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Big Bucks for Barack Obama; Tensions High in GOP Debate; Ethnic Killings in Kenya; Natalee Holloway Case
Aired January 31, 2008 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
VICKI LIVIAKIS, SAN FRANCISCO: But Ilana's friends were all stomping for Obama. So what's a 15-year-old to do? She followed her friends and her heart and is now backing Barack Obama. After all, she and Obama did share the same stage in 2004. Barely old enough to drive, let alone vote, Ilana Wexler still figures she can inspire those who can go to the polls.
ILANA WEXLER, OBAMA SUPPORTER: It's always nice to have optimism and hope and kind of bring that into the hole -- the whole mood of politics. But it's hard sometimes because you're going against your opponent and you want to lie, you want to cheat. You want to get -- you want to win.
LIVIAKIS: Who knows, in a few years, she might even decide to run for office herself.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning again, everyone. You're with CNN. You're informed. I'm Tony Harris.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. Developments keep coming into the CNN NEWSROOM on this final day in January 2008. Here's what's on the run down. An icy flood. One ingredient in a wild weather mix. It includes heavy snow, gale force winds, maybe even tornadoes.
HARRIS: Clinton and Obama tangle in tonight's CNN debate. A leading republican nails down a top California endorsement.
COLLINS: Health care, a critical matter in the presidential campaign. Previous fund-raising, a special, Broken Government, the doctor is in the NEWSROOM.
Cold and windy, wet and icy. Winter weather causing problems all across the country and we are watching for more stormy weather in the forecast today no matter where you look it seems. Buffalo, New York, temperatures plummeted from 53 to 15 degrees in a matter of hours yesterday. Icy water flowed through the streets of some neighborhoods after Lake Erie ran over its banks. In Brooklyn, a construction worker was killed when the scaffolding he was on collapsed during strong winds. Another worker was seriously injured.
Some amazing pictures from across the border in Canada. Icy waves crashing on to the frozen shore; the ice made its way inside. Wow, look at that. One beachfront home. And in Washington state, an avalanche shut down part of interstate 90 about 50 miles east of Seattle. The slide trapped two cars. People inside were rescued. HARRIS: So much to talk about. Let's quickly get you over to Chad Myers in the Severe Weather Center. Chad, good morning.
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I'll talk as fast as I can. Really. Severe weather through the Deep South. Here's Houston only back over to Lake Charles. Here's a live shot from Houston now. You are going to start clearing out from west to east and you're in the clear. Now you worry about Beaumont, Lake Charles and points eastward from you.
There you go, Texas, you're in better shape, Houston, than you were an hour ago but there was reports now of about one-inch hail in the northwestern sections of Houston. See this storm now, line of storms is to the east of Houston. Tulsa, you have rain kind of mixed with snow right now. Here's a live shot from you. Yes, kind of ugly out there but this is pretty good compared to that 31-degree temp you're going have at 5:00 tonight when the sun goes down and it begins to snow a little bit. You need to watch out for that snow accumulation. Not so much during if day but throughout the evening hours, probably two inches for you.
Now we get serious. Now we get to where the snow is really coming down. St. Louis up to Springfield, Illinois and then right into Ft. Wayne and even Detroit. Some areas around St. Louis, ten inches, ten inches of snow on the ground. Kind of a heavy, wet, sloppy snow as well. To the west of St. Louis, it's going to be dry, fluffy snow. But St. Louis proper, somewhere between six and eight, as many as ten inches possible for you, St. Louis. Then the storm gets going.
Believe it or not this is the same forecast, the same computer model just the colors are different because we're farther up here on the key. The key is where you see ten inches, that's pink. And then you get to the purples, that's a foot to two feet. Montreal, I mean, this is going to be ugly for you, lots and lots of very deep snow. Not mixing with anything. Then we have an ice storm south of here right through Albany, right through Syracuse and Buffalo, Erie. Some spots off Binghamton could get half inch of ice on the ground. That's worse to drive in than a foot of snow.
COLLINS: I'm going to be selfish. I'm heading to San Francisco. Anything good out there like in just a couple of hours?
MYERS: It will be a rainy weekend for you.
COLLINS: Terrific.
MYERS: Snow in the mountain it is you're going skiing.
COLLINS: No but I wish I was. All right. Chad, thank you.
HARRIS: Just in to CNN a short time ago. How do you raise $32 million as a presidential candidate in one month? Yeah, $32 million. Where's the lower third on this? Barack Obama raised $32 million. Is this February yet? This is still the last day of the month of January. Barack Obama raised $32 million this month, the month of January, matching his best three-month period of last year. That's according to the Associated Press and also according to those connected to the Obama campaign. $32 million for January. That will certainly get you through Super Tuesday.
