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Health Care Reform at the Crossroads; Reducing Risks of Alzheimer's; Pennsylvania Police Officers Facing Federal Charges; Russia Considers Request for Help in Afghanistan
Aired December 16, 2009 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Three Pennsylvania police officers are expected in court today for a bail hearing. They're facing federal charges for allegedly obstructing the investigation into the beating death of a Latino-American man in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania. Two teens now face federal hate crime charges.
CNN's special correspondent Soledad O'Brien has more on the case.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, a place that's welcomed immigrants for generations. And then one night in July, 2008 -
CRYSTAL DILLMAN, FIANCEE OF VICTIM: Truly in my heart I believe they beat him up because he was Latino.
O'BRIEN: Crystal Dillman's fiance Luis Ramirez was walking down this street when he came across a group of white high school football players.
EILEEN BURKE, EYEWITNESS: I heard this screaming and yelling, ethnic f this, Mexican that, spic this, the whole nine yards.
O'BRIEN (on camera): That's what they were saying?
BURKE: Yes.
O'BRIEN (voice-over): Ramirez and the boys started fighting. When it was over, Luis was on the ground barely breathing. Two days later, he was dead.
(on camera): Do you think about the way he died?
DILLMAN: Every day. I think about seeing him in the hospital bed and I mean I don't wish that on my worst enemy.
O'BRIEN (voice-over): From the beginning there were questions about how local police handled the case, taking two weeks to arrest suspects, despite multiple eyewitness. Like Eileen Burke, a retired Philadelphia police officer.
(on camera): For the 30 or so crime scenes that you've been involved in when you were a police officer, how does this one compare?
BURKE: Like a joke.
O'BRIEN (voice-over): More questions were raised at the April trial of the two young men. Brandon Piekarsky and Derrick Donchak. A third defendant, who took a federal plea deal, testified that Shenandoah Police urged the boys to get their stories straight.
Piekarsky and Donchak were convicted of the least serious charge against them, simple assault, and received minimum sentences of six and seven months, respectively.
(on camera): Do you think it was a cover-up?
BURKE: I do believe that was.
O'BRIEN (voice-over): Now, the Department of Justice agrees, unveiling indictments yesterday charging Piekarsky and Donchak with a hate crime. The indictment also alleges three Shenandoah police officers, including the police chief, conspired to obstruct justice.
One, Lt. Bill Moyer, accused of lying to the FBI and destroying evidence. The sneakers authorities say the boys used to kick Ramirez to death. The officers have pled not guilty. Lawyer Gladys Limon has been at Dillman's side throughout the case.
GLADYS LIMON, MALDEF: It's been very difficult for her so this has provided some sense of relief and will provide her with a sense of peace this Christmas.
O'BRIEN: Piekarsky and Donchak could have been released from state prison in just weeks. The new federal charges carry a maximum sentence of life.
Soledad O'Brien, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (I), CONNECTICUT: I'm getting to that position where I can say what I've wanted to say all along, that I'm ready for vote for health care reform. My whole point has been here that the president laid out a couple of big goals for this process. Bend the cost curve down for individuals, families, businesses, our government, our economy of health care, and secondly, bring a lot of people in who can't afford health insurance now. The basic core bill does that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Health care reform at the crossroads. Even the president's fellow Democrats don't know which path to take. Some are rebelling against the Medicare buy-in and some are split over federal abortion funding. All are feeling the heat as the president calls for passage before Christmas. That's just nine days away.
Let's get the latest now on the bargaining and bickering, if we could, from Craig Gordon. He is the White House editor for politico.com. Thanks for being here, Craig. Listen, President Barack Obama yesterday told Congress or said that Congress was on the precipice of actually passing this health care reform. What's the deal, do you think it's going to happen?
CRAIG GORDON, WHITE HOUSE EDITOR, POLITICO: I think there is a lot of pressure on Democrats to make this happen by Christmas, and honestly if the president is pushing that hard and party leaders are pushing that hard, I think there is a very good chance they could get a bill done by Christmas. I think the big question is what's going to be in that bill and what's not going to be in the bill.
COLLINS: Yes. Especially when you're talking about compromise. I'm not sure if you saw just a while ago, we talked with two senators, Hatch and Stebanow, on this, and it seems like as long as something is passed, it kind of doesn't matter what's in it? I mean, how does that work?
GORDON: I mean, look, to the public there is kind of a sense of that, just get something done and then the idea would be to get the conference committee that will merge the House bill and Senate bill and that's where a lot of the real deal-making is going to get stuck. The problem for the Democrats right now is that House bill and the Senate bill are so different.
