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911 Caller in Mass Slaying in Court; Fire Danger Slows Down in California; Cashing in on SAT Insecurities; Strategies to Combat Swine Flu; How the Army Hopes to Bring Down Numbers of Soldiers Committing Suicide
Aired September 02, 2009 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Here are some of the other stories we're watching right now. BP says they hit a gusher in the Gulf of Mexico and it could be the biggest oil discovery in years. It's believed to be more than 6 billion barrels worth. That matches the U.S. consumption for 290 days. But BP says the site could take years to develop.
Exiled Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya is in Washington this morning. He's at George Washington University right now, talking about his ouster and efforts to return him to power. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is scheduled to meet with Zelaya tomorrow.
A key member of Afghanistan's government is among the victims of a deadly suicide bombing this morning. At least 23 people are dead. The deputy director of intelligence was among those killed in the blast outside a mosque near the capital of Kabul.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
GUY HEINZE, JR.: I just got home and my whole family's dead!
911 OPERATOR: OK, tell me what's going on sir. What?
HEINZE: I just got home from, I was out last night, I got home just now and everybody's dead.
911 OPERATOR: Who?
HEINZE: My dad's dead - all the people are dead.
911 OPERATOR: How many people are there?
HEINZE: There's like six. My whole family's dead.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
COLLINS: Just days ago we heard these chilling words from this 911 caller as he described a horrible discovery. His family members dead inside their home. This hour that caller, Guy Heinze Jr. is in a Glynn County, Georgia court. Our Sean Callebs is live in Brunswick with the very latest. Sean, good morning to you.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning Heidi. We can tell you that there's been a delay at the moment in Guy Heinze's court appearance. It was scheduled to start at 9:30 Eastern Time but that has been delayed for at least an hour while the attorneys confer with the judge. We don't know exactly what is causing that.
Guy Heinze of course made that very passionate and very rambling long 911 call on Saturday night after coming to a trailer and finding eight people dead including some of his family members.
We did speak to his attorney yesterday. Heinze has been charged with drug possession, obstruction of justice and tampering with evidence. In discussing this with his attorney, Ron Harrison, Harrison flat out denied that Heinze has anything to do with the murder.
When asked about the drug possession charges, said that's something they would focus on today.
Now, in terms of tampering with evidence, according to the arrest warrant, it accuses Heinze of taking a shotgun outside of the mobile home, the trailer and then putting it inside a car.
In terms of obstruction of justice, he's accused of misleading the authorities what he was doing up until the time of those murders -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes and just as a reminder Sean, it's true that he has still not been named as a suspect, correct?
CALLEBS: Right. He has not been named as a suspect but according to the defense attorney, he has not been completely ruled out either.
But there is a certain sense of frustration. His attorney yesterday speaking very terse, short in sentences when we asked him about this yesterday.
Now, what we do know, Heinze is related to -- his father was killed in the mobile home. As far as the others killed in the mobile home, a father, two sons including one who had Down Syndrome, two daughters, an uncle as well as two family friends.
Now, during the 911 call Heinze said it looked as though the victims had been beaten to death. But published reports this morning indicate that the victims could have been shot and killed.
COLLINS: All right. So, are they looking for other suspects then, Sean?
CALLEBS: Yes, that's the big question because the authorities have simply provided absolutely no information to people in this community. And we talked about that yesterday. That sense of frustration continues to build here in this area. And the fact authorities aren't telling them anything.
You have eight murders in a very small coastal town like this. It's what everybody is talking about. And they'd like some answers. COLLINS: All right, very good. Sean Callebs following the story for us as it develops at Brunswick, Georgia, it this morning. Thank you, Sean.
Three months ago, he allegedly entered the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum with a gun, a plan and hatred in his heart. Today, James Von Brunn may finally answer for it in person at a federal court hearing in Washington.
Von Brunn, who is now 89 years old, is an admitted white supremacist and he's accused of shooting and killing museum guard Stephen Johns. The other guards returned fire and wounded Von Brunn. He hasn't been well enough to make to court in the past.
A third suspect in the murder of a prominent Texas doctor is being held without bail right now. He was arrested last night in a Houston apartment. Dr. Jorge Mario Gonzalez was killed at his ranch August 22nd. The other two suspects in the killing were arrested by Texas Rangers last week. They are also being held without bail.
Firefighters getting some help from the weather right now as they battle a massive blaze near Los Angeles, the so-called station fire has charred around 200 square miles but has slowed considerably. The progress is allowing thousands of residents to return home.
