Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Obama to Remain Full Partner in Combating Mexican Drug Cartels; Mexican, Canadian, U.S. Leaders Meet; U.S., Canada, Mexico Wrap Up Summit; Maine Becoming a Front in Drug War
Aired August 10, 2009 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's bust the break and get you to Guadalajara, Mexico for President Obama.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... President Calderon for his hospitality and for hosting us at this important summit as well as my good friend, Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
I want to thank of people of Guadalajara and Mexico for the incredible warmth they've shown us on this, my second trip to Mexico as president.
Here in Mexico the word is (INAUDIBLE) and in Canada it's (INAUDIBLE). But no matter how we say it, we come here today, three nations, one continent, because of the challenges and opportunities that we'll be facing together.
Like our magnificent surroundings today this city could not be a more fitting venue. Here in Guadalajara we see all the richness of Mexico's heritage, its arts, its architect, its vitality and its culture. And we also see all the possibilities of Mexico's future, the innovation, high tech industries and entrepreneurship that makes one of our hemisphere's most dynamic cities.
Here in Guadalajara we also see our continent coming together, Mexicans, Canadians, Americans, as tourists as neighbors, educators and business partners, each bringing their unique traditions, each bound by mutual respect.
Indeed in the 21st century North America is defined not simply by our borders but by our bonds. And that is the spirit that defined the very productive summit that we had here today.
First, we agreed that we had to work together to restore common prosperity. The global recession has cost jobs and hurt families from Toronto to Toledo to Tijuana. So we renew our commitment to work together in Ottawa, Washington, and Mexico City.
Building on our progress at the G-8 and G-20 summits we agreed to continue to take aggressive, coordinated action to restore economic growth and create jobs for our workers, including workers in the North American auto industry.
Because so much of our common prosperity and millions of jobs depend on trade that flows across our borders, billions of dollars worth of trade every day, we reaffirm the need to reject protectionism.
We recommitted ourselves to the infrastructure investments and common sense regulations and intellectual property upon which trade drives.
We are among each other's largest trading partners. As we work together towards lasting prosperity we need to expand that trade and not restrict it.
I would note that our common prosperity also depends on orderly legal migration. All three have been enriched by our ties of family and community. I think of my own brother-in-law, who is Canadian. I think of the many Mexican-Americans who found home in Los Angeles and Texas and in my hometown of Chicago.
At the same time, Americans, Mexicans, and Canadians expect their borders to be safe and secure. And that is why my administration will continue to work to fix America's broken immigration system in a way that is in keeping with our tradition of being both a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants.
And because our future prosperity depends on clean energy economies, we built on our bilaterally efforts to invest in renewable and green jobs, and we recommitted ourselves to the historic goals announced last month in Italy.
Nations like the United States and Canada will take the lead by reducing emissions about 80 percent by 2050, and we will work with other nations to cut global emissions in half.
Indeed, we made progress toward the concrete goals that will be negotiated at the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit in October. And I want to commend Mexico for its leadership in curbing green house gas emissions and President Calderon for his innovative proposals to help developing countries build clean, sustainable economies.
Second, we reiterated our abiding commitment to the common safety and security of our people. In response to the H1N1 pandemic, our three governments have worked closely, collaboratively, and responsibly.
With science as our guide, we resolved to continue taking all necessary preparations and precautions to prepare for the upcoming flu season and protect the health of our people. And this challenge transcends borders and so must our response.
We also resolved to continue confronting the urgent threat to our common security from the drug cartels that are causing so much violence and death in our countries.
As I've said on many occasions, I heartily commend President Calderon and his government for their determination and courage in taking on these cartels, and the president reaffirmed his government's commitment to transparency, accountability, and human rights as they wage this difficult but necessary fight.
The United States will remain a full partner in this effort. We will work to make sure Mexico has the support it needs to dismantle and defeat the cartels.
And the United States will also meet its responsibilities by continuing our efforts to reduce the demand for drugs and continuing to strengthen the security of our shared border, not only to protect the American people but to stem the illegal southbound flow of American guns and cash that helps fuel this extraordinary violence.
Third, we reaffirmed our abiding commitment to our common values including peace, democracy, and human rights. And in particular we discussed the coup in Honduras.
As has been mentioned, our three nations stand united on this issue that President Zelaya remains the democratically elected president. For the sake of the Honduran people, democratic and constitutional order must be restored.
And we will continue to work with others, especially the Organization to American States, to achieve a negotiated and peaceful solution.
And finally, we pledged to continue all of these efforts. I look forwards to welcoming Prime Minister Harper to Washington in September. I look forward to welcoming both of my friends at the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh where I hope to reciprocate President Calderon's hospitality.
Our progress today is a reminder that no nation can meet the challenges of our time on their own. Our common aspirations can only be achieved if we can work together, and that's what the nearly half billion people in North America expect from us. So that's what we will do.
Thank you very much.
QUESTION: Good afternoon.
President Obama, there are certain questions about violation of human rights here in Mexico, and all of these problems fighting drug trafficking. Are you going to certify Mexico? And how can we move forward with the (inaudible) initiative?
