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U.S. Soldier Kills Comrades in Iraq; Cutting Health Care Costs; Mission to Fix Hubble Telescope; Orphans Escape; Bike to Work Week; The Changing Face of Homelessness

Aired May 11, 2009 - 10:59   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. It is Monday, May 11th.

Postage stamps go up two pennies today. Gas is up 14 cents in the past couple of weeks.

And here are the top stories we are following for you in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Health care VIPs at the White House this hour. They will tell President Obama how they plan to save Americans $2 trillion.

Space Shuttle Atlantis on the pad and ready to go today. The Hubble telescope set for its final tune-up.

And the new face of homelessness in America -- working mothers who can't make the rent.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris. And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And, of course, we begin with breaking news out of Iraq. A U.S. soldier opens fire on his fellow troops. Five soldiers dead.

Let's get right to our Pentagon correspondent, Chris Lawrence, who is working this story for us.

And Chris, what can you tell us? What exactly happened here?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know this happened about 2:00 in the afternoon local time there in Baghdad. It happened at one of the larger American bases, Camp Liberty. I've been there several times. It's right near the Baghdad airport.

And the reports we're getting from defense officials is that an American soldier shot and killed five other people, that five soldiers are dead, five U.S. troops are dead. We are getting some conflicting reports as to the condition of the actual shooter, but the information that we're now getting from defense officials is that five U.S. troops are dead, and at least three other coalition troops are also injured in this attack. We've also confirmed that it was an American soldier who opened fire on his fellow troops -- Tony.

HARRIS: All right. And Chris, we know that you're working this story. We'll let you get to that. Just a reminder here. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Michael Mullen plan a news briefing at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time. CNN, of course, will bring that to you live.

A shot in the arm for President Obama's effort to overhaul health care in this country. Some of the same groups that derailed health care reform in the '90s are vowing to help the president this time around.

He is meeting with them this hour. The industry groups pledge $2 trillion in savings over 10 years. Can you believe it?

White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux joining us live.

Suzanne, good to see you.

The numbers here for potential savings in health care costs, they are absolutely huge.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Tony, last week, this is what we were dealing with here, the budget.

HARRIS: That's right.

MALVEAUX: And the administration was saying that they were going to make some cuts obviously to try to deal with the deficit to keep the budget under control. But it was just a half of one percent.

And so the question that I was posing to senior administration officials is really, where is this savings going to come from? And they said $300 billion when it comes to health care reform, that health care reform is really a huge part of this, getting that federal budget deficit cut in half by the first -- by the end of the first administration.

And so they are saying, look, we are going to try to recruit and take people from the health care industry, whether it is health care providers, whether it's hospitals, doctors, insurance companies, and have them be a part of the solution. So you're seeing President Obama, later today, will say these guys have voluntarily offered to help cut costs.

They're talking about 1.5 percent, slowing the growth of cost over the course of the next 10 years, each year. So it's not that our health care costs are going to go down, but they're going to try to slow the increase down so it's not as much -- Tony.

HARRIS: Well, let's try to break this out a little bit. Suzanne, what kinds of savings are we talking about here, say, for individual families? And then maybe you can talk about for the government as well.

MALVEAUX: Well, certainly. This is something that the administration says is not really going to kick in until, say, about the fifth year or so, that they have gone ahead and enacted some of these savings, that it's going to be passed along to consumers, to families. A family of four would get a savings of $2,500 a year once these different groups get together.

And what are they talking about? They're saying, well, let's consolidate thing.

For instance, if we give you a bill, your insurance company gives you a bill, perhaps the hospitals, the doctors, the insurance companies can work together to give you one bill so that they're cutting down on paperwork, bureaucracy, how they actually charge a consumer. It's these kinds of things to actually provide health care more efficiently and effectively. They believe they can save, and they're looking for ways to save $2 trillion.

But Tony, the one thing that you should note is this is completely voluntary here. This is not something that the government is going to come back and be able to enforce, per se. The reason some of these companies say we'll cooperate, we'll agree to do this, is because in the long term, if health care reform does pass, if Congress decides to act on this, they want to be a part of the process here and have a seat at the table.

HARRIS: Wow. That is so interesting, because I've heard the position described as you either get on the bus now or you'll get overrun by it.

Our White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux for us.

Suzanne, appreciate it. Thank you.

Cutting health care costs, providing coverage for the uninsured, it all sounds good, but can it work?

Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here with a reality check.

Elizabeth, good to see you.

First of all, why is this announcement significant? Because it certainly feels significant.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, it certainly is significant.

Tony, when I was in public health school nearly 20 years ago, we were talking about how to get medical care costs down. They were spiraling even then. They're really spiraling up now.

So if President Obama is able to do this, is able to get $2 trillion worth of cuts in the next 10 years, oh, my goodness, it's the Holy Grail in many ways, because it will help fund a program to insure Americans who are not insured. Right now there are 46 million uninsured Americans. Everyone wants them to have insurance, but that's very expensive. So the hope is, cut out the $2 trillion now, insure those 46 million later.

HARRIS: Well, if it were easy to do it, it would have been done by now. What are the big hurdles? COHEN: Right. It's very tough to do. And here's the reason why.

People are making money in today's health care systems. There are people, doctors, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, who are doing pretty well. And to tell them, hey, we want you to cut costs, they might not like that so much.

But as you and Suzanne Malveaux were talking about, the message now is, hey, you know what? In the future things are going to be different. We might come up with a government health care insurance program that's going to blow all of you out of the water, so start saving money now because you may not have a job later. So that's sort of the message I think they're trying to put out there.

HARRIS: Exactly.

You said this to Heidi earlier, and I thought it was interesting. I want you to explain it, if you would. You said a major component of health care reform is about changing the ways insurance companies pay doctors.

Can you explain that for us?

COHEN: Right. The way the financial incentives are set up right now in health care is a little bit crazy. Let me give you an example.

HARRIS: OK.

COHEN: Doctors do not make a lot of money trying to get diabetics to take their insulin and change their diet. Just dogging diabetics, day after day -- "Hey, Mrs. Smith, did you take your insulin? Hey, Mrs. Smith, did you change your diet?" So there's not a lot of money in that, and so it doesn't get done particularly well in a lot of ways.

However, when Mrs. Smith doesn't take the insulin she's supposed to, or goes off of her diet and she needs expensive surgery, vein stripping surgery that sometimes has to be done, doctors get paid a fortune for doing that. They get paid a lot of money. So that's just one example where the incentives are messed up.

The medical system pays when things go wrong. They don't pay as much money for prevention. And just -- you know, anybody knows, of course you're better off preventing things in the first place.

HARRIS: That is so interesting.

All right. You'll be back with us next hour to talk about the president, to tee that up for us.

COHEN: That's right.

HARRIS: Elizabeth, appreciate it. Thank you.

COHEN: Thanks. HARRIS: You know, we challenged some experts -- we challenged some experts to tell us their ideas for fixing the problems in the nation's health care system, and we asked them to give us their prescription in 90 seconds or less.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. MITCHELL BROOKS, WEST END MEDICAL CENTERS: Here's my Rx for the health care crisis.

President Obama started off on a good foot with stimulus money, as he provided increased funding to community health centers. As we know, community health centers are the backbone for the uninsured and underinsured in the United States. They're the safety net providers, they're the place to go if you can't go anywhere else.

There's also emphasize on quality and outcome to prevention. In order to attack this health care crisis, we have to put more money in prevention, so we have screening for those necessary things such as breast cancer, colon cancer and other things that have been shown down the road to reduce health care costs.

You also have to come up with some kind of national data exchange so that the information is available so wherever you go, your information goes with you. So we aren't repeating tests. And it will speed up the process of health care.

And I think the third thing we need to do is work on the health care force. The workforce is important. We don't have enough doctors and nurses available to take care of people. If we're going to have some kind of national health care where there's minimal health care, whether it's prevention or whatever, we're going to have to have providers to be able to see those patients.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: T minus three hours and counting. The crew of the Space Shuttle Atlantis set to lift off to fix the Hubble telescope, a mission that is five years behind schedule.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Pretty cool pictures right now. Live pictures from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

We are less than, what, three hours away from liftoff? Astronauts on Space Shuttle Atlantis will repair and update the Hubble space telescope for the last time. It is a complicated mission, to say the least, with five spacewalks. And the high orbit raises the risk of collisions with space debris that could damage the shuttle. Another shutter, the Endeavour, is on backup in case the astronauts need to be rescued. You know, the last time astronauts paid a visit to the Hubble was about seven years ago.