Our Reynolds Wolf is live in Lake View Terrace, California this morning. So that's a little bit of good news as well, Reynolds, as people starting slowly to go back home?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. There has been some great news about this. Some of the fresh information that we have from this morning is that it is now 22 percent contained. But still, we're talking about a fire that's already eaten up about 140,000 acres.
It is still spreading in some places. They've got a better handle it on others.
Right now, the place where it happened to be spreading is a little bit in parts of the southeast corner of the fire. So, it's actually moving into virgin wilderness, an area that's called Devil's Canyon, aptly enough.
Fire crews have been there and trying to hold that blaze back best they possibly can. But it is moving into areas that have been untouched for decades. Plenty of fuel there, a lot of dry wood, a lot of foliage there.
And again there's a good chance that it could moving in that direction. Of course it's been moving very close to Mount Wilson which if you're familiar with parts of southern California, or if you're flying into LAX, it's one of the first things you're going to see...
COLLINS: Right. WOLF: ...is the big mountainside with all the antennas on the top. And -- that's a key communication hub not only for a lot of the television stations, radio stations around here and cell towers but also for many of the emergency crews.
Yesterday and last night when crews were battling the fire along that mountain as it is trying to make its way up, they're doing a really good job holding it off. But the fire itself kind of cooperating by moving very slowly but it was nearly impossible for these crews to speak to each other because of all of the interference caused by the transmitters...
COLLINS: Yes.
WOLF: ...that you have at the top of the hill.
So, certainly frustrating endeavor for them. Today they're still going to go ahead and they're staying very aggressive, they've got the planes that going to be going out in mere minutes. They've got all of the aircraft. A full fleet, we're talking helicopters, the fixed-wing aircraft.
We've been talking the last couple of days about the DC-10 that's been going up there and the 747. We happened to be able to go up in those hills. You're seeing some video right now and actually see these things fly very close by.
I mean, it's just amazing to watch them drop the payload of it fire retardant trying to stop that blaze. They have a full team of bulldozers going back there combing right through that foliage and trying to cut those fire lanes and trying to keep the flames from going from one branch or tree to another.
COLLINS: Yes.
WOLF: Certainly a tough endeavor. Again, good news but far from over. They're very optimistic but at the same time overly cautious. They've got a lot of work ahead of them -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes, no question, all right Reynolds Wolf thanks for the update. Appreciate it.
Now, south of the fire the threat is Hurricane Jimena; battering the central coast of Baja, California, right now.
Our Jacqui Jeras in the CNN Weather Center Hurricane Headquarters tracking it all of the way. Good morning, Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning Heidi.
We've had landfall now. That was over an hour ago already. So, this storm is still battering parts of Baja, California. With Isla Santa Margarita right about there where we think landfall has occurred. So additional weakening will take place. The good news is, this a not a very populated area. The storm unfortunately, however, is going to stall out in the upcoming days so we're very concerned about heavy rainfall and the threat of flooding in addition to mudslides. And there you can see the forecast position as this thing slows down and still lingers as we head into the weekend.
Unfortunately now we've got another video piece that we want to show you. This coming in from TV Azteca (ph) and this was from Ciudad Constitucion (ph) which is just inland maybe 50 miles or so. And there you can see the reporter getting whipped by the rain and wind to give you an idea of what the conditions have been like.
Now, in the Atlantic we have another storm. This is tropical storm Erika. And there you can see it has been weakening a little bit; 45-mile-per-hour winds. Been encountering some weird wind sheer on the western side of the storm and so we think that there won't be a lot of strengthening in the coming days.
The southeast coast of the U.S. needs to continue to monitor Erika as we approach early next week. The Gulf Coast we're not going rule it out just yet but certainly it looks like a weak storm at least throughout the weekend -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Ok, we like the sound of that. Jacqui Jeras, our Hurricane Headquarters. Thank you, Jacqui.
This summer has been a long, steady slide for President Obama. Approval is slipping again for him in the latest CNN/Opinion Research Poll. His overall approval rating is 53 percent; that's down three points from July and down eight points from June.
So, who's driving the numbers down? Independent voters. For the first time, a majority of them don't like what the president is doing. The latest numbers show 53 percent of the independents disapprove. Only 43 percent of them are happy with his performance.
Now, one more poll that caught our attention, take a look at this now. It shows 90 percent of Democrats approve of the job President Obama is doing. 85 percent of Republicans disapprove. Obviously you can see for yourself the difference there; quite a divide.
So our question to you today, do you think the country is more divided under President Obama than ever? And then also tell us if you would why or why not. Just go to our blog at cnn.com/Heidi, you see it there and post your thoughts.
