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CNN Saturday Morning News
Two Teens Convicted of Assault, Not Murder, in PA Murder; Number of Swine Flu Cases Has Jumped Dramatically; Supreme Court Justice David Souter Leaving the Bench
Aired May 02, 2009 - 08:00 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 from the CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. 8:00 here in Atlanta, Georgia, 7:00 a.m. in Chicago, 5:00 out in Los Angeles. Wherever you are, glad you could be with us.
I'm T.J. Holmes.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, good morning, everybody. It is Saturday, May 2nd. Thanks so much for starting your day with us. There's a whole lot of news to tell you about overnight, so let's get you right to it.
First up, prosecutors call it a hate crime, but the jury did not agree. Two teenagers are acquitted. They were yesterday of murder in a Pennsylvania courtroom and instead, Brandon Piekarsky and Darren Doncheck (ph) were convicted of simple assault in the beating death last summer of Luis Ramirez. Prosecutors allege the teens and their friend goaded Ramirez into a fight.
While an attorney for the Mexican-American legal defense and education fund very upset with the verdict.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a long case and the jury has rendered their verdict and they took a long time and deliberated it, deliberate in the case and we respect their verdict.
GLADYS LIMON, MEXICAN AMERICAN LEGAL DEFENSE & EDUCATION: Failure to indicate the death of (INAUDIBLE) has set an extremely dangerous precedent. The jurors here sending the message that you can brutally beat a person without regard to their life and get away with it, continue with your life uninterrupted, not in this case there wasn't even a slap on the wrist. In this case the message is that a person who may not be popular in society based on their national origin or certain characteristic has less value in our society.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Ramirez died of blunt force trauma two days after the beating. Defense attorneys say the trial was difficult.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FREDERICK FANELLI, PIERKARSKY'S ATTORNEY: It was a long process. We've been fighting this case for lots of months. It was highly charged obviously by all these cameras. The week of trial was very difficult and we're just delighted that it ended the way it did.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: The incident drew national attention to the small town of Shenandoah and highlighted race relation issues in Pennsylvania.
HOLMES: The number of swine flu cases has jumped dramatically overnight. But going to keep this in perspective for you. Here's the latest, the World Health Organization reporting that 615 people infected in 15 countries. Now that would be a 67 percent increase from the 365 confirmed cases that were reported just yesterday. However, this is not because they are starting to see more new cases. However, these are just suspected cases that are now confirmed through testing in a lab.
Also, Hong Kong and South Korea have each confirmed one case about 200 guests and 100 staff members at one Hong Kong hotel had to be quarantined. The government ordered that quarantine after a Mexican man staying in the hotel got sick.
So far, the strain in the U.S. has not been nearly as deadly as we've been seeing in Mexico. We do know about 16 people confirmed dead from the swine flu in Mexico. Just one child died of swine flu here in the U.S. But President Obama says the U.S. will be ready if this virus somehow mutates into something that's worse.
This morning in his weekly address, he assured the American people every resource is being used.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: As our scientists and researchers learn more information about this virus every day, the guidance we offer will likely change. What will not change is the fact that we'll be making every recommendation based on the best science possible. We will also continue investing in every resource necessary to treat this virus and prevent a wider outbreak.
The good news is that the current strain of H1N1 can be defeated by a course of antiviral treatment that we already have on hand. We began this week with 50 million courses of this treatment in the strategic national stockpile. Over the course of the last few days, we've delivered one quarter of that stockpile to states so that they are prepared to treat anyone who is inspected with this virus.
We then purchased an additional 13 million treatments to refill our strategic stockpile. Out of an abundance of caution I've also asked Congress for $1.5 billion if it's needed to purchase additional anti-virals, emergency equipment and the development of a vaccine that can prevent this virus as we prepare for the next season in the fall.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The president also credits the health care measures and the stimulus plan for helping America prepare for an outbreak like this one.
NGUYEN: The swine flu could spread rapidly in places with high populations, but so far there are no confirmed cases in America's second largest city, that being Los Angeles. When I spoke with the mayor there earlier this week, he said the city won't be caught off guard if the virus pops up there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: We're looking at swine flu and a possible outbreak here in the United States. What is being done to ensure the people of Los Angeles do not come in contact with it?
MAYOR ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA, LOS ANGELES: We've been in constant communication with our local public health officers. The city of Los Angeles doesn't have responsibility for the public health. That's the county. But we're working together. We have an emergency management department that focuses on issues like this and we're in constant communication with them.
We're also in communication with our school districts who've said that because of advice from the public health officer, there's no reason not to send our kids to school right now. We can send them to school. There's no outbreak here in the region. We are working for contingency plans with the public health agencies, also the Federal government and the state, so we've been coordinating in the event that there is an outbreak here in the city or the county.
Our folks at the LAX, which is our L.A. International airport, are taking extra precautions with passengers. They'll be doing a number of things to make sure, particularly folks who come from Mexico, to make sure that we're doing everything possible to address the situation. But at this point I want to make it absolutely clear that no outbreaks in either the city or the county of Los Angeles.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: And next hour, we're going to talk with the mayor of a community in Texas where some of the first U.S. cases popped up there. And, as always, you can find all the latest on swine flu on our Web site, cnn.com/health.
HOLMES: All right. And a lot of reaction this morning as always. We appreciate it. You can chime into this newscast via Twitter, via our blog as well and via our Facebook pages. This morning a lot of comments were put out there about swine flu, getting reaction to several other things but swine flu as well and a lot of people, it sounds are just, they're kind of tired of hearing about it. We get it. We know it's serious. It's kind of the tone they're talking. We know it's serious but I guess they're waiting for a lot of the number of cases to match up with just how severe it seems when you see some of the coverage.
NGUYEN: Absolutely, because there is a lot of coverage and there's a lot of information that moves daily on it. We have to report it because that is the latest on what is happening but as you go to my Facebook page right now, from Gregory says "Only people themselves can prevent it, not the media with fear tactics. Wash your hands, keep them out of your mouth, don't run your hand down public railings, door knobs, that kind of thing."
One other thing on the opposite side Desiree says "Outbreaks are of public concern to make individuals aware. Personally my family, we don't get flu shots. The shots make us sick, so what's the point?" I think a lot of people do have questions about that. We didn't get a flu shot so are we protected? What should we do?
HOLMES: And Susan Smith as well, go right there to the right, our man Zack, Susan Smith saying that she tuned in because she saw the update about what we were going to be reporting today and decided to tune in and she says, yes, she is tired of swine flu coverage, said yesterday she read that now health officials think it might not be as virulent a strain as originally thought. That's good but honestly enough is enough.
