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Hurricane Bill Heads for East Coast; President Obama and Family to Visit Martha's Vineyard; Release of Lockerbie Bomber Causes International Uproar

Aired August 22, 2009 - 17:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: There are no reports of casualties.

And this late summer weekend could be a deadly one for beach goers who venture into the storm's dangerous rip currents.

(WEATHER BREAK)

LEMON: CNN's Susan Candiotti is in Massachusetts keeping an eye on the waves and the approaching storm. This is in Chatham, Massachusetts where tropical storm warning is in effect.

I saw in the water earlier, just wading. You weren't out in the waves. What is going on there now, Susan?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're at lighthouse beach in Chatham, Massachusetts.

The waves that we were seeing earlier have calmed down quite a bit, but beyond the barrier islands, they are much higher. And in fact when the storm kicks in later tonight way off shore, they are expecting waves of anywhere from 11 to maybe 20 feet way off shore here.

But I wanted to also give you a look at this lovely beach here and cliffs that are just over my shoulder here. There's a coast guard station up there as well.

You can see how all the locals and a lot of the visitors as well have pulled alongside here, it's a wonderful scenic overview, just to check out the ocean, see what things look like.

And right now, they're looking pretty calm, but the swimming has been off limits since early this morning. Boaters also asked to come back into safe harbor tonight. They were out earlier in the day according to the harbor master, but won't be tonight.

Joining us now briefly, the Gordon family. I just have time for a quick question for you. You came here for a holiday. No swimming today. What do you think things might clear up?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're thinking by Monday. From what we hear, we'll be in great shape and the waters here, there can be some calm spots to go to, so it should be no problem. One or two days out of a week, doesn't really make a big difference.

CANDIOTTI: How did things look now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Things look great, because we're not at work and we're relaxing.

CANDIOTTI: All depends on how you look at it, then.

There you are, Drew. So that's the situation from here. Obviously we'll be monitoring this throughout the evening, and we'll let you know how things turn out. Back to you.

LEMON: All right, have a great time, Susan, and thank you very much. And be careful to you and all the families.

The storm will mostly have passed Massachusetts by the time President Obama and his family arrive at Martha's Vineyard. The president and first family left Washington for Camp David yesterday, and they'll be there until tomorrow morning.

Meantime, Mr. Obama is using his weekly address to the nation to talk about health care and talk back to his critics. He says he's glad the nation is paying attention to this debate, but he says his opponents aren't playing fair.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We've had a vigorous debate about health insurance reform, and rightly so. This is an issue of vital concern to every American, and I'm glad that so many are engaged.

But it also should be an honest debate, not one dominated by willful misrepresentations and outright distortions spread by the very folks who would benefit the most by keeping things exactly as they are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: CNN's Elaine Quijano is tracking the health care debate for us. She is in Washington tonight. Elaine, is the president's health care plan in trouble? What is he doing to get become on message? I would imagine what he did right there is one thing?

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right. Don, whether health care reform passes is very much an open question right now, but President Obama is doing what he can, as you saw there, to push back against critics.

In his weekly address, he also went on to tackle some of what some of the administration says are myths. He said illegal immigrants would not be covered under a reform bill. He said taxpayer dollars would not go to fund abortions. And he once again insisted his administration is not planning a government takeover of the health care system.

Don, as you know, that is a one perception that's really fueling the anger at some of the more confrontational town hall meetings. LEMON: Early on, and even throughout this, he said he wanted to make this a bipartisan effort. So that hasn't really happened here. How are Republicans reacting to his efforts?

QUIJANO: Republicans in their weekly address said the president wasn't being straightforward about his proposal. GOP Congressman Tom Price of Georgia accused of the president of playing "fast and loose with the facts."

He said the reality is under the president's proposal whether people get to keep their plan or their doctor is very much in question.

LEMON: I would imagine that as the debate that continues, the longer it goes on, that's more fuel for the fire for the health care reform critic, Elaine.

QUIJANO: That's right. We're expecting numbers to come out next week. The Obama administration is set to release its budget forecast for the deficit.

Get this, officials projecting over the next ten years it will reach $9 trillion. That's a huge jump from the $7 trillion deficit that officials had projected at the start of this year.

