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Reshaping Health Care; New Attacks in Afghanistan
Aired October 12, 2009 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, it's getting cheaper to drive. The Lundberg National Survey shows gas prices fell more than four cents over the past two weeks. The average price for a gallon of self-serve regular was $2.48 as of Friday.
Two Americans are winners of the Nobel Prize for economics. Elinor Ostrom and Oliver Williamson won the prize for their analysis of economic governance. Ostrom is a political science professor at Indiana University, and she's the first woman to win the prize. Williamson is a professor in the graduate school at the University of California at Berkeley. They will share the $1.4 million prize.
Sibling against sibling. Jury selection begins today in Atlanta in the court battle involving the children of Martin Luther King Jr. Bernice King and Martin King III are suing their brother Dexter. At issue, whether he acted inappropriately as head of the family-run corporation that controls their father's estate.
It's a pivotal week for health care reform. The Senate Finance Committee votes tomorrow on its long-awaited health care bill. And here's what we now at this point. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the measure would cost $829 billion over 10 years and provide insurance to an additional 29 million people while reducing the deficit by more than $80 billion.
Insurance companies have taken a PR beating in this debate. And now, they're weighing in on the finance committee's proposal just one day before the vote. Christine Romans joining us now live from New York. Good morning to you again, Christine. So what's the word from the insurance industry? I imagine they're pretty outraged. Yes.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: And now they are. They have been officially at the table with health care reform for some time. Remember, I mean, it was the insurance lobby that helped defeat insurance reform or health care reform during the Clinton years and now they're coming out really at the 11th hour with this report from Price-Waterhouse-Coopers that says that actually coverage is going to be more expensive under health care reform than we thought and that it's being advertised.
This is what they say, they say the bill will - the bill that's being debated now in the Senate Finance Committee will raise coverage costs by about $1500 for an individual, meaning the individual's cost of insurance for a year by the year 2019 will be $9,700 and for a family, it will increase family coverage costs by $4,000, so that the cost to cover a family by they year 2019 will be $25,900. That is more than we thought. And it is immediately raising objections from Democrats and people who support health care reform. This is what Scott Mullhauser of the Senate Finance Committee, spokesman for the Democrat says, Heidi. "This report is untrue, disingenuous and bought and paid for by the same health insurance companies that have been gouging too many consumers for too long as they stand in the way of reform yet again."
He's saying that now the health care reform is getting ever closer, you've got the health insurance companies going back to their tired play book of deception. His statement goes on and on like this. Very irritated that at the last minute they would come out with these sorts of costs. That is what the insurance industry though says. This is why they say the costs are going to go up, Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes.
ROMANS: They say the weak coverage requirement. They say that there are not good enough incentives for people who are healthy and young to get in the system and so they'll wait and they might pay these weaker fines and then get into the system and get health insurance once they get sick. They say it will be cost shifting as a result of cuts to Medicare, new taxes on several health care sectors and a new tax on the high cost health care plans all of those will be passed on to consumers.
COLLINS: Are the insurance companies saying in order for the overall bill for this health care reform, this $829 billion that we're talking about, in order to keep it below I guess a trillion, then are they saying that what you're not hearing is that your premiums are going to go up.
ROMANS: They're saying what you're not hearing is that your premiums are going to go up. That the cost of your coverage is going to go up, that's what they're saying. The people who are writing the bill and the people who are negotiating and voting on the bill tomorrow say that's simply just not true.
COLLINS: How do you check it? Can we check the numbers?
ROMANS: I mean, that's a good question. I mean, what the people who are doing this the health reform supporters are saying is not true. You've got the insurance industry that's saying it still is working. It still wants to work toward what they say workable bipartisan reform. They haven't bailed out officially on being a supporter of this. They have been at table for some time. But clearly this does throw a wrench into things and that it's the insurance industry showing it is displeased with parts of the health care reform.
COLLINS: Yes. Certainly. All right. Christine Romans, we're watching it. Thank you.
ROMANS: Sure.
COLLINS: I think we will be watching it for a while, in fact. You know, after the Senate Finance Committee votes tomorrow on its health care measure, there's still more work to do. Closed door talks will take place to blend the finance committee's bill with reform legislation drafted by the health committee. Then Senate and house leaders will hammer together a single separate proposal for floor debate in coming weeks.
