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American Morning
Tsunami Devastates Samoa and American Samoa; Public Option Amendment Voted Down in Senate Finance Committee; Is Public Option Dead?; Why There's So Much Anger Directed at the President; Intelligent Thrift in Vogue; Fusion Centers at Hub of Government Tracking
Aired September 30, 2009 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: That brings us to the top of the hour. It' 7:00 eastern. Thanks for joining us on the most news in the morning. It is Wednesday, the 30th of September. I'm John Roberts.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kiran Chetry. Glad you're with us. We have a lot of big stories we're breaking down for you in the new the next 15 minutes.
We're following breaking news right now out of the Samoan islands. Entire villages flattened in the south pacific. And help is on the way right now from the U.S. after a powerful earthquake triggered a killer tsunami on the Samoan islands. More than 80 people said to be killed, dozens more injured, and many missing.
There are some stunning eyewitness accounts on exactly what happened ahead.
ROBERTS: And this just into CNN. We are getting reports of another powerful earthquake rocking western Indonesia this morning. Another regional tsunami watch has been issued, this not too far from the epicenter of that huge earthquake that triggered the killer tsunami across the Indian Ocean back in late 2004.
This just off of the western coast of Sumatra.
CHETRY: And also, watch what you say online, because police play be watching you.
Today we have another installment of our special series, "Watching You 24/7," and we're going to tell you about these secret fusion centers set up all over the country. And it enables police to track potential threats, but in some cases, innocent people may be getting caught up in the web.
More now on our developing story this morning, an absolutely disaster in what was a true paradise. This is the area where a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck the islands of Samoa and American Samoa, triggering massive tsunami waves that flattened villages and swept cars and people out to sea.
The number of dead is now rising, more than 80 and counting across the south pacific right now. The director of health services in American Samoa was quoted as saying "I thought it was the end of the world."
And there's more. Our Zain Verjee joins us live with some stunning eyewitness accounts of the earthquake and the killer tsunami. Good morning, Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kiran.
I spoke to one aid worker who met some people at a village, and he said that they were in shock. They were so stunned he described them as being like statues, that they couldn't believe or even speak to him about what had just happened.
I did manage to speak to some residents on Samoa and American Samoan islands, and here's what they had to say about what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE (voice-over): They practiced drills before, but this tsunami was the real thing, leaving residents on the Samoa island chain shocked.
MAULOLO TAVITA, WITNESS TO EARTHQUAKE: Houses were completely demolished, there were all shattered into pieces of kindling. They were all floating in the waters. And, you know, they were still looking for some missing relatives. And I've never seen something like this before in my whole life.
TASATOLO TAUGI, STUDENT, AMERICAN SAMOA: The roads are blocked, and I mean, it's cut into half.
DR. SALAMO LAUMOLI, DIRECTOR OF HEALTH, American SAMOA: It was so strong, it was so strong. I thought the earth would be broken on its surface.
VERJEE: One aide worker describes the waves in one village.
MALCOLM JOHNSON, RED CROSS: The wave must have been very high, because when we were out there, the power lines, they're about 30 feet up, there was a fine mists up on the power lines. So the wave would have been fairly close to that if not over the top of 30-foot power pole.
VERJEE (on camera): How afraid are you right now?
STEVEN PERCIVAL, RESIDENT, SAMOA: I guess the aftermath has already passed by, so we are now just having to deal with the tragedy and the loss of life.
VERJEE (voice-over): There are fears of aftershocks and more killer waves. Right now, the focus is survival.
TAVITA: The main things they need, number one, they need shelters, you know. Number two, they badly need clothes. And number three, they badly need medicine.
VERJEE: Zain Verjee, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE: One resident I spoke to on Samoa Island said that they all are really feeling it so acutely because it's an island community, and everyone knows everyone else, so they really feel the loss because they're close to everyone they live with -- Kiran?
CHETRY: It's just so devastating to see the pictures and the aftermath of the situation. As we understand, some FEMA officials will be coming from California to try to help out. They're also expecting to get a shipment from a C-130 transport plane out of Hawaii, but it looks like they really need this help, and concerns about possible aftershocks.
VERJEE: Exactly. People I spoke to said that that was one of their concerns, as well as another tsunami. So they were really afraid of that.
But one thing that one person pointed out to me also was the fear that there would be a total breakdown in law and order. There have been reports of looting and people just going out to their stores and just boarding them up because they're afraid that the police and the security forces at this point aren't able to control things.
CHETRY: What a tough situation there. Zain, thank you for giving us some of the firsthand perspective of what's going on. Thanks, Zain.
Also President Obama issued a statement late last night. He said, quote, "I'm closely monitoring these tragic events and have declared a major disaster for American Samoa which will provide the tools necessary for a full, swift, and aggressive response."
And you can be involved in that response. Go to CNN.com/impact. You can find several resources for helping people devastated by the tsunami. There are links to aid organizations. It's all there at CNN.com/impact.
ROBERTS: To the make or break push on health care reform now, and in a major blow to the public option, some Democrats in the Senate Finance Committee joining Republicans voting to keep a government-run plan out of their bill.
So is that plan dead in the water? Will the president let it die? Our Jim Acosta is tracking the latest from Washington for us this morning. Do we have an answer to those questions yet, Jim?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're not sure if the president's going to let it die. There are some Democrats in Congress who are not going to let it die, John, and you know all of the other bills coming out of committee in Congress have the public option.
So these votes yesterday were the first big losses for the public option on Capitol Hill with a handful of centrist Democrats coming down against it. But that does not mean public option supporters are going away just yet.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Rockefeller?
