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Credit Card Companies Dramatically Increasing Rates Ahead of New Regulation; Gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey Seen by Some as Early Referendum on Obama Administration; Controversy Rises Over Number of Jobs Created so Far by Stimulus Package; 77 Year Old Man Attempts to Finish College

Aired October 31, 2009 - 14:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Next in the CNN NEWSROOM, after bilking people out of billions of dollars in an elaborate Ponzi scheme, convicted embezzler Bernie Madoff talks about how he pulled it off.

And pulling the cover off the car used by the D.C. sniper as the execution day draws near for the driving force behind those crimes.

And a surprising withdrawal on New York's hotly contested 23rd district. Who is giving up, and why?

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM where the news unfolds live this Saturday, October 31, Halloween. I'm Fredericka Whitfield.

A political shocker in New York. The Republican candidate for Congress dropped out of the race, done in by pressure, she says, from the right. Deputy political director Paul Steinhauser joins us from Virginia where he's covering the governor's race. But before we more talk about it, let's talk about Dede Scozzafava's announcement. Why?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Fred, on Halloween no less. Three days before the election, a real trick and treat today for the Republican candidate in this race up in northern New York State that most people don't know about, but it's really fascinating.

You have a Republican candidate, as you mentioned, Scozzafava. You have a conservative candidate because those on the right didn't like Scozzafava, they thought she was too liberal on social conservative issues, on fiscal issues.

Now, because of the three-way contest, the Democrat had a good chance of maybe winning in a district the Democrats haven't won, Fred, in over 100 years.

But today, just a few hours ago, the Republican candidate dropped out because the conservative has been getting all the buzz and support. The tea party movement, Sarah Palin, so many others have been supporting the conservative and giving the conservative a lot of money.

And because of that, the Republican has been dropping in the polls. Today, she dropped out of the race -- Fred? WHITFIELD: Might there be ripple effects nationwide because of this?

STEINHAUSER: This is just one race, but it's getting so much attention nationwide. It's one of the few races this year in 2009. It's also a good example of what's happening to the Republican Party as they're trying to come back from those big election defeats in '06 and '08.

And the big question for the Republican party is do they try to moderate or try to stay conservative and true to their roots? There was a big battle going on. It seem today in New York 23 the conservatives are winning out -- Fred?

WHITFIELD: Let's reveal a little of what she said in this statement. We'll show it right now.

"It's increasingly clear that pressure is mounting on many of my supporter to shift their support. And consequently I have those individuals who has endorsed and supported my campaign to transfer their support as they see fit to do so."

So I wonder who she might be throwing her support to? Will it be Doug Hoffman?

STEINHAUSER: She's suspending her campaign. Her name remains on the ballot. She's not supporting Hoffman, the conservative or the Democrat in the race.

Some of these top Republican organizations, though, Fed who were supporting the Republican candidate are now switching to the conservative.

One other thing, the Democrats have a lot in line here as well. Vice President Joe Biden is going to be in the district Monday. It shows how important this race is to both national parties, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Do I have time to ask about the New Jersey and Virginia governor's race? I'm getting a yes. The president of the United States was stumping for these candidates in these governor's races. Some thought it was unusual. Others say that's what happens when you have important key states. Might it make a difference for the candidates?

STEINHAUSER: Exactly. These are the only two gubernatorial races this year. Tomorrow, the president is going to be up in New Jersey to campaign with the Republican candidate.

In a way, these are state races with state issues. In a way, they consider these, maybe, the first referendum on Barack Obama and what he's done in the White House. There's a lot on the line for everybody here -- Fred?

WHITFIELD: Paul Steinhauser, thanks very much, coming to us from Leesburg, Virginia, appreciate it. Let's focus overseas now to Afghanistan, where the prospect of a withdrawing candidate threatens the nation's presidential runoff there. Representative for incumbent President Hamid Karzai and challenger Abdullah Abdullah on the right of your screen right there are reportedly in last minute talks now trying to establish next weekend's vote.

Abdullah wants the election officials suspected of possible voter fraud back in August, removed from office all together.

