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Swine Flu Update; Finding a Supremem Court Replacement
Aired May 02, 2009 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning everybody and welcome. I'm T.J. Holmes.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes good morning everybody, thanks for joining us. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Ok, any minute now we are expecting an update from the World Health Organization about the outbreak of the virus commonly called swine flu.
HOLMES: This morning we're seeing quarantines, we're seeing forced holidays, extraordinary precautions being taken. You're looking there at that live picture, expecting that update at any moment. When it does come, we will dip in and take a listen.
NGUYEN: All taken in hopes of containing the virus obviously but more cases of H1N1 have been confirmed by the World Health Organization. The number's up to 615 in 15 different countries. Scientists say the jump does not mean new infections rather that backlogged samples are finally being tested. In the United States at least 141 flu cases are confirmed. The one death in the U.S., a toddler from Mexico. Here's what Dr. Anne Schuchat with the Centers for Disease Control told us less than an hour ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ANNE SCHUCHAT, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION: We don't know yet if this is more severe or less severe or about similar severity to seasonal flu. But we do know that this is new. That this isn't something that our population has seen before. And that's why we're taking it so seriously, because in the typical, seasonal flu time, most of the population has come in contact with strains that are kind of related to what's circulating, and so they have partial protection already.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, as a precaution barricades are up around a Hong Kong hotel. About 300 people inside not being allowed to leave. They're under quarantine for at least a week. Chinese authorities ordered the Metro Park hotel closed to all outsiders after a guest from Mexico got sick. Tests do confirm he has what's being called swine flu.
NGUYEN: Well, it is the big Labor Day holiday weekend in Mexico, but the streets of the capital, well, not as crowded as in years past. You see it right there. The government has shut down all but essential services through Tuesday. Trying to curb the spread of swine flu. Mexico has the most confirmed cases, nearly 400. At least 16 deaths reported so far.
HOLMES: Back here in the U.S., President Obama keeping a close eye on the outbreak. Today in his weekly address, he explained why his administration is taking the threat of this new virus so seriously.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Over the last week, my administration's taken several precautions to address the challenge posed by the 2009 H1N1 flu virus. Today, I'd like to take a few minutes to explain why. This is a new strain of the flu virus, and because we haven't developed an immunity to it, it has more potential to cause us harm. Unlike the various strains of animal flu that have emerged in the past, it's a flu that's spreading from human to human. This creates the potential for a pandemic, which is why we are acting quickly and aggressively.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, with that in mind, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention working nonstop to try to find a vaccine. And our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, back from Mexico. And he got a rare look inside the CDC headquarters here in Atlanta.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After five days in Mexico, hunting down one of the first cases of the swine flu virus, I'm back in Atlanta. Now, if there's a place where every bit of news about swine flu is converging, it's here, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Before they would let me into the main control center, a checkup, here in the medical clinic to make sure I wasn't sick. They tell me, I'm fine.
(On camera): So, now we're ready to take a look at the nerve center of the CDC, something known as emergency operations control. Take a look over here. Hundreds of people have been in here working day and night for over the last week. Take a look at those screens up there. Those screens monitoring cases as they come in, trying to put it all together. Trying to piece it all together, trying to get control on this outbreak.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody you see in here is here because of the outbreak.
GUPTA: What else do we have over here?
TOBY CRAFTON, MANAGER, CDC COMMAND CENTER: Each one of those regions that you see on that map right there has a team of epidemiologists and folks that are working on making sure that they track each one of the cases in that region. So, they are literally down there getting calls from all those states. Talking to the state health officials. Talking to the epidemiologists in each state and tracking the numbers. GUPTA (voice-over): Tracking cases, looking for clues, sending out investigators. The guidelines on those Ft. Worth school closings, they came from here. But today, the focus seems to be shifting. What if this spirals into a full-fledged global outbreak? And what if we need a vaccine.
(On camera): I want to show you something that very few people get a chance to see. We're in the back hallways here in the CDC in the laboratory area, and look through this window over here. That woman is working on the swine flu virus. While those samples come here, what she is doing underneath the hood, she's obviously protecting herself, is to try to check to see if the swine flu virus is sensitive to antivirals. But I can tell you the early testing shows that it's quite sensitive to tamiflu.
DR. MICHAEL SHAW, ASSOC. LAB DIR., CDC INFLUENZA DIVISION: This particular virus with this particular combination of genes we've never seen before in humans or animals. It was totally new.
GUPTA: Michael Shaw runs the lab. Are we making a vaccine?
SHAW: Yeah. We're all learning right now. We're doing the best we can, as fast as we can. Which is the message I guess we really want to get out, you know, we're working day and night trying to get this done.
