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CNN Saturday Morning News
Iraq Violence Escalates Before Election; Pentagon Shooter Had History of Mental Illness; Coffee Party: Tea Party's New Rival; Chat Roulette Gaining Popularity Online; How to Get the Most Out of Your Tax Returns
Aired March 06, 2010 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center here in Atlanta, Georgia, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is March 6th. Good morning everybody. Thanks for being here. I'm Betty Nguyen.
RICHARD LUI, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. I'm Richard Lui in for T.J. Holmes on this Saturday. Thanks for starting your day with us.
NGUYEN: All right, so move over, tea partiers because here comes the coffee party. You knew it wouldn't take long. A new grassroots organization to counter the right wing tea group. We'll tell you how it got started and how they say they're going to be different.
LUI: And six weeks until Uncle Sam's deadline and the IRS is not in a good mood. I'm sorry to remind you there, Betty. She just sighs right in front of all of us.
NGUYEN: Reminded me I've got work to do.
LUI: We have got some tips that may help you out as well as a lot of our viewers.
NGUYEN: And this, this is a good tip from a man who many say knows, the Dalai Lama. He's going to be providing some information on how to cope in an alien economy, how to find inner peace despite those struggling times when it comes to bills, finding a job, all that stuff and he's also weighing in on the stem cell debate. A lot of people say science and religion doesn't mix, but you'll be excited to hear what he has to say about it. In fact, some of you might even be surprised.
LUI: OK. Here are the top stories this hour for you on a Saturday morning. NFL star Ben Roethlisberger accused of sexually assaulting a woman in Georgia. Police say the incident was reported early Friday morning in a nightclub in Milledgeville about 85 miles southeast of Atlanta. An attorney for the Steelers quarterback says he will cooperate in this investigation. Roethlisberger already faces a lawsuit from a woman who claims he raped her in 2008 at a Lake Tahoe hotel and casino, an allegation he strongly denies.
NGUYEN: Well, another member of Congress walking away from Capitol Hill. New York Representative Eric Massa says he will step down effective Monday. The first term Democrat announced earlier this week that he would not run for re-election because of health concerns but he's also under review by the House Ethics Committee looking into harassment allegations.
LUI: And a published report says that U.S. special forces could be sent to Somalia. "The New York Times" is citing an unnamed U.S. official as saying the troops may be used to help the government battle al Qaeda militants in the capital of Mogadishu.
NGUYEN: So violence on the rise in Iraq. Let's talk about that for just a second because just hours ago, a deadly car bomb went off in one of the country's holiest cities. CNN's Arwa Damon joins us now live from Baghdad.
Arwa, give us the latest on what is behind this round of violence? What's going on?
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well Betty, we are heading towards this very critical vote on Sunday. And of course there are groups out there like the Islamic state of Iraq. That's the umbrella organization that is headed by al Qaeda that has avowed to try to derail these elections.
In fact, they have gone so far as to issue a curfew from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. tomorrow, election day itself, telling people to stay inside or face the consequences. Now, the car bomb that happened earlier was only a short distance away from, as you mentioned one of Shia Islam's holiest sites and is also a very heavily protected area.
So it does cause Iraqis to pause and wonder how such a security breach was able to take place. Also, remember a few days ago, when the Iraqi security forces were heading out to cast their ballots, they were also targeted by suicide bombers while they were gathering, assembling here in the capital Baghdad.
Amongst the Iraqi people, amongst the security forces themselves is a sense of anxiety and of fear that perhaps election day could bring about even more violence. Now this is a very critical vote because it literally will decide if Iraq stays on this path of democracy, if that's what we want to call it -- or if it actually strays toward being a more conservative and religious state, Betty.
NGUYEN: Well, what are the people saying? I mean, is this round of violence -- and I'm sure many probably expected something to happen unfortunately. Is this going to deter many of them from going to the polls or is it just going to embolden them to get to the polls and make a difference with their vote?
DAMON: Betty, if we look at the past four times that Iraqis have gone to the polls and bearing in mind that of course those times were even more violent than it is now, people do still go out and vote and one really has to admire their resilience and bravery in doing so. But what we have seen happen is that Iraqis will tend to not show up early when the polls open right away. They'll wait to see what sort of attacks take place and then come out afterwards.
But there has been a heightened sense of anxiety and fear and paranoia especially here in Baghdad in anticipation of some sort of a large attack, not just before the elections, not even necessarily on election day itself, but even in the post-election period. Because even though the number of attacks we're seeing have decreased, the number of people dying every day has decreased, Iraqis are carrying psychological scars of all of the violence over the last seven years. So any sort of an attack has a severe impact on them, Betty.
NGUYEN: No doubt, a lot to come in the next few days. Arwa Damon joining us live from Baghdad. Arwa, thank you.
LUI: New details this morning about the man killed by police at the Pentagon Thursday night. He had once proposed researching smart weapons for the military. John Patrick Bedell also had a history of mental illness.
Our Dan Simon has more on the Pentagon shooter.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN PATRICK BEDELL, PENTAGON SHOOTER: In the next few minutes I'll talk to you about what information ...
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You don't have to watch John Patrick Bedell's YouTube video for very long to realize this was a man with serious issues. This video titled information currency is the rambling of a troubled 36-year-old man instructing people how to use information to make money.
BEDELL: I hope you'll visit my website and download the software that I've released.
SIMON: Bedell may have been disturbed but he was clearly intelligent. His online resume shows he graduated with a degree in physics in 1994. A professor remembers him as a thoughtful student.
PROF. DAVID PARENT, SAN JOSE STATE UNIV.: I thought I knew him pretty well. I had him in a class where he was a pleasure to have him there. He would ask really good questions that would spark the class into having good questions. I would have characterized him as a gentle man.
SIMON: Years later in 2004 a link to the Pentagon. Bedell, who also studied biochemistry proposed the Pentagon fund his research on smart weapons. CNN obtained his 28-page proposal though it's not clear if he ever submitted it to the Defense Department. At this point in Bedell's life, no apparent red flags. But that changes in 2006.
A search of criminal record shows his first real trouble with the law, arrested for growing marijuana. Authorities say Bedell later obtained a medical marijuana card and the local sheriff says his mother was concerned about his frequent use and told police about it.
