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Afghan Voters Defy Taliban Threat; Sources: CIA Paid Firm to Kill Al Qaeda Leaders; Scotland Frees Lockerbie Bomber; Surprise Rise in Weekly Jobless Claims; Ailing Senator Kennedy Seeks Quick Replacement on His Death; End of the Road for Cash for Clunkers; Massachusetts Provides Health Care Model; Atlanta a New Hub for Mexican Drug Cartels; Afghans Educating Next Generation

Aired August 20, 2009 - 11:00   ET

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

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: Don, thank you. It is Thursday, August 20th, and here are the top stories in the NEWSROOM.

Democracy in a war zone. Afghans choosing their next president in an election punctuated by violence.

A letter from Senator Ted Kennedy. He wants to set the stage for his successor's quick appointment.

Cash for Clunkers looks like it is about to run out of gas. The government getting ready to announce an end of those rebates.

Good morning, everybody. I'm Drew Griffin in today for Tony Harris. He will be back tomorrow. But right now you're in the NEWSROOM at CNN.

The polls have just closed, and it appears the big winner in today's historic election in Afghanistan may be democracy itself. The Afghan people had to defy the threat of Taliban bombers, risking everything just to cast their votes.

Our Ivan Watson is west of Kabul in central Bamiyan province, where thousands voted. Ivan, behind cardboard screens and in dust- caked tents.

IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. It was pretty remarkable to see how people were voting here, and you saw old men coming in in their turbans and white beards. We saw women, some in their burqas, coming in to this polling center, estimated more than 5,000 at this location alone over the course of the day.

Behind me, Drew, you may be able to see the counting process under way by battery-powered lanterns. There's very little electricity across broad spots of Afghan territory. This province also being one of them, and the election workers are in one of these old dusty tents right now, counting the ballots. We've just been eyeballing and we can see that the incumbent president that his stack of ballots, just at this tent, is much higher than those of at least 30 other opposition candidates, perhaps second place coming in a man name (INAUDIBLE) who ran on a remarkable campaign.

He campaigned out of his tent near the parliament in Kabul, and he really railed against what he called corruption in the government of Hamid Karzai who has been the president for the past seven years. In this province there was a rocket fired at a town in the north of the province, but elections were able to go on fairly peacefully.

All the polling centers were open, but we're getting reports that there were some pretty seriously flashes in the province directly to the east of here, Drew. Further to the east, an American soldier was killed by a deadly mortar strike. That's just one of the series of incidents that took place across much more dangerous parts of southern and eastern Afghanistan on what was supposed to be an historical presidential vote. Drew?

GRIFFIN: Yes, we are starting to get some reports coming in about the violence. Ivan, I wanted to ask you, for the people in the U.S., you know, this is looking eerily similar to what was going on in Iraq several years ago. We were hoping that each vote would take us closer to peace, would take us closer to leaving Iraq at that time, now Afghanistan. Eight hundred troops killed in the eight-year led war. Does it look like the effort there is paying off?

WATSON: Well, it's a very good question. This is the second presidential election in Afghan history. In 2004 there was a previous election and Hamid Karzai was elected president. It was more peaceful, there were incidents of violence but the Taliban just wasn't as strong. Its revolt in the countryside wasn't as powerful and could not have claimed to have shadow governments and shadowed courts operating in territories that it controlled and believed to have hundreds of polling centers that weren't able to open because of this threat.

Now, what we've seen change over the past several years, in addition to the Taliban insurgency growing is the commitment from the international community. It, too, has grown. We have seen the number of U.S. troops on the ground, Drew, double since last year.

Aid money coming in has also increased dramatically. We're seeing more diplomats from Washington being stationed even in provinces like Bahnia (ph). So, it seems like the U.S. government and the international community is taking much more seriously this Afghan project.

Question is, what will happen down the road? A lot of policymakers that I've talked to are saying that it's too early to say how this so-called civilian surge, this surge in aid and troops on the ground, it will take some time for that to really start to sink in. A lot of people say many crucial years were lost in the first years of this project after the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001. Drew?

GRIFFIN: All right, Ivan Watson there watching the ballot count by battery light, an impressive shot. Great reporting and we'll look for the results, I guess, in the coming hours and perhaps days there. What's at stake? Let's go to CNN's Anderson Cooper, who spoke with our security analyst Peter Bergen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PETER BERGEN, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: At stake, is the entire project that the international community is engaged in. If this election goes off fairly well, many of the naysayers I think will be shown not to be correct. I think the main indicator to the (INAUDIBLE) is voter turnout.

