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GM Boosts Its Production; Hurricane Bill Becomes More Well Defined; High Cost Of Prescription Drugs; More Rules On Credit Card Changes; Security Major Concern for Afghan Voters; Democrats Consider Going It Alone on Health Care Reform; Irresponsible Blogging vs. Free Speech; Frank Fired Back at Critics During Town Hall; Dr. Murray Breaks Silence Via YouTube; Government-Sponsored Pairings in Nigeria Hope To Prevent More Spread of HIV/AIDS
Aired August 19, 2009 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: We are focusing now on your money and specifically some big changes on your classic. The first provision of a credit card reform law will take effect tomorrow. Christine Romans is going to join us now from New York to go over the new rules here. Christine?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, this affects, Don, millions and millions of Americans. Anybody with a credit card or two or three or four in your pocket or your billfold, this story is for you. Starting tomorrow, some of these new provisions, these credit card bill of rights are going into effect and as you know, some of the provisions don't really get under way until February and some not until later next year.
But some of them you will see right away. Here's what some of them are. You have the right to reject a rate increase if your credit card company tells you it's raising your rate, you have the right to reject that rate increase and say I'm going to repay my balance at the current rate and you have five years to do so. They have to give you 45 days notice before they raise your rates and they have to mail you your bills 21 days before the due date and now they can do that about 14 days before the due date.
So, those are some of the things that you're going to see in the very near term. You can also start looking, as soon as your October billing period for some of these changes and how it might affect you. Because what the industry has said and has already been doing is they have been raising interest rates for people who have less than stellar credit, for people who have and missed some payments and the like. It could be harder to get a card. They've actually been closing accounts for some people, saying it simply just isn't a going to be a good cost of doing business for them for some of you, frankly, any more.
Higher interest rates, we've already seen that coming earlier this year and riskier borrowers could be shut down and there could be annual fees for good customers. We've already been seeing them, some of the rewards programs and some kind of interesting ways that they have been pulling back on some of the rewards programs for good customers. For example, you used to be able to get five percent cash back on all purchases on some cards. Now they're rotating categories, different months, so you only get five percent cash back on certain categories in different months.
So, you might be, even if you are a good customer, you always pay on time, you might start seeing your own credit card terms and relationship with the credit card company changing over the next days and months, Don.
LEMON: Very good. Finally an incentive. Thank you very much. Christine Romans.
ROMANS: Sure.
LEMON: And coming up at the bottom of the hour, we'll take a closer look at the changes that you'll see plus more changes are on the way and we'll tell you what to expect from credit card companies next year. We have it all for you.
Cash for Clunkers is apparently a good deal for GM and other automakers. The automaker is announcing it's recalling more than 1,300 laid off workers, and 10,000 current workers will be able to get some overtime.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm excited.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People are out there buying their product and the economy is picking up.
MEGAN GEORGE, GM EMPLOYEE: Well, that's good news for us that we're working overtime and the tires are starting to come in and people are buying cars again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: GM's production increase coming just five days after Ford announced plans to boost its production. Nearly all automakers have reported increases due the clunker's program, but analysts suggest interest in the program may be slowing because many customers who have been waiting for good deals have now already made them.
Want to check in now on Wall Street. Take a look at the numbers on the big board there. You see. There we go. The Dow is down some 19 points and Nasdaq trading at 9,200, down 17 points. We'll check in with our Susan Lisovicz for a full report from Wall Street coming up in just a bit.
Let's go now to our hurricane headquarters and check in with CNN's Rob Marciano. Rob is tracking Bill as well as other weather happening throughout the country. What do you have for us, Rob?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Still a hurricane of Category 4 status, but the winds of 135 miles an hour, we will get an update here by the end of the hour to see if the National Hurricane Center is going to actually upgrade that. It has gotten even more well-defined and has the eye and just the last couple hours you kind of see it there and really see right down into the ocean with no (INAUDIBLE) overlapping even better development across the southwestern side of this.
So, it's getting into an area that is conducive for strengthening. Will it become a Category 5? That's possible. But it's got some work to do that before it does that. What do we think is going to happen? Let's talk about the track of it this thing. Here's a couple of our computer models and we're a day forecast of (INAUDIBLE), skating by Bermuda to the west and everything has shifted a little bit farther to the west but still recurving out the sea. So that's good and bad news. We still have the recurving but we have this shift to the west. That brings the U.S. into play just a little bit more.