President Obama is staying in the public eye a lot this week. Tomorrow, he meets with Spain's prime minister at the White House. And later, he's hosting a concert to celebrate Hispanic musical heritage. Wednesday, he's talking about Afghanistan and Pakistan with his national security team. Thursday, he's going to New Orleans where he'll be holding a town hall meeting, and Friday, it's off to College Station, Texas, for a presidential forum on community service.
Well, the president gets ready for that strategy meeting on Afghanistan, Senator John McCain is sending a strong warning against rejecting a top general's request for more troops. CNN's Kate Bolduan reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The funeral for Sergeant Titus Reynolds, one of the U.S. soldiers killed last month in Afghanistan. A striking and painful reminder of the cost of war as President Obama reconsiders U.S. presence and strategy in Afghanistan. Mr. Obama huddled with his national security team twice during the week. The focus Wednesday, Pakistan. Friday, Afghanistan. And General Stanley McChrystal's assessment of the situation on the ground. Reportedly calling for 40,000 additional troops.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: To disregard the requirements that has been laid out and agreed to by General Petraeus and Admiral Mullen I think would be an error of historic proportions.
BOLDUAN: Senator John McCain, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services committee tells CNN's John King anything short of General McChrystal's request could result in failure.
MCCAIN: I think the great danger now is not an American pull out. I think the great danger now is a half measure sort of, you know, try to please all ends of the political spectrum.
BOLDUAN: The White House insists no decisions have been made and all options remain on the table. Vice President Biden has advocated a smaller approach. More special ops teams and use of unmanned predator drones. And in stark contrast to his colleagues, Senator Carl Levin, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, says the focus should be more on Afghan forces, not U.S. troops.
SEN. CARL LEVIN (D-MI), CHAIRMAN, ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: At this time don't send more combat troops, but I say focus on the Afghan forces, the Army, faster, larger, better equipped.
BOLDUAN (on camera): The White House is getting pressure from all sides on this issue. Many on left oppose committing to any additional troops while many on the right say the president should take the best advice from commanders on the ground. A fifth meeting on the administration's strategy in Afghanistan is scheduled for Wednesday. White House officials say a decision could still be weeks away.
Kate Bolduan, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: U.S. soldiers who survived a brutal attack by militants in Afghanistan are now talking about the ordeal. It happened nine days ago at a remote base in Nuristan province. The battle combat outpost Keating lasted 12 hours.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
1ST LT. CASON SHRODE, FIRE SUPPORT OFFICER, U.S. ARMY: Probably 90 seconds into the fight, they ended up hitting one of our generators, so we lost all power. At that point, I made a call up to fobostic (ph) and basically just said we're taking heavy, heavy contact. At that the point I knew that this was something bigger than normal.
ST. JAYSON SOUTER, U.S. ARMY: We found out our mortar systems were unable to fire at that time, immediately started working on the assets with nearby O.P.s and cops to see exactly what fire support assets we could use.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the numbers were so more significant than 25 to 30 that we got - they got 25 to 30 with that initial push but because we were basically surrounded 360 degrees, I think there are significant numbers that allowed them to continue to fight throughout the day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My initial impressions were we came over the hill and first tried to call them, we got no response, was that everybody was gone. We could tell everybody around them was going to hell and we can hear it in their microphones, hear the guns going off. We knew there was a pretty intense situation that they were facing.
SOUTER: After the aftermath, Camp Keating was completely changed. Like you said, almost all of the buildings had burned down. There were trees that were cut down. Trying to save other buildings from catching fire. And then just remnants of a mass attack afterwards.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Eight U.S. soldiers were killed that day. Their names Sergeant Justin Galegos, Spc. Christopher Griffin, Private First Class Kevin Thomson, Specialist Michael Scusa, Staff Sergeant Vernon Martin, Specialist Stephan Mace, Sgt. Joshua Kirk, and Sgt. Joshua Hardt.
Militants struck again in Pakistan for the fourth time in a week, an explosion ripped through a busy marketplace in the Swat Valley. CNN's Reza Sayah is joining us live from the capital of Islamabad. So Reza, what is the latest now? Do we know any more about what happened here?
REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Heidi, if you want an idea of what type of severe security crisis Pakistan is facing against the militants all you have to do is look at the past couple of weeks. One deadly militant attack after another, another one on Monday. This time, a suicide attack in a very busy marketplace in the Swat Valley.