Again, talk about this coverage and saturation of it. Well, the government, they're coming out in press conference every day, the CDC putting it out, the president constantly speaking about it so we want to cover this stuff and make sure. God forbid if it did turn out to be something more deadly, thank goodness it's not as bad maybe as it could have been, but still, we want to bring you the very latest.
NGUYEN: The key is to keep it in perspective, less than 36,000 people of just the regular flu every year and so far we've got what, one death in the U.S. of swine flu. But I think the big concern here is the fact that this is a new strain of the swine flu and the CDC and all these other experts are worried that we don't have the immunity to be able to fight this, so that's why they're trying to come up with some kind of a vaccine.
HOLMES: And right now, fear anything that is new, so they do want to make sure. But right now it's a good thing that it doesn't seem to be as bad as maybe they thought it was going to be, but that is great news. But we'll continue to give you those updates and, again, you can continue to get hold of Betty and I via Twitter, via our Facebook pages as well also weekends@cnn.com. By all means, chime in, let us know what you want to talk about this morning.
NGUYEN: In the meantime though a surprising development this week from the Supreme Court.
HOLMES: I'm sure you heard about this. Justice David Souter announced his intention to retire. Who will take his place and of course, this is a favorite game in Washington. You can let this game begin.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm CNN meteorologist Bonnie Schneider tracking flooding across the southern plains, strong storms in the mid south and of course I'll have your Kentucky Derby forecast. That's all coming up next on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: One of the big stories of the week, Supreme Court Justice David Souter will leave the bench at the end of the term in June.
HOLMES: He's been on the court almost two decades now. He's a New Englander nominated by the first President Bush. And Souter disappointed a lot of conservatives however by becoming a reliable member of the court's liberal block. Souter reportedly told friends last summer he would head home to New Hampshire if Barack Obama won. Not really a fan of Washington.
NGUYEN: No secret.
HOLMES: Some famous words of his here and how he put it was, he has the best job in the world in the world's worst city. So he gets to go home now it appears. If President Obama chooses a woman, it would maybe delight Ruth Bader Ginsberg. She's the only female justice since Susan Day O'Connor retired in 2006. In a March interview for "USA Today," Ginsberg said "The word I would use to describe my position on the bench is lonely. This is how it was for Sandra's first 12 years. Neither of us ever thought this would happen again. I didn't realize how much I would miss her until she was gone."
So, let the guessing games begin. The favorite game in Washington to see who might be in line for one of those black robes. Our Elaine Quijano is standing by for us. She's going to be joining us a little later from the White House -- just saw a picture there. I don't guess she's ready for us, but we will get back to her in a little bit. She's going to be standing by. We're going to talk a little bit about this guessing game right now that is going on in Washington and it will continue for quite some time until Obama does make the announcement of who is going to replace Souter on the court.
NGUYEN: In the meantime, you probably have seen the commercials promising quick weight loss. Now one popular diet supplement is being linked to cases of severe liver damage. It's called hydroxycut and the FDA is warning everyone not to take it anymore. The company has ordered a recall of all 14 hydroxycut products. Nine million packages of hydroxycut were sold in the U.S. last year.
HOLMES: May Day celebrations got a bit ugly in some cities across Europe. We'll start in Istanbul. Protesters clashing with riot police in one part of that city where demonstration had been banned. As many as 25 people were detained. There were similar clashes in Germany, also Greece and first (ph) traditionally observed as workers' day in many parts of the world.
NGUYEN: The U.S. Navy turned over the bodies of three dead pirates this week. These are the bodies of three men shot by snipers while holding Captain Richard Phillips hostage. The coffins, they were handed over to Somali authorities. The fourth suspected pirate is in the U.S. facing charges.
HOLMES: There were some lonely nights in Kenya this week. Activists are asking women to withhold sex as a protest against the bickering coalition governments. The call has gone out to all women, affects workers all the way to the presidential palace. The wife of Kenya's prime minister says she supports the no-sex campaign 100 percent.
NGUYEN: Very interesting.
Well, April showers, they spill over into May. So much, in fact, that emergency crews had to rescue dozens from flooding in the Midwest.
HOLMES: Also I'll show you this picture out of Churchill Downs. Well, that's not Churchill Downs. Those are the grounds there, the grounds there. Of course we got a pretty big event happening there today in Louisville, Kentucky.
NGUYEN: A little race, what do they call that, the Kentucky Derby?
HOLMES: The Derby. It's happening today. We'll let you know if it will rain on that particular race today. Stay with us.
NGUYEN: And we're interested to see if Mr. Hot Stuff takes on...
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: So spring storms, they have dumped heavy rain in Oklahoma over the past few days and the region won't get much relief today unfortunately.
HOLMES: Heavy downpours turned some streets into rivers. This is in Pryor (ph), Oklahoma. This is just east of Tulsa. Also yesterday more than half a foot of rain fell in four Oklahoma counties. Emergency crews had to rescue at least 50 people from their stranded cars or flooded homes and this morning dozens of Oklahoma counties remain under a flood watch.
NGUYEN: And the rain is not over. Bonnie Schneider joins us this morning in for Reynolds Wolf. Bonnie the Kentucky Derby, it's a huge day, a lot of people excited about it, but will the rain hold off?
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: Those hats are going to come in handy today, the wider the better, the bigger the hat the better.
SCHNEIDER: I think waterproof would be good, too.
NGUYEN: All right. Thank you, Bonnie.
HOLMES: Thanks Bonnie. Well, Bonnie is in today because our Reynolds Wolf is off. Now if he was here doing his job, he would be telling you about a great weekend getaway that you can dive into. He's gone, so I get the privilege. Check it out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Go deep to get away in Key Largo, Florida. The John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is touted as the nation's first underwater park and it's a great deal.
SARAH KANTROWITZ, TRAVEL + LEISURE: John Pennekamp State Park is a really affordable, great place to spend the day.
NATHAN FRIER, JOHN PENNEKAMP CORAL REEF STATE PARK: Here at the park $3.50 to get into the park per person. We have glass bottom boat trips. There's nature trails, an aquarium that you can see, a visitor center. They show a little movie, three beaches that you can use.
WOLF: There are about 50 camp sites ...
FRIER: It's $36 a night and that includes power and water.
WOLF: And plenty to do.
KANTROWITZ: Reefs at Pennekamp State Park are about three to five miles offshore and you can explore them on glass bottom boats.
WOLF: Or visitors can rent kayaks, boats, diving and snorkeling gear.
