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Justice Souter Expected to Retire this Summer; Priests Told to Wash Hands; Torture by a Royal Family Member; Pontiac Being Retired
Aired May 01, 2009 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: A seat to fill on the bench. Supreme Court Justice David Souter is stepping down. Who could President Obama nominate now to take his place.
Lots of buzz on our CNN NEWSROOM blog. An iReporter shows proper hand-washing during a deadly flu season.
Also ahead, the passing of a legend. Motor City model killed, while a Detroit cousin will have a second life. It is Friday, May 1st.
Hi, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
It is a busy Friday morning. I want to give you a quick walk- through now of what would bring you today. Big news from the Supreme Court. Suzanne Malveaux is taking a look at the retirement now of David Souter.
What does all this mean for the Obama White House? It becomes as the next big challenge for them because they have to decide who will replace him. Take a look at all the players out there. We'll be talking about that.
And our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta back in the U.S. has the inside view of the CDC. Their latest strategy on fighting swine flu.
And also, Chrysler and its first bankruptcy hearing. This morning, we'll be talking about what could be a possible road map to recovery.
Back to this story, though. Right off the top today. Supreme Court Justice David Souter is set to step away. "The New York Times" is reporting a formal announcement could come as early as today.
Here's what we know right now. A source close to the associate justice tells CNN Souter is expected to leave the court after the current term ends in June. A White House source tells CNN the Obama administration had received earlier indications that Souter was ready to step away but the administration wanted Souter to leave on his own terms.
Souter was picked for the court by the first President Bush in 1990. A moderate Republican, he has become one of the more liberal voices on the court. President Obama now has the chance to put his stamp on the court. CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is joining us live.
So, Suzanne, What is the White House saying about all of these this morning now?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, I've been talking to White House aides and senior administration officials and really they are keeping mum.
This is the official word here. The president has not received a formal communication from Justice Souter. He deserves the right to make his own announcement. They don't want to get ahead of this.
When we talk about a formal announcement, one of the things that traditionally happens is the marshal from Supreme Court will physically come here to the White House, deliver a letter with the intentions of that justice who's intending to retire. That would be, of course, Justice Souter.
There are a lot of people talking about the kind of person that he could possibly nominate to appoint here. And one of the things that he's been asked in debates as a candidate, as well as the president, is what are you looking for?
One of those debates, the Las Vegas debate, Wolf and I putting that question to the president about abortion rights, Roe v. Wade, whether or not there's a litmus test, and what he actually seeks in a Supreme Court justice.
I want you to take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Sometimes we're only looking at academics or people who've been in the courts. If we can find people who have life experience and they understand what it means to be on the outside. What it means to have the system not work for them -- that's the kind of person I want on the Supreme Court.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: And Heidi, he gives a little bit more details when he had a speech before Planned Parenthood because he was saying 95 percent of the cases that go before the Supreme Court, everybody is in agreement, but it's this five percent of those cases that that's really where the heart of the justice matters.
So he says that we need somebody who's got the heart, the empathy to recognize what it's like to be a young teenage mom, the empathy to understand what it's like to be poor or African-American or gay or disabled or old. And that's the criteria by which I'm going be selecting my judges.
Heidi, obviously, a big opportunity for this White House, for this president willing to make a mark here when it comes to the Supreme Court. Not likely to change it ideologically any way...
COLLINS: Right.
MALVEAUX: ... because Souter being liberal he's likely to appoint somebody else who's also liberal but you know a real chance for diversity or whatever way he decides.
COLLINS: Yes, I do wonder, though, whether or not the White House was a little bit surprised by this. I mean, in comparison to other justices, he hadn't served that long. Eighteen years, is that correct?
MALVEAUX: Well, you're absolutely right. I mean this is one of those things where there's been a lot of buzz, there's been a lot of talk about it, and so they're not completely surprised but it is happening very early in this administration, so it really does allow him the opportunity to weigh in pretty early on.
This is something that could have happened in years to come. He is relatively young when it comes to being on the Supreme Court.
COLLINS: Yes.
MALVEAUX: So this is an opportunity that they hope that they will shape.
COLLINS: All right. CNN's White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux this morning, we know you're following it closely. Thank you.
We also want to take a quick look now at where Souter stood on some of the more notable cases.
Back in 1992 in one of his first big votes, Souter supported keeping the Roe V Wade ruling intact. We're talking about that with Suzanne Malveaux just a moment ago. He said overturning Roe would be a surrender to political pressure.
Souter was one of three justices to vote for continuing the Florida recounts in the 2000 election. The other six voted to end the recount, giving the presidency to George Bush.
And in 2004, Souter was part of the majority in the landmark decision on Guantanamo detainees. The court gave U.S. courts jurisdiction to review legal appeals filed on behalf of detainees.
Back in the story now. The swine flu. It is spreading. In fact, since this time yesterday, we are seeing a 30 percent jump in the number of confirmed cases around the world.