Can you have a valid election in Afghanistan with one candidate? CNN's Elaine Quijano is in Washington with the Obama administration's answer on that.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is traveling in the Middle East now was asked about the possibility there may not be two candidates in Afghanistan's runoff elections. She basically said, look, this would not be an unprecedented situation by any means. Here is how she put it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Other countries have faced this where one candidate decides not to go forward. We have seen that happen in our own country where for whatever combination of reasons, one of the candidates decides not to go forward.

So it's a personal choice that may or may not be made.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Meantime, President Obama got a chance to hear directly from the military's top brass on Afghanistan. He and his senior advisors sat down with Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Joint Chiefs or heads of all military services, and they are the ones responsible for providing the troops needed for the fight.

Right now there are some 68,000 troops in Afghanistan. General Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander there, he would like to see an additional 40,000 U.S. troops.

But there are concerns about that. It could certainly put added strain on U.S. forces. In addition, more U.S. troops in Afghanistan could certainly fuel more violence there.

And something to consider as well, the price tag for the requested troops could top $500,000 a soldier. So those are just some of the weighty factors the president and his team are considering as they move forward with the Afghanistan strategy review -- Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: President Obama says there's evidence the economy is moving in the right direction. During his weekly radio address, he pointed to a government report showing the strongest sign of economic growth yet.

The president warned more job cuts may lie ahead however, but he says the steps his administration is taking is making a difference.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: The economy grew, for the first time in more than a year and faster than at any point in the previous two years.

So while we have a long way to go before we return to prosperity, and there will be ups and downs along the road, it's true we have come a long way. It's easy to forget it was several months ago, that the economy was shrinking rapidly, and many economists feared another Great Depression.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Next week the October numbers will come out. And some experts says don't be surprised if the unemployment tops 10 percent.

A new study is likely to add to the outrage against credit card companies. It finds some of those companies are raising rates by more than 20 percent.

This comes as one couple gets relief after their story aired on CNN. Details from national political correspondent Jessica Yellin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Remember, we told you about Chuck and Gene Lane, a couple that played by the rules, but their credit card company, like so many others, jacked up their payments before new regulations go into effect next year?

CHUCK LANE, CREDIT CARD CUSTOMER: I'm calling to find out why my payment jumped from $370 to $911 this month.

YELLIN: Now, Chuck tells CNN his bank offered to slash his payments to $270 a month, less than before. The bank won't confirm the offer, citing privacy issues. But after CNN's story, the Lane's congresswoman, Better Sutton, also prodded the bank to take action.

REP. BETTY SUTTON, (D) OHIO: They did take the appropriate action to reduce the payment. But, it's unfortunate that it has to go to that extent.

YELLIN: It's great for the Lanes. But what about millions of others who are seeing their credit card payment skyrocket?

A new Pew study of the 12 biggest credit card company finds they are adding new fees, increasing some rates by more than 20 percent, and making changes that could cause monetary injury to consumers.

NICK BOURKE, PEW SAFE CREDIT CARD PROJECTS: The bottom line is credit card companies are doing whatever practices that are more profitable for them as long as they can. And until the law takes effect, that's going to continue.

YELLIN: And Congress can step in and stop it now?

BOURKE: Congress can step in and stop it now.

YELLIN: Some members are trying. Representative Sutton is introducing a bill that would prevent unfair new fees. Representative Betsy Marquee, who also saw our piece, is introducing a bill that would halt rate increases. But so far neither have become law.

CHUCK LANE: They know I'm not the only one. I'm sure there are a lot of other people out there that can't afford an increase of 2.5 times what they have put into their budget for a credit card bill.

YELLIN: The lobby that represents credit card companies tells CNN credit card lending is the riskiest type of lending, and rising interest rates are directly related to the state of the economy.

As for all those other consumers not featured in a CNN piece, they can hope their member of Congress takes action.

Jessica Yellin, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Disgraced financier, Bernie Madoff is coming clean about bilking investors. In a jailhouse interview, Madoff said he thinks the Securities and Exchange Commission didn't catch on because he had too much credibility.

Madoff is serving 150 years after pleading guilty to fraud. He's surprised he escaped detection for so long, he says. At one point Madoff told SEC officials, "I got myself in a terrible situation. It's a nightmare. The thing I feel worst about besides the people losing money is I set the industry back. It's a tragedy. It's a nightmare."

