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President Obama on Capitol Hill; House Democrats Say They Have Enough Promised Votes To Pass Health Reform Bill

Aired March 20, 2010 - 16:00   ET

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

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They are giving you the best possible advice in order to assure that Nancy Pelosi remains speaker and Harry Reid remains leader and that all of you keep your seats. That's a possibility. But it may also be possible that they realize after health reform passes, and I sign that legislation into law, then it is going to be a little harder to mischaracterize what this effort has been all about.

Because this year small businesses will start getting tax credits so that they can offer health insurance to employees who currently don't have it. Because this year those same parents who are worried about getting coverage for their children with pre-existing conditions now are assured that insurance companies have to give them coverage, this year.

Because this year insurance companies won't suddenly be able to drop your coverage when you get sick or impose lifetime limits or restricted limits on the coverage that you have. Maybe they know that this year, for the first time, young people will be able to stay on their parent's health insurance until they're 26 years old and they're thinking that just might be popular all across the country.

And what they also know is what won't happen. They know that after this legislation passes, and after I sign this bill, lo and behold, nobody is pulling the plug on granny. It turns out that in fact people who like their health insurance are going to be able to keep their health insurance, that there is no government takeover. People will discover that if they like their doctor, they'll be keeping their doctor. In fact, they're more likely to keep their doctor because of a stronger system.

It will turn out that this piece of historic legislation is built on the private insurance system that we have now and runs straight down the center of American political (INAUDIBLE). It turns out this is a bill that tracks the recommendations not just of Democrat Tom Daschle, but also Republicans Bob Dole and Howard Baker. That this is a middle of the road bill, that is designed to help the American people in an area of their lives where they urgently need help.

Now there is some who wanted a single payer, government-run system. That's not this bill. The Republicans wanted what I call the foxes guard, the hen house approach in which we further deregulate the insurance companies and let them run wild, the notion being somehow that was going to lower cost for the American people. I don't know what serious health care economist who buys that idea, but that was their concept and we rejected that. Because what we said was we want to create a system in which health care is working not for insurance companies, but it is working for the American people.

It is working for middle class families. So what did we do? What is the essence of this legislation? Number one, this is the toughest insurance reforms in history. We are making sure that the system of private insurance works for ordinary families. A prescription - this is a patient's bill of rights on steroids. So many of you individually have worked on these insurance reforms, they are in this package, to make sure that families are getting a fair deal, that if they're paying a premium, that they're getting a good service in return.

Making sure that employers, if they are paying premiums for their employees, that their employees are getting the coverage that they expect. That insurance companies are not going to game the system with fine print and rescissions and dropping people when they need it most, but instead are going to have to abide by some basic rules of the road that exemplify a sense of fairness and good value. That's number one.

The second thing this does is it creates a pool, a marketplace, where individuals and small businesses who right now are having a terrible time out there getting health insurance are going to be able to purchase health insurance as part of a big group, just like federal employees, just like members of Congress.

They are now going to be part of a pool that can negotiate for better rates, better quality, more competition. And that's why the Congressional Budget Office says this will lower people's rates for comparable plans by 14 to 20 percent. That's not my numbers. That's the Congressional Budget Office's numbers. So the people will have choice and competition, just like members of Congress have choice and competition.

Number three, if people still can't afford it, we're going to provide them some tax credits. The biggest tax cut for small businesses, working families, when it comes to health care in history. And number four, this is the biggest reduction in our deficit since the Budget Balance Act, one of the biggest deficit reduction measures in history, over $1.3 trillion that will help put us on the path of fiscal responsibility.

And that's before we count all the game-changing measures that are going to assure, for example, that instead of having five tests when you go to the doctor, you just get one, that the delivery system is working for patients, not just working for billings. And everybody was looked at it says that every single good idea to bend the cost curve and start actually reducing health care costs are in this bill.

