Transcripts For CNN CNN Newsroom 20090814

all right. well, that's going to do it for us today. so glad you joined us this week. and you can continue the conversation on cnn.com/amfix. >> that's going to do it for us. have yourself a great weekend. we'll see you again on monday morning. and right now the news continues with betty nygen. thousands of residents evacuate in northern california. and her family says let her come home safely. a georgia woman goes missing as a boyfriend hears a struggle from her cell phone. police think she may have been abducted. back in the nfl, his dog fighting sentence done, michael vick signed with the eagles. good morning, everybody, i'm in for heidi collins, it is friday, you are in the "cnn newsroom." we've got lots to talk about with the health care debate, here's a look at the map right now, lots of meetings, not much agreement, will we see more faceoffs at today's town hall meetings? we'll be checking for that. and ed henry with the president in montana today as the president continues to push his health care plan. we'll be checking in with him and we're going to take you to arkansas with brianna keilar as she talks to a blue dog democrat who is seeing pushback from both sides of the divide. but first, this developing story for you. the nation's financial crisis. 72 banks have failed this year, and a federal judge warns that the biggest collapse of the year may still be looming. christine romans is part of the cnn money team and joins us from new york. what is the latest with colonial bank? >> it's a company for whom trouble has been brewing for sometime here. and indeed yesterday a federal judge issued a ruling essentially a restraining order borrowing any asset transfers in response a bank of america lawsuit. this is what the judge said. viewing colonial breech given the fact that colonial is on the brink of collapse and suspected of criminal accounting regularities, the potential for immediate substantial injury to bank of america is clear. the part folks are zeroing in on is that colonial's on the brink of collapse. people are talking about this morning. we'll tell you a little bit about what that company does. colonial bank at a glance. it has some 355 branchs in alabama, florida, georgia, nevada, texas, some $25 billion in assets. so this is a big group. $24 billion in liabilities. it was a very aggressive lender to real estate developers in florida in particular in the mid to late 2000s. as you know that has been a problem for many of those loans. this would be, if it were to fail and it has not at this point. it would the fifth largest in u.s. history. that's why so many people are watching this here. a reminder, the fdic insures your deposits up to $250,000. that's incredibly important. you have to continue to pay your loans and your payments. that doesn't change. it's a seamless transition. all of these have been a seamless transition if the fdic has to step in, you can go to fdic.gov for more information, but you can expect operations as usual. basically we're just waiting to see what is the position of this bank? it's been, again, yesterday some move in the courts, the federal judge borrowing -- barring any kind of asset transfers in response to bank of america lawsuit because b of a was concerned about the assets. >> 72 so far this year, my goodness thanks so much of that. i want to give you a closer look at colonial bank group. as we said, it is 355 branchs, mostly in the southern u.s. the five states, again, are alabama, florida, georgia, nevada, and texas. anyway, if colonial fails, the fdic insures up to $250,000 per person per account. the fdic says those account holders can expect to be reimbursed within just a few business days. there's also a stunning new twist in that fatal midair crash over the hudson river in new york. here is what we know at this hour. the federal aviation administration has suspended two air traffic controllers who were supposed to be safeguarding the crowded air space. the faa says the controller handling the flight was involved in apparently inappropriate conversations on the telephone. the agency says the supervisor was not in the building at the time as required. the faa says the employees' actions don't appear to have contributed, though, to the accident itself. all nine people aboard the two aircrafts, helicopter and a plane were killed in the crash last weekend. so what exactly happened? well, there are new details that are emerging from the investigation and new home video that shows the moment that the crash happened. we get the story now from the cnn national correspondent susan candiotti. >> reporter: as investigators study this amateur video to find out what led to that terrifying midair crash over the hudson, there's more stunning information. an air traffic controller who was handling the airplane was on the phone with his girlfriend at the time of the crash. according to a source with knowledge of the investigation. what the faa in a statement calls "inappropriate conversations." and there's more. the faa says the air traffic controll controller's supervisor was not in the building at the time as required. >> they're put in the tower to do a job. and if they're not doing the job, people can die. and in this case, apparently they weren't doing the job. >> reporter: our source says the air traffic controller had already cleared the plane for takeoff from teterboro airport in new jersey before talk to his girlfriend. plane had been handed off to the next tower down the line in newark and then the plane disappeared from radar. the faa calls the conduct of the controller and his boss unacceptable. but says "we have no reason to believe at this time that these actions contributed to the accident." >> we have somebody missing in action. we have someone else who is not doing their job. so the negligence is there, the only question is whether that negligence had a role in this accident. the faa's already saying maybe it didn't, but the faa stands to lose millions and millions of dollars, the taxpayers do if the faa's wrong. >> the two employees are now on administrative leave. the investigation's not over, ultimately the two could be fired. >> and susan candiotti live from new york. what's been the reaction from air traffic controllers that association? >> well, there is an association that represents them and they're saying they support this investigation and they're asking the public just don't rush to judgment too soon until this administrative hearing is over. >> what about any possible changes for how pilots were regulated in that air space over the hudson. >> well, i've learned that only yesterday the head of the faa said at its research facility in atlantic city that they may soon be reissuing advisories to pilots who fly over that hudson river air base. the current advisories call for pilots to use a radio frequency that is assigned to that area, fly at speeds under 140 nauts and turn on their lights as they take off along that river. again, these have been voluntary in the past. at this time they still are, but naturally those things might possibly become mandatory in the future. >> okay, susan, we do appreciate that. and i want to tell you about this. president obama, he is hitting the road again, pushing health care reform. in a conservative montana suburb. there's a pretty safe bet he's going to hear pushback from some critics. our white house correspondent ed henry is there finding out what people are thinking ahead of the president's visit. so selling health care reform, been talking about it a lot. we're going to bring you the president's town hall live right here on cnn. but first, i want to bring up ed henry. there he is. what are you expected to see today? could it get heated? >> reporter: it could get more heated. we talked to people who waited online to get tickets to this town hall in the area. they were fans of the president, democrats, but they told us that there were other people in line that were conservatives. it was an open process and there were a lot of people online saying they wanted to ask the president some pointed tough questions. i can tell you the people we've been talking to on the ground here the last couple of days are saying they really don't trust the federal government and they've got deep concerns about the president's approach. >> reporter: spend a day in the tiny town of livingston, montana and you quickly see why the health care push is facing big push, even from those he's trying to help. >> we've got two kids and then my husband is the only one working. >> reporter: she is uninsured. so she gets discounted dental work at a local clinic. she voted for the president and agrees there needs to be reform, but is worried about the details. >> i believe that there is a health care crisis. i really do. do i believe that the government needs to be more involved? no, because i think that they just -- whenever they get their fingers in the pot it kind of turns black. >> reporter: a common sentiment here where a second obama voter told us government is too big. >> we've just spent so much money on the stimulus and the t.a.r.p., then we're going to add another huge entitlement in the form of the public option. >> reporter: the movie "a river runs through it" was filmed here, so people love their fly fishing, all part of the individualism. >> i think the west is all about independence and do it my way and i don't need anyone to tell me what and how to do and i think when government gets too involved in our lives, there's some sure some discomfort. >> reporter: but they're comfortable with the federal government at that local clinic known as community health partners. taxpayers pick up 50% of the $4 million annual budget. >> we're able to provide health care to someone who walks through the door regardless of their ability to pay. >> reporter: which brings us back of mcdonald who wants more of these clinics around the country, even when we told her the feds pick up much of the tab. >> the government being involved is fine. it's just that when they try and overstep, when they try and say no, this is what needs to be done. >> reporter: so that's part of the challenge for the president as he continues to make this sales