Several students were injured this morning when a charter bus carrying them to a football game overturned. It happened on I-75 outside Atlanta -- 13 Students were taken to an area hospital. They are all from Morehouse College in Atlanta, some of them members of the marching band.

None of their injuries are said to be life threatening. Police says the driver lost control was trying to avoid another vehicle that was moving into his lane on a very raining morning.

America's health care system, complex, expensive, and unnecessary? The surprising financial consequences of doctors trying to protect themselves from lawsuits and how nearly all of us pay for it.

And tonight's trick or treat forecast as varied as your little goblin's bag of candy tonight. Meteorologist Bonnie Schneider has the low down.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: OK. Remember that hour of sleep you lost in the spring? It's time to get it back. For most Americans, standard time returns early tomorrow morning, which should be after all the witches and goblins have dropped by your house.

And if you are like most folks, you'll get your clocks back an hour before you go to bed or set them, that is. That's the best advice. The time change happens at 2:00 a.m. unless you live in Hawaii or most of Arizona.

(WEATHER BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Frustration has been building over the shortage of the H1N1 vaccine. But Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius promises help is on the way. You'll want to learn more of what she has to say.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A look at the top stories right now.

If you drive anywhere these days, you may have noticed gas prices inching back up. The average price is $2.70 a gallon. That's the highest it's been all year long.

Economists worry that rising gas prices will make already cautious consumers less likely to spend their way out of the recession.

And U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in the Middle East this weekend with a specific agenda. She hopes to revive flagging peace talks. A Palestinian official says they are not likely to resume until Israel stops building Jewish settlements. But Mrs. Clinton is reportedly asking that some of the building actually be allowed.

And after a two-day manhunt police say they have captured this man, Anthony Sowell. He is a convicted rapist who is now suspected of killing six people. At least six decomposing bodies have been found in or near his home. Sowell, who served 15 years from rape conviction back in 1989 is also accused of new rape charges.

WHITFIELD: So, it's a part of keeping kids safe on Halloween, knowing areas where sex offenders live. Some websites make that information easy to find. Our Josh Levs is here to show everybody how to navigate it.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Of all days of the year, this is the day so many parents think about this.

What I'm going to do for all of you is show you websites that a lot of people use to help them find out about registered sex offenders in the area. I'm going to show one place we provided links.

This is the first one I want to tell you about. It's familysafetyreport.com. You can sign up and get information monthly. You get alerted if there's a registered sex offender that moves into your area. It has a cost, $30 a month to remain listed there.

This one, everything it offers is free, familywatchdog.com. They give you a map of registered sex offenders. I typed in CNN. Everywhere you see a red square in the area is a registered sex offender.

Now, there's a couple from the government I want to show you. Federal Bureau of Investigation, the FBI has a site here where they list sex offenders as well. I click New York, and then you can type a zip code or last name, if you are concerned about a person. It will bring information from any area.

I typed in a zip code I happen to know. There's a list of people there.

There's a Web site that's updated fairly regularly. They get more and more information from every state in the country. They are continuously adding to the Web site.

There's things police are doing to monitor sex offenders at Halloween. Let's go to this graphic. At some places, they are checking in on registered sex offenders. Some go to mandatory meetings. Others are not allowed to decorate or answer their doors.

We have links on the next graphics. It's at CNN.com/josh and Facebook and Twitter. People are also suggesting other links they know of. Hopefully, it will help some parents feel safer.

WHITFIELD: It's creepy to think about this, but you have to. You want to make sure kids are safe on so many levels.

Josh Levs, thank you.

LEVS: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Health officials with the Centers for Disease Control say that the H1N1 virus is now widespread in all but two states. And even though more than 26 million doses of the vaccine have been distributed, it's far short actually of what's need. So earlier we spoke to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius who said the vaccine will soon be available for everyone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATHLEEN SEBELIUS, SECRETARY, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: This piece of the puzzle is relying on manufacturers. We'll dealing with five of them to give us numbers of what they thought their production schedule was, when we thought we would get the vaccine.

Unfortunately, they were overly optimistic and we gave those numbers to the American public. And we're now in a situation where we have less than we initially predicted. The good news is that we have, as of yesterday, 26.6 million doses out and around the country. We are expecting another 10 million doses next week. So, the vaccine is beginning to roll in larger volumes. And it's being distributed as quickly as it comes off the line.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And it's estimated that nearly 6 million Americans have taken part and been infected the with the H1N1 virus so far, but only experience mild symptoms.

