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Afghan War Strategy Session; White House Touts Stimulus Report; Class of '59 Together at Last

Aired October 30, 2009 - 11:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, boy. Boy, oh, boy.

Thank you very much, T.J.

It is Friday, October 30th. Here are the top stories that we're following today.

The Afghanistan dilemma. President Obama huddles with his top military advisers, deciding whether to send more troops or take a different approach to the long war.

Also, counting jobs. The White House praising a new report card on the impact of all those stimulus dollars. But the critics, they are talking, too.

And coming together 50 years later, graduates of racially- segregated high schools in one southern town, well, they hold a reunion together changing times, changing attitudes.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. Tony is off today.

And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

President Obama hears from top military advisers today as he weighs difficult decisions about Afghanistan. In just a few hours, the president meets with the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The strategy session comes near the end of the deadliest month for U.S. forces in Afghanistan since the war began.

Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr joins us now live.

Barbara, hello to you.

This sounds like the ultimate high-stakes powwow. Who will be at the meeting today?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, it's going to be behind closed doors, and it's a meeting that might be just a little bit different.

Today, first up, the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Now, who are these men? These are not men who have combat responsibilities. They don't conduct the war.

These are the heads of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, as well as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Their responsibility by law is to provide trained and equipped troops for war. This is sort of -- think of it as the supply side of the equation, sending troops off to war.

And, of course, the major concern topping all of this is that the troops, trained and equipped, have all the equipment they need, all the protective gear they need -- the vehicles, the armored protection. This is the responsibility of the services and the service chiefs who make up this meeting today. But these men are also very concerned about strain on their force.

There has been a lot of concern, because we've been fighting for so many years now, that the troops aren't getting enough rest time at home. The Army and Marine Corps in particular, General George Casey, chief of staff of the Army, General James Conway, commandant of the Marine Corps, it is their men and women that are clearly going to be doing the heavy lifting in Afghanistan on the ground, and both of these men have expressed their concerns publicly that the troops not be strained so much. They've made a promise that they will get perhaps up to a year at home with their families in between combat tours. And if the decision is to send tens of thousands of additional troops to the war, that promise could be stretched to the limit -- Don.

LEMON: Well, that said, Barbara, do we know how these troops will be used?

STARR: Well, if General McChrystal, on the demand side of the equation, if you will, gets the 40,000 troops that it is said he is asking for from the chiefs, how will they be used? The bulk of them, we are told, will be headed back down south. Look at the map. It tells you everything there.

Helmand Province, Kandahar Province, the heartland of the insurgency. The bulk of the forces headed to this area for that counterinsurgency mission which is really all about protecting the people of Afghanistan, providing security in this remote, rugged region where the Taliban have the foothold. But also, General McChrystal wants enough troops, of course, to train more Afghan forces, so eventually the end game here is that the Afghans can take over security in their own country -- Don.

LEMON: Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr.

Barbara, thank you very much.

Want to check the wire now.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrapping up a three-day visit to Pakistan. While she expressed disbelief that no one in authority knows where al Qaeda leaders are hiding out, she also praised the military's operation in Swat Valley and Waziristan against a common enemy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: We have to take on these threats wherever they occur, but it's not sufficient to eliminate the threat that Pakistan faces. As long as al Qaeda can recruit and send forth suicide bombers, as we've seen in our own country with the arrest of Zazi, who is clearly connected to al Qaeda, trained in an al Qaeda training camp in Pakistan, I just want keep putting on the table that we have some concerns as well. And I think that's the kind of relationship I'm looking to build here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Secretary Clinton is expected in Abu Dhabi later today.

In South Waziristan, the Pakistani army has found a passport bearing the name of a man believed to be linked to the 9/11 attacks. It is a German passport in the name of Sayeed Bahaji (ph), an alleged member of the Hamburg cell that funded the 9/11 hijackers. And the document looks unusually new, and CNN has not confirmed its authenticity.

Police in Los Angeles searching for the gunman in Thursday's synagogue shooting. Two people were shot in the legs in a parking garage beneath the synagogue yesterday morning. Both hospitalized in good condition today. Now, police briefly detained a teenager thought to match a vague description of the suspect.