Karzai is going to win this election either in the first round or the second round and that's a virtual certainty. But if voter turnout is significant on the day, certainly about 50 percent or 60 percent or something like that, I think that sends a message that the Afghan population were not intimidated by the Taliban, were actively engaged in this very important election.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: Well, it's still very early there are observers from about 30 different groups who are monitoring the election. We're told that voting, especially in the Kabul province went fairly smooth but also there are some reports now trickling in about violence across that country. We'll keep following this.

While Afghans were voting, Iraqis were trying to stop the bleeding a day after a string of bombings killed at least 100 people in Baghdad and wounded 500 more. The government put new security measures in place, all six bombings took place within an hour. They marked the country's deadliest day since U.S. combat troops pulled out of Iraqi cities, that was two months ago. Since then, security has been in the hands of the Iraqis. Well, 11 high-ranking Iraqi army and police officials have been detained now for investigation.

An intriguing look today inside the Bush administration's anti- terror tactics. Sources say the CIA hired private assassins to capture or kill al Qaeda figures. Let's check with CNN's pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr. Barbara, I suspect most people have heard of the firm that was hired.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Most people have, indeed, Drew. That name keeps coming back Blackwater. The private security contractor firm that became so controversial for its work in Iraq and it has a lot of intelligence work around the world. Here's what we know. A source very familiar with the program confirms to CNN that Blackwater was hired by the CIA back in 2004 for this program that involved training, surveillance and, yes, indeed, the ultimate goal of targeted killing of top al Qaeda leaders.

Now, what we also know is that at some point Blackwater was no longer involved in the program, but the program went on. It ebbed and flowed through various phases and earlier this year it was moving towards what is described as the next phase, essentially becoming operational. It was at that point that CIA director Leon Panetta, under President Obama, canceled the program for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is it hadn't been notified to Congress. Now, the previous CIA director, General Mike Hayden didn't acknowledge the program today, but he spoke a good deal earlier today in Washington about this notion of private contractors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. MICHAEL HAYDEN, FORMER CIA DIRECTOR: Keep in mind that surrogates come in a variety of flavors. And that an intelligence service like CIA has the ability to choose among those flavors for different missions.

So, please, keep that in mind. Not everything the agency had done is as this black and white binary world, contractor government employee. But I'll end this point by simply saying even when something is done by surrogates on your behalf, you are as responsible for it as if it was being done by a government employee.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: And that's really the nub of it. Were we really talking about contractor assassins, rogue elements? Well, General Hayden says, no, that if this was going on, that it would have been government oversight and responsibility. But the source we spoke to said this program was really looked at as being a contractor effort for the very reason it would distance the U.S. government from this assassination activity. Drew?

GRIFFIN: But, Barbara, once again at the end of the day, there is going to be a lot of politics involved with this discussion, as you know, because it feeds into a lot of political elements here. But at the end of the day, another program that never went operational but five years has been languishing around and did it accomplish anything whether it be considered good or bad? Nobody got killed.

STARR: We don't actually know the answer to that. All indications are from people we've spoken with was that no one was captured or killed under this specific program, that it never actually went into play. Because while it could have been a benefit to the government by keeping distance, it also had a lot of problems, sources tell us, because of that very issue of putting American-backed contractors into other countries with the mission to assassinate people. If they got caught, if something went wrong, boy, that becomes a big problem to admit it and get those people out of there, very tough business -- Drew.

GRIFFIN: Barbara, thanks, and thanks for the perspective on that.

Moving along to a story that has really outraged a lot of people. The man who brought down Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, 20 years ago, he was set free today. Scotland sent that man there Abdul Basad al Megrahbi home to Libya after just eight years in prison.

Why? Scottish authorities say the former Libyan intelligent agent has terminal prostate cancer, quote, "now faces a sentence imposed by a higher power." The Obama administration fiercely opposed what you're seeing right now, this man's release. Two hundred seventy people were killed when that jetliner was blown out of the sky. Getting all kinds of response to the release of Abdul Basad al Megrahbi on our blogs and Twitter pages. Josh Levs joining us now with what some of you are saying -- Josh.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Drew. Yes, obviously it's a (INAUDIBLE) story for a lot of people as you were just saying right there. Let me tell everyone about a Web site that is very interesting. We'll zoom into the screen behind me and this is it. It's victims of Pan Am flight 103.org.

