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President Obama Promises to Strengthen the Nation's Community College System

Aired September 21, 2009 - 12:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: OK, let's get you now to President Obama at the Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, New York.

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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... great work enforcing the laws that need to be enforced.

I want to thank the comptroller, Thomas DiNapoli is in the house.

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Speaker Sheldon Silver is in the house.

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The Democratic Conference leader, State Senator John Sampson.

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Albany Mayor Gerald Jennings.

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We've got three outstanding members of Congress who are just doing great work every single day, Maurice Hinchey, Paul Tonko, Scott Murphy. Please give them a big round of applause.

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President of Hudson Valley Community College Andrew Matonak is in the house.

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Did I pronounce that right, Andrew?

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OBAMA: And Joe Shorubi, executive director of TEC-SMART, who did a -- gave me a wonderful tour starting off.

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Now, you may ask, why are we here at Hudson Valley? We're here because this is a place where anyone with the desire to take their career to a new level or start a new career all together has the opportunity to pursue that dream.

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This is a place where people of all ages and backgrounds, even in the face of obstacles; even in the face of very difficult personal challenges, can take a chance on a brighter future for themselves and for their family.

I was just talking to the mayor of Troy, who was talking - we were in a room and he was saying how he had studied calculus in the room where we were taking a picture.

And I had to inform him I didn't take calculus.

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But he was testimony; he was an example of what you can do, because of an institution like this.

And I know that, here in Troy, you want and need that chance after so many years of hard times.

Now, communities like this one were once the heart of America's manufacturing strength. But over the last few decades, you've borne the brunt of a changing economy which has seen many manufacturing plants close in the face of global competition.

So while all of America has been gripped by the current economic crisis, folks in Troy and upstate New York have been dealing with what amounts to almost a permanent recession for years, an economic downturn that's driven more and more young people from their hometowns.

I also know that, while a lot of people have come here promising better news, that news has been hard to come by, despite the determined efforts of the leaders who are here today and many who are not.

And part of the reason is that, while the people of this city work hard to meet their responsibilities, I have to confess that some in Washington haven't always lived up to theirs.

For too long, as old divisions and special interests reigned, Washington has shown neither the inclination nor the ability to tackle our toughest challenges.

Meanwhile, businesses were saddled with ever-rising health care costs; the economy was weakened by ever-growing dependence on foreign oil; our investments in cutting-edge research declined; our schools fell further short; growth focused on short-term gains and, fueled by debt and reckless risk led to cycles of precipitous booms and painful busts.

OBAMA: And meanwhile, too many in Washington stood by and let it happen.

Now, after so many years of failing to act, there are those who now suggest that there's really not much the government can or should do to make a difference; that what we've seen in places like Troy is inevitable; that somehow the parts of our country that helped us lead in the last century don't have what it takes to help us lead in this one.

And I'm here to tell you that that is just flat-out wrong. What we have here in this community is talented people, entrepreneurs, world-class learning institutions.

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The ingredients are right here for growth and success and a better future. These young people are testimony to it. You are proving that right here in the Hudson Valley.

Students here are training full-time while working part-time at G.E. Energy in Schenectady, becoming a new generation of American leaders in the new generation of American manufacturing. IBM has partnered with the University at Albany. Their partnership in nanotechnology is helping students train in industries in which America has the potential to lead.

Rensselaer is partnering not only with this institution but with businesses throughout the Tech Valley. And early next year, Hudson Valley Community College's state-of-the-art TEC-SMART trainingfacility is set to open side-by-side with Global Foundry's coming state-of-the- art semiconductor plant.

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So we know that upstate New York can succeed, just like we know that there are pockets in the Midwest that used to be hubs o fmanufacturing, they're now retooling, they're reinventing themselves.

OBAMA: We know that can happen. We know that in a global economy, where there is no room for error and there is certainly no room for wasted potential, America needs you to succeed.

So as we emerge from this current economic crisis, our great challenge will be to ensure that we don't just drift into the future, accepting less for our children, accepting less for America. We have to choose, instead, what past generations have done: to shape a brighter future through hard work and innovation.

That's how we'll not only recover, but that's how we'll also build stronger than before -- strong enough to compete in the globaleconomy; strong enough to avoid the cycles of boom and bust that have wreaked so much havoc; strong enough to create and support the jobs ofthe future in the industries of the future.

So today my administration is releasing our strategy to foster new jobs, new businesses, and new industries by laying the groundwork and the ground rules to best tap our innovative potential. This work began with the recovery plan that we passed several months ago, which devoted well over $100 billion to innovation, from high-tech classrooms to health information technology, from more efficient homes to more fuel-efficient cars, from building a smart electricity grid to laying down high-speed rail.

