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Slaughter Not Backing Down; Storm At the Vatican; Fighting Cancer without Insurance; Obama, Clinton, Gates Announce New Nuclear Arms Treaty

Aired March 26, 2010 - 10:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk about some of those threats. The ones in New York's 28th district, western New York. At least one brick through a lawmaker's window and many harsh words.

CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti talked to the people there about what's happening. What's your take, Susan?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, it's interesting. We just selected one of the Congress people persons who have been attacked in some of these incidents because they just wanted to see what indeed the voters were saying about it.

So in this case it was Congresswoman Louise Slaughter. She's 80 years old and says she's seen a lot in her time, but nothing like the attacks on her and others. So we went to her district offices in Niagara Falls to ask her constituents to weigh in, those who back her and some of those who don't.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Enzo Luciani is cutting glass at his Niagara Falls hardware store, not for his famous next-door neighbor, though she could use some.

ENZO LUCIANI, VOTER: It had to be political.

CANDIOTTI: Luciani's neighbor is Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, someone threw a brick into one of her state offices over the weekend before her vote in favor of the president's health care bill, and in another office in Rochester this threatening voice mail.

REP. LOUISE SLAUGHTER: That well-trained snipers had been deployed and they can drop a person at a half mile and they were to assassinate people, children mostly.

CANDIOTTI: To Enzo Luciani, the whole thing makes no sense. His family has been in this town, in the hardware business for more than 70 years. You don't like what he sells? Go somewhere else. Same goes for the congresswoman.

LUCIANI: Violence is not the answer. The answer's the vote. If you don't like what Slaughter's done, don't vote for her.

CANDIOTTI: Unlike Luciani who approves of Slaughter's vote, winemaker Mateo Anelo (ph) doesn't. Still, he says attacks against her and others are way off base.

MATEO ANELO, VOTER It's the best government on earth. You use the government to get to where you want to go, not throw bricks.

CANDIOTTI: In Western New York constituents wonder who's behind it? A neighbor or an outsider?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're solid democrats and I don't think that they would go after her. So I have to believe that it's somebody from out of this district.

CANDIOTTI: Representative Slaughter says opposition attacks have one goal in mind.

SLAUGHTER: To bring us down as a party in November.

CANDIOTTI: For her, the trouble stopped after Sunday's vote. Not so for fellow Democrat Anthony Weiner of New York. The FBI is investigating a package he received Thursday with white powder and a letter complaining about the health care bill. In Virginia Republican Eric Cantor's office took a bullet through a window.

REP. ERIC CANTOR (R), VIRGINIA: Enough is enough. It has to stop.

CANDIOTTI: On that, GOP and Democratic leadership appeared to agree. For 80-year-old Congresswoman Slaughter, there's no turning back.

SLAUGHTER: My constituents know me, and they know I'm not backing down and not backing off and they don't call me Slaughter for nothing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI: The FBI is working with local police on this and of course, some of the other cases, too. It's unclear whether anyone will be charged here and it is also unclear whether Slaughter's largely Democratic district will stick with her come November or whether her health care vote might turn her out of office. We'll see, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. We'll follow it. Susan, thanks.

And coming up, imagine fighting cancer without insurance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If I have to go into debt to stay alive, it's just not worth it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: One man's fears about how he'll pay tens of thousands of dollars. That's coming up later in the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: And a helping hand for those of you in real trouble with your mortgages. Out of work, house worth less than you owe. Well, you're not alone. There's a plan being announced this hour that would have banks lowering payments for many people. 31 percent of your income, and in cases where homeowners are making nothing, they pay nothing for now.

Let's bring in Stephanie Elam. She's working the story out of New York. Stephanie, how many people could this impact?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, that's the hard thing to figure out right now because the government's previous foreclosure plans have gotten a lot of flack on not helping as many people as expected, but we have new numbers that show why something does need to be done.

It's a report from the Office of the Comptroller, which is part of the Treasury. And it shows that 14 percent of borrowers were late on their mortgage payments in the fourth quarter. That number has been going up for nearly two years and this tells us that there are a lot of potential foreclosures that still could be coming down the road and what's really troubling is that prime borrowers, they're now defaulting on a faster rate than before and these are people who really did have good credit histories when they got their homes and when they applied for their first mortgage and got it.

But for many of those people, it was after they lost their jobs in what has been a very difficult economic environment and that's when they ran into problems, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: OK. But foreclosures have been slowing down the past few months, right? So are you saying that things are going to get worse again?

