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President Obama Talks About the Swine Flu, Says No Cause For Alarm; Swine Flu Grows to 360 Cases in 11 Countries; Travel Experts Insist Public Transportation Remains Safe; FEMA Trailer Residents Must Move Today
Aired May 01, 2009 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: -- in the same way that they've built up immunity to the seasonal flus that we're accustomed to. Those seasonal flus may change, mutate slightly from year to year, but they're all roughly in the same band when you have a new strain than potentially our immune systems can't deal with it as effectively and there are indications that in Mexico at least what you saw were relatively young, healthy people die from the H1N1 rather than people whose immune systems already compromised older individuals, very small infants and so forth. That's why we're taking it seriously. We have not yet seen those same kinds of fatalities here in the United States among young, healthy people with non compromised immune systems but we want to make sure that we're preparing appropriately.
So I just want everybody to be clear that this is why this is a cause for concern but not alarm. We are essentially ensuring that in the worst case scenario we can manage this appropriately, government working with businesses and individuals in the private sector and containing an outbreak and that we can ultimately get through this. Thank you very much, everybody. Hope you have a great weekend. Thank you.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: There you have the president at the end of his cabinet meeting making comments on the H1N1 outbreak in the United States. We will give you the very latest that we have on the swine flu H1N1 outbreak in the United States as we push forward with the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM, it begins right now with Don Lemon.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Tony thank you very much. I'm Don Lemon Kyra is off today. The fastest two hours of the whole day are going to start right now. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is about to roll out the latest facts and figures on the flu outbreak that is now in 19 states.
It is May Day everywhere, immigration rights rallies are on the move or in the works I should say from coast to coast. This is a live picture out of Chicago that you're looking at right now. But flu fears are taking a toll. You just heard from the president and who will fill the shoes of David Souter? We're going to talk about that, a big decision from a restless justice means a big opportunity for President Barack Obama.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: The most important thing in any judge is their capacity to provide fairness and justice to the American people.
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LEMON: That was candidate Obama speaking hypothetically. It's not hypothetical anymore. This hour the president takes part in a naturalization ceremony for active duty service members. The military has about 40,000 troops who serve but aren't citizens and about 8,000 enlist every year. Homeland security director Janet Napolitano will deliver the oath at that ceremony.
You want to hear what the CDC has to say about the swine flu outbreak this hour especially when you look at the latest numbers and we're going to look at them for you right now. Confirmed cases of the H1nN virus are on the rise worldwide and right here in the United States as well. Just minutes ago President Obama said the flu may run its course just like ordinary flus but the government is preparing for the worst case scenario just in case. There are 101 confirmed cases here in America spanning 19 states.
The number of confirmed cases worldwide now topping 360 across 11 countries. But please note, the higher totals don't necessarily mean that the disease is spreading out of control rather investigators are reporting more cases as they go through a backlog of samples. Also, thousands of American school kids are getting an unexpected vacation. The education department says around 300 schools are closed over the swine flu fears. The biggest outbreak of the flu and its apparent source of course is in Mexico and our Ted Rowlands has the latest from Mexico City where people are hearing some good news for a change.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): In a departure from the doom and gloom that we've been receiving from Mexican health officials over the past few days, some encouraging numbers coming out from those officials saying that the amount of people that they suspected had this virus is actually lower. They've gone out and done some testing of the 679 people that they have tested that they thought had this virus only 312 actually did. Less than half.
On the mortality rate, the same type of scenario. They went into the homes of 77 of the dead, the people they thought had this virus and they only found evidence of the flu in two of those homes. Now it's inconclusive as to how many people so far have died. They say 12 confirmed cases. They are still standing by the 150 or so possible deaths of this virus but all in all, good news. However, the mayor of Mexico City told people this is good news but we're not out of the woods yet.
MAYOR MARCELO EBRARD, MEXICO CITY: At this time what we can say that we're beginning to see evidence that the virus might be letting up. That the number of people that have been hospitalized has leveled out in regards to people who are contagious at least as of yesterday. I do not say this so we can lower our guard or that we can think we do not have a serious problem anymore. We do have a problem. But I say this so that we know where we are as a city. After we have done all we have done and in what direction we are heading and how much we have progressed. What I can say is that we're heading in the right direction.
