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NYC Reopens School Affected by Swine Flu; Former HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson Discusses U.S. Response to Swine Flu Outbreak; Sestak Casts Doubt on Specter's True Affiliation, May Challenge Specter Come Primary; Getting Fired for MySpace Comments
Aired May 04, 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: It is another busy day here in the NEWSROOM.
Right off the top this morning, a New York school that was closed because of swine flu is open again this morning. We'll tell you how they're handling that, and give you an update on the global spread.
Also, is he really a Democrat? A possible primary challenger questions the party change of Arlen Specter.
And your bosses may actually be watching you at home. Two restaurant workers say they were fired for online comments.
It is Monday, May 4th. Hi, everybody, I'm Heidi Collins. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Swine flu. The numbers grow but there be some encouraging signs this morning to tell you about. Here's the latest now. Worldwide, the number of confirmed cases stands at 985. There are 26 deaths linked to the H1N1 virus. Mexico says the numbers are diminishing. The world health experts say it's still too early to tell.
The United States is reporting 226 cases. They're spread across 30 states. And today as we said, classes resumed at the school that appears to be the epicenter of the New York City outbreak. As many as 1,000 students at St. Francis Prep School got sick after teens returned from a trip to Mexico.
Let's begin with the reopening of St. Francis Prep. CNN Deb Feyerick is outside the school in Queens and is joining us now live this morning.
So, Deb, give us an update. What's going on this morning?
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Boy, now, Heidi, we can tell you, it's a really unusual morning for the students at St. Francis Prep. First of all, they were swarmed by members of the media and then Mayor Bloomberg welcomed them back to school at 32nd PA announcement this morning.
The school has been sanitized, 100 percent, we're told. The air purified inside that school. Kids made their way back today. They said they were embarrassed, a little bit nervous. I saw one girl -- she actually had hand sanitizers with her. The big concern, of course, is that they don't want to reinfect the school. But we spoke to some students earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not that nervous. Everything's clean.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm a little nervous. I'm not going to lie. Scary. I know they sanitized the building but I'm still a little nervous.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm definitely confident that I don't think anyone's sick and I'm glad that we're back in school to see each other again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FEYERICK: Now not all of the cases of flu here were confirmed as swine flu. However, health officials said that they do believe that people who did have symptoms probably had some variation of it, and that's why they were taking precautions.
Again, those students have been away on spring break and they infected others. Some of those who went away didn't even become sick. But officials are keeping a close eye on this to see whether in fact there is any re-infection, right now the kids are back in school and Mayor Bloomberg reacting to comments earlier as to whether the city overreacted.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: The natural reaction is to worry about your children's health and then your own health, and I understand that. I think it's the job of government to put things in perspective, provide a calming influence, and that will take place if people feel that government is doing what they can do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FEYERICK: And the city right now is going to be conducting a survey, Heidi, just to see exactly how this disease spread, who did become infected, the patterns. Any information that they can learn so that they can track this the next time around - Heidi.
COLLINS: All right. CNN's Deb Feyerick for us in New York this morning. Thank you, Deb.
In recent days President Obama has praised the Bush administration. The reason? It laid the groundwork for the government's response to the swine flu threat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Bush administration did a good job of creating the infrastructure so that we can respond. For example, we've got 50 million courses of anti- viral drugs in the event that they're needed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: And joining us now is a chief architect of the government's response. Tommy Thompson is the former secretary of Health and Human Services. He is joining us this morning today from Washington.
Thank you, Mr. Secretary, for being with us today.
TOMMY THOMPSON, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: It's my pleasure, Heidi. Thank you.
COLLINS: Let me ask you straight off the top here, are we overreacting to the swine flu outbreak? Is some of this media hype, or are we on target?
THOMPSON: No, I think we're on target. I think people, you know, always are concerned when a new virus like H1N1 comes out. I think people should be. I think it's good. But I think, you know, right now we have to take this as on a day-to-day basis, continuing to be vigilant and be careful.
And that's what all of the experts are telling you. Wash your hands. Cover your face. Your nose when you cough. Make sure that you stay at home, if you're sick, and these are the kind of elemental, you know, courses you have to take in order to prevent this from turning into something more serious.
COLLINS: OK. Well, I'm not sure if you saw, but we actually had John Barry on last week on our show here.
THOMPSON: Yes.
COLLINS: A flu expert. I'm sure you know him well. He said you should be credited, particularly mentioning the Bush administration and you. He told our producers because of you being very interested in coming up with vaccines and making the U.S. basically much better prepared for a pandemic response.
What was behind the decision to put more money in that area?
