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Deep South Braces for Ice, Snow; President Clinton Recovering From Stent Procedure at Home; Haiti relief Efforts Becoming More Organized, Orderly

Aired February 12, 2010 - 10:00   ET

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

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Right now, though, we don't want to check our top stories for you.

It is back to work this morning for more than a quarter million federal employees in Washington. They have been off all week because of two powerful storms that produced record snow amounts in the Mid- Atlantic states. Although states dig out, the Deep South is getting hit with a rare snowfall. Rain, sleet, ice and lots of snow from Texas to Georgia. Even the Florida panhandle expecting some snow.

Well, you can forget the military's insistence of surprise being an advantage because U.S. and Afghan forces are expected to open an assault today in Helmand Province. The area is one of the last places the Taliban is in control. The attack on the town of Marja is expected to be the largest operation of the 8-year-old war.

"The Washington Post" reporting that President Obama will help pick a location for the trial of accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. The administration has been criticized for initially planning to try him in New York City.

Former Bill Clinton -- former President Bill Clinton, I should say, is back in his Chappaqua, New York home after undergoing a heart procedure. Mr. Clinton was taken to Presbyterian Hospital late yesterday after complaining of chest discomfort. He had two stents placed in one of his coronary arteries. The hospital's chief cardiologist says there is no evidence of a heart attack, no damage to his heart, and stents are used to open a blocked artery. Hillary and Chelsea Clinton were at the hospital with him.

Last night the hospital's top heart doctor called Mr. Clinton's prognosis "excellent."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ALAN SCHWARTZ, NEW YORK PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL: The procedure went very smoothly. President Clinton has since been up and walking around and visiting with his family. He's in good spirits and we hope to have him go home tomorrow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Well, sure enough he is home this morning. CNN's Mary Snow, in fact, is at his house. Mary, you know it's been reported that the former president apparently was on a conference call about Haiti as he was being wheeled into the operating room. He obviously stays busy, will this slow him down any?

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, Betty, that story was told by his long-time friend, Terry McAuliffe who says that this actually may energize him. The president's office also released a statement this morning saying he's in excellent condition, he's expected to return to work by Monday.

He keeps a very active schedule. He's been to Haiti twice since the middle of January. He's also made a recent trip to Davos, Switzerland where the world economic forum was held. And Terry McAuliffe today was talking to CNN about the president's lifestyle. As you just mentioned, his cardiologist last night said this was not a result of the president's lifestyle or diet and that he was actually keeping a very good regime. And Terry McAuliffe talked about that earlier today.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TERRY MCAULIFFE, FRIEND & ADVISER TO PRESIDENT CLINTON (via telephone): I travel with him a lot. I spend a lot of time with him. You know, I ask him frequently, how are you feeling. And he said, Terry, I'm feeling better than I've ever felt, I'm in the best shape I've ever been in.

He's in great shape. Here exercises regularly. I like to joke when you go to his house and have lunch or dinner, I mean, goodness gracious, it's steamed vegetables, steamed fish. I mean, nothing has got any taste any more. I said, Mr. President, have you got anything in the kitchen here? Just very conscious about his health. He is so great.

I spoke to him two days ago and three days ago and four days ago, and you know, he didn't mention it at all. This is nothing really to do with his lifestyle and his work habits, as hard as he's working. These things just happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNOW: And, Betty, the former president returned here about 8:00 this morning. Besides all the news crews like ours that have gathered outside his home here in Westchester County in New York, there's at least one well wisher who showed up. A little 7-year-old boy showed up with his father to deliver a card, a get-well card, and a little heart for President Clinton -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Oh, what a cute gesture.

OK, Mary, thank you so much for that report. We do appreciate it. One month after the quake in Haiti. Haiti's government estimates 230,000 people were killed, but that's not a complete total. Around a million people were left homeless. Haiti's government is getting a new headquarters, though. Their offices were damaged in the quake, obviously, and a Nevada developer is donating massive tents complete with air conditioning and bathrooms. They used to belong to Cirque du Soleil.

On another story out of Haiti, there isn't going to be a decision on the American missionaries jailed until Monday at the earliest. A judge is considering whether to grant bail. They're charged with kidnapping.

As you know, there was an outpouring of aid in Haiti the days and weeks right after the quake, but bottlenecks slow the distribution, so where do they stand now? Aisha Bane is with the International Rescue Committee. She's in Port-au-Prince this morning and she joins us live.

