Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Health Care Showdown; Post-Snow Travel Troubles; Brittany Murphy Dies
Aired December 20, 2009 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Right now, I'm going to toss it over to my colleague, Tom Foreman. He is live in Washington with much more straight ahead of the NEWSROOM.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks so much, Fred. Do or die for health care reform. Senate Democrats believe they have the 60 votes needed to keep going. Shortly after midnight we will find out for sure. CNN will be there live when it happens.
It's going to be a White Christmas for millions of people on the East Coast thanks to the blizzard of 2007 (SIC). It is not smooth sledding everywhere. We'll show you what's being done to get life back to normal.
And Hollywood and movie fans are mourning the sudden and mysterious death of a rising young star; Brittany Murphy died today at the age of 32, but authorities are not saying how.
Democratic senators say they are on the verge of making history tonight. Republicans say they're on the verge of making a big mistake. They're going to hold a vote on health care reform six hours from now, it will be 1:00 in the morning here in the capital. And if all goes as planned, if every member of the Democratic caucus votes yes health care reform will be on track to pass the U.S. Senate and head into the homestretch for final approval.
Republicans are disappointed, even angry but after marathon debates it appears there is nothing they can do about it. Our senior Congressional correspondent Dana Bash is up at the capitol in all this snow. Dana, what do we expect tonight?
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, nothing they can do about it. That is certainly true in terms of vote. At least it appears that way. But they can talk and that is what has been happening on the Senate floor for about six hours on this snowy Sunday.
So far it is going to go on through the night. I think there's a Democrat Debbie Stabenow on the floor right now.
So far what we've heard back and forth isn't so much about the substance of the bill. It's about, why is this rushing? Republicans accusing Democrats of cutting backroom deals, even bribery to get the 60 votes needed to overcome Republican hurdles in order to get this very important -- for Democrats -- very important vote done. That is really what we should underscore, that this vote which is going to occur at 1:00 a.m. Eastern is the most important vote so far in all of the months and months of debate on health care because the Senate was the hardest hurdle for his president and his top priority. And Democrats as of yesterday do believe they have those 60 votes of just Democrats to get this passed and this will be the first test of that but final passage probably won't be until Christmas Eve, Tom.
FOREMAN: All right Dana. We're going to talk later on in the show about this question of whether or not this is being rushed because that is a very sharp question up on the Hill right now.
But Dana, one way that the Democrats secured the 60th vote was through this compromise on abortion coverage with Nebraska's Nelson, an antiabortion Democrat.
But look at this, a protest in his home state today by antiabortion groups. It looks like perhaps some sort of a backlash is brewing. I don't know if we have a picture of that right now. But nonetheless, people there are upset about this -- there you see it -- folks upset about this.
Dana, what is the potential cost of this? How did this break down? How did they get to this point?
BASH: Very interesting. I mean, obviously this issue of abortion is so wrenching and really has stumped Democrats both in the house and the senate. This has been one of the final issues on this big health care overhaul.
But the issue is that Ben Nelson was the last holdout. He is an anti-abortion Democrat from a red state and he was trying to get the restrictions on abortion tightened. And what he was able to do is get a compromise that allows states to opt of even allowing private insurers to offer abortion coverage. And when it comes to the federal level, what he was trying to do is make sure that no federal dollars go for abortions. And so he was able to, from his perspective, get those funds separated and sort of wall that off.
As you said, antiabortion groups especially in his home state, they said that he has sold out. On "STATE OF THE UNION" he defended himself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BEN NELSON (D), NEBRASKA: The argument is about a staple. It's about a staple. It's about whether or not you have a rider that you staple to the policy. The rider covers the abortion and whether you have it. For that there's no separate check required.
It would be just -- the requirement would be that the check cover both abortion and the person's portion of the premium.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: There's Ben Nelson explaining this complicated compromise that he hopes will make sure that taxpayer dollars are not used for abortions, but as I said, there are plenty of people in the antiabortion movement who think that that is not the right way to go and that it's simply not tough enough.
FOREMAN: Very briefly, Dana, as a follow-up to that, this has got to be, still, a bit of a land mine sitting out there because certainly over in the House when they pass the this over in the House, the antiabortion measure, many, many Democrats were saying, well, we're only putting that in to get it through, but we'll strip it out later on and we'll be ok.
Now they have the same thing in the senate. There is no way this isn't going to be an explosion in the future.
BASH: Right. In the future, what you're obviously specifically referring to is when the Senate finally does pass this, the last step before the president gets this health care bill will be combining the Senate and the House bills and there is no question that abortion is still going to be a dominant, dominant issue, because in the House, even though there are more strict restrictions, if you will, in the Senate bill now than there were yesterday, not as strict as what you're seeing in the house.
