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Obama to Address Congress on Health Care Tonight; Behind-the- Scenes, Sweeping for IEDs in Afghanistan; Oudin Has Surprise Winning Streak at U.S. Open; Coach Accused of Causing Football Player's Death
Aired September 09, 2009 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: OK, Mr. President, your turn. We've heard you push forward health care reform as a candidate and as president. The speech tonight, it could make your case or break it.
She was scared to death with good reason. You could hear it in her voice. Her call to 911 couldn't even save her, but it could save others. Her husband making sure of that.
And Apple, the E.F. Hutton of the digital age, when it talks, people listen. This hour, Apple's talking, and we're all ears.
Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
This could be it, folks, a make-or-break night for health-care reform. The president's prime-time address to Congress could change everything, for you, me, and the entire nation.
We've heard the president talk a lot about health-care reform. Big-picture stuff, but what's different about tonight? Specifics. We're going to hear the president go into detail about the changes he wants to see. Key questions.
Will his ideas appeal to both conservative and liberal Democrats? And can he convince the nation that reform is needed? And we've just heard from Senator Max Baucus from the Gang of Six senators on the finance committee. Baucus says his group will meet again today and crank out their bipartisan version of a Bill next week. He added there's time for Republicans to get on board, but if they don't, he's ready to move ahead without them. The Baucus plan calls for dropping the public option.
Now, had you ever even heard the term "public option" before the health-care debate broke out? It's a must for some, a nonstarter for others. And still others are ambivalent about it, but what is it?
Simply put, a public option is a government-funded, government- run health care alternative. Think Medicare, but for younger people. Under the plan, people would pay premiums 10 to 20 percent less than they would to a private insurance company. So, you're going to hear the president talk a lot about the public option tonight.
Our national political correspondent, Jessica Yellin, is here to break it all down for us. Now, Jessica, we want to talk about the key signs or maybe key words to watch for tonight. So, maybe if we were to lay it out, we should start with how specific he's going to be. Because on some issues, he's going to have to be.
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kyra. The president is -- has said that he needs to be specific. And that's what we should all listen for.
He said in an interview with "Good Morning America" that he was too ambiguous in the past. He let this debate, to some extent, get away from him, so now he needs to drive the debate.
The big question is how much will it be rhetoric and how much will we hear clear proposals from the president about what he can and cannot support? Specifically listen for him to talk about costs, how will he pay for it. Listen for that.
Another point, the public option, which you just mentioned. There's been an enormous amount of controversy around this question of a public option. Many people don't believe a public option is essential to get health reform done. In fact, Max Baucus, the senator, just said he doesn't think he can get a Bill through the Senate with a public option. It's not in his Bill.
So where will the president come down on that? All our reporting, my reporting, is he will make it clear that he, in theory, believes a public option is important, but will also leave room for a Bill that has no public option. So, no line in the sand from the president on that.
PHILLIPS: Well, let me ask you this. If we were to take, say, a third point, what do you think about paying attention to the applause, and not only what is being applauded, but who is applauding?
YELLIN: Right. There's two ways to look at applause. One is everybody is on camera. They have to be polite and they also have to do what their peers in their party are doing to some extent.
But then there's careful body language. And the people we want to look are senators from Maine, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins. These are the moderate Republicans that the Democrats were hoping to bring on board. When Max Baucus just came out and said he thinks he can win some Republicans, he's talking specifically about Susan Collins and especially Olympia Snowe, so we want to watch them.
Of course, Max Baucus, who just spoke, to see if he likes what the president's saying. And some of the leadership, Harry Reid, leading his Democrats with lots of applause, no doubt, trying to signal that they need to get on board and this thing needs to get done for the Democrats to move forward, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Jessica, we'll all be watching. Thank you so much.
And you can actually see that speech right here, live coverage, from the best political team on television. Starts at 8 p.m. Eastern, 5 Pacific, only on CNN.
You know, the eighth year anniversary of 9/11 is in just two days, and right now every minute of every day, American troops, still in Afghanistan, are facing a hidden killer every time they head out on patrol. We're talking about IEDs, and we've been talking about them for eight long years.
CNN's Michael Ware and his cameraman, who are in Afghanistan right now for our special coverage, witnessed the danger up close and personal. One of those IEDs, improvised explosive devices, actually exploded while they were on assignment in a Taliban stronghold. Here's the close call.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A hidden Taliban roadside bomb, an IED, is about to hit this Afghan police gun truck. A CNN cameraman and I are riding in it.
By some miracle, it detonates a heartbeat too soon. Otherwise we'd all be dead. Instead, gravel rains over us.
