Transcripts For WJLA Full Measure With Sharyl Attkisson 2016

Congressman Henry Cuellar there are countries from all over the world, not only mexico and Central America. So, its a u. N. Type of diversity, if i can say that. . Joce sterman from the street musicians wailing out jazz to the ferncovered balconies of the french quarter, new orleans is the place where america lets the good times roll. One of the best ways to see the big easy is on foot. If you dare. Wh m Becky Mowbray take you chances. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] . Sharyl hello, im sharyl attkisson. Welcome to full measure. 88 years ago, almost every bacteria is becoming resistant to the antibiotic designed to treat it. Socalled superbugs are a growing threat, germs so strong theyre immune to most or all antibiotics known to man. Just last may, Army Researchers were alarmed to discover a new breed of superbug brought into the u. S. From overseas. Today, we look at the risks of superbugs and what the government is and isnt doing about it. Debbie smoody my mom was like this full of life person. Center every day. She was very independent. Sharyl debbie smoody took her mom elsie to a Pennsylvania Hospital last year for a simple outpatient procedure. Debbie smoody this picture right here was the day after the procedure. Sharyl the procedure didnt identify any medical issues but afterward, elsie went downhill fast. It turns out shed been infected by the hospital equipment, according to her doctor. Debbie smoody he said that she contracted this bacteria. It was probably from the scope he also told me that the bacteria that she had was resistant to just about any kind of antibiotic there was and the chance of her surviving was pretty slim. Sharyl thats pretty shocking . Debbie smoody it was pretty shocking. Shes like, im dying, do i have cancer . And i said, you dont have cancer, you have this bacteria. We dont know, i said its not good. And i told her, you know theres not antibiotics that really can get you better. But theyre going to try. Sharyl nothing worked. In a matter of weeks, elsie was gone. Debbie smoody that picture right there is probably the day that she passed away or the day before that she passed away. Sharyl what is it that you think people should be concerned about . Rep. Tim murphy superbugs, which are antibiotic resistant bacteria, are the greatest infection threat in our country subcommittee thats looking into the emerging superbug threat. Rep. Murphy far more people die of infections that cant be treated than people die of aids. The other thing about this is that its getting worse. We dont have cures for this and People Better start paying attention. Sharyl there are many ways bacteria are becoming immune to the effects of modern medicine. Doctors may prescribe antibiotics too often. Patients may not finish their entire prescription, leaving behind stronger, resistant bugs. Heavy antibiotic use in animals can lead to superbugs in meat and poultry, say critics, which can spread antibiotic immunity to other bacteria in people. Critics say a cdc Awareness Campaign that spent millions of tax dollars to discourage antibiotic overuse has done little to help. Antibiotic resistance is one of the most Serious Health threats we face today. Sharyl and even if antibiotics controlled, theres the foreign factor. U. S. Residents routinely cross the southern border to buy cheap antibiotics illegally, without a prescription, and carry them back into the u. S. We sent a producer to tijuana, mexico. She had no problem finding pharmacies offering antibiotics for sale noquestionsasked. Without a prescrip three out of four pharmacies we visited didnt ask for a doctors prescription. We went to mexico and found it easy to get antibiotics without a prescription. Rep. Tim murphy its easy to do. Then crossing over the border, a lot of our Border Patrol, they are looking for big parts of Illegal Drugs coming over the border. The cocaine, the heroin, coming across the border. Theyre not looking for vials of many, Many Americans or people who bring them across the border. Patrick mc gann i would be concerned when i would hear stories like that because thats exactly how things get exacerbated. Sharyl microbiologist Patrick Mc Gann leads a Research Team at Walter Reed Army institute of research. Where they comb through samples sent from hospitals around the country looking for signs of dangerous superbugs. Patrick mc gann this is from during the iraq war from 2003 2011. Sharyl resistant bacteria caused severe problems for u. S. Soldiers fighting in iraq. Patrick mc gann at the height of the war, in 2006, there was nearly one new infection every day and they were extremely difficult to, i