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Rocket Set to Go; At Least 90 Killed in Pakistan Blast; Hidden Bank Fees

Aired October 28, 2009 - 11:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. It is Wednesday, October 28th. And here are the faces of the stories driving the headlines today in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visiting Pakistan to shore up U.S. support. Details on her trip and her reaction to a deadly marketplace bombing.

Senator Joe Lieberman vowing to side with Republicans against the public option in health care reform.

And Michael Jackson dazzling fans and getting rave reviews. The premiere of the film "This Is It."

Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris, and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

OK. At the top, we are checking to see how the countdown is going for the Ares rocket launch at Kennedy Space Center.

John Zarrella is there and our Rob Marciano is in the Weather Center.

And Rob, let me start with you. You talk to John, and I'll just hang out. What's the latest?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, same problem we saw yesterday, basically. We're having a problem with clouds. Not so much a problem with the rainfall.

The radar, for the most part, is clear. We've got several miles on either direction without seeing any sort of serious rainfall, but it's the high clouds. And it's that triboelectrification, when the rocket goes through those high clouds, had a lot of ice crystals. That creates a static electric charge which gets in the way of their communications, and that's never a good thing.

You know, John Zarrella is listening to the T-38 astronauts who are flying basically weather recon. And they're saying that the situation remains the same. And it sounds like to me that we're still a red, meaning still a no go.

What are you hearing on the ground there?

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they were saying it's no- go. They thought that they might be able to clear it up in about 15 minutes, which at the time meant that they would have a T-0 liftoff time at 11:08 Eastern Time. That's still very thin (ph), but they also reiterated, the weather officer here, that it's a very fluid situation.

And they really are. They're talking, Rob, about high clouds. Not right over the launch pad, but, like, literally at the edge of where this vehicle will fly. So it's not the clouds right over us here, these low clouds at all. It's those high clouds at the end of the range that they're concerned about that would give them that issue with triboelectrification.

So, right now, 11:08 is the latest target. And they've only got one more hour. They've got to get off the ground before noon or they're scrubbed for the day -- Rob.

MARCIANO: And then what happens? Do we try again tomorrow? I know that launch pad facility may very well be scheduled for something else down the road. Do we go at it again tomorrow?

ZARRELLA: Yes, that's exactly right. It's all up in the air right now.

There is an Atlas rocket that is on the pad getting ready for a liftoff next month. They're supposed to run through some pad testing tonight on that, which might preclude them -- they will have the range, so to speak -- might preclude them from launching tomorrow, the Ares. But they might have an opportunity then to go on Friday.

So, all of that is in discussion. So, now it looks like I'm hearing from my producer 11:20 now. 11:20, I'm being told, is the new target for the Ares rocket to lift off here from the Kennedy Space Center -- Rob.

MARCIANO: All right.

John Zarrella is live for us. Certainly a full docket -- Tony.

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

A huge terrorist bombing at a busy market in Pakistan to tell you about. At least 90 people now confirmed dead. Another 200 wounded. Most of the victims, women.

Let's get straight to our Reza Sayah in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.

And Reza, what are you learning about this -- well, it is what it is. It's a horrific blast in Peshawar.

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Tony. Let's put it in perspective for you.

Unfortunately, Pakistan has seen a lot of deadly militant attacks throughout the country this year. This was the deadliest, and police say it was all caused by a push of a button. The numbers tell the story, Tony. Ninety people killed, according to a senior government official, more than 200 injured when a remote controlled bomb blew up in a very busy market in Peshawar, the capital of the northwest frontier province. According to officials, this car bomb packed with nearly 400 pounds of explosives.

This market had a lot of buildings that weren't well built. A lot of them were flattened. The market, according to officials, also had a lot of shops that had flammable material. This is just awful detail, but officials say many of the victims were killed in the fire.

Here's how two witnesses describe this awful scene.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FAREED ULLAH, STUDENT (through translator): We were in the nearby mosque. We only saw a red blaze and nothing else. Everything disappeared. Me and my friends fell from the second floor and we didn't know where we were.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): My kids are injured. My house completely destroyed. And my daughters are hurt. We're very miserable and helpless with no one to look up to. We are devastated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAYAH: Tonight, the main hospital in Peshawar is overwhelmed with all the victims that are being brought in. They're making a call to people to donate blood because they don't want to run short. And Tony, this attack coming just hours after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Islamabad. Very quickly, she got a glimpse at the severe security crisis this country is struggling with.