So there is no question there are going to be very, very tough fights between Democrats on this issue to go.
FOREMAN: One more issue here, Dana. Certainly the Democrats very much wanted at least one Republican to make this thing look like it was bipartisan. The Republicans are dead against it. And their one real hope, Olympia Snowe, from up in Maine, ultimately issued a very interesting statement today about why she will not get on board.
Talk to me about that.
BASH: That's right. I mean, she is the only Republican in the senate to vote yes at all. She voted yes in one of the key committees, the senate finance committee. She has been wooed and wooed and wooed by the president, by Democratic leaders. She said the answer is no because of the issue of, from her perspective, rushing it through.
Listen to what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. OLYMPIA SNOWE (R), MAINE: We are scheduled to vote on that major amendment, 15 hours from now at 1:00 in the morning. We have no opportunity to amend it; all to get done the entire bill with no opportunity to amend it, to change it by Christmas, so that we can adjourn for a three-week recess for a bill that doesn't become implemented until 2014.
BASH: So she's not happy with some of the substance that she knows is in this, particularly from her perspective the fact that it hurts small businesses and their ability to offer health insurance coverage and also survive. But her most important issue as she just laid out there is the fact that she has demanded the time to really read and study the details of this 2,000-plus bill and says she doesn't have the time.
The president called her to the White House just yesterday after the Democrats already struck this deal. She's still a no so far.
FOREMAN: All right Dana. We're going to talk about that more as the evening goes on as well. Thanks for your good work up there. We'll be checking back in with you.
Republican senators as we said are somewhere between disappointed and downright furious about what's going on right now.
Lindsey Graham of South Carolina had some of the strongest comments on today's "STATE OF THE UNION WITH JOHN KING". He used President Obama's campaign slogan to blast the Democrats' health care compromise.
Listen.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: Change you can believe in after this health care bill debacle has now become an empty slogan. It's really been replaced by shady Chicago politics when you think about it. Backroom deals that amount to bribes.
JOHN KING, CNN HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": Bribes. That's a strong word.
GRAHAM: Well, it is. Absolutely. It's a strong word. It was meant to be strong. Principled compromise; I mean, a compromise sold as a principal solution to an emotional problem like abortion that's fallen flat. Enron accounting techniques; everything that people were upset with about Washington has gotten worse.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: This is going to go on all evening here. We want to go over the Senate schedule for the rest of the day as we have a sense of what's going to happen on this snowy Sunday evening.
The debate continues throughout the evening until 11:30 p.m. Eastern. That's when the senate will officially recess for the day, but they're going to come back right after midnight to resume debate with the time equally divided between the two parties.
At 1:00 a.m., they will hold the all-important vote to cut off debate and move the health care bill forward. This is the thing called cloture that you've heard about. This is the big one. 60 yes votes are required and that's when we will find out if the Democrats really have secured every vote in their caucus, as they say they have.
Reminder: CNN plans live coverage of tonight's crucial senate vote. Join me and our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. We know you have many questions. We will try to answer as many as we can. We'll have the final vote plus a look at what's in the bill or what's left out and what it could mean to you if it in fact ever becomes law.
That's at midnight Eastern right here on CNN. We hope you'll stay with us.
In other news, a powerful winter storm left up to 2 feet of snow over much of the East Coast today. Yet, life seems to be pretty much back to normal in most places. Streets are cleared. Airports are re- opened. And many folks are now delighted at the prospect of a White Christmas.
The biggest remaining issues are restoring power to about 4,600 people in North Carolina. And Airports from D.C. to Boston although open, are working through a backlog of yesterday's cancellations to get everyone where they need to be for the holidays.
We've had team coverage of the storm from the start. CNN's Allan Chernoff is live in New York; Susan Candiotti monitoring the flight situation out of New York's LaGuardia airport; Kate Bolduan doing the same at Washington's Reagan National Airport and meteorologist, Bonnie Schneider keeping tabs on the forecast at the CNN Severe Weather Center.
And Bonnie, let's start with you. Watches and warnings all associated with the storm have expired.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes.
FOREMAN: But is there still danger out there? What should we be paying attention to?
SCHNEIDER: I would say, tom, watch out tonight for the black ice on the roadways. Temperatures are dropping below freezing from Washington all the way up to Boston.
Now, you mentioned about the travel and how there's a backlog. Well, just to show you what's going on, flight explorer now into the evening hours as we get to this busy time before the holidays, we have 4,700 planes in the air right now. A lot of flights are taking off. We see activity coast to coast.
