Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Mr. Brown Goes to Washington; Battle over Health Care Reform; Life at Risk; When to Amputate; U.S. Airways Diverted to Philadelphia; Wall Street Waits on President Obama; Goldman Sachs Posts Record Profits

Aired January 21, 2010 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, guys. Good morning everyone. Thank you for getting your day going with us. Here's what you missed overnight and what we're talking about today.

Streets looking like rivers. An ocean that looks like a cauldron, blowing winds, sliding mud. This is California right now.

Felons and illegal immigrants walking into a gun show, walking out with their new weapons. Hey, who needs background checks anyway?

And so was she nagging? Talking smack? Who put the duct tape on Cindy McCain's mouth? You know, that's going to hurt coming off. What is she trying to say?

Well, tell you what, no duct tape for Brianna Keilar. She's in D.C. She's on Capitol Hill. She's got plenty to say. We're waiting for the guy from Massachusetts and the new twist to the health care debate.

And then also our Ed Henry. No duct tape for him as well, that's for sure. He's going to be over there at the White House, talking about big bankers, beware, because a lot of big changes are brewing.

And then finally, our Dr. Sanjay Gupta, we're going to be talking with him about the horrifying price of survival right now in Haiti. Doctors saving life but not limb.

Well, Mr. Brown goes to Washington. The newly elected senator from Massachusetts heads to Capitol Hill today where his stunning upset has changed the balance of power.

CNN congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar on the hill -- all eyes on the hill actually today, wondering what's going to happen, Brianna.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, I have to tell you, one year and one day ago, I along with so many of my CNN colleagues were here on this very street, Constitution Avenue, where President Obama's inaugural parade was poised to take off down the street as soon as he finished up the inauguration and all of the festivities here on Capitol Hill.

A very different story here today. We are expecting that Senator-elect Scott Brown will come down this very same street where he's going to be really coming to the capital so that -- you know the place he's going to be calling home and working for the next -- really the better part of the next three years.

Where he's really going to spend a lot of his time today is actually here at the Russell Senate Office building. He's going to be meeting with a number of Republicans and also Democrats. He's going to be talking first with Senator John McCain, a very high-profile -- the probably most high profile backer of his campaign.

He'll also be meeting with Senator John Kerry, who is now the senior senator from Massachusetts. And he'll also will be meeting with Senator Paul Kirk, the man who took the place of Senator Ted Kennedy until this special election could be held here a couple of days ago.

Finally, Senator-elect Brown is going to be having lunch with Senator Mitch McConnell -- Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Perhaps he'll be talking with some other Republicans.

And Kyra, we're expecting to see him here really getting down to work as soon as next week, at least that's what Senator-elect Brown told reporters as he headed to the airport today in Boston.

His certification hasn't gone through yet, but we're not expecting that it's going to be held up. And of course, he is a critical vote when it comes to health care for Republicans. He has that critical 41st vote and of course the first Republican senator from Massachusetts in 32 years -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Brianna Keilar, thanks so much. We'll stay in touch with you, find out exactly the conversations that Scott Brown had as he starts to meet with folks throughout the day now.

Did you hear that? It was a screeching sound. President Obama putting the breaks on the health care debate. He actually wants lawmakers to wait for Scott Brown to be sworn in before going further.

So is that still the game plan today? Hopefully he's got some answers for us. Senior White House correspondent, Mr. Ed Henry.

So, Ed, what's the administration's strategy?

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, what they're really talking about is scaling back the health care reform plans. But nobody really knows for sure exactly how far back they'll be scaled back.

One plan is still floating out there, maybe somehow they could take the old Senate bill, push that through the House at some point. The president making clear he won't jam it through, telling ABC he wants to wait until Scott Brown is actually sworn in. They don't want to play any tricks or anything here.

But maybe eventually pushing the Senate bill through with some other changes. A second possibility would be to scale it back even more, just pass some of those very popular health insurance changes that even a lot of Republicans had said they could support like ending preexisting conditions.

And then maybe sweetening it for liberals by expanding a popular program like Medicaid, so you could cover a few more million people who are not insured right now.

But that's far, far from what the president once talked about. You know the Senate bill was going to cover 31 million more people. The president had a plan basically in the neighborhood of $1 trillion.

