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H1N1 Deaths Open Dangerous Flu Season; 1.3 Million To Lose Jobless Benefits Tomorrow; Help On The Way For Stranded Ship; Car Bomb Kills Key U.S. Ally In Beirut; Delta Fliers Snag Super Low Fares; Storms Cause Outages, Massive Wrecks; U.N. Rushes Reinforcements To South Sudan; Licensed Pot Shops To Open In Colorado; Mixed Messages On 2013's Biggest Stories
Aired December 27, 2013 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL (voice-over): The flu season is officially upon us. Although it is just the beginning, the CDC is already reporting widespread infection rates in several states including Alabama, Louisiana, and New York. But Texas has been the hardest hit reporting at least five deaths from the H1N1 strain also known as swine flu.
DR. MICHAEL JHUNG, MEDICAL OFFICER, CDC: The majority of hospitalizations for influenza occur in people 65 years of age or older and the majority of deaths also in that group. We know that H1N1, this particular influenza virus does cause more infections in younger adults.
BLACKWELL: H1N1 first made headlines back in 2009 causing a pandemic that the CDC said it infected 52 million people. About 24 percent of the world and may have killed hundreds of thousands worldwide. Health officials say if you have not gotten a flu shot, you still can.
JHUNG: Every formulation of vaccine that you can get this year will protect against H1N1 and it also protects against other influenza viruses that we think are also circulating.
BLACKWELL: Health experts also recommend these simple steps to help stay healthy, wash your hands often, cover your coughs and sneezes, stay home from work and school if you're ill. The CDC says flu season is expected to reach fever pitch in February. Last year 380,000 people were hospitalized by the virus. Medical officials advise take warnings seriously.
JHUNG: Many people think that flu causes sniffles or cold-like symptoms for about a week, but it can cause very serious illness in people. It puts people in the hospital every year and unfortunately it kills people every year.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACKWELL: Now in addition to those four states that are seeing the widespread of influenza activity, there is activity in every other U.S. state except for one according to the CDC.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Really, who?
BLACKWELL: Vermont. Fortunate for Vermont, they are reporting no activity. It could change. There's a new report on the activity from the CDC coming out today at 11:00. We'll see if that number changes.
COSTELLO: So if I got my flu shot, am I OK?
BLACKWELL: It says that you are OK. The doctors say that you're OK. It treats the H7N9 strain, which is a strain most people get, but also the H1N1. But we know in 2009 that strain changed and became resistant during the season. Now flu season could go into April or May. So they say again get the vaccination if your doctor recommends it.
COSTELLO: OK, thanks so much.
BLACKWELL: Sure.
COSTELLO: Tomorrow, more than 1 million Americans will lose their unemployment insurance, money they've counted on as they spend hours trying to rejoin a work force with few options. They're people like Mary Carey who spoke to CNN's Tory Dunnan about her struggle.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARY CARY, UNEMPLOYED: Asking for a helping hand so we can get a job.
TORY DUNNAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You're actively trying to?
CARY: Every day, probably 12 hours a day. I know I will survive. I know my son will survive, you know. No, I won't have a home that I've worked hard for eight years, but I worry more about my animals because they didn't have a choice. Are you ready to see me on the street begging for food, you know? I know I'm not ready to. My life's not over. I might have slowed down a bit, but I can be a very contributing member of society.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Tom Foreman joins me now from Washington. I know President Obama had some sharp criticism for Congress on this very topic. What did he say?
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Carol, he said what Democrats have been saying for quite some time, which is basically the recovery is slow. People are struggling and this is something that really needs to be there as a safety net. Listen to his comments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Because Congress failed to act before leaving on vacation more than 1 million Americans are poised to lose a vital source of income just a few days after Christmas. For many people who are still looking for work, unemployment insurance is a life line that can make the difference between temporary hardship or lasting catastrophe. Instead of punishing these families who can least afford it, especially now, Congress should first restore that life line immediately, then put our entire focus on creating more jobs that pay good wages.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: He's absolutely right in terms of people counting on this money out there, Carol, because in many cases what you're talking about is people who have reached the end of their existing unemployment insurance. So people have gone past 26 weeks so you're already talking about people who are starting to verge into the long- term unemployed area. For many of those people, finding a job is incredibly hard right now.
