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Today's Vote to Decide Some Key Races; Deploy More Troops? What Boots on the Ground Say; Should Gitmo Detainees Get H1N1 Vaccine?; Obama Meets with Families of Fallen Soldiers; Rhode Island Hospital Forced to Install O.R. Cameras
Aired November 03, 2009 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there, Tony. I appreciate you. The real man, Tony, thank you so much. We will see you soon.
Well, the off-year elections, well, they are on today. Millions of voters in cities and dozens of mayors, a couple of governors, some members of Congress. And the president, he's not on the ballot, but a whole lot at stake for President Obama.
Also, it's time-out. Surgeons possibly cutting some corners and operations going, oh, so very wrong. An Ivy League teaching hospital learns a hard lesson in proper procedure and patient safety. And now possibly cameras in the O.R.?
Hello there, everybody. I'm not the man. I'm just T.J. Holmes, sitting in today for Kyra Phillips. And we're live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Well, in terms of impact today, in terms of drama, in terms of sheer magnitude, election day 2009, of course, can't really compare to election day 2008, but it may give us an inkling of how voters feel about the choices they did make a year ago. And it may offer clues to the midterm elections next year. Or then again, maybe not.
Mayors are being chosen today all over the country, as well, but the big-ticket races are, of course, for governor in Virginia and New Jersey. Also, a special House race that's got a lot of attention in upstate New York.
CNN's Mary Snow watching the northeast match-ups for us today, and Jessica Yellin is in Virginia for us today. But we're going to start things off with Mary.
Start us off. Tell us, what is happening in the northeast that has everybody just all a-flutter right now?
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, T.J., so much suspense starting with a nail-biter here in New Jersey for the race for governor. New Jersey Democratic incumbent, Jon Corzine, really struggling against Republican challenger, Chris Christie. Also a third-party, independent candidate, Chris Daggett, in this race. And he has gained popularity in the last few weeks. And that is really what has made this race a toss-up between Corzine and Chris Christie.
Now, Corzine has gotten help from President Obama: three trips by the president here to New Jersey, the latest one being Sunday. What's really being tested here is whether the president can mobilize his supporters to turn out for Jon Corzine. And that is one thing that is going to be watched.
As for the issues, voters here say, pretty local.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: What's the biggest issue for you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I think the budget crisis in New Jersey. I think Corzine has done a fairly decent job in terms of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and in a number of ways, I think, he's made progress with health care, cutting back the size of government.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not happy with what's going on with the taxes. I've just had -- the property taxes, that's a big chunk of money. I think we're, like, paying through the nose in this state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: And the big question is, where will the support for that third-party, independent candidate go today? And, of course, turnout. It's a beautiful day here, which always helps turnout. But election officials at this point are saying so far the turnout has been pretty light throughout the state -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Now, we can't let you go without talking about what's happening in upstate New York. Please explain to everybody why. A district most people don't know where it is and a lady's name who most can't pronounce. Why this race is starting -- is really stirring things up so much.
SNOW: And this is the race we can't stop talking about. This is in upstate New York, far north, really bordering Canada. New York 23. Started out as a three-way race, now dwindled down to two.
And being put to the test, really, is a rift between Republicans in this special congressional race, where the underdog at one point, Doug Hoffman, has now taken the edge. And Doug Hoffman entered the race, saying that the Republican was too liberal. And he has gotten outside support from both fiscal and social conservatives.
The Republican, Dede Scozzafava, abruptly withdrew from the race on -- this weekend, and then endorsed the Democrat. So, that is going to be so closely watched, to see the direction of the Republican Party perhaps going forward -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right, well, our Mary Snow, always a pleasure. We appreciate you. Thank you.
Want to head down a little south now to Virginia, another state that voted for President Obama but isn't so sure about the Democratic candidate for governor this time around.
Jessica, hello to you in Alexandra for us there. Tell us, it seems like every election someone wants to make it a referendum on somebody or something, and a lot of people are pointing to Virginia as just that thing for the president.
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: You said it, T.J. It's right. Republicans in particular are insistent that this election here in Virginia will be a sign whether President Obama is still popular among the folks that delivered him to the White House, less than a year ago. Now, that's what Republicans are saying. Perhaps not, surprisingly, because their candidate is ahead in this state so far.
And it all really hinges on turnout, of course. But the polls going in show an advantage for the Republican.
Now, Democrats we're speaking to as they come out of this polling place, they say nuh-uh, this is all about local issues. This is about jobs and transportation. And it's their view that their candidate has not run the most fantastic campaign in this state, so they're already lowering expectations.
