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Victim Drowns as Rescuers Watch; Congressman Anthony Weiner Under Fire
Aired June 01, 2011 - 14:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And hello to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes, in today for Brooke Baldwin.
We need to let you know what we are also standing by for. And you will see here in just a few minutes. They are getting set up right now in Washington D.C. And what they are getting set up for: my colleague, Wolf Blitzer, sitting down one -on-one with Congressman Anthony Wiener. You have seen his name. You may have even seen the picture that is involved in what has been the latest scandal in Washington, D.C., involves an incident that Weiner's office calls hacking.
It says it was a hacking of the Twitter account, a photo of a man's private area sent out via Twitter. It looks like it came from Weiner's Twitter account. The New York representative did not want to answer a lot of questions, specific questions, that came to him from our Capitol Hill team. That was yesterday.
But, hopefully, he will try to clear all this up with our Wolf Blitzer, who is going to be sitting down with him in just a matter of minutes. We will bring that to you live from Capitol Hill.
Also, what we are keeping an eye on -- you don't want to hear this, do you? Tornado and watch, you don't want those two words together. This is happening in the Northeast right now, Boston, Philly, New York City all affected.
Chad Myers is standing by, keeping a close eye on things for us there. I will check in with him in just a moment.
But let me start now with a picture. I want you to take a look at this picture. This comes to us from out of Alameda, California. Now, when you first see the picture, you don't think much of it, but the picture was on Monday, Memorial Day.
So, let me explain what you are seeing here. And it will make more sense to you. You see the folks in uniform kind of standing around there. And that is all they did was stand around, and that is the problem. A number of Alameda, California, police and firefighters were called to the scene, a 911 call. They were told that there was somebody out in those waters at that beach who was in the process of drowning.
So they stood there, every single policeman, every single firefighter. They stood there and they watched. And that man drowned. Not a single firefighter, not a single police officer dared to even enter the water to try to help the man and keep him from drowning.
After the victim died -- listen to this -- it took a good Samaritan, if you will, a bystander who was out there, a woman who was in her 20s. She was the one who actually swam out there and got the body.
CNN's Dan Simon is there for us in Alameda, California.
Dan, I believe I have set that story up pretty accurately, and people just can't believe it. I was shocked when I first heard this story. Please explain why they were there and they stood by.
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it just defies all logic and common sense. You say to yourself, how does something like this happen?
And we know that there were as many as nine firefighters here at the scene standing by as this man was drowning in the water. What we know is that it was about 11:30 a.m. on Monday, this man apparently distraught, intent on killing himself, 53-year-old Raymond Zack. He goes into the frigid San Francisco Bay behind me. His mother is nearby.
A bystander calls 911. Within minutes, police and firefighters arrive at the scene and, as you put it, T.J., they basically just stand around and watch this man die. After about an hour, a witness, a bystander, she attempts to go in, but by the time she reaches him, the man is dead.
It is something that -- that is outrageous, and nobody here can understand it -- T.J.
HOLMES: Dan, can you help us to understand how much time again actually went by from the time they got there and were on the scene until the man we guess was dead?
SIMON: The timeline is a little sketchy, but we understand it was somewhere about 45 minutes to an hour.
And these firefighters, at one point, they had the authority, they had the training to actually conduct these ground-to-water rescues. But about two years ago, the city, facing some budget problems, stripped the funding and the department issued a policy where they said these firefighters could not enter the water.
And, so, they adhered strictly to that policy. Some say, well, why didn't they just ignore it? A man's life was at stake. That is a very good question. Firefighters -- at least the chief was having a difficult time answering that, but, basically, what he is saying is that the funding is now back in place and that this will not happen again.
But, still, the citizenry is very, very upset, as you can imagine, and, right now, there are still more questions than answers -- T.J.
HOLMES: And, Dan, one thing here quickly. And you said he is having a hard time answering some of those questions even about, OK, policies in place, that is one thing.
But at some point -- and have you gotten an answer to this? At some point, it just appeals to you as a human being when you see another human suffering and literally dying, why they still didn't jump into action, aside from any policy. Are you getting any answers to that? Are they saying the policy is so strict and that was first and foremost on our minds, that we still had to do what was against human nature, which is to help our fellow man?
SIMON: The sense that I'm getting, T.J., is that this is a man who wanted to kill himself. I think that played into it. He was also, from what I understand, a very large person.
And they felt like -- at least this what -- what -- how the chief explained it -- that if they attempted to go into the water, that they might put their own lives in danger by trying to save this man's life.