pitch, especially in this part of the country. a lot of people distrust the federal government. he needs to try to convince them, look, federal government's already involved in health care, helping people at some of these clinics like here in montana, helping them with medicare, very popular program for senior citizens. but when you talk to top white house aides, they say they realize there's such distrust for the government, it's a tough sell right now, the president determined to continue making that pitch. today in montana, then tomorrow in colorado for a town hall, that's why i'm trying to get ready for all of the action here. >> hey, that looks pretty good on you. it suits you. all right, ed -- >> i know ali velshi has one. >> thanks so much, ed. talking about selling health care reform. let's stay on topic. we're going to bring you president obama's town hall live right here on cnn. and to find a town hall near you, head to our website cnn.com/health care. got a complete list of locations and times for you. don't want to miss that. in the meantime, more firefighters are on the way right now to fight an out of control wildfire along the california coast. here's the area that we are talking about around bonny doon. more than 2,000 people have been told to get out so far. and more could be ordered to evacuate. the fire is burning in hard to reach areas, which has made it especially tough for the firefighters on the ground. more helicopters and fire fighting planes are expected to join the effort today. let's get to the latest on the weather outside. bonnie schneider joins us now. >> well, unfortunately, betty, we are not looking at that, we're also looking at the potential for winds to pick up. this afternoon and saturday afternoon, as well. i'm going to talk more about that and weather. plus maybe tropical depression sort of fizzling out in the tropics, but there's a new low, and this one looks promising for more development. i'll have a look at that and your weekend weather forecast coming up. >> thank you. and robbery interrupted. a mass gunman walks into a convenience store, but he does not walk out. look at that video. the owner actually wrestles him to the ground. wait until you see what happens next. all right. well, a man suspected of making threats against the white house is in custody right now in california. police and fbi agents surrounded 56-year-old joseph as he drove near a federal building in los angeles yesterday. he refused to get out of his car even when they tossed chemical agents inside the vehicle. the standoff lasted eight hours and ended when they tasered him and pulled him from his car. check out this surveillance tape from a virginia convenience store. a masked man right there pulls out a gun on the cashier, but he quickly, man, tackled by the owner whose husband was also there. the fight spills out into the street. the owner wrestles the robber for ten minutes until police arrive. the store already has 12 security cameras, but the owners say after this encounter they will install several more. looks like they already had it handled, though. michael vick is headed back to the football field as the newest member of the philadelphia eagles. the disgraced former star quarterback signed a deal with the team that will reportedly pay him at least $1.6 million this year. the agreement puts him back in the nfl for the first time since his conviction on dog fighting charges. fans in vick's hometown are pretty happy with the move. >> i mean it's good for him. i'm proud of him. >> you all need something to be proud about. >> he's going to be terrible. >> definitely. >> he's back working, back with the team, back on my team and i think he'll bring something to it. >> i think it's really neat and i'll try to get his autograph. >> well, she's wants his autograph. but what about vick's new teammates? quarterback donovan mcnabb said he lobbied for vick to get a second chance. >> i think for a guy who has spoken the truth in front of the nation, served his time, and for a guy who is just looking for an opportunity to kind of get his feet back on the ground. you know, i think he deserves it. i look forward to him joining us in the next couple of days. for all who, you know, are dog lovers and i have dogs myself, i've looked past it and i think everybody else should, as well. >> well, the nfl lifted michael vick's suspension last month and he can practice and play in the pre-season, but he may still have to sit out up to the first six games of the regular season. all right, we want to know about what your thoughts are concerning michael vick going back into the nfl. all you had to do was go to our blogs here on "cnn newsroom." here's heidi's page, also on my page, as well. and you can also reach me on twitter and facebook. basically we want to hear from you. we're going to be sharing some of your comments. let us know about what you think about michael vick signing with the philadelphia eagles. we'll be sharing those responses a little later in the show. michael phelps, he was actually involved in a traffic accident in his hometown of baltimore last night. police say phelps' cadillac escalade collided with a honda accord. the driver of that car was taken to a hospital as a precaution, phelps was not injured. phelps was interviewed and alcohol was not a factor. a woman goes for an evening walk and never returns home. but the last call on her cell phone may be the key in helping investigators figure out what happened to her. hello, everybody, welcome back. hundreds of people, they are helping with the search for a missing woman in north georgia. police say 38-year-old christy cornwell disappeared tuesday night while taking a walk near her home. she was talking on the phone to her boyfriend when she said something to him about a car pulling up. well, her boyfriend told police he heard screams and other sounds that sounded like she was being kidnapped. >> while they were conversing on the phone, he overheard her tell him that i've got to step off the road. there's a vehicle approaching. then he hears what he believes to be a struggle. and loses contact with her at that time. >> police say they found some of cornwell's belongings near the scene and indications of a struggle, but so far they have not found her cell phone. well, more than 30 countries are offering money and supplies to help taiwan recover from last weekend's devastating typhoon. rescue work is ongoing, but washed out bridges and roads and raging rivers are making that effort dangerous. the latest now from outside one cut off village. >> reporter: on the other side of this valley is the village. there was once a bridge here, but that was washed away by the typhoon and the mud slide. officials have been using a system with ropes and pulley to get the villages out, to get rescue crews and supplies in. bull earlier today, they noticed that the cables were starting to slack, they were worried it would become weak. so that harness system is no longer in operation. earlier, there is no power there, there's no electricity, no running water. but there is a lot of mud. in some places, mud, which is waist deep. the town is practically deserted. there's still about a dozen people who have decided to stay behind. and until they repair this harness system, the only way is to climb down the side of the mountain and risk going across the river. it is swollen, it is moving very quickly, there are concerns about flash flooding because of these mud typhoon lakes which have formed further upstream. and so, for all of the people who live here with their homes and their lives which they've left behind, it will be a very long time before they can ever go home. john vause, cnn, taiwan. so would you allow your child to be a guinea pig? well, a number of parents are doing just that, signing their children up for clinical trials for a swine flu vaccine. our chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta reports. >> reporter: well, the main reason to have a vaccine trial like this is to that it can help other children. there are several sites around the country with a vaccine trial that's already underway. all of it with the hopes that a vaccine could be developed by october when school season is in full swing. now, we're hearing there are still spots available for children, but a lot have been taken up as parents are volunteering their time and their kids. >> reporter: it's a typical summer day for andrew and nathan stein. what they plan to do for the rest of their school vacation is anything but typical. in a couple of weeks, both boys will enroll in a human trial of a vaccine to prevent the h1n1 or swine flu virus. although both admit they aren't looking forward to being poked with needles, their decision to join the trials is personal. >> one boy that i knew at our school died from a type of the flu. so i wanted to prevent that as much as i could. >> reporter: the boys' mother supports their idea. she was involved in a trial of a pediatric vaccine to prevent swine flu back in 1976. >> i trust the people who were running the study. and i'm not concerned about it at all. >> reporter: why enroll children into an h1n1 vaccine trial? well, it seems young people age 6 months to 24 years are more susceptible to the virus. and because young people are different, trials also need to be tested on youngsters. >> in the younger population, groups that may need a higher dose or two doses of the higher doser, et cetera. and these studies will answer those types of questions. >> reporter: the centers for disease control has also warned pregnant women are at high risk. but for now, adults, young people, and those over the age of 65 will be tested in different groups to determine dosage. scientists say it's extremely important they complete their pediatric trials so they have a proven vaccine to protect kids if the swine flu begins to spread rapidly in the united states. even the steins' grandfather who happens to be a pediatrician believes his grandsons can make a difference. >> the h1n1 influenza has a possibility for causing severe pandem pandemic. i'm interested in doing anything i can to protect my family, the patients, and the general public health. >> nathan stein agrees. >> well, like