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Senator Arlen Specter Divorcing Fellow Republicans, Live Coverage of Announcement; White House Press Briefing; CDC Briefing: "Five Hospitalized Cases of Swine Flu"; Lt. Gen. Russel Honore: America Must Become "Overresourced" For National Emergencies

Aired April 28, 2009 - 14:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the balance of power in Congress, President Obama's agenda, the future of the GOP, our top story touches them all. Long-time Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter divorcing his fellow Republicans, rushing into the open arms of the Democrats. The majority party now is just one vote short of being able to pass legislation without fear of Republican filibuster.

And how are Republicans taking it? Well, the head of RNC, Michael Steele, you just heard him in his statement, and we quote, "Let's be honest. Senator Specter didn't leave the GOP on principles of any kind. He left to further his personal political interest because he knew that he was going to lose a Republican primary due to his left-wing voting record. Republicans look forward to beating Senator Specter in 2010, assuming that the Democrats don't do it first."

Well, that was the calm statement, Gloria Borger, that he put out. As we just heard, he talked about Arlen Specter flipping the finger to the Republican Party. A little more spicy there on live television.

GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, he did. He did.

He said he wasn't alerted, he didn't know, he wasn't told in advance. He's clearly furious about it.

They are out to defeat him now. And again, he said, you know, this isn't about principle, this is about Arlen Specter's own personal political survival, so don't mistake that. He is mad and so are Republicans in the Senate.

PHILLIPS: David Gergen joining us as well, Gloria.

David Gergen, we haven't had a chance to talk to you yet. Your reaction? You probably heard the interview with Michael Steele. You have been following the news since it broke.

What do you say?

DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I share the surprise. Look, I do think it has a lot to do with his own survival, but you have to say it has a lot to do with the Obama campaign in 2008. That Obama campaign set out to bring a lot of Republicans over into the Democratic side. And as Arlen Specter said himself today, some 200,000 Republicans switched over to become Democrats, and that really emptied out a lot of the kind of votes that Arlen Specter might have gotten in a Republican primary. So Barack Obama's campaign, as Gloria knows so well, changed the landscape in Pennsylvania slightly to the left or moderately, more to the left, and it made it -- I think that really set the stage for Arlen Specter changing parties.

PHILLIPS: So, I'm interested in asking -- both of you guys weigh in here -- and I'm making notes as I listen to both of you. Is it about the Republican Party dying, is it about Barack Obama just being an incredible trailblazer and just igniting Americans here, or is it just the faith of American voters somehow believing in a change that they haven't seen since the Republicans have been in office?

BORGER: Or all of the above?

PHILLIPS: Or all of the above?

BORGER: Or all of the above? Look, as David was saying, Barack Obama was popular in Pennsylvania, registrations have shifted in that state. We're in a severe economic downturn.

Also, polls show that Arlen Specter has a very high approval rating among Democrats. And although Chairman Steele didn't seem to think that he would, he does have a high approval rating among Democrats.

So this shift is certainly about his political survival, but it's also about the fact that only one out of every five people in this country now identify themselves as Republicans. And, you know, today you have a new group spearheaded by Ed Gillespie, former top adviser to George W. Bush, which is starting to think of ideas for the Republican Party.

I just got off the phone with him, and he said to me, "Look, why are we doing this? We are doing this because we need new ideas in the Republican Party." That's one of the reasons Arlen Specter left.

PHILLIPS: All right. New ideas in the Republican Party, David Gergen, but also this shift. Could this mean decisions being made for the American people that otherwise would have just been in constant negotiation and put on the side and waiting to get this and that passed? I mean, break through and tell us what this means for Americans now.

GERGEN: It means that President Obama is going to have a better chance of getting his legislation through the Congress than he did before Specter made this move. This search for the magical 60 votes in the Senate that you can cut off a filibuster from the Republicans is very important to the president, and now he's one huge step closer to 60.

Al Franken comes in, and he will be at 60. Now, that's not to say that Arlen Specter can be counted on, on every issue. He made it clear today, he's not going to card-check for union, for example. He's going to retain his opposition to that that he voiced a few weeks ago.

But it does mean that on health care, the chances of the Democrats getting health care legislation through the Senate have just gone up. The chances of getting a major energy climate change bill with cap and trade, those chance have just gone up. And, you know, this is going to rally -- I cannot imagine a better gift on the eve of his 100th day for Barack Obama than to be almost at 60 in his first term in office.

PHILLIPS: You bring up an interesting point. The timing is quite perfect for Barack Obama, isn't it?

