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Health Care Reform Moves Forward; Court-Martial for Pregnancy; Your Pay Raises in 2010; Answering Health Care Questions

Aired December 22, 2009 - 09:00   ET

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

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And it's time now for the "CNN NEWSROOM" with -- Betty, where have you been? Haven't talked to you in a while.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: I know.

HOLMES: We still work together, right?

NGUYEN: It's been a while. I've been watching. Yes, we do still work together. Thanks, guys.

Well, two health care reform tests have passed in the Senate. One more hurdle to go before we could see a final vote.

And check this out. This guy has been waiting five years to be reunited with his son. Will it happen today? We're waiting on a Brazilian court to rule.

And a new ruling for troops in the war zone. Get pregnant and you could face a court-martial.

Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen, in for Heidi Collins today. It is Tuesday, December 22nd, and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

All right, health care reform moving closer to a final vote in the Senate on Christmas eve. Lawmakers were in early for a procedural vote this morning.

Our Dana Bash is on Capitol Hill.

So, Dana, what's happening with these votes today?

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we saw were, as you said, a couple of procedural votes. These are just necessary votes that senators -- particularly the Democrats -- who want this health care bill to be passed as soon as possible, that they had to take as they really limp towards a final vote on health care.

And essentially, what we have left after today's votes is one more vote that requires 60 to pass. Essentially, what it is is the vote to stop debate, finally stop debate on health care. And then the final passage. That is probably at this point looking like it's headed towards Christmas eve, Betty. Christmas eve.

Now why is this taking so long? Well, it's pretty simple. It's because the Senate is a place where any senator can do anything to slow the trains, if you will, and Republicans, most of them, have made very clear in the hours and hours and hours of debate around the clock here in the Senate that they think that this is wrong in terms of the substance of the bill and wrong in terms of the process, the way Democrats, from their perspective, are rushing this through, trying to get this through by Christmas.

So they're trying to make a point saying we're going to do what we can to slow things down, Betty.

NGUYEN: Well, Dana, speaking of process, this is really still part of the beginning stages, because both the Senate and the House will have to merge their ideas and come together on a final plan, correct?

BASH: That's right. If all goes as planned in the Senate, and if they do pass their version of the health care bill by Christmas eve, then comes the very difficult work to marry the Senate passed bill and the House passed bill. And I'll go through some of the toughest issues that these Democrats are going to have to deal with.

And the president is probably going to have to broker these compromises. First of all, the issue of abortion. In the House, what passed there -- very, very strict restrictions, essentially saying that no abortion coverage is allowed in private health care plans unless somebody buys a separate rider.

Well, in the Senate bill the compromise here is that what is allowed is abortion coverage, that is -- that will be offered but people will just have to buy it with their own money, and the whole concept here is they're trying to avoid taxpayer dollars going for abortion.

On the issue of taxes, that is another big, big difference. Enter Democratic fight. In the House, what they have is excise tax. An excise tax on all wealthy Americans. In the Senate, what they are doing instead to raise money for this health care bill is taxing high cost so-called Cadillac plans.

That's something that really angered union members, especially, Betty, because they say that a lot of unions actually have pretty good deals when it comes to their health plans. And they're worried that they could get hurt by this tax.

And lastly, the government-run health care option. This of course was the big controversial issue for months and months and months. The House passed bill has a public option. The Senate bill does not. It looks from talking to many, many Democratic sources like because the votes are so tight in the Senate it looks like that public option is not going to survive the final bill that goes to the president's desk.

When is this going to happen? The new goal, talking to Democrats, is by the State of the Union, that is probably going to be late January, early February. The president had wanted this bill on his desk by the end of the year, that's not going to happen. NGUYEN: Yes. It's apparent when they've already set a new goal and it's not even Christmas yet. OK, thank you, Dana.

