Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Baghdad Green Zone Under Fire During Biden Visit; New Details on New York Terror Raids; Investigation Continues into Yale Student's Murder; House to Debate "Disapproval" of Joe Wilson; Obama Addresses AFL-CIO in Pittsburgh

Aired September 15, 2009 - 13:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Tony, thanks so much.

Reaching out to the right while keeping the base on board. We're pushing forward on the president's visit to the rust belt, gearing up for recovery, forging ahead on health care. You'll hear him live this hour.

A nondescript neighborhood swarming with feds and New York Police. They're hunting for suspected terrorists. We're pushing forward on a warning to cops nationwide.

And, when the going gets tough, some doctors choose to get out. We'll meet a former OBGYN who wanted to keep her practice, but couldn't afford it. MDs saying n-o.

Hello, everyone, I'm Kyra Phillips, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

We're actually going to start with breaking news. Happening right now, attacks in Baghdad amid a vice presidential visit. An Iraqi government source tells CNN the highly fortified international zone came under fire today as Vice President Joe Biden pays a surprise visit to the capital. Our Pentagon correspondent, Chris Lawrence, is on the phone with the latest.

Chris.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Yes, Kyra, I can tell you, we were in a briefing with General Ray Odierno when we heard the warning signs come over. The first one said, "Duck and cover, duck and cover. Get away from the windows." It is the standard warning when you do have fire here, indirect fire, such as mortars or rockets.

It probably interrupted General Odierno probably eight times during the brief -- the short briefing that we had, so every couple minutes there was just a warning sign saying to maintain, please remain undercover. There's still a danger from indirect fire.

But there was no panic inside the actual building. General Odierno would just pause. He would wait for the warnings to stop, and then -- and then continue.

And we spoke also with ambassador -- U.S. ambassador, Christopher Hill, who mentioned that, you know, at one time, there were probably, you know, a dozen such warnings that would go off during the day. He said they've greatly decreased, and that this one happening at that particular point was somewhat unusual.

PHILLIPS: So, Chris, what about the vice president when this happened? What exactly was the protocol with regard to his safety?

LAWRENCE: We really are not at liberty to talk too much about that, because you don't want to really report on the vice president's movements. You know, I can tell you, he was not in the building. But where he was and what he's doing is not something we really want to disclose.

I got the feeling, just from being in there with General Odierno, that no one felt an immediate sense of danger. There was no panic. And like I said, our briefing continued. He would pause and then continue the briefing.

PHILLIPS: Got it. Chris Lawrence there live for us from Baghdad. Chris, keep us updated.

Meanwhile, President Obama is in between speeches this hour on a day trip to factory towns in Ohio and Pennsylvania. You've heard him live this morning at a GM plant in Lordstown, Ohio. About 45 minutes from now, he's going to speak at the AFL-CIO convention in Pittsburgh.

It's his second visit to the nation's largest labor group in two weeks. He also spoke at their Labor Day picnic in Cincinnati.

The setting for the Ohio speech was the plant that builds the Chevy Cobalt, a plant that sat idle, actually, for nine weeks but now is going full throttle, or soon will be, thanks largely to cash for clunkers.

The president says that he's fighting to get the whole U.S. economy up to speed, and that's not all.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And, yes, just in case you were wondering, we are fighting for an America where no American should have to worry about going without health insurance or feel that one illness could cost them everything they have.

We're going to reform the system to provide more security and stability to those of you who have health insurance. We're going to offer quality, affordable choices to those who currently don't have health insurance. We're going to bring health-care costs for our families and our businesses and our government under control.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Now, what do you want to know about the economy? Health care, unemployment? E-mail or tweet us your questions for Mail to the Chief today. We're going to get answers from Jared Bernstein, chief economic advisor to Vice President Biden. He's going to join us live next hour.

Also next hour, the high cost of practicing medicine. We know health care doesn't add up for millions of American patients, but doctors are being squeezed, too. In some cases, all the way to retirement.

Be on the lookout for bomb parts. A day after feds raided some of the New York buildings, as part of a terror investigation, they've sent out a warning to police.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When my friend dropped us off, it had, like, close to about 30 SUVs, Impalas double-parked on the avenue, on 41st Avenue. We saw one FBI suit. We saw two FBI suits.

