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American Morning
Obama Administration May Stop Seeking Republican Support on Health Care Reform; Congressman Barney Frank Confronts Rowdy Audience in Health Care Town Hall Meeting; Michael Jackson Doctor Breaks His Silence; Hurricane Bill Gains Strength; Jenny Sanford Weighs in on Husband's Affair
Aired August 19, 2009 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: And a very good Wednesday morning to you. It's the 19th of August. Thanks for joining us on the Most News in the Morning. I'm John Roberts.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kiran Chetry. Glad you're with us. We're following several developing stories. We're going to be breaking them down for you in the next 15 minutes.
First, the White House is on the verge of perhaps taking a drastic step in the fight for health care reform. CNN is learning the Obama administration may stop trying to win Republican support and go it alone, pushing their plan through the Senate with just 51 votes. We're live at the White House with brand new developments.
ROBERTS: Town hall heat, Congressman Barney Frank faces off the critics at a health care event in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. And the Massachusetts Democrat not known for backing down from a confrontation remained true to form.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why do you continue to support a Nazi policy as Obama had expressly supported this policy? Why are you supporting it?
REP. BARNEY FRANK (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Let me -- I will...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A real solution.
FRANK: When you ask me that question, I am going to revert to my ethnic heritage and add to your question with a question -- on what planet do you spend most of your time?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: CNN's Jim Acosta had a front row seat for the combat (ph) here. He reports on that just ahead.
CHETRY: And the Atlantic season's first hurricane, now a category four storm, Bill growing bigger and stronger. We could see heavy surf up and down the Eastern seaboard as the storm comes to the northwest. Our Rob Marciano is tracking it for us. He'll tell us where it's headed. Well, we begin with a move that could shatter the impasse on health care reform and possibly shutter hopes of bipartisanship after trying to negotiate with Republicans getting an earful at town halls across the country.
CNN's Ed Henry broke the news late last night. The Democrats close to the White House are actively considering going it alone, bypassing procedural roadblocks and ramming health care through the Senate with no Republican assistance. The so-called nuclear (ph) option is no sure thing.
In a moment, we'll get reaction from CNN political contributor Bill Bennett. First, though, CNN's Elaine Quijano at the White House.
And, Elaine, what are you hearing about this?
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, important to note here, Kiran, no final decisions have been made. But officials are actively considering this option. It's a budget move known as reconciliation. And as you noted, what it would mean, is that instead of the 60 votes needed in the Senate to push through any legislation, this would only require 51 votes.
Now this is something that's always been on the table, an option that's always been available. What's different now though, Kiran, is the context of all of this. Not only is this White House facing reluctant Republicans when it comes to health care reform, but also some skepticism from conservative Democrats as well. So, again, no final decisions made but officials are "actively considering" this option, Kiran.
CHETRY: So if the White House isn't pulling the trigger right now as you said, when might a decision be made on this?
QUIJANO: Right. Well, we're in a critical period right now. But really mid September is when things are going to heat up. It's going to be decision time for this White House.
At this moment, we're very much still in let's make a deal time and so if some Republicans do come onboard, obviously that would change the equation. But, again, look, we're just weeks away before Congress gets back into town. Once they do get back to town mid September, that is going to be the time when the White House is going to have to decide whether or not they're going to pull the trigger -- Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. Elaine Quijano live for us this morning. Thanks.
ROBERTS: Joining us on the telephone now to talk more about this, CNN political contributor Bill Bennett. He's also the author of the "American Patriots' Almanac."
And, Bill, there's some 12 town hall meetings scheduled for today on health care. What do you expect the reaction at those town halls to this news and it's the lead story in "The New York Times" today is going to be?
BILL BENNETT, RADIO HOST, "MORNING IN AMERICA" (via telephone): Right. I hope CNN covers all 12 of them. I think it's going to be great -- great coverage out there.
Look, this debate is not been between Democrats and Republicans to this point. Really the debate over the last couple of months has been Barack Obama and the American people. You've not got polls showing 24 percent of Americans think this will improve their insurance, their health care. Forty percent of Americans think their health care will get worse.
So they can do this. That is they can do this without Republican support. But then they're going to be held responsible and faulted for everything that goes wrong.
ROBERTS: If they do make a decision or even the news that they may make the decision to go it alone, how do you think people are going to respond in those meetings that are scheduled for today?
BENNETT: Well, again, I don't think they've had so much Republican coloration as just opposition. As you know, a lot of the people at these town hall meetings are not obviously R or D. I mean, a few are. But a lot of them are elderly and this has been the brunt of the opposition to Obama's health care plan. So I'm not sure this changes anything. But politically, it changes things big time.
He still has to persuade some of his -- some of his Senate Democrats, unless as Elaine just said, they decide, you know, to go with reconciliation. They've, you know, John, they've got 60 senators but they don't think they can produce 60 senators.
ROBERTS: Right.
BENNETT: That's the amazing thing right now.
