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CNN Live Today

After Big Speech, Bush Hits the Road to Promote Agenda; Music Stars Sign Up for MTV Asia Aid

Aired February 03, 2005 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Here's Daryn and Rick down at the CNN Center. How are you guys? Good morning to you.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN CO-ANCHOR: Good morning. You guys have a great day in New York City and safe travels to Soledad from Washington, D.C.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR: Well we've just been handed a piece of paper telling us that there there's going to be a news conference coming from one of the people, who was in one of those cars yesterday that was hit by the plane.

KAGAN: Can you imagine you're driving to work and you end up in a plane accident? That is strange. We'll hear from them in the hospital, apparently going to survive. And we'll tell their story.

Right now though, how about you tell us what's happening now in the news?

SANCHEZ: Here it is. Big step taken today at Middle East security. Israel has agreed to stop the targeted killings of suspected militants. Instead, Palestinian security officials will track down those suspects. Israel also plans to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and ease some West Bank checkpoint restrictions. Officials warn the moves can be reversed.

A Vatican spokesman says Pope John Paul II had a restful night. The pontiff's condition is improving but it is not certain when he'll be able to leave a Rome hospital. John Paul was taken there Tuesday night after suffering some breathing problems.

Also, investigators are hoping to speak today to the pilot and that co-pilot of a corporate jet that crashed near the Teterboro, New Jersey Airport. There among more than 20 people taken to the hospitals yesterday. Unable to gain altitude, the plane sped off a runway, crossed a busy highway and then crashed into a warehouse. No one died.

But as we mentioned just moments ago, we can expect a news conference as well, from one of the people who was in a car that was hit by this plane after it went through the airport and before it hit this building.

Also, the head of an independent agency says the Oil for Food Program in Iraq is tainted from top to bottom. Paul Volcker's comments appear in today's "Wall Street Journal." An interim report on the U.N. program is going to be released sometime later today. Mr. Volcker accuses the program director of a conflict of interest in the firm choosing the firms that actually bought Iraqi oil.

A lot of developments on this day. We welcome you back. I'm Rick Sanchez.

KAGAN: And I'm Daryn Kagan.

President Bush laying out his second term agenda and now he is taking it on the road. President Bush is launching a campaign style blitz this morning. The focus not on re-election, but rather on defining an agenda of his second term. The controversial plan to overhaul Social Security. Today Mr. Bush travels to Fargo, North Dakota and Great Fall, Montana. Tomorrow he's off to Nebraska, Arkansas, and then to warmer climates in Florida.

President Bush began the day with the annual National Prayer Breakfast. Some see it not as just a shared value of faith but political interests as well. Evangelical Christians were among Mr. Bush's core group of supporters.

Our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux joins us now with more.

Suzanne, good morning.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. Well, President Bush is already on his way. This going to be a big sell, a campaign to try to push forward his Social Security reform plan. Now, last night it was very interesting, a little bit of everything in the State of the Union for everyone. But you did not hear talk of this axis of evil, as we had three years ago. Rather the emphasis was on diplomacy.

This was something that the president talked about in urging North Korea and Iran to give up their nuclear ambitions, also for Syria to embrace democratic reforms. And President Bush also talking about a new phase now, the U.S. mission in Iraq to help those Iraqi soldiers be trained. And the president, of course, using what he believes will be the success, the leverage of success of Iraqi elections to make the case that he believes democracy, spreading democracy, around the world is a realistic and worthy goal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In the long term, the peace we seek will only be achieved by eliminating the conditions that feed radicalisms and ideologies of murder. If whole regions of the world remain in despair and grow in hatred. They will be the recruiting grounds for terror. That terror will stalk America and other free nations for decades.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And Daryn, of course, really the centerpiece of his domestic agenda, reforming Social Security. A big item last night. The president saying that he believes that creating for younger retirees whose private investment accounts is the way to go for the Social Security system to be solvent in the future. He had a number of highlights for what he believes will be the way to do that.

