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Obama Travels to Ohio to Push Health Care Reform
Aired March 15, 2010 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Time now for your top-of-the-hour reset. I'm Tony Harris in the CNN NEWSROOM. It is 12:00 in Washington, where House Democrats worked for a final vote this week on health care reform.
In Atlanta, students hit the streets hoping to stop deep budget cuts they claim will paralyze public education in Georgia.
And it is 6:00 in Israel, where new Jewish settlements divide old allies. The White House labels Israel's latest housing plan an insult.
Wow, let's get started here. A make-or-break week for health care reform. We've heard that before, to be sure. But this appears to be the beginning of the end game for reform.
President Obama makes his pitch in Ohio next hour. Republican leaders vow to fight to the finish but the administration is hopeful.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID AXELROD, WHITE HOUSE SENIOR ADVISER: We're very optimistic about the outcome of this process. I think people have come to the realization that this is the moment and if we don't act now, there will be dire consequences for people all over this country in terms of higher rates, in terms of being excluded from health care if they have preexisting conditions or being thrown off of their health care if they become sick.
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH) MINORITY LEADER: What I'm doing is working with my colleagues to keep the American people engaged in this fight. I don't have enough votes on my side of the aisle to stop the bill. But I, along with the majority of the American people who are opposed to this, can stop this bill. And we're going to do everything we can to make it difficult for them, if not impossible to pass the bill.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: OK. White House correspondent Dan Lothian joining us from Strongsville, Ohio. That is west of Cleveland, where President Obama will be speaking. Dan, if all the action is in DC now, why is the president in Ohio today?
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Well, you've seen the president pitching to the lawmakers up on the Hill.
Now he's taking the case again to the American people. In particular, here in Ohio, because the Cleveland area is home to the Natoma Canfield. She you might remember is the woman who sent a letter to the president, we found out about it a couple of weeks ago, when the president was meeting with those insurance executives. He read this letter from her where she talked about not being able to afford insurance coverage because her premiums had gone up by about 25 percent.
And the president has been not only in that -- with that letter and that presentation, but in other events as well, has been using her personal story to emphasize the need for health care reform in order to keep these costs lower, in order to get more coverage for uninsured Americans.
What's interesting about this story is that she was diagnosed with cancer, breast cancer 16 years ago. At the time that she wrote to the president, she did not have cancer. She was a cancer survivor. But since that time, she's been diagnosed with leukemia.
And so the White House had extended an invitation for her to come here and introduce the president before making his remarks. But in fact, she won't be able to do that, because she's in the hospital. I spoke with her sister and her brother this morning and they pointed out that she would be undergoing the first round of aggressive chemotherapy treatments today at Cleveland Clinic.
So instead, her sister, Connie, will be introducing the president. But essentially what the president's doing today is using her story to kind of be the focal point in this closing argument, this big push to get health care reform passed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NATOMA CANFIELD, UNINSURED CANCER PATIENT: I've fallen behind. And now I have no health care. And now I'm going to have a humongous hospital bill. I can't tell you how many people have come in just since I've been into the hospital, into this room, to tell me, you know, that they have a story just like mine. Some of them have stories even worse than mine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LOTHIAN: Natoma's relatives tell me that they simply have been overwhelmed by all the attention that her case has been getting, not only by the president putting it out there, but the media attention as well. But they believe that it's important, because she's able to sort of be -- as she believes -- an example of the problems that can occur and the need for health care reform Tony.
HARRIS: Dan Lothian for us. Dan, appreciate it. Thank you.
We will have more on Natoma Canfield's story later this hour and we'll have of course live coverage of President Obama's remarks from Ohio. That's next hour. That's expected at 1:05 p.m. Eastern time. So what is in the health care bill? Here are some of the highlights for you. For seniors, the bill would tighten up the so- called doughnut hole gap in Medicare prescription coverage. But the plan would also reduce government subsidies to Medicare advantage insurance programs which now enroll about a quarter of seniors. The plan would fine employers with 50 or more workers if they do not provide insurance plans for them. The plan would provide coverage for 31 million uninsured people at a lower price than private premiums and insurers would not be allowed to set lifetime coverage limits or drop people from coverage except in cases of fraud.