Last night on the "New York Times" Web site, Paul Krugman, influential liberal columnists, said -- he's hearing about all this scaled-back plans that he thinks he's about to give up on this president because he doesn't think he's really going to fight for the issues he got elected on.

It gives you an idea of the pressure the president is facing. On one hand, people saying move to the right, reach across the center there on issues like health care. On the left, a lot of people angry saying he should be fighting and pushing ahead.

Still a tough balancing act here, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Switching gears now, talking about financial issues, a balancing act, again. President Obama going to speak live today laying down the law when it comes to campaign finance.

HENRY: That's right. They want to put some new regulations in that will crack down on banks and will basically say you've got to manage your risks better so we don't get into the same sort of financial crisis that's been playing out over the last couple of years.

What that's really all about is this administration really trying to step up, go after the big banks, which are very unpopular now. From a policy standpoint, but also from a political standpoint, obviously coming out of Massachusetts, trying to put themselves on the side of the consumer and say we realize you're angry at the banks, more needs to be done to crack down on them.

Of course, that may raise the obvious question, why has it taken the White House so long to push some through? They knew all last year the American people were frustrated by this. It seems like now, while they have been working on it, it's all accelerating now because of those election results -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Ed Henry, at the White House. Thanks so much.

And if you were one of those people who said that John Edwards absolutely fathered that baby, well, you were right all along. The former Democratic presidential candidate now admits the 2-year-old girl is his.

You remember all this, right? His campaign videographer Rielle Hunter gave birth to a daughter. Edwards says yes, he had an affair, no, he's not the daddy. And one of his aides says the child is his.

Well, scandal ruined seclusion, federal investigation -- you saw it all. Edwards says he's supporting the baby financially. Oh, and his wife, Elizabeth, yes, she's still getting treatment for her incurable cancer.

Southern California not the only part of the country dealing with severe weather today. Reynolds Wolf is tracking the storms in the south for us.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You are absolutely right. We are talking about the possibility of seeing some tornadic activity in parts of the southeast. As we speak we've got two tornado watches that are in fact in parts of Georgia, Florida and Alabama. More on that coming up in just a few moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, it seems like Southern California just can't catch a break right now. It's already drenched and now a third storm expected to pound up. Los Angeles Police aren't making evacuation requests, they're actually giving orders.

CNN's Rob Marciano joins us live from La Canada, Flintridge area.

So, Rob, how bad is it?

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, they've evacuated about a thousand households, so far, Kyra. So people are taking this very, very seriously. You mentioned three storms, and I think they've just flat-out lost count.

There've been so many pulses of energy and moisture that have been slamming into Southern California over the past week. These people are just worn out. As it seems like, the terrain around here, five months ago, flames lapping at the backyards of these people, and those flames burning the infrastructure that holds the ground together, meaning the roots, the trees, the grass, the shrubs.

One of those hillsides behind here, yesterday when the rain was really coming down, you can see just how steep and rugged that terrain is. So gravity at some point is going to take over.

A number of geologists and certainly residents are just amazed that more mud hasn't come down. There was some oozing, some seeping of the mud yesterday, and it made its way down the hill.

You can kind of see it piled up against this k-rail which they've set up in anticipation of this sort of instability. As a matter of fact, they started putting these in place pretty much right after the fires burned over the summer. So they've been planning for this sort of onslaught for the past couple of months.

This area has been evacuated. There's so many of these roads in subdivisions around -- just right up against the hills that wind through these hillsides. So these k-rails, and that's the first line of defense, and then also we've got sandbags that are lining the side walks.

So one, two lines of this defense. We've done OK so far with just kind of the seeping of the hillside, but if we were to get a full on mudslide or debris float, the basins that are used to divert that dirt and debris would fill up quickly and these homes certainly would be in jeopardy.

I can tell you it has gotten somewhat colder over the last 24 hours. That typically is good news in this sort of scenario in that it lowers the snow levels so some of that moisture gets locked up.

But, you know, the snow level is still, 3,000 or 4,000 feet. So if the moisture comes in, likely, fear it might this afternoon, then folks here are certainly going to be nervous to say the least.