any shots, you could have pain, redness, what we're hearing is at least those symptoms seem to be going away within the first couple of days. but there is the possibility, a rare possibility of having severe allergic reaction, as well. parents are being asked to sign informed consent saying they acknowledge the possibility of these side effects. take a look at this map here, 11 sites around the country, 9 states, this is where the trial's undergoing with a hope a vaccine will be developed by october. they're testing all sorts of things, including the two dose vaccine. they're also looking at how h1n1 vaccine does as compared to the seasonal flu vaccine, at least in terms of safety. back to you. >> all right. well, years ago in the fight against the taliban, that's what the defense secretary is saying about the mission in afghanistan. that assessment may not mean more troops are headed to the war zone. well, it has been a rocky week on wall street. on wednesday, the fed says the economy is leveling out. but yesterday, retail sales unexpectedly fell. well, today, susan lisovicz is at the new york stock exchange with a preview of the trading day and we heard the bell ringing. >> perfect timing, betty, and happy friday to you. we've got a new reading on consumer prices. that matters to all of us. it shows that consumer prices were flat last month, but over the past year, prices tumbled more than 2%, it may not sound a lot, it is the biggest annual drop since 1950, and a lot of you can guess why that huge decline in energy prices since peaking last july, energy has tumbled nearly 30%. meanwhile another headline from another troubled bank, a federal judge says colonial bank is on the brink of collapse. if that happened, it marked the 73rd bank failure this year. colonial bank group right now are down 12%. we now know the fate of frontier airlines. won an auction for frontier with a bid of more than $100 million. southwest airlines put in a bigger bid, but it came with some strings attached while republic software had already received federal anti-trust approval. checking the numbers at the open, pretty flat, betty, but i should mention that the dow and the s&p 500 closed at the highest levels of the year thursday on the sense that things were getting better. but not for abercrombie and fitch. abercrombie shares right now up 3%, but they lost $26 million in its last quarter, abercrombie suffering because it has not cut its prices like a lot of its competitors. abercrombie says now it's beginning to plan more sales. betty, abercrombie was able to get by for a long time on the cool factor, but you know, in this recession, value is pretty cool too. and just one other note, you know, christine has been talking about the top ten ceos, paid ceos, abercrombie's is number ten on that list with about $72 million in pay for 2008. not bad at all. that's according to -- >> and come on, that's great. we'll see how it goes, though, especially with the way that they're selling is taking place right now, not dropping those prices and people aren't actually going in as much as they used to. >> all right. >> thank you, susan. appreciate it. >> see you later. we're going to take you now to jacksonville, florida. saying a final farewell to a hometown hero. some live pictures coming to us right now. this is the funeral procession for navy captain michael scott speicher. there you see the flag being flown. people lining the streets. speicher was the first u.s. service member to be shot down in the first gulf war. his remains were identified 18 years after his jet crashed in the iraqi desert. and we're going to continue to watch these pictures and have more of the emotional funeral procession in just 20 minutes. in the meantime, though, an assessment on the needs of the mission in afghanistan. defense secretary robert gates says don't expect the upcoming report to include a request for more troops. cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr joins us now live. what can you tell us about this assessment? >> well, good morning to you, betty. mcchrystal, the new commander in afghanistan, getting set to report back to the president about the state of the war in afghanistan. a big strategic assessment, that's what they call it is underway and is to be delivered to washington soon after next thursday's presidential elections in afghanistan. the big question on the table. will all of this result in even more u.s. troops going to afghanistan to fight that war? defense secretary robert gates spoke about it just yesterday. >> general mcchrystal is assessing the security situation in the context of the president's goals and strategy. and will submit his assessment to us and to nato sometime between the afghan election and early september. that assessment will not include specific recommendations or requests for more forces. however, we've made clear to general mcchrystal he is free to ask what he needs to complete the important mission he has been given. >> but what's the reality, betty? what's the real bottom line here? there are many indications, in fact, that general mcchrystal will ask for more capability, more equipment, more troops, specifically to deal with the growing threat of roadside bombs, ieds. let's look at some of the statistics that have come out in the last few days that we can show our viewers here about the growth in the number of ieds being laid in afghanistan. you see right there, the skyrocketing trend. that is something that is now a top priority to deal with. u.s. casualties as a result of these ied attacks are an at an al all-time high. >> a little bit of breaking news. you just got some new information from the pentagon about the typhoon in taiwan? >> absolutely, betty. you saw my colleague john vause a few moments ago on the scene of the total devastation that hit taiwan over the last several days leaving many as 500 dead and thousands homeless. u.s. military sources now tell us that the pentagon is making some very quiet preparations to possibly send an amphibious warship and some troops with helicopters and humanitarian relief to the scene in taiwan if the taiwanese government makes the request for aid which is expected. now, this is a very sensitive matter, of course, the devastation in taiwan, as you see, is really overwhelming. the taiwan government looking for aid, but, of course, china looms over the horizon and any u.s. military presence in taiwan, even one that will clearly be for humanitarian relief is likely to be very sensitive and upset the chinese. so our understanding from our sources is all of this is now being worked behind the scenes to try and make clear to china to make clear to the chinese regime that any u.s. military presence in taiwan would be solely for help in this disaster. betty? >> as you were talking, we were looking at some of those pictures out of taiwan. the flooding is just devastating there, so indeed a lot of need. thank you so much for bringing us up to speed. we do appreciate it. back to what barbara was originally talking about. it holds its presidential election in less than a week and anticipation is high. security, very tight. we're going to tell you who wants to take hamid karzai's job just ahead. but right now it is friday, people looking forward to the weekend. but they may have to get past some of this weather and bon ni schneider has been following all of this. >> the reason the firefighters are having so much trouble containing -- one of the reasons is the steep terrain. another has to do with the way the wind is blowing the fires and what's happening is we're seeing kind of a phenomena known as spotting according to the firefighters out there where the wind blows the fire and it hits the trees, of course, but then what happens is the sparks jump off, fly ahead of the original fire and new fires get started. this was a big problem back in malibu, california, in 2007, back in october when we had tremendous fire there. so spotting a concern for firefighters making it very tough to get ahead of the fire line. that's one of the reasons we're having so much trouble with it. now the forecast for today and the weekend is not so great. because we are going to see the winds pick up. they're not so bad right now, but as we look towards the weekend, you can see the winds coming in and in the afternoon intensifying, that is not good news for firefighters there. now, we're also tracking some other interesting weather happening in the tropics. tropical depression two, no problem, it kind of fizzled out. however, there is a brand new system that we're going to keep a very close watch on here. it's all the way out. there's you can see off the coast of africa. as we see the computer models showing this storm system right now just a low has potential for development. high potential, actually, so even though we've got a quiet start to the season, betty, we could get very active in the weeks to come. >> well, i know you will be watching it and so will we. >> thank you. living with a preexisting illness and without health care. the challenges families face in our health care in focus. taking its rightful place in a long line of amazing performance machines. this is the new e-coupe. this is mercedes-benz. selling health care reform from a blue dog democrat mike ross, it is an uphill battle that he says has people mad at hit on the extreme right and extreme left. here's cnn's brianna keilar. >> reporter: the hometown of the last president who tried to reform health care and of congressman mike ross, a prominent member of the blue dog democrats. ask folks here, they'll tell you, it's not easy being mike ross. concern the house of representatives was rushing health care reform and that it costs too much, ross and other blue dogs forced democratic leaders to pair down their bill and delay a full house vote until november. something he frequently points out to constituents in his conservative district. >> i'm the guy that led the charge in standing up and stopping this thing before august 1. >> reporter: that move put ross at odds with liberal democrats. while his support for much of the democratic plan also makes him a target for republicans. the rnc is running this radio ad in his district. >> mike ross did