I'm told that, if perhaps this was a child or another circumstance, that firefighters may have reacted differently. But based upon the situation and what they encountered here at the scene, a distraught man, 53 years old, apparently weighing about 240 pounds, police officers also saying they were not sure if in fact he was armed and could have posed a risk, which basically I'm not sure how you could make that argument, if he is in the water, how he could pull a weapon or something like that.
HOLMES: Yes. Yes.
SIMON: But I just don't know how to explain it, other than the fact that that is apparently what they thought, that he was intent on killing himself, and that they did not want to put their own lives at risk by trying to save him -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right.
Dan Simon trying to make sense of this story -- a lot of people are right now -- Dan, we appreciate you, as always.
And to our viewers, we wanted to let you know, in just a moment, we are going to be talking to a couple of witnesses who were there, including one of those witnesses who spoke with the victim's mother on that beach and placed that 911 call asking for help.
But, first, I want you the listen to the chief of the Alameda Fire Division speaking to our affiliate KGO.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: If you saw a child drowning more than 75 feet offshore, would you go in and rescue that child or not?
RICCI ZOMBECK, ALAMEDA, CALIFORNIA, FIRE CHIEF: Well, if I was off-duty, I know what I would do. But I think you're asking me my on- duty response. And I would have to stay within our policies and procedures, because that is what is required by our department to do.
QUESTION: Does any of this make sense to you?
ZOMBECK: Well, the frustration certainly is understandable, and I think the sensibility would be probably that we are going to -- you know, we are going to evaluate our response protocols.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Protocols. Protocols are now, like we told you, being reevaluated. Police and fire departments, however, say they are still being investigated.
I want to go back out to Alameda now and Sharon and Warren Brunetti. They were actually there when this all happened, saw this whole thing take place.
Thank you all for both -- both for being here.
Sharon, let me start with you.
How many people -- aside from the fire and police officers, how many people were just out there on this beach and watched all of this take place?
SHARON BRUNETTI, EYEWITNESS: I would say there were maybe 40 to 50 people, plus people walking by and riding bikes by.
HOLMES: And, Warren, you are out there as well. I guess, were you all -- was everybody on the beach essentially looking at the police officers and the firefighters and scratching their heads and wondering, when are you all going to jump into action?
WARREN BRUNETTI, EYEWITNESS: Yes, they -- I would say that is true. People would come by and ask us what is going on, and we would say -- to explain, and they said, well, why don't they go in there?
And when they first arrived, I expected them to jump in there and go out to get him.
HOLMES: And, Sharon, what was the reaction? I assume maybe you all touched base with the police and firefighters. Did they give you their reasoning for not going in and trying to save this man?
S. BRUNETTI: They didn't say anything the whole -- during the whole 45 minutes, but, at the end, I stormed up to one of them. I said, why didn't you do something? And they said, well, we don't go into the water. I said, well, where was your boat? Because there is a -- I know there used to be a fire -- a police department boat. And they said that the boat is in dry dock and they don't go in the water, so that was that.
HOLMES: And can either one of you tell me what was -- I believe his relative -- I believe his mother-in-law or mother -- and you all maybe help me with the relative that came up to you all and asked you all to call 911, but what was her reaction at the time when all this was going on?
S. BRUNETTI: Well, she was an elderly lady, and it was his stepmother. And she was just shaking and saying, my son is going in the water, and -- or he was standing next to her when we first got there.
But she just was shaking. And then, when the police did arrive, she said, oh, thank God. And then they didn't do anything, other than question her and walk around the beach and observe.
HOLMES: And, Warren, and we know -- we hear about the policy and you are all about hearing the policy. They could not go into the water and they didn't have the boat ready and all these things.
But, Warren, is there another part of this story in that there is just something about human nature that is supposed to kick in, aside from a policy? Were you just shocked that, OK, fine, your policy is in place, and you are not supposed to get in the water, but you are lifesavers by training? Doesn't instinct kick in and not allow you all to stand by and watch someone die?
Warren, were you having those thoughts, and have you gotten an answer to that question?
W. BRUNETTI: I had those thoughts, but I haven't really got an answer to it, other than it was their policy.
But I know when he first walked down to the beach, I was following him trying to tell him to come back. And I started to go into the water, but he was so much bigger than I was. I knew I could not stop him. And, so, he just kept going. And the water is really shallow until you get way, way out there. So I thought that, by the time the police would come --
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: So, Warren, you kind of talked to him even before he got too deep in the water? What kind of a, I guess, mind-set would you say he was in? Did he interact with you? Did he say anything to you?
