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Kennedy Family Attends Private Mass; FDIC's Cash Crunch; Debating the True Number of Uninsured Americans; One Woman's Mission to Chronicle Others' Health Care Stories
Aired August 27, 2009 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: A day of mourning and celebration as family members and the public honor the life of Senator Edward Kennedy. Later today, the senator's body will lie in repose at the JFK Presidential Library in Boston, but this hour, the family is holding a private Mass.
CNN's Deborah Feyerick live from Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. And, Deborah, if you would, describe that scene for us.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, here's what we can tell you right now. And that is, we -- a number of the family members are arriving. We just saw Joseph Kennedy Jr. arrive. That's Bobby's son. William Kennedy Smith, he arrived a short time ago. His mom is the only living of the nine Kennedy siblings now.
Caroline Kennedy is here, as well. About 20 minutes ago, a huge police escort from the Boston Police Department arrived, and you can see behind me also the hearse came just moments ago, followed by eight huge limousines that are going to carry members of the family out to Boston.
Now, also interesting, the final car following that big motorcade, Ted Kennedy's son Patrick. And what's so interesting is you really get the sense that he has been coordinating all of this, because every time you see a hearse go in, he is -- he usually accompanies them, so -- in terms of logistics, in terms of details.
Now, there will be a mass. That's going to take place beginning at noon, a private family mass before the casket. That casket in the sunroom of the main house. That's where Ted Kennedy is lying in repose.
And then there will be a military Honor Guard that will carry his casket from the home where he spent his final months to the hearse, which will transport him to Boston. And here's what we can expect.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK (voice-over): Senator Edward Kennedy's final journey begins. A somber motorcade carrying him away from Hyannis Port, away from his boat and the ocean he loved so much, and endless days, of family past and present.
ANNA GRISWOLD, CAPE COD RESIDENT: We should celebrate his life, not -- you know, not be sad about it. But he did a lot of things. FEYERICK: Since Kennedy's death late Tuesday, his sons Patrick and Teddy Jr. have been among family and cousins, insiders say, keeping round-the-clock watch over Uncle Teddy, larger than life, even in death.
Family friend Teresa Heinz Kerry...
TERESA HEINZ-KERRY, FAMILY FRIEND: I was listening to Teddy speak. He said, "My dad died in such a peaceful way. I was so afraid of what it might be like, and it was wonderful." So, when you hear a child saying that, you can't wish for much better.
FEYERICK: The trip from Cape Cod to Boston expected to take less than two hours. The senator's body will lie in repose at the library he built for his older brother, President John Kennedy, lovingly transforming it into a forum for change and public service. A memorial to be held there Friday, at 7:00 in the evening.
And on Saturday, a private mass nearby at one of Ted Kennedy's favorite churches, before he is flown to Arlington National Cemetery to be buried near his brothers.
Over the next 60 days, Kennedy's staff will archive the senator's materials and close his office. The secretary of the Senate saying they cannot continue any legislative or other work under way before he died.
New senior Senator John Kerry is hoping to fight to have Ted Kennedy's seat temporarily filled.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: He's asking simply for a temporary ability to appoint someone who will not run, will not get in the way of other people who want to run, who will be there for a moment only.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK: Senator Kerry, of course, referring to the empty Senate seat. Senator Kennedy was anxious that his death might deprive Democrats of a majority. Still, it could be several months before it's resolved and that seat is filled.
The Massachusetts governor spoke earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. DEVAL PATRICK (D), MASSACHUSETTS: The legislature and the legislative leaders, I know, are seriously considering this request and this minor change to make a temporary appointment to the Senate. They are focused not so much on whether it should be done, but how it can be done, and how to get it accomplished, and that's not a simple calculation. They've got to work their way through it, and I think they're working their way through it in good faith.
(END VIDEO CLIP) FEYERICK: And a family friend who visited Victoria Reggie Kennedy, Senator Ted Kennedy's widow, yesterday said she seemed to be in good spirits. She was appreciative that that they had such a wonderful year together as he convalesced and tried to heal from the brain cancer that ultimately claimed his life. And she said that, really, he got to do everything he wanted to do except pass health care.
And even when Senator Kerry was here yesterday, that's one thing he said. He said, "We will get this health care bill passed. We will get health care reform done. And we will name it after our dear colleague."
Back to you.
HARRIS: All right. Deborah Feyerick for us.
Deborah, appreciate it. Thank you. You're going to be helping us with our coverage throughout this hour.
The motorcade carrying Senator Kennedy's body from Hyannis Port to Boston is expected to begin in about a half-hour's time. Along the journey from Cape Cod to Boston, the motorcade will make stops at sites significant to the senator's life.
It will cross the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway. That's the Boston park honoring Kennedy's mother.
The public is expected to line the motorcade route at various sites, including the state house. The motorcade will pass Faneuil Hall, where the governor will ring the bell in Senator Kennedy's honor. The procession ends at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, where the senator's body will lie in repose.