FRIER: You'll see all the tropical fish and coral. You got your barracudas, parrot fish, (INAUDIBLE) sharks. We like to see those. As long as you can swim, we'll take anyone snorkeling.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Hey, that sounds like a good invitation right there. We have heard from everyone from doctors to pig farmers -- talking about the swine flu, of course. Well now comes an interview with a teenager who has it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Monday I started like vomiting and then my cousin took me to the hospital. They told me it was the flu that I had, the swine flu.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, she's hiding her face there but she does want you to hear her story.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, good morning and welcome back on this May 2nd, Saturday. Thanks for joining us today. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: And good morning to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes.
Take a quick look here at one of our top stories, swine flu, it's affected a whole lot of folks around the globe and the World Health Organization now says there are 615 confirmed cases in 15 nations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there are just over 140 confirmed cases in the U.S. The most cases, 50 in New York, Texas 26, California has 14, South Carolina has 10. Several states have just one case but we are hearing more and more about suspected cases as well.
NGUYEN: Well, there are two cases of the flu in Florida and CNN affiliate WSVN reporter Nicole Linsalata talked with one of the victims who says she is anxious to return to school.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everybody started calling me and texting me and they're like freaking out. I feel like a freak, I don't know.
NICOLE LINSALATA, WSVN CORRESPONDENT: This 17-year-old girl doesn't want to be identified so we'll call her Mary and she's used to spending her days at Allandale (ph) High School going to class, taking part in extracurricular activities, not staying home wearing a mask. Even a relative who lives with her has a mask waiting for him by the front door. She says she began feeling sick during a trip to visit family in Mexico more than a week ago but sought help once back home in Florida.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Monday I started vomiting and my cousin took me to the hospital. They told me it was the flu (INAUDIBLE) that I had the swine flu.
LINSALATA: She got the diagnosis Thursday and the decision to close the school came Friday.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I got a little scared but it was like, don't worry about it. You're going to be OK.
LINSALATA: Mary says she's finished her course of Tamiflu and she wants to make sure no one panics at the school or at the Hepburn center where she volunteers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm feeling OK so I don't think ...
LINSALATA: I bet you want to get life back to normal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to go back to school. This is my senior year. I want to go back to school and have fun with my friends.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And coming up at 9:15 this morning, how a Texas town just a few hours from the border is trying to prevent the spread of swine flu.
HOLMES: A lot of people tired of hearing about it. And we're getting that reaction from a lot of people on Facebook, from Twitter as well and it's understandable. Some of them put the blame on the government for this so I want to make sure we're out ahead of this thing. NGUYEN: A lot of people put the blame on media.
HOLMES: Right here including one gentleman named Sam Moore who on my Facebook page says the media started it, blames us for starting this thing, says the government did not come out and say warning -- what are you doing that? I was just reading that and you changed it. What are you doing?
NGUYEN: Our Facebook czar.
HOLMES: (INAUDIBLE) Make sure you get a shot of her. Sam was one and several others were saying the same thing, that it's the media that started this thing and just the government is reacting to what we're doing.
NGUYEN: But we're getting daily briefings. We're getting updates from both the CDC. The president is speaking about it so obviously once that information comes to us we want to bring it to you. Hey, we're just the messenger here. But I think a lot of people were talking about how do you prevent it? That's the main thing here. We've been talking so much about the numbers and what not but there's only been one death in the U.S.
So in fact, Dr. Sanjay Gupta has decided that when he went on Twitter, he said when he was in Mexico City that instead of doing the handshake people were doing the elbow bump.
HOLMES: There you go.
NGUYEN: It's not the same, obviously.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: But people are suggesting that it's a, you know, like when you great someone with a hug and maybe a kiss on the cheek, forget about it. People aren't doing that these days. And I want to go my Facebook page because a lot of people are saying you know what? Hey, that makes complete sense.
Jerry Brown right here says, "I carry a pocket sanitizer and I don't kiss strangers. So far, so good."
And then if you move down to here to Jonathan Ebay says "Today an elbow bump, tomorrow disposable sanitary gloves. Then what next?" Yeah, I mean, I think some people are tired of it. They're feeling like it's an alarmist mode. And maybe we're taking it too far, but at the same time, it's still a bit of the unknown because this is a new strain of the flu.
HOLMES: And we're going to have the acting deputy director of the CDC on with us this morning. And we're going to ask some very direct questions and hopefully get -- we get some concise answers to try to kind of clear up some of this confusion about if this is so much more severe than what we all know as just the flu...
NGUYEN: Right. HOLMES: ...the normal flu. So I want to make sure you tune in for that coming up a little later this morning in our 10:00 hour.
NGUYEN: And keep sending us your comments this morning because we do want to hear from you and what you think about the whole situation. Swine flu, is it, you know, overkill? Or is this absolutely needed because the information changes by the hour sometimes? And are you with the elbow bump? Are you just going to go with the old-fashioned handshake? Send us your thoughts, Facebook, Twitter, i-report.com. There's plenty of ways to reach us this morning.
HOLMES: Well, two years ago, you will remember the devastation was pretty much unbearable. Greensburg, Kansas, you remember the pictures from a couple years ago. Well, it looks a lot different these days.
NGUYEN: Oh, yes, it does. That was then and this morning I'm going to talk to the mayor about his plan to ensure that Greensburg lives up to its name.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. We know that there's going to be a vacancy on the Supreme Court. And let the guessing games begin. A favorite game there in Washington right, Elaine Quijano? They just love to speculate about who might be getting one of those fitted black robes -- not fitted -- custom black robes I should say. Good morning to you. Tell us, so let the games begin. How is it going so far?
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, that's right. Let the games begin and the surprises, too actually. First of all, it was an unusual and surprising moment for reporters, T.J. in the briefing room yesterday. President Obama himself actually broke the news about Justice Souter's retirement during the White House press briefing with Robert Gibbs.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: See you guys later. Have a good weekend.
OBAMA: The reason I am interrupting Robert is not because he's not doing a good job. He's doing an unbelievable job, but it's because I just got off the telephone with Justice Souter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: And the White House released photos yesterday of President Obama in the Oval Office on the phone having that conversation with Justice Souter. President Obama in the briefing room praised the Justice, thanked him for his service. And the president in the briefing room also talked a little bit about the kind of person he would like to see replace Justice Souter. He said that person should understand that justice is not about abstract legal theories but also about how laws affect the daily realities of people's lives. Experts say that President Obama will appoint a liberal in order to maintain that balance on the high court, T.J. So five conservatives and four liberals, T.J.
HOLMES: Yeah, five conservatives, four liberals, one woman will be left.
QUIJANO: That's right.