GERGEN: It sure is.

And Gloria, I'm sure you feel like, wow, that's icing on the cake, isn't it?

BORGER: It's icing on the cake. And, you know, Dana Bash has been reporting on the Hill that Republicans are just shell-shocked about this. Nobody knew, including the chairman of the Republican Party.

So while Harry Reid was working his magic, it seems like Republicans were left completely in the dark on this. So it's a bad day for them and a good day for the president.

GERGEN: Well, the other part of this, the Republicans need to rethink this strategy, and the conservatives, if they really are going to run to the right and run a primary challenge against people they think are too moderate. Some of the moderates are either going to get knocked out, or they're going to switch, as Specter has done.

Is that good for the Republican Party's future? I would just think that some of them would go back to the drawing board and say this is not a good idea.

PHILLIPS: David, Mitch McConnell speaking right now on the Hill.

Let's go ahead and listen in.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), MINORITY LEADER: ... popularity of the president, but it's also interesting to note, if I may just pull out my poll here, there was an interesting poll, national poll that was in "The Hotline" last Friday, taken by POS, which is the same firm as Senator Specter has been using when he was a Republican. And it was interesting.

Even though the survey indicated that people were -- you know, liked the president, wanted the president to be successful, those same respondents, when asked the question, "Would you prefer to vote for a House 2010 candidate who will help the president and congressional Democrats pass their agenda, or a candidate who can be a check and balance to Obama and the congressional Democrats?" 56 percent preferred a check and balance, and only 34 percent of the same people who liked the president want him to have everything he wants.

So, I think the threat to the country presented by this defection really relates to the issue of whether or not in the United States of America our people want the majority to have whatever it wants without restraint, without a check or a balance. In terms of our plans to compete in 2010, I would like to call on Senator Cornyn to make some comments about that, and we'll see if anybody else would like to make a statement.

PHILLIPS: All right. We'll continue to follow reaction there on the Hill.

Once again, the reaction to Arlen Specter switching parties. We are expecting to hear from Arlen Specter about 2:15, which is about three minutes away. We'll see if he's on time. We're going to take that live.

Also, the White House briefing is set to start. No doubt they will be talking about this as well.

We're going to take a quick break, reset with David Gergen and Gloria Borger.

Guys, thanks so much. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: As promised, the White House briefing. Robert Gibbs at the mike.

(INTERRUPTED BY LIVE EVENT)

ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Somebody's listening. Can somebody bring Tuesday's "New York Times" crossword puzzle?

Sorry, I -- oh, here we go.

(LAUGHTER)

Jeffrey, Mike, if you guys will just take that outside, we'll -- before we get started, let me read a letter that is being sent from the White House today to leaders in Congress and to the appropriations chairs on Capitol Hill. It's from the president.

This week, as reports of the 2009 H1N1 flu outbreak around the world were made public, my administration has been carefully monitoring the situation, coordinating state and local responses, assessing the risks here in the United States, and cooperating with international organizations and health officials around the globe.

Out of an abundance of caution, I'm asking Congress to include in the fiscal year 2009 supplemental budget request that I sent to you earlier this month an amount of $1.5 billion to enhance our nation's capability to respond to the potential spread of this outbreak.

These funds should be provided with maximum flexibility to allow us to address this emerging situation. Among the uses of these funds could be supplementing antiviral stockpiles, developing a vaccine, supporting the monitoring, diagnostic, and public health response capabilities, and assisting international efforts to stem this outbreak.

Already, state, local and federal public health officials are working day and night to respond quickly and effectively wherever cases of this flu may be found and to prepare the entire country for any potential progression of this outbreak.

Thank you for your consideration of this funding request and your continued cooperation in protecting our nation's health and safety. Sincerely, President Obama.

And with that...

QUESTION: Thank you. Two unrelated things. On the plane flyover yesterday, does...

GIBBS: Yes.

QUESTION: ... the president think that it's an appropriate use of government funds (inaudible) to update those promotional photos?

GIBBS: No.

QUESTION: Just how much is spent on that?

GIBBS: I don't have an exact amount. Obviously, I think there have been -- Congress has looked into the cost of operating Air Force One and GAO reports that I would point you to.

The president has directed Jim Messina, the deputy chief of staff here, to conduct a review as to how the decision was made to conduct the flight, to understand -- to understand, as I said, why that decision was made and to ensure that it never happens again. And the president will look at that review and take any appropriate steps after that.

QUESTION: And just one other quick thing. Can you talk about what involvement, if any, the president had in Senator Specter's decision to switch parties?