The administration says most of the blame is due to the country's economic crisis, that there isn't as much tax revenue coming into the government. But, Don, this is likely to make that health care debate heat up even more. Republicans are already arguing that America just cannot afford an expensive overhaul of the system.

LEMON: Elaine Quijano in Washington. Thank you very much, Elaine.

And hurricane Bill not deterring the first family from taking a vacation along the New England coast. As we mentioned to you, President Obama and his family are due to arrive on Martha's Vineyard tomorrow while Bill is churning a couple hundred miles offshore.

CNN's Dan Lothian is on Martha's Vineyard, which has an interesting and little known history regarding African-Americans.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It's easy to see why Martha's Vineyard is such a big draw -- the beaches, the boats, the vintage carousel. But before you attach the label "enclave of the rich and famous," long-time summer resident and Harvard Professor Charles Ogletree says take a look around.

GEORGE OGLETREE, PROFESSOR, HARVARD LAW SCHOOL: It really is one of these rare places where you see people who unemployed and CEOs. You see people who are wealthy and poor. And there's no pretension here. People are very comfortable.

LOTHIAN: Even if sitting presidents keep dropping in. First it was Ulysses S. Grant, then the Clintons. How President Obama and his family are preparing to stretch out on this 28.5 acre blue heron farm in Chatham.

NANCY GARDELLA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MARTHA'S VINEYARD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: It's very flattering and impressive that President Obama and his family are coming.

LOTHIAN: Island historians say Mr. Obama's presence carries more weight because of the African-American heritage on Martha's Vineyard.

KEITH GORMAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MARTHA'S VINEYARD MUSEUM: There have been African-Americans on the island since at least the 18th century. I think in terms of this first family coming to the island, it's important.

This shot, I think, is really quite telling.

LOTHIAN: The pictures are in black and white at the local museum. Some were slave who when freed made a home here. Later other blacks came in search of good jobs.

GORMAN: You could get on a ship, a whaling ship, and in the 19th century, you have these multi-ethnic and multi-racial whaling vessels.

LOTHIAN: African-Americans began to settle in Oak Bluffs, an early resort community that didn't shut the door.

OGLETREE: The "colored only," "white only" signs were up throughout much of the 20th century until this was a place that didn't have the signs, didn't have the barriers to integration.

LOTHIAN: It's a history largely hidden behind the island's pristine beauty and high-profile presidential visits. But historian Kerry Tancard is trying to change that. She cofounded the African- American Heritage Trail that marks 22 sites honoring people of color on the island.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The uncovered headstones and things, you know, you can put your hands on it, you can see it. It's just a feeling you can't describe. We just want them to know that we were here.

LOTHIAN: While the president may be hoping to simply spend some quiet time relaxing with his family and friends, his visit is also seen as another chapter in this island's a deep history.

Dan Lothian, CNN, Martha's Vineyard.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Looks great there.

You know there's a mad rush to car dealerships across the country all thanks to cash for clunkers. Car lots are reporting brisk business ever since Congress gave the rebate program an injection of $2 billion. Now everyone seems to be rushing to trade in their old clunker for a new, more fuel efficient vehicle.

But some dealers are scrapping the program before it's officially set to end on Monday night. They say the government hasn't paid them.

A hero's welcome for a convicted terrorist. It ticks off the FBI chief as well as Tony Blair. Plus this --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I think back to what kind of child I had, it hurts me so bad. It hurts so bad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: The heartbreaking reality for families coping with the loss of a child. We'll take you to Chicago's deadly streets.

And as always, there it is, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or iReport.com. I'm logged on now. Send me your responses. I'll even talk back to you. We'll get them on the air as well.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: FBI director Robert Mueller is blasting the Scottish executive who released the Lockerbie bomber this week. Abdelbaset Al- Megrahi was welcomed as a hero in his native Libya when he was freed on, quote, "compassionate grounds." He has terminal cancer.

But Director Mueller isn't working up much compassion. He call Al-Megrahi's release a mockery of the rule of law. Mueller wrote in a letter to Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill, "Your action makes a mockery of the grief of the families who lost their own on December 21, 1988.

You could not have spent much time with the families, certainly not as much time as others involved in the investigation and prosecution. Where, I ask, is the justice?"

Meanwhile former British Prime Minister Tony Blair denies claims that a deal was cut with Libya for Al-Megrahi's release.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY BLAIR, FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Let me just make one thing absolutely clear. The Libyans, of course, were raising the case of Megrahi all the way along, not just with me, but with everybody. It was a major national concern for them.

