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Haiti: One Month After the Quake; Iran's Crackdown on Opposition; D.C. Metro Train Derailment
Aired February 12, 2010 - 10:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. It is Friday, February 12th, and here are the top stories for you in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Snow, a four-letter word in the South. A winter storm is creating slippery trouble from Texas to South Carolina.
Fixing your Toyota. A mechanic shows us what to expect at the dealership.
And this --
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you still upset (ph)? Yes.
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HARRIS: Wow. OK. They let it slip through their fingers the first time around, but got a second chance. Love for the ageless.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris, and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Wait a minute. What the heck is going on here? A snowstorm in the deep -- the Deep South?
Check this out, winter stuff from Louisiana, all the way into Georgia. Ahead of the storm, Delta Air Lines cancelled 800 flights in and out of Atlanta. The storm made its mark in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, first at DFW airport.
How about this? A whopping 12.5 inches, a new one-day record. Schools and businesses across the whole region shut down.
And check out Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The snow is really coming down there. How often do you see that scene?
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Let's do this now -- let's take a look at other big stories we're following today.
Doctors are calling Bill Clinton's prognosis excellent. The former president is at home in Chappaqua, New York, this morning. Less than 24 hours earlier, doctors placed a pair of stents in a coronary artery.
Clinton had a quadruple bypass six years ago. A vein used in the bypass developed a blockage, which we're told isn't unusual.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ALLAN SCHWARTZ, CARDIOLOGIST, NEW YORK PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL: The goal of the treatment -- and I think it will be achieved -- is for President Clinton to resume his very active lifestyle. This was not a result of either his lifestyle or his diet, which have been excellent. He's exercised regularly, he's in excellent condition.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Well, later this hour in the NEWSROOM, is it heartburn or heart disease? I'll talk live with an Emory University cardiologist. Stents, what are they, when do you need them?
Mission accomplished for two Shuttle Endeavour astronauts during an early morning spacewalk. It took the astronauts six and a half hours to install a new component on the International Space Station. This was the first of three spacewalks scheduled during a two-week mission. The second is tomorrow night.
Haitians coming together to mark one month sense the devastating earthquake. Thousands turned out for today's remembrance ceremony in the heart of Port-au-Prince near the collapsed presidential palace. Officials have declared today a national day of mourning for the more than 200,000 people killed in the quake.
More than a million people remain homeless in Haiti.
Our John Vause is in Port-au-Prince.
And John, maybe give us an assessment here. Where do things stand -- and I know that's a pretty broad question -- one month after the quake?
JOHN VAUSE, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, let's just talk about this memorial service first, because everyone has been focusing on the physical needs.
First of all, it's getting people out of the rubble, and then it was getting them medical treatment, then it was getting them water, food and shelter. Today is all about the emotional needs. And this is the first time Haitians have had a chance to stop to think, to reflect and to remember the 200,000-something people who died during this earthquake.
And what psychiatrists and counselors and psychologists will always tell you is that after something like this, a disaster, especially one on this scale, these kinds of moments, this period of mourning, are essential. It's kind of a national catharsis so that this country can sort of move forward, get over the initial trauma, try and get together and start working on the long-term solutions. And there are going to be a lot of problems ahead -- Tony. HARRIS: You know, John, yesterday I guess we were reporting on the rain, the rains coming to Port-au-Prince. What did you see as a result of that? It looks like it's a much better day today.
VAUSE: Yes. Look, you know, it rained yesterday morning. It was only an hour, but it really was a preview of just how bad things will be once the rainy season starts, because that's when it will rain for days, maybe for weeks without stopping. People living on dirt, under bed sheets, on this corrugated iron, and they're the lucky ones.
So the real immediate goal right now, or the immediate challenge for aid agencies from the U.N. on down, is to try and get these million-something homeless people into more permanent shelters, something that can withstand the rain, something which can then maybe be strong enough to house people during the hurricane season. There doesn't really seem to be a coherent plan at the moment.
What they're trying to get is get tarps to the people, maybe some tents. But then that represents a whole lot of other problems.
Once you get people into these tent cities, what aid workers will tell you is that's actually a hindrance to long-term reconstruction, because they essentially become like shantytowns, and that stops economic development, that stops people from building, that stops people from getting back to their lives. They just live in these shantytowns dependent upon foreign aid.
