Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
President Obama Takes Reform Pitch to Montana; 'Blue Dog' Feels Heat From Both Sides of Health Reform; Another Bank Failureon the Horizon?; The Partnership Between Michael Vick and Humane Society
Aired August 14, 2009 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Belgrade, Montana is a long, long, long way outside the Beltway. And that's precisely why it's on the radar for President Obama for the health care debate and for us in the CNN NEWSROOM. We're pushing forward on a make-or-break month with small towns looming large all across America. Lawmakers are still holding what some are calling listening sessions, while the president travels to Big Sky Country and what may be his toughest pitch yet for reform.
Senior White House correspondent Ed Henry is there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Spend a day in the tiny town of Livingston, Montana, and you quickly see why the president's health care push is facing big problems in Big Sky Country, even from those he's trying to help.
SONJA MCDONALD, HOUSEWIFE: We've got two kids. And then my husband is the only one working.
HENRY: Sonja McDonald is uninsured, so she gets discounted dental work at a local clinic. She voted for the president and agrees there needs to be reform, but is worried about the details.
MCDONALD: I believe that there is a health care crisis. I really do. Do I believe that the government needs to be more involved? No, because I think that they just -- whenever they get their fingers in the pot, it kind of just turns black.
HENRY: A common sentiment here, where a second Obama voter told us government is too big.
DAVID LEWIS, PUBLISHER, "THE MONTANA PIONEER": We've just spent so much money on the stimulus and the TARP. Then we're going to add another huge entitlement in the form of the public option.
HENRY: The movie "A River Runs through It" was filmed near here. So, people love their fly fishing, all part of the rugged individualism.
MEG ZIMMER, PHYSICAL THERAPIST: I think the West is all about independence and do it my way, and I don't need anyone to tell me what and how to do. And I think when government gets too involved in our lives, there is some, sure, some discomfort. HENRY: But they're comfortable with the federal government at that local clinic, known as Community Health Partners. Taxpayers pick up 50 percent of the $4 million annual budget.
DR. MARK SCHULEIN, FAMILY PHYSICIAN: We're able to provide health care to someone who walks through the door regardless of their ability to pay.
HENRY: Which brings us back to Sonya McDonald who wants more of these clinics around the country, even when we told her the feds pick up much of the tab.
MCDONALD: The government being involved is fine, it's just when they try and overstep. When they try to stay, no, this is what needs to be done.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY: Now, that's part of the challenge for the president here today here in Montana, trying to reassure people about whether the government is going to take over the health care system by pointing out, look, the federal government heavily involved already in helping people, the poorest of the poor. In clinics like that one in Montana, Medicare, a very popular federal program helping millions of senior citizens.
And I spoke a little earlier by phone to the governor of this state, Brian Schweitzer. He's a Democrat. And he told me he's not expecting sort of a really loud, boisterous crowd. He's expecting a healthy debate because it was an open process, so Democrats, as well as Republicans, will be in the town hall.
The government told me, look, in this town of Montana, people are respectful. And I thought I would don a little Stetson as well -- Kyra.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Oh my gosh. I was wondering if you were going to pull that out again, Ed Henry. I don't know, it seems like it needs to come down a little more. Is that hat too small for you?
HENRY: A little bit more?
PHILLIPS: Yes. Whose is that?
HENRY: I was going to tip you, Kyra. I wanted to be respectful.
PHILLIPS: I'd like a different kind of tip, Ed, but we'll talk about that later.
Appreciate it.
2:45 Eastern Time -- Ed going out in all his glory there with his cowboy hat. And the president hopefully stepping up at 2:45 Eastern Time.
Let's go ahead and head over to Brianna Keilar. I don't think she's got a cowboy hat on, but she's in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.
Brianna, do folks there appreciate the leverage that their congressman has as a conservative Democrat?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, some of them certainly do appreciate the leverage that Congressman Mike Ross has as a conservative Democrat. Some people have told us they think he is in the right place, right in the middle of this issue. And some people who are opposed to the Democrats' push for health care reform right now say that their congressman is a fence sitter.
Those were a couple of opponents. We'll certainly be hearing from some folks like that inside this auditorium when Mike Ross holds a town hall meeting here in about an hour.
We're also going to be hearing from some of these folks behind me, no doubt, supporters of the Democrats' push for health care reform. But Mike Ross is this Democrat in a conservative district. And a lot of conservative Democrats are taking cues from him on how to handle the health care issue.
