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Sunset Strip's Facelift; Haitian Orphans in U.S.; The GOP's New Star; Amazing Survival Story; Rebuilding Haiti; New Bin Laden Tape; Severe Weather
Aired January 24, 2010 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello everyone. We begin the top of the hour right now. And what we're going to show you tonight could change that way you view your government.
Starting right now and every day this week CNN is going to be your watch dog holding government officials accountable, taking a very comprehensive new look at the $787 billion stimulus package. Where is all that money? Your money gone and is this massive stimulus plan working?
Here's what we're doing tonight. We're previewing on CNN; it all begins right here. This is our stimulus headquarters. We want to know the president's biggest success so far in his agenda. And where all that money went?
Here's our stimulus team right there working on the wall where we're going to be updating all the numbers and the research that we have. (INAUDIBLE) Pete Moor and also David Rice are working on that preparing it for you tomorrow.
So what's going on with that? Not only is that on the president's agenda, health care as well. Some say it's falling apart and the Fed Chair may be out of the job.
As I walk over here to the station where we're going to be manning all of this, "Our Stimulus Desk"; hundreds of anchors, reporters, producers all on top of this. So Josh...
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
LEMON: ...you know, I asked you this before. It like, all these binders, what...
LEVS: Yes.
LEMON: What is this?
LEVS: Well, here's what it boils down to. You and I and everyone out there have so many questions about this stimulus, right? So many -- incredibly many billions of dollars, 57,000 projects around the country have already gotten billions of dollars in funding. Take a look. Can you get a close-up here? I want you to see these. These binders contain the information on every single project. The city, the state, the amount of money they got, what they're supposed to get doing. We have all these binders here.
What we're going to be doing throughout this week is tracing through some of the big projects. What are they supposed to achieve? What did they achieve? How many jobs did they create? How many jobs did they not create? How long did those jobs last?
We want to really dig into our public money; billions and billions of dollars. What have they done to the economy?
LEMON: And what you can see here is that we're doing our homework here. And that's a lot of homework and that's why we...
LEVS: And there's more back here.
LEMON: Yes, there's more back here and over here.
LEVS: Yes.
LEMON: So that's why have assigned...
LEVS: Yes.
LEMON: ...really the bulk of our staff here at CNN to look at this.
LEVS: Right.
LEMON: And we said we can go online here.
LEVS: CNN.com/stimulus. Can you get a quick shot of that? I just want everyone to see it. It's already up and running. This is going to have a lot of latest information throughout the week. You already have a lot of features; CNN.com/stimulus.
Check over here we're already starting to break down some of it for you. But this is just a bare-bones beginning. Big team and seriously CNN as a network is committed to this.
As Don's saying here, hundreds of our people all over the world are working on this to get you the facts about what happened to all those billions of dollars in funds.
LEMON: And information will be coming in by the minute as we research it...
LEVS: That it is.
LEMON: ...and tell you where the money goes.
Also don't forget Wednesday night 8:00 p.m. Eastern the President's "State of the Union" marking really his one-year anniversary in office. Thank you.
LEVS: You bet.
LEMON: Manning our desk, our Josh Levs. And you know what? Hollywood is using some of that stimulus money for a facelift. The city is taking a cue from celebrities and having a little work done.
As Kareen Wynter explains not everyone wants the beauty treatment.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Business owner Mikeal Maglieri has seen it all here on the world famous Sunset Strip. A tourism magnet of trendy restaurants, bars and night spots like Maglieri's family owned whisky A-go-go and Rainbow Bar and Grill.
MIKEAL MAGLIERI, SUNSET STRIP BUSINESS OWNER: It is the West Coast Times Square. It is where everyone comes to either see someone or being seen. There are a multitude and into the hundreds of major artists that started right here on this strip.
WYNTER: Artists like The Doors, Fleetwood Mac and Jimmy Hendricks; just some of the iconic acts Maglieri says over the decades helped turn his bars into bustling hot spots. While his business has come a long way since the 1930s when the strip was changed from a dirt road to concrete, Maglieri says the city's most popular boulevard needs a makeover.
A six-month beautification project is under way with plans to replace aging sidewalks and repave the street with asphalt made from recycled tires.
MAGLIERI: It needs a facelift. Because the economic times are so tough for everyone they're trying to make it where, ok, we're going to clean the street up and make it more conducive so we get more foot traffic.
WYNTER: And Washington is footing some of the bill; just over $1 million of $5 million being spent on the project is from federal stimulus funds.
JOHN DURAN, WEST HOLLYWOOD CITY COUNCILMAN: Just jobs and salaries and people being able to provide for their families.
WYNTER: Money well spent says West Hollywood City Councilman John Duran. The city estimates the project has created or saved at least 20 jobs so far but some Republican critics in the senate have balked at the beautification, ranking it number four on their top ten stimulus bill projects to remember as foolish.
(on camera): So those critics in Washington who believe using the money in this way, it's not being -- equates to nothing more than waste, what's your response to that?
