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Campbell Brown
Final Health Care Reform Push; Interview With Michigan Congressman Bart Stupak
Aired March 18, 2010 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAMPBELL BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there, everybody.
A giant step for health care reform tonight -- a vote is expected Sunday. And President Obama canceled his overseas trip to make one final push, that story topping the "Mash-Up" tonight. We're watching it all so you don't have to.
For days, it has been a waiting game in Washington, wary lawmakers holding out for the Congressional Budget Office to put a final price tag on the health care bill and tell them just how much it will cut the deficit.
Well, today, they got some answers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: According to the CBO, the deficit would be reduced by $138 billion over the first 10 years. Now, this is something that is directly appealing to conservative Democrats.
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: The CBO report that we have, again, speaks so eloquently.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Few Democrats would say it's perfect, but more and more of them concede this is as good as it's going to get.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's paid for with more than $400 billion in new taxes, including taxes on insurance companies, medical device manufacturers, and a hike in Medicare taxes for the wealthy, and more than $500 billion in cuts to Medicare spending.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Those new taxes fuel Republican opposition to the plan.
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: Everything that we can do to make sure that this bill never, ever, ever passes.
DIANE SAWYER, HOST, "WORLD NEWS": The make-or-break vote expected Sunday. As you see, the clock is ticking. And President Obama has postponed his trip to the Pacific for the second time to be here for the last push.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BROWN: And, later tonight, I will talk with one Democrat who is trying to hold up health care because of his views on abortion. Congressman Bart Stupak joins me just a bit later.
A Senate panel heard passionate testimony today on the military's don't ask, don't tell policy. And a well-known activist engaged in some high-profile civil disobedience.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Senators heard from three former military officers whose military service ended when their sexuality was revealed, and they say they want to fight and defend their country, and just because they're gay, they should not be prohibited from doing that.
JENNY KOPFSTEIN, FORMER U.S. NAVY OFFICER: Two years and four months after coming out in my letter and serving openly, I was discharged under don't ask, don't tell. I should not be forced to hide who I am.
SANCHEZ: That's Lieutenant Dan Choi on the left handcuffing himself to the fence in front of the White House. Apparently, he's had enough.
He, along with another outed officer, Captain Pietrangelo, have literally used their handcuffs to make sure that they can't be removed from there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Choi was arrested and charged with failing to obey a lawful order from the U.S. Park Police.
In Philadelphia, the woman known as Jihad Jane was in court today. She's charged with conspiring with terrorists to try and kill someone in another country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: She pleaded not guilty. Her attorneys waived the reading of this four-count indictment, an indictment that, if she pleads -- if she is found guilty of these charges, could face up to life in prison.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: LaRose apparently led a troubled life, at one point trying to commit suicide after her father died. The FBI says she was willing to become a martyr, writing to radicals online about the plot, "I will make this my goal until I achieve it or die trying."
CANDIOTTI: She smiled, was very engaging with her lawyers, but the hearing was over with very, very quickly.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hours later in Chicago, another American, David Headley, pleaded guilty to helping plan the deadly terror attack in Mumbai, India. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Headley could have faced the death penalty if convicted. His plea bargain does take that off the table.
In Hollywood today, word of another troubled marriage. This time, it's America's sweetheart, Sandra Bullock. The news comes at the end of a bad week for love.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY FALLON, HOST, "LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON": Any time I'm on a bed in nothing but a dress shirt and underwear next to a Dora the Explorer doll, I think, this is going to look classy.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rielle Hunter provided a statement. She says -- quote -- "I understood what photos were being taken. It was my mistake to pose for them."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "People" quotes friends of Elizabeth saying she was disgusted by the racy photos of Rielle posing with her daughter's toys.
TIGER WOODS, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: Elin and I have started the process of discussing the damage caused by my behavior.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: I should have never married you.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Stop it.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: A porn star? You screwed a porn star?
SANCHEZ: Sandra Bullock had a horrible thing happen to her, and it has to do with her husband and a woman who has more tattoos than 20 drunken sailors.
WHOOPI GOLDBERG, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": Sandra Bullock's husband, Jesse James, was having an 11-month affair with a model.
JOY BEHAR, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": He's not Bishop Tutu.
BARBARA WALTERS, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": She wins an Academy Award for the first time and then two weeks later the most devastating.
BEHAR: You just never know who you marry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Bullock's husband, Jesse James, released a statement this afternoon. We're going to have that later for you a little bit tonight.
The folks at Geico have given us some of the most memorable commercials around, cavemen, geckos. But, trust me, you have never seen anything quite like this. Take a look. That would have been one of the world's richest men, in case you didn't recognize him there, Warren Buffett, rocking out like a more mature Axl Rose.
