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Swine Flu: U.S. Documented Cases Doubles, Jumps to 40; Bye-Bye Smokey and the Bandit: The Retirement of the Pontiac Division After 83 Years; Is it the Perfect Time to be a First-Time Home Purchaser?; Viewer Swine Flu Questions Answered; The First 100 Days: Impact of President's Housing Policies
Aired April 27, 2009 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. It is Monday, April 27th. And here are the top stories in the CNN NEWSROOM.
The swine flu outbreak that started in Mexico has quickly spread to five U.S. states now. President Obama says the virus is a cause for concern but not alarm.
As the president nears his 100th day in office we focus on his housing plan and how it may be changing the dynamics of a market in meltdown.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Swine flu fears. Concern spreading along with the number of cases. Health officials around the world are scrambling to contain the outbreak. The U.S. has declared a public health emergency.
President Obama responded to the situation just a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are closely monitoring the emerging cases of swine flu in the United States. And this is obviously a cause for concern and requires a 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.
Now 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.
And 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 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: The epicenter of the outbreak, Mexico, where swine flu is blamed for as many as 103 deaths, suspected cases now under investigation from Europe and Israel to New Zealand. Twenty cases confirmed here in the United States, in New York, California, Kansas, Texas, and Ohio.
Our correspondents are all over the story. Ted Rowlands is many in Mexico City. Deborah Feyerick is in New York with the latest on the outbreak at a school. Let's start with Ted.
And, Ted, you're at really ground zero for this outbreak. What's the latest?
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, today is a huge day here in Mexico City in that they're going to be monitoring very closely any new cases of this flu.
Saturday and Sunday the city was virtually shut down. All the events that were going on, public events including church services, soccer matches, were canceled or people were not allowed to attend. They played one soccer match with no fans in it. And the idea was to keep people away from large groups.
Well, today is Monday so people are back at work. And literally millions of people in this city of almost 20 million are back on the streets now because they're going to work. So what they're going to do is monitor the effects of that, the gathering of people.
If they see an uptick of people getting this virus, what they're going to do is basically shut down the city and start to -- start to close down businesses, the buses, the subway system in an effort to keep people at home so that they can stop the spread of this.
If they don't see a significant spread, then they'll keep things open and things continue. Bu the good news is, of the 1300 plus people that were hospitalized, 70 percent of them, according to the President Calderon, have been released from the hospital and are now recovering at home.
The Mexican government says they feel very confident that they're able to deal with any new cases as they come up if it stays as it is now. In that they have the medication and they have a fantastic public outreach program.
Wherever you go, newspaper, radio, television, people are being urged if you feel sick, don't wait at home. Come into the hospital. They say the deaths that occurred here in Mexico are largely because people just waited way too long.
HARRIS: Yes.
ROWLANDS: By the time they got to the hospitals, it was too late. They were suffering from pneumonia. HARRIS: And Ted, that official update on where we stand and where Mexico City goes in the days ahead, is that expected at noon? We understand that the Mexican health secretary is scheduled to take part in a news conference.
Is that when we're expected to get the latest information about where Mexico City goes from here?
ROWLANDS: Yes. We should get the latest numbers country wide there for sure. And we may get an indication on the plans here. But it'll be up to the mayor of Mexico City in conjunction with the federal government to make the decision concerning Mexico City.
The news conference we're expecting coming up in a bit will address the country as a whole. Hopefully we'll get a hint on where they're going, if they have any new data which would sort of trend one way or another in terms of shutting the city down.
HARRIS: OK. Ted Rowlands for us in Mexico City.
And I guess we can share with you the latest that we have from Mexico City's mayor. He reiterated what he has been saying, essentially, over the weekend that he will decide whether or not to officially shut down the city in the next few hours.
He said that his decision will depend on whether the death toll goes up and if the number of new flu cases increases. So that's the very latest that we have from the mayor of Mexico City.
The largest number of cases in the United States in New York. Eight students at a private school in Queens.
Deborah Feyerick is at the New York City Health Department.
Deborah, good to see you. What's being done to prevent this from spreading? Any evidence that the outbreak has spread beyond the one particular cluster at the school?
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, no evidence just yet. But really we're speaking to an infectious disease specialist. Their big concern is that when you have eight cases, chances are you have more cases. And that's what they're tracking.
Researchers and hospitals really mapping out just how this is spreading, how it's transmitting. The big concern really is that if it starts to spread human to human it could mutate and therefore become much more difficult to treat.
