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Swine Flu Fears; Manhunt For Professor Continues

Aired April 27, 2009 - 15:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Riots? At Kent State? Have you heard that before? How bad did it get, and is it a sign of the times?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think it would be a good idea to be open and have the students in classes together, because that might very well spread the germ even further.

SANCHEZ: How many schools are closing their doors today, around the country? Where is the swine flu tipping point?

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The 100th day of my administration.

SANCHEZ: The 100-day fact or fiction test. Today's topic, is the president making us weaker abroad? What they say and what's really happening.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who could imagine something like this?

SANCHEZ: A Georgia man goes from esteemed professor to crazed killer. How could that happen? And where is he?

And would somebody please give this animal directions to a china shop? Please.

What do you say? The original national conversation begins right now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: And hello again, everybody. I'm Rick Sanchez here with the next generation of news. It's a conversation, not a speech. And it's your turn to get involved.

Before we do anything else, we're going to be hearing from the director of homeland security, Janet Napolitano, in just any moment, really. She is going to be giving us the official word from the United States government about how to deal with this thing.

And we're also going to be getting the unofficial word. That's from you. That's right. Johnny (ph), let's go right to - or, if we can, Zack (ph), let's go right over to this camera right here and go to the Twitter board. Everybody seems to be commenting on what's going on with this situation right now. We're going to be putting all the pieces together for you. But here's the general response that we're getting from many of you out there, as I have been communicating with you throughout the day.

Here's a good sense of it, I suppose I should say.

Salme says: "What worries me about swine flu, death, lots of it."

Rev says: "More worried about panic, overreaction, than I am about swine flu itself." Now, that's interesting. Hone in on that.

"Nothing worries me," this person alludes to. "It's all hype - 36,000 people die each year from regular flu. And this is just a mild flu. Media should stop scaring people."

"I live in San Antonio," says Mr. Crawford. "Schools in my neighborhood are closed. Scary, scary. I want to wear a mask, but my dog hates it."

Interesting enough.

This is where I tell you that swine flu scare is blown out of proportion, right? I wish I could. I really do. I wish I could say that to you right now with certainty - with some certainty. But I essentially can't. And you know why?

Because I really don't know. We do know this. And there is obviously no denying this, that the last thing we need, that the world needs, is a pandemic.

The first thing I want to do, then, is show you a map to give you the facts. This is a map of the United States. Let's start there. These are the places where there have been confirmed cases of this virus. Are there likely to be more? Of course, there most likely will.

Exactly how many? Nobody knows. In fact, that's the problem with the early onset of this new strain of not just this illness, but any disease. In fact, here's the gist of what a health official is saying in Ohio: Don't feel bad for knowing anything. Nobody knows anything. That's what he said.

Great, huh?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS INGRAM, HAMILTON COUNTY, OHIO, HEALTH COMMISSION: The truth of the matter is (INAUDIBLE) we don't really know what's going on in Mexico. You know what I mean? It's just like what happened with SARS in China.

The information is not as forthcoming. They don't have the surveillance systems that we have in place. They certainly don't have the first-responder community that we have in place, that public health system that we have in place in this country and so forth.

So, although we know that there has been hundreds of cases, there's been - several people have died, we don't know any of the details there. So, we have to be very careful to extrapolate what has occurred in Mexico with what will occur in this country, because it's not apples to apples here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: By the way, I just want to catch you up on a detail on that map that we just showed you. We want to make clear there are eight now confirmed cases in California. Obviously the numbers in this thing is going to be changing all throughout and my job is to try and bring you the information. There's a lot of moving parts. And we will try and do just that.

As we come out of that sound bite you just heard, let's talk about New York City, because New York City is without a doubt, at least up to now, the closest thing that we have to ground zero on this thing, whatever this thing is.

The mayor says the number of confirmed cases is now up to 28 there. And we are going to hear from Michael Bloomberg in just a minute.

But, first, I want to bring in CNN's Deb Feyerick. I should tell you at this point that our reporters are spread out all over the country and they're obviously going to be getting updates from Mexico and different parts of the world, where they are reporting from.

But the place being affected the most is New York City. So let's go ahead now and start with Deb's update. This is Deb Feyerick. She checked in with us just a little while ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As of yesterday, nobody was hospitalized. They had sent about 125 people home, some who were given medications to treat symptoms of the flu, others who were told just take aspirin.

Right now, they are not really surprised. Infectious disease specialists who are monitoring this not really all that surprised. They were really anticipating this, because that's simply the way this kind of thing spreads.

The big concern of course is that this human-to-human transmission could form sort of, for lack of a better word, a superbug, that it will mutate into something that is not easily treatable. That's the concern. And that's why they're trying to map out exactly who is coming down with this, where they're located, and who they may have come into contact with.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: All right. That's Deb Feyerick. I want to also let you know what else we're going to get. If you can, give me that shot of the international area over here. I want to show you where some of these people are gathering. These are the folks over here who are going to be answering phones, who are going to be telling you what they are learning, mostly from Mexico.

There we go, around the camera. That's old cinema verite shots. That's Johnny B. Goode behind that camera shooting you the people who are gathering some of that information. Some of those people are working the phones for right now to get the latest information that's coming out of specifically Mexico City, but other countries that are being affected.

And obviously, we're going to have some reporters in some of those places as well, and they are going to be bringing us the very latest information and the latest updates.

Also, here's another programming note that I probably should tell you about right now. We learned probably about 10 minutes before I went on the air that Janet Napolitano was now going to be giving a comment. We don't know exactly what she's going to be saying.

We do know that the president's office, through Robert Gibbs, as you heard before we went on the air, was asked a lot of questions about this, and there seems to be some frustration on the part of the media that the White House hasn't been able to give them some specific answers.

For example, the president of the United States several weeks ago, when he was in Mexico, he met with Mexican officials. One of them was the head archaeologist of Mexico City, who gave him a private tour of some of the archaeological sites in Mexico City. That gentleman died of this particular disease. And the media wants to know why there isn't more information about the president and his condition at this point.

And then there's Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York City. He's been talking to reporters throughout the day. He's obviously very frustrated as well. And here's what he said just moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (I), NEW YORK CITY: First, here is what we do know. There's been a lot of focus on the number of cases of swine flu, so let me be very clear.

There's an important number here for New Yorkers to keep in mind. And that number is one. We have one reported cluster of swine flu at one school, St. Francis Preparatory School in Fresh Meadows, Queens. At that school, more than 100 are sick. And we now have information that 28 of the students have confirmed human swine flu and another 17 have probable swine flu.

And those probable cases have specimens going to the Centers for Disease Control, CDC, today. That brings the total of confirmed and likely cases to 45. But - and this is important - this in no way indicates a change in the size of the population affected.

SANCHEZ: All right, Janet Napolitano should be coming up in just a moment, but let me take you to what truly is the epicenter of this. And that would be Mexico City.

The numbers there, I'm sure you have heard. And no matter what your position is on this thing and how we in the media should be covering it, it's obviously alarming when you hear that more than 100 people are dead as a result of the flu, when you hear that they weren't small children or the elderly, as we often hear in cases like this, but people pretty much in the middle.

And now, as we also hear, that 1,600 people, 1,600 people may also have contacted (sic) this disease, may have symptoms at this point, according to Mexican health officials.

Let's do this. Let's go to Karl Penhaul. He is standing by where the epicenter of this problem is in Mexico City. And he's going to fill us in on what he has learned within the last couple of hours.

Karl, take it away.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think you're right about some of the things you're pointing out there, Rick, that we still have not got to the bottom of really what kinds of populations this swine flu is affecting and why it is affecting those particular kinds of populations.

As you say, it is not the typical bracket. It's not the sick; it's not the elderly; it's not the very young. It is the people in the middle. Yes, the Mexican authorities are giving figures out, but there is still a lot of alarm that this contagion is not under control and that it could spread like wildfire, particularly in a city like Mexico City, one of the biggest cities on Earth.

And, this morning, we were riding the public transport system, the subway. People say that they have to go to work. Otherwise, they fear they will be fired, but that's against all the advice that the Mexico City authorities are giving not to gather in large groups.

