[Kyra Phillips, Cnn Anchor:] $100 billion here, more add-on there. Could the Senate sweeteners sour House members on the bailout? A potential pickle on Capitol Hill. Just hours to go before they meet, the vice presidential hopefuls cramming for this evening's debate. Joe Biden versus Sarah Palin. Will there be drama? Will you watch?
[Unidentified Male:] There was a head on crash into the side of the mountain and a rock and the plane moved in and upward direction for 100 feet or so, and disintegrated.
[Phillips:] More than a year after the plane disappeared, have the Sierra Nevada finally given up Steve Fossett's resting place? The latest on the search. Hi, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips live in the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. Well, it tanked on Monday and will it fly on Friday? A few things have changed since the House voted down a $700-billion banking system bailout three days ago. For one thing, it is now an $810-billion bailout when you count all the tax breaks thrown in by senators, who passed that package easily last night. Now, one thing that hasn't changed is the hard sell from the White House. Take a listen.
[George W. Bush, President Of The United States:] This issue is way beyond New York and Wall Street. This is an issue that is affecting hard-working people. They are worried about their savings; they are worried about their jobs, and they are worried about their houses, they are worried about their small businesses, and the House of Representatives must listen to these voices. Get this bill passed so we can get about the business of restoring confidence.
[Phillips:] CNN's Brianna Keilar is on the Hill, where you can hear the arms being twisted. Hey, Brianna.
[Brianna Keilar, Cnn Correspondent:] Hi there, Kyra. Yes, House Republican leaders they have been on the phone twisting arms trying to win over some their rank-and-file members who were not on board Monday. We are starting to get a clearer picture as to whether they are able to get some of those rank-and-file members or not they are getting the rank and file members to move. It appears they are getting some to move I want to tell you, first off, though, the plan is still at this point for this vote to happen mid-day tomorrow. That is the tentative plan. One of the concerns is that if you can get House Republicans on board, you end up losing some House Democrats. Well, we heard from a Democratic leader in the House, Steny Hoyer, he said, that it appears they are really not losing any of the fiscally conservative Democrats they were concerned about losing. So he really minimized the numbers of loss there. But one of the reasons that would have been a concern, I should add, is because of the tax cuts that have been added on to this plan that the Senate passed. Some concerns from those fiscally conservative Democrats that that would not be offset and they are not OK with that. Well, those sweeteners along with some of that arm twisting, that does appear to be moving some of the House Republicans. We have been hearing from several of them actually that they are open to voting yes. Some of these members who voted no on Monday, so we are seeing some progress there. Democratic aides saying, at this point, they don't really want to slow down any of the process here. They want to get this to the president's desk as quickly as possible so they are not expecting to change any of the language from the Senate bill. Of course, that is tentative, but the bottom line is the final math, and the bottom line, Kyra, is that we don't exactly know what the final math is, and neither do House Republican or Democratic leaders. But one person who is going out on a bit of a limb is Charlie Rangel, a Democrat from New York, He actually said, when asked, how confident is he that this will got through. He said, "Very confident, because there is a change in the attitude of people back home. I am sure that would have been reflected, but adding the extenders and the energy package and the mental health and the AMT kind of guarantees it's going to go through." He is talking about the add ons there that are expected to be popular to win over some of the people who voted no. I have to tell you how much do we put in what Charlie Rangel is saying? A little bit, he is the chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee. He has been in on some of these negotiations so you definitely have to listen to what he says, Kyra.
[Phillips:] Brianna Keilar, we'll be listening, that's for sure. Thanks so much. Here is where the financial crunch hits home: 497,000 new claims for unemployment benefits last week, the most in seven years. The Labor Department estimates that some of those, 45,000 or so, resulted from Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. Those numbers are weighing on Wall Street. The Dow went down at the opening bell and hasn't looked back. Dow industrials down 269 points, right now. We are going to run with the numbers and Susan Lisovicz in just a few minutes. We are going to find out whether or not all of this might affect interest rates. Well, the countdown is on to what is sure to be one of the most watched political events this season. Joe Biden and Sarah Palin going face-to-face in the first and only vice presidential debate. And it is just hours away. CNN Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley is joining us now from the debate site, at Washington University in St. Louis. Oh, Candy, this is going to be interesting, no doubt.
[Candy Crowley, Cnn Sr. Political Correspondent:] Absolutely, absolutely. You know, what is really interesting to me is that this sort of pits the woman from Wasilla, Alaska, and the man from Scranton, Pennsylvania. This is going to be the fight for the working-class roots. Both of them sort of trying to reach out and say, look, I am ability you and I get you. It seems to me that the vice presidential debates are so much more difficult than the presidential ones, because you have to be responsible for your own record, and the top of the ticket record. And for both of these candidates, it is going to be really interesting, because they need to push the top guy on the ticket. They need to say, here is what he is about, and here is what we are about. For Sarah Palin, the problem, of course, has been that she did not always seem totally sure of some of John McCain's positions. For Joe Biden, the problem is that he has openly disagreed with some of Barack Obama's positions; less so since he became number two on the ticket. So it is going to be really interesting to watch the two of them kind of try to kind of mesh their records with that of the top of the ticket which is really what this is all about, Kyra.
