TAPE: EF03/1005 IN_TIME: 01:39:59 DURATION: 3:38 SOURCES: APTN/ABC/DoD RESTRICTIONS: see shotlist DATELINE: Nasiriyah - 9 Nov 2003 and FILE SHOTLIST: FILE ABC - No Access Internet Elizabeth, West Virginia, 22 July 2003 1. Jessica Lynch being wheeled onto podium 2. Lynch's brother applauding her 3. Lynch wiping tears from her eyes FILE US Department of Defence Near Nasiriyah, 1 April 2003 4. Lynch being carried down stairs on stretcher 5. Lynch taken to helicopter 6. Helicopter taking off APTN Nasiriyah - November 9 2003 7. An-Nasiriya general hospital where Jessica Lynch was treated during war 8. Exterior hospital, zoom in to room where Jessica was treated 9. Hospital sign 10. Corridor inside hospital 11. Hospital worker 12. Exterior hospital room where Jessica Lynch was treated during her stay 13. Zoom in to sign on door to hospital room where Jessica was treated that reads: (In English and Arabic) 'Single Room' 14. Hospital bed where Jessica stayed 15. Dr Mahdi Khafazji (who treated Jessica Lynch) attending patients 16. Young patient 17. SOUNDBITE: (English) Dr Mahdi Khafazji, Doctor who treated Jessica Lynch: "When she was brought to our hospital she was completely unconscious, bleeding from her skull - multiple fractures, about four fractures she had. In addition, she had a fracture on the vertebral collar. Can anybody do (sexual) intercourse with a patient with a fractured vertebrae? It's impossible to do that." 18. Doctor's hands 19. SOUNDBITE: (English) Dr Mahdi Khafazji, Doctor who treated Jessica Lynch: "We have seen the patient from the first day to the day of the operation. When we have settled her to do (an) internal fixation for her fractured femur. We have cleaned her body completely, me and my assistant, and there were no signs of injury, superficial injuries to her genitalia, or to the back or to the front. There are no signs of anything. We have cleaned the genitalia, her anus from the debris and faeces and there is not any sign of raping. No external signs of raping." 20. Nurse Furad Mohsen, walking in hospital 21. Nurse treating patient in ward 22. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Furad Mohsen, Nurse who treated Jessica Lynch: "No one raped her, or assaulted her. We were with her, no one abandoned her. How did he get into her room? Where did he (the alleged rapist) come from - the roof? This allegation is totally wrong." 23. Various of intensive care unit where Jessica was also treated at the hospital STORYLINE: An Iraqi doctor who treated former prisoner of war Jessica Lynch dismissed claims made in her biography that she was raped by her captors. Although Lynch said she has no memory of the sexual assault, medical records cited in the book - "I am a Soldier, Too: The Jessica Lynch Story" - indicate that she was raped and sodomised by her Iraqi captors. The book - due to be released Tuesday - covers Lynch's experience between March 23 when her 507th Maintenance Company convoy was ambushed in Nasiriyah and April 1 when she was evacuated from a hospital by US commandos. Lynch suffered broken bones to her right arm, right leg and thighs and ankle and received a head injury when her Humvee was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade and crashed into another vehicle. Eleven soldiers were killed in the attack. Dr. Mahdi Khafazji, an orthopedic surgeon at Nasiriyah's main hospital performed surgery on Lynch to repair a fractured femur and said he found no signs of rape. Khafazji said he examined her extensively and did not detect any signs of rape. He said: "There is no signs of injury. No external signs of raping." Also speaking at the hospital on Sunday, a nurse who also treated Jessica Lynch denied that Jessica could have been raped. Furad Mohsen said that during her treatment at the hospital Jessica was never left unguarded. She said: "No one raped her, or assaulted her. We were with her, no one abandoned her. How did he get into her room? Where did he (the alleged rapist) come from - the roof? This allegation is totally wrong."

TAPE: EF03/1005 IN_TIME: 01:39:59 DURATION: 3:38 SOURCES: APTN/ABC/DoD RESTRICTIONS: see shotlist DATELINE: Nasiriyah - 9 Nov 2003 and FILE SHOTLIST: FILE ABC - No Access Internet Elizabeth, West Virginia, 22 July 2003 1. Jessica Lynch being wheeled onto podium 2. Lynch's brother applauding her 3. Lynch wiping tears from her eyes FILE US Department of Defence Near Nasiriyah, 1 April 2003 4. Lynch being carried down stairs on stretcher 5. Lynch taken to helicopter 6. Helicopter taking off APTN Nasiriyah - November 9 2003 7. An-Nasiriya general hospital where Jessica Lynch was treated during war 8. Exterior hospital, zoom in to room where Jessica was treated 9. Hospital sign 10. Corridor inside hospital 11. Hospital worker 12. Exterior hospital room where Jessica Lynch was treated during her stay 13. Zoom in to sign on door to hospital room where Jessica was treated that reads: (In English and Arabic) 'Single Room' 14. Hospital bed where Jessica stayed 15. Dr Mahdi Khafazji (who treated Jessica Lynch) attending patients 16. Young patient 17. SOUNDBITE: (English) Dr Mahdi Khafazji, Doctor who treated Jessica Lynch: "When she was brought to our hospital she was completely unconscious, bleeding from her skull - multiple fractures, about four fractures she had. In addition, she had a fracture on the vertebral collar. Can anybody do (sexual) intercourse with a patient with a fractured vertebrae? It's impossible to do that." 18. Doctor's hands 19. SOUNDBITE: (English) Dr Mahdi Khafazji, Doctor who treated Jessica Lynch: "We have seen the patient from the first day to the day of the operation. When we have settled her to do (an) internal fixation for her fractured femur. We have cleaned her body completely, me and my assistant, and there were no signs of injury, superficial injuries to her genitalia, or to the back or to the front. There are no signs of anything. We have cleaned the genitalia, her anus from the debris and faeces and there is not any sign of raping. No external signs of raping." 20. Nurse Furad Mohsen, walking in hospital 21. Nurse treating patient in ward 22. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Furad Mohsen, Nurse who treated Jessica Lynch: "No one raped her, or assaulted her. We were with her, no one abandoned her. How did he get into her room? Where did he (the alleged rapist) come from - the roof? This allegation is totally wrong." 23. Various of intensive care unit where Jessica was also treated at the hospital STORYLINE: An Iraqi doctor who treated former prisoner of war Jessica Lynch dismissed claims made in her biography that she was raped by her captors. Although Lynch said she has no memory of the sexual assault, medical records cited in the book - "I am a Soldier, Too: The Jessica Lynch Story" - indicate that she was raped and sodomised by her Iraqi captors. The book - due to be released Tuesday - covers Lynch's experience between March 23 when her 507th Maintenance Company convoy was ambushed in Nasiriyah and April 1 when she was evacuated from a hospital by US commandos. Lynch suffered broken bones to her right arm, right leg and thighs and ankle and received a head injury when her Humvee was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade and crashed into another vehicle. Eleven soldiers were killed in the attack. Dr. Mahdi Khafazji, an orthopedic surgeon at Nasiriyah's main hospital performed surgery on Lynch to repair a fractured femur and said he found no signs of rape. Khafazji said he examined her extensively and did not detect any signs of rape. He said: "There is no signs of injury. No external signs of raping." Also speaking at the hospital on Sunday, a nurse who also treated Jessica Lynch denied that Jessica could have been raped. Furad Mohsen said that during her treatment at the hospital Jessica was never left unguarded. She said: "No one raped her, or assaulted her. We were with her, no one abandoned her. How did he get into her room? Where did he (the alleged rapist) come from - the roof? This allegation is totally wrong."

TAPE: EF03/1005 IN_TIME: 01:39:59 DURATION: 3:38 SOURCES: APTN/ABC/DoD RESTRICTIONS: see shotlist DATELINE: Nasiriyah - 9 Nov 2003 and FILE SHOTLIST: FILE ABC - No Access Internet Elizabeth, West Virginia, 22 July 2003 1. Jessica Lynch being wheeled onto podium 2. Lynch's brother applauding her 3. Lynch wiping tears from her eyes FILE US Department of Defence Near Nasiriyah, 1 April 2003 4. Lynch being carried down stairs on stretcher 5. Lynch taken to helicopter 6. Helicopter taking off APTN Nasiriyah - November 9 2003 7. An-Nasiriya general hospital where Jessica Lynch was treated during war 8. Exterior hospital, zoom in to room where Jessica was treated 9. Hospital sign 10. Corridor inside hospital 11. Hospital worker 12. Exterior hospital room where Jessica Lynch was treated during her stay 13. Zoom in to sign on door to hospital room where Jessica was treated that reads: (In English and Arabic) 'Single Room' 14. Hospital bed where Jessica stayed 15. Dr Mahdi Khafazji (who treated Jessica Lynch) attending patients 16. Young patient 17. SOUNDBITE: (English) Dr Mahdi Khafazji, Doctor who treated Jessica Lynch: "When she was brought to our hospital she was completely unconscious, bleeding from her skull - multiple fractures, about four fractures she had. In addition, she had a fracture on the vertebral collar. Can anybody do (sexual) intercourse with a patient with a fractured vertebrae? It's impossible to do that." 18. Doctor's hands 19. SOUNDBITE: (English) Dr Mahdi Khafazji, Doctor who treated Jessica Lynch: "We have seen the patient from the first day to the day of the operation. When we have settled her to do (an) internal fixation for her fractured femur. We have cleaned her body completely, me and my assistant, and there were no signs of injury, superficial injuries to her genitalia, or to the back or to the front. There are no signs of anything. We have cleaned the genitalia, her anus from the debris and faeces and there is not any sign of raping. No external signs of raping." 20. Nurse Furad Mohsen, walking in hospital 21. Nurse treating patient in ward 22. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Furad Mohsen, Nurse who treated Jessica Lynch: "No one raped her, or assaulted her. We were with her, no one abandoned her. How did he get into her room? Where did he (the alleged rapist) come from - the roof? This allegation is totally wrong." 23. Various of intensive care unit where Jessica was also treated at the hospital STORYLINE: An Iraqi doctor who treated former prisoner of war Jessica Lynch dismissed claims made in her biography that she was raped by her captors. Although Lynch said she has no memory of the sexual assault, medical records cited in the book - "I am a Soldier, Too: The Jessica Lynch Story" - indicate that she was raped and sodomised by her Iraqi captors. The book - due to be released Tuesday - covers Lynch's experience between March 23 when her 507th Maintenance Company convoy was ambushed in Nasiriyah and April 1 when she was evacuated from a hospital by US commandos. Lynch suffered broken bones to her right arm, right leg and thighs and ankle and received a head injury when her Humvee was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade and crashed into another vehicle. Eleven soldiers were killed in the attack. Dr. Mahdi Khafazji, an orthopedic surgeon at Nasiriyah's main hospital performed surgery on Lynch to repair a fractured femur and said he found no signs of rape. Khafazji said he examined her extensively and did not detect any signs of rape. He said: "There is no signs of injury. No external signs of raping." Also speaking at the hospital on Sunday, a nurse who also treated Jessica Lynch denied that Jessica could have been raped. Furad Mohsen said that during her treatment at the hospital Jessica was never left unguarded. She said: "No one raped her, or assaulted her. We were with her, no one abandoned her. How did he get into her room? Where did he (the alleged rapist) come from - the roof? This allegation is totally wrong."

AP-APTN-1830 North America Prime News -Final Wednesday, 20 January 2010 North America Prime News Haiti New Quake 2 01:52 AP Clients Only REPLAY Powerful new quake hits, causing fear on streets Haiti Rescue 3 02:31 AP Clients Only REPLAY Aid worker video of a'math of rescue of 69-year-old buried for a week Haiti US Security 2 03:13 No Access Part No UK/RTE/CNNi/Al Jazeera English WRAP US troops on ground, US Commander soundbites Haiti Port 01:57 AP Clients Only REPLAY French aid being distributed, US ship in port Haiti Hospital 02:40 AP Clients Only REPLAY A look at the challenges facing medical teams on the ground France Haiti 02:09 AP Clients Only REPLAY MSF say another aid plane turned around; Hosp VNR ++US Politics 03:37 Part No Access NAmerica/Internet NEW Reactions after a Republican wins Mass. Senate seat US Shooting 4 01:24 See Script REPLAY Police announce surrender of suspect wanted over shooting spree Lebanon US 01:05 AP Clients Only REPLAY US Middle East envoy visits, says Lebanon the key to peace ++Germany Airport 02:07 See Script NEW Part of airport terminal closed after man flees security area B-u-l-l-e-t-i-n begins at 1830 GMT. APEX 01-20-10 1358EST -----------End of rundown----------- AP-APTN-1830: Haiti New Quake 2 Wednesday, 20 January 2010 STORY:Haiti New Quake 2- REPLAY Powerful new quake hits, causing fear on streets LENGTH: 01:52 FIRST RUN: 1330 RESTRICTIONS: AP Clients Only TYPE: Eng/Nats SOURCE: AP TELEVISION STORY NUMBER: 634041 DATELINE: Port-au-Prince - 20 Jan 2010 LENGTH: 01:52 AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY SHOTLIST (FIRST RUN AS RUSHES IN 1230 EUROPE PRIME NEWS - 20 JANUARY 2010) ++NIGHT SHOTS++ 1. Mid of visibly distressed girl sitting on ground, crying, pull out to woman with baby trying to comfort her, immediately after strong aftershock 2. Wide of group of fearful survivors 3. Young boy bandaging the arm of a woman 4. Tilt down from group of survivors to woman sitting on ground holding baby 5. Close-up of woman holding baby 6. Mid of young girl, tents and makeshift shelters behind her 7. Close-up of girl 8. Various of woman singing and praying inside tent, other women and children lying on makeshift bedding (FIRST RUN 1330 NEWS UPDATE - 20 JANUARY 2010) ++DAY SHOTS++ 9. Residents walking past rubble and wrecked car 10. Wide of demolished building 11. SOUNDBITE (English) Jean Pierre, vox pop: "I heard like a big ringing around but I didn't understand whether it was for real, understand? And afterwards people were trying to tell me that it was again." 12. Various wide shots of destruction in downtown Port-au-Prince STORYLINE: Eight days after Haiti's devastating earthquake, a new, powerful tremor shook the island nation on Wednesday, shaking buildings and terrifying survivors. Footage taken minutes after the magnitude-6.1 temblor, the largest aftershock yet to the January 12 quake, showed distressed and fearful survivors in shelters in an improvised tent city in the capital, Port-au-Prince. It was not immediately clear if it caused additional injuries or damage to weakened buildings. Wails of terror rose from frightened survivors as the earth shuddered at 6:03 a.m. (1103 GMT). US soldiers and tent city refugees alike raced for open ground, and clouds of dust rose in the capital. The US Geological Survey said the quake was centered about 35 miles (56 kilometres) northwest of Port-au-Prince and was 6.2 miles (9.9 kilometres) below the surface. Last week's magnitude-7 quake killed an estimated 200-thousand people in Haiti, left 250-thousand injured and made 1.5 million homeless, according to the European Union Commission. Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: infoaparchive.com (ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory. APTN APEX 01-20-10 1352EST ------------------- END -- OF -- ITEM ------------------- AP-APTN-1830: Haiti Rescue 3 Wednesday, 20 January 2010 STORY:Haiti Rescue 3- REPLAY Aid worker video of a'math of rescue of 69-year-old buried for a week LENGTH: 02:31 FIRST RUN: 1130 RESTRICTIONS: AP Clients Only TYPE: Spanish/Natsound SOURCE: CHRISTIAN AID STORY NUMBER: 634023 DATELINE: Port-au-Prince -20 Jan 2010 LENGTH: 02:31 CHRISTIAN AID - AP CLIENTS ONLY SHOTLIST 1. Wide of rescue team standing on top of rubble 2. Female survivor pulled out of rubble after one week being trapped under collapsed building 3. Wide of rescuers treating survivor, later taking her away on a wooden stretcher 4. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Name not known, Mexican rescuer: ++Non Verbatim Translation++ "We've heard a noise. We were working on just one area. Our Mexican dogs helped us. We kept digging out the ground. We could hear the voice of the woman. Finally we saw a movement, our brothers from South Africa helped us. We kept working until I could reach the woman and I felt she grabbed my hand and squeezed it strongly and I felt that God had touched my hand and I could kiss the hand and she called me 'son'. We cleaned the area along with our brothers from Cancun and South Africa who helped us. Thank you all very much that we could bring out this woman who prayed and prayed and prayed and her huge faith made her voice heard." 5. Rescuers hugging each other STORYLINE Survivors were still being rescued in Port au Prince days after the 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated the Caribbean nation and left tens of thousands dead. More than a week after the deadly quake killed an estimated 200-thousand, left 250-thousand injured and made 1.5 (m) million homeless, search-and-rescue teams were emerging from the ruins with improbable success stories. Sixty-nine-year-old Ena Zizi, a devoted Roman Catholic, was rescued on Tuesday. She said prayed constantly during her week under the rubble. Zizi had been at a church meeting at the residence of Haiti's Roman Catholic archbishop when the 12 January quake struck, trapping her in debris. She was rescued by a Mexican disaster team that was created in the wake of Mexico City's 1985 earthquake. A member of the rescue team said the group heard a noise coming from an area they were working on. They used sniffer dogs to find the location of the trapped woman. "We kept digging out the ground. We could hear the voice of the woman," one rescuer said. "Finally we saw a movement. Our brothers from South Africa helped us. We kept working until I could reach the woman and I felt she grabbed my hand and squeezed it strongly... and she called me 'son.'" Zizi later said that after the quake, she spoke back and forth with a vicar who also was trapped. But after a few days, he fell silent, and she spent the rest of the time praying and waiting. Doctors who examined Zizi on Tuesday said she was dehydrated and had a dislocated hip and a broken leg. Crews at the cathedral compound site on Tuesday managed to recover the body of the archbishop, Monsignor Joseph Serge Miot, who was killed when the quake struck. Authorities said close to 100 people had been pulled from wrecked buildings by international search-and-rescue teams. Efforts continued, with dozens of teams sifting through Port-au-Prince's crumbled homes and buildings for signs of life. But the good news was overshadowed by the frustrating fact that the world still can't get enough food and water to the hungry and thirsty. The World Food Programme said more than 250-thousand ready-to-eat food rations had been distributed in Haiti by Tuesday, reaching only a fraction of the three (m) million people thought to be in desperate need. The WFP said it needs to deliver 100 (m) million meals in the next 30 days. Based on pledges from the United States, Italy and Denmark, it has 16 (m) million in the pipeline. Meanwhile, a 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Wednesday morning, shaking buildings and sending screaming people running into the streets. The US Geological Survey said the new quake hit at 6:03 a.m. (1103 GMT) about 35 miles (56 kilometres) northwest of the capital of Port-au-Prince. Wails of terror rose Wednesday as frightened survivors of last week's quake poured out of unstable buildings. It was not immediately possible to ascertain what additional damage the new quake may have caused. Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: infoaparchive.com (ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory. APTN APEX 01-20-10 1353EST ------------------- END -- OF -- ITEM ------------------- AP-APTN-1830: Haiti US Security 2 Wednesday, 20 January 2010 STORY:Haiti US Security 2- REPLAY US troops on ground, US Commander soundbites LENGTH: 03:13 FIRST RUN: 1630 RESTRICTIONS: No Access Part No UK/RTE/CNNi/Al Jazeera English TYPE: English/Nat SOURCE: AP TELEVISION/SKY STORY NUMBER: 634070 DATELINE: Port-au-Prince - 20 Jan 2010 LENGTH: 03:13 AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY SKY - NO ACCESS UK/RTE/CNNi/AL JAZEERA ENGLISH SHOTLIST (FIRST RUN 1530 NEWS UPDATE - 20 JANUARY 2010) AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY 1. United States soldiers standing guard outside entrance to hospital 2. US soldiers standing with crowd of people waiting to enter hospital 3. US soldiers outside hospital 4. SOUNDBITE (English) Lieutenant General Ken Keen, Commander of US Joint Task Force, Haiti: "We are providing security where we need to be. We are not going on what you might call presence patrol, for presence patrol's sake. MINUSTAH and the UN forces are doing that. We are doing joint operations with the UN forces, particularly when it relates to humanitarian assistance. In some cases they are providing security for us as we do distribution of supplies." 5. Various of US soldiers standing with crowd gathered in front of hospital 6. SOUNDBITE (English) Lieutenant General Ken Keen, Commander of US Joint Task Force, Haiti: "Right now we have a little over 2-thousand troops on the ground, another 9-thousand in the area on the ships supporting us. Overnight we had the USNS Comfort hospital ship arrive. We will be seeing the transfer of patients to her today to take off much needed relief from the hospitals that are overwhelmed obviously right now in Port-au-Prince." 7. US soldiers directing crowd gathered in front of hospital 8. Wide of people gathered outside hospital ++NEW (FIRST RUN 1630 EUROPE PRIME NEWS - 20 JANUARY 2010) SKY - NO ACCESS UK/RTE/CNNi/AL JAZEERA ENGLISH 9. SOUNDBITE (English) Lieutenant General Ken Keen, Commander of US Joint Task Force, Haiti: "I think it has a tremendous psychological impact obviously on the Haiti people. It reminds all just how vulnerable we are. Obviously the effects of the earthquake a week ago 'rubbled' a significant portion of Port-au-Prince and other cities in the vicinity and left a lot of structures unstable. And so we're very concerned that aftershocks like this will result in even more damage and death, and also complicate the logistical aspects of moving around the city." (FIRST RUN 1530 NEWS UPDATE - 20 JANUARY 2010) AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY 10. Army truck with Dutch soldiers on board 11. Truck driving away 12. Dutch soldier on street with vehicle ++NEW (FIRST RUN 1630 EUROPE PRIME NEWS - 20 JANUARY 2010) SKY - NO ACCESS UK/RTE/CNNi/AL JAZEERA ENGLISH 13. SOUNDBITE (English) Lieutenant General Ken Keen, Commander of US Joint Task Force, Haiti: "I certainly feel their frustration. I go out in the street into various locations everyday, I see their frustration and I understand their frustration that we can't do enough fast enough. What I tell them is that more help is on the way. We're going to be here as long as needed and we are doing everything we can to surmount the challenges that were faced from a logistical standpoint, from a coordination standpoint, and to synchronise our efforts. And we're getting better everyday, but clearly the devastation in the area is wide-ranging, in the Port-au-Prince area, and we've got a long way to go to get to where we need to be. " (FIRST RUN 1530 NEWS UPDATE - 20 JANUARY 2010) 14. Various of Dutch military on streets 15. Pan to Dutch soldiers in military truck 16. Dutch soldiers getting off military truck STORYLINE The United States military operation in Haiti focused some of its efforts on providing security at the city's main hospitals on Wednesday, as the commander in charge of the operation said troops were providing security where it was needed, but were also distributing aid. The streets of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince remained mostly calm on Wednesday morning after a magnitude 6.1 aftershock awoke frightened survivors of last week's earthquake at around 6 am (1100 GMT). The tremor did not appear to cause major new damage in a city already nearly flattened by the 12 January quake, but aid workers said it complicated rescue efforts and Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive said the government was sending teams to check on the situation in Petit-Goave, near the epicentre. The aftershock was the largest of more than 40 significant tremors. US troops could be seen trying to control crowds of residents waiting outside one of the city's main hospitals. Lieutenant General Ken Keen, Commander of the US Joint Task Force in Haiti, said he thought the aftershocks would have "a tremendous psychological impact" on the Haitian people, and expressed the fear that such tremors could result in further damage and death. Faced with criticism over the extent of US military presence on the ground in Haiti, Keen said US soldiers were not involved in street patrols but were instead focusing on "joint operations with the UN forces, particularly when it related to humanitarian assistance." "In some cases they are providing security for us as we do distribution of supplies," he said. He said US military efforts were also concentrated on the arrival of USNS Comfort hospital ship, which had begun treating its first patients. The nearly 900-foot floating hospital dropped anchor off the coast of Port-au-Prince on Wednesday morning, but the ship was close enough on Tuesday night to take aboard patients. Two severely injured quake victims were flown to the ship from an aircraft carrier. The patients are a 20-year-old man suffering from a spinal fracture and bleeding in the brain and a six-year-old boy with a fractured pelvis. The Comfort left Baltimore on Saturday, carrying about 550 medical staff and about 60 civilian mariners. A spokesperson for the US Southern Command said another 225 medical staff and 125 support staff will join them in Haiti. Keen said there were currently about 2-thousand US troops on the ground, and "another 9-thousand in the area on the ships supporting us." A contingent of Dutch soldiers was patrolling the streets of the capital on Wednesday. Aid efforts already held back by logistical problems and lack of coordination have been further hampered by a fear among relief officials that Haitians' desperation would boil over into violence. Occasionally, those fears have been borne out. Looters rampaged through part of downtown Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, just four blocks from where US troops landed at the presidential palace. Hundreds of looters fought over bolts of cloth and other goods with broken bottles and clubs. However, UN officials on Tuesday downplayed those reports saying there had been "no widespread looting" and describing the situation as understandable given the state thousands of Haitians find themselves in following the devastating quake. Keen empathised with the increasingly desperate Haitians, saying he felt their frustration. "I go out in the street into various locations everyday. I see their frustration and I understand their frustration that we can't do enough fast enough," he said. He pointed out though, that the damage was wide ranging in the Port-au-Prince area, "and we've got a long way to go to get to where we need to be". The World Food Programme said more than 250-thousand ready-to-eat food rations had been distributed in Haiti by Tuesday, reaching only a fraction of the 3 (m) million people thought to be in desperate need. The WFP said it needs to deliver 100 (m) million ready-to-eat rations in the next 30 days, but it only had 16 (m) million meals in the pipeline. Last week's magnitude-7 quake killed an estimated 200-thousand people in Haiti, left 250-thousand injured and made 1.5 (m) million homeless, according to a report from the European Commission. The US Geological Survey said Wednesday's aftershock was centered about 35 miles (60 kilometres) west-southwest of Port-au-Prince and 6.2 miles (9.9 kilometres) below the surface. Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: infoaparchive.com (ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory. APTN APEX 01-20-10 1621EST ------------------- END -- OF -- ITEM ------------------- AP-APTN-1830: Haiti Port Wednesday, 20 January 2010 STORY:Haiti Port- REPLAY French aid being distributed, US ship in port LENGTH: 01:57 FIRST RUN: 1730 RESTRICTIONS: AP Clients Only TYPE: Eng/French/Nats SOURCE: AP TELEVISION STORY NUMBER: 634074 DATELINE: Port-au-Prince - 20 Jan 2010 LENGTH: 01:57 ++CLIENTS PLEASE NOTE: PLEASE IGNORE EARLIER EDIT AND USE THIS VERSION++ AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY SHOTLIST 1. Wide of French Navy ship filled with humanitarian aid 2. Various of French aid being unloaded from ship 3.SOUNDBITE (French) Midshipman Francois Gabelleri, crew members, French Navy ship Francis Garnier: We left from Martinique, Fort de France - an overseas department of France. We are bringing a hundred tons worth of material, the diplomatic agents, tractors. We also have brought a medical team, a doctor, a nurse with ambulance supplies. We also brought freight for the red cross, tents, pallets of water, food, medicine, a lot of medicine." 4. Sailors unloading aid 5. Zoom out of US ship leaving port after unloading aid shipment 6. Medium of man on ship as it pulls away 7.SOUNDBITE (English) Captain John Little, US Coast guard: " There has to be limitations on not only the number of ships that are here but the amount of cargo that's being offloaded at one time because there are severe restrictions on what's left of this pier and this is really the only servicing pier to the port of Port-au-Prince so it's very important that we manage that traffic very slowly and methodically and keep the vessels off the pier until they've been cued to come aboard." 8. Various of USNS Comfort hospital ship off shore STORYLINE A French navy vessel, the Francis Garnier docked at the devastated port of Port-au-Prince on Wednesday following last week's magnitude 7.0 earthquake that reduced many of the city's buildings to rubble and left tens of thousands dead. France has pledged 28.6 (m) million US dollars in aid, plus more than 500 personnel, especially rescue workers, and 61 tons (55 metric tons) of supplies. The Francis Garnier, which has been in operation for three decades, arrived into the severely damaged port with much needed medical supplies for the thousands of Haitians that were injured in the earthquake eight days ago. Crew member Midshipman Francois Gabelleri said the ship had bought, amongst other supplies, "medicine, lots of medicine." Last week's magnitude-7 quake killed an estimated 200-thousand people in Haiti, left 250-thousand injured and made 1.5 (m) million homeless, according to the European Union. Haitians who survived last week's devastating earthquake are in dire need of basics such as food, water and medical care. Among accusations of uncoordinated and ineffective relief operations, desperate and hungry Haitians on Tuesday were piling into small boats to row out to dilapidated ferries carrying scant supplies of food and water. Governments have pledged nearly one (b) billion US dollars in aid, and thousands of tons of food and medical supplies have been shipped. But much remains trapped in warehouses, diverted to the neighbouring Dominican Republic, or left hovering in the air. On Tuesday, the US military, engineers, and divers were assessing the port of Port-au-Prince to determine if it can be used for large scale aid deliveries to the Haitian capital. There was concern that last week's earthquake may have damaged the structural integrity of the port and its docks. So far several major shipments of aid have been offloaded through the port, but that was without a clear picture of possible risks lurking beneath the water. For that reason the US coastguard has been limiting the number of ships that can dock and the amount of cargo that can by offloaded at one time. "There are severe restrictions on what's left of this pier and this is really the only servicing pier to the port of Port-au-Prince so its very important that we manage that traffic very slowly and methodically and keep the vessels off the pier until they've been cued to come aboard," said Captain John Little from the US Coast guard. Rescuers and locals were kept on edge on Wednesday when the most powerful aftershock yet struck Haiti, shaking more rubble from damaged buildings and sending screaming people running into the streets. The magnitude-6.1 temblor did not appear to cause major new damage in a city already nearly flattened by the 12 January quake, but aid workers said it complicated rescue efforts and Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive said the government was sending teams to check on the situation in Petit-Goave, near the epicentre. Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: infoaparchive.com (ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory. APTN APEX 01-20-10 1357EST ------------------- END -- OF -- ITEM ------------------- AP-APTN-1830: Haiti Hospital Wednesday, 20 January 2010 STORY:Haiti Hospital- REPLAY A look at the challenges facing medical teams on the ground LENGTH: 02:40 FIRST RUN: 1730 RESTRICTIONS: AP Clients Only TYPE: English/Nats SOURCE: AP TELEVISION STORY NUMBER: 634072 DATELINE: Port-au-Prince - 20 Jan 2010 LENGTH: 02:40 ++CLIENTS PLEASE NOTE: SOME MAY FIND CONTENT OF THIS STORY DISTURBING++ ALL AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY SHOTLIST: 1. Haiti earthquake victim Richardson Lagredelle in makeshift hospital 2. Wide shot of doctors working on Lagredelle 3. Close of doctors' faces 4. Close shot of Lagredelle 5. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Roberto Flores, Boston Medical Center (++SOUNDBITE STARTS ON SHOT OF PATIENT++): "I'm trying to make a decision whether we keep someone alive or not and some doctors here say 'well we just have to let them go.' I don't want to give up on him, because I think he's (Lagredelle) salvageable." 6. Various shots of doctors treating Lagredelle as he is propped up against his mother 7. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Roberto Flores, Boston Medical Center (++SOUNDBITE STARTS ON WIDE SHOT OF PATIENT++): "Normally on a guy like that we would have to intubate but we cannot intubate here." (Q) Why can't you intubate? "We don't have the machine. This guy should be intubated and maybe we could save him, but right now we cannot do that." 8. Doctors transporting Lagredelle 9. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Roberto Flores, Boston Medical Center: "If I can get him to improve his breathing with fluid and bicarbonate, then we may be able to rush him into surgery and convince the surgeons to operate on him." 10. Doctor running complex to help 11. Doctors operating on Lagredelle 12. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Eduardo de Marchena from Miami (++SOUNDBITE STARTS ON WIDE SHOT OF OPERATION++) "He's already arrested. We are hoping that we can get him back. We have him temporarily supported but we have no way to really long term support him." 13. Doctor looking for supplies 14. Close shot of doctors aiding Lagredelle to breathe 15. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Roberto Flores, Boston Medical Center (++SOUNDBITE STARTS ON PREVIOUS SHOT++) "Probably in the next half-an-hour we will know whether we can really save this guy or not." 16. Various shots of hospital and doctors working on Lagredelle 17. Lagredelle's mother crying 18. SOUNDBITE (English) Lisa Lucas, Aid worker: "It's harder when they come in conscious and begging you to save them and there's nothing we can do." 19. Victim being wheeled into operating room 20. Various shots of hospital UPSOUND (English) Doctor not in shot, name not known: "We have seen so much death here, that you almost become immune to it. You just move on, and you shut it out, shut this one down and move on." 21. Doctors covering Lagredelle's body STORYLINE: Richardson Lagredelle spent three days trapped under rubble after Haiti's magnitude-7 earthquake. He then spent just as long trying to reach a hospital, but finally arrived at the United Nations' clinic near the Port-au-Prince airport. After surviving for nearly seven days, Lagredelle was in a serious condition. Doctor Roberto Flores, from Boston Medical Center, explained the constant and difficult decision making him and his colleagues have to face. "I'm trying to make a decision whether we keep someone alive or not and some doctors here say 'well we just have to let them go.'" "I don't want to give up on him, because I think he's salvageable," he says of Lagredelle. At the hospital conditions are spartan. There are no hospital beds so doctors use Lagredelle's mother to prop him up and help him breathe. Supplies are in such short supply that Flores worries they don't have the equipment needed in order to keep Lagredelle alive. "Normally on a guy like that we would have to intubate but we cannot intubate here. We don't have the machine. This guy should be intubated and maybe we could save him but right now we can not do that," Flores said. This is life and death in a field hospital. Flores has already lost six patients he said he could have saved in any other hospital in the world. Still, he is hopeful for Lagredelle. "If I can get him to improve his breathing with fluid and bicarbonate, then we may be able to rush him into surgery and convince the surgeons to operate on him," said Flores. Doctors from all over the complex come running to help but Lagredelle's condition deteriorates. He takes his final breath. In one moment, a mother loses a son and a doctor loses another patient he doesn't think had to die. It has an effect on everyone at the hospital. "It's harder when they come in conscious and begging you to save them and there's nothing we can do," said Lisa Lucas, an aid worker. In minutes, another victim is being wheeled into the operating room and Flores readies for his next patient. Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: infoaparchive.com (ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory. APTN APEX 01-20-10 1400EST ------------------- END -- OF -- ITEM ------------------- AP-APTN-1830: France Haiti Wednesday, 20 January 2010 STORY:France Haiti- REPLAY MSF say another aid plane turned around; Hosp VNR LENGTH: 02:09 FIRST RUN: 1430 RESTRICTIONS: AP Clients Only TYPE: French/English/Nat SOURCE: AP TELEVISION/MSF VNR STORY NUMBER: 634047 DATELINE: Various - 19/20 January 2010 LENGTH: 02:09 AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY MSF VNR - AP CLIENTS ONLY SHOTLIST AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Paris, France - 20 January 2010 1. Wide of exterior of Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) headquarters 2. Close-up of Medecins Sans Frontieres sign 3. Pan to MSF Paris Head of Emergency Operations Marie-Noelle Rodrigue in her office 4. SOUNDBITE (French) Marie-Noelle Rodrigue, Head of Emergency Operations, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) Paris: "We're condemned to keep on doing surgery which is today practiced in very precarious conditions, when after six days, we could be, we should be at a point where we have much better hygiene conditions, and be able to take care of many more patients in a much better way, with all our medical equipment that we have in these planes." MSF VNR - AP CLIENTS ONLY Port-au-Prince, Haiti - 19 January 2010 5. Various of MSF doctors treating wounded patients in makeshift hospital AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Paris, France - 20 January 2010 6. SOUNDBITE (English) Marie-Noelle Rodrigue, Head of Emergency Operations, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) Paris: "We don't have an explanation. We do have all written permissions. These permissions are given by the State Department in the US, the UN system in the US, and we think we have all the permissions to make these planes land in Port-au-Prince and at the end of the day, we don't. But we don't even know what is wrong in what we do, so it's difficult to know exactly where to put the energy to improve that system for us." 7. Tilt up of staircase and corridor inside MSF building 8. Close-up of poster reading (English) "Last year (m) millions died from a drug problem. They couldn't get any." MSF VNR - AP CLIENTS ONLY Port-au-Prince, Haiti - 19 January 2010 9. Pan across patients and medical workers in makeshift hospital 10. Various of patients and MSF workers in hospital 11. MSF doctors operating on injured child 12. Close-up of MSF doctor treating wound 13. Tilt up of MSF doctor treating wound, second doctor watching STORYLINE The aid organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) complained on Wednesday after another of its cargo planes carrying medical equipment had been turned away from Port-au-Prince airport in Haiti, despite assurances that it would be able to land. The plane was carrying 12 tons of medical equipment, including drugs, surgical supplies and two dialysis machines to help treat those injured in Haiti's devastating earthquake, MSF said. MSF, also known as Doctors Without Borders, said the cargo was part of the contents of an earlier plane carrying a total of 40 tons of supplies that was blocked from landing on Sunday morning. Since January 14, MSF has had six planes transporting medical and relief supplies and two carrying medical teams prevented from landing in Port-au-Prince and diverted to the Domican Republic, the organisation said. Marie-Noelle Rodrigue, head of emergency operations for MSF Paris, said on Wednesday that the supplies the planes were carrying were vital to improve medical treatment that was being carried out in "precarious conditions" in makeshift hospitals. "After six days, we could be, we should be at a point where we have much better hygiene conditions, and be able to take care of many more patients in a much better way, with all our medical equipment that we have in these planes," she said. Rodrigue said the planes had been authorised to land at the airport and that MSF had "all written permissions" but that they were still being turned away. "We don't even know what is wrong in what we do, so it's difficult to know exactly where to put the energy to improve that system for us," she said. The US military, which has taken charge of the airport, has been criticised by some for poorly prioritising flights. The US Air Force said it had raised the facility's daily capacity from 30 flights before the quake to 180 on Tuesday. US defence officials acknowledged bottlenecks, but said they have been working aggressively to eliminate them. MSF said it has given primary care to an estimated 3-thousand people in the capital and performed more than 400 surgeries. So far, international relief efforts have been unorganised, disjointed and insufficient to help a people in need of such basics as food, water and medical care. Governments have pledged nearly one (b) billion US dollars in aid, and thousands of tons of food and medical supplies have been shipped. But much remains trapped in warehouses, or diverted to the neighbouring Dominican Republic. Port-au-Prince's non-functioning seaport and many impassable roads complicate efforts to get aid to the people. Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: infoaparchive.com (ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory. APTN APEX 01-20-10 1406EST ------------------- END -- OF -- ITEM ------------------- AP-APTN-1830: +US Politics Wednesday, 20 January 2010 STORY:+US Politics- WRAP Reactions after a Republican wins Mass. Senate seat LENGTH: 03:37 FIRST RUN: 1830 RESTRICTIONS: Part No Access NAmerica/Internet TYPE: English/Nat SOURCE: AP TELEVISION/ABC/POOL STORY NUMBER: 634077 DATELINE: Various - 19/20 Jan 2010/FILE LENGTH: 03:37 AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET POOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY SHOTLIST: ++NEW (FIRST RUN 1830 NORTH AMERICA PRIME NEWS - 20 JANUARY 2010) ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET Boston, Massachusetts - 20 January 2010 ++AUDIO AS INCOMING++ 1. Pan of US Senator-elect for Massachusetts, Scott Brown, walking to podium 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Scott Brown, US Senator-elect for Massachusetts, Republican: "We are going down tomorrow; I have already spoken to Senator Kerry and Kirk and Congressman McGovern and the whole host of other folks from the delegation. I think it's important that we hit the ground running cause there are some very important issues facing our country and I've always had contrary to, you know, the campaign's over now, and now we have to focus on solving problems and I've had great working relationships with the delegation and I'm looking forward to getting down there as quickly as I can." (FIRST RUN 0530 NEWS UPDATE - 20 JANUARY 2010) ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA / INTERNET Boston, Massachusetts - 19 January 2010 3. Zoom out of stage to balloons dropping at victory rally for Brown ++NEW (FIRST RUN 1830 NORTH AMERICA PRIME NEWS - 20 JANUARY 2010) ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET Boston, Massachusetts - 20 January 2010 4. SOUNDBITE (English) Scott Brown, US Senator-elect for Massachusetts, Republican: "I think it's important to know that the main thing that they want is good government back and to be part of the process, and I think they sent a very very powerful message that business as usual is not going to be the way we do it." ++NEW (FIRST RUN 1830 NORTH AMERICA PRIME NEWS - 20 JANUARY 2010) POOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY FILE: Washington, DC - date unknown 5. Wide of former US Senator for Massachusetts, Democrat Ted Kennedy on floor of Senate 6. Pan to Kennedy in news conference ++NEW (FIRST RUN 1830 NORTH AMERICA PRIME NEWS - 20 JANUARY 2010) POOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY Washington, DC - 20 January 2010 7. SOUNDBITE (English) John McCain, Republican Senator for Arizona: "Last night a shot was fired around this nation, a shot was fired saying no more business as usual in Washington, DC. Stop this unsavory sausage-making process called health care reform." 8. Wide of US Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Republican from Kentucky in news conference 9. SOUNDBITE (English) Mitch McConnell, US Senate Minority Leader: (Reporter question: Is the health care bill as we know it dead?) "I sure hope so, I sure hope so. What we ought to do as we said repeatedly through the month of December - as you know, we were here every day - we ought to stop and start over and go step by step to concentrate on fixing the problem which is the rising cost." ++NEW (FIRST RUN 1830 NORTH AMERICA PRIME NEWS - 20 JANUARY 2010) ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET Washington, DC - 20 January 2010 10. Wide of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi walking to podium 11. SOUNDBITE (English) Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House: "The President's agenda is one that we will continue to push forward for the creation of jobs - as I said health care, again heeding the particular concerns of the voters of Massachusetts last night - we heard, we will heed, we will move forward." ++NEW (FIRST RUN 1830 NORTH AMERICA PRIME NEWS - 20 JANUARY 2010) POOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY Washington, DC - 20 January 2010 12. Wide of US Senate floor 13. SOUNDBITE (English) Harry Reid, US Majority Leader (Democrat): "Some elections go your way, some elections go the other way - it's the nature of democratic politics in a very diverse nation. But regardless of the outcomes of an election, as I've said many times, the American people demand that we work together as partners not partisans to improve their individual lives. That's as true after Republican victories as it is after Democratic victories." ++NEW (FIRST RUN 1830 NORTH AMERICA PRIME NEWS - 20 JANUARY 2010) AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Boston, Massachusetts - 20 January 2010 14. Wide of newspaper boxes with headlines on Brown's victory 15. Close-up of display copy of "The Boston Globe" newspaper with headline reading (English) "Big win for Brown" 16. SOUNDBITE (English) Kim Bielan, Boston Resident: "Oh, it was exciting. I thought, you know, in the past week, yesterday, you know seeing all the signs I thought maybe he could do it and then seeing him win, it was very exciting." 17. Man reading newspaper seen through window 18. SOUNDBITE (English), Andy Sabino, Boston Resident: "I actually think, I don't think it was just health care that people were focused on, there were other, I think other issues that Brown had to his advantage. There's just a lot of backlash against Democrats in the state generally. They control basically the state house, the governorship, legislature, they control everything and I think there's just a lot of backlash, people aren't that happy with anyone right now." 19. Close-up of "Boston Herald" newspaper on display with headline reading (English) "Yes He Did!" STORYLINE: Republican Scott Brown's win in the special election Tuesday for the Massachusetts Senate seat was a stunning and bitter setback for US President Barack Obama whose push for health care reform in the United States was nearing success in Congress. That is no longer assured because the Democrat's 60-seat super-majority - needed to overcome Republican stalling tactics - vanished with the drubbing of Democratic state Attorney General Martha Coakley. Brown declared on Wednesday that his election had sent a "very powerful message" that voters are weary of backroom deals and Washington business-as-usual. He portrayed his victory as less a referendum on Obama or the president's health care proposal and more of a sign that people are tired of Washington politics and dealmaking. Brown said his win sends "a very powerful message that business-as-usual is just not going to be the way we do it." Brown's victory gives Republicans 41 votes in the Senate, upending the Democrats' ability to stop filibusters and other delaying tactics. Counting the two Senate independents who usually vote with Democrats on procedural issues, the party will be able to muster only 59 votes, at most, one short of the number needed. Senator John McCain of Arizona, Obama's Republican presidential rival in 2008, likened Brown's win to the Revolutionary War's "shot heard round the world" in Concord, Massachusetts in April 1775. McCain said the message was clear: "No more business as usual in Washington. Stop this unsavory sausage-making process called health care reform." Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said he hoped the Democrats' ambitious remake of the health care system was dead. "We ought to stop and start over and go step by step to concentrate on fixing the problem which is the rising cost," he said. White House officials acknowledged that one of the lessons learned was the intensity of voter anger, but they said it wasn't so much with Obama as with Washington's failures in general and with the moribund economy. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Brown's win was "the nature of democratic politics in a very diverse nation." He said it was time to work in a bipartisan manner in the US Senate as "the American people demand that we work together as partners not partisans to improve their individual lives." Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said on Wednesday that Democrats would listen to voters' concerns but would still "move forward" on health care. Brown said he was heading to Washington on Thursday, although it was unclear how quickly he would be sworn in. Some Democrats said there should be no further action on health care reform until that happens. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said Brown would be sworn in immediately. Both houses have passed a version of the health care reform programme, but are now in the process of negotiating major differences into a single bill that would need to pass in both the Senate and House before Obama could sign it into law. Brown, a state senator with a low profile, was initially seen as a sure loser, but he became the first Republican elected to the US Senate from Massachusetts since 1972. The state's registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by 3-to-1. Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: infoaparchive.com (ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory. APTN APEX 01-20-10 1531EST ------------------- END -- OF -- ITEM ------------------- AP-APTN-1830: US Shooting 4 Wednesday, 20 January 2010 STORY:US Shooting 4- REPLAY Police announce surrender of suspect wanted over shooting spree LENGTH: 01:24 FIRST RUN: 1430 RESTRICTIONS: See Script TYPE: English/Natsound SOURCE: ABC/AP PHOTO STORY NUMBER: 634049 DATELINE: Appomattox County - 19/20 Jan 2010 LENGTH: 01:24 ++CLIENT NOTE: SOURCES AMENDED FROM PREVIOUS VERSIONS++ ABC - NO ACCESS N.AMERICA/INTERNET AP PHOTOS - NO ACCESS CANADA/ FOR BROADCAST USE ONLY - STRICTLY NO ACCESS ONLINE OR MOBILE SHOTLIST: (FIRST RUN 1430 GMT ME EUROPE PRIME NEWS - 20 JANUARY 2010) ABC- NO ACCESS N.AMERICA/INTERNET Appomattox County, Virginia - 20 January, 2010 1. Wide shot O. Wilson Staples approaches microphones 2. SOUNDBITE: (English) O. Wilson Staples, Sheriff: "I wanted everybody to know that this morning at approximately 7:10 am (1210 GMT) Christopher B. Speight was taking into custody without incident. The remainder of the day is going to be spent performing several tasks. One is victim identification, family, next of kin notification and then the processing of the crime scene." (FIRST RUN 0130 GMT AUS/NZ PRIME NEWS - 20 JANUARY 2010) ABC - NO ACCESS NORTH AMERICA/INTERNET Appomattox County, Virginia - 19 January, 2010 3. Wide of road, police vehicle arriving at scene 4. Wide of police near scene of shooting 5. Police vehicle driving on road 6. Street signs (FIRST RUN 0830 EUROPE PRIME NEWS - 20 JANUARY 2010) AP PHOTOS - NO ACCESS CANADA/ FOR BROADCAST USE ONLY - STRICTLY NO ACCESS ONLINE OR MOBILE Virginia (exact location and date unknown) 7. STILL: shooting suspect Christopher Speight - released by Virginia State Police (FIRST RUN 1430 GMT ME EUROPE PRIME NEWS - 20 JANUARY 2010) ABC - NO ACCESS NAMERICA/INTERNET Appomattox County, Virginia - 20 January, 2010 8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Corinne Geller, Virginia State Police spokesperson: "It was near the patrol car, I am sorry, near the crime scene and he actually physically approached law enforcement on scene and turned himself in without incident." (FIRST RUN 0130 AUS NZ PRIME NEWS 20 JANUARY 2010) ABC - NO ACCESS NAMERICA/INTERNET Appomattox County, Virginia - 19 January 2010 9. Helicopter flying overhead 10. Police at scene STORYLINE: A lone gunman suspected of killing eight people before disappearing into dense Virginia woods and firing on a police helicopter surrendered peacefully at sunrise on Wednesday, ending an overnight hunt by dozens of law enforcement officers. Christopher Speight, 39, approached officers at the scene of the shootings at about 7:10 am (1210 GMT) and turned himself in without incident, according to a statement given by Sheriff O. Wilson Staples later on Wednesday. Staples said the rest of the day was going to be spent with identification, next of kin notification and the processing of the crime scene. Speight meanwhile, was being taken to an undisclosed location to be interviewed. Charges were pending. The drama that started around noon on Tuesday when a victim was spotted barely alive along the side of a narrow country road, paralysed the rural area, approximately 100 miles southwest of Richmond, as police swarmed forests trying to catch the suspect. Four nearby schools serving about 2-thousand students had planned to stay closed for the day before Speight surrendered. Police were still working to identify the victims and notify their families. It was not known whether Speight was armed when he surrendered. Authorities earlier said he had a high-powered rifle and Sheriff O. Wilson Staples said investigators believe Speight had weapons training based on the weapons found in his home, but he declined to elaborate. State police backed by other agencies spent the night enforcing a perimeter around a 2-mile stretch of woods and searching for Speight. The area was near the home where seven of the bodies were found, the eight victim, found barely alive on the side of the road, died on the way to the hospital. The house where most of the bodies were found is located on a gravel road, with woods and farm fields surrounding it. On Wednesday morning, police had the road blocked about 100 yards from the house. All the victims were adults and both men and women were killed, according to authorities. Speight was said to be acquainted with the victims, but details of the relationships weren't released. Police refused to speculate on a motive and would not say what type of weapon was used. Speight's last known address was along the block where the shootings occurred, but it was not known if the suspect was still living there. At one point the gunman fired at a state police helicopter, forcing it to land with a ruptured fuel tank, police said. No police were injured after one or more rounds struck the helicopter. Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: infoaparchive.com (ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory. APTN APEX 01-20-10 1409EST ------------------- END -- OF -- ITEM ------------------- AP-APTN-1830: Lebanon US Wednesday, 20 January 2010 STORY:Lebanon US- REPLAY US Middle East envoy visits, says Lebanon the key to peace LENGTH: 01:05 FIRST RUN: 1030 RESTRICTIONS: AP Clients Only TYPE: Natsound SOURCE: AP TELEVISION STORY NUMBER: 634021 DATELINE: Beirut - 20 Jan 2010 LENGTH: 01:05 AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY ++AUDIO AS INCOMING++ SHOTLIST 1. Exterior of Baabda presidential place. 2. Mid of US Middle East envoy George Mitchell and US Ambassador to Lebanon Michele Sison entering palace ++MUTE++ 3. Mitchell meeting Lebanese President Michel Suleiman ++MUTE++ 4. Close of Mitchell ++MUTE++ 5. Close of Suleiman ++MUTE++ 6. Wide of meeting ++MUTE++ 7. Mitchell and Sison entering parliament 8. Mitchell meeting with the Speaker of Lebanese Parliament, Nabih Berri 9. Close of Mitchell 10. Close of Berri 11. Wide of meeting STORYLINE US Middle East envoy George Mitchell said on Wednesday that Lebanon was a key player in the pursuit of regional peace. He was in Beirut on Tuesday and Wednesday at the start of a regional tour aimed at restarting Middle East peace talks. Mitchell's visit is part of a US effort to forge a wider peace that would end Israel's conflicts with the Palestinians, Syria and Lebanon and normalise Israel's ties with the rest of the Arab world. On Wednesday he met with the Lebanese President Michel Suleiman and the Speaker of Lebanese Parliament, Nabih Berri. He is expected to arrive in Syria later on Wednesday. In a statement, Mitchell said Lebanon would play a key role in the effort to build a lasting and comprehensive peace and stability in the Middle East. Mitchell is on a quest for a solution to the conflict, and said last week that Obama was committed to achieving peace in the Middle East. Talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority broke off a year ago, mainly over the issue of Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land. Israel committed to a full settlement freeze under a 2003 peace plan but did not meet that obligation. The Palestinians say there is no point negotiating while Israel expands the settlements. Past efforts by the Obama administration have failed to get Israel to halt construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. Israel captured both from Jordan in the 1967 Mideast war. On Saturday, the leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah accused Arab leaders of caving in to US pressure to bring the Palestinians back to peace talks with Israel. Sheik Hassan Nasrallah made the statement after meeting on Friday with the political leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas. A Hezbollah statement said Nasrallah and Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal discussed "the ongoing political movement to resume negotiations under Israeli conditions." It added that this shows "the level of retreat and weakness in the official Arab position facing Israeli dangers and American pressure." Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: infoaparchive.com (ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory. APTN APEX 01-20-10 1408EST ------------------- END -- OF -- ITEM ------------------- AP-APTN-1830: ++Germany Airport Wednesday, 20 January 2010 STORY:++Germany Airport- NEW Part of airport terminal closed after man flees security area LENGTH: 02:07 FIRST RUN: 1830 RESTRICTIONS: See Script TYPE: German/Nats SOURCE: RTL STORY NUMBER: 634087 DATELINE: Munich - 20 Jan 2010 LENGTH: 02:07 RTL - NO ACCESS GERMANY, AUSTRIA (EXCEPT: INFOSCREEN, ATV+), GERMAN-SPEAKING SWITZERLAND (EXCEPT: TELEZUERI), LUXEMBURG AND ALTO ADIGE SHOTLIST: 1. Exterior of Munich airport terminal with police car standing in front 2. Various of security staff checking passengers 3. Mid of board, zoom in to board showing flight delays 4. Wide of security staff standing at escalator, zoom in to officer refusing access to two persons 5. People sitting on the floor waiting in airport terminal, reading, pan to airport staff walking by 6. People waiting in terminal 7. Mid of people playing cards on the floor 8. Various of airport staffer handing out bottles of water to waiting people 9. SOUNDBITE: (German) Vox Pop, name not given, Traveller: "I heard in a traffic report that someone left his laptop (at a terminal) and then ran away. But the report did not say that the airport (terminal) is closed." 10. Staff handing out water, zoom in to display at check in desk 11. People waiting in terminal 12. Mid of clock inside terminal, pull out to people waiting STORYLINE Part of Munich airport was closed for hours on Wednesday as officials searched for a man whose laptop had triggered an alert for possible explosives at a security checkpoint, police said. Federal police said they ordered part of the airport's Terminal 2 closed to look for the man following the incident at 3:30 p.m. (1430 GMT). An airport security instrument alerted officials to possible explosives as the man's laptop was being checked, police said. He then hastily left the scene carrying the computer into the terminal. The alert didn't necessarily mean that there were explosives inside federal police spokesman Albert Poerschke told the German news agency DAPD. Officials wanted to check the computer again, but the man left. Several hundred people were evacuated. Munich airport said the terminal reopened shortly after 6:40 p.m. (1740 GMT) and that more than 100 departures were affected by the scare. Air traffic was expected gradually to return to normal during the evening. It was unclear whether police found the man. There have been comparable security scares this month in the United States. A man who walked through a restricted door and set off an alarm that led to the evacuation of a terminal at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport has told police that he simply went the wrong way. At Newark airport in New Jersey, flights were grounded for hours and passengers were re-screened while officials searched for a man who had walked through the exit of a security checkpoint. Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: infoaparchive.com (ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory. APTN APEX 01-20-10 1422EST ------------------- END -- OF -- ITEM -------------------

AP-APTN-1830 North America Prime News -Final Wednesday, 17 March 2010 North America Prime News MidEast Reax 03:45 AP Clients Only REPLAY Brazilian and Palestinian Presidents meet; Amr Moussa MidEast Clashes 2 03:01 AP Clients Only REPLAY Palestinians clash with Israeli troops; Al-Aqsa prayers, Gaza protest Afghanistan Bus 01:09 AP Clients Only REPLAY Dozens killed in bus accident in Afghan mountains SAfrica Protest 01:35 AP Clients Only REPLAY Rubber bullets fired at demo over court appearance of local rap star ++Pakistan US 02:30 AP Clients Only NEW Pakistan court charges 5 US men with planning attacks, lawyer comment US Ireland 02:16 AP Clients Only REPLAY Obama meets Irish PM and fountain at White House turned green ++US St Patricks 02:25 AP Clients Only NEW Traditional parade on Irish saint's day, gay protest Ireland St Patricks 01:26 No Access Republic of Ireland/Sky REPLAY St Patricks Day celebrations in Waterford France Gameshow 03:17 AP Clients Only REPLAY Fake game show in which participants deliver electric shocks to contestants Finland Beckham 02:03 AP Clients Only REPLAY England footballer leaves clinic following operation on Achilles' tendon B-u-l-l-e-t-i-n begins at 1830 GMT. APEX 03-17-10 1457EDT -----------End of rundown----------- AP-APTN-1830: MidEast Reax Wednesday, 17 March 2010 STORY:MidEast Reax- REPLAY Brazilian and Palestinian Presidents meet; Amr Moussa LENGTH: 03:45 FIRST RUN: 1630 RESTRICTIONS: AP Clients Only TYPE: Arabic/Portuguese/English/Nat SOURCE: AP TELEVISION/POOL STORY NUMBER: 640370 DATELINE: Ramallah/Beirut, 17 March 2010 LENGTH: 03:45 AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY POOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY SHOTLIST (FIRST RUN 1530 NEWS UPDATE - 17 MARCH 2010) AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Ramallah, West Bank 1. Wide of security at presidential compound as convoy carrying Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva starts to arrive 2. Palestinian and Brazilian flags 3. Wide of Silva and his delegation arriving at presidential compound 4. Silva and delegation walking 5. Silva and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas entering room 6. Pull-out as Silva and Abbas walk onto stage for news conference 7. Cutaway of cameraman 8. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian President: "We have no preconditions but what we are demanding from Israel is to implement its obligations in order for us to go ahead with the proximity talks. We are committed to achieve peace through negotiations because there is no other path but the path of negotiations." 9. Wide of news conference 10. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazilian President: ++Pull-out to wide shot during soundbite++ "The time has come to take courageous steps in order to put behind us more than half a century of conflict and hatred. That's why the siege on Gaza must end and the wall (Israel's West Bank separation barrier) must come down because the world can no longer accept the language of walls." 11. Wide of news conference 12. Abbas and Silva during news conference 13. Abbas and Silva shaking hands and hugging at end of news conference 14. Silva getting out of car and shaking hands with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad 15. Various of inauguration ceremony for "Brazil Street" 16. Silva presented with Palestinian keffiyeh (chequered scarf) ++NEW (FIRST RUN 1630 EUROPE PRIME NEWS - 17 MARCH 2010) AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Beirut, Lebanon 17. Wide of Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa meeting Lebanese Foreign Minister Ali al-Shami 18. Moussa talking with al-Shami 19. Mid of al-Shami 20. SOUNDBITE (English) Amr Moussa, Arab League Secretary-General: "It is a situation of fraud. I don't think we are going anywhere. Having seen what the Israelis have done and have said to Senator Mitchell (US MidEast envoy George Mitchell) and to the Vice President of the United States (Joe Biden) and the messages they have sent to us to the Palestinians and to the Arabs that they do not mean business and they do not care about peace. So it is a no go, it is a no go. Therefore we have to reconsider the situation in its entirety. We are going nowhere that way." ++NEW (FIRST RUN 1630 EUROPE PRIME NEWS - 17 MARCH 2010) POOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY Beirut, Lebanon 21. Various of Moussa meeting Lebanese president Michel Suleiman ++NEW (FIRST RUN 1630 EUROPE PRIME NEWS - 17 MARCH 2010) AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Beirut, Lebanon 22. SOUNDBITE (English) Amr Moussa, Arab League Secretary-General: "Let us not talk about President Obama except, in my opinion, except in words of praise because the man has in fact said the right things and tried hard so we continue to appreciate what President Obama tried to do." 23. Various of Moussa meeting Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri STORYLINE Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday said it was time for "courageous steps" to be taken to end the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Silva made the comment in the West Bank town of Ramallah at a joint news conference with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas. Earlier in the day, Silva placed a wreath on the tomb of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, despite criticism from Israel. He also said he supported the Palestinian struggle. Silva told reporters that Israel must end its blockade on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, and tear down the separation barrier that cuts into Palestinian farm lands in the West Bank. "The world can no longer accept the language of walls," he said. The peace process has stalled over Israeli settlement building in the West Bank and east Jerusalem and the refusal by the Palestinians to return to talks until the issue is resolved. The atmosphere was further poisoned last week when Israel announced plans to build 1,600 apartments in disputed east Jerusalem during US Vice President Joe Biden's visit. That triggered the worst US-Israeli diplomatic feud in decades. Abbas on Wednesday welcomed Washington's criticism of Israel, and noted that the Jewish state had committed to stopping all settlement construction under a 2003 peace blueprint known as the "road map." "We have no preconditions but what we are demanding from Israel is to implement its obligations in order for us to go ahead with the proximity talks," Abbas said. Israel says the Palestinians haven't met their road map obligations to root out militants. The Palestinians claim all of the West Bank and east Jerusalem, captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, for a future independent state and say settlements undermine this goal. Netanyahu has offered a 10-month slowdown on West Bank settlement construction in what he says is a gesture to restart peace talks. But the Palestinians say the gesture is insufficient because it does not include east Jerusalem, their hoped-for capital, or 3-thousand homes already being built in the West Bank. Silva also met Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in Ramallah on Wednesday. During the inauguration of 'Brazil Street' outside the Palestinian Authority headquarters, he was presented with a Palestinian keffiyeh, the iconic black-and-white checkered scarf. In light of Israel's new construction plans, the Palestinians have threatened to call off US-mediated talks before they even start. An Arab League advisory committee has already withdrawn its endorsement of the discussions. During a visit to Lebanon on Wednesday, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said it was clear the Israelis "do not mean business". Moussa also defended the part played by US President Barack Obama in attempts to restart peace negotiations. "Let us not talk about President Obama except, in my opinion, except in words of praise because the man has in fact said the right things and tried hard so we continue to appreciate what President Obama tried to do," Moussa told reporters. The US, which has been working for more than a year to get both sides negotiating again, has harshly criticised the latest Israeli construction plan. This week, MidEast envoy George Mitchell called off a trip to the area that had been expected to wrap up preparations for US-mediated talks to begin. Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: infoaparchive.com (ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory. APTN APEX 03-17-10 1434EDT ------------------- END -- OF -- ITEM ------------------- AP-APTN-1830: MidEast Clashes 2 Wednesday, 17 March 2010 STORY:MidEast Clashes 2- REPLAY Palestinians clash with Israeli troops; Al-Aqsa prayers, Gaza protest LENGTH: 03:01 FIRST RUN: 1230 RESTRICTIONS: AP Clients Only TYPE: Natsound SOURCE: AP TELEVISION STORY NUMBER: 640346 DATELINE: Various, 17 March 2010 LENGTH: 03:01 AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY SHOTLIST (FIRST RUN 1230 EUROPE PRIME NEWS - 17 MARCH 2010) Hebron, West Bank 1. Burning tyres and Palestinians on street 2. Palestinian schoolgirl shielding her eyes from tear gas as she and another schoolgirl walk away from scene 3. Schoolchildren running away from area of clashes 4. Wide of protesters running, tear gas on street 5. Israeli military vehicle, Palestinian schoolchildren walking in the foreground 6. Wide of street, protesters and tear gas in the distance 7. Israeli border police officer firing tear gas (FIRST RUN 1030 ME EUROPE PRIME NEWS - 17 MARCH 2010) Beita, West Bank ++AUDIO AS INCOMING++ 8. Wide of Palestinian protesters hurling rocks 9. Israeli border police officer aiming rifle 10. Protesters throwing rocks 11. Wide of protesters behind burning garbage bins, tear gas 12. Protesters throwing rocks 13. Various of Israeli border police running into position (FIRST RUN 1230 EUROPE PRIME NEWS - 17 MARCH 2010) Qalandiya crossing, West Bank 14. Wide of protesters near crossing, plume of black smoke rising from burning tyres on road 15. Israeli border police officer firing tear gas, pan to wide of plume of black smoke 16. Wide of Israeli border police firing tear gas 17. Israeli border police on road, tear gas 18. Various of Israeli border police firing tear gas (FIRST RUN 1230 EUROPE PRIME NEWS - 17 MARCH 2010) Near Nahal Oz crossing, Gaza Strip 19. Wide of demonstration, burning tyres 20. Pull-out of Palestinian youths running away as shots fired by Israeli troops 21. Wide of Israeli military vehicle, demonstrators in foreground 22. Wide of demonstration (FIRST RUN 1230 EUROPE PRIME NEWS - 17 MARCH 2010) Jerusalem 23. Wide of Dome of the Rock 24. Pan of people praying inside Al-Aqsa mosque 25. Close up on man praying 26. Various of people praying 27. Wide exterior of Al-Aqsa mosque compound STORYLINE Palestinians clashed with Israeli troops across the West Bank and Gaza Strip on Wednesday as protesters continued to vent their anger over plans for more Jewish housing in predominantly Arab east Jerusalem. The renewed clashes came a day after riots erupted in parts of east Jerusalem. Police fired tear gas at rock-throwing protesters in the West Bank City of Hebron and the nearby village of Beita. They also clashed with Palestinians at the West Bank's Qalandiya crossing. Schoolchildren in Hebron shielded their eyes as they fled the scene. Demonstrators also confronted Israeli troops near the Gaza Strip's Nahal Oz crossing. The protests came as Israel lifted its strict restrictions on Palestinian access to Jerusalem's holiest shrine and called off an extended West Bank closure after days of clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces. But it kept thousands of police officers on high alert as an uneasy calm settled over the volatile holy city. The violence took place against the backdrop of deep Palestinian frustration over a yearlong standstill in peace talks and dovetailed with the worst US-Israeli diplomatic feud in decades. On Tuesday, the US and Israel signalled that they were trying to move past the breach that opened when Israel announced plans to build 1,600 apartments in disputed east Jerusalem, during Vice President Joe Biden's visit last week. Israel, citing intelligence reports, cancelled the restrictions on Palestinian access to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, Islam's third-holiest shrine, a day after the heaviest violence in months broke out across the city. Hundreds of Palestinians set tyres and garbage bins ablaze and lobbed rocks at Israeli riot police, who responded with rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades. The hilltop compound is also home to Judaism's holiest site, the site of the biblical Jewish temples, known to Jews as Temple Mount. The conflicting claims to the complex make the future of the holy city the most charged issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel captured east Jerusalem in the 1967 MidEast war and immediately annexed the area. Palestinians want east Jerusalem as the capital of a future state. Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: infoaparchive.com (ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory. APTN APEX 03-17-10 1436EDT ------------------- END -- OF -- ITEM ------------------- AP-APTN-1830: Afghanistan Bus Wednesday, 17 March 2010 STORY:Afghanistan Bus- REPLAY Dozens killed in bus accident in Afghan mountains LENGTH: 01:09 FIRST RUN: 1230 RESTRICTIONS: AP Clients Only TYPE: Dari/Nat SOURCE: AP TELEVISION STORY NUMBER: 640356 DATELINE: Doshi district, 17 March 2010 LENGTH: 01:09 ++QUALITY AS INCOMING++ AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY SHOTLIST: 1. Wide of burnt out bus, burnt out vehicle to the left of it and Afghans examining the scene of the crash 2. Mid of locals inside the wreckage of the bus 3. Close up of debris 4. Various of smouldering wreckage of bus 5. SOUNDBITE: (Dari) Abdullah, injured passenger: "We were coming from Kabul, suddenly when we arrived at this place, the brakes for the bus didn't work and it lost control and crushed and damaged some other vehicles passing by and this happened." 6. Mid of police officials inspecting the site 7. Mid shot of wrecked vehicle 8. Mid of police officials 9. Close up of blood stain on ground by tyres 10. Mid of police officials at scene STORYLINE: A bus plunged off a mountain road in Afghanistan's Hindu Kush mountains on Wednesday, catching fire and leaving as many as 35 people dead, though authorities were still pulling burned bodies from the wreckage. A health director in Baghlan province, said the bus picked up speed, struck other vehicles and then plunged off a road near the Salang Pass, a major route through the mountains about 70 miles (115 kilometres) north of the capital, Kabul. He said dozens of people - some of them children - burned to death when the bus caught fire. The Afghan Interior Ministry reported that up to 35 people were killed in the accident just north of the 12,700-foot- (3,800-metre-) high Salang Pass, the site of an avalanche earlier this year that killed more than 170 people. Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: infoaparchive.com (ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory. APTN APEX 03-17-10 1437EDT ------------------- END -- OF -- ITEM ------------------- AP-APTN-1830: SAfrica Protest Wednesday, 17 March 2010 STORY:SAfrica Protest- REPLAY Rubber bullets fired at demo over court appearance of local rap star LENGTH: 01:35 FIRST RUN: 1430 RESTRICTIONS: AP Clients Only TYPE: Natsound SOURCE: AP TELEVISION STORY NUMBER: 640365 DATELINE: Soweto - 17 Mar 2010 LENGTH: 01:35 AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY SHOTLIST: 1. Schoolchildren outside Protea Magistrate's Court awaiting arrival of local rap star, Jub Jub, zoom-in to girl holding placard reading (English) "No Bail" (Afrikaans) "Geen Borg" (translation: No Bail) (English) "4 the 2 racers. End of the Road." 2. Pull-out of youths throwing rocks and debris, UPSOUND gun shot, pan to police firing rubber bullets at the children 3. Various of police firing rubber bullets towards protesters 4. Zoom-in to protesters dispersing as police vehicle arrives 5. Police on road, pan to protesters in the distance 6. Protesters running and dropping street sign on road 7. Policeman holding protester down as another policeman administers what looks like pepper spray, rock lands in nearby stream 8. Police helicopter flying overhead 9. Police firing rubber bullets at protesters 10. Arrested youth from shot 7 being held by policeman, UPSOUND (Zulu) "I can't see, I can't see" 11. Car with broken windows 12. Broken car window 13. Wide of police vehicles passing protesters outside court STORYLINE: South African police fired rubber bullets at a crowd of youths who gathered on Wednesday outside a Soweto magistrate's court to voice their grievances at a local rapper charged with the murder of four Soweto schoolchildren. Up to 2,000 children massed outside the Protea courthouse for the bail hearing of Jub Jub, who's accused of driving his car into a group of children walking home from school earlier this month. Four of the children died at the scene of the accident and two remain critically injured. After the bail hearing was postponed until Thursday, the angry youths started throwing rocks and debris at the police. The police retaliated by firing rubber bullets into the crowds, which rapidly dispersed, only to reform and continue hurling debris at the police. Several of the protesters were arrested, and police were seen administering pepper spray to those who resisted. A number of vehicles, including a police car, were damaged in the confrontation. There were no reports of serious casualties. Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: infoaparchive.com (ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory. APTN APEX 03-17-10 1446EDT ------------------- END -- OF -- ITEM ------------------- AP-APTN-1830: ++Pakistan US Wednesday, 17 March 2010 STORY:++Pakistan US- NEW Pakistan court charges 5 US men with planning attacks, lawyer comment LENGTH: 01:07 FIRST RUN: 1830 RESTRICTIONS: AP Clients Only TYPE: English/Nat SOURCE: AP TELEVISION STORY NUMBER: 640401 DATELINE: Sargodha - 17 Mar 2010 LENGTH: 01:07 ++CLIENTS PLEASE NOTE: EDIT UPDATED WITH IMPROVED AUDIO LEVELS++ AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY SHOTLIST: March 10, 2010 1. Wide exterior of Sargodha prison where hearing was held, security in foreground 2. Close up of security at main prison gate 3. Close up of Sargodha prison sign board March 17, 2010 4. Set up of defence lawyer for charged Americans, Hasan Dastagir 5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Hasan Dastagir, defence lawyer for charged Americans: "Charge has been framed against all the accused today in the anti-terrorism court Sargodha. The charge relates to five offences." 