Let's do this now. Checking on the big stories for you. The Obama administration today sends Congress a plan to overhaul the no child left behind education law. The new plan shifts the focus from singling out under performing schools to rewarding successful reforms. Education Secretary Arne Duncan says it also gives teachers more flexibility and broadens the emphasis beyond math and reading.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARNE DUNCAN, U.S. EDUCATION SECRETARY: The previous law was too punitive. It was too prescriptive. It led to lowering, a dumbing down of standards that led to a narrowing of the curriculum. We have to reverse all that. We have to have a high bar, college and career ready standards for every single child. We have to reward success, reward growth. We have to make sure that local educators have the flexibility they need to do a great job educating. We have to raise the bar for every single child. We have to make sure we have a well rounded curriculum and most importantly we have an unprecedented investment in education as part of the president's plan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Three hours from now, Toyota plans to announce what it found after a runaway Prius was put through some tests. One week ago today, Jim Sikes said his Prius sped out of control on a San Diego freeway. But a congressional report says neither Toyota nor Federal investigators were able to replicate the acceleration scenario. In fact the report says it's not feasibly possible for Prius to operate with the gas pedal and brake fully engaged as Sikes claims.
Authorities are investigating possibly drug related shootings in ciudad Juarez, Mexico, near the U.S. border. Three people with ties to the U.S. consulate there were gunned down following a weekend children's party, two of them American citizens. Two children were wounded. It is suspected the families were targeted by a Mexican cartel.
More now on our top story, the expected showdown this week on health care reform. Democrats plan to use a procedure known as reconciliation to try to pass the legislation. But Republican Senator Lindsey Graham blasted the process in a Sunday television interview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: If they jam through health care, through the House and try to use a trick or a gimmick called reconciliation, which is playing with 12 people on the field if it were a football game, you're going to have a hard time convincing Democrats or Republicans to do the hard things because you poison the well. There will be a price to be paid to jam a bill through the American people don't like using a sleazy process.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Wow. OK. What Senator Graham calls a sleazy process has been used by Democrats and, yes, Republicans in the past.
What is reconciliation? It is a measure to pass contentious budget legislation while avoiding a filibuster threat. It allows for a 51-vote majority in the Senate. Reconciliation was used in 1989 to pass some Medicare overhaul for physician payments. In 1996, it was used to pass the welfare overhaul and it was used to enact the Bush tax cuts in 2001 and 2003. You know, among all the lobbyists and lawyers for and against health care reform, one advocate really does stand out. He's 11 years old and he says he is carrying on the fight his mother started.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCELLUS OWENS, HEALTH CARE REFORM ADVOCATE: And I'm here because my mom -- my mom was a health care activist just like I am today. And she testified in rallies about everybody having health care.
My mom was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension in 2006. She missed so much work that she lost her job. And along with her job, she lost her health care. And losing her health care ended up causing her her life. I believe at least if she did have her health care, she would have at least be recovering a little at a time. I don't want any other kid to go through the pain that our family has gone through. And my grandma and I -- I mean, sorry. And I want Barack Obama and Congress and everybody to come together and help the health care bill pass. I wanted to finish her fight for health care.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Boy. You know, it is basic budgeting. If you have less money coming in, you have to make cuts, right? But hundreds of college students say cuts on campus are simply not adding up. What do they hope to gain from the protest?
But first though, a random moment in 90 seconds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: A couple of kooky Kiwis are behind our "Random Moment of the Day." The women claim they've captured two ghosts in their New Zealand home and bottled them in blue holy water. Now they've sold the ghost at an auction site for almost $2,000. The ladies say the spirits are sleeping in the bottle. To revive them, allow the liquid to evaporate inside your home. Yeah. We know two spirits that come in bottles, Jim Beam and Johnny Walker. There you have our random moment of the day.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: The Georgia state capitol is ground zero for the latest protest over cuts to education funding. Have a look and a listen.
