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Obama to Hold Colorado Town Hall; Myanmar Frees American Prisoner; Taliban Vows to Stop Afghan Election; Michael Vick's Second Chance; Free Health Clinic of Last Resort; NASA's Budget Woes Threaten its Future; Wildfires in California Threaten to Spread
Aired August 15, 2009 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Let's go now to CNN's Reynolds Wolf in the Severe Weather Center to see if there's going to be any kind of relief weather-wise for those firefighters. Some 1,500 are trying to fight this but only 15 percent of the file has been contained.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it's getting to be a really a tough time.
And you have to remember, this area is a very dry type area. I mean, the vegetation is -- you have a lot of chaparral, you have some of these California oaks. And at the same time, you have a door of high pressure. This has been steaming up over parts of the west coast.
So, from San Francisco southwards to Channel Islands, you have very dry conditions, so, especially south of the Bay Area. And, of course, in Santa Maria County, you're not going to have much improvement in terms of your sky conditions.
Now, something that we are going to be seeing I can tell is, we're going to be seeing a better chance of scattered showers and storms a little bit farther to the west and certainly, much, much farther to the east down to the Atlantic. We are still keeping a very sharp eye on tropical storm Ana. Now, with this particular storm as we are telling you during the last update, this is expected to become a strong tropical storm. And certainly, something that we got a lot of concern over it, we just mentioned during our last update.
But another area of concern that we have is that second area that we're watching, the one a little bit farther out in the Atlantic. This next one, which could be named Bill in the coming days is one that is going to have us, again, really concerned especially as we get to about the middle of the week, possibly becoming a much stronger storm, maybe even a category two hurricane as we get to 8:00 a.m. on Thursday with winds of maximum sustain of 105 miles an hour.
You know, it is funny, guys, from the Atlantic, we are seeing things really begin to wake up in terms of the tropics. Out on the west coast, we've been talking about the fires. It seems like a lot of things on both sides of the country could get very active both in terms of climate and weather, certainly, something that bears watching.
Let's send it back to both of you.
NGUYEN: All right. We'll be checking in with you. Thank you for that, Reynolds.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Reynolds.
WOLF: You bet.
HOLMES: There is no doubt, possibly a make or break month for health care reform. We've seen town hall meetings on this topic that have gotten pretty rowdy at times. Several more of these are happening today.
Democratic Congressman Pete Stark is holding three. He just can't get enough. He is having on Alameda, San Leandro, and Fremont. He represents the districts out there in the east bay.
And Grand Junction, Colorado, this afternoon, President Obama is holding his own town hall meeting.
NGUYEN: Well, Democratic Congressman Danny Davis has two scheduled today in Chicago. Democratic Congressman David Scott will be at a health fair in Jonesboro, Georgia. And opponents of the current reform proposals will hold a rally in Atlanta with former Republican Congressman Dick Armey.
This morning, the president is in Montana doing a bit of sightseeing with the family before heading to Colorado. In his weekly, though, he urges Americans to lower the volume in the health care fight and listen to one another.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know there's plenty of real concern and skepticism out there. I know that in a time of economic upheaval, the idea of change can be unsettling. And I know that there are some folks who believe that government should have no role at all in solving our problems. These are legitimate differences, worthy of the real discussion that America deserves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Our senior White House correspondent, Ed Henry, is traveling with the president.
All right, Ed. First, it's Montana; later today, Colorado. Why these locations specifically?
ED HENRY, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, partly because these are not necessarily Democratic-friendly territories, areas. President made a big point in the last presidential campaign to come to states like Montana, Colorado, in the Mountain West, that Democratic presidential candidates had abandoned in previous election cycles, thinking they couldn't win, and he won some of them. He came closer here in Montana for example. And I think he is trying to translate the health reform debate. When you talk to White House aides, they say, "Look, he can have a reasoned debate with people who may disagree with him." I think he's also almost showing a counterweight to some of the angrier town hall meetings that you hear him in this morning's radio and Internet address, trying to turn the temperature down on things, saying, "Look, we can have a reasoned debate, a civil debate."
And he really did have one here in Montana yesterday at the town hall. Really only one sharp exchange, one or two. One in particular that got a lot of attention was a man, basically was pretty blunt, plain spoken, saying, "Look, all I'm getting from you and Democrats is bull. I'm not finding out how we're going to pay for health reform." And the man accused the president getting ready to raise his taxes.
The president repeated his campaign pledge and said, "Look, we'll probably have to raise taxes on people making over $250,000 a year to pay to cover more people who are uninsured right now," but said, "I'm going to keep my promise. If you are making under $250,000 a year, I won't raise your taxes."
And it's interesting that he was talking about a campaign pledge, because he's really using a lot of the campaign tactics now out here -- traveling out on the road, telling people at town hall yesterday, you got to knock on doors and even now, Democratic groups running TV ads supporting the president. This is almost like back to the future in terms of the presidential campaign, Betty.
