Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

House Republicans Dig Their Heels In On Obamacare; Same-Sex Marriage Now Allowed In New Jersey; How A Government Shutdown Affects You; CNN Veteran's Brush With Death; Some Insurance Companies Refuse To Cover Certain Families Due To Their Dogs; New Technology Aims To Decrease Number Of Car Collisions; "Gravity" Pleases Critics And Scientists

Aired September 28, 2013 - 15:00   ET

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

ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Alison Kosik in for Fredricka Whitfield. Here are the top stories we're following.

Less than three days ago now before the government shuts down, and House Republicans are digging in their heels on Obamacare. We're going to have a live report from Capitol Hill.

Same-sex couples in New Jersey celebrate a huge victory. Hear how a state judges' order could change their lives.

And avoiding Syria's car crashes, new technology is helping drivers do that saving both lives and money. We'll tell you how it works and which cars offer it.

OK. All eyes are on the House of Representatives, as it gets closer to a vote on a spending plan to avoid a government shutdown. Here's what's happening today.

Speaker John Boehner met with house Republicans. And they revealed the plan, and Boehner said will vote on it today. He and Republican House leaders released a joint statement about the changes they want. It says the first amendment delays the president's health care law by one year. And the second permanently repeals Obamacare's medical device tax that's sending jobs overseas. Both of these amendments will change the date of the Senate continuing resolution to December 15th. We will also vote on a measure that ensures our troops get paid no matter what.

We have team coverage on all of this. Jim Acosta live at the White House, Dana Bash live on Capitol Hill.

Let's begin with Dana on Capitol Hill. So, Dana, help us break down some of the details of this Republican plan.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you just read some of the highlights, and we can put some of the bullets points and key points here, which are that, yes, they're going to pass a bill that funds the government through December 15th, but the two issues relating to Obamacare, first delaying it for one year, and second repealing the medical device tax, those are -- this need couple of things. One is just assuaging the concerns of many House Republicans who want to keep fighting even though this is lost the battle to explicitly defund Obamacare.

But the second one there, repealing the medical device tax, that is something that they specifically put in there because they are effectively daring Senate Democrats to vote against that, noting that more than 70 Democrats in the Senate earlier this year voted to repeal that, many of them have very strong, very powerful medical device manufacturers in their state. And they think it will be hard for them to vote no on that or effectively to take that out of this.

And then the last issue on there, it says maintaining military pay in case of a shutdown. That's going to be separate. And the idea here is that there certainly is change, obvious concern that the government may shut down, because they have such a limited window in order to keep ping-ponging this, and a lot of blow back with the idea that they are playing not just with federal workers' lives, but people's lives, who want to go to national parks, who want to get from it, who want to get passports, new passports. But more importantly the men and women who are fighting on the front lines could potential lose their pay, so that's why they're doing a separate bill to a, you know what? If the government will shut down, they will still get paycheck.

KOSIK: OK. So, we know there's plenty of back and forth, but I mean, is there any idea when this vote is going to happen?

BASH: At some point later today, probably early evening, we are going to see a series of votes. But you know, what's really fascinating is that I have not talked to pretty much anybody who can say with a straight face with any candor that they are sure that the government is not going to shut down at this point. In fact, listen to what one congressman from New York, Michael Grimm, said to our Deirdre Walsh earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MICHAEL GRIM (R), NEW YORK: It's a real discussion, OK, and I think that is long overdue. But ultimately, I think we can avoid a government shutdown, there may be a slight one because of the time constraints now, but again, we're going to take care the military first and foremost.

DEIRDRE WALSH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL PRODUCER: You think there may be a slight shutdown.

GRIMM: You know, right now I'm hoping no, but just look at the timing, we would vote today, send it over to the Senate. The Senate's earlier vote is tomorrow, Sunday. I'm sure they will send something back so that's Monday. Monday would actually be the day for a shutdown.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: He just laid out pretty clearly the big problem here, that we are going to get down to the wire for the deadline for the fiscal year to end for the government to run out of money at misdemeanor night Monday night. So as far as I'm told, Alison, that there haven't been any active discussions about a short tem stops gaffe measure. But, you know, we're not at Monday night yet, things to happen and change quickly.