COLLINS: Yes, the public option.
GORDON: Yes, the public option. It's still in the House bill, and it's not going to be in the Senate bill. And so right there is just one giant flash point that they're going to have to sort of work around. So even if they do get it done by Christmas, I think the bigger question now is sort of when can they get it done by January.
I think our expectation is they would and if the Senate can vote by Christmas, they would go home for the holidays, and come back in January and try to strike the final, final compromise after a year of compromising and try to get this done by the state of the union, but again, there's a lot of big questions still hanging over this bill.
COLLINS: Yes. We've got Medicare. We've got federal abortion funding and also, as we've mentioned here, the public option. So many numbers out there too. I'm trying to picture the American people at home going, OK, it's going to cost what and how much does it cost me out of my paycheck and what do I get? No one can seem to answer that question.
GORDON: And I think that's been one of Obama's biggest problems. I don't think he has done a very good job kind of selling the bill and saying to people. He did it a little bit yesterday at the White House and saying, look, this will cover 30 million more uninsured. It will prevent people being thrown off insurance for pre-existing conditions. It will cut premiums.
But I do think the public is kind of confused. I think they're sort of generally supportive of the idea that something needs to be done to bring down health costs but they're not really convinced what Obama and the Democrats are pitching is the solution and I don't think the Democrats have explained it very well.
COLLINS: Well, and how it will cover 30 million more Americans, if that's what the president is saying -
GORDON: Right.
COLLINS: What they'll get and at what cost.
GORDON: Right. And also how long it's going to take. There's a lot of parts of this bill that don't even kick in should it pass until 2014. So there's a lot of talk now but I think it's going to be almost a slow motion rollout of this that I also think could frustrate a lot of Americans.
COLLINS: Is anybody going to get a Christmas break?
GORDON: I'm hoping we do.
COLLINS: I know you are.
GORDON: The senators are like, look, nothing focuses Congress' mind like the chance to go home for the holidays. So I actually do think there is kind of a pressure building here that we'll probably get something voted on by Christmas. But like I say, a long, long way to go here.
COLLINS: Yes, all right. Well, we always appreciate your comments. Thanks so much for being with us -
GORDON: Sure thing.
COLLINS: And I guess we'll chat again soon. Thank you, appreciate it.
GORDON: Yes.
COLLINS: The full Senate now has agreed on one proposed amendment to the health care bill and consumers may not like the decision. Yesterday, the full Senate rejected the idea of allowing prescription drugs to be imported from Canada and elsewhere. Consumer groups argued those companies sell the identical drugs at much lower prices and that millions of Americans could save precious money in their health care costs.
The House is set to vote today on plans to extend jobless benefits and create new jobs. Legislation would extend jobless benefits and Cobra health coverage subsidy and add more money for food stamps. The jobs program would add almost $75 billion in infrastructure spending and aid to states to keep workers employed. The Senate will not take up the measures until next month.
Don't expect any changes when the Federal Reserve releases the year's final policy statement about four hours from now. The Fed is expected to keep interest rates at historically low levels, near zero percent. Doesn't get much lower than that. But the Fed statement could include a hint as to when it plans to raise those rates. Speaking of numbers, let's go ahead and look at the big board now and how things are shaping up for the trading day. The Dow Jones industrial average is up about 50 points resting at 10,501.
Russia is considering a request for more help in Afghanistan. NATO's chief is in Moscow this morning meeting with Russian leaders. NATO is asking Russia to contribute more helicopters and to train pilots. They also want Russia to train more Afghan police officers. Russia has said they want to increase cooperation with NATO. So we'll be watching that story.
Also threats from outside Afghanistan. General David Petraeus is there assessing the mission. He's also talking with the neighbors about possible security threats.
CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (on camera): As we have been traveling around Afghanistan for the last two weeks, U.S. and Afghan commanders tell us there are some reports that some fighters in Pakistan may be moving back into this country.
STARR (voice-over): General David Petraeus arrived in Afghanistan after a round of meetings in Pakistan with fresh concerns about border security between the two countries. We caught up with him on the tarmac to discuss reports that the Pakistani military operations in the border tribal region have put some top level Al Qaeda and Taliban on the run.
GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS, U.S. CENTCOM COMMANDER: Even though in some cases they have not been specifically targeting some of these other groups, they're focusing of course on the extremists, threatening their country. But in the process of that, there's no question that they have encountered these other elements of the extremists syndicate and have gotten into threatening their country. But in the process of that, there's no question but that they have encountered these other elements of the extremist syndicate and have gotten into fights with them as well.
