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Health Care Ruling And What's At Stake; Wildfires in Colorado Springs; Colorado Fire Doubles in Size; Restaurants Need Immigrants: Health Care Ruling & The Election
Aired June 27, 2012 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone, top of the of the hour. I'm Don Lemon, Suzanne is off today. In this hour in the CNN NEWSROOM, we are focusing on the major healthcare decision coming down from the Supreme Court and how it will impact your finances and your health. So ,we want to get right to it now. We are less than 24 hours away from a Supreme Court ruling that will affect a president and the legacy, the race for the White House and the future of medical care in this country. Of course, we are talking about the decision on President Obama's health care reform law. Been dubbed as Obama care as it has been become to be known here.
As we count down to tomorrow's ruling, we are taking an in-depth look at what is at stake, the possible outcomes and the impact of the court's decision on all of our lives. So, starting us off this hour, Athena Jones for us at the White House, Jeffrey Toobin with a breakdown of the legal issues. We're going to go to Athena first. Athena, is the administration on pins and needles right now? Do you get the sense of that at the White House? The mood, really, what's going on?
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly, this is something that they are watching very, very closely. This is, of course, the president's biggest -- it's his signature domestic legislative accomplishment here. He has spent a lot of political capital on this very early on and so they're watching it very closely. And you know, the president continues to talk about this. Let's just listen quickly to what he had to say in Miami Beach last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I believe it is right to make sure that everybody in this country gets decent health care and is not bankrupt when they get sick. That's what I believe. But it's up to you. You decide.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: Now, that, you decide, of course, he was referring to the fact that the Republicans, including the presumptive Republican nominee, Mitt Romney, wants to repeal Obama care. But getting back to tomorrow's decision, people around here, they are not saying what they believe will happen, but they are certainly saying what they belief should happen to this law. They say that this law is constitutional. They point to Jay Carney, just the other day in talking to the reporters, the White House spokesperson pointed to several quotes from legal scholars talking about how this law is constitutional. They have also pointed to some decisions by conservative appellant court judges about the law. And so, this is definitely something everyone is paying attention to, and we can't wait to see, along with them, what happens tomorrow -- Don.
LEMON: So, you're saying they're keeping it close to the vest. They're not saying how they think the court will rule, but also you said they're talking to other appellant courts. Is that plan B or is there another plan B if the law is thrown out?
JONES: Well, that's one more thing they are keeping close to the chest. I mean, they don't want -- they believe that this is constitutional, that the Supreme Court will uphold it. Officials will -- all they will say is that they are standing by and ready for the ruling whatever it may be and in terms of the details of what the next steps could be if they throw all or part of the -- of the law out. We'll just have to see what happens. But it's something that the president and the first lady and others have been touting on the road. Some of these 450 provisions that have already taken into effect, and are really popular, like the ones that allow young adults to stay on their parents' health care until 26th birthday and giving kids under 10 with pre-existing conditions, making sure they coverage. So we'll have to see what happens and what the next step is depending on what happens tomorrow at the Supreme Court -- Don.
LEMON: All right, Athena, stand by. Let's go to Jeff Toobin now. Jeff, you know about the Supreme Court ,"Book of Nine." So, interesting stuff here. Talk to me about the core legal issue here. Is it the individual mandate?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, that's certainly the most profile and frankly, I think the most important issue in the case which is, does Congress, in passing this law, have the right to impose the requirement that every American have insurance? Now, most Americans already have insurance through their work or through their Medicare. But the issue is, in this law, every American eventually will be required to have insurance, either to purchase it themselves, get it through their work, or if they can't afford it, have a subsidy for -- to get it through the federal government.
LEMON: OK. So, the outcomes here, everything struck down, to parts of it, to nothing. Walk us through the possible outcomes, the possible scenarios.
TOOBIN: Well, I think this is one reason why there is so much anticipation for this case is because there are so many different out -- possible outcomes. Obviously, the simplest, and certainly the one that the Obama administration is hoping for, is to simply affirm it. And that's what most of the courts have done so far. But as most people remember, the oral argument of this case in March didn't go particularly well for the government.
So, there are possibilities that part or all of the law may be struck down. If the individual mandate is struck down, many other provisions will remain in effect. It's going to be complicated and, perhaps, difficult to expand the number of people who get insurance if the individual mandate is struck down, but there are certainly many other parts of the law that would remain intact. It is certainly possible as well that the entire, all 2,700 pages, are struck down. That is really the nuclear winter for the Obama administration.
