America Recovers: One Constant Seems to be Work at Ground Zero; Congressional Medal of Honor to be Given to Servicepeople who Died at Ground Zero
AARON BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: In this everchanging story, the one constant seems to be the work that goes on at ground zero, 24-hours a day. It is a warm day, very warm for October, day New York, supposed to get to mid 80s, and make things a little bit difficult, but a whole better than it was on Monday when it was cold and wet. Michael Okwu is on duty ground zero for us today -- Michael.</s>MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Aaron, good afternoon. That's right, the forecast says it is 80 degrees and sunny in New York, but it is partly cloudy in lower Manhattan, it will be cloudy quite some time. The smoke continues to rise, now 23 days after the attack, and it continues to rise. Just moments ago we saw a plume, a very recognizable of yellow smoke rise into the sky. Of course there was a lot of material in Twin Towers. We don't want to speculate might that might have been. But where there's smoke there is fire, there's often fire. I spoke with rescue worker moments ago, a member of the Heavy Equipment Operator Union, who told me that the area underneath the rubble is like -- his words now -- "an underground coal mine fire." In fact, while we were on the phone, he said that a huge fire broke out beneath the rubble. He said there's such concentration of heat, such very intense pockets of heat underneath the rubble that when the air hits it, it often smolders, and it can ignite. The fact is that are very difficult conditions that the rescue workers have to negotiate, and the fact that it is 80 degrees today will certainly not help them. Some extraordinary numbers from New York city comptrollers office. The first estimates say that the attacks will cost $105 billion, with a b, over the next two years. Here's how it breaks down, $45 billion for the buildings lost and the taxes paid on them, and between $45 and $60 billion for the lost economic activity over the next two years. In addition to that, they say that the city could lose 115,000 jobs this year, but some of those jobs could be offset by new jobs caused by the crisis, new jobs such as those in security, construction and in the clean-up effort. In the meantime, the rescue workers continue to work around and inside the site. They say that they are reaching cavities where they hope there may be a lot of people -- a lot of people who are down there. They said that those cavities were such that they believe that they were cavities where many of the people who were trying to flee the attack might have run into. Of course, there's still 4,986 people missing and presumed dead. The last remaining search-and-rescue teams from FEMA will be departing on Saturday. There are of course local and state teams, as far as we know, who will continue to be working the site until we here differently -- Aaron.</s>BROWN: Michael, thank you. Michael Okwu at ground zero. Think about those numbers for a second, $105 billion costs for what happened in a heartbeat in lower Manhattan three and a half weeks ago -- Judy.</s>WOODRUFF: Aaron, I can tell you, we continue to watch the work going on at ground zero in awe, what those people are doing. And speaking of that, here in Washington, we've been telling you a lot of about what Congress is doing in the way of dealing with anti- terrorism measures, legislation, but we can also tell you that we've taken timeout to think about ways to recognize some of the heroes who emerged from the events of September 11th. And for more on that, we go to Jonathan Karl, our congressional correspondent -- John.</s>JONATHAN KARL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Judy, there's a thing called the Congressional Medal of Valor. It's the nation's highest award given to public safety workers, so it may seem a no-brainer that those who died on September 11th, the firefighters, the policemen and women, and also the medical personnel who died on September 11th will be given this Congressional Medal of Valor. But there is a hitch, the Medal of Valor is so conclusion that is limited to only five individuals per year who can receive it, so there's action now, broad action in Congress for support, across party lines, to eliminate that limit of five individuals, and to give that award. that congressional Medal of Valor, to every firefighter, medical personnel, police officer who died on September 11th in connection with the attacks.</s>REP. VITO FOSSELLA (R), NEW YORK: Out of that devastation, out of those acts of hatred and violence, the United States of America, Congress, along with the president, says that those men died heroes, and as I say, words and medals can't bring them back, but the heart of this nation, the soul of this nation, the Congress of this nation insist all those brave men and women willing to risk those lives, those indeed who did give their lives, we really say thank you.</s>KARL: New York City officials say that there 343 firefighters alone who died in connection to the September 11th attacks. Of course many more police officers and medical personnel as well. Congress can't officially grant the Medal of Valor, because it is awarded as recommended by a National Medal of Valor review board that gives the recommendations to president who actually makes the honor, so what this legislation has been proposed would do, would be to eliminate that limit so that they can all get the Medal of Valor and also recommend to that Medal of Valor review board that those individuals who died on September 11th in connection with the attacks, those rescue workers be given the award -- Judy.</s>WOODRUFF: All right, Jonathan Karl at the Capitol. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com