It is perfectly normal for students to feel anxious when the SATs are around the corner. But helping students overcome these anxieties has become a multimillion dollar industry and some are asking is that the way it should be.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: So, there you see our Top Stories Countdown Clock at the bottom of your screen there. Top stories now just about seven minutes -- and I can look at it for a long time -- 42 seconds away. We'll bring them to you in just a moment.
Meanwhile, teachers in Georgia are getting a few extra days off from school this year but it's not exactly by choice. The state is trying to offset a $900 million budget shortfall by furloughing state workers.
For the first time in a quarter century, teachers are included in that. They'll be forced to take three days off with no pay. Several other states are also considering similar plans.
More than 800 universities have made the SAT optional for most applicants. That's because some feel it's not the best indicator of college success. Statistics show the wealthier the parents are the higher the students' scores on the SATs.
So should the SAT go away? Some critics say it won't because the SAT isn't just a test but an entire industry.
Here's CNN's Carol Costello.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They are the buzz words in the SAT biz -- test anxiety.
ED CARROLL, THE PRINCETON REVIEW: I started in this business as a teacher and a tutor; private tutor working with people in their homes. After a while I felt more like a test prep therapist.
COSTELLO: SAT tutor Ed Carroll says parents' desire to cure test anxiety has transformed what was a simple test into a growth industry.
Take New York's Princeton Review. This for profit test prep service pulled in $138.7 million last year in revenue and it's just one of hundreds of such services across the country. Never mind the man who oversees the SAT says such anxiety beating services are unnecessary.
LAURENCE BUNIN, THE COLLEGE BOARD: I always tell parents and students keep it in perspective. The SAT is just one thing they look at. They're looking at your grades. They look at what else you do: Sports, Athletics, Music, Art.
COSTELLO: Still the College Board, the nonprofit organization that offered that advice sells its own online course for $69.95 and it offers a study guide for $29.99.
That bothers Robert Schaeffer of Fair Test, the consumer watchdog group that opposes pretty much all standardized tests from "No Child Left Behind" to the SAT. He claims the College Board's drive to make money has impacted its mission to, quote, "connect students to college success and opportunity."
ROBERT SCHAEFFER, FAIR TEST: It's a huge business. Multiple hundreds of millions of dollars a year in test and test prep materials that come out of our parents' pockets and into the pockets of test makers.
COSTELLO: The College Board does generate big money. According to the 2007 federal tax returns, the College Board pulled in some $621 million. Because it's nonprofit, it's tax exempt.
While the College Board would not comment on camera about how much money it brings in, it did tell, "Us we do not generate profits. All revenues from our products, services or grants are reinvested into improved services that support our mission."
But Schaeffer says the nonprofit uses a lot of that revenue to line the pockets of its executives.
SCHAEFFER: The top officers of the College Board, allegedly a nonprofit organization, earn $500,000 - $600,000 - $800,000 a year. That's where lots of that money is going.
COSTELLO: According to 2007 tax returns, Gaston Caperton, the president of the College Board made nearly $900,000 in salary, benefits and perks. And 12 of the nonprofit's top executives made more than $300,000 a year in salary and benefits.
Schaeffer says that's excessive. He would rather see more of the College Board's money working to make the test more fair for students who can't afford those pricey college prep classes. The College Board says it already does that.
BUNIN: We have a lot of free programs and services. Each year we give away $30 million, $40 million, $50 million worth of free services to low income students.
COSTELLO: As one expert put it, what citizens expect of a nonprofit and what the law says are two entirely different things. It's not illegal for a nonprofit to turn a profit so to speak as long as those monies go back into the organization. It's also not against the law for nonprofits to pay their executives high salaries.
The fact is generally speaking, there are many large nonprofits who pay their executives just as much or more as the College Board.
Carol Costello, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: On the front lines in the fight against the swine flu: the government's new drive to battle the virus at the state level.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Our top stories now. Right to die arguments are being heard today in Montana Supreme Court. The case was brought by a 75- year-old Korean War vet who died in December of leukemia.
Robert Baxter had claimed that competent, terminally ill patients should be able to obtain drugs from their doctors and use them to commit suicide if that's what they choose to do. We have some incredible video obtained now from the city of Madison, Wisconsin by our affiliate WKOW. But we warn you, it is graphic.
A surveillance camera caught this bicyclist getting hit by an SUV running a red light at a downtown intersection. Police have identified the SUV driver as Wisconsin state representative, Fred Clark. The incident happened August 18th. Hospital officials say the cyclist was released this week. Clark is due in court September 22nd on charges of running a red light.
