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Health Care Reform; Deadly Typhoon in Taiwan; GPS from Tele Atlas; Hudson River Collision, Surviving Plane Crash, Some Democrats and Republicans Agree, CNN Hero, Wong Fu
Aired August 15, 2009 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MELISSA LONG, CNN GUEST ANCHOR: Hello to you. I'm Melissa Long, in today for Fredricka Whitfield and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Right now, health care in this country, as you know, is being argued, debated and scrutinized unlike any other issue. President Obama is pushing for reform in town hall stops across the country. In Belgrade, Montana, the president took questions from an insurance salesman. Later today, it's Grand Junction, Colorado. CNN will bring you live coverage. That's coming up at the dinner hour, 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Now, since this is the president's plan, his party is catching a lot of flack at the town hall sessions. Republicans deny stirring up the protests at these events. But in this week's GOP address, Utah Senator Orrin Hatch says he is happy to see his opponents speaking out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. ORRIN HATCH, (R) UTAH: Nearly 85 percent of Americans have coverage. And they are really worried about what reform means for them. Especially our seniors. These concerns are moving from kitchen table conversations to town hall discussions. I am disappointed about the attempt to characterize the behavior of Americans, expressing their concerns, as quote, un-American, unquote. Though I strongly encourage the use of respectful debate in these town halls we should not be stifling these discussions.
There is nothing un-American about disagreements. In fact our great nation was founded on speaking our minds. Families are voicing their concerns because they feel like they are not being heard in Washington. And I'm here to tell you that your voices are coming through. And it is essential for all of you to be involved in this issue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Senator Hatch was part of a group of Senators working on a bipartisan health care plan. He left the negotiations out of frustration last month. Today there are plenty of chances for Americans to meet with their lawmakers on health care reform. Here is a map to show the town hall meetings and other events happening across the country.
We have Grand Junction, Colorado. We mentioned that the site of the president's town hall a little bit later today. Democratic Congressman Pete Stark is holding three today in California. Also events as you can see in Chicago and Georgia. One of those events here in Georgia that is what is happening right now, downtown Atlanta just outside of CNN World Headquarters at Centennial Olympic Park and that is where we find CNNs Don Lemon. Don.
DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Really right in our front yard, or back yard, however you view the building where we are standing. Yeah, right here. This one is actually built as the largest town hall so far on health care. This one is called "America's Health Care Town Hall." And you can see the folks there. Let's walk around and show you some of the folks. About 1,000 people here, see people streaming in and out. The crowd was a little larger earlier. Up on the stage Dick Armey, who is the former House Majority leader up on the stage as well as Herman he is a conservative radio talk show host.
There are doctors and other people who up on the stage there talking about their concerns about the plan. Not many specifics about what they're concerned about. Mostly talking what they disagree with. Who they don't want involved in the plan. Mostly they don't want involved in the plan, the president, the speaker of the house and also the majority leader. But there are folks we have been seeing signs of, about, no Obama care. No socialized medicine. Socialized medicine is killing people. Read the bill. And there are some crazy signs. But that is very, have to say, that is only a very small percentage of the people who have signs that may be sort of deemed as something that you wouldn't want shown on television or you wouldn't want said about an elected official.
Let's talk to some of the folks here. Most of these people are coming from Georgia and surrounding area. Come on over here, Donnie. These are the Chances. And they're from Decampers. From Decula (ph), Georgia. Sarah told me earlier she is out here because she is tired of the government all of the bailouts including health care. But not just health care that is the reason you are here.
SARAH: Yeah, we just came out here to -- to see for ourselves what everybody else has been doing around the country. We just, we feel like that, when we hear on the news that, we hear what the congressmen and the other people are saying about that we are part of some GOP group that's been called out, nobody e-mailed me to tell me to come out here, out here on my own accord. I wanted to support the cause that is being talked about.
LEMON: And Donnie we were talking earlier, you said you guys are concerned about the way it is portrayed in the media not just from CNN but from media all sorts. Fox, MSNBC, everyone. You are concerned about that.
DONNIE: I think there is a definite difference of opinion being spread on each newscast. I happen to listen to Fox. And I have watched the other news organizations. There are two different opinions being broadcast.
LEMON: You want to get to the truth? Regardless. SARAH: We see the same footage on each station. We flip around. And when you flip around from station to station, you see the same footage. And the interpretation of that footage is skewed by the who ever is, whatever station is portraying that. And that's -- you know why is that? Why can't everybody see the same information? And interpret it the same way. What is the truth? We just want the truth. We don't want somebody's spin on what the truth is.