exactly what nancy pelosi wanted him to do. >> he caved in, he buckled. >> reporter: feeling the squeeze, ross says he's right where his constituents want him to be. >> it's rare that you get both the extreme right and extreme left mad at you all at the same time. that tells me that maybe we've found the right balance here. >> reporter: the balance, he tells more 6,000 people on a telephone town hall is simple. slow down and do it right. >> we've been trying to get this done since harry truman. >> reporter: an hour and a half on the phone, no outbursts. his next health care event, answering questions face to face. >> say a prayer for me tonight for my town hall meeting. >> reporter: and speaking of arkadelphia. what are they saying about his prominent role in the health care debate? >> reporter: there are mixed reviews, betty, some are supportive thinking he is striking the right balance. we spoke with folks who are not in favor of the democrat health care reform push. he says he's a fence sitter and not making up his mind. but what really struck us about the voters in this district in arkansas' fourth congressional district is they seem to be informed and engaged. they know exactly what mike ross is doing on capitol hill. they're following the details, and when they find out that we're here to cover these health care events, they'll ask us, where are they? what time are they? 6,500, i think more than 6,500 people on that town hall last night and this venue today where mike ross is going to be holding his actual town hall at henderson state university holds 900 people, betty, not sure, he says he's not sure he's going to get that many people. but certainly there's room for them if they do. >> but if they show up, they're going to pack in there. thank you so much for that. health insurance with a pre-existing illness. that is our topic right now. if you can get it, though, the premiums, they can be downright outrageous. so in today's health care in focus, eddie cortez gives us a look at the challenges facing families with pre-existing conditions. >> about nine years ago, i was diagnosed with crohn's disease. >> sit, good boy. >> without my medication, it could -- it gets bad. >> she's very hard to live with when this crohn's is flared up. >> i can't eat, i don't sleep, my weight starts to drop. >> even the kids when it would flare up, they would -- can we go somewhere? we need to get away from mom for a little while. >> i'm without medical insurance, i cannot even get prescriptions that i'm supposed to take every single day. i've got doctors orders right now for different tests that i can't do. because there's no way to cover it. we're making ourselves here with the business trying to just stay above float and it's like the water's at the nose, that's how close it is. we don't know where to turn, we don't know what to do. 400 milligrams each. these are 450 to $500 a month depending on where you go. none less than $450 anywhere except for canada. i'm supposed to take 12 a day, and this keeps my crohn's under control. >> with her having crohn's disease, it does make it impossible for us to buy insurance that covers anything. >> it's voodoo, it's like crohn's is voodoo, they don't want to touch it, it's pre-existing. when i call to get a quote, they say we don't cover crohn's, even though they don't cover it, they rate the policy extremely high because you do have a disease. it's the one thing we need coverage on and it's the one thing that we can't get. it's just a vicious cycle. it's like a merry-go-round that you never get off of. >> well, want to know more about health care reform? you can check out our website at cnn.com/health care and see how the cnn truth squad separates the fact from the fiction. the festival heard around the world. can you believe it's been 40 years since about half million people gathered in upstate new york for woodstock? what about the artists? they're talking about what it was like to play that stage. ( siren blaring ) special interest groups are trying to block progress on health care reform, derailing the debate with myths and scare tactics. desperately trying to stop you from discovering that reform won't force you to give up your current coverage. you'll still be able to choose your doctor and insurance plan. tell congress not to let myths get in the way of fixing what's broken with health care. learn the facts at healthactionnow.org. ♪ >> 31 bands rocking out since 40 years ago. the music of a generation at a festival for the ages. that was woodstock and tomorrow, as i mentioned, exactly 40 years when they took the stage of three days of music. it was so much more than that. cnn's ted rowlands talked to those who played woodstock to find fout it was as great as they remember. >> reporter: woodstock the most famous music festival of all time. but it wasn't even held in woodstock, new york. >> i think they started in woodstock, but i don't think they got the approvals to play there or permit. >> reporter: bobby headlined the closing night with his band, blood, sweat and tears. the 500,000 people thattonied had a different experience than the actual performers. >> you're inpatiently waiting to go on stage, but there's not a gathing of that, how you feel? peace, love. >> reporter: grace played woodstock with jefferson airplane, now a visual artist, she's painted a picture, literally of who was there. >> janice, richie havens, crosby stills and nash and young, joan biaz. >> the people who put on the festival contacted everybody they could. probably someone thought, oh, that's stupid, they don't know what they're doing. or someone said i can't be over there because i have a commitment to something else. >> reporter: the who made it to the festival, but roger dawtry called it the worst gig they ever played. rain and mud was plentiful, but food was not. >> a woman, it's a little tricky. >> reporter: for many of the artists, woodstock was another engagement in and 196, a desc t descent, paying one, as well. >> reporter: for half a million concertgoers, the experience was priceless. in hollywood, i'm ted rowlands. >> all right, so, there were music festivals before woodstock, music festivals after woodstock, but anything that even compares to woodstock. that's our question to you this day, this friday. we have it on our blog at cnnnewsroom.com. any idea if there will be anything like this? let us know what you think. you go to heidi's blog and my blog and you can also reach me by twitter and facebook but we want it hear from you. sound off and let us know. woodstock, what did it mean to you and will there be another one like it? in the newsroom, a lot going on today and we have crews covering all of it. one big story, that being health care reform. let's begin in big sky, montana, and senior white house correspondent ed henry joins us with that hat of his. hey, ed. >> betty, a lot of people here, even obama voters we talked to in big sky country said they have big problems with this health reform push. they believe there is a crisis, but they have deep concerns about the federal government getting more control. we'll have that story at the top of the hour. >> all right, you know this morning a lot of talk about the health of colognel bank. will it or won't it be taken over by regulators? we know how to protect your munfy that's your bank. i'm elizabeth cohen here in atlanta, having trouble paying your medical bills? who you going to call? the advocates who will stand in for you and fight your fight. that at the top of the hour. in the "cnn newsroom" you know what's going on at the town hall meetings and we know some people that are there because we are talking to them. ice 1) we've detected an anomaly... 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(voice 3) great exercise guys. let's run it again. in a long line of amazing performance machines. this is the new e-coupe. this is mercedes-benz. well, afghanistan's presidential election is less than a week away. more than 40 men and women trying to beat incumbent president har midkarzai. the vote is a historic one with a lot at stake and ivan watson reports now from kabul. >> reporter: it's been the bloodiest summer yet since the overthrow of the taliban eight years ago. despite the violence, candidates for afghanistan's top office are out on the campaign trail, among them, incumbent president harmid karzai making rare trips from the safety of his palace. reminding supporters that after three decades of war, ruin and disaster, 5 million refugees returned from exile to live and work in afghanistan. after seven years as president, karzai is afghanistan's most recognizable politician. >> why do you like karzai? >> because karzai is the only man that people believe him and he comes to the country too, the afghanistan people. >> reporter: but karzai refused to appear in this recent televised debate with two top opposition candidates. >> it was a disappointment the fact that we ran an empty podium and hopefully make people feel that there is some accountability if you don't come in to reporting things to people. >> reporter: opposition candidates like former foreign minister are slamming karzai's record in office. >> because of the failure of the current administration in losing support of its own people, there is a vacuum, in that vacuum, of course, has led to the security as well as all parts of life. >> reporter: it also includes communists, islamists and women and a former taliban commander. many of whom are trying to appeal to afghan disillusioned by poverty, corruption and crime. candidate and former finance minister has been telling his supporters, "let's get rid of this corrupt regime. he's warning afghans to be on the lookout for fraud on election day. >> why won't you be here? >> because this is the corrupt government on earth, how do you expect to be fair. >> close the boxes. >> reporter: to make sure there's no cheating, right? in the warehouses of afghanistan's independent election commission, workers prepare ballot boxes for august 20th. ing as many as 95,000 election kits across the country with as few paved roads as afghanistan has is a difficult challenge. some of these are going out by trucks and others have to be shipped by airplanes, by helicopter