HARRIS: Well, you know, Reza, it leads me to a quick follow-up. What's been the reaction to this attack, as you've been able to gauge it there in Islamabad? Because, as you know, of late, attacks in Pakistan are being blamed on the U.S. war effort in Afghanistan.

SAYAH: Well, it's more frustration. It's more demand by the Pakistani public for the Pakistani government to do something.

And as you mentioned, oftentimes, when these attacks happen, Pakistanis point the finger at what they call a failed U.S. policy in the region. They basically say, look, before 9/11, before U.S. troops moved into Afghanistan, we didn't have these attacks. It's only after these troops went into Afghanistan that these attacks emerged -- Tony.

HARRIS: OK. Reza Sayah for us in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Reza, thank you.

Secretary of State Clinton, as Reza mentioned, calls the militants who launched the attack cowards on the losing side of history. Clinton is in the Pakistani capital right now on her first official visit to the country. She is trying to chip away at anti- Americanism and establish a relationship on more than just terror- fighting operations.

We will bring you a live report on Clinton's visit in the next half-hour.

And right now we turn to another terrorist attack. This one across the border in Afghanistan.

Militants stormed a guest house in Kabul. Officials now say five U.N. staffers were killed, including an American.

This was the scene during the attack. Witnesses say it began at dawn; it lasted about two hours. Listen for just a moment here.

(GUNFIRE)

HARRIS: Listen to that gun battle. Afghan police responding to the attackers, and vice versa, obviously.

Some terrified guests managed to flee from jumping from upper floors as flames engulfed part of the three-story building. The Taliban claiming responsibility for the attack. It comes 10 days before presidential run-off elections which militants have vowed to disrupt.

The push to include a public health option in the Senate health reform bill hits a stumbling block. A key senator says he will side with Republicans to block any bill that includes government-run health insurance. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is struggle to get the 60 votes he'll need to break a Republican filibuster and allow a vote on the bill.

Independent senator Joe Lieberman says count him out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (I), CONNECTICUT: If at the end it's not what I think is good for our country and most people living in our country, then I'll vote against cloture, I'll join a filibuster, and I'll try to stop the bill from passing. It's still a government-run health insurance plan that puts the federal taxpayer on the line, and I don't want to do that at this point in our nation's history.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: All right.

To San Francisco now.

Today's morning rush hour looking, boy, especially brutal. Authorities have shut down the Bay Bridge indefinitely for inspection after a rod and metal brace fell from the upper structure onto the roadway. About 280,000 vehicles cross the Bay Bridge every day.

You know, it has never been more important to read the fine print on those credit card bills. Ignoring it could leave you exposed to hundreds -- literally hundreds of dollars in fees. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: You know, oftentimes you never, ever, ever see them coming. We're talking about hidden bank fees that nickel and dime you to death. And banks are getting bolder all the time.

Gerri Willis joining us from New York now.

Gerri, good to see you.

If you would here, take a moment and give us a look at some of the more creative ways your bank might be cleaning out your wallet.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: That's right. Well, you know, it's just infuriating to people out there, the fees that are charged by their banks. In fact, it's one of the most frustrating set of fees out there.

We talked to one man who was charged fees. He didn't even know he was paying for the service.

Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIS (voice-over): Harold Abrams is furious at his bank.

HAROLD ABRAMS, SMALL BUSINESS OWNER: I was furious that they're charging me $35 for an expense that's $1.65. I mean, it's really crazy.

WILLIS: Bank of America charged Abrams a total of $105 in overdraft protection fees to cover three charges to his checking account totaling less than 15 bucks. Abrams would rather his transactions be declined than pay the tab he didn't even know existed.

(on camera): What's the $8.40 for?

ABRAMS: Stamps, postage.

WILLIS: And again, a $35 fee. Add it all up, it's $105.

ABRAMS: Yes.

WILLIS (voice-over): According to an annual survey of bank fees conducted by BankRate.com, most consumer banking fees are on the rise.

