♪ you make me feel ♪ you make me feel like ♪ i really feel like a natural woman ♪ ♪ yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com tonight, a cnn exclusive. our senior white house correspondent ed henry is hearing the white house has enlisted a big political player to help push health care reform to victory. and underwater for the second year in a row. we take to you a major u.s. city where people are at their wit's end over severe flooding. and i wouldn't touch, this look at that, with a ten-foot pole. but one guy did. and the question is did he get sprayed? good evening, everyone. we tell you about a cnn

exclusive. we are learning new information about the white house's final push to the health care overhaul bill. now, our senior white house correspondent ed henry joins us now by phone from washington, d.c. ed, you're hearing this first. you're in washington tonight. what are you hearing? >> reporter: well, don, i'm at the gridiron, which is a long washington tradition. bill clinton, the former president, is the headliner for this dinner. he's going to start speaking soon. and i -- he was late to the dinner. so i started inquiring with some democrats outside the dinner, and i picked up from two democratic sources familiar with it, telling me that bill clinton was late to this dinner because he was making phone calls on health care. he was enlisted by the white house to try to help push this over the finish line. and what's fascinating about this, of course, is that bill clinton was the most recent democratic president, back in 1993, who tried so hard to get health care reform and failed so spectacularly. and that's one of the reasons why democrats are so nervous about the current debate. but i think that this lobbying,

last-minute lobbying by bill clinton this evening, calling wavering democratic members of congress tells us two things. number one, while the democrats are close, they do not have the votes yet. if they did have the votes, they wouldn't be enlisting a former president. secondly, it shows us this white house is pulling out all the stops. enlisting a former president so synonymous with the health care battle at this late hour shows that president obama is literally pulling out all the stops to make sure this gets done tomorrow when the house votes on it, don. >> and you know what, ed, some people might question that choice because we know former president bill clinton took on health care unsuccessfully. so do you think this is really going to help? will he -- you know, will people give, you know, their vote to him? because he couldn't get it done. >> reporter: it's a good question. it remains to be seen. but let's face it, he's a very popular figure still in the democratic party. in an interesting side note here is that one of my democratic sources was pointing out that there was some thought that maybe hillary clinton, the secretary of state, might be

able to help on this. but democratic officials point out that as secretary of state it's sort of awkward to get involved in domestic politics. and that is part of the reason why instead of using the former new york senator the white house basically reached out to the former president. so you're right. it could be difficult because he's somebody who tried and failed. but on the other hand, there are a lot of democrats, the democratic faithful, who respect and admire bill clinton for trying. even though he failed, he fought the good fight in their eyes. and now they see maybe perhaps president obama is going to finish the job. let's remember that passing it in the house, if they do tomorrow, doesn't mean it's over. it means they still have to get it through the u.s. senate. but this would be a major step forward, and maybe bill clinton is someone who can help push it through. >> boy, it's certainly been a very interesting day, ed. you have former president bill clinton late to this gridiron dinner you're attending. then you have the president speaking to the democratic caucus, spending a lot of time on capitol hill. ed, we'll let you get back.

if you can get some more information please get back to us. we'll have you back to talk about health care final four. a lot of people are comparing what's happening in washington with what's happening in the ncaa, the final four tournament. thank you, ed. we appreciate your exclusive reporting tonight. so listen, we want to move on here and tell you, this is our -- again, our exclusive story here. ed henry is saying that the white house has enlisted bill clinton, former president bill clinton to go and speak to people on capitol hill, especially democrats who may be wavering, to try to get this health care reform bill through. the president said 24 hours. this was earlier today. that they would have a vote. and he prirkted a win. so we shall see. in the meantime, after all of the debate health care reform comes down to raw numbers really. it is one crucial vote. 216 yeas or nays will decide it. all designed to provide health care insurance to millions of americans who don't now have it. so much is at stake that president barack obama postponed an overseas trip to take a short ride to capitol hill today. it was perhaps one of the most significant journeys of his

political career. >> we have been debating health care for decades. it has now been debated for a year. it is in your hands. it is time to pass health care reform for america, and i am confident that you are going to do it tomorrow. thank you very much, house of representatives. let's get this done! >> well, the president had to bring his a game. he needed all his powers of persuasion because fellow democrats have been turning against the bill. joining the republican opposition. now, if the president loses 38 democrats, they and 178 republicans will ensure the bill is defeated. already there are 32 democrats who have said they will vote no. six more and it's all over. so it comes down to these 26 democrats. look at your screen right now. officially, they are undeclared. they have not said how they will vote tomorrow. the president needs to keep at least 21 on his side, or health care reform is dead, no longer. lawmakers know their political

lives are on the line for this vote. whichever way you vote or they vote, it will stick with them. emotions are extremely high. >> abortion is not health care. vote no! >> kill the bill! >> vocal demonstrators converged on capitol hill to insist lawmakers kill the bill. similar rallies both for and against the passage popped up in cities across the country. it was against this highly charged backdrop at times turning racist and ugly that the president of the united states stood and urged lawmakers to be strong and to do the right thing. cnn's senior congressional correspondent dana bash was there. >> reporter: don, democrats are working late into the night here counting the votes, hoping to have a victory on health care by this time tomorrow night. and today they got a personal push from the man who has the most at stake politically. the president came in confident. >> we are going to get this done. >> reporter: and used his final.

