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American Morning
UAE Wins U.S. Seaport Contract; Arctic Blast Leaves Much of Nation in Deep Freeze; One Lucky Ticket; Boot Camp Lessons
Aired February 20, 2006 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. I'm Soledad O'Brien. Miles has the day off, but Rob Marciano has been helping us out this morning.
Thank you very much. We appreciate it.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN ANCHOR: It's great to be here. And welcome back again from vacation.
O'BRIEN: Thank you. It was a nice vacation, but it's over. And now we're talking news.
MARCIANO: Back to work.
O'BRIEN: Let's get right to our top story this morning. Outsourcing security is what we're talking about. Some serious questions this morning about this deal for control of some of this country's largest ports.
We're live at the White House.
Also, a desperate search for some missing children. Now hope may be fading, though, for the rescue crews as they dig through what was left behind by a massive mudslide in the Philippines.
MARCIANO: And back in the states, it's cold from coast to coast. The Arctic freeze has us all bundled up. But how long will it last?
O'BRIEN: And then there is this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL BROWN, FMR. FEMA DIRECTOR: I'll give the president an A- . I think -- I think the president let his political intuition down just a little bit at the very beginning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Too many people Michael Brown is the face of FEMA's failures. So why is he speaking up again? We're going to talk about that story just ahead this morning.
And this story, too...
MARCIANO: Imagine waking up a multimillionaire. That's the story for one man who bought the biggest-ever winning lottery ticket. Now we finally may know who he is. We'll take you live to the store that sold that golden ticket ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.
O'BRIEN: Lots to get to. Let's start with America's biggest seaports. Some of them could be soon run from a country with ties to the 9/11 attacks and attackers. A company from the United Arab Emirates has won the six-port contract.
Now, the Bush administration is defending the deal and also trying to assure critics that U.S. ports will be safe.
Let's get right to Suzanne Malveaux. She's live for us at the White House this morning.
Good morning to you, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: And good morning, Soledad.
You know, the bottom line here is members of Congress, they don't trust this company. They don't trust the United Arab Emirates. They have a real problem with deal essentially that would allow them to control the port operations in some six key locations in the United States: New York City; Newark, New Jersey; Philadelphia, Baltimore, Maryland; Miami, Florida; and New Orleans, Louisiana.
Both Democrats and Republicans say look at the record of the United Arab Emirates. They point to the 9/11 Commission report.
They say at least one hijacker drew money from bank accounts based in that country to help fund operations. They say that one of the hijackers, Marwan al-Shehhi, was from the United Arab Emirates.
Now, former head of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge, on AMERICAN MORNING just moments ago, says these members of Congress do have legitimate concerns, but at the same time he does not believe that national security is at risk.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM RIDGE, FORMER HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: I do think that at some point in time you have to say to yourself, would Secretary Rumsfeld and Snow and Chertoff and Rice compromise America's security? I don't think so. The bottom line is I think we need a little bit more transparency here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: So, Michael Chertoff, Homeland Security secretary, just yesterday told Wolf Blitzer on "LATE EDITION," he says there's a process in place that involves the Treasury, involves the Pentagon, all of the different federal agencies. They have taken a look at this, they do not believe it's a national security risk. But the important point, of course, that Ridge brings up is that it's about transparency. And yesterday, Chertoff said at least that he might be able to provide some -- some classified documents or even briefings to some of those members of Congress to allay their fears -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Maybe a little more transparency that some people are looking for.
Let's talk about the president today and what he's doing. He's on the road. He's not on vacation today.
What's he talking about?
MALVEAUX: Well, of course he loves to talk about how the fact that Americans are addicted to oil. And so he's going to be talking about his energy policy, promoting new technologies to make that happen, less likely to depend on Arab or foreign sources of oil. He's going to be traveling to Wisconsin, Michigan and Colorado to make the point -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House for us this morning.
Suzanne, thank you, as always -- Rob.
