removable by congress. what's the difference is that his removal by congress. these individuals would not be. >> [inaudible] >> what i do not understand is why that it affects whether or not the president has to appoint all members of the commission and none can be appointed by the congress. >> [inaudible] >> the congress is not making appointments in that case. >> congress was too involved. that is why the ruled it unconstitutional. we responded by granting power to omd and making cuts. >> we are going to vote. >> i object to calling a vote on this. but i ask for a roll-call vote. [laughter] aye. aye by proxy. aye. aye. pass. aye. aye. aye. aye. aye. aye by proxy. aye by proxy. pass. no. aye by proxy. pass. no. pass. pass. aye. pass. no. aye. aye. x. you can tally the votes. the final tally is -- >> it passes. >> the rockefeller amendment passed, 15-3, with five members

what does he need to say to congress and the american people? reporter: -- focused on what the president's going to say tonight. we're in a battlefield hospital right now. people talking about this, even for the last several hours, a lot of confusion still. that may be the first starting point in terms of what he has to do. what exactly is the plan that we're talking about. even doctors, nurses here that i've been talking to aren't quite sure on that. i think the second thing, and this has come up over and over again, is this idea that there's a lot of people who have health care insurance. what exactly is this going to mean for them, this new bill, is it going to somehow change the safety of their health care insurance they have now, the security of it in some way? also, when you talk about guaranteed access for health care insurance, since the campaign, the candidate obama talked about trying to decrease costs and increasing access. doing those two things simultaneously. he's always talked about this idea of bending the cost curve downward. ho

last year, about half of congress paid the fee. and sources say if a specialist is needed, one will be brought to the capitol. all of this for no additional charge. >> cardiologists, dermatologists, a gastroenterologist, rheumatologists, just a wealth of specialists that support the office. >> reporter: the office of the attending physician does serve a broader public purpose, providing emergency care to anyone on capitol hill. but few people know about the first items listed in its mission statement, providing "primary care" to congress. we asked repeatedly for an interview or a tour, but were denied and when we tried to visit, we were asked to leave. representative lee terry of nebraska does not use the office. this thing called the office of the attending physician. >> oh yes. >> reporter: which you smile and say, "oh, yes." why do you do -- why do you do that? >> well, it's a great asset. somebody passes out on a tour, it's our attending physicians that are there right then, but there's an option, you could use them as your, in

congress? well i think in the congress, you can see that women members work really hard whether on the senate side or the house side, working incredibly hard for their districts, they're in touch with what's going on at home and in the congress. and i think you can see from the research that it's really paid off. >> bonnie: did the study reverberate through the house of congress this week, were the men upset about it? >> actually i was surprised at some parts of it donna for example, we who are women bring home more discretionary spending than men, considering where the men are placed in these committees. but i do think that in the early years and because you have only 17% of the house, for example, 17% of the -- of congress who are women, you probably have a disproportionate number of superachievers, that are, people who are disproportionately hard workers and that's how they got there in the first place. so that's how they're used to doing in the first place, watch out for birth order, i know

in one hour, president obama will address a joint congress. while it's going too far to say barack obama's presidency rides on tonight's speech, there is general agreement the president has lost control of the debate and tonight is the president's chance to hit the reset button. what should we look for tonight? who is the president's real audience? how will we know if this speech is a success? we'll give you a smart viewer's guide to tonight's speech coming up. >>> we'll hear from the man at the center of the president's inner circle, david axelrod, who will preview what we can expect from the president tonight. >>> getting to 60. what kind of deal does president obama have to make to win over a republican or two and get to that magic filibuster proof 60 votes in the senate? senator claire mccaskill joins us. >>> what will the president say about a public option? liberals are promising to draw a line in the sand and insist no public option, no bill. >>> and finally, keith olbermann, rachel maddow join us with their perspective at what's in sta

congress. host: heavy been brought to the table on the idea -- how the various food sources come into this discussion? guest: in all but conversations we are having, they say they want to do their part in health care reform. when you talk about thousands of schools all across the country and the importance of doing the right thing for our young people inside schools, which what is what we have heard from parents, so we talk about that with members of congress, and we say we are willing to continue to help. tell us what we can do. other means to tackle obesity concerns and we are here and çready. host: cross plains, wisconsin. good morning. caller: hi, i'm ray blanchard. in the beverage industry the big elephant in the room is not the sugar or manufactured sugar in the container. it is the container itself and waste created by the industry that is passed on to the consumer to deal with. you should tax the contain are or have it recycled or pay for itself because the industry dumps all their gar

