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CNN Saturday Morning News
Palin Hits Trail for McCain; "Tea Party" Protest Heads to Reid's Hometown in Nevada; Classical Music Stars Record Charity Single for Haiti
Aired March 27, 2010 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there, everybody. From the CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Six a.m. where we sit in Atlanta, Georgia; 3 a.m. out in Searchlight, Nevada. That's an important place today.
ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: That's right.
HOLMES: We're going to explain why in just a moment.
But good morning to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes.
CHO: Good morning, T.J.
HOLMES: Hello there.
CHO: Good morning, everybody. I'm Alina Cho. Thanks for starting your day with us, waking up with us so early.
Stories we're watching this Saturday morning: The power of Palin. Sarah Palin is joining her former running mate John McCain on the campaign trail this weekend. He is fighting to keep his Senate seat.
Palin is stumping for him and taking a shot at the media.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER VICE-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This BS coming from the lame-stream (ph) media lately about this...
(LAUGHTER)
PALIN: About us inciting violence.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
PALIN: Don't let -- don't let the conversation be diverted. Don't let a distraction like that get you off track.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Palin's speech yesterday -- yes, the first time we've seen those two on the stage together, on the campaign trail, since the election of '08. We'll have more from that event coming up in just a bit. But also, they are having a bit of tea out in Nevada today. And there is the guest of honor, if you will -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The conservative group, the "tea party," getting bold, taking their message straight to his hometown today. And we will take you there.
But first, give you a look at some of the things we've keeping an eye on from overnight.
President Obama -- he's having a tough time filling this job. Nobody seems to want to be the head of the Transportation Security Administration. A second nominee is backing out. Retired Army Major General Robert Harding says distractions from his work as a defense contractor -- quote -- "would not be good for this administration" -- end quote.
The president says he's disappointed, but he remains confident in his TSA team.
CHO: The search is on right now for survivors of a South Korean navy ship. The ship sank last night. One hundred four sailors were aboard when the ship went down in the Yellow Sea. That's off the coast of North Korea.
So far, 58 sailors have been rescued. Journalist Andrew Salmon says surviving the cold seawaters will be the most difficult challenge.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
VOICE OF ANDREW SALMON, JOURNALIST: Unseasonably cold here -- here. And last night, when the incident occurred, there were actually snow flurries. So these are very, very negative conditions for any men who might be still in the water.
I should add that we're having reports of three-meter-high seas. Divers have apparently been dispatched. And we've seen only one photograph that's been released of the incident, and that shows, as you may have seen, a kind of -- an upturned hull. Part of the ship is still just about on the surface of the water, which indicates that there -- there may be crews still alive inside the hull.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
CHO: The ship was on routine patrol when it went down. A South Korean news agency quotes military officials as saying an explosion punched a hole in the ship. Of course, tensions between the two Koreas have been high.
Meanwhile, South Korean and U.S. officials are playing down possible involvement by North Korea.
HOLMES: Well, it's been almost a month now since Iraq's elections, and results are finally in. And supporters of Ayad Allawi celebrating. His coalition won 91 seats in parliament. His group beat out every other coalition, including the coalition of the current prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki.
Allawi now has to build enough support to form a coalition government, while al-Maliki is vowing to challenge the results, calling them "fraudulent."
Well, a showdown in Searchlight today. Little-bitty Searchlight, Nevada. Just about 1,000 people -- less than that, really, in this town. But one of the residents there is Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. He is a top target for the tea-party movement.
After today's anti-Reid rally there, the tea party is going to head out. Going to go across the state -- they are going to caravan across some 23 states. The express plans an April 15 rally in Washington to protest government spending.
And our Jessica Yellin is in Nevada with more on today's rally.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: They're calling it "The showdown in Searchlight," when the Tea Party Express rolls into Senate majority leader's hometown of Searchlight, Nevada. It's the first stop in a cross-country tour by the tea-party movement. They stop in districts targeting Democrats they want voted out of office.
Some of Reid's political opponents from Nevada will be speaking at the event, but the headliner is Sarah Palin.
Reid is in a brutal re-election fight this year. His polls are not looking good. They show a majority of Nevadans disapprove of his job performance, and only a third right now would vote to re-elect him. Adding to his troubles, Nevada's economy is in terrible shape. It's No. 1 in foreclosures, No. 2 in unemployment.
So Reid is a vulnerable Democrat, but also one of the top three faces of Democratic leadership in Washington. So the tea-party movement is targeting him first. They're predicting that this event will draw thousands in a caravan into rural Nevada. And some are calling it "the conservative Woodstock."
Jessica Yellin, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: They keynote speaker for that Searchlight rally will be Sarah Palin, John McCain's former vice-presidential running mate. Both were in Tucson yesterday, as we mentioned earlier.
While McCain was criticizing the health-care-reform legislation, Palin was urging Arizona voters to re-elect him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PALIN: A lot of things have changed since the last time we were together. One of those things is that John -- nobody gave us a TelePrompTer this go-around. So...
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
PALIN: So it's time to kick it old school again, resort to the old poor man's version of the TelePrompTer -- right my notes on my hand again.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
PALIN: You know, many, many years ago, I competed in a pageant. And...
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
PALIN: You know what? Coming then from an expert, I can tell you, he could win the talent and the debate portion of any pageant, but nobody's ever going to dub him "Miss Congeniality." Not out of the Washington elite.
And he should be thankful for that. He's never been a company man; he's never been one to just go with the flow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: It is has been now heralded, the passage of Obamacare as -- quote -- "historic." They're right. They're right. It's historic. It's the first time in history where a major piece of legislation has been passed over the overwhelmingly objection of the majority of the American people.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
MCCAIN: It's historic. It's historic that it is also that on a pure partisan basis, a major piece of legislation has been passed. And it's going to be historic, because it's going to be repealed and replaced. And it's going to be done soon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: That's the first time we've seen a picture like that in 16 months. The rally in Tucson was Palin and McCain's first joint public appearance since conceding the 2008 presidential election.
HOLMES: And you just heard Senator McCain there talking about repealing and replacing the health-care bill. That has been a rallying cry of Republicans since the passage of that health-care reform legislation.
But would you like to see it repealed? Some people say there are some parts of it actually that they do like, maybe other parts you don't like.
So we want to know -- that is our question for you this morning. You know how to reach us: on Facebook, on Twitter and on our blog. We'd like to know: Would you like to see at least some parts of that bill repealed? If so, which parts would you like to see come out of there?
By all means, we'll be reading some of your comments a little later today.
CHO: A lot of states are wanting to do that.
HOLMES: Oh yes.