In other news, though, we are expecting a possible decision today in a much watched custody fight held up by a Brazilian Supreme Court justice. Last week the justice stopped American David Goldman from taking custody of his 9-year-old son. Now a lower court had already granted this man custody. Goldman and Brazil's attorney general filed an appeal with the high court to overturn one justice's objection. Goldman spoke about the delays on CNN's "ANDERSON COOPER 360."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID GOLDMAN, FATHER IN CUSTODY BATTLE FOR HIS SON: I have been doing this for an agonizing over five years now, and time and time again I come down here, and bring home my son, and I get the same thing. And just the plane simple fact that Sean and I should be together is not happening, and it's very, very sad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: All right, so here's a look back at the case. In 2004 Goldman's Brazilian wife took her son on a vacation to her home country. She never returned. Instead she got a divorce in Brazil. Then in 2005, the courts backed the International Abduction Treaty which protects children in these kinds of cases. But the court refused to order the boy returned to New Jersey.

Now in 2007, the boy's mother, she remarried and then a year later she died during childbirth. In February of this year, Goldman was finally reunited with his son after five years. He was fighting with his late ex-wife's family with custody. Then in June a lower court granted custody to David Goldman, but the Supreme Court held that up ordering a review of the case.

We are expecting to hear a decision any moment today. And as soon as that happens, of course, we will bring that to you live.

In the meantime, though, the debate over Guantanamo Bay detainees could get loud in Illinois today. The state is holding the first public hearing on a plan to put detainees in prison in Thomson, Illinois.

Now under the plan, the state would sell the prison to the federal government. Supporters and opponents get to chance to plead their case to a government panel. But the panel's decision is not binding.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has already come out in favor of the plan.

This has a lot of people talking. Get pregnant, face a court- martial? One U.S. general says this controversial new order is all in the name of keeping up troop strength.

CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr joins us now live. All right, Barbara, what is up with this order? And is it even constitutional?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Betty, U.S. military attorneys have ruled this order legal. This comes from Major General Anthony Cucolo, the U.S. commander in northern Iraq who has issued an order to his troops indeed, get pregnant and you may -- you may face court-martial and even jail time.

Now, in fact that is theoretical for troops. For female soldiers since the unit arrived in Iraq a few weeks ago have become pregnant, General Cucolo has disciplined them. They have not faced court- martial. But he's trying to make the point, he says, that as the U.S. draws down in Iraq, he needs every soldier he's got and he can't afford to be sending soldiers home when they become pregnant.

So he says -- explaining further, he says, quote, "Anyone who leaves this fight earlier than the expected 12-month deployment creates a burden on their teammates, anyone who leaves this fight early, because they made a personal choice that change the medical status or contributes to doing that to another," referencing men who may impregnate female soldiers, "is not keeping with a key element of our ethos."

And that ethos, according to the U.S. military, is the fight -- the war comes first. That people can't engage in behavior that could lead to them being sent home because it just puts a burden on a fellow soldier.

Let me answer the question ahead of time. Is it legal? Is it invading someone's privacy? General Cucolo says he knows that a lot of people in civilian life may not understand this but he felt it was something that he had to do, that he had to remind the troops they had to take responsibility for their actions -- Betty?

NGUYEN: All right, Barbara. But let's get down to this part of the matter. When it comes to being pregnant and being a soldier, it's hard for a female to hide that, but when it comes to male soldiers, the one who impregnated the female, it's a little easier to do that. So what kind of impact does this have on male soldiers?

STARR: Well, you know, they haven't probably tested that to the max yet but he's very clear that if he finds that there are male soldiers involved in a case like this, they also will face the potential of disciplinary action. He makes the point, however, you know, look, this is not going to be applied to someone involved in a sexual -- a female involved in a sexual assault case, but it would be applied, and it has been, he said, to men involved in cases of adultery, where female soldiers have become pregnant as a result of those relationships, consensual or not -- Betty?

NGUYEN: Hmm, very interesting and definitely has a lot of people talking today. Barbara Starr, thank you so much for that.

And we do want to know what you think about court-martials for pregnant troops. Go to CNN.com/betty or track me down on Facebook and twitter. You just go to Betty Nguyen CNN. Want to hear your thoughts. We'll be reading them on the air throughout the next couple of hours.

So at least four people died today when a suicide bomber struck in Pakistan. It happened in the Peshawar area. And it's been the site of similar deadly attacks over the past couple of months. Today the bomber detonated while being searched by police. He was trying to get into a local journalists association. Seventeen others were injured in that blast.