Right now there are medications to treat the symptoms but there's nothing to prevent the spread. And that's why there's such great concern, Tony.
HARRIS: I got you. So Deborah, you mentioned the eight cases. We're understanding there's possibly a ninth. But to our understanding, and maybe you have additional information on this, no one has been hospitalized in New York so far? FEYERICK: No one has been hospitalized. And that's pretty remarkable when you think about it. About 125 people actually came for testing over the weekend. They had flu-like symptoms. But none of them were very serious.
There was no -- there were no cases of pneumonia. Nobody was acutely ill. And so all of them were sent home. About half were given the medication, the Tamiflu. The others were just told to monitor the symptoms and take Tylenol.
The interesting thing is that, even though the symptoms may have been mild, it's very possible they could have swine flu. Because they're young, they're strong, they're relatively healthy, their bodies may be able to adapt to it even though they've never been exposed to it.
HARRIS: And Deborah, the eight students were in Mexico during spring break, the school is now being closed. How many from that school have gone for testing? Do we know?
FEYERICK: That's what's really interesting. We believe, according to some of the officials we spoke to on the scene, that a majority of the 125 that came for testing were somehow related to that school somehow.
The school has been shut. They're cleaning it as thoroughly as they possibly can. And there's a concern because, again, while some of the folks may have been sent home, if they were in Mexico, for example, we're told by the infectious disease specialist, they're going to be treated with the Tamiflu as a precautionary measure.
So it's really interesting. And we spoke to one infectious disease specialist. I don't know if we have sound from him. And he really said, you know, nobody knows whether this is going to spiral out of control or whether it's just going to die down like the avian flu.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. BRUCE FARBER, NORTH SHORE HEALTH SYSTEM: I think they're trying to get a jump. Because this is like trying to predict the -- you know, the path of a hurricane. We really don't know in which direction it's going to go. And certainly you'd rather be criticized for overreacting than for under-reacting and getting on the problem too late.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FEYERICK: So, again, Tony, because it now is in at least five states, possibly more, and again, not a lot of cases, limited to 20 cases, but still, they really want to map this out. It's really a question of getting a bigger picture of how it's spreading, where it's spreading. And this really helps these researchers track how it's moving.
HARRIS: And Deborah, are we going to get an update from the mayor in, what, another -- is it this hour or next hour?
FEYERICK: Probably about 12:30.
HARRIS: OK.
FEYERICK: If it goes off on time, about 12:30 we'll bring you that, of course.
HARRIS: OK. Appreciate it. Deborah Feyerick for us in New York.
Deborah, appreciate it. Thank you.
U.S. health officials stress there is no reason to panic about swine flu. But people at risk who have the symptoms should see a doctor. Those symptoms include a high fever, 101, 102, overwhelming fatigue, a lack of appetite and coughing.
Swine flu was a sprain of influenza that's usually found in pigs. Typically people get it after coming in to direct contact with an infected animal, although with this particular strain officials say it appears there may be some person to person transmission. Officials also emphasize that you cannot get swine flu from eating pork.
From Mexico to New Zealand, we will track the global spread of the swine flu outbreak. That story and your iReports at the bottom of the hour.
Well, it is the end of the road for Pontiac. The GM division saw its Trans Am muscle cars soared to superstar status alongside Burt Reynolds in the 1970s movie "Smokey and the Bandit." Pontiac's retirement after 83 years was part of a new restructuring plan GM unveiled this morning.
Here are other highlights. GM will focus on four core brands -- Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC. The company already announced it will kill or sell Saturn, Saab and Hummer.
GM will cut 23,000 jobs, 7 to 8,000 more than announced in its first restructuring plan. More plants will close and 4 out of 10 GM dealerships will be closed. GM is asking some creditors to take an equity stake in the company in exchange for the GM debt.
FRITZ HENDERSON, GM PRESIDENT & CEO: You remain of the view that our preferred approach to handling this matter would be to restructure General Motors, the operating side of the business and the balance sheet side of the business, out of court.
That is our preferred approach, which is why we're launching this bond exchange now. But we remain committed first and foremost to achieving the goals of having a successful General Motors. So this cannot be accomplished out of court. We will go in court and we will accomplish a restructuring through a bankruptcy process if it's necessary.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HARRIS: So under this restructuring plan announced today, taxpayers and United Auto Workers will own 89 percent of General Motors.
