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Romney's Vice President Running Mate; Romney And Ryan Defend Medicare Plan; The Rise of Paul Ryan; Brothers Wait to Get Out of Prison; Joe Biden Speaks in North Carolina

Aired August 13, 2012 - 13:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Suzanne Malveaux. This hour in the CNN NEWSROOM, we are focusing on Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney's choice for vice president. I want to get right to it here.

Paul Ryan campaigns today as the number two man on the Republican ticket and the man with the plan to remake Medicare and Medicaid and other programs. Now, critics say it's a radical plan that will end Medicare as we know it and also tread the safety net for the poor. This hour, we're going to take a closer look at Congressman Ryan, Mitt Romney's choice as the vice presidential running mate. We'll also tell you about Ryan's personal story and his political experience. We are also going to examine key parts of the budget plan and the proposed changes to Medicare and Medicaid.

President Obama comes out swinging against Mitt Romney's new running mate, the Obama campaign calling Paul Ryan's budget proposal radical. The president says it is the wrong vision for the country, and in Iowa couple of minutes ago, he blasts Romney team's economic plan. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What's holding us back right now is Washington politics. You've got folks on the other side who think compromise is a dirty word and whose main idea is to go back to the same old top-down economics that got us into mess in the first place. You know, this weekend, my opponent, Mr. Romney, chose his running -- as his running mate, the ideological leader of the Republicans in Congress. And I've got to tell you, I know Congressman Ryan, he's a good man, he's a family man, he is -- he's an articulate -- he is an articulate spokesman for governor Romney's vision, but the problem is that vision is one that I fundamentally disagree with.

Governor Romney and the allies in Congress, they think that if we just get rid of more regulations on the big corporations and give more tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans, if we end Medicare as we know it, and make it a voucher system is, then this is somehow going to lead to jobs and prosperity for everybody. The centerpiece of Mr. Romney's entire economic plan is a new $5 trillion tax cut, lot of it going to the very wealthiest Americans.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MALVEAUX: Dan Lothian, he is on the campaign trail with the president in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Dan, great to see you. So, we know the Republican ticket is now set. Romney is selecting Paul Ryan as his running mate there. So, this is changed, fundamentally here. No longer an election that has a referendum on the Obama presidency, but rather the role of government. We go back, in 2008, Obama was saying, not necessarily arguing for more government, but more effective government, how does he actually counter what Romney and Ryan are saying now which is an argument for less government?

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think, you know, you heard a little bit about that from the president just a few minutes ago. Essentially, the strategy is to wrap Mitt Romney and representative Paul Ryan into one package and label them as extreme, the president addressing that, pointing out how under this budget plan, that it would impact seniors and this is especially important in states -- battleground states like Florida. The campaign -- everyone on the campaign are hitting Paul Ryan.

We heard (INAUDIBLE) this morning, he was talking to reporters saying (INAUDIBLE) lock together again says that what Paul Ryan stands for is exactly what Mitt Romney stands for that this is bad for women, bad for the middle-class, but that it will be good for wealthy Americans, because they will see their taxes -- they will see that tax breaks while the middle-class will have to bear the brunt of the burden.

So, this may be the strategy from the Obama campaign. They believe now that before where they could talk about Mitt Romney being for the wealthy, now they have a much sharper attack, because they believe they have the actual evidence in Paul Ryan's budget blueprint -- budget plan, rather, to really go after him on some very specific items which they say will hurt middle-class Americans -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Dan, we see there that the President wrapped up his remarks, so we can hear you a little bit better now which is a good thing. It's always tough competing with talking over the president there at one of the campaign rallies. Tell us a little bit about specifically, his appeal to farmers and the fact that this drought -- the kind of impact that it's having on the drought here and how he used that to his benefit when he compared himself with Paul Ryan.