But as I used to say to them, I don't have the power to release Mr. Megrahi and, indeed, the release that has taken place is a decision by the Scottish executor, which has taken place on compassionate grounds, and those compassionate grounds didn't even exist a few years back.

So yes, of course, it's absolutely right. The Libyans were always raising this issue. But we made it clear the only way this could be dealt with was through the proper procedures.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's son said this week that Al-Megrahi's release was on the negotiating table in Libyan contracts with Britain for oil and gas. That has created outrage here in the United States.

Iraqi officials are investigating if members of its security force assisted suicide bombers n six deadly attacks this week. One hundred people died Wednesday and hundreds more were wounded when truck bombs crashed into government buildings in Baghdad.

Iraq's foreign ministry said surveillance shows a suicide bomber drive through a checkpoint until he reached his target. Meantime, the Iraqi military arrested members after cell believed responsible for Wednesday's attack.

The Taliban made good on its threat of Afghanistan Election Day violence by cutting off the ink stained index fingers of at least two voters in the Kandahar province. And as the vote tally continues, two presidential candidates are already claiming victory.

CNN's Atia Abawi spoke with both camps.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIA ABAWI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It has only been two days since Afghans headed to the poll for its second ever presidential elections, but already two candidates are claiming that they are in the lead, that's Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and current President Hamid Karzai's campaigns, both stating they have gotten the majority of the votes so far.

Let's listen to what Dr. Abdullah had to say.

DR. ABDULLAH ABDULLAH, AFGHAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I shouldn't confuse your viewers. I'm not claiming victory, but I'm saying that all the preliminary results we have received so far, it's in my favor, it puts me in the lead. But we need it to have the full picture also the final results will be announced by the IEC.

ABAWI: President Hamid Karzai's campaign also stating that they are the ones with the majority of the votes, but they will respect whatever the independent election commission's results will be.

WAHEED OMAR, KARZAI CAMPAIGN SPOKESMAN: Regardless of who the winner is, once again, we believe it was a huge success, the election in itself, and we will respect the results of the election, whatever candidate is the winner.

But our own assumption, based on all what we have heard and received and what we have seen so far, we are well ahead in the elections.

ABAWI: Respecting the IEC results is exactly what everyone has been asking for from the international community to the Afghan community, many afraid of postelection violence when the result results are expected to be finalized on September 17th.

All campaigns here have garnered a lot of support, thousands to tens of thousands of people showing up at different rallies. And at the moment, everyone asking these candidates to make sure they speak to their supporters, that if they do demonstrate, that the demonstrations are done peacefully.

Atia Abawi, CNN, Kabul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: A grandfather from Washington state has become the oldest U.S. soldier to die in Afghanistan -- 59-year-old first sergeant Jose Crisostomo was killed in Afghanistan by a road side bomb on Tuesday.

Crisostomo, who was known to his friends as "Joe Sinbad," was well aware of the risks of combat. In 24 years in the military, he served in Vietnam and Kuwait before retiring in 1993. After 9/11, he decided to reenlist in the U.S. army.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICIA CRISOSTOMO, SOLDIER'S WIFE: When 9/11 came up, he was interested in going back serving his country, in which he loved to do. That was his passion, his life.

You know, there's friends, families, who say why did you let him do it? I just simply say, it's what he wants, and we support him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Jose Crisostomo was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. He is survived by his wife, four children, and ten grandchildren.

Prescription reform, could it work? We're digging deeper. And we'll have this for you as well --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The one place I never worried about was church. I never worried about them being at church. And to get a phone call that said your son got shot coming out of church, it was just unbelievable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Shot and killed on Chicago's deadly streets. Sadly, Terrell Bosley's (ph) case wasn't an exception -- far from it. We'll take you to Chicago's deadly streets.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A swine flu explosion could be on the horizon. That's according to the World Health Organization.

But it says healthy people who come down with mild or moderate cases don't need antiviral drugs like TAMIFLU. Those drugs should be saved for small children, the elderly, and pregnant women.

When swine flu peaks, health officials say most countries could see cases double every three to four days. But an official with the Centers for Disease Control says it might not be any more than a severe flu season.