So it's a very difficult challenge for these aid groups to decide what to do. You've got the immediate threat of the rainy season and the hurricanes coming up, but you don't want to create these shantytowns. So what they're trying to do is get them some more permanent, semi-stable, semi-permanent structures which will give them shelter for the conditions ahead, but they can segue, transition very, very quickly into more permanent housing -- Tony.
HARRIS: So, John, shelter clearly still a big issue, but give me a sense of what you feel there. Are basic needs being met there in Port-au-Prince? And I'm talking about food and water.
VAUSE: Yes. You know, look, it's still patchy. It's a lot less patchy than it was.
People will tell you they haven't had enough to eat, people will tell you they don't have water, but there are distribution systems in place which seem to be working. And more and more people are being reached with very, very basic commodities -- rice, water, cornmeal. Not a lot else.
So, then, what that means is that moving forward, you're going to have problems with malnutrition, people not getting the right kinds of food to eat. With that, will come diseases and kids will be malnourished. So they have got to start distributing better food, and more of it.
So what we've had is that they have taken care of the day-to-day needs -- food, water, shelter. Now they're looking at the week-to- week needs, trying to get them to better shelter, trying to get them better food. And then you've got the month-to-month needs. So there's so much work, and are doing all of this from scratch, and that really is the main problem here.
HARRIS: John Vause for us.
That's brilliant.
John Vause in Port-au-Prince for us.
John, appreciate it. Thank you.
Revolution marches, demonstrations. What do this week's developments in Iran mean for the future of an opposition movement there? We are digging deeper.
Jacqui Jeras tracking the southern snowstorm. Boy, this is -- well, we'll talk to Jacqui about this. This one is going to be tough. Snow in Georgia. What, 1,100 flights cancelled at Hartsfield--Jackson International Airport?
Take a look at the Big Board, New York Stock Exchange. We are in negative territory big time, triple digits, negative, down 125 points.
We are following these numbers, stocks, throughout the day, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
A quick break. We're right back.
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HARRIS: New reports from Iran on just how effective the government snuffed out opposition protests as the nation marked Revolution Day.
Our Ivan Watson is monitoring the situation from CNN's Iran Desk.
And Ivan, look, how did the opposition make out yesterday? What are you hearing?
IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: From opposition activists I've been talking to, they are pretty disappointed and a bit demoralized. They did try to get out in the streets.
Take a look at this video, Tony, of yesterday, where one of the opposition leaders, maybe Karroubi, tried to move out. And they appear to have been hit by some kind of tear gas or pepper spray you may see in just a second, this puff of pink smoke.
And we did get reports that the opposition leader, Karroubi, was actually burned in the eyes from the gas and that his son was arrested. We'll leave that video rolling.
But, yeas, one of the exiled activists that I talked to, he says that a lot of people are confused right now and asking what's next. And the government right now seems to be gloating at Friday prayers. We had one cleric calling this "a show of power, insightfulness, wisdom, allegiance to the supreme leader, and national unity throughout the country." That was at official Friday prayers.
HARRIS: Well, Ivan, can I jump in for a second here?
WATSON: Sure. Sure.
HARRIS: Where does the opposition movement go from here? If organization was next to impossible because of the government's efforts to snuff it out, how does the movement organize moving forward?
WATSON: That's a very good question. And some may just be tired of getting beaten up too much and getting arrested and, in some cases, executed for their activities against the government.
Let's take a listen to Behzad Yaghmaian -- he's an analyst who's been falling this very closely -- what he had to say about this, Tony.
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BEHZAD YAGHMAIAN, AUTHOR, "SOCIAL CHANGE IN IRAN": The green movement, in my opinion, two major problems. One was the problem of the numbers, the other was the disorganization in terms of whether or not to show their signs.
As a result, a lot of disarray and disorganization was created. Some are actually looking at this as a sign of the defeat of the green movement. Others are saying that was only a tactical mistake and that could be rectified easily.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: And Tony, the exile that I talked to who had to flee across the border to Turkey over the summer, he said you know what? This is a process of ups and downs. We're going to have good moments and bad moments. He said the fact that the government is still afraid of the opposition is the fact that it still hasn't arrested the key leaders of that movement.
HARRIS: Right. Yes, I get that. I totally believe that it is a matter of ebbs and flows here.
But I'm curious, did this movement ever have the support from Iran security officials, intelligence officials? You'd think that would be necessary for an opposition movement to really take hold.
