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New Jersey Mayors, Officials Arrested; No Easy Answers on Healthcare; Four Boys Accused of Raping Eight-Year-Old Girl; Renewed Action in Southern Afghanistan; Challenges Blacks Face in Job Market; The Costliest Wheelchair

Aired July 23, 2009 - 10:00   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Quickly want to get you updated on a story that we've been following this morning. Just now breaking so clearly we are getting developments as the morning goes on. All happening in New Jersey, and a small portion of the story also happening in New York.

Here's the deal. Approximately 30 arrests have been made this morning. There's a federal investigation going on, apparently for quite some time. Still trying to learn exactly when this investigation occurred, began, I should say, but now there is public corruption and an international money laundering conspiracy that is being investigated. We have been able to confirm that the mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey and the mayor of Secaucus, New Jersey, and an assembly man, out of also Secaucus, and the deputy mayor of Jersey City. All of them arrested. There are many others.

And there is this other line of the story, the money laundering portion, includes arrests that have been made in both New York and New Jersey and there are rabbis involved and have been taken into custody, as well.

Our Deborah Feyerick has been working on this story as hard as possible and she joins us now with more. All right. Deb, since last we spoke, have we been able to get any more information on how this all went down?

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I have indeed, Heidi. As a matter of fact, this was a huge operation started three years ago in the spring of 2006. It breaks down into two separate cases linked by common players. You got the public corruption aspect but then you also got the money laundering aspect.

COLLINS: Yes.

FEYERICK: And our source close to the investigation describes the public corruption as "straight bribery," basically cash-filled envelopes exchanged for political influence that involved Republicans and Democrats, state and local officials including several mayors, deputy mayors, as you mentioned, New Jersey assemblyman and councilmen. Now the money laundering component allegedly involved a group of rabbis down in (INAUDIBLE) county laundering tens of millions of dollars through their religious organizations.

This, according to a source close to the investigation, and they were laundering the money, basically, for a fee. So, there was overlap in the players that began as public corruption and then it seems to have blossomed out to this money laundering component.

COLLINS: What did they do with the money?

FEYERICK: All of that under investigation.

COLLINS: Any idea what they wanted to do with the money or what the plan was?

FEYERICK: Well, again, that's sort of all under investigation but again the money was being laundered by this group of rabbis in Monmouth County, down by the beach area. I'm told (inaudible) which is the area that was involved in this. So, again, right now we're waiting for that attorney's conference but this is the information that we're getting by a source close to the investigation.

COLLINS: All right. Anybody heard from the governor of the state, Governor Corzine?

FEYERICK: No. Not yet. As a matter of fact, you know, the mayor of Hoboken was really seen as an up and coming player.

COLLINS: A young guy.

FEYERICK: In a party, the governor was there, had his arm around him and he was swearing in and so, clearly, this is going to send some reverberations through the governor's cabinet and through the governor's administration in terms of the people who were involved, especially because they were so well supported by the governor.

COLLINS: Yes, absolutely. All right. Well, we'll be waiting for that. Deb Feyerick, we sure do appreciate the reporting. Thank you.

President Obama intensifies his fight for healthcare reform. Today, he travels to Ohio to tour a clinic and hold a town hall meeting and you can bet he will probably bet repeat the stark words, the stern warning of last night's primetime news conference. He says Americans can no longer trust their health to a system that's broken and only getting worse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If we do not control these costs, we will not be able to control our deficit. If we do not reform health care, your premiums and out-of-pocket costs will continue to skyrocket. If we don't act, 14,000 Americans will continue to lose their health insurance every single day. These are the consequences of inaction. These are the stakes of the debate that we're having right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Now, we want to talk to two senators on opposite sides of the aisle and the issue. What did they think of the president's TV appearance last night and how would they fix the system?

Lamar Alexander is a Republican senator from Tennessee. He serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee and Senator Kent Conrad, who is a Democrat from North Dakota. He is the chairman of the Budget Committee. First off, nice to see you both standing next to each other. We do appreciate you coming on the show and being here together. Let me begin with you, Senator Alexander, do you think the president changed any minds last night?

