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Jobs From Bailout Cash; Talks on Public Option Alternatives; Climategate and Copenhagen

Aired December 08, 2009 - 12:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And time now for your top-of-the-hour reset.

I'm Tony Harris in the CNN NEWSROOM.

It is noon in Washington, where President Obama is telling out- of-work Americans to hang on. He's got a new plan.

The millennial generation, out of work and deep in debt. We'll discuss the predicament with a young political activist on the front lines of this problem.

And we go to Capitol Hill, where the Senate appears close -- close to a compromise on the health care bill's public option.

Let's get started.

President Obama takes the wraps off his latest job strategy. He wants Congress to let him spend a portion of the leftover bailout cash on plans to create new jobs. A critical issue, with more than 15 million Americans out of work and the unemployment rate expected to remain high through next year, the president also wants tax cuts for small business to spur hiring.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Building on the tax cuts in the Recovery Act, we're proposing a complete elimination of capital gains taxes on small business investment, along with an extension of write-offs to encourage small businesses to expand in the coming year. And I believe it's worthwhile to create a tax incentive to encourage small businesses to add and keep employees, and I'm going to work with Congress to pass one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: All right. Let's talk with CNN's White House correspondent, Suzanne Malveaux.

Suzanne, good to see you.

Talk us through a few more of the proposals the president is laying out.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, some of these are new proposals and some of them we've definitely heard before. You know, he's talking about increasing the infrastructure projects, building more roads and bridges, that kind of thing.

They believe that it was successful in the past, but as it was, they had a certain number of projects, they didn't have the money to fund it fast enough. Now they're looking at this pot of money, if you will, out of the $750 billion as part of bailing out the banks. You've got $200 billion here that's not being used, so they say they can literally double those projects. You're going to see a real increase, they say, over the next six months or so.

They're also talking about providing tax incentive credits, if you will, for families that decide to weatherize their homes. The nickname, Cash for Caulkers, now. So, that's something that they think they've modeled after the Cash for Clunkers program. That was successful, in their eyes, and so they believe they can repeat that in a different kind of way and save some money, save energy at the same time.

Obviously, Tony, the big push back here, we heard from Minority Leader John Boehner, saying that this deficit, this money, this $200 billion, is for the federal deficit, to reduce the federal deficit, not to be used in these job creation projects. In his words, he said the idea of spending it is repulsive.

And so, you're going to have quite a battle on Capitol Hill, because some of these ideas, obviously they would go under the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP. You could use that money to kind of move it over to help those small businesses. But other ideas, they're going to require congressional approval to authorize those funds to be used in dramatically different ways, and that's where you're going to see those battle lines drawn -- Tony.

HARRIS: Boy, an interesting discussion when you listen to small businesses clamoring for help.

Republicans are also criticizing the administration for not -- is there a response from the administration to the argument that you should -- made by John Boehner, that you should be paying down the deficit?

MALVEAUX: Well, sure. I had a chance to talk to Christina Romer. She's the chairwoman of the Council of Economic Advisers for the president. I asked her that very question about the federal deficit, and she said, well, look, if you put people back to work, they'll be able to pay taxes, and paying taxes, it will basically lower the federal deficit. You'll have more dollars going into the system, that that's important in the short term.

She said looking forward to January, they're going to have the 2011 budget that they're going to shape, and they're going to have to make some choices in terms of some cutbacks, on that score. And then, long term, she said what we're doing and what makes the most sense in the long term is reforming the health care system, because if you try to slow down the cost of health care, then you can bring the deficit back into shape, you know, where it's something that's reasonable and you don't keep spending, spending, spending.

Those are the three things they point to that they say will ultimately help reduce the deficit.

HARRIS: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House for us.

Suzanne, appreciate it. Thank you.

And as Susanne mentioned, some Republicans spitting mad about the president's plan to spend bailout money to create some jobs.

Have a listen to House Minority Leader John Boehner.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R), MINORITY LEADER: This makes me so angry. I was there. All right? I know all about TARP.

First, it was never intended that all this money would ever have to be spent. But any money that wasn't spent was to go to the deficit. And the idea of taking this money and spending it is repulsive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: OK.