HOLMES: And those are the only names that seem to be coming up or coming to the top about who he's going to be using to replace Justice Souter.
QUIJANO: Well, that's exactly right. With only one woman on the high court, there's a lot of speculation that President Obama will, in fact, choose a woman to serve on the high court. Some of those names that out there right now, Judge Sonia Sotomayor. She's on the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals in New York. She would be the first Hispanic on the Supreme Court.
Also, Elena Kagan, U.S. Solicitor General. She's a former dean of Harvard Law School and the first woman who hold the position of Solicitor General. Another name, Diane Wood. She sits on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago. She was appointed to that position by President Clinton in 1995. So those are just a handful of the names that are out there, T.J. But of course, we have to emphasize it's still very early in the process.
HOLMES: Very early, but that doesn't stop the speculation.
QUIJANO: That's right.
HOLMES: Elaine Quijano for us from the White House. Thank you so much.
QUIJANO: Sure.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HOLMES: All right, thank you so much, Bonnie.
NGUYEN: Well, you know, this weekend Greensburg, Kansas, is celebrating its recovery. Just two years ago, a deadly tornado nearly wiped that town off of the map. But today, it is setting a standard for the rest of the nation to follow. And I sat down with Greensburg's mayor to talk about the town's effort to go green.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOB DIXSON, MAYOR, GREENSBURG, KANSAS: It's about 50 percent of the homes back from the building permits and everything. So we're very excited about that opportunity to have people come back and repopulate the town because this is their home. And most of the people who want to be here and have jobs that either started a home or are in a new home.
Business wise, we're at that 40 percent to 50 percent level. Businesses here prior to the disaster, have got back in business. So I think in two years, we've made tremendous progress and tremendous strides for a community that was basically wiped off the map.
NGUYEN: Do you think you're still on track for being an example to the rest of the world and how you can have an eco-friendly town?
DIXSON: And that's the one thing we do struggle with daily is to make sure we stay on task, and we stay focused to where we're going to be because we're being watched by the world. And we understand that. So as being new pioneers in the green initiatives and being in an eco- friendly sustainable areas, we need to make sure that we continue to offer hope and guidance of what we've learned and sharing of good practices with other communities all over the United States and the world. So when we do that, it's about us as individuals sharing those bet practices with each other.
NGUYEN: Mayor, those projects take money. And when it comes to the stimulus package, what are you hoping to get?
DIXSON: Stimulus packages, we gain more information on that. As I say, we have streets to work on, industrial park, we got big world museum. There's projects all over town that are in the works planned. And we need to make sure we have a solid plan for that.
Now also in the midst of that, we've also got to be good stewards of those resources that are coming down. So we have to maximize our plans of how we're going to spend any money that's available to us. We have to make sure that we're sustainable financially, not just to get the money to have something, but we want to invest that here to make sure that it's sustainable financially in creation of jobs, in creation of homes, of businesses that are ongoing to help your sales tax base, to help your property tax base.
All those issues bring us together that benefit all of us as taxpayers. So that's -- I like it as more than to say it's a stimulus. It's an investment.
NGUYEN: Half of the town has been rebuilt. About two-thirds of the population back. But you told me even before the storm, your biggest export were the children of Greensburg. They would go off to college. And then they would get jobs in other cities and not come back here. How are you hoping to entice them to come back to Greensburg and to stay and build a life here?
DIXSON: There's two issues on that that I feel very passionate about. Number one is it's the appeal to their roots, to quality of life issues as they're starting families and they want their children to attend a school, where they know their classmates' parents and they know their teachers personally.
The other thing is for that to happen, we need those jobs and employment, whether they're green jobs, whether they're just jobs, but we want to focus on those green initiatives on that sustainability and eco-friendly jobs that are sustainable, not just flash in the pan jobs because that's not going to keep us growing. We want businesses to come and grow with us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Yes, they do. And coming up, how Greensburg is redefining what it means to be environmentally friendly from a house that can withstand a car being dropped onto its roof, to a unique way of lighting your home or business without electricity. We'll show you all of that.
HOLMES: The sports world not immune to the effects of the swine flu outbreak especially Alabama and Texas. Our Rick Horrow, CNN sports business analyst, joins us now this morning with the latest on these athletes who have been affected by this thing even though they are not sick.
Rick, good morning to you. Is this -- you know, some places are reacting pretty harshly to this thing. Is this overkill? Why are some states taking these steps?
RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: Hey, it's the same as every story you're covering about this. Do we do the elbow bump, the kiss, the handshake? It's not overreaction versus being prepared. It's the fear of the unknown. That's the issue.
You know, Alabama had track and field championship for their high schools this weekend. Postponed that. Baseball, softball, golf events, postponing those until some uncertain date in the future.
Of course in Texas, Governor Perry declares a disaster and all of the high school games there are wiped out. So different responses in different states, all geared to what we don't know.
HOLMES: Pro teams, they're responding as well?
HORROW: Yeah, they're responding, again, by trying to be diligent in monitoring the situation. You know, and the bottom line is that the NBA playoffs, the NBA is in touch with the National Center for Disease Control. Obviously, you also have teams like the Yankees and the Mets talking to the city of New York about how to deal with that situation. Many of the teams fly in private chartered jets, which minimizes but it's obviously still an issue, T.J.
HOLMES: All right. And some athletes can't even get into and out of the country and travel around essentially. Some world-class guys because of this thing as well. Break this down for us.
HORROW: World class divers. The Chinese diving team will not come to Fort Lauderdale for the world championships this next weekend. The irony is that they just won seven medals in world championships last week. Where? In Mexico City.
HOLMES: All right, we -- one last thing on this topic here. We expect we're going to see more of this and more cancellations of games and things. Or does it seem to be leveling off? HORROW: Well, like we said, it's not leveling off in the main news. And it's certainly not leveling off here until we all get a handle on the situation. Everybody is being in a situation of high readiness and reacting the way they see fit based on their own constituents.
HOLMES: All right, Rick, don't go away. A quick break and we can't let you go without talking about Congress and the BCS, and also talking about the big show of the day, the Kentucky Derby. Quick break. We're back with Rick.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. The system is not perfect. Well, duh. That was the admission during testimony yesterday on college football's bowl championship series also known as the BCS. Members of the House Subcommittee on Commerce and Trade want to know if there's a better system for deciding a national champion. A lot of people think there is. Over the years Texas, Utah, a long line of schools, Auburn as well, think they've gotten hosed by the system. But don't expect any immediate changes, however.
Let's bring in our sports business analyst Rick Horrow again. Rick, why is Congress getting involved in this?
