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President Obama Talks to Students; Last Stand For Health Care Reform?
Aired September 08, 2009 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Reid and Pelosi get the plan from the president, but what is the plan? No, really, what is it?
That's what the president has to finally communicate on our national conversation, as we commemorate one very successful year on the air for Tuesday, September 8, 2009.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: And hello again, everybody. I'm Rick Sanchez with the next generation of news. This is a conversation. This is not a speech. And it's always your turn to get involved.
All right, as we get started, the president is meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Harry Reid about health care reform. This is getting down to the nitty-gritty, folks. He's presumably telling them what he is going to be telling us as a nation tomorrow what is a make-or-make speech to Congress on health care. We're waiting to see -- and we're going to have it for you right here during this hour -- we're waiting to see when that meeting breaks up.
And you will hear what they have to say.
But, first, let's talk about the speech that President Obama gave today. His critics say they didn't want their children being exposed to it because the president would try to -- quote -- "indoctrinate" them in some cases. Actually, the president's speech was in the end quite mild.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We need every single one of you to develop your talents and your skills and your intellect so you can help us old folks solve our most difficult problems.
If you don't do that, if you quit on school, you're not just quitting on yourself, you're quitting on your country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: All right, that was pretty much the message. Work hard, don't give up, stay in school. That was the general message. What's unclear at this point still, even though we're trying to gather it by making phone calls to many of our affiliates all over the country, is how many kids were actually kept out of school today? How many schools even refused to show this message from the president?
The message for a week now from the president's critics has been one of outrage that this president would want to address students.
Oklahoma State Senator Steve Russell for example, he was with me recently. He was one of the most vocal critics. He says that Obama should not be able to create a cult of personality. He went on to compare Mr. Obama to North Korea's leaders and Saddam Hussein's Iraq.
Now, is that a legitimate complaint or is that partisan politics as usual in this country?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: You guys just can't stand this guy and you're going to do everything possible to fight him, even if he's doing something as innocent as just talking to our schoolkids, much in the way that John F. Kennedy started the President's Council on Physical Fitness? And I was so proud to wear that presidential physical fitness badge, which meant that I was doing really well in school.
What about that possibility?
STEVE RUSSELL (R), OKLAHOMA STATE SENATOR: I don't think that the fitness or drugs or any other message had the White House working directly with the Department of Education with formulation of lesson plans, and that that went directly to and past school board members, superintendents and others.
(CROSSTALK)
RUSSELL: And I'm not sure what you mean by "you guys." Please define that for me.
SANCHEZ: Well, who did you vote for?
RUSSELL: That's a matter of personal privilege as an American citizen.
SANCHEZ: Well, who was the last Democrat you voted for?
RUSSELL: The last Democrat I voted for actually was a mayor in a local community race.
SANCHEZ: Who was the last Democratic president you voted for?
RUSSELL: I have not voted for a Democratic president. When is the last Republican president that you voted for?
SANCHEZ: George Bush.
RUSSELL: OK. And that's your privilege as an American citizen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: So, the question that we're left with, that many Americans are left with as we watch all the bickering from the left and from the right is, is it politics or not?
Well, Gary Tuchman -- CNN's Gary Tuchman wanted to find out part of the answers to that very same question. I want you to watch this report that he's filed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This North Carolina school principal had to decide whether or not to air President Barack Obama's speech for students in his school. The pressure was on.
CHRIS GIBBS, PRINCIPAL, CLAREMONT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: This may sound a little strange, but, after a flurry of phone calls, my first thing was go in my office, shut my door, and have a prayer, because I knew I was going to have to make a decision.
TUCHMAN: What was he hearing from parents? Mostly comments like those we heard at the county fair just down the road.
(on camera): Do you think the school should play Barack Obama's speech?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely not.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's getting more like communism, saying we're going to do this and that. And...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I think it should be up to the parents' decision if they want their children to hear that or not.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): And that's exactly what principal Chris Gibbs decided. The speech will not be shown at Claremont Elementary School.
GIBBS: And I'm not going to sit here and deny that the political climate right now is pretty high. A lot of emotions are flying high. It just feel like that kids should be put in a position where they can be singled out, where staff members singled out, and the parents singled out.
TUCHMAN (on camera): You mean singled out because they wouldn't want to stay for the speech?
GIBBS: Exactly.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): Teachers we met at the school told us they back the decision.
