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Big Win for the GOP; Balance of Power; Not Giving up Hope; Southern California Evacuations
Aired January 20, 2010 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: See you back here tomorrow. And meanwhile, continue the conversation on today's stories. You can go to our blog, CNN.com/amfix.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: In the meantime, the news continues on CNN with Kyra Phillips in the "CNN NEWSROOM".
Good morning, Kyra.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, guys. Thanks so much. And good morning to you, everyone. It's 9:00 a.m. on the east coast, 6:00 a.m. out west. So glad you're getting your day going with us. Let's go ahead and right to it.
A powerful aftershock in Haiti. The earth adds a 6.1 magnitude insult to injury. You can only imagine what survivors were thinking when the ground started shaking again.
Red flag after red flag missed or just plain ignored. The military tries to figure out how the alleged Fort Hood shooter failed his way upward.
And it's safe to say this wasn't the change Democrats expected one year into the Obama presidency. A Republican senator from Massachusetts in Ted Kennedy's old seat?
Well, you've got to think that Republicans are pinching themselves this morning, Democrats wondering where their health care reform is headed.
And that's where we're going to find Jim Acosta. He has things for us covered there in Boston.
Jim, we'll talk to you in just second.
And then, of course, Brianna Keilar, she's there on the hill, she's got the fallout from there. And of course, the rest of the country.
Brianna, talk to you in just a second.
And then take a look at these pictures right here. If you live in Southern California, then this is what you're dealing with. It's a pretty nasty flap from the winter storms and it's getting even nastier. All right, let's get to the numbers. Here's the tally. 52-47 for the Republican Scott Brown. Yes, I said the Republican in Massachusetts. Not used to hearing that, but it's not just about Massachusetts.
The voters had their say and they chose Scott Brown so what does that really mean? CNN's Jim Acosta live this morning in Boston -- Jim.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kyra. Who would have thought that Massachusetts would be described as a bellwether state? But Democrats might hope what happens in Massachusetts stays in Massachusetts.
That is not going to be the case for Democrats who are looking at a very tough midterm election year as we're going to see more contests like the one here in Massachusetts coming up over the coming months.
And Martha Coakley, it's hard to believe, was up by almost 30 points in this campaign according to some f the local polls here. But slowly but surely over time that lead eroded over a relatively unknown state senator here, Scott Brown.
He emerged victorious last night in what was really a thumping of Martha Coakley. He won by five percentage points. But when you consider the fact that this happened in one of the more liberal states in the country, it was a clear and decisive victory for Scott Brown.
And there is a variety of factors. We talked to voters about why Martha Coakley wasn't doing well. Many voters thought she was just really running a lazy campaign, then it turned into a nasty campaign towards the end.
And there were some moments during this race where some voters said she just seemed out of touch, most notably when she referred to a Red Sox legend here, Curt Schilling, as a Yankees fan. And then last night, true to form, she used a sports metaphor to talk about her loss.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARTHA COAKLEY (D), FORMER MASSACHUSETTS SENATE CANDIDATE: I am heartbroken at the result and I know that you are also. But I know that we will get up together tomorrow and continue this fight even with this result tonight because there will be plenty of Wednesday morning quarterbacking about what happened and what went right, what went wrong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: There certainly will be some Wednesday morning quarterbacking. But none of that will take place over on the Republican side of this race. Scott Brown was a very different crowd last night at his victory party.
He was almost giddy, is the way to describe his reaction to the results here, and what he talked about at this event last night was really what he talked about throughout this campaign, how he wasn't running for Ted Kennedy's seat. He was running for the people's seat. And he characterized his victory in those terms in his victory speech last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT BROWN (R), MASSACHUSETTS SENATOR-ELECT: We have the machine scared and scrambling and for them it's just the beginning of an election year filled with many, many surprises, I can tell you that.
They will be challenged again and again across this great land and when there's trouble in Massachusetts, rest assured, there's trouble everywhere, and they know it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: And who would have thought one year ago today President Obama was inaugurated. He had the sky-high approval ratings, somewhere in the neighborhood of 65 percent, now roughly 49 percent, 51 percent of the country approves of the job that he's doing this morning.
