American Morning
'Mayor' of Skid Row on mission to rehabilitate homeless refuge
By Stephen Samaniego and Jason Carroll, CNN
It's a haven for crime and the homeless sitting just blocks away from a downtown metropolis. They come from all walks of life after hitting rock bottom and having nowhere else to turn. This is Skid Row in Los Angeles.
"Not only are the people homeless, they're hopeless," says Skid Row resident and activist Jeff Page. Three years ago after his career as a rap promoter fizzled and he ran out of money and options, Page made the difficult decision to move to Skid Row. When he arrived a mission for the homeless became his new home.
Once he spent some time on Skid Row, the reality of the place began to resonate. "To actually be in the community for a long extended period of time and actually see day after day after day the living conditions of the people here and how deplorable the conditions were," says Page, "it really started to sink home how close I was on that fine line to becoming one of them."
Page launched a one-man campaign to turn not only his life, but also his new world around. Starting small, he became the self-appointed security guard for his mission. After getting positive feedback from residents, he took his ambitions to the streets.
He started organizing street clean-ups and mural paintings and getting the community involved with his cause. He eventually founded his group, "Issues and Solutions." Immersing himself in the Skid Row community, Page developed a reputation as a person you could approach with a problem and no matter how big or small, he would listen and try and help. That helped him earn his nickname, "General Jeff."
Meet Obama's counter-terrorism 'general'
Understanding the president's approach to combatting al Qaeda means getting to know the man who is described as Mr. Obama's "general" on counter-terrorism – John Brennan. Our Jim Acosta has the report.
Karl Malone speaks out about Wizards gun incident
The case of Washington Wizards star Gilbert Arenas is putting the spotlight back on a problem that's been around for years: NBA players and their guns.
Arenas has admitted to bringing four guns to a locker room, part of what he now calls a bad joke. It was first reported Arenas and another teammate, Javaris Crittenton, drew guns on each other.
Former NBA player Karl Malone, who had a legendary career with the Utah Jazz and is a member of the National Rifle Association, joined us on Wednesday's American Morning to discuss the matter.
Related: Wizards player calls gun incident 'a mistake'
SI.com: NBA legend Malone offers thoughts on alleged Wizards gun incident
NYC health dept. needled over 'heroin how-to' flier
By Alina Cho, CNN
Critics are calling it nothing more than a "how-to" guide for drug addicts. But New York City's health department thinks a controversial flier that's being handed out to heroin users might just save a few lives.
The 16-page pamphlet is called "Take Charge, Take Care: 10 tips for safer use." It’s a virtual heroin how-to guide, complete with illustrations and detailed tips.
"Jump up and down to show your veins, find your vein before you try to inject it. Where's the health concern there? If you miss the vein, you might get a bruise? That's an egregious misuse of taxpayer money," says NYC Councilman Peter Vallone, Jr.
The brainchild of New York City's health department, the 70,000 fliers were paid for with 32,000 taxpayer dollars.
"I think it sends out the message, and the wrong message, that heroin use can be safe. Heroin use cannot be safe; heroin use can be deadly," says John Gilbride, special agent in charge, New York DEA.
That's exactly why New York's health department says these tips are crucial. Accidental overdose is the fourth-leading cause of death in the city, claiming more than 600 lives a year.
Another big issue: HIV and AIDS. One-third of Americans living with HIV are infected through injection drug use. One reason why the health department also encourages users not to share needles, but adds there's no healthy use of drugs, just helpful information.
“The messages are clear. It's about getting help to stop using drugs. It's about preventing overdose. It's about preventing HIV infection and hepatitis infections. That's the context,” says Dr. Adam Karpati, exec. deputy commissioner, NYC Dept. of Health.
The health department says the $32,000 they spent on the fliers is actually a drop in the bucket when you consider how much money is saved by preventing infections. Over a lifetime, treatments can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per person.
The health department says not teaching people how to shoot up safely is turning your back on reality. Meaning you can try to tell someone to stop using drugs, but unless they're ready, they won't.
Where health care bills stand now
With the holiday rush and an attempted terror attack dominating the headlines, health care has taken a back seat. But there is still a lot of work to be done – work that was supposed to be finished by now.
Senators now have to merge their bill with one passed by the House, and the president says he'll be "hands-on" in the process. Our Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta breaks it all down for you.
Cold streak could set record in south Florida
A state of emergency has been declared in Florida as farmers scramble to save their citrus crops from a freeze. And it could be cold for a record long time.
Our John Zarrella braved the cold for this report from an orange grove in Vero Beach.
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