First talking about the fact that people born in 1950 or later would be eligible. That it would be a voluntary program beginning in 2009. That workers could invest up to 4 percent of their wages. That Social Security's guaranteed benefits would be reduced, however. And that the government estimates that it would cost $754 billion of transition cost to actually make that happen.

Now, President Bush said he did not believe the Social Security system going to be bankrupt until 2018. Nevertheless, he urged Americans to quickly embrace what he believes is going to be a tough sell, his Social Security reform plan.

KAGAN: Suzanne, let's talk about this two-day tour. North Dakota, Montana, as we were saying Nebraska, Arkansas and then Florida. Of course, these tours aren't put together randomly. What's the thinking behind hitting those states?

MALVEAUX: Absolutely not. As a matter fact, it has a political twist as well. These are five states, as you know red states that the president won in the campaign. These are all ones that he believes that he can convince the American people to push forward his Social Security reform plan. He's got a lot of support there. He's got to convince voters there.

But also these are states where there's at least one Democratic senator who may be vulnerable for re-election in the next two years. These are also senators that do not believe or support in his Social Security plan. Certainly the hope is that it will put a little bit of pressure on them and they'll see the light -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Suzanne Malveaux from the White House. Thank you.

SANCHEZ: The Democrats are indeed criticizing Mr. Bush's second term agenda, but they're especially targeting Social Security reforms. They say having people be able to personally invest part of their Social Security is too big a gamble.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MINORITY LEADER-ELECT: There's a lot we can do to improve America's retirement security. But it's wrong to replace the guaranteed benefit that Americans have earned with a guaranteed benefit cut of up to 40 percent. Make no mistake, that's exactly what President Bush is proposing.

SEN. BARBARA BOXER (D), CALIFORNIA: It is not true that Social Security is going to be bankrupt in 2042. Even his own administration says if we do nothing, which of course, we will do something just as we did when Ronald Reagan was president. And we fixed it in a bipartisan way very easily. But even if it had nothing, it would still have enough money in there to pay everyone 70 to 80 percent of their benefits.

(END VIDEO CLIPS) SANCHEZ: Here's something else that Barbara Boxer says. She goes on to say that George Bush first predicted that Social Security bankruptcy would happen during his congressional run. She says that back in 1978, he predicted its demise in 20 years. Which she says would have been 1998.

KAGAN: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is embarking on her first trip abroad in her new role as the nation's top diplomat. Rice is visiting Europe and the Middle East, with a first stop in London. Great Britain, as you know, has been Washington's strongest ally in the Iraq War. She'll then visit other war allies Italy and Poland, and then offer an olive branch to France, which strongly opposed military action.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate is expected to confirm another member of the President Bush cabinet today. A late afternoon vote is expected to make Alberto Gonzales the nation's first Hispanic attorney general. Some Democrats say that Gonzales, as White House counsel, was behind some questionable policies on the treatment of foreign prisoners. As many as 30 Democrats could vote against him, but not enough to block his confirmation.

And Democrats have delayed a committee vote on President Bush's nominee as the new Homeland Security chief. Michael Chertoff faced more than three hours of questions from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Despite Democratic questions about whether he helped approve the improper interrogation of terror detainees, Chertoff is expected to easily win confirmation.

SANCHEZ: Now the news out of Iraq. Just four days after the elections there, southwest of Kirkuk we take you. Insurgents ambushed a bus of Iraqi army recruits. Led them off of the vehicle and then shot them. Twelve soldiers are dead. Two or them were wounded. All were unarmed and headed home when their bus was suddenly intercepted.

In Baquba today gunmen opened fire on this vehicle. Four Iraqis were killed, two wounded. All were employees of U.S. contractor Kellogg, Brown and Root, a subsidiary of Halliburton.

And in southern Baghdad a politician was gunned down in a drive- by shooting. Police say the new city councilman had just stepped from his house. He was on his way to work.

Military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan are under the microscope this hour in Capitol Hill. In fact, these are pictures that we're bringing to you live. That's Senator Warner, obviously. The Senate Armed Services Committee is holding a hearing. Among those expected to testify and provide progress reports, Deputy Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and General Richard Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs Staff. We're going to be monitoring this for you throughout the morning and dip into it from time to time.