CHO: But the question -- right. So the question is, you know, do federal rights come first, or states' rights come first? You know, it's going to be a big fight.
HOLMES: Fascinating legal debate. It's going to be an interesting legal debate.
But we will be reading your comments this morning.
But it feels like spring out there. But it feels like winter in other parts of the country.
Our Reynolds Wolf is here with us this morning -- Reynolds.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I know, guys.
HOLMES: (INAUDIBLE). It's springtime, right?
WOLF: I know. It's hard to believe me (ph).
The calendar does indeed say "spring." Spring officially began last weekend. But try telling that to people in parts of the central Rockies, where they could see up to a foot of snowfall, plus possibly some strong thunderstorms in parts of the central Plains.
We've got the full story for you coming up in just a few moments, right here on CNN.
HOLMES: All right. Thanks, Renny. We'll see you here shortly.
CHO: And to see how smart you are, you need to take an intelligence test, right? An IQ test?
HOLMES: Yes. One of those.
CHO: Well, some might think so, right?
HOLMES: Yes.
CHO: Not necessarily. Is the IQ test the accurate measure of intelligence? What does it mean to be smart? That's what we are asking.
You know, there are some new ways of testing smarts that may surprise you. We'll show you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC, KINGS OF LEON, "MANHATTAN")
WOLF: Is that a newer (ph) music rotation? Are you a big -- big fan?
HOLMES: Not a huge fan.
WOLF: Not a huge fan.
HOLMES: But it works for me this morning.
(LAUGHTER)
WOLF: It's all right.
HOLMES: Good morning. You're doing some spring cleaning over here.
WOLF: Just a little bit.
HOLMES: I wish we could get Scotty (ph) over here to show some of this stuff behind the desk (INAUDIBLE)
WOLF: We're very (INAUDIBLE) about things we have to do sometimes. (INAUDIBLE)
HOLMES: The -- the cleanup.
WOLF: Yes.
HOLMES: Everybody's doing a little spring cleaning right now.
WOLF: A little bit. (INAUDIBLE)
HOLMES: And we're glad you cleaned up a bit before I came over.
WOLF: We're always prepared when you come over here.
HOLMES: But spring...
WOLF: Believe if we're not, we soon will be.
HOLMES: You got it straightened out though.
Spring though, right? Seriously, right?
(WEATHER REPORT)
HOLMES: Also,, some talented musicians using their voices to help the earthquake victims in Haiti.
Take a listen now to our Josh Levs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Some of the most beautiful singing you've ever heard in an online video, and it's helping rebuild Haiti.
(SINGING)
LEVS: It gets better. And I'll show you more, and the story behind it.
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(SINGING)
CHO: Don't you wish you could sing like that?
HOLMES: I actually wish -- no, really. It would be awesome to be -- I -- I so admire people who can just open their mouths and that stuff comes out.
CHO: I do, too.
Welcome back on this Saturday morning. Glad you're wish us.
It's been 10 weeks since Haiti's massive earthquake. There have been countless fundraisers, as you know.
This one, though, stands out. It's filled with the beautiful sounds of classical music.
HOLMES: Yes, our Josh Levs actually found this online. And he's got it for you today in "Levs on the Lookout."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS: I keep an eye out for, you know, all sorts of videos online that you should know about. And the one I'm going to show you here just might be the next big thing. It's definitely some of the most beautiful singing that you've ever heard in an online video. And it's helping rebuild Haiti.
Take a look.
(MUSIC)
LEVS: I'll tell you what this is, and then I'm going to play you a big piece of it.
This is being called "Classic Relief for Haiti." It originated in the U.K, with more than 20 very respected singers who came together. They flew in on their own dime to record this version of "The Prayer," a very popular song there.
We are going to play you a section of it now. And during part of it, we're going to show you some photos from Haiti that we have at CNN.com. Trust me; you're going to want to hear this. Turn down the volume on every thing else around you. Pump up the volume on us right now.
Here is "Classical Relief for Haiti."
(SINGING)
LEVS: So beautiful. In a way, it's -- it's the best of humanity, using music and talents to try to help those in the worst of humanitarian disasters.
A -- a CD is being sold, with all the profits are going to something call the Haiti Disaster Emergency Committee. I have linked the entire video for you on my Facebook page. You can see the address here. It's at joshlevscnn.
Now, I've also linked information about the singers in it, and how you can get a copy if you want one. We've also posted links if you want to give to Haiti.
And as always, tweet me your favorite videos. You know where to find me; I'm on Twitter, at joshlevscnn.
I'll -- I'll be on the lookout.
Josh Levs, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: Well, remember those so-called party crashers at the president's state dinner? The Salahis? Well, it looks like they now have a new role: reality TV stars.
We'll explain after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We're taking a look at some of the stories making headlines.
Washington expanding its program to help troubled homeowners. It will send aside extra funds for two struggling groups. In particular, we're talking about the unemployed and also those that are "underwater" -- you know, the people who owe more on their homes than they're actually worth.
Banks will be required now to consider lowering loan balances or suspending payments for eligible unemployed borrowers. The program starts in the fall, will be paid for with funds from TARP. It could help 1.5 million borrowers avoid foreclosure.
One in four American borrowers is underwater. We'll have more details on this plan coming up at 7:15. Stay tuned and you can find out if you possibly qualify.
CHO: Leading civil-rights activists Dorothy Height has been hospitalized in Washington. Height just turned 98 years old. She was a big part of the civil-rights movement in the 1960s.
A family friend tells CNN her condition is stable but serious. She was one of a handful of key African-American leaders to meet with President Obama at the White House just last month for a summit on race and the economy.
HOLMES: A very happy reunion for 7,000 U.S. sailors and their families. The USS Nimitz and three Navy missile destroyers arrived in San Diego yesterday after an eight-month deployment.
Those ships are part of the Nimitz carrier strike group. They've been conducting maritime-security operations in the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf. Flight crews from the Nimitz aircraft carrier have been assisting in operations in Afghanistan.
And Alina, sometimes it pays to crash a party. Well, this was a huge story when it happened, and it looked like their gamble might be paying off for them.
CHO: Yes, we'll explain and talk about their new role when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC, PINK, "GET THIS PARTY STARTED")
CHO: The Salahis are coming out.
HOLMES: They -- they are. Because they went to -- they got the party started.
CHO: They did.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: They went to the party, and they really are coming up right now.
You know these folks, the Salahis. They crashed that White House dinner. They got past White House security. Secret Service says, yes, it was our fault.
You remember this picture. Actually got to meet the president.
Well, it looks like it may be paying for them, Alina.