SEN. JAY ROCKEFELLER (D), WEST VIRGINIA: Aye.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Rockefeller aye.
Mr. Conrad?
SEN. KENT CONRAD (D), NORTH DAKOTA: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Conrad, no.
ACOSTA: This time the nos came from Democrats who joined Republicans to defeat the public option, keeping it out of the Senate finance committee's crucial version of health care reform.
The committee's chairman argued there's no way the option could beat a filibuster in the Senate.
SEN. MAX BAUCUS (D-MT), FINANCE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: No one has been able to show me how we can count up to 60 votes with a public option in the bill, and thus I am constrained to vote against the amendments.
ACOSTA: Two amendments that would give the uninsured the option of joining a government-run health care plan pitted Democrat against Democrat.
Public options supporter Jay Rockefeller cited data from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office that says the provision would save the government $50 billion. A bill without the option, he argued, gives the insurance industry a pass.
ROCKEFELLER: Who comes first, the insurance companies or the American people?
BAUCUS: We all agree on the goal.
ACOSTA: Republicans also got into the mix, with Iowa's Charles Grassley tangling with public option proponent Chuck Schumer over the prospect of government health care.
SEN. CHUCK GRASSLEY (R), FINANCE COMMITTEE RANKING MEMBER: If you want competition, you don't want the government running everything. The government is not a fair competitor. It's not even a competitor.
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: So you don't want Medicare?
GRASSLEY: It's a predator. SEN. ORRIN HATCH (R-UT), FINANCE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: I can tell you right now, it would be a disaster. And what's worse, the American people will lose an awful lot of control over their own health care needs.
ACOSTA: Just before watching his amendment go down in defeat, Rockefeller signaled the fight would go on.
ROCKEFELLER: The public option is on the march.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Chairman?
BAUCUS: No.
ACOSTA: Then a little more than an hour later, Schumer's public option amendment also lost. But the New York senator was also defiant.
SCHUMER: Today the odds went up that there will be a public option in the bill.
ACOSTA: Liberal health care reform supporters say it was exactly the showdown they wanted.
(on camera): You wanted this debate, right?
RICHARD KIRSCH, HEALTH CARE FOR AMERICA NOW: We definitely wanted this debate. We didn't want our champions in the Senate to shirk from this. We wanted to lay the sides out very clearly, make it really clear that there was a stark choice here between those who want to continue to leave us at the mercy of the private health insurance industry without any competition and those who say we need a choice.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: All eyes now will be on Olympia Snowe, the main Republican who may offer up an amendment that would call for a trigger, threatening the insurance companies with a public option down the road if the industry doesn't change its ways.
There's a reason why some in Washington call her "President Snowe." That's because health care reform just might be riding on her vote -- John?
ROBERTS: It certainly has raised her profile there in Washington.
ACOSTA: It has.
ROBERTS: Jim Acosta this morning. Jim, thanks.
And coming up, by the way, reaction from both sides of the aisle. In about five minutes time we'll be talking to RNC chairman Michael Steele, at the half hour Democratic Congressman Anthony Weiner, who is drawing a line in the sand when it comes to the public option.
And next hour, we'll also talk with Maine's Senator Susan Collins, who is a crucial swing vote in the debate.
CHETRY: Also new this morning, it's Toyota's biggest recall ever, close to 4 million cars. The company says it involves driver's side car mats that can jam the gas pedal and literally create a runaway car.
This jamming has now been reported 102 times, resulting in 13 crashes, 17 injuries, and five deaths, including a horrific crash that killed four family members.
Toyota models on the list include some Avalons, Camrys, Prius, Tacoma and Lexus. Federal safety officials now say owners should just take those mats out now and not wait for a fix.
ROBERTS: And 4,000 troops will be coming home from Iraq next month. The top general in Iraq is expected to make that announcement today before the House Armed Services Committee.
He'll also say attacks have dropped dramatically from more than 4,000 in August of 2007 to about 600 last month.
CHETRY: And only a day on the market and CNN's brand new iPhone app hits the number one spot on iTunes. It is the number one paid application on the list, so apparently people are liking being able to download a lot of interesting information right there at their fingertips on their iPhone.
How do you get yours? Go to iTunes and you can download it. It cost $1.99, and you'll automatically get breaking news alerts and you'll be able to upload iReports right from the palm of your hand, and you can also check out the latest video. So it's at iTunes. Get the app.
ROBERTS: Over the last couple of years we've done a lot of stories on the most news in the morning about the injuries from football. When your head gets banged around that much, exactly what are the internal effects of it? Sanjay Gupta's covered it. We did something on the helmet that has all the sensors inside of it.
Now for the first time the NFL has got some really surprising data on exactly what's happening with its players on the field when they get knocked around to the degree that they do. We'll have that for you coming up.
It's 11 now minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the most news in the morning.
All 10 Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee voted against the public option on Capitol Hill. Democrats are divided on the plan, but almost across the board GOP lawmakers say it is not the solution to our health care crisis.
Here to talk about that and much more is Michael Steele. He's the chairman of the Republican National Committee. Mr. Chairman, good to see you this morning. So what do you make of this public option amendment or the vote going down to defeat in the finance committee yesterday? Does that mean that this is dead? Might it live to see another day?
And if Democrats are this divided over the idea of a public option, will health care reform ever get done?
MICHAEL STEELE, CHAIRMAN, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: Well, that's a very good question. I think that's really the top line question you start with, what is it going to take to get true health care reform done?