We will have live coverage of the motorcade when it leaves Hyannis Port and heads for Boston. That is expected to happen at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Let's turn now to issue number one and new hints of an economic recovery today.
First, shorter unemployment lines. The Labor Department says first-time jobless claims fell last week to 570,000. That's still a big number, but a decrease of 10,000.
Continuing claims also posted a decline to 6.1 million. Still a huge number, but that is the lowest level since April.
And the government didn't need to revise the gross domestic product for the second quarter. It shows the economy shrank just one percent between April and June. Analysts had expected the revision to show the economy contracted more than that.
Could the agency that guarantees your bank deposits need a bailout? The FDIC is running low on cash, drained by 81 bank failures so far this year.
Today, officials added another 111 banks to the troubled list. That brings the total to 416.
FDIC boss Sheila Bair says in a statement, "We expect the number of problem banks and failures will remain elevated even as the economy begins to recover."
CNN's Christine Romans is going to help us sort through this story.
So, Christine, banks are going bad.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
HARRIS: How much of a concern is that for the administration?
ROMANS: Well, you showed Sheila Bair there, and I wanted to say another quote from her. "No insured depositor has ever lost a penny of insured deposits and no one ever will."
HARRIS: OK.
ROMANS: So, if you're watching this and saying, If the banks are going bad, what in the world does that mean for my money? The existence of the FDIC is to prevent you from losing money on your insured deposits. You're insured up to $250,000.
About the administration and the challenges for its strategy to try to climb out of this economic mess that we've been in? Clearly, the banking sector is still frail and still facing a lot of risks for the small and the midsized banks.
You talked about the number on that watch list, now 416. That's the highest since 1994.
And, Tony, when you look at the trajectory here, you can see 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 now, 416 banks that are problem banks. And many of the banking analysts are expecting more bank failures ahead. In fact, you know, hundreds more, some say, over the next two or three years.
That's depleting the resources of the FDIC's insurance reserve, its insurance fund. And if you look at those resources, they are the inverse of that chart I just showed you, where the problem list is going up and the amount of money in the coffers is going down, about $10.4 billion right now. They've set aside $32 billion to pay anything out in the very near term here.
What happens if they go broke, as our banner there says?
HARRIS: Oh, they're not going to go broke. Come on now. Come on.
ROMANS: They can't go broke.
HARRIS: Can't go broke.
ROMANS: It's impossible, because they have a $500 billion line of credit with the Treasury. They can just take a loan from taxpayers. They pay it back in interest. That's what happened I think the last time during the S&L crisis.
And you've got -- they can also tap the banks and say that they've got to pay higher fees, because the banks fund the insurance fund. So, they have to go back...
HARRIS: Ooh, charging fees to the banks, who have been charging fees to us all these years. There's a concept.
ROMANS: They do it already, but they would have to raise it. So, there's ways to shake the trees to get more money. But what it just tells you is the banking system is still a little bit fragile.
And the whole point of the FDIC is so that if your bank goes under, you don't feel it, that you can still go the next day and use your ATM. And I'll tell you why Sheila Bair is the number two most powerful woman on the global Forbes...
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: Well, we like her on this program. We think she's been effective and - yes.
ROMANS: The reason she is number two is because she's been able to oversee 81 bank failures this year and 25 last year with very minimal disruption for consumers. And with minimal disruptions of the overall economy. That's what the FDIC was designed to do, and that's what many say it has been doing.
HARRIS: I got one more for you.
ROMANS: What?
HARRIS: So, no danger to our deposits from these troubled, failing banks. Here's the other question. To raise money, is there a chance that these hedge funds might be allowed to buy into some of these failed or failing...
ROMANS: Yes.
HARRIS: ... banks? And in that sense, helping to bring more capital into the system?
ROMANS: Private equity -- you're talking about private equity.
HARRIS: Private equity.
ROMANS: That's right. Yesterday, "Barbarians at the Gate" is what our headline on CNNMoney.com said again.
Look, they loosened some rules, the FDIC did, so that private equity could invest in these companies. But, you know, they put some safeguards in there so that they have to hold on to them for three years and the like. But, look, private equity, what they're best known for is buying a firm that's failing...
HARRIS: Yes.
ROMANS: ... cutting it up, slashing jobs, and then turning around and sell ut right away. Not necessarily the kind of behavior you want in the banking system.
HARRIS: Exactly.
ROMANS: So, they'd have to make sure that they have rules in place so that if you've got private -- you need healthy buyers in the banking system, but, yes, there are some rules changing there for sure.
HARRIS: Yes. If you need money, these hedge funds, these private equity firms, they have cash. But you've got to be careful.
ROMANS: Beggars can't be choosers.
HARRIS: Well, that's another good point.
All right, Christine. Appreciate it. Thank you.