ELAM: That's what the banks would lead you to believe. They're saying foreclosures will rise. Foreclosures did slow down in January and February, but that's mostly because the modification program take time and banks were tied up in paperwork and checking to see if people qualified for the modifications that they were applying for but not everyone qualifies and those who don't will go into foreclosure.

Also the reports show that even when people get the mortgage payments cut down most of them still redefault and it happens really quickly. We're talking about within nine months or so. So all the modification plans may work for some people, but for others it really just delays the inevitable and that's why so many people are calling on the government to make changes. And that's what we heard about today and that's what we'll hear more about in this hour, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: OK. We'll check in with you, then. Thanks, Steph.

So is Barack Obama a one-term president? Well, that's what most Americans are predicting right now. According to a CNN Opinion Research Corporation poll, 54 percent of people say Mr. Obama would lose a re-election bid in 2012. 44 percent say he would win. Here's a breakdown of how registered voters are leaning more than two years before the presidential election. 47 percent say they would vote for Barack Obama in 2012. The same number says that they'd vote for his Republican challenger.

Well, get out those rosary beads because someone needs to say a lot of Hail Marys. The "New York Times" says while Pope Benedict was a cardinal in Munich he was sent a copy of a memo telling him of a priest treated pedophilia, was returning to work with kids. That priest was later convicted of molesting boys.

CNN's Frederick Pleitgen is in Berlin. Now, Fred, what does the church in Germany saying about all this?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they've issued a pretty strong rebuttal here. I was just on the phone with the spokesperson for the Archdiocese in Munich, which of course, was the one that Cardinal Ratzinger, who is now, of course, Pope Benedict XVI headed in the early 1980s when this man, a Reverend Peter Holliman (ph) was allowed to come there.

They said what the "New York Times" describes as a memo was really a copy of a directive which was issued by Ratzinger's deputy of the time. Now, they say that at this time, there would be about 700 to 1,000 of such directives of which copies would go to Ratzinger's office and they said no way would any head of the archdiocese ever be able to look at all of them and therefore they say it's highly unlikely that Ratzinger would have known that this man would have been put back to work.

So they say they stand by what they've always said which is that the time Cardinal Ratzinger did allow this man to come to Munich; however, he was never aware of the fact that Peter Holliman (ph), this man was a pedophile, was able to go back to work. Of course, we know the story that happened afterwards in 1986, Holliman (ph) was convicted of molesting children. He had an 18-month suspended jail sentence but was then allowed to go back to pastoral work again and the archdiocese of Munich has acknowledged that there were some grave mistakes made.

But right now, they are doing everything they can to protect the pope and they say he never knew anything about this man being allowed to go back to work, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Fred Pleitgen, appreciate it. So with what Fred said and all this news about these various sex abuse scandals, how do you separate the message from the messenger? It's not only affecting the Catholic faith, but people of all faiths. I'm joined now by Dan Bartley, president of the Voice of the Faithful and Reverend Serene Jones, president of the Union Theological Seminary. They're both in it New York. And in Washington, we're also talking to Francis DeBernardo, an executive director of New Ways Ministry.

Serene, let's start with you. I mean, initially we wanted to have a panel talking about how this has affected the Catholic faith and a lot of people now questioning what they're believing in, should they be a part of this church? Is this the right thing for them? But you're saying it's not just affecting Catholics, but all faiths.

REV. SERENE JONES, PRES. UNION THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY: It's affecting all faiths in very profound ways because at the heart of faith is a sense of deep trust in your leadership and that when you go to church you reflect on god. You try to do what's right in the world that when you have in your gut a sense that not only very wrong, bad, terrible things happen but then that the leadership itself thinks that it doesn't have the standards of accountability that we all have when it comes to situations of abuse. That's disorienting. It's disturbing.

PHILLIPS: Francis, your thoughts.

FRANCIS DEBERNARDO, EX. DIR., NEW WAYS MINISTRY: Well, I think that most Catholics find that their experience of god and their experience of church is what is keeping them connected. And when I say their experience of church, I mean their experience of the local church, and so, yes, this is a time of trial and it's a very difficult time testing the faith of many, but I find that many Catholics are staying because they do not want to give up on their church and they do not want the men who are in charge of the church right now to win this battle.

PHILLIPS: Dan, what are you seeing?

DAN BARTLEY, PRESIDENT, VOICE OF THE FAITHFUL: Well, clearly, we have a case of failed leadership. It happened some time. But this is a historical moment where lay Catholics need to step up to the plate and really take responsibility and ownership of our church and cause change. We love our church, but it has to change, and now is the time for the great majority of Catholics, the lay Catholics to step up to the plate.