CNN's John Zarrella has a look at what's in store for this mission.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For nearly 20 years, the Hubble space telescope has been sending back breathtaking images of galaxies and stars and planets. It has transformed how astronomers and cosmologists view the universe and our place in it.

JOHN GRUNSFELD, SHUTTLE ATLANTIS MISSION SPECIALIST: Where the planetary system, it's where the stars come from. Hubble has been a tool to answer these fundamental questions that get right at the heart of who we are.

ZARRELLA: Now a team of astronauts will make the fifth and final visit to repair and upgrade Hubble. The objective? Extend the telescope's life at least another five years. It won't be easy. The pressure on the Shuttle Atlantis crew, immense.

SCOTT ALTMAN, SHUTTLE ATLANTIS COMMANDER: We know there's nobody coming after us to do anything we don't get done. This is it. We either get it done or it doesn't happen.

ZARRELLA: Three hundred and fifty miles up, Atlantis will chase down and grab hold of the telescope. For five consecutive days during five seven-hour spacewalks, astronauts will perform the ultimate high wire act. They'll change out gyroscopes and batteries, repair and replace cameras. They'll change circuit boards, remove dozens of screws, and delicately cut through aluminum.

GRUNSFELD: It's almost as if I'm not doing it. It's kind of a Zen thing. And, you know, once we finish the task and I climb back out of the telescope, I'll look around and go, "Wow, we're in space."

ZARRELLA: Hubble has been such an incredible watershed of knowledge, the dark days right after its launch in 1990 have largely been forgotten.

JEFFREY HOFFMAN, RETIRED SHUTTLE ASTRONAUT: There was a time when Hubble was a laughing stock. You know, the techno turkey. You know, pictures in editorial cartoons, denounced on the floors of Congress. You know, ridiculed in late-night television programs.

ZARRELLA: The telescope's primary mirror was flawed, not quite the right shape, off a measly one-fiftieth, the thickness of a sheet of paper, but just enough to blur the images from space. The first servicing mission fixed the problem, saving the Hubble program. Now, 19 years later, the last visit.

HOFFMAN: That's been the wonderful thing about the ability to service Hubble, is that we don't just repair it, we leave it a new telescope every time we come back. GRUNSFELD: It's impossible not to give it some human characteristics and feel sadness when we see it floating away.

ZARRELLA: If all goes well, scientists expect the new and improved Hubble will soon wow them and us with discoveries perhaps beyond our dreams.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And John Zarrella live now with the launch pad behind him.

And John, I've got to ask you, is this the first time we've seen two shuttles essentially ready to go? And just how tricky a mission is this?

ZARRELLA: Yes, Tony, that is absolutely true.

Now, they've had plenty of times when there have been two shuttles on pads waiting for different launches, but never before in the history of any space program has there been a space vehicle ready to go, other than in the movies, ready to go on a rescue mission. And that's exactly what Endeavour, which is over on Pad B, would do.

Within seven days of this launch, Endeavour could lift off if, for whatever reason, the Atlantis astronauts got in trouble and could not get back to Earth. And because they're not going to the space station, they're not going anywhere near the space station, they can't get there as a place of refuge until another vehicle would be ready to come and get them.

They could live on the space station for months if they had to, but they can't get there. So their consumables would run out. They would lose oxygen and food.

So Endeavour is ready. A four-member crew would go up there. And through a series of two days of spacewalks, walking across a tethered line connected to the two vehicles, they would spacewalk over to Endeavour, and then 11 astronauts would make the return trip home to Earth. And never before has a shuttle carried 11 astronauts, so that would be a little bit cramped as well.

But as one person put it to me, "It wouldn't matter to me if they wrapped me in bubble wrap. If they could get me home, I'd be glad to be coming home."

So, yes, it would be highly tricky, and it's something that NASA certainly does not want to do. But it's there, and Endeavour is ready just in case -- Tony.

HARRIS: Wow. John, that is amazing. John Zarrella, you filed some great pieces ahead of this launch. We're going to try to get as many of them on the air as we can.

John, appreciate it. Thank you.

ZARRELLA: Thanks, Tony.

HARRIS: Very quickly, before we get to issue number one, I want to update you on our top story, a U.S. soldier opening fire on his fellow troops.

We've been telling you the number of five dead, five soldiers dead. I have some new information just handed to me.

Again, five dead. Not clear if all are U.S. troops. There could be civilians involved who were casualties of this as well.

