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Domestic Violence as Pre-existing Condition?; More Questions, Discussions about Afghanistan Strategy; Supreme Court Hears Case on Dog-Fighting Video; Manila Struggling after Typhoon
Aired October 06, 2009 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Tony, thanks so much.
Insult on top of injury. Make that outrage on top of cruelty. Women or men, beaten by spouses or partners, then denied health insurance because of it. Pushing forward on a campaign to make that a crime everywhere.
And we're there when a military deserter decides to stop running.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SPC. DON GARTIN, AWOL FROM U.S. ARMY: I need to get this behind me. I can't keep it up. Looking over my shoulder.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Before he abandoned the Army, Don Gartin says the Army abandoned him.
And we're not saying you should abandon all those fresh foods you eat to stay healthy, but a lot of them could make you sick. The surprising list, and the risks, this hour.
Hello, everyone, I'm Kyra Phillips, live in the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
The phrase strikes fear in the heart of anybody who's ever shopped for health insurance, "pre-existing conditions." Ones that disqualify you or make your insurance more expensive. The list is mind-boggling. I'll run down some examples in just a minute.
But here's one that may take your breath away: domestic violence. I'm not kidding. Take a look: seven states, plus the District of Columbia. They do not have laws that bar insurance companies from rejecting men or women who are beaten up by their spouses.
Now, as I'm sure you're aware, Congress is trying to rewrite health-care rules for everybody. All of the various reform plans would bar insurers from denying anyone based on pre-existing conditions.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi took up the cause just moments ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Think of this: you've survived domestic violence, and now you are discriminated in the insurance market because you have a pre-existing medical condition. Well, that will all be gone under this legislation. In its totality, when we present the bill, and that will be soon, I think all Americans will see that this is very important legislation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Democratic Senator Patty Murray tried to change this. Three years ago, she proposed a law that would prevent insurance companies from denying coverage to abused spouses. Her measure died in committee. But she isn't giving up.
Senator Murray joins me now live from Capitol Hill.
And, Senator, I know you were at that event where Nancy Pelosi was just moments ago. But I want to ask you, you know, how can this even be considered a pre-existing condition? Domestic abuse? I mean, that's appalling.
SEN. PATTY MURRAY (D), WASHINGTON: It is appalling. And I first heard about this many years ago when I was talking to some women who had been victims of domestic violence, asking them what their barriers were to getting out of this situation and leaving an abusive spouse.
And one of them told me, "I can't leave because I have a sick child, and if I leave, I will be denied health-care insurance." Another woman told me that she did not report her domestic violence because her health insurance company would drop her.
I didn't believe them. I checked it out, and to my surprise, it is considered a pre-existing condition by some insurance companies, and they do deny health insurance to a woman because of that. I have been working since that day to ban this practice in this country.
PHILLIPS: So, how do you identify domestic violence as a pre- existing condition, because you just -- as you just pointed out, many men and women don't even talk about this or admit to it?
MURRAY: Well, I asked the woman who told me that she had been denied, and she said, "If you go to the doctor and you have -- and they talk to you and you obviously have been beaten up by somebody, that's part of your medical records, which your insurance company gets, and, therefore, they can deny you coverage because they have that knowledge."
PHILLIPS: Now, Senator, you introduced this amendment in 2006, but a number of Republicans actually voted against this, and that's why it died in committee. Richard Burr, Republican of North Carolina, said that it's deplorable to deny coverage to victims of domestic violence. However, he says that states should be responsible for regulating insurance markets. How do you feel about that?
MURRAY: What I believe is that, if you are a citizen of the United States of America, you should have the ability to buy health- care insurance. You shouldn't be denied health-care coverage because you're a victim of domestic violence or you are a woman who have had a C-section or a pregnancy. I mean, these are pre-existing conditions. Surely in this country, we should provide some protections to all Americans, and women in particular.
PHILLIPS: So, final question, bottom line, after all this debate about pre-existing condition, if any reform bill passes, if this ban is included in health-care reform, then does this mean, no matter what, that every insurance company, no matter what, cannot deny me for a pre-existing condition?
MURRAY: That is correct. That's exactly what we're trying to do, is reform the health-insurance industry so they can't deny somebody for a pre-existing condition. Any pre-existing condition.
PHILLIPS: Senator Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington, appreciate your time today.
MURRAY: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Now, I promised to share some other pre-existing conditions. You heard the senator. She actually mentioned a few. Here's a number that might leave you high and dry and uninsured.
Pregnancy, especially if you've had a c-section in the past. Being an expectant father, infertility, acne, President Obama tells a story about that one. And also autism.