STARR: Petraeus is in highly sensitive discussions, trying to determine the extent to which these fighters may now have been forced back into Afghanistan.
PETRAEUS: Well, interestingly some of the Pakistani leaders we talked to today out in the northwest frontier province area did think that some of these may have been pushed back after initially some coming to help their fellow extremists when they were under fire from the Pakistanis.
Indeed there is some possibility of cross-border movement and one of the reasons for being here, of course, will be to compare notes with the intelligence elements that are here to see if that's been confirmed. STARR: The next problem, U.S. troops have been pulling back from some of the lightly populated border areas in Afghanistan to concentrate on cities and towns. Petraeus says some Pakistani leaders are now worried that the U.S. strategy could lessen border protection and lead to a new terrorist safe haven inside Afghanistan.
PETRAEUS: Indeed the Pakistani leaders have some of those concerns as well as do we.
STARR: General Petraeus discounts any reports that Osama Bin Laden might be on the move or even back inside Afghanistan. He says it's been years since the U.S. had any hard information about the Al Qaeda leader's whereabouts.
Barbara Starr, CNN, Kabul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Iran has fired a new long-range missile this morning. Video of that launch was shown on state TV. Get a look at this. Iran's defense minister says the new missile is meant as a deterrent to other countries. He also says it's impervious to anti-missile systems. They claim it has a range around 1200 miles, which means it could reach Israel. Britain's prime minister says the launch makes the case for more sanctions against Iran.
Yes, sir, sergeant. An Army recruit drops and gives 10 and more. We are following his basic training in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: "Time" magazine naming Ben Bernanke as person of the year for 2009. So we want to know what you think about that choice. Was there a better candidate? Or is this the guy? Go to my blog at cnn.com/heidi. There's a little more about the story that you can see and then go ahead and post your thoughts. We'll share some of them later.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: A soldier's story. Our latest chapter in CNN's exclusive access to the life of a U.S. Army Recruit. CNN's Jason Carroll picks up the story at basic training.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's go!
CARROLL (voice-over): It's week three of basic training for Will McLain.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, two, three.
CARROLL: McLain and 193 new recruits have entered what's called the red stage.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you going to do that in combat?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get up!
CARROLL: The emphasis? Physical training. PT.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, that was like one and a half miles. Are you seriously coughing and crap?
CARROLL: The voice always egging them on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You better sound off, one, two, three.
CARROLL: Drill sergeant Joseph Rix.
DRILL SGT. JOSEPH RIX, U.S. ARMY: Just trying to get them ready when they get to that first unit if they have to deploy. They have a little bit of a head start more than what we did when we went through basic training.
CARROLL: On this day, after a quarter mile run, McLain has time for a quick break, while outside.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've done a total of 25 pushups and run one lap. Get up.
CARROLL: A private who cannot make it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get up!
CARROLL: Gets no coddling.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hurry up. Oh, man, here we go again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get inside and get him in here. Move.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, two, three, lift!
CARROLL: McLain and the others finally drag him to a bunk and he recovers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hurry up and get him up!
CARROLL: Later, more would stumble.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You better get it up, private.
CARROLL: Carrying 40-pound duffel bags.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pick it up!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now put your pistol belt back up, specialist! You're not this any more. It's gone already.
CARROLL: This time - UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get it up, private.
CARROLL: It's McLain's turn on the ground.
(on camera): I know he was in your ear whispering some words of encouragement, shall we say?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can go with that.
CARROLL: We can go with that. You can't take it personally. They're just trying to make you a better person, a better soldier.
CARROLL: Then a crucial test of whether their training has paid off.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get thumbs up. (INAUDIBLE)
CARROLL: Their mask must come off as this chamber fills with tear gas.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, two, three.
CARROLL (on camera): Now he's going to have to come back and do it again?
DRILL SGT. BASHIR ANTHONY, U.S ARMY: Yes, he'll have to go back and do it again.
CARROLL (voice-over): McLain and the others tough it out, 30 painful seconds.
(on camera): Must have felt like an eternity inside.
MCLAIN: It felt at least five minutes. At least. You're there, OK, open the door, open the door, open the door.
CARROLL (voice-over): It's a boost of confidence for McLain, who met another goal since we last saw him. Losing weight. Ten pounds in just three weeks.
MCLAIN: I'll have to go get some new pair of pants before the end of this.
CARROLL: McLain also finds he's good at hand to hand combat, winning two matches. His battle buddy, all Army recruits are assigned one, Demetrius Daniels cheers him along.
