Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Computer Glitch Affects Flights; Karzai Promises Crackdown; Mammogram Confusion; Can the U.S. Trust Karzai?
Aired November 19, 2009 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: The news continues, though, on CNN with Fredricka Whitfield in the "CNN NEWSROOM" -- hi, Fredricka.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN GUEST ANCHOR: Hello. Good morning to you.
In fact, that is indeed our top story, exactly what you mentioned, John. We're talking about air traffic delays across the country, all because of a computer glitch in Atlanta. We'll give you the details on that. Rob Marciano is on top of the story.
And the U.S. Senate unveils its own bill on health care reform. We'll try to make comparisons to the House version and try to figure out what kind of road blocks just might be ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I really don't have much to offer her. Just say Happy Birthday and that's about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And no birthday cake for her daughter. Hunger across America. We'll reveal exactly what's transpiring for so many Americans across the country.
Good morning, everyone. Breaking news. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in for Heidi Collins and you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
This is the breaking story that we're following for you this morning. Flights are backing up at airports across the country, all because of a computer glitch right here in Atlanta. Rob Marciano is on top of that.
Give us an update on these kinds of delays that are taking place. And boy, if you're traveling today, I kind of feel sorry for you.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it's hard to pinpoint any one particular airport that might be seeing more delays than others. There are ground stops at Atlanta and in Houston, but we're getting word that they may very well lift the ground stop in Atlanta. That certainly would be good news.
Also good news, this is our flight explorer system. Basically it shows all the flights that are in the air at any one time. And when the computer system was down -- the FAA computer system was down, we obviously weren't getting this data. So the fact that we're seeing all this mess is actually a good thing; 3,600 flights now in the air. The unfortunate part is that the domino effect is in place. Meaning, now that we've got the system kind of up and running, there is a backlog, obviously, of flights. Air Tran has cancelled a couple of dozen flights already. Atlanta being one of their hubs.
And this is the shot from the Atlanta Airport, which is showing good visibility, obviously. Planes on the tarmac. There are the gates. And not seeing a whole lot of activity on the runway, but you can be sure that they are taking off. But the problem is that before they got this computer up and running, they had actually filed the flight plans. The pilots and the flight dispatchers had to file them by hand and then fax them in. So, obviously, that was more time consuming.
KCAL, that's CBS, that's LAX, that looks to be a little quiet. Obviously, the West Coast flights get going a little bit later on in the morning. Weather shouldn't be a huge issue. A little bit of rain from Chicago to D.C. But that won't be complicating things, Fredricka, thankfully. But obviously once we get delays going on in the morning as big as these worldwide spread, it's going to carry on throughout the day.
WHITFIELD: Yes, that ripple effect. All right. Well, let's hope for the folks who have those later day kind of flights that things will be cleared up by then.
MARCIANO: Hopefully soon.
WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Rob. Appreciate that. We'll keep tabs on those developments.
Meantime, let's also talk about health care reform. After years of talk, months of wrangling, and now the moment of truth. Last night Senate Democrats unveiled their plan. They say it will make health insurance more affordable for millions of Americans now living without coverage.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says his measure would actually save taxpayers money. The bill now heads to full debate in the Senate and Republicans are already vowing to block it.
CNN's Dana Bash broke the story and she says the Senate measure, in its current form, faces some long odds.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You have these Democrats who are hearing from their constituents, from conservative states, saying, we don't want Washington to continue to spend this much money and we don't trust that it is actually going to do the things you say, like lowering the cost, lowering the deficit, and actually -- that it's actually going to be paid for, that it's not just going to end up being another government entitlement that will add to the deficit, ultimately.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So a breakdown now of the U.S. Senate plan. The estimated cost, $849 billion over the first 10 years. It would expand health insurance coverage to 30 million more Americans. That means it would provide health insurance to 96 percent of the eligible population.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Senate plan would reduce the federal deficit by $130 billion over 10 years and it would require individuals to buy health insurance, but it would not mandate that all employers offer that health care insurance.
Health care reform bills, billions of dollars at stake. So what exactly is the bottom line for you?
Christine Romans of the CNN Money Team is crunching the numbers. She'll be joining us at the bottom of the hour.
All right. The recent shootings at Fort Hood, get a closer look today. Next hour, the Senate Homeland Security Committee holds the first congressional hearing into the killings of 13 people at the Army post. And what can be done to keep something like this from happening again.
The Pentagon is also looking for answers and possibly changing some policies. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is expected to unveil a sweeping review of the circumstances surrounding the shootings. And we hear that he wants a former senior defense official, actually, to lead that investigation.