Then there's picking the wrong job. Wrong as in riskier than average. Don't bother filling out the application. At least one big carrier slapped hefty surcharges on or won't even cover it at all. Air traffic controllers, carnival workers, deep-sea fishermen, jockeys and war correspondents.
So, what do you make out of this all of this? Do you feel like you could get the short end of the stick? E-mail or tweet us with your thoughts on pre-existing conditions, especially domestic violence. I'll read your comments right here next hour.
On the same day the bodies of four U.S. troops arrive home, questions about how many more troops to send to Afghanistan. Who the enemy ares [SIC] -- enemies are, rather, and what's going on between the top commander and the defense secretary? And who's who of lawmakers meets with the president in about an hour with a lot of questions.
Let's get straight to White House correspondent, Dan Lothian, for more -- Dan.
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the president will be meeting with some 30 lawmakers. This is a bipartisan group, a chance, we're told by White House officials, for the president to make a presentation. to give a kind of status report of where this administration is in the process of deciding how to move forward in Afghanistan. But I'm also told that the president will initiate a question- and-answer session, a chance for these lawmakers to give their opinions on what they think should be the best strategy.
There are obviously a lot of lawmakers who don't believe that more additional troops, those 40,000 troops, should be sent into Afghanistan, so that will be the -- the focus of this meeting the president will be having here at the White House.
But just a short time ago, the president visited the National Counterterrorism Center. The focus was more on overall intelligence gathering. He was praising the workers there for what they have done to thwart some of the alleged terrorist plots here in the United States.
But he also turned his focus to the global threat. The president saying he is applying focused pressure on al Qaeda.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It should now be clear the United States and our partners have sent an unmistakable message. We will target al Qaeda wherever they take root. We will not yield in our pursuit. And we are developing the capacity and the cooperation to deny a safe haven to any who threaten America and its allies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LOTHIAN: And the president says that that focus will continue, both domestically and around the world, but he also pointed out that the U.S. is making progress in fighting terrorism, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Dan Lothian at the White House. Dan, thanks so much.
CNN's Christiane Amanpour had two of the administration's biggest guns at the table, answering direct questions about Afghanistan. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton took part in an exclusive interview at George Washington University, revealing a lot of stuff. Gates told us what will happen if the Taliban gains ground.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: There's no question in my mind that if the Taliban took large -- took control of significant portions of Afghanistan, that that would be added space for al Qaeda to strengthen itself and -- and more recruitment, more fund-raising.
But what's more important than that, in my view, is the message that it sends that empowers al Qaeda. Al Qaeda in many respects is an ideology, and the notion that they have come back from this defeat, come back from 2002, to challenge not only the United States but NATO, 42 nations and so on, is a hugely empowering message, should they be successful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Gates, Clinton, and Amanpour also talked about challenges in Iran and the global war on terror. Doesn't get much higher level than this. Got to see that rare and exclusive interview from George Washington University today on a special edition of "AMANPOUR" at 3 Eastern.
Disgusting, yes. Depraved, perhaps. But unconstitutional? The Supreme Court takes a hard look at grisly pictures and the First Amendment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: So it's everywhere where you look: on your street, in your home. How long could you take it? We went to quake-ravaged Indonesia and asked.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EUNICE YOON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There are a lot of your people still living in sewage water.
GILBERT TEODORO, PHILIPPINES SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Yes.
YOON: How long do you expect them to live like this?
TEODORO: Well, they estimate if the water is receding in the same level as it does now, probably even until Christmastime.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Until Christmastime, are you kidding? How many more people have to die?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: It's a crime to sic dogs on each other for sport, but what about dog-fighting videos? The Supreme Court heard arguments today pitting freedom of speech against images most of us find revolting.
CNN's Elaine Quijano is live in D.C. with the details -- Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, this boils down to a First Amendment issue. Should tapes that show dog fights, activity that is illegal in this country and considered animal cruelty, should those tapes be banned and the selling of those tapes illegal? Or is this a matter of protecting free speech?
The video, frankly, Kyra, we can't even show you a lot of it, because it's so graphic. But it shows dog fighting in Japan where dog fighting is legal.
Robert Stevens, a Virginia man, recorded the images and took out ads in an underground magazine promoting this material. The question: is that material so offensive that it can be banned the same way child pornography is?
Well, there's a federal law on the books outlawing the sale of graphic videos of animal cruelty, and the Supreme Court is reviewing whether that law violates free speech rights. Stevens himself was charged and prosecuted under that law, but a federal court overturned that conviction and tossed out the law.