SEN. LAMAR ALEXANDER (R), TENNESSEE: Well, he always does a good job. I think maybe he changed his mind last night. He didn't talk very much about getting it done quicker than we have time to read the bill, he talked more about costs, which is where we ought to be. Because the bills we have now flunked that test and we ought to be trying to make sure Americans can afford the healthcare insurance and then Senator Conrad who has been a leader on it and make sure that when we're finished they can afford the government.

COLLINS: And so, Senator Conrad, what do you have to say about that? Do you think he made some progress or do you think he muddied the waters a bit last night?

SEN. KENT CONRAD (D), NORTH DAKOTA: Well, I think he made progress, and I thought he sounded just the right notes that it is, just as Lamar indicated, it is absolutely critical that we get a hold of this cost explosion. We are spending twice as much per person as any other country in the world on healthcare and, you know, we have excellent health care in this country, but on many metrics, we're pretty far down the list in terms of overall performance.

But this cost explosion simply must be contained. We're spending one in every $6 in this economy and healthcare. On the current trend line, we will spend one in very $3 in this economy on this healthcare that's totally unsustainable.

COLLINS: In fact, the Congressional Budget Office report, I'm sure, you're very familiar with it. It's been in the media now for a couple of days said that the House Democrats' plan would cost $1 trillion over 10 years and then actually increase the deficit, which is also a big issue by about $65 billion over the same amount of time. You both hold these key positions on committees that we mentioned, you control the purse strings. How concerned are you? Senator Alexander?

ALEXANDER: Well, I'm very concerned about it but I'm not the only one. I mean, the Mayo Clinic last Friday said we are headed in the wrong direction. The Democratic governors are up in arms over the chip that costs the states Medicaid that's going to raise state taxes and, as you said, the Congressional Budget Offices that were adding to the deficit. The president has said no addition to the deficit, he said we don't want you to lose your insurance and the legislation we've seen so far does both.

So, I'd say if it were a baseball game, we're kind of at the bottom of the first inning and we need to keep working and try to focus on costs. COLLINS: Yes and baseball games are usually pretty long. Senator Conrad, your thoughts?

CONRAD: This is a case where Senator Alexander and I entirely agree. Look, we have to do a better job. At the end of the day we are going to be judged in history on whether or not we get this right. Getting it right to me means, number one, having it fully paid for over 10 years, reducing the cost curve beyond that. So that we don't have these continuing explosion of premiums for our families and making our businesses less competitive and really putting the government itself at risk because not even the government has deep enough pockets to be able to explode to be able to afford these exploding healthcare costs.

COLLINS: The president is in your party. You have the majority. Is it going to pass, Senator Conrad?

CONRAD: Well, first of all, we have got to get it right. We will reserve judgment. I think it's very important we take this on...

COLLINS: You don't know.

CONRAD: Taking it on, we've got to get it right.

COLLINS: Yes. You don't know. All right. Well, to the both of you, we appreciate your time very much.

ALEXANDER: Thank you, Heidi.

COLLINS: Senator Lamar Alexander and Senator Kent Conrad. Senator, forgive me. OK, I thought Senator Alexander was trying to say one more thing.

We want to make sure we give equal time.

ALEXANDER: I'll be glad to say one more thing.

COLLINS: Sadly, we're out of time. Will you come back? We'd love to have you again.

ALEXANDER: I'd be glad to come back.

COLLINS: Next time around, how about that. All right. Bookers will book it. Thanks so much, gentlemen. We appreciate the time.

Did anything President Obama said last night change your opinion on healthcare reform? Your opinion at home, that's what we want to know. That's the question that we have been asking today. Just make sure you go to cnn.com/heidi and hit the comments button or you can always call in your thoughts. We have this new thing called "Hotline to Heidi." You see the phone number there. 1-877-742-5760. Tell us what you think.

And a reminder, we will be bringing you live coverage of President Obama's town hall meeting on healthcare reform. It's being held in Shaker Heights, Ohio and is scheduled to get under way just after 2:00 Eastern time.

And now this, taking on the Taliban. U.S. marines battling enemy fighters right now. We're going to take you live to the battleground.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: Live breaking news, unfolding developments. See for yourself in the CNN NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: A disturbing story to tell you about from Louisiana. A three-month-old girl killed by rats. Natalie Hill died last week in a rental home in Westwego. Her body was covered by rat bites. An autopsy revealed she died from blood loss from those bites. The family says they are devastated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LISA LENORMANO, RELATIVE: They were good parents. She would have never let anything happen to this child.