College and university students from across the state gathered today at the golden dome in Atlanta for this rally. I'm joined by one of the organizers, Katie Barlow. She's the University of Georgia student government president. Katie, it's good to see you. What did you have there at the gold dome today?
KATIE BARLOW, UNIV. OF GEORGIA STUDENT GOVERNMENT PRESIDENT: We had several hundred. There wasn't an exact count, but we had well over several hundred there.
HARRIS: You were promising thousands. You were a little disappointed in the turnout today?
BARLOW: We were hoping to have more. But the point was to have students there, and the students that got up at 5:000 were there, so we were happy to have them.
HARRIS: 5:00 a.m. to get to Atlanta?
BARLOW: Yeah, earlier from Savannah probably.
HARRIS: Monday after a weekend. OK. That's not bad. What's your ultimate goal here?
BARLOW: Well, two-fold. We want to put a student image on the face of the story. Right now it's about the legislators and its' board of regents and it's got all these people that are making these decisions. We want it to be about the students. When they think budget cuts, we want to see a student's face.
HARRIS: You're a student. I'm talking to you now. What's your message?
BARLOW: Well, we have priorities. We have jobs, classes and the integrity of our degrees. That's what's important to us. That's what we want to preserve. And that's what our message is.
HARRIS: Can I read something to you here?
BARLOW: Sure.
HARRIS: The figures from the state, right? Net revenue collections for the month of February, $567 million. That's down 9.9 percent from the same time last year. If you don't have the money, Katie, what are you going to do?
BARLOW: Well, we want to be a part of the conversation deciding what to do, at all levels of the game. We want to be there in the room when those decisions are made and there have been plenty of proposals and yet that's up to the legislature to decide. But we want them to include the student priorities.
HARRIS: If the books were open and the numbers panned out as they seem to, you're not claiming that the regents and -- have been mismanaging the money?
BARLOW: No, not at all. In fact, students in the university system of Georgia actually not afraid of a tuition increase. That's one thing that makes us unique. Also, our tuition is a lot lower than a lot of the states that are protesting across the country. But we know it's on the table.
HARRIS: Well explain that. Explain why you're not too concerned about a tuition increase, what you're really concerned about are fees going up?
BARLOW: Absolutely.
HARRIS: So explain the difference for folks, why you're not as concerned about tuition.
BARLOW: Well, first of all, our tuition is lower than all of the other states in the country comparably but scholarships and grants can pay tuition money.
HARRIS: They cover that.
BARLOW: They can't cover fees.
HARRIS: And what are you hearing as an option here to close these gaps? Are you hearing that fees could go up?
BARLOW: Well, we hope not. That's not something that we've heard directly and we would really much rather have a tuition increase. That's the message we're pushing.
HARRIS: Are you concerned mostly about cuts to the undergrad program or are you really concerned that there are going to be big cuts to the graduate programs?
BARLOW: Both, across the board and what the research institutions give back to the state. It's everywhere.
HARRIS: You've got a lot of paperwork over here. What the heck do you have here?
BARLOW: We do. This is our state budget petition that was signed by 36,000 citizens across the state of Georgia. This is what we're going to be delivering to the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house this afternoon.
HARRIS: All right, maybe we can get a pack (ph) and look through that. Katie, it's good to see you.
BARLOW: Thank you so much.
HARRIS: Well done.
BARLOW: Appreciate it.
HARRIS: We'll keep posted. You keep us posted on your efforts, would you please?
BARLOW: Absolutely, we will.
HARRIS: We've been looking at the economy and the impact that it's having on schools across the country. You have been sending us your comments. Gary says (INAUDIBLE) my daughter attends a suburban school that spends less per student than Detroit, Kansas City, Pittsburgh or Providence but is ranked the fifth best district in the state. The reason is because the parents really push their kids. The teachers take that cue and really take an interest in teaching.
This from Lynn (ph) who writes, if you want to fix the education system, try a nationalized education system. This will provide the same education to all students at each grade level. Talking (ph) one ore here from Justin, who says online programs would be relatively cheap and if colleges can do online courses, why not high school? This might be a good alternative as well as take advantage of technology today. Maybe online schooling is the 21st century of education.