Our reporter Ed Lavandera has been looking at the surveillance video shot inside the Florida home of Byrd and Melanie Billings when they were killed by intruders. He'll fill us in on what he's been seeing in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Take a look at this. Pictures just in to the CNN NEWSROOM, just got my hands on the information here.
We've got a fire, obviously. Ah, we were just asking a question a moment ago as we were watching these pictures, what does black smoke indicate as to the particular properties that might be burning here? A bit of an answer possibly here.
This is a fire burning at the Sterling Oil and Chemical Company. OK? And this is just outside of Detroit.
No word yet of any injuries. As you can imagine, evacuations have, in fact, been ordered.
We will continue to follow this. As you can see, this is very close to the interstate. We will continue to follow these pictures and the stories and see if we can get any additional information on the evacuations, if anyone has been injured in all of this.
Again, this is a fire at the Sterling Oil and Chemical Company, so we have a bit of a hazmat situation on our hands here. We'll get you an update in just a couple of minutes.
And also happening right now, NASA's hoping the third time will be the charm for Space Shuttle Discovery. Friday's scheduled liftoff to happen in the wee hours of the morning, 12:22 a.m. Eastern Time. Bad weather and a problem valve scrapped the first two tries.
Discovery will deliver an astronaut and supplies to the International Space Station. That includes the Colbert treadmill for exercise named after comedian Stephen Colbert.
Are you serious?
OK, you may want to cover your ears for this one. NASA is scheduled to fire a test booster in Utah this afternoon for the Ares I Rocket, and it is going to be loud. The Ares I, now in production, is intended to take the place of the aging space shuttle fleet, speeding crews to the International Space Station and perhaps to the moon.
An emotional moment at a health care town hall meeting leads to a pointed exchange between a lawmaker and a CNN reporter. A woman at the meeting hosted by Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn asked for help for her husband who suffered a traumatic brain injury. She says the insurance company won't cover and give her assistance.
Our Jim Acosta asked the Senator, who is also a doctor, about plans to help the woman. That led to an exchange over the number of uninsured in the country.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Senator, I think I heard the local reporter there asking you about this, but what's being done to help the woman at the town hall meeting?
SEN. TOM COBURN (R), OKLAHOMA: Well, everything we can, but, you know, she has a case file with us, and that's all confidential, so we can't speak to details of it. But we've had several people call us and say they're willing to help her. Citizens. And so, you know, the question is...
ACOSTA: Can you do that with millions of uninsured people in this country who are in the same boat?
COBURN: Well, yes. No, they're not in the same boat. Don't exaggerate. Most people...
ACOSTA: There aren't millions of people uninsured in this country?
COBURN: Are you going to ask me a question and let me answer it or argue with me?
ACOSTA: I'm just asking.
COBURN: What I'm saying is there are millions of people that are uninsured, but there are not millions of people who have lost their husband's ability to be a breadwinner and then not have a safety net that is taken care of. There's not millions. And the question is, is are we efficient at how we help people who really depend on us? ACOSTA: So, for the 47-some-odd million people who don't have health care insurance in this country, her case is an exception
COBURN: Absolutely. Absolutely. Let's talk about the 47 million you all continue to refer to. Eleven of them are illegal immigrants, 16 million are eligible for SCHIP or Medicaid today. They go anywhere, they're going to get covered because they are eligible.
We have 11 million people making over $75,000 a year who choose not to buy insurance. So, we actually have about nine million Americans who really need our help.
ACOSTA: The problem is exaggerated in your mind?
COBURN: Absolutely, it's exaggerated. But it doesn't mean the problem with the cost of health care, because the thing that keeps them from getting health care is cost.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: All right.
Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here to help us sort through these numbers, the numbers of the uninsured. And let me preface this by saying we pay very close attention to everything Senator Coburn says on the subject of health care. He's really smart in this area. I believe he's a doctor.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right.
HARRIS: And so -- and he is absolutely key, and he has actually come up with a Republican approach to health care reform. So, we are really interested in everything he has to say on this topic, and he's been a guest on this program a couple of times. But we want to go through some of the numbers that he cited.
OK?
COHEN: Right, just a little fact-checking. OK.
HARRIS: Let's do this. The number that we've heard most often is the number of 46 million, 47 million uninsured Americans.
COHEN: Right. And let me tell you where that comes from.
That comes from the Census Department. The Census Department says 46 million Americans don't have insurance. What he was arguing with is, who are these people?
HARRIS: Yes.
COHEN: Are they illegal immigrants perhaps? Are they perhaps people who would be eligible for Medicaid and have opted not to get it? Are they people who just don't want to pay for health care? Right?
I mean, you could be a multi-zillionaire (ph) and be uninsured just because you don't want to dish out the money, right?
HARRIS: So, should we look through some of these numbers?
COHEN: Now let's look through them.
HARRIS: OK. So, Senator Coburn says you're really talking about 11 million people who are illegal immigrants as being factored into this 47 million uninsured number.
