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U.S. Troops Death in 24 Hours; Healthcare Debates Move Ahead; H1N1 Fears at Hajj

Aired November 23, 2009 - 10:00   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: The war in Afghanistan taking a new toll on the United States. Four service members have died over a 24- hour period. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen is joining us now live from the Afghan capital to tell us more about the story. First, Fred, remind us here what happened. We're talking about three separate incidents, right?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we certainly are, Heidi. We're talking about three separate incidents that happened in the south and the east of Afghanistan, the U.S. military so far is not telling us exactly the locations of where all of this took place.

However, they have told us that two U.S. service members died in the south after being hit by a roadside bomb. Another one was killed on Sunday, after a firefight. And the fourth U.S. service member was killed today, also by a roadside bomb, and certainly the gist that we're getting from soldiers down in the south, as they're telling us is that they're feeling more and more of these roadside bombs, these IED attacks, and they say it's something that's very, very hard to come to terms with.

It is something they're working on constantly to try to improve their strategy against these IEDs, to prevent these attacks from happening at all. But also and this is probably more important to protect the soldiers better than what's going on right now -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. Fred Pleitgen, we sure do appreciate that, coming to us live from Kabul. We'll keep our eye on that situation, of course.

The recent deaths in Afghanistan add to the sense of urgency as the country awaits the president's decision over strategy for the Afghan war. Senior administration official says the president may not decide until after Thanksgiving about troop levels. Just today, NATO Secretary-General called on member states to send in more troops. He says they are needed to help train Afghan security forces.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. DEBBIE STABENOW (D), MICHIGAN: There's so many ways in which this bill in front of us literally will save lives.

SEN. JOHN BARRASSO (R), WYOMING: This is going to be higher health insurance costs, higher taxes, Medicare cuts, and then, unfortunately, more government control over health care decisions. SEN. MARK BEGICH (D), ALASKA: It's about saving lives and saving money, protecting Medicare and stopping insurance companies in their abuse.

SEN. LAMAR ALEXANDER (R), TENNESSEE: It seems like no matter how many times a day we say it, our Democratic friends don't hear it.

SEN. JUDD GREGG (R), NEW HAMPSHIRE: This 2,074-page bill.

SEN. SAXBY CHAMBLISS (R), GEORGIA: This 2,074-page bill.

SEN. MICHAEL ENZI (R), WYOMING: This 2,074-page Reid bill.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: So obviously, a lot of debate going on about a health care plan before senators actually voted to approve the formal debate. The procedural move won by a whisker Saturday night. And Democratic leaders are able to hold their party intact for that vote. Some members still have doubts about the ultimate plan.

CNN congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. CHRIS DODD (D), CONNECTICUT: The yeas are 60, the nays are 39.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For a moment Saturday night it looked like Senate Democrats and their health care reform bill were gathering momentum, after months of political posturing.

SEN. HARRY REID (D), MAJORITY LEADER: All we're asking today is have a debate on it.

KEILAR: And prodding from the president.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: To take the baton and bring this effort to the finish line on behalf of the American people.

KEILAR: The Democrats had their 60 votes, enough to send the measure to the Senate floor for debate, but with so much dissension in the ranks.

SEN. MICHAEL BENNET (D), COLORADO: We need to do a much better job of making transparent what things actually cost.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're telling people you have to buy insurance.

SEN. BEN NELSON (D), NEBRASKA: I worry about a government-run plan that would be subject to recommendations that might be applied universally without respect to patients.

KEILAR: It became clear, the bill won't fly as written, and Republicans looking to slow down the process seized the opening.

SEN. JON KYL (R), MINORITY WHIP LEADER: It might take longer, but it would provide a better results and most Americans think we should get it right rather than hurry it up.

KEILAR: Majority leader Harry Reid got his 60-vote majority but it's how he accomplished it that speaks volumes. Democrat Mary Landrieu of Louisiana voted yes, after scoring a provision in the bill that boosts spending for her state by $100 million to $300 million.

MARY LANDRIEU (D), LOUISIANA: I'm proud to have asked for it. I'm proud to have fought for it. And I will continue to. That is not the reason I'm moving to debate.