[Phillips:] And I have also really wanted to know your take on this whole issue of Joe Biden and this talk about he needs to be a gentleman; he needs to treat her like a lady. He needs to watch his manners and what he says. I am just curious to know what you think about this? This got me riled up this morning. It got us talking in our morning meeting. Should that even be brought up? I mean, this never came up when Hillary Clinton was debating, you know, four or five men.
[Crowley:] Well, actually it did. I want to take you back. And I think that we were in I am going to say Pennsylvania, but maybe I am wrong no, it was Drexler University. It was after that debate there was a very famous cartoon that they put on the Internet, the Clinton campaign, called "Piling On" and Hillary Clinton went up and talked to her alma mater and said you know, her all-female alma mater, said what I learned here prepared me for trying to get into the all-boy's club. So there always was some sort of feel in there for how do you walk around? How do you deal with a female opponent? Now, look, it usually comes down to a gesture. It came with Barack Obama, it came down to that remark he made in the New Hampshire debate when he said, well, you are likable enough, Hillary. And everybody thought it was condescending and he would not have done that to a man, that kind of thing. So there are these sort of short, five- second moments that sometimes can explode on you. So I do think there is a potential. But, look, he has been so schooled in this, and I would be really amazed if he fell into that trap. Because, obviously, in the ideal world what we would really like is to have the two of them to treat each other like candidates.
[Phillips:] There you go, bottom line. That is what we need to stay focused on. Here you are in 2008, we all love, as women, to be treated like a lady, of course, in every respect, but when it comes down to something like this, you don't want to feel any less than a man, so when the issue even comes up, you just wonder if we should be talking about it, or not?
[Crowley:] Well, absolutely. But as long as it is a factor, and you and I both know it is still a factor in all walks of life, and if it is going to be a factor in this debate, we will know at the end of the debate. It certainly is going in. Listen, they didn't bring Jennifer Granholm down from Michigan to be with Joe Biden simply because she was the best debater they could find. She's female. They wanted, you know, have the two of them sort of knock it back and forth. We know that Joe Biden has talked to some other female lawmakers about, you know, is there anything I should watch out for? Just getting their take on how to go forward in this debate. So obviously, when it is an issue, you have to deal with it. Do we wish that we didn't have to deal with the issue? Sure, I'm with you.
[Phillips:] Amen. I can't wait to talk to you about this tomorrow, Candy.
[Crowley:] OK.
[Phillips:] Thanks. So what will you be paying attention to when you watch the debate tonight? Issues, confidence, manners? That leads me to know Joe Biden and it got us talking in our morning meeting. Biden is known for not putting on the kid gloves and so does that matter as he gets ready to debate a woman? Should he act like a gentleman? Should he pay attention to chivalry? Well, as a strong woman, does it insult you that we even brought this up? Here is some of the discussion from our editorial meeting this morning.
[Unidentified Female:] This is not about a woman, you know, debating, but it is about two vice presidential candidates talking about the issues so I really want to steer away from the whole gender issue, because I think it is demoralizing.
[Michelle, Producer:] Biden's addressed this already. I don't know whether I saw it on our air or somewhere else, but somebody posed the question to him, he is not going to temper himself or make himself any different tonight than he would be any other time, because he has already debated the woman.
[Unidentified Female:] I would even have no problem saying, this bothered me and should this even be an issue?
[Phillips:] So what do you think? Should this even be an issue? Nobody said that Biden had to watch his manners with Hillary Clinton, specifically, so what is up with this? Whether Biden is debating a man or woman, shouldn't he and Palin just be as tough as they can no matter the gender? Tell us what you think. E-mail us at cnnnewsroom@cnn.com. Tonight is debate night in America. Be sure to stay with CNN the best political team on television. For complete coverage of the one- and-only vice presidential debate. The debate kicks off at 9:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN. Let's go ahead and listen to Nancy Pelosi speaking on Cap Hill. Let's find out if any progress was made with that bailout plan.
