Return to Transcripts main page
Campbell Brown
Band of Sisters; Can President Obama Deliver Health Care Reform?
Aired December 15, 2009 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAMPBELL BROWN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Tonight, here are the questions we want answered.
Can President Obama deliver health care reform by Christmas?
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The final bill won't include everything that everybody wants.
BROWN: He still faces the one man who could stop it in his tracks. Tonight, Joe Lieberman is talking to CNN.
Plus, our special series "Band of Sisters," single moms doubling as soldiers, bravery on the battlefield and the home front.
MELISSA TROTTER, MILITARY MOM: You don't want your kids to see you cry. You have got to be strong. This is my job.
BROWN: And could your kids wind up as registered sex offenders because of their cell phone? It almost happened to one teen busted for sexting.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was having fun with my friends at a sleepover.
BROWN: Tonight, that teen and her mom are here with a warning every family needs to hear.
And one million air passengers face a travel nightmare for the holidays, the strike that could leave you stranded.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: This is your only source for news. CNN prime time begins now. Here's Campbell Brown.
BROWN: Hi, everybody.
We start tonight, as always, with the "Mash-Up." We're watching it all, so you don't have to.
And our top story tonight, President Obama struggling to prevent a Democratic meltdown on health care reform. Today, he summoned Senate Democrats and one feisty independent to the White House in a last-ditch plea for support. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The critical juncture in this health care debate. They know it here. That is why the president called all these Democratic senators over.
And I'm told that, behind closed doors, he was not pressuring them, he was not lashing out at people like Joe Lieberman who seem to be holding this up. Instead, the president firmly believes, according to his aides, that they really are this close to finally getting it done.
OBAMA: Hello, everybody.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Message from the president, get your act together and pass this bill.
OBAMA: We simply cannot allow differences over individual elements of this plan to prevent us from meeting our responsibility to solve a longstanding and urgent problem for the American people.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Needing all 58 Democrats and two independents to get health care passed, Senate leaders struck a last- minute deal to keep Lieberman on board.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sources say there will be no public option and no expansion of Medicare to cover people age 55 to 64.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: The president emerged from today's meeting sounding optimistic, saying that we are -- quote -- "on the precipice of reform."
Of course, most of the president's attention today may well have been focused on one man, one vote, Senator Joe Lieberman, independent of Connecticut. He is threatening to hold up any legislation that lets 55-to 64-year-olds buy into Medicare.
But the senator didn't always feel that way. What he said in September very different from what he said this week. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, SEPTEMBER 2, 2008)
SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (I), CONNECTICUT: When it came to Medicare, I was very focused on a group post-50, maybe post -- more like post-55. And what I was proposing was that they have an option to buy in to Medicare.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
This Medicare buy-in is, frankly, another way to try to get to a single-payer, government- controlled health care system. And I and Senator Nelson think that would be bad for our country and for the people of our country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: And that's not the only about-face from the senator. As we know, he is threatening to filibuster any health care bill that includes a Medicare buy-in or a public option. But, back in the day, he wasn't such a filibuster fan, once again, Joe Lieberman, then and now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, JANUARY 1995)
LIEBERMAN: The whole process of individual senators being able to hold up legislation is just unfair. The filibuster has become not only in reality an obstacle to accomplishment here, but it is also a symbol of a lot that ails Washington.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, OCTOBER 27, 2009)
LIEBERMAN: I don't support the current form of the health insurance bill. And if at the end, it's not what I think is good for our country and most people living in our country, then I will vote against cloture. I will join a filibuster and I will try to stop the bill from passing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Think what you will. There is no denying one fact here. Joe Lieberman holds the cards in this debate.
Turning now to Newport Beach, California, where one of the fathers of modern evangelism died today, Oral Roberts dead at 91.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: He first brought TV cameras into his church in 1954.
ORAL ROBERTS, EVANGELIST: People came to me and said healing is not known very well in America.
Out of that barren ground...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oral Roberts was considered the father of televangelists, among the first preachers to take revivals from tents to television, establishing a multimillion-dollar ministry that reached around the world.
ROBERTS: My soul is at stake. I may lose my soul. I know I will if I disobey God.
Well, I want to pray for you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He opened Oral Roberts University, but in the late 1980s, his ministry faced financial strain, famously telling followers that God would strike him dead if he didn't raise millions for a medical center.