Might not have gotten a raise this year? That is likely to change in 2010, but there is a catch.

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: And one storm system is leaving the eastern seaboard while another is brewing out west. Just in time for the holiday season. We'll let you know again how it's going to affect millions of Americans just in time for the big day. Bah humbug.

See you in a few.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Well, it could be a dim Christmas for thousands of families. Nearly 107,000 homes in Virginia and West Virginia are still in the dark after last week's blizzard. Utility workers hope to restore power to most of them today. But they say it could be Friday before everyone has the light on again. One company, Appalachian Power, has hired additional crews from 13 states to help out.

Let's get the latest on this winter storm because I think there's another one brewing. Reynolds Wolf is here joining us. We've been working on this all weekend long and for the first part of this week. It's just been a mess out there.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: Well, at least you we have been warned. Bring your patience.

WOLF: Yes, that's always the case.

NGUYEN: Thank you, Reynolds.

WOLF: You bet.

NGUYEN: Well, the New York Yankees are world champions, and along with the World Series rings they are also getting a big tax bill. Yes, the team owes -- get this -- around $26 million to the league, and that's because their payroll is $226 million.

Teams that pay more than $162 million in salaries also have to pay a luxury tax. The Yankees were the only team to top the payroll threshold this year.

All right, want to give you a good news-bad news story. What do you want first? Good news? OK, here we go. You are likely to get a raise next year. Not bad, right? Well, all right, so here's the bad news. This is not going to be that big.

CNN's Christine Romans has been talking to your boss, but she does have some numbers that you'll be interested in.

Christine, though, before we get to those raises, there are some news on the GDP just out. Tell us about that.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. This is the third quarter measure of how strong the economy was. And in the final reading -- they take three looks at this and the final reading shows that third quarter GDP, that should be a green arrow. It's 2.2. percent. Growth was positive. 2.2 percent growth in the third quarter.

But the negative part comes from -- originally we thought it'd be 3.5 percent growth. So third quarter GDP not as robust as we thought. Why? Well, the consumers didn't spend as much as economists and government economists had originally thought. We're still in the trade deficit which is way -- the imbalance between what we buy and what we sell overseas is still weighing out.

You got companies, businesses weren't buying things and stocking their inventories as much as people had thought. So the economy is growing, Betty, but it's not growing as strongly as many, many people had hoped. This will provide fuel for Democrats who will say, look, if we didn't have stimulus and bailouts and interventions on the federal level, we would still be in a really rocky period for the economy.

True. It will also provide ammunitions for Republicans who will say, look, all the money that we've spent, the money we've borrowed, it's barely moving the needle on the dial of the economy. Also true.

So we're still showing, I think, that you finally got growth in the economy for the third quarter after four quarters of a shrinking American economy. But that the growth is not really very strong -- Betty.

NGUYEN: All right. On the heels of that, let's get back to that good news because we started teasing people by the fact that they may be getting a little bit of a raise, really?

ROMANS: Well, in all good news in this economy, it comes with a big asterisk, doesn't it? OK? So let's look first. This is Mercer, the consulting firm and outsourcing firm. Mercer says look, salary freezes in 2010, about 14 percent of companies are going to freeze salaries. That's a lot better than last year.

In 2009, 30 percent of companies just had a hiring freeze -- a salary freeze. So that means you're more likely to have a pay increase in 2010. What's that pay increase is going to look like? Well, it's going to look like about 2.7 percent. A little less than if you've got a pay increase this year. But about a 2.7 percent pay increase. And the key here is that more companies are actually going to be allowing those salary increases more than last year for sure. Now how do those pay increases shape up by industry? Because it depends on where you work. Consumer goods, anything related to consumer goods, making consumer goods, distributing and selling 3 percent.

High-tech companies, probably a 3 percent raise is what you can expect. But the smallest raises -- ironically the smallest raises come in the very places where we're adding a lot of the jobs. Health care, nurses, anything involving health care, about 2.4 percent. Education, teachers, 2.2 percent salary increases there.

So that's how it shapes up. I mean you might be seeing a thaw from companies who are feeling a little bit better. They're starting to thaw a little bit, and some companies are saying -- more companies than last year are starting to say maybe we can let loose and we're going to have some pay increases this year.