Many employers will barely even look at their resumes because they've been unemployed for a long period of time and this few hundred dollars every week that they get from this program can make a tremendous difference. That said, that said, this was part of a budget deal that the Democrats and Republicans all went together on because they felt a budget was important to deal with and there was an issue of controlling costs in this government. So it's a very difficult situation all the way around -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Yes, we're showing people from Georgia applying for a job, looking for a job, 40,000 will lose their long term unemployment benefits in Georgia alone. I know the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is going to bring up this issue in the New Year, but will it make any difference?
FOREMAN: It will make a difference because everyone has to talk about it. The Republicans as you know are trying to sort of cling to this notion that they are the fiscally responsible party and the polls show they're getting some play on that. People are beginning to trust them more in terms of the benefits. They're trying very hard to say that their party cannot appear to be tone deaf to the suffering of people.
They're reaching out to people and saying we are the party that stands with you so I will actually be very interested to see what happens when both of these parties start wrangling with this over the new year to see how much the voice rises to say we do not want to be seen as the party of no as they have been painted so many times and at the same time being fiscally responsible.
It is a difficult circumstance, Carol. It points out interestingly enough one of the persistent problems. Even the jobs that have come back by and large have not been anywhere near as valuable or as good as the jobs that were lost. They're going to have to settle for something much less.
COSTELLO: All right, Tom Foreman reporting live from Washington this morning. Thank you.
Help is finally on the way for an expedition ship stuck in Antarctic sea ice for four days. Three ice breaking ships are headed to the stranded vessel including this Chinese ship that had to travel through a cyclone. The ship's expedition leader says despite the circumstances everyone on board that ship had a great Christmas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS TURNEY, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES (via telephone): The vessel is fine and safe and everyone aboard is doing very well. Morale is high. We got hit by a heavy blizzard yesterday with wind speeds in excess of 70 kilometers per hour and fortunately the wind has passed. The low pressure system has moved away. A little bit of pressure has eased back now as the winds have subsided.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Most of the people on board that ship are scientists. That was Professor Turney talking. He said getting stuck actually gave them a chance to study life under the sea ice. They're pretty darn happy. Good for them.
Checking other top stories this morning at 8 minutes past the hour, no claim of responsibility after the Beirut car bombing that killed six people and wounded dozens. Among the dead and the apparent target, a key friend to the United States, Muhammad Chata was Lebanon's former ambassador to the U.S. He was a staunch critic of Syria's president and the Islamic terror groups, Hezbollah.
Connecticut state police are releasing the final report on the Newtown shootings later today. The redacted report is several thousand pages long. It includes texts, photos and 911 calls from last December's attack. As you know, Adam Lanza killed 27 people before committing suicide.
Thousands of flyers got one last Christmas present yesterday. Bargain basement prices on Delta prices. We're talking 27 bucks to fly from Florida to Los Angeles or 68 bucks from Boston to Honolulu to name some of the deals. So how the heck did it happen and why didn't it happen to me, Alison Kosik?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I've been asking the same thing. Why wasn't I looking for fares between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. yesterday on delta.com. We'll put that to another day to talk about. First of all, good for these people because Delta has to honor these mistake fares because there's actually DOT regulation that requires airlines to honor these kinds of fares.
Now as I said, this glitch appeared on delta.com yesterday between the hours of 10:00 and 1:00 so customers who bought tickets quickly, they were so happy about their purchases, they went to social media. They went to Facebook and Twitter to brag about their big score. Customers said some fares were as low as $12.83.
I want to show you some of those super dooper rock bottom fares. Look at these, round trip, some of these are round trip. Some are each way. Delta spokesmen though not saying how many tickets were purchased at these mistake rates, incorrect prices. If you're wondering if this has happened before, it has happened before. United Continental experienced a similar problem. Some fares were free not including taxes and fees, United also honored the mistaken fares -- Carol. COSTELLO: Well, that's good. Alison Kosik reporting live this morning.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM, power outages, freezing temperatures and traffic grinding to a halt. Heavy winter storms don't seem to be letting up any time soon. Chad is keeping an eye on it for us this morning. Hi, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Carol. Another one may be on the way for Sunday. It's a hit and miss thing. A lot of rain but some snow in the northeast. That forecast coming up in two and a half minutes.
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COSTELLO: Four days and still no power for thousands of people in the Northern United States. Severe winter storms caused outages and also this multi-car pileup in Pennsylvania. More than 40 people were injured. At least 25 had to be taken to the hospital.
In Toronto, trees literally split in half under the weight of all the ice and just as crews started to restore power, it looks like more rough weather is on the way. Chad, say it isn't so.