DURAN: That's very short-sighted. I mean, really what it's about is money changing hands. The stimulus money into cities like West Hollywood allows us to sort of improve our local infrastructure here in a way that attracts more tourists, means more people in hotel rooms, means hotel workers keep their jobs and it means restaurant workers keep their jobs, money keeps moving around.
WYNTER: More than money. Maglieri says it's about maintaining an image for a strip that's just as famous as the stars who built their careers on it.
MAGLIERI: We've set an image to keep it alive. It's something that needs to be done.
WYNTER: Kareen Wynter, CNN, West Hollywood, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: We turn now to the situation in Haiti. The Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince was shaken today by yet another aftershock. This one measured 4.7.
The aftershocks are unnerving for survivors of the massive quake that hit 12 days ago. Each one threatens to bring down damaged structures that are already teetering on the brink of collapse.
Bureaucracy and red tapes are keeping Haitian orphans from joining their adoptive families right here in the United States; 80 orphans arrived in Orlando yesterday but many families are still waiting for the federal officials to finish documenting the children.
Martin Savidge just filed this update from Orlando.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARTIN SAVIDGE (voice-over): One thing is certain, Katie Hansley is at the end of her emotional rope.
KATIE HANSLEY: This has been a nightmare.
SAVIDGE: She said less than four hours' sleep in three days and she is terrified she's losing the little girl she thought she saved from Haiti.
HANSLEY: Why are you holding on to our children when their lives are at risk and they just need their parents?
SAVIDGE: Three-year-old Gracie arrived Saturday afternoon on board a military transport from Port-au-Prince with 79 other orphans. More than 24 hours later Katie and nearly two dozen other adoptive parents are still waiting to be united with their children. Making matters worse, Katie has been told her daughter is sick and should go to the emergency room.
HANSLEY: And hopefully she'll be here soon so she can finally go to the hospital where she belongs.
SAVIDGE: Federal officials say the children and their would-be parents have to go through to thorough documentation check. As the process moves slowly forward at the Orlando Sanford Airport, the children sleep and play on blankets on the floor in the customs area, cared for by Red Cross, TSA and customs officers as well as medical personnel.
Their waiting parents sleep on the floor in baggage claim.
(on camera): Some of the parents are being allowed to see their children. But adding to the frustration is the fact that they've waited years for this opportunity of adoption.
Ironically, the process was sped up as a result of the earthquake as officials wanted to more quickly move children to safety here in the U.S.
(voice-over): The State Department even granted the orphans what was called Humanitarian Parole to ease the immigration process.
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON, STATE SECRETARY: We will not let red tape stand in the way of helping those in need but we will ensure that international adoption procedures to protect children and families are followed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Same old way.
SAVIDGE: But Katie's father sees it differently.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This should be declared as cut the red tape. And we have piles of red tape. With their filling out either with their help, it's still wrong.
SAVIDGE: His adoptive granddaughter survived an earthquake. But he worries he could lose her to something almost as formidable, bureaucracy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Martin Savidge joins us now by phone. So what are you hearing about the children who have yet to be united with their adoptive parents? Any update on that, Martin?
SAVIDGE (via telephone): Well, Don, unfortunately it looks like we may be settling in for another long night. Large order of pizzas was delivered here to the airport and that's gone back to the area where the children are being cared for right now. I told you that some of parents are being allowed to see the children but it's causing a real dilemma.
A number of the parents don't want to see the children for this very reason. They fear that if they see that child that child, of course, will get excited. Both of them will get attached to one another and then they may have to leave because the adoption process may not be approved by the government.
And that is -- just a problem that the families say they could not face so they purposefully staying away from the children for a time at least for the time being -- Don.
LEMON: These parents are waiting and so is the world. Everyone wants to know what's going on with these children. Martin, thank you, please keep us updated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, honey, are you the cutest? Isn't he the cutest?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You like cameras, don't you? Can you say hi? Say hi.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: This is what those orphans have to look forward to. Yesterday 2-year-old twins Ross and Elise arrived home in Minnesota with their adoptive mother. The family, understandably, overjoyed.
BOB ROSS, NEW GRANDPA: Precious and remind me of seeing my daughter and holding my daughter for the first time. These guys will never be hungry again. You can eat everything...
LEMON: Wow. But the occasion was also bittersweet.
Betsy Southers who adopted the brother and sister lost her husband in 2007 in the Interstate Bridge collapse in Minneapolis.
If you're looking for a way to help the victims of the Haiti earthquake, make sure you tune in 8:00 p.m. Eastern for a special two hour "LARRY KING LIVE", it's called, "Haiti: How You Can Help." The program will feature a powerhouse group of leaders and celebrity activists including Ryan Seacrest, Susan Sarandon and Ashley Judd.
Tonight, 8:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN. We want to tell you the phone lines will open to take your calls and donations at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
Haiti's long recovery is just beginning and this time experts say building codes should be required. Why new rules could one day save lives there.