Optimism about the economy seems to be sputtering. A CNN/Opinion Research poll asked, "How are things going in the country?" Thirty- four percent said, well. That's a three-point dip from last month, and the first time that month has dropped during the Obama presidency.

We also asked your opinion of economic conditions today. Most say the economy has started to recover or has stabilized, but well over a third, 39 percent, say the United States is still in an economic downturn.

Baghdad reeling from terror attacks. Authorities say at least 112 people were killed and more than 400 others wounded in five suicide car bombings. The blasts going off in quick succession, indicating a coordinated attack. And government buildings, the main target. However, many children are among the dead.

The top commander in Afghanistan says he believes the new U.S. war strategy will succeed. General Stanley McChrystal and the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Karl Eikenberry, are testifying before the House Armed Services Committee. Lawmakers want answers about the plan to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan and to begin bringing them home in 18 months.

General McChrystal says he backs President Obama's new plan for the war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. STANLEY MCCHRYSTAL, COMMANDER, U.S. FORCES, AFGHANISTAN: To pursue our core goal of defeating al Qaeda and preventing their return to Afghanistan, we must disrupt and degrade the Taliban's capacity, deny their access to the Afghan population, and strengthen the Afghan security forces. This means we must reverse the Taliban's current momentum and create time and space to develop Afghan security and governance capacity.

The president's decision rapidly resources our strategy, recognizing that the next 18 months will likely be decisive and ultimately enable success. I fully support the president's decision.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: The abortion issue is front and center today in the debate over health care reform. Senators are expected to vote on whether to tighten restrictions on public money for the procedure.

The amendment is sponsored by Senator Ben Nelson. It would prevent any health plan receiving federal subsidies from offering abortion coverage. Nelson is threatening not to vote for the bill without the abortion language.

Senate Democrats may be close to a compromise on another sticking point in health care reform -- the public option. Liberal and moderate Democrats are trying to come up with an alternative, and they're up against a deadline. It's a real deadline, too.

Congressional Correspondent Brianna Keilar joins us live from Capitol Hill with details.

And Brianna, who are these Democrats meeting behind closed doors? And could they reach a compromise today?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Tony, there are about 10 regulars who have been taking part in this meeting, half of them moderate, conservative Democrats, half of them liberal Democrats, and they don't see eye to eye on that sticky issue of the government- run insurance plan, that public option. So, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid basically said to them, guys, get in a room, hash out your differences, figure out something that can work for everyone.

So, at this point it's possible they could announce a compromise maybe today, Tony, we're hearing, but certainly it's hours away. That's what we're also hearing from the senators who have been going in and out of this meeting.

So, here's what they've kind of been trying to work out, a possible deal, an alternative to that public option. It would be a not-for-profit operation, but it would be private insurance companies that would be providing the health benefits. And then the government role in this is that the government would then oversee that whole process. This, coupled with a further expansion of Medicare and Medicaid, may be the sweet spot that can get those liberal Democrats seeing eye to eye with some of these conservative Democrats who have serious misgivings about that government-run insurance plan -- Tony.

HARRIS: Wow. OK. One more quick one here, Brianna.

Let's dig a bit deeper here into this issue of abortion in the health care bill. This amendment that we mentioned from Senator Nelson designed to toughen up abortion restrictions, will we see a vote today? Will it pass?

KEILAR: It's possible we'll see a vote this afternoon. It is likely that it is going to fail.

So, for liberal Democrats, that is certainly a victory, because it's not going to toughen up the abortion language. But this creates a problem for Democratic leaders who are trying to get those 60 votes, Tony, in order to pass health care reform.

That's because Senator Ben Nelson, who is anti-abortion, has said, I need this toughened-up language, this is basically a deal- breaker for me if I don't get it. So, they're going to lose him if this doesn't pass, and so that creates, of course, a real sticky situation for Democratic leaders.

HARRIS: Oh, yes. That means you would then need Republican help.

All right. Brianna Keilar on Capitol Hill for us.

Brianna, thank you.

The battle lines are drawn. Organizers of the climate conference in Copenhagen address critics who say the international meeting is a waste of time.

First, though, our "Random Moment" in 90 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: All right. Today's "Random Moment" comes to us from -- I hope I get this correct here -- Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota.

