Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Senate Opens Debate on Moving Health Care Bill Forward; Woman in Missouri Plea Bargains in High Profile Assault Case; New Technology on the Market for Holiday Gifts

Aired November 21, 2009 - 10:00   ET

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

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everybody, from the CNN center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is November 21st. I can't believe Thanksgiving is just a few days away.

RICHARD LUI, CNN ANCHOR: It is right upon us. And we're going to do it right.

NGUYEN: This year has flown by. Good morning, everybody, thanks for joining us. I'm Betty Nguyen.

LUI: And I'm Richard Lui in for T.J. Holmes on this Saturday. Thanks for starting your day with us. Hope you're having a good one.

NGUYEN: All right, the U.S. Senate in session, folks. They are working on a Saturday. They're beginning the debate over the debate on the Democrats' health care plan. We'll get right to that in just a second.

And here it goes. Here's the breakdown for you, the magic number for the day -- 60 votes. Senate Democratic leaders are going for their own holy grail tonight, a recession-proof vote on moving forward with debate on a health care plan. Sixty votes is needed to stop a filibuster.

CNN's Dana Bash joins us now from Capitol Hill where the Senate is already in session. Dana, where do things stand right now with that magic number of 60 votes?

DANA BASH, CNN SR. CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Betty, they have just begun, as you said, ten hours of debate on whether to continue debate. When you stop and think about it, it does make you scratch your head, but welcome to the United States Senate.

But you really said it right, that it is the Democrats' attempt to break a Republican filibuster. And you said that magic number is 60, and what that means for the Democrats, since they have 60 senators who align with them, is that there is no room for error.

If one Democrat says, you know what, I don't think this is the right thing to do, I don't want to move forward for debate, this whole thing could go down before it even starts.

I want to put up two pictures for you, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas. These are the two remaining holdouts, if you will. They have not said whether or not they will proceed with debate.

Despite that, Betty, the fact that the Democratic leadership is going ahead with this gives us a pretty good indication combined with what we're hearing from our sources that they feel pretty confident they'll be OK with all 60 of these senators.

But we're expecting statements from both of them at some point later today to confirm that is right. If not, this could be a surprising day.

NGUYEN: Give us a little more detail, if you would, about what's actually in that bill, what they are debating over what to debate over.

BASH: Absolutely. Look, this bill, I'll give you some detail, it's about 2,000 pages, so it is very vast. But some of the key points, just like the House bill, this would say that if you have a preexisting condition, no longer can an insurance company discriminate against you. That would put that into effect.

And it would also pretty much tell every American they are mandated to get insurance coverage. And if not, most Americans would have to pay a fine for not getting it.

And then there is that controversial public option. In the Senate bill, there is a government-run health insurance option. It does allow states to opt out of it. The Democratic leadership was hoping that that would be a carrot for some of the conservative Democrats who simply don't like this.

But that is part of the problem in luring enough Democrats, Betty, is this public option. You have a lot of Democrats who say they just don't like the idea of a government-run plan. Some of them are saying we'll start debate and try to fix it on the floor. You can almost bet that that is going to change if they do go forward.

NGUYEN: Dana, what people are looking at too is the money, you have to follow the money. And how do the Democrats plan on paying for this?

BASH: Well, it's an $848 billion plan, which they do say is paid for. I'll go through some of the ways that they're taxing people to pay for this.

First of all, a 40 percent tax on high-cost insurance plans, so- called "Cadillac plans." That is something that is in here. It is not in the House bill. A lot of Democrats don't like it because they say it hits union members.

Also, the Medicare payroll tax will be slightly increased for families making over $250,000.

And lastly, this is something that has gotten a lot of buzz, Betty a five percent tax on cosmetic surgery, elective surgery. That is going to generate about $5 billion or $6 billion. It does include things like Botox and it's certainly gotten a lot of attention because that is a new...

NGUYEN: A five percent tax on Botox? Say it isn't so.

BASH: It is so. It is so.

NGUYEN: All right, Dana, thanks so much for that. We'll be checking in with you throughout the day. Breaking it down for us, Dana Bash.

LUI: Good stuff. And more on what she was talking about there, that plastic surgery, that cosmetic surgery tax -- you know, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons argues here that it's a discriminatory tax against women because they account for 86 percent here of all cosmetic procedures.