Many of those independent voters, those angry independent voters, some of them now call themselves tea party activists -- they went right to Scott Brown, they got right in the back of that pick-up truck that he drove throughout this campaign and they rode to victory last night here in Massachusetts -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: So, Jim, real quickly, when will he be seated?
ACOSTA: That is the big question. It is not certain yet as to when he's going to be seated. Senate majority leader Harry Reid sent out a message last night saying that they plan to seat him as soon as possible.
I think they realized looking at this that anything else would not be received well by voters out there, not just here in Massachusetts but across the country. And last night, the voters here in Massachusetts, especially over at that Scott Brown rally, were well aware of this timing and any kind of controversy that might go into when to seat Scott Brown. They were chanting last night, Kyra, "Seat him now, seat him now."
PHILLIPS: Jim Acosta, thanks so much.
All right, so what now for the Senate? We know that Brown's win breaks the super majority that the Democrats had. That's 60 votes. But Democrats still have the largest majority, 59 votes since Jimmy Carter was president.
Really, though, the future of health care bill, well, that's the big question.
CNN congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar is on Capitol Hill today.
So, Brianna, this is definitely a big blow for Democrats.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is, Kyra. And 59 votes is close, right, but close only counts in horseshoes.
Let's do a reset of exactly where health care reform lies here in Congress. The House has passed a bill. The Senate has passed a bill. They're very different. They were trying to work out differences.
And then that final bill is what the House would vote on and what the Senate would vote on. That was the plan. But now that Democrats only have 59 votes. That has really thrown everything into turmoil, a sense of internal chaos among Democrats.
Just a for instance, Congressman Anthony Weiner, he is a liberal Democrat in the House. He actually chided his own party leadership for yesterday briefing Democrats on the negotiations that have been going on with the White House of what this final health care bill is going to look like.
Clearly, Weiner was saying that his leadership is not recognizing or was not recognizing yesterday in his opinion that those discussions were irrelevant as Scott Brown appeared poised to win this seat in Massachusetts.
Listen to what he said last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ANTHONY WEINER (D), NEW YORK: They're talking as if what our deal and what our negotiations are at the White House. Yes, if the last line is "if pigs fly out of my ass," or something like that.
I mean, you know, I mean it's just we've got to recognize we live in an entirely different scenario.
When you have large numbers of citizens in the United States of America who believe this is going in the wrong direction, there is a limit to what you can keep saying that, OK, they just don't get it. If we just pass a bill, they'll get it.
No, no. I mean I think that we should maybe internalize that we're not doing things entirely correctly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: And Kyra, I think that sound bite is so telling because it just shows you how much Democrats really didn't consider that this was going to be a possibility and really just how much chaos it has thrown the health care reform situation into here on Capitol Hill.
PHILLIPS: I think chaos, that's the perfect word to use, because a lot of people are wondering now, OK, is health care reform dead in the water or can Democrats still, you know, shepherd something through. KEILAR: There are a number of options. Democrats aren't going to like any of them. And there's really a question of if they can just hold themselves together in order to move forward on some of these different avenues.
One would be to rush something through before Senator Brown is seated. That appears unlikely. There are -- there's at least one Democratic senator, Jim Webb, who says we shouldn't do that.
Then there's the issue of maybe the House should just pass the Senate bill so that this doesn't have to go through the Senate again. But like I said, there are huge differences and you have liberal Democrats and moderate Democrats in the House who say they have big problems with that bill and they would have a problem with taking that route, Kyra.
Maybe take that route but then do some changes later? That's not ideal for Democrats. And then I think lastly, the idea would be to scale back the bill and really give up some of the things that Democrats really wanted here, that some liberal Democrats in particular really wanted, that idea of universal coverage, covering all Americans.
And maybe just going for some of the really key things that could get some bipartisan support, some of those reforms like saying, no pre-existing -- no denial of coverage on the basis after a pre- existing condition.
But really, it's an unanswered question, Kyra. Very, very difficult question to answer here.
PHILLIPS: All right, Brianna Keilar, thank you so much.
Well, no matter how the White House wants to spin it, the Democrats' stunning loss in Massachusetts is a stinging reflection on President Obama and his sliding approval rating.
