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Supreme Court to Hear Health Care Arguments; President Obama to Visit Korean DMZ; Florida's "Stand Your Ground" Law Under Fire; New Travel Gadgets; Rent Your Home From Your Bank?; Tornado Slams Louisville, Kentucky; Severe Weather Threats In Southeast; Storybook Health Care; Supreme Court Tackles Health Care; One Party's Winning On Twitter; Accused Soldier's Wife Sets Up Fund; U.S. Soldier's Death Investigated

Aired March 24, 2012 - 15:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And country duo Sugarland will not have to give depositions next week in the Indiana state fair stage collapse investigation. The band asked for more time to prepare because they're getting ready for a new tour. The judge says they must submit video depositions by mid-April. Sugarland was about to perform last August at the state fair when the stage collapsed under high winds. Seven people were killed.

In politics, the Republican presidential candidates are going head to head today in Louisiana. The state is holding its primary right now. The latest polls show Rick Santorum with a double-digit lead over Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich.

And hundreds of demonstrators rallied against the health care overhaul today near the U.S. Capitol building. On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments about whether the health care reform act is constitutional. Demonstrators, including former presidential candidate Herman Cain, insist the act is illegal and say it infringes on their freedom.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HERMAN CAIN (R-GA), FMR. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Freedom to choose our own doctors, freedom to choose our own health providers, freedom to choose our own treatment, freedom to choose our own health insurance plan. This isn't just about repeal of "Obama care," which it is. But this is about getting our freedom back to just be free to make our own decisions with our lives!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court will begin hearing arguments on the health care overhaul. Kate Bolduan has a look how the case may unfold.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: March 23rd, 2010, President Obama signs into law the signature achievement of his presidency, the Affordable Care Act, the landmark and controversial health care overhaul.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: After all the votes have been tallied, health insurance reform becomes law in the United States of America.

BOLDUAN: Within hours, states across the country filed lawsuits challenging the law.

PAM BONDI (R), FLORIDA ATTORNEY GENERAL: This is about liberty. It's not just about health care.

BOLDUAN: Led by Florida, 26 states argue the law's central provision is unconstitutional, the so-called individual mandate. It requires almost every American to purchase health insurance by 2014 or pay a penalty. Opponents say the Constitution's commerce clause does not give Congress the power to force individuals to purchase a commercial product like health insurance they may not need or want.

Paul Clement is arguing on behalf of the states before the Supreme Court.

PAUL CLEMENT, ATTORNEY FOR STATES CHALLENGING LAW: These issues are really central whether the federal government can really regulate anything it wants to.

BOLDUAN: The government defends the sweeping reforms, arguing medical care is not a choice, that every American will need health care at some point in their lives. They also say that tens of millions of uninsured Americans are costing everyone else more, $43 billion in uncompensated costs in 2008 alone, according to government figures.

ELIZABETH WYDRA, CHIEF COUNSEL, CONSTITUTIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY CTR.: No one is saying that there's a right to freeload off one's neighbor when you decide not to choose health insurance.

BOLDUAN: The stakes only grow larger with the Supreme Court taking the case just months before an election.

MITT ROMNEY (R-MA), FMR. GOV., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If I'm president, we're getting rid of "Obama care" and returning to freedom!

WHITFIELD: And the election-year blockbuster has again turned the spotlight on the Justices themselves. As with the Bush v. Gore case in 2000, will the Justices be criticized for letting politics creep into the courtroom?

THOMAS GOLDSTEIN, SCOTUSBLOG.COM PUBLISHER: While the health care cases have huge political overtones, obviously, I think the Justices are probably going to put them to the side. The legal stakes are so high that I don't think they'll pay attention that much, if at all, to the fact that it's occurring in an election cycle. They've just got to get the case right.

BOLDUAN (on camera): What we're talking about here is four separate issues argued for six hours over three days. That rarely happens and shows just how important this case is. But even after these marathon public sessions, we still won't know the final outcome for likely three months.

Kate Bolduan, CNN, at the Supreme Court.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, there are several possible outcomes following the health care argument. The Supreme Court could throw out all of the law, or keep only parts in place. That includes the possibility of tossing out the individual mandate and keeping the rest of the law as is. The Court could also decide to hold off on making a ruling altogether. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to issue its decision by late June.