GREG MCBRIDE, BANKRATE.COM: Fees have gone up year in, year out over the past decade. Now, some of those fees go up at a faster pace than others. ATM surcharges in particular increase at a rate that's far faster than the pace of inflation.

WILLIS (on camera): Use an ATM on your own bank's network, no problem. No fees. But step outside that network, you're going to pay fees big time, an average of $2.22. That's an increase of 12.6 percent over last year.

And guess what? It gets worse. Your bank charges you fees for a total fee of $3.54 for accessing your own money.

(voice-over): If you have an interest-bearing account and fail to keep your high minimum balance, the average monthly fee jumped five percent to $12.25. And overdraft fees were up last year, too. Fees for bouncing a check rose two percent.

Bank of America told CNN it's changed its overdraft policies just this month. No longer will it charge overdraft fees when a customer's account is overdrawn for a total amount of less than $10, and the bank won't impose more than four overdraft fees in a single day.

Elizabeth Warren, a Harvard professor who chairs Congress' TARP Oversight Committee, says fees are the real way banks make their money.

ELIZABETH WARREN, TARP OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE: The truth is there will be another fee tomorrow and a different one the day after. And another one the day after that. Because they are all hidden, you can't find them. The first time most people discover them is when they have to pay them.

WILLIS: Abrams complained to the bank twice before going to the top and writing a letter to then-CEO Ken Lewis. And that made the difference. His fees were removed, but the frustration remains.

ABRAMS: I really think it's unfair, especially coming from -- in light of what's going on with banks now, and they're being bailed out by the government. I think they have some kind of responsibility to consumers.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIS: Well, it's not just banking fees you have to worry about. Credit card charges are going up, too. As a matter of fact, a new report out today shows that interest on credit cards increased at a rate of 20 percent over the first two quarters of this year. A 20 percent increase in interest rates on credit cards -- Tony.

HARRIS: That's just -- all right. Well, you know how I feel about this.

Gerri, appreciate it. Thank you. See you next hour.

WILLIS: My pleasure.

HARRIS: GMAC is still trying to make a comeback, ,and it is asking the feds for more cash.

And Stephanie Elam is on CNN Radio and CNN.com/live right now. She is filling in for Ali Velshi.

Look at her at work, answering your questions on money issues for the rest of the hour. If you would like, give her a call right now, 877-266-4189.

And let's check out the Dow, New York Stock Exchange now, the Big Board. As you can see, selling off, down 31 points.

We will keep an eye on the numbers from the New York Stock Exchange throughout the morning and throughout the day with Susan Lisovicz, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And checking our top stories now.

Authorities say they've arrested three more people in connection with the gang rape of a 15-year-old girl. She was attacked outside her homecoming dance in Richmond, California.

Five people are now in custody. Police say as many as two dozen people witnessed the rape.

Taliban militants attack a guest house in the Afghan capital, Kabul, killing at least five U.N. staffers, including an American. It comes 10 days before presidential run-off elections which militants have vowed to disrupt.

Tennis star Andre Agassi says he used the drug crystal meth in 1997. The stunning admission comes in an upcoming autobiography. In an excerpt published in "The Times of London," Agassi says he lied to tennis officials to cover his tracks after failing a drug test.

Agassi is not the first star athlete and role model to admit abusing dangerous drugs, and certainly he won't be the last. We want to know what you think. Are you shocked by the news, or is this just another celebrity gone bad story?

Share your thoughts with us, your comments, at CNN.com/Tony, and we will share some of them on the air later in the newscast.

Still another big bailout may be in the works. A company that's already received two lifelines from the government could be getting a third.

Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with the details.

And Susan, good morning. Are we talking about GMAC?

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: We're talking about GMAC, General Motors's finance arm, Tony. There are reports that GMAC is in talks with the Treasury Department to get a third bailout.

It's already received $12.5 billion. Reports say it could be up to another $5.5 billion. How important is GMAC? Well, it's the lender for thousands of GM and Chrysler dealerships. And basically, automakers can't succeed without it.

It also has a mortgage lending unit. It runs insurance -- has an insurance unit, as well as an online bank unit. So, it's important in other sectors of the economy as well for lending -- Tony.