Also the Senate Democrats say the new tax, though, would bring in nearly $6 billion, as Dana was telling us there.

And stay with CNN throughout the morning for the full coverage of the Senate's health care session going on right now. We'll take a look at the political stakes for Democratic leaders in our next half hour. Stick around for that.

NGUYEN: Meanwhile, President Obama is using his weekly address to defend his recent trip to Asia. Critics say he returned home without any concrete results. But the president says he made crucial steps for the U.S. economy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I spoke with leaders in every nation I visited about what we can do to sustain this economic recovery and bring back jobs and prosperity for our people, a task I will continue to focus on relentlessly in the weeks and months ahead.

Increasing our exports is one way to create new jobs and new prosperity, but as we emerge from a recession that has left millions without work, we have an obligation to consider every additional, responsible step we can take to encourage and accelerate job creation in this country.

That's why I've announced that in the next few weeks we'll be holding a forum at the White House on jobs and economic growth. I want to hear from CEOs and small business owners, economists and financial experts, as well as representatives from labor unions and nonprofit groups about what they think we can do to spur hiring and get this economy moving again.

Still, there's no forum or policy that can bring back all the jobs we've lost overnight. I wish there were, because so many Americans -- friends, neighbors, family members -- are desperately looking for work.

But even though it will take time, I can promise you this -- we are moving in the right direction, that the steps we are taking are helping, and I will not let up until businesses start hiring again, unemployed Americans start working again, and we rebuild this economy stronger and more prosperous than it was before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: And the jobs forum the president is talking about happens December 3rd.

LUI: Happening today, a magistrate and attorneys are meeting at a hospital room of the Ft. Hood accused shooter. The hearing is to determine whether Major Nidal Hasan's pretrial confinement at the Brook Army Medical Center is appropriate.

Hasan's attorney says his client is paralyzed from the waist down. Hasan was shot by officers during the November 5th shooting spree at the post and he is accused of killing 13 people.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LUI: What's the penalty for cutting in line at Wal-Mart? It's pretty steep for one Missouri woman. Details of the deal that ended a contentious trial, that's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: All right. A lot of folks planning -- actually some of them may already be on the road.

LUI: Some are taking the whole week off.

NGUYEN: Why not? We should have thought about that.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LUI: A question of courtesy that turned into a debate over race. It all started with a woman cutting in line at a Wal-Mart.

NGUYEN: Yes. Now a plea deal has ended the trial in Kennett, Missouri. But as our David Mattingly tells us, the case still has many riled up.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: An 11th-hour plea deal helped Heather Ellis avoid serious jail time and a permanent felony record. But the attention generated by allegations of racial bias surrounding the case means Kennett, Missouri, may have a more long-term problem.

MORLEY SWINGLE, PROSECUTOR: Kennett is a town where it's just like anywhere else in the United States. This is not a racist environment, as I said in closing argument.

MATTINGLY (on camera): There are clearly people around in this crowd, supporters of her, that do not believe that. SWINGLE: Well, I think a lot of the people are not residents of this area. They came here from other parts of the country hoping to find racism that wasn't here.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Nearly three years after Heather Ellis was accused of cutting in line at the local Wal-Mart, caught on tape shoving away another customer's items, questions remain over why the moment escalated into such a high-profile arrest.

Ellis pleads guilty to resisting arrest and disturbing the peace. Charges of assaulting two police officers were dropped.

HEATHER ELLIS, DEFENDANT: I was responsible for my actions, and I was able to say what I did wrong, and I think that it's important that everybody else step up to the plate and admit their wrong, too.

MATTINGLY: Ellis testified she was taunted by one police officer, who told her, "Go back to the ghetto." It was the only racially charged moment of the three-day trial.

But witnesses from the scene, customers, police, employees described Ellis as the one who was offensive.

MATLIN (on camera): So all the people who testified that you were cursing, that you were abusive, that you were threatening, they were not telling the truth?