RYAN LAINE, BABY'S UNCLE: I hope my sister, it was a freak accident. I know she didn't mean it. I know she was a good mother.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Now, the parents are battling to regain custody of their 14-month-old son who was placed into state care.

And more shocking news, four boys under arrest in Phoenix for allegedly raping an eight-year-old girl.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SGT. ANDY HILL, PHOENIX POLICE: They restrained her and she was brutally sexually assaulted for a period of about 10 to 15 minutes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Police say the boys range in age from nine to 14. Investigators say the girl and the four suspects are refugees from the West African nation of Liberia. Police say the girl's parents blame her for being victimized.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My little sister... she's 8 years old. They say they rape her but me, I don't know.

HILL: The parents felt that they have been shamed or embarrassed by their child and that's not acceptable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Investigators say each of the boys admitted to sexually assaulting the young girl. During the president's news conference, questions of 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 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 in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately. That's just a fact.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The officer, Sergeant James Crawley, said he will not apologize to Gates. The mayor of Cambridge has and says 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., HARVARD PROFESSOR: I haven't heard from Sergeant Crawley. 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 could 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. He went on to say this is not about me, this is about the vulnerability of black men in America.

Renewed action in southern Afghanistan this morning where U.S. marines are facing off with Taliban fighters. CNN's Ivan Watson is embedded with the Marines in the treacherous Helmand province. He is able to join us now and talk a little bit more about what is going on. Good morning to you, Ivan.

IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. I am in a town called Kanmashin(ph). I'm actually within the walls of an old castle, an Afghan castle that the marines have captured earlier this month and that they're now living out of. I don't know if you can see in the background here, the mud brick walls of this castle. It's like we've gone to another century here and this is the place that the marines are calling home. This is the southernmost point that the U.S. military has advanced to, Heidi, since they launched an offensive earlier this month. There's about more than 50 miles left to go to until the Pakistani border and where I'm located right now, the Marines have been exchanging fire with insurgents over the course of this day. The insurgents have lobbed mortars at this location today and in retaliation we've seen the marines firing huge artillery, huge canons at those insurgent locations and mortars from here as well in retaliation for the insurgent incoming mortar fire.

That's why I'm wearing a flat jacket right now. And this again is a place that the marines moved into and part of the reason why the commanders say it's important is they have brought Afghan government officials to this location, which was controlled by the Taliban just a few weeks ago. They brought Afghan national army soldiers perhaps a little bit more than 30 and they're trying to start to plant roots for the Afghan central government, which hasn't had any presence here for at least four years, Heidi.

COLLINS: Right.

WATSON: So, there's an important experiment under way here, Heidi.

COLLINS: Absolutely. Anybody talking about how they feel about the potential success of that experiment?

WATSON: Well, I think the commanders are excited about what's going on here within 24 hours of rolling in here earlier this month. They had orders to set up meetings with the tribal elders in this area and there are daily outreaches going on with the local Afghan government officials that were brought down here.

But as we've seen from today's exchange of mortar fire, this area is still not under control. The insurgents are firing back. They've been lobbying rockets periodically at this location and mortars today and in addition to this, the road that we took in here, there was a deadly incident last week during which a roadside bomb blew up and it killed two marines on that road.

COLLINS: Right.

WATSON: So, it's a sign that this area is still not pacified and this is coming on a month, Heidi, that has been very bloody for U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan. A record number of losses this month for both the U.S. and for NATO. Two more American soldiers killed yesterday, sorry, troops killed yesterday in southern Afghanistan by a roadside bomb and one more British soldier killed in southern Afghanistan, also by a roadside bomb. There's a long way to go before the Afghan central government can claim to control this part of Afghanistan, Heidi.

COLLINS: That's right. We sure do appreciate that you keeping us updated as well. Ivan Watson for us there, embedded with the U.S. marine, down there in Helmand province. As he says, a lot going on. A lot more work to be done. We will stay in contact with Ivan. Doctor's care. What you look like, could that affect the way doctors treat you? How to tell if your doctor might have a hidden bias.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: In our "Empowered Patient" segment, a new study finds that in at least one large New York City healthcare network, more than 40 percent of doctors react negatively to obese patients. Doctors said they felt frustrated treating obese people. But obese patients are not the only one experiencing biases. Senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here with me now with some kind of troubling statistics, Elizabeth. First off, why would doctors be frustrated with obese patients?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, part of it is that they get frustrated because they want to help these people. And so they tell their obese patients you need to lose weight, which is definitely true if they want to have a healthy heart, they need to, you know, it's a good thing to lose weight. And so the doctors feel frustrated like their job is to help these people and it's not happening. So that's one reason.