so congress said, we don't want that. congress said that's going to be a nightmare. and we decide wellstone. for whatever reasons. now, don't we have to focus on whether congress can say that or whether it can't? i don't know why it can't not say it. >> congress also said if you strike down the wellstone amendment, we want this in the jef jefrdords amendment. >> if you strike it down, what's left is the snowe-jeffords amendment, not pacs, just separate bank accounts which include only separate expenditures. >> why is that not the wisest, narrowest solution put before us? >> it is certainly a narrower and i think better solution than a facial invalidation of the whole statute. >> what do you understand to be the compelling interest that the court ar dig late eticulated in? >> i think what the court articulated in austin and in the government briefs, we've suggested that austin did not articulate what we believed to be the strongest compelling interest which is the anticorruption interest. but what the court articulated in austin was essentially a concern about corpora

congress shall make no law.t has repeatedly said is that there may be laws inhibiting speech if there's a compelling governmental interest and a narrowly tailored remedy. but there is no justification for this. i was going to say that 97% of the 6 million corporations that filed tax returns in 2006 had assets less than $5 million, assets, not net worth. so we're talking about a prohibition that covers every corporation in the united states including nonprofit corporations, limited liability corporations, subchapter s corporations and every union in the united states. >> you used the word "prohibition," mr. olson. one answer to that is that no entity is being prohibited, that it's a question of not whether corporations can contribute but how. they can use pacs, and that way we issue that the people who contribute really supportive of the issue of the candidate, but so the corporation can give, but it has to use a pac. >> i respectfully disagree. the corporation may not expend money. it might find people. stockhol

congress shall make no law. what this court has repeatedly said is that there may be laws inhibiting speech if there is a compelling interest and a narrowly favored remedy. but there is no justification for this. 97% of the 6 million corporations that file tax returns in 2006 had assets less than $5 million. assets, not net worth. so we're talking about a prohibition that covers every corporation in the united states, including nonprofit corporations, limited liability corporations, subchapter s corporations, and every union. >> you knew the work prohibition -- word of prohibition, mr. austan. nothing is being prohibited. it is a question not of whether they can contribute, but how. they can use tax. the people who continue to contribute our the issuers. they may be supporting the issue of the candidates. they can get it, but they have to use a tactic. >> i disagree. the corporation may not spend money. it may find stockholders of officers that want to contribute to a separate fund. it is more like surrogate spe

>> this it is certainly an area for congress to consider.we are here simply providing our views and what the ramifications would be of that kind of congressional action and we are concerned about the effects of making the change that 12 07 would make. but it is clearly a decision for the congress. >> i want to thank you for your time. and your demeanor. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> i want to thank mr. alvarez for his time. [unintelligible] there are fairly small steps for the that we need to complete this. we will know how largour next witness. mr. woods. >> thomas woods is a senior fellow in auburn, alabama. he graduated from harvard university and received his master's and ph.d. from columbia university. his written two books, including "meltdown, a free- market look at what the stock market collapsed." he won a prize in 2006 for his book "the church and the market." is also a contributing editor of the american conservative. i welcome -- he is also a contributing editor of the american conservative. >> let me begin this summary of my wr

of congress about health care. all of us here have been asked hundreds of questions by our constituents over the past month. the president is an innovator in communications. he tries new ideas and is a trend setter when it comes to new ways to be in touch with the american people. so as the president addresses congress on his health care ideas tomorrow night, why doesn't he take some health care questions from members of congress? questions that have been asked by the people we represent. after all, we call this the people's house, so why not address questions the american people have? the questions could be submitted before the president speaks and he can choose the ones he wants to address. this could be a congressional town hall hosted by the president. here are just some of the questions i have been asked by the people of texas. one, the health care bill seems to cost too much. how are we going to pay for it? this question brought much concern to the people in my district. the congressional budget office says t

he's going right around congress. when are you going to wake up, congress? this is what i said on june 30. >> senator, i have to tell you, i think congress is overplaying their hand, and more importantly, i think they are being outplayed and outmaneuvered. i think they are making themselves irrelevant to a massive new federal framework that obama seems to be erecting with all kinds of czars and everything else. i mean, the great thing about these $1,761 stamps, they're huge. why, i could just have a nice huge iced tea right now. i've been asking questions. i got another one for you. congress, do you even matter anymore? i mean, think this through. you're not even writing the bills. the apollo alliance, they're the ones who wrote the stimulus package. i mean, you might have had a little something to do with it, like read part of it, because you're not read all of it. are you even being told how to vote by the powers that be like john conyers was about acorn? what are you doing? you you are sitting on the sidelines while the country is being trance transformed