mean we still have soldiers to this day that are recovering from some of the infections that they received. Sharyl last may came a bombshell. One of the mostfeared bacteria first discovered last year in china, turned up in the u. S. It was mc ganns lab that found it. An expletive when i responded back immediately, are you serious . Sharyl the sample was from a 49yearold woman hospitalized in pennsylvania. Her urine contained bacteria with a gene called mcr1 that makes it resistant to our best antibiotic. Patrick mc gann now that we have globalization, these bacteria will start to be imported into the United States from other countries whether through food o or just by people traveling you know from country to country. Sharyl the centers for Disease Control estimates 2 million americans a year are hit by hard to kill, drugresistant bacteria. 23,000 die. The actual number could be much higher as the cdc doesnt require hospitals to report superbug infections. Congressman murphy wants mandatory reporting, but the idea doesnt have enough support to become law. Rep. Tim murphy hospitals dont want to be known as having an dont want to come or they dont want to have their insurance rates raised or have lawsuits. Doctors dont want to chart it. The cdc doesnt adequately monitor these things so all these things add up to, we have a big mess. Sharyl we asked the cdc why it doesnt require hospitals to report their superbug outbreaks. In a statement, cdc told us it does monitor drugresistant infections, but has no Regulatory Power to require reporting because each state develops its own mandates. The agency says it is taking ep capacity to detect, respond, and prevent antibiotic resistant infections. Debbie smoody has learned a lot about superbugs since her mothers death. She thinks hospitals should be required to report them and warn patients of any outbreaks before theyre treated. Debbie smoody to see her go from that to what she became in like a months time, it blows my mind. To this day, like i still cant even believe that it all happened. Plan for better monitoring, and nearly doubled the funding to fight antibiotic resistance to more than 1. 2 billion. Next on full measure. Theres a run for the southern border. We look at what some are calling a huge last rush before the inauguration of president elect sharyl there has been a run for the u. S. Border by citizens under the wire before an anticipated tightening of Border Security under the Trump Administration. The department of Homeland Security says immigration detention facilities are already overflowing as they face this new influx. In august, there were 37,000 people known to cross the southern border illegally. In september, there were 39,000. In october, 46,000. We recently spoke to congressman Henry Cuellar of texas about new, alarming numbers. He represents a district that bears a lot of the brunt of the surge. Ive looked at the numbers youve given me and it looks like, in many categories, theres a big uptick in immigrants crossing the border. Rep. Cuellar especially the unaccompanied kids, family units coming in from Central America. Back last year around this time, i had said we need to look at those numbers because they look like theyre increasing. Sharyl in the 2016 fiscal year, more than 408,000 illegally entered the southern border. That includes over 59,000 children under 18 who came most of the youth crossed in through congressman Henry Cuellars district, which includes laredo, texas. I also look at these numbers and theres been a big influx in haitians coming into the u. S. Illegally. Rep. Cuellar i think whats happening now is people are realizing all you have to do is get to the southern border and just claim asylum, refugee or credible fear, then theyll process you, give you the notice to appear and then you wait 3, 4 years for a Court Hearing and thats why you got haia sharyl in 2015, only about 339 haitians were taken in by Border Patrol. But in 2016, that number skyrocketed. 5,000 haitians illegally entered through california alone. Sarah saldada i think, you know, that right now, its the emergency situation that im aware of is actually on california border with some 4,000 haitians there. Sharyl in september, u. S. Enforcement director Sarah Saldana testified that the haitian influx is causing such a crisis, that the u. S. Government recently began a program to deport thousands of them. Focusing first on convicted felons. Sarah saldada i just was in the Central American region and heard from a number of those countries that theyre aware with conversations with their governments in south and Central America of 40,000 haitians who are en route to the United States. Sharyl 2 patrol also took