Don't forget, if you have comments, or solutions, we're really interested in the solutions. Just send them to my blog. Here's the address, cnn.com/tony.
A pregnant woman shot to death. Police say an 11-year-old pulled the trigger. Can you believe that? Is he old enough to do hard time? We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Chad Myers is back. We have missed you. Doctor. It's good to see you and as we bring you back here, we've got some pretty cool pictures. It looks like there's not a whole lot of damage yet.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Wow. Chad, appreciate it. Welcome back. Good to see you.
Our top stories now, Democrats say they're optimistic they'll get the votes as health care reform heads toward a showdown this week. Republicans vow a fight to the finish. President Obama makes his latest pitch for reform in Ohio in the next hour.
In just about three hours, Toyota will release its findings from the investigation into that runaway Prius near San Diego. The owner of that car says his gas pedal stuck. He says he accelerated up to 94 miles an hour despite standing on the brakes. Government officials are investigating, but say so far they can't replicate that scenario.
The man convicted of stalking ESPN reporter Erin Andrews will be sentenced today in Los Angeles. Michael Barrett pleaded guilty to secretly taking nude photographs of the sports reporter. He agreed to a 27-month prison sentence as part of his plea deal. We will get another check of your top stories in 20 minutes.
A shattered family, a stunned town, and a judge's difficult decision. Take a look at this child. He could be looking at a life sentence. Authorities say he killed his father's pregnant fiancee. His story is the first in our growing up behind bars series. Here's CNN's Jason Carroll.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH HOUK, KENZIE'S MOTHER: He would be about a year old right now.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: (voice-over): One year ago, Debbie Houk was looking forward to the arrival of a grandchild. Her daughter Kenzie was expecting a baby boy. Houck never imagined this would end up being the only place to visit them.
HOUK: It shouldn't have been her.
CARROLL: Last February Kenzie Houck was shot to death. She was eight-and-a-half months pregnant.
HOUK: You feel like in winter you want to go take blankets to cover her because I know she's froze but she's not there and I got to realize that.
CARROLL: As Kenzie's family struggles with her loss, Chris Brown says his world has also been shattered. He was Kenzie's fiance, the father of her expectant child and, one more thing, Brown is also the father of the suspected killer, 12-year-old Jordan Brown.
CHRIS BROWN, JORDAN'S FATHER: I get up and go to work and come home and lose everything, Kenzie, the baby, and now Jordan is facing potential life imprisonment without the possibility of parole as an adult.
CARROLL: Jordan was an 11-year-old fifth grader at the time of the killings. Now 12 he could be tried as an adult, If convicted, it's believed Jordan would be one of the youngest ever sentenced to life, a punishment Kenzie's family says he deserves. One his father says he does not.
BROWN: Anybody being put in my position would have to ask themselves, what would you do? Would you turn your back on your own son because somebody else believes he's guilty? Not me.
HOUK: If it means him going to prison for life, like I said, he's serving one life sentence. He took two lives.
CARROLL: A year ago, Jordan lived in this farmhouse in western Pennsylvania with his father. Kenzie also lived there with her two daughters from her previous relationship. Prosecutors say February 20th last year, before leaving for school, Jordan got his youth model 20-gauge shotgun, walked into Houk's bedroom and shot her in the back of the head while she slept.
CARROLL (on camera): According to police, after Jordan shot Kenzie, he took the spent shell casing and threw it out into the woods. Then they say he just walked out to the road and caught the school bus.
CARROLL (voice-over): Prosecutors say his possible motive for the killing, Jordan was close to his father and may have been jealous of Kenzie, an allegation his father strongly denies. Every day he visits Jordan at the juvenile detention center where he's being held.
BROWN: He still asks about Kenzie. He sheds tears. He cries. He misses her. He misses the girls.
CARROLL: Under Pennsylvania law, anyone over age 10 accused of criminal homicide is charged as an adult. The state has about 450 juveniles currently serving life sentences. According to juvenile justice experts we spoke with, nationally there are more than 2,500. Jordan's fate will be decided any day now by a judge.