President Obama used his weekly address to make another pitch for health care reform, insisting a failure to act means the crisis will continue to grow.

Georgia congressman and Dr. Tom Price delivered the Republican response. He calls the status quo "unacceptable." But he also says Americans don't like the Democrats plan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. TOM PRICE, (R) GEORGIA: I can tell you that Washington is incapable of processing the personal and unique circumstances that patients and doctors face each and every day. That's why a positive solution will put power in the hands of patients, not insurance companies or the government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right, joining us now to weigh in on the health care debate is Dr. Brad Landry. Hello, Dr. Landry.

Dr. Landry wants to see equal care for everyone, but he does not believe in health care rationing. So what are your thoughts about the president's plan? You don't believe in health care rationing. Is that what you believe about this proposal?

BRAD LANDRY, PHYSICIAN: I believe that care is currently rationed in the system that we have. And unfortunately, no matter how we do it, health care is a resource. And regardless of where we go, things will be rationed.

I don't agree with not providing care for certain individuals.

LEMON: Hang on one second. Let's stick with the one point here, rationing. What do you mean in a country as wealthy as the United States, why would we need to ration anything?

LANDRY: With any resource, we ration. We ration energy, we ration health care to a certain extent. Everything -- we can't spend unlimited resources on everyone. It just doesn't work that way.

LEMON: OK.

What about the concerns, what are your concerns about what's being discussed at these meetings around the country? We've heard, I think most people have pretty much said that these so-called death panels are not true. And so they're shying away from that.

But do you think that these concerns are valid and people still screaming in these town halls and yelling, do you think they have valid concerns?

LANDRY: I think there concerns arise from people not really being informed of what's included in the bill and what things will come down the pike.

There's a lot of good things that the bill will offer, including preserving employer based coverage, providing individual mandates to ensure that those get insurance that don't have it, providing proper regulation in the insurance industry through competitive pricing based on price, benefits, and quality.

They will provide a health insurance exchange so that individuals can negotiate and compare all the plans that are out there.

It also eliminates preexisting conditions, eliminates discriminatory demographics that are used now. It also makes some needed changes to GME. Most important...

LEMON: Discriminatory demographics, go ahead and tell me what that means. You're a physician. I don't know what that means?

LANDRY: Insurance companies base their coverage on age, race, that sort of thing. So that would be prevented under the current bill.

LEMON: That happens now. You're a physician, does that happen. We hear about that, but do you witness that in your profession while you're practicing?

LANDRY: As a physician, not directly. But the insurance companies are the ones who deal with that.

I did want to say, most importantly, the one thing that the current bill offers is changes to the reimbursement formula utilized by physician currently.

It's kind of been a mess over the last ten years and needed changes are made in that not only to ensure proper physician repayment, but also the future direction of where health care needs to go, which is more focused on a model, a primary care model, which is what we've gotten away from in this country, something like the medical home, which is shown through evidence can provide many cost savings in the long-term.

You can look at programs such as those in North Carolina, the community care program that saved over half a billion dollars in the last ten years. Utilizing health care reform combining aspects of that program of maybe aspect of the Massachusetts plan and the Geisinger model...

LEMON: Looking at the best of each plan to get all of the elements in there that would work best. I'm going to let you go, but the whole idea of rationing -- I just don't know in a country that is this wealthy if we have to resort to rationing. We shouldn't have to do that.

LANDRY: Well, unfortunately, we can't spend everything on everyone. And to a certain degree, that will always happen.

LEMON: Is it about priorities? If you have the priorities and you spend it, we wouldn't have to ration?

LANDRY: If we had the proper care, if we had the proper model of care, instead of relying on specialists and instead focusing on primary care, we wouldn't have to concern ourselves with rationing as much.

LEMON: All right, Dr. Landry, thank you. We appreciate it.

LANDRY: Thanks.

LEMON: Hurricane Bill targeting the east coast. And CNN's Jacqui Jeras is in hurricane headquarters. She is tracking the storm.

Plus, we're going to take you to the deadly streets of Chicago. This woman lost her son -- the unbearable grief of families who are losing their children. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DON LEMON, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: Keeping a close watch on Hurricane Bill this hour. It has been downgraded to a category 1 storm but that's nothing to play with because it's still large and still dangerous. Winds and battering waves are the big threat to the U.S. east coast. Also just passed Bermuda, there you see it going there.