LEMON: We tried to do that at CNN. We'll try to do that in the broadcast.
SARAH: We'll be watching.
LEMON: To get your voices out there. But again you do have, they have some very legitimate concerns not only about health care, but also about what the government is doing as Americans they're free to voice that.
Also, Melissa it would be disingenuous to say that the media coverage in this has not become part of the story as well. They're concerned as well. Again, our mission here is to get their voices heard, to have a non -- a nonbiased approach, an objective approach and that is what we will try to do today. So make sure you guys join us today at 5:00 and the rest of the evening here on CNN we will be talking to these people here at this town hall to see what their concerns are and also find the real solutions and what is right about what's coming out about the health care what the facts are.
LONG: Even before 5:00 at 4:00 p.m. we are getting to the truth. Today from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m., we are dedicating our broadcast to simply answering the questions. We are looking at the reform--
LEMON: You should come out here.
LONG: We are getting to the, I think our conversation is done.
LEMON: You should come out here and talk to these folks as well because they have some concerns. If you are doing that show at 4:00 their voices should be heard in that as well.
LONG: Don, thank you as much. I thought you were talking to somebody else. Thank you, Don. See you later.
Back in the studio. I want to remind you. You can read more about the reform plans from the house, from the Senate, on our website CNN.com/health care. Get ready to read more than 1,000 pages. Love the graphic. All this week, CNNs Ali Velshi rolling through the south and the Midwest on that bus, the CNN Express. Don't think he is driving. No suits. No ties. Just casual talk with real people about health care reform. Last stop you made it to the end of the road for you, the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines. You haven't been driving the CNN Express, you are not certified?
VELSHI: You are very astute. I think you are the first person in 1,000 miles and six days who's made a comment that graphic does make it look like I am a driver. We have a driver, his name is Dale. Dale pop in for a quick second just say hello. This is the man who has driven the CNN Express for more than 100,000 miles in every state in America. He takes care of us, he does the driving. As you know Melissa I do a lot of eating. In honor of the health care coverage. I am eating something that isn't fried for once. A piece of steak that, that the place we are standing next to. Iowa's top choice gave me one. A big -- did I get the right name.
Steer and Stein is the name of the place. If you are here this is really good. But, this has been a tour into the heartland. It has been a trip talking to people on Main Streets. We have been stopping wherever we have been going talking to people. We do get the work done. We have enjoyed some great food and then to some of the state fairs.
We are not here for the fun of it. We are not here to report on the state fair. We are here because there are lots and lots of people who have a lot of things to say to us. Let me give you a little flavor, no pun intended, about how this trip has gone so far.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI (voice over): Good morning, folks. Well after driving through Georgia, and Tennessee, Kentucky, and Illinois, across into Missouri, now the discussion has been about health care all week. But there has been interest in this idea that some prominent economists have said this recession is over.
You can't get some of these stories unless you go to them. When they say this recession is over do you feel that?
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): Not at all.
(UNIDENTIFED FEMALE): No, my personal recession is not over.
VELSHI: Let's talk about the 46, 47, and 50 what ever million you want to use the number of people who are not insured in this country. What is your thought on that?
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): It's a mess.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): Hearing a lot of flak and not a lot of meat and potatoes.
(UNIDENTIFED FEMALE): I can't believe you are saying that people don't deserve health care if they can't afford it.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): We are all afraid that we're going to lose something.
VELSHI: The general feeling that health care is a problem and something needs to be done. A lot of confusion out there about what this thing really is.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): It is written in a kind of confusing manner.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): This is a very complex issue. Our health care is 16 percent of our GDP.
(UNIDENTIFED FEMALE): Where is the money?
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): People are not informed.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): You hear all these rumors.
(UNIDENTIFED FEMALE): I think they are pushing too much change on us at once.
VELSHI: There is some concern that it is moving faster than people can digest the information.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): I know that there is something that has to be done. I just think that to rush through this it is the wrong thing.
VELSHI: We're hitting places that don't expect CNN to be there. They don't expect any kind of big media to be there. They might even feel ignored.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): We are in a farming community. It's pretty bad.
VELSHI: I can't get enough of this. I can't get enough of actually being out there and talking to people and meeting people. It is such a great feeling. They talked to us. They tell us the stories. Some times because we have a camera there. And sometimes we are just standing there. We get great stories from people because we go to them.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): This makes the electric car feasible.
VELSHI: It is not about people setting up to tell their story. It is about us showing up and asking them to tell their stories. You live in this town. You see the businesses in this town. The people who live here. What is your thought on that?