COLLINS: Presidential politics, the tensions are high and so are the stakes. Both parties squaring off in the final debates before next Tuesday's Super Tuesday showdown. They went toe to toe last night at the Ronald Reagan presidential library. Air Force One was not the only thing looming over the debate, show was the front- runners, John McCain and Mitt Romney.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Why do you say I'm not using the actual quote?
JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The quote is, we don't want them to lay into weeds until we leave. That is the actual quote. I'm sure fact checkers - it means a time table until before we leave.
ROMNEY: Senator, let me -- hold that. It's not in there -- is it not fair to have the person who is being accused of having the position he doesn't have be the expert on what his position is? How is it that you're the expert on my position when my position has been very clear?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: The democrats debate tonight in Los Angeles. You can probably expect big fireworks between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. John Edwards though won't be just out of the spotlight, he'll be off the stage. Yesterday, as you know, he pulled out of the race by formally suspending the campaign.
HARRIS: For republicans, a bitter presidential race may be growing only more contentious. They held their debate last night in the shadow of a party icon.
CNN's Dana Bash explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You want to know how raw this republican race is? Just look at those glares and listen.
MCCAIN: Timetables was the buzzword for withdrawal.
ROMNEY: Senator.
MCCAIN: Why do you say --
ROMNEY: I'm not using the actual quote?
MCCAIN: The actual quote is --
BASH: The testy exchange over a fight John McCain picked with Mitt Romney in Florida, accusing him of supporting a timetable for troop withdrawal in Iraq.
ROMNEY: I do not propose or have I ever proposed a public or secret date of withdrawal.
BASH: Romney was quick to invoke the GOP icon whose library was host.
ROMNEY: Sort of falls on the kind of dirty tricks that Ronald Reagan would have found to be reprehensible.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tough words.
MCCAIN: Well, of course, he said he wanted a timetable.
BASH: Just five days before votes in 21 states, mostly clashed over conservative credentials. Mitt Romney is trying to halt McCain's momentum by questioning his.
ROMNEY: I believe, if I'm correct, he voted twice against the Bush tax cuts, only two republicans did that.
BASH: McCain shot right back.
MCCAIN: So I understand that his record was to raise taxes by $730 million. He called them fees.
BASH: But on one huge McCain weak spot with conservatives, illegal immigration, a concession. When asked if he would vote for his own legislation allowing citizenship ...
MCCAIN: I would not because we know what the situation is today. People want the borders secured first.
BASH: And more than one, a stern reminder from Mike Huckabee, it's not a two-man race.
MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You want to talk conservative credentials, let me get in on that. I'm the only person sitting here today that is consistently supported the human life amendment that has been part of our republican platform since 1980 --
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASH: But with what is essentially a national primary just five days away, the goal for all of these campaigns is to dominate news coverage. John McCain did that with a big endorsement of Rudy Giuliani as he dropped out of the race. And he is hoping for an encore performance with another big endorsement here in California, the governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will put his weight behind John McCain. Dana Bash, CNN, Los Angeles.
COLLINS: Countdown to Super Tuesday. Who has the voice on what's at stake? CNN's Don Lemon crunches the numbers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On Super Tuesday, 24 states coast to coast will hold primaries or caucuses. In the democratic races, more than 1600 delegates are up for grabs. For the republicans, a tad over 1,000. To win the democratic nomination, a candidate needs 2,025 delegates. 1,191 are needed to secure the republican nomination. Right now John McCain is on top with 97 republican delegates. Mitt Romney has 74. That number includes an estimate of unpledged delegates who can support any candidate at the convention.
For the democrats, Hillary Clinton is out front with 232. And Barack Obama has 158. When you add in there unpledged or super delegates who are mostly party officials and members of congress, of course all that changes on Tuesday. The Super Tuesday stakes often the riches prizes include, California with 370 democratic delegates, 170 republicans. New York with 232 dem delegates, 101 republican. And Illinois where 153 dem delegates are at stake, 57 republicans.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Of course, we invite you to tune in tonight as the democrats face-off on their last debate before Super Tuesday. See it here, 8:00 eastern only on CNN, your home for politics.
HARRIS: New developments in Kenya, talks between government and opposition delegates have just been suspended. Former U.N. chief Kofi Annan suspended the negotiations hours after an opposition lawmaker was gunned down. He was the second official killed in as many days. The U.S. says it is deeply concerned and offering the FBI's assistance in the investigation. Meanwhile, ethnic violence rages on. Attacks have left more than 860 people dead, a quarter of a million displaced. The month long crisis was sparked by a disputed presidential election that stirred tribal tensions.