The east coast of New England may very be in that cone of uncertainty. That margin for error as we get into Saturday afternoon and Sunday night. And that certainly will be a concern. I tell you this, Friday and Saturday, you will feel the effects in the form of big waves and big breakers along the east coast. That includes the Jersey shoreline and also the Carolina coastline.
Eighty-nine degrees in Seattle. It will be 96 in Dallas and some heat there and also 92 degrees in New York City. My goodness. This is a shot from our affiliate in Portland, Oregon. That's KOIN. Channel 6 there. That looks like the desert, doesn't? They're under a heat advisory. Of course, the sun is coming up. Those are one of the reasons why you get this hot flash. But they're under a heat advisory today. Temperatures will easily get into the 90s. They had a massive heat wave a couple of weeks ago where they reached up over 100.
In August, it's tough to get over 100 degrees just because the days are a little bit shorter and for that reason they'll probably stay below 100, but it's going to be smoking hot. Severe across parts of the heartland, Don. We had some severe weather last night or yesterday in Beaumont, Texas. We'll show you that video with F-1 touching down there and did some damage and thunderstorms could be quite violent today across the central part of the country.
LEMON: That was a shot of the desert. I couldn't even make it out.
MARCIANO: You know what, I worked in Portland for six years and I had no idea where that camera was pointing. It's definitely going to be hot there.
LEMON: We'll try to figure it out. Thank you, Rob.
MARCIANO: See you.
LEMON: Let's go overseas now. A wave of explosions in Baghdad. Six blasts in one hour. It is the deadliest day since U.S. troops handed over security to the Iraqis. Authorities say at least 75 people were killed and more than 400 wounded. Government buildings and commercial buildings were hit. Iraqi officials say two suspects, believed to be senior leaders of Al Qaeda in Iraq are now under arrest. Security is a major concern as voters in Afghanistan go to the polls, a little more than 12 hours from now. Seven election workers have been in separate attacks today and yesterday. And the Afghan government is calling on the media not to report election violence for fear it would keep voters from going to he polls.
CNN's Atia Abawi is covering the election for us. And she joins us now live from Kabul.
ATIA ABAWI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Don. We want to try to see what the election preparations were. We were turned away from four polling stations. We have independent electoral commission cards to allow us to go in. So unfortunately, we can't report to you how just well the preparations are going, but we can tell you that violence is increasing throughout the country, including here in the capital of Kabul, where we saw two suicide car bombers.
In the span of four days, we've seen increased rocket attacks into the capital, including one that hit the presidential compound yesterday injuring a staffer and now we're also hearing from the foreign ministry that journalists are banned from reporting about any violence tomorrow from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.. They're in fear that if the Afghan people hear about the violence they're not going to head out to the polls but many media organizations, particularly Afghan media organizations refuse to go along with this ban.
They say that it's unconstitutional and they want the Afghan people to know if they're at risk. The foreign ministry has threatened journalists and they've said that the foreign media, if they do report on violence, they will be threatened to leave the country and local media will be shut down. Don.
LEMON: Atia Abawi in Kabul. Thank you, Atia.
Health care reform, the stakes rise, a confrontation builds. Democrats are considering a bold move that could ignite new outrage.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. The story we're following all morning. Democrats now say they may go it alone and push through their health care plan without any Republican support. We want to know what you think about this strategy. So do to cnn.com/heidi or cnn.com/don. You can also find us on Facebook or Twitter. Please, share your thoughts with us.
Well, this debate over health care reform, it is enough to give you a headache, really. All those facts and figures, all the different plans, not to mention all the spin from bloggers on both sides of the aisle. We want to give you some clear answers here, our chief medical correspondent who is an insider and he's also a practicing neurosurgeon, Dr. Sanjay Gupta is taking your questions.
Because you know, the insider in there and just kind of funny. You're a neuro surgeon and our chief medical correspondent. That's pretty big, right? Yes, Sanjay was on the ground to cover today's questions for us. So this one, Sanjay we want to get to. This one from twitter. It's about Prescription drugs. Here's the question. Will the current reforms push the sale of generic drugs, Sanjay?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is an important question, in part, because such a focus around costs. How do you cut costs, drug costs are something a lot of people are focused on. A couple of facts that you might find interesting. About out of every 10 prescriptions in the United States right now, about seven are for generic drugs. And on average, about 80 to 85 percent cheaper. So therein lies some of the cost savings that we're hearing about.
We've gone to the White House to ask specifically about how this might work in terms of taking brand name drugs and making them generic more quickly. It's sort of a long answer, but a lot of different components of this. They say that they will establish legal pathways for generic drugs. They would create incentives for research and innovation and they would prohibit anti-competitive agreements.