NGUYEN: Well, you know, at this point, a lot of people are just happy to get a raise of any kind. So, you know, hey, we're going to look at a glass half full. Right?

ROMANS: OK, we'll let you.

NGUYEN: All right. Thanks, Christine.

At the top, speaking of Republicans, on their wish list, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani is now considering a run for the Senate. But will Rudy win? Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Time now to check some of the top stories that we're watching for you this morning.

Sources close to former New York mayor and presidential candidate, Rudy Giuliani, say he will not be running for the Senate next year. Now he was being courted to run against Kristen Gillibrand but -- who is named to replace Hillary Clinton in the Senate earlier this year, but later today we understand Giuliani is expected to endorse former Republican congressman, Rick Lazio, in the governor's race.

Israel may be moving closer to a prisoner exchange that could bring Gilad Schalit home. The Israeli army sergeant was captured 3 1/2 years ago and Israeli media reports that the government is considering releasing 1,000 Palestinian prisoners to Hamas, but they would want Hamas to agree to deport some of those released prisoners.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: All right, so two down, one to go. The health care bill has passed another 60-vote test in the Senate this morning. So what will this legislation mean to you? And I'm sure you all have plenty of questions.

So here to answer some of them, our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, is here with me.

All right, Sanjay, let's get to our first question because we've got a whole lot of them. But Tom in Mountain View, Arkansas writes this. "My wife and I operate a restaurant, small, and earn $50 to $60,000 annually. Is there a ballpark figure on our projected costs should this bill, as presently presented, pass Congress?"

DR. SANJAY `GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's interesting because we get a lot of questions from small business owners, and because they care about the impact specifically on their business and on them as individuals as well.

Couple of key numbers to keep in mind for Tom and any other small business numbers. And one of them is 25 employees. If you have fewer than 25 employees, most of what's in the Senate bill really isn't going to affect you. There is no mandate that you provide health care insurance for your employees. Now -- if you have fewer than 25.

If you have fewer than 25 and do want to provide health care insurance, the key number is $50,000. If you're making less than $50,000, you can get federal subsidies for your employees. Up to $1,000 or $2,000 per employees.

NGUYEN: Really?

GUPTA: So you don't have to do it. If you decide to do it, there are some federal subsidies available depending on how much your small business is making.

I always give the caveat here that this is all subject to change, everything we're talking about.

NGUYEN: Right.

GUPTA: This has still got to go through conference and...

NGUYEN: Well, it's got to be passed first of all through the Senate.

GUPTA: It's got to be passed.

NGUYEN: Then they have to reconcile it and come up with a bill through the House and the Senate.

GUPTA: Right.

NGUYEN: So we'll see where that goes.

GUPTA: So it's like one of those disclaimers at the beginning.

NGUYEN: Right.

GUPTA: Everything you're about to hear may change.

NGUYEN: Can change. Right.

GUPTA: Right.

NGUYEN: All right, well, maybe we can answer this from Daniel. He noted this question, saying, "If someone can't be denied for preexisting conditions, what is the motivation for a lower-income individual to pay for health care insurance? And doesn't this make paying into an insurance plan unnecessary?"

GUPTA: You know what Daniel is talking about, essentially, gaming the system, which is one of the big criticisms of this clause about not discriminating on preexisting conditions. The idea is, you know, you don't have health care insurance until you get sick. You buy it, get covered and then when you're well again, you cancel it.

That's what was the concern when you have laws like this. There are a couple of ways to try and prevent it. How effective they will be really hard to day. But one of them is this idea of penalties if you don't carry insurance. So kind of like your car insurance.

NGUYEN: Right.

GUPTA: You have to have it or you can get penalized. Same thing with health insurance now. They say about $750 or 2 percent of your income, whichever is greater, that's what the penalty would be over a year.

Now if you're making very little money and you can't find a policy that's less than 8 percent of your overall income -- a lot of numbers here, but if you can't find something that's less than 8 percent of your income, you can get an exemption. So you don't have to buy the health care insurance and then qualify for subsidies.

NGUYEN: So 8 percent is the magic number then if you can't afford it.

GUPTA: That's right. Eight percent of your income. If you can't find a premium that's less than that, you can get an exemption and then get subsidies to help pay for your health care insurance.