Our Jacqui Jeras, watching it all in the CNN Severe Weather Center.

How bad is Bermuda? I was going to go to the east coast and go to Bermuda on vacation next week.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: They had it worse than we did, but not so much damage that you'll have a problem when you go back. They didn't have a direct landfall. They had a glancing blow and that's what we are going to have here in the U.S., too.

You can see the storm interacting with that front as it approaches. That's part of the reason why we're getting some of these weakening. It's getting closer to New England, about 300 miles away from the coastline, that closest approach is going to happen tonight. We're expecting it be 150 miles away from Nantucket and the Cape area.

Landfall will be tomorrow over Nova Scotia if we get landfall there, into the northeast. And some of those outer bands already making their way into the coastal area, so watch for wind gusts to increase throughout tonight -- Don? LEMON: Jacqui, thank you. It is a story that should lead every newscast. Nearly 300 people have died by the gun in Chicago just this year alone. Many of them were teenagers. Some were innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire. They are somebody's son, daughter, loved ones. They had dreams never realized.

I sat down with parents whose pain never seems to subside.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Is he right, it takes you back, always just pain.

ANNETTE NANCE HOLT, BLAIR HOLT'S MOTHER: Every time we talk about what happened that day it breaks me down all the time.

RONALD HOLT, BLAIR HOLT'S FATHER: I'm just as numb as that night. That afternoon, Annette called me and she told me Blair had been shot. You talk about the worst feeling in the world, instant trauma to the emotions.

ANNETTE NANCE HOLT: When I think back to what kind of child I had, it hurts me so bad. It hurts so bad.

LEMON: Most of you are carrying some sort of memento or something. What are you guys carrying?

MARIA RAMIREZ, MATTHEW RAMIREZ'S MOHER: My son was killed three and a half years ago and as you can see, I still have his cell phone on. I just can't bear to turn it off because I keep having that stupid little thought in the back of my head, when he walks back through the door, if he doesn't have a phone, he's just going to die.

LEMON: Does it ever ring?

RAMIREZ: I leave it on for his friends, for them to text me. They text him a lot.

LEMON: What do some of the text messages say? Do you get some of the text messages?

RAMIREZ: Just poems.

LEMON: Do you have any on?

RAMIREZ: There, "I miss you," things like that.

LEMON: You can read one.

RAMIREZ: "I don't want to lose anybody else, this hurts a lot. I love you."

LEMON: You brought something of your...

MICHELLE LINTON-DELASHMENT, KERMIT DELASHMENT JR'S MOTHER: I brought a program. The obituary and also the newspaper article. You can see he was in the paper. LEMON: This is how he was in the paper.

LINTON-DELASHMENT: Yes.

LEMON: "College student is city's 500th homicide of the year." This isn't how you expected your son to be in the paper.

LINTON-DELASHMENT: Huh-uh.

LEMON: Tell me your story next.

PAMELA MONTGOMERY-BOSLEY, TERREL BOSLEY'S MOTHER: Terrell was a bass player, gospel bass play. He was at a church, coming out to help his friend get drunk. Somebody came shooting and shot Terrell.

TOMIE BOSLEY, TERREL BOSLEY'S FATHER: I drove him to high school for four years. I drove him every day so he wouldn't have to take public transportation. And the one place I never worried about Terrell was church. I never worried about him being at church. And to get a phone call that your son got shot coming out of church, it was just unbelievable.

CYNTHIA WATERS, CHRITINE WATERS' MOTHER: I get a call from a complete stranger, they're coming from -- her and her friend were coming from a church function. and I get a call on my cell phone, it has her name. So I'm, you know, calling to get an update, how's your afternoon going. It's 5:00 in the afternoon, a complete stranger that my daughter is laying in the alley bleeding.

JAMES ROSE, CHRISINA WATER'S STEPFATHER: We almost lost Christina. I feel very lucky that we still have her.

LINTON-DELASHMENT: If I could say anything to that parent whose, child caused my child to lose his life, I hope you never feel like I feel.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: It's really sad. It's just a small part of what we're going to cover tonight for you. Many, many more stories to tell you about the streets of Chicago. And all week long, we have been hearing from you, our iReporters about the deadly violence in Chicago.