In the U.S., there are now 109 confirmed cases and one death. Those cases now scattered across 11 states. Worldwide, 331 people are confirmed to have had the H1N1 virus.
The World Health Organization confirms 10 deaths now but Mexico says more than 150 others are being investigated so that number could certainly change. The virus has spread to 11 countries. The hardest hit areas are in the western hemisphere.
No place, though, has been hit as hard as Mexico and our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has been on the story there for days, as you know.
Today, though, Dr. Sanjay Gupta is back home in Atlanta. He's joining us this morning from the CDC, the center of the swine flu investigation in the U.S.
So, Sanjay, first the new scientific discovery that may actually be good news, right, about the ability of this virus to replicate? What have we learned? Something about...
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
COLLINS: I think it's amino acids?
GUPTA: That's right. This possibly is good news, Heidi. When you're sort of looking at the structure of these viruses, you can get some important ideas of how this virus might be -- specifically exactly what you said. There seems to be a protein missing, a protein in the ability for the virus to replicate itself, to sort of reproduce.
As you know the virus gets into your body, starts reproducing and when it gets to a critical mass that's what makes you sick. If it can't replicate as easily, two things -- one is you're not as likely to get as sick and not as likely to be able to transmit it from one human to the next as easily.
There's actually some good news. They look at this sort of comparing it to viruses of the past. And they found that it was missing this particular protein.
COLLINS: Yes, it's really interesting. And also, I know as we have said, you're standing in front of the CDC this morning. You are continuing your investigation into this new virus and really trying to give us a sort of behind-the-scenes look at what goes on at the CDC. Certainly in the middle of something like this.
What are you hoping to learn today?
GUPTA: Well, you know, this is the place where a lot of the samples are sent ultimately for a final confirmation. The buck stops here in so many ways with these outbreaks and as well with this H1N1.
And also there's been a lot of talk about possibly creating a vaccine. What goes into making into that decision. The vaccine has not started in terms of production. Is there some sort of trigger at that decision, how does it get made?
And finally, you know they have to track this thing. Heidi, as you know surveillance is so key. There's almost a command central set up over here where they track things almost real-time to figure out how they can contain it and I think that's going to be pretty interesting as well. COLLINS: Yes. No question. All right. We know you're staying on top of it. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, nice to have you back in the U.S. Thank you.
GUPTA: Can I tell you one thing as well?
COLLINS: Yes. Absolutely.
GUPTA: The elbow bump. You know, no more hand shaking for us. We're doing the elbow bump.
COLLINS: Yes.
GUPTA: And you see people advocating it. It's an easy way to prevent the transmission of viruses from your hand to another person's hand.
COLLINS: Absolutely. All right. We will take note of that, the elbow bump from Dr. Sanjay Gupta this morning. Thank you, Sanjay.
Take a look now at this number. Nearly 300 and counting. That's how many schools have closed across the country. Officials are trying to contain the H1N1 virus. At least 200 of the closings are in Texas, more than 60 in Alabama and scattered shutdowns are reported in more than 15 other states.
Also this story this morning. The Chrysler. How will the auto maker look after emerging from bankruptcy and the tough transition for workers? We've got team coverage on this story this morning.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: And I'm Rob Marciano on the CNN Severe Weather Center. Some flooding across the Midwest again today will probably last through the weekend and it may stretch all the way to the Kentucky derby.
We'll talk about that when the CNN NEWSROOM comes right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: This just in to the CNN NEWSROOM now on a developing story. A vehicle belonging to a wanted professor has been found.
The University of Georgia professor George Zinkhan is accused of killing his wife and two other people outside a community theater last Saturday. Now police found his vehicle overnight in the same county where the university is located.
There has been no sign of Zinkhan after he dropped his children off at a neighbor's after the shooting.
We want to get over to Rob Marciano now this morning, talking a little bit about the weather, because this weekend, there is a pretty big event. Everybody wants the weather to be nice for the Kentucky derby, right?
MARCIANO: Yes, you know. Well, people get all dressed up in their -- you know, Sunday best and...
COLLINS: In their hats and all that.
MARCIANO: You know, even if you're not that person, you want to be that person. And you certainly don't want it to rain. It's kind of like the Super Bowl. A lot of people just want to do at once.
COLLINS: Are you saying you want to wear a big floppy hat?
MARCIANO: I think I could look cute like that.
COLLINS: Yes.
MARCIANO: All right. We're going to get to that in a second.
COLLINS: We'll work on it. You know we're going to have them by the next time we'll see you and we'll wear it.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: Have you ever been to the Kentucky Derby?
COLLINS: I have not. Belmont Stakes, yes, but not -- with Smarty Jones. That was the year I went. Yes, the collective sigh of disappointment from the stands. It was very dramatic.
MARCIANO: My grandmother took me to Belmont...
