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Must See on TV, Health Reform Debate; Flag over Marjah; Trusting Toyota; Stocks Set To Tumble; Hummer Parked; Why Can't We Feed Our People?; Health Care Summit

Aired February 25, 2010 - 09:00   ET

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

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Kyra.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, guys. We're about an hour away from the CNN special coverage of the big health care summit, but hold on.

You know those credit card protections that went into effect this week? Now you can get a credit card with nearly 60 percent interest. Wow. What a deal. Sign me up. Some protection, huh?

Your stomach full? Great. A lot of people can't even say that, thanks in part to "Broken Government". They might have to choose food or mortgage.

And you can take an animal out of the wild, but you can't always take the wild out of the animal. When a huge killer whale reveals its wild side, bad things can and it did happen.

Well, thank goodness for Ed Henry. He's going to tell us why this bipartisan health care summit is such a big deal.

No pressure, Ed.

And another huge deal in Afghanistan. An Afghan flag flying where it wasn't before. Ben Wedeman has got us covered there.

And Rob Marciano with more proof that that darn groundhog nailed it. This is the winter that just keeps on giving.

Reforming the nation's health care system. The clock is ticking, and at the 11th hour bid is just minutes away. At the top of the hour, the Democrats will plead their case for reform in a summit that's nothing short of extraordinary. For one, the bipartisan negotiations will be open, contentious and televised to a public that itself divided over the issue.

That creates a high stakes gamble for Democrats who are already facing tough midterm elections this year. Three dozen lawmakers are to take part in today's talks. Leaders of both parties are expected to speak. The expected topics, controlling health care costs, informing insurance rules, and expanding coverage for uninsured Americans.

CNN crews are breaking it all down for us. Let's go ahead and begin with our senior White House correspondent, Ed Henry.

Ed, what's the bottom line here? What does the administration really expect to get out of today's session?

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, the real bottom line is that this is the last best chance for the president to get a comprehensive health reform bill as he's been pushing for for months now.

If not, it's very likely this administration -- when you talk to top officials -- will have to go to some sort of slimmed down version, a much less ambitious plan.

And so what they're hoping today will be -- will be an honest exchange of ideas, both sides laying them on the table, show the American people what each side is pushing for. There's been a lot of noise in this debate. They're hoping that finally they can cut through that noise and give this president some momentum.

They don't believe that there's likely to be some sort of eureka moment where, after all this debate, both sides will suddenly find some magic formula for a bipartisan deal. Instead, they hope to sort of give this one last chance, and then when you talk to top officials, it's very likely this White House will move forward with Democrats on the Hill with what is known as reconciliation.

That maneuver on the Hill where basically they'll need a simple majority instead of a super majority, and then you need to know about bottom line two numbers. A 50 in the Senate, a 50 votes plus Vice President Biden to break a tie, and then 218 in the House. That's the second number.

A simple majority to pass the president's plan. When you talk to Democrats on the Hill, they're confident in both chambers. They can reach those numbers. Here at the White House, they're still a little nervous about whether they'll get there. But I think that is the very much the bottom line. It's the last best chance of some sort of bipartisan deal.

And then this White House is -- basically going to move on and go their own way and hope that they can pass it without Republican votes -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, is there a target date for the deal?

HENRY: Well, you've seen all those deadlines last year the president set that didn't really work. One after another, slipped through the crack. So they sort of learned their lesson. They're not going to set a deadline. But what I'm hearing from top Democrats privately is that they have a new target date of the end of March.

Because they're hearing from Democrats on the Hill that when you get to the end of March, then you have Easter, and they go away on the Hill for a couple of weeks for recess. When they come back for that recess in early to mid April, they want to move on to jobs, they want to do some of the appropriations bills that are piling up. So the bottom line is that if you count it from today until the end of March, after the summit meeting is over today, this afternoon, they have exactly one month to get this done. Otherwise Democrats on the Hill are privately warning this White House they'll have to move back to jobs and other issues.

So the clock is ticking. This really is the last best chance for a final deal -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: OK. Ed Henry, thanks so much.

And President Obama is bringing together all sides of the debate in hopes of pushing through some form of health care reform, as you just heard Ed said. And CNN will bring coverage of the White House summit to you live beginning right here at the top of the hour.