NGUYEN: Yes, we are seeing some of those different methods that he was using during the campaign being put into play as he goes across the country, slice here and there to tout his health care plan.
Ed, thanks so much for that. We'll be checking in with you.
HENRY: Thanks, Betty.
HOLMES: Republican Senator Orrin Hatch has given the Republican weekly address. He says bigger government is not the answer to health care reform. He also defends the people who have been speaking out at these town halls.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. ORRIN HATCH (R), UTAH: I am disappointed about the attempts to characterize the behavior of Americans expressing their concerns as, quote, "un-American," unquote. Although, I strongly encourage the use of respectful debate in these town halls, we should not be stifling these discussions. There is nothing un-American about disagreements. In fact, our great nation was founded on speaking our minds. Families are voicing their concerns because they feel like they are not being heard in Washington.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: And, of course, as we've seen, emotions running pretty high in some of these town hall meetings today. We'll bring you more of those town halls, also letting you hear all of the sides in their own words. "Town Hall Raw," 2:00 Eastern right here on CNN.
And if you are looking for more of what you've been seeing here on CNN, check out CNN.com/health care. You can find out about the closest town hall meetings to you, also the key players and the debate, the different plans, and the controversial sticking points in those plans.
NGUYEN: We are also following a developing story out of Myanmar. U.S. Senator Jim Webb has obtained the release of American prisoner. John Yettaw is expected to be deported and leave with Virginia Senator Jim Webb on tomorrow actually, on Sunday. Yettaw was sentenced to seven years hard labor for violating the house arrest of pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.
Now, Webb had a rare meeting with Suu Kyi. The Nobel Peace Prize winner's detainment -- well, that was extended 18 more months after Yettaw swam to her house and stay there for two days. And he is considered ill.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (INAUDIBLE) he is an ill man. He's got diabetes. He has epilepsy. He's been taken to the hospital, before the verdict was delivered, with seizures.
We understand he's a Vietnam veteran and has a troubled mind. I think it's probably the best way of putting it. And, obviously, one doesn't quite know why he swam this lake. There were reports at the time that he had had some sort of vision that she was going to be assassinated and wanted to go warn her. So, he's a troubled guy and clearly needs help.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Well, yesterday, Webb met with leaders at Myanmar, its ruling junta military. And it was the first meeting by a member of Congress in more than a decade. However, he is not in the country on behalf of the State Department.
HOLMES: Well, some are calling it voter intimidation in Afghanistan. Just a few days away from the presidential elections expected to happen there next week. There has been an attack that's taken place, a suicide bomber that has killed several in Afghanistan.
Our Atia Abawi is there for us on the ground.
Tell us, Atia, what are some of these attackers hoping to get at and not the deadliest of attacks, but it could actually send a message and really affect the elections next week?
ATIA ABAWI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely right, T.J. It's not the deadliest attack but it did strike in the heart of Afghanistan, in the capital of Kabul -- waking up the capital with homes rattling, windows shattering and people obviously dying and many, many more injured. And this does instill a fear in the Afghan people, particularly when you see it in the capital of Afghanistan. This is an area where we have seen attacks in the past. But we've also seen very tithe security with the run-up to the elections.
But when Afghan people see that the capital, itself, isn't secure, many throughout the country will not go out and vote because they know that these polling stations are targets. And the Taliban is obviously sending out a very brutal but successful message this morning. When we spoke to a 21-year-old girl who had a voter registration card who wanted to go out and vote, she told me today that the suicide bomb made that decision for her. And she will not go out and vote -- neither will her mother, neither will her grandmother.
That is three generations that refuse to vote five days from now -- T.J.?
HOLMES: All right. And yes, that's just one story. Probably, a lot more out there like it. Again, not the deadliest attack we've seen, but still one that could really affect next week's elections and the future of that country.
Atia Abawi, we appreciate you this morning.
And for those of you who really want to understand what's going on in Afghanistan, why we're there, you can watch Christiane Amanpour's documentary tonight, "Generation Islam" starting at 8:00 Eastern Time.
NGUYEN: Well, Michael Vick, Philadelphia freedom, amid repentance, remorse and rehabilitation. He has served his prison time for dog-fighting, but is it enough for those critical of a second chance in the NFL?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, convicted dog-fighter Michael Vick, he is back in the NFL.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: A lot of people are talking about this story in particular. And he was introduced yesterday by his new team, the Philadelphia Eagles.
HOLMES: It's igniting new controversy regarding forgiveness and redemption in, of course, the City of Brotherly Love, where he's going to be playing now.
Here now CNN's Mary Snow.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Three months after being released from prison, Michael Vick is looking for a shot of redemption as a player for the Philadelphia Eagles. But he acknowledges that some people will never forgive him for his dog- fighting conviction.
MICHAEL VICK, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: The act was cruel and it was unethical. It was always inhumane. And so, I understand to a certain degree, but our country is a country of second chances and, you know, I paid my debt to society. I spent two years in prison.