GUPTA (voice-over): Here's how it works -- the scientists here at the CDC provide the virus for the vaccine. After that, it's in the hands of the manufacturers. The big drug companies. Has a vaccine been recommended now?
DR. ANNE SCHUCHAT, CDC SCIENCE AND PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM: No. We're at the stage where we're trying to understand the situation. We're trying to characterize the severity, and the epidemiologic characters.
GUPTA: If history is any guide, over the next few weeks, H1N1 is likely to fizzle down, but come fall and winter, it could come back. Making a vaccine that much more important and keeping the hundreds of people in this room just as busy. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: The H1N1 outbreak is leading to less pomp for the circumstance at some college commencements. I want you to take a look at the Northeastern University Graduation ceremony last night in Boston. Check out their hands, they won't be shaking hands, in fact. Grads get their diploma and a smile from the dean, but no handshake. Some colleges and universities are following suit, while others have cancelled graduation ceremonies altogether in hopes of keeping swine flu from spreading. Can you imagine that? Graduation you get the diploma and no handshake.
HOLMES: No offense, but you know you do what you have to do.
And there's another school I believe where a young man wasn't allowed to participate because he'd taken a trip to Mexico. He wasn't even allowed to go to his graduation.
NGUYEN: We'll just mail you the diploma. Don't even bother coming in.
We want to see more on the swine flu global impact and learn how to protect yourself from the virus, all you have to do is check out cnnhealth.com and be sure to tune in at 4:00 p.m. eastern as we answer your questions and share your comments on the swine flu outbreak. E- mail us weekends@cnn.com.
HOLMES: No doubt you have seen these commercials promising quick weight loss, but now a popular diet supplement is being recalled because it's linked to cases of severe liver damage. Hydroxycut is the name. The FDA is warning everybody, do not take this stuff. The company has ordered a recall of all 14 hydroxycut products. At least 9 million packages of hydroxycut were sold in the U.S. last year alone.
NGUYEN: Well, this story has a lot of people talking. Prosecutors called the killing of a Mexican immigrant a hate crime. But a jury disagreed. Two teenagers were acquitted yesterday of murder in a Pennsylvania courtroom. Instead, Brandon Pierkarsky and Derrick Donchak were convicted of simple assault in the beating death last summer of Luis Ramirez. A spokesman for a Mexican-American group was upset with the verdict. The defense called the trial difficult
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FREDERICK FANELLI, PIERKARSKY'S ATTORNEY: It was a long process. We've been fighting this case for lots of months. It was highly charged, obviously by all these cameras. The week of trial was very difficult. And we're just delighted that it ended the way it did.
GLADYS LIMON, MEXICAN AMERICAN LEGAL DEFENSE: The acts here were egregious in nature, and I -- it's just outrageous and very difficult to understand how any juror could have had reasonable doubt, especially as to the aggravated assault charge, the reckless endangering another person charges. It was -- it was just an outrage.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Prosecutors said the teenagers baited Ramirez into a fight in the rural mining town of Shenandoah.
HOLMES: Well, an early chance to leave his stamp on the Supreme Court. So, who is at the top of President Obama's list to replace Justice Souter?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Taking you live now to Switzerland, where the World Health Organization is having their daily briefing. Obviously swine flu is the topic. We're going to be monitoring this for you and bring you the developments as they arise.
But in the meantime, President Obama says he will work quickly to nominate a replacement for retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter.
HOLMES: The administration says it doesn't have a short list of potential nominees just yet, however, but there is, of course, the speculation.
NGUYEN: Oh, yes, lots of it and a handful of names, in fact, as CNN's Joe Johns reports, they all have something in common.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): So, what's with this guy anyway? Justice David Souter is widely known in Washington for being a tad eccentric, much has been made of Souter bringing a shopping bag with his daily lunch of an apple and plain yogurt and his disdain for the meanness and political gains of the nation's capital. He's been known to shun cell phones and computers, but what Souter is best known for by conservatives is being a wolf in sheep's clothing. Someone President Bush 41 mistook to be a conservative, Souter frequently votes with the court's liberal bloc. President Obama and the left view Souter as being fair minded and independent.
OBAMA: He came to the bench with no particular ideology, he never sought to promote a political agenda. And he consistently defied labels and rejected absolutes.
JOHNS: So what does Obama want in a replacement?
OBAMA: I will seek someone who understands that justice isn't about some abstract legal theory or footnote in a casebook, it is also about how our laws affect the daily realities of people's lives.
JOHNS: Ok, but what he needs is a nominee who will keep the court's current math in place. Right now, five firm or leaning conservatives and four liberals, which means the president needs to know what he's getting.