Atlanta area police are looking for a man who was handcuffed and put in the back of a cruiser only to turn around and steal the car. The suspect seen here on dash cam video had been arrested for DUI. When the arresting officer went to search the U-haul the man was driving, the suspect somehow got in the police car's front seat and drove off. The suspect ditched the car some 20 miles away.
As schools reopen across the country, the number of people worried about the swine flu virus has doubled since May. Opinion Research Corporation Poll shows 39 percent of those questioned are worried a family member will get the H1N1 virus. Another 17 percent say they are not worried now but have been in the past few months. Most Americans 59 percent in fact are confident in the government's ability to prevent a nationwide swine flu epidemic.
Some cities have already begun outlining several ways to battle the virus this school year.
In fact, CNN's Jason Carroll has more details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: With children across the country back in school or heading back, parents have concerns about another H1N1 or swine flu outbreak and what is being done about it. The short answer, it depends on where you live.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A key goal this fall is to keep schools open and in session even if some students come down with the flu.
CARROLL: Closing schools this fall a last resort in New York city where H1N1 forced the temporary closing of 57 schools this past spring. Now, the city's back to school plan includes free vaccinations for elementary school students.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our current plan is to offer them to students in every elementary school in the city, public and private.
CARROLL: Free vaccines will begin in October once medical shipments arrive. The city will also open flu centers to help ease hospital overcrowding.
In the spring outbreak, city officials estimate nearly 1 million people came down with the illness. Bracing for the next wave the president says vaccines are on the way nationwide and urge state health officials to do their part.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We need state and local governments on the front lines to make antiviral medications and vaccines available.
CARROLL: Also hit by H1N1, Texas, 34 deaths. In California, 128.
San Francisco has a plan similar to New York's. Flu clinics will be set up to vaccinate high risk people including school children in October. By mid November, free vaccinations will be available on site in schools.
In Houston, Texas, no plans for flu clinics at this time or free shots; Houston's health department anticipating, quote, "immunizations will happen through private providers." If necessary, clinics will be set up.
So, why not a standard response for all states? The Centers for Disease Control says influenza and H1N1 are so unpredictable, it's best for states to develop their own responses. Some medical experts say city health officials are in a better position.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They know the city best. They know the experience that happened this spring with H1N1 best.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Soldiers committing suicide at an alarming rate. We reveal the military's plan to help save lives.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Suicides increasing at an alarming rate in the military. According to army data, there were 96 reported suicides among active duty soldiers between January 1st and July 31st of this year. That compares to 79 suicides over the same time period last year.
Dr. Robert Heinssen is conducting new research on military suicides hoping to help with prevention. Doctor Heinssen thanks for being with us.
I want to talk to you a little bit more about this long-term study looking at this tragic problem of military suicides. What exactly have you been able to find out?
DR. ROBERT HEINSSEN, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH: The study just started. We initiated the study in July of this year. We have a team of investigators from the Uniform Service University of the Health Sciences, Harvard, Columbia, University of Michigan that we brought on board to look at this problem of identifying risk and protective factors that are related to suicide in soldiers.
COLLINS: What is the National Institute of Mental Health -- what sort of role do they play? Have the worked with the army before on issues like this.
HEINSSEN: The army reached out to NIMH in June of 2008 and asked us if we would be able to bring the best science to bear on this problem; whether we'd give them any new ways of looking at the problem that would suggest different strategies for intervention and prevention.
This is the type of thing that we do. We put a challenge out to the field to ask our investigators to come up with the most creative solutions to the problem that would yield real world practical interventions. We have a great team that's been assembled to do this.
COLLINS: We know it has just begun. I'm curious at this point, I'm sure you have a little feedback. Why do you think the suicide rate is so high in the military?
HEINSSEN: One thing that we know about suicide is it is a highly complex phenomenon. It really is the result of many factors that interact over time to create states of increasing risk.
The suicide rate may be the equivalent of the canary in the coal mine telling us that the military is under tremendous stress and that during this extended period of high operational tempo that factors to build the resilience and to increase the reserve of the soldiers is really something that is required at this point. Hopefully the study will find some clues for how to do that.
COLLINS: Absolutely. Why has it taken so long for this type of study to be done?
HEINSSEN: Well, you know, I will say that even on the civilian side, this type of study hasn't been able to be conducted yet. Reasons being that suicide is a relatively rare phenomena. You need large samples to study the causes of suicide. You need a platform for collecting multiple types of data that can be followed over time. On the civilian side we haven't had a platform to be able to do it.
It's a sign of the army's dedication and really courage in looking at the problem with fresh eyes that they've made their system available to us as a tool for understanding what are probably multiple factors that are related to suicide.