ROWLANDS: Meanwhile, at airports across Mexico they have installed thermal imaging devices. Passengers have to go through these devices and if it's detected that a passenger's temperature is high, they'll be pulled aside and checked out. If they are determined to be sick, they will not be permitted to leave the country on an airplane. Today marks the beginning of essentially five-day holiday here in Mexico starting with Labor Day on May 1st going all the way through the Cinco de Mayo Independence Day. Health officials are encouraging people to stay home. The hope is that with this holiday weekend they'll be able to continue to have more positive news in terms of the spread of this virus.
Ted Rowlands, CNN, Mexico City.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right Ted, appreciate that. It looks like flu fears are not keeping people at home in Chicago and other big cities around the country. They're coming out for the traditional May Day rallies in support of immigration rights. Health authorities have not urged organizers to cancel big events like this, but they are telling people to stay home if they are sick. Houston, L.A., Miami, New York and Seattle are also hosting May Day rallies today.
Check out Havana, Cuba, where hundreds of thousands of people are marching through the streets there. It is the country's annual May Day parade. A government designated holiday to celebrate Cuban workers and a communist revolution. May Day labor rallies turned violent in Turkey and Germany where demonstrators clashed with police.
Now we go to one of the biggest decisions a Supreme Court justice ever makes and that is when to step down. It leads to one of the biggest decisions a president ever has to make too. Whom to put on the highest court in the land. Well today we know David Souter has had enough of the court that he says he loves and the city he says he hates. At 69, Souter is still a kid in the Supreme Court according to years at least but he has been there since 1990 and a friend says he'll retire with no regrets. As for his successor, one name being thrown around says he likes being governor of Massachusetts.
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GOV. DEVAL PATRICK, (D) MASSACHUSETTS: I'm 120 percent focused on doing this job right now. And we've got a lot to do and I'm going stay focused on that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Through next year and the election?
PATRICK: That's the plan.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor how will that affect your ability to push your agenda to get things done.
PATRICK: We'll stop them. I'm not --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: That is Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. In just a few minutes I'll ask our senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin to run down the short list of high court possibilities and who may be the next to step down. Moments away.
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LEMON: From Walter Chrysler, to Lee Iacocca to Bob Nardelli. We'll trace the rocky road followed by Chrysler.
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OBAMA: This is going to be I think one of the most consequential decisions of the next president. It is very likely that one of us will be making at least one and probably more than one appointment in Roe versus Wade probably hangs in the balance. I would not provide a litmus test but I am somebody who believes that Roe v. Wade was rightly decided.
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LEMON: That was candidate Obama when he was a candidate talking about the future of the Supreme Court which is really soon to be a reality. As we've been reporting here Justice David Souter who has decided after 18 years in D.C. he's had enough. He wants to go back to New Hampshire for good. I want to bring in now our senior legal analyst Mr. Jeffrey Toobin to sort of pick his brain about exactly what's going on. Jeffrey, we really appreciate that. We know you've done the book. Your book is called what "The Nine," which is about the Supreme Court here. Ok, so we have Souter, he's the big guy. He is stepping down. Who might be next? Who do you think?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Who might be next? Well, one of the remarkable things about this resignation is that there is a justice on the court who is 20 years older than David Souter. That's John Paul Stevens who is 89 years old but he's going strong. He's in good health. He plays tennis, he plays golf but 89 is 89. And I think you would have to say he is the most likely to leave. Another possibility is Ruth Bader Ginsburg 76 years old also suffering from cancer at the moment. She has also said ass no intention of resigning but 76 is not young and cancer is a serious thing. So I think those two are the most likely to leave but certainly if they were to leave in the immediate future, it would be not a planned departure.
LEMON: I'm going to talk about Souter here and you mentioned Stevens and you mentioned Ginsburg. Looking at some of the more conservative members of the court here, how do you think this is going to affect the balance once we get this person here and this is a really big question. Once we get the unknown person here, how do you think this will affect the balance?
TOOBIN: In most cases it probably will not affect the balance a great deal because Souter has been solidly part of the liberal wing. He is with Ginsburg, Briar and Stevens in the quartet of liberal justices. There are four very conservative justices, Roberts, Aledo, Scalia, and Thomas and Anthony Kennedy is the swing vote at the moment. In terms of the balance of power, I don't think there is going to be an immediate change but Byron White who was on the court for many years he used to say when you change one justice, you change the whole court. It's not entirely predictable how Souter's replacement would affect the court. Certainly not in the long-term.