KEILAR: Still, with so many Democrats on the fence and no Republicans leaning their way, there are still plenty of hurdles to come for Democrats and this bill.

REID: The road ahead is a long stretch, but we can see the finish line.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Our congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar obviously been following the story from Washington, D.C. all weekend long. She is with us now. Brianna, the next big hurdle here is Monday, when this debate begins, after Thanksgiving, right?

KEILAR: It is. And the obvious hurdle for Democratic leaders is trying to find a version of this government-run insurance plan, this public option, that is now in the bill, that will get them the 60 votes they need. Here's the numbers game that is so tricky for Democrats and possibly insurmountable.

Pardon me, Senator Joe Lieberman and Senator Ben Nelson, they - although they voted yes on Saturday, they basically said, over the weekend, if there's a public option in this bill, they're not going to vote for it. Then you also have the issue of Senator Mary Landrieu and Senator Blanche Lincoln, respectively of Louisiana and Arkansas, they have serious misgivings here as well, Heidi.

So if they stick to that, what they've said, and talk about their misgivings, then that tells you the Democrats are going to have to look across the aisle for some support, maybe they'll be looking to the Maine senators, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins. Snowe has said that she might support a public option that would include a trigger, if it's to her liking, a trigger where if insurance companies don't really hold up their end of the bargain in terms of covering enough people and in terms of covering them affordably, then that government- run insurance plan would kick in. But these are all huge questions.

COLLINS: Yes.

KEILAR: And we're not so sure if Democratic leaders can thread the needle at this point. COLLINS: Yes. Understood. And then when we talk about how the bill will look when it's all said and done, it's likely to be very different than what we've talked about up to this point.

KEILAR: Yes, very likely to be different. And we're going to be seeing this change through debate and amendments proposed. As you mentioned, the debate begins on Monday morning. This is going to take some time. We're expecting a vote in the Senate at least the goal of Democratic leaders is for that to happen before Christmas.

But then the total time line for Democrats or for the Senate and for the House to hash out their differences and come to a final bill that both would have to vote on, now the ultimate goal is doing so before President Obama addresses Congress in his state of the union address at end of January.

You can see this is getting very tough and moving as far as the time line.

COLLINS: Yes. Yes. We're going to be talking about it for a very long time here.

KEILAR: We are.

COLLINS: Brianna Keilar, thank you.

We have seen some signs of economic recovery recently, but we haven't seen the jobs that go along with that yet. When will it change? Personal finance editor Gerri Willis joining us now live with some more on that. That would be great if you could give us that answer, Gerri. Any ideas?

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Well, the National Association of Business Economics, they have an idea about when jobs will start to grow again. According to a survey released today, they say those jobs will begin to appear in the second quarter. They say the bottom quarter for jobs will be the first quarter of 2010, that second quarter, you'll start to see businesses add jobs. They see an average unemployment rate at 9.6 percent.

By the end of the year, though, so that's still pretty high. And interestingly, you know, Heidi, we've had 7.3 million people lose their jobs in this recession. They believe that 61 percent of them actually, see recovery of the lost jobs by 2012. So it's going to take a long time before we start to refurbish this economy with a lot of new jobs to make up for those 7.3 million jobs lost.

But second quarter, April, May, June, is when we'll start seeing new jobs created. Of course, the association also sees lackluster spending from consumers. We're still really being stingy with our dollars and we're saving more. They expect the personal savings rate to grow to average four percent in the coming year.

And some good news on housing, Heidi. They say housing starts in residential investment will be up next year. They say housing prices, housing prices will rise two percent next year. That's very good news for folks out there who have seen home prices wash out and their equity as well.

Another interesting piece of data from the survey, they expect that 2010, next year, will be the first year that the housing industry actually contributes to the economy since 2005. So, some good news there. And, of course, we're ready to hear it, right -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes. Absolutely. No question. All right. Well, we are watching all of those up numbers. Gerri Willis, sure do appreciate that.

Also watching the Dow Jones industrial average right now. Take a look at the big board with me. We are up by 175 points, only been in the trading day for 40 minutes or so. We expected it to be a little bit higher open, but not quite sure we expected it to be this high. A lot of it sort of on the heels of gains in Europe and Asia this morning. We'll continue to watch those numbers and talk about them here.

