and they have asked for the case to be reopened. troy davis has been hours away from execution three times only to have the case reviewed. it has now reached the u.s. supreme court. if the justices decide not to review the case, troy davis could go to the death chamber within days. remember when i asked him if he thought he would be executed? troy davis told me, no. he has faith in the justice system. a view, ironically, shared by the wife of the victim. >> we have to believe in this justice system. >> reporter: but she is still waiting for an execution. gary tuchman, cnn, savannah, georgia. president obama taking his case for health care reform to the american people. i'm heidi collins. "cnn newsroom" continues right now with tony harris. good morning, everyone.

sorby, i got a little jumpy there. health care reform is the prelim issue playing out in washington right now and new developments unfolding this hour in the push and push back. the tug of war over reform. what happens with the health care debate determines the future of your medical care, so you need to be plugged in and we are focusing on the issues and the players and the process. on capitol hill,. white house correspondent suzanne malveaux is at her post. the president preparing to take his push for health care reform to primetime and there is dana. let's start with suzanne malveaux, the president not only dealing with a push back from republicans, but grumbling from democrats. they say they need more direction on health care reform,

the entire overhaul package. so, suzanne, why is the president, let's tee it up, it's happening this evening, holding this news conference tonight? >> tony, i just got off the phone with the senior administration official who laid out the back story what is happening here. what they were hoping for, what the president was hoping for was a good news announcement that he could deliver to the american people some progress. we will hear from the president talking about the optimistic picture, if you will, that they are working through some of their differences, kind of in a broad brushed stroke and we're also told that these remarks about seven minutes in length that will cover not only health care, but kind of being more like a report card, if you will, the first six months of his presidency. what he has accomplished, what he has yet to set out to do. one of the things that we're seeing as senior administration official os tell us, the president will get more involved in his health care debate in a more direct way. it was just yesterday that he sat down with a group of blue

dog democrats, conservative democrats to try to at least listen to their demands about ten demands, concerns that they have about the health care reform plan and a senior administration official saying there are essentially three different groups that they are worried about. those democrats who are concerned about costs, those who are from high-income districts. so, when they listen to the proposals about taxes for wealthy americans and them having the burden, if you will, of paying for this health care reform and, finally, those who are against abortion rights. that they don't want federal funds going to any kind of procedures that they are against. these are the three groups that the president and administration officials very closely listening to. there will be a lot more of that, tony, a public relations campaign tonight, but also some subtle arm twisting going on behind the scenes, as well. >> good stuff. suzanne malveaux at the white house for us. thank you. a bipartisan group of senators behind closed doors searching for common ground on health care reform. senior congressional

correspondent dana bash joining us live and the latest on those talks. when we spoke with you yesterday, this committee was hard at work a meeting working, pounding away, ftrying to come p with some kind of compromise. where are we today in that process? >> i think it's a little bit of groundhog day because they're doing the same thing. i think it's important to note that what you see behind me, the office of senator matt baucus is a political bomb shelter because half a dozen senators in there, republicans and democrats who all say that they really feel shielded from the torpedoes being lobbed from democrats towards republicans, republicans towards democrats over all of this rhetoric on what the best way to approach health care reform is because they are actually, they have their sleeves rolled up and they are actually working on every single detail and they do insist that they will come up with some kind of bipartisan compromise. unclear when that will happen,

they need to get it done by any certain timetable, but they are still working very hard in a bipartisan way and that is going to continue all day long today and probably through the end of the week. >> okay, maybe you're getting at some elements of this next question here. the president is being criticized by members of his own party really, for not providing, i guess the criticism goes this way. for not providing real specifics on what he wants in the reform legislation and drill down on that a bit more. >> here's what i'm hearing more and more from senior democratic sources and even one democratic senator that i spoke to at length and that is that they certainly appreciate the sense that the president, i think, for the ten days in a row has gone out and ratcheted up the rhetoric and ratcheted up the pressure when it comes to his top priority, health care. what they say they're looking for as things really are problematic here among the president's own party are details. what one democratic source said is that they're looking for the president to weigh in and

actually make decisions on outstanding issues specifically, specifically the most vexing issue, tony, which is how to pay for this reform. instead of just saying, this is on the table, that is on the table, they want many, many democrats, more and more want the president to be specific. how do you want to pay for it? >> this is the strategy point here. the white house has clearly decided, look, we want congress to work out the details, harkening back to the clinton's attempt at health care reform where there was a set plan. here's what we want to do and that was scuttled. >> there's no question that was a strategy and has been the strategy that pretty much everybody agreed to that that was the best approach because it basically let democrats do their job here in congress, which is to actually draft legislation. that's quite a concept. however, the sort of long-term strategy was to let them do their thing and pass a bill in the senate and pass a bill in

the house and the president will weigh in when the president has to make a compromise. the dynamics have changed because of a divide within the president's own party. since the dynamics have changed, you are hearing more and more democrats saying we need your help, mr. president. we need you to weigh in on those specifics sooner rather than later. >> wow, senior congressional correspondent dana bash. talk to you later and much more to come today on health care reform. house speaker nancy pelosi holds a news conference at the bottom of the hour on the cost of health care. at 11:45 eastern, we'll hear from republican lawmakers and a preemptative strike against the president's message tonight. 12:10 eastern, a fact check from our senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen. will you really be better off under health care reform? we will also hear from the white house communication director about the president's primetime news conference. a lot going on. and experts, experts give us their 90-second prescription for fixing health care.

one other note, looking ahead to next hour and we love the senator, he is a great friend of the show, very smart. republican senator tom coburn joins us for a live interview. you will hear his position on health care reform. you won't want to miss that, i promise you. we want to hear from you, of course. josh levs joins us to explain how you can get in on the conversation. josh? >> we really like to hear from people talking about this issue, talking about health care. so many people have personal stories and the way to do it is on the screen behind me. we'll show everybody how you can weigh in on that question. what are you willing to give up? obviously, something has to give at this massive bill if in some form it will pass. >> we posed this question yesterday with the help of elizabeth colon who drilled down on this and said, this is the critical question. how much are you willing to give

up? what are you willing to sacrifice? >> hundreds of responses. i can open up the screen right here. as i zoom down all responses that continue to come in overnight. we keep getting more and more and more and more. i was piecing through a handful of them and sharing some of the more striking ones with you throughout this hour and next hour. i want to show on the graphics where to weigh in. tony's page cnn.com/tony. there you go. don't want everyone to miss that. we're also doing facebook and twitter. let's show everyone that screen. those are my pages, facebook or twitter. not only do we have hundreds coming on the blog but more every which way, facebook, twitter, this is really a conversation, a debate people are listening to each other and exchanges ideas. >> the noise. these two hours that we're responsible for, we're not interested in the noise. >> no, conversation. >> josh, appreciate it. health care is on the agenda all day tonight and today with

the presidential news conference. join cnn at 7:00 eastern for "moment of truth" that is followed by live coverage of president obama's news conference. set for 8:00 p.m. eastern time pacific. then immediately after the president don't miss "black in america 2" the first part of this two-night event all right this two-night event all right here on cnn.

when it's not in the sun. that's cool stuff. hard at work. go get them and don't slip, guys. we don't want to lose you. that's for sure. here's what's hap frng the weather forecast map today. the tennessee valley, south across the mississippi river, that's where we're seeing most of the thunderstorms. these aren't too bad right now, certainly heavy rain and lightning and maybe gusty winds heading south of alexandria and maybe getting in towards the red stick pretty soon. nashville up to cincinnati, ohio. some rain and some showers and a few claps of thunder. but the overall pattern cool across the western great lakes and the heat building across a lot of the desert southwest. if you're doing travel today, we're looking at delays at

philadelphia. 30-minute delays. san francisco 35-minute delays because of low cloudiness out there and atlanta, georgia, looking at 30-minute delays. quick check on weather.

outside the united nations building right now a group has gathered to start a hunger strike. reza sayah live outside the u.n. this is a hunger strike to protest the alleged repression in iran. >> yeah. this is a hunger strike in support of the opposition movement in iran and what these people are also doing are calling for the release of hundreds of detainees who were taken in after the controversial elections on june 12th in iran. but the crowd in front of the u.n. is growing. rain is in the forecast during this three-day hunger strike, so the tent is up. there you see the sign-in table with guests are arriving and putting their name, about 60 people, an estimated 60 people will take part in this hunger strike and they're celebrities. you may not know them, but if you're iranian or from iranian

descent. some of them are actors, filmmakers, musicians, artists, professions, members of the academic society and among them is -- you are a historian, written a lot about iran and talk about what's happening right now. do you think the supreme leadser paying attention to what is happening right now on this street corner in new york city? >> i'm absolutely convinced this hit the news in iran globally. he is getting the message and mesen conveyed by iranians in the south and even yesterday both indications that there will be crackdown. this demonstration not going to just go away. he is getting the message from two ways. both from the people from the dwrou ground up and from his rank and file.

