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New Missile Defense Plan; Stretching Severance Dollars; Fighting for Amputee Rights

Aired September 17, 2009 - 12:00   ET

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

(LIVE EVENT JOINED IN PROGRESS)

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You believed -- you believed that in this country we don't fear the future, we shape the future.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: We don't -- we don't feed on division and anger. We feed on hope and possibility. That's what America is about. That's what we're called to affirm right now.

It has now been nearly a century since Teddy Roosevelt first called for health care reform. It has been attempted by nearly every president and every Congress since. And our failure to get it done, year after year and decade after decade has placed a burden on families and on businesses and on taxpayers that we can no longer sustain.

So, I may not be the first president to take up the cause of health care reform. I'm determined to be the last, with your help!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: We will get this done.

Now, the good news is -- the good news is we are now closer to reform than we've ever been. After debating this issue for the better part of a year, there's now agreement in Congress on about 80 percent of what needs to be done, four out of five committees in Congress have completed their work.

Yesterday the Finance Committee, under the leadership of Max Baucus put out its own bill. Each bill has its strengths. And there are a lot of similarities between them. And our overall efforts have been supported by an unprecedented coalition of hospitals and seniors' groups, businesses, drug companies even.

Most importantly, drugs -- doctors and nurses are supporting this effort. You have doctors, medical students, right here, in the house.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: See, I just want to point out, I think it's telling, some of the people who are most enthusiastic about health care reform are the very medical professionals who have firsthand knowledge about how badly this system needs to change.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: So, don't -- stop paying attention to the folks who are spreading false charges and crazy rumors about our plan. Pay attention to the health care experts, the doctors and the nurses who know our system best.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Now, I think it's fine that we've been hearing constructive criticism about these issues over the last several months, because this is a big deal. That's how our democracy works. No one has all the right answers. We've all got a stake in getting this right. That's why I've said, I will embrace good ideas, wherever they come from. We already have.

But too often during this important debate, we've also seen the same kind of partisan spectacle that has left so many people disappointed about Washington. Too many engage in scare tactics instead of honest debates. Too many use this as an opportunity to score short-term political points, instead of working together to solve a long-term challenge.

I've heard a lot of Republicans say they want to "kill Obamacare." Some may even raise money off it. But when you ask these folks what exactly my plan does, they've got it all wrong. When you ask them what their solution is, it amounts to the same old, same old. The same status quo that has given us higher costs and more uninsured and less security than you've ever had. It's more of the same.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Well, look, I will not accept the status quo as a solution. Not this time, not now. The time for bickering is over. The time for games has passed. Now is the season for action. Now is the time to deliver on health care reform for the American people.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: So, just -- just to make sure you're clear, here's what you need to know about our plan. For those who have health insurance, you'll have more security and stability. It will provide insurance to those who don't have insurance. It will slow the growth of health care costs for our families and our businesses and our government.

Let me say, if you already have health insurance, nothing in this plan will require you to change what you have. What this plan will do is make the insurance you have work better for you.

Because under this plan, it -- listen up, young people. Under my plan, if your parents have health insurance and you're currently on their policy, you will automatically be able to keep your coverage until you're 26 years old. (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: That means you will know that you've got health insurance. If your parents don't have access to health insurance, one of the ideas on the table is to give folks under 25 the chance to buy low-cost insurance that will protect you from financial ruin if you get seriously ill.

Now, under this plan it will also be against the law for insurance companies to deny you coverage because of a pre-existing condition. You just...

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: You just heard Rachel's story. She's OK right now. She's thriving. But when she goes into the workforce and their insurance companies start asking, well, have you been sick before, right now she'd have trouble getting insurance.

Under the bill that we signed, she will still be able to get coverage. When I sign this bill, it will be against the law for insurance companies to drop your coverage when you get sick, water it down when you need it the most. They'll no longer be able to place some arbitrary cap on the amount of coverage you can receive in a given lifetime or a given year. We'll place a limit on how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses.