KAGAN: President Bush spent a lot of the evening touting his Social Security overhaul plan. But what do Americans think about it?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DON KUTHE, STORE CLERK: It is working fine. Why do you want to fix something that's not broken? I don't understand it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Still to come on CNN LIVE TODAY, meet one family not interested in talking about a risk. and other family who says why not?

Plus...

KAGAN: They're making music. Celebrities like Hoobastank and Alicia Keys are making music for a good cause. We're going to the concert coming up next.

SANCHEZ: And then later, "Will & Grace's" Debra Messing is turning to the big screen. And she's joining us live to talk about her latest project.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back to CNN LIVE TODAY.

The U.S. is scaling back tsunami effort relief in Indonesia. The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is pulling out of Sumatra Island and heading for Singapore. However, 5,000 U.S. service people are going to remain in the country, along with the USS ESSEX and a hospital ship. Meanwhile, nine tsunami survivors have been rescued from an island off the coast of India. They had been living in the jungle since a wave suddenly destroyed their village.

KAGAN: Billions in tsunami aid has been raised through government and private donations. And right now in Bangkok, Thailand international music headliners have gathered to raise even more money.

CNN's Aneesh Raman joins us now from MTV Asia Aid.

Hello.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, good morning to you. This really is an unprecedented concert for an unprecedented catastrophe. Some 11,000 people are inside watching these singers. Some 1 billion people potentially worldwide are also watching, as artists from all over the world come together for the sake of tsunami relief.

From the U.S., Alicia Keys is here to host the event. Good Charlotte, Simple Plan and Kelly Clarkson are also here to perform live. Fifty-Cent gave a video message. Artists also from some of the worst hit countries by the tsunami are here to perform. All of them trying to empower the younger generation to get involved with this effort. They're also obviously commemorating those that perished.

The goal though, really to keep the focus on the lingering aftermath of this disaster. Earlier we spoke with Alicia about what the goal of tonight was.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALICIA KEYS, SINGER: This vision, this site of all these musicians coming together, these packages that are put together to really bring you face-to-face with what's going on, what's happened, and how you can make a difference.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAMAN: And Daryn, the majority of money that gets raised here will go to UNICEF, the U.N. Children's Fund. Organizers, which include MTV, but also partners like CNN, really keen though on not just worrying about the donations, but keeping the world's focus on the lingering aftermath that could be months or years in the making -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And is that part of what you're seeing there tonight? Or is it today more about raising money, and the celebration of a people coming together to help others?

RAMAN: Well, it's really remarkable. We spoke with Kelly Clarkson along with Alicia when they came. And for a lot of these artists like them who weren't from these affected areas, seeing it firsthand even though it has now been six weeks, it has really hit home. They feel a very personal connection now to the tsunami and almost a personal responsibility to keep this effort going.

This is really something the likes of which Asia has never seen before in terms of the concert. Something the likes of which organizers have never done. But it is really a catastrophe that deserves nothing less. And the people in participation and in the audience really feel that -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Aneesh Raman joining us live from Bangkok, Thailand. Thank you.

SANCHEZ: And now Daryn has a question that she'd like to ask many of you.

KAGAN: I've been told to ask.

(LAUGHTER)

KAGAN: Ladies, what would you do to get that perfect man, if you couldn't have Rick Sanchez?

SANCHEZ: I knew that was coming. Coming up next, desperate times call for desperate measures. I don't get enough of those. So I have to help you along. Debra Messing takes on a new role and she will join us live.

She's going to talk to you, right?

KAGAN: Yes. I'm looking forward to it. But first, it affects the old and the young. A question of changing the current Social Security plan. Up next, one couple weighs in.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: The Social Security plan, Daryn, that the president announced last night is certainly something that's going to interest a lot of Americans. And we understand that in television, sometimes it is hard to tell these complicated stories. So we're going to try and break down for you this part of what the president announced last night that we didn't know before.

Let's start with who going to be affected by this. Those born after 1949 are literally going to be able to invest in this program. Only those, we should say. Now, what are they actually going to be able to do? They're going to be able to invest part of the Social Security tax that they offer up right now.

