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Chasing Votes on Health Care; Building Up America; Midwest Bracing Itself for Possible Flooding From Red River
Aired March 20, 2010 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello everybody and welcome to the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, for this Saturday, March 20th. I am T.J. Holmes.
ABBIE BOUDREAU, CNN ANCHOR: And I am Abbie Boudreau. It's 11 a.m. in the East and it's 8 a.m. on the West Coast.
HOLMES: And it is getting down to the wire in Washington, D.C. The House is set to debate tomorrow and then vote on the Senate version of the bill. They are still, however, both sides, chasing down votes. Democrats need 216 to pass it, Republicans need 216 to defeat it. Not clear how close either side is right now.
A handful of Democrats have not publicly how they are going to vote. President Obama, he's going to Capitol Hill this afternoon to give them a bit of a pep talk, maybe a tongue lashing depending how you see it. We are covering it all for you.
Our senior White House correspondent Ed Henry is at the White House for us. And there is our Brianna Keilar. She is pretty busy up there today. Brianna, hello to you there. We're trying to keep up with all these news conferences, these meetings that are going on up there. Describe the scene.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's a lot going on right now, and at this very moment what you have is something called the rules committee, T.J. We've talked about how we don't normally pay attention to this, but we are today because they're laying out the blueprint for this expected vote tomorrow.
You know, the House, they have to vote on these Senate health care bill. It's this massive thing I showed you last hour. This is what passed on Christmas Eve in the Senate. This is the long bill everyone talks about. And then what you have is the changes that House Democrats have written, the changes to this big bill.
And the way they are going to set this up, they're making it official today, something we've been talking about for a few days now is this thing called deem and pass. What they would do is basically slap these things together so that they can pass them as a package instead of taking individual votes on the bill and the changes, and this allows House Democrats some political cover so that they don't have to vote for this massive bill that has a lot in it that they don't like. They get to vote for the whole package, all of which, of course, Republicans say amounts to a government takeover of health care. But, of course, Democrats, and we're going to be hearing this all day today and tomorrow on the floor, say that this is historic and it's going to make a big positive difference for Americans.
HOLMES: And I don't want to get into it and you know we'll be talking about it next week, what then happens to that reconciliation bill that needs to be taken up in the Senate? But that's a whole new debate that we'll get into next week. But on this current debate at least, abortion seems to be playing -- not seems to be, it is playing such a big role and a factor in this debate and whether or not this thing is going to pass.
KEILAR: It is. There's a minority group of Democrats who are against abortion, anti-abortion Democrats, and they were on board with the health care reform bill that passed the House in the fall. But they are not on board with this Senate bill because the language in this bill governing abortion is looser than the one they voted on in the fall. So they say this is not OK. We're going to vote no on this.
And at this moment you have -- you know, we heard Bart Stupak who is supposed to have a press conference this hour. It's been postponed at this point, so we're trying to find out exactly why, maybe there's some movement as they talk to leadership about a possible deal, changing, tightening up the language.
But what you have T.J. that complicates this is dozens of House Democrats who are for abortion rights, and they say no way. If this gets stricter, this language, we are done, we're walking.
HOLMES: We seem to, and some people don't want to hear about the sausage making, quite frankly, what goes on behind the scenes and process. A lot of people, oh, are you losing your bill there? Well a lot of folks, we get into the whole debate and what's happening over there and parliamentary procedure, but a lot of people just want to know, if this thing passes and the president signs it, how does this affect me directly and how quickly will I see the results of this?
KEILAR: You want to know, am I going to be paying more money? Am I maybe going to be paying less money? So let's break it down. If you're someone like me where you get your insurance through work, this is how most Americans get their health insurance, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, these are those people who work up the price tag, they say roughly speaking you're going to pay about the same. OK, you pay about the same as you're paying now for your premiums.
What about if you're someone who buys your insurance on the individual market? There's a lot of places where there are freelancers and they just have to go out on their own and buy their own insurance. It all depends on how much money you make. If you make $88,000 or more per year for a family of four, then you're considered to be making a pretty decent living and you're buying your insurance on the individual market, you're going to be paying more. But let's take a look at the people who buy their insurance on the individual market and as a family of four they're making less than that. CBO says generally speaking they are going to be paying less. These folks are going to be getting a government subsidy to help them pay for insurance and they're actually going to be told they have to pay for insurance.
Some of these folks, T.J. normally, this would be if they had insurance now compared to having insurance in the future. Some of these folks don't have it so of course it is going to cost them more because now they are going to be paying for insurance.
HOLMES: All right, Brianna Keilar, breaking it down for us. We appreciate you and we will be talking to you soon. Thanks so much.
BOUDREAU: So there's a lot at stake for the White House. And President Obama's personally trying to shepherd this bill through the House. Our Ed Henry following the president today. Ed, not exactly what you had planned. Ed?