We know that there have been three wounded. Also not aware of whether or not the wounded are troops. The shooting happened -- and this is a bit of new information here -- at a stress clinic in Camp Liberty, according to a couple of sources now close to this.

We're going to get more information on this. And as we do, the minute we do, we will pass this along. Just a horrible story out of Camp Victory -- Camp Liberty in Baghdad today.

All right. Our Cal Perry is there, and we'll get an update from Cal in just minutes.

You use credit cards instead of paying cash. Well, both those card companies that keep changing fees and payment schedules to make you pay more, what can you do about all of this?

Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis will tell us all about the Credit Card Bill of Rights. That's straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And again, breaking news out of Iraq. A U.S. soldier opens fire on his fellow troops.

Our Pentagon Correspondent Chris Lawrence joining us again now with the latest.

Chris, what do you have?

LAWRENCE: Tony, we've got some updated information now.

We're now confirming that this soldier did walk into a stress clinic, a stress clinic at the Camp Liberty base in Baghdad, just outside the Baghdad airport there, that five people are dead. This shooter shot five people and killed them. And because it's a stress clinic, we're now hearing that some of them, some of them may have been civilians inside.

We know there's five dead. Some of them may be U.S. troops. Some of them may be civilians. We also know that three others were injured in this attack.

What we don't know is the soldier's -- or the shooter's connection to the clinic, whether he was a patient, whether he just walked into that area. But again, I think in a lot of ways it does drive home the point of stress level in a combat situation and looking for help.

You know, we know that there was a poll done just last year by psychologists that showed that about 61 percent of U.S. service members thought that getting help for stress or mental problems would impact negatively on their career and they would look -- they would be looked on with lesser eyes by their peers. So there is still a stigma. And we've heard that from some of the Army commanders, that there is still a stigma attached to getting help for some mental problems -- Tony.

HARRIS: And Chris, can you confirm this? In my note it says here that the shooter is in custody and the condition of the shooter is not known at this point.

LAWRENCE: Exactly. We don't know the condition of the shooter, but we do know that he is in military custody right now.

HARRIS: OK. And again, we could be talking about, among the five dead, we could be talking about a mix of troops and civilians?

LAWRENCE: It stands to reason, because it is a stress clinic, so some of the people in there could have been civilians working inside. At this point, we know that five people are dead. We don't know the mix of actual troops to civilians in that number of five. We also know that three others are wounded, and we're trying to figure out more about whether those are minor wounds or much more serious wounds.

HARRIS: OK, Chris. Appreciate it. Thank you.

Chris Lawrence at the Pentagon for us.

And once again, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Michael Mullen plan a news briefing. It is planned for 2:00 Eastern Time, and of course we will bring it to you live, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Caught in the crossfire with soldiers on their roof. Frightened orphans seeking shelter amid Pakistan's fight with the Taliban.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: A penny for your thoughts? Or how about two pennies? Stamp prices are going up today, so it will cost you an extra two cents to mail a letter.

Susan, two cents more?

Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange.

Look, I'm going to do everything online.

Susan, I'm sorry -- is at the New York Stock Exchange to look at money problems and the postal service.

Susan, good morning. SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: That's the problem. Everybody's doing things online, and we have a nasty recession, and we're not being bombarded with advertising through the mail. I guess that's one of the good things.

But no question about it, Tony, the 200-year-old U.S. Postal Service is struggling to stay afloat, and the price of a first-class stamp is now up to 44 cents, two cents more. Postcard shipping rates will increase as well.

You know, the United Postal Service says the increase will cost the average household $3 a year. But you're safe if you've already bought Forever Stamps, because they will last through whatever hikes we see, but only until your own private stash lasts, that is.

The postal service, Tony, lost nearly $3 billion last year. And again, you know, the problem is that we have a recession and people like you, Tony Harris, are paying for things online.

HARRIS: Yes, absolutely. But here's the question. I'm wondering if this increase will help the post office with its budget problems.

LISOVICZ: Well, I suppose it will, but it's already $2.3 billion in the hole this year. And it could run out of money this year.

So, you know, it's not a surprise. We've already heard some of the moves that the postal service would like to take. For instance, eliminating Saturday deliveries.

For instance, eliminating Saturday deliveries. It's asking Congress to reduce its retirement fund contributions, and offering buyouts to get rid of workers. Freezing executives pay as well.