MYERS: You know, I never heard the song, all I want for Christmas is electricity, but I think there will be a new version of this. It's day after day. I've been getting e-mails and tweets about 2007 and 2009 ice storms in Missouri and Oklahoma and it was ten or 11 days, but the temperatures here have been down below zero day after day.
So if you can imagine being without power for a day. When you don't have power, your furnace doesn't run. Even if you have a natural gas furnace, it won't go because the power doesn't blow the blower and it shuts down and you're done. So, another couple of days of warmer weather, then we're back into the deep freeze. I think at least try to get something done this weekend if you can.
Airport travel really good, Seattle, Portland, morning fog. The wind is routing around there. This is the next storm I was mentioning before the break. A rain maker for the most part unless you get towards the Alleghenies, up into the Adirondacks and the green and white mountains. By the time it gets there it will be cold enough. New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, it is a rain maker, all for Sunday. Gone on Monday.
Travel will be pretty good for Monday into Tuesday. Here's how the temperatures look, 40 in New York City to 49 and be then 37, Toronto, everything melts. That seems like a good idea. Then the ice that was on the trees springs the trees back up and knocks power lines down from the other direction. Minneapolis, here's the cold air. Here's Monday, Tuesday, Chicago to 8. Tuesday, Wednesday the cold air gets all the way to the northeast -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Thank goodness so maybe 2014 will come in warm for everyone.
MYERS: If you consider 24 warm in the city, that's pretty good.
COSTELLO: I don't. I take it back.
MYERS: Have a great weekend.
COSTELLO: You too, thank you, Chad.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM, the world's youngest country and covered by a cloud, we'll show you how they respond to the escalating violence in South Sudan.
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COSTELLO: Within hours the United Nations hopes to have more soldiers and police officers on the ground in South Sudan, the African nation that teeters on the precipice of civil war. This is the aftermath of a Christmas day gun battle between government forces and those fighting for the former vice president who is trying to seize power. The gunshots faded, looters moved in. Across the region there are calls for new peace talks in the oil rich nation.
CNN's Frederik Pleitgen has been covering the situation in South Sudan. He joins us from New York. Fred, just minutes ago, we learned that South Sudan's government agreed to a cease fire in principle. What does that mean?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that means that they're willing to talk without any sort of pre-conditions. It's something that the government has been saying for a couple of days now. They're also saying they are willing to lay down arms without any sort of pre- conditions. Now the big if in all of this is whether or not the rebel factions are going to be doing the same thing. So far we've not heard from them yet.
But of course, to implement the cease fire you need all sides to lay down their arms and stop fighting immediately. That's something the U.S. has been fighting for and the international community has been fighting for as well. At the same time as the messages are coming out, this is how chaotic the situation is there in South Sudan, we are hearing that the fighting is going on especially in the north of the country, which strategically is a very, very important region because that's where all the oil fields are and oil generates pretty much all of this country's revenue.
The government says it's 100 percent in control of those vital areas including the oil fields. The rebels say that they still hold part of them and that they are in control of some vital towns. It is a very difficult situation to discern what exactly is going on there on the ground, however, there does seem to be pretty widespread fighting.
There is, however, one positive thing that we learned a couple of minutes ago, carol. Do you remember the four Navy SEALs wounded trying to evacuate Americans from South Sudan, one of them was wounded pretty badly, we've just learned a couple of minutes ago that he was operated on in a U.S. military hospital in Germany and is now in stable condition. That's one positive thing.
COSTELLO: Thanks for leaving us with that. Frederik Pleitgen, thanks so much.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM, they are the stories that had America talking. Were topics like George Zimmerman or the Boston bombing the conversation or the way the media covered the stories? We'll have the story next.
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COSTELLO: Good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thanks so much for being with me. Stories we're watching in the NEWSROOM at 25 minutes past the hour. Have you had your flu shot yet? The flu season is kicking into gear and widespread infection rates have hit several states including New York. Texas is reporting at least five deaths from H1N1 also known as the swine flu. You might remember the outbreak that closed some schools and triggered widespread fears.
The "Duck Dynasty" controversy is writing a new chapter on social media. Fans of the reality show are encouraged to wear camouflage clothing and eat at Chick-Fil-A next month. It's been changed to Phil. The same issue has drawn criticism for Chick-Fil-A.
A brand new crop of businesses will start to pop up in Colorado next week, state-licensed marijuana shops. The state is currently in the process of mailing licenses to businesses that were recently approved and the shops will be heavily regulated by state and local authorities. CNN's Ana Cabrera has the story from Denver.