, sanctioned and approved by the congress. but if you want to go to something that is not official whether it's twitter, youtube, or facebook, you literally have to leaf the house -- leave the house official site. >> host: so when you do then, you go to the youtube site -- >> guest: you can click on to youtube, and now i have -- this is my official youtube channel. and so there's a whole series of floor speeches and other youtube videos that i've been able to do. >> host: including some c-span video. >> guest: including -- well, and that's my favorite kind. but here's another example of what i t t do. i wanted to understand where my district was on economic issues. so instead of taking a poll what i did was i took my flip cam out and bent to a shopping center -- went to a shopping center and asked people what their priorities are. part of my new agenda, i'm traveling throughout my district to talk to people aut economic issues. gas prices, property taxes, heal care, getting a lot of input from people, and i'd like to share som

he wanted to come to this joint session of congress. and as we mentioned at the top of the broadcast, there will be a republican response. that will come from representative of louisiana, he is a surgeon, who is in his third term in the house, and he will speak from the capitol after the president has completed his address. as you know, if you're a student of these speeches, the president brings a copy of the speech for the speaker of the house and for the president of the senate, who is the vice president. nancy pelosi of california, the speaker of the house, and former senator joe biden, now vice president joe biden behind the president there, as well. and normally, after we go through this applause, with the announcement from the sergeants at arms, the senate and house, that the president is here, then we get a reintroduction of the president from the speaker of the house and there will be another round of applause and then he will begin this speech, which is really tremendously important. as we mentioned, for three months, it really

>> at the library of congress, catherine herridge, fox news. bret: and join us tomorrow for "special report" as it comes to you live from the pentagon. we will look at how the country is coping 8 years after the september 11 attacks, and how our brave men and women are taking the fight to the enemy to try to keep us safe. >> the president keeps the healthcare speech bandwagon rolling, but are others jumping onboard? the fox all-stars weigh in on that when we reeeeeetueeeif youa hoveround power chair? the statue of liberty? the grand canyon? it's all possible with a hoveround. tom: hi i'm tom kruse, inventor and founder of hoveround. when we say you're free to see the world, we mean it. call today and get a free hoveround information kit that includes a video and full color brochure. dennis celorie: "it's by far the best chair i've ever owned." and if you qualify get it for little or no money. jim plunkitt: "no cost. absolutely no cost to me." breaking news...when you call today, we'll include a free hoveround collapsible grabber with the purcha

who is calling congress on the carpet now, and who from congress, anyone from congress is simply sayingsorry now? not to us, to a company, a company villified for their telling this washington emporer, hamburg, you don't have any clothes on. that health insurance company is humana that had the audacity to warn customers that their benefits might be cut under healthcare reform and all hell broke loose, congress. >> all but calling out the i.r.s. against them and the white house warning against humana for what turns out to be the truth, benefits will be cut. don't expect congress to cut humana a break or offer a simple sorry. sorry we called the dogs out. sorry we had the nerve to try an score cheap publicity points or what turns out to be an accurate warning, sorry we didn't know you were right. sorry we didn't know our own congressional budget office confirmed you were right, sorry we didn't know our number crunchers have concluded that they will endeed see their benefits cut, sorry we didn't see the train wreck that you apparently did, sorry we didn't warn taxpayers like you who warned

congress understands that. and we understand that. >> is that a yes? >> reporte . >> we're going to get it. >> you've got the votes? >> well, i think we will have the votes to pass a significant health insurance reform plan this year. absolutely yes. >> our chief washington correspondent george stephanopoulos is joining us now. david's interesting there. we will have the votes. sounds like they are not confident they have them yet. >> reporter: because they don't, charlie. they don't have the votes right now for a bill that can get through the house and senate, get to the president's desk. they know that. that's why they are giving the speech tonight. and it comes at a time when the public, though they back the president on this idea that the status quo is unacceptable, back the general idea of health care reform, now polls show a majority of americans don't support the specific plans being kicked around congress right now and don't, a majority don't support the way the president has ndled this issue. >> they want some republican votes. they have talke

