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Health Reform Stalemate; Joe Wilson's War; Iraq's Green Zone Attacked; Airline Employees Arrested

Aired September 16, 2009 - 09:58   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Here now some of the other stories happening at the moment.

A Yale University employee taken into custody in the case of a graduate student's killing was released to his attorney overnight. Police searched Raymond Clark's home and collected DNA samples from him. The body of Annie Le was found Sunday on the day she was to have been married.

Two men are under arrest for allegedly shining a laser pointer at two commercial flights from a gas station near Columbus, Ohio. They're also accused of pointing the laser at a police helicopter. One of the suspects is an Army helicopter mechanic whose currently on leave. They both face up to eight years in prison.

Police in Kansas issued a silver alert for an older couple missing since Friday. They thought they had a break in the disappearance of Bob and Mary Lou Black when a car was found at the bottom of the Missouri River near their home. Divers checked it out, but it was not their car.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MAX BAUCUS (D-MT), SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: The critical question is do we get bipartisan support at some time before we vote on the bill? My guess is that we will.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Senator Max Baucus on the battle over health care reform and a new development in the stalemate. Just minutes ago, that long awaited version from him, Senator Max Baucus, was unveiled, but it will not be the compromise bill that had raised so many hopes.

Republican negotiators in the Gang of Six say they cannot support it, and that is important, being that we already have now this 17-page summary. It's going to be a much longer bill to wade through, and we continue to do that this morning.

In fact, we want to get to Brianna Keilar standing by on Capitol Hill this morning. After first having a look at the summary, very important to point out there's no Republican support at this point.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No, at this point there is no Republican support. They have not signed on. And when we see Senator Max Baucus hold his news conference at noon, and we're expecting that he's going to be alone. Now, that doesn't mean that Republicans have walked from the table.

They say there is still time to put a deal together on this but with Senator Baucus releasing his bill today, it just hasn't happened yet. Obviously it's not a good thing, Heidi, for Senator Baucus that they're not on board but if you look at this bill and if you look at the summary of this bill, you'll see that their influence really is all over this bill.

For instance, it includes this health cooperative which we've been talking about for some time. This is not a government run insurance plan. So that means that this one bill here, one of the five bills in Congress, it is the only one that does not include a government run insurance option. That public option.

COLLINS: Right.

KEILAR: Also, you know, important things for people at home who are really curious about what Congress is trying to do, to make things better for them for health care. You know, I think some of the things that really stick in people's minds, this as well as some of the other bills ends discrimination based on pre-existing conditions.

So an insurance company could not turn you away for pre-existing conditions. It also eliminates those yearly and lifetime limits on how much - it institutes limits on how much you would have to pay out of pocket for a year or for lifetime. Heidi.

COLLINS: Just real quickly, Brianna, when we talk about the pre- existing conditions, because yes, a lot of people are very curious about that one, does that then mean that if this bill makes its way through, of course, that it would be illegal for insurance companies to ask in, you know, your paperwork you're filling out trying to get coverage if you had a pre-existing condition, we just won't see that question anymore?

KEILAR: I don't know if it would be illegal for them to ask. But this bill as well as other bills, Heidi, have basically made a tradeoff with insurance companies which is to say that we want many more people if not everyone to be covered. So you're going to have many more people seeking insurance, which is, you know, that's a windfall for insurance companies but to get that you cannot turn people away based on pre-existing conditions. So the idea being, yes, it would not be acceptable and would not be legal for them to turn people away.

COLLINS: OK. Any idea at this point how Senator Max Baucus is feeling now that this is out and people are getting a look at it and reporters are getting a look at it and we're explaining it on the air. How's he feeling today?

KEILAR: You know, he said it was a big day. We ran into him this morning in the hallway. So actually let's take a listen to that because as we tracked him through the hallway, he talked about what today meant.

COLLINS: Great. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... working on this for many, many weeks.

SEN. MAX BAUCUS (D), FINANCE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: No

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) how is that going to change.

BAUCUS: They'll become (INAUDIBLE) more comfortable with it. We'll see how it can be shaped in a better way for them. This is a very big, big bill. Lots of components. Lots of parts. And so a lot of senators will work to try to make the part they have problem with to be better either talking with me to make changes or offer amendments to make changes. I expect there will be a very significant support when we do pass this bill.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And this is the bill that you have the full backing of the administration here?