MARCIANO: Well, no matter where you are in the U.S. -- maybe not Florida -- you probably felt this, though, the Arctic blast that left much of the nation in a deep freeze. It's actually been deadly, it's been bitter, and it's been just about everywhere, including New York City, where CNN's Allan Chernoff is live for us in Manhattan.
Good morning again, Allan. You don't look that cold. It doesn't seem like it's that cold outside. You don't have your jacket zipped up all the way. I can barely see your breath.
Is it cold?
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT: Rob, it is actually getting much more pleasant. It's now 28 degrees out here. It's supposed to go up to 38. That really would be a very welcome change for us because, of course, over the weekend we did have an Arctic chill across the nation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHERNOFF (voice over): One word comes to mind: tundra.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's so cold here. Oh my god.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nature hasn't dialed in with the proper regalia for subzero temperatures.
CHERNOFF: Old man winter is spending the weekend slapping much of the United States square in the face with a one-two Arctic punch with freezing temperatures and fierce winds sending wind chills plummeting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The last I had seen the temperature, it said it was 17 below.
CHERNOFF: Winds gusting up to 77 miles an hour in upstate New York knocked over trees and knocked out power to more than 300,000 homes. Shelters like this one in Saratoga Springs providing refuge for those literally stuck out in the cold.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is dangerous and treacherous. And I feel so sorry for so many people that, you know, possibly don't even have a place like this to go to.
CHERNOFF: The situation was much the same in New England, where crews have worked nonstop to cut blown-down trees from icy power lines and restore electricity to thousands.
Dangerous conditions in Wisconsin, where the mercury dropped to 26 degrees below zero at one point and two people died in snowmobile accidents.
As far south as Arkansas and Tennessee, snow and ice were cleared from the roads only to have them freeze over again less than an hour later.
In Washington State, the lights are now back on after high winds left thousands in the dark and stuck in subzero temperatures.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've got a nice battery-operated light and a fireplace and some good old candles from the dollar store. So hopefully that will be our light until the power comes back on.
CHERNOFF: Maybe this image is the best way to sum up the enormity of this frigid blast. It comes from Tacoma, where the water from the fire department's hoses froze over within minutes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHERNOFF: Here in New York, people are saying the weather just seems insane, because as you know, only four days ago we had temperatures in the mid 50s. So people are really wondering, Rob, what is going on here?
MARCIANO: You want me to answer that? I'm not going to touch it, Allan. It's just -- you know, it's the way the weather works, warm one day, cold the next. But good to see that you're warming up and you're a little bit more comfortable now than you were over the weekend.
CHERNOFF: Thank you.
MARCIANO: Thanks for your work, Allan.
Let's go now to Bonnie Schneider, who has a little bit of word on the weather.
Bonnie, you want to take that one, why...
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, I have a little more time to go into it.
MARCIANO: OK. Yes, you've got the graphics, too. So get to it.
SCHNEIDER: Absolutely. (WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: Yes, slow improvement. Still some blue and darker purples on the map there, Bonnie.
SCHNEIDER: Yes, but some warm weather, too.
MARCIANO: You're right. Thanks very much.
Let's turn to Carol Costello now, who has a look at the headlines this morning.
Hello again, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, Rob.
Good morning to all of you.
U.S. Marines are helping with recovery operations in the southern Philippines after that devastating landslide. They are now saying there are no signs of help.
Earlier we had hope. Rescue teams had reported hearing tapping noises coming from a site where a school once stood. So far, about 100 bodies have been covered -- recovered, rather. The death toll is expected to go much higher.
It is a race against time in Mexico for some trapped miners. About 65 miners believed to be trapped underground after an explosion early Sunday. So far, no contact has been made.
And a series of deadly attacks in Iraq today. A suicide bombing on a minibus in Baghdad has left at least 10 dead. And in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, at least three people were killed when a bomb exploded inside of a restaurant. Also, an American soldier was killed today in a roadside attack in Karbala.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected to face some tough resistance from Arab allies. She's heading to the Middle East and to northern Africa to try to cut off support for the Hamas-led Palestinian government. Her first stop is tomorrow in Egypt.