All right, turning to the national fury that is growing over the shooting of an unarmed African-American teen in Florida. Protesters are turning out in cities across the country. This is Tampa a short time ago. They're calling for the arrest of a neighborhood watch captain who claims he shot Trayvon Martin in self-defense.

Also under fire, Florida's "stand your ground" law. Florida's governor, Rick Scott, is now calling for a review of that law. But the Florida state representative who co-authored it argues there is nothing wrong with the law. Dennis Baxley says it should not have applied to this shooting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DENNIS BAXLEY (R), FLORIDA STATE REPRESENTATIVE: In the case in Sanford, that this doesn't apply. There's nothing in this statute that provides you the authority to pursue and to confront people on the street.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: We get a different perspective from Dan Gelber. He voted against the "stand your ground" law when he was in the Florida state senate and is now calling for its repeal. Earlier today, I asked him if the Trayvon Martin death is the kind of case that he had feared would happen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN GELBER (D), FMR. FLORIDA STATE SENATOR: Prior to 2005, we had a perfectly good self-defense law, and there were no victims or people who claimed they been treated in -- you know, unfairly by that law. So in 2005, Governor Bush signed into law a bill that essentially took out of the law any requirement that a person, in broad daylight, outside of their home, as this case suggests, has to de-escalate a situation or walk away, if he can. So this is...

WHITFIELD: So what precipitated this law, then? If you said everything seemed to be fine, and then this new law came into place, what was impetus for it?

GELBER: Well, I think it was really the NRA, who has really won every major battle in Florida, wanted essentially -- it does these fringe issues, where they really don't have anything to do with a real victim. And we asked every proponent of the law, Just give us that single person who was unfairly prosecuted, unfairly convicted or acquitted who shouldn't have been, and nobody could point to a single person in the state in that category.

WHITFIELD: So is it your view this is a "shoot first" law? Because I heard those words from the Urban League's Marc Morial, who said this is a "shoot first" law and ask questions later. And in this case, he and others are exemplifying not enough questions are being asked.

GELBER: Well, listen, I don't want to throw red meat into something that's not fair. I don't think people do stupid or malicious things because of this law. But people that do stupid and malicious things have a defense that they should not be entitled to because of this law.

I mean, Mr. Zimmerman is going to have the ability to muddle up the waters in this because of this law, and he shouldn't have. He clearly did something wrong. He clearly -- if that young man's life means anything, it means that justice has to be done here. But he's going to be able to have a defense in this case, or at least start one- and apparently, the detectives initially believed he had one -- because of this law.

WHITFIELD: So now that former governor Jeb Bush has weighed in and says that this is not the intent of the law, it didn't appear, based on all of the public accounts, eyewitness accounts, that George Zimmerman was being pursued by Trayvon Martin, but instead it was the other way around and that this law may have been misused in this case -- do you believe that that is impetus enough for a real movement to try to repeal this law? And if so, what will it take?

GELBER: Well, I think the "stand your ground" part of the law has to be repealed. We didn't need that law. It was unnecessary. It was a solution in search of a problem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Join CNN's Don Lemon at 7:00 o'clock tonight for a one- hour special on the Trayvon Martin killing.

As the national outrage intensifies, one group in particular caught our attention, mothers. Hear their unique perspective and the advice that they give their children in hopes that they don't end up dying young. You'll also hear from neighbors and friends of both Trayvon Martin and the admitted shooter.

It's a "CNN NEWSROOM SPECIAL REPORT" with Don Lemon, "The Trayvon Martin Killing," tonight, 7:00 o'clock Eastern time.

All right, President Barack Obama hitting the road, destination South Korea. He is talking nuclear security there, but will a visit by one of the world's most powerful men also attract the wrong kind of attention?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: All right, so the stories making news outside the United States right now, Pope Benedict XVI is in Mexico. It's the first full day of his trip to Latin America. Today the pope met with the Mexican president, Calderon, and leads a mass tonight. He travels to Cuba on Monday.

And way out in space, the crew of the International Space Station took emergency precautions today. They jumped into their escape capsules when a hunk of space junk got too close for comfort. There was a slight chance the debris would have hit the space station. It didn't. It passed. All clear.

And this boat is really far from home. A fishing boat that disappeared in last year's tsunami in Japan turned up this weekend off the coast of British Columbia. It took a year to drift nearly 5,000 miles.

