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2012 Race Under Way; Palin Attacks President Obama on Abortion; Purple Heart Homes; Democracy Activist Freed; President Obama Talks Trade at Economic Summit; The 50 Best Inventions; Overdue for the Doctor's Office
Aired November 13, 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: Top of the hour here now; welcome to you all from the CNN Center here in Atlanta, Georgia. This is your CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'm T.J. Holmes.
A story we have been keeping a close eye on throughout the morning, a developing story still, the pro-democracy activist has been released from her house arrest overnight after years of detention. We're talking about Aung San Suu Kyi. We'll be going live to Myanmar straight ahead.
Also, avoiding the doctor; that is a potentially deadly mistake that so many people, specifically men, make. I'm not just saying it to get on to you. I was making the same mistake; have not been to the doctor in ten-plus years for a check-up. I'm breaking my bad habit this morning. Also hoping it will help you break yours.
Also, an innovation -- innovation at its best is what this is. "Time" magazine releases its list of the year's top inventions. You'll find out what they are. That's coming up.
But again, after spending 15 of the past 21 years under house arrest in Myanmar, democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi has been released. Thousands of supporters cheered and applauded as she emerged from her home this morning. The military government there has refused to allow foreign reporters into Myanmar to cover this story. Myanmar, a lot of people still refer to as Burma.
We do have a correspondent there on the ground. We will not identify this correspondent for safety reasons, but joining me now, over the phone, we've been watching this story now for the past several hours.
What is Aung San Suu Kyi up to now? She came out and went right to work, some would say.
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: Yes, some would indeed say that, T.J. What she did was she held a short -- a very short speech there after she came out. Obviously with a very emotional moment and not only for her but for a lot the supporters that have been waiting, as you say, years really, to -- the only --
HOLMES: All right, it looks like our reporter, we're having a difficult -- again, this is a very difficult and tricky thing to try to do, is try to get live reporting out of Myanmar. We've been able to throughout the morning for the most part, but it appears we're having an issue with the signal right now.
Again, this is a military junta that has been controlling Myanmar since 1962. They have not allowed international monitors in. They haven't allowed international press in to cover their elections which took -- took place on Sunday but also to cover this release of Aung San Suu Kyi. We will try to reconnect with our reporter there on the ground at some point.
But again, after all of these years, 15 of the past 21 under house arrest, she is now free. And it comes just less than a week after they held elections there. They held them on Sunday. These were the first elections in Myanmar in some 20 years.
But for the most part, people from outside viewed these elections on Sunday as just a front to give the facade of democracy in that country. A lot don't believe a lot will change with that military government but a lot of people hanging a lot of hopes on Aung San Suu Kyi now who has made it her fight for the past several decades now to bring democracy to Myanmar.
Well, her release from house arrest comes as President Obama is touring Asia. The president, who has called for in the past several days her release, has also released a statement now since she was released from the house arrest. And it says, quote, "She's a hero of mine and a source of inspiration for all who work to advance basic human rights in Burma and around the world. The United States welcomes her long, overdue release."
Meanwhile, the president is nearing the end of his trip with a stop in Japan. He's there attending the APEC Summit, that's an international economic summit where the talk is focusing on trade.
And our CNN White House correspondent Dan Lothian is there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, President Obama had been pushing the trade agenda, making the case to these world leaders that everyone can benefit from expanded trade. Mr. Obama pointing out that seven of the top trading partners with the U.S. are part of APEC. Also pointing out, that 60 percent of U.S. exports come to this region. The case that Mr. Obama has been making on this Asia tour is that these global markets, as they open up, there's more opportunity for U.S. goods, creating jobs back at home.
But some here are worried that the United States is coming with its hands out, looking for jobs back at home, and they wonder what are they getting in return. Mr. Obama addressed that issue speaking to business leaders today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So I make no apologies for doing whatever I can to bring those jobs and industries to America. But what I've also said throughout this trip is that in the 21st century, there is no need to view trade, commerce, or economic growth as zero sum games where one country always has to prosper at the expense of another. If we work together and act together, strengthening our economic ties can be a win-win for all of our nations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LOTHIAN: The headlines have not been favorable for the Obama administration. Words like disappointment, setback, because the U.S. was not able to make any real progress on the China currency issue, we're not able to lock up a trading deal with South Korea. One top administration official pointing out that these deals take time, that there are incremental steps before you finally get victory.
And this official pointing out that this negative talk about the U.S. not being able to accomplish what it came here to do are nothing but exaggerations.