in nearly 200,000 mexicans who entered illegally, 75,000 guatemalans, 72,000 from el salvador, and, 53,000 hondurans. Rep. Cuellar there are countries from all over the world, not just mexico and Central America. So, its a u. N. Type of diversity, if i can say that. Sharyl cuellar questions why u. S. Tax money provided to Central America to keep so many rep. Cuellar if you remember about a year ago congress, myself, kay ranger, and other folks, we added 750 million to help the Central American countries address some of the issues. A year later, theyve only allotted out 23 million, as of a week ago. We gave them the money they should have had a plan to allocate these resources. Problem is, 750 million for honduras, Central America, guatemala, where most of the kids and family units are coming in rising, we still havent done anything with those resources. Sharyl cubans who get automatic legal status and benefits under cold war policy are also crossing the southern border in huge numbers. In 2014, 23,000 cubans entered the u. S. In 2016, that number more than illegal entries via mexico by people from pakistan, which some consider a state sponsor of terrorism. The Border Patrol took in 31 pakistanis in 2014, but more than 300 this year. The number of pakistanis, specifically, has gone up according to these numbers to 214 to fiscal year 2016 gone up 935 . Is that cause for concern . Rep. Cuellar it is because people from different parts of the world, africa, middle east, realizing that all you have to do is get to the southern border of the United States and theres a process there, you can claim a Legal Defense and you just get to come in. I mean, people, the smuggling organizations know exactly what theyre doing. Sharyl a lot of people say these poor people come to the u. S. For hope, they need refuge. Why should we turn anybody away . Rep. Cuellar you know, were a very generous country, a very giving country, and i wish we could save the world, but unfortunately, we cant save the world and people are coming in and overloading the system, but, under the legal system or in my opinion, we need to change the immigration system to make it work better and address some of those issues. Sharyl what do you think might be on the horizon for your district and for the u. S. Southern border under a Trump Administration . Rep. Cuellar you know, i think, with all due respect, i think he was using a lot of political rhetoric to get some of those votes. Mr. Trump anyone who has entered the United States illegally is subject to deportation. Rep. Cuellar i think if you look now, hes backtracking. First, he said, im gonna deport everybody, and now hes saying, well, maybe the 23 million criminal aliens, which thats been my position for years. Theres ways we can secure the border in a much better way than just saying put a wall and come up with 14th Century Solutions for a 21st century problem. A wall, for example, really quickly you put one mile of technology, itd be about 1 million a mile. You put one mile of fencing, not it is 6. 5 million a mile, so again, i think the Trump Administration is gonna come back, review, take input from people that work the you know the Border Patrol, live on the border, understand, and i think he will take a more practical aspect, in my opinion. Sharyl by the way, haiti is refusing to accept all of the citizens the u. S. Is trying to deport. One notorious case is that of jean jacques. He came here illegally in the 1990s and shot a woman in the head. Upon his release from is wasnt deported and stabbed to death another Young American woman. A Bipartisan Group of senators wants the u. S. To deny visas for visitors from countries that are refusing their deported citizens. Next on full measure. New orleans is called the big easy, but we show you why youd better take it easy Walking Around the storied french he gets a lot of compliments. He wears his army hat, walks around with his army shirt looking all nice. And then people just say, . Thank you for serving our country . And im like, thats my dad. Male vo no one deserves a warmer welcome home. Thats why were hiring 10,000 members of the military community by the end of 2017. Sharyl new orleans is one of americas favorite tourist cities. The citys history is part of the charm. But full measure correspondent joce sterman visited the big easy and discovered some historic policies may be putting people at risk. . Joce from the street musicians wailing out jazz to the ferncovered balconies of the french quarter, new orleans is the place where america one of the best ways to see the big easy is on foot if you dare. What message does that send to pedestrians . Becky mowbray take your chances. Joce all over