They are painful, hard to live with, and it can be hereditary. I'm talking about migraines. Women suffer them the most. CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen tells us why in this "Health for Her" report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. ELIZABETH COHEN, SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Wilma Morales Rivera comes from a household of women. Although they all share the same beautiful smile, they also have something else in common.

WILMA MORALES RIVERA, MIGRAINE SUFFERER: My three daughters suffer from migraine. My oldest granddaughter, who is five, she suffers.

COHEN: Like her granddaughter, Morales had severe headaches since she was a little girl. The terrible pain comes and goes. As she's gotten older, she discovered what sets her migraines off.

RIVERA: I can't deal with noise, lights, smells. In my early 20s and 30s, it was really devastating because I didn't know what to do about it. And then once I learned what to do, it got easier to handle, but the intensity is the same.

COHEN: According to neurologists, migraines are three times more common in women than in men. If one woman in the family has them, usually their female offspring will suffer as well. And as women age, the pain intensifies.

DR. AUSIM AZIZI, TEMPLE UNIVERSITY: They are migraines. They are increased with menstrual cycles and sometimes they are intolerable.

COHEN: As they get older, for some women migraine symptoms begin to change. They experience more nausea and vomiting and are more sensitive to light.

When women enter menopause, many female migraine sufferers find relief. Doctors believe estrogen general plays a huge role, but in some cases the result is reversed.

AZIZI: Menopause actually transforms migraine at times. Occasionally people who did not have much pain, now they develop pain.

COHEN: And doctors warn sometimes migraines aren't always the cause of pain.

AZIZI: We have to make sure we look we look at patients for strokes and other things.

COHEN: For Morales, the idea of growing older brings one ray of hope. She hopes after menopause she'll be pain-free, for the first time in her life.

For today's "Health for Her," I'm Elizabeth Cohen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: So it may be an off year for elections as a whole. It's not taking the heat off the governor's races in Virginia and New Jersey. CNN's deputy political director Paul Steinhauser is following both right now. He's in Virginia. So let's begin with what's happening on Main Street there.

Why is this Virginia race becoming so contentious and important?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: You got it, Fred. We are in Leesburg, about an hour west of Washington, D.C. And a little later today, they have a holiday parade on Main Street.

And you'll see both the gubernatorial candidates, the Republican Bob McDonald and the Democrat, Creigh Deeds. They're both going to be here. Why? It's crunch time. The election is three days away. The candidates are going from morning until night.

We were with Bob McDonald this morning at his first rally of the day very early this morning. And Fred, that's what both these campaigns are doing right now. They are crisscrossing the state. They are putting their remaining ads on TV, and most importantly, get out the vote efforts.

They want to makes sure their supporters get to the polls on Tuesday because there's so much at stake.

You mentioned this race, Fred. It's a state race with state issues. But at the same time some people see it as a little bit of a referendum on Barack Obama and how he's done in the White House so far -- Fred?

WHITFIELD: And so now let's talk about New Jersey, Jon Corzine, the incumbent. What is it among the mentality that this is kind of incumbent -- a rage on the incumbent?

STEINHAUSER: Exactly. Jon Corzine is a Democrat. And New Jersey is a Democratic state. You would think he'd have an easy reelection, right? No. The polls suggest he's fighting for his political life now.

And why? You hit on it there, incumbent. It's a tough time to be an incumbent with the economy the way it is and the political climate the way it is. Corzine has the bad misfortune of being the only incumbent governor up for reelection this year.

People are going to keep a close eye on this race to see how he does because there will be a lot of incumbents very concerned next year. He gets some help tomorrow.

WHITFIELD: And we are seeing the images rolling while you were talking about Jon Corzine. President Barack Obama campaigned for him. And some thought it was a surprise for the president to be campaigning for a gubernatorial race in New Jersey.

STEINHAUSER: And the president is going to be back there tomorrow to campaign with Governor Corzine. Barack Obama, besides being president, he is the head of the Democratic Party. So he wants to help out his fellow Democrats.