GIBBS: As I think many of you know, the president -- based on a timeline that we provided, the president was receiving his economic daily briefing and, at 10:25, was handed a note. The note is -- I think we've circulated it -- read that Senator -- I'm paraphrasing the exact language -- Senator Specter is going to announce he's changing parties.

I think, at 10:32, the president reached Senator Specter, told the senator that, after hearing the news that he was going switch parties, that he had the president's full support and that he was thrilled to have him as a member of the Democratic Party.

QUESTION: What about in the lead-up to that?

GIBBS: I -- that's the first the president had heard that he was switching parties. I don't know what, if any, other discussions have had. Obviously, there are people here at the White House that have had long relationships with Senator Specter.

But I think Senator Specter made a decision today about how he can best represent the people of Pennsylvania in the United States Senate. He was a valuable ally in passing the recovery and reinvestment plan that's now the law of the land. And we're appreciative of -- of his support.

Yes, ma'am?

QUESTION: Robert, just following up on your announcement about the request for flu money, does that indicate (OFF-MIKE) a new level of concern by the administration about this? And -- and what does the administration think about the possibility of this turning into a full pandemic?

GIBBS: Well, obviously, as we have been since last Friday when the president began to receive regular updates on this, and as we denoted in our briefing on Sunday, the president is -- and the team here at the White House are concerned. The president has been -- continues to receive those regular updates from the Homeland Security Council.

But, in our opinion, this is about prudent planning, moving forward to ensure, as I said, that there are funding that can help defray costs for moving infrastructure around the country, to ensure that we have the resources, if needed, to produce additional antiviral drugs, to ramp up the production of a vaccine, and to -- just to ensure that we have the resources that are necessary at a state, local and federal level to address the potential that this could become, in terms of, you know, obviously, the World Health Organization makes certain determinations globally.

CDC and DHS and others here in the administration continue to monitor what's going on. I think the latest number from CDC is 68 cases. And as the director said, the notion that, based on the incubation period, that we're likely to see a greater severity is -- is likely.

So, again, this is part of prudent planning that the White House has taken to look forward and be as best as we can prepared.

As I mentioned, on Sunday we declared a public health emergency in order to hurry the resources getting to different parts of the country. We're releasing 12 million courses of antiviral drugs and key medical equipment to states based on the priority of where the cases that we're seeing are now.

Again, CDC is providing -- continuing to provide information to health officials in order to make sure that they have what they need. I would also repeat, as I've said a number of times to the public, if you're looking for information on this, the best resource is to go to www.CDC.gov. And right there on the home page, you can find a link to the information and also the link in Spanish to ensure that everyone can understand it.

QUESTION: One quick question on autos. There was a deal (OFF- MIKE) with Chrysler's creditors. And I'm wondering if this deal is likely to be able to avoid bankruptcy or is bankruptcy -- some kind of a quick-rinse bankruptcy still going to be needed?

GIBBS: Well, I think, obviously, the developments of the past several days have been important steps to ensuring that we get a workable deal between Chrysler and Fiat. We're pleased at the steps -- I don't want to prejudge the outcome. I know there's still some ways to go in these negotiations. So I wouldn't rule anything in or out.

PHILLIPS: From the White House briefing, straight to Arlen Specter.

Let's hear what he has to say about the big switch.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (D), PENNSYLVANIA: The Republican Party has moved farther and farther to the right. I have found myself increasingly at odds with the Republican philosophy and more in line with the philosophy of the Democratic Party.

When the stimulus package came up for a vote, I felt that it was indispensable to vote aye in order to avoid the possibility of a 1929- type depression. In the course of the last several months since the stimulus vote, I have traveled the state, surveyed the sentiments of the Republican Party in Pennsylvania, done public opinion polls, observed other public opinion polls, and have found that the prospects for winning the Republican primary are bleak.

Now, I am not prepared to have my 29-year record in the United States Senate decided by the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate. Not prepared to have that record decided by that jury, the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate.

But I'm prepared to take on all comers, all comers in a general election. And therefore, I've decided to be a candidate for reelection in 2010 in the Democratic primary.

This is a painful decision. I know that I'm disappointing many of my friends and colleagues. Frankly, I've been disappointed by some of the responses, so the disappointment runs in both directions.

I do not undertake this because of the absence of other challenging or interesting things that I could undertake outside of the Senate, but I do this because there are many projects that I want to move ahead for Pennsylvania with my continuing seniority in the United States Senate, and one of the key interests I have is medical research, and want to continue my work in that field. I think it is fair and accurate to say that the increases in funding for the National Institutes of Health, which I have spearheaded, have saved or prolonged many lives, including my own.