ROBERTS: Which is why they're thinking of turning it into a reconciliation measure.
BENNETT: Yes.
ROBERTS: The Democrats say that the Republicans had a "purposely strident tone against health care reform" or at least the Democrats' version of it. Does this mean -- I mean, does this signal the death of any sort of bipartisanship, even Senator Chuck Grassley, a Republican who is on the negotiating committee in the Senate, tried to get some sort of a bipartisan bill had said that even if he got everything he was looking for, he was still going to vote against that bill?
BENNETT: Yes, I don't think it's been strident. I think it's been tough, but I don't think it's been strident. But notice, you know, George Bush got education reform with Democrats signing on. He got tax cuts. He got Iraq. He got Afghanistan.
Ronald Reagan got Democrats for his tax cuts. If you got this big signature issue, I just mentioned the signature issues for Republicans, you need to get other people -- people on the other side, otherwise, you are really dividing. I mean, they are just starting fires, putting out fires, starting fires, putting out fires. It is a mess right now. Too soon to tell the outcome of this one.
ROBERTS: All right. Bill Bennett for us this morning. Bill, it's good to catch up with you. Thanks for joining us so early.
BENNETT: Thank you, John. Love the early morning, don't you?
ROBERTS: Nothing like it, Bill. I'll tell you that.
BENNETT: (INAUDIBLE)
ROBERTS: I don't know if you get used to the hours or you just get used to feeling screwed up. But...
BENNETTT: You know what Howard Dean told me? He said you get up these hours, you're going to die.
ROBERTS: Well, I don't know about that, but you certainly will get ahead of the news curve. And, Bill, we thank you for being with us.
CHETRY: That's right. And you accomplish more at 9:00 a.m. than most people do all day. A wonderful feeling.
ROBERTS: Absolutely. You know, your day is almost done by 11:00.
CHETRY: Well, if Democrats do decide to go it alone, it's sure to set off political fireworks. The health care debate goes beyond politics. Americans across the country have been voicing their opinions as we've seen often quite loudly at congressional town hall meetings. And while the White House suggests the public is only seeing the rowdiest moments, at Barney Frank's -- Congressman Barney Frank's town hall meeting last night in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, there was almost nothing but rowdy moments. CNN's Jim Acosta was there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congressman Barney Frank.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It didn't take long for the shouting to start.
REP. BARNEY FRANK (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Where's the line. Hey, hey, enough. Which one of you wants to yell first?
ACOSTA: And before the first question was asked, Massachusetts Democrat Barney Frank was swinging back at opponents of health care reform.
FRANK: Disruption never helps your cause. It makes you look like you're afraid to have rational discussion. You just drive people away. I'm not here. This is the council on aging, not kindergarten.
ACOSTA: Frank tried to dispel some of the bogus claims about the bill in the House.
FRANK: Illegal aliens are specifically excluded from getting any assistance in the bill. Second...
ACOSTA: To that, some in the crowd shouted, "Read the bill." So he did, and found the section where illegal immigrants are excluded.
FRANK: Right in the bill. I will show you.
ACOSTA: But even that didn't satisfy everyone.
FRANK: It is sort of odd to be accused of not having read the bill by people who object when they do.
ACOSTA: Several audience members insisted reform would bust the budget.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to pay more taxes because of you, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This bill would practically bankrupt the economy of the United States government.
ACOSTA: Time and again, Frank took that grenade and threw it back.
FRANK: And I do worry about the deficit. That's one of the reasons, not the only one that I voted against the single most wasteful expenditure in the history of America -- the Iraq war.
ACOSTA: The chairman of the House Financial Services Committee took only a few questions on reforming Wall Street. Instead, Frank talked at length about his support for the public option.
FRANK: I am not voting for any bill that forces anybody into anything. It will have a public option.
ACOSTA: And tried to reassure seniors there were no death panels in the bill.
FRANK: This notion that something in this bill would require people who are elderly or sick to be denied medical care and killed is the single stupidest argument I have ever heard in all my years in politics.
ACOSTA: It was that absurdity of the health care debate that retiree and Medicare recipient Mary Spacinto (ph) was happy to see put to rest.
Can I tell you, though, that I know for a fact that they are not going to pull the plug on grandma.
MARY SPACINTO (ph), ATTENDED TOWN HALL MEETING: They're not going to pull it on me, I'll tell you, because I fight to the death.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: All right. There we go. That was CNN's Jim Acosta with a look at just how that meeting got quite contentious for Barney Frank.
But, anyway, as always, we want to hear what you have to say about the health care debate. Should Democrats try to push health care reform through Congress without Republican support? Share your thoughts, CNN.com/amFIX.
ROBERTS: Other stories new this morning to tell you about. A diplomatic overture from North Korea. Two senior diplomats are in Santa Fe, New Mexico this morning to meet Governor Bill Richardson.