So make or break week ahead at Chrysler. United Auto Workers are sent to vote on Wednesday to slash their pay and benefits. Chrysler and the UAW didn't release specifics of the weekend deal. But it is a critical step if Chrysler is to dodge bankruptcy Thursday.
That's the government deadline for Chrysler to form an alliance with Fiat. The biggest challenge remains Chrysler's creditors. The government wants them to swap two-thirds of Chrysler debt they hold for stock in a company. But banks, as you know now, are resisting.
Susan Lisovicz is on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange with more on these big auto stories and a look at how Wall Street is reacting.
Good morning, Susan.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony. Never fails to surprise me because sometimes you think things are so predictable and they are really not.
But then again, this is really profound. Perhaps that's why CNN money is calling this GM going for broke. You talked about some of the Herculean tasks before GM as it slashes its headcount, its dealer network. It's getting rid of this Pontiac brand, which has been around since the 1920s.
Well, it's trying to restructure as well, Tony, $44 billion in debt. In red ink. And that's why it's asking, GM is asking the Treasury department to take shares in the company instead of cash. $10 billion worth of shares.
Same goes for the Retiree Health Care Trust. And it's trying to work out something with bondholders. If all this happens, existing shareholders, Tony, in GM will own less than 1 percent of the company.
HARRIS: Wow.
LISOVICZ: So here's what you would think. You would think GM shares would get pressured, would just get decimated on it. Well, GM shares are up nearly 30 percent. Why is that? Because they've already been decimated.
We've lost 90 percent of their value over the last year. And what's the alternative? The company getting liquidated, going into the uncertainty of chapter 11? So GM shares are up 30 percent. Trading under 2.25 a share.
That's the story on GM. What we're seeing in the market, overall, Tony, is that a little bit of a turn around.
HARRIS: Yes. LISOVICZ: You know, we're seeing airline stocks, cruise line stocks, hotel stocks under pressure because of the fear about this virus...
HARRIS: Sure.
LISOVICZ: ... this swine virus, but we're seeing pharmaceutical stocks rallying, those that make vaccines that could benefit from this. And the NASDAQ is up as well. So we're seeing a little bit of a turn around. And the NASDAQ has been up now seven weeks in a row, Mr. Harris, just in case you're counting.
COLLINS: That is -- something. All right, Susan. That's a wholesome report there. A lot on your plate.
All right, Susan Lisovicz on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange for us.
President Obama says be concerned but don't panic. How the administration is responding to the swine flu outbreak.
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ANNOUNCER: You're watching CNN, your severe weather headquarters.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Oklahoma getting hammered a bit over the weekend. A bunch of storms came through there especially in northern Oklahoma. This roof was ripped off of this expo center. That was actually hosting a home show. So several vendors had actually -- get out of there and try to protect their booths in some way, shape or form.
Tornados knocked out power for thousands of people not only there, but also in Kansas, in Iowa, and we had a tornado touchdown as far north as Wisconsin.
Welcome back, everybody, to the CNN NEWSROOM CNN newsroom. Here we are on the CNN severe weather center.
(WEATHER REPORT)
That's the latest check on your weather. The CNN NEWSROOM with Tony Harris will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: President Obama making his first public comments on the swine flu outbreak this morning.
White House correspondent Susan Malveaux live from New York with that story.
Suzanne, great to see you. The president making those remarks at the National Academy of Sciences.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Tony, we heard him. This was just within the hour or so before the National Academy of Sciences. He renewed his commitment to scientific research. But he also stressed, obviously, addressed the swine flu crisis.
I talked with White House aides. And they admit they certainly did not expect this coming. The administration's focus has been on Iraq, Afghanistan and of course tackling the economy. So let's take stock when it comes to public health.
President Obama has yet to have a surgeon general or a head for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Doesn't have a confirmed secretary of Health and Human Services. Having said that, Tony, the president today is trying to reassure the public that he is responding swiftly to this potential crisis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: We are closely monitoring the emerging cases of swine flu in the United States. And this is obviously a cause for concern and requires a 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: So what are they doing? Yesterday we saw a rare Sunday afternoon briefing at the White House where you had the acting CDC director along with the secretary of Homeland Security announcing that the government is going to release 25 percent of its stockpiles of this flu-fighting drugs, Tamiflu, being one of them, Relenza.
They said that they're obviously keeping the president updated on any developments. And, well, Tony, as you know, President Obama recently traveled to Mexico City.
HARRIS: Yes.
MALVEAUX: I traveled with him. We have learned that his host on a museum tour died the day after he gave that tour to the president from what appeared to be flu-like symptoms. But press secretary Robert Gibbs said yesterday that the president's health was never in any danger.