CHO: That's absolutely right. In fact, there was some speculation that they might get their own reality show on Bravo. It turns out they are going to be party of "The Real Housewives of D.C." The series, we are hearing, is going to start in July.
You saw that photograph of them with the president. You know, our own Howie Kurtz said, "I guess the moral of the story is, gate- crashing pays. A naked attempt by Bravo to cash in on the notoriety and controversy surrounding the Salahis. And guess what? It's probably going to work." HOLMES: And -- but those show -- that series they have -- they had the real housewives of -- what? -- Orange County. You had New Jersey or something.
CHO: There's so many.
HOLMES: And they had Atlanta as well.
CHO: Atlanta.
HOLMES: But those are pretty popular series. Now, they didn't need a lot of help to get people to watch those things. But this is -- a lot of people will say, certainly will help out now that you have this high-profile couple, in particular -- this high-profile-now woman on it.
CHO: I wonder if she'll wear that.
HOLMES: You know, she was put together that -- really, everybody said, they looked like they belonged there that day.
CHO: They most certainly (INAUDIBLE)
HOLMES: And it worked out. So you can catch them. They -- the act continues.
This is one of the hot topics on CNN.com. You can got to the "Entertainment" section to check it out.
CHO: Meanwhile, where will you find Sarah Palin, Ann Coulter and Joe the Plumber all together?
HOLMES: Oh wow.
CHO: Well, guess what? A "tea party" protest in Nevada today. Their target: a Democrat, Harry Reid. The tea party's top target.
We'll have more on that coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Hey there, everybody. Welcome back to this CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'm T.J. Holmes.
CHO: Good morning, everybody. I'm Alina Cho. Thanks for starting your day with us.
HOLMES: Here are some of the things we're keeping an eye on from overnight.
Retired Army Major General Robert Harding -- he doesn't want the job either. He's backing out as President Obama's second choice now to head the Transportation Security Administration. Harding says distractions from his work as a Defense contractor would not be good for the administration. CHO: The search is on right now for survivors of a South Korean navy ship that sank last night. The ship with 104 sailors went down in the Yellow Sea. That is off the coast of North Korea. So far, 58 sailors have been rescued. Only the ship's hull, we hear, is above water.
It was on routine patrol when it went down. A South Korean news agency quotes military officials as saying an explosion punched a hole in the ship. South Korean and U.S. officials are playing down possible involvement by North Korea.
HOLMES: Take a look at great pictures. Happy reunion for some 7,000 U.S. sailors and their families. USS Nimitz and three Navy missile destroyers arrived in San Diego yesterday after an eight-month deployment. The ships are part of the Nimitz carrier strike group. They have been conducting maritime security operations in the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf, as well. Flight crews from the Nimitz aircraft carrier have been assisting in operations in Afghanistan. >
There is a showdown in Searchlight, Nevada? It is happening today. The show down is between the Tea Party and, you know, the leader of the Democrats in the Senate. Tea Party movement cranking up the Express bus for a two and a half week caravan across 23 states wrapping up April 15th for a ally against big government in D.C.
Our political director Paul Steinhauser with the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Good morning, T.J.
It is no surprise that the Tea Party Express is kicking off their third national tour in Searchlight, Nevada. The tiny desert town is also the hometown of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The Tea Party Express slogan for this tour is, "Just Vote Them Out." And they want to start with Reid, top Democrat in the Senate. He is facing a very tough reelection this year.
Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is the headliner of today's kickoff events. Before the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee gets to Searchlight later today, she'll campaign in neighboring Arizona for her old running mate, Senator John McCain, who's facing a primary challenge this year. Palin teamed up with McCain yesterday, as well and she praised the Tea Party movement.
PALIN: In respect to the Tea Party movement, beautiful movement. You know what? Everybody here today's supporting John McCain. We are all part of that Tea Party movement.
STEINHAUSER: Tea Party activists say they oppose what they call big government policies of this president, which include the federal stimulus package and the new health care reform law. A Tea Party Express spokesman tells me they'll make over 40 stops over the next few weeks calling on activists to vote out of office lawmakers who they say are not listening to their constituents. But it's not all tea this weekend. There's also some coffee. As in the Coffee Party which appears to be a progressive response to the Tea Party. The brand-new movement in the making is holding its second round of meetings across the country this weekend to plan what they call "Coffees with Congress" over two weeks as lawmakers head home for recess, T.J.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Thanks to our Paul Steinhauser there. Some lawmakers have already unveiled legislation trying to repeal the new health care reform bill. So, which parts would you like to see repealed? There are plenty of things in there a lot of people agree on and do like, but maybe there's some parts you would like to see taken out.
That is our question this morning. You an send your answers to our Facebook page, my Facebook page. Shoot us an e-mail, also find me on Twitter. We'll be reading the responses.
CHO: You are lucky you have one. I'm going to sign up for Twitter on Monday.
HOLMES: We're working on you.
CHO: Health care reform is going to be a key part of Republican efforts to defeat Democrats this year. Sarah Palin calls it Obama Care. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell talked about that this morning's weekly Republican address. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL, MINORITY LEADER: Democratic leaders and White House officials may be celebrating their victory this week, but most of the rest of the country is not. Most people aren't interested in celebrating a bill that makes their lives more complicated, takes more out of their paychecks, and puts decisions they're used to making themselves into the hands of federal bureaucrats.
Most people aren't celebrating the fact their insurance premiums will go up. Seniors aren't popping champagne corks at more than half a trillion dollars in Medicare cuts, and job creators already struggling in a down economy aren't doing any cartwheels over the mandates and new taxes they'll have to shoulder as a result of this bill.
We're already seeing the economic fallout. Just two days after this bill became law, the John Deere Company said it will spend an extra $150 million this year alone just to comply with the new law. Illinois-based Caterpillar Corporation said it expects to take a $100 million hit. This is bad news for workers and it is terrible news for the broader economy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: The health care reform bill has been signed so what does it mean to you? A lot of people are still confused about that. So we want you to send Doctor Sanjay Gupta your questions. Guess what. He'll be in the house, live, he'll answer them this morning 7:30 a.m. Eastern time on "SANJAY GUPTA, MD"
HOLMES: You heard her correctly. Sanjay Gupta is going to join us live here, in less than an hour. Then he is going to be taking questions this morning. Right here, the good doctor, making a Saturday house call.
CHO: I like Sanjay as much as I like you.
HOLMES: No you don't.
CHO: That's a lie.
HOLMES: No. That's a lie.
(LAUGHTER)
CHO: It's not a lie.
HOLMES: Well, some people think that Reynolds is lying right now because he keeps telling us it's spring, but depending on where you are in the country, I should say, doesn't feel like spring.