A lot of issues here to deal with. Let's me start with food. Is that food being distributed to all of those in need?

AISHA BANE, INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE: Thank you.

About a month ago when this quake destroyed the infrastructure of Haiti, it was very complicated to get aid in. Please note that the ports and the airports weren't even at full capacity then. But things are moving now and they are arriving and getting to populations. There is still much more to be done, but food is coming in.

NGUYEN: How much more is coming in? Because we watched that bottleneck, we saw it just trickle in. Are you saying the majority of those who are in need are getting the food?

BANE: What I'd like to say is that there are food distributions set up all around the capital and now the bottleneck has really, really decreased and the port is able to get food supplies in and that is increasing, which is really helping the situation on the ground here.

NGUYEN: Yes, we're looking at video of people just really just struggling to get what little that they could.

And I want to switch to this as well because it's another issue, when it comes to shelter, we've see people still living in the parks under tents and whatnot. I know that your organization is setting up showers and toilets and things like that. What is the plan for the long term for over a million people who are homeless?

BANE: That's right. And we have a big concern coming up, which are the rains, the rainy season and the hurricanes. That will greatly affect what is going on on the ground. And so we, as International Rescue Committee, are really working on a large-scale buildup of work in water, providing clean water, latrines, showers, hand-washing stations, which affect not only the livelihoods of basic survival but really health. There's a massive concern of the possible outbreak of disease and so we are working to combat that quickly and all around the capital as well as possibly outside very soon.

NGUYEN: Well, that's good information that you're working on that. Give us a little more detail, if you would, because I just spoke with our Dr. Sanjay Gupta who is there in Port-au-Prince, and he was saying people were going to the doctor for things that they need like medication and whatnot. And they're leaving with details from the doctor, you need to continue with medication, you need to get this and that, which they cannot get, they're not getting the medication that's absolutely needed.

So what's being done to help with that?

BANE: Well, I'm happy to say that already in Port-au-Prince, in the capital, there's a big stockage of medicines that are available and currently being distributed now. So that kind of bottleneck that was happening before, there is a big storage with the WHO where organizations can come and really give out supplies.

This issue I would say is that there's so many different little settlements that the problem has been to reach them as fast as possible. But that is also happening now as well so that medicines are being distributed and we actually have a health program as well that's working on that.

NGUYEN: All right. It seems like some folks are getting them while we're getting reports that some folks are having a difficult time too. So it's obviously trickling in.

And let me ask you about this, those areas outside of Port-au- Prince. We focus so much of our coverage on Port-au-Prince, but I know a lot of people have left and gone to the surrounding areas to find food and shelter and whatnot. What's happening outside of the city of Port-au-Prince?

BANE: Well, two things are happening. There was a movement outside and a movement kind of returning back inside because Port-au- Prince is really a central economic area as well. So we've had a lot of movement of populations, which complicates the humanitarian aid response. However, many organizations, we just came back from Leogande (ph) this week, and we've been able to assess and now attempt to really provide full-service provision in these different areas, massive cities as well as small areas located outside of the capital as well.

NGUYEN: All right, Aisha Bane with the International Rescue Committee. Aisha, thanks so much for your time today. We really appreciate it.

In other news, though, we want to tell you about this, former President Clinton has been behind a push to raise funds for the earthquake victims and he and former President George W. Bush head that effort. Well, CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta interviewed Mr. Clinton during one of his visits there. Sanjay talks about that with us just a little bit later this morning.

Meantime, though, the snow, it keeps falling and in record tumbles. We look at a powerful storm plowing across the southern U.S.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey, Betty.

Yes, those numbers are continuing to come in in terms of those totals and the storm continues to move eastward. We'll give you the latest on where the worst conditions are and we're also checking out your iReports. That's coming up.

NGUYEN: And you remember Jaycee Dugard, kidnapped when she was just a girl, freed when she was a woman and a mother. We are unveiling some fascinating entries in her diary and they really show you what she went through during all those lost years.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: A little mood music for your Friday. It's not valentine's just yet, folks, but we're getting you there.

Let's check the news pulse right now. I'm going onto CNN.com/newspulse and the top story right now, security guards watch beating. Let's get the details on that and get more information. Rick Sanchez and Brooke Baldwin discuss a videotaped beating where security guards refuse to intervene.

