tv Larry King Live CNN November 23, 2009 9:00pm-10:00pm EST
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choreography. the measure of things is not what happens when you fall, it's how you handle when you fall. >> you recover, i love that. >> that is why it's our pick. she is so awesome, you didn't even know she fell. >> that's right. >> see you tomorrow. "larry king live" starts right now. >> larry: tonight, let's get ready to rumble. ann coulter versus al sharpton. can they and the country come together on health care? and president obama's approval rating and what does the drop really mean? and oprah's best friend, gayle king will tell us why lady o. is really leaving her syndicated show. and suze orman is here to tell us if the queen of all media is making the right decision. all next on "larry king live."
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lots of things to discussion with ann coulter, the syndicated columnist and conservative commentator, "new york times" best-selling author. her most recent book is "guilty. quality quality and al sharpton, he's part of n.a.n.'s national day of outrage, advocating for an end to gun and gang violence. okay. ann, the senate is set to move forward on the debate on health care. as a conservative, do you agree that there are problems, that the health care system needs change? >> yes. mostly caused by government intervention. for one thing, two main problems with government intervention, one is going back to world war ii when fdr imposed wage and price controls.
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they offered them health care for employees. because of that, it's hard and now there is a tax deduction. now in law. it's very hard to get health insurance outside of your employer. and you always want to be the one holding the credit card for good service. and the second problem is mostly state regulation, making insurance very expensive by requiring it to cover all sorts of things like viagra and restless leg syndrome and marriage counseling and drug counseling and gambling counseling that, for a young kid out of college who someone who wants to buy health insurance on his own, you want to ensure against catastrophes. you don't want to pay for everybody else's marriage counseling. it should be an option. it's when it's mandatory when there's a problem. >> larry: do you agree that there should be a public option? >> yes, do i. it's an option.
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i think we've got to really recognize that we have the first conference of health plan that's passed the congress, period. i think that this is a major milestone. now the senate is on their way. and the senate bill is generally in the same framework as the congressional bill. i think what is very, very telling here, larry, is that the congressional budget office, which everyone, both parties kind of see as nonpartisan and as an authority that could be trusted, is saying that this health bill as it stands will save millions of dollars for americans, our children, in years to come. i think we're in a very, very good place and i think that the 37 million to 40 million people that are uninsured certainly can find some comfort in the fact that we're moving in a direction to ensure all americans. >> larry: ann, do you think that a country as rich as this, we're
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the only one without a national health insurance, do you think the american citizen is owed good health? >> yes. that's why i strongly oppose a public option, which is not just an option. everybody's going to have to pay for it. and pay through the nose for it. because, obviously, the way it's described is people who can't get regular insurance. why can't they get regular insurance? because they have a catastrophic disease, an expensive treatment that cowl be a million dollars a year. if everybody goes into that program -- >> larry: without public health, what would be your way of getting health to them since you agree they deserve it? >> well, over time, simply abolishing the government interventions i described would take care of about 95% of it. in the meantime, once insurance was available on the free market and you could buy it the way you buy flat screen tvs and computer technicians and genius bar at
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the mac store, it would be cheap and easily available. people would get insurance and there would be no presifting conditions. for the transition period, i would far prefer to have a large government fund, i'm not a fan of big government programs, but you though, there are plenty of programs i think we can cut back on. the cost of the trial of khalid shaikh mohammed, all the early education, early school programs. how about we have a big pot of money for people who through no fault of their own, have a catastrophe befall them. i think it would be better done through the states. >> what's wrong with that? people have a catastrophic illness, ann says over time, let's take care of them. >> no. >> people with catastrophic illnesses may not have time. what's wrong with that? she doesn't believe in big government. but let's have a big government fund. to do it, let's cut out the education of young children and let's not have trial for terrorists. there's a lot wrong with all those things. i think ann as the spokesperson
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for those opposing health care has just given three of the most illogical reasons that people in the senate have rejected that. the fact of the matter is, we do need the government to regulate pharmaceutical industry who has exorbitant prices, insurance companies that have these exorbitant prices. we need to have them protect the american people. that's what government is for. we don't have to sacrifice children's education and tell people with catastrophic health problems that over time, by and by, when the morning comes, we may take care of you. >> not only did i not say that, i said over time by letting the market provide health insurance -- >> these people don't have time, ann. >> it would be as available as car insurance is now. so you wouldn't already have people with pre-existing conditions as we do now. for those people, and by the way, neither the senate or the house health care bill over time, they won't even start