he pep rally for house democrats to cast it in historic terms. >> is this the single most important step that we have taken on health care since medicare? absolutely. >> reporter: he acknowledged political reality. >> i know this is a tough vote. >> reporter: but insisted at the end of the day voting yes on health care will be a political plus for democrats. >> i am actually confident, i've talked to some of you individually, that it will end up being the smart thing to do politically. because i believe that good policy is good politics. >> reporter: yet even before the president's hard sell, democratic leaders for the first time said they'd secured the votes to pass health care. >> clearly we believe we have the votes. >> reporter: that prediction after a frenzied saturday of last-minute meetings to count the votes and cajole fence sitters. >> when you come to that meeting, you're going to potentially have the firm 216? >> i still have a smile. >> reporter: in the midst of their 11th hour scramble house democrats abruptly abandoned plans to pass health care with a

controversial procedure deem and passed. that would have let house democrats avoid a direct vote on the senate health care bill many don't like. but the maneuver became explosive and backfired. >> i don't support that and won't support a rule that does it that way. >> reporter: democratic leaders racked up some nine votes by resolving a regional issue, disparities in medicare payments to hospitals. >> i think this resolution was crucial to getting them to a yes on this legislation. >> reporter: yet as momentum appeared to build, so did the opposition. >> kill the bill! kill the bill! >> reporter: protesters descended on the capitol. >> abortion is not health care! vote no! >> reporter: yelling for lawmakers to kill the bill as they walked outside on a sunny saturday. and cheering at the sight of the house republican leader. >> kill the bill! >> reporter: but the protests also turned personal and ugly. >> kill the bill! kill the bill! >> reporter: inside this office

building a cnn producer overheard protesters yelling the word "faggot" at openly gay congressman barney frank. and congressman john lewis, a civil rights icon who marched in selma, alabama -- >> kill the bill. >> reporter: -- told cnn protesters hurled racial slurs at him, repeatedly yelling the n word. the turbulent and intense day here included more wrangling on the emotional issue of abortion. but the house speaker insisted she will not give in to demands from anti-abortion democrats for a new vote on language making a prohibition on taxpayer funding for abortion more restrictive. don? >> all right, dana. thank you very much for that. you know it's down to the wire, but it's not a done deal. so people are taking to the streets to push for their side in the health care overhaul. just outside of chicago the yeses and the nos spent the day protesting. they did it side by side. the competing rallies took place at the office of representative michelle bean, an undeclared until now she came out today in

support of the bill. similar story, different location. we're going to northern california. protesters against the overhaul rallied at the office of representative jerry mcnorthwesterny. but just as they started their chanting, the congressman, well, announced he was moving from undeclared to yes on health care reform. boy, it's heating up. stay with cnn throughout the weekend as we cover this crucial vote. our special programming will begin tomorrow 9:00 a.m. we'll be covering it all day long. as the nation votes for the vote on health care reform it is not just politicians across the country who are at odds over it. doctors are too. we'll hear strong arguments from physicians on both sides. and bracing for flooding in fargo. will there be a last-minute reprieve? we'll ask our jacqui jeras. for all the moments that make every day special.

fancy feast created a way to celebrate any moment. fancy feast appetizers. [dinner bell chimes] simple high quality ingredients like wild alaskan salmon, white meat chicken, or sea bass and shrimp in a delicate broth, prepared without by-products or fillers.

fancy feast appetizers. celebrate the moment you have heel pressure. huh? you have high arches. really? (announcer) people everywhere are discovering what's really going on with their feet. you have flat feet. i do? (announcer) foot care scientists are behind dr. scholl's custom fit orthotic center. as flat as kansas, sir. that's flat. whoa! (announcer) its unique foot mapping technology identifies the areas you put the most pressure on. then recommends the custom fit orthotic that's best for your feet. for customized comfort all day long. for locations, see drscholls.com. "what do you mean homeowners insurance doesn't cover floods?" "a few inches of water caused all this?" "but i don't even live near the water." what you don't know about flood insurance may shock you. including the fact that a preferred risk policy