Hope, Arkansas, the home town of the last president who tried to reform health care and of congressman, mike Ross, a prominent member of the conservative blue dog Democrats. Ask folks here and they will tell you tirks not easy being mike Ross.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR (voice-over): Hope, Arkansas, the hometown of the last president who tried to reform health care, and of Congressman Mike Ross, a prominent member of the conservative Blue Dog Democrats. Ask folks here and they'll tell you, it's not easy being Mike Ross.
Concern the House of Representatives was rushing health care reform and that it cost too much, Ross and other Blue Dogs forced Democratic leaders to pare down their bill and delay a full House vote until September, something he frequently points out to constituents in his conservative district.
REP. MIKE ROSS (R), ARKANSAS: I'm the guy that led the charge in standing up and stopping tithing from a floor vote before August 1.
KEILAR: That move put Ross at odds with liberal Democrats. Well, his support for much of the Democratic plan also makes him a target for Republicans. The RNC is running this radio ad in his district...
NARRATOR: Mike Ross did exactly what Nancy Pelosi wanted him to.
NARRATOR: He caved in, he buckled.
KEILAR: Feeling the squeeze, Ross says he's right where his constituents want him to be.
ROSS: It's rare that you get both the extreme right and extreme left mad at you all at the same time. And that tells me that maybe we found the right balance here.
KEILAR: The balance, he tells more than 6,000 people on a telephone town hall, is simple. Slow down and do it right.
ROSS: You know, we have been trying to get this done since Harry Truman.
KEILAR: An hour and a half on the phone, no outbursts.
His next health care event, answering questions face to face.
ROSS: Say a prayer for me tonight for my town hall meeting in Arkadelphia tomorrow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: This town hall meeting should get under way here at Henderson State University in the next hour.
And Kyra, I've got to tell you, the capacity of the auditorium behind me where Congressman Ross will be speaking, 960 people. So, quite a lot of people can fit in there. He told me he didn't think it would be full, but I think we'll wait and see if that's the case or not.
PHILLIPS: OK. We will wait with you.
Brianna, thanks.
And I know you want to know more about the ins and outs of health care reform,, so we've got a great new resource. Our Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins me now to show off a brand new site on CNN.com -- Elizabeth.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, it is terrific. There are so many rumors going on about health care reform and what it is and what it isn't. You can get the truth at CNN.com/healthcare.
There is the main page. I want to point out a couple of fun parts of it.
First of all, take a look at this. Did you know that Teddy Roosevelt tried to get universal health care back in 1912? And many presidents since then.
You can read the entire historic timeline.
Also, take a look at this. This is the Truth Squad. This is just one of the questions that we answer here -- Will new health bills cover illegal immigrants?
There are many, many fact checks in here. And as I think people try to make a decision, do they support health care reform or not, here is every piece of information you could ever want -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Elizabeth, thanks.
Battling for health insurance while fighting for normalcy, some patients with pre-existing conditions say that they are sick and tired of the status quo. And now they are weighing in on health care reform.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, another bank could be headed for failure, but a buyer may already be lined up.
CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow has our "Breakdown" from New York.
Hey, Poppy.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Hey, Kyra.
Yes, the story that's been developing since last night, Dow Jones now reporting BB&T, that southern bank, will buy Colonial Bank, another southern regional bank. The FDIC won't confirm that, nor will BB&T, but let's talk about this here, because BB&T is also a big mortgage lender, as is Colonial.
This news on Colonial really coming as a federal judge says the bank with about 355 branches across the South is on the "brink of collapse." But again, no confirmation there from the FDIC.
But what happened is a judge froze assets in a dispute that Colonial had with Bank of America over $1 billion in assets, actually. And just the latest, this really is the latest trouble for Colonial. Its mortgage lending and accounting practices, Kyra, are right now under federal investigation. It's also one of two banks that was raided earlier this month by federal agents.
So, today, people questioning the health of this bank and will or won't it be taken over by regulators?
PHILLIPS: So, if Colonial collapses, then how big a failure are we talking about?
HARLOW: Pretty big. And when you put it in perspective, when you look back and you -- as I said, it has 355 branches. You've got branches in five states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, and Texas.
About $25 billion in assets there. And if it does not survive, it would be the sixth largest bank failure in U.S. history. You see the largest five on your screen in front of you.
It also, clearly, Kyra, would be the biggest failure this year. And so a lot of concerns about that. But, of course, you need to know you are protected by the FDIC in terms of your savings.
PHILLIPS: So, then, what do customers need to know exactly?
HARLOW: First of all, don't panic, because we talk about these bank failures and you think of IndyMac, when we saw those lines of folks. No. You don't need to do that.