KOSIK: Yes. You know what is interesting, he talk about time like he didn't know any of these lawmakers didn't that this was coming?

All right, so, yes. Thanks Dana Bash on Capitol Hill. Let's move on to Jim Acosta, who is live at the White House for us.

Jim, you know, is it true that President Obama is playing golf today? So --

JIM ACOSTA, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's true.

KOSIK: We may not get reaction from him right away? Is he even focusing on this? How do we expect the White House to respond to this Republican plan?

ACOSTA: Well, I think to use a golf analogy, I think the way the White House looks at this is the Republicans are in the sand trap right now. They are the ones who are going to play out of it. And the president, not showing a great deal of concern about what's happening on Capitol Hill right now, at least from a recreational standpoint. He is out playing golf right now in Virginia. He will be back in the nation's capital later on this evening.

And according to White House officials I've been talking with, Alison, what the president said this morning in his weekly address, what the president said yesterday from the podium at the briefing is still operative. He is not going to sign anything into law that delays or defunds Obamacare, that is -- well, period. He is not going to do that, period. But he is certainly not going to do that as part of the process to pass a continuing resolution or to extend the debt ceiling to avoid going into default. So those things are not going to happen.

The other thing the president said at the briefing yesterday is if there are things that the Republicans want to bring forward to make improvements to the health care law over the next period of several months or so, that is part of the legislative process, the normal legislative process, that that is something he is not -- that is something he is going to look at, but he's not going to do it in the context of some sort of shutdown or debt default.

And so, at this point, you know, it's almost irrelevant what the White House says at this point, what the president says at this point, because the Senate Democrats, as Dana Bash has been saying all day today, they are not going to take on what the House is talking about right now.

And so unless, as Dana said, something happens on Monday night where perhaps a short-term continuing resolution is passed, the White House really at this point is a spectator is a spectator at this point watching what's happening on Capitol Hill right now. Administration officials describing it to me as what they think of as a circus at this point, Alison. KOSIK: And I have to agree with that, a circus.

Jim Acosta, live at the White House. Thanks.

ACOSTA: You bet.

KOSIK: And on Tuesday open enrollment is going to begin for Obamacare. And some people actually aren't too happy because they feel they are being forced to buy health care coverage. I want to listen now to this iReport from William Bernstein. He is from Virginia Beach, Virginia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM BERNSTEIN, VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA: Hello, everyone. I'm William. And so, here's the deal. I've not had health insurance since 2007. That's when I stopped working at Dylan's full time. Now, since that I have had many part time jobs right now, I do piano playing for churches and events part time, I work at the shipping company right here part time, and I do freelance news reporting and storm chasing part time. That's the keyword, all words, part time equals no health insurance. And come January, me and millions of other Americans are going to be forced to do and to pay for Obamacare? I don't think so. Obamacare is unconstitutional and needs to be overturned. And it maybe it's going to take my voice and millions of others to do that. If that's what it's going to take, then so be it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: All right. Well, we want to hear more of what you think. Go ahead and log-on to CNNireport.com and share your photo or your video.

In just three days, inspectors will begin a daunting job visiting dozens of chemical weapons site in Syria as part of an effort to destroy the country's arsenal. Last night the U.N. Security Council unanimously approved a resolution demanding Syria eliminate all its chemical weapons. The resolution warns of consequences if Syria doesn't fully comply, but it does not authorize automatic use of force.

The diplomatic breakthrough between U.S. and Iran isn't sitting with el with some hard-liners. An Iranian news agency says a protester threw a shoe towards President Rouhani when arrived home in Tehran today. That considered an extremely offensive act in the Middle East. The report says there were several protesters there, but also supporters who welcomed Rouhani's new dialogue with the U.S., a dialog that included a phone chat, a phone conversation with President Obama. That call was the first direct contact between the countries' leaders in more than 30 years.

A shocker in New Jersey, a judge rules same-sex marriages must be allowed, but will the ruling stand?

And take a look at this, the bending bridge? Yes, we will explain what happened.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOSIK: Couples across New Jersey are celebrating a judge's ruling. The state already allows civil unions, but the judge ruled that's not enough.

Margaret Conley is following the story from New York.