And that brings us to the "Punchline" tonight, courtesy of Jay Leno. He's having a little fun with, of all things, Jihad Jane.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": The mother of that homegrown terrorist, the woman they call Jihad Jane, she says her daughter joined a terrorist group because she was lonely and she wanted someone to love her. And, today, John Edwards said, I will do her.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Jay Leno, ladies and gentlemen.
That is the "Mash-Up" tonight.
Tonight, with the clock ticking, some undecided Democrats taking a stand on the health care bill. One who is leading the charge against it says his life is now a living hell. He's going to tell us why. That's coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Tonight, all signs pointing to a Sunday vote on health care, one that remains unpredictable.
At this hour, late today, two more Democrats said they will vote yes, but Michigan Democrat Bart Stupak remains in the no column, at least for the moment. He is leading a group of Democrats vowing to vote no over worries the bill could leave the door open for federal funding of abortions.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: And, tonight, Congressman Stupak says he is paying a price for standing by his principles. And he's joining me right now from Capitol Hill.
Congressman, first of all, I know you were at the White House earlier today for President Obama's jobs bill signing. I think I have got a picture of you I can put up on the screen talking to the president there. Anything come out of that conversation?
REP. BART STUPAK (D), MICHIGAN: No. No.
We talked that we would like to see health care passed, and we have some differences, and the president assured me he thought we could bridge our differences. And I agreed, but we have to change some language in the legislation.
BROWN: So, bottom line is, you are still planning to vote no?
STUPAK: I -- as of today, I am still voting no, yes. I'm still standing with this principle of protecting the sanctity of life, yes.
BROWN: Now, Speaker Pelosi made a big concession to you in the fall by adding your amendment to the House bill. If she came to you today and said, listen, vote this through now, I will make it up to you later, I will fix it later, would you take her at her word?
STUPAK: It's not her word. It's the legislative process, as we have seen through this whole debate and votes on health care.
I mean, look, the speaker can promise things and maybe we can do something in the House, but then it goes to the Senate, and does it just sit there?
BROWN: Has the speaker made you any offers?
STUPAK: No. No. We had a good discussion, I believe it was yesterday. Probably about an hour, we met, and we had some good discussions. I have had many good discussions today with House leaders, but there's no proposal, there's no offer. There's, let's just keep trying to work our way through this.
BROWN: Are you going to be OK if health care, if health care bill fails because of you?
STUPAK: Well, I'm OK because a principle and a belief I'm standing on, which really reflects my district and the vast majority of this country.
So, you know, when I vote on legislation, legislation has to be meritorious and it has to meet certain standards that's reflective of my district and in the best interests of our country. So, I mean, I personally will be OK. Politically, I will probably pay a price. I already have an opponent and things like that, but it goes with the territory.
BROWN: You said, I read, that your life has become -- quote -- "a living hell" because of this. Give us a sense of what you and your family have been going through.
(CROSSTALK)
STUPAK: Well, you know, when you get the phone calls at 3:00, 4:00 in the morning from people cussing you out -- now we have to unplug all of our phones at night.
My wife doesn't answer the phone anymore. She's back in Michigan and I'm out here. I have had people -- pretty crude verbal assaults when I'm at home and even around here in Washington. It has not been pleasant.
BROWN: You have been in office for nearly 20 years, I think, if I have got that right. After what you have experienced this past year, do you think there's any room for anti-abortion Democrats like you in the party?
STUPAK: Well, I guess it depends on how it plays out. I mean, look, it was the pro-life Democrats that really brought back the Democratic Party in the majority.
We come from conservative, rural districts, blue-collar, hardworking districts. These are the people we represent. And the Democratic Party was always the party of the big tent. I hope it remains that way. But when some of us stand up on some principles and beliefs that are near and dear to us, plus our constituents, members are obligated to stand with their constituents. And the Democratic Party has to make room for them, if they are going to be the majority party.
BROWN: But, if they get this done without you and they don't make room for you and your views here, would you consider leaving the Democratic Party?
STUPAK: Me? No, no. I have had plenty of offers. I'm not leaving. I'm a Democrat, maybe a stubborn Democrat, but I'm a Democrat.
BROWN: Well, Congressman Bart Stupak, we appreciate you taking the time to talk to us tonight.
STUPAK: Sure.
BROWN: Thanks very much.
(CROSSTALK)
STUPAK: You betcha.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: So, we are only about 72 hours away from a final answer on health care reform, the bill that could define President Obama's legacy. Well, tonight, by CNN's count, at least 33 Democrats do remain undecided. You see them right here behind me, not a lot of time left to win them over, the clock ticking, as we said before.
