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American Morning

Health Care Hits a Snag; Health Care Hate: House Members Report Increased Threats Since Vote; California May Legalize Pot; State of the Planet; The Small Business Squeeze; Living to 100 Years Old; Easing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

Aired March 25, 2010 - 06:00   ET

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


KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING on this Thursday. It's March 25th. I'm Kiran Chetry.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. I'm John Roberts. Thanks so much for being with us. And here are the big stories we'll be telling you about coming up in the next 15 minutes.

Health care reform just hit a speed bump in the Senate. Republicans finding flaws in the bill overnight forcing it back to the House for a re-vote. And there's concern about security this morning with some Democrats claiming they received death threats and incidents of vandalism for backing the measure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (via telephone): There are millions of people across the country who wish you ill. And all of those thoughts projected on you will materialize into something that's not very good for you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: Late breaking developments on what's shaping up to be a very intense morning on Capitol Hill just ahead.

CHETRY: Plus, a historic step forward for pot supporters. California could become the first state to legalize marijuana for non- medicinal purposes. The measure will be on the ballot this fall. And just ahead, our Dan Simon is in Oakland this morning talking to people on both sides of the issue.

ROBERTS: And big changes expected to the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. The Pentagon is set to announce this morning that the military will no longer investigate gays who are outed by third parties or complaints made anonymously. We'll get reaction from soldiers in the field.

And we want you to be a part of the conversation this morning. Want to talk about health care, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," legalizing marijuana, that's always a hot issue or any other issue out there today? Go to CNN.com/amFIX right now, and join the live blog. We'll read some of your comments on the air this morning. CHETRY: Well, we begin with breaking news on two health fronts with health care reform. The measure just hit a snag in the Senate. Republicans finding at least two flaws in the bill overnight sending it back to the House now for a re-vote. And that is something that Democrats didn't want to see. There's also something no one wants to see and that is some Democrats in Congress who back the bill claim that they're being harassed, that they're receiving death threats and their district offices are being vandalized.

Carol Costello is live in Washington this morning where the health care debate has turned decidedly ugly. First, though, we begin with congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar.

So, Brianna, this session went very late last night into the early, early hours of the morning. What happened to health care reform in the Senate?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It all boils down, Kiran, to a delay for the fixes bill. That's the bill that makes changes to the Democratic health care reform plan that President Obama signed into law this week.

Now, this changes bill has go back to the House for approval before it can go to President Obama's desk. The Senate, it stayed very late last night. They voted on 29 Republican amendments, 29 proposed changes to the bill, wrapping up just before 3:00 a.m. And every single one of those amendments actually failed to pass. But Republicans found two provisions in the bill that they argued should not be in there, according to the rules of what can be in this bill. And the Senate parliamentarian agreed.

So now what you have is this just goes back to the House for approval, which has been sticking around ahead of this two-week spring recess that begins at the end of the week. They've been waiting for the Senate to wrap up its business. Bottom line here, Kiran, though, this is expected to go through the House possibly tomorrow.

CHETRY: What are the two things in the bill that shouldn't have been there that actually ended up with this delay?

KEILAR: This is pretty curious because there were two things related to the student loan part of the bill. And you probably say the "what" part of the bill. I thought this was a health care bill.

Well, when the House sent this health care bill over to the Senate, they put an overhaul of the student loan industry that takes government-backed student loans away from private lenders, puts them, really in the sole control of the government. So these are really minor provisions governing that. It's not anything major. But Republicans have told us, Kiran, they hate this bill. They wanted to do anything they could to kill it. And seeing that that was going to be unlikely, they were going to use all of their tools to delay it, and they have at least for a day.

CHETRY: Brianna Keilar for us this morning, thanks. ROBERTS: So health care is now heading back to the House where Democrats claim they're dealing with a violent backlash for supporting the reform bill. Many of them reporting death threats. More than 10 members of Congress say they have been targeted, including Michigan's Bart Stupak who was the pro-life Democrat who helped seal the health care deal.