THOMPSON: Well, I've always been concerned about this. As Sue Simonsen (ph) said, who my adviser in this regard, was careful to say that we have to be concerned, and nobody in the world is really doing enough about the possibility of a pandemic flu.
So early on when I was secretary, I already assembled a group of experts, John Barry was very generous in what he said, but he is correct. Our administration did a lot to get us prepared for any kind of a flu pandemic or any kind of an epidemic that turns out.
Flu viruses are very wily. They're a very serious adversary. They can change, and you have to be very careful and you have to continue to study the flu virus and get prepared. And that's what the Bush administration and the Department of Health did while I was secretary.
COLLINS: Now if you had to pinpoint, would that be your biggest concern? How this virus can change over time?
THOMPSON: There's no question about it. Right now you've got to be very concern about the potential of having a lull over the summer months here and then all of a sudden coming back with full force in the fall. And that's what we have to get prepared for. We have to do everything we can to be vigilant, develop a vaccine and we look back in history.
That's always a good teacher, and the flu epidemic, the most serious one, was in 1918 and the one in 1957, both of those had a low end. They both came at the end of the flu season, like H1N1, and then they came back with full force in the fall.
Doesn't mean that this one would be the same, but it could happen, and that's what we have to get prepared for.
COLLINS: I do wonder, as you well know, Kathleen Sebelius, was just sworn in last week, your old position...
THOMPSON: Yes.
COLLINS: ... as secretary of Health and Human Services. A bit of a late start here, I think, some would say. How much coordination are you in particular having with the Obama administration on this?
THOMPSON: Not enough, but that's understandable, because the people that were in place when I was there and the experts, like Tony Paltry (ph), are still there, and you have some outstanding scientists, some fantastic individuals who are still there that are able to continue on.
We set the course and now the course has to continue, and I'm certainly confident that Kathleen Sebelius will do the same and do everything possible to make sure that people are educated, that we have preparation and that we do as much as we possibly can to get a vaccine for the fall.
COLLINS: Former secretary of Health and Human Service, Tommy Thompson, this morning. Thanks so much for your time. We do appreciate it.
THOMPSON: Thank you very much, Heidi.
COLLINS: Senator Arlen Specter's switch to the Democratic Party last week is still causing a buzz in political circles. One Democrat now questioning whether Specter is true blue. Congressman Joe Sestak told CNN's John King he may challenge Specter in the primary.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOSEPH SESTAK (D), PENNSYLVANIA: Too many jobs have been lost for us to worry about somebody else's job who switched parties. I don't know for sure it's about political survivability but I know this. It's not about trying to maintain a legacy or somebody's job.
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: Is he a good enough Democrat?
SESTAK: I'm not sure he's a Democrat yet. And that doesn't mean we don't want bipartisanship. My gosh, I won at a district that was 53 percent Republican, 36 percent Democrat. What I need to know is what's the principles you're running for?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Our Dana Bash Joining us now live from Hershey, Pennsylvania where Specter is holding a town hall meeting this morning.
Now, Dana, we had Joe Sestak on our show Thursday right after the president spoke on Wednesday night. He didn't say anything about a possible run.
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, he certainly clearly thinking about it now. There's no question about it. And that is why it's going to be very interesting here in Hershey, Pennsylvania, at the top of the hour, to listen to Arlen Specter, because it is going to be his first town hall as a Democrat.
He's been representing the state of Pennsylvania in the Senate for nearly 30 years but now he's kind of re-introducing himself, Heidi, and trying to convince the people of Pennsylvania that he didn't just make this switch because it was good for his political viability, as they say, to stay in the Senate, but because he believes that he is the best person to represent the people of Pennsylvania and he still is adequate to do that as a Democrat.
He will argue even more so as a Democrat than he was as a Republican. It's going to be very interesting to see the kind of reception he gets here.
COLLINS: Yes. What if the U.S. Senate race was held today?
BASH: Very interesting numbers. In fact, we have a brand new poll out from the Quinnipiac University this morning, and it kind of backs up what Specter did in terms of his political -- again, his political viability. Take a look at this. If he ran against him, would run against Pat Toomey, the Republican, who was running against him in the Republican primary, he would beat him by 20 points, if it was held today. 53-33.
So, again, if the two of them were running against each other in a Republican primary, he would have gotten trounced. This shows in a general election in the state of Pennsylvania, he would beat him pretty handily.
But let's look at something else that could be interesting that may, may, may become a surprise here in the state of Pennsylvania. If he ran against Republican Tom Ridge, the very popular former governor of Pennsylvania, he would have a much tougher go of it, if Arlen Specter, the Democrat, ran. He would just beat him by about three points if it was held today.