I don't see the approach that the administration is taking along with the members of the house, getting us where we need to be. I think the vote yesterday reflects more of a division within the Democratic Party between its center right and its left.
I think that when you get to the House there's a very different story. It's very clear where Nancy Pelosi is on the public option as well as Representative Weiner and others, who are out front on that particular part of this issue.
The bottom line for me, though, is, having grown up in this town and know how they operate, a committee vote doesn't mean a whole lot to me. A conference vote doesn't mean a whole lot to me until I see what's in the bill and the bill actually explicitly precludes a public option down the road.
So do you think that this idea of a public option may, in fact, have more life? The supporters on the Democratic side are thinking of putting it to a full vote in the Senate.
STEELE: No, absolutely. I think it does. I think where the voters have to stay on top of this is watch how they recast this particular issue and whether it comes in the form of a co-op, whether it comes in the form of some other language that they use, whether they set the litmus test that insurance companies or individuals have to meet, which will be probably difficult to meet when you put it all together, that will automatically trigger a public option.
I think all of these parts of this have to be taken into consideration. This is not a done decision with respect to the public option. There are several rounds left before we really see what it means.
ROBERTS: And Mr. Chairman, I want to ask you a little bit about anger in America. It was really driven home over the weekend by this incredibly tasteless Facebook poll that asked whether or not President Obama should be killed. You know, the choices were yes, maybe, if he cuts my health care, no.
We talked to Boyce Watkins from Syracuse University yesterday, who said that he thought this was emblematic of a larger problem of racism in this country. What are your thoughts on that? Do you agree? Was this spawned by racism? STEELE: Well, you know -- no, I don't think. I'm always very careful about going down that road, you know, so blindly and so quickly. First off, let's deal with the question that's on Facebook, how stupid is that? Why would you even put something like that on Facebook? You know, it takes us to a place where we don't need to be, quite frankly in the debate of any public policy issue, number one.
Number two, I think more to the point is, we've always had underlying everything we've done in this country, whether it's, you know, the happiest times or the worst of times, race is a factor because all boats don't rise equally. Everyone is affected differently, and their perceptions are driven by what people may tell them or what they know, in fact.
And I think cooler heads -- I applaud the president on this front. He's been out there saying look, let's separate all of this into the appropriate pockets and not go down this road unnecessarily. And I think the Facebook is a bad example of -- a good example of a bad practice, actually.
ROBERTS: Tom -- Tom Friedman, of course, noted columnist with "The New York Times," author of many best selling books, had something interesting to say on all of this anger surrounding the president and from the opposition. He said, "Criticism from the far right has begun tipping over into delegitimation and creating the same kind of climate here that existed in Israel on the eve of the Rabin assassination."
Do you agree with that? I mean, we're going down a road where there's potential violence?
STEELE: Where do these nut jobs come from? I mean, come on, stop this. I mean, wait a minute.
ROBERTS: Wait a minute, Tom Friedman is a nut job?
STEELE: Well, I'm just saying to make those kinds of equations, you know, examples, and put that out there that way, to me is just crazy. And yes, I'm sorry, but if you're going to approach this discussion, approach it from a rational position, you're saying because you disagree with the president on policy, that all of a sudden we're going to make this leap into, you know, assassinations and all this other stuff.
I mean, at the height of all this stuff on Bush and people complaining and protesting, and jumping up and down, you didn't have this kind of conversation. Now all of a sudden you're going to color it because of a public policy debate in terms of, because the president is black.
ROBERTS: But Mr. Chairman...
STEELE: And I just don't -- I just don't think that's necessarily where you need to go.
ROBERTS: Not to say that it's about the color of his skin or his background, ethnic background or whatever, but threats against this president are at a level 400 percent higher than they were against former President Bush. What explains that?
STEELE: I mean, how do we know that? No one's ever reported on what the threat levels were with President Bush or any other president.
ROBERTS: Secret Service has indicated that the threat levels against this president are 400 percent higher than they were against President Bush.
STEEELE: Well, I don't -- I don't know -- I don't know that because I don't have a report to compare that to. The Secret Service has it. I haven't seen that publicly put out there statistically to show that.
But even if it is, this is my point. You know, I think that we need to be very smart and very careful about jumping, making these leaps on race and connecting dots that may or may not exist there. We are engaged as a country right now in a very important public policy debate, whether it's the war in Afghanistan or health care cap and trade or what happens to be. There are passions that run deep and long on both sides of the aisle.
Don't necessarily jump to the conclusion that, because someone says something vitriolic or hot that that's necessarily from the right or necessarily from the left. It's reflecting deep-seeded frustrations that people have. We don't excuse it but I just -- I want us to be very careful because I just -- I see ugly things happening down the road if we're not smart approaching these types of issues.
ROBERTS: And if I could just ask you one quick last question, Mr. Chairman, would you rather go to -- it's a multiple choice question, the Olympics in Chicago, Rio de Janeiro or Madrid?
STEELE: I -- if I could afford a ticket, if I have a job at the time, you know, if I'm not worried about paying my bills, maybe I'll make that decision at that time. That's seven years from now, as far as I'm concerned. Right now, let's focus on getting Americans back to work and we can worry about where we go to the Olympics later.
ROBERTS: All right. Mr. Chairman, thanks so much. Good to catch up with you this morning. Appreciate it.
STEELE: You got it. Take care.
ROBERTS: Just ahead, by the way, we're going to be talking with one Democratic lawmaker pushing hard for the public option for health care, New York Congressman Anthony Weiner, will be with us at the half hour right here on the "Most News in the Morning" now.