ED HENRY, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Good morning, Abbie. We had our bags packed actually for Guam, Indonesia, and Australia, and in fact early tomorrow morning press corps was going to be going a couple hours ahead of the president. He was going to leave late morning on that trip. Of course, all that has been delayed at least until June.
This is the president's top domestic priority. As you noted, a lot on the line. The president has had a lot of hands-on involvement here. White House aides saying that since Monday the president has had 64 contacts with various wavering Democrats. Either phone calls, in fact, he was making calls yesterday on the way to George Mason University in Northern Virginia where he had a big rally.
He's also been doing some one-on-one meetings, and he's going to be on the Hill later today and the pitch basically was laid out at this rally yesterday where he's urging his fellow Democrats to put politics aside and do what he believes is right.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's a debate that's not only about the cost of health care, not just about what we're doing about folks who aren't getting a fair shake from their insurance companies. It's a debate about the character of our country, about whether we can still meet the challenges of our time, whether we still have the guts and the courage to give every citizen, not just some, the chance to reach their dreams.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: But the message of putting politics aside doesn't always resonate with some of those wavering Democrats, especially from conservative districts facing re-election in November and very worried about Republican charges this is going to cost too much, the government is going to have too much of a role. But what the president is talking about there when he's mentioning people being able to reach their dreams, White House pointing out what's at stake here, 32 million people who don't have insurance now, they say would get insurance.
If you currently have insurance, as Brianna was talking about, you couldn't be pushed out by insurance companies if you get sick. You will no longer have to deal with pre-existing conditions, for example. So the White House is basically trying to make the case that there's a lot of good in here despite all of the controversy that Democrats can take to the voters in November, Abbie.
BOUDREAU: Sure, Ed. And do you happen to know if the president has any plans for Sunday if the House does pass the Senate version?
HENRY: It's still all a work in progress. The rally that he's having with House Democrats later today, that closed door meeting changed about three or four times in the last 24 hours in terms of the timing, where it's going to be. It was going to be at the White House, now moved to the Hill.
So I think the plans on Sunday are still a work in progress, but the bottom line is that I have been told by top White House aides this president is making clear in private he's not planning to take a victory lap on Sunday if the House passes this. He knows as you and T.J. have been noting, the Senate still has a big step in the days ahead to finish this job.
So I'm told the president will make some public remarks on Sunday if the House passes this, but he's not going to have some big pep rally or something here at the White House and make it look like the job is done. He knows there's a lot more work to do even if the House gets it done this weekend.
BOUDREAU: All right, Ed Henry at the White House. Thank you so much.
HOLMES: The people who are still undeclared are the ones who could determine the future of your health care. So you are probably wondering who they are, how you can find out more about them. Josh Levs tracking that for us.
Hello there, Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there again, T.J. Let me step in to the picture a little bit. There you go. So I'm going to be telling you about some of them, but first let's do the big picture. I want to see that big picture again that shows everyone. We have photos of many, many, many remaining undeclared representatives who are the ones that everyone is focusing on today. They are the hot ticket in Washington, and we have numbers for you in the next screen. Let's take a look at this because we can't hammer this down enough.
In the end, it's a handful of people at this point who will make this determination. The way we have been tracking it is by how many Democratic no votes would be needed if the bill were to be killed. They would need 38 and they have 29 currently. We're basically looking at nine people at this point that can swing the vote one way or another and we are tracking them. We've been actually following this for you for months and especially in recent weeks where these various representatives stand.
I'm just going to give you a few examples right here from the CNN magic wall. Take a look, this is one example, Representative Marcy Kaptur, she's from Ohio. And we have some information about what her concern is. She's been concerned about some language involving abortion. So one of the things she's been looking about closely is what Brianna was just talking about, some of the specific language in the latest bill involving abortion.
This is Representative Baron Hill from Indiana. And I'll show you in a moment where you can get a list of all these. But we have some information on him. His main concern and this is interesting because it's a reminder of how complex these bills get, he was concerned about an excise tax exemption for some medical device manufacturers. One of his concerns. But that's something that he has cited, so he's looking at that specific language here as well.
Let's get to two more of the undeclared who ultimately could be holding the future of health care at this point in their hands. Representative Ron Kind of Wisconsin, he has been waiting to see the bill. He's talked about costs being a factor. And one more over here on the magic wall and that is Representative Michael Capuano here. He is from Massachusetts, Democrat from Massachusetts.
Now you might not think that a lot of Democrats from Massachusetts would be wavering on health care. But that's one thing that has been interesting about him. He has expressed various questions but we're not sure what it is that he's focusing on at this point to determine his vote.
Now how can you find the full list and learn about more of all of them? Well let's show you that on the Web. I have a story open for you. That's at CNN.com. Look at that, House Democrats, where they stand on the health care bill and it actually has the entire roster of the Democratic Party in the House there, where they stand and what is still needed.