But people are crammed into those subway carriages like sardines and many of them knew that they were running the risk of getting some of this infection, of spreading the contagion. But they said, what else can we do? - Rick.

SANCHEZ: Do these people feel - because I understand the number of people wearing these masks is staggering to look at. Do they feel like the mask will protect them from this? Does that give them confidence to go into Mexico City?

PENHAUL: This is the advice they're being given, to wear these masks.

Now - now, the advice that we have been given by our medical advisers is to wear a particular kind of mask that has a very fine gauze. These people are wearing regular surgical masks. They feel that it may do the trick, although other medical advice says that that may not well do the trick at all.

But what the experts are saying is keep away from public places. And these people were packed into these subway carriages like sardines. The authorities also say stay about six feet apart from anybody. Avoid personal contact. How do you do that in a subway carriage?

And that is really the veins of this city, millions of people moving there through the day. And so obviously, there is a potential for the contagion to be spread through those types of situation - Rick.

SANCHEZ: And this thing has gotten even crazier throughout the day, because there have been some reports that seem to indicate there was even more concern for alarm.

But like anything else, when you have a developing story like we're following for you now, the key is to try and give you the facts as we go through it, let people make their own decisions. But, obviously, at the onset of a story like this, there's going to be all kinds of reports, all kinds of rumors, all kinds of information spread throughout.

We're glad we have Karl Penhaul there on the ground to take us through the information on this story.

Thanks so much, Karl. We appreciate it. We will be checking back with you.

Wasn't this the place where students once rioted with a purpose? What's the purpose now? A beer shortage? My, how times have changed and what it says about us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People at this theater are so close. And it's shocking. It's very shocking.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You reach a certain age, you're going to know people that have passed away, but not three people all at one time and three people that you know well and that you have just seen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Staying on university themes, this is a university professor. He's accused, believe it or not, of shooting and killing three people in broad daylight. And guess what? They still haven't found him, don't know where he is.

And you think that this bull is dangerous here? Wait until you see what he does when he finally finds his china shop.

All right. Swine flu killing people in Mexico, but not in the United States. What's the difference? This is news you need to know.

And, obviously, many of you are commenting on this. Johnny, let's go to the Twitter board as we go to break. I want to show some folks this.

This is Nikki. She's watching. She says, "Why don't people understand that there's not a large amount of information available and that the president is OK?"

Again, this is alluding back to that point I made a moment ago about the president getting a tour from a guide in New Mexico. The guy ends up dying of swine flu. The guy who literally escorted Barack Obama for a full day was one of the first to die of swine flu. What are the chances of that and what do we know? According to some of the media, not enough.

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: As we try and figure out this swine flu situation, as, well, people in governments all over the world try and figure out this swine flu situation, many of you are chiming in. We appreciate that.

Oh, by the way, programming note again - DHS, Department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, the director thereof, is going to give us a briefing in just a moment. We understand that it's late. It was supposed to start about 10 minutes ago. And the reason they're late is because it's not a building they're I guess used to having these kinds of big briefings and a lot of the reporters and a lot of the media haven't been able to get their stuff through, cleared through, the cameras and their equipment.

So they're in the process of doing that. As soon as they get everybody in the building, they are going to hold this meeting and we are going to let you hear it live right here on CNN.

Back to the flu itself, still looking for many answers, obviously. Some talk that we're getting is that there are not answers, at least in terms of some of the information that we need.

I want to bring in Joe Bresee now. He's from the CDC. He makes a living following infections all over the world.

Doctor, thanks so much for being with us, sir.

DR. JOE BRESEE, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION: Oh, my pleasure.

SANCHEZ: You know what I want to do? Because there are so many people who have so many questions, rather than me asking you the questions, I am going to let some of them ask you the questions.

Johnny, let's go to our Twitter board, if we can. And on the Twitter board, what we see is this Mountain Sister, she wants - she says this. See if you can listen along here. "What scares me about this flu is that we as a population have not developed any antibodies against it and it can be fatal." Is she right, Doctor?

BRESEE: That's an excellent question. And that's what we worry about with new flu viruses, too.

And flu viruses circulate every year. Seasonal flu viruses do, and we develop antibodies against them, so even if that flu virus changes a little bit, we have some antibodies against it which help protect us year in and year out. With these new flu viruses, the danger is, is that the population doesn't have much antibody against it.

And so there's the danger that it can cause more severe disease and can infect more people and cause more deaths and more hospitalizations. I will say that what we're seeing right now still in the United States and in Canada is self-limited disease.

We have seen one hospitalization in the United States. We haven't seen any deaths. And you mentioned it a minute ago, I think, is why Mexico is seeing more severe cases than we are.

SANCHEZ: Yes, curious, isn't it?

BRESEE: And I think that's an excellent question. And I think that's one of the most important questions to answer with the field teams.

SANCHEZ: And we don't know. Yes, but you know what's interesting about this, as I understand it, and correct me if I'm wrong, a lot of the people who have been dying in Mexico are not what you usually hear, because when you hear of these kind of flus, of course, people who are very delicate or very young or very old are going to die.

In this case, the folks who are dying in Mexico are not necessarily either very young or very old. Why?

(CROSSTALK)

BRESEE: That's exactly right. And that's one of the most important things about this outbreak, I think.

You're right. Most of the time, seasonal flu, the regular human flu we see every year, it's more likely to result in death in elderly people or very young children, people with less able immune systems.

I think we are hearing a portion of Mexico that deaths and hospitalizations are occurring in young healthy adults, which would be unusual for influenza. Again, we have field teams in Mexico helping them investigate the outbreak.

We hope to really have answers to these questions very soon. Right now, though, I think what we are seeing is self-limited disease in the United States. I think it's, though, important to pay attention. We have issued recommendations for how to care for people, how to treat people, how to find cases. All that may change very quickly as we learn more about these cases and this virus.

SANCHEZ: Hey, let me just ask you a personal question.

BRESEE: Sure.

SANCHEZ: As a father of four children, you know, living in Atlanta, big city in the United States, not New York, how concerned should I be? And I guess I ask this question because I'm thinking a lot of the people watching us right now are probably wondering or asking the same thing.

Look, it's like my kids would say. Dad, don't freak out. I don't want to freak out about this.

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: But I want to know, is there anything I should do, is there anything I should be concerned about?

BRESEE: No, that's right. And it's the same question my wife asked me, actually.

And I told her to listen to her favorite public health official, which is me.

(LAUGHTER)

BRESEE: And what I said is, I think two things are important.

I think we can take responsibility for our own health to a large extent, even in this outbreak. And I think do the things that your mom told you how to do. Cover your mouth when you cough; stay home when you're sick; wash your hands a lot.

The second thing you do is listen to public health. I think the state health departments, the county health departments, CDC, we're following this very closely. We're investigating it aggressively. And we're going to come out with new information all the time. And so, I think pay attention, but take care of yourself in the meantime.

SANCHEZ: By the way, so much is being - I just got a note. This is from one of the fellows here who gathers our information. The media was giving a real tough time to the spokesperson for the president, Robert Gibbs, about the fact that the fellow who had given Barack Obama a tour of some of the archaeological sites there in Mexico City died two days later.

There's some question as to whether or not he died of swine flu or of pneumonia. The information we're getting now is that he died of pneumonia, not swine flu.

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: Still, given the fact that it was the president of the United States and not Joe Blow, what can you share with us about this story? BRESEE: I hadn't heard that story before, but I'm sure the president's health advisers are taking good care of him. And I'm sure they're watching for illness now that he's back and will treat it and report it as appropriate.

SANCHEZ: But you don't have any new information on that?

BRESEE: I don't.

SANCHEZ: How communicable is this? And is there anything people can do to prepare - to fight this before it happens, for example? Is there any kind of antidote out there or anything?

BRESEE: No, I think we're discovering more and more about the virus and how it spreads right now, and how communicable it is.

I think we don't know the full answers to those questions. But I think that it's a respiratory virus. And respiratory viruses spread through coughing and sneezing. And, so I think that, really, washing your hands, covering your cough, staying home when you're sick, staying away from people when you're ill are really the keys to limiting spread in the community.