And Frankly, I don't even know how that would work out, because there are so many provisions that have already gone into effect. Many parts of the federal government are already working on this law. That would certainly be the worst outcome for the Obama administration, and also, I mean, you know, we're talking about all these abstractions, this is a case about whether 30 million people will get insurance or not, and that's a pretty important thing.
LEMON: Yes. And of course, we will be watching. Big news here. Big news. Thank you very much.
TOOBIN: 10:00 tomorrow.
LEMON: 10:00 tomorrow. Thank you, Jeffrey. Thank you, Athena. We appreciate it.
As complex as the law may be, it's about real people, real people and the rules put in place to protect them. Our senior medical correspondent, of course is Elizabeth Cohen, she's here to explain how tomorrow's ruling might affect your family. So Elizabeth, you have three types of people to talk about, and who is up first?
ELIZABETH COHEN, SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: All right, let's talk about Leukemia survivor Bobby.
LEMON: OK.
COHEN: He's one of those millions of people that Jeff Toobin just talked about. Leukemia survivor Bobby has had a terrible time because his parents were employed but the employer does not give insurance. And they went to go looking for insurance for him, and nobody wants to insure a Leukemia survivor. They said, forget it.
LEMON: Pre-existing condition.
COHEN: Pre-existing condition, we're not doing it. In 2010, Bobby got insurance because of Obama care. Well, guess what? If the Supreme Court overturns it, the entire law, tomorrow, Bobby is out of luck.
LEMON: Oh, really?
COHEN: Bobby doesn't have insurance. Yes.
LEMON: OK.
COHEN: I mean, he -- the insurance companies will not be required to cover him anymore. And again, insurance companies are businesses, they're not charities, why would you want to cover someone who is a cancer survivor, because the chances of him getting cancer again are -- you know, they're there.
LEMON: I wonder if that weighs into the court's decision. I don't legal -- I'm not sure about that. That would have been a good question for Jeffrey. OK. So, what about young adults? Because remember, you can be on the parents until you are 26, correct? What about young adults?
COHEN: Exactly. So, we have Gwen the graduate.
LEMON: OK.
COHEN: So, Gwen, again, is also happy because Obama care let her stay on her parents' insurance. She is 25, she's allowed to stay on her parents' insurance. And there are three million Gwens out there who got coverage because of Obama care. Tomorrow, if the Supreme Court throws out the entire law, Gwen's in trouble. Gwen will not have insurance.
LEMON: OK, can insurance companies -- let's just say it's overturned. Just say, OK, we'll cover Gwen, or people like Gwen, anyway.
COHEN: You know, several insurance companies have come forward and said they will do that They said, we will still take care of the Gwens of this world even if the law is thrown out.
LEMON: OK. Obama care, as it is has been called affordable care like Obama care. The largest expansion of Medicaid ever. So, who qualifies for it?
COHEN: Yes, under Obama care, 17 million people will go -- will be able to get Medicaid, because right now Medicaid is only for -- pretty much for families or for pregnant women or disabled people, and also your income has to be really low. So, let's meet Medicaid Marlene. Medicaid Marlene earns $15,000. Right now, she can't get Medicaid, because, one, she is an individual, and she's not disabled. And, number two, the income is high. Believe it or not, $15,000 is too rich in many states to get Medicaid, and under Obama care, she would be able to get on Medicaid. This is huge in an often overlooked part of this law is that all these people, I mean, it's the biggest expansion of Medicaid every and if this law is overturned, she's also out of luck.
LEMON: If you consider what medical costs are, then you look at $15,000, that's not a lot of money to be putting into health care.
COHEN: Right. And of course, she can't buy her own insurance, because an insurance policy is, like, $10,000, $12,000 a year. I mean, she could never afford that.
LEMON: Thank you, Elizabeth Cohen. Appreciate that.
COHEN: Thank you.
LEMON: The healthcare debate is front and center in the race for the White House we know. And tomorrow's Supreme Court ruling has major political implications. We'll talk about the potential fallout ahead this hour.
And here's what we're working on for you this hour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All of our people have been fighting that fire all night long. They're fighting it as we speak.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON (voice-over): Thirty-two thousand people chased from their homes by the wildfire near Colorado Springs. It's so bad Colorado's governor is calling it surreal.
Time is running out for Democrats and Republicans to come together to prevent the student loan rates from doubling.
And why the NRA is pressuring Congress to hold attorney general Eric Holder in contempt over the fast and furious gun scam.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Every time we show you to the pictures, it appears to get worse. A raging wildfire are closing in on Colorado springs, Colorado. It is the Waldo Canyon fire that has doubled in size in just the last 24 hours and forced 32,000 people from their homes. The fire is only, only five percent contained. Gina Cavalli is a radio personality from KKFM in Colorado Springs, and her station is on the edge of the evacuation area, and she has special permission by the mayor to broadcast until the last minute. Gina is joining us now by phone. Gina, be safe there. And how are you doing right now? What are you able to see (INAUDIBLE)?