ELLIS: They were not telling the truth. When cross-examined they were coming up with things that were not in their reports. There were even -- that they wrote freshly when the event happened three years ago. They had all been schooled on what to say.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): But in closing arguments, the prosecutor told the jury it was Ellis who was telling a lie, a lie that dug her deeply into a hole when the case attracted so much attention. The plea deal punishment includes probation, four days in county jail, and anger management classes.

David Mattingly, CNN, Kennett, Missouri.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Quite a case there.

OK, well, what a difference a year can make in the life of one CNN hero.

LUI: Her story and the star who was calling her devotion to others "amazing and inspirational" when we come right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: I love that shot right outside of CNN Center in downtown Atlanta, Georgia.

In just five days we will announce the CNN hero of the year. We've already introduced you to our top ten finalists, and after more than 2.5 million votes, we do, folks, have a winner.

LUI: A lot of votes. Good to see folks are piping in on that.

But you'll have to actually wait until Thanksgiving night to learn who the winner is. In the meantime, actor Terence Howard talks with last year's winner about what it means to hold that title.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TERENCE HOWARD, ACTOR: Hello, I'm Terence Howard. During last year's "CNN Heroes, An All Star Tribute," I had the honor of recognizing CNN's hero of the year Liz McCartney for her extraordinary work in helping survivors of hurricane Katrina.

Since then, her organization has built 50 more homes in New Orleans and nearly another 60 are under construction. As we approach this year's tribute show, Thanksgiving night, let us look back at last year's CNN hero of the year, Liz McCartney.

LIZ MCCARTNEY, CNN HERO: The Heroes award was like a shot in the arm for the region. It reinvigorated people. It made them feel like across the country and around the world people still scared.

All sort of doors have been opened for the project as a result of the reward -- volunteers, clients, donors. I think every week people say, I heard about the St. Bernard project on "CNN Heroes."

In the greater New Orleans area, there are over 10,000 households that are still struggling to secure permanent, stable housing.

To date, we've had over 16,000 volunteers. We are going to be celebrating the 240th home that we've completed. We have expanded our capacity.

We're also building homes in New Orleans, but it also helped us start our center for wellness and mental health, so it helped us rebuild homes and also people's lives. We're getting there, but still more work to be done. A couple more years and we'll be there.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: I went to the Heroes event last year in Los Angeles. I will tell you what, especially doing the news, we have so much bad news out there, to see folks that are doing good in the world and just amazing stories, it just is such an inspiration.

LUI: It's always a great show.

NGUYEN: Yes, absolutely. And our 2009 CNN hero of the year and all of our amazing top ten CNN heroes, they will be honored at that all-star tribute.

LUI: Don't miss it. That will come to you from the Kodak theatre in Hollywood on Thanksgiving night. Your host, CNN's Anderson Cooper, as it has been in the past. Don't miss this special event only right here on CNN. NGUYEN: So, who are some of the toughest people to please on your holiday list? Probably those gadget lovers, right, Betty?

NGUYEN: Yes, true, or the folks that have everything, which they probably have lots of gadgets, too. But those gadget lovers, they want, you know, the latest, the greatest stuff.

This morning, you are in luck. We have a preview of the season's top tech gifts straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: An unusual Saturday session for lawmakers leads our top stories this morning. The Senate in session right now. You're looking at it right there. What they're doing is debating a motion on the democratic health care plan.

A procedural vote is set tonight to, get this, to determine whether they'll continue to debate the bill.

All right, Democratic leaders, they are working to be sure they have those 60 votes need to head off a filibuster.

LUI: And there's a search on right now for at least 66 people feared trapped after an explosion at a coal mine. It happened in northern China earlier this morning. Forty-two other miners were killed in this. Officials are saying more than 500 workers were inside the mine when the explosion occurred.

NGUYEN: All right, so, what is going on here? Well, nearly 100 protesters have been arrested over the last two days at University of California campuses. Students and others are protesting a 32 percent tuition hike. Police arrested 41 people at U.C. Berkeley for trespassing.

LUI: Before you know it the busiest shopping season is upon you. a lot of folks are already scoping out the deals.

NGUYEN: Get ready for that day after Thanksgiving.

LUI: You're salivating a little yourself.

NGUYEN: I don't really like all those long lines. It's a madhouse. Have you seen the video on the day after? There are people pushing and pulling.

LUI: You've got bruises, broken arms, and things like that, unfortunately, people getting trampled.