You know, one of the things I think a lot of us don't realize is that the Postal Service, while it's part of federal government, does not get bailouts. It does not exist on any taxpayer money and it's having problems like lots of operations these days.

And like the stock market is. Today, after a very nice run, the Dow is under a little pressure today. We're seeing triple-digit declines, 1.25 percent. The Nasdaq, meanwhile, down about one percent as well. But the Nasdaq, of course, has been up nine consecutive weeks, Tony.

HARRIS: Awesome. Susan, next hour let's talk about GM.

CANDIOTTI: You got it. I'll be there.

HARRIS: Let's do that. OK, and turning overseas now, people are fleeing by the thousands. Pakistan's two-week old military offensive against the Taliban is creating a growing humanitarian crisis. The United Nations says more than 360,000 Pakistanis have fled their homes since May 2nd. Camps for the displaced are sprouting up throughout the northwest.

The military says it killed as many as 200 militants over the weekend. A Pakistani official says up to 15,000 troops are battling about 5,000 Taliban fighters in the Swat Valley. There is fighting on Pakistan's northwestern border with Afghanistan as well.

Among those fleeing the fighting, 23 very frightened and hungry orphans. Their four-story home in the Swat Valley was at the center of a Taliban assault. Pakistani troops were anchored on the roof.

Our Ivan Watson asked the orphans about their ordeal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These boys are orphans, and they're lucky to be alive. Just three days ago, they escaped from Pakistan's Swat Valley, traumatized after their orphanage ended up on the front line of the government's war with the Taliban.

(on camera): This is a moment of peace and calm for 23 boys who spent days and nights terrified in the middle of a gun battle between Taliban militants and Pakistan army soldiers. They've been describing to me what that was like and how the children were crying at night from the sound of the explosions and the bullets whizzing past.

(voice-over): Over a simple lunch of flat bread and beans, the boys tell me how Pakistani soldiers set up sandbags on the roof of their orphanage, a four-story building that offered a lookout over the neighborhood. The boys hid in a back room for days as the Taliban laid siege to the orphanage.

These kids have seen more than their share of violence in the Swat Valley over the past two years. When I asked what the worst part of the fighting was, they say it was the suicide bombers.

(on camera): Scary, yes?

UNIDENTIFIED BOY: Yes. This is very dangerous.

WATSON: Very dangerous, huh?

UNIDENTIFIED BOY: Yes.

WATSON (voice-over): These boys finally escaped with several teachers by first clinging to the roof of a bus and then hitching a ride in the back of a vegetable truck.

Orphanage director Mohammed Ali is overwhelmed. He worries these children may end up homeless.

MOHAMMED ALI, DIRECTOR, KHPAI KOR FOUNDATION: It's hard. WATSON: As the conflict threatens to tear this country apart, the call to prayer brings these orphans back together and raises hope that the boys from Swat may one day be able to go home.

Ivan Watson, CNN, Peshawar, Pakistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: What are the long-term effects of Pakistan's offensive against the Taliban? Our John King asked General David Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in Egypt to Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS, COMMANDER, U.S. CENTCOM: What has happened in this case is that the actions of the Taliban in breaking the agreement that was reached for Swat and then moving into other districts in the northwest frontier province, these have served as a catalyst really for all of Pakistan. And you know see all of the Pakistani political leaders, including opposition leaders, you see the Pakistani people and you see the Pakistani military determined to reverse this trend and to deal with the Taliban threat ultimately in Swat Valley.

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And how effective do you think it is being? And let me ask in the context that this is a military offensive. They are going in there and bombing and pushing them out and attacking them. But I would not say this is out of the Petraeus counterinsurgency playbook. So do you worry at all that these gains will be short term, not lasting?

PETRAEUS: Well, the true test in counterinsurgency - and I can tell you that in our dialogue with Pakistani leaders this past week there's a clear recognition of the concept of counterinsurgency operations, of employing all the tools of government, a whole of government approach. And over the past year, for example, there have been a number of actions that reflect the kind of, if you will, learning and adapting that our own forces have taken, gone through in recent years as they have carried out operations in Byjour (ph) and Momand (ph) and so forth.