Dan Lothian, CNN, Yokohama, Japan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, a top Maryland government official arrested in connection with an alleged kickback scheme says he's innocent. FBI agents arrested Prince George's County Executive, Jack Johnson and his wife yesterday. Agents say they found Leslie Johnson, his wife with nearly $80,000 stuffed in her bra.
After searching the Johnson's home they left with at least ten boxes of evidence. The Johnson's are charged with tampering with evidence and destruction of records.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACK JOHNSON, PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY EXECUTIVE: I'm innocent of these charges. And -- I -- I just can't wait for the -- the facts to come out and when they come out, I am absolutely convinced that I'm going to be -- we will be vindicated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now, in addition to that $80,000 that authorities say, that the wife was trying to stuff in her underwear, authorities also say while agents were at the door he was instructing his wife to try to flush a $100,000 check down the toilet. Jack Johnson's second term as county executive ends in December.
Well, flying cars, jet packs, lasers -- they are all some of the year's best inventions. What else makes the list? Josh Levs taking a look. He's got that list next.
It's seven minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, it's ten minutes past the hour now.
"Time" magazine is out with a list of best inventions of the year. And our Josh Levs is on the lookout for them.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The list is out. The one every inventor wants to be on is called "The 50 Best Inventions of 2010" and it's actually from our partners over at Time.com.
Now, the first one they are pointing to, probably the most obvious one, the iPad. Here you go. The folks at "Time" ask how does Apple keep out inventing the rest of the tech industry? They say it's often by re-inventing a product category that its competitors have given up on.
All right now, here's something on the list that you're -- much less likely to own. A flying car -- the Terrafugia Transition; "Time" says it could redefine the convertible designed by a team of M.I.T. aeronautics engineers. It's a street legal, airworthy, air bag and parachute-equipped flying car that at $200,000, this is priced less than a Lamborghini. The first models are expected to be delivered next year.
By the way, speaking of cool and new ways to fly, the list also includes this. Take a look here, the Martin Jet Pack, which positions itself as the first practical jet pack.
Now there are also some inventions on here that are all about medical breakthroughs that can really help people. Take a look here. They take about the malaria proof mosquito and the mosquito laser.
And there's also this, it's called the E-legs XO skeleton that uses artificial intelligence to read the wearers arm gestures and simulate a natural human walk. It could help some paraplegic patients. In fact, we showed it to you in the NEWSROOM with Ali Velshi as a woman who had been in a wheel chair for years tried it out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMANDA BOXTEL, MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER: I never believed in my lifetime that I would be able to walk and here I am walking with you side by side, eye to eye. And it's the most beautiful thing that, you know, it just triggers emotion in me to this day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: Some amazing inventions. I posted the whole list for you up on Facebook and Twitter. Here's my page, JoshLevsCNN, take a look there over at the blog.
Let us know your thought, also let us know if there's any really cool inventions out there that you think were left out of this list. We'd love to hear from you. Back to you.
HOLMES: All right, where would you say in the country the most attractive people live? Well, according to one survey, they're in Charleston, South Carolina. They apparently got some good-looking folks over in Charleston. They are distinguished by "Travel and Leisure" magazine as America's most attractive city; they have the most attractive people. Now, it beat out San Diego, as you see on that list; San Juan, Puerto Rico, on the list as well. Denver, Austin, but also Nashville, Savannah, Georgia, Miami, Salt Lake, Honolulu also in that top ten.
Well, in an era where many restaurants are offering healthier food options a restaurant in Chandler, Arizona pushing back and calls itself "The Heart Attack Grill". And its slogan is, quote, "Taste Worth Dying For". It offers free meals to anyone who already weighs more than 350 pounds and they're pretty serious about that. Take it from the 570-pound spokesman.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Other diets don't deliver results. But I made incredible progress on "The Heart Attack Grill Diet". A couple months ago, I was wearing these.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No dangerous yo-yo syndrome.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Ok. You see what they're getting at here and who knows what they're actually serving there. A lot of doctors would disagree with me what they're going after here. But if you also like an after- dinner smoke, "The Heart Attack Grill" sells completely unfiltered cigarettes.
Well, as they say you can't squeeze blood from a turnip. You can't find a needle in a proverbial haystack; both might be easier than getting a guy to go to the doctor sometimes. Guys just will not go. And you can literally be walking around right now feeling fine, but killing yourself and not even know it.
I'm not just getting on to you about it. I'm embarrassed to admit that I was one of those guys in that category. I had not been to the doctor for a physical in some ten years.