LISA MATEYUNAS, CLAREMONT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: It's not something that we want to divide our school with. TUCHMAN (on camera): In our research of the schools and school districts that will not be showing the president's speech live, we found that most of them, perhaps not surprisingly, are in counties where Barack Obama did not do particularly well during the November elections. Catawba County, the home of the Claremont Elementary School, is no exception. John McCain received 67 percent of the vote here.
This is what he's going to say in his speech. "If you quit on school, you're not just quitting on yourself; you're quitting on your country."
I mean, isn't that a message you would want your kids to hear? Isn't that part of what education is all about?
GIBBS: Most definitely. And we have asked our parents again, going back to responsibility, a responsible parent is going to sit down and talk to their kids about staying in school.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): But Barack Obama's message about it won't even be shown here in an edited form in the days to come. The principal has decided, if the children are to see any of it, it should only be from their parents.
Let's say President Obama said, I want to come to your school. He calls you: I want to make a live appearance at your school and have an assembly.
You would be dealing with the same thing with these parents, wouldn't you?
GIBBS: I would, probably.
TUCHMAN: And how does that make you feel?
GIBBS: Well, we have a long way to go. And the issues out there today are divisive issues. They're sensitive issues. But if the president wants to come to Claremont Elementary School, he will certainly be welcome to come to Claremont Elementary School. And I guess I would go back in my office and shut the door and pray again.
(LAUGHTER)
TUCHMAN (voice-over): This principal believes he these words he put on the word marquee: "The price of greatness is responsibility."
The world leader getting top billing here on Tuesday will be Winston Churchill, not Barack Obama.
Gary Tuchman, CNN, Claremont, North Carolina.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: There is no question this is part of the national conversation. I'm seeing it on Facebook, MySpace and my Twitter board. So, let's go to the Twitter board, if we can. These responses are pouring in just as we have been bringing you this story, I mean, almost immediately.
"Rick, I'm so mad. My son's school didn't show the speech. I said I taped it for you. He said, why bother? My school didn't."
"Thank you for talking about President Obama's speech to students and what his critics has to say. The GOP and the right wing can't stand to have a president who has some education. Eight years of fear-mongering and stupidity is not like."
So, there are some of the comments that we have been getting thus far. By the way, I'm going to continue to monitor those for you and bring you what they say on both sides of this argument.
But maybe the best -- maybe the best judges on this national conversation are the kids, some of the kids who finally today had a chance to hear -- the ones who were allowed to, I should say -- were allowed to hear from the president of the United States. And they have been talking to reporters in different parts of the country.
Let's hear what at least one of them has to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's just talking to everybody about bettering themselves and making them -- making sure that they're successful. And I really don't see why there would be a controversy about that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: And, again, this speech only happened a little while ago. So, here's what we're going to do. We're going to be monitoring reaction as we have that's coming in from all over the country.
I was told by our A.P. and our E.P., our executive producer as well -- Angie (ph), that's you -- that there's a possibility that we might be getting some tape coming in here in just a little bit. This tape, as it's described to me, may show something of a scene at a school where a parent came and wanted to take her child out of the school. I don't know when this tape is going to come in. I don't know in what form it's going to come in, but if it does, I want to share it with you, so, as promised, we can show you some of that stuff that's been going in -- coming in all over the country.
Here's what else we're going to have for you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Listen to me. I don't operate a business here. I store equipment here, for the 15th time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not the Border Patrol, so don't touch me. OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, I touched them, right? I think they beat the crap out of me is what happened. (CROSSTALK)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: All right, it's the preacher again, you know, the preacher, that preacher who proudly suggests the president should have his teeth kicked in. He's running a biz. Is it out of his church? Is that legal? That's next.
Also, another problem for the distinguished commander McChrystal in Afghanistan. Did NATO troops kick in the doors to an orphan hospital, and how big a problem is that going to be? Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has prepared a report for us on this. And we will have it for you. We will also have the after-show. That's at 4:00, I will be looking for you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: People seem to be incensed about this situation.
Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez.
Here's that controversy about the president speaking to kids today and some people saying they didn't want their kids to listen to the president.
Let's start over here with Facebook.
This is Linda Fisler. She's writing to us. She says: "Rick, I watched the speech and now I'm asking, so what? What was all the brouhaha about? No agenda pushing, just to study hard and learn. Wow. I certainly wouldn't want kids hearing this. Not."
And now let's go to JMicahel over here. He's on our Twitter board and he's reacting as well. A ton of people are reacting to this. I'm surprised at the comments we're getting. "I picked up my children from school to ensure that they watch President Obama's speech. They were inspired by it."
All right, many of you are writing to me about what happened today with your kids. Keep it coming and I will keep sharing.