PHILLIPS: Well, Dan, in light of that when you talk about failed leadership. I mean, we're now talking about a Pope that allegedly knew about various actions of priests that molested boys. Does the Pope need to go?

BARTLEY: The Pope needs to make a serious decision. He needs to hold himself and other bishops accountable and he has to do what is right for the church and resignation at this point might be that option. Yes. We're at a very historical moment and important decisions need to be made.

PHILLIPS: Well, I would love to hear Francis and Serene weigh in on this as well. Serene, what do you think? I mean, is that what it's going to take? Is a Pope resigning for there to finally be change on this issue?

JONES: It is - in the best case scenario be a question of justice. The Pope needs to be held by the same standards that every priest is held to, also every school teacher is held to. There's no one immune to these basic standards and he needs to open himself up to transparency, to accountability and to discipline, and if that's where it leads then it will be a question of justice and truth, not a question of the papacy as if it is inherent good in itself that deserves extraordinary protections. It simply doesn't.

PHILLIPS: Francis, what do you think?

DEBERNARDO: Sometimes I think that these bishops and cardinals who are trying to lead the church are - have not attended Catholic school because the first thing you learn in Catholic school is to accept responsibility for your actions, for the things that you did and for the things that you failed to do. And these men have to start taking - start taking accountability for their actions and taking responsibility for what they did and what they failed to do.

PHILLIPS: And Serene, on the note of change within the church, you're the one that has come forward and said we need women higher up in positions, higher up within the Catholic church because you feel that women would possibly handle sex abuse differently than what these men have done for decades.

JONES: Well, again, I don't think that women are perfect and there's no guarantee that when women are around that things will be great and perfect in any way, but just at the level of sexual abuse, the proportion of women who abuse to men is extraordinary. It's like, you know, one to every 500. So just at the level of the problem itself we wouldn't have it of the magnitude that we have right now.

And then I think that when you begin to look at the way decisions are made part of the problem with the present structure in Rome is that it was built around notions of exclusion and that you could create a group of people, all men that are supposed to be celibate, that is better above the law. You start building those borders around groups of people and you're in for oppression, and in for bad news.

PHILLIPS: And bad behavior. Dan -

JONES: Bad behavior.

PHILLIPS: Yes. And Dan, I guess a lot of people are wondering, you know, how many scandals will it take? How many priests who have abused little boys will it take to finally do something and change the way the Catholic church handles this?

BARTLEY: Well, hopefully, this is it. We've gotten to the point where it has reached the top. The scandal has been going on for many years and as I said earlier, it is definitely time for the lady to step up to the plate. The Voice of the Faithful is all about that. We've been advocating that since the scandal broke and we also believe women should definitely have more of an active role in leadership positions.

PHILLIPS: Francis, what do you think?

DEBERNARDO: Well, I travel the country doing programs that promote equality for lesbian gay Catholics, and I meet lay people who are much more progressive than the leadership of the church is and who are angry and who are channeling their anger into constructive ways to try to change the church. The lay people are starting to take responsibility because they are pretty much fed up with the way the leadership has been handling these situations.

PHILLIPS: All right. So I'm going to ask all three of you this as I wrap this up. Francis, if you had the ability to make one major change within the catholic Church today, what would it be?

DEBERNARDO: The change that I would call for is an open dialogue on issues of governance and issues of sexuality. I think that there has to be a much larger conversation on these matters in the church.

PHILLIPS: Serene?

JONES: I would allow women to become priests. I would allow marriage which would in and of itself would completely redefine the church and the priesthood and open it up in wonderful ways.

PHILLIPS: Dan?

BARTLEY: Selection of bishops. I would change the way that bishops are selected in the United States and actually throughout the world. It should be a local issue and people should be loyal and dedicated to their local community and not misguided loyalties to the institution.

PHILLIPS: Wow, I think all three of you need to head to the Vatican and institute some change. What a great discussion. I really appreciate it. Francis, Serene and Dan, what a great discussion. I appreciate you three very much. Thank you.

DEBERNARDO: Thank you.

JONES: Thank you, Kyra.

BARTLEY: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: One man has lived in this neighborhood for 34 years and he's never seen anything like this. Flooding turns streets into rivers and it's one of the most exclusive clubs in the country, but only people with an extraordinary amount of courage need apply. Find out what unbelievable things you have to do to get in.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: East Texas trying to track down a mysterious would-be bomber. We told you about a homemade explosive device that was found yesterday. Well, can you believe that they have found yet another making more than 10 in less than three weeks that have been discovered. The bombs were all found in post offices or those mail drop boxes. Luckily, none of them have gone off.