Right now, I do want to bring in "TIME" magazine senior political analyst Mark Halperin to talk to us about this a little more broadly.
A lot of those undecided folks were waiting on the numbers from the Congressional Budget Office, the CBO numbers we have been hearing so much about, to show us how much deficit reduction we would get out of this.
And I guess their answer that we got today is $138 billion over 10 years. Is that enough to convince the holdouts? Was that the magic number they had been waiting for?
MARK HALPERIN, SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST, "TIME": Well, there's a pool of holdouts that that will have some sway with, not just on the substance, but, look, a lot of what is going on now is politics. You could find Democrats who might vote -- might vote no, might vote yes who can make the argument on either side. They need the political cover. And for people who are concerned, part of the bad rap the health care proposal from the Democrats got last year into this year was, it was big government.
This, if you believe the CBO numbers at all, suggests that this is actually not going to be big government in terms of its impact on the deficit. And that will draw at least some votes, I'm quite confident.
Democrats were, as one said today, giddy about the number, because it does give them momentum just when they need it.
BROWN: So, they are, though, hearing from some pretty angry constituents out there. You heard that from Stupak a moment ago. But there's a massive campaign going on right now in their districts. What should they be saying to those folks to get everybody to calm down if they're going to be able to do this?
HALPERIN: Well, again, just looking at the politics, not the substance of the bill, but on the politics...
BROWN: Right.
HALPERIN: ... what's key for these undecided Democrats, if they come out for it, is to have things to say to those angry constituents...
BROWN: Right.
HALPERIN: ... to speak from their heart about why they're voting yes. You saw Dennis Kucinich who came out yes, saying, this isn't a perfect bill, it doesn't go as far as I would like, but I think this is good for the country, it's good policy.
Democrats now can say, I think it doesn't bust the bank. It saves money in the long run, according to the CBO. They have got to have something to say, so their own reputations are preserved and the overall mood of the bill as it moves toward what I still think will be passage is not one of dirty deals or arm-twisting by the president, but something they actually believe in.
BROWN: The president did cancel his trip overseas. He couldn't have gone on this trip, right, with a Sunday vote?
HALPERIN: No, it was crazy.
(CROSSTALK)
BROWN: Was it insane? Like, what took him so long?
HALPERIN: When they announced he was delaying the trip, it seemed crazy.
Look, they're sequencing this well. There's been a lot of criticism of how this has been handled by the White House and the Democratic leaders. He canceled the trip. He had to, to be here. And we will see about next week how much he needs to focus on this.
But this House vote is the big one, and it would be madness for him to have left the country. And they realize that.
BROWN: So, just talk to us a little bit about what the White House is doing right now behind the scenes, just over these last sort of 72 hours.
HALPERIN: Well, they're looking for the right votes. The argument the president is making in these discussions, the primary one, besides the merits of the bill -- he is a very policy-oriented guy.
BROWN: Right.
HALPERIN: And he thinks he has got a good product that he can sell and help them sell to their constituents.
But the argument is, this must pass. And they're down now to few enough votes that they need that that's the argument to these Democrats. Do you want to be the one who not just stops health care, this longtime Democratic dream, but cripples and maybe irreparably wounds the Obama presidency?
I think that argument historically has been persuasive for presidents. I think it's an argument this president has become comfortable making. And I think -- again, I think they have got at least an 80 percent chance of getting this.
BROWN: We said Sunday before for a vote. You said you think passage for sure. How confident are you? How close is it going to be?
(CROSSTALK)
BROWN: I have heard most people make the prediction. Why is that? Why are people starting to feel good about it?
HALPERIN: It's going to be very close, because they will free any Democrats they don't absolutely need to vote no for their own purposes, their own political purposes. So, I would be stunned if they got any more than two or three over the absolute minimum number they need for passage.
I think people are confident because they are close enough. And, as I said, in the end, for the Democrats who are undecided, who obviously can make the argument as I said before either way to let the Obama presidency be so wounded, with the cover of the CBO number and of promises of a lot of political help, I just find it very hard to believe they won't get there.
If they don't get there, I think they will have a series of bad luck and perhaps misread where the votes are. They have got options now. There's a big enough pool to get those final votes. It would take misreading a lot. It would be sort of the reverse equivalent of drawing a straight, I think, in poker.
BROWN: We will be watching.
Mark, Mark Halperin, good to see you. Thanks for being here.
HALPERIN: Thanks, Campbell.