The suicide attacker, according to officials, a teenage boy, about 13 years old, wearing powerful explosives. His target, according to officials was a military convoy, six of the fatalities were indeed soldiers. But again, because this was a marketplace the remaining 35 fatalities all civilians. The region where this attack took place is significant.
The Swat Valley - this is a place the Pakistani government was pointing to as a great achievement in their fight against the Taliban. They launched an offensive in the spring. And it appeared that they pushed out the Taliban but this is certainly a setback this Monday. This deadly suicide attack that followed is perhaps the most audacious, in your face militant attack ever in Pakistan.
Of course, over the weekend, you had militants storm and penetrate the Army headquarters. One of the most fortified compounds in the Army. Clearly a very embarrassing situation for the military. Today, they defended themselves, saying they did what they can and you can be sure, Heidi, Washington is keeping a close eye on the situation in Pakistan.
Washington believes stability in Afghanistan and peace in Afghanistan is directly linked to what happens here in Pakistan. They've pressured the Pakistani government to do more. Based on what we've seen with these recent string of attacks, they have a long, long way to go, Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes. Obviously. How does the Pakistani government though plan to respond to these attacks? Do they have some sort of strategy that's working?
SAYAH: Well, they're in a little bit of damage control right now and their position is they're not backing down. Of course, you had the military offensive in Swat. They said the next military offensive is coming soon and that's going to be targeting south Waziristan.
South Waziristan, perhaps the epicenter of the Taliban in Pakistan. And of course, according to Washington, the Al Qaeda safe haven. Heidi?
COLLINS: All right. Reza Sayah, thanks so much. Live from Islamabad this morning.
A huge landslide closes a highway and forces residents to evacuate. And now there are other worries, too, like flooding.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That's right, another storm. A big storm is coming through the bay area across the West Coast. With wind and rain tonight plus rains are already across the southeast with floods imminent in some places. Weather is coming up when the CNN NEWSROOM comes back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: A wet and muddy mess in central Washington this morning. We're talking about a landslide. Look at that. It happened in the Nile Valley, a small community 10 miles west of (INAUDIBLE). Some people ordered to evacuate their homes as the mud moved in. They can see it too, oozing its way across the state highway, parts of which are now closed. Nobody was hurt but at least one home's badly damaged, several others were flooded, and hundreds of people lost power.
Parts of the West Coast bracing for its first major storm. Let's go over to Rob Marciano in the severe weather center. Hey, Rob.
MARCIANO: Hi, Heidi. This is the time of year we start to get wind and rainstorms across most of the pacific northwest, sometimes they slide down into central and southern California. That's what we're going to see here. Some times like in the case of this one, they can actually be old typhoons that kind of do that the u-turn from Asia across the Pacific and make their way in one way, shape or form, into the west coast.
This is a track that is slow. It will bring wind, could be damaging wind across the bay area. And certainly a fair amount of rain with this particular system. Right now, obviously, we're not seeing a whole lot of rain. I think the main part of it will be tonight into tomorrow and tomorrow will be the windiest day. But the rainfall, which will be all rain from 7,000, 8,000 feet down, and these are the Sierras with the brighter colors. Because it's going to be a fairly high levels of snow. That will mean that most of it's going to fall in the form of rain which means that we could very well see some flooding and potentially mudslides across northern and central California.
The good news if there is any, that the major fires this past year were in southern California, but they will get rain. Hopefully they won't get enough to cause mudslide there. All right. We've got rain that's causing some flooding across metropolitan Atlanta. And that last batch of heavy rain about to come through right now. We've already seen over an inch and a half in some spots, two to four total possible today.
It's going to rain for a good chunk of the day today. Here's what it looks like as far as the weather map is concern. The other big weather story's going to be cold air with the first snows of the season across parts of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. I know you're familiar with that. Temperatures there will close to freezing but not below freezing. So most of the snow that does fall will likely not accumulate on the roadways, just kind of a wet start. Temperatures in Chicago, with some rain arriving, getting to 51 degrees. Heidi.
COLLINS: All right. Very good. Thank you, Rob.
MARCIANO: You got it.
COLLINS: You know, we told you about this story last week. Oklahoma students are getting a first hand look at the dangers of DWD, driving while distracted. Here they are, trying to drive through an obstacle course while texting, eating, even changing the settings on their iPods. And in just a few minutes, we're going to talk with one of the students who went through the course and then the school official who was behind it all.