A-Rod facing the fed instead of fast balls today. The "New York Times" reports prosecutors will ask Alex Rodriguez about Canadian Doctor Anthony Galia (ph). They want to know if the doctor distributed performance-enhancing drugs in the U.S.. Rodriguez has never said whether he was treated by him.

It would be a bittersweet ceremony today on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. Actor Dennis Hopper is getting a star and it could be the last time we see him in public. He's 73 years old and is dying from prostate cancer. Hopper has been acting for almost six decades and you probably remember his breakout role, 1969's "Easy Rider."

And just in, we have an update to one of the incidents of violence that had been linked to the health care debate. Just minutes ago, police in Richmond, Virginia, told us that the bullet that went through the office window of Congressman Eric Cantor was, "random gun fire." In other words, it was a stray bullet not tied to the health care debate.

Just one hospital bill for this cancer patient is twice as much as he makes in a year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If I have to go into debt to stay alive, it's just not worth it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Fighting a disease with no insurance. Now the worry is about new costs with health care reform.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, imagine having to fight cancer with no insurance? Well, that's the story of a New York man who is now cancer-free, but not worry-free. Poppy Harlow actually sat down with him and she joins us now to talk about it. Boy, what a heart wrenching story, Poppy.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Yes. I mean, this is a man who fought cancer with no insurance back in 2005, Kyra. It was amazing to hear his story, how he got through at the hospital actually worked with him to try to get through his bills, but we wanted to talk to him now that health care reform is passed, and I went into this thinking he would be gung-ho about health reform saying "you know, it's the perfect fix," but not exactly. Take a listen to Russell Coyne's story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RUSSELL COYNE, CANCER SURVIVOR: I just was playing the odds. I figured at 50, OK, I'll quit smoking and I'll, you know, start getting health insurance. You know, I'll start paying for it. Well, I got sick at 48.

I found a lump on my throat, and I thought it was an infection.

HARLOW (on camera): What did you think when you heard it was cancer and you knew that you didn't have health insurance? COYNE: I knew I had to do something, and I didn't know what it was, but another friend had told me about this clinic program at Bellevue. It would be my only choice, so I went there and applied and see if I qualified for it.

HARLOW: And because you didn't have health insurance you were able to work with the clinic. Because I look at these bills for your treatment, I mean, $75,000 here, $56,000 here.

COYNE: Yes.

HARLOW: I mean, how much were you bringing in in a year?

COYNE: 40,000.

(CROSSTALK)

HARLOW: Right. One of these bills is almost two years of your income.

COYNE: Yes.

REP. NANCY PELOSI, HOUSE SPEAKER: The bill is passed.

HARLOW: The health care bill, you support it.

COYNE: Yes. The first time I heard President Obama speak about the health care bill I was, like, why hasn't it been done before? You know, why - it sounds perfect. It sounds what this country needs.

HARLOW: Is it perfect?

COYNE: The way it is now, I don't think so. I don't think it goes far enough, but I'm so glad it passed, and I feel that everybody deserves to be covered by health care. There should be no fear. There shouldn't be staggering bills like this. You know, people and that was another thing I told them at the beginning of my treatment. I'm not going to go into debt over this. I'm not. I can't afford it. It's not worth it to me. If I have to go into debt to stay alive it's just not worth it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: And Kyra, that's what stood out to me most in our conversation. He said, you know, "If I have to go into debt, it's just not worth it" and I said "Really?" And he said, "I will not live with this debt if I just couldn't afford it and I didn't have the health care I would try to live out the life that I have left without going into debt," and that really stood out to me and it's the thing that millions of Americans face right now is that they have to go into debt.

He paid about $50,000, Kyra, in medical bills. He had thousands more that he says he just can't pay and he's worried about the fact that with health reform which he supports he's going to have to buy health insurance, Kyra, and if he doesn't he's going to get fined and he's worried that he won't be able to afford that fine. So it's a fix, but (INAUDIBLE) heard his situation, it's not perfect in his mind.

PHILLIPS: And the fact that, you know, he would rather die than go into debt.

HARLOW: I couldn't believe it.

PHILLIPS: That's just heart wrenching to hear that kind of story.

HARLOW: Yes.

But he didn't want that kind of life, you know, and I don't blame him.

PHILLIPS: Yes. Wow. Poppy, thanks so much.

HARLOW: You got it.

