American Morning
Brothers debate health care reforms
It's a make or break month for health care reform. President Obama is taking his push to New Hampshire Tuesday where he could find the crowd at his town hall deeply divided.
In fact, the debate is dividing families. We found two brothers on opposite sides of the aisle who are also on opposite sides of this issue.
Dallas Woodhouse is the director of Americans for Prosperity in North Carolina and is against the proposed reforms. His brother, Brad Woodhouse, is the communications director for the DNC and is for the reforms.
The Woodhouse brothers spoke to John Roberts on CNN's "American Morning" Tuesday.
Expert: Restrict Hudson River airspace
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/08/11/goldfarb.michael.cnn.art.jpg caption="Fmr. FAA Chief of Staff Michael Goldfarb says the time is past due to restrict the airspace over the Hudson River."]
Saturday’s midair collision of a sightseeing helicopter and a single-engine plane over the Hudson River killed nine people. That crash is now raising some new questions about air safety over the Hudson and whether or not the FAA should step in.
Michael Goldfarb is the former FAA chief of staff. He says that airspace should be restricted because there is no public safety value in having small aircraft there. He spoke to Kiran Chetry on CNN’s “American Morning” Tuesday.
Kiran Chetry: As we've been learning in the days after this accident, the airspace in this area is virtually unregulated for small planes. And also the very popular sightseeing helicopters can fly under that 1,100 foot ceiling. It’s basically visual flight rules. Is it time for the FAA to start rethinking whether or not there needs to be more regulation in the skies over the Hudson?
Michael Goldfarb: It's way past due, Kiran. They can issue an emergency order this afternoon to airmen and airwomen, restricting that airspace. There's no public safety value having those small aircraft there, basically not under air traffic control, on their own. Some pilot described it that he had an electronic box in his aircraft, like a GPS. Every time there was a plane that came near him or a helicopter or some other kind of vehicle, it would squeak traffic and it was a constant traffic, traffic, traffic.
That's how busy it is. So you're asking a pilot, some of whom have not gone through that kind of airspace, to not only see and be seen, visual flight rules, but they’re also sightseeing, looking at the Statue of Liberty. It's past time to get the small aircraft out of that space. They have LaGuardia at 1,100 feet above them. They have Newark Airport to the right. Too much congestion, too many airplanes.
Health care debate going too far?
After a week of sometimes rowdy congressional town hall meetings on health care reform, the president wades into the superheated August recess debate. He's holding a town hall meeting here in Portsmouth where both sides of the issue are gearing up for dueling rallies outside of the event.
Over the last week, members of Congress have run head on into protesters at town hall meetings. But opponents of health care reform aren't just showing up at town hall meetings.
Here in New Hampshire last week, protesters descended on staff members of Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen who were holding a routing constituent services meeting. The meeting was not a town hall meeting. And the senator wasn't even there.
But she says one of her staff members needed a police escort to leave the meeting. Shaheen called the display "shameful." Just another sign that tensions are rising over health care reform.
Watch: Obama braces for town hall 
Is the debate over health care going too far? Do Americans really want reform or is this just politics? What do you think?
Eunice Kennedy Shriver dies
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/08/11/kennedy.eunice.gi.art.jpg caption="Special Olympics founder and Honorary Chairperson Eunice Kennedy Shriver waves during the party for the 'Faces Of Sport' party benefiting the Special Olympics on April 29, 2004 in Beverly Hills, California."]
(CNN) - Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the sister of President John F. Kennedy and a champion of the disabled who founded the Special Olympics, died Tuesday, the Special Olympics said. She was 88.
Born on July 10, 1921, in Brookline, Massachusetts, Shriver was the fifth of nine children to Joseph P. and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. She emerged from the long shadow of siblings John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy as the founder of the Special Olympics, which started as a summer day camp in her backyard in 1962.
Today, 3.1 million people with mental disabilities participate in 228 programs in in 170 nations, according to the Special Olympics.