COLLINS: Interesting. All right. We are continuing to follow the issue here as always. Doctor Robert Heinssen of the National Institute of Mental Health, thanks so much.
HEINSSEN: Thank you very much.
COLLINS: We'll continue to follow that story.
Meanwhile, combating stress and mental health problems in the military. The Army does have a plan, and it begins with intensive training for all 1 million of its soldiers. CNN's Barbara Starr tells us how it will work.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Basic training at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina. Soldiers learning battlefield skills. But with suicides, alcohol use and divorce rates on the rise in the army, troops are now being taught how to cope when life goes wrong.
MIKE RINEHART, WALTER REED ARMY INST. OF RESEARCH: If you cannot change the situation, what can you change? Your reaction to it, okay? That will help to limit your frustration and stress when the event does come around.
STARR: We came to Ft. Jackson for a firsthand look at how the army is now teaching what it calls mental resiliency to every new soldier. Leading the program, a most remarkable choice, Brigadier General Rhonda Cornum.
BRIG. GEN. RHONDA CORNUM, U.S. ARMY: The time to instill those skills is before you actually need them.
STARR: A flight surgeon during the first Gulf War, Cornum was on a rescue mission when her helicopter was shot down over Iraq. She was held captive for eight days.
CORNUM: I remember distinctly crashing, and I thought, well, I'm going to die right here. Then when I wasn't dead when I, you know, woke up, then, yeah, I was a prisoner of war, but that was the best possible outcome.
STARR: Cornum, who suffered two broken arms in the crash, was sexually molested by her Iraqi captors, but she has refused to let the horrifying experience haunt her. She believes troops can be taught to do the same.
CORNUM: I came into that experience a very resilient person. I mean, I had had other challenges in my life and had automatically applied that kind of thinking.
STARR: Under her program, soldiers will answer a questionnaire on how they cope with stress, all aimed at assessing their emotional and mental resilience. Every soldier from private to general will now get training on how to improve those skills.
CORNUM: If you have better coping skills, if you -- if when, you know, your girl or boyfriend dumps you, you don't just think, oh, I'm unlovable, I will never find anybody else, I was really a failure. Instead of thinking that, you think, you know, you're sad and you're disappointed both in your partner and sometimes in yourself, but you get over it.
STARR: It's critical training for the Army. In the first seven months of this year, the number of suicides or potential suicides, 96, up 17 incidents compared to the same period last year. If the new program works, Cornum says soldiers will be mentally stronger.
CORNUM: They will see that every problem is finite, that whatever bad thing is happening is not going to last forever and that at whatever level, there's always something you can do about it.
STARR (on camera): Commanders hope all of this training will teach young soldiers the emotional and mental strength they need to go to war and come home to a healthy life.
Barbara Starr, CNN, Ft. Jackson, South Carolina.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Many service men and women face mental health issues after going to war. The most common, post-traumatic stress disorder. It will be one of the illnesses treated at a brand-new facility set to open in the spring of 2010. Looking at construction shots there. The privately funded National Intrepid Center of Excellence will open next door to the new Walter Reed Army Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland. It will treat troops and veterans with traumatic brain injury as well as those with PTSD.
Two journalists held in North Korea say they may have been set up. In an article in the "Los Angles Times," Laura Ling and Euna Lee admitted they crossed into North Korea very briefly, but say they were arrested in China. They blame their guide for leading them across the border and believe he may have tipped off North Korean soldiers. They were held for five months before their release last month. On their time in captivity, they say it's still painful to talk about.
CNN Express on the road again. Ali Velshi traveling across the Midwest talking to people about the economy and health care reform. Hi there, Ali. South Side of Chicago today, right?
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I'm on the South Side of Chicago in front of Jim's Original Polish Sausage. Twenty-four hours a day, including breakfast when we were here this morning. It's an institution. We're at 95th and the Dan Ryan.
I'm here with my good friends, Matt and Perry. Matt McGill and Perry Small, they are of the "Matt and Perry Show" on WVON. In fact, it was Perry who helped me out last night to find this location where I could talk to the most people about health care and the economy.
Perry, you do this everyday, though. You do the morning drive show. You're talking to people everyday about their concerns about the economy. What's your basic sense about what people in Chicago, in an urban setting, think about what's going on?
PERRY SMALLS, CO-HOST, "THE MATT AND PERRY SHOW": I think one of the things that's so disturbing to a lot of people that we talk to is the fact that there are so many people who don't care. That there is are no humanity anymore. That people don't care about the welfare and health of other people. I think that's bothersome. I don't think it's even so much about themselves, but they can't believe that the debate has gotten as ugly as it has.