How much? This is a very important question. Because there's been some argument about this between Democrats and Republicans when they talk about the details. It's 65 percent of what you give the government right now. In other words, that's 65 percent is what you're now going to be able to invest. Now, there's a cap on that of $1,000. It also, if you wanted to break it down or look at it a different way, 4 percent of your salary.

Let's go on to another area now that we need to probably understand, as we look at this new plan. What are they actually going to be investing in? In other words, this figure, what are you actually going to be investing in? Well, let's talk about that. It's going to be stocks or bonds, similar to what happens now. And it can be a high or a low risk. And another point that certainly is important that needs to be answered.

And another point that certainly is a point that needs to be answered, which many of you maybe asking yourselves. Well, who is going to run this? It's going to be run by the government. In other words, they're going to administer it. However, it's going to be managed privately. And there, too, a lot of people will ask questions about who is going to choose the people who will then manage the program.

At CNN, we're going to be talking to a lot of Americans who could be potentially be affected by this. We begin with this story by Allan Chernoff who talks to one particular couple.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

Let me see what size it is first.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN-FN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Don Kuthe never thought he'd have to work at age 70. Never thought he'd be helping at a hardware store to make ends meet. But that was before his stock investments collapsed five years ago.

KUTHE: The way the stocks were going up at that time, it was great. So I felt secure at that particular point. False security, unfortunately.

CHERNOFF: Kuthe, a former electrical contractor calculates he and his wife Joan lost more than one-third of their nest egg. And it wasn't much to begin with. Their savings was down to about $30,000.

(on camera): The Kuthes couldn't afford to lose money in the stock market because they had failed to save much for retirement. They depend upon Social Security and some help from their kids, one of whom bought this house for them.

JOAN KUTHE, RETIREE: We're very reliant on Social Security. We couldn't manage without it. Don gets a decent Social Security.

CHERNOFF (voice-over): Given their experience, the Kuthes oppose the president's plan to let younger Americans invest Social Security money in stocks.

D. KUTHE: It is working fine. Why do you want to fix something that's not broken? I don't understand it.

CHERNOFF: The Kuthe say they understand there's no danger to their Social Security benefits, $27,000 a year. And they've heard the system may be facing serious financial strain. Even so, for the sake of their children and grandchildren, they want to send a message to President Bush, Social Security is no place to let people risk their money.

D. KUTHE: If he was sense, he wouldn't money around with everybody's livelihood. He doesn't live in the real world.

CHERNOFF: Stability of Social Security is even more important for the Kuthes because of health problems that have come with advancing age. Don takes pills for high blood pressure and a bad back, and insulin for diabetes. Joan has had minor strokes, four operations on her right shoulder. And this week, one on the left.

D. KUTHE: The Golden Years are not for sissies. It's tough.

CHERNOFF: The Golden Years have been anything but for the, which is why they warn you never know how much you may need Social Security.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: And of course, one of the big questions that a lot of people are going to be asking as well, is where will the government get the money that they're going to need now to supplant some of the money that they may not be getting because people are going to be investing it. And it will take some time. Some people are saying up to a trillion or $2 trillion, according to some estimates. It will all be worked out in the debate and we'll be following it for you.

Daryn, back over to you.

KAGAN: If you watched the State of the Union Address last night, this was one of the best moments of the night. At least the most memorable. The hug. Still to come, why these two women have a special connection during President Bush's State of the Union Address.

Plus, did Bush's speech go over well with you? A look at a few polls, as our political analyst Bill Schneider breaks it down.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Twenty-nine minutes after the hour. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Rick Sanchez.

KAGAN: And I'm Daryn Kagan. Let's take a look at what's happening now in the news.

To Iraq first, gunmen sprayed this car with bullets as it carried employees of a U.S. contractor. Four Iraqis were killed and two wounded. All worked for Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown and Root.