Our Carol Costello is following developments for us this morning from Washington. And these developments certainly are troubling, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They are disturbing. The last few months for Congressman Stupak, in his words, have not been fun. He's taking the heat from all sides. And he's lost the support of anti-abortion groups that once championed him. He's become disillusioned with them and tired of all the hate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO (voice-over): Some conservatives have made Michigan Congressman Bart Stupak a verb, Stupaked, definition -- betrayed. And for some that sense of betrayal from a man who is pro-life is vitriol. These kinds of calls have been coming into Stupak's D.C. office since this weekend.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (via telephone): You're a cowardly punk, Stupak. That's what you are, you and your family, scum.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (via telephone): Go to hell, you piece of (EXPLETIVE DELETED)

COSTELLO: Stupak has also received thousands of letters and faxes, some threatening his family. This one shows a noose with the words "all baby killers come to unseemly ends either by the hand of man or the hand of God."

The calls and letters kept coming as Stupak and 12 other pro-life Democratic lawmakers to witness the president sign an order he says confirms the ban on federal funding for abortions in the new health care law.

REP. MARCY KAPTUR (D), OHIO: It was very joyous. After the president finished signing it, we all clapped.

COSTELLO: Ohio Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur has also experienced some pushback for her support but nothing like Stupak. She finds it disturbing and says it has little to do with the abortion issue.

KAPTUR: There were a lot of individuals who really didn't want this bill at all, and I think that's where some of this vitriol is still coming from.

COSTELLO: Stupak is getting hammered on other fronts too.

REP. RANDY NEUGEBAUER (R), TEXAS: You know what I'm never going to quit speaking on behalf of the unborn. COSTELLO: The Texas Republican congressman who interrupted Stupak's speech on the House floor with shouts of "baby killer" is now using the incident in a campaign ad. Back in Michigan, the little- known Republican running against Stupak suddenly has thousands of friends on his Facebook page. Dr. Ben Banaszak (ph) is richer, too. In the past two days, he says he received $60,000 in donations.

ADVERTISEMENT NARRATOR: Join the Tea Party Express showdown and searchlight rally March 27th.

COSTELLO: The Tea Party Express tour with Sarah Palin on board will now include Stupak's district, not because of the abortion issue but because his vote on health care will burden the American people with even more debt and even more government control.

SISTER SIMONE CAMPBELL, PROGRESSIVE CATHOLIC: What a great day for health care reform.

COSTELLO: Sister Simone Campbell, a progressive Catholic, feels for Stupak. She and other Catholic nuns came out in favor of health care reform. She's getting hammered, too, even though she's against abortion.

CAMPBELL: One person called me a baby killer.

COSTELLO: Sister Simone is saddened by the vitriol. She actually met with Congressman Stupak to offer comfort.

CAMPBELL: He followed his conscience and faith, and that's all that we're asked do, is to be faithful. And I am so grateful to him for being faithful. And I know it is very hard. It is a big price to pay.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And Sister Simone met with Congressman Stupak in his office and I'm sure many prayers were said -- John.

ROBERTS: Wow. It really is, as you said, at the top, troubling some of the language out there. What's the Republican leadership in the House saying about all this?

COSTELLO: Well, John Boehner came forward, the congressman from Ohio. He said I know many Americans are angry over this health care bill and that Washington Democrats just aren't listening. But as I've said, violence and threats are unacceptable. Call your congressman. Go out and register people to vote. Go volunteer on a political campaign, make your voice heard, but let's do it the right way.

Of course, Democrats would like the Republican leadership to come out and more strongly speak out against this type of language and speak out against these death threats, but Republicans say they are indeed doing that.

ROBERTS: Carol Costello for us this morning. Carol, thanks so much. And coming up at 7:15 Eastern, we are going to be speaking with House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer about security concerns. And at 8:30 Eastern, Virginia Congressman Tom Perriello joins us. Police are investigating a severed propane gas line at the home of his brother.

CHETRY: Well, also new this morning, federal judges in San Diego will decide today whether to consolidate more than 100 lawsuits against Toyota. Those suits range from owners claiming their vehicles have lost value because of the recalls. The drivers claiming that Toyota has not been forthcoming about the mechanical problem. Toyota has repeatedly denied this.

ROBERTS: And this viral video out today has people asking did former President George W. Bush wipe his hand on former President Bill Clinton after shaking hands? Was he wiping his hands?

CHETRY: Right.

