Marisa’s Musings: Samoa Earthquake/Afghanistan/Health Care Reform/Markets

A powerful earthquake rocked the islands of Samoa, discussions on the situation in Afghanistan continue and a setback for liberal Dems on health care reform…I'm Marisa Bramwell and here's the latest from the ABC News Desk.

SOUTH PACIFIC EARTHQUAKE:  A powerful earthquake struck in the South Pacific just before daybreak on Tuesday between the islands of Samoa and American Samoa.  Bill Weir has been monitoring the situation:  “The disaster began with a violent shift in the earth's crust…8 points on the Richter scale…20 miles beneath the ocean floor and 120 miles away from the Samoan Island paradise. Many were just beginning their day when the ground began heaving beneath them…and they say the quake lasted around three terrifying minutes…with a violence unmatched in recent memory.”  Residents could clearly feel their houses shaking and they were quickly warned to get out. Weir explains:  “As people scrambled for high ground, the tsunami arrived. According to a Park Service superintendant…a series of four massive waves 15-20 feet high, crashed onto American Samoa, sending seawater up to a mile inland…wiping out villages and leveling a shopping center in the middle of Pago Pago.” It’s still not clear how many people were killed or injured in the earthquake and tsunami. The death toll in American Samoa is officially 14, but could rise.  Samoa’s disaster management office says the tsunami may have killed up to 100 people with many more injured. There have already been at least ten aftershocks.  As big as this earthquake and tsunami were, they were not on the same scale as the earthquake and tsunami that killed more than 150,000 across Asia the day after Christmas in 2004.  The 2004 was at least 10 times stronger than the one that struck in the South Pacific on Wednesday.  (thanks to Ed Bailey for this entry)

AFGHANISTAN:  Some high level discussion is taking place on what to do about Afghanistan.  President Obama met this afternoon with NATO Secretary General Anders Rasmussen.  Jake Tapper tells us:  “The president said that he and Rasmussen discussed “the most important NATO mission right now, and that is Afghanistan.” He defined that mission as “dismantling, disrupting, destroying the al Qaeda network” and “effectively working with the Afghan government to provide the security necessary for that country.” Rasmussen said the “operation in Afghanistan is not America's responsibility or burden alone.  It is and it will remain a team effort.” The NATO Secretary-General said he agreed with President Obama’s deliberative approach to the next steps in Afghanistan: “strategy first, then resources.” The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, has offered his assessment, warning the war effort will likely fail without a "significant change in strategy" that would also involve a troop buildup. Tomorrow President Obama will meet with his Afghanistan war council and Jake explains:  “Over the next three weeks, there will be five National Security Council meetings about Afghanistan/Pakistan. These meetings will be at the Principals' level — Vice President Biden, Secretary of State Clinton, Secretary of Defense Gates, etc — and will include the full chain of command from Gen. McChrystal (via teleconference) through Joint Chiefs Chair Admiral Mullen. These meetings start tomorrow. President Obama will participate in three of the meetings, starting on Wednesday. The agenda for Afghanistan is to look at how the implementation of the March strategy is going, discussing any adjustments that need to be made, and then of course later in the process they will discuss resource issues.”  As for the arguments that might be discussed, Martha Raddatz points out: “One of the most powerful arguments for sending more forces is the success of the 2007 "troop surge" in Iraq. Within a matter of months, the security situation there began improving dramatically. But opponents of a surge in Afghanistan point to the differences. Afghanistan is much larger than Iraq…with difficult terrain, a weaker central government.”  (thanks to Ed Bailey for this entry)

HEALTH CARE REFORM:  Liberal Democrats faced a set-back today in Washington, with the Senate Finance Committee voting down two versions of the public insurance option.  President Obama has maintained that the public option is needed to keep health care costs down, but on WORLD NEWS Dr. Tim Johnson reported that “we face that no matter what happens.  It is possible to have a very good health insurance without a public option.  There are two countries that come immediately to mind…both Switzerland and Germany have a vibrant private health insurance option, no public option…and very heavy government regulation of that private insurance industry.  So one way or another, public option or regulation, the government has to play a role.”  Dr. Tim also discussed elements needed for health care reform: “Three things you have to have.  Access – we’re doing that with insurance reform, increasing coverage, providing subsidies, getting rid of ideas like pre-existing conditions.  But the other two, improved quality and cost control, really require attacking the system itself.  Changing the incentives, the way we pay hospitals and doctors, improving primary care, electronic records.  Comparative data that tells us what to pay for and what not to pay for.   We don’t seem to be paying as much attention to those things as we do now to insurance reform.” As for whether the U.S. could end up with a health care reform bill that increases costs, Dr. Tim told Charles Gibson it’s a possibility:  “I think of the analogy of a leaky bucket where we pour more water in, in terms of increased coverage, increased money to the insurance companies, without fixing the leaks.  That’s a formula for long-term cost disaster.”