So, we came in the building. And then we saw, like, 30 camouflage FBI, machine guns, riot gear, everything. And then we went back outside, because we didn't know what was going on. So, it was safer to stay outside than inside.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Now, that was one of the witnesses to the raids. There ' actually new information on what exactly happened. SIU correspondent, Drew Griffin, here with some exclusive details.

What were you able to find out, Drew?

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE UNIT CORRESPONDENT: Just to get people up to speed on what's been happening, these were raids in the Queens area of New York. And what we're learning is that the Joint Terrorism Task Force -- this is federal, local, state -- was targeting a terror cell composed of Afghan nationals.

Now, they all attended or circulated at a New York-area mosque. Now a source with direct knowledge of the investigation tells CNN the Joint Terrorism Task Force raided several locations, searching for explosive devices or components, intended to be used at targets in the New York area. The source says none of those components were found.

Now, it's believed publicity and the searches themselves may have spooked those in the cell, or those connected to the cell. The source is adding that this is the first time, Kyra, anyone can recall Afghan nationals involved in a plot to attack the U.S. on U.S. soil.

Obviously, this is still developing. Deb Feyerick has been out there in the neighborhood, trying to figure out what exactly has been going on in terms of these raids. But ongoing investigation, nobody arrested as far as we know, and they're still looking for suspects.

PHILLIPS: OK. Keep us updated, because I know you're working your sources. You have been all morning. Thanks, Drew.

Now, what's it like to actually be on one of those raids, and how does it all go down? We seldom hear about that. But this hour, we're going to get an inside look from our law enforcement analyst, Mike Brooks, who was actually a member of the Joint Terrorism Task Force. He's going to join us live in just about 25 minutes.

A deadly stabbing. A school on lockdown, and a developing story out of southern Florida right now. CNN has learned that a student was killed this morning at Coral Gables Senior High, allegedly by another student.

Our affiliate, WSVN, says the two were fighting outside the school when one pulled out a switchblade and stabbed the other in the chest. The suspect is in custody.

Police are confirming the death but won't give details. We're going to keep an eye on this story.

Now, some of them -- well, some of them knew her. Lots of them didn't, but all of them wanted to honor Annie Le's memory. A sea of students, staff, even strangers, hundreds of people, actually, coming out for last night's vigil on the Yale campus, just hours after this official and tragic confirmation. The body found in a med school lab building was the missing grad student.

We expect more updates this afternoon. Mary Snow is in New Haven now with the latest for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, we do expect to learn later today how Annie Le was murdered. The medical examiner is expected to release the cause of death this afternoon.

As for the investigation, the New Haven Police Department, which has taken the lead in the investigation, would not take any questions about a potential suspect. The spokesman would only say that the department does not expect to make any arrests later today.

This, as police continue their investigation. We know that investigators were back at the home of Annie Le.

And last night for the first time, we heard from Annie Le's roommate, who addressed hundreds of people who had gathered at a vigil on the campus of Yale.

NATALIE POWERS, FRIEND OF ANNIE LE: She was as good a human being as you'd ever hope to meet. That this horrible tragedy happened at all is incomprehensible, but that it happened to her, I think, is infinitely more so. It seems completely senseless.

SNOW: And to give you an idea of the scope of this investigation, a police spokesman estimated that investigators have spoken already to about 100 people -- Kyra.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: All right, Mary Snow there with the latest on that investigation. We haven't heard the last of the "you lie" hubbub, by the way. It's been almost a week since South Carolina Republican Congressman Joe Wilson heckled President Obama on the House floor. Now the House is pushing forward with the formal disapproval.

CNN's Brianna Keilar sets the stage for us.

Now, Brianna, I was shocked to hear that this thing is getting partisan. Go figure. How serious is it?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Are you really shocked, Kyra? You are not shocked. You are not.

PHILLIPS: OK. I was trying to subtly get into -- just teeing you up here.

KEILAR: Yes, no. We are expecting this to be a partisan showdown. And I actually just got word from a House Democratic leadership aide that we could be seeing a vote, possibly, on this resolution really here in not too long. Possibly ahead of 2, maybe a little after, maybe in the 2 to 3 p.m. Eastern range. So we are trying to figure that out.