Now Tom Ridge, I can tell you, Heidi, according to Republican strategists I just spoke to, has formally been approached by the Republican establishment to try to run and be the candidate for Senate in the state of Pennsylvania. He is somebody who's been out of politics for a while, and it would be hard for him to convince, but I'm told that in these private conversations he didn't close the door to that kind of run.
COLLINS: They never seem to close the door completely. Do they?
All right. Dana Bash, we sure do appreciate it, from Hershey, Pennsylvania this morning. Thank you.
BASH: OK.
COLLINS: A powerful storm knocks down the roof of the Dallas Cowboys practice facility. This morning, we know more about the extent of the injuries including one staff member whose life may be changed forever.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: And those same storms redeveloped and strengthened and moved across the southeast both Saturday and Sunday doing serious damage. And more storms are developing this morning.
Complete weather is coming up in about ten minutes. The CNN NEWSROOM will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: President Obama likely to stir some anger in corporate America today. Later this morning, he'll announce plans to eliminate some tax deductions and tax havens.
Let's talk to our White House correspondent now, Suzanne Malveaux.
Good morning to you there, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
COLLINS: What flaws does the Obama administration see with the current tax code?
MALVEAUX: Well, you know, the senior administration officials are explaining the rationale for this. They say that there really are some serious flaws international tax codes, because it is costing you and I, taxpayers, billions of dollars in lost revenue, and they also argue that this is all about jobs, Heidi. Losing jobs here at home to go overseas.
So what are we going to hear President Obama talk about? Well, he's going to talk about eliminating some of the tax incentives that are provided to companies that create those jobs overseas. He is also going to talk about closing these loopholes in the tax code in the law that create these tax havens.
Heidi, we're talking about things that companies do that are completely legal that allow them to hide some their subsidiaries that are overseas to avoid paying U.S. taxes. They're also going to talk about individuals who use their money to hide in accounts there overseas that is actually illegal.
He is going to talk about putting muscle behind this, 800 new IRS employees to look at the enforcement, to make sure that they are following through and finally the government, Heidi, says that they think they're going to be able to save some $210 billion over ten years, if they carry this out.
Now, I have to say, that this is something that is extremely controversial.
COLLINS: Yes.
MALVEAUX: We already have about 200 opposition letters that have been sent to Congress. A lot of companies say, look, this is not good for the economy. That this is not good for their businesses, and when it's not good for their businesses, that means that it's not going to be good for the U.S. taxpayer.
That they're not going to create the kind of jobs that the Obama administration believes are going to happen. So we're -- this is going to be a big battle between this administration and some of those companies, those lobbyists, who are already saying this is a very bad idea, Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes. I'm sure that part of that controversy also is the people who say, hey, this is government getting in more than where they're wanted, and then there are other people who would say, yes, but we need some type of regulation. So it's certainly a fine line.
MALVEAUX: And it's certainly one of those things in the campaign that the president talked about as a candidate. He said, look, you know, I'm going to make sure that we're not losing those jobs, jobs are not going overseas. That we're going to create them here at home. It is all about his big picture in terms of turning the economic, the recession, the crisis around. But obviously, very controversial.
COLLINS: Yes. And real quickly, Suzanne, on a lighter note. The Obamas heading out of town this weekend? What was that about?
MALVEAUX: Actually it was in town. They were right at Georgetown. But they were...
COLLINS: Oh. Just down the street.
MALVEAUX: Yes, they were right down the street. They had dinner at a restaurant called the Citronelle and we were looking at some pictures. Hopefully you'll be able to see them. This is when they return on the South Lawn. They were strolling hand in hand, very casual, very relaxed, a lot of people -- you know, want to get a sense, a view of them. Georgetown -- they had about -- some 100 people outside that restaurant taking pictures.
COLLINS: Really?
MALVEAUX: (INAUDIBLE) a bull horn, saying we're so glad you're here. So obviously...
(LAUGHTER)
A lot of excitement over the weekend in Washington and all. So a lighter moment, you know? Their first date of the presidency. So nice to see the first couple there.
COLLINS: All right. Very good. Suzanne Malveaux, no bull horn for you. All right. Thank you.
President Obama's plans for Wall Street reform could mean the financial sector has less impact on the U.S. economy in the future. New regulations aimed to minimize the risk-taking that contributed to the global recession.
Christine Romans joining us now from New York.
Good morning to you, Christine.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.
COLLINS: All right so, what kind of impact will this we were just talking about actually have?
ROMANS: Well, with every speech, every -- frankly every move, every interview by this president we get more of a sense of what he envisions for the American people and for the American economy, what's on the other side of this crisis, Heidi.