(on camera) You all right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
WARE (voice-over): Then comes the shooting. A so-called death blossom, police firing aimlessly to ward off further attack.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And now nearly eight years after 9/11 and the beginning of that war in Afghanistan, IEDs are the biggest threat to American troops on the front lines. And for the troops on patrol, one mistake could mean the difference between life and death.
CNN's Anderson Cooper reports from the battle zone.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): It is the most dangerous position on patrol, out in front, on point. Lance Corporal Phil Howard quickly waves a metal detector in front of him, searching for signs of an IED.
LANCE CORPORAL PHIL HOWARD, U.S. MARINE: It's kind of scary, to be up on point and knowing that somebody is going to pull something on you or you step on something, it's going to be the front guy (ph).
COOPER: Every second, Howard has to remain alert. One mistake could kill him or a fellow Marine behind him.
(on camera) That would be tough, too, because you never really know who's a friend and who's an enemy.
HOWARD: Exactly. Like, you can look around right now and, you know, like down there in the middle there. That could be a good guy, could be a bad guy.
COOPER (voice-over): IEDs have become the No. 1 threat to U.S. forces in Afghanistan. In Helmand province, they're responsible for some 80 percent of all casualties.
(on camera) They can either be buried in the road or detonated by a member of the Taliban who's hiding in underbrush like this.
That's why it's important for the Marines to keep ten or 15 meters in between each Marine on patrol so that, in the event that an IED is detonated, the damage is limited.
(voice-over) Since they arrived in Helmand province a little more than two months ago, the 1st Battalion, 5th Regiment has lost one Marine to IEDs; 48 others have been wounded.
In July, Lance Corporal James Buttery's (ph) vehicle was hit. He escaped with just a concussion.
(on camera) And what -- you landed literally right over there?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. The front of the truck was where that tree was. Knocked the tree out and was laying right there. The front end was just there. I was able to crawl out. The other Marines here were able to jump in and grab the Marine that was in the canal. And we were all conscious. No serious injuries.
COOPER: You were lucky?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
COOPER (voice-over): The Marines collect parts of the IEDs they discover. Pressure plate devices like this one are common.
LANCE CORPORAL REESE BARNETT, U.S. MARINES: When you step on that, this charge goes off. And that's how you get your explosion.
They make a lot of stuff out here that for these pressure plates, you see how they did it. Little metal strips right there can make it real hasty like. Put the sticks on there. Goes down. And then that's how it connects, and they also make...
COOPER (on camera): So that's what -- I mean that's amazing that it's that primitive. It's basically just two pieces of wood with some metal.
BARNETT: Yes, sir. You're not going to put -- they're pretty small (ph). But we're finding them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you seen anything out of the ordinary around here? Down in the village? OK.
COOPER (voice-over): Today's patrol is not just about finding IEDs, however. It's about meeting local residents, building their confidence in U.S. forces and in the local Afghan government. It's not exactly what First Lieutenant Chris Conanan expected to be doing in Afghanistan.
FIRST LIEUTENANT CHRIS CONANAN, U.S. MARINE CORPS: Initially I thought I was going to have pretty much just a fire fight every day, just a run and gun fight. What I've seen is that we haven't taken contact in maybe a month or so in terms of small arms, which is a good thing. And right now we're simply just having tea with village elders.
COOPER (on camera): Having tea?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly. I've had -- I can't even remember how many cups of tea. And a couple dinners, which is always an interesting experience.
COOPER (voice-over): Building trust, however, takes more than tea. It takes time. And with the Taliban growing in strength in many parts of Afghanistan, U.S. officials acknowledge time is not on America's side.
(on camera) Do you think the people here believe you're here to stay? Or do you think you're still on the fence?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the majority of them are on the fence. We have some supporters, and we have some people that think that we're going to leave tomorrow. But for the majority of the people, I think they're on the fence.
COOPER (voice-over): To get them off the fence and on the side of the Afghan government, the Marines are trying to fund local development projects and show residents they're not going to let the Taliban return.
In the town of Kaji Baba (ph), the Marines meet with two village elders. Both are courteous but aren't willing to say if they support the U.S. or the Taliban. Lieutenant Colonel Bill McCullough (ph) tells them Marines will be here at least until next summer. But beyond that, he can't promise.
(on camera) So a lot of people here aren't willing yet to choose sides?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're waiting for a little more bona fides from us that we are here to stay.
That's what we're trying to do. They trust us, they trust their own government. And once these folks pick sides and say, you know, "We're with the government," I believe that is -- it's not a win, but it's a sign that we're winning.