WHITFIELD: All right, Paul Steinhauser, thanks so much.

And very lovely Leesburg, Virginia. It's a cute down. It's a big town, but it has a cute quaintness about it.

STEINHAUSER: Very quaint, town. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: The White House says economic recovery comes down to jobs, jobs, jobs. It's praising a new report out on employment. Administration officials credit the stimulus for getting hundreds of thousands of people back to work. Vice President Joe Biden says without it the country could have slipped into another depression.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: Without the economic recovery act, it's very unlikely this economy would have expanded at all this last quarter. It may have even contracted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: With jobless rates already at record highs in many States, people are holding their breath in anticipation of a nationwide employment report due next week. Will it top 10 percent?

Meanwhile, our Louise Schiavone looks at the Obama administration claims. Did it really save all those jobs?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LISA SCHIAVONE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: From the Obama administration, a jobs creation message.

JARED BERNSTEIN, WHITE HOUSE ECONOMIC ADVISER: We are going to learn today, later, from the independent Recovery Board, direct information from recipients of recovery act funds that they have created or saved 650,000 jobs so far.

SCHIAVONE: From the government's own record keepers, the other side of the story, 15.1 million unemployed, More than 1 million net new unemployment claims filed in the two weeks ending October 24th. One nonprofit with long experience studying federal spending has doubts about the record keeping.

CRAIG JENNINGS, OMB WATCH: I think it's too early to say, you know, based on the numbers today, how many jobs were created or saved.

SCHIAVONE: The administration says half the jobs saved so far have been in education where state and local government use stimulus money to avoid layoffs.

But at Input, a marketing research firm that advises clients on federal contracts, president and CEO Tim Dowd told us "How can you tell the difference between a created or saved job? We don't think that number is knowable."

In fact, shortly after announcing the stimulus had saved or created 650,000 jobs, the administration changed it to 640,000. Global Financial strategists David Smick say it's all designed to lend courage to a job starved nation in the face of challenging realities.

DAVID SMICK, GLOBAL FINANCIAL STRATEGIST: Here is what's really going on. The unemployment raid is almost 10 percent. To bring it down to 5 percent over the next five years, not an unreasonable amount of time, we would need the creation of 250,000 jobs per month each year for the next five years. We would need to achieve massive growth rate.

SCHIAVONE: The 650,000 jobs claim is based on $150 billion in stimulus spending. And the White House says it's closer to 1 million when tax cuts and other measures are included. But each job costs $230,000 to create, and Vice President Biden conceded...

BIDEN: It's not good enough. Less bad is not good enough.

SCHIAVONE: That appeared to be Wall Street's impression, closing down 250 points, more than giving up Thursday gain on word of a 3.5 percent third quarter domestic growth, which, on second look, said financial strategist David Smick, appeared much less impressive.

Louise Schiavone for CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And now a closer look at a killing car. It was used by two men who terrorized people in and around the nation's capital seven years ago.

And unnecessary medical procedures, how often does that happen? Here what some doctors have to say.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right time now for a check at the top stories.

Britain is taking a stance against Somali pirates, the banister asking $7 million ransom for the safe return of Paul and Rachel Chandler. But their government says it won't pay. The couple was kidnapped from their boat off the Somali coast last week. The southern Christian leader conference has a new president, and for the first time, it's a woman. Martin Luther King Jr's youngest daughter now has the civil rights organization he co-founded -- 46 year old Bernice King is vowing to be a bridge between the civil rights generation and the hip hop generation.

And the Bay Bridge connecting San Francisco and Oakland remains closed. Construction crews are trying to fix a section after several metal pieces actually broke off Tuesday. Right now they are waiting for more materials to be delivered.

Transportation officials say they hope to reopen the Bay Bridge by Monday, but they are not making promises.

One of the so-called D.C. snipers is set to be executed in a few days. Seven years ago 10 people were killed in a span of three weeks, a crime spree that terrorized that area. John Allen Mohammed was convicted of being the mastermind.

CNN's special correspondent Soledad O'Brien takes a look inside the car where Mohammed, with the help of his young accomplice, carried out the murderous plot.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: During the weeks of terror in and around Washington, D.C., the snipers killed and lived out of this, a 1990 Chevrolet Caprice, once a Camden, New Jersey, police cruiser. This small hole in the trunk was for the sniper's rifle, a perfect platform for murder.