That changed this morning. Hopefully it will change for you as well. I'm taking you along for my trip to the doctor.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Seventeen past the hour. Need to turn to some weather now. And for a lot of folks flying today, Bonnie Schneider, if you're flying through a particular section of the country, you'll have some problems.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. In Minneapolis, T.J., right now, we have delays an hour, and they are going up. And there's a really good reason for it -- snow. I know it always snows in Minneapolis, certainly in November, but November 13th, getting snow is below average. On the average we tend to see the first snowfall around the 18th to the 21st. So, this snow, and there's a lot of it, is coming a little early this season.
You can see it on the radar. Notice the heavy rain in advance of the system. So we're tracking snow, rain, sleet, and ice on this Saturday morning. This big strong area of low pressure will produce snowfall totals 10 inches. We could see more than that in isolated areas.
Remember the winds are very intense with this system. So we'll have blowing and drifting snow throughout the day and into the night and into tomorrow.
I want to take you a little closer in to show you some of the latest readings because they're really interesting. The winds are brisk, coming in at about 15-miles-per-hour. Gusts have been stronger than that; some of the gusts have gotten as high as 30-miles-per-hour. The number 34, that's the temperature but right below it is the wind chill factor; it feels like it's 22 degrees.
And this number kind of fluctuating here is really cool. We're able to show you the snowfall totals as they're occurring. So, it's measuring the snow from our radar perspective. We have approximately 5 inches on the ground just south of the city. So remember, it's still snowing. We will see more as we go through the day.
I know it's a tough start to a Saturday unless you like the snow, then you're probably happy.
Lots of rain across the northeast; it's been raining in Seattle throughout the morning, so we'll see more of that. And then as we head southward along the West Coast, we're tracking some strong wind.
Wind advisories in place for cities like Sacramento for today. The winds will pick up and those gusts may get a little stronger later on today as well as further south into southern California.
Los Angeles, you're not under a wind advisory but to the north in Santa Clarita, you are, and the winds are actually stronger there. You also have wind advisories through San Bernardino and into Riverside as well. So, a little blustery out there but at least the sun is shining so you'll see some nice weather.
Now, just to mention, for those of you that are traveling, we are still tracking those delays. Wow, Flight Explorer is busy; maybe you're getting a head start on your Thanksgiving travel -- a little early for that. But still lots of planes out there, thousands of them.
The one place we're tracking delays at this hour is right here, Minneapolis, Minnesota, at least an hour, and the delays are going up from here due to wind, snow and ice -- T.J.
HOLMES: Wind, snow, and ice -- three things that no traveler wants to hear.
SCHNEIDER: No.
HOLMES: All right.
Bonnie, we appreciate you as always. Thanks so much. (INAUDIBLE) Keep a close eye on that weather situation for you. Meanwhile, let me give you a look at some of the stories making headlines. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is out of the hospital and back home but just for the weekend. He suffered a massive stroke in 2006; has been in a coma ever since. A former aide says the family's working to bring Sharon home permanently.
Also if you're traveling by air the next couple of weeks, could take you longer. Yes, longer to get through security and here's why. Grassroots organizations are urging passengers to say no to these new full body scans. You know the ones that take an image of you. What you're seeing here are the pat-downs.
If you don't do the image scanner you can opt for the pat-down but they have enhanced these things and they're much more intrusive than they were before. And they'll certainly take more time. So if you refuse the scanner -- a lot of people are doing that -- it could really back things up. These new scanners were ordered in the wake of recent terror plots.
We turn now to San Francisco now where the mayor says parents, not politicians, should be deciding what kids should eat. He has vetoed the city's ban on kids' meals with toys. Still not likely to become law -- excuse me -- it is still likely, even though he vetoed the bill, it still will become law, many believe, because the board of supervisors passed the ban with more than enough votes to overturn the veto.
We oftentimes talks about McDonald's but this applies to any restaurant that serves toys with meals but there have to be certain nutritional restrictions. You can put the toy in there but it has to meet certain strict nutritional standards.
Fellows, let me talk to you for a second. Many men out there, no matter what age you are, just hate going to the doctor. You feel fine, it isn't broken, it isn't bleeding, you're not going. We get that.
I was just as guilty. My last visit to the doctor for a physical, I'm embarrassed to admit, was at least ten years ago. Well, I had my friend and a couple of loved ones get on to me about this and one of those friends was radio show host -- syndicated radio host, Tom Joyner. He helped me put an end to that long overdue appointment. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM JOYNER, RADIO SHOW HOST: Shalamar -- second time around. Come on, girl.
HOLMES: Syndicated radio host Tom Joyner is 60 years old but you'd never know it. Look at him.
It's not just a song. It's a mantra for Joyner who credits his career longevity to regular doctor's visits. He wants his radio family to hear that message.
JOYNER: If we've got you laugh, we've got you listening. If we've got you listening, we can feed you some information.
