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Swine Flu Checks at Borders; Pandemic: Are we Ready?; $3.4 Trillion Budget Deal; President Obama to FBI: "We Must Think Anew and Act Anew" in 21st Century; Two Views of Obama: His Personality vs. His Policies

Aired April 28, 2009 - 10:59   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 Tuesday, April 8th. And here are the top stories we're following for you in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Swine flu cases confirmed in seven countries today. This hour, the human and economic toll grows with the spreading virus.

He's had the ball for, what, almost 100 days now. What's the score? We'll look at significant progress on the president's 2009 budget blueprint.

GM in neutral today, while the Obama White House and GM creditors consider the company's restructuring plan. Breaking news on that front for you.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris, and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Every angle, every new development. We are keeping you up to the minute on the swine flu outbreak all day in the CNN NEWSROOM. Mexico's health secretary says swine flu is suspected in 152 deaths in his country now. The World Health Organization says at this point, containment looks futile, but experts say a pandemic is not inevitable.

Still, the World Health Organization has raised its pandemic alert level from 3 to 4 on a scale of 1 to 6. That means the virus is easily spreading between humans.

Federal and state health officials report 50 confirmed swine flu cases in the United States. They are spread over five states but concentrated in New York. Most are considered mild.

The World Health Organization says it won't ask countries to close borders or restrict travel, though some are taking such action. Neither worked against the SARS outbreak earlier this decade.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GREGORY HARTL, SPOKESMAN, WHO: What this means basically for countries is that they should focus and step up factors or efforts to mitigate possible effects on their people. And so, this should, as I said, create actions to protect the safety of their people should be a priority. Communications, providing information, letting people know really what the risks are and how to prevent the risks, keeping people informed so they can take their own decisions, and also knowing what they should do if they feel they haven't been infected.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Customs officers at airports, seaports and border crossings like this one in Arizona are monitoring people for signs of illness. They have been ordered to ask anyone exhibiting flu-like symptoms additional questions. If necessary, a person will be taken to a second screening area. The Centers for Disease Control may be called in, and the person tested for swine flu.

Mexico City remains the epicenter of the swine flu outbreak. Schools across the country are closed this week, but officials have not shut town Mexico City's vast subway system.

Our Ted Rowlands, out and about, discovering a difference of opinion about the source of the virus.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the Polanco district of Mexico City. Basically, it's a working class area, and a lot of businesses are here. People come to work and they use the subway system coming and going. We asked them what they think about where the virus came, and we got a lot of the same opinions. Not one person here believes that the virus originated in Mexico.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Somebody got it in Canada and then gave it to somebody in the United States, who brought it here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): A Canadian was here visiting and got sick and sent to the hospital, and that's how it started to spread.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It's a fever from Asia that came here to this country.

ROWLANDS: Where do you believe the virus started?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. I believe it started in Oaxaca with a tourist.

ROWLANDS: From the United States?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, maybe.

ROWLANDS: We have talked to people on the street here for the last few days. Nobody has told us that they think it has originated here in Mexico.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not something you create. It's something that mutates and happens. But no one wants to claim responsibility for something so bad as this. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whenever anything bad happens, the U.S. always blames it on Mexico. So, you know, all the drug problems, Mexico's fault. Everything is always Mexico. There's one jalapeno which gets some old lady sick in Indiana, it's definitely Mexico.

So Mexico is the thing U.S. always kicks around. When we want to kick someone around, we kick Mexico. So, naturally, people here are very sensitive about it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: CNN's Ted Rowlands in Mexico City for us.

The Centers for Disease Control is recommending that people planning vacations to Mexico reconsider their plans until the outbreak can be contained.

Here is the acting director of the CDC earlier today on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: If you had a vacation planned, you and your family, would you go to Mexico right now? Or would you advise people to maybe rethink those plans?