new orleans, pedestrians are gambling. Not in the citys casino. But on its streets. An audit released this october discovered only 62 out of the citys 463 intersections have a Pedestrian Crossing signal. That simple white light that tells you when its safe to walk. Thats only 13 of crossings. Tampa, and miami have signals at more than 80 of their crossings. Becky mowbray its more like the exception than the rule. When you see a pedestrian light, youre surprised to see a pedestrian light. Whereas, in other major cities, theyre pretty much on every major corner. Joce Becky Mowbray is with the new orleans inspector generals office. It was their audit that showed the city of new orleans was putting people at risk. You watch these people, what theyre in those intersections . Becky mowbray i worry about their safety. Joce in the past 3 years, 40 pedestrians have been killed in new orleans. To compare with two cities of similar size, cleveland had 11 pedestrian deaths in that time. Minneapolis had 6. New orleans isnt unique in its pedestrian problem. It sits with tampa, new york, atlanta, and 22 other cities on a federal Government Watch list. Didnt see me. Joce Jolie Lemoine was hit by a car last year at this intersection near new orleans city park. Traffic comes from 13 lanes in five different directions. You wont find a single Pedestrian Crossing light here. Just outlined crossing lanes that have faded with age. You do this with some hesitation now at this intersection . Jolie lemoine absolutely. Well, you just dont know if someones not using their blinker. How do you know if theyre going to turn or not . Its not worth it to me, its not worth it anymore to take that risk. Its a guessing game. Joce lemoines guess landed her in rehab for eight months with a serious hip injury. Now, shes an advocate for pedestrian safety. Jolie lemoine you hear the story over and over and over. It just seems like eventually something would resonate with lawmakers and they would see some of these key intersections where they could improve the signage. Joce so why is new orleans different . It all stems from a rule dating back at least 30 years that only allows crossings at could be stopped in all directions. Nadiene van dyke this was an informal policy, an unwritten policy, so in large part, it had never been questioned. Joce no one raised the alarm . To say this seems a bit ridiculous . Nadiene van dyke no one knew, except for the people enforcing this unwritten policy. Joce nadiene van dyke is the citys assistant inspector general. Theyre calling for new orleans to move beyond its old ways, towards more science, and less as the gut calls of engineers. Nadiene van dyke it is not the recommended method. It is absolutely not what we would hope for. Joce other cities are using modern methods to protect pedestrians analyzing data and highlighting the problem. New york and d. C. Both adopted a Henry Cuellar<\/a> there are countries from all over the world, not only mexico and Central America<\/a>. So, its a u. N. Type of diversity, if i can say that. . Joce sterman from the street musicians wailing out jazz to the ferncovered balconies of the french quarter, new orleans is the place where america lets the good times roll. One of the best ways to see the big easy is on foot. If you dare. Wh m Becky Mowbray<\/a> take you chances. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] . Sharyl hello, im sharyl attkisson. Welcome to full measure. 88 years ago, almost every bacteria is becoming resistant to the antibiotic designed to treat it. Socalled superbugs are a growing threat, germs so strong theyre immune to most or all antibiotics known to man. Just last may, Army Researchers<\/a> were alarmed to discover a new breed of superbug brought into the u. S. From overseas. Today, we look at the risks of superbugs and what the government is and isnt doing about it. Debbie smoody my mom was like this full of life person. Center every day. She was very independent. Sharyl debbie smoody took her mom elsie to a Pennsylvania Hospital<\/a> last year for a simple outpatient procedure. Debbie smoody this picture right here was the day after the procedure. Sharyl the procedure didnt identify any medical issues but afterward, elsie went downhill fast. It turns out shed been infected by the hospital equipment, according to her doctor. Debbie smoody he said that she contracted this bacteria. It was probably from the scope he also told me that the bacteria that she had was resistant to just about any kind of antibiotic there was and the chance of her surviving was pretty slim. Sharyl thats pretty shocking . Debbie smoody it was pretty shocking. Shes like, im dying, do i have cancer . And i said, you