HARRIS: OK. And you know what, Susan? I think we actually have to leave. The president is taking part in a gold medal ceremony right now on Capitol Hill, and we want to have everyone listen in.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Now, with his lifetime of achievement, Ed is no stranger to a good award ceremony. He's been through a few of these.

He's won the Bronze Star, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, honorary degrees from 34 colleges and universities, and more. So he's a pro when it comes to getting awards. But I think today's honor bears a unique significance, bestowed by this body of which he was an esteemed member, presented in this place where he moved the ark of history, surrounded by so many, myself included, who have followed the trail that he blazed.

Ed's journey to this day was, by any measure, an unlikely one. Raised nearby in a neighborhood so fiercely segregated, that black residents needed a note from a white person to pass through, at a time when so many doors of opportunity were closed to African-American, others might have become angry or disillusioned. They might have concluded that no matter how hard they worked, their horizons would always be limited. So why bother?

But not Ed Brooke. Serving in a segregated Army, barred from facilities at the base where he trained, he fought heroically in Europe, leading a daring daylight attack against a heavily armed enemy.

Rejected from Boston's old-line firms, despite his success in law school, he established his own practice, handling everything from wills to divorces, to real estate and criminal cases. And when he ran for statewide office in Massachusetts, and one reporter pointed out that he was black, Republican and Protestant, seeking office in a white, Democratic and Catholic state, and also "a carpetbagger from the South and poor," Ed was unfazed.

It was, to say the least, an improbable profile for the man who would become the first African-American state attorney general and the first popularly elected African-American senator. But that was Ed Brooke's way, to ignore the naysayers, reject the conventional wisdom, and trust that, ultimately, people would judge him on his character, his commitment, his record and his ideas.

He ran for office, as he put it, to bring people together who had never been together before. And that he did. I don't know anyone else whose fan base includes Gloria Steinem, Barney Frank, and Ted Kennedy, as well as Mitch McConnell, Mitt Romney and George W. Bush. That's a coalition built.

(APPLAUSE)

And few have matched his reach across the aisle from working with Birch Bayh to protect Title IX so girls can compete on a level playing field, to sponsoring the Fair Housing Act with Walter Mondale, and small busineess legislation with Ted Kennedy, one of the many bills he would sponsor with the senior senator from Massachusetts. He didn't care whether a bill was popular or politically expedient, Democratic or Republican. He cared about whether it helped people, whether it made a difference in their daily lives.

And that's why he fought so hard for Medicare, for mass transit and the minimum wage, for civil rights and women's rights. It's why he became a lifelong advocate for affordable housing, establishing protections that are the standard to this day. So it's a record that defies the labels and categories for which he had little use and even less patience.

When pressed to define himself, he would offer phrases like "creative moderate" or "a liberal with a conservative bent." But in truth, Ed Brooke's career was animated not by a faith in any particular party or ideology but, rather, by a faith in the people he served.

Ed always got to see the best in people because that was the effect he had. Maybe it was his old-fashioned manners, his unfailing courtesy and warmth. Maybe it was his charm and charisma, known to melt even the staunchest adversary. Or maybe it was his genuine interest in people's stories, the way he listened to their concerns and worked to ease their struggles.

Whatever it was, even if people didn't fully agree with him, they saw how hard he fought for them and how much he respected them, and they respected him back. They rose to meet his esteem for them. Around Ed, people wanted to be their better selves. And over the years, he made an impression on just about everyone he encountered, including a young congressman named John F. Kennedy, whom he met back in 1952.

The two men had a lively conversation. And as they parted ways, the future president said, "You know, you ought to be a Democrat." And Ed smiled and replied, "You know, you ought to be a Republican."

(LAUGHTER)

It was a sentiment that many in my party would share, including the president's brother, our dear friend Ted Kennedy. And while Ted campaigned vigorously for Ed's Democratic opponent, the two later became lifelong friends. And four decades later, Ted would campaign even more vigorously to secure Ed's nomination for this medal.

So, while we grace Senator Brooke with this honor today, perhaps a better tribute to him would be to embrace that spirit, to compete aggressively at the polls, but then work selflessly together to serve the nation we love. To look for the best in each other...