In the United States, nobody should go broke because they get sick.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: And insurance companies will be required to cover with no extra charges routine checkups and preventive care, because there's no reason we shouldn't be catching treatable illnesses, treatable diseases before they get worse. That makes sense, that saves money, and it saves lives.

Now, if you don't have health insurance, the second part of this plan will finally afford -- offer you quality, affordable choices. So, if you lose your job or you change jobs, you'll be able to get coverage. If you decide you want to start your own business, you'll still be able to get coverage.

We'll do this by creating a new insurance exchange, a marketplace where individuals and small businesses will be able to shop for an affordable health insurance plan that works for them. That's how large companies and government employees get affordable insurance.

That's how I and everyone in Congress gets affordable insurance. You should have the same thing that Congress has.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Now, I've also said that one of the options in the insurance exchange should be a public insurance option. (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Now let me be clear. Let me be clear. It would only be an option. No one would be forced to choose it. No one with insurance would be affected by it. But what it would do is provide more choice and more competition and put pressure on private insurers to make their policies affordable and treat their customers better.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Now, think about it. There are some folks who said, well, this is a government takeover of health care. We've got public universities and private universities. Nobody says that we're taking over private colleges. What we're doing is giving students a choice. You should have a choice the same way in your health care.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Of course, the only way this plan works is if everybody fulfills their responsibility, not just government, not just insurance companies, but employees and individuals. This school should be proud that every student is required to have health insurance.

Since our plan will make sure that insurance is affordable for everybody, we're going to also say everybody needs to get insurance. Because if there are affordable options and people don't sign up, then the rest of us pay for somebody else's expensive emergency room care, and that's not fair.

Improving our health care system only works if everybody does their part, and I think Americans are willing and ready to take on that responsibility.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Now, a lot of you may be asking, you know, this plan sounds pretty good, but how you going to pay for it? How do we make sure this doesn't add to the deficit that the next generation is going to have to be paying?

So, here's what you need to know. First, I won't sign a bill that adds one dime to our deficit, either now or in the future, period.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Part of the reason I face a trillion dollar-plus deficit when I walked into the door of the White House is because too many initiatives over the last decade were not paid for, from the Iraq War to tax breaks for the wealthy. I won't make the same mistake when it comes to health care.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Second, we've estimated that most of this plan can be paid for by finding savings within the existing health care system. There are all kinds of waste and abuse. The doctors and nurses know this. Right now too much of the hard-earned savings and tax dollars we spend on health care doesn't make you healthier. That's especially true when it comes to Medicare and Medicaid.

So, without taking any money from the Medicare trust fund that gives benefits to your grandparents, they depend on it for their health care, we're going to eliminate hundred of billions of dollars of waste and fraud and subsidies to insurance companies that pad their profits but don't do anything to make seniors healthier.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Now, some of my Republican colleagues have also supported reforming our medical malpractice laws as a way to cut down health care costs. I don't think this is a silver bullet, but I want to explore the idea. So, today I directed my secretary of health and human services to move forward with programs that will help us put patient safety first, while allowing doctors to focus on practicing medicine instead of defending against lawsuits.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: So, Maryland, this is the plan I'm proposing. It's the plan that incorporates ideas from Democrats and Republicans. Now, I'm going to seek common ground in the weeks ahead. If you come to me with a set of serious proposals, I will be there to listen. My door is always open.

But know this, I will not waste time with those who have made the calculation that it's better to kill health reform than to improve our health care system.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: I won't stand by while special interests do the same old tricks to keep things exactly the way they are. And I said last week, at the speech to the joint session, if you misrepresent what's in our plan, we'll call you out. We will call you out.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Now, I said we're closer to reform than we've ever been, but this is the hard part. This is when the special interests gear up. This is when the folks who want to kill reform fight back with everything they've got. This is when they spread all kinds of rumors to scare and intimidate Americans. This is what they always do.

That's why I need your help. When I was running for president, I never said change would be easy. Change is hard. It has always been hard. Civil rights was hard. Getting women the right to vote, that was hard. Making sure that Social Security was there for our seniors, that was hard. Getting Medicare in place, that was hard.

