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President's Town Hall on Health Care; Arlen Specter's Health Care Town Hall; Thousands Line up for Free Health Care; Triple-Digit Gas Mileage; Feds Raid Vegas Pharmacy

Aired August 11, 2009 - 12:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: You know, the tabloids and blogs are going wild with their headlines: "Hillary Snabs," "Hillary Goes Nuts," "Hillary Cracks at Hubby Question." The Secretary of State on a tour of Africa, flashed her temper when a student asked the president's stand on an issue -- that was the question. The problem was a translator apparently said "President Clinton," not Obama.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRANSLATOR: What does Mr. Clinton think through the boughs of Mrs. Clinton? And what does Mr. Motomo (ph) think on this situation? Thank you very much.

HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: Wait, you want me to tell you what my husband thinks? My husband is not the Secretary of State. I am. So you can ask my opinion, I will tell you my opinion. I'm not going to be channeling my husband.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: The translator kind of fouled up, no question. So after the event, Mrs. Clinton and the student shook hands and seemed to make nice.

Next up on the African tour: Nigeria, Liberia and Cape Bird (ph).

A vigorous debate on health care. That's what aides say President Obama is prepared for. Today the president holds a town hall meeting next hour in New Hampshire.

White House Correspondent Dan Lothian -- we haven't spoken with Dan in a while -- live now from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, with a preview.

And Dan, look, in the wake of some of these more raucous congressional town halls, what is the White House expecting at this point?

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says that he hopes that the debate will be just like it's been at some of the other town hall meetings that the president has hosted across the country, where you have some people in the audience who agree with the president, but also disagree with him, but they do so in a very civil manner. We've seen what has happened across the country at these congressional town hall meetings. That's something that they don't believe will happen here today.

Outside, though, it's been quite lively. A few hundreds protesters, some supporting health care reform, others saying that they don't want to see government health care out here. Even a group of drummers.

So, it's been quite interesting outside. But they do expect it to be calm inside, where the president will continue to push his health care reform, health insurance reform message, a message that so far has not been getting through to everyone.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LOTHIAN (voice-over): President Obama knows what health care reform should look like. But as the architects on Capitol Hill struggle with the blueprints of a bill, some say it's time for Mr. Obama to get tougher on Congress.

ROBERT REICH, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKLEY: "Now, this is what I want. Here's a line in the sand. I am not going to sign any bill that doesn't have it."

LOTHIAN: Meanwhile, Americans are still trying to understand what a public option, which Mr. Obama is pushing, would look like.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are you going to do differently?

LOTHIAN: Since June, the president has held a half-dozen town hall meetings across the country. Health care reform 101.

BARACK H. OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If you like what you've got, we're not going to make you change.

First of all, nobody is talking about some government takeover of health care. You won't have to worry about pre-existing conditions.

LOTHIAN: And in this health care marketing push, there's a constant theme.

OBAMA: If we do nothing, I can almost guarantee you, your premiums will double over the next 10 years.

LOTHIAN: President Obama promises audiences that cost cuts and wealthy Americans will help pay for reform without adding to the deficit.

OBAMA: We've already identified hundreds of billions of dollars worth of savings in our budget.

LOTHIAN: But even after all these town halls, Americans still have doubts. The White House blames a campaign of misinformation.

LINDA DOUGLASS, WHITE HOUSE OFFICE OF HEALTH REFORM: And every time you try to do something with health care, those special interests try to scare people into thinking that it's going to be worse for them. These are the people who want to preserve the status quo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LOTHIAN: So, Tony, one of the ways that the White House is fighting back is that they have this new Web site. It's their version of myth busters. It's a way for them to address all of these things that have essentially gone viral out on the Internet, or at these town hall meetings for them to give the facts, separate the facts from the fiction -- Tony.

HARRIS: Yes. And Dan, they're really focusing more, it seems recently, and it sounds like it is certainly on the agenda today, on more than just the uninsured. Is that correct?