(on camera): So do you balance each other out?
MCLAIN: Well, he's fast and does all those PT things.
DEMETRIUS DANIELS, BATTLE BUDDY: He's a smart guy, and he helps me. Sometimes I'm overwhelmed with helping other people out on the team.
CARROLL (voice-over): Their training is also about team work. So when one private doses off during weapons training, everyone pays the price.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, two, three.
CARROLL: Punishment, what drill sergeants call corrective training.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep your back straight. Privates you got to realize that I got nothing but time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get off the ground.
CARROLL: This lesson on team work -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Though should not be sleeping.
CARROLL: McLain just beginning to learn.
You know, I try to be independent and go on a lot on my own but going to boot camp, you can't be like that. It really teaches you to use teamwork. And then you've got to look really deep inside yourself and realize this is what you want to do.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: So interesting to watch the transformation there. Jason Carroll joining us now live from New York with more on this. So obviously basic training is tough. But if you've never been through it, I imagine there's a washout rate. Not everybody makes it through. Did some people drop out of his group or no?
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Heidi, you're absolutely right, it is tough. And I think Will McLain knew that going in and so did the rest of the folks in his company but so far no one has dropped -
COLLINS: OK.
CARROLL: All 194 are still there.
COLLINS: 194. So then what's next after the nine weeks of basic training?
CARROLL: Well, after the nine weeks, then he goes to his specialized training, and this is typical for many people who go into the armed services, into the Army. He'll go through four weeks of specialized training. He wants to be a combat engineer. So he'll be learning about building bridges, IEDs, how to disarm them, how to arm them, things like that. So that will be part of his specialized training, which will also take place at Ft. Leonard Wood and we will be there along the way.
COLLINS: He looks great and we already appreciate his service. Thanks so much for doing the story. Jason Carroll from New York this morning.
Hope is unfortunately fading for the survival of a pair of climbers missing for five days on Oregon's Mt. Hood. The hikers disappeared after setting out before dawn last Friday. The body of a third hiker was found on Saturday. Crews threatened by the prospect of avalanches suspended their search yesterday. The lead emergency response doctor says the chance of survival has dwindled to about one percent.
A victory in the nation's capital for same-sex marriage. Yesterday the D.C. City Council voted to legalize gay marriage. The measure must now be signed by the mayor and win approval in the U.S. Congress. The district's non-voting congressional delegate says she doesn't expect any opposition from legislators.
Parents are being told not to worry about the recall of 800,000 doses of the H1N1 vaccine. The maker of the doses says the shots are not as potent as they should be, but the CDC says kids who got the shots are in no danger. The shots were meant for children between six months and 35 months of age. The batches of vaccine were shipped in early November. It is unknown how much is still in circulation.
We know hormones can affect us in a lot of different ways. Some of them we complain about. But now news that one hormone may help you fight off Alzheimer's disease.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Leptin is a fat hormone that helps determine why we feel hungry. But a new study says the hormone may also decrease the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is joining us once again to talk more about this. This is really interesting. What's the latest research?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It is interesting. The research that they did was they looked at leptin levels in various people. They took blood and looked at their levels and they followed them for about 12 years to see if they got Alzheimer's disease or not and here's what they found.
What they found is that folks with the lowest levels of leptin in their blood had a 25 percent chance of getting Alzheimer's disease. That's a pretty high percentage, much higher than in the rest of the population. So in other words low levels of leptin increase your chance that you're going to get Alzheimer's disease according to the study in the "Journal of the American Medical Association."
COLLINS: Yes. I also like that it's a 12-year study. I mean, a lot of times we talk about these studies and how many people were studied -
COHEN: Right.
COLLINS: And for how long. But I don't know very many people out there who are going to want to eat more fat to get the fat. Not that that's how it works.
COHEN: Right.
COLLINS: But how do you get more leptin?
COHEN: That is the million-dollar question and that's what researchers are trying to figure out is how do we increase these leptin levels. So in the end you can read this study and think all right, what do I do? And the answer is you do what doctors have been saying for quite a while to prevent Alzheimer's disease. You can't prevent it entirely, of course, but there are certain things you can do to possibly lower the chances of getting Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia.
For example, you can get a good night's sleep. Over years and years of doing that, it can decrease your chances. Also be social, keep your mind challenged, learn languages, do cross word puzzles, that kind of thing, keeps your mind physically fit. Foods rich in anti-oxidants might help and cutting down on stress might help reduce your chances.