But another reason that's interesting, when we talked to the study authors they said, look, some people are just bias towards fat people. They see someone who's overweight and they just don't feel good about them. And doctors are human beings and so they sort of detected that perhaps there's just a human bias sometimes against obese people and these doctors felt it and it kind of translated into a negative attitude towards their obese patients.

COLLINS: Well, it's possible too, is it not I'm sure that the study addressed, you know, doctors are very close to the health issues of people who are obese and, so they probably are talking a little bit about prevention in keeping their care a little bit more manageable.

COHEN: Right. I'm sure there are doctors who look at an obese patient and think, why can't you just lose weight?

COLLINS: And be so much healthier.

COHEN: You won't get -- the blood pressure will go down and everything will get better and when the patient doesn't do it, yes, I think for many doctors, that's very, very frustrating.

COLLINS: But obesity isn't really the only thing the study looked at. There are other biases that were pointed out, too?

COHEN: Well, this study just looked at obesity but there have been lots of studies that have looked at doctors' attitudes, about other aspects of a patient's appearance, including their race and what those studies have found is that doctors decisions about how to treat a patient are affected by race, even when the patients all have the same insurance, even when money is not an issue.

So, for example, a doctor sometimes, if it's a black patient versus a white patient, study show that they're not as aggressive about treating the black patient. So, a black patient comes in with a heart attack that they're less likely to prescribe, you know, immediate life-saving drugs than they are for a white patient.

COLLINS: Wow.

COHEN: And there have been different kinds of studies that have found that. I know.

COLLINS: Quite a big claim. Because I'm thinking about the Hippocratic oath.

COHEN: Sure. I mean, I don't think that there are doctors, maybe there are, but the doctors who might do this aren't like, oh, he's black, I'm not going to treat him. It's more kind of a sort of a subtle bias, I guess, you might call it that gets translated into how you might look at someone based on the color of their skin.

COLLINS: I know that tomorrow is "Empower me Friday" and we usually get a lot of questions here. People always need to know how to get a hold of you. So let's tell them.

COHEN: That's right. We like to help people with any problems they're having in the healthcare system. You can write to me at empoweredpatient@cnn.com. Tell me your problem and we'll do our best to help you fix it.

COLLINS: All right. Very good, Elizabeth. Thank you, appreciate that.

Also I want to remind you President Obama goes on the road and on the offensive in his fight for healthcare reform. We'll tell you what he's saying and how Republican leaders are responding.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Heidi Collins.

COLLINS: President Obama goes on the road today to sell his plan for reforming healthcare. This afternoon, he visits the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio and takes part in a town hall meeting. Today's message will probably sound a lot like what he said last night. Congress must strive to make next month's deadline to adopt a plan that overhauls the system.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: I'm rushed because I get letters every day from families that are being clobbered by healthcare costs. And they ask me, can you help? So, I've got a middle-aged couple that will write me and say our daughter just found out she has leukemia and if I don't do something soon, we just are either going to go bankrupt or we're not going to be able to provide our daughter with the care that she needs. And in a country like ours, that's not right. So, that's part of my rush.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Republicans say the Democrats' plans are too complex and too costly to rush into passage. They say Democrats need to be willing to work with them towards a better solution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), MINORITY LEADER: We look forward to being able to move a healthcare proposal this year on a truly bipartisan basis and one that doesn't increase the deficit, one that doesn't put the government in charge of our healthcare, one that doesn't produce a system that in the end delays care and in many instances denies care. And, of course, in order to do that, rationing care. I don't think the American people want any of that and nor should we be trying to pass it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: That Republican opposition makes it unlikely that both Houses of Congress can pass bills before their August recess.

Now, we are asking if President Obama may have changed your mind about healthcare reform last night in his news conference. We've been getting a lot of blogs about that. I want to go ahead and go over to the Heidi Mac and let you know what some people are saying. Cnn.com/heidi. That's how you get on.