More charges could be filed today in that alleged New York subway bombing conspiracy. Two defendants, both friends of this man, Najibullah Zazi, are due in court today. Zazi pleaded guilty Monday to conspiring to blow up several subway targets.

This is the first court appearance for Adis Medunjanin and Zarein Ahmedzay since Zazi pleaded guilty. Zazi is allegedly cooperating with prosecutors now.

The Afghan government has a major southern city back in its fold. But can it keep it?

CNN's Ben Wedeman is live in Kabul.

Ben, in Marjah, they actually planted the Afghan flag today. That's pretty significant.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it is. It happened today. About 700 people were in attendance where an administrator for Marjah was installed. This was in the presence of Marine General Larry Nickelson.

And according to what we're hearing from the coalition, the things -- things have stabilized somewhat. Shops are open. People are going about their business. According to the coalition, they're getting 50 percent more tips on where bombs or IEDs may be located.

The question, Kyra, is can they hold it? This is a huge country, and coalition forces and the Afghan army simply can't be everywhere in force all the time. And in the past, the problem has been the coalition has managed to gain control of areas, but it's pulled its troops out or lessoned the numbers, and the Taliban, the men in black, have come right back. Kyra?

BLITZER: Ben Wedeman, live in Kabul -- Ben, thanks.

Toyota's prince kind of got his crown knocked to the ground, but it could have been a lot worse. Toyota's president, Akio Toyoda, in front of a congressional hearing. He said he was sorry, a few times. But will apologies and promises to do better actually save Toyota's bottom line?

CNN senior correspondent Allan Chernoff has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When the chief executive of Toyota which had been revered for quality confesses to losing sight of safety, it's a concern to all drivers.

Akio Toyoda says his company was thinking too much about expansion, not enough about making safe cars.

AKIO TOYODA, PRESIDENT, TOYOTA: These priorities became confused. I intend to further improve on the quality of Toyota vehicles.

CHERNOFF: But promises may not be enough by Toyota owners who are shaken by reports of runaway cars, especially when the company's U.S. sales chief says recalls may not solve the problem.

REP. HENRY WAXMAN (D), CALIFORNIA: Do you believe that the recall on the carpet changes and the recall on the sticky pedal will solve the problem of sudden unintended acceleration?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not totally.

CHERNOFF: Matta Freund drives one of Toyota's luxury vehicles, a Lexus.

MATTA FREUND, LEXUS OWNER: Our lease is going to be coming due. What other car could we get? Will I trust Toyota?

CHERNOFF (on camera): Do you?

FREUND: No. I don't trust them.

CHERNOFF (voice-over): Tony (INAUDIBLE) drives a Toyota taxi.

(On camera): Would you buy a Toyota for yourself right now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To be honest, I wouldn't buy a Toyota now.

CHERNOFF (voice-over): It's an unprecedented crisis for the Japanese automakers say industry experts.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The company is not only damaged but the brand is being damaged also.

CHERNOFF: Toyota dealers say the vast majority of customers are remaining loyal to their brand.

BILL RINKER, TOYOTA SANTA MONICA: 95 percent, I would say, if I was to pull a number out, have been, you know, very positive. They've owned Toyotas before. They're not worried.

CHERNOFF: But Toyota dealers are worried. They're offering rebates and low financing, hoping to hold on to customers. Last month Toyota's U.S. sales slumped 16 percent even as the overall auto market rebounded. And now competing auto dealers are going all out to grab more Toyota customers.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Allan Chernoff joining us now live from New York.

So, now what, Allan? I mean can the brand be saved?

CHERNOFF: They certainly have to deliver. You know, saying you're sorry, that's nice. But what American consumers really want is performance, and that is what they have come to expect from Toyota.

Kyra, there's a consulting firm called Grand Finance in the U.K. They ranked Toyota as the 9th most valuable brand in the entire world. And they're saying that if Toyota does not fix this acceleration problem, consumers may turn their backs and the brand could lose one third of its value over the next year.

PHILLIPS: Allan Chernoff, appreciate it.

Well, Akio Toyoda was definitely not done. After talking to Congress, he sat down with our Larry King. Here's a broadcast exclusive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY KING, CNN ANCHOR: You apologized on behalf of Toyota. One congresswoman -- Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur -- didn't think you showed enough remorse. How -- how said -- this is hard to put in words, maybe.

How sad are you over this?