So Margaret, what exactly does it really mean in practice?

MARGARET CONLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's about equality, Alison. Same-sex couples will no longer be limited to civil union. They are going to able to tie the knot starting October 21st.

There was a rally last night to celebrate the decision by a county, the (INAUDIBLE) court judge making New Jersey the 14th state to allow same-sex marriage.

So, why is this significant? Well before, civil unions did not allow same-sex couples, the same federal benefits as heterosexual couples, certain benefits like tax break and health care. This ruling changes all that, and it draws on the 14th amendment equal protection clause. We spoke about this with CNN's legal analyst Paul Callan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: She has used the Supreme Court decisions which were handed down earlier in the summer, very technical decisions, which open the door just a crack to gay marriage. And she has used the rationale of those decisions to say the New Jersey constitution requires gay marriage, because equal protection of the law requires that all New Jersey citizens be treated the same.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONLEY: Now Callan said it was a surprising and forceful decision.

KOSIK: All right, Margaret, so what happens next then?

CONLEY: This ruling is binding unless there's an appeal. And it seems that Governor Christie, he is going to want to do that. And he tries, he is going to try to push it up higher through the court and that could force an implementation delay.

KOSIK: Well, how likely is the New Jersey Supreme Court to reverse this decision?

CONLEY: Right. New Jersey's Supreme Court in 2006, they ruled that same-sex couples were entitled to the same rights as heterosexual couples. That were civil unions were put into place. Now, this judge, she is using that and the U.S. Supreme Court decision back in June to push same-sex marriage through. It's a significant ruling in that New Jersey is a bellwether state. This law could set a precedent for the rest of America.

KOSIK: Margaret, can you explain Christie's position on this? I mean, he voted a same-sex marriage bill -- he vetoed rather a same-sex marriage bill. But now he says, it should be up to voters?

CONLEY: Right Alison. This ruling came a year after Governor Christie vetoed that bill. His press secretary, they put out a statement after the ruling and it said quote, "Christie has always maintains he would abide by the will of the voters on the issue of marriage equality. And since the legislature refused to allow the people to decide expeditiously, we will let the Supreme Court make this constitutional determination." Christie wants this issue to be on the ballot this Election Day -- Alison?

KOSIK: OK, Margaret Conley. Thanks.

Fall, have you noticed? Fall has just started. So what happened here? What wintry weather came a bit early or where? That's coming up next.

But first are more than one million homeless children head to school in the U.S. each day. And going to school is stressful enough without having to worry whether or not you have shoes to wear. This week, 15- year-old's hero is making a big difference in their lives.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICHOLAS LOWINGER, CNN HERO: September is back to school for most kids it means shopping. I used to take those things for granted, until I realized that there were a lot of kids who didn't have those sorts of luxuries. I remember my first shelter visit seeing kids who were just like me. The only difference being is they had footwear that was falling apart.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was nervous to go back to school. Smile shoes railroad old and too small for me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I lost my job, I had to decide to either spend money on shoes or medicine or diapers.

LOWINGER: Kids get blisters on their feet, because they have to use whatever shoes they can get and it just wasn't right.

My name is Nicholas Lowinger. I'm 15 and I give new shoes to kids living in homeless shelters across the country. My family's garage is filled to the brim with boxes of new shoes. Shelters send us orders with the kid's name, gender, shoe size. I have donated new sneakers to over 10,000 kids in 21 states.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, thank you.

LOWINGER: Homeless children, they shouldn't have to worry about how they will be accepted or how they'll fit in.

LOWINGER: Tiana?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow, shoes!

LOWINGER: It's more than just giving them a new pair of shoes. I'm helping kids be kids. Their self-esteem goes up. Their whole attitude on life changes. That's really what makes it so special for me.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOSIK: The clock is ticking, and the federal government should be shut down in days. The GOP-controlled house went into session early this afternoon to consider a spending plan in what's become a congressional version of hot potato. The democratic-controlled Senate voted to keep the government open, but only after striking the House GOP's language that gutted the president's new health care program and both sides are digging in their heels.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED CRUZ (R), TEXAS: It is unfortunate there has been Republican division on this issue. And when it comes back to the Senate after the House stands their ground yet again, we will have an opportunity for Republicans to come home, for Republicans to stand together.