And President Barack Obama is in the air right now. He's on the way to South Korea, where the main event is an international summit on nuclear security. But the president will also visit the heavily armed demilitarized zone that separates the two Koreas.

Paula Hancocks reports on why U.S. presidents feel the need to see the DMZ in person.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Former U.S. president Bill Clinton described it as the scariest place on earth when he visited in 1993. Ironically called the demilitarized zone, the border between North and South Korea is actually the most heavily fortified border in the world, 2.5 miles, or 4 kilometers wide. Much of the DMZ is a no-man's-land buffered by watch towers and land mines.

The joint security area is where the 1953 armistice was signed between the North and the South. It's where negotiations take place today, and it's the one place U.S. soldiers can see their North Korean counterparts up close.

It's a tourist site for visitors to South Korea, and of course, for American presidents. Ronald Reagan, the last American leader of the cold war, visited the final frontier of the cold war in 1983. His assessment...

RONALD R. REAGAN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Looks like a Hollywood back lot.

HANCOCKS: Previous U.S. president George W. Bush visited the DMZ in February 2002, just weeks after he branded North Korea as part of his so-called "axis of evil" along with Iran and Iraq. So why do presidents feel the need to visit one of the most tense borders in the world?

DANIEL PINKSTON, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: There's the signal that's sent to North Korea regarding U.S. resolve and the strength of the alliance. There's a signal sent to South Koreans that the U.S. is reassuring them and that -- will fulfill their alliance commitments.

HANCOCKS: And just in case you thought the VIPs were just on the South Korean side, the new North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, visited the DMZ earlier this month, standing just meters from South Korean territory and ordering his troops to be on the highest alert.

(on camera): President Barack Obama's visit to the DMZ could well be seen as a provocation by North Korea, but officials insist that this trip was planned long before relations between the two countries recently soured.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, if you're planning a spring break or a summer vacation, our tech expert has some travel gadgets to help you navigate through your next trip, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, it's spring break time and a lot of you are hitting the road. But before you pack your bags, our syndicated technology columnist Marc Saltzman has some gadgets that will make your spring travel easier, more fun and less stressful. Oh, that's a great combination, especially for travel!

Joining us from Toronto -- good to see you, Marc.

MARC SALTZMAN, SYNDICATED TECHNOLOGY WRITER: You, too.

WHITFIELD: Well, start with that new iPad.

SALTZMAN: Right. So this is the third generation iPad, of course, that debuted a couple of weeks back. It's great for traveling with, even opposed to a laptop because tablets are, you know, only a pound or a pound-and-a-half. They are only a -- you know, very super-thin. They turn on right away. They've got a 10-hour battery life. They're great for reading e-books.

So you know, although it is a premium price tablet that starts at $500, this is, in my opinion, the best tablet on the market. It's the new iPad.

However, there are tablets, you know, like the Kindle Fire for $200. There's some of the Acer and Samsung models for between $200 and $300. So I think tablets are great for most things, like reading e-mails, surfing the Web, playing games, watching video. You know, unless you need to do a lot of typing, you might consider bringing a thin laptop with you.

WHITFIELD: Oh, OK. And not necessarily an attachment you can put with that little new iPad? No?

SALTZMAN: Yes, you can. There are actually accessories, Fredricka. This is a case (INAUDIBLE) I love. It's called the Bluetooth keyboard case because not only does it protect the tablet, which I always recommend you getting something to protect your investment, like a case...

WHITFIELD: Of course.

SALTZMAN: ... but it also has a wireless keyboard right here. So as you can see, it's a QWERTY keyboard, not quite full size, but it is built in right into the case.

WHITFIELD: Oh, wow.

SALTZMAN: So as you can see, you can do some typing in a word processor. So if you are traveling for work, or if you want to, you know, respond to a lot of e-mails or maybe you're writing a travel diary, it might make sense to bring an accessory like that with your tablet, or bring a netbook or ultrabook with you, something lightweight.

WHITFIELD: Oh, yes. That makes a lot of sense. OK, so now, what about this new smartphone that you highly recommend?

SALTZMAN: Sure. So there's no shortage of great smartphones, but smartphones are great travel companions because they're, you know, like a digital Swiss army knife. They can -- you know, there's so many apps that are great for travelers, like currency converters and language translators.

This is the Samsung Galaxy Note, which is a super-sized smartphone. It's actually 5.3 inches. Just to give you an idea of how big that is, I'm putting it beside the iPhone, so it's almost two inches bigger.