SHERIFF CURTIS HILL, SAN BENITO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: She feels that he's delusional, agitated. He got upset with her because she's asking questions about what he's been doing.
SIMON: Bedell lived in this gated northern California community with his parents described as well known and respected. In recent months, they became more and more worried about their son's erratic behavior like in January. They got a call from a Texas deputy who had just pulled Bedell over for speeding. The deputy sensed something was wrong. And so he got Bedell's cell phone and called his parents.
HILL: That's correct. What he articulates to the mother is that I'm calling to ask a few questions about your son because the inside of his vehicle appears to be in disarray and what can you tell me about him?
SIMON: Bedell went on his way. The family later filed a missing persons report, then dropped it when Bedell came home a week later but Bedell soon left again when according to the sheriff, his mother questioned him about a $600 charge at a shooting club. It's not clear if the money was for a weapon.
Then on February 1st, more trouble with police. Bedell now with a beard and appearing gaunt was pulled over in Reno and determined to be high on marijuana. Authorities say he had 75 grams of pot in his possession. He was charged with several crimes but didn't show up for his court appearance. A month later after driving across the country, Bedell shows up at that Pentagon metro station dressed in a suit and, according to police, opens fire. Bedell had a documented case of mental illness, bipolar disorder.
(on-camera): The sheriff here in his hometown says Bedell had been committed to a mental institution three to four times. Bedell's parents put out a statement saying their son's actions were caused by an illness, not a defective character.
Dan Simon, CNN, Hollister, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: You've heard about the tea parties around the country, right? There's a new rival in town. It's called the coffee party. Take a look at this group and where they're organizing.
LUI: The coffee party.
This is called chat roulette, a new popular and some say potentially dangerous website on the Internet. So what does its creator have to say about this?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LUI: You can travel in a fast lane because there ain't no blizzard this weekend. We're not talking the word blizzard.
NGUYEN: Thank goodness. It's about time. Warm-up? Does that mean one of those is on the way? Let's find out with the expert, the in- house expert, Reynolds Wolf watching it all for us. Reynolds, so can we break out the shorts just yet?
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) NGUYEN: All right. So just about everybody by now has heard of the grassroots organizations -- tea partiers. Now there's a left- leaning group to counter the tea party activists.
LUI: It's called the coffee party and it's being organized through Facebook postings. This coffee party chapter for instance that you see here. They met in Los Angeles this week. And at a coffee shop in St. Louis Thursday four people showed up there. The organizer talked about the group's aims here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN LEAR, COFFEE PARTY ORGANIZER: If we become the antithesis of the tea party, we've ceased to have any function. We're not looking to balance extremes. Instead, our goal, it's an idea of a cup of coffee. When we sit down with people to drink a cup of coffee, we're not at each other's throats.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LUI: Well, there you go, gaining some popularity as well.
NGUYEN: We got the tea partiers. You got the coffee partiers.
LUI: You got the whole line right there, both sides of the aisle. That's chat roulette. Let's move on to something else. It is gaining popularity online despite some warnings here about how dangerous it can be. We're talking about ...
NGUYEN: Chat roulette. Have you heard about this thing? It's really taking off. What is it and how do you keep your kids protected on it?
Our Josh Levs has all of that this morning. Josh, a lot of people look at this and think, cool. I get to meet a ton of people without leaving the comfort of my home and if I get tired of them, boom, I just click a button and on to the next one.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: But you're crazy if you let your kids anywhere near this thing. You're just crazy if you leave your web cam attached for your kids to use a computer and you don't know what they're doing. But this thing, chat roulette you're right, getting a lot of people talking.
This was the story at cnn.com. We had a picture here, talking about how -- basically what it does, is it turns on your web cam and another random person's web cam anywhere else in the world who's also gotten hooked up to that website and all of a sudden, you're looking at whatever is there. There are some problems that come with it.
I'm going to show you a piece of a report here from our affiliate KOKH.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KOKH CORRESPONDENT: One minute we talked with these college students in Hawaii and the next we were left speechless during a shirtless men or worse. But we'll leave that to your imagination.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The problem is there's too many creepy people and they are the ones who are most likely to be there.
KOKH CORRESPONDENT: Dr. Jill Squires says chat roulette will attract sexual predators because the site does not require its users to register personal information like a name, age or location.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: You see more video there. These are a lot of problems, a lot of people getting on. CNN tried it as well and obviously you're going to see a lot of people out there who are exhibitionists who for whatever reason want you to see whatever they're doing in front of their web cam at any given moment. The guy who created it did not have this in mind when he put it together.
In fact one of our reporters at CNN (INAUDIBLE) got on Skype and spoke with this young guy. It's a 17-year-old in Moscow. His name is Andrey Ternovsky and this is why he says he created it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDREY TERNOVSKY, CREATOR, CHATROULETTE.COM: Because I like to chat with people around the world to get to know other cultures, to see what people are doing (INAUDIBLE) and friends from other countries who I have been (INAUDIBLE) and I thought it would be great to make a service which will connect the whole world to each other.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: And you're seeing that banner a little early to that. The next thing I'm going to show you now is "The Daily Show" thing and let me set this up. You have all these problems but this young man didn't create it in order to trigger that. He says he had really innocent intentions. He just wanted people to start talking to each other. That's what he liked to do.
That said, as you have seen there are problems that come from it. And "the Daily Show" had a field day the other night skewering chat roulette. In fact, most of what they did is so nasty I can't play any of it for you but I have a good little clip here for you. The setup was that Jon Stewart gets on and he starts playing and guess who he meets on chat roulette.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATIE COURIC, CBS ANCHOR: Hey, Jon, you know what, you would be the perfect interview for a piece I'm doing on chat roulette.
JON STEWART, "THE DAILY SHOW" HOST: Well, do it.
COURIC: I'm just going to toss to it. I'm Katie Couric. There is a new place where creeps like to dwell. It's called chat roulette and it's home to some of the most deranged criminal perverts I've ever seen in my many years of broadcasting. One of these vile creatures has actually agreed to an interview.
Jon, Jon, that's your part.
STEWART: Next!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: So there you go. That's the state that things are in when it comes to chat roulette. Quickly listen to what -- you've got my screen here. Weigh in at the blogs. Cnn.com/josh or Facebook or Twitter, joshlevscnn. Richard, Betty, what do you guys think? Are you guys going to give a shot to chat roulette?