I know there are doubts that creep into people's minds. I know there's a tendency during tough times for folks to turn on each other and get mad and get angry. But our history tells us that each and every time we faced a choice between the easy road that leads to slow decline or the hard road that leads to something better, something higher, we take the higher road.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: That's how Americans are. We refuse to stand still. We always want to move forward. And that journey doesn't take -- that doesn't start in Washington, D.C., it begins right here in College Park. It begins on campuses like this one.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: It always has.

Just like the change that began in our campaign, it starts with people, especially young people, who are determined to take this nation's destiny into their own hands.

You know, some of you remember during the campaign, we had a slogan, "fired up"...

CROWD: "Ready to go!"

OBAMA: ... "ready to go."

Not everybody here knows how this story came about. So, I'm going to tell it again.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Because it bears on health care reform. This is early in the campaign, when none of you knew how to pronounce my name.

(LAUGHTER)

OBAMA: I had just announced and I was looking for support. I had to go down to South Carolina, it was an early primary state. I went down to Greenville for a -- for a legislative dinner, and I was sitting next to a state representative there. And I wanted her support. I needed some endorsements. Nobody supported me at the time.

So, I said, Madam Representative, I need your endorsement. She said, I will give you my endorsement if you come to my hometown, Greenwood, South Carolina. And I said -- I'd had a glass of wine. I said fine. I'm coming.

(LAUGHTER)

OBAMA: Come to find out that Greenwood is an hour-and-a-half from everyplace else. It's in the middle of nowhere. So, about a month later, I fly back into Greenville, I'm tired, I'm sleepy, and you know, I've been campaigning for two weeks straight. I'm dragging my bags to my hotel room, and suddenly I get a tap on my shoulder. It's my staff person. I said, what? They said, we've got to be in the car at 6:30 tomorrow morning. I said, what, 6:30, why? Because we've got to go to Greenwood like you promised. So, the next morning I wake up, and I feel terrible. Dragging out of bed, feel like a college student.

(LAUGHTER)

OBAMA: I feel -- I feel like I'm back in college and don't want to wake up. I feel like I've been staying up late doing who knows what.

(LAUGHTER)

OBAMA: I know, I remember how you all are.

So, I just feel -- I'm exhausted. I go over to the curtains to try to get some sunlight, wake myself up. It's pouring down rain outside. Miserable day. I go to get some coffee, open up the newspaper. There's a bad story about me in The New York Times. I go downstairs, and my umbrella busts open. And I get -- I get poured on.

So, by the time I'm in the car, I'm wet and I'm sleepy and I'm tired and I'm mad. And we start driving, and we're driving and we're driving. It's an hour-and-a-half and I realize I'm going to have to drive an hour-and-a-half back.

And when I -- and finally we get to Greenwood, although you don't know you're in Greenwood right away. But there's a little park district building. We go into this park, field house. I get a little more wet. Get inside, and after this long drive, waking up 6:30, there are only about 20 people there, 20 people.

(LAUGHTER)

OBAMA: And they're all kind of damp, and they don't look that excited to see me. And they don't really know how to pronounce my name either. But, you know, I'm running for president, so I'm shaking hands, how do you do, nice to meet you.

Suddenly I hear this voice behind me shout out: "fired up!" And I'm startled, but everybody around me, they just think this is normal. They say: "fired up!" And suddenly I hear this voice: "Ready to go!" And everybody goes: "Ready to go!" I said, what's going on?

I look behind me, there is this small woman, she's about 5'2", she's about 50, 60 years old. And she's dressed like she just came from church. She's got a big church hat. And she's looking at me, she's smiling and she says: "Fired up!"

Come to find out that this is a city council member from Greenwood. She also, by the way, moonlights as a private detective. True story.

(LAUGHTER)

OBAMA: True. True story. But she's mainly known for her chant. She does this everywhere she goes. Everywhere at any event, football game, you know, at a -- at a city council meeting, she says "fired up," and everybody says "fired up" and "ready to go." And everybody says "ready to go."