One item that I want to emphasize that I will not be changing my own personal independence or my own approach to individual issues. I will not be an automatic 60th vote.

I note that some of the news stories, since my statement was released this morning, are taking a look at the 60th vote. I will not be an automatic 60th vote. And I would illustrate that by my position on employees' choice, also known as Card Check.

I think it is a bad deal, and I'm opposed to it, and would not vote to invoke cloture. But that's only indicative of my view in that respect.

I have always agreed with John Kennedy that sometimes a party asks too much, and if the Democratic Party asks too much, I will not hesitate to disagree and vote my independent thinking and what I consider as a matter of conscience to be in the interest of the state and the nation.

OK.

QUESTION: Senator, are you putting your personal ambition ahead of principles?

SPECTER: No. I'm putting principle at the top of the list.

The principles that I subscribe to are my independence, which I will retain, regardless of party label. I believe that I have a great deal to offer in terms of continuing service. I'm full of vim, vigor and vitality.

There are lots of things I would want to do. I would headline that with medical research.

Just today, I introduced legislation to bridge the gap between scientific discoveries at the National Institutes of Health and bring them from the bench to the bedside. And I've been at the forefront of issues on civil rights and executive power. And I've been in the middle of the immigration issue, very active on Mideast foreign issues -- Iran, Syria -- so that I think I have a lot to contribute. And I would not suffer from lack of interesting and important things to do if I were a private citizen.

QUESTION: Senator, how did your Republican colleagues receive this news (INAUDIBLE)? And have you spoken to President Obama?

SPECTER: Which one of your questions do you want answered, because you only got one?

QUESTION: Well, one and a follow-up.

SPECTER: Oh, well that's all right, then. The answer to your second question is yes, and the answer to your first question is it was a polite session when I talked to the members. Senator Cochran said at least he wouldn't have to go to Erie any more to campaign for me.

And everybody that I passed on the way out was friendly and with friendly handshakes. I don't take that to mean that there aren't some people who are disappointed. But I think people respect my sincerity and respect what I have done in the Senate, and respect what I intend to continue to do.

QUESTION: Senator, did you win reelection given your seniority? Do you expect to chair a committee in the next Congress? Do you have any guarantees or any arrangements that you would have a chairmanship?

SPECTER: In discussing that issue with Senator Reid, the fair approach which we both agreed to was to be where I would be had I been a Democrat coming into the Senate with my election in 1980. So you can take a look at the charts and figure out exactly where I would be.

Dana?

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Can you give us some insight into your conversations with Senator Reid? And then bigger picture, when did you make this decision and how you made this decision? Was it (INAUDIBLE) making a lot of statements recently, there were statements that sounded like you are a Republican and you intended to stay in the Republican party. So what changed?

SPECTER: The decision has been reached gradually as I have traveled the state in the last several months. And specifically, I got my own poll results back last Friday, late last week, and consulted with my campaign managers, and had a long discussion with Joan and my son Shanin over the weekend, and came to a decision this past weekend.

QUESTION: Have the Democrats been lobbying you? Has Senator Reid (INAUDIBLE)?

SPECTER: What did you say about...

QUESTION: Have the Democratic leaders been lobby you? Have they been pushing (INAUDIBLE)?

SPECTER: Yes, I have had overtures from many of the Democratic leaders on a continuing basis. The overtures have been going on for the last five years when the -- they saw my voting record and saw the approach that I was taking to government.

And I have steadfastly rejected it on the ground that I think it is very important to have a two-party system and a moderate wing of the two-party system. And I have nothing but complements for Senator McConnell and said so in my written statement -- and Senator Cornyn -- and have said so for the entire caucus. The entire caucus has been first -- first rate. But when you take a look at the Pennsylvania Republican electorate, several hundred thousand Republicans shifted last year. And it has a bleak picture. We do not have a dominant voice there. But we find, I think regrettably, that the extremes of both parties are taking over.

A senator like Joe Lieberman can't win a primary in Connecticut. I had a 1 percent primary for 2004. And, to repeat, the word that I use is "bleak."

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) you said (INAUDIBLE) what about now (INAUDIBLE)?

SPECTER: Same thing.

QUESTION: So does that mean you're (INAUDIBLE)?

SPECTER: No. Senator Leahy is senior to me in tenure. He was elected in 1974. I would be behind Senator Leahy.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)?