Everett says this, "Heidi, the president's plan is like a rescue ship being built and awaiting launch in the shipyard. Those needing to be rescued cannot continue to wait for lawmakers to debate over wanting a perfect ship to be built. We should launch what we have and make needed repairs, if any, along the way."

And this one also from Lyn. "I am more concerned than ever, the president did in his speech on what I used to do in papers in college when I did not do enough research or readings to speak the specifics of a topic."

Well, it's not too late to sound off. Go to cnn.com/heidi to post your thoughts on the blog or you can call the "Hotline to Heidi." That number is 1-877-742-5760. I'd love to hear from you.

And this reminder, we will have live coverage of President Obama's town hall meeting on healthcare reform. It's being held in Shaker Heights, Ohio and is scheduled to get under way just after 2:00 Eastern time.

Part of the president's plan is eliminating waste in the federal healthcare system. Like in the case of a wheelchair paid for many times over.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT (voice-over): So far, for this very wheelchair, taxpayers have spent more than $1,200 just to rent it. (on camera): How much does this wheelchair cost if you just bought it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If I wanted this one, about $400.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Our Drew Griffin is on the case, trying to find out why taxpayers are paying so much for that wheelchair.

And want to give you a look at the big board because, guess what? I think we've gone through that -- well, we were. Just before I pulled it up, of course, we went above the 9,000 mark for the Dow Jones industrial averages. First time since January we have been above the 9,000 mark.

You can see -- there we go, did it again. Well, yesterday, the Dow closed down about 35 points, and today we were aware that things were probably going to go up a little bit but right now to the positive, triple digits about 120 points. We're watching those numbers, as always, right here.

The second part of our "Black in America" documentary airs tonight on CNN. It's been focusing on the most challenging issues facing African-Americans and, of course, one of those is unemployment and and the disparity between races. Last month, the Labor Department reported 8.7 percent of whites were unemployed. That's compared to 14.7 percent of blacks. In our "Snapshot Across America," we look at the challenges blacks face in the job market.

Joining me here in Atlanta is Mia Jackson, who is applying for MBA programs. There she is. And in New York, Sonia Alleyne is a career lifestyle editor for "Black Enterprise" magazine. And in Chicago, Mark Welsh, he's the director of global diversity and inclusion for Northern Trust Corporation.

Welcome to all of you. Appreciate you guys being here. Lots to talk about. Mia, I want to begin with you. I know that you've been laid off and then rehired, and you ended up forming your own consulting firm and now you're applying for MBA programs. First off, great stick-to-it-iveness on your part. What are some of the biggest obstacles that young African-Americans are facing right now in the job market?

MIA JACKSON, APPLYING FOR MBA PROGRAMS: I think some of the biggest obstacles is trying to be creative and trying to stay within our jobs and be able to perform and be as competitive with our counterparts. But I think the main thing is, try to reinvent ourselves and have all the tools in our tool kits to be successful, so...

COLLINS: Every young person is trying to do that. What is different about being African-American and having these same challenges in this same economy?

JACKSON: I think it's more, it has to do with confidence, too. I think it's some things we have, some perceptions. I think some people have perceptions of us, and we have perceptions of ourselves that when we walk into a room, you know, we have to have the confidence that we belong there. And it may be subtle, but I think it's very important when you're working in a workplace, a diverse workplace.

COLLINS: Sonia, I know that you cover career development and diversity, transfer "Black Enterprise" magazine. What in your mind are some of these obstacles that are African-American, specifically -- what makes the difference in the job market and workplace for African- Americans?

SONIA ALLEYNE, BLACK ENTERPRISE MAGAZINE: Mia outlined many of them. That's why it's important for African-Americans and minorities in general to make sure they have mentor support and a very strong network.

COLLINS: Is that out there? Is that easy to come by?

ALLEYNE: You know, it is. It is if you search for it and seek it out. What is great about a lot of the companies today, particularly those who are heavily recruiting for an entry-level position, is that they do have these set ups. They have formal programs set up internally.

So, even if a new entrance is a little leery about, you know, approaching someone herself, there are programs that are set up in major institutions to help them go through the process. But mentoring is a single most important thing that you can actually do to alleviate some of the stress and frustration and gain that confidence that Mia's talking about.