NGUYEN: That would be a negative. I think you scared me enough. Not even going near it.
LEVS: But a good laugh.
LUI: Thanks a lot, Josh.
NGUYEN: So the tax deadline, speaking of scary thoughts especially for those of you who haven't even begun to tackle all the paperwork. We know it's April 15th and it's coming up pretty soon.
LUI: I'm getting a rash right now. Just ahead, tax tips that could save you some time and some money, too. Stick around.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Checking top stories right now, more aftershocks rattling Chile. We're going to check out these power lines that wre swaying there back and forth. Kind of a frightening sight especially if you are standing near them. Two were reported yesterday, aftershocks that is, one of them magnitude 6.6. Scientists say Chile will experience aftershocks from last week's 8.8 magnitude earthquake for years to come. Yeah, there have been some 200 since last Saturday.
Well, six people aboard this charter bus were killed when it crashed on interstate 10 in Arizona. Man, look at that. Another 16 were injured in yesterday's early morning crash. Seven remain in critical condition. Federal authorities say the bus company operator had been denied an application to operate as an interstate carrier.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LUI: Yeah, we have a little more than a month until April 15th's Federal tax guideline. The tax man is who we're going to have to talk to and the IRS not in a very good mood as we've been reporting. This is because it's starting to feel the pain from the economy.
NGUYEN: That means tax returns will be scrutinized and audited more than ever before. Scared? Don't be.
LUI: That's right. We've got Roni Deutch known as the tax lady and she is here to tell you how to get the most out of your tax returns. She joins us live from Sacramento, California. Good morning to you my friend. Let's start with this Roni. It sounds like the IRS is really on the attack as they look at those tax receipts going forward, should we be looking out for more audits perhaps?
RONI DEUTCH, "THE TAX LADY": Good morning Richard and Betty. Thank you for having me. First of all, the IRS is a business and their revenues are significantly down. What does that mean? They're in a very bad mood. They're going to be looking at tax returns so much more carefully, scrutinizing them to the nth degree and ultimately auditing a lot more people.
LUI: So that will be a concern. We've got to be more careful. Then the next question we would have for ourselves if we want to be more careful, do we go to a professional to help us with those tax returns?
DEUTCH: Richard, I always preach hiring a competent tax professional. Why is that? There are so many new tax credits and tax deductions that are available to everyone. And the bottom line is we've got to save money on our taxes. How do we best accomplish that? In my opinion as a tax attorney, you need someone who is aware of the 75,000-plus pages --
LUI: 75,000?
DEUTCH: 75,000, Richard. You need someone who knows the law and knows how to navigate their way through that awful mess.
LUI: That's not going to be evening reading for anybody at that number. One of the issues as simple as this is determining how you know your own filing status. Talk about that.
DEUTCH: Yes. Filing status is critical for you to start thinking about now in March. Why is that? If you're married, I know many people think, hey, Roni, I file jointly with my spouse. Here's what I say. You've got to think that through.
Are you going to file jointly and qualify for wonderful additional tax credits and deductions like the American opportunity tax, the earned income tax, the child and dependent care tax or deductions like student loans and college tuition. Again, those credits and deductions are available to you. But let's face it, Richard, many people have no business filing jointly and instead should elect filing separately even though they love their husband or their wife.
LUI: You were talking about how to keep our tax bills low. Buying a home, quickly, how might that help? We talked about it, of course many of us have, because of that deduction of interest.
DEUTCH: Yes. The home buyers' tax credit is worth $8,000. Any time the IRS is going to give you a gift of $8,000, I highly recommend it. Here's what you need to know, very simple. You've got to buy your home by April 30th, 2010 and the home cannot exceed $800,000. Again, Richard, this is a great way for you to buy homes at all-time low rates and of course more importantly pay less money to the IRS.
LUI: Yeah, 5 percent or 6 percent. Lastly, we got to go, but how do we expedite those refunds? We want our money back.
DEUTCH: Seventy percent of all Americans are addicted to that refund check. I say file early and let's not forget to e-file. E-file is one of the safest ways to get that tax return to your IRS and more importantly, get that money in your bank account so you can start shopping and enjoy your life again.
LUI: There she is right there. Roni Deutch the tax lady helping us out to deal with the tax man. Thank you so much Roni, appreciate it.
DEUTCH: Thank you so much for having me.
NGUYEN: All right. So the health care debate, there are some changes. We're going to take a look at what's happened in the last few days to make this a completely different conversation.
Plus, the Dalai Lama, he doesn't shy away from controversial questions. What he has to say about stem cell research.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Welcome back, everybody.
Checking our top stories right now: NFL star Ben Roethlisberger is accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a rural Georgia night spot Friday. An agent for the Steelers quarterback says he'll cooperate in the investigation.
Now, last year, a Nevada casino operator filed a civil suit against him and eight others alleging sexual assault. He has denied those allegations and no criminal charges were filed.
LUI: A car bomb today kills three people in the Iraqi city of Najaf. The blast comes a day before Iraqis vote in national elections. It targeted a heavily guarded Shiite holy shrine. At least 54 others were injured on that. Now, violence has been increasing ahead of tomorrow's parliamentary elections.
NGUYEN: Another member of Congress is walking away from Capitol Hill. New York House Representative Eric Massa says he will step down effective Monday. He had announced earlier this week that he wouldn't run for reelection. Massa, a first-term Democrat has had health issues but he's also under an ethics probe for alleged harassments.
LUI: President Bush is once again pushing his health care -- or rather President Obama -- is what I want to say -- is once again pushing his health care reform package. He's now calling on the Senate and House to vote on the measure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Now, despite all the progress and improvements we've made, Republicans in Congress insist that the only acceptable course on health care is to start over. The proposal we've put forward would end the worst practices of the insurance industry, lower costs for millions of Americans and give uninsured individuals and small businesses the same kind of choice of private health insurance that members of Congress get for themselves.
And while it will take a few years to fully implement these reforms, there are numerous protections and benefits that would start to take effect this year. I know it's been a long and hard road to this point and we're not finished with our journey just yet, but we are close, very close.