BAUCUS: My bill is very, very similar to the frame work that the president talked about when he gave his address. Very similar.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Now the other thing that we're really looking for, Heidi, is we have asked people questions about what do you think about this proposal that Senate finance or this "gang of six" negotiators are talking about. We've asked, you know, Democrats who may be on the line and some Republicans, what do you think about this thing they're considering and they'll frequently say, well, we don't know, we haven't seen the language.

COLLINS: Right.

KEILAR: We can't tell you. And what this bill does now and I can guarantee you there are people all over the capitol not just on the Senate side but on the House side where they are waiting to see what is coming out of this Senate finance committee. They are printing this out and they are flipping through the language.

COLLINS: Yes.

KEILAR: And now when we ask them what do you think about this, they can see what it is and actually answer the question. Maybe it's not based on sort of a hypothetical if that makes some sense.

COLLINS: Yes, interesting though that even the senator himself say it's sort of just the first step and it will be shaped likely in many other ways. So we continue to watch as this story develops. Brianna Keilar, thanks so much, live from Capitol Hill.

And a central issue in the battle for health care reform, the rising cost of insurance. Stephanie Elam is joining us in just a little while with a new study and new numbers that may actually surprise you. The Baucus bill is now posted online. And you can see it for yourself. Our Josh Levs is here now to walk us through it a little bit. Hey there, Josh.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Heidi. I've been monitoring this web site throughout the morning. We saw when it popped up. We took a look at it right away. In fact, I think we can show it to you. It's on this computer behind me right here. It's really easy to get to from the Senate Finance Committee.

What I've done is I opened up the page that shows the legislation and then you just click on the top part right there, America's Healthy Future Act. It will bring you to what's called Chairman's Mark. America's Healthy Future Act of 2009. You can see all sorts of information here and the breakdown.

Also, we made it extra easy for you. It's up at our blog right now, CNN.com/heidi or CNN.com/josh. We'll get you there right away. Heidi, you were just talking to Brianna about this idea of pre- existing conditions and how that might play out.

In the notes that we were sent along with this is an interesting line that says currently covered individuals must be uninsured for six months before gaining access to this high-risk pool which would allow you to have these pre-existing conditions covered. This is a good example of how we need to get more information about how it would play out.

COLLINS: Exactly.

LEVS: Some people would hear that and say wait a second, six months of no nothing.

COLLINS: I don't have coverage for this gap of six months.

LEVS: Yes, we really need to pick apart this bill throughout the NEWSROOM today. I'm camped out here and this one other computer. We'll bring you details all throughout the day and you can follow it all here on TV and online with us at cnn.com/josh.

COLLINS: All right. I love this. From fossils to the nation's health care. You're good. Josh Levs, a man of all trades. Thanks so much, Josh.

LEVS: Got it.

COLLINS: Congressman who heckled President Obama and said he was lying about health care reform has been formally scolded now by fellow lawmakers. The House formally admonished South Carolina Republican Joe Wilson for the outburst. During President Obama's address to Congress last week, Wilson shouted "you lie." Yesterday's vote was mostly along party lines.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOE WILSON (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: To me, it's political game playing. It's exactly what the president said shouldn't occur. But they proceeded to game playing and I believe as I sincerely stated that I apologized immediately to the president. He's been very gracious to accept the apology. The vice president accepted the apology. The president on Sunday night during "60 Minutes" again accepted the apology. But now it truly is time to work on health insurance reform.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: After the outburst, Wilson apologized to the president but refused to apologize to Congress.

Vice president Joe Biden is meeting with Iraqi leaders in Baghdad this morning. He was also there in the green zone last night during a rocket attack. U.S. Ambassador Christopher Hill says at least one rocket may have hit the embassy grounds. Two civilians were killed.

Military sources say U.S. and Iraqi forces captured three men suspected of firing into the international zone. Biden arrived in Iraq on Tuesday for meetings with U.S. military and diplomatic officials.

NATO, now says three U.S. service members are dead. They are victims of a roadside bomb blast in southern Afghanistan. NATO is not saying exactly the area they were patrolling at the time of the blast. Roadside bombs, as you know, have increasingly become the weapon of choice for Taliban militants.

The top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan is expected to ask for more troops within the next couple of weeks. Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen supports the increase saying those extra troops will be essential for the mission. CNN foreign affairs correspondent Jill Dougherty has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The national debate over how not to lose in Afghanistan plays out on Capitol Hill. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs says more U.S. troops.

ADM. MIKE MULLEN, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: A properly resourced counterinsurgency probably means more forces.