And, still ahead, admitted terrorist David Headley, how does an American citizen end up plotting the Mumbai massacre? A CNN exclusive coming up just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: A U.S. citizen today pleaded guilty to 12 charges in connection with the 2008 siege on Mumbai that left more than 160 people dead.
Chicago resident David Coleman Headley admitted extensive involvement in planning the attacks carried out by a Pakistani terror group.
In tonight's special investigation, Drew Griffin has an exclusive portrait of America's latest terrorist.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): David Headley, also known as Daood Gilani, has one blue eye and one brown, as if reflecting the double life he has lived almost since the day he was born.
Raised by an eccentric, flamboyant and rebellious high-society mother from Philadelphia and a strict, formal, Pakistani, diplomat father, he spent half his teen years in a regimented military academy in Pakistan, half living above a bar in Philadelphia.
Now admitting to conspiracy to murder and maim in Mumbai, even members of his own family wonder who David Headley really is.
WILLIAM HEADLEY, UNCLE OF DAVID HEADLEY: I was really shocked. It was like you had poured cold water inside my chest.
GRIFFIN: In an exclusive television interview with CNN in January, Headley's uncle described his disbelief in learning his own nephew was connected to the massacre in Mumbai, disbelief until he began receiving letters from Headley in jail.
HEADLEY: "Dear Uncle Billy..."
GRIFFIN: Headley wrote to his uncle that, despite his heritage, he is now 100 percent Muslim. And though he considered himself innocent until proven guilty, Headley hinted that he didn't expect to be acquitted.
HEADLEY: And he has communicated that to me also. And that's important. If he is guilty, if he is guilty, and he's charged with it, then, you know, in that case, he's done something terrible and has to pay the price. But I hope, I truly hope, and I think there could be a surprise ending to this.
GRIFFIN: David Headley's life is full of surprises, from his dual childhood in Pakistan's Muslim circles and in Philadelphia's social scene to his marrying a blonde American beauty, then divorcing her and taking a traditional Muslim wife.
Even more bizarre, as an adult, Headley was a major drug-dealer- turned-informant for the Drug Enforcement Administration, after being caught, according to his family. In the late '90s Headley, then Daood Gilani, was a video shop manager in New York.
On February 7, 1997, he was conspiring in room 909 of this hotel to bring a large load of heroin from the Middle East to New York.
(on camera): He had walked into a trap. The room was wired by the feds. As Gilani tried to escape that hotel, he suddenly found himself surrounded by gun-toting DEA agents. It would be the ultimate turning point in his life.
HEADLEY: Daood said to himself that, if I get free of this, I'm going to commit myself to God.
So, that is when I would say he became a serious Muslim.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): What happened next is somewhat of a mystery. While his co-conspirator went to prison for 10 years, Headley was out within 15 months. His family believes the DEA frequently sent him to Pakistan and Afghanistan to meet directly with heroin dealers, which may have put Headley directly in contact with Islamic terror groups using the drug trade to finance their operations.
Frank Cilluffo heads the George Washington university Homeland Security Policy Institute.
FRANK CILLUFFO, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY HOMELAND SECURITY POLICY INSTITUTE: It reads more like a spy novel than most of your typical terrorism cases.
GRIFFIN: While he was allegedly an informant, Headley probably became influenced by the radicalism of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistani group some say is second only to al Qaeda in its global terrorist reach.
CILLUFFO: Clearly, you have someone who was conflicted. Even though he lived in both worlds, you get the sense that he never felt at home in either world.
GRIFFIN: His uncle still finds it hard to believe. He was shocked when we called to tell him his nephew was pleading guilty. The nephew he knew wasn't this nephew involved in a terrorist plot. At least, he says, that is what he thought.
HEADLEY: We absolutely can't imagine it. It is not at all consistent with anything that we know in his personality. And his personality is very complicated, but the mass murder? I can't see it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: And that was Drew Griffin reporting.
Just ahead: megachurch power couple Joel and Victoria Osteen sounding off from everything from Tiger Woods to keeping hope alive in these trying times, when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Every Sunday 40,000 faithful flock to a Houston megachurch to hear Joel and Victoria Osteen preach prosperity in tough economic times. The married co-pastors of one of America's largest churches watched by millions around the world say that things may look pretty bleak, but now is actually the time to thrive.
And joining me right now is Joel and Victoria.
It's so good to see you guys. Welcome back to the show.
JOEL OSTEEN, PASTOR: Thanks for having us, Campbell.
BROWN: So, Joel, let me ask you, your message, as we just said, all about hope, all about optimism. And it seems in this country right now what we are seeing and hearing is this anger, especially at our government, obviously, but what is going on? How do we get our arms around that?