Twenty minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Oh, that certainly got things moving today. Wow. We have a beautiful shot of Buffalo, delicious buffalo wings come from Buffalo, as well as many other wonderful things.
ROBERTS: Like Michelle Kumber (ph).
CHETRY: Like our Michelle Kumber (ph), one of our best bookers (ph) ever.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Wolf Blitzer.
ROBERTS: Wolf Blitzer.
CHETRY: There you go.
ROBERTS: And, of course, the late Tim Russert as well.
CHETRY: Well, it's 34 degrees right now in Buffalo. That's the downside. It's going up to the high of 49 and cloudy.
ROBERTS: That's an even more downside.
CHETRY: Yes. OK, we tried.
Christine Romans is here "Minding Your Business" this morning.
ROBERTS: Stay inside and have a beef on (INAUDIBLE) today, right?
ROMANS: Yes. I got the bright side today, and the bright side is the great recession is changing how we behave with our money. It's making us save more. It's making us pay down our debt, and this is something that according to a survey from Consumer Reports, it's going to last, you guys.
They're calling this intelligent thrift. Sometimes being thrifty can be not very intelligent because you're not sort of investing in your future. But they're calling this intelligent thrift, and they say it's replacing this credit-driven spending that was such a big problem over the past 20 or 30 years.
This is what they've found. They surveyed more than 1,000 people. Bye-bye big spending. Seventy-one percent of people say they're only buying the absolute essentials. Sixty-one percent of people saying they're eating out less. Fifty-eight percent spent less on vacation and 53 percent are putting less on a credit card.
In many cases it's because your credit card interest rates are going up, they've cut your credit lines. You don't have the borrowed money to spend, and that is forcing you to pull back. In some cases people do have money to spend, but they're just so scarred, they don't want to be -- they don't want to be in a defensive position going forward. Even when the recession ends, people say this kind of behavior is going to continue.
So, "Consumer Reports" asked people, if you had $10,000 tax free -- so think of that for a second. You get ten grand tax free, what would you do with it? Two-thirds said they would pay down debt or save. They call this a new fiscal conservatism. Even once the recession ends, I think it's going to last.
We put together a little survey for you, a little quiz for you to take to find out if you are intelligent thrift, or you're still suffering from bubble vision over the past 20 years. You can go to CNN.com/amFIX to see what it's like.
But we asked a bunch of questions, the same sort of questions what you would do. You can find out if you are -- if you need an intervention, a money intervention. You can find out if you still have this bubble vision, if you're a frugalist or you're a financial overachiever. I can't wait for you guys to take this survey.
ROBERTS: Yes.
ROMANS: But what would you guys do with $10,000 tax free? Would you pay down debt?
CHETRY: Save it.
ROBERTS: Save it.
ROMANS: Me too. I would too. I think a lot of people just know that they can't. Those days are over, you know. And some people if they got the money they would have to pay down debt. They're still trying to dig out from other people's money that they spent already.
CHETRY: All right. Christine Romans for us this morning. Thanks.
ROMANS: Great.
CHETRY: We'll take the quiz.
ROMANS: Take the quiz.
CHETRY: We're going to take a quick break. It's 26 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: The debate over your privacy versus your security has been heating up ever since the government intensified its watch for terrorists operating within our borders. Now the case of one man who took a picture of the governor and ended up in jail is shining a light on another secret way the government may be keeping an eye on you.
Gerri Willis here now with another report in our series "Watching You 24/7."
I don't think most people have any idea that this is going on.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: That's absolutely right. Well, since 9/11, there have been a lot of debate about privacy rights in the age of terrorism. Well, fusion centers are state-run domestic intelligence centers that have access to a lot of your personal data. Some feel they're central to the war on terrorism, but others are worried that they're gathering too much info on people who are not suspected of crimes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEN KRAYESKE, ARRESTED BY HARTFORD POLICE OFFICERS: I dropped the bike.
WILLIS (voice-over): It was the morning of Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell's inaugural parade.
KRAYESKE: I pulled out my camera and I just shoot Governor Rell, about 23 shots.
WILLIS: Moments later, Ken Krayeske was stopped by Hartford police officers, handcuffed, arrested and jailed.
KRAYESKE: I said well what did I do? And I said you shouldn't have been making those threats.
WILLIS: Local police had been on the lookout for him after state police gave out a security bulletin with his photo on it. Officials wouldn't comment pending a civil lawsuit. But court documents reveal state police were alarmed by Krayeske's blog posts. "Who's going to protest the inaugural ball with me, and no need to make nice."
KRAYESKE: Why do I have to be nice to a political figure simply because she won an election?
WILLIS: Police began digging for more information, mining public and commercial databases. They learned Krayeske had been a Green Party campaign director, had protested a gubernatorial debate and had once been convicted for civil disobedience. He had no history of violence.
Law professor Danielle Citron says police aren't supposed to gather information on citizens who aren't suspected of a crime.
DANIELLE CITRON, PRIVACY EXPERT: If we're interested in someone because they're an advocate for a Green Party candidate, and we think they're suspicious because they want to get other people to protest someone's ideas but not because we think there's a true threat to their lives, I think that's just troubling.
WILLIS: Today law enforcement collects and shares more information than ever, and much of it goes on at state intelligence centers, called fusion centers.
(on camera): Fusion centers were started after 9/11 to help federal, state and local law enforcement connect the dots and stop a terrorist attack. The Department of Homeland Security says they are a critical tool in keeping the nation safe.