Also this, the Deep South bracing for big snow. We've been talking about that all the way from Texas to Georgia. Jacqui Jeras will have the latest on that a little later.

But to get the news pulse all you have to do is go to our website, go to newspulse.CNN.com. The page is up and available for you, so check it out. It changes every 15 minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Much of the south bracing for what could be the biggest snowfall in a decade. Let's begin with the storm's path in Dallas, where the city set a one-day record of 12.5 inches. Next stop, Shreveport, Louisiana. Our affiliate there, KTVS, says the biggest problem hasn't been the snow but the ice that formed when it melted on the roadways. Overnight, icing closed parts of two major Texarkana highways, that being Interstate 49 and I-220.

Even before the first snowflake fell in Atlanta, Delta began cancelling flights out of its hub. In fact, the airline began scratching hundreds of departures yesterday. The count is now up to 1,100. City is expecting about 3 inches.

The snow is already falling in much of Alabama and that is creating problems for southern cities that don't even keep road salt on hand. So let's get the latest now on the preparations underway. Joining me by phone is Yasamie Richardson of the Alabama Emergency Management Agency.

What are you guys doing to prepare for the snow?

YASAMIE RICHARDSON, ALABAMA EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: Well, right now we have additional staff here at our state EOC making sure we have the all the necessary resources on standby in the event the county may requests those resources. Right now, we haven't received any official requests in from the county EMA office.

NGUYEN: You say resources on standby, like what? I mean, do you have the ability to use salt trucks and stuff like that there? Is that something that you even have on hand?

RICHARDSON: When I say resources on standby, that means we would then work with other agencies. We wouldn't have the trucks here per se, but we know the agencies that would have them on standby ready to assist the counties if necessary. But again that resource request has not come in, but we are waiting and anticipating.

NGUYEN: Gotcha, so what are you telling residents right now as they're preparing for this as well?

RICHARDSON: We're asking them to stay off the roadways. If you already see snow coming down in your city or in your county, please heed local warnings. Stay off the roadways and just be cautious because the snow can be really pretty to see but it also can be very, very dangerous.

NGUYEN: Right. Are you seeing that already, that people are heeding those warnings? Because I understand you are going to get between three and five inches.

RICHARDSON: We haven't received any information of any significant problems on the roadways in terms of people being in accidents, but we know that the possibility is there and it's still very likely. So we're asking people to check the Department of Transportation website for additional road closure information so they'll know before they travel what's open and what's closed.

NGUYEN: Yes, and another problem that comes with this many times too is power outages. Are you expecting that? Are you preparing for that? What's being done?

RICHARDSON: Any time we have a snow of this magnitude, the likelihood of a power outage is very great. So with that we're asking people have a backup source of power. What would they do in the event that power goes out? And we assured that the Alabama Power Company, that they are on standby watching and waiting in anticipation of this snowstorm moving through the state.

NGUYEN: Yes, it seems like a lot of watching and waiting. Hopefully, it won't be that bad, but again, you guys are expected to get three to five inches. Good luck to you. Hope everything works out and I know that you've got the people in place should you need to call on them in such an emergency.

Yasamie Richardson, thanks so much for being with us today, we appreciate it.

RICHARDSON: Thank you.

NGUYEN: All right, so let's get to Jacqui Jeras.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: All right, Jacqui, thanks for that.

And now to this, GaGa goes gaga over a fashion designer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LADY GAGA, ENTERTAINER: And I love when I can wear his clothes and sort of synthesize for my fans what it means to me because I want them to escape through his clothing the way that I do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Her tribute is one of many coming from the fashion world after a famed designer's death.

And helping Haiti, will this latest heart scare slow down the former President Bill Clinton? We'll hear from our doctor, Sanjay Gupta.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Kind of funny sitting up here alone with all this romantic music but let's talk about this. Flowers and candy sales taking a hit this valentine's day. A new survey shows Americans are spending less this year than last year, so we want to know from you, is that happening? Are you spending less this Valentine's Day? What are you buying? Go to CNN.com/Betty, my blog, or you can reach out to me on Facebook and Twitter @bettynguyenCNN and I'll read some of your comments on the air later this hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Checking some top stories for you right now, eight-term Congressman Patrick Kennedy won't seek a ninth. The youngest child of the late Senator Ted Kennedy has announced that he will not run for re-election. Patrick Kennedy expressed gratitude, though, to his Rhode Island constituents saying, quote, "When I made missteps you responded with compassion."