WATSON: Absolutely. And in 1979, in the Islamic Revolution, the defection of big units of the military was important for overthrowing the Shah's regime. And in this case, it does look like the Revolution Guard Corps -- that's a very powerful military and economic force in Iran -- that it is firmly behind the supreme leader and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
HARRIS: It would make it tough.
All right. CNN's Ivan Watson at our Iran Desk.
Ivan, good to see you. Appreciate it. Thank you.
You know, we're following a developing story out of Washington, D.C. We will have the latest on a six-car train derailment. Kate Bolduan is covering that for us on the Security Desk in Washington.
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HARRIS: Very quickly now, we want to update you on a developing story out of Washington, D.C., a metro train derailment.
Let's get you live to CNN's Kate Bolduan in Washington.
Hey, Kate, what happened here? Do we know yet?
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're starting to get more details here, Tony. Let me run you through. You've probably gone over it, but let me run you through what we've got here.
We have confirmed from D.C. Metro that there was a six-car train on the Red Line, did derail. Let me show you really kind of -- a little bit of what that means. Let me walk you over here.
We've got a Google map that will be able to zoom in to show you where that is in reference to -- you know, this really -- it's Farragut North. This is downtown D.C. Downtown D.C.
And first off, as we're zooming in, let me just say there still are no reports of injuries. So that's very good news as we're talking about this.
This is an underground station at Farragut North, 17th and K Streets is about where it is. You can see over here, we've got a map of the D.C. Metro system to show you just where it is. It's right here, the heart of Washington, D.C.
Now, D.C. Metro actually confirmed to our Mike Ollers (ph), who is here with me at the Security Desk, that the front wheels of the lead car of this train did come off the tracks, and they say that this incident took place at 10:13 this morning. So about an hour ago.
And we also have a little bit more information. Just let me read it to you, Tony. Sorry about that.
HARRIS: OK. No worries.
BOLDUAN: We've got -- they're telling us that there are a lot of passengers on this train, and they're now going to start trying to evacuate this train. But still no reported injuries.
Why are there a lot of passengers on this train? Well, the federal government is working under a delayed schedule today due to that massive snowstorm really over the past week, and so there's really high commuter volume on this train at this time. So there could be very heavy traffic on this train today. So, right now, what we've got is the train did derail. We have a crew on the way to the scene.
We know that D.C. Metro is dealing with this, really trying to figure out how serious the situation is, what it means for commuter traffic today. You know, through the day, and what it means for the people on the train. Buy no reports of injuries.
They have people on the scene, they're trying to work it out. And we're working on trying to get our sources and work out to see what else we can learn about this situation here.
HARRIS: OK, Kate. Appreciate it. We'll get back to you on that.
BOLDUAN: Thanks, Tony.
HARRIS: Kate Bolduan in Washington, D.C.
A military mom facing a court-martial for refusing to ship out and leave her baby behind finds out her fate.
We are tracking your top stories. That's coming up next, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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HARRIS: Top stories now.
People who lost family on Continental Flight 3407 are marching today, the first anniversary of that crash. They blame the disaster on inexperienced pilots. To highlight that point, a co-pilot from the plane that landed safely on the Hudson River is joining the march.
The Army has discharged a single mother who didn't report for a year-long tour in Afghanistan. Specialist Alexis Hutchinson's child care plan fell through. She could have faced court-martial and jail time. Hutchinson's prosecution would have been the military's first court-martial over child care.
Congressman Patrick Kennedy is getting out of the family business. He won't run for re-election.
Friends call the death of his father, Senator Ted Kennedy, a factor in that decision. The congressman's departure means there won't be a Kennedy in the Congress for the first time in, what, a half a century?
We're back in a moment.
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BENJAMIN BARTLETT, IREPORTER: I'm Benjamin Bartlett reporting live from Baltimore. It is very snowy out today. Cars cannot go down the street. Some roofs are collapsing from all the snow. We are trying to get the snow off of ours, and cars are going to be stuck for a few days on the street.
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HARRIS: Look, give Ben a contract. Three years. Sign him up right now.
Ben, I want another report tomorrow -- well, no, no. Tomorrow is Saturday. I want another report for Monday. OK, Ben? Thank you.
Six-year-old iReporter Ben Bartlett reporting from Baltimore.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Across parts of Kenya, more than 27 million people live without electricity. Children study by candlelight. That's how Evans Wadongo grew up. Now he has come up with an invention using solar power to light up these villages, and he is CNN's Hero of the week.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EVANS WADONGO, CNN HERO: I have problems with my eyesight due to prolonged exposure to smoke. And I had to use firewood to study during my childhood.