LEMON: Let's quickly here talk about some of the people on the short list. I said that's really the question mark here. Some of the folks are on the short list because we're hearing that Janet Napolitano is on the short list which would be very interesting when it comes to Justice Thomas here because she was an attorney for Anita Hill.
TOOBIN: That would certainly make for lively lunchtime conversation, don't you think, over there at the Supreme Court?
LEMON: I think it would.
TOOBIN: I don't think there is a short list at this point. The president is going to go through this methodically. Vice President Biden a former chairman of the senate judiciary committee is going to be collecting names. One big issue that the president has to decide is he going to go with a sitting judge? That's been the tradition in recent years. Going back several decades, it didn't used to be the tradition. You had senators, you had governors go directly on to the Supreme Court. President Obama has indicated some sympathy with that old tradition.
Is he going to pick say Sonya Santamayer(ph), a distinguished judge who would be the first Hispanic on the court or is he going to pick Jennifer Granholm the governor of Michigan, Janet Napolitano, the secretary of homeland security? Someone who does not come out of the judge world? That's a decision that the president is going to make. With 60 democrats in the senate, he's probably going to have a pretty free hand to pick whoever he wants.
LEMON: All right thank you very much. He said he's retiring. He's leaving. Jeffrey Toobin you say the big question is still a question mark as to who replaces him. Thank you very much Jeffrey Toobin we appreciate that.
We're checking in for your feedback on our social networks here on Twitter. I asked the question, who would you like to see nominated to the Supreme Court. Check out some of your responses here, here is what Murielascorner says, "Michelle Obama." That's what she says. Jeremybabers says, "U.S. court of appeals Judge Carl Stewart fifth circuit from Shreveport, Louisiana." Columbiancoffee says, "My vote is for Maria Santomayor(ph), incredibly intelligent woman plus it would be the first Hispanic in the Supreme Court."
The possibilities are open there. You heard our Jeffrey Toobin say it. Reach out to us, Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, iReport.com or you can go to the CNN NEWSROOM home page, click on my face and you can read our blog about all of this.
We're going to check in on Wall Street in just a little bit. You see that the Dow is up there by 17, 18 points. We'll check in with our Susan Lisovicz for a full report in just a little bit.
Meantime, the journey into bankruptcy and towards reinvention is now under way for Chrysler. Lawyers are jammed inside a downtown Manhattan courtroom today. The judge quickly approved Chrysler's plan to pay its employees pre bankruptcy wages and benefits while its restructuring. No decision yet on how to handle creditors owed nearly $7 billion. The company is hoping it will come out of bankruptcy in 30 days.
Chrysler is a survivor. To understand where Chrysler might be going, you need to know where it has been. The company has been down certainly been down this road before. Check this out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Walter Chrysler was a locomotive engineer. His dream, what he wanted to do was create a car company that would make luxury like cars at prices most people could afford.
Dodge prices start just a few dollars more than the lowest priced cars.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He took over Dodge and got the Dodge dealer network as well as the Dodge brand name and expanded the company that way as well.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Chrysler, we put everything we had into this new Dodge car. Fred, you're proud of this car, aren't you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're damn right I am.
PETER VALDES-DEPENA, CNNMONEY.COM: Chrysler has had its ups and downs over the decades. It has always seemed to be a company that kind of comes and goes and goes on a run for a while and then kind of falls by the wayside.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The man who's leading the resurgence of Chrysler Corporation, the chairman of the board Lee Iacocca.
VALDES-DEPENA: Lee Iacocca was just known as somebody who had the touch for making products people wanted. He was very honest about what Chrysler needed but he was also a very approachable guy. Decent, good humored individual who was being frank.
LEE IACOCCA: My excuse for coming to you is real simple, I'm running out of money and I'm going to have to shut down if I don't get this backing. VALDES-DEPENA: In the '70s, Chrysler was in big trouble and they went and got loan guarantees from the government and paid them back ahead of the deadline because they were able to come up with really good products that Americans actually wanted. I think you need to both look at the past and obviously recognize what went wrong. We also need to look at the future and look at does this company seem to understand its mistakes, do they seem to know where they're going?