HORROW: Well, you could be flip and say it's always the representative from the team that gets edged out of the bowl picture...
HOLMES: Yeah.
HORROW: ...that starts these hearings. And that's the way it looks.
But the bottom line is some people feel they're wrong. Congress mostly says this is not for us to legislate. And as long as there are contracts out there between the BCS and the bowls and the conferences, it's not going to change.
HOLMES: So again, Rick, what's the point of bringing it up? Why are they talking about it?
HORROW: Awareness.
HOLMES: Awareness.
HORROW: A lot of times Congress gets involved -- boxing, violence, federal regulations, and changes internally. This may be a good example of that. Also the big "p" word, politics.
HOLMES: Oh, the big "p" word. I didn't know where you were going with that.
But all right, Rick, let's go with the Kentucky Derby today. The big event for the day. And, wow, apparently had some new video here according to that graphic that just flashed across the screen. People getting ready for the big show, the big race a little later. Supposed to be a little rainy. What's this race -- the popularity, is this just every year everybody going to watch the Kentucky derby no matter what?
HORROW: Well, they will now. The favorite's not going to be around. And we'll talk about that later in the day. But the bottom line is everybody's watching. Many people are not attending as much as they have been. 15 percent to 20 percent reduction in hotel rooms in dollars. The betting, by the way, about $150 million changing hands just so you can say you bet on the derby. The bottom line is it's still huge. $6,000 for one of those millionaire club seats. I hope it includes parking, by the way, for a two minute race.
HOLMES: For a two minute race. And that's an exciting two minutes in sports.
We're get -- the word here from affiliates is that the favorite is being scratched, Rick?
NGUYEN: Yeah, why?
HOLMES: I Want Revenge is being scratched from the race? Again, that's according to the affiliates. This is a 3 to 1. Go ahead.
NGUYEN: Yeah, why is that, Rick?
HORROW: Well, we're going to get more information on that and get it back to you, but you know, that's why we play the game. There are other favorites. There are now 19 horses in it. The weather is going to play a big part of this. That horse has been ripe with controversy. There have been allegations about some issues with the trainer. Not the horse. Not the horse.
HOLMES: Yeah, of course.
HORROW: So not the horse. So the bottom line is this is again going to be dramatic. Do we see a triple crown? We know after the first race later today, there will be one horse that has the chance to win a triple crown, but 7 to 1 odds we have a repeat Triple Crown winner. We haven't had one back since you've been a kid in '78 when Affirmed won the triple crown. And I will say this. I know very little about real estate, about stocks, and about horses. As a lawyer, I say I know a lot about everything, just like everybody does. I don't know who's going to win, do you?
HOLMES: Nobody does, but everybody -- a lot of people talking...
NGUYEN: Yeah, I Want Revenge.
HOMES: ...is going to win is not going to be in the race.
Rick, we appreciate you. And again, folks, the word we're just getting from affiliates and also the Associated Press now reporting that I Want Revenge, the favorite in the race, I believe it was 3 to 1...
NGUYEN: Yeah.
HOLMES: ...is being scratched. Not an issue with the horse we understand, but some controversy having to do with the trainer may have been the cause for this. We will work and get some more information for you on that. But that's a big story on derby day.
NGUYEN: Absolutely especially this late in the game.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: A lot of people coming out there, ready to place their bets on I Want Revenge. And they're going to have to look at some of the others. And there's quite a few in the field. There were 20. Now we're down to 19 apparently. And we'll keep you posted on that.
All right let's get to the economy real quick because it has been a roller coaster for many of us, but one company is turning a thrill ride into a walk in the park.
CNN's Richard Lui has more in this edition of "Small and Global."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD LUI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The economy is on a wild ride. But there's a way to leave the stress behind.
JIM SEAY, PREMIER RIDES, INC.: Roller coasters, they're part of what can allow you to escape from reality.
LUI: The business of fun is booming for Premier Rides. The company builds attractions like the Revenge of the Mummy ride for theme parks such as Universal Studios. But as business slowed state side, it was building internationally.
SEAY: People had seen some of the attractions that we built here in the United States and approached us about going overseas. Main rides right is focused on Singapore and also Dubai. And those are regions that are seeing a lot of growth especially in the entertainment area.
LUI: The next stop for Premier Rides is China. The company is also diversifying to weather any economic ups and downs.
SEAY: An attraction like the Revenge of the Mummy uses cutting edge magnetic drive technologies. Those magnetic drive technologies could be used in a multitude of other areas such as rail.
LUI: But having some fun with it is still the mission of a company enjoying the ride right now.
SEAY: I think even in a bad economy, theme parks are just a great place to go.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Of course a lot of people are expecting big things from President Obama. And one advocacy group says some have a right to expect more than others.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: OK, so we know criticism comes with the job of being president, but one group who is watching President Obama closely believes he deserves a reprieve at least for his first 100 days.
HOLMES: Yeah, this is a community activist group. I sat down with members of 100 Black Men of America. Don't have a lot to criticize now. But they say, hey, it's still early.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: If John McCain would have won, then U.S. vets from wars past would have looked at John McCain and thought, we've got one of ours in the White House. We got a friend in the White House. He's going to be looking out for us and our issues.
We have a black man in the White House in the Oval Office now. In that similar vein, is it OK for black people to look at him and say we got one of ours in the Oval Office. And he is going to be looking out for us and looking out for your issues? Is that fair?
JOHN B. HAMMOND, CEO: I think it is fair. I think it's absolutely right and good that black people are able to look at the highest position in the country and say that one of our own is there.
HOLMES: During his presidency, I know it's still young, but where have you seen or have you seen race play a role in the way he's covered by the press, in the way he's criticized by the pundits, the way he's criticized by his political opponents, the way they take him on, have we seen race yet play a role in the presidency?
HAMMOND: I don't feel that we've seen race really come to the forefront during his presidency. Most of the things that are being dealt with the president is basically on policy, what he's doing, the content of what he's doing, and how he's addressing the economy and the other issues.
HOLMES: We talked earlier about he said, yes, it's OK for black people to look at him and say, yes, we got one of our own in the White House and expect him to look out for this community. How much time -- you all talk about it's been -- it's early now. How much time, how patient will the black community be with him until they're waiting to see something from him that's different from other presidents in that they feel like they do have one of their own in the White House and he is, in fact, looking and speaking to the black community?
HAMMOND: I speak a little bit. You know, I think we are -- we waited for nearly 400 years to get in there. I think we can wait another eight to see what he does. We could wait eight.