SANCHEZ: That's as close as we can come to immunizing ourselves at this point, right?

BRESEE: At this point.

I think CDC and our partners have started thinking about developing a vaccine and have taken the first steps toward that. And so we're working on that, but, in the meantime, take responsibility for yourself and wash your hands.

BRESEE: Doctor, thank you very much. Good advice. Makes sense.

Doctor, thanks so much for being with us.

BRESEE: My pleasure.

SANCHEZ: Thanks for...

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: ... through that information.

BRESEE: Thanks.

A huge college party goes awry and police are called in with riot gear. Question, is this a sign of the times? Interesting where it happened.

And this, 100 days and this handshake is what many are talking about. Every day this week, I am going to look at a different controversial issue. Our topic today, is President Obama making America weaker abroad? We will take it up. And then police want to know if you have seen this man. See him right there? He's a university professor, esteemed at one point, University of Georgia. He's now accused of turning into a crazed killer. We're all over it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: We are getting a lot of questions from many of you. And we're going to answer them.

In meantime, let's go over to Janet Napolitano now. She's the director of homeland security, talking about swine flu.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

JANET NAPOLITANO, U.S. SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: I spoke this afternoon with Mexico's ambassador to the United States so that our governments are moving in tandem, and I will be speaking later on with my counterpart in Canada. We really have a tri-national approach to the flu issues.

As I said yesterday, I issued a public health emergency declaration. That permitted today the - an emergency authorization that allows the FDA to proceed to permit things like Tamiflu to be used for populations that they otherwise wouldn't be used for, in this case, for example, very, very young children.

The Department of Homeland Security is conducting conference calls with state public health and homeland security officials on a daily basis to discuss developments related to swine flu. And I have reached out to the governors of each of the states where a confirmed case has - has arisen.

As I said yesterday, we're in the process of activating our national stockpile of antiviral drugs. The priority is placed on states that have been affected, as well as states along the border, and antivirals already are on the way to some of these states.

All states will have access to the national stockpile, and full deployment is expected by the 3rd of May.

The Department of Health - the Department of Homeland Security - excuse me - continues to direct people entering the United States from Mexico who appear to be sick to the CDC or to local health officials to be evaluated.

In addition, the traveler's health alert notices are being posted at ticket counters and gates within the airports. And at the land ports, there's a tear sheet that is being handed out to travelers.

We are reaching out to the private sector to make sure that they are preparing and to inform them of the latest actions we are taking. It's important that they be thinking ahead about what they would do should this erupt into a full-fledged pandemic, which it has not yet, by the way. And, finally, we are taking precautionary measures with respect to the health of our own work force. We have prepositioned antivirals for all the nine Border Patrol sectors and for our Coast Guard sectors to assure they remain at full strength. We've provided guidance to all employees on how to use antivirals.

We continue to stress, the CDC continues to stress, the Department of Health and Human Services continues to stress that common sense will go a long way here to mitigate the impact of any flu. Common sense means washing hands, staying home from work or school if you feel sick, covering your mouth if you cough or sneeze. These are straightforward and simple measures, but they can materially improve our chances of avoiding a full-fledged pandemic.

Everybody has a role to play here. It's our function to make sure that what the government is doing is coordinated, that we are thinking in advance of the problem.

But, again, government cannot do this alone. We all have an important part to play.

So, with that, alerts are posted. Information is available, by the way, for people who are interested. The CDC Web site is a very, very good Web site; cdc.gov/swineflu is the exact address.

In addition, www.state.gov and travel.state.gov, the two State Department Web sites, also have information. Of course, the Department of Homeland Security's Web site has information and will click you over into other department Web sites, as well.

With that, John, Pat, I'll be happy to take some questions.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) how many people are coming into the U.S. either on land or (INAUDIBLE) the airports have been confirmed (INAUDIBLE) health authorities?

NAPOLITANO: I don't know yet. We're starting -- we're just in the beginning process of trying to collect that kind of information. But again, what I've been saying is we'll provide you with information on a daily basis as we work our way through this.

QUESTION: How does that work?

Someone comes to the border inspection person and is coughing or displays some sort of symptom.

Is there a health professional right there to see them?

And who are those folks?

NAPOLITANO: It depends on which port you're entering at, you know, because there are different sizes, different locales and all the rest.

Generally speaking, they're referred to or put in another room. I don't want to use the word quarantine, because technically it's not a quarantine. But they're put in a -- in a separate room. And they're either questioned by a Customs Border Protection officer who has some training in this or, in the bigger ports, a -- either a public health official who is on site or they call the local public health authority to have some people brought over and they'll question them.

And then, if it's ascertained that they may, indeed, have the flu, they'll make a decision about whether they can go ahead and enter the country and go to a place to get taken care of or whether they need to go back home.

QUESTION: But it doesn't appear to be that -- that just large numbers of people are being diverted to the secondary inspection?

NAPOLITANO: Not that I've heard of today. And, again, this is a changing scene and so that may change. But as of today, I have not heard of that.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) for this?

NAPOLITANO: Well, Mexico has had a much more acute problem to solve and you know the steps that have been taken in Mexico City, for example, with respect to closing down the schools, shutting off places where people would gather, issuing masks and the like.

So they are taking every public health precaution one can identify with respect to this kind of an outbreak.

We have people down there now -- teams from the CDC. One of the things that we are assisting on is laboratory capacity for running diagnostic samples; but, also, collecting good data, because it will help us, for our planning, if we can see how widespread this really is in Mexico.

QUESTION: Can you tell us, Madame Secretary -- and perhaps Mr. Brennan, as well -- a little bit about when the United States government first became of, you know, the events in Mexico and how you began to come up with your response, one.

And then what about today brought on the travel alert?

What changed today to bring on the travel alert?

NAPOLITANO: Sure.

John?

OK.

JOHN BRENNAN, HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISER: The first instances of the influenza down in Mexico were at the end of last week. In terms of confirmation, it was like Thursday or Friday of last week.

So the Mexican health authorities knew they had a health issue. And, therefore, they sent the samples to both the Canadian labs, as well as to the CDC. And so the confirmation that it was swine flu was last week.

But to date, at least from my perspective, the Mexican authorities have been exceptionally cooperative and forthcoming. Both Secretary Napolitano and I have spoken to the Mexican ambassador. I think there has been very strong cooperation.

NAPOLITANO: Yes. And, Ginger, by Friday, we were beginning to assemble the information and form the interagency team that would need to work this issue over the weekend. And under HSPD 5, you know, I was designated as the principal federal official and we began -- that whole process was well underway as we worked throughout the weekend.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) and it was Mexican authorities who first notified the United States?

(CROSSTALK)

BRENNAN: It was through the health...

NAPOLITANO: Through (INAUDIBLE).

BRENNAN: ...professionals that were cooperating, both U.S. and Mexican health officials.

QUESTION: And the State Department question, about why today, the travel alert?

NAPOLITANO: I think that, in part, is just because the data -- as the data becomes more robust, then better decisions can be made about what actually needs to happen.

QUESTION: What kind of guidance are you giving state and local governments in terms of what they should do if they have cases of the flu now?

For instance, are you suggesting if it's in a school, they close down the school?

NAPOLITANO: The CDC has issued community mitigation guidance to communities and we can give you an actual copy of that.

QUESTION: Madame Secretary, have you issued any (INAUDIBLE) information for local law enforcement earlier today?

NAPOLITANO: We are in touch with local law enforcement. We are in touch with the fusion centers in the various states. And they have access to all the material, for example, that's posted on the CDC Web site -- our Web site and the like, for whatever use they care to make.

QUESTION: Will the administration be making any kind of additional budget requests to Congress to cover actions taken or actions that may be taken or do you (INAUDIBLE)?

NAPOLITANO: I don't think any decisions have been made on that yet.

QUESTION: Can you talk about the lack of personnel across both HHS and DHS (INAUDIBLE)?

Would it be helpful that nobody is on board?

Is that a concern on (INAUDIBLE)?