Meanwhile, it is the Monday before Thanksgiving. And people are already thinking, of course, about their holiday travel plans. So is the weather going to be a factor or will it cooperate? I guess it depends, Rob Marciano, on how you plan to travel, right?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: And where.

COLLINS: Yes and where.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: Yes. Absolutely. All right. Rob, thank you.

MARCIANO: You bet.

COLLINS: It is a potential danger that could literally be all around you in your home. Later this morning the government is going to release new findings on drywall that's made in China.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Later on this morning a big step in the government's investigation of Chinese drywall. The Consumer Product Safety Commission will be releasing its draft report on the product at 11:30 a.m. Eastern. Now Chinese drywall has been used in about 100,000 homes in the United States since 2003. Complaints say, the drywall causes metal to corrode and can also lead to health problems. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has gotten almost 2,000 complaints from homeowners in 30 states. The majority of these complaints came from the state of Florida.

Tough hurricane seasons in 2004 and 2005 meant a lot of new home building in southern states like Louisiana and the use of Chinese drywall was pretty common. Our Sean Callebs introduces us to one of the homeowners affected. He's not a storm victim, but you still see a recognizable face.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Taking over the Saints after Hurricane Katrina, Sean Payton has always had sympathy for storm victims. Now he knows what it's like to be displaced. Peyton's North Shore home was built almost entirely with tainted drywall from China. Dry wall that emits noxious and potentially damaging gases.

SEAN PAYTON, HEAD COACH, NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: when something like this happens to the head coach of the New Orleans Saints or somebody that might be a little bit more visible, it - I think, it draws attention to the fact that this thing really could happen to anyone.

CALLEBS: Investigators say they think they've traced the harmful drywall to a single coal mine in China, the source of hazardous waste used as filler. Scientists say humid conditions bring out dangerous gases that attack and corrode metal.

PAYTON: We had five computer failures, we're on our fourth hard drive right now. We had 13 air-conditioning service calls, three different coil failures, we're on our third microwave oven panel. We had to install a second set of phone lines, a second alarm system.

CALLEBS: Drywall from China came pouring into Florida and the Gulf Coast states after a series of hurricanes in 2004 and 2005. It isn't all bad. Problem is homeowners don't know what is tainted until it's too late.

Toxicologist Patricia Williams says investigators have consistently found three different toxic gases in the drywall, and she's getting a growing number of calls from people worried about their health.

PATRICIA WILLIAMS, PRES., ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY EXPERT: They begin to think, well, if it can do this to copper wire, what is it doing to my lungs, what is it doing inside of my body? I think they have to get out, first and foremost.

CALLEBS: Few are as lucky as Sean Payton, he, his wife and two children have moved the comfort of their beach house in Florida while his $1 million house is gutted. A host of lawsuits in the south have been rolled into a massive class-action suit heard being heard in New Orleans but it's an uphill fight.

CALVIN FAYARD, ATTORNEY: I don't see this as an easy situation for the consumer or for the homeowner or the property owner. It will take some effort to collect.

PAYTON: You get mad at the reaction of those people that you are counting on in the beginning. This product has passed through a lot of hands, and the problem is it takes a lot of time to sort through who's at fault here.

CALLEBS: That is the question. The contractor who put it in? The supplier who sold it? The Chinese producers? Many, like Payton, a plaintiff in the class-action suit, just want the drywall replaced. But it could end up that so many victimized by nature are being victimized again.

Sean Callebs, CNN, New Orleans.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Millions of people packed together at the height of flu season. The threat of H1N1 at this year's Hajj and what pilgrims are doing to protect themselves.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: In the San Francisco area there are new allegations of police brutality. This amateur video shows a Bay Area Rapid Transit Officer pushing an unruly passenger toward a window, and the glass shattering; both men were injured. The video was shot by a passenger and posted on the internet. Saturday's incident follows the fatal new year's date shooting of an unarmed passenger. That officer who has since resigned now faces a murder charge. We'll get more information on this incident as it develops.