Throw downs and dust ups, we'll take a closer look at the presidential candidates through the eyes of two party operatives. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Welcome back, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. Going over the border, no passport? Problem. Could new security rules ruin your vacation?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: We have spent a lot of time this morning discussing the presidential debates, that's because this final round means a lot before next week's Super Tuesday showdown. Let's hear political insiders now. Hank Sheinkopf is a democratic political adviser and Joe Hicks is a republican strategist. Good morning to you both. Hank, I want to start with you. You say it's a big fat yawn last night.
HANK SHEINKOPF, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Big fat yawn.
COLLINS: How dare you? SHEINKOPF: How dare me. We're getting to the bottom of the end. Americans and people throughout the country are saying, oh, boy, a sigh of relief. McCain is still in the lead here. Spirited debate between the two of them and Huckabee just hanging in.
COLLINS: Joe, who came off as being the most presidential last night? Who was really in command of that stage, even as people were yawning?
JOE HICKS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Surprisingly well. I didn't yawn much. Surprisingly, I thought Romney came across as the more presidential. McCain has been known to have a sort of pugnacious side of him. It came out last night. He was far too combative and didn't come across well.
COLLINS: Listen to me if you would to one or two sentences exchanged between the two of them. It's about the economy. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROMNEY: I think in order to have somebody fix our economy and strengthen it, and it's our economy that is the root of our strength to provide for our military, four our families, a strong economy you've got to have somebody who is actually done some work in the private economy, who understands how it works.
MCCAIN: He's a fine man and I think he managed companies and bought and sold and sometimes beam lost their jobs. That's the nature of that business. But the fact is -- but the fact is the -- we're at a time in our history, we're at a time in our history where you can't afford any on-the-job training. And I believe that my experience and background qualifies me to lead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Hank, did this debate sort of confirm for you who is better on the economy?
SHEINKOPF: It's not about who is better on the economy. It's the person who Americans might vote for and in time of stress, time of trouble, they don't like guys with the Washington wall street access as has been define bid others. They like somebody with a military leader. We see it again and again and again. Military experience, the notion of being a hero, tends to allow the American public people, on the face of everyone.
COLLINS: So even right now, and all of this economic news, you don't think people are going to be voting on that issue?
SHEINKOPF: They're going to be voting on the issue but they're going to be voting on somebody they feel can lead them. McCain looks like a tough guy leader. Romney, he's another businessman. McCain took the best shot at all, we destroy companies that cost people jobs. Not so good.
COLLINS: Joe, how about you? How does the economy play in all of this?
HICKS: Clearly McCain's military credentials are going to play very strong here. It's clear the economy is the long suit of Romney. He ought to be playing more to that. And also McCain last night, I think, showed one reason why some republicans are suspicious with this guy. He came across as an anti-capitalist saying when you downside, then people loss their jobs. Well, yeah, that happens. It came across as one of the reasons why a lot of conservatives don't think this guy is, in fact, a real conservative. I think it showed last night.
COLLINS: Let's talk about that. We have another exchange we want to play here because there had been questions for a long time on who is the true conservative. Let's listen to this for just a moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROMNEY: I guess I would also note that if you get endorsed by the "New York Times" you're probably not a conservative.
Senator McCain?
MCCAIN: Let me know that I was endorsed by your two hometown newspapers who know you best, including the very conservative "Boston Herald" who know you well better than anybody. So I guarantee you the "Arizona Republic" will be endorsing me, my friend.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: He continues to say my friend. Cute sound bites or did anybody really seem to make headway in appealing to that conservative vote last night, Hank?
SHEINKOPF: Two jobs for John McCain. He can conservative enough to beat Hillary if she's the nominee and remind the conservatives they don't control the election entirely. McCain in the lead here clearly. Romney trying to camp up. Massachusetts's Mormon not likely to get that nomination. That's his biggest problem.
COLLINS: Joe, what about you?
HICKS: I think Hank's right. It's McCain's to lose at that point. He's clearly gotten side tracked. That exchange there shows the nasty side of John McCain. I think unless he's able to control that, might undo him unless he's very careful here.
COLLINS: So do you think that tonight's debate is going to maybe make last night's look tape in comparison? Are we going to have a lot of screaming and yelling and throwing things tonight, Hank?
SHEINKOPF: I don't think so.
COLLINS: No?
SHEINKOPF: No, no. Let me tell you what's going to happen here if they're smart. You have a mono to mono, woman to mono, whatever. COLLINS: This is a big one.