But, you know, I just want to talk, Kyra, a little bit about just how serious this is. Because a lot of people have wondered, you know, how big of a deal is this? This is essentially like a public slap on the wrist. This is like being called out in front of your class, if you're in elementary school, and the teacher kind of making a bit of a spectacle of you.

Because, actually, the House of Representatives has a whole menu of options for disciplining its members, from expulsion, which is the most severe, censuring, reprimanding, fines and other measures. And this is actually none of those. This is -- this resolution of disapproval -- this resolution of disapproval is what we call in Hill parlance a type of privileged resolution.

Any member of the House can kind of bring an issue to the floor. Sometimes it is when one member has a beef with another member. For instance, Republicans, you may recall, in the last couple of months actually brought a privileged resolution -- a privilege resolution to the floor, asking if there could be an investigation into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's claim that the CIA had lied to her about harsh interrogation tactics of terrorist suspects.

In the past, when President Bush was in power, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi brought a privilege resolution on the topic of Iraq.

So, this is one of those things that it falls under this kind of umbrella, Kyra, and in this case today, though, it is a vote on a resolution of disapproval for the behavior of Congressman Wilson.

PHILLIPS: All right. So, I'm assuming we're going to see some sparks flying at some point, or maybe not. I don't know. What do you think? That won't shock me. KEILAR: Yes, you know, one of the interesting things is the -- we're expecting that Democrats and Republicans will each have their chance to kind of get their say in. But we're hearing from Democrats and Republicans that they're really going to try to stick to the issue of health care and not really add too many fireworks.

But you never really know. It's so unpredictable. So we're really going to be catching to see if any of these individual members really start to get upset about this, as they have pushed for this -- a lot of these Democratic members have pushed their leaders to go forward with this vote, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, keep us updated. Thanks, Brianna.

On the Senate side, meanwhile, the one and only bipartisan health-care reform bill is almost ready for its public debut, last we checked anyway. The so-called Gang of Six in the finance committee is still sweating the details of a package it's been working on for months and may continue to work on even after the bill hits the full committee. That's expected to happen tomorrow.

Here's committee chair, Max Baucus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MAX BAUCUS (D-MT), FINANCE CHAIRMAN: I'm doing the best I can, and whether we get an agreement today or not is not really the critical question. The critical question is do we get bipartisan support at sometime before we vote on the bill? And my guess is that we will.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, the finance committee could start voting on the bill next week.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the nation's largest labor coalition prepares to welcome President Obama. Live pictures of the podium now. As soon as he steps up to the mike, we'll take it live, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Oh, yes. Remembering the man who got you off your feet and introduced you to "Dirty Dancing." and who made famous the phrase, "Nobody puts Baby in the corner." We're going to share the tributes pouring in for Patrick Swayze.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: And this just in to CNN. New video from Baghdad right now, where Vice President Joe Biden is making a surprise visit. As I speak, actually, we just heard a short time ago, that Baghdad's international zone, also called the Green Zone, came under fire after Joe Biden arrived in the Iraqi capital. But now we're learning that the vice president was not wounded. And Biden is meeting with Iraqi bigwigs and with U.S. troops.

His own son is stationed in Iraq, by the way.

It's looking more like a runoff presidential election in Afghanistan. A U.N. commission say some that ballots from about 10 percent of polling sites will have to be recounted because of possible fraud. That would pit incumbent President Hamid Karzai against his top challenger, Abdullah Abdullah. He claims that the election in August was rigged in Karzai's favor.

Sorting out the mess could take weeks, and that's fueling fears of political unrest.

And according to the latest CNN poll, support for the Afghanistan war is fading, but support for the war in Afghanistan may we waning in the United States. Men and women are giving their lives in that war. So, we want to honor these fallen heroes.

Army Private 1st Class Matthew M. Martinek died Friday. He was shot during an attack in Patika province in Afghanistan. The 20-year- old came from a family of soldiers. His two older brothers served tours in Iraq.

And 1s Lieutenant Michael E. Johnson was killed during an ambush on September 8 in the Kunar province in Afghanistan. The 25-year-old Marine leaves behind a wife and a twin brother.