We've also been concerned about any attempt against Felipe Calderon's life. We know about certain threats and insecurity that prevails. This, of course, is certainly related to your country.
We're concerned about the visa problem, too. What comments would you have regarding all of these questions?
OBAMA: I didn't get a translation on that one.
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: I think it's coming. Go ahead.
QUESTION: What are your concerns regarding this? And we would also like to know if Mexico is going to be certified, and if you will help in applying resources for the (INAUDIBLE) initiative?
We've also heard about some attempts against the life of President Felipe Calderon. Do you have any knowledge of this?
And we're also concerned about national security. We're concerned about visas, et cetera. We would like to know is there any possibility that you might turn this around that we might not have any limit on visas?
OBAMA: I'll just address the -- number one, we have been very -- and we have already seen resources transferred, equipment transferred in order to help President Calderon in what is a very courageous effort to deal with a drug cartel, set of drug cartel that's are not only resulting in extraordinary violence to the people of Mexico but are also undermining institutions like the police and judiciary system that, unless stopped, will be very damaging to the country.
Now, with respect to the conduct of this battle against the cartels, you know, I have great conference in President Calderon's administration applying the law enforcement technique that's are necessary to curb the power of the cartels by doing so in a way that's consistent with human rights.
And we discussed this in our bilaterally meeting. And I am confident that, as the national police are trained, as the coordination between the military and local police officials is improved, there's going to be increased transparency and accountability and that human rights will be observed.
The biggest, by far, violators of human rights right now are the cartels themselves that are kidnapping people and extorting people and encouraging corruption in these regions. That's what needs to be stopped. That's what President Calderon is committed to doing, and that's what I'm committed to helping President Calderon accomplish as long as he is president of Mexico.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll continue with Alex Panetta, the Canadian press.
STEPHEN HARPER, PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA: On the question of visas, it's important to understand the imposition of visa is due to one thing and one thing only, and that is the dramatic rise we have seen over the last few years and this year in particular in the number of bogus refugee claims being made from Mexico into Canada.
It's important to understand that this decision, first of all, has nothing to do with the actions of the Mexican government. The Mexican government has cooperated with us in efforts to stem this particular problem, to limit this particular problem, and continues to work with us in ways we might reverse it.
But the underlying problem, as I said to President Calderon and others, the underlying program -- problem is in the Canadian refugee laws. It is simply far too easy in Canada to make a bogus refugee claim as a way of entering the country. And we have to change that. It is unfair to those who are legitimate refugees. It is also unfair to the hundreds of thousands of people who are working through our immigration system to become immigrants to this country -- to our country.
So as I say, we will continue to work with Mexican authorities to try and limit this problem, but in the absence of legislative change, it is very difficult for our governments to control this, other than through the imposition of visa. It is the only tool available to us right now. So we need additional tools from our parliament to stem the flow of bogus refugee claimants and also to have additional tools to deal with this kind of problem.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll continue with Alex Panetta (ph), Canadian press. Is there more questions? Say again?
FELIPE CALDERON, PRESIDENT OF MEXICO (through translator): ... which were very important to us. First of all, my government has an absolute and categorical commitment with human rights. The struggle, the battle we are fighting against organized crime is precisely to preserve the human rights of the Mexican people: right to safety, to security, to personal safety and integrity, and the right to have a safe family. Their right to work without being really molested or perturbed in the struggle for the security -- the safety of the Mexican people.
Obviously, we have a strong commitment to protect human rights of everybody: the victims and even of the criminals themselves. And this is how it has been; this is how it will continue to be. And this is how the federal police will act, the attorney generals and armed forces will act.
In all of these cases there have been a very scrupulous effort to try and protect human rights in all cases. And anyone who says the contrary certainly would have to prove this: any case, just one case, where the proper authority has not acted in a correct way, that the competent authorities have not punished anyone who has abused their authority, whether they be police officers, whether they be soldiers or anyone else.
We have a clear commitment with human rights, we have met this commitment, and we will continue to do so. Not because of any money that might come or come through, the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) initiative for what's said in the U.S. Congress, because we have the strong commitment to human rights. And I certainly in a personal sense for several decades now and I have always had this commitment.
I have some details about what you have pointed out, but in any case it certainly won't be the first or the last occasion on which we might hear something about an attempt about my personal -- about my life and my person.
But once again, the government just can't stop; it can't be deterred. We know that we are destroying their criminal organization. We're hitting them hard. We're hitting at the heart of the organizations. We're making them back away. And we know -- they know we're not only taking a initiative in the struggle against crime, but we are actually being able to protect and defend our country better as time goes by. This is not a type of vengeance, of getting back at anyone, but we want to make sure that Mexico is a safe place to live in, that we will be able to move forward in this. We're not just talking about this organization, but rather the basic objective is to provide security, safety for the American people.
This is something that Mexican people are entitled to, that their family, that their children can go out into the streets, they can go out to play, they can go to school, they can make progress and to fulfill their aspirations that Mexico be a free country, free of delinquency, free of violence, that Mexico be a safe country. And in this struggle, we're not going to be intimidated, nor are they going to put a stop to our efforts.