FRED GRAHAM, TRUTV SENIOR EDITOR: You have a liberal on the court, Souter, who's leaving. The president will appoint a liberal who he hopes is a liberal, to replace him, nothing changes.
JOHNS (on camera): Officially there's no short list of appointees yet, it's too soon. But the early thinking is the guys who want the job can probably forget about it.
GRAHAM: I don't think a man's got any chance to get this nomination.
JOHNS (voice-over): No-brainer candidates can be broken down into categories. First, the courts of appeals judges, including Diane Wood of Chicago, and Sonya Sotomayor of New York. Fred Graham says watch Sotomayor.
GRAHAM: She would be a woman, she would be a Hispanic. The first Hispanic, and she's a highly respected and regarded jurist. Why not?
JOHNS: Of the law professor types, Elena Kagan, former dean of Harvard Law School stands out. She's now solicitor general.
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: But she's never been a judge. She's only been solicitor general for a few weeks, so the question is at age 49 whether she is experienced enough.
JOHNS: Among politicians, Senators Claire McCaskill and Amy Klobuchar. Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm and homeland security secretary Janet Napolitano. A big choice ahead for the new president and one of the most important ones he can make. Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: All right, let's talk more about the politics of this impending nomination. Joining me now is CNN's deputy political editor, Paul Steinhauser. All right Paul, let's get down to the nitty-gritty. What kind of pressure will the White House come under from women and the Hispanic Latino groups?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR: A lot, Betty, a lot. You saw Joe Johns' piece. It's been four years now since you've had two women on the high court. Feminist groups are going to say it is time, it's overdue and a woman should replace Justice Souter. T hey will also argue that 56 percent of women voted for President Obama back last November and they were a major part of why he won the presidency. Latino and Hispanic groups will say it's time for President Obama to make history to name the first Hispanic or Latino on the high court and they also maybe point out that you know what, two thirds of Latinos and Hispanics voted for then Senator Obama last November. Betty?
NGUYEN: Yeah that is important to know. But also what about this, pushback from conservatives and republicans in congress. I'm sure we're going to see some of that.
STEINHAUSER: Oh yeah, we've already seen it too. Our Dana Bash reporting from Capitol Hill yesterday, the conservative groups are already mobilizing to fight whatever nominee the president comes up with. They're going to point to a couple things especially yesterday's comments by the president when he said he's looking for somebody with empathy and they will say, well, that is not really right. Empathy for whom, all Americans or specifically some Americans? They will say whoever he nominates should just really adhere to the letter of the law
They'll also try to emphasize some issues like gay marriage and gun rights and gun ownership that democrats are divided on. So that's where they're going to pushback. Betty, Republicans in congress and at least in the senate they realize they don't have the numbers to stop this. They are a little more realistic. They don't have the numbers. Also they're without a leader right now on the senate judiciary committee, the ranking republican on the judiciary committee was Arlen Specter. He is now a democrat. We'll have to find out, Betty, who is going to lead the charge on the republican side now that Arlen Specter has switched parties.
NGUYEN: Paul, give us some information on the vice president's role in choosing a nominee.
STEINHAUSER: He will have a role. It may not be a formal role, the White House said yesterday probably just an advisory role, but remember, Joe Biden spent 36 years in the senate and back in the '80s and early '90s he was the chairman of the senate judiciary committee, he knows how these things work and he knows the players on Capitol Hill, he knows the senate very well. I think he will have a large role in choosing who gets nominated. Betty?
NGUYEN: Let's talk about timetable for just a second. I know that it was just announced but still, how much time before we see a nominee?
STEINHAUSER: The White House said yesterday the White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said that probably late July at the latest, late July because President Obama says he wants somebody on the high court by the beginning of October when the Supreme Court's next session begins, so by the end of July that would allow senate to have hearings and then confirmation hearings and then votes. Take a look at this though Robert Ewing our research director put this together and of the last 13 nominees, six of -- nine of them were chosen within six days of the position becoming open.
NGUYEN: Wow.
STEINHAUSER: Which is interesting. But if you go back four years ago, that was the last time we had an opening, it took 30 -- it took more than that. It took a couple weeks for President Bush to name John Roberts. Remember, though, our Bill Mears, our Supreme Court producer, is telling us the administration may wait until the session is over and the Supreme Court session ends at the end of June. Betty?
NGUYEN: That's why you say July, at least by then right. Playing it safe, ok thank you, Paul. Do appreciate it.
STEINHAUSER: Thank you.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HOLMES: Lost in translation, that is not a good thing when you're looking for a job. Well, a solution today at one job fair.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: So many people out there looking for work these days, why would any potential employer go to the expense of holding a job fair? Well, our Josh Levs live at one such expo here in Atlanta with an answer that all lies in how this translates, Josh, literally.