ROBERTS: If we don't do something soon, then God is going to call me home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oral Roberts outlived his wife and two of his four children. He will be remembered as a man who fused old-time tent revival religion with TV technology and touched the lives of millions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Oral Roberts conducted more than 300 crusades on six continents and laid hands on an estimated two million people.
News tonight in the war on terror, the Obama administration planning to transfer 100 suspected terrorists from Guantanamo Bay to small-town America.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Maximum security prison in Thomson, Illinois, is only eight years old, largely empty. With some strengthening of perimeter security, the Obama administration argues it will be the perfect place to put as many as 100 Guantanamo detainees.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Illinois estimates the movie will create some 3,000 new jobs and inject possibly $1 billion into the battered local economy over the first four years of operation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Opponents of the move, including Illinois Republican Congressman Mark Kirk, say transferring prisoners to the land of Lincoln is not a jobs program. And he fears Thomson will become a target.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whatever their legal status, it will be many months before any Guantanamo Bay detainee sees Thomson, Illinois.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: Illinois Governor Pat Quinn big fan of the plan.
Over to Los Angeles, where awards season officially kicked off with the announcement of Golden Globe nominations. And for one actress, it really did seem like a dream come true.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, PRESENTER: Best performance by an actor in a motion picture drama, Gabourey Sidibe, "Precious," based on the novel "Push" by Sapphire.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just try and tell us, Gabby, how excited are you about this Golden Globe nomination?
GABOUREY SIDIBE, ACTRESS: OK. OK. First, I'm super, super excited because I'm in like really good -- like, really, really good company. I mean, Meryl Streep, like all those people, it is awesome.
But, seriously, Justin Timberlake just said my name.
(LAUGHTER)
SIDIBE: He just said my name. It's been since I was 16 years old I wanted him to just notice me. And he just said my name.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: You know, they always say it is just an honor to be nominated. But she really sold it there. The movie "Up in the Air" actually leads the pack for the big prize with six Golden Globe nominations.
And that brings us to the "Punchline." This is courtesy of Jimmy Fallon. Check out his minute-by-minute recap of Oprah's interview with the president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY FALLON, HOST, "LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON": 8:02, Oprah asked Obama how he plans to rectify the situation in Afghanistan. Obama begins outlining his plan -- 8:03, Joe Biden interrupts to ask if he could open his Christmas presents. President Obama says no.
(LAUGHTER)
FALLON: And, at 8:04, President Obama continues outlining three- step strategy for Afghanistan -- 8:05, Biden say, is it a Super Soaker?
(LAUGHTER)
FALLON: I bet it's a Super Soaker, because it's the only thing I asked for.
And the other day, I saw a Super Soaker in your trunk and I said what is that? Am I getting a Super Soaker?
(LAUGHTER)
FALLON: Obama says you are not getting anything if you don't be quiet.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Jimmy Fallon, everybody. And that is the "Mash-Up."
Tonight, Howard Dean is saying, kill bill. Find out why he wants to spike the Senate's health care reform plan. Plus, our special series "Band of Sisters" -- single moms on the front line risking it all for their country. So, why aren't they getting the help they need when they come home? We're looking for answers tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TROTTER: I had to learn how to deal with being a mother and being a wounded soldier coming back, getting back into life, and being that person that I was before. It's been five years now and I still haven't figured it out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Right now, there are 200,000 American women fighting the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, risking their lives every day. And many them are moms, some of them single moms.
Tonight, our special series "Band of Sisters," we look at the heavy price they pay to serve their country. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC)
TROTTER: Go back into that scale again.
BROWN: A typical night at the Trotter household in East Saint Louis, from flute practice, putting up the family Christmas tree...
TROTTER: Spell it, so I can know that you spelled it correctly.
BROWN: ... to helping the kids with their homework, it is enough to make any single mom tired, especially this one.
Melissa Trotter, though, is not just any single mother. She's also an Iraq veteran, seriously injured just two months into her tour of duty.
TROTTER: My teeth were knocked out. My leg was broke.
BROWN: She was riding in her gunner truck when a fuel truck slammed into her.
TROTTER: As he got ready to turn, I was on the side that he turned to. And he hit me. I don't remember anything. All I know is when I went to take my tongue across my teeth, there was nothing there.
BROWN: An accident like that would change anyone's life. For Melissa, the primary caregiver for her two children, Deron (ph) and Tiara (ph), it was devastating.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I couldn't really picture it or didn't really believe it that much until I saw her.
TROTTER: It is kind of getting tight.
