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President Obama Continues Campaign for Health Care Plan; Mayors, Rabbis Arrested in New York and New Jersey on Corruption Charges; Police Raided Office of Michael Jackson's Former Doctor; New Jersey Major, Officials Arrested; Honoring a Missing Soldier; Military Pioneer

Aired July 23, 2009 - 09:00   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: President Obama in full campaign mode. Today he's on the road and on the stump for his healthcare reform.

A dramatic development in the Michael Jackson investigation. Police raid the offices of the last doctor who cared for him. The doctor's attorney said investigators are looking for evidence of manslaughter.

And a small town opens its heart for a missing soldier. Their former neighbor is now being held by the Taliban.

Good morning, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. It is Thursday, July 23rd, and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Well, the impact on your wellness and your wallet. There's nothing else like health care reform that really affects us all. So our CNN crews are working hard to break it all down for you this morning.

In fact, our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux takes a look at what the president said last night and also what he'll say today as he makes his way to the heart land.

And our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is going to be looking at his words specifically. How accurate was he? And how much did you understand?

And also, our congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar, you see her there, her eye on the deadline to pass the whole thing. No matter how you look at it, the clock is ticking.

First, to the White House, central command in this health care battle. The president is not backing down from the fight even though he's got plenty of opposition.

White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux looks at his demand to overhaul the system.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Absolutely it's my job. I'm the president, and I think this has to get done. SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Mr. Obama threw down the gauntlet.

OBAMA: I'm not going to sign a bill that, for example, adds to our deficit. I won't sign a bill that doesn't reduce health care inflation.

MALVEAUX: But he did say he supported limiting tax deduction for wealthy Americans and imposing a surtax for those making more than $1 million a year, efforts to raise money to cover America's uninsured.

OBAMA: The plan that has been -- that I've put forward and that what we're seeing in Congress would cover the estimates are at least 97 to 98 percent of Americans.

MALVEAUX: He also praised Republicans for their idea, to create an independent panel of medical experts to advise Congress on how to cut medical costs, and he called on Americans and their doctors not to indulge in unnecessary and wasteful medical treatments.

OBAMA: Why would we want to pay for things that don't work? That aren't making us healthier?

MALVEAUX: At the same time, Mr. Obama tried to reassure Americans that despite the billions in federal bailout dollars, he was being responsible with taxpayers' money.

OBAMA: The debt and the deficit are deep concerns of mine. I am very worried about federal spending.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Suzanne Malveaux is joining us now live.

Suzanne, the president is going to Cleveland today to talk more about health care. What are we expecting in terms of message today?

MALVEAUX: Well, as you know, Heidi, obviously the stakes are very high for President Obama. He is putting all of his political capital into this one issue, his domestic priority of health care reform. He's going to use this clinic in Cleveland as really a model to say this is how we want things to work.

He's going to talk about the fact that doctors aren't compensated for the number of tests that they actually administered to patients or recommend, but rather how these patients are doing, if they're getting any better, how they're being taken care of.

He says that this is one place where they've managed to cut through a lot of the bureaucracy and the red tape and really deal with things like that. Streamlining all of that as well as costs and yet being able to treat their patients well.

This is the kind of thing he's promoting. It's the kind of thing that he believes his health care reform plan will ultimately accomplish. COLLINS: Well, it's certainly a world renowned facility, though, the Cleveland Clinic. Absolutely. All right. Suzanne Malveaux, we know you're following the president closely today.

Also CNN will have live coverage of President Obama's town hall meeting on health care reform. It's being held in Shaker Heights, Ohio and is scheduled to get under way just after 2:00 Eastern Time.

Did anything President Obama said last night change your opinion on health care reform? We want to know about it if it did. Just go to CNN.com/heidi and hit the comments button. Or you can call in your thoughts to the brand new "Hotline to Heidi," that number right there, 1-877-742-5760.

Now let's take a closer look at exactly what the president said last night and how those claims line up with the facts.

Here to do us for us CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.

So, Elizabeth, let's start with some sound if we could from the president's news conference last night. Listen in.

Unfortunately I'm being told that we don't have that right now. Elizabeth, there are an awful lot of things that were said last night, a lot of questions that were asked, obviously. Paraphrase for us some of the highlights if you would.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: OK, I'm going to read to you a long sentence that the president said in his speech last night and then we're going to deconstruct it. We're going to take little parts of it, Heidi.

COLLINS: OK.

COHEN: And you and I will talk about it. "If you already have health insurance, the reform we're proposing will provide you with more security and stability. It will keep government out of health care decisions, giving you the option to keep your insurance if you are happy with it."