Once again, I certainly hope that Mexican society recognizes these -- all of the efforts we're making along these lines: the police force who have been victims of attempts and of cowardly acts by the criminals; all the efforts carried out by Mexican marines, by soldiers and different attorney general's offices. Because we are committed to this idea, to have a safe Mexico and have a safe country. And these are values that we believe in, and it's certainly stronger than any threat that can be made against us of any type whatsoever.
So once again, we have had dialogues with Prime Minister Harper on several different occasions, as we did on this occasion about the summit and the matter of visas for Mexican visitors. We've talked openly, frankly. And certainly, Mexico certainly feels very bad about this decision, about this rejection, even though, of course it is a privilege of the Canadian government to stipulate this. But it certainly gets in the way of a good relationship, of what Prime Minister Harper and I are doing. To have good relations between the two countries.
And the explanations Prime Minister Harper mentioned, that there is a problem with this bogus refugee claim problem, and this has led to an abuse of the system. So we're going to try to work together, to collaborate together. We're doing this here in Mexico to try to do away with the underlying causes of this abuse, regarding the general system for receiving refugees in Canada.
Once again, for me it's very clear that, as the president of Mexico, that I certainly have the obligation of ensuring that a specific topic on the bilateral agenda not deter reaching our full potential of other matters on the agenda.
And once again, here lies the great opportunity in this particular area of economic complementarities of the two -- of the three countries' economies and that this will take our whole region up to a higher state of competitiveness, to the benefit of our people. These are the lines we've been working along, and I think we have been making great strides in a sense. And we certainly will continue to work along these lines in a frank and open way with Prime Minister Harper and President Obama. QUESTION: It's actually a two-part. And the first part of the question is for the three leaders, primarily for President Obama. And I would appreciate it...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Could you use the microphone?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I would appreciate it if the prime minister, for the benefit of my Francophone colleagues, answer in French, as well.
"Buy American's" caused considerable concern outside the United States. I am wondering what you discussed about "buy American" at this meeting and also what power you personally have to rescind this measure and whether you intend to use that power?
Now, on a not completely related topic, health care has been an issue of tremendous debate in your country, and Canadians have looked on with fascination as our health-care systems become a political football in your country. I'd like to ask Prime Minister Harper and President Obama whether there are elements of the Canadian health-care system, particularly the public model, which are worth emulating?
OBAMA: Well, first of all, with respect to the buy-American provisions, I want to assure you your prime minister raises this with me every time we see each other. So that's important to note, that he is expressing, I think, his country's concerns.
I think it's also important to keep it in perspective, that in fact we have not seen some sweeping steps towards protectionism. There was a very particular provision that was in our recovery package, our stimulus package, that did not extend beyond that. It was WTL compliant. It was not something that I thought was necessary, but it was introduced at the time when we had a very severe economic situation, and it was important for us to act quickly and not get bogged down in debates around this particular provision.
Prime Minister Harper and I have discussed this, and there may be mechanisms whereby states and local jurisdictions can work with the provinces to allow for cross -- cross-border procurement practices that expand the trading relationships.
But I do think it's important to keep this in perspective. This has in no way -- has endangered the billions of dollars of trade taking place between our two countries. It's not a -- a general provision, but it was restricted to a very particular aspect of our recovery package.
With respect to the health-care debate, we are having a vigorous debate in the United States, and I think that's a healthy thing. The reason it's necessary is because we are on a currently unsustainable path. We spend far more per person on health care than any nation on earth. The -- our outcomes in terms of various measures of well being don't rank us at the top. We're not doing better than a lot of other advanced developed countries that are spending much less per person. Individual families are being bankrupted because of the lack of insurance. We've got 46, 47 million people without health insurance in our country.
And for those who do have health insurance, they are always at risk of private insurers eliminating their insurance because of a preexisting condition or because of -- they lose a job or they have changed jobs.
So the final aspect of it is -- is that our health-care inflation is going up so rapidly that our federal budget simply can't sustain it, nor can businesses that are increasingly having to make decisions whether they hire more workers or eliminate health care, whether they stop providing coverage or they force more costs onto their workers. So the whole system's not working well.
Now, how do we change it? When it's one sixth of the U.S. economy, there are going to be a lot of -- a lot of opinions. And Congress has moved forward, and we are closer to achieving a serious health reform package than we have been in the last 40 to 50 years. But there's going to continue to be a vigorous debate.
I've said that the Canadian model works for Canada. It would not work for the United States, in part simply because we've evolved differently. We have an employer-based system and a private-based health-care system that stands side by side with Medicare and Medicaid and our Veterans Administration health-care system. And so we've got to develop a uniquely American approach to this problem.
This, by the way, is a problem that all countries are going to have to deal with at some level. Because if medical inflation continues at the pace that it's going, everybody's budget is going to be put under severe strain.
And so what we're trying to do is make sure that we've got a sensible plan that provides coverage for everybody, that continues the role of the private marketplace but provides people who don't have health insurance or are falling through the cracks in the private marketplace, a realistic and meaningful option. And we've got to do it in a way that also changes our delivery system so that we're not engaged in the kind of wasteful, inefficient medical spending that is so costly to us.