LOTHIAN: That is true, Tony. I mean, for so long, this debate has been framed in, you know, the health care reform, to insure those 45 or so million uninsured Americans. But what the White House really wants to push in this message is that it's not the people that don't have insurance. Yes, we want to give them covered as well, but this is important, everyone can benefit from this.

Even if you have insurance, you can benefit from health care reform. And you'll hear more of that in the push of the message today -- Tony.

HARRIS: All right.

CNN's White House correspondent, Dan Lothian.

Dan, good to see you.

Tensions and tough questions inside, an overflow crowd outside. That was the scene at a town hall meeting hosted today by Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter.

National Political Correspondent Jessica Yellin was there.

And Jessica, we will talk to you in just a minute or so.

But first, let's have everyone listen to one of the more pointed exchanges from the town hall.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't believe this is just about health care. It's not about TARP. It's not about left and right. This is about the systematic dismantling of this country.

I'm only 35 years old. I've never been interested in politics. You have awakened a sleeping giant. We are tired of this.

This is why everybody in this room is so ticked off. I don't want this country turning into Russia, turning into a socialized country. (APPLAUSE)

My question for you is , what are you going to do to restore this country back to what our founders created according to the Constitution?

(APPLAUSE)

SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (D), PENNSYLVANIA: I get a fairly firm message from the support you have, young lady. When you ask me to defend the Constitution, that's what I've been doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Wow. So much there that we could take on, Jessica, but let's talk about it.

I'm sort of curious as to what the mood was when the town hall ended. Was it tense? How would you describe it?

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: It was tense. There is a great deal of intensity of emotion around this issue in general, but especially here, Tony.

When the senator drove away, a crowd gathered outside to boo him as he left. So, as you can see, there's a lot of hostility on the one side, but we shouldn't understate the fact that there were a great number of people who were also here in support of health care reform.

And both sides using very, very strong language like, "We're being denied our liberty. We need to be able to express our voice. Why are you taking away our democracy?"

Those kind of accusations were coming from both sides of the debate. Mostly inside the event we heard from the people who oppose the health care plan, but out here I was able to talk to folks on both sides. And they started getting into a bunch of screaming matches. But then they back off of it and say, look, this is democracy in action, I just think their version of democracy is wrong -- Tony.

HARRIS: Yes. Hey, Jessica, stay there for just a moment and listen to this exchange.

Hey, guys, let me know when we can cue this exchange up again, because it was one of the more confrontational, heated exchanges of the town hall with Senator Specter. Just give me a heads up when we can run this particular chunk here.

OK. Let's sort of listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've got news for you, that you and your cronies in the government do this kind of...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't believe this is just about health care. It's not about TARP. It's not about left and right. This is about the systematic dismantling of this country.

I'm only 35 years old. I've never been interested in politics.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: And Jessica, I wanted to play that section, because not everyone who attended this town hall today was there to talk about health care reform; right?

YELLIN: Right. Right.

And, you know, Tony, I covered the campaign, and a lot of the themes we're hearing, broadly speaking, are the same themes that people expressed during the campaign -- fear on the one side that President Obama, then candidate, would bring socialism and a dismantling of how folks have known government. And on those -- the side of people who supported him and the people who support health care here, a sense that, OK, we can expand government programs to embrace forms of change and cover more people.

I think there was one man I spoke to out here who expressed sort of the most open sense of confusion that I think underlies this whole debate. I think we have that sound. Let's listen to him.

He was out here. He did get into a fight afterwards. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The thousand pages of government nonsense, what am I supposed to make of it? Am I going to have a job after this thing passes? I'd like to know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YELLIN: He went on to say -- he works at a car dealership, and he went on to say he's already in trouble. And after the thought -- it plays out a little bit more, but he goes on to day, "I just want to know, what does my senator think? What am I doing? I don't understand this bill. Can't someone help me understand it?"

So, there's a lot of frustration that it's so hard to get your hands around.

HARRIS: Yes. And I think you made the point last hour, folks are just confused that their voices are really not being heard. And this is the moment, and you know this from your time as our congressional correspondent, that we are still in the shaping and molding of the legislation here.