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NY), MAJORITY LEADER: If they want to deal with all these many issues, let's do it without a gun to the head of the American people. If they want to look at the device tax, let's do it in the context of a separate piece of legislation. We are not going to play games with the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: CNN chief political analyst Gloria Borger is with me from Washington now.

Gloria, why would house Republicans push changes to Obamacare on a revised government funding bill if Democrats insist it's a nonstarter. We are just going around in circles aren't we or they are?

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Right. They are going to pass something that's absolutely dead on arrival when it goes back to the senate. And I think the simple answer to that question, Alison, is this isn't about what the Democrats are going to do. This is about a fight within the Republican Party, and what you have seen right now in that Republican caucus is a House speaker who has been dragged kicking and screaming into this fight. He doesn't want to shut the government down. He never has. But he's got a very vocal part of his caucus which says we want to take a stand on the president's health reform plan, and we believe that the continuing resolution, as well as raising the debt ceiling down the road is the place to do it.

So, they have taken a stand once, they sent it over to the Senate, the Senate lopped off the repeal of Obamacare, they shoved it back to the house and the house is saying, you know? We Republicans have not changed our minds. And what you are seeing going on is really a fight within the Republican Party, not only within the Republican caucus, which is it's easy for them to be united on this, because they know it's going nowhere in the Senate, but between Senate Republicans and House Republicans.

And so, you know, the White House is stepping back and letting this ping-pong play out, but it's really between among Republicans.

KOSIK: So, you know, we couldn't help but watch Senator Ted Cruz stage his 21-hour talk on this week, trying to put down the Senate from talking up the bill to fund the government.

Now, you wrote in your CNN column that none of this has been about reality, rather it's about cementing a new definition of leadership, conditioning yourself as the spokesman for your political base by telling it exactly what it wants to hear.

And now in Cruz's case, it's the tea party base. Lucky for him, as you said, there's a made for TV bully pulpit, plenty of time to talk and the talking points are easy and so predictable.

So, Gloria, how crucial has Cruz been to what has happened here?

BORGER: Well, Cruz has been incredibly crucial. First of all, he has been very vocal about killing Obamacare. He is clearly somebody who has got his eye on 2016. His has got a Pac that's, you know, been running advertisements in Republican districts. His has got a lot of Republicans afraid that if they don't support him on this, they are going to be primary by more conservative Republicans in their own districts.

And what's also really interesting to me, because I haven't seen this a lot is there have been reports that Cruz is actually meeting with House Republicans to help direct them in how they should respond to the Senate.

So, it's kind of interesting that he is sort of moving, you know, across the capitol to an area where some Republicans say he is not welcome, but others, more conservative Republicans are welcoming him with open arms to help them plot strategy. And that's something you don't see a lot of.

KOSIK: Well, that is interesting. You know, you look at President Obama, so as far as, you know, not directly engaging Republicans to try to find a solution, in fact he's out golfing today. How much of a mistake is this?

BORGER: Well look, you know, you can argue about the optics of the president going out and, you know, golfing. But the point is right now, what is the president supposed to do? If he were to pick up the phone and call John Boehner, would he say, you know what, John, can I help you resolved that fight within your own party? I don't think so, you know.

At this point, I think all the president can do is sort of sit back and watch this play out. He already took to the podium on Friday and said I'm not negotiating on the business of government. And, you know, I think from the White House point of view is, you know, this is a fight that Republicans have to settle, and they're going to sit back for a while. At a certain point, the public will look to the president for leadership. But I think they don't think they're there yet, that this has to play out for a while in the Congress.

KOSIK: OK. Gloria Borger, thanks so much.

BORGER: Sure.

KOSIK: Using our Smartphones during takeoff and landings. Will we soon be able to keep them turned on?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOSIK: Bottom of the hour, welcome back. I'm Alison Kosik. Here are five things crossing the news desk right now.

Number five, the House is expected to vote today on a plan to keep the government up and running pass October 1st, but it's not likely to make Democrats in the Senate too happy. The House Republican's plan was delay funding for Obamacare for a year, among other things. We are going to bring you updates on a vote as soon as you get them.