A State Department official tells CNN the North Korean delegation requested the meeting. Richardson, a former U.N. ambassador, has traveled to Pyongyang several times in the past. The official says Richardson would be listening but not negotiating or representing the Obama administration.
CHETRY: And former President Bill Clinton's mission to North Korea is on the agenda at the White House. Clinton briefed President Obama as well as Vice President Joe Biden on the trip, where he met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and also secured the release of American journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says that the information her husband brought back has been "extremely hopeful" providing a window into what is happening in that reclusive regime.
ROBERTS: The Powerball jackpot, now $250 million. Tonight's drawing will be the 15th since the last big winner at the beginning of July. It is the tenth largest Powerball jackpot ever.
The record was $365 million. It was won by a group of workers at a ConAgra (ph) Foods plant in Lincoln, Nebraska. That was back in 2006. So get out there and get your ticket today.
CHETRY: That's right. You know it's big when the people on our staff write in. Well, I didn't win the lottery, so here I am again.
Anyway, we're talking about Hurricane Bill. And Rob was telling was just how quickly these storms can develop and how quickly they can come together and grow stronger.
Well, now, Hurricane Bill is a category four, blew up into a category four overnight. Rob's tracking Bill's path.
It's 10 1/2 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: For the first time, Dr. Conrad Murray, the man who was with Michael Jackson the day he died is breaking his silence. He posted a brief video on YouTube. Murray remains at the center of a possible manslaughter case for allegedly giving the singer the powerful drug Propofol in the 24 hours before he died. Here's CNN's Randi Kaye with the doctor's public remarks.
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John and Kiran. It may be just 60 seconds long, but that's long enough for Michael Jackson's doctor to say he told the truth.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. CONRAD MURRAY, MICHAEL JACKSON'S PHYSICIAN: I have done all I could do. I told the truth and I have faith the truth will prevail.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE (voice-over): Dr. Murray has been interviewed twice by investigators, but this is the first time since his star patient died back in June that he's speaking out publicly. The doctor was at Jackson's Beverly Hills mansion when he stopped breathing and is at the center of the investigation into the star's death. His lawyer's office says he's "under siege with threats and has a bodyguard 24/7."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MURRAY: Because of all that is going on, I'm afraid to return phone calls or use my e-mail. Therefore, I recorded this video to let all of you know that I have been receiving your messages.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: A source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN that Dr. Murray gave Jackson the powerful sedative, Diprivan, also known as Propofol within 24 hours of his death. That anesthetic which investigators believe killed him is not supposed to be used outside a hospital setting. There is no mention of Michael Jackson or his treatment on the video.
KAYE (on camera): A spokeswoman for Dr. Murray's lawyer told me the video was reported last week inside the Houston home. She told me that Dr. Murray's lawyer gets 20 to 30 calls every day from patients, even strangers, asking them to tell Dr. Murray they love him and are praying for him.
(voice-over): Dr. Murray's clinics in both Houston and Las Vegas have been searched by federal drug agents. His Vegas home was also searched.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MURRAY: Your messages give me strength and courage and keep me going. They mean the world to me. Please, don't worry -- as long as I keep God in my heart and you in my life, I will be fine.
(END VIDEO CLIP) KAYE: But there's more. Dr. Murray may also be the target of a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the Jackson family. The family's lawyer said the idea has been "floated" and that Dr. Murray and even Jackson's tour promoter, AEG, could be named.
Dr. Murray's lawyer's spokeswoman said, "We're just asking people to reserve their judgment until we have some definite ruling on what killed Michael Jackson."
At AEG, a spokesman told me he was not aware of any lawsuit.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Dr. Murray was to be paid $150,000 a month. That was money that was advanced to Michael Jackson from the tour's budget. The singer died before Dr. Murray ever saw a penny.
John, Kiran, back to you.
ROBERTS: Randi Kaye reporting this morning. Randi, thanks so much.
CHETRY: All right. And we're going to check in with Rob in just a moment. We're going to take a quick break. When we come back, Hurricane Bill, now a category four.
There it is. It's big. It's churning out there in the Atlantic. What's the path? Rob is going to tell us.
Sixteen minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
ROBERTS: And we're following the breaking news. Overnight, Hurricane Bill turning into a dangerous category four storm and now churning somewhere in the vicinity of Bermuda. At least that's the way that it looks like it's heading.
CHETRY: Yes. It's an enormous storm. You can see it on our live satellite loop right there. And check out this shot from the International Space Station. They actually have a great shot of Hurricane Bill. The winds, they say, stretched 45 miles out from the eye.
Our Rob Marciano is tracking this storm. So what's the latest? We saw it blow up pretty -- pretty quickly overnight to a category four.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. We thought it would get to a major hurricane status. Category four was in question. They went right from a two to a three to a four very quickly, John and Kiran, with winds of 135 miles an hour. Well-defined eye -- that eye about 30 nautical miles wide. So this has become a beast. As you mentioned, hurricane force winds extend to 45 miles out, most through the north and east. And then tropical storm force winds extend almost 200 miles out. So it's really grown not only in strength but in size.