COLLINS: Yes?
MARCIANO: ... when I was underage back in the day. She always used to say, it's not spring until they run for the roses.
COLLINS: Aw. I like that.
MARCIANO: Yes. It wasn't until later we found out she actually had a gambling problem but she was very sweet.
COLLINS: My lord. All right. I think you need to do a reality show. My goodness. All right. Family secret is what we'll call it.
MARCIANO: Listen. She taught me a thing or two.
COLLINS: She -- I'm sure she did.
MARCIANO: And I'm floor for it, for sure.
COLLINS: Yes. All right. Rob.
MARCIANO: See you later.
COLLINS: We'll check back with you later. We're going to check our time, though, for your slot. All right.
Team coverage now on the future of Chrysler. A deal in place for the automaker to emerge from bankruptcy, restructure, and keep operating but, of course, it will be temporary pain for workers.
Our Allan Chernoff has that part of the story but we begin this morning with Christine Romans on the details of the deal.
Christine, good morning to you.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.
Well, let's talk about we are in the first day of a bankrupt Chrysler. This is the thing that...
COLLINS: Yes.
ROMANS: ... the administration says it's going to take maybe 30 to 60 days, although there are analysts who say that is not set in stone. It's going to be up to the judge and up to the process here.
There will be a deal with Fiat at the conclusion of this thing. A global alliance with Fiat, the Italian carmaker. In total another $8 billion from taxpayers, about 3.5 billion of that financing during the bankruptcy and then 4.5 billion in exit financing once it's done.
And the Chrysler CEO who got praise from the administration yesterday once this whole process is through, he will leave the company. Who will own this new Chrysler, as they are calling it? 55 percent will be the UAW Retirees Fund, 20 percent Fiat with an option for another 15 percent.
The government of the United States will own 8 percent. And the Canadian government would own 2 percent. If you have a Chrysler vehicle, you can still get it serviced at one of the dealers. If you have a warranty, it is still good.
There are no job cuts today at this company but, remember, it is a bankruptcy process and Fiat will be a big owner of this company in the months to come so we don't know exactly what kind of cost-cutting they will ultimately do but as of today, they're going through the process of these things called first filings or filing motions to make sure they can pay the bills, they can pay their suppliers, they can pay their -- the people who work for them.
And this is the first day of the now bankrupt chapter 11, under the protection of chapter 11 Chrysler. Heidi?
COLLINS: All right. CNN's Christine Romans following the story closely for us. Thank you, Christine.
ROMANS: You're welcome.
COLLINS: While long-term prospects may be promising for a new Chrysler it could be a tough couple of months for workers.
Here now is Allan Chernoff with the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The deal that was supposed to save jobs has put Chrysler hourly workers out of a job for at least the next month.
GENE BEHME, CHRYSLER AUTO WORKER: I was hoping that we'd be able to get through this with unscathed, but, obviously, that's not happening.
CHERNOFF: It's the latest hit to autoworkers who, this week, voted to give up bonuses, break time and put the future of their health benefits into Chrysler stock. An employee benefits program will own 55 percent of Chrysler.
HAROLD KEITH, CHRYSLER AUTO WORKER: Yes, I am angry. But there's two things I will not do. I will not give up on Chrysler and I will not turn my back on the UAW.
CHERNOFF: Fiat, the U.S., and Canadian governments will split the remaining ownership of Chrysler with billions of new financing from the federal government, technology from Fiat, and the leverage Chrysler gains under bankruptcy law, the company hopes to emerge stronger and healthier.
Chrysler will gain the ability to chop dealerships and cut relations with some suppliers, meaning more pain ahead for companies that depend on Chrysler.
EMMETT DEGUVERA, DPR MANUFACTURING AND SERVICES: A lot of the suppliers are going to have the time -- little tough time struggling through that, because of just the way business is financed, the receivables, if the suppliers can't ship anything, they can't send an invoice.
CHERNOFF: But some Chrysler employees are remaining optimistic.
SIGMUND IRBY, DIE SETTER: We'll just ride the train until it crashes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: All right. CNN's Allan Chernoff is joining us now this morning from Auburn Hills, Michigan.
So talking to the workers, obviously, a pretty darn tough for them. A lot of them may, too, be wondering, Allan, a lot of money was given to this company and then just, what, is it three months later now, we are seeing them file for bankruptcy.
So what happened with all of that money? Was it just a waste?
CHERNOFF: Really, frankly, there is, as you say, tremendous amount of uncertainty here and the workers just aren't certain what's going to happen, how it's going to be reorganized and what we do know is that Chrysler is going to dramatically shed its expenses.
Bankruptcy court gives Chrysler a lot of leeway in that direction. So we know that some of the suppliers will be dropped. Some of the dealerships will be dropped. And a lot of the creditors simply may not get paid all that they are owed.