How closely are you following it?

(INAUDIBLE)?

NAPOLITANO: Yes. With respect to presidential appointees -- confirmees -- those roles are all being filled by career civil servants who have a great deal of experience. And as far as I'm concerned, the process -- the work has been moving very smoothly and with great -- great efficiency. So I think we're moving right along, in that sense.

With respect to the pandemic playbook, you know, the World Health Organization has us at Level 3, which is basically preparatory to pandemic. Today, they are meeting with respect to whether that level should be raised.

Level 6 is actual pandemic. And so we're keying off of that. And even if they raise the level today, our preparations now are as if it had already been raised. So we are proceeding as if we are preparatory to a full pandemic. We don't know that a pandemic actually will occur, but because we want to make sure that we have equipment where it needs to be, people where they need to be and, most important, information shared at all levels. We've already organized as if -- as if this were.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jason?

JASON: I think at the next level, at Level 4, that there are possible (INAUDIBLE) it's possible parts that the border could be -- parts of the border could be closed or increased border surveillance of people coming across -- is that something that's been discussed at this point?

NAPOLITANO: Well, as I said yesterday, we're already doing passive surveillance at the border. And with respect to closing the border, again, you would close the border if you thought you could contain disease -- the spread of disease. But the disease already is in a number of states within the United States. So the containment issue doesn't really play out.

And this particular flu, you can -- you can actually have it for a couple of days before you show any symptoms. And so even if you close -- I mean people could be coming through now, even under passive surveillance, who actually have the flu. So it's -- that's a very difficult judgment to make.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: Other than notices being posted at gates at the airport, specifically, what else is TSA doing?

Are passengers being questioned on the incoming flights into this country?

NAPOLITANO: Well, again, if -- if they're coming from international travel, they have to go through CBP. And CBP is doing the passive surveillance if passengers appear sick. And they are also asking -- or able to ask questions, particularly on flights that originate in Mexico.

And we're giving -- on the land ports, as I said before, they're giving out what's called a tear sheet, which is -- we can give you a copy of that. It tells you what to look for and what to do if you think you're getting ill. And that information is being posted in the airports and at the gates.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) at airports (INAUDIBLE)?

NAPOLITANO: My understanding is that we have 19 airports that have quarantine available. That would cover about 85 percent of air travelers. But we haven't activated that need yet. And we may -- we may not need to. We don't know. But we have identified where they are, what we would need to do in case the facts warrant it later on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The last question.

QUESTION: You say that it takes about three to four days for the symptoms to show up. So people could come in by air not knowing that they have it, because the symptoms haven't shown up and they'll be able to walk right in, right?

I mean is there any -- any contingency plans for dealing with that?

How -- you know, how would you -- how would you deal with something like that?

NAPOLITANO: Well, if people are sick and if you have the flu or you believe you have the flu -- you have a fever, you have a heavy cough -- we're asking people -- I'm asking people -- we're asking people, don't go to school, don't go to work, don't go to a place where you can infect other people.

And the normal tendency is, you know, we have a lot of Type A personalities and people want to go keep working. And we're saying don't do that if you believe, realistically, that you have the flu.

If you don't know but you show some of the symptoms, contact your doctor.

And going to, I think, your question, what you're saying is people could still be coming in the country because they're asymptomatic, may have the flu. And that is true. But, again, given the number of cases and what's actually appearing and the like, we believe, at this level, the appropriate precautions have been taken.

Thank you all.

SANCHEZ: And there you have it -- Janet Napolitano trying to answer a lot of the questions that are being raised by so many of these reporters. Let's see...

NAPOLITANO: The deputy secretary (INAUDIBLE).

SANCHEZ: I don't know if she's adding anything there. She's about to walk away. This is at Homeland Security.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) Tamiflu.

Is there a reason for that?

NAPOLITANO: Well, Tamiflu normally is not prescribed for children under the age of one.

QUESTION: Well, why -- I mean why was (INAUDIBLE) they should (INAUDIBLE) to authorize that?

You mentioned that it's (INAUDIBLE).

NAPOLITANO: That question you should address to the CDC.

SANCHEZ: All right. There you go. Lots of questions. Lots of questions not just from reporters, but questions coming in from many of you.

As a matter of fact, let's go to the Twitter board, if we possibly can. And we've got -- I mean just -- just look at these that I've collected just while I was watching this news conference here: "Wondering how worried to be about swine flu. I'm sick, but it's normal cold symptoms. Feeling paranoid due to media blitz."

The last thing we want to do is get paranoid during a situation like this. But it is OK to ask questions and look for answers: "Hey, Rick, are those who didn't get a flu shot more at risk for the swine flu? Your basic germ freak, so you can imagine. But I'm worried about travel. Is all travel suspended?"

That's one of the questions that she answered there moments ago.

All right. Let me do a couple of things for you. First of all, as far as some of the questions are concerned, you heard that she mentioned it right at the beginning of her newscast. And as soon as she did, many of the folks who watch this newscast, in particular -- I think something like 60 to 65 percent of you, according to the last research that we did, are not just watching this newscast, but you're connected right now. You're sitting in front of a computer or have one near you.

So if you are and you want to get more information -- because it's impossible for me to bring you all the answers to all these questions. So you go to the Web site that she mentioned moments ago. It's CDC -- I mean let me check it. CDC -- go ahead and shoot this, if you would, Zach (ph) -- CDC.gov/swineflu.

See it right there?

CDC.gov/swineflu. You go there and you get all the information from the government that you probably need to know. They give you the very latest on the cases. California is now up to seven cases; Kansas, two; New York, 28; Ohio, one; Texas, two.

You get the information there and you may get some of the answers to some of your questions.

About masks -- I know a lot of you are wondering about these masks.

Zach (ph), shoot this if you can, too.

This is the mask that often surgeons wear. It doesn't have as much cushion.

See how you can almost see through it?

You see my hand through the other side?

See the difference?

All right. I'm going to get rid of that one. Now look at this one. This is what they want you to use, if you possibly can. If you feel that you do -- would be more comfortable wearing a mask, as some three million people in Mexico have chosen to. This is the mask that has the extra cushion inside. And, obviously, it has a lot more padding and it has a lot more cotton. It actually prevents anything from going in or out.

So there you have it -- the very latest information as it comes in on this swine flu situation, because you have told us that you want to know.

It's a bull running down the aisle at a grocery store.

Was it screaming something about eating more chicken?

Also, 100 days of truth or fiction for President Obama -- today, the charge that he's making America weak abroad?

I say that with a question mark at the end.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back.

I'm Rick Sanchez here in the World Headquarters of CNN.

For those of you now joining us, yes, we're still following the swine flu situation in Mexico and some of the cases that have been reported in the United States. If there's any new information at any time, we'll stop what we're doing and bring it to you immediately.

But we would like to catch you up on some of the other news -- even the stuff that puts a little bit of a smile on our face as we watch some of the other news stories that develop.

You've heard about a bull in a china shop, right?

Well, here's a bull in a supermarket -- looking for a china shop, we suppose. It jumped out of the ring at an Irish cattle mart and wandered into a nearby supermarket. Look at the guy with the -- look at the guy with the shopping cart.

Customers who normally visit the meat department were startled to see the meat department visit them.

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: They used carts, not capes, to keep the bull at bay and after a few frightening moments, it left.

This is no cock and bull story and this video is the proof.

You liked that, Colleen (ph), didn't you?

I saw you laughing over there.

Most people see a tornado, they run the other way. Not the guys that I'm about to show you. Take a look. These are the storm chasers you hear about all the time. And this is the fruit of their labor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, COURTESY TORNADOVIDEOS.NET)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go! I can't -- it's right here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go! Go!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Drop down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Unbelievable.

Do you see that?

You think it's close now, That tornado?

Just watch what happens next. That twister -- it's about to cross the road right in front of the vehicle with the team of tornado chasers.

Hit the sound up, Otis (ph), if you've got it.

Let's hear what they're saying.

All right.

(AUDIO GAP)

SANCHEZ: All right. With me now from the Weather Center is CNN meteorologist, Chad Myers.