SPECTER: I'd be beside Senator Leahy again.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)?

SPECTER: Well, I came in ahead of Senator Harkin. He was elected in 1984.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) so you're going to be the chairman of the (INAUDIBLE)?

SPECTER: We haven't worked that out yet.

QUESTION: Senator Specter, as you were going through this decision and you thought about the (INAUDIBLE) party (INAUDIBLE) there's no -- there's (INAUDIBLE). I'm wondering what role health care plays in your decision -- health care issues (INAUDIBLE). Of all the issues (INAUDIBLE).

SPECTER: Well, I've been involved in a lot of significant issues like supreme court nominations, nine of them, like executive power, warrantless wire taps, and interrogation techniques, and like stem cells and NIH funding. And I could go on and on and on.

And it is an accumulation of factors, but as I said in the statement, the stimulus vote was a schism. And I used some language from domestic relations law, irreconcilable conflict.

Yes?

QUESTION: How are you going to vote on the Don Johnson (INAUDIBLE)?

SPECTER: I'm opposed to the nominee for assistant attorney general in the Office of Legal Counsel, Don Johnson. QUESTION: Do you (INAUDIBLE) Obama (INAUDIBLE) vice president's office (INAUDIBLE)?

SPECTER: Did I talk to either the president or the vice president? The vice president, in a public event in Philadelphia, when he came up to talk about the stimulus package several months ago, said to -- in a news conference that he urged me to become a Democrat. And then Governor Rendell, who was there, urged me to become a Democrat.

And Governor Rendell said if I became a Democrat, he would help me raise money. And I responded if I became a Democrat, I wouldn't need him to help me raise money. I've changed my mind about that, though.

(LAUGHTER)

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) Republican Party (INAUDIBLE)?

SPECTER: What...

QUESTION: What did you say about the (INAUDIBLE) why do you think they were reporting that (INAUDIBLE)?

SPECTER: Well, the party has shifted very far to the -- to the right. It was pretty far to the right in 2004. But you take away a couple hundred thousand Republicans, and they want to vote in a Democratic primary, they're dissatisfied with the party is a pretty obvious conclusion.

So if you do the numbers and you add to that the stimulus vote, that's where I end up saying the prospects are bleak.

QUESTION: Senator, why has the Republican Party become the party of (INAUDIBLE)? How did this happen?

SPECTER: Because most of the people do not participate in the political process. That is a very important question and maybe an important answer. If the electorate as a whole participated in the political process and in the primary process, Joe Lieberman would win the primary in Connecticut hands down. And I'd do the same thing in Pennsylvania.

There are plenty of people who agree with Joe Lieberman and Arlen Specter, but they're non-participators.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).

SPECTER: I'm sorry. I didn't understand your question.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)

SPECTER: When the did I talk to the leaders? I talked to Senator Reid last night about 6:00 and I talked to Senator McConnell a little after 6:00.

Carl?

QUESTION: Do you (INAUDIBLE) from the president, Senator Reid, or the Democratic Party (INAUDIBLE) primary?

SPECTER: Yes, on all counts. The president -- I called this morning, and he said he would support me, and to Pennsylvania and campaign for me.

QUESTION: And you're assuming the Democrat...

SPECTER: And Senator Reid said that he would do the same. And I talked to Governor Rendell this morning, and he suggested a meeting among Democratic leadership in Washington tomorrow to formally endorse my candidacy.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).

SPECTER: I don't know.

QUESTION: Do you feel at all (INAUDIBLE)?

SPECTER: What about Republicans here? Well, first I have to find out how many of you here are Republicans. Will you raise your hands?

(LAUGHTER)

That's what I thought. You take the Fifth.

(LAUGHTER)

To give you a serious answer to your question, Republicans didn't rally to Wayne Gilchrest in Maryland. He was beaten by the Club For Growth on the far right. They lost the general election.

Republicans didn't rally to the banner of Joe Schwartz in Michigan and he was beaten by a conservative in the Club For Growth. They lost the general election.

Republicans didn't rally to Heather Wilson in New Mexico last year and she was beaten in a primary and lost in the general election.

The Club For Growth challenged Linc Chafee. Remember Linc Chafee? They made him spend all his money in the primary and he lost the general. And had Linc Chafee been elected in 2006, the Republicans would have controlled the Senate in 2007 and '08 and I would have been chairman of the committee.

And President Bush nominated 13 circuit judges. They were all left on the table for President Obama. And President Bush nominated 21 district court judges, and they were all left on the table for President Obama. Now take the social conservatives in America and how they prize circuit judges. Remember what we went through for Judge Southwith (ph) last year to go a circuit judge confirmed?