What it is going to do is equip me to go back now and really start to work on the questions that people have been asking me. The questions they haven't had answered. I'm going to go out there and work on the stories and I am going to come back to these towns and say did I answer those questions; did I help you understand the issue that is so important to you that you asked me about one day?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Melissa you and I have talked all week and there has been a lot of levity because I like being out here and talking to people. But the bottom line is we have had some of the most fascinating conversations with Americans. When things were getting hot in those town hall meetings and people were yelling they weren't yelling out here in the heartland of America. They had those same concerns that were being expressed in those town hall meetings and they do now.
But they are having those conversations in a civil way, they are asking questions, they want clarity, they are prepared to respect disagreements with each other. But they think this is a very important discussion that they're having and Americans are fully engaged in it.
Melissa.
LONG: Do you get the sense that people appreciate these opportunities to meet in this town hall forums and go back and forth and debate with other voters?
VELSHI: Yeah, they really do. In fact I had a gentleman who came to me right before the thing and he said I saw on face book you said you guys are here and you are going to be talking about health care. I have got something to say. People come out of their way to talk to us. They will talk to each other. They do need the forums in which to do it. You can't speak to yourself. A lot of this is happening on blogs, a lot of people are writing about it. But I think the more we can do to get out there and answer people's questions and let their voices be heard the better it will be for the whole system.
Everybody I have talked to this week says one thing. This is a crucial debate. They think it is more important than the bailouts last year, than stimulus. They say this is more important, it is expensive and it is long term. We need to understand it and we need to do it right.
LONG: A crucial debate and as we have been highlighting a crucial month as lawmakers are in recess. Ali, thank you. Have an enjoyable time chowing down on some fried dough. Talk to you next hour.
VELSHI: Thanks.
LONG: CNNs Josh Levs, what are we calling you, truth seeker in chief. Is that your new title?
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Guess so.
LONG: As you know we are devoting our next hour to your questions about health care reform. And we are giving you answers. This is, we're looking into the rumors about reform right now.
LEVS: Yeah, exactly. All this confusion out there, right and what's in the Democratic-led reform plan. I will tell you about this. What we want to do right now is encourage you to send in your questions you have heard. This is where you go -- CNN.com/josh. See what to do there. Also I am at Facebook and twitter /joshlevscnn.
I'm looking at hundreds of submissions already. What we are committed to do, from 4:00 on, that hour, getting answers to as many of your questions as possible. Slicing through rumors and looking how may it play out in a way that could affect you? We know we can't give you all the answers in an hour. We can give you a lot of them. That's our goal. Camped out here with you, Melissa for the hour. A really good guest joining us, packed with facts as well. The way we like it.
LONG: A gift, she is a gift; she is going to be with us the whole hour. A guest who is nonpartisan. Providing us with the research on these questions. Thank you, Josh.
Also, a story we are following for you today, the fire fighters out of California they are trying to get an upper hand on the raging wildfire. They are still facing quite an uphill battle.
Also sprucing up our national parks. We are going to tell you how some of your stimulus funds are being spent.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LONG: This weekend President Obama is putting the spotlight on the countries national parks with visits to Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon. The president's economic stimulus package designated $750 million for national parks. CNN's Kate Bolduan takes a look at what is happening with that money.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): From Shenandoah to the Grand Canyon, America's national treasures in need of some serious repair.
ROCKY SCHROEDER, PARK RANGER: Come around the back of the cabin. You will see that the side is all rotted along the ground which means the dirt has come up to here. And moisture has gotten in and rotted all this wood.
BOLDUAN: Rocky Schroeder is a park ranger at Prince William Forest Park, about 35 miles outside of Washington where more than a dozen historic cabins are slated for repair. One of 250 national parks getting spruced up thanks to the economic stimulus.
SCHROEDER: The stimulus will help keep our visitors here, keep them happy and coming back.
BOLDUAN: The park service estimates national parks across the country face a $9 billion backlog of work. The stimulus is supposed to contribute $750 million to that. So far, about 10 percent is in the pipeline.
DAN WENK, ACTING DIRECTOR, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE: It's campground, campsites. It is amp theaters for evening programs. The bathrooms. It's literally everything that we have to make our visits enjoyable.
BOLDUAN: Nearly $56 million is going to repair Washington landmarks. More than $14.5 million to Mesa-Verde National Park. And nearly $11 million to the Grand Canyon to name a few. When it comes to this money, you have to ask -- how is money for national parks stimulus?