COLLINS: I'm checking off - OK, I don't get any sleep. I'm social. I don't know if I know how to challenge my mind.
COHEN: Well, every day you do with your work.
COLLINS: I eat the blueberries and the stress is out of control.
COHEN: Right. Forget it. Well, you've got two out of five or so. That's not bad.
COLLINS: Exactly. But I am curious like what would a fat hormone have to do with Alzheimer's disease? What's the science there.
COHEN: It is weird because you usually associate fat with heart disease and things like that.
COLLINS: Yes.
COHEN: What they think the science is that when someone gets Alzheimer's disease, they get these things called plaques and tangles in their brain, there are actual physical structures that form in the brain. And there's some thinking that the leptin actually decreases the chances that those are going to form. It actually works on amino acids so that those tangles don't actually form.
COLLINS: Interesting.
COHEN: It is interesting.
All right. Elizabeth Cohen, our senior medical correspondent, thank you.
And up next now, all this week in fact we are on the road to recovery. Today's focus, life after college. Is there a future in this job market?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Heidi Collins.
COLLINS: Dispute over the deficit with the House scheduled to vote today on a higher federal debt limit, lines are being drawn over deficit spending. President Obama believes it's too early to stop government spending programs designed to create jobs. He also wants to use leftover bank bailout funds for jobs programs.
Republicans, though, want to use those bank bailout funds to reduce the deficit. And some moderate Democrats have joined Republican lawmakers in saying spending has gotten out of hand. Today's debt limit vote would increase the government's ability to borrow by more than $200 billion over two months.
Life after college. It may seem like a pretty tough time to embark on a new career, but as part of a series "Recovery Road," Ali Velshi found some young people optimistic about their futures.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (on camera): You're all of a generation where you've not seen this in your lives. A lot of people haven't seen this in their lives. This is pretty serious.
NEDRICK RIVERS, ADVERTISING MAJOR: This is a very competitive road, a very competitive field. I wasn't prepared for that, basically.
AJA SANDERS, TOURISM & HOTEL MANAGEMENT MAJOR: We go to school for four years, and most of us don't hope to be paid hourly. We hope to have a salaried job. I really can't complain right now. A lot of people don't have jobs.
VELSHI: Has that hit your confidence?
SANDERS: Nobody is too great to take a low-paying job. This is really America. People start from low and go up real high. You have to start somewhere.
CATHERINE MCABEE, PHARMACOLOGY MAJOR: And hopefully our generation will learn from these mistakes that led up to the recession. We won't be going out and buying outrageous houses that we can't afford and getting these mortgages and really appreciate our jobs.
VELSHI: How are you different than somebody who graduated five years ago?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I graduated in the depression. Not just economic depression, but, like, everybody is depressed.
JEFF BARNHILL, CHEMICAL ENGINEERING MAJOR: No doubt that I have the job that I have now because I kind of got in when the getting was good, for lack of a better term. I started internships back in '05- '06 when they were very intent on hiring lots of people and kind of stayed with it. If I didn't have that, I would probably be in the same boat as most other people now. VELSHI: Anybody having disagreements with their families or siblings, their friends about the direction they're going in?
DANIELLE MCQUEEN, RETAIL SALES AND FASHION MERCHANDISING MAJOR: I was a nursing major for two years. When I changed my major to retail, everybody was like what? what are you doing?
VELSHI: Nursing is one of the biggest growing jobs in the country.
MCQUEEN: Nursing wasn't my passion. My passion was retail and fashion merchandising. So, I'm just going off of faith. That's what I really want to do.
VELSHI: You'd rather struggle a little bit and do the thing you want to do.
MCQUEEN: What I want to do. Because it will fulfill me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I understand there are majors that pay more, but if it doesn't make you happy and you go to work hating your job, then there really was no point in you doing it. I'd rather to go to work everyday and be happy and paid less than go to work and be miserable and hate my life.
VELSHI: The point of this trip, as I said to you earlier, was to take things we're learning from people, put them on TV and have our viewers who may see themselves in each of you get some lesson out of it. What's interesting in this conversation is that each of you, I think, I'm going to ask you for the lesson. If somebody is looking at you right now, what's your advice to them?
MCQUEEN: Study hard.
MCABEE: Plan for the future.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Make sure you're happy.
RIVERS: Don't ever feel like you're too good to do anything.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Help people out so that when you need help, they can help you.