J. OSTEEN: Well, I think it is a difficult time, but I think, to get angry, to get bitter, to get negative, to let it overwhelm us only makes matters worse.
So, I always encourage people to get up each day and to know that God is in control, to be your best. And I believe, when you -- when you do your part, God will do his part.
BROWN: How do you think we got to this place?
J. OSTEEN: You know, the political side of it, you know, it's a difficult situation in that, you know, it's about 50/50 in the divide. And so I think sometimes, you know, we let our emotions take over and we're passionate about certain things and so I think some of it's just human nature.
BROWN: So much of the anger right now is directed at President Obama. And you were on Larry King's show a while back. I guess it was about a year ago. And you said that he was doing a great job. Do you still think he's doing a great job?
J. OSTEEN: Well, I believe this. I believe that he's doing the best that he can. I think his intentions are pure. I think that's an incredibly tough job.
You know, I can't say that -- you know, who could do better? I don't know. Maybe we could. But I'd like to try to support him and get people rallied behind him. You know, it doesn't mean we have to agree with him, but at least let's keep the anger and the personal stuff out.
BROWN: Are people not giving him a chance, Victoria, do you think?
VICTORIA OSTEEN, WIFE OF JOEL OSTEEN: Well, you know, it's so hard because we're emotional and we want -- you know, we want -- like Joel said, you can't get so personal. You've got to look at the facts, you've got to be, you know, opinionated with what you want, but it's just the mud-slinging and all the personal, I think that makes it even more -- it makes it tougher, you know.
BROWN: And it's not just about our politicians, a lot of people who we consider role models, I'm thinking about Tiger Woods here, that maybe we put on a pedestal in a way, that anger is directed at them. I mean, how do you talk about these sort of issues, especially with young people?
V. OSTEEN: Well, you know what? I think we have to learn from these things. We have to learn -- we have to learn how -- that we're in a society that it's difficult to keep your heart pure. You have to make sure that you watch what you watch, watch what you look at, you know, where's your mind going? And I think that's how we have to kind of talk about these things. You know, we have to address the issue, but we have to learn from the issue and not just say, well, you know, this whole world is going to pot. You know, we're all just messed up. I mean, we really have to -- like, you know, when we talk to my children, they're young, I wouldn't talk to them about this right now, but you know, it's personal choices. And Joel and I have been married 23 years, and we have guarded ourselves. We guard what we watch. We stay close together. I mean, these are just things we do personally, just to guard ourselves from this kind of thing.
BROWN: When you think about the Tiger Woods scandal and the attention it's gotten, how do you, Joel, make that a teachable moment?
J. OSTEEN: Well, I think that one thing is we can believe in forgiveness, that we all make mistakes. If we can learn from our mistakes, we can receive forgiveness and move on with our life. And you know what? I like the fact that he's going to play in the Masters here soon because at some point you've got to say, you know, I made mistakes but I'm going to receive a new beginning and I'm going to not just live my life in regrets and beat myself up forever. And you know, there were with -- we've all made mistakes but I like to move forward.
BROWN: Can you separate how he plays golf and how he lives his life?
J. OSTEEN: I think that -- I don't think most people do because they just -- they see him as a golfer and as a role model. And that's just, you know, I was going to say unfortunately, I don't know if that's the right word, but that comes with the territory when you're as talented as he is, and there's, you know, these other repercussions. BROWN: I want to shift gears and ask both of you. I know you're very involved in the relief effort in Haiti. And you guys have been tracking that very closely. Tell me what's going on. What the people you're working with closely are doing down there right now.
J. OSTEEN: Well, my brother Paul, he's a surgeon. He went down there for a couple of weeks right after the main earthquake hit, and he spent time there basically doing operations. Amputations was the main thing, but he was about 20 miles outside of Port-au-Prince and their hospital there was up and running. So he came back and just said that the pictures don't do it justice of what the needs really are. And so --
BROWN: We've heard that from so many people.
J. OSTEEN: I know. And he's been -- he's been all over the world and seen this kind of devastation but not like this. So it's just -- it was an amazing thing, but we continue to send teams in there just to basic supplies, to keep people's, you know, just give them, you know, tents and things to live in like that. And so it's a difficult situation, but the help is very needed.
BROWN: There's so much difficult news to deal with these days obviously, but tomorrow night you guys are having one of your night of hope events, huge stadium, thousands of people. What's your main message going to be to them?