So, let's take the first part of that. "It will keep government out of health care decisions." Now some people would argue with that because part of the plan is to create a government-sponsored health program that you can join even if you're under 65. We already have Medicare for people over age 65.

So, if you belong to this new government-sponsored health insurance program, well, the government is then involved in health care decisions in some way...

COLLINS: Right.

COHEN: ... because they're administering the insurance. So I think some people would argue with that.

COLLINS: Yes. Absolutely. All right. Well, what about the next one here?

COHEN: All right. The next one is, "Giving you the option to keep your insurance if you're happy with it." This has been a real sticking point between Democrats and Republicans. People who are happy with their insurance, will they be able to keep it after health care reform?

And the Democrats, including President Obama, say oh, yes, if you're happy, you'll stick with what you have. The Republicans have said look, the government is going to put forth this option that is going to be significantly cheaper than the private options that are out there, so private insurance companies, how are they still going to compete?

Those private options are going to disappear over time and you won't even have that option. That's what one side said. So again, this is a bit of a he said/she said, but there are people who would argue with whether or not that's a factual statement.

COLLINS: Yes. An awful lot of subjective terms, I think, if you will, that could be argued on either side. So any other ones that you want to cover right now?

COHEN: Yes, let's talk about the deficit.

COLLINS: OK.

COHEN: This is something that the president has talked about quite a bit. The president also said, "I have also pledged that health insurance reform will not add to our deficit over the next decade." And then he added, "and I mean it." He has said this over and over again.

However, the Congressional Budget Office, when they took a look at the...

COLLINS: Right.

COHEN: At the House and Senate plans were very concerned that, indeed, they would add to the federal deficit. Now maybe what he means is that, well, I won't sign it then, I wouldn't sign what's out there now. I would only sign something that truly wouldn't add to the deficit. But certainly what we have now, according to the CBO, does add to the deficit.

COLLINS: Yes. That report that came out on Friday.

COHEN: Right.

COLLINS: We're going to talk a little bit more about it actually right here on the program today.

All right, Elizabeth. We sure do appreciate that. Thank you.

COHEN: Thanks. COLLINS: Next stop, Capitol Hill and CNN congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar. Lawmakers are facing quite a bit of pressure from the White House, Brianna, but they're also seeing a lot of questions from their constituents. A lot of Americans still asking, what's in it for me or really just don't get this, if I'm already insured.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, if you're already insured, here is what's in it for you according to Democrats who are pushing the plans here in Congress. They say they'll bring your costs down because they would cap your out-of-pocket expenses.

They also say preventive care, mammograms, check-ups, that kind of thing would be covered. And if you were to lose your job, you wouldn't lose health coverage. You'd still be covered. And then for parents who maybe have kids in their 20s, the Senate Health Committee says they want -- they want it to be possible that kids up to age 26, not really kids anymore, but could stay on their parents' health plan, something that -- you know, the parents of college-age kids certainly are interested in.

COLLINS: Yes. Sort of a stringer tight plan, I guess, is what they call that. What's in it for you if you're not insured?

KEILAR: If you're uninsured, under these plans, you would have to get insurance. And if you don't, you'd pay a fine. If you can't afford insurance, this is where the government would chip in with the subsidy and in most cases, employers would also help with the costs.

Also insurance companies -- this is really the big one, Heidi. They would not be able to deny you coverage if you have a preexisting medical condition.

COLLINS: OK. If you're uninsured, Democrats actually want to change how you buy insurance on the individual market. Explain this idea of exchange or gateway, I think, is the other word that I'm hearing.

KEILAR: Yes, these are the terms you're hearing.

COLLINS: What is it?

KEILAR: Yes, the gateway and exchange, and what this is, is this is a marketplace. This is the best we can describe it as Democrats say it's a marketplace where you could compare, basically shop around for different insurance plans, and take the plan and buy...

COLLINS: Don't people do that already?

KEILAR: Well, I'm trying to figure out if it's exactly something like a search engine or something. But they're saying it would be in a central location and that all of the information, the prices on things and exactly what is covered and what is not covered would be out there.

So you would just have much more information than you do right now. But this, Heidi, as you know, is where the big sticking point comes in because a lot of Democrats want there to be a government-run insurance plan among those options. They say it's necessary so that private insurers will have competition and be forced to bring their prices down.

But Republicans say it's going to basically kill the private insurance market, put everyone into the government insurance plan, and that's why we're really keeping quite a eye on a proposal coming out on the Senate side. Some Democrats and Republicans hashing out their differences in the Senate Finance Committee.