SHEINKOPF: Get on, nobody in between. No sideshows. They better be more specific. They better be more clear. Even the youth want more specific solutions to America's problems. And that's the challenge that both of them face.
COLLINS: Sure. Joe, I know that you're going tonight.
HICKS: I'll be there. You can tell I'll be republican there because I'll be the one wearing the American flag lapel. It's going to be interesting I think. I think Hank's right. We're not going to see a lot of fireworks. I think they realize some of this real obvious nastiness between the two candidates isn't something the American people like a lot. I think they're going to be far more or at least try to be far more substantive tonight. It's going to be interesting to see how they playoff of each other and how Obama is able to finally present himself in a way that says I am the guy that can transcend these bad racial politics that the Clintons have been trying to hang around my neck for too long.
COLLINS: All right. To the both of you, appreciate it. We will all be watching. CNN tonight for the, quote, fireworks. Thanks again, guys. Joe Hicks and Hank Sheinkopf, appreciate your time.
We do invite you to tune in tonight as the democrats face-off on their last debate before Super Tuesday. See it here 8:00 p.m. eastern only on CNN, your home for politics.
HARRIS: Britney Spears, hospitalized. Motorcycle police and ambulance and the paparazzi in tow. The latest drama for the troubled star.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Early this morning, we learned that pop star Britney Spears is back in a hospital, taken there overnight with a police escort. Our entertainment correspondent Kareen Wynter is live at the UCLA Medical Center. Kareen, great to see you this morning. If you would, take a moment and talk us through what happened here.
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, what I can tell you and we're still working on confirming this, but it's been widely reported that Britney Spears is on a 72-hour psychiatric hold here at UCLA Medical Center in Westwood, California. It's called a 5150 here in California. It's basically the same hold that she was on earlier this year when he was hospitalized, January 3rd, to be exact, at Cedar Sinai Medical Center. But she was released only after a day and a half. We'll get to that in a bit.
As to what prompted this, another scene, quite a scene outside of the singer's Beverly Hills home shortly after midnight when police and paramedics responded. This time it wasn't over a custody dispute, Tony, as it was earlier this year. Instead, celebrity news website is reporting this, that it was her psychiatrist who actually staged this intervention that things had gotten so bad they need to intervene. It was carefully choreographed and coordinated with local law enforcement officials by the way who escorted her out and even a motorcade that brought her here to UCLA Medical Center, Tony.
HARRIS: You know Kareen, it seems a little silly to ask this question given the real issues facing Britney. This is one of them. I'm wondering how this latest episode might impact the whole custody argument dispute that's going on with her kids and her ex-husband.
WYNTER: It's a big point. Put it this way, the last time this happened, January 3rd, Kevin Federline's attorneys, Britney Spears' ex, her ex-husband, they're in a heated custody dispute. His camp wasted no time going to the commissioner to say, hey, this is another example that she's an unfit mother. You need to strip what little visitation rights she has left. That's exactly what happened. Court officials say, oh, the commissioner doesn't pay attention to this. You have to wonder. Also, Tony, what else could she lose? She hasn't seen her children in weeks. It's unclear how this will directly affect the next hearing.
HARRIS: Kareen Wynter for us in Los Angeles. Kareen, thank you.
COLLINS: The high cost of health care, who is going to foot the bill? Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a hard look at what the candidates are saying.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Coming up at the bottom of the hour. Well, back, everyone, to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.
COLLINS: I'm Heidi Collins.
A short time ago, Aruba's chief prosecutor said there is new evidence that could help solve the case of Natalee Holloway. According to the prosecutors, the information could reveal how Holloway died and how the body disappeared. The new leads were provided by a Dutch crime reporter. The prosecutors' office says it is intensifying its investigation. The Alabama teen disappeared while on a trip to Aruba in May of 2005.
HARRIS: Among our top stories, California reaming harsh words and hot tempers in the republican presidential debate last night here on CNN. The setting, the Ronald Reagan presidential library, Air Force One loomed in the background, bitter feelings in the foreground. Front-runner John McCain and Mitt Romney pulled no punches.
The democrats get their turn tonight in a CNN debate held in Los Angeles. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will not only dominate the spotlight, they will own the stage. John Edwards pulled out of the race by formally suspending his campaign.
COLLINS: Voters tuning into the debate and dialing up their feelings. With the flick of the wrist our panel rates the candidates' responses. Here's CNN's Erica Hill.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At least with these voters, it was Mitt Romney's night. He scored a 90, nearly the top of the chart, defending President Bush on Iraq.
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He did something for our party that was important to do, which is to show that when someone attacks America, there will be consequences.