I grew up in a small village in the western part of Kenya. These families are so poor, they don't have electricity. It's only kerosene and firewood that they use for lighting, cooking.
It's very, very frustrating. I couldn't compete effectively with other kids who have access to lighting.
A lot of other kids just drop out of school. So they remain poor for the rest of their life.
My name is Evans Wadongo.
When I made the first lantern, I thought I must find a way of using solar light to light up the homes. I was so overwhelmed. I knew the impact that the lantern would have in the rural communities.
The amount of money that every household uses to buy kerosene every day, if they can just save that money, they can be able to buy food.
Good morning.
All along I've been skipping at least two meals a day so that I can construct the lamps, but I want to do more. It gives me satisfaction that I'm lifting people out of poverty. I just feel like it's right.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Evans Wadongo's work has brought light into an estimated 10,000 rural Kenyan homes for free. And to watch him build his solar- powered lanterns or to nominate someone you think is changing the world, here's what you do -- you go to CNN.com/heroes.
We're back in a moment.
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HARRIS: So, as you know, Congress is still working to hammer out a jobs bill. But in the meantime, what we all want to know is, when will the economy start creating jobs? Well, forecasts are out now.
Darby Dunn is in New York with details.
And Darby, we saw a gain in November, right? But that just seems to have been a one-time blip here. So the question is, when will we begin to see some real sustained job growth?
DARBY DUNN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, here's the good news. The White House is saying that it expects an average of 95,000 a month to be created throughout this year. And in a separate report, economists surveyed by "The Wall Street Journal" say they expect more than 100,000 jobs a month to be created.
We're also already seeing manufacturing jobs coming back and that's for the first time in nearly three years, so those are definitely some bright spots. But it is not enough, that's the tough part. Most economists still expect unemployment to stay in the high 9 percent range this year -- Tony.
HARRIS: So we will see some job gains this year, Darby, but the unemployment rate will still stay high. Maybe you can explain that disconnect here.
DUNN: Well, basically it's that the job growth rate is not as high as it needs to be. The country has to make up a lot of lost ground, remember that more than eight million jobs were lost during this recession. So it would take 200,000 jobs a month to bring down the unemployment rate.
Also, the White House says we need to see a prolonged and robust GDP expansion but the forecast this year is only for modest economic growth. Some of the jobs, Tony, some of the jobs that were lost may never come back, and employers are simply learning how to do more with less. So it's a long road ahead.
In the meantime, we are seeing a big sell-off on Wall Street today. Consumer sentiment fell this month and that has investors concerned. Also, Americans continuing to be worried about high unemployment. You see the Dow down 109 points at 10,036, Tony, still above the 10,000 number.
Also, investors worried today because China ordered its banks to keep higher reserves. That means those banks can't make loans as easy and that is sparking concerns that the global growth will slow down as a result of that move.
HARRIS: Gotcha. OK, Darby, appreciate it. See you next hour.
When it comes to finding a mate, do you have a list of must haves? Oh, you know what I'm talking about. A random moment of the day in 70 seconds.
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HARRIS: All right all you single ladies, time for our "Random Moment of the Day." It is Valentine's weekend. Do you have a date or would you rather hold out for the perfect mate and stay single? Maybe you've gone a bit too far with your love list of must haves for Mr. Right or Ms. Right -- we're so politically correct.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm looking for honesty, trustworthy, he has to be tall too and preferably with dark hair.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I'm a short guy and that's usually the first thing, you're kinda short. I'm like oh, OK. Thanks a lot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: That's a problem, dude.
Next hour the author of "Marry Me: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough," Lori Gottlieb, speaks from personal experience and a lot of love research. So if you'd like to take a moment, we'd love to hear from you. Are women or men too picky these days when it comes to choosing a partner? Do you have a list? If so, what are some of your must haves? What's on the list? Do you have a list? What's on the list? Go to my blog, CNN.com/tony and we will share some of your comments throughout the show.
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HARRIS: Yes, yes, yes, we'll just have a conversation.
Toyota dealerships around the country are busy fixing recalled vehicles and responding to customers' concerns. We know a lot of you have questions about the repair process and we are getting you some answers right now with Bob Starford, he is the service director at Sandy Springs Toyota Scion here in the Atlanta-area.