And President Obama puts a rough week behind him and looks ahead to new political realities of his second year in Office.
And we want to know what's on your mind tonight. We want to hear from you; questions for CNN's political editor Mark Preston. "Preston on Politics" coming up very shortly. Send us your question and your comments. We'll get them on the air; Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or iReport.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: This next story that we're going to play for you really had the most comments on the social networking sites that we've ever seen here. It's very interesting. Because this is being called one the great political upsets of all time.
Republican Scott Brown came out of nowhere to win the Massachusetts senate seat once held by Democratic Party icon Ted Kennedy. It's turning the senate upside down. Democrats are waffling a bit; Republicans confident. And it has people comparing Brown to a man who knows something about big election victories.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON (voice-over): A handsome but little known state senator. A law school grad, with an attractive wife and two beautiful daughters. Sound familiar?
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In no other country on earth is my story even possible.
LEMON: It should. Like President Obama, Scott Brown of Massachusetts was a little known state senator who dared to run for the U.S. Senate and despite political odds, surprised everyone and won.
SCOTT BROWN (R), MASSACHUSETTS SENATOR-ELECT: If you would have told me growing up that, you know, a guy whose mom was on welfare and parents had some marital troubles and, you know, I had some, you know, issues, you know, growing up, but a guy from Wrentham would be here standing before you right now and going to Washington, D.C.? Are you kidding me?
LEMON: Also like the President, Brown's win is historic. Not only does he replace the legendary Ted Kennedy who held the seat for nearly 50 years, he's the first Republican elected to the senate from Massachusetts in 38 years. So just hours after his victory, this question...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If Barack Obama, JFK, they started eyeing the White House the day they were elected to the Senate. Do you think you're presidential timber?
BROWN: Listen, I don't want to be disrespectful, but I have had no sleep right now. I haven't even been down to Washington yet. And I don't want to say that's a silly question, but I'm just so thankful for the support that I've received from everybody.
LEMON: When the president did call with congratulations Brown, also a basketball player, issued a challenge.
BROWN: All kidding aside I do have a basketball player daughter and I know you play a lot of hoop. And I love to -- you pick your best. And I'll take Ayla and we'll play you two on two.
LEMON: Brown's party is in need for a political star. The once promising Sarah Palin no longer holds office, so Brown is poised to become the new face and hope of the GOP leaving many to wonder, if this seemingly Republican version of Barack Obama will end up running against him in 2012.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Good question. And a huge election upset in Massachusetts; just the beginning of the challenges facing president Obama as he heads into his second year in office.
CNN political editor Mark Preston joins me now for what we're calling "Preston on Politics".
Hey Mark. Let's go straight to some of the viewer feedback that I'm getting from the social networking sites. First now to Twitter and there you see it.
This is ladyt27766. She says, "Don, did Scott Brown think he would win and what does he contribute the historical victory to -- Mark?
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, Don, first of all, I think any politician who runs for office thinks that he or she is going to win. Otherwise why would they do it? I think more importantly the question is did national Republicans think Scott Brown was going to win and they didn't?
Up until about mid-December I was talking to one of the strategists, Don, just this evening about how they laid it out and what their thoughts were and what steps they took. I'll tell you by mid-December national strategists started polling in Massachusetts and they saw an opening and they'll acknowledge, a very, very small opening.
However, Brown went on the air with a commercial back about December 25th and, it's a commercial that really turned the campaign around.
By about January 4th, Don, we saw national Republicans start pouring money and resources into the state, but they didn't tell anybody. They didn't want this election to be about the national Republican Party. They wanted it to be about Scott Brown. They kept that under wraps until the very end. All told they spent about $1 million and now Scott Brown is the new senator from Massachusetts.
LEMON: Yes. And it's interesting. He is you know saying only in this country is his story would possible; very similar to what then- Senator Obama said at the Democratic National Convention back in 2004.
Hey listen, I want to ask you this question now also, Mark. This one is from your Facebook page and it is from Theodore Sebastian; it's in your Facebook. "Why does the Democratic Party need 60 seats in the senate so they have any chance of passing legislation? That really doesn't make sense to me. And the reason I ask you that is because we want to know what's going on with health care. People are saying, is it really dead?"
PRESTON: Well, you know, Don, here's the simple answer to that. Go back to the founding fathers when they drafted the constitution, when they set up Congress. The fact is the Senate is the cooling saucer of the United States. You know, you have the President, you have the House of representatives. And basically the president kind of marshals his agenda, tries to get Congress to accept it. In the House you only need a simple majority.
However, in the Senate they have this thing what we call cloture, where you need to get 60 votes in order to overcome it; some of the more controversial measures as well as on nominations. And a lot of our viewers will recall when it goes back to judicial nominations oftentimes it takes 60 votes. The idea is you do not want one party, Don, to have absolute control over what's happening in the country.
