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Continued Coverage of President Obama's Remarks on Boosting Math & Science Education; Health Reform Fight Ahead; Economists Predict Growth, Jobs Will Rally in 2010

Aired November 23, 2009 - 12:00   ET

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

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's about the ability to understand our world, to harness and train that human capacity to solve problems and think critically: a set of skills that informs the decisions we make throughout our lives.

So, yes, improving education in math and science is about producing engineers and researchers and scientists and innovators who are going to help transform our economy and our lives for the better. But it's also about something more.

It's about expanding opportunity for all Americans in a world where an education is the key to success. It's about an informed citizenry in an era where many of the problems we face as a nation are at root scientific problems.

And it's about the power of science to not only unlock new discoveries, but to unlock in the minds of our young people a sense of promise, a sense that, with some hard work, with effort, they have the potential to achieve extraordinary things.

Now, this is a difficult time in our country and it would be easy to grow cynical and wonder if America's best days are behind us, especially at a time of economic uncertainty, especially when we've seen so many, from Wall Street to Washington, fail to take responsibility for so long.

But I believe we have an opportunity now to move beyond the failures of the recent past and to recapture that spirit of American innovation and optimism.

This nation wasn't built on greed. It wasn't built on reckless risk. It wasn't built on short-term gains and short-sighted policies. It was forged of stronger stuff by bold men and women who dared to invent something new or improve something old, who took big chances on big ideas, who believed that in America all things are possible.

That's our history. And if we remain fixed on the work ahead, and if we build on the progress we've made to date, this is going to be our legacy as well.

So, with that, just as proof of the extraordinary promise of American young people, I'd like to invite Steven Harris (ph) and Brian Ortelano (ph) from Oakton High -- High School to come up here and demonstrate what their team has built. And it's flashing, so far. I don't see it whirling.

(LAUGHTER)

Where are they?

Give them a big round of applause.

(APPLAUSE)

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: OK. It doesn't look -- oh, I thought we were going to take the experiment.

We was just chastised a little bit by the president for not being very interested in these subjects. And we're moving on. OK.

President Obama highlighting several of the initiatives this morning designed to boost science technology, engineering -- I guess if I go slowly here we can see it work -- and mathematics education.

A lot of companies, as you heard, are on board with the Educate to Innovate Initiatives, including Discovery Communications, Time Warner Cable. "Sesame Street" on board as well.

There it is. Good job. I waited long enough so you can see it actually happening here. Take a look.

OK. Robotics fun at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.

"Sesame Street" on board, as the president mentioned, with a two- year focus on science and the first American woman in space, Sally Ride, will champion these initiatives.

OK. Let's get going here. Time for your top-of-the-hour reset.

I'm Tony Harris in the CNN NEWSROOM.

It is 12:00 in Washington, where behind-the-scenes bargaining on a health care reform bill focuses on four key senators.

All across America, the National Association of Realtors says sales of existing homes went ballistic in October. Ballistic. And home sales -- when's the last time -- OK.

And in space, Atlantis astronauts step up for a third time, prepping the space station for the post-shuttle era.

Let's get started.

The fight over health care reform. Senate Democrats start one hurdle, setting the stage for debate to begin next week, but they face a tough fight ahead not just with Republicans, but within their own party.

Details now from Congressional Correspondent Brianna Keilar. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The yeas are 60, the nays are 39.

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

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

KEILAR: ... and prodding from the president.

OBAMA: 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 in making transparent what things actually cost.

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

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 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.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It might take longer, but it would also provide a better result. And most Americans think we should get it right rather than try to 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.

SEN. 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 am 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.

KEILAR: Brianna Keilar, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: So there you have it.

As health care reform moves forward in the Senate, it faces plenty of roadblocks. So we want to know what you think. And think about this for us, please.

Is the status quo, what we have now, the status quo, better than what's outlined in either of the House or Senate bills? Go to CNN.com/Tony and leave us your comments. We will share some later this hour.

Checking the wire now and the day's other big stories.

The White House announced this morning that President Obama will meet tonight with his national security team on Afghanistan and Pakistan. All of the key generals and staff will be there.

This is the ninth meeting of the president's war council. The White House has said the president will not decide on sending more troops to Afghanistan until after Thanksgiving.