JOSH LEVS: Well put, yeah. It's a bilingual fair, job fair here, at the Latin American Association in Atlanta, guys, it's so crowded here. I want to start off showing you some video from outside. People have been lining up since early. The parking lot's been full for a long time. They're expecting up to 2,000 people here. What you are seeing is a snapshot of our economy. I'm going to take you back inside now you can join me over here.
We're going to walk into the room where a lot of these booths are set up. Follow me on in. You're going to see it's really crowded here. What we're going to do now is we're going to talk with some people who are looking for work right now. We're going to start off with this gentleman right here, Luis Antigua, now you're telling me that back in your country you were a doctor. Here you've been working in a warehouse but because of the economy you're losing your job, right?
LUIS ANTIGUA, JOB SEEKER WITH MEDICAL TRAINING: Yeah. In a few days, May 18 I'm going to lose my job.
LEVS: You're going to lose your job so you're here to look for work?
ANTIGUA: Yes.
LEVS: How is it going so far? Are you having any luck?
ANTIGUA: So far, I've been interviewing three or four places and maybe in the future I get a call.
LEVS: Now this is a good opportunity for you. You're bilingual, these people are looking for bilingual skills, have they been testing you a little bit, have they been trying you out with your Spanish and your English?
ANTIGUA: Not yet.
LEVS: Well we wish you good luck with that. I want to talk now to Diana, you moved here from Colombia a year ago, right?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
LEVS: And you were telling me that when you moved here a year ago you never imagined it would be this difficult to get a job in America.
DIANA ECHEVERRY, LOOKING FOR WORK: Yes, that's true. I'm here because I want to learn English. So, I'm looking for my job in my career.
LEVS: It's tough being young. You don't have as much experience, as many skills. What are you looking for, what are you doing to try to find a job here?
ECHEVERRY: Well, I'm here because I'm looking for a job in my -- in my skills, in my experience, but it's not -- it's kind of hard, because you don't have too much experience.
LEVS: Is it going ok so far? You getting any good leads here?
ECHEVERRY: Well, I'm just looking, I have to check.
LEVS: Ok, all right. We also want to talk to Marcela. You, too, you're also young and you also moved here from Colombia right as I understand. You have some work now. You're a part-time teacher. You're looking to do something new, and in this economy that's tough. What are you looking for today?
MARCELA CATANO, LOOKING FOR WORK: Well, I'm looking for something that I can enjoy and also for the summer vacations, I'm not getting a job for three months, so that's why I'm looking at this job now.
LEVS: You told me you're interested in something in the medical industry. You want to learn to do medicine?
CATANO: I surely have some experience in my country also and I got experience as a teacher here, so I can find a job.
LEVS: Quickly, being bilingual wouldn't always be a big benefit. Are people here today responding to that and excited, are you feeling good?
CATANO: Yeah, it's a benefit, but sometimes it's not, because you don't speak very well the second language, but it is good.
LEVS: Listen, thank you all very much. We wish you all the best of luck. Betty, T.J., we're going to be back next hour and we're going to follow how they do and also give some tips to everyone out there on how to do well at a job fair. Back to you.
HOLMES: All right, so we'll get to see how those three are doing here in the next hour.
LEVS: Following up.
HOLMES: Josh, we appreciate you. We'll talk to you soon.
NGUYEN: We've started a series called "My City, My Secret." It's a chance for you to share some of your city's hidden hang-outs and today iReporter Sal Steels gives an insider's tour of Denver, Colorado.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SAL STEELS, IREPORTER: Hi, my name is Sal and I live in Denver, Colorado. I want to show you some of my city's best-kept secrets. We're here at Boyers Coffee. It's one of the local-based coffee manufacturers. They have a great selection of choices. Over 100 inside. They're definitely worth a good cup. I keep coming back to Boyers, because they have a unique feel and it hasn't had a chance to be spread across the country and become commercialized. The best way to experience Boyers coffee is to have some time. Don't be in a rush and try as many flavors as you possibly can.
We've moved on to La Loma, my favorite Mexican restaurant in the city. I'm originally from San Antonio, Texas, and I love Mexican food, and they have one of the best fajitas in town. I think one of the most unique things is the fact that they actually press their flour tortillas. La Loma is a family run restaurant that has been serving the area for quite a long time. Won numerous awards. Being family owned they actually have a lot of pride in what they do.