So there in the Leeward Islands, you see it in the left-hand part of your screen. It's about 400 miles from that west-northwesterly movement. That's the way it's been going for the past couple of days.
But here's the deal. Once it get -- is it going to continue that? Is it going to continue to make its way towards the U.S., or is it going to recurve out to sea?
Some of the computer models continue to bring it a little bit more towards the north. This path, which we've been showing you for the past couple of days, has shift. The official forecast path from the National Hurricane Center has shifted somewhat to the west. So that has -- should have our friends in New England still a little bit concerned.
You're getting now into the cone of uncertainty there as we head closer to Sunday. But a category three as it passes Bermuda with winds of 115, 125 miles an hour. And then what we need to happen are those westerly winds. As we get a little bit further north in latitude, we'll typically take these out to sea if conditions are right.
The timing has to set up so that happens, and that would be the saving grace for the northeast. But right now, we can't say that with 100 percent certainty. And, of course, John and Kiran, when you're talking about a storm that is now a category four, we've seen category threes and fours hit the U.S., we certainly don't want this thing coming any closer.
So, we can't write it off just yet. We're keeping our fingers crossed, if these computers are right, so that there is a margin of error that will bring it closer to the U.S. Either way, folks in the U.S. won't feel the effects beginning as early as Friday or Saturday in the way of big wave hitting the Carolina coastline. So our friends there will certainly see the effects of rough surf.
CHETRY: Yes. Rough, rough surf, rip currents. All of that stuff, either way.
All right, Rob, thanks so much.
MARCIANO: You got it.
ROBERTS: Watch those westerly winds blow.
CHETRY: Yes.
ROBERTS: Other stories new this morning, some moms and dads might want to take a lesson from their kids -- just say no. A new study found nearly 10 percent of baby boomers reported getting high on illicit drugs in 2007. That is nearly double the rate from 2002. The same time drug use among other age groups either went down or stayed the same over the five-year period.
CHETRY: General Motors increasing production to deal with the demand generated by the government's cash for clunkers program. It means new jobs for autoworkers. More than 1,300 workers are being called back to the assembly line within the United States and Canada. GM plans to produce another 60,000 vehicles by the end of this year.
ROBERTS: And a new court ruling has the potential to change the blogosphere as we know it. A New York judge ruled that Google must give up the identity of an anonymous blogger who devoted an entire Web site to maligning model, Liskula Cohen.
Google has reportedly turned over that person's e-mail address. The blogger's attorney warned Monday's ruling has "potentially damaging implications for free speech on the Internet."
CHETRY: All right. Well, you may have heard now about the candid interview that South Carolina's fist lady gave to "Vogue" magazine. Jenny Sanford weighing in about how she felt about her husband's infidelities and admitted affair. Carol Costello is going to be joining us to talk more about why there's such a public fascination with the good wife.
It's 23 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. Twenty- five minutes past the hour now.
For the first time since South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford admitted having an affair, we're hearing from his wife, Jenny, more in-depth. She did an interview with "Vogue" magazine.
ROBERTS: Jenny Sanford is being called a role model for wronged spouses. Her family's scandal and others like it giving a rise now to a television show ripped from the headlines.
Carol Costello has got her story on that this morning. She's live in Washington.
Hi, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, John and Kiran. You know, she's more than a role model for scorned women. She became kind of a role model for all women. I mean, who knew? Some say there's a new kind of feminist in town, and it isn't who you might think.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO (voice-over): The betrayed wife as empowered role model. It's the picture September's "Vogue" paints of Jenny Sanford whose cheating husband is fighting to hold on to his governor's seat in South Carolina. And she's not the only wronged woman to hold our attention. These ladies have inspired a new CBS drama. It's called "The Good Wife." (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have never traded lighter sentences for financial or sexual favors.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: That scene was inspired by former New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, who resigned after he was caught in a call girl scandal, his good wife by his side.
MICHELLE KING, EXEC. PROD/CREATOR, "THE GOOD WIFE": So many of these women are so accomplished and so high powered and intelligent.
ROBERT KING, EXEC. PROD/CREATOR, "THE GOOD WIFE": So we just kind of like the idea of what would happen to that woman, a minute later, six months later, seven months later and throughout the rest of her life.
COSTELLO: Bits and pieces from the real life Sanford soap opera will figure into "The Good Wife" too. Mrs. Sanford is appealing because she didn't stand by her man as he told the nation he cheated.
She took the kids and moved out of the governor's mansion, telling "Vogue" she's forgiven her husband, that they weren't madly in love when they met but were good friends. That he became obsessed with going to see the other woman. It was like an addiction to alcohol or pornography for him. For many, her candor is refreshing.