That's the reason that the factories shut down right away because the suppliers said, hey, we're not going to be sending the parts if we don't know we're going to get paid. Heidi?
COLLINS: Yes. Absolutely. What's the mood there when you talk to people and we saw some of them inside your story? In general, what would you say? Are people trying to be optimistic, trying to have a good attitude about this?
CHERNOFF: Yes. Some of the workers are just trying to keep their chins up. One worker told me, look, we've been through so many roller coasters in the past. This is just the latest twist and turn. But the fact is, there's a lot of uncertainty. People are very anxious, and there is a real likelihood that Chrysler is going to be cutting lots of factories and cutting lots of jobs.
COLLINS: Yes. Understood. All right. CNN's Allan Chernoff this morning from Michigan. Thank you, Allan.
Well, for now, Chrysler is hanging on but one brand is ready to jump into history. Say goodbye to the Pontiac. The home of the Firebird and GTO is now the latest victim of the economy. Coming up we'll have more on the demise of an American icon.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: What a difference a week makes. This time, last week, swine flu was barely on our radar and now there's confirmation 331 people have gotten sick from the H1N1 virus across 11 countries. And thousands of other cases are suspected.
Here to talk more about this is Michael Osterholm. He's the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy from the University of Minnesota.
Thanks for being with us.
MICHAEL OSTERHOLM, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASE RESEARCH & POLICY: Good morning.
COLLINS: Boy, it's true, isn't it? Just a week ago, it was such a very different story. If you had to look back over the progression of this thing, on these seven days, how would you characterize it?
OSTERHOLM: Well, you know, actually I think it's unfolded pretty much as some of us expected. A week ago today we were talking about this is marathon that, in fact, we wouldn't have answers to what is going to be whether a pandemic or there's not going to be a pandemic. That we would expect to see transmission around the world.
And I think that that's what we're all beginning realizing both media and policymakers and scientists that this is going to be a long- haul issue in terms of understanding what's going on. COLLINS: Yes. No question about that. But boy, when you look at some of the stuff that's out there. In fact, this appeared to -- this disease obviously appeared to threaten Mexico because we've been talking so much about that possibly being the origin of all of this.
The World Health Organization says it threatens humanity. Is that an overly strong statement in your opinion?
OSTERHOLM: No, it's -- it's not at all. And I think that the message we have to get across is that this particular virus could fizzle out in the next six to eight weeks and be nothing more than a minor speed bump in the public health road or this virus could fizzle out in six to eight weeks and like it did in 1918, where there's an early spring wave, it was mild and then came back out that summer with a vengeance.
COLLINS: Yes.
OSTERHOLM: It can do that again or we could still see the pandemic emerging from this with a mild, moderate or severe flu. So all these options are still on the table. And I think what we're trying get people to understand is they've got to prepare for the long haul. This isn't the pandemic right now. We don't need to take those steps to close everything. At the same time, we may have to sometime down the road do that.
COLLINS: Yes. But that being said, we are seeing a lot of schools closed across this country. Is that necessary?
OSTERHOLM: In some cases, the closings are absolutely right on target because they are closing a specific school where there is evidence of infection being transmitted like we saw in New York.
I think other communities have gone far, far overboard, have overreacted, close 130 or 140 schools.
COLLINS: Yes.
OSTERHOLM: That part is not necessary. And I think we're all learning how to dial it in to do the right thing at the right time with the right actions.
COLLINS: Yes. We talked a little bit this morning with our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta about the DNA of this thing and the idea of amino acids, meaning that it is not as easy for this particular virus to spread as quickly. I'm putting it in layman's terms.
OSTERHOLM: Yes.
COLLINS: That being said, though, what is the progress with the vaccine and are you satisfied where they are in developing one...
OSTERHOLM: Yes.
COLLINS: ... if there will be one at all? OSTERHOLM: Well, let me just make a very quick comment on the generics. We're actually very actively working on the genetics of the virus. And right now I think it's premature to say we know what any one genetic change in the virus means with either transmission or severity.
There surely are leads but I think, again, we have to be careful there is no magic answers coming out and we'll be studying these issues.
As far as vaccine, this is an area that, you know, we have not made great advances in as a society. Today, we still only have the limited capacity to make vaccines for the world. It will take us months to get it done and we've not made much progress as a world over the past five to seven years and we knew that this was a potential situation.
So we need to do much more to gear up the 1950s vaccine manufacturing capacity to one where we can really cover the world quickly.
COLLINS: Wow. Yes, well, that is not something that is very settling, that's for sure. But we do appreciate your time this morning. Very nice.
OSTERHOLM: Thank you.
COLLINS: Michael Osterholm. He's the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. Thanks so much.
OSTERHOLM: Thanks, Heidi.
COLLINS: Well, you do hear it all the time, wash your hands to avoid getting the flu, right? But there is a right way and a wrong way to do it. Hand washing 101 in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Heidi Collins.