So for the next five minutes she keeps on doing this. She says: "Fired up, fired up, ready to go, ready to go!" And I realize I'm being upstaged by this woman.

(LAUGHTER)

OBAMA: So, I'm looking at my staff, asking, you know, what's going on here? When is this going to stop? And they shrugging their shoulders. They don't know.

But here's the thing, Maryland, after about a minute, a couple minutes of this, suddenly I realize, I'm feeling kind of fired up.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: I'm feeling like I'm ready to go.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: So, I start joining in the chant. And for the rest of the day, wherever we went, whenever I saw my staff, I said, are you fired up? They would say, I'm fired up, boss. Are you ready to go? They would say, I'm ready to go.

So, it just -- it goes to show you -- and this is so important for young people, it goes to show you one voice can change a room.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: And if a voice can change a room, it can change a city. And if it can change a city, it can change a state. If it can change a state, it can change a nation. If it can change a nation, it can change the world.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: We will change the world with your voice! We need the voices of young people to transform this nation, to meet up to the meaning of its creed! I need your voice! So, I want to know, are you fired up?

CROWD: Fired up!

OBAMA: Ready to go?

CROWD: Ready to go!

OBAMA: Fired up!

CROWD: Fired up!

OBAMA: Ready to go! CROWD: Ready to go!

OBAMA: Fired up!

CROWD: Fired up!

OBAMA: Ready to go!

CROWS: Ready to go!

OBAMA: Let's go change the world. Thank you, everybody!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: OK. President Obama has just wrapped up his latest pitch for health care reform. This one a campaign-style rally at the University of Maryland. The president focusing on young adults, after all, they're the ones who would pay for a big chunk of his plan he calls health care, a defining struggle of this generation. Roll the tape.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: I heard a lot of Republicans say they want to "kill Obamacare." Some may even raise money off it. But when you ask these folks what exactly my plan does, they've got it all wrong. When you ask them what their solution is, it amounts to the same old, same old, the same status quo that has given us higher cost and more uninsured and less security than you've ever had.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Oh, how fired up and ready to go are senators for health care reform? We will get an update on the Baucus plan from our congressional correspondent, Brianna Keilar, in just a moment. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: All right. The Senate's health care sales pitch begins. Max Baucus holding a special meeting with his Finance Committee to walk them through his newly revealed proposal for overhauling the health care system. Live now to our CNN congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar on Capitol Hill.

OK, so this is a meeting with the entire committee. We're talking about Republicans and Democrats. But clearly here, initially, Brianna, the chairman has a lot of work to do to shore up support for the plan with his fellow Democratic senators.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and actually, right now he has moved on from that meeting with the Senate Finance Committee, which is Republicans and Democrats, and he's going to be briefing Democrats, all Democratic senators, on this health care plan, Tony. So, yes, there are certainly a few sticking points for them. Let's highlight them. The top one is this issue of affordability. Not only stopping this really steep growth rate of health care, because it is so much steeper than inflation, but also making sure that the assistance the federal government provides to low-income Americans is enough so that they can really afford health insurance.

And this isn't only the concern of Democrats. It's also the concern of the key Republican, Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine, who is really seen as Democrats' best bet for getting that one Republican vote that they need. Here's what she said earlier at that Senate Finance Committee meeting -- right before it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. OLYMPIA SNOWE (R-ME), FINANCE COMMITTEE: The objective is to ensure that Americans have access to more affordable health care than they currently do.

Secondly, it's recognizing that there's something seriously wrong with our current system, that health care costs are rising at two and three times the rate of inflation, putting it more and more out of reach for more and more Americans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Now, there's another issue for Democrats, and that's a public option. There are still some Democrats in the Senate who say there needs to be a public option or they want there to be a public option. Senator Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia says he could not vote for the Baucus plan as it stands now.