And Army Sergeant Tyler Juden was killed September 11 when his unit came under attack in western Afghanistan. His parents say their 23-year-old son wanted to go back to school to become a teacher once his stint in the military was done.

These are just three of the 742 U.S. men and women who have given their lives while serving in Afghanistan.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: And this just in to CNN. We're getting word that the cops are back at the Antioch, California, home of Phillip and Nancy Garrido, the couple that's charged with kidnapping Jaycee Dugard and holding her in their backyard compound for 18 years. We don't know what police are looking for exactly, but we expect a news conference sometime next hour. We're following up on that story for you.

And the U.S. economy, is it pulling out of its toughest time since the Great Depression? Well, Fed chair Ben Bernanke seems to think so. He says the recession is very likely over, but he says there's still a pretty rough road ahead.

Bernanke was speaking to the Brookings Institution in Washington. It was his first speech since his reappointment.

Wanted and killed. Somalia's government confirms that the U.S. Special Forces have killed one of the FBI's most wanted terrorists. The senior al Qaeda operative was killed in an attack yesterday in southern Somalia. U.S. forces used a helicopter to fire on a car, killing several people, including the al Qaeda operative.

Among other things, he was linked to the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania.

In Baltimore, no decision yet on whether a college student will face charges for killing an intruder with a samurai sword. The Johns Hopkins student says he was attacked by the man in his garage, and he used the sword to defend himself.

What happened to civility on the tennis court? First, Serena Williams' outburst at the U.S. Open. Now Roger Federer, five-time open champ, was beaten in yesterday's final by Juan Martin Del Porto. And during that match, the stress showed, with Federer lashing out at the umpire over a challenged call. Go ahead and take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's considering a challenge. It's too late now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no, no.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shouldn't be allowed that much time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was talking to him.

ROGER FEDERER, TENNIS PLAYER: Come on. I wasn't allowed to change for, like, two seconds. The guy takes, like, ten, every night. I can't allow that stuff.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The review reveals it was out.

FEDERER: Do you have any rules up there? Stop showing me your hand, OK. Don't tell me to be quiet, OK? I don't want to -- I don't give a -- what he said.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: All right. Live to the president of the United States. He just stepped up to the podium there in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, addressing the largest labor coalition in America. Let's listen in.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... to fight for the working men and women of Pennsylvania and who has the distinguished record of doing just that, Arlen Specter.

I want to give my thanks and the thanks of our nation to one of the great labor leaders of our time, a man whose entire life has been devoted to working people, who brought new life to a movement, who worked tirelessly on behalf of organized workers, and who will be stepping down tomorrow, your president, John Sweeney.

John, I know that Maureen's looking forward to seeing a little more of you, your granddaughter, Kennedy's, about to get a whole lot more spoiled by her grandpa. But we are so proud of the work that you've done and grateful for your lifetime of service.

I know it's bad luck to congratulate somebody before they're officially elected, but I'm going to go ahead and take my chances and congratulate the man who will pick up John's mantle, the son and grandson of Pennsylvania coal miners, a man who worked his way through college to lead the United Mine Workers, my friend, a fiery advocate for America's ideals, Rich Trumka.

I also want to congratulate the officers coming in with Rich. Arlene, who will be continuing her service, and Liz, who will be making history as the first woman elected secretary-treasurer. I am looking forward to working with every single one of you.

Now, being here with all of you is a reminder of what we're trying to do in Washington and why I'm there in the first place. It's one of the fundamental reasons I ran for president, was to stand up for hard-working families, to ease the struggles, to lift the hopes, and make possible the dreams of middle-class Americans.

Your stories are what drive me each and every day in the White House: stories I read about in letters, or I hear about in town-hall meetings, or somebody grabs me in a rope line and starts telling me something; stories I remember from the campaign trail; stories like one told by Steve Skavar (ph), a proud member of the United Steelworkers in Indiana.

Steve spent 34 years at LTV Steel, until a car accident left him with a disability and forced him to retire. When the company went broke a couple years later, Steve lost his pension, and his family lost their health care. So, rising to ask a question at the CFL (sic) -- the AFL-CIO debate during the campaign, Steve said, and I'm quoting him now, "Every day of my life I sit at the kitchen table across from the woman who devoted 36 years of her life to my family, and I can't afford to pay for her health care." And as he said it, he got choked up, and his voice started to crack.