GINA CAVALLI, KKFM, COLORADO SPRINGS: Oh, good afternoon, Don. We are -- we are truly seeing something devastating and extraordinary all at the same time in our fine city. As you mentioned, over 32,500 people evacuated, and over 15,324 acres burned. So, to put that in, like, relative terms, that's almost 24 square miles of land that's gone.
LEMON: And this is obviously an emergency situation in your area. You have been given special dispensation, or permission, by the mayor to keep broadcasting. And you are a rock station. Are you still playing music? Are you playing it by ear, giving updates and reports to the people in the area?
CAVALLI: Absolutely. It's essential that we not only continue to give our Colorado Spring friends and family updates. Just about every time I open up the microphone, it is some sort of update, whether it's where they can -- where other people can donate, shelters, where to take your animals and pets, livestock, but also our whole cluster of radio stations continuing to play the music that Colorado Springs wants to hear, because we are a city. And we still have business to conduct. But at the same time, we want to stay on top and in front of these flames that are really devastating Colorado. I don't know, Don, if you were aware, some estimates, and they are early, too, over 100 homes have been affected, so structures.
LEMON: Oh, goodness.
CAVALLI: Thankfully no injuries or deaths have occurred with our firefighters and, or our citizens, but it's something to stay in front of, that's for sure.
LEMON: I've got to ask you this. You appear to have a good voice or putting on a good face there. Personally, how is your house? Is your home threatened?
CAVALLI: My home is not threatened, but I can tell you that I haven't stopped crying since yesterday. One of our biggest attractions here in Colorado Springs was called the Flying W Ranch. It has over 60 years of heritage here and had cattle drives and it's just a great place. In fact, I have goose bumps telling you about the Flying W Ranch. Yesterday, all of our citizens watched it go up in flames, as well as people's homes. And I can't tell you -- at one point, you stop being a broadcaster and you start being a human, and you just cry. Your heart bleeds for people for sure.
LEMON: I've got to move on here because I'm going to get an update from our meteorologist, Chad Myers. But I want to know, what about your co-workers?
CAVALLI: Co-workers. We've had several co-workers evacuated right here in our building. Their structures seem to be intact, although they really don't know. Nobody is really telling you, other than the Flying W Ranch area, where those homes were truly affected. And I can tell you, right -- being on the front line, Don, of mandatory evacuation, we have little brushfires and what they call pop-up fires happening really right over the road from where our radio stations are at.
So it's a very smoky city at this moment. We're waiting for these afternoon thunderstorms to pop up, which really rears its ugly head because then the winds come from a variety of different directions and can take this fire to different lengths and different magnitudes that we've seen.
LEMON: Yes. Hey, Gina --
CAVALLI: We saw it happen yesterday. It went from a 4,000-acre fire to over 15,000 acres in 12 hours.
LEMON: And, Gina, we want to get to our meteorologist to talk more about that. But, listen, thank you so much. We wish you and your co-workers and everyone there the best.
Gina Kavali from radio station KKFM in Colorado Springs.
Chad Myers, they say this is as bad as it gets. Why is this fire considered worse than all of the other serious wildfires in the west?
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, Gina was right on it, because houses are burning. LEMON: Yes.
MYERS: The city of Colorado Springs, the western edge of Colorado Springs is on fire.
LEMON: Yes.
MYERS: I watched it live last night on streaming video from these Colorado Springs TV stations. Also KUSA out of Denver. That's the problem. We're not -- not talking about some wild land fire with trees in some national forest. We're talking about a fire that got blown over a ridge because of the thunderstorm that Gina was just talking about.
Here's I-25. Here's Colorado Springs right through here. Here's the western edge of Colorado Springs. There's the Air Force Academy right there. And, Don, there is the fire.
Let me tell you what happened last night. There was a thunderstorm on up into the Jefferson County. This is farther to the north. It would be like right there. That thunderstorm eventually died and put out an outfull boundary. That's a big gust of wind. It blew the fire down the canyon. There was not fire in this canyon yesterday afternoon.
The fire got to the top of this ridge and it blew straight down into the city. The wind continued and that right there, that was the Flying W Ranch. It is no longer there. It is completely gone. Firefighters tried to save some structures. They were being blown around by 60-mile-per-hour winds. And then the ash and the flames and all of the -- all the embers were blowing farther in. And here's Peregrine . And into the Mountain Shadows area here. There are homes that are gone.