But so far, Kyra, we've just gotten one or two downpours this morning, and it looks like most of the rain has stayed to our north and to our south and residents here are certainly on the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. Hope that trend continues through tomorrow.

Back to you.

PHILLIPS: OK. Yes, we'll keep talking, Rob. Thanks so much.

And then meanwhile more rain in California. Ice storms already causing power outages. Schools are closing in the nation's midsection, right, Reynolds?

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: OK. Thanks, Reynolds.

Aid is still the biggest issue in Haiti right now, both food and medicine. An effort is under way to get that stuff where it needs to go as fast as possible. But to do that U.S. officials say they now have a plan to try and keep better track of what's actually on those aid planes that are landing in Port-au-Prince.

Now money is also still pouring in. Add the president and first lady to the donor list. The Obamas 15 grand to the Clinton-Bush Haiti fund.

Amazingly people are still being pulled out of the rubble alive as well. A 5-year-old boy was rescued yesterday, and you know what he said? "I'm thirsty." His mother and father both died in the quake.

So what does an earthquake feel like? This exclusive video gives us just a taste.

OK. So it's a lot less scary in your living room. You can actually see the flames from an explosion there in Port-au-Prince, and then came the aftershocks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am serious, man. My house is like -- I thought my house was going to fall!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: There were several aftershocks right away and about two dozen since the big one.

Steve Kastenbaum of CNN Radio just got back from Haiti. He was one of the first journalists there after the quake. He's got a story to tell just little later. What it was like to be in that country where civilization crumbled.

And to survive in Haiti, sometimes you have to pay with your limbs. It's a horrifying choice that doctors are making every day right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: And here are some of the other top stories that we're watching this morning.

The Garridos due in court today for a hearing on their kidnapping case. Phillip and Nancy Garrido are charged in the 18-year abduction of Jaycee Lee Duggard in Antioch, California. They've both pleaded not guilty.

It's unusual for the Supreme Court to meet on Thursdays to issue opinions but the justices are doing it today. And that's leaving to speculation that they may have a decision on a controversial campaign finance reform case.

At stake? Whether corporations can be restricted from funding federal election campaigns. And the ruling is handed down this morning. We're going to bring it to you and explain what it means for you the next time you vote.

The accused White House party crashers weren't kidding when they said they didn't want to talk. Here's the highlights or the lowlights.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. BILL PASCRELL JR. (D), NEW JERSEY: Let me ask you a question, Mr. Salahi, did you wear a tuxedo that night? Are you going to take the Fifth on that?

TAREQ SALAHI, ALLEGED WHITE HOUSE PARTY CRASHER: On the advice of counsel, I respectfully assert my rights.

PASCRELL: Let me ask you a question. Were you there?

SALAHI: On the advice of counsel...

PASCRELL: Are you here today, Mr. Salahi? Are you here right now? You have to get an answer from your attorney on that?

(END VIDEO CLIP) PHILLIPS: The Salahis plead the Fifth over and over during yesterday's Capitol Hill hearing into the security breach, almost to the point of being ridiculous. OK, past the point of being ridiculous. The Salahis' attorney called it a public flogging.

Save the limb or save the life. Haitians crushed under so much concrete, now in hospitals where doctors face an extremely tough decision.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: There is a dilemma facing doctors in Haiti right now in their makeshift clinics, trying to decide who gets to keep their arms and legs.

CNN chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, joins us now from Port-au-Prince with more on his story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Such traumatic injuries a week out. And these patients are so at risk. And look, they're out in this blazing hot sun. No IVs hanging. Significant injuries. And really no home to go to either.

So you can really see what's happening here. Just patient after patient.

(Voice-over): If head injuries are the hallmark of the war in Afghanistan, the Haiti earthquake will be known for crush injuries. Doctors amputated 17-year-old Isalin's (ph) arm three days after the quake.

In her case, there was no question. But with such severe injuries over and over again doctors are faced with a tough choice -- to cut or not to cut. Like this 10-year-old boy, Desgray (ph). He's beaten down, looks awful, but his limb still moves.

(On camera): Well, the initial instinct for most people, try and save the leg. It would be too morbid not to. But we also know now, that's not always the right answer. Infection, gangrene, crush syndrome.