VELSHI: Matt, you were telling me you have callers who have had reactions to that. They are incensed about the way the debate about health care has been going.
MATT MCGILL, CO-HOST, "THE MATT AND PERRY SHOW": Look, our listeners and callers are expressing the need for health care reform. They don't like the images they see on television when they see other communities pushing back against health care reform.
They want government to be involved. They want to know that government makes a difference in their lives. They're not fearful of government getting involved in their lives especially as it pertains to health care reform. People need health care. We know the numbers out here of uninsured. The numbers don't lie. In fact, they're probably more than the numbers being reported.
VELSHI: And that's a point you made, Perry. You think a lot of people are pushing back, saying the media is reporting numbers of uninsured too high, and you say it's the opposite?
SMALLS: Are they saying it's too high? There's no way you can make me believe there are only 40 million people in this country that don't have health care, with all of the layoffs, with the loss of manufacturing jobs, with the fact that you have so many people -- and especially within the African-American community and Latino community who are dying every day because they cannot get preventive health care.
VELSHI: That's a lot of the sentiment that we're getting on the South Side of Chicago. A lot of support for the president's initiative, or at least some initiative to reform health care. Still a lot of support for this administration.
A lot of concern, Heidi, specifically about jobs. There's been a real link between jobs and poverty in some parts of the South Side, and of course, that poverty link is linked to the amount of crime often reported about on the South Side. Everybody making the economic link right here on the South Side of Chicago, Heidi.
COLLINS: All right. Ali Velshi traveling on the CNN Express. Thanks, Ali.
Cities struggling to make ends meet. Now making the hard choices. What's your city doing to get by during the tough times?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Want to give you our top stories now. Fire crews in California say cooler weather is helping them gain ground against a huge fire in Angeles National Forest. It's about 22 percent contained so far. More than 140,000 acres have burned. Sixty-two homes and three other buildings destroyed.
The man who called 911 after eight people were killed at a Georgia mobile home is in court this morning. The police say Guy Heinze, Jr. is not a suspect in the killings of several of his family members. Our Sean Callebs is live in Brunswick, Georgia, this morning. Sean? SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. We can tell you there had been a delay earlier. The hearing was scheduled to begin at 9:30 Eastern time. Presumably, it started just a short while ago. We do have a producer inside waiting to get any kind of word.
He's facing three charges. As you mentioned, he's not publicly been identified or in any way been identified as a suspect in these eight brutal killings. What he is charged with, possession of drugs. Authorities say they found a small prescription bottle with pot and a couple of Narvasc (ph) in it.
They also charged him with obstruction of justice, or basically, authorities accused him of lying to investigators on what he was doing leading up to the time of the murders.
And also tampering with evidence. Now this, he's accused of taking a shotgun outside of the trailer where the eight people were found dead and putting it inside his car. I spoke to his attorney yesterday, Ron Harrison, and Harrison flat-out denied that Guy Heinze had anything to do with the killings and said he would address the rest of the charges here later on today.
Right now, Heidi, that's the very latest. There's indeed a sense of frustration in this small coastal town. But authorities simply aren't saying or providing any kind of information. We tried a number of times to speak with them to see if they have any kind of leads to try and settle nerves in this area somewhat but not hearing a thing.
COLLINS: Yes. All right. Well, Sean, we know you're working it hard. Thank you so much. Sean Callebs for us in Brunswick, Georgia for us this morning.
A Tuesday deadline for Southwest Airlines to replace unapproved parts on some of its airplanes now has been extended to December 24. About 10 percent of the company's fleet is affected. The FAA and Boeing each say the parts don't compromise the jet's safety. A maintenance company hired by Southwest used parts that had not been approved by the FAA.
The recession is hitting Main Street and hitting it hard. Tax receipts are falling in cities across the country struggling to balance their budget. When that happens, officials have just two options. Either cut spending or raise taxes. Stephanie Elam has details on a new survey of city governments. Good morning to you, Stephanie.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. It's really a rough position for American cities. They're raising taxes, cutting spending, and in fact nine in ten cities finance officers say it will be difficult to meet fiscal needs this year. And most believe the worst is really yet to come.
That's according to the National League of Cities, and this is the most pessimistic outlook in the report's 24-year history. Here's how cities are coping. Sixty-seven percent are laying off workers or instituting a hiring freeze. Sixty-two percent are delaying or canceling infrastructure projects, and 45 percent have increased fees for services. Think your garbage collection. Think overdue library books and also, water use and the like. That's how they're making their money, Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes. Understood. But we have been getting signs of stabilization, and I use the word very loosely, in the economy. So, why do cities expect that their budget problems could actually get worse?