BROWN: Women make up 14 percent of the active military. The Pentagon doesn't track the number of single mothers, but we do know that 17 have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. The statistics didn't scare Special Agent Melissa Trotter. One thing she knew for certain, she wanted to join the military.
She thought it was the best way to provide security for her children.
TROTTER: I try not to cry, because you don't want your kids to see you cry. You have got to be strong. This is my job. And she might not have understood and he might not have understood, but I know I had to do this. This is what I have to do.
BROWN: But she never expected she would come home wounded. With shattered teeth and a badly injured knee, the Army sent her to Walter Reed, paid for family visits, and then sent her to rehab. She never considered how tough all that would be.
TROTTER: I had to learn how to deal with being a mother and being a wounded soldier coming back, getting back into life, and being that person that I was before. It's been five years now and I still haven't figured it out.
BROWN: Eight-thirty a.m. every day finds Melissa here at the gym, a rehabilitation process that is taking time, but one step, one mile, one workout brings Melissa and her family closer to recovery.
TROTTER: Days I'm in pain, can't walk, they won't know it. By the end of the day, they will know it, but I'm still going to get up and do what I have to do to keep them going to, because I want them to be successful.
BROWN: Her son is a high school football star with his sights on a college scholarship, her daughter a young musician who loves social studies and hopes to be a teacher someday. Melissa is proud of how hard they have worked, not only for themselves, but for her. Everything they have achieved, they have achieved as a family one step at a time.
TROTTER: They were taking care of me when I should be taking care of them. So, maybe coming back injured was more hurt -- more harder than I realized. I don't want them to think that this job that I had stopped me from being a mom. I'm going to always be a soldier. I'm going to always be a mom.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: We have been hearing from a lot of veterans online. And we want to hear from you about this. Go to CNN.com/Campbell right now to join this very important conversation.
Right now, Howard Dean wants the Senate health care reform plan stopped in its tracks. Find out why he is saying kill the bill on the same day the president says get it done. A lot at stake for you tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: If we don't get this done, your premiums are guaranteed to go up. If this does not get done, more employers are going to drop coverage because they can't afford it. If this does not get done, it is guaranteed that Medicare and Medicaid will blow a hole through our budget.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: President Obama walked out of today's White House meeting with Senate Democrats sounding pretty confident about health care reform, then an attack from the president's own party.
Listen to what former Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean had to say.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
HOWARD DEAN, FORMER DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: This is essentially the collapse of health care reform in the United States Senate. And honestly the best thing to do right now is kill the Senate bill and then go back to the House and start the reconciliation process.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: This afternoon, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs had this to say about Dean, who is a physician -- quote -- "I wouldn't argue medicine with Dr. Dean. I would argue policy with him."
CNN senior political correspondent Candy Crowley is joining us from Washington right now.
Candy, first, Senator Joe Lieberman almost derails health care reform. Now Howard Dean says it should be killed. The president trying to convince his own party if it doesn't happen in the next week, it isn't going to happen. Is he succeeding?
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, so far, for the president, it is not the season to be jolly. Let's face it.
This is the problem with something that is such a mammoth bill. There are things inside it that are deal-breakers for Joe Lieberman and for Howard Dean. So, you have Howard Dean saying, we ought to just kill this, because there's going to be no public option. And you have Joe Lieberman saying, if there is a public option, I will kill it.
So here's the thing. Howard Dean doesn't have a vote. Certainly he speaks for a part of the party. And that will be the liberal part of the party that thinks there ought to be a public option.
The problem and the difference between Howard Dean, the Democrat who isn't an elected senator, and the elected senators is they really feel an urgent need to pass something.
BROWN: You have got to wonder, too, about whether it is helping to be setting these deadlines. We keep hearing them sort of laying a marker. This time, you have got to get it passed by Christmas. How realistic that that is going to happen or are they willing to let these deadlines slide?
CROWLEY: I think they are more willing to let the deadlines slide than they are to let the bill fail. So, if that's what it takes, then I would assume that the majority leader, Senator Reid, is going to move this thing until he can some sort of get a deal.
BROWN: This is the kind of week that proves the president can't go it alone. He has got to deal with people who don't report to him, be it senators, bankers, international leaders in Copenhagen. How do you think overall he is meeting that challenge?
CROWLEY: Well, he is doing what he can. We saw him trying to strong-arm the bankers. We will see him pushing for climate change. But the thing is, Campbell, there comes a time -- and I have covered a lot of presidents -- there comes a time in every president's term, and it's usually in the first year, when they realize there are actual limits to the power of the leader of the Western world.