I want to let you listen for a moment to sound from each of the candidates running, and you'll hear that the Republican, who speaks first, Bob McDonnell, does try to make this about national issues, federal spending. The Democrat keeps it much more local. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB MCDONNELL (R), VIRGINIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: We want a government that's more transparent, more user friendly, more accountable to you, and that means looking at new ways to deliver government services in an effective manner. We cannot sustain $122,000 of national debt for every family represented here. Government must work better for you. So...
CREIGH DEEDS (D), VIRGINIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE; Let's do everything we can to drive out every single vote that we -- because I know that if we do, we're going to win this election, and then we're going to take Virginia forward, because it's not just about winning elections; it's about action. It's about progress. It's about what we expect from government.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YELLIN: Now, President Obama, T.J., has been in the state twice trying to drive out turnout. Also, national -- other national figures playing a role here. Bill Clinton has campaigned for the Democrat. Sarah Palin put in a voice call to lots of voters, urging them to vote their values for the Republican. Even former Republican candidate Mitt Romney has been here. So, lots of big names weighing in.
And I'm getting heavy spin already from each campaign, saying their ground game is better; watch what happens. The only way folks at home are going to really know whether this is a referendum on the president's policies or not is by waiting to see what the results are, analyzing the returns and just listening to their own gut -- T.J. HOLMES: Well, you know these campaigns inside and out, and this is when reporters become popular all of a sudden. You get more information from some of these campaigns than you want sometimes. But Jessica, we appreciate you in Virginia for us.
YELLIN: You bet.
HOLMES: We'll be checking in with you again.
And no matter what happens in all these races today, pundits will pull over exit polls to tie it all to the president in some kind of way. But we do have a new CNN/Opinion Research poll that eliminates some guess work.
It found 54 percent of Americans approve of the president's job performance; 45 percent do not. The president was elected, incidentally, with 53 percent of the vote.
Now, here's where it gets a bit interesting. On specific issues, on Iraq, health care, Afghanistan, the deficit, immigration, the president's approval ratings are under 50 percent. On the deficit and immigration, they're well under that 50 percent mark. He gets the highest marks on the environment, as well as well with the swine flu.
Well, voters in opposite corners of the country are weighing in today on same-sex unions. We're talking about Maine and Washington state. Ohio is deciding how it feels about casinos. Meanwhile, New York, Atlanta, Boston, Houston, and lots of other cities also choosing their mayors.
And in Houston, a victory by Annise Parker would be a first.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNISE PARKER, HOUSTON MAYORAL CANDIDATE: I have always stood up for the fact that I am gay, and it's part of the resume that I bring to the table.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: We'll hear more from Houston and from CNN's senior political analyst, Gloria Borger, later this hour in the NEWSROOM.
And, of course, the best political team on television, your source for real-time returns and analysis, all night long. Election night in America starts 8 p.m. Eastern, only right here on CNN.
Well, President Obama meeting this morning in the Oval Office with the German chancellor, Angela Merkel. A top item on the agenda, the war in Afghanistan, and the president's still mulling over the crucial question of whether to send more U.S. service members. One thing he'd surely like to see is more help from Germany and NATO. Still no word on that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I should just note that Germany has been an extraordinarily strong ally on a whole host of international issues. We appreciate the sacrifices of German soldiers in Afghanistan and our common work there to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan and to create the environment in which the Afghan people themselves can provide for their own security.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, after her meeting with President Obama, Merkel became the first German chancellor in more than 50 years to address Congress. Among other things, she repeated German's commitment to making Afghanistan more secure.
Of course, we've heard a lot of talk from supporters and critics on whether President Obama should send more American troops to Afghanistan. But we haven't heard enough from the troops that are already there. Until now.
Our Chris Lawrence embedded with soldiers in the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar. Here's what they want to happen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): No runoff election? It still means no rest for the soldiers in the small outpost well outside Kandahar. Now they're wondering, when will President Obama decide whether to send more troops.
CPL. JIMMY PARKER, U.S. ARMY: We need the help down here. Even though we're handling our own, we need more forces down here. This area is too big for just one company to be in.
LAWRENCE: The company is Bravo. The area is the Argadab River Valley. Part desert, part irrigated orchards, and heavily saturated with Taliban fighters.
SPEC. BRIAN SCHOENBECK, U.S. ARMY: We need another battalion or brigade out here to help us out.
LAWRENCE: Specialist Brian Schoenbeck says there's too many Afghans spread out over too much ground to know them personally, which is crucial for gathering intelligence.
SCHOENBECK: Well, if we have a smaller area as a result of having more troops here, it does allow to us get to know the people better.
LAWRENCE (on camera): One of the reasons for adding more troops is to add more trainers who can, then, beef up the number of Afghan national police in villages like this.
