American Morning
Gates is key part of Obama's inner circle
A bipartisan Cabinet. It was one of President Obama's campaign promises.
And he kept his word when he announced President Bush's defense secretary, Robert Gates, would stay on the job at the Pentagon.
In part three of our series, "The Presidential Brain Trust," Barbara Starr has a look at Gates' relationship with the commander-in-chief.
Steele: 'We're listening'
It was a big night for the GOP. The governors' mansions in Virginia and New Jersey going from blue to red – two states President Obama carried just one year ago.
What does that mean for 2010? Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele spoke to our John Roberts on Wednesday's "American Morning.
Joel Osteen: 'It's your time'
Excerpted from It’s Your Time: Activate Your Faith, Achieve Your Dreams, and Increase in God’s Favor by Joel Osteen. Copyright © 2009 by Joel Osteen. Excerpted with permission by Free Press, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
From It's Your Time
By Joel Osteen
Chapter 1
You’re Closer Than You Think!
While on vacation in Colorado, I woke up early for a hike. The three-mile trail ran to the peak of Beaver Creek Mountain. At the
base a sign said it should take about three hours to reach the top.
Looking up to my destination, I was intimidated. The trail was extremely steep. The altitude at the base was 8,000 feet above sea level. The peak stood at more than 11,000 feet.
Just walking up the first set of stairs, I began breathing heavier than normal. I had to remind myself to take it easy. At home in Houston,
I run several miles a few times a week and play a lot of basketball. But the elevation there is only fifty feet above sea level. The thinner
air in the Colorado mountains had me doubting whether I could make it to the top.
I started out with just my cell phone and a bottle of water. Determined, I set a pretty good pace. The first fifteen minutes seemed fairly easy. The next fifteen minutes were increasingly difficult. I felt as though I were carrying an extra load. I had to stop every so often to catch my breath.
About forty-five minutes into my hike, the trail got extremely steep—almost like I was climbing straight up. My pathway snaked skyward through thick stands of aspen and ponderosa pine. The view was both beautiful and daunting. Despite the fact I am in shape from running and playing basketball, my legs were burning
and my chest was pounding.
Protect yourself from medical mistakes
By Danielle Dellorto
Hospitals and doctors make mistakes. It's something we don't like to think about, but it happens. Some scary examples I've come across: Minnesota doctors removed the healthy kidney of a cancer patient while leaving the diseased one behind; California doctors removed the appendix of the wrong patient; one of the most experienced surgeons in a Boston, Massachusetts, hospital operated on the wrong side of a patient. All of these mistakes happened within the past couple of years.
Rest assured, if you are the patient, you can help avoid such medical errors. Start by checking out your doctor and hospital. There are several websites that rank hospitals and physicians. Try HealthGrades.com or LeapFrogGroup.org. Tell the nurses and doctors who you are and why you're having surgery. You might feel a little silly, but giving your name, date of birth and for example, which hip you're having replaced – it bears repeating. Make sure your doctor – not someone else – initials your surgery site, then confirm that site with your physician right before your procedure. Finally, train someone to be your advocate. You're likely to be anxious and a little out of it, so be sure that friend or family member knows these important tips too.
For more tips on how to prevent medical errors, check out CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen’s Empowered Patient column.
Should 2010 census ask, 'Are you a US citizen?'
By Carol Costello and Bob Ruff
Ten. That’s the number of questions you’ll be asked when the 2010 census forms arrive in mail boxes starting next April.
Question 1: “How many people were living or staying in this house, apartment, or mobile home on April 1, 2010?”
From there, questions 2 through 10 range from a person’s sex and race to phone number.
But nowhere is this question asked: “Are you a U.S. citizen?”
Senator David Vitter (R-LA) and others are asking, why not? Vitter is pushing an amendment to a Senate spending bill that would put the citizenship question on the next census form. The Bureau of the Census hasn’t asked that question before. So, why now?
Senator Vitter told Carol Costello that it’s all about apportionment, which is the allocation of seats in the House of Representatives based on the number of people counted in each state by the census. It’s right there in Article I of the U.S. Constitution.
“…Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years…”
For Senator Vitter, who represents Louisiana in the U.S. Senate, this is personal. “If all people,” the senator says, “including non-citizens, including illegals, go into the process of reapportionment, Louisiana will lose one House seat.”
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