All right. Could the attacks at Fort Hood have actually been prevented? According to a new CNN Opinion Research Corporation poll, more than six in 10 Americans believe federal law enforcement agencies or the U.S. military should have been able to prevent the deadly shootings, 31 percent disagree. But the public is split over whether the attacks were an act of terrorism, with 45 percent saying yes and 47 percent saying no.
A critical ruling in New Orleans could open the door to thousands of lawsuits related to Hurricane Katrina. A judge placed blame on the Army Corps of Engineers for the flooding in St. Bernard parish and the Lower Ninth Ward. The judge awarded around $700,000 to six plaintiffs, saying the corps's negligence and shortsightedness in maintaining a key shipping channel actually led to the tragedy. That channel is known as the MRGO.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CRAIG P. TAFFARO, JR., ST. BERNARD PARISH PRESIDENT: Keep in mind that over the last 40-some odd years, St. Bernard parish, which the MRGO or the MRGO travels 74 miles through our community, has basically destroyed our natural hurricane protection.
And what this says is that the people of St. Bernard Parish, St. Bernard Parish's community is vindicated in the sense that what we have feared all along and who is responsible all along has now become a reality.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin released this statement saying, quote, "The judge's ruling today validates the feelings and beliefs that many citizens have held for four years."
All right. Moving to Afghanistan now. And a second term for President Hamid Karzai. He was sworn in, again, just a few hours ago. Karzai vowed to crack down on corruption and drug trafficking.
CNN's Sara Sidner joins us now from the capital of Kabul -- Sara?
SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the president certainly touched on many of the points that the west, including the U.S., had hoped he would touch upon. He started off his speech by saying that his -- first and foremost, he would like to bring peace to this country, and then talked about security and said that he wished that within five years, that Afghanistan would be entirely in the hands of Afghans, including its own security.
But then he put a caveat in there, saying that he definitely still needs help from the international community and particularly pointed to the U.S., saying that he needs help in training those security forces so that can happen.
Then he touched on the big subject that everyone's been talking about, for months now. And that is corruption. Let me let you hear exactly what he said during his inauguration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAMID KARZAI, PRESIDENT OF AFGHANISTAN (through translator): Corruption is a very dangerous enemy of the state, and we would like to take this matter quite seriously, so we could have a unit or a director which will be dealing with the corruption, an anti-corruption unit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: He also said that he would fight more seriously and aggressively against the drug trade here -- Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: And so, is the U.S. happy with this, or how about even other allies about what Mr. Karzai is saying?
SIDNER: Certainly, people seem to be happy with what he is saying. But, again, they know you can say a lot of things. The issue is whether or not President Karzai will actually show some concrete evidence that he is doing exactly what he is promising. And that is what everyone will have to wait and watch for -- Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: Sara Sidner in Kabul. Thanks so much.
All right. A deadly suicide attack targets a court complex in Pakistan this morning. At least 19 are dead. It happened in Peshawar. It's the seventh attack in this city in less than two weeks now. Fifty others were wounded in today's blast and we'll bring you a live report from Pakistan a little bit later on in the show.
All right, still, a lot of confusion about when women should actually get mammograms in this country. Our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta will be here to answer some of your questions.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, looking now at some top stories that we're following this morning.
President Obama is on his way back to Washington right now. The president wrapped up his eight-day trip to Asia with a stop in South Korea. And there he talked about trade issues and North Korea's nuclear threat.
Air Force One is due to land at any moment in Alaska for refueling and we'll have much more on the president's trip next hour.
And we could get a verdict today in the case of a woman who says she was verbally and physically abused by white customers and police at a Missouri Wal-Mart. Heather Ellis, who is African-American, says customers yelled racial slurs at her. She accused -- she is, rather, accused of assaulting two police officers and then she actually faces up to 15 years in prison.
And air travelers are seeing some major delays and cancellations this morning. It's because of a problem with the air traffic system in Atlanta that allows pilots to log their flight paths. The FAA was quick to point out that it isn't a safety matter, just an equipment problem.
And then take a look, right here, these live pictures. I know it's very, very early morning in Southern California, but we're looking at these images of students at UCLA, on campus there, who have been protesting now for at least two days, rendering at least the second day and they're very upset about some tuition increases at a rate of about 32 percent of an increase.
And in fact, some students were actually arrested yesterday. You're seeing a wider shot now of the campus and exactly where that protest, I believe, maybe the student union there on campus, taking place. Students upset that it's going to cost them too much to continue their education there. Much more on that later.