TOYODA (Through Translator): Well, all the vehicles bear my name. And if the people's trust, vis-a-vis, the vehicle gets lessened, then that is the same to myself. It is very difficult to express with words. But sometimes people tell me that I'm not explaining enough. It's unfortunate, but I really would like to continue doing my very best to convey my feelings.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Story ahead. So what does SeaWorld do with the killer whale now? They've got a 12,000 pound mammal that's not been involved in the death of a trainer.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm Rob Marciano in the CNN Severe Weather Center. Yet another winter storm bearing down on northeast. It will mean high winds and rain for some and heavy snow for others. Details coming up after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: It's not called a killer whale for nothing. SeaWorld in Orlando is reviewing its operating procedures now after a death of a trainer. A SeaWorld official told CNN this morning that the trainer was working on the deck beside the whale named Tilikum when it grabbed her ponytail and pulled her into the water.

Forty-year-old Dawn Brancheau was violently shaken by the 11,000 pound whale and pulled under. Take a listen to the witness.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAULA GILLESPIE, WITNESSED INCIDENT: We had left the "Dine with Shamu" show and we went down to look at his full body underneath the observation tank. And everything seemed calm and OK, and the trainer was laying down on him and kissing his nose, and rubbing him.

And you could see her hand in the water, and rubbing him, and the next thing -- I mean, it all happened so fast, and within like five minutes that she was down in the tank and we saw all the thrashing and the bubbles and him pushing her with his nose.

And it was just so, so traumatic. And all the people around -- of course, my daughter, and she saw it. And I tried to shelter her eyes from it, but it was too late.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: SeaWorld has currently cancelled all the whale shows at its parks.

Well, this is no fun to drive in. That's for sure. Vermont with more than two-feet of snow in some places. Well, it's a nightmare for some, though, it's actually really good news for the ski resort where snow has been in short supply this season. They're actually calling it a godsend.

Rob Marciano, makes you want to go hit the slopes.

MARCIANO: Yes, it does.

PHILLIPS: Who are you talking to over there?

(LAUGHTER)

MARCIANO: Just, you know. We're a team here.

(LAUGHTER)

MARCIANO: I got Angela Fritz -- I'm trying to get --

PHILLIPS: She had late-breaking snow news?

MARCIANO: Well, I want to get to the watch and warning map up that has the snow totals on it. On Glenn. And we named our computers, by the way. They all have a hurricane name.

So if you hear me throwing out names like Gustav -- this is Gustav. PHILLIPS: OK.

MARCIANO: You remember that storm that went through --

PHILLIPS: Oh yes.

MARCIANO: -- New Orleans a couple of years ago. We've got a Katrina. We've got an Isabelle. All the big ones. We pretty nailed on.

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: OK. Thanks, Rob.

MARCIANO: There'll be a quiz on all those names later in the program, by the way.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: OK. They're easy. We covered them all. So thanks, Rob.

MARCIANO: OK. See you.

PHILLIPS: A high stakes health care summit. Just about 40 minutes away now. Democrats and Republicans at the table, sleeves rolled up, trying to hammer out a deal. So will it be a new approach or the same old partisan politics? We're going to talk about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Will we be able to afford health care? When will insurance companies be held accountable?

Well, these are just two of the crucial questions that we're asking as the health care summit gets ready to kick off in just about 40 minutes live right here on CNN.

And Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will be there, of course, but first she's talking to us live from the White House. Also our own chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, joining me to ask a few questions.

Secretary Sebelius, it's good to see you.

KATHLEEN SEBELIUS, U.S. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: Thank you, Kyra. Nice to be with you.

PHILLIPS: Well, I saw this op-ed piece that you wrote in the "Washington Post" saying that America or Democrats and Republicans agree on about 80 percent of this -- of what's within this proposal.

However, Mitch McConnell came forward and -- and just said yesterday, quote, "It's nearly impossible to imagine a scenario under which we can reach an agreement today." Your response? SEBELIUS: Well, I'm hoping that Leader McConnell and his colleagues from the House and Senate are coming with open minds. There are so many issues, as we pointed out in the "Post" op-ed that our Republican ideas that are already in the comprehensive proposals. Going after fraud, creating new market places, assisting small business owners and families to get coverage, making sure that insurance companies no longer can pick and choose who gets coverage and who doesn't.

