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Record Snowstorm Cleanup; Health Reform Clears Hurdle; President Obama on Contract Reform
Aired December 21, 2009 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. It is Monday, December 21st, and here are the faces of the stories driving the headlines today in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid wrangling dividing Democrats and moving them closer to victory on health care reform.
Terri King, a mother given some shocking advice to cover her son's soaring medical bills. Ready? Get a divorce or give up your child.
And Marc Morial, the National Urban League president, tackles the problem of high unemployment among African-Americans.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris. And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
The great snowstorm is over. Now comes the big digout.
The storm dropped record amounts on parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Several major airports report a backlog of passengers because so many flights were canceled. The storm is blamed for at least six highway deaths, three in Virginia.
Our Reynolds Wolf is in Annapolis, Maryland, watching crews clearing streets.
And Reynolds, I've got to tell you, I've got a couple of friends who teach in the Baltimore school system, north of where you are.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Oh, yes.
HARRIS: And school is out there for the day. Are schools in Annapolis closed as well?
WOLF: Schools are closed here, too. City services in terms of trash pickup, that's going to be closed today. The big pickup that we have today is actually going to be the snow pickup.
And Tony, honestly, do you kind of find it ironic that we've got piles of snow, like, back there all over the place, and at the same time, we've got piles of people all over the country trying to get to other places to see loved ones?
HARRIS: Exactly. WOLF: I mean, it's all -- everyone's trying to get to certain places. And I'll tell you what, we just met this fellow.
Sir, I'm Reynolds Wolf, CNN.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: David Hisuncter (ph).
WOLF: David, are you from here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir. I live there.
WOLF: So, what's the game plan? Are you staying in town for the holidays or are you trying to head out somewhere?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trying to head out. I go to St. John's College. I'm a graduate student. And my beautiful girlfriend just came up to visit and a buddy of mine, Tom.
So we're going to head home to Kentucky today. About a 10-hour drive.
WOLF: Oh, you're driving?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are driving.
WOLF: You're driving. Hopefully the roads will be a little better for you. They've got about 813 vehicles out there doing what they can in the state of Maryland to make things safe for you, young man. So enjoy your trip home. And happy holidays to you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you very much, sir.
WOLF: All right, man. Appreciate your time.
You know, Tony, this city was actually founded back in 1649. And this is one of the most historic snowfalls they've had. They've had, let's see, 20.8 inches of snowfall, believe it or not.
Ken Tillis (ph) is actually the CNN photojournalist you have right here who's doing the balancing act. He's walking over huge clumps of ice.
Kenny, give a shot down.
Guys, look at this. See, this is dedication.
HARRIS: Whoa.
WOLF: Kenny is walking on this kind of stuff. Not an easy thing to do, and certainly when you're out and about and you're driving along. You have to drive on this, too.
So, I know conditions on the road are getting better, but if you are going to be traveling out and about, take it easy. You know, no one's in a rush. You're going to get to your place, you're going to get to where you need to be. Watch out, Ken. You've got a big step right there.
The thing is, just keep both hands on the wheel and just take it easy. These roads though have been really clear for the most part.
HARRIS: It looks good. Yes, Reynolds.
WOLF: They're in really good shape. Yes, I know.
They had about 30 vehicles here, snow-moving vehicles. They've had a great team of people that have been moving the snow out of the streets and off the sidewalks.
I don't know if we have this video racked up. And to our friends in the control room, I apologize to you. But if we're able to show the viewers from America this incredible video that we have of someone who shall remain nameless moving some of the snowfall that we had in Maryland...
HARRIS: Oh, we've got to find it. This is going to be good. Yes, we've got to find this.
WOLF: Yes. And, I mean, the snow is actually going back on. This is some crazy stuff.
But city services, as I mentioned, are closed, although we do have law enforcement out, of course. You can imagine that. They're doing a great job.
And we're looking at a better day, temperatures going up. But as Rob has been telling you all day long, we've got yet another storm system that's going to be affecting millions of people just in time for the holiday.