W. BRUNETTI: No, he wouldn't say -- he kept looking back. He wouldn't say anything. I kept -- tried to tell him to come back. And I waved him in.
But he just kept going. It was kind of surreal, like a guy walking in the water with all his clothes on. And I was hoping that, by the time the police got there, he wouldn't be so far out that they couldn't go get him. And that was the case when -- but then they did nothing. So --
HOLMES: All right.
Sharon and Warren, we appreciate you.
(CROSSTALK)
W. BRUNETTI: My thought was --
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: Go ahead.
W. BRUNETTI: I thought about going in, but he was so much bigger than I am. And I'm old and I'm not that good of a swimmer, and I couldn't have just like pushed him back. So, I -- like I said, I was hoping the police would get there and they would take care of it.
HOLMES: And could you all tell, were other people on the beach having the same kind of thoughts you were, Warren, in trying to consider how maybe you all, as citizens, could get together and try to save this man's life if the fire department and the police department were not going to?
W. BRUNETTI: Nobody really interacted that way, because we kept waiting for them to do something.
And the police and the firemen said that they had contacted the Coast Guard and they were going to bring in a boat and helicopters. Well, the helicopters arrived right after they pulled him in the water -- out of the water. And the boat -- it was too shallow to bring the boat in.
So, I would say we didn't really interact, but when he first started walking in, I looked around to see I could -- see if there was some kind of surfer guy with a board or something that could go out there and maybe and -- and bring him in, or help me if --
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: Warren and Sharon, I appreciate you all taking the time out and sharing the story. I know it was a traumatic situation out there for a lot of folks. But they're trying to get it worked out now. And maybe nothing like this will happen again.
But, again, Sharon and Warren Brunetti, we appreciate you all taking the time out with us today. You all take care.
S. BRUNETTI: Thank you.
W. BRUNETTI: Thank you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ANTHONY WEINER (D), NEW YORK: That would be reasonable. You do the questions, I do the answers, and this jackass interrupts me? How about that as the -- as the new rule of the game?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Congressman Anthony Weiner, yes, calling a CNN employee a jackass. You just heard that right. He was not answering CNN's question about his role in the Twitter spectacle that continues. He got defensive.
But, in just a few minutes from now, our Wolf Blitzer is sitting down for an interview with Congressman Weiner. We will see if Wolf Blitzer can get more answers from the congressman, some specific answers that he didn't want to answer to some on our -- of our Capitol Hill staff.
Also, the U.S. sending fighter jets over Washington, D.C., after something that happened on a commercial flight. And it is something that probably has happened to you as well.
I will explain right after this break. Stay with me.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right, quarter past the hour here now.
This has happened to you on a flight before. The person in front of you leans that seat back, doesn't give you much room to maneuver around. I know you want to say something. You might even want to smack the person, but let me explain to you why you should not do it. They might have to scramble fighter jets.
This is what happened after a flight had just taken off from Washington Dulles. It was headed to Ghana. It was an 11-hour trip, but a half-an-hour in, a fight broke out when one passenger, yes, let his seat back. That upset the guy who was sitting behind them. So the flight crew decided, instead of trying to travel all the way over to Ghana, they turned around to go back to Dulles, and they had to be escorted, yes, by fighter jets.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
CONTROLLER: United 990 heavy, supervisor wants to know if you have the passenger secured?
PILOT: Negative. The passenger is not secured at this time. The passenger has settled down, though, but an assault has taken place. But, at this time, he is not secured.
CONTROLLER: United 990 heavy, roger.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now, police met that plane at the gate. In the end, though, no charges were filed. We did reach out to United Airlines for more information. So far, they have not given a reply.
So, again, be careful what you do on that plane. Just take a deep breath sometimes.
Well, also happening right now, a weather situation going on, two words you do not want to hear together, tornado and watch, some of the nation's biggest cities under a tornado watch, Boston, Philly, New York City among them -- serious situation in these densely populated areas. That is just ahead, our Chad Myers standing by. Also, Congressman Anthony Weiner expected to speak live with CNN's Wolf Blitzer at any moment. He is certainly going to be pressed on his role in the situation involving that lewd picture that appeared to have come from his Twitter account.
Also, up next, you will hear his, Anthony Weiner's, testy exchange with reporters.
Stay with me.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, a trial date has been set for Egypt's ousted leader.