Meanwhile, I want you to watch something with me now. And while you watch this, ask yourself, do I know this man? This is a story that we broke on this story, which is why we call this another breakthrough.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PASTOR STEVEN ANDERSON, FAITHFUL WORD BAPTIST CHURCH: Hello. This is Steven Anderson with Anderson Fire and Security. And I wanted to explain to you today the difference between three basic types of smoke detectors.
Now, I have to...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: All right, does this fire alarm salesman look familiar? Let me give you a hint. You saw him here on this show before you saw him anywhere else. As it turns out, the man you see there explaining fire alarms is the game guy who's been in the news recently about talking about what should happen to the president of the United States.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: I don't want him to be a martyr. We don't need another holiday. I would like to see him die like Ted Kennedy of brain cancer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Yes, that's him. Who would have thunk it, right?
The storefront pastor, the now infamous preacher who prays for the president's death, it turns out that he has a day job, Anderson Fire and Security. Stay with me here. This gets even more interesting. Take a look at what our crack staff noticed as we watched this together this morning.
This again is fire alarm salesman Steven Anderson. Notice the map behind him. See that square. Looks like a legend, doesn't it? Now, let's look at the preacher, Steven Anderson standing at the door of his storefront church? Does that map back there look familiar? Is that the same legend? Is that the same map?
Let's look again. Smoke alarm salesman Steven Anderson. See it? Already, now Pastor Steven Anderson at his church. We noticed that. We wanted you to notice it as well.
Now, if that is exactly what we are seeing in this case, if that's the same map against the same beige wall, then obviously it certainly looks like that's the same person. That's the same preacher who wants Barack Obama to die, who wants his teeth kicked in, wants him to get brain cancer, like Senator Kennedy did.
That very same preacher appear to be mingling his church and his business, which might be of interest to local officials and to the IRS, we wondered.
Now, we did in fact, just to let you know, we did in fact get in touch with Pastor Anderson and asked him whether he's running his business out of his church. Now, he replied to us via e-mail.
And here's a quote. "The business is not run from the same location as his church." That's what he said. So, we asked Pastor Anderson, does he shoot his business videos there at his church? "Some," Anderson told us. This is another quote. "Some are filmed at the space that the business rents in the same building as the church."
So, now he's told us the church and the business are in the same building, even though he told us before they are not in the same location.
Then we asked Pastor Anderson whether he holds church events in the business part of the building, as this photo would seem to suggest. It's a picture that we found on the church Web site. Looks like your typical potluck dinner, but there's that map again, the map exactly like the one in the business videos.
So, if he's got the map in the business, and the same map in the same part of the building in his church, it seems curious.
When we asked Pastor Anderson about that, he e-mailed back -- and I quote -- "Are you guys trying to make up a story out of nothing?"
We will let the tax officials decide.
When we come back, the people running the war in Afghanistan have a real problem, and it's not necessarily a tactical one. New information I will share with you about General McChrystal.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: There's a lot of folks watching today and commenting.
Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez.
Here's a comment that's coming in on MySpace -- no, pardon me. This is Facebook. It's Dee O'Brien. "Regarding the pastor, if he's running a business, then maybe he should be taxed. If he is a pastor, then he should be preaching love thy neighbor, not kill thy president." That's from Dee O'Brien. We thank you, Dee.
All right, here's a report that always is -- well, frankly, it's difficult to file these kind of reports. Four U.S. soldiers died overnight fighting against Taliban forces in the mountains northeast of Kabul. Now, that brings to 13 the number of Americans that have been killed just this month.
And we have got some fighting video here. This is from Kunar Province. This is where the fighting was the heaviest today, and I want to share it with you. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(GUNFIRE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: It's amazing to be actually able to watch this as it happens, that video shot last month by an embedded news photographer with ITN.
By the way, 10 Afghan soldiers fighting alongside U.S. troops were also killed today on the border with Pakistan.
Now, as difficult as that may seem, as difficult it is to manage the tactical side, the battles, the rage every day in Afghanistan, there is something that is even more difficult these days for General McChrystal. There are damaging reports that NATO troops kicked down doors at a hospital, and this is one of those that could become a black eye, difficult to explain, embarrassing to talk about.
CNN's Pentagon correspondent is Barbara Starr.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Swedish charity workers say U.S. soldiers and Afghan forces forcibly entered this hospital last week, breaking down doors, ordering patients out of their beds, and tying up staff. It was only later, they say, the troops told them they were looking for an insurgent leader.