COLLINS: It's a new day and new month. Stocks have been on a tear recently. So can the rally continue? That's the big question.
Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange as the opening bell rings for this Friday.
What are we looking at today, Susan?
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're looking at a slide open, Heidi. But wow, what a nice streak we have had.
COLLINS: Yes.
LISOVICZ: Your timing, once again, impeccable. Stocks have performed pretty darn well lately considering that investors had to deal with swine flu, the Chrysler bankruptcy and the deluge of corporate earnings.
You know, T.S. Elliott wrote that April was the cruelest month. Well, Wall Street begs to differ. The Dow jumped more than seven percent in April. The NASDAQ soared more than 12 percent. The S&P 500 had its best month in ninth years. That index jumped more than nine percent. You get the big picture. But a big test could come next week when the government releases results of the bank stress tests.
Some unconfirmed reports say several of the 19 banks will need to raise extra capital. Results were set to go public, Monday, but now Bloomberg is reporting that the Fed is postponing the release until later in the week. The extra few days will allow bank executives and examiners to debate the preliminary findings.
Citigroup, meanwhile, is taking a big step to shore up its balance sheet. The financial giant selling its Japanese retail brokerage unit to a Japanese bank. Citi says the deal is worth $8 billion.
And finally, we'll get several reads on the economy today. Manufacturing, factory orders, consumer sentiment and auto sales. And speaking of autos, that was the Razor Technologies, Heidi, that's showcasing the plug-in hybrid hummer. It can run 40 miles, apparently, before it needs to be plugged in again.
Wow! The hummer has come a long way, hasn't it?
COLLINS: Forty miles, is that what you said?
LISOVICZ: Yes. Yes, it's the hummer.
COLLINS: That's not that far.
LISOVICZ: Yes. And, well, we're not going that far, either, with the three major averages, but, you know...
COLLINS: Yes. But, hey, it's really.
LISOVICZ: ...it's Friday.
COLLINS: It's only one minute, 40 seconds in.
LISOVICZ: We have to be patient.
COLLINS: All right. Susan, thanks so much. We'll check back later on.
LISOVICZ: Got it.
COLLINS: Back now to a developing story at the Supreme Court.
CNN has learned Associate Justice David Souter is planning to retire from the high court. A source close to Souter tells CNN the 19-year Supreme Court veteran would leave after the current term, which ends in June. Our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux reports Souter hasn't formally notified the White House of his decision. President Obama would probably have to move pretty quickly to get a new justice seated by the next term, which begins in October.
Well, CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin spoke with Anderson Cooper last night about possible replacements.
We will be talking a little bit later on with Jeffrey Toobin here, in fact, about many of those issues. And what could happen next with replacing Justice David Souter.
Meanwhile, keeping you updated on swine flu. Here's the very latest now. The World Health Organization says the number of confirmed cases has jumped nearly 30 percent since just yesterday. Worldwide, 331 people are now sick with the H1N1 virus as it's called. Thousands more are suspected. And the CDC says there are 109 swine flu cases in the U.S. and one death. The virus has spread to 11 countries now.
A special warning to Catholic priests around the nation. Wash your hands before and after Holy Communion. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued the advisory this week in the wake of a widening swine flu outbreak.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MSGR. WILLIAM MCCUMBER, ST. LOUISE ARCHDIOCESE: Not to be able to receive communion for a Catholic is almost unheard of. With the use of the cup, the way we take the cup, give it back and we wipe the edge and then turn it, and then give it to the next person, that helps to reduce, but certainly at this time we want to error on the side of safety.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Some priests are temporarily suspending the use of the communion cup. And one church telling parishioners uncomfortable about shaking hands during service to nod and smile instead.
Yes, that would probably work.
Yesterday, we focused on how to properly wash your hands on our show blog at newsroom.com. We got some great comments, in fact, and some great questions, too, which Elizabeth Cohen will answer in just a moment.
But, first, here's how one iReporter responded.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MELISSA FAZLI, CNN IREPORTER: Hi, my name is Melissa Fazli from Yorba Linda, California. Welcome to my bathroom, and I'm here to show you today on how to wash your hands properly.
The first thing you want to make sure that you do is you turn on the water and make sure that it's lukewarm. Wet your hands. Get your soap. Wash your hands on the inside and the outside, interlace it into your fingers, and get underneath your nails. And if you're lucky and you have one of these, it's good that if you do scrub your nails like this. According to the Mayo Clinic Web site, you should at least scrub your hands for 20 seconds.
For children, this is easy to remember because they can sing the song "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," and that lasts for about 20 seconds. You make sure you get a good lather up there. Up on your wrists. Rinse.
Now what you want to do is you want to use a paper towel during this flu season. You take it and you dry your hand, and you use this paper towel to turn off the water.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: That is the best darn hand washing job I've ever seen.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: She could do surgery.
COLLINS: Yes.