And this will be the challenge, I think, is to bring all of the assets of the government of Pakistan to bear to help their military as it goes in and conducts operations which inevitably already have displaced citizens, and certainly will displace more of them over time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Pope Benedict began a five-day visit to Israel today. He will also make stops in the West Bank. The pope called for a Palestinian state immediately after his arrival. His timing seemed to take some Israelis by surprise. Benedict is looking to make amends on this trip. He outraged many Jews earlier this year when he let a Holocaust-denying bishop return to the church fold.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: We had been rivals during the campaign, but these days we could not be closer. In fact, the second she got back from Mexico, she pulled me into a hug and gave me a big kiss. Told me, I'd better get down there myself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Just a little bit of the "flava" there from President Obama at this weekend's White House Correspondents' Dinner. We are bringing you snippets of his routine throughout our hours.

Plus, you can go to my blog at CNN.com/newsroom and watch it in its entirety. And look, while you're there, tell us what you think.

How did you get to work today? Drive? Commute? Pedal?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: So just in time for a summer driving season, it always happens this way, gas prices are heading back up. So why not bike to work or anywhere else you may need to go? After all, it is National Bike to Work Week. Did you know that? I bet you didn't.

Producer Tyson Wheatley from CNN.com's iReport Desk joining us.

Tyson, how did you get to work today?

TYSON WHEATLEY, CNN.COM PRODUCER: I...

HARRIS: Yes, yes, yes.

WHEATLEY: I didn't bike to work.

HARRIS: Exactly.

WHEATLEY: My commute involves picking up and dropping off of very small children. Plus, I live, like, 30 miles away. So I have an excuse.

However, as you mentioned, it is Bike to Work Week. And there are some brave souls who do manage to go quite a few miles to work every day. And you know, we have some "CNNers" here who actually do bike to work every day.

HARRIS: That's true, yes.

WHEATLEY: And you know what? Let's go ahead and show you one. We got one of our own CNNers, our very own Kate Taylor. She works at HLN. And we got her in on this - we got her in on this action here to help us get some iReports, iReporters excited about this - I'm sorry - this assignment.

Let's go ahead and take a look at her video.

HARRIS: OK. Let's do it. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATE TAYLOR, CNN HEADLINE NEWS, BIKER: I'm riding my bike home after a day of work. If you bike to work and take a camera and take photographers and video of your favorite place to go bike riding and let us know why you love riding your bike.

I never change what I'm wearing so that I can ride my bike. The only thing I do is carry this huge bag that sits over my shoulder.

When I pass another biker, we look at each other, and I get the sense that we both take this moment to recognize that we both appreciate bike riding and we're glad we're not in our cars, that we're on our bike instead.

Hey, iReporters, show us your bike ride!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHEATLEY: OK. So that is the assignment. We can't wait to see who rises to the challenge. They're coming in actually pretty fast this morning, Tony.

I want to show you one from an iReporter named Larry Perkins. He's 65, and you can take a look at him here. He's from Hamilton, Montana. And he's been riding his bike to work for about 20 of the last 32 years. He used to live in Rhode Island in the '70s. Seattle area in the '80s and mid-'90s. And now he's in western Montana. For the past ten years, he and his wife even ride tandem bikes in the spring and fall.

And you'll notice Larry's still wearing a hat and gloves because morning temperatures still pretty chilly up there.

You know, you've got to love that kind of dedication. Getting on a bike and riding to work, of course, this is happening all week long. It's to promote a healthy lifestyle, but also, you know, environmental impact. You know...

HARRIS: It will be Interesting to know how many employers actually provide a place for folks to get cleaned up so that they can go on about their workday. I bet if more employers did that, more folks would maybe jump on a bike and pedal to work. Maybe that's something we can find out from our iReporters as well.

WHEATLEY: Yes. We're hoping to. All week long, share your stories as you get on your bike and head to work.

HARRIS: All right, Tyson, appreciate it. Thank you.

WHEATLEY: All right, take care, Tony.

HARRIS: President Obama let it rip at the weekend's White House Correspondents' Dinner. The president taking aim at his critics and himself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: During the second 100 days, we will design, build, and open a library dedicated to my first 100 days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: You know, political pundits have suggested that the Annual White House Correspondents' Dinner is a less than dignified event for a president. This year, many wondered whether President Obama would bring in any laughs. So we put his entire speech on our blog page. Listen to his comments from Saturday's dinner and send us your thoughts, CNN.com/newsroom.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: It has passed the House today, the Senate takes up a bill to reign in credit card companies, specifically runaway rates and fees. They can absolutely skyrocket for no obvious reason. Your personal finance editor -- there she is -- Gerri Willis is here.

Gerri, good to see you. Are any banks making changes maybe ahead of the law?