DR. JERI CABAT, COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON: What's interesting is that every time she speaks, people seem to understand and kind of support her words. Every time Mark Sanford speaks, people are left with more questions and are wandering how did this man get so far in his political career.
COSTELLO: It's the kind of thing that fits perfectly into a TV drama. In "The Good Wife," the political spouse uses a sort of Sanford power to return to work as a lawyer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not only are you coming back to the workplace. But you've got some very permanent baggage. But, hey, if she can do it, so can you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Mrs. Sanford isn't going back to work, but some in South Carolina are urging her to run for political office. Maybe even for governor.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Wouldn't that be fun? Mrs. Sanford did run her husband's campaign and many consider her the brains behind the man. I asked Mrs. Sanford's press person about the possibility. She told me for the time being Mrs. Sanford is totally focused on getting her boys started in their new school and settling in to their new house.
Don't think she has any political ambitions but she told me I will pass along your compliments -- John, Kiran.
CHETRY: It's interesting, though, because as you pointed out, she left the governor's mansion, right? And she moved back to their beachfront home. But at the same time, she said that a reconciliation is not out of the question if the ball is in his court. So, which one is it?
COSTELLO: He has to demonstrate, she said, that he wants to save the marriage. And, you know, she's a very religious person and she values marriage. So she's not going to just run out and divorce him. She's going to give him a chance. She's forgiven him. You know, she takes all of this very seriously.
ROBERTS: Certainly is an intriguing interview, there's no question about that.
Carol Costello for us this morning. Carol, thanks so much for that.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Coming up on a minute before the half hour and checking our top stories now. Hurricane Bill gaining strength out in the Atlantic Ocean. Now a category four storm with maximum sustained winds of 135 miles an hour.
On its current path, forecasters expect Bill to miss hitting Bermuda directly. It's going to go in that alleyway between Bermuda and the eastern coast of the United States. Certainly can produce high winds and strong waves in Bermuda because it will be on the northeastern side of the storm.
Here in the U.S., forecasters says South Carolina could see some rough surf this weekend.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Deadly violence in Baghdad. A series of bomb blasts killing 45 people and injuring nearly 300 others. Iraqi officials say there were a total of six explosions all of them happening within an hour. One of the deadliest days in Iraq since the U.S. handed control over to Iraq security forces.
ROBERTS: And this morning, new concerns about serious side effects from the vaccine that prevents cervical cancer. Gardasil is widely recommended for girls and young women. But a study found after 23 million doses were administered, 12,000 people reported medical problems after getting that vaccine. Most of the side effects were mild including dizziness and headaches, but there are more than 700 reports of more serious medical problems including blood clots and 32 reports of death. Merck which makes the vaccine says it's confident that Gardasil is safe.
CHETRY: Well, this morning, we're less than 24 hours away from a critical test of Afghanistan's fragile democracy. The Taliban doing everything in its power to disrupt the presidential election. There's been a wave of bombings that have killed at least ten civilians as well as two American soldiers. CNN national security analyst Peter Bergen just got back from Afghanistan and is in our Washington bureau this morning.
Good morning, Peter. Good to see you.
PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Good morning, Kiran.
CHETRY: The election is tomorrow, and we've been talking about this bold attacks taking place in recent days. In fact, there was a rocket attack on the president palace. There was a suicide attack on a NATO convoy. Are they ready for this election?
BERGEN: Well you know, the Taliban repeatedly said it was going to interfere with the election and here when they have or they tried to. And perhaps 10 percent of polling places weren't open because of Taliban intimidation and certainly some Afghans I spoke to were advising their families not to vote if they were living outside Kabul because of concerns about violence.
But still, you know, five years ago, there was a presidential election and that went off pretty well. I think that this election probably will go off reasonably well. The turnout may not be at 80 percent as it was five years ago. It might be nearer something let's say like 60 percent, but still that's about the level of a turnout in American presidential election when a lot of people vote as they did last time.
CHETRY: But you talk about five years ago, the security situation has certainly changed. Is that going to keep more people home?
BERGEN: I think it will, Kiran. It will definitely keep some more people home than last time. Last month was the deadliest month for both American and NATO soldiers in Afghanistan. This year has been on track for the deadliest year in terms of civilian casualties. But still reporting today that 45 people were killed in Baghdad and that's -- you're still four times more likely to be killed in Iraq than you are in Afghanistan. And you can be forgiven for not necessarily seen that from the coverage because of course there's a lot of concentration on Afghanistan now and Iraq is sort of increasingly the forgotten war, which is sort of ironic because it used to be the other way around. But Afghanistan is violent but it's not nearly as violent as Iraq remains today.
CHETRY: That's a good perspective for people to keep in mind. Also, there are some 300,000 troops that are going to be out there trying to secure areas and polling places so that people can come out. But speaking to the political part of it, is there still as big of an interest? I mean, I remember five years ago you saw the pictures of people holding up their purple fingers after voting, being able to take part in a Democratic process after so long of not being able to. Is that same fervor going to be there? BERGEN: I think, Kiran, it is. I was there five years ago. It was pretty moving to see the level of excitement. It's been a real election. Karzai is not guaranteed to win in the first round. There have been presidential debates, there have been rallies where thousands of people have turned up. There's a great deal of excitement still about this election despite the violence that's hanging over it.