Regulators are watching this. The FDIC backs up $250,000 per account that's protected by the FDIC at any bank. They insure -- that limit, as you know, was raised from $100,000 last year, during the height of the banking crisis.
But it's important to note here, there are certain situations where you might have multiple accounts at a bank, and you'll still be insured on all of them by the FDIC. Say, if you have a joint account with a spouse, for example, that would be insured, as well as your individual account.
But to find out, what you want to do is log on to myfdicinsurance.gov or call that number on your screen, 1-877-ASK- FDIC. And just check to make sure that you're under those limits so you're fully protected, Kyra. That's really important.
But we're staying on top of this story. We may hear something in a few hours.
PHILLIPS: OK. Then let us know, Poppy.
HARLOW: We will.
PHILLIPS: Thanks.
HARLOW: Sure.
PHILLIPS: Let's follow up on some stories that we've been covering for you in the NEWSROOM here.
First, the fight club in Texas. Developmentally disabled adults at a state facility in Corpus Christi forced to beat the hell out of each other so the staff could have a few laughs. Well, one of six former workers charged not laughing now, and convicted of intentionally causing injury to a disabled person.
Next step for Jesse Salazar? Punishment. He faces up to 10 years in prison. This is the first conviction in the case, and we understand more indictments could be coming.
We'll definitely stay on top of this.
And to the so-called deadbeat dad in Georgia, a quick back-story.
DNA tests prove that Frank Hatly (ph) was not the father in a child support case, but he was still ordered to pay back child support for the time that he was believed to be the dad. Well, he lost his job, he lost his home, he got behind on those payments, and he wound up in jail. And for more than a year, by the way. So, Hatly (ph) finally got out of jail, but there was a chance he would still owe that back child support.
The update? A Georgia judge has cleared Hatly (ph) of any more payments. It makes you wonder if the system was the real deadbeat here and how much Georgia owes him for his months in jail and the money he paid for the child that wasn't even his.
Well, a daycare center should be a safe place for a baby, right? Julia Castillo doesn't think so. She says that her 9-month-old son Christian (ph) was left alone at a Johnston, Rhode Island, daycare for nearly an hour after workers left for the night.
Well, mom came back to pick up the baby at My Special Place, and only to find the doors locked and no one around. She thought Christian (ph) had been kidnapped, but a neighbor eventually broke a window and guess what? They found him crying in a crib.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JULIA CASTILLO, MOTHER: He was crying because he listened to the noise when I touched the windows hard.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Wow. Well, the daycare's owner says that Castillo didn't sign her baby in when she dropped him off in the morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JESSICA FAIOLA, DAYCARE OWNER: I don't want to get into it because I don't want to point fingers if it was the mother's fault, the employee's fault. It happened. It was just a crazy mistake.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: A crazy mistake to say the least. Rhode Island's Department of Children, Youth and Families has put the center on probation now.
And you can talk about burgers, you can talk about fries, but don't mess with the doughnuts. A Florida doctor learned that the hard way, actually.
Jason Newsom used to run the Bay County Health Department and was known for putting up signs like "Television Equals Obese Child" and "French Fries Equal Thunder Thighs." But the doc, shown standing on the right there, with "America Dies on Dunkin'," ripping on the Dunkin' Donuts jingle "American Runs on Dunkin'."
Newsom says that a county commissioner who owns a doughnut shop and two lawyers who own a local Dunkin' Donuts raised a fuss and the county forced him to quit. Commissioner Mike Thomas says the doctor shouldn't have named private businesses on government signs, calling him somewhat of a zealot.
And by the way, nearly 40 percent of adults were considered overweight in Bay County in 2007.
It's a make-or-break month for health care, and disagreement over how to reform the system is bubbling over. But think about this -- 95 percent of people in one way of our recent polls say that some change is needed. Just ask one suburban Atlanta woman with a pre-existing medical condition.
Eddie Cortes brings us her story as part of our photojournalist series, "Health Care in Focus."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: About nine years ago, I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease. Without my medication, it gets bad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She is very hard to live with when this Crohn's has flared up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can't eat. I don't sleep. My weight starts to drop.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Even the kids, when it would flare up, they would say, "Can we go somewhere?" We just need to get away from mom for a little while.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm without medical insurance. I cannot even get prescriptions that I'm supposed to take every single today.
I've doctors orders right now for different tests that I can't do because there is no way to cover it. You know, we're making ourselves here with the business trying to just stay above float, and it's like the water is at the nose. That's how close it is.
So, we don't know where to turn, we don't know what to do.
These are (INAUDIBLE), 400 milligrams each. These are $450 to $500 a month depending on where you go. None less than $450 anywhere except for Canada.