>> i appreciate your time. these are the people that they're calling to be released. these are the individuals, some of the hundreds in prison, political prisoners taken in by the iranian leadership in front of the vote. this is being held in front of the u.n. because this group wants to apply pressure to the u.n. and apply pressure to the administration. >> reza sayah in front of the united nations building. the u.s. government may be at risk of a cyberattack, that's according to a study out this morning for the partnership of public service. a staffing problem after looking at 18 federal agencies the group found the lack of internet security experts and training and overall leadership to fight off internet attacks. and, tonight, the premiere of cnn's black in america 2, soledad o'brien hosting the program, as we expect. great see you, soledad. >> hey, tony, always nice to see you.

>> i don't get to see you on television, but you're crisscrossing the country doing this fabulous work. what can we expect tonight? >> part 2 was to look at success and sort of analyze success in the black community. what is working? we set up a lot of the challenges and problems this time around. this time around, who is making a difference kind of moving the ball down the field as far as education, providing opportunities and business advancement, you know, everything. so, we tell the story of a guy named dr. steve perry. he is the principal and founder of prepatory magnet school and he says 100% of his graduates on to four-year colleges. 100%. those are his numbers. one of his students is a young woman named gloria who went from thinking of dropping out to a huge success. take a look at her story. >> good morning, good morning. good morning, good morning. good morning. where's your coat, man? tough guy. good morning. >> every morning at 7:30 a.m. you can find steve perry here.

how's everything? >> reporter: he's principal in connecticut. each and every day he and vice president princeal meet and greet every student as they walk through the doors. for perry, being a principal is all about the details. mr. carter, you have to be kidding me. that is the fastest you can move, son? from uniform inspections. having it is not enough, put it on. >> reporter: to morning meetings. >> i know quite a few who have not done curriculum mapping. >> reporter: he does it all. >> than keep your mouth shut. just keep it shut. >> i wake up at 4:45 in the morning and drive kids to school. >> reporter: you take kids to school, in your car? >> every day. >> reporter: why?

>> you do what you have to do to get it done. come on, georgia, get to where you need to be. >> reporter: getting it done is priority number one for perry and his staff. >> we have a school that is designed to send children to college. if we don't send college, we're not doing our job. >> reporter: how many of your students go to college? >> 100%. >> reporter: 100%. every child that graduates? >> every child that grjwiaduate goes on to college. >> reporter: children like 18-year-old gloria. >> my blazer's in my locker. i believe if i hadn't gone to capital prep i think i wouldn't have finished high school. >> reporter: in spite of a tough childhood, she's smart, hard working, a natural leader and she's thrived, she says, because she's surrounded by other motivated students. >> oh, okay, i know how to do this. everyone has a certain goal and that goal is to go to college. so, when you kind of hear it

here, it spreads like wildfire, i'm going to college. >> if you disagree, raise your hand. that's fine. >> reporter: how does capital send all its graduates to college? >> we design a school that's year-round. no reason why children should be home during the summer. we have a longer school day. what we do right, we go to school on saturdays. what we do is work hard to get children to a place where they need to be. >> reporter: what he does right in addition it all of that is he raises expectations when those students come in as sixth graders they know, do not come here if you're not going to college. people that come here go to college. if you do not plan to go to college, you do not need to be in my school. at this school we send people to college. the school is on the campus of a community college. so, when kids are unsure if they're college material, guess what, they've been taking college classes since 11th grade

and these kids qknow their college. >> we get started at 7:00 eastern "a moment of truth." >> henry lewis gates is going to be our guest tonight. he is the harvard professor who was arrested in his home a couple weeks ago and he is going to talk to us for the first time on tv about what happened. his experience and what he's planning to do next. that's at 7:00 p.m. eastern time. then at 8:00 p.m., president obama is hold agnews conference. we'll breakaway for that and then at 9:00 p.m., "black in america" will air. viewing parties being set up all over the country, for me that is finding where t.j. holmes is and going to his home for his party. >> can we come? >> absolutely. we'll be watching tonight. can't, kacan't, can't wait to s it tonight. need a job? what if you're over 50. tips on what you should do straight ahead.

i'm john legend, don't miss "black in america 2" on cnn. we all know that finding a job in this economy is tough and the older you are, the tufter is. so, what can you do if you're 50

plus and pounding the pavement? personal finance editor gerri willis joining us now. good to see you. >> hi, tony. >> good to see you, gerri. where can i find out who's hiring the so-called mature, smarts, battle-tested workers. >> that's right. well, the good news here is that the web can really, really help you. and you may be overwhelmed by the number of websites you're going to see there, but some great places to go to get started. retirementjobs.com. yourencore.com. scientists and engineers, retiredbrains.com. you'll find job listings, career databases specifically for people in this age group. developing resumes. now, some of these will charge you a fee for access to their databases and some don't. big career sites like career builder also have sites specifically for older workers. the aarp have a list that

welcomes 50 plus workers. a ton of them aarp also have job fairs and, look, don't be shy. look, i know a lot of people don't get jobs in this category, matter of fact, we have new numbers out today that 28% of only 28% of workers in this category were able to get jobs over the last year, if they were 55 plus. but, i have to tell you, we did find people out there who have gotten jobs just this week. an 84-year-old woman got a job. 84, 84 got a job as a fund-raiser just this week. so, there are jobs out there. you really have to work hard to get them. >> hope she has health care. what about some real world advice here, gerri. look, the internet y get it and i'm a little old school here. but sometimes that advice you get on the internet just doesn't cut it. >> there's real world things you can do here. something called the 5:00 club. you can attend weekly meetings

and get advice directly from job counselors, you pay for the privilege and membership is 49 bucks. if you decided to put out your own shingle and a lot of people in this age category go into business for them selves. the small business administration has more than 10,000 experienced volunteers that train and counselor small business operators. it's a program called score and they also give loans to people. go to sba.gov. you're not alone. according to the aarp, one in six workers, 65 plus, are in the workforce. that's up from one in ten in 1985. big numbers going into the workforce and staying back in the workforce. >> how about assistance between jobs, is that available? >> people want to know how to get help if they can't find a job right now. aarp, again, can help point your browser to aarp.org/realrelief where you can find out whether you and your family qualify for

public benefit programs and pay for health care and medicine. easy to use screening tool and helps you go to the right places no matter where you live and get help with money management details and details on social security programs and it's a really great resource for people in this category. >> the internet. pretty good, huh? pretty important. >> sure is. sure is. >> great tips, as always. and, again, we would love to give the e-mail address if anyone has any questions for you. >> gerri@cnn.com. let us know how you're doing out there finding that new job and what kind of obstacles you're encountering and what kind of tips you can give us. >> thank you. >> my pleasure. the fed says things are getting better, but when we will we feel it?

welcome back, everyone, to the "cnn newsroom." in tough times like this, tough times like these, like this, we're all cutting back on everything from eating out to going on vacation, but, you know, there's one item that millions of people still seem to be able to afford. i can't believe this. i looked ahead, susan. susan lisovicz at the new york stock exchange with a look at what it is. hello, good morning, susan. >> tony, you have a 14-year-old son, as i recall. loves electronics. >> exactly. >> you know the answer to this. and we, your son and everybody else spend more than $1.5 billion on iphones in just three months. apple sold more than 5 million iphones last quarter, that's more than seven times that apple sold a year earlier. the new iphone was released during that quarter but was on sale for less than two weeks before the quarter ended. also helping out the bottom line, mack intosh computers.