That's the way it's supposed to work. How will these fines be collected, where will the money go? How do you reinforce it? Will people circumvent it? You know who knows, Betty? I mean this is -- the devil's in the details is what they say.

NGUYEN: Right. And it's still in the process, too, so it'll be a little while before we figure out this. Really good questions today.

GUPTA: Yes.

NGUYEN: So we'll see how it goes.

GUPTA: We're going to keep doing it all week. Yes.

NGUYEN: Looking forward to that. Thank you, Sanjay.

GUPTA: All right. Thanks, Betty. NGUYEN: Well, you just heard the answers to two of our viewer questions. And we know you have a lot more. So here's what to do. You go to our blog, CNN.com/betty or CNN.com/heidi, and post your health care reform questions. We will answer as many as we can on the air this week.

Two stories to bring you from Afghanistan now. A health clinic made of mud with no water or electricity and no doctor willing to stay. Plus hundreds of dogs who could potentially save thousands of lives.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Betty Nguyen.

NGUYEN: A round of corporate deals sent stocks higher yesterday. Now the NASDAQ even hit a 14-month high. But today we have some mixed news on the economy.

Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with a look at how it will affect trading. Just heard the opening bell there, Susan, so it's straight out of the gate. See how it turns out today.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Straight out of the gate, we are expecting some bulls along with characters from a galaxy far, far away. You see Darth Vader and some Stormtroopers up there.

Stocks still set for a higher open, but futures retreated a bit after the latest and final reading on third quarter economic growth came out. The U.S. economy grew at a 2.2 percent annual rate, considerably slower than last month's estimate and worse than expected. The main factors behind the downgrade, weak consumer and business spending and a slowdown in commercial construction. Still, the growth rate, the 2.2 percent, the best in two years.

And one of the reasons why the economy not charging out is that companies are still cutting back. Ford Motor offering buyouts and early retirement packages to all of its 41,000 factory workers. For the second time this year, Ford is the only one of the big three that did not get government bailout money.

Over to Yahoo!. The company is closing its office from Christmas to New Years to save money. Employees must use vacation time or take an unpaid leave. Other tech companies do the same. But this is a first for Yahoo! and comes in a year in which it reported its first revenue decline since 2001.

We are not seeing declines for the three major averages. In the first minute of trading, Betty, the Dow, the NASDAQ, the S&P 500 up modestly.

And did you check out Darth Vader up there on the bell platform and all those storm troopers?

NGUYEN: Yes, what was that all about?

LISOVICZ: Well, I don't know. There were no good guys. I mean, there was no Luke Skywalker there. No Jedi knights.

NGUYEN: Right.

LISOVICZ: And that's what Wall Street and the economy needs.

NGUYEN: Yes, we need good news, at least if nothing else.

LISOVICZ: I hear that R2D2 is floating around on the floor.

NGUYEN: C3PO, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

LISOVICZ: Yes.

NGUYEN: Any of those guys.

LISOVICZ: I'm going to go searching for them. And we'll report back to in the next hour, Betty.

NGUYEN: All right. And don't forget Princess Lea. Maybe you will come back with that hairdo.

LISOVICZ: Yes, with some braids around my ears. Yes, I love that.

NGUYEN: Cinnamon rolls on each side of the head. All right, see you, Susan.

Well, healthcare reform moves another step closer to passing in the Senate. This morning senators approved changes made to their version of the bill. And they voted 60-39 to end debate on what is in the bill. Tomorrow, though, there is one more procedural vote, and then the final vote could come Christmas Eve.

Now, if Democrats hold on to the 60 votes that they have, the bill will pass. Then, of course, it has to be combined with the House version.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is calling for an investigation to a possible revenge killing linked to a feud within his own family. The 18-year-old son of Karzai's cousin was shot to death in October. "New York Times" quotes relatives as saying they believe another cousin committed a crime as pay back for an alleged honor killing within the family.

Yesterday, Afghan police fought a three-hour gun battle with Taliban militants who stormed a multi-story market building. Dozens of civilians were trapped inside during the clash in the regional capital of Gardez, which is 60 miles south of Kabul. NATO troops reportedly backed up the Afghan police who say they killed two heavily armed gunmen. A Taliban spokesman says there were five attackers all armed with suicide vests.