So for those like to read, you know, digital magazines, or if you want to watch videos or hand it to a child to, you know, play games -- I've got the new Angry Birds Space on here -- this is a great smartphone, $299 with AT&T. Plus it has a little stylus pen tucked into the back that lets you write and draw on the screen, as well.

SALTZMAN: OK.

WHITFIELD: Don't forget, smartphones are -- they're also great for navigation, GPS.

WHITFIELD: Neat stuff. OK, so now, when you're on a plane, you want to tune people out sometimes, whether it's the people who are talking or the babies that are crying and all that good stuff...

SALTZMAN: That's right.

WHITFIELD: ... you've got something for us in that respect. I mean, you also have something quickly to kind of keep those gadgets charged up?

SALTZMAN: Oh, I didn't hear what you said. I was wearing these noise-canceling earphones.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: You can't hear me! La, la, la, la, la!

SALTZMAN: These are from Bose. They're the Quiet Comfort 15. They are great noise-canceling headphones. So that is great for, you know, blocking out engine roar or crying children.

Whether you plug it into your music, or not, these actually come with a cable that let you plug into a smartphone. You can talk, as well. It's got a little microphone on it. So these are top of the line $300...

WHITFIELD: OK.

SALTZMAN: ... Bose headphones. There are noise-canceling headphones for as low as $50.

WHITFIELD: OK.

SALTZMAN: And then finally, yes, I do have a Power Bag here. This is called the Power Bag.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh.

SALTZMAN: It's a company that makes backpacks and briefcases and slings and messenger bags that can charge up your gadgets while you're...

WHITFIELD: Wow!

SALTZMAN: ... on the go. And if you're traveling, that's key. So thee's a little plug here, goes into the wall.

WHITFIELD: OK.

SALTZMAN: And as you can see, press and you hold. It'll show you the amount of power...

WHITFIELD: Cool.

SALTZMAN: ... that this has. So you just -- it has all the built-in connectors inside. You connect your camera...

WHITFIELD: OK.

SALTZMAN: ... your smartphone, your tablet...

WHITFIELD: All right.

SALTZMAN: ... your e-book reader.

WHITFIELD: Awesome.

SALTZMAN: And it keeps it charged up. And they're pretty cool- looking, as well.

WHITFIELD: Oh, that is cool stuff.

SALTZMAN: Very comfortable to...

WHITFIELD: I'm sorry, we're losing our power with you now, Marc Saltzman. Thanks so much. We're going to have to disconnect.

SALTZMAN: Oh, no! All right.

WHITFIELD: All right. Take care. Thanks so much.

So for more high-tech ideas and reviews, just go to CNN.com/tech and look for the "Gaming and Gadgets" tab or follow Marc Saltzman on FaceBook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

All right, rent your home from your bank? It's never been done before, but one of the country's largest lenders is trying to prevent foreclosures. Details, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, before your home is foreclosed, there may be a way that you can actually stay in it. Now one bank wants you to rent it. Details right after the top stories.

Protesters are turning out in cities across the country this weekend to publicly show their outrage over the shooting death of an unarmed African-American teen. Trayvon Martin was gunned down in Sanford, Florida, last month by a neighborhood watch captain. Protesters are calling for charges to be filed against the shooter.

In politics, Republican voters are heading to the polls in Louisiana right now. The state is holding its GOP primary today. The latest polls show Rick Santorum with a double-digit lead over Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich.

And about 2,000 people who can't afford dental care are getting some help for free this weekend. A two-day free dental clinic wraps up in about three hours in Connecticut. Some patients started lining up Thursday afternoon. More than 100 dentists and about 1,600 volunteers donated their time. Patients say it makes a huge difference.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOROTHY LABROCCO, DENTAL PATIENT: It would be a struggle. I already owe one dentist $700. I'm struggling to pay him.

DR. ROBERT SCHREIBMAN, CONNECTICUT MISSION OF MERCY: People really need the opportunity and the access to care, and they don't have it. And it's just -- this line tells you they don't have it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All this two days before the U.S. Supreme Court takes up the arguments of health care and its constitutionality.