CHETRY: There's also a lot of criticisms that even though Karzai is the president, that really the power still lies among war lords and among tribal elders in many areas outside of Kabul. How will this election, perhaps, and as you said it's not a guarantee -- I believe he has to get more than 50 percent of the vote even though he's the leading candidate. Will this change the notion that there really isn't a central government or one that's powerful enough to rein in some of those disturbing and insurgent elements in Afghanistan?
BERGEN: Well, you know, Karzai is a pretty adept politician and he's basically adopted a big 10 strategy where he has brought in a number of those war lords that you mentioned in his coalition. He just brought home an Uzbek warlord who's under investigation for potential crimes against humanity. But, you know, Karzai is bringing those people in because he wants to win the election and he's prepared to do whatever is necessary. And in fact, by bringing this Uzbek warlord in, he may have put himself over that 50 percent point you mentioned.
CHETRY: That's interesting because he won with a lot of Pashtun support, right, the last time around. But this warlord that you speak of, the war crime involves allowing what Taliban fighters, right, or suspected Taliban fighters, to die in a shipping container?
BERGEN: Yeah, I mean the allegation is that hundreds or perhaps even thousands of Taliban soldiers in the winter of 2001 were put into shipping containers and allowed to either starve or dehydrate to death.
CHETRY: And then what has been the reaction of that happening? I mean the Taliban is also fighting the legitimate process -- the Democratic process that's trying to take place there.
BERGEN: Yes, well the Taliban is repeatedly on record as saying that they're against democracy, that they're against elections and they're the people who are going to try to intimidate people going to the polls tomorrow or intimidate people who voted.
CHETRY: All right, very interesting. Peter Bergen, we're going to have to see how it goes. As I said, they're trying to secure the situation with hundreds of thousands of troops out there. CNN national security and also author of the book, "The Osama bin Laden I Know." Thanks for joining us this morning.
BERGEN: Thank you, Kiran.
ROBERTS: Just ahead on the most news in the morning, we continue our special series "The War at Home," introducing you to a couple of young ladies that you've talked to, the sisterhood of the traveling BDUS, a couple of teenagers whose fathers are deployed overseas. How they cope with that deployment and how they have helped other people in the same situation cope with it. Kiran's got that story just straight ahead. It's 36 minutes now after the hour.
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ROBERTS: Welcome back to the most news in the morning and the next installment of our "The War at Home" series.
CHETRY: Yes, we're talking about how difficult it can be to make that transition back home after being in a battlefield. And today, we're going to meet two California teens who really struggled to deal with their father's deployment to Afghanistan, but they did find a way to deal with the loneliness and isolation. And now they want to help other girls as well, they want to help their military sisters do the same.
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MORANDA HERN, MILITARY TEEN: I'm 16, I'm from California and I'm a military teen.
KAYLEI DEAKIN, MILITARY TEEN: I'm Kaylei Deakin, I'm 16, and I'm from Elk Grove, California and I'm also a California military teen.
CHETRY (voice-over): These two teenagers now share a tight bond. But just a year ago, they were going through similar tough times all alone.
HERN: Kids don't live on active duty bases or go to active duty schools go through you know a lot of bullying.
CHETRY: Both of their dads are with the National Guard. When their fathers were sent to Afghanistan, they found dealing with the deployment difficult.
DEAKIN: I don't know how many of you have been through deployment, but --
HERN: Show of hands, yeah.
CHETRY: The girls met at a National Guards family event and after sharing their stories, decided to start an online support group called "The Sisterhood of the Traveling BDUs." It's a play off of the movie "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" but these pants are BDUs or battle dress uniforms, what their dads wear in combat.
HERN: You know, having to go to bed crying yourself to sleep, wondering if your dad is going to come back alive. It adds a lot of an extra toll.
CHETRY: And how was your dad not being around, how did that affect your self-esteem?
HERN: Well, girls get a lot of their self-esteem from their fathers and I've always been really close with my dad.
DEAKIN: I went to school and I used to wear my dad's camo jacket and camo hat because it just made me feel more secure and that it was more comfortable for me and a lot of kids didn't understand that so I got picked on a lot.
CHETRY: So on their Web sites and at events like this one in San Pedro, California, the girls say by sharing stories, they can offer support.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mostly to me it's like depression, you know. I cry myself to sleep sometimes because I would miss him so much, like being used to seeing him.
CHETRY: And those tough times didn't magically end when their fathers came home from Afghanistan.
You're thrilled your dad is safe, your dad made it back alive unharmed but there were other things that were underneath the surface that you guys had to deal with.