HARRIS: Hey, you've got your own travel issues trying to get back to Atlanta, to your lovely family, don't you?
WOLF: Tony, you have no idea. Right now, the way it looks, we're finally going to get a flight. It looks like it's going to be in Richmond.
We're going to have all the way down to Richmond, catching a flight, hopefully, and then getting back home in time to be back at work tomorrow morning. But that's nothing.
I mean, you've got all kind of families that are out there trying to go visit grandma, trying to see relatives out on the West Coast. And it really is all locked up. It's a tough time.
Oh, we do have the video now, Tony. Let's roll that beautiful footage and show the goodness and splendor of great snow removal work.
You see what I'm talking about here?
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: Throwing it off the sidewalks and back into the street. Yes. Yes.
WOLF: Why is this happening? Do you find this a little bit perplexing? It seems like it should be the other way.
You want the snow off the streets. But sure enough, it goes back on. Good times.
HARRIS: Oh, man. Terrific stuff.
WOLF: You've got to love it.
HARRIS: Good to see you. Great reporting, man.
WOLF: All right, Tony.
HARRIS: We'll see you next hour. Please, let's get you home for your beautiful girls.
All right. Reynolds Wolf for us.
WOLF: Thanks, man.
HARRIS: Rob Marciano drew the short straw and is stuck in the studio here. He was actually lobbying for the Annapolis trip.
Isn't that correct, Rob?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Always.
HARRIS: Always.
MARCIANO: Always.
HARRIS: But we are happy to have him here with us. And Rob's going to give us the latest on those, boy, record snow totals, plus where the storm is now, where it is headed, and what the forecast looks like for the holiday week ahead in just a couple of minutes.
Senate Democrats clear a major hurdle in their push for health care reform. The vote just after 1:00 a.m. Today puts President Obama closer to victory on his top domestic priority.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On this vote, the yeas are 60, the nays are 40. Three-fifths of the senators duly chosen and sworn, having voted in the affirmative, the motion is agreed to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: So the bill passed the key test vote, 60-40, as you heard, the margin needed to overcome a Republican filibuster. The legislation faces two more procedural votes and is on track for passage Christmas Eve. Democrats claimed victory, but Republicans railed against the middle-of-the-night vote.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), MINORITY LEADER: A year after the debate started, few people would have imagined that this is how it would end, with a couple of cheap deals -- a couple of cheap deals and a rushed vote at 1:00 in the morning.
SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: This is not about partisanship or about procedure. And everyone knows we're here at 1:00 in the morning because of my friends on the other side of the aisle.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: All right.
Mourners pay their respects to a key figure in Iran's Islamic Revolution. Tens of thousands gathered in Qom for the funeral of Grand Ayatollah Hussein Montazeri. He died early yesterday.
The 87-year-old was perhaps the most prominent cleric to openly criticize Iran's disputed presidential elections in June. Security, as you can imagine, was tight at today's funeral as protesters chanted anti-government slogans just steps from uniformed officers.
And the sudden death of 32-year-old actress Brittany Murphy appears to be from natural causes. Murphy was known for her roles in "Clueless" and "8 Mile." Police are investigating but say there is no sign of foul play.
Fans and colleagues are reacting on Facebook and Twitter. Murphy was married to British screenwriter Simon Monjack. No word yet on funeral arrangements.
We will dig a little deeper into what happened after midnight last night on Capitol Hill. What is in the health care bill that's expected to pass this week? And who's going to pay for it?
But first, we've got a nice rally. Stocks today, triple-digit gains.
We are following these numbers with Susan Lisovicz for you throughout the day.
Christmas week in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: The Democrats score a big win in their push to overhaul the nation's health care system, but it took some last-minute deal- making and an early vote to move the Senate bill forward.