Well, now the Obama administration is asking the high court to find the law constitutional. Today groups like the Humane Society said that, as long as selling those kind of tapes is legal, it will encourage illegal activity like dog fighting. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WAYNE PACELLE, PRESIDENT, HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE U.S.: We work very diligently to enforce anti-dog fighting statutes, more than 250 cases in the last year. But if you can't stop the sale of the video, then you're going to induce people to -- to do more of the dog fighting activities to reach that commercial market.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: But Stevens' lawyers say this case goes to the heart of the First Amendment. And they argue these videos should be considered protected free speech.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATRICIA MILLET, ATTORNEY FOR ROBERT STEVENS: If someone is really, really, really being harmed, then Congress has means to deal with that. The problem in this case was that Congress chose to attack speech and to control what the people of this country could see and hear before it was even seriously punishing the conduct of the issue, and that gets our Constitution upside down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Now, as for a time frame on a decision in this case, it will likely come in the next few months. And, Kyra, we're going through the video now. We're going to have more for you on this story on "THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, we'll follow it with you. Thanks, Elaine.
Top stories now.
She endured losing her newborn son twice, first to an apparent kidnapper, then to the Tennessee child welfare people. Today according to her lawyer, this mom was cleared of claims she tried to sell her baby and will be reunited with the child and her other children. The baby was abducted last week but found safe in Alabama. A suspect is in custody.
Got your swine flu shot yet? Probably not, since the H1N1 vaccine is just now arriving in the U.S. Tennessee and Indiana among the first to get it. In just a few minutes the CDC here in Atlanta will give us an update. We'll watch for it and bring you -- bring you the latest.
The top U.S. commander for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, getting reassuring news on the personal front. General David Petraeus has had successful treatment for early-stage prostate cancer. A spokesperson says the cancer was discovered in February.
Run for your life. Look at these terrifying moments when that massive earthquake hit Indonesia last week. We just got this closed- circuit TV footage, people scrambling out a hotel door as debris comes raining down.
About 200 people were inside that hotel when it collapsed, all of them believed dead. So far 704 people are confirmed killed. It's likely to reach into the thousands.
Just imagine, if you can, these living conditions in Manila: your home is flooded; garbage clogging your sewage system; dirty water making your kid sick. And government aid? You're still waiting for it. That's daily life right now for the folks in the typhoon-battered capital of the Philippines.
Here's our Eunice Yoon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
YOON (voice-over): Ten days after typhoon Katsana flooded the Philippines, rancid water welcomes Georgio Godista (ph) to his home. Godista (ph) shows us how high the water got during this storm, forcing him to elevate all his belongings.
He says three days passed before his family received any relief.
"When the government helps," he says, "it's too late." It's a common complaint in this poor neighborhood, around Laguna de Bay, a lake in the capital of Manila. The government says 2 million residents here live in partially submerged homes. They use tractors, boats, and makeshift barges to move around the standing floodwaters that submerged what once was Main Street.
Now garbage is clogging up the city's antiquated drainage and sewage systems. The Asian Development Bank says Manila generates 6,700 tons of trash a day. Much of the waste is dumped on the streets by citizens or illegally in waterways.
(on camera) Children have been playing in this filthy water for days. Health officials now fear an outbreak of disease.
(voice-over) "All the children have diarrhea right now," Godista (ph) says. "I don't know how to fix the situation."
The government has come under fire for its handling of the disaster. Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro is in charge of relief.
(on camera) There are a lot of your people still living in sewage water.
TEODORO: Yes.
YOON: How long do you expect them to live like this?
TEODORO: Well, they estimate it's -- if the water's receding in the same level as it does now, probably even until Christmastime or even...
YOON: Do you think that's acceptable?
TEODORO: Definitely not, as far as we have to work -- you know, to try to dredge things, try to clean up.
YOON (voice-over): But back near the lake, the garbage and tempers are rising. Hundreds of people are gathering on this bridge. They were told more supplies would be handed out here at 10 in the morning. It's now almost 4 p.m. Some have been waiting all night.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Until now we're waiting here. Nobody's coming.
YOON: Yet in one of the nearby streets, a truckload of goods arrives. These packets of canned food and rice are not from the government, but wealthy private citizens: businessmen and lawyers who can't stand idly by.
(on camera) Why not just evacuate those people? Get them out of that situation?
TEODORO: We do. We do. But there is a challenge for them evacuating. They really will not leave their -- their most valuable worldly possessions.
YOON: Are you worried that these people are going to get sick...
TEODORO: We are.
YOON: ... or even die?
TEODORO: We are worried. But, you know, given a choice, there are evacuation orders, but they opt not to.
YOON (voice-over): Godista (ph) says he and his community shouldn't be blamed for staying. Public housing is not readily available in this country. "This is where our livelihood is," he says. "We can't leave this place."
Instead, they wait. And wait.