JANET NAPOLITANO, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: In a typical fusion center, an FBI agent might be sitting next to a state highway patrol officer. They don't merely share space. They share databases and techniques. WILLIS (voice-over): But what's going into the databases have critics worried. The ACLU there's evidence that some fusion centers have targeted Muslim groups and peace activists for surveillance.
RICH KELLY, DIRECTOR, REGIONAL OPERATIONS INTELLIGENCE CENTER: They're collecting information about people that has no relevance as to whether or not they're breaking the law.
We're at the center of the analysis zone...
WILLIS: The director of New Jersey's fusion center says law enforcement works hard to balance national security with individual privacy.
KELLY: We in law enforcement and certainly in fusion centers, are very attuned to the bill of rights. We are not in the business of investigating first amendment or constitutionally protected rights.
WILLIS: But Ken Krayeske thinks police in his town crossed the line.
KRAYESKE: The police did not determine the difference between who was dangerous, and who was merely expressing constitutionally protected viewpoints.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: So how many of these fusion centers are there out there?
WILLIS: John, there are 72 fusion centers. And look, while there's no strict federal oversight there are guidelines in place that fusion centers are supposed to adhere to.
ROBERTS: Right. So how concerned should we be about all of this, that there's fusion centers out there gathering information on people who have not committed crimes?
WILLIS: Well, look, even if you're not a political activist you do need to think about this and it's always advisable to watch what you say and you do online. If you're on social networking sites make sure to set those privacy settings. It's not just law enforcement you have to worry about today. Employers are also increasingly searching the web for job information on job candidates. So you don't know who is watching over your shoulder when you're on a social networking site.
ROBERTS: Yes. (INAUDIBLE) you wouldn't realize before. Fascinating series. Very illuminating too.
WILLIS: Thank you.
ROBERTS: Gerri, thanks so much.
We're crossing the bottom of the hour now. Checking this morning's top stories. At least 84 people are dead, dozens missing after a powerful earthquake triggered a killer tsunami, sweeping across the Samoan islands in Tonga, entire villages have been flattened. In some areas, many bridges and roads simply gone, washed out to sea. The remote islands is several thousands miles off Australia's eastern coast and the South Pacific, kind of halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand. The White House has declared a major disaster area in American Samoa.
Three American hikers jailed in Iran have met with diplomats from Switzerland. There are no official relations between Washington and Tehran, so the Swiss are representing U.S. interests. Those diplomats are not saying much right now but the State Department says, "We welcome this step. The U.S. and Iran will meet across the table with four other nations tomorrow" for talks on Tehran's nuclear program.
And President Obama is launching a major debate over the war in Afghanistan. He is meeting with top military officials and secretary of state Hillary Clinton in the White House situation room. On the agenda, General Stanley McChrystal's report that he needs thousands more U.S. troops in the war torn nation in the next 12 months or the U.S. mission there could fail. The White House says the president's decision is still weeks away. Kiran.
CHETRY: John, thanks.
Well, on Capitol Hill democrats are divided over the make-or- break push on health care. The plan for a public option which would be a government insurance plan couldn't make it out of the Senate finance committee. It got no Republican support and actually some Democrats joined the GOP voting against it. But over in the house, our next guest has said all along that for reform to have any teeth and for costs to eventually come down, a public option has to be there.
Joining me now is New York Democrat congressman Anthony Weiner. Congressman Weiner, thanks for being with us this morning.
REP. ANTHONY WEINER (D), NEW YORK: My pleasure, thanks.
CHETRY: You have been very passionate about this as we've seen the debate go back and forth. And just explain once again why you think it is so vital to have a public option, why the government needs to get in the game when it comes to insurance in your opinion.
WEINER: Because we have some experience watching insurance companies operate in the different markets and frankly there's nothing really containing costs. The insurance companies don't really compete on price. We know that because it's gone up, the cost has gone up dramatically. 17,000 Americans will lose their health care today because they can't afford it. So we know that if don't introduce some competition and some choice, there's really no downward pressure on price.
It's fairly easy to do the other things we're trying to do, provide insurance for the uninsured, there's only about 10 percent of the country, make sure that our insurance company treats us better. Those things are relatively easier to do. The tough thing is how you contain costs so it doesn't gobble up our whole economy.
CHETRY: Why not go for where the consensus is right now? Why has the health care debate become so contentious? Meaning everybody we have on here, both Republicans and Democrats from both sides of the spectrum say we can agree on -these four things. Let's say, as you brought up, no pre-existing conditions, capping how much people have to pay out-of-pocket, trying to get medical records more streamline. Why can't that sort of be tackled first and then maybe move on to something more ambitious once we can show that works?
WEINER: Because the things, the cost containment part is the important part. Frankly, you know, we are all going to have a situation where our entire deficit is health care costs. The reason there's a downward pressure in our economy right now is who would hire someone when a third of all their payroll has to go for health care.
GM had a bankruptcy that almost all of the bankruptcy filing talked about their high health care costs. Yes, we can do the incremental easy things, saying insurance companies can't do that they never should have anyway which is knocked someone off for a pre- existing condition. But unless we start to bend that cost curve down. All of this exercise is really going to miss the point.
We are at 17 percent of our gross national product, are we going to wait until we're 25, or 30 to 40 percent? That's what the experts say the arc is that we're on. And insurance company say trust us, or give us this extra customers and we'll do our best to keep the cost down. That's not good enough and they've been saying that now for two generations.
We do know that something works. And that's Medicare. Medicare does four percent overhead, does what insurance companies do for up to 30 percent overhead in profits. So we know, there's a model out there that's less expensive and better for taxpayers, that's the one we should try.