So I suspect that we're going to have continued vigorous debate. I suspect that you Canadians will continue to get dragged in by those who oppose reform, even though I've said nothing about Canadian health-care reform. I don't find Canadians particularly scary, but I guess some of the opponents of reform think they make a good bogeyman. I thing that's a mistake. And I suspect once we get into the fall and people look at the actual legislation that's being proposed, that more sensible and reasoned arguments will emerge and we're going to get -- we're going to get this passed.
Sorry to take so long on the question.
HARPER (through translator): On "buy American," we did have a good discussion, as President Obama said. I'm very happy to see that our provinces and the federal government have recently come to an agreement to work collectively on this matter, which is largely actually within their jurisdiction, since this concerns sub-national procurement.
Our respective trade ministers have been talking, officials are talking, and we anticipate that President Obama and I will be discussing this at greater length in our upcoming meetings.
On the American health-care debate, on the debate over the system of health care, as we know, as you know well, Canadians support their own health-care system. As for the rest of this question, my only answer is that this is an American debate and a responsibility of the provinces.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ginger Thompson, "New York Times."
GINGER THOMPSON, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": I'd like to start with President Obama, please. Given the fight that you're having to wage for health care, I wonder if you can tell us what you think the prospects are for immigration reform, for comprehensive immigration reform, which you said is your goal. And whether you think that the blows you're taking now on health care and that the Democrats are likely to take around the midterm elections will make it hard, if not impossible to achieve comprehensive immigration reform in this term, and what you told President Calderon about that.
President Calderon, I'd like to hear a little bit about your thoughts on Honduras. There have been some in Latin America who have said that the United States has not acted strongly enough to return President Zelaya to power. And I wonder if you could talk a little bit about how you feel about what the United States should be doing or could be doing to restore democratic order in Honduras.
And Prime Minister Harper, a few months ago the homeland security secretary of the United States went to Canada, or at least aggravated Canadian sensibilities when she compared the Canadian border to the Mexican border. And I wonder what you think about that and how you feel about the United States using some of the important strategies adopted on the southern border in the north. Thank you.
OBAMA: That's all?
THOMPSON: That's all, Mr. President.
OBAMA: Well, first of all, Ginger, I don't know if you're doing prognosticating about the outcome of the midterm elections which are over a year away. I anticipate we'll do just fine. And I think, when all is said on health-care reform, the American people are going to be glad that we acted to change an unsustainable system so that more people have coverage. we're bending the cost curve, and we're getting insurance reform so that people don't get dropped because of preexisting conditions or other issues.
So understand, though, I'm not acting based on short-term political calculations. I'm looking at what's best for the country, long-term. If I had been making short-term political calculations, I wouldn't be standing here as president, because nobody calculated that I could win the presidency. With respect to immigration reform, I continue to believe that is also in the long-term interest of the United States. We have a broken immigration system. Nobody denies it. And if we continue on the path we're on, we will continue to have tensions with our Mexican neighbors. We will continue to have people crossing the borders in a way that is dangerous for them, unfair for those who are applying legally to immigrate.
We're going to continue to have employers who are exploiting workers, because they're not within the legal system and so oftentimes receiving less than minimum wage or don't have overtime or being abused in other fashion. That's going to depress U.S. wages. It's causing ongoing tensions inside the United States. It's not fair and it's not right. And we're going to change it.
Now, I've got a lot on my plate. And it's very important for us to sequence these big initiatives in a way where they don't all just crash at the same time. And what we've said is, in the fall when we come back, we're going to complete health-care reform. We still have to act on energy legislation that has passed the House, but the Senate, I'm sure, is going to have its own ideas about how it wants to approach it.
We still have financial regulatory reform that has to get done, because we don't want a situation in which irresponsible actions in the global financial markets can precipitate another crisis. That's a pretty big stack of bills. Fortunately, what we've been able to do is to begin meeting with both Democrats and Republicans from the House and the Senate. Secretary Napolitano is coordinating these discussions, and I would anticipate that before the year is out, we will have draft legislation, along with sponsors, potentially, in the House and the Senate, who are ready to move this forward, and when we come back next year, that we should be in a position to start acting.
Now, am I going to be able to snap my fingers and get this done? No. This is going to be difficult. It's going to require bipartisan cooperation. There are going to be demagogues out there who try to suggest that any form of pathway for legalization for those who are already in the United States is unacceptable. And those are fights that I'd have to have if my poll numbers are at 70 or if my poll numbers are at 40. That's just the nature of the U.S. immigration debate.
But ultimately, I think the American people want fairness. And we can create a system in which we have strong border security, we have an orderly process for people to come in, but we're also giving an opportunity for those who are already in the United States to be able to achieve a pathway to citizenship so that they don't have to live in the shadows, and their children and their grandchildren can have a full participation in the United States.
So, I'm confident we can get it done. Oh, excuse me -- I know this wasn't directed at me. But I just want to make one quick point on Honduras, because you repeated something that I've heard before.