DOUGHERTY: A leading Republican claims it's a matter of life or death.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Every day we delay in implementing this strategy and increasing the number of troops there, which we all know is vitally needed, puts more and more young Americans who are already there lives in danger.

DOUGHERTY: But the powerful Democratic chair of the committee wants to beef up the Afghan army and police first.

SEN. CARL LEVIN (D), ARMED SERVICES CMTE. CHAIRMAN: I believe these steps should be urgently implemented before we consider a further increase in U.S. ground combat troops.

DOUGHERTY: The commanding general in Afghanistan Stanley McChrystal is expected to ask President Barack Obama for more troops, part of his assessment of what's needed militarily to push back the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Aides to secretary of state Hillary Clinton tell CNN she is open to the idea of putting in more troops but only after the plan to win is more clearly defined.

HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: We are in the midst of the reviewing the strategy and the status of our efforts in Afghanistan that will continue for some time.

DOUGHERTY (on camera): Admiral Mullen says General McChrystal will make his troop request to the president very soon. Meanwhile, on the ground in Afghanistan, the Pentagon says U.S. troops don't have enough men or equipment to protect themselves against roadside bombs. And defense secretary Robert Gates is preparing to send more troops to provide that protection.

Jill Dougherty, CNN, the State Department.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Back to the economy now. Cautious optimism from Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke. Here's what he had to say about the present situation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN BERNANKE, FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN: From a technical perspective, the recession is very likely over at this point. It's still going to feel like a very weak economy for some time as many people will still find that their job security and their employment status is not what they wish it was.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Mr. Bernanke also added the job market's recovery will be slow. Solid retail sales report has also helped stocks rally.

Was a Georgia mother the victim of a vicious hate crime? The vicious beating she says she got in front of her seven-year-old daughter, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Americans trust for the media is falling every year. Look at this. A new Pew Research survey shows that only 29 percent of Americans feel the media generally gets the facts straight.

Well, we always want to hear from you - our viewers directly. So we put that question to you today. Do you trust the media? Tell us why or why not. Just head on over to our blog. You know where it is. Cnn.com/heidi. You'll see a little bit more about that survey that was done by the Pew Research Center and then our question there. Do you trust the media? Why or why not? We'll bring some of your comments to you in a little while. We've already gotten quite a few.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Closely following new developments in the case of a Yale graduate student killed on campus. Police took a university technician into custody and then released him overnight. They have searched Raymond Clark's home and collected DNA samples from him. He's not at this time considered a suspect in the death of Annie Le but police say he has been under surveillance for quite some time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF JAMES LEWIS, NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT POLICE: We've known where he was at all along. He was exactly where we expected him to be when we serve the search warrant tonight. I don't know where that stuff came about a manhunt. We've always have known where he's at.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was he home tonight when you went to his home?

LEWIS: Yes. We walked right and took him into custody. We've been with him you might say since we took this case over. So we've always known where he's at. There's never an issue of where he's at. We've always known where he's at.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The body of Annie Le was found in a lab building Sunday, on the day she was supposed to have gotten married.

Across the country, another search for evidence is going on at the top of the hour. Investigators from two California police departments will be back on Phillip Garrido's property. Search teams are looking for possible evidence in the disappearance of two girls in the 1980s. Garrido and his wife have been charged with the 1991 kidnapping of Jaycee Dugard. Authorities say the couple kept her captive and Phillip Garrido fathered two children with her.

A woman is badly beaten in front of her seven-year-old daughter. Was she the victim of a vicious hate crime? Here now, affiliate WGCL's Tony McNary.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TASHA HILLS, BEATING VICTIM: She says she remembers when the mom punched mommy.

TONY MCNARY, WGCL REPORTER (voice-over): Tasha Hill and her seven-year-old daughter Shayan (ph) both have a hard time talking about what happened to them at this Cracker Barrel in Morrow.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was thinking it was my fault. And that I shouldn't have gone there.

MCNARY: This mom and soldier says 6'2", 215 pound man Troy Del West (ph) of Pullen, Georgia, beat her because she said excuse me and because she's black.

HILL: Excuse me, sir. Watch out. You almost hit my daughter in the face. It was like lighting fire. He came back at me with you need to watch your f-ing daughter. He continued to just punched me and kicked on me and he called me vulgar names. He called me a racial slur and then, you know, curse words.

MCNARY: Police say surveillance video shows West beating Hill in the restaurant's small entry way.

COMMANDER JIMMY CALLAWAY, MORROW, GEORGIA POLICE: It's clearly a shocking incident to where a man that's twice the size of this female beats her down in front of the child.