Here at CNN we've crunched numbers from several polls. Here's the bottom line of our poll of polls. 51 percent, just barely half of all Americans, now approve of the way that the president is handling his job, 42 percent disapprove.
Eight people shot to death. The suspect brings down a police helicopter with a hail of gunfire. We'll tell you how authorities in central Virginia put the cuffs on their prime suspect.
And delivering God's word amid Haiti's tragedy. But this isn't your usual hotel-style Gideon bible. This one is truly powered by a higher entity.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I'm CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras. The latest in the series of storms to slam into California. Wet weather already pounding the state again. The worst is yet to come. Plus the chance of severe weather on the Gulf Coast.
We'll have more details coming up in your forecast. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: And developing this morning, a sigh of relief right now in central Virginia. The suspect in the shooting deaths of eight people there has surrendered -- surrendered, rather.
Seven of the victims were killed at a home in Appomattox County. The eighth man found injured on a road later died. Police believe that the suspect, 39-year-old Christopher Speight, acted alone. They've got no motive.
Speight's also accused of shooting at a fuel tank on a police chopper forcing it to land. No police were injured and authorities say that Speight knew his victims but haven't worked out the relationships yet.
Now turning to Haiti where the rescue and relief operation is now starting a second week. Here's what we know. The USNS Comfort is scheduled to arrive shortly in Port-au-Prince. That ship has 550 medical staff members, six operating rooms and can take in up to 1,000 patients. Two severely injured patients were already airlifted to the ship before it arrived.
Little more than three hours ago a strong aftershock jolted Haiti. The 6.1 aftershock was the strongest since last Tuesday's 7.0 quake. Haitians were seen praying and asking for forgiveness as the ground shook.
And remarkably, rescues are still being made. And New York City police and fire rescue team actually pulled two children from the rubble of a collapsed building.
The U.N. says that international rescue teams have saved 121 people so far.
Seeing those rescues just a week after the quake keeps hope alive for the families and some are not giving up even though they are being told that the search is over.
CNN's Ivan Watson has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One week after the earthquake, American and Turkish rescue workers at this collapsed supermarket are packing up and leaving.
Over the weekend, they pulled five survivors out from under a mountain of rubble. But now they say time has run out for any possible survivors.
CAPT. JOE ZAHRALBAN, SOUTH FLORIDA URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUE: It gets to a point where you can only risk the rescuer's life so much before you say, we don't -- really don't believe there's anybody left.
WATSON: The store manager is grateful. SAMER TAHMOUSH, MANAGER, CARIBBEAN SUPERMARKET: We're going to remember you all time and your names and your faces, they're going to be in our memory forever.
WATSON: The hardest part is explaining to anguished relatives that there's little more they can do to find their missing loved ones.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've gone in with all the cameras, everything. At this point...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our search is not showing us anything.
WATSON: The search teams depart but relatives refuse to give up their agonizing vigil.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is discouraging. It is discouraging. But we have to keep hope high.
WATSON: This Filipino man is looking for his wife. Gigi Merove- Pierre has also been waiting sitting for hours next to the car of her missing daughter Paula who parked it at the entrance to the supermarket just before the earthquake.
GIGI MEROVE-PIERRE, MOTHER OF MISSING DAUGHTER: She has a son that he's 4 years old.
WATSON (on camera): How is he doing right now?
MEROVE-PIERRE: He does not understand. At that age you don't understand. Are you like an angel? You don't understand.
WATSON: And have you been sleeping here every night?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every night. Every night. Every hour. Every day. Every morning. We've been here.
WATSON (voice-over): Michelle has been waiting for her missing uncle who she says sent a text message calling for help a day after the quake.
MICHELLE, UNCLE MISSING IN EARTHQUAKE: And that's what's killing us. We cannot do anything. And I know if I was one down there it would be hard.
WATSON: These distraught people say they will carry on and search for victims on their own.
Ivan Watson, CNN, Port-au-Prince.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: The earthquake poses an incredible test of faith for the Haitian people and I just had to share with you one relief agency's ingenious way to make sure that faith is nurtured by the word of God. Hundreds of solar-powered audio bibles are en route right now to the disaster zone. The bibles are called "Proclaimers" and they're able to broadcast scripture in the quake victims' native tongue of Creole as roughly half of the Haitian people there cannot read. So the ministry is hoping these "Proclaimers" will give them a sense of hope.