Also, from Weatherford, Oklahoma is tornado chaser Reed Timmer.

Thanks, guys, both of you, for being with us.

Reed, let's start with you.

What did you see?

What were you doing?

What was it like?

REED TIMMER, TORNADOVIDEOS.NET: Well, it was an incredible super cell storm. It had amazing rotation right from the get go. The environment was so perfect for tornadoes that it started producing the first tornado just shortly after it developed, actually. And the first one was a rogue tornado and we saw it. And we thought this is the perfect tornado to intercept because our vehicle has bullet-proof armor.

SANCHEZ: Wow!

TIMMER: And this is (INAUDIBLE) for the Discovery Channel "Storm Chaser" series. And our goal was to drive into that tornado because it was weak enough that we could drop our hydraulic system to the ground: "and sustain impact from some of the debris that was flying around.

SANCHEZ: How crazy do you have to be to get that close to something like this, Chad?

Tell him.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, in the vehicle that he's running, which is basically the EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle -- you know, the new version of that. You know, but, Reed, would you please tell people out there that if you have a pickup truck and a -- and a weather radio, that that does not make you a storm chaser?

You have a lot more stuff.

TIMMER: Yes. I cannot emphasize enough that that is definitely an example of what not to do. And it's very difficult to tell what a storm is going to do. And it takes a lot of experience to time those cycles. And if you go out there and are not experienced, it can be very dangerous.

And those tornadoes are extremely strong and they can take a vehicle and throw it, you know, no problem. And it's an extremely dangerous situation out there if you don't know what you're doing.

SANCHEZ: Jeez, look at that thing. How close did you get to the storm?

TIMMER: I think we were within 50 yards or so when it crossed the road...

SANCHEZ: Fifty yards?

You could throw a rock 50 yards.

TIMMER: Yes, I don't know if I could.

(LAUGHTER)

TIMMER: We were definitely close. And that was a perfect tornado for us to get close to, because it was really small and the circulation was very compact. (INAUDIBLE)...

MYERS: Hey, Reed, when we were talking about that, we were actually showing that the bigger funnel that you had -- the bigger tornado on the ground looked like an F3 or something like that. It was -- it was totally a wedge on the ground. That was the one we were showing you.

So how far away were you away from that?

It was like a half a mile?

A mile?

TIMMER: Yes. I bet it was about a half mile or a mile when it crossed right in front of us. And then it moved out into that valley to the east. And that was an extremely strong tornado, as you mentioned. I would say -- I would agree, at least F3, maybe stronger.

And thankfully, it didn't hit anything, so they may not find out exactly how (INAUDIBLE).

SANCHEZ: I'll tell you, it's a -- it's a unique position when you get to watch something like this. For the most part, you only see it the day after. And that's the bad news, as well, when you see all the -- all the damage that it's caused. But here we're actually seeing the tornado. And thank goodness it wasn't blowing through a populated area at the time.

MYERS: And notice...

SANCHEZ: (INAUDIBLE) storms.

MYERS: Notice, Rick, they're driving in a flat area. You know, you try to chase in Missouri or Arkansas and you've got to chase with a chain saw. These guys know where it's at. They can see it a long way away. They know where every paved road is. And they don't go on dirt roads because dirt roads turn into a mud road and you don't want to be stuck in a mud road.

SANCHEZ: Yes. MYERS: That movie -- that movie, what was it?

I don't know, was it...

SANCHEZ: "Twister."

MYERS: It was "Twister?"

SANCHEZ: "Twister," yes. I remember.

MYERS: That has nothing to do with reality when it comes to tornado chasing.

SANCHEZ: The cow and the...

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: The cow flying up in the air?

What are you talking about?

MYERS: Yes.

SANCHEZ: Hey, Reed, Chad, my thanks to you.

We've got another segment we're going to try and get in.

MYERS: All right.

SANCHEZ: Thanks so much for the update and the great video.

TIMMER: All right. Thank you.

Thanks for having me.

SANCHEZ: All right.

Every day this week, we're going to be focusing on a controversial issue surrounding the president's first 100 days and how he's doing. You'll heard -- you've heard all the different comments about the president, good and bad and indifferent.

Today's topic -- is the president making us weaker?

You've heard that one, too.

It's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ (voice-over): One hundred days -- he'll take away your guns, make us weaker, increase taxes.

What is fact and what is fiction? OBAMA: I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear --

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: The first 100 days of the Obama presidency ends Wednesday.

How has America gotten by under Barack Hussein Obama?

Contrary to some of the dire predictions that we have heard, America hasn't crumbled just yet under the first five score days. In fact, in general, he's getting -- the president is -- high marks -- an approval rate of about 64 percent under what even his critics call difficult circumstances.

By the way, 64 percent is the highest 100-day approval rating since -- since Ronald Reagan.

Why, then, does it seem that there is so much doubt -- so much criticism about this president?

Part of it is because his critics are very loud, very organized, and, in some cases, very powerful. And then there's the issue of the unknown, which, in many ways, describes what we're -- as a nation -- what we, as a nation, are going through right now, which makes people raise legitimate questions. And there's legitimate disagreement out there.

We're going to take on the issues one at a time.

Today, issue one. President Obama -- is he making us weaker abroad, as many have charged?

Items used by his critics. Number one, he went to Latin America and he shook hands with Hugo Chavez.

Item two, he ordered GITMO closed and declared that America won't torture.

Item three, he concedes on foreign soil that Americans have made mistakes.

Joining us now from Washington is Patricia Murphy.

She writes a column for PoliticsDaily.com. Murph, thanks so much for being with us again.

PATRICIA MURPHY, COLUMNIST, POLITICSDAILY.COM: Thanks for having me.

SANCHEZ: Let's begin with the president's biggest and certainly most vocal critic on this thus far. Vice president -- former vice president, Dick Cheney, left office with an approval rating of 13 percent himself. And now he says President Obama is going around the world apologizing to evil forces out there. We'll view this as a weakness. Here's President Obama's appearance in Strasbourg, France back in April.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM APRIL 3)

OBAMA: In America, there is a failure to appreciate Europe's leading role in the world. Instead of celebrating your dynamic union and seeking to partner with you to meet common challenges, there have been times where America has shown arrogance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: All right. He got some flak for saying that -- the line about "Americans have shown arrogance." But he continued -- and that's important. None of his critics, by the way, Murph, mentioned what the president went on to say right after he was done with that bold statement.

Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM APRIL 3)

OBAMA: In Europe, there is an anti-Americanism that is at once casual, but can also be insidious. Instead of recognizing the good that America so often does in the world, there have been times where Europeans choose to blame America for much of what's bad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: So what you've got in those two sound clips right there is the president of the United States being self-critical of the United States, the country he's the president of, and then being critical of Europe for being anti-American, as he said.

Is it fair for some of the president's critics -- here comes the question. I know you've been waiting a long time.

(LAUGHTER)

MURPHY: There's a question coming, I know it.

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: Is it fair for his critics to pluck words selectively?

MURPHY: It's never fair to quote somebody out of context. That's just not fair no matter who you're talking about. And it's very important to note that Barack Obama has apologized to Europe. He has also told the Muslim community we are not at war with Islam and never will be.

But particularly in Europe, he came back and said, we've made our mistakes, you've made your mistakes. So it's not exactly the World Apology Tour from Barack Obama. He's out there. He's just trying to establish a new relationship, not trying to give away all of our influence, but trying to acknowledge the very real anger against the United States in Europe and elsewhere.

SANCHEZ: Here's another interesting question, the Hugo Chavez thing. It garnered, certainly, a lot of criticism for the president.

But as you go back, the general strategy of returning to diplomacy, isn't it analogous to what Kennedy, to what Nixon, to what Carter, to what Ronald Reagan, to what Bush I, to what Clinton -- all with the exception of the last president -- did?

They talked to other people.

MURPHY: Yes. You know, when you look back at past presidents, some of the most defining moments in their presidencies was when they were having direct diplomacy with countries that were not allies of the United States and you just listed all of those.