And they have some pictures from memorial events over the years. They also have a complete list of all the victims. This is a very long list. You can learn about the people whose lives were so tragically cut short. Now, you were mentioning a lot of people weighing in. They are, indeed. Let's take a look at that, on the blogs cnn.com/josh.

James writes here, "I lost a friend in the bombing of Pan Am 103. By freeing that mass murderer the Scottish authorities have given a slap in the face to the families and friend of those 270 people who died that day."

Let's get to a couple more here. Bob in Tulsa is saying that, "He now gets to go home and spend his last weeks in comfort surrounded by his friends and family. The victims were not accorded the same treatment."

But we are seeing some other views. Take a look at this, this is interesting. From Janice who says She understands the rules in Scotland but she feels that since the passengers came from 21 countries, this decision should have been decided by an international tribunal such as The Hague." And over at Twitter here, I'm hearing something different, "Keeping him in prison to die is not justice and will not bring the victims back or their families' peace."

We obviously are looking forward to hearing from you, whatever your views are on this, feel free to weigh in. You have cnn.com/josh on my Facebook and Twitter, Joshlevscnn. And Drew I'm going to be camped out here following people's reactions also encouraging everyone, check out cnn.com for a lot of information backgrounds and learn about the victims.

GRIFFIN: All right Josh, thanks a lot.

There's been an unexpected jump in jobless claims. The number of Americans filing for first-time unemployment benefits climbed for the second straight week, surprising economists. Here to break down the numbers, Christine Romans in New York. Christine, what's going on here? More signs of a jobless recovery?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, these are layoffs in manufacturing, construction, trade, that's what really boosted the number here. The three states that saw the largest increases in people filing, Drew, for the first time for unemployment benefits were Tennessee, North Carolina and Wisconsin. And you're right, the economists who thought that maybe we'd be able to see some sign of a bottoming in these weekly numbers and you're not really seeing it in this one. You pointed out 576,000 people lining up for the first time for unemployment benefits. Think of that. That's half a million people in just a week for the first time finding themselves out of work and filing for unemployment benefits. That's up from the week before. The total number of people on the jobless rolls, this is what we call the continuing jobless claims, people who it's not the first time they have filed, they have already been getting benefits now and they're on the jobless rolls, 6.24 million.

I want you to think about that for a second. That's basically -- the metro area of Baltimore for example is 2.7 million. That's more than twice, almost three times the number of people in a big city like Baltimore across the country who are out of work. Who are getting unemployment benefits and there are millions more whose benefits have run out. So, it just gives you a size, a look at the scope of this problem.

Now, some important information for you if you're staring at a pink slip here. Employment attorneys say that if you just lost your job, there's a couple things you have to do. You have to make sure your departure is characterized completely without fault and legally is called without cause termination. You need that to get jobless benefits and you also need that if you're going ahead and looking for another job somewhere else.

Something important to make sure, the distinction between being fired and a layoff. And you can get paperwork before you leave to make sure that you have that so that it smoothes the transition for jobless benefits.

And, also, an employment attorney tells us, counsels us that if you're in a situation where it looks like there are layoffs coming at your office, think about asking your boss, can you keep me on for four weeks more, can you keep me on for six weeks more, just try to stretch it out a bit for the health benefits, give you a little bit more time. You can claim how you can help the business winding down what you're doing right now. It doesn't hurt to ask, just try and see if you can get a little bit of extra time. It will help cushion the blow.

Also one last thing, Drew, if you are on unemployment, if you get unemployment benefits, you qualify for COBRA under the stimulus act. That's that supplemental insurance and there are subsidies now for people to help you pay for that, for that COBRA insurance and at some point it's going to run out. I would encourage people to take a close look at that. They doubled the number of people applying, enrolling for COBRA just since the stimulus was passed simply because now that people are unemployment they can qualify for Cobra, it's a way to make sure you have health insurance in the interim while you look for a new job. Just some things to think of to try to put some advice in with these numbers.

GRIFFIN: I know, Christine, but like you, I'm sure you're tired of telling people how to deal with unemployment. We want to get those jobs back. Where are the jobs? I know you'll be back talking later in the hour, but I'm going to ask you about that, stimulus, are the car manufacturing jobs coming back. Where are these jobs? Hold that thought, Christine.