HILL: Touting his own record on healthcare as governor, again, almost 90.
ROMNEY: But they shouldn't be allowed just to show up at the hospital and say, somebody else should pay for me. And so we said no more free riders.
HILL: And then again on energy independence.
ROMNEY: So a unilateral action to get ourselves off of foreign oil makes all the sense in the world. Nuclear power, bio diesel, bio fuel, all the renewables, liquefied coal.
HILL: John McCain struck a cord on the housing crisis.
JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think that there are some greedy people that -- in Wall Street that, perhaps, need to be punished.
HILL: A tense back-and-forth between the two on Iraq sent the testers flying, shooting high for Romney as he accused McCain of mischaracterizing Romney's position on Iraq.
ROMNEY: I do not propose, nor have I ever proposed, a public or secret date for withdrawal. This is simply wrong.
HILL: The dials diving sharply south as McCain countered.
MCCAIN: At the time he didn't want to weigh in because he was a governor, I was there on the front lines with my friends saying, we not only can't withdraw but we've got to have an additional -- an additional troops over there.
HILL: And it kept going.
ROMNEY: How is it that you're the expert on my position?
HILL: Romney, backed up, the numbers only getting worse for McCain.
MCCAIN: Millions of dollars of attack ads against -- you have attacked against me in New Hampshire and have ever since. A lot of it's your own money, you're free to do with what you want to. You can spend it all. But the fact is, that your negative ads -- my friends are upset the tone unfortunately in this campaign.
HILL: When the dust settled and Mike Huckabee weighed in on Iraq, our undecided voters liked his answer, one of his best scores of the night.
MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: However long it takes to get out of there with victory and with honor, we owe it to those who have gone to make sure that they did not go in vein, and we need to make sure that future sons and daughter of America don't have to go back and do it over.
HILL: But despite that bump, this debate seemed to really be about Romney and McCain.
Erica Hill, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Now to news about your security. Starting today, Canadians visiting the U.S. or Americans going home can't just dash across the border. CNN's Jeanne Meserve tells us about the new border crossing rules, and not everyone is happy about them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: With snow like this it looks to be a banner year for Jay Peak, a ski area in northern Vermont. But that could change.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: About half of our skiers come from Canada.
MESERVE: Jay Peak cultivates its Canadian clientele, expecting Canadian currency, advertising heavily north of the border. But there is worry that Canadians will stop coming if new document requirements cause backups at border crossings.
BILL STENGER, JAY PEAK RESORT: How many times do you go through that and say, well, you know, I'm not going back.
MESERVE (on-camera): And they have options.
STENGER: They have lots of options.
MESERVE (voice-over): There are plenty of ski slopes north of the border. One Canadian family predicts the new rules will hurt north/south travel by Canadians and by Americans.
CHRIS BIBER, CANADIAN TOURIST: I think there's a degree of confusion. And it's not just that they don't have documents. People just don't know which documents are...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To bring.
BIBER: ... required. And so some people just say, I couldn't care less, right. I'll just stay home and don't travel.
MESERVE: With seven million U.S. jobs in tourism and industry dependent on U.S./Canadian trade, the new rules are setting off alarms from Maine to Washington state.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a terrible idea. It's a job killer, plain and simple.
MESERVE: In the name of security, Canadians and Americans not carrying passports will need to show proof of citizenship, like a birth certificate, and a government-issued photo ID, such as a license. It begins today, despite pleas from border state Congressmen for a delay.
MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: When you delay things indefinitely and keep putting them off, the real message the public gets is that you're not serious about ever making a change.
MESERVE: Some Canadians, like Leo and Grace Myringer (ph), say the changes make sense.
LEO MYRINGER: It's fair, you're crossing an international border.
GRACE MYRINGER: They don't know who is coming in their country. Of course they're going to want proper papers.
MESERVE (on-camera): There are thousands of kinds of birth certificates, they could be counterfeited, they could be stolen, leading some to question whether these changes will improve security. That is, after all, the point.
Jeanne Meserve, CNN, on the U.S.-Canadian border.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Paying for healthcare. It is on your mind, certainly, this primary season. And there are big differences in what Republicans and Democrats are saying. Chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, looks at how the Republican candidates plan to deal with the problem.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): Healthcare is a classic intersection, where big business meets government. And no surprise, Republicans do not want to mandate universal healthcare coverage. Instead, they want the market. In other words, free enterprise, to find a solution, and the government to stay out of it as much as possible.
The general idea from the Republicans, give a tax break to people who buy their own health insurance. Then the GOP thinking goes, the insurance companies will compete for all those new customers and that will lower premiums, making health insurance more affordable.