WENK: It is stimulus because we are putting people to work. We will be putting people to work for the next two years. But it is also stimulus because we are creating a better place, increasing the visitor experience.
BOLDUAN: Some Republican lawmakers aren't buying it.
REP. JEB HENSARLING, (R) TEXAS: Clearly we need to improve our national parks. But nobody should confuse that with economic stimulus. Frankly that is false advertising.
BOLDUAN: The Interior Department estimates this stimulus target will create about 8,000 jobs over two years. Many will be temporary jobs, but this park ranger is confident it is a worthwhile investment.
SCHROEDER: The national parks are our past, our history. Preserve that. That's what we have come from. It will give an idea where we are going.
BOLDUAN: Here at this Virginia Park, they're hoping to start putting hammer to nail in the next month. And park officials say they have had overwhelming interest for project like these, they need to hire about six additional people. They have received nearly 200 applications.
Kate Bolduan, CNN, Prince William Forest Park.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LONG: Senator Webb has gained the release of an American jailed in Myanmar for intruding into the home of the detained opposition leader. Webb's office says John Yettaw will fly with the senator to Bangkok, Thailand tomorrow. Webb was able to meet Su She (ph) she was sentenced at trail. Eighteen months of additional house arrest, Su She (ph) said she never invited him to her home and asked him to leave. But he refused. Webb also held talks with the leader of Myanmar's military junta.
Nightmarish scenes out of Taiwan, a vicious typhoon destroys lives, destroys homes and the infrastructure. And the nightmare is not over just yet.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LONG: Dramatic rescues have been taking place in Taiwan. A week after the deadly storm swept across the island nation. Rescue teams are still struggling to reach survivors. Mudslides, washed out roads have made some of the areas simply inaccessible. More than 100 people confirmed dead, more than 1 million people displaced.
Finding out more about the weather in the Atlantic, for that I bring in meteorologist Jacqui Jeras because we have a tropical storm but then we also have a tropical depression right behind it.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We have been so quiet Melissa all the way up to this point and then all of sudden boom; we have a couple things that we are going to be dealing with. And both of them have potential in the upcoming days or even for the week ahead, of causing a little destruction here. Let's take a look. I want to show you kind of the big picture to help put it in perspective. This is from stormpulse.com. I just wanted to use this because I wanted to show you this is where we have tropical storm Ana; we have tropical depression number three back behind it. They're both expected to be taking a similar path. And they're very close together. That's why I kind of wanted to give you a better perspective there.
Here is the satellite picture. That is showing you where both of the storms are. The main thing I want you to take note of here is the difference between the two systems. Ana is a tropical storm. It is packing winds around 40 miles per hour. Look at how small this thing is. Now take a look back behind it. This is our tropical depression number three. This thing is about twice as big and certainly has a lot more potential to turn into a more destructive storm. Let's go ahead and take a look at the forecast of what the National Hurricane Center is predicting over the next couple days.
It is not strengthening it a whole heck of a lot. That's because we have stronger upper level winds here. That's why we are looking at maybe a tropical storm. Even all the way into mid next week. That is not a lot of strengthening. Something we want to watch. It could potentially be heading towards the United States. Now, tropical depression numbers three. This one, we're a little more concerned about. Because this does have the potential to become a stronger storm and could actually be our first hurricane of the season. If that happens it would get a name of Bill.
Now elsewhere in the country today. From tropical wet weather. We are going all the way to southwestern California to talk about the wildfires which have been burning here. You are taking a look at pictures from Santa Cruz. And this is the Lockheed fire, about eight square miles and it is about 30 percent contained, about 1000 homes are being threatened. Much of California is dealing with wildfires at this time. Just want to quick show you a satellite perspective to show you all the hot spots here across California. So weather condition here's are very hot and very dry. Though wind are gusting around 20 miles per hour.
Melissa.
LONG: Jacqui Jeras, thank you so much. If you have GPS in your vehicle, you might wonder how long you drove without it, without having that technology. Have you ever wondered how that gadget got so smart? How it actually works? It might be taking direction from one smart van.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LONG: That GPS technology in your vehicle can be quite a help when you are trying to find your way from point a to point b. Ever wonder how all that information for those maps has actually been gathered? Well Gary Tuchman takes a ride with the Tele Atlas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): You can thank the strange-looking vehicle the next time you don't get lost. This Tele Atlas mobile mapping van uses cameras, GPS and even lasers to digitally record the road and everything near it. KAMRON BARRON, TELE ATLAS: So the driver is really responsible for making sure that images coming from the camera actually are high enough quality to use on the production floor.