I'm supposed to take 12 a day. And this keeps my Crohn's under control.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With her having Crohn's Disease, it does make it impossible for us to buy insurance that covers anything.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's voodoo. It's like Crohn's is voodoo. They don't want to touch it. It's pre-existing.
When I call to get a quote, they say, "OK, we won't cover Crohn's." But once they find out you have Crohn's, even though they don't cover it, they rate the policy extremely high because you do have a disease.
It's the one thing we need coverage on and it's the one thing that we can't get. It's just a vicious cycle. It's like a merry-go- round that you never get off of.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Three days of peace and music, 40 years of impact. After Woodstock, nothing has really been the same.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
PHILLIPS: Hippies, hair, and a whole lot of music. It's been 40 years since Woodstock, so how is all that peace and love sounding now?
Stephanie Elam takes a look at how the festival is reaching a whole new audience.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Propelled by a wave of new films and music compilations marking its anniversary, Woodstock, its memory and its marketing, is alive and echoing through the generations born since.
Just ask bohemian style icon Sienna Miller.
SIENNA MILLER, ACTRESS: I made a documentary of Woodstock, and if I could open at one event, I would have been there. Like, you know, a historical event. Woodstock to me. Woodstock the music festival
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You would have chosen Woodstock of any historical event?
MILLER: Well, no. I mean, of the last century, yes.
ELAM: That kind of historical reverence is something Bobby Colomby of Blood, Sweat & Tears has only recently come to accept.
BOBBY COLOMBY, BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS: In retrospect, we had absolutely no idea this was anything but a large festival. There was no clue that it would become a defining moment in our culture. It was nothing like that. "Yeah, peace, man. Isn't this love, brother?"
No, I didn't get any of that.
ELAM: The three days of peace and music in 1969 remain more than an isolated snapshot in time for the younger stars recreating it in the new big screen comedy "Taking Woodstock."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of the music is still great to listen to, somebody like Jimi Hendrix or Janis Joplin.
ELAM: From the music itself, to the contemporary festivals it lay the groundwork for, like Bonnaroo, Coachella and Glastonbury, it's not just baby boomers who are holding on to the Woodstock mystique.
LIVE SCHRIEBER, ACTOR: For young people, there is a Pagan element to festivals like Woodstock that, there is that irrational side of us that just wants to kind of dance around and howl at the moon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The important thing that you have proven to the world is that a half a million young people can get together and have three days of fun and music.
ELAM: Its size alone made Woodstock momentous and relevant in a new millennium, as witnessed in this new VH1 documentary.
DAVE MARSH, RELIX MAGAZINE: It half a million people and, you know, there wasn't mayhem.
ELAM: Until that point, no one music event had drawn just numbers.
GRACE SLICK, JEFFERSON AIRPLANE: It was big. OK, half a million people. Half a million people doesn't necessarily mean something is good. It just means it's big.
MARSH: The most important impact that Woodstock had was on the rock concert business, not the record business. The rock concert business, because this was the beginning of the need to figure out some technological things, get that sound out there, get the lights on, keep it running.
ELAM: Forty years after the hippies left, Woodstock has found new fans in a new age.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know I have used some songs from Woodstock that were definitely played at Woodstock for my acting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really? On your iPod?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On the iPod, yes.
ELAM: Stephanie Elam, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: The Falcons are behind him and, today, Michael Vick is an Eagle. Well, we'll hear from fans with ruffled feathers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: All right. We've got some breaking news coming from our affiliate WPLG out of Miami, Florida, here. I'm just getting the information, so bear with me.
It looks like what we are seeing here is a result of a fatal shooting on the Miami Turnpike. These live pictures are actually showing -- it looks like both directions of the turnpike have been shut down.
And this is what we are getting from our affiliate, WSVN -- Florida Highway Patrol and Davie police are on the scene here. They said it's the turnpike near Griffin Road in Davie. Both directions here on the turnpike closed down, as I mentioned.
They're trying to investigate exactly what happened here. The only thing that Florida Highway Patrol is reporting is that it's not a traffic or a law enforcement shooting, they're saying. You can see right there where they are counting the bullets.
So, right now, Florida Highway Patrol saying it's not a traffic or law enforcement shooting. The person appears actually to be inside the burgundy car that we were looking at just a moment ago.
So, right now, a shooting on the Florida Turnpike or, actually, can you guys -- do we call it the Florida Turnpike or the Miami Turnpike?
Florida Turnpike. OK, so not the Miami Turnpike. It's the Florida Turnpike there in Miami.