Their basketball game against Concordia College tied 54-54 in overtime. Less than a second left on the clock, .8 seconds to be exact, and then this happened.

And that win on that shot keeps them undefeated for the season. Well, at least so far.

And that is our "Random Moment of the Day."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: So, the head of the United Nations says there's unprecedented momentum for a deal on slowing climate change at the Copenhagen conference, but some leaked e-mails threaten to overshadow the conference. It's being called Climategate.

CNN's Phil Black takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Copenhagen's Bella Conference Center has become an international temple for thousands of true believers, people who have no doubt the planet is warming and humankind is to blame.

But there are a few people here who do not believe.

Most of the politicians don't know any science.

BLACK: Lord Christopher Monckton is one of them. He's a member of the British aristocracy and a passionate skeptic on climate change.

(on camera): So, you believe all of this is a colossal waste of time and money?

LORD CHRISTOPHER MONCKTON, SKEPTIC ON CLIMATE CHANGE: Well, there's no need for it.

BLACK: None?

MONCKTON: None whatsoever.

BLACK: There are a lot of people here who disagree with you.

MONCKTON: Yes, but they haven't studied the science, most of them.

BLACK (voice-over): Monckton says the planet is not getting hotter, its recent changes are natural, and there's science to prove it. He's among the skeptics who have been emboldened by the so-called Climategate scandal. Monckton says e-mails hacked and leaked from an English university show climate scientists are figuring with their figures and misleading the world.

MONCKTON: Those scientists have been fabricating, inventing, tampering with, altering, hiding, concealing and destroying data.

BLACK: The scientists who wrote the e-mails deny the allegations, but they've developed so much momentum, they were addressed directly during the opening ceremony of the conference. Dr. Rejendra Pachauri, who leads the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, defended his organization against what he suspects is a direct attack.

DR. RAJENDRA PACHAURI, CHAIR, INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE: The recent incident of stealing the e-mails of scientists at the University of East Anglia shows that some would go to the extent of carrying out illegal acts, perhaps in an attempt to discredit the IPCC. But the panel has a record of transparent and objective assessment stretching over 21 years, performed by tens of thousands of dedicated scientists from all corners of the globe.

BLACK: At this conference, Dr. Pachauri enjoys a clear majority of support among activists, analysts, delegates -- well, pretty much everyone.

ALEX STEFFEN, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, WORLDCHANGING.COM: It really has reached a point where climate skepticism has been pretty comprehensively debunked as a theory.

BLACK: Try telling that to Lord Christopher Monckton.

(on camera): What is your message to the many of thousands of people who have come here from around the world, that surround us now?

MONCKTON: Go home. Enjoy some quality time with your families. Stop worrying about the climate.

BLACK (voice-over): Skeptics say they're a stubborn minority who will endure long after this conference has been judged to be a success or failure.

Phil Black, CNN, Copenhagen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And as world leaders address the issue of climate change, we also want to hear from you.

For the next two weeks, we're going to answer your questions about the issue. Go to CNN.com/Tony. Leave us a comment with your questions, and we will get you some answers, that's for sure, and then break it all down for you here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Give us a call: 1-877-742-5760, if you'd like to leave a comment. We want to hear from you on climate change.

The debate over global warming and climate change shifts into high gear in Copenhagen. But what is the truth about global warming?

Tonight at 8:00 Eastern, a special edition of "CAMPBELL BROWN" looks at the science, the skepticism and the secrets surrounding global warming, "Trick or Truth."

A winter storm is really racing across the country right now. Jacqui Jeras is keeping an eye on where the worst of it is headed. We'll talk to Jacqui in just a couple of minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Let's get you caught up now on our top stories.

Five car bombs exploded in rapid succession today in Baghdad, killing more than 100 people and wounding 400 others. The terror attacks mostly targeted government buildings, but many children are among the dead.

Trying to get North Korea back to the negotiating table, U.S. envoy Stephen Bosworth arrived in Pyongyang today to determine if the communist nation is willing to resume nuclear talks. It is the highest-level meeting between the two countries since President Obama took office.

Unexpected news from former "Today Show" host Bryant Gumbel. While guest hosting "Live With Regis and Kelly" today, the 61-year-old announced that he was recently diagnosed with lung cancer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRYANT GUMBEL, FMR. "TODAY SHOW" HOST: Two months ago I had cancer surgery.