TUCHMAN: It is one of a handful of companies, combining information gathered by vans, satellite imagery and maps from local governments. Tele Atlas sells its maps to partners and customers like Google, map quest and portable navigation company Tom-tom.
PAT MCDENIT, TELE ATLAS: Our ultimate goal yes that would be to map the entire world.
TUCHMAN: And now you can help out too.
MCDENIT: The user can take this device and say, I want to make a correction. Might be a small village, a small town where someone sees a new round-about, a new one-way street going in. They can quickly provide that information to us. We collect that data and have it updated.
TUCHMAN: What's next for digital maps is even cooler. Keep an eye out for 3-d in a few years.
MCDENIT: It is a virtual reality experience for that customer. As they go around, the buildings match, the roads match, the entire navigation experience matches what they will find in the real world.
TUCHMAN: Gary Tuchman, CNN.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LONG: Nearly a week after that fatal midair collision in New York City, the investigation is moving forward and reveals negligence on the ground.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: Covering the angles, uncovering the details. See for yourself in the CNN NEWSROOM.
LONG: Flying today or in the next couple of weeks? There are new rules for you when it comes to air travel. Starting today, in fact, many passengers are going to be asked to give their birth date and their gender when asking a plane reservation. The Transportation Security Administration, the TSA, then checks the information against the governments No Fly List.
Now, the airlines used to do that job, but the government is now assuming responsibility for the I.D. checks after the 9/11 Commission has recommended this change. The TSA is scheduled to check identities of all passengers on domestic flights by early next year and on all international flights by the end of 2010.
A cat. A cat may figure into last weekend's fatal air collision in Manhattan. Officials say an air traffic controller handling the small plane that collided with the helicopter was chatting on the phone about a dead cat and initially failed to warn the pilot about the other aircraft. CNN national correspondent, Susan Candiotti, has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As investigators study this amateur video to find out what led to the terrifying midair crash over the Hudson, in Italy, a family mourns. Among the five Italian tourists killed aboard the sightseeing helicopter, was a father and son, Michele and Filippo Norelli.
Their family shares a bond with the Altman's outside Philadelphia. Steven, his brother Daniel and his teenage son Douglas were killed in the small plane that collided with the helicopter. Both families are searching for answers among some new disturbing allegations.
An air traffic controller who was handling the piper airplane was on the phone with his girlfriend at the time of the crash, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation, what the FAA in a statement calls "inappropriate conversations." And there is more. The FAA says the air traffic controller's supervisor was not in the building at the time, as required. Our source says the air traffic controller had already cleared the plane for takeoff from Tarboro Airport in New Jersey before talking with his girlfriend.
The NTSB says the plane had been handed off electronically to the next tower down the line in Newark and then the plane disappeared from radar. The FAA calls the conduct of the comptroller and his boss unacceptable but says, "We have no reason to believe at this time that these actions contributed to the accident."
JUSTIN GREEN, AVIATION EXPERT: We have somebody missing in action, we have someone else who's not doing their job, so the negligence is there, the only question is, is whether that negligence had a role in this accident.
CANDIOTTI: The FAA says the two employees are now on administrative leave. The investigation is not over, ultimately the two could be fired.
(on camera): While the FAA says all this had no direct role on the midair collision, the NTSB says it is too early to draw any conclusions.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LONG: Surviving a plane crash. We're going to tell you how the experts are working to improve your odds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LONG: Two planes crashed into New York's Hudson River with two very different outcomes. The first one, everyone survives. Last weekend, no one did. Many of us can't help but wonder when we board a plane, if it crashes, will be survive? Safety experts are working to improve our chances. With the story, here's CNN's Brian Todd.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sifting through twisted metal.
(on camera): This is all about impact. This is all about blunt force, g-force...
NORA MARSHALL, SURVIVAL FACTORS DIV, NTSB: Yeah.
TODD (voice-over): Acting like a CSI detective on a crash tested seat.
MARSHALL: We could say the taller person from this side.
TODD: We're behind the scenes at the NTSB's training center in northern Virginia where an elite go-team of investigators has one mission, figure out why people live and die in plane crashes.
Nora Marshall leads the Human Performance and Survival Factors Division.
(on camera): Tell me about the myth and about how you want dispel it.
MARSHALL: Well, one of the myths is that if you're involved in an airplane accident you're not going to survive. And we know that's not true.
TODD (voice-over): Even horrific crashes like this one in Sioux City, Iowa, in 1989, Marshall says are survivable. About 2/3 of the people on this plane got out alive. These days one key reason you can make it out, equipment enhancements, passenger airbags now on some smaller planes could soon be recommended for wider use.