Hosni Mubarak and his two sons are set to stand trial August 3. Mubarak is charged with corruption and with ordering the killing of protesters. He denies the charges. Human right activists believe more than 800 protesters were killed during Egypt's revolution. If convicted, Mubarak could face the death penalty.
So, an important recall to tell you about, especially if you're driving around in one of those Priuses. Toyota is recalling 106,000 of the early Prius models, 52,000 in the U.S. There's a worry that some -- some of the things in the gearbox can become loose, making the vehicle harder to steer when making turns. The recall affects Prius models made between 2001 and 2003. Owners can get the cars fixed for free -- the company sending out letters to tell people about it in July.
Well, Germany continues to battle a mysterious outbreak of E. coli food poisoning. Sixteen people have now died from contaminated food. Another 365 new cases confirmed today. The source of the contamination appears to still be a mystery. Germany had blamed cucumbers imported from Spain, and several countries reportedly blocked their entry. Now Spain says it will consider -- quote -- "taking action against authorities who question the quality of their products."
(WEATHER UPDATE)
HOLMES: Well, coming up: Should Americans who get welfare money be forced to take drug tests? Florida's Governor Rick Scott certainly thinks so, just signed the idea into law. I will be talking to him live about that controversy and the new lawsuit against him.
Also, want to keep you posted on what we are standing by for. Congressman Anthony Weiner, who has been at the center of a controversy for the past several days, is expected to speak live with CNN's Wolf Blitzer. We are expecting that any minute.
This is all about that situation involving a lewd picture from his Twitter account. Stay with us for that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right, we're getting close to the bottom of the hour here. And we are standing by to hear from Congressman Anthony Weiner. The Democrat has been in the middle of a controversy over the past several days that continues.
Even though he has been answering some questions from the media over the past several days, it seems like there are still a few more answers need to be answered. So, we will see if our Wolf Blitzer will get those answers. He is scheduled talk to Congressman Weiner here in just a couple of minute.
And we hope to bring that to you live.
Now, the New York Democrat yesterday -- here is the basic outline of the story here. A young woman in Seattle, a college student, received a lewd photo from Congressman Weiner's Twitter account. Now, the congressman's explanation is that, somehow, his account was hacked. OK, fair enough. That is possible. People said, OK.
Now, they just had a couple of questions to ask him, and this story probably would have gone away. One of the first questions that was posed to the congressman was by CNN's Dana Bash, saying, if your Twitter account was in fact hacked, then why haven't you asked authorities up here on Capitol Hill to find that person who actually hacked it?
It is a fairly serious -- a federal crime even to hack into someone's account.
So, see if you can follow the answer now and everything else that followed in this exchange with the reporters on Capitol Hill. Look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WEINER: If I was giving a speech to 45,000 people, and someone in the back of the room threw a pie or yelled out an insult, would I spend the next two hours responding to that?
No.
(CROSSTALK)
WEINER: I would get back --
QUESTION: This --
WEINER: I would get back --
QUESTION: This is not that situation.
WEINER: I would get back --
QUESTION: This is not that situation, though. You --
WEINER: I would -- QUESTION: -- you were --
WEINER: I would get back -- well, why don't you do -- you want to do the briefing?
QUESTION: You were had your -- you said --
WEINER: Do you want to do the briefing, sir?
QUESTION: -- from your Twitter account --
WEINER: Sir --
QUESTION: -- that a lewd picture was sent to a --
WEINER: Sir --
QUESTION: -- a college student.
WEINER: Sir --
QUESTION: Answer the question. Was it from you or not?
WEINER: Sir, permit me -- do you guys want me to finish my answer?
QUESTION: Yes, this question -- this answer.
WEINER: OK.
QUESTION: Did you send it or not?
WEINER: If I were giving a speech to 45,000 people, and someone in the back threw a pie or yelled out an insult, I would not spend the next two hours of my speech responding to that pie or that insult. I would return to the things that I want to talk about to the audience that I wanted to talk to.
QUESTION: All you have to do is say no with respect --
WEINER: -- and that is what I intend to do at this point.
QUESTION: All you have to do --
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Can I -- let me --
QUESTION: -- is say no to the question.
BASH: -- let me try -- let me try this question.
The woman who allegedly got this Tweet or it was directed to, a 21-year-old college student from Seattle, she released a statement to "The New York Daily News" yesterday saying that you follow her on Twitter.
Is that true? Did you follow her on Tweet?
And, if so, how did you find her? What was the reason?