BROWN: He's never, never lied to me about anything. I have no reason to believe that he's lying right now.
CARROLL (on camera): Maybe he loves you so much he doesn't want to disappoint you?
BROWN: No. I've had private talks with Jordan. Had he had any knowledge of what happened that horrible day, he would have told me.
CARROLL: If Jordan is tried and convicted as a juvenile, he will be able to walk free at age 21, a sobering thought for Kenzie's family.
JENNIFER KRANER, KENZIE HOUK'S SISTER: To put him away as a child and him be out at 21 is absurd. But we're not the judge.
HOUK: I have lost my daughter and my grandson. Death is final. Nothing is going to bring her back or him and justice needs to be served.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: There was a hearing on this Friday. The judge has 20 days to determine whether or not the boy will be tried as an adult.
Relations between the United States and Israel now said to be at a crisis point. We go live to Jerusalem.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: U.S./Israeli relations are now at a 35-year low, a crisis of historic proportion. That assessment coming from Israel's ambassador to Washington. Ties are strained over Israel's plan to build 1,600 more homes in the disputed east Jerusalem area. Israel announced the plan last week during a visit by Vice President Joe Biden.
Paula Hancocks is with us now from Jerusalem. Paula, a couple of questions here. How much control did the prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu have over the original decision to announce the settlements and how much control has he got now over efforts to repair the damage?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT Well, Tony, first of all, what he knew about the actual announcement, in speaking to his people in the prime minister's office and they say he was completely unaware this announcement was going to take place. It was the interior ministry that was in control of it. We don't know if the interior minister knew.
But it does look as though it could have been a mishap lower down the food chain, a technical approval of these particular units, which won't be actually built for a few years. But the fact is, that also reflects badly on the prime minister. As the U.S. Secretary of State said, the buck stops at him. So he should know about these things.
But going forward and looking at what he can do now, he's just been speaking to the Israeli parliament, and he said that over the last 42 years, Israeli governments have been building in east Jerusalem. They gave the impression that he was going to be no different. So it doesn't look as though he's going to cancel those 1,600 new units. He also said that there was not really any bad, adverse reaction from the Arabs in East Jerusalem. For many of these Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, it didn't hurt the Arab population at all. He believes that these residents, these particular neighborhoods would become part of Israel in any final status agreement.
Now, at that point, one of the Arab members of the Israeli parliament heckled him and said, that is not the case. So certainly you can see there is not a consensus of that. Tony?
HARRIS: Wow. One more quick one here. What's the latest on efforts by the United States and Israel to move forward on peace efforts with the Palestinians?
HANCOCKS: Well, the US is hoping that these indirect talks still go ahead, as they are the ones that are heavily sponsoring them. They have a lot to lose if they don't go ahead. But we just heard from the Palestinian cabinet, which ended a few minutes ago. And they say that they're condemning the on-going settlement. They're calling on the international community to try to pressure Israel to halt these activities.
And what they said is that it will be very difficult to have these indirect talks if these 1,600 homes are not canceled. Tony?
HARRIS: CNN's Paula Hancocks for us in Jerusalem. Paula, good to see you. Thank you.
Looking for a bigger paycheck at the end of the week? You will have a better chance if you work in one of these careers. Our Stephanie Elam tells you where the money is. That's next in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: What's the best day of the week to buy a car? Do you know? Well, we've got -- we worked up a pretty nice piece on that, secret tips for car buyers. You can find it at CNNMoney.com, if you want the latest financial news and analysis, as we tell you every day about this time. It's a click away at CNNMoney.com.
Big board check now. Just past three hours in the trading day. You can see the Dow is down. We've been down most of the morning so far, most of the day really, down 30 points. The Nasdaq is down 19. We are following these numbers for you, of course, throughout the day right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
In the next two to three months, thousands of college graduates will be joining the labor force. But what they're going to find is one of the toughest job markets, really, in decades. And yeah, there was a new study that shows that certain majors actually pay off. Stephanie Elam is in the New York bureau for us with details on some of the highest paid majors.