(Voice-over): Crush syndrome is a simple name for a condition called rhabdomyolysis. After your muscle is crushed, it could start to break down releasing these particles into the bloodstream, caused kidney failure, very high potassium levels, even cardiac arrest.

So removing a limb could mean saving a life.

Here in Haiti, crush injuries are everywhere. And amputations, at the scene to rescue someone, or here in hospitals like this.

But how do doctors decide whether to cut or not? Some clues. Obviously, dead skin. Blisters like this. Or a crush that simply lasted two long.

In the case of Desgray, he had all those things and he was also severely dehydrated. That made his condition even worse. So last night Desgray did lose his right arm, but remember, that is also probably what saved his life.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Getting word right now that a plane was diverted while in flight as a security precaution.

Christine Romans working some details for us out of New York.

Christine, what did you find out?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: OK. This is what we know. A U.S. Airways spokesperson is confirming to us that a LaGuardia -- a plane taking off in LaGuardia has been rerouted to Philadelphia for a security precaution.

They're not telling us exactly what happened but something happened on that flight. They decided to reroute that LaGuardia. Had been bound for Louisville, instead, they took it to Philly.

This was U.S. Airways Flight 3709. It's an (INAUDIBLE) regional jet, in case you're wondering. It was scheduled to depart LaGuardia at 7:39 this morning. We are told by U.S. Airways that all passengers have been removed from the plane and will be, as they say, re- accommodated.

But again, this was LaGuardia, a plane out of LaGuardia. It was a U.S. Airways Flight 3709. It was bound for Louisville. Instead they have rerouted this flight to Philly for security precautions that they are not identifying right now.

All the people have been taken safely off of that plane and will be re-accommodated. Again, we're working all of our sources, Kyra, to find out exactly what occurred there that raised those concerns that were -- obviously were strong enough concerns that they want to get this flight on the ground in Philly and not let it continue on to Louisville -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Got it. And sometimes it can just be a rowdy passenger that doesn't calm down so they've got to land the plane. It doesn't necessarily mean...

ROMANS: Right.

PHILLIPS: ... it was a high-threat situation. So we'll follow it. Live pictures now from WPVI of where that plane or that aircraft touched down in Philadelphia.

Christine, let us know when you have more information. Appreciate it. Quick break, we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Kyra Phillips.

PHILLIPS: It's been a rollercoaster ride on Wall Street lately. The Dow has posted triple digit moves in each of the past three trading days, but not in the same direction.

For a look at what's in store today, let's go straight to Susan Lisovicz. She's at the New York Stock Exchange with the details.

Good morning, Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kyra. You know, that's what happens when we're in the mist of earnings season. So much information and sometimes there's volatility. But we're expecting a much keener open that we've seen in the past few days.

Investors, however, are on edge ahead of this speech later this morning by President Obama. He's set to propose an overhaul of the banking sector. Reports say he wants to keep financial companies from becoming so big that they post a risk to the entire economy.

That happens to come on the same day that Goldman Sachs posted a nearly $5 billion quarterly profit which is even better than Wall Street expected. Not bad for three months work.

Christine will have more on that in just a moment.

New jobless numbers, meanwhile, are pressuring sentiment. New claims jumped by nearly 40,000 last week to 482,000. That's the highest level in two months. But some of it is due to a backlog of claims from the winter holidays.

And every day investors, Kyra, can get their hands on Berkshire Hathaway stock today. Warren Buffett's company approved a 50 for 1 stock split, which cut the price of class b shares from $3,000 down to $66 a share.

So that's something that you can actually afford. The class A shares, well, they're still out of reach for most of us. They trade for more than $100,000 each.

And as I mentioned, Kyra, if you own just one share of class B for $66, you can go to Omaha for the Woodstock for the capitalists, the annual shareholder meeting, which is a real hoot when Warren Buffett takes your questions for hours. It's fun, it's information, it's worth the $66.

In the meantime, we're...

(LAUGHTER)

LISOVICZ: I mean he's not bad at all, really.

PHILLIPS: He's quite a character. I got to say.