It's on CNN.com. It's a little complicated to find so I posted it for you on my Facebook page. It's at Facebook.com/JoshLevsCNN right now. You are also seeing my blog right there, CNN.com/Josh. We're also talking about it on Twitter, JoshLevsCNN. Good chance for you to join discussions today. What do you think about the final hours before the big vote tomorrow? What do you think about how this whole thing has shaken out?
And guys, I will be here for several more hours today following this and we will update the numbers as they come. Back to you.
HOLMES: Josh, we appreciate you. A lot of interest in those guys you were showing up there on that screen. Thanks so much.
LEVS: Thanks a lot. BOUDREAU: All right, one more refresher on this compromise health care plan. Insurance coverage would be extended to an additional 32 million Americans. It would expand Medicare prescription drug coverage and increase tax credits. Insurance companies would not be able to deny coverage for pre-existing conditions and your out-of-pocket expenses would be limited.
Small business, the self-employed, and the unemployed could purchase coverage through health insurance exchanges. And states would be able to choose whether to ban abortion coverage. The plan scales back and delays a tax on high cost insurance plans. Republicans say the Democratic plan won't do much to stop rising medical costs. They also say it would lead to higher premiums and taxes for middle class families and big Medicare cuts.
HOLMES: And we want to remind you, we are counting the votes this weekend. You can follow our special live coverage as this decision comes down to the wire all day tomorrow right here on CNN.
BOUDREAU: There's nothing to do but watch and wait. The Red River is expected to crest this weekend. CNN's Reynolds Wolf is keeping a close watch on the water level in Moorhead, Minnesota.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: How right you are, Abbie. We're looking at the potential of this thing cresting at 37.5 feet, which is well above major flood stage, but still just shy of the record that was set last year at 40.8 inches. We have the full story for you coming up in just a few moments, plus a major winter storm has got an eye on parts of the Central Plains. More on that coming up right here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: The first day of spring, and some people are dealing with a foot of snow. This is Oklahoma we're talking about. Got a big snowstorm going on there right now, and it comes on the heels of a warm spell. Temperatures were in the 70s yesterday in Oklahoma City. So they're a bit confused there right now.
To the north, folks along the Red River hoping hundreds of thousands of sandbags will keep floodwaters out of their homes and businesses. The Red River keeps on rising, expected to crest tomorrow a few feet below last year's record level. Right now in Fargo, North Dakota, and Moorhead, Minnesota, all they can do is watch and wait.
Our Reynolds Wolf is there, a part of that watching and waiting right now. We talked about it's supposed to not crest at that record level, but even if we're talking about getting close to the record level, that's a lot.
WOLF: Yeah, it is. I mean, you know, you were talking about feet, like a foot of snow that we might see in the Central Plains later on today. Let's stay on that train. When it comes to feet, T.J. 18 feet, when the Red River of the north gets up to 18 feet, that is major flood stage. We're possibly going to be 20 feet above that, probably a little bit shy, around 37.5. That's what they're forecasting at this time.
And in speaking of feet, you look down at mine, this area about a year ago, we had water fully covering this from where I'm standing. The water was up to about right here, right about to my waist. Well obviously it's not quite that high at this time and we do anticipate the river to come up just a little bit more during the late afternoon, overnight, and into tomorrow before spilling back.
Something else I want you to see, T.J. Get a shot right there. We have CNN photojournalist Chris Davis with us. Chris, show America that big chunk of ice we see on the side of the side of that bridge. That's one of the big dangers that we have is when it gets caught in the stream waters, the floodwaters, it's going to be pushed upstream.
It hits the bounds of this bridge, but what happens is you're having it not just here but this scene is playing out on all these other bridges up and down this river for 550 miles as it makes its way to the north, up into Canada, eventually moving into Lake Winnipeg.
Now what we've been seeing, the reason why the water has been going up, is right here in front of me where all you can see at home, all the snow. We've had some temperatures warm up quite a bit. We've had a very rough winter and, of course, when you have a rough winter, that means you often have snow. The snow tends to melt when temperatures go up. They have been going up, snow melts, goes into the river, and that's why we've been having the flooding issue.
The thing about this river that separates, makes it is so different from say like the Mississippi River or any other river around the world is that this one is actually a very small river. It kind of threads a ribbon up to the Canadian border. It's not a deep or big river so it doesn't have a deep channel. With that in mind, when do you have flooding, things tend to fan out. And as we flew in yesterday, I can tell you that it is mind boggling just to see how expansive the flooding has been.
Right here behind me, again, Chris, I don't know if I'm in a good position for this or you can get it, bear with me, America, you can see right there the sign says 14.3 inches. That's actually a road that actually goes below that bridge. Obviously no one is going to be driving on that today. Gives you an idea just how deep the waters are. You see the light in the foreground, just through maybe just the bottom of the bridge, you can see a little bit more of that ice that keeps flowing its way the north.
Now speaking of ice and flooding, let's go to the weather maps very quickly. Green is the color, not white, but green, you are going to see all over those maps. And as you see those maps, those are the places where we have those watches, where we have those warnings that are going to be in effect. And we're going to be dealing with those not just here but as far to the east as Chicago.