DR. RICHARD BESSER, ACTING DIRECTOR, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL: You know, based on what I know as a public health professional and as a physician, I would not recommend that people go on non-essential travel. So if I had vacation plans for Mexico coming up right now, I would look to postpone those.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: There are 50 cases of swine flu now confirmed in New York, Kansas, Texas, California, and Ohio. And flu-fighting medicine is on its way to states along the Mexican border. But our homeland security correspondent, Jeanne Meserve, reports a major outbreak could spell trouble.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Flights are still arriving in the U.S. from Mexico, though Customs and Border Protection is watching passengers for signs of illness and some travelers are wearing masks. But travel in the other direction is about to plunge. Travel advisories now warn Americans not to go Mexico if they don't have to.

JANET NAPOLITANO, U.S. SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: They encourage individuals to avoid any non-essential travel to Mexico for the time being. You may ask, how long will be the alerts be operative? And the answer is we don't know.

MESERVE: With their frequent briefings and decision to distribute antiviral medications to states, experts give the government generally good marks for its swine flu response. There is concern, however, that if the outbreak explodes into a pandemic, public health laboratories will be overwhelmed. A recent report says budget cuts have resulted in the loss of 11,000 state and local public health jobs, and another 10,000 are in jeopardy.

JEFF LEVI, TRUST FOR AMERICA'S HEALTH: That could really be a threat, because it would delay our ability to identify what's going on, and that's critical to a rapid response to a pandemic.

MESERVE: Experts say hospitals don't have enough beds, masks, gloves, or breathing machines called ventilators.

IRWIN REDLENER, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: I think the country needs on the order of a couple of hundred thousand additional ventilators over what we have now.

MESERVE: Officials say it could take months to get a vaccine in production, and then we may not be able to make enough.

MIKE OSTERHOLM, CENTER FOR INFECTIONS DISEASE RESEARCH & POLICY: The worldwide capacity to make vaccines right now, John, is about 450 million doses of influenza virus per year for the world. And that's far short of 6.5 billion people.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Jeanne Meserve joining us now from Washington.

And you know, Jeanne, folks writing comments on our blog page are asking this question, so I'll ask it of you. Why aren't the borders being closed right now?

MESERVE: Well, computer modeling shows that it wouldn't make that much of a difference because the disease has already shown up on this side of the border. It is going to spread.

In addition, there are other sorts of considerations. A lot of our food comes north from Mexico, there are economic and political things that go into the mix. But the bottom line is, because they don't think it will make much difference in the spread of the disease, that isn't a course they'd follow.

HARRIS: And Jeanne, any thought of using infrared cameras at airports to detect people who are sick?

MESERVE: You know, I've seen that they're being used in some other countries, but officials here say no, not seriously. They tried them out during SARS, and it really didn't work because there were so many people and so many sources in an airport that had a heightened temperature that showed up on the cameras. So there are a lot of false positives.

And in addition, if someone did have a fever, they came into an airport, they could pop some medicine -- you know, a couple of ibuprofen -- that would take the fever down and the cameras wouldn't pick them up. So what's the use? And it costs a lot of money. HARRIS: Yes. OK.

Our Homeland Security Correspondent Jeanne Meserve for us.

Jeanne, thank you.

MESERVE: You bet.

HARRIS: And always, another reminder for you to go CNN.com, where our Dr. Sanjay Gupta is answering your frequently asked questions.

The Obama administration is responding to the swine flu outbreak without some key players in place. But one of those vacancies is likely to be filled today. The Senate is expected to approve the nomination of Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius for health and human services secretary, and she'll need to hit the ground running because of the flu outbreak.

House and Senate negotiators have agreed on a budget outline for 2010, and the $3.5 trillion plan includes many of President Obama's spending priorities, and it gives Democrats a stronger hand in his health care initiative.

CNN Radio Correspondent Lisa Desjardins joins us live from Capitol Hill with details.

And Lisa, let's dive into this.

What exactly did House and Senate Democrats agree on yesterday?