SNOW: The team's owner Jeffrey Lurie, who owns two dogs, says he had to do a lot of soul searching before granting Vick a second chance.
JEFFREY LURIE, EAGLES CHAIRMAN AND CEO: He's legend and whether we are giving him a second chance will be successful if he can diminish the level of animal cruelty. That's it. And if he is not proactive -- he's not proactive, he won't be on the team because that's part of the agreement.
SNOW: "Shame on Vick," read one sign as animal rights supporters protested outside the Eagles headquarters. They were unmoved by Michael Vick's promises that his troubles are behind him and that heel help more dogs than he hurt.
Catherine Bordeaux confronted one man who came out to support Vick.
CATHERINE BORDEAUX, PROTESTER: This Eagles fan has turned anti- fan.
SNOW: She says she felt like she had to speak out on behalf of defenseless dogs.
BORDEAUX: They begin innocent. And to take that and mutilate it and twist it and pervert it into something that is a weapon and is a killer is despicable. It's the vilest thing I can imagine.
SNOW: But one pit bull owner turned out to make a different point.
CHRISTOPHER CABRERA, EAGLES FAN: You know, and I understand why they're upset. Believe me, it was totally wrong. But you got to move on.
SNOW: But try telling that to people who rescued fighting dogs every day.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A lot of the dogs don't have ears.
SNOW: Clementine (ph) was rescued a few months ago from dog- fighting and is now at a Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal shelter. The group's president, Harrise Yaron, says SPCA rescues 40,000 animals a year in Philadelphia, 80 percent of them pit bulls. She says she's shocked and disappointed the Eagles signed Vick.
HARRISE YARON, PENNSYLVANIA SPCA: I know what type of people are involved in this heinous sport. So, it would be nice to be seen if anybody can be rehabilitated from that.
SNOW: But the Humane Society of the United States is embracing Vick, sending him out as a foot soldier to try and stop dog-fighting, saying tens of thousands of people are involved in it and Philadelphia is a big problem area.
MICHAEL GOODWIN, HUMANE SOCIETY: And if Michael Vick can help reach some of these young men and help get them off that cruel path and get them going down in more productive path in life, then that's a good thing that will save animals in the future.
SNOW (on camera): And the Humane Society of the United States says Vic has made two appearances so far to talk to kids about dog- fighting. They're hoping he'll do a lot more. No word yet on when he'll do it in Philadelphia.
Mary Snow, CNN, Philadelphia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And we've been asking you this morning, and you've been chiming in, telling us what you think about Michael Vick signing with the Eagles. We appreciate you sending those comments. You can continue to send those in, Facebook, Twitter. Get interactive, get involved in the conversation online this morning. But for the most part, things I've been seeing, most people are willing to give him a second chance.
NGUYEN: Yes. A lot of people saying he deserves a second chance. He paid his debt to society.
Let me take you to my Facebook page just really quick. And Doug says, yes, just like I mentioned, "Mr. Vick paid his dues to society for the crimes committed. He is entitled to restore his life." Right above, Robert says, "This guy should not be back in any kind of high- profile job. Aren't these players supposed to be something for kids to look up to?"
So, definitely, you got folks who don't agree with it. But, you know, many will go by the letter of the law and said, "Look, he's done his time."
HOLMES: And as goes also, that comes right on n the heels of Donte Stallworth of Cleveland, actually, a DUI, hit and killed a guy and only spent 23 to 24 days in jail, but he has been suspended by the league for a full year. Who knows if he will get another shot down the road?
NGUYEN: Right.
HOLMES: But this comes around the hill to that. So, some people -- I don't know if they are more willing to forgive on that. But right now, Michael Vick -- he's got his job back.
NGUYEN: Yes, with Philly.
HOLMES: He's not going to get a third and fourth chance. This is it.
NGUYEN: Well, that's what he said, too.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: He said, you know, I'm not looking for that. This is it. We'll be watching.
HOLMES: All right. Well, we appreciate you all chiming in. We are going to turn back to health care reform here. Is there common ground on health care reform? We'll look at what's likely to get through Congress.
Stay here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right. So, we've heard a lot about the disagreement over health care reform. But, is there anything -- something that lawmakers actually agree on when it comes to the subject?
HOLMES: Some would think, no, but there are some things.
Josh Levs looks at what's likely to make it through Congress.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, we're hearing this (INAUDIBLE) of disagreement from the House in Washington and echoing across the country. And what we want to do now for a couple of minutes is focus in on where many Democrats and Republicans agree across the aisle on health care.
And to help us do that, we have two lawmakers joining us, actually from the same state, and really glad we're doing it this way. Representative Marsha Blackburn is joining us, as well as Representative Steve Cohen, both from Tennessee. Thanks to both of you for being here.
REP. MARSHA BLACKBURN (R), TENNESSEE: Thank you.
REP. STEVE COHEN (D), TENNESSEE: Very well.