All right. Rent your home from your bank? It's never been tried before, but one of the nation's largest mortgage lenders, Bank of America is offering the program as a way to prevent foreclosure. Lisa Sylvester shows us how it works.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eric and Dee Dee Crist bought their Minnesota home in January, 2007, when housing prices were at their peak. Now their home is worth only a third of what they paid for it. They've tried refinancing with their lender, Bank of America, but so far, no luck there. They've already received a foreclosure notice.

It's been particularly hard on the couple's children.

DEE DEE CRIST, HOME OWNER: We try to hide it the best we can. It's -- you know, it's hard on them just because they have to change schools and change day cares and stuff like that. But you know, there are times where they see, you know, Mom crying and stuff like that. They want to know why.

SYLVESTER: For every story like the Crist family, there are millions more. But now Bank of America is trying something new. Instead of foreclosing on a home, allow the troubled home borrower to rent the home.

In a statement the bank said, quote, "This program may have the potential to further round out the broad set of solutions we offer customers in need of assistance."

Customers would sign away ownership rights to the property. They could rent for up to three years. Their rents would be less than their monthly mortgage payment. Initially, the bank would be the landlord, but eventually, properties would be turned over to private investors.

The pilot program will be rolled out first in Arizona, Nevada and New York, with fewer than 1,000 home owners invited to participate. But if successful, it could be expanded throughout the country.

Marceline White with the Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition says for many, it's a better alternative to foreclosure.

MARCELINE WHITE, MARYLAND CONSUMER RIGHTS COALITION: For families, what it does is it really keeps families in the homes. And particularly people with children, it means you can stay in the school. You don't have to deal immediately with looking for a new place to live.

You're still part of the community that you've been living in for many, many years for lots of families. And for the banks, it helps them, as well. They don't have a vacant property that they're supposed to cut the grass, you know, paint and keep up.

SYLVESTER: But Minnesota realtor Josh Pomerleau says many home owners won't qualify for the program. Still other families may be so sick of everything, they just want to walk away. JOSH POMERLEAU, MINNESOTA REALTOR: It can't hurt. It's good to hear that they're doing something about this mess. But a lot of people just are ready to be done with their house and kind of just move on with their lives.

SYLVESTER (on camera): Under the program, the rental rates will be at or below market rates. But this is a special program. At this point, Bank of America is selecting the initial participants, so it's not something people can apply for.

Lisa Sylvester, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, people in parts of Louisville, Kentucky, are spending the weekend cleaning up. A tornado ripped through their community yesterday. The storm destroyed at least one home and damaged about a half a dozen others. Police say no injuries were reported.

In Jefferson County, Illinois, a 60-year-old woman was killed when a suspected tornado blew through her trailer taking it across the road.

Bonnie Schneider in the Weather Center, lots of severe weather on the horizon still, right?

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That's right, Fredricka. The same system that's working its way eastward is now impacting areas in the southeast. Earlier today, we were talking about a tornado warning just to the east of Charleston, South Carolina. Well, that tornado warning has expired, but the threat of severe weather continues.

As you can see, some very heavy thunderstorms slamming into Charleston, but we have now four watch boxes in effect. So on the wider scale, the severe weather threat is extended all the way into West Virginia now northward. So these storms are really getting powerful as we go through the afternoon.

That's because the heating of the day tends to make the atmosphere more unstable and likely to get more severe weather. This means we could see large size hail with the system and a threat for tornadoes may still exist possibly later on.

Look at the line coming up across Florida, Jacksonville, your weather has been intermittent in terms of rain, but we will see some heavy downpours rolling along I-10, into your region for the remainder of the day today.

So severe storms working in advance of this cold front. You can see some slightly cooler air coming in. Not much of a difference. We really haven't seen some incredibly warm temperatures across the south and Midwest and even the northeast.

But as we kind of look further to the west, I want to point out a brand new weather feature we're monitoring here that's going to bring some snow to the higher elevations of Northern California as well as areas of the Pacific Northwest.

It's been a really cool season so far. You can see temperatures stay finally a little milder. It's been in the 40s in Seattle most of the week so climbing up to 60 today. You can see mild conditions across much of the east. Washington, D.C., 65 degrees, a great day to you. The cherry blossoms.

WHITFIELD: It is. That is a good idea. Well, at least the temperature is right. You may have to have an umbrella with you or something like that, but this is a beautiful time of year generally in the Washington, D.C. area.

Look at those gorgeous, my gosh, petals along the tidal basin there. They look in full bloom. But actually reportedly they're not quite in full bloom, right?