LOTHIAN: Well, that's right. You know, this is something that probably hasn't gotten a whole lot of attention is that there are a lot of farmers across the country, in particular here in Iowa, who are suffering because of the drought. And the president's message today and the attack he launched against representative Paul Ryan is saying that he is among those Republicans who are opposing the farm bill or holding up the farm bill in Congress, and so, the president pointing out that his administration is not standing by waiting, but that they are assisting and offering up some $30 million to provide water to farmers and ranchers, more than $100 million that they are -- that were used to buy beef and fish and freeze it, buy it at these lower prices, being able to sell it later at higher prices. Again, pointing out that this is something that the administration is doing on their own while Congress isn't acting. In addition to the president making his campaign stops on the trip here -- the trip here in Iowa, the president also expected to make a visit to a local farm, an official visit where he will be meeting with some farmers and talking about some of the concerns that they have in terms of getting government assistance to help them during this very difficult time.

MALVEAUX: All right. Dan, good to see you, thank you very much. Ryan's campaign, the Ryan team as well, they think it's a false argument here -- a false case saying that Ryan does believe in disaster relief. Well, of course, he's got his first solo campaign trip since Mitt Romney named his as his running mate. He is in Iowa, that is where, of course, President Obama is. And Ryan has the next stop, the next hour or so, he's going to be at the Iowa State Fair. A couple details about his political background here, he is a seven-term Congressman from Wisconsin, first elected back in 1998. He is chairman of the House Budget Committee. He is author of the Ryan plan. And that plan includes cutting spending, revamping Medicare and Medicaid. Now, in his speech earlier today, Romney had high praise, of course, for Ryan while also taking a swing at the president. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL RYAN, REPUBLICAN VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Now, when President Obama was candidate Obama, he promised everyone in this country the moon, but he never got off of the launch pad. And so, we have a very different approach. I am delighted to have picked as my running mate Paul Ryan, a great leader. A man who has proven that he knows how to solve problems. He did not just go to Washington and become involved in public service to try and make a name for himself. He, instead, went to make things better for the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And we are bringing in Wolf Blitzer to talk a little bit about what is taking place on the campaign and, of course, specifically Romney's choice for Ryan, his running mate. And, Wolf, first of all, it does seem like this is quite a dramatic shift here, if you will. It goes from Romney's campaign as a referendum on President Obama fading into the background. Now, we have this robust debate where he is turning the campaign from running against something to running for something, a choice over the role of government, limited, big, small, however you manage to actually characterize this. Why do they think that it's Paul Ryan who's the right guy to deliver that message?

WOLF BLITZER, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Because he is what the president just said, and you played the little clip on the air just now, Suzanne. He is one of the, if not the ideological genius behind so much of what the Republicans have in mind in Congress. He's certainly in the forefront. He certainly is someone who's not afraid to spell out his positions on some of the most sensitive issues out there, and especially Medicare, which supposedly, if you are a smart politician, you want to stay away from. But Paul Ryan has not stayed away from Medicare. He's willing to talk about it. He's willing to talk about cuts in spending and changes in the entire program, especially for those who are under 55 years old, that is supposedly a non-starter politically, and too -- it was too tough to deal with, but he's willing to talk about it. And you know what? I think the Romney folks realize that just going after the president complaining about the record during these first three and a half, almost four years, was not going to do it. They needed to put an alternative agenda out on the table. And with Paul Ryan on the ticket now, they have that. And it'll be a fierce fight, because the differences between the Democratic ticket and the Republican ticket are intense.

MALVEAUX: And this is something that confused me a little bit. But many people who are out of work, you've got the home mortgages under water, and there's just kind of like a general sense of malaise in the country. So, why would Romney's team belief that Ryan's message of limited government aid would be appealing to the voters?

BLITZER: They think -- well, this is the basic fundamental difference, the philosophical difference between the Democrats and the Republicans. The Republicans think that the country wants limited government, smaller government, less government in their -- in their backyards, if you will. And you can do that, except for on some of the most popular government programs. Even if you ask Tea Party supporters, should there be cuts in Medicare? They'll tell you, no, no, no, Medicare has to be off the table, because Medicare is so popular out there, and does so -- such important work for America's seniors.

So -- but there is a fundamental philosophical difference. And I think what has encouraged the Republicans, to a certain degree, is the mid-term 2010 elections. The Tea Party and their supporters saw so many dramatic gains in the House of Representatives. They had a lopsided walloping, if you will, of the Democrats that took control of to House of Representatives, as you know, Suzanne. And they ran on some of these issues ,a lot of these issues. They did well in 2010, and they think this will inspire, this will energize that Republican base on go out and vote in big numbers, and turnout is going to be huge.