today congress is not completely in the dark.inspector general of its ordered in the patriot act reauthorization revealed significant abuse of national security letter said courts have found several patriot act provisions and constitutional including nsl doud orders, certain material support provisions, had a logical exclusion provisions and the fisa significant purpose task. there is also evidence the government abuse even broadly expand wiretapping authority congress approved under the fisa amendment act. congress needs to address all these provisions and this work is beginning. the aclu supports the national security letter reform act of 2009, sponsored by german at work and the justice act. country inns of reform introduced by senators russ feingold and richard durbin regarding expiring provisions the government's arguments for extending these authorities without amend that are simply a persuasive. unlike criminal counterparts the john doe roving wiretap provision of the patriot act authorizes government to obtain secret vice

we all hear congress an adjournment.above the 70's the conference decided in order to reduce the number of the vetoes that the president of the opposite party in those days o course richard nixon could actually put into effect they would appoint an agent to receive the bill while they were in the adjournment in case the president said the bill back so when y read the conitution closely it says if the president is prevented from returning a bill by adjournment than a pocket veto takes effect and so this was a device by the congress tsay it isn't impossibleo return the bill. we have got our age be the clerk of the house or secretary of samet or member of congress might be the and that led to a lot of litigation as well as pocket veto cases leader under president ford where the president adopted this very sort of strange hybrid version and it was like experiments with constitution what exactly does it mean? president ford sent back bills with a message that the bleeding to have pocket vetoed themt this seems odd so the cong

so while people are saying that the president needs to be a little firmer with congress, members of congressemind everybody that they have really the cards in their hands for this, to write the legislation and so forth. at the same time, of course, democrats want to really gel direction from the president and want to have a unified message. as you pointed out, they heard an awful lot from constituents. i was just in the elevator with a senator who said there was an agitated public during these last few weeks so they have to be responsive to that, too. they have other concerns not just the white house issue to measure for themselves. >> kelly, thank you very much. >>> a hearing regarding michael jackson's estate is set later today. the hearing will decide if michael jackson's mother will have a say in controlling michael's estate. jackson kids won't be heading to private school this fall. reports in late august that katherine jackson guardian of michael's kids wanted to enroll them in a private los angeles school but a course close to the family say the kids will remain home-schooled. >>> "di

congress has voted not to continue to funding -- to continue funding acorn. i think it's important to explain what happened last week because people don't have the full picture. what really happened last week was our friend over in the senate, senator coburn from oklahoma, put an amendment on the transportation and h.u.d. appropriations bill, that's what i understand. if i don't get this exactly straight, i hope you two will help me get it straight if my memory isn't as good as i'd like it to be. he put an amendment on that bill, an appropriations bill, that said that acorn would get no more funding through the h.u.d. appropriations bill. what happened in the house, we were dealing with a bill which i found extremely offensive, the bill that would do away with banks being able to make loans to students who are going to college and setting up the department of education as a banker for students who want to borrow money and what we did was we put an amendment on that bill to say, funding would no longer go to acorn. that bill passed with a large vote, so there

this congress, this congress needs to meet the commitment to our nation's space agency. the work being done benefits science, education, and our economy. we have stood on this floor and spent money bailing out the past. it's time we reinvest in our future. the achievement of the men and women of america's space program cannot continue to be received with empty promises and constant second-guessing. we have been the world's leader in human space flight for nearly 50 years. we must always be so. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speak pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. baca: last night a joint session of congress, president obama urged congress that now is the time to deliver health care. we heard it loud and clear. but what we also heard was a remark that was disrespectful to this house and the american people serving here in the united states congress. access to adequate health care should be a

that's why we acted, and that's request congress acted, not in congress' self-interest. >> today was the second time the court has heard this case but the first for new justice sonia sotomayor. she did ask a couple of questions but it was a relatively low-key first day on the bench. at the supreme court, shannon bream, fox news. bret: stocks with up today. the dow gained nearly 50 points. the s&p 500 picked up 8 and the nasdaq rose 22. we know iran has provided us assistance to iraqi insurgents but are they now turning to afghanistan? new details after the break, but first, dignitaries, journalists, family and friends turned out today for a memorial service in new york, honoring the late walter cronkite. the former cbs news anchor died july 17 at the age of 92. president obama called cronkite a voice of certainty and saluted his pursuit of the truth. while cronkite's closest friends shared some of their fondest memories. >> walter cronkite off camera was exactly like walter cronkite on camera. how many times have we seen people on television or seen them in the movies and we thought