The White House beating its own drum this morning. It reports that the economic stimulus program has created or saved at least 650,000 jobs.

All right. So what is the truth behind this? What's exactly going on?

Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange.

Susan, 650,000 jobs. Do these numbers hold up here?

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: And remember, we're supposed to be saving 3.5 million when all $787 billion is put out into the economy.

Don, the first thing you have to say is that there are lots of caveats to this report.

First of all, it's based on tens of thousands of reports from private businesses, from nonprofits, from universities, from state and local governments, so it's complex, and discrepancies are a given. CNN Money says the recipients of stimulus funds were given instruction booklets that were 60 pages. There were 99 data fields to complete.

So, to check its accuracy, you have to go through that and look at what is counted and what is not, as in part-time or short-time work. Job numbers also don't include indirect positions, workers whose business benefited from a recipient of stimulus. It is complex.

But we do have some numbers that we can show you that show some of the states that have been most hard hit by this recession. It shows the number of jobs created or saved because of stimulus. You'll see it up there, California, New York, Texas, Florida, Illinois. A full state-by-state report will be out this afternoon, Don. You can go to it yourself, to the stimulusdatatrackerrecovery.gov.

But finally, I think you have to say that even the White House acknowledges the problems with trying to give a hard number on jobs created or saved. The executive summary quotes a well-known economists, Mark Zandi. I'm just going to read you that quote.

He says, "It's important to note that the economic impacts of the fiscal stimulus is not an accounting exercise." That it is not feasible to identify and count each job that results from stimulus.

So, take it for what it's worth. They're trying to give a concrete number. It's difficult, if not downright impossible.

LEMON: It's interesting, CNN, seeing that graphic, 139,000 jobs in California. Considering California's economy, that would be welcome news there, I would imagine.

LISOVICZ: Of course it's welcome news. And you have to consider what would have happened if there was no stimulus. And remember, this is only basically a fifth of the stimulus that is at work here, $150 billion out of $787 billion. The end goal is 3.5 million jobs saved or created as a result of this.

LEMON: Susan Lisovicz, thank you very much for that. We'll see you a little bit later on, Susan.

LISOVICZ: You're welcome.

LEMON: They're finally getting to know one another at their 50th high school reunion. How alums from the class of '59 in Macon, Georgia, finally put segregation behind them.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: You know what? They weren't even allowed to go to high school together 50 years ago, but that's not stopping them from having a reunion.

Students from the class of 1959 in Macon, Georgia, finally sharing a room and the unique chance to dine together.

Our Brooke Baldwin is here with that story.

Interesting story, Brooke.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is. And it's the kind of thing, you know, South or elsewhere, makes you think, how many other stories out there could we tell about this very issue?

The story is this -- the story really began in another era and picked up just a couple weekends ago with a luncheon that is helping them move past a darker chapter in our nation's history.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN (voice-over): There are the name tags, the nerves, the hugs of recognition.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How in the world are you doing?

BALDWIN: But a typical 50th high school reunion this is not.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm just messing with you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know.

BALDWIN: Instead, the luncheon marks the first time Macon, Georgia's class of 1959 have sat by side ever.

BETTYE WEBB-HAYES, 1959 GRADUATE, BALLARD-HUDSON HIGH SCHOOL: I grew up in a town in almost 50 years, with all those people around, and never knew who they were.

BALDWIN: Bettye Webb-Hayes knows in 1959, the southern city's three public high schools, Ballard-Hudson, Lanier, and Miller were segregated. In the 1950s, Jim Crow laws ruled and separate was supposedly equal. For this Ballard-Hudson alumna, as a young child she says segregation was simply a way of life.

WEBB-HAYES: We didn't find out that we were being discriminated against until we were in high school. And until that high school teacher told us that we were living in a segregated society. We didn't know it.

BALDWIN: Fifty years later, Lanier alumnus Tom Johnson, former CNN president and publisher of the "L.A. Times," had an idea to close the five-decade gap. In a letter to Macon's three classes of 1959, Johnson wrote, "It was a different world then. We were divided by policies, politics and tradition. It is a different world today. We no longer are separated except by personal choice."