COHEN: Right. He says, OK, 46 million uninsured Americans...
HARRIS: Yes. I'm sorry, 46 million or 47 million? We should get our numbers straight.
COHEN: Forty-six million. Forty-six million uninsured Americans.
He says 11 million out of the 46 million are illegal immigrants. Well, he is going to have to argue with members of his own party about that, because according to a Republican (AUDIO GAP) brief, only eight million of the 46 million are uninsured. So, people of his own party are saying that his number is wrong, and that it's eight million are uninsured immigrants, not 11 million.
HARRIS: So, an argument with his own party on that number.
COHEN: Right.
HARRIS: Sixteen million are SCHIP or Medicaid eligible. And what is SCHIP, first of all?
COHEN: SCHIP is a program to insure kids who don't have insurance on their own.
HARRIS: OK. So, what do we make of this number?
COHEN: Well, you know, it's interesting. This is one -- this has to be sort of, you have to go to various groups and see what they say. Everyone can do their own estimates, so maybe he gives that 16 million. However, the Urban Institute has done very recent work and they say it's more like 11 million.
So, in other words, what they're both saying is that there are millions of people, adults and children, who are eligible for public programs like Medicaid or SCHIP, but aren't taking advantage of it.
HARRIS: Yes.
COHEN: Now, then, the question is, well, golly, if they could get on those programs, why the heck aren't they?
HARRIS: Right.
COHEN: That's a complicated answer. It could be because it's too difficult to enroll. It could be because they don't even know that they are eligible for it, a whole lot of different answers. Maybe they just don't feel like it.
HARRIS: And this last answer from the Senator, 11 million of the 46 million who are uninsured make over $75,000 a year and opt not to purchase insurance. So, this is the argument, that there are people who can afford it and just for whatever reason, decide they're not going to purchase it.
COHEN: Well, because it costs money. Right? And, surely, there are people out there who say, well, I could either buy health insurance or I could go on a nice Caribbean vacation. You know, there are people who would choose the vacation. There are probably some people like that.
However, the Census Bureau itself, which keeps these records, says that the senator is wrong on this count. They say that there are nine million people making $75,000 a year or more who do not have health insurance, and I think many people would argue with him saying that they've opted no to buy it.
Let's say you make $75,000 a year because you run your own little mom-and-pop store. You don't have insurance through your employer because you're self-employed. And let's say you have cancer and you can't get insurance. Or let's say you even have a bad back and you can't get insurance.
So, some of these people making 75,000 a year, they don't have insurance because they can't get it. They can't get Medicaid. They're too rich.
They can't get insurance through the private sector because perhaps they have a pre-existing condition. They can't get it through their employer, because their employer offer it. So, some people are forced not to have it. Other people choose not to have it.
HARRIS: So, when you take the senator's numbers, 11 million are illegal immigrants, and there's some pushback on that. Sixteen million are SCHIP or Medicaid eligible. And you just talked about all of that. And 11 million make more than $75,000 a year and opt out for whatever reason from purchasing insurance.
When you factor in the numbers from the senator, that's how he comes up with this idea that leaves nine million uninsured Americans who need help. Correct?
COHEN: Right. And a lot of people would really argue with that, including the Census Bureau.
HARRIS: OK. And again, we've had the senator on the program, we will have him again. As soon as he wants to join us, we'll have him on to talk about these numbers and to talk about the health care debate, where we go from here. Because he is, would you agree, very important to this discussion?
COHEN: Oh, he is. He's very thoughtful on this discussion.
HARRIS: Smart. COHEN: And unlike some people who just complain, he actually has come up with some plans on his own.
HARRIS: Appreciate it, Elizabeth. Thank you.
COHEN: Thanks.
HARRIS: You know, we have heard the arguments -- many, many arguments -- over health care. Another look at this story. We will hear one woman's personal mission. It inspired -- it actually was inspired by her chronically ill child. Two children, actually.
Kathie McClure quit her job and hit the road to chronicle the stories of others.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATHIE MCCLURE, CAITLIN'S MOTHER: These are little dolls that I stitch around the sides and then fill with rice and then send them to people that I like to interview with.
HARRIS (voice-over): Like most recent college grads, Caitlin McClure is hoping to snag a good job.
MCCLURE: This is my logo. It's me as a -- I'm also a skydiver. So, it's me as a little bird.
HARRIS: But she needs more than just a good job. She needs a good job with generous medical benefits.
CAITLIN MCCLURE, EPILEPTIC: It was really windy, and the wind blew the soccer goal over, and it hit me in the back of the head. And then I fell to my knees, and it hit me again.
HARRIS: The soccer accident 10 years ago left Caitlin with epilepsy, and a whopping $1,000 a month medication regimen.
C. MCCLURE: So this is what I take.
HARRIS: Without the pills she takes every day?