PHILLIPS: Well, another story that got us all talking this morning. Forget the questions regarding the law just for a second and just think about the moral issue here. It may make your blood boil. A small baby at risk, parents worried about her broken heart, but also faced with no way to pay for her life-saving treatment.

We get more from affiliate KLTV in Henderson, Texas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCOTT LEWIS, FATHER: OK. Have some sugar.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: It's obvious. Brynn Lewis' daddy loves her very much.

AMY LEWIS, MOTHER: She's a real happy baby. She's 4.5 months old. She coos, she laughs, and giggles.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Even though she does look happy, the tubes that help keep her alive make it obvious that Brynn is a very sick baby. Right after she was born, doctors told her parents she had a congenital heart defect and needed a heart transplant. That's when she had her first surgery, the one that will hopefully buy her enough time for doctors to find the right heart.

S. LEWIS: They actually leave the chest cavity open for 48 hours in case of an emergency. Amy and I were able to see our little girl's heart actually beating through the protective cover. When you're up there and you see your little girl's heart beating through her chest, you know it's real.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Brynn's older brother, Brady, asked his mother what was wrong with Brynn.

A. LEWIS: I don't remember saying this, but my mother-in-law said that I told him, well, she has a broken heart. And she really does have a broken heart and it broke our hearts. Our hearts are still broken.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And their finances have been shattered. The transplant surgery will cost close to a million dollars. The Lewis' have insurance to cover that, but they say they probably won't have it after the surgery. The insurance has a $2 million lifetime treatment cap, combined with the last four months of Brynn's treatment, the surgery will push her past the limit and the Lewis' expect to be dropped and the meds Brynn will need to stay alive after the transplant? They by themselves will cost about $5,000 a month.

The Lewis' say they're putting all that in god's hands, they just want Brynn to live.

A. LEWIS: I just want to be able to hold her and, you know, dress her up in her pretty clothes and, you know, treat her like a normal baby because nobody wants to see their baby sedated and just lying lifeless in a bed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, the health care bill calls for an end to all those limits, but it's unknown right now how to it will impact the Lewis'. We'll keep you updated. In Henderson, they're holding a fundraiser to help the family pay their bills.

Are you ready for this one? A baby boy, ten days old, denied health care coverage. The little guy was born with a congenital heart defect that's tough to detect before birth. Doctors did save his life, but the family says Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas won't cover him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOUG TRACY, FATHER: They kept saying it's preexisting, it's preexisting. But I don't know how it can be preexisting on a baby that was just born.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Yes, preexisting condition or preexistence condition? Blue Cross and Blue Shield told our affiliate KTXA that it will review the new health bill's requirements to ensure full compliance, but for now there's a fund set up to try to help this family pay for medical costs. We'll follow up on that story as well.

They've done what most people would never dare to do and that's why they're wearing the giant medal around their necks. Real-life heroes recognized for incredible acts of bravery. Wait until you hear exactly what they did.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: President Obama expected to attend the briefing today with reporters. He's been touting his new initiative for mortgage foreclosures. In just about 10 minutes, he'll step up to the mike. We'll tell you all about it and how it can help you if you're jobless and you may need a break when it comes to paying your mortgage.

Well, they risked their lives to save others, they travel thousands of miles to rebuild countries devastated by natural disasters, and they lent a helping hand to those in need. This is the ceremony that says you are a remarkable individual and every year the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation hands out its Citizen Service Above Self Awards. Only three people a year get the award for their acts of bravery and compassion, and my next guest is one of them.

Imagine witnessing this horrifying scenario -- a car careens off a bridge and plunges into a canal, the driver can't get out. What would you do? Pathetic as it sounds, some people wouldn't do anything at all. A majority of others, well, I would imagine they'd call 911 for help.

And then there are the Mike Ross' of the world, courageous people who would jump right into that canal without thinking of their own safety. Ross, a 26-year-old former marine did just that and saved a woman's life, and that's what earned him the prestigious award yesterday.

Today we have the honor of having him on our show, he joins us live from Washington. So as I was reading about your story, I've got to tell you, Mike, I'm not surprised because you were a former Marine, and that's just what Marines do.

MIKE ROSS, CITIZEN SERVICE ABOVE SELF AWARD RECIPIENT: That's correct.

PHILLIPS: Take me back to that moment. I mean, there you were. Were you driving home? Were you driving to work? Tell me what you saw and what went through your mind.