That letter and several months of planning later, 210 members of the class of 1959 sat together at last.

RUBY DEAN DUPREE, 1959 GRADUATE, BALLARD-HUDSON HIGH SCHOOL: Well, the old saying is, better late than never. I could not sleep last night, so it just means the world to me. It was just like waiting for Santa Claus to come.

LINDA CARSTOFFEN GUGEN, 1959 GRADUATE, A.L. MILLER HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS: I realized how much we actually missed people that we could have known.

BALDWIN: For this former class president, the gathering of old and new friends brings tears to their eyes, not just because of the symbolism, but for the empty seats, classmates whose attitudes on race 50 years later haven't changed. GUGEN: There are some people that still feel resistant to the idea and think that what we're pushing for is not a good thing. I mean, I think we have to focus on the ones that were here today. I think those people went away with a changed heart.

BALDWIN: It may have taken those people 50 years to come together, but unlike these old-fashioned photos, their story is no longer told in black and white.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: So, it may be 2009 now but, still, reunion organizers say they did receive one piece of hate mail from a graduate who was white, but overall it was a success. In fact, a lot of people talking about next year, making plans for the 51st reunion.

And I just want to say, go to CNN.com. My pal Wayne Drash (ph) at CNN.com, he is writing this amazing story about this, about this momentous occasion.

And I loved how that woman said, you know, it was like waiting for Santa Claus to come. She said she got there a couple hours early. She was afraid she was going to sleep in. It was such a big deal for them.

LEMON: If you didn't say CNN.com, you saw it right over your head.

BALDWIN: Oh, good.

LEMON: As you're reading the thing there. A little odd.

BALDWIN: CNN.com. Got it all out there.

And during the piece you mentioned that your mom went to a segregated high school.

LEMON: Yes, my mom went to a segregated high school. And I think they're doing a documentary on it. It's called "Conn (ph) High School. It's in West Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Very interesting thing.

And I think not until the '70s, the mid '70s, that they have an integrated high school.

BALDWIN: Integration.

LEMON: But it's very common in the South, even back when you didn't have a school-sponsored prom because they didn't believe in blacks and whites mingling together.

BALDWIN: Really?

LEMON: Yes, very common.

BALDWIN: Here we are, 2009. Things changing.

LEMON: Yes, here we are, 2009. Let's see. Let's hope it is.

BALDWIN: Yes.

LEMON: Thank you. Interesting story.

BALDWIN: Thank you. Thanks.

LEMON: Hidden fees. Well, they're creeping into your bills and busting your budget. Find out how to avoid being nickeled and dimed.

Good stuff.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. Time now to check your top stories for you.

A search is on for possible survivors after a Coast Guard plane and a Marine chopper collided last night off California's San Clemente Island. The Coast Guard says several ships and aircraft are looking for nine people, hoping they're still alive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. THOMAS FARRIS, U.S. COAST GUARD: Absolutely, we are always hopeful. We're working very hard to make sure we cover any possibility. And the assumption is always that they are alive.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

FARRIS: We have not found any human remains at this point, or survivors.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: The plane had been searching for a missing person. The chopper was on a training exercise.

A jury in California has awarded more than $16.5 million to the family of a woman who died during a radio station contest. Jennifer Strange (ph) drank more than a dozen bottles of water in three hours trying to win a video game system. Well, she died of acute water intoxication.

Thousands of San Francisco area commuters searching for another way to go to work today. The Bay Bridge is still closed for repairs after chunks of steel from the structure fell onto the roadway on Tuesday. No word yet on when it will open.

Want you to take a look at these pictures. They are just coming into the CNN NEWSROOM. This is from our affiliate KTNV. This is from their chopper, high above Las Vegas Boulevard in Las Vegas. A

huge water main break there causing some major problems. They've had some flooding.

Let us get back to those live pictures. Can we re-rack the pictures we saw before, or we won't rolling on it? We don't have them?

We don't have control of these pictures, but you can see that. And you can see they have been trying to stop this.