LISOVICZ: He just is a home spun kind of guy. He speaks in a language you can understand. He has a lot of memorable phrases. Let me put it this way, annual letter to the share holders that's made me laugh out loud. It's that funny sometimes. I am not laughing at the numbers. The Dow's under a little pressure, Nasdaq's higher. One more thing of note Kyra, Pizzaria Uno, the parent company has filed for bankruptcy. The restaurant however not expected to close. The company plans to exit bankruptcy in just a few months. The first Uno's opened in 1943 in Chicago, a city that prides itself on pizza.

PHILLIPS: It has a thick crust. That got me through college. And by the way it wasn't 1943 when I was in college. Thanks Susan. Talk to you later.

Well, here is another investment that you had but may not remember. Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs received and repaid about $10 billion from the taxpayer bailout. And this morning it announcing big quarterly earnings and looks down the road to the likelihood of tighter regulations. Christine Romans part of the CNN money team in New York.

So Christine, Goldman Sachs made big money last year.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: it was an incredible year for Goldman Sachs. They made a lot of money. They made a lot of money trading and their trading machine was simply phenomenal. And this is a company that for the fourth quarter blew away what Wall Street was expecting how much money they'd earn. It was a record for the year, $13.4 billion, just a year after it looked like the lights were going to go off in the economy and all these big banks including Goldman were forced to take billions in bailout cash, a big record profit this year. Goldman of course paid that bailout money back quickly, but still took advantage of a lot of other programs out there.

Now here is a big issue that a lot of people were waiting for, the compensation pool, $16.2 billion. Wow, that's a lot of money. But the company clearly hearing its critics Kyra. That compensation is down from 20 percent from its record in 2007. A lot of people thought there would be record bonuses, record compensation this year for Goldman. Not so. They're going to give a half a billion dollars to charity and they dramatically cut back how much of their revenue they go, goes into its compensation pool. So I think they were hearing what many people had been screaming about for months now, about how much money these guys were going to get paid. Still an awful lot of money, make no mistake, but it's not as much as many people had thought.

PHILLIPS: All right. The administration is looking to put curbs on big banks like Goldman, right?

ROMANS: That's right and Goldman Sach has said it is grateful for the support of American taxpayers and the government in the days and weeks after the financial crisis last year, but gratitude isn't enough for the Obama administration. The Obama administration, the president today (ph) Paul Volcker who runs his economic recovery board. They were going to announce new proposals to restrict the risk taking, the size and complexity, high-tech trading and the risk taking of these big megabanks. In fact Kyra, almost going back to some of the curbs that we used to have in the great depression, the first time we have been sort of putting curbs back in after decades and decades of taking down regulation. We will hear more from the president on that in a couple hours.

PHILLIPS: Sounds good. Thanks Christine.

Americans have felt the pinch of the housing crisis and now the real estate crisis has hit that property, partly on its own in Washington. The website Zillow says that the value of the White House took a beating last year and it started 2009 with an estimated worth of $308 million and today the 132-room mansion is worth 5 percent less. Zillo says it would fetch $292 million on the open market.

In desperate need, we've seen helping hands extended to so many of Haiti's orphans and that's been really great to see. But our Gary Tuchman has the other side of the spectrum, the elderly, basically left to die after the quake. I have to warn you that some of these pictures are going to be pretty hard to take.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There were people who escaped from this structure with their lives. What has become of their lives?

(on-camera): This building was a government-run senior citizen home in Port-au-Prince. There were 80 men and women who lived here. Six were killed in the earthquake. The other 74 survived. But now watching how they survive is very difficult.

(voice-over): They are living outside, in the heat, on soiled mattresses, many in diapers that don't appear to have been changed. Some not wearing any pants at all. They are here because the director of the nursing home says he doesn't know what to do with them. And then there is this disturbing fact.

JEAN EMMANUEL, NURSING HOME ADMINISTRATOR (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): They have no food. They have no drinking water. They have absolutely nothing.

TUCHMAN: This is 74-year-old (INAUDIBLE). She proudly shows us her wedding picture, her passport picture. She is one of the seniors without food, water and sufficient medical care. The same with this man, who lies motionless with an infestation of insects on his face. This woman, one of many here with dementia and this rightfully upset man. He tells us, if conditions don't improve, these people will fall to the ground as cadavers. There is only one doctor here, a Haitian, who only has aspirin and bandages with him and when he showed up today he was the first doctor to arrive since the quake.