The flu has 24 to 48 hour incubation period. And President Obama left more than a week ago. So -- and he also shows no signs of illness. We also heard from the Mexican health officials that say they don't believe that this museum host died of the swine flu. But perhaps a preexisting condition, Tony.
HARRIS: Yes. And Suzanne, you're OK, correct?
MALVEAUX: I'm OK, too. (LAUGHTER)
HARRIS: OK. Just wanted to ask about you as well.
MALVEAUX: Relieved. You know we travel in a bubble, but we -- obviously, we turn to each other and we come in contact...
HARRIS: That's right.
MALVEAUX: ... with a lot of folks. And yes, I am feeling OK.
HARRIS: OK. Is the administration moving any faster, Suzanne, to fill the vacant slots you outlined just a moment ago?
MALVEAUX: Well, you know, there are certainly greater motivations to move on this quickly. As for the Health and Human Services secretary, Kathleen Sebelius -- you know, that's been held up in Congress. It's a confirmation process. And we are told by lawmakers that she could be confirmed as early as tomorrow. So you can tell that they've actually looked at this and decided...
HARRIS: Yes.
MALVEAUX: ... hey, perhaps we need to speed this thing up. But the president had a tough time filling that seat. You may recall that it was the former Senate leader Tom Daschle who was his first pick.
HARRIS: That's right. Our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux in New York today.
Suzanne, great to see you. Thank you.
MALVEAUX: Thanks, Tony.
HARRIS: And -- thank you. And we want you to join us, if you would, on President Obama's 100th day in office for the "CNN NATIONAL REPORT CARD." It is a prime time event that gets started this Wednesday night at 7:00 Eastern.
In the middle of it all, President Obama holds a news conference. Then Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper, the best political team, and you give the final grade for the first 100 days. You elected them, now you grade them. This Wednesday beginning at 7:00 Eastern on CNN and CNN.com/reportcard.
The nation's housing market, personal finance editor Gerri Willis has tips on when and where to buy.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Home prices are down almost at 29 percent from 2006, and foreclosures are still climbing. Will it ever end? And should you buy?
Here's CNN's personal finance editor, Gerri Willis. GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Home markets operate in cycles. And the fact is we may be coming closer to the end of the current downturn in housing.
One widely quoted expert, Mark Zandi at Moody's Economy.com, says home sales, that's the volume where the number of homes sold, has hit a bottom. California cities and counties which have been under pressure like San Diego, Orange County, Santa Clara are actually doing better.
Denver and Boston, he says, are stabilizing. Vegas and Phoenix, he says, are moving closer to their bottoms. While South Florida cities like Miami have a ways to go. Cities that will continue to suffer include New York, Seattle and Portland.
Meanwhile, the National Association of Realtors says sales will continue to pick up pace through the spring and the second half of the year. Currently, if sales continue at their present pace, though, existing home sales will total 4.57 million down from the market high of 5.48 million in 2006.
Better sales levels are a prerequisite for higher prices. And you'll have to wait a while before things get better. Zandi says 2010 will be a flat year in terms of prices with an upturn not coming until 2011.
Where's the opportunity? Well, it's definitely for buyers. Especially first-time home buyers. Prices in many previously untouchable markets are falling to levels that are affordable for the first time since 2006. Interest rates continue to be low and a stimulus bill created an $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers. That it's expected to boost demand.
If you're planning to buy a second home or vacation home now is the time to start doing your home work and finding the deals out there. Back to you.
HARRIS: OK. And sharper image, Circuit City and Linens 'n Things, companies that went out of business last year might get a second chance. Just log on to CNNmoney.com.
I want to give you a bit of an update on the story we've been following here. Let me just do this now. The World Health Organization is now confirming that there are 40 -- 40 now confirmed cases of swine flu in the United States. And that the World Health Organization, quoting now, is very concerned about the disease's spread.
The WHO said none of the cases in the United States have been fatal. And the figures, these figures, 40 confirmed cases in the United States of swine flu, confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention here in Atlanta.
Now you'll recall the president said just about an hour ago that the swine flu outbreak is a cause for concern and that it requires a heightened state of alert but is not a cause for alarm. The president added that the federal government is closely monitoring emerging cases and had 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.
We will continue to update this -- boy, quickly moving. Fast developing story here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
We will get a better view of housing across the nation in just a few minutes. Home sales and foreclosures. Just what does the future hold? We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And this just in to CNN: The number of confirmed cases of swine flu in the United States has doubled. Our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins me onset here.