Don, here's something that maybe you didn't know and this is something I found interesting. A brand name drug maker out there may go to a potential generic brand maker and say OK our patent is expiring, you're going to be able to make a generic but how about we you some money instead so you don't. The company may benefit, but the public doesn't. And therein lies part of the point.
LEMON: Why does that happen?
GUPTA: Well, because they don't want the drug to go generic. They are making more money as a brand-name drug. The generic company may still make their money so they don't care that you and I are don't have the access to generic drugs. So this is part of the anti- competitive agreements that we're hearing about.
Again, the caveat, this is fluid. We don't know how this is going to play out, but the idea that you could get generics a little bit more quickly is a possibility. Now not everyone loves that. People say you know what I want my brand name drugs. I don't want to take a generic. But these are cheaper and possibly will lend to the cost savings effort.
LEMON: It's all about that.
GUPTA: It is.
LEMON: It's all about the dollar. OK. I got to ask you, but didn't the administration just made a deal with the pharmaceutical industry so how does that factor in to all of this?
GUPTA: Well, the deal specifically again as has been crafted is that the pharmaceutical industry agrees not to draw down as much money from Medicare specifically. About $80 billion over 10 years. What that means specifically for Medicare recipients is that you might see lower drug costs overall and what I mean by that is affecting this thing called the doughnut hole. We use this term all the time, Don. I'm not sure people understand it. Think of it like this, say you have $10,000 in drug costs. The first 2,100 might be covered but then it won't be covered again until you get to 6,100 in costs. So about 4,000 you got to pay out of pocket, right in the middle. What happens to a lot of people, Don, is they don't want to pay those 4,000. They simply don't get the drugs. They may also be discounts for drugs as part of this.
The criticism that you reported, that people have heard about is this idea that if the White House is negotiating with the pharmaceutical industry, does it take away some of their bargaining power in the years to come.
LEMON: Yes.
GUPTA: They need to negotiate with the pharmaceutical industry in the future. Can that really happen if this goes through?
LEMON: All right. Very good information from the insider. The insider.
GUPTA: We should talk about this all hour.
LEMON: Yes. Did you go to school and get a title for insider college?
GUPTA: Oh, this is abuse.
LEMON: Thank you, Sanjay.
Health care reform, the stakes rise. The confrontation builds. Democrats are considering a bold move that could ignite new outrage.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: You know, the talk of the nation has been on health care reform. A make or break month for it and what may be a take it or leave it ultimatum. CNN has learned that Democrats could use a strong arm maneuver to push reforms through Senate and get this, they could do it without a single Republican vote. It is a developing story for us that we're following this morning.
We want to get right now to CNN's Elaine Quijano. She's at the White House. Elaine, as I understand, the president just spoke. Did he say anything about this go it alone strategy that we've been hearing about?
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It was actually what Press Secretary Robert Gibbs in the off-camera gaggle in his office just moments ago, Don. And what we should start off by telling you is that all of this really stems from a "New York Times" story this morning and this morning in his office just now, Robert Gibbs pushed back against the idea that somehow the White House has made up its mind to go it alone without the help of Republicans and pushing forward health care reform.
Robert Gibbs saying that asked whether or not, you know, that was necessarily the case and he said absolutely not. He said that the president has said all along and continues to believe that, in fact, anybody and everybody who wants to work on health care, that's who the White House is going to work with on this. He noted that the Senate finance committee, of course, is still trying to hash out details on this and that the administration remains hopeful that they can get bipartisan support.
And it's interesting also, later on in the gaggle, he also talked about the timing. He said why on earth on August 19th when a vote is still weeks away. We're talking fall here, September or October, why would the White House necessarily say look we've given up on Republicans entirely and that is the White House position today. Again, pushing back on that information. Don -
LEMON: Did Gibbs talk at all about what appears to be an inconsistency in their message, in the administration's message?
QUIJANO: Yes, you know, he was asked about that right off the bat. The idea about this public option and whether or not the administration is backing away from it. As you know, some liberals have really been quite concern because of some comments over the weekend that both the president and his Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius made indicating to some liberals in their view that perhaps the administration was backing off the public option.
Robert Gibbs said again look we'll do this dance again. He said it's not changed. The White House position has remained consistent, he said, over the last few months that, in fact, the White House all throughout the administration, in fact, believes that the best way to overhaul the system would be to include a public option. But, of course, the debate over whether or not the administration's position has changed, that continues, but again, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs insisting that nothing at all has changed in the White House's view.