Anderson Cooper, CNN, Helmand province, Afghanistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And you can see more from the battle zone tonight on CNN's "ANDERSON COOPER 360." All this week, Anderson, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and Michael Ware reporting from Afghanistan, from the front lines. That's tonight, 10:00 Eastern, only on CNN.
Did a former high school football coach put winning ahead of safety? That's what prosecutors allege in his reckless homicide trial. It's under way right now in Kentucky, and it's being watched by the nation.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: CNN takes your health care questions straight to the White House. You ask, though, we'll have the answers live.
"Mail to the Chief," your questions, your concerns, your voice, straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: America's anchorman remembered today at Lincoln Center in New York. President Obama and former president, Bill Clinton, were among those who gathered this morning for a memorial service for the former longtime "CBS Evening News" anchor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our American story continues. It needs to be told. And if we choose to live up to Walter's example, if we realize that the kind of journalism he embodied will not simply rekindle itself as part of a natural cycle, but will come alive only if we stand up and demand it and resolve to value it once again, then I'm convinced that the choice between profit and progress is a false one and that the golden days of journalism still lie ahead.
Walter Cronkite invited the nation to believe in him, and he never betrayed that trust. That's why so many of you entered the profession in the first place. That's why the standards he set for journalists still stand, and that's why he loved and valued all of you, but we loved and valued Walter, not only as the rarest of men, but as an indispensable pillar of our society.
He's reunited with his beloved Betsy now, watching the stories of this century unfold with boundless optimism. Every so often punctuating the air with a gleeful, "Oh, boy!"
We are grateful to him for altering and illuminating our time and for the opportunity he gave to us to say that, yes, we, too, were there. Thank you very much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Cronkite anchored the "CBS Evening News" from 1972 to 1981. He died at the age of 92.
Sure didn't take long for Fred to grow from a tropical storm to a major hurricane, but it's still far out there in the Atlantic, Chad, right? CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is so far out there in the Atlantic. I just measured it on StormPulse.com. We can do that. I'll do it in a second: 3,400 miles from Miami. And so literally that's in nowhere land.
There's Africa. The storm is kind of turning on up to the north. You can just really see the eye on the last couple of frames. The eye has really come into focus. And that means that it's become a major hurricane. And the good news is, it just isn't going to affect anything.
Put this into play. There it is, a 120-mile-per-hour storm, and it gets up here in a very cold water. I know you don't think, well, it's summer, how can it be cold? Well, it's all relative. It needs to be way above 80 degrees somewhere in here for this thing to grow, and it is for now, in nice, warm water. Later on, that doesn't happen. That's all over. And the -- the death of Fred will come as fast as the birth of Fred, I think, too.
Showers across parts of New York city, though, not really making any airport delays there. I'm seeing a little bit of convection pop up here in parts of Western Virginia, West Virginia, and also parts of Kentucky and western Piedmont there of North Carolina.
Some of these other showers, you can see some reds in here. The typical afternoon showers, the last 30 minutes, maybe the kids will have to get out of the pool because you'll see some lightning. Then 30 minutes later that whole weather system will be gone. So, one of those passing-showers kind of day, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Got it.
So have you been following our local girl at the U.S. Open, Melanie Oudin?
MYERS: Yes, she is the hit of my little hometown here. So yes. Yes.
PHILLIPS: That's what I figured, since you're a Marietta guy, you know about the Marietta mauler. OK. So did you hear about what happened at her hotel room?
MYERS: No.
PHILLIPS: OK, so, you know, everybody thinks that, you know, she's so far down the list, she's 17, nobody knows who she is, that they only made reservations for a certain amount of days. So all of a sudden, she comes out, she's beating everybody, and the hotel said, "Sorry, you've got to check out. You didn't check -- you didn't keep the room long enough." And can you believe they actually told her, "Find another place to go"?
MYERS: You know, maybe CNN could help. I think there's a really nice hotel right above CNN Center there on...
PHILLIPS: We'd never boot her out of the Omni, would we? MYERS: Absolutely not.
PHILLIPS: All right. We're going to talk about it in a minute.
MYERS: All right.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Phillip Garrido's dark past getting darker by the day. Police say a piece of bone found in the convicted sex offender's California backyard is probably human. Garrido is accused of kidnapping Jaycee Dugard, holding her captive for 18 years, and fathering her two daughters.
Could Milwaukee police have prevented at least one of the deaths in a string of serial killings? They've now linked former prisoner Walter Ellis to those murders. But under state law, they should have had a DNA sample from him and other prisoners eight years ago, before the last murder. It's not known if Ellis's DNA was ever obtained.