Well, a legacy of past battles still taking a bloody toll in Afghanistan. Land mines, many of them decades old covered the landscape, but highly-trained dogs are helping find them and save lives. CNN's Frederick Pleitgen filed this report from Kabul.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Land mines -- the curse that haunts Afghanistan. The U.N. says hundreds of thousands are still strewn across this country. Afghanistan's mine sniffer dogs are among the best in the world. Kabul's Mine Detection Center, or MDC, has about 300 animals.

Rex is a German Shepherd and currently in training.

"We train our dogs to find various kinds of mines," Rex's trainer says, "including Pakistani, Iranian and Russian ones."

The canines can detect four different kinds of explosives and 60 different kinds of mines, the MDC says. But first, they go through rigorous training. The commands are in Dutch so the dogs won't get distracted by people speaking Dari or Pashto, the common languages in Afghanistan.

Good mine dogs can work for up to eight years. Decades of war have left Afghanistan one of the most mine-infested countries in the world, hampering economic development and killing or maiming up to 60 people every month, the U.N. estimates.

The most rudimentary mines are often the hardest to locate.

ZAINUDOIN QUREISHI, SENIOR TRAINING OFFICER: A mine detector cannot detect this, no matter. That's wood and TNT. But only the dog can find it.

PLEITGEN: The Mine Detection Center breeds its own canines. Training starts when they're just puppies.

(on camera): These dogs look pretty cute right now, but they're also a valuable commodity here in Afghanistan. This dog could potentially save hundreds of lives.

(voice-over): Several animals have lost their lives on the job. But the agency says the main obstacle for mine clearance in Afghanistan is ongoing violence.

ABDUL JABAR BASID, HEAD OF TRAINING: Most of the provinces in the south, there is lots of minefields which are still needed to -- to be cleared. But we cannot send or deploy or teams due to security -- the bad security situation.

PLEITGEN: These animals are considered heroes by many Afghans. Sadly, it seems the one thing they may never run out of is work.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Kabul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Well, in rural Afghanistan, the odds are often stacked against people from the day they are born. And for those who try to help by bringing babies into the world or treating the sick, it can be an incredibly challenging task.

CNN's Atia Abawi takes us inside mud hut health clinic.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIA ABAWI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Arifa is moving into her new workplace, which will also be her family's home. Success for the Afghan government and the U.S. Marines in the village of Khan Neshin depends on whether Arifa, a midwife, stays or goes -- and it's not looking good.

"I was checking the patients on this bench in that plastic chair," she says. "There are a lot of difficulties. There's not even a table."

Arifa and a doctor were invited by the district governor to help bring health care to a place the Marines took back from the Taliban. But because the clinic she must operate in is extremely rudimentary, she's not sure if she will stay.

(on camera): As you can see, this clinic is made of mud. It's very basic. It doesn't have running water. It doesn't even have a bathroom. And it's made of four rooms. Three rooms are connected. If you come through here, they're just setting up at the moment. The doctors don't know how long they're going to stay. They say that they want to stay because they want to help the people. But at the same time, they don't have the means.

(voice-over): Several doctors have come and gone. The Marines say they need to know a doctor is committed to stay before they can build a proper facility.

LT. COL. RICK CREVIER, U.S. MARINE CORPS: With regards to some of the things that the clinic may not have right now, those things are going to come in time. So you can't, as the saying goes, Rome wasn't built overnight.

ABAWI: But the doctors say without even the basics like water and electricity, they can't do their jobs.

(on camera): (INAUDIBLE) just said that they had to throw all the vaccines away because there was no refrigeration system. So they've expired. And they don't have a way to burn it so they've just thrown it on the ground outside of the clinic.

(voice-over): But the newest physicians here say no matter the conditions, they're here to help their countrymen.

"We're Afghans, we grew up in Afghanistan, studied here" Matiwolo (ph) says. "And if we don't help our country, who will?"