>> i've been surprised at how partisan congress is. i came from a state where even though it's dominated by republicans, there seems to be a very good bipartisan relationship in the wyoming legislature where i served. and, for example, we on our com. every bill is debated. every bill gets a hearing in committees. we have three readings on every bill so you have an opportunity to read the bill. there's no incidents where a 300-page amendment dropped on you at 3:00 a.m. and then you're voting on it the same day. the partisan aspects of it have been surprising to me. >> ifill: donna edwards, how about you? >> i share some of what cynthia has said. i think it's been true that while the policies and the politics are partisan, i've been able to develop i think really good relationships and friendships actually on the other side of the aisle. i think that that took me a little bit by surprise because it wasn't what i expected just watching on television. so it's been a learning experience every day. >> ifill: aaron shock, you were actually bo

between the house and the congress because he punted, he gave the congress the option to go ahead andrt would say yes, sir, he said to the congress, the house and the senate, do what you want and we'll talk. he could blame himself for that, right? >> he can, but he also made an assessment of how much of a bit in the mouse the congress and the house has. he is working from the center outward and what president bush tried to do in 2001. it is predictable what happened when you give the speaker in the congressional leadership the outer wing of your own party, well then write the law and you will be forced to either accomplish an impossible situation with the rest of the congress. >> max baucus practically begged chuck grassley and mike enzi to support a bill. maybe they'll do it, i doubt they will. and the notion ma unanimothat ni is some kind of ultraleft winger, she is very much aware of how much her majority depends on those moderate democrats, she is no left winger and she is going to introduce health care reform. she's a progressive -- >> and she's pragmatic and she's -- she's not d

where is congress? democrats, they don't care if people are being pushed into the slavery of the sex trade and what it is going to take for us to unite as people and stop the corruption. from new york, good night, america. [captioning made possible by fox news channel] captioned by the national captioning institute ---www.ncicap.org--- bret: next on "special report" the president gives his second speech on healthcare reform in as many days. we will fact check both speeches. it's the subject of growing controversy, but will illegal immigrants be covered by the president's plan? the administration says no way, but others aren't so sure. the u.s. and china accuse each other of violating trade laws as a big decision looms, and israel's prime minister off the grid for a while. we'll tell you where he was and what he was up to. all that plus the fox all-stars, right here, right now. >> welcome to washington. i'm bret baier. president obama continued his effort to recast the healthcare debate by speaking again

article one, section eight, the powers of congress. the congress shall have power to provide for the common defense and general welfare of the united states to regulate commerce among the states. joining us now is jonathan turley, professor of constitutional law at george washington university. thanks for your time tonight, jonathan. >> hi, lawrence. >> it seems a bit unfair to me to put up a real-life constitutional law professor against governor pawlenty, but let's go ahead. governor pawlenty is, in fact, a distinguished graduate of the university of minnesota law school, and he's backed down on his tenth amendment talk in the last 24 hours. so where do history and precedent leave us on this issue? >> well, the problem with those that are looking to the tenth amendment for support is that the supreme court really offers very little encouragement for these types of claims. in a case called gonzalez in 2005, the supreme court basically adopted a standard whether something bears a substantial relationship to commerce and even before tha

members of congress knew it.was on the floor of the house on july 23 saying we should vote for this before we leave for august. if we go back, we will be on the receiving end of fear mongering and scare tactics funded by the insurance agencies. we will have real trouble in our district. the speaker tried to push it through. the blue dogs blocked it. the next thing you know, they are all back in their districts. i've been talking to a lot of members and their staff. the members that will come back at the end of recess are not the same people that left. they have been traumatized by what happened in their district. we went and sourced early on all of the districts that we could find. everybody helped. all of our readers went out and looked on the internet. they called the offices. they build a database of meetings ever going to be held across the country. we fed them all into our system so that it was searched for them by zip code. it allows you to find out. then we would encourage people to go. it was really a cro