(voice-over) U.S. commanders say they can push the Taliban from town to town here, but that's all.
MAJ. SCOTT BRANNAN, U.S. ARMY: Right now, it's hard to saturate and have boots on the ground, because the battle space is so large. It's -- Afghanistan is much larger than Iraq.
LAWRENCE: But some say there's nowhere near enough infrastructure for 20,000 to 40,000 more soldiers and Marines.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Logistically, Afghanistan is not ready for all the troops.
LAWRENCE: Specialist Luke Adler (ph) says supplies still don't flow into Afghanistan as fast as they do in Iraq. It's better now than on his first tour here. But that's not saying much.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We had nothing last winter. We had, you know, no saws mounted in our trucks.
LAWRENCE: Adler (ph) has come to believe the Taliban can't be wiped out, not in their own country, even with more troops.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Politicians, civilians, they just think, we'll send them over there. It doesn't matter how much troops you throw at it, you just can't throw massive people here. It's not going to work. It's not a war, you know; it's an insurgency.
LAWRENCE (on camera): We did see somewhat of a split. Soldiers who were training Afghan security forces were somewhat ambivalent about a troop increase, while those in frontline combat missions wanted to see more troops added to the fight.
Chris Lawrence, CNN, Kandahar province.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Can you imagine operating on the wrong body part? Taking out the wrong organ? Putting the wrong patient under the knife? So many "wrongs" at Rhode Island hospitals. Now a dramatic move to try to make things right.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, you might still be waiting for that swine flu shot, so let me ask you this: should prisoners at Gitmo be allowed to jump in line up front of you? Well, I think you know how you'll probably answer. I probably know how you're going to answer that question, as well. You need to hear this whole story, though.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, you can call it the president's latest dilemma. Should he go ahead with plans to give swine flu shots to Gitmo prisoners, even though countless Americans still face shortages of that H1N1 vaccine?
Now, the question has a lot of lawmakers all upset, but as CNN's Brian Todd explains, some of them may have jumped the gun.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A pandemic that spread across the country now spreads a political virus in Washington. The Obama team taking bipartisan fire for the fact that the swine flu vaccine could be offered to detainees at Guantanamo while American families deal with delays in production of the vaccine.
SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (I), CONNECTICUT: They should get way, way, way back at the end of the line and only get the vaccine when 150 million Americans, who are thought to be in vulnerable categories, get that vaccine.
TODD: Senator Joe Lieberman says he's appealing to the president and the Pentagon to reverse course. A Democratic congressman calls it unacceptable, and a Republican counterpart says, "The administration tells us 'no longer women and children first'" for the vaccine.
We contacted officials at the Pentagon, the White House, and a spokesman at Guantanamo, who said this.
LT. CMDR. BROOK DEWALT, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, JOINT TASK FORCE, GUANTANAMO: People who live in institutional settings or environments such as nursing homes, detention facilities, prisons, college dorms, as well as patients and hospitals and people with diseases, are all considered to be at a higher risk. And detainees at Guantanamo would, then, fall into that -- that general -- general area of higher-risk individuals.
TODD: But the Centers for Disease Control does not specifically put detainees on the target list of people recommended to receive the vaccine when it becomes available. And a White House official says the administration is trying to determine if detainees should ever have any access to the vaccine.
Officials at Guantanamo and the Pentagon tell us there are no cases of H1N1 at Guantanamo yet. The vaccine has not arrived, and they don't know when they'll get it. They say the base commander will make sure military personnel get the vaccine first, and that it will be voluntary for detainees.
One bioethicist says this is typical of the political challenge epidemics pose to presidents.
ART CAPLAN, DIRECTOR OF BIOETHICS, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA: It's a really tough line to walk, and I'm afraid, given all the other forces out there, vaccine critics, economic issues, even a certain skepticism toward government, it makes it even harder to get the right balance between wanting the public to take this seriously, but not panicking people.
TODD (on camera): A senior Pentagon official says this is a force-protection issue. He says the detainees at Guantanamo may have to get access to the vaccine in order to protect the military personnel who are guarding them.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: OK. Surveillance cameras, you expect to see those at a bank, maybe at an airport. You expect to see it in an operating room, though? That's exactly what's happening in Rhode Island. What on earth is going on in there that people need to be surveilled? What did the surgeons do? You need to hear it and how you can keep it from happening to you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, some of our top stories now.
Of course, it's election day in a lot of places across the country, Virginia and New Jersey choosing governors. In the race in Virginia, the Republican has a double-digit lead in the polls over his Democratic opponent. That race seen as a possible early referendum on President Obama and his policies.