Focusing on wellness and prevention, and not waiting until people get sick to enter the health care system. So those strategies are already in the bill and the president wants to hear what else the Republicans have to put forward that deal with costs in the long term, deal with coverage in the long term, deal with insurance company practices.

And we can move toward together.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Secretary Sebelius, it's Sanjay Gupta here.

SEBELIUS: Hi, Sanjay.

GUPTA: Hi. You look a little chilly out there. It's good to see you.

SEBELIUS: It is a little cold.

(LAUGHTER)

GUPTA: You know, one of the things that's been talked about for sometime is what exactly is health reform versus insurance reform? I mean back over the last year it's been said that health reform is not health reform unless there is a public option. Then there's been some back and forth on that.

Is this truly what you're talking about? Is it insurance reform or is it health reform? And what is the deal breaker here? Eighty percent in common. What won't you tolerate as you move forward?

SEBELIUS: Why, I think, Sanjay, that's a great question. I think the comprehensive proposals that passed both the House and the Senate is health insurance reform and health reform. There's a lot of issues dealing with going after fraud, investing in prevention and wellness that you and I have talked about.

Changing the way we pay for health care, so we pay for quality outcomes and make sure that every American gets high quality care each and every time they enter the system. And then there's a lot about insurance reform. I mean this insurance market is failing way too many American families, way too many small business owners.

They are kicked out of the market when they get sick. They are locked out of the market because they have a preexisting condition. They're priced out of the market. We see 40 percent rate increases, 25 percent rate increases across the country. We've got to change these rules once and for all.

PHILLIPS: Well, not only that, but executives are making so much money in a time when there are so many people that are not insured. I mean let's just take a listen to the House, Energy and Commerce Committee when they were investigating and holding a hearing with regard to WellPoint Inc. This is its president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANGELA BRALY, WELLPOINT PRESIDENT: My salary is $1.1 million. I received stock compensation with a value of $8.5 million, and last year an annual incentive payment of $73,000.

REP. JAN SCHAKOWSKY (D), ILLINOIS: Well, of course it makes sense that you would need a big rate increase.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: And of course she was being quite facetious there. Is that going to stop?

SEBELIUS: Well, actually, Kyra, that's -- that's sort of the tip of the iceberg. That's a modest salary compared to a number of the top CEOs who are making up to $24 million each.

The top five insurance companies in 2009 had $12.2 billion worth of profits between the companies. Fifty percent higher profit statements than a year earlier. So the enormous rate increases, staggering rate increases, don't match the profit statements. There's a real disconnect.

And too many Americans are really in a life-or-death situation, they desperately need the coverage. They don't have a large employer to negotiate on their behalf, and yet they're being kicked out of the marketplace because they simply don't have thousands of dollars extra to put on the table.

GUPTA: Secretary Sebelius, a lot of people will say, well, look, when you talk about tip of the iceberg, it's not just insurance companies. It may be hospitals. It may be manufacturers of a lot of supplies that are used in hospitals.

There are a lot of different organizations, groups, people who contribute to health care costs. Are you going to be going after all these folks? I mean there are companies that are posting huge profits that make supplies for hospitals? How about that?

SEBELIUS: Well, I think definitely part of the underlying health reform is to really pay a more reasonable rate for the products that are delivered. And we want to go to competitive bidding on durable medical equipment. That in and of itself just making companies bid and not sort of fixing a price.

We want to insert some market strategies in Medicare programs so that we actually can lower cost over time. There's a lot where we're over paying or subsidizing the so-called Medicare advantage plans, 12 percent more, and 80 percent of seniors are paying those higher rates for issues that don't really add to health outcomes for seniors.

So we want to be smart about what we're spending but actually lower the cost over time. Pay for quality, pay for outcomes, and stop overpaying for everything in the medical system, which is driving up costs.

That's all part of the reform bills that passed both the House and the Senate.

PHILLIPS: Well, the health care reform summit starts in about 30 minutes. And you will be there --

SEBELIUS: And it's inside.

PHILLIPS: There you go. And it's inside where it won't be cold. Although you are beautifully backed lit there as the sun rises with the cool air.

Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thank you both.

SEBELIUS: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: What's in your wallet? How about a credit card with 59.99 percent interest. With credit card protections like that, who needs enemies?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: When the chairman of the Federal Reserve speaks, Wall Street listens. And yesterday investors liked what they heard. Today Ben Bernanke on Capitol Hill for round two. Stephanie Elam in New York with a preview.