COLLINS: Yes, absolutely. Everybody can use a good mentor. Hey, you mentioned recruiters, and that's a great way to get to Mark. The same question for you. I know that you're in charge of diversity and inclusion at Northern Trust. What do you see as some of the obstacles that African-Americans specifically deal with in the workplace that other races may not?

MARK WELSH, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION, NORTHERN TRUST: Well, I don't know that I would necessarily categorize them as difficulties that other races don't deal with. I think the challenge is always -- and I think Sonia and Mia both outlined this very well -- the challenge is one of access. The issue is not finding diverse candidates but that they have access to hiring and they have access to the organizations.

And ultimately, they're exhausting the best possible means in getting in touch with organizations, whether using social networking sites like Linked In or Twitter or Facebook or if it's blogging about the industry you're most interested in. The most important thing is making sure that you have access and that you're creating strong networking relationships that are substanitive, and that should be able to sustain to get you access to an organization.

COLLINS: OK. Very good. Listen, we'll continue this conversation. You guys stay right where you are and same with you guys at home. We'll be back in just a minute talking about job losses and how to overcome of the challenges and get to some of the solutions. We'll be back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN, the Most Trusted Name in News. Now, back to the CNN NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: Back to our discussion now on the challenges facing African-Americans when it comes to unemployment. Joining me in Atlanta, Mia Jackson; in New York, Sonia Alleyne and in Chicago, Mark Welch. Thanks again, guys.

You already pointed out some solutions here to what African- Americans can do by way of beginning a job search and succeeding in this particular market. Mia, you mentioned confidence is important and, Sonia, you mentioned mentoring and, Mark, you mentioned access. You're talking about social networking and so forth.

I just want to ask all of you, in order to wrap all of this up, where do you get started? Mia, you have been through a lot, a lot of ups and a lot of downs. What advice would you give?

JACKSON: I think it's something I learned in MLT, actually. It's about finding what you're good at. Knowing your passion. And when you know your passion and you'll be able to apply that to anything. My passion is continuous improvement and I was able to apply that, create my own small consulting firm -- one employee and that's all I needed -- and I was able to go back and contract for my company. If you find your passion, you'll be able to create an opportunity or a niche for yourself and be able to leverage that in the workforce.

COLLINS: Sonia, what about you?

ALLEYNE: I would tell folks not to get caught up in the negativity of "there's no jobs." I think we have been repeating there's no jobs, no jobs, that we're believing that. And the truth of the matter is that companies are hiring, they're hiring in a number of different areas and you have to be a little bit more proactive and a little bit more creative to be able to find your opportunity, but the opportunity is there.

COLLINS: Mark, how about you?

WELSH: Well, I would actually build on something that Mia said earlier, which is the issue of confidence, and I would also add to that that you want to do your research to make sure that you find organizations that actually do practice a strong belief in diversity and evaluate that in their organization (ph). You have to have the confidence to reach out, but you also want to make sure in line with an organization that is not only going to bring into the organization, but make sure that they retain you, that they develop you and giving you opportunities to move ahead. Diversity is not enough. You just can't start with diversity, you have to make sure people are moving along in the organizations and being prepared for senior management and greater leadership roles.

COLLINS: Yes. Of course, depending upon qualifications and all of that goes without saying, I would imagine.

WELSH: Absolutely. Absolutely. No difference between a diverse candidate or any other. We're looking for the same qualifications.

COLILNS: Thanks, guys for the conversation. We sure do appreciate it. Mia Jackson right here in Atlanta, Sonia Alleyne in New York, and Mark Welch in Chicago.

ALLEYNE: Thank you.

JACKSON: Thank you.

WELSH: Thank you.

COLLINS: Paying too much for health care.

GRIFFIN: So, who would come up with a system where renting this wheelchair would cost four times the amount of money it would take to actually buy it? Let me give you a hint...

(CAMERA FOCUSES ON CAPITOL BUILDING)

COLLINS: CNN investigates. Why are we paying so much for one woman's wheelchair?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: All right. We want to show you this because it hasn't happened in quite some time. Look at that. Dow Jones industrial average is now sitting at 9,027. We're about an hour and 15 into the trading day. Things could change, but up by, I've seen it go up as much as 150 points right now. So, some interesting and exciting news there.