Mitt Rodney is the only Republican with a slightly different view.
ROMNEY: I'll create federal dollars -- federal dollar incentives to let -- to get every state on track to get all their citizens insured. It's just critical for our entire nation. GUPTA: As Massachusetts governor, he signed in a law, a plan requiring virtually everyone to have health coverage. As a presidential candidate, he emphasizes that it should be left up to the states, no federal mandates. We'll give Romney half a check under universal coverage.
How about healthcare portability? The ability to take your insurance with you if you change jobs or lose your job? Most of the Republican candidates say they support it, but their plans don't guarantee it. How about catastrophic care? Medical expenses are now the Number 1 cause of bankruptcy in the United States. None of the GOP candidates has made a proposal to help families facing those enormous out of pocket medical expenses.
How about quality? The Republican candidates have not questioned the quality of care Americans receive. They focus, instead, on cost and access to that care. Here's Senator John McCain.
MCCAIN: The highest quality healthcare in the world is in the United States of America. We have to preserve that quality, but we got to get inflation down.
GUPTA: And finally, how about prevention? All of the Republican candidates talk about the importance of preventative medicine. Perhaps no candidate in either party has been as outspoken on the subject as Mike Huckabee.
HUCKABEE: Eighty percent of the $2 trillion we spend in healthcare in this country is spent on chronic disease. If we don't change the health of this nation by focusing on prevention, we're never going to catch up with the cost no matter what plan we have.
GUPTA: And Huckabee practices what he preaches. He lost 110 pounds. So if a Republican wins the White House, this is what you can expect in healthcare: tax breaks for everyone, if you buy your own insurance. And eventually the shift from company-based insurance to self insured. The hope is with so many people buying healthcare insurance, the costs will come down for everyone. But be clear, this is not universal healthcare insurance.
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Well you know, Democrats also have a lot to say on healthcare. They debate tonight at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. And that's where we find our Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
Sanjay, great to see you.
GUPTA: Thank you.
HARRIS: Healthcare, sure to be on the table tonight when the two remaining Democrats debate. What are they likely to say about healthcare? GUPTA: Well look, there's a lot of similarities, clearly, between Senators Obama and Clinton. The buzzword here being universal. That's what we're talking about, making sure there is healthcare available for all citizens. I think when you try to draw distinctions between the two plans, there are a couple.
One has to do with this idea of actually mandating that people buy insurance if they can afford it. Senator Clinton says people should buy it if they can afford it. They should have to have it. Senator Obama says, look -- he's not going to mandate that. He doesn't believe that people who don't have health insurance can afford it. They're not buying it because they can't afford it, is sort of his position.
What we found, Tony, as we did some digging in here, according to the U.S. Census, about 18 to 20 percent of people who don't have healthcare insurance as things stand right now, make over $75,000 a year. So you know, you could see how complicated that is. But this is a big issue for the Democrats and Republicans as you heard. But certainly universal sort of that buzzword, certainly around the Democratic debate.
HARRIS: Sanjay, you've got a special tonight on healthcare. What really struck you as you were doing the reporting here?
GUPTA: You know, I think the thing that strikes me -- obviously, this is a complicated issue. A lot of people -- there are so many terms, there's universal, there's socialized medicine, there's single payer systems. People talk about the tens of millions of people who don't have insurance. I was struck by, Tony, is that obviously healthcare is something that affects everybody.
Everyone that we talk to around the nation is involved with this. But there's also a question about this issue of being underinsured, being one illness away from going bankrupt. And also, Tony, people who think they have excellent health insurance but it's simply not enough. We have those stories and we have a lot of the information, I think, that the candidates are putting forward about how they want to fix this system.
More than not, the people think the system is broken. But the candidates have very different ideas on how to reform that. So I think it's important for people to just be knowledgeable about this before they go and vote. And I think you're going to walk away with a lot more knowledge than before after watching the special.
HARRIS: And what we love is that your special features real people and their real problems and concerns with the healthcare system in this country. Can't wait to see it. Sanjay, appreciate it. Thanks for your time.
GUPTA: Thanks, Don.
HARRIS: OK.
GUPTA: Thank you, appreciate it. HARRIS: And again, be sure to join Dr. Sanjay Gupta for his special this evening, "Broken Government: Healthcare, Critical Condition." That's tonight on CNN right after the Democratic debate.