We saw workers out there just moments ago, but this is Las Vegas Boulevard, really right in the heart of Vegas there. Can't see exactly which hotel or resort it's in front of. But look at that.

Lots of flooding. And this is not helping with the flooding there.

We'll update you. We'll check on this and update you right here on CNN.

You know what? Speaking of Las Vegas, lots of hotels there. As a matter of fact, I was just there. And you know what? We are all familiar with all these fees, these cell phone fees, credit card fees. But what about a resort fee? What is this?

OK. I've been wanting to know.

Next time you stay at a hotel, you better read the fine print.

Gerri, I notice that with this, resort fees, I'm, like, what is that? I thought the room was blah, blah, blah a night, it turns out it's a third more. And the same thing with rental cars as well.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: That's right. You know, one of the funny fees at hotels, they charge you to hold on to your bags.

LEMON: Oh boy.

WILLIS: What? I know. OK, you can tell I'm a little anxious about this.

Let me tell you, it's the "gotcha" fees, the hidden fees, the ones that you don't know about that come to your attention after you received your service or your product. Those are the ones that hurt the most, Don. And they're everywhere. They're growing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIS (voice-over): From cell phones to cable service, to credit cards and banks, to airline travel and hotel stays, experts say the average American is spending close to $1,000 a year extra on hidden fees and surcharges, a nickel here, a dime there.

BOB SULLIVAN, AUTHOR, "RED TAPE CHRONICLES": That's real money. Married couples, we're talking about $2,000. That's a nice chunk of change to stock a healthy retirement, pay for a nice vacation, get a head start on school costs.

WILLIS: Bob Sullivan is the author of "The Red Tape Chronicles."

SULLIVAN: With almost every transaction now, if you're buying a car, buying a house, getting a cell phone, the company knows far much more than you do, including -- they know what the real cost is. And when there's all this confusion over what things cost, well, consumers lose.

WILLIS: And they're losing in a big way. The average fee ranges from less than $1 to $10. While that may not seem like a lot of money, it adds up.

Cell phone fees average $9.40 per month, more than $116 a year. Cable and satellite TV fees on average run $9.52 a month, totaling $114 a year.

Every time you fly, $33.44. With a national average of three and a half tickets a year, that totals $102 a year.

Credit card fees average $7.22 a month, bringing the annual cost to $92. And the average fee for a hotel stay is close to $25, roughly $95 a year per person.

Bjorn Hanson is a professor at NYU's Tisch Center for Hospitality. Hanson says hotels have become more creative in what he calls the surprise fee.

PROF. BJORN HANSON, NYU TISCH CENTER: Well, the hotel industry in 2008 collected about $1.75 billion on fees and surcharges. Some of the fees that surprise guests the most would be an early betab departure fee, a cancellation fee, minibar restocking charges, luggage or baggage holding fees.

WILLIS: Some hotels go as far as charging resort amenity fees for towels, and some urban hotels even charge a daily fee for receiving faxes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIS: So experts say the best way to avoid being surprised by hidden fees, surcharges, ask up front before every transaction what the final cost is you're going to pay. And according to the national survey cited in our report, consumers had the most success in resolving their fee complaints with credit card companies and hotels -- Don.

LEMON: Good information. I'm going to try that next time, and I'll report back to you. OK, Gerri?

WILLIS: All right. Sounds good.

LEMON: Good to see you. Have a great weekend. OK?

WILLIS: You, too.

LEMON: If you live in an inner city, it might be easier to buy drugs than a fresh ripe tomato. That is the truth. But a Chicago woman is trying to change all that.

Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta files this report. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): LaDonna Redmond is on a mission. We met her two years ago, right here, in one of the toughest neighborhoods in Chicago. The last place you would expect to find a garden. That's exactly what she showed me.

(on camera): What are we growing in here?

LADONNA REDMOND, URBAN FOOD ACTIVIST: Any number of things. Those are collard greens on the far aisle there.

GUPTA (voice-over): Redmond led an effort to start what she calls urban farm sites. Why? Because no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't find fresh produce in the neighborhood.