Sounds great sitting in the Oval Office. I'm going to do this and I'm going to do that. But there are so many things that swirl around in the world and Washington, that they are just -- they only have sort of limited control over. You have got the bully pulpit. That's what you have seen the president use on health care, on climate change, on trying to get the banks to open up their wallets a little bit and lend to small businesses.
But in the end, what he's got is the bully pulpit. And in the end if it is in the best interests of others to go a different route, they are going to do that. There are just limits to being the leader of the Western world, as I say.
(LAUGHTER)
BROWN: Who knew.
CROWLEY: Yes.
BROWN: Candy Crowley for us tonight -- Candy, thanks.
CROWLEY: Sure.
BROWN: Tonight, a story every parent must stop and watch. It is about what your kids are doing on their cell phones that could land them in prison. We are going to hear from one young girl who could end up being labeled a sex offender for the rest of her life after this. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Tonight, a story that every parent really should stop and pay attention to. It is about something called sexting, and it could land your kid in jail.
Nearly one of every six teenagers in this country have received nude or seminude photos on their cell phones. And that is according to a Pew survey that is just coming out today. Even if you are not worried about your kids engaging in what is known as sexting, law enforcement is starting to take it very seriously.
One teenage girl from Pennsylvania found out firsthand, and she faces the possibility of charges that could label her a registered sex offender. And she is here with us tonight, Marissa Miller joining me, along with her mother, Mary Jo Miller.
Mary Jo, let me start with you on this.
Take us back to the moment where you first found out that your daughter could be in trouble. What exactly happened?
MARY JO MILLER, MOTHER: I had gotten a letter from the district attorney saying that my daughter was identified as someone who had been doing sexting. So I immediately called the district attorney and asked if he could explain to me what the letter meant and how he came about implicating her in this.
And he told me that he had her cell phone and had a nude photo of her in his possession as a result of confiscating phones through the school.
BROWN: And explain the photo of what your daughter was actually showing in this photo.
MARY JO MILLER: Well, it was from a couple summers earlier at a slumber party with her two other girlfriends. And she was in her bra from her waist up talking on a cordless telephone, and the other girl in the picture was doing a peace sign.
BROWN: And she didn't even send this photo, right?
MARY JO MILLER: No. Actually, the photo was taken on a digital camera at a 12-year-old girl's slumber party. And, you know, they had it on the camera, and it was forgotten.
They showed it to me that night as girls goofing around, showing me the funny videos they were taking of dance routines and then the pictures. And I just, you know, thought they were silly girls. And the picture was forgotten the next day when the party was over, and the young lady moved away, and took her camera. And we never thought of it again.
BROWN: So, Marissa, did you ever dream that a photo from the sleepover would get you into this much trouble? MARISSA MILLER, TEEN FACING SEXTING CHARGES: No. I never thought that. I completely even forgot about the picture. I was just completely, like, confused on how he even had the photo.
BROWN: And, Mary Jo, the district attorney offered you and many other parents a deal to keep your kids from facing serious charges. Explain what that was.
MARY JO MILLER: He had offered the children involved in this, you could -- you would be on probation for six months, voluntary probation, juvenile probation, pay $100 cost for a class that he and the victims resource center had come up with on, you know, different topics regarding sexting or being safe with today's technology.
We just...
BROWN: And...
MARY JO MILLER: I'm sorry. Go ahead.
BROWN: No. I mean, I know you refused to accept the deal. Tell us why. Obviously, it would have saved your daughter from having a criminal record, if you had taken it.
MARY JO MILLER: Well, the charges that he was saying she would be charged with were criminal use of a communication facility and distribution of child pornography.
And we felt that neither of those applied to her in her case. If anything, she, herself, was the victim, you know. So we thought that this wasn't appropriate for her case.
BROWN: And, Marissa, how concerned are you that this case could hurt your career in the future, hurt your chances of getting into college?
MARISSA MILLER: I mean, it's in the back of my mind, but I feel that I didn't really do anything wrong, so I hope that they will see it that way, too. And, I mean, I'm still thinking about it, but I try not to think about it too much, because then I get, you know, nervous.
BROWN: And, Mary Jo, finally, where do things stand now? I know this is in court at the moment, correct?
MARY JO MILLER: Correct.
We are waiting for a trial date in appellate court in, I believe, Philadelphia some time the end of January. We had -- in June, the federal judge ordered a temporary restraining order against the DA from charging her until this was settled. And then he appealed the case. And so we are waiting to go to appellate court in January.