And the most recent exhaustive interview, quite frankly, in the "New York Times'" Sunday magazine sort of showing what he foresees. And that is a smaller Wall Street role. He says Wall Street will remain a big, important part of our economy, it just won't be half of our economy.
COLLINS: Well, right now they're kind of don't even have a choice.
ROMANS: Well, the past 10 or 15 years they said the risk-taking just got too over the top, and that was simply unsustainable. He said that it is an important part it isn't, you know, the only -- it shouldn't be the only driver. He's talking about engineering and technology and innovation.
He says we don't want every single college grad with mathematic aptitude to become a derivatives trader. In particular he's pushing engineering and he talks also about the role of manufacturing and construction and that part of the economy. So don't expect those jobs to banish but he said they also will have a smaller share of the overall economy as well.
And he said as for how we should be positioning ourselves for this, he's saying it's too rigid to think that everyone should have a four-year college degree to compete in this economy. He said we'll have a broad company, a lot of different kinds of industries, but he said that everyone should have one year, at least, of post-high school education or training to better compete and to better position themselves in this economy.
Now I looked up some statistics, Heidi, because of that specific comment, and think of this. If you are a high school graduate with no college, your unemployment rate right now is 9 percent. If you've got a bachelor's degree or higher, it's 4.3 percent. Think of that.
If you've got a four-year degree in this economy, even with outsourcing of highly skilled job, even with outsourcing of, you know, the think jobs that we've seen, you still have 4.3 percent unemployment rate? That is essentially full employment for people who have a college education.
So it's incredibly important when we're talking about just the devastation of this recession and what things are going to look like on the other side the great recession, we can see that people with advanced educations are fairing much, much better than the rest of the society.
It's got incredible ramifications for trade policy, for tax policy, as we're talking about...
COLLINS: Right. Right.
ROMANS: ... what Suzanne and for what this president and his economic team put together for this new economy.
COLLINS: Yes. We also heard some words from the guy who's known as the Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffett. He believes that the economic crisis may have passed. What exactly does that mean for investors? Because when this guy speaks, people seem to listen.
ROMANS: Well, you know, and he's saying this after the stock market's up some 30 percent over the past six or seven weeks.
COLLINS: Yes.
ROMANS: So clearly the stock market has been thinking the same thing that Warren Buffett thinks. He, of course, is a legendary investor. 35,000 people went to Omaha to hear what he had to say to his investors this weekend.
He says the Pearl Harbor moment of the financial crisis is over. But now we are still in a war and we are dealing with battle after battle -- for example, Chrysler, he said, was battle. He used -- to mix metaphors, he has another one as well. He as if your good friend is -- was sinking in quicksand and you -- you know, you threw a rope to him and you pulled him out with a car, and you dislocated some shoulders and the like, but you've got the person out of quicksand. COLLINS: They're alive. Yes, got it.
ROMANS: I'll add a little bit. Now the person is still cold, wet and muddy.
COLLINS: Yes.
ROMANS: But you're out of quicksand. That's where we are in the economy.
COLLINS: You don't want him to get hypothermic.
(LAUGHTER)
We could go on and on. All right.
ROMANS: Fixed months of mixed metaphors, I can't hardly stand it.
COLLINS: All right. Christine Romans, sure do appreciate that. Thank you.
Investigating John Edwards. Federal investigators are looking into why thousands of dollars of the former presidential candidate's campaign funds ended up going to the company of the woman he admitted having an affair with.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: All that soggy weather this weekend really causes some problems across the south. Our Rob Marciano watching all of it for us and, yes, whoa, look at that.
MARCIANO: OK. So all of these little icons are basically wind reports. We have a bunch of them. And you see how they kind of stretch all the way from Texas and they make their way across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, right through Georgia.
This was a strong, like a big, one big squall line, basically, moving at about 70 miles an hour and just ripped through straight line winds, and all sorts of damage coming in from this.
We'll show you the first piece of video. This coming in from Alabama. The biggest cause, or concern for the damage was trees being uprooted. Huge trees falling on cars, falling on homes and doing all sorts of damage. So this sort of scene was prevalent throughout much of the south.
Also in through parts of Mississippi, similar sort of action. There was one fatality here.
COLLINS: Yes.
MARCIANO: A 46-year-old woman was killed outside of her home because a tree fell. So, again, that sort of...
COLLINS: Look at that.
MARCIANO: Yes.
COLLINS: Huge, huge tree.
MARCIANO: That one is big. And also across parts of Tennessee, a lot of rainfall on top of the winds. So -- and some spots, they had four, five inches of rainfall on top of damaging winds that came through Tennessee.