Caught on tape in California. Was it police brutality or a Bay Area Rapid Transit officer doing his job? Take a look. You decide for yourself here.

Wow. It's not clear what caused the glass to break, but both men were injured. We should tell you that. A BART spokesperson promises a thorough investigation.

We're watching the third and final spacewalk of the Shuttle Atlantis mission, happening now. Astronauts are trying to hook up a new oxygen tank and some science experiments to the International Space Station. The shuttle undocks tomorrow. It should touch down here on Earth on Friday.

And check out what has been a pretty robust rally here at the New York Stock Exchange, the Big Board.

Last hour, we were up 155 or so points, so a bit of a sell-off, but still trending heavily, in positive territory. Again, the Dow up 138 points now.

We will follow these numbers with Susan Lisovicz throughout the day for you here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Financial experts are sounding more upbeat about 2010. The National Association of Business Economics predicts growth next year will be stronger than thought, but what about jobs?

Let's talk to our personal finance editor, Gerri Willis, in New York.

And Gerri, these economists say the recovery won't be jobless for long. Boy, I hope they're right.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: That's right. And these numbers just out today.

It's a survey of economist, some 48 economists. And what they are saying when they surveyed their forecast, what does the future look like?

They say instead of losing jobs, our economy will start gaining jobs in the second quarter. So, next quarter, the first quarter, January, February, March of 2010, will be the last quarter for job losses. Then we're going to move into the plus column.

Now, what you need to know, though, is they're saying that the average unemployment rate for next year will be 9.6 percent, and that is still very, very high, Tony. About 7.3 million Americans have lost their job in this horrible economy. Now 61 percent of those surveyed, they say the recovery of those lost jobs won't happen until 2012.

2012, so we're going to have a couple of years to wait until the economy really starts rebuilding these jobs so that people can get back to work, they can start spending money, et cetera.

HARRIS: Yes. Hey, Gerri, what's the views of these economists? Will we see spending pick up here anytime soon?

WILLIS: Interestingly, they are saying no. They say that consumers are tightening their purse strings and they are going to stay that way.

The savings rate, they say, will rise to 4 percent. It has been around 3.3 percent.

You know, we had that huge jump up in the personal savings rate, then it retracted a little bit. But they are saying consumers are still going to be stingy. They're not going to be out spending like they did during the late 90s, early -- and we're going to really watch our purse strings, which, after all, makes just a little bit of sense here.

HARRIS: And what about economic growth, Gerri?

WILLIS: Well, economic growth, according to this group, they have actually improved their numbers here. They see a fourth quarter GDP -- that's the broadest measure of the economy's growth -- at 3 percent. For next year, 3.2 percent. So solidly in the plus column. That's good news.

Additional info here, Tony, you might be interested in. They see the housing market really picking up.

HARRIS: Really?

WILLIS: They say home prices -- get this -- will be up two percent next year. That's as more people buy houses, residential investment increases.

They say 2010 will be the first year since 2005 that we've seen housing contribute to the broad economy. So that's good news. We see some good news here. You know, from their lips to God's ears. I think we'd all be happy to see our house prices go up a little bit.

HARRIS: Yes. I hope they're right about that.

All right, Gerri. Good to see you again. Thanks.

And still to come in the NEWSROOM this morning, high waters create high drama. Rescuers working around the clock to save lives after the most rain ever recorded in England.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Boy, take a look at these pictures. Pretty dramatic stuff here.

More than a foot of rain in 24 hours. Watch it. Watch it. There it goes.

This is the northern part of England. This bridge was one of several that gave way after days and days of rain. I don't know how I missed this over the weekend.

On Friday, a police officer was killed when a bridge collapsed. Authorities are checking hundreds of other bridges for safety.

The flooding from the heaviest rain ever recorded, Chad.

There has damaged more than a thousand homes. Roads blocked, schools closed.

We'll get to Chad in a moment, but right now our Nic Robertson has more on the cleanup efforts.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): In Kevin McNicholas' house, everything on the lower floor has been destroyed. When we arrived, he's only just got back in.

KEVIN MCNICHOLAS, COCKERMOUTH RESIDENT: Everything had been lifted and moved around, passed around, and then dropped again and left totaled (ph) in sludge.