Shriver's husband, R. Sargent Shriver, and her five children and their spouses and all of her 19 grandchildren were with her when she died, the Special Olympics said in a statement.
"We are tremendously grateful for the extreme outpouring of support and prayer from the public as we honor our beloved founder," Special Olympics President and Chief Operation Officer Brady Lum said Tuesday in a statement.
"Today we celebrate the life of a woman who had the vision to create our movement. It is an enormous loss, but I know we can rest assured that her legacy will live on through her family, friends, and the millions of people around the world who she touched and transformed."
What’s on Tap – Tuesday August 11, 2009
Here are the big stories on the agenda today:
- Make or Break Month. The president's getting ready for a road trip to sell his plan for health care reform. He'll start with a town hall meeting this afternoon in New Hampshire. We're live at the White House where the president's planning to change his tone and his tactics. The health care debate is even diving families. We found two brothers who are on opposite sides of the aisle and the issue, and they’ll be here to duke it out, live.
- The results are in, but the L.A. County coroner's office is keeping Michael Jackson’s autopsy sealed, because of the on-going investigation into his death. Police are still trying to determine whether anyone should be charged. But we do know from a source that Jackson’s physician, Doctor Conrad Murray gave the singer the powerful drug Propofol in the 24-hours before he died.
- Stranded on an airplane, all night long! Forty seven passengers on a Continental ExpressJet from Houston to Minneapolis wound up trapped on the tarmac, in another city for nine hours. Babies were crying... diapers were filling up… and there was no food. We'll talk to one passenger about a flight, and a night he'd like to forget.
We Listen – Your comments 8/10/2009
Editor's Note: Monday’s American Morning generated heated opinion on both sides of the health care debate. Most believed town hall disruptions were orchestrated by Republicans, insurance, and pharmaceutical companies. Others suggested that the U.S. democracy was founded on civil disobedience and Americans should be heard.
- Carole: The loud protests at the town meetings, are due to people wanting answers as to that is in the health care reform bill. People are scared that interests are not being taken into consideration. They want their questions answered. The majority of people I talk to do not want the government involved in telling them what medication or medical procedures they can and cannot have. The seniors in this country are the backbone of its structure and need to be taken care of and not just given end of life consultation.
- Allan: Your stories on the heated healthcare discussions at town hall meetings this morning advanced the idea that the anger was "organized" and implied in the interview with Sen. Brad Miller that it is not legitimate. Why not? Our elected President started his career as a "community organizer". His job was to organize events, just like the town hall meetings, for the Democrats. Why are today’s events different than Obama's events? It seems that in the CNN world, organized protest is only ok and legitimate if the Democrat Party is doing it.
- Aljoy2: The whole problem with healthcare reform is this in a nutshell. The media has given huge coverage to the Republican talking points that are designed to kill healthcare reform and destroy the President of the United States. The Insurance companies are backing their efforts to continue their billions of profit. The undercurrent that is showing up primarily at the town halls began with extreme conservatives who are fundamentally racist against the Obama administration. They were clueless in terms of any facts. They did not even know Medicare was a government run organization that they hugely benefiting from while there are people like me who have nothing. Now it has all turned into true chaos with no one benefiting. Every time a Republican talks, put a truth o meter on what they have to say. Especially put one on dangerous Sarah Palin who exploits her family every humanly way possible for attention, power and political gain. She incites and she is dangerous and she is without knowledge and truth. She is just popular among the extreme right.
- Larry: These orchestrated disruptions aren't protests. The Republican Brown Shirts are intentionally trying to suppress truth and democratic processes, spreading lies in service of their masters at insurance and pharmaceutical companies.
- Barbara: I believe both sides deserve to have their questions asked and answered at the town hall meetings. One side is making sure that no questions are asked or answered. This is not fair to the health care debate. These people should not be allowed to disrupt the town hall meetings.
- Sylvia: People and CNN need to start reminding ourselves that Obama was elected on a platform of HealthCare Reform!! Loosen up and do your homework. He is trying to do what he promised and those Blue Dogs should do likewise!!
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