MALVEAUX: And, Wolf, I want to talk about the controversial plan, Ryan's plan, to overhaul Medicare so that private insurers would be able to compete with this traditional program, both Ryan and Romney defending their plan on this interview on "60 minutes." I want to play that clip real quick.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROMNEY: What Paul Ryan and I have talked about is saving Medicare, is providing people more choice in Medicare, making sure it's there for current seniors -- no changes, by the way, for current senior or those nearing retirement, but looking for the young people down the road and saying, we're going to give you a bigger choice. In America, the nature of this country has been giving people more freedom, more choices, that's how we make it work down the road. BOB SCHIEFFER, ANCHOR, CBS "60 MINUTES": If you must succeed, you're going to have to do a little selling on that. And a little explaining.

(CROSSTALK)

RYAN: Well, our point is we need to preserve their benefits, because government made promises to them that they organized the retirements around. In order to make sure we can do it, you have to reform it for those of us who are younger.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: So, Wolf, I want to ask you this, because the Democrats are arguing that really is like kryptonite to seniors in Florida, when the truth is that there is nobody over 55 years of age who's going to be affected by these changes that Ryan wants to make to Medicare. Why do they think that that is even a legitimate argument to make here?

BLITZER: Well, first of all, a lot of people don't necessarily believe that argument. And as I say, this is the Ryan's plan. What it simply suggests is that if you are 55 or older, you don't have to worry, the Medicare program goes on. As a public healthcare system in the United States, the government pays for all of the healthcare if you are seniors 65 and older. If you're under 55, he says, you know, you can have that option, but if you want a voucher option, the government will give you a voucher, you can then go to a private health insurer and buy your health insurance and then you'll deal with the private health insurance company as opposed to the government. He says that should be an option that should be available. This is going to be a huge, huge debate, Suzanne, and it's going to cause a lot of fireworks.

MALVEAUX: All right, it certainly is. Wolf, good to see you as always. Thank you.

BLITZER: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: Here is what we are working on for this hour.

(voice-over): His wife is a tax attorney and he likes to hunt elk. We have a lot more to tell you about Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney's pick for V.P.

After almost 25 years in a Michigan prison, a judge reverses murder convictions for two brothers. Today, they find out if that means freedom.

And are you in the market for a luxury apartment? This one is just a cool $100 million. We have a grand tour of the most expensive apartment ever listed in New York.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Mitt Romney's VP pick may be somewhat new to the American public, but he's far from a novice when it comes to the political scene. Gloria Borger, she takes a look at Representative Paul Ryan's start and where he's headed for the future.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REP. JOHN YARMUTH (D), KENTUCKY: The Ryan road map is the way to the cliff, and then over the cliff.

JEFFREY SACHS: The Ryan proposal obviously would destroy our government.

REP. PAUL RYAN (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I gave up fear for Lent this year.

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: You're not joking?

RYAN: Actually, no. No, I gave up fear for Lent this year.

BORGER: You're not kidding me, right?

RYAN: No.

BORGER: How do you do that?

RYAN: Well, I'm working on it.

BORGER (voice-over): Until recently, Paul Ryan was a relatively unknown budget wonk. Now he's famous, as the face of a new brand of Republican economics that includes the most sweeping plan to cut government spending in decades.

RYAN: There's a big test for this country. And whether we apply our country's principles, you know, liberty, freedom, free enterprise, self-determination, government by consent of government --

BORGER (on camera): Right.

RYAN: All these really core principles are being tested right now. And you can't have fear if you try to fix these problems. You know, there's sort of a shoot the messenger strategy these days and you can't --

BORGER: You're the messenger?

RYAN: I'm the messenger. And you can't fear that.

BORGER (voice-over): So who is Paul Ryan?

RYAN: I'm fifth generation from Janesville.

BORGER: The path from the union heavy small town in Wisconsin led to a conservative pedigree, first as a Republican congressional staffer --

RYAN: I'm Paul Ryan, candidate for Congress.

BORGER: Then, with a long shot bid for a House seat 13 years ago.

WILLIAM BENNETT (ph): Well, Paul Ryan is maybe a rare thing in Washington. He is what he seems.