(on camera): Has this proven to actually prevent injury?
MARSHALL: There's been a lot of testing done that showed that these really do provide protection.
TODD (voice-over): But Marshall says they'll likely only be in seats that don't have cushions in front of them, like at bulkheads. We asked former NTSB official Peter Goelz about other ideas. Flight attendant seats have shoulder straps, why not passenger seats?
PETER GOELZ, FMR NTSB MANAGING DIR: There's a little bit of a technological challenge to put in three point belts on all the seats.
TODD: Goelz says the NTSB once looked at outfitting planes with smoke hoods for passengers, but nixed that.
GOELZ: Once you had a plane on the ground and if there was the threat of fire, we wanted everyone to be focused on getting off the plane in 90 seconds or less. We did not want people fumbling around in their seats looking for a smoke hood to put it on.
TODD: But Goelz and Marshall say the innovations that have made it into passenger planes over the past two decades have been crucial.
GOELZ: They have redesigned the interior of the planes so that the materials used do not emit toxic gasses when they're -- when they are burning or smoldering.
MARSHALL: We've improved the chance of survival by improving seat strength, by building airplanes that can withstand crash forces.
TODD: An example of that that Marshall's team cites in training -- Little Rock, June 1999. Landing in a thunderstorm, American Airlines Flight 1420 slides off the runway, impacts a light structure, splits open, fire breaks out in the aft (ph) section. But look at the seats. With the fuselage breached, much of the cabin destroyed, many of the seats remain relatively intact, even some that were ripped out by impact. Here's one survivor's account.
JEFF ARNOLD, SURVIVOR, FLIGHT 1420: There was a gap in the side of the fuselage. A big old gash. Outside of that, I found two people still strapped in their chair that had apparently been thrown through that. They were both alive and doing OK.
TODD: Marshall and other NTSB officials make it clear the crashes you won't survive are those where planes break up at high altitude, like the TWA Flight 800 accident or when there's high velocity impact with the ground, like the 1996 Value Jet crash in the Everglades. But those accidents, they say, are very rare in major commercial aviation.
MARSHALL: There are far more accidents where there are survivors than there are chances for people to survive.
TODD: Like hard landings, such as this 2002 Iberia Airlines, emergency touchdown at JFK.
MARSHALL: Stay calm.
TODD: Nearly 400 on board, everyone out alive. Runway overshoots, ground collisions are also more common. Crucial to survival, human behavior. Flight crews are better trained than ever to get people out.
Marshall points to last year's crash on takeoff in Denver. The 2005 overrun of an Air France jet in Toronto, and the Hudson River landing. Number of people killed in all three accidents? Zero. But she says passengers still need to be sharper in the cabin. The former flight attendant takes me through an evacuation drill.
MARSHALL: Release seatbelts. Get out! Why are you blocking the aisle to get your carry-on, leave it behind. OK, your closest exit, right here.
TODD (on camera): Two things I went the wrong way.
MARSHALL: How do you open that? OK. Did you look at your briefing card? Do you know how the exit opens?
TODD: I don't know.
MARSHALL: Did you know there was an exit behind you?
TODD: No.
(voice-over): In 20 seconds I've made three very common mistakes that could get me and others killed, but many passengers do get it. In Little Rock, 134 out of the 145 people on board survived, including one man who scrambled out with the seat still on his back.
MARSHALL: He crawled away from the airplane and it wasn't until he got to this area that he realized he hadn't even unfastened his seatbelt.
TODD (on camera): There seems to be one central takeaway lesson from all of this. NTSB officials stressing to us that major commercial airline accidents are still very rare, but if it does happen to you and you survive the initial impact, there are simple factors within your control, very simple steps you can take to improve your odds dramatically.
Brian Todd, CNN, Ashburn, Virginia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LONG: It really a transit cliffhanger, going down in San Francisco in the Bay area, where commuters are facing a rail strike Monday morning. The union representing the workers for the Bay Area Rapid Transit System, or BART, voted to strike after contract talks broke down. Workers rejected an offer that froze their salaries, capped health benefits and imposed overtime restriction. Some BART Commuters are showing little sympathy for the union employees.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People need to be happy that they have jobs these days and both sides need to really negotiate things out. That's my honest opinion. Times are tough.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tough to have sympathy for those people when they have such a good job already. That's what I feel.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In terms of money, I mean, the people have to make a living. But it seems to me they could compromise and that they well.
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LONG: California politicians are calling for further talks, right now. None scheduled.