Senator Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, one of those key negotiators in that bipartisan gang of six, says he wants a public option, but the sense, Tony, and the reason why everyone is paying attention to Senator Baucus's plan is because it is the only one that does not have a public option.

HARRIS: Right.

KEILAR: That issue is still obviously not resolved even though.

HARRIS: Absolutely. All right. Our congressional correspondent, Brianna Keilar, for us. Brianna, thank you.

President Obama trying to get young adults fired up about his health care plan. They would likely play a major role in funding the reform. Senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is with me now.

Elizabeth, good to see you, it has been a while. Let's start with this. What's in this plan for young people?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: There are a couple of things that are in this plan for young people, and so we have brought back someone we affectionately call "Sally the student." Do you remember her? HARRIS: Yes, absolutely, absolutely.

COHEN: That's right. We decided to bring her back. And we thought, what does the Baucus bill mean? What is Baucus going to do for Sally? Well, one -- and Sally is someone, by the way, she's a college student who doesn't have insurance.

HARRIS: Right.

COHEN: So she's really in trouble. She needs to get health insurance.

One thing that the Baucus bill will do is that it will increase the chances that "Sally the student" would qualify for Medicaid. Now, right now, you have to be relatively poor to qualify for Medicaid. This increases the income level that you can have, and also does the same thing for a program called CHIP, the children's health insurance program.

HARRIS: Oh, yes, yes.

COHEN: So it makes it more likely that Sally would qualify for one of those two programs.

HARRIS: Well, how about this, what if Sally doesn't qualify for either of those two programs?

COHEN: If she doesn't qualify for either of those, one of the things that the Baucus bill does is it creates things called co-ops. You and I have talked about co-ops before, and even earlier in this program.

A co-op is a health insurance plan, if you will, that is nonprofit and that's actually run by the patients. So, it's sort of a different model than what most people have in this country.

HARRIS: Got you. So, let's talk about affordability for a moment here. Co-ops aren't free. Will Sally even be able to afford a co-op?

COHEN: Right. When you join a co-op, you have to pay premiums and deductibles and all of those things just like any health insurance program, and that's a really important point.

Now, when I asked folks a couple months ago, hey -- who run co- ops, hey, would this help people who can't afford insurance? And they said, you know, not really, co-ops cost money. But now the folks who run co-ops say, look, the Baucus bill has all sorts of changes in it that make the environment different and might make co-ops more affordable for someone like Sally.

For example, the Baucus bill says everyone has to have health insurance. When everyone has health insurance, the costs go down. So, with that kind of a change and other changes that the Baucus bill would give bonuses to health care systems that deliver quality, cost- efficient care. Once you make those kinds of changes that really changes the scenery and co-ops maybe could be more helpful. That's what folks are saying to me.

HARRIS: That's interesting. So, the landscape has even changed since the last time we talked about this, which wasn't that long ago.

COHEN: No, it wasn't that long ago, but the landscape has changed because now a co-op is part of many other changes.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes. All right, Elizabeth, appreciate it. Thank you.

COHEN: Thanks.

HARRIS: While some young folks think they're invincible and don't feel the need to pay for insurance, there are many who want coverage and simply can't give it, like 25-year-old Caitlin McClure from Atlanta. She recently graduated from graphics design school. That's when her parents' insurance company dropped her from their plan. That's a problem because she has epilepsy and takes hundreds of dollars worth of pills a month to control seizures. Now Caitlin's having a difficult time finding affordable, private insurance on her own.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAITLIN MCCLURE, TRYING TO FIND AFFORDABLE INSURANCE: They -- they won't cover my medications because my epilepsy is a pre-existing condition. So, you know, if I were to -- they would bump up my rate because I have this pre-existing condition and then they won't even cover the medications.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: So, here's the deal. Caitlin's parents are paying her bills right now. In the meantime, she's creating these funky, fun, unusual resumes to find a job with benefits at a graphics arts firm. That's a real challenge because small businesses don't have to cover their employees.

Don't miss President Obama taking questions from CNN's John King on "STATE OF THE UNION," Sunday morning, 9:00 Eastern, 6:00 Pacific -- that's going to be great -- right here on CNN.