apple says the issue should be addressed within weeks. obviously, it's an issue that many companies would love to have. apple q3 profits in sales beat estimates and some analysts say this could continue because zee the back to school season. i hate to say it, but it is approaching and that is often good times for electronics. apple shares are up 4% and the dow, the nasdaq and the s&p 500 at the moment are higher. the nasdaq composite has been up the last five sessions. that's the best win streak in 12 years. >> don't say it, you jinx it if you say it. >> apple has helping out a lot today. >> susan, appreciate it. >> i won't say it again. >> no, no, i'm going to get the call later. i'm going to get the call, it's going to be crazy. all right, susan, appreciate it, see you next hour. >> you got it. federal reserve chairman ben bernanke is back on ocapitol hill.

he is testifying right now before the house banking committee and he told a panel yesterday that the economy is starting to show signs of stabilization, but, but he cautioned improvement is uncertainly and likely to be gradual. more blunt criticism this morning from neil barofsky the man who oversees the troubled asset relief program or t.a.r.p. he spoke to cnn's "american morning" about the bailout. >> the original point of the t.a.r.p. was to take $700 billion in toxic assets off the books and records of banks. that, obviously, has not happened. one of the other goals was to increase lending. i don't think that's happened either. although i think far greater e decrease in lending absent the it t.a.r.p. avoid a systematic failure, i would say t.a.r.p. along with other programs may have achieved that goal. >> he said the treasury department needs to do more to make sure your tax dollars are

not wasted. the fed chief says things are getting better, but when will we feel it? that is one of the issues that christine romans is tackling right now. christine is filling in for ali velshi on his weekly radio show. christine is with us from new york. >> hi, tony. >> hey, christine, look, i want to start with earnings and then we'll start with whatever we feel the fed chief says is happening here. some companies, not all making money again, but some are. apple, a couple of big banks, caterpillar, maging money. more earnings out today. what do we read into that fact? >> we are to read into that fact that some companies have been laying off workers, cutting their labor costs and selling divisions and selling parts of themselves to get money to raise cash to try to make money. you can't do that forever, tony. at some point you don't have any employees let left and you don't have any divisions left. what we look at when we look at the earnings report, how much is

defensive cost cutting and demand is increasing and except for the iphone and apple and a few other places, mostly we're still seeing companies that are pretty much on the defense trying to find ways to make money anyway they can. >> you're hosting, can we put the number up for the radio show for folks to call you. >> it's 877-266-4189. >> 877-266-4189. all right, so you're doing a radio show, right? >> i have a caller, tony in atlanta. >> tony has questions for you. so, the economy may be bottoming out and a modest recovery will begin this fall. yes or no? >> doesn't matter. because if the economy is bottoming out and there is a recovery later this fall, you're not going to feel it, and i'm not going to feel it, i don't think. >> what do you mean? >> we'll still have a jobs problem and a housing problem. you live in your house and if the house value is still going

down or if you work at your job or if you're afraid of losing your job, those are the two most important things about your personal finance and personal economy. i don't want to give false hope for those two things for the near term. ben bernanke said -- >> christine, i'm sorry, i have to get to the house speaker nancy pelosi. we understand she'll start her weekly meeting with the media talking about health care reform. >> the other two committees are hard at work doing their jobs. today, we are going to hear real stories from real people about the impact that health care reform will have on their lives. for the american people, america's affordable health choices act will mean a cap on your cost, but no cap on your benefit. a cap on your cost, no cap on your benefit. that represents real change. today we are joined by four americans who have tried to work hard and play by the rules and

have ended up with crushing health care costs and debt. has tens of thousands of dollars in medical debt because of his health insurance has a waiting period and a high deductible. molly of nashville, tennessee, whose medical debt from uterine cancer can result in foreclosure on her home. catherine howard of san francisco, california, and jacqueline mclose of massachusetts who both beat cancer but had radically different experiences with their health insurance. americans affordable health choices act takes a number of steps to ensure that when americans face a health crisis, they also don't face a financial crisis. consumers will have more choices so they can find plans without waiting period and high deductible. there will be an annual limit on out-of-pocket expenses and no

lifetime limits on care. there will be no more co-pays or deductibles for preventive care that can catch devastating illnesses in time and if you change your job or lose your job or have a pre-existing medical condition, you cannot be denied coverage. i'm now pleased to introduce our caucus vice chair, javier serves on the ways and means committee that is helping to lead this health insurance reform effort. he's been a very valued member of our caucus and it's in leadership on this issue. >> thank you, madam speaker. for those who think that this has been an artful game of political or policy chess, hear the stories of the people that are with us today. this is the real deal.

this is about finally giving people a real sense that health care will be there for them and their families. and if anyone thinks that the stories that are being written today about where we are in this health care discussion are simply stories about washington, d.c., then you're sorely mistaken because the real stories that this is all about are here today. in some places in america, people think they have good health insurance. in some places in america, too many americans have found out that they don't. we intend to change that. america's affordable health choices act needs to make it possible for no one to have to worry that the health insurance they have will not be enough. molly has a story to tell you. she's a small business woman,

she was doing very well and then she found out she had uterine cancer. she has and had health insurance. so like all americans who had health insurance, she thought she'd be okay. until her insurance company told her, you're a little too sick to be helped. so, her catastrophic coverage didn't take care of what she needed. and, today, like many americans throughout this country who are on the verge of losing their ho home, she had to take out money from her home so she could pay for some of her expenses and today she's one of those many americans who is not sure if she's going to get to keep something as important as the roof over her head. now, these stories go on all the time, but molly's story is no different from the story of many

americans throughout this country. and while we write about and read about these tales of political and policy discussion and debate, the real stories are here and i'd like to introduce to you to molly. >> thank you. good morning. again, my name is molly secore and until about two years ago i was a fairly healthy free lns filmmaker and i prided myself on being responsible, a single, self-employed person and i did there smart thing. i went out and got a low-end health care policy with a large deductible. catastrophe insurance policy. i told my friends that it was my bus insurance. in case i get hit by a bus and that's pretty much how i felt and i was pretty healthy so that was safe. i know that might sound it

dramatic, the in case i get hit by a bus insurance policy but i'm a filmmaker and what happened to me feels more like a movie than actually my life. two years ago last month i got hit by the bus. i heard those words, the three most terrifying words that you can hear in america, you have cancer. when you hear those words it's like stepping out of the shower into outer space. you're disoriented. none of the rules of life apply to the universe and everything becomes surreal and this cannot be happening to me, how. when i found my tongue and the first things out of my mouth were, i know i can't afford this. never mind that it was stage iv uterine cancer and spread to the limp nodes and requiring an immediate hysterectomy and that i was facing that i would no longer have the possibility of

having children, the first words were, i can't afford this. never mind that there was a chemo and radiation cocktail that i was going to endure for the next six to eight months of my life that meant i would never be the same. i was consume would the fear that i'd have to declare bankruptcy. never mind that i was being told that the key to my recovery was to remain stress free. just stay stress free and all i could hear was i'll probably lose my house. so, my health care nightmare began. the lethal cocktail of chemo required these mega anti-nauseum drugs and they were $500 a round for each chemo. i had six rounds of chemo. i had to call cousins in canada to see if i could get it cheaper because i couldn't afford it because my insurance company wouldn't pay for the anti-nausea drugs. after the first five rounds of chemo i got the first bill in the mail. a four-page itemized bill and

one item on the bill for the first round of chemo. the first of six was for a shot of nulasta which was almost $6,000. that was one item on a four-page bill and i about passed out knowing that just $36,000 i was going to have to look forward to receiving in the mail of bills just for that one shot. so, some days when i got the bills in the mail, that was almost as excruciating as the harrowing chemo treatments i went through. there were days that i prayed that i wouldn't make it because i didn't want to face what was waiting for me on the other side should i make it. but i survived cancer and last fall, less than a year in remission, i had to battle with my mortgage company who had put me into foreclosure. even though i'd never been late, i never missed a payment during the entire time of chemo and radiation. no leniency because i had

cancer. i had a subprime mortgage because i'm self-employed and if it weren't for the fact that i knew tennessee congressman jim cooper, i wouldn't have a home right now. they rallied for me, the press rallied for me and i ended up getting to keep my house. so, i didn't lose my house. but it shouldn't take an act of congress for someone who has cancer to keep their house. >> as you listen to this woman's story, important to remind you that everyone in america agrees that health care reform is needed for this woman and others, really, in this country. the question is, what would you give up to get meaningful health care reform? we'll hear from the house minority leader in just a few moments and josh levs is following your comments on our blog, just go to cnn.com/tony. we're back with more "cnn newsroom" in just a moment.