George Bush changed that with his axis of evil speech, when he said you are with us or you're against us. That was in the shadow of 9/11. And I think people understood why he did that.

But it could -- it really alienated not just the -- the enemies of the United States, but some of our allies. And many people think that that damaged the United States' standing around the world and Barack Obama is trying to change that.

Now, the handshake with Chavez was a little different because that wasn't a part of some grand strategy, as those other meetings where, when you talk about Nixon and China, for example.

SANCHEZ: Yes, but here's -- but here's what we -- we're down to 30 seconds. But, I mean, you look at some of these guys that we've shaken hands with before -- Mao, Brezhnev, Gorbachev, Khrushchev. I mean these are people Republican presidents have all shaken hands and embraced -- on video. We could show it.

MURPHY: Yes, absolutely. But, again, that was part of a major strategic initiative that they had for Obama, though he has said I believe in direct diplomacy, I believe in meeting with our enemies. And that's what he's starting to do there.

He didn't have a big meeting with Chavez. It was just the beginning, just a hand shake.

SANCHEZ: Right.

Murph?

MURPHY: Yes?

SANCHEZ: We're out of time. Good to see you.

MURPHY: That's OK.

Thank you so much.

SANCHEZ: We've got Wolf Blitzer standing by. Here now, ladies and gentlemen, "THE SITUATION ROOM".

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Thanks, Rick.

Happening now, swine flu is spreading in the United States and around the world -- new cases reported and new precautions taken. We're tracking the infection and the risks for you and your loved ones.

The Obama administration says there's no need to panic right now -- can this dangerous outbreak be stopped in its tracks?

I'll ask the Homeland Security secretary, Janet Napolitano, if the government is ready for the worst case scenario. She's standing by live.

? NAPOLITANO: Information is available, by the way, for people who are interested. The CDC Web site is a very, very good Web site -- CDC.gov/swineflu is the exact address.

In addition, www.State.Gov and www.TravelState.Gov -- Travel.State.Gov, the two State Department Web sites, also have information. And, of course, the Department of Homeland Security's Web site has information and will click you over into other department Web sites, as well.

With that, John, Pat, I'll be happy to take some questions.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) how many people are coming into the U.S. either on land or (INAUDIBLE) the airports have been confirmed (INAUDIBLE) health authorities?

NAPOLITANO: I don't know yet. We're starting -- we're just in the beginning process of trying to collect that kind of information. But again, what I've been saying is we'll provide you with information on a daily basis as we work our way through this.

QUESTION: How does that work?

Someone comes to the border inspection person and is coughing or displays some sort of symptom.

Is there a health professional right there to see them?

And who are those folks?

NAPOLITANO: It depends on which port you're entering at, you know, because there are different sizes, different locales and all the rest.

Generally speaking, they're referred to or put in another room. I don't want to use the word quarantine, because technically it's not a quarantine. But they're put in a -- in a separate room. And they're either questioned by a Customs Border Protection officer who has some training in this or, in the bigger ports, a -- either a public health official who is on site or they call the local public health authority to have some people brought over and they'll question them.

And then, if it's ascertained that they may, indeed, have the flu, they'll make a decision about whether they can go ahead and enter the country and go to a place to get taken care of or whether they need to go back home.

QUESTION: But it doesn't appear to be that -- that just large numbers of people are being diverted to the secondary inspection?

NAPOLITANO: Not that I've heard of today. And, again, this is a changing scene and so that may change. But as of today, I have not heard of that.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) for this?

NAPOLITANO: Well, Mexico has had a much more acute problem to solve and you know the steps that have been taken in Mexico City, for example, with respect to closing down the schools, shutting off places where people would gather, issuing masks and the like.

So they are taking every public health precaution one can identify with respect to this kind of an outbreak.

We have people down there now -- teams from the CDC. One of the things that we are assisting on is laboratory capacity for running diagnostic samples; but, also, collecting good data, because it will help us, for our planning, if we can see how widespread this really is in Mexico.

QUESTION: Can you tell us, Madame Secretary -- and perhaps Mr. Brennan, as well -- a little bit about when the United States government first became of, you know, the events in Mexico and how you began to come up with your response, one.

And then what about today brought on the travel alert?

What changed today to bring on the travel alert?

NAPOLITANO: Sure.

John?

OK.

JOHN BRENNAN, HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISER: The first instances of the influenza down in Mexico were at the end of last week. In terms of confirmation, it was like Thursday or Friday of last week.

So the Mexican health authorities knew they had a health issue. And, therefore, they sent the samples to both the Canadian labs, as well as to the CDC. And so the confirmation that it was swine flu was last week.

But to date, at least from my perspective, the Mexican authorities have been exceptionally cooperative and forthcoming. Both Secretary Napolitano and I have spoken to the Mexican ambassador. I think there has been very strong cooperation.

NAPOLITANO: Yes. And, Ginger, by Friday, we were beginning to assemble the information and form the interagency team that would need to work this issue over the weekend. And under HSPD 5, you know, I was designated as the principal federal official and we began -- that whole process was well underway as we worked throughout the weekend.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) and it was Mexican authorities who first notified the United States?

(CROSSTALK)

BRENNAN: It was through the health...

NAPOLITANO: Through (INAUDIBLE).

BRENNAN: ...professionals that were cooperating, both U.S. and Mexican health officials.

QUESTION: And the State Department question, about why today, the travel alert?

NAPOLITANO: I think that, in part, is just because the data -- as the data becomes more robust, then better decisions can be made about what actually needs to happen.

QUESTION: What kind of guidance are you giving state and local governments in terms of what they should do if they have cases of the flu now?

For instance, are you suggesting if it's in a school, they close down the school?

NAPOLITANO: The CDC has issued community mitigation guidance to communities and we can give you an actual copy of that.

QUESTION: Madame Secretary, have you issued any (INAUDIBLE) information for local law enforcement earlier today?

NAPOLITANO: We are in touch with local law enforcement. We are in touch with the fusion centers in the various states. And they have access to all the material, for example, that's posted on the CDC Web site -- our Web site and the like, for whatever use they care to make.

QUESTION: Will the administration be making any kind of additional budget requests to Congress to cover actions taken or actions that may be taken or do you (INAUDIBLE)?

NAPOLITANO: I don't think any decisions have been made on that yet.

QUESTION: Can you talk about the lack of personnel across both HHS and DHS (INAUDIBLE)?

Would it be helpful that nobody is on board?

Is that a concern on (INAUDIBLE)?

How closely are you following it?

(INAUDIBLE)?

NAPOLITANO: Yes. With respect to presidential appointees -- confirmees -- those roles are all being filled by career civil servants who have a great deal of experience. And as far as I'm concerned, the process -- the work has been moving very smoothly and with great -- great efficiency. So I think we're moving right along, in that sense.

With respect to the pandemic playbook, you know, the World Health Organization has us at Level 3, which is basically preparatory to pandemic. Today, they are meeting with respect to whether that level should be raised.

Level 6 is actual pandemic. And so we're keying off of that. And even if they raise the level today, our preparations now are as if it had already been raised. So we are proceeding as if we are preparatory to a full pandemic. We don't know that a pandemic actually will occur, but because we want to make sure that we have equipment where it needs to be, people where they need to be and, most important, information shared at all levels. We've already organized as if -- as if this were.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jason?

JASON: I think at the next level, at Level 4, that there are possible (INAUDIBLE) it's possible parts that the border could be -- parts of the border could be closed or increased border surveillance of people coming across -- is that something that's been discussed at this point?

NAPOLITANO: Well, as I said yesterday, we're already doing passive surveillance at the border. And with respect to closing the border, again, you would close the border if you thought you could contain disease -- the spread of disease. But the disease already is in a number of states within the United States. So the containment issue doesn't really play out.

And this particular flu, you can -- you can actually have it for a couple of days before you show any symptoms. And so even if you close -- I mean people could be coming through now, even under passive surveillance, who actually have the flu. So it's -- that's a very difficult judgment to make.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: Other than notices being posted at gates at the airport, specifically, what else is TSA doing?

Are passengers being questioned on the incoming flights into this country?