This is not easy to talk about Senator Ted Kennedy may be dying and now we realize he may know it. The letter he has now sent to insure Massachusetts has two votes in the U.S. Senate, even if one is not his.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Health care has been a signature issue for Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy. Kennedy who has brain cancer wants provisions for a speedy replacement if he has to surrender his Senate seat. He makes the plea in a letter to the governor and other state leaders in Massachusetts. In it he says, "Serving in the senate "has been and still is the greatest honor of my public life."

Senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash joins us from Washington. Dana, you talked about this yesterday in talking about passing this health care and democrats are concerned about his vote. What's going on here? What does the senator want to do?

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Here's what's going on, Drew that is Massachusetts law allows a five-month vacancy before a special election if a senator should die or resign. Senator Kennedy wants that changed so that there is an interim replacement. And the reason is, just as you said it is health care reform. He calls it the cause of his 47-year life in the United States Senate and he wants it of course to be his legacy.

So, sources tell us that the ailing Kennedy is in tough shape and he knows how to count votes the way nobody does in the Senate. He's well aware the democrats are struggling for every single vote on health care this fall and he wants to make sure if he can't be there, somebody else will. That's why he wrote this letter. I'll read you some of what he wrote to the governor and leaders in Massachusetts.

He wrote, "I strongly support that law," the law allowing for a special election, "and the principle that the people should elect their senator. I also believe it is vital for this commonwealth to have two voices speaking for the needs of its citizens and two votes in the Senate during the approximately five months between a vacancy and an election." Now, Drew, a Kennedy source tells me that the senator has been actually having quiet conversations about this for some time and knowing that it was going to get out, he decided to make his efforts public by sending this letter. That happened this week.

GRIFFIN: Dana, this is not without politics involved, right? This same issue came up when there was a republican governor in the office and they decided not to do it.

BASH: Exactly. You know, as sad as this is that he had to send this letter, this is not the first time that states have had to deal with what happens with succession and particularly this state and it's a little bit ironic that this is happening now, Drew, because the law that says that there's a special election but not for five months, it was put in place just a few years ago, in 2004.

Why? Because there was another senator, the other senator from Massachusetts John Kerry, he was running for president and there was a Republican governor, Mitt Romney. And Democrats were worried that if John Kerry were to win Mitt Romney would be able to appoint a republican and do that through the end of Senator Kerry's term. That's why this was changed and it is a bit ironic now that the other democratic senator, the senior democratic senator from Massachusetts wants to change it again.

GRIFFIN: And medically speaking, Dana, he's very sick. He didn't show up for the funeral.

BASH: Yes.

GRIFFIN: And there's no way, at this point, he can get to Washington for a vote. Is that right?

BASH: He had not -- when the Senate was in session, he had not been in the Senate for quite some time. I think it was probably a couple months that we did not see him. He in the spring was in Washington for a big gala that I was actually lucky enough to attend at the Kennedy Center where people were honoring him for his birthday, but much since then, he hasn't really been back here.

As you mentioned, he didn't even go to his own sister's funeral and they hold their cards very close to the vest in terms of the real story with his health. But, you know, the reality is when he was diagnosed a year ago May he wasn't given much time, so, if you look at the facts and figures he is pretty much on borrowed time now and what we do know is that it is pretty clear that he is in pretty tough shape.

GRIFFIN: All right Dana, thanks for that. The undercurrent here of course is health care. But still ahead, why it may be the end of the road for cash for clunkers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Looks like that Cash for Clunkers program was a limited time offer and may be out of time. Christine Romans joins us at the business desk in New York. Christine, is it done? Is it a done deal?

ROMANS: We'll know within the next 36 hours, Drew, whether this thing is really done for good. A lot of the dealers are already pulling out because people were delayed, they say they haven't been reimbursed yet for all the money that they're due for these clunkers deals. So, many of them are pulling out.

The dealer's association is telling the car dealers, look, we don't think you should extend any more of these offers because we're not convinced you're going to get paid for it if the program is ended quickly. The Department of Transportation says the dealers will be paid. What this all means is that we're nearing the end of the road here for this thing. This is headed for the scrap heap pretty soon here. We know that a lot of deals have already been done.

Some 457,000 Cash for Clunkers deals so far, $1.96 billion worth of claims. And the D.O.T. has said about the dealers' concern that they're not going to get paid back that they're going to get their money.

There will be no car dealer that won't be reimbursed, but many of the car dealers and many of the people who study this like edmonds.com, a respected car tracker, they say you've seen three waves now of buyers. The people who waited and waited for the program to start and then got in there the savvy buyers, really, the mass market buyers of people who got in the next wave and responded to the advertising on TV and then the final wave the late participants, people who couldn't find their title or tried to get their paperwork together.