It looks like the person -- a person was driving when he was shot and killed. No one else was in the car with the victim we're being told. So once again, homicide detectives on the scene, and we'll continue to follow this and bring you more information as we get it.
Now our hero of the week.
New York-based chemistry teacher Jude Ndambuki has saved discarded computers from America's landfills and shipped them to Kenya, where 80 percent of high schools and 98 percent of primary schools are without them. And he sows the seeds for a nation's prosperity. Students, in turn, plant seeds of their own.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Heroes.
JUDE NDAMBUKI, CNN HERO: I was coming from college at night. And I see these computers thrown out. I found everything was perfect.
So many computers are thrown out and so many computers are needed where I grew up in Kenya. So, I decided, I must do something.
My name is Jude Ndambuki. I refurbish discarded computers and send them to schools in Kenya.
The children in Kenya, they have very few resources. Even a pencil is very hard to get. Any part that I can play to make the life of kids better is great.
The computers are tested to make sure they are working. Then, we label the name of the school on each box and then we ship it to Kenya.
The computers are saved from poisoning the environment, and they are going to be used for 20 years by some schools. Every school is going to plant 100 trees for every computer. We are planting a seed, teaching the kids to conserve the environment and be engines of change.
It's like giving the kids a new life. Computers are getting new life and trees are being planted to bring a new life too. It's all connected.
(END VIDEOTAPE) PHILLIPS: You can find out more about Jude or any of our other CNN Heroes on CNN.com/heroes. You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
And be sure to keep an eye out. In just a few weeks, we'll be announcing the Top 10 CNN Heroes of 2009.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Postings are already up on Craigslist. Outraged Eagles fans unloading their season tickets after the team announced they signed Michael Vick. Those folks ask, how could you? The quarterback is focusing on other questions, like how to prove he has changed? After serving time for dogfighting and how to prove he can still play after all that time, anyway.
CNN's Larry Smith joins us live from Philly with more, and reaction. Can he even answer those questions, Larry?
LARRY SMITH, HLN CORRESPONDENT: You know, I don't know if he can answer them right now. That is the other game he is playing outside the one that he is playing on the field. Can he answer them? Can he continue to do the nationwide public speaking tour on behalf of the Humane Society and try to turn things around, all the while resuming a career that was once one of the brightest in the NFL?
Michael Vick, the journey begins now as he is a member of the Philadelphia Eagles agreed to the two-year contract, the $1.6 million. It is a salary that is due to be paid in this season. It is not guaranteed. And keep in mind, he may not even get to play in a regular season game until week six. That could come in October.
Michael Vick today talking alongside his new head coach, Andy Reid and Tony Dungy, the former NFL coach who has served as a mentor over the past couple of months. He has been a great resource to him as he tries to rebuild his life or career. Michael Vick will not replace the current starter, Donovan McNabb. In fact, he says he wouldn't even expect to.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL VICK, NEW PHILADELPHIA EAGLES QUARTERBACK: I have been away from the game for two years. I've got to start somewhere. I have to crawl before I walk. I can't imagine going out after a two- year hiatus, going out and trying to be a starter for a football team. I just don't think it could happen with as much God-given ability that I have, I don't think that I will be able to do it. I think I could, but I wouldn't risk it. You know, I just need time to get my feet wet and get acclimated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Well, Michael Vick served 18 months on a federal dogfighting sentence for charges related to dogfighting. That has left some people here very upset. About a couple dozen protestors outside of the gates of the Eagles' training facility letting their views be known.
And as you mentioned, Kyra, some of those tickets going up on Craigslist. Some fans not very happy about this. This is a reality for Michael Vick regardless of how much he plays this season or next year or even throughout the rest of his career. He is only 29 years old.
This is this morning's "Philadelphia Daily News" The headline reading, "Hide your dogs." And in fact, it was even Eagles owner, Jeffrey Lurie, a lifelong dog owner and dog lover, who really got very emotional and was a bit upset in talking about the disdain he had for Michael Vick's actions in torturing and killing dogs. He said with the help of Tony Dungy, Andy Reid, he was able to get past that and do some soul searching and decide that the right thing to do was to sign Michael Vick and give him a second chance. Let's go back to you.
PHILLIPS: All right, Larry.
As you can imagine, it has been getting a lot of reaction. A lot of people are tweeting us about the newest Philadelphia Eagle. Here is some of them.
Fyionstyle says: "My mom has a saying, if a man can do that abuse to animals, God knows what he can do to people. So no, I don't think he can change."
This came from SteveMike. "Not a good move. Vick will destroyed the Eagles much like T.O." -- as in Terrill Owens did.