I think that we, you know, we have all have expectations. We all think that he is going to and hope that he continues to keep the priority of our country first and all of its citizenry first. So I don't think that black people want to have any exclusive domain over the largesse of his presidency.
JOHN THOMAS GRANT, CEO: I think history is always the measure. You know, this president has been in office as of this -- less than 100 days. You know, the country is more than 200 years old. And I think it's unfair to expect something immediate. I think what we are seeing, though, is his willingness to attack issues boldly even in the face of resistance and criticism, even in the face of, you know, opposition.
This country is going to require something different. That is what he campaigned upon and that's what he promised. I think that we are seeing his attempt to deliver upon that promise.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Hello, everybody. From the CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is 9:00 a.m. here in Atlanta. 8:00 a.m. in Chicago. 6:00 a.m. for people waking up on the West Coast. Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: And good morning to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes for this Saturday, May 2nd. Glad you could start your day right here with us.
NGUYEN: All right. Let's get right to it. Now the latest on the swine flu. Health officials have confirmed more than 140 cases in the U.S.. More than 400 schools have been closed in 17 states. The government recommends schools stay closed for two weeks because children can be contagious for up to 10 days.
Now, some schools want students with any flu-like symptoms to stay home. Northeastern University's commencement ceremonies Friday, well, they were held without the traditional handshake between the dean and students. Kind of odd. Well, as an extra precaution, though, small bottles of hand sanitizers were placed near faculty chairs, just in case. So obviously, people are taking all precautions.
And in response to the outbreak, the president changed the topic of his weekly radio and internet address to the nation. Instead of discussing education reform as originally planned, the president spoke about swine flu.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: This H1N1 flu has had its biggest impact in Mexico where it's claimed a number of lives and infected hundreds more. Thus far the strain in this country that has infected people in at least 19 states has not been as potent or as deadly. We can't know for certain why that is, which is why we are taking all necessary precautions in the event the virus does turn into something worse.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: The president also asked Congress for $1.5 billion if it is needed to purchase additional anti-virals, emergency equipment and the development of a vaccine. And at 9:15 this morning, Eastern, we're going to be checking up on how small towns are responding to the swine flu outbreak. The mayor of Cibolo, which is a Texas town just a few hours from Mexico joins us live. There are three confirmed cases there and officials have shut down schools. We have that interview right here on CNN.
HOLMES: It was a sudden move that shocked the senate. Long time republican Senator Arlen Specter leaves the GOP and becomes a democrat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (D), PENNSYLVANIA: As the Repubican Party has moved farther and farther to the right, I have found myself increasingly at odds with the Republican philosophy and more in line with the philosophy of the Democratic Party.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Specter, of course, not the first to jump ship, not the first high profile one either. In 2006 former Republican congressman Bob Barr shook up the GOP when he left to become a member of the Libertarian Party. And Bob Barr joins us now here in studio.
Sir, thank you for being here. And when you saw that, did you think to yourself, OK, I know where he's coming from?
BOB BARR, FMR. REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN: Not exactly because where I came from there really was a philosophical basis for leaving the Republican Party that I'd been in and active in for over 30 years to join the Libertarian Party, a third party, for constitutional reasons.
On the other hand Arlen Specter, I mean, I have to give him credit for one thing and that is to make the statement that he did about the great philosophical difference between the parties with a straight face because there is no real philosophical difference between the two major parties. That's the irony of this whole thing. It's all about politics. It's not about principle.
HOLMES: So if you say it's about politics and you mention no real philosophical or constitutional difference, you might be talking about this. And let me let you listen to some of the announcement he made and this might go to the politics argument.
Let's take a quick listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SPECTER: I think I can be of assistance to you, Mr. President, and my views on centrist government. There are a lot of big issues which we're tackling now that I've been deeply involved in, issues which go beyond my own personal interests, and I do want to serve in a sixth term. I make no bones about that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: OK. Do you think that is the point -- would you say that is strictly and solely the reason? He looked up and saw he was not going to win in that Republican primary and he decided to jump ship?
BARR: Absolutely. That's the bottom line here. And he may even have very serious problems winning the election anyway back in Pennsylvania. I don't think that the people in Pennsylvania will really appreciate what he did. We have to see how much the administration extracted from him in terms of promised votes on certain issues in return for the president and the Democratic Party's support in his race.
HOLMES: For someone who may not be paying attention as much to what's happening inside the beltway, and the back story, maybe the politics involve just to hear this high-profile Republican just left the party to go to the Democratic Party, how much more does that hurt the Republican Party and what it's trying to do to rebuild and find leadership?
BARR: It's hard to -- it's hard to overestimate the damage that has been inflicted not just by Arlen Specter's leaving from a political standpoint but the lack of any coherent philosophy, vision or leadership in the Republican Party. I mean this is just another sign that the Republican Party nationally lacks any semblance of leadership or notion of where it's going.
HOLMES: Well, did you ever consider going back to it?
BARR: Certainly that would make no sense at all either from a philosophical standpoint or from the standpoint of wanting to join a party that knows what it's all about. The Republican Party is in very deep trouble right now.
HOLMES: Last thing, does the Republican Party, rather the Democratic Party right now, is it about them having a better message than the Republican Party or a better messenger right now?
BARR: They have leadership. They don't really have a coherent agenda, per se, but they have something that the Republicans absolutely lack. They have a charismatic leader and they have party discipline. The Republican Party has none of that.
HOLMES: All right. Bob Barr, libertarian now. I want to make sure we get there. No intention of going to either -- back to either of those two major parties. It's really good to have you in studio. Appreciate you coming in ...
BARR: Always a pleasure.
HOLMES: And get your perspective on politics as always. Betty, I hand it over to you.
NGUYEN: All right. Well, long after disaster strikes, you often wonder what happened to those affected by the storm. Take Greensburg, Kansas, for example. Two years ago an F-5 tornado demolished 90 percent of the city. So how does a small town rebuild from scratch and just as important how do you keep storm victims from starting over somewhere else?
To find out I took a trip back to Greensburg. As you're about to see the progress is pretty impressive.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN (voice-over): May 4th, 2007, this is all that's left of Greensburg, Kansas. An F-5 tornado tore through town killing 11 people.
STEVE HEWITT, CITY ADMINISTRATOR: I walk upstairs and there's nothing but sky. There's no top of the house. It's all gone.
NGUYEN: That was city administrator Steve Hewitt showing me where his home once stood two years ago. This is him today. Nice. A lot better than just an empty piece of property which I saw last time.
HEWITT: Yes, you know we've come a long way since then.