So I ask Congress to finish its work. I ask them to give the American people an up or down vote. Let's show our citizens that it's still possible for Washington to look out for the people's interests and the people's future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LUI: Points, counter point. Republicans are using their weekly radio address to respond to President Obama and the Congressman behind the microphone is Representative Parker Griffith. Now, up until December Griffith was a Democrat. He's now a Republican, though, making the party's case today in the health care debate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. PARKER GRIFFITH (R), ALABAMA: In the next ten days, Democrats in Washington will try and jam through a massive government takeover of health care. It would raise taxes, slash Medicare benefits and destroy American jobs, it will put federal bureaucrats in charge of medical decisions that should be made by patients and doctors and it must be stopped.
The American people have said loudly and clearly that they do not want this job-killing government takeover of care. They want us to start over with a clean sheet of paper and a step-by-step approach focused on lowering costs for families and small businesses.
But President Obama and Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid refuse to listen to the American people. For them, health care reform has become less about the best reforms and more about what best fits "Washington knows best" mentality; less about helping patients and more about scoring political points.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LUI: Well, electronic strip searches are a much-needed security.
NGUYEN: Yes and we're going to take a closer look at full-body scanners that could be coming to an airport near you.
LUI: Plus, doing well in a tough economy? How one reality show contestant is making the most out of his time in the spotlight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Checking top stories for you right now. And you know, many college students, teachers and parents in California, they are just screaming mad about the cost of education. This week, thousands rallied against budget cuts, layoffs and tuition hikes at the state's cash-strapped universities and colleges.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You guys deserve an education. Right? We deserve as faculty the opportunity to be able to teach you guys.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Several other states have raised fees and tuition at institutions as well to make up for the bad economy.
LUI: Two U.S. women accused of trying to leave Haiti with 33 children after the devastating earthquake will now spend at least another weekend in jail there. The judge said he would probably release them soon. But after a closed hearing yesterday, he declined to explain the delay.
NGUYEN: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown arriving unannounced in Afghanistan. Here are some of the first pictures coming into CNN.
Well, during his surprise visit today, he promised British troops 200 new vehicles to battle roadside bombs more effectively and he praised the anti-Taliban offensive going on right now in southern Afghanistan. The British Prime Minister also says his nation is focused on training Afghan soldiers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, you used to be in a boy band in your past life.
LUI: It's just getting uglier up there.
(CROSSTALK)
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know all the secrets.
NGUYEN: I do and you'll have to pay me off to keep me from telling them.
WOLF: Not enough money in the world, not enough.
Tell-all book coming up, tell all book.
LUI: Absolutely.
NGUYEN: Yes.
LUI: Hey, let's talk about Chef Kevin Gillespie.
NGUYEN: Ok.
LUI: He's a household name to foodies everywhere and thanks to his appearance on season six of "Top Chef".
NGUYEN: And people love that show, I guess we all get hungry about that time of the night.
WOLF: We like food.
NGUYEN: Yes, exactly.
WOLF: We like food.
NGUYEN: I know I do. Well, you know, reality TV can have that effect. I mean, it'll thrust some people who are fairly unknown right there into the spotlight. But the issue with that is, Reynolds, once you get there what do you do with it?
WOLF: Absolutely and that's the million dollar question and that's one thing we found out. I had a chance to actually meet him firsthand. It's like one of those things that when you actually are able to get into reality TV, what is the payoff? How can you benefit from that ...
NGUYEN: Right.
WOLF: ... professionally? And we found out exactly how. He had it worked to his favor. Check it out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF (voice-over): Chef Kevin Gillespie is firing up the grill for another busy night. While many restaurants around the corner and across the nation have hit hard times here at Woodfire Grille in Atlanta Gillespie says business is up 300 percent. The difference he says is in the kitchen.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kevin, you are not "Top Chef".
WOLF: Gillespie just finished filming Bravo TV's sixth season of "Top Chef." Although he was told to pack his knife and go, the show turned out to be his recipe for success.
KEVIN GILLESPIE, EXECUTIVE CHEF, WOODFIRE GRILL: It's like night and day. I mean, business was picking up before I left for the show but it was very slow, it was very incremental. And when returning from the show, it just -- it blew up. This place was on a wait every night, you know, reservations were incredibly hard to come by.
And amazingly enough, we've held that level of business through this entire thing even after the show has been over.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We feel that you got gypped.
GILLESPIE: Well, thank you.
WOLF: It seems everyone wants a taste of what he's serving.
(on camera): A huge difference maker especially in a recession. GILLESPIE: Absolutely. It's been amazing and we know that we've been given a rare opportunity that most people have never been given and I hope that we don't squander it.
WOLF (voice-over): Gillespie is not alone. Economists say in this tough economy reality TV can boost profiles and launch the careers for some entrepreneurs.
PROFESSOR TOM SMITH, FINANCE ECONOMIST, EMORY UNIVERSITY: This is a great vehicle for showing that you have some talent, that you have some skills.
WOLF: But that exposure can come with a dark side.
SMITH: People think, hey, if I get this show I'll become famous so I better put myself in a position to have a show. Put my kid in a balloon or not, right? Let's crash a dinner, what have you.
And so there's nothing to say that just getting on a show is going to create a bunch of revenue for your business or it's going to make you famous.
WOLF: Kwame Jackson will tell you that takes hard work.
KWAME JACKSON, OWNER, KRIMSON BY KWAME: You know, I always tell people Donald Trump doesn't send me checks weekly. It's all about what you choose to do with that opportunity.
WOLF: Jackson came in second on the first season of "The "Apprentice" but he proved that real life is far more interesting than anything on reality TV. He used the show as a spring board to launch his neckwear apparel line, "Krimson by Kwame".
JACKSON: I think that it would have been harder to launch from apparel brand from scratch with zero recognition. I think that recognition helps in opening doors and getting some people's attention but I think you have to deliver substance thereafter. I think you have to be able to have a vision of what you want to achieve.
WOLF: Back in Atlanta, Gillespie is working hard to turn excited viewers into repeat diners because he says there's no telling when his 15 minutes may be up.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF: You see the bottom line is it's not a guarantee for a success. Sure you get the light on you, sure you get the attention and potentially it can be a payoff but it's not a guarantee.
NGUYEN: No.
WOLF: This thing you've got to perform and you got ...
NGUYEN: And that attention fades so fast.
WOLF: And really it is fleeting, fame as we all know can be very, very fleeting.
LUI: Yes.
WOLF: So you have to back it up with a great quality product. And that's his goal every single night to make people happy.