And one of the my opponent's principle advisers said, "We don't care about stage two. Stage one, we want to beat Arlen Specter. We'll worry about stage two later." They don't make any bones about their willingness to lose the general election if they can purify the party. I don't understand it, but that's what they said.

And for the people who are Republicans that just sit by and allow them to continue to dominate the party after they beat Chafee, cost us the Republican control of the Senate and cost us 34 federal judges, there ought to be a rebellion. There ought to be an uprising.

So thanks for asking the question about what are the Republicans like here.

Yes?

QUESTION: Do you think that this makes the (INAUDIBLE) reconciliation (INAUDIBLE) of the table or that it will change the way health care...

SPECTER: Oh, I'm opposed to reconciliation to be used for health care or any other substantive legislative issue. I think it would undermine an important institutional prerogative of the Senate to require 60 votes on these complicated matters. I thought that when I -- whether I would be a Republican or a Democrat.

QUESTION: Does that mean you won't (INAUDIBLE)?

SPECTER: What's that?

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)?

SPECTER: Well, let me take a look at it before I answer that question to try to know what I'm talk about. Let me think about that.

Yes, sir. You chased me down the hall. You deserve more privacy than this.

(LAUGHTER)

One of many.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) curious you said you made this decision after (INAUDIBLE) with respect (INAUDIBLE) basically a (INAUDIBLE)?

SPECTER: Well, it's a combination of factors. If you take a look at my voting record on a wide variety of issues, on voting on Pell grants, you take a look at my position on executive authority, you take a look at my position on stem cells, or my position on NIH funding generally, it is a large number of figures.

I have to make a calculation as to whether it's possible, realistic to fight for the moderate wing of the Republican Party in Pennsylvania. And I do not think it's realistic. It's bleak.

Paul?

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) PHILLIPS: A lot happening today. We're going to continue to follow Arlen Specter there as he makes the big party change.

Now, the acting director of CDC talking about the swine flu. Let's take that live out of Atlanta, Georgia.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

DR. RICHARD BESSER, ACTING DIRECTOR, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL: ... six in Texas and 10 in California.

As I've been saying, numbers, when it comes to an outbreak like this, will change. And through the day, you'll hear different numbers or newer numbers from states. We will continue to update our numbers once a day for consistency. But you will find with that, that some of our numbers may lag behind what you're hearing from a particular state.

If you want information about cases in a particular state, the best place to turn to that information is to that state because they're on the ground, they're the ones who are working to investigate and implement control measures.

There are five - there have now been now five hospitalized cases.

As I've been saying, as we continue to look for cases, as this flu virus infects individuals, we will be seeing a broader spectrum of disease. What we've seen in the United States, or have been seeing so far, has been milder. It has been less severe than what had been reported out of Mexico. And as we continue to look, we'll continue to monitor that.

So there are five hospitalized cases, three in California and two in Texas. The median age is 16 years with a range of seven to 54 years. We expect to see more cases and will continue to report on those.

But as we move forward, we may start to move away from specific case numbers and more onto describing states and clusters.

The incubation period in the United States appears to be about two to seven days, which is typical for what you see with an Influenza virus.

I want to take a moment and put this into context with seasonal flu. Many of you are well schooled in Influenza and have been covering seasonal flu. But what we see with seasonal flu is that can be unpredictable. On average in the United States each year from seasonal flu, we see approximately 36,000 deaths.

And so, Influenza is a severe infection. It affects different people differently based on their own immunity, their ability to fight infection, and factors around the virus.

Preventive measures, as we've been talking about, can help reduce spread and help protect individuals from getting the infection. Yesterday, I talked about the World Health Organization changing the phase from three to four. And I talked about what that means. And from our perspective here in the United States, it has very little meaning. What we do means a lot more than what it is called. And what we're doing is being very aggressive, looking at what's going on at the community level, and adjusting and adapting our guidance and our actions based on what's taken place on the ground.

Let me review some of the many actions that CDC is involved in around the country. We continue to work with state and local health departments. We have teams on the ground in Texas and in California. We're working, we continue to work with the World Health Organization, the Pan-American Health Organization, Canada and Mexico.

Yesterday, we issued a travel advisory to Mexico that is recommending that nonessential travel to Mexico be postponed. For individuals who must travel to Mexico, we've posted guidance on things individuals can do to reduce their risk of infection while there.