All right. Hamid Karzai sworn in for a second term as Afghan president this morning. But does the U.S. really have a partner in him?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: New guidelines on breast cancer screenings have left a lot of women very upset. And actually, rather confused. So what do they really mean for you and me? Dr. Sanjay Gupta again this hour, answering your questions. So lots of questions coming from twitter, blog, et cetera. Let's get straight to some of them. This first one from Lucy Marion, who's a member of the task force says, false positives are harmful. How?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is interesting. And Lucy Marion is one of the members of the task force. What the concern is that if you get a mammogram and you have what's known as a false positive, so an abnormality is found.
It's going to cause anxiety, may cause you to get a biopsy to sort of figure that out. But in the end, it ends up nothing.
WHITFIELD: Everything's all right.
GUPTA: So it's like that concern period, you know, the anxiety and also the procedure of the biopsy, that's potentially actually a harm in someone -- as compared to someone who did not get the mammogram.
The flip side of that, of course, and I think what most of us sort of come to, is but, wait a second, you might find cancer early. And that could lead to, more likely to save your life.
So this is...
WHITFIELD: The whole purpose of the mammogram.
GUPTA: Yes, you know. But this is one of those age-old sort of issues, Fred, between public health risk versus individual risk. And this comes up in a big way with mammograms, but it's come up in a lot of other screening tests as well.
WHITFIELD: OK. And second question coming from twitter. "Are new mammography guidelines a cost-cutting measure?"
I think a lot of people thought, immediately, wait a minute, is this really at the bottom, or the bottom line here.
GUPTA: Yes. And we asked the same question as well. And if you talk to the folks on the task force, they say we have nothing to do with cost or insurance coverage. Kathleen Sebelius says, you know, Fred, it came out yesterday from HHS and said this is not going to dictate policy for insurance coverage or for the government.
So no is the sort of answer that we're hearing. But let me put it to you like
WHITFIELD: Sure.
GUPTA: If out of 1,900 mammograms that are performed in women in this age group, between 40 and 49, a life is saved. That's the math. 1900 mammograms equals one life saved.
Mammograms cost anywhere between 100 and 150 bucks, but so $190,000 or so to save one life. I mean that's sort of what this comes to if you do the math.
And you know for a of people they say, well, that's well worth. A lot of other people say, well, we need to save money. So again it depends on your prism and how you look at this.
WHITFIELD: OK. And this final question coming from our bloggers. Linda writing, "I'd would like to know how many women served on this government panel that came up with this mammogram decision?"
GUPTA: Yes, I guess that's a fair question.
WHITFIELD: Wondering about the sensitivity.
GUPTA: The sensitivity -- right, is high, I think, among all people, but there was eight, which is exactly half. So half men, half women. And they come up with all -- they're from all sorts of different varied backgrounds. A lot of very esteemed health care professionals.
None were oncologists or cancer specialists, but again this is a panel that comes up with recommendations for prostate cancer, heart disease, breast cancer, so all sorts of different things. But it was eight and -- you know again, they are considered sort of the gold standard when it comes to this sort of thing.
WHITFIELD: So the panel had to have anticipated there would be this alarm or confusion that would follow this when, for so long, we've all been conditioned to believe, you know, 40 and over unless there are other, you know, pre-existing conditions or risk factors, maybe, earlier.
GUPTA: You would think that they would have anticipated this, but here's a thing that's still confusing to me as a doctor. Because the bottom line that they always say is, talk to your doctor first before getting the mammogram. So I'm a doctor and I've, you know, read all these guidelines.
Here's the thing. Seventy-five to 90 percent of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer had no risk factors and had no family history.
WHITFIELD: Oh boy.
GUPTA: They should probably still be getting mammograms. And that's sort of the bottom line.
WHITFIELD: That's a lot of women want to hear.
GUPTA: Right. And so the bottom line, 40 years old, every year, mammogram, that's what most doctors are still going to say.
WHITFIELD: Interesting. It will be interesting to see how many women subscribe to this new recommendation.
GUPTA: Right. WHITFIELD: And how many will stick to what we've been conditioned to believe for so long.
GUPTA: That's right. It's fascinating.
WHITFIELD: All right. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks so much. Appreciate it. Always good to see you.
GUPTA: Yes, thanks.
WHITFIELD: All right. Hamid Karzai sworn in for a second term as Afghan president this morning. But does the U.S. really have a partner in him?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: The Obama administration watching this morning's inauguration ceremony in Kabul very closely. The president explained why yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We also have to make sure that we've got an effective partner in Afghanistan. And that's something that we are examining very closely and presenting some very clear benchmarks for the Afghan government.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Joining us to talk more on whether Afghanistan is an effective partner, Hillary Mann Levitt, a former State Department staffer who dealt with Afghanistan for many years, and Simon Denyer, who covered South Asia for several years for Reuters and now is Reuters' D.C. bureau chief.