6. Dastagir at his desk 7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Hasan Dastagir, defence lawyer for charged Americans: "Directing each other to commit terrorist acts, the offence adds that all of these accused directed each other to commit acts of terrorism. The maximum punishment available for this offence, under section 11v of Anti-terrorism Act 1997 is basically life imprisonment." March 10, 2010 8. Vehicles leaving prison 9. Wide exterior of prison main gate STORYLINE: A Pakistani court charged five young Americans on Wednesday with planning 'terrorist attacks' in the South Asian country and conspiring to wage war against nations allied with Pakistan, their defence lawyer said. The men - all Muslims from the Washington suburb of Alexandria, Virginia - pleaded not guilty to a total of five charges, the most severe of which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, defence lawyer Hasan Dastagir told The Associated Press. The men, all in their late teens or early 20s, were charged by an anti-terrorism court inside a prison in Sargodha, the city in Punjab province where they were arrested in December. They were reported missing by their families in November after one left behind a farewell video showing scenes of war and casualties and saying Muslims must be defended. Their lawyer has said they were heading to Afghanistan and had no plans to stage attacks inside Pakistan. The court also charged the men with planning attacks on Afghan and US territory, said Dastagir. The charges did not specify what was meant by US territory but could be a reference to American bases or diplomatic outposts in Afghanistan. The men also were charged with contributing cash to banned organisations to be used for extremism and with directing each other to commit extremist acts. "Directing each other to commit terrorist acts, the offence adds that all of these accused directed each other to commit acts of terrorism. The maximum punishment available for this offence, under section 11v of Anti-terrorism Act 1997 is basically life imprisonment," Dastagir said. The trial will begin on March 31, and the prosecution is slated to present more than 20 witnesses, Dastagir said. The defence plans to bring witnesses from the US and provide evidence of community service carried out by the men back home, Dastagir said. Pakistani police have publicly made several accusations against the young men, claiming the suspects contacted Pakistani-based jihadi groups. They accused the five of using the social networking site Facebook and video-sharing site YouTube while they were in the US to try to connect with extremist groups in Pakistan. During past court hearings, the men have claimed they were tortured by Pakistani police and FBI agents. Pakistan and the US have denied those allegations. The US has pressed an often-reluctant Pakistan to crack down on militants in its territory, many of whom are believed involved in attacks on American and NATO forces across the border in Afghanistan. At the same time, several recent cases have highlighted incidences of foreigners signing up to join the insurgents on both sides of the border. The men have been identified as Ramy Zamzam of Egyptian descent, Waqar Khan and Umar Farooq of Pakistani descent, and Aman Hassan Yemer and Ahmed Minni of Ethiopian descent. Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: infoaparchive.com (ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory. APTN APEX 03-17-10 1602EDT ------------------- END -- OF -- ITEM ------------------- AP-APTN-1830: US Ireland Wednesday, 17 March 2010 STORY:US Ireland- REPLAY Obama meets Irish PM and fountain at White House turned green LENGTH: 02:16 FIRST RUN: 1630 RESTRICTIONS: AP Clients Only TYPE: English/Natsound SOURCE: AP TELEVISION STORY NUMBER: 640372 DATELINE: Washington, DC, 17 March 2010 LENGTH: 02:16 AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY SHOTLIST: 1. US President Barack Obama and Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen sitting in Oval Office 2. Cutaway of camera crews and reporters 3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Barack Obama, US President: "It's a testament, I think, to how close our two countries are that America has been shaped culturally, politically, economically by the incredible contributions of Irish Americans. Those bonds endure and in our meeting we reaffirmed how important it is for us to continue a strong partnership across a whole host of issues." 4. Cutaway of camera crews and reporters 5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Barack Obama, US President: "We also discussed the economy and on both sides of the Atlantic, we are seeing stabilisation of the economy but obviously we want more than just stabilisation, there are a lot of people out there who are still hurting, still out of work. And so, we will continue to coordinate in international fora (forums) as well as bilaterally to see how we can spur investment and private sector growth on both sides of the Atlantic." 6. Cutaway of members of the Irish delegation 7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Brian Cowen, Irish Prime Minister: "And certainly, the level of cooperation and common cause we enjoy together in terms of the issues of the day and the economy, and how we can ensure that our economies recover as quickly as possible is something that's very important to both our countries, and certainly in Ireland's context, the resurgent US economy will be a strong indicator of our return to prosperity." 8. Mid shot of Obama and Cowen shaking hands 9. Wide exterior of White House with green fountain 10. Mid view of White House with green fountain STORYLINE: US President Barack Obama celebrated St. Patrick's Day by welcoming Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen to the Oval Office and joking it was the one day in America when everyone was Irish. Following the meeting, both leaders stressed the interconnection of the US and Irish economies and the importance of economic recovery on both sides of the Atlantic. Obama also thanked Cowen for Ireland's military cooperation and noted its efforts to help the global economy recover from financial turmoil. Later on Wednesday, Obama planned to host a St. Patrick's Day reception at the White House. Cowen said Obama was welcome to visit Ireland anytime. In the grounds of the White House St Patrick's Day also made its mark; the water in the fountain was turned green, reportedly at First Lady Michelle Obama's request. Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: infoaparchive.com (ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory. APTN APEX 03-17-10 1439EDT ------------------- END -- OF -- ITEM ------------------- AP-APTN-1830: ++US St Patricks Wednesday, 17 March 2010 STORY:++US St Patricks- NEW Traditional parade on Irish saint's day, gay protest LENGTH: 02:25 FIRST RUN: 1830 RESTRICTIONS: AP Clients Only TYPE: English/Nat SOURCE: AP TELEVISION STORY NUMBER: 640391 DATELINE: New York - 17 Mar 2010 LENGTH: 02:25 AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY SHOTLIST: 1. Wide low angle shot of New York Police marching 2. Mid of bagpipe players 3. Close-up of drummer 4. Wide of New York Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Ray Kelly as the Parade Grand Marshall 5. Kelly in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral 6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Ray Kelly, NYPD Commissioner and Parade Grand Marshall: "Well, it feels terrific and I'm usually in this parade every year, so it's not going to be that unusual. But obviously being in this position, it's going to be unique in that respect. Looking forward to it, ready to go almost." 7. Wide of police marching band 8. Wide of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg walking through parade 9. Close-up of parade attendees dressed in green 10. Pan of people watching the parade, some wearing green hats, waving Irish flags 11. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mike McCarthy, tourist from England: "It's the most fantastic city in the world, best place to be on St. Patrick's Day." 12. Close-up of girls at parade, screaming 13. SOUNDBITE: (English) Cortney Norman, New York resident: "It's exciting. It's great to be here with everyone and everyone in the city and getting together and dressing up and being ridiculous and it's a good time." 14. Wide of bagpipers and drummers marching 15. Gay protesters holding placards 16. SOUNDBITE: (English) Rich Murray, protester: "It's got a great tradition, but one of those traditions isn't so great and that needs to go away." 17. Close-up of gay protest placards 18. Protesters holding placards and chanting (English) "Let us march" STORYLINE: New York City parade-goers wearing kilts and green body paint led the world in celebrating St. Patrick on Wednesday along sun-warmed parade routes in gatherings large and small. As many as a quarter of a million marchers headed up Manhattan's Fifth Avenue for the world's oldest and largest St. Patrick's Day parade, just as crowds gathered along parade routes in Dublin and cities around the country to mark the emerald-hued holiday. "It's the most fantastic city in the world," said Mike McCarthy, a tourist visiting from England, "best place to be on St. Patrick's Day." It was expected to be a mix of light-hearted cheer and serious politics at the White House, where US President Barack Obama was meeting with Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen. The embrace of Irish heritage and culture in New York City includes bands, bagpipes and grand marshall Ray Kelly, the city's police commissioner. "I'm usually in this parade every year, so it's not going to be that unusual," said Kelly, "But obviously being in this position, it's going to be unique in that respect." The 249th St. Patrick's Day extravaganza will be the last of New York City's world-famous parades to take place before new restrictions go into effect April 1 requiring all parades to be shorter to save money. The St. Patrick's Day parade runs about 2.1 miles (3.4 kilometres) from 44th Street to 86th Street and is typically a six-hour celebration. With the sun shining and favourable temperatures, a large turnout was expected in New York City. Parade participants on Wednesday included the "Fighting 69th," a New York National Guard unit whose history stretches to the US Civil War when immigrants made up the so-called "Irish Brigade" of the Union Army. Governor David Paterson and Mayor Michael Bloomberg attended Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral before the parade. Representatives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender groups were not allowed to participate in the march - at least, not under their own banner. Some gathered in protest chanting "Let us march". Members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, who run the nation's biggest St. Patrick's Day celebration, say they may invite whomever they please. Bloomberg favours inclusion but still planned to participate. The day is named after St. Patrick, who introduced Christianity to Ireland about 1,500 years ago and became the country's patron saint. Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: infoaparchive.com (ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory. APTN APEX 03-17-10 1529EDT ------------------- END -- OF -- ITEM ------------------- AP-APTN-1830: Ireland St Patricks Wednesday, 17 March 2010 STORY:Ireland St Patricks- REPLAY St Patricks Day celebrations in Waterford LENGTH: 01:26 FIRST RUN: 1630 RESTRICTIONS: No Access Republic of Ireland/Sky TYPE: Natsound SOURCE: RTE STORY NUMBER: 640363 DATELINE: Waterford, March 17 2010 LENGTH: 01:26 RTE - NO ACCESS REPUBLIC OF IRELAND/SKY SHOTLIST: 1. Top shot of crowd watching parade go past Waterford Castle 2. Mid of women and children in crowd 3. Two women waving Irish flag 4. Close up of dignitaries waving from car window 5. Low angle shot of motorbike club parade 6. Group of girls in the crowd cheering and waving 7. Family waving, child wearing green hat 8. Dignitaries in crowd 9. Close up of biker with green beard 10. Parade in progress, people in various costumes 11. Man with parrot 12. Various of parade STORYLINE: Much of the world is turning green on Wednesday for St. Patrick's Day, the annual celebration of all hues of Irishness. In Waterford, the main city of the south-east of Ireland, hundreds of people lined the streets to watch brightly dressed performers, dancers, and a group from a motorbike club in a traditional parade. Young and old gathered to enjoy the festivities, many dressed in green and some waving Irish flags. In the Irish capital, more than a half-million people lined the three kilometre (two mile) route of the flagship Dublin parade beneath unusually sunny skies. This year Ireland is pushing itself especially hard as a tourist destination as the country faces its worst recession since the Great Depression, with double-digit unemployment and net emigration back for the first time in 15 years. St. Patrick's Day is Ireland's first major tourist event of the year, packing hotels and pubs with visitors seeking an all-night party. Ireland's week long festival gets bigger each year, with more than 100 parades on Wednesday in cities, towns and villages across the island of six (m) million. The Tourism Ireland agency wangled a deal for major world landmarks - including the Sydney Opera House, London Eye, Toronto's CN Tower and New York's Empire State Building - to be bathed in green floodlights as part of a marketing push on four continents. Virtually the entire Irish government left the country this week to press the flesh of foreign leaders and corporate kingpins in 23 countries, particularly in the United States, in hopes of rekindling the investment wave that fuelled Ireland's lost Celtic Tiger boom of 1994-2007. Prime Minister Brian Cowen was meeting US President Barack Obama at the White House, continuing Ireland's unique tradition of annual access to the most powerful man on earth. The Catholic Church in Ireland faced this St. Patrick's Day under unprecedented pressure over its reluctant admissions of covering up child abuse for decades. Several hundred faithful inside St. Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh, Northern Ireland, gave him a standing ovation. Other Irish Catholic leaders sought to remind revellers of the true story of Patrick: a Briton enslaved in his youth in Ireland who returned to spread Christianity throughout the pagan land in the 5th Century. Bishop Seamus Hegarty called for prayers for immigrants - both the Irish seeking jobs overseas and the Emerald Isle's own tens of thousands of newcomers from Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia who often work the longest hours for least pay. Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: infoaparchive.com (ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory. APTN APEX 03-17-10 1441EDT ------------------- END -- OF -- ITEM ------------------- AP-APTN-1830: France Gameshow Wednesday, 17 March 2010 STORY:France Gameshow- REPLAY Fake game show in which participants deliver electric shocks to contestants LENGTH: 03:17 FIRST RUN: 1730 RESTRICTIONS: AP Clients Only TYPE: English/French/Nat SOURCE: AP TELEVISION/France 2 STORY NUMBER: 640373 DATELINE: Paris, 17 March 2010 LENGTH: 03:17 ++CLIENTS PLEASE NOTE: UPDATED SCRIPT++ AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY FRANCE 2 - AP CLIENTS ONLY SHOTLIST: FRANCE 2 - CLIP FROM FRANCE 2 DOCUMENTARY "GAME OF DEATH" - AP CLIENTS ONLY 1. Various clips from France2 documentary "Game of Death" starting with the set of the fake game show followed by woman portraying the host of the game show telling the contestants that the answer was wrong, and then the actor portraying a contestant undergoing fake electric shocks, followed by the fake host of the show persuading a contestant to carry on inflicting pain on the fake contestant. AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY 2. Wide set up shot of Christophe Nick, Producer of "The Game of Death" 3. SOUNDBITE: (French) Christophe Nick, Producer of "The Game of Death": "The people didn't want to do it. What is striking in the film even more so than in Miligram's (experiment) is that we see that they did everything to stop (inflicting pain). Some of them cheat, some of them beg the authority saying 'Listen to him, he's telling you to stop, give the order to stop.' Naturally, the authority gives the order to carry on and and at some point, the people lost the ability to resist the authority and give themselves over. That's what is terrifying about this experience: We realise that we think freedom of will and that we are responsible for our actions, but there are structures of power that can make us do things against our will." FRANCE 2 - CLIP FROM FRANCE 2 DOCUMENTARY "GAME OF DEATH" - AP CLIENTS ONLY 4. Montage showing the contestants hands increasing the voltage level on the actor portraying a participant in the game show and the actor appears to be suffering tremendous pain AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY 5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Christophe Nick, Producer of "The Game of Death": "Most of us think we are free thinking so that we are responsible for our acts. This experience shows that in certain circumstances, a power, the TV in this case, is able to make you do something you don't want to do. And even if you think 'I don't have to do it,' you are not able, because we are not armed to struggle in front of that." 6. Front pages of Le Parisien and Liberation about this documentary 7. Close up of Liberation "Television: Polemic around "The Game of Death" 8. SOUNDBITE: (French) Christophe Nick, Producer of "The Game of Death": "We had a screening of the film for the participants and they came with their families. Some of them told me that the following day at work they stopped obeying their boss because they couldn't stand their boss anymore. Another said, my husband is not the same anymore. There is no more obedience. Yet another said afterwards he was able to come out of the closet, he told his family that he was homosexual because (quoting contestant) 'I realised that I was living under a form of obedience for a long time'." 9. Tilt down from bookcase to psychologist Jacques Selemin, Psychologist and Historian 10. SOUNDBITE: (French) Jacques Selemin, Psychologist and Historian: "What Christophe Nick's team shows is not only our submission to authority, it is about the ease with which we behave differently from what we consider to be our values under particular circumstances." FRANCE 2 - CLIP FROM FRANCE 2 DOCUMENTARY "GAME OF DEATH" - AP CLIENTS ONLY 11. Various of fake contestant getting into a chamber where he'll receive electric shocks when providing the wrong answer STORYLINE: This French reality TV is for keeps, so it would seem. The state-run France 2 channel is making headlines with a documentary about a fake game show in which credulous participants obey orders to deliver increasingly powerful electric shocks to a man, who is really an actor, until he appears to die. The producer of "The Game of Death," set to air on Wednesday night, wanted to examine both TV's mind-numbing power to suspend morality that people might otherwise have, and the striking human willingness to obey. "Most of us think we are free thinking so that we are responsible for our acts. This experience shows that in certain circumstances, a power, the TV in this case, is able to make you do something you don't want to do," Christophe Nick, the producer, said. In the end, more than four in five "players" gave the maximum jolt. "People never would have obeyed if they didn't have trust," Nick was quoted as saying in the paper's Wednesday edition. "They told themselves, 'TV knows what it's doing.'" While The Game of Death is mainly an indictment of television's alleged rush to riches, Nick also takes issue with viewers who let themselves get taken in today's TV universe - such as with talk shows. "People are put on a set, where they speak even about their sexual problems," he told Le Parisien. "We wait for the admission, the flaw. Faced with exhibitionists, TV viewers have become voyeurs." The experiment was based on the work of late psychologist Stanley Milgram, who carried out a now-classic experiment at Yale University in the 1960s. It found that most ordinary people - if encouraged by an authoritative-seeming scientist - would administer ostensibly dangerous electric shocks to others. At its root, both Milgram's work and the experiment unearth a question many people worldwide have contemplated after 20th-century genocides like the Holocaust: Would I, too, be capable of following orders to inflict pain - or even kill? France-2 bills the fake game show as the subject of a sociological and psychological documentary, and it comes with a warning: "What we are going to watch is extremely tough. But it's only television." Recruiters found 80 "contestants" and said they would take part in a real TV show called Zone Xtreme. Each was presented to a man said to be another contestant - but really an actor - whose job was to answer a series of questions while strapped into an electrifiable chair in an isolated booth. In a game of word associations, the actor identified as "Jean-Paul" was told that any wrong answers would merit punishment in the form of electric shocks of 20 to 460 volts, zapped by a console operated by the contestant. As the wrong answers invariably roll in and the voltage increases, the presenter, a well-known TV weather woman on France-2, at times exhorts contestants not to bend to his cries of agony, and says the production house takes all responsibility. A goading studio audience adds to the pressure. According to a book on the experiment, "L'Experience Extreme" (The Extreme Experiment"), at times Jean-Paul pleads: "Mr. Producer, get me out of here, please! I don't want to play anymore" - which apparently wasn't enough to get most contestants to walk away. In the final tally, 81 percent of the contestants turned up the alleged electrical current to the maximum - said to be potentially deadly - level, according to the book. Only 16 people among the 80 who took part backed out. Nick said the experience was an awakening for many participants. "People were convinced that they'd never succumb to this - and then they discovered they did it in spite of themselves," Nick said, referring to the participants. The experience, he said, continued to effect participants even after it was over. Some grew bolder about standing up to their bosses, or admitted their homosexuality to their families, he said. "For many, it changed their lives," Nick said. Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: infoaparchive.com (ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory. APTN APEX 03-17-10 1442EDT ------------------- END -- OF -- ITEM ------------------- AP-APTN-1830: Finland Beckham Wednesday, 17 March 2010 STORY:Finland Beckham- REPLAY England footballer leaves clinic following operation on Achilles' tendon LENGTH: 02:03 FIRST RUN: 1430 RESTRICTIONS: AP Clients Only TYPE: Natsound SOURCE: AP TELEVISION STORY NUMBER: 640361 DATELINE: Turku, 17 March 2010 LENGTH: 02:03 AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY SHOTLIST 1. Freeze frame shot of English footballer David Beckham and wife Victoria Beckham inside car 2. David Beckham surrounded by media getting inside car 3. Photographers taking pictures of the Beckhams inside the car 4. Close up of Victoria Beckham inside car 5. Various of car leaving 6. Shots 2 to 5 repeated in SLOW MOTION STORYLINE David Beckham and his wife Victoria left Finland on Wednesday on a private jet to London, two days after the former England captain had surgery for a torn Achilles' tendon. Police pushed back dozens of shouting fans as the couple got into a silver Volkswagen van parked outside the clinic in southwestern Finland just before 2 p.m. (1200 GMT). Photographers also surrounded the vehicle and the couple could be seen inside, lit by camera flashes. Escorted by two police cars, they were taken to the local airport. The plane carrying the couple took off in a light snow shower shortly after they arrived from the clinic where Beckham had surgery on his left foot. The injury will keep him sidelined for about six months, meaning he will miss the World Cup in South Africa. The couple made no comments as they left, and it wasn't immediately clear where they were heading. Beckham's doctor, who had earlier said they would likely travel to London and later to the United States, said on Wednesday he had no idea where the couple were flying to. Sakari Orava, the orthopaedic surgeon who performed the operation said Beckham was well and in a good mood. The 34-year-old Beckham tore his left Achilles' tendon when playing for AC Milan on Sunday and underwent surgery in Turku on Monday. Before Beckham's departure, Orava and medical teams reviewed a rehabilitation programme he had planned for the midfielder. Beckham, who flew to the Mehilainen Clinic in Turku on Monday, was joined a day later by his wife, Victoria who also spent the night at the clinic. Orava said Beckham's tendon was totally torn, ruling out his hopes of playing in his fourth World Cup. The tournament starts June 11 in South Africa. AC Milan said Beckham would begin rehabilitation right away. Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: infoaparchive.com (ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory. APTN APEX 03-17-10 1444EDT ------------------- END -- OF -- ITEM -------------------