But our efforts don't end there. For this strategy is about far more than recovery; it's about sustained growth and widely shared prosperity. And it's rooted in a simple idea: that if government does its modest part, there's no stopping the most powerful and generative economic force that the world has ever known, and that is the American people.

Our strategy begin (sic) where innovation so often does: in the classroom and in the laboratory and in the networks that connect them to the broader economy.

These are the building blocks of innovation: education, infrastructure, research.

We know that the nations that out-educate us today will out- compete us tomorrow. The ability of new industries to thrive depends on workers with the knowledge and the know-how to contribute in those fields.

Unfortunately, today, our primary and secondary schools continue to trail many of our competitors, especially in the key areas of math and science. Hundreds of thousands of high school graduates who are prepared for college don't go to four-year or two-year schools because it's just too expensive, they run out of money. And roughly 40 percent of students who start college don't complete college.

OBAMA: So, all along that education pipeline, too many people, too many of our young, talented people are slipping through the cracks. It's not only heartbreaking for those students; it's a loss for our economy and our country.

Now, I know that, for a long time, politicians have spoken of training -- of job training as a silver bullet, of college as a cure- all. It's not. I don't want to pretend that it is. We know that.

But we also know that, in the coming years, jobs requiring at least an associate's degree are projected to grow twice as fast as jobs requiring no college experience. Think about that -- twice as fast.

We will not fill those jobs, or keep those jobs here in America, without graduating more students, including millions more students from community colleges.

That's why I've asked Dr. Biden to travel the country, promoting the opportunities that these community colleges offer.

That's why I'm grateful that Senator Chuck Schumer, who couldn't be here today, has shown tremendous leadership on this issue. And that's why I've set this ambitious goal. By 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world. We used to be number one.

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We should be number one again.

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Now, to achieve this goal, we're going to need motivated students, motivated families, motivated communities, local leaders who are doing their part, state leaders who are doing their part. But the federal government has its part to do as well.

So, to reach this goal, we've increased Pell Grants and created a simplified $2,500 tax credit for college tuition. We've made student aid applications less complicated and ensured that that aid is not based on the income of a job that you've lost.

I hear too much from folks who say, "I can't get any student aid because they're still looking at my income taxes when I had a job, as opposed to my situation right now."

We've also passed a new G.I. Bill of Rights to help soldiers coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan begin a new life in a new economy.

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And the recovery plan has helped close state budget shortfalls, I think the governor will testify, because those shortfalls put enormous pressure on public universities and community colleges, while, also, we've made historic investments in elementary and secondary schools.

So we're helping states get through some very tough times, without having to drastically cut back on the critical education infrastructure that's going to be so important.

Now, finally, through the American Graduation Initiative that I've proposed, we're going to reform and strengthen community colleges to help an additional 5 million Americans earn degrees and certificates in the next decade. Because...

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Because a new generation of innovations depends on a new generation of innovators.

OBAMA: And just last week, the House of Representatives passed a bill that will go a long way to reform the student loan system so that college is more affordable for more people.

Right now, the federal government provides a subsidy to banks to get them to lend money to students. The thing is, the federal government also guarantees the loans in case the student doesn't repay. So we're subsidizing banks to take on the risk of giving loans to students even though taxpayers are absorbing the risk anyway. That doesn't make much sense.

It costs us more than $80 billion. If we just cut out the middle-man, the banks, and lent directly to the students, the federal government would save that money, and we could use it for what's actually important: helping students afford and succeed in college.

That's why -- that's what the bill...

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I want to emphasize this, just because every once in a while, you know, you may not know what your members of Congress are doing for you. These three guys right here are standing up for young people. We need senators to do the same.

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The bill that they voted on, the bill that I proposed, here's what it does: It takes the $80 billion dollars the banks currently get and uses it to make Pell Grants larger. It uses those funds to focus on innovative efforts to help students not only go to college but to graduate.

And, just as important, these savings will allow us to make the largest investment ever in the most underappreciated asset in our education system, and that is community colleges like Hudson Valley, which are so essential to the future of our young people.

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So we hope to improve on this bill in the Senate and go even further on behalf of students.

OBAMA: Ending this unwarranted subsidy for the big banks is a no-brainer for folks everywhere except some folks in Washington.

In fact, they're already seeing -- we're already seeing special interests rallying to save this giveaway. And the large banks, many who have benefited from taxpayer bailouts during the financial crisis, are lobbying to keep this easy money flowing.