And will the American ice dancing dry spell come to an end? We will find out soon.
After a series of spills on Sunday, the American team could walk away with a medal. They jumped from sixth to second place after two couples in front of them fell. Ben Agosto and Tanith Belbin could end a 30-year drought for the U.S. when they skate tonight in the free dance.
And finally, we'll get some big-time stars in the Olympic games. Something, of course, NBC has been waiting for.
O'BRIEN: Ooh, yes they have. And I -- you know, I'd like to see the American -- they did actually a great job. Not just that everybody else sort of tripped and fell on each other.
COSTELLO: Well, that helped, though.
O'BRIEN: That helped them a lot, but boy, they actually -- when they did their routine, they looked -- they looked absolutely beautiful.
Carol, thank you very much.
A trip across state lines could likely change one man's life -- no, change that -- will change one man's life forever. A $365 million change, you might say. We have learned that the winner could be a Colorado man who bought the winning lottery ticket after he drove across the border to Lincoln, Nebraska.
CNN's Jonathan Freed has been covering the story for us this morning. In fact, he's at the store that sold the lucky ticket.
Do we know -- do we have official confirmation yet that the guy who called in to say he was the guy is actually the guy, Jonathan?
JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The guy who we think is the guy who the lottery corporation thinks is the guy is still maybe just the guy, Soledad. That's where it is right now.
As we first reported here on CNN just earlier this morning, this person had been watching television, recognized this store where he was passing through here on Friday, remembered that he bought a ticket, checked his ticket, and then looked up the number for this store and called it, ended up talking to one of the owners, then was passed on to the representative of the -- of the Nebraska Lottery, described a bit of a scene here. And here is how Tom Johnson from the Nebraska Lottery talked about the phone call.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM JOHNSON, NEBRASKA LOTTERY SPOKESMAN: It was a gentleman, and he described the scenario here at the U-Stop at that particular time. Described the people who were selling the tickets, the conversation they had and the whole bit, and hopefully it's the person that we think it is, the winner.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FREED: Now, Tom Johnson is expecting to have a second conversation with this man from Colorado. One of the things they say is that on the back of these tickets there is a serial number. And he is hoping to have this person read that serial number to him, and then they would be able to check with their auditing department to determine whether or not that is indeed the actual ticket. Then they would know for sure that they've got their man.
That conversation still hasn't happened yet as far as we know -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Not yet, but sounds like it's going to happen soon. Thanks, Jonathan. Hopefully he will throw a couple bucks your way, you know, if he comes back into the store. Wouldn't that be nice?
MARCIANO: Yes, like he's going to be the only one asking him for money.
O'BRIEN: Get in, get early, is what I say.
MARCIANO: Anybody he ever knew is going to be coming to him.
O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, how would you like someone to manage your health care, sort of like an accountant who manages your money? We're going to take a look this morning at the advantages of having a personal health coach.
MARCIANO: Also, the interview that brought former FEMA chief Mike Brown to tears. It's part of a candid new documentary about the Katrina disaster. We'll talk to the man behind it.
O'BRIEN: And some new questions this morning about teenage boot camps after a 14-year-old boy died in a boot camp. Do the camps really help troubled teenagers? A look at that is up next on AMERICAN MORNING.
We're back after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: You probably heard that story about that Florida teenager who died at a juvenile detention boot camp. Videotape of 14- year-old Martin Lee Anderson shows him being struck and restrained on the day before he died last month. An autopsy report says he died of internal bleeding caused by a genetic blood disorder. His mother, though, very strongly disagrees.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GINA JONES, DEAD TEEN'S MOTHER: My baby was murdered. And what went on with my baby and the pain I'm going through, I wish that on no mom. Please don't let my baby's death be in vein. Don't let this happen to another child.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Let's take a look at some of this videotape. You can see it right there.
The guys who are running the boot camp are surrounding him. It's obviously highlighted there. And then they fast forward and you can see he's now on the ground.