Now Edmonds says what is going to be the next wave after this one, they don't think there is really a lot of demand left out there. They think that all the people who wanted to do Cash for Clunkers, most of them, at least, have already been processed and this thing is going to wind down pretty quickly. If you have the clunker in the garage, you need to find a dealer here pretty soon. I mean like today and get that done because this looks like it's winding down pretty quickly.

GRIFFIN: All right, Christine, interesting to see if there is going to be a post-clunker slump in the car deals being made out there. We will keep an eye on that as it goes forward. Speaking of going forward, what would it look like to go forward with health care reform without a public option? Some say Massachusetts may hold the key.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Let's go right to the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, where stocks are up but jobs are down. Susan Lisovicz joining us there, and Susan, that's becoming a real problem -- 6.25 million people in America without a job. This jobless recovery, what we're talking about. Really can't be a recovery at all without those jobs, can it?

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No. I think, you know, Drew, you know, we're at this critical stage here where I think that we have seen some signs of improvement starting right here with the stock market in march. Why were investors -- what were they responding to? They were responding to improvements in the housing market and manufacturing.

But yes, when you have 6.25 million Americans continuing to draw unemployment, and remember, that's a lowball number, Richard. There -- Drew. There are people who are -- who have just simply dropped out and are not collecting any benefits at all. That's a problem.

Why is that? Because they don't spend. And we have the latest evidence of that today. Sears, the big retail operator, saying that it lost nearly $95 million in the last quarter, and people aren't spending on discretionary items. They're also having problems making their mortgage payments.

We got another report today, this from the American Bankers Association, saying 13 percent of the people surveyed -- of homeowners surveyed were either late on their payments or in foreclosure. And what's particularly worrisome about this number is one in three were more stable borrowers with fixed rates, not subprime like we saw a year ago, adjustable rates. These are better borrowers, and it just goes to show the evolution of the housing prices. Still a problem when consumers -- when we are out of work.

GRIFFIN: Yes. We're trying to look for any silver lining here. I mean, the numbers are bad -- not as bad as they were some months ago. But is that really positive at this point or are we just at a level of jobs where, you know, these companies have to exist on a bare minimum of people working?

LISOVICZ: Well, sometimes that's the way you have to look at it. And certainly the stock market responded to that when things were not getting worse or things are bottoming. Yes, we did see layoffs seem to hit their peak in early January. But we do need to improve this, no question about it.

You know, we had a high number just in initial claims, 6.25 million for continuing claims. We still have another report on forecast of economic activity, and it showed growth, Drew, for the fourth straight month but at a slower pace.

The biggest problem in this leading economic indicator report was consumer confidence. So, it all comes around to that. And we're seeing stock markets rally today. But, yes, we still have a big problem with jobs.

GRIFFIN: All right. Susan Lisovicz, stocks up today, I don't know what that means for anybody who's without a job, but at least something to say positive.

Well, health care reform with no public insurance option. We told you about that. Many liberal Democrats say that's not reform at all, but some health care experts point to Massachusetts as a model for reform with no public option.

CNN's Jim Acosta takes a close look at what they're calling Romney Care.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MITT ROMNEY (R), FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR: Good, thank you. Good to see you.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If Washington wants to reform health care with bipartisan support, consider what former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney did as governor in Democratic Massachusetts.

ROMNEY: You don't have to have a public option. You don't have to have government get in the insurance business to make it work. ACOSTA: Three years after enacting its own version of reform, Massachusetts now has near-universal coverage. Taxpayer watchdogs say it's affordable.

MICHAEL WIDMER, MASSACHUSETTS TAXPAYER FOUNDATION: And there is this widespread assumption that is now treated this fact that it's breaking the bank in Massachusetts.

ACOSTA (on camera): And is it?

WIDMER: It's not breaking the bank at all. It's not even costing much at all relative to what we were spending four years ago.

ACOSTA (voice-over): And health care experts say it's popular.

ROBERT BLENDON, HARVARD UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: Seven in 10 people in the state support the program and no more than one in 10 would repeal it.

ACOSTA: Unlike Democratic proposals that would give Americans the choice of joining a government-run health care plan, Massachusetts has no public option. Instead, people in the state are mandated to buy private insurance. The poor get subsidies.