and even by donkey. but because of the taliban insurgency, these ballot boxes aren't expected to reach an estimated 10% of the country's polling stations. a major obstacle that could undermine the legitimacy of afghanistan's next elected president. ivan watson, cnn, kabul. here's a look at stories happening right now. the funeral of eunice kennedy shriver is just getting under way in massachusetts. shriver who was the founder of the special olympics died on tuesday. she was 88 years old. crowds are lining the streets of jacksonville, florida, this morning for the funeral procession of michael scott speicher. the first u.s. service member to be shot down in the first u.s. war. speicher's funeral procession will drive by several places in his life, including his high school and former church. thousands of people are being forced from their homes along the central california coast where a wildfire has already scorched 2,800 acres burning between santa cruz and san francisco. the hundreds of firefighters on the ground right now are expecting a little more help today with helicopters and firefighting airplanes on the way. bonnie schneider has been watching the story for us, especially when it comes to the weather and if they'll get any relief as they're trying to fight this fire, bonnie. >> a slight marine layer, but that's it. this is google earth showing the heat reflectivity of the fires. it looks like it is one large one and you can see it reflected on google earth and notice the terrain and notice the terrain really, really steep and that makes it more challenging to fight this fire by air and by land because of the mountain of the region and how tall the trees are. we are looking at some changes in the forecast in terms of wind and in cloud coverage. this is a look right now you can see of the satellite perspective of the region. that marine layer nice coming in and not seeing it as much as we'd like and see sunshine in the forecast and temperature of 74 degrees for the region. but what we're watching is the winds. the winds make all the difference in terms of what will happen with this fire and, unfortunately, they'll pick up today in the forecasts. the gusts, betty, could get as high as 20 miles per hour and maybe even 25 miles per hour and that is not good news for firefighters and what's worse is they will pick up again tomorrow afternoon. we'll look at that. we'll look at the tropics a little later this hour. >> thank you, bonnie. >> sure. we have a live report from santa cruz county, california, that is coming up in a few minutes. the latest on the ground there. stick with us for that. later this hour, president obama will hit the road, again, pitching health care reform at another town hall. this time he'll be in belgrade, montana. our white house correspondent ed henry is in big sky talking to people ahead of the president's visit. ed, what is the mood there? >> this is not necessarily friendly tur frf the president. he ran hard in the mountain west and won some states that the democrats haven't won, but he came up short here in montana and i spoke to several people who did vote for the president back in november, but, nevertheless, say while there is a crisis in health care, they have concerns about his approach right now. spend a day in the tiny town of livingston, montana, and you quickly see why the president's health care push is pushing big problems in big sky country, even from those he's trying to help. >> we have two kids and then my husband is the only one working. >> reporter: sandra is uninsured so she gets discounted dental work at a local clinic. she voted for the president and agrees there needs to be reform, but is worried about the details. >> i believe that there is a health care crisis, i really do. do i believe that the government needs to be more involved? no, because i think that they just, whenever they get their fingers in the pot, it just kind of turns black. >> reporter: a common sentiment here where a second obama voter told us government is too big. >> we've just spent so much money on the stimulus and the t.a.r.p. and then add another huge entitlement in the form of the public option. >> reporter: the movie, "a river runs through it" was filmed near here so people love their fly fishing, all part of the rugged individualism. >> i think the west is all about independence and do it my way and i don't need anyone to tell me what and how to do and i think when government gets too involved in our lives, there are some discomfort. >> reporter: but they're comfortable with the federal government at that level known as community health partners. taxpayers pick up 50% of the $4 million annual budget. >> we are able to provide health care to someone who walks through the door regardless of their ability to pay. >> reporter: which brings us back to sandra mcdonald, who wants more of these clinics around the country, even when we told her the feds pick up much of the tab. >> the government being involved is fine, it's just that when they try and overstep, when they try and say, no, this is what needs to be done. >> reporter: so, that's part of the challenge for the president as he travels across the country. convincing people, look, the federal government is already heavily involved in health care. clinics like here in montana helping people who are poor and don't have insurance and medicare very popular federal program for senior citizens, but when you talk to top white house aides they say, look, we understand that given all the federal bailouts, people are fatigue would the government and they don't trust the government right now and that makes this sales pitch that much harder but they are determined that the president will push ahead and continue making his case, betty. >> we will be watching. ed henry, thank you so much for that. staying on the topic of selling health care reform. the meeting will kick off this afternoon at 2:55 eastern and you can watch it live right here on cnn. a civil debate over health care is happening across north dakota. democratic senator byron dorgson hearing from both sides at a series of town halls and the tone is respectful. affiliate kvrr reports from castleton, north dakota, outside of fargo. >> reporter: it's one of thousands of town hall meetings taking place across the country. hundreds gathering to express a major concern, what to do with the u.s. health care system. >> the question is, why do we spend more on health insurance than anyone else in the world by far and rank 41st in life expec taes. >> reporter: castleton's fire house was packed with people holding signs in support of ideas they like. >> why are we willing to take the best health care system in the world and throw it out the window and start off new. that there makes sense. >> my son, the father of two, the husband of a wife who just had surgery, signed up there the national guard and went to iraq, in part, so he would get health insurance. this is the best health care system in the world? >> reporter: senator dorgan and other concerned citizens are proud of north dakotans for agrees on health care issues in today's meeting unlike other states. increased national debt and rushing to get the plan in place have citizens worried, but some want change now. >> my whole world revolves around paying hospital bills. i had back surgery because of a birth defect. i was 35 years old and had to have a hysterectomy because i had cancer, possible cancer. you know, it's not my fault that those things happen to me. >> reporter: passionate people made for heated discussion. >> everybody should have that right. not a privilege, a right to have that. >> reporter: and hundreds came withide ideas, but only one can make the final decision that can revamp america's health care system. >> all right, so, what are your thoughts on this? are you looking for more about this issue? check out cnn.com/healthcare. the site features ongoing coverage of the health care debate, as well as a list of town hall meetings from across the country and a whole lot on that site, be sure to check it out. well, the nation's financial crisis 72 banks have failed this year alone and a federal judge warns that the biggest collapse of the year may be looming. we're talking about colonel bankgroup. 355 branches, mostly in the southern u.s. the five states are alabama, florida, georgia, nevada and texas. now, if colonel fails, the fdic insures up to $250,000 per person per account. the fdic says those account holders can expect to be reimbursed within just a few business days. time to check out the numbers on wall street today. the dow not looking so good today. down 105 points and it's still early at 9,200. we'll stay on top of the numbers today and bring you the latest. right now bonnie schneider is staying on top of the weather today. people looking forward to the weekend, should they be? >> depends on where you are. hot temperatures in places like texas for today. in fact, take a look at the national forecast and the heat is building, once again. a little bit of rain coming in from west and stormy for areas in the north, i'd say to the upper midwest, northern sections of minneapolis, wisconsin and certainly for the dakotas. an area where we're tracking quite a bit of the stormy conditions as we go through much of the day. in terms of our temperatures pretty hot out there as i mentioned in many locations and not getting our readings out west and getting them across parts of texas. 