LEVS: There's an interesting article on "USA Today" that lists some places where there's a lot of agreement with Democrats and Republicans, just each of you.
And, Representative Blackburn, to you first. Agree that there should be government subsidies to help low income Americans to buy health insurance?
BLACKBURN: I think that there is a way that government subsidies can be done. And, certainly, many of us who have served in state legislatures have looked for ways to voucher people into a private system.
LEVS: OK. Representative Cohen, what about you? Do you see government subsidies to help low-income Americans buy health insurance? COHEN: Unquestionably. We do that now with Medicaid. A great program started in 1965. Lyndon Johnson signed into law about 44 years ago. Medicare and Medicaid, that are great programs, referred to as socialism at the time, that are as American as apple pie today.
LEVS: One of the things we point out here is that lawmakers pretty much across the board want to (AUDIO BREAK) including something like a marketplace in which people would be able to compare and contrast the different insurance plans and have more options? Is that a principle you both want to see?
BLACKBURN: There is a concept that Newt Gingrich has pushed forward with, like a Travelocity-type of concept where you could go in and compare rates and compare what is offered in insurance plans. That greater transparency will help lead to greater competition. And that is something that is badly needed in the health insurance market.
LEVS: Representative Cohen, are you pretty close on that one?
COHEN: Well, I think so. The exchange would be an opportunity at the national level for people to compare the different insurance policies offering and the public plan would keep them honest.
LEVS: I think you both agree with this -- preventing insurance companies from refusing to cover preexisting conditions.
BLACKBURN: Yes. I think that what we have to look at here is that for those who have preexisting conditions, as they go into the insurance market, there needs to be some kind of risk pooling that they can move into for a period of time with those pre-existing conditions.
COHEN: I agree with Congressman Blackburn, but if she said that, you know, for a while, it's going to pool. Preexisting conditions are generally with you until your death. And people -- it's going to cost more to have people in insurance pools with preexisting conditions. And that's going to cost money wherever it is. And if it's in the private sector, there needs to be some countervailing force to keep those private sector forces from getting up too high.
LEVS: How far apart honestly do you think your parties really are in coming to a resolution?
COHEN: Probably as far apart as the two sides of the Grand Canyon.
BLACKBURN: I think what we have is not so much a partisan divide as it is a philosophical divide.
LEVS: Well, look, I'd say, we all obviously hope that you are on two sides of the Grand Canyon, that these places that you do agree on principle can start to serve as a bridge. Obviously, a lot of people are counting on that ultimately happening.
Thank you so much to both of you. Very good to have you with us today. We'll talk to you again. BLACKBURN: Good to be with you. Thank you.
COHEN: Always nice to be with Congresswoman Blackburn.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: All right. We do invite you to send your questions in today for our 4:00 p.m. Eastern Hour because that is dedicated to getting you answers about the topic of health care.
HOLMES: We, of course, listening to your concerns about health care reform during this make or take month -- make or break I should say. Our chief business correspondent Ali Velshi has been on the road with the CNN Express, heading to Iowa and stopping all along the way. This week, he talked with a group of people in upper middle-class suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, about health care reform.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Do you think that the proposals that are put forward -- and there are many and they are complicated -- but do you this I that will somehow affect the quality of care that your daughter will get today?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When this change would occur, I think it will affect it because my understanding is that Medicare rates will be what all physicians are paid. I don't think that's a sustainable practice. You know, when you start to talk about cost and reducing cost of health care, the quality is going to go down with it.
VELSHI: How about you, what do you think about what you've been hearing and how things might change under this health care proposal?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My personal issue is that I think they're pushing too much change on us at once. And I think they are trying to pass it too soon. Quit making such a fast-paced decision and try to push it on us all as fast as you're trying to do.
VELSHI: Do anybody share that view that it's too fast or do some of you think it's overdue? Tell me what you think about that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's too fast.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's way too fast. We're talking about health care. We are talking about what you get when you are sick. I just think to rush through this is the wrong thing. I know that there is something that has to be done. I believe that there is...
VELSHI: Would you say, if I had asked for a show of hands, of those of you who think health care does need to be reformed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely. You have.
VELSHI: Nobody here who thinks it doesn't have to happen?
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: Let me put it this way. And again, it may not be a fair question. But we are here to flush this out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure.
VELSHI: 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'd be sitting here and saying, this is more urgent and I'm glad the president is saying it is going to be done in 2009? And I don't mean to be unfair.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
VELSHI: But let's just think about that for a second.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope (INAUDIBLE) that there's no sense of urgency here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we all agree that changes need to happen, that they are impending and 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 1 percent of my paycheck to get a plan that's going to work, I will sign on today, you know? And everybody is taking care of. But if I see a $10,000 toilet seat on CNN Special Report, it just turns me off. And it's like, they screwed it up again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: And be sure to join Ali later today as we look at some of the town hall meetings, bringing you all sides in their own words. Town hall this will be raw, at 2:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.