LEMON: Yes. I wanted you to answer the health care part of it. We'll just do one more because this one I think -- this is from my Facebook page. Will there be HCR, health care reform, or will it be swept under the rug or will President Obama get tough and fast track it before Brown gets in, Mark?
PRESTON: Brown will vote on health care. There will be some kind of health care bill. We don't know what it is. I think at this point President Obama and all the Congressional Democrats; they can't give up on it. They've spent too much money, too much time to try to get it through. I think it would be a mistake for Republicans.
Depending on what it is. It's going to be a stripped down bill. But in the end, I think it would be a mistake for Republicans absolutely to put the block on anything getting done.
LEMON: Mark, I have two things that I want you -- and I have a very short time. Ben Bernanke is not sure that he was going to -- I want you to take us to the "State of the Union" coming Wednesday. Real quickly, what's going to happen with Ben Bernanke?
PRESTON: Ok. Ben Bernanke obviously under the gun; have some Democrats who have come out, Don, and said that they don't think he should serve another term. Fact of the matter is he will get through. It's just going to be a little bit of a dirty fight the next few days but Ben Bernanke will get through.
LEMON: Do we know what the President's going to say on Wednesday?
PRESTON: Jobs job, jobs; it all comes down to the economy Don. Yes, of course, health care is his top domestic priority but the fact is the nation's top domestic priority is the economy. The White House realizes that; they're going to tie them together.
LEMON: A little bit -- we see David Plouffe coming back into the ranks here. What's going on? Do they need some help politically here?
PRESTON: Look, David Plouffe of course was the campaign manager for President Obama. The White House has said that he will be coming back in more as an adviser, political adviser heading into the midterm elections.
Yes, they do need some help. There's no question about that. Congressional Democrats are very upset on Capitol Hill about how the agenda has been marshaled through. Republicans right now seem emboldened so look for Plouffe to play a more important role in this House and Senate...
LEMON: To get them back on message and some say back on tone -- that they're tone deaf. So we shall see.
Mark Preston, "Preston on Politics"; thank you sir.
PRESTON: Thanks Don.
LEMON: And as Mark mentioned, Wednesday night, make sure you tune in to CNN to watch President Obama deliver his "State of the Union" address. Our primetime coverage begins 8:00 p.m. Eastern only here on CNN.
A man is trapped in the earthquake rubble for 11 days but he is out. He's alive and he is talking to CNN.
And a homeless veteran is laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. His last act of courage happened far away from the battlefield.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We're following an amazing story of survival and parts of it exclusive, especially the video and talking to the man. A man brought out, this time last night, trapped 11 days, not only pulled out alive but he seems to be doing very well. CNN's Hala Gorani was there when it all went down.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HALA GORANI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was the survival story rescuers called a miracle. Wismond Jean-Pierre (ph) pulled out alive from the rubble of a building after being trapped for almost 12 days. And this is Wismond today in a French hospital.
"Were you afraid nobody would find you," I asked?
"No. No, never," he replies.
Still weak but overall healthy.
This is a family story. Wismond's brother, Ensu (ph), visits him in the hospital. He never lost hope. He got the attention of rescuers when he heard his brother cry out for help.
From the hospital we offer Ensu a ride back to his house, an underground shack. He moved here with his wife and four children when the quake destroyed their home. They share this space with cousins and other family members. There's no electricity, we use flashlights in the tiny living area.
In the hallway we showed the family tape of Wismond's rescue. Ensu is seeing this for the first time.
His wife cried. "I thought he was dead," she says.
But after the dramatic rescue, the good news story of Wismond's survival against the odds comes the grim reality of what lies next, of what the future holds.
"I have no hope," Ensu says. "You want to leave, where to," I ask?
"To anywhere but here."
Wismond will come to live here after he is discharged from hospital in a few days. He flirted with death underground for a few days and when he comes out it's in an underground shack that he and his family will try to rebuild their lives.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Lucky to be alive, but what happens next is the question for Hala Gorani who's joining us live -- hello Hala.
GORANI: Hi there Don. It is the big question, really, because as you saw in that report, there's the emotional -- there's the initial outburst of joy because someone whom so many people thought was dead ended up alive.
But then you speak to the family members. You speak to Ensu's wife, which would be Wismond's sister-in-law and his children and they're literally living in a house that is a hole, in itself, ironically speaking, with no electricity, no running water, all crammed in there. You ask them what their hope is for the future. They kind of look at you a bit dejected and they say, look, I don't really have any hope.
So there are several phases to the tragedy. This is the phase where people are just taking stock of what happened after the initial shock of the earthquake and are realizing what lies ahead is going to be a very, very hard uphill battle.
LEMON: Let's talk now, Hala, a little bit more about Wismond Jean-Pierre and being trapped in that cavern really for almost 12 days; for 11 days and then being rescued. Besides the physical problems, I would imagine there could possibly be some psychological problems when you look at the confines, claustrophobia and what have you and just really having that possibly replay and replay in your head.