Michael Jackson's personal physician has gone back to practicing today. Dr. Conrad Murray told his - he is back at work in his Houston Medical Clinic. Yesterday he told fellow churchgoers that he's, "taking my life back." Murray has been the focus of a homicide investigation since telling authorities he gave several drugs to the pop star hours before he died. Murray has not been charged with a crime.

Millions of Muslims flying from all over the world to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, for this year's Hajj, and carrying with them serious concerns about the spread of H1N1. The Saudi Health Ministry announced over the weekend four people died from the virus. One was a teenager, three were elderly. The Saudi officials and pilgrims are determined to stop the flu from spreading. Isha Sesay shows us how.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISHA SESAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's not quite the warm welcome they were expecting, thanks to the emergence of the H1N1 swine flu virus, Hajj pilgrims this year are greeted by thermal screening equipment when they land at Jeddah International Airport. Officials are on high alert, looking for potential signs of the H1N1 virus.

SAAD AL-BIGELY, HEALTH MINISTRY TECHNICIAN (through translator): The arriving pilgrims pass in front of the camera, if the equipment senses any person with a temperature above 38 degrees, a beeping alarm sounds.

SESAY: Thousands of pilgrims arrive by the hour. And from the moment they get off the plane, go through immigration, claim their bags, and eventually wind their way through customs, they're under the watchful eye of government officials.

There for more than 100 countries, ranging from the very young, to the very old. And it's these groups that are considered among those at risk when it comes to H1N1. The Saudi authorities are not barring anyone from performing the Hajj this year.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody banned, yes.

Reporter (on camera): Good thing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, good thing, yes, sure. Why you ban it? Why? He come from Hajj. Why you ban it? OK, if there are any problems, I will take it.

SESAY: Dr. Gazoli (ph) is confident Saudi officials are taking the proper precaution.

I didn't find any suspected cases (INAUDIBLE). If there is any suspected cases, we have to take this hajj and this same gateway and take it to the special hospital and the ministry (INAUDIBLE).

Reporter (voice-over): While global health officials may be anxiously monitoring what the H1N1 virus will do at the hajj, the pilgrims we spoke with are refusing to let such fear derail their sacred journey.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you're so worried about things like that you'd never do anything at all and I think it's more, you know, I think it's more (INAUDIBLE) you what's reality.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've got vaccinations and we have masks, surgical masks that we plan to wear. (INAUDIBLE) So hopefully everything will be fine.

SESAY (on camera): Millions of hajj pilgrims are making their way to Saudi Arabia by air, sea and land. But Health Ministry officials are keen to stress to us they have foolproof measures in place to prevent the outbreak of an H1N1 epidemic. Yet with such large numbers, eating, sleeping, praying together in Mecca, over the next couple of days, there's no doubt that this year's hajj is much more than just a spiritual journey. It's a journey into the unknown.

Isha Sesay at Jeddah International Airport, Saudi Arabia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Imagine studying hard through college but being told you're too fat to graduate. That's the dilemma at over historically black Lincoln College where the board has imposed a fitness requirement. They want overweight students to take a class called Fitness for Life. The school says it is simply concerned about the high rates of obesity and diabetes especially in the African-American community. But the plan is being scrutinized since the school receives public funding. Here's how one college professor defends it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. JAMES DEBOY, PROF., LINCOLN UNIVERSITY: I want students never to say, god forbid you're wheeled down on a gurney or a stretcher , no one ever told me this would happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: An honor student told the school newspaper, "I didn't come to Lincoln to be told that my weight is not an inacceptable range. I came here to get an education." Well, health experts agree with the school's intent, not its execution. One expert says forcing people to disclose the information can be awkward and in bad taste. Lincoln University does get public funding but is under independent control.

And that brings us to today's blog question, is it fair for the school to actually require students to go ahead and take this fitness class? There are some stipulations as to who needs to take it, as well. Not everybody has to. Depends on the body mass index. So I want to read you some of the blog responses that we got today.

Andrew, he writes this, "I agree and I'm overweight, too. I could see the benefit in requiring them to take a fitness course if they are obese. It's time we got our nation healthy. So we can compete in this world." And then Stephen writes this - "the course should be requirement but not to graduate. There will be a students who will have health issues that will result in weight gain, each case should be evaluated with care."