So that's what this effort is all about. Toughest insurance reforms in history. A marketplace so people have choice and competition who right now don't have it and are seeing their premiums go up 20 percent, 30 percent, 40 percent, 50 percent. Reductions in the cost of health care for millions of American families, including those who have health insurance. The business round table did their own study and said that this would potentially save employers $3,000 per employee on their health care, because the measures in this legislation. And, by the way, not only does it reduce the deficit, we pay for it responsibly, in ways that the other side of the aisle that talks a lot about fiscal responsibility but doesn't seem to be able to walk the walk, can't claim when it comes to their prescription drug bill, we are actually doing it. This is paid for and will not add a dime to the deficit or reduce the deficit.

Now, is this bill perfect? Of course not. Will this solve every single problem in our health care system right away? No. There are all kinds of ideas that many of you have that aren't included in this legislation. I know that there has been discussion, for example, of how we're going to deal with regional disparities, and I know that there was a meeting with Secretary Sebelius to assure that we can continue to try to make sure that we got a system that gives people the best bang for their buck.

So this is not - there are all kinds of things that many of you would like to see that isn't in this legislation. There are some things I would like to see that's not in this legislation. But is this the single most important step that we have taken on health care since Medicare? Absolutely. Is this the most important piece of domestic legislation, in terms of giving a break to hard working middle class families out there since Medicare? Absolutely. Is this a vast improvement over the status quo? Absolutely.

Now, I still know this is a tough vote, though. I know this is a tough vote. I've talked to many of you individually. And, you know, I have to say that if you honestly believe in your heart of hearts, in your conscience, that this is not an improvement over the status quo. If despite all of the information that is out there that says that without serious reform efforts like this one, people's premiums are going to double over the next five or 10 years, that folks are going to keep on getting letters from their insurance companies saying that their premiums just went up 40 percent or 50 percent.

If you think that somehow it is OK that we have millions of hard working Americans who can't get health care, and that it is all right, it is acceptable in the wealthiest nation on earth that their children, with chronic illnesses, that can't get the care that they need. If you think that the system is working for ordinary Americans rather than the insurance companies, then you should vote no on this bill. If you can honestly say that, then you shouldn't support it.

You're here to represent your constituencies and if you think your constituencies honestly wouldn't be helped, you shouldn't vote for this. But if you agree that the system is not working for ordinary families, if you heard the same stories that I've heard, everywhere, all across the country, then help us fix this system. Don't do it for me. Don't do it for Nancy Pelosi, or Harry Reid. Do it for all those people out there who are struggling.

Some of you know I get 10 letters a day that I read out of the 40,000 that we receive. I started reading some of the ones that I got this morning. Dear President Obama, my daughter, wonderful person, lost her job, she has no health insurance, she had a blood clot in her brain. She's now disabled, can't get care. Dear President Obama, I don't yet qualify for Medicare, Cobra is about to run out, I am desperate, don't know what to do.

Do it for them. Do it for people who are really scared right now, through no fault of their own who played by the rule, who have done all the right things, and suddenly found out that because of an accident, because of an ailment, they're about to lose their house or they can't provide the help to their kids that they need or they're a small business who up until now has always taken pride in providing care for their workers.

And it turns out that they just can't afford do it anymore and they have to make a decision do I keep providing health insurance for my workers or do I just drop their coverage or do I not hire some people because I simply can't afford it? It is all being gobbled up by the insurance companies? Don't do it for me. Don't do it for the Democratic party. Do it for the American people. They're the ones who are looking for action right now.

I know there is a tough vote. And I am actually confident, I've talked to some of you individually, that it will end up being the smart thing to do politically because I believe the good policy is good politics. I am convinced that when you go out there and you are standing tall, and you are saying I believe that this is the right thing to do for my constituents and the right thing to do for America, that ultimately the truth will act.