Now we're at the skate park in Lo-Do. Lower downtown. The skate park is a pretty awesome place, it's a community that welcomes not just people that are skateboarders but also people that want to spectate, that want to see the people that have the raw talent, and also enjoy the great outdoors. So, those are my city's secrets, now show me yours. Go to ireport.com/mycitymysecret
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: It is 31 past the hour. And here's what's happening right now -- three U.S. soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan. They died along with two Latvian soldiers and three Afghan troops in an attack Friday on an outpost in Kunar Province.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates says it will be a hard sell to request more U.S. troops for Afghanistan six months to a year from now. In an exclusive interview he told CNN's Fareed Zakaria, that the U.S. and NATO will have about 100,000 troops in the war. You can watch that interview. Here's the question, can America win two wars at once? Check it out on "GPS" tomorrow at 1:00 and 5:00 p.m. eastern.
Also, look at this, no handshakes at Northeastern University's commencement. They just kind of faked it right there. Graduates got their diplomas as usual, but the handshakes were eliminated to avoid the risk of spreading the H1N1 flu virus.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Well, there are thousands of healthy school kids who got a break from classes this week as hundreds of schools across the country closed amid this new flu worry. Well, as our Kate Bolduan now explains, the education secretary is offering new guidelines about how long schools with confirmed cases should be shut down.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OBAMA: In anticipation of the flu season --
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Obama administration is trying to stay on top of this ever-changing flu outbreak.
OBAMA: We, for example, are working with the department of education to provide clear guidelines for school closures.
BOLDUAN: With another 100 schools closed, Washington is now doubling the recommended time affected schools and day care centers should close their doors.
ARNIE DUNCAN, EDUCATION SECRETARY: The CDC recommends you strongly consider closing school for up to 14 days.
BOLDUAN: Education Secretary Arnie Duncan stressed Friday, student safety is priority one. However, teachers and parents alike need to start planning now to minimize the disruption of the school year as more schools are likely to close.
DUNCAN: Have assignments ready to keep them busy and engaged for up to a week or two, including hand-outs or books that students can take home so that learning continues.
BOLDUAN: The education department says more than 430 schools are temporarily shut down. 19 states affected. And an additional 8 states since Thursday, including Rockville High School in Maryland.
DR. FRAN PHILLIPS, MONTGOMERY DEPUTY HEALTH SECRETARY: The goal here is to stop or at least slow down transmission in the community.
BOLDUAN: School nurses on the front lines are on high alert, even holding hand-washing demonstrations to drive the point home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can see how the germs have traveled from one person to the next person.
BOLDUAN: One small victory, that message is at least starting to trickle down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you doing to be careful?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm washing my hands 24/7.
BOLDUAN (on camera): We're also told of five colleges with reported or confirmed cases of H1N1. Schools like Northeastern University in Massachusetts has asked students and faculty to avoid shaking hands during this week's graduation ceremony because of it. Kate Bolduan, CNN, Washington.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, the swine flu virus is affecting travel worldwide, but especially in Mexico. Many U.S. airlines have announced plans to cut flights across the southern border, until the outbreak subsides. Continental, Delta and United Airlines are all reducing the number of planes going to Mexico. Smaller carriers are cutting back on flights as well.
With Mexican health officials scrambling to contain the outbreak, the swine flu is paralyzing Mexico's economy. People are urged to stay home, and workers, well, they're just idle. One family shares their struggles with our Ted Rowlands.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Guillermo Jimenez hasn't worked in seven days. This restaurant where he waits tables is closed because of the flu outbreak. His family, including his wife Maria, daughter, Sandra, and grand children, Diego and Vanya, all rely on Guillermo to survive.
GUILLERMO JIMENEZ, MEXICO CITY RESIDENT (via translator): I can hold on for a week or two, but no more. ROWLANDS: While only a minuscule percent of the nearly 20 million people in Mexico City actually have the flu, everyone is feeling its effects. Businesses are losing money. Children are out of school and public gatherings have been canceled. On a normal May Day, the round-about circling the famous angel of independence statue would be jammed with people and parades, instead Mexico City is a ghost town. The good news for Mexican health officials is that the number of new cases is dropping, and of the sick people they've tested, less than half actually have the virus.
MAYOR MARCELO EBRARD, MEXICO CITY (via translator): Statistics are telling us that we are headed toward a stabilization phase.
ROWLANDS: Health officials say if people continue to stay home through the long holiday weekend, they could get the upper hand on the virus, allowing people, like Guillermo Jimenez to get back to work.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (via translator): We don't have any money and we have mouths to feed, so now I don't know what to do.
ROWLANDS: Ted Rowlands, CNN, Mexico City.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And tomorrow morning, homeland security secretary, Janet Napolitano, health and human services secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, and acting CDC director, Richard Besser, will be on CNN's "State of the Union." Answering your questions about this new flu. John King hosts beginning at 9:00 a.m. eastern.