COHEN: Yes.
COLLINS: Our resident hand washing expert, CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is joining us now.
So, seriously, how did she do?
COHEN: She did great.
COLLINS: Because we talked about this, but we are hearing from everyone, all of the health experts and she was referencing the Mayo Clinic there, that it's really seriously the best way to keep yourself safe in this incidents of swine flu.
COHEN: Right. She did great.
Now, I don't know about that brush, because that brush could get dirty itself. So putting the brush aside for a minute, she did great in terms of the length of time that she washed her hands. You want to be able to sing "Happy Birthday" or "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," you can take your pick, twice and you want to sing it not at a fast pace, you want to sing it at a regular pace.
And then also I thought -- she did the right thing, which is that she had a paper towel and she used that to turn off the faucet. That's especially important when you're in a bathroom that's used by many people.
As a matter of fact, I've notice that stewardesses on flights, they will use that towel to, I assume, turn off the faucet, but then also I notice they are using it to open the door and to close the door to the bathroom, because they know that an enormous number of people using one bathroom, and they use that towel throughout whenever they touch any of those surfaces.
COLLINS: Yes. In fact, one of my favorite restaurants, the first time I've ever seen this as you exit the ladies room there is actually a paper towel dispenser right at the door there with a sign that says, remember to use this paper towel if you'd like, you know, to open and close the door.
COHEN: Right. There you go.
COLLINS: How about that?
COHEN: I mean, why not? It doesn't cost you anything. It's not a pain in the neck. It's just easy to do.
COLLINS: Yes, no question.
All right. So let's get to some of these questions now that were posted on our blog yesterday.
First, I want to get to this one from Dan. "Is it safe to use public bathrooms?" Aha, there's the question. "I worry that there are more germs in a public faucet than there are on my hands."
COHEN: Right. That's what we basically just talked about that.
Absolutely. Public bathrooms have way more germs than just your bathroom at home. If a lot of people using one space, and that's where you probably really want to put that paper towel idea to work. Use it to turn the faucet off, use it to open the door and to close the door behind you.
COLLINS: Yes. Very good.
All right, next from Z Oliver. "I'm a cancer patient," he says, "in remission for seven months now. What precautions should I take and others like me?
I think we're talking a little bit about immunities here, and maybe it transfers into people who have autoimmune diseases.
COHEN: Right. Anyone who has issues with their immune system has compromised immune system, whether it's because of something like recovering from cancer or whether you have a chronic illness. There are certain things you want to do that are a little bit different.
The American Cancer Society says if you as a cancer patient or someone who is just out of recovery are concerned, you can talk to your doctor. Should you possibly use Relenza or Tamiflu? Maybe if you're in an area where there's a bunch of swine flu cases. This is what cancer patients need to know in general, not just because of swine flu, but in general, to protect their immune systems.
Avoid large crowds, stay away from anyone with an infection. Anyone who appears to be sick. And I think this last one is really important. Stay away from small children who go to school or day care. I have four children who fall into that category. They are lovely, they are beautiful, they a little disease vectors. So that's important to remember.
And I want to add this, because I don't know if we're going to be talking about these yet. So I want to bring these up.
These are antibacterials. They come in all shapes and sizes and colors. And you can use these if you can't get to soap and water.
COLLINS: We're still OK with those?
COHEN: Yes, these are good. These are good.
COLLINS: All right. Very good.
All right. Our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.
Thank you, Elizabeth.
And remember now, you can be part of our discussion. Just log on to cnn.com, and check out our new blog page. We're getting a lot of hits on this. So make sure you don't leave us lonely. It's all there. You can see what stories we're talking about. And then, of course, tell us what you think.
Check it out at cnn.com/newsroom, then just click on my name at the top of the page.
Love hearing from you.
Torture in a nation that's a U.S. ally, committed by a member of the Royal family. You'll see the tape right here.
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ANNOUNCER: This is CNN, the most trusted name in news. Now back to the CNN NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: Extremely tough story to watch now. A brutal act of torture caught on tape. A video has come out that shows a member of the United Arab Emirates Royal family torturing a man in the desert four years ago.
You should be warned that even the heavily edited portions we're about to show you are very difficult to watch.
As Drew Griffin of our Special Investigations Unit reports, it's raising questions around the world over what happened there and why now the UAE has announced it will investigate.
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DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATION'S UNIT CORRESPONDENT: (voice-over): It is more than just disturbing.
(VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: A man led to believe he's about to be shot -- mental torture that takes a very physical turn.
(VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: Most of this tape, shot in the desert outside Abu Dhabi in late 2004, is so graphic, CNN cannot show it.
It was given to CNN by this man, Bassam Nabulsi, an American citizen who lives in Houston but for years, lived and worked halfway across the world, in the United Arab Emirates -- a booming kingdom and strong U.S. ally on the Persian Gulf.