CHETRY: So when we talk about whether or not this would pass. I mean, it didn't come out of the Senate, the public option or government backed insurance didn't come out of the Senate. Right now, it is still in the House bills and there's major contentious debate over whether or not it's going to survive. And so in your situation would you vote against any bill that did not contain a public option?
WEINER: Well, I got to tell you, I'm not prepared to draw lines in the sand but I will say no proposal that's come out either from my conservative friends in the Democratic Party or the Republicans really contain costs. The only thing it does is a public option and I believe when President Obama stood up and said that's why we're doing to contain costs and that he supported a public option.
Look, let's face it, when President Obama steps into the ring here and says I'm going to start to mediate these things and I want a public option we'll have the momentum to do it. You know, it's been said that the Senate is the cooling saucer of our democracy.
Recently it's like the meat locker of our democracy. Things go there, good ideas go there to die. We in the House are going to include it in our bill and hopefully it's what comes out at the other end. If we miss this opportunity it's not going to come around again very quickly.
CHETRY: The president has not been terribly outspoken about pushing for a public option. Do you believe that it's something that he really needs to see in order to be happy with a bill
WEINER: Well, the president made a pretty good argument for the public option when he gave that speech before Congress and the American people. He laid out the reason you need it. He said if anyone is going to compete with the insurance companies to hold down prices, it has to be a public option. The companies aren't doing it themselves. He did say that if we don't get these costs under control we're going to have to do something to slash services or raise taxes, something none of us want to do.
So he has said it, but the question is, is when and if he wades into this debate that we're having in Congress now and starts to make the phone calls and starts to lean on people and say that we really need this. If he does that, it's going to pass. That's always the way these things happen with big presidential leadership.
CHETRY: And we'll have to see how it goes as we talked about before, it's still tangled up but you believe actually it's moving rather quickly.
WEINER: I'm hopeful. I'm not relying on the Senate Finance Committee, that's for sure.
CHETRY: All right. Well, we'll see what happens. Congressman Weiner, always glad to have you on the show.
WEINER: Thank you.
CHETRY: Thanks for being here today.
Also stay with us because in 35 minutes we're going to be switching parties and switching chambers and we're going to be talking about this debate over health care with Maine Senator Susan Collins, she's a Republican, and she's somebody that both sides want to get on their side with this. The White House has gone all-out trying to get her pivotal vote and she has been a tough sell. So we're going to hear from here this morning as well. 39 minutes after the hour right now.
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ROBERTS: If you watch football, you've probably cheered some of those really hard hits. Take a look at this one from Sunday. New York Jet Mark Sanchez got the TD against the Titans but what about the huge blow to the head there? A new study commissioned by the NFL finds that players end up with Alzheimer's and other brain disorders far more than the rest of us do.
In fact, 19 times more often for men between the ages of 30 and 49. Here to talk about the startling statistic is Dr. Julian Bailes. He is the former doctor for the Pittsburgh Steelers and he is calling the study a game changer. Dr. Bales, it's good to talk to you this morning. The NFL has long said it doesn't really have any empirical evidence to measure the amount of brain damage that some of its players are experiencing on the field. Now it does. So the question is, what next?
DR. JULIAN BAILES, CHAIRMAN, NEUROSURGERY DEPT., WEST VIRGINIA UNIV.: Well, you'll have to ask the NFL that. I'm not sure. For years they've denied the existence or possibility that multiple concussions or brain injuries could lead to problems later in life. So this is a big development, a new development, very troublesome, but we've got to decide how to move forward, how to make the became safer.
ROBERTS: So what does this say about what these men are experiencing on the field?
BAILES: Well, this was a survey report, a survey research that said that as you stated 19 times more chance in their 30s and 40s about five or six times higher chance of having dementia, Alzheimer's, or memory problems after age 50. So it says, I think it corroborates, it confirms the research that we and others have done several years ago showing that there is the potential for long-term brain effects from multiple concussions.
ROBERTS: In fact you presented similar data to an NFL meeting in 2007. You were met by eye-rolling in the crowds, some anger. You felt alienated at the time. Do you feel vindicated now?
BAILES: Well, I don't want to say vindicated. I think it's important that we continue the research, continue to try to figure this out. The NFL has great physicians, great leadership and they need to decide what's the next step. We've got to as much as we can take the head out of the game and move this forward to make the greatest sport in America, in my opinion, safer.
ROBERTS: For the moment, at least, doctor, it seems as though the NFL's next move is to do more research. They told us that for now, here is a statement from them, "Our focus is on the proper prevention and treatment of concussions in our game. We do this through rule changes and enforcement, education of players, their families, coaches and team personnel and ensuring that our players have the best medical care available."
So more research but I mean, because of this research that's out there now, these statistics, this empirical evidence of what's going on in the brains of football players, is it incumbent upon them to address it in a way, rather than just doing more research, actually do something practical?
BAILES: Well, I agree, John. They've been saying that for years and they always say they're going to do their own study and finally they have. So let's see how they react to this.
I think you're right, more research, more trying to figure this out, I think we've identified the problem. I think it's a big deal and I think it has to be addressed now with rules changes, conservative management, and remember, everything that the NFL does is going to trickle down to -- to younger athletes in high school and college and even pee-wee athletes.
ROBERTS: But I guess the big question, though, is given what the game is and -- and how it's played, what more can you really do? You know, the equipment obviously has improved over the years, but there are still limitations on the equipment. We have seen these -- these high tech helmets that have sensors built into them.