Brothers and sisters, this isn't just about Steve. This is about all of us. Because when hard-working Americans like Steve succeed, that's when organized labor succeeds. And when organized labor succeeds, that's when our middle class succeeds. And when our middle class succeeds, that's when the United States of America succeeds! That's what we're fighting for!

For over half a century the success of America has been built on the success of our middle class. It was the creation of the middle class that lifted this nation up in the wake of a Great Depression. It was the expansion of the middle class that opened the doors of opportunity to millions more. It was a strong middle class that powered American industries and propelled America's economy and made the 20th century the American century.

And the fundamental test of this century, of our time, is whether we will heed this lesson; whether we will let America become a nation of the very rich and the very poor, of the haves and the have-nots; or whether we will remain true to the promise of this country and build a future where the success of all of us is built on the success of each of us.

That's the future I want to build. That's the future the AFL-CIO wants to build. That's the future the American people want to build! That's the future that I've been working to build from the moment I took office!

Now, we've been hearing a lot of stuff from folks who aren't that friendly to me or the union movement, so let's just take a stroll down memory lane. Cecil, let's just remember where we were when I took the oath of office a little over eight months ago.

At the time, folks were fearing the complete collapse of our entire financial system. Our economy was shedding about 700,000 jobs a month. Our credit markets were frozen. Folks couldn't get a home loan. They couldn't get a car loan. They couldn't get a student loan if they needed it. What was a deep recession threatened to become a great depression. You remember that, right? Okay.

That's why we acted, boldly and swiftly, to pass an unprecedented economic recovery act, a plan that didn't include any of the usual Washington earmarks or pork barrel spending, but what did it include was a guarantee to uphold Davis Bacon and pay a prevailing wage.

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Because -- because the Recovery Act, we're keeping a promise I made to give all of you -- 95 percent of working Americans -- a tax cut, a tax cut that will benefit nearly 5 million families in Pennsylvania.

We increased and extended unemployment insurance to 12 million Americans, including hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians. We made sure that they could get health insurance if they were looking for a job because COBRA was too expensive. Reduced the cost of it by 65 percent, so a lot of families out there were able to hang on to their health care, even during the downturn.

We're putting Americans to work across this country, rebuilding crumbling roads and bridges and waterways with the largest investment in our infrastructure since Eisenhower created the interstate highway system in the 1950s.

(APPLAUSE)

All in all, many middle-class families will see their incomes go up by about $3,000 because of the recovery act, helping them get back much of what they've lost due to this recession.

So, I know times are still tough for working people. I know too many people are still looking for work or worried they'll be the next ones let go, but the Recovery Act is making a difference. We've stopped our economic free-fall. That's something everybody can agree on. But here's the problem. Even before this last financial crisis, the economy had problems. Just last week, a census report came out showing that in 2008, before the downturn, family income fell to its lowest point in over a decade. And more families slid into poverty. Folks at the top 1 percent did pretty good. Everybody else saw their wages and incomes flat. That's unacceptable.

And I refuse to let America go back to the culture of irresponsibility and greed that made it possible. Back to an economy with soaring CEO salaries and shrinking middle-class incomes, back to the days when banks made reckless decisions that hurt Wall Street and Main Street alike. We're not going to go back to those days! It would be bad for unions, bad for the middle class, and bad for the United States of America! We're not turning back. We're moving forward.

(APPLAUSE)

We're not turning back. We're moving forward. And that's why we need to build a new foundation for lasting prosperity, by creating the jobs of the future, by reforming our health care system, by laying down tough rules of the road to protect consumers from abuse. Let the markets function fairly, and freely, and ensure that we never experience another crisis like this again.

That's how we'll build an economy that works for working Americans. That's how we'll help our children climb higher than we did. That's how we'll grow our great American middle class.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: (INAUDIBLE)

OBAMA: I love you, too, sister!

(LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Well -- although it sounds like you've been hollering too much. Your throat was all...

(LAUGHTER)

OBAMA: We're going to grow our middle class with policies that benefit you, the American worker. And as John Sweeney noted, I've set up a middle class task force to do just that. Run by my outstanding vice president, that scrappy kid from Scranton, Pennsylvania, Joe Biden.