We're looking at the exclusive video right now, Hala.
GORANI: Right, well, it goes without saying I'm no expert but the physical trauma is over for this young man. I mean he's fine. He was re-hydrated. He was in fact, able to consume fluids while he was underground so all things told, he's okay. He's going to be discharged in a couple days.
The French rescue workers told me, "Look, we're keeping him under observation just to be extra safe but essentially he's fine." But then really when you see in his eyes the kind of fear for the future and there's no other word for it, "What's going to happen to me? I want to thank God because I was able to survive this, but I have nowhere to go. I have nowhere to live. I have no job."
And it's especially hard for Ensu, his brother, because he has four children and a wife he needs to support. And on his face you can also read the worry. So there is the -- sort of the sorrow of the loss of human life you see here every day but then your heart really goes out to people whose future is so uncertain.
LEMON: Hala Gorani. Thank you so much Hala. We'll see you a little bit layer on here on CNN.
It's been almost two weeks since the earthquake devastated Haiti. The question now becomes how does a country rebuild? We're talking much, much more than just its infrastructure.
Tornado warnings are in full effect in the southeast. Our meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is in the Severe Weather Center tonight -- Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hi there Don.
Yes, we're watching out for that threat of tornadoes tonight as well as flooding. We're getting some fresh pictures in from our affiliate in Atlanta. We'll talk about what you can expect tomorrow morning when you wake up.
That's coming up with your forecast.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Fresh after shock today in Port-au-Prince, this one measured 4.7. Shaking ground has been a daily occurrence in the days since a massive quake claimed an estimated 150,000 lives. Geologists say the after shocks could continue for months.
About 20 Haitian orphans are still awaiting permission by the U.S. government to join their adoptive families. 80 orphans arrived in the U.S. yesterday but immediately became entangled in bureaucratic red tape. Since then 60 orphans have been processed and cleared to start new lives with their new families.
A new audiotape is out supposedly from Osama Bin Laden. The voice on it claims responsibility for the failed bombing aboard Northwest flight 253 on Christmas day and threatens more attacks. A Nigerian man charged with the botched attack. The tape calls Abdulmutallab a "hero fighter." U.S. intelligence linked him to Bin Laden's Al Qaeda network in the Arabian Peninsula.
The search is on for a missing Navy pilot who crash landed his plane outside New Orleans. The plane went down in Lake Pontchartrain last night. The Coast Guard is searching with boats and the helicopter. Two pilots were on board. One was rescued and taken to the hospital.
Just like the products at Sam's Club, the layoffs there are coming in bulk. The "Associated Press" says Sam's will cut more than 11,000 jobs. You know those people who hand you the samples on toothpicks? They're the ones out of a job. Out of a job. And an outside company is taking over all of that process. Sam's, which is part of the Wal- Mart family, is trying to revive its sales.
Our Jacqui Jeras joins us now with some severe weather that is making its way across the country. Jacqui, what's going on?
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, we got a threat of tornadoes out there tonight. We had a couple of funnel clouds being reported but no actual touchdowns here across the southeast. And there you can see that we have got very nasty line of thunderstorms just east of the Atlanta metro area. And in addition to the threat of tornadoes, the rainfall is so heavy. We've already had 1 1/2 to two inches of rain. An additional inch can be expected before midnight.
Check out these new pictures we just got in from our affiliate WCTV of some flooding across the Atlanta metro area. Flash flood warnings are in place and many of the small rivers and creeks are starting to come out of their banks as the ground is already very saturated and very wet. So we'll continue to monitor this situation as it develops across the southeast here for tonight.
The tornado watch, by the way, is in effect until 1:00. There you can see a live picture of Atlanta. The low clouds and fog across the area. That's also causing some big-time problems at the airports.
Take a look at some of the delays that we have right now. This is more than four hours, four hours and five minutes at Atlanta because of the low clouds and fog. We had a ground stop earlier. So that prevents flights from taking off from other cities to get to Atlanta. Ground stop now in Teterboro. La Guardia, over two hours. 2 1/2 for JFK. About the same for Newark. San Francisco, over an hour. And Charlotte looking at departure delays of 30 minutes and those are on the increase.
More delays expected across the west as our next storm is now making its way inland. We've had rain and snow across northern California today. Staying dry across the south. But you'll see your rain arrive by tomorrow afternoon. And that will continue throughout Monday night and into Tuesday. The storm not as strong as the last in the series of storms that we've had. So that's a little bit of good news. But we're really kind of teetering on the brink in some of these mudslide areas and burn areas. So we'll be watching that for you tomorrow as well.
Our storm system pulls out of the southeast for tomorrow. So a little bit of good news here for you. Getting sunshine later in the day. But it's going to stick around across the northeast. So more travel delays can be expected. On the back side, some cold and windy conditions. Blizzard conditions in the Dakotas, today. Don, that's going to wane a little bit by tomorrow. But we'll see wind and snow across much of the upper midwest.