I had a wonderful conversation with Betsy Markey. I don't know if Betsy is here. There is Betsy right there, who - Betsy is in a tough district. The biggest newspaper is somewhat conservative, as Betsy described. They weren't real happy with health care reform. They were opposed to it. Betsy, despite the pressure, announced that she was in favor of this bill and lo and behold, the next day that same newspaper runs an editorial saying, you know what, we have considered this, we have looked at the legislation, and we actually are pleased that Congresswoman Markey is supporting the legislation.

When - when - when I see John Boccieri here stand up, proud, with a whole bunch of his constituencies - in as tough a district as there is, and stand up with a bunch of folks from his district, with pre- existing conditions and say, "you know, I don't know what is going on in Washington, but I know what's going on with these families." I look at him with pride.

Now, I can't guarantee that this is good politics. Every one of you know your districts better than I do. You talk to folks, you're under enormous pressure, you're getting robo calls, you're getting e- mails that are tying up the communications system. I know the pressure you're under. I get a few comments made about me. I don't know if you noticed. I've been in your shoes. I know what it's like to take a tough vote.

But what did Lincoln say? "I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true." Two generations ago, folks were sitting in your position, they made a decision, we are going to make sure that seniors and the poor have health care coverage, that they can count on. And they did the right thing. And I'm sure at the time they were making that vote, they weren't sure how the politics were either. Any more than the people who made the decision to make sure the social security was in place knew how the politics would play out or folks who passed the Civil Rights Act knew how the politics were going to play out.

They were not bound to win. But they were bound to be true. And now we've got middle class Americans, don't have Medicare, don't have Medicaid, watching the employer-based system fray along the edges, or being caught in terrible situations, and the question is, are we going to be true to them?

Now, sometimes I think about how I got involved in politics. I didn't think of myself as a potential politician when I got out of college. I went to work in neighborhoods, working with Catholic churches in poor neighborhoods in Chicago. Trying to figure out how people could get a little bit of help, and I was skeptical about politics and politicians, just like a lot of Americans are skeptical about politics and politicians right now. Because my working assumption was, you know, when push comes to shove, all too often folks in elected office, they're looking out for themselves, and not looking out for the folks who put them there.

There are too many compromises, that the special interests have too much power. They just got too much clout. There is too much big money washing around. And I decided finally to get involved because I realized if I wasn't willing to step up and be true to the things I believe in, then the system wouldn't change. Every single one of you had that same kind of moment at the beginning of your careers.

Maybe it was just listening to stories in your neighborhood about what was happening to people who had been laid off of work, maybe it was your own family experience, somebody got sick and didn't have health care and you said something should change. Something inspired you to get involved and something inspired you to be a Democrat instead of running as a Republican because somewhere deep in your heart you said to yourself - I believe in an America in which we don't just look out for ourselves, we don't just tell people you're on your own, but we are proud of our individualism, we are proud of our liberty, but we also have a sense of neighborliness and a sense of community and we're willing to look out for one another and help people who are vulnerable, and help people who are down on their luck, and give them a pathway to success, and give them a ladder into the middle class, that's why you decided to run.

And now a lot of us have been here a while, and everybody here is taking their lumps and their bruises, and it turns out people have had to make compromises. And you've been away from families for a long time. And you've missed special events for your kids sometimes. And maybe there have been times where you asked yourself why did I ever get involved in politics in the first place? And maybe things can't change after all. And when you do something courageous, it turns out sometimes you may be attacked. And sometimes the very people you thought you were trying to help may be angry at you and shout at you and you say to yourself, maybe that thing that I started with has been lost.

But you know what, every once in a while, every once in a while a moment comes where you have a chance to vindicate all those best hopes that you had about yourself, about this country, where you have a chance to make good on those promises that you made in all those town meetings and all those constituency breakfasts and all that traveling through the district, all those people who you looked in the eye and said, you know what, you're right. The system is not working for you. And I'm going to make it a little bit better.

And this is one of those moments. This is one of those times where you can honestly say to yourself, dog gone it, this is exactly why I came here. This is why I got into politics. This is why I got into public service. This is why I've made those sacrifices, because I believe so deeply in this country, and I believe so deeply in this democracy, and I'm willing to stand up even when it is hard. Even when it's tough.