It is good to see you. Thanks for taking the time. I got to tell you, we had a bit of a conversation about this as we were getting ready for the program here and you really geared up, didn't you?
BOB STARFORD, SERVICE DIRECTOR, SANDY SPRINGS TOYOTA SCION: Right. Yes, we did.
HARRIS: You extended some hours, you added some additional personnel. And what's been the result of doing those things?
STARFORD: We're not getting a response from the public like we anticipated. HARRIS: What do you mean you're not getting a response from the public?
STARFORD: We are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. At night, we're getting two to three customers a night coming to have their...
HARRIS: How do you explain this? I mean, we've been reporting on this every day since the word leaked out and then was reported and the response from Toyota that, you know, this was a really big deal. So I'm anticipating in my narrow little mind that you're going to be inundated with people. That has not been the case?
STARFORD: That's what we thought also, but we have a lot of long-time loyal Toyota owners that have never experienced any type of problems with their vehicles. Most of them are just taking it, you know what, I'll have it taken care of when I come in for my normal maintenance on my car.
HARRIS: Is that the way a lot of folks that you work with are dealing with this?
STARFORD: Yes.
HARRIS: Let's talk about the specific issue here. There are a couple of items that you are looking at right now.
STARFORD: Correct.
HARRIS: The issues with the Prius, maybe next hour, if you can stick around.
STARFORD: Sure.
HARRIS: With the sudden acceleration problem, have you figured out what the problem is?
STARFORD: Well, Toyota has with the sticky accelerator pedal.
HARRIS: Yes, yes.
STARFORD: And they have had their engineers work 24/7, came up with a repair, presented it to NHTSA, they have approved it, we've implemented it. We just need people to bring the vehicles to us so we can go ahead and take care of their cars for them.
HARRIS: And you really want people to do that?
STARFORD: Yes, we do. Yes, we do.
HARRIS: So what did you bring me here? You brought me the fix here? You got gears and nuts and bolts -- what do you have here?
STARFORD: This is the gas pedal, accelerator pedal off a vehicle.
HARRIS: OK.
STARFORD: And this is made by CTS, which is the first phase we're doing at this time. And what we're doing is putting a reinforcement bar internally into this pedal to reduce the friction and wear as the pedal goes along.
HARRIS: OK.
STARFORD: You have to pop this backing plate off, take a feeler gauge, stick it in, take a measurement. You go to a chart and it will tell you what type shim to put in the vehicle. They come in different sizes.
HARRIS: Gotcha. All right, how long does it take to do this repair here?
STARFORD: I'd say 30 to 40 minutes.
HARRIS: Thirty to 40 minutes. You've got another repair as well --
STARFORD: Yes, we do.
HARRIS: -- or this sudden acceleration issue and that's with the floor mats.
STARFORD: Right. The acceleration pedal entrapment by the floor mat. If the mat comes under hinged from the retaining hooks, which are in your carpet, it can bunch up underneath the accelerator pedal. And you'll notice on this particular pedal as it comes down, it's got a pretty aggressive edge here, it can catch on a bunched-up carpet.
What we're doing is modifying the shape of the pedal by rounding out this bottom piece so it can't snag as easily. We're also lifting up the carpet on the Camrys. There's a tibia (ph) pad under the carpet that your heel rests on to dampen the vibration. We insert a different tibia pad, a little bit thinner, it gives us an additional inch of clearance between the pedal and the carpet.
Then we have to reflash the computer. We reprogram it so that if you're going down the road and the car is accelerating and you hit the brake pedal at the same time, the brakes will override the accelerator. It'll throw it into a fuel cut.
HARRIS: All right, and make the point again, you really -- you're sending out notes to folks and you really want folks to get in and get this --
STARFORD: Yes, we do. It's serious.
HARRIS: OK.
STARFORD: It's a recall. We've instituted it. We need to take care of these. This thing will go on for years. We'll catch cars two, three years down the road that have not had this done.
HARRIS: OK. All right, Bob, appreciate it. You're going to be back with us, right?
STARFORD: Yes. Did I do all right?
HARRIS: You did great, you did great. Wonderful, smoking. Don't run, stay right here.
Next hour, Bob is going to answer some of your questions as well. If you'd like to send a question go to our blog page at CNN.com/tony.
Checking our top stories this hour, a rare sight in the Deep South -- snow. And we're expecting quite a bit of it, six inches in places. It's been snowing all morning from Louisiana to Alabama, Georgia's next and even the Florida handle is expecting some snow.