Another story that we started off with was the heavy snowfall possible in the Central Plains, up to a foot of snow we could be dealing with in parts of Oklahoma. Already had them two feet of snow in Colorado. It seems like ski season will never end. And as we look ahead at the rest of the forecast, very dry for you and sunny, spring like, as it should be because spring officially begins this afternoon Eastern Time.
Great view on the Eastern Seaboard, nice out to the West, but in the center of the U.S. is where you have the rough weather and certainly the intense flooding. Major flooding still here in Moorhead, Minnesota, and across the way this Fargo, North Dakota.
We'll keep a sharp eye on it for you. Let's send it back to you in the studio.
HOLMES: We know you will. Reynolds, we appreciate you, as always, buddy.
BOUDREAU: Building up America. How a global effort is providing jobs for Americans in small town Alabama.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BOUDREAU: Top stories now, a final push by President Obama to get Congress to pass health care reform. He's heading to Capitol Hill today to meet with House Democrats. The House is expected to vote tomorrow on the Senate's verse of the bill. Democratic leaders say they're confident they will have the votes they need, but they're still trying to convince fellow Democrats who are straddling the fence.
HOLMES: If you're booked on a British Airways flight this weekend, you might want to check that flight schedule. The company says it's operating about half its flights because of a cabin crew strike. The walkout scheduled to last more than two days.
BOUDREAU: Pope Benedict XVI is responding to the child abuse scandal that's rocked the Catholic Church in Ireland. Today, he released an 18-page letter apologizing to victims who are molested by priests. He sharply criticized the abusers, saying they must take responsibility for their sins. We'll have more on the pope's response in a live report from Rome just ahead. Of course, another check of our top stories just 20 minutes away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Time to build up America. We're looking at the places where jobs are being created, how they're being created and which communities are thriving. Our Tom Foreman visited Montgomery, Alabama, where foreign cars are creating domestic jobs.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just south of Montgomery, at the gleaming new Hyundai plant, almost every minute, another new car rolls off the line. And just about as often, you can find someone like Yolanda Williams singing the company's praises.
YOLANDA WILLIAMS, HYUNDAI TEAM MEMBER: I love it. I enjoy what I do every day. Did you ever have any idea you would be making a living from the car industry in Southern Alabama?
WILLIAMS: No, I never did. And it's changed a lot of people's lives down here.
FOREMAN: Winning this massive economic prize over other states that wanted it had local leaders scrambling at one point, making sure that Hyundai knew how transportation services, power grids and, most of all, the local community could and would meet all their needs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So this location was great.
FOREMAN (on camera): And they made sure that you had everything?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything.
FOREMAN: The land, the communications, the transportation?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Utilities.
FOREMAN: And it seems like it's working?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is working. It's working for them. It's working for us.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Last year, Hyundai was one of just three car companies to increase sales in America -- a success for the community...
(on camera): So you're just looking to see if there's anything wrong with this piece?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Correct.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Good jobs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It means the world to me. And I know a lot of other people feel the same way.
FOREMAN: How secure do you feel in your job?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel really secure, I really do.
FOREMAN: Enough to buy a house, enough to move forward?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have.
FOREMAN: Hyundai doesn't make everything it needs. So that means that lots of suppliers have sprung up all throughout this region to make bumpers and sunroofs and dashboards. And that has created many more jobs.
(voice-over): About 800 have come from Mobis, another Korean company that followed Hyundai here.
(on camera): I'm guessing a lot of people are pretty happy about this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we are. As a matter of fact, I'm one of them.
FOREMAN: In all, local officials estimate more than 20,000 jobs have rippled out from the Hyundai deal, building up South Alabama one job, one car, one minute at a time.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Montgomery.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BOUDREAU: Health care reform. If it passes, what's in it for you right away? Dr. Sanjay Gupta breaks it down.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BOUDREAU: A lot of wheeling and dealing in Washington this weekend. House Republicans and Democrats are both chasing votes before they take up the Senate version on health care reform tomorrow.
Even the president is getting in on the act. He plans to go to Capitol Hill in just a few hours to try to wrangle more votes for the bill.
Lisa Desjardins with CNNRadio helping us keep track of it all. Lisa, now you read this whole bill. It's about 2,500 pages or so. What are some of the things that might -- like we might not have heard about in the bill?
LISA DESJARDINS, CNN RADIO CAPITOL HILL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I think this gets to the guts of what a lot of the American people want to know. They know the broad strokes, perhaps. of this bill, but let's talk about three things that a lot of Americans may not know are in this bill.
Number one, did you know in this health care bill it allows employers to raise or lower your premiums by 30 percent or 50 percent based on your health? Based on things like cholesterol levels, based on your weight?
This is called the Safeway Plan, and the idea is to encourage wellness, but your premium could go up or down based on whether you meet these health goals in this bill.