HOLMES: Joyner's "Take a Loved One to the Doctor" initiative is aimed at African-Americans who are genetically at risk but like me, usually avoid the doctor.
JOYNER: We are disproportionately affected by heart disease, diabetes and the list just goes on and on and on.
HOLMES: And that's where I come in. It's been more than ten years since my last physical. So Tom Joyner is taking me to the doctor. We're at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, where Joyner himself is a regular patient.
JOYNER: How you doing?
HOLMES: Well, you know, to be quite honest with you, I haven't done this in so long.
JOYNER: I heard.
HOLMES: It's scary.
And with that, on to my first meeting with Dr. Tyler Cooper.
DR. TYLER COOPER: Do you sleep well?
HOLMES: I sleep well. I don't sleep a lot.
COOPER: Are you allergic to any medications?
HOLMES: Not that I know of.
COOPER: Haven't had a tetanus shot in the last ten years?
HOLMES: What occasion would I have done that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everything back here is benign.
HOLMES: A head-to-toe physical exam, lab work, hearing, vision, lung and stress tests. I'm seeing a dermatologist, a nutrition counselor, and even an exercise consultant.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on in.
HOLMES: Right off the bat, my blood pressure concerned the doctor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A little high, 138/85. We'll get several others.
HOLMES: It's an alarming statistic. Close to 45 percent of African- Americans suffer from high blood pressure. And more than twice as many African-Americans will die from hypertension when compared to white patients.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Breathe normally now.
HOLMES: My heart sounds healthy. So it's off to the next exam room where a periscope checks my vocal chords.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "American Idol" needs you, huh?
HOLMES: Next, the eye exam.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you see the black dot?
HOLMES: The black dot -- yes, ma'am.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All four corners?
HOLMES: Yes, ma'am.
And clearly, Joyner is the only person here enjoying my physical.
JOYNER: How many fingers?
HOLMES: Deuces. Glad you're enjoying this. When was the last time you did one of these?
JOYNER: Last year. I'm scheduled to come in this year.
HOLMES: I'm coming back.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to pinch the skin, pull it away from the muscle, pinch again.
HOLMES: But Joyner didn't have anything to make fun of during my body fat analysis.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All done. 7.1.
HOLMES: Like that?
JOYNER: I hate that.
HOLMES: Like that?
JOYNER: I can't wait for you to get fat.
HOLMES: When does that start?
So far, so good. But I hadn't gotten to the part I had been warned about -- the infamous and all-important, stress tests.
Do people fail?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody fails.
HOLMES: Let's do this, man.
But I'm not just worried about failing for all to see. After avoiding the doctor for more than a decade, I'm nervous about what my results might say about my overall health.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HOLMES: And still ahead, you will see those results from that, yes, infamous but still all-important treadmill stress test. That is coming up in the next half hour.
And, yes, the doctor has me making some changes to my life, my diet. That's why I have a bag of carrots that I'm eating up here right now as well.
That's coming up.
Well, also, the votes still being counted in several congressional contests. The next race for Congress, already under way thought. Find out what's at stake.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right.
We just wrapped up the midterm elections. We're already talking about congressional races for 2012? Joining me now from Washington, deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser. Paul, are you serious? Can't we just take a couple of weeks off, you know, from campaigning? We're already talking 2012 congressional races?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: I'm really sorry about this, T.J. I promise, Thanksgiving, Christmas, we won't talk of this ok?
HOLMES: Fine.
STEINHAUSER: But that is out there yet. Let's talk about it right now. Let's look ahead at 2012, a little less than two years from now. HOLMES: All right.
STEINHAUSER: Let's look ahead to 2012, less than two years from now. Let's talk about the battle for the Senate, because you know on the House side, you know all 435 seats will be up. But what about the Senate?
Check this out. I put a little graphic together.
Thirty-three seats will be up in 2012. Of those 33, look at this, this is the trouble here for the Democrats. Twenty-three of those 33 seats will be Democratic seats, T.J. the Democrats were able to hold on to the Senate this time.
They lost their bigger, larger majority, they lost six seats to the Republicans, but they did control the Senate. That's a 53-47 majority. They're going to have a tough time possibly in 2012 just by looking at those numbers.
And of those 23, you've got some Democrats who could face some real tough times like Sherrod Brown of Ohio; Jim Webb of Virginia; Ben Nelson of Nebraska; Kent Conrad up in the Dakotas; and there's a list of others as well that all could face some challenging re-elections because of the states they're in, which are states with moderate to more conservative voters, T.J. So the numbers are a little bit troubling for the Democrats.
HOLMES: All right. You're talking about troubling for Democrats, but is there some pressure somewhere for Republicans as well?