MCNARY: Hill says her daughter seeing that hurts her more than bruises and racial slurs.

HILL: That just really bothers me. She had to see that. So I want justice served. I don't want him to ever do this to anybody else.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: The man is charged with battery and disorderly conduct as well as cruelty to children. And there is surveillance video of the attack but it has been handed over to the FBI.

Airline baggage handlers on the receiving end accused of helping smuggle millions of dollars of cocaine into the United States.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Now for a check of our top stories.

Just about 20 minutes ago, a Virginia judge set November 10th for the execution of convicted D.C. sniper john Allen Muhammad. He was at the center of the attack that left 10 people dead in 2002. Muhammad's attorney says they'll appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. The other shooter, Lee Boyd Malvo is serving a life sentence.

An explosion of violence along the U.S.-Mexican border. A spokesman says this year's drug related killings in Juarez have already passed 2008 numbers. More than 1,600 deaths so far in 2009, including 12 just yesterday. As a result, troops are patrolling the city to deal with the cartel turf war. Juarez is across the border from El Paso, Texas.

Federal agents break up a drug smuggling ring that was allegedly using airline employees to move cocaine into the United States through Puerto Rico. Nine American Airlines employees are among the 23 people arrested. They are accused of bringing in more than nine tons of drugs over the past 10 years. Investigators say baggage handlers and other members of the ground crew carried suitcases stuffed with drugs.

A warning over drugs that may be in your medicine cabinet. The FDA sent a letter to Bayer concerned that testing at its German plant isn't instricted (ph) on. Some batches were shipped to the United States including ingredients used in birth control drugs Yaz and Yasmin. No recalls at this time. Bayer says its drugs are safe and it is dealing with the issues.

If you are pregnant, will the H1N1 vaccine be safe for you and your baby? We'll meet one woman taking the risk to find out so you don't have to.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Will the H1N1 vaccine be safe for pregnant women? Our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen tells us how the medical community is finding out.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, would you volunteer to be a guinea pig to be one of the first people to receive the H1N1 flu vaccine? Well, yesterday I spent the day with a pregnant woman who is one of the first to sign up.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COHEN (voice-over): Amy Wolf is off on a historic medical mission. She's about to become one of the very first pregnant women ever to receive the new H1N1 flu vaccine.

My first gut reaction was, oh, no, what's she up to now? I love you.

COHEN: Amy's husband isn't the only one who has reservations about the experimental vaccine. Eight months into her pregnancy, Amy is not 100 percent sure either. Btu still she makes her way to the study at Vanderbilt University.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Arm pain. Tenderness, maybe some fever, maybe feeling achy.

AMY WOLF, SWINE FLU VACCINE VOLUNTEER: Going through all the waivers and all the medical things that you have to sign, you almost feel like you're signing your life away a little bit. So I will say that it made me a little nervous. It's not just me, you know, I have a baby.

COHEN: Amy who works at Vanderbilt signs the forms and gets the H1N1 shot. So why did she to it?

WOLF: All of a sudden we're in the middle of Babies "R" Us and he turns to me and said you're not just doing this vaccine because you might get paid for it? And I thought, I don't even know if I'm getting paid for it but that would be a perk.

COHEN: But she says the $300 she received for joining the study isn't why she did it. She wanted to get the shot because she's scared of swine flu and what really clinched her decision - on Monday she found out her neighbor's son got H1N1 and now he's in the hospital.

WOLF: That terrified me. I was scared to death. I mean, pregnancy hormones and all, I just started to cry.

COHEN: Amy wants to protect herself and her unborn baby.

(on camera): Amy just got her H1N1 vaccine. Will that vaccine protect her child from H1N1 once he's born?

DR. BUDDY CREECH, VANDERBILT DEPT. OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE: What we want to do is vaccinate women early enough in their pregnancy so that they can give that antibody to their unborn children.

COHEN (voice-over): So in the end Amy got the swine flu vaccine for both of them.

WOLF: I hope it's the right thing to do. I'll never forgive myself if it isn't. But I think it's the right thing to do.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COHEN: Heidi, the swine flu vaccine is expected to be available next month. This week four drug companies received permission from the Food and Drug Administration to put their vaccines on the market.

COLLINS: All right. A lot to talk about with that as we continue to follow that story here.