President Bush is launching a campaign style blitz to sell the Social Security reforms he promoted in last night's State of the Union speech. Mr. Bush will visit North Dakota and Montana today. Tomorrow, it is off to Nebraska, Arkansas and Florida.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired February 3, 2005 - 10:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Here's Daryn and Rick down at the CNN Center. How are you guys? Good morning to you.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN CO-ANCHOR: Good morning. You guys have a great day in New York City and safe travels to Soledad from Washington, D.C.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR: Well we've just been handed a piece of paper telling us that there there's going to be a news conference coming from one of the people, who was in one of those cars yesterday that was hit by the plane.

KAGAN: Can you imagine you're driving to work and you end up in a plane accident? That is strange. We'll hear from them in the hospital, apparently going to survive. And we'll tell their story.

Right now though, how about you tell us what's happening now in the news?

SANCHEZ: Here it is. Big step taken today at Middle East security. Israel has agreed to stop the targeted killings of suspected militants. Instead, Palestinian security officials will track down those suspects. Israel also plans to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and ease some West Bank checkpoint restrictions. Officials warn the moves can be reversed.

A Vatican spokesman says Pope John Paul II had a restful night. The pontiff's condition is improving but it is not certain when he'll be able to leave a Rome hospital. John Paul was taken there Tuesday night after suffering some breathing problems.

Also, investigators are hoping to speak today to the pilot and that co-pilot of a corporate jet that crashed near the Teterboro, New Jersey Airport. There among more than 20 people taken to the hospitals yesterday. Unable to gain altitude, the plane sped off a runway, crossed a busy highway and then crashed into a warehouse. No one died.

But as we mentioned just moments ago, we can expect a news conference as well, from one of the people who was in a car that was hit by this plane after it went through the airport and before it hit this building.

Also, the head of an independent agency says the Oil for Food Program in Iraq is tainted from top to bottom. Paul Volcker's comments appear in today's "Wall Street Journal." An interim report on the U.N. program is going to be released sometime later today. Mr. Volcker accuses the program director of a conflict of interest in the firm choosing the firms that actually bought Iraqi oil.

A lot of developments on this day. We welcome you back. I'm Rick Sanchez.

KAGAN: And I'm Daryn Kagan.

President Bush laying out his second term agenda and now he is taking it on the road. President Bush is launching a campaign style blitz this morning. The focus not on re-election, but rather on defining an agenda of his second term. The controversial plan to overhaul Social Security. Today Mr. Bush travels to Fargo, North Dakota and Great Fall, Montana. Tomorrow he's off to Nebraska, Arkansas, and then to warmer climates in Florida.

President Bush began the day with the annual National Prayer Breakfast. Some see it not as just a shared value of faith but political interests as well. Evangelical Christians were among Mr. Bush's core group of supporters.

Our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux joins us now with more.

Suzanne, good morning.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. Well, President Bush is already on his way. This going to be a big sell, a campaign to try to push forward his Social Security reform plan. Now, last night it was very interesting, a little bit of everything in the State of the Union for everyone. But you did not hear talk of this axis of evil, as we had three years ago. Rather the emphasis was on diplomacy.

This was something that the president talked about in urging North Korea and Iran to give up their nuclear ambitions, also for Syria to embrace democratic reforms. And President Bush also talking about a new phase now, the U.S. mission in Iraq to help those Iraqi soldiers be trained. And the president, of course, using what he believes will be the success, the leverage of success of Iraqi elections to make the case that he believes democracy, spreading democracy, around the world is a realistic and worthy goal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In the long term, the peace we seek will only be achieved by eliminating the conditions that feed radicalisms and ideologies of murder. If whole regions of the world remain in despair and grow in hatred. They will be the recruiting grounds for terror. That terror will stalk America and other free nations for decades.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And Daryn, of course, really the centerpiece of his domestic agenda, reforming Social Security. A big item last night. The president saying that he believes that creating for younger retirees whose private investment accounts is the way to go for the Social Security system to be solvent in the future. He had a number of highlights for what he believes will be the way to do that.

First talking about the fact that people born in 1950 or later would be eligible. That it would be a voluntary program beginning in 2009. That workers could invest up to 4 percent of their wages. That Social Security's guaranteed benefits would be reduced, however. And that the government estimates that it would cost $754 billion of transition cost to actually make that happen.