Details now from Congressional Correspondent Brianna Keilar. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On this vote, the yeas are 60, the nays are 40. Three-fifths of the senators, duly chosen and sworn, having voted in the affirmative, the motion is agreed to.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And with that health care reform cleared a major hurdle in an early morning vote in the Senate. But for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the key breakthrough came on Saturday when Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska announced that he would back the bill, giving Democrats 60 votes. The absolute minimum they needed to pass a bill.
SEN. BEN NELSON (D), NEBRASKA: Change is never easy, but change is what's necessary in America today, and that's why I intend to vote for cloture and vote for health care reform.
KEILAR: Nelson signed on only after striking a deal with Democratic leaders to limit insurance coverage of abortions, and he offered a warning if that provision is weakened as the Senate bill is merged with the House-passed bill.
NELSON: I reserve the right to vote against the next cloture vote if there are material changes to this agreement in the conference report.
KEILAR: Nelson also scored a sweetener for his state. The federal government will pick up the tab for expanding Medicaid in Nebraska, the only state to receive the windfall. While liberal Democrats criticized the bill which does not include a government-run insurance plan, President Obama praised the compromise.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: With today's developments, it now appears that the American people will have the vote they deserve on genuine reform that offers security to those who have health insurance and affordable options for those who do not.
KEILAR: Republicans unanimous in their opposition to the Democrats' health care reform bill lambasted it on the Senate floor.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: We're not going to put the whole nation at risk and take a broken system and make it worse just to get a vote. No way in hell.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: OK. Brianna Keilar joining us live now from Capitol Hill.
And Brianna, abortion played a big part in getting this health care reform bill through the Senate. As this moves forward, are we expecting for that issue to come up again?
KEILAR: Of course we are. Yes, the next step here is that the House and the Senate, they have to hash out their differences. Remember, the House passed its health care bill back in November, so they're going to have to merge their two bills. There are significant differences on the insurance coverage restrictions of abortion.
The language is actually stricter in the House bill. And as soon as word of this agreement on the Senate side came about, we heard from a key anti-abortion rights Democrat, Bart Stupak, who really led the charge for that stricter abortion language on the House side, and he said that the Senate abortion language is not acceptable.
So, expect to see quite a fight over that. And you've also got abortion rights Democrats in the House who also have their issues coming from the other side, Tony.
But the other issue, as they work towards merging these bills, is going to be that public option, that government-run insurance plan. The House still has it; the Senate bill does not. So, somehow, they're going to have to bridge that chasm as they move toward the next step here.
HARRIS: Still plenty of work to do.
Brianna Keilar on Capitol Hill.
Brianna, thank you.
A closer look now at what the Senate health reform bill would mean for your medical coverage. Here are some details on what is and what isn't in the legislation.
The bill does not include a public option. Instead, it would create not-for-profit private plans overseen by the government agency. The bill puts additional regulations on the insurance industry and includes $10 billion for new community health centers.
Nearly all Americans would be required to get insurance or face fines. The government would subsidize coverage for families making about $88,000 or less. Medicaid would cover families making just over $29,000.
Businesses with more than 50 employees could face fines for uninsured workers. Smaller businesses with employee salaries averaging $50,000 or less could get tax credits.
Having trouble getting health insurance for your child? How about this idea -- get a divorce. That is the advice being given. Dr. Sanjay Gupta shares one family's story.
That's next in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Sleigh bells ring. Are you listening? Come on.
Winter is, what, just about an hour away, officially? But it is certainly a winter wonderland in Washington, D.C.
I-Reporter Javier Garcia sent us these photos of the record snowfall in the nation's capital over the weekend. He says his neighborhood was blanketed in more than a foot of snow. And Reagan National Airport recorded 16.4 inches.
I-Reporters have been braving the elements all over the East Coast. Cody Sipes of Berkley Springs, West Virginia, says, "This winter storm really caught us off guard." By 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, when this photo was taken, we're talking about 11 inches of snow on the ground.
Nice shot, Cody.
And he says by 11:00 it was 16 inches deep.
Brian in Summerfield, North Carolina, says, "It was so peaceful watching the snow change the landscape."
You know something? It may have been peaceful, but the storm prompted Virginia's governor to declare a state of emergency.