STEINHAUSER: Yes, there is. There's only 10 of them, right? So the odds are better for them, but let's talk about those 10.
Let's talk about Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts. He just won that big upset earlier this year to win Ted Kennedy's old seat. And basically, by winning that election, he's finishing out the last two years of Kennedy's term.
That means he's up in 2012. A Republican in a state like Massachusetts isn't the easiest thing to win re-election. He did score that big victory earlier this year, but Democrats are definitely going to have their eyes out for him.
Also, you know what? He may face a little bit of trouble from the Tea Party movement, which backed him earlier this year in his big victory. They helped him.
But you know what? Since he's been willing to negotiate and actually vote for a couple of Democratic pieces of legislation this year, that could put hip in the bull's eye of Tea Party types.
Another person who could be in the bull's eye of Tea Party types, Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah, very much a long-time conservative senator, but also somebody who is willing to negotiate with Democrats. And he just saw his fellow Utah long-time Republican Bob Bennett get ousted in the Republican primary process this year by Tea Party groups.
I spoke to somebody from Tea Party Express -- that's one of those national organizations -- that really weighed in big-time in the Republican primaries, and they said -- they didn't give me a specific list, but they said, you know, watch out to some of these Republicans, we may come after you again in '12 like we did in '10 -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Last thing here, have they sorted out the leadership issues on the Democratic side in the House, from the number one Democrat who's going to be the number two? And now we're talking about a number three Democrat? Did they work all this out?
STEINHAUSER: They may have. Some brand-new reporting late last night by our Dana Bash, our senior congressional correspondent, on what's go on there.
What's the problem? Well, the Democrats are now going to be in the minority in the House. They means they lose the speakership.
So, boom, it's like musical chairs. They just lost a job.
We know Nancy Pelosi is going for the minority leader. That means everybody else bumps down one. And here's the problem -- you have Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the current majority leader, and Jim Clyburn, the Democrat from South Carolina, who is the whip, both going for the same job, the number two job under Pelosi.
And that was a problem, because Steny Hoyer is adored by many moderate Democrats. Clyburn, of course, one of the senior African-Americans in the Democratic coalition.
There wasn't enough room, right? What would you do? They're both going after the same job.
Well, our Dana Bash reporting that it looks like there may be a deal in the works to give Clyburn a new position that they would create. Steny Hoyer would be the minority whip. Clyburn would have a new position which has not been announced yet.
So we're going to keep a close eye on this and see if that is settled, because that was a problem for the Democrats in the House -- T.J.
HOLMES: Yes. You lose a job, somebody's got to go where there has to be a compromise. They may have worked something out.
Paul, good to see you, as always, buddy. Thanks so much.
STEINHAUSER: Thank you.
HOLMES: Well, abortion was not one of the biggest issues in the midterms for a lot of people, but it's expected to be back in the spotlight in the presidential race. Sarah Palin already hammering away at the issue, attacking President Obama's health care plan.
Reporting for us now, CNN's Brian Todd.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sarah Palin takes on the president's health care plan in very stark terms.
SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: The biggest advance of the abortion industry in America has been the passage of Obamacare.
TODD: She's hammered on this for at least a couple of months now, and usually to the same anti-abortion crowd. Palin has attacked the Obama team, accusing them of sneaking provisions into the health care overhaul that would make it easier to get abortions. And she says they did it with the help of some willing members of Congress.
PALIN: But they caved at the last minute, many of them did, in exchange for a non-binding executive order that was promised by the most pro-abortion president to ever occupy the White House. And sure enough, just three months after this executive order was signed, the Obama administration broke its promise by making funding available for high-risk insurance pools in some states that do cover, in some cases, these elective abortions that we talked about.
TODD: What's she talking about? We tried several times to reach Palin's representatives with phone calls and e-mails, and got no response. White House officials tell us the health care plan makes no federal government money available for abortions except in the cases of rape, incest or if the mother's life is in danger. But there is a provision that gives subsidies to low-and-middle-income people to help them buy insurance through state-based health care exchanges. If those people use government money to buy a plan that covers abortion, then Palin may be arguing abortions covered in that plan would be paid for in part with government money. But the law says abortions in those state plans have to be paid for separately, out of the person's own pocket.
(on camera): Another question has to do with Sarah Palin's political calculation, why she's hammering on the issue of abortion when it doesn't seem to resonate so much with voters this year. A CNN poll in early August showed that out of the issues that are extremely important to voters -- 15 of them, in fact -- abortion ranked 14th.
Why does she keep hammering on it?