Good to see both of you.
HILLARY MANN LEVITT, FORMER STATE DEPT. STAFFER: Thank you for having me.
WHITFIELD: All right.
SIMON DENYER, REUTERS WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Well, Hillary, let me begin with you. Because, you know, the question of the legitimacy of this president has weighed heavily. Now he was sworn in, that supposedly really should cement any of those questions, but does it really? Is there going to be a prolonged question of legitimacy for that administration?
LEVITT: I think, absolutely, there will be a prolonged question of legitimacy. We are in denial when it comes to Hamid Karzai. Hamid Karzai became head of state in Afghanistan for no other reason than the U.S. military put him there at the end of 2001.
He has been able to stay in power because of his alliance with war lords, drug traffickers, religious chiefs, tribal chiefs. And that's what he's going to continue to do. The idea that he's going to have some popular, democratically stamped legitimacy is, I think, an unfortunate delusion on our part.
WHITFIELD: So if there is, indeed, that relationship with these warlords, with some tolerance of the Taliban insurgency, then might this be his opportunity, Karzai's opportunity, to wield that power and actually promote some change so that people will feel a bit more confident about his presidency?
LEVITT: Karzai's not about change. Karzai is the ultimate compromise candidate. That's why the U.S. decided on him in 2001. And that's why he stayed in power, because he can make deals and get along with warlords, Islamists, drug traffickers, and even the United States to some extent.
But he is not about change. He's not going to make change, and if we put our policy on a bet that he's going to change Afghanistan, we are in for some serious trouble.
WHITFIELD: So Simon, at this juncture, a compromise president, is that what Afghanistan needs? Is that why this country must be better off with a Karzai as opposed to his opponent, Abdullah Abdullah?
DENYER: Well, I think Hillary made some very good points about the effectiveness of President Karzai. Look what happened around the election. The west went to Karzai and said, we need you to hold a credible runoff election. He said, reluctantly, I'll hold a runoff, but forgot the word credible.
He failed to clean out the election commission. He called the west's bluff, effectively. He did just enough to keep them off his back, but not enough to actually change anything about the way the election was going to be held. And we saw the result. We saw no runoff at all. And the opposition candidate pulling out.
And a government now that really doesn't have legitimacy in the eyes of the Afghan people. So to expect Karzai to seriously address corruption, well, you know, I'd like to be wrong. It would be nice to think that the words that he said in the inauguration speech actually mean something.
But we've heard those words before. And I think Hillary Clinton, herself, you know, expressed some doubt and some skepticism that we're really seeing a commitment, a serious commitment, to tackle corruption.
WHITFIELD: Is it your view that the Afghan people feel so powerless that they almost feel like it doesn't matter whether Karzai is a legitimate president or not, that they feel like they have no other options in the first place? Simon?
DENYER: Yes. To some extent, yes. But you know, Afghans have the same view of democracy. If they feel an election is being taken away from them as people in the west would have. If they feel cheated, they're not going to cooperate and they're not going to get along with this government. And they're not going to support the people who are supporting the government.
WHITFIELD: So is it...
DENYER: By that, I mean the west and the American troops.
WHITFIELD: Isn't the U.S. and other western countries, Afghanistan's allies right now, going to place demands on Karzai? Legitimate -- you know, the argument of legitimacy or not, place demands on this presidency to say, you know what, we have to see change.
Even though, Hillary, I know you've already said, he is not a president of change, is this an opportunity or is this the moment in which we will see a change in Karzai, a change in his cabinet?
LEVITT: I don't think so. I think one of his first choices, when he was a candidate in this past election, was to select as his first vice president, someone named General Mohammad Fahime, who is one of the most brutal warlords, a known drug trafficker in Afghanistan.
He's the first vice president. So whoever Karzai picks for his Cabinet, it's almost -- it's an afterthought at this point. Between Karzai and General Fahime, I think the stage is set.
Karzai is not going to make any changes. I think in his inauguration speech, we have focused so much on that he said some, you know, magic words about narcotics and corruption, but what he really said is was that he wants U.S. troops out as soon as possible, within five years, and that the main element for him is unity in Afghanistan.
Unity in Afghanistan means continuing to work with warlords, narcotics traffickers, Islamists, militants and the Taliban.
WHITFIELD: So Simon, how might that influence this president, the president of the United States' decision, about sending more troops to Afghanistan?