RALPH DAIGNEAU, CRIME SCENE ANALYST PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY: How could any crowded parking lot during the day, in a congested restaurant area, gas station, an incident take place, and they could fly under the radar or evade law enforcement? This is one of the reasons why. We found four major modifications.

O'BRIEN: Crime Scene analyst Ralph Daigneau has kept the car in an evidence warehouse for three years.

DAIGNEAU: The firewall has been cut out.

O'BRIEN: This is the closest look ever by a television team.

DAIGNEAU: Shooting from a vehicle is one thing, but preparing it as they did as, in a sense, a killing machine.

O'BRIEN: It was a customized killing machine, darker than normal tinting on the back windows, the firewall between the truck and the rear seat removed, allowing the snipers to lie down and crawl into the trunk as in this FBI recreation.

Half of the inside of the trunk lid was sprayed with blue paint to prevent light from bouncing off when raised. The car's battery was rigged to run a stolen lap top computer with map software to make killing locations easy to find. And this is the view that John Allen Mohammed and Lee Boyd Malveaux had when they pulled the trigger.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: That is extraordinary, isn't it? You can watch, of course, this entire investigation. With John Allen Mohammed's execution set now for November 10, Soledad O'Brien visits the rampage, the tactics, and the troubled men behind those murders. You can watch her full report tonight at 8:00 as she takes a dark journey inside the minds of the D.C. snipers.

The alleged gang rape of a teenage girl after a high school in Richmond California has left so many people across the country wondering how in the world could witnesses stand by and not report such a heinous crime?

Today at our 4:00 eastern hour, we are looking at that and getting answers to your questions. Josh Levs is following many of the questions and comments we are seeing on Facebook and our blog as well.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: And Fred, as you know, we are looking at this from a general perspective. We know an investigation is going on. But how does it happen? What goes through someone's mind, what kind of pressures are there legally and in society to not do this, to stand there and see such a horrible thing happen?

Let me show you the things people are getting at CNN.com/josh. You can put your comments or questions in. Here is some of what we're getting.

This one comes from Mike. It talks about the people in the town. He's saying that the people who were there at this alleged event, he's saying they are as guilty as the rapists.

I'm also following what you are putting up on Facebook. Kathy -- "Why don't our legislatures pass laws to punish those who witness crimes and do nothing to stop them?"

There's a graphic for you. CNN.com/Josh and also Facebook and Twitter. We are following your posts and tweets. Really difficult topic, Fred, but it's interesting to hear how passionate people are. And hopefully answers next hour.

WHITFIELD: And just looking at my blog, I keep scanning, because it's phenomenal how many people are weighing in on this. And people feel the same way. They are outraged. Fitch says, "I have a simple solution -- castration."

We're going to have a good conversation at 4:00. We're going to have a friend of the victim, a psychologist, a clinical psychologist. So it will be a full-bodied discussion on how this indeed can happen. We're calling it "Silent Witnesses."

Josh, thanks so much.

LEVS: You're welcome.

WHITFIELD: Earlier this week, House Democrats rolled out their health care reform plan. It's almost 2,000 pages long. It includes a public health care option and it will cost nearly $900 billion over ten years.

Republicans were quick to attack the legislation as a bloated bill. Minority Leader John Boehner says his party has an alternative.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER, (R) MINORITY LEADER: It was our obligation as a party to explain to the American people how we would do things better. And on the stimulus, budget, energy bill, and health care, we have done exactly that.

As a matter of fact only Republicans have offered solutions to lower health care cost and make it easier to obtain quality, affordable coverage without imposing a massive burden on the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: While Congress tries to find the money to pay for health care reform, consider this. Americans waste tons of health care dollars every year on tests and procedures our doctors know we don't actually need but can't talk us out of it.

Here now is CNN's Allan Chernoff.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let me take a look at you.

CHERNOFF: Dr. Joseph Zebley, a family practitioner in Baltimore say patients are more proactive than ever, telling him not just symptoms but also tests they believe they need. If he disagrees, Dr. Zebli says he may try to persuade a patient but often fails.