All right. Number two, Abbie, there's a sweeping government program in here for long-term care. Those are for people that maybe have a stroke or some other thing happens to them health-wise that renders them unable to function on their own.
This is a huge cost of health care right now. The government would start a massive government insurance program, and there's a little bit of shell game going on with the money. So it's called the Class Act. It's something to watch.
Third, if you ever plan to eat out again, be ready to see exactly the calorie count that you're eating. This health care bill, Abbie, actually requires that all chain restaurants in the country post the calories of what they're serving. Now, that's not just big chain restaurants, that's everything from Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts to Outback Steakhouse.
So that's something you're going to see, maybe the most visible change in your life, actually, from this health care bill.
BOUDREAU: OK. So I have two questions for you, real quick. How long did it take you to read this whole thing? Number one. And then, also, I mean, should people really be -- I mean, can people in Congress really expect just, you know, regular people like us just to go through this, read this whole entire thing and spot these kinds of things that aren't really typically being reported on every single day?
DESJARDINS: No, and I hate to say it, but I think sometimes they don't want everyone to read what's in these bills, sometimes because it's complicated and sometimes because the ideas are unpopular. And I don't think every member of Congress has read this bill page by page. They certainly, I think, know what's in it more than usual.
How can a regular person read it? You should go to this website. It's rules.house.gov.
How long did it take me to read it? Oh, probably this one was the last one I read, the three large bills. It probably took me -- working until 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning every night for two weeks.
You know, my friend Randy Harold (ph), who works on CNN Wires, once told me this story. How does a cat eat a millstone? And the answer to that is one lick at a time.
BOUDREAU: All right.
DESJARDINS: And that's how I read the health bill.
BOUDREAU: All right. Lisa, thanks -- thanks so much. We really appreciate it.
HOLMES: Well, that was an interesting way to put it.
BOUDREAU: I wasn't really expecting that, to tell you the truth.
HOLMES: I wasn't expecting that. I'm still trying to get over that, actually. And Lisa Desjardins, reading the bill one lick at a time.
We want to -- to get this right here (ph), the health care reform passage. Let's say it does. You're one of the millions of people out there who need insurance. Are your problems solved, just like that?
Well, let's ask our Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the caveat you have to talk about is that no one knows exactly what this health care bill is going to look like if -- if it passes, what the final form will actually be.
But it's worth talking about the various layers to this bill, to some extent, and how these layers will go into effect, because if you're the average consumer, you're thinking how might this affect me and when will that happen.
So let me talk about some of the immediate changes first, some of the things that are going to happen sooner rather than later is that there wouldn't -- will no longer be any annual caps. So let's say you have some sort of health care problem but the insurance company says we have a yearly limit in terms of how much we'll pay or a lifetime limit. Those sorts of caps will go away.
Also, this pre-existing conditions which we've been talking about for more than a year. People will not be able to be discriminated against based on pre-existing conditions when they go to buy health care insurance.
Now, the way they're going to do that, interestingly, is they're going to create these high risk pools around the country and subsidize those high risk pools so they can pay for the insurance for people who have some sort of pre-existing condition.
Young adults covered to the age of 26. Again, pretty obvious there, but, really, those kids who maybe just graduated from college, haven't gotten a job yet that provides them health care insurance or simply don't have health care insurance, up until age 26 they can continue to get that coverage.
And drug discounts for seniors. We spent a lot of time talking about this, the doughnut hole, but basically what this means, imagine a doughnut, your health insurance sort of kicks in as you eat through the first part of the doughnut, but you don't have any coverage as you're going through the hole. It doesn't kick in again until you start eating through the -- the other part of the doughnut.
That hole is what they want to shrink. That's what so many people are sort of talking about here.
But, you know, if you're -- if you're really thinking about this, you think, well, when does the vast majority of health care reform, as we've been hearing about it, kick in? A lot of it, really, is four years from now, 2014. Lots of things happen at that point.
First of all, mandated coverage. You're going to have to have health care insurance or -- or pay a fine. How do you get there, specifically? These health insurance exchanges, which are set up around the country. Think of them as supermarkets where you can go and -- and find a private plan that might work for you.
If it's still too expensive, keep in mind that there's going to be no discrimination there, so even if you have some sort of medical condition, they can't discriminate against you based on that.
And there will be tax credits for consumers. If -- if the price of the health care insurance has been the issue all along, getting those tax credits will certainly help there. And, finally, this idea of Medicaid expansion. This idea that childless adults living near poverty may also be qualifying for Medicaid and to help get them on some sort of health insurance plan as well.
But, again, if -- if you're at home, you're thinking, you know, I really need an operation over the next couple weeks. I'm uninsured. I don't know how this is going to happen, you know, really pay attention to this. It's unclear exactly how that will affect you, but some of these plans, again, it's going to take some time before they go into effect.
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BOUDREAU: All right, thanks, Sanjay.