Number two heading overseas, for number two, 50 people are dead after an apartment building collapsed in India. An 11-year-old girl was pulled from the building alive. Local government officials were warned that the building was unsafe earlier this year.

Number three, a member of the Russian (INAUDIBLE) putty riot is being treated as a hospital after going on a hunger strike. That is according to Russian state by the media. Her requests for parole and a prison transfer also denied. The band member went five days without food, saying she's being treated like a slave in prison. Russian officials deny her claims.

At four, we may learn this week if we will be able to use our smartphones and tablets during takeoff and landing. A federal report is set to be released Monday. The report could push the FAA to allow the use of some electronics devices. However, yet, you still don't be able to send messages or make phone calls. That's still against the law.

And number five, snow in September? Sounds crazy, right? Well, it happened. An early winter storm brought several inches to Montana this week. This is what it looked like Thursday in Georgetown Lake. Power plants were damaged, leaving many residents without electricity.

All right, there's just about 2 1/2 days left until midnight on Monday rolls around. And that's when the government goes into shutdown mode if a spending plan is not pass and impact those far beyond Washington.

Christine Romans explains just how serious this situation can be.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Alison, federal furlough notices have gone out so workers can prepare for a potential government shutdown, and the timing just couldn't be worse. We're heading into the Thanksgiving and Christmas shopping seasons, right? The loss of income from a million government workers and paycheck delays for an even larger group, that would weigh on consumer demand in the ramp-up to the most important retail shopping season of the year. That hurts the economy. Mark Zandy of Moody's thinks it could cut economic growth in half if a shutdown happens. But a government shutdown, Alison, could be nothing compared to something a little further down the road: the failure to lift the debt ceiling. Let's take a moment to compare these two and how they would affect the economy and you.

So let's start with the shutdown. In a shutdown, that's what we face next week, banks would stay open, mail would be delivered, Congress would get paid, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, all of that is paid. Military pay, though, would be delayed. The courts could stay open for about 10 days, we're told. Passports will still be issued, at least for a while, because they are funded by fees.

Now, here's the other thing we are worried about: a default. In a default, to pay the interest on our loans, we would have to stop paying for other things, like paying for federal workers. That pay would stop. No Social Security checks, no Medicare payments to hospitals. It's October 17th. That's the day when the U.S. will have less than $30 billion, and the government can't borrow any more money. That means just like when your bank account is empty and you can't find any extra source of cash, you're stuck and you can't pay all of the bills. That's what would happen in a default.

Now, catastrophic is the word the Treasury secretary Jack Lew uses, and what could almost be worse than that is what we don't know. How would markets react if the U.S. can't pay all of its bills? Maybe interest rates would spike. That's what we expect. That would add hundreds of billions to our borrowing costs, actually making the deficit worse. We just don't know until we get there.

Would the stock market fall sharply? Many people think it would, if we get there. Again, first the government shutdown, then a default. Two very dangerous scenarios. Alison?

KOSIK: Thanks, Christine.

New terror threats coming from overseas this afternoon. Why officials are concerned about who is already in the U.S.

But first as season two of CNN's "PARTS UNKNOWN" rolls on, Anthony Bourdain is headed to New Mexico. He drives Route 66 in Santa Fe in a classic conversable, hoping to find the perfect taco and more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY BOURDAIN, CNN HOST, "PARTS UNKNOWN": What does freedom mean? It's different things to everybody, but something about this place manages to catch the overlap between a whole hell of a lot of very different cultures.

Old Route 66 runs through New Mexico like a collapsed vein right through Santa Fe and Albuquerque. It must have seemed like magic once. Families loaded in massive chrome and steel chariots with powerful V-8 engines and took off down that black-top highway. They slept in (INAUDIBLE) motor lodges and bungalows, swam in kidney-shaped pools. Then it all went redundant. Route 66 was decommissioned, chopped up, largely forgotten, except by desperate and lazy (ph) travel shows.

Does anybody at CNN do this, like, drive around at 10:15 at night looking for tacos? Yes, probably.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOSIK: The terror group that's taken responsibility for a brutal massacre at a mall in Kenya could be planning more attacks. That's according to two U.S. officials who says the U.S. intelligence community is monitoring a stream of classified information, and it suggests al-Shabab may be planning other attacks in East Africa, likely in Kenya. But there are no details about specific targets or dates.