90 there and 90 in memphis. in new england the weather pretty nice weekend. we're looking forward to that. tracking lots of activity in the tropics. tropical depression 2 didn't end up being too much. i'll take a closer look at this screen and you can see cloud coverage coming in at the very end. this area, this area is something to watch for high potential from the national hurricane center. this one that is way, way off, closer to africa than it is to the caribbean islands could develop into something in the days to come. monitoring any computer output that comes through. another one may turn out to be more active even though this tropical season has got off to a quiet start, don't rule out activity yet by any means. the peak of the season isn't until september 10th through the 12th. that's when we normally get the most named storms on the map and even though the season gets off to a late start, it could still be a very memorable one. betty, if you remember back to 1992, hurricane andrew, that came in to the middle to end of august and that was letter "a," the first storm of the season. >> a lot of people still can't forget andrew and what it has done. thank you for that. >> sure. the pentagon tells us the u.s. may send helicopters and humanitarian aid to taiwan to help people there recover from last week's devastating typhoon. look at this video, raging rivers swollen up by 83 inches of rain are making rescues extremely difficult. the taiwanese government says more than 31,000 people have been pulled from villages hit by floods and mudslides and the official death toll is 118, but, a presidential spokesman says that number could triple. a second chance for michael vick signing on with the philadelphia eagles. so, what do they really think of this in the city of brotherly love? we'll take you there. .. has gingko for memory and concentration. plus support for heart health. that's a great call. one a day men's. that deal puts him back in the nfl for the first time since his conviction on dog fighting charges. larry smith joins us now live from philadelphia. we have larry up? larry, are you there? hey, larry, what is the reaction? >> here i am. >> what is the reaction there to the city of vick being signed on with the eagles? >> you know, we really don't know what the fans are saying right now, but we doknow that there are some football fans excited to see michael vick back on the field. they list his number as the same number 7 for all those years he wore in atlanta. a surprise signing for the former convicted fell whoon served his 22-month sentence on dog fighting charges and now he comes back and he can begin practicing immediately though when he will begin playing, we don't know. he'll be introduced to the media here at the top of the hour in philadelphia. harry reid will be here as well as former indianapolis colts head coach tony dungy. also, dominik mcnabb, the philadelphia quarterback says he supports michael vick being a part of this team. >> i think for a guy who has, i mean, spoken the truth in front of the nation and has served his time and for a guy who is just looking for an opportunity to come and get his feet back on the ground. i think he deserves it. i look forward to him joining us the next couple days. for all who, you know, are dog lovers and i have dogs myself, i've looked past it and i think everybody else should, as well. >> well, certainly, donovan mcnabb is somebody who is a starting quarterback and remain the starting quarterback here and michael vick comes in as potential backup in case mcnabb is injured but don't be surprised to see him on the field in a number of oways. the question is how fast can he be, get ready into football shape. i want to show you one thing from one of the newspaper headlines this morning. this is one of this morning's headlines in the "difl daily news" that says hide your dogs. they know fans here can be very harsh, the media can be very harsh, even the players they like. let's go back to you. >> that's from the city of brotherly love. okay, thank you so much, larry, we appreciate it. you're sounding off, as well, this morning. we have been asking you, what do you think about this move and here is what some of you are saying. let's go to the blog, first of all. i have been watching the patriots' game since i was in the womb, it is in my blood to watch football but i will never watch another nfl game as long as i draw breath. that's a strong comment. another one from m. lewis, give vick a break. he made a mistake and paid his dues. barkley says, even as an animal rescue person i think vick paid his dues and irv issed his time and shouldn't be denied his likelihood or second chance. keep those thoughts coming and we have this on the blog and on twitter and facebook and your thoughts on woodstock 40 years later. what do you think? will there ever be anything else like it? back to our top story right now, thousands of people are being forced from their homes along the central california coast where a wildfire has already scorched 2,800 acres. it's burning in an area between santa cruz and san francisco. now, the hundreds of firefighters on the ground right now they are expecting a little more help today, that's some good news and that help comes by way of helicopters and firefighting airplanes. they are on their way. let's get the story from the ground, they're in santa cruz county and joining us live is craig t cra craig. what is the latest bh when it comes to the firefighting efforts? >> good morning rsh betty. firefighters are still on the line. you mentioned the air support. they had air support before, but i want you to look at this behind me. the problem is all this smoke. when you have helicopters trying to go in and douse a fire they can't see, they can't use the helicopter for the hot spots. they try to put the water and the fire retardant around the perimeter of the fire and hope to contain it that way. this fire started on wednesday evening at 7:00 p.m. and since then firefighters have not been able to contain 1% of the fire. the cause of the fire is unknown. 2,400 people displaced from two towns and from bonnie doon alone, 2,000 people. we were up in that area yesterday as sheriff deputies were going door to door, knocking on doors telling people they had to get out and get out now. the remarkable thing so far, hundreds of structures threatened and residents and businesses. but we only had reports that just two had been damaged and we're not sure if those were home or out buildings. sometimes in rural areas like this they have sheds and things they put their tools in. the town is located 10 miles north of santa cruz. there is a shelter right now at a church right there a shelter. some people are taking advantage of that and other people are spending their time with relatives or staying in hotels or simply sleeping in their car. we are along the coast, if you have to sleep in your car, this is not a bad place to be. later today, they're expecting to switch out the firefighters on the front line with new resources, new firefighters and that will be a big help. another big help according to the cal fire, cooler weather. cooler weather today, light winds and that could play a major role because cal fire is expecting those conditions to change by sunday. >> okay, thanks so much for that update, craig. we'll stay on top of that story for you, as well. meantime, not seeing eye to eye with your health insurance company. an advocate could help you bridge the divide. what exactly they could do for you. i still got osteoporosis. i never thought i could do more than stop my bone loss. then my doctor told me i could, with once-monthly boniva. boniva works with your body to help stop and reverse bone loss. studies show, after one year on boniva, nine out of ten women stopped and reversed their bone loss. i know i did. 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(announcer) for a free trial offer, call 1-800-4-boniva. well, this just in to cnn. a woman convicted of pointing a gun back in 1973 at president ford is free. fromme was released from the medical center in ft. worth, texas, earlier today. there is no immediate word on her whereabouts. all right. it is empower friday when we answer your questions on health care and cnn senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen joins us now live. okay, today, let's get to the question and this being from leonard and here's what leonard has to say today. please advise on ohow and where i might find an advocate to deal with an hmo that always refuses to pay my claims. are there fees involved and under what circumstances is use of an advocate helpful? >> we have advice for leonard and many people can sympathize with leonard. many people argue with their insurance companies and it is very frustrating. it is a david goliath situation. to get someone on your side, we have places you can go to get someone to stand up for you. billadvocates.com will help you with your insurance company, with people you owe money to, patientadvocate.org and npaf.org. you want to just go to cnn.com/newsroom and you'll see on our blog we have links to all of those different places so that it's one stop shopping. >> all right there for you. want to get you back to another part of leonard's question how expensive is this kind of help and when do you step in and get that help? >> sometimes these advocacy services are free and sometimes they do charge a fee. you have to go on their website and really look through it. let's talk about what they can do for you because they offer a variety of services. first of all, they can help you when you have a really complex medical condition and you're getting bills from all sorts of different places. it can really be overwhelming. also, if you're having difficulty paying medical e pexens, they can help you negotiate those costs down. what your plan pays for and what it doesn't. my goodness, it can be very, very confusing. these people are trained to help you work through all that crazy language. >> it's out there, you just need to know where to find it and it's on our blog. >> cnn.com/newsroom. >> elizabeth, we appreciate it. let's talk about town hall meetings now. we will talk to people who actually attended the forums around the country and hear what they have to say. , what are we waiting for? the flowers are blooming. the air is sweet. and zyrtec® starts... relieving my allergies... 2 hours faster than claritin®. my worst symptoms feel better, indoors and outdoors. with zyrtec®, the fastest... 24-hour allergy medicine, i promise not to wait as long to go for our ride. zyrtec® works fast, so i can love the air™. you know tools are uncomplicated? nothing complicated about a pair of 10 inch hose clamp pliers. you know what's complicated? shipping. shipping's complicated. not really. with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service shipping is easy. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. that's not complicated. come on. how about...a handshake. alright. priority mail flat rate boxes only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship. so guess what. again, when i least expected it, my asthma symptoms came back. so this time, my doctor gave me symbicort to help control my asthma. it combines two medicines that help control inflammation and constriction. so i'm breathing more freely day and night, and that feels good to me. and symbicort is an asthma controller that starts to open my airways within 15 minutes. very unexpected. symbicort will not replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. and should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort contains formoterol. medicines like formoterol may increase the chance of asthma-related death. so, it is not for people whose asthma is well controlled on other asthma medicines. see your doctor if your asthma does not improve or gets worse. i know symbicort won't replace a rescue inhaler. it helps control my asthma and starts to open my airways within 15 minutes. ask your doctor if symbicort is right for you. (announcer) if you cannot afford your prescription, astrazeneca may be able to help. hello, everybody. welcome back. it is make or break month for health care reform. lawmakers, they're back home and they're hearing lots of talk from their constituents about this hot button issue. senators have faced the amount of yelling that has followed arlen specter from forum to forum. the recent republican defector has even joked about the hostile reception that he's received. >> that was a sophisticated argument. they were firm in their views. >> well, republican jeff sessions also took it all in stride during a spirited debate at this town hall meeting in huntsville. about 800 people turned up for that one. in oklahoma, an overflow crowd gathered to hear tom. he also happens to be a medical doctor. his meetings have been lively, but well behaved. so, you've seen the video of the town hall meetings and now we want to take you inside through the eyes of people who actually attended some of those forums and there they are in today's snapshot across america. we have lawrence plunk in harrisburg, pennsylvania. charlie brown in memphis and terrance wall in new york. and we appreciate all of you for being with us today. first of all, let me start with you, lawrence, you basically support the current health care reform proposal. tell us why. >> because it has options. it, it covers a lot of people who i've seen as a case worker that were in eligible for medicaid and it does make sure that those people have some kind of medical insurance. >> okay. charlie, let me get to you. you, in fact a an insurance broker and you have serious reservations about the current health care reform proposal. what are some of those concerns you have? >> my concern y didn't get a chance to ask this question at the town hall meeting, how will it help my clients who have insurance. everybody wants to pay less and how is it going to help them? i don't see the current plan doing that. so, i think there are some things in there that we need to do, but i don't think that the public option will help americans in the long run. >> you say some things we need to do, like what? >> specifically, we need to have guaranteed issue coverage for everybody. we need to have pre-existing condition and we need to have information for children through age 25 on their parents' plans. those are positive things we need to do to change our current landscape of coverage. the other thing i think is really important is we need to do those things that we all agree upon. we need better medical technology. it is a shame that our doctors and hospitals can't share that information and reduce the costs for everybody. >> okay. terrance, let me get to you because you're our middle of the roader. what do you like about the current proposal and what don't you like about it? >> you can't bulletpoint health care. it is a 1,000-page document that most folks haven't red and most folks don't understand and most folks fill that with fear. the town hall meeting i attended was well managed in new jersey, but the irony is many of the reform proposals mirror what is happening already in the state of new jersey. there is no pre-existing conditions currently. you can't be canceled with your coverage. >> you're saying there's nothing new? >> for the state of new jersey, many of the reforms, it's not new news, it's old news and that's where you're finding some confusion because most folks haven't read it, but they still remain concerned about elderly and also protecting developmenting children by the most recent gallup poll making sure the country is prolife making sure those children are protected inside the womb. >> we want to take our viewers inside the town hall meeting. a lot of drama at the senator specter town hall meeting you attended on tuesday. did you walk away feeling like your concerns were addressed? >> no, i believed that a lot of people that wanted to get in to talk about their prohealth care reform didn't get an opportunity. it was, i was told early that you better hurry up or you will not get in line and there are a lot of people who for health care reform did not get their voices heard. >> charlie, what was it like with you? you were senator mccaskill's town hall on monday. little less dramatic. did you feel like your questions were answered? >> i think she tried to and, unfortunately, i think the debate is so polarizing and there's also so many issues that you get into the issues of abortion and things that take us off the subject. and that's the hard thing about this issue is that incompasses so many fasets of everybody's life, it's hard to have the debate. i was happy to see that our crowd that was there was respectful because i think all of our elected representatives deserve that kind of respect and we need oep on, honest debate. we need to air this issue out. you know, as it was said before, it is a large document and there's a lot of other, there's a lot of other competing bills out there. we need time to really look at the issue and study it and make the right decisions. that's what i'm probably the most concerned about is that i don't want to see us put something in place that totally changes the landscape and that we can't reverse. >> all right, terence i want to get to you. were you concerns addressed during the town hall meeting on monday? did you feel that you got the answers that you needed? >> i think that the congressman and staff conducted themselves exceptionally well and they stayed an hour and a half over to listen to the challenges that folks have. this can't be done in time for congressional folks to go to the beach. it's necessarily a deliberative process and the other folks on your show today are quite right, betty, in their thoughts, it's a topic that deserves the time required to make a thoughtful, rational decision. from the town hall, there were a vast group of folks in our town hall and other town halls that i've seen that are simply truly concerned. health concern is something that folks want, although i fear that the different plans, because there is no one plan or ending up being canary in the coal mine and fought with peril at this point because a vacuum of data. when they don't have the information, they would feel and go with their own fears and worries about their own future. >> terence, charlie, lawrence, we appreciate what you experienced and your concerns and if any of those questions were answered at the town hall meeting. sounds like a lot weren't, but some were. thank you for your time. >> thank you. looking for more of what you have been seeing here on cnn. check out cnn.com/healthcare. we have ongoing coverage of the town hall meetings, plus, information about the plans and key players. also, a final farewell to eunice kennedy shriver. want to give you live pictures right now. a private funeral service is taking place right now at a roman catholic church. vice president joe biden among the dignitaries attending that and shriver's son-in-law, california governor arnold schwarzenegger is giving one of the yulegies today. senator eduard kennedy is not attending his sister's funeral. as you know, he has been battling brain cancer. shriver, though, was the founder oof the special olympics. she died tuesday at the age of 88. all right. this just in to cnn. we understand a colonel bancshares have been halted. we want to take you to susan lisovicz in new york with the latest on this. what this means and what this means to people overall who have their money in colonel bank. >> colonel bank shares opened at 9:30 and were halted two minutes later, the hast share price on colonel, 41 cents. this was a stock that it traded at $10.50 over the past year. why is that? well, because the federal judge said that colonel is on the brink of collapse. that is a quote. colonel is a bank that will be recognized by many of our viewers in florida. has nearly 350 branches. also in alabama, as well as georgia, nevada and texas. why did the federal judge say this? because usually what we hear when a bank collapses, usually after the end of trading friday, as you go into the weekend, it came in a ruling for bank of america. colonel bank owes bank of america a whole lot of money. bank of america was trying to hold on to it or transfer its assets and the judge in its ruling for bank of america noted its precarious state and also the fact that colonel is suspected of criminal accounting irregulari irregularities. just last week colonel said it was the target of a federal criminal probe related to its mortgage business, as well as its accounting and earlier this month it was one of two banks rated by federal agents. as i mentioned, colonel bank shares trading under a dollar. this is really distressed state and overall we're seeing a pretty broad-based selloff. betty, we've been saying that there's this euphoria that things are getting better in the economy. at 10:00 at the top of the hour we got a consumer confidence report that fell off and you saw the selloff escalate after that. betty? >> we do appreciate it, susan, thank you. colonel bank, the latest bank failure what does it mean to you and investors in that bank where they put their money and trust it will be safe. we'll get to that with poppy harlow right after this break. all right. shares of colonel bank have been halted. here's the question, if colonel is your bank, what do you need to do at this point? poppy harlow has our breakdown from the cnn newsroom. what is some advice you can give to people out there? >> the biggest word of advice is, do not panic. let's be clear here, this bank has not failed yet. regulators are looking at it. shares are halted at the new york stock exchange, be aware news can come soon, but if regulators shut this bank down, all the fdic deposits are protected. you have up to $250,000 per account at each bank that is backed up by the fdic that you will not lose. that limit was raised from $100,000 last year during the height of the banking crisis to increase protection for consumers as the health of banks became more questionable. important to note there are situations where you can get more insurance. for example, if you have an account that you're own and you have a joint account at the same bank with your spouse, both of those insured by the fdic and you can also have more insured accounts at different banks. you need to know all of that. let's look at some tools you can use right now if you're a customer of this bank or other banks that are in question. you can go online and use the fdic online calculator. myfdicinsurance.gov. there's a call center and you see the number right there. 