SUSAN PAGE, "USA TODAY": Abortion will be important in the 2012 presidential race even though it wasn't so important in the 2010 midterms. And especially in a place like Iowa, that holds the opening caucuses in the presidential process. That's a place that has a really powerful anti-abortion movement.
TODD (voice-over): Then do we take this as a signal that Sarah Palin is going to run for president? Again, we got no response from her side, but Susan Page says Palin sends every sign she can these days that she does plan to run, or is at least leaving that option open.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, they are sent overseas to fight, but when they come home, many face an entirely new battle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A big part of getting back to living is doing therapy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: For the combat wounded veteran, therapy includes music, and also reaching out to other vets. A new mission, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Forty minutes past the hour. Taking a look now at some of the stories making headlines.
(NEWSBREAK)
HOLMES: Well, Dale Beatty, he lost his legs in combat in Iraq. Now he's on a new mission, helping other veterans adjust to life after war. Our photojournalist Jamie Michael (ph) with this story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STAFF SGT. DALE BEATTY (RET.), IRAQ WAR VETERAN: I'm Staff Sergeant Dale Beatty, retired, from North Carolina, playing drums with my band today, Southern Fried. Hopefully, we're going to rock these other bands off the stage.
A big part of getting back to living is doing (ph) therapy. I had to start playing drums again because I'd done that before.
Purple Heart Homes is a 501(c)(3) public charity founded by John Gallina and myself. And we are 100 percent veteran owned and operated. We're both combat-wounded veterans.
Today we're out here for a Vietnam veteran, Kevin Smith, who is looking at some decreased mobility.
KEVIN SMITH, VIETNAM WAR VETERAN: I've had 14 surgeries on my right knee, with three total knee replacements. I've had eight operations on my elbow, with two total elbow replacements. I've had three back operations, with steel plates and rods put in my back.
BEATTY: What we're doing here is building him an accessible ramp and a nice deck where he can get into his house. Coming down from his driveway, he has steps with no handrails, and he's probably looking at being in a wheelchair very soon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I heard about the project. I asked if anybody had volunteered for the landscaping, and the answer was no. So I volunteered.
BEATTY: This is probably about, I'd say, 60 hours of volunteer labor to get us to this point.
This is my office right here. Steve Jobs would like that, wouldn't he?
Most of our calls are really not veterans looking for something to be done for them, but veterans that want to say, hey, I want to contribute my time or effort, or my business specialty to what you guys are doing.
SMITH: Dale Beatty's a true hero. And to see the sacrifices that he's made for our country, and then turn around and say thank you, and to help other people that are not as fortunate as some, it's overwhelming.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And CNN is honoring the men and women who have dedicated their lives to serving this country. Today at 3:00 Eastern, we're bringing you "Veterans in Focus." It's an hour-long special highlighting stories of service, struggle and success of our nation's military members. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We're only seconds away from Fredricka Whitfield. She's going to be joining us here in just a moment.
But first, I want to give you an update on the latest political headlines out there.
The dominoes still falling after the Republican takeover of the House. Speaker -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, she's poised to replace Steny Hoyer as the house Democratic leader.
Sources say Hoyer will move down to the number two slot now, making him the House Democratic whip. They say the current whip, James Clyburn, has agreed now to move to a newly created number three slot.
And meanwhile, President Obama and congressional Republicans apparently agree on one thing -- earmarks need to go. In a statement released yesterday, House Republican leaders called on Congress to ban earmarks. In his weekly media address today, the president said much the same thing.
Meanwhile, the former Republican vice presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, she remains pretty popular among Republicans. She appears though to be maybe losing some favor with other Americans. A new Gallup poll suggests that most Americans, 52 percent, now have a negative view of Palin.
And as I said a moment ago, one favorite part of this morning is to see Fredricka Whitfield.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hi.
HOLMES: I wish so badly that we could show people the things that go on to get you to where you are right now.
WHITFIELD: I'm so glad people don't see that part.
HOLMES: There was a lot going on while I was doing a little news there. There was a little wardrobe shifting going on.
WHITFIELD: We're about up to the minute. You know? 24/7 broadcast here. Sometimes we do things just as it's all happening.
HOLMES: That's all right. And it was just happening.
WHITFIELD: Sometimes you need to see it and sometimes you really don't.
HOLMES: And you didn't need to see that.
But hey, how are you doing this morning?
WHITFIELD: Hello. This is all the stuff that you can see, should see --
HOLMES: Yes. What you got?
WHITFIELD: -- starting at noon Eastern Time. Of course, our legal guys --
HOLMES: Legal guys.
WHITFIELD: -- Avery and Richard. You know I always love to start with them, because they are my favorite of the noon Eastern hour, and the favorites of a lot of people who tune in every weekend because they're so bright, smart.