NGUYEN: It's crazy.

So here's what we're going to do for you. You don't have to go out there and scour all the latest things because we're going to bring them right into your home because we have them on the show.

And who has that? Mario Armstrong. He's got the hottest things of the season when it comes to gadgets. You said you were going to wow us, Mario.

MARIO ARMSTRONG, TECHNOLOGY COMMENTATOR AND JOURNALIST: Yes.

NGUYEN: So bring it, my friend.

ARMSTRONG: Bring it. It's already broughten.

(LAUGHTER)

NGUYEN: OK. Let's see.

ARMSTRONG: Betty, I have a whole assortment here of different gadgets for the holiday season for different people. Right off the bat I want to jump into the must-haves.

One is the must-haves this holiday season is the Amazon Kindle. You have to have this. This is an e-book reader. And what is this allows you to do is carry newspapers, textbooks -- there's David Lui's buddy right there, Robin Meade, with morning sunshine.

So what you can do is actually read blogs, newspapers, books, up to 1,500 books on these devices. They're wireless. You don't need a PC to download books. And you carry one item with you as opposed to carrying, say, a ton.

I'm going to pick it up here. If I wanted to, this could be like what I would have to carry. Who wants to walk around with all this stuff?

NGUYEN: All those books, right.

Has the Kindle changed in any way because it's been out there a little while, Mario?

ARMSTRONG: Yes, it has. This is the upgraded one, the DX, a little slimmer, about a third of an inch. So it's a great device, though. I've been happy with the battery life. It's really lasted long on this device, and the wireless features are really great. You can download books in about 60 seconds.

NGUYEN: Cool. Keep the wows coming. What have you got?

ARMSTRONG: All right. The Live Scribe -- for you people that take notes, we showed this on a health segment before, but real quickly, it's called the pulse pen. And this is great for students or people in business that take a lot of notes.

NGUYEN: Journalists.

ARMSTRONG: Journalists would love this.

NGUYEN: Get in focus. There you go. We can see you now.

ARMSTRONG: What you do is use special paper with this pen that's actually like a computer that records the audio while you write, and then you can go back at any given time and play back that audio by just touching the sentence, and then it will actually play the audio from the pen for you.

So this device is really fantastic for those big note takers that are on the go.

LUI: I'm not hearing any audio right now.

ARMSTRONG: Oh, I didn't play it. I'm sorry. I didn't go to play the audio because I want to move on to the next thing.

NGUYEN: We only have so much time.

LUI: I know. What else you got?

ARMSTRONG: Water never mixes well with electronics, right?

NGUYEN: No.

ARMSTRONG: So we have a waterproof, shock proof, cold proof, and dust proof camera by Pentax. And what I'm going to do is actually pour water right onto these electronic devices so that you can see.

These cameras made by Pentax, the W-80, can go into 16 feet of water, 16 feet and actually shoot images. Underwater, 16 feet, can take falls from three and a half feet drops. So they're really ruggedized. That's the thing.

NGUYEN: And it doesn't look like those water-proof cameras that's encapsulated in all that plastic. It just looks like a regular camera.

ARMSTRONG: It looks like a regular camera, feels great. I've used this quite a bit. I've been very happy with how easily the camera works.

LUI: Good for snorkeling.

ARMSTRONG: Great for snorkeling and snowmobiling and skiing or just going to a frigid football game where sometimes technology can lock up on you.

NGUYEN: Or just having an accident-prone owner.

(LAUGHTER)

ARMSTRONG: That's right. The other real quick hot thing that's happening in cameras is Cool Pics came out with a camera that actually a projector built into the camera. So you can actually take photos now -- I don't know if that will show up too well.

NGUYEN: It's kind of hard to see.

ARMSTRONG: But basically what it does is it projects the image.

Netbooks are huge this year, so these are smaller devices. But be wary, you want to really go through the store and feel these out to make sure they're good for you. And you have Beat by Dre, which are great headphones, and then a new touch screen all in one computer is the hot thing this holiday season. So put all this up on the blog and people can get all the updates.

NGUYEN: Why don't you just wrap all that stuff and send it down to me.

(LAUGHTER)

ARMSTRONG: I'll gift wrap it to you.