starts as low as $119 a year. for an agent, call the number on your screen. if the health care reform bill does pass and is signed into law the medical professionals, the doctors and nurses will be required to deal with all the new regulations. i spoke with two doctors with very different views on this bill. >> the problem that i see with this bill is we are spending a tremendous amount of money in order to try to bring about health care reform. and we are doing that in a system right now where we know it is bankrupting our country. we've already said that our country cannot afford this type of health care plan that we are currently on. and despite that, we have a bill out there that is going to increase our cost by $250 billion. that is unsustainable. we cannot afford it. >> according to the analysis that was just releaseed by the

cbo in fact this plan does generate the funding to pay for itself, and at the same time over the first ten years reduce the deficit by $138 billion due to some of the loopholes that are closed and some of the things in medicare that are reduced in terms of cost. i think it's important to note that. >> he's saying this is ducks in a pond. >> this is ducks in a pond. i tell you. and i agree. i've read the cbo report. but i've also read the chief actuary report. the cbo what they determine is whether or not this decreases our deficit. it doesn't mention one thing about annual health care expend toourds, how much we spend on health care. >> as you heard, dr. bill was -- dr. hill, i should say, was opposed to the health care reform bill. so i asked him to take some questions from you our viewers. and i asked him what does he think, what would he do different? >> all right. so doctor-e we ran out of time with you and the other doctor. so thank you for talking to us about this. this is what i wanted to ask. it was clicking in my head, and i said we don't have time. >> sure. >> ask him what he wants to change within the bill and how

it would affect the uncovered americans. because you're not -- you said this bill is bad pup said you're scared. >> right. >> so what would you do differently? >> so i think we need to actually look at changing the way the structure of the system is arranged. our system is currently arranged that patients as a -- are completely removed from the cost of health care. they have no idea the cost of health care. it's the only system that we have set up in that manner. >> change the structure how? >> we need to look at a consumer-driven health care plans. hsa health care plans. and there's data out there that show these work. if you look at indiana there was a great study that was published that came out of indiana that looked at the cost savings in indiana where they developed a other consume driven health plan high ge ductible health plan with health savings accounts. this zbl this plan -- >> this plan takes it away. let me give you the data on it. >> real quickly. >> 11% cost savings in indiana this year because they have 70% of their state employees on that plan. 11% cost savings -- >> we have time constraints here. real quickly. i'm a cancer survivor.

unable to get health insurance. the bill is not perfect but it's better than doing nothing. i'm already rationed. >> but that's the problem, is it's not better than doing nothing because we are now creating a bill that's going to cost more money. it's going to make it harder for that person to get any kind of health care down the line. so we need to find a way to decrease the cost and find efficiency within our health care delivery system so that we have money available. we save 11% of cost in health care by doing a consumer driven health care plan. the academy of actuaries said 10% to 20% avings in the consumer driven health plans. >> i have 10 seconds left. you said you were scared. >> i am truly scared. >> if you're scared they said you're in the wrong profession as a health care person. >> no. i'm scared for my patients' future. i live in the operating room every day. that is the easy part of this. the scary part is i have politicians directing our health care and they're going to do it in a way that's going to decrease health care to people. >> your main point a consumer driven --

>> evidence shows it works. we practice evidence-based medicine. evidence shows a decreased cost and that gives us money to utilize later. >> our thanks to dr. brian hill. okay. politics and -- how about that? basketball? they may have more in common than -- than it might seem. our top political minds bring march madness to the floor of congress. here you go. thank you very much. and watching the red river, fearing a flood, but could fargo dodge a bullet? jacqui jeras will weigh in. scam. our signature lobster lover's dream... and eleven more choices. right now at red lobster. throughout our lives, we encounter new opportunities. at the hartford, we help you pursue them with confidence. by preparing you for tomorrow. while protecting what you have today. you've counted on us for 200 years. let's embrace tomorrow.

and with the hartford behind you, achieve what's ahead of you.

so you may not have had the perfect weather today but you need to count your blessings because on the first day of spring flood-weary fargo is keeping watch on the red river. melting snow is pushing the river steadily higher and in just hours it is expected to crest at 37 feet or 19 feet

above flood stage. but that's lower than many had once feared. now, more than a million sandbags are in place in fargo and nearby morehead, minnesota to hold back the waters. and city officials have cigars at the ready to celebrate if the river does not overflow. jacqui, let's hope they'll be smoking those cigars. it's not only that, but we've got the snow, and that's -- it's kind of all adding into it, right? >> it is, yeah. and you know, it may not over top the levees that they've built. the other thing you've got to worry about is make sure those dikes hold. so if they get any kind of break in there they're in big trouble as well. and one of those concerns we have is we think we're going to stay under that record crest for tomorrow. however, the river's supposed to stay in major flood for at least a week. so those sandbags are going to be up there, you know, with that water pressure pushing on them for a good week. so that's something we'll be watching. so that's a little bit of good news and some of the reason why the level now is forecast to be a little lower than we originally thought-s because much colder temperatures have moved in. so that ground is hardening back