And they've got incredible takes on everything from Mel Gibson heading to court coming up involving, yes, the battle with his -- should we call her ex-girlfriend? Estranged?
HOLMES: I'm not sure what they call her.
WHITFIELD: I'm not sure what their relationship is these days, but you know who I'm talking about.
HOLMES: Yes.
WHITFIELD: We're going to talk about Mel Gibson and everything else taking place in his world.
And we're going to talk about Facebook, how much of what you say on Facebook could ultimately get you in trouble. Could it get you fired? How much should you be culpable for, especially as it comes down to your work?
HOLMES: That's very interesting. Some of the labor rights groups coming out and saying you should be able to say what you want to say on a Facebook page.
WHITFIELD: Yes. Yes. And companies want to say, well, you know, if you're representing our company by being an employee, we have certain codes of conduct and you have to adhere to it. And so that's the area that we're going to be discussing, how it becomes a legal fight.
HOLMES: Are your legal guys going to agree on that?
WHITFIELD: Of course not, but that's what makes it so wonderful and special. And, you know, there's serendipity always taking place involving them. We love that part.
And then, of course, you know the Dolans, Ken and Daria Dolan.
HOLMES: Of course.
WHITFIELD: Incredible financial experts usually coming to us from West Palm Beach. They are back after a very long hiatus because they have it like that.
They did their wonderful --
HOLMES: Where have they been? WHITFIELD: Italy. Yes, they have been doing incredible financial planning for their lives, and so they are benefiting from it.
Well, today they're going to talk about what you should expect in terms of your investments or your taxes now that Republicans have had so many victories during midterm elections. Come January, or maybe even prior to the swearing in, what should you expect and how should you handle your money?
And then, of course, you talked about veterans in focus. This is going to be a 3:00 Eastern Time special on how the men and women in uniform are being honored and how they should be honored.
And ADHD. One in 10, now, children with ADHD. So we're going to have a guest who is going to tell folks, what do you do if your child is diagnosed? How do you make sure they succeed, whether it be in school, socially, in life? What are the tools that they need?
HOLMES: I need to hear that, because the ADHD, ADD, that one as well. And there's a lot
WHITFIELD: Right. Attention Deficit Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. So, yes. And what's the difference?
HOLMES: Yes.
WHITFIELD: I know that's very troubling and sometimes perplexing.
And then of course we love going to the movies on the weekend.
HOLMES: OK. What you got this week? What you go this week?
WHITFIELD: "Fair Game," Valerie Plame, Joe Wilson, the outed CIA operative.
HOLMES: OK, yes. I know that one. Good cast. Good cast.
WHITFIELD: Incredible cast. They're so -- how much does what we see on the big screen convey or say about the White House, about the power of the White House, the power of intelligence? How accurate might this be? And what would be your grade if you were a movie critic like the one who is going to be joining us?
And then face-to-face with who this weekend? Russell Simmons. You know him as -- he's an incredible businessman, a big mogul. You associate him with music, with fashion.
HOLMES: With money.
WHITFIELD: With philanthropy. Yes, with money.
And he's going to talk a little about that, the definition of rich. He's got a new book out, and he's talking about how you get rich. And it has nothing to do with the monetary value of things.
HOLMES: Oh, stop it. So says the rich guy. WHITFIELD: And I asked him about that. I'm like -- exactly, and I asked him about that.
Wait a minute. That's easy coming from someone who's worth millions. And he says, no, it's much more than that.
He talks about -- he has some very revealing things about his business plan, how he's never really had a business plan.
HOLMES: But it sure worked.
WHITFIELD: But he's also never really failed at an undertaking. Very insightful. He talks about all that.
And, of course, he's got a reality show, "Running Russell Simmons." So we talk about all that beginning at noon Eastern Time -- noon, 2:00, 4:00. You'll want to tune in for all of that.
It is not what you expect in terms of you think you know Russell Simmons because he's been in the public view for so long. You do not know Russell Simmons. He's quite an extraordinary character. I shouldn't say character. He's quite an extraordinary man.
HOLMES: You always give us good stuff. I love this part of the morning.
WHITFIELD: Oh, good. Good, good, good.
HOLMES: We talked about him not failing ever. I was worried. You know I hadn't been to the doctor in 10 years? Did you hear this?
WHITFIELD: Yes. How did you get away with that for 10 years?
HOLMES: Because I'm fairly healthy, eat fairly well and I work out. So I didn't have any major issues.
WHITFIELD: Yes. So you kind of presumed that everything is fine. And what do I need a doctor for?
HOLMES: Everything is not fine. Everything is not fine.
WHITFIELD: Really?