So, part of what people need to understand, it seems to me, is that this is an opportunity for folks to not only hear about what's on the table, but have -- play a role in shaping what's on the table, correct?

YELLIN: Right. Exactly. This is a snapshot in a moment in time, and all of this ferment and opinion and debate will play a role in helping to shape the eventual results. If there is a bill, we're not done with it.

HARRIS: Yes.

YELLIN: So, we'll have to see what comes, but there's not a lot of understanding here. People are quite convinced that there's a finished product. That message has not conveyed yet that successfully. They do think there's a final bill that's just ready to be voted on with some small changes, and that's the general sense I get.

HARRIS: Thank you for making that point. Thank you for making that point, because that is exactly what I'm hearing, but you said it perfectly. People seem to be responding to a bill, and there really is no finished bill at this point.

Make the point again, Jessica, because I think it's an important one.

YELLIN: OK. There is no single, final health care bill that's ready for both houses to vote on. There are versions of bills. There are more final and less final in different stages, but there is no final health care bill completed yet.

So, there's still time for discussion, debate and change. And that's what we're witnessing here.

PAYNE: Perfect. Perfect.

Jessica Yellin for us.

Jessica, appreciate it. Thank you.

And while the health care debate rages on, health care volunteers are pressing on with their effort to help the uninsured and underinsured.

Our Ted Rowlands is live at a free clinic in Inglewood, California. That's near Los Angeles.

And Ted, you know, these free clinics, normally we've seen a lot of them in more rural communities in Appalachia. Suburban Los Angeles is quite a different place.

Why is this organization set up there?

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, yes. The name, Remote Area Medical, typically they go into remote areas and they provide dental and medical care and vision care for people that are in areas that don't typically have access to those things. But now they are moving -- this is their first actually -- the first venture into an urban area.

And we're in the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, in basically the Los Angeles area, an 18,000-seat stadium where the Lakers used to play. And they've basically taken over the entire floor here.

There are 75 dental chairs up, and there are vision stations, and there are also some rooms where people are getting basic medical screening. It's all free for the people that have shown up here, but they do have to put in their time.

People basically waited all night long, and everybody here basically has a different story. You go up and down the line and you talk to people.

This is Rafael here. He works two jobs. He's a waiter. He also does tax preparation. But he has no health insurance, so he stayed the night, and he's going to get himself a teeth cleaning, and he's also got a root canal.

This guy here, Ryan, we talked to him earlier. He's all novocained up, so we won't interview him. But he's getting two root canals. His parents sent him a flyer from Tennessee and had him come out.

Again, he was here at 11:00 last night, spent the night in the parking lot at the forum. But he's getting some medical attention that is much needed.

One of the issues that has come up today, talking to organizers, is they don't have enough doctors, and they don't have enough optometrists, specifically. If you look over on the other side here, there's 50 stations for eye exams, and a lot of those stations are unmanned because they just don't have enough doctors.

And unfortunately, the sad reality, Tony, is that bureaucracy has hindered their efforts here as well. They can't bring in doctors from outside of California. So, they tried to recruit enough dentists and optometrists in California to handle this entire week.

They didn't have enough. They tried to get a waiver to bring in outside doctors, but they were unable to do so.

So, the bottom line here is there is need out there in urban areas and remote areas. Fifteen hundred people were here early. They sold out before 5:00 a.m. They'll be here for seven days, and they expect that every single day they'll be turning people away, people that are hoping to get some care.

But on the good side, people like Ryan, who have been putting off going to the dentist, are getting their root canals that they desperately need, and hopefully getting some relief.

HARRIS: Yes.

Ted Rowlands for us in Los Angeles.

Ted, appreciate it.

Inglewood, California, to be more precise.

Ted, appreciate it. Thanks.

And of course we want to hear from you. Is health care a fundamental American right regardless of a person's ability to pay?

That is our "QuickVote" question.

We have results? Can we update results?