COLLINS: Heading home with holiday pay.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YAN GANG, MIGRANT WORKER (through translator): We're waiting for our salary. The boss said he would pay our salary today. We are waiting for it. We've been waiting three to four days. The boss is very nice to us. He will not beat us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: He didn't get beaten, didn't get that bonus either. Migrants, long, hard road.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: New developments in Kenya. Talks between government and opposition delegates suspended about an hour ago. They are now set to resume tomorrow. Former U.N. Chief, Kofi Annan, called off today's negotiations hours after an opposition lawmaker was gunned down. It was the second official killed in as many days. The U.S. says it is deeply concerned and is offering the FBI's assistance in the investigation. Meanwhile, ethnic violence rages on. Attacks have left more than 860 people dead, a quarter of a million displaced. The month long crisis was sparked by a disputed presidential election that stirred tribal tensions.
HARRIS: China's brutal winter weather couldn't have come at a worse time. Heavy snow suspended has stranded travelers on the roads and in train stations. It comes as the Chinese are ready to celebrate the lunar new year. For millions of migrant workers it's the only time of the year they go home to see family. CNN's Hugh Riminton went with one worker on his long journey home.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HUGH RIMINTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's the one thing Yan Gang looks forward to all year, going home to be with his wife and little boy for the Chinese New Year. Yan is a 26-year-old migrant construction worker in Beijing. He says the trip is his escape from the life of hard work, long hours and little enjoyment. Before he begins his journey, though, there is the matter of money.
GANG (through translator): We're waiting for our salary. The boss said he would pay our salary today. We are waiting for it. We've been waiting three to four days. The boss is very nice to us. He will not beat us.
RIMINTON: He won't beat them, but he won't pay them either. The promised holiday bonus is canceled. So with only what he saved from his $4 a day wage, Yan sets off more than 1,000 miles to Sichuan Province. First to the train station. Luck is with him, despite record snows and travel delays, he has a good prospect of getting home.
For Yan, 40 hours of travel lie ahead. Time enough to reflect.
GANG (through translator): I feel very bad. I miss my kid, I miss my wife, my parents, my relatives. When I'm feeling sad, there's nobody I can talk to. If I could just be together with my wife, I could talk things over with her. Now when I feel sad, I just feel lonely. There's just myself.
RIMINTON: His wife is also a migrant worker in another city. Their 3-year-old son is raised by grandparents.
GANG (through translator): How long do I plan to work in Beijing? I don't want to go back, not even for one day.
RIMINTON: Day two of his journey. There is still a long bus ride to come. And then he's home, and calling out to his son.
"Who am I, who am I," he says. At last, the boy replies, "daddy."
Yan's reunion with his wife is muted. But there may have been some self consciousness. "It's OK", says, 24-year-old Zhang Juan, "I'm used to not seeing my husband and child. Even if I miss them when I'm working, what can I do?"
It's a story repeated millions of times across China. But for the next two weeks at least, this family will be a family.
GANG (through translator): My New Year's wish is to make more money next year. I have only this wish, that the family can live a happy life together.
Hugh Riminton, CNN, Guangzhou, China.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Wake up and smell the ham and cheese? Isn't it supposed to be wake up and smell the coffee? It's something Starbucks is now realizing. Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with details on this
I'm getting hungry, Susan.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I know, Heidi. It's getting close to that time, isn't it?
Starbucks has been saying for some time that its customers can't smell the coffee in its stores, and now its doing something about it. Starbucks will say bye-bye to its warm breakfast sandwiches, even though they sold well. The reason, the ham, eggs and cheese was overpowering the coffee smell. It's true -- those two aromas fought each other. It's all part of a venti the turn around effort that began when the founder Howard Schultz climbed back in the CEO chair earlier this month -- Heidi. COLLINS: Well, weren't those breakfast sandwiches supposed to help Starbucks compete with McDonald's? I mean is that what they were trying to do?
LISOVICZ: Yes, they were, Heidi. And of course, McDonald's has been turning up the heat with its own with its own range of --
COLLINS: Coffee.
LISOVICZ: Gourmet coffee offerings. Schultz says that Starbucks is not only a product but an experience. How else do you get someone to pay that much for a cup of coffee. So he's hoping to bring the focus back to unique coffee drinks and that very special relationship between the barista and the customer. You know you have to wait for the coffee so you develop a relationship.
COLLINS: After you pay the $4. You sound like you didn't have your coffee yet today, Susan. No, I'm teasing.
LISOVICZ: I know. It's so sad.
COLLINS: Eliminating these breakfast sandwiches, though, is that the only solution? I don't know -- can they make the coffee stronger so you can smell it?