what a rocking program this morning. let's talk to our josh levs right now. josh, i know you're following comments. look, the question some might think it's loaded, we're asking, what are you willing to give up? what are you willing to sacrifice for health care reform that is meaningful that helps

the woman we just saw, the filmmaker we just saw. >> you called it, tony. >> some people love their insurance -- love it -- and then they get sick and they realize they don't quite have the insurance they thought they had. so, the question is, what are you willing to give up for meaningful health care reform? >> this really hits people at home, because they've had to give up some stuff. let's get right to it. this is the question, what are you willing to give up? the question is posted at cnn.c cnn.com/tony. and we have some quotes for you. i want you to see the basics. this is the first one, it says, i am willing to give up the unnecessary and immoral wars in iraq and afghanistan, that's mike's position. the next one -- this refers to an actual tax being scucksed. let's get in two more here.

let's do one more here -- now, let's go back to the screen for a second. because we're having this discussion on the blog as we head. can we zoom in, we've got it going over here on facebook. a lot of people posting there. this one from kimberly, pretty similar. i've already given up hope that congress will set aside politics and posturing for the press to do real work on this issue. what else do they expect me to give up? we've been reporting on the number of bipartisan senators really working. >> we are trying to stay out of the noise zone. >> that's right. >> it's our world, it's cable television, but sometimes the noise is just deafening can we just drill down on the work that's being done? >> exactly. i want to end on this one. the opposite perspective, i got this on twitter. what are you willing to give up? whatever it takes. >> okay. >> let's show everybody how you can weigh in. we've got a screen, cnn.com/tony, show where you can weigh in. also we've got facebook and twitter, in case it's

joshlevscnn. you can see it there. we've also got i. reports coming in. for that we'll turn to tyson who is going through all the i-reports. i'm going to get out of the way and he'll show you this. >> awesome. >> thanks, josh. hey, tony. let's pull up what we need, ireport.com. obama is urging lawmakers on capitol hill to get the health care reform bill passed. and viewers are sharing their thoughts. and the complex issue and when it should be addressed. let's take a look at what a couple of people are saying. we'll start with monica from jacksonville, florida, who says reform is needed, but those lawmakers actually need to take their time and do it right. >> we are running into this. while i think it's great that it's on the agenda, it's great that it's calendared in, doing it right means taking your time. and i'm willing to wait, president obama. i'm willing to wait a little longer to have it done right. if we're going to be spending my children's money and my

grandchildren's money, i want it done right. i don't want it done today. it doesn't even have to be done this year, let alone this congress, congressional session. right would be preferable. >> all right. and check out this response from david p. chronmiller of burbank, california, who tells us why exactly he feels health care reform is urgently needed. >> the reason i care about this is i'm uninsured. and i'm unemployed. and my wife is also in a similar situation. so, if something happens to either of us, it could be catastrophic. and so i care about this issue. and, you know, i'm upset. slow down, we've waited 15, 20 years, how slower can you go? but my biggest problem with this i think it's a moral and ethical issue. i think it is immoral and unethical to profit off of someone's sickness or someone's poverty. >> all right. so, tony, as the health care debate heats up, we really want

to hear from i-reporters and we're inviting them to do so on ireport.com. and specifically we're asking them, what do you want in your health care plan? should the government mandate health coverages, do you support a public option, and finally, who should pay for all of this? great responses on i-report.com, we invite our viewers to -- >> great. help us build it. look, in essence, we're starting from scratch. help us build, you know, the health care system moving forward. tyson, good stuff. appreciate it. thank you. >> take care, tony. team kyra phillips is just back here in the newsroom, working away right now, getting ready -- getting ready for 1:00 p.m. eastern time. they want to hear from you on health care reform. you can call in your thoughts. the new kyra hotline, here's the number for you 1-877-742-5760. blow up that phone line. they'll be answering your questions starting at 1:00 p.m. eastern right here in the "cnn newsroom." my name is chef michael.

and my dog bai@íy and i love to hang out in the kitchen... so she can watch me cook. you just love the aromas of beef tenderloin... and, ooh, rotisserie chicken. yes, you do. [ barks ] yeah. you're so special, you deserve a very special dog food. [ woman ] introducing chef michael's canine creations. the deliciously different way to serve up your love at mealtime.

chef-inspired. dog-desired. chef michael's canine creations. right now, 1.5 million people are on a conference call. 750,000 wish they weren't. - ( phones chirping ) - construction workers are making 244,000 nextel direct connect calls. 1 million people are responding to an email. - 151 accidentally hit "reply all." - ( foghorn blows ) that's happening now. america's most dependable 3g network bringing you the first wireless 4g network. - sprint. the now network. - ( whoosh sound ) deaf, hard of hearing and people with speech disabilities access www.sprintrelay.com.

hey, prime-time push for health care reform, president obama tries to regain momentum for his health care overhaul. during a news conference tonight, boy, a look at some new poll numbers out this hour, shows the president's approval rating on health care reform has dropped below 50%. and in the cnn poll of polls, his overall approval rating is down five percentage points since late june. brother! the president has made health care reform a top priority, but he is facing a lot

of pushback from republicans and some democrats. details from white house correspondent, suzanne malveaux. >> reporter: president barack obama is raising the stakes. using a prime-time news conference to throw all his weight behind health care reform. >> but make no mistake, we are closer than ever before to the reform that the american people need, and we're going to get the job done. >> reporter: facing skeptical lawmakers, including members of his own party. the president's strategy consists of private arm-twisting and public scolding. >> time and again we've heard excuses to delay and defeat reform. >> reporter: using his popularity and political capital early in the game. >> i don't want you to feel all like you're alone on this. >> reporter: with town halls, tv interviews and prime time, aimed at building momentum and creating a sense of urgency, to get health care legislation on his desk by mid-august. >> we have traveled long and hard to reach this point. i know that we have further to

go. >> reporter: some say a risky strategy. >> i think from his point of view, there are many in the public who would like to hear from him, but they'd also like him seeing just sitting down and negotiating the plan. what they look for is a leadership that says, here's where we're going to go. not a leadership that says, i'm encouraging congress to make more progress. >> reporter: the effort comes amid recent polls, showing approval for mr. obama's health care plan dropping below 50%, and americans now split over his handling of the economy. republican are seizing the moment. >> we want a fundamentally reorient one-sixth of our economy in two weeks, and that makes no logical sense to me. >> okay, suzanne malveaux live from the white house. suzanne, why today? why is the president holding this newser later this evening? >> reporter: well, you know, tony, initially the hope was that he'd have some sort of good-news announce tom make in his opening statement. there's a lot of work. there's a lot of hard negotiating that's still taking place. i spoke with a number of senior

administration officials this morning who said he is not going to be meeting with lawmakers today regarding health care reform, that they are temporarily going to shift their focus, at least today, with his meeting with the iraq prime minister nuri al maliki, but he is meeting with his staff and his advisors to get any kind of updates that. from the hill. his speech is going to be about seven minutes in length. it's going to cover health care, but also be kind of a report card, what has taken place in the last six months. and we were told, tony, don't expect to have holds in this speech waiting for an anticipated breakthrough, legislative breakthrough. there's a lot of work ahead here, and senior administration officials say this president is going to be more involved, directly involved, with members of congress. we saw it yesterday when he privately met with a group of democrats, all who had a list, tony, a list, of concerns, about ten or so, to the president about the current health care plan. the reform plan. he met with them for an hour. he listened to them. white house aides say that he agreed. that they need to lower the