DENYER: Well, look, General McChrystal's report was a brilliant report. It summed up the situation really well. But what McChrystal said was that force alone is -- to focus on force alone is to miss the point. That unless you solve the crises of confidence in the government, the effort is doomed to failure.
So building -- sending 40,000 more troops while the development effort is in such a mess, while the political process is in such a mess, while there are credible reports that Pakistan is still aiding the Taliban, that's like building a chair with one leg. It's going to fall over.
So I think President Obama, the debate needs to be on -- needs to be on those other legs as well. Can the west make development really work in Afghanistan, to bring economic development, to bring prosperity, to end poverty to the Afghan people. WHITFIELD: OK.
DENYER: So those questions are very, very difficult questions to answer, and I think that should be the focus of -- a large part of the focus of President Obama's decision.
WHITFIELD: Simon Denyer, Hillary Mann Levitt, thanks so much to both of you this morning. Appreciate it.
LEVITT: Thank you.
DENYER: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right. Another issue on the minds of Americans, health care reform this morning. And people want to know about their premiums, might they triple? We'll find out who is at risk.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Wall Street right now. Bell is ringing. Open day on Wall Street. Let's see exactly how the day may shape up. Yesterday, stocks fell for only the second time in the past two weeks. Largely because of a disappointment in the housing sector. Well, today, Wall Street gets a snapshot of the labor market, and our Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with a look at how that will affect trading.
Hello to you.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Fred. And I am laboring over the numbers right now. We're seeing a little bit of weakness in the first few seconds of trading, even though new jobless claims were unchanged last week. First-time claims came in at just above 500,000. That's a real high number, but that's a ten-month low.
Continuing claims, meanwhile, fell, also a high number, though, 5.6 million. Let's continue on the jobs front or the job lay off front. Aetna laying off more than 600 workers immediately. Another 600 next year. The health insurer says it's preparing for the impact of health care reform and regulatory changes.
And AOL is cutting more than 2,000 workers or about a third of its staff. Time Warner, the parent of CNN and AOL, said earlier this week that it would spin off AOL next month.
Sears holdings posted its second straight quarterly loss, largely because of weakness at its namesake store, but the loss is less than the loss in the quarter that preceded it.
And sales at K-Mart rose. The retailer, meanwhile, kept a lid on inventories and cost. So Sears, well, actually, I'm not seeing any trade for Sears right now. It was up in the pre-market. And right now I'm told that it is up one percent. Unfortunately, three major averages are down more than half a percent.
We've had a nice rally going into this, though, Fred. The Dow going into yesterday was up nine out of the ten previous sessions. So no surprise that there's a little bit of giveback.
WHITFIELD: OK. Well, thanks for delivering. All right. Susan Lisovicz, appreciate it.
All right. Let's talk about this showdown on Capitol Hill. The U.S. Senate's top Democrat unveils a new health care reform bill. It promises to expand health insurance coverage so that 96 percent of eligible Americans would be covered. It would require individuals to buy health insurance, but it would not mandate that all employers offer that health care insurance.
I'm looking at this picture, just like you are, and now I'm finally seeing the capitol. It is an awfully foggy morning there in the nation's capital. Live pictures right now. Both the House and Senate are expected to discuss the measure today, and the Senate could actually vote on it this weekend. Hopefully there will be some clarity soon, not just in the picture, but on health care reform by weekend.
So let's break down some of the numbers in this debate. Here to look at the cost and the possible benefits, our Christine Romans.
Christine, so what are the main provisions of this Senate bill? We've got to get familiar with it really fast.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: We really do. And it's a very big, big bill. And this is Senator Harry Reid finally unveiling the Democrats Senate version of sweeping health care reform. This is what's in it, Fredricka. A public option, but states may opt out.
Also, anyone with a pre-existing condition, just like in the House bill, anyone with a pre-existing condition is a winner here. Insurance companies cannot deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions. It would expand Medicaid to more lower income families. Medicaid would be available for families of four who make all the way up to $29,000 a year.
It would mean higher Medicare payroll taxes on the wealthy. Couples, for example, making more than $250,000 a year would see their Medicare -- what's held back in their paycheck for Medicare would go up. Fines for not buying insurance. No mandate, though, for employers. This is different than the House version. And also like the house version, illegal immigrants would not be allowed to buy insurance on the health care exchange. So those are sort of the basics about what's in it. It's a very big bill.
And now what happens next, of course, is Senator Harry Reid has to sell it to the rest of his colleagues, the independents and the democrats, to get 60 votes. Then, after that, they have to hash out in conference a version with the House to get the final legislation.
Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: A very big bill, over 2,000 pages, as you mentioned. So big bill means big price tag? ROMANS: This is the price tag, $849 billion over ten years. The Democrats say it's been scored by the Congressional Budget Office, and they have decided that the cost is $849 billion over ten years. Senator Harry Reid says it meets the president's goal and promised that it would not add one dime to the deficit. They say it would reduce the deficit by $127 billion and would insure an additional 31 million people.
So raising the revenue, that's the tricky part in this, right? Trying to figure out how to raise the revenue. There are some higher taxes on the wealthy. There's a 5 percent tax on cosmetic elective surgery, for example, and other elective surgeries. There are some new fees for pharmaceutical companies, medical device makers, and that sort of thing. A lot of different areas where they're trying to raise the money to pay for the cost over ten years -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And give me your Roman's numeral.
ROMANS: It's 2,074. And I think we gave it away, how big this bill is. It's 2,074. That's the number of pages in the Senate health bill, Fred. That's even bigger than the House version.
WHITFIELD: I should have thought of that. Why didn't I put two and two together like that.
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: You know what I love that picture, that picture you had of the capitol with the fog and everything. The only thing that's very clear is that big --
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Yes. It took me a while to figure out that image. I could see the flag, but I was like, what's going on here. Now I get it.
ROMANS: It's murky in Washington, as they wade through all that paper, right.
WHITFIELD: Very ominous, yes. All right. Christine Romans, thanks so much.
ROMANS: Nice to see you.
WHITFIELD: I can't believe I didn't think of that Roman's Numeral before I asked the question.
All right. So if you're unemployed and you're relying on COBRA for health insurance, you need to listen up.
Thousands of Americans are about to see their COBRA premiums actually go up.
Personal finance editor Gerri Willis is here to explain what's happening and what the options are out there. Does that have anything to do with health care reform? I hope not. So break it down for us, if you could.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Right. I'm having a little trouble hearing you, Fredricka, but that's right. This benefit is expiring. And here's what you need to know first.
COBRA is a federal law that allows people who lose their jobs to actually buy their employer health care plan provided they can make the payments. Congress stepped in, gave folks a subsidy for that. That's now expiring. And it's estimated that 300,000 people will see their COBRA subsidy expire every month beginning at the end of this month.
So if you signed up for the government's 65 percent subsidy for COBRA premiums back in March, you can be paying a whole lot more for that COBRA plan in December. That's because you'll be on the hook for 102 percent of COBRA premiums, and that's not a small matter. Consider that under the subsidy, the average cost is almost $400 a month for a family, but after the subsidy expires, the monthly payments jump to $1137. Of course, if you just began receiving the 65 percent subsidy, you have nine months until it runs out -- Fred?
WHITFIELD: So what do you do if that benefit is expiring?
WILLIS: If your subsidy is going to expire and you still don't have clear sponsor coverage, make sure you try get on a spouse's health care plan. This is best case scenario. If that's not possible, start comparing prices on private market plans. Applying for private health care health insurance should not affect your COBRA plan and make sure you don't even drop out of COBRA coverage until you have another plan in place.
Keep in mind that it could take you up to a month to start a new plan. If you're just waiting to start a new job or you're going back to school, consider a short-term health care policy. These plans are generally less costly than a traditional plan -- Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: And are there other federal programs besides COBRA?
WILLIS: You bet. Look, if you have children, they may qualify for the children's health insurance program. This program is set up to provide insurance to families who don't qualify for Medicaid, but can't afford private insurance. Eligibility for SCHIP, that's what it's called the short hand. Go to insurekidsnow.gov. And if you absolutely can't afford non-subsidize COBRA, check out the foundation for health coverage education. They have a Web site, coverageforall.org.
Now their help line can help you connect with programs in your state. That toll free number 800-234-1317. And for the record, Congress is considering extending the COBRA subsidy, but so far they haven't gotten to it.
WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Gerri Willis. Appreciate it. WILLIS: My pleasure.
WHITFIELD: All right. Checking our top stories right now. A suicide bomber in a taxi, attacking a major government complex this morning in Pakistan. The latest in a series of deadly Taliban attacks.
All right. You news junkies out there, it's time for today's CNN Challenge. And here is the question.
"Why did the Republican National Committee instruct its insurance company to change the committee's health insurance policy?" Test your knowledge at CNNChallenge.com. And we'll be right back, actually, with the answer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. You know, we have the CNN Challenge game. Very fun. You got to check it out.