ROBERTS: We tracked down a couple, plenty of news reports imply or flat out say, yes, it's exactly what happened. But other reports say it was probably just an affection of gesture or pat on the arm. More that former President Bush is known for being on time, he could have been tugging on the former president's sleeve to kind of keep him on schedule, the notoriously late President Clinton. You make the call.

CHETRY: There you go. It's still funny either way.

Let's get a check this morning of the weather headlines. Our Rob Marciano is in the weather center for us this morning.

Hey, so what was it a pat or was it a wipe?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know those guys are so close now, you just never know. We'll give them the benefit of the doubt, so maybe they were helping each other out.

Good morning, guys. Listen now, we got some thunderstorms and some rain to talk about. A pretty decent-size storm that brought all that snow to the Colorado Rockies is moving eastward and it means different things for different people.

Down across the south, we've got some thunderstorms that are starting to rumble across the I-10 corridor and have been up north through Memphis. And a more gentle rain from Bloomington to Chicago, back to Fort Wayne, but that may do enough to slow some travel down. The main threat this afternoon, once we get the atmosphere cooking is the threat for severe weather across parts of the Deep South as cooler air tries to move in behind that system.

Much more weather in about 30 minutes. John and Kiran, back to you.

CHETRY: All right. Sounds good, Rob. Thanks.

ROBERTS: Thanks, Rob. Still to come on the Most News in the Morning, how California's budget problems could lead to the legalization of marijuana. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Developing this morning, marijuana supporters are celebrating a big, big, big political step forward. California may become the very first state to legalize recreational pot use.

CHETRY: The measure is going to be on the ballot in November. If it's passed, it could bring in some much needed tax revenue for the cash-strapped state. Our Dan Simon is in Oakland. He's talking to people on both sides of the debate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are at a place called Oaksterdam University, a place dedicated to teaching all things about cannabis. This is the nursery and you can see this equipment behind me where they teach people how to grow cannabis. We are here because the guy who founded this place is leading the effort to get full legalization in California.

(voice-over): Our camera was rolling as Richard Lee got the news. For him, there was never any doubt that marijuana would get on the ballot.

RICHARD LEE, PRESIDENT, OAKSTERDAM UNIVERSITY: We needed 433,971 ballot signatures to qualify for the California ballot.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How many did you get?

LEE: We got 690,000 total.

SIMON: They used paid petition gatherers, but Lee says he's confident of a win in the fall that would make marijuana legal for Californians 21 and over to possess an ounce for personal use.

LEE: We're going to get our message out there. And I think people are more receptive to it than they've ever been.

SIMON: For Lee, a victory would mean public validation to a life's calling. Three years ago, he founded an Oakland school that teaches students how best to grow, sell and even consume cannabis.

It's called Oaksterdam University. Get it? A combination of Oakland and Amsterdam. Lee started the school after a trip to that city and seeing how marijuana was openly sold there.

LEE: For some people, cannabis is like a religion.

SIMON: Until now, full legalization had never really been taken seriously by voters. But Lee sees an opening with the state budget crisis and the tax revenue it would bring. Possibly hundreds of millions of dollars a year. According to a California field poll taken last year, more than half, 56 percent of Californians support legalization. Opponents realize they have some work to do and can see they'll be outspent but think their arguments are too powerful to ignore.

JOHN LOVELL, CALIFORNIA NARCOTIC OFFICERS ASSOCIATION: Why on earth would we want to add yet another mind-altering substance to the array of legal substances that compromise a person's five senses where we know they're going to make bad decisions, some criminal.

SIMON: Richard Lee says it's about adults making their own decisions. Twenty years ago, a spinal cord injury put him in a wheelchair. He says he smokes cannabis medically and for recreation.

LEE: Well, I really see this as following the history of alcohol, the way it was - prohibition was repealed there.

SIMON (on camera): Just like any heated campaign, expect the airwaves to be filled with commercials from both sides. Those in favor of legalization hope to raise as much as $20 million for advertising.

Dan Simon, CNN, Oakland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: The times, they certainly are a-changing.

California was first, but medical marijuana is now legal in 13 other states, including Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, Montana, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Michigan, Maine, Vermont, New Jersey and Rhode Island. Maryland allows courts to consider medical marijuana as a defense in marijuana-related cases and defendants are often showed leniency if they show medical necessity.