Meantime, we are talking about texting and driving on my blog today. We want to know what you think. Do you think texting while driving is dangerous, number one? And then even if you do, do you do it in anyway? And you have to be honest, too. Make sure you go to cnn.com/heidi. There you will find a little bit more about the story and then just go ahead and register your comment there. We will post some of them and we will talk about them coming up in just a little bit.
Surgical masks, new attire for many people who don't want to catch swine flu. But if things get really bad, will the U.S. have enough of them?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Checking top stories now. A hijacking suspect has been captured, more than 40 years after the incident. Luis Armando Pena Soltren surrendered to authorities at New York's JFK airport yesterday after getting off a flight from Havana. Soltren and three others were indicted in the 1968 hijacking of a plane to Havana. Two co- conspirators served their sentences. A third was acquitted.
In Pakistan, at least 41 people are dead in an attack on a busy marketplace. Dozens of others were wounded in the explosion, in the Swat Valley. The attack targeted a military convoy, police say the suicide bomber was a teenage boy. 35 of those killed were civilians. The other six were soldiers. This is the fourth deadly attack in Pakistan this week.
And Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Northern Ireland today, as part of her trip to Europe and Russia. Clinton first met Protestant and Catholic leaders urging the two sides of the power sharing government to work together. Later in a speech before Northern Ireland lawmakers, she pledge the U.S.'s ongoing support of the peace process.
It's a case of the benefits outweighing the risks. A top CDC official is encouraging people to get the H1N1 flu vaccine. Dr. Anne Schuchat says the risks of not getting it are greater than any potential risks linked to the vaccine.
Curbing the spread of swine flu, one simple way to keep germs at bay is by wearing a surgical mask. But there's a concern now whether the U.S. has enough of them on hand and whether health officials here can get more masks if there is a major outbreak. CNN's Jeanne Meserve explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (on camera): During the cataclysmic 1918 flu pandemic, Red Cross nurses handmade surgical masks to help control the spread of disease.
Now, machines crank them out at the Prestige Ameritech plant in Richland Hills, Texas. One of the few manufacturers in the U.S. 90 percent of production has moved to other countries where labor is cheaper and some say that has created a vulnerability right here.
MIKE BOWEN, PRESTIGE AMERITECH: If there's a pandemic, America won't be able to supply its own need.
MESERVE: Bowen and others fear that in a 1918 size pandemic, the nations that make masks like China and Mexico would keep them for themselves.
REP. JOE BARTON (R), TEXAS: When push comes to shove you take care of your own before you take care of others, that's just human nature. For that reason alone I think we should buy more of these masks in the United States and we should encourage the capability to manufacture more of these masks in the United States.
MESERVE: The government estimates the U.S. could need three billion surgical masks during the H1N1 outbreak. Right now, the strategic national stockpile contains only a small fraction of that amount, 37 million. It's a yawning gap, government officials acknowledge, one that was laid out in stark detail in this Health and Human Services Power point presentation two years ago.
Government officials say, before they build up supplies they want more evidence the masks provide effective protection. But current guidance from the CDC recommends the use of surgical masks, and last year OSHA estimated that a single health professional could go through close to 2,000 during a pandemic.
Bowen has been crusading for more domestic production of surgical masks. He could benefit financially but says it isn't just about business, it's about the nation's health and security.
BOWEN: Important things like face masks should be made in America, and I think they'll finally realize what we've been trying to tell them for almost three years.
MESERVE (on camera): Hospitals, clinics and physicians are creating their own stockpiles of surgical masks, a good thing, except manufacturers are already having trouble keeping up with demand. If H1N1 becomes more deadly, that demand will likely grow much larger. Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: He was supposed to be attending his own wedding but the 62-year-old man is now planning a funeral. Tragic story shaking up a small town near Orlando.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Heidi Collins.
COLLINS: An incredibly tragic story from a small town, 15 miles north of Orlando. Police say a 62-year-old who thought he heard an intruder shot and killed his fiancee. They were getting married the next day. Investigators are still waiting for forensic results, but they say everything points to a tragic accident.