Steph, another rally today?

(LAUGHTER)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Sorry, no, Kyra, I don't think we're going to get a repeat one.

PHILLIPS: That was a sarcastic laugh.

ELAM: Yes, because we're expecting --

PHILLIPS: Hell no, Kyra.

ELAM: That should be due tomorrow right out the gate, so yes, pretty much. It's not going to be -- we're not going to see the same picture. We will here that will be the same day, though. Bernanke is going to deliver the same testimony today, but this time, they will be before the Senate Banking Committee. Yesterday, investors were happy to hear that the Fed Chief plans to keep interest rates low for a while longer. That last week, was really a big issue because of Fed raised the discount rate which is what it charges banks.

That led a fear that policy makers might soon raise the rate that affects consumers and businesses. If that happened, it could slow the recovery, and as we know, it's a precarious time still for the economy here, so investors jumped up to the mark yesterday cheering Ben Bernanke after he said he was staying the course.

Today, however, Wall Street is worried about Europe because sentiment worsened this month, and the debt problems in Greece may be getting worse, so as I was saying, Kyra, we are looking for triple digit losses right out the gate, and that's what we have. The Dow off 137 points, 10,220 right now. NASDAQ is off 1.3 percent already, so no, as I was saying, Kyra, no, not another rally, at least not to start.

PHILLIPS: Gosh, OK. Shut me down. Thanks, Steph.

(LAUGHING)

PHILLIPS: Definitive. There we go. Let's move on.

Hummer now goes the way of Pontiac, GMC, and Studebaker. General Motors says that the deal to sell the brand to a Chinese company actually fell through. Hummers became popular after the 1st golf war but rising gas prices really killed them. GM already has Pontiac and Saturn as part of their cost cutting.

You know there's new credit card protection that wins in to affect this week. Apparently, there's a loop hole, so big, you could drive a truck through it. CNNmoney.com has Poppy Harlow in New York. Poppy, where should we be on the lookout for?

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: That's a great way to put it. If this I think, even after credit card reform, there are what some lawmakers are calling this gaping holes in the legislation. You have got credit cards out there, Kyra, right now that we found with these interest rates, you might not be able to believe. Let me give you an example. At first, premiere bank is out the code, and they are offering a credit card with 59.9 percent interest rate, and you know what, they can still do it. It's legal, but then you look at these credit cards. These are from the credit union here in New York. They are capped at 18 percent interest rate by law, and that infuriate some lawmakers that banks don't have a cap. Here is one lawmaker. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (I) VERMONT: What we have right now are millions of Americans who are paying 20, 25 or 30 percent or even more on interest rates on their credit cards, and frankly that is immoral. That is usury, and that is something that we have to end. The middle class is hurting in America, and it's just unfair to ask people to pay these outrageous interest rates.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: All right. So, why is this? We did some digging, Kyra, and I want to show you why, because you have to go back more than 30 years to actually a supreme court decision based on a Minnesota bank case in 1978. What it essentially did was Marquette National Bank, versus First Omaha. They deregulated interest rates, so banks could legally charge any interest rate they want. That's what happened and that's why you've seen lawmakers come forward time and time again in Congress and try to cap interest rates, Kyra. They just haven't been able to get it through. They haven't been able to get that bipartisan support even with new credit card reform. We have no cap on interest rates -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. So, who is getting the 60 percent credit cards even after credit card reform?

HARLOW: That's a great question because it's not every one. It's the subprime borrowers. The people with the worse credit they can't get other credit cards, so they may not be able to qualify for a credit card from a credit union. That what's going on here, but we talked to the American Bankers Associations. That's the biggest lobby as for all of these banks, and they said, listen, if we were to cap interest rates, that would make it extremely hard for people to get credit. People with bad credit couldn't get what they needed. That's their argument.

We went to this credit union, you see it right here downtown in Manhattan. We talked to them. They really cater to middle class people that work for the government. These are people with average incomes. They give them credit cards at maximum 18 percent interest rate, most of the ones that we saw were 11 percent and 9 percent interest rates, so it's certainly something to keep an eye on, Kyra. Lawmakers, a lot of them crying out even after this reform and saying, why is there no cap? -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Yes. Good point. Thanks Poppy.

HARLOW: You got it.