About a dozen other states are considering medical marijuana laws, including right here in the Empire State, New York.

CHETRY: Yes, but the interesting thing about California is it's not medical. It just - you can possess an ounce if this thing passes.

ROBERTS: Yes.

CHETRY: And that will be interesting to see the effect on their budget, but also the surrounding states.

ROBERTS: Yes. The recreational use throws this into an entirely new realm.

CHETRY: There you go. All right. Well we'll continue to follow the latest on that story.

Meanwhile, still to come, can cell phones and broadband internet access really improve the world? We're "Minding Your Business" next.

Sixteen minutes past the hour. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Right now, nearly a billion people around the world are living in poverty, struggling to stay alive on one dollar a day or less.

CHETRY: You know, our next guest is -

ROBERTS: That's a lot of - that's really hard times for a lot of folks.

CHETRY: It is.

Our next guest, though, says that cell phone service is actually making a difference in some of the poorest areas in the world. Jeffrey Sachs is the director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, and today he'll be leading an international summit called "The State of the Planet 2010", and great to see you this morning.

JEFFREY SACHS, INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIST: Thanks a lot.

CHETRY: So there are a lot of elements that you guys are obviously going to be discussing, a lot of various things. But one of the things we're focusing on, because it really is fascinating, is how cell phones can actually make a difference in some of the poorest areas in the world. How?

SACHS: Well, this is really a good news story for a change, which is that the mobile phones have spread everywhere, to the most remote villages of the world. And what I'm seeing when I go to poverty-stricken areas is that very poor people are all of a sudden making business.

They have access to emergency services. There's wireless broadband, bringing the internet to schools, the poorest places in the world. Mothers being kept alive by - now being able to call an ambulance or get to a safe delivery.

So amazing things are happening. This is the most powerful change in development that I've seen, in other words, and lifting people out of extreme poverty in many, many years.

And today, we have a worldwide summit, actually beamed around the world in a way that CNN would know very well, that is bringing in - it will be thousands of people for discussion about these new ways to reduce or end extreme poverty.

ROBERTS: You and I have talked about this before, Jeff. You've put some remote transmitters up in the middle of nowhere, and - and what do you find happen?

SACHS: Actually, Ericsson put some towers up near the Somalia border, one of the most remote places in the world. Camel herders, goat and sheep, pastoralist communities.

All of a sudden, people are on the line, should we bring the - the camels to Nairobi? Should we go to the Red Sea? What's the best port? What's the good price? Kids that were lost, as, you know, as herdsmen - children all of a sudden are being found because now they - they can make a phone call.

It's - it's amazing what's happening and how technology can really empower the poorest people in the world. And what these mobile phone providers have shown is how to get to the - people that can barely afford anything, but they're making money, making business, saving lives this way.

ROBERTS: Hey, I'm sure it's going to be a great conference.

Let's turn you to some of today's business news. Bank of America, new loan program. If a person is 20 percent or more under water in their home, they're thinking that maybe the write down, 30 percent of the mortgage. You know, I guess the calculation is that they can lose less money writing down the mortgage than they can in foreclosing. It's probably a good deal.

Does it sound like a good business model to you? Do you think other banks might follow?

SACHS: Well, this - this is the way it has to go in the end. We have so many homeowners that are under water right now. The - one of the things that hasn't happened in this very, very weak and fragile recovery is - is really a recovery in the - in the real estate market. And so the foreclosures are still rising and we don't have the solution.

Banks and those who borrowed have to find a compromise. This is the right way go.

CHETRY: The Obama Administration thought they had a solution, or at least were hoping they did in this Help for Homeowners, the modification program. Neil Barofsky, who's the special inspector general, had some really harsh criticism yesterday when he came out with this report.

He basically said this is a $75 billion program that in the end may help as little as 1.5 to 2 million. And right now, only about 170,000 people have actually been able to get off of the road to foreclosure.

What went wrong?

SACHS: Well, he also complained that the administration overstated the benefits of this because it listed people who had been given the trial but then didn't qualify afterwards for actually a - a full - a solution to their problems.

First of all, this is not easy. We had a massive bubble of lending to people that could not afford the homes that they bought. Housing prices came down. I think it's right to say that we're now still in the bottom of that bubble that burst.