Eunice Yoon, CNN, Manila.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: That huge wildfire in Southern California is still giving firefighters a fit. It's burned more than 7,000 acres in the San Gabriel Mountains just northeast of L.A.
Chad Myers keeping an eye on it. You know, those firefighters, well, hopefully, they'll get some help today.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: They got SOME cooler weather. And, you know, it's all relative. But it was 41 degrees in Wrightwood, which is basically where the fire is and especially just to the south of there. We'll do a -- we'll do a live temp map right here, and we'll go back over toward -- there's some winds in Pomona at 3 miles per hour. We'll do temperatures here, back up here, all the way up to Fontana, although that's a little bit farther to the south there.
You can see Rancho Cucamonga, 57 degrees. And I saw some temperatures this morning, really, in the 40s. And so I guess that makes work a little bit easier, but it doesn't help put the fire out at all.
Here are some of the winds. Let's go over here to San Bernardino. I know there's a reporting station there. Winds are calm there. At Pomona, 3 miles per hour.
So, it's a little bit better. If you don't have a Santa Ana event, that's the good news, I guess in here. As we fly you back over here, I've gone a long way. Here's Dallas and Fort Worth.
Severe weather to your west. Probably closer to the airport than to DFW. It's Love Field probably. I would say DFW might get some airport slowdowns because of this severe weather. Sliding you back toward Little Rock, a couple of showers and thunderstorms there, as well. And if you are just into Nashville or just west of Nashville, there are showers and thunderstorms developing back out to the west of you.
We have not talked about severe weather the past couple of what seems like months, Kyra, although today could be a severe weather day as we see temperatures clash between warm and the cold, and a big cool-down for the weekend coming up for all of the upper Midwest.
PHILLIPS: All right. Thanks, Chad.
MYERS: Sure.
PHILLIPS: It's hard to believe, but a lot of those western wildfires were intentionally set. Now there's a push on Capitol Hill for a new firefighting weapon: a national registry of convicted arsonists. It makes great sense to us. And right now only three states have one: California, Illinois, and Montana. Investigators say it will help them narrow down the list of suspects when fire does break out.
Risky foods, quick, what do you think of? Burger, fries, pizza? Think again. You might want to scrap that spinach, trash the tomatoes, beware those berries. Talk about redefining risky.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: All right. Let's go ahead and listen in to Robert Gibbs, the White House briefing, and see if they talk about Afghanistan. Our Ed Henry asking questions right now.
ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I appreciate that you fast-forwarded through the decision-making process, but we're going to focus on that process and getting it right. I'm just not going to get into that.
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ask you a quick thing about China. Why is the president skipping a meeting this week with the Dalai Lama? During the campaign, he said he was looking forward to meeting with the Dalai Lama. Are you concerned about the Chinese government?
GIBBS: We're concerned about the people in Tibet, and we're concerned about the Chinese. I think the statement that the Dalai Lama and its supporters put out yesterday were fully in support of a meeting that will take place later in the year.
They understand a strong relationship -- the stronger relationship that we have with China benefits the Tibetan people. I saw something that said a meeting had been postponed, and that's simply inaccurate.
HENRY: A quick thing on the economy in terms of the reports today saying that...
GIBBS: We just did a quick thing on it.
HENRY: That was quick. That was quick. If the president talked about saving or creating 3 million new jobs, with the stimulus, if you're now talking about new programs to -- for job creation, are you acknowledging that the first stimulus did not create or save those jobs?
GIBBS: No. I think if you look at the -- understand the parameters that we talked about, which you just accurately quoted, are based on the recovery plan that Congress enacted in the middle of February and we have implemented.
Understanding the recession didn't start in mid-February. We didn't start losing jobs January 21. The job loss goes back to, if I'm not mistaken, I'm looking at the graph in my head, I think it's December of 2007.
So, just as I said yesterday in yesterday's answer, that the recovery plan not intended to, dollar-for-dollar, fill the gap or the hole that was created in the downturn in our economy, which I think we said was about a $2 trillion gap. Three million jobs does not exceed the number that have been lost as a result of this recession going back to December of 2007.
QUESTION: Two quick questions. The first one, back to Afghanistan. Does the president think -- yesterday, Secretary Gates said that this discussion should be candid, but it should also be happening privately. Does the president think that this is all happening too publicly, this military debate?
GIBBS: Again, I'm not going to get in the way of parsing generals or secretaries of defense.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
GIBBS: I know. I appreciate the repeated opportunity to do so. The president set up a process, and we're going through that.
QUESTION: OK. Today, Cindy Sheehan was back outside the White House. Yesterday, she chained herself to the North Lawn gate and got arrested. Today she's back, and she says she's actually moving to Washington. She's going to be out there until her complaints are addressed. Is the president or anyone from the White House going to meet with any of these protesters?
