS: Yes.
ROMANS: This whole -- this whole bank rescue is now six months old. But what are they doing with that money?
You know, Neil Barofsky, who is the bailout czar, he said they've been asking the banks. And they've been saving it, they've been putting it aside in case of future loses because, say, credit cards go bad or commercial loans go bad.
COLLINS: They're not supposed to do that, by the way. Are they?
ROMANS: Well, there are no rules about what they were supposed to do with it. And that's the whole problem.
And keep in mind, they have to do this so that they can be healthy, so that eventually, they can start lending again. And in some cases, he says, they are lending the money. They are lending more than they would have if they didn't get the bailout money.
So how do you grade it? Well, at least, we can give it a grade is what I'm saying.
COLLINS: Yes.
ROMANS: A lot of these banks simply wouldn't be in existence if they didn't have that bailout.
COLLINS: Yes. But there are a lot of people waiting for them to lend even more, obviously. So we keep hearing words, you know, like eventually they'll lend it. They need to get healthy first.
And meanwhile, all that time is running by for the consumer who is saying, hello, I need money.
ROMANS: Well, many of the banks -- many of the banks and, rightfully so, say that now they are focusing on credit worthy borrowers. And that since it's your money and my money that has been invested in the banks, they say there are now new standards. They can't loan money the way they did five years ago, ten years ago, twenty years ago, to people who couldn't pay it back. And companies are going to pay back.
COLLINS: Right. Right. Well, then, no one can complain, I guess.
ROMANS: Right.
COLLINS: So much money has been pushed into the system. What are the risks now for waste and fraud?
ROMANS: The risks are huge. I mean, as you heard, Neil Barofsky and many others say, we've never had, Heidi, this much money pumped into the system so quickly.
Look, and we were talking about the first 100 days of this administration. We're talking about six or seven months since Lehman Brothers went down, and there are hundreds of billions of dollars being pushed in pretty much every month or so in here.
He says -- Neil Barofsky says he's got 20 different investigations -- criminal investigations and six audits of the program. So there's a whole team of people that are going to be trying to track that money and make sure that they can help this administration keep the waste and the pilfering and the fraud to a minimum.
COLLINS: So disappointing. All right, CNN's Christine Romans.
Thank you, Christine.
ROMANS: Sure. COLLINS: And stay right here in the CNN NEWSROOM, during the next hour, we have a team of experts breaking down the Troubled Assets Relief Program.
We're going to hear more about where the money went, and why most taxpayers and struggling small businesses haven't yet seen a dime.
On Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, a CNN primetime special to tell you about. 100 days of the Obama presidency. Our national report card will give you a chance to grade the president and Congress on how they've done so far.
Then at 8:00 Eastern, President Obama holds a news conference himself, where he will assess how well he is doing.
Crashes are a part of the NASCAR experience, of course. But for some fans, it hit a little too close for comfort in the final lap of one race.
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COLLINS: Seven people hurt during a NASCAR race in Alabama. Look at this now.
Carl Edwards going 190 miles an hour. Boy, oh, boy -- when his car went airborne into the safety fence. It happened during the final lap at Talladega yesterday. Seven fans were injured by flying debris, but nobody was seriously hurt. Thank goodness. Edwards got out of his car, and ran across the finish line while Brad Keselowski got his first victory.
Well, I guess that's the camera from inside the car there.
Our Rob Marciano is joining me now.
How about that, huh?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I was busy all day until like the last five laps of that race yesterday. And that's all you need in Talladega. You just need to attend the last five. That was unbelievable.
COLLINS: Unreal. I haven't seen that it go airborne like that in a while.
MARCIANO: No one for him to walk away and run away, and crossed the finish line, a.k.a. ala Ricky Bobby.
COLLINS: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
COLLINS: See, I was leaving that wide open for you to bring it up.
MARCIANO: Yes. COLLINS: Good job. Good job.
MARCIANO: Little baby Jesus.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: Yes. And blew it out of the water pretty far, too.
MARCIANO: Yes, substantially.
COLLINS: All right, Rob. We'll check back later on. Thank you.
MARCIANO: Sounds good.
COLLINS: The crowd can get pretty rowdy at Latin America's biggest soccer stadium. But there was no crowd to control during games this weekend.
Look at that.
The swine flu bringing an eerie silence to Mexico's national pastime.
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COLLINS: An awful lot going on this morning. In fact, we have our crews in place to bring it all to you. We want to begin this morning with senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.
Boy, you have a story this morning, Elizabeth?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And I'll be answering frequently asked questions about swine flu. How do you get it? Should you be freaking out? How are the pigs involved?
All of that at the top of the hour.
LISOVICZ: I'm Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange, where airline, cruise and hotel stocks are taking a dive as swine flu fears hit Wall Street. But we're seeing pharmaceutical stocks rise. Those pharmaceutical companies that make vaccines.
Heidi, more on that at the top of the hour.
MARCIANO: And I'm Rob Marciano on the CNN severe weather center. And total of 20 tornado reports over the weekend, but all in all, not a terrible amount of damage and nobody seriously hurt. But we've got more threats for tornadoes today. We'll talk about that at the top of the hour - Heidi.
COLLINS: All right. Great.
Thank you, Rob, and also, Elizabeth and Susan.
We are also going to be looking at the president's handling of the financial crisis. Is he making the grade? Experts share a progress report as the White House approaches its 100-day milestone.
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COLLINS: It may have been the smallest sellout crowd in the history of Mexico's national pastime. Soccer fans forced to stay away from matches this weekend, because of the swine flu.
Karl Penhaul tells us the games went on despite the silence in the stands.
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KARL PENHAUL, CNN VIDEO CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These are crowd control police. But at today soccer game in Mexico City, there's no crowd to control.
The biggest risk is infection from the killer swine flu bug. So they're shielding their faces behind surgical masks. Here outside the Azteca Stadium, a couple of fans brave the panic and hold out a welcome sign for their team. Up with America, down with the flu, it reads.
The Mexican authorities have banned large public gatherings until they can clamp down on the contagion. That means no fans are getting into the stands to watch America play Tecos.
(on camera): On a normal match day, these turnstiles would be spinning as crowds of people thronged through. But today, the gates are firmly locked.
(voice-over): A few police are on duty just in case diehard fans ignore the ban. But none show up.
(on camera): This isn't just any stadium. It's the biggest soccer stadium in all of Latin America. It's got a capacity for 105,000 spectators. And today, there's not one.
(voice-over): Tecos net the first goal. The pre-celebration echoes around the hollow stadium. Soccer is a passion in Mexico like elsewhere in Latin America. So the sight of the tens of thousands of empty seats, it's eloquent testimony to the deep concern, even panic among normal Mexicans that the virus could carry on killing.
With no home crowd to cheer them on, America lost 2-1. Their trainer was not blaming swine flu for the defeat.
"It would have been nice to have the crowd here, but we are ultimately responsible for what happens on the field," he said.
How long the stadiums stay empty will depend on how long the killer bug remains on the loose.
Karl Penhaul, CNN, Mexico City.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