Nobody has an easy solution. But what the administration proposed has not been a clear way through, and I think what the Bank of America solution, that the banks really come up with programs that across the board are going to solve problems for what need to be millions and millions of homeowners is going to be the right way to go.

ROBERTS: Jeff, great to see you this morning, and good luck on the forum later on today.

SACHS: Oh, thank you so much.

ROBERTS: It should be great. Thanks.

SACHS: Great to be with you.

ROBERTS: Always great to see you.

CHETRY: Thanks, Jeff.

ROBERTS: Still to come on the Most News in the Morning, health care reform and small business. We'll show you how some business owners are struggling to make some tough choices now that health care reform bill could soon become a reality.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: And it's coming up on 27 minutes after the hour.

Small businesses are weighing the pros and cons of health care reform. President Obama is going to be in Iowa today to try to explain what the new law means for them.

CHETRY: And as Ted Rowland shows us, for some, it could be the difference between keeping the doors open and boarding up the windows.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KENN BEARMAN, OWNER, THE ANIMAL STORE: This is a place that has every kind of animal under the sun, except for dogs.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kenn Bearman has been in business for himself for the last 18 years.

BEARMAN: My idea of owning a small business is always to take care of the employees, and you have a loyal employee, everything else - everything else will come to you.

I thought I could always do health care for them, do benefits.

ROWLANDS: And he provided those health care benefits to his employees. But, as the years went by and his cost of running his locally owned pet shop went up, he says he had no choice but to keep the health care for himself and his family and hire part-time employees. BEARMAN: I stopped doing health care because at that time health care started going up to the point now where I'm spending $22,000 a year just for my immediate family.

He's about 9 months old.

ROWLANDS: In fact, his premiums are so expensive that last month, he says, he had to borrow from his retirement fund just to make the monthly payment on his health insurance.

BEARMAN: I started getting behind on it, and it was - it was $1,900 that I had to take from my IRA, which is a big decision. Now, it's 30 days later and I'm getting behind again.

Rabbits are one of our more popular pet.

ROWLANDS: And now, as a result of the skyrocketing health care costs, Bearman may have to drop his own health care insurance in order for his business to survive.

BEARMAN: I have 30 days to decide. I - I don't know. It's a pretty scary thought, but the landlord's not going to wait, and my mortgage company's not. I - I need my house, so that's probably going to have to be a - a tough decision.

This is a macaw, baby macaw. Come on.

ROWLANDS: After almost two decades of caring for the animals and his store, Kenn hopes the future of health care will care for his family.

Ted Rowland, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHETRY: All right. Ted, thanks so much.

You know, we're talking about a lot of different stories today on our live blog, CNN.com/amFIX. One of the things is this move to legalize marijuana. Not medicinal, but legalized pot.

ROBERT: Again, for recreational use.

CHETRY: Right, in California.

ROBERTS: That's a real change.

CHETRY: They got enough signatures to get it on the ballot and some people are weighing in this morning, one person writing in, Robert wrote in, "It's past due that all the states legalize or at least to criminalize marijuana. They can use this plant for biofuel, the best rope, paper and medicinal purposes and research."

ROBERTS: Another thing that we're talking about this morning, changes to the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Policy, Secretary Gates expected to announce that people who are outed by third parties or people - for malicious intent will not be kicked out of the military.

Here's Chris writes in, "I was in the military and I personally knew a man in our division who was a closet gay. In my opinion, he was one of the best soldiers that we had. He was smart, friendly and someone you could trust. 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' is fine with me."

CHETRY: All right. There you go.

Well, join the conversation. Again, CNN.com/amFIX. We'll be reading some of your comments throughout the morning.

Meantime, we're crossing the half hour right now and it's time for the top stories.

There's already a hiccup in the just-approved health care law. After an all-nighter in the Senate, Republicans flagged at least two provisions that they say violate budget rules. That means that the bill now has to go back to the House and that House members have to take another vote. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says that he expects the bill get congressional approval once the allowances are taken out.

Meantime, many Democrats are saying that they're facing death threats, harassment, and vandalism for backing health care reform. The FBI is investigating at least 10 cases believed to be linked to the passage of the controversial health care legislation. Vandals using bricks, police say, to smash windows at Democratic offices, one in Upstate New York that you're seeing there. And many lawmakers say that they've received menacing voice mails and thousands of angry letter and e-mails.