Jacqui Jeras following the weather for us this morning.
Good to see you this early, Jacqui.
JERAS: Hey, thanks, Kyra. Good to be here. Unfortunately the bearer of bad news once again today as that rain just pounds California. We'll check in on when we think the worst of the conditions are going to be coming up in just a minute.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: All right, here's some of the other top stories that we're watching for you right now. It wasn't just young men taking part in a horrible crime in Richmond, California.
Police have actually arrested a 43-year-old in connection with the gang rape of a high schoolgirl. You remember this story from last October. A 16-year-old girl violently attacked outside a high school dance. Six others arrested. They were all between the ages of 15 and 21. They all have pleaded not guilty, by the way.
And grief counselors at a middle school in Harnett County, North Carolina this morning, they're talking with classmates of a 13-year- old student who was shot and killed by police. Police say that the boy shot first wounding a deputy. Then they discovered the boy crouching in a ditch. Police say he had two handguns and 250 rounds of ammo in his backpack.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on the hot seat today. In just about 30 minutes she'll be in the Senate Homeland Security Committee meeting hearing and looking into the Christmas day attack attempt.
She's also got a date this afternoon with the Senate Transportation Committee on the same subject.
Big question in Washington today, what happens to health care reform? The White House scrambles for another answer just hours after Republicans score a big upset.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: High winds, rain, flooding. California getting hammered this morning. And residents now being forced to evacuate. KTLA reporter Eric Spillman just north of Los Angeles.
Well, Eric, you've been living there a long time. You have definitely watched weather like this affect the area. You're not getting hit yet. Right? But residents will be evacuating this morning.
ERIC SPILLMAN, KTLA REPORTER: Yes. I mean this is the third in some very powerful storms that we've had so far this week in southern California. And this one's believed to be the strongest. It's going to dump between four and eight inches of rain here.
And in these areas of Los Angeles County that are below the areas that burned in the Station fire several months ago, there's just no margin for any kind of error. So what authorities are doing is they're telling people to get out of here.
It's a mandatory evacuation. It begins at 9:00 this morning. There's about 500 or 600 homes that are affected by this thing. You take a look at some of these properties here. And they're pretty well protected by concrete k-rail barriers, by sandbags. There are sandbags everywhere here.
These barriers are meant to channel the mud and the rock and the debris that's going to come off those burned hillsides and watch down the hill here if it rains very, very hard. But really, the problem is they can't protect your life.
And what the fire department here is saying is they can't guarantee people's safety because you could end up with a sort of wall of mud and rock and debris just flowing into this neighborhood later today if it rains hard enough.
So they're telling everybody, pack up, get out of here. We're going to go door to door with the sheriff's department to make sure you're out of here. We're going to knock on your door. We're going to make sure this neighborhood is empty. Leave here and prepare to be gone for at least five days because we don't know how long this is going to last and how long this area might be unsafe for people to be in. Kyra?
PHILLIPS: Well, that's a good -- well, hold on a second, Eric. Maybe we can ask meteorologist Jacqui Jeras.
Jacqui, do you have any idea? Can you give Eric any intel about how long this could last?
JERAS: Well, at least through the rest of the week is what we're looking at, Kyra. And like he said, this is, you know, the third in a series of storms. And we've got at least one more to come through and that is going to come to play late next week. So the worse of the conditions we think moving into L.A. by this afternoon at the latest. And we're going to see those torrential downpours like Eric mentioned, you know, four to five inches of rainfall or so, and winds are going to be a big factor today, too.
High-wind warnings in effect across the area. We could see some gusts, even in L.A. itself, 50, maybe 60 miles per hour. So that's going to cause a lot of damage in and of itself, too. And then we're going to start talking about power outages as well as mudslides and all that flooding that continues to go on -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Got it. All right, we'll talk with Eric Spillman more, from KTLA.
Eric, thank you so much. Did that help at all, Eric? Gave you a little insight -- bringing it right to you.