KELLY RIPA, CO-HOST: What?

GUMBEL: Yes.

RIPA: Are you kidding me?

GUMBEL: No.

RIPA: Oh, my gosh. I had no idea.

GUMBEL: I know.

RIPA: I thought we were friends.

GUMBEL: Well, we are. I mean...

RIPA: What is going on?

GUMBEL: Hilary and I kept it private.

RIPA: You did?

GUMBEL: Yes.

RIPA: Oh, my gosh. Well, not that private, because Gelman knew.

GUMBEL: Gelman knew, yes.

(LAUGHTER)

GUMBEL: Michael and I had talked about it at dinner before I had the surgery.

RIPA: Oh, my gosh. And are you OK? Do you want to discuss it, or should...

GUMBEL: Well, I mean, it's nothing to hide from. They opened up my chest. They took a malignant tumor, and they took part of my lung and they took some other goodies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: We will get another check of our top stories in 20 minutes.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: With nearly 16 million Americans out of work, the White House is feeling a renewed urgency to create jobs. Now the president wants to use some of the leftover bailout money to do it.

I wonder if that's the proper way to term that, leftover bailout money?

CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow is in New York for us.

And Poppy, explain to us how this would all work.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Sure. That's a great question, Tony. A lot of people don't want to see that money spent at all.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes.

HARLOW: We heard from Treasury yesterday that there's about $200 billion in bailout funds that aren't going to be needed to prop up the banks, so the president today came out in a speech and said, listen, let's use some of those to spur job growth in this country. Essentially, let's free it up so that we can use some of it for that purpose.

The first target -- he spoke a lot about this -- is small businesses. They're critical to our economic recovery. He's calling for new tax cuts for small businesses, trying to encourage hiring there.

The White House pointing out, listen, the economy may be growing, but a lot of the businesses in this country are reluctant to hire because they don't know how sustainable this recovery will be. Another issue, freeing up credit for small businesses, eliminating some of those fees on loans and raising those loan guarantees.

Another target, Tony, the second target the president spoke about, is infrastructure spending, talking about spending some $50 billion additional dollars on building roads and bridges and other infrastructure projects. And then, also, he focused on, no surprise here, clean energy projects.

A few factors here I want to point out when it comes to clean energy spending. Talking about a new rebate program for consumers making efficient in energy-efficient retrofits for their homes.

Think of this as sort of a Cash for Clunkers for your house. That's what the White House said to us on a call today. They said this is somewhat of a win-win for consumers. You put people back to work, especially in that hard-hit construction sector, by spending here, and also giving some additional funding to those shovel-ready projects in terms of clean energy projects.

A little bit that we want to play for you here from what the president had to say just in the last hour or so.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: Even though we've reduced the deluge of job losses to a relative trickle, we are not yet creating jobs at a pace to help all those families who have been swept up in the flood.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: A good point there. He's talking about creating jobs for Main Street.

So, essentially, Tony, you can think of this as a push to get those TARP bank funds as a TARP for Main Street. The president was actually much more specific in this address than many people, including myself, had been expecting. So we'll see what comes of it.

HARRIS: Yes. Well, hold on just a second here, Poppy. The TARP was supposed to be used to stabilize the financial system and increase lending.

HARLOW: Right.

HARRIS: Is using "leftover money" -- quotes around "leftover money" -- for job creation, is that even legal?

HARLOW: Part of it is. If you ask the White House, included in the TARP legislation, the aid for small businesses is technically legal, so, yes. But if the president wants to take some of that TARP money and use it in other ways to spur job growth, he's going to have to get the approval of Congress.

That might be difficult. You've got a lot of support from Democrats. We even heard House Speaker Nancy Pelosi backing the idea of essentially using TARP money to pay for a job creation bill. She talked about that last week.

But then when you ask some Republicans, they argue, listen, take that leftover money, as you say, Tony, use it to pay down the $12 trillion in debt this nation is facing. Senator Kyl of Arizona said, listen, use the stimulus money that hasn't been used yet to create those jobs.