SCHNEIDER: That's right. And they're actually not quite at the peak season, but the cherry blossoms have started to develop a little earlier because of the mild weather. Typically, the festival that people come from around the world to see begins March 20th through April 27th with the peak of it being more towards early April.

So we're seeing a nice teaser of what's to come. Hopefully, it will last and be this gorgeous straight through April. You lived in the D.C. area. I can imagine the beauty that's already getting a nice early start there.

WHITFIELD: It's so gorgeous. I love trying to get home whenever it is, cherry blossom season. So we'll get a chance to see it for myself hopefully in a couple of weeks. Thanks so much, Bonnie, appreciate that.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

WHITFIELD: All right, the health care law, very complex. Our Lizzie O'Leary uses children's characters to explain, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, on Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court will begin hearing arguments over whether President Obama's health care reform law is constitutional.

Let's take a look at what the justices will consider. First stop is the so-called gateway issue. The court will look at whether making people pay for insurance is actually a tax. The law says it can't be challenged until the tax is paid.

So bottom line, the court may not even have the authority to decide the case. And still, the justices will have to rule whether opponents can sue. Don't look for quick decisions. A decision could be delayed for years.

The high court's decision could affect how every American gets and pays for health care. Lizzie O'Leary explains in a storybook form.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIZZIE O'LEARY, CNN AVIATION AND REGULATION CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Meet Jack and Jill. They're married with two kids and together make $49,000 a year about the middle American income.

(on camera): But like 15 million people with similar incomes, they don't have health insurance. Not good in you're worried about falling down the hill.

(voice-over): Under the new law, Jack and Jill are winners. They can buy private insurance from what's called an exchange starting in two years.

(on camera): The idea is that lots of people buying at the same time would get a better price. And the plans have to meet minimum standards set by the government. Jack and Jill would also get a subsidy to help them buy their plan.

(voice-over): Mary only makes $13,000 selling little lambs. She's also a winner. She can get insurance under an expansion of Medicaid. Seventeen million Americans like her will be eligible for that.

And about 51,000 kids with pre-existing conditions, like Hansel and Gretel are also winners. They can't be denied coverage and all kids stay on parents insurance until 26.

(on camera): Where does the money come from? Well, that brings us to the losers including the roughly 19 percent of Americans who have high cost gold-plated health care plans. Like Prince Charming here.

(voice-over): Starting in 2018, that fancy plan he gets from her job at the castle would be taxed at 40 percent. He will also see his payroll taxes go up like the 3 million other Americans who make more than $200,000 a year.

Also on the losing end, companies like Fairy Godmother industries. It employs more than 50 people making glass slippers. So it has to offer insurance or pay a fine.

(on camera): Ninety four percent of similar-size companies already do, so only a small number would pay more under the new law. We end the story way toss-up.

Insurance companies would both win and lose. They'll have to pay the government more than $8 billion a year, but they get up to $40 million new customers, like Jack and Jill, who by law must get insurance or pay a penalty. Lizzie O'Leary, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: A bit earlier, I spoke with our legal guys, Avery Friedman and Richard Herman to get some perspective on what the court will take up this week. Here's how they see it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: The justices have to actually decide whether they have the authority to decide this case. Explain.

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: That's exactly right. The first of the three days of argument will be whether or not an 18th Century law bars courts from having jurisdiction in a flame like this. It's one of four arguments, Fredricka, but the real big deal on this and I'm so excited about these arguments, on Tuesday, we're going to get --

WHITFIELD: You're a constitutional lawyer.

FRIEDMAN: That's what I do. Yes. That's the big day that will deal with the big issue and that is whether or not this laundry list of powers given to the Congress by our founders under Article 1 Section 8, the Commerce Clause can properly hold this law, which requires an individual mandate, individual responsibility, the power to hold the law constitutional and that's where this case is really going to turn. The first question you'll ask, Fredricka, is very legitimate, but the focus will be on Tuesday.

WHITFIELD: OK, and that's when we talk about the individual mandate. So Richard, you know say, if it indeed becomes the case, or the argument is successful, that this tax penalty comes with this individual mandate then that really could mean the demise of the entire health care provision. Yes?

RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: It could be, Fred. And, you know, with a 5-4 Republican majority in the Supreme Court, you would think that this is a shoo-in for this health care reform to get blown away.