1000 WH KELLYANNE CONWAY BRIEFING ROOM CUTS FS33 80 CONWAY: Good morning. Thank you for being here. We come before you bearing good news. For the first time in four years, life expectancy in the United States of America has increased. And for the first time in 29 years, the number of drug overdose deaths has decreased. This has not happened through coincidence. It's happened through causation. It's owing in large part to a whole-of-government approach to treat the whole person, led by President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and really, the entire administration. Nearly 70,000 of our fellow Americans died from an overdose last year, and 48,000 of those involved opioids. About 70 percent of those deaths also involved some type of synthetic opioid, most prominently fentanyl, which could be an instant killer. A couple of tiny grains are a lethal dose. We've met with first responders, parents who have lost children, people in recovery, people who are running recovery centers. We've met with mothers whose babies were born chemically dependent. And we certainly have met with health professionals. All of them have shared stories of loss but, increasingly, of courage and recovery. This is a crisis that we call the "crisis next door," because we want people to know, from the beginning, that the silence and stigma that it tends to -- many people, it prevents them from seeking out the kind of treatment and help that is available to them is a very big priority for us -- busting through that stigma and silence. We also want to make clear, in this crisis next door, that it is indiscriminate. It affects all races, socioeconomic status, gender, age, and certainly other affiliations. If the crisis is indiscriminate, then the response must be indiscriminate. And that's why, in addition to everything that the President and the First Lady and the administration have done, I wanted to share with you, as a reflection, what I consider to be the most robust and significant bipartisan accomplishment of the President's first term: H.R.6, the SUPPORT Act. The President signed it into law following overwhelmingly unanimous support from every Democrat who voted for it in the House and the Senate. This overwhelmingly bipartisan action has led to an increase in the money and awareness on the opioid and poly-drug crisis. Features of the SUPPORT Act include the CRIB Act, where there is more money and more action for those neonatal abstinence syndrome babies that I mentioned before. Medical professionals tell us it's best to keep the mother -- it's best for the mother and it's best for the baby to keep them together. And, increasingly, that is happening. Also, the nearly $3.7 billion in new grants put forth by the administration have made a real difference in our municipalities. The STOP Act has helped us increase the number of seizures of fentanyl and other synthetic opiates coming through our mail. It's up to about 38 percent, and we have a goal, if not a mandate, of 100 percent. Let me go through a couple of the numbers: 4.1 percent overdose death decline overall in our nation. And that is the first time in 29 years -- nearly three decades. But in some of the hardest-hit states, we're off a peak of over 20 percent: 19 percent in Pennsylvania, 22 percent decline over the peak high in Ohio, 11 percent in West Virginia, 14 percent in Minnesota, 7 percent in North Carolina -- just to highlight a few of them. Also, the Customs and Border Protection in the last fiscal year increased the seizures of fentanyl by 21 percent. We also launched a targeted ad campaign geared at youth that was seen by over 1.4 billion views and over 58 percent. In fact, the longer documentary type won an Emmy. Naloxone prescriptions have increased over 400 percent. Our Surgeon General, in April of 2018, issued the first advisory by a surgeon general in over a decade. And Dr. Adams said at the time: We need to have naloxone more available to our first responders, to our health professionals, to our school systems, libraries, YMCAs and the rest, but also to each and every one of us. The Surgeon General says, if each of us were to carry naloxone on our person, we too can be part of the solution, reversing these overdose deaths by administering this overdose-reversing medication. Last night, Congress passed a 15-month extension of the current emergency scheduling of fentanyl analogues. This is a critical tool for law enforcement because it allows them to continue to detect, analyze, and handle safely and effectively this very lethal drug. In our effort to focus on prevention education, treatment and recovery, law enforcement interdiction, I'm also happy to report that we have record back-to-back-to-back-to-back collections on Take Back Day. And I do want to credit our partners, like Google, who have been incredibly helpful to us in raising awareness and action among the public in understanding how to safely and broadly dispose of your unused, unneeded expired drugs. In addition to Take Back Day, the prescriptions of high-dose opioids have fallen by over 32 percent since the President came into office. If you need the pain medication, it will be there. People are walking around with what's left from a bottle of 30, 40 pills, and that's where some of the peril begins. In addition, we launched FindTreatment.gov -- a completely overhauled tool for every American to access so that they can customize finding treatment for their needs. You can customize it by age, by geography, whether you're veteran, by LGBT, certainly by gender. And this promotes quality over quantity. When you type it in and you customize it, you can find treatment centers that are best for you. Maybe you need to be there for a short amount of time. Maybe you need to be there in-patient, out-patient. Maybe you need to be there a longer amount of time. You can customize that quite confidentially. From 1999 to 2015, the government reported a 20 percent reduction in our workforce due to opioid and other drug abuse and addiction. A 20 percent decline over 16 years. I'm happy to report that because we've invested over $100 million in displaced worker grants across 17 states in the Cherokee Nation, those numbers are moving. We are trying to treat the whole person, not just check in person. We got you in drug court; we got you in drug treatment. Isn't that terrific. It's really terrific if we can them help them acquire employment, education, skills, training, and certainly housing, on the way to full recovery. There is so much more work to be done. We're very pleased that the overdose deaths have declined, but 68,000 of our fellow Americans died last year from drug overdose. That's 68,000 too many. If you look at the Super Bowl this coming Sunday, that number could be represented by every single seat with 3,000 left over at the Super Bowl this coming Sunday -- just to give you the actual enormity of the problem. We will continue to fight this every single day, and we will continue to make the investments of money, of time, of education. And with that, I'd love to turn this over to Director Jim Carroll of the Office of National Drug Control Policy and then Admiral Giroir, the Assistant Secretary for Health of the United States of America. Thank you very much. Jim? CARROLL: Thank you, Kellyanne. A couple of years ago, when President Trump and I first talked about me taking the job as the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy and serving as his drug czar, he instructed me to be relentless in our efforts to save lives. And that's exactly what we've done to tackle this drug problem here in the United States. The good news that we're announcing today is a testament to the President and his leadership on this issue. It's an example of what can happen when we come together and apply that whole-of-government approach. The obstacles we face could not be greater, but through our efforts on prevention, treatment and recovery, and reducing availability, we've made real progress for the American people -- which we not only want to sustain, we want to accelerate. Kellyanne discussed how we got here and what these numbers mean. Admiral Giroir will discuss the incredible headway we're making with getting people into treatment. But I want to highlight the progress that we have made with our international partners and our law enforcement who are critical in reducing the supply of these dangerous drugs. Back at the G20 Summit in 2018, President Trump raised the issue of fentanyl production with the head of China and demanded a solution. He made it clear that the United States would not tolerate the flow of fentanyl and other deadly synthetic drugs coming into our country. Because of this, in May 2019, China scheduled fentanyl and other similar analogues, such as controlled substances, which was a historic and significant event. Last night, the House of the Representatives passed a 15-month extension on the ban in scheduling of fentanyl, but a long-term solution is still needed. In September of 2019, I led a White House delegation to Beijing to ensure that China was keeping up with their commitment to President Trump. The Chinese government agreed to improve the legal framework, agreed to improve their standards for prosecution for fentanyl-related trafficking, and established law enforcement methods there that were not heard of before. In every meeting I had with the Chinese, my counterpart said they heard the President loud and clear: that the flow of fentanyl into the United States was not tolerated. Since then, the Chinese officials have invited our U.S. counterparts back there to watch the first-ever prosecutions of Chinese nationals for trafficking drugs into the United States. This progress, combined with President Trump's commitment to secure our southwest border -- which is critical to stopping the flow of drugs into our country -- brings together several lines of effort that will serve to keep Americans safe from the dangers of illicit drugs. A wall acts as a force multiplier for our Border Patrol agents, and is one of the many tools that we are using to counter drug traffickers. Taking the steps towards the humanitarian crisis at our southern border has also been critical to keeping those drugs out of the country. The more men and women we have in uniform, the more that we have on line, the more that are stopping these traffickers -- the greater chance we have of saving lives. The Department of Justice has played a critical role in this, as they have been cracking down in unprecedented numbers on drug traffickers. Under President Trump, the DOJ has ramped up trafficking prosecutions -- not only here domestically, but internationally. Under this administration, the U.S. Treasury Department has made more kingpin designations against operators of distributors in foreign countries. The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas that we fund out of the White House here -- which provides assistance to federal, state, and local drug task forces -- has received unprecedented funding from this administration, and that is beginning to show and is part of the paradigm shift that we're seeing. These HIDTA initiatives, for example, have dismantled 3,000 drug trafficking organizations, they've removed $16.5 billion of illicit drugs off our streets, and they have made nearly 99,000 arrests of drug traffickers. In 2018, we even added, for the first time in 17 years, the first new HIDTA to make sure that we're tackling this. The men and women of law enforcement, whether they're in uniform or not, are playing this vital role and putting their lives on the line every day. What this shows is the President's efforts are working and we are saving lives. Before I turn this over to Admiral Giroir, I want to ask that when you're reporting on this issue, that when you're reporting on these numbers, that numbers are really just part of the story. Behind each of these numbers is a person, is a child, is a mom, a dad, someone whose loss has left a great mourning in a family. I was with three parents yesterday who had lost their child to an overdose. Today, we remember Jason, Amber, and Eddie, and all of the other people that we have lost. And we continue this fight in their honor to make sure that we fulfill the President's commitment to save American lives. And with that, I'll turn it over to my friend, Admiral Giroir. GIROIR: Thank you very much, Director Carroll. Again, I'm Brett Giroir. I'm the Assistant Secretary for Health at the Department of Health and Human Services. I'm also Secretary Azar's principal advisor on opioid policy, and I've been that for about two years. And I'm honored to wear the uniform of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. What we see today is no accident. This is the result of an intentional whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach to overuse -- to over- -- to opioid use disorders and other substance use disorders. First of all, we recognize this as the public health emergency as it is. And as such, we have focused on many different areas to yield these results. First, as Kellyanne said, the number of opioids that have been produced -- the total amount of opioids that have been prescribed since January 2017 is reduced by 30 percent nationally. And we have been able to do that while preserving and expanding options for pain control for those who truly are in chronic pain or have debilitating injuries. Secondly, we've approached this as a public health emergency, because addiction -- opioid use disorder -- is a chronic brain disease. We have unprecedented numbers of individuals who are now receiving treatment. Our estimates are over 1.3 million individuals are now on medication-assisted treatment, and they're also getting the psycho-behavioral support and wrap-around services that they need. You heard about naloxone -- very, very important because everybody deserves a second chance at life. You have the power. I hope all of you in the media carry naloxone with you. It's very easy. You can save a life, give a person a second chance. This has resulted in, as you heard, a 4.1 percent decrease in the number of deaths and a 4.6 percent decrease in the actual overdose age-adjusted mortality rate. Very important. A couple comments on the overall longevity. I have been shocked. Everyone in the public health community has been shocked that over the three years, previously, our longevity has decreased. That really means that our children and grandchildren will live less long and less quality of lives than we have. This is shocking, and we have not seen this since the height of the AIDS epidemic in the '90s. This has been reversed. We're now on the trajectory of increasing years of longevity, and that's associated with a number of things. What does that mean? It's only one-tenth of a year, but that's 25 million person years we just gained by this increase in longevity. And the good news is the preliminary data from quarter one into quarter two of 2019 is our mortality rates continue to drop. Now, I want to talk about all the Health and Human Services issues like treatment, like prevention, but I do want to mention the social determinants of health that are very important. There was a nationwide study in December, published in JAMA, that highlighted what we all know: When an auto plant closes, opioid mortality rate among the young goes up 85 percent. We have to keep our eye on those socioeconomic issues and everything that we're doing to increase employment, increase opportunity. These all directly affect the rates that we see and that we celebrate today. And the final thing is, we are not taking our foot off the gas. We understand that this is a dynamic issue -- opioid use disorder, other use disorders -- and it's being fueled by transnational cartels. So we are going to keep working together. We work weekly, daily, together across the government to make sure we continue a whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach. CONWAY: Thank you. Any questions? Kristen? QUESTION: Kellyanne, a couple of questions. How should we think about this moment? Is this, in fact, a turning point? As you point out, the rate is still very high, but do you see this as a turning point? And I have a couple of other ones. CONWAY: Sure. I'll have my colleagues speak to that as well, Kristen. It's a turning point and we hope it becomes a trend. So what we're doing is working, and it is a multifaceted approach. So I can't say it's just law enforcement and surveillance, or Customs and Border Protection; it's just a new treatment locator; it's just Take Back day and more education -- that that tiny little bottle that bears a label of the family doc and local pharmacy that was prescribed to help someone could, in fact, be very dangerous in the wrong hands, or even in your own hands, if you're the prescribe [sic], if you use it for purposes other than why it was prescribed. So we want to keep and redouble our efforts. We certainly hope that we can count on continued bipartisan action and agreement on this, because as I said earlier and I'll repeat here: H.R.6 had every single Democratic vote in the House and the Senate, including all the people in the House and the Senate running for President. So there is tremendous agreement and action on this issue because it affects every single district and state. So we want -- we want to see the trend line. We recognize that the mortality rate -- excuse me, that the life expectancy is increasing because of strides in the drug space. We still -- and cancer, frankly. We know that suicides and flu -- and flu combined with pneumonia -- are keeping that rate down among other Americans. But we're going to continue, and we hope that we have -- we have what I call the horizontal and vertical government approach. Horizontally, it's across state, federal, and local. And vertically I -- you know, I call it in terms of the federal government apparatus. To have 13 or 14 departments and agencies actively engaged on this -- ones you would expect, like HHS and FDA and NIH and CDC; SAMHSA certainly; but also Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration; DHS; State Department has been very helpful; Department of Justice, obviously; but also Department of Labor and Department of Education; and Department of Interior to help with rural and tribal America. So there's much more work to be done. But we feel like we have a protocol that's helped us get to this point of progress. QUESTION: Let me ask you one -- if you want to weigh in on that one, I do have one on the coronavirus. GIROIR: It is -- it absolutely is a turning point, but we have to look at the complexity of the problem. Some states still have increasing rates of death. Most states have decreasing rates of death. We now know that prescription opioid overdoses that caused death are really down tremendously as a result of our work, down 13 percent in 2018, and they continue to decline. The newest data says cocaine is starting to level off, but we still have issues with fentanyl. It used to be up 30 to 40 percent year over year. Now it's up under 10 percent, so we're making progress. But we're all worried about the next wave, which is evolving, and that is psychostimulants or methamphetamine. Those continue to increase across the nation. They're being driven all almost entirely by transnational Mexican cartels, and we have been on that problem for about a year right now. So, yes, we're at a turning point but this is a dynamic, rapidly evolving crisis. CARROLL: To follow up, I think one of the things that can make this a turning point is for this to give hope to those people that are suffering from an addiction, for them to be able to come forward and realize that there is, in fact, lifesaving measures that they can take and that we can help them to get on the path to recovery: the prevention programs that we fund, like through our drug-free community programs, the efforts that we're making to get people the help that they need, and also while we're striking hope in the minds of people who have an addiction, we're striking fear in those who want to traffic, and will look to other legitimate opportunities instead of turning to selling drugs in our country. QUESTION: And just a quick question on the other big health news of the day: Has the White House ruled out stopping flights into and out of China? Can you update us on any conversations going on related to that? CONWAY: So there's a new task force that's been created. It's being led by Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar. As you are probably aware, the President was briefed yesterday in the Situation Room. I've been a part of those staff-level briefings, senior staff-level briefings, and I won't make an announcement about that right now. I will say that we're all very relieved and happy and heartened to see what happened with the flight of the 201 or so Americans who landed in Anchorage and then California. So we will continue to monitor the situation, as you know. And I think that Secretary Azar had a few interviews just this morning, maybe addressed this as well as. QUESTION: Is there a second flight next week? CONWAY: I don't want to comment on that. QUESTION: I just have sort of two -- I wanted to follow up on that one. Do you know whether the President has spoken to President Xi about this situation with the coronavirus? But I also have a follow-up on fentanyl and the overdose deaths. CONWAY: Well, the President has tweeted about President Xi, I believe last week or maybe earlier this week. You can see that, obviously, we've offered assistance. And obviously, we are also monitoring the fact that other countries now have cases. And in this kind -- I think that's all I'll say right now. The CDC director and Dr. Fauci, they're all very involved. And, Admiral Giroir, maybe you want to address that -- GIROIR: (SHAKES HEAD.) CONWAY: -- or you don't. So we are monitoring -- the President is briefed daily on this, and yesterday in the Situation Room. So I'm going to leave it at that. QUESTION: And my follow-up on the issue of overdose deaths: As you mentioned, fentanyl is up, and there are a number of other overdose areas involving drugs that are up as well. I'm not asking for a silver bullet, but if you were to pick out two or three pieces of policy that might bring down those numbers, what would it be? GIROIR: So let me say that not only does it make common sense, but the academic community has proven that there is no such thing as a silver bullet to this issue, that there has to be multimodal approaches that span prevention, that span treatment. And again, I'm a pediatric intensive care doctor. I use fentanyl every day on suffering children in the ICU in microgram quantities. This is coming into our country in hundreds of pounds -- thousands of pounds, potentially. So we have to have a law enforcement component. Overall, I would say we have to treat this as a public health emergency, which we do. Addiction -- I'd rather use "use disorders" as a more appropriate term -- is a chronic brain disease. Once you have that chronic brain disease, it is very difficult but possible to treat, but it requires medication treatment and all the supporting services we have. So a combination of prevention, stop it before it happens, get people into treatment. And that's reduction of stigma across the board. This is a disease. You need treatment. And then, again, all the kinds of follow-ups that we're doing on a national level. QUESTION: Kellyanne, can you speak to what the administration believes -- what more the administration believes needs to be done to address this crisis? Particularly, what should we expect to see in the President's forthcoming budget in terms of any additional programs? CONWAY: Sure. Well, thank you, Zeke, for your interest in the issue. We're very happy that last night -- I mean, really at the eleventh hour, because it was set to expire February 6 -- but the Congress took action. It's disappointing that 86 Democrats, I think, voted against extending the fentanyl analogue scheduling that, honestly, is a no-brainer, especially when you consider that they were all on board with the larger compilation of dozens and dozens of bills that became H.R.6 that included several different focuses on fentanyl reduction, handling, analysis, and the like. So we hope that we can -- again, notwithstanding anything else that's happening -- count on everyone to belly up and help. I think we also need to -- to Admiral Giroir's point, we're all obviously very concerned about what we consider to be the fourth wave now of the drug crisis, meth. And we hear from law enforcement routinely that whereas they're whacking the moles of fentanyl more and more, up pops meth more and more, and I think, to some extent, heroin as well. One thing I would say is, in the states that have the Good Samaritan laws where if I'm driving the car and my friend is overdosing, perhaps I have also used with that friend, in the past, I basically pull up to the emergency room, and the bluing friend starts rolling out the door and I pull away because I'm afraid of being prosecuted. That doesn't happen in many of these states now where you won't be prosecuted. In fact, both people will go in and try to get some services. So I think so much of it is education. And I think the incomplete or underwhelming coverage of this issue is probably something I would want to solve with you, in that we talk about so many things that don't affect 72,000 lost lives, and then if you draw the concentric circles around those lost lives, the dozens and dozens, or hundreds of people who are affected beyond that one lost life. So I think it's also making sure that law enforcement, which includes Customs and Border Protection; includes local law enforcement sheriffs; includes our ports of entry; and then, between our ports of entry -- where, increasingly last year, Customs and Border Protection did interdict these poisonous drug -- I think respecting the fact that making sure they have more respect and better resources. And also, I think for all the things that we're teaching our kids in the formal curricula in school today -- and speaking as a mom of four school-aged children -- it would be terrific if, on a volunteer basis even, educational programs like this were more incorporated into the formal curricula and/or for after-school programs or with the local law enforcement or health professionals. This should absolutely be included because they are in -- they're in the line of peril, all of them. This is indiscriminate. And so I think the treatment and recovery -- one thing I'll mention -- it didn't get mentioned today because they're so much to talk about -- but one of the big things that has happened in this administration is, I believe, HHS or CMS has granted -- are we up to 22 or -- GIROIR: Twenty-seven. CONWAY: Twenty-seven. I mean, it's really remarkable. Was it four when we got here? GIROIR: Yes. CONWAY: Four states or so. Now we're up to 27 states where this IMD 1115 exclusion has occurred. This is really helping people get into treatment because that was a ban on mental institutions keeping people too long. It's existed for 40 years, and it had a lot of merit for that reason. But it had a cruel -- the cruel irony, the cruel result of it was a long waiting list for treatment and empty beds, because if you filled that 17th bed, you would risk not getting Medicaid reimbursement. So we have granted twenty- -- we now, as a government, as a nation, 27. More than half the states have a waiver so that you can treat that 17th, to 50th, to 60th person in your facility and still count on Medicaid reimbursement. And I'd also say something about the veterans. The President took action several months ago on veteran suicides. He's always been very concerned about that. We are taking action, as a government also, on opioid and other drug misuse disorder among our veterans. I visited the Cleveland Veterans Administration, for example -- not the Cleveland Clinic, but for the veterans across the street from there -- and I was really struck by how there, and other places -- but by way of example, pain management may not mean pain medication. They're trying other protocols first. They're doing Reiki and swimming and yoga and other less addictive drugs to help our veterans. So I think looking at each and every department and asking them what they're doing, it's unusual for the Department of Education, Department of Labor to be so involved, but they are. I mean Labor has all these displaced worker grants, because we know -- and Dr. Giroir can speak about the factories, I think, for a moment -- we know that if you lose your job because of a substance use disorder, you lose your job because you tested positively for drugs, for many Americans, you also lose your hope of recovery. And I visited a great place called Belden -- B-E-L-D-E-N -- Industries -- just, again, by way of example -- with Second Lady Mrs. Karen Pence, and Dr. Adams, the Surgeon General, and then Secretary of Labor Alex Acosta in Indiana, where Belden's -- one of many examples now where, if you fail a drug test, instead of you losing your job immediately, they hold the job for you but you agree to go into immediate treatment. And they work with the local -- they work with the local hospital, they work with the local community college to make sure that you keep your skills and education up. And that job is waiting for you when you are ready to re-assimilate. Again, I think the government far too often pats itself on the back: "Oh, look at all the numbers." And Director Carroll and Admiral Giroir said it beautifully and brilliantly that these aren't just numbers, these are people. So you want to help these people re-assimilate into society. And if they qualify for skills education or employment opportunities, housing opportunities, we want to be able to connect them with that information. So that's a very lengthy answer because we have to -- I would -- I would never say just treatment recovery, which was the emphasis of the last administration; just, "Oh, we can arrest and punish our