NGUYEN: Well, desperately seeking health care. A man known for setting up free clinics in remote jungles set up one closer to home.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: To the bottom of the hour now. What's happening?
An American sentenced to seven years of hard labor in Myanmar has been released. Senator Jim Webb convinced the countries leaders to let John Yettaw go. Yettaw was released after illegally visiting a pro-democracy leader under house arrest.
Also, Colonial Bank has a new owner. BB&T, with thousand of branches across the southeast, bought the Alabama-based bank. The announcement comes after Colonial was shut down by the Feds.
Also, fire officials are concerned strong winds may start new fires and force even more evacuations in northern California. Governor Schwarzenegger is preparing to visit the fire zone in Santa Cruz County today.
NGUYEN: All right. Let's get more on the fires. And for that, we're going to turn to Reynolds Wolf, because he's been watching the weather out there.
We've been talking about the winds -- any chance rain could be in the forecast?
WOLF: Out west, I don't think so. I mean, it's not really the time of the year that you really see those scattered showers right along the coast. It's usually something you see from, say, December through early March sometime. But it is the dry season in California. This is the time when you have those -- these winds that go out of the coast that can really fan the flames.
That may be the case today and possibly through much of next week. And speaking of winds though, we are watching the tropics. And we got a lot to talk about here. We're going to try to zip through this pretty quickly.
First and foremost, we got tropical storm Ana. This has been gaining strength. Winds at 40 miles an hour, gusting to 50 miles per hour. The storm however is not alone. If you look a little bit farther back towards the east, we see another system. If that tropical depression becomes a named storm, this will be Bill. So you have Ana and Bill.
All right. Let's back out a little bit and let's get started with Ana. Show you the projected forecast path. The National Hurricane Center brings the storm to the west and then veers a little bit more to the west-northwest as we get into Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
It also has the storm strengthening to a strong tropical storm winds in excess of say 60 miles per hour as you get into Monday, into Tuesday, right around 70 miles per hour kind of hop scotching through the islands, moving north of the Dominican Republic and Haiti in the north of Cuba and possibly through the straight of (INAUDIBLE) and maybe even South of Florida.
Now if this storm does happen to make it through the straight of Florida and into the Gulf of Mexico, it is anybody's ball game. Next up, we're going to deal with is the other system we were talking about, the one that's a little bit farther back towards the east. This storm, let's put this one into motion. This tropical depression three, as we fast forward from Sunday, Monday, into Tuesday, by Wednesday, possibly a category 1 storm with winds sustained at 85 miles per hour.
And then into Thursday, moving north of the Leeward and Windward Islands, winds of 105 miles an hour. Still a category 2 by 8:00 a.m. Thursday. Still way too early to say if this storm is going to affect the United States. This could be, possibly the first hurricane to affect the eastern seaboard of the U.S.. We are going to keep a very sharp eye on it. The season is very early. Possibly two named storms in a matter of hours. It is really a quick beginning into the season. Let's send it back to you, guys.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Sounds like you are going to be very busy.
WOLF: It sure looks that way.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN, ANCHOR: All right. Reynolds, thanks, buddy.
NGUYEN: So many say it is evidence of what's not working with the health care system in this country right now. Thousands of underinsured or uninsured lined up in Los Angeles to get something that they can't find. And that's medical care that is free.
Our Ted Rowlands is there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Betty, this 18,000 plus seat stadium has been converted into a treatment center where thousands of people, some of them under insured, some uninsured are getting medical, dental and vision care absolutely free.
(voice-over): Thousands of people spent hours overnight this week waiting outside the Englewood Forum for free medical care. Among them, 37-year-old Dion Greene, who is unemployed and uninsured. The arena floor is a treatment center. It's all completely free.
DION GREENE, UNINSURED: It's a beautiful morning.
ROWLANDS: For Dion and the thousands of others who are willing to wait. After getting his eyes checked, Dion gets a new pair of glasses.
GREENE: Look like a scholar, feel like a scholar.
ROWLANDS: And waits a few more hours for his turn to see a dentist. Dion says he tried pulling two of his own teeth out because he didn't have insurance or the money to pay for it.
GREENE: We're at an era where do you want to pay insurance or do you want eat? Do you want to pay for health care or do you want to put clothes on your back? It becomes a catch 22 where you have to pick your poison, right. Let's go to work.
ROWLANDS: Remote Area Medical or R.A.M. is the organization behind this medical giveaway. Besides the vision and dental care offer, there's also basic medical, including some cancer screenings, mammograms and HIV screening.
All of the work is done by volunteers. Hundreds of doctors, dentists and technicians donating their time.
DR. MEHRDAD MAKHANI, DENTIST: It's horrible. It makes you cry. I mean, you either you cry or work on the patient, which one you want to pick. I mean, your heart breaks. ROWLANDS (on camera): Organizers say they could see even more patients if they had more doctors. In fact, they wanted to bring more eye doctors to this even in Los Angeles because they didn't have enough volunteers. But believe it or not doctors in this country for the most part cannot cross state lines, even if they are donating their time.