Every single one of you have made that promise, not just to your constituents, but to yourself. And this is the time to make true on that promise. We are not bound to win, but we are bound to be true. We are not bound to succeed, but we are bound to let whatever light we have shine. We have been debating health care for decades. It now has been debated for a year. It is in your hands. It is time to pass health care reform for America, and I am confident that you are going to do it tomorrow. Thank you very much, House of Representatives. Let's get this done!

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, a very convincing President Barack Obama there at this Democratic caucus there on Capitol Hill, giving face time to this issue, to what he's been very passionate about. He talked about it has been a year of talk about health care reform, but he says, in all honesty, it has been talked about for decades now and he said just there, it is in your hands, it is time to pass health care reform.

We got our senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash with us, there on Capitol Hill. We also have our senior White House correspondent Ed Henry at the White House. Dana, let's begin with you, because the president took this opportunity to really remind not just lawmakers about what their job is, and that "sometimes you have to take chances, you have to do things that are not popular."

But he was also reminding the American people what is at the core of this health care reform that he's just been trying to push through, he says, "yes, it has been a difficult debate this year, it has been a difficult year for the American people," however he says "Is this a single biggest step on health care since Medicare? Absolutely." He says "would this be an improvement over the status quo? Absolutely." So, Dana, he was talking not just to his fellow lawmakers there, but he was also talking to the American people.

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. There is no question. I think we just got a little bit of a sense there of the kind of argument that the president has been making in private and certainly I know from talking to Democratic leadership sources the kind of argument they have been giving to all of these undecided lawmakers.

It is twofold, number one, big picture, don't be on the wrong side of history. You heard the president start out very much setting this in historic terms, talking not only about Abraham Lincoln but about the fact that this is big legislation. Republicans say that, well, guess what, it's true and he believes that they, down the road, are going to want to be with their party and from their perspective doing what's right for the American people.

And I believe actually the president is leaving now, not sure if you can see that, I can hear that out of my other side here, but the second point is perhaps the most important point that he has to make at this 11th hour and that is the political one. He was talking directly to many of these undecided lawmakers that we have been talking to, these are lawmakers in very, very difficult political positions.

Many of them are from Republican-leaning districts that many of them are new members and know that this could be a make or break it vote for them in terms of whether they can come back next year, whether they will be elected again in November. So he gets that. He said it so many different ways, giving specific examples and talking about the fact that he understands, but at a certain point, you're going to have to decide whether you're going to do this and vote something that maybe your conscience, but what is not best for you politically or do what's best for you politically.

He said that in so many different ways and that is the key argument and the key decision that many of these lawmakers are going to have to make.

WHITFIELD: And perhaps a message being sent particularly to these lawmakers on the fence who felt like well my constituency says one thing but my political peers say another. He said, "help us fix this system, not for me, not for Reid, not for Pelosi, but for the people who are struggling." He brought it back to those 30 million or so people who are uninsured who this would help directly in his view.

BASH: Absolutely. And that's what you're hearing. Actually some of the lawmakers who are breaking for this bill, like he actually mentioned John Boccieri. He is a lawmaker who is a freshman. He voted no last time, he decided, he announced yesterday, he is voting yes and he did so surrounded by his constituents who say they need this bill to get health care reform. But you know, as he's talking, I think we might have video, it is important to note that he's talking about doing what's right for history, but even as the president is speaking, what lawmakers are facing, even right here outside the capital, are the protests.

There are people who are just standing just steps away from the capital, and I witnessed it, members walking out, even undecided members, walking out and witnessing very, very vocal people screaming, "kill the bill, don't do this, this is wrong for the American people." So that is - it is such a fascinating juxtaposition to have the president of the United States standing here, and, you know, very vocal protesters right outside that they are going to have to pass going in and out of the capitol. Never mind what happens when they go back to their districts.