GIBBS: Not that I'm aware of.
QUESTION: You said a moment ago that at the beginning of the second meeting, last week's meeting, the president put to rest the idea of leaving Afghanistan. Was he making -- was he saying something new when he said that or...
GIBBS: To you, maybe, but not to us.
QUESTION: No, I just want to make sure. He was -- you're not suggesting that he was making a new policy, stating a new policy? You said he put that to rest then.
GIBBS: No, I -- I...
QUESTION: Did he...
GIBBS: He -- well, look...
QUESTION: Why did he need to make that clear? Wasn't that already policy?
GIBBS: It was. It wasn't necessarily reflected in all the coverage. And as I said, one of the reasons...
(CROSSTALK)
GIBBS: Well, sure. As I said, the reason I repeated it yesterday is there was -- there were hypotheticals set up on the news shows on Sunday that assumed one spectrum of this was everybody leaving Afghanistan. That's simply just not the case.
QUESTION: But he was not -- I was just struck by the fact that you said he made that clear in that meeting, when I would think everybody...
(CROSSTALK)
GIBBS: Well, I mean, I think he set out the parameters of -- that if -- if you see people out there talking as if the decision is, on one end, everybody leaving Afghanistan, that's not the case.
QUESTION: Tomorrow's number-three meeting, is it the same cast? And...
GIBBS: I don't know if there are any additions. We will try to put in the guidance tonight if there are any additions. I assume most of -- I don't know if there's anybody that's being added as a result of Pakistan in particular. But my sense is that the people that were in there last week will largely comprise the people that will be in there this week.
QUESTION: And did the president give any marching orders of what he wanted people to do...
PHILLIPS: A lot of high-level meetings going on this week as you know with the president of the United States and his secretary of defense and his advisers about what to do in Afghanistan, tackling the war there. We will continue to follow the briefing and let you know if anything comes to light with regard to those briefings and also Afghanistan and the strategy to fight that war.
Well, they're probably in your fridge right now. Lettuce, eggs, spinach, foods you think are pretty healthy, but believe it or not, they could make you sick. How on earth do you call spinach a risky food?
Well, one group is. And our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here to talk about what the group did. It's called the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Tell us about this group, and what did it find?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this group for years has been pointing out problems with foodborne illness in our country, problems with obesity, problems with foods that are too fatty. So, they decided to make a top ten list. I guess they kind of wanted to be like Letterman. And they started off -- or sort of like Letterman.
So, they started off with the top three riskiest foods in terms of number of illnesses that these foods have caused since 1990. Leafy greens topped the list. This group says that leafy greens have caused more than 13,000 cases of food poisoning. Eggs are next at more than 11,000 cases, and then potatoes at 3,600 cases. Rounding out that top ten list are oysters, berries, tomatoes, cheese, ice cream, tuna and sprouts.
Now, to put this sort of in a national context, there are 76 million cases of foodborne illness every year in the United States. And those cause 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths. Now, CSPI and others are not saying that you should not stop eating these foods. What they're trying to do is trying to give a wake-up call to the industry, saying, hey, you need to find safer way of processing these foods and growing them.
PHILLIPS: So, the industry, how did it respond? I'm sure a number of other groups came forward and said, hold on just a second.
COHEN: Right, that's just what they said. They said, hold on just a second. They quibbled with some of the facts in this report and said that people really basically shouldn't listen to it.
Let's look at one response that we got from the produce folks. They said, "It's never in consumers' best interest to scare them away from the very foods that we should all be eating more of."
And this is interesting from the cheese industry: "The cheese examples in this report mostly concern consumption of raw-milk products, which neither the FDA nor the dairy industry recommends." In other words, what they're saying is, yes, you can get sick from eating cheese made from unpasteurized milk, but you're not supposed to be doing that anyways.
PHILLIPS: So, for all of us that are concerned about food safety, how do we take this information and move forward?
COHEN: Right. I mean, I think it's important to be honest here, which is that sometimes people get sick from food poisoning, and there was nothing they could have done about it. For example, if spinach has E. Coli, you can wash that spinach all you want. It's not going to...
PHILLIPS: But it's got it.
COHEN: But it's got it. Exactly.
PHILLIPS: Right.
COHEN: So, there's nothing you can do if you want to eat a spinach salad. However, in many cases there is something you can do to prevent getting foodborne illness, and here's a couple of pointers.
First of all, cook poultry, meat and eggs thoroughly. Separate raw and cooked foods. If you use a knife on a piece of raw steak, don't use that knife to eat something like a salad. It sort of stands to reason. Also wash your hands before of and after preparing foods.