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paying benefits for five years. that's the democrats' plan. i'd set it up immediately and the early education health care -- rather school programs have been utter and complete failures. you could eliminate the entire department of agriculture, education and you could get rid of terrorist trials and put that into a catastrophic fund. my point is, for the hard cases, deal with the hard cases. don't wreck the entire health care system. fix it, don't -- what's broken. don't re-create some european socialist health care program. >> i don't think this is a european health program at all. clearly you're talking about dealing with situations that we have neglected in the past that has gotten only worse which is why we're dealing with millions of people that are uninsured, which is why prices are so high. i think clearly it is time that america come to terms with this. i think most americans agree. that's why this administration was elected. i think they are fulfilling the
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promises that they made. and i think that we cannot continue to act as if this will just heal itself. there has to be some hard decisions made. i think the congress has made some. i think the senate is moving in that direction, and it's the right direction. >> larry: i have to get a break. we'll continue on this and other topics as well with ann coulter and al sharpton. don't go away. now your chase card let's you make your own payment plan for what you charge. introducing blueprint. blueprint's free and exclusively for chase customers. for a big purchase, there's split. it lets you decide how much... or how many months you want to pay. so you can be comfortable managing all of your large purchases. if having a plan matters, chase what matters. create your own blueprint at chase.com/blueprint.
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>> larry: before we move to other topics, ann coulter, do you think we're going to have a new health plan passed in congress or do you think not? >> i have a nickel bet riding on a new health care bill, at least with the public option not being signed by president obama. this vote in the senate saturday night, for example, it's weird that there were parades and fireworks over that. hillary care got farther than in back in 1994 when hillary proposed her socialist health care bill. this vote wasn't even reported on. this was a vote to proceed to the debate. now we have the amendments, including one sticky one, which is the abortion issue, whether national health care is going to cover abortion as the senate bill it does or it won't as it doesn't in the house bill. >> i think that we will -- >> larry: al, you think there's going to be a bill? >> i think there will be a bill. i think that we've gotten a lot further because the house of representatives has already
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passed a bill. i think the senate will debate and i think we'll have a bill. i think if we did not have the bill and ann wins her nickel, the american people ought to lose, particularly the millions of uninsured. i would not want to bet against them and them finally having health care. >> larry: the president is meeting with his war council tonight. we still don't have a definitive decision on where we go in afghanistan. it's a problem he inherited. now it's become his war. where do we go from here, ann? >> well, i don't know. i mean, it's more than a problem he inherited. it was president obama during the campaign who kept talking about afghanistan as the necessary war and iraq, that little war of choice. he is the one who put all the focus on afghanistan. which i think was a mistake. but he did it, it's his war now. and you know, now we're getting the hamlet routine, hoping he makes the decision on troops
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before the end of his administration. >> larry: what do you think he's going to do, al? >> i don't know what he's going to do. i'm glad to see he's been deliberate. i think after this country suffered in terms of loss of life. let us remember now, we're not talking about pieces on a chess board. we're talking about the lives of soldiers that go out and put their lives on the line to protect all of us. people who have families. i think that for him to be deliberate and not put us through a reckless wrik choice li on the last war that was made on flawed information, i think it's the right and reflectful thing to do to our american troops. i hope he comes back from this deliberate decision with the right choice. as far as the administration, it's not the end of the first year he's been in office. i think it is the right thing to do to take time to deal with the fact you could cost american lives and that you have to have
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the right strategy that would secure american lives here. >> larry: ann, today, dick cheney accused the attorney general holder of wanting to stage a show trial with khalid shaikh mohammed and others in new york. what if one asked it this way. the crime occurred in new york, the building were bombed in new york. the victims would attend the trial in new york. what's wrong with a trial? that's what we do in america. what's wrong with that? >> well, i guess because i disagree with the second word of your question, which was the crime. it was not a crime. it was an act of war. these were enemy combatants. khalid shaikh mohammed was not in new york. he was captured on foreign soil where he plotted the attack of 9/11, both in new york and in washington. and as it turns out, in pennsylvania. this is the first time an enemy combatant has been given a