Meanwhile, don't believe what you read in the papers or see on the TV news. You are not alone. A new poll says trust in the media is declining. We'll look at the reasons why, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Well, Americans are less inclined to take fact, what news take for fact that is when news outlets are serving them. And not only that but a Pew Research Center poll finds a significant drop now in media trust over the last two decades.

Look at this. 63 percent of those polled say news articles are often inaccurate. That compares to 34 percent back in 1985. The poll also found that fewer than three in 10 Americans believe the media generally gets the facts straight. Back in 1985 the majority of Americans believed journalists got their stories straight.

Joining us now to go beyond the numbers and into the sentiment is Howard Kurtz of the "Washington Post" and CNN's "Reliable Sources." Howard Kurtz, thank you for being with us. It's a little bit dangerous territory here because obviously we're in the biz. But listen, I'm really fascinated by this. Because for a long time we heard a lot of jokes about lawyers, you know, at the dinner table and now are we hearing jokes about journalists? I mean, what's the overall feeling here?

HOWARD KURTZ, "WASHINGTON POST": Well, journalists are the target of mockery these days. These are stunning numbers. It's really quite a vote of no confidence in the news business.

COLLINS: Yes. KURTZ: This has been going on for a quarter century, Heidi. And I think mostly because of a series of self-inflicted wounds by big news organizations that sometimes appear arrogant, slow to correct their errors, sometimes appear to have political agendas and biggest single change I see in these numbers and I want to get into this in a moment is how many more democrats now don't trust the press, whereas Republicans for decades have had, have felt that the media are hostile toward them.

COLLINS: Why?

KURTZ: Well, part of that now is we have a Democratic president and Democrats who thought it was fine for the press to go after the Bush White House are not so happy with some of the scrutiny of the Obama White House.

And also we saw this during the run-up to the Iraq war. Liberals now think that the press was not vigilant enough and aggressive enough in exposing what turned out to be the false rationale for war.

COLLINS: So then are you saying that this type of sentiment could be cyclical and completely parallel to the political process?

KURTZ: No. Everyone hates us now. It's not cyclical at all. But what I am saying is that -- I place most of the blame on journalists. I'm not trying to shift it here. A lot of people who are answering these survey questions -- they look at things through a partisan lens (ph).

And so, if you don't agree with their viewpoint and people in this digital world increasingly go to places that do reinforce their political viewpoint, then you are seen as unfair. If you are an Obama fan and there are critical stories about the president, you don't like it. If you were a George W. Bush fan, and the press was seen as hard on the 43rd president, you would think that was unfair.

COLLINS: Yes. And we should also mention here, more than 1,500 people polled. We talked to them on the telephone and on cell phones and as you said, very deeply divided along party lines.

Hey, listen. There are these organizations out there that track, or apparently track, stories done on hot-button issues. Most recently, ACORN is one of those stories where there are reports that said certain news organizations covered it much more intensely than others. And then there's comparison between cables and networks, and also the George Tiller and late-term abortionist -- he was killed as you know. That story, they say, was covered very deeply, but then there was an anti-abortionist who was killed, and that didn't get much coverage, according to these organizations.

Are those organizations who do the counting -- I don't know how they do it, I don't know where they get their tallies, are they legit?

KURTZ: Well, they're legit, but some have partisan agendas. But that doesn't totally invalidated their criticism. I wrote this week, Heidi, that the mainstream media, the big organizations have been slow to report on the story of Van Jones, a White House official who resigned last weekend after a series of controversial statements. Fox News was beating that story -- Glenn Beck -- very hard. That doesn't mean that it's not valid. It did, after all, lead to a White House resignation.

So, I think we all have to be careful to have an even playing field here as we go after controversies in the Obama administration as hard and ggressively as we did in the Bush administration. Otherwise we'll see more of this public perception that we are following -- we, I'm talking about journalists in general -- are following some kind of agenda.

COLLINS: Yes. Very, very quickly as we put these numbers up about news organizations being politically biased, there were numbers on that. Sixty-percent of people say yes. Twenty-six percent of people say no. Does impartial journalism exist anywhere?

KURTZ: I think there are an awful lot of journalists who try to be fair. They may have personal feelings about issues. They really try hard to get it right. But the public is not buying that. The public is gravitating toward conservative and liberal Web site, channels, blogs, Twitter accounts, you name it, that already reinforce what they believe.

COLLINS: Yes. I think there's a lot of people that would say it is also up to the consumer to go out and get as many news organization opinion, if you will, as they can as well as four or five different papers.

KURTZ: Consumers have more choices now than ever before in recorded history, and that's a good thing.