[Nancy Pelosi , House Speaker:] ... To stabilize our economy, protect taxpayers, create jobs, and cut taxes for American families. The core of the plan is identical to the original bill that we had negotiated last weekend, House and Senate, Democrats and Republicans, and the White House. It has one addition that we all agreed to which is lifting the FDIC limit in the legislation from $100,000 to $250,000. So we welcome that change. And that was what was not in the original bill the original bill was unacceptable, that the White House sent over, but much-improved bill that included protections for the taxpayers with oversight, and also with a share in the profits, reforming CEO pay and compensation, and the compensation and the golden parachute and helping Americans avoid foreclosure, and also ensuring that Wall Street not Main Street was going to pay for this. Again, it includes that FDIC piece. So all of the original bill, as amended, in a bipartisan way and now with the FDIC piece. One piece we were fighting -an addition that is in the bill contained in the package is something that meant a great deal to some of the members on the House side, and that is the that we were advocating for the extension of the $1,000 family tax deduction for property tax, for non-itemizers. And that was a very important issue for some of us, to have something to take home for homeowners. This will help families, and working families in minority communities hit hardest by skyrocketing property taxes. I am pleased that this bill, you know, as you know, my flagship issue has been energy security and reversing global warming. And I am very pleased that in this bill we have the extenders for the investments in clean renewable energy research and development. In this bill, it is paid for. So I am very that is one piece of the energy bill that we couldn't pass last year that is now has been passed by the Senate. And we will take it up. We have fought hard to include the critical tax provisions, again, in that energy bill last year. While we are on the focus has been in the news on the Dow Jones on Wall Street, our focus has been on Mr. & Mrs. Jones on Main Street and how this legislation would affect them. Seniors and those nearing retirement are worried about the pensions and that their savings may evaporate, and entrepreneurs seeking loans for new business, or franchise may be turned away. And that is happening and that undermines job creation. Students and families are concerned about the education and their college savings. If we don't have it affects everything. If you want to buy a car, you cannot get a loan. If you sell cars, you can not get a loan to buy the cars, to sell the cars to people who cannot get a loan to buy them. So it has an impact that is very pervasive throughout our economy and our society. In fact, if we do not act, hard-working Americans and millions of people will see the American dream evaporate. So that is why it is very important to pass this legislation and we are working hard to do so. But, this week is only the beginning. Two weeks ago, as many of you know, the administration came to see us, and they lifted a rock and under that rock we saw lots of vermin. We have started to address it in this legislation. Again, we did not we found the initial legislation brought forth by the administration to be unacceptable, and in a bipartisan way we amended it, it was further amended in the Senate last night. This is only the beginning. Next week Chairman Waxman will be having hearings on beginning what went wrong? What regulatory reform we need, and how we can avoid this in the future. Chairman Frank, the chairman of the Financial Services Committee, will be having hearings, too, as to how we go forward in a positive way. In addition to that, Chairman Collin Peterson of the Agricultural Committee will be having hearings, too. That will be related to credit default swaps and what impact that has on the marketplace. Some very specific issues, some very broad issues, and all of them to protect the taxpayer and to prevent our economy from being in such jeopardy again. We must have these new safeguards in the loss of the recklessness of some of the operators on Wall Street can never again imperil the savings of the American people, and imperil the economy at the same time. With that, I'd be pleased to take any questions that you may have.
[Question:] [OFF-MIC]... Would you be open to amendments to this package?
[Pelosi:] Well, it is not a question if I'm open to an amendment, because there are many Democrats who would like to amend this package as well. It is a question of what the White House will sign. We have tried very hard to get some other modifications in the bill unsuccessfully, because they said that would lose votes for them. So what the Senate has -, what I said to Harry Reid yesterday, if you pass this bill, and we change it, how long will it be before you can take up a House version? It would be a long time. So I think that, as I said from the start, time is of the essence. If we had more time, I think that we could have written a better bill, and certainly one that has some more of a foundation into the economy, and not just one person's idea of how we should go forward. I think that we were successful in amending it to make it a better bill. I don't think that any changes here will do what we need to do, which is to right now send a message of competence to the markets that Congress will act. This is not our last act. We have plenty of time to do more. That is what I tell the Democrats, that is what I tell the Republicans. Again, I call their attention to the pace of activities in the United States Senate.
[Question:  Pelosi:] Well, right now, we are working very hard to see that. We want to see if we still have the 141 votes we had before. And that seems to be coming in pretty well, but we haven't you know, what you have to remember is that members like to see the bill before they give you an answer. And they saw what happened in the Senate last night, but now they are getting a closer look, and as they review it, then we can go forward to see what the vote will be. We are not going the take a bill to the floor that doesn't have the votes. I am optimistic that we will take a bill to the floor. Yes, sir?
[Question:] Madam Speaker, you talk about how this huge amount of money, $700 billion, potentially, plus another $100 million or so for the tax extenders and in the new year, how is that going to inhibit the Democrats' ability to spend money on domestic needs they think are way overdue?
[Pelosi:] Well, one of our first question, when they informed us of the price tag, which wasn't the first night, it was a couple of days later, after we had made our commitments to doing a rescue package, is what is the impact on the budget? And what we have said in this legislation is that we want the American people to be made whole. This is a large amount of money. It is invested it being put out there to buy the illiquid paper, of commercial and real estate paper, but that is why, in a bipartisan way, we were insisting that the American people would be able to participate in the profits. And so at the end of say a few years we make a measure of what the downside is. Is there a shortfall? If there is, then the financial services industry and those affected by this would have to make up that shortfall. So we see this as something that will be that taxpayers will not have to pay for. Every time you have some money outlaid, of course, there is competition for the dollar and we have said all along when we go forward we do not want to increase the deficit. We start with waste, fraud and abuse, with our hearings to, when we have full control of when I say full control, when we had more control of the budget, and we look at realigning priorities, and the biggest, the biggest contribution to the deficit has been the tax cuts on the wealthiest people in America. I think we have to revisit that.
[Phillips:] Nancy Pelosi saying she is feeling pretty good about Friday's vote. So, how will the various lawmakers vote? We will talk to two later in the hour. If you want to continue watching this live news conference you can go straight to CNN.com. We will be back in just a second.