REDMOND: If you wanted to, you could buy illegal drugs. You can get access to a variety of illegal drugs. If you wanted to buy a gun, you could buy a gun in this community. But if you wanted to find an organic tomato in this community, if you didn't want to come to our urban farm site, you wouldn't be able to buy one.

GUPTA: With few grocery stores nearby, most people do their shopping at convenience stores like this one, except they're full of chips, sugary drinks and candy. And according to a new study from the "Journal of Pediatrics," shopping at these convenience stores is part of what's making our kids fat.

Researchers talked to more than 800 kids outside convenience stores and found that, on average, they were eating 356 empty calories at every stop.

(on camera): What did you guys buy in there?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chips.

GUPTA: Chips?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Candy.

GUPTA: Let me see.

(voice-over): But in lower-income minority communities like this one, where high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity run rampant, Redmond says we can't afford to ignore the issue.

REDMOND: There has to be an insistence that healthy living and a healthy lifestyle is a must.

GUPTA: So, now, two years after we first met her, LaDonna is adding "store owner" to her list of professions.

REDMOND: And our project, Graffiti and Grub, really tries to bring healthy lifestyles to the hip-hop generation. GUPTA: All in the hopes that she can change the tide and the ever growing storm of obesity.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: It is nearly 2,000 pages long. House Democrats are anxious to debate their health care reform plan.

What could it mean for you and me? We're going to break it down in just a bit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Well, just about two hours from now, President Barack Obama holds his latest strategy session on Afghanistan. He sits down with the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the White House today. Top brass will explain how sending a large number of additional forces to Afghanistan will affect each branch of the military.

The meeting comes near the end of the deadliest month for U.S. forces since the start of the war. Fifty-six American troops have died.

And we're listening to your views and concerns about the war in Afghanistan.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

CALLER: I don't understand why they can't send experts to detonate those bombs in the road to keep from killing our service people. I understand about the debate of the larger number, but I think they need to take care of the roadside bombs right now.

CALLER: I'm confused about the war over there. I remember Vietnam so distinctly and how many soldiers we lost. I hope that Obama will do the thing but I don't think -- do the right thing, but I don't think he should let the Republicans force him into sending that many troops before he has thought it out. And I think he's doing the right thing right now.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

LEMON: And you can still voice your comments. Just call us at 1-877-742-5760, 1-877-742-5760. And let us know what you think the U.S. should do next in Afghanistan.

Journalists are now getting a firsthand look at the Pakistani army's battle against the Taliban in South Waziristan, and they have found a connection to the terrorist attack on 9/11.

Our Reza Sayah has details for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Very interesting find in Pakistan, what appears to be a passport belonging to Said Bahaji, a suspected plotter of the 9/11 attacks and a man authorities say is still at large. Let's go ahead and tell you how we found this item.

On Thursday for the first time, the Pakistani army took a group of journalists to South Waziristan. This is the battle zone where for the past two weeks the army has been taking on the Taliban, and it's no surprise they wanted to show off some of the items they seized.

They showed off some weapons, some documents, including some passports. One of the passports was a German passport, and when we opened it, there we saw the picture of Said Bahaji. Inside this passport was a Pakistani visa that indicated Bahaji arrived in Pakistan on September 4, 2001, which matches what investigators have been saying all along.

Now, what's remarkable is that Pakistani military officials, who were on this trip, were not aware that this appeared to be Bahaji's document. U.S. investigators say Bahaji helped with the logistics and the funding of 9/11. They describe him as a senior al Qaeda propagandist who is very much of interest to the U.S.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right. Reza Sayah, thank you so much for that.

Protecting thousands of young girls from sexual abuse. A CNN hero explains her safety network.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Top stories we are watching for you this hour. Around the world, the H1N1 virus killed 700 more people this week. And the World Health Organization says 5,700 people have died since the outbreak began in April.

One thousand nine hundred and ninety pages -- that's a lot of health care language to wade through, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants to vote on that massive plan to overhaul the health care system as early as next week. So, we want to go to our Ed Henry. He is standing by for us. He is at the White House. I see him there.

Ed, you've been talking to congressional representatives on the Hill today. And what are they saying to you?