LISA DESJARDINS, CNN RADIO CORRESPONDENT: Think of this as a family budget, only massive. A $3.44 trillion budget. Essentially, Tony, this is parameters for what Congress wants to spend.

They are not bound to stick to this, just like a family's not bound to their budget plan. But in this plan, it outlines their goals, their priorities, and, as you say, health care is a big one in this.

HARRIS: Well, wait a minute, Lisa. If this is a non-binding agreement, how important is it, really?

DESJARDINS: It's very important. It really sets down political markers. It lays the battlegrounds ahead. And for health care, it could be absolutely pivotal.

The deal here is, as they are attaching the health care debate to this budget, because budgets only require 50 votes in the Senate instead of the 60 that health care would get otherwise -- as you know, Democrats only have 58 votes right now, so having to get 50 votes for health care would help them out a lot. You might ask, well, wait a minute, this isn't actually the budget. How come they're talking about health care and putting it in the budget, what's the deal there?

Well, it is a procedural maneuver that is controversial here on Capitol Hill. But it is a very positive side for the Obama administration. It's probably the best chance they have of getting health care passed.

HARRIS: So we're talking about it's either a $3.5 trillion or $3.67 trillion proposal here. Lisa, talk to us about the deficit, the debt, and this budget proposal.

DESJARDINS: Let's go through those just really quick. I know numbers are kind of a nightmare on television, but the president's proposal was $3.76 trillion. I know a lot of people don't like hearing big numbers like that.

What's happened now in the agreement last night, they have cut the budget from that $3.7 trillion proposal down to $3.4 trillion. That's what Congress is pushing for right now, $3.44 trillion.

All right. Let's talk about the deficit.

So, everybody loves the deficit, don't they?

HARRIS: Sure.

DESJARDINS: What Congress is doing here is they could cut the deficit by two-thirds by 2014. That is more than the president would cut it. That sounds great, right?

Well, the bad news is, if they manage to accomplish that huge goal, there would still be about a $500 billion deficit at that point every year, and that just adds to the debt. So, a very tricky position for Congress. But this budget does cut the deficit by more than the president had proposed.

HARRIS: Well, we love talking about the debt and the deficit because we need some reduction there. That's for sure.

(CROSSTALK)

HARRIS: Is there a chance, Lisa, that the House vote on this budget resolution could actually come today?

DESJARDINS: We thought so. But just in the last few minutes, Tony -- a very timely question -- we've learned that the House is actually planning to do it tomorrow at the earliest. That's because there is a disagreement over this exact issue, debt.

The House wants something called pay-go, which sounds obvious to a lot of people out there in regular America. You pay for things as you go. You don't spend money you don't have.

The House wants that in this budget, saying anything new has to be paid for. The Senate is not so sure. So they are working out those details, trying to get a letter to establish some kind of guidelines in that area. They're working on that today. That means no House vote until tomorrow.

HARRIS: Yes. Got you. CNN Radio's congressional correspondent. She does a terrific job covering the hill for us, Lisa Desjardins.

Lisa, appreciate it. Thank you.

DESJARDINS: Sure thing.

HARRIS: So how is President Obama doing as he marks his first 100 days? Tomorrow, check out a progress report at CNN.com. You will find details of the president's effort to deal with the economy, health care, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and other issues.

And tomorrow night at 7:00 Eastern, a CNN primetime event, 100 days of the Obama presidency. CNN's "National Report Card" is your chance to grade the president and Congress on the job they have done so far. In the middle of it all, President Obama holds a live news conference at 8:00 Eastern.

Join the best political team for the CNN "National Report Card." That is tomorrow night.

GM's restructuring plan is on the table. Now the White House is in the driver's seat. Will it sign on to the strategy to build a new General Motors?

Breaking news just ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Chrysler may have taken a big step back from the brink. The Associated Press says Treasury has reached a deal with Chrysler creditors. That was the major sticking point holding up an alliance with Fiat. Union leaders at Chrysler are urging workers to approve a package of wage and benefit concessions. That vote is expected to wrap up tomorrow.