And live coverage of President Obama's health care speech starts at 8 p.m. Eastern on CNN. Aides say that he'll give more specifics on what he wants to see in the way of reform. And CNN has learned from the White House that the president will keep pushing for the controversial public option, a government-run insurance program.
And there's just one word for her: phenomenal. America's teen tennis sensation, Melanie Oudin, is kicking butt and taking names at the U.S. Open, plain and simple. She's clawed her way into the quarterfinals tonight, and her showing was such a surprise that she was actually booted from her Times Square hotel because her reservation was up on Sunday. Closer look now at the little Georgia teen who could.
Here's CNN sports Larry Smith.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Serena and Venus Williams may be America's most famous tennis players, but Melanie Oudin has created all the buzz at the U.S. Open. The 17-year- old from Marietta, Georgia, started hitting balls at age 7, but her quest for greatness intensified, and by the seventh grade, she decided to become home schooled.
MELANIE OUDIN, U.S. OPEN QUARTERFINALIST: It was to play more and to not get in trouble for missing so many days of school because of tournaments, because I wasn't allowed to. And that was my -- I wanted to play tournaments, so I had to start home schooling. And the amount of improvement that I got in that first year of home schooling was unbelievable.
SMITH: Oudin's focus on tennis improved her game, but it didn't come without sacrifice. Like any teenager would, Melanie misses hanging out with her friends, but she also misses the bond she shared with her twin sister, Katherine. OUDIN: We've always been close since we were little, but I think now we've definitely -- we've drifted a little bit apart from each other, just because I'm gone a lot. And then she's got different friends than I do. And different interests and stuff, but we're both happy for each other.
SMITH: Oudin turned pro last year, and received her first taste of fame two months ago, after reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon. But that pales in comparison to what she's experiencing now.
On Monday at the racquet club where Oudin trains, Melanie's friends and fans watched her become the youngest American to advance to the U.S. Open quarterfinals since Serena Williams in 1999.
TURHAN BERNE, MELANIE OUDIN SUPPORTER: She's as nice as she can be. She's the best sport as she's a champion.
ALICIA KATZ, MELANIE OUDIN SUPPORTER: Such a close match every time, but every time she pulls it off. And it's just great, because you see her here every day, so dedicated, always working out.
SMITH: With Oudin's rating on the rise, her coach of eight years, Brian de Villiers, is intent on keeping her humble.
BRIAN DE VILLIERS, MELANIE OUDIN'S COACH: This weekend we were laying sod and doing yard work. I made her come and do it. I make her do everything the other things the other kids do. She's no prima donna. You know, she has to understand, hey, this is your club. You help make it look good.
SMITH: That said, if Oudin wins the U.S. Open, she's pretty sure the coach will let her slide on eating one of her favorite foods.
OUDIN: I love ice cream, and I can't really eat it that much when I'm playing tennis. So I enjoy it on my off-season. But...
SMITH (on camera): Are you counting down the days until your first ice cream cone? (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
OUDIN: A lot. I mean, if I win the U.S. Open or something, I'm sure my coach will let me have, like, an ice cream.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, Melanie Oudin plays in the U.S. Open quarterfinals tonight at 7 Eastern. We'll be rooting her on.
Well, his team used to call him "coach." Prosecutors call him reckless after one of his players died. We're watching a trial in Kentucky with national implications.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: This is a story we've been watching very closely out of Louisville, Kentucky, where a former high school football coach is now on trial. He's accused of contributing to the death of one of his players by withholding water during a pretty grueling football practice.
Well, yesterday the boy's father testified, telling a far different tale than he had told before, and explaining the reasons for his change of heart.
CNN's Mary Snow has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jeff Gilpin described the afternoon in August 2008, when his 15-year-old son, Max, collapsed on a football field. The teen died three days later.
Prosecutors charge that Max's coach, Jason Stinson, is responsible for running what they call a barbaric practice: forcing players to run sprints with little water.
Jeff Gilpin recalled getting to his son's practice late that day, that it was hot, and he saw players in full equipment.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you see your son throw up on the field that day?
JEFF GILPIN, FATHER OF MAX GILPIN: Yes, I did, as well as other players. He wasn't the only one.
SNOW: Prosecutors also questioned a team member who played with Max Gilpin. His identity is shielded, because he's a minor. The player said he saw some kids try to get water.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And did you hear anything that Coach Stinson said to those players?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Get back here. You're not finished running."
SNOW: Gilpin says when his son collapsed, he and others tried to cool him down, and that Stinson was not with them as another coach dialed 911.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is he breathing?
STINSON: Yes, he's breathing. Yes. He's going -- he's kind of going in and out on us, though.