J. OSTEEN: You know, our main message is going to be that God is on our side, that even when we have difficult times he's there to help us, to give us strength to make it through. And so our thing, Campbell, is just to kind of lift people's spirits. I mean, like you said, there's enough things in life trying to push us down. So we try to bring this message that, you know, there are brighter days up ahead, that seasons come and seasons go, and, you know, it's kind of a difficult season but I always believe in a better season coming.
BROWN: Really appreciate you guys stopping by. I know it's going to be a very busy evening for you. Many thanks. Good to see you both again.
J. OSTEEN: You too, Campbell. Thanks.
BROWN: In the midst of all the partisan bickering in Washington, is there a place these days for middle of the road politicians? An important question for one Democratic senator who is fighting for her political life. We've got her story when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: In Arkansas, Senator Blanche Lincoln is fighting for her political life right now. The middle-of-the-road Democrat is trying to fight off opposition from the left and right without becoming roadkill in the process. Randi Kaye went down to check it out. She reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On a cold and windy campaign day in Arkansas --
SEN. BLANCHE LINCOLN (D), ARKANSAS: Hi, Hale.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, senator.
KAYE: We find Senator Blanche Lincoln inside a cattle barn trying to shore up votes to help win a third term in the U.S. Congress.
LINCOLN: We're going to win this primary. I'm going to win it because you guys are going to be helping me do it.
KAYE: The crowd? Mostly farmers, friendly territory for Senator Lincoln, the daughter of a rice farmer and chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture. But there are some willing to bet the farm the senior senator from Arkansas, a Democrat, is about to lose her seat.
(on camera): Why do you think you are considered to be at risk?
LINCOLN: Because I'm a moderate. They spent almost $7 million from both sides just pounding on me basically, because I wasn't completely on one way or the other, one extreme or the other.
KAYE (voice-over): On health care, the senator's biggest headache, she's been accused by the left and the right of flip- flopping and trying to have it both ways. Look at her record. Last summer, Lincoln expressed support for a public option. By September, she had rejected the public option. Then in November, she promised to block any bill containing a public option. When I asked why the switch, she told me, pay attention here, there was no switch.
(on camera): You did say you would support it at one point. What made you change your mind on it?
LINCOLN: I said I would support more public options, more options for the public.
KAYE: Not the public option.
LINCOLN: Not the public option.
KAYE (voice-over): Liberal activists feel betrayed and say Lincoln is too conservative for them.
LARRY BARTEN, MOVEON.ORG MEMBER: Blanche Lincoln says she's a Democrat, but she seems to side with the Republicans far more often and against President Obama far more often than I think a Democrat ought to.
KAYE: But in November, Senator Lincoln did give President Obama the crucial 60th vote he needed to send the health care bill to the Senate floor for debate, allowing it to move forward. That sent conservative tea partiers through the roof. CROWD: Bye, bye, Blanche. Bye, bye, Blanche.
BOB PORTO, PULASKI COUNTY TEA PARTY: Blanche Lincoln put on the jersey of the Democrat Party and she went to represent and play the game of party over people.
KAYE (on camera): Are you at all concerned that health care could be your issue, the one that could cost you a third term?
LINCOLN: I think if people misunderstand it it's possible.
KAYE: Even though you might be getting hit from the left and hit from the right, you don't seem to care. You're still going to do it your way.
LINCOLN: I'm very comfortable in my own skin. There's not going to be, you know, a big pie in the sky from one side or the other that's going to solve these problems in an easy way. It's going to be coming together and finding common ground.
KAYE (voice-over): Senator Lincoln talks a lot about common ground, but being in the middle is exactly why she's in trouble. Still, in her new campaign ad, she seems to distance herself from Democrats.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LINCOLN: I don't answer to my party. I answer to Arkansas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The fact is, she voted along party lines more than 80 percent of the time.
(on camera): One editorial recently in the "Arkansas Democrat- Gazette" said that the closer we get to the primary election the more conservative you sound. Are you reaching right to win votes?
LINCOLN: Absolutely not.
KAYE (voice-over): Yet last month, she said she didn't understand Mr. Obama's economic vision and then blasted parts of the administration's proposed budget.
PORTO: Blanche Lincoln has what we call the election-year conservatism. The rhetoric of what she's saying doesn't match her vote.
KAYE: Republicans are lining up to defeat her. Already a handful have entered the race. And she even has a primary challenger from within her own party.
(on camera): Senator Lincoln has the liberal group moveon.org so riled up it's targeting her with radio ads and rallies. And now it's even supporting her opponent in the upcoming Democratic primary. In fact, after Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter entered the race, MoveOn helped race more than $1 million for him in just the first two days of his campaign.
(voice-over): But if you think Senator Blanche Lincoln is toast, don't count her out just yet.