BROWN: Well, it's, I'm sure, a difficult situation to be in, given the fight you have got on your hands here. We appreciate both of you coming on and talking about this with us tonight. Thank you so much. MARY JO MILLER: Thank you for having us.
MARISSA MILLER: Thank you.
BROWN: Thank you.
(CROSSTALK)
BROWN: We do want to know what folks at home think about this. Join the live chat that's happening right now at CNN.com/Campbell.
And if you think this is an isolated case, think again. It is happening across the country, the law clearly not keeping up with technology. Next we are going to talk to one woman who is fighting for kids to help try to protect them and keep them out of trouble in these kind of cases.
We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Tonight we are learning just how serious the issue of teens involved in sexting really is. And take a look at these numbers. This is just coming out today.
Fifteen percent of teens who own cell phones admit that they have received explicit images on them. Four president say they were the ones who did the sending, some of them as young as 12 years old.
And with me right now to talk about this is Parry Aftab. She is the director of WiredSafety.org, and Casi Lumbra, an expert in online teen safety. She advises young people about Internet safety.
Welcome to both of you.
PARRY AFTAB, WIREDSAFETY.ORG: Thank you.
CASI LUMBRA, ONLINE SECURITY EXPERT: Thank you.
BROWN: Parry, let me start with you. There are a lot of very serious legal issues involved here. We just heard Marissa sort of tell us her story. But talk to us about the other things, some of the other charges that teenagers have faced in relation to this.
AFTAB: Absolutely. Well, child pornography, you take the picture, you're producing it. You send it to someone, you're distributing it, or you have a copy of it and you're in possession of child pornography.
BROWN: So there are actually teenagers who are doing this who have been charged with child pornography?
AFTAB: Absolutely. In fact, there was a 14-year-old from Clifton, New Jersey who posted her own pictures on MySpace and charges were brought against her, eventually dropped. But we have lots of people who have been successfully prosecuted and are now registered sex offenders when they're 15, 16 years old.
BROWN: Why? I mean, why -- like why would a prosecutor go out, I mean, go after a teenager for something like this that seems very obvious to somebody looking in from the outside?
AFTAB: It does. But the laws are either too hot or too cold. And they're not designed to have young people sending naked pictures of themselves to other people. So either you don't prosecute at all or you prosecute with the only law that fits. And right now, the harassment laws that could be used when you're sending it around to hurt the person who took the picture, the bullying that occurs afterwards...
BROWN: Right.
AFTAB: ... they're not strong enough. So we're seeing two suicides that came out of sexting. We had Jesse Logan about a year and a half ago.
BROWN: Because of the humiliation that goes along with it.
AFTAB: Absolutely. We call it sex bullying, and we're seeing an awful lot of it now. And serious pain, a lot of mental health issues. In fact, MTV's poll shows that 12 percent of the teens who admitted that they were sexting contemplated suicide. That's four times the national average for teens.
BROWN: So, Casi, you go into these schools and you talk to people about it. What do you say to them and how responsive are they?
LUMBRA: Well, we tell these kids that we are using the same technologies as them. We understand why they like them. We're using them too.
We tell them we're not lecturing them. We're not trying to take this away from them. We just teach them how to use it safely. We give them resources. Something great that's come out of MTV is the new thin line campaign. We direct them to that resource. We direct them to the Wired Safety resources.
BROWN: So why do you think so many young people are getting caught up in all this?
LUMBRA: Frankly, they're not educated. They are thinking about the here and now in issues like sexting. They don't think about what could happen a few days down the road, a few years down the road. And so that's what we're trying to do. We're trying to increase education and awareness.
So, Parry, ultimately, how do we deal with this? How do we get it under control if the problem is bad law? I mean, you're trying about getting legislatures on board, right?
AFTAB: Well, bad law and prevention. We need to stop them from doing it. The law we can deal with more easily. We need to teach them how to say no and if you love me you won't ask. We need 60 percent. More than 60 percent of the kids who take these images are coerced into taking them. We need to turn around and stand up for ourselves and say no. Bake your cookies. I'll show you other ways why I love you. I don't have to send you a naked picture.
BROWN: Parry, do you think that -- or I'm sorry, Casi, do you think that they are beginning to understand the consequences?
LUMBRA: Yes. With more education we are definitely seeing that kids are learning to look into the future not think so rashly. Take five minutes to step away from the situation if they ever feel uncomfortable or ever forced into doing something or pressured into doing something. And, yes, we are seeing results.