That's exactly the kind of special interest effort that has succeeded before and we can't allow it to succeed this time. This is exactly the kind of waste that leaves people wary of government, leaves our country straddled with trillions of dollars of deficits and debt with little to show for it.

And that's why I went to Washington, to change that kind of stuff. And I look forward to winning this fight in the Senate, just as we won it in the House, and signing this bill into law.

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Now, another key to strengthening education, entrepreneurship and innovation in communities like Troy is to harness the full power of the Internet. And that means faster and more widely available broadband, as well as rules to ensure that we preserve the fairness and openness that led to the flourishing of the Internet in the first place.

So today, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski is announcing a set of principles to preserve an open Internet in which all Americans can participate and benefit, and I'm pleased that he's taking that step. That's an important...

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... that's an important role that we can play, laying the groundrules to spur innovation. That's the role of government, to provide investment that spurs innovation and also to set up common sense groundrules to ensure that there's a level playing field for all comers who seek to contribute their innovation.

And we have to think about the networks we need today, but also the networks we need tomorrow. That's why I've proposed grants through the National Science Foundation and through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, which helped develop the Internet, to explore the next communications breakthroughs, whatever they may be.

That's why I've appointed the first-ever chief technology officer charged with looking at ways technology can spur innovations that help government do a better and more efficient job.

We also have to strengthen our commitment to research, including basic research which has been badly neglected for decades.

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That's always been one of the secrets of America's success, putting more and more money into research to create the next great inventions, the great -- great technologies that will then spur further economic growth. the fact is, though, basic research doesn't always pay off immediately. It may not pay off for years. When it does, the rewards are often broadly shared, enjoyed by those who bore its cost, but also by those who didn't pay a dime for that basic research.

That's why the private sector generally underinvests in basic science. That's why the public sector must invest instead. While the risks may be large, so are the rewards for our economy and our society. I mean, understand, it was basic research in the photoelectric effect that would one day lead to solar panels. It was basic research in physics that would eventually produce the CAT scan. The calculations of today's GPS satellites, they're based on basic research, equations Einstein put on paper more than a century ago. Nobody knew they'd lead to GPS, but they understood that we advance our knowledge, that is what is going to help advance our society.

When we fail to invest in research, we fail to invest in the future. Yet, since the peak of the space race in the 1960s, our national commitment to research and development has steadily fallen as a share of our national income.

That's why I set a goal of putting a full 3 percent of our gross domestic product, our national income, into research and development, surpassing the commitment we made when President Kennedy challenged this nation to send a man to the moon.

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Towards this goal, the Recovery Act has helped achieve the largest increase in basic research in history. This month the National Institutes of Health will award more than a billion dollars in research grants through the Recovery Act focused on what we can learn from the mapping of the human genome in order to treat diseases that affect millions of Americans, from cancer to heart disease.

And I also want to urge Congress to fully fund the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, because since its creation it has been the source of cutting-edge breakthroughs from the early Internet to stealth technology.

So as we invest in the building blocks of innovation, from the classroom to the laboratory, it's also essential that we have competitive and vibrant markets that promote innovation as well. Education and research help foster new ideas, but it takes fair and free markets to turn those ideas into industries.

My budget finally makes the research and experimentation tax credit permanent. This is a tax credit that helps companies afford the often high costs of developing new ideas, new technologies, new products, which means new jobs. And this tax incentive returns two dollars to the economy for every one dollar we spend.

Time and again, I've heard from leaders -- from Silicon Valley to the Tech Valley -- about how important it is.

I've also proposed reducing to zero the capital gains tax for investments in small or startup businesses. Because small businesses are innovative businesses. They produce 13 times more patents per employee than large companies do.

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Now, these tax incentives will spur entrepreneurship. But there are other important steps to foster markets that value and promote risk-takers and idea-makers, who have always been the center of our success.

That's why it's essential that we enforce trade laws and work with our trading partners to open up markets abroad; that we reform and strengthen our intellectual property system; that we sustain our advantage as a place that draws and welcomes the brightest minds from all over the world; and that we unlock sources of credit and capital which have been in short supply as a result of the financial crisis.

Now, there are some other fundamental barriers to innovation and economic growth that we're going to have to tackle in order to ensure American leadership and prosperity continues into the 21st century.

For, as a nation, we face enormous challenges, from ending our dependence on foreign oil to finally producing -- providing all Americans with quality, affordable health care.

We've got to attack these challenges to create a climate for innovation, and innovation can then be an important part of how we meet these challenges.

So let me give you an example: health care costs. They leave our small businesses at a disadvantage when competing with our large businesses, and they leave our large businesses at a disadvantage when competing around the world.