Analysts say Romney care is basically Obama care minus the public option.

(on camera): The president drops the public option, will you come out and support him?

ROMNEY: Well, depends on what's in the rest of the bill.

ACOSTA: Romney says Democrats only have themselves to blame for those rowdy town hall meetings.

ROMNEY: I think any time you're dealing with people's health care and their ability to choose their doctor, their ability to decide what kind of health care plan they want, you're going to find people are going to respond very emotionally.

ACOSTA: As for that other former governor's now debunked claim that reform would lead to death panels...

(on camera): What did you think when you heard Governor Palin talking about death panels?

ROMNEY: You know I hadn't read that into the bill.

ACOSTA: You think it's OK for the governor of Alaska to be talking about death panels?

ROMNEY: I'm not...

ACOSTA: About pulling the plug on grandma...

ROMNEY: I'm not going to tell other people what they can and cannot talk about.

ACOSTA (voice-over): But Romney does warn the president bipartisanship is the only road to health care reform.

ROMNEY: I think the right process for the president to pursue on health care, on an issue that is so emotional and so important to all Americans, is to go through the lengthy process of working on a bipartisan basis. He promised that.

ACOSTA (on camera): The Massachusetts model does have its problems. Experts say it does not control rising health care costs, something Mitt Romney admits has to be tackled on a national level.

Jim Acosta, CNN, Boston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: Well, one of the big reasons that everybody seems to want health care reform is to cover those people who are uninsured, but how many people are uninsured? The Truth Squad taking a look at that question, and leading the Truth Squad, our Josh Levs joins us with that.

Josh, you know, we hear these wild numbers -- 46 million walking around with no health care or no insurance and 8 million is the real number. What is the number?

LEVS: That's exactly why I wanted to pop in here right now, because this is something we've been following for a while, and there's something new on dot-com I want to show you.

First, the background. Let's go straight to this graphic because I want everyone to see some of the basics here. Now, the U.S. Census does say this, and I spoke with the Census. There's a report that says 45.7 million were uninsured for all of 2007.

But what most people do not realize, it's on the next screen here. The same report from the census, right, that says 46 million also says it's probably lower than that. That same report says health insurance is likely to be underreported. I spoke with the Census, they say, yes. That means most likely it's underneath 46 million even for them.

Now, here's what's new today. The CNN Truth Squad has now taken look at this, having heard something you just referred to, Drew. A lot of people at town halls say, you know what, it's actually only 8 million. So, let's now go to what the Truth Squad is saying, having taken a look at this.

Really quickly, we have a graphic for you. The basic idea here is, you have an organization that -- and you can see it right there, Pacific Research Institute, that's a conservative think tank that opposes the Obama administration's push for health care reform. They're citing this 2003 study, and they say, you know what, when you take out the people who are just short term without it, people who might be illegal immigrants who don't have access to it, people who could afford it and various other factors, they say it really boils down to 8 million.

You can get more info at dot-com, but in the end, our verdict is right here. We had to go with "in dispute" on this one. And the reason is, as I was just pointing out, even the Census itself says it can't be sure. That's why at these events, there's such a big range of people using these numbers. If we had the exact number, we'd give it to you. In the meantime, expect to hear a lot more claims out there, Drew.

GRIFFIN: Just going to drive people more crazy, Josh.

LEVS: I know, wish I could give you...

GRIFFIN: We're all arguing about a bill. We don't know what's in the bill. We're arguing about numbers, and we don't know what the number is.

LEVS: You want to go door to door with me around America and ask people?

GRIFFIN: Oh, I would, I would.

Josh, thanks for that. Hey, think about this, Josh. What's the one phrase you're tired of hearing?

LEVS: "Absolutely."

GRIFFIN: Our iReporters are going to sound off with theirs absolutely next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: We're going to lighten it up a little bit now. Are there any words or phrases that drive you crazy? Maybe there's a few annoying ones you use yourself. CNN.com has been collecting them for us.

Producer Tyson Wheatley joining us now from CNN.com at the iReport desk. You know, I can't stand, Tyson, when people mispronounce "especially." They say "expecially." And I also cannot stand the word "funds" for money. Funds.

TYSON WHEATLEY, CNN.COM PRODUCER: OK, is that one that you use, by chance? This is one...

GRIFFIN: No. When I talk about funds, I'm usually talking about taxpayer funds.

WHEATLEY: Yes.

GRIFFIN: I say the money that Congress took out of my back pocket. That's what I use instead of funds.