(LAUGHTER)
SPILLMAN: Well, it doesn't -- you know, it's not exactly comforting but thank you anyway.
PHILLIPS: There -- yes, I hear you. I know. This is going to be a long day for you, no doubt. A long couple of days.
Eric, thanks a lot.
Jacqui, appreciate it. You're also doing other -- following other parts of the country as well, yes?
JERAS: Yes, absolutely. And you know, it's not just Southern California, by the way, too, Kyra, with this storm. We also have some real nasty conditions on up into northern California.
Look at all this rain which is moving in to the southern bay area right now. We've had flooding conditions into the San Joaquin Valley. Check out these pictures from Madera, California, that's just outside of Fresno where some power lines were down there yesterday.
If we have those pictures to show, there you can see them right over the streets in people's neighborhoods, on top of houses. So a lot of damage from some of the strong winds that I was mentioning. So we're going to likely see more pictures like this as we head into the afternoon hours for today.
So this is certainly covering all of California. The rainfall totals in the next 48 hours are going to be just incredible. Especially if you head into those foothills. That's where those numbers are going to be greater.
Of course, some great news for skiers. You're happy to see this snow. And we could see up to five feet total by the end of the week with this storm system.
(WEATHER REPORT)
PHILLIPS: All right, Jacqui, appreciate it.
The Senate showdown in Massachusetts. The GOP celebrates. Well, the White House is scrambling. And the rest of us wonder, what happens to the health care overhaul now?
Also we want to know what you think about President Obama's first year in office. Go to my blog, CNN.com/Kyra. Complete the sentence, "President Obama's first year," giving your thoughts. I'll read them later on in the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PHILLIPS: And the opening bell just ringing. And we're going to go to Wall Street. Investors there focusing yesterday on the special election in Massachusetts, and its potential effect on health care reform. Well, the result, medical stocks rallied. And the Dow jumped to a 15-month high. But, today, investors are turning their attention back to the economy.
Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange. So, Susan, what are we expecting?
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, as what we're seeing, we're seeing red arrows, Kyra. But, you know, interestingly, you mentioned the special election in Massachusetts. And, yes, trader after trader was telling me yesterday the market is seeing brown. They sniffed an upset win, and that's what we saw, of course. And we're seeing Well Point, United Health Care, Humana, big health care providers continuing to rally.
But overall, yes, stocks are lower because new home construction unexpectedly fell four percent last month. That's overshadowing a double-digit jump in building permits, which is a good sign of future construction projects.
Earnings from the nation's biggest banks also in focus. Bank of America lost more than $5 billion last year. BofA took a hit because of its government bailout repayment and big losses in its mortgage and credit card businesses. But we do have signs of improvement over at Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo. Both reported fourth quarter profit. That compares to multi-billion dollar losses for both in the same period a year ago. Wells Fargo says it is growing more confident that the worst is now over.
And, finally, Berkshire Hathaway shares may soon be affordable to every day investors, Kyra, like you and me. We don't need like a whole pool, we don't need an entire community to buy a single share. How does $67 a share sound? Warren Buffett's company is voting today on splitting its class B shares in a 50 for 1 stock split. It's part of Buffet's plan to buy a big railroad company. It won't affect the class A shares which are the most expensive U.S. stock at $100,000 a share.
Kyra, but if you just buy one of those class "B" shares, you can attend Woodstock for capitalist. The Berkshire Hathaway annual share holder meeting, which is a hoot in Omaha, Nebraska. I've been out there a few times.
Checking the early numbers, well, not a party in Wall Street. The Dow, the Nasdaq, S&P 500 each pulling back about one percent, Kyra. But as I mentioned, health care shares are up about two percent on the news out of Massachusetts.
PHILLIPS: The big talker today, that's for sure. All right, Susan, thanks so much.
PHILLIPS: On that note, Massachusetts, well, a state of discontent. Best way to describe it right now. Republican Scott Brown seized on voter frustrations yesterday pulling off a stunning upset. He captured the Senate seat that had been held by Democratic icon Ted Kennedy. Kennedy had held that seat for more than 40 years. Brown won 52 percent of the vote. Democrat Martha Coakley 47%. Just two weeks ago, she seemed invincible.