At GM, executives are waiting to hear if the Obama administration will accept their latest restructuring plan. It gives taxpayers majority ownership of a slimmed-down General Motors.

Here's our Mary Snow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fighting for its life, General Motors is cutting 23,000 jobs by the end of 2011, cutting dealerships by 40 percent and saying good-bye to its storied Pontiac brand. Even so, CEO Fritz Henderson says the chances of filing for bankruptcy are higher now than just a few weeks ago.

FRITZ HENDERSON, CEO, GENERAL MOTORS: It's greater today. I mean it's -- the task at hand, in terms of what we need to get accomplished, is -- is formidable.

SNOW: Whether GM will avoid bankruptcy by a June 1st government deadline largely depends on a bond exchange to wipe out debt. GM is offering to exchange 225 common shares for every $1,000 in notes held by bondholders, which include banks, pension and mutual funds. And that means a change in who's controlling the company.

CHRIS ISIDORE, CNNMONEY.COM: What is clear is that the current shareholders of GM will end up with only about 1 percent of the company. The government and the union will end up with about 89 percent. The current bondholders will end up with another 10 percent. That's if everything works.

SNOW: Some industry observers are questioning whether it will translate into a more active role for the government on the company's board.

JEREMY ANWYL, CEO, EDMUNDS.COM: I think as long as the government is on the board in an advisory role, it's really nothing to worry about. If the government took a more active role in running the company on day to day basis, then that would be a cause for some concern.

SNOW: And while GM moves ahead with sharp cuts, the future of Chrysler hangs in the balance. It reached an agreement with union leaders, but still needs to reach a deal with the Italian automaker Fiat. And it needs banks to forgive much of its $7 billion in loans before Thursday's deadline to avoid bankruptcy.

(on camera): GM is operating right now on $15.4 billion in government loans, and it's indicated that it will need another $11.6 billion in taxpayer money if its restructuring plan satisfies the government by its deadline of June 1st.

Mary Snow, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And again, the breaking news. Just moments ago, sources at The Associated Press are quoting sources at Treasury as having reached a deal with Chrysler's bondholders.

If the U.S. economy has a bad cold, what will swine flu do to the patient? I'll ask a member of the CNN Money team.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Small hints in recent weeks the downward economic spiral is slowing. Could the swine flu outbreak cause a relapse?

CNN's Christine Romans at the business desk in New York.

And Christine, what is the potential fallout of swine flu on this economy?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, we just don't know yet. I mean, what the extent will be or how far it will reach. But we do know that, look, it can hurt trade. You have already seen a few countries that have banning some meat, imports from some places. That hurts trade. It slows down traffic. It slows down air travel. It causes people not to go to hotels and on cruises, and it keeps people at home. They don't go to a restaurant.

I mean, all of these are things that really affect the economy.

The World Bank says the worst-case scenario is, like, a $3 trillion hit to the global economy, but, of course, that's the very worst-case scenario. We just don't know what that's going to look like -- Tony.

HARRIS: This whole idea of market fragility, you know, I sense anything in the news can shock the markets right now. And if I'm correct in that, that feels like a real drag on confidence. Not only do you need sort of strong fundamentals in this economy, but now you need a positive news cycle.

ROMANS: Right. And confidence is so hard to quantify.

I mean, today there was a consumer confidence figure, Tony, that was the best reading this year, and that reading comes from just before the swine flu concern. So you had all that talk of green shoots in the economy and people starting to feel a little bit better. Maybe the recovery is just around the corner.

And now there's a feeling that this, this swine flu fear, and the fear that it could become even worse, is something that pushes off the hopes for that recovery. It is very fragile, Tony. It's a very, very good point. We just don't know what it is that kicks things into...

HARRIS: From day to day, from minute to minute, Christine.

ROMANS: Yes.