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Well, interesting question.

Hi there, Tony.

One site called billshrink.com tracks credit card terms. They've been now analyzing how many credit card companies are already in compliance with the Credit Card Bill of Rights. They found that since the Credit Card Bill of Rights was first voted on in Congress last December, well, credit card companies have been adopting some consumer friendly practices, but they're ignoring practices that make them a lot of money.

For example, one of the most powerful acts of the bill includes protection from arbitrary rate hikes. But no issuers in compliance with that yet.

The Credit Card Bill of Rights also states that consumers should get fair allocation of payments to different balance rates. Often the bank charges you multiple interest rates for different parts of debt. Maybe you had a low introductory rate at first, and then it went up. Most banks apply your payments to the lowest interest items first so the highest interest parts of your debts last longer and they make more money off of you.

No credit card companies have stopped doing this yet, according to billshrink.com.

HARRIS: Well, Gerri, OK, which rules are the credit card companies actually adopting now?

WILLIS: Well, you know, there's some good news here, Tony. Many banks are beginning to comply with less onerous rules, including more notice before interest rate increases go into effect and the right to set your own credit limit, so you don't accidentally go over that limit and get hit with penalty fees.

For example, if your credit limit is 5,000 bucks, you can request to put in a hard limit at $4,500. You may find a purchase denied, but hey, you won't get hit with a $40.00 fee.

A few banks, some big, some small, have stopped double cycle billing. And even before the Credit Card Bill of Rights was voted on, a number of big banks dropped universal default policies.

HARRIS: Wow. OK.

WILLIS: A lot going on.

HARRIS: Yes. What's the takeaway here for people who use plastic?

WILLIS: Well, you want to get on top of your mail. You have to read what your credit card issuer sends you in the mail. It's likely that the big revenue makers for credit card companies like arbitrary rate hikes, lowest-interest first policies, those will be the last to go.

Often when credit card companies change their terms you have the ability to opt out of the changes. But that usually means you have to close the account. And closing an account can hurt your credit score. But if you can't pay the balance in full and if you can't do a balance transfer, that may be exactly what you want to do - opt out.

And of course, Tony, if you have any questions send them to me, gerri@CNN.com. We love hearing from you. We answer those questions right here every Friday.

HARRIS: Thank you, Gerri. Appreciate it.

WILLIS: My pleasure.

HARRIS: Cut back on spending by eating and working out at home. One couple is saving $1,200 a month. Find out how at CNNmoney.com.

Let's get a check on weather. Reynolds Wolf is in the Severe Weather Center.

(WEATHER REPORT)

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You're going to find my friend, my home slice, my buddy, Rob Marciano. Rob is tuning in.

And Rob, I understand you're in Norman, Oklahoma, for the Vortex Project. Can you give our viewers an idea what exactly this is?

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's called Vortex 2. It's the second time I've done this done it. The last time they did it was about 15 years ago. And they were able to document basically the origin of tornado right on through its whole entire lifespan. But they hope to go drill a little bit down more with this by really covering these storms and trying figure out eventually why some tornadoes are stronger than others. Why some come out of the clouds and some don't. Why some stay on the ground longer, when others don't. These are all questions that forecasters are trying to get answered.

About a hundred researchers and students from all over the world convening here. About 40 research vehicles from converted ambulances that now have scientific equipment on it, Doppler on Wheels, unmanned drones that are going to fly around these storm. Weather balloons, of course.

Some things you may recall from Hollywood, this is Dorothy. This is actually the prop used in the movie "Twister" where the lid flipped open and the instruments went up in the cloud. This is also a prop used in the movie "Twister," kind of based on this actual real deal used back in the 1980s. This was called Toto. And this wasn't used all that well. Kind of got knocked over. So they've resigned that and they hope to better analyze these storms going forth.

It's a five-week project that begins today. All these scientists convening here and we'll launch out later this afternoon and start to get into target zones, which will be undisclosed locations because they don't want a whole lot of people getting in the way and potentially getting hurt as this project unfolds.

And a twist of irony, Reynolds, you'll appreciate this. We had heavy thunderstorms that you were talking about causing flooding in part of Oklahoma, that brought us inside today. So now we're in the National Weather Center. Brand new building that truly is the Mecca of all things severe weather. And in eyeshot of me, I'm looking at the cafe which is called "The Flying Cow, "of all things.