And as we were just saying, California will vote this November on a measure to legalize marijuana for non-medicinal use. Supporters collected nearly 700,000 signatures. It was over 250,000 more than they actually needed. An analysis shows that if the measure passes, adults over the age of 21 will be allowed to keep an ounce of pot. And sales could also be taxed which would help the cash-strapped state -- John.

ROBERTS: Well, ever wonder how long you'll live? Life expectancy is on the rise. In fact, a new study out of Duke University says babies born today may live on average, to the ripe old age of 100. That certainly wasn't always the case.

Here's a look back over time to figure out how we got to where we are. Thirty thousand years ago, rather -- that puts us back in the Neanderthal era, most of our ancestors didn't make it past the age of 30. That's because of constant deadly dangers like animal attacks, starvation, even massive rock falls.

Flash-forward to the year 500 B.C., classic Greece and Rome, gathering food wasn't as big a danger after advances in agriculture and irrigation. We gain another five years, but still weren't living long, only 35 years.

A thousand years later, in medieval times, urbanization meant that man was living longer, almost to half a century. But by the end of that period, famine and the plague claimed millions of lives and their days were numbered, kind of back a little bit, just 38 years.

Fast forward to Victorian times, average lifespan hovered around 40. But by the 20th century, better health care and living conditions saw it soaring to age 75.

And today, thanks to advances in public health, our life expectancy has risen now to 82 years. But our children may actually live to be 100.

So, people are living longer. But, now what?

Dr. James Vaupel, head of Duke University's Center on the Demography of Aging joins us now from Rostock, Germany.

James, it's great to see you this morning. Thanks so much for joining us.

You know, these days, there are probably more centenarians than there have been. But they're still fairly rare. How do you expect that to change in the future?

JAMES VAUPEL, DEMOGRAPHER: Well, as you said, life expectancy has been going up steadily for the last couple of hundred years. Life expectancy has been going up by about 2 1/2 years per decade, which is six hours per day, really amazing amount of increase. And now if that progress continues, then children today will enjoy the fruits of all the medical benefits we're making. And at least half of them they'll be able to survive past 100.

ROBERTS: Yes. We should tell people that you're coming to us via Skype. And the Internet can be a little bit rocky from time to time. So, I hope they'll bear with us.

Let's take a look at this graphic. This was included in your study -- survival probability from 80 to 90 years. Back in 1950, for women, 15 percent to 16 percent of women would live to be between the ages of 80 and 90. Twelve percent of men -- now look at how that's change up to 2002. Thirty-seven percent of women now live between 80 and 90 years, 25 percent of men.

Now, what are -- what are the factors that are driving that longevity? And is it that we are just living longer or are we living healthier longer?

VAUPEL: You know, the good news is that we're living healthier longer. And we're living healthier longer for certain reasons. One is good health care, high-quality health care. Second, biomedical research is producing advances that enable us to cure, prevent various kinds of diseases. Third, we're taking better care of ourselves. We're eating better. We're getting -- we're exercising, things like that.

And we're better educated. Education helps people survive longer and we're richer. And having more money will also help people survive longer.

ROBERTS: Now, when people live longer there are implications, social services, Medicare, Social Security. You know, you look at a lot of this in your study. What are you -- what are you thinking about this as we're getting older?

VAUPEL: Well, suppose you were a child today in the United States and you had a very good chance of living to 90 or 95 with pretty good health and you got a good chance to living to 100 altogether. How would you want to spend the time of your life? How would you want to arrange your life?

And right now, people (INAUDIBLE) getting educated and they work three or four decades, then they have a long period of retirement. And if you know you're going to live to 100, you probably wouldn't want to have a 40-year period of retirement at the end of your life. You're talking about a mix of education, leisure and work together. So, work fewer hours per a week but work more years of your life. And work fewer hours a week so you have more time for your family, for your friends, for your children.

So, I think it's going to be a real revolution in the way people spend the time of their life. How they allocate their time with education, work and leisure, and there's going to be a redistribution of how they spend that time.