The tape came to light because Nabulsi is now suing this man, his former business partner in the UAE, for $80 million.
BASSAM NABULSI, FORMER BUSINESS PARTNER OF SHEIKH ISSA: We were buddies. He swore to look after my family in case something happened to me.
GRIFFIN: That buddy and business partner was Sheikh Issa Bin Zayed Al Nayhan. And while he is not part of the government, his family rules the United Arab Emirates. His half-brother is the crown prince.
Sheikh Issa Bin Zayed Al Nayhan is also the torturer on this tape.
NABULSI: Look, that torture was known to his family. The government knew about it from day one. The government knew exactly what happened. They're looking away because he's part of the royal family.
GRIFFIN: The torture continues with the assistance of a private security guard, who holds the victim down. The sheikh stuffs the man's mouth with sand and on several occasions orders the cameraman to get closer.
Over the next 45 minutes, the man is subjected to electric shocks from a cattle prod, his genitals burned and he is repeatedly beaten with a nailed board.
(VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: The torture demands salt to be rubbed into the wounds.
(VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: Screams of pain as the victim is brought to the brink.
And at the end, an SUV is actually driven repeatedly over the barely responsive man -- a grain dealer accused of stealing.
(on camera): How much money are we talking about here?
NABULSI: It's nothing more than maybe $5,000.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): The video was shot by Nabulsi's brother, who also worked for the sheikh. Nabulsi says the sheikh ordered his brother to make it.
After seeing the tape, Nabulsi says he confronted the sheikh, telling him he must not be a God-fearing person. Nabulsi says that is when the sheikh turned on him.
In his lawsuit, Nabulsi claims security officers working for the sheikh ransacked his home, demanding that torture video back. But by this point, Nabulsi had smuggled the tape out of the country. Shortly afterward, Nabulsi was arrested and ultimately convicted on drug charges.
And in jail, Nabulsi says, he, too, was tortured and humiliated by United Arab Emirates police, who demanded he return the tape.
NABULSI: It was a lot of humiliation. And if I can, I'm -- I really don't like to talk about it.
GRIFFIN: The government of the UAE says Mr. Nabulsi was in no way mistreated during his incarceration. The tape has become evidence in Nabulsi's Houston lawsuit -- to bolter Nabulsi's claim that he, too, was tortured.
The sheikh's Houston attorney confirmed that this is, indeed, Sheikh Issa on the tape and said: "The conduct on the tape, of course, is inexcusable." But the attorney goes on to say the sheikh has been "unduly defamed" by the entire incident and that the man tortured in the desert was "investigated by police for theft and bribery in the farming operation."
And in a statement, the lawyer said that: "Nabulsi kept the video from the media while his lawyer was asking for money" -- a claim Nabulsi's attorney denies.
The government of the United Arab Emirates said it investigated the torture incident and found: "...all rules, policies and procedures were followed correctly by the police department. The review also concluded that the incidents depicted in the videotapes were not part of a pattern of behavior."
NABULSI: Nobody will dare say this is wrong. In their own country, they are the supreme law. They are the supreme law.
GRIFFIN: On the torture tape, little is heard from the grain dealer besides screams.
(VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: Pleading.
(VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: Whimpers. Eventually, he confesses to the theft. But then the sheikh accuses him of lying and the torture continues.
Amazingly, this grain dealer survived. As far as the United Arab Emirate government is concerned, quote, "The parties involved in the incident settled the matter privately by agreeing not to bring formal charges against each other."
GRIFFIN (on camera): Well, there's now been a change in how the government of the United Arab Emirates is handling this. Four years after this torture tape, the human rights office of Abu Dhabi, "unequivocally condemns the actions on the tape," we were told in a statement, and is vowing to opening new investigation into what the government says, quote, "appear to represent a violation of human rights."
Violations that, we remind you, took place four years ago.
Drew Griffin, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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COLLINS: A lot going on this Friday morning, and we have crews working to bring you everything you need to know. Let's check in now with some of our correspondents beginning with you, Susan, at the New York Stock Exchange.
LISOVICZ: Good morning, Heidi.
Well, stocks are coming off their best month in nine years. So it's great news for investors. And there is really good news for consumers, too. A bill to protect you from retroactive interest rate hikes and other questionable practices.
Heidi, more on that at the top of the hour.
CAL PERRY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Cal Perry in Baghdad, where we are charting the attacks that plagued Iraq during the month of April in what was the bloodiest month for both Iraqi civilians and U.S. soldiers since the beginning of 2009.
Heidi, we'll have more in that at the top of the hour.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: And I'm Rob Marciano in the CNN severe weather center. Some severe weather breaking out today across the plains with some flooding. We'll talk about that, and how your Saturday looks. Tomorrow is a big day across the country.
Heidi, that's coming up at the top of the hour. Stay there.
COLLINS: All right. Very good. Thanks so much, guys.