WHITFIELD: And so, Dana, remind us of the timeline. The president taking the time-out today to talk to, you know, face to face, Democrats, but at the same time, while this was expected to be kind of the House Democratic leadership, and the House Democratic audience that he was talking to, it was quite significant that you would have senate majority leader Harry Reid there. Why?

BASH: Very significant. And very deliberate. The reason is this, Fredricka, if the House succeeds in passing the - both the Senate bill and the package of fixes tomorrow, Sunday, the next step is the Senate. And a big part of the struggle here, kind of a subplot, is that frankly House Democrats simply don't trust their brethren in the Senate. And is going to happen is that the House is going to pass the Senate bill, it's going to go to the president. He's going to have to likely sign it before the Senate actually takes up the package of changes.

And so what you heard Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader say is we promise, we have the votes, we will do this. That is an assurance that House Democratic leaders demanded from Harry Reid because there's so much distrust among rank and file House members that they're going to actually pass this bill, they're going to send it to the president, the actual underlying bill that many of them simply don't like, they have to really be assured that the Senate is actually going to pass the changes to make it exactly the legislation that they want to pass. So that's why that was critically important.

In fact, I can tell you we expect the Senate Majority Reid to come out to the cameras here in just a few minutes, perhaps to reiterate that as well. He also has a letter, unclear if it was actually distributed, but he had a letter that he says was signed by a majority 51 Democrats in the Senate saying that they will actually vote for this.

Again, sounds like it is maybe something that is not important, but it is critically important when it comes to the trust, and frankly, mistrust that House Democrats have for their counterparts in the Senate. They needed that in order to really be assured this is the right thing for them to do.

WHITFIELD: All right. Senior Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash, thanks so much. We'll go back to Capitol Hill when indeed Harry Reid takes to the microphone there.

Let's go down the street to the White House, Senior White House Correspondent Ed Henry with us now.

So, Ed, you know, this was the Barack Obama on the campaign trail that we remember hearing say there is no -- there are no red states, there are no blue states, but we're talking about the American people, in which we're trying to make things happen. He was reiterating that in a very different way, but the platform, of course, was health care reform, wasn't it?

ED HENRY, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It was. I think you're exactly right because, to me, it was not just the final pitch of this debate, to House Democrats, it was maybe the first pitch of the midterm elections. You heard him speaking as a candidate, not just maybe reliving some of the rhetorical flashes of that last campaign, but looking ahead to the midterms. He was selling this big time, and trying to explain to Democrats what you can bring to the American people.

I was struck by two things along those lines. Number one, for the first time, really, I heard this president acting and speaking as if this is going to be a done deal. Not that it is done yet, but saying things like we're 24 hours away. After this passes, after I sign this bill, and was very quickly saying things that were pretty startling like, "Nobody's pulling the plug on Granny. There is not going to be a government takeover." Those are direct shots at Republicans, the charges he's faced during this debate.

And I would say the second thing that I was struck by, beyond the talk about this is essentially being done, was the immediate pivot to the center. He faced the charges that this is a liberal bill, that he's pulled the country to the left, and you heard him over and over come back to this theme that this is a-this, he said, runs right down the middle of American politics. This is a middle of the road bill. He has heard the charges out there, he wants to try to get these Democrats not just to vote for it, but to fight back and say, look, these are the strongest insurance reforms in history. The biggest tax cut on health care for the middle class. And as you and Dana noted, he was not shy about saying this is the biggest domestic achievement since Medicare, pretty big deal, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Pretty big stuff. And, you know, Ed, as we saw the president's motorcade, he's presumably heading right back to the White House. We're also still on Capitol Hill waiting for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to come out and perhaps talk one more time to reporters, perhaps in part to reiterate what he said to the Democratic Caucus and maybe expound further.