Elizabeth, this is -- this is a big development.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a big jump in one day.
HARRIS: Yes, it is.
COHEN: You go from 20 cases to 40 cases. The World Health Organization just said this in a teleconference, a press conference. And I have just personally just gotten off the phone with a federal official who has confirmed it. He said there are now 40 cases of confirmed swine flu in the United States.
Now, it's interesting. Those 20 extra, they are all from one place. And that's the school in Queens in New York City where several students have been ill. Before they were talking about eight cases, now it's jumped to 28 cases.
This is not - it's sort of striking to see this kind of jump. Not surprising, not terribly unexpected.
HARRIS: Well, you're talking about that one cluster at that school in New York.
COHEN: Right.
HARRIS: And there was always the concern that there were more young people there who had been exposed.
COHEN: Right, cause they were sick. So they knew they had something.
HARRIS: Yes.
COHEN: Right. HARRIS: So not altogether surprising that we would see this spike.
COHEN: When you have eight kids with swine flu and you have many other who are ill, it only makes sense that, of course, many of those would also have swine flu.
HARRIS: And then the he concern is whether or not it spread outside of that cluster. And there's no real evidence of that at this point.
COHEN: Right. Not that we've seen so far, no. No.
HARRIS: And we're going to get an update from New York's mayor shortly.
OK, Elizabeth. Appreciate it. Thank you.
COHEN: Thanks.
HARRIS: All right, if the swine flu outbreak started down in Mexico, how did it pop up 7,000 miles away in New Zealand?
Phil Black traces the spread for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm standing outside Rangitoto College in Auckland. Nine students and one teacher from this school have fallen ill and been diagnosed with Influenza-A after returning from a school trip to Mexico. It's suspected they are suffering from this new strain of the swine flu.
At another school near here, three others have also fallen ill after returning from Mexico. The possibility that these children have come back from a school excursion with a potentially life threatening illness has spooked much of New Zealand. Pharmacies here are reporting a run on sales of things like face masks and anti-flu drugs.
But the government here is urging people not to panic. It says it has procedures in place and these procedures are world class, designed back when, a few years ago, New Zealand feared it could fall victim to an epidemic of bird flu.
Phil Black, CNN, Auckland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: You know, we're hearing from concerned viewers across the country about the swine flu.
And joining us now live, CNN.com's iReport Desk and producer, Tyson Wheatley.
And Tyson, what are you getting in terms of iReports and questions? TYSON WHEATLEY, CNN.COM PRODUCER: Well, Tony and Elizabeth, we're hearing actually a lot of concern from iReporters about this. Definitely not panic, but a lot of concern and even some questions.
And what I want to do today, actually, is share some of those with you.
HARRIS: Great, great.
WHEATLEY: And since we have Elizabeth, maybe we can get her to weigh in on some of these.
Let's start with - let's start in Marietta, actually, with Adriana Maxwell. And she's really concerned with the swine flu spreading to a city like Atlanta.
Let's go ahead and listen to her concerns.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADRIANA MAXWELL, CNN IREPORTER: What are the chances of it getting here to Atlanta?
Well, it's actually fairly good. I mean, we do have international airport. We have many, many, many different companies, a lot of Fortune 500 companies, that do travel to Mexico and other parts of South America.
So it's not impossible for a traveler to innocently catch it abroad and bring it home to their family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHEATLEY: All right. So Elizabeth, any reason for Atlantans (ph) to be particularly concerned.
COHEN: You know, not Atlanta in particular. Although, I suppose this is, as we know, a very international country.
HARRIS: Absolutely.
COHEN: But you know what? There's travel between Mexico and all sorts of parts of the United States.
But you know, I think a lot of what she said was pretty much on the mark. Because CDC officials have said all this weekend, look, we expect to see more cases. And here we have a doubling in one day. That's because there is so much travel between Mexico and the United States. And because it has been shown that this virus can spread from person to person, so you don't even have to have been in Mexico.
So will it come to Atlanta? You know, I would be surprised in some ways if a big city like Atlanta weren't affected in some way. There could be swine flu even here now and we wouldn't know it. This disease is so mild, someone might just be at home kind of not feeling great and not actually ever go to the doctor. HARRIS: Well, I will tell you, I was just telling you a moment ago, I spent the weekend in Cancun. Just a quick little get away. And it's interesting. I arrived there Friday evening and no one in the airport was wearing masks. And look, at that point the story was still developing, very much developing.