WEINER: You know, I have, I think, said this a couple of ways. And I will say it again. I am not going to permit myself to be distracted by this issue any longer. You are free --
QUESTION: All you have to do is say no to that question --
WEINER: You are free -- you're very good at --
QUESTION: If you're not following her on Twitter --
WEINER: Well --
QUESTION: -- say no to the question.
WEINER: -- why don't you -- why don't you let me do the answers and you do the questions?
QUESTION: As soon as you answer the question asked you, sir, we will.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: You follow a lot of women on Twitter. Is there a reason that you have so many ladies that you're following on Twitter?
WEINER: By the way, in related news, I have, in the famous hashtag ScrappyChasingCrazy, I passed Michele Bachmann's standard number of Twitter followers. I will give you that additional fact.
QUESTION: Is that a result of this --
(CROSSTALK)
WEINER: Unfortunately, it probably is.
(CROSSTALK)
BASH: Congressman --
(CROSSTALK)
BASH: Congressman, you understand -- you understand that the -- what's going on here, the frustration. We appreciate you coming out. You're talking to us. You're smiling. You're -- you're cooperating. And that gives, you know, good optics. But you're not answering the question.
So, can you answer --
WEINER: This is now --
BASH: -- even the most basic question?
WEINER: This is now day --
BASH: But you're saying the same thing over and over again --
WEINER: This is now day --
BASH: -- but you're not answering the question.
WEINER: -- this is now day three. You have statements that my office has put out --
BASH: But they don't answer the question --
(CROSSTALK)
WEINER: There are statements that I -- that my office put out.
And there are going to be people who are going to want -- look, this is the tactic. The guy in the back of the room who's throwing the pie or yelling out the insult wants that to be the conversation. I am --
BASH: But you are the one who --
WEINER: Dana, let --
BASH: -- said it was hacked, that you were hacked.
WEINER: -- let me -- Dana --
BASH: And that's -- and that's a criminal -- a potential crime.
WEINER: Dana -- Dana, let me -- I'm going to have to ask that we follow some rules here.
And one of them is going to be, you ask questions, I do the answer. Does that seem reasonable?
BASH: I would love to get an answer.
WEINER: That --
QUESTION: A direct answer.
WEINER: That would be reasonable, right? You do the questions. That would be reasonable. You do the questions, I do the answers, and this jackass interrupts me? How about that as the -- as the new rule of the game?
BASH: Go ahead, please.
WEINER: Let me give an answer. The objective of the person who is doing the mischief is to try to distract me from what I am doing, so for the last couple of days that has happened and I made a decision, I won't let it happen today and I'm not going to let it happen tomorrow. You are free to do your job. I understand it. But go ahead and do it, but you have to do it without me every day answering more questions like this.
Today, I want to talk about the debt limit vote. This debt limit vote tonight is a very important thing to --
BASH: And Congressman, why don't you want the Capitol police to investigate this? Is it because you don't want them to find out what the answer is?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Congressman Weiner continued talked about debt limits, which is certainly a big issue in the country right now. He never answered the questions that the reporters were asking right there, however. One is was he the one who sent that lewd photo. And also if he didn't and the account was hacked, as he said it was, why hasn't he asked the police to investigate? And another one, why was he following this college female via Twitter?
There were a number of questions he would not answer. Well, maybe he will answer them here in just a second. CNN's Wolf Blitzer is standing by to interview Congressman Anthony Weiner, Democrat of New York. We hope to bring that to you live which is schedule to happen live at any moment.
And do you wonder what the next big invention is going to be? Well, the Pentagon has a group of mad scientists in charge of coming up with gear for soldiers on the battlefield. Also this particular invention could also reach the American public. Fareed Zakaria will show us how this thing works.
And some breaking news on Wall Street, and it is not good. The Dow is tanking, dropping some 250 points. We will take you live to the New York Stock Exchange next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right, I want to turn now to the New York Stock Exchange. Take a look at that, 244 points dropped today. Alison Kosik is there for us. Alison, what is going on?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, T.J. We have been watching the sell off all day. The losses are accelerating as we are closer to the closing bell. Why is that happening? Well, a double-dose of bad news today. First, we got a report from ADP, the payroll processing firm, saying that the private-to-private sector added 38,000 jobs in the May. It really was a big miss because everything was expecting that 175,000 jobs were supposed to be added.