BOB NARDELLI, CHRYSLER CEO: Chrysler is requesting a $7 billion loan to bridge the current financial crisis.
VALDES-DEPENA: To look at Chrysler right now, to look at the future you really have to look at two companies. You have to look at Chrysler and you have to look at Fiat. Chrysler really isn't going to make it as a stand alone company. I don't think they can long-term compete on that basis otherwise they will keep sinking between the waves every time there's an economic challenge.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right. We want to take you now live to the east room of the White House. A very busy day for President Barack Obama. As we told you at the top of the hour just a few minutes ago, the president will take part in a naturalization ceremony for active duty servicemen, military has about 40,000 troops who serve but aren't citizens and about 8,000 enlist every year. You can see Secretary Gates walking into the room. It is believed that also Secretary Janet Napolitano will be there as well. The president getting ready. Here comes the president. We will go to that ceremony now. Let's take a listen.
(APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Please be seated.
Please remain standing for the national anthem.
Sorry. My bad.
(SINGING OF NATIONAL ANTHEM)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Please be seated.
ROBERT GATES, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Mr. President, Madame Secretary, it is my great honor to present to you 25 active duty members of the United States Armed Forces. From 18 countries throughout the world who have applied for their United States citizenship. All of these candidates have been examined by the United States citizenship and immigration services and been found to be qualified to become United States citizens. Citizenship candidates, as I read the name of your country, please stand and remain standing to take the oath of allegiance. The Bahamas. Bolivia. Cameroon. Columbia. Cuba. El Salvador. Gabon. Germany. Guyana. Jamaica. Mexico. Microniga. Nicaragua. Peru. The Philippines. Poland. Turkey. Madame Secretary, the government now moves that all 25 applicants be admitted to United States citizenship subject to their taking the oath of allegiance.
JANET NAPOLITANO, U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Thank you. Please remain standing. Mr. President, I am honored to be here today to administer the oath of allegiance to these exceptional United States service members. If you each could please raise your right hand. Raise your right hand. And repeat after me.
I hereby declare on oath --
I hereby declare on oath --
NAPOLITANO: That I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, state or sovereignty of whom or which I have here to or have been a subject or citizen. That I will support and defend the constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies foreign and domestic. That I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same. That I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by law. That I will perform noncombatant service in the armed forces of the United States when required by law. That I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by law. That I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation, or purpose of evasion so help me God. Congratulations.
(APPLAUSE)
NAPOLITANO: Please be seated. I want to welcome you as the newest members of the American family. As you noticed, the oath of allegiance requires you to promise that you will bear arms on behalf of our country, something all of you have done bravely. Your service, your sacrifice, your love for our country truly an inspiration to your fellow Americans. You joined tens of thousands of service members who have become citizens in recent years. The fact that you have come here from all over the world to call this country home, fight for it, and become citizens only shows the enduring strength of our country and its founding ideals. Now, it is my honor and pleasure to invite to the podium, your commander in chief and our president, President Obama.
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: Thank you. Thank you so much. This is a lot of fun. This makes so much of the hard work we do worth it to see this ceremony here today. It is my honor and my personal pleasure to be the first to address you as my fellow Americans. [ Applause ] And welcome to your White House. I know this day carries a lot of meaning not only for you but for your family members and your fellow service members who join you today. Each of you has a unique story to tell about the journey that led you here. You hail from every corner of the earth from Southeast Asia to Central Europe from West Africa to South America. Some of you came to this country as young children because your parents wanted to give you a better life in the land of opportunity. Others traveled here as adults enduring hardship and sacrifice to provide for your own families.
But all of you have one thing in common. You're here because you have not merely chosen to live in this country, you've chosen to serve this country. You're here for the same reason that Jonathan Zapata is here. Jonathan recently returned from serving as part of our efforts in Afghanistan. He actually helped man the 400,000th aircraft landing aboard the "USS Kitty Hawk." Jonathan wanted to serve the country he considers his own even though he was not yet a citizen because America had been so good to him from the time he came here from Nicaragua as a child. By serving in the military Jonathan says I can also give back to the U.S. Jonathan, I would like you to stand. (Applause) You're here for the same reason -- you can sit down. You're here for the same reason that Christiane Pierre is here. Christiane where are you? There you are.