NGUYEN: But you know ...
LUI: I'm just curious how they're handling the buzz?
NGUYEN: Yes.
LUI: You know, is it going to their head? Are they calling (INAUDIBLE).
WOLF: Very, very down-to-earth people.
NGUYEN: Really.
WOLF: And it's just amazing, amazing folks. And I have a feeling that even without reality TV they'd be extremely successful.
NGUYEN: Yes.
WOLF: You know, they just get that thing about themselves. There you go.
NGUYEN: Especially going on that show and put up with -- with all the different time constraints and the stress. You've got to have it in you.
WOLF: No question about it.
NGUYEN: All right. Thanks Reynolds.
WOLF: You bet guys.
LUI: I'm hungry now.
NGUYEN: Yes, I know, exactly.
So at the top of the hour we're going to tackle two topics that have a lot of Americans talking. First, we discuss jobs. Where are they and how to go from fired to hired?
LUI: Plus, a closer look at the debate over health care reform, how the back and forth in Washington could impact you and your family.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: OK. So, 11 more airports across the country will soon get full body scanners. Are you ready for that?
LUI: Yes. And we hear body scanners, that's that imaging technology that leaves little to the imagination but a whole lot to talk about. NGUYEN: No doubt. And CNN homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve is listening.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESONDENT (voice-over): The images produced by whole body scanners don't leave much to the imagination. But the Transportation Security Administration has said repeatedly, even on its own Web site, "Your privacy will be protected."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The system has no way to save, transmit or print the image.
MESERVE: A 2008 press release says the machines have zero storage capability. But a TSA document written just three months earlier spelling out requirements for potential manufacturers said the machines had to have the capability to capture images of non- passengers for training and evaluation purposes. The procurement document was recently obtained by EPIC, the Electronic Privacy Information Center.
MARC ROTTENBERG, ELECTRONIC PRIVACY INFORMATION CENTER: We think it's obvious the machines are designed to store and record images.
MESERVE (on camera): The TSA has been lying?
ROTTENBERG: Yes. I would use a more polite word if I could but it would be less accurate.
MESERVE (voice-over): The document specifies that to protect privacy during passenger screening there will be no storage or exporting of images. But EPIC fears that the ability to save images during the test mode leaves open the potential for abuse by insiders and outsiders.
The document says the machines must have hard drives for storage and USB ports and Ethernet connectivity that could allow downloading of images. An unspecified number of users including TSA headquarters, maintenance contractors and so-called super-users have the ability to export raw image test data and can also change the ten privacy settings built into the machines.
ROTTENBERG: I don't think the TSA has been forthcoming with the American public about the true capability of these devices.
MESERVE: TSA officials tell CNN, yes, the machines can retain and export images when they are at TSA testing facilities. But, it says, those functions are disabled by the manufacturer and machines are delivered to the airports without the capability to store, print or transmit images.
The TSA says, "There is no way for someone in the airport environment to put the machine into the test mode or change the privacy filters." The TSA says, "All images are deleted from the system after they're reviewed by a remotely located operator and it says the machines are not networked and cannot be hacked."
(on camera): But EPIC isn't satisfied. It wants to see the documents that prove these steps are being taken, that they're effective and that privacy is fully and completely protected. Until those questions are answered, EPIC says, the deployment of the machines should be halted.
Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: OK. So science and religion; some say they don't mix especially when it comes to stem-cell research. See what the Dalai Lama has to say about that when I asked him to weigh in on the debate. And you might be surprised at his answer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Most of you know the Dalai Lama as a man of faith. But Tibet's spiritual leader is also very aware of the changing world around him. I recently caught up with His Holiness to discuss a variety of issues including stem-cell research and how to find inner peace in an ailing economy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Your Holiness, as you travel (AUDIO GAP) colleges like Nova Southeastern University what's your main message to Americans?
DALAI LAMA, EXILED TIBETAN SPIRITUAL LEADER: Of course. Everybody wants happy life. Sometimes the people -- in order to achieve happy life, successful life, entirely relying on external means -- money, power or some other things; I think that's a mistake.
Ultimately, the source of happiness or joyfulness is very much within ourself. And once our mind more calm, more joyful, then our (INAUDIBLE), our activities can also be more effective because it can be more realistic.
NGUYEN: Many have lost their jobs. They've lost their homes. There's a lot of worry in them. So how do you find that peace, that happiness, when you have all of this to deal with?
DALAI LAMA: The internal value, there's no limitation. If you make effort, there is development continuously and very stable. The material value, even someone own whole world maybe still discontentment -- discontent.
NGUYEN: Right.
DALAI LAMA: So there's (INAUDIBLE) -- in any case. So I think America perhaps I think you take for granted all your sort of better facility. So then all a sudden something happens and other disturbances and I think that American people -- of course the rich country. So sometimes maybe your lifestyle may be a little too much luxury sort of life. NGUYEN: Too much excess.
DALAI LAMA: Too much excess. So better if you -- of course basic requirement is highly necessary. But then, beyond that, I think better to live ...
NGUYEN: Simplify?
DALAI LAMA: Simplify yes -- simplify life.
NGUYEN: Your Holiness, let me ask you this. Do you think you will ever go back to a free Tibet?
DALAI LAMA: Oh, yes, certain. Free everybody, all Tibetans. It's a belief. Things will change.
NGUYEN: What do you think about stem-cell research? When it comes to that and religion?
DALAI LAMA: It's basically it's ok so long intention is some help or some benefit to humanity. Then from the Buddhist viewpoint, any human action ultimately is due -- depends on their motivation and goal. Goal is something beneficial and motivation is very sincere. Then different sort of matter, that's ok from Buddhist viewpoint.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Fascinating. You know a lot of religious leaders may tell you different. Some find a big difference between science and religion and that they simply do not mix. But asking the Dalai Lama, he broke it down in really very simple terms.
He said as long as it's for the good of humans ...
LUI: Human beings, yes.
NGUYEN: ... then what's wrong with it? There's nothing wrong with it. As long as the motivation is, you know -- comes from a good place and you're trying to help someone and not hurt them ...
LUI: Right.
NGUYEN: ... then he doesn't see anything wrong with it. I found that interesting.
But, you know, the Dalai Lama is fascinated with science, technology. He's even on Twitter now, folks.
LUI: How about that?