BROWN: All right. Casi Lumbra for us tonight, and Parry Aftab, appreciate it. Thanks so much.
AFTAB: Thank you very much.
LUMBRA: Thank you.
BROWN: And straight ahead, a doctor discovers a hidden health problem in middle school students and because of that wants to screen every sixth grader now. This is a story every parent also needs to hear. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: We have some medical news tonight that may surprise you. A group of middle school students in Houston underwent screenings to look for hidden heart problems. And out of just 94 students tested, seven had heart conditions no one knew about before. Five were minor, but two actually required surgery.
And that is the kind of ticking time bomb that caused one doctor to call for testing every sixth grader in the country. That doctor is John Higgins. I spoke with him and Renee Suchowiecky who lost her daughter to heart problems and is now part of the effort to get kids checked.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: Renee, your daughter, Nicole, died very suddenly. She was 15 years old. It was on the Lacrosse field. Tell us what happened.
RENEE SUCHOWIECKY, LOST DAUGHTER TO HEART CONDITION: Well, it was a beautiful Monday afternoon and I arrived at the school to watch her game and her older sister's Lacrosse game. And actually I met Nicole before she went out and she said I'm just going to be warming up. And mom, you didn't even have to stay for my game. You can watch Raquel's.
And so I went to the bleacher, she dropped off her bag and she went off to do her warm-ups. And then ten minutes later two of her friends ran up and said, Ms. Suchowiecky, come quick, Nicole has fainted. And I ran on the field and when I got there Nicole had collapsed.
A fireman came to give her CPR. And then my husband was running out on the field and he worked on her and the ambulance came but we were not able to bring her around. So she was -- when we brought her to the hospital, she had died of a sudden cardiac arrest.
BROWN: So a heart attack.
SUCHOWIECKY: Yes, ma'am.
BROWN: At her age.
SUCHOWIECKY: Yes.
BROWN: And she has had --
SUCHOWIECKY: Totally shocking.
BROWN: She had had no health problems, no health issues, no heart issues?
SUCHOWIECKY: No health issues. We, you know, we went to our pediatrician regularly. She played in sports her whole life. She was on a soccer team, volleyball team, and now Lacrosse tennis team. She was an athlete. And she looked like the picture of health, so there was no indication, Campbell, none.
BROWN: You think this could have been prevented, obviously. And that's why you're here?
SUCHOWIECKY: I definitely do. I do. And that's why we have the Suchowiecky Foundation. It's wholeheartedly supporting this heart health screening with Memorial Hermann, and we're onboard with the Rockets and we're looking for partners to help us. Because if we start screening these students in the sixth grade and if we find just one child, if we can save one child, it's worth everything.
BROWN: And this test that we're talking about here, and this is not a test that your pediatrician would automatically give your child, right? This is something you have to specifically ask for.
SUCHOWIECKY: No. This is more involved. This is what Dr. Higgins has formulated. I think it's smaller contact. It's an EKG, it's an echo, it's a physical exam, it's medical history. Normally you wouldn't do that for a sixth grader, but he has it down to a science. And it's down to $150 per child. And I think with that it gives us a good indication if anyone has a cardiac abnormality. If they do, then they're given further tests. And I do believe it's worth it.
BROWN: Do you think it can be done though that cheaply? Because there are people who say this is going to cost if you did try to implement this in a widespread sort of way, as much as $1,000 a student. SUCHOWIECKY: Well, right now with the research study that the hearts program is doing, that is the cost per child.
BROWN: Let me turn to Dr. Higgins on this. You launched this program to give sixth graders heart tests. Why that age? Why start there and why focus in particular on the heart the way you are?
DR. JOHN HIGGINS, CARDIOLOGIST, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS: That's a great question, Campbell. Last year in Houston, we had about ten children who had sudden cardiac arrests and they were age between 13 and 16.
And interestingly, they had all been seen by their physicians and cleared for exercise. And the common clearance that is used down here in Houston is a typical history and a physical examination. And so, you know, with that and as well as the information that we're able to glean from the literature, it appears that the history and physical is just not adequate to identify these problems. In fact, two of the commonest problems that are associated with sudden cardiac arrest in children most of the children will have a normal history and physical exam. And the first thing that the parents are going to know about it, just like, unfortunately, with Renee, was that her child went down and had a sudden cardiac arrest. And unfortunately, when this happens, most of them don't get back up. So it's quite tragic.
BROWN: So explain to us the level of success you've been able to achieve with the testing you've done and what the reaction has been.