Unlike some of their predecessors who came and went, these doctors say they will try and stick it out. But there is no definite commitment. "I'm here for now" Arifa says. Let's see what will happen. If our problems will be taken care of or not. If they're not, Arifa will be the next doctor to leave, another disappointment for the people of Khan Neshin. And a small battle lost for coalition efforts to stabilize Afghan society.

Atia Abawi, CNN, Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: What an incredible story there. Well, thousands of holiday rail travelers stranded in Europe for days, now they are finally getting some relief.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Checking top stories right now.

Our latest poll shows Tiger Woods' popularity taking a big hit. Thirty-four percent of those responding to the CNN Opinion Research Poll now have an unfavorable view of Woods. That compares to a 60 percent favorable rating at the beginning of the month before Woods' admission of marital infidelity.

Well, Iran's president today dismissed a U.S. deadline for a nuclear deal. President Obama has set a rough deadline at the end of the year for a response U.N. proposed deal. Under that plan, Iran would ship most of its stock pile of low-enrich uranium aboard to be process into fuel rods. Now that would ease the West concern that the material could be use to make a nuclear weapon. In a speech today, though, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said, quote, "We are not afraid of sanctions, and we are not intimidated."

Chanting, sign-carrying students taking on New York's MTA. The transit authority wants to cut off the kid's free student metro card. Students say they shouldn't have to pay to get to school. Under the MTA's new budget, more than 500,000 students would lose the free rides.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: We'll talk about severe weather. We just got over, or are still trying to get over that blizzard many people faced over the weekend. And now this, another winter storm approaching, Reynolds?

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: Providing healthy food for the hungry. It is the aim of hunters in New Jersey. Their deer meat donations are helping around 400 charities in the state.

CNN photojournalist John Parks shows us more as part of our series "Giving in Focus."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) HELENE G. MEISSNER, DIRECTOR NORWESCAP FOOD BANK: Les Giese and Hunters helping the hungry provide a very valuable service for us at the food bank. In our quest to aid in hunger relief we are always looking for a good variety of nutritious food. And the venison that we get from Les and the other hunters is invaluable to our agency.

LES GIESE, FOUNDER, HUNTERS HELPING THE HUNGRY: Hunters Helping the Hungry is entirely volunteers, people who enjoy hunting, the outdoor sports, and we're trying to do some good, provide much needed protein to the hungry people across New Jersey. And that's all we're about.

SISTER M. MICHAELITA POPOVIRE, PROGRAM DIRECTOR, WARREN BASIC MATERIAL NEEDS: Our clients are grateful to the Hunters Helping the Hungry. We have many clients that come in -- and I could say that every client that leaves our building with their bags of food and particularly if they receive the venison, they are extremely grateful to the hunters.

GIESE: The first in the Hunters Helping the Hungry is the hunters, donating their time and money to harvest deer. These are at least 100 pounds, maybe 120 pounds. It will dress out, probably 40 maybe 50 pounds of venison for the hungry.

JOHN, PERSON, BUTCHER, OWNER GAMEBUTCHER: When the hunter harvests the deer, he will bring it to our establishment here and donate it. We then, will process the deer, wrap it and label it properly and put it in the box and then Norwescap Food Bank from Fieldsburg (ph), will take the frozen venison to their establishment.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our aim has always been to provide as much nutritious food as possible and venison is a great example of a food that is high in protein and low in fat and it's the kind of food we want to promote as a healthy alternative to our clients.

GIESE: We're happy to do this. It makes us feel good. We are giving back. It's very enjoyable to be out here and do this.

MEISSNER: We are so grateful to Les Giese and others who support the program. And I wish them tremendous success and I hope that they continue to do this for many years to come because we know what an impact it has on the people in need in our community and we think it's a wonderful program.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Indeed it is, you can hear more about projects like Hunters Helping the Hungry in CNN's hour long special, "giving in focus". And that comes your way on Christmas Day at 1:00 p.m. Eastern. You can also catch an encore presentation on December 26 at 3:00 p.m.

Well, a priority for national security: taking a closer look at cyber threats. The president puts one man in charge.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) NGUYEN: Well, a high-speed rail line linking England, France and Belgium is up and running again after a three-day suspension. Eurostar service resumed today at partial capacity. Service was stopped after several trains broke down in the tunnel stranding tens of thousands of holiday travelers.