Now, I want to point out that Continental and American Airlines are actually up right now. So, those stocks have turned around. Maybe the feeling is that yesterday they had sold off enough. I think that we're going to -- there is going be some counterintuitive trading around all of this until we just get more information about severe it's going to be and how far it goes and for how long.

HARRIS: Yes. Well, sold off enough, punished enough. I mean, come one.

ROMANS: Right. Right. And don't forget, we also have these concerns about the banks. And some people are telling me that we could be concerned about what we don't know, the uncertainty around the swine flu, but we do know something -- that the banks are still fragile, we still need to see the results of the stress tests.

And, you know, we still have the auto issue to work out. Every day, it's like a little step closer to GM and Chrysler making it without a bankruptcy filing. We still have that that we are trading on as well.

HARRIS: I know that investors need to get back into the markets, but I don't know how you trust it when anything from any direction can seemingly spook the markets. But it's what you follow. And we appreciate it.

ROMANS: Well, but the most important part of your economy, Tony, is your job. And that part of the picture hasn't changed. That is remarkably steady. We have a weak job situation, and that's the most important part of anybody's personal economy, is their job.

HARRIS: Keep us honest on all of this. All right, Christine. Appreciate it. Thank you.

You know, we are hearing plenty from you about the swine flu outbreak. Some of you are very concerned. Others say there is way too much hype.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And again, the live picture now, President Obama is at the FBI, FBI headquarters, where he is meeting with FBI Director Robert Mueller. And he will address the bureau employees in just a couple moments.

This was fun. Just moments ago. Director Mueller handing the president two Teddy bears. You'll see it that here.

Roll that - did it freeze?

OK, two Teddy bears for the girls, for Sasha and Malia. The president also was given at least one T-shirt, maybe more, and an FBI- issued ball cap.

All right, that was just moments ago. We're going to let this play out, play out, as the president sizes up the ball cap. Here we go, and places it on his head to the applause of all of the employees - wait for it. And there you go.

Live pictures now and let's listen to Director Mueller.

ROBERT S. MUELLER, DIRECTOR, FBI: Thank you again for coming here today. It is an honor to introduce to you, the men and women of the FBI, just as it is, now, my honor to introduce you to them.

Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Good afternoon, everybody.

(APPLAUSE)

Well, it is a good excuse for you to be outside on a nice day.

(APPLAUSE)

And it is a great honor to be here with the men and women of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. And I am grateful to the FBI for the T-shirt... (LAUGHTER)

... for the Teddy bear for the girls. Even though we've kept our promise on the dog, I wouldn't want to come home empty handed.

(LAUGHTER)

I want to thank your outstanding director...

(APPLAUSE)

... Robert Mueller, not just for the introduction, but because Bob has led the bureau during incredibly challenging times.

He became only the sixth director of the FBI just one week before the 9/11 attacks. And since then, he has worked as hard as anybody to prevent additional attacks and to carry out the FBI's enormous responsibilities.

So I appreciate him and I appreciate all of you. Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

So last summer the FBI celebrated its 100th anniversary. And I think it's safe to say that it has been an eventful century for the bureau. Back in 1908 -- oh, somebody -- somebody faint?

Do we have an EMT here?

Right down here. Just give them a little bit of space.

This happened during my political campaign all the time.

(LAUGHTER)

I was talking too long. People would be falling out every which way. They -- they're usually fine, they just need a little bit of -- a little bit of air and a little bit of water.

Right down here, right in the middle.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Squeal.

OBAMA: Not you. You're...

(LAUGHTER)

OBAMA: All right. I think they'll be all right.

So back in 1908, there were just 34 special agents reporting to Theodore Roosevelt's attorney general.

Today, there are over 30,000 men and women who work for the FBI.

Back in 1908, those agents worked out of one building here in Washington, and today you work here at FBI headquarters and at field offices across America and in countries around the world.

So much has changed in the last 100 years. Thank God for change.