In Arizona, family and friends of a young Iraqi-born woman are mourning her today. Police say Noor Almaleki and a friend were struck by a car that was driven by her father. The 20-year-old Almaleki died from her injuries. Her father was reportedly angry at her -- at his daughter for becoming too westernized. Police say aggravated assault charges against him will now be upgraded.
In Cleveland also it could be weeks before we know the identities of six bodies found at the home of a convicted rapist. Anthony Sowell has been arrested but has yet to have been charged in connection with those bodies. Police are trying to trace his past since his 2005 prison release.
Well, a sobering reminder now to the sacrifices of war. The words of President Obama about his trip last week to Dover Air Base, where he saluted the remains of fallen Americans. Well, Sharon and Larry Mueller were there, as well. They went to bring their boy home.
Molly Hendrickson of our northwest Wisconsin affiliate, WBAY, spoke to them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MOLLY HENDRICKSON, WBAY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a pain only a parent who has lost a child can understand.
SHARON MUELLER, MOTHER OF FALLEN SOLDIER: I just thought that we were just hurting so much that Nick was -- it was Nick. And that's all I said. It's Nick. Just can't be Nick.
HENDRICKSON: Last week Larry and Sharon Mueller flew to Dover, Delaware, to meet with President Obama and the families of 15 other soldiers, who, like them, have lost a child to the war.
S. MUELLER: I didn't think anybody could feel the hurt that we had until we saw them.
HENDRICKSON: United in grief, they shared their stories with the president and with each other.
S. MUELLER: He met with everyone individually, held us, held our hands, hugged us, talked to us. He cared. He had tears in his eyes. It wasn't where nothing was rushed. He just took a long time.
HENDRICKSON: And while nothing will bring their son back, the Muellers say they find comfort in the memories and knowing he died doing what he loved.
LARRY MUELLER, FATHER OF FALLEN SOLDIER: That's what gets us through, that we know he was doing what he loved. And I think that's got to be the greatest thing in the world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Sergeant Nick Mueller, one of the 905 U.S. men and women killed in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and around the world.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, right now at hospitals across the country, people are being prepped for surgery. Maybe you're one of them. You might be watching this in your room right now, in your hospital room. Well, don't get too alarmed here. But stats say before the day is done, five or six patients will have the wrong bits removed, cut into, or treated.
These are called wrong-site surgeries. And it shocked a lot of us today in the NEWSROOM to hear this, that there are about 40 of them happening every single week.
Well, less shocked probably are the folks in Rhode Island, who have seen a mess of screw-ups lately at the same hospital. The last one was a week and a half ago. And the place has just begun being hit with a big fine and what seems to be an unprecedented punishment: mandatory video cameras in the operating room.
Here now, Alex DiPrato of our affiliate, WPRI.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEX DIPRATO, WPRI CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A hundred and fifty thousand dollars, that is the amount Rhode Island Hospital is ordered to pay up after its fifth wrong-site surgery since 2007.
ANN MARIE BEARDSWORTH, RHODE ISLAND DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH: This is -- seems to be a recurring pattern at Rhode Island Hospital. This is a serious concern for the health department.
DIPRATO: The latest incident last month involved a patient who was to have surgery on two fingers. Instead, the surgeon performed both operations on the same finger. The Department of Health says the surgical team violated protocol by marking the wrist of the patient rather than the fingers themselves and did not take what's called a time-out after realizing the mistake and performing the surgery on the correct finger. In addition to the fine, the hospital is being required to install audio and video recording equipment in all of their operating rooms, have an employee who is not part of the operating team monitor all surgeries and retrain surgery staff.
ANN MARIE BEARDSWORTH, RHODE ISLAND DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH: Within the next three weeks, they'll need to shut down elective surgeries for one day and offer a mandatory in-service training for all of their surgical staff.
DIPRATO: The CEO of Rhode Island Hospital says he's requested a meeting with the health department, and in a statement says, quote, "We remain more committed than ever to working on methods to reduce the incidence of all medical errors from reaching patients. Patient safety has always been, and remains, our number one priority."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. Well, check out this list of screw-ups, just in Rhode Island here. This is over the last 10 years.
In December of 2000, a surgeon at Hasbro Children's Hospital, which is part of that whole Rhode Island hospital system, operated not just on the wrong area, but on the wrong kid. A little girl went in for eye surgery. Woke up, her tonsils had been removed. A year later, a guy got holes drilled into the wrong side of his head because somebody stuck that CT scan on that whole -- that light box, you know? Hung it up there backwards.
Our senior medical correspondent -- this is weird stuff, just to hear some of these things. It's unbelievable that they can happen. But probably the person who could prevent them most from happening is the patient themselves.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I don't know about most.