And Bill writes this - "their intentions may be honorable but they are misplaced. If a person spends a fortune and four plus years getting an education, I am sure they are intelligent enough to realize that they are obese."

Remember, we do want to hear from you. Just go ahead and logon to cnn.com/heidi. We'll go ahead and take your thoughts and continue to share them throughout the show right here.

Feeding the hungry. Harder this year than it's been for a very long time. In today's "Snapshot across America," we'll hear from four people on the front lines of the fight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: More Americans were hungry in 2008 than at any other time in the last 13 years. 14.6 percent of Americans or 17 million households didn't have enough food last year. That's a 3 percent jump from 2007 and the highest rate reported since the Department of Agriculture started releasing its annual report in 1995.

The hunger rates for 2009 expected to be even worse than 2008. In today's "Snapshot Across America," we're talking to four people on the front lines who are providing food to the hungry.

First off to all four of you, thanks for everything that you do. I want to introduce you to the people at home. Ginny Hildebrand is president and CEO of the Association of Arizona Food Banks. She's joining us from Phoenix. Kate Maehr is the executive director of the Greater Chicago Food Depository. She's joining us from Chicago this morning. Jermaine Husser is executive director of the Lowcountry Food Bank. He is with us from Charleston, South Carolina. And Beth Darling is coordinator for Snacks Sacks for Kids. She is joining us right here in Atlanta.

Thanks for being with us. Ginny, I want to begin with you. Are you actually seeing an increase in demand, as far as you can tell across your state of Arizona? And why do you think that is exactly?

GINNY HILDEBRAND, ASSOCIATION OF ARIZONA FOOD BANKS: Yes, we are. As a matter of fact, our food banks distributed 72 percent more food this past year than previous year. And we know that it has to do with unemployment, underemployment, people who are struggling to put the basics on their table every day. So, we know that the demand is definitely up.

COLLINS: Yes, Arizona has been hit pretty hard with the housing crisis as well. We've been covering that story very, very closely.

Kate, to you now. This September we know the Greater Chicago Food Depository saw more clients than it ever has, like in its 30-year history or so. You don't really have statistics yet for October or November. Has there been a change in the type of client that you have or the people coming to you for help?

KATE MAEHR, GREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY: We are. We are seeing more people who have recently lost jobs, as well as people who have had their hours cut back and more seniors.

COLLINS: Does that surprise you?

MAEHR: It does, and it saddens us. And I think one of the shocks for us is that every week we seem to break a new record. So as you said, September we saw more people than we'd ever seen in our 30- year history. We're bracing for another round of records in October and November.

COLLINS: Wow. And Jermaine, you've seen an increase of something like 35 to 40 percent demand this year. Are you seeing different types of clients that you normally see, too?

JERMAINE HUSSER, LOWCOUNTRY FOOD BANK: Yes. Just as Kate said, here in the Lowcountry, we're starting to see families who have never come through our doors before. These are real estate agents, these are manufacturing workers. They're moms, they're dads, they're loan officers, and they're coming through our doors looking for hope. Right now, that hope is in the form of food. So, we're trying our endeavor best to continue to meet the need in this time of economic climate.

COLLINS: Definitely tough. Beth, we know that you operate on a little bit smaller scale, but you have a really interesting program, Snack Sacks for Kids. First off, tell us what that is.

BETH STARLING, SNAX SAX FOR KIDS: It's simple. We take brown paper bags full of healthy, kid-friendly snacks to children at our -- my local, my neighborhood school, we found out kids were not eating over the weekends. Once they left school with free and reduced lunch and breakfast program, some of the kids were coming to school Monday having eaten hardly at all. So, we are addressing that particular problem. And the bags are intended that for that child enrolled in the school in any child in their household. We'll send enough bags for every kid in the household.

COLLINS: Wow. That's terrific. Are you seeing more people who are coming to you that you've noticed over the past few months or the past year?

STARLING: We started in September 2002, and the first time I packed bags, I packed 15 bags. The counselors figure out who these kids are and they just give us a number, and we send that many bags. By the end of the school year, last May, we were packing 188.

COLLINS: Geez, 188, wow.