No, not yet? Oh, OK.

Eighty-two percent of you believe the answer to that question is yes.

If you'd like to weigh in, here's what you do. Just go to our blog, CNN.com/Tony. Have your say. We will share your vote and your comments a little later this hour.

An al Qaeda plot to attack a U.S. military base in Kuwait has been foiled. That's according to authorities in the oil-rich state.

We're told security forces have arrested six Kuwaitis. Some have allegedly confessed to plotting a truck bombing at Camp Arifjan. It was set to take place during the holy month of Ramadan, which begins August 21st. About 15,000 American troops are stationed in Kuwait.

Help, please! Homeowners lined up for what seems like forever looking for advice to save their homes. Find out what you can do to get that same advice.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Police near Paris are hoping for calm after two nights of violent riots sparked after a teenager was killed in a motorcycle crash while fleeing police. Early this morning, rioters actually torched a bus and more than a half dozen cars. Nine people were arrested, but police say tensions seem to be subsiding. They have ordered an investigation into the crash.

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is sentenced to 18 more months of house arrest. A military court in the country also known as Burma convicted Suu Kyi of violating the terms of her current house arrest by allowing an uninvited American to stay in her home.

Suu Kyi is a Nobel Peace laureate who has spent most of the past 20 years in confinement. The U.S. man who showed up at her home has also been convicted. John Yettaw was sentenced to seven years in prison.

Let's get a check of weather now.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Still to come in the NEWSROOM, overdraft fees. A huge windfall for banks. I will tell you how much they're expected to rake in this year alone.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Long lines in Atlanta today. We saw these pictures about an hour, hour and a half ago, not far from CNN Center, right here, downtown Atlanta. And man, it doesn't look like the scene has -- the crowd certainly isn't getting any smaller.

Homeowners, queued up, hoping for a chance to have their mortgages refinanced or maybe modified. They're working through a nonprofit group called the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America.

Organizers are going from city to city on what they call the "Save the Dream" tour. Major lenders are on site, and if you're interested in the program, just go to the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation Web site, NACA.

Do we have it there on the bottom of the screen?

NACA.com. The "Save the Dream" tour heads west next to Phoenix in early September.

(BUSINESS REPORT)

HARRIS: President Obama, a town hall event just minutes from now.

What can we expect from the crowds on the economy and health care? We'll find out in just minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: The government has doled out hundreds of billions of dollars to prop up banks all across the country, but now a watchdog group claims many financial institutions are still in trouble.

Felicia Taylor is at the New York Stock Exchange for us in New York.

And Felicia, is this Elizabeth Warren's congressional oversight panel?

FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

HARRIS: OK.

TAYLOR: I mean, basically, what we're talking about is the $700 billion TARP program. And as you know, much of the money has been used to boost bank balance sheets. That basically has helped free up money for lending.

And some banks, though, still basically have a lot of toxic assets, as we know. So, according to this independent oversight panel, if the economy gets worse, defaults are going to rise, troubled assets are, obviously, are going to be worth less, and some banks could possibly even go out of business -- Tony.

HARRIS: Whoa.

But the government did stress tests on many banks, so why is this still happening?

TAYLOR: Right. OK. So the problem is, the watchdog group says that the stress tests did actually work. However, they were only performed on 19 of the large banks that were actually tested. So there are a lot of smaller banks that didn't get tested. So the concern now centers around those smaller banks. They tend to hold a greater portion of commercial real estate loans.

So, delinquency rates on commercial loans have doubled in the past year. We may not see that market hit bottom for -- the market hit bottom, though, for another three years. So there's still a lot of time for all this to take place. And if it does happen, we could see shopping malls, hotels, small office buildings, things like that actually shut down, which also would, obviously, create quite a crisis for the smaller banks.

So this is a significant problem. I mean the 19 larger banks that were tested are in safe haven, but the smaller banks are not.

HARRIS: Yes.