We will never know the enormity of the costs of our economy to the countless Americans unable to become entrepreneurs or to start a small business, to follow their dreams, because they're afraid of losing their health insurance.

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So, to lead in the global economy, we must pass health insurance reform that brings down costs...

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... and provides more security for people who have insurance, and offers options to people who don't have health insurance.

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Health insurance reform will be good for business and especially good for small business -- especially good for small business. Now, in the meantime, the recovery plan that we passed earlier this year has begun to modernize our health system. So innovation can also help drive down the costs for everybody.

We are taking long-overdue steps to computerize America's health records. And this is going to reduce the waste and errors that cost billions of dollars and thousands of lives, while protecting patients' privacy.

And it's important to note, as well, that the records that are held, each of us having our own medical records in digital form, holds the potential of offering patients the chance to be more active participants in the prevention and treatment of illness.

And health I.T., health information technology, if implemented effectively, has the potential to unlock so many unanticipated benefits, because it provides patterns of data that we don't yet collect but could reveal discoveries that we can't predict, in terms of how to cure illnesses.

OBAMA: The same thing is true when it comes to energy. No area will need innovation more than in the development of new ways to produce and use and save energy. And you understand that here at Hudson Valley.

I firmly believe that the nation that leads the clean-energy economy will be the nation that leads the global economy. And that's why...

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That's why we're doubling our capacity to generate renewable energy, building a stronger and smarter electric grid. And I was meeting some young people who are being trained right here so that they're going to be working on creating this smart grid.

We're investing in technologies to power a new generation of clean-energy vehicles. We've helped reach an agreement to raise fuel economy standards.

And for the first time in history, we've passed a bill to create a system of clean-energy incentives which will help make renewable energy the profitable kind of energy in America, while helping to end our dependence on oil and protect our planet for future generations.

This bill has passed the House; we're now working to pass legislation through the Senate. It is time to get this done. We have to lead on energy. We can't be lagging behind.

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So that's an overview of our strategy. All these pieces fit together. It's a strategy that's essential for our recovery today, but more importantly, for our prosperity tomorrow. It's a strategy rooted in a deep and abiding faith in the ability of this country to rise to any challenge, because that's our history.

We're a people with a seemingly limitless supply of ingenuity and daring and talent. And at its best, our government has harnessed those qualities without getting in the way.

That's what led to the building of the Erie Canal, which then helped put cities like Troy on the map, that linked east and west and allowed commerce and competition to flow freely between.

That's what led a pretty good inventor and a pretty good businessman named Thomas Edison to come to Schenectady and open what is today a thriving mom-and-pop operation known as General Electric.

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A former senator from New York, Robert Kennedy, once told us, "The future is not a gift. It is an achievement." It was not an accident, not a gift that America led the 20th century.

OBAMA: It was the result of hard work and discipline and sacrifice, and ambition that served a common purpose. So it must be in the 21st century. Future success is no guarantee. As Americans we always have to remember that our leadership is not an inheritance, it is a responsibility. So from biotechnology to nanotechnology, from the development of new forms of energy, to research into treatments of ancient diseases, there is so much potential to change our world and improve our lives, while creating countless jobs all across America. The question is if we are ready to embrace that potential, if we are ready to lead the way once more.

I think we're ready. I've seen it all across America. This generation -- the generation of young people sitting here -- they have an unparalleled opportunity. We are called upon to help them seize that opportunity. That's what you're doing here at Hudson Valley Community College. That's what I intend to make sure that we do in Washington. That's what we will do as a nation.

Thank you very much, everybody. God bless you.

God bless the United States of America.

(APPLAUSE)

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: President Obama in Troy, New York, speaking at Hudson Valley Community College. The president promising to strengthen the nation's community college system over the next decade while tasking those colleges to innovate in a way that transforms the economy. The president on the way to make a global warming speech at the U.N. later today.

Still to come in the CNN NEWSROOM, three men, two cities, one alleged plot. Afghan immigrants go before a federal judge yesterday. A wide-ranging and sometimes confusing terror investigation.

We'll try to pull all the various threats together.

And a Southern soaking. I'm not kidding you. Heavy rain, a lot of it. Yes, flooded-out cars, flooded-out homes, flooded-out basements. Flooding now a big problem around the Atlanta area.

We're back in a moment.

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HARRIS: All right. Very quickly now, let's get to Chad Myers in the severe weather center.

I've got to tell you, Chad, we're trying to rope in as much video as we can for you. We've got folks on the telephone for to you talk to. We've got i-Reports if you need them. Whatever you need, send me a note and we'll make it happen for you, doctor.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I had to write myself my own notes.