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're doing our radio program "44" right now live on CNN.com. I just spoke to Congressman Steny Hoyer, the House majority leader. In a few moments, we're going to talk to Congressman Joe Barton, a Republican of Texas.

Congressman Hoyer was talking a lot about the economy and health care. He's confident that this nearly 2,000-page health care bill, which it's going to take a lot of those members of Congress a long time to read through it if they actually step up and do that, obviously.

You know, he's confident that it's going to in the end have a robust public option. He also says he's happy with the support he's gotten from the White House so far, although I can tell you some on the left believe the president and the vice president are not pushing hard enough for a robust public option.

Just a couple of moments ago, I came out of an exclusive interview with Vice President Joe Biden, and I talked to him about health care and asked him about whether or not the president and Vice President Biden, whether they'll be pushing hard for a robust public option. He insisted that people on the left are going to see that they are pushing very hard.

He talked about the economy as well, and I think we have a sound bite on that, Don, which is when I, frankly, asked him about the report, and you're going to hear from the vice president at an event in a few moments, where he's going to make the case that maybe up to a million jobs have been saved or created because of the stimulus package. I pressed him on that point, and I think we have that sound.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: And so, do you think we've hit bottom?

JOE VIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Oh, I'm confident we've hit bottom. The question is -- look, we're not going to be satisfied, Ed, until we're able -- I'm able to sit in front of you and say, look, this month we grew jobs. The net effect is growing jobs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: It's interesting because as you know, a CNN poll just in the last couple of weeks has suggested that a large number of Americans still believe the economy is doing poorly and may not have hit rock bottom. And I also asked the vice president about whether there's a disconnect out there, because as you know, Wall Street doing better, bonuses back, of course, and as well as the GDP, the gross domestic product, suggesting economic growth, that report coming up in the last couple of days.

But a lot of Americans are not feeling it yet. And this White House realizes, Don, that's a political problem for them in the long term, trying to convince the American people that this stimulus is actually working.

LEMON: You know what, Ed, just before I came up here, I saw -- I got an e-mail saying, you know, which ad should we run about health care. Do you know anything about that? The Obama administration is sending it out. I guess they have a couple of different commercials or something, or ads that they want to run about health care. I'm not sure if you know about that.

HENRY: I don't think the Obama administration is. My understanding is that some groups on the left have started running ads. I haven't seen it myself, but I've heard buzz about it, pushing Democrats to make sure they have a robust public option. That may have been what you your producers were talking about.

And like I said, I pressed the vice president on that because, you know, just in the last few days, we've seen the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, come out and put a public option in the Senate health bill that would basically allow the states to opt out. And we've gotten information from our colleague Dana Bash, the senior congressional correspondent, that, you know, the president in a meeting with Senator Reid and others last week sort of felt a little skittish about that, thought it might be better to have a public option with a trigger, as Republican Olympia Snowe has called for, which is basically you don't have a public option at the beginning, but within a couple of years, some defined time period, if the insurance companies don't lower prices, bring costs under control, then the public option would be triggered.

And the president and others here at the White House want to have at least Olympia Snowe so they can say it's bipartisan, at least one Republican, if they can't get others. Instead, you see Harry Reid going a different way with something that Olympia Snowe says she does not like, where the states could opt out, a totally different kind of public option.

I think the bottom line is, there are some on the left saying this White House -- and that's why they run ads and other things to pressure the White House, pressure leaders in Congress. They don't feel this White House is pushing hard enough for a robust public option.

And so, this continues to be the most interesting part of the health care story. Not so much the back and forth between Democrats and Republicans, but how Democrats themselves are going to work out this sort of family squabble.

LEMON: All right, Ed. We're going to go to Capitol Hill and talk to Dana Bash in just a bit to see what she's hearing up there. Thank you, Ed Henry, at the White House.

I want to check our top stories this hour. And this one bears repeating. Around the world, the H1N1 virus killed 700 more people this week. The World Health Organization says 5,700 people have died since the outbreak began in April.

A British couple kidnapped by pirates off the coast of Somalia, they're now being held on a hijacked Spanish ship. Paul Chandler told ITN that he and his wife are well, and they are being fed.