TAYLOR: And today on the market, stocks are pretty much lower. August, obviously, is typically a quiet month for Wall Street, but investors are not really that certain that we're out of this recession and things could be, you know, getting better that much sooner. So, we've got a long way to go. The Dow Industrials off about 1 percent. Both the S&P and the Nasdaq are off about 1.25 percent so far in the trading session.

Tony.

HARRIS: Thanks, Felicia, good to see you.

TAYLOR: Nice to see you.

HARRIS: Let's see these live pictures right now, Portsmouth, New Hampshire. We're awaiting the president. Wow, OK, this is Portsmouth High School right now. The location, the site for the town hall meeting on health care, which is set to get underway at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time when you're with Kyra Phillips right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. And, of course, we will bring you live coverage.

A make-or-break month for health reform and some heated moments and pointed questions during a town hall meeting today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ARLEN SPECTER, (D) PENNSYLVANIA: And -- and -- and . . .

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).

SPECTER: You want to be -- you want to be led -- you want to be led out of here. You're welcome to go. Now, wait a minute. Now, wait a minute. Now, wait a minute. Now, wait a minute. Wait, wait a minute. Wait a minute.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE). And I am leaving. I have every right to . . .

SPECTER: Well, wait a minute.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Wow, OK, emotions ran high at the meeting sponsored by Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter. One man shouted out an unsolicited statement and, you saw it here, was shoved by another prompting Specter to intervene with all the wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. The senator also tried to address questions and misconceptions about what's being proposed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What it says is, as a 74-year-old man, if you develop cancer, we're pretty much going to write you off because you're no longer a working citizen who will be paying taxes. What are you going to do about it? You're here because of the plan we have now.

SPECTER: Well, you're just not right. Nobody 74 is going to be written off because they have cancer. That's a vicious, malicious, untrue rumor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: And last hour I talked with GOP Congressman Tom Price of Georgia about the health care reform debate. He's been a doctor for more than 25 years and helped write the Republican proposal for reform. He agrees on the need for change, but differs on the approach.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. TOM PRICE, (R) GEORGIA: The status quo is unacceptable. Clearly for patients and for doctors and for the entire system it's unacceptable. But what we believe, what I believe, is that we need a patient-centered system, not an insurance-centered system, or a government-centered system, but a patient centered system and a government option, a public option, a public plan, will inevitably skew the playing field so that tens of millions, if not over 100 million Americans will be forced from their personal, private health insurance on to the government plan.

HARRIS: Do you really believe that?

PRICE: Absolutely. It's happened in every other instance. And let me give you an example.

HARRIS: Sure.

PRICE: The Medicare Part B Program, which is the physician component of Medicare, is a public option. HARRIS: Right.

PRICE: It has a 97 percent market share. Crowds everybody else out of the market so that everybody is -- ends up on the government plan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Representative Price says any reform also needs to address malpractice lawsuits.

Do we have live pictures from Inglewood, California, suburb of Los Angeles? OK, let's take a look at this. And we've been showing you these pictures throughout the day and our Ted Rowlands is on site there. It is a free medical care clinic. And it is operating there out of the -- boy, it's the former home of the Los Angeles Lakers. And it's being run by Remote Area Medical, R.A.M., and it's comprised of volunteer health care professionals who are doing all of this work that you're watching right here. And they've set up dental stations, medical exam rooms, eye exam stations.

And we should tell you that all of the available tickets for this event, they're absolutely gone. No more tickets available for today's event. Not sure about the remaining days on the schedule. And the other issue here, not enough doctors on hand to take care of all the need. We just want to show you the pictures and remind you of this event going on in Inglewood, California.

Our question for you today, is health care a fundamental American right, regardless of a person's ability to pay? And a number of you, thankfully, have responded to the comments at our blog. Let's take a look at what some of you are saying.

John writes, "the answer to your question is no. The rights of citizens in the United States are clearly defined in the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Many of the rights people claim to have are not rights but privileges."

And Heather says, "everyone should have access to care. If you saw a bleeding man on the side of the road, would you just pass him without offering him help? By not reforming our health care system, we are ignoring millions of people."