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civilian trial, an o.j. trial. from what eric holder himself said, it is a show trial. he was asked what happens if khalid shaikh mohammed is acquitted? he said, we may maintain him as an enemy combatant. if he is an enemy combatant, he should be held had in abayance for eight months. >> larry: al, what do you think? >> we had three terrorist trials in new york. under the republicans' administration. they took a much different posture. i think that the -- clearly this was a crime. clearly it was done in new york. i think clearly there are a lot of people that engage in criminal conspiracies outside of the venue that are brought into the venue and tried. i think that the attorney general and the justice department would not have prosecuted them if they weren't confident of a victory. we will see what happens at trial. but clearly, i think they are
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criminals and should be tried as criminals and they should be tried at the scene of the crime by those people that were affected by the venue where the crime occurred. >> larry: i'm going to pick right up on that. we'll be back in 60 seconds. $5 million dollars to charity.t i chose the boys & girls clubs. it's an investment for the future. i chose the national wildlife federation. our pets are our kids. we chose the aspca. we're sharing the love again this year. because giving back feels good. on the subaru outback, motor trend's 2010 and two hundred fifty dollars gets donated to your choice of five charities. 90s slacker hip-hop. ♪ that can strain your relationships and hurt yourody 'cause pu'pride ♪ng a ride ♪ and two hundred fifty dollars ♪ it's the credit roller coaster ♪ ♪ and as you can see it kinda bites! ♪ ♪ so sing the lyrics with me: ♪ when your debt goes up your score goes down ♪ ♪ when you pay a little off it goes the other way 'round ♪ ♪ it's just the same for everybody, every boy and girl ♪ ♪ the credit roller coaster makes you wanna hurl ♪ ♪ so throw your hands in the air, and wave 'em around ♪
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♪ like a wanna-be frat boy trying to get down ♪ ♪ then bring 'em right back to where your laptop's at... ♪ ♪ log on to free credit report dot com - stat! ♪ vo: free credit score and report with enrollment in triple advantage. >> larry: president obama came in for some major mochrie this weekend on "saturday night live." the show opened with a skit involving the president of china challenging mr. obama on a number of sensitive topics. watch. >> and the cash for clunkers program, i have heard that you purchase many clunkers with our money. >> yes, we have. >> what does this word clunkers mean? >> well, a clunker is a -- >> i know what a clunker is. and just so there is no misunderstanding, you are not allowed to pay us back in clunkers.
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will you kiss me? >> i'm sorry? >> will you kiss me? >> i don't understand. >> i like to be kissed when someone is doing sex to me. >> larry: all right, ann, is this pure fun or a sign of declining popularity of a president? >> i'm not sure what it is a sign of, but i think there's a lot of truth in this sketch. the chinese are the ones buying our treasuries and that's why you keep hearing the obama administration talking about how health care is going to bend the cost curve down. that means health care rationing. we can't keep running up the debt. i think that is a lot of the problem with obama's popularity. i think it reflects his decline in popularity. >> larry: that's what i asked.
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do you think it does, al? >> i think it's a skit. it's funny to me when "saturday night live" goes after sarah palin, the right wing has all kinds of fits and when they go after -- or make jokes on president obama, all of a sudden they're reflecting some national mood and it has some deeper meaning. you can't have it both ways, ann. the chinese buying american currency the chinese having such great american debt didn't happen under the last ten months under the administration of president obama. i think he's trying to cover an economic situation he inherited from president bush and i think that it is very interesting that all of a sudden we're trying to act like this began in january of this year. i don't think the facts will bear that out at all. >> with the stimulus bill -- >> larry: we'll talk about sarah palin. she was mentioned. hold it, ann. we'll talk about sarah palin and other things when we come back.
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that there are millions of people who are among the working poor, going to work faithfully every day and their employers don't provide health insurance. what's your solution for those people. >> larry: ann? >> i'm aware of those people and i'm aware of myself without an employer. the point is that you can't have democrats simultaneously tell is us they're going to bend the cost curve down and save so much money when they're going to have a public option for people who can't get health insurance otherwise. often because they have catastrophic illnesses that cost a million dollars a year. that isn't a cost-saving measure. you can say we have an enormous federal program that will balloon the federal deficit or you can say we're going to cover all of these people who can't get coverage now and have it open to everyone, including illegal aliens by the way. you can't say both and that is what the democrats are telling us and they also have a chocolate cake that tastes delicious and you lose calories.