Also, direct from the CDC now. What scientists have uncovered as they investigate the H1N1 virus.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COLLINS: Chrysler owners, better listen up. The automaker now in Chapter 11 Bankruptcy hopes to be out from under sometime next month or the month after. But in the meantime, what do you do?
Let's go to our personal finance editor now, Gerri Willis, in New York this morning.
So, Gerri, what advice do you have?
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Well, look, Heidi, the first thing Chrysler owners need to know here is that this bankruptcy filing does not mean that the carmaker is going out of business.
COLLINS: Right.
WILLIS: At least, not yet. In the weeks to come, Chrysler will be restructuring, changing management, combing with FIAT as you said, but there is no indication that Chrysler will be liquidating assets or boarding up show rooms. That's great news for the average Chrysler- owning consumer, because getting day-to-day maintenance -- well, it's not going to change much.
Chrysler will still be standing behind those power train warranties so you can go get repairs you qualify for and auto parts makers should continue to function as normal.
Now, it's true that Chrysler may well be shutting down some dealerships in the months to come, but most closures probably take place in areas with more than one Chrysler dealership anyway.
So instead of driving down the road, Heidi, you might have to drive across town to get service. And as far as resale values go, well, they're probably going to take a hit. I spoke with the folks at Kelly Blue Book. They say we're not going to see a drastic drop in prices that is. That's because the possibility of a Chrysler bankruptcy filing -- well, it's been circulating for weeks, and in the longer term as more consumers realize, Chrysler is still an ongoing company, those prices should stabilize - Heidi.
COLLINS: Well, it does sound pretty upbeat, anyway, but it's possible, isn't it? That Chrysler's bankruptcy will not be so smooth going?
WILLIS: You bet. You know, right now Chrysler talking about getting out of bankruptcy in a matter of weeks. But things are always cleaner on paper than they are in real life.
COLLINS: Yes.
WILLIS: If angry creditors slow down bankruptcy court proceedings, Chrysler might not emerge from Chapter 11 as soon as they'd like. That could spook buyers, which would drive sales down and prices down. For now, it's a waiting game.
Should you buy a Chrysler? The good news is you won't get a Chrysler for a cheaper price than you will right now. But, look, if you're the kind of person who trades your car in every two or three years, the savings might be worth it.
On the other hand, Heidi, if you hold on to that car for a decade or more, we really don't know what the long-term prospects are for this company.
Heidi?
COLLINS: Yes, no question. All right, Gerri, sure do appreciate that. Thank you.
WILLIS: My pleasure.
COLLINS: Brands gone bye-bye. Some of you remember Hudson, Edsel and Studebaker. Well, others recalled the days of the DeLorean, AMC and your dad's Oldsmobile. Well, now Pontiac is ready to join those ranks.
CNN's Brian Todd has more.
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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They'll still be with us in spirit, that lightning fast Trans Am that Burt Reynolds tore through the south in "Smokey and the Bandit."
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TODD: And the futuristic talking Trans Am from "Knight Rider." But the Pontiac brand that produce those legendary muscle cars of the 60s, 70s and 80s is going the way of the Oldsmobile, killed off as part of GM's so-called viability plan.
RAY TINSLEY, PONTIAC OWNER: I just hate to see any of the car companies die.
TODD: Ray Tinsley's 1966 GTO is even more special to him now. He got this beauty as a 50th birthday present from his wife, and minces no words on what's being lost.
TINSLEY: Because back then there was a difference between cars. There's not a big a difference anymore. And to lose one brand almost seems like their narrowing the differences even more.
TODD: The difference then was a wide track wheel well introduced by John DeLorean in the early '60s.
(SONG PLAYING)
TODD: It became a standard feature in the GTO. Then in the firebird and the firebird Trans Am, soon to be copied by other muscle cars.
(on camera): Zero to 60 in what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 4.7 seconds.
TODD (voice-over): Now at the high end of the Pontiac performance line, the G8GXP and the new Solstice.
(on camera): This is a 2009 Pontiac Solstice. It's a small, sporty convertible, a lot of pick up, pretty affordable.
The dealers will tell you that you can still get the same warranty, the same parts years down the line, but you get the feeling performance-oriented cars like this that are actually pretty affordable for the American consumer are a bit of a dying breed.
(voice-over): We test drove them at Koons Pontiac of Tysons Corner in Virginia. Alex Pardicus (ph), who runs this dealership, is saddened at the demise of the brand, but it still got the same selling points.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the one thing that we've always, you know, grown accustomed to is power, is performance and style. And I think we're going to miss that. Pontiac has such a great lineup of performance vehicles.
TODD: A lineup that you won't be able to see at these dealerships by the end of next year. Pardicus (ph) predicts these cars will become even better bargains until then and have a new selling point. You can buy one knowing its vintage value will go up as soon as they're discontinued.
Brian Todd, CNN, Vienna, Virginia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