COLLINS: It is unusual to see it span that far from Texas all the way...
MARCIANO: It is. It's a weather phenomenon. We call it a Derate show. It's not rate but it certainly doesn't happen every day. And when you get an organized cluster thunderstorms like that they can rip across a large piece of real estate...
COLLINS: Yes. Yes.
MARCIANO: ... in a hurry and do a bunch of damage in Georgia, in your hometown.
COLLINS: Yes.
MARCIANO: We've got a little bit of action as well. All right. We wanted to show you...
COLLINS: Get out of your way, then.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: All right. Rob, busy morning, obviously. Thanks so much. We'll check back later on with you.
MARCIANO: Sounds good.
And I know you know about this story, too. A Dallas Cowboy scouting assistant permanently paralyzed after the canopy collapsed at the team's practice facility. Pretty incredible video, too.
Two other team staffers were seriously injured on Saturday when a thunderstorm knocked down the structure that covered that practice field. 33-year-old Rich Behm's spinal cord was severed by a fractured -- vertebrae paralyzing him from the waist down.
We'll stay on top of that story for you as well.
It's the frontline in the fight against a killer virus. We're giving you an exclusive look inside an isolation ward.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Heidi Collins.
COLLINS: It's a big weekend on Wall Street. The government is set to release results of its bank stress test. We've been talking about that quite a bit here. And investors get the big monthly jobs reported. That as the opening bell rings for this Monday morning.
Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange now with a look ahead.
Hi, Susan.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Heidi, good morning, and we're off. We're coming off, by the way, Heidi, the eighth consecutive weekly gain for NASDAQ, the Dow and S&P 500 were higher, too, but it could be a choppy week on Wall Street because of those two reports you mentioned won't be released until the end of the week.
A particular concern to investors, of course, is the health of Citigroup and Bank of America. The "Financial Times" says each of the banks is working on a plan to raise more than $10 billion.
For now, we're seeing a slightly higher open, even though Sprint Nextel says it lost nearly $600 million in the first three months of the year, the nation's third biggest wireless company still losing customers, but not as many as it lost in the previous quarter. Sprint expects the losses to continue tapering off this year.
GM is certainly in focus, too. Fiat, in talks to buy most of GM's European operations -- a move that could help the American automaker avoid bankruptcy. Fiat is also, of course, in the process of acquiring a stake in Chrysler.
Finally, Heidi, Filene's Basement is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The discount retail is also reaching a deal to sell 17 of its 25 stores, including its flagship location here in New York and Boston. We'll have to see if the annual running of the bride tradition continues at filing.
Do you know what that's all about, Heidi, right?
COLLINS: Oh, it's my favorite of the year. I mean, honestly.
(LAUGHTER)
LISOVICZ: And so, you have to stand back and see those brides run for the dresses.
In the meantime, we're seeing some running of the bulls -- the Dow, NASDAQ, the S&P 500 ...
COLLINS: Not to make that in comparison.
LISOVICZ: Really, no. It's far more dangerous than being at Feline's.
Did you see who has -- who rang the opening bell, Heidi?
COLLINS: I did. I did. LISOVICZ: U.S. adopted ski team athlete, Caitlin Sarubbi, who hopes to medal next at the Paralympics Winter Games in Vancouver. She attends Harvard University as a pre-med undergrad.
COLLINS: I love that story.
LISOVICZ: In other words, a real slouch.
COLLINS: Yes. Right. Exactly.
All right. We will be pulling for her, certainly. Hope to hear more about her, too.
Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange this morning -- thanks, Susan.
Economic issues taking up a lot of the morning for President Obama. Just after the top of the hour, he'll get his daily economic briefing. And just after 11:00 a.m., the president will talk about reforming international tax codes. Towards the end of the day, he gets to have a little fun at a Cinco de Mayo event.
Two-time presidential candidate John Edwards says he is cooperating with the federal investigation now looking into how he spent his campaign funds. His political action committee doled out more than $100,000 to a production company run by a woman he admitted he'd had an affair with. Edwards says he is confident no money was spent improperly.
Playing pro football for 13 seasons would be a big enough feat for most people, but for Jack Kemp, it was just an opening act. The former New York congressman died from cancer this weekend. In 1996, he ran for vice president under the Republican ticket with Bob Dole, who says Kemp will stay close to his heart.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB DOLE (R), FORMER U.S. SENATOR & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So -- you know, you want to go visit but he can't have visitors and then he couldn't -- he couldn't talk, which for Jack Kemp is -- you know, not being able to talk is a tough sentence in itself, because Jack's wife used to put on his coattail to get him to stop talking. But he's just a good guy and a good friend.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Jack Kemp was 73 years old.