Seven children packed into a car with an alleged drunk driver in New York. The result, a crash that killed an 11-year-old girl. Affiliate WPIX reports that Carmen Huertas was taking her daughter and the others to a sleepover. Police say she crashed and killed one of the friends inside. The apparent lack of judgment baffles the victim's father.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LENNY RIOSOCDO, FATHER OF 11-YEAR-OLD KILLED: What was the thinking of this woman, who's a mother, and you're intoxicated? Everyone needs to be held accountable for letting their children or any other family members get in the car with somebody who is under the influence of alcohol.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: All of the other girls in the car were hurt. Huertas is charged with DWI and vehicular manslaughter.
At least 23 people dead in a series car bombings in the Iraqi city of Ramadi. Now, authorities are taking action to try to stop the violence. Mohammad Jamjoom is joining us now live from Baghdad with more. Mohammed, good morning to you. What's the latest now?
MOHAMMED JAMJOON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. As you said, 23 people were killed and 77 injured yesterday in a series of three car bombings in the city of Ramadi, which is in Anbar province. Interior ministry officials are telling CNN they believe al Qaeda in Iraq is behind the bombings.
Now, the first two bombings happened within 15 minutes of each other around 1:00 p.m. local time yesterday. They targeted a police station in Ramadi. The third bomb happened around 2:00 p.m. local time yesterday, targeting a hospital. Now, Ramadi is in Anbar province, a former stronghold for the insurgency here in Iraq.
Also in Anbar province, today we're being told by intelligence officials in the city of Fallujah they expected al Qaeda in Iraq planning more attacks. They expect to have indications that car bombs might being planned right now. Because of that -- because of that, they have basically closed off entrances into the city, and the city's under heightened security.
Now, the Iraqi government has condemned this violence, this last round of violence, and they issued a statement today saying that basically the Iraqi security forces must take Iraqi security much more seriously, especially in light of the fact they expect violence could occur in January when the next round of national elections occur.
COLLINS: Right. So, do they have some sort of plan for that? Are they looking ahead? Do they have time to maybe make changes to security, Mohammed?
JAMJOON: Well, basically, because the Iraqi security forces are in charge of the security now after the withdrawal of forces, people, I expect, the Iraqi security forces to take care of this. Also expected is that violence will occur around election time. The reason for that is because there are election laws that have not been passed yet. Until that happens, elections cannot go off.
Right now, there's a lot of questions about what actually will happen in January and whether or not elections go off there's so much frustration and so much tension around the possible elections that basically government sources expect that violence will occur. Heidi?
COLLINS: Mohammed Jamjoon live from Baghdad this morning. Thanks, Mohammed.
Happening right now, it's getting cheaper to drive. The Lundberg National Survey shows gas prices fell more than four cents over the past two weeks. The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular was $2.48 as of Friday.
Investors on Wall Street looking ahead to the first big wave of corporate earnings results. Susan Lisovicz is on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange now with a rundown of the big names that could move the market this week. Hi there, Susan. Right now, we're just sort of teetering below that imaginary mark.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The line which we cannot speak, not yet. We're getting ever closer, Heidi. Ever closer.
The bull run faces a big test over the next few weeks. Why is that, Heidi? Because we're going to be hearing from corporate America on a daily basis. It's a deluge of information about the third quarter.
Why is the third quarter important? Well, because so many economist say the third quarter is where the U.S. economy may have actually grown. Among the companies we'll hear from this week, one- fifth of the companies in the Dow 30. Among them, Johnson & Johnson, a big health care company, in fact, one of the world's biggest. And Intel, the chipmaker. Johnson & Johnson made a few big acquisitions last quarter, including one into the vaccine business, could be timely.
Then we'll be hearing from a lot of financial companies. So, we want to hear about their stability, obviously, but also insight into the consumer. Is the consumer paying bills of time? What's the delinquency rate, default rate? Those are the kind of things.
Who will we be hearing from? JPMorgan Chase, we'll be hearing from Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Bank of America on Friday. Heidi, think of it as a 500-piece puzzle. We only have a few pieces in right now. But we'll hear from all 500 S&P companies. We'll have a much better clue when those pieces come in as to how the economy really is.
COLLINS: Yes. I'm no good past about 200 pieces of a puzzle.
LISOVICZ: Or a thousand pieces or so.
COLLINS: Exactly. Wall Street expecting a good overall report, though, you think, from corporate America?
LISOVICZ: I think good is relative.
COLLINS: Absolutely.
LISOVICZ: Getting better would be probably the more apt description. You know, the fourth quarter of last year, right after the Lehman collapse, earnings year over year were down 67 percent. So, when you compare to that, say, decline of 24 percent year over year, not so bad.