We're expecting it at some point although lots of delays here. We're expecting at some point they'll put out an alternative which is this non-profit health cooperative approach, an alternative to that government-run plan, Heidi.

COLLINS: OK. Well, boy, that's an awful lot to stay on top of.

KEILAR: It is.

COLLINS: Brianna Keilar, thanks so much.

Now, at the top of the hour, we will talk with two senators on opposite sides of the aisle and the issue. They're going to be offering their grades on President Obama's news conference and then how they would fix the system.

During the president's news conference, questions on race came up, specifically over an incident involving prominent black Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. The president defended Gates, a friend of his, who was arrested last week after a confrontation at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The charges of disorderly conduct have since been dropped.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: I don't know, not having been there and not seeing all the facts, what role race played in that. But I think it's fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry. Number two, that the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home.

And number three, what I think we know separate and apart from this incident, is that there is a long history of African Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately. That's just a fact.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The officer, Sergeant James Crowley, has said he will not apologize to Gates. The mayor of Cambridge has and said she'd like to get everybody involved together to talk it out. Gates says he's willing to listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HENRY LOUIS GATES JR., PROFESSOR, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: I haven't heard from Sergeant Crowley. I would be prepared to listen to him if I were convinced that -- if he would tell the truth about what he did, about the distortions that he fabricated in the police report. I would be prepared as a human being to forgive him.

That would not deter me from using this as an educational opportunity for America. Because if this can happen to me in Harvard Square, this can happen to anybody in the United States and I'm determined that it never happen to anybody again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Gates says he plans to keep talking about the issue, adding, "This is not about me, this is about the vulnerability of black men in America."

I want to get this breaking news out to you right now. A pretty large amount of arrests have actually been taking place. The FBI and the IRS making these arrests this morning. The accused include some New Jersey mayors and several rabbis in both New York and New Jersey.

Our Deborah Feyerick has been working the story and joining us now live from the New York bureau.

Boy, we're talking about public corruption and an international money laundering scheme. What's going on?

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, exactly. They've been very busy this morning. A major public corruption roundup is underway right now in New Jersey. Thirty people have so far been arrested, including the mayors of Hoboken and Secaucus, pretty big cities.

COLLINS: Yes.

FEYERICK: The deputy mayor of Jersey City and a New Jersey assemblyman, just to show you the reach of this. This is a two-prong investigation, Heidi, involving both public corruption, but also what officials are calling, quote, "a high-volume international money laundering conspiracy," unquote, and it involves several rabbis in New York and New Jersey.

All those being arrested -- all those who have been arrested are being processed right now at FBI headquarters in Newark, and they're going to be in court later today. There is going to be a press conference by the U.S. attorney in New Jersey, around lunchtime, to discuss all of the charges, but right now we're really seeing the tip of the iceberg on this, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes, sounds like it. I've been reading all the same stuff you are. And you're right, I mean we're talking about Secaucus and Hoboken, pretty large cities, and then the rabbis, all the way into New York, as well.

Do you have any idea at this point, Deb, and you may not know the answers to these questions.

FEYERICK: Sure.

COLLINS: This is just breaking. But how long this investigation has been going on?

FEYERICK: You know, it's not clear. Usually these kinds of investigations, in order to arrest the mayors of these places...

COLLINS: Yes.

FEYERICK: ... would be many, many months if not over a year. So while we'll take a look at that and hopefully have those details a little later on as some of the calls we've made come back.

COLLINS: Yes. Absolutely. Wow. All right. Let us know what you find out.

FEYERICK: Of course.

COLLINS: Deb Feyerick, we sure do appreciate it.

A new step in the Michael Jackson investigation. Police raid the offices of his personal doctor, pushing ahead with a possible manslaughter case.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I'm Rob Marciano at the CNN Severe Weather Center. Dry for now across the northeast, but more rain moving in tonight. Just how many days has it been above 85 in New York City this month?

Answer's coming up a little bit later. The CNN NEWSROOM is coming right back.

ANNOUNCER: CNN NEWSROOM, brought to you by...

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: People taking part in a community service rally in Houston sent scattering by gunfire. Six people were actually injured in the drive by shooting on the campus of Texas Southern University.

Police are investigating whether there's a gang connection. The event was billed as a family block party to promote community service and voter registration.

Investigators are now working on a manslaughter case against Michael Jackson's personal doctor. And that's happening even though the coroner in Los Angeles still has not determined what really killed Jackson.