Earlier, I spoke to CNN law enforcement analyst Tom Fuentes about this. I asked him, what are the chances they terrorists could attack the U.S.?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM FUENTES, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: The chances are great. That's exactly what they could do.

And the other concern here for U.S. authorities is that we don't just need young men to travel from Minneapolis or from Toronto, Canada to go to Somalia and train how to be terrorists and shoot guns and do bad things. Those kids were radicalized at home, here in the U.S. in Canada. They met directly with recruiters from al-Shabaab and then made the choice to go there.

But they wouldn't have to go there. They could become radicalized here. And of course, as we know, no problem obtaining the weapons they would need in the U.S. to carry out any number of attacks that they chose to do. Without ever go to Somalia, without ever coming up on the radar of law enforcement or intelligence agencies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: A teenager confined to a wheelchair gets up and walks for the first time -- to a standing ovation. How he did it, that's coming up.

A news anchor describes his terrifying brush with death. If you're a longtime CNN viewer, his face may look familiar. Leon Harris spent 20 years here at CNN, and he spoke with Dr. Sanjay Gupta about a scary health battle.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEON HARRIS, FORMER CNN ANCHOR: Good evening. I'm Leon Harris.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Leon Harris began his television career at CNN 30 years ago, not as an anchor, but as an intern and a cameraman who rose to the number two spot in the Network Satellite Department before his talents in front of the camera were discovered a decade later and he began anchoring for CNN. He was on set for the network's coverage of many big news stories including the Oklahoma City bombings and the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

HARRIS: You're looking at this picture. It is the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.

GUPTA: In 2003, he moved on to local television as lead anchor for WJLA in Washington, D.C. -- all the time, he was the picture of health. But recently, Harris had a real and terrifying brush with death.

HARRIS: I woke up like I normally do, got out of bed.

GUPTA: But August 1st, turned out to be anything but normal.

HARRIS: Had this incredible sudden pain in my stomach. It felt like a horse had kicked me. It literally knocked me to the floor.

GUPTA: Still, he thought it was possibly indigestion but then --

HARRIS: I sat there in the floor in the worst pain in my life. You would think somebody with a college degree would know, hey, you know, maybe you should get help? But no, I did the same exact thing I always do, and it's the same thing I know a lot of guys do.

GUPTA: After an hour, Harris was found by his wife, Dawn, who immediately got him to the hospital.

HARRIS: If she hadn't come upstairs when she did, I wouldn't be having this conversation with you.

GUPTA: The diagnosis?

HARRIS: Necrotizing pancreatitis. My pancreas basically decided to start dying and taking my kidneys and my lungs and other internal organs with it.

GUPTA: Necrotizing pancreatitis is severe inflammation of the pancreas -- the tissue dies and causes more infection. It can often be fatal.

HARRIS: I ended up dying twice that one week. Fortunately for me, I was unconscious. I had no idea what was going on.

GUPTA: In fact, Harris spent the first nine days unconscious on a ventilator.

HARRIS: Good to see you, man.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good to have you back.

GUPTA: It took nearly six weeks, but Harris is on the mend, and he recently got back on the air. To this day, his doctors don't know exactly what triggered his illness, but Harris has this advice. HARRIS: Don't wait until you have as close a brush with leaving this earth as I did before you decide that you're worth going to see a doctor.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOSIK: For many of us, our pets are part of the family. And now that's causing a unique problem. Some homeowners insurance policies will no longer cover families with certain types of breeds. Zoraida Sambolin show us the new rules.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He does everything here, huh?

ZORAIDA SAMBOLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For many homeowners, a dog is more than just a best friend. It's a member of the family.

SUSIE SALAZAR, DOG OWNER DROPPED FROM INSURANCE: You treat them the same way you treat your kids.

SAMBOLIN: But now, many dog lovers like Colorado resident Susie Salazar are having to choose between Fido at home, or a home without insurance.

SALAZAR: We were informed that you have a pit bull in your home, and we have to drop your coverage.

SAMBOLIN: After being with the same insurance company for nearly 17 years, American family Insurance dropped Salazar in April. The company spokesperson explaining their decision to our affiliate KUSA.