(on-camera): It's impossible to overstate the sense of indignity here. These are the poorest people and the poorest country in the western hemisphere. They lived in a public old age home for indigent people. It was very basic to begin with. Now they're outside. There is absolutely no plan for what's going to be done with these people next. Suffice it to say, no international aid has shown up here.

EMMANUEL: If they don't get any medical care, if they don't get any food, it's absolutely certain they will die.

TUCHMAN: They weren't killed. Most of these people weren't even hurt in the earthquake. But they are most certain victims too. Gary Tuchman, CNN, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: So many people in need in Haiti and you can help. To find out more, you can go to impact your world.

Let's go to a live picture now. US Airways has reported that it's airways express plane that was headed from Laguardia to Louisville actually had to be diverted and it landed here in Philadelphia, live picture coming to us from our affiliate WPBI (ph). It landed due to a security precaution. Not sure what happened. Don't know if it was a rowdy passenger or if there was some other type of security threat that had taken place. We haven't been able to get all the details on the incident. But we know that that aircraft did land safely on the ground right there in Philly. All passengers have been safely evacuated. So as we get more information, we will bring you up to date.

Other stories now in our security defense watch. Defense Secretary Robert Gates huddling with Pakistani allies today and not getting the signals that he liked. U.S. officials want the Pakistanis to target militants staging cross border attacks in Afghanistan, but the Pakistanis say that they can't launch new offensives for six months to a year. The Pakistanis say they are trying to stabilize gains made against the Pakistani Taliban.

You think your parents are embarrassing?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT BROWN: Just in case anybody who is watching throughout the country, yes, they both are available.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: How about that parent? Scott Brown's victory speech and the line that had his daughters blushing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Checking some of our top stories now with timely topics. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaking this hour about Internet freedom. Clinton is talking at Washington's museum today. The address comes as Google is thinking about getting out of China over censorship concerns. The State Department says that nearly a third of the world's population live in countries censoring the Internet. Clinton is expected to announce a new set of policies to encourage online freedom globally. And we've got a warning for parents of young children. About 1,500,000 (INAUDIBLE) strollers rather have been recalled. Federal safety officials say that hinge problems could lead to a child loosing a fingertip. The recall includes the passage (INAUDIBLE) strollers and travel systems.

More nasty weather in southern California, severe storms are churning up the sea, bringing heavy rains and (INAUDIBLE) mudslides, we'll go there live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well I think we made the call. Someone just had a really bad morning. We are getting the word now it was a disruptive passenger that caused that flight to be diverted, that US Airways flight to be diverted from LaGuardia to Philadelphia. It was supposed to be heading to Louisville. Well, disruptive passenger has been interviewed. They swept the plane, no negative findings, that flight now back on its way to Louisville.

Evacuate now because your life is at risk. That's what the LAPD chief Charlie Beck issued, a pretty stern warning to the people there living in the saturated foothills around LA right now. CNN meteorologist Rob Marciano live in La Canada Flintridge area where rain is in the forecast again. It's not going to help Rob.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): The water is overwhelming. I-reports show streets that look more like lakes and a path for golf carts turned into a raging river. The weight of the water punching holes in roofs, uprooting trees and stopping traffic dead in its tracks. For all this, the fear is that the worst is still to come.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's best to get out of the way.

MARCIANO: The biggest concern is here in the foothills of LA. The area devastated by last year's station fire which scorched vegetation leaving behind bare hills vulnerable to mudslides. And so the goal Wednesday was to get people out, police swarming the area to enforce mandatory evacuations. Most people were listening, grabbing what they could and hoping that months of preparation would pay off.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've had more geologists and fire people up here and they are all really nervous about that hillside.

MARCIANO: The fear is that small streams like this could turn into deadly debris flows. This neighborhood in Glendale is typical of the threat with homes pressed right up against hillsides. Some have already gotten hit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It happened so quickly, within five minutes. So by the time -- I looked out the window, I ran out, started putting, shifting sandbags and then I realized that wasn't going to do the job.