(APPLAUSE)
Christiane is an army specialist returning from service in Iraq late last year. Originally she joined the military because she wanted to provide stability for her three children. But then she discovered something she did not expect she loves being in the army. In fact, she even said that she loved basic training. Christiane you've got to be pretty tough to love basic training. You all have your own stories. You can sit down Christiane. You all have your own stories of how you came to this country. You all have your own personal reasons for why you joined the military. But in the service that you render, in the sacrifices that each of you have made and will continue to make, in the commitment you've shown to your adopted nation, you're part of a larger story, America's story.
For more than two centuries, this nation has been a beacon of hope and opportunity, a place that has drawn enterprising men and women from around the world who have sought to build a life as good as their talents and their hard work would allow. Generation after generation of immigrants have come to these shores because they believe that in America, all things are possible.
So, you are not only living examples of that promise; you're also serving to defend that promise for future generations. And your service reminds all of us that much of the strength of this country is drawn from those who have chosen to call it home.
It's not lost on me or anybody here today that at a time when we face an economic crisis borne in many ways of irresponsibility, there are those who are actively pursuing greater responsibility.
And one person here today who fits that description well enough is Jean Abongetapo (ph), right here. She grew up in a poor family in Gabon, Africa, the daughter of a single mother raising five children by herself.
And Jean (ph) immigrated to the United States to provide for her family and to pursue her dream of becoming a dentist, and that's why she joined the Navy. And she hoped she'd have the opportunity to work and see the world and also earn her education.
And that's exactly what she's been able to do. She has started college. She's had the chance to travel. And even though she's had to make sacrifices to be apart from her loved ones, the people she's met in the Navy have become like a family away from home. And she's had the chance to be part of what it feels like -- what feels like a small community and, at the same time, to be part of something much larger than herself.
So, Jean (ph), thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
Despite all the -- all that she's faced, despite all the obstacles that she's overcome, Jean's (ph) made it her mission to serve others. "At the end of the day," she said, "the only thing that matters is that I helped."
As our newest Americans, all of you remind us just how precious our citizenship is, of how much it's worth and why it's worth protecting. You all remind us that citizenship is not just a collection of rights; it's also a set of responsibilities, that America's success is not a gift. It is hard won. It depends on each of us doing our part.
So, thank you all for your service. I am extraordinarily proud of you, and your nation is grateful to you.
So, now it is also my privilege to present a distinguished American with an award in recognition of the many contributions of naturalized citizens like all of you. It's called the Outstanding American by Choice Award. It's given to -- it's given by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and it is my honor to award it to Peter Lemon.
And let me tell you a little bit about Peter. Peter was just 19 years old and a citizen for just seven years when he and his platoon came under fire in the Tay Ninh province of Vietnam. Wounded by shrapnel from mortar that exploded near his foxhole, Specialist Lemon kept fighting to protect his position against wave after wave of attack.
The battle ranged for hours. He was wounded a second time and then a third, but he refused to give up, even leaving his foxhole and exposing himself to enemy fire in order to continue to defend his fellow Rangers. In fact, once the fight was over, Specialist Lemon refused to be evacuated until others had been taken to a field hospital.
And Pete would spend a month in the hospital himself to recover from his injuries. Soon after he returned home, he would be presented with a Medal of Honor by President Nixon.
Today, Peter Lemon is a proud father and a proud veteran, as well as an author and a filmmaker. And he has devoted his time and energies to talking about what his own experiences have meant to him and what he has learned, to encourage each and every one of us that the way to make the most of our talents is to make a difference in the lives of others.
So, his experience is a testament to the men and women who have come to this country to build a better life for themselves and their families and who have, by their commitment and contribution, made America a much better place, as well.
So, it is my honor to present this Outstanding American by Choice Award to Peter Lemon.
Peter, will you please come here?
(APPLAUSE)
There you go. Let's -- there must be some photographers over here.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: All right, President Barack Obama there. A really moving ceremony, presenting some awards here and also swearing -- well, actually, Janet Napolitano did, but swearing these folks in as U.S. citizens, saying nice things about them.