BORGER: Bill Bennett is a conservative talk radio host and CNN contributor. He was one of Ryan's mentors, along with supply-side guru Jack Kemp, in the early 1990s.

BENNETT: He is a guy without guile, without pretense. He likes to hang out with actuaries for relaxation, which is good.

BORGER (on camera): Who doesn't?

BENNETT: Yes, which is kind of a funny thing. He also hunts elk with a bow and arrow. So he's an interesting character.

RYAN: And it literally gets our economy on a --

BORGER (voice-over): He's had the deficit in his sights for years. But even Republicans steered clear of Some of his more controversial budget ideas. That is until the Tea Party became the rage.

RYAN: I think it is because of the circumstances of what happened, that the recession, the resulting binge in spending that occurred after it and then, you know, passing the entitlements like Obamacare and then the electoral reaction to that brought these ideas into the mainstream.

BORGER (on camera): Because it's not like you had an extreme makeover?

RYAN: No, no, I've been doing -- I've been doing the same thing for a long time.

Do we want to do a photo? Is that it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

BORGER (voice-over): Ryan became popular by pushing the unpopular. Things like killing his colleague's pork projects or trying to revamp Social Security and eventually change Medicare into a program of vouchers for private insurers.

BORGER (on camera): So that's not only touching the third rail of politics, as it's called, it's like grabbing --

RYAN: Yes. I used to say I'm a koala bear on the third rail. That's what I used to say.

BORGER: Right.

RYAN: So, here's the problem. If you don't address these issues now, they're going to steamroll us as a country. And the issue is, the more you delay fixing these problems, the much uglier the solutions are going to have to be. Fifty-one percent of Medicare right now is funded with borrowed money.

BORGER: Right.

RYAN: And so if we're going to keep that promise, you have to change it for our generation. You have to change it for those of us in the x-generation (ph).

PAUL KRUGMAN, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY ECONOMIST: To be a little melodramatic, the budget (ph) would kill people, no question.

BORGER (voice-over): His ideas infuriate liberals like Nobel Prize Winning Economist Paul Krugman.

KRUGMAN: The cuts in Medicare that he's proposing, the replacement of Medicare by a voucher system, would, in the end, mean that tens of millions of older Americans would not be able to afford essential health care. So that counts as cruelty to me.

BORGER: Ryan scoffs at the idea and his fellow Republicans have joined in, making the Ryan budget the coin of the realm. Just ask Newt Gingrich, who once dared take it on.

NEWT GINGRICH, FORMER SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: I don't think right wing social engineering is any more desirable than left wing social engineering.

BORGER: Gingrich called Ryan to take it back.

RYAN: And basically said he just -- he was wrong.

BORGER: And there are other ideas. Ryan wants to reform the tax code. As for new taxes, no way. Not even if a deal included $10 of spending cuts for every $1 of new taxes.

BORGER (on camera): The public wants compromise and wants a solution where Democrats and Republicans work together and they see, OK, Republicans won't accept --

RYAN: Yes. See, the kind of compromise all I hear about these days is, we take the tax increases and they do a little less spending. What is the policy? See, this is ridiculous to talk about ratios. Where is Obamacare? Where is Medicare reform, Medicaid reform?

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is not class warfare.

BORGER (voice-over): And when the president proposed a plan to cut the deficit by taxing the wealthy, Ryan was the first to call it class welfare. And he's convinced the president is just wasting valuable time.

RYAN: We're in the middle of a lost decade.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Two brothers have been locked up in a Michigan jail for more than 25 years, have their convictions overturned. It's all because of a FaceBook conversation. We've got their amazing story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Two brothers who spent almost 25 years in a Michigan prison are finding out today whether or not they are actually going to get out on bond. And it is all because of FaceBook. Raymond and Thomas Highers, they were sentenced to life in prison for the 1987 murder of a suspected Detroit drug dealer. Well, a judge threw out the murder convictions last week after some FaceBook postings turned up witnesses. Our Jason Carroll is covering the story from New York.

So, Jason, this is really fascinating. I mean how did this all play out? How did this happen here?

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Yes, it's really incredible. It really shows the power of social media with all of this.