HOLMES: Not most? OK.
COHEN: But you certainly can do quite a bit to prevent surgical errors. Now, you might think, well, I'm anesthetized, but you're not anesthetized until you actually go into the operating room.
So, what you can do before you go under anesthesia is you can insist on seeing your surgeon -- not the surgeon's assistant, not the nurse, none of those people, the actual surgeon -- and say, hey, guess what, I'm having surgery on these two fingers, right? This finger and this finger, not just on one finger. That's very, very important to speak to the surgeon yourself.
The other thing that you can do is you can actually write "yes" and "no" on your surgical site. Let's say you're having surgery on your left knee. You can write "yes" on the left knee and "no" on the right knee. So, that's something else you can do. You have to be an empowered patient to make this happen. And be a pain in the neck.
HOLMES: You ain't lying.
COHEN: I mean, yes, they're not going to like you for this because you're bugging them. But you have to do it.
HOLMES: It seems so rudimentary -- yes, no, something like that that can prevent some of these screw-ups from happening.
COHEN: It really can.
HOLMES: All right now, are there uniform standards and guidelines or something out there in place that is supposed to keep these things -- I mean, this should never happen.
COHEN: Right. This should never happen. And so, the joint commission which is the group that accredits hospitals, inspects them and accredits them, they do have some guidelines that were actually mentioned in the piece just now.
One of them is that there is supposed to be a time-out before they start the surgery. Everything is supposed to stop, and they are supposed to say, all right, what's the name of our patient, what body part are we operating on, what kind of surgery are we doing. They're supposed to do that.
The other thing they're supposed to do is, the surgeon is supposed to write his or her initials on the proper body part. Those two things are supposed to happen. If that had happened, you wouldn't have the situation we have here now in Rhode Island.
HOLMES: In the Rhode Island one, of course, these hospitals now have been making some news for the past several years, so people know about them. But if you're about to go into a hospital, is there a way to research, check that hospital out ahead of time?
And then God forbid if something like this does happen. I mean, what do you do? Can you sue?
COHEN: You can sue, definitely. And you can also try to research beforehand. There are a couple of Web sites that I've put up on CNN.com/newsroom. For example, the Leapfrog Group, healthgrades.com. Both of those Web sites have patient safety rankings. And these are from the federal government, where the feds go in there, and they ask certain questions that let you know how that hospital's doing on patient safety.
So, for example, right here you can see the ratings. If you get one bar, you're not doing too well. Two bars, you're doing better. Three bars you're doing better. So, you can look it up, and again, if you go to CNN.com/newsroom right now, you can see a blog that we've written about this, and it includes a link to an "Empowered Patient" article that I wrote on preventing surgical errors. You can do a great deal to try to prevent these. Not everything. They might happen no matter what you do. But you can at least make an effort.
HOLMES: All right. We've had so many people talking about this in the NEWSROOM.
COHEN: It's just incredible.
HOLMES: And experiences with family, like something as simple as just taking a big old marker and saying, hey, this one right here, folks. This is the one.
COHEN: That's right -- yes, no.
HOLMES: Simple stuff.
COHEN: It's amazing what that can do.
HOLMES: All right, Elizabeth Cohen, thank you so much for that.
COHEN: OK, thanks.
HOLMES: And we want to know your thoughts on this story, certainly. But also, do you have a story about a crazy medical error out there? Share that with us, if you would like to. You can send it to us certainly at kyraCNN at Twitter, also tjholmesCNN. I'm checking mine up here as well. We're going to read some of those on the air in the next hour or so.
Well, doctors screwing up your surgery, that's terrifying, of course, but probably no worse than the health care bill Congress is taking up right now, according to one member of Congress anyway. Take a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. VIRGINIA FOXX (R), NORTH CAROLINA: I believe that the greatest fear that we all should have, to our freedom, comes from this room, this very room, and what may happen later this week in terms of a tax increase bill masquerading as a health care bill. I believe we have more to fear from the potential of that bill passing than we do from any terrorist right now in any country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Al Qaeda's got nothing on this health care bill is what the lady is saying.
Josh Levs is going to be checking some of this stuff out for us today. He has some highlights. Josh, this thing was supposed to hit the -- we were keeping an eye out for the bill. It was supposed to hit the Internet. Has it?
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's up, yes.
HOLMES: It's up now. All right.
LEVS: Yes, it's up. We grabbed it. You can see it now at CNN.com/healthcare. We posted the whole thing for you if you want to see if for any reasons. In fact, zoom in for a second. I'll show you every -- all you've go to do. Just CNN.com/healthcare.