(APPLAUSE)

We'll grow our middle-class by building a stronger labor movement. That's why I named Hilda Solis, daughter of a union member, as our new labor secretary.

(APPLAUSE)

Hilda -- Hilda and I know that whether we're in economic times -- good economic times or bad economic times, labor's not the problem. Labor's part of the solution. (APPLAUSE)

That's why we've begun reversing and replacing old anti-labor executive orders, policies with ones that protect your benefits and protect your safety and protect your rights to organize and collectively bargain.

That's why the very first bill I signed into law was the Lily Ledbetter Act to uphold the basic principle of equal pay for equal work.

(APPLAUSE)

That's why I stand behind the Employee Free Choice Act. Because if the majority of workers want a union, they should get a union.

(APPLAUSE)

We'll grow -- we'll grow our middle-class by creating jobs for Americans who want one. Not just any jobs, but jobs with good wages and good benefits. Jobs that give a person the satisfaction of knowing they'll meet their responsibilities to their families. Jobs that aren't just a source of income but a source of pride and self- respect. Every American deserves that much.

Earlier today, I visited a GM plant in Youngstown, Ohio, that is -- Youngstown, in the house. That -- this plant is rehiring about 1,000 workers to make the cars of tomorrow. That's a sign of life in our auto industry, and I'm pleased to see it.

(APPLAUSE)

But, do you know what? I don't just want to see jobs return to our auto industry, I want to see them being created across this country in every industry. That's why we're investing in a clean energy economy that will free America from the grip of foreign oil and create millions of new green jobs that can't be outsourced.

That's why I've named a new point person to jump-start American manufacturing so that we can make Made in America not just a slogan, we want to make it a reality.

(APPLAUSE)

We'll -- we'll grow our middle-class by doing a better job educating our sons and daughters. It was the GI Bill that helped strengthen the middle class in the 20th century, and our generation deserves the same kind of commitment. And that's why we've begun improving standards and holding ourselves more accountable, making college and advanced training more affordable, and offering students a complete and competitive education. From the cradle to the classroom, from college through a career.

That's how we'll prepare every child in America, not just some children, but every child in America, to out-compete any worker in the world! (APPLAUSE)

And, yes, we'll grow our middle-class by finally providing quality, affordable health insurance in this country. Health care can't wait.

(APPLAUSE)

It can't wait.

(APPLAUSE)

Few have fought -- few have fought for this cause harder, few have championed it longer than you, our brothers and sisters, in organized labor. You're making phone calls, knocking on doors, showing up at rallies, because you know why this is so important. You know this isn't just about the millions of Americans who don't have health insurance, it's about the hundreds of millions more who do. Americans who worry that they'll lose their insurance if they lose their job, who fear their coverage will be denied because of a pre- existing condition, who know that one accident or illness could mean financial ruin.

In fact, a new report from the Kaiser family foundation was released today, showing that family premiums rose more than 130 percent over the last 10 years. Three times faster than wages. They now average over $13,000 a year, the highest amount on record. Which is why when you go in to negotiate, you can't even think about negotiating for a salary -- a wage increase, because the whole negotiation's about trying to keep the benefits you already have.

That's not just the fault of the employer. It's the fault of a broken health care system that's sucking up all the money. When are we going to stop it? When are we going to say enough is enough? How many more workers have to lose their coverage? How many more families have to go into the red for a sick loved one? How much longer are we going to have to wait? It can't wait.

(APPLAUSE)

(AUDIENCE CHANTING)

We can't wait!

My friends, we have talked -- we have talked this issue to death. Year after year, decade after decade. That's why I said last week, before a joint session of Congress, I said, the time for bickering is over. The time for games has passed. Now's the time for action. Now's the time to deliver on health insurance reform.

The plan I announced will offer more security and more stability to Americans who have insurance. It will offer insurance to Americans who don't. And it will slow the growth of health care costs for our families, our businesses, and our government.

If you already have health insurance through your job -- and because many of you are members of unions, you do -- nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change your coverage or your doctor. Let me repeat -- nothing in this plan will require you to change your coverage or your doctor.

What this plan will do is make your insurance work better for you. It will be against the law for insurance companies to deny you coverage because of a pre-existing condition.