ROBERTS: Yes. You say that, currently, there are periods to a person's life. There's childhood, adulthood and old age. You may need to add a fourth period, split the old age into young-old and then older-old.

But on this point here, redistribution of how you live your life, one of your suggestions is, for young people coming out of college, maybe they don't work as much just coming out of college as they do now, in exchange for working later in life. But those early years when you come out of college are when a young person really formulates their work ethic, really gets going on their life. And if you tell them, look, don't works so hard when you come out of college, do some other thing -- can you still establish that same work ethic and can they still become as high achievers as they would in current day?

VAUPEL: Well, the analysis that people can work productivity later in life, and the other point is that many young people want to have more time for families and friends, trying to have children, take care of their children so that -- I think it really possible to spread work out more over the (INAUDIBLE) and pleasure of life, some people to have more productive and what's even more important, happier lives.

ROBERTS: Well, it's an intriguing study and it certainly does raise a lot of implications. And I don't know that I want to live to be 100. Many people --

VAUPEL: My point is, nobody wants to live to 100 if they're going to be sick for decades and decades. But suppose you know you'll live to 90 or 95 in good health, that you could, you know, really enjoy health. And this period of (INAUDIBLE) at the end of life that many people suffer would be pushed out to 85, 95, even to 100. So, we're talking about people living healthy to 90 or 95 as they current live to 75 or 80.

ROBERTS: Well, my mom just passed away at the age of 96. So, it looks like I still got a few years left.

James Vaupel, good to talk to you this morning. Thanks so much for joining us.

VAUPEL: Thank you.

ROBERTS: All right -- Kiran.

CHETRY: Well, coming up next on the Most News in the Morning: changes are coming in the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. We're going to be getting some reaction from soldiers in the field. Next.

Thirty-seven minutes past the hour.

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CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.

We're following developments in the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. This morning, Defense Chief Robert Gates is expected to announce changes that better protect gay service members. Among them: no more dismissals of those who have been outed anonymously or by a third party.

Chris Lawrence is embedded with the U.S. Marines serving in Afghanistan. He joins us from Camp Leatherneck with reaction this morning.

Hey, Chris.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Kiran.

Yes, here at the Camp Leatherneck, we've been talking to some of the troops about these potential changes. You know, this isn't a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." That can only be done by Congress. It tweaks the law.

And I think one of the important tweaks is what you mentioned -- say, Private Jones outs Private Smith. Normally, Private Smith would normally be, you know, processed with separation because Private Smith is gay in the military.

Well, now, they're saying, well, technically, Private Smith did follow -- would be following the law. He didn't tell and the third party that outed him. Those could especially be -- this clause could be invoked in cases where, say, it could be proven that the person who outed Private Smith had sort of a personal grudge against him.

I spoke with some of the soldiers and marines here at Camp Leatherneck. They actually liked that provision, because they admitted that, hey, sometimes, personal grudges and feelings do come into play. And someone could use that information just to hurt a fellow soldier or a marine.

In terms of actually repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which may be a year away, we got mixed reaction on that. Some felt that it was absolutely the wrong idea. They said, you know, they pointed to the way we're living here at Camp Leatherneck in the field. You know, everybody living on top of each other, being very closely tied, almost no privacy.

Others were very open, including one British soldier I spoke with who said, you know, gays are able to serve openly in the British Army. He said he has no problem with it at all and it hasn't been an issue.

In about 90 minutes, you're going to hear in your own words some of those soldiers and marines and that would give you a better idea of what the reaction is out here in the field in Afghanistan -- Kiran.

CHETRY: All right. Chris Lawrence embedded with marines in Camp Leatherneck. We're going to check in with you, as you said, in our 8:00 Eastern hour. Chris, thanks.

ROBERTS: A lot of comments coming in to our live blog this morning, about a number of different topics, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" among them. We got a comment on that. We read it just a little while ago.

Let's take a look at some other ones.

Bob from Houston writes about the health care debate and what's going on with the threats against Democratic members of Congress. He says, quote, "The Republicans are committing acts of domestic terrorism because they disagree with President Obama's health insurance reform plan. They accused the terrorists of palling around with terrorists in the 2008 election, and now, they are using terrorism in the political process."