But we do of course have some delays to tell you about. There in Philadelphia, ground stop; Newark, New Jersey, over two hours; New York City's JFK Airport, departure delays are increasing by 36 minutes -- so actually that's not so bad despite the numerous cancellations.
We have some pictures to show you of Boston's Logan Airport where we had delays throughout the day. Plenty of snow and strong wind across New England as you can see there, tough time clearing out the runways, but at Logan Airport they're used to getting a lot of snow.
And speaking of Massachusetts the low-pressure center known as the nor'easter is pulling away from the coastline. However, tonight we still run the risk of blowing snow all the way from coastal Maine down to the east end of Long Island where there was 2 feet of snow on the ground so a strong gust of wind could definitely blow that about.
The winds have been fierce along the cape, currently at about 21 miles per hour with gusts at 30 miles per hour, so stronger than that.
And going into the overnight period toward tomorrow, here's what you need to know. Blowing snow, power outages all possible; dangerous travel conditions. Watch out for that ice and poor visibility tonight.
Tom, later on I'll talk more about the forecast for tomorrow which is actually the first day of winter.
FOREMAN: All right, Bonnie. I think we have a break. It got warmer here today. Some of that snow went away.
SCHNEIDER: Good.
FOREMAN: We'll check back in.
New York City, of course, is no stranger to big snowstorms. Stick with us we will take you live to the streets of Manhattan to see how the Big Apple is coping with nearly a foot of snow.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOREMAN: New York's Central Park always a great place to be in winter and really great this weekend. You can see the fun folks are having out there. Great place to hang out on your sled or maybe go skating on Wollman rink. Lovely place to be and the snow really just makes it a fabulous, fabulous place.
We're going to take you to the streets of New York now. The city was so much spared the blizzard-like conditions that nailed Long Island. But parts still got nearly a foot of snow or more.
Our Allan Chernoff is braving the elements for us tonight. Allan, I thought I would have to cross country ski to work today, but we got sort of a break. How are things up there?
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Well, you know Tom, at this point the element we're dealing with is slush. You know quite well that within hours of hitting the sidewalks of New York City that's what snow becomes. And there's been lots of shoveling of that slush and a little bit of snow as well.
Over here in Manhattan, well, the bulk is now slush. In the outer boroughs, Brooklyn, Queens, they got even more snow than here in Manhattan and they still have plenty to shovel. But the really heavy- duty shoveling, that's in southern New Jersey, 20 inches or more. And also out on Long Island, the earn end of Long Island, Suffolk County, in some spots more than 20 inches.
In fact, in Upton, New York, that's where they have the regional National Weather Service office, 26 inches, a record from this storm.
One of our producers Sheila Stefan (ph), she lives sometimes out in Hampton Bays and she sent in some wonderful pictures of winter wonderland over there. And a few pictures of her very happy dogs, Taz and Mali. They're Alaskan malamutes and they were absolutely loving the snow. Loving the snow as well, of course, the kids and their parents, on the slopes, even back here in Central Park; lots of people out enjoying doing lots of sledding today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like sledding because it's really fast and it's just fun to go down the hill.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is one of the best parts of New York City. Central Park, just filled with snow and you can just ski all you want.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a great day. See everybody out here today. That's what it's all about, you know? That's part of having the kids.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's too cold. I don't like cold.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHERNOFF: Yes, I bet he liked it when he was sledding, but, you know, you can only keep them outside for so long, Tom. I think he was ready for a hot chocolate break. I'm sure he got something like that.
FOREMAN: I'm sure he did. I did a lot of shoveling, myself, this weekend. It's good when it's nice and light. When it gets slushy like you're talking about it's so heavy.
CHERNOFF: You have to get to it early. If you hit the slopes to do a little sledding, you pay the price in shoveling.
FOREMAN: I guess you do. All right Allan. Thanks so much.
Our team coverage continues with a look now at some of this travel picture that's been shaping up after the snow has passed. In short it's not pretty and it's slow going if at all.
Susan Candiotti is live at New York's LaGuardia airport in Queens. What's it looking like out there, Susan?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, here's all it takes to throw things off course, about 7 inches of snow here at LaGuardia, about 11 inches of snow at JFK. I'm not sure exactly how much at Newark. But that forced the cancellation of more than 1,200 flights between yesterday and today.
Earlier this day, there were all kinds of lines here at the American Airlines counter. However, those have slowly drifted away, but still you have hundreds of more people whose flights have been delayed and leaving people with a lot of headaches.
Now, what to do, how to get out? The airports never closed throughout the snowstorm but all this -- a lot of the cancellations happened in advance of the snow hitting this area.
Now, for now the runways are open and remain open and slowly the airlines are trying to move people out as they try to get more crews in and more equipment in.