Jainry says, "Look, they even give child abusers another chance and let them live in your neighborhood. Get a grip. Nothing is as bad as that." And GerberAnimalLaw says, "As a former prosecutor, I believe he can change. But I haven't heard what I need to believe that he has at this time. His actions caused this."
Meantime, some of the local animal welfare advocates are not happy. A member of the Pennsylvania governor's Dog Law Advisory Board, Tom Hickey, had this to say. "Over the past three years, Pennsylvania has made historic strides to bring attention to the abuse and neglect that so many dogs suffer in this state and throughout the country. For the Philadelphia Eagles, knowing this heinous crime committed by this man - to sign him," rather, "is unconscionable."
An understandable point of view for an animal advocate, but far from unanimous. Let's bring in Wayne Pacelle, chief executive of the Humane Society of the United States. Wayne, you are looking at this in a different way. You are saying this is a good move for Philly. Why?
WAYNE PACELLE, PRESIDENT, HUMANE SOCIETY: I am not really commenting on whether this is a good move for the Philadelphia Eagles. We have been the toughest critics of Michael Vick historically. We urged his prosecution.
PHILLIPS: Oh, I am not talking about for the Eagles but for the area. PACELLE: For the area. Well, I think that our program to reach kids in urban communities, which Michael Vick has agreed to participate in, has promise in any urban community, including Philadelphia. Philadelphia has a major dogfighting problem.
And I think just to backtrack, Michael Vick did some terrible things. No one who cares about animals can think anything but that, but he did serve his time. We all applauded the judge's sentence, the major animal welfare groups did.
He now has come out of jail and says he wants to help. We have urban-based, community-based programs to reach at-risk youth. We think Vick can play a role to turn these kids away from dogfighting. The goal is to eradicate dogfighting, not have endless punitive treatment of Michael Vick.
PHILLIPS: What do you think about the reaction from animal welfare advocates in Philadelphia saying, no way. He should not be here and playing on this team and being a part of our area?
PACELLE: I did a community forum recently in Philadelphia, totally unaware that the Eagles might take him. A lot of the instinctive reactions toward his being involved in anti-dogfighting activities were negative. But after it was explained, people thought that makes perfect sense. We want to turn an adversary into an ally. We want to take a terrible circumstance and turn it into something positive.
I'll tell you. We went to Atlanta and Chicago together and spoke to kids in urban communities with pit bulls, kids at risk for getting involved in dogfighting. Michael spoke about his experiences, his deep involvement in dogfighting and how it was horrible and barbaric. Now that he looks back upon it, he can't understand why he did it. He now says he wants to end dogfighting, and he asked these kids to be part of the effort to end dogfighting in every community in America.
So, I can't see anything but positive about that. That doesn't wipe away what he did. But he did serve his time. Let's move forward and be productive. It doesn't help the situation just to attack Vick at this point. What we need to do is attack dogfighting. That's what we are proposing.
PHILLIPS: All right. Well, we'll see how successful indeed that hope is. Wayne Pacelle, we appreciate you calling in.
PACELLE: Thank you so much.
PHILLIPS: Live pictures right now. The Air Force landing in Belgrade, Montana. Waiting for the health care town hall to begin in just a few minutes. When that does, we'll bring it to you live.
The search is on for hundreds of people in southern Taiwan feared dead and buried under a massive mudslide. Spawned in the wake of a typhoon, the violent storm is blamed in the deaths of more than 100 people. It literally wiped one village off the map. CNN's Pauline Choo is there with the latest. PAULINE CHIOU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I am standing on what used to be Shou-ling (ph) village, buried underneath five stories of mud when Typhoon Morakot hit over the weekend. There were two mudslides that came out and formed a lake. That lake overflowed and washed away the entire village.
Authorities believe there were at least 600 residents here when the typhoon hit. There's virtually no signs of life. Just debris here and tons of mud. A rescue crew brought us through Shou-ling (ph) village today, but they know there are no survivors here. So, they kept going through that valley. They are headed towards another town inside the mountains called Namasha (ph). They know survivors are there. It's just that no ground crew has been able to reach that town all week.
Now that the roads to Shou-ling (ph) village is at least passable, a trickle of local residents are coming by to see the damage. We met one woman here who was sitting on a log, crying and praying. She lost seven family members in the mudslide here in Shou- ling (ph) village. You have to remember that there are hundreds of bodies buried underneath this mud.