NGUYEN: So you can reach out to the Dalai Lama as well. He just signed up for a Twitter page not too long ago. I want to say just actually the day that I spoke with him, which was last week. And he's already got 147,000 followers and I'm sure that will continue to rise.
But he's just one of those people that you meet and you really walk away feeling like, you know what, that was a good conversation.
LUI: I want to ask you about that conversation. Did anything sort of surprise you? We all have this cultural icon. He is a cultural icon.
(CROSSTALK)
NGUYEN: Spiritual icon as well, leader.
LUI: Spiritual icon to many others -- what sort of surprised you in your conversation?
NGUYEN: I think what surprised me was how he broke it down in simple terms. You'd ask him a number of different things like I asked him who inspires you. You would think of someone who spent so much time studying religion that you would have this complex or deep-rooted answer, which is it is still deep-rooted but he said his mother. That's something that many of us would say.
He was very real. He calls himself a simple Buddhist monk. I asked him, "What would you be if you weren't a simple Buddhist monk?" And he said, "I would just be a simple human being."
And I found that quality in him.
LUI: Interesting. Interesting conversation.
NGUYEN: It was. It was quite a meeting.
LUI: And there's more, right?
NGUYEN: Much more. In fact, he could be the last Dalai Lama. He is the 14th Dalai Lama and due to the situation in Tibet, there is some question as to whether there will be another one. So find out what his holiness has to say about that in our 10:00 hour.
Hello, everybody. From the CNN Center this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is March 6th. Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
LUI: And I'm Richard Lui, in for T.J. Holmes. Thank you for starting your day with us. It is 9:00 a.m. right here in Atlanta.
NGUYEN: Yes, T.J. is spending a little R&R. And you know, he deserves it. He just got married last week.
LUI: Congratulations.
NGUYEN: So he's on his honeymoon. That's why he's not here. But we'll get down to business of news for you because this half hour as we do every Saturday we're focusing on specific topics that directly affect you. And this week, health care and jobs.
LUI: Yes. Big issues. We'll look at medical waste and health care bills and we'll take a closer look at unemployment numbers and how they impact you. But first a quick look at the headlines. First off for you, a day before Iraqis vote in national elections a car bomb kills three people near a Shiite holy shrine in Najaf. At least 54 others are injured. Iraq has seen an up tick in violence ahead of tomorrow's important parliamentary elections. Blasts in other Iraqi cities have killed dozens or people this week.
NGUYEN: A week after Chile was rocked by an 8.8 earthquake, more aftershocks. Just look at this video. You can see the effects of a swaying power lines there. Two aftershocks were reported yesterday. And both were at least a 6.0 magnitude. Scientists say Chile will experience, get this, aftershocks for years to come. Some 200 people have -- or I should say 200 aftershocks I should say have been recorded since last Saturday's quake. The death toll, over 800.
LUI: Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger facing some sex assault accusations in Georgia. Police there saying the incident was reported early Friday morning in a nightclub in Milledgeville. That's about 85 miles southeast of Atlanta. An attorney for the NFL star says he will cooperate in this investigation. Roethlisberger already faces a lawsuit from a woman who claims that he raped her in 2008 at a Lake Tahoe Hotel and Casino, an allegation that he strongly denies.
NGUYEN: Well, you know, we keep seeing all these reports about how the new unemployment numbers are better than expected. But have you looked at them? You might not see a huge amount of change. Probably thing that stood out on this report just released was unemployment last month among adult men, typically the family breadwinner, is about 10 percent. Adult women just a smidge higher and teens slightly down. African Americans slightly down as well. Every category you can see has just a little built of movement there.
We're going to delve into these numbers and get the latest on where the jobs are. Where can you have find them in this economy coming right up, right here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right. Here's a number that's going to help sum it all up for you when we talk about the economy and especially unemployment. Right now the number of people getting unemployment benefits in this country equals the population of Ohio. And what's the first thing many of do you? You try to find a job. And you go online to do that. Well, that may not be the best strategy.
Let's talk to a best-selling author Tory Johnson. She's also a jobs analyst. She's written several books about finding jobs out there and here latest endeavor is called "From Fired to Hired." Boy, do we need to learn how to do just that. She joins me live from New York.
All right. The numbers are out. Slight change there so a lot of people unemployed though. So how do you go from fired to hired?
TORY JOHNSON, AUTHOR "FROM FIRED TO HIRED": I think you have to get off the internet as you were talking about. I think so many people unfortunately mistakenly think they can sit in front of their computer all day and do what's called the spray and pray method which is you spray your resume out there, you apply to anything and everything online and then you pray that the phone rings and sadly, it doesn't.
And so if you're going to spend time online the job boards are OK but they should just be a small amount of your time. The bulk of your online time should be spent instead of applying for positions, engaging with people. So that mean using social networks, Facebook, Linked-in, Twitter, connecting with as many people as you can. Showcasing your expertise, really building your personal brand in the area that you're looking for work. And many times it's through those connections that you wind up finding your next employer.
And then in addition to that, it's important to get off the internet and get out of your house. And I think too many people stay inside because they're not sure where to go or what to do. There's just so many networking events.
NGUYEN: Yes, they don't know where to go. I mean, they're afraid am I going to do a cold call here? Am I going to go knocking on doors? I mean, I don't even know if they have a position available. So if you're not online, how do you know what's available in your area where you can find that job?
JOHNSON: Sure. There's a couple of things that you could and should be doing. So the first is definitely pursue temporary work. We saw that that was one of the big bright spots in the jobs report. It's been a bright spot for several months now. Sometimes we think that temp work is just about being a receptionist and answering the phone. Yet, temp work can encompass all kinds of career opportunities. So get familiar with the temp agencies that are in your area.
(CROSSTALK)
NGUYEN: But does it have to be temp work in a field you're interested in and hopefully it leads to a permanent job or just any temp work you can find?
JOHNSON: Well, I think the ideal scenario is one in which you're interested in either pursuing that particular company long term or that industry long term. So certainly your first priority is always to align yourself with something that is connected to what you'd like to do full-time. But for some people it's really just about getting a paycheck right now ...
NGUYEN: Yes, that's right.
JOHNSON: And getting back to work. Sure, so you don't necessarily have to be super picky about it but aligning your priorities and your skills and experience with an opportunity is ideal.