The GOP win means that Republicans may be able to block health care reform now. So what can President Obama do?
Well, CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux just spoke with the administration official.
Suzanne, are they scrambling?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Obviously, Kyra. They're trying to figure out what on earth we're going to do next. I just had a chance to talk to David Axelrod. He's one of the president's top advisors. And I put these questions to him essentially. What does the president do next? Is health care reform dead? He said, no, it is not dead. That the president is not going to give up on this. This is a very important agenda item of his. And so, what they're going to do is they're going to put their heads together and figure out where do they go from here.
He says he's not revealing the tactics in terms of what the House should do, the Senate or how they're going to try to get this thing through but clearly they need do something that's a bit more modest, slow down the pace a little bit more. I asked him if he thought that the Massachusetts loss -- losing that Democratic seat, you know, they've had a Democratic seat since 1953, was a referendum on this administration and on the president's health care reform. He said he thought it was a combination of things. That it was not only the candidate, the campaign, the health care reform plan of the president, the mood in Washington, but also the anger and the sense of frustration that people feel in this country. And that, yes, this White House gets it. They hear that anger and frustration, and that the president will identify it.
But he also acknowledged, too, it is going to be a tougher battle, a tougher fight when it comes to other legislative priorities because, face it, Kyra, they are looking to move on here, create jobs, deal with the economy, energy legislation, immigration reform, financial regulations. Those kinds of things. They cannot move forward until they put this health care reform bill in a place that makes sense.
And right now, Kyra, you're right, scrambling is a good word for it. They're going to be putting their heads together and try to figure out where do we go from here? What do we do next?
PHILLIPS: All right, Suzanne Malveaux. We'll be following it, of course, on a regular basis.
Well, I guess you could say yesterday was Brown Tuesday in Massachusetts. And, boy, do things change? Where do the Dems go from here, and how will the GOP take advantage of this opportunity? We're going to push that forward next hour. Jacqui Jeras, you're going to be pushing forward all of the flooding in Southern California.
(WEATHER REPORT)
PHILLIPS: All right, Jacqui. Thank you.
Would you quit your job for $30 million or $40 million? The latest installment in NBC's late night fiasco.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Taking a look now at some of our top stories. Police in central Virginia believe that they have got their man. Christopher Speight, the suspect in eight shooting deaths surrendered to cops this morning. Police don't have a motive yet for yesterday's killings, but they say the suspect knew the victims.
We may hear a ruling this morning affecting how elections will be funded in the future. The case is before the U.S. Supreme Court. It would expand the role of corporations and labor unions in financing elections. But there are concerns that a favorable ruling could lead to influence peddling situations with members of Congress. We're going to wait for a word of a decision from the high court. We'll bring it to you as soon as we get it.
And parents, listen up. About 635,000 cribs sold at major discounters have been recalled. Dorel Asia cribs are sold at K-Mart, Sears, Wal-Mart, all between January 2005 and last December. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says that some hardware on the crib can cause the drop-side to detach, and that would leave the baby being strangled or suffocated.
Well, a CNN exclusive. One-on-one with the former patient of the accused Fort Hood gunman. He describes odd behavior by Army Psychiatrist Nidal Hasan.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Protecting military employees. Leaders of the Fort Hood shootings investigation are expected to testify on Capitol Hill next hour. It comes after a scathing report alleging the military repeatedly ignored warning signs about the accused gunman army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan.
Well, in an exclusive interview, CNN's Drew Griffin talked with one of Hasan's patients.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): He was watching CNN that very day.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Nidal Malik Hasan, a major in the United States Army.
GRIFFIN: And was stunned when he saw this photo of the suspect. The suspect who was also his doctor.
(on camera): When you first saw the shooting at Ft. Hood, before we knew anything, what was your reaction?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's a (expletive) terrorist. Like nothing else went through my mind. That was the first thing that came to my mind.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): It was also the first thing that came into his mind, he says, when he first met Hasan in May of 2007.
(on camera): You mentioned over the phone that you thought, this guy could be a terrorist.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I did.