HARRIS: Yes, there you go.

MYERS: Because we have so much video now coming in because the news shows now here in Atlanta are rolling out all this video. We're just going to try to dump it to you as quickly as we can.

HARRIS: Yes.

MYERS: Let's go to Lilburn first. OK. Let's not do that. Let's go to northeast Atlanta and -- where they're pushing out cars here, opening cars and finding fish, you know. I mean it's just been -- it's been ugly. Part of the problem is that so much of Atlanta is paved -- roads, pavement, parking lots, whatever, and that doesn't soak in any water.

HARRIS: Oh, look at this.

MYERS: And so when you start to get this much rainfall at it all starts to get down into the valleys where all of these houses are, that's when the water starts to come up, Tony.

HARRIS: Wow. This isn't Iowa. This isn't -- that we're talking about here. This isn't something along the Mississippi. This is Atlanta, Georgia, and the Chattahoochee that we're talking about and the creeks.

MYERS: Yes. And you know what, we haven't even see the worst video yet, which is west of Atlanta, where they had almost 15 inches of rain overnight. All we had here -- what you're seeing is three to four inches rainfall totals.

HARRIS: Oh, that's crazy.

MYERS: And, yes, it's going to get a lot worse as the day goes on. So you might want to keep tuning in here. This is from Lilburn, Georgia. Water going over the roadways. Some roadways are washed out. We also have some of our people here at CNN affected. Stacia Deshshku sent in a couple pictures from her house.

HARRIS: Yes, let's see some of those pictures.

MYERS: It's just kind of ugly. I can't even tell where the roadway was supposed to be.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes.

MYERS: I mean, there you go. And that one right there, this is near Cross Creek. Water right up to the -- and in some of these downstairs places are clearly not going to hold up from this water here.

There's a basketball court. If I could stand on water, I could dunk that.

HARRIS: Yes.

MYERS: And then Drea Besch -- Drea Besch is someone else who works here in promotions. And she had to go home because of what you're seeing here. And a couple of pics here from the area. This is all basically the same creek that runs through the Bobby Jones Golf Course area. HARRIS: Oh, yes, yes, yes. Yes.

MYERS: Yes. That was a Hybrid.

HARRIS: Oh, are you . . .

MYERS: No, I'm not sure whether it's going to run on -- no, I think that's going to be a total loss. That's why you always want to buy Carfax.com for $20, Tony. There you go.

And that water is still rising, according to Drea, in some spots. And Drea's on the phone with us right now.

What do you see? Can you even see your car anymore?

DREA BESCH, CNN PROMOTIONS: The water has probably risen another six to eight inches. And I'm looking at my house flooding, possibly -- well, if it keeps rising, I could be flooded within the hour.

HARRIS: Oh, boy.

MYERS: Do you have a basement? Is that water already in there?

BESCH: Yes. The water is already in the crawl space.

MYERS: And so do you have a pump? Do you have something to try to keep the water away?

BESCH: No. No. I do not. Well, it wouldn't matter. There's nowhere for it to go. It's literally becoming a lake all around my house.

MYERS: The problem here, Tony and Drea, is that it rained in Atlanta. And if you follow the creek, that that picture was from, you follow those creeks back off to the east, the water actually runs out of Piedmont Park.

HARRIS: That's right.

MYERS: It runs out of, I would say, the Piedmont all the way to Monroe County and the Monroe Street area.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes.

MYERS: I mean all the way from downtown right up into there.

Drea, what are you going to do?

BESCH: I'm evacuating all of my -- my house is at my -- my first floor is actually on two levels and my living room and dining room are 12 inches below the rest of the first floor. And I'm pulling everything out of that section. That area was flooded in Hurricane Ivan in 2003. So I'm getting everything out of there and preparing for the lower level to be flooded.

MYERS: We don't expect it to go a lot higher. And I mean like feet higher. But what are you going to do for yourself? Are you going to leave?

BESCH: I can't leave. It's impossible. Look at the photo of my car. I can't leave.

HARRIS: So, physically, Drea, you can't get out? Yes.

MYERS: So literally you'd have to have someone with a boat come to get you right now.

BESCH: I either need a boat or a helicopter or divine intervention.

HARRIS: Drea, oh my.

BESCH: So I have my two dogs. We have food. I still have power. And I'm talking to you on a landline, which I swore I would not get rid of, and I'm really glad I didn't, so I can talk to you. I cannot get any Internet access.

HARRIS: Wow.