We'll report on this mission throughout the next couple of days. Right now, I'll send it back to you.

WOLF: OK, Rob, be careful out there. I know you're within good company. And these tornadoes, although we see them often on television, they're certainly hard to find. But you've got a great group and happy hunting to you. So good luck to you. Be safe.

All right, so that is the latest we've got for you, Tony. You know it's amazing, these storm, we see so many images of them, but so many mysteries that surround them. So just the idea of getting a better handle on these storms, all the mysteries that are within.

HARRIS: All right, Reynolds, appreciate it. Thank you.

Health care reform gets a shot in the arm. An update of our top stories straight ahead in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM.

Health industry groups make a promise to President Obama. They vow to save $2 trillion. We will hear live from the president about what this means for reforming health care and covering the uninsured.

A sobering assessment from the CEO of General Motors. He says bankruptcy is becoming more probable. We'll talk with our Money Team about GM's woes and the looming deadline for the automaker to restructure or file for bankruptcy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TEXT: Three and a half million people are homeless every year. Everyone has a story.

HARRIS: She drops off her son at school and heads off to work. And many of the people she sees throughout the day will never show she lives in a shelter. Chief national correspondent John King reports on the changing face of homelessness in America.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KING (voice-over): Up early to beat the L.A. traffic and to get Jacob to school on time. Then to the office, Ruth Martinez is a working mother and something else you would never guess.

RUTH MARTINEZ, HOMELESS MOTHER: We went to the movies to go see the movie, "The Soloist." And there was a lady sitting next to us, and a very nice lady. And I tell him, I turn to my son and I go, little does she know we're homeless. And she thinks that we live just like regular people. Little does she know we have curfew and after the movie, we have to run to the car to get back by curfew.

KING: A curfew because Ruth and Jacob live here, in the family wing of a Los Angeles homeless shelter.

R. MARTINEZ: Well then, this is our room and it's not that big so we can kind of squeeze in.

KING (on camera): Cozy.

(voice-over): Their tiny room comes with strict rules - no TV, no lights on after 10:00 p.m. But no complaints of a grateful Ruth Martinez.

(on camera): So tell me about the first few days.

R. MARTINEZ: Here?

KING: No, before that.

R. MARTINEZ: Well, we were in my car. A couple people at my job knew what was happening and they tried to help. But it's easier to say, oh, I hear what you're going through, and they can get in their car and go to their house. But they won't know what it is to pick up your son and say, wow, where am I going to go now?

KING (voice-over): Her husband had lost his job, then took off. Ruth and Jacob were evicted after falling behind on the rent. Living in her car, afraid to ask for help.

R. MARTINEZ: We just prayed and I was embarrassed because Hispanic Latinas does not ask for help. The way I was raised, you put your pride to the side and do what you have to do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am not feeling uncomfortable sleeping in the street.

RUDY SALINAS, COMMUNITY OUTREACH DIRECTOR, PATH: Would you be open to the idea or the possibility, not right now but in the future maybe staying with us so you have a safe place to sleep at night?

KING: Rudy Salinas sees it every day -- the changing face of homelessness.

SALINAS: Recently, I have noticed, in certain communities in L.A. County, an increase in the number of women with children, women with kids below the age of five that are struggling for the same resources that a 40-year-old man may be trying to get to so they have somewhere to sleep at night.

In my eight years of doing this, I never come across as many people who have told us they've never been homeless before.

KING: Some have just lost their jobs. Others, like Ruth Martinez, are still working but were evicted after falling behind on the rent or because their landlord faced foreclosure.

Salinas works for PATH, People Assisting the Homeless, which runs the shelter where Ruth finally found a room and where she will celebrate Mother's Day.

(on camera): What are you going to do for her on Mother's Day?

JACOB MARTINEZ, SON: Make her something.

KING: What are you going to make her? That's Sunday you know.

J. MARTINEZ: A flower. A homemade flower with papers.

KING (voice-over): Residents can stay six months. And if they have jobs, they are required to set aside money to build up enough for a rental property.

Ruth is saving, but makes an exception because of her new understanding of what it's like to be homeless.

R. MARTINEZ: When I get off that freeway. I see a gentleman there all the time. Whatever I have on me, if I have a couple dollars, I give it to him. Even though I'm homeless, I'd rather give the last dollar I have to the person who I see needs it even more than me because I know I'm going to be blessed.

KING: John King, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)