And, once again, if you'd like to respond to our blog question, just go to cnn.com/tony.

On the road, listening to your concerns about health care reform and other issues. Ali Velshi and the CNN Express traveling through Tennessee today on a six-day tour. There's the buggy. That's a pretty pricey buggy. Ali joins us now on the road. He's in Tennessee.

And, Ali, where are you now? You're on the road to -- from where to where?

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Tony. We just stopped and got some lunch in Manchester, Tennessee, at a Cracker Barrel. And you and I have broken bread before and you know my affinity for food. We're ready to go, because when you eat at Cracker Barrel, you're good for several hours.

We are heading north now. We'll go through Nashville. We'll probably make our next stop, Paducah, Kentucky. It's about 200 miles. We've got about three hours driving ahead of us.

We're talking to people about the economy and health care. And I have to tell you, Tony, we're getting some great discussion, some great commentary from people, real concern about health care. Not as hot as the kind of discussion going on at the town hall meeting, but lots of different opinions.

HARRIS: Right. And that's interesting and I'm wondering, are people viewing this health care debate as essential to the overall debate that we're having about the health of this economy and any potential recovery for this economy?

VELSHI: Well, you know, it's a good question. I'm trying to get a sense of it. I really do think that most people are seeing it as two different things. And we've been talking to people about health care and whether they think, as you said, is it a right? Should it be fixed? Is now the time to fix it? Is the administration doing it the right way.

But on the other hand, we're been having a conversation with people about the economy and saying, are you feeling better than you were a year ago, before the height of the recession? Let me tell you what some of the people -- why don't you have a listen to what some of the people that we've been talking to about the economy have been saying.

HARRIS: Oh, great.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're struggling. I've lost $1,400 a month in income. It's not just payday to payday. It's running a little short each payday trying to keep up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm unemployed, fortunately. I have friends who are unemployed and I think Chattanooga is definitely feeling the recession.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I work in the restaurant business and I know that we have more applications than I've seen in a long time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know a lot of smart people who do not have jobs right now and are actively seeking jobs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That there are a lot of people just taking minimum wage jobs to try to support a family on just to be employed. And I have a 15-year-old who wants to get a job, but as a manager myself, I can't justify hiring a teenager when there are adults with families to feed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELSHI: Now, Tony, I also spoke to a real estate agent back in Chattanooga, Tennessee, who said, you know, he's starting to see people biting. He's starting to see real sales happen. And he thinks they may have, in this region, hit a bottom in the housing market.

So, again, not a consistent view amongst all the people we're talking to, but I guess that's the point of us being up here in this fancy buggy, as you call it, talking to people, getting a very, very unfiltered view about how they feel about the economy and about the health care debate.

HARRIS: Hey, a quick question on that. Do you think that this $8,000 -- what is it, an $8,000 credit for first-time home buyers is really going to heat up the housing market?

VELSHI: Yes, well, I think it's three things. I think it's the credit for home buyers. It's the fact that interest rates are still in the range of 50-year lows for a 30-year fixed mortgage. And the fact is, a lot of people are buying these foreclosed or distressed homes.

HARRIS: Yes.

VELSHI: Prices are low. So I think it's the combination of those three things which is goosing the housing market. And I think, you know, in some places that's true, we probably have hit a bottom.

HARRIS: Oh, hey, and, very quickly, before we lose you again here, before your shot freezes up on us, are you twittering? Are you on the Facebook telling folks where you're going to be and where they can see you?

VELSHI: Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. We're on Facebook at -- we're on the -- the official (INAUDIBLE) Velshi Facebook . . .