(APPLAUSE)

It will be against the law for insurance companies to drop your coverage when you get sick or water it down when you need it the most. They won't be able to place some arbitrary cap on how much coverage you can receive in a given year or a given lifetime. We'll place a limit as to how much you'll be charged for out-of-pocket expenses.

Because in the United States of America, nobody should go broke just because they got sick.

(APPLAUSE)

Insurance companies will be required to cover, at no extra charge, routine checkups and preventive care like mammograms and colonoscopies, because there's no reason we shouldn't be catching diseases like breast cancer or colon cancer before they get worse. It makes sense. It saves money and it will save lives. That's what we'll be offering to people who already have health insurance, more stability and security.

For the tens of millions of Americans who don't have health insurance, the second part of this plan will finally offer them -- offer you -- affordable choices. We'll do this with the new insurance exchange, a marketplace, where individuals and small businesses, they can shop for affordable health insurance plans that work for them. And because there will be one big group, these uninsured Americans, they have leverage. They can drive down the costs of care and get a better deal than they're getting right now. That's how large companies and government employees get affordable insurance. It's how everybody in Congress -- including those who are always critical of government -- get their insurance.

It's time to give every opportunity to Americans that members of Congress give to themselves. I've also said that one of the options in this exchange should be a public option.

Now, let me...

(APPLAUSE)

... let me -- let me be clear. Let me be clear, because there's been a lot of misinformation out here about this. This would just be an option. Nobody would be forced to choose it. No one with insurance would be affected.

But what it would do is offer Americans more choices and promote real competition and put pressure on private insurers to make their policies affordable, treat their customers better.

Now, when you're talking with some of your friends and neighbors, they might say, well, that all sounds pretty good, but how you going to pay for it? That's a legitimate question, because I inherited a $1.3 trillion deficit when I came into office. That's the other thing people have been a little selective about. They don't seem to remember how we got into this mess.

But it's a legitimate question. How are we going to dig ourselves out of this big financial hole we're in? So, let me try to answer it. The plan I'm proposing is going to cost $900 billion over 10 years. That's real money. Although that's less than we spent on Iraq and Afghanistan wars. It's less than the tax cuts for the wealthiest few Americans that Congress passed during the previous administration. Wars and tax cuts that were not paid for and ballooned our deficit to record levels and didn't help America's working families.

(APPLAUSE)

We won't make -- we won't make that mistake again. We will not pay for health insurance reform by adding to our deficits. I will not sign a bill that adds a dime to our deficits, either now or in the future.

What we will do is pay for it by eliminating hundreds of billions of dollars in fraud and waste and abuse, including billions of dollars in subsidies for insurance companies that pad their profits but aren't improving care.

We'll also set up a commission of doctors and medical experts to encourage the adoption of commonsense best practices that can further reduce costs and raise quality in the years ahead. That's how we'll pay for most of this plan, by using money that's already being spent in the health care system, but spent badly.

So, don't pay attention to those scary stories about how Medicare benefits will be cut. That will never happen on my watch. We will protect Medicare so it's a safety net for our seniors that they can count on today, tomorrow, forever. Not a dollar from the Medicare trust fund will be used to pay for this plan. Not a single dollar.

(APPLAUSE)

These are the reforms I'm proposing. These are the reforms labor has been championing. These are the reforms that the American people need. These are the reforms I intend to sign into law. Quality, affordable health insurance, a world class education, good jobs that pay well and can't be outsourced. A strong labor movement. That's how we'll lift up hard working families. That's how we'll grow our middle class. That's how we'll put opportunity within reach in the United States of America.

The battle for opportunity has been always been fought in places like Pittsburgh, places like Pennsylvania. It was here that Pittsburgh rail workers rose up in a great strike. It was here that Homestead Steelworkers took on Pinkerton guards at Carnegie mills. It was here that something that happened in a town called Aliquippa.

It was a tough place for workers in the 1930s. A benevolent dictatorship, said the local steel boss. Labor had no rights, the foreman's whim ruled the day, the company hired workers from different lands, and different races. The better to keep them divided, it was thought at the time.