So, this is going to be fodder for a lot of debate in Washington, that's for sure. We're going to be updating the story throughout the day. That's one of our top stories, of course, on CNNMoney.com -- Tony.

HARRIS: That's terrific.

Thanks, Poppy. Appreciate it.

Young people are being hit especially hard by the jobs crisis. I'm going to talk to one young man who is trying to find some solutions.

We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Trying to read the headline on the top story at cnnmoney.com, "Obama, bailout for main street." If you want the latest financial news and analysis, as always, at this time, we remind you to go visit cnnmoney.com. Let's look at the big board. Three hours into the trading day now. As you can see, the Dow, down -- selling. We've got a bit of a sell-off here. We're almost in triple digits to the negative. Ninety-seven points now. And the Nasdaq, at last check, was down eight. We will continue to follow these numbers with Felicia Taylor throughout the day here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And as the president outlined his job strategy today, we thought it would be a good time to focus on a group of Americans who are having a brutal time in the labor market. That's young people. Look at these numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Almost 20 percent unemployment for people age 60 to 24. For African-Americans in that age group, off the charts here. The unemployment rate is closer to 35 percent. Almost triple the national average.

Matthew Siegel is the founder and executive director of the Student Association for Voter Empowerment or SAVE.

Matthew, good to see you.

MATTHEW SEGAL, FOUNDER & EXEC. DIR., STUDENT ASSN. FOR VOTER EMPOWERMENT: Thanks for having me, Tony.

HARRIS: Yes, yes, my pleasure. I got a lot I want to get to with you. How do you feel about what the president did, maybe did not say about the issue of young people being unemployed?

SEGAL: Well, I thought he did address today in his speech that young workers are often looking for credit and low interest loans to start their ventures and their businesses. But I thought it was an important speech. I think he's trying to tackle this issue head-on of unemployment. Youth unemployment, like you noted, is twice the national average and we need the investment in energy retrofitting and infrastructure and credit so we can start companies and ventures just like all other Americans do.

HARRIS: So you were, generally speaking, encouraged by what you heard from the president?

SEGAL: I was definitely encouraged. I thought it was a productive and good speech.

HARRIS: Well, just a couple of months ago you were in Washington testifying before a House committee on economic opportunities for young folks. What did you tell the committee?

SEGAL: Well, I told the committee we need to do -- we certainly need to do more.

HARRIS: Right.

SEGAL: I mean, for one, we need to invest in a lot of things, apprenticeships and worker training. You know, I was at the jobs summit at the White House last week and I talked to several of the CEOs and small business owners there and they talked about how they have jobs ready to hire, but not -- they don't have workers that have the skill criteria they need to fill the jobs.

HARRIS: Matthew, do you believe that or are you being sold a bill of goods here? Do you really believe that these employers who were talking to you really have these jobs available but they can't find the young people with the skill set?

SEGAL: I actually -- I actually do, because we haven't funded vocational training in so many areas. I mean, look, the stimulus bill and the summer jobs component was wildly successful, putting over 280,000 people to work in low income areas of retrofitting, but we haven't necessarily funded the training for what those jobs need in order to, for instance, weatherize a home or to go into different communities and make them environmentally sustainable.

HARRIS: Well, Matthew, let's hear the president from last hour talking about training at the colleges and universities in the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Because an educated workforce is essential to a 21st century global economy, we've launched a competitive "Race to the Top" fund, through the Recovery Act, to reform our schools and raise achievement, especially in math and science. And we've made college more affordable, proposed a historic set of reforms and investments in community college and set a goal of once again leading the world in producing college graduates by the year 2020.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: OK. So, the president, Matthew, seems to be listening to you and agreeing with you. But here's my question for you.

SEGAL: Sure.

HARRIS: Why don't more young people take advantage of the jobs environment? Older workers, you know, fear being replaced by people like you. You're more attractive -- OK, you're a good-looking young man, but younger workers are more attractive because you start at smaller salaries. Young people can travel all over the world to find work. You can borrow money from parents to build your own thing. Are enough young people fully embracing their advantages in this job market?