LISOVICZ: No, this is part of a reorg as they say in corporate slang. They're going to slow down their growth in the U.S. and a big reorganization. So, fewer stores here, which means there will only be a Starbucks on every other block. Schultz says this year will be difficult because of the company's reorganization and the weakening economy. In a quote to "The New York Times" he said, "... you would have to agree that the consumer is in a recession." That's a quote from -- they would know, they see a lot of consumers.
Starbucks shares are receding, they're down four percent overall. Stocks are higher since we last spoke. Those fears of a recession, well, they've dissipated for the moment. Shares have dropped -- well, they dropped sharply lower at the open. The Dow is down close to 200 points. Right now the blue chips are up 67 points. The Nasdaq is up 18 points. And we got a nice rally going into the noon hour. So when you go out and spring for those fancy coffees, Heidi, ....
COLLINS: Yes, that's what we need.
LISOVICZ: ... you feel good about it.
COLLINS: Yes. Sure.
LISOVICZ: Economic stimulus from Ms. Collins.
COLLINS: Some kind of stimulus. All right. CNN's Susan Lisovicz. Thanks so much, Susan.
LISOVICZ: You're welcome.
HARRIS: So, tots get a shot of pepper spray at Chuck E. Cheese. Wow, what's going on here? The party police in the NEWSROOM. And --
COLLINS: Guess who else is in the newsroom? Terry White (ph), where are you? We have to tell you about this, everybody at home. It is not often that you find a dedicated worker like this guy. Keep going, keep going. There he is. He won't look at us because he's too humble. 25 years. See, that's the top of his head. Right there.
HARRIS: Terry, turn around.
COLLINS: Fabulous, fabulous writer.
HARRIS: Turn around.
COLLINS: He writes these fantastic teases and keeps all of you coming back for more. Terry, turn around.
HARRIS: I got him, Heidi.
COLLINS: You're going to get physically abused if you don't turn around.
HARRIS: My man.
COLLINS: Excellent work, Terry. We honestly feel very lucky to have you. Especially on our show. I don't know why Tony is laughing.
HARRIS: I'm so dead.
COLLINS: It's true. Tony, come back up here.
HARRIS: Yes, I'm so dead.
COLLINS: Terry, congratulations. Thanks so much for all of your hard work. We're going to take a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Safer streets, sporadic services, life in Baghdad takes one step forward and one step back. Here now CNN's Arwa Damon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: One look around the kitchen and a few minutes talking to Norwal (PH), it's not hard to see why she says life is miserable.
"You saw the situation on our street. No sewage system, no services, nobody cares for us. Nothing has improved."
DAMON: They got power for an hour, and then it cut out. Kerosene, which Norwal uses for cooking, is rationed. When that runs out, they plug this electrical hot plate, straight into the generator using two bare wires. When it comes to the water she says that they get water for about two days and then it cuts out for another three.
Even with the generator running, it's still cold. And just getting fuel is a costly ordeal.
"I went yesterday to get gas. I was freezing, shaking and I hadn't slept."
But for reasons she doesn't know, the station refused to sell and she was forced to buy fuel off the street at triple the price. Her family, like many other Iraqis, have simply had it with the government.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): This isn't the government, it's a mob that came to govern a place called the Green Zone.
DAMON: While President Bush urges patience and praises the impact of the troop surge, ordinary families find it difficult to share his point of view. Despite reduced levels of violence in the capital, Muhammad (PH) has seen too many people die to hold on to any sense of optimism.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I had four people I know killed in two weeks. Something that starts in blood will only end in blood.
DAMON: Up stairs we find Norwal's grandchildren. But, not much optimism among this generation either.
"The three of us have to wear glasses now," Uda (PH) the eldest says. "Because the power outages mean hours spent squinting in poor light." "Life was easy," Ahed (PH) says, referring to life before the war, a time when at least it was safe for her to go to school and she had the bare necessities in life.
The family tells us they want to be optimistic, they want to believe life post-war, post-surge will be better. It's just that, well, it's not.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I don't know if my future will be better, but I really wish it will. I wish everything would go back to the way it was.
DAMON: It's hard, says the family, to see a better future when they yearn for the past. Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Imagine your young child hit with pepper spray. It happened at Chuck E. Cheese in Flint Township, Michigan. Witnesses say teens got rowdy and began fighting, police were called and answered with pepper spray. Police insist they needed pepper spray to break up the fight. Dozens of people involved.
COLLINS: CNN NEWSROOM continues two hours from now.
HARRIS: And, up next, an encore presentation of last night's CNN Republican debate. I'm Tony Harris.
COLLINS: And, I'm Heidi Collins. I would say, see you tomorrow, but I won't be here. Tony will see you tomorrow.
HARRIS: OK. Enjoy.
COLLINS: Have a good weekend, everybody.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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