Then he gets up again and then he is -- if you can watch it carefully, he's being held and hit on the arm and falls again. The tape goes on and on, and of course the teenager's death raises many questions about the usefulness and the -- and some of the strategies at these juvenile detention boot camps.
Let's get to Doris MacKenzie. She's a professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Maryland. She's also an author. She wrote "Correctional Boot Camps: Military Basic Training or a Model for Corrections?"
Thank you for talking with us this morning. It's nice to see you.
When we take a look at that videotape, and you see the force, you know, and it's not even a particularly clear videotape, but you can see the force which is used on this young man, is this pretty typical of these boot camps? You've obviously done a lot of research into a lot of them.
DORIS MACKENZIE, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND: On -- it's typical of some boot camps is my understanding. The majority of boot camps that I've visited, I have not seen that kind of violence. But I have heard reports that this is common in some of the boot camps.
O'BRIEN: In restraining a young man who may be getting a little bit out of hand or out of control. The autopsy, though, says, no, he died of internal bleeding which was caused by a genetic blood disorder. Does that then, in your mind, free the boot camp from any kind of responsibility?
MACKENZIE: I think that it's going to have to go to the court, and the videotape will have to be examined carefully. It does not look as if it's appropriate correctional management, which is a real concern. I have not read anywhere the standards for these kinds of programs would not suggest that that much physical contact would be permitted.
O'BRIEN: Do these boot camps work? I mean, if you treat a child -- put him in boot camp, you have a troubled kid who may otherwise be going off to prison, is it effective to put him in boot camp instead?
MACKENZIE: If you talk about effectiveness meaning do they return to criminal activities, no. We found over 40 studies of both juvenile and adult boot camps, correctional boot camps, and we found overall -- we did at meta (ph) analysis and we found these programs did not have an affect on later criminal activities or recidivism.
O'BRIEN: They seem to be based on kind of a military structure, sort of the people who run it kind of drill the young people as if they are kind of in the military. Do you find that in fact that adds to the danger of these camps in your mind?
MACKENZIE: Yes, that's my real concern with these camps...
O'BRIEN: Really?
MACKENZIE: ... is that the staff aren't receiving appropriate training to identify physical and mental stress of the children that are put in the camps. I think physical activity is very healthy and a positive thing, but if staff aren't properly trained and administrators don't provide the necessary oversight, then it's a real concern about whether these programs are appropriate.
O'BRIEN: You mean in some of these programs the kids aren't given physicals before they are brought in and the staff doesn't know what to do with someone when they -- as we saw in that videotape -- might collapse or have some kind of a medical emergency? Is that what you're saying?
MACKENZIE: Yes, in some of the camps they are not given appropriate physical -- physicals before they start the camp. Now, more and more of the camps that are experienced do provide medical care, and they are trying to be sure that the child is physically able to do the activities. But when they become -- the staff really needs to be trained to be able to identify the mental stress and physical stress in these really difficult programs.
And since there isn't any reason as far as later criminal activities to have the camps, then we have to ask whether it would be better to provide the kinds of treatment that have been effective in correction systems.
O'BRIEN: Well, you know, you're talking about in this particular case, with this particular teenage who is now deceased, you know, stole his grandmother's car apparently, I guess while they were at church, drove it around, then later violated his probation. That's kind of what led to him being -- going to this boot camp in the first place.
What's the alternative and what do you suggest as an alternative? Because boot camp is often the alternative to going off to prison.
MACKENZIE: Yes, but I think that we should do much more consideration of keeping these young people in the community and providing more services and treatment to them while they are in the community, having family programs, providing special education programs, cognitive skills programs that help them in decision-making. These are the kinds of programs that we found to be effective in corrections, and to keep them out of facilities, particularly if the facilities aren't doing anything to really change their behavior later.
O'BRIEN: Doris MacKenzie is a professor in the Department of Criminology at the University of Maryland.
Nice to see you, Professor. Thank you for talking with us this morning.
MACKENZIE: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Rob.