Now, this happened before the opening bell. So, immediately at opening bell, we saw the sell-off. And then we got a second report showing that manufacturing growth is slowing down. So it is a double- whammy for Wall Street and what they are seeing in both of those reports, T.J., is not that just the jobs market is slowing down, but the economy and the recovery is slowing down and that is why you are seeing the big sell-off right now. HOLMES: Alison Kosik, thank you. We appreciate you. And on that note, a lot of people are wondering how to get the economy up off of the mat, and one of the best ways people will tell you is to innovate. CNN's Fareed Zakaria found some near the battlefield. The group is better known as the Pentagon's group of mad scientists, and the innovations they make for soldiers often go on to great civilian use as well.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN HOST, "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS": The high stakes of providing sound technology for soldiers and combat motivates the team to create the best technology in the world.
REGINA DUGAN, DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY: They simply must work in a number of austere situations, life and death. And that kind of urgency focuses the mind, and inspires greater genius.
ZAKARIA: Most famously DARPA funded the first version of the internet then called Arpanet. In 1969 computer hubs called nodes were able to send message to each other over the phone line.
DUGAN: That original investment was $150 million, which gave birth to the internet now about $300 billion later.
ZAKARIA: These days DARPA is working on a slew of exciting innovations including "big dog," a groundbreaking project in robotics. It is to create a robot with animal-like capacities and strength that can go with the soldiers on combat missions in rough terrain.
DUGAN: When you watch the big dog video what you will see is that it looks like a dog moving. And it has all sorts of other attributes that make it resilient in difficult environments.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: For a whole lot more on this "Fareed Zakaria GPS" special, "Restoring the American dream -- how to innovate." catch that Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. eastern on CNN.
And also, we are following a scandal over a lewd photo that appeared to come from Democratic Congressman Anthony Weiner's twitter account. He has been answering questions for the last couple of days about the scandal, and we are expecting him to answer more questions, and some left he left unanswered.
He is going to sit down with our own Wolf Blitzer, and it will be closer to the top of the hour. I want to keep you updated of what is happening, but Wolf Blitzer is expected to sit down with Anthony Weiner and we hope to bring it to you live when it does happen, but a few minutes away from now.
Also coming up, you will hear a story that you won't believe about a woman who admits that she was taking about 1,000 pills a month. They were all prescriptions all coming from doctors. A fascinating look at how addicted Americans are to medications. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, you trust your doctor, right? They are there to protect your health. But what if you are seeing different doctors and getting different prescriptions for a number of problems? For one woman too many pills did more harm than good. She shares her story with our CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen as part of the in- depth series "Medication Nation."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALESANDRA RAIN, TOOK MULTIPLE PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS: This is how you lose your life. For me to see this, you know, just brings back the 10 years of suffering.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What went wrong? Alesandra Rain says too many doctors, too much medicine.
It started when Rain had trouble sleeping. Her family doctor prescribed sleeping bills. A few weeks later, she developed bronchitis. So a pulmonologist put her on antibiotics.
Then, she had a rapid heartbeat. A cardiologist gave her medicine for that, and it didn't end there. Depression soon followed. A psychiatrist prescribed antidepressants.
And on it continued until eventually Rain says was seeing six different physicians, taking 12 different types of medications. Each month, taking hundreds of pills, spending more than $900 on prescriptions.
RAIN: But you just take them without thinking. You know? They just become part of your day.
COHEN: According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, Americans spent more than $234 billion on prescription drugs in 2008, nearly six times more than in the early 1990s. The average American fills 12 prescriptions a year.
MICHAEL WINCOR, DIRECTOR OF CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, USC: When you're on 20 drugs all at the same time, you'd want to question whether or not that's really necessary. The general direction has been, keep adding. Just add another drug and another drug and another drug.
COHEN: A trend, he says, is dangerous.
Rain now runs a company that helps others taper off their prescription drugs. She says her tipping point was when she realized despite all the new medications, she wasn't getting any better.
RAIN: And I just kind of looked in the mirror, and I was pitiful. My skin was gray, I was real emaciated. And I just said, I don't know who I'll be off all these pills, but I've got to find out.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COHEN: Alesandra went off her drugs cold turkey, which is never a good idea. Instead, you want to talk the your doctor and to your pharmacist about the best way for you to go off drugs that you don't need anymore.
You also want to pay attention to these patient empowered tips. First of all, you want to go to one pharmacist. One pharmacist can keep track of all of the drugs and alert you whether there are bad interactions between any of the drugs.
Also, here is something else to pay attention to. When a doctor prescribes a drug to you, ask what's the exit strategy? Ask the doctor if this is a drug that is difficult to go off of, and if it is, how you will handle that.