25-year-old Zach Isaacs is a graduate student at Loyola and has lived in Chicago's south side all his life.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZACH ISAACS, CNN IREPORTER: It's hard to find out when riding down the streets of Chicago's south side, especially in the Grand Crossing neighborhood, which has a high unemployment rate. But folks like Marc Sims wants to change that. Sims is the host of a public access show he distributes via YouTube. I caught up with him to find out what caused some to become so violence. MARC SIMS, CHICAGO RESIDENT: All of sudden -- no, it's not all of a sudden, violence is the American way.

ISAACS: He added that the quality of the upbringing relates to the age of a child's parents.

SIMS: Please, I tell young men, you shouldn't have children until you're at least 30, and young ladies, you shouldn't have any children until you're at least 25.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Life on Chicago's south side. If you're from Chicago or any other community, and have a story about how violence has affected you, send it to iReport.com and we will get it on the air for you.

Tonight, we are taking an in-depth look at Chicago's deadly streets. We take you to the neighborhoods where is the shootings are happening. We'll also question the police and look at what one local group is doing to stop this unbelievable violence. And we'll go one on one with Chicago's former school superintendent, Arne Duncan, now President Obama's secretary of education.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: There are many people though in this country to whom this story does not resonate. They're in great communities. They don't see this sort of violence. They're not on the south or west side of Chicago in a black or brown community. What do you say to them?

ARNE DUNCAN, SECRETARY OF EDUCATION: I think, unfortunately, this is not simply an inner city issue. This is a Virginia Tech issue, a northern Illinois issue. We have young people of white, black, brown, from many different communities who are being devastated because of it. So I think, if we care about our society, if we care about our children's young -- if we care about our children's future, all of us have to come together to create climates in which justice can be saved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Our special report, "Chicago's Deadly Streets," airs tonight at 10:00 p.m. eastern. Tune in. you'll be surprised at some of what you see. We're also looking for solutions.

You can see more on my reporting from Chicago as well as my producer Annika's blog about her personal connection to this story on our web site. Go to CNN.com/newsroom and click on Don, or CNN.com/don as well and you'll get to see that. Very interesting stuff. Tune in. You won't believe it.

She is a registered nurse who didn't have health insurance when she was diagnosed with cancer. Now she's a "CNN Hero" who is saving the lives of others who are uninsured.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: The irony is striking. Tonight's "CNN Hero" is a nurse practitioner who didn't have health insurance herself. She didn't have health insurance herself. Think about that one. So when Faith Coleman was diagnosed with kidney cancer, she had to mortgage her house to pay for her care. But she says the experience is the best thing that ever happened to her.

Faith Coleman joins us now from Orlando.

You were a nurse practitioner, you didn't have health insurance. How did that happen?

FAITH COLEMAN, NURSE PRACTITIONER: Because I was working as an independent contractor for two different doctors and I was not then eligible for the usual employee package or employee benefits. And I, at the time, just could not afford to for any health insurance.

LEMON: OK. So you're working, you couldn't afford to pay for health insurance, you're working as a health practitioner, so you knew the importance of having it.

COLEMAN: Absolutely.

LEMON: You just couldn't afford it.

COLEMAN: Right.

LEMON: And then you come down with cancer?

COLEMAN: Right.

LEMON: And the medical bills come.

COLEMAN: Shocking, it was shocking.

LEMON: We should tell everyone that you're in remission now and doing fine.

COLEMAN: Yes, I am. I'm six years out.

LEMON: So when you find out, right, and then that's devastating enough, but you knew working in the field that, oh, my gosh, the costs are going to be outrageous. Tell us about that.

COLEMAN: Yes, I did. And I was absolutely terror stricken over the possibilities of paying for this, how long would I be in the hospital, how much time would I have to miss from work. And fortunately, I only had to miss three weeks of work.

LEMON: But you had to remortgage your home?

COLEMAN: Yes, I did.

LEMON: In order to pay for it.

COLEMAN: Absolutely. LEMON: How much debt were you in from medical bills?

COLEMAN: About $35,000.

LEMON: For three weeks that you got for $35,000 or was it longer than that?

COLEMAN: Right.

LEMON: So what do you think -- this is very important to you, the whole idea of health care reform.