up. so not all of the runoff is going back into that river. we'll continue to watch the situation through the day tomorrow. now, the other big weather story for tomorrow, it's snow. yeah. on the first day of spring. not so much fun for a whole lot of you, unfortunately. check out this gorgeous ireport, though, from oklahoma city. our ireporter patricia smith sent this to us this morning. she said it was absolutely gorgeous, although she's sick of the snow. she said the roads were very slick but she was going to give it a go and try to go to a wedding stayed. patricia, i hope that worked out for you. we did have some roads closed because the wind was blowing huge drifts a's kro the state highways in the area. we've also had accumulations in parts of kansas, kansas city, and the heaviest accumulations in this area reaching about the seven-inch mark. and those winds had been gusting 40-plus miles per hour and that's why we've had some of the blowing and drifting. big differences in temperature ahead and behind the front. right? don, you can figure out where the cold front is, right?

doesn't take a meteorologist today, does it? cold air's going to be moving in. so everybody's who's enjoyed a lovely spring day in the east today will see wet weather and -- >> that means us? >> that means us. rain arrives tomorrow. >> i keep saying every time it gets warm i keep saying oh, finally, finally. do you play? >> oh, basketball? >> yeah. >> not so much. but uni won tonight. >> oh. do you have anything riding on this? >> no. i didn't do a pool or anything. did you? >> no. not really. i'll wait for it. went to the hawks game last night. it was great. we're doing this whole thing because the health care reform bill, it feels like march madness. and the ball is in the court of those undecided democrats. jacqui, bad sports analogy? well, we're not going to stop there. our top political minds are bringing a march madness mentality to the capitol dome. did you say something, jacqui jeras? >> i just said it was a funny analogy. works for me, don. >> we'll see you in a bit.

tide loads of hope has been committed to helping people affected by disasters. this is what gives us hope! [ female announcer ] now tide's bringing help to those affected by the recent earthquakes in haiti. by providing clean clothes and linens. you too can help by purchasing a tide vintage tee at tide.com. during february and march, all profits from tide vintage tee sales will be matched by tide up to $250,000 and donated to disaster relief in haiti. together, we can provide loads of hope. is to reproduce every color in the world on tv. introducing quattron quad pixel technology. it adds a fourth color, yellow, to the standard rgb color system,

creating a vast array of colors you can't see with your tv's three color technology. but, you can see this. whoa! oh my. [ male announcer ] quattron from sharp. you have to see it, to see it. [ engineer laughs ] is difficult to attain. a reputation for unsurpassed quality and industry-leading customer service, even more so. which is why it must be earned. every day. every mile. with every driver. we've earned ours by relentlessly asking one simple question... how can we make it even better tomorrow? lexus. the pursuit...of perfection. let's wind 'em with precision. open our throttle to even more selection. and turn that savings swagger up full tilt. ♪

so when the time comes to bust open a can of doing... we've got all the tools for all the things we need to make 'em happen. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. right now, get scotts nature scapes mulch for the new lower price of just $3.88. okay. more now on the big story, and one that just keeps heating up. tomorrow's health care reform vote. let's bring in now our senior political editor mr. mark preston. okay, mark, listen, we talked about democrats. 32 have already broken ranks. the white house, they may seem like they're a little bit nervous. do you think they are? especially considering ed henry's exclusive story at the top of this broadcast. >> well, don, of course we heard ed say at the top of the

broadcast that bill clinton in fact is making phone calls on behalf of the white house. he's clearly reaching out to some of these undeclared democrats. these democrats who haven't come out in favor or against the bill at this point. look, democrats are still confident that they're going to win the vote tomorrow. republicans, who i have been speaking to over the past couple of hours, believe that they will lose, that democrats will win. however, if you are the white house, there is very little if no room for error. so that's why we are seeing bill clinton make these phone calls on behalf of the white house tonight, don. >> it would seem republicans have a really good strategy if they have to whip out the big guns, they're talking about president clinton and 32 democrats, it seems they have a good strategy here. >> certainly. if they don't win tomorrow-f they don't win the vote tomorrow, they believe politically they will win. if democrats are only able to get 216 votes, don, the base line needed to pass this bill, they believe now, republicans believe that all 216 democrats

can be tagged with the idea that they were the deciding vote in this health care bill. this country right now, don, is divided over health care reform. half the country wants it. the other half doesn't want it. and we certainly saw that outside the capitol today, with those very, very tense protests as they were debating the bill inside. >> okay. listen, just if you can say -- three votes tomorrow. right? quickly explain that to us. >> yeah, sure, don. tomorrow there will be several procedural votes throughout the day. several hours of debate. the final vote that we should be looking at will come in the late afternoon, early evening. this vote will be on the senate bill. the bill will then move down to the white house to be signed. however, the debate is not entirely over. the senate still has some things to do. so we will still be talking about health care this time next week, don. >> thank you very much. hey, don't go far away because i want to talk to you in a little bit. will you stick around a little bit, mark preston? >> sure. >> because mark and i are going to talk about this. we'll see if we can get ed henry to talk about it as well.