So, the team physician has a -- has a clear idea of -- a pretty clear idea, at least, of what's going on with the -- in the head of some of these players when they get some hard hits, but, I mean, unless you fundamentally change the game, what else can you do?
BAILES: Well you've got to do a very good job of identifying concussions, you've got to consider maybe rules changes to eliminate head contact. I even proposed something several years ago which was considered radical -- take the head out of the game, get linemen out of the three-point stance so they don't have this mandatory or obligatory head contact on every play. Maybe one day genetic testing. Our research is showing that there may be a certain group who are genetically pre-disposed to this sort of injury.
ROBERTS: Wow! That certainly is an eye-opening data set that we've got there, and Dr. Bailes, thanks for being with us this morning and sharing your thoughts on it. We really appreciate it.
BAILES: Thank you, John.
CHETRY: All right, well here's what's coming up in the A.M. rundown. Dire warnings about texting and driving. It can be more dangerous than being drunk behind the wheel and now the government wants to lay down the law. Jason Carroll is tracking the story for us.
At the top of the hour, devastation after deadly tsunamis hit the Samoan islands. The president has now declared a major disaster. We're live with the latest on getting help to the desperate victims.
And at 10 minutes past, she could be a crucial vote in the make or break push on health care. We're going to be talking with her, Republican Senator Susan Collins, live.
It's 46 minutes past the hour.
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ROBERTS: Hey, Christine, listen up! We're doing the weather for Iowa this morning.
CHETRY: The corn's looking good!
ROBERTS: Good morning. Des Moines clear and 40 degrees right now, later on today sunny with a high of 72. September is such a beautiful time in -- in Iowa, although only one more day to enjoy September.
I remember going to a campaign event there in 2004. It was just perfect. The only problem is is that you knew that in a month and a half it was going to be so cold you wouldn't want to go outside.
New this morning, for the third straight month statistics show that home prices are up, more proof that a housing recovery is under way, no matter how small it is. Home prices still more than 13 percent below what they were a year ago.
CHETRY: A new Arizona law goes into effect today. It's going to allow guns in bars and restaurants that serve alcohol, but the exception will be that establishments that have a sign that bans them, then you can't bring your guns in there.
Well, the director of the Western Division of the National Rifle Association which backs the new law said people have the right to protect themselves and "bad things happen in bars and restaurants."
ROBERTS: And break out the coat, because experts say this could be the coldest winter in a decade, at least in the Northeast which is already the country's largest market for home heating oil. A top weather forecaster says it's El Nino that's to blame.
We're going to go to the CNN Weather Center to see if there is a consensus there.
CHETRY: Well, we've all been guilty of it at times, driving and you get a text or you check your BlackBerry and -- or there's a call that you have to take, maybe it's even a song that you want to hear on your iPod. Well, today in D.C. the Department of Transportation will be kicking off a two-day summit about distracted driving. They say it's a problem that is only growing and that the results are devastating, and the goal is to keep everybody on the road safer.
Our Jason Carroll is here tracking the story for us this morning. You know -- and a lot of people know they shouldn't do it and...
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I've done it.
CHETRY: ... and they do it or they -- they know that they're going to get a ticket if they talk on their cell phone but not if they text.
CARROLL: And the consequences can be a lot more severe than a ticket. You know, when I spoke to the Transportation Secretary, he told me he still thinks that people do not realize just how dangerous this problem is. The summit is part of an attempt to raise public awareness and to get legislators on the road toward passing laws banning texting while driving.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL (voice-over): Some drivers call it fallout from life on the road in the digital age -- texting while driving. A graphic public service announcement produced in the UK, widely seen on the web in the United States, illustrates a violent end. This issue now subject of a distracted driving summit in Washington, D.C., drawing safety experts and leaders from across the country. United States Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says organizers hope to develop recommendations for reducing the problem.
RAY LAHOOD, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: I think what we are attempting to do is raise the public awareness about how unsafe it is to text and drive, and then also talk with folks about the way forward in terms of some solutions.
CARROLL: Groups like the Governor's Highway Safety Association plan to attend the summit. The group initially came out against laws banning texting while driving, then did an about face, after meeting with the group's members who saw that violent PSA and some alarming studies.
VERNON BETKEY JR., CHAIRMAN, GOVERNOR'S HIGHWAY SAFETY ASSOCIATION: I think that as -- as a result of those discussions, the decision was made to readjust our policy.
CARROLL: Summit attendees will have access to recent studies like the one from Virginia Tech Transportation Institute which found a truck driver's risk of accident, 23 times higher while text messaging. Another study done by Professor David Strayer at the University of Utah found another disturbing result.
DAVID STRAYER, UNIVERSITY OF UTAH: Text messaging is a level of impairment that exceeds what we see with someone who is driving while they're drunk.
CARROLL: Exceeds it?
STRAYER: Yes.
CARROLL: Strayer's researchers found a driver with alcohol level .08, legally drunk in most states, is four times more likely to crash, texting, that driver is eight times more likely. Currently, 18 states and the District of Columbia ban texting while driving. Secretary LaHood believes more will follow.
LAHOOD: I believe that sooner rather than later there will be some very good laws to address this very serious problem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: And the Transportation Secretary says following the summit organizers will be working with Congress to develop laws banning texting while driving. The Trucker's Union will be watching closely.
Truckers we spoke to say if any laws are adopted, there should be some sort of an exemption to allow them to use an on-board computer. This is how they communicate with their dispatchers. So, we're going to have that part of the story for you tomorrow as we continue to follow this texting while driving.