Now I will tell you, there are also a -- you didn't even see any of that. Anyway, there are homes that are gone. There are also homes that are still there right next to homes that are gone before of the firefighting effort that we worked so hard for last night. The firefighters were just out all night long. The governor was there. This was -- midnight their time. I'm still watching it. I was mesmerized by just how terrible -- how terrible this fire is in western Colorado Springs.
MYERS: Hey, Chad, can you give us a forecast in that fire zone over the next few days. Is there anything that's going to help or no?
MYERS: Well, no, not really. Here's what happened yesterday, and this is the same thing that's going to happen today. Here's Colorado Springs. A thunderstorm popped up to the north. That's the storm right there. The fire -- and as it went up, it died. The thunderstorm blew out the wind. The wind blew straight down the canyon right into Colorado.
There is the storm right there. Idaho Springs. It was a terrible storm. And it was also the change -- the thing that changed the fire from what was just kind of a wild land fire to a residential fire. And it was awful last night.
LEMON: Wow. Chad Myers, thank you very much. And you're right, Gina was right on. Our thoughts and prayers are with her and everyone in that area. Appreciate it, Chad.
The debate over illegal immigrants plays out in American restaurants. Why some high profile chefs say those workers need to stay.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: For the past few weeks, immigration issues have dominated the headlines. And decisions from President Obama and the Supreme Court are having an impact on peoples' lives and businesses. The National Restaurant Association says their industry is the nation's largest employer of immigrants. And it estimates that 1.4 million restaurant workers in the U.S. are foreign-born. Eatocracy editor Kat Kinsman joins us now to talk about that.
So, Kat, one famous chef weighing in on this issue. Definitely won't be the last one to weigh in.
KAT KINSMAN, EATOCRACY.COM EDITOR: That's true. In this past week, we had chef John Kurnts from Oxford, Mississippi, James Spirit award winner, and he came out with some home truth that a lot of people really didn't want to hear. When you go into a restaurant, we have this glamorous vision from food TV that it's this sort of, you know, place where people are dicing things and it's all really, you know, pretty.
But what really goes into your meal is, there is this unseen workforce who get there early in the morning, do the dirty work of being a line cook, being a prep cook, cleaning out the grease trap, being a night porter after everybody has gone. They're the people who are really getting your meal to the table. And if they weren't doing what they do, you wouldn't be eating in restaurants anymore.
LEMON: Yes, it's not only how the sausage is made, it's how it's being served and then gotten rid of after you eat it, all of it or not all of it.
KINSMAN: Exactly.
LEMON: So, listen, why are these chefs so adamant about this? Probably, I would imagine, because they believe if it weren't for these people, then they probably would have a hard time keeping their doors open?
KINSMAN: Well, the interesting thing is that he said, and Anthony Bordane has gone on record saying this, and every chef I've ever spoken with said that the American born workers see this glamorous version of the chef world and they show up at a restaurant and they want to be running the kitchen and they're not showing up wanting to wash dishes, to, you know, schlep dirty plates, to show up early in the morning and, you know, do all the dirty work that goes into preparing a restaurant meal. And so they're really not finding a workforce of domestic workers who want to take on these really incredibly brutal, grueling tasks. You know, one chef I talked to said he gets these people who want to be a chef. They show up at his restaurant. They work for a while. They move to another to get experience. But they're not staying around and really learning the craft of it.
LEMON: All right. That's an interesting thought. And -- but there's another school of thought that if the -- if these jobs -- if they paid more for these jobs it would attract workers that are not foreign born.
But I want to talk to you about this survey. Eatocracy is conducting a poll asking people if they knew a restaurant hired undocumented workers, would they still eat there? All right. So what did people say, Kat?
KINSMAN: Well, most people said, you know what, I really don't care. That, you know, they -- it doesn't really bother them. And that actually surprised me because the debate is so hot and heavy. The next biggest group said that they don't like it, but they're willing to put up with it. You know, there was a very vocal group. And the comments we got -- nearly 1,100 comments on this -- saying that they wouldn't eat at a restaurant where they knew undocumented workers were working. But, at the same time, they have to be prepared to pay more for their food. You know, starting at the farm end, where there's a whole lot of immigrant labor, all the way to, you know, to this lovely restaurant where they're getting their food. Somebody's got to pay the price. And, for the most part, we -- it's going to be the consumer, I think.
LEMON: Yes. Interesting story. Kat Kinsman, as always, thank you very much.