Here it is. Just click to read it, right there. Read the House bill. It will bring you over to this. And you can spend some time digging in, if you want to.
Here's what we did. We know that there are some sections that will get a lot of attention. Some already have. We're going to start off with a few quotes for you, but keep in mind, just because you're seeing it in quotes doesn't mean that nothing will change.
This is involving the idea -- remember death panels? People were talking about death panels. Well, part of that came from this idea of having end-of-life discussions. This bill does say that it will provide for the dissemination of information related to end-of-life planning. It also says it will not presume the withdrawal of treatment and shall include end-of-life planning information that includes options to maintain all or most medical interventions.
Short version there, they're saying there will be discussions about end of life, nothing mandatory, certainly nothing about withdrawing any treatment being expected. Another thing we looked out for at the very beginning here, any language about immigration. Let's go to the second quote we pulled out because this is one of the hot- button issues here.
It says, "No individual shall be an affordable credit eligible individual, unless the individual is a citizen or national of the United States or is lawfully present." So, that's the language in there.
And I can just tell you, it goes on to talk about verification, how they would verify that. That is one of the big hot-button issues, though, as well, that will be explored still, because one thing we see often with lawmakers on this issue is, how tough, how stringent will these checks be to make sure someone who's taking part in this really is in the United States lawfully.
Also just mention real quickly, let's zoom back in, there's a bunch of language in here about abortion. And this is one of the places where you see a lot of discussions going on. This section talks about abortion coverage being prohibited as part of the minimum benefits package, but that's the beginning of a much longer section.
Now, I want to show you a couple headlines here. This is "The Washington Post" saying, "Democrats' concerns over abortion may imperil the health bill." They're talking about the fact that Democrats even now, even with with this out, are still battling over abortion.
"The Wall Street Journal" points to abortion and illegal immigrants. They say, you know what, there are some problems, there are questions that are lingering. All of it here, CNN.com/healthcare.
And to make it even easier, I posted it at the blog, too. Let's show the graphic, CNN.com/josh. It's up there. I also posted at Facebook and Twitter, and, T.J., I know you're on both of those. We'll send you some links. People can check it out for themselves.
It takes a while. But if you want to know what the real language is and not just what everyone's telling you what the language is, go ahead and take a look for yourselves.
HOLMES: Yes, if they can decipher that language, Josh.
LEVS: Yes, good luck.
HOLMES: All right, we appreciate you. Thanks so much.
LEVS: Thank, T.J.
HOLMES: Well, the race for mayor in Houston, it's close, it's competitive and it could make history if that lady comes out the winner.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: President Obama welcomed German Chancellor Angela Merkel to the White House today. She's breaking new diplomatic ground. She's the first German chancellor to address Congress in more than half a century. She stressed the need for an agreement on global warming.
Well, teachers and students in Richmond, California, hope to send a powerful message against gang rape tonight. They're holding a vigil at the school where a student was attacked during homecoming. Police arrested a seventh person in that rape today. Charges have been filed against five others. A 21-year-old was released due to insufficient evidence.
And a tough time for folks in Philly. Congratulations, you won last night. You beat the Yankees. But transit workers have gone on strike, shutting down subways and trolleys and buses, meaning you won't get to the next game, if there is a next one for you guys. Contract talks tanked just hours after the Phillies beat the Yankees in game five of the World Series. The union threatened to strike this past weekend, but the governor ordered them to stay at the bargaining table.
And, of course, no, there's not going on to be another game there. Going back to New York anyway.
Well, Election Day 2009 may be a so-called off year, but the mayor's office is on the line in a number of big cities today. Voters going to the polls in New York and in Boston and right here in Atlanta. If city councilwoman Mary Norwood wins, she would be the city's first white mayor in more than three decades. The race is close. Could end up in a runoff down the road. They could also be in for a runoff in the Houston mayor's race. Three candidates are now running neck and neck, one striving to become the city's first openly gay mayor.
Here now, CNN's Ed Lavandera.
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ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Annise Parker is a veteran of Houston's big-city politics. She served on the city council, spent the last five years as the controller in charge of the budget. Before politics, she worked in Houston's oil and gas industry. That's what gets the most attention.
The footnote is that Parker is openly gay. She's been with her partner for 19 years, and they have two adopted children.
ANNISE PARKER, HOUSTON MAYORAL CANDIDATE: I have always stood up for the fact that I am gay, and that is part of the resume that I bring to the table. But it's just a piece of the package.
LAVANDERA: Houston voters haven't always been that accepting of gay political issues. Just a few years ago, Houston voters rejected a plan to offer benefits to same-sex partners of city workers. And 24 years ago, anti-gay candidates ran what was called the straight slate in an unsuccessful effort to unseat a mayor who backed job rights for homosexuals.