NGUYEN: And so has the town. Take a look at what was left in 2007, little more than empty slabs and stacks of debris. But look at it now. Hewitt says 50 percent of the town is rebuilt and not just to code. The town has gone green.
The goal -- become one of the most environmentally friendly cities in the nation and in doing so create jobs. So that young families will want to stay. Like the Tethers who have been living in a FEMA trailer for nearly a year and a half.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Six of us and a dog. It's kind of small.
NGUYEN: It is a little cramp in here. I see there's laundry on the side -- I mean there's no place to put it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. And there's a microwave on the dresser that has silverware in it.
NGUYEN: They're one of the last families still living in what's referred to as FEMA-ville. Some 300 trailers used to line these lots. Today there are only about two dozen. Soon to be one less. The Tethers are packing up and moving into a brand-new house built in the middle of town.
So when you get into your new home, your room is not going to look anything like this, right?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, it will be twice the size and I'll have more room to put stuff.
NGUYEN: But staying here wasn't always a given.
Did you ever think about not rebuilding and moving out of Greensburg?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Actually we did but Greensburg has a great -- they have a wonderful school system, so we made the decision to stay.
NGUYEN: Just what Hewitt wants to hear as he works to bring Greensburg back in a big way.
HEWITT: There is a tremendous opportunity that won't be without a lot of tough sweat and equity and tough investment from each and every citizen but I thought let's at least give it a shot.
NGUYEN: And that's what they're doing. One family at a time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And even before the storm, city leaders said young people were their biggest export. Many would leave Greensburg to find job or go to college and then never return. Well, now that about two- thirds of the residents have decided to rebuild, the biggest challenge is once again creating jobs. So as the city works becomes the most environmentally friendly communities in the nation, the hope is that young people will want to be a part of Greensburg's exciting future.
And we will keep watching that for you.
HOLMES: And coming up next hour, how Greensburg is redefining what it means to be environmentally friendly from a house that can withstand a car.
NGUYEN: You have to watch it. You have to see it to believe it. They drop a Ford Escort on the roof of a house and we're told there is zero damage. So you know the key is not only rebuilding green but rebuilding strong as well so they can withstand the force of 200-mile- per-hour winds like, you know, you'll find in an F-5 tornado.
HOLMES: And that's the point, you know, it sounds crazy. Nobody is going to drop a car on a house.
NGUYEN: Don't try this at home. Yes, folks, don't try it at home, right.
HOLMES: In an F-5 cars get thrown around.
NGUYEN: Everything gets thrown around. Also, not only that but how you can actually light your home or business without electricity. It is amazing. It's just as bright as a light bulb but it's not going to cause you what it will to plug in a light bulb.
HOLMES: Only in Greensburg.
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: Let's turn now to Bonnie Schneider who is keeping an eye on the weather across the country, sitting in today for our Reynolds Wolf. And I see you're looking at Kentucky there again, maybe?
SCHNEIDER: Yes.
HOLMES: Any reason? SCHNEIDER: Well, there's a big race happening later on at Churchill Downs as the Kentucky derby may face some rain. So far so good. We've just seen overcast skies. The heaviest rain has managed to stay off further off to the south and west but we're still tracking some of the heavy rain across a good portion of the region.
So the forecast today will call for 64 degrees, scattered showers and thunderstorms in the forecast and that will bring about the chance for rain and even flooding rain across portions of the southern plains, the midwest, and even down through parts of Texas today. Severe storms in the forecast. We've already seen that throughout the overnight hours. We even have reports of a tornado as well in northern Texas.
We've had reports of some golf ball and even baseball-sized hail with the storm system. Let's talk about the temperatures. They are really going to heat up today, 84 degrees in Houston. 89 in Tampa. 82 in Miami. Southwest Florida, watch out once again. You are under fire danger. We have fire danger in terms of strong, gusty winds, hot temperatures and low relative humidity as well in two parts of Texas, New Mexico.
And as we slide across, we'll see that it in the south Texas and finally in southwest Florida. That's where we've seen some of the hot temperatures and the driest conditions so far. So watch out for fire danger across a good portion of southwest Texas as we go through the day today, tonight, and tomorrow. T.J., Betty.
NGUYEN: OK. Thank you, Bonnie.
HOLMES: And a story we got this morning, a big story on a big day in racing. The biggest day in horse racing. The favorite in the Kentucky Derby, we are getting word is intending to be scratched by its owners. The owners of "I want Revenge," the favorite in today's Kentucky Derby is going to be scratched. That's according to the "Associated Press."
We are expecting a press conference that was supposed to start at the top of the hour. I don't think it's under way yet but we are monitoring it expecting to get the reason from the owners.
Again, a lot of people who don't watch horse racing, or not into horse racing at all on a day-to-day basis will at least watch the Kentucky Derby and a lot of people know that "I Want Revenge" has been what a lot of the hubbub has been about and has been an early favorite after its runnings in the past month or so have been impressive.
And it came to his. As always, people thinking about a triple crown. A little early for that still, but still thinking this horse had that potential. "I Want Revenge," again, is the name of this horse being scratched today. We're expecting to get the reason and get the reason here soon.
As you see there in some of those pictures, Churchill Downs, the People gathering for that race, expected to be a rainy one. Actually might get some bad weather there. But never been canceled, the Kentucky derby. So we expect it to go on but it will go on without the favorite.
NGUYEN: Yes. There are about 20 horses in the field and obviously one less. And the question is why ...
HOLMES: Why?
NGUYEN: Why was it scratched especially when you have a favorite, I mean, one that everyone was looking to, to see how it was going to do today. And we will see exactly what the answer is to that. Hopefully we'll find it in the news conference coming up ahead.
In the meantime though, the U.S. swine flu has indeed caused schools to close and students are actually graduating without handshakes. You know you get your diploma ...
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: You shake the hand. We'll we're going to talk to a mayor in Texas on how her town is dealing with it all.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. You've been hearing about Chrysler a lot in the news lately. Talks of bankruptcy, talks of mergers, so what do you do with all this talk if you have a Chrysler sitting out front? Our personal finance editor Gerri Willis is here. Gerri, you can't feel too good if you have a Chrysler but it's not all bad. Is that right?
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: It's not all bad, T.J. You know the first thing Chrysler owners need to know here is bankruptcy filing by Chrysler. It does not mean that Chrysler is going out of business. In the weeks to come, the company will be restructuring, changing management, combining with Fiat.
But there's no indication here that Chrysler will liquidate assets or board up showrooms. What's more Chrysler will still stand behind those power train warranties. So you can get the repairs you qualify for. Autopart makers are continuing to make auto parts. So that's all good news for Chrysler owners.