ROBERTSON: Family and friends are working frantically to clear what they can in case floodwaters return. The rain is falling and more is forecast.

MCNICHOLAS: It's been really difficult. In the first moment, people were down helping and then they looked after us the third night, and they're obviously continuing now.

MARGARET BANCROFT, COCKERMOUTH RESIDENT: After the swarm to the bottom of the stairs... ROBERTSON: A few doors along, grandmother Margaret Bancroft measures herself against the high water mark on her living room wall. Among her treasures, a few photos saved.

BANCROFT: That's one of the local heroes that were searching around with his boat yesterday morning rescuing people.

ROBERTSON (on camera): Who is he?

BANCROFT: (INAUDIBLE).

ROBERTSON (voice-over): For 45 years, she says she's lived in this house.

BANCROFT: Yes. I've never seen anything like this at all. Never been flooded, you know.

ROBERTSON (on camera): They said one in a thousand years.

BANCROFT: Yes. Well, I guess I'll miss the next one then.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): And it's not just Grandmother Bancroft who's laughing. Incredibly, spirits here seem high.

(on camera): The tidy up is only just beginning. And for people here, they really don't know when they're going to be able to get back into their homes. They're being told right now it could be as long as six to nine months.

(voice-over): The British prime minister, Gordon Brown, came to show his support and offered help, $1.5 million additional funds for the flood damage.

GORDON BROWN, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Really, we'll do what we can to help the cleanup happen quickly.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. Thank you.

BROWN: We'll provide extra help to make sure that that happens.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you very much.

ROBERTSON: And the town is going to need all the help it can get. Seven thousand people live in this tiny Cumbria community. They are coming together to put right what the town's two flood swollen rivers came close to destroying, but the cleanup is only just beginning.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Cockermouth, England.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: All right. Thousands of people have complained their walls are making them sick. What's going on here? Minutes ago, the government released new findings on drywall made in China.

We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And checking our top stories now.

Federal investigators say a small radiation leak over the weekend at Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island nuclear plant did not pose a threat to the public. About 150 workers had to be sent home. A plant spokesman says they're still trying to find the cause of Saturday's leak.

The Roman Catholic bishop of Providence, Rhode Island, says he asked Congressman Patrick Kennedy in 2007 not to take communion because of his support for abortion rights. The two have clashed repeatedly over the issue. In October, Kennedy criticized the church's push for abortion restrictions as part of national health care reform.

Dr. Conrad Murray says he is taking back his life. The cardiologist at the center of the Michael Jackson investigation was in church in Houston Sunday. He's resumed his cardiology practice at Armstrong Clinic. That's where he worked before becoming Jackson's personal physician. Murray's attorney says his client needs the money.

Finally, some answers about corrosive drywall made in China. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is just out with draft reports on the dangers. Thousands of people complained the drywall is damaging their homes and perhaps their health.

Our Sean Callebs looks at one of the affected homeowners whom you might recognize.

(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 also knows what it's like to be displaced.

Payton's North Shore home was built almost entirely with tainted drywall from China, drywall 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, 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 human 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. The 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, ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY EXPERT: They begin to think, well, if they 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 to the comfort of their beach house in Florida while his million-dollar house is gutted.

The host of lawsuits in the South have been rolled into a massive class action suit 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 were counting on in the beginning. This product is 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.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Boy -- OK. Sean Callebs joining me live now from New Orleans.

Sean, great to see you.

As we mentioned, a report on this drywall issue from the Consumer Product Safety Commission that came out last hour.

What's the conclusion? Is there a problem with tainted Chinese drywall?

CALLEBS: The simple answer is, yes. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says it has found a correlation between tainted Chinese drywall, chiefly in areas in the Southeast.

The three big states hit are Florida, Louisiana and Virginia. They know that it is giving off hydrogen sulfite.

Now, hydrogen sulfite is a colorless gas, but it smells like rotten eggs. And chiefly, this can corrode metal.

So, you heard Sean Payton, Coach Payton, talk about, look, "I had to replace air conditioning. I had to replace even the front part of my microwave oven."

That is the kind of problems they are finding. And they know these problems are there.