costs in some way. they still have a ways to go, tony. >> wow, our white house correspondent, suzanne malveaux for us. you know, they continue to work. suzanne, appreciate it. thank you. we may hear this hour from senators working on a bipartisan health care plan. we are keeping an eye out for that. just moments ago, house speaker nancy pelosi held a news conference focusing on the high cost of health care. she says reform will lead to improvements. >> consumers will have more choices, so they can find plans without waiting periods and high deductibles. there will be an annual limit on out-of-pocket expenses, and no lifetime limits on care. there will be no more co-pays or deductibles f s for preventive that can catch devastating illnesses in time. and if you change your job or lose your job or have a pre-existing medical condition, you cannot be denied coverage. >> okay. the mad rush for health care reform is running into speed

bumps. and the noise on capitol hill is deafening. as you might expect, there is no shortage of blame for not getting the job done. our senior political correspondent, candy crowley, cuts -- hang on just a second. senator kent conrad is talking about -- about health care reform. let's listen to him right now. we'll get back to candy in a moment. >> well, it's certainly important for us to listen to the president. he is eager to move a package along. and good for him. you know, i think it's important that there be pressure. otherwise sometimes things tend to drift. on the other hand, we're working diligently. i think you can see, we're spending many hours a day. got the best experts in the country that we're consulting. and we're making very good progress. but this is hard. there's just no way around it. >> yesterday, talk to us about

the -- from the administration how it should not be included in the overall bill. those who watch us every day had a strange reaction. you just kind of walked away. can you explain what bothered you about what peter orszag said about it and how he would account for it? >> no. any other questions? >> do you anticipate getting any further than a deal here before the august recess? were you envisioning a markup, a completion of a markup? >> you know, that's really above my pay grade. the timing of when a mark is laid down is in the chairman's hands. >> senator conrad, can you give us a sense of how much outstanding work still has to be done with cbo? do you feel like you have the numbers you need for everything? >> no. >> that you need? >> no. >> what's the turnaround time? >> well, it's very hard to answer that question, because it varies so much what the questions are, what the specs are we send to them. but we continue to send options

to them. in fact, we've given them -- we've given the staff this morning a charge to go back and really scrub the medicaid part of this for additional savings. and have come up with a number of concepts for doing that. have had very intensive discussions this morning about how that would work, what the effects would be. so -- but, again, that's why, you know, to get this right takes time. >> -- medicaid over the weekend have any effect? >> absolutely. absolutely. we talked about that at length this morning. the governors' reactions. absolutely. we're very sensitive to the governors' concerns. >> when you say scrubbed in the sense of medicaid, are you going back and looking at the different thresholds or the different percentages that would expand medicaid?

>> you know, i don't think it's probably wise for me to get into the details at all. just to say, as i have, looking -- we've spent most of this morning talking about medicaid, the costs, various options for saving money. and it was a very, very detailed review. >> did you get a -- >> how much is the cost -- >> all right, democratic senator kent conrad talking about where we are. he is a part of this bipartisan group that is working with max baucus, who is the chair of the senate finance committee, trying to come up with a compromise, trying to get something done here. we'll continue to follow this debate and the work of that committee and the work of that bipartisan panel of that committee throughout the day here with our dana bash and with others. you know, among the democrats dissatisfied with the health care reform plans, the so-called blue dog democrats. they're concerned about the costs of the health care overhaul. congressional correspondent,

brianna keilar, live from capitol hill with that part of the story. we were going to roll in a piece here, a terrific piece from candy crowley about the blue dogs, but we've got you. we've got you live, and we've got you from where all the action is taking place. brianna, if you would, what is a blue dog, and why are they called blue dogs? >> reporter: yeah, we should explain what they are. >> yeah. >> reporter: since we talk so much about them, tony. they are a group of democrats in the house of representatives, and in the '90s when democrats lost the majority in the house, there was a group of yellow dog democrats. basically southern democrats who said they felt choked blue by the far left and the far right. and so this is a story they'll tell you. they now call themselves blue dogs, and they're typically fiscally conservative democrats from typically conservative districts. >> i see. >> reporter: so, as you can imagine, tony, in the last couple of elections when a lot of democrats have been elected taking over spots in typically republican districts, there have become a bigger group of blue dog democrats, there's actually

52 of them now. >> wow, okay. and why are they so powerful when it comes to health care? >> well, it really comes down to their numbers. 52 is a big number. >> yeah, it is. >> reporter: in the scheme of things and they have a couple of demands when it comes to health care. they want cost savings and revamp incentives. cost savings, what it means, they want to squeeze as much savings from the health care system as possible before taxing americans. when it comes to revamping incentives, they want to make sure doctors and health care systems are incentivized to perform better care. in particular when we get to see how much power they have, there are seven of these blue dog democrats who have stood up basically against house democratic leadership and said your plan is not meeting our demands and we are basically going to stop this health care proposal from moving forward, from going through a key committee on to the full house floor for a vote unless you start incorporating our demands. so, a few of these seven blue

dog members in particular, mike ross from arkansas, baron hill from indiana, charlie melancon from louisiana, and they are from southern, rural areas. that's why they're getting so much attention. that's why we saw them meeting with president obama at the white house yesterday and we hear a lot of democrats listening to what their demands on. >> thanks for name and faces of these people. brianna keilar, thank you. we want to hear from you. we want you to weigh in on had health care discussion because obviously reform will require changes, look, from all of us. so, do this for you, if you wouldn't mind. just go to our blog page at cnn.com/tony and tell us what you think. what are you willing to give up to help? be sure to include your name and the city where you live. we want to start to track responses by regions here. just to see what we find out. and we'll read some of your comments on the program a little later this hour.

cnn, of course, will bring you live coverage of president obama's news conference tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern, that's 5:00 pacific. what is the message president obama wants you to take away from tonighted news conference? i'm going to ask a member of the president's communications team that very question. multivitamin. only one a day men's 50+ advantage... has gingko for memory and concentration. plus support for heart health. that's a great call. one a day men's.

we knew this would be a cracker-jack show today and you're looking at max baucus, he's the chair of the finance committee talking about health care reform. >> very significant. it's kind of exciting, actually. we'll come back at 3:00 today and keep going. >> senator, the president is holding a press conference tonight. a big part of it is your -- [ inaudible ] >> he'll be back. >> a big part of it, sir, is to pressure you, to pressure democrats. >> no, no, no. he's rebutting a lot of the comments that some in the republican party are saying against health care reform. that's the major portion of his statement. that's what he wants to. in the meantime he met with the blue dogs, because blue dogs had concerns.

they met. we talked yesterday about an offset he thinks might make some sense, too, so this is an iterative process where we're just exchanging ideas. >> you're not feeling pressure from the white house? >> no, no, i'm not. >> all right, there you go. max baucus, he is the head of the all-important senate finance committee. everything that's being worked on, and elizabeth, second this with me. everything that has to be worked on has to be paid for and this is a man in his committee that is really charged with getting it done. while we're still trying to get all of the details in what's in these various pieces of legislation, in the final analysis, it has to be paid for and senator baucus and his finance committee, i mean, they're charged with doing that. is that fair? >> right. >> sure. it's easy to say. 46 million americans, we want to insure them. that costs money. how are you going to pay for that? and that's what they're trying to figure out. >> our senior medical correspondent, elizabeth cohen, is here with us now. and we've been getting comments from the blogs. folks want us to -- look, stay away from the noise.