Stephanie, good to see you again. What tops the list here?
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUISNESS CORRESPONDENT: Tony, there's definitely a theme if you take a look at these degrees. First of all, engineering degrees, they make up eight of the top ten most highly paid majors.
Here's a list of the top ones. National Association of Colleges and Employers put it together. They said petroleum engineering is number one, with an average starting salary of 86,000 dollars. A petroleum engineer is basically a person who comes up with the way to get the oil and gas out of the Earth.
Computer science is also high on the list. You can see why that's important. Computer science is also high on the list. It's a non-engineering major. It has a starting salary of 61,000 dollars.
Then, if you want to put it together, computer engineers, they're creators. They design everything from video games to machines that build cars. You can see they're coming out of college, not a bad salary to start with, 60,000 dollars, Tony.
HARRIS: Yeah, if there are jobs available. Are there jobs available once you put in the time and the effort to get that degree?
ELAM: That would be key. You're right. It doesn't matter if you can't get the job. But the outlook for all of the engineering categories is actually pretty good. The Labor Department expects that field to boost hiring by 11 percent over the next eight years. A big chunk of that growth is expected to be in biomedical, civil and environmental engineering.
As for computer science, the outlook definitely strong there, as well. It's expected to grow by more than 20 percent. There's one thing to point out about computer science. Most of those jobs require that you have a PHD. So you actually have to be very specialized. A lot of these jobs, you have to be technical, and you have to take more time to get through school. But then you have an advantage in the job market, simply because there are fewer people getting those degrees and competing for those jobs.
A lot of that is about the competition, and the more prepared you are to go up against your -- you know, the other people going for those jobs, the better place you'll be in. That's why they're saying PHD if you want computer jobs.
HARRIS: So you need a Ph.D to get those jobs at 61,000 or so starting, and then you've got to pay back your student loans. OK. On and on and on.
ELAM: But that's just starting. That's just starting. I'm sure after that it adjusts.
HARRIS: I need to get to the finish line very quickly. Just starting, student loans, family. Anyway, it's called life. Stephanie, good to see you. Thank you.
ELAM: Exactly.
HARRIS: Not giving in to the recession, Alabama businesses and lawmakers join the fight for survival. We're back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Checking our top stories now. President Obama headed to Ohio today in the final push for health care reform. But in Washington, the debate rages on without him. Democrats are optimistic about getting a bill passed this week. Republicans have vowed to stop it any way they can.
The Obama administration today sends Congress a plan to overhaul the No Child Left Behind education law. It shifts the focus from singling out under performing schools to rewarding successful programs. Education Secretary Arne Duncan says it also gives teachers more flexibility and broadens the emphasis beyond math and reading.
Our Building up America series takes us to Alabama. CNN's Tom Foreman reports on efforts to fight the recession.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, Alabama is one of the states that really is coming out on the bad end of the jobs deal right now. They are doing worse than the national average.
That's very tough. But despite that, they are finding some pockets in which they can build up and keep moving forward, knowing that they have to if they ever really want to get out of these hard times. And one of those places is right downtown here in the capital.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you all doing?
FOREMAN (voice-over): When the weekend is rolling, Dreamland Barbecue is rocking.
BERT MILLER, DREAMLAND BARBECUE: Hamburger, french fries, chicken fingers. WE do it all here, man.
FOREMAN: You would never know a recession was in swing --
MILLER: How y'all doing?
FOREMAN: With Bert Miller working the floor.
MILLER: Business is good. We've been very blessed.
FOREMAN: Despite statewide unemployment over 11 percent, above the national rate, Montgomery's river front is building up even as the economy stays down, the result of a concerted effort to bring government, private industry and consumers together.
(on camera): The economy is such now that no town is an island. No state is either.
REP. BOBBY BRIGHT (R), ALABAMA: That's exactly right, Tom.
FOREMAN: Congressman Bobby Bright was mayor when the city launched the plan, convinced that growth, even on the outskirts, would suffer if the city's center continued to struggle.