Opponents of the health care are vote -- are voicing their concerns loud and clear on Capitol Hill. At noon, Tea Party activists kick off a rally protesting the plan.
CNN's Sandra Endo is there, and it looks like there's quite a few -- quite a few people behind you, Sandra. Why -- simply put, why are Tea Party groups opposed to this measure?
SANDRA ENDO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're basically here, Abbie, to make their voices heard. They say they want Congress to listen to the people, and that's why they've come by the bus loads.
You could see all the demonstrators here from all across the country, and they're carrying signs, chanting. You could hear the pre-program behind me, and, pretty much, we're right on the doorstep of Congress. See, the Capitol is right here, and they're pretty much demonstrating to make their voices heard to denounce this health care reform plan, and their goal, they say, is to pressure specifically undeclared lawmakers to make sure they vote down this bill.
And now I'm joined by the organizer of this rally, Jennifer Hulsey. Thank you so much.
What is the message here for you guys today to tell Congress?
JENNIFER HULSEY, TEA PARTY RALLY ORGANIZER: The message is that we want this bill stopped. This is not what the American people want, and our congressmen and congresswomen need to listen to the American people because they really mean it this time.
ENDO: Do you think lawmakers are listening? Do they hear the voice of the American people speaking?
HULSEY: I think they do. There are some that do. There are a great deal that don't. But we're starting to see -- as Congresswoman Bachman and Congressman (INAUDIBLE) and other Congress people that are here today, they're starting to see that. But we have a lot of work to do to convince these other people that this is not the message that the American people want.
ENDO: And this is not only the Tea Party organization. It's a coalition of people. Who are we expected to hear from today?
HULSEY: We're going to hear a lot of different people. We're going to hear from actor Jon Voight. We're going to hear from people from Americans for Prosperity, Tea Party Express -- I mean, all kinds of everyday Americans coming from Texas to Pennsylvania to California, all across the country.
ENDO: And as our anchor was asking, Abbie Boudreau, she was asking why specifically do all these people out here today don't -- why don't they like this health care reform bill? Why are they denouncing it?
HULSEY: The reason they're denouncing it is because they're very concerned about their -- first of all, how their care is going to be.
My husband has Parkinson's disease, and he has young onset Parkinson's, and one of the problems with that is that it's an ongoing, progressive disease and, in the future, we know that our, you know, our medical care is going to be limited. It's already happening with Medicaid and Medicare, and they're very fearful of their coverage and what's going to happen to them.
ENDO: All right. Thank you so much, Jennifer Hulsey.
And this is not the only protest, Abbie and T.J., that's going to take place. This group is going to go to their House of Representatives all throughout the day to pressure them to vote this bill down, and they're planning a candlelight vigil later this evening. And, of course, they say they'll be here for the vote tomorrow.
Back to you guys.
BOUDREAU: Wow. It's -- it looks like quite the scene out there. Thank you so much, Sandra.
ENDO: Sure.
BOUDREAU: Now, for the latest on the health care debate, and if you want to find out where every House member stands on the reform plan, just go to cnn.com/healthcare.
HOLMES: Pope Benedict XVI is breaking his silence on the child abuse scandal that's hit the Catholic Church in Ireland, today releasing an 18-page pastoral letter apologizing to the victims.
In part, he says, "I have been deeply disturbed by the information which has come to light regarding the abuse of children and vulnerable young people by members of the church in Ireland, particularly by priests and religious."
Now, CNN's Diana Magnay is joining us now live from Rome.
Diana, this was kind of a -- a long letter. We're talking about 18 pages here. So what, I guess, were some of the main themes and the main messages, and -- and who was he directing those to?
DIANA MAGNAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, T.J.
Well, you're right, it is a long letter, but for a man who generally speaks in pretty complex theological prose, this was really very much straight from the heart. And one of the main messages is -- is an apology. He says to the victims of abuse and their families, you've suffered grievously, and I am truly sorry, and he acknowledges the mistakes that the church made, not only in letting these abuses happens but of then bishops not reporting on them.
And he acknowledges that people in Ireland will therefore have lost faith, you know? He says I know some of you find it difficult even to enter the -- enter the doors of a church after all that has occurred. But this is a letter to try and encourage the faithful in Ireland to regain their hope and their faith and to say that he is standing alongside them, understands what went wrong and is making concerted efforts to clear it up.
But, T.J., if you, as so many victims groups are in Ireland, and some of his critics are looking for resignations on the part of Irish bishops, that is certainly not in this letter.
HOLMES: You know, what else is out there right now? You just talked about kind of what's missing, but what else has been the criticism of this letter so far?
Yes, he -- a big step in putting it out, but, of course, there are going to be some others, including some victims out there, who don't think he went quite far enough.
MAGNAY: Absolutely, because the church abuse scandal in Europe at the moment isn't just confined to Ireland. It's going on in Germany. It's going on in Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, and he didn't refer to the widening scandals in those countries at all, especially not in Germany, which is of course his home country.