(APPLAUSE)

To look for the best in each other and to give each other the benefit of the doubt, and to remember that we're here for a purpose far greater than the sum of our own hopes, needs and ambitions. That's the legacy of our friend Senator Edward Brooke, and may we each do our part to carry it forward.

Thank you. God bless you.

Congratulations, Senator Brooke.

And God bless the United States of America.

(APPLAUSE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... and liftoff of Ares 1-X, testing concepts for the future of new rocket design.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Altitude now two miles.

HARRIS: Boy, that's pretty cool television. Let's rerack the last two minutes or so. Man, look at this. All right. Let's see if we can recap this.

As you can see, the Ares rocket. That candle lighted and on its way.

John Zarrella is standing by. John, boy, that was -- man, that was good. The last two minutes here, that was good, good television. Tell us about this launch.

ZARRELLA: Yes, Tony, you know, it gets out of there in a real hurry, 3 million pounds of thrust, almost Mach 5. Now, this is going to go for about two minutes total time. That's it. And at two minutes in, the first stage and the second stage, we're going to see separation. And that upper stage of this rocket is really just a mock-up. It's all filled with steel, weighted so that it mimics the real Ares rocket.

That's a spectacular shot you're seeing, looking down at the Ares, yes, from the very top of the stack there. And then when they separate at about 130,000 feet, the first stage, the lower stage there will actually fall back into the Atlantic. Parachutes will deploy, and that's reusable, just like the shuttle's solid rocket boosters.

There's a recovery ship. You've got burnout right now at 130,000 feet. There you go, the separation. You can see that. The upper stage will continue on now for a little bit and then fall harmlessly back into the Atlantic Ocean while that lower stage there, the ATK- built solid rocket boosters, the parachutes will deploy. And that will drop back into the Atlantic Ocean for recovery. And that's one of the things they're testing. They're testing the parachute system. They're testing the ability of this vehicle, the aerodynamics, everything that goes into the control systems on this rocket to see exactly how it will perform when they finally fly the real vehicles around 2015, when astronauts will sit up there, four of them, in an Orion capsule on top of that rocket, Tony.

This is a huge, huge day for NASA, for ATK, the developers of this rocket, because it's to try and prove the technology, that it will work. That going back to the, you know, the old design, so to speak -- all new parts, but the old design of a rocket like the old Saturn 5s opposed to a fixed-wing shuttle vehicle, you know, mounted with two -- with an external tank and two solid rocket boosters on it.

So, they had to prove this technology will work. And you know, now they have 711 sensors on board that vehicle, Tony. And so, the plan now will be go back, analyze all the data, see how it performed, and there you go. I think you're looking inside there, some of the control centers where they've been following and tracking this vehicle.

So, a big day for NASA. You know, Tony, the commission, the presidential commission, the Augustine Commission, made recommendations to the president on the future, whether to go ahead and continue on with the Ares project or maybe go to just build the Ares, a heavier-lift Ares rocket. But the idea they had to do was prove this technology, and they are very confident that down the road when the president and his science team make the decision on which way to go, that this test will go a long way in validating their belief that this should be the future of the U.S. space program -- Tony.

HARRIS: Boy, oh, boy. This has been some first half hour of this newscast. Look at that. That is terrific. We had -- boy, Senator Brooke, the first African American to be elected by popular vote to the Senate, receiving the Congressional gold medal. And then we get the Ares launch. Man, what a half hour.

OK. I think we're done for the day. Goodbye.

No, I was just kidding. John, appreciate it. Thank you.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, after months of anticipation, this is it. Family and friends cope with the mixed feelings about Michael Jackson's final thriller.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY KING, CNN HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": Are you anxious to see it, Jermaine? Is there anything bittersweet about seeing it? I mean, you're going to see your brother for two hours.

JERMAINE JACKSON, BROTHER OF MICHAEL JACKSON: I know that I'm going to cry, and I'm going to be up, and it's just going to make me miss him more. But I'm happy that the people get a chance to see what he was going to do.