NGUYEN: The new business model of emerging media, twittering, of course, for fun and for profit. We're going to get the details.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Are you tired of hearing the word twitter yet?
NGUYEN: Tweet.
HOLMES: You might want to get used to it, it's going to be around a while apparently. And it could be the newest way for businesses to connect with their customers.
NGUYEN: Yeah, the social media not only allows immediate outreach but instant feedback as well and that can be so very valuable. We're joined now by Marian Salzman, a marketing expert who recently hosted a twitter tweetup with PepsiCo. And really trying to understand this whole twitter thing. We do it. We have twitter pages and all that good stuff, but how can businesses really benefit from it?
MARIAN SALZMAN, CHIEF MARKETNG OFFICER, PORTER NOVELLI: First of all, you can open up all the walls, get rid of all the barriers, you can speak to people all around the world, they're with you, they're talking to you. There's absolutely nothing that's stopping them from sharing what's on their mind. You can crowd source questions, get the very best answers from anybody around the world by having them follow you, you toss the question out there and they're with you. On behalf of Pepsi we brought 100 of their top communicators into the room in Brooklyn, New York, and then we opened up the discussion with everybody in the zeitgeist who wanted to join us, 1700 tweets later we were amongst the most tweeted event of the day. I think the second- most tweeted and it was really an open conversation that raised issues about consumer insights, big questions, trends that were impacting the brands, the company, communications, all the new barriers to entry.
HOLMES: Are we seeing, though, that twitter has staying power? I mean, you know, it's still fairly new and fresh and people kind of into it. Kind of can be trendy right now, but does it have some staying power?
SALZMAN: What has staying power is the idea that these short status updates allow you to be in touch with lots of people, collect short, instant bits of information by sharing tweet picks, by sharing tiny urls of articles. You can build extraordinary knowledge base without any regard to time or place or geography. And you can spend no money. There's absolutely no constraint based on the size of your company. You can be a small business in Alaska, or a large business in Moscow, and you can compete equally. It's all based on brain power.
NGUYEN: All right, so you're touting the success of it, but let me ask you this, are there pitfalls or maybe some dangers when you're using twitter and associating that with your business?
SALZMAN: Sure. I mean, one of the dangers is you have to be on there 24/7, 365 monitoring it, so good luck having any time off. You have to figure out how to outsource yourself and then outsource your outsource self because somebody has to be on there all the tine monitoring your brand, monitoring your business and monitoring your activity. There's also a lot of junk out there. How many times do I really care about who is blow drying their hair or who is walking the dog? You're going to be followed by a lot of people you don't share anything in common with, and you need to respond to those people with the same level of respect and insight with the people that are your core customers. So, there's lots of building relationships with people that aren't part of your natural constituency.
HOLMES: Some of these relationships and that building, what are -- how many can you point to, or what are the big success stories out there that you can point to of businesses who have benefited from this?
SALZMAN: I mean, I look at Zappo's, the shoe company, and I think, God, there's no place I'd rather buy shoes. I read what the CEO tweets about, I look at how they're running their customer service operation over twitter and I say this is a company that so understands me, so understands people that are interested in shoes, that are interested in saving money, that are interested in high style. They're selling anything from high-end sort of Manallo-style shoes down to sort of flip-flops for as soon as it gets warm enough to be out there by the pool. And I can have fun and play with twitter and be part of a new scene and it's all there. Every new author that's coming out with a book, I feel like that book belongs publicized and promoted there. All the new charity, you know, fundraising efforts, you know, we've launched tweet to remind with Woodruff to raise money for their foundation over memorial day weekend, just asking people to put up a dollar or $5 and send out tweets to support wounded warriors. But what twitter really does is it's a great equalizer and anybody can participate. So, you're seeing all kinds of charities really get into it.
NGUYEN: Let me ask you this really quickly for businesses out there and people interested, give me some real specific examples of how you can use twitter effectively?
SALZMAN: Customer service. Anybody can send a question to you. Can comment on your product. You can test an ad. Test a new visual. Put it out there through tweet pick and people get right back to you with commentary.
NGUYEN: All right. Good stuff.
HOLMES: All right. Marian Salzman, a marketing expert, who says this is the wave of the future, twitter. Marian, so good to have you. Thank you so much. We're going to get to twittering right now.
NGUYEN: You'll be tweeting about this afterwards, right?
SALZMAN: Absolutely.
NGUYEN: We look forward to those, ok thank you.