In what used to be Shou-ling (ph) village, Pauline Chiou, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Some knew him personally, most didn't. Thousands of people lining the streets of Jacksonville this morning, all of them knew captain Scott Speicher deserved a final salute. The Navy pilot, shot down on the first night of the first Gulf War has finally been laid to rest. His remains were found in the Iraqi desert last month by U.S. Marines. Captain Speicher was 33 when he was shot down in 1991.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
PHILLIPS: We would like to remember some of the final good-byes for the 382 other service members who died in the Gulf War. An honor guard carries the casket bearing the remains of Marine Captain Manuel Rivera Jr. He was the first New Yorker to die in Desert Storm. He was killed when his carrier jet crashed in the Persian Gulf. The grieving widow of Marine Sergeant Garett Mongrella walks down the steps of St. Michael's Church in New Jersey. Mongrella was killed in action in Saudi Arabia on January 29th, 1991.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: OK, we are moments away from a presidential health care pitch with a difference. Geography, for one thing. You see the president of the United States there with his girls and wife, of course, the first lady, Michelle Obama, landing there in Belgrade, Montana.
Ed Henry is also there, joining us from Big Sky -- and to sort of set the stage for the president's arrival just up the road there from where he is. Ed, as we watch the president arrive, running a little behind schedule. But that's okay. It probably won't take him long to get there and start this town hall. It will be interesting to see what kind of questions he receives and the tone, I guess you should say, of those questions after all these town halls we've seen with other members of Congress and various senators that people have been getting sometimes pretty fierce in these town halls.
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It has been. We talked to people who waited on long lines to get tickets. It was a fairly open process. So, unlike some other presidential events where we have seen pretty friendly questioning, to be frank, we talked to some Democrats who were online to get tickets to this town hall. It's basically sold out in terms of people showing up for the tickets.
They said there were a lot of Republicans on that line as well, that they were talking to and debating respectfully yesterday in the early morning hours to get these tickets and these Democrats were telling us, they think there will be Republicans asking pointed questions of the president. Look, the president by coming into what is relatively unfriendly territory, signaling that he is ready to get this debate on.
I can tell you, he is going to hear it from all sides. It's not just Republicans who have been very sharply opposed to his approach. You saw in my piece earlier there are some Democrats who said, we voted for President Obama but we are concerned about him adding more government control.
And finally, after my piece ran a short time ago in your show, we got an e-mail from a Democratic activist in the state, Ed Walter, who was saying, we don't just want to hear from the Obama voters who are now upset with him because they want a scale-back reform, not a major reform. Ed Walters, this Democratic activist saying we want something like single payer or a strong public option. We are upset the president and other Democratic leaders like Max Baucus, the Senate Finance chairman who is from this state, seem to be signaling that it might be a scaled-back reform.
So, let's remember that it might not just be tough questions from Republicans. There may be some in this crowd, Democrats saying, are you going soft on the public option? That's very important. I think we should also point out the fact that Max Baucus, the man leading these negotiations back in Washington, hails from this state.
And you are hearing so many Democrats, Republicans, independence coming at this issue from all sides, might help illuminate why Max Baucus is taking his time there in Washington with those negotiations. He's not just trying to pull together people in Washington. In his own state, there is a fierce debate going on about the best approach. That is important to remember, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Also, too, let's talk about the tone of this town hall. I mean, as we've been monitoring not only the questions but also the myths and the rumors, that has become quite a big issue as well. It has been addressed in the White House briefings, as you know. The president even came forward saying, okay, for example, I am hearing about these rumors regarding death panels. Let me just be clear one more time.
It seems that there has been -- I don't know if it is because there are so many versions of these bills and everybody has a different interpretation of them and it becomes very confusing. But not only is he having to push for his health care plan, but he is also having to spend a lot of time sort of debunking a lot of misinformation.
HENRY: He has, but I would also point out that we've talked to some senior Democrats back in Washington, some inside the White House, some outside the White House and Capitol Hill and elsewhere, they also say that it maybe took this administration a little bit of a long time to push back on some of those allegations. They are having a very fierce pushback, if you will, right now on the allegations of the so-called Obama death panel. People accusing the president of wanting, as you said -- he said it is completely outrageous and wrong, saying he wants to encourage euthanasia to lower costs. He said bluntly at a town hall the other day, no one wants to try to push for the death of grandma or anything like that.
But it took this White House kind of a long time to respond to some of the outlandish allegations. And so what happened is some of the opponents of reform through talk radio, other media, online, have really been pushing some of these lines of attack. They went unanswered for some time. That's what we are seeing here. The president realizing he has to step it up a little bit as he continues to make this sales pitch.