CNN's Ted Rowlands has the latest now on the investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Agents from the DEA executing a search warrant at Dr. Conrad Murray's Houston clinic, then Murray's lawyers release a bombshell, a statement confirming that a potential case of manslaughter is being built against the doctor who was with Michael Jackson when he died.

The statement reads, in part, "The search warrant authorized law enforcement to search for and seize items, including documents they believed constituted evidence of the offense of manslaughter."

LISA BLOOM, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: This is the first confirmation we've had and it's from the doctor's own attorney that there's a manslaughter investigation. We're not just talking about prescription medication and negligence there, an actual homicide investigation. That's a big development.

ROWLANDS: According to Murray's lawyer, agents took a forensic image of a business computer hard drive and 21 documents during the search.

Murray, who was being paid $150,000 a month to care for Jackson, has been at the center of what until now has been simply characterized as a death investigation. Murray's lawyers say they were surprised by the search, but they say they've provided everything detectives have asked for.

In another statement released this week, Murray's lawyer said, quote, "Based on Dr. Murray's minute by minute and item by item description of Michael Jackson's last days, he should not be a target of criminal charges. Dr. Murray was the last doctor standing when Michael Jackson died and it seems all the fury is directed towards him."

Meanwhile, the coroner paid a visit to Los Angeles nutritionist Cherilynn Lee who says Jackson asked her for the powerful drug Diprivan. Lee said she turned over her file on Jackson.

CHERILYN LEE, NUTRITIONIST: I actually did lab work. And this is one reason why the coroner wanted all of my records.

ROWLANDS (on camera): Dr. Conrad Murray is tentatively scheduled to meet with investigators for a third time later this week. Meanwhile, the L.A. coroner continues to work on the final cause of death for Jackson and a determination of what exactly was in his system at the time of his death. That report is expected to be released as early as next week.

Ted Rowlands, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Teams of investigators in central California have found more than 300,000 pot plants. Their value, about 1 billion bucks. The raids are part of operation "Save Our Sierra." Eighty-two Mexican nationals were arrested on dozens of marijuana farms. Officials believe they are tied to Mexican drug cartels.

Most of these farms are found in Fresno County, and the county is larger than Connecticut and the hard-to-reach mountain areas along with ready water sources from rivers and lake make it an opportune place to hide thousands of marijuana plants.

Rob Marciano standing by now. Actually a segue for you, Rob, right?

(LAUGHTER)

MARCIANO: I don't know.

COLLINS: I swear I didn't do that.

MARCIANO: Well, I'll just say that the Sierras are a beautiful mountain range, no matter how you place it.

COLLINS: Experience them?

MARCIANO: Yes, not in Fresno County. But up and down the spine of the Sierras, of course.

COLLINS: Got it.

MARCIANO: Hi, Heidi, good morning.

COLLINS: Hi. Good morning.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: I was going to say, what does this all mean? But we don't know.

MARCIANO: Well, so far it's been cool up there, and it's been pretty comfortable across the southeast. I'm not complaining, been gorgeous summer so far in the southeast.

COLLINS: I agree. All right. Rob, we'll talk with you again a little bit later on. Thank you.

MARCIANO: Sounds good.

COLLINS: South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford and his family are in Europe for a two-week vacation. The last time the Republican governor was out of the country, you may remember, he was on a secret rendezvous with his mistress in Argentina.

Sanford has said he wants to fix things with his wife and four sons. The governor reportedly also told a Charlotte TV station he wants to do some soul searching. Some more soul searching.

A health care nightmare. Too sick to work, but not disabled enough to get disability benefits. One woman appeals to President Obama for help.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: It looks like health care, catch 22, a cancer-stricken woman says she's too sick to work, not disabled enough for disability and too young for Social Security. Now this 54-year-old Arizona woman has taken her battles to the Web with a personal appeal to President Obama.

Gayle Debilbiss says she's in pain, is always tired and often has to be on oxygen. She says she's been denied Social Security disability even though she cannot hold down a job.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GAYLE DEBILBISS, CANCER PATIENT: Well, what about this American citizen who's worked hard all of her life? Please, Mr. Obama, please help me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: A spokesperson with the Social Security Administration says they will review Debilbiss's case.

President Obama defending his health care reform plan last night, the news conference was on, there were lots of questions asked. It was right here on CNN, of course, and we are asking you now this morning.

If you watched last night, did you change your mind about anything? Did anything become more clear to you by way of health care reform?

I want to go ahead and let you know what some of our bloggers have said. Just went to the Heidi Collins page, clicked on Heidi and then posted their comments.