and he most certainly did not say government of the congress by the congress and for the congress.god bless us and god bless america. [cheers and applause] >> and now, here's national public policy analyst president and ceo of freedomworks matt kibbe. how are you guys doing? abc news is reporting that 1.5 million people are here. [cheers and applause] >> give yourselves a a round of applause. [applause] >> usa, usa, usa, usa, usa, usa, usa, usa. >> with the president of freedomworks i want to thank you for being here. you're making all the people that worked to put this together look pretty good today. [applause] >> we believe in two simple principles. one, freedomworks. two, equally important government goes to those who show up. guess what, you guys showed up. [cheers and applause] >> now, no offense to my friends in the media, but i suggest that we get our own head call -- head count today. reports are coming in that the highways are closed down. and our folks are streaming all the way back to the washington monument. [cheers and applause] >> so i know brandan asked you to do th

but the men and women of congress stood fast and we are all the better for it.ed that medicare represented a government takeover of health care, members of congress, democrats and republicans, did not back down. they joined together so that all of us could enter our golden years with some basic peace of mind. you see, our predecessors understood that government could not and should not solve every problem, they understood that there are instances when the gains in security action are not worth the added constraints on our freedom. but they also understood that the danger of too much government is matched by the perils of too little. without the has not of government, monopolies can crash, the vulnerable can be exploited. and they knew that when any government measure, no matter how carefully crafted, is subject to scorn. when any efforts to help people in need are attacked as unamerican, when facts and reason are thrown overboard and only timid at this passes for wisdom and we can no longer even engage in a civil conversation with each other over the thing that

congress: we think we know better. and we don't want to make the tough priorities that might not sell well in a particular area in our home state that would in fact solve some of the major problems with transportation in this country because we won't look as good, and yet we can send -- spend money on taxiways for aimpts that have six flights a way an have very few people through this and subsidize every passenger to the tune of $130 when they could drive an hour and find an airport that we wouldn't have to spend any of that money on. most of us drive to get to airports. but yet we do earmarks. we decide. the wisdom of us -- you know, it's pretty interesting -- i heard the ranking member talk about oversight. there isn't any significant oversight going on in this congress. i almost laughed out loud. you know, four every hearing that we have, we ought to have 10 oversight hearings. we talk about, we're going to say where the money goes and then we don't follow where the money goes. we don't do our job of oversig oversig

so you didn't see a lot of members of congress switching sides. but what you did see is those members of congress digging in their heels a bit and saying "here's where i am, here's where i stand, make no mistake." and what that does is make compromise all the more difficult, as if it wasn't difficult already. >> couric: bob, in one poll president obama's disapproval rating has gone from 4% in february to 49% now. $24% in february to 49% now. how significant ha s that to you? >> well, i think that this whole situation with health care is right at the middle of this. katie, we're down to the... you know, where the rubber hits the road on all these issues. who's going to pay for this?& it's a massive government program. are taxes going to go up. that's why people on both sides are saying to the president they want to know exactly where he stands on all of this because these are not just votes on health care for some of these members of congress who are watching out here tonight. if they vote wrong on this-- and especially the democrats and then the p

taken. >> host: how common is that four members of congress now to tweet? or argue one of the first? >> guest: i think i probably one of the early users of twitter. i believe i am probably one of the most frequent and sustained users of twitter but the problem is the technology has changed so quickly. for 200 years most members of congress communicated with their constituents through newspapers, male and town hall meetings and then in the past 89 years that was changed dramatically at an incredible pace. i was told a few want to communicate effectively you've got to have a plan. you've got to get media and newspapers in your local television stations and you have to hold town meetings. steers later was told no, no, the male is not working anymore. two years after that they said you have got to have a facebook presence and now a twitter presence. bid it changes so quickly that i the time i think i figured it out it is passÉ and so the challenge here for my colleagues is keeping up and also diversifying, making sure you are not using one medium or another tha