Well, questions over the supposed John Edwards' sex tape. Former aide Andrew Young says he turned overall copies of the tape, but "The Charlotte Observer" reports that attorneys for Edwards' mistress Rielle Hunter doesn't believe him. A judge held him in contempt until he produced copies of the tape earlier this week. A new hearing is scheduled next Wednesday.

Listen to this story, folks. A Tampa man behind bars -- there he is -- accused of robbing banks to pay his mortgage. Police say 73- year-old James Bruce robbed three banks, and this is all he asked for -- $600. Asked for 600 bucks each time he robbed a bank. Why? So he could pay his mortgage. Well, now he's being held on $22,000 bond. Police believe Bruce actually intended to pay back the money once he got back on his feet. Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush are leading an effort to raise money for Haiti's earthquake victims, but will Mr. Clinton's recent heart scare slow down his efforts? Chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins me now live from Haiti.

We know, Sanjay, that he's been a man on the go and even being wheeled into the operating room yesterday he was on the phone talking about Haiti. Is this going to slow him down at all?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I don't think so eventually. Certainly, he's got some recovery time, but he spent a lot of time here in Haiti, as you know, Betty. In fact, behind me, this is an area that he was close to. Today is the one- month anniversary, as you know, a day of mourning being commemorated out here on the plaza behind me.

But, you know, I think that this particular procedure that he had is one that people usually recover pretty quickly from. As you know, doctors even saying he could be back in the office by next week.

He had his first operation back in 2004, Betty, and that was a bypass operation, it was a big operation and really a wake-up call for him. He changed his life in many ways and I've been following his health along for all these years. In fact, I interviewed him specifically about this just several months ago. Take a look at what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GUPTA: I have to ask you, how are you feeling? I was there outside the hospital when you had your heart surgery. Are you back 100 percent?

WILLIAM CLINTON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I think so. It's interesting. In some ways I'm stronger than I was before my surgery and by conventional measures I'm healthier. I've still got about ten pounds to lose that I gained in the campaign last year working for Hillary, but otherwise I think I'm fine. The one thing I noticed was -- and my balance is better when I'm doing balance drills, but the one thing I noticed that what a friend of mine referred to as "raw country strength," I don't know if I've recovered. Like a can't hit a golf ball as far, even though I can lift more weights.

GUPTA: How long are you hitting a golf ball?

CLINTON: Not as far as I used to.

(LAUGHTER)

I rarely hit it 300 yards, and I used to do it all the time.

GUPTA: Is that right?

CLINTON: It could just be aging, but I think -- I think the surgery kind of discombobulated my internal coordination a little bit. And I still keep -- I've just got to keep working on it. I've been working too hard for the last year and a half or so to do more than just sort of maintain my weight, maintain my level of fitness. I think if I did a few different things I can maybe get it better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUPTA: Speaking very candidly, obviously, about his health. But, you know, he was doing very well, but it was over the last few days that he started to develop some chest discomfort. He wasn't complaining about any of that here when I saw him here in Haiti a couple of weeks ago, and that's what prompted the stenting procedure. Now he's obviously back at home, Betty.

NGUYEN: Yes, but going back to that procedure, I mean, truly, you're a doctor, how serious is that type of an operation?

GUPTA: Well, you know, I think doctors would say that any operation, any invasive procedure is going to be taken seriously and there are potential risks to that operation and that procedure, and there are potential risks down the line as well. But basically what happens here is, you know, pretty simple plumbing, Betty. I don't want to trivialize this, but if you take a look -- I think you might be looking at some animation.

NGUYEN: Yes, we see it.

GUPTA: You put these sort of metal scaffoldings into the artery and simply open up those areas that are blocked. And those scaffoldings are stents as they're called, stay in the blood vessel and hold that artery open, allowing enough blood to get to the heart.

There have been some concerns that over time you could cause blockage around those stents again, but for the time being he's probably getting adequate blood flow to his heart, which is why he says he's feeling better, not having that same chest discomfort.

NGUYEN: All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta joining us live from Haiti doing all kinds of duty there. Thanks so much for your time, we do appreciate it.

OK, more on life in Haiti this weekend. We do invite you to catch Christiane Amanpour's exclusive interview with Angelina Jolie. The actress talks about her visit to Haiti and her fears about child trafficking and outbreaks of disease. "AMANPOUR" airs Sunday, 2:00 p.m. Eastern.