And in Dover, Pennsylvania, approximately photographer Ian Bradshaw capture this. This is nice, a beautiful image of Dales ponies. That's the breed. Dales ponies plodding through more than a foot of snow.
Let's get you caught up now on our top stories.
A deadly boat collision in San Diego Bay. Authorities say a Coast Guard vessel and a recreational boat collided, killing an 8- year-old boy. Five other people were injured. The crash happened during a Christmas boat parade, but neither vessel was involved in the parade.
The infamous sign in front of the Auschwitz concentration camp has been found. It was stolen last week from the camp in Poland.
Five men have been arrested. Police say they intended to sell the sign. The sign is in German and reads, "Work sets you free."
A weekend storm brought record snowfalls to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, as we've been telling you. Take a look. Two feet deep in some areas. Virginia reported about, oh, 3,000 traffic accidents and disabled vehicles.
People trying to get home for the holidays found themselves stranded at airports and on highways. Many are still trying to make it home today. At least six deaths are blamed on the severe weather.
It was a mess at airports this weekend. Washington's Dulles, Reagan National Airport saw snowfall up to 18 inches.
Ready for this live picture? New York's LaGuardia right now. Bright sunshine. Beautiful day. A lot of snow on the ground. It was open Sunday morning, along with JFK and Newark airports. Let's get you to President Obama right now.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
OBAMA: The United States Senate knocked down a filibuster aimed at blocking a final vote on health care reform and scored a big victory for the American people. By standing up to the special interests who prevented reform for decades and who are furiously lobbying against it now, the Senate has moved us closer to reform that makes a tremendous difference for families, for seniors, for businesses and for the country as a whole.
For those who have insurance, reform will mean greater security and stability. No longer will people with pre-existing conditions be excluded from coverage. No longer will people who are seriously ill be dropped from coverage. And no longer will families be allowed to go broke because they're forced to pay exorbitant out-of-pocket expenses.
Many people recall the enormous fights around the Patient's Bill of Rights that never got done. Well, you know what? The Patient's Bill of Rights is embedded in this health care bill, and it makes sure that all Americans who have insurance right now are getting a fair deal from their insurance companies.
Small businesses and those who don't get insurance through their employer will finally be able to get insurance at a price that they can afford with tax credits to help. And Medicare will be stronger and its solvency extended by nearly a decade. Seniors will get more assistance with prescription drug costs than they're getting right now. And finally, these reforms will help the inexorable and unsustainable rise in health care costs that are overwhelming families, businesses and the federal budget.
The Congressional Budget Office now reports that this bill will reduce our deficit by $132 billion over the first decade and by as much as $1.3 trillion in the decade after that. So, I just want to be clear. For all those who are continually harping about how this is somehow a big spending government bill, this cuts our deficit by $132 billion the first 10 years and by over a trillion dollars in the second. That argument that opponents are making against this bill does not hold water.
Now, embracing this kind of responsibility in Washington is what also brings us here today. I am pleased to be joined this morning by my secretary of Veterans Affairs, Eric Shinseki; my budget director, Peter Orszag; and our special guest, last but not least, the winner of the first annual SAVE Award. And that's Nancy Fichtner of Loma, Colorado.
Now, having met with Nancy a few minutes ago, I can tell you Nancy means business. She's a single working mom. She's a clerk with the V.A. She's an artist. She's an outdoorswoman. And she is an avid hunter.
In fact, somewhere in the western United States there is an elk that is breathing a sigh of relief because Nancy is here instead of where she would have been, hunting with her kids. And I believe her children are here.
Where's Nancy's kids?
There they are, right there.
It's great to see you guys.
Nancy's daughter, she skins and guts her elk. So don't mess with her either.
(LAUGHTER)
We're all here for a simple reason. At a time when we face not only a fiscal crisis, but also a host of difficult challenges as a nation, business as usual in Washington just won't cut it. We need a government that's more efficient, that's more effective, and far more fiscally responsible.