HOLMES: All right. That sounds like a pretty rosy picture given all that we've been hearing about this automaker but still this bankruptcy and restructuring and changes in management, but what if this doesn't go as planned?
WILLIS: Right, right. Well, I think it's a great question. Right now the company plans to be out of bankruptcy in just weeks. But you know what, that could change. Angry creditors could slow the whole process down which would spook buyers and drive sales down and of course prices.
The good news is this. You probably won't get a better deal for Chrysler than you can get right now. If you're the kind of person who trades in your car every two or three years, the savings actually, T.J., might be worth it. On the other hand, if you hold on to your car for a decade or more, the reality is we don't know what the long- term prospects are for Chrysler. So it's a little tricky whether you buy or not. But if you already own you're probably in good shape.
HOLMES: Aha, all right. Maybe a good time to get a deal though. A lot of people are looking for a deal, maybe this is a good time to get a Chrysler and always a good time to check out Gerri's show on the weekend. What do you have coming up this weekend for us, Gerri?
WILLIS: Well, we have a great show coming up at 9:30. If you are eager to go on summer vacation but worried about swine flu, well coming up, we'll tell you what you need to know plus what airlines are doing to accommodate travelers. We'll also cover money etiquette and what the president's first 100 days means for your wallet. Join me for "YOUR BOTTOM LINE" starting at 9:30 a.m. right here on CNN.
HOLMES: All right. Money etiquette, I have to see that one. Gerri, thank you so much. Always good to see you. We'll see you shortly.
WILLIS: My pleasure.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right. We're talking about swine flu right now. And Texas has more confirmed cases than any other state in the nation. It surfaced early on in Cibolo where three students in that tiny community near San Antonio, are expected to be fine but so far there has been little to cure the anxiety that comes with the public health threat.
The mayor of Cibolo, Texas, Jennifer Hartman, joins me now this morning. And I understand that again, three confirmed cases, you mentioned, there are other probable cases but let me ask you this, you're just a few hours away from Mexico where it's believed that swine flu originated. What are you doing to ensure that others within the city don't come in contact with it?
MAYOR JENNIFER HARTMAN, CIBOLO, TEXAS: Currently we're taking precautionary measures that were recommended by the state and local health officials. We also are following behind and trying to assist our school district in supporting them by closing our city parks, asking our community leaders such as our churches and other youth activity leaders to not hold their gatherings that they are having. Our homeowners associations have also followed suit and voluntarily closed their HOA parks.
NGUYEN: All right. So you closed schools. You've closed parks. You've asked people not to attend social gatherings, do you still think this is a bit extreme? I mean, are you in alarmist mode because people just don't know how to react to it or do you feel absolutely warranted because you've had three cases in the city.
HARTMAN: At this time we feel these are precautionary measures that have been placed through the state and local officials and we want to follow through with those. It's giving our community the information they need to make decisions to help themselves and their families.
NGUYEN: And to be clear though, none of these cases -- two of the people that have received swine flu or contracted it are doing OK. Another person is under, I guess, help there when it comes to local officials providing some kind of a treatment. But you're not seeing, you know, any deaths or anything like that in the city. So have these efforts raised the fear level at all in your community?
HARTMAN: I'm not sure that it's raised the fear level, just concern and trying to follow through and most have just taken this time, utilized the time to do spring cleaning or yard work, most are ready to get back to their daily routine. It's very difficult for parents to have children that are too young to stay home by themselves. So this is probably just a precautionary measure as most people feel.
NGUYEN: Yes. Indeed they are precautionary measures. But how long are you going to keep the school districts closed?
HARTMAN: Pending a decision today by our school board I think that they might follow through and continue to be closed through the remainder of the upcoming week.
NGUYEN: All right. Mayor Jennifer Hartman of Cibolo, Texas where there are three confirmed cases and as you mentioned other probable cases that we should learn about shortly. Thank you so much for your time today.
HARTMAN: Thank you.
HOLMES: And again, we are waiting for next hour, the acting deputy director of the CDC to answer some of these questions as well, people trying to figure this thing out. The swine flu, then it's H1N1, the regular or the seasonal, I should say, seasonal flu ...
NGUYEN: Where 36,000 people die of it every year. So you know a lot of people saying what's the difference here? And are we just really going too far with these measures?
HOLMES: Why are we treating it differently? So we're going to get some of those answers. A lot of people got questions. A lot of people reacting on our twitter and Facebook pages this morning looking for those answers. It seems to be over kill. We're going to get those answers to you live here next hour. Meanwhile, people are looking at jobs right about now. And they're lining up resumes in hand. Looking to land a new gig.
NGUYEN: Also a job fair is under way at this hour, right here in Georgia. And our Josh Levs is there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: OK. So about 2,000 people all with resume in hand are expected to be in one place today.
HOLMES: Well, Josh Levs is where they're going to be. They're going to be looking for a job and it's going to be, I don't know, it could help you to be bilingual over there, is that correct?
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's what this one is all about. It's providing job. It's run by the Latin American Association here in Atlanta. And I'll tell you something, we're going to be here all morning long. What I want to use this as an opportunity to tell everyone across America some important information about job fairs, how to learn, how to master it when you get there.
We're going to start off talking with the organizer of this, Miss Millie Irizarry. Thanks for being here.
MILLIE IRIZARRY, CEO, LATIN AMERICAN ASSOCIATION: Good morning. Thank you for having me.
LEVS: You're the CEO here by the Latin American Association?
IRIZARRY: Yes, I am.
LEVS: You're saying 2,000 people and there's a whole range of jobs here, right?
IRIZARRY: Absolutely. So we're expecting a big crowd.
LEVS: OK. Well talk to me really quick, I want to talk tips for people to succeed at this kind of thing. When someone goes to a job fair, what are the top tips they should know?
IRIZARRY: The first and most important thing is to dress very, very sharply. Get your best suit out. Be ready to answer questions and have your resume ready to present.
LEVS: You were telling me before some people forget about those bare bones basics, and helps get rid of some people, unfortunately, right? People who may be promising.
IRIZARRY: Absolutely. So if you want to have a good chance at an interview, and getting a job, dress sharply and a very good resume.
LEVS: All right. It's great to hear that from you. We're going to be talking with you next hour. And Betty and T.J., we're going to follow the stories of people who show up here, do they succeed? Do they not? And hopefully everyone has some lessons for that.
HOLMES: All right. Josh, we appreciate it as always. Thank you so much, sir.
LEVS: You got it.
NGUYEN: We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: And "YOUR BOTTOM LINE" with Gerri Willis starts right now.