They did tests in 51 homes, 41 where there had been complaints, 10 where there had been no complaints. And the information came back and said, look, in these houses where people had been complaining, we found problems. And we didn't find them in similar homes, in similar areas, where there had been no complaints.

HARRIS: Let's see if we can get to the sourcing here. What are the problems associated with this Chinese drywall? Do we know?

CALLEBS: Well, you know, we know about the physical problems with homes. It corrodes metal. But the big question is, what has this been doing to people who have been living in these homes like the Paytons for years? You're breathing this stuff. Is it causing a medical problem.

Well, the Consumer Product Safety Commission -- by the way, this is the largest investigation the Consumer Product Safety Commission has ever undertaken. They said, we don't know yet, we're doing further testing. That's the best news they can give people.

HARRIS: All right. Sean Callebs for us from New Orleans.

Appreciate it, Sean. Thank you.

They risk their lives working as smugglers, and they're as young as 5 years old. We will take you to the Afghan-Pakistani border, where children put themselves on the line to earn pennies for their families.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And, as always, we like to remind you at this time to get the latest financial information and analysis at CNNMoney.com. Our Money team doing a terrific job there every day, offering you the latest financial news an analysis, CNNMoney.com.

Dow at a 13-month high. Oh, let's swing you to the big board. How about that for a segue? The Dow is up 120 points, although we are a bit off of session highs to be sure, but still in positive territory. Triple digit gains here.

Stocks obviously reacting to a big jump in home sales. Let's get to CNN's Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange.

Boy, some encouraging news here on the housing front, Susan. Good to see you again.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good to see you, Tony.

We were expecting existing home sales to climb 1.5 percent. It rocked 10.1 percent higher in October. Let's face it, a lot of folks were trying to get in and collect that free money with the first-time home buyer tax credit. At that point, in October, there was a sense that it would expire at the end of this month. The sales activity, whatever the case, highest level in more than 2.5 years. So, you know, the question is, what's going to happen going forward, Tony.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes. And so, as you mentioned, now that the home buyer tax credit has been extended, can we, Susan, expect home sales to keep rising here?

LISOVICZ: Well, you know, yes in the sense that not only has it been extended till next spring...

HARRIS: And broadened.

LISOVICZ: It's also been expanded, right, so people like you can get into it, Mr. Harris, and we're going to expect to know about some beach-front condo that we'll all be invited to.

HARRIS: Yes, right. There you go.

LISOVICZ: But, you know, one of the things the National Association of Realtors notes that 13 percent of successful first-time home buyers in the past month were previously shut out. A deal went through or was canceled. So there should be pent-up demand. But we're entering, let's face it, also the hibernation period for housing activity. The winter is pretty slow. The jobless rate remains pretty high. You can expect a lot of people, I think it's safe to assume, a lot of people will try to rush in and try to collect before the deadline -- the next deadline expires -- Tony.

HARRIS: Yes. And when that beach front thing that you're predicting for me, when that happens, you are there?

LISOVICZ: I am packed.

HARRIS: For the unveiling. All right, Susan, appreciate it. Thanks.

LISOVICZ: You're welcome.

HARRIS: Oh, boy. Other news we're following here. Insurgents in Afghanistan have killed four U.S. service members in the last 24 hours. Officials say three died in roadside bombings. Another was killed by insurgent gunfire. It raises this month's U.S. death toll in that war to 15.

And it comes as President Obama considers whether to send more troops. The White House says that the president will meet with his national security team on Afghanistan and Pakistan tonight. And as the president continues to consult with his national security council on troop levels in Afghanistan, we, of course, are continuing to listen to you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CALLER: My name is Prem (ph). We should stay in Afghanistan. There should be more troops sent to Afghanistan, along with we should put pressure on Hamid Karzai, because the Taliban are Pakistanis dressed as Taliban. And until you deal with Pakistan, there will not be peace in Afghanistan. The Pakistanis are the real terrorists in the world.

CALLER: Hi. My name is Frake (ph) from Los Vegas in Nevada. I think that history has proven that the generals on the ground in a conflict aren't always right and I believe that Mr. Obama needs to listen to all sides. I think the focus should be on a strategy which gets the Afghanistan people to get involved in helping rid the Taliban from their lands.