ANDERS FANGE, COUNTRY DIRECTOR, SWEDISH COMMITTEE FOR AFGHANISTAN: They didn't find any insurgent in the hospital and they didn't hurt any -- any of the -- any of the staff. Still, this is a clear violation of internationally recognized principles and rules.
STARR: NATO is investigating but it couldn't come at a worse time for General Stanley McChrystal, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces. He's trying to convince Afghans that foreign troops will protect them against the Taliban. But for now, he's busy trying to explain NATO's actions. McChrystal personally inspected a site where a predawn air strike on two hijacked fuel trucks killed perhaps dozens of Afghan civilians. And he promised another investigation.
GEN STANLEY MCCHRYSTAL, U.S. NATO COMMANDER IN AFGHANISTAN: From what I have seen today and going to the hospital, it's clear to me that there were some civilians who were harmed at that site.
STARR: Afghans are already upset by civilian casualties caused by NATO. McChrystal may soon be asking for more troops to deal with the rising Taliban threat and then informing Afghans more foreign forces will be on their soil. Those familiar with McChrystal's thinking say perhaps his most urgent worry, the Afghan view that the ongoing counting of votes in the presidential election is riddled with fraud and Hamid Karzai may not win the people's support. Without it, it will be tough to ask others to invest in Afghanistan's future.
STEPHEN BIDDLE, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: We need, at the end of the day, to have a degree of support for the legitimate government of Afghanistan that at least exceeds the support for the Taliban.
STARR (on camera): One senior NATO official said part of the problem, McChrystal may find it tough to get NATO, or perhaps even the U.S. Congress, to agree to send more troops to Afghanistan if it's believed the current president, Hamid Karzai, has not formed a legitimate government.
Barbara Starr, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE) SANCHEZ: Just to let you know, throughout the afternoon, we have been in contact with many of our sources that are following this situation out of the Pentagon. If there are any developments on this case, we will bring it to you.
One other thing. We are expecting to get some video from the White House where Pelosi and Reid are meeting with the president, perhaps to get a preview of what he's going to say tomorrow in what may be his make-or-break speech on health care. We will bring that to you as it happens as well.
And this: This national conversation has now been on the air for one year. That's right, this show, our show, your show, from what the hell are you talking about, to Joe the plumber, to AIG, AIG, AIG. Oh, and there's more. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Look at all the tweets we're getting on this. Twitterers, those are the people who bring you the tweets. My Twitter board is about to explode. MySpace, Facebook, but now take a look at this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know, dude. How cool is that?
SANCHEZ: The beaner and the redneck.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: All right, it's like a "SportsCenter" moment, you and me together from the beginning. And there's a lot more. Stay right there.
Also, what does the president have to do to turn things around when he talks to the joint session of Congress tomorrow? For starters, can he explain exactly is what he wants? We're drilling down.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez here in the world headquarters of CNN.
Sometimes, we do a topic or an issue or a story that really riles people up. Case in point today, this question about the president of the United States being refused by some parents to let their children hear him has certainly gotten a lot of response for us. We have told you that we're going to be sharing some of this. So let's continue, if we can.
Let me take you right to the very top of the Twitter board here if I can. And I will take it to you right there. There we go.
"My first tweet ever," is what this one writes, "to sound off on this silly Obama speech to kids issue. Really, are we really talking about this? Parents keeping kids out of school and refusing to allow kids to watch speech is nothing more than closet racism." That's what Pearson says.
This one says, "I wonder if the fire alarms work." Now, he's referring to that story we did moments ago about the minister in Arizona who has prayed that the president die.
And then SpeedyPetey says: "You may not always agree with any president, but you may always walk away informed on how to decide. To avoid, it is your ignorance."
Finally, let's go over here now. This is a Facebook one. "I am a dad and will never pray for a kid to lose their dad. I will pray for that pastor, not for his death, but for him to find love and peace in his heart."
So, there you have it. Lots of comments that we're going to be getting throughout the day. And we're going to continuing -- we're going to be continuing, I should say, in just a little bit.
In fact, when we come back, it's been a big year for myself and for my staff and for all of us and everybody who makes this show happen every single day. Wait until you hear what we have prepared for you to mark this, our one-year birthday. It's not a cake, but you're going to like it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back, I'm Rick Sanchez. One year ago today, we began this newscast, this national conversation, this experimental melding of mainstream media with social media.