all the noise that's out there on health care reform and get to the facts. we're still trying to get details of what's in these various plans. but, you know, there is a -- there's a little bit of fact checking that we can do on what's being said. what's true, what's maybe not so true. and you can help us do that. >> that's right. and, you know, the noise is getting louder and louder. >> it really is. >> i think it's even going to get worse. because as things get more contentious, people, policymakers, go more towards rhetoric. they start saying things that maybe aren't 100% true, being nonpartisan we chose two statements from republicans and two tames from democrats to see if they are actually true or not. let's take the first one here. this is from michael steele who was on our air yesterday. >> he's the chairman of the republican national committee. >> he certainly is. >> okay. >> so, let's hear what he had to say about old ladies and bad hips. >> oh, my. >> well, if my 85-year-old grand mother wants a hip replacement, why should we replace her hip? well, who wants to have that

conversation with their 85-year-old grand mother? do? do you want to be the one to tell her you can't because you're too old? do you want me to tell her that? do you want the federal government to tell her that? that's a personal decision and the government should not put itself in the position of dictating to anyone what their health care outcomes are. >> all right. so, mr. steele is saying that he fears that the government will be putting itself in a position of telling his grandmother that she can't have a hip replacement. and i ran this actually by a fellow republican, and i'll be honest. he laughed when he heard this. because he said, there is nothing in either of these bills that says that the government is going to tell your grandmother whether she can have a hip replacement. >> yeah, yeah. >> medicare doesn't do it right now. medicare is a government-run program and it is not telling 85-year-olds that they can't have a hip replacement. there are theorys if this enacted and health care is enacted, it could lead to that, but that's all sort of supposition. >> let's do more. who do you want to tee up next?

>> let's tee up a democrat since we just talked about a republican. linda douglass, the white house communications director. >> she was on our program. >> this is what she said on july 8th when you and i chatted with her. and for people who already have health insurance, they will see, they'll be able to spend more time with their doctor when there is health care reform. and i asked her, well, golly, how is that going to happen? how is it going to happen that with health care reform you're going to get to spend more time with your doctor? and she said, well, some of the changes it will make and the cost savings your doctor will end up having more time and will spend less time with insurance companies. i ran this by someone who is sort of left-leaning, and i said, is that really true? and he said, we hope it's true. we hope health care reform does that, but he said there's nothing instrinsic about health care reform instead of spending ten minutes with your doctor, you'll get 20. he said it's a little iffy. quite iffy. >> we've got sound we want to play for you from the president.

this is on this question of whether or not you can keep your current doc and insurance, correct? >> this is the mother of all fact checking, let me tell you. because this is the question on everyone's mind. >> right. >> let's listen to what president obama has to say about keeping your own insurance if you like it. >> no matter how we reform health care, we will keep this promise to the american people. if you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor. ered. . if you like your health care -- >> all right. what do you think, elizabeth? >> on the second sentence he said, if you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your health care plan period. he is definitive. president obama is saying with health care reform, if you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep it. again, people we talked to, even people that agree with him passionately say, not 100% true. there may be some people that

may end up having to go to a public government option because their employer chooses it because it's cheaper. >> we will get immediate feedback. >> i'm sure you will. >> stay with us. as we continue to shift the focus a bit to the president's news conference tonight and his push for health care reform. joining us to talk that is white house communications director, anita dunn. thanks for your time. thanks for being patient. we've got a lot to work through here. >> yes, we do. >> and so much of it, as you know, is focused on health care reform. is the president going to come out tonight and, look, do the latest version of the remarks we've heard over the last two days? key this up for us, if you would. >> well, tony, elizabeth, let me say, sitting here listening to your conversation, it's about the most informative discussion of health care reform that i think anybody will have heard for a couple of weeks. and i was interested in watching some of the comments from your viewers this morning about what they'd be willing to give up, because it's clear people in this country want health reform.

i think what you can expect the president to do tonight is to, you know, address some of the questions people have as health insurance reform works its way through the process. i mean, as you've pointed out, there are different bills out there right now. the house has a version. the senate has a version. they've passed one. senate finance committee is working on another one. you know, there are a lot of questions and a lot of different proposals out there. this is a long process. it doesn't end august 1st. it doesn't end september 1st. the reality is that people have a lot of questions out there. people are confused. they're hearing a lot of different stories. >> yeah. >> a lot of different stuff. what he'll do tonight is he will address very directly those questions that people have coming through the press. and hopefully the questions the press asks will reflect what people really want to hear about. >> you know, people are concerned about the public options. >> yes, they are. >> and we get -- we get all kinds of blog responses and e-mails about them and they're

nervous about it. people are nervous. i mean, look, you know, we're not sure what we feel about the way medicaid takes care of the poor or medicare takes care of the elderly and those folks who are dual eligible. i mean, we've got real concerns. how in the world are we going to expand this and provide an option? we don't trust the government to do health care reform. is the president going to speak to that concern directly? >> well, you know, the reality is that people keep saying they don't trust the government to run a health care plan. the reality is -- >> you heard it, correct? >> but, listen, 60% -- 55%, somewhere between 50%, 60% of the american people are in some kind of government program right now. the reality here is that, you know, these things haven't been, you know, the final version of this isn't there. but what a public option does is a couple of things that are really critical right now. one is that it provides competition to private insurance companies. you know, the reality is that there isn't a lot of competition

in most states, and i think your viewers would agree with this. in most states you have one or two companies that are really dominant, maybe three in the bigger states, but you don't have a huge amount of choice. and, of course, most of us take what our employers give us. >> right. >> and don't get any choice at all. and this is basically saying if you are dropped by your employer, if you're one of the 14,000 americans who every day are losing their health insurance right now, either because their employers are dropping them, because they're on c.o.b.r.a., they can't afford it any longer -- >> yeah, yeah. >> -- if you're one of those people, there's an option for you. it's an option where you get to look at different plans and choose. >> got you. >> it's not a government-run program, but it's one that will actually allow you to -- well, it is a government-run program, but it's one that will allow you to basically get the stability and security that americans feel they need right now. i mean, you know, tony -- tony and elizabeth. >> yeah, yeah. >> right now, there is not a lot of stability and not a lot of security in this health insurance system. we are in the worst recession

that we have had since the great depression. it's a recession that began in 2007. millions of people have lost their jobs. most of those people have lost their health insurance during this time. and those people -- and i heard, you know, earlier today, i was listening to the woman who had had catastrophic health insurance, got cancer. >> sure, sure. >> nothing was covered. so, a lot of people who think they have health insurance only have it up until the time that they actually need it. >> i think that's a good point. >> i mean, the reality is that this is not a system that's offering the security that i think americans feel like they should have and that, frankly, we need in order to be -- >> anita, can i stop you just for a second? because i've got to get elizabeth in here. >> yeah. >> you shed something that i didn't quite catch and i want to make sure we're clear. 50% to 60% already are on a government -- >> or have government provide health insurance in some way for them, between medicare, okay, between medicaid, between va, there are a lot of government health insurance programs out there right now.

now the reality is that most people who are in private insurance are not going to have their status changed, under any of the health reform proposals that are being looked at right now. >> you know, anita, i would say i've spoken to people who really disagree with that. >> yeah, yeah. >> they say once you have the public option out there, it will cost 10%, 20% less than a private option. your employer will say, whoo, boy, let's do that. it's much cheaper. >> but i think, elizabeth, if you look at the proposals being considered right now in the house and the senate, you will see that they're actually -- people are very cognizant of that concern. we're not trying to put in place a plan that's going to drive private insurance out of business. we're trying to put in place a system that will give private insurance some competition and give people who are dropped by private insurance companies a place to go. i mean, right now, as you know, elizabeth, people can't get covered if they have pre-existing conditions. >> let me ask you, because we have to go. how would you feel being on the public insurance program, not

the one you're on now, because you're a government employee. but if we invent the public insurance program if it comes to pass, would you put yourself and your family on it? >> ask me if my alternative is. if my alternative was to have no insurance. if my alternative was dropped -- >> but your alternative is other private insurance companies. >> i would have to compare the plans, elizabeth. i can't compare something with nothing right now and that's what people are trying to do right now is basically make these strawmen. i mean, the reality is that we have a long way to go in this legislation, as i think i mentioned. >> when are we going to get something out of the finance committee? we've been waiting for this -- you're as impatient as we are. don't you want it? >> maybe we have a little bit more patience than you do. but here's the deal, they are working in a bipartisan way, and despite all of the cacphony of the attacks you've heard from republicans this week, you have to give some credit to the republicans on the finance committee who are making a good-faith effort, despite pressure from their own party to

work with democrats to try to come up with something that people can get behind. so, you know what, you'd like to get it done. you'd like to get it done in a timely manner. we've been arguing about these things for years and the reality is that 14,000 a americans a day lose health insurance, but would you rather get it right? >> yeah. >> than get it rushed? >> sure. >> that's an argument for a little bit more flexibility on a timeline here. >> well, you know, i think we've been pretty flexible. the reality is that you started this sequence by saying when are they going to -- >> yeah, yeah. >> -- produce something. they've made real progress. in the house we've seen significant progress overall. three of the five committees with jurisdiction over this have reported out bills, which is enormous progress. >> so, if we don't get anything before the recess, you're okay? >> listen, the president's made it clear he believes we should be able to have bills reported by the rye says. we should be able to pass bills. but what we're looking for more than anything else is real progress here. and i believe that real progress is being made. the president believes that we should be able to get this done by the august recess. >> okay, anita.