(voice-over): Something R.A.M. creator Stan Brock that he tried to change for the last 20 years.
STAN BROCK, FOUNDER, REMOTE AREA MEDICAL: Nobody seems to get it. This would not cost the government a cent. It would not cost the taxpayer a cent. These people, these volunteers travel to these events at their own expense.
ROWLANDS: Brock, who years ago, co-starred in hit television series "Wild Kingdom" says laws prohibiting out of state doctors to volunteer at his event are preventing R.A.M. from making even more of an impact.
BROCK: It may not be the solution to the health care crisis in this country but it would be a quantum leap in the right direction.
ROWLANDS: Those two teeth Dion apparently tried removing by himself with vice grips still had roots left. A dentist took them out, which obviously was painful, but it was free.
GREENE: Man, oh man!
ROWLANDS (on camera): The event here in Los Angeles runs through Tuesday. Organizers say by the end, they hope that they will be able to treat more than 8,000 people.
Betty -
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Incredible. Well CNN has comprehensive coverage of the health care debate and town hall meetings at cnn.com/healthcare. And as part of this make or break month for health care reform and our in- focus coverage, we have added several features for you. You can find all of it at the closest town hall meeting to you. You can find out about the key players and the debate, the different plans and of course, the controversial sticking points to all of these plans. All of that information is right there for you at your fingertips. Cnn.com/health care.
HOLMES: Actress and author, Victoria Rowell, she stops by for a one-on-one interview with me and explains what she meant when she wrote that black people speak two different languages.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: As CNN continues its special coverage of "Black in America 2," we want to keep the conversation going and this morning we're looking at the story behind this book, "Family Affair." It's a collection of personal narratives from people from all walks of life and one of those essays in there is from a familiar face.
That face, actress and author, Victoria Rowell. I guess it's fair to say you are a friend of our show here on CNN SATURDAY AND SUNDAY MORNING. Good to see you. Why did you want to be a part of this? When it was first brought to you by the author why is it something that you want to be part of?
VICTORIA ROWELL, ACTRESS: Well, because I think family has many different faces and colors. And I thought I might have something to offer in that respect, because I come from a collective, a quilting of people that raised me. I think I was right.
HOLMES: Your essay was certainly read. I pulled a few things here I want to share with our audience. The first one says, and it says, and I quote, "unifying one's own to bring about change is an offensive, not defensive action and it should be applauded but we have moved away fro that mind-set in this day and age, where everything has to be flashy and fast." What did you mean?
ROWELL: Well, we live in a glossy world. And I think it's really important for us to get ourselves back as family, get our children back to basics. That we don't have to run out and make something happen. We have it within ourselves, within our own nucleus within the home and really teaching our kids that home is sacred.
HOLMES: And another one I pulled here which will get a lot of people's attention and you don't hear this talked about that much but this one says, I will put it up here says, "I speak two languages, corporate, white, American English and black American patois. Although some call it Ebonics, I do not refer to it in this somewhat derogatory manner. Our patois emerged from necessity..."
Now we hear these are conversations, these are not something that come out that often that you hear people talk about openly but it's conversations that black people have on the scene.
ROWELL: Absolutely. I mean as you know grew up as a farmer in rural Maine.
HOLMES: Yes.
ROWELL: So when I arrived into Roxbury, Massachusetts, everyone was looking at me like I had a third eye. I learned a whole different language when I got to Roxbury. And I feel that African-Americans like anyone who comes from a different country is speaking a different language at home. It's just our patois.
It's what we have derived from, I think, the whole journey and where we were not able to retain custom from different tribes from the continent of Africa. We have derived from that experience developing our own language. So when we go into the board room, it's going to be something else. Where as when we come home, it's our tongue. So there are two tongues.
HOLMES: But do you find that black Americans have a difficult time or feel uncomfortable using that tone that they might have at home out in public? Is it some might even say it is inappropriate in some ways. When you say Ebonics, certainly it sounds derogatory.
ROWELL: I think some people refer to it as being to as phony. And I don't see it as being phony. I think if you are going to be in the corporate world, whether your tongue may be from Indonesia, you are going to speak necessarily the king's English in the board room. I think it is just a necessity if you are going to be a player in corporate America. And that's how I look at it. I don't think that it's being false I think it is being professional.
HOLMES: All right. I'll wrap up here, though, talking about you. A lot of people are curious about you, what you are doing, what you will be up to. We remember when you left. You were here with us on our show right after you left the soap opera.
ROWELL: Yes.
HOLMES: And there was still the open possibility of that character coming back. You fell off a cliff or something?
ROWELL: Is this true?
HOLMES: But we never saw the body.
ROWELL: Never saw the body.
HOLMES: So, is that a possibility?
ROWELL: Always.
HOLMES: There's always a possibility.
ROWELL: Because soap operas thrive on ghosts, you know.
HOLMES: All right.
ROWELL: So there is always a possibility of Drucilla coming back.