SNOW: Gilpin says at first he didn't see anything wrong with the practice but changed his mind after hearing from others. And he admitted that initially he didn't blame coaches in an interview he did with a reporter but two months after his son's death.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you recall telling them that they, being the coaches, "did everything they could, that I would have done"?
GILPIN: Yes.
SNOW: Gilpin testified that his son took the drug Adderall, a drug used to treat attention deficit disorder. And he said his son had also taken Creatine, which is a supplement used to stimulate muscle growth.
Defense attorneys are trying to prove that other factors may have played a role in the teen's death, summing up their case during last week's opening arguments.
BRIAN BUTLER, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: This has been nothing but a witch hunt by these people.
SNOW (voice-over): Stinson pled not guilty to charges of reckless homicide and wanton endangerment. He faces up to 10 years in prison if he's found guilty. Prosecutors say with his training, he should have known not to subject his players to those brutal conditions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He put competition and winning -- winning his first game as a head football coach -- ahead of safety.
SNOW (on camera): Stinson is getting the backing of other coaches who say that Max Gilpin's death was a tragic accident. Coaching organizations from across the country have been contributing to a defense fund for Coach Stinson.
Mary Snow, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: It's a make or break on health care reform. We've been talking about it for weeks now. And tonight, President Obama is going to talk back, in specifics, as he addresses a joint session of Congress.
If the devil is in the details, Capitol Hill may be awash in pitchforks by the time that it's done. We're six and a half hours away from the president's speech, but it's never too early to push forward.
And if you need more help wading through the health care battle, you should know about CNN.com/healthcare. That's where you can get the latest on the ongoing debate, not to mention the easy-to- understand explanations of the leading plans.
Next hour, we're going to walk you through some of the major sticking points.
And there may be more on the line for President Obama tonight than health care. Analysts suggest that his future political livelihood may be at stake if health care reform fails. The loss could be a precursor to the next presidential election.
CNN's Carol Costello takes a look at that for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's no doubt about one thing. Many Americans are confused about exactly how the president wants to reform health care.
So, what to do now? Well, on Wednesday, many analysts say the president must present a plan.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have every right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wait a minute.
COSTELLO (voice-over): It has been President Obama's summer of discontent, his health care message hijacked by extremists on both sides.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't want this country turning into Russia.
COSTELLO: He's been called a traitor by liberals, a socialist, racist. Some say the ugliness has turned charismatic Barack Obama into just another politician.
Former Republican Congresswoman Susan Molinari is a lobbyist whose firm deals in health care matters.
SUSAN MOLINARI, FORMER REPUBLICAN CONGRESSWOMAN: He has seen himself, you know, if you will, this superman falling to earth.
COSTELLO: And voters we talked with in Chicago, Mr. Obama's hometown, certainly feel that way.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel like he's been promising so much but hasn't really acted upon anything.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think there's a lot of inconsistencies in what he's saying.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody really knows the answers.
COSTELLO: They feel Mr. Obama has allowed extreme comments to not only diminish his stature but to control his message. Many supporters know President Obama's plan doesn't include killing grandma, but they want to hear him say that. They want his plan.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think -- honestly, I think he's letting the critics fluster him just a little bit.
COSTELLO: John Avlon, an independent who writes for "The Daily Beast," says that's why the president needs to be frank and firm before Congress Wednesday.
JOHN AVLON, "THE DAILY BEAST": I think what he needs to do is first say, "I hear you, I heard you. And I'm not going to let either extreme dominate this debate."
COSTELLO: Avlon says the president must also tell voters he gets their concerns about government growth and uncontrolled spending, and he needs to tell voters, most of whom have insurance, why we need reform. And it needs to be said with just a bit of the passion the president displayed in Ohio on Monday.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Security and stability for folks who have health insurance, help for those who don't. Coverage they need at a price they can afford. That's the reform that's needed.
COSTELLO: And Republicans say Mr. Obama needs to find a way to convince conservatives of that.
MOLINARI: I think he really needs to rise above the partisan bickering tonight and become the leader of the United States and talk about what are those things that he needs to see in a health care bill, and then urge the two parties, Republicans and Democrats, to get together and make it happen as quickly as possible.
COSTELLO (on camera): Avlon told me the president's decision to address Congress instead of a large crowd of people was a gutsy move because the president is much more effective in front of a large group of people.
But he says the president must not only convince the American people, but lawmakers, too.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And don't forget, you can see President Obama's speech right here, live coverage from the Best Political Team on Television 8:00 p.m. Eastern, 5:00 Pacific, right here on CNN.