And I know, knowing Michael, he was going through the motions. He wasn't giving 1,000 percent during the rehearsals because his concern was making sure that everybody else knew what they were going to do. Then, once he hit that stage, he was going to wear them out, Larry. That was the whole plan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: He was going to wear them out. OK, Michael Jackson's brother, Jermaine, as he was walking into last night's premiere of "This Is It." The movie officially opens today.

Kareen Wynter with us. Kareen is in Los Angeles. Kareen, good to see you. It's been a long, long time.

OK, so you saw the movie last night. Take me inside the theater. What was the reactions, first frame?

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, Tony, it was unlike anything I've ever experienced before. You're sitting inside the theater, hundreds and hundreds of people, packed audience. Felt more like you were at a concert than watching a movie.

Michael really, really captivated the audience. People laughed. They cried. They cheered. It was really -- indescribable is really one way to put it.

We are right now at ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood. They're going to be screening the movie 14 times today. The first screening begins a couple hours from now. But here's a snapshot of what people all over the world took in last night.

HARRIS: All right.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL JACKSON, POP ICON: That's a cool move.

WYNTER (voice-over): When the King of Pop died suddenly on June 25th, countless variables were thrown into question, including what to do with more than 50 hours of rehearsal footage shot for his sold-out London concert dates.

An all-out bidding war resulted, with Sony Pictures Entertainment paying a whopping $60 million for the right to turn the video into Michael Jackson's "This Is It," a behind the scenes documentary-style film of the singer's last days on stage.

(on camera): What's tonight mean to you, being here?

J. JACKSON: Tonight means everything. The whole tragic thing was -- is just a big buildup, but this was going to show the humane side to him and to show people what he was prepared to do. PAULA ABDUL, SINGER: It's an important movie to see because even though Michael would never want anyone to see him, like, halfway rehearse, but he gave full-out even during rehearsals.

KENNY ORTEGA, DIRECTOR/CHOREOGRAPHER: Absolutely no body doubles, and it's all Michael, and it's unguarded and raw and real, and he's beautiful.

WYNTER (on camera): From director Kenny Ortega to Jackson's brothers, those closest to the late superstar were all on hand for this historic event. My producer and I also snagged tickets. We're about to go in to check out the film.

(voice-over): Immediately following the packed screening, crowds of Jackson fans, friends and family made their way to the afterparty.

MICHAEL BEARDEN, MUSICIAN/PRODUCER: Michael really would have loved the response that the audience gave. They laughed in places that I didn't think they were going to laugh, they cried and they applauded. It was wonderful.

JACKIE JACKSON, MICHAEL JACKSON'S BROTHER: It's kind of hard for me at times, but that's why I keep this with me at all times.

WYNTER: Tell me what that is.

JACKIE JACKSON: It's a token of my brother. I keep it in my pocket at all times, you know? It's MJ, right here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WYNTER: And you know, Tony, there have been rave reviews, really, here in the States, internationally, since this movie was simulcast in 17 different cities yesterday. But you know, there has been a lot of criticism, really negative criticism, leveled at this film.

Where do we start? First of all, some family members saying that this isn't something that Michael would have wanted the world to see, really him, you know, doing a dry run, rehearsing, not at his best. There's also been some criticism toward the studio, with some folks saying that maybe there were body doubles uses, that it's hard to believe that a 50-year-old man could pull off, you know, the performances that we saw.

So, again, a lot of criticism, but for one night at least, last night, people cheered, they applauded, and they were happy to see Michael in this final light -- Tony.

HARRIS: It wouldn't be a Michael Jackson event if you didn't have a little strangeness. Body doubles? OK, here's my question for you, Kareen. Was there a moment or moments that surprised you where you didn't expect to see what you were actually watching?

WYNTER: Several moments, and my producer can attest to that, too. We watched it together. Tony, I have never seen Michael Jackson like this -- raw, uncensored. You know, the few interviews that he did out there, nothing came close.

We saw him sucking on a lollipop. We saw MJ dressed down in sweats. How -- when have you seen Michael Jackson in sweats, not dressed up?

HARRIS: Never.

WYNTER: So, again, he was, you know, playful with his band. Just the real side that the public perhaps never saw, a different persona. And I think people probably went away from the film appreciating that about this artist.