BRIGHT: The suburbs tend to be driven by private developers.
FOREMAN: But if the center is not solid --
BRIGHT: If the center is not solid, then the services of that core of that city, they weaken. They thin. And sometimes they thin to the point of being ineffective.
FOREMAN (voice-over): So the local governments, the chamber of commerce and developers started building around a river front stadium and the popular minor league baseball team. Refurbishing old warehouses, luring new businesses with opportunity and tax incentives. For developers like Jerry Kaiser, it was a break- through.
(on camera): How much has this area changed?
JERRY KAISER, DEVELOPER: Up until about two years ago, this was just two railroad tracks, dilapidated buildings, nothing going on here.
FOREMAN: But now.
KAISER: This is going to be a restaurant.
FOREMAN (voice-over): The spaces are filling in with meeting rooms, luxury apartments, restaurants, a Hank Williams museum, all drawing tourists, locals and dollars.
(on camera): The economy in this country is not good right now.
KAISER: That's correct. I can't imagine if we had not had this downturn in the economy, what we would have down here right now. We've got a great, great start. We've created a lot of jobs in here. So if we can make this happen now, then we're going to be on easy street when this thing's over.
FOREMAN (voice-over): And for a lucky few, that already feels like their address.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN: Everybody here knows they still have a long way to go. There are many empty buildings and problems here downtown that they've been working on for a long time. But they do seem to have a kernel of growth now that might be getting them somewhere. They're sure hoping. Tony?
HARRIS: Good stuff. Tom Foreman for us.
Republicans and Democrats can't agree on a reform bill. Sound familiar? So Democrats plan to move ahead on their own. Sound familiar? Financial system overhaul in the spotlight in the Senate, and, of course, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: You know, health care reform has received the most attention, but reforming financial regulation has been another key priority of the Obama administration, from the very beginning. In the Senate, it's been Christopher Dodds' last crusade. The Connecticut Democrat who is not running for reelection will unveil his financial reform bill later today.
Let's get you to CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow. She's in New York. Poppy, good to see you. What can we expect from this new proposed legislation?
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: You know, Tony, Senator Dodd, looking at the time -- he's about an hour and 15 minutes away from making this major announcement. Democrats pushing forward without financial regulatory much Republican support. They couldn't come to a bipartisan agreement.
As you know, Tony, we're about 18 months out from the height of the financial crisis, and the banks are still regulated by the exact same rules that they were before. So one thing that really matters to all of our viewers is something called the Consumer Protection Agency. You can expect to hear Senator Dodd talk about this. It would issue new rules on your credit cards, your mortgages, essentially clearly stating what you're going to owe and what, as many politicians call them, traps and trips could be out there for you.
Listen for that. This will probably be not an independent agency, as the president had hoped, but rather housed likely within the Federal Reserve. And the president would appoint a director to head up this agency. It's all about consumers on that end.
But what Senator Dodd has called the most critical part of all of this legislation is trying to put an end to this too big to fail system that we have right now. They would create potentially a special bankruptcy system where you would have a panel of people just looking out for warning signs of a failure, like we saw with Bear Stearns and like AIG. Then they would also ask the banks, Tony, to pay into a fund to create a pool of money big enough to rescue the banks if they fail, so that we the taxpayer don't have to come in and rescue them.
So some major changes here. I'm going to tell you, a lot of bankers are not going to like it at all. It still has to make it through the Republicans and to the president's desk, Tony.
HARRIS: Yes, one more quick one here for you, Poppy. Senator Dodd has been trying to win some bipartisan support. What potential hurdles are there for this bill?
HARLOW: A lot. He didn't get it. He and Senator Corker of Tennessee were working on it up until last week, when Dodd said he would move forward without Republicans. The Republicans say, just like on health care, that we're moving too quickly on this. They say that's what Democrats are doing.
On the other side, you hear Democrats saying, the slower you go, the more ability you lose to get something done. Republicans are getting some of what they want in this legislation. That's what's expected at least. We'll see what the announcement is at 2:00 Eastern.