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you lose weight eating it. it's just crazy what they're proposing. >> larry: al, is money more important -- my old friend henry lewin used to say, money is not the most important thing, health is 3%. where in this equation does health count? >> i think health should be our priority. even in terms of money, again, no less authority than the congressional budget office that has looked at these bills say it will in fact save americans, not balloon the deficit. save americans over the course of years as time goes up. it will save even more millions. so i think that's been contradicted by the facts. and i think the caller and i are still waiting for ann to tell us what is her plan, not what is wrong with the democrats, which clearly she would disagree with the congressional budget office but what is her plan to deal with those working that are uninsured and those with catastrophic diseases?
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i think we missed your plan, ann. >> i gave you my plan three times. i'll give it a fourth time. first i want to say to larry king, this idea what's more important, health or money, do not assume that having the dmv run health care in america is going to give us better medical care. it is going to be worse. one thing i'll agree with al sharpton on, it will not be a european style socialist health care in this country. they have the outlet of coming to the united states for any care they need. they have the united states inventing pharmaceuticals that europe and canada will never invent because they don't have the profit system there. without the united states, there will nobody relief for people who have to wait for three years to get a c.a.t. scan. there will nobody relief for people who want a drug that will never be invented because national health care passes. what i said was for the transition, for the tough cases i would rather have one fund that pays these few rare cases rather than wreck the entire system for everyone. i mean everyone on earth. which is what the democrat plan will do.
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over time, what you do if you don't like the insurance companies, make them compete. you make apple compete with microsoft and suddenly everybody has a computer for $200. you make cell phones compete, suddenly everything is cheap and easily available. somehow prices do not come down and services do not improve when the government is running things. >> larry: al, isn't it the insurance lobby that prevents competition? >> it is absolutely the insurance lobby. it is those that protect those interests and, again, i will say again, the congressional budget office has cost this out. the facts don't bear out the want ann is quoting it. >> that's a fraud. >> that's one. and both parties concede the congressional budget office, secondly, i think -- >> no. >> i mean, this general fund, no know how she will determine this general fund will determine what she says are rare catastrophic diseases. there's nothing rare about a lot of these diseases that we do not cover now in america.
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unfortunate unfortunately, they're not rare and unfortunately they can't be covered by some nebulous general fund by people that don't believe in big government in the first place. >> the numbers are fraud. >> larry: i have to get another break. i want to talk about sarah palin as promised. we'll be back with ann coulter and al sharpton. they may good on the road together. don't go away. in america, well, then how do you explain all this? chevy malibu, cobalt, silverado, and the all-new equinox. compare them to anyone. may the best car win. ♪ [ female announcer ] today's health care system is leaving countless americans stranded. that's why aarp is fighting to put people first,
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like sarah palin to be your next candidate for the presidency? >> perhaps. i'm not -- >> larry: fair enough. >> i'm not coming out for anyone. i'd at least like the person to have declared. >> larry: i mean, do you like her enough to think she would hold the highest office. >> i like her but i like a lot of republicans and as my answer suggested, i don't know that she even wants to run for president. >> larry: al, what do you make of this phenomena that is the former governor of alaska? >> i think what is interesting about the sarah palin book tour, i've not read the book but certainly from the excerpts and reviews and even the titles, she talks about rogue. she's got to be one of the first people in american history that is selling books in big numbers for attacking the party and ticket she ran on. what is the book? it's a tell-all against her running mate and against their campaign. and really saying how she was a
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rogue against the party, that now people are saying is she going to lead. i think all of that is only good for her opponents. i mean, to admit that they were a train wreck that we all watched does not really encourage americans to make you the next conductor of the next train ride. >> larry: ann, are you surprised that she's attacking the people who are behind the scenes for her? >> no. i think that's kind of a weird description of the book. i mean, i certainly haven't finished it but i've read, i don't know, 50, 70 pages of it. i'm looking forward to getting to what she says about the mccain camp but i would not define, you know, staffers working for mccain as the be all, end all definition of the republican party. the one thing that is certainly the most appealing aspect of sarah palin is that she annoys all the right people. and i think the title has a lot more to do with that.