LUI: All for $1.99.

ARMSTRONG: There you go.

NGUYEN: I'll pay the shipping.

Thank you, Mario, that was great stuff.

ARMSTRONG: OK, thanks, appreciate it.

NGUYEN: You have to stick around. I don't know what you're doing this morning, but if you have a few minutes, stick around for this story because, you know, it's every beauty queen's nightmare, getting her wig pulled off at the end of a competition during an interview.

LUI: Yes, that's right.

NGUYEN: Who would have thought? It has happened, and it's a moment that has everyone stunned and laughing as well.

LUI: We have the video. We're going to show you.

NGUYEN: We have the video. You've got to stick around for that.

LUI: And of course we're following developments on Capitol Hill where senators are just hours away. You see live debate on the left- hand side. They are debating their bill. It's a key milestone here. We'll have that for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: All right, the Senate working today. I know, it's a Saturday, but it's an important vote. They need 60, in fact, the Democrats do, to move an $848 billion health care reform bill onto the floor for debate. And essentially what they're doing is they're debating whether to debate.

LUI: That's right.

NGUYEN: Or voting on it tonight. Got all that?

LUI: And they're going to debate about this issue for about ten hours. They're about half an hour in right now. The key question is can they agree to start the debate and eventually, hopefully, have a Senate version of what they think should be health reform?

And they get together with the House and then get that to the president and get that signed.

NGUYEN: A long way to go, no doubt. But they're debating over the debate right now. And there's a live look at it. we're going to continue to follow that for you.

But you know, last Wednesday, the Senate after weeks of closed- door bargaining unveiled its health care reform plan. Here's the breakdown for you. The estimated cost, as I mentioned, $848 billion over the first ten years.

LUI: And it would expand health insurance coverage to 30 million more U.S. citizens. That means it would provide health insurance to 96 percent of the eligible population.

NGUYEN: According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Senate plan would reduce the federal deficit by $130 billion over ten years. It would require individuals to buy health insurance, but it would not mandate that all employers offer that health care insurance.

LUI: All right, for more on the political ramifications, let's bring in CNN's deputy political director Paul Steinhauser. So we gave lot of details there, Paul.

And before we get into the question of whether they get 60 votes or not, why should we care what is happening today if we're at home and watching this debate go on and wondering what happens at 8:00 p.m.? Why should we care?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Because eventually this is going to affect you. If they pass health care reform, it will affect the kind of health insurance that all Americans get, whether they will be covered even with pre-existing conditions, how much they pay in taxes, their kind of coverage, their access to coverage.

So yes, this affects just about every single American, Richard.

LUI: And it's huge.

OK, so, the 60 votes, if the Democrats get it, and that's a question as you describe to us, what does happen next then?

STEINHAUSER: If they do get it and this moves on, then, as Betty and you say, they begin debate. When do they begin? Not on Monday, no, because they have the whole week off for Thanksgiving holiday.

So the debate would begin most likely on Monday, November 30th, for about three weeks. And we'll see something like we saw in the House. There will be a floor debate, deliberations on the bill, amendments will be voted on, and then eventually, eventually, maybe before Christmas, there would be a final vote on whatever Senate health care bill finally emerges after all those votes on amendments.

So that is kind of the game plan, Richard.

LUI: So, Paul, folks are sitting at home right now saying that's great, they may get that far. When will people be able to actually see the result of this health care overhaul?

STEINHAUSER: It's going to be a while. Let's say the Senate does do a vote before the end of this year. Then you have to take the Senate bill, the House bill. They're going to be different. You are going to have to try to merge them together -- another vote, a final vote.

And if that finally passes and gets to the president, maybe before the state of the union address in late January, and it is eventually signed into law, a lot of ifs here, you're going to get a health care reform law, but will it kick in immediately? No. Most of these provisions actually don't kick in for a couple of years.

So it's going to take some time here.

LUI: Be patient is what Paul Steinhauser is saying. Be patient. And he'll lead us along to tell us what to watch. Paul Steinhauser, our deputy political director, thank you so much for filling us in on what's happening today.