A sixth person has been arrested in the gang rape of a 15-year- old high school student in Richmond, California. The 18-year-old is being held on $1.3 million bail. Police say as many as 10 people were involved in an assault outside the Richmond High School homecoming dance.

Out of 9,000 nominations from 100 countries, our blue-ribbon panel has selected the top ten CNN Heroes of 2009. Today, business mogul and philanthropist Richard Branson introduces you to one of them. Abuse survivor Betty Makoni. She created a safety network in Zimbabwe which has rescued more than 45,000 young girls from sexual abuse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD BRANSON, PHILANTHROPIST: Hello. I'm Richard Branson.

Last year, I had the honor of serving on the blue ribbon panel that selected the Top Ten CNN Heroes of 2008. These everyday citizens who are changing the world are recognized during "CNN HEROES, AN ALL- STAR TRIBUTE."

As founder of Virgin Knight (ph), which tackles social and environmental problems around the globe, I'm absolutely thrilled to help CNN introduce one of this year's top ten honorees. Now more than ever, the world needs heroes.

BETTY MAKONI, PROTECTING THE POWERLESS: In Zimbabwe, 10 girls per day, they are raped. They need an advocate to help them break silence. My name is Betty Makoni. I founded an organization that rescues girls from abuse.

When a girl gets to the villages, she is provided with emergency medication, reinstatement in school, as well as counseling. It gives them the confidence to transform from victims to leaders.

This is the job I have always wanted to do. It gives me a fulfillment, and in girls I see myself every day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: You know what? You can go to CNN.com/heroes right now to vote for the top ten CNN Hero that inspires you the most. All will be honored at an all-star tribute hosted by our very own Anderson Cooper. That's on Thanksgiving night. And you can see it right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: OK, so it's almost 2,000 pages long, right? It's like a stack about that big. How long would it take to read that? And the price tag that could top $1 trillion. We're talking about the health care legislation unveiled by House Democrats. It's already under fire from Republicans. And the full House could begin debate starting next week.

Senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash has all the details for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A march to music down the Capitol steps. A ceremony staged to unveil a health care bill and signal momentum.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), HOUSE SPEAKER: We're about to deliver on the promise of making affordable quality health care available for all Americans.

BASH: After months of intense work with a divided caucus, House Democrats say their proposal would cost $894 billion for new health coverage. But add Medicare changes, and the price tops $1 trillion. It would require all Americans to get health coverage, expand Medicaid to help those who can't afford it and provide subsidies to small businesses to cover employees.

PELOSI: The bill will expand coverage including a public option to boost choice and competition.

BASH: But that is not the kind of government-run insurance option the speaker wanted. It allows doctors and hospitals to negotiate what the government pays. That pleases moderate Democrats but may cost votes with liberals who prefer a public option that mandates lower rates.

REP. RAUL GRIJALVA (D), ARIZONA: I'm personally leaning no. Others are as well.

BASH: But other progressives are more pragmatic.

REP. JERRY NADLER (D), NEW YORK: They couldn't get 218 votes for that. There's no point crying over spilled milk.

REP. ANTHONY WEINER (D), NEW YORK: We have a weaker public option. There is no disputing that. It's not what I would have liked. But I can tell you now we're going to have a sliver of competition.

BASH: How would all this be paid for? In part with cuts in Medicare spending and a 5.4 percent tax on all individuals making $500,000 a year and couples making $1 million. That income level was raised, a change aimed at calming concerns of vulnerable Democrats like Gerry Connolly.

REP. GERRY CONNOLLY (D), VIRGINIA: It will affect a lot fewer folks in my district than the previous version.

BASH: We spent time with Connolly this summer as town hall anger raged. Then, he was undecided. Now?

CONNOLLY: I'm pretty close to that.

BASH (on camera): You're there.

CONNOLLY: But I want to absolutely reserve the right to look at the bill carefully.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right, live to Capitol Hill now. There you see our Dana Bash. She is standing by. Dana, so here's a question. Do Democratic leaders think they have the votes to pass this yet?