BARNHILL: Don't be intimidated by this situation. I mean, it's a horrible situation, but like you've said we've been talking about that for a year. Everybody knows it's a horrible situation. You can't use it as an excuse. You've got to put on your big boy pants and go for it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: And Ali Velshi is joining us now. Ali, I know that you guys are traveling in South Carolina, still on your way to Georgia a little later today. But I just want to know what did you think talking to these kids as you heard what they had to say? VELSHI: Look (AUDIO GAP), first off they're very optimistic. They were all in a position, or at least four of the six were in a position where they were working or not working in what they thought they were going to be doing, so there was a little discouragement. There was a sense that, boy, it's unfair. They paid for this education.
But at the same time, you heard the optimism and the real suggestions. That one woman who was actually training to be a nurse, a profession that is very robust right now, but it wasn't her passion. She went into retail, and she knows it's going to be tough, but she's going to make a go of it. The one woman who followed -- she studied hospitality. She wants to be in the hotel business. She's working at Buffalo Wild Wings, but she said she's going to learn, it's going to get her somewhere.
The engineering student at the end who said put on your big boy pants, it's time to take care of yourself and move on. Very optimistic and they're not -- they know that they have got to get on with it, no one is going to come and help them out.
COLLINS: Yes, yes, absolutely. You've got to work hard, no matter what. Sure do appreciate it. Love that story. Thanks you much, Ali. Velshi traveling on the bus, the Road to Recovery.
The Securities and Exchange Commission wants to know more about how companies pay their top executives. They are set to meet today to adopt expanded disclosure rules on compensation at all public companies. The new rules include information on how a company's pay policies might encourage too much risk-taking. The Obama administration has already imposed pay curbs on banks that received federal bailout money.
Goldman Sachs under fire again for its 2009 salaries. A pension fund representing security guards has filed suit against the investment bank. The suit claims the company's estimated $22 billion compensation payouts are improper because they're based on a government bailout.
Time now for a check of some of the top stories we're watching. President Obama wrote a personal letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. A U.S. official says it was delivered by the top U.S. envoy to North Korea who was there for talks last week. It is unknown what's in the letter. The U.S. is trying to get North Korea to return to multi-nation talks about their nuclear program.
Police faced off with protesters outside the climate change summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, this morning.
(CROWD YELLING)
COLLINS: Police say more than 200 demonstrators were detained when they tried to break through the security perimeter around the U.N. conference. Delegates inside have been unable to agree on proposals to limit greenhouse gases. President Obama scheduled to arrive on Friday. CNN Thursday night. Will the 100-plus leaders at the Copenhagen summit reach a consensus on climate change? Will the U.S. take the lead? Get answers in the CNN "YouTube Climate Change Debate" Thursday night, 11:00, right after "AC 360."
Emergency talks are scheduled to begin next hour as British Airways tries to head off a planned strike by cabin crews. But the airline has already asked the high court to issue an injunction against the strike. Workers unhappy with their pay and work conditions are threatening to walk out for 12 days over the Christmas holiday. Ouch.
The Federal Reserve is set to decide on interest rates today, but Fed chair Ben Brnanke himself is stealing the show. "Time" magazine today as you probably know by now has named him person of the year.
Susan Lisovicz is on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange with more details. So, Susan, we'll talk about the interest rates in a minute, but why did Bernanke win out over some of these other contenders that were on the short list?
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a good question and "Time" explains it by this. It says, "History judges" - "history is judged not only by what did happen, but also by what didn't happen." And "Time" says the U.S. economy would be in far worse shape if Ben Bernanke were not at the helm of the Federal Reserve.
What exactly has the Fed done over the past year? It's not only dropped interest rates to near zero, it's also lent to mutual funds, investment banks, foreign banks. It's jumpstarted stalled credit markets by buying toxic assets. It's also kept a lid on mortgage rates by buying treasuries.
Ben Bernanke himself says that the markets were in anaphylactic shock, that we came very, very close to a depression. He said 10 percent unemployment is certainly not where he wants to be, but it could have been much worse. And I think that's why "Time" magazine named him person of the year. Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes, interesting too. We were talking earlier with Christine Romans about how he has gotten this sort of honor, if you will, when back in May of, I guess it was 2007, when he talked about the subprime mortgage crisis, and how it wasn't going to spill over.
LISOVICZ: That's exactly right. In fact, his quote from that time was, "Subprime problems seem unlikely to spill over into the broader economy." Boy, I bet he wishes that he could just erase those words.
He was a voting member under the Federal Reserve with Alan Greenspan, who has received a lot of criticism for creating a new crisis by keeping monetary policy too loose for too long. The fact is when he did step in, he stepped in in a big way, and his admirers, which "Time" magazine has included, say that he helped save the U.S. economy from a far worse fate. Heidi.
