[Kiran Chetry, Cnn Anchor:] And welcome back to the "Most News in the Morning." It's 7:00 on the dot here in New York, on this Tuesday, August 11th, I'm Kiran Chetry.
[John Roberts, Cnn Anchor:] And good morning to you, I'm John Roberts. We begin with breaking news this morning, and sad news to tell you about. The sister of former President John Kennedy, Eunice Kennedy Shriver is dead this morning. The 88-year-old had suffered a series of strokes in the past few years. Her family says she died at Cape Cod Hospital in Massachusetts at 2:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Shriver was well known for the founding of the Special Olympics. The family released a very heartfelt and emotional statement just a couple of moments ago. In part, it reads, quote, "Inspired by her love of God, her devotion to her family, and her relentless belief in the dignity and worth of every human life, she worked without ceasing." Eunice Shriver passing leaves only two surviving members of the nine child Kennedy clan, Senator Ted Kennedy and Gene Kennedy Smith. We're breaking down several other big stories for you in the next 15 minutes. The president 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 Portsmouth, New Hampshire. We're live at the White House this morning with the president planning to change his tone and his tactics.
[Chetry:] Also Secretary of State Hillary Clinton losses her cool a little bit while meeting with some students in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She thought she was being asked what her husband thought about an international issue. It was all a misunderstanding. We'll tell you what was lost in translation and we'll show you her reaction.
[Roberts:] Stranded on an airplane all night long 47 passengers on a Continental express jet from Houston to Minneapolis wound up trapped on a tarmac in another city for six hours. Babies were crying, diapers were filling up, the toilets were filling up, there was no food. We'll talk to one passenger about a flight on and a night that he would like to forget. Our top story this morning, though, is health care reform and the president's big pitch. President Obama taking his message straight to the American people starting today with a town hall meeting in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and he is expected change his approach in the face of mounting criticism and the kind of fear expressed by one woman at a senior center last night in North Arlington, New Jersey.
[Unidentified Female:] It's my opinion that we have the best health care in the world. People from Canada and Europe come here for life-saving procedures. Where are we going to go if this health care gets passed and you know this president
[Roberts:] Jim Acosta is live in Portsmouth this morning. The president will be there later on today, Jim, and already we've seen some spirited protests. We start though, this morning at the White House with Elaine Quijano. And, Elaine, we understand that the White House plans to employ some new tactics today. What are those tactics?
[Elaine Quijano, Cnn Correspondent:] That's right, John. The White House is looking at aim its message now more directly at people who already have coverage. The president is heading, as you noted, to New Hampshire. That's a state where a lot of people, almost 90 percent have health care. So we're going to hear President Obama hit on familiar themes, including changing the system to make sure that insurance companies are not able to deny someone because of their preexisting condition. At the same time the White House is also trying to push back on another front. It's launched a webpage on the White House web site. it's calling it "The Reality Check" and obviously underlines the fact that White House officials are concerned about some of the arguments out there getting some traction, possibly. So this is just another tool that the White House is using to push back against what it sees as misinformation John?
[Roberts:] We haven't heard a whole lot, Elaine, from the White House about the fireworks at some of these town hall meetings. Are we getting any insight into what the president thinks about them?
[Quijano:] Oh we heard from President Obama himself yesterday. He said, look, these are vigorous debates, and they're healthy, and they're necessary, because he believes that health care reform is something that cannot wait. But aides also say the president believes that shouting someone down is not at all constructive. It's not productive. It certainly doesn't do anything to further the debate. So we'll see what happens at the town hall meeting coming up here. But obviously the White House will want to be respectful of the people who have legitimate concerns, John. They say it's another thing if you're simply trying to out-shout someone else.
[Roberts:] There might not be any shouting inside the town hall, but I know that opponents of health care reform, or at least this particular form of health care reform, planning some protest outside of that venue. So we'll see what happens. Elaine Quijano for us this morning. Elaine, thanks so much.
[Quijano:] Sure.