LEMON: OK. Since we have you here, we want to keep you a little bit longer than I had planned. I want to ask you about this, later today the president will participate in a conference call with faith leaders to discuss health insurance reform. How big of an initiative is this to include evangelists in garnering support for health reform?
QUIJANO: Yes, obviously, this is significant. You know, the president is reaching out trying to get the message to really all corners and trying to drum up support for this. Whether or not we'll hear anything new remains an open question. Yesterday, Robert Gibbs was asked about this and he said look, he actually joked and said what you'll hear is "boring consistency" in the message here.
He'll talk about obviously the importance of trying to provide access to health care for millions of Americans who don't have it right now. He was asked, you know, will there be maybe some kind of different emphasis in his message and he said well the president is going to continue to talk about what he thinks is important in the health care debate. LEMON: Elaine Quijano, a lot of news coming out of the White House in just moments. I just saw you a little bit ago and you got all these for us. Thank you, Elaine. We appreciate it.
QUIJANO: Sure.
LEMON: Immigration's impact on health care reform. Some call that issue the elephant in the room. Right now the Center for Immigration Studies is talking about, talking about that and had a panel discussion in Washington. And the group estimates one out of three people in the U.S. without health insurance is either a legal or illegal immigrant. Yet, it says the enormous impact they could have on health care system is generally not been acknowledged in the current debate.
If you want to know more about the health care debate and how the reforms could affect you and your family, check out our special health care in America section at CNN.com and get the very latest on the town hall debates, the fact checks, the iReports and other health care news. Just go to cnn.com/healthcare.
A case of online heckling puts free speech right at the center of the spotlight. Why a blogger may learn the hard way to just hit delete.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We've been talking all morning about big changes in credit card rules that affect your money. For more on that and what folks have to say about these changes, let's check in now with CNNmoney.com Poppy Harlow. She joins us now in New York.
Hello, Poppy. What do you have?
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Good morning, Don.
This -- a whole change is aimed at helping consumers. So that's some good news for you. It goes into effect tomorrow and some of the rules, the credit card companies are going to have to send you your bill 21 days before you have to pay it. It used to be a 14-day advance notice, so that extends you by one week. You've also got to have 45-day notice before raising rates and that used to be just 15 days notice. So that should help you out.
And you can also keep in mind decline the new rate if they jack up your interest rates and pay off your existing balance, Don, on a card at the old rate. So if they raise your rate too much, you can say, thanks, but no thanks. I'll pay off what I owe you and then good-bye.
LEMON: All right. This is just the first round though of protections.
HARLOW: Yes.
LEMON: What are some other changes that take effect? I think there are some changes in February, right?
HARLOW: Yes, most of them are actually not going into effect until February. And here are some of the key ones that we want to highlight for you. First of all, the credit card companies won't be able to raise the rate on existing balances unless you're at least 60 days late in your payments. You've got two months leeway there. Also, when you make a payment, it has to be applied towards that part of your balance with the higher interest rate, that didn't used to be the case.
Also, credit card companies are no longer allowed to use this universal default. Today, right now, if you default on one card payment, the other credit card companies of cards you may hold can raise your interest rate, as well. That can't happen anymore and also, Don, starting in February, only the card you default on can hike your rate. Again, all aimed at protecting consumers.
LEMON: When this law was passed in May, I think the credit card company said it would make credit card more expensive...
HARLOW: Right.
LEMON: And less available, is that what you're seeing?
HARLOW: It's exactly what we're seeing. And they lobbied against it because of that. Credit card companies make a lot of money when people don't pay their bills on time. That's just how it works. We're seeing rates going up, a lot of people writing in about that. We're seeing riskier accounts close, people that have been defaulting more, they just get shut down completely. Reduce credit limits, meaning you don't have as high ceiling to spend, harder to get a credit card in many cases.
Also, fees have been rising and this is because the credit card companies need a way to profit and they profit from higher fees. And people are writing in to me on Facebook, telling me some interesting things. Some good news coming in from Ishwara, she wrote in and she said "My husband just got a notice from his credit card company raising his interest rates and various fees. What is surprising is that it was written on a single page document written in plain English." So some encouraging news there.
And then Scott wrote in, "We've had some of our rates randomly raised as well as the minimum monthly payments dramatically increased which only backs us more into the corner." So good news for Scott. Don, this is all going to change starting tomorrow, Don.
LEMON: All right. Poppy Harlow. Thank you, Poppy.