And you know what? It's worked. The number of people who watch this hour has grown by enormous percentages and that's cool. So, we finally stopped just doing what we do everyday to try and catch up and we decided to at least one day reflect on what we have done thus far. You know what? We're feeling pretty good today. Feeling pretty proud about what we have done. After Johnny B. Good put this together for us. Here's a look back at your national conversation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: This is a virtual newscast, it's a national conversation, if you will.
Listen to this, this comes on twitter.com/ricksanchezcnn.
What do you mean by that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That means you are the antichrist, Sanchez or whatever your name is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is not cool, that is not cool because my kids watch this show.
SANCHEZ: No, no, no, Joe, you're no longer just Joe a private person.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rick, we both know who number two is.
SANCHEZ: Who?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think its (INAUDIBLE).
SANCHEZ: What the hell does that mean? The biggest tent is freedom? Freedom?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sanchez!
SANCHEZ: This next segment is about Bill O'Reilly and the truth.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Only Anderson Cooper at 10 o'clock covered this.
SANCHEZ: Roger, do me a favor, let's check the tape.
You're (INAUDIBLE) the fact that your company had to pay $1.7 billion.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The paint company did not pay those fines.
SANCHEZ: No, no, you're playing with the facts, sir. Let me tell you what happened. You're absolutely ignoring my question.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not at all, Rick.
SANCHEZ: I don't think that's very nice.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not at all Rick. And you are very nice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's responsible.
SANCHEZ: You're not a fan of political expedience.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't like (INAUDIBLE).
SANCHEZ: All right, here's what we're going to do. Watch this, AIG, AIG, AIG. What are you talking bout, AIG, AIG, AIG, AIG. Not, not. It's your turn to get involved, so let's do it. Look at all the tweets we're getting on the twitters. Those are the people who bring you the tweets. My twitter board is about to explode.
Myspace, Facebook, but now take a look at this. I know dude, how cool is that? The beaner and the redneck.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Last (INAUDIBLE), not ask.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But I make fun of his people, too.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Perez Hilton, Rick Sanchez. I can be offensive, I don't have to be politically correct.
SANCHEZ: The fact that you are a porn star.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I might be a porn star, but I haven't done anything illegal.
SANCHEZ: Let me ask you a tough question, Bob. I know you have probably...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All your questions are tough.
SANCHEZ: But this one is kind of really, I'm cutting right to the chase man.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go ahead.
SANCHEZ: If this doesn't get done this fall after they come back from recess, is it as they said, over?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But however my decision is being usurped tonight by Rick Sanchez...
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Hey, thanks to so many of you, tons of you have been sending us -- look at this one over here. This is on Facebook, "Oh yes, congrats Rick on one year. I said it on Facebook, but again, congrats and job well done."
There are so many people, so many people trying to do the same on Twitter. The whale is out. Yes, that's right. Look at the Twitter board. It's over capacity. It's the failed whale is happening. It's amazing. Again, my thanks to so many of you who stuck with us when everybody else was saying, this guy is going to do what? He's going to do a newscast that actually involves social media? And by the way, what the hell is Twitter? You guys came to bat for us and we want to thank you for it.
By the way, there's another programming note I want to share with you right now. Perez Hilton, you just saw him there moments ago, he's going to join me Thursday. So have your questions and your comments ready about anything having to do with the world of entertainment.
And this, coming up next. The police say they have captured a serial killer responsible for at least nine murders. Now they told us today that he operated for more than 20 years. What's got us to thinking, and you know when we do these kind of stories we don't just present them we take you through them. What took so long? You're going to see what I'm asking when I show you a map of the affected area and you'll probably be left asking the same question, stay right there, because I want to show you this map and the after show is at 4:00 on cnn.com live.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: It's your birthday, it's your birthday. My staff is excited about this day. They're probably drinking vino back there as we speak.
No, just kidding, management. Let's go over here to Facebook if we can. Some of the comments coming in. This is for you, Chris Hall. You the brainchild of the social media newscast. "Happy Birthday y'all, I have been watching you for a full year. Wouldn't missing you guys, especially you, Rick, rock." Is it Rock Rick or Rick Rock? "Happy Birthday, Miami nice." "Congratulations, you're great. Thank you for all your gifts to us." "Happy Birthday, Felize Cumpleanos. Hey, look I get to laca, laca, laca. You're the best. Have a wonderful day."
Over on the Twitter board, we get a lot of the same stuff. Boy, lots of comments. "Thanks for a good year." "Happy Anniversary, Rick, I love this show." "Congrats, dude! One year of great TV." "Congrats on first anniversary. Ditto." That's so sweet, thanks guys. Really, we do appreciate your being there for us, especially during the tough times.