MYERS: Well, Drea, I'll tell you -- I just want to tell you this, that water and electricity don't go well together. So, please, try to stay away from those things, those connections, until this water goes down because it can be very dangerous when the power is still on the water is still coming up.

Drea, our best wishes for you. I hope this water starts going down as quickly as possible.

HARRIS: Hey, Chad, can I ask you a question. Will you explain to everyone, because these totals, the rainfall totals over the last week and going all the way back I guess to, what, September 11th when the rain started to come down here in the Atlanta area, I mean, they're incredible. What is the system that is essentially parked, hasn't it, over the southeast, Alabama, and Georgia?

MYERS: The lower self, Tony, parked over Arkansas.

HARRIS: Oh, Arkansas.

MYERS: And Arkansas had all of this flooding last week. And Dallas had the flooding as well. And so that's where the low was. And now the low has kind of shifted to the south, allowing all of this tropical moisture is running up here. If you walk outside right now, it feels like you're in Jamaica. It literally does.

HARRIS: Wow.

MYERS: The relative humidity is 100 percent. So even if you're trying to dry something out, like your basement, how is that going to dry out at 100 percent relative humidity. Plus, it is still raining. And so the areas that saw the worst flooding to the west of Atlanta here and also the Lilburn area here, but everywhere through here, Tony, picked up in the neighborhood of 12 inches of rainfall.

HARRIS: That's ridiculous.

MYERS: Here's the big area, white area. This is what I was just showing you. There's Atlanta right there. This is a foot of rain or more just in 48 hours.

HARRIS: Wow.

MYERS: And no place can handle that. I don't care if you're in Iowa, if you're in Missouri or Florida, that is going to flood.

HARRIS: When does it stop?

MYERS: It stops on Thursday.

HARRIS: On Thursday?

MYERS: It stops on Thursday.

HARRIS: All right, Chad. Thursday? Not until Thursday?

MYERS: Not till then. Yes.

HARRIS: All right. Appreciate it. Thank you, Chad.

Drea, best to you. My goodness. And, Stacia, be safe.

Still to come, a dire assessment from the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan. More troops are need and fast or the war could be a failure. We will find out why and we will hear your thoughts just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Very quickly now, as always at this time, we'd like to direct your attention to cnnmoney.com. Our Money team does a terrific job giving you the latest financial news and analysis. Once again that's cnnmoney.com.

Quickly now let's get you to the New York Stock Exchange for a look at the big board. The Dow has been trading down most of the day and so it is. Just past three hour into the trading day, the Dow is down 27 points and NASDAQ -- oh, what was that NASDAQ number, Tom? Down 40. Down four. Yes, 40's a big number. Down four. Again, just past three hours into the trading day. We will follow the numbers throughout the day with Susan Lisovicz right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

A dire need for more troops in Afghanistan. The top U.S. military commander there warns, unless he gets additional forces within the next year, the war will likely result in failure. That assessment from General Stanley McChrystal comes in a document obtained by "The Washington Post." It's investigative reporter, Bob Woodward, spoke earlier on CNN's "American Morning."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB WOODWARD, ASSOCIATE EDITOR, "THE WASHINGTON POST": This is a striking thing for a general to say to the secretary of defense and the commander of chief. It really takes his finger and puts him -- puts it in their eye, deliver or, you know, this won't work. And he says if they don't endorse this full counterinsurgency strategy, don't even give me the troops because it won't work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: The deadly toll of the Afghan war painfully clear today in Italy. A mass funeral held for six soldiers killed in an attack on Kabul. Live now to CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson in Rome.

And, Nic, as you share with us some of the sights and sounds from this funeral, what was public opinion in Italy on this war before this loss of life? And I'm wondering what the thinking in the country is now?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There seems to be general support for the government. This funeral service today for the six paratroopers who were killed in that explosion in Kabul last week really shows a lot of national support for the government, for the families, for the soldiers, for the government's position.

Italy really isn't afraid to show its losses. It is felt nationally. Their government here doesn't hide it when troops are brought home dead. This was a national day of mourning, a state funeral, a two-hour service played on national TV here.

So really its short of shaken people's faith a little bit and just the kinds of casualties that can happen. And there is a diversity of opinion, should the troops continue, should they not continue. Most people seem to shade with the government, which is continue for a while. But there is definitely a feeling, and this incident has raised it, that perhaps the troops should be coming out soon.

Tony.

HARRIS: The comment that I know you're aware of from the U.S. commander of forces there, General McChrystal, that the entire effort could fail if there isn't a dramatic ramp-up in troop strength on the ground. What is your sense of that? Do we have coalition partners on board with that idea that more troops should be sent in to Afghanistan at this time?