a health care fight of a different kind. we'll talk about march madness, is it kind of related in that debate. we'll also talk about our cnn hero. he's battling to bring doctors and patients together in a developing country. we'll talk about that. again, what does march madness have to do with all of this? with the frenzy in washington, the overhaul of the bill. think about it. oh. [ chuckles ] ...like our award-winning cc... white one! [ chuckles ] ...or the fuel-efficient jetta... red one! ...or the tiguan... black one! oh!! two for flinching. plus, every volkswagen includes no-charge scheduled carefree maintenance. silver one! [ groans ] on any volkswagen? [ exhales, sighs ] yeah. [ male announcer ] with great deals on all 13 models... silver one! [ male announcer ] ...it's a whole new volkswagen, and a whole new game. ♪ is to reproduce every color in the world on tv. introducing quattron quad pixel technology. it adds a fourth color, yellow, to the standard rgb color system, creating a vast array of colors you can't see with your tv's three color technology.

but, you can see this. whoa! oh my. [ male announcer ] quattron from sharp. you have to see it, to see it. [ engineer laughs ] for the worst allergies, i want a product with the best decongestant. my choice is clear: claritin-d. (announcer) nothing works stronger, faster, or longer to relieve your worst allergy symptoms, including congestion, without drowsiness. get claritin-d at the pharmacy counter. live claritin clear.

all right. the health care debate, it is heated. it's a topic that is heated for

sure but one that can be a bit difficult to understand. in fact, many of the proposed provisions won't kick in for a number of years. others, however, will be felt almost immediately. let me break it all down in terms that are easy for you to understand. as the vote comes down to the wire, president obama takes his message straight to the people, touting the immediate benefits of his health reform bill. >> starting this year, thousands of uninsured americans with pre-existing conditions will be able to purchase health insurance, some for the very first time. >> the full impact of the bill won't take place for several years. in the meantime, uninsured americans with pre-existing health conditions will get temporary coverage from a $5 billion fund. this coverage would also include children with pre-existing conditions. young adults would also immediately be covered under their parents' plan. >> and by the way, to all the young people here today,

starting this year, if you don't have insurance all new plans will allow you to stay on your parents' plan until you are 26 years old. >> reporter: and right away, people with serious illnesses, including cancer, will no longer face coverage caps from insurance companies. and if people feel their insurance company unfairly denied them coverage, they can appeal through an independent process. and right away for the elderly when they exceed the limit of drug coverage under medicare part d they'll get $250 a year to help plug the gap. >> do not quit! do not give up! we keep on going! we are going to get this done! we are going to make history! we are going to fix health care in america with your help! >> all right. so listen, you're talking about it and we're talking about it. so let's talk about it. thank you, sir. march madness. several big upsets tonight. none bigger than number 1 seed

kansas falling to number 9 northern iowa. kansas picked by many, including president obama, to win it all. look at this. >> kansas. >> kansas beating k state. >> and kentucky. >> okay. that would be a rematch in the coaching department from 2008, when john caliperi was coaching memphis. against bill self. >> against bill self. and i think once again self wins. that's the game right there. >> all right. so the president comes up a loser in basketball. so then what about health care? joining us now, cnn's senior political editor, mark preston in washington. mark, we were talking about this. don't think about it too much. it's just a fun segment. everybody's talking about march madness. ed henry is supposed to join us, but ed's not here, right? >> who knows what ed -- >> we don't have ed. so listen, mark, people are filling out their brackets. i have one right here predicting the winners and the losers. and it seemed appropriate. we were talking about this last night after we went to a ball game, had a couple beers and

talked about it. it's down it's wire. the president may go for a buzzer beater. do you agree there's some similarities there? >> you know, there are. and you know what's interesting, if you look at it, if you look at politics like you look at sports, northern iowa, which defeated kansas tonight, perhaps gave -- or certainly gave president obama his biggest political win. had it not been for iowa, we probably wouldn't have had a president obama, right? he won the iowa caucuses. boom. and then he moved forward. now, if you look at politics as it is sport, though, and you're absolutely right -- >> so listen, i know where you're going with this. i want you to look at this. what are we calling this one? our health care -- our health care final four. this is our bracket, mark. so weigh in on this. we have president obama and then we have president bart stupak and representative john boehner and representative nancy pelosi. i don't know. can we predict a possible winner here when it's looking -- what the votes are looking at? >> well, you know something, if you're a republican, you're looking at that bracket and you're saying there are three