DR. JOSEPH ZEBLEY, FAMILY PRACTITIONER: And if the person is very demanding, I must admit that oftentimes we will accede to their wishes knowing full well it might be a futile study or a futile test.

CHERNOFF: And an unnecessary expense. Multiply it by the 940,000 physicians in the U.S. and the cost of unneeded treatment, surgeries, office visits, prescriptions, runs as high as $325 billion according to Thomson Reuters Healthcare Analytics.

It's the consequence, doctors say, of a society that's promotional, bombarding us with ads for pills and procedures, and litigious, where the threat of a malpractice suit hovers like a dark cloud above every physician, forcing them to practice defensive medicine.

ZEBLEY: In reality, the standard care for American medicine tends to be set by ten people in a courtroom who say this should have been done, because physicians all through a community will say, uh-oh, this physician was sued for not doing this, and therefore everyone starts doing the test.

CHERNOFF: For the 85 percent of Americans that do have health care insurance, "no" is not a word they are used to hearing. Patients don't incur most of the costs of each test, each prescription they receive. That often takes cost out of the health care treatment equation, leading to excessive spending, says the study's author.

ROBERT KELLEY, THOMSON REUTERS HEALTHCARE ANALYTICS: It may in fact be too easy to get services if you have health care coverage.

CHERNOFF: Adding fraud, inefficiency, especially from redundant paperwork, provider errors, and lack of care coordination that leads to duplication of tests, and the Thomson-Reuters study concludes Americans are wasting as much as $850 billion on health care spending.

That is pretty close to the 10 year price tag for the version of health care reform approved in the Senate Finance committee.

Allan Chernoff, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Even the first family is getting into the spirit of things. They are getting ready for a Halloween celebration tonight. We'll let you in on their plans.

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WHITFIELD: Well, the Obama's are getting ready to celebrate their first Halloween at the White House. They are throwing a party for Washington area students and military families. Up to 2,000 kids are expected to party on the front law at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

And of course, the White House is mum on whether the Obama's plan to wear costumes.

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WHITFIELD: A veteran and a cancer survivor puts a delayed dream into action. Our Reynolds Wolf brings this man's very inspiring story.

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WHITFIELD: A South Carolina great grandfather is proving you are never too old to go back to college. Family responsibilities forced him to drop out decades ago. Now, he's back in school, and our Reynolds Wolf went to class with him.

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REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Seventy-seven year old Edward Guest may look like a professor, but the Navy veteran and cancer survivor is actually a student. Guest is attending Strayer University in North Charleston, South Carolina, working toward a degree in marketing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What fields your passion? What motivates you? What drives you?

WOLF: For Guest, that question is like fuel stoking fires of a dream that began more than a generation ago. Married with four sons, he retired from the Navy after 21 years of service and started college at the age of 42. He reached his junior year, but had to stop taking classes.

EDWARD GUEST, STUDENT: I wanted to finish what I started 25, 26 years ago. I decided now was the time.

WOLF: So in December, 2011, at the ripe age of 80, Guest will obtain his degree. That decision has made him a source of inspiration.

WOLF (on camera): You other a father, a grandfather, a great grandfather, and you are also a role model for all these people in your family.

GUEST: I sure hope so.

WOLF: Especially the younger ones, what do you hope they can take from your experience?

GUEST: That it is possible to obtain a college degree, if you want to.

WOLF (voice-over): His wife of 57 years agrees.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought it was a great idea, because if he's doing something, he's not driving me crazy.

(LAUGHTER)

WOLF: But Ed isn't driving his schoolmates and teachers nuts. In fact, he's the big man on campus. And he's the oldest among Strayer's 50,000 students nationwide.

Is it an inspirational to see someone 77 years old who some people say should be fishing or maybe on the golf course?

RON SILBERBERG, STRAYER UNIVERSITY: It's incredibly inspirational. In classes that I have taught, I have had students in their late 50s. I haven't had anyone as old as Ed. But it's an exciting aspect of what we do to realize that we're that relevant to people throughout their whole lives.

WOLF: Proving that you are never too old to learn.

WOLF (on camera): What do you hope to achieve long term?

GUEST: I hope to be alive to get my degree. (LAUGHTER)

WOLF (voice-over): Reynolds Wolf, CNN, Charlston, South Carolina.

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