But you know, you talk about sounding very confident. This president was confident, and I wonder if-how the White House is calculating the risk of sounding so confident prior to this vote. Mr. Obama saying we're going to get this, that's before he got in there and spoke to the caucus, to Nancy Pelosi saying, quote, "We're on the verge of making history", to Senator Reid saying, "We are going to do this."

HENRY: You're right. There is a balance there. I think in fairness to the Democrats who were at that stage, they're stating what is essentially a fact here. They believe they either have or right in the grasp of 216 votes to get this passed. So it is not -- no longer really just a hypothetical. On the other hand, you're right, they can't look like they're celebrating yet and that's not just a supposition on my part. I heard that from the president's top aides that in recent days he's been counseling them in private that, look this can't be a victory lap. That certainly came close to it there. But you also heard him be measured about, the job is not going to be done, that's why as Dana noted, the Senate majority leader was there.

This White House, I can assure you from my conversations with the president's top aides are fully aware of the fact that Republicans are not done fighting, that even if this passes the House tomorrow, as it appears it will, there are a lot of procedural hurdles that Senate Republicans are planning, a whole different ball game in the Senate, where various parts of this could be struck down. Let's not forget that if even one part of these 153 pages or so that are being approved, these fixes, even if one part is changed in the Senate , in the coming days, it has to come back to the House because that's not the same version that the House is going to pass if they pass it on Sunday.

And as Dana knows full well, all of a sudden the equation can change if, say, one provision that is important to 20 or 30 House Democrats, and they vote in favor of it tomorrow, if that gets struck down in the Senate next week, it is going to have to come back to the House and Speaker Pelosi will have to essentially start all over again.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Our Senior White House Correspondent Ed Henry, thanks so much, from the white House there.

So the president and many others projecting confidence, but as Ed just said, the vote hasn't even happened yet. That's scheduled for tomorrow. So our Josh Levs is keeping track of which lawmakers still haven't said exactly how they'll vote.

What is the tally so far as best we can calculate?

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, I seriously believe that colleges are going to have entire political science courses over the health care debate of 2009 and 2010.

WHITFIELD: Oh, yes, it is all changing.

LEVS: Isn't it? Unbelievable. And all the twists and turns we have seen over the past year, absolutely amazing. That's what we're looking at now is this handful of people, who at the moment have a future of health care in their hands, at least as far as tomorrow's vote goes. Let's first show you a photo we have. This is a collection of photos, actually, of some of the people we've been keeping an eye on. The undeclared, does not mean they are undecided. They might have decided in their own minds, they have not declared it. Some people have since moved off that list.

And let me show you the latest numbers, on this next screen here, this is where we have it. CNN has been following this for weeks and weeks and weeks. And this is what we have here now. What we have been able to follow more firmly are the firm no votes and the reason is that the yes votes have been a lot more in flux. So total Democratic no votes need to kill the bill, this will be 38. Total Democratic no vote currently that they have, in our latest tally 31. Seven more votes, seven votes could swing tomorrow's vote either way.

What I'm going to do now is show you a few examples of who these people are. We have some baseball cards set up here this is Representative Solomon Ortiz, he's a Democrat from Texas. And he has said that he needs to seat final language. He said he also needs to get some thought to the cost of the final bill. Another one here, Representative Jerry McNerney, from California, said he was waiting to see the final language had concerns about some deal- making behind this bill and he also said he had concerns about how many people would ultimately be covered in the final legislation. Let me show you a couple more here. Representative Mike McMahon, from New York. He had been leaning no last we knew. He had not seen the final bill and he was not 100 percent certain, either way last we heard from him. Still has not declared his position.

Let me show you a fourth one here, Representative Bill Foster, from Illinois, also in that pile of undeclared at this point. He said he wanted to take a really close look of at the Senate bill and the reconciliation, which we know is the other part of this, before making his decision.

We have, for all of you, the full list of everyone and where they stand. That's up on the web there. You can see it is at CNN. Com. And actually linked that for you on my Facebook page, as a short cut, you can see that there.