But we ran into one young lady who is spending her second night here at the airport and another woman who started her journey here from India about three days ago. She's just trying to get to Cleveland. Finally she told us tonight, she's giving up, she's renting a car and driving the rest of the way -- Tom.
FOREMAN: Thanks Susan. That's a hard time when you get stuck in the airport overnight. I think I've done it a time or two but it's very difficult especially if you have kids along.
All right Susan. Thanks so much for joining.
Here's a time saver for anyone who has an airline ticket in hand. You might want to call or go online before you leave your house. You really can find out a lot about your travel and whether or not you have to be at the airport at that time because so many things have changed. Many stranded travelers are spending a lot of time standing in line this evening precisely because they did not do that.
Kate Bolduan has found plenty of them out at Reagan National Airport in D.C. 16 inches of snow equates to chaos on the runways, did it Kate?
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely did. Hey, there, Tom.
About 16 and a half inches of snow -- that's not a record for what we saw across the northeast over the weekend. That was a record here at Reagan National. The single biggest snowfall for a December day here at Reagan National and it was quite effective; it completely shut down the runway overnight.
Flights did start flying once again at 12:30 this afternoon; an Alaska Airlines flight was the first one and many flights have followed. But still with that shutdown there and what has followed we've seen many cancellations, delays, and some very long lines.
I want to show you some video, if we could. Photographer Ken (INAUDIBLE) was able to move down one of these lines of passengers waiting to get to the ticket counter. We actually sped it up so we could show you just how long the line was and how long people were waiting. I heard stories of up to three hours as people were trying to get to the ticket counter to rebook or check bags and that one woman who was also in that line; she's been trying to get out since Friday.
Listen here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CRYSTAL VELASCO, TRAVELER: Yes, it's really frustrating that they didn't tell us anything until we got here. Now they're telling us, oh, sit in line for three hours and we'll tell you after you get to the front. It's just insane. DENNIS KATOLIN, TRAVELER: Every time you feel bad about yourself you hear somebody who's been doing this several days in a row like the people in front of us and they just keep coming back.
We'll be fine. Everybody's healthy, everybody's safe. Not the end of the world but frustrating.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: You hear right there many passengers frustrated. We heard that over and over again, Tom, but many people taking it in stride as they're really just trying to get out of here to be in the holiday spirit and get out of here.
Let me show you one thing. Earlier today as we were standing here there were these orange cones with yellow caution tape wrapped around here. Passengers wrapped around here and that just for US Airways. They've now taken those cones away. I can only hope that is good news; that the lines are starting to get smaller and that people are starting to take off and get out of town.
You fly out of here all the time as well as I do. I was surprised to see some of the lines that we saw here today.
FOREMAN: So you're thinking noon tomorrow looking kind of normal?
BOLDUAN: I would say right now, the lines -- it looks like a very busy day. The people though that I've been talking to that are waiting in the lines, they've been here two and three times trying to get out of here since early this morning; very frustrated.
And the airlines -- I think you mentioned it, Tom -- the airlines and the airport are saying check in online and check with your airlines before you head to the airport so you're not caught in one of these situations.
FOREMAN: All right. Kate Bolduan, thanks for joining us from out at the airport there.
The young actress known for her roles in "Clueless" and "8 Mile" died this morning. We'll go to Los Angeles for a live report on this mysterious passing and find out why the police are investigating.
Stick with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOREMAN: Checking our top stories. The U.S. has sent 12 detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, back to their homeland. The prisoners were transferred to Afghanistan, Yemen and Somali land. The Department of Justice says each case has been reviewed. The move is part of the Obama administration's decision to clear captives out of the facility before it is closed.
A New Jersey man fighting for custody of his 9-year-old son is now reaching out to the child's family in Brazil. David Goldman told the Associated Press that if he wins his case he will allow the family visitation rights. Goldman's wife took the child to Brazil in 2004 and she died there last year. This past week the country's Supreme Court delayed a decision to decide the child's fate.
The massive snowstorm blanketing the East Coast did not seem to keep people from going to the movies. "Avatar" came in number one at the box office this weekend. James Cameron's science fiction saga raked in $73 million in the U.S. and brought in more than $230 million worldwide -- some good news for Hollywood.
Hollywood, however, is stunned tonight. The actress who got her start in the 1995 hit "Clueless" and rose to fame in "8 Mile" died today. Los Angeles police are investigating the death of this 32- year-old, Brittany Murphy but so far a cause has not been release.
Kareen Wynter joins us now live from L.A. Kareen, what do you know about this mysterious event?
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, there, Tom. I just want to update you on things. You can just imagine the massive media interest in this story. So we want to confirm or clarify some of the erroneous reports that circulating out there.