ROBERTSON: You know, I think that's been at the heart of the secretary of defense's problems. Gates with his NATO allies trying to get them to stump up more troops. And General McChrystal in his report also sort of takes a swipe at the Italians, along with the Germans and the French and the Spanish because he says these nations that have been more about protecting their own troops than getting out into the communities and helping them are building barriers. And that's not helping win the war.

Some of these NATO nations have caveats that the governments use to stop the troops being put in the front lines of the fight, unlike the U.S. troops, unlike the British, the Canadians, the Dutch. And General McChrystal was talking about that in this report as well. So the Italians not only have been requested for more troops, but its also put them in harm's way more. And you can see how that is going to be a political problem down the road for the government there.

HARRIS: And one more quick one, Nic. You mentioned -- I'm wondering if, say, the Germans, the French, the Italians, are they any clearer on what the strategy is in Afghanistan than, say, the American public at this point?

ROBERTSON: You know, it's quite interesting. When we talk to people here, they were going to pay their respects to the families of these fallen soldiers. They said it's important for the troops to keep going because we've committed ourselves to NATO and to the U.S. and to the Afghan people to help them lead better lives.

The defense minister here today said, let's be clear, Afghanistan is not about nation building for Italian troops, it's about combating terrorism and stopping terrorist training there and coming to Italy and other parts of Europe. The narrative has been confused in many countries over what is happening in Afghanistan. Still seems to be just as varied here, Tony.

HARRIS: I think you're right about that. Our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson for us, as the bells toll. Nic, appreciate it. Thank you.

We've been asking to you write into the show's blog to tell us whether you think it's time for the U.S. to get out of Afghanistan.

Paul writes, "This is probably the most pointless war. Just end it and get on with our lives."

Jake writes, "No! It is not time for the U.S. to leave Afghanistan. People are forgetting why we are there. We got attacked! We should not back down till we win."

OK. And Cathy says, "Bring her men and women home. This is never going to end, and we have sacrificed enough for nothing!"

And Rex writes in, "We need to stay and finish the job of stabilizing the country so our soldier boys that died did not do so in vain."

Thank you so much. And, once again, there's still time for you to comment on our blog, cnn.com/tony.

Tough questions, tough interviews. That's what you'll see beginning this Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Eastern. Christiane Amanpour grills international leaders about global stories that matter to you. "AMANPOUR," CNN every Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Eastern after "GPS." The premier this Sunday.

And top stories now in the CNN NEWSROOM.

New details this hour about the deaths of a woman and her five children in Naples, Florida. Investigators are calling it a horrific and traumatic scene, but so far no other details. Authorities say they want to talk to this man, Mesac Damas. He's the woman's husband. Investigators think he hopped a flight to Haiti.

The number of Alzheimer's cases is sharply rising. In fact, a new report out today for World Alzheimer's Day predicts the number of people with some form of dementia will practically double every 20 years. The report cites population growth and longer life spans.

At least two people are dead after heavy rain and flooding in the southeast. Some areas have seen a food of rain in the last 24 hours. CNN's director of coverage says her neighborhood in Atlanta is flooded. Some roads are washed out and many schools are closed.

We are back in a moment.

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HARRIS: Some make or break changes to health care reform plans being negotiated on Capitol Hill. The Senate Finance Committee starting now to offer amendments to a proposal brought by Chairman Max Baucus. Live now to our senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash on Capitol Hill.

Dana, good to see you.

So let me see if I understand this here. Committee votes start tomorrow and there will be -- I guess this makes sense -- a lot of attempts to change the Baucus proposal, correct?

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Five hundred and sixty-four to be exact.

HARRIS: Wow.

BASH: In fact, this is just the summary of amendments that are now on the Senate Finance Committee website, which our team has been pouring through all morning long. And it won't surprise you that most of the change, especially from Democrats, are based on the issues and the concerns that we talked about last week. For example, affordability. Changes to expand the subsidies for people to make sure that they can afford this insurance. The whole issue of the public option. Several different amendments to try to put a public option into this bill. It doesn't exist right now.

Also, lots of ways to address this mandate for coverage. Some Republicans want to just eliminate the penalty on individuals. Some Democrats want to at least reduce the penalty, because it's pretty stiff for individuals and families.

And also the whole question of paying for this with taxes and fees. A lot of concern, again among Democrats, that the way that the taxes are put into this, it's aimed at high-cost plans, but maybe it would effect middle class Americans. And one kind of -- I don't know if it's comical but sort of noteworthy amendment from a Republican, Mike Enzi, he wants to strike the word fee from everything in this bill and replace it with the word tax because he says that's what it is, it's a tax.