KINSMAN: Thanks for having me.
LEMON: The Senate reaches a deal to stop student loan rates from doubling. Hear how they plan to pay for it.
And, don't forget, you can watch CNN live on your computer while you're at work. Head to cnn.com/tv.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: A grim discovery in Canada today. Crews digging through the rubble of a mall collapse, well, they found a body. And the coroner's office is working to identify the victim. Officials are not saying how many people are still missing, but the search continues. Twenty-two people were injured in the roof collapse on Saturday at a mall in Elliott Lake, Ontario.
The Supreme Court rules tomorrow on the fate of the health care reform law championed by President Obama. It is considered one of his signature accomplishments. And it's a major issue in the presidential election, of course. If the law survives, Republican nominee-to-be Mitt Romney promises to get rid of it. Larry Sabato is a professor of politics at the University of Virginia.
Thank you for joining us, sir. And he's going to talk about the potential impact of tomorrow's decision.
LARRY SABATO, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Thank you, Don.
LEMON: So, hi, Larry, again.
President Obama invested a lot of political capital in getting this law passed very early on in his administration. And at a campaign stop yesterday, he talked about the law as the right thing to do. I want you to listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And the American people understand that we're not going to make progress by going backwards. We need to go forwards. They understand we don't need to refight this battle over health care. It's the right thing to do, that we've got 3 million young people who are on their parents' health insurance plans that didn't have it before. It's the right thing to do to give seniors discounts on their prescription drugs. It's the right thing to do to give 30 million Americans health insurance that didn't have it before. They want to go forward. They understand it's the right thing to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: OK. So, Larry, how much does it hurt the president if -- if this law is overturned?
SABATO: Well, it certainly takes away a major achievement of his administration. It's probably the most talked about achievement of his administration, other than the death of Osama bin Laden. But, you know, Don, politics is a funny thing. The person or the party that loses the case tomorrow may win politically. Let's suppose that health care is tossed out. Well, President Obama can probably whip up a lot of Democratic votes, whip up the Democratic base by saying, you see, we have to work harder, the opponents won't give you anything, we need to get this back. And you're angry, as I am, at the Supreme Court decision. Mitt Romney will do exactly the opposite. So it all depends who gets more enthusiastic and excited about the decision. Though I would add, and this is really important, it is June. We are going to have World War III-style headlines for two or three days, but the elections in November, and a lot of this will be forgotten by then.
LEMON: Larry, Mitt Romney has promised to repeal the law if it is upheld. Yesterday, he weighed in on the upcoming ruling as well. Listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY, (R), FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: As you know, the Supreme Court is going to be dealing with whether or not Obama-care is constitutional, and if it is not, and if Obama-care is not deemed constitutional, then the first three-and-a- half years of the president's term is wasted on something that has not helped the American people.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: I heard what you had to say, politics is a strange thing and it could work in the president's favor, by saying he is up against a roadblock no matter where he turns, but is that effective argument, pinning the health care debate as a waste of time?
SABATO: I don't think that's his argument. I think if -- let's say that health care is upheld, he then says to the Republican base that he needs to whip up, hey, the only way to get rid of Obama-care is if you elect me president and you elect a Republican House and Senate. And the first order of business is to abolish Obama-care. That is his best political argument, because it was a political impact on turnout.
LEMON: So we have talked about, you know, that if it was -- if it is struck out down, how it might actually help, many believe, the President Obama. But what about the other way around? Let's say it is upheld, then does this help Mitt Romney galvanize supporters?
SABATO: Yes, because he makes that argument. He says, to Republicans, you are all opposed to Obama-care. We went the Supreme Court route, and we had hoped that the court would rule the individual mandate and other parts unconstitutional. And now we have to rely on the political process. You must give me more money and devote more time and effort to volunteering and working at the polls to elect me and a Republican Congress. That is the argument he would have to use in those set of circumstances.
LEMON: My goodness, it is all about spinning it in your favor.
Larry Sabato, thank you. We really appreciate it.
LEMON: The clock has been ticking. But Senate leaders say they have finally reached a deal to prevent Internet rates on student loans from doubling this weekend.
Let's go to Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange.
Hello, Alison. What is at stake?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A whole lot of money is at stake. Once it comes time for them to pay back these loans, if this interest rate is doubled, it is a lot of money. Lawmakers have until Sunday. But if they don't do anything, the interest on federal college loans currently at 3.4 percent are going to jump to 6.8 percent. And when you think about it, when students take 10 years to pay off the loans, it is going to make a huge difference for them. This is going to affect seven million more students who take out loans for the next year. As you know, Don, this has been a really bitter fight between the Democrats and the Republicans because of lots of questions of how the government can continue to absorb the cost for subsidizing these loans. The government, at this point, needs to raise almost $6 billion just to support the loans. How to raise the money is a tough compromise. The Senate says they have a deal, and the House still needs to give its thumbs up. And if it is approved, it will buy some time, at least a year, that the rates will stay 3.4 percent until June 30th next year -- Don?