A lot of earnings reports coming in today. Several already have come in, and even more will come in after the closing bell. So, clearly having an impact there. We'll continue to watch those numbers, as always, throughout the day.

Also, always watching the weather and we have just the guy. Hello, Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hello, Heidi.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MARCIANO: All right. Obligatory animal video, here you go, Heidi.

COLLINS: Oh, yeah, baby! MARCIANO: I used to live in Jersey for a while. This is, there is a bird in Bergen county. A four-footer. Wild turkey apparently antagonizing the mailman, pecking at the mail truck's tires.

COLLINS: I thought dogs were supposed to do that.

MARCIANO: Apparently this turkey is doing it. I'm not sure he would be walking around so confidently if the month was October or November.

COLLINS: True.

MARCIANO: But, nonetheless, that's what's happening. We don't have any video of the bird attacking anybody, and animal control has yet to be called in because there haven't been any injuries to the mailman.

COLLINS: Well, people actually probably love the bird. Hey, thanks for that. I think it really added to the show. I appreciate it.

MARCIANO: You asked and I delivered.

COLLINS: Rob Marciano, thank you.

Some senators want the U.S. and China to cooperate more on curbing greenhouse gas emissions. A report from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee suggests that could be the key to global solution to climate change. The two countries are the world's biggest polluters.

By 2012, tough new efficiency standards mean most traditional light bulbs on the market today will be phased out. Don't go stockpiling them just yet. It turns out the threat of extinction has spurred innovation. Allison Costic has our "Energy Fix" from New York. What is all this about?

ALLISON COSTIC, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Heidi, there's really a lot going on with the lightbulb these day. Two years ago, Congress passed a law mandating new efficiency for lighting, which accounts for seven percent of the energy we use in this country.

Now, companies are rolling out bulbs to meet the new 2012 standards. The first one on the market are from Philips. I have them right here. These are the halogena (ph) energy-savers. For now, you can only get them at Home Depot or amazon.com. They're 30 percent more efficient than older incandescents, but cost a lot more, about five bucks each.

GE and Sylvania are also working on more efficient incandescents. Sylvania is launching them on Labor Day, and they'll sell for about three bucks apiece. Heidi?

COLLINS: I remember when these first came out, there was a lot of discussion about how expensive they were and how much longer they really, really lasted, and I wonder now how they compare to compact fluorescents.

COSTIC: Well, you've hit on something, because they still aren't as efficient. Compact fluorescents use 75 percent less energy than old-style bulbs. These new halogens from Philips and Sylvania offer only a 25 percent to 30 percent improvement, but not everybody like the cork screws. Some people find the lighting too cold, and others complain they take too long to start up. And they don't work with the dimmer switches.

And then, of course there is a safety concern. Compact fluorescents contain mercury, and many people don't know that. If you break one, you have to be really careful. The EPA has information on Web site about how to clean up a spill, and it includes even ventilating the room for 15 minutes.

Heidi, the new efficient incandescents will probably be popular with people who aren't fans with those CFLs. But anyway you look at it, it looks like the days of paying just 50 cents for a light bulb -- those days are over. Back to you, Heidi.

COLLINS: Sounds like it. Makes up seven percent, though, of the energy. Interesting. Allison Costic, appreciate it. Thank you.

Do you think your money is being spent wisely in Washington? Get ready to be mad. CNN's Drew Griffin has a math lesson on Medicare.

GRIFFIN: People will be shocked. This costs how much a month?

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: $129.

GRIFFIN: And you have had that for...

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Six years.

GRIFFIN: That adds up to thousands of dollars wasted for just one person. But you have to see the story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: President Obama says he wants to do away with the waste in the federal health care system. That's part of his reform push. But what does that really mean? CNN's Special Investigations Unit correspondent Drew Griffin brings us one example of silly spending.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN (voice-over): To Debbie Brown, it's really easy to understand why Medicare is going bust. Since a back surgery gone bad six years ago, she's had plenty of time to think about it. To think about the wheelchair the government has been renting for her with Medicare dollars.

(on camera): For this squeaky chair?

DEBBIE BROWN, RENTING WHEELCHAIR FROM MEDICARE: Yes. It's kind of embarrassing. GRIFFIN: So far, for this very wheelchair, taxpayers have spent more than $1,200 just to rent it. How much does this wheelchair cost if you just bought it?