C. MCCLURE: I'd be having seizures all day.
HARRIS: After McClure graduated from college, she was no longer eligible for coverage under her parents' health insurance plan. And with her epilepsy, a pre-existing condition for insurance companies, finding affordable health insurance has been nearly impossible.
K. MCCLURE: It was a glimpse for us of what her life is going to be like. It's going to be -- always be super expensive. She's always going to have to deal with meds that are, you know, ridiculously expensive. And for her, it's like another rent payment.
Hey, Pop, it's just about ready.
One day I woke up and I said to my husband Jay, "I'd like to quit my job and become an advocate." And he said, fine.
HARRIS: An advocate for her daughter, Caitlin, and her son, 27- year-old Christopher, who has Type I Diabetes.
K. MCCLURE: I decided that I couldn't sit back and allow them to be subjected to a health care system that was going to be forever a problem.
HARRIS: Kathie McClure, an Atlanta attorney, started the non- for-profit group VoteHealthCare.org. She hit the road in the mobile office traveling to 30 states over the last two summers listening to health care horror stories and encouraging people to speak out.
K. MCCLURE: I've really seen how the holes in our health care system are affecting working Americans and productive citizens. And it's not a pretty picture.
HARRIS: Then she took those stories to D.C. to share them with legislators.
While she supports the proposal for a government-run insurance option, her main goal is to encourage people to join the debate.
K. MCCLURE: I've seen the people who are doing without, people whose premiums are more than their mortgage payment, or who have no coverage at all. And it's just -- it's really crippling us financially as a country.
C. MCCLURE: I have a great support system with my family and friends.
HARRIS: Caitlin may need that support as she navigates the health care system. She certainly has a committed advocate.
K. MCCLURE: And I think the people need to speak up and say, we want you to do what's best for all of us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Now Kathie is about to embark on another journey. Tomorrow, she is going in to surgery to donate a kidney to a friend. She found out many insurance companies consider having had kidney surgery a pre-existing condition. Kathie plans to fight for a bill to outlaw that practice.
And we want to take you to Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. The motorcade carrying Senator Kennedy's body from Hyannis Port to Boston is expected to leave the family compound any moment now. A private family service is going on right now.
We will follow the motorcade to Boston for you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
When we come back, surveillance tape of a gruesome murder. We'll find out what the tape shows.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Once again, we are moments away from the motorcade departing which will be carrying Senator Kennedy's body from Hyannis Port to Boston. It is expected to begin any moment now. A private family mass going on right now at the Kennedy family compound.
Along the journey from Cape Cod to Boston, the motorcade will make several stops at sites significant to the senator's life. It will cross the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway. That is the Boston park honoring the senator's mother. The public is expected to line the motorcade route at various stops, including at the statehouse. When the motorcade begins to move, we will, of course, follow it for you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
You know, it was a particularly brutal killing that shocked the nation. We're talking about a wealthy Florida couple known for adopting special-needs children, gunned down last month in a home- invasion robbery. Surveillance video helped lead to the arrests of eight people. That video and crime scene photos released today. CNN's Ed Lavandera following developments for us in Pensacola, Florida.
And, Ed, video of the outside of the house was released early on. This video only being shown to the media. What's on it?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, actually, it's being opened up to all of the public because of the way Florida laws work. Any time evidence is turned over in the process of discovery, leading up to a trial and it's turned over to defense attorneys, it then becomes part of the public record.
HARRIS: I see.
LAVANDERA: But the family has fought to prevent this video from being released, widespread, and being able to be disseminated. So because of that, a deal has been reached to allow members of the public, including the news media, to come here to Pensacola and we're able to watch the videos and the crime scene photographs that have been released so far. We have seen -- spent the last two-and-a-half hours doing that. More than 2,000 photos and also several hours of the surveillance video.
As you mentioned, we've seen the video outside the home. We've seen several camera angles inside the home. In all, we're told 16 cameras recorded what happened in those -- in those few minutes where Byrd and Melanie Billings were killed here in Pensacola.
Two camera angles in particular were rather fascinating. One is from inside the living room where you see the initial confrontation between the gunmen and Byrd and Melanie Billings. Rather chilling in many ways, especially when you take into consideration that moments before the men burst into the home, there was one child, which I make out to be about five, six, seven years old, the video is very grainy. Hard to make out, impossible to make out any faces, really, at this point really, but you see a young child in the living room hanging out by the coffee table. Then you see Byrd and Melanie Billings emerge when they're confronted by these men. Two men come from behind Byrd Billings and you can -- he has his arms up in the air and he drops to the floor after what we've been told he was shot in the leg.
And the confrontation continues. It all lasts less than five minutes. At one point you see Melanie Billings holding that child that was in the living room, but then they disappear from the shot inside that living room. They were murdered, we're told, in their bedroom. That was not captured on videotape.
The other angle, which was incredibly fascinating, is you've seen that video of that red van approaching the home.