I go through the weekend and the story clearly takes on a massive size at that point. I'm flying back last night, and still no masks in the airport.
So it's just interesting to see that particular perspective. The story has certainly changed and I would imagine that more precautions are being taken and more folks are really concerned about it now in Cancun and other spots. And just a side note.
Tyson, I know you have another question here?
WHEATLEY: Yes, you know, we're hearing also from Luke Jopesh Tagge. He's from Diamond Bar, California. Luke, he's a former Marine and he's a Latino-American. He says he's very concerned with security along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Let's hear what he has to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LUKE JOPESH TAGGE, CNN IREPORTER: We have the largest population of illegal immigrants who come here daily. I have been in the ER many a time for a sprained ankle or a fractured rib and have seen people come in, not speaking any English, nothing. And they have either the flu or the sniffles. Now how are we to determine whether these people who come and go, weekend to weekend, do not come and go again and bring this time the swine flu?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHEATLEY: All right. So, what do you think? Securing the border, is it warranted? Is it even possible?
COHEN: You know, goodness, I think it would be incredibly difficult to secure the U.S./Mexican border. I mean, gosh. Look how many people cross there by foot, by car, by bus, by plane.
HARRIS: By plane.
COHEN: I mean, it's so - that would be so difficult to do. And I think that the government would, I'm guessing, would only try to do that if there were a huge public health crisis.
And I want to emphasize that we're talking -- well, we were talking about 20 cases, now we're talking about 40, but as far as we know, still mild illness. People are not dropping dead from this in the United States. People are actually recovering without even having to go to the hospital. They're recovering without even taking antivirals.
So closing down the border for something like that would be - I can't even imagine them doing that.
And you know, but the iReporter asked the question, gee, people come in from the border and they come to the hospital and they're not feeling well. Well, they'd be handled like anybody else. If you show up with signs of the flu and you've been in Mexico, they're going to take a swab and they're going to send it to health authorities to see if it's swine flu or not.
HARRIS: And Tyson, I know you have one more question.
WHEATLEY: Yes, one more. This is actually a question from William King of San Antonio, Texas. And let's go ahead and hear his concern.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM KING, CNN IREPORTER: Hi. I was wondering if this swine flu outbreak is the same strain that was out in the 1970s and that if the vaccine you received in the military would be the same one or similar to the one that would be used for the outbreak today?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHEATLEY: All right, Elizabeth. I wasn't even aware that there was a previous swine flu outbreak. Any connection?
HARRIS: He's so young.
COHEN: That's because you're so young, Tyson.
HARRIS: He's such a baby.
COHEN: I was aware of it. I remember it distinctly.
HARRIS: Yes. Hello?
COHEN: So that's just because - that's just because you're 12 years old.
(LAUGHTER)
COHEN: The rest of us do remember it. And I've received this question that this gentleman asked from other people as well. And the answer, according to folks I've been talking to is that, no. That vaccine people got back in 1976, that is not going to help them now. One, because it was so long ago. And two, because it was most likely a completely different strain. Not going to do you any good.
HARRIS: And to just sort of button up my personal story, you know, once the story started to really develop and took a life of its own, you know, I guess that concession I made was a concession a lot of people were making. You just wash your hands more. You're just very careful about your contact. I would go get my food, come back to my room. And that was - I just limited the contact just on the safe side, to be on the safe side. COHEN: Right. Our Sanjay Gupta, whose in Mexico right now, is talking about that. That it sounds so low tech, but really, that's what you've got to do.
HARRIS: Yes, yes.
COHEN: Keep washing your hands. If there was a flu virus on this table that we're sitting at and I got it on my fingers, you need to wash your hands.
HARRIS: So, wipe off the keyboard, wipe off the phone, and wash your hands.
COHEN: Right. If you're going to go to an ATM in Mexico City, I would recommend washing your hands afterward.
HARRIS: Awesome. Great information, as always. Thank you, Elizabeth.
COHEN: OK, thanks.
HARRIS: Tyson, appreciate it. Thank you, sir.
WHEATLEY: All right. Hey, thank you. Thanks for the answers.
HARRIS: Yes, great questions.
Health leaders around the globe are issuing some travel warnings due to swine flu. We are bringing you the information right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: President Obama completes his first 100 days in office Wednesday. I'll tell you more about CNN's special coverage in just a moment.