CNN's Morgan Neill joins us live from a Eurostar train station in London and I bet those travelers are just so happy to be off those trains.

MORGAN NEILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's amazing, Betty, it really is...

NGUYEN: Yes.

NEILL: ... the difference between what you're seeing behind me here now and what we saw when we first got here this morning, incredible. This station was packed as it has been since Saturday really when those first trains broke down in the tunnel and then the rest of those trips were suspended.

This station was filled with people hoping to get home to see their families, to see their friends for the holidays, suddenly worried they wouldn't be able to.

Today we were able to talk to some of the first passengers to make their way here to London after having to wait for three days. Here's what they had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was absolutely horrible. I'm extremely tired. We haven't slept much for the last three days.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How long -- were you waiting for like three days to get on the train?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I was ticked -- I was supposed to go back to my family for something pretty important and never managed to make it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No money, no baby food and we just had to struggle and try to get some funds to eat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEILL: Now, the original problem, the reason these trains broke down in the first place according to Eurostar was extreme weather in the north of France, particularly powdery snow that got into the trains' engines and then they went into the tunnel, it condensed and it caused the electrical systems to short.

But what we've been hearing as far as complaints from passengers, it hasn't really been so much that; they seem to be fairly understanding of that sort of thing. What they complained about is they were stranded in a lot of cases without getting much information about where they should be going, when they might be able complete their trip, other ways of getting there -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Yes, that just compiles the frustration. That's -- it's good to know that they are finally at their destinations. Morgan Neill thanks so much for that update.

We have a lot going on this morning and CNN crews are in place to bring it all to you so let's check in with some of our correspondents beginning with Dana Bash -- hey, Dana.

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Betty.

Senators were in very early this morning, unusually so, to have a series of votes as they limp to the finish on health care in the senate. I'll have more on that coming up.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I'm Christine Romans in New York, and we're looking at re-default rates.

You know, to be delinquent or to default on alone means you're not paying on time. To re-default means even after you've restructured the loan you still fall behind. Those rates have been too worrisome but there's little signs of progress. I'll have that at the top of the hour.

WOLF: Hey, and I'm Reynolds Wolf and as one storm system leaves the U.S., we've got another one forming out to the west. Find out what that's going to mean for your holiday forecast travel plans coming up in just a few moments.

NGUYEN: All right, thanks everybody.

Plus get this -- I was kind of amazed when I read this. Did you know there are more heart attack deaths on Christmas Day than any other day of the year? Yes, we're going to take a look at why and what you can do to lessen your risk.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Millions of dollars lost to hackers. "The Wall Street Journal" reports that the FBI is investigating a cyber attack on Citibank. It's believed a Russian cyber gang may have carried out the attack. Citigroup denies the report and says the loss of tens of millions of dollars to hackers isn't true. The newspaper also says the FBI is looking into possible attacks on other Web sites, including one belonging to a U.S. Government agency. We'll stay on top of that story.

And just moments ago President Obama named a cyber czar putting former Microsoft security executive Howard Schmidt in charge of stamping out cyber terrorism. CNN homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve has more on the dangers of cyber attacks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Cyber attacks could halt transportation, freeze finances, knock out water, sewer and most frighteningly, electricity.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You shut down the electric power for a third of the country for three months, this causes tens of thousands of people to die. It causes major social dislocations. It's just a level of damage that we've only talked about before when we've been discussing limited nuclear exchanges.

MESERVE: The U.S. must now launch a cyber race, experts say. Training top notch cyber security talent in our graduate schools, encouraging development of more secure computer software and hardware and enlisting in the fight businesses who control so many of the country's critical computer systems.

SAMI SAYDJARI, CYBER DEFENSE AGENCY: We really need to recruit the private sector folks as part of what I'll call a cyber militia to be standing ready to defend our country against strategic attack.

MESERVE: Financial incentives and regulations should be used as tools many experts say to motivate business to protect critical infrastructure and intellectual property. The risk of doing nothing, they say, is too high.

The web is a global phenomenon. Experts say international cooperation on cyber security is a must. Experts also say there has to be a coordinated approach across the U.S. government and the one place where the authority and clout to lead the effort and get results is the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)