Long after disaster strikes, you often wonder what happened to those affected by the storm? Let's take Greensburg, Kansas for example. Two years ago an f-5 tornado demolished 90 percent of the city. So, how does a small town rebuild from scratch, and just as important how do you keep storm victims from starting over somewhere else? Well, to find out, I took a trip back to Greensburg, and as you're about to see, the progress, pretty impressive.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN (voice-over): May 4th, 2007, this is all that's left of Greensburg, Kansas. An f-5 tornado tore through town, killing 11 people.
STEVE HEWITT, CITY ADMINISTRATOR: I walk upstairs, and there's nothing but sky. There's no top of the house. It's all gone.
NGUYEN: That was city administrator, Steve Hewitt showing me where his home once stood two years ago. This is him today -- nice. It's a lot better than just an empty piece of property, which I saw last time.
HEWITT: Yeah, you know, we've come a long way since then.
NGUYEN: And so has the town. Take a look at what was left in 2007. Little more than empty slabs and stacks of debris. But look at it now. Hewitt says 50 percent of the town is rebuilt, and not just to code. The town has gone green. The goal? Become one of the most environmentally friendly cities in the nation, and in doing so, create jobs so that young families will want to stay. Like the Tedders, who have been living in this FEMA trailer for nearly a year and a half.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's six of us and a dog, it's kind of small.
NGUYEN (on camera): It is a little cramped in here. I see there's laundry on the side. There's no place to put it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.
NGUYEN: And there's a microwave on the dresser --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That has silverware in it.
NGUYEN (voice-over): They're one of the last families still living in what's referred to as Femaville. Some 300 trailers used to line these lots. Today there are only about two dozen, soon to be one less. The Tedders are packing up and moving into a brand new house, built in the middle of town.
(On camera): So, when you get into your new home, your room is not going to look anything like this?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, it will be twice the size and I'll have more room to put stuff.
NGUYEN (voice-over): But staying here wasn't always a given.
(On camera): Did you ever think about not rebuilding and moving out of Greensburg?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Actually, we did. But Greensburg has a great -- they have a wonderful school system, so we -- we made the decision to stay.
NGUYEN (voice-over): Just what Hewitt wants to hear, as he works to bring Greensburg back in a big way.
HEWITT: We have tremendous opportunities that won't be without a lot of tough sweat and equity and tough investment from each and every single citizen, but I thought let's at least give it a shot.
NGUYEN: And that's what they're doing, one family at a time.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Which is key, because even before the storm, city officials said their biggest export were the children. People would essentially go and get their high school diplomas, go off to college but never come back to the small town. But because they have all these green initiatives and they're going to be -- or at least they're hoping to be the greenest city in the nation, maybe that will attract some young people to stay. HOLMES: I really appreciate seeing the updates, because we all saw that town just went away essentially after that tornado, so good to see.
NGUYEN: So many times we talk about the story when it happens, the disaster and we never do a follow-up. Good to see them coming back.
HOLMES: Good that we got those follow-ups.
Tonight something you might want to follow-up on, Anderson Cooper, he's taking a special look at some of "Time" magazine's most influential people. We've got a sneak peek for you with a couple of folks you might have heard of, Clooney, Bono.
NGUYEN: Oh yeah, those guys. You don't want to miss it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Anderson Cooper "360" and "Time" magazine highlighting select members of this year's "Time" 100 list of the world's most influential people. A couple you may have heard of, U2 front man, Bono, sat down with actor George Clooney. That is a duo, here's part of the interview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BONO: I have a theory I don't know what you make of it, that actors, in a certain sense are like journalists. You collect the details of other people's lives in minutia.
GEORGE CLOONEY, FOUNDER, NOT ON OUR WATCH: There is some truth to it, the difference is that there is no responsibility there is as a journalist. You have a responsibility to the truth or you hope you have a responsibility to the truth if you're a journalist. If you're an actor, you can make up your facts along the way. You can decide a character has these qualities and you can decide certain facts unless you're doing a movie or project that's based specifically on somebody. I think most actors are jealous of journalists in a lot of ways because -- because there's a -- I have nothing, but respect for them.
BONO: Oh, yeah. They are the -- they protect our democracy, that's for sure especially at the level of Nick Christoph and people like that. I must say I think if I wasn't singing that's what I'd be doing.
CLOONEY: I studied journalism in school. I only lacked smarts. Other than that, I had the proper hat for it.
BONO: I could see the problem.
CLOONEY: I was good with the hat.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: I think he turned out ok. NGUYEN: Yeah.
HOLMES: A special "Time" 100 AC 360 hour. The world's most influential people tonight at 8 eastern, 5 pacific and where else can you find it right here on CNN.
NGUYEN: Although I could be sitting up here with George Clooney instead of you. Not that I'm upset by it.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Or Bono.