You know, a bond hearing is taking place, that is taking place today, to determine if these brothers will in fact be released. And the prosecutor has already indicated earlier today that she is not opposed to some sort of a reasonable bond. So very soon Thomas and Raymond Highers could be released. The brothers are expected to speak in court this afternoon. They did have some disciplinary problems while in prison, but have always maintained their innocence well after a judge sentenced them to life in prison for murdering a suspected drug murder.

Their case got a reboot in 2009. That's after a woman who lived in their Detroit neighborhood posted on FaceBook. And this comment basically saying how horrible it was that the brothers were in jail for a crime that they did not commit. That's what she said. That one posting, Suzanne, started a chain of events leading supporters to conduct their own investigation. They found new witnesses, including one who alleges four other men may have been responsible for the murder and ultimately this is why a judge has tossed out their murder conviction last week.

MALVEAUX: Wow. So how is the family reacting? When you think about this, they've been in prison for almost a quarter of a century?

CARROLL: Right. Well, you can imagine, this has been an uphill battle for the family. And they say it's been a roller coaster ride for them. Since the brothers have been in prison, they've missed their mother's funeral. Basically they're saying it is now time for the court to allow these brothers to reclaim their lives.

I want you to listen to what their aunt had to say about all of this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANET HIRTH, BROTHERS' AUNT: These are grown men now. And like I said earlier, it's a whole new world for all of us to get reacquainted with them. But it's a challenge we're ready to take.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: So that's what one of the aunts is saying about this.

I should also point out that the prosecution is not buying any of this, Suzanne. They do not believe what these new witnesses are coming forward and now saying. And they -- the prosecution is saying they will in fact seek a new trial.

MALVEAUX: All right, Jason Carroll. Thank you, Jason. Appreciate it.

Want to go directly to Durham, North Carolina. That is where Vice President Biden is speaking on the campaign trail. Let's listen in.

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: One of the president's favorite mayors. I hope that helps you, doesn't hurt you. (INAUDIBLE) was complaining in the back. He said he brought you up to the thing -- State of the Union and the president recognized you and forgot him. But -- I'm only kidding. He recognized you. He didn't forget -- he didn't forget the congressman.

And I understand that Floyd is here, State Senator Floyd Mckisic (ph). Good to see you, man. Floyd helped me last time. Floyd helped me last time. And I want to tell you what, I'm sure glad Eric's here, a t-shirt manufacturer, because literally, as I was drinking coffee -- I was drinking coffee as we pulled into the area where they have you shelter, you know, and you get in, they put you into this -- and we hit a bump and I got coffee on my shirt here. So from here on out, I'm going to be wearing one of your t-shirts that you gave me. All right. Thank you (ph). Thank you.

And by the way, listen to the congressman. He talked voter registration. We're for voter registration, not voter suppression, which is going on around the country. That's what we're for. Registration not suppression. And I want to tell you that, you know, you did say that they can't reduce the deficit, congressman, by five, six -- they can't reduce the deficit, period, no matter what they do.

No, no, no, I'm going to talk to you all about that. I want to talk to you all about that with you -- look, I don't want to be repetitious, but the congressman got it right. This really is one of the starkest choices, not only important, one of the starkest choices for the American people. And it's good that it's a stark choice.

When I called and congratulated Congressman Ryan, who's a good guy. He's a decent guy. I called to congratulate him. We both talked about it. These are stark, stark choices. The differences couldn't be more clearly laid out through the selection than you're going to hear. And the American people are going to make a choice. They're going to make a choice. And maybe once that choice is made, we can stop all this gridlock and all this obstructionism and we can start to move on. Because we have -- we have fundamentally different visions how to restore America. And it comes down to a fundamental different set of values. It's what we value.

It's not -- these are good guys, by the way. No, no, I really mean it. I think they're decent men. But they have a different value set than we have. Look, now that Governor Romney has selected his running mate, those -- those differences are even more stark. And the reason I say that is that Congressman Ryan has given definition to the vague commitments that Romney has been making.

(SHOUTING)

BIDEN: There's definition to it now. It is clear. Congressman Ryan and the congressional Republicans, as one person said, have already passed in the House what Governor Romney is promising to give the whole nation. And ladies and gentlemen, we know, we know for certain what I've been saying for a long time, there is no distinction -- let's get this straight -- there is no distinction between what the Republican Congress has been proposing in the last two years, actually the last four years, and what Governor Romney wants to do. So cut through all of this. We are running against, or they are running on what the Republican Congress has been promoting for the past four years, and fundamentally --

(APPLAUSE)

BIDEN: -- fundamentally, the American people have rejected, already rejected that Republican congressional initiatives.