First, let's look at what the president's policies have done for or to the housing market. John Adams covers the housing industry in his weekly radio program and newspaper column.
John, great to see you. Wish you were here alongside me here in Atlanta, but great to have you on the program again.
JOHN ADAMS, FOUNDER & DIRECTOR, DECATUR FIRST BANK: Thanks, Tony.
HARRIS: Hey, what's your overall assessment of the housing sector? Is the patient at death's door? In critical condition? Critical, but stable? What?
ADAMS: I think the market has stabilized. I am more optimistic than some of the prognosticators that we've heard and here's why. We saw in the fourth quarter sales of existing homes, or resales, dipped by about 11 percent. That has been repeated. We've stabilized in first quarter, and what that means is the combination of low prices, great interest rates and the president's stimulus package have apparently stabilized the markets.
HARRIS: Whoa. Well, let's drill down on a couple of these points here.
As you mentioned, February, we saw a pop in existing home sales. Were you surprised that March numbers came in down, 7.1 percent year over year?
ADAMS: Yes, but that was better than expected.
HARRIS: Yes, yes.
ADAMS: And the reality is that we are down about 10 percent or 11 percent from where we were before the Lehman Brothers meltdown in September. And that's what I'm using as a baseline. As a result, I feel we've stabilized. We may be dragging bottom and we may drag bottom for a while, but I don't expect it to get any worse. I think the president's programs are working.
HARRIS: Well, all right, we'll talk about that. First-time buyers made up - what? - 53 percent of existing home sales in March. Now, is this being fueled by a kind of a bottom-up recovery and one that will last with these first-time buyers jumping into the market?
ADAMS: Well, we hope so. The problem we're dealing with right now is that 50 percent of all resale homes are foreclosure homes.
HARRIS: Yes.
ADAMS: That's very unusual and those prices are very depressed. And we won't see this again. That's why this is such a great time for first-time home buyers to jump in the market, because they get the combination of low interest rates...
HARRIS: And the tax credit.
ADAMS: ... and prices I don't think we'll see again. And then that $8,000 tax credit. This is a great time.
That's what's fueling the current market that we have. Now we need to start climbing out.
HARRIS: How about the refinance activity? That's certainly helping.
ADAMS: No question. And we're seeing a lot of people, especially through the president's housing initiative, are being allowed to refinance that were otherwise cut out of the market. That was a smart move on the president's part. I think it's taking time. The housing market is sort of like a cruise ship on the way to Cancun. You can't just stop it. You have to give it time to turn around. But I really think we're seeing some good signs here.
HARRIS: The biggest troubling sign out there is the number of people who have entered the foreclosure process. As you know, John, there could be as many as, Gerri Willis tells us, at 3 million foreclosures this year.
ADAMS: Yes.
HARRIS: I mean, how much on a drag on any rebound in this housing recovery is the foreclosure story going to be?
ADAMS: We just don't know yet. And that's the question. The problem is we've got these adjustable rate mortgages that began artificially low, and as they reset, the people can't afford the higher payments. And when that happens, the president's housing initiative is designed to help some of those people stay in their houses, if at all possible, either through a modification or a refinance.
But barring that, there are going to be people, Tony, that just can't afford to live in the homes that they purchased. Those are going to have to go through the process.
HARRIS: So, let's get to the report card here if you would, John.
ADAMS: OK.
HARRIS: What grade would you give President Obama for focusing attention -- his attention on the housing sector and devising plans to hopefully lead us to recovery?
ADAMS: I'm going to give President Obama a "B." I think he has worked seriously. I think he has made some good choices. The housing initiative that has the refinancing and the modifications, I think that's smart. There are other things I'd love to see him do. But that would put him in "A+" category and I'm not sure many politicians spend much time there.
HARRIS: Right, right. What grade do you give FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair for her attempts to mitigate foreclosures and place a floor under this thing?
ADAMS: Sheila Bair at FDIC has been talking the talk, but she has not been walking the walk. And what we're seeing is, FDIC, she's making all these wonderful pronouncements that the banks need to lend more money. But unfortunately, the FDIC regulators are telling banks that they need to back off on lending, that they need to boost their cash and their...
HARRIS: Their cash reserves, yes.
ADAMS: ... their core capital positions, and that is really having a chilling effect on banking.
So I give her a "C" at this point for -- she's saying the right things, but they're not getting translated down to the regulatory level.
HARRIS: What grade would you give Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan for pushing banks receiving TARP funds to modify these mortgages under the president's -- what is it? - the Making Home Affordable initiative.