And we're hearing from you, Fred, as you know, like crazy. People weighing in on the blogs, cnn.com/josh, cnn.com, cnn.com/Fredricka; also getting a lot of Tweets, JoshLevs.cnn. So, Fred this is just a few examples of the people who could be among that seven that could twist and turn tomorrow's vote either way.

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much. We'll continue to track that, Josh.

It is a waiting game right now. Not just on Capitol Hill, but along the Red River . The river is rising in Fargo, North Dakota. We'll find out when it is expected to crest.

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WHITFIELD: Talk about extreme, flooding in North Dakota, and heavy snow in Oklahoma on this first day of spring. Let's get details from Jacqui Jeras in the Weather Center.

As we said earlier, first day of spring some places, maybe not all of America, doesn't feel like it.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I know. It is not unusual to get the winter-type storms with heavy snowfall. We could get stuff like this well into April. I hate to remind you of that.

WHITFIELD: No, that's true. I think I was skiing last year in April.

JERAS: Yeah. So its certainly not unheard of, just not fun for a whole lot of people. We have seen a lost met of messages, I would rather gouge my eyes out than shovel snow.

WHITFIELD: That's very severe, Jacqui.

JERAS: It is. It gives me an idea just how unhappy they are, in fact. One other thing, a whole lot of people unhappy about is rising rivers and that's something we deal with every year in the springtime and something we see in the Red River, of the north, and these are some pictures from Fargo, North Dakota, where the Red River is well out of its banks and a major flood. The best thing I can tell you is that right now we're expecting the crest to be tomorrow, slightly lower than originally forecast. And certainly below the record floods of last year.

Of course, the big dikes and all the sandbags have been piled up to help to protect the city. Apparently what we heard from our Reynolds Wolf is that no homes have been threatened at this time. So hopefully that will continue to hold, right, and the colder temperatures, by the way, we have been seeing in that area has a lot to do with why the flooding has slowed down a little bit. That's kind of freezing things up just a smidge.

Speaking of freezing things, let's take a look at what's going on in Oklahoma City at this hour. We have got a live picture out of OKC, to show you the snowy conditions here. Winter storm warning is in effect. And you can kind of see how that wind is blowing around. Look at that toward the bottom of your picture there, you see that? Right in front of the roadways. Those winds are gusting up to 45 miles per hour. We can see significant snow drifts to go with this.

We think at least four inches in Oklahoma City, north of I40, heavier amounts, maybe 6 to 10 plus inches of snowfall. And those 1- to 3- foot drift, that's a good possibility today as well.

(GENERAL WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: That's so we can appreciate again when the good stuff comes again, right?

JERAS: That's right. It's touch and go this time of the year.

WHITFIELD: It is all a terrible test. All right. Thanks. Jacqui.

Speaking of terrible tests, she lost her home to Hurricane Katrina. And she just scored a big win now. We'll tell you what that big win is and how it is changing her life.

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WHITFIELD: She lost her New Orleans home during Katrina. And now she's got a new one courtesy of HGTV's Dream Home Giveaway. Myra Lewis says she entered the contest daily and she certainly has a lot to show off for her persistence, now a $2 million grand prize.

Miss Myra Lewis joining us now from New Orleans. Congratulations.

MYRA LEWIS, HGTV DREAM HOME WINNER: Well, thank you very much.

WHITFIELD: So persistence paid off. Give me an idea how you got notice that you were a winner.

LEWIS: Well, they basically showed up at my door one night as I was watching TV. And surprised me with that news, and I was very, very surprised. WHITFIELD: Wow. And describe for me that moment, all that they told you, because it is not just a car, part of this jackpot includes cash money, and a vehicle, right?

LEWIS: Yes. Yes. There was a vehicle parked in front of my house with a big red bow on it. And then they showed me this huge check with all of these zeros. And that was my first realization of just how big this prize is.

WHITFIELD: You almost look a little reluctant to open the door. We're looking at the images now it kind of like who are you, what's going on here.