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>> right. as in right wing. i think the rogue title, she was a rogue to the campaign and to the party. and i think that clearly you can't get away from the fact, ann, that that's what she called the book. that's what the book has been promoted as. i don't know if the first 50 to 75 pages says but the cover says rogue. and rogue was about what? that is what she was nicknamed to the party and to the campaign. >> well, it came up during the campaign but it's about her upbringing in alaska. it's about her life and philosophy. >> it's also about how she conducted herself during the campai campaign. >> this say weird description of what she's doing here. yeah, she's appealing to conservatives and conservatives are the biggest part and the most important part of the republican party. that was a part that was not reflected in the nominee who chose her as his vice president. so i'm looking forward to getting to those parts. >> it's funny --
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>> larry: do you think -- >> i think conservatives that supported her, including you, and supported him, i think that ticket was rejected by our count the american vote last year. >> larry: do you think, ann, john mccain might be sorry he picked her? >> no. to his credit, he's said nice things about the book and about sarah palin. i think it was more campaign staffers getting a little bit testy. i mean, what would happen on the campaign is, i'm not a political fan of john mccain's but a lot of his problem is he's not a particularly dynamic speaker. he'd show up at a rally and five people would show up. sarah palin would draw twice the crowd as obama. there were jealousies on the campaign developing and the mainstream media was anxious to hear any bitter sniping from the
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campaign about sarah palin pop now we get to hear her side. >> larry: if she outdrew obama, who won? >> well, she was the vice presidential candidate. they rarely carry presidential campaigns, larry. i think you can check with anyone on that. >> larry: all right, guys, we'll have you back. ann coulter and al sharpton, at it again. we'll make this a regular scene here. we thank them both very much. >> thank you. >> larry: oprah's best friend gayle king is here and oprah show regular, suze orman, too. they'll both be with us after this.
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after much prayer and months of careful thought, i've decided that next season, season 25, will be the last season of the "oprah winfrey show." >> larry: gayle king is oprah's best friend, editor at large of "o," the oprah magazine. she's joining us from new york and suze orman, the personal finance expert is a regular guest on oprah and contributor to the "o" magazine and also host of the cnbc's "the suze orman show." >> is your dear friend having second thoughts. >> she's having no form of buyer's remorse today. she feels very much at peace about her decision. she's happy about her decision.
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no, there's no sign of regret at all. it's interesting. i asked her that very question. how are you feeling? do you have any regrets? was it the right thing to do? without a doubt, it was a resounding yes for her. >> larry: is she sad about leaving chicago, though? she's moving west. >> i'm not sure she's leaving chicago at this particular time. she has a place in california, has a place in chicago. while she's sorting everything out, the "o" network starts in january 2011. she's not going anywhere any time soon. we still have another season of oprah. we still have lots of time to spend with oprah. >> larry: i thought she was quoted as saying she's going to live in her beautiful mansion in california. and is leaving chicago. >> i read that quote, too. i don't think she's made a firm decision on that yet, i really don't. >> larry: okay. suze, were you surprised at the
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announcement? >> no, because you know, larry, it was about a year or so ago when i was on the oprah winfrey show the day she announced she was developingny the network called o.w.n., the oprah winfrey network. of course there was going to come a time when she'd devote her time and energy into an entire network that she'll be in charge of. it didn't surprise me whatsoever. >> larry: the announcement was classic oprah. let's watch a little. >> yes, it was. >> these years with you, our viewers, have enriched my life beyond all measure. and you all have graciously invited me into your living rooms, into your kitchens and into your lives. i want you all to know that my relationship with you is one that i hold very dear. and your trust in me, the
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sharing of your precious time, every day with me, has brought me the greatest joy i have ever known. >> larry: gayle, she's one of the richest women in the world. what keeps her close to the everyday lady? >> you know, larry, that's what i think is the beauty that is oprah winfrey. whether you're one of the richest people in the world, a working class person, a single woman working to make end's meet, everybody feels that oprah gets them and cares about them and everybody feels that oprah relates to them. every step of the way she's certainly been there. i think it is remarkable that someone of her stature still makes you feel that i am just like you. the reason she does that is because she does feel, i am just like you. >> larry: suze, is this a wise, purely business decision? >> i have to tell you, i think
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it is. let me say why i think it is. it is no secret that cable is getting larger and larger and larger. the networks are suffering because of viewership. where are people going? they are going to the cable networks. it's an advertising game, it's a money game. if you're looking at the future of television and the big financial future of television, it has to be in my opinion in cable. do i think it is a wise move? i absolutely do. >> and suze and i -- >> larry: we'll take a break. go ahead, gayle. >> suze and i are friends. i say this with great respect. hi, suze. >> hi, gayle. >> i do not believe this was a business decision for oprah. i believe that what she said on her show was true. this was a life decision for her, that she really just felt that the time had come, after 25 years, she never wanted to be the girl that stayed too late at the party or stayed too long at
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the party. the time to leave is when you're still on top. the oprah doesn't make decisions based on what is going to be financially lucrative for her. there's no telling how this cable -- how the cable network is going to work. i disagree that this was a business decision for her. >> yeah, but gayle, just with that said -- >> larry: i didn't say it was a business decision. i asked her if she thought it was a good business decision and she said it was. >> and i do. >> larry: we'll be back. visors the #1 u.s investment firm for doing what's best for them. with advisors nearby and nationwide, we're with you when you need advice and planning expertise to meet today's challenges. wells fargo advisors. together we'll go far.