ROSS: I was actually on my way to work that morning and I had woken up an hour late, which isn't typical for me. I'd never been late to work before and sure enough I was doing down the road there and about 30 seconds ahead of me, I didn't see it happen, a woman had a heart issue and came across oncoming traffic, came across the fence there and launched into the canal.

Once I realized what happened, I just ran down there and saw her semiconscious over her steering wheel sinking in the water. At that point --

PHILLIPS: Tell me her name.

ROSS: Her name was Sharon Burgess (ph).

PHILLIPS: Sharon. OK, so you saw Sharon in the car. You know, was she trying to get out? Was she banging on the window? Kind of describe the --

ROSS: No. She was passed out over the steering wheel and the water was about at the door level. At that point, I just kind of stripped down and made my way out to her. I reached the door, the window happened to be cracked enough for me to get my arm into it. And luckily the water level hadn't gone over the battery, the power window still worked and I got my arm in there and pressed it down. And once the window came down, the water started flooding pretty quickly.

I couldn't reach the seatbelt disconnect, so what I did was I removed the seatbelt from her shoulder and pulled her arm out from underneath, started loosening her lap belt. At that point, the water just filled the car up completely and it submerged the vehicle with her still in it.

Just a few seconds after it went under, though, she came out from the window and another couple of gentlemen at that time had jumped in and we got her over to the bank and waited for paramedics.

PHILLIPS: Had she come to yet?

ROSS: She did. She came to on my way out there. I talked to her once the window came down, and I asked her if she was alone in the vehicle.

PHILLIPS: What did she say to you and what did you say to her?

ROSS: The first thing I asked her is if she was alone in the vehicle and once she said yes, I felt a huge relief come over me. I knew there was only one victim and just getting her out was the main goal.

PHILLIPS: How did you keep her calm? What did you say to her?

ROSS: Everything happened so quickly and there really wasn't much time for anything other than what was necessary, which was finding out how many people were in the vehicle and doing everything I could to get her out.

Unfortunately, I stripped down into my boxer shorts and I left my knife on the shore. I couldn't get the seatbelt off, my arms weren't long enough to reach the disconnect. But everything worked out well.

PHILLIPS: So how did you do it, then?

ROSS: Well, I just -- like I said, I pulled her shoulder out from over the shoulder belt --

PHILLIPS: And yanked her out.

ROSS: Well, I was working on yanking her out and I had one more good tug to do and then at that point the entire vehicle was submerged under water. She freed herself up underneath the water as I was getting ready to go back under and pulled her up, but she popped up and another couple of gentlemen had jumped in tat and got her to the bank.

PHILLIPS: So when did the moment happen when she actually -- when everything could register and she could look at you and say something? Was is when you had her there waiting for paramedics? Was it at the awards ceremony?

ROSS: No -- there was a city hall ceremony that we did and that was the first time I made contact to her face-to-face after the accident.

PHILLIPS: And what did she say?

ROSS: Her entire family, they're just great people. Very, very good people, and I was just happy to see that it was somebody of great character like Sharon.

PHILLIPS: Well, speaking of great character, that's you and she's lucky to be alive because of you.

ROSS: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: And what an honor to talk to you, Mike. I hope your story influences a lot of other people.

Yes? Go ahead.

ROSS: Thank you very much. It's just been an honor to be in the presence of all of these Medal of Honor recipients, incredible people, incredible Americans. Something everybody should try to emulate, Medal of Honor recipients, they're amazing people.

PHILLIPS: Amen. I'm with you on that. If we could only raise every child to be that remarkable, wouldn't we be a better world.

Mike, thanks so very much.

ROSS: Thank you very much for having me. Take care.

PHILLIPS: Proud parents, visibly moved. Yesterday's, Service Above Self Awards as well. We're talking about their son, Dylan Nelson. He sacrificed his life to save others as well and he was awarded the same honor that Mike got, posthumously.

Nelson was swimming with his brother and cousin last year in South Dakota Lake when they got trapped in a strong current. Nelson got out, but his family members couldn't. So he swam back into the current and he pulled them to safety. Well, tragically, he couldn't save himself and he drowned.

Dylan Nelson, an inspiring hero to us all.

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PHILLIPS: Waiting for the president of the United States to step out any minute now. He's making a unique appearance there at the White House briefing where all of the reporters are. Usually Robert Gibbs, his press secretary, addresses reporters and has Q&A, but apparently the president has something to say about an arms control treaty with Russia. Apparently, a deal that he made on the phone with the president. I'm told about less than 30 seconds, the president is going to step out and talk about this. Here's what I can tell you right now. Apparently, he was on the phone earlier today with Russia's president discussing details about this nuclear arms deal. They agreed to meet in Prague, it looks like, April 8th to actually sign this deal. It involves limits on nuclear missiles and also long-range bombers and that will be a part of the plan. Apparently, it replaces the START Treaty that expired in December by the end of the year, last year.