The bottom line here, Tony, though, Democrats and Republicans have to go home to their constituents. The midterm elections are around the corner. None of them want to be seen as allies of the big banks.
HARRIS: I tell you what, something else really juicy for us to sink our teeth into in these two hours. And we'll count on your help on that, Poppy. Appreciate it. Have a good day.
HARLOW: You got it. HARRIS: What's everyone talking about on the Internet today? John Edwards' mistress is speaking out. Ines Ferre tells us what she is saying about Edwards now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Let's do this. Let's take a look at some of the stories generating a lot of buzz on the Internet today. It's a chance for me to get clued in, because I'm just so out of sync most days. Ines Ferre joining me again. Ines, what's hot out there today, please?
INES FERRE, CNN.COM CORRESPONDENT: You out of sync?
HARRIS: Out of touch. Yeah. Maybe it's just because it's Monday.
FERRE: Yeah, exactly, maybe because it's Monday. OK, well, a tell-all from Rielle Hunter. She has been -- she interviewed with GQ, and she told the magazine that she and John Edwards are still in love, even though their relationship changed after 2008.
In the interview, she also said that Edwards was reckless to continue in the race in 2008. She said that he's a wonderful father to their daughter, who is two years old.
Also, in Facebook -- Facebook is expanding in Asia. The social media company is opening operation offices in India. Facebook is pushing a multi-language support round the clock. The company says a majority of its 400 million-plus users are overseas.
And on the 25th year anniversary of the first dot-com domain, which got us thinking about technology and innovation, so we posted a quick vote on our blog. You were talking about it earlier.
OK, of these three developments, which has had the most enduring impact on your life? The blanketing of the US with coast-to- coast television is in the lead, 81 percent; 19 percent said the Interstate Highway System has had the biggest impact; and the third option, the introduction and spread of the Internet, that stands at zero percent.
HARRIS: At zero?
FERRE: Yeah, zero percent. So the Internet, no big deal. I guess. You can still vote.
HARRIS: Yeah. I guess I should mention here that the poll, of course, is not scientific. Ines, appreciate it. See you tomorrow. Thank you.
FERRE: You, too.
HARRIS: Still to come, an Ohio woman's struggle with cancer without insurance captures the attention of the president. Her story and his remarks in the CNN NEWSROOM. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: President Obama begins his final drive for a health care reform bill in just a couple of minutes in Ohio. He chose Ohio to highlight the struggle of an uninsured woman who was fighting leukemia. She hopes to be on the stage with the president next hour, if she's able. She won't be there.
Here's reporter Michael O'Mara with affiliate WKYC.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How was your dinner?
MICHAEL O'MARA, WKYC-TV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This hospital room is not where Natoma Canfield wants to spend her nights, but her cancer symptoms flared up last weekend. She's getting great care at Medina General. But without health insurance, she has no way to pay the bills.
NATOMA CANFIELD, UNINSURED CANCER PATIENT: It's frightening having no insurance and being in the hospital since Sunday night.
O'MARA: The last time we saw Natoma, she was at home reading the e-mail letter she wrote to President Obama about her situation.
CANFIELD: I need your health reform bill to help me.
O'MARA: The president began to use her letter in speeches about the need for health care reform. And now she's right in the middle of her own financial storm, in a hospital bed trying to fight cancer with no insurance.
CANFIELD: I have fallen behind. And now I have no health care. And now I'm going to have a humongous hospital bill.
O'MARA: Her premiums from Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield went through the roof. She dropped her insurance January 1st.
CANFIELD: I can't tell you how many people have come in just since I've been into the hospital, into this room, to tell me, you know, that they have a story just like mine. Some of them have stories even worse than mine.
O'MARA: At home, she has the thank you letters she received from President Obama already framed. When he gives his speech in Strongsville, Natoma hopes she's well enough to be on stage with the president that she admires so much.
CANFIELD: I'm really hoping to be there.
O'MARA: In Medina, Michael O'Mara, Channel Three News.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HARRIS: As you can see in the box, the president is on stage right now in Ohio. Let's get you there. CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with T.J. Holmes.