way out of it." No, we can't. That would be a ridiculous idea, and thankfully, this President agrees with that. And we can't just say to people, "Gee, don't start." What about all the people who are already there? Weijia and then -- QUESTION: Thank you so much. QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE.) CONWAY: I'm sorry, we'll get to you. Weijia and then Andrew. QUESTION: Oh. Thank you, Kellyanne. Can you walk us through the life expectancy increase? What are the numbers? What factors do you think contributed to that? And also, how do Americans fare with other people in the world? And, Admiral, since you're going to take this, I have another question for you on corona. GIROIR: Okay, so the life expectancy data -- again, this reverses a three- to four-year trend and a loss of life expectancy. You can look at this in many different ways. Some of the principal components that resulted in the increasing expectancy was a reduction in cancer mortality, a reduction in unintentional deaths -- and that really deals with overdoses primarily, but also things like car crashes. There was also, though, a reduction in cardiovascular mortality, a reduction in Alzheimer's mortality. So it was very broad across many causes of death. There was also a 4.8 percent decrease in homicides in 2018. So these are all positive factors. The negative factors -- the only ones that were there -- were an increase in suicides, which the administration has been incredibly attentive to with many new programs rolling out, and also influenza. Again, we talk about coronavirus, and we need to talk about that. But remember, over 8,000 Americans have died this year of influenza. There's still time to get your influenza vaccine. How do we rate? We still don't rate very well compared to the rest of the developed world, and certainly the last few years have lowered our ratings. But as I said, we continue -- our mortality rate in 2019 continues to really plummet. And I do want to make the case -- we talk about these outcomes as if it's all medical care, and medical care is very important, but about 80 percent of health outcomes in the United States are due to social determinants of health and behavior. It's really the economy, it's the jobs, it's smoking, it's alcohol and other use. So 80 percent of our outcomes are expected to be -- to come from those kinds of impacts. QUESTION: And what is the number? GIROIR: Pardon me? QUESTION: What is the life expectancy number? GIROIR: The life expectancy is 78.6 years. And that's the life expectancy in the United States right now. Women live about five years longer than men, and that's been common across the board. So women, I think, are 81.2 if I'm correct, and men are five years less than that. So again, it seems like a small increase -- an increase of a 10th of a year. But when you look at it, a 10th of a year across 300 million Americans, it's really 25 million life years of increased life expectancy. And again, this is against three years of losses in life expectancy that we haven't seen since the early '90s. QUESTION: And on coronavirus, how confident are you that it can be contained at this point? And what is the White House's plan -- contingency plan -- in case it is not? GIROIR: Well, I will say that this is an all-hands-on-deck effort. There's tremendous leadership from the White House, Secretary Azar, and Director Redfield from the CDC, the Assistant Secretary Bob Kadlec. Again, resources have been put to airports. We're doing screenings. The Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service has been deployed to support the repatriation mission as well as the airport screening. And again, this is no cause for urgent panic in any way in the United States. This is currently under control. But, really, this is a dynamic, rapidly changing event. And, you know, the news can change at any given moment. But the resources are deployed, the government is mobilized, and we feel confident and we know the steps to take right now to contain it. And you know everything else: We have good diagnostics now by the CDC. The NIH already has candidate vaccines as well as many other individuals. That is a result of dozens of years of medical research to get us to the point of being rapid. QUESTION: And, Kellyanne, I know you wear so many hats, and we're lucky to have you because you have an attorney cap as well. And I have to ask whether you agree with Alan Dershowitz's argument that every politician weaves their public -- their private interest in with public interest and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. CONWAY: I actually am not going to discuss politics from the podium. So I will tell you I was very struck by his argument that no one is above the law, including the Congress. But just generally speaking, I think we'll leave what else is going on on Capitol Hill to Capitol Hill today and our crack group of attorneys who are doing an amazing job of not preening for the cameras and not being partisan politicians, frankly, but lawyers effectively in a courtroom speaking to the jury and speaking to the American people. So I'll leave that there. But I'm not going to address the political aspect of that from the podium. QUESTION: Thank you. Admiral, I have two questions. The first: Two weeks ago, the administration announced that it was repealing a number of rules that required social service providers that receive federal funding to -- that are religious in nature -- to refer people who might not be interested in faith-based approaches to secular outside organizations. Is that going -- has there been any discussion or study as to whether that will make it more difficult for some people -- religious minorities or other vulnerable groups -- to receive drug treatment? And the second: Last year, Attorney General Barr criticized prosecutors who, for instance, might decline to prosecute low-level drug possession crimes as social justice reformers who let criminals off the hook, and said they're demoralizing to law enforcement and dangerous to public safety. Is that disdain for declining to prosecute low-level drug crimes in favor of steering people into treatment consistent with the scientific literature? GIROIR: Do you want to take the prosecution question? CARROLL: Sure. GIROIR: But I'll just -- I'll just say that I work on a regular basis with DOJ, with DEA. And at the leadership level, there is absolutely no distance between us and approaching this as a public health issue. It doesn't make sense to put a person with a use disorder, who has been using because of their addiction, into long-term incarceration without treatment. It makes absolute sense for me to get the people who are pushing tons of methamphetamine to our youth across the country, to get them behind bars as soon as possible. But I'll let Director Carroll, because he deals with the law enforcement. I'll come back to -- I'll come back to that. CARROLL: What we know is that drug courts work for people that have an addiction. We're able to push people and hold their hand and get them into treatment if they are suffering from the disease of addiction. What is so disheartening is that when there are prosecutors or judges out there that don't take seriously the peoples whose addiction is to greed. The only thing that they care about is lining their pockets and preying on the victims who do have a substance use disorder. Those are the people that we need to target. That's what the Department of Justice is doing. That's what our top-notch prosecutors across the country are doing. And those are the people that need to be in jail. The people who have an addiction -- we support, with record funding from the White House, National Drug Court programs across the country, and putting them in federal courts as well to make sure that people who have an addiction are not the ones that are going to jail. GIROIR: And just to comment, I want -- I want to make it clear that this administration stands to treat all people who are in need. I have the privilege of running the ending the HIV epidemic presidential priority announced at the State of the Union last year. And we provide care to everyone regardless of who they are, where they are, what circumstances they are. And we'll continue to support that. That is the humane thing to do, and that is the position of the administration. QUESTION: But ending the referral requirement, wouldn't that make it more difficult for some people to seek treatment if they -- if the only treatment facility in the area is a faith-based one and they won't be referred to somewhere that they might be more comfortable? GIROIR: So we work with all -- we work with all communities. I think faith-based providers have an important component in this, particularly in wrap-around services. For opioid-use disorder, MAT is the standard of care. But MAT alone, if you don't have a job, if you don't have a place to live, if you don't have a welcoming community, is not going to be the entire solution. So all of those things are important. We'll continue to study every policy and make sure there are no adverse events. But, again, we want everyone to be treated. That's the core administration policy. QUESTION: And, Kellyanne, another follow-up question on the evacuations of -- CONWAY: If I could just add just one quick thing to Andrew. I just, again, would point you to FindTreatment.gov also. We worked on that for years, and it's the first overhaul. If you go back and look at it previously, we can show you the difference. It basically just generated quantity. If you put in your ZIP code and say, "Look all of the -- look at the 400 facilities you can go to within 500 miles." And people would shut it down because, like, "Well, how do I find the one right for me?" You can customize it by any number of criteria, whether you're a veteran, male or female, LGBT, in-patient, out-patient, temporary, longer term, type of insurance -- if you're on Medicaid, Medicare, private insurance, no insurance, for example. So I would also point you to that because that is a new tool for every American to access, and they are doing it. Yes, ma'am. QUESTION: Thank you so much. This is a question for the Admiral about coronavirus again. I want to know: How high, do you think, is the risk of coronavirus spreading in the U.S.? And do you think this could be a global emergency, since we just saw the number surpass the number from SARS in 2002, 2003? GIROIR: Well, it's really hard to take theoreticals because it really is a rapidly emerging and a rapidly changing environment. There has been, at least of this situation -- the sitrep, this morning, there's been no person-to -person transmission within the United States. There clearly has been person-to-person transmission in China, but there has been no person-to-person transmission. There's extensive screening, appropriate quarantine and isolation that is currently going on, and we certainly hope that continues. But to sort of project what's going to happen over the next couple of weeks -- again, it's a dynamic situation; all of the resources are in place. The situation rooms are in place, the operation centers are in place. We have CDC deployed. We're working with the World Health Organization. Again, my organization, the Public Health Service, is deploying in support of the repatriation missions as well as the airport screenings. And there'll be updates, you know, on a regular basis from Secretary Azar, my boss, who is leading the -- leading the efforts. QUESTION: Sir, can I follow up on that coronavirus question, if you don't mind? Because you're talking about, obviously, the importance of combatting what could potentially become serious, although you don't want to get into hypotheticals. And one of the President's Cabinet members, this morning, referenced or suggested that perhaps coronavirus could be good for jobs in the United States. I'm wondering if you find that kind of rhetoric or language helpful, and what you might suggest to public officials as they talk about this. And, Kellyanne, if you want to weigh in on that as well. GIROIR: I don't have any knowledge of the comments this morning. CONWAY: I didn't see that. I'm sorry. QUESTION: A follow-up question on the repatriation efforts? QUESTION: Can I just ask really quickly: In terms of the evacuations of U.S. personnel, I know it's already happened with respect to Wuhan, but will the U.S. government give diplomatic personnel throughout China the option of leaving their posts? CONWAY: I'd refer that to the State Department. QUESTION: Kellyanne, on the STOP Act -- you mentioned the STOP Act, some numbers. Can you give us an update on how far the Post Office has gotten in compliance? I think they have to screen all packages or refuse them by the end of the year. Are they anywhere close to getting there? CONWAY: Yeah, so it's gone basically from zero -- if any of you ever go to the JFK facility -- I'm going to have Director Carroll address that -- if you ever want to take a field trip to JFK airport, you'll see how few packages actually are screened coming in from China and elsewhere. But the STOP Act essentially means that foreign origin packages now must have sender recipient and contents listed on them. Our third-party carriers have been doing that for a long time -- your UPS, your FedEx, for example. And so, now, our own U.S. Postal Service needs to get on board with that. So the last numbers that I saw were somewhere in the 35th percentile. And we're on our way to -- it needs to be 100 percent at some point. We're really pleased -- about 16 months since the STOP Act, maybe less, was signed into law -- that we're already at 37 percent. But Jim can really amplify that. CARROLL: I'd love to lead a delegation if you want to go to the JFK Airport, or one of the other ones, and show you what Customs and Border Protection, as well as the USPS -- U.S. Postal Service -- are up against. What we need is additional capital, additional investments from Congress, to make sure that we have the technology. But what we have seen is actually the President attacking this at the core, at the countries where it's coming from. And so we -- as I said at the beginning, we do have a dramatic reduction in the amount of fentanyl that is coming in the mail from China. And so that is helping at the outset, while we continue to develop the resources, technology, to tackle it actually at the facilities themself. QUESTION: It seems like they're a long way off though. I mean, are they going to get there? The law says what the law says. Can they comply? CARROLL: That's our goal. CONWAY: That's our goal. Just quickly, none of us mentioned the first-of-their-kind fentanyl advisories, which we issued as an administration in August, and that included the Department of Treasury, the departments that are here right now, and others. Essentially, we are trying to show the private sector how easy it is to disrupt and divert their otherwise legitimate supply chain. So we gave first-of-their-kind advisories on the movement, the money, the manufacturing, and the marketing by these fentanyl traffickers who are very clever, because you could have a couple of blocks of fentanyl in your otherwise legitimate supply chain. And so we're dealing with the private sector so they're more aware of how they could be unwittingly helping us to come into the country. QUESTION: Do you have any -- on the coronavirus again: Do you have any evidence or information about China's use for these biological weapons for coronavirus? CONWAY: I have no comment on that whatsoever. QUESTION: Secretary Azar said that U.S. officials should have more cooperation with China in order to get coronavirus under control. Is there any sign that China is wanting to have more cooperation? And how are those negotiations going? GIROIR: Well, I'd really refer you to Secretary Azar. But there's been, at least our perception, a high degree of cooperation with China. And there is ongoing request for assistance, and I would refer you to Dr. Redfield who runs the CDC for that. QUESTION: Kellyanne, one other question. Your former coworker, John Kelly, said he believes John Bolton. What do you make of John Kelly's statements? And -- yeah, what do you make of John Kelly's statement saying that he believes John Bolton? CONWAY: Well, I respect General Kelly enormously, and like him, personally. I don't know what he's referring to, so I can't answer it. In other words, that's just a "I believe John Bolton." I have not seen -- QUESTION: Do you believe that John Bolton -- CONWAY: Well, I have not seen a manuscript. And I will tell you that -- QUESTION: -- had a conversation with President Trump where President Trump directly tied the aid to Ukraine's -- CONWAY: He didn't say that. QUESTION: -- investigation? That's what John Bolton said. He said that he believes that. CONWAY: Did John Bolton say that -- QUESTION: Yes. He said that he believes -- CONWAY: -- or are we talking about an unpublished manuscript? I'm sorry. Where did John Bolton say that? QUESTION: John Bolton said he believes -- CONWAY: Where? QUESTION: John Kelly says he believes John Bolton. Are you now saying that he is confused? CONWAY: Yamiche, where did John Bolton say that? QUESTION: He said that in front of a number of people. It's pretty clear that John -- CONWAY: No, no, no. QUESTION: It's pretty clear that John -- CONWAY: Where did Ambassador John Bolton say that? QUESTION: -- Kelly is saying that if John Bolton said that President Trump directly tied the aid -- CONWAY: No, no, no. Back up. Yamiche, where did Ambassador John Bolton say that this week? QUESTION: It was in front of cameras. Everybody saw it. CONWAY: John Bolton or John Kelly? QUESTION: John Kelly said that in front of cameras. CONWAY: Okay, Yamiche, where did John -- what did Ambassador John Bolton say this week? QUESTION: So are you saying that John Kelly did not understand what he was saying when he said "I believe John Bolton"? CONWAY: I'm not saying that. But you're not answering my question. I can't answer your question unless I understand it. QUESTION: But it's a very clear question. CONWAY: It's not clear at all because I'm asking you -- QUESTION: It is a very clear question. QUESTION: John Bolton said in his book that he had a conversation -- CONWAY: Is that what you're talking about? An unpublished manuscript? Are you talking about a leak of an unpublished manuscript, as reported by the New York Times? QUESTION: John Kelly was talking about that manuscript. CONWAY: No, I'm asking you what he is referring to. QUESTION: I'm talking about that, and John Kelly was talking about that as well. CONWAY: Okay. Because I don't know that to be true and neither do you. In other words, I don't know what John Kelly was referring to. And I'm asking you, what exactly did Ambassador John Bolton say this week, in advance of John -- General Kelly's comments? What did he say? I didn't see him say anything. I hear about unpublished manuscripts that I, frankly, haven't seen and I bet you haven't either. QUESTION: Well, what do you make of John Kelly making that statement? CONWAY: So you want me to -- you want me to answer a hypothetical wrapped up in a conundrum. QUESTION: Yes. QUESTION: Well, yeah. But why don't you just answer: What do you make of John Kelly commenting that, if the manuscript is true, that he believes John Bolton? CONWAY: If the manuscript is true? You want me to -- QUESTION: Yeah. What do you make of John Kelly making that statement? CONWAY: You want me to answer a hypothetical wrapped up in -- QUESTION: No, it's not a hypothetical. CONWAY: It is a hypothetical. QUESTION: John Kelly commented and said, "I believe John Bolton." What do you make of John Kelly saying those words? CONWAY: I don't make anything of it. I don't make anything of it. QUESTION: You don't make anything of it? CONWAY: No. But I will tell you, particularly by NBC and MSNBC, you guys couldn't stop day after -- QUESTION: I work for PBS NewsHour. CONWAY: I know where you work. Day after day -- you appear there plenty, and I think you're paid by them. But day after day after day -- day after day after day, you know what you talked about with John Kelly? That he was on his way out. He was going to be the next one to be fired. He was on his way out. He started doing that -- there was -- first, it was the Politico article in October of 2017, about six weeks after he took the job. That person has moved on to a different outlet now, but it was still a ridiculous article. So for a year and a half, while he was on the job, the main story about General Kelly was that he was going to be on his way out. Now you want me to answer a question -- I haven't talked to General Kelly about this or Ambassador Bolton about this. And I'm not going to comment, particularly from the podium, in the press briefing room, on a hypothetical -- on a leaked unpublished manuscript that I haven't seen. I hope it doesn't -- I hope it doesn't include classified information. And I know there's always this rush to imbue credibility on whomever you think is against the President at that moment. If it's not Michael Cohen, it's Michael Avenatti. If it's not them, it's Lev Parnas -- who couldn't even get into the Senate chamber yesterday because he's wearing a tracking device because he's been charged with crimes. So that's not a hypothetical. QUESTION: But my question was about what do you think -- CONWAY: You're asking me to answer -- QUESTION: -- of John Kelly's comments? MS .CONWAY: I already told you what I think of General Kelly. QUESTION: You don't make anything of that? CONWAY: I respect him and I like him. And you're asking me to comment on -- he said, "I believe John Bolton." I don't know what he is referring to when he says that and neither do you. QUESTION: Kellyanne, on the President's State of the Union Address next week, the President -- QUESTION: Can I follow up on a question about -- just this question now? CONWAY: Probably not. QUESTION: Has the White House responded to Mr. Bolton's attorney's urgent request that you at least review the chapter on Ukraine -- CONWAY: It has nothing to do with me. QUESTION: -- so that he can use it, if he's called as soon as next week to give evidence? CONWAY: Well, I'll tell you what the President of the United States is doing. In addition to eliminating from the face of the Earth dangerous terrorists; completing two trade deals; continuing to reshape the federal judiciary -- we're close to 200 judges and we'll get there soon enough; keeping this unbelievable economy going -- and that's why his approval rating is at its highest point ever in his presidency, according to some polls -- including by your outlets, if not reported by your outlets; he is helping to bring the overdose death rate down and to improve the life expectancy. He's focused on those types of things. He will go to Michigan today to -- and I believe an auto manufacturing plant, and then to do Moines, Iowa. That's what he's doing. The idea that we should stop what we're doing to review somebody's book strikes me as not a big priority, in my view, for the President. And so -- QUESTION: He could be a key witness in the trial if witnesses are called next week. CONWAY: You would hope so, wouldn't you? But anyway, I -- again, "if," "if," "if," "if" -- hypotheticals -- I'm not answering that here. Here's what I know to be real: Sixty-eight thousand Americans died last year of a drug overdose. That's why we're here, and I'm always happy to answer all of your questions as you full well know. But I got to stick to -- I got to stick to reality and not hypotheticals and frankly -- and, frankly, wishful thinking. QUESTION: Are you confident you have the votes, Kellyanne, to prevent witnesses? Are you confident you have the votes, Kellyanne? QUESTION: Admiral, can I ask you a question on a different health topic? The Pentagon announced this week that the number of victims -- U.S. service members with traumatic brain injuries -- went up to 50, from 34, from a dozen (INAUDIBLE) before that. The President said recently that he considers that to be not very serious injuries. You, as a health professional, do you agree with that assessment? CARROLL: I really can't comment. I really do not know any of the details of the traumatic brain injuries on the DOD side. We know that traumatic brain injury can be from mild to very serious. It really depends. And I just don't know what the DOD injuries are. I have not seen those. CONWAY: Last question? QUESTION: On the President's State of the Union address next week, obviously there's a big issue for you. You know, the issue of opioid abuse, opioid addiction, it's a priority for the President. Will he make this a part of the State of Union address next week? CONWAY: He will. And I'd have to go back and check for sure, but I think that'll make it the third consecutive year that he has. We've even had guests in the First Lady's box, like little baby Hope two years ago, who was adopted by a police officer and his wife in Arizona after said police officer saw this woman using drugs visibly pregnant. I think it was behind a shopping center. And he said to her, "You're hurting -- you're hurting yourself and you're hurting your baby." And he and his wife adopted baby Hope. They were in -- also, I would just remind you that this is a huge part of the First Lady's BE BEST initiative and the work that she does. I think she has single handedly helped raise awareness and funding for NAS babies, neonatal abstinence syndrome. And happy to report -- while we're talking about a decline in overdose deaths, we also see a decline in some counties in the state of Maine and across Appalachia in the number of neonatal abstinence syndrome babies either being born or, in fact, getting into treatment right away. While we're on the topic, I think what we're talking about today is really part of the President's overall healthcare vision, because he's done things like improve kidney health initiative, surprise medical billing, transparency. We're also going to be doing maternal mortality, which is way up in this country; the highest -- one of the highest in developed countries, and increasing. We're working on rural care. I don't think the country wants to have another protracted conversation or argument about health insurance. I think healthcare -- we want to put the healthcare back in healthcare, which means improving health outcomes and preventing and curing disease. And that is precisely why we're here before you today. Thank you. List of Speakers WHITE HOUSE COUNSELOR KELLYANNE CONWAY ONDCP DIRECTOR JIM CARROLL ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF PUBLIC HEALTH ADM BRETT GIROIR