NGUYEN: So are you advising folks just take a job because it's available? It may not be what they want to do but it's going to pay the bills?
JOHNSON: Well, that sounds a lot easier said than done. So when people say, you know, I'll take anything, you wind up getting nothing. So I don't suggest just take anything mainly because I think that simplifies it a little bit too much. I don't think it's as easy as just I'll take anything. But I think when you become familiar with staffing firms, the American Staffing Association web site is a really good place to go. Because you can get access to all the staffing firms in your area. Also, firms that specialize in the industry that you're interested in.
So temporary work is one thing that you can pursue. In addition to that, I am a huge proponent of starting or joining a job club. And I have a national network of local job clubs at waggleforce.com and we're on a mission to create 1,000 free job clubs around the country because job clubs help create a sense of camaraderie and accountability. It's a group of eight to 10 people who work together on a weekly to help one another get hired. And it's one of the fastest ways to a paycheck.
NGUYEN: It's about networking like you say. You can put out the resume on-line all you want. You can respond to stuff online but unless you have someone that, you know, is supporting you and pushing you in that position, you may not get the job. So Tory, thanks so much for your insight today. We appreciate it.
JOHNSON: Sure.
LUI: Ex-cons searching for opportunity. We'll show you where our job fair for convicted felons attracted quite a crowd.
JOHNSON: Plus, are credit checks standing in the way of your dream job? Find out why employers may soon be banned from running credit checks on prospective employees.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Gridlock in downtown Houston. Caused by a job fair with an interesting job requirement. Don't apply with a prison record. Yes. And the fair was funded with stimulus money and was expected to attract several hundred people. Instead - this shows you the need out there. More than 3,000 showed up. The fair was so successful organizers are planning another one at a bigger venue and they say everybody deserves a second chance.
LUI: It can be so tough for them certainly.
Checking a job applicant's credit history could soon be just a memory. Some states are looking into banning them because unemployment is just so high. Prospective employees say running credit checks on them is unfair because so many people are struggling to maintain proper credit during this recession.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NATE KIRBY, JOB SEEKER: It felt like, you know, if I didn't go through the credit process with them that I would automatically not be considered for a job. How can you possibly get out of debt if you're trying to look for a job and everyone is pulling your credit when you basically need the job to pull yourself out of debt to improve your credit? (END VIDEO CLIP)
LUI: Hmmm, chicken or egg? Hawaii and Washington already outlaw screening credit histories for most jobs at the moment.
Well, now we've got an expert to talk about. An expert we heard from minutes ago said if you're looking for work, don't just look online.
NGUYEN: Yes. But you know, a lot of people think that going online is the best way to reach out to many possible employers out there. So Josh Levs, weigh in on this, because a lot of people watching who need a job may be a little confused about what to do.
LEVS: Right. I think she made one point that's really important which is don't just use online, right? Don't just sit there, spray the web and lean back and hope that someone out there is going to see you. You need to be very proactive. Use Facebook, use twitter. Go to lots of job fairs. Do everything. But definitely no question the web is an important part of it. And we know that because literally every day between what we have here and i-report, we're hearing from people who are finding jobs via online tools.
And I want to empower you with some now. Here's what I'm going to do. I'm going show you some on the screen right here and you don't need to write anything down because at the end I'm going to show you where I have linked everything for you online. Let's zoom right in.
We have a special section, cnn.com/jobs. And one of the great features is this map right here. And all you need to do is click on any state. It breaks down the information in that state in all sorts of ways. You can find out where unemployment stands but you can also click on jobs by industry in any state. And then given whatever your industry is, you can just click on the state and find out what kind of availability there is, maybe in the whole part of the country, you want to live in, maybe somewhere you're considering moving to.
We also have this right here. It says put together your own stimulus plan. And what it does is it gives you a series of web sites that we're linking you to that can help you take advantage of some of the stimulus money that's running around out there, see what's getting funded and therefore what's getting jobs.
The first one being this -- Recovery.gov which is the government's web site about the stimulus. And they have a section right here that talks about opportunities. You just click on jobs and it brings you to some of the job availabilities coming up from the stimulus.
And finally, I'm going to point to this because we get a lot of questions from people wanting to work in this emerging field of green energy. We have three web pages for you. Ecojobs.com. Let's zoom down here and you can see we linked it to all sorts of information about it. And at ecojobs, what they're doing is not only funding jobs for you but finding training. If you want to work in solar, if you want to work in aero, you want to work in wind energy, any of those fields, ecojobs is a place that's finding training in your area and then jobs from that.
And two more right here. You got renewable energy world.com. And one more I'll mention, greenbiz.com. A lot of web pages. Like I said, you don't need to memorize anything I just said because it's all right here. Show my graphics. Up at the blogs. Cnn.com/josh. When I get off the air I'll put on Facebook and Twitter too for you, joshlevscnn. So short version here, guys, definitely use the web as a tool. Do not think you should not use the web. It can help you a lot.
NGUYEN: Yes, just don't let it be your only source.
LUI: Don't give up on that. Great data. Then you get out there and shoe leather. Lots of it.
NGUYEN: Work it. OK. Thank you, Josh.
LEVS: Thanks, guys.
NGUYEN: Our second big topic this morning the debate over health care reform.
LUI: That's right. How the back and forth in Washington could impact you and your family.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LUI: All the political talk wrangling over the president's health care proposal could be entering the final phase. Just days ago the White House said it wants a vote by March 18th. Now take a look at how that rolled out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: No matter which approach you favor, I believe the United States Congress owes the American people a final vote on health care reform.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Americans do want reform, but they don't want this.
REP. NANCY PELOSI, HOUSE SPEAKER: We are on the brink of making very important history relevant to the lives of the American people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This debate is far from over.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LUI: Well, the Democratic health policy adviser Ken Thorpe, he joins us right now from Washington. Ken, you worked with the Clinton administration on health care reform before and Ken, as we listened to the statements that were made by Speaker Pelosi as well as the House minority leader John Boehner, what is new right now as they try move towards that deadline and the president would like to have a vote on before he takes off Australia and Indonesia?
KENNETH THORPE, NATIONAL HEALTH CARE POLICY EXPERT: Well, I think what's new is that, you know, if we have to remember that both the House and Senate have already passed very comprehensive health care reform packages. The House and Senate are just in a position right now of trying to reconcile some big differences between those two approaches. So I don't know that there's anything that's really new other than they've got to find a path forward to reconcile some big issues around abortion, around how we pay for this and the overall price tag.