HARRIS: Oh, all right, we lost Ali. We'll get the -- what is it? Where -- he's at -- at alivelshi on Twitter. OK, great, thanks.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, 230 miles per gallon. Did I read that correctly? Are you kidding me? We need to crunch some numbers. We're back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Hey, you know, there may be something here. We're not sure, but we thought you should know about it. GM began selling new cars on eBay today. You don't exactly bid for them. You've got a couple of options here. Negotiate with the dealer through the eBay website or purchase a vehicle at a buy it now, no-haggle price. Some 225 dealers in California are taking part in the experiment. You can buy 2008 through 2010 Chevys, Buicks, GMCs or Pontiacs. The website is gm.ebay.com. We have a website? It will be available -- there you go. It will be available through September 8th. If successful, GM may take the program nationwide.

General Motors is also touting the electric Chevy Volt today and its eye-popping gas mileage.

Hi, Poppy. Cnnmoney.com's . . .

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: I'm sorry, I was checking my Blackberry.

HARRIS: You were checking the Blackberry for the latest information on the Chevy Volt, right, Poppy?

HARLOW: That's right. That's exactly right.

HARRIS: It's all yours.

HARLOW: They say when you multitask, you don't get a lot done. So I should know.

HARRIS: There you go.

HARLOW: Heed that advice.

Yes, we're talking about -- I mean it's an eye-popping number, 230 miles per gallon for the Chevy Volt. We've been waiting for this number. And GM says it's been working, Tony, with the EPA for a while now trying to measure the fuel economy on this new electric car. The EPA still yet to confirm that number that you see there on the screen. But 230 miles per gallon. That's for city driving. Highway driving, that number hasn't been calculated yet. But GM CEO Fritz Henderson says he's confident that number on the highway is going to also be in the high triple digits. That could mean a much, much-needed marketing boost for the struggling automaker. Take a listen to what he said in a press conference just this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRITZ HENDERSON, CEO, GENERAL MOTORS: The EPA labels are yardsticks for customers to compare the fuel efficiency of different vehicles. Having a car that gets triple-digit fuel economy we believe can and will be a game changer for us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: You need a game changer. The question still, Tony, are people going to buy this car? A GM rep told me last night the price tag is probably going to be in the high 30s, so pretty close to $40,000. Also, where do you charge it? If you don't have a home with a garage, if you're in a city like we are here in New York City, where do you charge these cars? They've got to charge overnight.

Tony.

HARRIS: Whoa, but that number, 230 miles per gallon.

HARLOW: I know, it's stunning. HARRIS: That's a big time game changer. Where does that number come from?

HARLOW: Yes, it's a calculation that is done. This is not just putting a car on the road and seeing how far it will drive on a gallon of gas. It's not that at all. This car works a lot differently than other cars.

Let's compare it to the Prius, because that's a hybrid vehicle that gets 50 miles per gallon. But all of that energy comes from burning gasoline. For the Volt, what you get is 40 miles to start off with using no gas at all. After that, the gas engine kicks in. So you're not going to get 230 miles per gallon if you're driving long distances.

HARRIS: Right.

HARLOW: Let's say you drive 80 miles in a row. In the Volt, the fuel economy is going to be about 100 miles per gallon. If you go 300 miles, your fuel economy drops to about 62 miles per gallon.

So we wanted to ask folks what they think. Does this change the game for them? Are they going to be a Volt? Take a listen or a look here, rather, at what some of the folks wrote in to tell us. I'll read you, some people said, and I'll show you this, "I can't afford it now. I bought an iPhone when it was $600. That changed." And another person wrote in to us and said, Tony, "we'll help the guys out in Detroit. I'd rather do that than help the people out in Saudi or in Venezuela." They're talking where the oil comes from. So a lot of people writing in, letting us know what they think about this, Tony. Let us know, facebook.com/poppyharlow.

HARRIS: If you can create a vehicle that, in the worst-case scenario you can come up with, you end up with 100 miles per gallon, come on!

HARLOW: Right.

HARRIS: That feels like . . .

HARLOW: But it's not cheap. It's not cheap. So people are trying to do the equation. See what's a better bet for them.

HARRIS: Yes, yes, appreciate it. Poppy, appreciate it. Thank you.

HARLOW: No problem.