HARRIS: Kareen, good to see you. Kareen Wynter for us in Los Angeles.

And you know, we're getting more of a sense of what it was like in Los Angeles, where Kareen is right now. Nicole Lapin joins us now with a look at some of the iReport reaction on "This Is it."

What do you have, Nicole?

NICOLE LAPIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Kareen was mentioning that this was simulcast in different cities. So, let's look at the view from New York. This was one of our iReports sent in from Lowes, it's a theater, the Imax theater in New York. It was rainy and gross there last night, but that didn't stop these die-hard fans...

HARRIS: Did you say rainy and gross?

LAPIN: ... from going out. I did. And it's also a weeknight, so it happened at midnight. And she sent us this great video capturing the scene.

It was not gross inside. It was quite celebratory, as Kareen was mentioning was the scene in Los Angeles. Think about it, Tony. Michael's fans are all over the world. We got in another iReport from Beijing from an American student living there. So, she saw it 12 hours earlier, and I chatted with her right after she watched it for her reaction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I loved it. I felt like I was in a concert instead of just in the movie theater. I was actually invited by the president of the China Michael Jackson fan club because I met Michael Jackson actually in 2002, and I wrote an iReport about it back in July. And he read that iReport and got in touch with me and asked me to come and speak.

It was just such a happy movie. It was like a celebration, very uplifting. If anything, I was surprised that they didn't mention his death whatsoever, not even in any written headline or anything. So, I mean, it was very much about his talent as a musician and a dancer and an entertainer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAPIN: Tony, did you hear that? That she was invited to speak because of an iReport she sent in? This was the iReport she sent in of meeting Michael Jackson six years ago, and then was invited to speak. So, there you go. IReport can work for you. She also said "This Is it," the title, you understand why it's called "This Is It" in the film, but we don't want to give that away.

HARRIS: I can't wait. All right, Nicole, appreciate it. Thank you.

LAPIN: You're welcome.

HARRIS: Up next, another check of our top stories. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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HARRIS: Some top stories we're watching for you this hour. Taliban militants storm a guest house in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing five U.N. staffers, including one American. It is part of a bloody effort to undermine next month's presidential runoff.

Grounded indefinitely. The FAA has revoked the licenses of the two Northwest pilots who flew past the Minneapolis airport. A letter from the FAA says the pilots endangered the public while they were, quote, "on a frolic of their own." The pilots admitted being on their laptops. They have 10 days to appeal.

And today, Washington is honoring former Massachusetts Senator Edward Brooke. President Obama presented him with the congressional gold medal. Brooke was the first African American to be elected to the Senate by popular vote.

Health care and the public option, why it's time to make a deal.

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HARRIS: The debate over the health care reform, it is getting down to the details and the deal making. Can the Senate pass a bill with the public option? What are the options for Republicans? Where do things go from here?

Joining us to talk about all of this, our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen. Elizabeth, great to see you as usual. Yay.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Great to be here.

HARRIS: And "Washington Post" staff writer Ceci Connolly, who is covering the health reform debate. Ladies, let's see. Senator Joe Lieberman, that's where we'll start. Let's listen to a bit of his conversation with our senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash yesterday, and then, Ceci, a question for you.

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LIEBERMAN: I will not vote for health care reform if it either jeopardizes the recovery from the economic recession or adds to the national debt. And because I'm convinced that creating a government- run health insurance company will add to the national debt, increase taxes and probably increase health insurance premiums, I can't vote at the end for a bill that has such a government-run insurance company in it.

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HARRIS: Ceci, is former Democratic senator, former vice presidential candidate Joe Lieberman, OK, now an independent, really going to help Republicans filibuster health care, or is this about setting the stage for a little "let's make a deal" down the road?

CECI CONNOLLY, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Well, we're certainly seeing right about this time of the debate that a number of these senators are really at their maximum point of leverage in the negotiations. That could well be the case with Senator Lieberman.

There are several others of these centrist Democrats that we might talk about today who could be looking for some relief for a particular home-state industry. They might have an interest about hospitals back home.

Hard to say. But there's also a lot of dissension still around that public option.