Changes in plans for a U.S. missile defense program in Europe. We've got details for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: President Obama is realigning a proposed missile defense shield for eastern Europe. The Bush plan for interceptor missiles in Poland with radar located in the Czech Republic will be scrapped. Officials say the new system will be based on ships set (ph) eventually in southern Europe and Turkey. The shield is supposed to protect Europe from an Iranian missile strike. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's no substitute for Iran complying with its international obligations regarding its nuclear program. And we, along with our allies and partners, will continue to pursue strong diplomacy to ensure that Iran lives up to these international obligations. But this new ballistic missile defense program will best address the threat posed by Iran's ongoing ballistic missile defense program.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Over the last few years, we have made great strides with missile defense, particularly in our ability to counter short and medium range missiles. We now have proven capabilities to intercept these ballistic missiles with land and sea based interceptors, supported by much-improved sensors. These capabilities offer a variety of options to detect, track, and shoot down enemy missiles.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Our foreign affairs correspondent Jill Dougherty is here.

And, Jill, a couple of questions for you.

First of all, why this approach?

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, I think he'd have to say -- they say the game has changed. That under the Bush administration, what they were looking at is Iran having a long-range missile. Now they say Iran is behind in that. They don't have one yet and it's taking them a long time to get one.

So, what's the challenge? They have -- Iran has short-range and medium-range missiles. So how do you protect against that? And the president is making the point that, to do that, you need a different system. You don't need those land-based, let's say, installations in Poland and the Czech Republic.

HARRIS: Sure.

DOUGHERTY: What you need is something broader. It could be spread on ships. It could have interceptors all over the place, including, maybe, even in Russia sometime. And that would be the best way to defend.

So, what the president is saying, or trying to make the case, I am not stepping back. I am not giving up on some type of missile defense. But it's not going to be that system. It's another, newer system.

HARRIS: OK. Interesting. And, Jill, a lot of, it seems to me, political implications to this. How are other countries responding? DOUGHERTY: Yes, definitely. Poland is not happy, to put it mildly. One of the people that we spoke to, CNN spoke to, from the ministry of defense said "this is catastrophic for Poland." Another statement, a formal one, from the Czech prime minister, "we expect that the United States will continue cooperating with the Czech Republic on concluding the relevant agreements on our mutual research and development and military collaboration, including the financing of specific projects."

But listen to this. He says, "President Obama assured me that the USA would not change its position on this issue." That sounds like a little bit of a dig, saying, you changed your position on something else. We don't expect you to change it on this.

HARRIS: Yes. Got you. All right, Jill Dougherty for us. Jill, appreciate it. Thank you.

Tight times on the economic front, forcing some families to get creative in stretching their dollars.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: So, let's get to our top stories now.

Police in Connecticut today charge 24-year-old lab technician Raymond Clark with killing grad student Annie Le. Police say Le was strangled. Her body was found Sunday stuffed in the basement wall of an off-campus medical research building.

Yesterday during this hour, we reported what investigators described as a horrific gang rape on the campus of Hofstra University on New York's Long Island. We showed you the mug shots of four young men arrested and charged with five counts each of first-degree rape.

Well, now the alleged victim has recanted her story and the men have been released from custody all charges dropped. The young men are obviously overjoyed to be free. One of the falsely accused, a 20- year-old, Kevin Taveras, is quoted in New York's "Newsday" as saying, "It was terrible. I feel like our names were tarnished. But maybe with all the news out, people will see we're not rapers." Prosecutors and investigators are still looking at this case. The woman who made the false statements may face charges.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER, PAUL AND MARY (singing): Puff the magic dragon, lived by the sea.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Her voice forever part of the timeless soundtrack of the turbulent '60s. Mary Travers, one-third of Peter, Paul & Mary, died after a long fight with leukemia. The group's harmonies became anthems for the civil rights movements, anti-war protesters and beatniks. You know, even though the economy is showing signs of life, Americans are still losing jobs. In today's "Money & Main Street" segment, CNN's Allan Chernoff introduces us to a family who is finding ways to make 13 weeks of severance pay last a full year.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Karin and Chris Kubacki, jogging home from an errand instead of driving. It's one of many cost-saving steps the Kubacki's are taking since Karin, the family breadwinner, was laid off in July from her software job at Accenture.