democrats and there's only one republican up there. so it's a win-win for the republicans. but look, in the end it's going to be pelosi and obama. i suspect right in the middle they're both going to win. i mean, that's what we're hearing right now, right? that they have the votes but it will be by the slimmest of margins. >> let's look real quick at that bracket again if we can put it up there. because president obama, as you said, versus his own party-k and representative bart stupak from wisconsin. who wins in all of this? because we had representative gao on and he said this issue, abortion, this is an issue i can't compromise on. >> president obama, let's assume he wins tomorrow, democrats get the health care bill, huge win for obama. huge win for nancy pelosi. not actually a terrible loss for john boehner. they think they have a campaign issue. bart stupak stood by his conscience. he lost legislatively. >> real quick, john boehner and nancy pelosi, what do you think in if you can call this one, the two top seed guys here, what would you call?

>> why are you doing this to me? both of their aides are going to be calling yelling at me. >> real quickly you saw the president filling out his brackets. it was very interesting. do we still have that video? now, listen, last year in better political times as you said he was a winner. and this year everyonetion saying oh, my gosh, it could turn out to be a big political upset like all the games have been as i said buzzer beaters and down to the wire and upsets. a lot of people predicting this could be an upset. >> just like he has taken ownership of his picks right there, health care for president obama is his initiative. he can't push it off on republicans. we saw the white house, don, talk all throughout the past year that the banking crisis, the housing crisis, the economy wasn't his fault, it wasn't his. well, in fact health care is his. this is huge for him. >> thank you. thanks for playing along with this. people get -- on a saturday night you don't want to be beat over the head with policy and bad news. so this was a little bit of fun. ncaa's going on. there you go. thanks, mark preston. we'll see you tomorrow. get some sleep, man. >> thanks, don. she went from being a tour

guide to a cnn hero. find out what one woman is doing to ease suffering in south america. really? (announcer) people everywhere are discovering what's really going on with their feet. you have flat feet. i do? (announcer) foot care scientists are behind dr. scholl's custom fit orthotic center. as flat as kansas, sir. that's flat. whoa! (announcer) its unique foot mapping technology identifies the areas you put the most pressure on. then recommends the custom fit orthotic that's best for your feet. for customized comfort all day long. for locations, see drscholls.com.

an adventure tour guide on a mission to save lives in the amazon jungle. patty webster is this week's cnn hero. she goes the extra mile to bring medical care to the most remote and impoverished areas of peru. >> someone that goes to the amazon on a vacation, you see the beauty, it's easy to overlook the realities of what people are living there. i was a guide leading adventure tourists around. as time went on i just saw real suffering going on. people were very sick. people would actually sit around my mosquito net waiting for me

to wake up so i could help them with, you know, a sick child. it was frightening to me because if they're depending on me for their health care we're all going to die because i certainly had no medical training at all. i had to evolve myself more. it was either stay and do something or leave. my name is patty webster, and i bring down medical teams into the amazon jungle. we work in so many diverse areas where the ministry of health doesn't get to. so we often take extreme measures to get out to places. in some of these areas many of them would never see a doctor. we work morning to night. we have so many people. you want to make sure everybody gets treated. this is our 17th year. we are seeing more patients, providing more services. anything i can offer them that is going to help them, that's

just a real gift. it certainly wasn't what i had planned for my life. but you can't go against these forces of nature. >> see more work in some of peru's poorest areas or to nominate someone you think is changing the world. go to cnn.com/heroes. seeing the health care reform bill passed, that's president obamas biggest concern at the moment. but new challenges certainly lie ahead. these two men, tavis smiley, dr. cornel west, say they want the president to give more attention to issues important to african-americans. and it's hard to see when sand is blowing in your eyes, right? a sandstorm so bad that it cancelled airline flights. tide loads of hope has been committed to helping people affected by disasters. this is what gives us hope! [ female announcer ] now tide's bringing help to those affected

by the recent earthquakes in haiti. by providing clean clothes and linens. you too can help by purchasing a tide vintage tee at tide.com. during february and march, all profits from tide vintage tee sales will be matched by tide up to $250,000 and donated to disaster relief in haiti. together, we can provide loads of hope. host: could switching to geico 15% or more on car insurance? host: is ed "too tall" jones too tall? host: could switching to geico 15% or more on car insurance? host: does a ten-pound bag of flour make a really big biscuit? and you're still fighting to sleep in the middle of the night, why would you go one more round using it ? you don't need a rematch-- but a re-think-- with lunesta.