Annise Parker was a young political activist then. She says the experience made her want to work harder. She became president of Houston's gay and lesbian political caucus.
PARKER: Houston is a multiracial, multicultural, international city. And I think my election will send a message to the world that, just kind of, Houston is a city that might surprise a lot of folks.
LAVANDERA: But in a mayor's race that some have called boring, Parker is in a tight three-way contest with architect and city councilman Peter Brown...
PETER BROWN, CITY COUNCILMAN: I think that's now ratcheted up.
LAVANDERA: And Attorney Gene Locke.
GENE LOCKE (D), MAYORAL CANDIDATE: Our campaign is building steam.
LAVANDERA: The three candidates share virtually the same positions on the issues. Houston political blogger Charles Kuffner says that makes the election a personality contest.
CHARLES KUFFNER, HOUSTON POLITICAL BLOGGER: It's kind of a matter of, who -- you know, who do you really want in the driver's seat? I -- you know, I as a voter, believe that any of these -- any of the top three candidates would do a decent job. It's a question of, which one do I think, you know, will do the best job? LAVANDERA (on camera): None of the candidates are expected to get a majority of the votes on Tuesday, which means this race is headed into a runoff. The top two vote-getters will face off again in December.
Ed Lavandera, CNN, Houston.
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HOLMES: And if Annise Parker wins, she'd be in pretty small company across the U.S.. Last year, voters in Portland, Oregon elected 44-year-old Sam Adams. His sexual orientation didn't seem like it was much of an issue for voters there. And then there is Mayor David Cilline of Providence, Rhode Island, elected back in 2003 and currently vying for a third term in office.
Want to turn now to the two governor's races we're watching in New Jersey and Virginia. Also, we've got a little race we're keeping an eye on up in upstate New York,
And CNN senior political analyst Gloria Borger, she joins us now from New York. Hello there. Good to have you here.
GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Hey, T.J. Thank you.
HOLMES: And people are talking so much about a referendum on the president in Virginia, what's happening in New Jersey, also upstate New York. So, let's pick the Borger brain now for a second. All these races people are talking about, which one to you, or what to you on Election Day really jumps out as something you're going to be paying attention to.
BORGER: You know, we all talk about a referendum on President Obama. And in many ways, of course, it will be. Because we look at these races, we say, gee, are things the same now as they were when we had that election in 2008? And, of course, they're not.
A couple of things, T.J., that I always really look at. One is the intensity of voters. That means whose voters are going to show up at the polls? Barack Obama, as we all recall, had a lot of intensity in 2008. We have to see if it's still there.
The other thing that I'm going to look at is those independent voters. They were so important to the Democrats in winning the presidency and in winning those congressional races. We have to see if those independent voters have turned off a little bit, and it is my suspicion that, yes, they have.
HOLMES: Well, how much of this really can be put on the president? Because as we know, historically, I mean, just when times are tough, unemployment is up, people can't find jobs...
BORGER: Sure.
HOLMES: ... the economy's having a hard time, that's always going to be tough on the party in power...
BORGER: Yes.
HOLMES: ... no matter who the president is.
BORGER: Right, and even though we're not quite at the midterm elections, you know, historically, the midterm elections always do reflect poorly on the president. These are some special races and some governors' races that I bet will do the same.
Look, you know, people had a lot of high expectations. There are a lot of people in this country right now, as you point out, not only worried about the economy, worried about unemployment, but there are also lots of voters, particularly independents, who are worried about the size of the deficit, which keeps growing, and they're also quite concerned about health care and how this whole -- how this whole health care debate's going to turn out -- T.J.
HOLMES: And Gloria, do you see this race that everybody is fascinated by, at least in the political world, the New York 23rd, where the -- excuse me, the Republican dropped out to support the Democrat in the race, and now the conservative party candidate is going up against the Democrat.
BORGER: Right.
HOLMES: Do you see this the way everybody else does, where this is a signal of what's going to be happening in the country next year and maybe in years to come, is this civil war between -- or within the Republican Party?
BORGER: Well, I think, you know, that could well happen, and it could be a real problem for Republicans here. Because this is not only a revolt from conservatives against moderates. It's a revolt among those conservatives against the national leadership of the Republican Party.
And so, if they're going to keep putting up extra candidates, essentially giving every Republican a primary, that could mean that Republicans are not going to win the number of seats they expect to win. And actually, this could be a gift to the Democrats.
HOLMES: A gift to the Democrats.
BORGER: Which they could use, I might add.