And finally, here is something else that you want to do. At each subsequent office visit to the doctor, ask, do I still need this drug? Maybe it is that your doctor wants you to stop, and just has forgotten to tell you. Back to you.
HOLMES: All right. Thanks to our Elizabeth Cohen. And you can get tips online to put you in the driver's seat to make important medical decisions for yourself and others that you love. Go to CNN.com/powered patient.
Iowa Republicans paid a visit New Jersey governor Chris Christie apparently in an effort to persuade to run for president. But Christie received an invitation of a different kind as well. That is next.
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HOLMES: All right, let's get the latest from the CNN Political Ticker. And for that we join my friend Paul Steinhauser, our deputy political director. Hello, sir. What have you got?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Well, T.J., let's start with New Hampshire. It is an important state in the race for the White House, and it is the first in the primary and tomorrow we will be busy up there. Tomorrow, all but declared presidential candidate Mitt Romney will do just that, declare his candidacy. It is his second bid for the White House. We will do it in neighboring New Hampshire and we will have our own Candy Crowley.
But there's more, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani will be there, too. He is headlining a Republican Party event. But there's more. And who else is up there tomorrow? That is right, Sarah Palin, the bus tour we are following for the last couple of days is going to be in New Hampshire tomorrow, and Sarah Palin in New Hampshire, T.J.
HOLMES: You are selling this, and my producer said he should do infomercials, but you are selling it, my man. Sell me on Chris Christie. What is happening with him? STEINHAUSER: Well, he is going to Iowa. Don't get so excited, because Iowa is the first state to vote on the caucus, and does this mean he has changed his mind and wants to run for the White House? No, the aides to Christie say he is going out there for an event, and many people want him to run for the nomination, but he is not doing it, T.J.
HOLMES: He said it repeatedly he is not going to run, and has not waivered but you never know in politics. And the other, the controversial, the Ryan plan and you know what the Democrats and the Republicans think about it and what do the Americans think about it?
STEINHAUSER: Brand new numbers from the CNN corporation national poll and we asked what do you think about the Republican plan to alter Medicare, and it was put together by Ryan and nearly six in 10 say they oppose the plan, and less than four in 10 approve of that.
But T.J., it is another example that the Ryan plan can be maybe, you can call it political poison to the Republicans and you saw with the special election in New York that the democrat won, it was all about Medicare. The plan would change the way the plan is now where the government pays where you would be the one paying with some government money. Very controversial and our new numbers prove that, I guess.
HOLMES: Long way to go on that debate.
STEINHAUSER: Oh, yes.
HOLMES: Paul, good to see you, buddy. We will have another update from the political ticker in 40 minutes.
Also we are expecting in a few minutes up at the top of the hour, Congressman Anthony Weiner has a scandal involving a picture from account. He's been asking questions but still some questions have been left unanswered and maybe he will answer them to our Wolf Blitzer. He has been doing a round of interviews today, and Wolf Blitzer doing one as well. We hope to bring you to that live. I'm now told we should expect that around the top of the hour. So at any moment that could be coming up. We'll bring that to you as soon as we can.
HOLMES: Also, if anyone wants welfare in Florida, pretty soon you will have to take a drug test to get it. Governor Rick Scott made it official by signing that measure into law. Now he is being sued. How he plans to do all of that and how he responds to the fact that he's hurting poor folks. The governor is live with me, next.
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HOLMES: All right, no matter what state you live in, there's a good chance a lot of politicians in your state will be watching to see what happens in Florida with a new law. As of July 1st, anyone seeking welfare benefits from Florida will have to get drug tested. That means before a Floridian can get a welfare check, they must first submit their urine or blood or hair to prove that they are drug-free. Governor Rick Scott joins me on the line now. Governor, we appreciate you talking about this. It has a lot of people talking. Let me start with the premise of it. First, do you have a reason to believe or maybe even evidence that a significant number of people who use welfare in your stat state actually use drugs?
GOV. RICK SCOTT, (R) FLORIDA: Look, this is common sense. A lot of the taxpayers in our state --
HOLMES: All right, forgive me, excuse me here one second. We're having a tough time hearing you. I want to confirm that maybe -- I think the line, the connection is OK. I want to make sure you're speaking into that phone directly.
SCOTT: Can you hear?
HOLMES: There you go. I can hear you better now.
SCOTT: I'll speak up a little bit. T.J., here's where we are in Florida. Most of the taxpayers in our state, if they have a job, a lot of them have been drug screened and they are the ones paying for this. So what is fair for them should be fair for somebody that is going to get free money from the government. And it sends the right message to the individual that might be going on welfare that they need to be drug-free. It's part of taking care of their family, part of how they are going to get back into the workforce. They need to stay off of drugs. So the taxpayers are doing the same thing. It's common sense.