NGUYEN: All right, so it's been hard enough for Senate Democrats to formally start the debate. But the battle over health care could only get uglier on the floor. Republicans are making it clear where they stand in their weekly address.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARK CRAPO, (R) IDAHO: What Americans really want is the kind of step-by-step reforms that Republicans have been advocating for years, commonsense ideas, like the ability to purchase insurance across state lines, allowing small businesses to pool together to offer more affordable health insurance to their employees.

Changing the incentives in our system from numbers of procedures to quality of outcomes, eliminating preexisting condition limitations, equalizing the tax treatment of insurance, eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse, and promoting wellness and prevention programs that encourage people to make healthy choices.

These are the kinds of reform that make sense and would really make a difference for all Americans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: And Senator Crapo also urges people to get online and read the bill. Hopefully you have a lot of time on your hands because that thing is ...

LUI: It's 2,000 pages.

NGUYEN: It's like four reams of paper. It's about this big.

LUI: Exactly. And that's only just the Senate bill, right?

NGUYEN: Yes.

LUI: Traveling this week for Thanksgiving? Probably. We've got you covered with the holiday forecast.

NGUYEN: And the keys to simple, stress-free flights during one of the busiest travel times of the year. We're back in just a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

LUI: If you're flying for Thanksgiving, you can almost count on delays, as we were talking about there. But there are some things you can do to make the trip a little bit more enjoyable.

Here's Asia Tegbar (ph).

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ASIA TEGBAR: Bypass the hustle and bustle of Thanksgiving travel with a few simple strategies.

GABE SAGLIE, TRAVELZOO.COM: Try to use technology to your advantage. Right now all the airlines allow you to check in for your flight 24 hours ahead of time. You can even sign up for e-mail and text alerts from the airlines themselves. It's an easy, quick way of knowing what to expect before you even get to the airport.

TEGBAR: Recent airline cutbacks may affect your trip, like reduced flights and smaller planes. And what you pack could slow you down.

SAGLIE: Airlines, they're going to be on the lookout for luggage that is simply too big to fit on the plane. If you overstuff your carry-on bag, that will cause a delay. They'll take your bag off the airplane.

TEGBAR: Save some headaches by arriving early.

SAGLIE: There's always a list of the popular airports that serve the most people, and during the holiday season they'll be the most packed. You really have to almost expect and build in 30 to perhaps 90 minutes of a delay.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LUI: All right, we're just two minutes away from another check on the top stories.

And just in time for the holidays, a call for men to be better fathers. Award-winning journalist Ed Gordon is here with his ideas right here for strong, more loving families. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LUI: Our top story this hour in case you're just joining us, senators are resuming the battle over health care reform. They just began a Saturday debate 40 minutes ago, and it's leading to a procedural vote tonight on whether the debate will go forward after the Thanksgiving break.

A lot of details, I know. Democratic leaders, though, are lobbying to get the 60 votes needed to block a filibuster. More on that later.

NGUYEN: All right, on to the story we were talking about a little bit earlier. It's a beauty contestant's worst nightmare, folks. You know, just ask the winner of this year's Miss Gay Brazil contest. The victim, check it out, of a wig snatching. Oh, my goodness, caught on tape. The horror of it!

LUI: During an interview, too. Look at that. All on tape.

NGUYEN: Who does that? That is so sad.

Yes, it said that a jealous rival actually tore the winner's -- can you hear them laughing in the background? The whole newsroom is roaring with laughter over this.

So what happened was a jealous rival, we're being told, took the winner's hair with her and part of the tiara that you see right there. It's showing it over and over again. It's on a loop.

The popular contest features drag queens from across the country.

LUI: One more time.

NGUYEN: We'll be right back with our hair still intact.

LUI: We hope.

(LAUGHTER)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, many of you know Ed Gordon as the award-winning journalist, but he's also a dad who is very passionate about encouraging other African-American fathers to be actively involved in their daughters' lives, so much he's created a national initiative called Daddy's Promise.

And Ed Gordon is here this morning to talk about his story and why you started this. This is something that is near and dear to you. Why is that?

ED GORDON, JOURNALIST: It is, because I have a 15-year-old daughter. I always thought I would have kids, but I always dreamed when I dreamt of having children, I thought I'd have a boy. And then this little package in pink came along and changed my life entirely. NGUYEN: Yes, it did.