(APPLAUSE)

BIDEN: So, folks --

(APPLAUSE)

BIDEN: -- as my grand pop used to say, anybody can beat -- any team can beat any given team on any given day. So this is not cocky, because it will be a heck of a race. But I truly believe that the American people will reject Romney and Ryan for attempting to impose on the American people what the Republican Congress has been preaching.

(SHOUTING)

BIDEN: Our question is that we have is just getting the message out. As I said, they are both good men, but they have fundamentally flawed judgment in my view.

(SHOUTING)

BIDEN: They called -- when they talk about their plan, not just the budget plan, but their plan across the board, they call it gutsy. Gutsy.

(BOOING)

BIDEN: No, I'm serious. Now, look, what is gutsy about giving millionaires and others tax breaks? What's gutsy --

(APPLAUSE)

BIDEN: What is gutsy about gutting Medicare and Medicaid and education?

(APPLAUSE)

BIDEN: What's gutsy?

(APPLAUSE)

BIDEN: They talked about -- they talked about what they are proposing is new. Folks, this is only not new, it's not fair.

(LAUGHTER)

It is not fair to the middle-class and the working poor. And it will not grow the economy or reduce the deficit.

(SHOUTING)

BIDEN: Ladies and gentlemen, we have seen this movie before.

(SHOUTING)

BIDEN: And we know how it ends.

(SHOUTING)

BIDEN: Look, there's nothing fundamentally different in what the Republican Congress and that Governor Romney have proposed than what the policy of the previous eight years was, literally. Nothing.

(SHOUTING)

BIDEN: Except, to use President Clinton's phrase, it is the last administration's policy on steroids.

(LAUGHTER)

(APPLAUSE)

BIDEN: Look, in the end, because of the policies that they are proposing, we inherited the Great Recession.

(SHOUTING)

BIDEN: In the end, it was a catastrophe for the middle-class. The middle-class lost a significant portion of their household wealth. They were devastated.

Look, the president and I are holding up banners forward, but literally the president and I have a different way forward.

(END LIVE FEED)

MALVEAUX: We will be taking a closer look at Paul Ryan's Medicare plan and others, the pros and the cons after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) MALVEAUX: Hundreds of firefighters are battling two fires in northern California. The fires are forcing people out of their homes in Lake County area, about 100 miles north of San Francisco. Both fires were sparked yesterday afternoon and have grown to more than 5,000 acres.

House Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa is not giving up on forcing Attorney General Eric Holder to give up records on the gun running operation known as Fast and Furious. The committee today filed a 56- page civil suit against Holder in an effort to get the documents. The House last month slapped Holder with a citation for keeping the records quiet.

Representative Paul Ryan is the author of the sweeping budget plan to overhaul Medicare. Nobel Prize-winning economist, Paul Krugman, says it would end Medicare as we know it. Others say it could cause Mitt Romney problems in Florida, which has a large senior citizen population.

I want to bring in Elizabeth Cohen to tell us a little bit about it.

First of all, what does Medicare look like now and what is Paul Ryan -- what is he proposing to change it?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Medicare is the federal program for senior citizens. So you turn 65, and your insurance is through the government. And so what Paul Ryan says is, not now, but in 2023, how about we do this. You can do the traditional Medicare if you want to, but you have another option. You could get a voucher. We give the government gives you a voucher and you can go the buy private health insurance. And if that private health insurance is more expensive than the amount of the voucher, you, the senior citizen, have to pay the difference. And if it is less expensive than the voucher, then you can pocket the money.

MALVEAUX: Who is actually affected by this?

COHEN: People who would be joining Medicare starting in 2023. So not people who are 65 now or turning 65 any time soon. It would take a while under his proposal.

MALVEAUX: Tell us about the difference between Romney and Ryan? Any daylight between them, because Romney is the first and Ryan is second?

COHEN: I would say that the answer to that question is, to use a medical term, mushy.