BROWN: If I wanted this one, about $400.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): Could that possibly be true? Yes. Here is the exact same wheelchair being sold on the Internet for $440. Free shipping.

But, wait, it gets even better. Brown's wheelchair is rented to her from a national health care product supplier named Apria Health Care, one of the largest of thousands of Medicare suppliers. It's Apria that's already billed the government $1,200.

To check prices, we decided to buy our own chair. The company we called said Brown's model is no longer being made, but this one, made by the same company, is even better.

GRIFFIN: These have been pretty sturdy and steady, right?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Those are pretty good chairs.

GRIFFIN: The price? Just $349. The company selling it to us, Apria health care, the same company charging Medicare $1,200.

(on camera): So, who would come up with a system where renting this wheelchair would cost four times the amount of money it would take to actually buy it? Let me give you a hint...

(CAMERA FOCUSES ON CAPITOL BUILDING)

JONATHAN BLUM, INVESTIGATING CMS PAYMENT PRACTICES: Well, in Congress, such payment rules and the statues often very prescriptive how CMS has to pay for health care services.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): Jonathan Blum is President Obama's pick to try to change how the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services, CMS, has been paying for things. He points out it's very different from how the rest of the country shops.

Congress, it turns out, sets the rules for how much a wheelchair should be rented for, and Congress has determined that wheelchair should be rented for a period of 13 months instead of just buying them. And Congress has determined price is not as important as other considerations, like small business contracts and availability.

(on camera): You can't imagine anybody who actually had to pay for this would go out and get the same price that the government is being handed.

BLUM: It's wrong. The good news is we have new authority right now to use competitive bidding, which would give the program much more flexibility.

GRIFFIN: That new authority is to actually have companies bid on the prices for things like wheelchairs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Speaker, I would urge us to defeat this bill.

GRIFFIN: Problem is, Congress has been very reluctant to allow competitive bidding. It's been delayed for years. Started last year, then stopped after just two weeks because of complaints from Congress. They will try again this fall, but Congress is complaining again.

In this letter, signed by 84 members of Congress, saying the competitive bidding system is unfair. To find out exactly why members of Congress are against competitive bidding, we took our wheelchair to the halls of Congress, to the top Republican and Democrat who signed that letter.

Betty Sutton is the Democrat.

(on camera): What better way to contain costs than to have a competitive marketplace?

REP. BETTY SUTTON (D), OHIO: Well, you know what? I am a big believer in competitive bidding, so, at the outset, I absolutely concur. But this program, as it has unfolded, as it's been developed, it really is a competitive bidding process that isn't competitive at all.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): Marsha Blackburn is the Republican.

(on camera): On the free market, this $349 wheelchair is pretty cheap. When the government is paying for it, it's so far costs four times as much money.

MARSHA BLACKBURN (R), TENNESSEE: That is right. And any time you have a bureaucracy that is going to make those decisions and is going to decide what that price is going to be, look what it ends up costing. And as we talk about health care reform, that is one of our points.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): Both say they support competition, just not the rules the government has set up. What's this really about?

The American Association for Home Care represents businesses who have been billing the government for things like wheelchair rentals. In a statement, the association said the bid program would "sacrifice care for seniors and people with disabilities as it reduces patient access to and choice for medical equipment." And the association claims, "Competitive bidding...will actually increase Medicare costs because it will lead to longer, more expensive hospital stays."

How does Apria account for the disparity in pricing of these two wheelchairs? The company says its own employee made an honest mistake and should have charged CNN $949 for the Tracer SX-5 (ph). $949 for a wheelchair whose manufacturer suggests a list price of $655. And a wheelchair we again found online even cheaper than when we first bought it, for $289 and $249 free shipping. Apria says it charges more for its wheelchair because of extensive government paperwork and its full service, 24 hours a day, including free delivery. John Rother with the retirement advocacy group AARP says industry is just trying to protect profits where a $349 wheelchair costs a mere $1,200.

JOHN ROTHER, AARP: It's an outrage. It's a ripping off of the taxpayer, it doesn't make any sense.

GRIFFIN: Debbie Brown, her 4-year-old wheelchair now needs replacing. She's reluctantly applied through her doctor for a new one.

Drew Griffin, CNN, Sacramento, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: I'm Heidi Collins, CNN NEWSROOM continues now with Tony Harris.