Suing Blackwater. Two former employees say the security firm charged the government for a prostitute and strippers among other things. They allege the activity took place in Iraq, Afghanistan and in Louisiana right after Hurricane Katrina. Company officials say the allegations are without merit and they will fight them.
President Clinton home after cardiac surgery. What exactly happened and what can you learn from how he handled this situation? We've got a cardiologist in the house next in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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HARRIS: Former President Clinton is out of a New York hospital and on the mend from a stent procedure. The surgery has become quite common to clear blocked arteries. Here's CNN's Larry King, last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, CNN ANCHOR: A month ago, maybe five weeks ago I had the same procedure at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles that Bill Clinton had today at Columbia Presbyterian. I felt some strange feelings in my shoulder, which is where I had the original heart attack. Went to the hospital, they checked me overnight and scheduled me for this four, five days later.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Let's do this. Let's bring in Emory University Hospital cardiologist Dr. Henry Lieberman. Dr. Lieberman, thanks for your time. Thanks for being here, we appreciate it.
DR. HENRY LIEBERMAN, CARDIOLOGIST, EMORY UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL: Good morning.
HARRIS: A couple of things we want to get to with you. The president's doctor calls the blockage experienced by the former president a natural progression of heart disease. Do you agree with that characterization of this being a natural progression of heart disease, and do you expect that bypass grafts will close at some point? LIEBERMAN: Coronary artery disease is a chronic illness, so one always has to be vigilant for graft occlusion or progression of native disease. It is not uncommon for a graft to close six or eight years after a bypass operation.
HARRIS: So, is it a fair statement that a closing or closed artery can cause discomfort as in the nature that the former president described, but can it also lead to something more serious, maybe even a heart attack?
LIEBERMAN: If not treated promptly, yes, it can cause a heart attack with damage to the heart muscle itself, yes.
HARRIS: OK. A chest discomfort, what forms can it take? I think a lot of us sort of ignore things that maybe we shouldn't be ignoring and claiming it's heartburn or something we ate.
LIEBERMAN: That's absolutely true. The typical symptoms of a heart attack is pain in the chest radiating to the arm but can manifest itself as indigestion or discomfort in the shoulder, neck, even up in the jaw or ear. So, the symptoms can be variable.
HARRIS: You know, this has also been described as fairly simple plumbing. Maybe you can describe a bit of the procedure here. I think we've got some animation to help along here. How would you describe for us this procedure that the former president underwent?
LIEBERMAN: The first part of the procedure involves placing a small catheter in a blood vessel in the heart, taking pictures and identifying the area of the blockage. And then when the block is identified, a tiny guide wire is placed where caused the blockage (ph), then a balloon and a stent is advanced across the blockage and then inflate under high pressure to essentially press the plaque aside.
HARRIS: OK. Dr. Lieberman, appreciate it. Thanks for coming in. Appreciate your time and the explanation.
LIEBERMAN: My pleasure.
HARRIS: Heart health is also the focus of today's "Fit Nation" report. Some Valentine's treats like dark chocolate and strawberries can be good for your heart. Details now from our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It is Heart Health Month. Time to cut through the clutter about what's really good for your heart. The biggest key, says registered dietician Page Love, is reducing the levels of inflammatory compounds in your body.
PAGE LOVE, REGISTERED DIETICIAN: Inflammation is your body's response when disease is cultivating and often there are foods that can actually help do the opposite of that in the body.
GUPTA: So, what are these super foods?
LOVE: Eating red helps decrease inflammation. For example, cherries, particularly tart cherries, red grapes, tomatoes.
GUPTA: Blueberries and strawberries also top the list as do leafy greens like spinach, even oatmeal.
LOVE: There's quite a bit of evidence that the fiber in oatmeal helps to lower cholesterol, so it's kind of one of those key disease- fighting breakfast foods.
GUPTA: If you're looking for a good snack food, try a can of nuts.
LOVE: Nuts are a good protein source, a good healthy vegetable fat source.
GUPTA: Avocados are also full of healthy, unsaturated fats that can help boost good cholesterol. Oily fish like salmon are rich in cholesterol-lowering Omega-3s which can help lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of clotting.
Then, of course, there's everybody's favorite, chocolate.