Well, a pop star gaga over a fashion designer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LADY GAGA, ENTERTAINER: And I love when I can wear his clothes and sort of synthesize for my fans what it means to me, because I want them to escape through his clothing the way that I do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Her tribute is one of many coming from the fashion world after a famed designer's death.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: U.S. Marines are ready to launch a major offensive in Afghanistan, the biggest since the war began eight years ago. We'll have more on that now from Frederick Pleigten who joins us live from Kabul. Fred, what's the strategy here?

FREDERICK PLEIGTEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Betty. It really is the first major offensive since a change of strategy by the U.S. in Afghanistan. If you boil it down to the basics, the main part on this, the main objective about this, the whole offensive, is showing the people there in that town of Marja that is currently held by the Taliban that their own government, the Afghan government, is a better alternative than the Taliban.

Now, to do all of this what the Marines want to do, they want to go into Marja quick and hard, take out the Taliban as fast as possible, and at the same time, keep civilian casualties to a minimum. That's very important in the new NATO strategy. Once that happens, they want to move in civilian Afghan institutions as fast as possible to show the people there that their own government can in fact govern and sustainably govern that area.

Nevertheless, the Marines are telling us they believe it could be a very hard-fought battle in Marja. It's been a Taliban stronghold for a very long time. Of course, we've been talking about in the past couple of days, Betty, that the U.S. has been advertising this offensive, to give people a chance to prepare for it. But of course that also gave the Taliban the time to prepare for this offensive and to rig the streets and many houses with roadside bombs and improvised explosive devices.

Certainly, what we've been hearing from people fleeing the area is that's exactly what the Taliban are doing. Some are digging in and others are planting bombs against the American forces that are due to move in as the Americans say very soon, Betty.

NGUYEN: So they're facing bombs, booby traps, and I guess the hardest part not only staying alive -- is also trying to keep civilians out of harm's way?

PLEITGEN: That's a very hard thing to do and certainly something where we've seen the leadership of the U.S. Army here in Afghanistan say that that is really the main objective right now.

What they want to do is move in there, they want to protect the civilians, keep civilians from getting hurt, but of course that is very, very difficult in such an environment. You have very, very different terrain around that area, you have very muddy areas, you have irrigation ditches. It's very hard to move forward.

Once they get into the town it's a very, very dense urban area and very hard to distinguish between the Taliban and civilians, so certainly that's going to be a very, very big challenge. In many ways, a lot of the Marines out there believe it's putting them at more risk to really try to keep civilian casualties down to a minimum rather than trying to go in full force against the Taliban.

So, certainly a very, very difficult, very long, very hard battle appears to be ahead of the Marines there in that southern stronghold of Marja in Helmend province, Betty.

NGUYEN: It's the largest offensive of the Afghanistan war. We will be watching very closely. So will you. Frederick Pleitgen joining us live. Thank you so much for that, Fred.

Well, the fashion world is just stunned by the death of designer Alexander McQueen. The 40-year-old was found dead in his London home just days after his mother's death. CNN's Monita Rajpal (ph) takes a look at his career.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MONITA RAJPAL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With a toothy grin, he would strut down the runway with an air of nonchalance. This was the man who thumbed his nose at the fashion establishment. Known as the "Enfant Terrible," the French world were often shocked by what they considered disregard for their heritage. But once his clothes were on the runway, his attitude was often for forgiven. Lauren Goldstein Crowe has written extensively about the fashion world.

LAUREN GOLDSTEIN CROWE, AUTHOR: I think that he was universally respected. Personally people might have had their problems with him, but I've never heard anybody deny his talent.

RAJPAL: Alexander McQueen was born in London's East End to a working class family. One of six children, he often described himself as the pink sheep of the family.

But this self-professed outsider had a talent for tailoring. At the age of 16, he was to apprentice at Britain's respected Sabal Road, working for tailors who outfitted the Royal Family. But it would be at Central St. Marten's Design College in London where he would be discovered by fashion director and stylist Isabela Blow as a designer with talent.

CROWE: He was a real breakthrough designer in this country. He trained on Sabal Road and then decided to do a course in women's fashion design ,so he brought all of that tailoring and mixed it with this aesthetic that he had been fascinated with and created most the romantic and wonderful and well-constructed vision.