The guy that you're looking at there, Canadian-born Pete Lemon. No relation as far as I'm concerned, but he certainly does the last name proud. He says that, you know, "my fellow Americans" there. He was very happy to say that, "my fellow Americans." He welcomed them to the White House, saying this is your White House here. Saying that he was especially proud of them because they not only chose to live here, but they chose to serve as well and also to take on an added responsibility in these tough economic times.
So, the president doing a naturalization ceremony there. Very moving ceremony as well.
As I said, it's a busy day in Washington, especially at the White House, and a very busy day for our government. Let's take you now to here in Atlanta to the CDC, where they're going to hold a press conference in just moments. You see them preparing there, some of the people actually getting up and talking.
We're going to get a briefing about exactly what is going on with the H1N1 outbreak just moments away. As we know, the cases have been growing. We're going to find out the latest number of people who have become ill, who have died, unfortunately, from this outbreak. We're going to bring that to you in just moments. As you can see, they're preparing there. Seconds away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right, the latest update on the H1N1 virus outbreak commonly known as the swine flu. This hour, President Barack Obama said the flu may run its course like ordinary flus, but the government is preparing for the worst case, just in case.
There are now 141 confirmed cases in America spanning 19 states. The number of confirmed cases worldwide has now topped 360 across 11 countries. But please note, the higher totals don't necessarily mean the disease is spreading out of control. Rather, investigators are reporting more cases as they go through a backlog of samples.
Also, thousands of American schoolkids are getting an unexpected vacation. The Education Department says around 300 schools are closed over swine flu fears.
You know, you still have questions about this virus. A lot of people have been logging in to us, calling, however they can get through. And we want to say we are waiting for a press conference for an official update. But the latest numbers we gave you are the ones that -- those are the last that we have here.
So, we're going to talk to Elizabeth Cohen, who's been reading your e-mails, maybe taking some calls, tweets definitely. So, let's get to it. What do we have here? We've got this, you know, a bunch of questions of you.
The first one comes from Bob. And here's what Bob says. He says, "Is it possible," Elizabeth, that "the swine flu has been in the United States much longer than has been reported?"
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, it is definitely true, Don and Bob, that people could have had swine flu in this country for some time before it was actually reported. And the reason for that is, is that this flu looks so much like any other flu that you wouldn't necessarily go to your doctor.
Say, you've got a bit of a fever, and you're a little bit achy. Most people I think don't usually go to the doctor in that case. So, yes, it's possible that there were cases before they started being reported, which was approximately last week. So, I think that is an important point to make.
LEMON: All right, getting some more questions here. Have been looking at some on my -- this one, the next one comes from Tammy. And Tammy says, "E. coli and salmonella travel on our produce from Mexico. How long will this virus live in our produce imported from Mexico?"
That's what Tammy says. What do you say?
COHEN: All right, the doctors who I ran this by, they said, boy, there are a lot of things to worry about in life, but this is not one of them. They said very clearly to me, look, let's just say someone with swine flu sneezed -- this is someone in Mexico -- and then put their hand on an apple, and then that apple got shipped to the United States. They said there would be no worries.
And the reason why is that this virus can't live that long on the surface of anything, including produce. It lives in our respiratory systems. It doesn't live on food. And it's not going live in great numbers. And you need a healthy dose, or an unhealthy dose, I guess, of this virus in order to get sick.
So, for those reasons and for other reasons, they said, don't worry about that. Pick something else to worry about.
LEMON: The key is wash, wash, wash everything, especially your hands, especially your hands (INAUDIBLE).
COHEN: Right. Wash your hands and don't go to Mexico unless you absolutely have to.
LEMON: All right, great. This next thing happened to me because I had to get on a plane, and we're going to talk about that, Elizabeth. Thank you very much.
Achoo! You know that, Elizabeth. That can be a scary sound amid a swine flu outbreak, especially if you are the person sneezing, and sitting next to you, that person is sitting next to you on a plane. Joe Biden says he wouldn't even get on one, but does he have his facts straight? We'll answer that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's not that you're going to Mexico. It's you're in a confined aircraft. When one person sneezes, it goes all the way through the aircraft.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right, well, our next guest is not happy, not happy about those comments from Vice President Joe Biden. And he definitely isn't afraid to travel. Matter of fact, travel expert Peter Greenberg is getting ready to go to Mexico. You're going there for work.
Peter, OK, first of all, I'm going to ask you, what is wrong with the vice president's comments? What is wrong with what he said, and then why are you going? But we'll talk about why you're going. What's wrong with the comments?