Ginny, back to you for a moment. You've been affected by budget cuts, obviously, from where you are. You've had to cut the programs and lay off people. We're hearing about that all over the country, actually. When it comes to the food itself, we're trying to get a sense of what your food shelves look like. Are you able to meet the demand?

HILDEBRAND: Because of some great contributions from the public and corporations and foundations stepping up in our state, we have been able to cover some of those budget cuts.

But nevertheless, there's still more people. We know that we're only reaching about 50 percent of the need right now in our state. So, now is not the time to give up. We need the focus on donations of food and funds. People volunteering. And also speaking up to their elected officials because we have an opportunity this spring to maybe make a difference with Child Nutrition reauthorization in Washington.

COLLINS: Sure. OK, good point. Kate, your budget it has not really been cut off, since you don't really take state funding. But also wondering for you, are you able to meet the need?

MAEHR: Hopefully. This is the critical time for us. So, we need everyone who is out there walking by all of the food drive barrels, all of the people, those $5 gifts, cans in the food drive barrels. They matter so much to us. And this is a critical time for us. With this increased demand, we need increased response. We need everyone to come out and put a can in a food drive bin and make sure there's enough food to feed the hungry.

COLLINS: Yes. And you know, Jermaine, it seems like we talk about this every year at this time. Important to bring into everyone's attention, certainly. But I know you also have not had your budget cut because you also don't get that -- some of the moneys that come in that other organizes do. But are you able to meet the demand that you're trying to meet right now?

HUSSER: Right now, Heidi, we're up about 20 percent in contributions, but the need in our area's 35 percent to 40 percent. So, it's outstripping the generosity of our community, but we're very optimistic. We still see Americans who are coming to our doors. We see South Carolinians every day who want to be generous, who want to give back. Corporations who have had to make cutbacks, they're still giving. They're still wanting to help.

And with our food bank, our leadership and board of directors have made tough decisions. We've gotten smarter how we run our business, so we can be better stewards to our community. So we can ensure every person who comes through our doors, every American who comes through our doors, gets the access to healthy food that they need to get through the tough time.

COLLINS: Absolutely. And Beth, I'm wondering, you know, if we're pretty soon going to see a nationwide Snax for kids, because obviously, sounds like a very good idea that I'm not so sure everybody was aware of -- what happens on Fridays as these kids go through the weekend, Snax Sax for Kids. Are you able to meet this demand? What do you think will happen over the next year or so?

STARLING: Well, two things. One thing that I'd really like to happen -- there are other programs like this across the country. I looked at a bunch of different ones and figured out what would work for us. We put everything that works for us on our Web site so that anyone can duplicate it. And it is being duplicated.

COLLINS: Great. Yes.

STARLING: The other thing that is other community groups -- it's not just my church, which is where this started; other community groups participate with us. That kind of support makes a big difference. As we're asked to go to another school, which we are picking up a second, possibly third school...

COLLINS: Great.

STARLING: ... community groups are chipping in and helping, and that's what we need.

COLLINS: Very much so. To the four of you, again, appreciate all of the work that you do in this department. We will continue to follow the food shelves through the holiday season and throughout the year as well. Everybody donate. Ginny, Kate, Jermaine, and Beth. Thanks so much for your time today.

STARLING: Thank you.

COLLINS: It's a move that could turn rivals into classmates in Mississippi. A proposed merger involving eight universities. Why members of the black community, in particular, are angry about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: At the American Music Awards in Los Angeles last night, country music star Taylor Swift stole the show. Especially she wasn't there, she was in London. She picked up five awards, including Artist of the Year. Michael Jackson -- pop star picked up four posthumous awards, including Best Male Pop Rock Artist. But some say the night belonged to Whitney Houston. The soul diva celebrated her comeback in fashion here. She received AMA International Award of Excellence.

Some of Mississippi's historically black universities on the line. Governor Haley Barbour wants to combine three into one as part of proposed state budget cuts. Alcorn State and Valley State would become part of Jackson State. Here's what some students are saying.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No merger! No closure! Adequate funding now!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Governor, will you sell the soul of a state for your personal power when it deals with an economic versus ethical debate?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At the same time, I know a lot of people be losing the tradition of their schools, and most of our school's tradition is the history between our rivalries with the other schools.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Five other universities could also face mergers. Governor Barbour spoke about his budget plan on our air last week. He says there is no choice but to trim 12 percent or $715 million.