When my administration walked through the door, the country faced a growing economic downturn, as well as a deepening fiscal hole. Washington had passed massive tax cuts for the wealthy and an expensive new entitlement program without paying for any of it. Health care costs continued to rise year after year. And little effort was made to cut wasteful spending.
As a result, over the previous eight years, the national debt doubled. Doubled.
In January, the deficit stood at $1.3 trillion, and we had to make the difficult decision to add to the deficit in the short term to prevent the potential collapse of our economy. But as I've said, in the long run, we can't continue to spend as if deficits don't have consequences, as if waste doesn't matter, as if the hard-earned tax dollars of the American people can be treated like Monopoly money. That's what we've seen time and time again.
Washington's become more concerned about the next election than the next generation. It's put off our choices, spending bill after spending bill, budget after bloated budget. Government contracting is a perfect example.
Between 2002 and 2008, the amount spent on government contracts more than doubled. And the amount spent on no-bid, non-competitive contracts jumped by 129 percent.
This is an inexcusable waste of money. And that's why back in March, I ordered federal departments and agencies to come up with plans to save up to $40 billion a year in contracting by 2011. And over the past six months, agencies have been making cuts by looking for better deals, by ending contracts and doing work in-house, and by opening up no big contracts to competitive bidding. Because of these efforts, I'm proud to announce today that we are on track to meet our goals.
Twenty-four departments have identified more than $19 billion in savings for this year alone. And this is only the latest example.
In my very first cabinet meeting, I directed every secretary to join us in scouring the budget line by line to find ways to make government more efficient and less wasteful. Together, we identified more than 100 programs to scale back or end completely, as well as other ways to cut costs, finding $17 billion in savings so far. We're also going after roughly $100 billion wasted on improper payments to contractors, organizations and individuals.
To put this in perspective, these mistakes and, in some cases, abuses, cost taxpayers more each other than the budgets for the Education and Homeland Security departments combined. We've done what some said was impossible, preventing wasteful spending on outdated weapons systems that even the Pentagon says it doesn't need. And I've insisted from the beginning that health care reform will not add one dime to our deficit. And as I just noted, not only is it not adding to our deficit, it's actually reducing it.
And finally, I've issued a challenge to every man and woman who works for the federal government. If you see a way that government can do its job better, or do the same job for less money, I want to know about it. And that's why we started the SAVE Award, to draw on those who know government best to improve how government works.
We asked federal employees to submit reform proposals based on their experiences. And in a testament to the seriousness with which these folks are taking their jobs, we received more than 38,000 proposals in just three weeks.
From these submissions, four finalists were selected and put to an online vote. Nancy is here because she won.
Her idea stems from her experience at the V.A. medical center where she works. She noticed that whenever patients left the hospital, leftover medications like eye drops or inhalers were just thrown away. And often, veterans would have to go right back to the pharmacy to refill what was discarded.
So, the V.A. is paying twice. It's waste, plain and simple. And thanks to Nancy and to Secretary Shinseki and the folks at Veterans Affairs, we're putting a stop to it. The change is already under way.
Of course, Nancy's proposal was just one of many great ideas that came to us. We've already begun to implement a host of suggestions made through the SAVE contest. And while promoting electronic pay stubs or scheduling Social Security appointments online, or re- purposing unused government supplies may not be the most glamorous reforms in history, when taken together these small changes add up. They add up to a transformation of how government works.
And that's why we're going to turn the SAVE award into an annual event. That's why we're holding a forum at the White House next month to seek more ideas from the private sector, specifically about how we can better use technology to reform our government for the 21st century. After years of irresponsibility, we are once again taking responsibility for every dollar we spend the same way families do. It's true that what I've described today will not be enough to get us out of our fiscal mess by itself. We face a deficit that will take some tough decisions in the next year's budget and in years to come to get under control. But these changes will save the American people billions of dollars, and they'll help to put in place a government that's more efficient and effective, that wastes less money on no-bid contracts, that's cutting bureaucracy and harnessing technology, that's more fiscally responsible and that better serve the American taxpayer.