dont have cancer, you have this bacteria. We dont know, i said its not good. And i told her, you know theres not antibiotics that really can get you better. But theyre going to try. Sharyl nothing worked. In a matter of weeks, elsie was gone. Debbie smoody that picture right there is probably the day that she passed away or the day before that she passed away. Sharyl what is it that you think people should be concerned about . Rep. Tim murphy superbugs, which are antibiotic resistant bacteria, are the greatest infection threat in our country subcommittee thats looking into the emerging superbug threat. Rep. Murphy far more people die of infections that cant be treated than people die of aids. The other thing about this is that its getting worse. We dont have cures for this and People Better<\/a> start paying attention. Sharyl there are many ways bacteria are becoming immune to the effects of modern medicine. Doctors may prescribe antibiotics too often. Patients may not finish their entire prescription, leaving behind stronger, resistant bugs. Heavy antibiotic use in animals can lead to superbugs in meat and poultry, say critics, which can spread antibiotic immunity to other bacteria in people. Critics say a cdc Awareness Campaign<\/a> that spent millions of tax dollars to discourage antibiotic overuse has done little to help. Antibiotic resistance is one of the most Serious Health<\/a> threats we face today. Sharyl and even if antibiotics controlled, theres the foreign factor. U. S. Residents routinely cross the southern border to buy cheap antibiotics illegally, without a prescription, and carry them back into the u. S. We sent a producer to tijuana, mexico. She had no problem finding pharmacies offering antibiotics for sale noquestionsasked. Without a prescrip three out of four pharmacies we visited didnt ask for a doctors prescription. We went to mexico and found it easy to get antibiotics without a prescription. Rep. Tim murphy its easy to do. Then crossing over the border, a lot of our Border Patrol<\/a>, they are looking for big parts of Illegal Drugs<\/a> coming over the border. The cocaine, the heroin, coming across the border. Theyre not looking for vials of many, Many Americans<\/a> or people who bring them across the border. Patrick mc gann i would be concerned when i would hear stories like that because thats exactly how things get exacerbated. Sharyl microbiologist Patrick Mc Gann<\/a> leads a Research Team<\/a> at Walter Reed Army<\/a> institute of research. Where they comb through samples sent from hospitals around the country looking for signs of dangerous superbugs. Patrick mc gann this is from during the iraq war from 2003 2011. Sharyl resistant bacteria caused severe problems for u. S. Soldiers fighting in iraq. Patrick mc gann at the height of the war, in 2006, there was nearly one new infection every day and they were extremely difficult to, i mean we still have soldiers to this day that are recovering from some of the infections that they received. Sharyl last may came a bombshell. One of the mostfeared bacteria first discovered last year in china, turned up in the u. S. It was mc ganns lab that found it. An expletive when i responded back immediately, are you serious . Sharyl the sample was from a 49yearold woman hospitalized in pennsylvania. Her urine contained bacteria with a gene called mcr1 that makes it resistant to our best antibiotic. Patrick mc gann now that we have globalization, these bacteria will start to be imported into the United States<\/a> from other countries whether through food o or just by people traveling you know from country to country. Sharyl the centers for Disease Control<\/a> estimates 2 million americans a year are hit by hard to kill, drugresistant bacteria. 23,000 die. The actual number could be much higher as the cdc doesnt require hospitals to report superbug infections. Congressman murphy wants mandatory reporting, but the idea doesnt have enough support to become law. Rep. Tim murphy hospitals dont want to be known as having an dont want to come or they dont want to have their insurance rates raised or have lawsuits. Doctors dont want to chart it. The cdc doesnt adequately monitor these things so all these things add up to, we have a big mess. Sharyl we asked the cdc why it doesnt require hospitals to report their superbug outbreaks. In a statement, cdc told us it does monitor drugresistant infections, but has no Regulatory Power<\/a> to require reporting because each state develops its own mandates. The agency says it is taking ep capacity to detect, respond, and prevent antibiotic resistant infections. Debbie smoody has learned a lot about superbugs since her mothers death. She thinks hospitals should be required to report them and warn patients of any outbreaks before theyre treated. Debbie smoody to see her go from that to what she became in like a months time, it blows my mind. To this day, like i still cant even believe that it all happened. Plan for better monitoring, and nearly doubled the funding to fight antibiotic resistance to more than 1. 