thanks for your time. >> thanks for having me. >> we chopped that up pretty well. >> i hope so. >> i hope so. anita, appreciate it. thank you for your time. >> thanks. team kyra phillips is back here in the newsroom and they're working away right now. they want too he hear from you health care reform. the kyra phillips team at work. you can call in to the new hotline, here's the number -- 1-877-742-5760. they will be answering your questions later in the hour. will be, here's another question for you -- how high will our taxes go to pay for health care reform? and how does that stack up with the rest of the world? new crest pro-health enamel shield protects... ...against enamel loss by forming only crest pro-health toothpastes protect all these areas. new crest pro-health enamel shield.

as we get older, our bodies become... less able to absorb calcium. he recommended citracal. it's a different kind of calcium. calcium citrate. with vitamin d... for unsurpassed absorption, to nourish your bones.

okay. this just in. you know, there's an issue that's being really hotly debated right now, gun control. gun control issue front and center this hour. senate, the senate democrats, really, debating a controversial proposal that would allow people to carry concealed weapons across state lines. the vote just in. and there you can see, the yeas in favor of the amendment, 58. the nays, 39. but here's the thing, the amendment has been withdrawn because it needed 60 votes.

you needed to get to that 60 threshold. as you can see, 58-39 is the vote, which means the amendment was withdrawn. now, supporters of the measure had argued it would help deter criminals. opponents claim that it would endanger innocent people, and, again, the vote 58-39. 60 votes were needed. so, the amendment was withdrawn. all right, let's get back to health care reform now. should the u.s. pay for health care reform by raising taxes on the wealthy? just how high would those taxes go, and how would that compare to other countries? josh is here. no? all right. let's talk a health care reform with senator tom coburn, and he is a frequent guest to this program. we love having him on. senator, thanks for your time. we appreciate it so much. >> good to be with you. >> i've got to ask you. i've been watching the debate before your committee, the health committee, and it's been really interesting. i know that you proposed an amendment that was essentially

another view at health care -- another take on health care reform. and that amendment didn't carry the day, but i'm wondering if you felt as though your thoughts and the other thoughts on health care reform were considered by the full committee and whether or not you felt you got a fair hearing. >> well, go -- if you go and look at the votes on all the amendments, it was 13-10, 13-10, 13-10. they didn't stray for that except for bob casey on some pro-life issues, so that was the plan when they came in. you know, the unfortunate thing is -- and i think the president's right. he really does want a bipartisan effort, and that's what it's going to take for it to be meaningful for the american people. but the approach to it is kind of like a doctor practicing bad medicine. >> right, right. >> if you fix only symptoms and don't treat the disease, all you're going to cover up the disease, the disease is going to

get worse. and the premise from which the their coming is we have to spend more money on health care. >> right. >> and i totally reject that, tony. we spend twice as much as any nation in the world -- >> yeah. >> per capita. >> yeah. >> so, what's happening is we're not getting good value. and what we have to do is have a bill that will lower the cost of health care, not raise it. and what we're talking about with the bills -- all the bills, whether it's the senate health or the ways and means bill, you're actually increasing the cost about 8%, 9%. >> well, help us here. help us with what -- you know -- >> how do you do it? >> thank you. >> it's not hard. first of all, their medicaid proposal costs about $1.trillion over the 10 years after it really starts. our medicaid proposal saves $1.3 trillion over the first 10 years. >> yes, yes. >> and what we do is we take medicaid and give them real insurance. right now 40% of the physicians in this country won't see

medicaid patients because the reimbursements are too low. >> right, right. >> so, what we do is take the medicaid stamp off their forehead and you get the same thing and we don't raise taxes on anybody to do that. and we give them better care with availability to any doctor they want now, now that they have insurance. and we lower the cost of that care. well, that's -- that's something that bends the cost curve down. >> can i -- can i -- can i suggest we do this? because i think we need -- do you believe you'll get a second bite of the apple here with coburn, burr, if not the entire package, certain elements of it, when the bills come together? do you think you'll get a second opportunity to make your pitch >> well, we will, on the senate floor. >> right. >> what will happen is, is we have commonsense proposals -- let me make one other point. >> sure, sure, go ahead. >> if you really don't create a system that manages chronic disease -- >> yes, yes. >> -- where you contain the costs of that and you incentive

that, we'll never get control of the costs. >> right, right. >> so, that has to be the number one concern. in the bill that came through the health committee, we create 84 new government programs that's going to require over 100,000 new federal employees to manage. >> right, right. >> think about that. >> okay. >> so what we've got to do is focus. we've got good health care, oh, about 30% better cure rates on cancer, about 1 million people a year live in this country that either die in england or canada because of our system. we don't want to throw that out. >> right, right. glverg the president wants, we can allow people to keep their insurance. we cannot raise taxes, we can bend the cost curve down, we cannot put anybody between you and your doctor. but it's going to require compromise, and we're goinging to have to put common sense into it, not government sense. >> so, senator, let's flash forward to this evening. what do you want to hear from the president? i know would you love to hear an endorsement of the principles you're outlining here. but, you know, short of that,

what would you like to hear, maybe if not changing the goal, maybe changing the grip? what would you like to hear? >> well, i'd like for him -- you know, i would like for him to say, you know, getting this right is more important than meeting a political deadline. and -- because it affects every person in this country, no matter who you are, this bill is the biggest bill that this country will have ever faced and dealt with as far as how it impacts. so, i would want him to back off of the timeline. >> right. >> and say, let's get it right. number two is, let's start over. let's not have truly a partisan -- we're going to, it's our way or the highway. >> right. >> because there really hasn't been hardly any reaching. we'll see if the senate finance committee comes with that. but let's start over. let's really do malpractice reform in terms of incentivizing the states. not mandate, but incentivize them to do it. it's 8% of our costs now in the country. let's fix medicare. it's unsustainable right now. if we're going to really fix

health care, let's fix it all. >> let's do this -- >> and let's do it in a way that the american people won't charge to it their grandkids. that's the other important point. >> yeah, let's do this. let's continue this conversation. we love having you on the program. you know, we think you're a reasonable voice in all of this, and we're trying to stay out of the echo chamber of all the noise and we're trying to stay focused on how to get this done. if you wouldn't mind, we've got an open invitation for you to come on the program. >> i'd be happy to. i would love to come back. >> we love having on the program. >> thank you. if it were easy to spot the good guys ? you know, the guys who do a super job. introducing the superguarantee. go to superpages.com to find a business with the superguarantee. we're so confident in these super businesses we stand behind their services. you'll get the job done right or we'll step in and help to make it right. sign up for free at superpages.com the new superguarantee

making the good guys easy to find.

i think i'll go with the basic package. good choice. only meineke lets you choose the brake service that's right for you. and save 50% on pads and shoes. meineke.

and this just in to cnn. an update in the michael jackson death investigation. investigators are searching the building in houston, texas, right now. this is happening live. a live picture for you. housing the medical offices of dr. conrad murray. he, as you know, was the doctor who was with jackson at the time of his death on june 25th. we have learned that the drug enforcement agency is assisting los angeles police detectives. we will have more information as soon as it becomes available. a quick break. i was in the grocery store when i had a heart attack.