HARRIS: Yes, yes.
LAVANDERA: Well, just above where that van is -- was one of the children's bedroom. That child was in the room sleeping. A child I make out to be about 10, 12 years old. A young girl. You see the van pull up. And it was -- it was almost like the camera angle and you see the van just outside the window there. You see the men jump out of the van and they break into the home.
That young girl clearly confused by what's going on. You see her get up, approach the door, go back to bed, cover herself up in the covers, cover her ears. She goes back and forth from the door back to her bed several times, completely unaware that those men were outside her -- just below her window. It's not until they leave the scene that you see her run to the window and see the men drive off. That, in my opinion, from what I have just seen, really offered the most chilling . . .
HARRIS: That is chilling.
LAVANDERA: Witness -- the scenes to this whole crime.
HARRIS: Hey, and another quick one for you. I understand authorities are pursuing leads that it may have been someone's actual job to turn the surveillance cameras off, but that they didn't.
LAVANDERA: Right. That has been something that they've been -- a theory that they've been operating under for quite some time. Authorities here say they still believe that to be the case, although we haven't been told of any significant progress on that front for now, Tony.
HARRIS: Got you. And, so -- and, Ed, finally, where, in general, does the case stand right now?
LAVANDERA: Well, you know, they -- authorities, the sheriff's department here in Pensacola say that they are still wrapping up the tail end of their their investigation. For the most part, a lot of this information, a lot of these -- a lot of the evidence has been turned over to prosecutors and the suspects in this case have their defense attorneys. And we're told that we're about a year away from going to trial in this case. So a great deal of the legal work really taking place behind the scenes now.
HARRIS: CNN's Ed Lavandera for us from Pensacola, Florida.
Ed, appreciate it. Thank you.
And, once again, let's take this shot full. We are standing by waiting for the motorcade. Beautiful. The motorcade carrying Senator Kennedy's body from Hyannis Port to Boston to begin any moment now. The family taking part in a private memorial service inside the home of the Kennedy family compound. When the motorcade begins, we will, of course, follow that for you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And, once again, want to show you these live pictures. You see the hearse there at the center of the screen. And we understand shortly the casket with the body of Senator Kennedy will be placed in that hearse. The motorcade carrying the senator's body from Hyannis Port to Boston expected to begin shortly. We're beginning to see more activity, which would indicate that we are close to the start of this motorcade. Our Deborah Feyerick is there at Hyannis Port.
And, Deb, if you would, sort of walk us through what you've been seeing this morning and bringing us right up to this moment.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, the hearse appears to be backing into -- into the driveway. It pulled up probably about 35, 40 minutes ago. Now it's backing in. We are told that the senator's casket will be brought out of the home by a military honor guard. It will be brought out of the front door and then along the patio where he spent so many hours, down into the hearse.
There are about eight very large limousines. Those will carry members of the family. We've seen many familiar faces here. Caroline Kennedy, Maria Shriver, Joe Kennedy, William Kennedy Smith. It's William Kennedy Smith's mom, actually, who is the only surviving of the nine Kennedy siblings. So, really, the generation that's entering those limousines, they're the one who are now carrying on the mantle of the Kennedy family.
We can tell you that a number of people who live in the area, they're now standing along. They're now lining the route where the motorcade will go. There are about 16 police officers from the Boston Police Department. They're going to make this journey a little easier for everyone as they make their way to Boston.
The weather, Tony, is beautiful. It is perfect. It is a cool day. There are clouds. You know, yesterday it was very humid and cloudless. Today really is one of those perfect days for this to be taking place.
But I think seeing that hearse, it really hit home for a lot of people when that hearse pulled in. And, Tony, interesting, at the end of the -- of the limousines was Patrick Kennedy. And he has been going in and out, instrumental in the arrangements that we're going to see. A lot of logistics involved in planning this kind of thing. I mean, really, this is -- this is the kind of honor bestowed on presidents. And, as a matter of fact, four former living presidents will be at the memorial tomorrow joining President Barack Obama.
Tony.
HARRIS: Yes. And, Deb, you know this route that this motorcade will take as well as anyone. Our understanding is that it will make stops at sites significant to the senator's life, correct?
FEYERICK: Absolutely. And that's, you know, again, that's honoring him, that's honoring the places that meant something to him.
HARRIS: Right, right.
FEYERICK: Paying his respects, which is what's so interesting. He had 15 months, really, with his brain cancer to kind of think about the kind of ending that he wanted. And he wanted a peaceful ending. And his son, Teddy Kenny Jr., said, in fact, when the end came, it was peaceful. He was surrounded by family. They were praying. You know, his body has been watched over by members of the Kennedy family, children, grandchildren, all of them taking turns so that he wouldn't be alone. Really moving. Very poignant.
HARRIS: Deb, if you would, stand by as we continue to follow these wonderful shots out of Hyannis Port, and we'll come back to you in just a couple of moments.