2 billion. Next on full measure. Theres a run for the southern border. We look at what some are calling a huge last rush before the inauguration of president elect sharyl there has been a run for the u. S. Border by citizens under the wire before an anticipated tightening of Border Security<\/a> under the Trump Administration<\/a>. The department of Homeland Security<\/a> says immigration detention facilities are already overflowing as they face this new influx. In august, there were 37,000 people known to cross the southern border illegally. In september, there were 39,000. In october, 46,000. We recently spoke to congressman Henry Cuellar<\/a> of texas about new, alarming numbers. He represents a district that bears a lot of the brunt of the surge. Ive looked at the numbers youve given me and it looks like, in many categories, theres a big uptick in immigrants crossing the border. Rep. Cuellar especially the unaccompanied kids, family units coming in from Central America<\/a>. Back last year around this time, i had said we need to look at those numbers because they look like theyre increasing. Sharyl in the 2016 fiscal year, more than 408,000 illegally entered the southern border. That includes over 59,000 children under 18 who came most of the youth crossed in through congressman Henry Cuellar<\/a>s district, which includes laredo, texas. I also look at these numbers and theres been a big influx in haitians coming into the u. S. Illegally. Rep. Cuellar i think whats happening now is people are realizing all you have to do is get to the southern border and just claim asylum, refugee or credible fear, then theyll process you, give you the notice to appear and then you wait 3, 4 years for a Court Hearing<\/a> and thats why you got haia sharyl in 2015, only about 339 haitians were taken in by Border Patrol<\/a>. But in 2016, that number skyrocketed. 5,000 haitians illegally entered through california alone. Sarah saldada i think, you know, that right now, its the emergency situation that im aware of is actually on california border with some 4,000 haitians there. Sharyl in september, u. S. Enforcement director Sarah Saldana<\/a> testified that the haitian influx is causing such a crisis, that the u. S. Government recently began a program to deport thousands of them. Focusing first on convicted felons. Sarah saldada i just was in the Central American<\/a> region and heard from a number of those countries that theyre aware with conversations with their governments in south and Central America<\/a> of 40,000 haitians who are en route to the United States<\/a>. Sharyl 2 patrol also took in nearly 200,000 mexicans who entered illegally, 75,000 guatemalans, 72,000 from el salvador, and, 53,000 hondurans. Rep. Cuellar there are countries from all over the world, not just mexico and Central America<\/a>. So, its a u. N. Type of diversity, if i can say that. Sharyl cuellar questions why u. S. Tax money provided to Central America<\/a> to keep so many rep. Cuellar if you remember about a year ago congress, myself, kay ranger, and other folks, we added 750 million to help the Central American<\/a> countries address some of the issues. A year later, theyve only allotted out 23 million, as of a week ago. We gave them the money they should have had a plan to allocate these resources. Problem is, 750 million for honduras, Central America<\/a>, guatemala, where most of the kids and family units are coming in rising, we still havent done anything with those resources. Sharyl cubans who get automatic legal status and benefits under cold war policy are also crossing the southern border in huge numbers. In 2014, 23,000 cubans entered the u. S. In 2016, that number more than illegal entries via mexico by people from pakistan, which some consider a state sponsor of terrorism. The Border Patrol<\/a> took in 31 pakistanis in 2014, but more than 300 this year. The number of pakistanis, specifically, has gone up according to these numbers to 214 to fiscal year 2016 gone up 935 . Is that cause for concern . Rep. Cuellar it is because people from different parts of the world, africa, middle east, realizing that all you have to do is get to the southern border of the United States<\/a> and theres a process there, you can claim a Legal Defense<\/a> and you just get to come in. I mean, people, the smuggling organizations know exactly