LEMON: Jacqui Jeras in the CNN severe weather center. Thank you, Jacqui.
Two weeks ago most of Haiti was leveled, reduced to brick and rock. How does the country rebuild? That discussion next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Port-au-Prince, in ruins. After rescue and recovery efforts the next step is rebuilding. And CNN's Jason Carroll is in the Haitian capital with lessons learned from the city's past shoddy building practices.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): We spent our day with structural engineers, getting their assessment of the situation. This effort is going to take time, it's going to take money and discipline. Discipline to make sure that when Haiti rebuilds it's done safely.
(voice-over): Port-au-Prince is about to face many questions about its future. How does the city rebuild when there's still so much destruction? Should damaged structures still standing be torn down?
Eva Michelle isn't waiting for answers. Her house destroyed. She salvaged what she could and watched as workers started demolishing it. It's being torn down the same way it was built, by unlicensed workers. No codes to follow on tearing down or Michelle says to build.
EVA MICHELLE, HOME DESTROYED IN EARTHQUAKE: No.
CARROLL (on camera): None?
MICHELLE: None.
CARROLL: No code? No regulation?
MICHELLE: No.
CARROLL (voice-over): Haitians say that's the way it's done. Licenses not required. Codes, where they even exist, not enforced. It's part of the reason so much was destroyed in the earthquake and why structural engineers like Kit Miyamoto from California are here now.
KIT MIYAMOTO, EARTHQUAKE AND STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Remove those things out and go right into it.
CARROLL: This is Miyamoto's first full day on the ground with a non- profit called the Pan-American Development Foundation. The goal? Rapid assessments meaning quickly investigate the structural integrity of 10 buildings a day.
This was the ministry of finance. It's symbolic of what went wrong with many buildings including the presidential palace.
MIYAMOTO: Reinforced ministry wall. Because that's that brick. Without no rebar. That's dangerous.
CARROLL: Miyamoto says rebar can make a building more flexible when it shakes, but much of the city's businesses and homes use brick without the reinforcement steel bar.
(on camera): What do you do? Do you just demolish these buildings and then cart out all the debris and then start fresh?
MIYAMOTO: Depends on, for example, this one, probably not salvageable but there are many buildings that can be repaired.
CARROLL: Engineers tell us when Port-au-Prince does rebuild, they have to use new building codes and make sure those codes are enforced.
(voice-over): And engineers like Keith Martin with the Los Angeles County Fire Department says rebuilding or retrofitting is not something that can or should be rushed.
KEITH MARTIN, L.A. COUNTY FIRE DEPT.: You're talking to be done correctly something that's going to take years to do.
CARROLL (on camera): Years?
MARTIN: Years. To do it correctly.
CARROLL: Eva Michelle says she doesn't have the money right now to rebuild but if she does she hopes there are guidelines to show her and the other people of Port-au-Prince a better way.
(on camera): It may be difficult to change old ways and that's simply the reality here, but the engineers we spoke to say at the very least Haiti needs to adopt uniform building codes for important buildings such as schools, hospitals, government buildings as well. But they also recognize that it's going to take an international effort in order to get it done.
Jason Carroll, CNN, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: So we turn now to Tad Agoglia, he is the founder of Disaster Recovery Solutions, non-profit first response team. They provide immediate emergency aid to areas hit by disasters. We want to tell you Tad is one of our very own here. He's also a 2008 CNN Hero and he became a hero because of what he does in these cases.
Tad, real quickly, I know that you're going over there now. You've had special equipment built just for this task. Tell us about that.
TAD AGOGLIA, 2008 CNN HERO: Well, Don, you know, in the beginning of the recovery effort obviously debris needs to be removed out of the way for a building to begin. So we have assembled a unique team of equipment that's going to go over, excavators and dump trucks that will clear debris from the road and clear home sites so that building can begin.
LEMON: I was just going to ask you, when you talk about rebuilding, is this too early to be having this conversation about rebuilding here?
AGOGLIA: No. It's going to be an enormous effort. It's going to take --
LEMON: Especially with the aftershocks there, Tad.
AGOGLIA: I'm sorry, Don, say that one more time. LEMON: I said, with the aftershocks, I'm wondering if it's too early or should you wait until it may be over or a longer period of time?
AGOGLIA: I mean, yes, we may be going into some dangerous situations. But the fact of the matter is three million people are in need of emergency aid. Areas need to be cleared. Tent cities need to be set up so people can get in short-term shelters out of the elements and safe environments. And roads need to be cleared so that assessments can be made and so that some sort of beginning toward recovery. And action needs to take place.
LEMON: You saw in Jason Carroll's story there talking about the building codes and the regulations in Haiti. You know, many of the structures may not have fallen. May not. We don't know. Had the buildings been up to code or the standards there were different.