The first one says this, Mary D., "I think he did great. I liked the fact that he is talking so much to the American people. For the first time, I believe a president actually cares about what is going on. I voted good."

And the next one -- so this from Chris, "Adds to my concerns. This is way too big of an issue to try to push through so quickly. I feel that there are so many facets to the health care issue that need to be addressed rather than see how fast it can be passed. It makes me wonder why."

Just a couple of our comments this morning. In fact, it's not too late to sound off. Just go to CNN.com/heidi and post your thoughts on the blog, or you can always call the brand new "Hotline to Heidi". That number is 1-877-742-5760.

U.S. health care officials are calling for a few thousand volunteers of all ages to test the swine flu vaccine. They need to know if the batches are safe and effective before they get the go- ahead to make more in time for flu season this fall.

Would you be willing to roll up your sleeves for that? For a shot like this? Let us know. Go to our blog on CNN.com, click on my name Heidi, tell us what you think about the swine flu vaccine. ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Heidi Collins.

COLLINS: Well, the Dow finally gave some back of its gains. Seven-session win streak we've been talking about it here. But the NASDAQ is 11 for 11. Today, though, investors have another big bath of corporate earnings as well as some economic reports to think about.

A look at how it all may affect trading, let's get over to Susan Lisovicz who's on Wall Street.

Good morning, Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. Opening bell set in about five seconds.

COLLINS: Yes.

LISOVICZ: We haven't seen that kind of streak for the NASDAQ since 1996 when economic conditions were a whole lot different. A whole lot better.

COLLINS: Yes, they were.

LISOVICZ: But here we have the opening bell and it looks like, Heidi, we might have some up side even though Dow components 3M, AT&T, and McDonald's all reported lower second quarter earnings, all beat estimates.

Meanwhile, Ford Motor said it made money over the past three months, more than $2 billion, in fact. That's largely due to a big gain from reducing its debt, but even factoring that out, the earnings still beat estimates Ford Bernthal billion dollars last quarter but that's much less than the nearly $4 billion it burned through in the first quarter. Ford shares right now up 9 percent.

Some economic news could weigh on investor sentiment today. New jobless claims jumped by 30,000 last week, coming in above 550,000, much more than expected. Meanwhile, continuing claims fell to the lowest level since mid-April. That could mean people are finding jobs or that their jobless benefits have run out.

Checking the early numbers, one minute into trading, well, we're seeing a little bit of selling. Just a little bit, the Dow is off 14 points. The Nasdaq is down by one. But year-to-date, Heidi Collins, the Dow industrials are up 1.2 percent, the broader S&P 500 is up 5.5 percent, and wait for it, the NASDAQ is up 22 percent year-to-date.

COLLINS: Wow. Well, I mean, you know, it's something. That's for sure.

LISOVICZ: We got a lot of, you know, we got a lot of improvement that we need to make up for the losses. But, you know, I thought you might know that, yes, we're on the positive side for sure, especially for the NASDAQ.

COLLINS: Yes, I'm seeing green, that's for sure. I like that color. Hey, listen, before we let you go, I know you live in Hoboken, New Jersey. Know what's going on there? Just reminding everybody the story that we're following, it was breaking just a little while ago. Our Deb Feyerick is working on it.

Something like 30 arrests have taken place. FBI involved in this. U.S. Attorneys office. It's like a two-pronged investigation they're looking at public corruption and this massive international money laundering scheme. But they've arrested the mayor of your city, they've arrested the Mayor...

(CROSSTALK)

LISOVICZ: And he was just elected. He was just elected.

COLLINS: Yes. What do you know about him?

LISOVICZ: Well, I mean, it was a very close election. And, you know, I was just talking to a neighbor last night. And he's a very young guy. I think he's about 31. I actually haven't read the news reports yet other than what I'm hearing now. And it was a very close election. There was a runoff. And one of my neighbors was just saying last night he's squeaky clean. Unfortunately, Hudson County has a long history...

COLLINS: Yes.

LISOVICZ: ... a very long history associated with corruptions.

COLLINS: Couple of mayors ago, right?

LISOVICZ: Correct. He was indicted. The county executive was indicted, and one of the most famous movies of all time, "On the Waterfront," was shot in our city. And it's all about corruption.

COLLINS: Yes. Yes, all right. Well, Susan, we know that you'll have some interesting things to say to your neighbors when you go home.

LISOVICZ: We'll have some interesting neighbor chats -- yes.

(CROSSTALK)

COLLINS: All right. Well, listen, we have more to talk about right now by way of the same story.