MARCIANO: Soledad, coming up, you think the health care system is too complicated? Well, what if you had a personal health coach to guide you? We'll look at the pricey options some businesses are now offering.
And later, an emotional interview with ex-FEMA chief Mike Brown. We'll talk to the filmmaker behind a candid documentary.
All that ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: Well, if you think the health care system is complex, especially when you're sick, there may be an answer for you. The thing is, it's going to cost you.
CNN's Carol Lin shows us how some people are turning to health care coaches for help. But is it hurting those who can't afford the star treatment?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): When Kevin Cassidy heard his mom could barely move, he didn't know what to do.
KEVIN CASSIDY, PINNACLECARE SUBSCRIBER: I got a call from my sister who said, you know, we can't get my mom out of the car.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good morning, Sally.
LIN: Doctors diagnosed Sally Cassidy with Alzheimer's, but Kevin wasn't so sure. So he hired a personal health coach who found his mother a specialist.
CASSIDY: When we saw the rheumatologist, the rheumatologist right away said, "We've got rheumatoid arthritis."
LIN (on camera): Not Alzheimer's?
CASSIDY: Not Alzheimer's.
LIN (voice over): What's a health coach? John Hutchins is the founder of PinnacleCare,w hich provides such specialized service.
JOHN HUTCHINS, PINNACLECARE: We provide education, information, guidance through a confusing health system.
LIN: At a price. The initiation fee is anywhere from $10,000 upwards, and then there's the annual fee of at least $5,000.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have also gone ahead and sent over your medical records and completed the paperwork.
LIN: For big bucks. PinnacleCare will make your appointments, even go with you. Clients have their case reviewed by Pinnacle's own physician board.
That's why Kevin Cassidy signed up. He believes insurance alone is not enough. CASSIDY: Eighty percent of the time you go into a doctor and everything is fine. Then 20 percent of the time it's a disaster. And the reason it's a disaster is because we don't know.
LIN (on camera): There's no way to actually prove that companies like PinnacleCare can deliver better health care, because doctors typically see the sickest patients first regardless of who refers them.
(voice over): But companies like PinnacleCare are tapping into consumer frustration and selling convenience to those willing to pay for it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, this is a lot of room.
LIN: But critics say that's a dangerous sign for health care in America.
DR. JOHN GOODSON, HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL: And if we are to allow people with high income access that is over and above everybody else, what that means is that the rest of us are going to be in a longer line and not going to have the same kind of access.
LIN: So confusing is the health care system that some big companies have signed up health advocates to help their employees choose between providers, get advice on care, and negotiate refunds. Even if they don't get Pinnacle's individualized care.
(on camera): So what do you say to critics who say that services like Pinnacle are creating a two-tiered medical system?
HUTCHINS: I like two-tiered systems because I think they force changes, necessary changes in various fields.
LIN (voice over): John Hutchins sees the emergence of health advocates as a wakeup call to the industry. In a system where costs are rising fast, but so is frustration with co-pays, deductions, waiting lists, and so on, companies like Pinnacle some a way to make change and money, too.
Carol Lin, CNN, Baltimore.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO: Many patients believe that health care coaches are especially useful in guiding them through long-term illnesses or chronic diseases. But it's obviously up to each individual patient -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, a popular "Saturday Night Live" sketch causes huge headaches for NBC's legal team. We're "Minding Your Business" just ahead on that story.
Plus, take a look at this. Look at this fat cat. Oh my gosh.
MARCIANO: Wow. O'BRIEN: He weighs 33 pounds. He is so fat. That is so unhealthy.
Stop laughing. It's unhealthy.
MARCIANO: He's still -- you're right.
O'BRIEN: He's unhealthy. Look at that poor cat. I mean, you're going to take 10 years off that kitty's life. Blah, blah, blah.
We're going to talk about this little kitty cat and what they are doing and what they are feeding this guy each and every day. That's coming up.
MARCIANO: Oh.
O'BRIEN: That's not good for a cat.
MARCIANO: He's still cute, though.
O'BRIEN: He's cute, but he's...
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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