That's the government we need. That's the government I intend to implement. That's the kind of government that the American people deserve. And that's the kind of government that people like Nancy are helping to build each and every day.
So, Nancy, congratulations. We're proud of you.
NANCY FICHTNER, 2009 SAVE AWARD RECIPIENT: Thank you.
OBAMA: Thank you so much.
FICHTNER: Thank you so much.
OBAMA: Thank you.
We're very proud of your mom.
Thank you, everybody.
HARRIS: All right, President Obama congratulating, first of all, the Senate passing a key procedural hurdle to passing a health care bill. The president also criticizing republicans who is claim the health care bill will add to the budget deficit. The president, in essence, asking those opponents to read the report on the health care bill from the Congressional Budget Office. The score says the bill will reduce the deficit over time.
The president also making remarks on making government more efficient. Nancy Fichtner, who was standing next to the president, works for the Department of Veterans Affairs in Colorado, and her winning efficiency idea was to allow veterans to take home the medications they use while they're in the hospital. What happens now is that the veteran is sent home with a prescription and what's left of the medicine that soldier was taking while in the hospital is routinely thrown away. Not anymore thanks to Nancy's big idea. President Obama focusing on government efficiency.
We're back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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HARRIS: As we told you last week, the Saturday before Christmas is typically the busiest shopping day of the year, but this year snow blanketed the East Coast. Man, did it. Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with a look at whether retailers met their sales figures.
And, Susan, good to see you. First of all, some of these areas that we're talking about along the East Coast got as much as two feet of snow. Who's shopping in that mess?
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you're doing it with the clicker in your flannel PJs is what you're doing. And not surprisingly, online retailers did see a lot more activity compared to a year before.
You know, we didn't have the option to shop, because malls in New Jersey and D.C. closed early. We will get hard numbers tomorrow, Tony, so we can continue the conversation. But a lot of folks did turn to their laptops. Coremetrics said that online shopping rose 24 percent Friday and Saturday compared to a year ago.
And some stores, not surprisingly, they're responding by extending shipping deadlines. For instance, Amazon.com and Macys.com. Brick and mortar stores like Target will stay open longer, 24/7 is what we're talking about. So sales this week could make up for the weekend's lost sales.
I mean, the fact is, a lot of folks still have to do their shopping, and there are five days left in which to do it. So I'm confident that you will see a lot of frenzied, frantic shoppers over the next few days, Tony.
HARRIS: We figure out a way to get it done.
Another story let's revisit from Friday -- Saab. GM said they would shut the brand down, but now there could be a last minute save here?
LISOVICZ: Yes, it's real drama involving the Swedish brand. Saab not riding off into the sunset just yet, Tony. GM has until 5:00 p.m. to accept a deal with Spiker, which is a Dutch automaker, and the result could affect 3,400 workers globally. GM, not surprisingly, having trouble selling the 60-year-old brand in this environment. Saab sales were cut in half this year. GM, of course, trying to downsize big time and focus on four core brands -- Chevy, Cadillac, GMC, Buick. We've already said good-bye to Pontiac and Saturn.
In the meantime, we're seeing a little Santa rally.
HARRIS: A little pop, huh? A little pop.
LISOVICZ: Yes. The Dow, the Nasdaq, S&P 500 all up at least 1 percent. The Nasdaq is at a 14-month high and we're seeing triple digit gains for the Dow.
That's my present to you, Mr. Harris. Just one of them.
HARRIS: I love it, you superstar, you. See you next hour. Thank you, Susan. And as always, check out our special report, "America's Money Crisis," that's at CNNMoney.com. Having trouble getting health insurance for your child? How about this? Get a divorce. Yes. People are actually being given that advice. Dr. Sanjay Gupta shares one family's story, next in the NEWSROOM.
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HARRIS: Let's get you caught up on our top stories now.