HOLMES: There she is.
ROWELL: There she is.
HOLMES: Come back.
ROWELL: You never know, working on that next book -
HOLMES: OK.
ROWELL: About daytime, secrets of the soap opera diva. So we'll see what happens there.
HOLMES: So the book is happening. And the other thing finally here. A big thing happened in your life not too long ago. You were bouncing around when you walked into the studio here and that is because you were just married a couple of months back.
ROWELL: Yes, to a fabulous painter () Bailey. There we are with my ballet teacher, Esther Brooks and (), of course.
HOLMES: The "New York Times" picture that we have. You look like a happy lady there and you seem like a happy lady now.
ROWELL: I'm quite happy. That's great. It's really great.
HOLMES: Well, congratulations. We are looking forward to the next book. Congratulations to all the success from the first book. Of course, you are welcome back here anytime.
ROWELL: Thank you so much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Of course, always good to see her. One of our co- workers here just about fell out when I told him she is 50.
NGUYEN: You're going to announce that to the world.
HOLMES: She is proud of it.
NGUYEN: All right.
HOLMES: Of course she is OK with that.
NGUYEN: Make sure because sometimes women don't like their age hanging out there.
HOLMES: No. She is 50.
NGUYEN: Fabulous.
HOLMES: Fabulous and he just could not believe it when I told him.
NGUYEN: I love (INAUDIBLE) too.
HOLMES: Well, glad you could be here. Of course, she is welcome back any time.
NGUYEN: All right. On this story though, he is not a member of the White House Press Corps but he beat them all to the punch with a one on one in the oval office with you know who? And get this. He is only in the sixth grade.
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NGUYEN: All right. Talk about persistence paying off.
HOLMES: Isn't that what they say, you just keep at it. Keep at it and it will pay off for you. And check out 11-year-old who has been trying to get an interview with the president since the early days of the campaign. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAMON WEAVER, INTERVIEWED PRESIDENT OBAMA: Hi, I'm Damon Weaver and I'm here at the White House to interview President Obama about education. Right now, I'm in the (INAUDIBLE) room and this is where I am going to interview President Obama. Right now, I'm waiting for him to arrive so I can interview him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: So he went through it. He's taking it.
NGUYEN: Play by play.
HOLMES: He got the play by play. That's Damon there. He got his wish. Listen to him now asking one of the big questions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WEAVER: I know that as president, you get bullied a lot. How do you handle it?
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You mean people say mean things about me? Well, you know, I think that, you know, when you are president, you are responsible for a lot of things and a lot of people are having a tough time and they are hurting out there and, you know, the main thing I just try to do is stay focused on trying to do a good job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: All right. Damon says he was not nervous about interviewing the president but, you know, sitting there with the president, that would have been a good time to just throw the president off, sitting across from him and hit him with something hard.
NGUYEN: Something really, really hard. But Damon also interviewed Vice President Joe Biden earlier and he said that you know, Joe Biden are homeboys. So he asked President Obama, so will you be my homeboy? Of course, it's like the president is going to deny that.
HOLMES: Where does the kid go from here now in his journalism career?
NGUYEN: I don't know. He interviewed Wolf Blitzer as well this past week and asked Wolf for an internship. And Wolf said absolutely as soon as you get to your sophomore year in college. Hey, he's making some inroads very, very early.
HOLMES: Making good contacts very early.
NGUYEN: Smart kids.
HOLMES: He's got a better Rolodex than I do. NGUYEN: Oh, man.
All right. So do you think that your in good shape physically?
HOLMES: Maybe you saw that James Bond movie, the opening scene where James Bond was chasing the bad guy. Yes, doing all these stuff, bouncing around, going off the crane. He was bouncing off the walls. All this stuff that seems impossible. Well, our Zain Verjee tried it out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Real life superheroes. Spinning through the air in style. Owning the streets.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exhilarating! It's just - it's just the biggest buzz ever.
VERJEE: They're not looking for the bad guys, but just looking for a good time. And a good workout.
ASID, FREERUNNER: I like to keep my mind blank and just focus on something I'd like to achieve and just work on getting there.
VERJEE: It's called free running. Jumping, sliding, flipping, using the city's concrete jungle as their gym.
(on camera): You thought you could never be like Spiderman. Well, you can. Check out Kelly climb this pole. These guys are judged on technical difficulty, execution, creativity and fluidity. It's pretty amazing, right? Wow. Kelly! Come back down.
(voice-over): I was up for a lesson. I was a bit nervous.
ASID: Being scared is part of what we do. If you're not scared, you're not human.
VERJEE: A simple jump.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
VERJEE: And a ground roll. Well, that was easy, but I know I'm not quite up to their standards, just yet.
KERBIE, FREERUNNER: Accidents do happen. They do happen to professionals, they happen to beginners.
VERJEE: The professionals are heading to London to compete.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's 27 athletes competing. 16 different nations. We'll have countries as far as Australia, Mexico, Brazil, America.