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>> larry: as we mentioned earlier, gayle king has a very popular radio show. guess who called in today? oprah. listen. >> how do you know, oprah, within your hearts of hearts, this is the right decision for you, without a doubt? i know you feel is in your bones. >> you feel it in your bones and spirit. i actually started to feel it
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when i had the option, you know, the question was do i leave in 2008? you know how i like numbers to even out. the question was do i leave in 2010? that's an even number. or do i, you know, try to make the 25th. and actually, years ago, when i was thinking about ending it in the 20th year, i had gotten an e-mail from matty steponik. somebody remembered that. >> yes. the e-mail was so heartfelt from that little angel boy. he said i feel in my heart it's 25 and not 20. >> yes, yes. >> i always kept that in the back of my mind. that was all a part of it. matty said it's 25 and not 20. that was also influential and also comes to the point of, as i do the show every day, how much longer do i think i can be 100%,
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present, still stimulated, stimulating for the audience. do i think i could do that past 2011? and the answer is no, because the show is 100% harder to do now than it was when i first started. >> larry: by the way, matty steponik's mother was on this program saturday night. and matty appeared here many times as well. guess who's next? oprah's fourth grade teacher. don't go away.
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that's happening now. america's most dependable 3g network. bringing you the first and only wireless 4g network. right now get a free 3g/4g device for your laptop. sprint. the now network. deaf, hard-of-hearing and people with speech disabilities access www.sprintrelay.com >> larry: gayle king, suze orman and oprah's fourth grade teacher will be with us in just a moment. that moment will be spent with
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erica hill, sitting in for anderson cooper on "ac 360." what's up tonight, erica? >> just ahead on "360," there are, again, new questions about the controversial report on when to get a mammogram, specifically how it fits into the senate health care reform package. could the recommendations that confused so many women end up dictating medical coverage? and could it go beyond mammograms? we'll dig deeper tonight with our panel of high-powered women. carly fiorina, and bernadette healy. also ahead tonight, talk about an incredible story, a man literally trapped inside his own body for 23 years. doctors thought the whole time he was in a coma, in a persistive vegetative state. turns out he was awake. he could hear everything people around him were saying. we'll ask dr. sanjay gupta how this could happen. that's coming up tonight on "ac
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360." >> larry: thank you, erica. mary alice duncan was oprah winfrey's fourth grade teacher in nashville. oprah said the years she spent as mrs. duncan's students was one of the defining moments of her life. she was 9 years old. mrs. duncan joins us now. what are your memories of oprah? >> i'm very happy to have the opportunity to speak about oprah. at the time she was in my fourth grade class, she was outstanding, very good student in all areas, especially in reading. even the students loved to hear her read. >> larry: was she a good talker. >> she surely was. >> larry: now, she's been very open about the hardships she had as a childhood, difficult
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things. did you know how tough things were for her? >> no, i didn't. talking about when she was talking with me about her dad. oh, she thought so much of her dad. she still does. >> larry: are you surprised about all that's happened to her? >> you know, at that time i felt that she might become a teacher herself. and i really thought, i think she thought about it, too, becoming a teacher. she was capable. >> larry: anything you want to say to mary alice duncan? >> no. i was very curious about what she was like in class, mrs. duncan. i heard about you for so many years. it really is an honor to see you in person. i know the high regard that oprah holds you in. i'm wondering, was she a chatty kid in class?
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was she a quiet kid in class? did you ever think that she would grow up to be what she has become today? >> at that time she was quiet unless i asked her a question. she was ready to speak. she wanted everybody else in the class to take note of what she might be saying at that time. >> sounds like her. >> i can just see her turning around looking if she heard a slight whisper. >> mrs. duncan, do you watch her show? >> oh, yes! >> you do? >> okay, good. >> i watch it every day. >> so what did you think when she -- what did you think, mrs. duncan? >> i was disappointed, really. i don't know. i will surely miss seeing her, looking at the clock can the 4:00, time for "oprah."