WOLF: I don't know. It is crazy. You look at any calendar. Most calendars, they have the 12 months, that kind of thing. Yeah, those. Basically spring began, you know, last weekend. But try telling that to people in Colorado where they could see up to a foot of snowfall today. As that system rolls into the Central Plains; it could bring some strong storms into places like Oklahoma, and maybe even Arkansas before the day is over.
We'll give you the full story coming up in a bit. No lying. You're watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. It is that time of year again.
WOLF: It is that time.
HOLMES: The Cherry Blossom Festival. So, what are the pictures we have? Deidre, go ahead and show us. We are curious ourselves.
WOLF: How beautiful.
HOLMES: People just love this. They go nuts for this, in D.C.
WOLF: As you mentioned, it is the season. It is basically the botanical season that never ends. It is the NBA playoffs of the plant world. It is the elephants' gestation period. It does not end.
HOLMES: This is just the first round, right now, of the festival.
WOLF: It just doesn't end. It does not end. HOLMES: It does. It goes until April 11th. We were both kind of doing our research here and we were surprised to see that. We didn't realize it went that long. We thought it was a weekend thing that everybody goes. But no, it's goes for a while. You have some time. The peak bloom is when 70 percent of the blossoms are open.
WOLF: Yeah.
HOLMES: We'll tell you when exactly that will be. We will get back to you.
WOLF: That's right. The amazing thing is that any time you go up there, it is truly a spectacular thing to see. I mean those blossoms bring it to the table every single day, they're the Lakers and Celtics every single time you go up there. It is beautiful. And the bees go nuts. You go up there and see them going all over the place, having a great time pollinating.
HOLMES: This might be the first time anybody used sports analogies to go along with the ...
WOLF: It's a groundbreaking show. We do that here.
HOLMES: That means springtime. Not spring where?
WOLF: Definitely not spring in Colorado. We are going to show people what's happening up there in just mere moments. Let's show you a live shot. Can we go back to the beautiful flowers again? Let's show you those beautiful things again. As we go to, that I'll walk over to the magic wall. Again, there are the great pictures. You are seeing the great, great colors, a bit of tinge of pink and some white, even some reds the hues in the flowers, beautiful thing to see.
But when you look at this radar, you are not going to be seeing those colors, instead you are going to be seeing some greens and even some blues and some yellows.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WOLF: Again, if you have the means, head up to D.C., cherry blossoms are going to be just amazing. All right. Let's send it back to you guys.
CHO: The NBA finals of the plant world?
HOLMES: Only Reynolds.
WOLF: It is Magic and Bird up there, it is good stuff.
CHO: You are poetic.
WOLF: Yes, and I'm getting old.
HOLMES: Reynolds, thanks, buddy.
CHO: I like those cherry blossoms. All right. Is Sarah Palin the unofficial leader of the Tea Party? Well, she's the keynote speaker at today's kickoff event in Nevada. Meanwhile, a Republican analyst weighs in, in the next hour with how the GOP is changing and says that is Palin isn't the life of the party right now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Checking some of our top stories this is morning.
The Tea Party movement holding a rally in Searchlight, Nevada today and the keynote speaker will be the lady you see up on that stage there, the former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. She campaigned yesterday, that is the picture you are seeing, for Senator John McCain, for his re-election, yesterday, in Tucson.
Searchlight, Nevada, is home of the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. He's a top target for conservatives in this year's election. Following a second stop in Nevada, the movement's going to hit the road, going to go through about 23 states. The Tea Party plans an anti-big government spending rally in Washington, D.C. on April 15th.
CHO: Another story we are watching very closely this SATURDAY MORNING, leading civil rights activist Dorothy Height has been hospitalized in Washington. Height, who just turned 98, was crucial to the civil rights movement in the 1960s. A family friend tells CNN her condition is stable but serious. She was one of just a handful of key African-American leaders to meet with President Obama at the White House just last month for a summit on race and the economy.
HOLMES: New help for American homeowners who are either unemployed or underwater with their mortgage. The Obama administration unveiled a new plan Friday that would require lenders to reduce monthly mortgage payments and some cases temporarily suspend them for those who are out of work. It would also allow those who owe more on their home than it's worth to refinance. The plan hopes to keep those at risk of foreclosure from losing their homes and while hoping to stabilize the U.S. housing market.
CHO: We all know that T.J. thinks he's smart. But do you think that you're smart? Those who have high IQs are not the only ones who could be brainy. We're actually going to take you inside the brain to see what else indicates intelligence. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Welcome back. You know, we all want to be smart but what exactly does it mean to be smart? How do you get there? The most famous measure of intelligence is the IQ test, right? But should that be the standard? What exactly does a smart brain look like? Watch. A lot of what you are about to see may surprise you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's this? What is the man doing? Which one matches this? You are so smart. Are you sure you're only three? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.
CHO (voice over): He is. But believe it or not, this three-year old is taking a special class to prepare him far entrance exam for kindergarten. Sort of an SAT-style Kaplan course for the toddler set.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is a little like getting into college, to get into kindergarten.
CHO (on camera): Doesn't that seem crazy to you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is a crazy system.
CHO (voice over): It is happening all over the country. In some cases kids are being tested at 27 months, 30 months, barely out of diapers to determine whether they're gifted and talented, smart.
DANIEL PINK, AUTHOR, "A WHOLE NEW MIND": Good God, a kid tested when they are barely over two years old. Someone doesn't pass muster and that kid goes down an entirely different track from a more precocious 27-month old? That's insane.
CHO: For adults, the IQ test is the standard, clear cut, right and wrong answers, average score 100. But researchers say IQ, your intelligence quotient, is only 25 percent of what makes you successful. IQ misses the other 75 percent.
PINK: So what we have here is we have mechanisms that measure an important part, but an incomplete part of what it means to be intelligent and what it means to be successful. This ought to alarm us more than it does. Imagine getting into an airplane where the pilot getting 25 percent of the data she needed to fly the plane.
CHO: If that's the case, what does it really mean to be smart? How do you get smarter? We went to the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT. Doctor John Gabrieli is a professor of neuro- science.
DR. JOHN GABRIELI, NEUROSCIENCE PROFESSOR, MIT: There's lots of room to change throughout life.
CHO: He showed us computer images of two brains. A composite of a brain with a relatively low IQ and one with a higher IQ; look at the lower IQ brain. Lots of activity.
GABRIELI: They're using a lot of their mental resources. They are pushing the gas pedal really hard to do well on this task.
CHO: The higher IQ brain, not so much.
GABRIELI: They're trying smarter, not harder. Because it is easy for them for some reason relatively speaking.