GORDON: And so I wrote an article for "Essence" Magazine about two years ago about my relationship with my daughter. And the response was so overwhelming that we created this national initiative.

NGUYEN: And for those who aren't familiar with it, what is daddy's promise, and how did it come about, I mean, just structurally?

GORDON: It simply came about because, as I said, the response from the community was overwhelming after the article in "Essence." And so we created a Web site, we asked people to go on Daddyspromise.com. We have a pledge there we ask you to recruit to your daughter.

NGUYEN: We have that actually we're going to bring up on the screen. And why is it important to get fathers to make that pledge?

GORDON: I think what happens often is, particularly in the African-American community, we hear so much about the absentee father and fathers not being around.

And while that is a problem and a huge problem within the community, there are a number of men, many, many more than are given credit for, for actually being involved. And we wanted to also give them a spotlight and a way to shine.

And we had an annual -- our first annual dance in New York City in June, sold out in two hours. It was a phenomenal success, and we're building for a new event.

We're also working in conjunction with Disney and "Princess and the Frog," and in fact one of the reasons I'm in Atlanta is I'll be at one of the churches today at what we call the Father Experience. And we'll give the little princesses an opportunity to see what's coming up on that big screen.

NGUYEN: How has Daddy's Promise changed lives? You had to have seen it.

GORDON: Yes. I tell you what I've seen and have heard this from a number of men. I had a gentleman stop me on the street that said "I saw you on television. I heard about your initiative. And I got up the nerve to talk to my daughter, who I had not talked to in 15 years."

NGUYEN: My goodness.

GORDON: He said "We've arranged a lunch date." He said "I don't know if anything's going to change, but it gave me the courage to reach out."

And also for fathers who are there every day, it gives them an opportunity to kind of shine the light on their relationships with their daughters and show -- often we talk about nurturing and we think about mothers being nurturing, but fathers are nurturing, too. And it's really important if you can to have both parents very involved in your life.

NGUYEN: No doubt. And while you're here, because you are such an award-winning journalist, I want to get your take on some of the things in the news.

GORDON: Sure.

NGUYEN: Of course today we're looking at the Senate voting on whether to continue debating.

GORDON: Right.

NGUYEN: What do you think about the whole health care reform bill? Is this something we're going to be able to pass, and will it be viable?

GORDON: I think it's going to pass eventually. I think too many people have so much at stake, particularly the Obama administration. Whether we see it in '09 is very doubtful, quite frankly. I was looking at you guys this morning, and we know just debating about the debates...

NGUYEN: Time is running out.

GORDON: Time is going to run out. In 2010 it will pass. Whether it has the public option or not, whether it in fact covers the majority of Americans or not, we don't know yet. It will pass in some way, shape, or form.

But I don't think that Washington gets it. I was just there last week. The idea of the debate about the debate is really what voters are turned off about.

NGUYEN: It's procedural, though.

GORDON: It is procedural, but you and I know that if it's this partisan and you can't find one person to move over to your side, then it becomes far more than procedural.

NGUYEN: Exactly.

Well, you know what, we appreciate your time. I wish we had so much more to sit here and chat. But Daddy's Promise, it's a wonderful organization. You're doing a lot of good with that. Thank for your time today.

GORDON: I appreciate it. And thanks for letting me follow that wig snatcher -- high point of my career.

(LAUGHTER)

NGUYEN: You were following a wig snatching, but we both still have our hair. We're pretty good to go so far.

All right, and we will be right back. Stay right here, you are watching "CNN SATURDAY MORNING." (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LUI: It's a shocker for Oprah fans. She announced yesterday that she's stepping away from her wildly popular daytime talk show.

NGUYEN: The last year will be 2011, the end of a 25 year era. CNN's Erica Hill looks back at Oprah's influence and what the future may hold.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was a farewell to remember.

OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: I love this show. This show has been my life. And I love it enough to know when it's time to say good-bye.

HILL: Choking back tears, an emotional Oprah Winfrey announcing next season will be her last.

WINFREY: Twenty-five years feels right in my bones and it feels right in my spirit. It's the perfect number, the exact right time. So I hope that you will take this 18-month ride with me right through to the final show.