Now, President Bush said he did not believe the Social Security system going to be bankrupt until 2018. Nevertheless, he urged Americans to quickly embrace what he believes is going to be a tough sell, his Social Security reform plan.

KAGAN: Suzanne, let's talk about this two-day tour. North Dakota, Montana, as we were saying Nebraska, Arkansas and then Florida. Of course, these tours aren't put together randomly. What's the thinking behind hitting those states?

MALVEAUX: Absolutely not. As a matter fact, it has a political twist as well. These are five states, as you know red states that the president won in the campaign. These are all ones that he believes that he can convince the American people to push forward his Social Security reform plan. He's got a lot of support there. He's got to convince voters there.

But also these are states where there's at least one Democratic senator who may be vulnerable for re-election in the next two years. These are also senators that do not believe or support in his Social Security plan. Certainly the hope is that it will put a little bit of pressure on them and they'll see the light -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Suzanne Malveaux from the White House. Thank you.

SANCHEZ: The Democrats are indeed criticizing Mr. Bush's second term agenda, but they're especially targeting Social Security reforms. They say having people be able to personally invest part of their Social Security is too big a gamble.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MINORITY LEADER-ELECT: There's a lot we can do to improve America's retirement security. But it's wrong to replace the guaranteed benefit that Americans have earned with a guaranteed benefit cut of up to 40 percent. Make no mistake, that's exactly what President Bush is proposing.

SEN. BARBARA BOXER (D), CALIFORNIA: It is not true that Social Security is going to be bankrupt in 2042. Even his own administration says if we do nothing, which of course, we will do something just as we did when Ronald Reagan was president. And we fixed it in a bipartisan way very easily. But even if it had nothing, it would still have enough money in there to pay everyone 70 to 80 percent of their benefits.

(END VIDEO CLIPS) SANCHEZ: Here's something else that Barbara Boxer says. She goes on to say that George Bush first predicted that Social Security bankruptcy would happen during his congressional run. She says that back in 1978, he predicted its demise in 20 years. Which she says would have been 1998.

KAGAN: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is embarking on her first trip abroad in her new role as the nation's top diplomat. Rice is visiting Europe and the Middle East, with a first stop in London. Great Britain, as you know, has been Washington's strongest ally in the Iraq War. She'll then visit other war allies Italy and Poland, and then offer an olive branch to France, which strongly opposed military action.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate is expected to confirm another member of the President Bush cabinet today. A late afternoon vote is expected to make Alberto Gonzales the nation's first Hispanic attorney general. Some Democrats say that Gonzales, as White House counsel, was behind some questionable policies on the treatment of foreign prisoners. As many as 30 Democrats could vote against him, but not enough to block his confirmation.

And Democrats have delayed a committee vote on President Bush's nominee as the new Homeland Security chief. Michael Chertoff faced more than three hours of questions from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Despite Democratic questions about whether he helped approve the improper interrogation of terror detainees, Chertoff is expected to easily win confirmation.

SANCHEZ: Now the news out of Iraq. Just four days after the elections there, southwest of Kirkuk we take you. Insurgents ambushed a bus of Iraqi army recruits. Led them off of the vehicle and then shot them. Twelve soldiers are dead. Two or them were wounded. All were unarmed and headed home when their bus was suddenly intercepted.

In Baquba today gunmen opened fire on this vehicle. Four Iraqis were killed, two wounded. All were employees of U.S. contractor Kellogg, Brown and Root, a subsidiary of Halliburton.

And in southern Baghdad a politician was gunned down in a drive- by shooting. Police say the new city councilman had just stepped from his house. He was on his way to work.

Military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan are under the microscope this hour in Capitol Hill. In fact, these are pictures that we're bringing to you live. That's Senator Warner, obviously. The Senate Armed Services Committee is holding a hearing. Among those expected to testify and provide progress reports, Deputy Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and General Richard Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs Staff. We're going to be monitoring this for you throughout the morning and dip into it from time to time.