LEWIS: Yes, yes.

WHITFIELD: This really caught you off guard.

LEWIS: It did.

WHITFIELD: You had no idea they were coming.

LEWIS: It did. It caught me off guard. I had seen this bright white light on my driveway. So I was really getting up to investigate, looked in the peephole, saw another bright light, so I was very cautious about opening that door. And I was looking face to face with Jamie Drury. That's when it hit me.

WHITFIELD: Were you, for a moment, even reluctant to open the door? Might there have been, you know, a different outcome?

LEWIS: Yes, yes. I was very reluctant.

WHITFIELD: Yeah.

LEWIS: I was in shock.

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy. So now what are the details? When is move-in day? When do you get a chance to see your new house? What do you know about it?

LEWIS: I know a lot about it because I've gone online almost every day that it has been up and I've done the virtual tour I don't know how many times. I was asked to describe the house on one interview and they were surprised how much I knew about it.

I have not physically been in it, but I will get to do that really soon at the end of April. And I'm told that's when I'll get the keys to the house. I'm looking forward to that.

WHITFIELD: Wow. What an incredible journey. Your home was damaged, you were displaced after Katrina. We're talking about, is it correct? Six months that you were in Houston? We're looking at images right now of your home damaged in New Orleans.

LEWIS: Right. It was -- I was six months in Houston, and another four months in Baton Rouge before I returned to New Orleans. That house has taken me all this time to renovate. And that just occurred at the first of this month, that I finally got past the renovation process. It was elaborate.

WHITFIELD: Wow, so you have an incredible connection to this house. Is it going to be hard then in any way to leave it?

LEWIS: Well, I have not actually been in that particular house since Katrina. By the time it was renovated, I had actually moved into Algiers, and that's where I'm living now. So it would be hard to leave New Orleans no matter where I was living. I love New Orleans. This is home. So it is going to be a hard process, and a gradual process.

WHITFIELD: Wow. All right. So move-in day, or at least you get the keys in April. And what do you look forward to come that day?

LEWIS: Well, you know, it is one thing to see something online. It is another thing to actually walk through and sit on sofas and look at those views through the window, so I think it is going to be quite a different experience for me that day.

WHITFIELD: Myra Lewis, thanks so much and congratulations on being a winner of the HGTV Dream Home. And hopefully we'll follow up with you and find out what move-in day is going to be like for you.

LEWIS: OK, thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. All the best.

We'll be right back right after this.

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WHITFIELD: All right, it is all animal stories at "The Water Cooler" this weekend, almost like every weekend. Ever seen a horse fly? You have now. It was rescued by helicopter this week after getting stranded a few days earlier in Arizona's Gila River. The horse named, Colorado, and its owner made it to a sandbar after getting caught up in a swift current. An anonymous donor actually paid for the helicopter. Sweet.

And now to Kenya to meet some orphan elephants; drought poaching and disappearing habitats are threatening the population and putting a huge strain on this elephant orphanage, in particular. The orphanage says the number of babies that it is caring for is at a 30-year high. The young elephants usually need about two years care before they can go back into the wild.

And if that wasn't enough elephants for you, here is more at the nation's capital. The usual political and media circuses in Washington took a back seat to the real thing this week when the Ringling Brothers came to town. Look at that shot there, the famous elephant parade went right by the U.S. Capitol. I'm not sure if these are Republican elephants or not, but no sign of partisanship in the crowd. Just a whole lot of smiles there, nothing to protest, no angry signs. A rarity there for the capitol. A rarity that no one was upset with one another.

All right. Thanks so much for joining us. I'm Fredricka Whitfield at the CNN Center in Atlanta. Don Lemon is coming up next with more of the health care showdown including a look at what doctors think about all this. He will also look at this week's CNN Hero, a woman bringing medical care to the most remote areas of Peru.

And have you ever been on a flight with a crying baby? Well, some people think babies should be banned from the airways. What in the world? We'll ask you what you think coming up in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM.

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