GRIFFIN: Really?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really did. I don't know why I thought that, but I did.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): The former medic, who does not want to reveal his identity, says he was sent to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in May of 2007 for treatment of a shoulder injury and psychiatric treatment for depression and severe anxiety. The psychiatrist assigned was Major Nidal Hasan, and the medic says he rarely showed up for appointments, and when he did, seemed to care little for the soldier he was assigned to help.
(on camera): You say he seemed disinterested. Did he seem odd?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Definitely seemed odd. Just like if you look at the pictures that have been done of him when he went into that grocery store, had he a big smile on his face. You never saw that smile when he was a doctor.
GRIFFIN: Grumpy?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very harsh stare. Fire-burning eyes. As though he was disconnected completely from the patient. It was like nobody was there.
GRIFFIN: Like he was staring past you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
GRIFFIN: That can't be very comforting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. It wasn't comforting at all.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): According to the Defense Department report, this patient's view of Hasan is similar to others. One of many warning signs that he was incompetent as a psychiatrist.
(on camera): In a 12-year military career, Hasan repeatedly scored below average academically, had a poor attendance record, and needed close monitoring in emergency rooms.
In 2007, he even questioned why Muslim soldiers should be involved in fighting other Muslims. Suggesting that Sharia Muslim law trumped the U.S. Constitution.
(voice-over): Despite all the warning signs, in 2009 Hasan was given yet another recommendation to be promoted, and he was sent to Ft. Hood, Texas. According to this former patient of Hasan, the Army not only promoted an incompetent psychiatrist, but also allowed that incompetent physician to care for sick soldiers, like him.
(on camera): Do you feel at the time he was at Walter Reed he was not doing the job that he was assigned to do?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was not. There was no patient-doctor relationship there. Might as well be just talking to a wall by yourself.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: But did he ever complain about Nidal Hasan?
GRIFFIN: You know, he says he was so messed up at the time and needed so much help he didn't complain. What he did though, ask the staff, where is my doctor? He's missing appointments. The staff told him, look, we know there's problems and we're taking care of it.
PHILLIPS: But the Army kept promoting him and trying to promote him out? Or out of where it -- let's promote him so we can get him out our area? I mean, is that the attitude?
GRIFFIN: Kyra, before they even knew he was e-mailing this radical cleric in Yemen -- right -- he's a bad doctor. What is he doing treating Army soldiers that are in real need of a psychiatrist? But the Army apparently did, they promoted him up to get rid of him.
It's one of the things they're looking at today with these investigations going on and changing procedures. But you know, you get so frustrated because a lot of this is common sense.
This guy is not showing up, he's a poor performer, get rid of him. It seems like you don't have to have a change in procedures or policies to figure that one out.
PHILLIPS: And now look at the connection between this radical cleric he had communications with and the failed bombing attempt on Christmas Day and the connection there.
GRIFFIN: Absolutely. It's all about not connecting the dots and so many of these missed connections are common sense.
PHILLIPS: I'm glad you're staying that story thanks, Drew.
Well, they are often the last hope for a prospective homeowner. But beginning today Uncle Sam is going to make those FHA mortgages tougher to get. And we'll tell you why. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: As the mortgage crisis has deepened, more people have turned to Uncle Sam for their home loans. And for many, it's their last hope for home ownership.
Well, beginning today those FHA mortgages are going to be even tougher to get.
Let's break it all down. Christine Romans, part of the CNN money team. Ok, how are things going to change and what do we do?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, look. These are very popular over the past couple of years. These are loans for relatively small loan balances for people who might not have 720 or even a 700 credit score.
This is a way that the United States government for years has tried to make sure that underserved communities have been able to get in there and show that they can be responsible borrowers and buy a home. Incredibly, incredibly popular, this is the government backing these mortgages, not necessarily giving them but backing them.
So here is -- what are the new rules? More cash up front. These are mortgages that require mortgage insurance. They're going to raise that insurance premium. It's going to mean a larger down payment if your credit score is below 580, a 10 percent down payment.
Right now you can get a loan through the FHA -- backed by the FHA, rather, for as low as three and a half percent down. And it's going to mean tighter oversight of lenders and also it's going to limit the amount of money that sellers can kick in for closing costs. Something else that sort of helps people get over the hump if they don't have a lot of money saved and they have a lower credit score and they are trying to borrow a little bit of money for their homes.