KAGAN: President Bush spent a lot of the evening touting his Social Security overhaul plan. But what do Americans think about it?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DON KUTHE, STORE CLERK: It is working fine. Why do you want to fix something that's not broken? I don't understand it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Still to come on CNN LIVE TODAY, meet one family not interested in talking about a risk. and other family who says why not?

Plus...

KAGAN: They're making music. Celebrities like Hoobastank and Alicia Keys are making music for a good cause. We're going to the concert coming up next.

SANCHEZ: And then later, "Will & Grace's" Debra Messing is turning to the big screen. And she's joining us live to talk about her latest project.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back to CNN LIVE TODAY.

The U.S. is scaling back tsunami effort relief in Indonesia. The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is pulling out of Sumatra Island and heading for Singapore. However, 5,000 U.S. service people are going to remain in the country, along with the USS ESSEX and a hospital ship. Meanwhile, nine tsunami survivors have been rescued from an island off the coast of India. They had been living in the jungle since a wave suddenly destroyed their village.

KAGAN: Billions in tsunami aid has been raised through government and private donations. And right now in Bangkok, Thailand international music headliners have gathered to raise even more money.

CNN's Aneesh Raman joins us now from MTV Asia Aid.

Hello.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, good morning to you. This really is an unprecedented concert for an unprecedented catastrophe. Some 11,000 people are inside watching these singers. Some 1 billion people potentially worldwide are also watching, as artists from all over the world come together for the sake of tsunami relief.

From the U.S., Alicia Keys is here to host the event. Good Charlotte, Simple Plan and Kelly Clarkson are also here to perform live. Fifty-Cent gave a video message. Artists also from some of the worst hit countries by the tsunami are here to perform. All of them trying to empower the younger generation to get involved with this effort. They're also obviously commemorating those that perished.

The goal though, really to keep the focus on the lingering aftermath of this disaster. Earlier we spoke with Alicia about what the goal of tonight was.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALICIA KEYS, SINGER: This vision, this site of all these musicians coming together, these packages that are put together to really bring you face-to-face with what's going on, what's happened, and how you can make a difference.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAMAN: And Daryn, the majority of money that gets raised here will go to UNICEF, the U.N. Children's Fund. Organizers, which include MTV, but also partners like CNN, really keen though on not just worrying about the donations, but keeping the world's focus on the lingering aftermath that could be months or years in the making -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And is that part of what you're seeing there tonight? Or is it today more about raising money, and the celebration of a people coming together to help others?

RAMAN: Well, it's really remarkable. We spoke with Kelly Clarkson along with Alicia when they came. And for a lot of these artists like them who weren't from these affected areas, seeing it firsthand even though it has now been six weeks, it has really hit home. They feel a very personal connection now to the tsunami and almost a personal responsibility to keep this effort going.

This is really something the likes of which Asia has never seen before in terms of the concert. Something the likes of which organizers have never done. But it is really a catastrophe that deserves nothing less. And the people in participation and in the audience really feel that -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Aneesh Raman joining us live from Bangkok, Thailand. Thank you.

SANCHEZ: And now Daryn has a question that she'd like to ask many of you.

KAGAN: I've been told to ask.

(LAUGHTER)

KAGAN: Ladies, what would you do to get that perfect man, if you couldn't have Rick Sanchez?

SANCHEZ: I knew that was coming. Coming up next, desperate times call for desperate measures. I don't get enough of those. So I have to help you along. Debra Messing takes on a new role and she will join us live.

She's going to talk to you, right?

KAGAN: Yes. I'm looking forward to it. But first, it affects the old and the young. A question of changing the current Social Security plan. Up next, one couple weighs in.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: The Social Security plan, Daryn, that the president announced last night is certainly something that's going to interest a lot of Americans. And we understand that in television, sometimes it is hard to tell these complicated stories. So we're going to try and break down for you this part of what the president announced last night that we didn't know before.

Let's start with who going to be affected by this. Those born after 1949 are literally going to be able to invest in this program. Only those, we should say. Now, what are they actually going to be able to do? They're going to be able to invest part of the Social Security tax that they offer up right now.