American David Goldman could learn today if he regains custody of his 9-year-old son, Sean. Brazil's chief justice is expected to rule on Goldman's efforts to get his son back from the child's Brazilian grandparents and the boy's stepfather. Sean was taken to Brazil by his mother back in 2004, she died last year.
Iraq says it has reclaimed an oil well seized by Iranian troops last week in a border dispute. Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen says he is not assuming the brief takeover's part of any orchestrated plan in Tehran.
The virtual creatures of James Cameron's "Avatar" making money at the box office, the weekend take for the sci-fi epic, $73 million in the U.S. How about this -- $179 million overseas. Twentieth Century Fox says "Avatar" grossed a record breaking $13.6 million in IMAX theaters alone with many adding 3:00 and 6:00 a.m. showings to meet demand.
Got to tell you, much of the East Coast is actually digging out from that big weekend snowstorm. It is disrupting, as you can imagine, holiday travel plans for a whole lot of people. CNN's Nicole Collins is at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia.
Nicole, good to see you. I hesitate to ask this question, but I will dive in here, Are things starting to get back on track there?
NICOLE COLLINS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Tony. Things are looking pretty normal around here. Much better than this morning and exponentially better since than this weekend. Other than that big blanket of snow out on the ground, things look like any other day here. At this point, the runways are open, flights have been coming in and out. Now for hours the lines have died down. Incredibly, they were up to my back a few hours ago. Now it just looks like any other day, like I said.
So now the big question is when will airlines get caught up? There's a big backlog of passengers. We've learned Delta has increased their seat capacity by 6,500 today. Also, tomorrow, U.S. Air will increase by 21 percent. But even with changing like those, it still could take a couple of days to get all caught up.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS (voice-over): While the snowfall is over and the digout has begun, the mess left by the first big snowstorm of the season is far from cleaned up. While many roads have been cleared, some remain slick and icy with cars abandoned on the shoulder and some travelers are still stranded at airports along the East Coast as airlines work to resume regular schedules.
CRYSTAL VELASCO, STRANDED TRAVELER: They're just telling us, oh, stand in line for three hours. And they tell you after you get to the front. So it's insane.
MEGAN RUZICKA, STRANDED TOURIST: It is kind of a disaster. It's a little tiring sleepwise. You can't get a lot of sleep.
COLLINS: Washington's Reagan National and Dulles airports saw record snowfall in the blizzard of '09 with totals between 16 and 18 inches, the highest one-day totals in December history. The storm left a backlog of holiday travelers.
CARRIE PALMER, STRANDED TRAVELER: People were really worried about missing their flights, not getting any flights, not getting out until Wednesday at the earliest.
COLLINS: With several deaths reported in Virginia, some hunkered down in airports are making the best of it and say they're keeping their perspective.
DENNIS KATOLIN, STRANDED TRAVELER: We'll be fine. We'll be fine. Everybody's healthy. Everybody's safe. So not the end of the world, but frustrating.
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COLLINS: Now even though the snow stopped falling Saturday and airports are getting back to normal pretty much, still, there are some spotty delays and cancellations. So if you're headed out east make sure to check with your airlines before you head to the airport. If your flight is on schedule, try to check in online just to avoid unnecessary delays, Tony.
HARRIS: That's good advice. Just try to stay as positive as you can. It's tough for everybody. Nicole, appreciate it. Thank you.
Rob Marciano will be up next with the latest on those record snow amounts, plus where this storm is now -- where is it now? -- with the forecast for the rest of your holiday week.
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HARRIS: Nebraska Senator Bill Nelson gave democrats a 60th vote they needed to advance the health care reform bill, but it took some deal making among other things. Nelson struck a deal to limit insurance coverage for abortions.
On CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" with John King he responded to critics who say the language is not strong enough.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. BILL NELSON (D), NEBRASKA: We tried to pass the Stupak language earlier in the Congress last week and it was called the Nelson/Hatch/Casey bill. It didn't get enough votes. So the choice was do nothing or try to do something in case Stupak is not -- that language doesn't hold in the conference report. So, what we were trying to do was find a way to solve the issue.