HARLOW: Sure.
LEMON: All right. Let's head to another part of New York now. We're going to talk to our Susan Lisovicz because the Swiss banking giant is naming names. Thousands of Americans have been hiding money in offshore accounts for years, but it's not a secret any more. Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange with all the details. You see the numbers there. And how the big board is playing out as well. Hi, Susan.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're watching shares of UBS, as well. Shares trading here in New York right now. We're down 2.25 percent. Well, why is that stock under pressure? Well, UBS has been under pressure this coming as a result of an agreement between the IRS and the Swiss government and now this huge Swiss bank is handing over nearly 4,500 names to the IRS. Why is that? I mean, Swiss bank loves secrecy. Well, so do wealthy Americans.
The IRS says that these folks evaded taxes by hiding their money overseas. UBS was forced to do so. Another 5,000 names could be revealed. Those are people who confessed to the IRS on their own. At one point, Don, the accounts held $18 billion. Needless to say, the U.S. government could use that kind of money right about now.
LEMON: You can say that again. The U.S. government can use that kind of money right about now. What will happen to these people? will they face any legal action or jailtime, maybe?
LISOVICZ: Don't know. Naming names, clearly the first step. Certainly, back taxes will be paid. There are reports that criminal cases are being built, but there may be some separation between those who were forced -- their names were outed -- and others who, themselves, came first. They may have some sort of amnesty.
We do know, there is no question, a lot of people confessed prior to this news today. Four hundred people confessed in the first week of July compared to less than 100 all of last year. The amnesty program, by the way and next month.
Just quickly, I'll just look at the numbers for you since you see the Big Board there. The Dow is off its lows of the session. That's a good thing. So is the NASDAQ and the S&P 500. So, right now it's just sort of marginal losses. Looked like a rough open, but we saw the bulls trying to fight back.
LEMON: All right. Again, thank you, Susan. Again, always good to see you.
Some of the homeless in Sacramento could soon have a temporary place to stay. Officials are working on a plan to create a campsite for homeless people. Campsite for homeless people. Sacramento mayor and former basketball star Kevin Johnson assembled a task force to organize the Stepping Stone Camp Site, which will house 60 people. It will provide basic services like running water and garbage pickup. The city council would have to approve the plan before it could go into effect.
Well, you can blog, but you can't hide. A blogger who posted derogatory and malicious comments about this model online learned that the hard way. Pay attention, everyone, to this story even if you comment online. A judge ordered that Google hand over information that identified the blogger. So, does this mean the end of blogging or free speech online as we know it?
Joining us right now is Parry Aftab, security, privacy and cyberspace attorney. Thank you for joining us.
I am very interested in this story because as someone who is in the public eye, most of the things that are out there online about people are untruths. Right? Because there's no governing online. So, finally, there appears to be at least another step, because this happened before, and to making sure that people are accurate online and there's some accountability.
PARRY AFTAB, SECURITY, PRIVACY AND CYBERSPACE ATTORNEY: Well, I think people are accountable online as they are offline, but a lot of us don't recognize it. So that free speech only covers a certain amount of speech; it doesn't cover defamation, it doesn't cover harassment. And if you're doing that online, this case and a lot of others before it say we'll find you.
LEMON: Well, shouldn't people online, especially if you're writing and especially now with the how big bloggers are getting -- and I want to make sure I phrase this correctly. Bloggers are being seen now to have sort of the same legitimacy as news organizations. If that is indeed the case, shouldn't they be held to the same standards as news organizations?
AFTAB: Well, they should, except news organizations have a lot of money and credibility and policies behind them, and bloggers can just create an account and anybody can be one. I think what you need to do is look at the difference between the bloggers who are really news reporters and those who are people who are talking about their dogs online and people they hate. And that line you going to start seeing shift. In this case, what they're saying is, if you've got a gripe, we can find out who the person is behind it.
LEMON: Just real quickly before we get to the specifics on this case. I mean, should we still have that sort of mentality that whatever you see online should be a grain of salt until you check the facts yourself?
AFTAB: Absolutely. Never believe anything you see online unless you know how credible the person is who is saying it. Because anyone can say anything, and unless you know who's behind it and know that their facts are right and know that you can trust them, you shouldn't.
LEMON: All right. Let's talk about this particular case. By the way, this isn't the first time that a company has been asked to hand over information, right? But this is really the first one we're picking up on, it's a model, and it seems like a succession and it could continue.