So when you're talking about rebuilding, obviously you said you're going into a little bit of danger. But you know about rebuilding. So is this usually when these codes are brought, you know, up to these regulations are brought up to code? And I think that's probably one of the biggest parts of the rebuilding once you clear everything away.
AGOGLIA: Well, sure. In developing countries there is very little standards. But with all of the financial resources that are coming in now hopefully this will provide a rebirth, a new beginning with new standards. Hopefully the United Nations is in a position to bring in experts from all over the world to lead a task force towards a new beginning.
LEMON: Yes. You know, we were talking about some of the things that you have. Because of just the sheer enormity of this, the equipment has to equal that. You have equipment I've heard that you can drive trucks into and that can become a workstation for dozens of people?
AGOGLIA: Sure. We have a very unique model that responds to disasters here within the United States. Custom design equipment that is meant to handle all kinds of disaster debris which is very challenging to deal with. What we're sending over to Haiti is equipment similar to what you saw in the 9/11 cleanup. Excavators with thumbs that can handle large pieces of debris. Dump trucks with severe duty boxes where large pieces of concrete can be dropped into and removed out of the city.
LEMON: Yes. You're heading there tomorrow. And your first focus as soon as you get there?
AGOGLIA: Well, our first focus is going to be to open up roads, probably clear areas so tent cities can be re-built. Begin to clear home sites and areas where hospitals and orphanages can be built.
LEMON: Tad Agoglia, a disaster recovery specialist, also a 2008 CNN Hero. Best of luck. Please, please, let us know your progress. OK.
AGOGLIA: Will do. Thank you, Don.
LEMON: Stay safe. Thank you. If you're looking for a way to help the victims of the Haiti earthquake, make sure you tune in tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. A very special "Larry King Live," "Haiti, how you can help." The program will feature a powerful group of leaders, and activists and celebrity activists, musical performances by John Mayer and Seal. They'll show you how to take action and be a part of global outreach. Tonight 8:00 p.m. Eastern. And the phone lines open up at the top of the hour and just about 15 minutes for your phone calls and your donations. "Larry King Live.
An ex-marine is buried with full honors at Arlington National Cemetery, not for his heroics while wearing the uniform but sacrificing his life to save others as a homeless man.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: One year in office and the reviews are coming in. President Barack Obama marked his one year anniversary as president this week. We decided to see how his policies are viewed around the world. Now Afghanistan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIA ABAWI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm Atia Abawi, in Kabul. When President Barack Obama took office one year ago there was a renewed sense of hope among those in Afghanistan but there was still skepticism. Since that time we've seen the deadliest year of the war since it began in 2001, an election marred with allegations of fraud and a strengthening insurgency.
We also saw a new counterinsurgency plan unveiled by the top NATO commander here, General Stanley McChrystal, calling for an increased civilian effort as well as increased troop levels and although there are mixed feelings on this troop surge, many Afghans will say that they appreciate this renewed sense of focus on their country, after years of being part of the forgotten war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Atia Abawi in Afghanistan, thank you.
Pay attention to this story. It's about a homeless veteran who battled with alcoholism. He is buried with honors at Arlington National Cemetery. But this Marine didn't die while wearing the uniform in battle. Instead he sacrificed his life to rescue several people from a burning boarding house.
CNN's Kate Bolduan reports tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Another hero laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. Ray Vivier, a U.S. Marine, is accorded the traditional honors for the fallen. His family by his side. But Vivier isn't typical of Arlington's heroes. He didn't sacrifice his life in the sands of Iraq or the mountains of Afghanistan, but rather in a burning boarding house in Cleveland, Ohio.
ENSIGN HARAZ GHANBARI, U.S. NAVY RESERVES: From eyewitness accounts, Ray and maybe one of the other gentleman actually went back in to look for other people and alert neighbors.
BOLDUAN: Vivier rescued several people, but could not save himself. In the hospital, doctors didn't even know his name.
GHANBARI: Ray, from what I understand, had burns over 80 percent of his body. And he was in the hospital bed, he kept saying, Emanuel, Emanuel, and the hospital staff thought that was his name, but Emanuel means, god is with me. God is with us.
BOLDUAN (on camera): Vivier died in the hospital after a long and sometimes troubled life. He joined the Marines in 1965 and was honorably discharged a year later. He married and had several children, but personal issues like battles with alcoholism eventually left him homeless and estranged from his family.
ELISHA VIVIER, DAUGHTER: He struggled a lot with different things and I think he was finally starting to overcome them. I think which even makes us a little bit more sad.
BOLDUAN (voice-over): At a wedding last year, Ray Vivier met Haraz Ghanbari, a Navy reservist and AP photographer. Though they only met one, Ghanbari was outraged to learn Vivier was going to be buried with no ceremony and without even his family knowing. So Ghanbari and a couple of friends made it their mission to keep that from happening. After tracking down Vivier's family, they discovered he was a veteran.
GHANBARI: When I found out that Ray was in the Marine Corps, I said, we have to get him buried at Arlington Cemetery. I cannot allow him to be buried in a potter's field.