The same critics who say that the United States has not intervened enough in Honduras are the same people who say that we're always intervening and the Yankees need to get out of Latin America. You can't have it both ways.
We've been very clear in our belief that President Zelaya was removed from office illegally, that it was a coup, and that he should return. We have cooperated with all of the international bodies in sending that message. Now, you know, if -- if these critics think that it's appropriate for us to suddenly act in ways that, in every other context, they consider inappropriate, then I think what that indicates is that maybe there's some hypocrisy involved in their -- their approach to U.S.-Latin American relations that -- that certainly is not going to guide my administration's policies.
CALDERON (through translator): Many of the people who work active in the United States, who live in the shadow live in the state or come from Jalisco, the state. These are people who have migrated in order to provide a better future for their families. All of them, or most of them, have enormously contributed to the American society and American economy, and it is unthinkable to see that the U.S. are the main power, the main economic power in the world without the contribution of the Mexican laborers and workers.
This is not only a goodwill statement. And during our meeting, we handed the delegations the benefits of North America and what the Mexican population represent in terms of age (ph) in regards to the total population in the U.S. The only way to have sustained progress throughout the North American region, especially, is allowing for the natural economic processes, for integration can happen. And this implies the laborer (INAUDIBLE) cannot be determined by mandate or by decree.
This is what have -- what we have underscored with President Obama during this meeting, to keep on invoking the protection for the Mexican laborers, whatever their migration conditions are in the United States, and our highest commendment to the way the -- President Obama has tackled this migration issue.
Now, aside from defending the rights of the migrant -- of the Mexican laborers in the U.S., that one day instead of the Mexican people trying to leave the country because they're hungry or because they have to live their lives, we need an economic scheme where we have great investments coming from the U.S., hailing from Canada, and opening here the labor opportunities that the Mexicans so need.
I think President Barack Obama has responded to the topic on -- or to the issue of Honduras, whatever -- we have discussed and agreed is what needs to be done to build the international actions that have been taken in order to reestablish the democracy in Honduras, to strengthen the OAS and the delegation that is about to meet in Tegucigalpa, to build the mediation actions that Oscar Arias, president for Costa Rica, and (INAUDIBLE), carrying out in order to re-establish the constitutional law in Honduras.
This is not about a person or another. This is not about President Zelaya himself or per se. It is about the constitutional and democratic lives that ought to be defended in regard to the international legal framework that we have all agreed upon.
And one more expression. I coincide in the contradiction highlighted by President Obama. Those who have rejected or have argumented about the intervention of the United States in the region of those who now are claiming for the determination or the intervention of the U.S. in the region, no matter how legal this action might be.
So we have to resort to international law and international instances beyond the intervention of one single state or even more, the intervention of one single person to resolve such a dispute and such an issue. This is the path to be taken.
Today we congratulate ourself that President Obama is leading the administration for the United States. But in the past that happened, but in the future, we don't know who might be president next. And I am not of those who share the idea that the U.S. are elected as the ultimate judge and the ultimate sovereign resolver through the intermediation of the affairs in our countries.
Yes, we have to open the path to the OAS, to the international organizations, to the regional groups that we have formed such as the Rio Group, such as the groups that are friends of North America, the countries that are -- that befriend Honduras, that befriend Central America, that befriend Guatemala.
These countries must act on our own account but in observance of the international law and the rules we have settled ourselves. We have to form a group of friends of Honduras that through, with the help of (INAUDIBLE) and with the help of the OAS and their corresponding actions.
HARPER: (INAUDIBLE) and Secretary Napolitano have been -- and their officials have been meeting regularly on management of our shared border. I think we have a good, cooperative relationship in that regard. There's obviously always work to be done.
Let me be very clear, you know, from the Canadian perspective. We look at our border as the line between the two closest countries on Earth. We have the largest trading relationship of any two countries on Earth. But we also share a security concerns.
I've said repeatedly, I say again, there is no such thing as a threat to the security of the United States which is not a threat to the security to Canada. That is why Canada has been a steadfast ally of the United States in NAFTA and NORAD for many, many years. We want to address all the same security issues that the United States wants to address, and we want to do so in a way that doesn't impede commerce and doesn't impede the great social interaction which has made our two countries so close over the decades.
I'm just going to also weigh in a little bit as a friend of the United States on that question that was posed to President Obama. If I were an American, I would be really fed up with this kind of hypocrisy. You know, the United States is accused of meddling, except when it's accused of not meddling. And the same types of -- same types who are demanding the United States somehow intervene in Honduras, the same type of people who would condemn longstanding security cooperation between Colombia and the United States, which is being done for legitimate security and drug traffic reasons that is, frankly, -- that are in the interest of all the countries of this hemisphere.
Mexico and Canada are involved in the mediation effort in supporting -- directly supporting the mediation effort of President Arias. I think the United States has been a very, very -- forcefully articulated its concerned and its desired outcomes in that regard and has been very supportive of those of us who are working in the multilateral process to deal with this serious issue in the hemisphere. So, you know, I think that's precisely what we want to see from the United States is a United States that leads on issues of values but is very supportive of multilateral attempts to deal with challenges that we all face.