lunesta is different. it keys into receptors that support sleep, setting your sleep process in motion. lunesta helps you get the restful sleep you need. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving or engaging in other activities while asleep without remembering it the next day have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions such as tongue or throat swelling occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness and morning drowsiness. stop fighting with your sleep. get a free 7-night trial on-line and ask your doctor about switching to lunesta. discover a restful lunesta night.

we have some top stories for you. right now, today is the seventh anniversary of the u.s.-led invasion of iraq. it comes as the u.s. prepares to wind down its forces in that country while ramping up the fight against the taliban in afghanistan. more than 4,000 u.s. military personnel have died in the iraq conflict. thousands of demonstrators turned out in washington today to protest the iraq war. they put signs resembling tombstones on the national mall with the names of fallen iraqis and americans. there were also anti-war protests in other cities including new york and los angeles. meantime, several hundred marines are deploying out of southern california's camp

pendleton. their destination, southern afghanistan, where they will link up with afghan troops. their mission, to secure cities and towns in helmand province against taliban militants who've been recently ousted from key strongholds in the region. new year's celebrations are under way root now in iran. the holiday also marks the first day of spring. a prominent pro-reform politician has special reason to celebrate. iran's official news agency reports that hussein morashi was freed from prison. but he will have to go back to jail on april 3rd, when the new year holiday is over. pope benedict tells irish catholics he's sorry for the latest scandal that has rocked the church. but is the pontiff's apology enough for many angry victims? and a blinding snowstorm so bad planes can't even take off.

listen, this weekend tavis smiley is holding a big event in chicago to talk about issues that are important to african-americans, right? he does this every year. so many african-americans threw their support behind president obama to get him elected. but as the nation's first black president doing enough to address their concerns? talk show host tavis smiley has raised the issue, even putting him at odds with some black leaders, many black leaders, really. he took his concerns to the president's home turf today at chicago state university. now, i had a chance to speak with smiley along with author and professor cornell west. a very interesting discussion. pay close attention. >> this conversation in chicago state today here in chicago, obviously, is really about whether or not there ought to be an african-american agenda in the era of obama in this so-called post-racial world,

don, and how we go about doing that. i happen to believe that disproportionate pain requires a disproportionate response. i believe, and i think dr. west agrees, that the black agenda has always been the best of america because the black agenda is always about democracy, looking out for those who are socially, politically, economically disenfranchised. so this conversation today is how can black people exercise their agency and how do we get black leaders to understand the urgency of the pain that black people are feeling right now? >> okay. so listen, there's been a controversy, for our viewers who don't know, there's a controversy. there are people who are saying, tavis, who's tavis smiley to set the agenda for black america? black americans are not monolithic. tavis smiley is not a policy maker. he's not the president of the united states. what gives him the gumption to in a sense call out president obama? >> first of all, i'm not calling out president obama. i'm calling out black leaders who have said recently that the president doesn't need to focus on an african-american agenda.

when black leaders start saying that, then what role are they playing? if they're not fighting for the best interests of black people. no matter who the president is. so this is not about the president. it's about the presidency. how do you get the white house to take note of the suffering of your people and get them to address that? >> you talked about black leaders. and i'm just read something quotes. al sharpton, the reverend al sharpton says, "tavis smiley is an outright liar and a hater and a a clinton water boy." how do you respond to things like that? >> well, i really don't, quite frankly. people are entitled to express themselves. i don't engage in personal ad hominem attacks. i think you can have disagreements without being disagreeable. ultimately for me it's about keeping alive the legacy of dr. king. and for me that means, don, justice for all, service to others, and a love for our people that will liberate them. what's funny to me is that if frank rich in the "new york times" takes the president on he's courageous. if paul krugman takes him on on health care, he's courageous. if anderson cooper has a segment

every night "keeping them honest," he's courageous. but when tavis smiley suggests holding the president accountable then all of a sudden i'm labeled an obama critic. that argument is specious, number one, and quite frankly has some racist undertones to it. >> it has been a criticism of the congressional black caucus that the president has not focused on issues that are important to african-americans, professor west, dr. west. and some people took him to task. robert gibbs defended him just a couple weeks ago, saying that the president was a member of the congressional black caucus and that he has to run the entire country but he is focused on issues that are important to african-americans. what do you say to that? >> i think the question is, again, it's not a personal thing about what the president says. it's a question of looking at his policies and seeing whether they tilt toward the strong or whether they tilt toward the weak. and what brother tavis is saying is that we have to bear witness to ensure that the weak, the most vulnerable are not being rendered invisible no matter who