You know the Street, investors typically like surprises, pleasant surprises. Alcoa posted a surprise profit last week. It was a measly profit but a surprise profit. The Dow responded with a 4 percent gain on the week. And if we get another gain like that, you know what we'll have very soon for Dow. Heidi?
COLLINS: All right. I know that hat is sitting next to you off the side there.
LISOVICZ: Yes, it is.
COLLINS: Susan Lisovicz, thank you.
If you drink, don't drive. Lots of teens seem to get that message, long before they get behind the wheel. But getting them to put down the cell phone while driving? That can be a very different story. How a course in Oklahoma is getting teens to drop the distractions.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: A look at some of our top stories right now. Six people sentenced to death in China. All charged with murder and other crimes in the July riot that killed 200 people. A seventh person got a life sentence. All seven charged are Wiegers (ph), Muslims living in western China's Schaunon (ph) province. The riots in July were triggered by long-simmering resentment between minority leaders and majority (INAUDIBLE) Chinese.
Gay rights activists want President Obama to deliver on campaign pledges to end discrimination against gays. Thousands turned out for a march and rally in Washington yesterday. They want the president to end the "don't ask, don't tell" policy in the military. He promised to end it while speaking at the Human Rights Campaign dinner in Washington last weekend. They are also pushing for equality for same- sex couples.
A key week for health care reform. The Senate Finance Committee will vote tomorrow on its long-awaited health care bill. The Congressional Budget Office says the measure would cost an estimated $829 billion over 10 years. Twenty-five million Americans would still be left uninsured.
Did you do your makeup on the road this morning? Did you send out some texts or fiddle with your iPod? Well, that's called distracted driving, and the dangers are clear. AAA says drivers do secondary tasks more than half of the time on the road. Driver inattention is a factor in more than a million crashes in North America every year.
But one course in Oklahoma City is letting young people see consequences of all of this firsthand. Here's reporter Jacqueline Sit from affiliate KWTV.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BAILEY WALLACE, TEEN DRIVER: My mom's going to kill me. I have done this, and I was like, this is nuts.
JACQUELINE SIT, KWTV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bailey Wallace loves to text her BFFs behind the wheel, but a crash course with a course of distractions.
WALLACE: It was absolutely crazy.
SIT: This high school senior, along with a dozen other students, are driving on a closed course pushing the pedal to the metal while eating.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Open them up, pull them out. A little bit faster, come on, we're going to be late.
SIT: Handling rowdy riders and texting behind the wheel.
WALLACE: I couldn't even get my password into my phone. I have a touch screen phone, and you have to look at it. I couldn't even get my password into my phone to start a text message because of the guy sitting next to me sitting here going like this over and over again, and playing with my radio. It was -- there was no way.
TAYLOR DOCTORMAN, TEEN DRIVER: It wakes you up.
SIT: Taylor Doctorman was another distracted driver.
DOCTORMAN: I'm not used to driving and texting. So, I'm not one used to having one hand on the wheel either. So, I was kind of, like, also over the place.
WALLACE: Missing three out of the four red lights were pretty good enough for me to say, don't do it.
SIT: All this is a push in putting down your phone and slamming your brakes on bad behavior.
WALLACE: There's so many things that can happen on their own without you having an influence on them, so why would you add to the problems? Why would you sit there and dig for the food in the back seat or text while you're driving? It can wait. It can wait until you're done.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Aha, but does it? Kent Mathers is assistant secretary -- secondary, that is -- superintendent of Yukon Public Schools, where the course has been offered. And Mackenzie Muse is a student who took it. Both are joining us now live from Oklahoma City.
Thanks for being here, guys. You know, we showed this story last week, but we wanted to remind everybody about it so we could talk about it a little bit further because I really think a lot of us are experiencing this. Sort of a temptation to text while you drive, even though you know the dangers. Mackenzie, how did the tests go for you? What did you think when you were all done?
MACKENZIE MUSE, STUDENT, DISTRACTED DRIVING COURSE: I had a lot of fun doing the course, and I just really realized how much of a distraction texting is while driving. I probably knocked down three cones on my second time while I was texting through the course. And it was a lot harder.
COLLINS: Yes. Yes. Now, did you have a chat with your friends about this after you guys did it? What was the sort of overall reaction?
MUSE: Everyone did a lot worse while they were texting and had their distractions in the car.