CHETRY: It's a little disconcerting to see a big laptop right in there, in the cab of a big rig.
CARROLL: Of a big rig, especially if it's right next to you.
ROBERTS: Although, don't forget, police cars have laptops in them as well.
CARROLL: That is true. That is true.
CHETRY: But they're police. They never break the law.
All right. Well, we're going to have live coverage of this transportation summit.
ROBERTS: She said it with such an innocent look on her face.
CHETRY: Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood would -- will be making that -- it's Roy LaHood, right? It's Roy LaHood, not Ray LaHood.
ROBERTS: It's Ray.
CHETRY: Ray. Ray LaHood making that opening address, 9:25 Eastern this morning. And also they're going to be joined by some victims who are also going to be sharing their stories at noon Eastern. It's all right here on cnn.com/live.
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DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW:: President Obama says he will use all of his powers of persuasion to get the Olympics in Chicago, and I thought, well, great. It's worked pretty well so far with his health care plan, so good luck there. Good luck.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Well, the public option has been dealt a major blow in the make or break push on health care reform, some Democrats in the Senate Finance Committee joining Republicans voting to keep a government-run plan out of their bill. So is the plan dead in the water or might it live to see another day?
Our Jim Acosta tracking the latest in Washington this morning. So, what's the consensus? Is the public option dead or is it on life support or is it just kind of hiding in the corner, ready to leap out at any moment? Where is it, Jim?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, I keep thinking about that line from "The Princess Bride", Billy Crystal saying, "it's only mostly dead." The public option still could make a comeback later on in this process. We'll have to see what happens. But, as you know, all of the other bills coming out of committee in Congress have the public option, so these votes were the first big losses for the public option on Capitol Hill with the handful of centrist Democrats, as you said, coming down against it.
But that does not mean the public option is going away just yet.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Rockefeller?
SEN. JAY ROCKEFELLER (D), WEST VIRGINIA: Aye.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Rockefeller, aye. Mr. Conrad?
SEN. KENT CONRAD (D) , NORTH DAKOTA: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Conrad, no.
ACOSTA (voice-over): This time the "No"s came from Democrats who join Republicans to defeat the public option, keeping it out of the Senate Finance Committee's crucial version of health care reform. The committee's chairman argued there's no way the option could be the filibuster in the Senate.
SEN. MAX BAUCUS (D), FINANCE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: No one has been able to show me how we could count up to 60 votes for the public option in the bill, and thus I'm constrained to vote against the amendment (ph).
ACOSTA: Two amendments that would give the uninsured the option of joining a government-run health care plan pitted Democrat against Democrat. Public option supporter Jay Rockefeller cited data from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office that says the provision would save the government $50 billion. A bill without the option, he argued, gives the insurance industry a pass.
ROCKEFELLER: Who comes first, the insurance companies or the American people?
BAUCUS: We all agree on the -- the goal. There's a whole health insurance feet to the fire (ph).
ACOSTA: Republicans also got into the mix, with Iowa's Charles Grassley tangling with public option proponent Chuck Schumer over the prospect of government health care.
SEN. CHARLES GRASSLEY (R), FINANCE COMMITTEE RANKING MEMBER: If you want competition, you don't want the government running everything. The government is not a fair competitor, it's not even a competitor.
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: So you don't want Medicare?
GRASSLEY: It's a predator. SEN. ORRIN HATCH (R), FINANCE COMMITTEE MEMBER: And I can tell you right now, it would be a disaster. And what's worse, the American people will lose an awful lot of control over their own health care needs.
ACOSTA: Just before watching his amendment go down to defeat, Rockefeller signaled the fight would go on.
ROCKEFELLER: The public option is on the march.
CLERK: Mr. Chairman?
SEN. MAX BAUCUS (D), FINANCE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: No.
ACOSTA: Then, a little more than an hour later, Schumer's public option amendment also lost. But the New York senator was also defiant.
SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), FINANCE COMMITTEE MEMBER: Today, the odds went up that there will be a public option in the bill.
ACOSTA: Liberal health care reform supporters say it was exactly the showdown they wanted.
(on camera): You wanted this debate, right?
RICHARD KIRSH, HEALTH CARE FOR AMERICA NOW: We definitely wanted this debate. We didn't want our champions in the Senate to shirk from this. We wanted to lay the sides out very clearly, make it really clear that there was a stark choice here between those who want to continue to leave us at the mercy of the private health insurance industry without any competition and those who say we need a choice.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: Now, it will be on Olympia Snowe, the Maine Republican who may offer up an amendment that would call for a trigger, threatening the insurance companies with a public option down the road if the insurance industry doesn't change its ways. There is a reason why some in Washington call her "President Snowe" these days because health care reform just might be riding on her vote, John.
But the public option, it's either a hero or a villain from Hollywood. It just keeps coming back.
(LAUGHTER)
ACOSTA: So, you know, if you listen to what some of these Democrats are saying, they are going to bring it back again on the -- on the floor, perhaps in conference. So, the public option is still there.
ROBERTS,: You know, as you said, quoting Billy Crystal in "The Princess Bride," it may be mostly dead...
ACOSTA: Mostly dead.
ROBERTS: But let's not forget, though, he played the magician "Miracle Max" in -- so maybe mostly dead means that potentially still alive.
ACOSTA: That's right. Exactly.
ROBERTS: Jim -- thanks so much, Jim.
Coming up in just a few minutes, we're talking with one senator whose vote could be critical to health care reform on Capitol Hill. Maine Republican Susan Collins joins us live right here on the "Most News in the Morning."