HOLMES: Yes. I had to change a lot of things I'm doing.
WHITFIELD: OK.
HOLMES: We showed part one of my visit to the doctor, the all important stress tests. The results, the doctor, that's all coming up next.
Stick around.
WHITFIELD: I can't wait to see that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HOLMES: Now, I would have been embarrassed to admit that after some 10 years, I'm finally going to the doctor for a checkup for the first time. I want to show you now part two of my trip to the doctor, the all-important stress test that can let you know what kind of shape your heart is in right now and what you might need to change to keep from having problems down the road.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have a seat there. Feet on that stool. Get a couple of blood pressures on you.
HOLMES (voice-over): Time for the dreaded stress test. The electrodes on my chest, hips and legs monitor my heart rate looking for any warning signs.
Radio host Tom Joyner is still at my side, and he's still got jokes.
TOM JOYNER, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: It's a treadmill. You're not going to be running, you're going to be walking. The problem is you're going to be like Lionel Richie, walking on the ceiling. After a while, this thing is going to raise so high.
HOLMES: Joyner jokes, but he's very serious when it comes to making an impact on health.
JOYNER: Every year after we do take a level (ph) into the doctor, we get testimonials from people who say that, "I went to one of your events, and I went straight to the hospital and had bypass surgery." Yes, it's working.
HOLMES (on camera): Am I the exact problem you're trying to get at, a 33-year-old young man who hasn't been to the doctor in 10 years for any kind of physical?
JOYNER: Yes.
HOLMES: Why won't we go to the doctor?
JOYNER: Well, number one, we're stupid. OK? Let's face that.
HOLMES: All right.
JOYNER: We think we know everything, but we're very stupid. And we're very -- OK, we're wimps. You hated getting your blood work.
HOLMES: It wasn't that bad.
JOYNER: Because you've got a little boo-boo now. Why didn't you get "Dora the Explorer"?
(LAUGHTER)
JOYNER: But you really didn't like it.
It's very tough, especially in the African-American community. "Yes, I don't need to go to no doctor. Everything is fine. I feel just great." Boom. Say, man.
HOLMES: Are we literally killing ourselves?
JOYNER: Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. But we can do something about it with prevention.
HOLMES (voice-over): It's hard to argue with Joyner on that.
JOYNER: You'll be all right.
HOLMES: So it's finally time. This EKG machine will monitor my heart during the exercise.
(on camera): All right. Let's do this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. So this is a maximal test.
HOLMES: Maximal --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want you to push yourself as hard as you can.
All right. You're ready. I'm going to speed you up to 3.3 miles an hour.
HOLMES: All right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go. You're off.
HOLMES: Your treadmill is faster than mine.
(voice-over): I'm told to keep walking as long as I can while the incline rises every minute.
(on camera): Piece of cake.
So far so good, but we're only three minutes in. Whose idea was this?
All up in the legs. I should have done this first. It's getting a little difficult.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You feel like you're about 17 to 20 on that? You have a minute left in that. Let me know and I'll get Dr. Bracal (ph).
HOLMES: Call him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you ready?
HOLMES: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.
One more blood pressure on you, then I'm going to let you go as long as you can.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You keep working up the hill there. Any chest pain or anything like that? HOLMES: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want you to go as long as you can.
HOLMES: If you guys won't stop, I won't stop.
(voice-over): Twenty-two minutes and eight seconds later, I'm tapped out. And I'm worried as Dr. Cooper sat me down for my results.
DR. TYLER COOPER, COOPER CLINIC: Exercise wise you're doing okay. Your time on the treadmill had you in the good category as compared to men your age. Your blood pressures today were a little high, they were consistently in the 130s to 140s over 80s to 90s, which is too high. But other than that, your risk of heart disease at this point appears to be low.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: So the result, Fredricka, blood pressure is too high. I need to get more fruits and vegetables in my diet. I need to cut out some of the drinking, just to be honest with you here.
So things to change right now. If I keep this up for 10 years and then go to the doctor, I might have a bigger problem. I need to know it, change it now, save me some problems down the road.
WHITFIELD: Big kudos for getting your checkup after 10 years not doing so. It really speaks volumes that was tough to do the treadmill, even though you work out regularly.
HOLMES: It keeps going up. The incline goes to 25 and you're climbing a mountain.
WHITFIELD: A real test of fitness, it turns out.
HOLMES: Yes, it was.
WHITFIELD: You did great. Glad you got to the doctor. Now, get some fruit and vegetables and some fiber in your diet. Dr. Fred speaking.
HOLMES: I promise.
WHITFIELD: Okay, very good. All right, T.J., we'll see you. Take care.