VIVIER: You know, my father was not only our father, but he was a brother. He's a grandfather. You know, he's a son. I want to bring not only closure, you know, for myself, but for all those other people too that couldn't be here today.
BOLDUAN: Now after a long journey and thanks to a chance meeting, Vivier's ashes rest on the nation's most hallowed ground and his family reconnected with a lost father, a nearly, but not forgotten hero.
Kate Bolduan, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Listen. You want to stay tuned, because we have some rough weather tonight in the south, including some tornado warnings just into CNN. Our Jacqui Jeras will have the story on the other side of the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The Coast Guard is using skimmers and sheets of plastic to try to contain a crude oil spill in Port Arthur, Texas. New aerial video gives a clearer picture of the spill. The 800-foot tanker leaked about 450,000 gallons of crude yesterday when it collided with a towing vessel. The two separated overnight without losing more crude. The spill has been contained in a two-mile area and is not believed to have hurt wildlife.
I want to go straight away now to our Jacqui Jeras. Some severe weather happening especially across the south. We have tornado warnings.
JERAS: Yes, tornado warnings for Clark, Jackson, and Madison counties in northeastern Georgia. To put it into perspective for you, here's the Atlanta metro area. Here's Athens, Georgia, there you can see a lightning strike and the cell of concern is to the north of there. It's moving very, very quickly, northeast 55 miles per hour. You can't outrun a tornado like this, so you need to seek shelter, get to the lowest level of your home, away from doors and windows.
And we also have just north of there, a severe thunderstorm warning, which includes you in Anderson and Clemson. Anderson, you have a few funnel clouds reported earlier this evening as well as some flooding around this area. So dangerous night here across the southeast. There is a tornado watch, which is in effect across much of eastern Georgia into South Carolina.
And you know, you get a little more concerned about some of these individual storms that come out ahead of that main line. The main threat is now east of the Atlanta metro, but watch out Columbia overnight tonight, this could be a concern. So if you're going to bed in the next couple of hours, make sure you have your NOAA weather radio handy, because that will go off if there's a warning in your area and will wake you up and alert you. So you can get to a safe place.
Now we're not expecting severe weather into the northeast, but heavy rain and the threat of flooding. In fact, this entire area is under a flood watch from New England all the way down through the mid-Atlantic and into the deep south as well. So one to three inches will be common here. And when you wake up tomorrow morning, if you're leaving, you know, before the sun comes up, be aware that you could encounter some roads that have water over them. So make sure you don't drive into them. We saw a lot of rescues this last week out in California.
Travel delays are abundant, a plethora of them. Hours and hours on end. So, unfortunately, from the south to the northeast, we're having trouble, as well as out west and in San Francisco. We expect most of those airports to have issues tomorrow, as well as both coasts of the countries will be dealing with storm systems and the upper midwest will have some very windy conditions along with snow.
So, you know, Don, some of all those major hubs, you know, you think of New York City, Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco, all are going to have problems, we think, tomorrow.
LEMON: Hey, Jacqui, you gave some very good information when you talked about the tornado warnings, especially right here in Atlanta where we are. Can you take us through, if this weather pattern right now, tell our viewers, it's on top of what area, what region is being hit?
JERAS: It's northeastern Georgia. So it's just north of the Athens area. It's not metro Atlanta. We're not under a tornado warning. In fact, the watch is just to the east of downtown Atlanta as well. So, yes, it's northeastern Georgia and all these storms are moving into South Carolina. So those will be the areas that we'll be watching in the upcoming hours. The tornado watch, by the way, expires at 1:00 Eastern time.
LEMON: And as Jacqui said earlier, seek shelter if you're in that area and if that NOAA weather radio goes off. Jacqui, thank you very much. We appreciate it.
We want to get to some of the feedback now that you guys have been sending to me. You know what's very interesting, you know what's gotten the most of the segment that we did with Mark Preston, Preston and politics. And the comparison to President Barack Obama's political path and Scott Brown's, the new Massachusetts senator elect political path.
Here is what one viewer says, you seem to have a great take on the Obama-Brown similarities of their political paths. Education is good for the soul. Another viewer says, I was saying that to my friends, but they were too angry to see any similarities between the two. Another viewer writes, Brown will not be like Obama. He may like basketball, but that's the only similarity with them. Brown, if he is smart, won't eye the White House.
One viewer writes, parents adopting Haitian orphans, it's hard to wait but it'll be a disgrace if any are mistreated or abused here. Must be careful.
Absolutely. Listen, we really appreciate your comments here. We appreciate you watching. It's going to be a very big week next week for the president, the "State of the Union" is on Wednesday.
And also we're following the stimulus money. Where did it go? That's our network-wide initiative that starts tomorrow.
I'm Don Lemon at CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. See you back here at 10:00 p.m. Eastern. Meantime, "Larry King Live Special - Haiti, How you can help?" begins right now.