CHETRY: A lot of blog comments as well about medical marijuana could be changing actually to recreational marijuana being allowed in the state of California. A few people writing -- legalize it, watch the tourist scene pop up as well. Somebody else wrote about the fact that if it's legalized, the government will tax the hell out of it. That's from Melon.

Well, I think that's the point, part of the reason why it's able to be on the ballot right now is because of the major budget crisis that California is facing. And they stand to gain hundreds of thousands of dollars from taxing marijuana.

ROBERTS: Yes, if not -- if not hundreds of millions. We'll see if this goes anywhere.

You can join the conversation right now at CNN.com/amFIX. We'll keep on watching for your comments this morning and bring them up to you. CHETRY: All right. Well, right now, it is 43 minutes past the hour. Rob is going to be along in just a couple of minutes with the morning's travel forecast.

ROBERTS: And, in 10 minutes time, ever hear of Chat Roulette. It's the latest Internet fad. Our Jeanne Moos shows us how even musician Ben Folds is getting in on the act.

Stay with us.

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ROBERTS: Good morning Atlanta, where it's 50 degrees right now and partly cloudy. Later on today, the weather's going to be downhill, 61 degrees, and the rain is back again after a beautiful day yesterday.

CHETRY: Let's get a check of what it's going to be like around the country today. Rob Marciano is in the Extreme Weather Center. I felt the winds have changed blowing yesterday. Pretty windy around our area.

(WEATHER REPORT)

ROBERTS: All right. Thanks, Rob.

CHETRY: Thanks, Rob.

ROBERTS: This morning's top stories are just minutes away now, including on the road to bust.

We're reaching the tipping point on Social Security. The government paying out this year more than it's going to take in, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Does that mean you should not count on it for your retirement?

CHETRY: At 15 minutes past the hour, we go one-on-one with House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer on the reports of death threats against some democratic members of Congress. Is the rhetoric in Washington responsible and whether or not it's time to tone it down?

ROBERTS: And at 50 minutes after the hour, your race and your weight. A new study says obesity is affecting more minority children. The lead author of the study is going tell you why the odds may be stacked against them even before they're born. Those stories and more coming your way at the top of the hour.

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CHETRY: About seven minutes until the top of the hour. It's time for the Moos News in the Morning with Jeannie, and today, it's the case of old meets new. Computers taking the piano duel out of smoky downtown bars on to the web.

ROBERTS: It also started with an anonymous musician started serenading strangers on the random chat site, Chat Roulette, then a famous piano player took notice, and as Jeanne Moos tells us, the rest is viral video history.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Chat Roulette is the latest thing --

UNKNOWN MALE: The climbing dude in the white tank top.

MOOS: And the latest thing on Chat Roulette is dueling piano players.

This is the story of how a nobody calling himself Merton became so beloved --

That a real star, Ben Folds --

Put on a hoody and got on Chat Roulette during a live concert in an ode to Merton.

But first, a little Chat Roulette 101.

MOOS (on-camera): So, this is Chat Roulette. I have a camera trained on me. They have a camera trained on them. You basically go from person to person chatting with strangers, and if you see someone you don't like, you click "next."

(voice-over): You run into nice people. You run into naked, creepy people. And if you're lucky, you run into Merton.

He wants to stay anonymous. All we know is that he's from Colorado and plays improv piano. He's been serenading Chat Rouletters, seducing them into typing back.

Merton told the website Mashable --

UNKNOWN MALE: It's been primarily targeted at girl friends in the past. My guy friends don't want me singing songs about them or about them.

MOOS: Though, these guys didn't seem to mind.

And when people mistook Merton for alternative rock star Ben Folds, Ben paid homage by playing Chat Roulette in concert, needing one guy sign.

When the guy gave up his name, Ben brought in the crowd.

What does Merton say about Ben's ode to him?

UNKNOWN MALE: I love it. I think it's so funny.

UNKNOWN MALE: You know, we're really having a good -- ah --

MOOS: And that may be where Chat Roulette is headed.

UNKNOWN MALE: No one ever takes me seriously and now you, guys, are laughing hilariously.

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: OK. Two places where cell phones and computers do not belong or one place where cell phones and computer, the bathroom.

CHETRY: More than two places.

ROBERTS: More than two places.

(LAUGHING)

CHETRY: Five minutes before the hour. We'll be right back.

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