AFTAB: Absolutely. As a lawyer, I have been bringing these cases since just about the Internet was created. So, we need to recognize that they're policies in place at all the companies from Google to AOL to Microsoft that will turn over your information if someone asks in the right way, whether it's a cop or a lawyer. LEMON: So, what do you do if you're in a similar situation to this young lady and you're being harassed online or there's something that is being written about you that's wrong or if there's something that you're afraid of? What should you do in this case?
AFTAB: Well, you have to determine whether or not it's criminal. Most of the states have the cyber harassment law. You need to make sure if it qualifies as one. The first phone call is to the police. They'll do it for you and for free. If it's defamatory and something you think you have legal rights to do something about, then you call a lawyer and have them do it.
But not everything. Rude people online you may not be able to take to court. See, you have to figure out what your rights are. But know that you do have rights and you have to do something to protect yourself.
LEMON: That's very interesting, you know. We just have a short time left here. But even with that online, I mean, that lives online forever. So, whether or not this person is revealed, that's still going to live online, and a lot of people will believe it.
AFTAB: That's it. What you post online stays online forever. So you should actually set up in this case, it's ironic, a Google alert. Put in your name.
LEMON: So, what we do, or what should the industry do or law enforcement do in that case? Is that just the way it is or should changes be made?
AFTAB: Well, changes are being made. I run the world's largest Internet safety charity, Wired Safety, and we help people and we help them get things down off the Internet. But remember, this is a moving target. So, you need to recognize you have rights, you have the ability to stop somebody from hurting you, and you can reach out to lawyers and police to give you some help. Or you can follow us, wiredmoms on Twitter.
LEMON: All right. Thank you. Parry Aftab, very good information. I was checking some of the responses online. I want to get you back and talk to you because I think this is a very interesting subject. Really appreciate it.
So we have been asking online. What do you think about this story? Should bloggers and people who comment online be held to the same standards as journalists and should they, you know, should they be revealed?
So, let's see: "Some of the bloggers -- most bloggers can only be taken as commentary. Stand-up people stand up to their word. There should be nothing to worry about if you are doing the right thing." So, a lot of people are saying, yes, they should be revealed.
Let's go to the blog real quick and see what the blog is saying. No more anonymity for bloggers and let's see -- I'm sure some people commented. There we go. Hannibal33 says, "I agree with the judge. For anyone to hide behind the Internet screen and defame someone else reeks of a coward to me. If it is worth saying to someone or about someone, I would like the person to stand up and speak his or her mind face-to-face." Very good comment there.
Also, JLV0628 says, "As a blogger and student journalist, I find this legislation troubling. People need to understand that anyone has a right to say anything regardless of how ignorant it may be." Okay. Thank you. Freedom of speech. Does that include hate speech, as well? That's the big question here. Thank you for your comments, we really appreciate them.
Town hall meetings on health reform. A place where opinions collide and constituents vent. We'll show you one lawmaker who came ready to fight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The battle for health care reform and new strategy under consideration in Washington. Top Democrats tell CNN they're considering a way to push through a bill without Republican backing. It is a budget maneuver, obscure but pop -- popular -- I should say powerful, rather. It would require a simple majority of 51 votes, not the 60 needed to push through health reform. The White House is downplaying the possibility, saying that it is still pushing for bipartisan support.
On another front, a pair of House Democrats are requesting detailed financial records from dozens of large insurance companies. That's according to the Associated Press. The AP says Congressman Henry Waxman and Bart Stupack want financial records on highly paid employees, company income from premiums and its payouts on claims.
Well, this is considered a make-or-break month for health care reform. Lawmakers are back home, often getting lots of feedback on this hot-button issue from constituents, and Jim Acosta sat down in a rowdy town hall meeting just last night.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congressman Barney Frank.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It didn't take long for the shouting to start.
REP. BARNEY FRANK (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Hey, hey, enough. Which one of you wants to yell first?
ACOSTA: And before the first question was asked, Massachusetts Democrat Barney Frank was swinging back at opponents of health care reform.
(AUDIENCE YELLING)
FRANK: (INAUDIBLE) ... can never help your cause. It makes it look like afraid to have a rational discussion and you just drive people away. I'm not here. This is the council (ph) on aging, not kindergarten.
ACOSTA: Frank tried to dispel some of the bogus claims about the bill in the House.
FRANK: Illegal aliens are specifically excluded from getting any assistance in the bill.
ACOSTA: To that, some in the crowd shouted "Read the bill," so he did and found the section where illegal immigrants are excluded.
FRANK: Right in the bill I showed you.