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and i miss her. although i'm sure she -- >> larry: what a kick you must get every day, mary alice. >> oh, yes. >> larry: turning on the television and seeing your little 9-year-old girl there. >> it's amazing. she has accomplished so much. just brilliant. >> larry: good of you to join us. >> and i hope that she -- >> larry: you want to add something? >> what mrs. duncan said about 4:00, i've been hearing that a lot for the past couple of days. what are we going to do at 4:00? so many of us are used to t"the oprah winfrey show." i've been hearing it a lot. >> i will surely miss her and think about her at that time. >> yeah. >> larry: you're a doll. there's nothing more important in life than your elementary school teachers. mary alice duncan, oprah
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winfrey's fourth grade teacher. we'll hear dr. phil's reaction to the news and suze orman will be back. i was surprised when my doctor told me i still had high cholesterol. that really hit me, and got me thinking about my health. i knew i had to get my cholesterol under control. but exercise and eating healthy weren't enough for me. now i @%ust my heart to lipitor. (announcer) when diet and exercise are not enough, adding lipitor has been shown to lower bad cholesterol 39 to 60%. lipitor is backed by over 17 years of research. lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver problems and women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. you need simple blood tests to check for liver problems. tell your doctor if you are taking other medications or if you have any muscle pain or weakness. this may be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. i thought i was doing enough to lower my cholesterol. but i needed more help. what are you doing about yours?
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>> hi, larry. thank you. you do a great job. >> larry: thank you. >> i want to ask suze, i've been to chicago several times. and every time i go there, everyone i talk to says thanks to oprah. you know, it's oprah's city. i'm wondering, i've been there before for a television show called music mix usa. when i get there, though, i'm asked what if she does leave, what would happen to the economy in chicago? >> larry: would it have an economic effect? >> i don't know. again, we have 18 months until oprah is not going to be on the 4:00 spot. however, i'm not exactly sure that they're shutting down the harpo production company. so we're going to have to wait to see. you know, oprah obviously is an entire financial community unto herself. so time will tell. but obviously if she just shut down, it would have some impact. i don't think that's exactly what's going to happen. but, again, i'm not exactly sure
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of what her plans are in that respect. >> larry: gayle, no one knows more inside than you. will there continue to be a harp snochlt. >> i think suze is absolutely right. no one really knows what her plans are right now. but i certainly hope that that is her intention to continue -- to allow harpo to continue. i mean it is a huge business in chicago. and i myself can't imagine chicago without harpo studios. >> larry: what happens to you, gayle? >> well, larry, i'm so glad you ask. the magazine is alive and well. we have no intentions of going anywhere. and that is my main job and my radio show. so knock on wood, as far as i know, i still got a job. >> larry: suze, if you were running harpo, would you look to find a new host? >> you mean to replace oprah? >> larry: yeah. >> listen -- i know everybody is
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saying that -- who's going to replace oprah? who's going to do that. i said this before, it is impossible. it's not like somebody cannot take over the 4:00 spot. okay. but nobody -- and i mean this -- nobody is ever going to replace the part that oprah held in millions and millions of people's hearts, larry. it is impossible. it is impossible. so even to talk about that is ridiculous. so, sure, there will be somebody else out there. it will never be another oprah. >> someone would have to be a fool to take the job. >> i can't imagine anybody who is saying put me in, coach. put me in coach. suze is absolutely right. the place that oprah holds in popular culture and the humanity of oprah and how people feel about her is something that cannot be duplicated. so people just need to come up with another plan. because right now oprah is --
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there is only one. there is only one. >> larry: so, suze, what show are you going to go on now? >> well, i have my own show every saturday night on cnbc. i would do anything for the o network if that's where it goes. i hope i continue writing for the "oprah" magazine. i loved it. i've done it since day one. and my career, larry, kind of goes on as it does. money is everywhere. so hopefully over the next eight months you'll see me on "the oprah winfrey show." and we'll be there. and i'll be right with you, larry. i'm going to be right with you, sir. >> larry: and, gayle, i'll see you on the treadmills. >> that's right. that's right, larry. that's where larry and i meet. they're going to start talking very soon. >> larry: thank you, guys. >> thank you, larry. bye, suze. >> bye. >> larry: before we go, edge will kennedy was a
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