The swine flu backlash. Today, visitation is suspended at all California prisons. The reason -- a prison inmate in Imperial County is being tested for the H1N1 virus. That prisoner and his cellmate are being kept isolated. Prison officials say their symptoms appear to be mild.
In Mexico, officials may decide today whether to lift a shutdown of public venues by Wednesday while health official there's say H1N1 maybe in retreat. The fight against the killer virus goes on in hospitals.
CNN's Karl Penhaul has this exclusive look now inside an isolation ward.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sent (ph) into an isolation ward -- this is the front line in Mexico's fight against a killer virus. Medics shrouded in biohazard suits and goggles are moving fast to halt the spread of the H1N1 strain.
DR. MANUEL VELASCO, MEXICO CITY NAVAL HOSPITAL (through translator): With this protection, the risk of infection is minimal. It allows us to avoid direct contact with the patient.
PENHAUL: Doctors here at Mexico City's Naval Hospital are allowing us a rare visit behind the glass containment doors. But before we enter, we, too, must don protective gear to stop up us getting infected with the swine flu virus.
(on camera): The first I saw it, it looked pretty scary, but now I understand it. See the mask to keep any virus from getting out on to the damp tissues, into your mouth and into your nose. Goggles the same thing, to stop any of the virus getting into the wet parts of your eyes, because we're told that that way you can get infected as well.
(voice-over): Navy doctor, Manuel Velasco, heads to emergency admissions. Patients are arriving with symptoms which need to be examined urgently, in case there are early signs of swine flu.
Five-year-old Leo Amador is coming in with a sore throat. His mother says the whole family is panicking, and they're frightened. So they've all come for a checkup.
Leo is later given the all-clear for the virus.
Meanwhile, 12-year-old, Patricia Arenas is diagnosed with common flu, not the new mutant virus. "I'll take the medicine to get better," she tells me.
In another cubicle, doctors do a lung X-ray to try to pinpoint of cause of this woman's breathing problems. Results come back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There's nothing that makes us suspect any sign of swine flu. That's good news for her.
PENHAUL: Since Wednesday, Dr. Velasco says the staff has examined more than 2,000 patients. So far, he says, none of the results from the naval hospital has tested positive for H1N1.
VELASCO (through translator): That may mean the virus is stabilizing and then can be totally controlled, but we have to wait a bit to be sure.
PENHAUL: Mom of two, Lorena Balderas began feeling sick this morning. After checkup, doctors decided to keep her in for observation to see how her symptoms progressed.
"I got a headache, chills in my body, fever and a cough since this morning," she says.
Mexican health officials say the virus may finally be in retreat, but experts are still hunting vital clues.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (though translator): We've seen this virus tends to affect women more than men, but we cannot say right now why that is.
PENHAUL: Scientists must also answer another key question about the pandemic. Why Mexico?
Karl Penhaul, CNN, Mexico City.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Some pretty severe weather going on right now. Rob Marciano has a tornado watch for us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Meteorologist Rob Marciano has a tornado watch now and a warning for us, too. Staying on top of all of it for us.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: Arkansas and Texas also took a pounding from severe weather over the weekend. Look at some of these pictures now. One of our iReporters was on the scene after a tornado hit. She sent these photos of the tornado's destructive path. Again, we'll stay on top of that situation for you.
Meanwhile, hold tight to the job you have. That's what a lot of people think -- especially during tough economic times like these. But this could be the right time for making moves towards a new career.
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COLLINS: Plans for Wall Street and tax reform. We'll be hearing from President Obama on those issues today just after 11:00 a.m. Eastern. We, of course, will bring it to live when it happens.
All-night talks to save "The Boston Globe" ended about two hours ago. No deal was reached but talks are expected to resume in the next day or two. The New York Times Company which owns "The Globe" has said it's prepared to file a shutdown notice to take effect in 60 days. The newspaper's largest union calls the move a bullying tactic. The two sides are trying to agree on cost concessions to keep the newspaper operating, but a key sticking point could be lifetime job guarantees.
If you are thinking about a career change, chances are, the climbing unemployment rate has you too scared to even begin looking. But are your options really that bleak?
Our personal finance editor, Gerri Willis, is now here with some tips about how even in these tough times you can make headway on switching careers and getting hired.
Hey there, Gerri.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hey. Good Monday morning, Heidi.
Yes, there's no question, it's a tough job market out there, as we've been talking about for some time. Many companies are in hiring freezes, shipping jobs overseas right now, but I think even still, it's a perfect time to focus on your career goals so when the economy does bounce back, you can be ready to apply. The first thing you need to do is self-assess, even if you want a new career, you might not be sure where you want to go.