what theyre doing. Sharyl a lot of people say these poor people come to the u. S. For hope, they need refuge. Why should we turn anybody away . Rep. Cuellar you know, were a very generous country, a very giving country, and i wish we could save the world, but unfortunately, we cant save the world and people are coming in and overloading the system, but, under the legal system or in my opinion, we need to change the immigration system to make it work better and address some of those issues. Sharyl what do you think might be on the horizon for your district and for the u. S. Southern border under a Trump Administration<\/a> . Rep. Cuellar you know, i think, with all due respect, i think he was using a lot of political rhetoric to get some of those votes. Mr. Trump anyone who has entered the United States<\/a> illegally is subject to deportation. Rep. Cuellar i think if you look now, hes backtracking. First, he said, im gonna deport everybody, and now hes saying, well, maybe the 23 million criminal aliens, which thats been my position for years. Theres ways we can secure the border in a much better way than just saying put a wall and come up with 14th Century Solutions<\/a> for a 21st century problem. A wall, for example, really quickly you put one mile of technology, itd be about 1 million a mile. You put one mile of fencing, not it is 6. 5 million a mile, so again, i think the Trump Administration<\/a> is gonna come back, review, take input from people that work the you know the Border Patrol<\/a>, live on the border, understand, and i think he will take a more practical aspect, in my opinion. Sharyl by the way, haiti is refusing to accept all of the citizens the u. S. Is trying to deport. One notorious case is that of jean jacques. He came here illegally in the 1990s and shot a woman in the head. Upon his release from is wasnt deported and stabbed to death another Young American<\/a> woman. A Bipartisan Group<\/a> of senators wants the u. S. To deny visas for visitors from countries that are refusing their deported citizens. Next on full measure. New orleans is called the big easy, but we show you why youd better take it easy Walking Around<\/a> the storied french he gets a lot of compliments. He wears his army hat, walks around with his army shirt looking all nice. And then people just say, . Thank you for serving our country . And im like, thats my dad. Male vo no one deserves a warmer welcome home. Thats why were hiring 10,000 members of the military community by the end of 2017. Sharyl new orleans is one of americas favorite tourist cities. The citys history is part of the charm. But full measure correspondent joce sterman visited the big easy and discovered some historic policies may be putting people at risk. . Joce from the street musicians wailing out jazz to the ferncovered balconies of the french quarter, new orleans is the place where america one of the best ways to see the big easy is on foot if you dare. What message does that send to pedestrians . Becky mowbray take your chances. Joce all over new orleans, pedestrians are gambling. Not in the citys casino. But on its streets. An audit released this october discovered only 62 out of the citys 463 intersections have a Pedestrian Crossing<\/a> signal. That simple white light that tells you when its safe to walk. Thats only 13 of crossings. Tampa, and miami have signals at more than 80 of their crossings. Becky mowbray its more like the exception than the rule. When you see a pedestrian light, youre surprised to see a pedestrian light. Whereas, in other major cities, theyre pretty much on every major corner. Joce Becky Mowbray<\/a> is with the new orleans inspector generals office. It was their audit that showed the city of new orleans was putting people at risk. You watch these people, what theyre in those intersections . Becky mowbray i worry about their safety. Joce in the past 3 years, 40 pedestrians have been killed in new orleans. To compare with two cities of similar size, cleveland had 11 pedestrian deaths in that time. Minneapolis had 6. New orleans isnt unique in its pedestrian problem. It sits with tampa, new york, atlanta, and 22 other cities on a federal Government Watch<\/a> list. Didnt see me. Joce Jolie Lemoine<\/a> was hit by a car last year at this intersection near new orleans city park. Traffic comes from 13 lanes in five different directions. You wont find a single Pedestrian Crossing<\/a> light here. Just outlined crossing lanes that have faded with age. You do this with some hesitation now at this intersection . Jolie lemoine absolutely. Well, you just dont know if someones not using their blinker. How do you know if theyre going to turn or not . Its not worth it to me, its