Let's start with the autopsy report. There are some erroneous reports that an autopsy has been done and some preliminary findings have been released. That is absolutely false, Tom.
I just got off the phone with the Los Angeles coroner's office. They tell us not only has an autopsy not been performed but they don't even have one scheduled at this time. And that once an autopsy is done it will take about six to eight weeks before they know anything here as to what led to Brittany Murphy's cause of death.
Here's what we do know about the young actress' sudden passing. It happened this morning, Tom, around 10:00 local time. She died at her Los Angeles home.
Neither hospital officials nor Los Angeles police have elaborated on the circumstances of Brittany Murphy's death. But some media Web sites, some celebrity Web sites are saying that it was her mother who actually found her in the shower unresponsive and that she died of cardiac arrest; again, no confirmation from CNN on that note.
Officials tell CNN though that when paramedics did arrive at her home that they tried to revive her, they rushed her immediately to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where she later died. The Los Angeles police department is now investigating.
Now, many people in Hollywood, Tom, as you can imagine, they're absolutely shocked over Murphy's passing. She began her career at an extremely young age in her early teens; she started it with small roles in commercials and television. But her career as you mentioned earlier really took off when she starred in the hit movie "Clueless" opposite Alicia Silverstone. She appeared in "Girl Interrupted" with Angelina Jolie and "8 Mile" with Eminem. She was also the voice of Gloria in the 2006 animation film -- the animated film "Happy Feet".
I mentioned that many stars in Hollywood who are speaking out about her sudden passing. For example, Ashton Kutcher who she dated in the past, he tweeted saying, "Today, the world lost a little piece of sunshine. My deepest condolences go out to Brittany's family, her husband and amazing mother, Sharon. See you on the other side, kid."
Brittany Murphy's dad also released a statement describing his daughter as a talent, saying she was just an absolute doll. Since she was born, everybody gravitated to her, her personality and that she was a regular gal.
Now Brittany Murphy's husband hasn't released a statement, but Murphy's publicist did really asking for respect in this time of mourning and saying that, "In this time of sadness the family thanks you for your love and your support" -- Tom.
FOREMAN: All right. Thanks so much Kareen. I know you'll keep us up to date with any developments as they come along.
Your senators are on the job this hour here in Washington. And you know that's trouble. They're going to be at it for a while. We'll get an update on the health care vote scheduled for after midnight. This is a very big, very serious issue here in Washington happening on this late Sunday night.
We're also going to check some poll numbers. Where do Americans stand on all of this? I will tell you, the numbers are moving and they may surprise you. Stick around.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOREMAN: We've been telling you all along that we're just hours away from a crucial Senate vote on health care reform. After all of these months of debate, it's coming up. Senators are on the job tonight here in Washington. That's just a half mile or so away from where I'm sitting right now. Around 1:00 in the morning they plan to hold a vote that could move the Senate health care bill toward a final vote later this week if everything plays out that way.
Democrats will need every one of their 60 caucus members to vote yes tonight. They say they have secured the 60th vote when holdout Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson agreed to come on board. So we'll see how that plays out in the evening.
Three questions people might be asking at this point. How much will it cost me and my family? Are we better off with health care the way it is? And who can do a better job after all this fixing this issue? Democrats or Republicans. Let's bring in CNN deputy political director Paul Steinhauser to look at some of the poll numbers. Paul, what about those questions?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Tom, we've seen a couple trends in national polls in the last couple of months. Support for what the Democrats and what President Obama are trying to do on health care is dipping and opposition is starting to rise. We see another trend as well.
Take a look at this number from NBC and "The Wall Street Journal." This is a brand new poll that just came out this past weekend. You can see right here, trust on what would do a better job on health care? Actually, this one actually from ABC and "Washington Post."
Look at that. Most Americans still think that President Obama and the Republicans would do a better job. But that their advantage has definitely slipped. And Tom, a couple of reasons for this. Americans, they look at these bills and they think that maybe these bills would increase their taxes, would increase the budget deficit.
A lot of Americans think also as well that these bills may not help them and their family when it comes to health care coverage. I will say one thing though, all these polls we're talking about Tom, all of them, were taken before the changes in the Senate bill.
For a better indication, let's look at polls that come out in early January when Americans have a better sense of what's really in these bills.
FOREMAN: I have to ask, Paul, really, I wonder how much this affected by simply the fact that this is enormously complex. And I guess if you passed 100 people on the street and you said, what's really in this and what will it do? I'm guessing 99 of them are going to say, I just don't know. It's too big and too hard to get my head around.