But let's remember, it's still an uphill battle. This is at a critical juncture in his administration. He put a lot on the line to pass the stimulus in the first 100 days. Now, he is putting even more on the line to pass this. If he doesn't get it, it will be very, very difficult for the rest of his agenda in the days ahead, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And as soon as it gets to that town hall, we'll take it live. Ed Henry there in Big Sky Montana, not far from Belgrade, where the president is going to hold the town hall meeting. Ed, thanks so much.
We will have more from the CNN NEWSROOM straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: We are waiting for the president of the United States to step up to the mike in Belgrade, Montana, getting ready for his town hall forum. Once he begins, of course, we'll that live. It is a huge month, a make or break month for health care reform in America.
Important enough to fire up the CNN Express and send it on its way with our Ali Velshi. It's been a long week. He has been talking with folks about what Washington needs to do. Final stops today in Iowa. Last night, he had dinner at a home outside Kansas City. Probably had some pretty good barbecue. Let's listen in to his discussion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Do you think that the proposals that are put forward, and they are many and complicated, do you think that will somehow affect the quality of care your daughter will get today?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When this change should occur, I think it will affect it. My understanding is that Medicare rates will be what all physicians are paid. I don't think that's a sustainable practice. When you talk about costs and reducing costs with health care, the quality will go down with it.
VELSHI: How about you? What do you think about what you have been hearing about how things might change under this health care proposal?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My personal issue is that I think they are pushing too much change on us at once. I think they are trying to pass it too soon. Quit making such a fast-paced decision in trying to push it on us all as fast as they're trying to do.
VELSHI: Do any of you think it is too fast or do some of you think it's overdue? Tell me what you think about that.
UNIDENTIFED MALE: Way too fast.
VELSHI: Too fast?
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Way too fast.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're talking about health care. We are talking about what you get when you are sick. I just think to rush through this, it is the wrong thing. I know there is something that has to be done. I believe that...
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: Would you say if I would have asked for a show of hands of those of you who think health care does need to be reformed?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely.
VELSHI: There is nobody here who doesn't think it has to happen?
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely.
VELSHI: Let me put it this way. Again, it may not be a fair question, but we're here to flesh this out. If you were all in a different position, and I mean unemployed and uninsured, do you think you would take a different view of this? Do you think you would be sitting here and saying this is more urgent. I'm glad the president says it will be done in 2009. I don't mean to be unfair. But let's just think about that for a second. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think we are saying there is no sense of urgency here. I think we all agree that changes need to happen, that they're all impending. We have to do it. But even if I'm unemployed, if you are going to give me rotten care with rotten doctors, what good am I getting out of it, truly?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you are telling me one percent of my paycheck to get a plan that is going to work, I will sign on today. And everybody's taken care of. But if I see a $10,000 toilet seat on CNN special report, you know, it turns me off. It's like, you screwed it up again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, Ali's tour winds up today at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines. Looking for lots of feedback there and maybe some funnel cake, too. Again, we are waiting for President Obama's health care town hall to begin. We are going to bring it to you live as soon as it begins and then, we'll hand it off to Rick Sanchez on the other side of this break. Have a great weekend!
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, everybody. I'm Rick Sanchez. Kyra is joining us over here.
PHILLIPS: Maybe I should give you my mike but I thought you talked loud enough. OK. We have a little mike issue here, folks, so I will kind of help stretch, as we like to say here in broadcast television.
SANCHEZ: The funny thing is, as you wind up this shot, you will find someone down here...
PHILLIPS: Help me (INAUDIBLE)
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: Go ahead. Get that shot. You will see someone. How are we doing with the mike? Did we find one?
PHILLIPS: I'm glad he just found the mike. That's all I have to say.
SANCHEZ: Sometimes the best TV is real TV, folks. That is transparency, what you just saw right there.
PHILLIPS: On a serious note, the president of the United States getting ready to begin his town hall. You can see it live, happening on the screen there. The president getting ready to walk in. Max Baucus going to introduce the president.
SANCHEZ: This is make or break for the president. This may be his moment to say, here is the truth. Let's go ahead and listen in.
SEN. MAX BAUCUS (D), MONTANA: You know, growing up here in Montana, we learn values like hard work and common sense. We also learned the difference between right and wrong. It's just plain wrong for insurance companies to devalue coverage when you get sick and need it the most.
(APPLAUSE)
BAUCUS: It is just plain wrong for insurance companies to deny people care because of pre-existing conditions.
(APPLAUSE)
That's why we are working so hard to craft a commonsense plan that is right for our state and right for America. Here in Montana, we also know the value of an honest word. Let me tell you, there is plenty of dishonesty out there about what health care reform will or will not do. Now, you've all seen the TV show, "Mythbusters," right? I have been going around the state busting myths about health care.