NAPOLITANO: Well, again, if -- if they're coming from international travel, they have to go through CBP. And CBP is doing the passive surveillance if passengers appear sick. And they are also asking -- or able to ask questions, particularly on flights that originate in Mexico.

And we're giving -- on the land ports, as I said before, they're giving out what's called a tear sheet, which is -- we can give you a copy of that. It tells you what to look for and what to do if you think you're getting ill. And that information is being posted in the airports and at the gates.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) at airports (INAUDIBLE)?

NAPOLITANO: My understanding is that we have 19 airports that have quarantine available. That would cover about 85 percent of air travelers. But we haven't activated that need yet. And we may -- we may not need to. We don't know. But we have identified where they are, what we would need to do in case the facts warrant it later on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The last question.

QUESTION: You say that it takes about three to four days for the symptoms to show up. So people could come in by air not knowing that they have it, because the symptoms haven't shown up and they'll be able to walk right in, right?

I mean is there any -- any contingency plans for dealing with that?

How -- you know, how would you -- how would you deal with something like that?

NAPOLITANO: Well, if people are sick and if you have the flu or you believe you have the flu -- you have a fever, you have a heavy cough -- we're asking people -- I'm asking people -- we're asking people, don't go to school, don't go to work, don't go to a place where you can infect other people.

And the normal tendency is, you know, we have a lot of Type A personalities and people want to go keep working. And we're saying don't do that if you believe, realistically, that you have the flu.

If you don't know but you show some of the symptoms, contact your doctor.

And going to, I think, your question, what you're saying is people could still be coming in the country because they're asymptomatic, may have the flu. And that is true. But, again, given the number of cases and what's actually appearing and the like, we believe, at this level, the appropriate precautions have been taken.

Thank you all.

SANCHEZ: And there you have it -- Janet Napolitano trying to answer a lot of the questions that are being raised by so many of these reporters. Let's see...

NAPOLITANO: The deputy secretary (INAUDIBLE).

SANCHEZ: I don't know if she's adding anything there. She's about to walk away. This is at Homeland Security.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) Tamiflu.

Is there a reason for that?

NAPOLITANO: Well, Tamiflu normally is not prescribed for children under the age of one.

QUESTION: Well, why -- I mean why was (INAUDIBLE) they should (INAUDIBLE) to authorize that?

You mentioned that it's (INAUDIBLE).

NAPOLITANO: That question you should address to the CDC.

SANCHEZ: All right. There you go. Lots of questions. Lots of questions not just from reporters, but questions coming in from many of you.

As a matter of fact, let's go to the Twitter board, if we possibly can. And we've got -- I mean just -- just look at these that I've collected just while I was watching this news conference here: "Wondering how worried to be about swine flu. I'm sick, but it's normal cold symptoms. Feeling paranoid due to media blitz."

The last thing we want to do is get paranoid during a situation like this. But it is OK to ask questions and look for answers: "Hey, Rick, are those who didn't get a flu shot more at risk for the swine flu? Your basic germ freak, so you can imagine. But I'm worried about travel. Is all travel suspended?"

That's one of the questions that she answered there moments ago.

All right. Let me do a couple of things for you. First of all, as far as some of the questions are concerned, you heard that she mentioned it right at the beginning of her newscast. And as soon as she did, many of the folks who watch this newscast, in particular -- I think something like 60 to 65 percent of you, according to the last research that we did, are not just watching this newscast, but you're connected right now. You're sitting in front of a computer or have one near you.

So if you are and you want to get more information -- because it's impossible for me to bring you all the answers to all these questions. So you go to the Web site that she mentioned moments ago. It's CDC -- I mean let me check it. CDC -- go ahead and shoot this, if you would, Zach (ph) -- CDC.gov/swineflu.

See it right there?

CDC.gov/swineflu. You go there and you get all the information from the government that you probably need to know. They give you the very latest on the cases. California is now up to seven cases; Kansas, two; New York, 28; Ohio, one; Texas, two.

You get the information there and you may get some of the answers to some of your questions.

About masks -- I know a lot of you are wondering about these masks.

Zach (ph), shoot this if you can, too.

This is the mask that often surgeons wear. It doesn't have as much cushion.

See how you can almost see through it?

You see my hand through the other side?

See the difference?

All right. I'm going to get rid of that one. Now look at this one. This is what they want you to use, if you possibly can. If you feel that you do -- would be more comfortable wearing a mask, as some three million people in Mexico have chosen to. This is the mask that has the extra cushion inside. And, obviously, it has a lot more padding and it has a lot more cotton. It actually prevents anything from going in or out.

So there you have it -- the very latest information as it comes in on this swine flu situation, because you have told us that you want to know.

It's a bull running down the aisle at a grocery store.

Was it screaming something about eating more chicken?

Also, 100 days of truth or fiction for President Obama -- today, the charge that he's making America weak abroad?

I say that with a question mark at the end.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back.

I'm Rick Sanchez here in the World Headquarters of CNN.

For those of you now joining us, yes, we're still following the swine flu situation in Mexico and some of the cases that have been reported in the United States. If there's any new information at any time, we'll stop what we're doing and bring it to you immediately.

But we would like to catch you up on some of the other news -- even the stuff that puts a little bit of a smile on our face as we watch some of the other news stories that develop.

You've heard about a bull in a china shop, right?

Well, here's a bull in a supermarket -- looking for a china shop, we suppose. It jumped out of the ring at an Irish cattle mart and wandered into a nearby supermarket. Look at the guy with the -- look at the guy with the shopping cart.

Customers who normally visit the meat department were startled to see the meat department visit them.

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: They used carts, not capes, to keep the bull at bay and after a few frightening moments, it left.

This is no cock and bull story and this video is the proof.

You liked that, Colleen (ph), didn't you?

I saw you laughing over there.

Most people see a tornado, they run the other way. Not the guys that I'm about to show you. Take a look. These are the storm chasers you hear about all the time. And this is the fruit of their labor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, COURTESY TORNADOVIDEOS.NET)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go! I can't -- it's right here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go! Go!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Drop down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Unbelievable.

Do you see that?

You think it's close now, That tornado?

Just watch what happens next. That twister -- it's about to cross the road right in front of the vehicle with the team of tornado chasers.

Hit the sound up, Otis (ph), if you've got it.

Let's hear what they're saying.

All right.

(AUDIO GAP)

SANCHEZ: All right. With me now from the Weather Center is CNN meteorologist, Chad Myers.

Also, from Weatherford, Oklahoma is tornado chaser Reed Timmer.

Thanks, guys, both of you, for being with us.

Reed, let's start with you.

What did you see?

What were you doing?

What was it like?

REED TIMMER, TORNADOVIDEOS.NET: Well, it was an incredible super cell storm. It had amazing rotation right from the get go. The environment was so perfect for tornadoes that it started producing the first tornado just shortly after it developed, actually. And the first one was a rogue tornado and we saw it. And we thought this is the perfect tornado to intercept because our vehicle has bullet-proof armor.

SANCHEZ: Wow!

TIMMER: And this is (INAUDIBLE) for the Discovery Channel "Storm Chaser" series. And our goal was to drive into that tornado because it was weak enough that we could drop our hydraulic system to the ground: "and sustain impact from some of the debris that was flying around.

SANCHEZ: How crazy do you have to be to get that close to something like this, Chad?

Tell him.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, in the vehicle that he's running, which is basically the EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle -- you know, the new version of that. You know, but, Reed, would you please tell people out there that if you have a pickup truck and a -- and a weather radio, that that does not make you a storm chaser?

You have a lot more stuff.

TIMMER: Yes. I cannot emphasize enough that that is definitely an example of what not to do. And it's very difficult to tell what a storm is going to do. And it takes a lot of experience to time those cycles. And if you go out there and are not experienced, it can be very dangerous.

And those tornadoes are extremely strong and they can take a vehicle and throw it, you know, no problem. And it's an extremely dangerous situation out there if you don't know what you're doing.

SANCHEZ: Jeez, look at that thing.

How close did you get to the storm?

TIMMER: I think we were within 50 yards or so when it crossed the road...