But despite threats and harassment, despite seeing organizers fired and driven out of town, these steelworkers came together. Serb and Croat, Italian and Pole, and Irish and Greek and kin of Alabama slaves and son of Pennsylvania coal miners. And they took their case all the way to the Supreme Court. Securing the right to organize up and down the Ohio River Valley and all across America.

And I know that if America can come together like Aliquippa and rise above barriers of faith and race and region and party, then we will not only make life better for steelworkers like Steve in Indiana, not only make life better for members of the AFL-CIO, but also make real the dreams of middle-class families and make real the promise of the United States of America for everybody.

That's what we're fighting for. That's what this White House is committed to. That's what the AFL-CIO is committed to. And arm in arm, we are going to get this done. I got a question for you, are you fired up?

AUDIENCE: Yes!

OBAMA: Are you ready to go?

AUDIENCE: Yes!

OBAMA: Are you fired up?

AUDIENCE: Yes!

OBAMA: Are you ready to go?

AUDIENCE: Yes!

OBAMA: Let's go get this done. Thank you, everybody! God bless you.

PHILLIPS: Heavy listening on a pretty packed agenda. Who better than organized labor, actually, to help President Obama push forward on health care reform, economic recovery, clean energy, education reform? He hit it all there, even talking about the war in Iraq.

And as you just heard live in the NEWSROOM, the president talked about all of this to a very supportive crowd there. Those labor folks love him, that's the AFL-CIO convention in Pittsburgh. It's actually his second speech to the nation's largest labor group in two weeks.

CNN's Ed Henry is also there. And you know, Ed, some Republican critics are saying that the president is overexposed. Is he going to scale back at all or is he going to keep pushing forward? ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: No, I see him really pushing forward, doing a lot more of these kind of events. You saw him end with a flourish there, fired up, ready to go, the old campaign, sort of a mantra he used to use out on the road. You can feel him when he gets out here, especially to a very friendly crowd like this. Organized labor, as you said -- this is the group that is pushing this president's agenda from the economy to health care.

What really struck me is how sober and sort of sedate the president was yesterday on Wall Street talking about regulatory reform. Today much more fired up, talking about how he's going to stand up for American workers, first at a GM plant in Youngstown, Ohio. I was there with him this morning. Now we're here in Pittsburgh at the AFL-CIO convention.

These folks certainly wanted to hear it. His message basically was, look, I inherited a mess. While the president is sort of taking a bit of a beating right now in some polls. When you talk to some White House aides, they say, look, the president inherited these financial challenges, took some bold action, as you heard the president say a moment ago.

And they feel like they realize part of the reason why it's been difficult for him to sell health reform is that there's so much anxiety in places like Pittsburgh, where people are afraid about their jobs or maybe lost their jobs, afraid they're going to use it, afraid they're going to lose their health insurance, and sort of concerned frankly about how much money, as you said, the Republicans pointing out. And the president being, they believe, overexposed.

But also, Washington spending too much money. So what White House aides say in private is that this president realized he has to sort of address the economic anxiety if he's going to sell health reform. And in terms of what the president's going to be doing in the next few days -- we're learning today, the president is going to do five Sunday talk shows this weekend, including CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION."

We're also learning the last few moments, the president on Monday, he's going to tape David Letterman, The Late Show with David Letterman. He's going to go full steam ahead in terms of trying to sell his agenda, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Ed Henry, we'll be following it, obviously. Everybody anxiously, throughout this country, waiting for a final result in health care reform and how it's all going to play out.

Ed Henry, thanks so much.

So what do you want to know about the economy, health care, unemployment? You can e-mail us or tweet us your question, for "Mail to the Chief." We're actually getting answers from Jared Bernstein, chief economic advisor, to Vice President Biden. He is going to join us this hour. And we're also going to talk live to two doctors. We were actually reading a number of articles where these doctors are quoted talking about their concerns about malpractice insurance. One of these doctors even quit being a doctor because of the price of that and actually feels guilty about it. She's now making jewelry. She has an interesting story and a message to President Obama.

And the other doctor is talking about his concern about there being a massive decline in the number of doctors if this health care reform bill goes through the way it is stated at this point. So, we're going to get their feedback and have a good conversation. That's coming up in just a few minutes.

More from the CNN NEWSROOM straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)