HARRIS: And Enzi was a part of the gang of six who were working in a bipartisan way to craft this, correct?

BASH: That's right, he was, but he has a lot of amendments in here to change it. It does not look like he's going to support it in the end.

Tony.

HARRIS: All right, Dana, one more quick one here. Let's drill down on the one controversial provision among Democrats and Republicans both, but especially Democrats. Taxing high cost insurance, there Cadillac plans, so-called, are there changes proposed to that aspect of the plan?

BASH: Lots of different ideas on how to change this. Even from the senator, John Kerry of Massachusetts, who actually originally came up with this idea. And the big concern among Democrats is that when you tax high cost plans, the way it is put into this proposal as it is now, it affects middle class Americans and in effectively becomes a tax on middle class Americans.

So you see lots of amendments in here. For example, I'll just give you one example. There are several Democrats who got together on an idea to make sure that people who work in high-risk jobs are exempt from this.

Well, who works in high-risk jobs? You have a lot of union members in high-risk jobs who are, for example, in the case of Senator Rockefeller from West Virginia, who's complains about this, coal miners in high-risk jobs. So that's just one example of ways that you see Democrats trying to change this.

And I should tell you very quickly that the chairman, Max Baucus, we already know that he is going to come in tomorrow morning when these votes begin and he's going to put some of his own changes in before any votes get started to address some of the concerns he knows that fellow Democrats have.

HARRIS: Got you. All right. Our senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash for us. Dana, thank you.

Delivering a message through music and facing an audience provided by both distance and police. We will tell you about a peace concert that made a lot of people pretty angry.

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HARRIS: The sounds of music echo across the Florida straights, but is it enough to bridge the casam (ph) between Cuba and the United States. Cuban authorities say more than a million people gathered in Havana yesterday for an historic concert. But for many Cubans now living abroad, a call to unite isn't exactly welcome. As you can see, it stirred anger and protests in south Florida. Why? We get the answer from CNN's special correspondent Soledad O'Brien. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The concert was called Peace Without Borders and it came to a place that never sees concerts of this magnitude -- Havana, Cuba. With a line up of 15 international rock stars. Super stars of Latin music like Olga Tanon and Miguel Glosa (ph), and, of course, Juanas.

The concert is the brain child of Juanas, a 37-year-old Columbian rock star whose fans stretch across the world. He's won 17 Latin Grammy's and today won the affection of the Cuban people. His aim, as Juanas has said, over two and a half months of planning this concert, is peace. That in spite of numerous logistical obstacles and even death threats.

JUANAS, LATIN ROCK STAR: Like (INAUDIBLE). It's just amazing. More than a million.

O'BRIEN (on camera): They've said 2.1 million is what I've heard.

JUANAS: Yes, just -- you know, amazing.

O'BRIEN: Is that success for you?

JUANAS: Oh, it's more than that. More than that. And when I saw all this beautiful faces of all people smiling and singing and -- that's it, you know. That's the only thing that matters.

O'BRIEN (voice-over): Another goal, to help thaw U.S.-Cuban relations.

O'BRIEN (on camera): What does that say to you then about opportunities down the road?

JUANAS: You know, I mean, at least the culture music-wise is changing. I mean something is happening. And this is a message for them, you know, like hey, guys, we are here. I mean we want to be together. Please do something.

O'BRIEN (voice-over): Juanas sang with Cuban performers barred from the U.S., like Silvio Rodriguez. But missing from this concert, well-known Cuban American performers, like Gloria Estefan and Willy Chirino, fierce critics of the Cuban government.

WILLY CHIRINO, CUBAN MUSICIAN: (INAUDIBLE) is going to win. We know system that's dying already, you know. And they're going to give oxygen.

JUANAS: I hope, you know, in years to come, Willy or Gloria or, I mean, all of them can come to Cuba. You know, their country. They are Cubans and they have to come here sooner or later.

O'BRIEN (on camera): The concert was supposed to last four hours and it went much longer than that. Temperatures hit more than 90 degrees. But as you can see from the crowd around me, it didn't phase most of the people. Occasionally an ambulance would come through and take out someone who had fainted from overheating. Juanas says just the sheer number of people make this concert a huge success. His next concert will be on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Reporting from Havana, Cuba, I'm Soledad O'Brien for CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And next month only on CNN, "Latino in America." A comprehensive look at how Latinos are changing the nation, reshaping politicians, business, schools, churches and neighborhoods. "Latino in America." See it here on CNN.

CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Kyra Phillips, live from New York.