(APPLAUSE)

And part of what makes the FBI so unique is its ability to adapt to an ever-changing world.

Back in 1908, even the most imaginative of minds would have struggled to anticipate all of the challenges that would confront the bureau, from bank robbers to bootleggers; from hate crimes to white- collar criminals, from public corruption to counterintelligence; from international terrorism to cyberthreats.

The challenges of the 21st century have called on us to think anew and to act anew. And in recent years the bureau has undergone a profound transformation to keep pace.

With the attacks of 9/11, your mission became focused more than ever before on prevention, so that we have the capacity to uncover terrorist plots before they take hold.

With the spread of new technologies you increasingly confronted adversaries in unconventional areas, from transnational networks to cybercrimes and espionage.

And through it all, you must continue to stay one step ahead of all who step outside of the law.

And I know that change means much more than moving around some boxes in an organizational chart.

You've set new priorities, you've developed new capabilities, you are working to use new technologies and teach new skills. And because these challenges cross borders, both seen and unseen, you've developed new partnerships abroad, while sharing information more effectively with law enforcement here at home.

Now, this is a tough business, but it is essential to protecting our country. Because in the end, it's your hard work that makes a difference -- your decisions, your analysis, your action.

Because of you, the men and women of the FBI, the American people are safer and our country is stronger. For that, you have my personal gratitude, but you also have the thanks of a grateful nation.

So I know that much has changed in the last 100 years, but as your director said, I know that some things have remained constant.

And that starts with the values that we have sworn to uphold: liberty and equality, opportunity, and the rule of law. That's the foundation upon which America is built. That's the purpose that has always guided our power. And that is why we must always reject as the false -- as false choices the choice between our security and our ideals. In so many ways, the FBI is a unique institution. You're unique because the FBI is both an intelligence agency and a law enforcement agency. You must both prevent danger and help us pursue those who carry it out. You protect us, and you protect the civil liberties that we cherish.

But, after all, that is why America is unique, because of that fundamental belief that we are committed both to our security and to the rule of law, because of that hard-earned truth that we are always stronger when we act in concert with our most deeply held values.

Now, I have no illusions that this is simple or easy. Many of you made enormous sacrifices and are incredibly dedicated. And living our values means that we must hold ourselves to higher standards than our enemies.

We face a long struggle against a determined adversary. We know that Al Qaida is not constrained by a Constitution or by allegiance to anything other than a hateful ideology and a determination to kill as many innocents as possible.

But what makes the United States of America so special is precisely the fact that we are willing to uphold our values and our ideals, not just when it's easy but when it's hard.

(APPLAUSE)

We've been called to serve in such a time.

(APPLAUSE)

And I have to say that I am heartened by what I see here today. Each of you has made the decision to serve your country. You're doing so at a critical time. And, you know, none of us can with certain what the future will hold.

But I do know that the FBI can and will continue to adapt to new dangers, that you will be critical in leading the way in keeping this country safe. And we are counting on you.

Now, there's much to celebrate first 100 days. We remember notorious criminals who have been caught and public corruption that's been ended and civil rights that have been protected and terrorist plots that have been uncovered.

None of that would have been possible without the work of men and women like you. And we're calling on you again.

Behind me is the motto that you carry forward and that your director alluded to, "Fidelity, Bravery and Integrity."

These are more than just words etched into a building; they are a signal of the character of the men and women who work here.

And I am confident that, if you stay true to those words, no matter what challenge may come our way, we'll be able to look back 100 years from now with the satisfaction that you advanced the cause of America's security and America's ideals in your time. What an enormous gift that is to give back to your country.

Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: OK. Quite a reception for the president at FBI headquarters this morning. The president meeting with FBI Director Robert Muller. Also addressing, as you just heard, bureau employees. This is the president's first visit to the Hoover Building as president.

And he received some gifts as we noted just a couple of moments ago. The FBI director giving the president two Teddy bears for the girls, for Sasha and Malia, also T-shirts and an FBI ball cap.