But after this letter came out, there was a press conference and the Vatican spokesman talked about that and said, listen, the Pope deals with these situations case by case. The situation in Germany, the context in Germany is different to the one in Ireland, and he will deal with that when the time comes.
Obviously, this Irish sex abuse scandal has been going on for, really, quite a long time and the investigation into that scandal is fairly involved, fairly in depth. In Germany, the revelations only started in January, so there's still a way to go, T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Diana Magnay for us this morning in Rome. Thank you so much. BOUDREAU: Building up America, how a global effort is providing jobs for Americans in small town Alabama.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All eyes are on Capitol Hill today, President Obama making a personal appeal to House Democrats to pass the landmark health care reform bill.
The vote set for tomorrow on the table right now, a -- a huge reform package that cleared the Senate back in December, as well as another $65 billion in compromise changes to that measure.
BOUDREAU: Seven more banks were closed by the FDIC on Friday. Three are in Georgia, the others are in Ohio, Utah, Alabama, and Minnesota. This brings the year's total to 37 banks closed since January 1st.
HOLMES: A federal judge has turned down a $657 million settlement for people who got sick from dust and ash after the World Trade Center fell on 9/11. The money would have gone to some 10,000 first responders, but the judge says the deal did not contain enough money and shortchanged Ground Zero workers. He wants now more negotiations.
Well, a wave of student suicides being called a public health crisis at Cornell University. There have been six confirmed or suspected suicides at the Ivy League school the past two semesters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The stress of classes and whatnot, it can get you to that point and Cornell has -- it's so big and you really have to push yourself to go out there and get to know people. You just get lost and you get lonely, and I can see why people would want to jump.
THOMAS BRUCE, CORNELL V.P. OF COMMUNICATIONS: We have been knocking -- since Friday, been knocking on every residential door, reaching out to individual -- to our students, individually and in groups.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now, the university is also posting guards on bridges and other spots around campus.
Cornell saw a cluster of student suicides in the late 1990s, but in, other years, university officials say such cases were within or below the national average.
Well, stay with us. We've been talking a lot today. It's the first -- first day of spring, right?
BOUDREAU: Yes, and it feels like it here.
HOLMES: But elsewhere?
BOUDREAU: Not so much.
HOLMES: Not so much.
We'll show you where they're actually expecting a foot of snow on the first day of spring, and of course our Reynolds Wolf keeping an eye on the Red River.
Stay here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We're on (ph). Hi.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello.
HOLMES: How are you?
WHITFIELD: Third party now.
HOLMES: No, not at all. You are the party.
WHITFIELD: Crashing the party.
HOLMES: No, you are the party.
WHITFIELD: How are guys doing?
HOLMES: We're well. How are you doing this morning?
WHITFIELD: Good. Happy spring.
HOLMES: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Don't you love this time of year?
BOUDREAU: It's my favorite time of year.
WHITFIELD: I know. Me, too.
HOLMES: They're not feeling it in Oklahoma right now.
WHITFIELD: Spring and summer.
HOLMES: A foot of snow they're expecting.
WHITFIELD: Well, that's true. OK.
HOLMES: On the first day of spring.
WHITFIELD: Spring showers in a very different way.
HOLMES: Very different way.
WHITFIELD: We're sorry about that. And we are going to talk more about that. Reynolds Wolf will be joining us. Our entire weather team will keep us on top of the weather picture as some of us are celebrating spring today.
Also, beginning in the noon Eastern hour -- oh, by the way, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Nice to see you guys. I didn't say my greetings, did I? I just kind of ...
HOLMES: It's just understood.
WHITFIELD: ... jumped into your conversation.
HOLMES: That's all right.
WHITFIELD: OK. Please join me and the rest of the team, noon Eastern time. We've got a lot straight ahead.
Of course, we're going to continue to keep watch on this intensifying weekend as it pertains to health care. The president will be going to Capitol Hill. You've been hearing a lot about that all morning long. We'll continue to keep tabs on that.
And our legal guides, as usual, they'll be joining us. We've got a lot of fascinating legal stories beginning with -- you know, a lot of folks resort to having nanny cams in their homes. They go off to work. They want to make sure their -- their little kids are being cared for.
Well, there is a case in Florida where a nanny cam happened to catch a nanny allegedly being very rough with an 11-month-old, and now the family is, of course, up in arms. What kind of legal case do we have here? And especially in a state where there are some pretty strong restrictions as it pertains to videotaping somebody without their knowing.
Our legal guys are going to talk about whether this case falls into that category.
And then in Rhode Island, a lot of teachers very upset with the fact that there were some mass firings there. One teacher so upset that she allegedly hung an effigy of the president of the United States, a foot-long effigy, hung it upside down, and now she is under disciplinary review.
HOLMES: Wow.
WHITFIELD: What will happen in that case.