HOLMES: Sir, I think everybody would like for people to be drug- free. Maybe some others wouldn't. But still the point here being that you are treating folks who are already down on their luck, who don't want to be on welfare, who lost their jobs, now they have to come in and with the shame some would say of having to ask for that government help, now they are being treated like suspects. Why do you suspect them, if you will?
SCOTT: Well, it's not suspecting anybody. If you take a job, you're job tested. It's what many, many taxpayers in our state are paying for this. They are being tested for their job. It's not demeaning for them. We all want to work and be around drug-free workplaces. We expect people to get something for free, they should live under the same rules.
And it creates more personal accountability and will be good for their families. It gives people another reason not to use drugs. It's terrible for families across our state and for their families.
HOLMES: How much is this going to cost our state?
SCOTT: The cost is not going to be significant at all.
HOLMES: Not significant at all but there were some hundred plus thousand that used this program and if each person that signs up, anywhere from $10 to $50 for a drug test. Doesn't that cost add up? How much will that cost your state? And can you afford that in a state that has been cutting things severely?
SCOTT: T.J., it's the right thing for our families, for our taxpayers. It's how we're going to make sure that that money is spent well. Look at the incentives that it creates for individuals to stay off drugs.
HOLMES: I believe the ACLU will follow through on a promise to sue over this, a director with the ACLU of Florida issued a statement. I'll let you hear it. I'm sure you already have heard it, but if not I'll let you hear it along with our viewers. "Once again, the governor has demonstrated his dismissal of both the law and the right of Floridians of personal privacy by signing into law a bill that treats those that lost their jobs by suspected criminals. Searching the bodily fluids of those in need of assistance is a scientifically, fiscally, and constitutionally unsound policy. Today that unsound policy is Florida law."
The U.S. Supreme Court and state courts have spoken on this, that you can't just arbitrarily someone. You can't just randomly test someone for drugs. A suspicion-less test is what it is called. What makes you think that this law will stand up to the courts?
SCOTT: Well, look, it happens to people that apply for jobs every day. You apply for a job across our state. Often you are drug screened and that's fine.
HOLMES: But they can't make it a matter of law. You can have policy, yes, for different companies and provisions, but if someone wanted to challenge that in the courts, the Supreme Court has ultimately said, unless that person is in a job and where they have the safety of others concerned, you can't just have a random suspicion-less test.
SCOTT: T.J., taxpayers are drug screened when applying for jobs every day. It's fair to the taxpayers in our state. It's good for those going on welfare. It's much better for their family. It's a great incentive for them not to use drugs. It's the right thing for our state.
HOLMES: Governor, you also signed an executive order in which a number of state employees have to submit to random drug testing, anyone applying for a drug test as well. I guess, how far do you go? You talk about these -- people who are using state funds, taxpayer funds of some kind should be tested. I guess how far do you go? Why not test kids that get state scholarships or even state lawmakers, or anyone benefiting from taxpayer funds? Are you saying everybody who gets any kind of taxpayer benefit should be drug tested?
SCOTT: We want to make sure that we treat our taxpayers fairly. They are being drug tested. So that's why we did it. It's the right thing for those going on welfare. On top of that, in our state we want to make sure that the people who work in state government that they have a safe environment.
And, you know, it's -- it creates more personal accountability and it makes sure that they are in families where their children are not around people that are using drugs. So, it creates the right incentives in our state.
HOLMES: What about for state lawmakers?
SCOTT: Well, what I have done is, we have passed a law that -- I signed a law with regard to the (INAUDIBLE) that are going on, on welfare and making sure that we can do random for employees that work in our state government.
HOLMES: But what about state lawmakers, sir? Would you be in favor of them being tested?
SCOTT: Well, you know, they -- I don't get to pass laws. If they -- if that's a law that they want to pass, then I will review that at the time.
HOLMES: Would you be willing to be drug tested as well?
SCOTT: I have been drug tested for jobs, absolutely. It's not an issue for me.
HOLMES: All right.
Governor, Governor Rick Scott, this is one that is going to get a lot of attention around this country, because I'm sure there will be other states looking at this and see what happens down there.
Governor, always good to talk to you. We appreciate you taking the time over the phone.
SCOTT: T.J., have a great day.
HOLMES: Thanks so much, sir. You have a good one.