The battle over health care reform with the yelling and the shouting at some of the town hall meetings, around the country and in Washington. Is there anything, anything at all that the Dems and Republicans agree on? Yes, apparently there is. Josh Levs is going to take a look for us.
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LONG: During make or break month on health care, we've heard a lot about the disagreements over health care reform in Washington and around the country. Is there anything that the lawmakers agree on? Josh Levs with a look at what is actually likely to make it through Congress.
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JOSH LEVS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: We have been hearing this cacophony of disagreement from the halls in Washington and echoing across the country and what we want to do now, for a couple minutes is focus in on where may Democrats and Republicans agree across the aisle on health care. And to help us, we have two lawmakers joining us, actually from the same state. I'm really glad we are doing it this way.
Representative Marsha Blackburn is joining us as well as Representative Steve Cohen, both from Tennessee.
Thanks to both of you for being here.
REP MARSHA BLACKBURN (D), TENNESSEE: Thank you.
REP STEVE COHEN (D), TENNESSEE: You're very welcome.
LEVS: This is an interesting article in "USA Today," that lists some places where there's a lot of agreement between Democrats and Republicans, Does each of you, and Representative Blackburn, to you first, agree that there should be government subsidies to help low income Americans buy health insurance?
BLACKBURN: I think that there is a way that government subsidies can be done. And certainly many of us who have served in state legislatures have looked for ways to voucher people into a private system.
LEVS: OK, Representative Cohen, what about you, do you see government subsidies to help low income Americans buy health insurance?
COHEN: Unquestionable. We did that now with Medicaid, a great program started in 1965, Lyndon Johnson signed it into law, about 44 years ago, Medicare, Medicaid, that are great programs. Referred to as socialism, that are as American as apple pie, today.
LEVS: One of the things that they point out here is that lawmakers, pretty much across the board, want to see increased competition including, something like a marketplace in which people would be able to compare and contrast the different insurance plans and have more options. Is that a principle you both want to see?
BLACKBURN: There is a concept Newt Gingrich has pushed forward with like a Travelocity type concept, where you could go in and compare rates and compare what is offered in insurance plans. That greater transparency will help lead to greater competition. And that is something that is badly needed in the health insurance market.
LEVS: Representative Cohen, are you pretty close on that one?
COHEN: Well, I think so. The exchange would be an opportunity on a national level for people to compare the different insurance policies that are offered. And the public plan would keep them honest.
LEVS: I think you both agree with this, preventing insurance companies from refusing to cover pre-existing conditions?
BLACKBURN: Yes, I think that what we have to look at here is that for those who have pre-existing conditions, as they go into the insurance market, there needs to be some kind of risk pooling that they can move into for a period of time with those pre-existing conditions.
COHEN: I agree with Congresswoman Blackburn, but she says for a while and go into a pool. Pre-existing conditions are generally with you until your death and people, it's going to cost more to have people in insurance pools with pre-existing conditions. And that is going to cost some monies, wherever it is. and if it's in the private sector there needs to be some countervailing force to keep those private sector forces from getting too high.
LEVS: How far apart, honestly, do you think your parties really are in coming to a resolution?
COHEN: Probably as far apart as the two sides of the Grand Canyon.
BLACKBURN: I think what we have is not so much a partisan divide, as it is a philosophical divide.
LEVS: Well look, I'll tell you we all obviously hope (INAUDIBLE) is not the size of the Grand Canyon, that these places in which you do agree on principle can start to serve as a bridge. Obviously a lot of people counting on that ultimately happening. Thank you so much to both of you, very good to have you with today. We'll talk to you again.
BLACKBURN: Good to be with you. Thank you.
COHEN: Always nice to be with Congresswoman Blackburn.
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LONG: Josh, thanks so much. And Josh and the team here at CNN NEWSROOM, we're going to be taking your questions during the 4:00 p.m. hour, coming up in about 10 minutes from now. We're answering your questions about health care reform, getting the facts behind the rumors.
Our next story is about doctors who told a young man he might have brain damage and never walk again. A wounded warrior proved them all wrong. Specialist Lukas Shook was hit by a rocket in Iraq last November, he suffered spinal, head and leg injuries, but despite the grim medical prognosis, he's walking again and his family says he's "sharp as a tack." He and his fellow soldiers returned home to Colorado to a cheering crowd and he talked about his recovery.
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SPEC LUKAS SHOOK, WOUNDED SOLDIER: I don't really remember the first three week, but I was told I went to Germany and then to Walter Reed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They said he would never walk again.