We've posted new treatment guidelines. These were developed in conjunction with the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Those groups have provided us with excellent guidance for treating individuals who have with swine flu.

It's important to remember with the guidance documents, because there's a lot on the Web - there's more than 1,000 guidance documents that we've put up on the Web and we continue to generate more guidance. Guidance is interim. We change our guidance as we have more information and we're going to continue to do so.

That's very important. As we learn something, as it could impact on what public health is doing in the community or what individuals can do, we're going change the guidance so that people have the most current information right away.

We continue to deploy material from the Strategic National Stockpile. And I talked about this yesterday. It includes antiviral drugs. It includes gowns and masks and things that could be used in hospitals to take care of patients.

And this is a forward-leaning step. There are certain states that have cases, and there are many. Most of the states have not yet reported cases. But every state has requested their portion of the Strategic National Stockpile, and we're in the process of delivering that.

And why are we taking this action? Well, we're doing so because with any new infectious disease, with any emerging inflection, you really can't predict the course. And so this is to ensure that if these drugs are needed states have them on hand and they don't have to wait. There won't be a delay between the time that they need those drugs and request them and they're delivered.

People are concerned and were concerned, and concern is a good thing. Concern is especially good if it drives planning and it drives action.

And that's what we're encouraging people to do. At the personal level, people are concerned and they say, "What can we do to make ourselves safe? What can we do to protect our family?" And there's a lot people can do.

Simple things to prevent respiratory infections. Hand washing. We say it every day and people will get tired of hearing it because we are always going to say that. Hand washing, use of alcohol hand gels can reduce the spread of viruses. And if people take that step, that can reduce the risk that they're going to get an infection.

Covering your cough, not with your hand, but with you -- with your arms or shoulder, that can reduce the likelihood that you've going to transmit a virus.

And it's very important that people follow what we call home isolation practices. What that means is, if you're sick, if you have a fever, and you have flu-like illness -- stay home. Don't go to school. Don't send your children to school. Don't go to work. Stay home, so that you can get better, and you're going to be less likely to spread the infection to somebody else.

We're asking in areas where there's a confirmed case, or if you are a confirmed case of swine flu that not only you stay home, but that the rest of the family think about staying home as well. Not because they are sick or definitively know that they're sick, but because there's a chance that they could be brewing the infection and by going -- or not spending as much time in the community, they, too, can help reduce the likelihood of transmission.

We're going to see different actions taken in different communities, and people are going to question that and say is that a good thing?

It is a good thing. We expect and we hope that public health professionals are going to tailor their actions based on what's going on in their -- in their particular communities.

We are in contact with communities that have had cases. We are working with them in providing our recommendations.

But what you're going to find is that the people on the ground in a community know that community best and are in the best position to help tailor the recommendations and the actions that are -- that are -- that are taken.

So in summary, as we move forward, you know, I want to stress that the label of what we call this means a lot less than what we do. And we continue to be very aggressive.

No single action that somebody takes, whether it be the government, a community, a family or an individual, will halt this, but the combined actions that we all take together will reduce the impact on our communities and on our health.

It's a shared responsibility.

PHILLIPS: And just as we hear from the CDC, news crossing the wires right now: Possible swine flu death in Los Angeles, California. We're working that story.

Also, getting reports out of New York City, possibly hundreds of schoolchildren sick with suspected cases of swine flu.

We're going to be talking with Lieutenant General Russel Honore. You know, he just came out with his newest book. It's all about being prepared. Are we prepared? What does he think about what's coming out of the CDC. What does he think about how the Obama administration is reacting to these all cases as we are following the swine flu. We'll get his reaction right after the break.

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PHILLIPS: All right, we're following two big swine flu developments.

In California, Governor Schwarzenegger just declared a state of emergency, but says there's no cause for public alarm. We're also hearing that the L.A. County Coroner is now investigating the death of two men for evidence of swine flu virus. So far, no confirmed swine flu deaths are on the books anywhere in the U.S., but more than 70 confirmed infections are reported in California, Texas, Kansas, Ohio, Indiana and New York.

Let's get to New York City. The health commissioner now saying many hundreds of schoolchildren are believed to be infected.

Let's get straight CNN's Deborah Feyerick with the details.

Deb, this would be a huge increase from the numbers that we've been reporting. What have you been able to find out?

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, absolutely. It would be a large increase. And officials definitely are saying this is a large outbreak.

But they're also saying we may never know exactly how many people actually were infected with swine flu. That's because they're saying that there were hundreds of people who did call in sick, that did have flu-like symptoms which could likely be swine flu, but they're only testing the most serious cases and they are also testing only those found directly within the cluster.