But that's not going to be the case and I would be shocked if the Supreme Court turns down this health care. You know, with Roberts and Kennedy being the swing votes here, and if you look at some of the earlier decisions that they've made, and we look recently to the D.C. Court of Appeals, which upheld a sixth circuit case addressing health care, now these Supremes look very seriously at the D.C. Court of Appeals.

I believe they're going to uphold this legislation, you better believe it's an improper grant of congressional power and I don't think the Supremes, they have not since FDR got themselves involved in cases like this one. They're going to say, Congress -- Congress should be the ones to remedy this statute.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And you catch our legal guys every Saturday, noon Eastern Time.

OK, so who tweets the most? You're not looking at her. Republicans or Democrats? That's the question. The social media leader coming up next.

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ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, CNN'S "AC 360": Tonight we gather to honor the best humanity has to offer.

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COOPER: "CNN Heroes" is looking for everyday people who are changing the world. How do we find these extraordinary people? Well, with your help. You can nominate someone right now at cnnheroes.com. Maybe your hero is defending the planet by protecting the environment or helping people overcome obstacles.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There will be no man left behind as long as we are this nation.

COOPER: Finding a unique approach to solving a problem.

Whatever their cause, nominating a "CNN Hero" is easy. First, go to cnnheroes.com then click nominee. We ask for some basic information about you and your nominee and tell us what makes your hero extraordinary.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who likes a pasta?

COOPER: How are they changing lives for the better? It's really important to write from your heart because it's words that will make your hero story standout.

A couple of tips, please don't nominate yourself. It's against the rules. It's not necessary to nominate someone over and over. We read each and every nomination. Really, we do.

Be selective. Those honored at "CNN Heroes" are truly dedicating their lives to serving others. After you've told us about your hero, click submit. It's that simple and that worthwhile. So nominate someone deserving today.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you so much for this incredible honor. This has been the greatest night of my life.

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WHITFIELD: All right, it's a new finding that's got people all over the country actually talking and members of Congress are using Twitter in new ways and one party in particular is leading the chart -- Josh.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, people didn't see this coming. A lot of people didn't see it coming. New studies behind us here, called Adelman. It's huge. They looked at more than 60,000 tweets over months and looked at more than 450 lawmakers. The big finding, gained the most attention is that Republicans use Twitter more effectively than Democrats.

WHITFIELD: That's interesting.

LEVS: Yes. They said, one of the examinations of this study, a lot of people probably think the left is more involved with this, especially since President Obama took it on so early on. But they're saying that in Congress, it's the Republicans who are doing a lot more.

This is from Adelman, which is a PR firms that tracks all sorts of information about the digital world. So here's what they did. They looked at who's most effective, they looked at all sorts of factors like who's getting retweets, amplifying those messages and also engagement, who's replying when people are sending out the messages.

Also they found that Republicans in Congress received almost twice as many replies as Democrats and that Republicans have more substantive tweets. They were 3.5 times as likely to mention specific legislation. I follow a lot of people on Twitter.

Sometimes you see attacks going back and forth. One of the things I like about this study, they found that about half of the tweets in which someone in Congress would mentioned someone in the other side, which is collaborative and was not critical.

Far fewer were actually critical and I will tell you this is something lawmakers are working on, how to use this new media, including Twitter to try to reach a lot of people. Adelman is saying in 2011, Twitter became a political power house.

And they pointed to what happened around the world, and also pointed to President Obama's Twitter town hall that he had not long ago, and let me show you these, the lawmakers who want to succeed on Twitter, the ones who were mentioned most on Twitter tweeted earlier in the day, later in the week, and were more likely to tweet on weekend.

And this study suggests people should tweet while they're on the House floor while things are going on. Obviously, the people's work comes first, but if you tweet it during it, it can humanize the process, make people feel involved in it.

WHITFIELD: But it's not going to look good if they're caught on camera and they're supposed to be listening to somebody and it's looking down at their PDA or some sort.

LEVS: When we look at the live footage, you can see people.

WHITFIELD: It doesn't look good. It doesn't look good, but we understand they are, you know, doing the people's work in some other capacity. There are certain members that appear to be a little bit more active than others?

LEVS: Yes, they are and another thing they do is they looked at all of the hundreds of members of Congress and they said who is most influential. They punched new numbers for me yesterday. Let's go to the screens.