CALLER: I think we should pull out of the country. (INAUDIBLE) active troops that are going out, going to villages. Have some bases in Afghanistan that we can have drones and make sure the terrorist camps don't get set up again. Other than that, it's not worth being over there wasting a single American life. This is Mike from Los Santos Hills (ph), California.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Want to tell you, we've been asking this question and your thoughts on it for weeks now and you just continue to respond and we appreciate that so much. And want to leave the phone number up and the question remains the same, because we'd like to hear more of your thoughts and comments on this, 1-877-742-5760 is the number. Let us know what you think the U.S. should do next in Afghanistan.

You know, some families along the Afghan-Pakistani border depend on their children to bring home pennies a day. They do it by smuggling in one of the world's most dangerous areas. Our Sara Sidner reports from the border.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Hasrata Alee (ph) is street smart and tough. He works like a man. But he's still just a boy, age nine.

"I need more power to do this," he says. "I'm not strong enough."

Alee is a border child. His mission, fill up and unload his wheelbarrow at least five times a day, every day.

"It's very hard work," he says. He is one of the estimated 300 children who smuggle items back and forth over the border. And not just any border, but the border between two of the world's most dangerous places, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

SIDNER (on camera): One of the things these children are most afraid of is not surviving the job at all. There have already been two suicide blasts in the last three months at this border crossing.

SIDNER (voice-over): Sabar Mina witnessed one of those terror attacks. At only eight years old, she already has war stories, just from working here.

"When the bomb exploded, I was in Afghanistan with my sister," she says. "We were crying. And then we ran away to the Pakistan side."

Sabar is from Pakistan. She lugs sacks of flour over to Afghanistan. The haul comes with its own hazards, especially since Pakistan banned exports of flour due to a spike in food prices there.

"When we bring the flour, the Pakistani police stop us and they hit us. They beat us," she says.

But most of the time these children aren't hassled, so the goods get through. And for shipper, they're cheap labor, about 20 cents for the short trip through the checkpoints. But in their lives, every single cent makes a difference.

SIDNER (on camera): So the children are literally not allowed to come home unless they make a certain amount of money?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of course.

SIDNER (voice-over): This man works for an organization that helps border children, but we can't show you his face.

SIDNER (on camera): Have you been threatened by the Taliban?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of course I may say, yes.

SIDNER (voice-over): Every move his group makes to educate these children is being watched, he says, in case it goes against Islamic law. The Taliban knows everything he's doing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we agreed that we should implement, we implement. If they say this against our culture, against their tradition, against their religion, we cannot implement it at all.

SIDNER: The group says it has put more than 300 children in school, but there are many parents who will not let their children quit this work because the families can't survive without the money. Some of these families live in caves. It's one of many hardships these kids endure. We meet Jamil Shaw (ph) pushing grain and someone's child across the border.

"I want to be an engineer or a teacher, he tells us."

At 15, Shaw can't read, but he can still dream.

Sara Sidner, CNN, on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And checking our top stories now. President Obama within the past hour announcing several initiatives aimed at boosting the number of students in science, technology, engineering and math.

Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: The key to meeting these challenges to improving our health and well-being, to harnessing clean energy, to protecting our security and succeeding in the global economy, will be reaffirming and strengthening America's role as the world's engine of scientific discovery and technological innovation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Police in California say the assault of a 12-year-old may be related to a FaceBook message. The boy was beaten up twice at his middle school Friday after a posting called for kick a ginger day. Investigators say it may have been inspired by an episode of the TV show "South Park." The boy, who is red-headed, was not seriously hurt. No arrests have been made.

This morning's space walk. Live pictures? Awesome. All right. This morning's space walk got off to a bit of a slow start but things seem to be moving briskly now. Astronauts from shuttle Atlantis are hooking up a new oxygen tank and some science equipment and experiments to the International Space Station. This is the third and final space walk of this trip.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: So getting a health care bill passed into law will require plenty of compromise, but will the search for votes weaken efforts to reign in health care costs? Looks like this thing is going to be pretty incremental. CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow is in New York.

Poppy, good to see you.