HARRIS: Cared for by foster parents, but left without health care when they reach 18. How one program is helping young adults take that worry off the table.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Very quickly we want to get you out to Inglewood, California. You know, our Ted Rowlands is there. He is covering the free health care clinic that is going on there. But as you know, Ted has been spending a lot of time on the Michael Jackson story, the investigation.

And, Ted, I know you have some breaking news on that investigation.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Tony.

A fifth search warrant has been issued in the Michael Jackson death investigation, concentrating on Dr. Conrad Murray. At this hour, the DEA agents and other agents are -- have served a warrant on a pharmacy close to Dr. Murray's clinic in Las Vegas. About a dozen agents showed up at this pharmacy just after 9:00 Pacific Time. And according to a source familiar with this investigation, this is a follow-up to a search warrant that was served at Murray's clinic about a week and a half ago and at Murray's home.

The five warrants have all been targeted towards Murray. Yesterday, we heard from the L.A. county coroner's office that they are finished with their investigation. They have a cause of death. That toxicology is in, but there's a hold because the LAPD has asked the coroner's office to hold off until their investigation is over. Clearly, this is another sign that their investigation in to Michael Jackson's death is still going on.

A fifth search warrant in connection to Dr. Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson's personal physician, is being served at this hour in Las Vegas at a pharmacy near Murray's clinic.

Tony.

HARRIS: OK. Our Ted Rowlands following the latest developments in the Michael Jackson death investigation.

Ted appreciate it, thank you.

And a live picture now. Let's take that picture in the box, let's take it full. Portsmouth, Mew Hampshire. Portsmouth High School right now. We are just minutes away from the start of the town hall meeting featuring the president of the United States. How edgy will this town hall be? We have seen some raucous town halls over the last few days. Well, actually, over the last week or so. This town hall meeting with the president scheduled to begin any moment now. More scheduled to begin at -- in about seven minutes at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time. We will, of course, bring it to you, if it starts early, if it starts right on time in Kyra's hours in the CNN NEWSROOM. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Hey, did you hear the news? After 20 years of performing together, country music stars Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn calling it quits. The announcement was posted on the Brooks & Dunn website. No reason was given for the split. The duo has sold more than 30 million records. Their hits include "Boot Scootin Boogie," and "My Maria." How'd I handle that? I think I handled that one OK. A greatest hits album is due out next month. Brooks & Dunn and expected to tour for the final time next year.

We are keeping health care in focus during this make-or-break month for reform. For foster children who are turning 18 and transitioning out of the system, there aren't many options for coverage. A Maryland program called FutureBound is helping.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOURDANE HAMILTON, FUTUREBOUND PARTICIPANT: My name is Jourdane. I will turn -- I'm 18. And I'm a college student. Football's the most dangerous sport and it's my take in the world. You set yourself up for injury almost every single minute you're out there. You don't have health care, then what are you going to do if you happen to break your leg or break your arm? You won't have any way to pay for you to get -- pay for you to heal up.

I got in the foster care system at age 17. Growing up, I was just a kid who didn't have to worry about much. Just went to school, came home, had fun, like any other normal kid. I had some fam -- some family issues and I thought best it would be to return (ph) to the system.

The program is FutureBound independent living program. It's an entity of the National Center for Children and Families. I've been in this program for almost six months. They provide you with the means to provide -- to care for yourself. They give you -- they give you a place to stay. They give you -- they give you a stipend for food and also a stipend clothes. As well as they provide you services to help you get -- they require you to be in school and working. So basically you have -- you essentially have no room to -- for error.

This type of program should be a priority to call kids and all walks of life, especially kids in the foster care system. Make sure you're being healthy. You're staying healthy. They provide you with preventive care. All foster care children should have this available to them. It can't hurt at all to learn how to cook a balanced meal, to make sure that you have health care. Without this program to tell me what I need to do, I don't think I'd be able to make it as sound and as rational decisions.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Very nice. That health care in focus report from CNN Washington bureau photojournalist Chris Turner (ph).

Let's do this. It's go time. We're pushing forward now with the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM -- did you hear her -- with Kyra Phillips.