SEGAL: Well, absolutely. I mean, one of the things why I'm happy the president mentioned small business investment is because I have so many friends and members of my organization that have good ideas, but might just need $5,000 or $10,000 to get the computers or get the resources they need to get their ideas off the ground. So, I mean, for one, we need to make sure that we're investing in entrepreneurship and then we need to expand successful programs like AmeriCorps and Incitiyear (ph) and YouthBuild that are public service positions and have also been quite successful in putting recent graduates to work in community service positions. But to get to your question, I mean, look, older workers have more experience and they have thicker resumes, so clearly they're -- you know, they're going to be first on the list to be hired in some cases. But that's why youth unemployment is nearly twice the national average. What we're working to do is try to get Congress to invest in areas where there's projected job growth, like the green jobs industry, like the infrastructure program, cyber security and the national security component, the medical and nursing IT and workforce. All areas where young people need training, have college degrees and can utilize their skills effectively.

HARRIS: Matthew Segal, good talking to you.

SEGAL: It's a pleasure. Thanks for having me.

HARRIS: Yes, our pleasure.

You know, one program putting young people to work is also helping our environment. It's called the Green Corps. CNN's Christine Romans brings us this story from New Orleans.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hot air is coming into your house. You know that you're losing, what?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Energy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Energy.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The skills taught here are green.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is recycled newspaper.

ROMANS: And so are the students.

SUZY MASON, PROGRAM DIRECTOR, LOUISIANA GREEN CORPS: We do work with 17 to 24-year-olds who lack work history, are often low income, court involved. Our corp members don't want to hang out on the street. They want to be productive. They want to work. ROMANS: That's where Louisiana Green Corps comes in, based in New Orleans and funded through a grant from the U.S. Labor Department. The program teaches young adults how to weatherize and rehabilitate homes.

MASON: We're giving a general base of construction knowledge, carpentry skills. We also emphasize academic improvement, work readiness, and really encourage our corps members to make positive life decisions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a lot of work to be done in New Orleans.

ROMANS: One of the people doing that work is L.A. Green Corps graduate Chris Williams. After completing the program, he landed a job with local contractor Brotherhood Way, weatherizing homes and building new ones.

CHRIS WILLIAMS, LOUISIANA GREEN CORPS GRADUATE: I believe that this program helps kids by, you know, letting them see that there is another way, you know, besides, you know, maybe they aren't, you know, high -- maybe they don't have their high school diploma or maybe they aren't the ones who go to college, so this program, you know, it invites them in and it gives them an opportunity to learn a trade, you know, to learn a skill.

On average their energy bill will be $20 to $30 on the month.

ROMANS: Despite Chris' success, jobs are still hard to come by. So far out of 177 L.A. Green Corps graduates, 37 percent have found jobs and a third have gone back to school. Even those who didn't immediately find work have achieved something.

DAVID WEATHERSBY, BROTHERHOOD WAY: For Chris and so many other young adults, when they finish the program, they are ready to be thrown into the workforce.

ROMANS: So, when the job market does turn around, they're ready.

Christine Romans, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: As world leaders meet in Copenhagen to address climate change, we will explore how the fight against climate change can lead to new jobs. Will a green economy be the answer to America's unemployment crisis and lead to sustainable job growth? Over the next two weeks, we will examine various industries and so-called green jobs.

Let's get you caught up on our top stories right now.

Baghdad's bloodiest day in month. Five car bombs exploded in rapid succession today in the Iraqi capital. Almost 130 people were killed and 400 wounded in the terror attacks. Most of the bombs targeted Iraqi government buildings.

Ohio executed a convicted killer today using a new lethal injection method that's supposed to be less painful. Kenneth Biros became the first person in the U.S. to be put to death with a single drug instead of the typical three. The change comes after a botched execution of another prisoner in September.

Weather problems popping up across the country right now. Big Bear, California, getting up to an inch an hour at one point. The snow and ice making driving tricky. Several drivers in Ohio reportedly skidded off the road. Officials are reminding people to slow down.

How is your health impacted by greenhouse gases? Dr. Sanjay Gupta has some thoughts.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: EPA chief Lisa Jackson says the United States is facing a real public health threat from greenhouse gas emissions. Our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, explains how greenhouse gases might affect one health problem in particular.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, I had a chance to sit down and talk to Lisa Jackson as well, the EPA administrator, and she took it even a step further, saying she believes that climate change could be one of the biggest health risks. Look, there's been lots of studies looking at the impact of greenhouse gases, specifically on all sorts of diseases. Whether it be heart disease, lung disease, asthma.