KATHERINE TALLMADGE, NUTRITIONIST, AMERICAN DIABETIC ASSOCIATION: The cocoa is full of compounds called flavonoids and produce a lot of benefits, relaxing blood vessels, reducing blood clotting, improving blood flow.
GUPTA: OK, but despite the benefits of chowing down on chocolate...
TALLMADGE: Keep sweets or sort of extra foods to about 10 percent of your calories per day.
GUPTA: So, here's to your heart health.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And be sure to tune into "Dr. Sanjay Gupta, M.D." Saturday and Sunday mornings at 7:30 Eastern only on CNN.
OK. If Valentine's day weekend has you all cynical about love -- oh, yes, we found the story that will melt the cockles of your heart. A couple finds true love 57 years after being ripped apart. Prepare to be touched by this one. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: They loved and lost and found love again. Jaye Watson of affiliate WXIA introduces us to a 90-year-old couple blissfully in the prime of their love lives.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JAYE WATSON, WXIA-TV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The first Friday of the month, dance night at the Roswell Recreation Center for the 50- and-over crowd. One might assume many of these couples have spent a lifetime dancing together. But it took Elise and Peter EAVES 71 years to get here.
ELISE EAVES, FOUND LONG-LOST LOVE: I was leaning over the piano watching somebody play when he walked up.
WATSON: It was 1938 when Elise and Peter first met.
E. EAVES: I thought he was cute.
PETER EAVES, FOUND LONG-LOST LOVE: She's a beauty, and we just fit together when we danced so well.
E. EAVES: He was very persistent, and he asked me out, and then he just put the pressure on.
WATSON: They fell in love and got engaged, then Peter was drafted in 1941. While he was gone, Elise's mother pressured her.
E. EAVES: My mother did not like him. She kept telling me that he would not make me happy. Would not be a good husband.
WATSON: She broke the engagement.
E. EAVES: Back then, you thought your mother knew best.
P. EAVES: Well, it felt like a knife had been stuck in my heart, of course.
WATSON: Peter returned from the war. He and Elise lived separate, yet parallel, lives, finding love with other people. Marrying and having children. The years flew by. But their love for each other remained.
P. EAVES: Elise was always in the back of my mind.
E. EAVES: I still carried the love for him. I think you can love more than one man.
WATSON: Peter's wife died.
E. EAVES: So, I called him to offer my condolences. And nine months later, my husband died.
WATSON (off camera): How long did you wait after her husband died before you contacted her?
P. EAVES: About 15 minutes after I heard the news.
WATSON (voice-over): 57 years later -- -- a second chance.
E. EAVES: Picked up where we left off. It was like we hadn't been apart. P. EAVES: Yes.
E. EAVES: All those years.
P. EAVES: We felt like teenagers again really.
WATSON: Peter proposed again with the same ring. He'd kept it all those years.
P. EAVES: Well, it's very important. It makes a story complete, doesn't it?
WATSON: They married at 75. At 90, they are celebrating their 15th anniversary this month.
(off camera): And how's your health?
P. EAVES: Good.
E. EAVES: Good.
P. EAVES: We have good health. We're very fortunate that way.
E. EAVES: Don't have a walker yet.
(LAUGHTER)
WATSON: As for romance...
(off camera): ... Do you still have sex?
E. EAVES: Yes. At the advice of our doctor, every time we get a physical.
WATSON (voice-over): But the rhythm of daily life, often taken for granted, isn't when you've had to wait a lifetime to get it. Theirs is a love affair delayed more than half a century, but that love prevailed, allowing Peter and Elise to save the last dance for each other.
P. EAVES: The best years of our life have been the ones we've spent together, I think.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Oh, good stuff! But I'm blushing.
Here's what we're working on for the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM.
Iranians in the United States, reacting to what didn't happen in their native land. The revolutionary -- the revolution-day disappointments.
And, ladies, this Valentine's Day weekend, we are wondering if you found Mr. Right or Mr. Okay for Right Now. I will talk to the author of "Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough." (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Nine hours from now, the Olympic athletes will march in, the cauldron will be lit, and the games will begin. It's all happening in Vancouver, British Columbia. Weather won't matter, it's a dome stadium. Good. The big mystery -- who will light the cauldron? One name that keeps coming up, Wayne Gretzky, NHL legend, Canadian hero.
We know who will be leading the American delegation. A five-time Olympian, Mark Grimette, he's won more international medals in luge than any other American. That's one of the most dangerous of the Olympic sports.