CHO: Smarter brains, simply put, are more efficient.
GABRIELI: We think, in many ways, the magic of the brain is the wiring. You know, that our brains are really made up of millions of little brains, all working together.
CHO (on camera): A smart brain is just processing information much faster than a less smart brain?
GABRIELI: We think that's a huge part of the secret of smartness.
CHO (voice over): There is a way to make your brain smarter and it is a new frontier in science.
GABRIELI: So this is an exercise where you have to remember two things at once, that is what makes this hard.
CHO: This mental exercise can help raise your IQ score by about five points in a relatively short amount of time; 30 minutes a day five times a week for about a month.
(On camera): I'm like completely lost now.
(voice over): Enough to make your head spin. What's significant about this test is that it shows adult brains can change. And a few points on an IQ test can change your life.
GABRIELI: Every few points you get increases your chances of a better paying job, a healthy future, of more stability in your family life.
CHO (on camera): And a longer life.
GABRIELI: Even a longer life.
CHO (voice over): Which is why these kids start so early.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you point to the picture of the season?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pumpkin.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A pumpkin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: You know, he is just three years old. There is that age- old question, are men or women smarter? Do you know the answer to that question?
HOLMES: Women are, clearly.
CHO: You're a smart man. You're a very smart man.
The interesting thing is when you talk to people who study the brain, they say they can't tell you who is smarter, men or women, but they can tell you that female and male smart brains actually look different, right. So for a female smart brains, they have good wiring, so information travels quickly and efficiently from one part of the brain to the other. Whereas for men, a male smart brain is literally thicker. And so ... HOLMES: That makes sense.
CHO: I'm just saying that to be thick headed, as a male is-you know ...
HOLMES: To be smart. I have been screaming that for years.
CHO: Now you know it's true.
HOLMES: Now I know.
CHO: So, we talked about IQ, what about EQ? You have heard about EQ, right? Your emotional intelligence quotient? How important is that to being smart and how important is that to success? We are going to show you next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Welcome back. Appropriate song.
You know, we all want to be smart, but what exactly does it mean to be smart and how do you get there? We have all heard about IQ, right, your intelligence quotient. What about EQ, your emotional quotient? A lot of smart minds are calling that the other smart. So important to success that kids are actually being taught how to be emotionally smart in school.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHO (voice over): Along with math and science ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And so what you are going to do is put on your blindfolds.
CHO: This is part of the curriculum at a Clarendon Hills Middle School, near Chicago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When everybody has the blindfolds on, I'll have three people take off their blindfolds.
CHO: An exercise in boosting self esteem.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tap two people who you think can make you laugh.
KEVIN SCHRANZ, CLARENDON HILLS MIDDLE SCHOOL: It is a different kind of enjoyment than a subject. It's more of, like, a spirit lifter and it makes you feel good inside.
CHO: But what does that have to do with being smart?
ASHLEY MERRYMAN, CO-AUTHOR, "NURTURE SHOCK": I think it is a horrible idea. Do you get graded then for being angry? What does that mean in terms of real life?
PROF. ROGER WEISSBERG, UNIV. OF ILLINOIS, CHICAGO: Emotional intelligence is a different way of being smart.
CHO: Roger Weissberg, professor of psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago is the man behind the groundbreaking research on which the best selling book, "Emotional Intelligence", is based. The concept, EQ is just as important as IQ. Weisberg says turns out kids who get good social and emotional training score 11 percentage points higher on tests than kids who don't.
(On camera): Why? Why?
WEISSBERG: Well, I think there are a variety of reasons. They can overcome obstacles when they reach them. Some of this involves academic tenacity. Teaching kids self discipline and self control.
CHO: A learning process that starts in kindergarten. These are second graders, role playing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel proud because I just learned how to draw a dinosaur in computer lab.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow. That is great. Can you teach me?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good job.
CHO (on camera): What is the real-world benefit of this?
WEISSBERG: One real-world benefit is kids behave better in school. And other real-world benefit is they are less likely to fight. Another benefit is they are less likely to do drugs.
KATHLEEN JIRASEK, ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHER: I believe that this is the future. These children are our future. And so, I believe by teaching them this they will be the leaders.
CHO: Research also shows great leaders tend to be funny and the best doctors are empathetic. But can emotional intelligence be taught? Should it be?
MERRYMAN: You are telling me that you can't learn to be behave with your peers?
CHO (on camera): What you are saying is, do we really need a class for this?
MERRYMAN: I don't think we need a class for this.
CHO: Others argue getting along is just as important as getting good grades and the really smart thrive at both.
WEISSBERG: This is not academics versus social and emotional development. That is a false choice. This is teaching kids to be socially, emotionally and academically skilled.
(END VIDEOTAPE) CHO: You know it is an interesting debate. So, he says it is not choosing between EQ and IQ. That you really have to be smart at both, right? The thing is a lot of smart minds say the logical thinking, IQ part of it, that is really important, absolutely.
But that IQ cognitive linear thinking, a lot of those jobs can be outsourced even to a computer, right? So then it's EQ, that sort of big picture, creative thinking that becomes important, and if you're talking about intelligence being a means to and, finding a job, EQ definitely does count.
HOLMES: OK, now you put it that way, that makes absolute perfect sense.
CHO: You got it?
HOLMES: When you say a computer can always just do what a human being-because we do have that little-EQ, that you can never teach to teach to a computer.
CHO: You have very high EQ.
HOLMES: All right. We'll take our IQ and our EQ to the next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING, right now.
And again, hello to you all and welcome. From the CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
It's 7:00 a.m. here in Atlanta where we sit; 4:00 a.m. in Searchlight, Nevada, where the tea party is having a bit of a party for the Senate majority leader. We'll explain that.
I'm T.J. Holmes.
CHO: Good morning, everybody. I'm Alina Cho. Thanks so much for waking up, starting your day with us.
Stories we're watching this Saturday morning: The power of Palin. Sarah Palin is joining her former running mate, John McCain, on the campaign trail this weekend. He, of course, is fighting to keep his Senate seat. Palin is stumping for him and taking a shot at the media.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PALIN: This B.S. coming from the lame-stream media lately about this -- about us inciting violence. Don't let -- don't let the conversation be diverted. Don't let a distraction like that get you off track.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, if you missed that speech yesterday afternoon, we're going to show you some highlights of it throughout morning.
Also, another plan to help American homeowners out. This one aimed on helping people who are in fear of losing their homes. It's a White House mortgage modification plan and could help more than 1 million people who are facing foreclosure right now. We'll take a look to see if you qualify. Hear what the critics are saying out there, as well.