STEINHAUSER: Yes, you're right. Probably 99 would say that or 99 would disagree with each other and they would think that there's something in the bill and others would disagree. There's a lot of confusion on what's in these bills and remember, they keep changing. The Senate bill that they're voting on tonight is very different from the Senate bill of just a week or two ago, Tom.
FOREMAN: So Paul, politically, is this a good thing? I mean, obviously a win for either party is considered a good thing. The president would like to have a win. On the other hand, the Republicans are clearly trying to get traction on this notion of yes, yes, they're ramming through something in the middle of the night because they don't want you to have a good look at it. That's going to be a very tough war to play out over the next few weeks, isn't it?
STEINHAUSER: Very much so. Remember, this is an incredibly important issue to most Americans. Healthcare directly impacts them. But it's also a very good political issue. I guess you can consider this health care fight the first real battle of the 2010 congressional midterm elections.
Democrats are hoping that they get a boost out of this. Remember, a lot of what's in these bills if it becomes law will not take effect by next year's crucial midterm elections when the Democrats are defending some large majorities in Congress, Tom.
FOREMAN: So the truth is a lot of this stuff, even if this all passes six months from now, 10 months from now, nobody is going to see any effect for a while.
STEINHAUSER: Yes. A lot of it, most of it will not take effect before the midterms next year. A lot of it won't even take effect before the 2012 presidential election. So a lot of these stuff down the road Americans will see in effect but not right away.
FOREMAN: And when you see this erosion of support for the Democrats doing this compared to where it was before, do you have a sense of -- is that a sense that people are frustrated that Democrats haven't explained it better or the way they've handled it or is it simply the complexity of it, people saying let's get back to a stasis, more of a balance, trusting both parties about the same? Any sense why that is happening?
STEINHAUSER: I think it's a little bit of both. And I also think that if you add in the Republicans have been very good on attacking this bill and saying it's going to increase your taxes, it's going to balloon the budget deficit, it's not going to help you. One thing though that the polls do indicate, Americans, as we saw before, Americans still support the president and the Democrats a little bit more. They have a little more trust in them, the Democrats and the president than the Republicans to fix health care, Tom.
FOREMAN: So in a nutshell here, the Democrats are betting on if we can get this passed, people will see the wisdom of it and we will reap the benefits down the line. And republicans are betting, in effect, on even if the Democrats get it passed, this win will ultimately be a loss because people will be so angry at the way it was done and some of the potential results the Republicans think will happen which will be bad, they think?
STEINHAUSER: Yes, both parties have some political calculations here. As you know, those next year's midterm elections are quite crucial. And healthcare will be a big issue. But still the number one issue for all Americans as of right now is not health care. It's the economy, it's jobs. As of now that's the top issue next year in those elections.
FOREMAN: I think people have to keep that in mind, Paul. Good talking with you about this tonight. We'll be checking in more as the evening goes on. I'm sure. Thanks so much.
A reminder, CNN plans live coverage of tonight's crucial Senate vote. Join me and our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. We will have the final vote plus a look at what's in the bill, what got left out, what it could mean for you. We'll try to answer as many of your questions as we can. That's at midnight Eastern. You heard me correctly. Midnight Eastern right here on CNN. The vote will be at 1:00 in the morning at the Capitol, just a short distance from here. We'll be covering every step of the way.
The mother of one of the three American hikers detained in Iran goes straight to the top. Nora Shourd makes a direct appeal to Ayatollah Ali Khomeini. We'll talk to her live. And we'll find out what she had to say and what she hopes to accomplish. Please stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
FOREMAN: "Boyz to Men" singing "Let It Snow" there. Kids playing in Hamden, Connecticut, and all the big storm that swept all of the East Coast. This scene, like you're seeing right here, you can find it in hundreds and thousands of communities on the mid-Atlantic states this weekend as people shovel out and the kids play in the yard and many, many will not go to school tomorrow as well, maybe not the day after.
New York is moving along almost like normal after getting nearly a foot of snow there. The city got off easy. Many places received more than twice as much. Setting one-day records. All the same. Airports are back in service. And long lines of passengers are slowly getting back into the air again. There you can see Times Square and all the snow piled up along there.
Further south, utility companies in the Carolinas say it will take a few days to get the lights back on for about 46,000 customers who lost their power in the midst of this storm.
There are 12 fewer detainees being held tonight at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. U.S. military authorities transferred back to their home countries this weekend. According to the Department of Justice, four were transported to Afghanistan. Two to Somalia and 60 Yemeni were checked out and they decided to set them free.
In the Philippines, Mt. Mayon is still percolating and appears very close to erupting. Officials raised the alert level after scientists detected an increase in earthquakes and rumbling in and around the volcano. Look at those amazing pictures. Experts say the mountain could erupt within days. 30,000 people left their homes a week ago there. Officials are still trying to evacuate those who remained.