There are lots of consultants you can pay out there that will help you determine your best career fit. But why not do it for free? Check out Online.onetcenter.org, and Careeronestop.org. They're both free self-assessment tests with up-to-date employment info on a range of industries.
Careervoyages.gov is a great government-run Web site with tons of info about jobs that are actually growing not contracting, and even has an entire section devoted solely to career-changers -- Heidi?
COLLINS: Yes, very cool. All right. There's got to be a way out there -- at least I wish there was -- to try out a job, to make sure that it's right for you?
WILLIS: Well, you know what? The truth is, you never know what a job is going to be like hour to hour until you've actually seen it up close.
COLLINS: Yes.
WILLIS: You want to get that personal view. Go to Careervoyages.gov. You'll find videos of people working in specific vocations so you can watch bakers, geologists, even fashion designers doing their thing.
Look for part-time internships or volunteer opportunities that might be able to fit into your regular work schedule. And for those who were willing to pay for it -- you can actually test drive, Heidi -- check out vocationvacations.com. It's a pretty neat little service that pairs job seekers with established professionals in lots of job types -- but be forewarned, it's expensive. Shadowing a TV producer for two days will set you back 1,500 bucks.
COLLINS: Really?
WILLIS: Yes.
COLLINS: That's interesting. All right. Very cool. And then once you've found a job that you think you want, no matter how you do that -- how about going back to school?
WILLIS: Well, you know, to really make the most of the recession, spend your time developing the skill set that will most appeal to future employers. And that may not mean another four years at school. Try to use your current position as a launch pad. See if your employer offers training opportunities for skills that might transferable to another job down the road. You want to look at class offerings online and even at local community colleges, many of which tailor programs to what local industries are looking for in job candidates.
So, there are lots of options to the four-year degree out there if that's what you think you're going it need. Online is becoming a more and more commonplace. And the even local community colleges are a great option in this, in this -- particularly in this economy.
COLLINS: All right. Yes, you've got to be creative, no matter what you do.
WILLIS: Yes, that's right.
COLLINS: CNN's personal finance editor, Gerri Willis -- Gerri, thanks.
WILLIS: My pleasure.
COLLINS: It's that time of year, the class of '09 facing the real world with real worries. This Wednesday, we bring on the experts to answer your questions on financial aid, grants, loans, 529 plans and more. So, starting right now, you can post your questions or your comments. Just go CNN.com/newsroom and click on my name. We will try to answer your questions on the air on Wednesday. It's going to be a good week.
He came out of nowhere to stun the field at the Kentucky Derby. But will Mine That Bird run the second leg of the Triple Crown? We'll hear from jockey and the trainer.
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COLLINS: It wasn't even close to a photo finish. Mine That Bird, a 60-to-one shot, won the Kentucky Derby by more than six lengths. And, boy, it was fun to watch, wasn't it? But after such a run, will he be ready for the Preakness in less than two weeks? Here's what the jockey and the trainer told our "AMERICAN MORNING."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, CNN'S AMERICAN MORNING)
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: The question is, if you're going to get another chance at it, are you going to take Mine That Bird to the Preakness?
CALVIN BOREL, JOCKEY, MINE THAT BIRD: That's up to the owner and trainer. You know, I mean, I don't know -- I've assumed we're going there. But, yes, sir. We're going to take it to them.
JOHN ROBERTS: Yes? What about that, Chip? Will you run him at the Preakness?
BENNIE "CHIP" WOOLLEY, JR., TRAINER, MINE THAT BIRD: We jogged him this morning. The horse jogged really well. So, our plan right now is we're aiming at the Preakness. We'll let the horse decide but right now ...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Of course, they're going to the Preakness.
Last year's derby winner, Big Brown, did go on to win the Preakness but he missed the Triple Crown at Belmont. Boy, that's the hard to win, isn't it?
There is a lot going on this morning and we've got crews all over the place to bring it all to you. Here's a quick look now at what we're covering beginning with our Christine Romans.
Hey, Christine.
ROMANS: Good morning, Heidi.
Well, the president wants to close tax havens -- some abuse of tax havens for wealthy individuals and also close a tax loophole for the big U.S. multinationals. And he is setting himself up for a fight with corporate America. I'll have that story at the top of the hour, Heidi.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Elizabeth Cohen here in Atlanta. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control say we haven't seen the worse of swine flu and it could come back even stronger in the fall. Will there be a vaccine? I'll have answers to that question at the top of the hour.