Health care reform jumps a hurdle in the Senate. Here's what we know so far. By a 60-39 vote Saturday night, senators approved a move to begin formal debate on the Democratic plan. That debate is set to begin after the Thanksgiving recess and could go on for weeks. Some Democrats concerned about the public option in the plan voted for the debate to go ahead. But they are still looking to make changes in the final bill.

Getting a health care bill passed into law will require a compromise, but will the search for votes weaken efforts to reign health care costs?

CNN.com's Poppy Harlow is in New York. So, Poppy, still a whole lot of debate out there about the best way to actually achieve some sort of reform.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: Right. I mean, there's two goals here, bring the cost down and cover more people. But when you look at the cost picture, we have made no progress over the last 10 years, actually the opposite. I want you to take a look at the chart on your screen. That top line is the family cost, over $3,000 in the most recent numbers from this year of what it costs a family for health insurance, not even including your employees' contribution. Also rising costs for the individuals.

Now proponents of health care reform say if you bring down costs, it's not only going to be good for you and for me, but it's going to be good for American business as well. That's a hard concept for a lot of people to understand. Jacob Hacker, he's a Yale professor, he's also known as the father of the public option, Heidi, he came up with that concept all the way back in 2001 and here's how he sees it. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACOB HACKER, YALE UNIVERSITY: Most corporations that provide health insurance today do so voluntarily. And if reform broadens coverage so that less cost is getting shifted onto privately insured patients, if it puts in place the tools for long-term cost control, then it's going to help American business provide that coverage voluntarily for less.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: All right, but how do you pay for reform? Huge question. The Senate, the House debating it now. The Senate bill actually raises the Medicare tax on anyone making more than $200,000 a year.

Now, the CBO, the Congressional Budget Office says OK, you add that up over 10 years, that's going to contribute $54 billion, so to say, to the pot to help pay for reform. The problem here, Heidi, is that some experts say that doesn't do anything to rein in costs. It may be bringing money in, but how are you controlling costs, Heidi?

COLLINS: Yes, there's no doubt it's a delicate balance, so many opinions out there about how to rein in these costs. So what seems to be getting the most attention right now?

HARLOW: Well, I'd say most of them aren't very politically popular on both sides of the aisle. One that's getting a lot of attention is this taxing insurance companies on those high cost coverage plans, they're called Cadillac plans, that's how they're known on the Hill.

Supporters say this cuts overall health spending, but there's an incentive to offer lower cost options to avoid the tax. What you look at with opponents of this is they say insurers are just going to pass that tax right on down to workers. That's what they're talking about. If your coverage costs more than say $8,500 as an individual, you are going to have to pay a pretty big tax on this. So to get the support in the Senate bill, what they did is they raised that threshold from $8,000 to $8,500.

Critics though says because of that, the tax won't reduce spending as quickly because fewer plans are going to be affected. So Heidi, a lot of numbers. But that's what's getting a lot of attention. This is going to be an ongoing debate. You can follow it, the latest story updates on CNNMoney.com and also on Twitter, Twitter.com/CNNMoney. I don't see a resolution any time soon, Heidi, but progress.

COLLINS: True. All right, thank you, Poppy.

Well, Wall Street got a rally going in the first few minutes of trading. That is for sure. Investors were gearing up for a positive housing report, and boy, did they get one. Susan Lisovicz is on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange with some more details on this. So Susan, you told us last hour that existing home sales were expected to rise about 1.5 or 2 percent, right?

(BUSINESS REPORT)

COLLINS: And also, when the economy is down and no one's hiring, who do you turn to for a job? Some government programs say the answer is as close as a mirror.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Well, as you know, millions of Americans are out of work, and for some, it may be just the break they were looking for, believe it or not. But turning to federally funded programs now that help people launch small businesses and become their own boss. CNN national correspondent Jason Carroll has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For five years, Ida Petkus worked in a place where she made a difference counseling victims at a domestic violence center. Then one day last March, they told her it was all over.