ANA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The countdown is on. Marijuana becomes legal to sell for recreational use here in Colorado in less than a week. The state hoping to generate tens of millions of dollars in new tax revenue. Businesses are seeing green as well as certain pot shops already operating as medical marijuana dispensaries open their doors to a whole new clientele.
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CABRERA (voice-over): The green rush here in Colorado is about to get even bigger. This week state licenses went out to local businesses giving them the green light to start selling recreational marijuana.
TONI FOX, MARIJUANA RETAILER: And money does grow on trees and it's called the cannabis plant.
CABRERA: January 1st recreational pot sales are legal and heavily regulated by both state and authorities.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to do some profit.
CABRERA: Anyone over the age of 21 will soon be able to buy marijuana, 136 medical marijuana dispensaries now have state licenses to sell it and 178 businesses can now grow it for recreational use.
MORGAN IWERSEN, OWNER, CANYON CULTIVATION: They kind of say we're sort of like the United States Amsterdam.
CABRERA: Morgan Iwersen runs Canyon Cultivation. They make marijuana edibles, drops and candies. She expects business to at least double in the New Year.
IWERSEN: I really hope that people are responsible with it and don't mess it up for the rest of us.
CABRERA: But Canyon Cultivation like most companies here won't be ready on January 1st. Retail outlets had major hurdles to get state approvals. Fingerprint based background checks and fees up to $15,000. Toni Fox said she has more than $1 million invested in her medical marijuana facility 3D cannabis center. Her store is only one of a handful expected to be ready for business on that first day.
FOX: A year ago I would have said I wish I hadn't done it. Now I'm very excited that I've done it and I'm looking forward to the future.
CABRERA: A future she and the state hope will pay off that massive investment.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CABRERA: It was medical marijuana that paved the way for this new retail surge, so a lot of this is being rolled out on the existing infrastructure surrounding or supporting medical marijuana, including how the state plans to regulate or safeguard this product, and there are even stricter rules when it comes to recreational sale of marijuana, but keep in mind the federal government still considers all of this criminal. Ana Cabrera, CNN, Denver.
COSTELLO: Ana Cabrera, many thanks to you.
The 2013 was a year in contrast or was it? If you paid attention to the biggest news stories of the year, there were no shades of gray. The story was either good or bad, right or wrong, conservative or liberal. It all depended on who was telling the story and who was watching it. Two of the biggest news stories that illustrate what I'm talking about are the trial of George Zimmerman and the Boston marathon bombing.
With me to talk about this, Steve Mullsburke from "News Max," a conservative media watchdog group, Eric Boehlert from "Media Matters," a liberal media watchdog group, and Brian Stelter, CNN senior media correspondent. Welcome to all of you.
Good morning. I'm excited for this conversation, actually. Let's tackle the Zimmerman story first. Some conservative media embraced George Zimmerman. Liberal media was clearly on Trayvon Martin's side. So Eric, you say your job is to correct conservative misinformation. How in your mind did conservative media misinform in the Zimmerman story?
ERIC BOEHLERT, SENIOR FELLOW, "MEDIA MATTERS FOR AMERICA": Well, I think after the verdict there was almost a dancing on the grave of this poor unarmed teenager who was killed. I mean, I don't think any victim of gun violence should have his reputation smeared for 18 months. I mean, Geraldo Rivera on Fox saying basically the hoodie killed him. If you dress like a thug you're going to be treated like a thug. He also said, you know, a jury of women would have shot him sooner than George Zimmerman had done.
I mean, to me that's just repellent and I think the verdict, even though he was -- George Zimmerman was found not guilty, it's still unleashed this really unhinged reaction I think in the conservative media. A lot of ugly race baiting that had gone on for the story for 18 months.
COSTELLO: OK, on to you, Steve. Your job is to correct liberal bias in the media how was the media biased in your mind surrounding the Zimmerman case?
STEVE MALZBERG, NEWSMAX TV: Well, first of all, they perpetuated this myth, which is absolutely not true that Trayvon -- that George Zimmerman was told, don't get out of the car. You can listen to the 911 tapes, I'm not going to go into that, but that was myth number one that they used to make a villain out of George Zimmerman. After the verdict was read, my goodness, all along during the coverage that the media itself, the liberal media, all the media kept saying, wow, every prosecution witness has turned into a defense witness. They are not doing their job. They don't have a case, yet, when the verdict was read, my God, how could this be?