[Chetry:] And as president continues this make or break push on health care, Americans are still bitterly divided on the issue, and they're going grassroots, making signs, flooding the web. So what kind of perception can President Obama expect today in New Hampshire? Our Jim Acosta is live in Portsmouth. He's already taking the temperature out there, talking to both sides of the fight. Hey, Jim.
[Acosta:] Good morning, Kiran, that's right. From what we can gather, the president just might get a taste of some of the rowdy town hall meetings later today in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Asked by White House officials whether or not the president could possibly get shouted down by some of the protesters who are showing up at some of these town hall events, White House officials did say that the president does expect a vigorous debate. They think there will be roughly 1,800 people at this event later today. But that will be inside the auditorium. There should be hundreds more gathered outside to protest. Opponents for democratic plans for health care reform aren't just sounding off at congressional town hall meetings. In New Hampshire, protesters descended on staff member of Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen in the middle of a routine constituent services meeting. It wasn't a town hall forum, and the senator wasn't there. The protesters recorded the confrontation and put it on YouTube.
[Sen. Jeanne Shaheen,  New Hampshire:] One constituent who was there wound up almost in tears where our staff person had to be escorted out with a police escort.
[Acosta:] And have you ever seen anything like this in all of your years of public service?
[Shaheen:] Never where people have been encouraged to be disrespectful.
[Acosta:] Democrats charge the people shouting health care questions at members of Congress these days are being encouraged by the likes of Rush Limbaugh, whose Web site compares the reform supporters to Nazis. But Corey Lewandowski with American for Prosperity, a conservative group that's backing the protest, insists the antireform movement is real. How do you respond to the charge that this is all orchestrated and artificial if it's all coming from talk show hosts and websites?
[Corey Lewandowski, Americans For Prosperity, New Hampshire:] I think if that were the case, then you wouldn't see the massive turnouts that you're seeing at each and every event. The average person is at work when Rush Limbaugh is on the radio.
[Acosta:] As we were talking, almost out of nowhere, a bystander listening in on our conversation came right up to us to say ditto.
[Lewandowski:] Thank you very much.
[Acosta:] And you happen to agree with this gentleman?
[Unidentified Male:] I do.
[Acosta:] But Democrats are also flexing their grassroots. The former Obama volunteers were back in campaign mode.
[Eileen Flockhart, Supports Obama's Health Care Plan:] I really think you have some folks who are very anxious about change who really love to play the fear card.
[Acosta:] Corey Lewandowski says it's about facts not fear. But time and again, he falsely compared Democratic health care proposals to a Canadian style universal system. The ones coming out the house are not Canadian style universal health care, and you know that.
[Lewandowski:] Universal health care in any way, shape, or form is a bad notion.
[Acosta:] As for Senator Jeanne Shaheen, she is not sure she'll have a live town hall meeting here in New Hampshire. She held on over the telephone and had more than 10,000 people call in. And just to give you a sense of some of the public discourse here, there was a political cartoon in the very conservative Manchester local newspaper, the "Union Leader." It says there's a doctor standing in the doorway saying, "Hello, I'm your doctor. Bend over." And the name tag reads Karl Marx. So if that gives you a sense of the public discourse that's in the newspaper, Kiran as to how things are shaping up out here, it should be, as the White House is calling it, a vigorous debate later today.
[Chetry:] What did Corey Lewandowski says after you said, wait a minute, you're saying it's Canada-style health care and it's not?
[Acosta:] I tried my best, but he would not concede that this was not Canadian-style health care. I have talked to this organization in the past. They're based out of Washington. He's the New Hampshire rep. And what they believe is that this public option that's being debated in the Democratic health care plans would lead to a Canadian- style health care plan. So that's why they think they can say that. But that, of course, is not the case. If you look at the bills that are being proposed right now, even the one that is being talked about in the Senate finance committee, they're not talking about Canadian-style health care. The president himself tried to bat that down yesterday. But with a lot of these rumors, the president, the White House, they are trying every day, almost every hour to try to bat down some of these claims. As we've been reporting. The White House has even set up a fact check page on its website to go after some of these erroneous claims that are coming from opponents Kiran?