COLLINS: Sorry, I'm just hearing the brakes squealing and I'm just thinking about, you know, thank goodness this was an obstacle course set up in a vacant parking lot and not really on the road. Kent, how did you learn about this course? And why did you enroll your students?
KENT MATHERS, ASSISTANT SECONDARY SUPERINTENDENT, YUKON PUBLIC SCHOOLS: Well, there was an opportunity presented to us by Allstate Insurance, and we know distracted driving is a problem for all people, but especially for teenagers because they don't have the experience that older...
COLLINS: They're new drivers, right? Relatively new drivers.
MATHERS: Yes, ma'am, that's correct.
COLLINS: Yes, because a lot of them really get mad when they say, we see adults doing it and you know why can't we? Well, you know, they're probably right about that, except for the fact that they haven't been on the road as long, and we're certainly aren't advocating anybody be out there texting.
You know, a lot of states, as I'm sure you're well aware, have actually banned texting while driving altogether. Have you had any students at your school that have been involved in accidents, Kent, that go back to texting while driving or other distractions?
MATHERS: Yes, we had one last year in our parking lot at the end of the day. And the students were always in a hurry to get home. But she was on her cell phone -- I don't know if she was texting or just talking, but she rearended another car.
COLLINS: OK. Mackenzie, would you recommend this course for everybody? Because it seems what I'm hear you say is, until you actually do it, you don't realize how distracted you really are.
MUSE: Yes, I would recommend doing the course because I didn't realize how big of a difference texting or talking on the phone really makes on your driving. But it really is a huge difference and you realize it when you're going through the course and having to focus on the cones and everything.
COLLLINS: Have you changed the way that you drive now? Have you made a decision not to do anything but actually keep your hands on the wheel?
MUSE: I have. My parents were really big on not texting and driving, so I don't text and drive, but I did always, you know, eat or talk on the phone. And I've realized that that also can just get you -- you -- it just takes a second of your eyes off the road to get into a collision.
COLLINS: Absolutely. Kent, are you going to send more students to the course?
MATHERS: We hope we have an opportunity to do so, yes, ma'am.
COLLINS: All right. Well, to the two of you, we sure do appreciate the discussion today. Kent Mathers, assistant secondary superintendent of Yukon Public Schools, where they did this course, and Mackenzie Muse, who actually took the course. Thanks, guys, very much.
We are talking about this on our blog this morning. We actually asked you the question, do you think texting while driving is dangerous? And even if you do, do you do it anyway? We were hoping that you guys would be honest. So, let's go ahead and check out what some of your responses were. CNN.com/heidi is where you go.
Rich says, "Any distraction that could harm others or your passengers -- you shouldn't do it. Imagine explaining to a loved one the loss they face because of a text message."
And this -- Jennifer says, "I knew it was dangerous but still I constantly texted while driving. Sometimes with my knees so I could text and change CDs. Finally, it caught up to me, and I'm lucky to be alive from the car accident that resulted from being distracted by texting."
And finally, this one from Ken. "Stop telling me what I can do in my car. I think more things are taken away from us every day. Texting is something that comes with modern technology, leave it alone."
Obviously, varying opinions out there. Again, CNN.com/heidi. You can always respond to our questions there.
No job and no money. Unemployment benefits running out. Some are banking on a lifeline from Congress.
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COLLINS: Thousands of Americans are running out of the unemployment benefits every day, but Congress may come to the rescue this week. Stephanie Elam is in New York with "The Breakdown" on that. What's going to happen, Stephanie? Good morning.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. Well, the Senate could vote as soon as tomorrow to extend benefits to millions of people out of work across the country. Under the Senate bill, people out of work in all 50 states would get an additional 14 weeks of unemployment benefits. And in states where the unemployment rate is above 8.5 percent, people would get an extra six weeks on top of that.
Currently, 27 states plus D.C. and Puerto Rico fall into that high unemployment category, but the Senate bill is much different from what passed the House last month. Under that legislation, people would get an added 13 weeks of jobless benefits, but was only in those 27 states where unemployment exceeds 8.5 percent. So, if the Senate version passes, it would have to be reconciled with the House version, of course.
So, Heidi, there is still, obviously, more wrangling to come on this one. It's not done yet.
COLLINS: No, definitely not done yet. Well, Congress works it out, how many Americans are running out of unemployment benefits while they wait?