So, those are a couple of things that people can do. It really makes a big difference.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Elizabeth.
COHEN: Thanks.
PHILLIPS: Never been a better time to buy. How many times have you heard that about the housing market these days? Well, buying's not your only option. Guess what, it's never been a better time to rent.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Democrats say it's one more shocking example of why health care needs to be overhauled. Lawmakers are fighting to protect victims of domestic violence from getting pigeonholed as having a pre- existing condition. Seven states and D.C. essentially give insurance companies the option to deny coverage. Back to the table. North Korea's thinking about it, again. Kim Jong-il reportedly offering to renew nuclear talks if Pyongyang can go one on one with the U.S. The White House wants a bigger crowd and says any talks need to be part of a six-nation process.
A new blueprint to push forward the war in Afghanistan, that's the big topic on the president's agenda. Mr. Obama and the V.P. are meeting with a who's who of congressional leaders.
Talking about war strategy in D.C. is one thing. Fighting in the unforgiving terrain of Afghanistan is totally different. That was made very clear when the Taliban nearly overran a U.S. outpost and killed eight American soldiers over the weekend.
The Afghan countryside, in fact, is the Taliban's secret weapon.
Here's Anderson Cooper.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): U.S. forces in remote outposts like this one in eastern Afghanistan are meant to prevent Taliban insurgents from sneaking in from Pakistan. But surrounded by mountains, in hostile territory, they're often isolated and outnumbered. Saturday's attack took place in eastern Afghanistan's Nuristan province.
But we've seen attacks like it before. Just 20 miles away, a year ago July, in Wanat, 49 U.S. troops were attacked by an estimated 200 Taliban fighters. This video obtained by CBS News reveals the ferocity of the firefight. A soldier on the ground calls for U.S. choppers to fire very close to their position.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, I know it's high risk, but we need to get these guys off of us, over.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ten meters.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've got to be kidding me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, I'm inbound with a missile.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There you go. That's the way to do it. That's how you do it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can see multiple flashes down here like (EXPLETIVE DELETED) lightning bugs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Roger.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're taking fire. We just got hit low in the belly just to the north side of the aircraft.
COOPER: In the Wanat attack, nine U.S. troops were killed. And then this Saturday, an Afghan and a U.S. base in the same remote region were targeted by insurgents. Officials say American gunships arrived within the first half hour of the fighting, but even with the air support, the militants continued their assault. The battle lasted several hours. When it was over, U.S. forces had fended off the Taliban, but eight U.S. troops were dead.
Anderson Cooper, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Now, a gut-wrenching illustration of the sacrifice made by America's service members. Sacred images from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. The bodies of some of the troops killed in Afghanistan came home this morning. Their families gave us permission to actually show this video.
We don't yet have details on their lives, but we want to salute these men and give you their names: Specialist Christopher T. Griffin (ph), Kincheloe, Michigan; Specialist Steven Mace (ph), Lovettsville, Virginia; Sgt. Joshua Kirk (ph) of South Portland, Maine; and Specialist Michael Scusa (ph) of Villas, New Jersey.
We have learned something more about the life of 22-year-old Private First Class Kevin Thompson. His high school guidance counselor said that he was a spirited kid with a tremendous sense of humor. Thomson's picture hangs on the wall of the Reno grocery store where he worked before joining the Army. They're collecting cards and sending all of them to his mom.
These are just five of the 778 U.S. servicemen and women who have been killed in the war in Afghanistan.
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PHILLIPS: A lot of apartment units are empty these days. A whole lot. Major problem for landlords, too. A great opportunity for renters.
Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange. So, Susan, where are the -- I guess, where are rent prices falling the most?
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're falling predictably, Kyra, in cities where you see a big rental market, lots of foreclosures and lots of job losses. But nationally, we're basically seeing bargains everywhere, Kyra.
Rents are down nearly 3 percent nationwide. And, of course, over 12 months, that can be hundreds of dollars of savings. That's a 23- year low, by the way.
So, the cities where you're seeing the biggest drops, California dominating, four out of five. San Jose, California, you're seeing a drop of 8 percent year over year. New York City, where it still costs an arm and a leg to get a shoebox, nearly a 7 percent drop.
Why is it that we're seeing rents fall so far, so fast? Well, some renters are buying, right, because there are great deals in the housing markets with foreclosures, with these first-time home buyer credits.
A lot of people who rent are younger, and they're moving in. They're moving in with other folks. They're moving in with mom and dad. Also there's just a lot of stuff out there, so some unsold condo developments are being turned into rentals. The bottom line is that if the jobless rate goes higher, probably rents will go even lower.