ELAM: Well, here's the thing. There really is a delay for when cities feel the effect of a recession. That's because cities collect revenues at a few specific points during the year. So, there's a lag time before economic shifts affect city budgets. That lag time could be anywhere from 18 months to several years. A big lag time.
Here are the biggest issues. First, property taxes. They're expecting to grow less than 2 percent this year and then fall for the next three years. Home values are adjusted to reflect falling value, so that's why that plays in.
Secondly, sales taxes are expected to fall nearly 4 percent this year since people aren't shopping, and keep in mind that income taxes are expected to fall 1.3 percent so you have a pie here to see this. You can really blame that because of rising unemployment for that, and that's actually causing such an issue for cities here.
All right. With that in mind, just want to do a quick check of the markets. I can tell you that we've been dancing around the flat line most of the morning here. Same story right now. Dow up 12 percent, NASDAQ and the S&P also flat, Heidi.
COLLINS: All right. Stephanie Elam for us this morning. Thanks, Stephanie.
It may be one of the biggest oil finds of the decade. Petroleum giant BP says it has drilled one of the deepest wells ever discovered. CNNmoney.com's Poppy Harlow has a look at this. Our "Energy Fix" from New York. So, apparently, -- I mean, this is great news but it will take a while to get the oil out, yes?
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: It will take a long time. It just shows us, Heidi, oil is here to stay. It's going to take some time to determine exactly how much oil we're talking about. BP said this morning there could be more than three billion barrels in that well that they located.
It was about 250 miles southeast of Houston in the Gulf of Mexico where so much drilling is already taking place. We will not being using this oil any time soon. Let's be clear here. There's a big lag, Heidi, between when you find this oil and when it hits the market. Actually, another one of BP's big discoveries in the Gulf of Mexico was named Thunder Horse. That find, Heidi, took ten years to produce oil. A big lag time.
COLLINS: Yes. Given that time lag, though, discoveries like these seem to be an argument for more drilling, don't they? And drilling now.
HARLOW: You're exactly right. This flies in the face, though, of the argument for drilling now to bring oil prices down now. We heard it last summer. Drill, baby, drill because oil prices are high. With a ten-year lag, it won't affect exact oil prices at that time.
The oil industry, however, they want to tap more areas. You hear a lot of talk about Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife refuge, or ANWAR. Opponents say it doesn't make sense to drill there because the industry isn't even drilling in areas it already has leases on. As of last summer, oil companies had access to 90 million offshore acres around the U.S. to drill. But Democrat and oil industry sources say about 70 million of those aren't producing oil right now. That's the argument against it.
On the other hand, you have people on the oil industry side saying it takes years of exploration before we can start drilling, and we find leases and some don't have oil. It's a heated battle that continues.
COLLINS: Definitely. What does this find mean, though, for the push for increased renewable energy in the country?
HARLOW: Well, it's probably not great. But the president, we know he's made it a priority pledgling to double renewable energy production in the next three years. Government subsidies playing a big part in this.
Last month, actually, we saw Citigroup and MorganStanley, two huge banks, invest more than $100 million in wind farms. They're betting on renewables. Look at that pie chart. That little blue sliver is total renewable energy supply in the U.S. Now, it's a bit old. It's the most recent data we have.
But, Heidi, compared to the yellow, it's really nothing at this point. What's clear from this is, oil is not going away any time soon. In fact, an oil analyst this morning said, when you have these finds, it shows us that the technology to find this oil is getting better. Companies can reach in places they just couldn't before, Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes. Understood. All right. Poppy Harlow with our "Energy Fix." Thanks, Poppy.
One named storm made landfall; another one spinning toward land. And Jacqui Jeras is tracking both of them for us. Hi there, Jacqui. What's the deal?
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey, Heidi. Hot in off the press. Newest updates and advisories on both of those storms. Both a little weaker, but both still have a little significant threat to them still. We'll have the latest coming up in just a minute.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": When you hear about all of the things that the police in the report say did you, how do you react to that?
CHRIS BROWN, SINGER: I just look at it, like, wow. Like, I'm in shock. Because, first of all, that's not who I am as a person. That's not who I pride myself on being. When I look at the police reports or I hear about the police reports, I don't know what to think. It's just like, wow.
KING: Do you remember doing it?
BROWN: No.
KING: Don't remember doing it?