We're going to squeeze in a quick break here. When we come back, we will talk with CNN analyst and adviser to four, five presidents. David Gergen joins us. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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HARRIS: Let's see if we can maximize our efforts here. We've got three shots up for you right now. The top two shots, actually, are of the road -- the main road leading into and from the Kennedy compound there in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. The picture there, the big picture at the bottom of the screen, is of downtown Boston, where the motorcade will end up later this afternoon.
Let's exhale for just a moment here as we wait for the motorcade to begin and have a conversation about the life and the legacy of Senator Edward Kennedy. We've got two tremendous guests to help us do that. Let's bring in our CNN analyst, David Gergen, an adviser.
David, I was saying, I was trying to remember, four or five presidents.
And David is on the phone with us. And the noted historian, Douglas Brinkley. He is the author of books on Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, and also a professor at Rice University in Houston.
It is good to both -- have you both with us.
And, David, let me start with you.
I know you offered up a number of reflections on the senator yesterday, probably to a number of media outlets. I wonder, the next day, today, what are your thoughts?
DAVID GERGEN, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER (via telephone): My sense, Tony, is that if anything, the -- it's sinking in to people just how large a figure Teddy Kennedy was. One of the most effective legislators of the 20th century. A man who was enormously persuasive and passionate in advancing a liberal agenda for the country. One who lost -- had many lost causes, things that didn't happen, including his quest for the presidency, but who left his fingerprints, in fact, was the architect and -- of so many bills.
His office lists over 500 bills over the course of his Senate career in which he played a significant role in securing passage, whether it was on civil rights or health care or education or national service. The last bill that was passed just this -- a few weeks ago was the National Service Act, which was named after Teddy Kennedy by the Congress because -- and it was passed in a bipartisan way.
HARRIS: Yes.
GERGEN: So I think his stature is going to grow in people's eyes over the next few days. This is a fitting tribute. I'm here at Hyannis Port. Doug Brinkley has been here and will know this is such an intimate but serene setting today as this motorcade sets out.
HARRIS: Wow, that's wonderful. We'll get back, and, David, you can help us set that scene a little bit better. We're seeing, boy, it is beautiful as we look at these shots now.
Douglas Brinkley, give us your thoughts. You know, I was struck by something David said, that he's being remembered as this legislative powerhouse. But, you know, as you look at the broader arc of his life, that wasn't always clear that that would end up being his legacy, was it?
PROFESSOR DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, RICE UNIVERSITY: No, it isn't. You know, I saw Ted Sorensen last evening on "LARRY KING," and he talked about how Ted Kennedy as a survivor among all these other things he did in his life.
And if you look at the fact that he's had to end up enduring the pain of seeing his three older brothers die, and he was always the baby brother, and there was always this thought that he was somehow not quite up to snuff, not enough to equal his brother, who was the president, or Robert Kennedy, who in his own right almost won the presidency in '68 if he hadn't have been assassinated in Los Angeles. And so he ended up having to work a little harder.
And he did it because of his big-heartedness. People liked him. He had sympathy for people that were in plight or in disadvantage. And it came through in his entire career. I think this has been a fitting last 48 hours where people are starting to talk about Ted Kennedy as one of the real champions of human rights and social justice, civil rights, rights for the disabled.
And the fact that he's ending his life in -- with two bits of major drama. One is the dignity in which he's handled cancer week by week and has shown us such courage in death. And the second is that the issue that's meant the most to him is health care reform. Universal health care. And we see that as being the big issue of the moment. And this fall, we're still going to be talking about Ted Kennedy, even though he's gone, because there's always a relevance about people getting the proper health care they need.
HARRIS: Yes. Let me -- let me circle back.
David, let me tee this up and have you think about it and talk to us about it after a quick break here.
GERGEN: Sure.
HARRIS: Douglas mentioned something that I thought was interesting. The idea of Ted Kennedy, the survivor. And I want to know from you, as someone who has watched the entire arc of this man's life, personal life, professional life, how he was able to survive the serious down cycles in his life. Think about that for just a moment. We're going to sneak in a quick break. We're back in just a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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HARRIS: And, once again, live pictures. We are getting ready, standing by, for the motorcade bearing Senator Kennedy's body from Hyannis Port to Boston. It is expected to begin any moment. Our Deborah Feyerick is there in Hyannis Port. David Gergen, our CNN analyst, is with us on the phone. He is also in Hyannis, Massachusetts. The noted historian, Douglas Brinkley, is with us as well.
And, David, before the break, I asked you to think about something that Doug said to us, talking about Ted Sorensen talking about the survival instinct of Senator Kennedy. Boy, you watch the entire arc of this man's life. How did he overcome the tragedies in his life?