They're saying this is like a normal flu virus, one in five likely to be infected. And while the majority of students who did get swine flu didn't even travel to Mexico, they transmitted it to their family, to other staff members. And so that's what we're learning about this right now.

Again, the concern, this is such a new virus. They don't know exactly how people are going to be able to fight it. But they're saying, a lot of the recovery has been spontaneous. Now also, it appears that the virus has now spread to another school attended by a sibling from - who has a brother who goes to St. Francis, to the prep school there. And so, now they're looking at that school and they have closed that school. So that's now two schools closed in New York because of swine flu. There's another school in Manhattan and that's now under investigation as well, possibly six cases there.

Again, it's a normal flu, but because they don't know how it's going to react, they're just taking precautions.

Officials also tell us that Tamiflu, the drug used to treat this virus, well that also, in certain areas, they're seeing a run on Tamiflu. That people are either buying it or that pharmacies aren't able to get enough of it. So that's also something that they're looking at.

But again, everybody is kind of tiptoeing their way around this. They don't want to alarm people. So they're saying this is like a normal flu. Chances are you may be exposed, you may get sick, but we're not going to test you to determine whether in fact, yes, aha, it's swine flu. Just assume that if you've been exposed to somebody who has it, well, chances are pretty good you have it too - Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, keep tracking it for us. Deb Feyerick, thank you so much.

Well, he's the general that wrote the book and already we can see why we're talking about this and why we're interviewing him time and time again. Russel Honore, "Survival: How a Culture of Preparedness Can Save You and Your Family From Disasters."

Let me just get right to it, this is all about being prepared. OK, something that we were not in Katrina; you saw that and what a disaster it became. I just interviewed RNC Chairman Michael Steele. And I mentioned to him, look, republicans voted against $870 million for pandemic flu preparedness. Boom! Out of the stimulus package. His response was, don't make a connection here. We had other things to worry about with the bad economy. We had other decisions we had to make.

But my question is, once again, we're not prepared. So how many times do you just live in the moment versus preventative maintenance?

LT. GEN. RUSSEL HONORE, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, you know, Kyra, we have to "overresource" safety. We have taken a line in America of just having enough hospital beds, just having enough vaccines. We've overstretched ourselves on the supply chain. All that can break.

If there's one place in America the American people expect the American government to do stuff and have it on hand is medicines and vaccines. Because you know, we can see the enemy coming in most cases or we can quickly respond. You cannot respond quickly to these flu and epidemic-type things.

So we have to overresource this. We have to have capabilities in every state and we need to make our hospitals and public health system stronger.

PHILLIPS: You know, you're the military. And you were brought into Katrina because it needed a military-type response. We were already hosed. We needed help and we needed you to do something, OK. But what we want, as Americans, is we want to be prepared. We want our government to be spending money before the crisis instead of during the crisis.

HONORE: Absolutely.

PHILLIPS: We want to prevent these types of - whether it's the flu pandemic or Katrina in New Orleans.

HONORE: And I think the people are looking for people to be decisive.

You know, we responded to the flu epidemic in school by using the honor system. Look, Kyra, the honor system don't work. This thing is going to continue to spread because we haven't been decisive.

Stay home. If you don't stay home and you infect somebody else, you go to get dealt with by the law.

The other thing that we've been soft on, we said, maybe you ought not go Mexico. Look, this thing is coming from Mexico. They are our friends, everybody know our close relationship. But we need to cut the airplanes off because this flu is traveling at the speed of a 757.

PHILLIPS: Final thought, you said there was something you disagreed with regard to what the acting director of the CDC just said a few minutes ago. What was that?

HONORE: That is in relationship to taking the soft approach. If you don't feel well, stay home. I think we've got to get draconian on this and if you're sick, you need to be told, you will stay home. And then industry and government agencies where people work need to be reinforcing that. You can't have sick people bringing that into the workforce, working on the honor system.

PHILLIPS: Our time is up. Appreciate it. Glad we got you in before the end of the hour. Thanks so much, General.

Rick Sanchez is going to take it from here.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Well, unbelievable story that we're following for you right now, Kyra.

We're going to start with breaking news and the scene that I'm about to show you, well, kind of make you drop your jaw somewhat. This is a chase, a car chase that's going on right now south of Atlanta on I-75. There you see the troopers behind the car.

OK. You've seen chases before. What makes this one very different that this is actually begun as - you've hear of carjackings? - this is truckjacking. Now you can't see it right now, but