Steve Kornacki is actually joining us by telephone right now. He's with "The New York Observer," the weekly paper, and is very familiar with several of these players.

And Steve, if you're with me on the line, I just want to remind everybody what we're talking about here quickly because these arrests have been made, 30 of them, some of the big names as we were mentioning with Susan there -- the mayor of Hoboken, that's Peter Cammarano. The mayor of Secaucus, New Jersey, Dennis Elwell, and an assembly man and a deputy mayor of Jersey City. The list kind of goes on. That's all we have at this point. Give us some background here. Tell us a little bit more about some of these players.

STEVE KORNACKI, "THE NEW YORK OBSERVER" (via telephone): Yes, well, they're not all, but they're mostly from it looks like Hudson County, you know, which is that sort of gritty urban county right across from New York City, you know, Hoboken, Jersey City, that area.

COLLINS: Yes.

KORNACKI: You know, notorious for political corruption. There's an old joke from the Brendan Byrne, the governor of New Jersey. He would say that he wanted to be buried when he died in Hudson County, because then he could stay active in politics.

COLLINS: Wow.

KORNACKI: They vote the dead there.

You know, there's a long history. So it's not too surprising whenever you see elected officials from, you know -- from that area arrested on corruption charges. The mayor of Hoboken is maybe the biggest surprise in all of this. He is 31...

COLLINS: Yes. Exactly.

Go ahead.

KORNACKI: Yes. He is 31 years old. He was elected just last month. He was on the city council before that. I mean, he's the guy who was seen until 20 minutes ago as a real up and comer on the New Jersey state politics. Governor Corzine, I'm pretty sure was at his inauguration last month in Hoboken. Senator Frank Lautenberg was there. This is a guy who had the attention of a lot of Democratic power players in New Jersey and supposedly was going places.

COLLINS: Yes. It will be interesting to hear as this develops. We should remind everybody, as well, that there is a press conference that's scheduled for around noon today. So we expect to be getting a lot more information.

But you haven't heard anything, Steve, in your reporting about how this came about, or how long this investigation might have been going on, because it is pretty remarkable. You've got 30 arrests, a couple of mayors of some pretty large cities in the state of New Jersey.

KORNACKI: What I've heard is it's been going on for two years or so, the investigation. It involves not just these elected officials in Hudson County, also as we said, the assembly man is from Ocean County, which is the shore.

COLLINS: Yes.

KORNACKI: You know, that's an hour south of Hudson County. And also a group of rabbis in Brooklyn and in New Jersey. And some kind, some kind of money laundering going on there. Exactly what that is, nobody's seen the indictment yet. But at least a two-year investigation. And that means, the other interesting angle on this is, you know, federal investigation has been going on for two years. It means it was launched when Chris Christie was the U.S. attorney in New Jersey. Now Chris Christie was the U.S. attorney in New Jersey.

Now Chris Christie is right now the Republican nominee for governor of New Jersey. Built his entire reputation and basically the entire foundation for his campaign on his reputation for going after political corruption. He took down, you know, one conviction and plea agreements with more than 100 corrupt officials, Democratic and Republican. It is his calling card. In this investigation, and obviously launched on his watch, and so I imagine this is the kind of thing that, you know, his campaign is in some way going to be talking a lot about.

COLLINS: Absolutely. All right. Well, you've given us some interesting perspective there. We sure do appreciate you calling in. Steve Kornacki from the New York Observer. We will continue to follow this story as you might imagine. Expecting to get more and more detail as the morning goes on.

We'll be back in just a moment, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: CNN has learned the Army is opening up a new investigation into the disappearance of Private Bowe Bergdahl. They want to know how he was kidnapped by the Taliban. But back in Bergdahl's hometown, they aren't wondering how or why, they just want to know when he's coming back.

CNN's Ed Lavandera has more now from Hailey, Idaho.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They came on bicycles and they walked several hundred people honoring a hometown boy in harm's way.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (singing): What's so proudly we hailed...

LAVANDERA: Both Bergdahl parents did not show up to this candlelight vigil, but family friends say they're overwhelmed with the show of support not just from their neighbors in Hailey, Idaho, but from around the world.

A family friend write a message from Bob and Jane Bergdahl, words they hope their son can hear whenever he is.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To Bowe, our only son, know that we love you and that people around the world are praying for your safe return to our arms. LAVANDERA: Private Bowe Bergdahl deployed to Afghanistan five months ago. Wayne Clayton is a long time friend of the Bergdahl family. He says just weeks before Bergdahl's capture, he wrote home describing a violent ambush he'd survived.