BASH: They say they don't have the votes quite yet. They are optimistic that they will get the votes. But part of the issue, you heard one of the liberal members of Congress who's not so sure he will vote yes, but their bigger problem is on the right of the Democratic spectrum, with those moderate Democrats who are not very sure whether or not this is the right way to go, especially because of the cost.

We are still trying to get the final details of the costs, but it definitely looks like it is over a trillion dollars. That does not sit well with the many deficit hawks in -- on the Democratic side. But regardless, what is absolutely -- what we're sure of, hearing from these Democrats, particularly on the right, they say that they are going to take the time -- it will take some time, because it's nearly 2,000 pages -- they will take the time to read this and then they will make the final decision.

And one interesting note. The Senate majority leader -- excuse me, the House majority leader, Steny Hoyer, he said very clearly that he will give lawmakers 72 hours to read the final bill if any changes are made, read the final bill before they have a vote. That doesn't sound like very long but, believe it or not, that is a change from the way things worked up here before.

LEMON: And to go through 2,000 pages, that's going to take a little bit. That's not like, you know, reading before bed.

BASH: No.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: That's an all-day, maybe an all-week affair.

BASH: Exactly.

LEMON: OK so, listen, you know, I guess it depends on Democrats, right? So, any pitfalls to keeping Democrats on board?

BASH: Yeah. I mean, besides the cost issue, there are a couple of actual, you know, issues that are related to this health care bill that are causing the leadership problems. And one of the big ones is the issue of abortion.

There are still a number of anti-abortion Democrats who do not think that the language in this health care bill really is strict enough with regard to making sure that no federal dollars, no taxpayer dollars, go to pay for abortions. There is some language in here. But, again, these Democrats say that the language isn't strict enough. That is what is going on right now. There are negotiations to try to figure that out because those anti-abortion Democrats, Don, they say they have the votes to block this until their issue is resolved.

LEMON: All right. Here we go. OK, thank you, Dana. We appreciate it.

BASH: Thank you.

LEMON: We're going to get a preview of the debate to come on the House health care bill next hour. We're going to talk with Democratic Representative Allyson Schwartz and Republican Charles Boustany about the legislation.

And here's what we're working on for the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM. It is costing more and more to fill 'er up at the pump. Why are the gas prices rising? And is there an end in sight for all of that? We'll check it out.

Also, this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILL HARPER, ACTOR, AUTHOR: We as men have to start holding our other brothers to task, and we have to start checking them and start making them conscious. If a woman is trying to push us in certain ways, we can get defensive because we have that old tape running. If a brother is doing it, it comes from a different direction because he knows I love him. He knows I got his back. But I'm giving him some tough love, right? And so, that's the idea of manning up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Hill Harper, getting men and women to talk again. It's what matters and it's coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM. Make sure you stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Illegal immigrants getting a free pass in Ohio? A Department of Motor Vehicle worker and two others accused of cashing in on illegal immigrants. The FBI says they sold hundreds of Ohio driver's licenses and visas to Ukrainians entering the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

C. FRANK FIGLIUZZI, SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, FBI: Even if those national security repercussions aren't present, you've got the whole issue of identity theft, you've got the ability, once you've got that Ohio driver's license, to parlay that into more false IDs, Social Security cards, credit cards, and just keep ongoing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, the suspects allegedly charged up to $3,000 for driver's licenses issued with little or no documentation.

All right. Whatever you're doing, working on the computer, whatever it is, I want you to take a look at this. It's Little Rock, Arkansas, all right? You see that man wading into the water there? A woman had been stuck in an SUV for a while. She called the fire department, and this man from the fire department swims out to her and tries to rescue her.

Look at this. He gets there. Once he does, he tries to break the window. Looks like he tries to punch it. There are others from the fire department who come in and try to help. They wade out. And that's what happens when you try to go through floodwaters here. We're going to get to our Rob Marciano. He's going to explain all of this in just a little bit and tell you exactly what happened to this woman. You'll be interested to hear. She also had a small child in the car.

We want to get to the White House and President Barack Obama. Can we see it, at least, so I know it's there? There we go. President Obama. Let's listen.