The five most influential Twitterers or tweeters, according to this study, Senator Bernie Sanders, who is an independent, then House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican. Then Representative Keith Ellison, a Democrat from Minnesota.

So he's the one Democrat in the top five, number four, Representative Darryl Issa out of California, and number five, Senator John McCain who is a Republican. So he is another --

WHITFIELD: Senator John McCain, a little boo-boo on that one.

LEVS: We'll fix that up. The idea here is that all of the people, hundreds of them are trying to use social media now. This is the best study I have seen so far that has looked at how well are they actually doing reaching people, getting messages out there, getting things, messages amplified and having involvement with viewers online and ultimately, with voter said. They're doing a good job on the GOP side.

WHITFIELD: All right, very good. It's just beginning.

LEVS: It's just beginning. You can see everything I posted the whole study for you on cnn.com. Facebook and Twitter, joshlevscnn. I want you all to see it and take a look and see what you think. Is there value in it, what does that mean to you and how do you think it ultimately play out?

WHITFIELD: I'm sure you will be deluged with messages. Thank you so much, Josh.

LEVS: You got it.

WHITFIELD: All right, a soldier's family is demanding some answers. He was in Afghanistan inside a secure area, but he didn't survive an attack.

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WHITFIELD: The wife of the U.S. soldier charged with murdering 17 Afghans has set up a legal defense fund. Kari Bales, wife of Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales says his family cannot pay the legal bills.

She says she said she doesn't know what happened in Afghanistan except what she was told by the U.S. government. Authorities say Bales left his outpost and went house to house, gunning down villagers. If found guilty, he could face anything from life in prison to the death penalty.

Meanwhile, another U.S. soldier's death in Afghanistan is being investigated. CNN's Deborah Feyerick talked to the heartbroken family.

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DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Like so many U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, Major Robert Marchanti was serving his country. He came home too soon. Laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery this week.

His death is under investigation by the U.S. Army and Afghan authorities. His grieving wife, Peggy, is stunned her husband was killed inside Afghan's heavily fortified security headquarters. PEGGY MARCHANTI, MAJOR ROBERT MARCHANTI'S WIFE: It's senseless that he was murdered just for trying to help. It just doesn't make any sense at all.

FEYERICK: Major Marchanti and Air Force Lieutenant Colonel John Loftis were with the NATO team helping transition Afghanistan to full Afghan control by 2014. As Kabul erupted in protest over the accidental U.S. burning of Korans, the two men worked together in their office.

MARCHANTI: I said, are you on lockdown? He said, yes. I said, OK, you know, I love you. You are my life. He wrote back, you are my life, too and then we said good-bye. And that was our last conversation.

FEYERICK: Less than 12 hours later, a knock on the door of the Marchanti's Maryland home. Two uniformed officers came with the tragic news.

MARCHANTI: That he had died from a single gunshot wound to the head.

FEYERICK: It's still unclear how the gunman managed to leave the building and get past three checkpoints and multiple cameras.

MARCHANTI: Since it was a secure building, why wasn't it shut down so he was caught before he left?

FEYERICK: The gunman still at large was identified as an intelligence specialist working for the Afghan police. No motive has been identified. With so much focus on the bad acts of soldiers like Staff Sergeant Robert Bales charged with 17 counts of murder in Afghanistan, Marchanti's children are confused.

AARON MARCHANTI, MAJOR ROBERT MARCHANTI'S SON: There was, you know, there's always coverage about horrible things this man did, but what about the great things my father did over there for this country? And representing the army the way he did. To us, our dad was like superman.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love him so much, so proud of him. I wish I would have told him more.

FEYERICK: Hundreds turned out to honor Major Marchanti, a teacher who loved his family, his country, and the people he believed he was helping.

LEAH MARCHANTI, MAJOR ROBERT MARCHANTI'S DAUGHTER: My dad loved those people and I don't think they realize the loss they have had, the Afghan people, as well as our people.

PEGGY MARCHANTI: When that man walked in there with the gun, he had no idea what he was taking from so many people and what he was destroying. It was just totally senseless.

FEYERICK: The family has received hundreds of letters and e-mails from around the world. But it's this last e-mail from her husband that Peggy clings to.

PEGGY MARCHANTI: My heart is right beside yours. I feel you here. I love my life with you.

FEYERICK: A life that ended too soon with many unresolved questions why.

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