VERJEE: The free runners say they feel like 21st century adventurers. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's all about free running, the freedom it gives you. You know, it let's your mind see beyond the horizon, that way you can go access all areas and you can go anywhere you like.
STICKY, FREERUNNER: The way it pushes you to do stuff you wouldn't normally do to get outside your comfort zone.
VERJEE (on camera): Safety is really important. If you have you to start slow and stay low. All you really need is a pair of trainers and an open mind. And then the world is your playground. Zain Verjee, the free runner, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Wow. Zain.
NGUYEN: Yes, she gave it a pretty good try. But -
HOLMES: See the little bunny hop there at the end. Come on, Zain. That's awfully low.
MELISSA LONG, CNN ANCHOR: (INAUDIBLE) better.
HOLMES: OK. Right after your show. Melissa, how are you doing? You're in today for Fredricka. What's happening?
LONG: I am. We have our legal segment coming up as we always do during our noon broadcast. Six cases we'll be delving into. But one in particular, T.J. and Betty, this is interesting. A resident of the state of Georgia spent 13 months in jail. 13 months in jail for not paying child support. But guess what? He's not a dad. He doesn't have children. And he's paid a lot of money over the years. So we're going to find out more about why he's paid all this money, if he has been proven that he's not a father by DNA.
HOLMES: Wow. Got to hear your legal guys getting into that one.
LONG: Also, of course, we're continuing to talk about health care, health care reform in the United States. We'll be talking to Ali Velshi, who is at the state fair in Des Moines, Iowa. He's been trying to gauge the pulse of the country, gauge the pulse of what people are talking about healthcare reform and we'll be joining him, as he's probably enjoying fried dough or something.
NGUYEN: Yes, some deep fried something.
(INAUDIBLE)
NGUYEN: The Twinkies. Yes, all kinds.
LONG: Or blooming onion? Fried onion? Is that one of the other thing.
NGUYEN: Oh, that's old stuff.
HOLMES: Oh, wow. NGUYEN: I'm old school. They've moved on. They're frying Twinkies, corn on the cob. Fried everything.
LONG: Fried bacon I saw, too.
NGUYEN: Yes.
LONG: And chocolate on top, is what I meant.
NGUYEN: You're making us hungry now.
LONG: It's your lunch hour.
NGUYEN: All right. Thank you, Melissa.
HOLMES: We'll see you in a few minutes.
Well, coming up. The black hole in Washington threatens NASA's future mission. The expense of exploring the final frontier.
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HOLMES: When you hear, Houston, we have a problem, you think maybe about a technical issue.
NGUYEN: Yes. Well, what you know is it's not a good sign.
HOLMES: It's not good. This time we're talking about money. That's the problem. There's not enough of it. Weeks after marking the 40th anniversary of the lunar moon landing. NASA's next moon shot looks less likely (INAUDIBLE).
NGUYEN: Yes, a budgetary black hole threatens to ground future missions.
And CNN's Ines Ferre explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): NASA doesn't have enough money for a lunar landing by 2020. That's one of the signals being sent out after a president panel reviewed the agency's human space program. A dark scenario for some scientists.
WILLIAM BOTTKE, SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE: Well there is this perception, and it's not just among the public but also to some degree the science community that the moon is sort of a been there, done that world. And I couldn't disagree more. The moon is a fascinating world and in many ways it's the key to understanding the solar system. So by studying the moon, one of the big reasons to go back and probe the moon is it tells you what the nature of the primordial earth was like.
FERRE: Though NASA's current strategy to return to the moon by 2020 and eventually to Mars, the budget to do is fall short by tens of billions of dollars.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I lift off. We have a lift off.
FERRE: During the Apollo program in NASA's heyday, its budget was roughly four percent of federal spending. Today it is less than one percent or $18 billion a year.
BRETTON ALEXANDER, COMMERCIAL SPACEFLIGHT FEDERATION: For human space flight, you have about half of that is for human space flight. Of that, you know, between $3 billion and $6 billion a year for this new exploration program. So there's a choice of prioritization that the administration has to make. They've got to sync up the budget with their goals so that everybody agrees on where we're going and how much it takes to get there.
FERRE: The committee outlined a series of options. One, known as deep space strategy, manned missions to nearby asteroids and even orbiting one of Mars' moons by about 2030. NASA's current shuttle fleet is scheduled to retire next year. The committee suggests extending the International Space Station life span and involving the private sector to develop the new fleet. Ines Ferre, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. Betty and I are going to wrap things up. We, of course, we'll be back here, bright and early, not bright and early, but dark and early. 6:00 a.m. -
NGUYEN: 6:00 a.m. Eastern.
HOLMES: Tomorrow morning.
NGUYEN: Yes. But until then more news in the CNN NEWSROOM with Melissa Long. Hi, Melissa.
LONG: Hi Betty, T.J.. Thanks so much. We'll see you in the morning.
NGUYEN: OK.