RAJPAL: He earned numerous accolades, including international designer of the year as well as British designer of the year multiple times. In 1996, luxury conglomerate LVMH persuaded McQueen to head the couture label Gibonche (ph). In 2001, he sold his own label to a rival, the Gucci Group.

For the stars who wore his clothes, he was an inspiration. Lady Gaga talked to CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" show this week before his death. LADY GAGA, PERFORMER: He's on his own planet. He doesn't need to respond to trends or what anyone else is doing. It's so pure and from within. And he just genuinely inspires me in a way -- and I love when I can wear his clothes and sort of synthesize for my fans what it means to me, because I want them to escape through his clothing the way that I do.

RAJPAL: Just over a week ago, McQueen tweeted that his mother passed away. Now on the streets of London and outside his home in Mayfair, many are mourning his death.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have to give him my love and energy and thanks for giving his brilliance.

RAJPAL: Alexander McQueen, dead at 40.

Monita Rajpal, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Checking our top stories.

Remembering the victims of the crash of Continental Airlines flight 3407. Families of the victims and others are doing a memorial walk right now in Buffalo, New York, a suburb there called Clarence. They're walking to finish the journey the crash victims never did. The crash one year ago today killed 51 people.

Two more churches in Texas have gone up in flames, and they have been ruled caused by arson. That brings the total to ten. The latest were near Tyler, Texas. Police believe an individual or group is responsible for all of these fires, and all of them have been concentrated in east Texas, but have not been limited to any one denomination.

Shuttle Endeavour astronauts, well, let's take a look at them. They just finished a spacewalk. Two of them completed a lengthy one just a few hours ago. They connected a new storage room to the international space station. It will house life support and water recycling equipment.

All right. Of course there's gold, silver and bronze, but in Vancouver, it's all about going green. CNNmoney.com's Poppy Harlow has our "Energy Fix" from New York. All right, Poppy, what are we talking about here?

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: First of all, lucky folks that get to be going to the Olympics, they're going to see all of this in action. But sustainability has been the goal here, according to the Vancouver Olympic Committee for the last seven years that they have been planning this thing, from the medals to the arenas, they're going green across the board.

Let's take a look at the medals first to show you what we're talking about here. Bronze, silver and gold here. Part of these, Betty, interesting. They're made from recycled circuit boards that would have gone into landfills, but instead they're being reduced and used in all of these medals, pretty interesting there.

Also when you look at the arenas that are being used, they're really all much greener than before. This is the Richmond Olympic Oval. The image came to us from Vancouver's Olympic Committee. It's a sustainability snapshot. A lot of green things going on in here. To give you a perspective of the size, it's about as big as four football fields. They're obviously going to do a few things. They're going to capture rainwater in Vancouver, reuse it throughout the building, everything from flushing toilets to irrigating the plants outside.

Also what we're going to see is that all of that energy to make the ice -- oh, we're already onto the Coke bottles -- that is the speed skating oval, that's going to be used to heat and cool the building.

They have you've got these companies and that's where Coke comes into place. They have received these sustainability stars. Coca-Cola is one of them. All of the bottles -- we're going to zoom in here so you can see more -- they're all greener than they were before. Coke's bottles use 30 percent plant materials. That's why it says plant bottle right here. All of the Coke bottles, from Dasani to the Coca- Cola products are all going to be these greener bottles where they use less oil to make them.

So, a lot of interesting green things going into the Olympics this year.

NGUYEN: Not only that but the money that it costs to do all that. How much does it really cost to put on the Olympic Games? You know that?

HARLOW: It is so expensive. The Olympic Committee says $1.8 billion and that doesn't even...

NGUYEN: Goodness.

HARLOW: I know. That doesn't include all the Vancouver and the Canadian government have had to do to improve their infrastructure and provide for the thousands and thousands of people that are going to be there starting today with the opening ceremonies.

But this is going to be great for the local economy. You know that, that's why cities bid for the Olympics. It can actually be profitable for some. If you look back to the Atlanta Olympics, if you look back to the L.A. Olympics in '84, they actually turned a profit for the city.

But it's not always the case. You look at Athens recently, that city did not budget correctly for the Olympics. They lost a lot of money on it. As you know, betty, Greece is facing a major debt crisis now, and some say that was part of it. Overall, a huge, huge price tag. But they're greener this year. Betty? NGUYEN: All right. Following the money and the environmental changes. Poppy Harlow wearing many hats for us today. Thank you.