OBAMA: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: All right, shoulder to shoulder in Mexico.
Eyeball to eyeball at town halls across the United States. We are watching President Obama on his whirlwind summit there with the president of Mexico and prime minister of Canada. Also, as you heard, the leaders there talking economy, environment, the drug war and swine flu. For President Obama, it's a brief interruption in a make-or- break month for health care. Voters are venting, lawmakers feeling the heat. Now, the White House going viral.
We're pushing forward on all of it beginning in Guadalajara. The so-called "Three Amigos Summit" would have had a packed agenda even if H1N1, better known as swine flu, hadn't crashed the party. It also came up in the farewell news conference.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: We reiterated our abiding commitment to the common safety and security of our people. In response to the H1N1 pandemic, our three governments have worked closely, collaboratively and responsibly. With science as our guide, we resolve to continue taking all necessary preparations and precautions to prepare for the upcoming flu season and protect the health of our people. As this challenge transcends borders, so must our response.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is there. And Suzanne, how did the pandemic figure into these talks?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, it wasn't surprising. It was actually what we expected. Sorry, I'm getting a little bit of echo in my ear here, but essentially, all three leaders putting out this joint statement saying there will be accountability, transparency, that there will be communication when it comes to the swine flu.
This was extremely important because senior administration officials saying that there is concern, obviously, that this is going to be deadly, even more deadly in the fall, that all three leaders and countries had to come out very strongly and say we're working on this together, that we're going to keep those borders open, that we're going to make sure that we have information about what is going to develop in the fall and in the winter.
Secondly, we also heard the point being made about the drug war. A lot of concern on Mexico's side that things are getting worse, that Calderon is losing the fight against these cartels, that violence is increasing. We heard President Obama essentially push this forward and say, addressing the concerns of some members of Congress, we're holding on to some of this money that is meant to be used to help in the drug fight, saying we do not believe that the Mexican military is acting in an inappropriate way, that in fact, they are not violating human rights of people who -- or the cartel members or people in this country. That was important because members of Congress want to clear the way for that money, but there was some concern, not going to put that money over here until they know that that is not happening. So, we heard President Obama talk about that.
And then finally, Kyra, as you had mentioned, it is all about the health care debate, health care reform in the United States. It is a hot, hot issue this summer. And the president didn't take the bait here when he was asked from the Canadian journalist, is there anything that you want to take from Canada's system, which is very different than the United States's. Obviously, fundamentally, predominantly funded by the Canadian government. President Obama saying that works -- what works for Canada works for Canada. Doesn't necessarily work for the United States. We need to come up with our own unique model, and that people who use Canada as an example, trying to scare people of the bogeyman, as he said, is not going to work. And that is obviously the big issue that he's going to come home to is trying to shape the debate once again and get control over the situation to push forward his health care reform policy -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Suzanne Malveaux live from Guadalajara. Suzanne, thank you so much. Suzanne mentioned the economy. She mentioned health care. She also mentioned drugs. I want to take you over here to the big board. And we showed you this map, actually, a number of months ago. "The New York Times" put together a really good, detailed account about the drug war in Mexico and how it's spilled over here into the United States.
They put together this map. See all these little red dots all across the country? These are areas where the Mexican drug cartel has actually formed networks. I mean, all the way up here in Washington, in Milton, Washington. Probably a lot of small towns you've never even heard of. Into Oregon, you can see here the -- Medford, Oregon and all the way into Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Alabama -- you look at Montgomery down here -- into Louisiana, like Baton Rouge and all these small towns of Texas. Of course, we're not surprised by the border states. Even Alaska, Hawaii. But look here. You see all the cartel networks across the U.S. Up here in Maine, you don't see any dots. That was about a year ago. Well, take a look at what Alina Cho found out when she went to Maine to talk about the growth of cartel activity and heroin.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Picture-perfect Maine, home to lighthouses, lobsters...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Heroin, heroin, more heroin.
CHO: ... and heroin?
LEANNE LARIVIERE, RECOVERING DRUG ADDICT: It's very available out here. It's scary.
CHO: Thousands of miles from the drug cartels of Mexico, Kittery, Maine in bucolic New England is a new mecca for heroin use. Detective Steve Hamel has been working narcotics for two decades. He says he's seen it all, but never this.
DET. STEVE HAMEL, KITTERY, MAINE POLICE DEPARTMENT: My caseload alone for heroin and OxyContin has tripled over the past three years.
CHO (on camera): That's incredible.
HAMEL: Yes, it is.
CHO: Detectives are working around the clock. Dealers are making a killing.
(on camera): This is fast cash.
HAMEL: Exactly.
CHO (voice-over): And the addicts are some of Maine's youngest, getting high on $5 a hit.
HAMEL: Cheaper than a six-pack of beer for most high school kids.
CHO: And highly addictive.
CAROL LARSON, DRUG COUNSELOR: We're tended to think a drug is a drug is a drug. But one of the things that is happening with heroin is that the craving for the drug happens months and months and months after they put it down.