my daughter was with me. i took a bayer aspirin out of my purse and chewed it. my doctor said the bayer aspirin saved my life. please talk to your doctor about aspirin and your heart. i'm going to be grandma for a long time. ...or if you're already sick... ...or if you lose your job. your health insurance shouldn't either. so let's fix health care. if everyone's covered, we can make health care as affordable as possible. and the words "pre-existing condition" become a thing of the past... we're america's health insurance companies. supporting bipartisan reform that congress can build on.

good choice. only meineke lets you choose the brake service that's right for you. and save 50% on pads and shoes. meineke.

all right. should the u.s. pay for health care reform by raising taxes on the wealthy? just how high would those taxes actually go? and how would that compare to other nations? all right. this could be pretty provocative. josh is here to track that for us. good to see us again, josh. >> did it give you deja vu, tony? >> yeah, it did. >> a little bit? >> a little bit. >> sometimes i think i need a flowchart to follow the health care debate. all these numbers. what i want to do right now is drill down on one of the main figures you'll be hearing a lot and that is really significant. let me tell you what the deal is. cnnpolitics.com is breaking down the issue. this is the tax foundation, a private search group that supports simpler tax laws and lower rates. one big point they're making and i have a graphic. let's go straight to it. i want to show everyone what they're saying. how high it would get on the wealthiest americans. >> yeah.

>> they're talking about the pit that some house democrats have floated of a 5% health surtax, so adding that much in taxes to the wealthiest americans, those making a million bucks or more. if you did that, then in 39 states would you have the wealthiest americans paying more than half their income in taxes. they're saying it would go so incredibly high that in 39 states when you add everything together, all the different taxes, it would go over 50%. >> wow. >> i have one other thing to show you. this graphic here. how taxes work in america. the top 20% in the country already pays 69% of the total taxes in the country. and the middle, it's up to you what counts as middle-class. >> right. >> but the middle faces 30%. and the bottom 20%, 1%. you can see already the wealthiest americans already do pay a very large percentage of the taxes. >> sure. >> some think they should pay more. the debate rages on. what you are seeing is this debate should it be added to the wealthiest americans. you mentioned other countries. one place to find it, a really

interesting wej site. worldwidetax.com. they have a tax where you can scroll through and see any country at all. austria, skip everything except what i point to. the income taxes can go as high there as 50%. bull baria, 10%. you can pretty much scroll through the entire world. germany, up to 45% there. whoops. this takes you flew basically the chart that shows you all the different countries and by comparison, it shows you where the united states would fall. actually, i'm going to end on that. let's go way down here. you can see the united states right now. our total range officially as of right now is up to 35%. so, in the united states, that's the highest income tax you have right now, 35%. now, i need to pour caveat sauce over all of this. lay it down on every dish. every economy works differently. taxes are used for different ways. we have a very dynamic economy in very different ways. it's and it's not apples to apples. and you will hear comparisons and it's interesting to check it

out. there are some people that say you can learn from other countries. the way the united states thinks that some countries can learn from us. it's one way to factor it in. worldwidetaxes.com. >>boy, we are all over this. >> we are zooming today. >> we really are. the health care debate expected to dominate president obama's news conference tonight, cnn will bring you live coverage of the news conference, tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern, and 5:00 p.m. pacific. ever wonder what it's like to change batteries in zero gravity? we'll show you.

and to the senate floor from just moments ago. south carolina senator, lindsey graham, announcing his decision on how he will vote on the nomination of justice -- or judge sonia sotomayor to be the next associate justice to the supreme court. >> thank you, madam president. i take the floor today to inform the senate, my colleagues, about

how i intend to vote on the pending nomination of supreme court nominee judge sotomayor. i understand the path of least resistance for me personally would be to vote no. that's probably true anytime you're the minority party and you lost the election, but i feel compelled to vote yes. and i feel that this is the right vote for me. and, quite frankly, for the country in this case. why do i say that? elections have consequences. i told judge sotomayor in the hearing that if i had won the election, even though i wasn't running, or senator mccain, she would probably not have been chosen by a republican. we would have chosen someone with a more -- >> all right. and there you have it. senator lindsey graham of south carolina, stating on the senate floor that he plans to vote in favor of the nomination of judge sonia sotomayor to become the next associate justice to the

supreme court. so, add senator lindsey graham to the growing list of republicans who will vote in favor of the nominee. senator richard lugar of indiana, mel martinez, olympia snowe, susan collins of maine and now add senator lindsey graham of south carolina. yours? really? it's been our dream since we were kids. uh, that long, huh? why not? mcdonald's really supports entrepreneurs. they spend over $5 billion dollars... with businesses in communities like ours. you two really know your stuff. we've done our homework! time for breakfast. mom! not in front of the customers. wake up! wake up! - i just had the most amazing dream! - me too! opportunities inspiring big dreams. mcdonald's. i switched to a complete multivitamin with more. only one a day men's 50+ advantage... has gingko for memory and concentration. plus support for heart health. that's a great call.

one a day men's.

all right. let's get you to our ted rowlands right now, and ted following developments out of houston, texas, right now. and, ted, talk us through what is going on right now. i believe we have, if not live pictures, pictures from just a short time ago from a search that's under way right now. >> yeah. what you're seeing, tony, is the dea helping out with a search warrant being executed on the offices, the clinic, of dr. conrad murray. this is the doctor that was with michael jackson at the time of his death. he has been interviewed by investigators here in los angeles. but, clearly, they are going in looking for more material. we just got off the phone with a spokesperson for dr. murray's attorneys. they say they are completely surprised by this. they say that they have been cooperating. in fact, they said anything that they want from us, we're more than willing to give them, saying that they're surprised that a search warrant was

served. clearly what is happening here is that at some level in this investigation there was enough probable cause for them to take it to another level. now whether they are looking at dr. murray's history outside of the jackson case, we don't know. but clearly something during the investigation prompted them to take it to another level and that's why you're seeing this search warrant served. >> it's interesting, ted, because we heard rumpblings tha it would be less likely that charges would be filed in any way, shape, or form in this case, and then you see this going on, and you wonder to your point, something has obviously happened here. >> yeah, you know, fars chargas charges being filed or not filed, we've heard every extreme. >> that's true. >> we won't know. we're waiting for the coroner's report here in l.a., toxicology is back. they are waiting on some tissue samples and some analysis of those and they are obviously

writing these reports. they're not going to make this public until they have figured everything out. obviously they're going very slowly with this. but they have the toxicology back according to the coroner's office here, and maybe that plays into this, maybe it doesn't. but, clearly, at some point in this investigation there was probable cause, enough probable cause, for them to go get a warrant and not just ask for whatever materials they're looking for, but to go in, unannounced, and search themselves for it. >> well, if you would, walk us through the conrad murray story to this point. as you mentioned, he was with michael jackson, and my recollection is that immediately after -- he disappeared for a while, is that correct? and he wasn't available to the authorities, and then at some point he became available and said -- admitted to at least one interview, right? >> right, he definitely did disappear. here's basically what happened. we'll start from the beginning. >> please, please. >> murray meets jackson back in

2005, 2006 in las vegas, when jackson's preparing for this tour, he wants murray to be his personal physician. so, he's hired by aeg for basically $150,000 a month to make sure this guy is healthy. jackson ties in his care at his home. you heard him in the 911 call. he performed cpr. there was controversy about that because he did it on the bed. he went with jackson to the hospital. talked to doctors there. talked to investigators there. >> okay. >> there was a lapse of time where he was wait iing for his attorney to come from houston before he went in. >> oh, oh, oh, oh, i see, i see. >> to talk to investigators and that's where the disappearance comes from. but he absolutely never disappeared. >> okay. ted, we appreciate it. and, once again, let's take a look at these pictures now. as ted mentioned, a search warrant has been issued and is under way right now in the houston offices of dr. conrad murray. what has changed in this case? we don't know the full details, but we are following it for you. ted rowlands. ted, appreciate it. thank