It could save women's lives, but it's aimed at boys and young men. The FDA is weighing a new approach to fight a dangerous STD.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Remembering the most trusted man in America. Memorial service for Walter Cronkite wrapped up just a little while ago at New York's Lincoln Center. Friends, colleagues, other vips paid their last respects, including President Obama, who wasn't even a year old when Cronkite began anchoring the "CBS Evening News." Cronkite died at the age of 92.
Apple fans, start your Christmas lists now. The company is holding a media-only event in San Francisco right now. It's the time of year when Apple announces new products and services, and CEO Steve Jobs did come onstage earlier. It's his first public appearance, by the way, since becoming ill back just a number of months ago. We're going to bring you the details as we get them.
So, is it a film or one long campaign ad? The Supreme Court is hearing arguments sparked by "Hillary, The Movie," a critical look at Hillary Clinton. A conservative group wanted to air ads for the movie and show it on demand during the 2008 primaries, but a lower court said no. An employee or two out sick won't hurt a big company very badly, but it could cripple little operations and some health care providers. That's why the House Committee on Small Business is holding a hearing on the H1N1 virus, commonly called swine flu. Right now, the panel is hearing from business owners and others about the flu's potential economic impact.
Vaccinating boys and young men for a virus that's most dangerous to women. Today, an FDA panel is looking at whether Gardasil is safe for guys, according to the Associated Press. Gardasil defends against the human papilloma virus, which is sexually transmitted. HPV can cause cervical cancer in women and can also raise cancer risks for some men.
Drugmaker Merck wants Gardasil approved for males ages 9 to 26. It's already on the market for girls ages 9 and above.
Flus and vaccines not the top priority for millions of people on this planet. Instead, they're just trying to find water, water that won't make them sick or kill them. Now a famous inventor is trying to quench their thirst. He's on the "Edge of Discovery," and so is our Gary Tuchman.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Water. It's the most abundant resource on the planet. Yet, every year millions of people die because they don't have access to clean water. So, Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway, decided to take this problem on with a machine he calls the Slingshot.
DEAN KAMEN, INVENTOR: We believe the world needs a Slingshot to take care of this Goliath of a problem, bad water.
TUCHMAN: He says the machine can turn contaminated water like this dirty river water into clean drinking water by boiling, distilling and vaporizing it.
KAMEN: In goes the bad. And as you can see, out comes the good. That is pure water.
TUCHMAN: The machine is smaller than some other water purifying systems, making it more portable.
KAMEN: It's ideally suited to go to places in the developing world.
TUCHMAN: Kamen says it requires very little electricity and maintenance to function. But until he finds partners and distributors to keep the costs down, Slingshots won't be available to the people who need them most.
KAMEN: We've got to find better strategies to deal with this incredibly unique, invaluable resource called water that we have all come to take for granted, but will not be able to do that in the future. TUCHMAN: Gary Tuchman, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Dear Governor Sanford, please step down. Just in to CNN, we've learned that 60 South Carolina Republicans have signed a letter to Governor Mark Sanford asking him to resign. The letter was in the works for several weeks. Sanford has said that he's staying put despite growing pressure on him to quit after he revealed an extramarital affair.
All right, switching gears. Energetic, charming, bubbly, those words fit HLN anchor Robin Meade to the T. But at one time, there was another secret side to Meade, and it wasn't fun. She's going to join us live.
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PHILLIPS: I'm with you. Well, who would have thought it? Robin Meade, a vivacious anchor on our sister network, HLN, once battling panic attacks and anxiety.
Well, she's out with a new book, "Morning Sunshine," detailing that ordeal. It's full of advice for anyone who might be going through the same thing.
Robin joins me now to talk about it. Congratulations.
ROBIN MEADE, HLN ANCHOR: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Are you having a panic attack?
MEADE: No.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: You're looking nervous. I promise (INAUDIBLE).
MEADE: Well, I wanted to -- you know, I want to make sure people realize, it's not just if you suffer from anxiety. It's a lot about self-confidence and self-esteem issues, because who doesn't have that?
I mean, not everybody feels like they can't breathe, you know, but that's how I felt. But it was a manifestation of low self- confidence.
PHILLIPS: Well, why -- is that why you wrote the book? I mean, why did you feel the need to do it?
MEADE: Well, the book people did come to me and say, we'd like for you to write a book, what would you like to write about? So, when I thought about it, I didn't want people to buy the book and go, I didn't learn anything from that. Or, she didn't reveal anything in that.
PHILLIPS: Or I don't care about her anxiety attacks, she's beautiful and famous! Make me relate.