(on camera): You are facing a tough reelection. Will you be disappointed if you lose?
LINCOLN: I still believe in who I am and what I'm fighting for. And you have to know that you can win because that's what this great country is all about.
KAYE (voice-over): Being afraid to lose, she says, would mean giving in to the far right or the far left. So toast or not, Senator Blanche Lincoln will keep her feet firmly planted in the middle.
Randi Kaye, CNN, Little Rock, Arkansas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: Up next, reports of a brutal jailhouse beating for Bernie Madoff. Is the Ponzi schemer having a rough time behind bars?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Coming up, is happy ever after impossible in Hollywood? Sandra Bullock just won an Oscar. Now there are rumors her husband cheated on her. Can she rise above the scandal? But first, more must-see news happening right now. Mike Galanos here with tonight's "Download."
Hi, Mike.
MIKE GALANOS, HLN PRIME NEWS: Hey, Campbell. President Obama signing the $17.6 billion job creation bill today. Now it contains a mix of tax breaks and spending designed to encourage private sectors to start hiring again. The president says small businesses in particular will benefit, but critics fear the plan will only add to the deficit.
A Rhode Island school teacher who hung an effigy of President Obama in his classroom is now under disciplinary review. And it happened at a high school where all the faculty are being fired because of poor student performance. A move the president openly praised. This is a story you talked about a lot, Campbell. The local teachers union is condemning the actions of the teacher whose name is not being released and the case has been sent to the Rhode Island state police.
Well, Facebook users beware. Internet hackers have let loose a virus that targets you, stealing bank passwords and other personal information. Now the virus comes hidden as an attachment to an e-mail from customer service, customer support, says that your password has been reset. Now if you open it, the program goes to work. Tens of millions have already been sent all over the world. Facebook has told its users to delete the e-mail and make sure you warn some of your friends as well. Campbell, you talked about a comment that Bernie Madoff was sent to the hospital after being pummeled by a fellow prisoner. This is back in December.
Now three people familiar with the matter tell the "Wall Street Journal" the 71-year-old swindler suffered a broken nose, fractured ribs, cuts on his face. The prisoner who beat him up reportedly said Madoff owed him money and others described him as a beefy man doing the beating. The prisons board is trying -- the Bureau of Prisons, that is, has dismissed the story.
And finally this one. Feel like pool party, suntan lotion and bikini-clad beachgoers. The South Beach Ritz-Carlton, they have a job for you, and it's tanning butler. The swank hotel is looking for an outgoing male model type to slather its guests with sunscreen. The lucky guy gets 20 bucks an hour, plus tips, and plenty of time to work on his tan. Ladies need not apply.
Campbell, I think they have to work to make sure the riff raff doesn't get in there. Some guy walking around with a Coppertone.
BROWN: Right.
GALANOS: Who's not --
BROWN: OK. Why? I wonder why ladies need not apply. OK. Curious about that one.
Mike Galanos -- thanks, Mike.
GALANOS: Yes.
BROWN: Just ahead, don't mess with America's sweetheart. That's what Jesse James is learning today. Sandra Bullock, we've got your back when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: It is the number one story searched on Google. It is the number one story on CNN.com. And it is what everybody in our office was talking about right now. How about your office?
And it's all about America's sweetheart, Sandra Bullock, coming off the most successful movie of her career. She won an Oscar two weeks ago, her first academy award. And today, a report that her husband Jesse James cheated on her.
Now, I know we normally don't do entertainment stories, but I love Sandra Bullock. And I mean, who doesn't? And we're really mad at this guy. And Lisa Bloom, CNN's legal analyst and Laura Saltman with AccessHollywood.com are both joining me right now from Los Angeles.
Lisa, let me start with you here. What is it about Sandra Bullock? We all love her. We're furious. LISA BLOOM, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Oh, it's just such a heartbreak, Campbell. I mean, this should be her moment in the sun, right? It's the high point of her career. She just won the best actress Oscar. She's just about to go to the London premiere of "The Blind Side," which has been doing phenomenally well, hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office largely because of her. And instead, she has to deal with this. And I think for women it makes us think, is it really impossible for a woman to be at the height of her career and also to hold on to her relationship? I know that 10 out of the last 13 actresses who won the Oscar lost their man within a year or two of winning the Oscar, most of them. I mean, it's just so depressing.
BROWN: They're calling it the Oscar curse now.
Laura, tell us a little bit about her reputation in Hollywood. I mean, we know she has this huge fan base. But she' very much loved in Hollywood as well, right?