ACOSTA: But even that didn't satisfy everyone.
FRANK: It is a little hard being accused of not having read the bill by people who object when I do.
ACOSTA: Several audience members insisted reform will bust the budget.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We will pay more taxes because of you, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This bill will practically bankrupt the economy and the United States government.
ACOSTA: Time and again, Frank took that grenade and threw it back.
FRANK: I do worry about the deficit. That's one of the reasons, not the only one, that I voted against the single most wasteful expenditure in the history of America. The Iraq war.
ACOSTA: The chairman of the House financial services committee took only a few questions on reforming Wall Street. Instead, Frank talked at length about support for the public option...
FRANK: I am not voting for any bill that forces anybody into anything. It will have a public option...
ACOSTA: ... and tried to reassure seniors that there were no death panels in the bill.
FRANK: This notion that something in this bill would require people who are elderly or sick to be denied medical care and killed, is the single stupidest argument I have ever heard.
ACOSTA: It was that absurdity at the health care debate that retiree and Medicare recipient Mary Scocento (ph) was happy to see put to rest.
(off camera): Can I tell you that I know for a fact that they're not going to pull the plug on grandma?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're not going to pull it on me, I tell you. 'Cause I fight to the death. ACOSTA: Unlike his fellow liberals in the House, Congressman Frank is not insisting that there be a government-run insurance program or public option in the final health care reform package. While he remains a strong supporter of the public option, Frank says he does not want to negotiate the final bill in public.
Jim Acosta, CNN, Dartmouth, Massachusetts.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right, Jim. More lawmakers meeting with their constituents today, and here's a look at where town hall meetings are scheduled today. Meeting sites are scattered across six states and range from Virginia to Alabama to Texas and Oklahoma. If you want to know more about the health care reforms and how they would affect you, check out our special "Health Care in America" section at CNN.com. You can get the latest on town hall debates, fact-checks, iReports, and other health care news. Go to CNN.com/healthcare.
Michael Jackson's doctor, the man who was there when he died. He breaks his silence. You'll want to hear what he has to say.
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LEMON: A Texas judge who closed her court, leaving a condemned man's last appeal hanging is finally telling her story. Nearly two years after Michael Wayne Richard was executed, Judge Sharon Keller is on trial for ethics violations. She is answering questions about why she refused to keep the Texas court of criminal appeals open past 5:00 p.m. when Richard's lawyers asked for more time to file their appeal. Well, the judge said she was never told of the computer troubles that Richard's lawyers blamed for their delayed filing.
In about two hours, we expect to hear from the mayor of Milwaukee. He'll be making his first comments since beaten Saturday night after rushing to help a woman and her one-year-old granddaughter. Police say the man who beat him was the baby's father. He is in custody. The mayor suffered a shattered hand and cuts to his face. Plus, he lost a few teeth in the whole thing.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN, your Hurricane Headquarters.
LEMON: Oh, yeah, and you should have it tuned in for at least the next couple days because our Rob Marciano says we should be looking at what's going on with Bill, right?
MARCIANO: Yes. The most recent information from the National Hurricane Center; their 11:00 advisory just posted. They have a P-3 NOAA airplane in there right now. It's an old plane that they used to hunt down submarines.
They flew it in there and they're thinking about sending back good information. One, that the winds are still at 135 miles per hour. So, that was a good estimate. The eye itself, which is well defined at 30 nautical miles -- but what the plane has found -- I'm just kind of reading this because it's hot off the press -- the hurricane-force winds have extended outward from 45 to 80 miles from the center.
So, the center -- size of this thing has gotten larger. Not just the cloud canopy, but the wind feel. So, that gives you an idea of how strong it is. It is east of the Leeward Islands. I'm guessing probably about 350 miles at this point. West-northwesterly movement at 18 miles per hour, so that has picked up some and the winds are gusting to 160 miles per hour.
All right, let's talk about where this is going. Same realm of (INAUDIBLE). Subtropical ridge here shoots it to the west. Trough kind of sucks it up, and then the front kind of blocks it out towards the northeast. That's what we're hoping for as far as this recurvature is concerned.
Fast-track to the National Hurricane Center. Cat 4, Cat 4 or Cat 3 shoots the gap between Bermuda and the Carolinas and still has that curve that will hopefully leave New England out of the equation. Still too early to completely rule it out, but the forecast is trending in that direction. Either way, this is going to be bringing a big swell to the Atlantic seaboard for sure starting about Friday and lasting right on through the weekend.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: But all eyes on Bill here, Don, as it is a very strong and well-organized Category 4 storm.