With just days to go before Christmas, the mother of one of three American hikers detained in Iran is appealing to the country's top cleric for their release. Nora Shourd's plea comes less than a week after Iran's foreign minister announced that Sarah Shourd, Shane Bauer and Shaun (INAUDIBLE) will be put on trial. Nora Shourd joins me now from San Francisco. Tell me something, Miss Shourd, how are you going about this and what do you think it might accomplish?
NORA SHOURD, DAUGHTER DETAINED IN IRAN: We believe that this appeal will go directly to the supreme leader on behalf of all the families. And we think that we're appealing to him on a humanitarian basis, especially this time of year we think Islam has an inherent, compassionate, merciful ideal to it and that's what our appeal is about.
FOREMAN: So how are you actually getting this to him? Are you going through diplomatic channels? Are you going through private channels?
SHOURD: We deliver this through the U.N. mission in New York. That's how we do it.
FOREMAN: And obviously you're reaching to the highest authority in that land, but tell me why you think this might be able to work now. Because certainly you've been trying very hard. This has been going on quite some time. And the news last week was not encouraging, was it?
SHOURD: Well, we, at this time of year we think that the holidays are not only important to Americans but they're important to people around the world. And that's part of this appeal is to, you know, bring families back together for the holidays. It's a human value. We all share that value.
FOREMAN: And if you could speak to the Ayatollah there right now, what would you say to him about your daughter and about these young people? What would your message be?
SHOURD: To consider them for who they are. They're good people. And they met the Islamic Republic no harm. They made an innocent mistake by accidentally crossing a border. And please to search his heart, realize that we miss them terribly and please release them home.
FOREMAN: When you heard this news last week they would go ahead on to trial with this, what were your thoughts at that time?
SHOURD: As far as we know there are no charges. They have allegedly been suspected of illegal entry, so even though we were a little bit, you know, taken aback by the media reports, we have not had confirmation that they have been charged. On the other hand, we know them. So even if a trial did come about, we know at this point the Iranian officials know who they are and they would be able to voice their own innocence and convince any judge that they were innocent.
FOREMAN: Obviously, the news you'd like to hear is that the Ayatollah agrees and is going to set them free. But my guess is even if some sort of dialogue happens where you feel like there's any sort of progress that would be an encouraging sign.
SHOURD: That's right. We appreciate any kind of movement in this case. You know, we want them released, but we look for positive signs everywhere.
FOREMAN: Ms. Shourd, thank you so much for joining us on this holiday, which I know must be very difficult to your family.
SHOURD: Yes, it is.
FOREMAN: The best to you and yours with all of your efforts.
SHOURD: Thank you.
FOREMAN: Remember, the advice that Vice President Biden had regarding swine flu? Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: I would tell members of my family and I have I wouldn't go anywhere in confined places. It is not that it is going to Mexico and you're in a confined aircraft, when one person sneezes, it goes all the way the aircraft.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Well, that unfortunate choice of words made "Time" magazine's top 10 list of political gaffes of the year. We'll tell you what else made the list after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOREMAN: We're just days away from turning the calendar to 2010. So it's always fun to take a little bit of a look back at our friends over at "Time" magazine who have compiled a list of the top 10 political gaffes, an awkward moment of the past year. And it must have been difficult to narrow them down so much.
CNN's Drew Griffin talked about the highlights and low point. A panel of commentators including Roland Martin, Lola Ogunnaike and Lloyd Grove of the "Daily Beast." Let's take a moment or two to listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Top 10 political gaffes of all time for 2009. Here's what "Time" says. Number 10, Michelle Obama at Buckingham Palace. I guess that was her, you know, touching the queen. Sarah Palin's coin conspiracy. Joe Biden's stimulus stumble, which one? Barack Obama opens the floodgates. Larry Summer's White House sleepover.
Some of these I don't remember, you guys. Then at number five, Michael Steele on abortion, Hillary Clinton gets lost in translation. Joe Wilson's unwanted outburst, Barack Obama's bowling blooper and number one, Joe Biden on the swine flu. OK. Those last three, I do remember.
So Lola, let's talk about it with you because Roland is going last. Which one is the top gaffe?
LOLA OGUINNAKE, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: I think the top gaffe was probably Joe Biden trying to put the fear of god in all of us and telling us not to stay anywhere in a confined place. I mean, essentially he's ruling out all public transportation, any place with a door and four walls and essentially saying that we are not safe, which he went rogue, went completely off script, and the White House had to apologize on his behalf, yet again.