we'll talk next about congress. congress returns tomorrow. the house and senate gavel in for the first time in a month. we'll talk with brian freel of the national journal. we'll be back with our conversation. >> as the debate over health care continues, c-span's health care hub is a key resource. go on-line, follow the latest tweets, video ads and links. watch the latest events and share your thoughts on the issue with your own citizen video, including video from any town halls you've gone to. there's more. at c-span.org/health care. the supreme court has a special session hearing oral arguments on a finance case wednesday. it marks the first appearance on the bench for justice sotomayor. here's chief justice roberts. >> to some extent it's unsettling. you quickly get to view the court as the court as composed of these members, and it becomes hard to think of it as involving anyone else. i suspect people look at their families, this is a family. how can it be different? but you get new arrivals in both of those situations. it's a tremendous

but he needs the also be specific with the congress. he's really probably speaking to two audiences, one for the general public but also he's speaking to those members themselves and he has to tell them "which is what i want to see in the bill." >> rose: that's been missing. is it... should he have done that earlier? >> well, you know, i think that he's been operating at a level of principle and he's... you know, he's indicated what he prefers, but i think he learned, i think, a lesson from president clinton and our unsuccessful efforts to pass comprehensive health care reform that if you start with a very detailed bill at the beginning, sometimes it's harder to get congress to move. but there comes a point where congress needs the leadership of the president and i think that's what he's got to provide tomorrow night when he goes before. so i think it's... you know, you can look at it from one perspective or the other, but i think congress has had the opportunity to find their own way towards a bill. they haven't been able to do it. it'

it's how everyone in this congress gets afordable insurance. it's time to give every american the same opportunity we give ourselves. for those individuals and small businesses who still can't afford the lower priced insurance available in the exchange, we'll provide tax credits the size of which will be based on your need. all insurance companies that want access to this new marketplace will have to abide by the consumer protections i already mentioned. this exchange will take effect in four year, which will give us time to do it right. in the meantime, for those americans who can't get insurance today because they have pre-existing medical condition, we'll immediately offer low-cost coverage that will protect you against financial ruin if you become ill. it was a good idea when senator mccain proposed it during the campaign, it's a good idea now. now, even if we provide these affordable options, there may be those, especially the young and healthy, who still want to take the risk and go without coverage. there may still be companies that refu

back to work today after a brief break, and so too is congress. august is returning, and waiting for them, health care reform and can our government function in the interest of the american people or not. nbc's white house correspondent, savannah guthrie joins us. >> dylan, as you mention, these are key days in the health care reform debate. today we will see the gang of six get together. this is the last ditch proposal for a bipartisan health care plan, and then the president getting ready for a primetime address to the congress. we saw something of a new tone from the president. a feisty tone as he spoke to organized labor on monday in cincinnati. listen. >> the congress and the country has now been vigorously debating the issue for many months. but every debate at some point comes to an end. at some point, it's time to decide. at some point, it's time to act. ohio, it's time to act and get this thing done. >> that's the message, more or less. we will hear the president deliver that to congress tomorrow night. it's a gang of six. a group of half

congresses. and she has worked tirelessly on this very important issue. so i'm pleased now to have the opportunity to take up the mantle from ms. brown-waite and move this legislation forward. and finally, i'd like to thank the national association of insurance commissioners and specifically dr. teresa bowean. for their efforts in working closely with all of the interested parties. you know, i believe that the inclusive and deliberate are a tif process -- deliberative process that this has undergone should serve as a model as we work toward revamping and modernizing other aspects of our financial regulatory framework. mr. speaker, h.r. 2571, the nonadmitted and reinsurance reform act of 2009 will reform and streamline the regulation of nonadmitted insurance market as well as the reinsurance market. now, title 1, which addresses surplus lines market, what that will do is to reduce regulatory jompe lap and clarify where the -- where the appropriate taxing authority really should lie with each marke

i'm a new member of congress. i came down here to do the people's work and people asked us, small businesses asked us, individuals asked us, providers asked us to do something about this health care system. we have got to move forward on this. >> rose: congressman thaddeus mccotter of michigan, the republican with us, tell me how you think the played with republican members? >> well, charlie, i think we felt like guests at a thanksgiving diner where the family was fighting. as you know, we are a distinct minority in the house, we're a distinct minority in the senate, and yet to be portrayed as the reason the bill wasn't passed before our august recess as the president originally asked is a little bit disingenuous. the fact remains the democrat party has to determine whether they want the public option or not, whether they believe the 0th century model of government, centralization and bureaucracy placed on a 21st censure consumer empowered economy is the only way to fix this and they don't really need our input on