I think the language does do -- I disagree with them. I think it's unfortunate they've taken the approach they have because the arguments about a staple. It's about a staple. It's about whether or not you have a rider that you staple to a policy, the rider covers abortion or whether you have it. And for that, there's no separate check required. It would be just the requirement would be the -- that the check cover both abortion and the person's portion of the premium.
Whereas what we've proposed is you can have the language in the policy because it becomes part of the policy as a rider or an endorsement, but you have to write a separate check for just the abortion portion of it. If it's $5 a month -- a year, it's $5 a separate check as well as a separate check for the rest of your coverage. Only in public plans.
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: But if you had held out, Harry Reid can't do this without 60 votes, if you had said Stupak language or nothing, wouldn't Harry Reid have to give in eventually?
NELSON: Well, I don't know. You know, it seems to me that they're more likely -- with the harsh feelings about this issue that it would be more likely that they would have then gone to reconciliation.
I mean, I think people have to understand, 60 votes may be 60 votes to go through the ordinary process, but 50 votes, a simple majority, could be required by going through the whole process called reconciliation. Then you won't have gotten Stupak, you won't have gotten Nelson/Hatch/Casey. You would have gotten what's in the bill right now.
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HARRIS: Wow. And you can catch "STATE OF THE UNION" with John King Sundays from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Eastern.
And here's what we're working on for the next hour. The U.S. Senate convening this hour. It's got its hands on that massive health care reform package. What's in, what's out? We'll go live to capitol hill for a breakdown for you.
Plus, an American astronaut preparing for her trip to the International Space Station. Katie Coleman is practicing for this routine flight and the unexpected dangers.
All that and more ahead in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: She is one of our "Faces of the Story" today, a mother whose son needs extensive medical care. When she tried to get help, she was offered some shocking advice -- get a divorce.
The story from our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
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DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Terry King's son Matthew was born with a heart defect that stretched the family's health insurance to the limit.
TERRY KING, SON BORN WITH HEART DEFECT: I would have never thought in a million years that in this country that families that do all the right things can be completely ruined.
GUPTA: Matthew will need special care for the rest of his life.
KING: There needs to be something available for the middle class people, because health care is so unaffordable. There needs to be something for those of us that fall through those cracks because we fell through every single crack.
GUPTA: When King and her husband, Michael, sought help to cover Matthew's care, the advice they got was shock.
KING: That we should get a divorce. That I should turn over all my joint assets to Mike, get a divorce so that I could be a poor single mother. Then I could be on Medicaid along with Matthew and then Matthew would get full medical coverage on Medicaid.
GUPTA: The Kings say another counselor suggested they give up Matthew for adoption to a relative who could then collect full benefits for him through Medicaid.
Eventually, they convinced the Las Vegas Police Department where Michael is a detective to increase their insurance coverage. They asked the Nevada State Legislature to help others in the same boat, a bill to let these families buy Medicaid coverage was introduced but then voted down, leaving Terry furious.
KING: I would like to know how they would feel if they were told to divorce their wife tore give their child up for adoption. I just think that if they were in our shoes, they would be doing something about it. But right now, they never have to worry did about it so it's easy to sit back and pass it back and forth and just do nothing.
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GUPTA: Tony, it's worth pointing out more than half of insurance companies, even the good ones, have caps on how much they'll pay over the course of someone's lifetime. So no matter how sick are you, no matter how much in need you are, you could simply be out of luck. And that's exactly what we're talking about here with Matthew King.
Interestingly enough, Tony, just really quickly as well, we did speak to the King family about all that's happened over the past couple days, and they actually are disappointed in this particular version of the Senate bill. Their biggest concern really was not so much about the reform as it was about the cost. They didn't feel like enough was being done to bring down costs. They still remember that multimillion dollar price tag from taking care of Matthew.
So that's just a little bit of a glimpse of people's reactions to what's happening all across the country with respect to health care.
Tony, back to you.
HARRIS: All right, Sanjay, amazing.