But I have to say that the thing that I do love about Joe Biden is that he is honest and in a town that's filled with professional BSers, it is refreshing to see someone who is actually willing to speak his mind, even if he does get into trouble. GRIFFIN: Lloyd, he gets into trouble all the time. I mean, there's a long list of gaffes he's had. And he's kind of been written off or laughed off by the White House as just kind of the gaffe in chief.
LLOYD GROVE, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, "THE DAILY BEAST": Well, that's right. And I think because he does so many of these, he's kind of created a new normal for political gaffes. At least for himself. So we don't take them as seriously where as in the beginning when he said that stuff about don't travel on subways, don't go on planes. People went into a panic and they had to walk it back at the various agencies. I think if he did that today, people would say -- ah that's Joe.
GRIFFIN: Let's bring in that big elf from Chicago. Which one of these gaffes do you like, Roland?
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: First of all, Michelle Obama hugging the queen. That wasn't a gaffe. Black people, we love to hug folks. So that's just the way our culture is. OK. That's nonsense. But the real number one gaffe has to be Joe Wilson. Not the House of Representatives, hit like a drunk frat boy in animal house by yelling, "you lie." The vice president's thing, whatever, I like Joe Biden. He's my man.
GRIFFIN: You know, let's listen to the Joe Wilson gaffe. Let's listen to it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The reforms -- the reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally.
REP. JOE WILSON: You lie!
OBAMA: That's not true.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: That was the gaffe. You say he's acting like a frat boy. You're telling me that.
MARTIN: No. Acting like a drunken frat boy. Well, first of all, I'm trying to improvise some Christmas cheer, Drew, to the show, supporting my Houston Texans. So but, again, drunken frat boy Joe Wilson, acting like those animal house yelling, you lie. That's number one. Not the Joe Biden stuff.
GRIFFIN: You know what. It is so hard, isn't it, you guys, to be in the press and have these cameras on all the time and not make a gaffe? I mean, this is kind of we're making fun of these people, but this is kind of what happens every day in everybody's life. We're just not on camera.
MARTIN: Right. We love it. Brings levity to the whole situation. OGUINNAIKE: It is true, though. We all say things that we immediately regret right after. But we're not public figures. Well, as public as the president or Joe Biden, so they have to live and die by that sword.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN: I don't see why you can't include the beer summit and hiking the Appalachian trail on that list but nonetheless, that's Drew Griffin chatting with some of the folks there.
It's been snowing here this weekend. There's no doubt you have heard we are still digging out as you probably heard too. Stick around, Bonnie Schneider is going to join us to tell us where and how much longer we are going to have to keep doing this as we go on.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOREMAN: Let's check in again quickly with Bonnie Schneider down in the CNN weather center to see about the snow situation that's been plaguing us all weekend. Bonnie, what's the latest.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That's right, Tom. I want to show you some of the totals and what we're dealing with, the cleanup here. Now, you head out to the east end of Long Island, Suffolk County, well over two feet of snow. But in New York City, Central Park, 10.9 inches. That may not sound like a lot when you compare it to the other totals.
But check out the cleanup that going on in New York City right now. As Allan Chernoff mentioned, there's only a lot of slush out there. Now this is Times Square that you're looking at. And there's a lot going on out there, cutting up to New Year's Eve pretty soon. So we need to get all the piles of snow and slush out of the way, no doubt about it.
Let's come back to show you where the snow is right now. It's pushing away from New England, which is good news. But we're still going to have strong winds there tonight as well as out towards New York. Winds are now at about 24 miles per hour. Looking for the forecast, temperatures tonight are dropping below freezing. So watch out for that black ice.
And don't forget that tomorrow is the first day of winter, so the wind-chill very appropriate as we change seasons from fall to winter, Tom. It already feels like winter, no doubt.
FOREMAN: Thanks so much, Bonnie.
Senators are on the job here in Washington tonight. Around 1:00 a.m., they plan to hold a vote that could move the Senate health care bill toward a final vote later this week. Democrats will need every one of their 60 caucus members to vote yes, for them to be successful and if they do, they'll be on track for a final vote on Christmas Eve if everything goes right. CNN plans live coverage of all of tonight's debate there. The crucial Senate vote starting at midnight Eastern. Join me and our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. We'll have the final vote plus a look that all that's in the bill, all that got left out. And we'll try to answer all of your questions, what this could really mean for you.
And right now you can head over to i-report.com and leave us your thoughts on what the Senate bill does mean to you, what you think of it. Do you even understand it. Share your thoughts now at i- report.com. We'll share those on air at midnight Eastern time as we go through our late coverage. Make sure you're here with us. It's a big moment and a lot of coverage.
I'm Tom Foreman. I'll be back again at 10:00 eastern. "Planet in Peril" starts right now.