But, first, check of some stories we're getting overnight. Nobody seems to want to be the head of the Transportation Security Administration. President Obama's second pick is now saying he's backing out. Retired Army Major General Robert Harding cites distractions from his work as a defense contractor. The president says, however, he's disappointed but still confident on his TSA team.
CHO: And nearly a month after Iraq's election, the results are finally in. Supporters of Ayad Allawi are celebrating. His coalition won 91 seats in parliament. His group beat out every other coalition, including that of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Allawi now has to build enough support to form a coalition government while al-Malaki is vowing to challenge the results, calling them fraudulent.
The tea party movement holds a rally today in Searchlight, Nevada, today. A story we're watching very closely. Searchlight, of course, is the home of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a top target for conservatives in elections this year. Following a second stop in Nevada, the movement goes on the road to 23 states. Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is today's keynote speaker.
But the first stop is Arizona. Palin is trying to help her former running mate, John McCain, hold on to his Senate seat. He is facing a tough reelection campaign right now. This rally in Tucson yesterday was the first time that the two have appeared together since their failed White House bid.
And Palin took the opportunity to address a few critics over a post on her Facebook page. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PALIN: Hearing that a news reports lately, kind of this ginned up controversy about us, common sense conservatives, inciting violence because we happen to oppose some of the things in the Obama administration.
(BOOS)
PALIN: We know violence isn't the answer. When we take up our arms, we're talking about our vote. This B.S. coming from the lame- stream media about this -- about us inciting violence. Don't let -- don't let the conversation be diverted. Don't let a distraction like that get you off track.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Palin has about 1.4 million friends on Facebook -- T.J.
HOLMES: Alina, a lot of people saw her message this week, after this week's health care vote, was: don't retreat, instead -- reload. Those remarks were actually on one of her Web sites.
Alaska's former governor is targeting House Democrats she wants out of office. But critics are taking issue with the timing of that hit list, if you will. The reason for that, of course, it's been some really scary times with some lawmakers actually getting threats out there.
We're going to get more into this right now with the man who wrote this book, "Diary of a Mad Black PYC." By that PYC, we're talking about a proud young conservative. He's going to help us put a lot of this in perspective. Good to have him back on the show, Republican analyst Lenny McAllister.
Good to have you here.
You talk about a proud young conservative. Have you been proud of the way the Republican Party has behaved in the health care debate? Maybe some fault on the others side of the Democrats, but just as a Republican, are you proud of how your party behaved?
LENNY MCALLISTER, REPUBLICAN ANALYST: We could have done things better. There were definitely some things that I would have liked to have seen us do better. I know we went up a lot -- against numbers, against the procedural aspects of this whole thing. But the truth of the matter is, there's been different fringes -- not only with the tea party, but even within Republican activists and the Republican Party.
I think they have been trying to take the proper approach and they're trying to galvanize the party and conservatives through this. But they also know that they have to try to make sure not to go too far with the rhetoric.
And that's part of the balance that you're seeing with Governor Palin -- former Governor Palin and others right now -- how do you balance the emotion and the passion that you want people to take to the poll, that they saw in 2009, but at the same time not go overboard? Because we can't have folks throwing bricks to windows and firing shots and everything else we've seen this week.
HOLMES: You talk about that balancing act and you mentioned Sarah Palin. Let's put up what a lot of people took issue with this week. Something from her Web site, her Facebook page. It got a lot of attention.
There's the page itself but she had up a map that actually showed -- you see it there now. A map, the districts she says she's targeting where Democrats need to get out and but it had crosshairs, the scope of a gun targeting these things using the words target, you need to reload. A lot of people say that language was inappropriate now. We've heard some of this stuff in campaigns past.
Did you have a problem with this kind of rhetoric and this kind of map being up on her Web site at this time?
MCALLISTER: It's the type of thing that eventually needed to be pulled down, but it's the type of talk you hear about in politics all the time. You target districts and your target candidates, you target demographics, and you go after and you have to reload your message and retool your activists, and all that other stuff.
It is just at this time -- this week -- everybody's going to be sensitive to it. Starting with what happened Saturday, moving all the way through today. Tensions are high in America and sometimes you have to ratchet it back just a little bit to get people to calm down.
And I think governor tried to speak to that a little bit. Again, she's trying to do this balancing act of keeping people fired up and saying, look, we do not advocate violence and I do think the conservative activists throughout the country have been trying to get that message out, but teeter-tottering as far as they don't want to scale-back the activists too much. And they need them involve in the next six months.
HOLMES: Some of those activists you speak of, some at tea party been really involved -- getting involved, kicking off another tour across America today out there in Harry Reid's hometown. Is it a natural marriage between the tea party and the Republican Party? People just -- sometimes just naturally assume that it is, but would you say it is, just a natural marriage and these two groups need to be working together?
MCALLISTER: I think we're starting to see this stereotype of the Republican Party of being the elitist party, starting to finally be stripped away. What Republicans did not do a good job of over the last decade is that, look, Republicans are every day Americans. We're the folks out there that want life, liberty, pursuit of happiness. Give me a chance earn my keep; give me a chance to help contribute to America.
That's what you're seeing from the tea parties now. These are not folks that are running around coming to their tea parties in Rolls Royces. These are working class folks. Some of them are retirees that just want an opportunity to pursue the American Dream.
If the Republican Party can continue to bring those folks into the fold, they may actually be able to rebrand themselves as the party of the every day people. And that's a moniker that the Democratic Party has owned for decades.
HOLMES: Now, how difficult it's going to be to rebrand as a party of the people? We just had this health care bill passed. A lot of people have problems with it one way or another.
But there are some things people aren't going to argue with. A child with a preexisting condition can't be denied coverage. A kid who's 26 can keep -- can stay on his parent's insurance. People with preexisting conditions starting 2014 can't be denied coverage. Most Americans are not going to have a problem with that stuff.
But if the Republican Party tries run on a platform of "repeal the bill," they're talking about repealing some things in that bill that everybody does like -- is that going to work? MCALLISTER: I don't know if that's going to work. I think some of it may need to change the messaging, T.J. Maybe something along the lines of instead of kill the bill, maim the bill. Instead of trying to get rid of it, maim the bill.
In this sense, they may have to look at the bill as like a block of marble that they have to chisel out into the statute that they want. The Republicans didn't want the whole thing off the table. They really wanted something that was a little bit of a compromise.
There were definitely areas there that everybody agreed upon -- everybody agreed upon reform. Everybody agreed upon expanding coverage -- but the right way, without doing it fiscally irresponsibly.