Here's one of those outrage stories that doesn't sound like one until you get deeper into it. You know we like to do this? It's a crime story, I want to show you a picture, you see that man right there, that man's name is Walter Ellis. And that's his mug shot.
Get this. Police are now linking him to the murders of nine women in the Milwaukee area. But this is the real story, Johnny B. Good, if you're over the shoulder, let's go to this map. Here's my telestrator.
I'm going to show you something as I take you through this right here, right. These are the bodies that have been found since 1986. In fact, here, let's count them. Here's one. Hold on, let me get the little circle in here. There's one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine women murdered.
Now what's interesting is this as well. Let me do this in yellow. Look at the distance, look at the groupings, look how close these are all together. Don't you think somewhere along the line somebody would have looked at that and they would have said to themselves. Wait a minute, Walter Ellis's DNA was found on every single one of those victims, every one of those little circles that I just pointed on my telestrator for you. They arrested him when? This weekend.
Oh, one more thing, we were talking about this in the office today, all of the women killed in this story, all of them so close together, that you think somewhere along the line police would have said to themselves, hey, guys, there's a real pattern here, these women are dying blocks apart.
All the women that were killed in these 21 years in this murder spree, they were all known prostitutes or runaways. We were wondering if this case would have been solved sooner if the victims were more upstanding, you know what I mean, members of society. It's a good question. What do you think, let me know on my twitter or on my blog at cnn.com/ricksanchez.
By the way, we're being told now that Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have entered the White House and are about to leave. In fact we're being told they could be less than a minute away from coming out and speaking to those microphones right there.
Here's why this is important. Let me just try and catch you up and give you the background on this story. It's important to the American people because it doesn't seem that America has a real grasp at this point on exactly what it is that the president wants Americans to grasp, to back, to support, Republican or Democrat. You have heard all the arguments, some of them silly, some of them not so silly. But is it about the public option? Is it about universal health care, is it about some other kind of system that we still don't understand?
Has the president done a good enough job of explaining to the American people exactly what he wants us to support as American citizens or perhaps not support. And when he finally does give his speech tomorrow, will it involve the public option?
For a long time, Republicans have been criticizing the president and some of them would say that they have been doing so rightfully because he didn't have a grasp at this. Because it didn't seem like he knew exactly what he wanted Americans to support. And that it seemed at times that he was letting Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid run the show. Now we're told that both Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi have been called to the White House and the president has been telling them what he wants this legislation to look like.
So what we're about to see here -- maybe the very first glimpse of what the president has been suggesting. There now is Harry Reid, and there is Nancy Pelosi. They're coming to the microphone. She looks as usual, smiling, Harry Reid with a smile on his face now. You hear the clickers and the shutters and here now they speak.
REP. NANCY PELOSI, (D) HOUSE SPEAKER: We had a very productive meeting with the president and the vice president. The main subject was of course health insurance reform, but we talked about other issues that relate to the fall agenda and other issues.
In terms of health care reform, we have come together at a time where three bills have been passed out of committee in the House, one in the Senate, hopefully soon the finance committee will act and we have plenty to work from to pass comprehensive affordable, accessible universal health care. It's a pretty exciting time, the month of August our members have heard from their constituents that have communicated with them.
They bring back the benefit of that thinking. They also have had a chance to explain to their constituents the opportunity that is in the bill. Then again, we have legislation that would lower costs, improve quality, expand coverage and retain choice. If you like what you have, you can keep it. If you have something that you would like to improve upon, that can happen if you're not insured. You will have that opportunity.
This will be done in a fiscally sound way, it's necessary for us to act. The present situation is unsustainable and as the president said health care reform is entitlement reform. So in order for us to reduce the deficit it's essential that we have real health care reform. So we go forward welcoming our members back. In a series of caucuses and meetings we prepare to bring our three bills together in the House to prepare to meet the Senate in conference. Senator Reid, Mr. Leader?
SEN. HARRY REID, (D) MAJORITY LEADER: The president and vice president were very positive and it's in keeping with the conversation I had with my members the past week that is we're reenergized, we're ready to do health care reform. Keeping in mind that even before the August recess, 80 percent of health care is already done. In fact it was prior to recess the 20 percent we still had to work on. In our conversations today, we think we're up to 90 percent of things that are agreed upon. We have 10 percent that we need to work on and we can do that.
As far as the speech tomorrow, the president didn't give us a dress rehearsal of a speech, but he did tell us that he's going to be outlined in the American people and of course the Congress. The health care reform bill that he contemplates that we will do.