OK, so, listen to this, folks. And I'm quoting: "I'm afraid I want control of my life." That's just one conflicted entry from Jaycee Dugard's journal. It's a fascinating look at her evolving emotions during 18 years of captivity.

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NGUYEN: No one really got to talk honestly with Jaycee Dugard during her years in captivity. Remember, she was kidnapped in 1991 when she was just 11 years old. One of her alleged captors fathered two children with her.

Jaycee and her children were freed just last year, but now the Jaycee from those 18 lost years is talking through the journal that she kept. The D.A.'s office has released some of the entries, and they reveal how her conflicted emotions evolved over the years. David Begno (ph) from our Sacramento affiliate KOVR has the story.

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DAVID BEGNO (ph), KOVR-TV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): July 16th, 1993. "I got a cat for my birthday from Phil and Nancy. They did something for me that no one else would do for me. They paid $200 so I could have my own kitten."

Then as an adult, on September 5th, 2003, she wrote, "I don't want to hurt him. Sometimes I think my very presence hurts him. So, how can I ever tell him I want to be free? Free to come and go as I please. Free to say I have a family. I will never cause him pain if it's in my power to prevent it."

Then on July 5th, 2004, she wrote, "It feels like I'm sinking. I'm afraid I want control of my life. This is supposed to be my life to do with it what I like. But once again, he has taken it away. How many times is he allowed to take it away from me? I am afraid he doesn't know how the things he says makes me a prisoner. Why don't I have control of my life? I feel I can't even be sure if my thoughts are my own."

HELEN BOYER, GARRIDOS' NEIGHBOR: Isn't that sad?

BEGNO: Helen Boyer lived next door to the Garridos the entire time Jaycee was there. She calls Philip a control freak, but ironically, a great neighbor and often saw Jaycee playing outside, which is one reason why she wonders why Jaycee never tried to run away.

BOYER: She could have. Look how much room there is.

BEGNO: Documents released reveal that Garrido told Jaycee if he ever got arrested, she was to get a lawyer and not talk to police. In fact, the day police arrested Garrido in Berkeley, Jaycee asked him privately, what do I do? Get a lawyer, he blurted. But later both admitted what was really going on.

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NGUYEN: And that was David Begno reporting from KOVR in Sacramento. The Garridos of course, in jail. The El Dorado County district attorney doesn't want them to know where Jaycee and her daughters are living now. He likely used that diary to show what she went through emotionally and why there should be no contact.

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NGUYEN: We have some breaking news to tell you about out of Washington, D.C. We understand that a D.C. Metro train has derailed. Got a little bit of information coming in. You're looking at a traffic camera right now. You can see emergency crews are on the scene.

We've learned this is a six-car train. The front car is actually what derailed. The lead car we're being told lost a wheel. Now, also learning that there aren't any injuries. Let's take you down to the site in Washington, D.C., or close to the site as we can get you with Kate Bolduan. Kate, what are you hearing?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Okay. Breaking news situation. We are working on this. We have crews heading to the scene. We also are working on it here on our security desk.

Let me get you to the quick facts of what we know. We are hearing now that there has reportedly been a six-car Metro train, six cars. Reportedly, there was a derailment. What we're hearing from the Metro authority is that the front -- the wheels of the front train reportedly derailed. Right now, no reports of injuries but we do have a crew heading to the scene.

Let me show you what this is and try to give our viewers a little perspective. We're talking about here this Farragut North Stop. This is around 17th and K Streets. For our viewers, for some perspective, that's the heart of D.C.

Also right now, because of the weather, the commute, the big commute, the big rush hour has been delayed, so the volume on the trains, the volume of commuters could be very heavy at this hour.

Why do we care about this? Because back in June, June 23rd, there was another incident with D.C. Metro, a collision. That was over here in the Ft. Tauten area, on more the outskirts of D.C. above ground area. Here it's below ground. The Ft. Tauten incident, nine people were killed in this incident. What we know as the deadliest train collision in D.C. Metro history.

We're working on all of these details. Let me show you what we're working on. We've got Mike Allers (ph), one of (INAUIBDLE) working the security desk. He's talking to the Metro authority trying to get more details of exactly what we have, what the situation is. Clearly a developing situation. Kill Crady (ph) also working her contacts. We're just trying to figure out exactly how many people are affected and also trying to figure out for everyone else what this means for the D.C. Metro system.