Right now, waiting for the president of the United States to step up to the mike. Apparently, we are told, he reached a new arms control treaty with Russia and was on the phone with the president today, not sure what time, if it was -- how early it was this morning. But apparently this was his first order of business today. Hopefully, he'll step out and he will address that.

Something else, too, that he may be talking about in the briefing. He's got this new initiative to help you, if you are out of a job and you're having a hard time making your mortgage payments, you're about to lose your home. He has come up with an initiative to help you possibly by skipping a few of your payments. So not only will the president be telling us about this new initiative regarding mortgage foreclosures, but also apparently he was on the phone this morning -- and you see a number of his aides there coming into the room. Still not seeing the president at this point. He has yet to step up to the mike to give us the details about this new arms control treaty that he made with Russia's president. Apparently, they did it on the phone.

And once again, to kind of recap as we wait to hear from the president, he has apparently agreed with Russia's president to meet in Prague April 8th, just a couple of weeks away to sign that deal and it would involve limits on nuclear missiles, also long-range bombers, the two main points of that plan, and it replaces the START Treaty they expired in December.

As soon as he steps up to the mike we'll bring it to you.

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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Good morning, everybody.

I just concluded a productive phone call with President Medvedev, and I'm pleased to announce that after a year of intense negotiations, the United States and Russia have agreed to the most comprehensive arms control agreement in nearly two decades.

Since taking office, one of my highest priorities has been addressing the threat posed by nuclear weapons to the American people, and that's why last April in Prague I stated America's intention to pursue the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons, a goal that's been embraced by presidents like John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan.

While this aspiration will not be reached in the near future, I put forward a comprehensive agenda to pursue it, to stop the spread of these weapons, to secure vulnerable nuclear materials from terrorists, and to reduce nuclear arsenals.

A fundamental part of that effort was the negotiation of a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia.

Furthermore, since I took office I've been committed to a reset of our relationship with Russia. When the United States and Russia can cooperate effectively it advances the mutual interests of our two nations and the security and prosperity of the wider world.

We've so far already worked together on Afghanistan. We've coordinated our economic efforts through the G-20. We are working together to pressure Iran to meet its international obligations.

And today, we have reached agreement on one of my administration's top national security priorities, a pivotal new arms control agreement.

In many ways, nuclear weapons represent both the darkest days of the Cold War and the most troubling threats of our time. Today we've taken another step forward by -- in leaving behind the legacy of the 20th century while building a more secure future for our children.

We've turned words into action. We've made progress that is clear and concrete. And we've demonstrated the importance of American leadership and American partnership on behalf of our own security and the world's.

And, broadly speaking, the new START treaty makes progress in several areas. It cuts, by about a third, the nuclear weapons that the United States and Russia will deploy. It significantly reduces missiles and launchers. It puts in place a strong and effective verification regime. And it maintains the flexibility that we need to protect and advance our national security and to guarantee our unwavering commitment to the security of our allies.

With this agreement, the United States and Russia, the two largest nuclear powers in the world, also send a clear signal that we intend to lead. By upholding our own commitments under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, we strengthen our global efforts to stop the spread of these weapons and to ensure that other nations meet their own responsibilities.

I'm pleased that almost one year to the day after my last trip to Prague, the Czech Republic, a close friend and ally of the United States, has agreed to host President Medvedev and me on April 8th, as we sign this historic treaty.

The following week, I look forward to hosting leaders from over 40 nations here in Washington as we convene a summit to address how we can secure vulnerable nuclear materials so that they never fall into the hands of terrorists. And later this spring, the world will come together in New York to discuss how we can build on this progress and continue to strengthen the global nonproliferation regime.

Through all these efforts, cooperation between the United States and Russia will be essential. I want to thank President Medvedev for his personal and sustained leadership as worked through this agreement. We've had the opportunity to meet many times over the last year and we both agree that we can serve the interests of our people through close cooperation.

I also want to thank my national security team who did so much work to make this day possible. That includes the leaders with me here today: Secretary Clinton, Secretary Gates and Admiral Mullen. And it includes a tireless negotiating team. It took patience. It took perseverance, but we never gave up. And as a result, the United States will be more secure and the American people will be safer.