[Chetry:] All right, John Acosta for us this morning. Great to talk to you, thanks. And also the health care debate has some of our viewers fired up as well. We've had calls pouring in to our amfix.com hotline. We love to hear from you. Here's a little sampling.
[Michelle, Viewer From Texas:] I'm very disturbed at the town hall meetings and the misinformation that's out there on health care. I think it's really a lot of Americans don't know what's going on. So they're just ranting.
[Dave, Viewer From Kentucky:] This is absolutely the worst bill that's ever been introduced in congress. It will take us to socialism and socialized medicine and will do anything to make health care higher.
[Christy, Viewer From Missouri:] I live in Branson, Missouri. And I've got to tell you, there's so much bigotry down here and death threats about Obama and his health care. They don't care about whether it gets fixed. All they care is trying to destroy what he's doing.
[Robert, Viewer From Texas:] We do not want people telling us what kind of health care insurance we want. Please, do not pass this.
[Chetry:] We want to hear more from you. Call our hotline. You can drop us a note on our Web site as well at CNN.comamfix.
[Roberts:] Listening to that, you have to wonder, are the two sides ever going to come together on this.
[Chetry:] And there is so much out there. There's so much being said about where this would lead. And it is, it's hard to wade through it and really see how you feel.
[Roberts:] Yes. And see if the plan is still in flux, no one knows what the eventual plans going to look like.
[Chetry:] Right.
[Roberts:] So that's why the discussion is so contentious. Other stories for you this morning, divers will be back in the Hudson River this morning after locating the wreckage of a small plane and the body of a small victim inside. Nine people died when the sightseeing helicopter over the Hudson on Saturday. Now we're hearing the first 911 call from witnesses just moments after impact.
[Unidentified Female:] 911 operator, what is your emergency?
[Unidentified Male:] I think someone just wiped out in the Hudson River. I think it was a helicopter. Can you have somebody check, please?
[Roberts:] Recovery crews will now begin the process of lifting the plane remains to the surface.
[Chetry:] The price of gas is down just barely. AAA says the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded is $2.64. It's down just a fifth of a penny overnight. But it is the first drop in 21 days.
[Roberts:] Take it when you can get it. And a rather undiplomatic moment for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. She was in the middle of her marathon tour in Africa and flashed some anger in response to a student's question in Congo. He wanted to know President Obama's opinion on an international trade deal involving China. However, the translator misspoke. Instead of saying "President Obama," the translator asked the secretary what "President Clinton thought." Here's what followed.
[Hillary Clinton, U.s. Secretary Of State:] You want me to tell you what my husband thinks? My husband is not the secretary of state, I am. You asked my opinion. I will tell you my opinion. I'm not going to be channeling my husband.
[Roberts:] Oops.
[Chetry:] She's they explained it was also in the context of, you know, talking about violence and victimization against women and women not being held to the same esteem and stature in parts of Africa. So, anyway, that whole mix there.
[Roberts:] What a moment to get lost in translation, huh?
[Chetry:] Exactly.
[Roberts:] It's all about timing.
[Chetry:] Hey, at least she wasn't stuck in a plane overnight for ten hours.
[Roberts:] Can you imagine? Can I tell you something? I hate flying on the little tiny regional jets to begin with. Even if you have to spend an hour in one, it's like
[Chetry:] I know, it is. At least our next guest describes it as being stuck in a sardine can, but
[Roberts:] Cigar tube.
[Chetry:] I personally would have gone crazy.
[Roberts:] How long were they in there, 10 to 12 hour?
[Chetry:] They were in there for 10 to 12, including overnight, seven apparently crying babies and an overflowing toilet. He's going to explain why all of this happened anyway in the first place.
[Roberts:] I would be psychotic.
[Chetry:] It's 13 minutes after the hour.