Right now, as you know because of the weather, Metro, this kind of public transit because the roads are still a bit of a problem for some people, this is going to be very important today and could become a very sticky situation as this whole thing develops.

So, right now, what we've got is a report of a potential train derailment. No reports of injuries, very good news, but this is developing and we're checking with our sources here at the security desk. We'll get back with you when we've got a little bit more.

NGUYEN: All right, Kate Bolduan joining us live. Kate, thank you so much for that.

Of course, we will stay on top of this story and bring you the latest just as soon as we get it.

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NGUYEN: The Southeast bracing for snow today, which is exactly what they have been praying for in the great white North. The Winter Olympics get under way in Vancouver today, but is there enough snow for the games to go on? CNN's Mark McKay is live in Vancouver this morning.

I don't know, I don't see it falling behind you. How's the snow so far?

MARK MCKAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to winter in the Pacific Northwest, Betty. Here in Vancouver proper, we've been here a couple of days and dealing with rain, a cold rain. That is what Vancouver usually gets off the Pacific Ocean. Today, we just had a brilliant sunrise. The clouds have come in here.

The concern isn't here in Vancouver, it's more in the mountains as we get to the higher altitutes. Whistler, there's no problem. That's where the Alpine events will be held. That's fine. But as you get closer to the city, there's Cypress Mountain, for snowboarding and skiing. Betty, we've seen the pictures of them trucking snow in. Vancouver Olympic officials and IOC, International Olympic Officials say they have a plan. The plan is in place. They're not worried if there is a lack of snow on Cypress Mountain.

NGUYEN: All right, very good. The city, though, are they ready? Are the folks excited? Are they ready for the Games to begin this evening?

MCKAY: It's not quite 8:00, Betty, and I believe all of Vancouver is awake. The torch relay just made its way out of Stanley Park. Anyone familiar with Vancouver knows Stanley Park, a beautiful 1,000- acre park which sits just west of the city. The torch was just by our location adjacent to the park. Inside the park, California's governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, one of the torch bearers as he was able to bring it through the park. Now it works its way through the downtown throughout the day ahead of tonight's opening ceremony indoors at the B.C. Place. NGUYEN: How spectacular do you expect these opening ceremonies to be tonight?

MCKAY: Well, you know, we just came off of Beijing, the Summer Games. That was one spectacular opening ceremony. It seems like each Games that passes, the next city has to live up to it. It will be indoors, the first opening ceremony held indoors. That will help if it rains tonight. We don't know who will light the cauldron at the very end. That's a secret. We don't know where the cauldron will be, Betty, since the opening ceremony will take place indoors. We are building toward the anticipation for sure.

NGUYEN: No doubt, and so are we, ready to watch. Okay, Mark McKay, thank you so much for that.

And there's much more to come because we are following a train derailment out of Washington, D.C. Stay with us for the latest on that.

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NGUYEN: All right, back to our breaking news right now. We understand that a D.C. Metro train has derailed. Six cars making up that train. The first part of it, the front car has lost a wheel, and that may have been what led to it. Of course, a lot of questions still being asked. But I want to take you now live on the phone to one of our CNN producers who was actually on the train at the time. Almir Banjanovich (ph) joins me by phone. Almir, tell me what happened.

ALMIR BANJANOVICH, CNN PRODUCER, ABOARD DERAILED TRAIN (via phone): Well, I was on the Metro traveling from Cleveland Park, which is in northwest D.C. To union station. And I wasn't actually on the train that derailed, but we were stopped between Dupont Circle and Farragut North due to a switch malfunction, we were told...

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NGUYEN: OK, are you still there, Almir? Almir?

All right, we're having some technical problems. Understanding at first that he was on the train but it appears that he was on the platform and had to be transferred to a different train because of the issues. We're trying to get that worked out, and we're going to get more information on this, but we're following this story very closely and will bring you the latest.

But the good news, Tony Harris, as you pick this up from here, there have been no reports of injuries associated with this train derailment.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Is this weather-related in any way? I guess Kate is working on that for us.

NGUYEN: Several people are working on it and crews to the scene as well, so we'll get information very shortly. HARRIS: All right, Betty. Good to see you. Have a great weekend.

NGUYEN: You, too! OK, You, too.