WAYNE CLAYTON, BERGDAHL FAMILY FRIEND: He e-mailed his dad and explained about a vehicle that they were riding in got the axles blown out of it, you know, because it hit a mine or something.

LAVANDERA: Clayton says he cringed when he read the e-mail, but he says Bowe Bergdahl sounded calm.

(on-camera): Scared?

CLAYTON: He's kind of upbeat. No, he wasn't scared. He was just upbeat, just typical 20-year-old soldier in the United States Army, you know. Just, you know -- just really experiencing everything he can.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's always a light in your heart for Bowe and his family.

LAVANDERA: A somber mood hangs over the town of Hailey, but residents here are starting to sound more hopeful, talking about the day they'll share a bike ride with Bowe, the avid cyclist.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bowe when you come back, I want to go up to the top of the mountains so you can look and see what this city has done for you.

LAVANDERA (on camera): Bergdahl's parents remain in their home on the outskirts of the town. But they do say that their emotions have started to settle into what they described as a slow burning desire for Bowe's safe return.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Hailey, Idaho.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Once again, that's Ed Lavandera reporting on that. We, of course, will stay in very close contact and bring you any developments that happen with that story.

Meanwhile, an African-American female is about to make history in the military. Sergeant Major Theresa King joining us in the NEWSROOM.

Cataracts are often part of getting older, but African-Americans are nearly twice as likely to develop cataracts earlier in life than other groups. That's because many blacks suffer from diabetes and hypertension which can contribute to certain forms of cataracts.

CNN looks at what it's like to be black in America. Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports on how cataracts affect us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jeanne Woods never goes outside without her sunglasses ever since she was diagnosed with cataracts in her early 50s. She make sure her eyes are protected.

JEANNE WOODS, CATARACT PATIENT: I experienced blurring of vision problems driving at night.

GUPTA: She didn't expect to develop them so early in life.

WOODS: I was a little surprised I had some prior surgeries and that that gave me a predisposition to early cataracts.

GUPTA: A cataract is clouding of the eye's crystalline lens. When we're born, the lens is clear. As we age, it begins to cloud up producing a cataract.

DR. MARGUERITE MCDONALD, OPHTHALMOLOGY, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY: Cataracts usually grow very slowly throughout life.

GUPTA: Although cataracts primarily affect older people, eye doctors say younger people are becoming more susceptible. There are a number of reasons, including too much sun exposure, diabetes, radiation, even trauma.

In your thirties, the best way to prevent cataracts is to wear sunglasses to protect the eyes against the sun's rays.

MCDONALD: Really the only effective thing you can do to retard the formation of Cataracts are to wear UV blocking sunglasses and to put a UV blocking clear coating on your regular glasses.

GUPTA: Don't like sunglasses, wear a hat. Anything with a brim to keep the sun out of your eyes. And check your family history. If you have cataracts in the family, make sure you get yearly eye exams to check for cataract growth.

In your forties and fifties, diabetes is one of the main causes for fast forming cataracts. So, watch what you eat and exercise. Both can keep you from developing Type 2 diabetes. And talk with your family doctor about the drugs you taking. Certain prescriptions can cause problems.

MCDONALD: Medications can give you early cataracts, especially steroids.

GUPTA: So, when you have your eyes examined, make sure the eye doctor knows about all the medications you take.

For 30, 40, 50, I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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COLLINS: African-Americans have played a role in our wars in history, of course, and are still making history. In fact, our next guest is about to take on one of the toughest challenges, commanding the Army's drill sergeant school.

She is Sergeant Major Theresa King, the first female in that role at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. First off sergeant major, congratulations. Thank you for your service, which includes about 30 years to the United States army. We very much appreciate it. You take this position in September, are you excited?

SGT. MAJOR THERESA KING, FORT JACKSON, SOUTH CAROLINA: Very excited, Heidi. Very excited.

COLLINS: What are you expecting? By way of sort of the challenges and the different ways that you will drill down if you forgive the pun, into your students exactly what you want them to be doing?

KING: Well, you know, I'm a trainer. My nature is to train and lead soldiers, so I don't expect it to be very difficult because I just -- I just love training soldiers. And I do love working with drill sergeants. Their job is to train at a higher level of proficiency. So I'm looking forward to working with them.

COLLINS: Are drill sergeants mean people?

KING: No, Heidi. They're just if you will, they're just high- tech NTOs that are expected to perform at a high level, and they're motivated on their own and they have visions of soldiers that can move up from being maybe a low-performance soldier to a high-performance soldier, and transforming non-civilian into soldier. That's a lot of work.