1-877-ask-fdic. if you have a mortgage with colonel or one of those banks, no official word on colonel yet, keep paying that mortgage exactly as you do. the terms of your loan there won't change. if you need to change anything, you'll be notified by the fdic in the case of a bank failure, again, not the case with colonel. >> if colonel does collapse and it appears it is on the brink of it right now, how big of a failure are we talking about? >> that is why this is getting so much attention. colonial has more than 300 branches and across five states in the south, alabama, georgia, florida, nevada and texas. they have about $25 billion in assets. pretty big bank. take a look at the list there. that's look aththe biggest bank failures in u.s. history. this would be the biggest so far this year and the sixth largest in u.s. history coming right after the american savings & loan back in 1980. so far this year we've seen 72 banks fail in this country, add that up, that has cost the fdic more than $16 billion, but that's not unnecessarily costing the taxpayer that money. this comes from what the bank, betty, paid the fdic to get that insurance. we're on top of this story and we'll bring you the latest. >> yes, we are. we'll try to get cnn susan lisovicz back up she is in new york at the new york stock exchange and get the latest on what that means for the markets. she is ready and available. susan, let me ask you this, shares have been halted right now, what does this mean to the investor and what does this mean to the mark isn't. >> well, you know, through the investor this is really a tragic time because this is a stock that is trading under 50 cents right now and it has been halted for trading, typically when a stock is halted like this, it's pending news. now, there is already information out there with this judge's ruling. the judge said in his statement, in his ruling favoring bank of america that the bank was on the verge of collapse, as well, noting that the bank is suspected of criminal activities regarding its accounting. so, these are things that investors don't want to hear and they're bailing out of the stock. but we should mention that the stock has already been under tremendous pressure earlier this year, actually, when it hit its all-time low. believe it or not, below 41 cents. so, it's not like this regional bank has had an easy time this year. but the fact that it's -- in addition to mortgages that went bad, that its accounting is questionable is just something that is -- makes investors extremely nervous. >> right. >> and i just wanted to add one more thing because there has been a lot of talk about stress tests on banks. this is a regional bank and while it's one of the larger ones, this was not exposed to the stress test. so, so, that is not something that, you know, we saw this bank under go. and where we really got this information from was from this particular ruling and that's where you saw the bank really come and go into, i would have to describe as a death spiral on its share price. >> got you. okay. susan lisovicz joining us live, as always, appreciate it. another story we're following. a woman goes for an evening walk and then never returns home. the last call on her cell phone may be the key in helping investigators figure out what happened to her. right now 1.2 million people are on sprint mobile broadband. 31 are streaming a sales conference from the road. eight are wearing bathrobes. two... less. - 154 people are tracking shipments on a train. - ( train whistles ) 33 are im'ing on a ferry. and 1300 are secretly checking email... - on a vacation. - hmm? ( groans ) that's happening now. america's most dependable 3g network. bringing you the first and only wireless 4g network. sprint. the now network. deaf, hard of hearing and people with speech disabilities access www.sprintrelay.com. hundreds of people are helping with the search for a mising woman in north georgia. christy cornwell disappeared tuesday night while taking a walk near her home. she said something to him about a car pulling up. her boyfriend heard screams and other noises that sounded like she was being kidnapped. >> while they were conversing on the phone, he overheard her tell him that i have to step off the road, there's a vehicle approaching and then he hears what he believes to be a struggle and losing contact with her at that time. >> police say they found some of her belongings near the scene and indications of a struggle. so far they have not found her or her cell phone. so my partner right here t.j. holmes joins me because we have a lot coming up on cnn saturday morning. >> july 18th. does that mean anything to you? >> july 18th? >> that's the last time we anchored together. good to see you again. >> nice to know you, t.j. >> this weekend, yes, we'll continue with the town halls, of course. who knows how these will be. we have to cover a few of them this weekend. democrats and gop and let you know where they agree on some things. a lot of back and forth. they agree on some things and i've been waiting to bring this story. >> in the works for a little while. >> fantasia, the "american idol" winner, there she is, she is back in another run of "the color purple." she was in it back in 2004 she had a very serious health condition that she didn't tell people about. medal recipients. >> a lot of great stuff coming up tomorrow morning starting at 6:00 a.m. going all the way to noon. i will see you bright and early, t.j. >> looking forward to working with you, again. >> nice to see you. he calls it the performance of his life. 22-year-old arlo guthrie at the woodstock music and arts festival. 40 years later he looks back and reveals something surprising about politics. ththththththththh festival organizers were expecting 50,000 people. they got about 500,000 and a defining moment in american cultural history. if you're above a certain age you know a lot about the woodstock music and arts festival. but the man who sang about coming to los angeles with a couple of peas is a republican. here's cnn's carol costello. >> reporter: woodstock, 40 years ago now. when hundreds of thousands emersed themselves in mud, music and many of them drugs. hoping their shared experience could change the world. >> what do you remember from those days, being at woodstock? >> i remember getting there. a lot of freaks. >> reporter: in the movie "woodstock" arlo guthrie seemed a bit overwhelmed. how did it change you? >> i never participated in anything or indulged in anything before a concert again. >> reporter: why? >> because at the same time that it was this wonderful double-edged sword where i was in no shape to be performing. and at the same time t was the performance of my life. it's freaken shakespearean to me. >> reporter: he calls woodstock a single iconic icon that signifies more important movements of the time like the civil rights movement and anti-war movement. and guthrie is perhaps more well-known for his anti-war anthem in film "alice's restaurant" than he is for woodstock. ♪ at alice's restaurant >> reporter: yes, this is the alice's restaurant. really a church. guthrie bought it and has turned it into a spiritual community center. his life sounds like one long stereo typical hippy trip, you're wrong. you know, when i told people that i was going to come up and talk with you, the first thing they said was, oh o, my god, isn't he a conservative now? are you? >> i'm never a conservative. >> reporter: but he is a registered republican. >> did you vote for john mccain? >> no. my political sort of voting record is not up for public discussion. >> reporter: sarah palin? >> i think she's fun. >> reporter: guthrie admires her anti-elitist spunk. you could say it mirrors his own. he is actually a family values kind of guy. married to jackie for 40 years and plays in a band with his own kids and lives in the same house he bought with profits from alice's restaurant back in 1969. as a republican, he fears a democrat-controlled country. >> i have always been more comfortable being a local opposition than a rah, rah, let's go get them we're in power now kind of guy. >> reporter: that said guthrie is still a child of the '60s and still vehemently anti-war and anti-establishment. >> it revived your faith in human beings. it made you feel like you could trust your buddy, even though they were telling you they couldn't. guthrie told me watching barack obama's inauguration was a validation for the woodstock generation. it is a large part of what they fought for. as a republican, though, he doesn't like the president's stimulus package or health care reform. carol costello, cnn, washington. and i'm betty nguyen, cnn newsroom continues with tony harris. >> good morning, everyone. it is friday, august4

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