HIGGINS: Well, so far we've just started the program and it was kicked off by some seed money from the Houston Rockets through the Memorial Hermann Foundation. And we did -- we've done one school. We screened about 100 children. And in that group of 100 children, we identified two who had conditions associated with sudden cardiac arrest, and we actually had to have those children undergo surgery and get those conditions fixed. We found that --
BROWN: Let me stop you right there. That's amazing to me. Out of 100 kids, that two you would find something that would require surgery. That's really amazing.
HIGGINS: Yes. I mean, it was shocking to us as well, Campbell. And, you know, we're not sure what this means and I don't know if we're going to find this in all of the other screenings that we do. But I think part of it may be, Campbell, that we're doing the screening a little bit differently to what most other people out there are doing.
You know, one difference is that we are actually screening all of the children. We're not just screening athletes. Most of the studies out there are focusing on the athletes, and we think that maybe it's those children that get out of breath a little bit faster or can't keep up with the other kids. They get cut from the team, and it may be that some of these conditions might be more common in the non- athletes.
BROWN: Also explain to us how you've been able to get the cost down because that's one of the criticisms. A lot of people saying this is too expensive. You can't do this for every kid, especially when you're doing what you say an echocardiogram and an ultrasound of the heart. It would typically be a lot more than $150 per student. How are you able to do it for that amount?
HIGGINS: That's a great question, Campbell. How we're able to do it is number one, we're using cheap portable screening equipment. So we have an echocardiogram machine which looks like a small laptop. We have a very small EKG machine as well, and we're doing screening evaluation.
So, for example if you go to your regular physician and ask for an echocardiogram, he's going to do a study which will take about an hour and it will cost about $1,000 or more. We do a very short screening echocardiogram which takes five minutes, and we're looking just for those eight or ten conditions which are very commonly associated with sudden cardiac arrest in children.
BROWN: Well, I have to say it is fascinating and what you've already achieved, frankly, with those two children alone, it's worth it in my view. Dr. John Higgins and Renee Suchowiecky, I really appreciate you guys coming on and talking to us. Thank you so much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: "LARRY KING LIVE" just minutes away. And tonight is a really big show. The stars are shining bright for Larry.
LARRY KING, CNN ANCHOR: The all-star cast of "Nine" is here. We've got Academy Award winners everywhere, and newly minted Golden Globe nominees. Sophia Loren is here. So, too, is Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, Kate Hudson, Dame Judi Dench, Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Fergie and the man who brought them all together, Director Rob Marshall.
What can we say? "Nine" is next on "LARRY KING LIVE."
BROWN: And we will, of course, be watching. When we come back, forget the Grinch. An airline strike could steal Christmas this year and leave a million passengers grounded.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: A possible strike by British Airways threatens to ruin the plans of more than a million travelers over the Christmas holidays. If you call the airline for help, they're saying tough luck. And right now, passengers literally around the globe are bracing for their plans to be wrecked. Richard Quest explains why.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Campbell, the problem facing British Airways and its passengers at this time of the year are very real. Because all the other airlines are choke a block. The Delta, United, Virgin, they're already running 80, 90 percent full. So getting anyone else on the plane won't be easy.
In addition, British Airways doesn't have antitrust immunity with its U.S. partner, American. So it can't just simply shove passengers across to American Airlines. Now, instead, BA is going to be buying seats eventually.
The biggest worry of all is that passengers simply don't know. At the moment, those who are on restricted tickets cannot get refunds to go and buy other tickets with other airlines. The unpalatable truth tonight is that by the time they get the money to buy the new tickets, there won't be any seats left -- Campbell.
BROWN: Richard Quest for us tonight.
"LARRY KING LIVE" starting in just a few minutes. But first, caught on tape. Police say four teenagers smashed through the window of a gun store with an SUV. When we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: "LARRY KING LIVE" shortly. First, though, more must see news happening right now. Mike Galanos with tonight's "Download."
Hey, Mike.
MIKE GALANOS, HLN PRIME NEWS: Hey, Campbell. First off, some of the vaccine supposed to protect kids from swine flu may not. Federal health officials are recalling 800,000 doses of the swine flu vaccine saying it may be only half as strong enough to protect against the H1N1 virus.
Now the doses are pre-filled syringes intended for young children under 3 years old. The CDC is now recommending kids get two dozes spaced about a month apart but don't think that children need to be revaccinated.