when you speak to congress next week, just come out and say it. we thought we heard you say during the campaign last year that you want a government-run insurance plan alongside private insurance-- mostly premium- based, with subsidies for low- and-moderate income people. open to all individuals and employees who want to join and with everyone free to choose the doctors we want. we thought you said uncle sam would sign on as our tough, cost-minded negotiator standing up to the cartel of drug and insurance companies and wall street investors whose only interest is a company's share price and profits. here's a suggestion, mr. president: ask josh marshall to draft your speech. josh is the founder of the web site www.talkingpointsmemo.com. he's a journalist and historian, not a politician. he doesn't split things down the middle and call it a victory for the masses. he's offered the simplest and most accurate description yet of a public insurance plan, one that essentially asks people: would you like the option, the voluntary option, of buying into me

>> i think at the pace the congress is going that's not that far away.y is the american people don't care the process of how this thing gets done. mitch mcconnell whining about reconciliation or how it happens or doesn't. the process is meaningless. what matters is whether we can pass comprehensive health care reform that reduces cost, expands coverage and ends insurance company abuses. the only way you can to that is with a public option. we're not longer debating whether we should have health care reform. we're debating what it should look lean like. the republican position is we should do nothing, we should stand here, we're not going to support any bill. the democrats are trying to move forward and get this done. >> time is not on your side. >> we like october 15th, karen. >> time is not on your side, ed you have to

congress is now investigating. today bank of america was supposed to submit documents to congress. guess what? joining us live, did bank of america turn over the documents? >> they did not. not a big surprise. many of us have been following this, like you, and they have been resisting every call to provide documents about what their lawyers told them about the merger. they did not meet the congressional deadline. greta: interesting, they are hiding behind the attorney- client privilege, but that is the privilege that is supposed to be asserted by the lawyers. not the client. the client is using it as a shield? like it could have a chilling effect across corporate america. you have got a corporate lawyer groups coming out and saying not to give -- let them give of the attorney-client privilege, make this a bigger issue in that way with other companies. greta: bank of america, would we not find out who is responsible in hiding from the shareholders those bonuses? someone is covering for somebody. >> we would find out

remember who elected you and who sent you to congress. the people of this country did. >> to that point last question something very important, when the president said he will call people out who continue to spread lies about health reform no matter where they come from, did he mean that literally? will he be standing there reading a list of the people who are spreading this stuff the way so many others have had to do in the last six weeks? >> i think the president is a man of his word. what he's saying very clearly is let's stop scaring the american people particularly our seniors. let's not do that. they don't deserve that. let's have an honest debate about the issues. there may be differences of opinion on substance and he said he welcomes new and exciting ideas but let's just not try to scare people to keep the status quo because while everyone is hurt around th hearing around the country is status quo is no longer acceptable and he's going to move the country forward. >> hopefully all of us calling out will get the job done. >> we kn

the republican congress did that now, here we are today. we have a democratic congress. we're being told that there's no inflation. seniors won't get a cola. the obama administration said probably for two years they won't get a cost of living adjustment. that's 23409 right. the things they buy are going up in price, dramatically. they're having tremendous difficulties making ends meet, living on a fixed income. i've had a bill for a number of years that would put in place a new cost of living index called a cpie, elderly to look at the things they have have to buy to live and get by. that hasn't gone anywhere, but i'm still pushing that idea. while we're working on developing a true index that would really look at the costs for seniors, we should pass a one-year cost of living adjustment. we can do that without borrowing the money, with no impact to the social security trust fund, very simply. we would just say that those who earn over $250,000 a year, up to, the estimates are we'd have to go to $359,000, that's between $250,000 of income and $359,000, they would pay the

that is how everybody in congress get their insurance. it is time to give every opportunity to americans that members of progress give it to themselves. [applause] -- that members of congress giveth to themselves. [applause] one of the options in this exchange should be a public option. [cheers and applause ] let me be clear. [applause] let me be clear because there has been a lot of misinformation. this will just be an option. no one would be forced to choose it. what it would do is offer americans more choices and promote real competition, putting pressure on private insurers to treat their customers better and make insurance more affordable. when you are talking with some of your friends and neighbors, they might say that sounds good but how are you going to pay for it? that is illegitimate question because i inherited -- that is a legitimate question. how are we going to dig ourselves out of this big financial hole that we are in? the plan that i am proposing is going to cost $900 billion over 10 years. that is real money bought less