WHEATLEY: You know, what we're finding, and I'm just as guilty as anybody who's participated in this, I actually, I use the -- well, I use "actually" a lot, and I'll be using it probably a million times in this hit. And I say the word "awesome" probably 100 times a day. And, really, I say it probably so much that it kind of has lost its meaning.

And that's really kind of the -- behind this project that we've been doing. It's really fantastic. We've been asking iReporters, what are the words that you hear that are overused, you're so tired of hearing them, that maybe they've lost their meaning.

And what we did is, we heard back, we heard so many wonderful responses that our iReport intern this summer took a lot of these responses, and he matched the audio in a really cool way. He made an animation matching the words and some hand-drawn illustrations. We're not going to play the whole thing, but we are going to play just a little bit of it. Watch it and tell me what you think.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CALLER: "That's sick" annoys me. It's crazy because it has so many meanings. When you think "sick," you think gross and fever and cold, and you don't want to be around it. But then someone could say "that's sick," and it could mean it's the coolest thing in the world when it's really not. And it just gets confusing because sometimes you can say something like "that's sick," and it could actually be sick and gross, or someone could say "that's sick" and it could be "cool." It doesn't make any sense.

CALLER: My two least favorite words are "Kool-Aid drinkers" and "haters." Whenever anyone talks about Obama, and they don't agree with anything that he is trying to implement, the Democrats call you either a "Kool-Aid drinker" or a "hater."

Using the word "hater" is childish. They should come up with a legitimate debate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHEATLEY: OK, so, it's really cool. We invite you to go to CNN.com/ireport, where you can watch the rest of the video. There's a lot of other great words that people are using. And you know what? Why don't you tell thus word that you are so tired of hearing. A lot of great responses. And I promise, I'm going to try to stop saying "awesome" to describe everything, but, to be honest, this video's awesome.

GRIFFIN: Thanks, Tyson. My producers are telling me another word that I don't like -- "wrap." So, we're going to move on. Thanks for that.

WHEATLEY: If we must.

GRIFFIN: You can see it all on CNN.com, the iReport. It's great.

The Mexican drug cartel today dealt with what's being called a crippling blow. But is it enough to stop the drugs and crime from spreading across the U.S.? (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder just minutes ago now announcing dozens of new indictments of leaders, what we're told, of dozens of high-ranking cartel members. These are Mexican drug cartels accused of distributing massive amounts of drugs into major U.S. cities over almost over two decades, specifically Chicago and Brooklyn.

And they're talking about $5.8 billion in cash proceeds they're going to try to seize here. Many of those charged already being hunted by U.S. and Mexican authorities. So, I guess they're not in custody, just indictment. A surprising new city emerging in all this staging ground for the deadly Mexican drug trade in the U.S. for that, we turn to CNN's Brooke Baldwin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Drugs, weapons and cold, hard cash. It's a lethal combination fueling the Mexican drug cartels. And according to the Drug Enforcement Administration, now a new city has emerged as the staging grounds for this deadly trade.

RODNEY VINCENT (ph), DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION: Metro Atlanta is a hub for businesses in the southeast. It's also a hub of operations for Mexican organized crime.

BALDWIN: Atlanta, prime real estate for drug distribution according to the DEA's top Atlanta agent, Rodney Vincent (ph). He agreed to take CNN on a special aerial tour to illustrate how these deals go down, starting with the southern city's web of freeways.

VINCENT: You can go east, west, north, south from metro Atlanta, moving shipments of drugs from the southwest border, move all the way up the eastern seaboard.

BALDWIN: Before that can happen, the driver must wait here, at truck stops just like this one, often in broad daylight.

VINCENT: A truck driver arriving in to a place like this will then wait. It could be as soon as an hour. It could be two or three days. Then they'll receive instructions.

BALDWIN: Next, the driver heads to a warehouse. Vincent (ph) says there is plenty to pick from in Atlanta. There the drugs are parcelled out and sent to dealers throughout the U.S. But the drivers aren't done. They use this same truck to smuggle money and guns back into Mexico.

In 2008, Atlanta led the nation with $70 million in confiscated cash, according to the DEA. And last September, federal agents, along with local law enforcement, rounded up 34 members of Mexico's Gulf cartel in the Atlanta area alone, part of a nationwide effort called Project Reckoning. (on camera): If you think drug cartels are keeping their high- dollar drug operations in the gritty inner city, think again. The DEA says they prefer the suburbs. They move in a quiet middle-class neighborhoods just like this one, where they set up shop, stockpiling drugs and cash before distributing them.