PHILLIPS: All right. So, what else can people do to make sure they get a great deal, then?
LISOVICZ: It's quite simple, Kyra -- just simply ask for it.
PHILLIPS: Negotiate!
LISOVICZ: Yes. Well, you don't even have to negotiate. Landlords oftentimes are desperate to get you in. They're willing to pay broker fees. Some are offering not only one month rent free, two months of rent free.
And by the way, it's not just for new renters. Current tenants should pipe up, too, because if they move out, right, what happens? The landlord will often have to drop the rent. So, they should speak up.
And also, you can ask for things, upgrades. For instance, my enterprising producer, Amanda Hobart (ph), asked for a washing machine. She didn't want to walk around the block. She got it. One of her friends asked for a wardrobe to be built into her bedroom. She got it. And we know how valuable closets are, don't we, Kyra?
PHILLIPS: Oh, yes, we do. Especially when you take me shopping to all those bargain places.
Susan, thanks.
LISOVICZ: You're welcome.
PHILLIPS: You've got great credit, pay on time every month and never been late. Congratulations, you just won an impossible minimum payment, about 500 bucks more a month than before. Isn't it a great to be a credit card holder?
Plus, you think there's a special place in hell for con men who rip off more than 100 church for millions of dollars? We need your help in nabbing two guys.
All right, so you're on a flight. You might get bad service, maybe bad food, but what if your pilots and flight attendants get into a full-blown brawl, over enemy territory no less? Well, it happened on an Air India flight from the United Arab Emirates to New Delhi.
Apparently the crew claimed that the pilots had sexually harassed a 24-year-old flight attendant. Clearly, the pilots didn't see it that way. So, guess what? The captain and his second in command allegedly left the cockpit unmanned and got into a slugfest with two members of the cabin crew in full view of the 106 shocked passengers.
Oh, and did I mention the plane was reportedly flying over Pakistani territory at the time? You know, Pakistan, which fought three wars with India. Even Gandhi would have asked for a refund or at least some frequent-flyer miles.
A U.S. soldier in handcuffs AWOL for months, but he says, really, the Army forced his hand. We were there as he turned himself in.
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PHILLIPS: He just couldn't handle Army life anymore, but he couldn't handle life on the lam anymore. An Iraq war veteran goes AWOL, pointing the finger at the army for not diffusing a ticking time bomb, him. Well, he decided to turn himself in yesterday. CNN's Gary Tuchman was there. Take a look at this exclusive report.
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GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Don Gartin is saying goodbye to his girlfriend. He's a fugitive. Over the last half year, he's been on the run.
GARTIN: I need to get this behind me. I can't keep looking over my shoulder.
TUCHMAN: So with his tearful mother also watching, this soldier who served in the infantry for 16 months is about to walk into an Illinois State Police station.
We'll show you what's about to happen in a second. But first some background.
Gartin is a deserter. He's been on the run for nearly a half year. We interviewed a much different-looking Gartin last week on the Internet because he was a fugitive and we did not know his location.
He says he has post-traumatic stress disorder, didn't get the help he needed from the military and basically felt he was a danger to his fellow soldiers.
GARTIN: Would you want to be that person that gets a phone call that says your brother, your sister, your significant other was killed today by another soldier because of mental problems he was dealing with?
TUCHMAN: The 25-year-old comes from a military family, was in ROTC in high school and re-enlisted in the Army just last year. He says he was then sent to Texas.
GARTIN: Once I got down to Fort Bliss, it was all downhill. I mean, my mental stability just slowly started dwindling away.
TUCHMAN: The Army specialist says he didn't turn himself in earlier because he was afraid he would be sent back to active duty.
(on camera): And you think you made a responsible decision to desert?
GARTIN: Yes.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): His mother lives in a farmhouse surrounded by cornfields in central Illinois. She says she did not know her son's whereabouts for the last several months, although she did arrange rendezvous to see him. When he told her he was going to leave the Army...
JERRI HYDE, MOTHER: I said, "This will follow you the rest of your life. You're a good person. You've served your country." It made me really angry. And I was incensed that my kid was trying to get out.
TUCHMAN: The Army says that while desertions are up because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it has treatment options for troubled soldiers like Gartin. But Gartin claims he had no choice, and that's why it's come to this.
GARTIN: I mean, I was a horrible person. I was in a dark place.
TUCHMAN (on camera): So, what will happen with Don Gartin? A U.S. Army spokesman we talked with told us that for soldiers like Gartin, here's what could occur: a dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of pay and up to five years in a military lockup.
(voice-over): When Gartin emerges from the police station, he's in handcuffs. He's led to a squad car by surprised Illinois state troopers, who didn't expect to see a military deserter today. He will be transferred to U.S. Army custody.