NGUYEN: Just saying.
HOLMES: I'll hold my tongue.
WHITFIELD: There are two extra seats and it could be, you know, all of us.
NGUYEN: Right.
WHITFIELD: All five.
NGUYEN: And it's sure one big table here. Hello Fred.
WHITFIELD: Hello, how are yall doing.
NGUYEN: You're coming up at the top of the hour.
WHITFIELD: Yes, indeed. We've got a lot coming up. Much more on the H1N1. This time we're going to be getting a briefing in the noon eastern hour from the CDC. We'll bring that to you live and any new information about what kind of precautions you need to be taking. And it was a fight and death in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, that had many people talking about whether it was a hate crime. Well, the verdict is in. Our legal guys will be joining us in the noon eastern hour to talk about what next in this case and try to explain the verdict that might surprise many people. I've got a question for you guys, would you work for free? Would you audition for a job?
HOLMES: No.
WHITFIELD: No?
HOLMES: I mean we need to stop and think about this?
WHITFIELD: Yes.
NGUYEN: Hold on, what's the job?
WHITFIELD: It doesn't matter. You're unemployed. You've got no work.
NGUYEN: Would you work for free?
WHITFIELD: In order to make a stab at perhaps being the best candidate for the job would you audition HOLMES: Of course.
NGUYEN: At least there's a possibility there.
WHITFIELD: Ok. Well I think a lot of us have.
NGUYEN: It's called an internship.
WHITFIELD: Well now it's not called an internship anymore at least on this scale, but it is something like it. We're going to be talking about this program that Georgia has and now a whole lot of other states are saying wait a minute I want to be onboard. I may want to try that, too, to help get more people working.
NGUYEN: Makes sense.
HOLMES: Ok, that makes sense. If you say it that way.
WHITFIELD: I was trying to just tease it, but now I told you the whole story. Oh, well.
NGUYEN: It gets people interested because they want to know how to get in on the action.
WHITFIELD: Right, noon eastern hour, much more.
HOLMES: We'll see you in a minute.
WHITFIELD: All right, yall have a great day.
NGUYEN: Generating a buzz on the web. Both sides of the same- sex marriage debate are taking their fight to Youtube with slick new videos and now Miss California is wading into the middle of the mess.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) . NGUYEN: All right, so Miss California stepped right into the middle of the gay marriage debate with her comments at the Miss USA pageant.
HOLMES: But she is just the latest to get in the middle of this fight. Our Kara Finnstrom reports that more and more, we're seeing both sides take aim at each other on the internet.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MISS CALIFORNIA: I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman, no offense to anybody out there.
KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Miss California, Carrie Prejean answering a question at the Miss USA pageant, for which she's been both scorned and heralded.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is not about me. It's about the future of marriage. FINNSTROM: She's once again in the spotlight in this just- released commercial from the national organization for marriage. It's the latest shot fired in an all-out media war over same-sex marriage that's drawing millions of hits on Youtube.
No choice.
FINNSTROM: It all started three weeks ago with another commercial backed by the same group.
There's a storm gathering.
MAGGIE GALLAGHER, PRES. NATIONAL ORG. FOR MARRIAGE: The purpose of releasing the gathering storm ad was to call attention to the serious concerns that millions of Americans have.
FINNSTROM: USC Media Analyst Dmitri Williams says internet blogs and social websites changed the impact of such ads.
DMITRI WILLIAMS, USC MEDIA ANALYST: 30 years ago if this ad came out there might have been protests, there might have been discussion. There certainly wouldn't have been ads that were made in response, the do-it-yourself tools posted to the internet the same day and there wouldn't be an exchange, there would be blogging.
FINNSTROM: Online now everything from slickly produced spots starring Hollywood A-listers.
I am also afraid.
And I am afraid.
FINNSTROM: To home videos.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want my daughter to have the right to marry the woman she loves.
PAUL KATAMI, "WEATHERING THE STORM": I felt personally attacked then I was moved to do something because I recognized that it wasn't representing the truth about gay and lesbian couples and same-sex marriage at all.
FINNSTROM: Paul Katami's response video became one of Youtube's most viewed the day it posted.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our equal rights are being taken away.
FINNSTROM: Williams says the promising potential of Youtube is to start conversations that for the most part, this charged issue has remained just as divisive online.
WILLIAMS: It's bad that everybody is arguing and talking past each other on these sites, but that was the only thing that would actually be worse than that would be them not talking at all.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE) NGUYEN: You know it will continue.
HOLMES: And so does CNN NEWSROOM right about now with our dear friend Fredricka Whitfield.
WHITFIELD: All right you all have a great day, thanks so much.