STEVE WITMER, SPOKESPERSON, AMERICAN FAMILY INSURANCE: We made a decision that there were certain breeds of dogs that we would no longer insure, and pit bulls are one of those breeds.

SAMBOLIN: Just two weeks ago, Indiana resident Brad Reinke (ph) faced a similar ultimatum.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Letter in the mailbox saying we had to get rid of our dogs because we had aggressive dogs.

SAMBOLIN: Reinke says out of the seven years Shelter Insurance has provided him coverage, his pit bulls have been around for the last five.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't see how they can say they're aggressive when they never met the dogs. They're just pretty much discriminating against the breed.

SAMBOLIN: "Forbes" magazine reports that insurance companies tend to deny to these 11 riskiest dog breeds, the top four in the doghouse: pit bulls, Doberman pinchers, rottweilers and German Shepherds.

JEANNE SALVATORE, SENIOR VP PUBLIC AFFAIRS, INSURANCE INFORMATION INSTITUTE: Pets are part of a person's family, but it's important that dog owners are responsible.

SAMBOLIN: The Insurance Information Institute says dog bites account for one-third of all homeowner's insurance liability claims, costing insurance companies nearly $490 million last year. Salazar says the company never asked her if she had a pit bull, adding that even after her efforts to get a vet's recommendation, they wouldn't throw her a bone.

SALAZAR: I am mad. I'm upset.

SAMBOLIN: Now, nationwide dog lovers are fighting back. Some local governments prohibit breed specific legislation, while a couple of states have laws barring insurers from canceling or denying coverage based on breed.

SALVATORE: Well, the family doesn't necessarily have to give up the pet. There are a lot of homeowners insurance companies out there. Make some calls.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: And that's Zoraida Sambolin reporting.

So in response to Brad Reinke's story, Shelter Insurance sent CNN this statement: "Based on sound actuarial and underwriting principles, Shelter chooses not to insure individuals with breeds known to exhibit vicious tendencies. Shelter reviews individual situations regarding breeds known to have vicious tendencies on a case-by-case basis."

A homecoming surprise at a high school in Minnesota students will probably never forget.

(VIDEO CLIP - AUDIENCE CHEERING)

KOSIK: That's Dakota Forness. He has cerebral palsy, but that didn't stop him from showing a school pride. After giving a speech about what it means to win, Dakota stood for the school's song for the first time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAKOTA FORNESS, HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR: Johnson (ph) always says on your feet for the school song. For four years, I haven't been able to be on my feet until today. I've had this planned since the end of last year.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was pretty amazing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll never forget this moment.

FORNESS: I have achieved victory!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: That's awesome. Dakota also got to lead the football team onto the field for the homecoming game on Friday night.

More than one million people were injured in car crashes in 2011. Now there's new technology that may make some of those crashes a thing of the past.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOSIK: A town famous for its football team is having a little bit of trouble this week. This is a bridge that carries traffic over the Fox River in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It's buckled, 22 inches on one side and 27 inches on the other. State officials say one of the support structures settled. Obviously, it's closed to traffic right now, and will be indefinitely until engineers figure out what to do.

Fender benders, sideswipes and other crashes could become a thing of the past with new technology designed to avoid car wrecks on the road. This is amazing when you see how it works, as our Rene Marsh found out when she got behind the wheel.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They cause thousands in damage. Serious injuries and even death. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says high tech systems in new cars aimed at preventing or mitigating front-end crashes are in fact keeping drivers safer.

INFANTE: Keep your foot off the brake. Keep your foot off the brake. Did it stop you?

MARSH (on camera): Yes, it did.

INFANTE: Yes.

MARSH (voice-over): It's called collision avoidance technology. The institute tested several to determine if they're effective and worth your money.

DAVID ZUBY, CHIEF RESEARCH OFFICER, INSURANCE INSTITUTE FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY: We find that they help reduce crashes with other vehicles by about 7 percent.

MARSH: That's just the work of the warning system, which alerts drivers a collision is coming. With an automatic braking system, the institute says the effectiveness doubles. The top performers, the Subaru Legacy, Outback, Cadillac ATS and SRX, Mercedes Benz C-Class and Volvo S 60 and XC60.