So if they you look at maybe maim the bill, not kill the bill, they can start finding some compromise areas that will allow every day Americans to say, you know what, these Republicans at least had it right. They're correcting the spending as well. Maybe we need to get rid of these Democrats in November.
HOLMES: And we're going to continue our conversation this morning with Lenny. He's going to be back in the 9:00 hour. We're going to be talking -- talking about health care again, but also Harry Reid and his fight he's got -- he's got going out there in Nevada.
But, Alina, you heard it here first. Maim the bill. Don't kill it.
CHO: And stay with us, Lenny. Stay with us all morning.
All right. We want to turn now to the weather. You know, it's spring, but it certainly doesn't feel like it in some parts of the country. It does here.
Let's check in now with Reynolds Wolf.
Hey, Reynie. How are you doing? Good morning.
WOLF: Hey. Doing great.
And you're right, Alina. We're going to see the one-two punch today from Mother Nature. In parts of the Rockies, it's going to be heavy snow. But for parts of the Central Plains and into the Southeast, possibly some strong thunderstorms.
We'll give you the full dish coming up in just a few moments.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WOLF: Welcome back to CNN SATURDAY MORNING. We got a lot of weather to talk about. It seems to be a recurring theme on the weekends that things get a little bit hectic, and that could be the case, say, in parts of the Rocky Mountains. And you already see on this particular map, you see a little bit of green or blue, whatever flavor you choose, and even some red which indicates your watches and warnings.
We've got some heavy snow, possibly up to a foot of snow for in places like Grand Junction, and that if you're making a drive from Denver southward to Albuquerque to the Sangre de -- easy for me to say, Sangre de Cristo Mountains, what you're going to be seeing and saying there is, oh my gosh, look at all the snow.
It's going to be a late-season snowstorm that it's going to be from the Rockies as it drifts into parts of Central Plains, and gains up some strength, we're going to see more of this, more shower activity. Some of those, especially strong thunderstorms, are developing into parts of Missouri and then back into Arkansas.
Especially by late afternoon into the evening, we could see some flash flooding. There's the potential for maybe an isolated tornado or two, and at the same time, some very strong wind gusts. Tree damage is also a possibility.
But for everyone else who's trying to get out there and enjoy it, weekend is going to be great for you along the east coast and for much of the west coast face with the same deal, just a big trouble spot you have right in the middle of the country.
Very quickly -- your high today in New York, 47 degrees, 64 in Atlanta, 80 degrees in Miami, 51 in Kansas City, 77 in Phoenix, and 65 in Seattle.
That is a wrap on your forecast. You want to watch more? We got some great news for you coming up right here on CNN. We'll see you in just a few moments.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Welcome back.
Help is on the way this morning for American facing foreclosure. Millions of homeowners could benefit under a new White House mortgage modification plan. But what is it? Is it fair? And if you're in trouble, do you qualify?
Here to talk about this, financial expert and best-selling author, Clyde Anderson.
Clyde -- so, how many Americans could benefit from this? And lay out the plan for us. Who exactly is this going to help?
CLYDE ANDERSON, FINANCIAL EXPERT: Well, it could probably about 3 million Americans. And the people that it's going to help are the people that are underwater in their mortgage right now. Underwater meaning they owe more on the mortgage than the house is worth.
CHO: That's right.
ANDERSON: And that's a problem.
CHO: OK. So, lay it out, because you have some really interesting names.
ANDERSON: Yes.
CHO: You have different categories, right?
ANDERSON: Definitely, yes. We definitely have some different categories that can actually kind of take a look and see who's who ...
CHO: Right.
ANDERSON: ... and who's going to benefit from this program.
First, you have -- your first person that we're going to talk about is probably, say, they need to reduce their mortgage payments. So, we're talking about maybe 31 percent if they can reduce mortgage payment and that's Hard Luck Harry. Hard Luck Harry's had it hard, you know? He's lost his job. He can't make his mortgage payment on time and now, he can have his mortgage reduced to about 31 percent of his income.
CHO: So ...
ANDERSON: So, we're talking about $1,000 a month income, that's $300 a month.
CHO: Underwater and unemployed. I mean, really, the most at risk for foreclosure, right?
ANDERSON: Yes.
CHO: The next one is Struggling Sarah.
ANDERSON: Yes.
CHO: Who's that?
ANDERSON: Struggling Sarah -- Sarah is struggling. Sarah is behind in the monthly mortgage payments. She still has the job, but she's struggling in those payments. So, she's having an issue, too.
And so, you definitely are going to want to help her out, as well. And in this case, she may even be able to get a principal reduction which is huge. You haven't seen before. Lenders and servicers had the ability to do it but they haven't done. But now, they're going to offer incentives, up 10 percent to 21 percent of some of the services, and that's big money that we're talking about.
CHO: OK. So, what about the people who are paying on time, who are doing everything right? You're calling these people Responsible Roger.
ANDERSON: Yes.
CHO: What about them?
ANDERSON: Responsible Roger is paying everything on time. I think the benefit for Responsible Roger though is that if these people get help, it will help their whole community.
Think about it. If you're underwater or the people around you are underwater, it's going to make you a prisoner in your own home and not be able to sell.
CHO: Yes. So what you're saying is, if you're paying your bills on time, but the people -- your neighbor on either side is not and they're facing foreclosure, then your home value goes down, right?
ANDERSON: It hurts. It hurts.
CHO: But I mean, what do you -- what do you say to those people? They're so mad.
ANDERSON: Yes.
CHO: You know, the blogosphere is going crazy. Some people are saying this is a never-ending bailout for those who acted irresponsible. Other people are saying, you know, this is a bailout for people who gamed the system and they won the lottery.
ANDERSON: Yes.
CHO: How do you appease them?
ANDERSON: Well, I think that's a hard one because you got to think about it. Everybody was not irresponsible. You know, some of these people truly lost jobs. They really went into this with good intentions. They planned on making their payments and they just got to a position where they couldn't.
CHO: So, what about Irritated Iris?
ANDERSON: Irritated Iris.
CHO: Yes. How do you deal with Irritated Iris.
ANDERSON: Yes. You know, what you really have to do is hard. Some people you just won't be able to please. Irritated Iris is going to be unhappy, but she'll be happy when the values in their community begin to go up and we keep fixing this problem. And she'll be happy when she can sell her property for a decent amount.
CHO: Yes. Well, why don't you tell us when that's going to be? We all want to know, right?
ANDERSON: That's the magic question.
CHO: Home prices are down 30 percent over the high, right?
ANDERSON: Exactly. Exactly. We got some time to recover, but we are on the road and I do definitely commend the president for doing something like this again. You know, he is trying another stab at making this work. I mean, this is a huge problem. We got to fix it.