LEMON: $6 billion, that is a lot to absorb.
Now, moving on, it has been a bumpy week for the market. How are things looking today?
KOSIK: We're seeing lots of green arrows. The Dow is up 80 points on a better than expected housing report. pending home sales jumped 6 percent last month to the highest point in two years. This is building upon the momentum happening in the housing sector where the prices have risen from March to April as well, 1.3 percent. We are watching the home builder shares rallying. It was also a decent report on U.S. manufacturing. That is keeping the stocks in the green. Once again, the Dow is up 86 points -- Don?
LEMON: Alison Kosik, thank you very much.
KOSIK: Sure.
LEMON: President Obama edging out Mitt Romney in the latest polls for the race to the White House. We take a look the battleground states he's leading in.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The presidential race is tight, but some new polls show President Obama with a slight edge over Mitt Romney.
Brian Monroe is the editor of CNNpolitics.com, and he is in Washington right now and he's joining us.
So, Brian, let's start with a new national poll, the NBC News/"Wall Street Journal" poll shows President Obama at 47 percent compared to 43 percent for Mitt Romney. Given the margin of error, that's basically a tie, but with a slight edge maybe. Is that surprising to you?
BRIAN MONROE, CNNPOLITICS.COM CORRESPONDENT: That has him tied on the national level, but also as we look at the individual states, it is a close race and will be for the next four or five months. Even in the CNN poll of polls, we have the president up really, almost tied at 48 to 44. Even there, that has really played or stayed the same over the past few weeks.
LEMON: Talk about the battleground states. It is interesting, because one of them, especially Florida, a conservative state. Polls showing that President Obama, the president, is leading in some key battleground states, Pennsylvania, and Florida and Ohio. I don't know it it's too early to predict this, but how significant is that, and is this is where the race will be won or last? I imagine, it is.
MONROE: Well, Florida is going to be a tight state. It has traditionally leaned a little bit more conservative, but the president has fought hard down there. That is going to be the place where you will see Mitt Romney, who is battling the economic message, that the economy is not doing so well, and doing well among the white male voters, versus Obama, who has made serious ingrounds with the Latino votes and blacks and women, and particularly, among the Latinos. They have shows they supported his message when he changed the policy on immigration.
LEMON: Well, it's interesting in two of the states, and particularly in Florida, the economy is doing better than around the country. For the most part doing well. And Governor Rick Scott is saying that people need to know that Florida is doing well. But the Romney campaign we are hearing is saying that you need the back off on this, because it is hurting our strategy. And do you see in the states, especially in Florida, that the message is changing when it comes to the economy to get these poll numbers in Romney's favor?
MONROE: Well, both in Ohio and Florida, which Ohio has seen some significant growth in employment numbers, and partially due to the auto industry coming back and doing so well, the Romney campaign has had to walk that fine line, sending the message to Governor Rick Scott in Florida, hey, back off a little bit on touting how great the economy is doing, because it is against their message.
LEMON: Let's talk about strategy, looking forward. what do you know?
MONROE: The president is launching a two-city bus tour next week. Guess where he's going? Ohio and Pennsylvania, two significant states. You have Governor Romney here in D.C. today and tomorrow. And tomorrow, oddly enough, is the big health care ruling at the Supreme Court. So they are going to be continuing to hit the road. The president, earlier in the week, was doing a lot of fund-raising, because he has to catch up with the money in the bank in order to wage a significant campaign this fall.
LEMON: Bryan Monroe, good stuff. Thank you, sir.
The NRA is pushing to hold the attorney general, Eric Holder, in contempt over the national scandal. Why is the National Rifle Association getting involved? We will tell you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: House Republicans are not backing down in their standoff with Attorney General Eric Holder. Today, they said they will hold a contempt of Congress vote against Holder for withholding documents on the botched Fast and Furious gun running program.
Here is how the White House press secretary, Jay Carney, responded to that news.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: It is unfortunate. We hope Republicans change their minds as to what the right course of action is, and what is the best thing to do for the American people, but we certainly understand or see and agree with the assertion by some, including the leading House Republicans, that this is politics.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. Drama here.
Joe Johns, and there he is from Washington.