CHO: Treatment for heroin addiction in Maine was up 40 percent last year. Some are not able to kick the habit like 17-year-old Bethany Fritz (ph), who died of a heroin overdose in 2004. Since then, Kittery police say another four from the area have died, all in their 20s. Why Maine?
HAMEL: Little Kittery, Maine, people think, wow, nothing goes on up there. Law enforcement is way behind the times. It's just a relaxed -- you know, I can blend in better up there.
CHO: And it never ends. The day of our visit, a heroin arrest is front-page news.
(on camera): How hopeful are you that you can fight this and win?
HAMEL: We're never going to win. I really don't think we're ever going to win. But if we weren't there, just think how bad it would be if we weren't up there doing what we do. For every one we get, maybe 10 get away, but we're still going to stay in the fight.
CHO (voice-over): Alina Cho, CNN, Kittery, Maine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Fighting corruption in the war against the U.S.-Mexico drug trade. A new investigation reveals the big battle north of the border. We're going to talk with the investigative reporter who uncovered alarming increases in corruption among U.S. law enforcement.
And you know, Memphis is hot enough in the summer without this. Some public meetings on health care reform haven't been pretty or quiet. CNN hits the highway, hunting questions and answers in the health care debate. And if CNN Express bus isn't coming to your town, you can still ask your questions. E-mail us at MailToTheChief@CNN.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, votes are cast in Congress, but minds are made up in meeting rooms and parking lots and lunch counters all across America. And that's why a monthlong recess for lawmakers is a make- or-break month for health care reform and why everybody with a viewpoint is voicing it. That includes the White House, which is now launching an online "Realty Check" in answering questions that you send in to "Mail to the Chief."
Well, the White House says it's fighting myths with facts. Video clips address such claims as rationing and euthanasia, along with down-to-earth topics including Medicare, small business and veterans. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm here to tell you quite simply that if you are eligible for VA health care, you will remain eligible. There is no impact on VA health care. The president's budget expands access to the VA to an additional 500,000 veterans who were previously denied coverage.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, Linda Douglass appears on that site, too. She's communications director for the White House Office of Health Reform. She joins me now live from the White House. Now, Linda, are we going to have to fact-check your "Reality Check"?
LINDA DOUGLASS, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, WHITE HOUSE OFFICE OF HEALTH REFORM: I certainly hope not. What we're giving people are the very plain, simple facts about how the health insurance reform legislation that is being written on Capitol Hill right now -- it's gone through four of the five committees already -- what it's going to do, who it's going to affect.
It's not going to cut your Medicare benefits. Certainly, this very disturbing scare tactic of saying there's going to be euthanasia is absolutely not true. We're talking about if people want to get some advice about making a living will or other questions that come as you get older, Medicare's going to cover that service for you.
So, all we're trying to do is give people the facts. And we learned during the campaign, when people created falsehoods about then-Senator Obama, that when you give people the facts, they really pay attention. They want to know the truth.
PHILLIPS: Well, we took advantage of advertising, or plugging, rather, our "Mail to the Chief" since we were going to have you. We wanted folks to take a look at that new online opportunity in addition to send us their questions and concerns about health care. We got a number of tweets and e-mails, so we're going to get right to it, Linda, OK?
DOUGLASS: OK.
PHILLIPS: Revolutionnow3: "Would an elderly person, a disabled person and baby with severe disabilities be refused treatment in any situation?"
DOUGLASS: Absolutely not. That is completely false. There is nothing in any law that anyone is even talking about that would have anything to do with affecting a decision that is made by a senior about whether -- you know, what to do at the end of life. That is a completely false story.
This is about how you get health insurance. This is about creating affordable options for people who have trouble affording health insurance. This is about giving protections to consumers so that the insurance company can't deny you coverage because you get sick. That's what health insurance reform is. All the other stuff you're hearing is just absolutely made up.
PHILLIPS: There you go, for the reason to have your online "Reality Check." Well, Mockingbird01: "What lessons did you learn from President Clinton's failed reform effort in 1993?"
DOUGLASS: Well, I think the biggest lesson that we learned is that the special interests who want to perpetuate the status quo, who don't want anything to change, who want to protect the system the way it is, a system that is raising costs for consumers and exposing to consumers to situations where they can't afford their health care, those special interests will always come out in force and try to block health care reform. We learned that certainly with the Clinton effort 16 years ago, and it's true again that the defenders of the status quo will come out in force and spread misinformation. But this time, we think we're ready for them, and the country is really clamoring for change. And inaction is not going to be an option this time.
PHILLIPS: And you can tell by the number of questions we're getting from our viewers as well that this is something definitely on the front of every mind in America right now, Linda. Sundevilsouth wanting to know, "The 500B savings found in Medicare through the health care bill, why not use that to strengthen Medicare instead of using it for a new health care system?"
DOUGLASS: Well, that money is absolutely going to be used for strengthening Medicare. That is one of the most important things we can do with health insurance reform.