the president is, no matter who the governor is, no matter who the mayor is. >> ultimately, i want folks to understand that you are the leader that you've been looking for. during the obama campaign the campaign and black leaders asked black folk and a lot of other americans to do a whole lot of things. but since we're talking about black folk today, black folk were asked to raise money, obviously, to give money, to host coffees and teas, to walk precincts, to tell their friends, to show up at rallies. there are all kinds of things that black folk were asked to do by black leaders and the obama campaign to exercise their agency. here's the question, don. far be it for me to ask you a question, and i'm being rhetorical here, obviously. but the question, don, is this. what have black folk been asked to do since the president was elected? and that's what this conversation at chicago state is all about. what are we prepared to do to exercise the power that we have to make sure that this administration, this celebration that we have about barack obama is not just about symbolism but also ultimately about substance

as well. >> i think the important thing, no matter who the president would be, it could be hillary clinton, it could be barack obama, it could be john mccain, and lo and behold it could be sarah palin. if they're not focusing on poor people if they're not poex focusing on the prison industrial complex-f they're not focusing on workers. jobs way living wage, quality health care, infrastructure, quality education, allowing people to live lives of decency and dignity. we wouldn't need to have this gathering. so it's not a question of the color of the president. but it is true that president obama has tended to tilt toward the investment bankers more than he's tilting toward brother jam p and sister lettisha on the block. that concerns me. >> dr. cornel west and tavis smiley. thank you so much for that interesting conversation. and we asked the white house for a representative, but we did not get one. talk about a sticky situation. a skunk. that's right. gets stuck.

an open jar of peanut butter is just too much temptation. but will the skunk's rescuer regret this? can you imagine? they are stinky. little fella. [ female announcer ] it's lobsterfest... when we tn lolobster into irresistible creations. like new wood-grilled lobster and parmesan scampi... our signature lobster lover's dream... and eleven more choices. right now at red lobster. they clean up gunk left by lower quality gasoline. then they act as a protective barrier... that shields and protects engines... against performance-robbing gunk. thanks for the info! shell nitrogen enriched gasoline, helping you get the most out of every drop. some people like to pretend... a flood could never happen to them... and that their homeowners insurance... protects them.

it doesn't. stop pretending. it can happen to you. protect your home with flood insurance. call the number on your screen... for your free brochure.

if you're flying british airways this weekend, you might want to make sure you've got a plan b. a three-day strike by british

airways cabin crew, well, it's under way right now. the airline is operating roughly half of its flights. british airways and its affiliates serve more than 75 countries. it's unite. it's called unite. their union and the airline have been at odds for more than a year now over changes to cabin crew pay and also working condition there's. pope benedict xvi says he's truly sorry for a scandal that has rocked the roman catholic church. in a pastoral letter to irish catholics made public today the pontiff said he was deeply disturbed by the revelations of a decades-long cover-up of child sexual abuse by priests. but some abuse victims say the apolyis not enough. have you seen this video? it is a massive sandstorm in beijing. look at that. the thick cloud of sand made it hard to breathe, hard to see, and even grounded flights at beijing's airport today. people were told to stay indoors if at all possible because the air quality was so bad. but as you can see, many people didn't listen to that. they donned their masks and they went out. make sure you stay with cnn

throughout the weekend for the coverage on the crucial vote. i want to tell you that our special coverage begins tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. "state of the union" with candy crowley. make sure you tune in then. we'll be covering it all day long for you. so listen, i want to tell you this. everybody knows to stay clear of skunks, right? but when one got stranded in the middle of a four-lane road with a jar on its head, somebody had to do something, or something -- a little something something, as they say. an animal control officer finally came to the rescue. the jar popped off the skunk, right off. fortunately, nobody got sprayed. he went back to stink somebody else up in the very near future, i'm sure. okay, guys. that was cute. this was a great show. i enjoyed your feedback. we had great topics. exclusive breaking news at the top of the show when it comes to the health care reform debate going on on capitol hill right now. let's look at some of your -- the exclusive story was bill clinton has been enlisted by the white house to try to rally

democrats over to the president's side for this health care reform bill. a lot of people are saying it's going to work. some say it won't help at all because bill clinton wasn't able to get health care reform passed. a couple of your viewer feedback has to do with that. let's go real quickly to the board here. you're talking about tavis smiley and cornel west. "obama needs to focus on all americans. we need to stop the separation of races and start thinking of ourselves as one." "tavis is wrong. the president is the president of the u.s., not president of blacks. leaders in the community should do their job." "bracket busting. in the ncaa tournament/health care reform debate?" when we did our little fun debate. "please this is crazy. this is not a game, life and death." i agree with you. lighten up, though. we can have a little fun here. a lot of people are dealing with some bad things. their houses are underwater, don't have health insurance. some people just need a little fun. okay. so nice recap earlier with bill. "these protesters seem m