SANCHEZ: Fifty yards?

You could throw a rock 50 yards.

TIMMER: Yes, I don't know if I could.

(LAUGHTER)

TIMMER: We were definitely close. And that was a perfect tornado for us to get close to, because it was really small and the circulation was very compact. (INAUDIBLE)...

MYERS: Hey, Reed, when we were talking about that, we were actually showing that the bigger funnel that you had -- the bigger tornado on the ground looked like an F3 or something like that. It was -- it was totally a wedge on the ground. That was the one we were showing you.

So how far away were you away from that?

It was like a half a mile?

A mile?

TIMMER: Yes. I bet it was about a half mile or a mile when it crossed right in front of us. And then it moved out into that valley to the east. And that was an extremely strong tornado, as you mentioned. I would say -- I would agree, at least F3, maybe stronger.

And thankfully, it didn't hit anything, so they may not find out exactly how (INAUDIBLE).

SANCHEZ: I'll tell you, it's a -- it's a unique position when you get to watch something like this. For the most part, you only see it the day after. And that's the bad news, as well, when you see all the -- all the damage that it's caused. But here we're actually seeing the tornado. And thank goodness it wasn't blowing through a populated area at the time.

MYERS: And notice...

SANCHEZ: (INAUDIBLE) storms.

MYERS: Notice, Rick, they're driving in a flat area. You know, you try to chase in Missouri or Arkansas and you've got to chase with a chain saw. These guys know where it's at. They can see it a long way away. They know where every paved road is. And they don't go on dirt roads because dirt roads turn into a mud road and you don't want to be stuck in a mud road.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

MYERS: That movie -- that movie, what was it?

I don't know, was it... SANCHEZ: "Twister."

MYERS: It was "Twister?"

SANCHEZ: "Twister," yes. I remember.

MYERS: That has nothing to do with reality when it comes to tornado chasing.

SANCHEZ: The cow and the...

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: The cow flying up in the air?

What are you talking about?

MYERS: Yes.

SANCHEZ: Hey, Reed, Chad, my thanks to you.

We've got another segment we're going to try and get in.

MYERS: All right.

SANCHEZ: Thanks so much for the update and the great video.

TIMMER: All right. Thank you.

Thanks for having me.

SANCHEZ: All right.

Every day this week, we're going to be focusing on a controversial issue surrounding the president's first 100 days and how he's doing. You'll heard -- you've heard all the different comments about the president, good and bad and indifferent.

Today's topic -- is the president making us weaker?

You've heard that one, too.

It's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ (voice-over): One hundred days -- he'll take away your guns, make us weaker, increase taxes.

What is fact and what is fiction?

OBAMA: I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear --

(END VIDEOTAPE) SANCHEZ: The first 100 days of the Obama presidency ends Wednesday.

How has America gotten by under Barack Hussein Obama?

Contrary to some of the dire predictions that we have heard, America hasn't crumbled just yet under the first five score days. In fact, in general, he's getting -- the president is -- high marks -- an approval rate of about 64 percent under what even his critics call difficult circumstances.

By the way, 64 percent is the highest 100-day approval rating since -- since Ronald Reagan.

Why, then, does it seem that there is so much doubt -- so much criticism about this president?

Part of it is because his critics are very loud, very organized, and, in some cases, very powerful. And then there's the issue of the unknown, which, in many ways, describes what we're -- as a nation -- what we, as a nation, are going through right now, which makes people raise legitimate questions. And there's legitimate disagreement out there.

We're going to take on the issues one at a time.

Today, issue one. President Obama -- is he making us weaker abroad, as many have charged?

Items used by his critics. Number one, he went to Latin America and he shook hands with Hugo Chavez.

Item two, he ordered GITMO closed and declared that America won't torture.

Item three, he concedes on foreign soil that Americans have made mistakes.

Joining us now from Washington is Patricia Murphy.

She writes a column for PoliticsDaily.com. Murph, thanks so much for being with us again.

PATRICIA MURPHY, COLUMNIST, POLITICSDAILY.COM: Thanks for having me.

SANCHEZ: Let's begin with the president's biggest and certainly most vocal critic on this thus far. Vice president -- former vice president, Dick Cheney, left office with an approval rating of 13 percent himself. And now he says President Obama is going around the world apologizing to evil forces out there. We'll view this as a weakness.

Here's President Obama's appearance in Strasbourg, France back in April.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM APRIL 3)

OBAMA: In America, there is a failure to appreciate Europe's leading role in the world. Instead of celebrating your dynamic union and seeking to partner with you to meet common challenges, there have been times where America has shown arrogance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: All right. He got some flak for saying that -- the line about "Americans have shown arrogance." But he continued -- and that's important. None of his critics, by the way, Murph, mentioned what the president went on to say right after he was done with that bold statement.

Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM APRIL 3)

OBAMA: In Europe, there is an anti-Americanism that is at once casual, but can also be insidious. Instead of recognizing the good that America so often does in the world, there have been times where Europeans choose to blame America for much of what's bad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: So what you've got in those two sound clips right there is the president of the United States being self-critical of the United States, the country he's the president of, and then being critical of Europe for being anti-American, as he said.

Is it fair for some of the president's critics -- here comes the question. I know you've been waiting a long time.

(LAUGHTER)

MURPHY: There's a question coming, I know it.

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: Is it fair for his critics to pluck words selectively?

MURPHY: It's never fair to quote somebody out of context. That's just not fair no matter who you're talking about. And it's very important to note that Barack Obama has apologized to Europe. He has also told the Muslim community we are not at war with Islam and never will be.

But particularly in Europe, he came back and said, we've made our mistakes, you've made your mistakes. So it's not exactly the World Apology Tour from Barack Obama. He's out there. He's just trying to establish a new relationship, not trying to give away all of our influence, but trying to acknowledge the very real anger against the United States in Europe and elsewhere.

SANCHEZ: Here's another interesting question, the Hugo Chavez thing. It garnered, certainly, a lot of criticism for the president. But as you go back, the general strategy of returning to diplomacy, isn't it analogous to what Kennedy, to what Nixon, to what Carter, to what Ronald Reagan, to what Bush I, to what Clinton -- all with the exception of the last president -- did?

They talked to other people.

MURPHY: Yes. You know, when you look back at past presidents, some of the most defining moments in their presidencies was when they were having direct diplomacy with countries that were not allies of the United States and you just listed all of those.

George Bush changed that with his axis of evil speech, when he said you are with us or you're against us. That was in the shadow of 9/11. And I think people understood why he did that.

But it could -- it really alienated not just the -- the enemies of the United States, but some of our allies. And many people think that that damaged the United States' standing around the world and Barack Obama is trying to change that.

Now, the handshake with Chavez was a little different because that wasn't a part of some grand strategy, as those other meetings where, when you talk about Nixon and China, for example.

SANCHEZ: Yes, but here's -- but here's what we -- we're down to 30 seconds. But, I mean, you look at some of these guys that we've shaken hands with before -- Mao, Brezhnev, Gorbachev, Khrushchev. I mean these are people Republican presidents have all shaken hands and embraced -- on video. We could show it.

MURPHY: Yes, absolutely. But, again, that was part of a major strategic initiative that they had for Obama, though he has said I believe in direct diplomacy, I believe in meeting with our enemies. And that's what he's starting to do there.

He didn't have a big meeting with Chavez. It was just the beginning, just a hand shake.

SANCHEZ: Right.

Murph?

MURPHY: Yes?

SANCHEZ: We're out of time. Good to see you.

MURPHY: That's OK.

Thank you so much.

SANCHEZ: We've got Wolf Blitzer standing by.

Here now, ladies and gentlemen, "THE SITUATION ROOM".

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Rick. Happening now, swine flu is spreading in the United States and around the world -- new cases reported and new precautions taken. We're tracking the infection and the risks for you and your loved ones.

The Obama administration says there's no need to panic right now -- can this dangerous outbreak be stopped in its tracks?

I'll ask the Homeland Security secretary, Janet Napolitano, if the government is ready for the worst case scenario. She's standing by live.