And we're in agreement with him in that regard. I have every belief that when he finishes his speech tomorrow, the American people will be able to put aside some of the ridiculous falsehoods that have been perpetrated these past few weeks and focus on what're going to do that's positive for this country. We have a lot of work to do, we understand that, but we're still approaching this in the form of bipartisanship. We still after all these months have a place at the table for the Republicans. We want to do everything we can to work with them. We want a bipartisan bill. We do not want to do reconciliation unless we have no alternative.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the public option is included?
REID: I think that, I am personally in favor of the public option. In my mind there's no question that the majority of -- I can't speak for the House caucus, but if I were betting on it I'd think the majority of them also believe in the public option. We're going to do our very best to have a public option or something like a public option before we finish this work.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why was there no place for Republicans at the table today, sir?
REID: I'm sorry, today, what are you talking about?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why no Republicans at the table today at this meeting?
REID: You know, I think that...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president didn't invite Republicans.
REID: We have had a large table on the finance committee, the health committee and the Senate, there's always a place for them. And so I think today, it was, again, a very positive meeting and that's how I feel.
PELOSI: The president today was meeting with the speaker of the House and the Democratic leader of the Senate. He has other meetings that we're not invited to that Republicans are at. So I don't know what the point of the question is, but the point is also in our committees, in the House, three committees have passed a bill out. All of them have strong numbers of Republicans on those committees. I saw to that when we did our ratio, so they had a place at the table as our bills had come through the legislative process and that's what we are engaged in now, the legislative process.
(INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... any kind of schedule, (INAUDIBLE) bill by the middle of October.
PELOSI: That's two questions, two separate questions. On the public option, I believe that the public option will be essential to our passing a bill in the House of Representatives. Because as the president has said, and I listened to him very carefully, he believes that the public option is the best way to keep the insurance companies honest and to increase competition in order to lower costs, improve quality, retain choice, if you like what you have you can keep it and expand coverage, in a fiscally sound way, but it saves money.
But, he said, if you have a better idea, put it on the table. So if somebody has a better idea of how to do that, put it on the table. For the moment, however, as far as our House members are concerned, the overwhelming majority of them support a public option.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would a trigger be (INAUDIBLE) alternative?
PELOSI: Well, this as I say is the legislative process, and right now we will have a public option (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)
PELOSI: Well, we're very pleased as the Leader Reid has mentioned that the president will be making his address this evening. I think we have been on schedule. We continue to be on schedule, but this speech tonight will be a very important fact -- excuse me, tomorrow. Will be a very important factor in how we go forward.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Between Congressman Clyburn said that a trigger on a public option was a doable alternative because it saved the public option. Is that -- is that a fair assessment?
PELOSI: Well, I'm sorry. Out of context I really can't speak to Mr. Clyburn's remarks. I do know that Mr. Clyburn is a strong supporter of a public option. Where we go, seeing what the Senate puts forth and the rest is another place, but I've said it before and I'll say it again. The health insurance industry which is out there fighting the public option tooth-and-nail because it does increase competition which they don't want. They would be better getting a public option now than one that is triggered because if you have a triggered public option, it's because the insurance industry has demonstrated that they are not cooperating, they are not doing the right thing, and I think they will have a tougher public option to deal with. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Leader Reid --
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: I got you, Dan, I'm just trying to see. Sometimes some of the best comments are the ones that they make walking away. Trying to listen in. There you go, folks. You heard from Speaker Pelosi and Leader Reid as she called him, the distinguished gentleman from Nevada. This is interesting to watch this develop because what we have here now is Nancy Pelosi on the record, as you just heard, saying the public option is there. Most agree and it's essential to passing this bill. So that's like throwing down the gauntlet. Patricia Murphy is there, I know. She's standing by. You got that shot of Patricia up yet. Patricia are you there, can she hear me?
PATRICIA MURPHY, COLUMNIST, POLITICSDAILY.COM: I'm here, yes.