CHO: That's right. That's right. All right. Clyde Anderson, thank you so much. Here every Saturday at 7:15 to give us housing and financial tips -- Clyde, thank you.
ANDERSON: Thank you.
CHO: T.J.?
HOLMES: It's Tough Times T.J. apparently.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: That's great stuff. Are those yours, Clyde? You brought those in with you this morning.
CHO: We like that.
HOLMES: All right. Thanks, buddy.
Well, some lawmakers, of course, unveiled legislation to repeal the newly minted health care reform law. But we're asking you this morning, there are some parts that a lot of people like or maybe there are some parts of it that you would like to see repealed. That's our Facebook question, our Twitter question this morning as well.
I just go through a couple of responses we've gotten on the Twitter page, we go to it first. Let's go to Miss Kim, says, "Replace health care with what? More tax cuts for the rich? After a year of fear and hate rhetoric, GOP has offered nothing but fear and hate."
We'll go to LindaAC who says, "In order to make informed decision, a class would need to be studies about the bill first. This is problem number one."
Another says, "Republicans had eight years to replace the health care suffering of Americans. They did nothing."
One more is saying, "Republicans say they want to repeal and replace the health care bill."
Do you want to repeal it? Well, some people said they would like it replaced altogether.
Now, continue to send those in to us. We'll be sharing those throughout the morning.
The health care bill, of course, it has been signed now. What exactly does it mean to you? Dr. Sanjay Gupta is going to be taking your questions and he's going to be answering them live this morning at 7:30 Eastern. That's just about 11 minutes from now. He is in the house right now.
Well, start sending your questions in. He's going to be answering them live, starting at 7:30.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HOLMES: Here's a look at some of the stories that are making headline this morning. A very happy reunion for some 7,000 U.S. sailors and their families. USS Nimitz and three Navy missile destroyers arrived in San Diego yesterday after an eight-month deployment. The ships are part of the Nimitz carrier strike group. They've been conducting maritime security operations in the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf. Flight crews from the Nimitz aircraft carrier have been assisting in operations in Afghanistan.
CHO: The search is on right now for survivors of a South Korean navy ship. That ship sank last night. One hundred four sailors were aboard when the ship went down in the Yellow Sea off the coast of North Korea. So far, 58 sailors have been rescued. The ship was on routine patrol.
A South Korean news agency quotes military officials as saying an explosion punched a hole in the ship. But South Korean and U.S. officials are playing down possible involvement by North Korea.
And leading civil rights activist Dorothy Height has been hospitalized in Washington. Height, who just turned 98 years old, was a big part of the civil rights movement in the 1960s. A family friend tells CNN her condition is stable but serious. She was one of a handful of key African-American leaders to meet with President Obama just last month for a summit on race and the economy.
HOLMES: Well, stay with us, because we have a very special guest in the building right now. We usually don't see him. He doesn't come in for our show. I'm trying to get him live on this show for three years, huh, Sanjay? He decides to come in today.
Now, he's here. He's live. We'll explain in just a moment. We're actually going to be taking your questions.
Also, a showdown is looming in the desert. The tea party movement is taking aim at Senator Harry Reid in his own hometown. We'll find out why the veteran senator is their top target.
Stay here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA DAWN JOHNSON, MORNING MOTIVATIONAL MINUTE: Good morning and welcome to "Morning Motivation." This is Melissa Dawn Johnson.
Let me ask you this -- as you get started with your day, have you considered the power of your words? Yes, your tongue is actually the strongest muscle in your body. Well, your words have weight. The power of words is that they're able to create opportunities and positive advancements in your life.
Think about it. From your name to cities to businesses, words have created opportunities and have ultimately helped people get to the next level of life. So, no matter what tests come your way this week, remember -- you have the power to brand your day with the power of your words.
This is Melissa Dawn Johnson. Visit me at my blog at brandmelive.com. And until next week, make every single day brand- tastic.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: You can do it.
HOLMES: You can. I stopped everything I'm doing and watched the "Motivational Minute" every weekend.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm motivated just by sitting here next to you guys.
HOLMES: We've been asking you for 3 1/2 years to come on our show.
GUPTA: Well, you ordered me to come and here I am, whatever you say.
CHO: He's a busy guy.
GUPTA: That's because Alina's in town. That's why.
CHO: Oh, see.
HOLMES: That makes some sense.
GUPTA: See?
CHO: Nice to see you, Sanjay.
HOLMES: What's going on? Good morning to you.
GUPTA: Good morning.
HOLMES: People got questions for you. You're going to be taking those questions, a ton of them probably this morning.
GUPTA: I've been thinking about this for year as you guys know. And you know, I thin it's not overstating to say, this is one of the biggest domestic policies that's happened to our country for 45 years.
CHO: That's right.
GUPTA: That people talked about.
CHO: That's right.
GUPTA: The thing about it is, that it's 2,700 pages and ultimately, at the end of all of that, it's going to have some impacts on individual people's day-to-day lives.
CHO: I think a lot of people are still confused by it. I mean, it's $940 billion, close to $1 trillion. When all is said and done, 95 percent of Americans, right, will be covered. So, that's about 32 million Americans.
GUPTA: More Americans.
CHO: So, I thought I heard you say that the people who will be most affected first are those people who have those preexisting conditions, right?
GUPTA: Yes. I think, people right now who have been really, really hoping for this are people who have some sort of problem -- medical problem and have been uninsured.
So, literally, they've been told, you know, you need an operation. You need to get certain medications or therapy. They can't do it.
They don't have the insurance. They can't go to the E.R. for this sort of thing because it's not an emergency. But they still need medical care, and they've been unable to get it.
So, I think those people that benefit the most.
HOLMES: All right. We're about to hand this thing over to you. But tell them, where can they send -- start sending the questions in right now, right?
GUPTA: Yes. They can call us. Hopefully, you call us. We're going to put a phone number up here shortly. We wanted to do that because, you know, just talk to people directly.
HOLMES: Right.
GUPTA: Because there are nuances here that I think to be explained. So, coming up at the top of the hour, or actually, what is it, what is it called -- the bottom of the hour.
HOLMES: Bottom of the hour.
GUPTA: This is all just TV anchor lingo. The bottom, is these 30 -- yes, bottom of the hour, 7:30. Call us. And I'm really looking forward to this.
HOLMES: You're on in just a minute now.
GUPTA: Yes, OK. I am. I'll stick around.
HOLMES: All right. More with top stories, of course. Alina and I will be back at the top of the hour to continue CNN SATURDAY MORNING. But we are about to hand this over to Sanjay right after the commercial break.
Stay here.
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