1000 WH KELLYANNE CONWAY BRIEFING ROOM STIX FS32 79 CONWAY: Good morning. Thank you for being here. We come before you bearing good news. For the first time in four years, life expectancy in the United States of America has increased. And for the first time in 29 years, the number of drug overdose deaths has decreased. This has not happened through coincidence. It's happened through causation. It's owing in large part to a whole-of-government approach to treat the whole person, led by President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and really, the entire administration. Nearly 70,000 of our fellow Americans died from an overdose last year, and 48,000 of those involved opioids. About 70 percent of those deaths also involved some type of synthetic opioid, most prominently fentanyl, which could be an instant killer. A couple of tiny grains are a lethal dose. We've met with first responders, parents who have lost children, people in recovery, people who are running recovery centers. We've met with mothers whose babies were born chemically dependent. And we certainly have met with health professionals. All of them have shared stories of loss but, increasingly, of courage and recovery. This is a crisis that we call the "crisis next door," because we want people to know, from the beginning, that the silence and stigma that it tends to -- many people, it prevents them from seeking out the kind of treatment and help that is available to them is a very big priority for us -- busting through that stigma and silence. We also want to make clear, in this crisis next door, that it is indiscriminate. It affects all races, socioeconomic status, gender, age, and certainly other affiliations. If the crisis is indiscriminate, then the response must be indiscriminate. And that's why, in addition to everything that the President and the First Lady and the administration have done, I wanted to share with you, as a reflection, what I consider to be the most robust and significant bipartisan accomplishment of the President's first term: H.R.6, the SUPPORT Act. The President signed it into law following overwhelmingly unanimous support from every Democrat who voted for it in the House and the Senate. This overwhelmingly bipartisan action has led to an increase in the money and awareness on the opioid and poly-drug crisis. Features of the SUPPORT Act include the CRIB Act, where there is more money and more action for those neonatal abstinence syndrome babies that I mentioned before. Medical professionals tell us it's best to keep the mother -- it's best for the mother and it's best for the baby to keep them together. And, increasingly, that is happening. Also, the nearly $3.7 billion in new grants put forth by the administration have made a real difference in our municipalities. The STOP Act has helped us increase the number of seizures of fentanyl and other synthetic opiates coming through our mail. It's up to about 38 percent, and we have a goal, if not a mandate, of 100 percent. Let me go through a couple of the numbers: 4.1 percent overdose death decline overall in our nation. And that is the first time in 29 years -- nearly three decades. But in some of the hardest-hit states, we're off a peak of over 20 percent: 19 percent in Pennsylvania, 22 percent decline over the peak high in Ohio, 11 percent in West Virginia, 14 percent in Minnesota, 7 percent in North Carolina -- just to highlight a few of them. Also, the Customs and Border Protection in the last fiscal year increased the seizures of fentanyl by 21 percent. We also launched a targeted ad campaign geared at youth that was seen by over 1.4 billion views and over 58 percent. In fact, the longer documentary type won an Emmy. Naloxone prescriptions have increased over 400 percent. Our Surgeon General, in April of 2018, issued the first advisory by a surgeon general in over a decade. And Dr. Adams said at the time: We need to have naloxone more available to our first responders, to our health professionals, to our school systems, libraries, YMCAs and the rest, but also to each and every one of us. The Surgeon General says, if each of us were to carry naloxone on our person, we too can be part of the solution, reversing these overdose deaths by administering this overdose-reversing medication. Last night, Congress passed a 15-month extension of the current emergency scheduling of fentanyl analogues. This is a critical tool for law enforcement because it allows them to continue to detect, analyze, and handle safely and effectively this very lethal drug. In our effort to focus on prevention education, treatment and recovery, law enforcement interdiction, I'm also happy to report that we have record back-to-back-to-back-to-back collections on Take Back Day. And I do want to credit our partners, like Google, who have been incredibly helpful to us in raising awareness and action among the public in understanding how to safely and broadly dispose of your unused, unneeded expired drugs. In addition to Take Back Day, the prescriptions of high-dose opioids have fallen by over 32 percent since the President came into office. If you need the pain medication, it will be there. People are walking around with what's left from a bottle of 30, 40 pills, and that's where some of the peril begins. In addition, we launched FindTreatment.gov -- a completely overhauled tool for every American to access so that they can customize finding treatment for their needs. You can customize it by age, by geography, whether you're veteran, by LGBT, certainly by gender. And this promotes quality over quantity. When you type it in and you customize it, you can find treatment centers that are best for you. Maybe you need to be there for a short amount of time. Maybe you need to be there in-patient, out-patient. Maybe you need to be there a longer amount of time. You can customize that quite confidentially. From 1999 to 2015, the government reported a 20 percent reduction in our workforce due to opioid and other drug abuse and addiction. A 20 percent decline over 16 years. I'm happy to report that because we've invested over $100 million in displaced worker grants across 17 states in the Cherokee Nation, those numbers are moving. We are trying to treat the whole person, not just check in person. We got you in drug court; we got you in drug treatment. Isn't that terrific. It's really terrific if we can them help them acquire employment, education, skills, training, and certainly housing, on the way to full recovery. There is so much more work to be done. We're very pleased that the overdose deaths have declined, but 68,000 of our fellow Americans died last year from drug overdose. That's 68,000 too many. If you look at the Super Bowl this coming Sunday, that number could be represented by every single seat with 3,000 left over at the Super Bowl this coming Sunday -- just to give you the actual enormity of the problem. We will continue to fight this every single day, and we will continue to make the investments of money, of time, of education. And with that, I'd love to turn this over to Director Jim Carroll of the Office of National Drug Control Policy and then Admiral Giroir, the Assistant Secretary for Health of the United States of America. Thank you very much. Jim? CARROLL: Thank you, Kellyanne. A couple of years ago, when President Trump and I first talked about me taking the job as the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy and serving as his drug czar, he instructed me to be relentless in our efforts to save lives. And that's exactly what we've done to tackle this drug problem here in the United States. The good news that we're announcing today is a testament to the President and his leadership on this issue. It's an example of what can happen when we come together and apply that whole-of-government approach. The obstacles we face could not be greater, but through our efforts on prevention, treatment and recovery, and reducing availability, we've made real progress for the American people -- which we not only want to sustain, we want to accelerate. Kellyanne discussed how we got here and what these numbers mean. Admiral Giroir will discuss the incredible headway we're making with getting people into treatment. But I want to highlight the progress that we have made with our international partners and our law enforcement who are critical in reducing the supply of these dangerous drugs. Back at the G20 Summit in 2018, President Trump raised the issue of fentanyl production with the head of China and demanded a solution. He made it clear that the United States would not tolerate the flow of fentanyl and other deadly synthetic drugs coming into our country. Because of this, in May 2019, China scheduled fentanyl and other similar analogues, such as controlled substances, which was a historic and significant event. Last night, the House of the Representatives passed a 15-month extension on the ban in scheduling of fentanyl, but a long-term solution is still needed. In September of 2019, I led a White House delegation to Beijing to ensure that China was keeping up with their commitment to President Trump. The Chinese government agreed to improve the legal framework, agreed to improve their standards for prosecution for fentanyl-related trafficking, and established law enforcement methods there that were not heard of before. In every meeting I had with the Chinese, my counterpart said they heard the President loud and clear: that the flow of fentanyl into the United States was not tolerated. Since then, the Chinese officials have invited our U.S. counterparts back there to watch the first-ever prosecutions of Chinese nationals for trafficking drugs into the United States. This progress, combined with President Trump's commitment to secure our southwest border -- which is critical to stopping the flow of drugs into our country -- brings together several lines of effort that will serve to keep Americans safe from the dangers of illicit drugs. A wall acts as a force multiplier for our Border Patrol agents, and is one of the many tools that we are using to counter drug traffickers. Taking the steps towards the humanitarian crisis at our southern border has also been critical to keeping those drugs out of the country. The more men and women we have in uniform, the more that we have on line, the more that are stopping these traffickers -- the greater chance we have of saving lives. The Department of Justice has played a critical role in this, as they have been cracking down in unprecedented numbers on drug traffickers. Under President Trump, the DOJ has ramped up trafficking prosecutions -- not only here domestically, but internationally. Under this administration, the U.S. Treasury Department has made more kingpin designations against operators of distributors in foreign countries. The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas that we fund out of the White House here -- which provides assistance to federal, state, and local drug task forces -- has received unprecedented funding from this administration, and that is beginning to show and is part of the paradigm shift that we're seeing. These HIDTA initiatives, for example, have dismantled 3,000 drug trafficking organizations, they've removed $16.5 billion of illicit drugs off our streets, and they have made nearly 99,000 arrests of drug traffickers. In 2018, we even added, for the first time in 17 years, the first new HIDTA to make sure that we're tackling this. The men and women of law enforcement, whether they're in uniform or not, are playing this vital role and putting their lives on the line every day. What this shows is the President's efforts are working and we are saving lives. Before I turn this over to Admiral Giroir, I want to ask that when you're reporting on this issue, that when you're reporting on these numbers, that numbers are really just part of the story. Behind each of these numbers is a person, is a child, is a mom, a dad, someone whose loss has left a great mourning in a family. I was with three parents yesterday who had lost their child to an overdose. Today, we remember Jason, Amber, and Eddie, and all of the other people that we have lost. And we continue this fight in their honor to make sure that we fulfill the President's commitment to save American lives. And with that, I'll turn it over to my friend, Admiral Giroir. GIROIR: Thank you very much, Director Carroll. Again, I'm Brett Giroir. I'm the Assistant Secretary for Health at the Department of Health and Human Services. I'm also Secretary Azar's principal advisor on opioid policy, and I've been that for about two years. And I'm honored to wear the uniform of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. What we see today is no accident. This is the result of an intentional whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach to overuse -- to over- -- to opioid use disorders and other substance use disorders. First of all, we recognize this as the public health emergency as it is. And as such, we have focused on many different areas to yield these results. First, as Kellyanne said, the number of opioids that have been produced -- the total amount of opioids that have been prescribed since January 2017 is reduced by 30 percent nationally. And we have been able to do that while preserving and expanding options for pain control for those who truly are in chronic pain or have debilitating injuries. Secondly, we've approached this as a public health emergency, because addiction -- opioid use disorder -- is a chronic brain disease. We have unprecedented numbers of individuals who are now receiving treatment. Our estimates are over 1.3 million individuals are now on medication-assisted treatment, and they're also getting the psycho-behavioral support and wrap-around services that they need. You heard about naloxone -- very, very important because everybody deserves a second chance at life. You have the power. I hope all of you in the media carry naloxone with you. It's very easy. You can save a life, give a person a second chance. This has resulted in, as you heard, a 4.1 percent decrease in the number of deaths and a 4.6 percent decrease in the actual overdose age-adjusted mortality rate. Very important. A couple comments on the overall longevity. I have been shocked. Everyone in the public health community has been shocked that over the three years, previously, our longevity has decreased. That really means that our children and grandchildren will live less long and less quality of lives than we have. This is shocking, and we have not seen this since the height of the AIDS epidemic in the '90s. This has been reversed. We're now on the trajectory of increasing years of longevity, and that's associated with a number of things. What does that mean? It's only one-tenth of a year, but that's 25 million person years we just gained by this increase in longevity. And the good news is the preliminary data from quarter one into quarter two of 2019 is our mortality rates continue to drop. Now, I want to talk about all the Health and Human Services issues like treatment, like prevention, but I do want to mention the social determinants of health that are very important. There was a nationwide study in December, published in JAMA, that highlighted what we all know: When an auto plant closes, opioid mortality rate among the young goes up 85 percent. We have to keep our eye on those socioeconomic issues and everything that we're doing to increase employment, increase opportunity. These all directly affect the rates that we see and that we celebrate today. And the final thing is, we are not taking our foot off the gas. We understand that this is a dynamic issue -- opioid use disorder, other use disorders -- and it's being fueled by transnational cartels. So we are going to keep working together. We work weekly, daily, together across the government to make sure we continue a whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach. CONWAY: Thank you. Any questions? Kristen? QUESTION: Kellyanne, a couple of questions. How should we think about this moment? Is this, in fact, a turning point? As you point out, the rate is still very high, but do you see this as a turning point? And I have a couple of other ones. CONWAY: Sure. I'll have my colleagues speak to that as well, Kristen. It's a turning point and we hope it becomes a trend. So what we're doing is working, and it is a multifaceted approach. So I can't say it's just law enforcement and surveillance, or Customs and Border Protection; it's just a new treatment locator; it's just Take Back day and more education -- that that tiny little bottle that bears a label of the family doc and local pharmacy that was prescribed to help someone could, in fact, be very dangerous in the wrong hands, or even in your own hands, if you're the prescribe [sic], if you use it for purposes other than why it was prescribed. So we want to keep and redouble our efforts. We certainly hope that we can count on continued bipartisan action and agreement on this, because as I said earlier and I'll repeat here: H.R.6 had every single Democratic vote in the House and the Senate, including all the people in the House and the Senate running for President. So there is tremendous agreement and action on this issue because it affects every single district and state. So we want -- we want to see the trend line. We recognize that the mortality rate -- excuse me, that the life expectancy is increasing because of strides in the drug space. We still -- and cancer, frankly. We know that suicides and flu -- and flu combined with pneumonia -- are keeping that rate down among other Americans. But we're going to continue, and we hope that we have -- we have what I call the horizontal and vertical government approach. Horizontally, it's across state, federal, and local. And vertically I -- you know, I call it in terms of the federal government apparatus. To have 13 or 14 departments and agencies actively engaged on this -- ones you would expect, like HHS and FDA and NIH and CDC; SAMHSA certainly; but also Veterans Affairs, Veterans Administration; DHS; State Department has been very helpful; Department of Justice, obviously; but also Department of Labor and Department of Education; and Department of Interior to help with rural and tribal America. So there's much more work to be done. But we feel like we have a protocol that's helped us get to this point of progress. QUESTION: Let me ask you one -- if you want to weigh in on that one, I do have one on the coronavirus. GIROIR: It is -- it absolutely is a turning point, but we have to look at the complexity of the problem. Some states still have increasing rates of death. Most states have decreasing rates of death. We now know that prescription opioid overdoses that caused death are really down tremendously as a result of our work, down 13 percent in 2018, and they continue to decline. The newest data says cocaine is starting to level off, but we still have issues with fentanyl. It used to be up 30 to 40 percent year over year. Now it's up under 10 percent, so we're making progress. But we're all worried about the next wave, which is evolving, and that is psychostimulants or methamphetamine. Those continue to increase across the nation. They're being driven all almost entirely by transnational Mexican cartels, and we have been on that problem for about a year right now. So, yes, we're at a turning point but this is a dynamic, rapidly evolving crisis. CARROLL: To follow up, I think one of the things that can make this a turning point is for this to give hope to those people that are suffering from an addiction, for them to be able to come forward and realize that there is, in fact, lifesaving measures that they can take and that we can help them to get on the path to recovery: the prevention programs that we fund, like through our drug-free community programs, the efforts that we're making to get people the help that they need, and also while we're striking hope in the minds of people who have an addiction, we're striking fear in those who want to traffic, and will look to other legitimate opportunities instead of turning to selling drugs in our country. QUESTION: And just a quick question on the other big health news of the day: Has the White House ruled out stopping flights into and out of China? Can you update us on any conversations going on related to that? CONWAY: So there's a new task force that's been created. It's being led by Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar. As you are probably aware, the President was briefed yesterday in the Situation Room. I've been a part of those staff-level briefings, senior staff-level briefings, and I won't make an announcement about that right now. I will say that we're all very relieved and happy and heartened to see what happened with the flight of the 201 or so Americans who landed in Anchorage and then California. So we will continue to monitor the situation, as you know. And I think that Secretary Azar had a few interviews just this morning, maybe addressed this as well as. QUESTION: Is there a second flight next week? CONWAY: I don't want to comment on that. QUESTION: I just have sort of two -- I wanted to follow up on that one. Do you know whether the President has spoken to President Xi about this situation with the coronavirus? But I also have a follow-up on fentanyl and the overdose deaths. CONWAY: Well, the President has tweeted about President Xi, I believe last week or maybe earlier this week. You can see that, obviously, we've offered assistance. And obviously, we are also monitoring the fact that other countries now have cases. And in this kind -- I think that's all I'll say right now. The CDC director and Dr. Fauci, they're all very involved. And, Admiral Giroir, maybe you want to address that -- GIROIR: (SHAKES HEAD.) CONWAY: -- or you don't. So we are monitoring -- the President is briefed daily on this, and yesterday in the Situation Room. So I'm going to leave it at that. QUESTION: And my follow-up on the issue of overdose deaths: As you mentioned, fentanyl is up, and there are a number of other overdose areas involving drugs that are up as well. I'm not asking for a silver bullet, but if you were to pick out two or three pieces of policy that might bring down those numbers, what would it be? GIROIR: So let me say that not only does it make common sense, but the academic community has proven that there is no such thing as a silver bullet to this issue, that there has to be multimodal approaches that span prevention, that span treatment. And again, I'm a pediatric intensive care doctor. I use fentanyl every day on suffering children in the ICU in microgram quantities. This is coming into our country in hundreds of pounds -- thousands of pounds, potentially. So we have to have a law enforcement component. Overall, I would say we have to treat this as a public health emergency, which we do. Addiction -- I'd rather use "use disorders" as a more appropriate term -- is a chronic brain disease. Once you have that chronic brain disease, it is very difficult but possible to treat, but it requires medication treatment and all the supporting services we have. So a combination of prevention, stop it before it happens, get people into treatment. And that's reduction of stigma across the board. This is a disease. You need treatment. And then, again, all the kinds of follow-ups that we're doing on a national level. QUESTION: Kellyanne, can you speak to what the administration believes -- what more the administration believes needs to be done to address this crisis? Particularly, what should we expect to see in the President's forthcoming budget in terms of any additional programs? CONWAY: Sure. Well, thank you, Zeke, for your interest in the issue. We're very happy that last night -- I mean, really at the eleventh hour, because it was set to expire February 6 -- but the Congress took action. It's disappointing that 86 Democrats, I think, voted against extending the fentanyl analogue scheduling that, honestly, is a no-brainer, especially when you consider that they were all on board with the larger compilation of dozens and dozens of bills that became H.R.6 that included several different focuses on fentanyl reduction, handling, analysis, and the like. So we hope that we can -- again, notwithstanding anything else that's happening -- count on everyone to belly up and help. I think we also need to -- to Admiral Giroir's point, we're all obviously very concerned about what we consider to be the fourth wave now of the drug crisis, meth. And we hear from law enforcement routinely that whereas they're whacking the moles of fentanyl more and more, up pops meth more and more, and I think, to some extent, heroin as well. One thing I would say is, in the states that have the Good Samaritan laws where if I'm driving the car and my friend is overdosing, perhaps I have also used with that friend, in the past, I basically pull up to the emergency room, and the bluing friend starts rolling out the door and I pull away because I'm afraid of being prosecuted. That doesn't happen in many of these states now where you won't be prosecuted. In fact, both people will go in and try to get some services. So I think so much of it is education. And I think the incomplete or underwhelming coverage of this issue is probably something I would want to solve with you, in that we talk about so many things that don't affect 72,000 lost lives, and then if you draw the concentric circles around those lost lives, the dozens and dozens, or hundreds of people who are affected beyond that one lost life. So I think it's also making sure that law enforcement, which includes Customs and Border Protection; includes local law enforcement sheriffs; includes our ports of entry; and then, between our ports of entry -- where, increasingly last year, Customs and Border Protection did interdict these poisonous drug -- I think respecting the fact that making sure they have more respect and better resources. And also, I think for all the things that we're teaching our kids in the formal curricula in school today -- and speaking as a mom of four school-aged children -- it would be terrific if, on a volunteer basis even, educational programs like this were more incorporated into the formal curricula and/or for after-school programs or with the local law enforcement or health professionals. This should absolutely be included because they are in -- they're in the line of peril, all of them. This is indiscriminate. And so I think the treatment and recovery -- one thing I'll mention -- it didn't get mentioned today because they're so much to talk about -- but one of the big things that has happened in this administration is, I believe, HHS or CMS has granted -- are we up to 22 or -- GIROIR: Twenty-seven. CONWAY: Twenty-seven. I mean, it's really remarkable. Was it four when we got here? GIROIR: Yes. CONWAY: Four states or so. Now we're up to 27 states where this IMD 1115 exclusion has occurred. This is really helping people get into treatment because that was a ban on mental institutions keeping people too long. It's existed for 40 years, and it had a lot of merit for that reason. But it had a cruel -- the cruel irony, the cruel result of it was a long waiting list for treatment and empty beds, because if you filled that 17th bed, you would risk not getting Medicaid reimbursement. So we have granted twenty- -- we now, as a government, as a nation, 27. More than half the states have a waiver so that you can treat that 17th, to 50th, to 60th person in your facility and still count on Medicaid reimbursement. And I'd also say something about the veterans. The President took action several months ago on veteran suicides. He's always been very concerned about that. We are taking action, as a government also, on opioid and other drug misuse disorder among our veterans. I visited the Cleveland Veterans Administration, for example -- not the Cleveland Clinic, but for the veterans across the street from there -- and I was really struck by how there, and other places -- but by way of example, pain management may not mean pain medication. They're trying other protocols first. They're doing Reiki and swimming and yoga and other less addictive drugs to help our veterans. So I think looking at each and every department and asking them what they're doing, it's unusual for the Department of Education, Department of Labor to be so involved, but they are. I mean Labor has all these displaced worker grants, because we know -- and Dr. Giroir can speak about the factories, I think, for a moment -- we know that if you lose your job because of a substance use disorder, you lose your job because you tested positively for drugs, for many Americans, you also lose your hope of recovery. And I visited a great place called Belden -- B-E-L-D-E-N -- Industries -- just, again, by way of example -- with Second Lady Mrs. Karen