CHRIS KUBACKI: At first it's, you know, instant panic. Oh, my gosh, we're going to lose the house, tomorrow we're going to be living in the street in a cardboard box.

MAX KUBACKI: This could be your breakfast.

CHERNOFF: Karin decided to turn her loss into an opportunity to spend more time with the family while taking time to find another job she'd love. So the Kubacki's plan to stretch Karin's unemployment checks and her 13-week severance to last a full year, determined not to dig into savings.

KARIN KUBACKI: How do you do it? I have the rules posted actually at my desk.

CHERNOFF: Rules like "live within your means," which the Kubacki's say they've always done. They're also do-it-yourselfers. Chris, a stay-at-home dad, who is a woodworker, builds toys for his son, Max.

M. KUBACKI: My dad made it. That's the best.

CHERNOFF: For the first time, Karin set up a budget. To stick to it, the family shops only for absolute necessities. The library is now a frequent stop, as are other free community resources.

K. KUBACKI: Well, we've had more fun since I lost my job than ever!

CHERNOFF: Having adopted a frugal lifestyle, the Kubackis say they now truly appreciate small luxuries.

K. KUBACKI: And if you pick just a couple of luxuries, like Hershey bars, you really enjoy them!

CHERNOFF: Even as they stretch, the Kubacki's still donate 10 percent of Karin's unemployment check to their church. Living only a few doors away from the neighborhood food pantry, the Kubacki's are often reminded of their blessings.

K. KUBACKI: So, I don't have a job right now. We've got a house. We've got food. We have nothing to complain about.

CHERNOFF: Allan Chernoff, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And tonight our Anderson Cooper and Ali Velshi will tell you how to take control of your own economic future on a CNN money summit special, "Money & Main Street." That's tonight at 11:00 Eastern only on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: You know, I'm trying to figure out, what's the lead story there at cnnmoney.com? I can't read that type. It's too small. But, boy, if you want the latest financial news -- no libraries, no playgrounds, no what, no courts?

OK! All right. If you want the latest financial news, and I'm anxious to click on that story to find out what's that all about, maybe some budget cuts or something, cnnmoney.com is the place for the latest, the best financial analysis, the latest numbers.

Let's get you to Wall Street now. Better than three hours into the trading day. Weren't we in positive territory just a couple of hours ago on the strength of new home starts? And -- all right. But we -- we're selling now. The Dow down 28 points. The NASDAQ is down 9.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, a young man who lost his leg in a boating accident takes his very personal fight for amputee rights to Capitol Hill. Jordan Thomas versus the insurance companies. Brooke Baldwin up next in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Fighting for amputee rights. It's another part of the health care battle you may not have heard much about. We first introduced you to this amazing young man, Jordan Thomas, a few weeks ago. Boy, oh, boy, he is a fighter! CNN's Brooke Baldwin joined him as he headed to Capitol Hill.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JORDAN THOMAS, BI-LATERAL AMPUTEE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, Jordan, again. Good to see you sir.

THOMAS: Good to see you.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the debate over health care reform rages on in Washington . . .

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jordan, now a college in Charleston just let you off for (INAUDIBLE).

THOMAS: I did. I had to come up to Washington, you know?

BALDWIN: Twenty-year-old Jordan Thomas is fighting for a cause close to home. Jordan is a bi-lateral amputee. He lost his legs in a boating accident when he was just 16.

THOMAS: My dad jumped in the water immediately and held me afloat. And I remember looking at him and saying, "dad, my feet are gone."

BALDWIN: During his recovery, Jordan met children whose parents, unlike his, couldn't afford expensive prosthetics.