Well, it appears same-sex marriage will soon be legal in the nation's capital. The Washington, D.C. city council voted overwhelmingly today to give gays and lesbians the right to tie the knot. The mayor has said he'll sign a bill. Now Congress has 30 days to stop it, otherwise Washington will join five states that have made it the law of the land in those states.
Watch this. Incredible video here. Campbell talked about it.
Stolen SUV plowing right into the store front. It's in Indiana at a gun store caught on tape. Now it only took 30 seconds to crash into the store. They made off with four guns. Store owners said that they had put away most of their guns.
You see a lot of the empty shelves there, but they got what they could. Four guns. The cops arrived, I mean, we're talking less than a minute. So, these, they're believing it's four teenagers. They were gone before the authorities could arrive. Now they could face federal charges if they're caught.
An incredible video there as they plow that SUV into that store front. More great video for you. This is the Mayon Volcano. It's erupting in the Philippines. Authorities moved thousands of villagers from harm's way when the volcano erupted early this morning. That is more incredible video there as you see some of that lava pouring out.
They'll probably spend the next few weeks in shelters until the volcano dies down. The Philippines lies along the Pacific rim of fire where volcanic activity and earthquakes are common. It's quite a scene there.
This next video, one of the top news stories right now at CNN.com. Check this out.
It's an octopus. What's it doing? Well, it's hoarding coconut shells to build a fort to defend itself from predators. Scientists on this team said were blown away. And one of the scientists with the scuba gear on said it was hard not to laugh watching this. And Philip (ph), the scuba master, laughed just because of how advanced this thinking is for lack of a better term, for thinking as they put it, using a tool that makes the invertebrate they're saying one of the smartest animals on earth. The Australian scientist studied octopi activity for ten years. Incredible footage there.
Finally this, you think of great rock bands, there's the Stones, the Beatles. Let's listen. Who's that? Abba. A little SOS for you.
The legendary Swedish pop band will be inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in March. Also getting in, Genesis, Jimmy Cliff, The Hollies, the Stooges. Not getting in Kiss. They get dissed. They're definitely a rock band as we hear a little bit more of Abba there.
BROWN: Yes. You can never get too much of Abba.
GALANOS: Campbell, I'm just soaking that in. You're right.
BROWN: No, I love that. I'm glad they're getting in. I'm a little bummed for Kiss.
GALANOS: Yes.
BROWN: But thank you for sharing.
Mike Galanos for us tonight.
Tonight's "Breakout," the trouble with Joe. Liberals just fuming at Joe Lieberman right now, the ever independent senator from Connecticut. He is threatening to single-handedly block the health care reform bill unless he gets his way. And as Jeanne Moos tells us the anti-Lieberman outrage has gone viral.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From the days of high fives, Joe has hit a new low among liberals.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, YOUTUBE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Isn't Joe Lieberman particularly Odius.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: From regular Joes on the Internet to progressive radio hosts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shmuck? The sour little prune. This man turns my stomach.
MOOS: They have turned on Joe saying he's turned on health care. Traitor Joe plastered on a doggie t-shirt. He is being mocked.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My crummy Joe Lieberman impression.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: And this hostage video Lieberman is accused of holding the health care bill hostage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
I can do whatever I want to it unless you give me what I want.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: Senator Lieberman hasn't been fed to the liberal lions yet, but he's been fed to the cats.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Come on, you guys. This string is Joe Lieberman. Come on. Get it. Lieberman must pay.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (I), CONNECTICUT: I can tell you that inside myself I have not enjoyed this period of time. I've done what I thought was right.
MOOS: Yes, right, say liberal blogs. The "Huffington Post" asked readers what would you give Joe Lieberman for Hanukkah? And got suggestions like a muzzle or a horse's head like in "The Godfather." The left wing "Daily Kos" posted a poll asking which word describes Joe Lieberman and offering only the same word. So much for multiple choice.
On YouTube, Joe Lieberman's eyes and other body parts fried in hell.
(on camera): Now you'd think Senator Lieberman would be feeling the pressure of all these liberal hate, all the bad vibes, the insults being hurled at him. (voice-over): He was still putting the Joe in jovial.
CNN's Dana Bash asked about those who bashed the senator saying he's enjoying the limelight.
LIEBERMAN: That's no fun to have your colleagues be angry at you.
All right, am I excused.
DANA BASH, CNN SR. CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You are excused, sir.
MOOS: Not by everyone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, YOUTUBE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you think of Joe Lieberman?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Give me my pay.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: New York.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: "LARRY KING LIVE" right now.