HARRIS: So, Evan Bayh, right, you're talking about Mary Landrieu, you're talking about Blanche Lincoln. At the end of the day, you know, after the deal-making process, the horse-trading, is over, I mean, they're really not going to deny the president his number one domestic agenda priority, are they?

CONNOLLY: Well, it sounds to me like maybe Rahm Emanuel, the chief of staff, has sent you a couple of his top talking points, because that is certainly the case that the White House has been making for some time to these Democratic lawmakers, saying, look what happened in 1994 when you denied President Clinton this victory. There was a huge wipeout.

So, certainly that's going to be weighing on their minds. But sometimes if it's not just one, but two or three or four, then there's a little bit of cover in opposition.

HARRIS: Feels like, yes, a bit of a movement.

Elizabeth, explain this to us again. I know I ask you to do this all the time because it's just important. What is the public option being considered right now? And I know as I ask that question, there are different versions of the public option being discussed. Can you sort of pull some of that together for us?

COHEN: That's right, Tony. I think whenever we throw around a term a lot, it's a term people are talking about around the country, we ought to define it.

So, let's take a look at the public option sort of in its purest form, because as you said, there are a couple of different versions out there. In its most basic form, a public option has affordable premiums, meaning it is less expensive than what you would get from a private insurance company. That's sort of the vision for it.

Also, it would be run by the public -- hence the word "public -- sort of like Medicare for the rest of us. If you sort of think about what your grandma has with Medicare, that's what this would be, as an option.

However, you would not be eligible for this -- and this is important -- if you get your insurance through work. These are for folks who don't get insurance through work and have to go find it on their own.

HARRIS: Elizabeth, here we go. I told you I was going here with you today. Don't private health insurers have to change? Do I have to cue up the health insurance horror stories that this network has produced?

Many people say to me, if insurers don't want to cover sick people, then get out of the health insurance business. It just can't be about making money anymore. At least not now at this moment.

COHEN; Well, Tony, I will tell you that at this moment, health insurance is a business. It's a business. They are regulated, of course. But it's a business. They are there to make money.

And the way that insurance companies see it is like, look, if Mrs. Smith applies for insurance, and she had breast cancer 10 years ago, there's a -- she has a higher than usual chance of getting breast cancer. We don't want to insure her because if she gets breast cancer, we're going to have to pay for it. That is a completely legitimate business decision, and some would say a smart business decision, on the part of the insurance companies.

What health care reform is about is making it so that the insurance companies wouldn't have the ability to make that decision anymore. But as it stands now, they're a business, and that's been their business decision. Now, some would say because they've chosen to make that decision, now they're a little bit on the chopping block.

HARRIS: Yes, yes. Ceci, do senators like Lieberman, Snowe, Hatch, a few Dems as well, really believe a public option is unfair competition, or is this at least as much about protecting an industry that really -- and I'm so skeptical today, and I apologize -- filling campaign coffers?

CONNOLLY: Well, certainly that's always a possibility, Tony. But we see so many of these industries giving so much money now, I think it's a little bit hard to tease that out.

If this public option could set rates and set them close to what Medicare pays, I think that really could undermine some insurance -- some of the private insurance companies. I think it's also worth pointing out here that as many insurance horror stories that we hear, and there are certainly many of them well documented, we have to look at the way that doctors and hospitals do business, and we have to start getting transparency of prices. How is it that they can charge you one price for an appendectomy and me a completely different price for the same exact thing?

HARRIS: Strip away the anti-trust exemption that these health insurers now enjoy. They're getting in the room and colluding.

CONNOLLY: Well, let's find out what the doctors and the hospitals actually charge everybody and if they are actually giving us good, quality outcomes for the money that we are paying.

HARRIS: That's terrific. Ceci, great to see you. Hope to see you on the program often in the future.

CONNOLLY: Thank you.

HARRIS: And Elizabeth, see you back here in Atlanta soon.

Thank you both, ladies.

Here's a look at some of the stories we're working on for the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM. New poll numbers on Sarah Palin. Find out what likely GOP voters think of Palin as a presidential candidate in 2012.

And Taliban militants attack a private guest house in Afghanistan. Five United Nations staff members are dead, including one American. We will get the latest on the attack and a live report from Kabul.

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