(LAUGHTER)

I will explain to you what I mean. Over the weekend, a senior adviser to Romney was asked that question, and said this, he said, "It is the Romney/Ryan ticket, and as president, Romney will be putting forth his own budget." So that is what the adviser said. but then he later, when he was asked the same question, he said, well, if Romney were president, and this Medicare plan were part of the budget, he would sign off on it. So first, it sounded like he was putting distance, and then he sounded like Romney liked the idea and he would sign off on it. So I am not sure what to think.

MALVEAUX: Well, there is a lot of debate on this, clearly people are looking at both of the plans, and the president's plan is health care reform plan as well as what Romney and Ryan will do.

COHEN: And I'm sure there will be more plans before then.

(LAUGHTER)

MALVEAUX: OK. Elizabeth, thank you.

COHEN: Thanks.

MALVEAUX: Appreciate it.

We want to take a second here to give a shout out to our own Candy Crowley. She is our chief political correspondent and "State of the Union, host. She was tapped to moderate the second presidential debate this October. It is going to make her the first woman in 20 years to moderate a presidential debate. We know that she is actually home today celebrating with her mom. Congratulation, Candy.

And Grammy winning R&B singer going to serenade the Democrats at the national convention. We will talk to Anthony Hamilton about the honor and his very personal fight to protect foster kids.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: And Anthony Hamilton is a Grammy winning R&B singer who will perform at the Democratic National Convention. And Hamilton's childhood, his experiences with abuse, adoption, led him to become an advocate for abused and foster kids. I want you to hear one of his hits.

(SINGING)

MALVEAUX: I love this song. It's called "So in Love with You," and he sang with another favorite, Jill Scott.

(SINGING)

MALVEAUX: And his new --

(SINGING)

MALVEAUX: His new song, "Pray for Me" is from his latest album, "Back to Love." And he joins us.

Anthony, really nice to see you.

(CROSSTALK)

ANTHONY HAMILTON, R&B SINGER & CHILD ADVOCATE: Good to see you. MALVEAUX: Some friends of mine got to see you at Chastain Park last night. Great groove you had going on, and people dancing.

HAMILTON: We got down last night.

(LAUGHTER)

You missed it.

MALVEAUX: I missed it. Sorry, I was out of town, or I would have gone.

Tell me about -- you are obviously successful in the singing, but you have another important project that you do and that you are passionate about, and that is protecting foster children. How did you get involved?

HAMILTON: Well, you know, being adopted at 15, I know what it is to be on that side, and to have those pains. And I know how to encourage them to keep making it, you know, strive to be a better you, in spite of it.

MALVEAUX: What do you do? You are part of an organization that reaches out to kids?

HAMILTON: Casa, it is a court-appointed special advocate. And we need more black males to come in to be a part of it and to show that this is our identity. And we need them to help lead these kids and protect them, to make sure that the foster care system is putting them in the best place possible.

MALVEAUX: Why is it so difficult for young black men?

HAMILTON: I think it is a lack of confidence sometimes, going through a lot from way back to now. I think that, you know, you feel like maybe, maybe I'm not important enough or maybe they won't support me. But it is not true. I think that there are a lot of people who want to see black men do their best and be their best, and the kids need to see it as well. So I want to be a part of that campaign.

MALVEAUX: It is hard to hear you say that, because it is, you know, heartbreaking when you think about that, that young black boys feel that way.

HAMILTON: Yes.

MALVEAUX: When you were 15, and you -- I understand that your mom was an alcoholic and you left and had to be taken care of by others. What was that like for you?

HAMILTON: Well, you know, you feel abandoned a little bit. And I knew whatever she was going through wasn't her fault. But at the time, you need to be stable. And you feel like everybody is looking at you and seeing what you are going through. And you know, it is going to make you want to go far away from it, and pretend like it never happened. And you know, but you get to a place where you have to face it again.

MALVEAUX: OK. What is the one thing that these young foster kids really need in their lives?

HAMILTON: Love. Consistency, with love. And somebody to support them. And just to be motivated. To be loved on.

MALVEAUX: You are getting a lot of love. The DNC --

HAMILTON: Yes. Yes.

MALVEAUX: And you are going to be hosting a part of -- the part of the welcoming group for the president.

HAMILTON: Yes.

MALVEAUX: How were you selected?