One of the things that may be a little less intuitive is the impact on allergies as well. There's about 36 million people who have allergies to ragweed, for example, people believe those numbers could get worse with increase in greenhouse gases.

Take a look at this graphic here. Basically if you think about it, plants use carbon dioxide to photosynthesize. And if you have more carbon dioxide, they're going to be sort of juiced, for lack of a better word, and they're going to be producing more pollen. That can lead to two things. It can lead to stronger allergies, number one, and also to a longer allergy season overall. So this is something that climate change people in that world are sort of paying attention to.

Now, obviously, a lot of discussion about what can be done globally about climate change. But for the individual with regard to allergies, again, these can be pretty profound. Simple tips. You know, keeping doors closed as much as possible. Changing your clothing when you come from outside to inside. Stay indoors at peak times, usually between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. And staying vigilant about checking pollen counts.

But, again, keep in mind, over decades now, not in small -- not large c (ph) changes, but over decades, they're seeing allergy seasons sort of starting to increase. Longer springs, shorter winters. So when you used to have allergies, that time frame may change.

Back to you for now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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

The passionate debate over global warming and climate change shifts into high gear in Copenhagen, but what is the truth about global warming? Tonight at 8:00 Eastern, a special edition of "Campbell Brown" looks at the science, the skepticism and the secrets surrounding "Global Warming: Trick or Truth."

The abortion issue has become a central part of the health care debate. Anderson Cooper will take us to the front lines of the abortion question and show us what someone who has chosen that option faces.

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HARRIS: You know, we could see a vote today on the contentious issue in the health care reform debate. Senators may vote on whether to tighten restrictions on public money for abortions. The amendment, as you know, is sponsored by Democratic Senator Ben Nelson. It would prevent any health plan receiving federal subsidies from offering abortion coverage. Nelson is threatening not to vote for the health reform bill without the abortion language.

We wanted to take a closer look at abortion in the context of health care, beyond the politics. We wanted to find out some basic information about cost, health issues, and insurance coverage. CNN's Anderson Cooper visited a Planned Parenthood clinic New York.

Here is his report from last night's "AC360."

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ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, "AC360": Planned Parenthood of New York City. There's three health centers that they operate in the city of New York. All of which provide abortion services. Let's go in. We're here to talk to Leslie Rottenberg, who's the director here. Security here is very tight. Just to go in, there's a guard. You have to pass through a metal detector before you can even get into the clinic. Then there's a pass code you need as well.

This is the waiting room. Someone comes in here. Then what?

LESLIE ROTTENBERG, CENTER DIRECTOR, PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF NYC: So they would have called us on the phone and we would have gone over with them whether they have health insurance, whether that covers the procedure or not. Whether they were planning to pay for it out of pocket. We offer them to seen an entitlement counselor when they come in, to review with them what programs they may be covered for and to get somebody the coverage they need for all services.

COOPER: And then what's the next step?

ROTTENBERG: We don't want people to have too many barriers to care. Then they can have whatever services it is that they wanted to come in for. And they can have those services within the same day. In an agency like this . . .

COOPER: So it can be -- everything can be done in the same day?

ROTTENBERG: Yes, but that's very different nationally, depending on what state you're in.

COOPER: And in terms of counseling, what type of counseling does a woman have?

ROTTENBERG: A lot of information. This is what's going to happen today. Are you sure of your decision? How can we help you? Think out all of your options. COOPER: So this is where the procedure is actually -- this is where somebody has an abortion?

ROTTENBERG: Yes. This is a procedure room where an abortion would take place.

COOPER: And how much does it cost?

ROTTENBERG: It ranges. In Planned Parenthood of New York City it's $450 to $1,200, but it's very variable across the country.

COOPER: Different states it costs . . .

ROTTENBERG: Different states. It would cost more if you were flying in a doctor from out of state and you need armed guards at your clinic, the price may be higher for a procedure depending on what you have available for you.

COOPER: What percentage of people actually use insurance?

ROTTENBERG: It's a third.

COOPER: A third.

ROTTENBERG: Of the patients we see at Planned Parenthood of New York City use insurance.