COLLINS: Yes. All right, Howie. We sure do appreciate it. Thanks so much. Howard Kurtz, "Washington Post," and of course, CNN's "RELIABLE SOURCES." Thank you.

Listen, on our blog this morning, we asked you as well because we want to hear what you think whether or not you trust the media and to tell us why or why not. You went to our blog, CNN.com/heidi. We got a whole lot of responses on this one. Let's take a look at some of them.

Sandy says, "Dear Heidi, I do trust the media, specifically CNN. However, I also know that a person must use their brains to filter and decide on which news reports ring true and which have a spin, even from the news sources we trust. These are basic skills which I learned in early school years, and I hope the schools are still teaching these skills."

And then, Andrew says, "I don't trust any one source for anything anymore. Too many stations in the news media have a political/ corporate agenda to make them trustworthy. Also, with 24-hour news, you need to constantly break a story. The competition breeds (ph) inaccuracy in reporting you see now."

And then this one. Sean says, I trust the intentions of most news media outlets, but I think the issue stems from a failure to recognize the lack of any attainable objectivity. Every news story, no matter how hard any reporter tries, won't be able to cover all of the perspectives."

So, we sure do appreciate those responses. I have a whole lot more of them. I wanted to share a few with you. Thanks so much, everybody.

Another hot topic this morning, former president Jimmy Carter says racism is playing a role, not only in the health care debate but the sometimes blistering criticism of the Obama presidency.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY CARTER, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That racism inclination still exists, and I think it's bubbled up to the surface because of a belief among many white people -- not just in the South but around the country -- that African-Americans are not qualified to lead this great country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Just a few moments ago, the Republican National Committee brushed off those remarks. In fact, we received a statement from RNC chairman Michael Steele, who says -- just a portion of it, quote, "President Carter is flat-out wrong. This isn't about race, it's about policy." He goes on to say "injecting race," quote, "only divides Americans rather than uniting us to find solutions to challenges facing our nation." Just a portion of that response from Michael Steele, RNC chairman.

The battle over health care reform and rising costs of keeping your family insured. We have new numbers that will be probably end up being part of the debate.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Republican congressional leaders have launched an all- out campaign to cut off federal dollars for the liberal organizing group ACORN after this fourth video now. The video showing ACORN employees alleged giving a couple advice about how to run an illegal prostitution ring. Republican leaders have asked the president to use his executive authority to extend a ban to all funding the group gets.

In just a few minutes, President Obama is set to meet with Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper. Later, at 1 p.m. Eastern, he's inviting Olympians and parent (ph) Olympians to the White House for an event promoting Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympics. An hour later, the president will have a closed-door meeting with former secretary of state Colin Powell.

And be sure to catch "STATE OF THE UNION" this weekend, when John King welcomes President Obama as his guest.

Afghan election officials say there won't be a runoff in the presidential election. Final results, released just moments ago, show incumbent Hamid Karzai has more than 54 percent of the vote. He needed more than 50 percent to avoid the runoff. But these results are not certified. The election complaints commission is still investigating claims of more than a million fraudulent votes.

The battle over health care reform, at last hour the unveiling of a long awaited version from Senator Max Baucus. It comes after months of negotiations within the Gang of Six, but so far has not brought together the two parties. The three Republican negotiators reportedly are not happy with some parts of the bill. The proposal faces opposition from liberal Democrats. The measure drops the government option and instead calls for co-ops to compete with private insurance companies.

As the debate over health care reform ramps up, a new survey is giving fresh ammunition to those fighting for reform. Stephanie Elam has the "Breakdown" from New York. Hi there, Stephanie.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Heidi. Yes, 160 million Americans get their health insurance through their employers, and those costs are rising fast. A new Kaiser Family Foundation study finds employer-sponsored premiums jumped 5 percent this year to more than $13,000 for a family. $13,000, even as the overall pace of inflation fell.

Employers pick up most of that tab, but as costs grow, more companies passing those increases onto workers by raising premiums, co-pays and other out-of-pocket costs. One example of this, this year, 22 percent of individuals who get insurance through work have $1,000 deductibles. In 2006, just 10 percent of workers had deductibles that high, Heidi.

COLLINS: So, how do numbers play into the health care debate?

ELAM: Oh, they definitely play in. One of President Obama's main arguments has been that cost has to be brought under control or they could bankrupt the entire economy.

This study underscores that point. It finds employer-based premiums for family coverage could top $30,000 by 2019. That's if costs keep growing at the same rate as over the last ten years.