HERN: Yeah, you know, it's hard for someone like our dads to go from leading troops and having to be really strict to coming home and, you know, trying to deal with teenage girls.
CHETRY: You said your dad was stricter when he came back. What did he say about the mohawk?
DEAKIN: Oh, boy.
HERN: It was blue when I met her.
CHETRY: All friendly expression dropped and he was like, that's got to go.
DEAKIN: This is acceptable because it's not dyed and it's my natural color compared to the bright pink one foot tall one.
HERN: Kayeli and I, we really want to hear from you and what you think about it because we're just two people trying to represent what you all want. Our goal this whole time has been for those girls coming to the conference and that who will benefit from this and lives can be changed.
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CHETRY: Well, there you go. You know, both their dads are at home now, safe and sound. But Kayeli, interesting enough, enlisted for the Marines.
ROBERTS: Really?
CHETRY: She'll have to change the hair-do.
ROBERTS: Just a little bit. CHETRY: They're also planning to really expand -- hoping to host a big conference in California. They want to get 400 young girls out there and maybe 100 female service members to attend. They're trying to get big-name act like maybe a Miley Cyrus or a Demi Lovato. So their Web site, by the way, is sisterhoodbdus.org and they also hold webinars. You know, kids these days.
ROBERTS: That's great they're doing it, working with their peers like that, good for them.
And tomorrow on our "War at Home" series, a big challenge for troops coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan, finding a job. We'll show you what the army is doing at Ft. Hood in Texas to try to help them out.
Well what you see is what you shoot. We're going to show you how to take some incredible photos under the sea. It's on "The Edge of Discovery." Forty-three minutes now after the hour.
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ROBERTS: We're back with the most news in the morning and a live look at Washington, D.C. We're at 77 degrees right now going up to a high of 88, scattered thunderstorms in the forecast there. They had some good ones last night. We had a doozy here in New York City at 10:00.
Well the beauty of the deep blue sea is hard to capture in photos. Most of the time, you have just got to put on the tanks, get down there and be there. But not anymore. CNN's Gary Tuchman shows us a combination camera and scuba diving mask on "The Edge of Discovery."
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GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The images you see here didn't come from a bulky underwater camera, they came from this.
KENT PEARSON, LIQUID IMAGE: The camera has picture-taking ability as well as videotaping ability.
TUCHMAN: Strap on this $250 liquid image scuba mask and what you see is what you shoot. Users can toggle between still camera and high definition video camera and film up to two hours of footage from a single charge. It even has lights to illuminate murky waters and can go as deep as 115 feet. With this mask, anyone can feel like Jacques Cousteau.
PEARSON: We've got children who love it in the pool and we have professional divers who love to go down there and just capture the experience of being underwater.
TUCHMAN: And Pearson says the mask is also being used by the military and scientists.
PEARSON: In Thailand, they're using our mask to do research on a reef.
TUCHMAN: There is one catch, however for fishermen who like to embellish tales of hooking the big one.
PEARSON: It's going to make it a little bit more difficult for people to say it was that big. You can always put a wide angle on it to make the fish look bigger.
TUCHMAN: Gary Tuchman, CNN.
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CHETRY: Pretty cool, would you get one?
ROBERTS: I don't know, I've never taken pictures underwater.
CHETRY: I do with the little underwater cameras.
ROBERTS: Maybe in a little pool or something like that. But you know, scuba diving, I see people with these big rigs. So something like that might be something great to take down.
CHETRY: Gorgeous, gorgeous pictures though.
Anyway, still ahead, we're going to be talking a little bit about health care co-ops. We've heard them being talked about a lot as an alternative to a public, government-run health care option. So how do they work and is it a realistic model for a nation? Forty-eight minutes past the hour.
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CHETRY: Fifty minutes past the hour, welcome back to the most news in the morning. Now more than halfway through this make or break month for health care reform, Democrats may be raising the stakes. CNN has learned the Obama administration may go it alone with no Republican support. And as the tension builds, we're hearing more about health care co-ops billed by some as an alternative to a government-run plan. But how do they work and would they work on a national scale? Here's CNN's Dana Bash.
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DANA BASH, CNN CORREPSONDENT: John and Kiran, we've been reporting for a couple of months now that Senate health care negotiators have been focused on co-ops as an alternative to a public option. Even so, the details of how Congress would structure co-ops are still very thin. What we do know is supporters point to a co-op in Washington state as a model. So we took a closer look.
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DR. ERIC SEAVER, GROUP HEALTH COOPERATIVE: I'm going to give you one of my cards.
BASH (voice-over): For Dr. Eric Seaver, giving out his card is a ticket to more efficient health care.
SEAVER: I do 350 or more e-mails a month with patients. It saves them having to get in the car to come over here.
BASH: Dr. Seaver says he can take time to e-mail patients because he is paid a flat salary, not per office visit, and uses electronic records to collaborate with colleagues.