Finally, I look forward to continuing to work closely with Congress in the months ahead. There's a long tradition of bipartisan leadership on arms control. Presidents of both parties have recognized the necessity of securing and reducing these weapons. Statesmen like George Shultz, Sam Nunn, Henry Kissinger and Bill Perry have been outspoken in their support of more assertive action.

Earlier this week, I met with my friends John Kerry and Dick Lugar to discuss this treaty, and throughout the morning my administration will be consulting senators. My administration will be consulting senators from both parties as we prepare for what I hope will be a strong bipartisan support to ratify the new START treaty.

With that, I'm going to leave you in the able hands of my secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, as well as Secretary of Defense Gates and Joint Chief of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen.

So I want to thank all of you for your attention.

Hillary?

QUESTION: Did Iran come up in the conversation, sir?

HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, thank you all very much.

This is a good day for America and our security. And as President Obama just reiterated, it is one of the highest priorities of the Obama administration to pursue and agenda to reduce the threat posed by the deadliest weapons the world has ever known.

President Obama set that forth in his speech at Prague last year, and today he and President Medvedev reached an agreement to make significant and verifiable reductions in our nuclear arsenals.

Long after the Cold War's end, the United States and Russia still posses more than 90 percent of the world's nuclear weapons. We do not need such large arsenals to protect our nation and our allies against the two greatest dangers we face today: nuclear proliferation and terrorism.

This treaty represents a significant step forward in our cooperation with Russia. We were committed from the beginning to reset the U.S.-Russia relationship because we saw it as essential to making progress on our top priorities, from counterterrorism to nuclear security and nonproliferation.

Now, we will continue to have disagreements with our Russian friends, but this treaty is an example of deep and substantive cooperation on a matter of vital importance.

And more broadly, it shows that patient, principled diplomacy can advance our national interests by producing real results; in this case, results that are good for us, good for Russia and good for global security and stability.

The treaty also shows the world, particularly states like Iran and North Korea, that one of our top priorities is to strengthen the global nonproliferation regime and keep nuclear materials out of the wrong hands. The new START treaty demonstrates our commitment to making progress toward disarmament under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the so-called NPT. So as we uphold our commitments and strengthen the NPT, we can hold others accountable to do the same.

I know that Secretary Gates and Admiral Mullen will say more about the details of the treaty, but I want to make clear that we have adhered to the Russian proverb that President Reagan frequently employed: Trust, but verify. Verification provides the transparency and builds the trust needed to reduce the chance for misunderstandings and miscalculations.

President Obama insisted on a whole-of-government effort to reach this result and that's exactly what this was. He and President Medvedev met several times and spoke often by phone. Secretary Gates, Admiral Mullen, General Jones worked closely with their Russian counterparts. Foreign Minister Lavrov and I met in person, most recently last week in Moscow, and we spoke on the phone too many times to count.

Assistant Secretary Rose Gottemoeller worked tirelessly in Geneva for many months as our chief negotiator. Undersecretary Ellen Tauscher, who's here with us, joined her at a crucial time to help complete the agreement, assisted very ably by our State Department expert team, including Jim Timby (ph).

Teams of people at the State Department, the White House, DOD, elsewhere worked tirelessly to make this happen.

Let me conclude by saying that I look forward to working with my former colleagues in the Senate. They will be our partners in this enterprise.

I know President Obama had an excellent meeting, as he reported to you, with both Senators Kerry and Lugar. And Rose, Allan (ph) and General Jones and others of us have briefed members along the way.

I look forward to working toward ratification to bring this treaty into force.

Now, it's my great pleasure and honor to turn the podium over to my friend Secretary Bob Gates. ROBERT GATES, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: This treaty strengthens nuclear stability. It will reduce the number of strategic nuclear weapons that both Russia and the United States are permitted to deploy by a third, and maintains an effective verification regime.

America's nuclear arsenal remains an important pillar of the U.S. defense posture, both to deter potential adversaries and to reassure more than two dozen allies and partners who rely on our nuclear umbrella for their security.

But it is clear that we can accomplish these goals with fewer nuclear weapons. The reductions in this treaty will not affect the strength of our nuclear triad.

PHILLIPS: Secretary Robert Gates, you also heard from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and also the president of the United States stepping in to the White House briefing. They're usually conducted by Robert Gibbs, but the president and of course, his two main leaders there by his side talking about this new initiative deal he struck with the Russian president on the phone this morning.

Bottom line, he wants something in place that's going to keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of terrorists. It's a new deal that he has struck. He's going to sign it April 8th in Prague and we'll talk more about it after a quick break.

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