HILL: A quarter century of highs, lows, and plenty of headlines, from Oprah's struggles with her weight to the celebrity interviews impossible to forget to the power of her political support.

She's also launched careers -- Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz. -- and turned little-known authors into household names.

PATTIE SELLERS, EDITOR AT LARGE, "FORTUNE": You could argue that she is the most popular woman ever on television. In terms of a media entrepreneur, more successful than anyone has ever been. And she's been really careful. She's controlled her assets.

HILL: It is a global empire. The show is seen in 145 countries by 42 million people a week. There are also magazines, Internet, radio and film ventures, as well as her many philanthropic causes. Nearly everything Oprah touches seems to shine. And she's not done yet.

SELLERS: She is creating a 24-hour-a-day cable channel that is about empowerment and life purpose. This is a new and big and very risky thing for her. And she's putting her reputation on the line.

HILL: The Oprah Winfrey network, or OWN, is a 50/50 venture with Discovery Communications, but Oprah will have control. OWN will replace the Discovery Health Channel in 2011, a channel that now has 70 million subscribers.

SELLERS: This is her act two. Women -- powerful women, successful women often live their lives in chapters. And she's on to her next chapter. WINFREY: These years with you, our viewers, have enriched my life beyond all measure. And you all have graciously invited me into your living rooms, into your kitchens, and into your lives. And for some of you longtime Oprah viewers, you have literally grown up with me. We've grown together.

HILL: And for her fans, a very personal thank you.

WINFREY: I want you all to know that my relationship with you is one that I hold very dear. And your trust in me, the sharing of your precious time every day with me, has brought me the greatest joy I have ever known.

HILL: Erica Hill, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And she promises that last season, that 25th season, will knock our socks off, her words. And I bet it will.

LUI: And look at her network after that.

NGUYEN: Her OWN network.

OK, well, as we check back on the Senate, which we want to do right now, because it is a rare Saturday session, take a look, a reminder we will have another live update on this critical health care vote at the top of the hour.

LUI: That are more of the morning's top stories, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LUI: So, you know, we've been answering your questions about the new mammogram guidelines this morning. But that was not the only health question for women this week.

NGUYEN: No. There are also new guidelines on cervical cancer screenings that now say you need them less often and not until you're 21. CNN's Brook Baldwin has more on these controversies.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROOK BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: In a single week, two sweeping changes recommended for women and health care, two medical panels calling for a delayed start and reduced frequency of screenings for both breast and cervical cancer.

DR. SHARMILA MAKHIJA, EMORY WINSHIP CANCER INSTITUTE: Actually, I was kind of relieved to see these new guidelines.

BALDWIN: While some patients and doctors may feel fewer tests are counterintuitive to good health, Emory University's Dr. Sharmila Makhija says it's time for a culture change.

MAKHIJA: I did try to tell patients you don't need to come in every year, I'll see you in two years, and they don't like that. It makes them nervous.

BALDWIN: When it comes to cervical cancer screenings, Dr. Makhija agrees that less is more. The American Cancer Society estimates there will be 11,270 new cases of cervical cancer this year, but of that number, a tiny fraction will be girls younger than 21. That is good news, according to the society's chief medical officer and a reason for doctors to start testing more conservatively.

DR. OTIS BRAWLEY, AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY: Cancer control is a relatively new science. As that science evolves, doctors are going to become much more aware that the science exists and perhaps a little bit more conservative in their use of screenings.

BALDWIN: While Dr. Otis Brawley says doctors may test less frequently cervical cancer, he disagrees with reducing the frequency of mammograms and he emphasizes the need for additional screenings for colon cancer in men and women.

BRAWLEY: The major problem in the United States is really more than half of people who should be getting that screening for which there's no question that it reduces risk of death, more than half the people should be getting that screening aren't getting any kind of screening.

BALDWIN: Meanwhile, Dr. Makhija is hopeful new guidelines encourage dialogue between patients and doctors and lead to a more holistic approach.

MAKHIJA: It's really changing the way we look at doing a GYN exam on a patient, the health care of a woman. It's not so generalized, it's really more focused on each individual patient, which is really I think a welcome change for both the patient and the physician.

BALDWIN: Brooke Baldwin, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)