not worth it anymore to take that risk. Its a guessing game. Joce lemoines guess landed her in rehab for eight months with a serious hip injury. Now, shes an advocate for pedestrian safety. Jolie lemoine you hear the story over and over and over. It just seems like eventually something would resonate with lawmakers and they would see some of these key intersections where they could improve the signage. Joce so why is new orleans different . It all stems from a rule dating back at least 30 years that only allows crossings at could be stopped in all directions. Nadiene van dyke this was an informal policy, an unwritten policy, so in large part, it had never been questioned. Joce no one raised the alarm . To say this seems a bit ridiculous . Nadiene van dyke no one knew, except for the people enforcing this unwritten policy. Joce nadiene van dyke is the citys assistant inspector general. Theyre calling for new orleans to move beyond its old ways, towards more science, and less as the gut calls of engineers. Nadiene van dyke it is not the recommended method. It is absolutely not what we would hope for. Joce other cities are using modern methods to protect pedestrians analyzing data and highlighting the problem. New york and d. C. Both adopted a Progressive Program<\/a> called vision zero, aimed at eliminating deaths. If new york looks at it as a design problem to have accidents look at it . Becky mowbray i think they dont. Joce new orleans has only discussed vision zero. Last spring, the city began a project adding countdown timers to some crossing signals. The federal Highway Administration<\/a> found they could cut the number of accidents involving pedestrians by 25 . But many of those signals are still covered in burlap bags and only 44 spots in the city will get the upgrade. Roxe homstad how many of us are going to have to die bor and we have to do something . Joce roxe homstad is both blind and deaf. She says her service dog saved her life as she tried to cross a street without a signal. Even with upgrades, there are no plans for crosswalk signals with sound or vibration to alert the disabled. Roxe homstad this is important. These are peoples lives. This is peoples livelihoods. We are taxpayers. We deserve equal treatment. Joce for more than a month, public works to sit down and talk, but they refused. They did finally send us a statement, saying safety is a top priority and the city is already hard at work improving pedestrian accessibility. The only problem is they did not answer a single one of the questions that we asked. Sharyl i have a feeling we will have a followup. We will have you back on on this same story when we figure out what they are going to do about it. Sharyl two weeks ago, we reported on some secret warriors, spies with the oss, the office of strategic services, who fought in world war ii and formed the beginning of the cia and special forces. For years, few knew they existed. And for many more years, the heroism that helped win the war went largely unrecognized. We met john billings, now 93, who took part in a Daring Mission<\/a> behind enemy lines. Well, this week, the house of representatives voted to award john and all the those who served in the oss the congressional gold medal, congress highest civilian honor. The bill was passed by the Senate Earlier<\/a> this year and now goes to the president for his signature. Bottled water is about to eclipse soft drinks as americas most popular beverage. Next week, well visit a small Bottling Company<\/a> in the hills of maine as we examine the water wars. Is it really a healthier trend and what is the Environmental Impact<\/a> . That is next week. Government matters with francis rose. Thanks for watching the Weekend Edition<\/a> of Government Matters<\/a> featuring the latest topics that matter to the business of government like technology, defense, workforce, security, and industry. Government matters is the only show exploring trends in im your host, francis rose. On the campaign trail, president elect donald trump promised quick action to fix problems that veterans face when going to the veterans affairs. It is wanted for the president to include Veterans Issues<\/a> in","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"archive.org","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":"800","height":"600","url":"\/\/ia801903.us.archive.org\/35\/items\/WJLA_20161204_150000_Full_Measure_With_Sharyl_Attkisson\/WJLA_20161204_150000_Full_Measure_With_Sharyl_Attkisson.thumbs\/WJLA_20161204_150000_Full_Measure_With_Sharyl_Attkisson_000001.jpg"}},"autauthor":{"@type":"Organization"},"author":{"sameAs":"archive.org","name":"archive.org"}}],"coverageEndTime":"20240626T12:35:10+00:00"}