LAURA SALTMAN, ACCESSHOLLYWOOD.COM: Absolutely. And she's much loved by the media. This is a person who you can tell when she does interviews she's just very much herself. She doesn't self-edit. She'll talk about kind of whatever you want to ask her about. She's very self-deprecating. And we all love her, and there was this collective gasp when the story came out. There's just no way this could happen to Sandra Bullock. We were shocked.
BROWN: And, Lisa, I know you covered the custody battle between her husband, Jesse James, and his ex-wife, who was a porn star. And there was a role in this that Sandra Bullock played as well. Explain what happened.
BLOOM: That's right. I mean, she was the stepmother. She is the stepmother of this 5-year-old little girl. And she's had a very loving relationship with her. And Sandra Bullock wrote a poignant letter to the court that I think was instrumental in she and her husband getting custody of that little girl where she talks about the sense of family that she finally had, how this little girl was just like a biological child to her, as were Jesse James' other children. That this girl just really meant the world to her, she would do anything to her. And now this. I mean, it's just so hard to believe that somebody would do this to Sandra Bullock, who I don't think I've ever heard anything bad about the woman.
BROWN: And, Laura, Jesse James released a statement to "People" magazine that he exhibited, quote, "poor judgment" and I, in his words, "deserve everything bad that is coming my way." You know Hollywood. Is a lot coming his way?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, yes. And yes, he does. And yes, there is. I mean, people are going to dig up any dirt that they can now on him, on this woman who says she had an affair with him. They're going to see if there's others. I mean, just like Tiger Woods, now all of a sudden we're wondering, are there going to be more women that are going to come out and say, hey, I had an affair with Jesse James in the last year or two. And I wouldn't be surprised if there were. BROWN: Oh, I hope not. Laura Saltman, we appreciate it, from Access Hollywood and our own Lisa Bloom. Lisa, thanks so much, guys.
BLOOM: Thanks, Campbell.
BROWN: "LARRY KING LIVE" starts in just a few minutes, but first a mom goes into labor at home with only her kids to help. How one brave brother and sister assisted in a very special delivery. That coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Tonight, the story of a new beginning and a happy ending. A mom is home alone with her kids when she goes into labor. And that's when her own children step in to save the day. And Mike Galanos has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GALANOS (voice-over): Little Joseph Sanders took his mom Alana completely by surprise. Mom didn't even realize she was in labor until she felt the baby coming. It was in the wee hours of the morning while her husband was at work, but fortunately, two little heroes stepped in, her two oldest children.
JABARI SANDERS, ALANA'S 9-YEAR-OLD SON: My mom said to call 911 so I did.
MOM: The baby is coming now.
9-YEAR-OLD BOY: She says the baby is coming now. The baby's coming now.
GALANOS: Mom was in pain, but the kids stayed calm. Just minutes later, 9-year-old Jabari saw his little brother coming into the world, born in a bathroom.
BOY: She's starting to bleed.
MOM: The baby is coming out.
BOY: The baby is already here.
SANDERS: And then the phone operator started asking me a bunch of questions I didn't understand.
GALANOS: That's when his sister Faith got on the phone.
FAITH SANDERS, ALANA'S 11-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER: They knew that I was only 11 years old, so they kind of walked me through what to do.
GALANOS: That patient 911 operator asked her all the right questions because Faith was able to relay that the baby's umbilical cord snapped, which could have been dangerous for little Joseph.
11-YEAR-OLD GIRL: The cord is dangling from her. 911 OPERATOR: From the baby?
GIRL: Yes.
911 OPERATOR: OK.
F. SANDERS: They just said tie a string around it and I did.
GALANOS: There is the yarn she used to save her baby brother. She finished just as the ambulance and dad arrived to take mom and baby to the hospital, and thankfully both are doing just fine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: And Mike Galanos is back again with us. And, Mike, I know you spoke with the parents today and to the 911 operator who also took the call. What do they say about these hero kids?
GALANOS: You know, really mom and 911 operator just couldn't believe how calm these kids were because you can kind of hear, Campbell, in that 911 call mom is screaming. So you're talking about mom in the bathroom and you wonder about labor. I mean, her water broke, baby came like that. She said I felt the urge to push, the baby was here. But they remained calm. It's unbelievable.
Now, dad wasn't there. He was working an overnight shift. He said, you know, as a husband, you want to be superman here, but he wasn't able to do that. He said his kids played the role of superhero to him. That's just fine. So just a great story all the way around.
BROWN: Absolutely. We're glad everything worked out so wonderfully. Mike Galanos for us tonight. Mike, thank you so much.
GALANOS: Yes.
BROWN: That's it going to do it for us. "LARRY KING LIVE" starting right now.