THE MARKETS, ONE YEAR LATER: Exactly one year after Wall Street crashed, the markets are looking up.  Here’s Betsy Stark: “In a series of traumatic declines that fall, the stock market, of course, would crash.  Bottoming almost 4600 points below where it started a year ago today. Now, a dizzying 49 percent run-up has brought the Dow back within striking distance of 10,000.  A recovery many find hard to fathom given the sorry state of the economy.”  Example?  Stark tells us unemployment is “near 10 percent, continued record foreclosures and a 29 percent spike in the federal deficit to more than $7 trillion.”  And some experts tell ABC News they believe another sell-off is coming “because we have gone too far too fast.” 

ZAZI IN COURT:  Terror suspect Najibullah Zazi pleaded not guilty to planning an attack in New York City in federal court today.   Federal officials allege Zazi is the mastermind behind a terror ring that planned attacks in major cities across the United States.  But Zazi’s lawyer challenged the government’s case, calling it a “rush to judgment.”  Even so, Brian Ross reports “the FBI is continuing a very obvious round the clock watch outside the homes of at least a dozen possible suspects.”  Authorities are also keeping tabs on purchases of beauty supplies – which Zazi and his accomplices allegedly bought large quantities of for their attack.  Ross again: “The FBI has warned salons here to be on the lookout.  In fact, when an ABC News employee bought some of those very products so we could show them on the air, the store reported her to the FBI and agents were soon on her doorstep.  So…we can report first hand, the FBI is still worried that others are out there.”  Zazi is being held without bail. His next court appearance is December 3.

SWINE FLU:  Vaccine companies Sanofi Pasteur and Meddimune say they have started shipping swine flu vaccines to the U.S.   Brian Hartman reports “so far the FDA has cleared at least 15 lots of vaccine – 9 from Medimmune, 3 from Novartis and 3 from Sanofi Pasteur.”  This is ahead of schedule, and Hartman reports “a CDC official says the agency’s VACMAN system, which state and local governments use to order vaccine, will begin taking orders tomorrow.”

TEXTING WHILE DRIVING:  On Wednesday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will hold a summit to address the dangers of text-messaging and other distractions behind the wheel.  For WORLD NEWS, Lisa Stark tested out just how effective she was at driving and texting at the same time:  “With one hand on the wheel and eyes barely on the road, my speed slowed by 20 percent.  I hit more than twice as many cones and at one point missed a turn completely.”  The two-day summit that kicks off tomorrow will include debate amongst lawmakers, automakers and safety officials about how to prevent the problems caused by distracted drivers from continuing.  LaHood said he wants the meetings to set "the stage for finding ways to eliminate texting while driving," and recommendations on how to address the issues will be made on Thursday.

TOYOTA RECALL:  Toyota recalled 3.8 million vehicles today, the company’s largest ever U.S. recall.  In a press release, the company stated “Recent events have prompted Toyota to take a closer look at the potential for an accelerator pedal to get stuck in the full open position due to an unsecured or incompatible driver's floor mat. A stuck open accelerator pedal may result in very high vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop the vehicle, which could cause a crash, serious injury or death.”  Recalled vehicles include Camrys made between 2007-2010 and Prius’s made between 2004-2009.

CUBA-US TALKS:   US and Cuban officials recently held official, unannounced talks.  Here are some details from Kirit Radia:  “Bisa Williams went down to Cuba for the postal talks…but ended up staying longer – six days – and on a wider array of topics.  An official tells ABC that ‘Williams also discussed issues related to the efficient operation of the US Interests Section in Havana and followed up on issues related to US-Cuba migration talks.’  The next round of migration talks is tentatively scheduled for December, but no details on confirmed yet.  Official adds [that] ‘Williams met with host government officials and a wide range of representative from civil society to gain a full appreciation of the political and economic situation on the ground.’”

ART HEIST:  Authorities are looking for burglars who stole more than $60 million worth in art work from a home in Pebble Beach, California last Friday.  The 13 stolen works include master pieces by Jackson Pollock, Matisse, Miro, Renoir and Rembrandt.  Art owner Angelo Benjamin Amadio and his housemate Dr. Ralph Kennaugh said the works were uninsured because insurance would have exceeded $30 million. On WORLD NEWS, Lisa Fletcher explained how art thieves get rid of the pricey, and rare pieces:  “Art experts say sometimes a wealthy buyer may be waiting in the wings, these art heists are usually crimes of opportunity.  Theives snatch the artwork because thy can and then figure out what to do with it.”  Fletcher reports there is a $1 million “no questions asked” reward for the return of the artwork, or $5 million for “the return and information leading to a successful prosecution of the thieves.”