SHOOK: Well, they said I'd never walk again, but I can walk now, so I predict a full recovery.
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LONG: Lukas Shook received a Bronze star. He's also been awarded the Purple Heart, an American hero. We continue to honor our heroes. Our CNN Hero of the week is a New York based chemistry teacher, Jude Ndambuki found a way to help children in Kenya while keeping discarded computers out of America's landfills. And je sows the seeds now as he does so for the nation's prosperity, the students in turn are planting some of their own.
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JUDE NDAMBUKI, THE HELP KENYA PROJECT FOUNDER: I was coming from college at night and I see these computer thrown out. I found everything was perfect. So many computers were thrown out and so much computers are needed where I grew up in Kenya. So, I decided, I must do something.
My name is Jude Ndambuki, I recover discarded computers and send them to schools in Kenya.
The children in Kenya they have very few resources. Even a pencil is very hard to get. Any part that I can play to make the life of kids better, it's great.
The computers are tested to make sure they are working. Then, we label the name on the school on each box and then we ship it to Kenya.
The computers are saved from poisoning the environment, and they're going to be used for 20 years by some school. Every school is going to plant 100 trees for every computer.
We are planning a seed, teaching the kids to conserve the environment and be agents of change.
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Since 2001, Jude has provided more than 2,000 refurbished computers to Kenya students. And more than 150,000 tress have been planted.
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It's like giving the kids a new life. Computers are getting new life and trees are being planted to bring a new life, too. It's all connected.
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LONG: You can find out more about Jude or any of our CNN Hero's online at CNN.com/hero, be sure to keep an eye out, just a few weeks from now, we're going to be announcing the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2009.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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LONG: This weekend marks an anniversary, the 40th, of perhaps the most famous rock concert of all time. You know where we're going with this story, 400,000 people converging on a dairy farm in update New York (INAUDIBLE) in '69 to celebrate music and idealism of a generation. Thirty-two acts performed over four days, including The Who, Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin and Jimmie Hendrix. And for many who attended, it was the event of a lifetime.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everybody happy. Singing, dancing, doing drugs, eating, sleeping.
NICK ERCOLINE, ATTENDED WOODSTOCK: I don't think everybody was happy, because it was a little uncomfortable, but other than that, yeah, everybody was...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For the most part, everybody was happy.
ERCOLINE: Yeah, we were.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We sure were.
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LONG: They still have smiles about it and I don't think you'll be surprised to hear the spirit of Woodstock is alive and a well, celebrations are taking place all this weekend with some musicians performing on the site of the original concert.
You don't need to be a mover and shaker in Hollywood to be a movie mogul, not if you're a master of Wong Fu. Ted Rowlands has the story of three guys who really found their niche.
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TED ROWLANDS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fade in, an average strip mall on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Can you get the skateboard from our car?
ROWLANDS: Inside, trio of young film (INAUDIBLE) gets their actor, camera and a skateboard ready to roll.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rolling. Action.
ROWLANDS: It looks like a group of friends shooting movies, but would you believe their films get millions of Web hit hits and have thousands of devoted fans? Who are they, Wesley Chan, Ted Fu and Phil Wang and their little company that could is called Wong Fu Productions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hair and makeup. Wardrobe, oh, we don't have any of those.
ROWLANDS: The trio started making short films in college in San Diego, the buzz they received inspired them to form Wong Fu in 2007, It's really taken off since then, thanks to their core audience. Young Asian-Americans who often can't find accurate depictions of themselves in mainstream media.
JANICE JANN, WONG FU FAN: Wong Fu's stories are things that happen to you and me, kind of, it's not Kung-Fu all the time.
ROWLANDS: Wong Fu's use of new media to tell their communities' story and build a business, is the wave of the future say digital media experts like USC's David Wertheimer.
DAVID WERTHEIMER, USC DIGITAL MEDIA EXPERT: If you have a message, a cultural message, for example, that you think is being overlooked in mainstream media, you can find a way to get it out to the world by doing really compelling content creation of storytelling like these guys are doing.
ROWLANDS: Since the movies are posted for free on their Web site and YouTube, Wong Fu makes its money on merchandise, college speaking tours and by directing music videos for up and coming Asian-American acts, like Far East (INAUDIBLE). You, too, can be a master of Wong Fu. All need is the Internet.
PHIL WANG, WONG FU PRODUCTIONS: It's a really leveling the playing field that everyday people like us, you know, we're just normal guys, can get huge fan bases and huge followings just based solely on their talent and their personalities.
ROWLANDS: Far East Movement: In Hollywood, I'm Ted Rowlands.
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