COOPER: And if more people had insurance, I mean if health care reform passes and the Democrats are correct and 30 million people are added to the rolls, what impact will you see here?

ROTTENBERG: I don't think it's going to change the number of people we see having abortion. It may or may not change how people are paying. Whether or not they choose to pay out of pocket. But I don't think it's going to change the number of patients we see.

COOPER: If insurance isn't so much of an issue, I mean if a woman's going to have it whether or not she has insurance for an abortion, why have insurance for an abortion?

ROTTENBERG: Well, I think it's going to significantly change when a woman has an abortion if she doesn't have health care coverage for it. I think she will delay care and could end up having a much later-term abortion, struggling to put the money together, and that certainly is a change in health care.

COOPER: And you've seen that? You've seen women delaying the process in other places because they couldn't pay.

ROTTENBERG: Absolutely, yes. Absolutely.

COOPER: That's what it's like in Planned Parenthood in New York City. Let's dig deeper now with CNN's senior political analyst David Gergen.

David, I know you're doubtful that Senator Nelson's abortion amendment is going to pass. If it does fail, that's a big obstacle if and when, you know, it comes time to reconcile the Senate bill with the House bill, because the House bill has a very similar amendment in it to what Nelson is proposing.

DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, that's absolutely right, Anderson. And it's important substantively, as you've just underscored with your piece, for an awful lot of women if they do have -- if we do have this health insurance reform, will they be able to have abortion insurance very easily? And the bill is being introduced by Senator Nelson, in the eyes of Senator Nelson and his supporters, would prevent federal money being used for that abortion, but still would allow insurance. The other side believes just the opposite, that it would put higher barriers in the way of poor women in particular getting an abortion.

But as you point out, Anderson, there are also enormous political implications coming from this amendment by Senator Nelson. Essentially insiders are telling me today, Anderson, that the White House and Senator Reid's office are now -- they need 60 votes to get health care through the Senate. They think -- they're reasonably confident about 58. They need two more. There are three senators who are now in play to get -- they need two of those three senators to get to 60. One of them is Senator Nelson. Now, if he doesn't get his amendment passed in the next couple of days, he may turn against it. So they would then need the other two.

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HARRIS: Wow. Stay up on the health care debate, go to cnn.com/health.

Smokestacks and Hummer drivers, the climate debate in China is playing out in some ways just as you might expect, and in others that you have not even imagined yet.

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HARRIS: So, China is finally on board as the world gathers in Denmark to tackle climate change. The biggest polluter on the planet at least promising some limits on its carbon emissions. John Ray looks at how it's going.

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JOHN RAY, ITV NEWS REPORTER (voice-over): A ton of trouble is heading our way. This gas-guzzling chunk of Americana is homemade in China, where Yang Donwa (ph) loves Hummers so much he's built his own.

"It's so powerful. Great to drive in the mountains," he tells me. "It's like flying. All my friends want one."

Yang's car is unique, but his driving ambition is shared by a billion Chinese. Together they could punch a Humvee-shaped hole in the environment. Because when it comes to carbon, China is still getting started. Though in the shadow of the smokestacks, they are beginning to harvest new sources of power. RAY (on camera): China's ambition now is to become the world's first green superpower. And out here in the barren west, they have two great advantages, lots of sunshine and plenty of space. So is the globe's biggest polluter finally cleaning up its act?

RAY (voice-over): At first glance, little seems to have changed in this city, called Limfun (ph), once judged the dirtiest on the planet. Yet here, you will find those paying a high price for even the modest carbon targets China has set.

With a single stove and a solitary light bulb, this family has barely a carbon footprint between them. All lost their jobs when the local steel factory was forced to shut.

RAY (on camera): So how difficult is life for you now the factory's have closed?

JIA ZHI AN, FORMER STEEL WORKER (through translator): I have a lot less money and I can't afford to buy the things I need. But at least now we have blue skies and not the black dust that used to get everywhere.

RAY (voice-over): But the greening of red China will be slow. Former steelworkers are far outnumbered by brash, new consumers, whose dream machines could well foreshadow a nightmare for the world.

John Ray, ITV News, China.

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HARRIS: And CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Kyra Phillips.