Joe, so officials from the White House and the Justice Department met with House Republicans to try to reach an agreement on this. And so what happened here?
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: They didn't get it. I have to tell you, and, I mean, this is sort of an international embarrassment for the United States. You had a gun running operation, Fast and Furious, supposedly guns walking across the border to try to catch cartel members, really a botched thing from the very beginning, and everybody knew it. And now, we have this continuing drama and the specter of the top law enforcement officer of the United States being cited, for the first time in history, for full contempt by the House of Representatives. And so far, it still looks like it is going to happen. No negotiated solution that we know of. Listen to the speaker of the House today.
LEMON: OK.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN BOEHNER, (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: We are going to proceed. We have given them ample opportunity to comply, even as late as yesterday. The White House sat down with some of our staff to outline what they'd be willing to do. Unfortunately, they are not willing to show the American people the truth of what happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP) JOHNS: Don, the administration has claimed executive privilege and so to that extent this way has been defanged, but it is still symbolic, and it could happen in Washington for the first time.
LEMON: It is interesting, the contempt, whatever it is, has to go back to the attorney general's office where he is of course from.
JOHNS: Right.
LEMON: I want to ask you about the NRA that has been -- I hate to use word interesting so much.
LEMON: Involved.
JOHNS: But the twist in this, and the Republicans are influenced, conservatives by the NRA, and they have a lot of influence on the Hill, but how will this affect Democrats here?
JOHNS: Well, it is very interesting, because they sort of jumped into the fray. They have never liked Eric Holder, quite, frankly, and always worried he would try to impose new gun control measures and in fact, the NRA has been saying on information they have gotten from Darrell Issa, the chairman of Oversight Committee over on the House side, who has been pushing this thing so much, they have been told, they say, what the Justice Department wanted to do essentially was to put in more gun control measures and they were using Fast and Furious as the precursor to that. So they are going to count this vote, and they'll certainly keep all of the NRA members or a lot of the NRA members on board in opposition to Eric Holder, including perhaps some Democrats. Probably, 20 or 30 Democrats are in districts that are very sort of pro NRA leaning, and those members, in an election year, probably would not want to go against the NRA, because it would affect them at the ballot box. And that is what we are watching here.
LEMON: And can you talk about the NRA influence, and tell me if I am wrong, but if the gun running operation had influence, and what they were trying to do is to influence gun control in some way by doing this operation. Explain that.
JOHNS: Well, what they are talking about is that by doing the operation, they could use it to sort of open the door to creating regulations that would lead to more reporting, particularly on sort of the long-stem weapons, you know, some of the high-powered rifles and that kind of thing that you see. So --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Well, to show that we need more regulations, because look at what happens. But there are many voices who are saying, not just on the left, but the right, that is farfetched.
JOHNS: Right, right. People are calling it, especially the Democrats, conspiracy theory. And I heard the word "nuts" today.
(LAUGHTER)
People say it's ridiculous. But there is a strong feeling among people in the National Rifle Association that the Obama administration and Eric Holder, too, have been looking to impose more gun control restrictions. So that's sort of a continuing political battle that we have seen really ever since Barack Obama and Eric Holder came in the door.
LEMON: Yes. And nonetheless, there is a standoff now, and they are saying that they are going through with the contempt.
Thank you --
JOHNS: Yes.
LEMON: -- Joe Johns for that explanation. Appreciate it. We will be watching Capitol Hill.
They've received little recognition for their contribution to the country and the history. The first African-Americans who served in the Marine Corps will be honored today in Congress. They are known as the Montford Point Marines. You will hear about their fight at home and abroad.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: It's been a long time coming but today the first African- American Marines will be recognized by Congress with the highest honor, the Congressional Gold Medal. You may not have heard of these troops. In 1941, President Roosevelt established a presidential directive, opening the door for African-Americans to join the Marine Corps. They were not sent to the traditional boot camps. Instead, the black Marines were segregated from their white counterparts at newly constructed Montford Point, a facility at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina. They were called the Montford Point Marines.
We caught up with a few of them before today's congressional ceremony.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EDWIN J. FIZER, MONTFORD POINT MARINE: We fought two kinds of wars. One in combat and the other was right here. We fought Jim Crow and we fought the enemy.
LEMON (voice-over): The men of Montford Point were trailblazers. They were the first hand-picked to integrate the U.S. Marine Corps, the last branch of the armed services that was still segregated.
GENE DOUGHTY, MONTFORD POINT MARINE: These men were so proud to be the first, and they were eager to learn.
LEMON: Their initial excitement would be replaced with the reality of racism in basic training, and the lack of support waiting at home.