SEAVER: We have primary care, specialty care, pharmacy, physical therapy, all of the -- home care, all of those services. And we are able to communicate and coordinate our care.
BASH: This is Group Health, a cooperative in Washington State, which supporters of a co-op approach to health care call a model. How does it work?
Group Health is a not-for-profit health plan governed by its consumers, patients. Its 11-member board is elected by co-op members. The co-op covers 600,000 people. A central question is, will this kind of co-op in Washington State work nationwide?
A key Senate supporter say, experts tell him yes.
SEN. KENT CONRAD (D), NORTH DAKOTA: They think there would be 12 million members in very short order, that it would become the third largest insurer in the country, and would provide meaningful competition.
BASH (on camera): Do you believe that?
TIMOTHY JOST, PROFESSOR OF LAW, WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY: No.
BASH: Why not?
JOST: Because I can't imagine how that would happen.
BASH (voice-over): But this health care expert says, it would be tough to convince enough patients to enroll and enough doctors to participate.
JOST: All of the things that you have to do to start up an insurance company are not the kind of things that just a group of people getting together at the diner on a Saturday morning and saying, let's start a co-op can do.
BASH (on camera): You just -- you just don't see it happening?
JOST: You just don't see it happening.
BASH (voice-over): What about another central goal, providing competition to insurance companies that leads to lower costs? Again, skepticism.
JOST: It's going to be very unlikely that a co-op is going to get better rates out of providers than a commercial insurer. BASH: But, back at the Group Health co-op, they say streamlined systems have led to reduced costs. The reality is, it has taken 60 years for this co-op to build success.
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BASH: When it comes to both the policy and the politics of health care, it's hard to see patients for a couple of years, much less 60 years for co-ops to be up and running and be successful. Right now, Senate negotiators are talking about providing $6 billion of seed money for co-ops but experts think it will take a lot more. John and Kiran?
CHETRY: Dana Bash for us this morning, thanks.
ROBERTS: Well, how would you like to have this as your retirement plan? You retire from your job, you collect a pension and you keep working at the same job.
CHETRY: And you collect a salary too.
ROBERTS: And you collect a salary.
CHETRY: How about that one? How is this working?
ROBERTS: It is possible. Allan Chernoff looks in to it coming up. It's 54 minutes after the hour.
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ROBERTS: Yes, the song kind of says it all. Welcome back to the most news in the morning. It is a practice that boggles the mind. And even more shocking, it's legal in almost every state. Politicians who retire, collect their pensions, and keep working and get paid. It's called double dipping. Here's Allan Chernoff to explain it to you.
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ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, Kiran, this is entirely legal. It's the kind of situation that can lead people to wonder, hey, how do I get one of those jobs? Lawmakers can do it here in New York and some may be doing it in your state as well.
(voice-over): Long Island assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg is retired from the job he still holds.
(on camera): You retired last year?
HARVEY WEISENBERG (D), NEW YORK ASSEMBLYMAN: Yes.
CHERNOFF: But you're still working.
WEISENBERG: That is correct.
CHERNOFF: And you're still getting a pension? WEISENBERG: Absolutely.
CHERNOFF (voice-over): Weisenberg, a member of the state assembly for two decades gets a pension of $72,000 while earning $101,000 in salary. It's all legal.
In New York, state and local elected officials over 65 can theoretically retire to get a pension while continuing to hold the same job earning a salary. Weisenberg is one of four members of the assembly who retired last year and now gets a pension and salary "The New York Times" reported Tuesday and the state comptroller confirmed to CNN. Weisenberg says he wants to be sure to provide for his wife, but says he works mainly to provide public service.
(on camera): The average person looks at this and says, wait a minute, he's retired, but he's still working, he's getting a pension and a salary?
WEISENBERG: Yes, but they didn't get elected to office every two years. We get elected to office. And the reality is ...
CHERNOFF: And that's why you should have a pension now?
WEISENBERG: The pension is earned.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's outrageous that the law is the way it is but they're allowed to do what they're allowed to do.
CHERNOFF: In a majority of states, legislators can double dip by holding a second government job to earn two salaries. Only nine states ban it. In half the states of the nation, legislators can double dip by holding a second elected office on the county or municipal level. And in some states including Delaware, Arkansas, and New York, public officials can pull in both a salary and a pension at the same time.
Nonpartisan watchdog groups say this is an example of broken government.
SUSAN LERNER, COMMON CAUSE NEW YORK: There's no oversight on this. And there's no accountability because there's no one other than the legislators who decide what the deal is for the legislators' pension. That doesn't sit right.
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CHERNOFF: It's tough for any New York state official to look good these days after the state Senate fell into a stalemate over the summer that threw the government into chaos. A new Quinnipiac poll out this week shows nearly three quarters of New Yorkers disapproved of the state legislature, an all-time low. John, Kiran?
ROBERTS: And that little bit of intrigue from Allan Chernoff brings us up to the top of the hour.