Still a lot of debate about the best way to achieve reform.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And, you know, Tony, some people are even saying that they are sort of scaling back on trying to control costs in order to get more votes. That's getting some attention right now. The major goal we all know of health care reform, you've got to bring down overall costs and you have to cover more people. When you talk about the cost pictures, it's just amazing. Let's take this full so you can see what we're talking about here. When you look at family plans all in for the most recent data this year, over $3,500, that is a lot of money, for the average American family. We need reform. Proponents say that. They say reform actually is not only going to bring down costs for me and for you, but also for American businesses as well. And that's a contentious point.

But Jacob Hacker, he's a Yale professor, and he's known, Tony, as the father of the public option. He came up with the public option back in 2001 and he wrote a big paper on it. Here's his take on it.

(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, that is his take. Some would disagree with it. The big remaining question, Tony, how do you pay for overall reform? What this Senate bill is doing right now is it raises the Medicare tax on individuals that make more than $200,000 a year. So those high net worth individuals.

But when you ask the Congressional Budget Office, they say, OK, add that up over 10 years, that's going to provide $54 billion in funding to help pay for reform. The problem, Tony, that doesn't do anything to reign in costs. And that's where you come to people butting heads. They say it's great you can bring in money, but what does that do to lower our costs overall for the system?

HARRIS: Yes, and that's the debate on the delivery side of health care.

HARLOW: Exactly.

HARRIS: And what you're pointing out here, Poppy, is the delicate balance. And there are so many opinions out there on how best to reign in costs, what's getting the most attention? Do we know?

HARLOW: You know, most of them aren't politically popular on both sides of the aisle. You've got to get to that compromise. In the Senate bill, there is this contentious, but it's getting a lot of attention, 40 percent tax on those high-cost insurance plans. Those are known as Cadillac plans. It's not included in the House version. And the supporters say, this is going to help you cut spending overall because if you tax these expensive plans, people might say, hey, I don't need all of that coverage, I'm going to opt for a less expensive plan. That does bring your costs down. Opponents say insurers are still going to offer those high-cost plans, they're just going to pass on that down to the workers and the companies that provide health care coverage. So big debate there. That's something to keep an eye on, the taxes on those Cadillac plans. Keep an eye on that. And you can see more here, of course, in the last story, our reporter, Jeanne Sahadi, following it closely. And on Twitter, twitter.com/CNNMoney -- Tony.

HARRIS: Terrific. I tell you, that team, that Jeanne Sahadi, Poppy Harlow, oh, I'm talking about Poppy like she's not -- like she's not in the room.

HARLOW: She's pretty great. Me.

HARRIS: OK, Poppy, appreciate it. Thank you.

HARLOW: Thank you, Tony.

HARRIS: And still to come in the NEWSROOM, dating in the dark. It gives a whole new meaning to blind date. Looking for love and not being able to see who you're chatting up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: OK. As health care reform moves forward in the Senate, we want to know what you think. Is the status quo better than what's outlined in either the House or Senate bill. Here's what some of you are saying. Good responses, all of them.

Kathleen says, "this bill will make things worse, not better than status quo."

Diane says, "the status quo will bankrupt this country. We need to take the profit out of health care now."

Bill says, "Reform, not overhaul."

And Annette of Colorado -- from Colorado says, "I vote for reform. I say Congress pass the health care bill and get on with the zillions of other issues you ought to be dealing with."

We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: You've all heard of how difficult blind dates can be. Some of you have even had one or two. But one company putting a whole new spin on it. Our Richard Lui takes us to the dark side.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD LUI, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): It sounds like a typical blind date. A guy and a girl meeting for the first time to spend some time together. But dating in the dark has taken the experience to another level.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're meeting somebody without seeing them, so you're actually meeting them, not what they look like.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I did put more perfume on, but I -- smell is very important to me. I like to smell good.

JOHN ZALLER, PREMIER EXHIBITIONS: So what happens is, the guys are on this side, the girls are on the other side. They can hear each other, they can learn about the other participants, but they never see one another. It creates this really exciting best of atmosphere.

LUI: Visually impaired guides who have to deal with this scenario every day lead the daters through the event.

MARSHALL COOK, GUIDE: I think we're helping people that will truly connect more with each other, other than what they just look like.