(voice-over): Last July, a group of men with cartel connections lured a Rhode Island drug dealer to this Gwinnett County home. They chained him, beat him and held him hostage, demanding he pay $300,000 they say he owed. The DEA raided the home before it was too late.

VINCENT: There's no doubt in my mind that if we didn't act when we did, he would have been dead.

BALDWIN: Three men got caught, and pleaded guilty, but the rest escaped. Vincent (ph) says the explosive growth of Hispanic immigrants in metro Atlanta is yet another reason why Mexican cartels come here, allowing them to blend in and disappear, enabling this deadly drug trade to rage on, spreading roots in this southern city.

Brooke Baldwin, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: Atlanta's mayor is Shirley Franklin. She says she's aware of the drug trafficking in her city, but like Brooke pointed out, her office wanted to point out that the majority of this crime isn't happening in downtown, but the greater metro Atlanta area.

Local law enforcement in Atlanta working with the DEA. But the officers all agree, Atlanta is now the number one hub on the East Coast for this kind of activity.

So, how do those drug cartels impact crime across the U.S.? Josh Levs looking in to that for the next hour in the NEWSROOM. And he'll also detail the key players in these cartels and the status of each of those.

We're also going to bring you the story of a very sick 12-year- old girl from California. State budget cuts threatening to take away her home health care. Jessica's story, the struggle to survive California's financial crisis.

And collecting money owed? Desperate debt collectors posing as attorneys, even law enforcement officers. This is a disturbing tactic of some collection agencies, and efforts to stop them.

All that ahead in our noon hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Today's presidential election in Afghanistan is helping shape that nation for the next generation. U.S. forces doing their part there, too. Here's chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour. This report prepared for her CNN documentary, "GENERATION ISLAM." (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's an incredible sight, row upon row of schoolchildren organized into neat outdoor classes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One.

CLASS: One.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two.

CLASS: Two.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three.

CLASS: Three.

AMANPOUR: Several thousands students diligently counting in english.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ten.

CLASS: Ten.

AMANPOUR: Even at this age, they know that they want to communicate with the rest of the world.

(on camera): I've never seen anything like this, all these children outside, almost like classes, open air.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It's difficult for them to study when their brains are boiling.

AMANPOUR (voice-over): Haji Azim Kham (ph), the education director, says that in his district alone, 33,000 students are now studying outside in the sun. Amir Jan is an Afghan interpreter.

AMIR JAN, AFGHAN INTERPRETER: If you have schools, it's very important. Our kids, they can get education in the future. They will understand who is our enemy and who is our friend.

MAJOR GARY KNOER, NANGARHAR PROVINCIAL RECONSTRUCTION TEAM: Amir Jan.

JAN: Yes, sir.

KNOER: Tell them these supplies are from American students much like themselves.

AMANPOUR: Dolling out pens and pencils, dressed in full combat gear, Major Gary Knoer is trying his best to meet the needs here. He believes the children are the key to winning over their parents and eventually this war.

KNOER: If we can sway the civilian population and show them that we're here to support their children, then they are going to in turn not support the bad guys that come in here.

AMANPOUR: Just days before we arrived, the bad guys had attacked.

(on camera): Tell me what happened.

KNOER: Encountered the IED, destroyed one of the vehicles. Two of my men expired on sight. The other two got care at the hospital, but they didn't make it.

AMANPOUR (voice-over): This brand-new school was also built by Major Knoer's unit. His commander, Lieutenant Colonel Cabosky, has come to call class in to session. For the first time in their lives, these children will sit at proper desks. The looks on their faces say it all.

(on camera): I want to ask them what they think of this class. Are they happy about the classroom?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They say, yes, of course.

AMANPOUR (voice-over): But before these Americans pull out, Lieutenant Colonel Cabosky wants the villagers to understand the high price his men have paid.

LT. COL. STEVE CABOSKY, NANGARHAR PROVINCIAL RECONSTRUCTION TEAM: Three days ago, I lost four men who were killed because they were trying to build a school just like this one. All of you here will face a choice, a choice between your government, who asked us for help, to help build this school, and the enemies of Afghanistan, who offer only destruction.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: Next month, September, Christiane is going to debut a new program focused on international issues, "AMANPOUR." It's going to begin Sunday, September 27th, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern. We hope you'll tune in for that.