American Morning
Man joins Army to get health insurance for sick wife
One reason the health care debate has become so emotional is that for many people, it's personal.
Something like a pre-existing condition can mean the only way to get medical coverage is through your job, and in this economy, that's put some families in a tough spot.
If you lose your job, what can you do?
One man joined the Army to make sure his wife would be covered. Our Jason Carroll has their story.
PolitiFact Truth-O-Meter
Editor's Note: PolitiFact.com is a project of the St. Petersburg Times that aims to help you find the truth in politics. Every day, reporters and researchers from the Times examine statements by members of Congress, the president, etc. They research their statements and then rate the accuracy on their Truth-O-Meter.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs fires back at Cheney over troop levels in Afghanistan
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/10/26/gibbs.robert.gi.art.jpg caption="White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs fired back at former Vice President Dick Cheney over troop levels in Afghanistan."]
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs fired back at former Vice President Dick Cheney the day after Cheney said President Obama "seems afraid to make a decision" about a general's public plea for 40,000 more U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
"The White House must stop dithering while America's armed forces are in danger," Cheney said in a speech at the Center for Security Policy on Oct. 21.
In his daily press briefing the next day, Gibbs said Cheney's comments were "curious" given that "the vice president was for seven years not focused on Afghanistan."
And, Gibbs said, the comments were "even more curious given the fact that (a request for) an increase in troops sat on desks in this White House, including the vice president's, for more than eight months, a resource request filled by President Obama in March."
Gibbs is referring here to a request for additional troops made by the previous top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. David McKiernan, during President George W. Bush's final year in office.
The Truth-O-Meter says: TRUE
Read more: Gen. McKiernan wanted more troops for Afghanistan
Police name 'Jane Doe' found in N.Y.
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/US/10/25/teen.jane.doe/story.jane.doe.nyacs.jpg caption="Kacie Aleece Peterson was found in Manhattan, claiming to have no memory of her family, home or name."]
New York (CNN) - Authorities on Sunday released the name of a woman who turned up in New York this month saying she had no memory of her name or family.
She is Kacie Aleece Peterson, 18, of Hansville, Washington, according to Paul Browne, deputy commissioner of the New York Police Department.
Police a day earlier said a CNN viewer in Maryland identified the woman, who was found in Midtown Manhattan on October 9 outside a youth shelter. A photo of Peterson, who had been referred to as Jane Doe, was circulated by police and aired on CNN this week. Authorities didn't release Peterson's name until Sunday.
Browne said Peterson's mother is dead and that her father is heading to New York. CNN affiliate KOMO-TV in Seattle, Washington, reported that her father went to New York on Sunday to bring her home.
The family said it's not the first time she disappeared and then later was found with apparent memory loss, the station reported. Read the full story »
14 Americans dead in copter collisions in Afghanistan
Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) - Fourteen Americans died in a pair of helicopter crashes in Afghanistan on Monday, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said.
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/10/26/troops.afghanistan.art.jpg caption="Americans were killed Monday in two helicopter crashes over Afghanistan."]
In the deadlier crash, a helicopter went down in the country's west.
"Seven U.S. service members and three U.S. civilians were killed," an ISAF statement said. "Those injured include 14 Afghan service members, 11 U.S. service members and one U.S. civilian."
Enemy action was not suspected in the crash, the military said.
Four other U.S. service members were killed when two helicopters apparently crashed mid-air in southern Afghanistan. Two other NATO-led service members were injured.
"The incident is currently being investigated, but it is confirmed that hostile fire was not involved," ISAF said in an earlier news release.
Separately, ISAF said a joint international security force killed more than a dozen enemy fighters while searching a compound. The site was thought to harbor insurgents tied to narcotics trafficking in western Afghanistan.
Pilots could face 'serious discipline' for silence
Air safety investigators are studying voice and flight data recorders to find out whether the crew of Northwest Airlines Flight 188 was asleep at the controls. Air traffic controllers could not contact the flight crew for more than an hour yesterday, triggering fears of a possible hijacking.
Peter Goelz, former managing director for the National Transportation Safety Board, says the pilots are facing a serious disciplinary situation. He spoke to John Roberts on CNN’s “American Morning” Friday. Below is an edited transcript of that the interview.
John Roberts: Peter, I know there are a lot of details yet to come out about this. What's your initial reaction to what happened? What are you thinking here?
Peter Goelz: Well, this is really disturbing. The pilots are saying they were engaged in a heated discussion, and that that distracted them. And there are indications, also, that the NTSB is going to look at whether these guys were simply asleep. But in any case, they certainly were not doing their jobs.
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