COLLINS: Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange. Thank you, Susan.
LISOVICZ: You're welcome.
COLLINS: Fire, brimstone and big money. We'll take a look at the life and death of a legendary televangelist, Oral Roberts.
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COLLINS: Famed televangelist Oral Roberts. He was revered by millions and ridiculed by others, but there is no question he was a towering figure in American Christianity. Forty-five years ago, Oral Roberts founded a university in his own name, and shortly thereafter, he took his message to television. Roberts died Tuesday at the age of 91 from complications from pneumonia.
Roberts had largely faded from public view in recent years, so we were wondering what's been the reaction today to his death. Here to answer that is CNN's Josh Levs. He's been watching all things Internet with reaction to this news.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Heidi. Yes, this has been one of our most-read stories over the last 24 hours. Less than 24 hour now. We can zoom in here. I'll show you, it's interesting because we lead with photos that trace you through his life and career. A lot of people taking interest in what they can see about him.
You can see some of the early crowds and crowds throughout the years. A lot of people particularly interested in this photo right here. Roberts posing with Elvis Presley in the early 1970s.
While we're in the board, I want to show you there's been a lot of discussion online including on Twitter. This is an interesting tweet that came up about him from one named Lindsay. She said, "I want to be like Oral Roberts -- not to be an echo but a voice like Jesus. I'm blessed to have been under his influence."
I also looked at other tweets and there were some that criticized him very strongly. I so far haven't seen any that don't include words that I would not show on TV. Certainly, we're hearing some staunch criticism of him as well.
We got something that I think is very interesting and very moving from an iReporter. And I want to show you this quote. This is someone whose family was specifically helped by him. We have it on a graphic for you here. It's from a man who says, "He was a very good man. Back in 1985, before my little sister died of cancer, he invited my mom and sister to his City of Faith hospital. He got them a roundtrip ticket and let my sister stay at his hospital for the entire month. Young people in school and the choir visited my sister every day and sang hymns to her. He called my brother and me over the phone and prayed for us. I remember him saying that no matter what happens, God gave you and your family an angel, a blessing from above." That's Arturo Navaro. His family was touched directly.
Heidi, there's one more quote I'll show you here from the Reverend Billy Graham, who's actually inside our story on CNN.com as well. We have that for you, we can go to that. He says, "I loved him as a brother."
We're certainly interested in what you have to say, your thoughts, no matter where you stand on his life and career and achievements. We'll show you how you can weigh in. CNN.com/josh. We've got some posted at the blog now. You can send your thoughts on his passing. We're also have this discussion, as you saw, on Facebook and twitter. My pages are joshlevsCNN. No shortage of very strong feeling about him, Heidi. One of the most influential evangelists in U.S. history.
COLLINS: Yes, no question about that. All right, Josh, thank you.
"Time" magazine named its person of the year this morning. The annual honor is going to Fed chairman Ben Bernanke. He beat out House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Barack Obama among others. President Obama was the choice last year, of course.
"Time" magazine calls Bernanke "the most powerful nerd on the planet." The issue hits news stands on Friday.
That brings us to today's blog question. We asked what do you think of that choice, if you like it or if you think somebody else maybe should have gotten this annual honor. I want to go ahead and share some of the responses with you now because we've gotten a lot of blogs on this.
From Anthony, "I am in college, and despite what a lot of my peers think, the economy has come a long way from when the Dow was around 6,500, and this man had a lot to do with it being where it is today. I say congratulations and keep doing fine work."
From Michael, "I think they may have made a mistake. This guy belongs on 'Mad' magazine, not 'Time.'"
From Leslie: "It should be Sully Sullenberger, a true American hero, courage, a role model, he saved lives by living up to his responsibility." Of course, he was the captain of the commercial plane that went down in the Hudson river where everyone on board survived.
Remember, we do want to hear from you. Log on to CNN.com/heidi. Share your comments and we'll get to them.
Rob Marciano joining us now. Rob, I hear a whole bunch of talk and chatter in the background. What's going on over there?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's like a meeting of the weather minds. Guys, they can hear you, simmer down, all right?
COLLINS: I didn't mean to call them out. I thought there was big weather brewing.
MARCIANO: Well, that too, and that's why we're all kind of geeked up about it. Cold air across the eastern third of the country, rains taking a break across the South, but that storm will reintensify and head toward the East. We'll talk about it in just a few minutes. Stay right here.