The president at FBI headquarters.

Don't miss our special primetime event tomorrow night, "100 DAYS OF THE OBAMA PRESIDENCY." We are grading the president and Congress on the job they've done so far. That's a 7:00 p.m. Eastern time. And then, at 8:00, President Obama holds a live news conference.

It is all right here on CNN with the best political team on television.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Assessing the president at his first 100 days in office. For President Obama, most of the controversy is over the issues rather than the individual.

CNN political analyst Bill Schneider explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): Americans have two assessments of President Obama: one personal, the other policy.

President Obama's overall job approval as he nears his 100th day in office? Sixty-three percent. But 75 percent, a noticeably higher figure, admire Mr. Obama's personality and leadership qualities.

Do they agree with the president on the issues? Fifty-seven percent say, yes. That's high, but it's nearly 20 points lower than Mr. Obama's personal appeal. A lot of Americans, more than 40 percent, say they disagree with President Obama on the issues.

NEWT GINGRICH, FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: I've listened carefully to the president's speech that night. I think it is the boldest effort to create a European socialist model we have seen.

SCHNEIDER: President Obama is the mirror image of President Clinton. Clinton was personally a very polarizing figure. Remember the so-called "morphing" ads?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT)

ADVERTISEMENT ANNOUNCER: If you like Bill Clinton, you'll love Joe Prather.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: But President Clinton's policies, after the first two years, were more moderate and consensus driven; he triangulated.

WILLIAM J. CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The era of big government is over.

SCHNEIDER: President Clinton engendered huge controversy over his stand on social issues like guns, gays in the military, and abortion. President Obama has treated the deeply divisive issues with caution.

OBAMA: I continue to believe that we can respect and honor the Second Amendment rights in our Constitution. The rights of sportsman and hunters and homeowners who want to keep their homes safe to lawfully bear arms.

SCHNEIDER: Republicans hated Bill Clinton. How do they feel about President Obama? Two-thirds disapprove of the job he's doing. But they're split over the president's personal qualities. Republicans disagree with him on the issues, overwhelmingly.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Our senior political analyst Bill Schneider is live with us from Washington.

And Bill, you know, I guess we all know that the partisan divide is going be difficult to bridge in this country. But, is the president viewed as a uniter or divider?

SCHNEIDER: Well, actually, Tony, both. He himself a leader, as personal figure, is a very unifying figure. And as we saw there, his personal popularity is very high. It's his policies that are more divisive. The president is more popular than his policies.

Bill Clinton, as I just said in the piece, the controversy was more over the individual than the issues.

HARRIS: Yes.

SCHNEIDER: In fact, after 1994, Clinton's signature issues - welfare reform, free trade, a balanced budget - they were all passed with significant republican support, but they still didn't like Bill Clinton himself.

HARRIS: That's true. All right, our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, for us. Bill, appreciate it. Thank you.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

HARRIS: And once again, don't miss our special primetime event tomorrow night, "100 DAYS OF THE OBAMA PRESIDENCY." We are grading the president and Congress on the job they've done so far. That's at 7:00. And then at 8:00, President Obama holds a news conference. It is all right here on CNN, with the best political team on television.

Lots of great swine flu questions from you out there blogging on our blog page. Our medical reporter, Elizabeth Cohen, will have the answers you need.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Elizabeth, what to do here first? All right, let's do this. You know, we recently started a blog page. And yesterday, we asked all of to you send in your questions and concerns about the swine flu outbreak. And boy, did we get a response. I want to get you answers now. CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is with us now.

And Elizabeth, I guess I should read this alert here, cause this is the latest information that we're getting on this whole outbreak.

Restaurants in Mexico City are being ordered to serve only takeout food in a widening shutdown to prevent the spread of the deadly swine flu outbreak.

So that's just to limit these areas of public gatherings.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right They don't want that many people in one place.