MARCIANO: Debris basins like this are supposed to stop the flows, but many are filling up and once flow gets going, the rushing water picks up soil and rock, destroying everything in its path.

SGT. TOM LORENZ, GLENDALE, CALIF. POLICE: If that debris starts coming down, this here is the flow. And if you are up in these areas, there's no way the fire department or the police department is going to be able to get up here to help you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARCIANO: So that's why they've moved them out. About 1,000 homes have been evacuated over the last 48 hours and we'll be not coming back anytime soon. The earliest would be tomorrow afternoon but most likely sometime after the weekend. So you've got rough terrain. You've got six to 10 inches of rainfall and you've got concrete structures and you also have






ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: So you've got rough terrain, you've got six to 10 inches of rainfall, and you've got concrete structures and you also have -- well, the old fashion sandbags.

The concrete structures have actually have been in place since the fire, so they've been planning this for quite some time because there are so many homes like this one that are this close to these hills that in many cases are now barren because of the station fire that burned so many acres just five months ago.

Rain in the forecast yes, but the skies are brightening just a little bit Kyra, and from what I've seen on the radar, we've been very, very lucky so far today as far as not getting a whole a lot of rainfall. And certainly residents here are hoping that that luck doesn't run out before the storm moves through. Back over to you.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes and it's such a beautiful area, too, beautiful part of L.A.

Thanks, Rob.

Well, felons are supposed to walk out of a gun show empty-handed, aren't they? Well, that's what background checks are for. That's great if the seller actually runs a background check.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PHILLIPS: So how many times have you heard someone say don't dwell on the past? Good advice, most of the time. Not so much when you're talking about convicted felons buying guns. A year-long investigation in Texas found at least eight felons and illegal immigrants have bought weapons at a gun show; apparently, they just shopped around for vendors who wouldn't run background checks.

Now a law is tightening the rules for gun promoters like letting only licensed gun dealers to sell firearms and requiring more security.

Payback time for an Ohio woman who pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and not nearly pay back enough as far as some people are concerned.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHARON PHILLIPS, VICTIM'S STEPMOTHER: I just want to let you know how much you have hurt us by taking Mikal (ph) away from us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, prosecutors say that 300-pound Mia Landingham (ph) sat on her 120-pound boyfriend and killed him last summer. She got three years probation for that. The couple have three children.

And now about that duct tape on Cindy McCain's mouth? Have you seen it? It's her way of backing gay marriage in California. "No H8" you see written in sharpie or something on her cheek there is the gay rights group fighting Proposition 8. The Mrs. and as well as the daughter, Megan McCain both opposed -- Senator John McCain, well, you're more likely to see him using duct tape on something like ducts.

His office released a statement saying he opposes gay marriage but respects the views of his family.

Well, we want to get your opinion of the photo of Cindy McCain. Tell us what you think on our blog. We'll read some of your responds on air. Just go to CNN.com/Krya.

A former "American Idol" contestant has instantly become one of America's most eligible bachelorettes thanks to some off-the-cuff remarks by her dad. It was during his victory speech.

Senator-elect Scott Brown told millions of people that his daughters are, quote, "available". Well, they couldn't believe it. His wife shrieked and our Jeanne Moos well, she did her thing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She was the mystery woman dancing while pundits prognosticated.

SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: The American people don't want one party rule.

MOOS: Behind their backs.

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm told she congratulated Scott Brown.

MOOS: Stealing the show from the commentary.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is being sold to the people state by state in a corrupt fashion.

MOOS: Don't look now but it's the winning candidate's daughter performing at his victory party.

AYLA BROWN, DAUGHTER OF SCOTT BROWN: Dancing in the street.

MOOS: And breaking the news to the crowd that Scott Brown's opponent had conceded.

A. BROWN: My dad is the next Senator of Massachusetts.

MOOS: But we really got to meet the senator-elect's two daughters when he had a "dad said what" moment.

SCOTT BROWN (R), MASSACHUSETTS: So yes, they're both available. No, no, no.

MOOS: Ayla whispered -- that her younger sister is not available.

S. BROWN: I'm only kidding, I'm only kidding. Arianna, Arianna is definitely is not available, but Ayla is.

AYLA BROWN, DAUGHTER OF SCOTT BROWN: What? Dad.