COLEMAN: The whole idea is extremely important, not only to me, it's important to the over 6,000 people that I have seen at my free clinic over the last four and a half year. It's important to the patients I see in my private practice, who have insurance but some of them have a $5,000 to $7,000 deductible. So unless they have something catastrophic, it's not going to cover the usual office visit, illnesses, immunizations, that kind of things.

LEMON: Before I ask you about the clinic -- this will be the last time we talk about it because I want the viewers to remember and they can go to our web site to find out about that.

COLEMAN: Right.

LEMON: What do you make of the debates going on, some it -- a lot of it noise. What do you say to the people on both sides who are fighting to get this done and the people who oppose it or what have you? What do you say about this issue?

COLEMAN: I say to them, they immediate to look at the surveys. I remember reading just the other day, one poll says there are 45 million uninsured in America. Another one says no, that's incorrect, there's only eight million. Well let me tell you, even if is eight million, and you're one of them, that's going to be one too many without insurance.

LEMON: Tell us quickly about your clinic.

COLEMAN: The clinic is the Flagler County Free Clinic started in 2005 by myself and Dr. John Kanakaris (ph). We're open the first and third Saturday and Sunday each month. And we welcome patient patients who don't have any insurance and nowhere else to turn.

LEMON: That's why you're a hero.

COLEMAN: Well, I have a lot of heroes behind me, let me tell you, because I surely couldn't do this by myself.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: You're a great lady.

COLEMAN: Thank you. LEMON: We hope that you stay healthy for a long, long time. We appreciate you coming on, especially someone who's lived it. And you represent the importance of it. So best of luck to you and keep doing what you're doing, OK?

COLEMAN: Thank you. Thank you so much for having me.

LEMON: Faith Coleman.

You can find out more about Faith or any of our heroes on CNN.com/heroes. And make sure you keep an eye out. In just a few weeks, we'll be announcing the top ten "CNN Heroes" of 2009. Drum roll, please.

"The Situation Room" is straight ahead.

Wolf Blitzer, what's on tap?

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Don, thanks very much.

Coming up at the top of the hour, my exclusive interview with the Scottish justice secretary, Kenny McCaskill. I'll ask him the tough question, why he decided to release a convicted terrorist to go back home to Libya.

Also, we'll get reaction to the interview from two family members of victims of Pan Am flight 103. That's coming up.

Also, we'll speak with the only U.S. senator to have actually been in Afghanistan to monitor the presidential election votes this past week.

All that and a lot more coming up right here in "The Situation Room."

Back to you, Don.

LEMON: All right, Wolf, we'll be watching.

A grisly new picture is emerging out about what happened to a murdered former model stuffed in a suitcase with her teeth and fingertips missing. Her reality star ex-husband is a prime suspect and he is nowhere to be found.

CNN's Erica Hill tells us why the manhunt stretches from California to Canada.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERICA HILL, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Early Saturday morning, in Buena Park, California, a man looking through a trash bin for recyclables finds a small unzipped suitcase.

FRANK DISTEFFAND, DISCOVERED VICTIM'S BODY: It was partially opened. I lifted it up one time and saw skin, so I wasn't sure. I lifted it again, when I saw it, the birth mark or the marks on the body and everything, I verified that it was a body. And I immediately called 911.

HILL: The body was Jasmine Fiore.

LT. GARY WORRALL, BUENA PARK, CALIFORNIA, POLICE: Our preliminary results and findings from the Orange County coroner were that she was strangled.

HILL: Police are now looking for this man, Ryan Jenkins, who was reportedly briefly married to Fiore. He and Fiore were last seen Friday night at a poker game in San Diego about 100 miles south of where her body was discovered Saturday morning.

On Saturday night, Jenkins filed a missing persons report for Fiore. He hasn't been heard from since.

WORRALL: Our fear is he might possibly be en route to Canada. He was the last person seen with her.

HILL: Jenkins, most recently a contestant on the VH-1 reality show, "Megan Wants a Millionaire," is described as an investment banker from Calgary. Police believe he is driving either a black FMW X5 SUV, like this one, with an Alberta license plate, number HLY-275, or he may be in Jasmine Fiore's white Mercedes.

Neighbors describe Fiore as outgoing.

UNIDENTIFIED NEIGHBOR: She was close. She had a good roommate, very friendly, friendly to everybody else. It's just a shocker.

HILL: A former boss at the modeling agency where she worked in Las Vegas said Fiore seemed to have her head on straight.