Now, we know that first-time home over the past years, first-time home buyers, about half of those loans have been backed, have been loans backed by the FHA. And in 2009 a third of all home loans are backed by the FHA, but the FHA of course, also trying to protect its bottom line and taxpayers as well and trying to protect against rising defaults.
PHILLIPS: Well, we've got a weak housing market too; it's hard to pay those loans.
ROMANS: Yes.
PHILLIPS: All right, give us the Romans numeral today.
ROMANS: The Romans numeral is 2,824,674 and that number is exactly what you're talking about, Kyra. It's the weak housing market. That's how many people got a default notice last year. I mean, that's a record. I mean, think of that, one in 45...
PHILLIPS: Wow. ROMANS: ...homeowners in this country got a notice in the mail saying, "Hey, you're late paying your bills." It's one of the reasons why the government agencies, the banks, everyone trying to make sure they're making credit available to responsible borrowers but also knowing that they're going to have to try to protect taxpayers from future losses.
A lot of people defaulting on their homes; it's still happening.
PHILLIPS: Yes, we're waiting for change, that's for sure. Thanks, Christine.
Well, we've got a lot going on this morning. CNN crews are in place to bring to all of you. We want to check in with our correspondents beginning with Jim Acosta in Boston. Of course and also ahead small hands, big hearts. We are going to talk to -- ok, we're going to talk to kids who are helping Haiti by actually selling hot chocolate.
We're going to have their story in their own words as well.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Let the post mortems begin. Democrats are trying to figure out where to go from here after the meltdown in Massachusetts. I'll have that story at the top of the hour.
JERAS: I'm CNN meteorologist, Jacqui Jeras. Two storms down, two to go for California. The worst is yet to come. We'll have your forecast news at the top of the hour.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: And the fight over proposed bank tax, well, it could be headed to court. Wall Street's main lobbying group hiring a Supreme Court lawyer to look into a possible Constitutional challenge; we'll have all the details in the next hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: H1N1 shots, some people on the staff at an elementary school near Boston were going to get them; not students, just staff. Great idea. Roll up your sleeve. Take a bite out of swine flu. Just one problem; they got insulin shots by mistake.
Now, I'm no doctor but I do believe insulin is pretty useless against H1N1 and potentially harmful if you don't need more of it. Several staffers had to go to the hospital. They are all okay. The school superintendent promises an investigation and no repeats. The nurse who gave the misfired shots, well, that person is on paid leave.
So Coach Lane Kiffin bolted from the University of Tennessee for USC after just one season. Some big Orange fans still think he deserves to have something in Knoxville named in his honor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DREW MCELROY, UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE FAN: Grin on my face every time I drive down (INAUDIBLE). (END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Yes, Drew McElroy has his way. The Lane Kiffin Sewage Center will be treating Knoxville's wastewater any day now. I guess it's a case of a grudge turning to sludge.
You have to wonder if Edgar Allan Poe is turning over in that famous grave of his in Baltimore. For more than 60 years, someone, a mystery mourner has left three roses and half a bottle of cognac at the stone on his birthday.
Not this year, a no-show for Poe yesterday. At his grave, no booze, no rose; it is sad to think tradition thus goes.
NBC late night is supposed to be comedy but it's been all melodrama since the network decided to put Jay Leno back to 11:30 over the objections of current "Tonight Show" host, Conan O'Brien who's negotiating a severance deal, by the way, and last NBC broadcast probably Friday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONAN O'BRIEN, NBC HOST: I've been thinking a lot about what I'm going to do with all my new free time.
Here are my plans so far for next week. Check it out. It's pretty cool. Introduce myself to my children. Connect all my freckles with a sharpy. Play Beatles rock band until I reach level Yoko. Make a cameo appearance on "Gossip Girl" as Blaine Wilcox, a mysterious albino playboy. Legally change my name to No-Show Jones. Finally make good on my plan to backpack through India with "The Situation". Return La Bamba to the kindly old carpenter who made him. Have my "Tonight Show Forever" tattoo changed to "Oh, Show Over?" Make a move to Fox, Megan Fox.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