Without auto brakes damage exceeds $28,000 but with auto brakes less than $6,000 in damage. Now compare the two.

ZUBY: And we think it's worth the money.

INFANTE: We've got two cameras mounted up here. MARSH: Inside the top rated Subaru Legacy, Dominic Infante calls the two cameras a second pair of eyes.

(On camera): I was able to take my foot off of both pedals, the brake and the gas, and the car stopped on its own. That's how it was meant to work.

INFANTE: Exactly. You know, so what you've got, you've got two cameras, those cameras are seeing there is a vehicle in front of you and slowing down. It starts to -- as you get closer to it, it starts to bring on the brakes and it has the power to bring the car to complete stop and it keeps you stopped.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: Our thanks to CNN's Rene Marsh for that report.

The science behind gravity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDRA BULLOCK, ACTRESS (acting): Ahh! No!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: A new blockbuster film is a hit with critics and scientists. How the movie makers got this space mission right, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOSIK: Every weekend we bring you the science behind stories in the news. This week, we're going Hollywood. Many times, movies aren't like real life, but that's all changed at least for one film. It's called "Gravity," and it's getting a lot of buzz. Nischelle Turner says it's not because of George Clooney and Sandra Bullock.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: A thrilling, nerve- shredding phenomenon. That's critics describing "Gravity."

SANDRA BULLOCK, ACTRESS (acting): What do I do?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's off-structure.

BULLOCK: What do I do?

TURNER: When it comes to space movies, it's no secret Hollywood can be light on facts and heavy on fiction.

JEAN-LUC MARGOT, UCLA PROFESSOR OF ASTRONOMY: I was in grad school we went to see "The Core," and there were 20 or so geophysicists in the audience. And I remember we were laughing at different times than the rest of the audience.

TURNER: As for the science behind this movie, UCLA's Dr. Jean-Luc Margot said things are looking up.

MARGOT: From a scientific standpoint, I thought movie makers did a very good job. It was based on a shuttle servicing mission that has happened. They paid attention to the fact that sound doesn't propagate in space. They also tried hard to portray the conservation of momentum, so when Sandra and George collide with each other, they will sort of bounce off each other. I would give it an A.

TURNER: Sandra Bullock and George Clooney co-star in the 90-minute 3-D epic, directed by Alfonzo Cuaron.

ALFONSO CUARON, DIRECTOR, "GRAVITY": The most important thing was to get right the science on screen.

BULLOCK: Because the minute you see a crack or you see something that doesn't feel right, you as the audience are going to go, no. Not there. You've lost me.

TURNER: The film's $80 million budget included scientists, new lighting technology, and a gravity-free simulator.

CURAON: A lot of that for me was also to see how a camera would react there.

BULLOCK (acting): Explorer, do you copy?

CURAON: To portray an astronaut stranded 400 miles above earth, bullock trained with real NASA veteran Katie Coleman.

BULLOCK: The thing I needed to know from her was physically what her body was doing, what it did in space.

TURNER: Margot, who saw the film in L.A., notes there are a few moments of movie magic.

MARGOT: In particular there's one scene where you see the space shuttle spinning wildly out of control because it's hit by a piece of debris. I actually did that calculation. It would have to be 1,000 kilograms, about a ton of material.

TURNER: Space trash that big would have been tracked by NASA.

MARGOT: I mean, every single piece larger than about the size of my fist is being tracked.

TURNER: As for the film's suggestion its heroine only had six months of training.

MARGOT: That would be implausible, but that makes the film more enjoyable.

TURNER: Enjoyable, acclaimed, and for the most part, realistic.

BULLOCK (acting): I can't breathe! I can't breathe!

TURNER: Nischelle Turner, CNN Hollywood. (END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: That's all for me today. I'm Alison Kosik. The next hour of NEWSROOM begin right now with my buddy in New York, Don Lemon. Hey, Don.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, guess what we'll be covering today?

KOSIK: Hmm. The shutdown?

LEMON: There you go. All night long, we will be here as long as they are contemplating. Thank you, good to see you. Have a great evening, OK?

KOSIK: Thank you.

LEMON: All right.