And before the break, we asked you this question. "Why did the Republican National Committee instruct its insurance company to change the committee's health insurance policy? And hopefully you answered "A," right? It provided funds for abortions.
Keep logging on to CNNChallenge.com, and we'll keep those questions coming.
All right. Let's take a look at some top stories right now. Laying blame for Katrina's destruction. A federal court has ruled the Army Corps of Engineers has failed to properly maintain a shipping channel, linking New Orleans to the Gulf of Mexico. And the court said that failure led to the catastrophic flooding from Katrina. The case was brought by six plaintiffs affected by the hurricane, five of them received damages ranging up to $317,000. The ruling also applies to some 100,000 homes and businesses. An attorney for the plaintiff says he expects the government to appeal that decision.
So this ruling could lead to billions in damaged claims. And we want to know what you think. Go to our blog to share your comments and we'll read some of them in our next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM. And I'll also be speaking to the leaders of the hardest hit areas in New Orleans. What they might expect next.
All right. There's also been another suicide attack in Pakistan this morning. It happened in Peshawar. This city has become a magnet for militant attacks with seven blasts in the past two weeks alone.
CNN's Ivan Watson joins us live this morning from Islamabad, Pakistan, with more on this --Ivan.
IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Fredricka.
This attack occurred at the gates to a compound that contained a bunch of courthouses. What police say happened is a suicide bomber on foot approached the gates of this area, and when he was being frisked by police, he self-detonated.
Let's take a listen to what one of these police officers had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That this might be BlackWater.
IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: BlackWater?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With a BlackWater.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is foreign country or is it Taliban? This is not clear. But it happens every day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: And Fredricka, this is the seventh time this shell- shocked city has been hit in less than two weeks. A doctor I spoke with, he says that sometimes the victims are so mutilated he just wants to close his eyes while treating them. And this is a daily, practically a daily occurrence in this city -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And Ivan, you've been on the streets in Islamabad, what are people saying? What have they been at least telling you?
WATSON: Well, you may be surprised that amid what is clearly the deadliest wave of suicide attacks in Pakistan's entire history many Pakistanis seem very confused about who actually is behind these attacks.
I'm going to give you a sampling of just some of the people that Pakistanis have been telling me, some of the people they think are organizing this wave of deadly suicide bombings.
Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The same Taliban al Qaeda.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That this might be BlackWater.
WATSON: BlackWater?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With the BlackWater.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is it foreign country or is it Taliban? This is not clear. But it happens every day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: That's all Pakistanis know, is that people are getting killed.
Now, a recent poll here of the people surveyed, only 25 percent of Pakistanis blame these suicide bomb attacks on the Taliban, actually. And the idea that foreigners may be behind this is coming, perhaps, from elements of the Pakistani state that are spreading this idea, elements in the Pakistani media, as well. But you get a sense of how traumatized and confused the Pakistani populace is -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Yes and some foreigner (ph) seem to be the resounding message from the people that you spoke with.
Ivan Watson thanks so much, from Islamabad.
Well, the deadliest of the recent attacks came in late October, when at least 100 people died in a car bombing at a crowded market. Militants have also been targeting the government, especially police and a blast at a police checkpoint over the weekend actually killed several officers.
Just a day earlier, militants launched an attack on the Peshawar headquarters of Pakistan's Intelligence Agency.
So you see there has been a significant wave of violence.
All right, another first in space. Dr. Robert Satcher Jr. (ph) is taking his first spacewalk this morning, along with fellow shuttle astronaut, Michael Foreman (ph). Monday, Satcher became the first orthopedic surgeon in space with the liftoff of shuttle "Atlantis."
Today's goal, hook up a spare antenna and cables on the International Space Station. It is the first of three scheduled spacewalks. It's pretty cool stuff.
Let's check with our Rob Marciano. Sometimes you look at those pictures, do you feel like you wish that were you?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Heck, yes. I've always thought, you know, an astronaut would be a cool way to do things, if I wasn't a weather guy. Hey, although a vampire is a hot commodity too.
WHITFIELD: Well, you'll never know you might -- vampires?
MARCIANO: Yes, vampires are kind of...
WHITFIELD: Ok, that's eccentric, that's hot right now.
MARCIANO: These are...
WHITFIELD: Everybody wants to be a vampire.
MARCIANO: This is a feed of -- well Thatcher, is guy in the -- he's the guy in the white suit and the Foreman and he's also in a white suit. So I'm not sure which one is which...
WHITFIELD: Yes. MARCIANO: But, nonetheless, they're buzzing around at 17,500 miles an hour and doing the repair work. They've done this over 200 times, or at least the NASA has done space walks over 200 times in its history and nobody's floated away.