MEADE: So I thought, you know, I think it's dangerous for young people to look up, and whether it's this type of job or anyone who is in a career that's thought of as successful or high visibility, and go, oh, they must have had it easy. You know, they can't relate to the problems that I've had in my life.
PHILLIPS; A lot of people think that, though, about our business. You and I know that very well. I mean, people think, oh, they have it all and they have such a great job, and it looks so easy.
MEADE: They must have skated in there, yes.
PHILLIPS: Exactly. However...
MEADE: Meanwhile, I'm getting up at 2:30 in the morning and going to bed at 6:00 p.m.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: And having no social life.
MEADE: So, I wanted to lay out, you know, anyone who's gone through self-doubt. And who hasn't doubted themselves at one way or another? Ways that you can get out of it, ways that you can think yourself out of anxiety. I didn't want people to think, oh, it's easy.
PHILLIPS: All right, give an example.
MEADE; So, it's a roadmap.
PHILLIPS: Give an example. Was there a moment where -- I mean, tell me a story. Give me a nugget. And then tell me where in the book someone can learn from that.
MEADE: Yes. So, for example, for me, I had this little disease called like me, love me. That is what my self-confidence hinged on. It wasn't the outside. It wasn't the exterior. It was about, do you like me? And I have to make you like me. And if you don't, well, then, my self-confidence would plummet.
So, in the confidence boosters, which I lay out in the book, it's easy for someone to just kind of pick this up and go, OK, here's what I've learned. For me, I would kind of veer into the future and imagine all these what-ifs, right? And that would set me into a panic.
PHILLIPS: Ooh, I can relate to that. Oh,I can so relate to that.
MEADE: Because, you know, you're taught to plan. You plan ahead, right?
PHILLIPS: Right.
MEADE: So you're like, what if?
PHILLIPS: And you want everything to be perfect.
MEADE: So, here's what I've learned, one of them, the little nuggets. The present is where you're the most aware of things happening around you. You've got to stay in the present.
PHILLIPS: Live in the moment.
MEADE: Live in the moment. So, I'm up here with Kyra Phillips right now. There's air conditioning blowing, you know, around here. I'm OK right now. So, you try to keep your mind on the present. Maybe it's just noticing it for ten minutes.
It's really unnatural to try to stay in the present all the time, but that's a little confidence booster that you'll find all throughout the book. Things like that.
PHILLIPS: What about meditation? That was something that I had to learn how to do. Some, you know, people say, oh, pray, relax, take a drink of water, walk around the building. I actually needed something where I could go away for, you know, a good 10 minutes...
MEADE: Really?
PHILLIPS: ... and just concentrate on something.
MEADE: Maybe you can teach that to me.
(LAUGHTER)
MEADE: I do have what I call -- hit the reset button. And that's my...
PHILLIPS: That's kind of the same thing.
MEADE: Exactly. That's my forum. And for me, it's maybe I just go out to the lake and just kind of sit there and realize how great everything is. And just how you have many, many reasons to be self- confident. And all of us have the same potential. Just we're different and we're good at different things.
PHILLIPS: Right.
MEADE: We all have potential to be good, to be great at the things that we desire, but you just have to do a good self-assessment. I think a lot of us walk around and we tell stories to ourselves -- oh, I'm bad at math, I'm bad at this, and so therefore, it becomes our story. But if you can sit there...
PHILLIPS: How do you do that, though? How do you do a self- assessment where you recognize things you have to work on but at the same time, realize your beauty not necessarily outside, but everybody has something in there. You just have to find it. And not everybody finds it. MEADE: If you can write things down, it's forcing your brain to really latch on to what you're seeing. So, you've got to sit there and do a really good assessment. I, Kyra Phillips, am very successful. I'm good at making people laugh. I'm good at interviewing. I'm beautiful.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: And she's got a new book out, ladies and gentlemen.
MEADE: No, no, no, I was writing in "Kyra Phillips."
PHILLIPS: Oh.
MEADE: I was writing as you.
PHILLIPS: Oh, look at that, uh-huh, all right.
MEADE: Oh, my God. She thinks my head is big or something.
PHILLIPS: The book right there, it's "Morning Sunshine," and you can catch her on HLN every morning, of course. Now, this starts coming out in bookstores tomorrow, including Barnes and Noble, Waldenbooks and Borders, correct?
MEADE: Yes, and Hudson (ph).
PHILLIPS: OK.
MEADE: And probably some other ones I'm not aware of.
PHILLIPS: All right, you keep us updated.
MEADE: I just want you to know I was writing in the form of Kyra Phillips.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: I love you, Robin. You just boosted my self confidence.
MEADE: There you go.