HAMILTON: Well, it is my hometown, my city.

MALVEAUX: There you go.

(LAUGHTER)

HAMILTON: Who else better to do it than me? I have been there all of my life. Well, I moved to New York and moved back, but it is home. So you can't come in here and step on the carpet without me welcoming you.

(LAUGHTER)

MALVEAUX: Welcoming with the red carpet. Anthony, tell me quickly, you are going to South Africa.

HAMILTON: Yes.

MALVEAUX: You have a huge fan base in South Africa. What do you hope to see when you are there?

HAMILTON: Well, I want to go and see the people and love on them. We're going to -- it's women's month so we're going to go to a township of Alex and feed some kids, meet some women, and hopefully, get a chance to read to some babies or something.

MALVEAUX: Nice.

HAMILTON: See the town.

MALVEAUX: And I understand, too, that you are going to Robin Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for many, many years. And you will have a chance to meet Winnie Mandela as well?

HAMILTON: I hope so.

MALVEAUX: That is on the agenda?

HAMILTON: Yes, it is.

MALVEAUX: Hopefully, a concert or two. And you are going to sing?

HAMILTON: I am going to sing all of the way through that place.

(LAUGHTER)

We will get down.

MALVEAUX: All right. Anthony, so nice to see you.

HAMILTON: Good to see you, too.

MALVEAUX: Good to have you here as well.

HAMILTON: All right, good to be here.

MALVEAUX: We really appreciate it.

HAMILTON: All right. Thank you.

MALVEAUX: Mitt Romney's running mate, Paul Ryan, has a tax plan that even some Republicans consider extreme. We will take a closer look at the plan.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Democrats wasted no time tearing into Congressman Paul Ryan's plan to cut spending and revamp Medicare. Ryan brings this controversial tax plan with him to the Republican ticket.

Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange kind of breaking this down for us, if you will, the tax plan.

First, how would the tax be distributed among American voters?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What Paul Ryan is essentially looking to do is simplify the U.S. tax code, first, by cutting the number of tax brackets from six to two.

Take a look at how this would work. Instead of smaller brackets beginning at 10 percent, the tax bracket would climb gradually to maximum rate of 35 percent for anyone that makes more than $388,000 a year. Couples making $100,000 or less would pay 10 percent. Above $100,000, that would pay -- those people would pay 25 percent. As you can see, that really mean a huge portion of the population would see their tax rates go down under the Ryan plan.

He's also proposing to cut the alternative minimum tax. Ryan's original proposal called for the elimination of all taxes on capital gains, on interest and dividends. And the corporate tax rate, currently at 35 percent, that gets cut to 25 percent -- Suzanne?

MALVEAUX: Alison, explain to us, with lower taxes for a lot of folks, this will bring in less revenue. How does he square that essentially with trying to balance the budget and deal with the federal deficit?

KOSIK: Isn't that the money question? The plan says it would close tax loopholes, making sure taxpayers would have more taxable incomes. The problem is, which loopholes is he talking about? He doesn't say. That's the major criticism of this plan as well as many other proposals out there that call for simpler tax codes. They say which loopholes are going to be closed. The funny thing is most of those loopholes that would be closed would be huge political hot potatoes, like deductions for mortgage and charitable giving or health care. These are very popular deductions. And taxpayers wouldn't be too thrilled to see them fooled with -- Suzanne?

MALVEAUX: Alison Kosik. Thank you, Alison.

We're going to get an update on Billy Graham's health. We understand he was in the hospital over the weekend. We'll see just the latest status on that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Evangelist Billy Graham is said to be doing fine after he was admitted to a North Carolina hospital over the weekend. Graham is 93 years old. He's taking antibiotics to fight a pulmonary infection. He's expected to remain at Mission Hospital in Ashville for just a couple of days. Good for him. Hope he gets well.

Gabrielle Giffords back home in southern Arizona. It's been 90 months since she and 18 others were shot at a meet-and-greet event in Tucson. Her husband, Mark Kelly, a former Navy captain and astronaut, tweeted yesterday saying, "Gabby has been waiting for this day for a long time." She had been recovering in Houston since the shooting.

It's the most expensive apartment ever listed in New York. We'll tell you how much this pad lists for and why. It's actually a good sign.

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