But, again, I think to the president's point I think we are very close. I think we're very close to a final vote on this. And for many Americans who have been watching this and wondering are they going to get health care that can't be taken away and is going to be affordable, I think that very soon we're going to have an answer to that question.
LUI: So abortion. And there's a key group of 12 lawmakers that want some language changed. Put that in the background of a Senate bill that has been passed. How are they going to work this in?
THORPE: Well, that's what's going on behind the scenes here. Both the Senate and House have language that would not allow federal funding for abortion in the health insurance exchanges, the new packages coming forward. The House members led by Congressman Stupak from Michigan has a specific set of language that they like better. Basically, it would exclude abortion services from those insurance packages.
LUI: So a very big concern there. And the question might be as we look at what the current debate is on, are they trying to pass the wrong bill, if you will? It's changed a lot since the start.
THORPE: No. I think that the basics are still there. The insurance reforms, which are so critical for millions of people who are denied coverage because they've got a pre-existing condition, who get tossed off their insurance package because they're sick. And for small businesses and individuals, that rate stability and the premiums is critical. We haven't focused enough on that I don't think.
We've seen out west 30 percent, 40 percent increases in health insurance premiums. We're not going to see that type of insurance premium increases under this bill. We're going to have a lot more stability in the year-to-year increases in rates. And that's got to be tremendously good news for individuals and small businesses.
LUI: Well, Ken, I got to challenge you on that. Top Republican leaders here are saying that the $1 trillion reform bill will not reduce costs.
THORPE: Well, again, we have this impartial judge here in town called the Congressional Budget Office. And what they've said is that the - about 18 million people who buy policies in the individual markets will pay less under this bill than they would if we don't pass it.
LUI: let's talk about the approach. This is a statement made by then candidate Senator Barack Obama and his comments on health care reform. Let's take a listen to that real fast.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: This is an area where we're going to have to have a 60 percent majority in the Senate and the House in order to actually get a bill to my desk. We're going to have to have a majority to get a bill to my desk. That is not just a 50 plus 1 majority.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LUI: Not just a 50 plus 1 majority. You are intimating the process of reconciliation earlier. Has the tune been changed here?
THORPE: No, I don't think so. Again, remember, the Senate has already passed a very comprehensive health care reform bill with 60 votes and the House has already passed their version of it with the majority, which is how that works under House rules.
Right now they're in the position of just reconciling some differences between the two approaches. So I think to his point, comprehensive reform has already passed in both Houses with a super majority in the Senate and with a majority vote in the House.
LUI: Ken Thorpe, thank you so much. Robert W. Woodrow professor, chair of Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Washington, D.C. right now, doing more work, of course, on health care reform. Appreciate your time on this Saturday.
THORPE: Well, thank you. Thanks for having me.
LUI: You bet.
NGUYEN: All right. So this story coming up might outrage you, yes. You might be pretty upset about this. Paying more than 100 bucks for a single Tylenol pill? Sounds outrageous, right? Well, it is happening.
LUI: Coming up, a closer look at medical waste in health care bills.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right. So a thousand bucks for a toothbrush.
LUI: What?
NGUYEN: Yes. That's how much a guy was asked to pay during a hospital stay.
LUI: And if you think that is crazy ...
NGUYEN: Yes.
LUI: Charges like that are just routine on some hospitals' medical bills. Senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen takes a look at all this. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: According to a 2008 report, a trillion dollars is wasted on wasteful medical spending. When you look through hospital bills, you begin to see how all those little numbers can add up.
(on camera): When you or I go shopping for a toothbrush, how much do we pay? $2, $3, maybe $4. Well, guess what one hospital once charged a patient for a toothbrush. $1,000. Can you believe it? $1,000 for a toothbrush. You know who ends up paying for that? You and I. We end up paying for it. It comes out of our pocket in one way or another. And that's not the only crazy hospital cost I've run into. Come on. Come with me.
And at the store how much does a bottle of Tylenol cost? $10 for 100 pills. Well, we know of someone who at the hospital was charged $140 for one Tylenol. Can you believe it? $140 for this. Now, here's a box of disposable gloves. When you buy them here at this store they come out to 24 cents a pair. But I know of a hospital that charged $53 for a pair of gloves. That's right, $53 for a pair of disposable gloves. What the heck is going on here?
So I'm here in the home office of a medical billing advocate. This is Cindy Holtzman and she helps people cull through these all of these crazy charges and she has all sorts of examples. I got to tell you, Cindy, this is one of my favorite ones. This is just like a little alcohol prep swab. We've all had these. How much did the hospital charge for these once?
CINDY HOLTZMAN, MEDICAL BILLING ADVOCATE: $23 apiece.
COHEN: $23 for this little tiny piece of cotton.
HOLTZMAN: And on one bill there were 44 of them. Becomes very expensive.
COHEN: Oh, my goodness. This isn't even the craziest thing you've ever seen. Tell me about one of the crazier charges.
HOLTZMAN: Well, recently I had somebody who was charged for 41 I.V. bags when she went to the E.R. for a two-hour visit.
COHEN: Oh, yes, you heard that right. A woman went to the emergency room with a migraine headache and they gave her one bag of saline and then they charged her for 41 bags of saline, to the tune of $4,182. Now, the really crazy thing about this is that her insurance company actually paid this bill. They didn't even question it.
So why did her insurance company pay for this when it was obviously wrong?
HOLTZMAN: There's not many people working at these companies anymore and they're very busy and usually any kind of bill that's under $100,000 they don't look at the details.
COHEN: So they just write a check?
HOLTZMAN: They just write a check.
COHEN: The hospital that made that $4,000 mistake, they did correct it when the patient brought it to their attention. A hospital spokesman wouldn't talk to us about it and the spokesman for the insurance company that paid that charge even though it was wrong, they also wouldn't talk to us.
Now a lot of people will say well if the insurance company is paying for my hospital stay, what do I care if there are charges in there that are wrong? The reason why you should care is that when medical bills go up, up, up, your premiums for insurance go up, up, up. So it's coming right out of your pocket.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Goodness. All right. Speaking of money, "YOUR BOTTOM LINE" with Stephanie Elam starts right now.