SANCHEZ: We've got to pay some bills so we're going to get a commercial in and when we come back, why don't you and I have a conversation about what news was just made there by Mr. Reid and Ms. Pelosi. I think there was some and I know your ears are real good at picking this stuff up. Stay with us, we're also going to be joined by Republican strategist Rich Galen who's going to take us through part of this conversation as well. You know Rich is always fantastic. This is going to get good. Stay right there, we're going to take a break and we're going to come right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: I promised you at the beginning of this newscast I was going to be monitoring for you different reactions and things that were going on all over the country with this controversy about the President of the United States speaking to school kids and parents who are angered about it because they don't want their kids to listen to the President of the United States. Here's a case in point. This is Lesli Stephen, we've just gotten this in. I'm going to share it with you, let me set it up for you. Lesli Stephen, this is in Bryant, Texas, she showed up at school today. Her son was in seventh grade. He is 12 years old. The teachers there at Bryant, Texas and the principal said, look, you don't want your son to listen to this speech. That's fine. You can just take him over to the library and you guys can sit there and read books or wait. She said, no. I don't even want to wait in the library. I want to pull my kid now out of this school, so she did. She took the kid out of the school. The school said, look, if you do that, he's going to get an unexcused absence. Why don't you just take him over to the library where he doesn't have to watch the speech? She said, no, I want to take him out of the school. So she did and then a reporter with KBTX, one of our affiliates, got a chance to ask her some questions and here she is explaining her position.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LESLI STEPHEN, PULLED CHILD OUT OF SCHOOL: As far as excused or unexcused, I really don't care. She's -- I just don't want her viewing this speech. I feel that we're just being misled and misguided, and it's up to us as citizens to really speak out and let it be known that this is not something that we're going to stand for.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: I've got to tell you, Rich Galen, when I look at that, and I think we've probably gotten probably 99 e-mails and tweets and stuff from people saying what the hell is going on in this country when people don't want their children to hear the President of the United States tell them that they should stay in school, it's perplexing.
RICH GALEN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, I disagree with her. I said the other day that if you were concerned about it, there was an advanced copy made available last night which we knew would be done. Talk to your kid about it and let your kid watch it and discuss it with your child when they get home after school.
So I disagree with her but on the other hand I have to say that in an era when we are screaming about the fact that parents are not taking an interest in their kids and what's going on at school, you've got to give her some credit for stepping up to the plate. I disagree with her, but I -- you know, I will defend to the death her right to do it.
SANCHEZ: You and Voltaire. You know, the problem with this is you get a feeling that there are people out there who are ill informed. I mean, you and I both know we've read the speech. There's nothing in the speech that's an indoctrination so why do they think there's -- is there some place that's just feeding bad info? I mean, you put in bad data, you get a bad result, right?
GALEN: The bad data, and I'll do this quickly. The bad data was from the Department of Education two weeks ago or so when they put out what they called their lesson plan, and it really was -- I think it really was very close to the edge in terms of leading students into an area that might mike some parents uncomfortable. They wisely stepped back from it, but by that time the damage was done, and this is what the administration gets. They kind of brought this on themselves frankly.
SANCHEZ: OK, you make a good point, as usual. I hate that about you. Let's bring the Murphster in here. Murph, let me try health care with you. I tried to take as copious notes as I could but they were talking pretty fast. Sounds to me after hearing Reid and Pelosi, like the public option is not only dead but, quote, "It's essential to passing this bill."
MURPHY: Nancy Pelosi said it's essential to passing the bill in the House. It is not essential to passing this bill, and if you talk to people are watching the process in the Senate. It's very unlikely it could get through the Senate so Nancy Pelosi parsed her words very, very carefully. She said it's the House bill that needs the public option but not for it to pass Congress it doesn't need the public option. SANCHEZ: Here's the question to you. Here's the question to both of you, I suppose. If the Democrats won't pass it unless it has the public option and the Republicans won't pass it if it has a public option, are we going to get zippo, zilcho, nada?
MURPHY: There are still negotiations going on and it's not just Republicans opposed to this public option. Democrats have now come out and said that they won't pass this bill.
SANCHEZ: The Blue Dogs.
MURPHY: The plus dogs, more than 20 House Democrats, even Steny Hoyer, number two in the House today said he would vote for a bill without a public option. That's completely the opposite of what Nancy Pelosi said. It's just more mixed messages from Democrats and again it just raises the stakes for Obama tomorrow night.
SANCHEZ: Thirty seconds to you, Rich, but I'm trying to understand whether this president has done a good enough job explaining to the American people what he wants. You say what?
GALEN: No he did not which is why he's got to do this tomorrow and this is an arrow that he can never get back do his quiver calling a joint session. He shouldn't have had to do this. If he would have set it up properly a month ago he wouldn't be in this position now.
SANCHEZ: All right. Rich and Murph, stay there. We're going to continue this in just a moment on cnn.com. Great conversation so far.
Let's take you over now to "THE SITUATION ROOM." Is Wolf back? Wolf's back. Congratulations, Wolf Blitzer back from his one vacation a year in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