MOOS: And thus began the debate, a proud dad teasing his daughter in a loving way or just plain creepy.

They sure seemed to have fun together. This photo began circulating on the web, captioned by one kid, "Found, a picture of Scott Brown wearing clothes." That wearing clothes jab stems from this, Brown posing for "Cosmopolitan" back when he was a law student.

JOY BEHAR, HOST, "THE JOY BEHAR SHOW": This guy has got like macho-ness.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow.

WHOOPI GOLDBERG, ACTRESS: This guy is hot. He rings my bell.

MOOS: But bells were ringing for the senator-elect's daughters as well. Easy on eyes, some kind of hot. The younger daughter is a pre-med student and if the older daughter, Ayla, looks vaguely familiar, you may have seen her on season five of "American Idol" a few years back.

But the "American Idol" river was apparently too wide for Ayla. She made it to the top 16 and then... A. BROWN: ...the rest is still unwritten

SIMON COWELL, AMERICAN IDOL: It was good, it just wasn't fantastic.

MOOS: She left the competition with herself -- intact and hopes for a singing career. So what if her dad hit an odd note. Watch mom's face.

S. BROWN: Yes, they're both available.

MOOS: But this was one happy day as Ayla picked confetti out of her cleavage. Her cup truly runneth over.

Jeannie Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, they'll probably launch her singing career. More from CNN NEWSROOM right after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Steve Kastenbaum of CNN Radio has barely had time to go home and change. He just got back from Haiti and he was among the first journalists there after the quake -- among the first to maybe see the end of Haiti as we knew it.

Now he's back and he's definitely got some stories to tell. He joins us now live from New York.

Steve, I know you're tired. I know you were glad to get back home to your family. But I'm curious, your first impressions as you were one of the first ones to arrive there.

STEVE KASTENBAUM, CNN RADIO NY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I was on the plane that the CNN team took in shortly after they opened the runway to aircraft, and it was a bewildering experience.

We swung open the door of the aircraft and there was nobody there to greet the plane essentially. That's when we realized we had our work cut out for us. We got out of the airport and I joined Chris Lawrence's crew and we started broadcasting right from the airport there.

It was just an incredible experience to be there less than 24 hours after the quake struck.

PHILLIPS: I asked you to send us some of your photos and you did. And I've got to tell you, some of them we chose not to use, it was just too heart-wrenching. But as we go through the photos that we did select, what do you think the hardest thing was for you to see, deal with?

KASTENBAUM: You know, one of the hardest things that I saw, and nothing can prepare you for this, was the central morgue attached to the university hospital in Port-au-Prince. The bodies were everywhere and they had been there for several days and they continue to pile up. That was -- I wouldn't even describe some of the things that I saw there.

And then we went to La Paz Hospital which was up and running. Cuban doctors along with some Spanish teams were there and they were administering quality care to severely injured people. But I can't even begin to count how many compound fractures, how many amputations, how many severe flesh wounds we saw.

And the hardest part was looking into some of those people's eyes who had finally made it to a location where they could get help from a doctor, but I knew that some of those people might not be alive the next day.

PHILLIPS: And this seemed -- so much money has been donated and so many supplies, so from what you saw, why wasn't the aid, the right kind of aid getting to the right people at the right time? Was it just absolute chaos?

KASTENBAUM: Well, first of all, the leadership, the United Nations leadership on the ground in Haiti was decimated. We now know that there are still people unaccounted for, that several people died in the earthquake so the people that knew Haiti best and how to get the aid where it needed to go quickly weren't there. So it was like the international community was starting from scratch.

That was compounded by the fact that the airport is very small. It wasn't operating fully. And then the only road connecting Haiti to the Dominican Republic is in horrible condition. We drove that out yesterday. It's a very arduous journey. It's a dirt road with lots and lots of potholes and trucks carrying in aid can only come in at about 10 miles per hour. And the caravans were just backed up, the aid caravans for the entire trip back into the Dominican Republic.

PHILLIPS: I know it's that one assignment you'll never forget. Steve thanks so much for joining me and just sharing your thoughts. I appreciate it.

KASTENBAUM: My pleasure. Thank you.