BROWN: I don't. It's like -- it's crazy to me. Wow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Singer Chris brown talking exclusively to our Larry King about assaulting former girlfriend Rihanna. He says he still loves her despite being separated by a court order. He also says he want to become a better role model. You can catch the full interview on "LARRY KING LIVE" tonight, 9:00 p.m. on CNN.
Two storms and two oceans. Hurricanes Jimena hit last hour along Mexico's southern Baja Peninsula. Most populated areas and resorts on the southern tip seem to have escaped the worst of it, though. In the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Erika has formed now. It is churning near the Leeward Islands. We have our eye on both of these. Jacqui Jeras keeping very busy in the Hurricane Headquarters. Right now things look OK, right?
JERAS: Well, so far. You know, we're waiting, obviously to get more reports out of Mexico, but it is great to know that the big populated areas here certainly got missed. We did have landfall about an hour and a half or so ago near (INAUDIBLE), which is a little island right here that we'll circle for you. It continues to moves north and will probably go back over the open waters here.
At this time, we're not that worried about it. The reason why is because check out the water temperatures with this thing. This is the area that we're talking about, and look at that blue. That's indicative of much colder water. Difficult to sustain much intensity when you look at conditions like that.
Now, the biggest thing that we're worried about outside of some of the surge and heavy winds as a result of this right now is that it will be stalling out. This thing will just creep along as we head into the weekend. It's going to still be lingering across Baja, California. There's been a lot of drought going on in Mexico, just like we've been seeing and in the Southwest also in Texas in the United States, so they need some of this rain. But when we're talking five to 10 inches or 15, that will be a problem for these folks. We're looking at flooding and mudslides very likely. Onto Erika now. Tropical storm that's been weakening. Very poorly organized. Encountering wind shear on the southwestern side of the storm, and you can really see on the satellite how nice and big this storm was. As you look at the later versions, it kind of weakens down a bit there. Forty miles per hour maximum sustained wind, and there you can see the forecast track has changed on both intensity and the track of it a bit as well. It's still something we'll have to watch for the United States, and the models have not been green 100 percent.
This is stormpulse.com, and if you take a look at the spaghetti models, as we call them, some of them curve to the north. Others bring it toward Cuba and even others toward the U.S. So, this is going to be something we'll be watching, of course, in the upcoming days.
And as for the folks out in California and the threat ongoing out there with the fires, still very poor air quality today. Winds continue to be light. Jimena not going to bring any relief in terms of rainfall, but that monsoon flow trying to get in. But that could mean thunderstorms for today, and of course that's going to bring erratic winds and also the threat of lightning to go along with that.
Rest of the country, Heidi, looks really great for the most part. Some storms in Kansas, and that's it.
COLLINS: OK, yes, just those trouble spots in the West. All right. Jacqui Jeras, sure do appreciate that. Thank you.
Meanwhile, in just a moment, we'll bring you some more information about our blog question today. There's new approval ratings out on President Obama. Those numbers are down. There are big differences between what Republicans think and Democrats think.
We've been asking you, do you think we live in a more divided country now more than ever? Bring it to you in a moment.
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COLLINS: Take a look at this. A new CNN poll shows 90 percent of Democrats approve of the job President Obama is doing. Eighty-five percent of Republicans disapprove.
Now, that is quite a divide, as you can tell. We've been asking you all day today, do you think we live in a more divided country now more than ever under President Obama? Here's what you were saying. Quite a few responses in today. Let's get straight to them over at the Heidi Mac here.
"The Republicans did not vote for President Obama, and they are still trying to undo the election. It has nothing to do with whatever the president does. Republicans will oppose it."
OK. This one, too. "Definitely more divided. The reason is simple. His overt move toward socialism, takeover of banks, car manufacturers and soon-to-be health care. His entire campaign was that of a wolf in sheep's clothing.
And then this one as well: "The nation has clearly been more divided in the past, but today, health care is an issue that very personally affects every single citizen. Americans are taking a more active interest in this issue than any other in recent history. And beyond the shouting and demonstrations, there's a real exchange of ideas, opinions, and information regarding this issue."
We're back in a moment right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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COLLINS: This just in out of the CNN NEWSROMM. A white supremacist is scheduled to appear in court this hour on charges of killing a security guard at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Eighty-nine-year-old James Von Brunn, who was shot in the face by other museum guards, has not been seen in public since the June attack. He could face the death penalty if convicted.
There was a court hearing this hour, and want to let you know that apparently Von Brunn did speak out. He was denied bail. I believe that's correct. We're just getting this information now into the CNN NEWSROOM. He made some comments there publicly. We'll continue to follow that story and bring you more information as it develops here on CNN.
I'm Heidi Collins. CNN NEWSROOM continues now with Tony Harris.