(on camera): Do you still consider yourself a patriot?
GARTIN: I think it would be foolish for me to consider myself a patriot being in the situation that I am in.
TUCHMAN: What do you consider yourself?
GARTIN: I'm just a person, just trying to live my life. And I can't live my life in the military.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): Gartin is now living his life behind bars. He is not eligible for bond.
Gary Tuchman, CNN, Metamora, Illinois.
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PHILLIPS: Now, Don Gartin remains in that county jail in Illinois. The Army has 30 days to take him into custody for court- martial. Pentagon officials will not comment on his specific case, but they say there's personal of mental health treatment available to troops.
You know, we've talked about mental health issues in the military on this show, the staggering suicide rate, the military backlog. And get this. According to a study last year, one in three Iraq or Afghanistan vets suffer from PTSD, depression, mild traumatic brain injury or some combination of all of those.
Tom Tarantino is an Iraq veteran. He's now working with a group that helps U.S. troops with a lot of these issues. Tom, good to see you.
TOM TARANTINO, IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN VETERANS OF AMERICA: Hi, Kyra. Good to see you.
PHILLIPS: Well, now, Don Gartin came forward in this piece and said, you know, he went to his superiors, he knew he was going to do something horrible, he said he tried to get help from various people. The Pentagon doesn't want to comment on this case. How do we know that somebody like this isn't faking?
TARANTINO: Well post-traumatic stress disorder is a diagnosed disorder. You don't walk up and say, hey, I have post-traumatic stress disorder. It's something that is evaluated by a mental health care professional. I think this story really underscores the extreme stigma within the rank and file and within the junior leadership in the military against these mental-health injuries, as well as the lack of proper post-deployment screening from the military when people come back from Iraq and Afghanistan.
PHILLIPS: Now, you work with an incredible organization, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. You know, going AWOL, it's a crime. So, how do you and your organization deal with this? How do you try to prevent that?
TARANTINO: Well, we try to work on -- to destigmatize these mental health injuries. You know, these are injuries, just like getting shot. The only difference is, these wounds are invisible, but the result of combat trauma.
If you got shot, you wouldn't walk around with a bullet hole. You'd go to a medic. You'd get treated. So, IAVA has worked to try to destigmatize these injuries and label them as such, as injuries. And we've created a Web site called CommunityOfVeterans.org where soldiers and other service members can talk to each other in a safe and secure environment, where they otherwise would be afraid to talk to their buddies in the military or their family or their friends who might not understand what they're going through.
PHILLIPS: We've actually plugged your Web site a number of times. It's on our Web page, and I know it does terrific things for vets and also for active military folks.
You know, Tom, you're a vet. You earned a bronze star. You train troops. You have trained troops that have gone over to deploy. You're still involved with troops that are going overseas. What are you doing to try and prevent PTSD? Or if indeed if it does happen, are you teaching these men and women signs, things to look for, what they should do immediately if they start feeling like something is happening? TARANTINO: Right. Well, there's a couple things that we're doing right now. The biggest thing that IAVA is pushing for is mandatory, face-to-face mental health screening for every service member returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Hopefully, Congress, when they talk about the National Defense Authorization Act this week, will pass it. And we'll know that by the end of the week.
Catching these injuries early is the best way of preventing these problems later on from combat-stress injuries developing to post- traumatic stress. And through Community of Veterans and through IAVA.org and through our community and our membership, we're also trying to just talk, to have a dialogue amongst veterans. Because nobody can talk to a vet like another vet.
And if you're a vet and you're having problems, your parents might not understand, your friends might not understand. You might be afraid of bringing it up to your co-workers because you might feel that you would look as weak.
And so, through IAVA, we're trying to recreate that community that we had when we were in Iraq so it's OK, so we can go ahead, talk about these issues, get the treatment we need, and then get back in the fight.
PHILLIPS: Final question, can you relate, you, as a vet, someone who served overseas, can you relate to Don Gartin at all?
TARANTINO: I think everyone who's been overseas and saw combat can relate a little bit. I think that going AWOL is probably not the most constructive solution, but in a situation like his, where you're suffering and you're having trouble readjusting back to garrison life, or even back to civilian life, and your chain of command either isn't supporting you, or your unit is so taxed because of these multiple long deployments with very little rest time that they're not able to make the proper decisions to get service members into mental health treatment, you know, you feel like you're alone, you feel like you don't know where to go next. And so, I can understand how this soldier made the choice, and I'm hoping that he can go ahead and get the treatment he deserves so he can get back on his feet.
PHILLIPS: Tom, you do great work. Appreciate you spending time with me today.
TARANTINO: Thank you, Kyra.