LEMON: As well all eyes should be on it. Thank you very much, Rob Marciano.
MARCIANO: You got it.
LEMON: Dr. Conrad Murray. He was there when Michael Jackson died. He has been questioned extensively by police. His home and office is searched. Now he is speaking out, sort of. Here's CNN's Ted Rowlands.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROWLANDS (voice-over): In a soft, accented voice, Michael Jackson's former doctor Conrad Murray broke his silence with what his lawyer says is a thank you to his supporters.
DR. CONRAD MURRAY, PERSONAL PHYSICIAN OF MICHAEL JACKSON: Because of all that is going on, I am afraid to return phone calls or use my e-mail. Therefore, I recorded this video to let all of you know that I have been receiving your messages. I have not been able to thank you personally, which, as you know, is not normal for me.
Your messages give me strength and courage and keep me going.
ROWLANDS: But near the end of the minute-long video which was posted on YouTube, there is also a message that seems to be directed to the general public.
MURRAY: don't worry. As long as I keep God in my heart and you in my life, I will be fine. I have done all I could do. I told the truth, and I have faith the truth will prevail.
God bless you. And thank you.
HOWARD BRAGMAN, FOUNDER, FIFTEEN MINUTES PUBLIC RELATIONS: I think it was very well-executed, very smart, and a great P.R. move.
ROWLANDS: Publicist and author Howard Bragman says the video brings Murray to life, transforming him from just a voiceless potential suspect in the death of Michael Jackson. Bragman also applauds the way the message was delivered.
BRAGMAN: These kind of sites, the MySpaces, and the YouTubes and the Facebooks are a great way to get messages out there without having some of the risks of the mainstream media. When I say risk, I mean tough questions.
ROWLANDS: And there have been plenty of questions for Murray to answer since Jackson's death. Subjected to search warrants at his home and his offices in Las Vegas and Houston, he has met with detectives twice since Jackson's death. His lawyers say he continues to cooperate with the investigation.
Ted Rowlands, CNN, Los Angeles
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right. The unusual steps one country is going through to stop the spread of AIDS.
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LEMON: Until now, some people in Nigeria had no hope of finding love, much less getting married. Then their government stepped in. Here's CNN's Christian Purefoy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTIAN PUREFOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A traditional Muslim wedding in northern Nigeria. Two families joining hands in taking on the modern scourge of AIDS. The bride and groom are both HIV positive, and they're getting married in a government-sponsored program, encouraging people with AIDS to marry to try to stop the virus from spreading.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)... love me, and I loves her and promise that we can keep ourselves very healthy.
PUREFOY: According to the UN, Nigeria has the third largest HIV population in the world. And the regional government of Bouchi (ph) state is hoping to put a dent on those numbers.
A state public health agency treats AIDS victims with free antiretro viral drugs and so far also claims to have help marry more than 100 HIV-positive couples. The agency even offers to pay the wedding dowry and provide counseling. The hope is that by keeping HIV couples together, they will stop AIDS spreading to anyone not infected.
RILWANU MOHAMMED, BAUCHI STATE AGENCY FOR CONTROL OF AIDS: Somebody (INAUDIBLE) marry somebody with HIV and AIDS. That means there will be no transition.
PUREFOY: UN AIDS, the UN agency tackling HIV/AIDS, has its doubts about the program that such marriages do not prevent the spread of AIDS.
WARREN NAAMARA, UNAIDS NIGERIA COORDINATOR: (INAUDIBLE) ... prevention of HIV and AIDS and rather than encouraging that kind of union. We have many (INAUDIBLE) HIV (INAUDIBLE) is universal axis to prevention treatment and care.
PUREFOY (on camera): There's no scientific evidence that these HIV marriages actually stop the spread of AIDS, but for all the couples we have spoken to, the marriages provide a partnership of support and that personal fight against AIDS and also against stigmatization by society, family and friends.
(voice-over): People from suffering from aids in Nigeria often face discrimination. But this HIV positive couple say they now have each other.
UMAR AHMED, HIV-MARRIAGE HUSBAND: Before I was lonely. Being with my wife, I feel great. Because it's good to get out and discuss the issues together.
PUREFOY: They say there are many challenges ahead and issues they must discuss. Not least having another child. But together, they say, they can achieve more.
Christian Purefoy, CNN, Bauchi, Nigeria.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: I'm Don Lemon, thanks for watching. CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Drew Griffin. Drew, take it away.