HOLMES: They could use. Well, Gloria Borger, we -- wish I had some more time with you. Always good to pick the Borger brain.
BORGER: Thank you so much, T.J.
HOLMES: I should start a new segment called "The Borger Brain" here on CNN. But I'm sure we'll see you again with the coverage we'll have tonight, but thank you for being with us here.
BORGER: Sure. HOLMES: CNN's special prime-time election coverage begins at 8:00 Eastern with the Best Political Team on Television. One year since Barack Obama took to the national stage. What mark has he made on the nation socially, politically, historically? Primetime election coverage tonight, 8:00 Eastern right here on CNN.
All right, meet Willis Willis. Yes, that is his name. So nice they named him twice. He's pretty unlucky. He also lost a million dollars, twice.
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HOLMES: Does anybody know how many contractors are in the war zone? There could be thousands working on Uncle Sam's dime -- that's your dime as well -- working with the troops, yet we have no idea who they are and how many they are. What's going on here, folks? Isn't a roll call kind of important in this situation?
Also Obama 2008, the movie. A film crew documents the little campaign that could and did.
All right, if you are lucky enough to win a lottery, you're a pretty lucky person. That's who lottery winners are, they are lucky people. Well, and then there's a guy named Willis Willis.
I didn't make that up. We checked it and checked it again. His name is Willis Willis. Don't know if you heard about him yet, but let me tell you. He won the lottery, quite frankly. He brings in a lottery ticket to the store and has the clerk check it for him. The clerk says, nope, you're not a winter, sorry, be gone.
Only that ticket actually was a winning ticket. The clerk allegedly claims the million-dollar jackpot, and then he bounced. He left the country. Despite the fact now that the State of Texas has charged that clerk with lottery fraud and considers him a fugitive, the Texas lottery folks consider him the rightful winner.
They broke that news to Willis last night. I expect his lawyers will have some news for them shortly. Come on, Willis.
Some simple questions on a census form. They sparked a battle just months ahead of the nation's next head count. So, what's all this fuss about?
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HOLMES: Well, there are questions that sound simple enough -- your age, your phone number. Census workers will ask you those questions on the nation's next headcount on April 1. But are they invading your privacy?
Here now, CNN's Carol Costello.
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CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: T.J., every 10 years, the U.S. Census, as is required by the Constitution, tries to count every single person in the United States. Soon you'll start seeing commercials on television, and in April, you'll get a 2010 census form in the mail.
You're saying, so? Yes, you may be saying that, but not everybody is.
COSTELLO (voice-over): We'll call him Jay. He works for the U.S. Census often going door-to-door to convince people to fill out their census forms.
"JAY," U.S. CENSUS WORKER: I spend a lot of the time on the road.
COSTELLO: He prefers we not show his face so he can talk more freely. Oh, he loves his job but says it's becoming more difficult because of talk like this.
MICHELE BACHMANN (R), MINNESOTA: This is the short form that every American will get next year. Does the federal government really need to know our phone numbers?
COSTELLO: Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann told CNN she will only list the number of people in her household on her 2010 census form because the Constitution doesn't require any information beyond that.
"Jay" says that just reinforces the fear that some Americans already have about the census.
"JAY": Some of them are pretty blunt. Let's see -- I'm not talking to you. I don't want anything to do with the government. Get off my property or call the police.
COSTELLO: It's why he takes this German shepherd along with him in his truck and never knocks on doors after dark. The Census Bureau is determined to calm fears and change the minds of tens of millions of Americans who won't fill out their census forms in 2010.
ANNOUNCER: On April 1st, 2010, our nation will be counted.
COSTELLO: It's spending more than $300 million in advertising to convince Americans to do their civic duty, as is required by law.
ROBERT GROVES, DIRECTOR, U.S. CENSUS BUREAU: It should take every household about ten minutes to fill out this form. The questions are questions you've answered plenty of times.
COSTELLO: Groves says the Constitution requires the government to count the whole number of persons in each state. It does that every 10 years. But critics like Bachmann maintain the 2010 census goes beyond that by asking questions not only about who and how many live in your house, but about race, sex, birth dates and, yes, your phone number.
The Census Bureau says all of that information is important because not only does the census count determine how many lawmakers represent each state, but how federal tax dollars are split between local communities.
It's a message "Jay" hopes sinks in. It would make his job a whole lot easier.
(on camera): You are required by law to fill out your census form. And there are penalties if you don't, but they are almost never enforced. If you don't mail in your form, you're likely to get several phone calls and visits from a census worker.
As for confidentiality, the census director says if he leaks your information, he is breaking the law and could face five years in prison and a $250,000 fine -- T.J.
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HOLMES: All right.