THOMAS: My legs are $24,000. And a lot of companies will put caps, $5,000 cap for example, and you have to pay the rest.

BALDWIN: So the then-16-year-old started the Jordan Thomas Foundation, raising money to help disadvantaged kids, like Noah, get the prosthetics they need.

BALDWIN (on camera): You like the knee?

NOAH: Yes. Yes.

BALDWIN: How's it work? Just like that.

NOAH: Yes. And you can do this. Watch.

BALDWIN (voice-over): Taking Noah's story to the next level.

BALDWIN (on camera): So, what are you doing? You're pounding down the doors of these congressman?

THOMAS: Trying to get a hold of some of them, yes. And just -- and just raising awareness. That's the thing about, you know, the whole amputee deal is, it's not kind of a red state or blue stat deal, it's just kind of an ethical deal.

BALDWIN (voice-over): Jordan is taking his hard-hitting questions . . .

THOMAS: What do you do to ensure that the amputees have access to the best possible people for them to provide prosthetics?

BALDWIN: Hoping lawmakers will listen and follow through.

SEN. BOB CORKER, (R) TENNESSEE: There's an awareness level that is hugely raised when someone like him is here.

BALDWIN: Joining Jordan, dozens of amputees, taking their message to the U.S. Senate, the same day that Senator Max Baucus released his roadmap for health care reform.

DAVE MCGILL, AMPUTEE COALITION OF AMERICA: We want legislation that will eliminate the caps so that amputees across the United States have access to the types of devices that allow them to function every day.

BALDWIN: There are 2 million amputees nationwide. Jordan is simply one of them, taking on Congress, step by step

THOMAS: It's just -- it's a no-brainer.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Brooke Baldwin joining us now.

Brooke, let me get this straight here.

BALDWIN: Yes.

HARRIS: You lose an arm, you lose a leg because of an illness or an accident and you need a prosthetic device.

BALDWIN: Correct.

HARRIS: You've got insurance. So you go to your insurance company, hey, I need this device. And in some cases you're denied? Why?

BALDWIN: It's a question 2 million people are asking essentially. And they're saying, you know, what, look -- all these people are wearing pins on Capitol Hill, I loved it, yesterday saying, my arms and legs are not a luxury. It's a necessity, if you want to go back to basic economics.

And a lot of these insurance companies are saying, you know what, we don't want to foot the bill necessarily. The deductibles are high. You're talking about $24,000 just for Jordan's legs. That's below the knee. You're talking tens of thousands more than that. And they're basically fighting, they're saying, hey, we want, you know, a prosthetic just to basically be covered like a heart surgery or a knee surgery. We pay that $500 deductible and the insurance company can take care of the rest.

HARRIS: Yes. He's a fighter.

BALDWIN: He is! Good friend of mine now.

HARRIS: We like him. Yes, yes. Thank you, Brooke. Good to see you.

BALDWIN: You're welcome. Good to be here.

HARRIS: Still to come, honoring the ultimate sacrifice by one of America's finest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Ah, boy. In Afghanistan, Army Sergeant Jared Monti gave his life trying to rescue another wounded soldier in Afghanistan. Monti tried once, twice to pull the soldier to safety. He tried a third time and was killed.

Next hour, President Obama will present the Medal of Honor posthumously to the Army sergeant. Monti's father says it was just like his son to help someone in need. His father described an incident where Monti and his roommate had bought some kitchenware. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL MONTI, FATHER OF SGT. JARED MONTI: One day the roommate came home and opened the door and looked in and the kitchen set was missing. They had just bought it, a $500 kitchen set. And he was infuriated. And Jared came home and he said, Jared, where's the kitchen set? Jared said, well, I was at one of my soldier's houses today and his kids were eating dinner on the floor. And they needed the kitchen set more than we did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Boy. Live pictures of the White House. We will hear much more about this brave soldier and witness the Medal of Honor presentation coming up in just a couple of minutes in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM.

And as a matter of fact, let's do this. Let's push forward now with the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM with Fredricka Whitfield.