And then something to kind of -- I don't know -- reflect on life and survival. Discovery Channel is launching an 11-part series called "Life".
HOLMES: Yes. "Life".
BOUDREAU: Yes.
WHITFIELD: It's extraordinary. If you love animals and if you love nature, you are going to love this.
We're going to be joined by the executive producer as well as one of the cinematographers who captured these extraordinary images, and we're going to talk to them about how they got these images. It's not just an issue of, you know, holding the camera and waiting for it to happen.
BOUDREAU: Oh, yes. Well, I mean, how long does it take to get that? (INAUDIBLE).
WHITFIELD: Years. This is a five-year project that finally, you know, comes to fruition here. And I can't wait for you to hear from the cinematographer as to how he was able to get some of these pictures under water.
I'll give you a hint. If you're a diver, usually you use a tank, regulator. None of that. He was free diving.
BOUDREAU: Oh, my gosh.
WHITFIELD: And you've got a pod of whales coming your way ...
HOLMES: Oh, wow.
WHITFIELD: ... and you've got to hold your camera steady. Extraordinary story.
Are you going to be watching now? Did I hook you in?
HOLMES: OK, yes -- well, because I liked the "Earth" series -- you remember that one?
WHITFIELD: Yes.
HOLMES: In HD? I loved just watching that thing. And it seems kind of similar.
WHITFIELD: And this is the continuation of that.
HOLMES: A continuation of that?
WHITFIELD: In -- in a sense, it is.
HOLMES: You've got me, then.
WHITFIELD: I mean, the photographer and EP -- executive producer will tell you that that was in part an inspiration, but this takes it even further.
HOLMES: You got me.
BOUDREAU: Can't wait.
HOLMES: But you had me at "hello" anyway.
WHITFIELD: Oh, that's sweet. HOLMES: You've certainly got me now.
WHITFIELD: OK. Millions of (ph) times throughout the day.
HOLMES: Yes, we will see you shortly.
WHITFIELD: Good to see you, Abbie.
BOUDREAU: You too.
HOLMES: Thank you, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Thank you, T.J. Bye-bye.
HOLMES: Well, an American-Iranian is arrested on a trip to Iran, and two years later he's still behind bars.
Ahead, his family's desperate plea for help. Stay here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: An American-Iranian businessman locked up for two years in Iran. Now his family pleading for his release from an Iranian prison.
BOUDREAU: Right. So why has it taken so long for this case to come to light?
CNN's State Department Correspondent Jill Dougherty has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Seventy-one-year-old Reza Taghavi, a retired Iranian-American businessman from Southern California, has been held in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison for two years.
Now, his American lawyer reveals secret talks.
PIERRE PROSPER, LAWYER FOR REZA TAGHAVI: We are negotiating terms, and -- and my -- my job, really, is to talk to the government to see what -- what will it take? What do they want?
DOUGHERTY: In April 2008, Reza Taghavi took one of his frequent trips to Tehran to see family and friends. According to his lawyer, an acquaintance asked Taghavi to carry $200 to an Iranian who needed some money. Taghavi agreed.
Iranian authorities arrested him on suspicion of anti-regime activity.
PROSPER: It's not clear what the accusations actually are at this time, because the -- the investigation, believe it or not, after two years, is still -- still ongoing.
DOUGHERTY: Two years later Prosper says his client has not been charged with any crime.
Cases of other Americans being held, like three hikers who allegedly strayed over the Iranian border, have been highly publicized, but Taghavi's family kept silent, not even telling the State Department he'd been arrested.
LEILA TAGHAVI, DAUGHTER: Blind faith and not knowing that it would take this long, and just unsure about how things work.
DOUGHERTY: The Iranian to whom Taghavi gave the $200 was arrested and convicted of involvement with a terrorist group that blew up a mosque in Shiraz. But Taghavi's lawyer claims the businessman had no known contact with any terrorist group.
The State Department admits it has few details.
MARK TONER, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: We understand he's in poor health and we've not yet received consular access to him through the Swiss Protecting Power. But we repeatedly called -- have called for and continue to call for his -- his immediate release by Iranian authorities.
DOUGHERTY: In a twist, Iranian authorities even invited Taghavi's lawyer to Tehran to discuss the case.
PROSPER: He has not been charged, prosecuted or convicted, so there must be some questions out there. We're trying to answer the questions in -- in a way that obviously will lead to a favorable outcome.
DOUGHERTY: Leila Taghavi told us she doesn't think her father can tolerate being in prison much longer.
TAGHAVI: My biggest hope is that this message reaches and -- the right people and somebody could do something.
DOUGHERTY (on camera): Leila Taghavi told us she spoke with her father by phone Wednesday morning, that he told her to have faith, that he believes people will do the right thing.
Jill Dougherty, CNN, the State Department.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BOUDREAU: CNN NEWSROOM continues with Fredricka Whitfield.
HOLMES: Hello there, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Hello.
HOLMES: You take it away.