Part of the money is going to be used -- we're going to be getting rid of waste and fraud, which eat up billions and billions of dollars inside the Medicare system. We're going to be lowering costs for seniors with the prescription drugs that they buy when they get up to a very high level of spending. We're going to be producing preventative care with no cost to the senior, to the consumer. We're going to be increasing efficiency, so that if you're a senior, we want to encourage doctors to coordinate your care so that they know which doctor you saw last, who gave you what medication.
These are all great improvements in the efficiency of Medicare. And we've determined that with these changes, we're going to strengthen the Medicare trust fund so that it will survive years beyond what the actuarial people are telling us is now the case.
PHILLIPS: All right. And this question coming from Womanrising: "Will life insurance companies have access to the database that houses medical test results?" That's interesting.
DOUGLASS: Never heard a question like that, and the answer is no. Your information will be private. Again, this is health insurance reform. This is about people who don't have access to affordable health care, don't get good insurance through their work. They'll finally have a place to go for affordable options with additional consumer protections.
If you work for a big company right now, and you have good health insurance through your company, nobody's going to make you change that. That's going to stay the same, except that you'll have access if you ever want to move or change jobs, to these additional consumer protections. That's all we're talking about here.
PHILLIPS: All right. And Radgirl4047 asks, "If my employer goes with a government plan and takes away the plan I have now, will I still get to choose my own doctor under the government plan?"
DOUGLASS: Well, there will be many plans to choose from, first of al. Your doctor will most likely be participating in one of those plans just as is the case right now. If you get your insurance through your work, you might have your access to your favorite doctor. You might have access to your second favorite doctor.
But the point is that the doctors are going to be participating in all of the plans. You'll have access to many of those plans, and your employer is very unlikely to drop your coverage. The Congressional Budget Office has concluded that very, very few employers will want to drop coverage. There are disincentives for them to do so, so that if you like what you have now at your work, probably nothing's going to change.
PHILLIPS: Well, Radgirl also wants to know, "Will the generic prescriptions seniors now have still be free, or will they lose their meds, or will the drugs now cost them money?"
DOUGLASS: The drugs will actually -- whatever you're paying now through Medicare will stay exactly the same. Whatever the rules are now, those rules are in place. But in addition to that, in the legislation, we are going to begin to shrink and hopefully get rid of eventually what's called the doughnut hole, so that if you spend a lot of money on medication, because of the way the law was passed, there's a big gap of couple of thousand dollars of expenditures that you have to pay out of your pocket right now. We're going to tackle that.
You'll get a big discount in that when you fall into that category of spending. So, drug prices for seniors will go down, period.
PHILLIPS: Linda Douglass, sure appreciate you answering e-mails and tweets with us.
DOUGLASS: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Make-or-break month means one thing: road trip. The CNN Express is back on the road. Chief business correspondent Ali Velshi on board. He's actually going to be rolling through Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri and Illinois before his final destination, the Iowa State Fair. Along the way, he's talking with real people about health care reform.
Ali, I bet you've met all kinds of interesting people.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, listen, it's really important for us in this discussion to hear from the people like the guest you just had, to hear from our politicians, to hear from those town hall meetings. But so many -- in fact most Americans aren't getting to any of those places, so that's where we're going.
We're taking the CNN Election Express. We're going along that route that you just described, but we're going to go to some smaller places. We're going to talk to people and understand what their concerns are. We're going to ask them what they want from their health care system, what they think is happening, what they're concerned about and generally speaking, talk to them about the economy, find out what's bothering them.
And then, Kyra, we're going to come to you and all of our shows on CNN every day and report back about what we're hearing. So, we're going to get the other side of the equation. I think that's really, really important. So, we're heading out now. In fact, I waited until you were on air to kick this off.
We're about to leave on the bus. We're heading north to Chattanooga. I think that's our next stop. And we'll be talking to people along the way.
PHILLIPS: Well, let me see the bus.
VELSHI: All right, let's go. In fact, this is it. This is goodbye, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: We want to pimp your CNN ride.
VELSHI: This is the CNN ride. I'm going to get into the bus, a 45-foot ride. There's seven of us in here. We're going to hit six states in six days. So, this is it. I've got to hand over my mic because this is the property of CNN Atlanta. So, I've got to hand you this, take my hat and get on the bus. Kyra, we'll see you on the road.
PHILLIPS: OK. Ali Velshi, there he goes. He's -- oh, my goodness. And I thought Bill Schneider had the most memorable hats. That's now changed. Ali Velshi on the road to talk health care across America. We will be checking in with him.
On a much more serious note, the search is underwater right now, but the crucial question concerns the skies above the Hudson River: Are there too many aircraft and too few regulations? We've got the latest on that collision between the small plane and sightseeing helicopter.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: The grim search for bodies in New York's Hudson River and for clues that might explain the collision of a sightseeing helicopter and a small plane. The bodies of seven of the nine people killed in that collision Saturday have been recovered. And right now, divers are searching for the two other bodies, and they believe they've located the plane and hope to pull it up today.
The accident is raising new questions now about the few regulations for flying over the Hudson River in New York City. That corridor is usually congested with aircraft, a fact investigators say may have contributed to that collision.
Corruption at the U.S.-Mexico border. A new investigative report reveals that drug cartels are using bribes to entice American agents.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