IDA PETKUS, ADVOCATE FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS: My position was eliminated because of economic times.

CARROLL: Petkus had built a career helping people and at 53- years-old, she wondered what else she was qualified to do.

PETKUS: I remember turning in the key and I said I'll be back for this key, meaning I'll be back. And they said, well, just start your own agency. Don't let being laid off stop you. So that's what I did.

CARROLL: And she did it with the help of a self-employment assistance program, SEA. Petkus founded Tree House Haven in Mt. Holly, New Jersey. It's a non-profit helping victims of domestic violence like this woman who we'll call Sara.

"SARA," DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIM: I was in a very bad way when Ida came to me. And I can sit here and talk about it now with some focus and with some confidence that I have a plan. I have resources and I'm going to make it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) for your business?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) Excited for...

CARROLL (voice-over): Petkus the counselor got some counseling and training of her own at SCA.

MICHAEL GLASS, DIRECTOR, N.J. SELF-EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM: Thirteen years in existed in New Jersey and we've been pretty much with it since its start. Close to over 8,000 businesses have been created. CARROLL: The program gives potential business owners free classes in areas such as marketing, fund raising and bookkeeping. The Department of Labor offers the program in eight states. Petkus began taking classes in August and in just a month, Tree Haven had opened its doors. Victims like "Sara" could not be more grateful.

"SARA": The first word that comes to my mind is hope. Ida, my advocate has continued to open the doors for me and clear the way.

PETKUS: I believe that small business is going to make a difference in this economy. I don't want to be medium or large, I want to be smell and I want to help -- I like where I am helping victims.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL: Well, Tree House Haven sustains itself through private funding. Already, Petkus has gotten help from Verizon and the Philadelphia Flyers. And Heidi, I asked her what her next goal was. She says hopefully to move to an office upstairs, a bigger office, and to someday hire a few more employees. Heidi?

COLLINS: All right, Jason, thanks for that. "CNN Heroes" awards, one actor calls them the Oscars of giving. We'll take you to the ceremony, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: It's hard to pick one hero from 10 who have all done amazing things to make the world better. But almost 3 million of you did just that. You casted your vote for CNN's hero of the year and over the weekend, the winner was announced. CNN's Brooke Anderson was there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was a night of tears.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: God bless this country.

ANDERSON: And triumph. A night to honor everyday people doing extraordinary things.

GEORGE LOPEZ, COMEDIAN: You know what? It's the Oscars of giving.

ANDERSON: Ten finalists for CNN hero of the year were recognized for helping others around the world. Among them, a 20-year-old amputee who is getting artificial limbs to kids who need them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that's every amputee's goal is to not be limited or defined by their situation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: CNN hero, Jordan Thomas.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's been the greatest night of my life, so thank you very much.

ANDERSON: And a Florida man who refused to stand by while his fellow vets suffered on the street.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There will be no man left behind as long as we are this nation.

ANDERSON: The heroes night began on a star-studded red carpet in Hollywood and continued inside the Kodak Theater, home of the Oscars, where musical greats paid tribute in song. Some of Hollywood's biggest stars joined in.

NICOLE KIDMAN, CNN HEROES PRESENTER: Let's honor our hero, Betty.

ANDERSON (on camera): How cool is tonight?

PIERCE BRONSON, CNN HEROES PRESENTER: Truly cool. Truly memorable. Truly wonderful. Keep doing good things.

ANDERSON (voice-over): Two point seven million votes cast online to determine which of the honorees would be named CNN Hero of the Year. The honor went to...

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HEROES HOST: Efran Penaflorida.

ANDERSON: Penaflorida created a classroom on wheels in the Philippines to educate his country's forgotten children.

EFRAN PENAFLORIDA, CNN 2009 HERO OF THE YEAR: Each person has a hidden hero within.

ANDERSON: He received $125,000 to continue his work. The nine other honorees award $25,000 each. No dollar value can be put on the inspiration they provide.

Brooke Anderson, CNN, Hollywood.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: You can watch the entire event here on CNN Thanksgiving night at 9:00 Eastern and Pacific. I'm Heidi Collins. CNN NEWSROOM continues with Tony Harris.