PHILLIPS: All right. Let's get the latest on the looming face of the health care reform big debate going on. Tempers flare, threats fly, and Bipartisan talks about to get under way, and it's going to happen right here on CNN, 10:00 eastern. The Democrats will plead their case for reform in a summit that is nothing short of extraordinary. For one, the bipartisan negotiations will be open and contention and televised to a public that is, itself, divided over the issue, and that creates a high stakes gamble for Democrats who are already facing a tough mid-term election year.

Three dozen lawmakers are to take part in today's talks. Leaders of both parties are expected to speak, and those expected topics controlling health care cost, reforming insurance rules, and expanding coverage for uninsured Americans. Let's get the latest on this now. CNN senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash has a preview from Capitol Hill.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We asked both the senate's top Republican and Democrat where they may agree on health care, but their answers were mostly how they disagree. SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL, (R) MINORITY LEADER: You will not see from us, a 2,700 page comprehensive re-right of one-sixth of our economy. We don't think that opt to be done, and we've said it repeatedly.

SEN. HARRY REID, (D) MAJORITY LEADER: We need major health care reform. That's what the people of America want. They want health care reform, not some Band-Aid.

BASH: Not exactly the makings of compromise, but peel back the rhetoric and raw emotion, and there are some areas of agreement. Take young adults. Republicans want to change the law to allow dependents to stay on their parent's insurance policies through age 25. President Obama's plan isn't far off. He says age 26 or promoting a healthier lifestyle.

A house GOP proposal says people on prevention and wellness programs should be rewarded with better health insurance rates. The President adopted a similar idea in his plan, but the reality is those are minor issues, so what about major popular issues like banding insurers from discriminating based on preexisting conditions? They agree on the concept.

REP. JOHN BOEHNER, (R) MINORITY LEADER: I think that the issue of preexisting condition is a serious issue in our health care system. We have a way to do it that doesn't drive up the health insurance costs for every other American.

BASH: But the Republican way is expanding high risk pools and reinsurance programs that already exist in various states. Democrats called that a nonstarter what an all out federal ban. Which brings this back to where we started, intense disagreement. And though Democrats say this --

UNKNOWN MALE: We've heard that they have ideas, and we look forward to those ideas.

BASH: Skepticism reigns.

MCCONNELL: We are happy to be there, but I am not quite sure what the purpose is.

PHILLIPS: OK. Mitch McConnell not too positive about this get together, shall we say, and yet the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius says, hey, both parties agree on about 80 percent of the issues.

BASH: Yes. There are certainly is a lot of agreement. We showed some examples in that piece, Kyra, but reality is that there are differences on the major policy issues, and differences in philosophy and approach, and not just that, there is a deep divide over just how to tackle this. Fundamentally, Democrats want to have a comprehensive health care bill, and Republicans are going to say, probably starting in about a half an hour, no, the best way to do this is incrementally, so there's differences in philosophy, policy, and approach. Another thing that is making bad blood even more toxic going into this, Kyra, is that Republicans know what we are hearing from democratic sources which is that they already have tentative plans in the works to try to use a parliamentary short cut to pass the Democrat's health care bill without Republicans, and another big reason that they are having the summit, even though it's bipartisan, is actually to get Democrats united so that they can make that happen long term, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: That's just about it. Twenty minutes away from the summit. Dana Bash, thanks so much.

BASH: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: President Obama is going to bring all those sides together to debate these topics with hopes of pushing through some form of health care reform. We'll bring it to you live from the White House, 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Children going to bed with empty bellies. Parents forced to choose between food and heat. It's happening now in America. Our broken government coverage continues with two women who are trying desperately to fix things.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, mad as hell and not going to take any anymore. That's how many Americans are feeling about their government these days. We're tapping into your strong feelings all week long and taking a look at broken government and what needs to be done to fix it.

And talk about mad as hell, everyday a child goes hungry, a food pantry struggles, a parent losses a job. Today "Broken Government" and hunger in America.

In Los Angeles, food banks, four out of every 10 people served are children. And about half the families say they have to choose among food and utilities or heat.

In St. Louis, a minister visits the homeless in the freezing temps here. Why -- because in and around that city, the number of homeless has jumped 31 percent from last year. And then, right here in Georgia, at least one in eight families don't even get enough food to maintain a healthy life.