FIZER: In the corps, at that time, they were hell-bent on making sure we were not going to succeed in what we were doing.
DOUGHTY: Now, here we are returning from combat, from war, 18 long months, 18 hard months, and having all of the relics. We had Japanese flags we had captured and other relics and we showed the crowd, saying, this is what we earned, what we did and what we had to do to get these relics. Despite that, that did not help. The fact that we were black men, and so racism continues on.
LEMON: Across the armed services, African-Americans were delegated to serve in noncombat support roles and the Marines would be no exceptions.
LT. GEN. WALTER E. GASKIN, U.S. MARINE CORPS: What happens when you place someone in a support role and they have to fight their way to support you, they demonstrated what Marines have always done, they rose to the occasion.
LEMON: Lieutenant General Walter Gaskins understands the importance of the Montford Point Marines and how the legacy has paved the way for him to rise through the ranks as a three star general.
GASKINS: When they see me, and I'm wearing three stars, they say, I know it was tough for me, but it was worth it because now I see you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Definitely was worth it. We thank them for their service, their energy, their time, their heart. More than 400 of them today will get that Congressional Gold Medal, and we congratulate them, the Montford Point Marines. Thank you for your service.
We're going to take a look back at the life of Hollywood screenwriting legend, Nora Ephron, who died at the age of 71.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Nora Ephron is being remembered as a talent who accomplished everything she set her mind to.
Here is Kareen Wynter with a look back at her life.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(LAUGHTER)
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Considered one of the most influential authors and screenwriters to emerge from the 20th century, many argue that Nora Ephron was born to write. The child of well-known screenwriters and playwrights, she had the pedigree to write for the screen, but it wasn't her first career choice. After a brief stint as a White House intern during the Kennedy administration, Ephron landed a reporter job for "The New York Post." Her talent with the pen caught the attention of other publications, like "New York" magazine and "Esquire" and "The New York Times." It wasn't long before she began writing scripts, making her first splash in movies in 1983, after penning the Meryl Streep drama, "Silkwood."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MERYL STREEP, ACTRESS: I can't quit now.
WYNTER: The script earned Ephron an Oscar nomination. But it was a romantic comedy she wrote a few years later that put the name Nora Ephron on Hollywood's map.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEG RYAN, ACTRESS: Oh, god.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WYNTER: "When Harry Met Sally," about a man and a woman who explore risks of taking their friendship to the left level became a huge hit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: I'll have what she's having. (END VIDEO CLIP)
WYNTER: Ephron was suddenly high in demand, known for her humor and writing appealing female characters. Over the years, more hits followed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RYAN: I'm having all of these fantasies about some man I've never even met who lives in Seattle.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WYNTER: Like "Sleepless in Seattle," which she co-wrote. The film starred Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks as strangers who eventually find each other. It also put Ephron in the director's chair.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM HANKS, ACTOR: I did not.
RYAN: You did too.
HANKS: I did not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WYNTER: And "You've Got Mail," which brought Ryan and Hanks together again in a romantic setting.
Though she had a knack for making romance work on the screen, Ephron struggled with her personal life early in her career. In 1976, she married Karl Bernstein and had two children. Their marriage ended in a messy divorce four years later and became fodder for tabloids.
She would later write a book, "Heartburn," that described her rocky marriage. Ephron adapted the novel into a screen play, which co-starred Streep and Jack Nicholson.
But her third marriage was a success. In 1987, she tied the knot with "Goodfellas" screen writer, Nicholas Peliggi.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: How would like to be on a television show?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WYNTER: She continues to write and direct movies later in her life, with "Bewitched" in 2005, and "Julie and Julia" four years late later, which teamed her with Meryl Streep for a third time. In all, Ephron wrote more than a dozen screen plays and directed eight films.
In a 2009 interview, she revealed a secret her parents taught her. NORA EPHRON, SCREENWRITER: Anything in life can be turned into a story, which is really the first rule of humor. If you understand that, you understand everything there is about making things funny.
WYNTER: Sound advice from a writer, who helped to make audiences laugh throughout her career.
Kareen Wynter, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Nora Ephron, 71 years old. She will be missed. But what accomplishments, Brooke.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: I think I'd been embarrassed to say how many times I've seen, "When Harry Met Sally." I mean --
LEMON: I'll have what she's having, right?
BALDWIN: I will have what she's having.
LEMON: All right.
BALDWIN: Impressive woman for sure.
LEMON: Yes. Thank you. Thank you.
BALDWIN: Don Lemon, thank you.
LEMON: NEWSROOM continues now. Take it away, Brooke