PHILLIPS: All right, from one strong woman to another, we're going to segueway to the White House. How does that sound? Robin, thanks so much.
We've actually been flooded today with a lot of questions about health care, so we're taking them straight to the senior White House adviser for you. Valerie Jarrett is the assistant to the president for intergovernment affairs and public engagement.
Whew, that's a mouthful. She's joining us from the White House North Lawn. I bet you were inspired by Robin's book. Are you going to go out and get it, Valerie? VALERIE JARRETT, SENIOR WHITE HOUSE ADVISER: Immediately, immediately. I was enjoying listening to that conversation. Good afternoon.
PHILLIPS: There you go. OK, excellent. Well, we'll make sure that Robin gets you about 20 copies to pass around to all the strong women in the White House, OK?
JARRETT: I'll do just that. I will look forward to it.
PHILLIPS: Fabulous.
OK. How's that, do I get 10 percent?
MEADE: Oh, my goodness.
PHILLIPS: All right, Valerie, let's get down to business. We're talking about the president's speech, of course, tonight. A lot of eyes going to be on that.
We've received a lot of questions. I know you're open to answering those for us from our viewers.
JARRETT: Sure.
PHILLIPS: OK, fabulous. Let's get right to it.
This Twitter coming from Bobbysgirl1972: "My insurance company just denied me an imperative breast cancer test. Hubby losing job with GM on the 30th. How can you or the proposal help me?"
JARRETT: Well, that's exactly the kind of person that we're trying to help. And I'll tell you, as we've traveled around the country, and as the president has received letters from the American people, we hear these gut-wrenching stories about people who are doing everything they should be doing, they're trying to take care of themselves, they're trying to work hard. But in this economy, we know how fragile jobs are.
And as people lose their jobs, and as they change jobs, if they get ill, they need to know that they can have the kind of health insurance that will take care of them. People will pay their premiums year after year after year and then get sick and get dropped, or they'll change jobs and get dropped.
And so, this is just the kind of person we want to help. What the American people and that person in particular needs is to know that they have the security and the stability in the health care system to help them when they need it most, and that's when they're sick.
PHILLIPS: Valerie, this one coming from guyakuzuki: "If there's no public option in health care, where is the change that I can believe in? No public option equals more of the same."
JARRETT: Well, this is a very good point. The president has spoken out throughout this process about the importance of the public option. But let's take a step back and make sure everybody understands what it is. The vast majority of American people, say, over 165 million, have insurance. So, what the public option is there is to provide those who don't have it to participate in the exchange which will make it more affordable for them so they're not having to pay two and three times more than people who receive insurance through their employers, so that those people have the advantage of having affordable health care.
And we think that the public option is a way of providing competition in the system. Now, there are many states, a state such as Maine, for example, or Alabama that have very few insurance carriers. Well, what do you have when you have so few options? Prices go up. And so, if you have a public option that's available in the exchange, you'll have some competition, and prices will come down. And for those who don't have insurance, the president is very concerned that we are able to provide them with affordable health care insurance.
PHILLIPS: Now, for the sake of balance, you know, Republicans and doctors, a lot of them have been wanting to hear more about support for medical malpractice reform. Where is the president going to stand on that?
JARRETT: Well, the president throughout this entire process, in fact, throughout his career, has said that we need to provide some accountability in the malpractice arena. We need to -- we have far too many physicians who are finding themselves in trouble. We have far too many physicians who are trying to deal with the exorbitant cost of malpractice.
And so, the president's been consistent throughout the process that we need to have reform there as well. We have a lot of really good ideas on the table. I think we should remark at how much progress we've made. We're about 80 percent of the way there. The fact that we've had five different congressional committees all working on health care, four have passed and have markups going. And we know that Baucus said today that he's optimistic that he'll be able to move forward shortly.
So, we have so much going for us. We just need to bring it home the rest of the way, and the president tonight would like to address the American people and Congress, remind them of what's at stake, remind them of how the status quo is completely unacceptable.
We've heard from so many people who traveled back home during break, members of Congress, that what they've heard quite specifically from the American people is that we can't continue with this exorbitant escalation in health care costs. We can't worry that if we lose our jobs and we get sick that we're not going to be covered. We have got to face these challenges. And it's been a long time coming. We're almost there. We've got to deliver on behalf of the American people.
PHILLIPS: And you can see that speech live right here on CNN 8:00 p.m. Eastern time. Valerie Jarrett, appreciate you taking the viewers' questions.
JARRETT: Of course. Of course. Have a great afternoon.
PHILLIPS: You, too.
We're just getting started in the CNN NEWSROOM. Stay with us.
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