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COLLINS: So you think you've suffered long flight delays? Well, yesterday's inaugural flight of Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner came after two years of delays and billions of dollars in investment. But there it is, you see the first commercial airplane made mostly of lightweight composite materials. Boeing says the so-called Dreamliner will burn 20 percent less fuel than today's models and provide cleaner air and more cargo space for the passengers. Watching that landing now. Greased (ph) it. More than 800 of the planes are on order with a price tag of about $150 million each.
Let's head back over to Rob Marciano.
MARCIANO: Greased it. Greased it. You are so the...
COLLINS: Greased it. Did we? Yes, that's the test pilot. We saw some stories on him.
MARCIANO: And I think what they're going to do with that plane, it's fascinating as far as the other test flights that they have planned. Those guys are pretty brave.
COLLINS: I think you should go do a story on that.
MARCIANO: You know what?
COLLINS: Weather completely a part of that story.
MARCIANO: Consider it pitched.
COLLINS: Thank you.
MARCIANO: I'll get on that in just about a minute and a half here.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: When I heard you say snow, I could swear that was a really long o like a Midwest kind of sno-ow.
MARCIANO: Snow? They say Midwest accents are the best to have in this business.
COLLINS: Yes, they can.
MARCIANO: I can only say LaGuardia.
COLLINS: Yes, you're still working on that. All right, Rob. Thank you.
MARCIANO: See ya. COLLINS: They built it, but will anyone come? The new jewel on the Las Vegas strip opens today. It's a gamble worthy of Sin City.
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COLLINS: Las Vegas is feeling the pinch. Two long-time landmarks are announcing big cuts. The Sahara is closing two hotel towers because there are no guests. And Binyin's (ph), formerly known as The Horseshoe, is closing its hotel altogether.
Those closings come just as one new landmark is opening. It's the newest casino hotel in the middle of the massive of the City Center complex. 4,000 rooms inviting guests to stay and play. For many, the more important number is 12,000 -- jobs. CNN'S Dan Simon has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's soaring glass towers and world class sculptures are eye-popping centerpieces.
MARIA GAINES, NEW CITY CENTER EMPLOYEE: You came up with two purchase tickets?
SIMON: But for Maria Gaines, it represents a life-preserver, a job that saved her from drowning in debt.
GAINES: Looking at all the bills that were kind of piling up and knowing that you didn't know where that next dollar was coming from. You didn't know if you were going to be able to make that payment, you didn't know if maybe your cable is going to get shut off next month. You didn't have -- you'd probably end up evicted.
SIMON: She's one of 12,000 people hired to work at the massive 67-acre, 18 million square foot City Center. It's a complex of hotels, spas, condos, pools and restaurants. There's convention space, loads of artwork, and, of course, a casino. And a brand-new Elvis Presley Cirque de Soleil show.
DAVID SCHWARTZ, UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA-LAS VEGAS: People are hoping that it's going to really grow the market, that it's going to draw people who haven't been coming to Vegas before and it's really going to reverse these declines.
SIMON (on camera): In essence, save Las Vegas.
SCHWARTZ: In some ways, yes, save Las Vegas.
SIMON (voice-over): That's because Las Vegas has seen 22 straight months of declines in gaming revenues, a disastrous chain of events that's produced a 13 percent unemployment rate. The city leads the nation in foreclosures.
So, for the local economy, City Center feels like a massive economic stimulus.
(on camera): Describe that moment when they said yes, that you've been hired.
GAINES: It was elation. It was totally elation. I couldn't believe it.
SIMON (voice-over): Maria had been laid off from an old job at a casino and spent months looking for a new one. She was one of an astounding 175,000 workers to apply for a job here.
That the place is even opening is something of a feat. Earlier this year, the project nearly ran out of money and pushed MGM Mirage, the developers, to the brink of insolvency. And its Middle East partner, Dubai World, as it's been widely reported, was unable recently to make debt payments. MGM insists however that City Center is financially secure.
The project may pack in visitors, but gaming experts wonder whether it will be at the expense of other properties.
SCHWARTZ: If it succeeds to drawing people away from other casinos, and obviously, it's going to cannibalize the market. If it succeeds in drawing people who hadn't been going to other casinos, it's going to grow the market. And it's really hard to say which it will do.
SIMON: That's why it's being called the city's biggest bet ever.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Gamblers may have to wait until later to get into Aria though. A fireworks show is being launched from on top of the 61- story main tower tonight. They'll start letting non-VIP gamblers through the doors around midnight.
I'm Heidi Collins. CNN NEWSROOM continues now with Tony Harris.