And one of the main reasons why Americans are homeless and hungry -- no jobs. As a matter of fact, just an hour ago we learned that nearly half a million more Americans filed for unemployment last week, but even in this bleak environment there are people out there trying to help. Meredith Dodson is with Results, a grassroots group working to end hunger; also joins, spiritual teacher and author of Marianne Williamson, she's actually kicking off a conference this weekend that we're going to talk about where you can get involved to be a part of this movement to do something.

Marianne, let's start with you. You know, we put in so much money to bailing out banks, bailing out big companies, yet every single night a child here in our country goes hungry.

MARIANNE WILLIAMSON, SPIRITUAL MOVEMENT WOMEN'S LEADER: Well, I think that's the point. It's not just the mechanics of our government that's broken. It's the intention of our government that has become so corrupted.

We have a government in which money has such an over influence. And when you are talking about the poorest among us, certainly a hungry child, a hungry child has no economic leverage.

So we had accelerated the flow of wealth in this country upwards to such an extent over the last 40 or 50 years; so many of our political policies favor those who already have. And Louis Brandeis, the late Supreme Court Justice is said "We can either have large amounts of wealth concentrated in the hands of the very few or we can have democracy. We cannot have both."

So right now, those who do not already have tremendous corporate power, for instance -- and this is such a corruption as I said, it's such an -- a perversion of the whole point of American democracy. Our government is supposed to be of the people, not of the corporations.

And so this kind of suffering among so many people is absolutely inevitable once you're values has become as corrupted by -- by the undue influence of wealth as (INAUDIBLE).

PHILLIPS: Now, Meredith, your organization is all about rallying people around the country and saying to our political leaders, you know, we want to fix this break, we've got to do something. You put pressure on these politicians to do things to help. You know, where are the stalemates?

Tell me what you're doing to try and fix what we are seeing every day and that's our children and our family is suffering?

MEREDITH DODSON, RESULTS: Yes and at this point we're seeing a situation where one out of four kids is at risk of going to bed hungry tonight in this country. And so often our political priorities don't match what everyday Americans want to see. No American wants to have kids going to bed hungry in this country but there is a disconnect.

And I'm very lucky because I get to interact every single day with people outside of Washington who are actually training themselves in how to participate in the political process and make a huge difference.

And there's couple key pieces of policy right now, the top one of course, is health reform, the bills that are pending right now will invest in expanding coverage and access for low income people.

But also we have Congress turning its attention to the nutrition programs. Programs to make sure kids get access to healthy meals in schools and during summer months and also in child care settings. So there's a lot of things right now in Congress that really could impact this situation, but they're really at risk of derailing because of the political stalemate.

PHILLIPS: Well and I know, you're fighting to reauthorize the Child Nutrition programs on many levels and Marianne you've got this conference coming up this weekend, Sister Giant and it kicks off in L.A. and you're trying to empower women specifically, women like you and Meredith to get involved.

Why is this so essential right now? What can we learn from this conference to get involved in trying to help this broken government that is causing so many people to suffer because things like Meredith points out are within Congress, policies, they're stalemates that are hurting our people?

WILLIAMSON: You know one of the reasons why this issue of corporate power is so important is because our founders vested the force of government in the individual. The individual has a conscience. The individual can say hey, wait a minute, the health and welfare of our children has to come first.

And that's why you want to make sure that your governmental power is vested in an individual rather than in a corporation.

And I think that women have a tremendous part to play in this, whether it's in a home or in a society. You know, among any advanced mammalian species that survives and thrive, Kyra, a common anthropological characteristic is the fierce behavior of the adult female of the species when she senses a threat to her cubs.

So, just as among the hyenas or among the tigers, it's got to be true among the human beings also that the adult female stands up and says feed these babies. You know even -- do you know that adult hyenas encircle their babies while they're feeding in order to make sure that adult males can't get anywhere near the food until the babies have been fed.

Well, the women of America can do better than the hyenas. And I think that the collective uprising of conscience among American women so that we do make this an absolute priority, the health -- at this point just that our children be fed. When this kind of force rises up in America, things will change.

PHILLIPS: Well, it's perfect timing because as you're talking about health in America and Meredith you brought it up as well, we are getting ready to kick off our live coverage out of Washington, D.C., the coverage of the health care summit. You're seeing live pictures right now.

Marianne Williamson thanks so much. Meredith Dodson, thank you so much. Results.org and Marianne.com, you can log on and find out how you can give back and how you can help.

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