How much? This is a very important question. Because there's been some argument about this between Democrats and Republicans when they talk about the details. It's 65 percent of what you give the government right now. In other words, that's 65 percent is what you're now going to be able to invest. Now, there's a cap on that of $1,000. It also, if you wanted to break it down or look at it a different way, 4 percent of your salary.

Let's go on to another area now that we need to probably understand, as we look at this new plan. What are they actually going to be investing in? In other words, this figure, what are you actually going to be investing in? Well, let's talk about that. It's going to be stocks or bonds, similar to what happens now. And it can be a high or a low risk. And another point that certainly is important that needs to be answered.

And another point that certainly is a point that needs to be answered, which many of you maybe asking yourselves. Well, who is going to run this? It's going to be run by the government. In other words, they're going to administer it. However, it's going to be managed privately. And there, too, a lot of people will ask questions about who is going to choose the people who will then manage the program.

At CNN, we're going to be talking to a lot of Americans who could be potentially be affected by this. We begin with this story by Allan Chernoff who talks to one particular couple.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

Let me see what size it is first.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN-FN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Don Kuthe never thought he'd have to work at age 70. Never thought he'd be helping at a hardware store to make ends meet. But that was before his stock investments collapsed five years ago.

KUTHE: The way the stocks were going up at that time, it was great. So I felt secure at that particular point. False security, unfortunately.

CHERNOFF: Kuthe, a former electrical contractor calculates he and his wife Joan lost more than one-third of their nest egg. And it wasn't much to begin with. Their savings was down to about $30,000.

(on camera): The Kuthes couldn't afford to lose money in the stock market because they had failed to save much for retirement. They depend upon Social Security and some help from their kids, one of whom bought this house for them.

JOAN KUTHE, RETIREE: We're very reliant on Social Security. We couldn't manage without it. Don gets a decent Social Security.

CHERNOFF (voice-over): Given their experience, the Kuthes oppose the president's plan to let younger Americans invest Social Security money in stocks.

D. KUTHE: It is working fine. Why do you want to fix something that's not broken? I don't understand it.

CHERNOFF: The Kuthe say they understand there's no danger to their Social Security benefits, $27,000 a year. And they've heard the system may be facing serious financial strain. Even so, for the sake of their children and grandchildren, they want to send a message to President Bush, Social Security is no place to let people risk their money.

D. KUTHE: If he was sense, he wouldn't money around with everybody's livelihood. He doesn't live in the real world.

CHERNOFF: Stability of Social Security is even more important for the Kuthes because of health problems that have come with advancing age. Don takes pills for high blood pressure and a bad back, and insulin for diabetes. Joan has had minor strokes, four operations on her right shoulder. And this week, one on the left.

D. KUTHE: The Golden Years are not for sissies. It's tough.

CHERNOFF: The Golden Years have been anything but for the, which is why they warn you never know how much you may need Social Security.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: And of course, one of the big questions that a lot of people are going to be asking as well, is where will the government get the money that they're going to need now to supplant some of the money that they may not be getting because people are going to be investing it. And it will take some time. Some people are saying up to a trillion or $2 trillion, according to some estimates. It will all be worked out in the debate and we'll be following it for you.

Daryn, back over to you.

KAGAN: If you watched the State of the Union Address last night, this was one of the best moments of the night. At least the most memorable. The hug. Still to come, why these two women have a special connection during President Bush's State of the Union Address.

Plus, did Bush's speech go over well with you? A look at a few polls, as our political analyst Bill Schneider breaks it down.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Twenty-nine minutes after the hour. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Rick Sanchez.

KAGAN: And I'm Daryn Kagan. Let's take a look at what's happening now in the news.

To Iraq first, gunmen sprayed this car with bullets as it carried employees of a U.S. contractor. Four Iraqis were killed and two wounded. All worked for Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown and Root.

President Bush is launching a campaign style blitz to sell the Social Security reforms he promoted in last night's State of the Union speech. Mr. Bush will visit North Dakota and Montana today. Tomorrow, it is off to Nebraska, Arkansas and Florida.

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