Pence, and Dr. Adams, the Surgeon General, and then Secretary of Labor Alex Acosta in Indiana, where Belden's -- one of many examples now where, if you fail a drug test, instead of you losing your job immediately, they hold the job for you but you agree to go into immediate treatment. And they work with the local -- they work with the local hospital, they work with the local community college to make sure that you keep your skills and education up. And that job is waiting for you when you are ready to re-assimilate. Again, I think the government far too often pats itself on the back: "Oh, look at all the numbers." And Director Carroll and Admiral Giroir said it beautifully and brilliantly that these aren't just numbers, these are people. So you want to help these people re-assimilate into society. And if they qualify for skills education or employment opportunities, housing opportunities, we want to be able to connect them with that information. So that's a very lengthy answer because we have to -- I would -- I would never say just treatment recovery, which was the emphasis of the last administration; just, "Oh, we can arrest and punish our way out of it." No, we can't. That would be a ridiculous idea, and thankfully, this President agrees with that. And we can't just say to people, "Gee, don't start." What about all the people who are already there? Weijia and then -- QUESTION: Thank you so much. QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE.) CONWAY: I'm sorry, we'll get to you. Weijia and then Andrew. QUESTION: Oh. Thank you, Kellyanne. Can you walk us through the life expectancy increase? What are the numbers? What factors do you think contributed to that? And also, how do Americans fare with other people in the world? And, Admiral, since you're going to take this, I have another question for you on corona. GIROIR: Okay, so the life expectancy data -- again, this reverses a three- to four-year trend and a loss of life expectancy. You can look at this in many different ways. Some of the principal components that resulted in the increasing expectancy was a reduction in cancer mortality, a reduction in unintentional deaths -- and that really deals with overdoses primarily, but also things like car crashes. There was also, though, a reduction in cardiovascular mortality, a reduction in Alzheimer's mortality. So it was very broad across many causes of death. There was also a 4.8 percent decrease in homicides in 2018. So these are all positive factors. The negative factors -- the only ones that were there -- were an increase in suicides, which the administration has been incredibly attentive to with many new programs rolling out, and also influenza. Again, we talk about coronavirus, and we need to talk about that. But remember, over 8,000 Americans have died this year of influenza. There's still time to get your influenza vaccine. How do we rate? We still don't rate very well compared to the rest of the developed world, and certainly the last few years have lowered our ratings. But as I said, we continue -- our mortality rate in 2019 continues to really plummet. And I do want to make the case -- we talk about these outcomes as if it's all medical care, and medical care is very important, but about 80 percent of health outcomes in the United States are due to social determinants of health and behavior. It's really the economy, it's the jobs, it's smoking, it's alcohol and other use. So 80 percent of our outcomes are expected to be -- to come from those kinds of impacts. QUESTION: And what is the number? GIROIR: Pardon me? QUESTION: What is the life expectancy number? GIROIR: The life expectancy is 78.6 years. And that's the life expectancy in the United States right now. Women live about five years longer than men, and that's been common across the board. So women, I think, are 81.2 if I'm correct, and men are five years less than that. So again, it seems like a small increase -- an increase of a 10th of a year. But when you look at it, a 10th of a year across 300 million Americans, it's really 25 million life years of increased life expectancy. And again, this is against three years of losses in life expectancy that we haven't seen since the early '90s. QUESTION: And on coronavirus, how confident are you that it can be contained at this point? And what is the White House's plan -- contingency plan -- in case it is not? GIROIR: Well, I will say that this is an all-hands-on-deck effort. There's tremendous leadership from the White House, Secretary Azar, and Director Redfield from the CDC, the Assistant Secretary Bob Kadlec. Again, resources have been put to airports. We're doing screenings. The Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service has been deployed to support the repatriation mission as well as the airport screening. And again, this is no cause for urgent panic in any way in the United States. This is currently under control. But, really, this is a dynamic, rapidly changing event. And, you know, the news can change at any given moment. But the resources are deployed, the government is mobilized, and we feel confident and we know the steps to take right now to contain it. And you know everything else: We have good diagnostics now by the CDC. The NIH already has candidate vaccines as well as many other individuals. That is a result of dozens of years of medical research to get us to the point of being rapid. QUESTION: And, Kellyanne, I know you wear so many hats, and we're lucky to have you because you have an attorney cap as well. And I have to ask whether you agree with Alan Dershowitz's argument that every politician weaves their public -- their private interest in with public interest and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. CONWAY: I actually am not going to discuss politics from the podium. So I will tell you I was very struck by his argument that no one is above the law, including the Congress. But just generally speaking, I think we'll leave what else is going on on Capitol Hill to Capitol Hill today and our crack group of attorneys who are doing an amazing job of not preening for the cameras and not being partisan politicians, frankly, but lawyers effectively in a courtroom speaking to the jury and speaking to the American people. So I'll leave that there. But I'm not going to address the political aspect of that from the podium. QUESTION: Thank you. Admiral, I have two questions. The first: Two weeks ago, the administration announced that it was repealing a number of rules that required social service providers that receive federal funding to -- that are religious in nature -- to refer people who might not be interested in faith-based approaches to secular outside organizations. Is that going -- has there been any discussion or study as to whether that will make it more difficult for some people -- religious minorities or other vulnerable groups -- to receive drug treatment? And the second: Last year, Attorney General Barr criticized prosecutors who, for instance, might decline to prosecute low-level drug possession crimes as social justice reformers who let criminals off the hook, and said they're demoralizing to law enforcement and dangerous to public safety. Is that disdain for declining to prosecute low-level drug crimes in favor of steering people into treatment consistent with the scientific literature? GIROIR: Do you want to take the prosecution question? CARROLL: Sure. GIROIR: But I'll just -- I'll just say that I work on a regular basis with DOJ, with DEA. And at the leadership level, there is absolutely no distance between us and approaching this as a public health issue. It doesn't make sense to put a person with a use disorder, who has been using because of their addiction, into long-term incarceration without treatment. It makes absolute sense for me to get the people who are pushing tons of methamphetamine to our youth across the country, to get them behind bars as soon as possible. But I'll let Director Carroll, because he deals with the law enforcement. I'll come back to -- I'll come back to that. CARROLL: What we know is that drug courts work for people that have an addiction. We're able to push people and hold their hand and get them into treatment if they are suffering from the disease of addiction. What is so disheartening is that when there are prosecutors or judges out there that don't take seriously the peoples whose addiction is to greed. The only thing that they care about is lining their pockets and preying on the victims who do have a substance use disorder. Those are the people that we need to target. That's what the Department of Justice is doing. That's what our top-notch prosecutors across the country are doing. And those are the people that need to be in jail. The people who have an addiction -- we support, with record funding from the White House, National Drug Court programs across the country, and putting them in federal courts as well to make sure that people who have an addiction are not the ones that are going to jail. GIROIR: And just to comment, I want -- I want to make it clear that this administration stands to treat all people who are in need. I have the privilege of running the ending the HIV epidemic presidential priority announced at the State of the Union last year. And we provide care to everyone regardless of who they are, where they are, what circumstances they are. And we'll continue to support that. That is the humane thing to do, and that is the position of the administration. QUESTION: But ending the referral requirement, wouldn't that make it more difficult for some people to seek treatment if they -- if the only treatment facility in the area is a faith-based one and they won't be referred to somewhere that they might be more comfortable? GIROIR: So we work with all -- we work with all communities. I think faith-based providers have an important component in this, particularly in wrap-around services. For opioid-use disorder, MAT is the standard of care. But MAT alone, if you don't have a job, if you don't have a place to live, if you don't have a welcoming community, is not going to be the entire solution. So all of those things are important. We'll continue to study every policy and make sure there are no adverse events. But, again, we want everyone to be treated. That's the core administration policy. QUESTION: And, Kellyanne, another follow-up question on the evacuations of -- CONWAY: If I could just add just one quick thing to Andrew. I just, again, would point you to FindTreatment.gov also. We worked on that for years, and it's the first overhaul. If you go back and look at it previously, we can show you the difference. It basically just generated quantity. If you put in your ZIP code and say, "Look all of the -- look at the 400 facilities you can go to within 500 miles." And people would shut it down because, like, "Well, how do I find the one right for me?" You can customize it by any number of criteria, whether you're a veteran, male or female, LGBT, in-patient, out-patient, temporary, longer term, type of insurance -- if you're on Medicaid, Medicare, private insurance, no insurance, for example. So I would also point you to that because that is a new tool for every American to access, and they are doing it. Yes, ma'am. QUESTION: Thank you so much. This is a question for the Admiral about coronavirus again. I want to know: How high, do you think, is the risk of coronavirus spreading in the U.S.? And do you think this could be a global emergency, since we just saw the number surpass the number from SARS in 2002, 2003? GIROIR: Well, it's really hard to take theoreticals because it really is a rapidly emerging and a rapidly changing environment. There has been, at least of this situation -- the sitrep, this morning, there's been no person-to -person transmission within the United States. There clearly has been person-to-person transmission in China, but there has been no person-to-person transmission. There's extensive screening, appropriate quarantine and isolation that is currently going on, and we certainly hope that continues. But to sort of project what's going to happen over the next couple of weeks -- again, it's a dynamic situation; all of the resources are in place. The situation rooms are in place, the operation centers are in place. We have CDC deployed. We're working with the World Health Organization. Again, my organization, the Public Health Service, is deploying in support of the repatriation missions as well as the airport screenings. And there'll be updates, you know, on a regular basis from Secretary Azar, my boss, who is leading the -- leading the efforts. QUESTION: Sir, can I follow up on that coronavirus question, if you don't mind? Because you're talking about, obviously, the importance of combatting what could potentially become serious, although you don't want to get into hypotheticals. And one of the President's Cabinet members, this morning, referenced or suggested that perhaps coronavirus could be good for jobs in the United States. I'm wondering if you find that kind of rhetoric or language helpful, and what you might suggest to public officials as they talk about this. And, Kellyanne, if you want to weigh in on that as well. GIROIR: I don't have any knowledge of the comments this morning. CONWAY: I didn't see that. I'm sorry. QUESTION: A follow-up question on the repatriation efforts? QUESTION: Can I just ask really quickly: In terms of the evacuations of U.S. personnel, I know it's already happened with respect to Wuhan, but will the U.S. government give diplomatic personnel throughout China the option of leaving their posts? CONWAY: I'd refer that to the State Department. QUESTION: Kellyanne, on the STOP Act -- you mentioned the STOP Act, some numbers. Can you give us an update on how far the Post Office has gotten in compliance? I think they have to screen all packages or refuse them by the end of the year. Are they anywhere close to getting there? CONWAY: Yeah, so it's gone basically from zero -- if any of you ever go to the JFK facility -- I'm going to have Director Carroll address that -- if you ever want to take a field trip to JFK airport, you'll see how few packages actually are screened coming in from China and elsewhere. But the STOP Act essentially means that foreign origin packages now must have sender recipient and contents listed on them. Our third-party carriers have been doing that for a long time -- your UPS, your FedEx, for example. And so, now, our own U.S. Postal Service needs to get on board with that. So the last numbers that I saw were somewhere in the 35th percentile. And we're on our way to -- it needs to be 100 percent at some point. We're really pleased -- about 16 months since the STOP Act, maybe less, was signed into law -- that we're already at 37 percent. But Jim can really amplify that. CARROLL: I'd love to lead a delegation if you want to go to the JFK Airport, or one of the other ones, and show you what Customs and Border Protection, as well as the USPS -- U.S. Postal Service -- are up against. What we need is additional capital, additional investments from Congress, to make sure that we have the technology. But what we have seen is actually the President attacking this at the core, at the countries where it's coming from. And so we -- as I said at the beginning, we do have a dramatic reduction in the amount of fentanyl that is coming in the mail from China. And so that is helping at the outset, while we continue to develop the resources, technology, to tackle it actually at the facilities themself. QUESTION: It seems like they're a long way off though. I mean, are they going to get there? The law says what the law says. Can they comply? CARROLL: That's our goal. CONWAY: That's our goal. Just quickly, none of us mentioned the first-of-their-kind fentanyl advisories, which we issued as an administration in August, and that included the Department of Treasury, the departments that are here right now, and others. Essentially, we are trying to show the private sector how easy it is to disrupt and divert their otherwise legitimate supply chain. So we gave first-of-their-kind advisories on the movement, the money, the manufacturing, and the marketing by these fentanyl traffickers who are very clever, because you could have a couple of blocks of fentanyl in your otherwise legitimate supply chain. And so we're dealing with the private sector so they're more aware of how they could be unwittingly helping us to come into the country. QUESTION: Do you have any -- on the coronavirus again: Do you have any evidence or information about China's use for these biological weapons for coronavirus? CONWAY: I have no comment on that whatsoever. QUESTION: Secretary Azar said that U.S. officials should have more cooperation with China in order to get coronavirus under control. Is there any sign that China is wanting to have more cooperation? And how are those negotiations going? GIROIR: Well, I'd really refer you to Secretary Azar. But there's been, at least our perception, a high degree of cooperation with China. And there is ongoing request for assistance, and I would refer you to Dr. Redfield who runs the CDC for that. QUESTION: Kellyanne, one other question. Your former coworker, John Kelly, said he believes John Bolton. What do you make of John Kelly's statements? And -- yeah, what do you make of John Kelly's statement saying that he believes John Bolton? CONWAY: Well, I respect General Kelly enormously, and like him, personally. I don't know what he's referring to, so I can't answer it. In other words, that's just a "I believe John Bolton." I have not seen -- QUESTION: Do you believe that John Bolton -- CONWAY: Well, I have not seen a manuscript. And I will tell you that -- QUESTION: -- had a conversation with President Trump where President Trump directly tied the aid to Ukraine's -- CONWAY: He didn't say that. QUESTION: -- investigation? That's what John Bolton said. He said that he believes that. CONWAY: Did John Bolton say that -- QUESTION: Yes. He said that he believes -- CONWAY: -- or are we talking about an unpublished manuscript? I'm sorry. Where did John Bolton say that? QUESTION: John Bolton said he believes -- CONWAY: Where? QUESTION: John Kelly says he believes John Bolton. Are you now saying that he is confused? CONWAY: Yamiche, where did John Bolton say that? QUESTION: He said that in front of a number of people. It's pretty clear that John -- CONWAY: No, no, no. QUESTION: It's pretty clear that John -- CONWAY: Where did Ambassador John Bolton say that? QUESTION: -- Kelly is saying that if John Bolton said that President Trump directly tied the aid -- CONWAY: No, no, no. Back up. Yamiche, where did Ambassador John Bolton say that this week? QUESTION: It was in front of cameras. Everybody saw it. CONWAY: John Bolton or John Kelly? QUESTION: John Kelly said that in front of cameras. CONWAY: Okay, Yamiche, where did John -- what did Ambassador John Bolton say this week? QUESTION: So are you saying that John Kelly did not understand what he was saying when he said "I believe John Bolton"? CONWAY: I'm not saying that. But you're not answering my question. I can't answer your question unless I understand it. QUESTION: But it's a very clear question. CONWAY: It's not clear at all because I'm asking you -- QUESTION: It is a very clear question. QUESTION: John Bolton said in his book that he had a conversation -- CONWAY: Is that what you're talking about? An unpublished manuscript? Are you talking about a leak of an unpublished manuscript, as reported by the New York Times? QUESTION: John Kelly was talking about that manuscript. CONWAY: No, I'm asking you what he is referring to. QUESTION: I'm talking about that, and John Kelly was talking about that as well. CONWAY: Okay. Because I don't know that to be true and neither do you. In other words, I don't know what John Kelly was referring to. And I'm asking you, what exactly did Ambassador John Bolton say this week, in advance of John -- General Kelly's comments? What did he say? I didn't see him say anything. I hear about unpublished manuscripts that I, frankly, haven't seen and I bet you haven't either. QUESTION: Well, what do you make of John Kelly making that statement? CONWAY: So you want me to -- you want me to answer a hypothetical wrapped up in a conundrum. QUESTION: Yes. QUESTION: Well, yeah. But why don't you just answer: What do you make of John Kelly commenting that, if the manuscript is true, that he believes John Bolton? CONWAY: If the manuscript is true? You want me to -- QUESTION: Yeah. What do you make of John Kelly making that statement? CONWAY: You want me to answer a hypothetical wrapped up in -- QUESTION: No, it's not a hypothetical. CONWAY: It is a hypothetical. QUESTION: John Kelly commented and said, "I believe John Bolton." What do you make of John Kelly saying those words? CONWAY: I don't make anything of it. I don't make anything of it. QUESTION: You don't make anything of it? CONWAY: No. But I will tell you, particularly by NBC and MSNBC, you guys couldn't stop day after -- QUESTION: I work for PBS NewsHour. CONWAY: I know where you work. Day after day -- you appear there plenty, and I think you're paid by them. But day after day after day -- day after day after day, you know what you talked about with John Kelly? That he was on his way out. He was going to be the next one to be fired. He was on his way out. He started doing that -- there was -- first, it was the Politico article in October of 2017, about six weeks after he took the job. That person has moved on to a different outlet now, but it was still a ridiculous article. So for a year and a half, while he was on the job, the main story about General Kelly was that he was going to be on his way out. Now you want me to answer a question -- I haven't talked to General Kelly about this or Ambassador Bolton about this. And I'm not going to comment, particularly from the podium, in the press briefing room, on a hypothetical -- on a leaked unpublished manuscript that I haven't seen. I hope it doesn't -- I hope it doesn't include classified information. And I know there's always this rush to imbue credibility on whomever you think is against the President at that moment. If it's not Michael Cohen, it's Michael Avenatti. If it's not them, it's Lev Parnas -- who couldn't even get into the Senate chamber yesterday because he's wearing a tracking device because he's been charged with crimes. So that's not a hypothetical. QUESTION: But my question was about what do you think -- CONWAY: You're asking me to answer -- QUESTION: -- of John Kelly's comments? MS .CONWAY: I already told you what I think of General Kelly. QUESTION: You don't make anything of that? CONWAY: I respect him and I like him. And you're asking me to comment on -- he said, "I believe John Bolton." I don't know what he is referring to when he says that and neither do you. QUESTION: Kellyanne, on the President's State of the Union Address next week, the President -- QUESTION: Can I follow up on a question about -- just this question now? CONWAY: Probably not. QUESTION: Has the White House responded to Mr. Bolton's attorney's urgent request that you at least review the chapter on Ukraine -- CONWAY: It has nothing to do with me. QUESTION: -- so that he can use it, if he's called as soon as next week to give evidence? CONWAY: Well, I'll tell you what the President of the United States is doing. In addition to eliminating from the face of the Earth dangerous terrorists; completing two trade deals; continuing to reshape the federal judiciary -- we're close to 200 judges and we'll get there soon enough; keeping this unbelievable economy going -- and that's why his approval rating is at its highest point ever in his presidency, according to some polls -- including by your outlets, if not reported by your outlets; he is helping to bring the overdose death rate down and to improve the life expectancy. He's focused on those types of things. He will go to Michigan today to -- and I believe an auto manufacturing plant, and then to do Moines, Iowa. That's what he's doing. The idea that we should stop what we're doing to review somebody's book strikes me as not a big priority, in my view, for the President. And so -- QUESTION: He could be a key witness in the trial if witnesses are called next week. CONWAY: You would hope so, wouldn't you? But anyway, I -- again, "if," "if," "if," "if" -- hypotheticals -- I'm not answering that here. Here's what I know to be real: Sixty-eight thousand Americans died last year of a drug overdose. That's why we're here, and I'm always happy to answer all of your questions as you full well know. But I got to stick to -- I got to stick to reality and not hypotheticals and frankly -- and, frankly, wishful thinking. QUESTION: Are you confident you have the votes, Kellyanne, to prevent witnesses? Are you confident you have the votes, Kellyanne? QUESTION: Admiral, can I ask you a question on a different health topic? The Pentagon announced this week that the number of victims -- U.S. service members with traumatic brain injuries -- went up to 50, from 34, from a dozen (INAUDIBLE) before that. The President said recently that he considers that to be not very serious injuries. You, as a health professional, do you agree with that assessment? CARROLL: I really can't comment. I really do not know any of the details of the traumatic brain injuries on the DOD side. We know that traumatic brain injury can be from mild to very serious. It really depends. And I just don't know what the DOD injuries are. I have not seen those. CONWAY: Last question? QUESTION: On the President's State of the Union address next week, obviously there's a big issue for you. You know, the issue of opioid abuse, opioid addiction, it's a priority for the President. Will he make this a part of the State of Union address next week? CONWAY: He will. And I'd have to go back and check for sure, but I think that'll make it the third consecutive year that he has. We've even had guests in the First Lady's box, like little baby Hope two years ago, who was adopted by a police officer and his wife in Arizona after said police officer saw this woman using drugs visibly pregnant. I think it was behind a shopping center. And he said to her, "You're hurting -- you're hurting yourself and you're hurting your baby." And he and his wife adopted baby Hope. They were in -- also, I would just remind you that this is a huge part of the First Lady's BE BEST initiative and the work that she does. I think she has single handedly helped raise awareness and funding for NAS babies, neonatal abstinence syndrome. And happy to report -- while we're talking about a decline in overdose deaths, we also see a decline in some counties in the state of Maine and across Appalachia in the number of neonatal abstinence syndrome babies either being born or, in fact, getting into treatment right away. While we're on the topic, I think what we're talking about today is really part of the President's overall healthcare vision, because he's done things like improve kidney health initiative, surprise medical billing, transparency. We're also going to be doing maternal mortality, which is way up in this country; the highest -- one of the highest in developed countries, and increasing. We're working on rural care. I don't think the country wants to have another protracted conversation or argument about health insurance. I think healthcare -- we want to put the healthcare back in healthcare, which means improving health outcomes and preventing and curing disease. And that is precisely why we're here before you today. Thank you. List of Speakers WHITE HOUSE COUNSELOR KELLYANNE CONWAY ONDCP DIRECTOR JIM CARROLL ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF PUBLIC HEALTH ADM BRETT GIROIR