PETER GREENBERG, TRAVEL EXPERT: Sure. The problem with what the vice president said is, for years there's been anecdotal evidence that if someone was sitting in 2B and sneezed, somebody in 14J might get sick. But there's never been any scientific data to support it. What he said is not supported by any scientific facts whatsoever.
And in fact, if it was true, considering how much we travel and how many people could be sick, we wouldn't have 140 cases. We'd have 140,000 cases. It's just not true. Not only that, I'd like to remind the vice president that the White House is an enclosed space. So, be careful.
LEMON: OK. You know, we've been getting e-mail -- I have, at least -- saying, hey, why are you telling people not to travel? And you said to me on the air Sunday night, go ahead and travel. Go ahead and travel. But yet, you know, there's this misconception out there that, you know, the media's telling people not to travel. Not so. And you're actually going yourself?
GREENBERG: You know what, we don't have an epidemic here. We have an infodemic here.
LEMON: Yes.
GREENBERG: The problem is this. If you have an immune system that's going to be compromised, don't travel. If you have a pre- existing medical condition, don't travel. If you practice personal hygiene like you just talked about with Elizabeth Cohen, and you actually wash your hands before and after eating, wash your hands before and after going to the bathroom, and let's face it, wash your hands before and after flying, because the interiors of those planes are not necessarily clean, you'll be OK.
LEMON: Yes. Planes are germy. You know, I blogged about that just today because I had to get on a plane when I saw you twice, you know, to leave and then to come back here. And I thought about it. Actually, SARS ran through my head. Because, remember, people were traveling with masks then, and they didn't want to fly.
GREENBERG: Sure.
LEMON: The airlines are taking precautions this time, and very stringent precautions.
GREENBERG: They are, and so are the airport authorities. I should also tell you I checked with American Airlines before talking to you today. They're operating all their flights, 42 flights, out of the United States to different Mexican cities, 14 cities, without cancelations. Most U.S. airlines are maintaing their schedule.
A number of European airlines have actually gone to the European Union and asked for permission to cancel their flights to North America and to Mexico. It wasn't because they wanted to be good guys in terms of medicine. Their planes are empty. It's economic.
Bottom line is, I checked the Web sites today. Do you know what airfares are to Cancun from New York?
LEMON: No. Tell me.
GREENBERG: Seventy-one bucks each way.
LEMON: How much again?
GREENBERG: $71 each way. That's the law of supply and demand here. So, if you practice good common sense and good personal hygiene, and you're not going to the border towns for other reasons we've discussed in the past, you're going to be fine.
LEMON: All right, Peter Greenberg, hey, we appreciate it. You're a travel expert. We appreciate your information. Travel, just be safe. Thank you very much. I have to move on. I wanted to spend more time with you, but I've got to move on now because we have a developing story to tell you about.
Our Larry King is going to join us in just a minute. He's going to talk about the death of Danny Gans, a Las Vegas performer and entertainer. He has a personal connection with Danny Gans. Larry King joins us in a moment. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. We have a developing story, the death of a singer and impressionist, the comedian Danny Gans. He died in Las Vegas. His wife found him early this morning, we are told, and they're not exactly sure of the circumstances surrounding the death, how he died.
But someone who knew him well is our very own Larry King. And his wife knew him even better. As a matter of fact, Larry, you said you're there in Las Vegas now because your wife was going to sing with him tonight.
LARRY KING, HOST, CNN'S "LARRY KING LIVE" (via telephone): Correct. I'm at the Encore Hotel, where he performs. They built a whole theater for him here, and my wife was going to sing with him tonight and tomorrow night. He liked her very much. He'd heard her record and watched her sing before when she opened for Rickles.
So, he asked her to work with him. Another sidebar is that my father-in-law manages Marie Osmond, and Donny and Marie are working down the strip, and Danny Gans literally owned the room where they're working, so they were working for him.
But the impact, Don, is incredible in this town. I don't know how well Danny Gans was known in Davenport, Iowa, let's say, but he's been entertainer of the year nine years in a row. And I have to tell you, he's the best performer I have ever seen. I include Sammy Davis Jr.
He's the best. He was the funniest. He was the best impressionist and a great, great singer. He had all three combined. The tragedy -- and he was only 52.