The fear is no business or family will be able to afford coverage if that happens. Those opposed to Democratic versions of health reform agree the high cost must be addressed, but the real question is how? Many Democrats favor the public option, but Republicans and the overall insurance industry say that will drive private insurers out of business.

The Baucus plan does has a public option, but no Republican has signed onto his plan yet. No doubt about it that the debate is not over. It will rage on for a lot longer.

COLLINS: I think you're absolutely right about that. The government's Cash for Clunkers, though, is sort of prompting auto companies in many different directions, if you will, on this one. What's the latest there? ELAM: Yes, definitely, if you take a look at how they're dealing with it, it will be something that a lot of companies are going to see how are they handling it? And in light of all the changes they've been going through, it's going to take something that's going to peter through the system, but many people say it will take way more wideranging change before anything could happen.

COLLINS: All right. Very good. Stephanie Elam, sure do appreciate that.

In fact, we want to talk more about this. You know, we've been talking about it for a while, the Cash for Clunkers program. It prompted auto companies to sort of boost production and then rehire laid-off workers. That was good.

But even though the program has run out, production may be ramped up again. Susan Lisovicz on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange with more on that. Hey there, Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Heidi. Out of all of the challenges that Detroit faces, the biggest one is simply this. Make cars that people want to buy. Which brings us to this story.

GM dealers are reportedly saying boost production. Why is that? They are finding that some GM vehicles are selling out within two days of hitting the dealerships, the showrooms. This according to the "Wall Street Journal" that even though we expect auto sales to fall this month compared to last month -- of course Cash for Clunkers no longer around -- that GM apparently underestimated the demand for some of its new vehicles.

What are they, you ask? Well, the Chevy Equinox Crossover. The Buick Lacrosse. The Cadillac SRX Crossover. If GM does in fact boost production, that means you could have new plants and you could have additional workers. Very good thing.

COLLINS: Absolutely. But hasn't GM learned that there's a danger in producing too many cars? They ended up closing down thousands of dealerships.

LISOVICZ: No question about it. These are cars with many parts. These aren't widgets, these aren't T-shirts.

It is really a balancing act. One of the dangers as well is simply not responding to demand. If there is demand there, GM is going to want to ramp up in some very quick way.

We are seeing here on Wall Street today is demand for stocks again, Heidi. Dow, NASDAQ, S&P 500, has 2009 highs for the year (ph). Having said that, we're still not even at Dow 10,000, but we are seeing a rally again. Heidi.

COLLINS: Very good. What about a company that's doing pretty well? Facebook. I know one of the -- I think she's, like, second in charge. The gal there made Forbes magazine of "100 Most Powerful People." This place is doing pretty darn well. LISOVICZ: Yes. In fact, Facebook is now cash flow positive, which means that it is making enough money to pay all of its expenses. This is ahead of time. What happened was that Facebook hit 300 million active users, so it's doing better ahead of schedule.

Fastest growing category for Facebook, is users over 35. Poppy Harlow talked to some of the muck-itty-mucks (ph) at Facebook, and you can see the full interview at CNNmoney.com.

I can say one thing, Heidi. Facebook is so successful that there is actually a backlash against Facebook. I saw a T-shirt over the summer that said, "No, I'm not on" -- interesting adjective, "Facebook."

Today in "The New York Post," there was a quote attributed to George colony that he would rather have a certain kind of medical procedure, I'll just leave it at an invasive medical procedure than be on -- performed by someone with cold hands than to be on Facebook. But George Clooney - but he's got a lot of face time on the big screen. He doesn't need Facebook.

COLLINS: True. We're watching all of the companies closely. That's your job, Susan Lisovicz. Thanks so much. Appreciate it.

LISOVICZ: You're welcome.

COLLINS: Bearing it all for a motorcycle ride. Ahead, the tale of the nude cyclist.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Two students suspended from school after they were caught on tape beating another boy. They're both African-American. The victim is white. You can see the attack in this school bus surveillance video. The police chief in Belleville, Illinois, says he was unsure if it was racially motivated. Other students on the bus cheered.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was, like, oh, my God, why did they do that little boy like that? I told my son, I said why are you laughing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wanted to help, but I didn't help because if knew if I would got in it, I would be in trouble. I didn't want to get in trouble.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The school district is investigating why the bus driver failed to intervene.