COLLINS: Yes.

KING: And by the time they become drill sergeants, they're just great NTOs who volunteered to come into the program.

COLLINS: Yes. Noncommissioned officers, we should say. Listen, you know, tonight is part two of our documentary that we're doing here at CNN, "BLACK IN AMERICA."

Tell us what it means to you. Not only to be the first female commandant, but also the first African-American in this role.

KING: Well, I would tell you growing up in rural North Carolina, I did see some issues with being black in America. But with the people that had a hand in raising me and moving me into positions, I think you see that in my biography. I don't think that made a difference with the skin color.

And matter of factually, you know, I had a lot of males, white and white males to actually take the time to meter me and coach me, and put me in those positions that they talk that I could exhale in.

And maybe sometimes I could not see what they saw, and maybe I didn't standing in the beginning, but they labor with me. And one that I'm thinking about right now is command sergeant Major Willie Shelly, who is a white male and he is retired there in North Carolina somewhere. He put me in all those positions that would elevate me, I think for, to consideration of becoming the next commandant in this army school.

COLLINS: Well, I'm sure he appreciates the shout-out very much. And it's amazing when you get to the level that you're at now. You go back and remember who believe in you. And who put you where you are on that track.

Again, we appreciate your service so very much. Congratulations to you. Love to hear how it goes at the start in September of you taking over the drill sergeant's school. Thanks so much, Sergeant Major Theresa King. Appreciate you story.

KING: You're welcome, Heidi.

COLLINS: Tonight at 8:00, we want to remind everybody the second part of our two-night "BLACK IN AMERICA 2" event. And it's all about today's pioneer. We will look at the most challenging issues facing African-Americans and the people who use ground-breaking solutions to change the black experience. That's tonight 8:00 Eastern, 5:00 Pacific right here on CNN.

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COLLINS: President Obama takes his push to overall health care to the heartland today. After making his speech on national television last night, the president hits the road, traveling to Ohio and visiting the famous Cleveland clinic.

As CNN's John King reports, it's known for lowering cost and improving quality care.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Cardiac intensive care unit at the Cleveland Clinic -- world renowned for both its high-quality care and its comparatively low costs. Those who work here, like Dr. Steven Nissen, an important example as Washington debates a radical restructuring of American health care.

DR. STEVEN NISSEN, CHAIRMAN, CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE: Everything that we do is done with the patient at the center of the picture, not the doctor at the center.

J. KING: At many hospitals, cardiologists and cardiac surgeons work in different departments. Here, all under one roof. The business model that translates into more collaboration and less competition for patients and for health care dollars.

NISSEN: The Cleveland Clinic is not a fee-for-service model. I get paid a salary. We all get the same check. It doesn't matter whether we do an operation or do an angioplasty. And so, we have taken that issue of income out of the equation. Now, unfortunately, that's not the case across the country. And that does lead to excess costs. Everybody wants to do their procedure.

DR. TOBY COSGROVE, CEO, CLEVELAND CLINIC: All right. What are we talking about today?

J. KING: CEO Dr. Toby Cosgrove is an outspoken advocate of reform but also sounds several cautionary notes as Washington debates just what to do and how to pay for it.

COSGROVE: Fifty percent of the hospitals in the United States are running in the red. So, if you begin to look at reducing the amount of money that's coming to hospitals to look after patients, I think you're beginning to look at failure of a group of hospitals.

J. KING: Cleveland Clinic holds itself out an example of how to lower costs, yet also improve results.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's time for you to go home.

J. KING: The emphasis on preventive care is designed to reduce the need for expensive surgeries and procedures.

COSGROVE: Begin to reimburse for wellness. Right now, if I do a heart operation, I get paid for doing a heart operation. If I prevent somebody from needing a heart operation by helping them understand their diet and their exercise, I don't get paid anything.

J. KING: Wellness is a Cleveland Clinic obsession. It won't hire smokers. Healthier foods dominate the cafeteria options; a farmer's market on campus; yoga classes for employees and patients.

COSGROVE: Seventy percent of the cost of health care is from chronic diseases. And chronic diseases come from really three big things -- from obesity, from lack of exercise, and from smoking.

So, we have got to go after the prevention in wellness aspect. And that all bring us down the level of disease across the entire country. We live longer. We live healthier. And we live cheaper.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: CNN will have live coverage of President Obama's town hall meeting on health care reform, being held, Shaker Heights, Ohio, and scheduled to get under way just after 2:00 Eastern Time.

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