ELAM: Well, the National Employment Law Project says 400,000 people ran out of benefits in September, and another 208,000 are set to lose them this month. If Congress doesn't act, nearly 1.5 million people will stop receiving checks by the end of the year.
Of course, there's always the question of, how are we going to pay for this? Congress has already extended benefits twice during this recession. The Senate bill would extend the federal unemployment tax paid for by employers through June 2011. The House bill would extend the tax through next year, Heidi. We'll have to wait and see what happens on this one. Obviously, there is still a lot of debate out there.
But with the unemployment at 26-year high, you take a look that the number. The calls for extended benefits are getting louder, and for the people who are without jobs, they are seriously feeling the pain and saying they need more help.
COLLINS: Yes. Absolutely. We'll continue to watch it. Stephanie Elam, thank you.
ELAM: Thanks.
COLLINS: The Phillies and the Rockies are going to hit the field again tonight for game four of the playoffs. Sort of a take two. Check out Coors Field on Saturday. Snow postponed game three. The temperature dropped to 17 degrees in Denver. Phillies and Rockies played game three on Sunday. Wow.
And there is more rain for the Southeast today. Meteorologist Rob Marciano joining us now. Yes, I kind of want to hear that.
You're up there --
MARCIANO: I'm in snow mode right now...
COLLINS: I like the snow.
MARCIANO: It's like -- I think they -- I think all of the series are done except that one right now. (AUDIO GAP) Boston, see ya.
COLLINS: Yes.
MARCIANO: They may need a broom to sweep the snow in Minneapolis today. I think that's about all you're going to get.
COLLINS: That and the tears for the Twins.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: But tomorrow, it will certainly a windy day. Beginning tonight, really, I think wind gusts 60, 70 miles an hour. That may very well be the winds inside the San Francisco city proper and around the Bay Area. Pretty strong storm system. An old typhoon. Actually, at one point, Heidi, it was -- it was the strongest storm on the planet for the year -- for this year. Supertyphoon Melor, and now what's left of the typhoon is hitting the West Coast later tonight.
COLLINS: Yes. Well, definitely hung around for a long time. We talked about it several days ago. All right, Rob Marciano, thank you.
MARCIANO: You got it.
COLLINS: Keeping an ice cream business afloat in a tough economy. One man who knows firsthand says the key ingredient is sticking with tradition.
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COLLINS: Ice cream made the old fashioned way. From Monroe Udell, that's the only way. He's been serving up ice cream for more than 50 years at Jaxson's Ice Cream Parlour in South Florida. That's part of our "Americana in Focus" series. Photojournalist Mike Miller talked to Udell about the success of sticking with tradition.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MONROE UDELL, OWNER, JAXSON'S ICE CREAM PARLOUR: My name is Monroe Udel. I'm the owner of Jaxson's, and I am the original owner of 53 years. I originally started in 1956.
I made the ice cream myself. Double-dip ice cream cone was 15 cents.
The location is a landmark today. We've always served humongous portions. We came up with the kitchen sink because people called their ice cream in kitchen sinks, which were actually in a punch bowl.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Definitely worth the drive.
UDELL: We're not a cookie cutter. We're renowned, you know, in the industry as one of the outstanding ice cream parlors and restaurants in the country today. It's still made right here. All the good fruits and nuts, we haven't change a thing. We do it the old fashioned way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm in heaven.
UDELL: We've had, you know, down time and good times with the economy.
CROWD: (SINGING) Happy birthday to you...
UDELL: It's about six weeks since I've had my quadruple surgery, heart surgery. I'm going try to be here as long as I can. I hope another 50 years.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: That was Mike Miller reporting. You can find more information about "Americana in Focus: Jobs That Last" online, at CNN.com/Americana.
Two Americans are winners of the Nobel Prize for economics. Elinor Ostrom and Oliver Williamson won the prize for their analysis of economic governance. Ostrom is a political science professor at Indiana University, and she's the first woman to win the prize. Williamson is a professor at the graduate school at the University of California Berkeley. They will share the $1.4 million prize.
Sibling against sibling. Jury selection begins today in Atlanta in the court battle involving the children of Martin Luther King, Jr. Bernice King and Martin King III are suing their brother, Dexter. At issue: whether he acted inappropriately as head of the family-run corporation that controls their father's estate.
That's all for now. I'm Heidi Collins. CNN NEWSROOM continues now with T.J. Holmes.