GERGEN: Well, it's a remarkable story in that sense. And I think it's a redemptive story. One that many Americans can associate with. Because ordinarily when a Doug Brinkley hauls off to write a prize- winning book, a biography, you know, it would often be about the rise and fall of someone in politics. The most recent biography of Ted Kennedy, called "The Last Lion," written by the editors of "The Boston Globe," "The Last Lion: The Fall and Rise of Ted Kennedy."
HARRIS: That's right.
GERGEN: And I think what they captured there so well was, there was not much expected of him as a young boy. He was chubby. He wasn't seen as very bright. As one of his siblings had nicknamed him "biscuits and muffins." And as he -- you know, he got thrown out of Harvard for cheating. He was a fun-loving guy. And then, of course, when he was elected to the Senate, just in his -- when he turned 30 years old, just a few years later, he had that famous, famous accident in Chappaquiddick that doomed his presidential hopes. And so there was not much expected of him by his family or by the country.
But the editors of the -- on "The Globe," who studied him closely, argue that in many ways, Tony, his rise came because he wanted to live up to the standards of his older brothers, his father and his sisters and he strove very hard for that. And, very, very importantly, because of his failings, his personal failings, he had to compensate for that and he did it by working harder than anybody else in the Senate. He just -- he just drove himself to become better. To -- he knew he was the man who carried the flame for the family, the Camelot flame was in his keeping, and he drove himself to become better.
HARRIS: Yes.
GERGEN: And it's -- I think it's an inspiring story for a lot of Americans who are never going to become Teddy Kennedy, but who have had troubles early in their lives and can pull themselves together and seek a higher standard and redeem themselves.
HARRIS: You know, Doug, let me ask you a question. It seems to me interesting that, boy, you hear David talk about some of the failings in the senator's life. And what is it about us as people that, on a day like today, a day like yesterday, we are willing to, in many cases, look past some of those failings and focus in on the positive arc of a person's life?
BRINKLEY: Well, for starters, Ted Kennedy was Catholic. And a big part of Catholicism is forgiveness. It's the confession. He's asked to be forgiven by people. He did a kind of a redemptive work throughout his whole career. He would fall off the wagon. He had a bit of a drinking problem. There was a carousing issue that came up. But he constantly said, I can do better. He asked the public directly a number of times that, these are my own personal shortcomings, and I'm working on it. But people recognize that he was a workhorse, not a show horse.
HARRIS: Yes.
BRINKLEY: That he was -- had the Kennedy name and the glamour and he could have, you know, skated by. He's from Massachusetts, a liberal state. He probably was going to be senator for life. He could have been a mediocre senator and had a very good life. But he chose to push the envelope. And, you know, we keep mentioning all this legislation.
HARRIS: Yes.
BRINKLEY: It's not just a line. That's a lot of work.
HARRIS: It really is.
BRINKLEY: And that's what his -- that's what I admired about him the most, he never threw in the towel. He wasn't a quitter. And he was determined to really help people's lives. And the fact that he ended up doing so to so many, tens of millions of Americans, better off because of Ted Kennedy, is a tribute to that this isn't a "flash in the pan" political figure. He's not just part of the Camelot mystique. That this is a heavyweight, political senator in the league with people like Daniel Webster, or Henry Cabot Lodge, one of our U.S. great senators.
HARRIS: David, you know, I haven't spent a lot of time in this Cape Cod, Hyannis area of Massachusetts, but this is a wonderful shot that we have up right now. And you're there in that area. Would you describe this scene? Would you describe the Kennedy compound and that view? Would you take a moment to do that as we set to turn things over to Kyra Phillips?
GERGEN: Sure. Sure, please.
I've come to the Cape a number of occasions, only because I live up in Massachusetts now. But I've never been to the compound. And what surprised me coming yesterday was, I'd always assumed the compound was an isolated set of buildings with big walls and everything. It would be really separated out from everybody else.
And, in fact, it's just part of a neighborhood. And there are houses right next door. There -- yes, there are some bushes here and there that hide things, but it's -- there's no -- it's much more of a sense of neighborhood with lots of kids on bikes, on towels, and dogs frolicking around.
You know, even as reporters are lined up here with cameras to record this, the neighborhood -- the neighbors are just, you know, sort of strolling by. And there's a mournfulness now about it. But there's also, you could see the beauty and why the Kennedy family and why Teddy in particular was so drawn. This really was like, you know, Franklin Roosevelt going back to Hyde Park, that's what revived him.
And Hyannis Port became what revived Teddy Kennedy on so many occasions, because you look out over the water, it's very serene today. You know, it's quite sparkling. And you can just see that it's a peaceful place for him.
HARRIS: Yes.
GERGEN: And I think in some ways, you know, the perfect place for him to die because he was with family and he was in the place that he loved.
HARRIS: David, I'm going to ask you to stand by, and Doug Brinkley, you as well, because you'll be joining Kyra Phillips in just a moment.
So, let's do this. Let's do the handoff. Let's push forward now with the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM with Kyra Phillips.