LEMON: Yes. Hey, Larry, what's on your show tonight? I'm sure you're going to do something on Danny Gans.
KING: Yes. Joy Behar is going to host it as planned because I was going to be here. She's doing a regular show. But for the last -- at the end of the show, the last two segments, we're going to play highlights of an interview I did with Danny -- he didn't do many interviews -- and then they'll have me on the phone talking to Joy.
LEMON: Our Larry King. Larry, thank you very much for that. Our condolences to, of course, the Gans family, but you and your wife, as well. OK?
KING: Thanks, Don. Thanks very much.
LEMON: We appreciate it, Larry.
Meantime, we want to talk about another story. Remember what happened, obviously, Katrina. It really destroyed the Gulf Coast. Well, these trailers you are looking at have been home for month after month, year after year to thousands of hurricane victims. Well, today is moving day. Time to get out. For many, there is nowhere to go. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. It's been more than three and a half years since hurricanes Katrina and Rita tore up the Gulf Coast. Really, that's an understatement. It just demolished it and left hundreds of thousands of people without a place to live. For some, a government trailer has been their only home for all of these years, as we say.
And today, well, today's the deadline for Katrina victims still living in FEMA trailers, it's time for them to move out. And many are wondering where they're going to go. We're going to turn now to our special investigations unit correspondent Abbie Boudreau. She's going to join us now. Abbie, it is hard to imagine that people are still living in these trailers after all this time. Every time I go down, I'm surprised that people are still in them.
ABBIE BOUDREAU, CNN INVESTIGATIVE UNIT CORRESPONDENT: I know, because the condition of the condition of these trailers after, what, almost four years now. I mean, the condition is horrible. And we have 4,800 people who are still living in the trailers. Remember that it went from, what, 140,000 trailers, and now we have it's down to 4,800 families living in these trailers.
LEMON: Today's the deadline. So, what exactly happens.
BOUDREAU: Today is the deadline. What it means today is that the program is over.
LEMON: OK.
BOUDREAU: OK? It doesn't mean that we're going to have government officials, like, knocking on people's doors from FEMA saying, OK, you need to get out of your house. It means that the program is over, and people need to find a permanent place to live. These were never meant as temporary -- these were meant as temporary fixes, not permanent places to live.
LEMON: Yes. I mean, it's still a lot of people living -- and not as many as were living in the beginning. So...
BOUDREAU: Right, 140,000 trailers in the beginning.
LEMON: Who's left?
BOUDREAU: Who's left? Well, I mean, we're talking about a lot of people who are disabled. We're talking about people who are single-family homes. Some people who are really struggling to get by. And then you have a large majority who are homeowners who are using these trailers in their front yards while they're rebuilding their houses.
LEMON: So, this is clearly been obviously people who are disadvantaged on top of disadvantaged. It's multiple times because they were affected by this and...
BOUDREAU: And it's been years of this. LEMON: Yes, so then, what's the reaction been from the community or people? Because it's tough to kick somebody out who's hurting.
BOUDREAU: I think from the people that we talked to today, a lot of the community groups that we talked to, they're really concerned about the renters.
LEMON: Yes.
BOUDREAU: The people who don't have a home to go to. And remember that the rents have gone up in New Orleans and in Mississippi. It's hard to find a place, an affordable place to live. And jobs are few and far between.
LEMON: So, that...
BOUDREAU: So, how are they supposed to afford a place to live? So, community groups are worried that these people are going to end up out on the streets, homeless.
LEMON: All right. So then, now, so what happens if someone says, you know what? I can't go. What's the next step here? What does the government do?
BOUDREAU: Well, OK. What people should expect, if they're thinking that they cannot leave, and they're refusing to -- or refuse to leave, FEMA is sending out a letter, a notification letter in about two weeks, and giving people until the end of the month to get out of the FEMA trailer. If they don't, they're sending all those cases to the Department of Justice.
LEMON: And who knows what that means.
BOUDREAU: And who knows what that means.
LEMON: So, usually the Department of Justice sets (ph) some sort of legal action. So, we shall see. Abbie Boudreau, sad story but, you know, gosh, still living in trailers after all these years. We'll see what happens. Thank you very much.
BOUDREAU: Thanks.
LEMON: We appreciate it.