WHITFIELD: I think, I could dig that space walk too...
MARCIANO: Yes.
WHITFIELD: ... but it's the takeoff. That part, I don't think I could stand those Gs, that whole sensation.
(CROSSTALK)
MARCIANO: No, the Gs definitely weigh on you. You do feel a little bit lighter on your feet during a spacewalk, or so I'm told.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
MARCIANO: Hey, ok, let's say you're not traveling by the space shuttle. You know this story, Fredricka. This is the short list of delays.
WHITFIELD: Oh yes.
MARCIANO: Atlanta is still in a ground stop. They lifted it briefly. The New York metropolitan airports actually have a little bit of a visibility issue. So they've got some weather there as well. D.C. seems to be lightening -- again, widespread delays at a lot of these airports because of that commuter glitch that happened with the FAA computer. That's been fixed, but the ripple effect is certainly in place.
All right, low pressure here, not really moving all that much. It is spreading a little bit of rainfall across the northeast. It'll be filling in from D.C. to New York as we go on through the day and then heavier rains expected tonight across the northeast and also across the northwest with another storm impacting that part of the world.
We'll talk more about that throughout the morning -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Nasty stuff. All right, thanks so much, Rob. I appreciate that.
Much more of the NEWSROOM right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, lots going on right now. Let's take a look; everyone getting prepared for their information to convey to you. CNN crews are working all over the map to bring it all to you. Let's check in with our correspondents beginning now with Poppy Harlow in New York.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Well Fredricka, will the TARP program be extended? It actually ends at the end of this year; a hearing with leading economist on that underway right now in Washington. And Treasury Secretary Geithner also on the Hill. I have all the details at the top of the hour.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Elizabeth Cohen in Atlanta. With all the news about mammograms this week, what is a gal in her 40s to do? To mammo or not to mammo that will be the question at the top of the hour.
MARCIANO: Oh how our world revolves around computers.
Good morning, I'm Rob Marciano in the CNN Severe Weather Center. We're tracking weather but also dealing with this FAA computer glitch this morning that has air travel delays across the board. We'll talk about that somewhat improving situation in the next hour -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks everybody. I appreciate that.
Also, Eric Holder on the defense. We have more of the testy exchanges between senators and the U.S. Attorney General over his decision to try several 9/11 suspects in New York City.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Food banks have become a life line for many people scraping to simply get by; many families really struggling in these tough times. Our Ted Rowlands has more on the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's two-year-old Nicole Flores's birthday. Her mother Diana says there isn't enough money for a cake.
DIANA FLORES, MOTHER: I'm not working. I don't have money with me. I wanted to make her something. You know, that's what I want to make her. I wanted to give her a little cake or all that stuff but there's no money or nothing. So I really don't have nothing to offer her. Just say happy birthday and that's about it.
ROWLANDS: Diana Flores and her boyfriend, Pedro, are struggling to take care of Nicole and her 5-month-old brother, Anthony. Pedro is a construction worker but hasn't had a job for three months. Diana says she worries about feeding her children.
FLORES: Sometimes there's no food. Sometimes we just eat in the morning and we don't have food for the afternoon. We try to take care of the food, like, just whatever so we try to just take care of it and eat what we have to eat so we can have it tomorrow or the next day.
ROWLANDS: For the past three months Diana says they've been coming to this Los Angeles area food bank called MEND which stands for Meet Each Need with Dignity. Shelter organizers say they've seen a 50 percent increase in clients over the past year. MARIANNE HAVER HILL, PRESIDENT AND CEO, MEND: Often they work part time at McDonald's and part time doing babysitting and part time doing house cleaning or working in a car wash. If it rains they don't work. Again, part-time labor, construction. If they are working or maybe they're not.
ROWLANDS: It's Jaquetta Cooper's (ph) first time at the food bank. She's an unemployed medical assistant with a 7-year-old daughter.
JAQUETTA COOPER, UNEMPLOYED MEDICAL ASSISTANT: I put in resumes. I keep calling. And I'm like checking my voice mail like have they called on me yet. Or you know, things like that. I'm always checking up on it but right now there is nothing out there.
ROWLANDS: Jaquetta says she and her husband who is also looking for work are staying with a relative rent free for now.
(on camera): Are you worried about feeding (INAUDIBLE).
COOPER: Yes, I am. Very worried. Especially for my daughter.
ROWLANDS (voice-over): Diana says she, too, worries about her daughter and son. Her plan is to get a job and go to school. She hopes she can throw a birthday party for Nicole when she turns 3.
Ted Rowlands, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