HARRIS: OK, all right.

COHEN: Right, it's not a food issue as much as a gathering issue.

HARRIS: All right. That's about - that's it. All right. The measure is meant to prevent people from gathering in close proximity and spreading a virus that's already killed 152 people across Mexico. All right, so that's the latest news on this.

A lot of questions, as we mentioned. Alissa has a question for you.

COHEN: All right.

HARRIS: "Give it to me straight," Elizabeth, "Should I cancel my vacation plans to the Cancun area this week?"

What do you think?

COHEN: Well, I think what I'm going to do is I'm going to ask Dr. Richard Besser.

HARRIS: Smart, smart, smart. COHEN: He's the head of the CDC - right, right. I'm not going to give the answer, Dr. Besser is.

So let's hear what Dr. Besser said on CNN earlier this morning.

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DR. RICHARD BESSER, ACTING DIRECTOR, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL: Based on what I know as a public health professional and as a physician, I would not recommend that people go on nonessential travel. So if I had vacation plans for Mexico coming up right now, I'd look to postpone those.

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COHEN: All right, let's take a look actually at what the official advice is from the CDC. They put it on writing on their Web site. They say very frankly, "At this time, CDC recommends that U.S. travelers avoid all nonessential travel to Mexico."

So, like that trip you just took, that would have been considered "nonessential."

HARRIS: Duh!

COHEN: Yes. So, don't go to Mexico for fun at this moment. That's what they're trying to say.

HARRIS: What the heck is wrong with me?

"My mom," this is from Victor, who writes, "My mom is in Mexico right now (she is returning May 6th). We spoke earlier today, she said she will call us if she gets ill, but I am still worried. If she gets sick, will she be able to get on her flight?"

And that's a good question.

COHEN: Yes, you know what? She might not.

HARRIS: Yes.

COHEN: She might not. I'm just going to be frank about this.

Let's read something else again from the CDC's Web site. This is what they have say about people leaving Mexico. "Be aware that Mexico is checking all exiting airline passengers for signs of swine flu."

Now, they don't say what happens if you're ill, but I think it would be logical to think that if you're ill, they may not let you on that plane. So that might be a tough spot if you get sick once you're there.

HARRIS: You know what? Christopher has a question for us. I want to ask it, even though we don't have the full screen for it, because I know you've got an answer for us.

Oh, we do? OK, great.

"How often does this happen anyway? Are we only hearing about the swine flu because the name is simple and easy to remember, like avian flu?"

COHEN: No, that's - I wish it were. That's not the only reason we're hearing about it. You don't see outbreaks like this every day in the United States. As a matter of fact, there hasn't been an outbreak like this since 1976. That one, actually, was bigger. It was more than 200 people.

But no, this is unusual. I mean, there are years where we see absolutely no swine flu in the United States. Other years you see two, three, four cases. But I mean, this number of cases, no, this has not been seen in a very long time. There are reasons to be concerned. It's not just cause it's a cute name.

HARRIS: Sure.

And here's the alert again: Restaurants in Mexico City are ordered to serve only takeout food in a widening shutdown to prevent the spread of the swine flu outbreak.

And the reason for this, once again, Elizabeth, is to?

COHEN: To prevent people from gathering in one spot. This has nothing to do with Mexican food. I want to be clear about that...

HARRIS: Good, good, good, good, good.

COHEN: ... cause we eat a lot of Mexican food in this country. That's not what this is. They just don't want that many people in one spot.

HARRIS: OK, I think that covers it. All right, Elizabeth, thank you.

COHEN: OK, thanks.

HARRIS: Awesome.

The latest development in the swine flu outbreak as we update our top stories for the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM.

We will take for you a ride on the Mexico City subway system. It is hot, crowded and a possible breeding ground for the swine flu virus.

Also, foreign policy hot spots in President Obama's first 100 days. We will talk live to our correspondents in Afghanistan and Pakistan about challenges facing the president.