LISOVICZ: And I'm Susan Lisovicz on Wall Street, where stocks are coming off yet another weekly gain. The rally is continuing today.
But retirees, listen up -- you won't be seeing any growth in your Social Security benefits. They'll hold steady for the first time in more than three decades. Heidi, I'll tell you why in the next hour.
COLLINS: All right. Very good. Thanks, guys, for that. Appreciate it.
Plus, we are looking at a new program for the unemployed. It gives people a paycheck and hope for a career. It's an eight-week audition that could change their lives.
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ANNOUNCER: This is CNN: The most trusted name in news. Now back to the CNN NEWSROOM. COLLINS: Hey, to be careful the next time you decide to vent about your job online because your boss could be watching you, even if you're not using a work computer. Alina Cho explains how that costs two New Jersey people their jobs.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Heidi.
We all know if you're sending an e-mail from work, there's a pretty good chance the bosses are watching you or at least they could if they wanted to. But what if you're at home, on your home computer and on MySpace? You're not responsible for what you say there, right? Wrong. It cost two restaurant workers in New Jersey their jobs.
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CHO (on camera): Did you ever in your wildest dreams think that making a comment like this on MySpace would get you fired?
DOREEN MARINO, FIRED FOR COMMENTS ON MYSPACE: Absolutely not. Never in a million years would I have thought this was going to get me fired.
CHO (voice-over): It did. Doreen Marino says said she was blind-sighted when in 2006, her boss at this Houston's restaurant in Hackensack, New Jersey, fired her. Not for bad performance or calling in sick, but for allegedly making derogatory comments about one of her managers in a private discussion group on MySpace. Members only, password required -- created specifically so she and other co-workers could gossip.
(on camera): You want to vent?
MARINO: Better to vent there, in my opinion. Take it somewhere where no one's going to hear you.
CHO (voice-over): Marino was wrong. She says managers at the restaurant got hold of the password, didn't like what they saw, and as a result, according to Marino, fired her and another worker.
(on camera): Did you feel like it was a violation of your privacy?
MARINO: Absolutely. They weren't invited. They were not members of the group. In my opinion, I felt they had no business being there.
CHO (voice-over): She's so mad she and the coworker are suing the owners of Houston's for invasion of privacy.
The parent group of Houston's would not comment about the lawsuit, but in a statement to CNN said, quote, "This is not a case about cyber-snooping, the First Amendment, or privacy. It's about two staff members who were let go for unprofessional conduct, including," says the company, "disparaging comments about our guests. And sharing a product knowledge test before it was administered. This misconduct was voluntarily brought to light by a member of the online group." (on camera): Is it really reasonable to expect that you're writing things on MySpace, somebody's not going to see it?
MARINO: I mean, we have to draw the line. We have the right to say what we want in a private environment.
CHO (voice-over): Or do they?
NICHOLAS THOMPSON, SENIOR EDITOR, WIRED MAGAZINE: Technology is changing faster than the law and faster than our social norms. So, the law and the courts don't really know how to handle this. And it's not like they'll catch up.
CHO: Marino says she's hoping to set a precedent.
MARINO: There has to be something, some sacred space in our lives where we can feel comfortable speaking our minds.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: And that is at the heart of the debate. As you heard from our Internet expert, there are no laws on the books to deal with this. The problem, no surprise, is that the Internet is changing faster than the laws can be written. The expert says today there's a lawsuit on MySpace, tomorrow a similar case on Twitter, Heidi. The norms have changed -- Heidi?
COLLINS: Checking stories happening right now. Students at a New York City private school are returning to classes today one week after 45 cases of the H1N1 virus were confirmed there. Despite the school's reopening, health officials say swine flu cases have not peaked yet in the United States.
Police in Florida say a man shot and killed his wife and two of their children before killing himself. Another child, a 13-year-old, was able to escape while the father fired at him. He was not injured. Investigators believe a domestic disturbance led to last night's shooting.
And President Obama this morning unveiling a plan to change the tax code. The reforms are aimed at closing loopholes for overseas tax havens and ending business tax incentives for creating jobs overseas. The administration says the changes could raise at least $210 billion over the next 10 years.
A suicide bombing in Afghanistan killed seven people including a town mayor. The bomb went off today in a province in eastern Afghanistan. Three bodyguards, three civilians were also killed.
The tax laws may soon be changing for you or your employer. Next hour, President Obama is expected to announce plans to close loopholes for companies and eliminate tax shelters for individuals. And you can bet not everybody is going to be happy with these changes. Changes are sure to stir some anger.
CNN's White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is there now with a preview. And Christine Romans of the CNN Money team breaks down the changes and gives us the bottom line.