ADAMS: Right. Secretary Donovan is an extremely bright gentleman. He is a Harvard educated architect and engineer. His -- most of his experience has been in multifamily housing, and I think he is still trying to grasp the job of helping Americans stay in their detached, single-family homes.
HARRIS: I see.
ADAMS: That's largely being done through FHA at this point, which is a subsidiary of HUD. But we're not seeing FHA step up to the table like they ought to right now. And for that, I'm going to give Secretary Donovan a "D." He needs to refocus his efforts away from high-speed elevators in New York City and begin pushing FHA to make loans available to more Americans now.
HARRIS: John, appreciate it.
ADAMS: OK.
HARRIS: Well done. Thank you, sir. See you next time.
ADAMS: Thanks, Tony. Thanks.
HARRIS: And we want you to join us on President Obama's 100th day in office for the "CNN NATIONAL REPORT CARD." It is a primetime event that gets started this Wednesday night at 7:00 Eastern. In the middle of all of it, President Obama holds a news conference. Then, Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper, the best political team and you, give the final grades for first 100 days. You elected them, now you grade them. This Wednesday beginning at 7:00 Eastern on CNN and CNN.com/reportcard.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: A travel warning from the European Union. Because of the swine flu outbreak, the EU health commissioner is urging people not to travel to the United States and Mexico.
CNN's Sasha Herriman is at London's Heathrow Airport.
And Sasha, pretty sweeping warning from the commissioner.
SASHA HERRIMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, exactly. I mean, everyone seems very concerned about what this commissioner had to say. We'll get to the meetings, what he had to say in a minute.
But I mean, you're joining me at Heathrow Airport. This is basically Europe's busiest airport. As you can see, it's still a hive of activity. At the moment, things are going on pretty much as normal. But of course, that belies the fact that there is this swine flu outbreak. People are seriously concerned about epidemic proportions, possibly pandemic proportions.
And there are serious measures being taken, not just here in the UK, but elsewhere in Europe, to try and deal with this situation and prevent this virus from spreading.
Let's hear now what the EU commissioner had to say as a warning to people about this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDROULLA VASSILIOU, HEALTH COMMISSIONER, EUROPEAN UNION (through translator): Personally, I would try to avoid nonessential travel to the areas which are reported to be in the center of the cluster in order to minimize the personal risk and to reduce the potential risk to spread the infection to other people.
I would also like to suggest to travelers to seek immediate medical advice if they have any of the symptoms described.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HERRIMAN: Now, it has been reported that some people at Heathrow Airport, and other airports as well with flights coming in from affected areas, wearing face masks and so on. But there are no official things in place, measures in place to get people sort of screened and such as they are in Asia. That actually hasn't happened yet here in the UK. Most of the time the screening is taking place on board flights where people have been observed in case they show symptoms.
And also, it's relying also on passengers themselves. So if they arrive, for example, here in the UK and they display flu-like symptom, well, they're advised to, you know, seek telephone advice. Don't actually get into contact with other people. Don't go into hospitals, don't go out and seek your GP - that's your doctor. But seek advice over telephone, because they don't want the infection to spread.
HARRIS: Got you. OK, our Sasha Herriman at London's Heathrow International Airport. Sasha, appreciate it. Thank you.
Getting ready to go on a trip? Well, here are some tips from the CDC that might help you avoid the flu.
Cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze. Then, throw the tissue away.
Wash your hands with soap and water. Alcohol-based cleaners work as well.
And avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. That's how germs spread.
Next hour, swine flu fears and what to do to stop its spread. A live report from Mexico, the apparent epicenter of the outbreak.
And we are marking the first 100 days of President Obama's administration. His big challenge: To fix the banks.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: You know our blog page is up and running. And we're asking a couple of questions of you this morning.
First, are you worried the swine flu outbreak could become an epidemic? I just mentioned to Elizabeth a short time ago that even after reporting on the outbreak in Mexico City on Friday, I traveled to Cancun for the weekend. Obviously, over the weekend, the story took on a life of its own. And for what it's worth, I will tell you, no one was wearing masks at the airport in Cancun on Friday night when I arrived, and no one was wearing masks when I left the country yesterday. It might be an entirely different story today.
As we continue to gather new information on the outbreak, we want to know if you're making any changes in your life, maybe your travel plans, as a result of the news on the swine flu outbreak. Just log on to CNN.com/newsroom. Just click on my pic when you get there and -- my picture - and send us your thoughts.