ZALLER: It's amazing to see the humility, the respect, and the real openness that occurs in an environment where you don't have the prejudice of seeing someone beforehand or seeing who you're talking to. When you're in the dark, all you have is your voice and who you really are to express yourself.

LUI: But not everyone is in total agreement.

JULA JANE, MATCHMAKER: We project what we feel. Eighty-five percent of that comes out of body language. Not in a picture, not what we say, not what we do in the dark, but how we present ourselves. And you really have to see somebody face-to-face. It's that important.

LUI: After spending time in the dark and writing down the names of who they want to see, it's time for their revealing moment. Some daters make connections. Some don't. But most agree, it's still a fun way to meet people.

SCOTT ROSS, DATING PARTICIPANT: Tonight was a rough night. I don't know what it was. I actually didn't get any cards. I don't know. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't.

LAUREN SHARRON, DATING PARTICIPANT: I was definitely surprised by how some of them looked. I wasn't expecting some of them to look the way they did. But it's not a bad thing. It definitely wasn't a bad thing.

ZALLER: I've been able to witness a lot of interactions and dating in the dark and a lot of the conversations that I can just tell are sort of naturally turning into a deeper relationship. In a few of those instances, I have seen the lights come up and people go, oh. Well, we'll be friends. However, even in those cases, I think there's an important lesson learned, that there's a lot more beneath the surface.

LUI: Richard Lui, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HARRIS: And how about this. Four posthumous awards for Michael Jackson. His brother, Jermaine, accepting the trophies at the American Music Awards last night in Los Angeles.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JERMAINE JACKSON, MICHAEL JACKSON'S BROTHER: The message that Michael had will live on forever. Start with love and let's love each other. Thank you very much. We're going to miss you, Michael, but you'll always be in our hearts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Michael Jackson has won a total of 23 American Music Awards. And that, my friends, is a record.

Vampire romance is big at the box office. The "Twilight" saga, "New Moon," took in more than -- listen to this, wait for it -- $140 million in its first three days. And that is the third best opening weekend ever in the United States. The movie was also the focus of some of you your iReports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want more. More.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: More.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please, more.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The special effects were good.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We enjoyed it. I thought it was better than the first.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who was your best part?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Werewolves.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I think the first time that Jacob took off his shirt.

ASA THIBODAUX, IREPORTER: We just got through seeing the midnight showing, and I'm tired, of "New Moon," my daughter, Dacia, and I'm not really a "New Moon" fan, but, honestly, I enjoyed it. It was entertaining. What did you think about it?

DACIA THIBODAUX, ASA'S DAUGHTER: I loved it a lot more than I thought I would because -- gosh, I mean, yes, if anyone who's seen it, Jacob's body, I'm sorry.

A. THIBODAUX: All right. So it appears that "New Moon," from what I gather, caters to hormonally stressed out teens. But you know something? Whatever makes a fast buck. I was entertained.

(END VIDEO CLIP) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: I've got to tell you, finding a job in this economy is certainly not easy, but there is a source for help in starting your own business Uncle Sam. CNN's Jason Carroll has the story.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Tony, we met a woman, who, like thousands of others in this country, was laid off this year. So you know what she did? She hired herself and became her own boss using a little known government program.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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

IDA PETKUS, VICTIMS ADVOCATE: 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 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 the Self-Employment Assistance Program, SEA. Petkus founded Tree House Haven in Mount 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.

CARROLL: Petkus, the counselor, got some counseling and training of her own at SEA.

MICHAEL GLASS, N.J. SELF-EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM: For the 13 years it's existed in New Jersey and we've pretty much been with it almost since its start, close to over 8,000 businesses have been created.

CARROLL: The program gives potential small business owners free class in areas such as marketing, fund raising, and bookkeeping. The Department of Labor offers the programs 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 small. And I want to help. I like where I am, helping victims.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL: Well, Tony, you know, Tree House Haven sustains itself through private funding. Already Petkus has gotten help from Verizon and the Philadelphia Fliers. I asked her, Tony, what her next goal was. She said she wants to move into a bigger office upstairs and hopefully she'll be able to hire a few more employees -- Tony.

HARRIS: Love it. Jason, appreciate it. Thank you.