Billionaire Melvin Simon is dead. You may know him best as the man behind the Simon Property Group. They have the country's largest shopping mall company. Simon and his brother are also co-owners of basketball's Indiana Pacers. Melvin Simon was 82 years old.

Rob Marciano in the Weather Center right now. Severe Weather Center anymore, or no?

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: Yeah, love it. Because you can kind of study them and watch how they work, and then they don't hurt anybody, obviously.

MARCIANO: Yes, nobody gets hurt.

COLLINS: Love it. All right. Rob Marciano, we'll check back later on. Thank you. In fact, don't go anywhere. Because I have a story that -- I just know you'll love this.

MARCIANO: Is this the Hooter...

COLLINS: No!

MARCIANO: I think it has something to do with Hooters, doesn't it?

COLLINS: I don't think so. Maybe. A motorcycle guy in Florida. Sort of brings a new meaning to riding bareback. Police dash cam video? Look at this.

MARCIANO: No, don't make me look.

COLLINS: Naked guy. Outside of the Marion County jail.

MARCIANO: OK, I'm looking.

COLLINS: Police say the suspect was driving along a local highway in the buff. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. MIEK ROLLS, MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA SHERIFF'S DEPT: I asked him what happened to his clothing, and he said he lost them. I could see from his feet, which were bare, all of the way up to his shoulders, and he didn't have any clothing on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: See, he was just bare from his feet to his shoulders. What's wrong with that? Yes, you were right. Completely. He was leaving that particular establishment. Here's the shock, Rob. The man, identified as Jay Dante Kraus was jailed on a DUI charge.

MARCIANO: Oh, that's shocking. But he was wearing a helmet, so safety obviously comes first. That's good.

COLLINS: Yes. Very good.

MARCIANO: Who knows what was going down at Hooters, you know? He may have tried the whole thing -- they're telling me to stop. Okay.

COLLINS: You're getting it...

MARCIANO: They're telling me to stop for benefit of my career, I guess. Anyway, it was going to be kind of funny and clean in a way.

COLLINS: Was it. Well, you think about it and edit yourself and let us know. Rob Marciano, appreciate it.

MARCIANO: You got it.

COLLINS: He wrote plenty of words for the old administration, but now some say he's putting words in a former president's mouth. Inside a new tell-all by a Bush speech writer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: You might see it on shelves if you're book shopping next week. A new tell-all from Matt Latimer, a former speechwriter for President Bush. As Brian Todd tells, us, it's not the most flattering portrait.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGE W. BUSH, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: .. have to give him a briefing.

TODD (voice-over): New portrayals of a president taking his plain spoken vernacular to very personal levels. Matt Latimer, speechwriter for George W. Bush for the last two years of his presidency, writes in a new book that Mr. Bush made disparaging comments about several major political figures at the time.

Excerpts from the book "Speechless" are posted on "GQ's" Web site. Latimer writes that after then-candidate Barack Obama gave a blistering speech against his administration, President Bush fumed: "This is a dangerous world... and this cat isn't remotely qualified to handle it. This guy has no clue, I promise you."

Another quote, "If B.S. was currency ... Joe Biden would be a billionaire." We tried several times for a response from the president's and vice president's press offices and got none. No one at President Bush's office responded to our repeated calls and e-mail.

Ed Gillespie, former counselor to President Bush who was one of Matt Latimer's bosses tells us Latimer's recollections don't ring true to him.

ED GILLESPIE, FORMER COUNSELOR TO PRES. BUSH: It is possible he was in meetings with the president that I wasn't in, but it's unlikely and I just don't recall that. The fact is President Bush has been nothing but gracious toward President Obama and Vice President Biden.

TODD: Latimer says President Bush wasn't impressed with the Republican ticket, either. After Sarah Palin was tapped as John McCain's running mate, Latimer writes Bush said, "'I'm trying to remember if I've ever met her before. I'm sure I must have." His eyes twinkled then asked 'What is she, the governor of Guam?'"

GILLESPIE: The notion that he didn't know who Sarah Palin was I can tell you flat out is just not the case.

TODD: That sentiment echoed by former Bush aide Jason Wrecker, who was loaned out to the Palin campaign. Wrecker said Latimer was not a significant figure at the White House, quote, "You would be hard-pressed to pick him out of a lineup."

(on camera): We tried to get reaction to that from Matt Latimer's representative. She didn't respond directly to those comments. Instead pointed us to some general praise of the book by various pundits. We're told that Latimer would not do interviews until his book is released next week.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: I'm Heidi Collins. CNN NEWSROOM continues now with Tony Harris.