KEN HENDERSON, OWNER, BESTAGENCY: She seemed have been responsible, very driven, like focused on, you know, wanting to do -- get into the business, but not -- wasn't enamored by it.

HILL: Henderson said the last time he saw her, she looked really happy, and mentioned she had this great guy. The question, whether that great guy may know something about how Jasmine Fiore died.

Erica Hill, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: What a bizarre story.

Paying the price for health care reform. People under 25 could end up footing the bill. You know they want to speak out, and they will, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: We have been talking a lot about health care, but what about young people? Because they aren't always at the forefront of the health care battle. So tonight, we want to hear what they have to say. And we want to inform them as well, educate them. Alexander Heffner is in New York. He's the editor-in-chief of scoop44.com and a Harvard undergrad.

LENNY MCALLISTER, AUTHOR: Thanks, Don.

Lenny McAllister is in Charlotte. He is with theloop21.com and is also the author of "Diary of a Mad Black PYC," which is a proud young conservative. It's not like PYT, it's PYC.

MCALLISTER: Absolutely.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: Alexander is old at this, so Alexander we're going to let -- Lenny is new, so we're going to let him speak first.

How are young people represented in these proposals, if at all? What's your comment or concern about that?

LENNY MCALLISTER, THELOOP21.COM & AUTHOR: Well, as far as the current health care bill, you do see some reflections of young America in it. For example, the movement to make sure that our health records are optimized through the use of electronics, through the use of the Internet and electronic records. I think that's a very brilliant thing to do in terms of streamlining and getting some efficiency. That could save some costs there.

I think the effort to go toward social equality with health care is something that definitely reflects the younger movement within America, but I also think that's part of the contrast with what we're seeing.

LEMON: OK. When you talk about medical records though -- I have heard people criticize that saying, hey, you know, my medical records shouldn't have -- my medical records shouldn't be online and this is big brother.

Alexander, have you heard that?

ALEXANDER HEFFNER, SCOOP44.COM: I think there is an increased vulnerability if medical records on online but they will be streamlined and organized in a way that make them accessible and more efficient.

LEMON: I think that young people maybe more open to that, especially with social networking and the way they're always on some sort of device or what have you.

HEFFNER: Right.

LEMON: And saying where they are and tweeting all the time.

HEFFNER: I think the sense is that young people do desire and are seeking a public option because of all the surveys that are conducted. The millions of Americans who are uninsured or who are not documented as uninsured, but are, are young Americans. So there's some disillusionment or frustration with Mr. Obama and his inability to steadfastly back the public option.

LEMON: I heard two things in there, Lenny, that conservatives have sort of been making noise about undocumented immigrants, undocumented people and also the public option. Do you agree with what Alexander said? Do younger people, even conservative young people, do they want a public option?

MCALLISTER: I don't think that conservative young people do. It's very interesting that we start talking about undocumented people in America. Because the health care issue may, de facto, decide illegal immigration and the undocumented American issue. Because if we're going to cover all Americans, now we have to look at who is going to be that citizen that is allowed to get that health care. And if it's just going to cover everybody, we have in essence solved illegal immigration, which is going to fire up the conservative base that much more.

LEMON: I shouldn't just say conservative because I have heard liberals as well have concerns about undocumented immigrants as well. Not just conservatives on that, so I'm wrong on that point. Just myself, personally, unscientific poll here. I have heard people mention it.

OK, Lenny, we appreciate you. We want you to come back because we like hearing young folks' voices. That's why we have that guy talking to you on all the time.

MCALLISTER: Appreciate it, Don.

LEMON: Don't let him talk too much when he's on the air, because he'll try to steal your air time.

(LAUGHTER)

Thank you, guys, we appreciate it.

HEFFNER: Thank you, Don.

MCALLISTER: Thanks, Don.

LEMON: Sizing up sports shoes that claim to do more than just help your game. Kick your feet up. I'll explain that for you in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Well, what if shaping up was as easy as slipping on the right shoe? Yeah, right. But some shoe companies say exercising is just that simple. And CNN chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, has tonight's "Fit Nation."

(FIT NATION)

LEMON: All right, thank you, Sanjay.

And thank you for watching. I'm Don Lemon. I'll see you back here at 7 p.m. eastern.

"The Situation Room" begins right now.