Getting to a Final Health Care Bill; Obama Says Take Your Time in Getting a Final Health Care Bill; Tea Party Organizers Cruise for a Cause
ROMANS: We want to give some breaking information about this press conference underway right now about two hours outside of Tokyo. The Toyota president, grandson of the company's founder, for the first time answering questions from reporters about the safety and quality problems plaguing Toyota. "The Wall Street Journal" saying that right now he's been asked by a reporter why did it take you so long to come out and address your customers and he said, this time now I am here because there are customers who may be wondering if their car is safe to drive this weekend, and that's why I am here now. Also the AP reporting that the Toyota chief is apologizing for the safety woes of the company but clearly choosing his words very carefully. And we'll set up a committee to raise quality control. Again, a hastily planned news conference for 9:00 p.m. Tokyo time to really address some of these concerns and is now really just getting underway after very brief opening comments from the Tokyo -- the Toyota chief.</s>CHETRY: And at least so far short on specifics. Are they acknowledging there's a problem with the Lexus?</s>ROMANS: Right.</s>CHETRY: Are they acknowledging that they didn't say there was a problem with the Prius, so a lot of questions. Obviously the most interesting part is going to be in the question and answer.</s>ROMANS: That's right.</s>CHETRY: Our Kyung Lah racing over there, as Christine said, this was just announced, and it was two hours from Tokyo. If you've got...</s>ROMANS: That's right.</s>CHETRY: If you headed there the second you found out about it, so again we're following this as best we can and we'll bring you the new information as it's breaking in front of us right now. Meanwhile, in just over an hour, another indication of how the economy is doing. Critical jobs numbers for January will be released by the Labor Department and economists are expecting to see a slight improvement, likely a gain of about five to maybe 15,000 jobs according to our business unit. That wouldn't be enough, though, to lower the unemployment rate which stands right now at exactly 10 percent.</s>ROMANS: North Korea said it's releasing an American who has been in custody there since December. Robert Park (ph) was detained after reportedly crossing into North Korea to bring the country's leader Kim Jong-Il a message about quote, "Christ's love and forgiveness." Park's (ph) father talked to journalists in San Diego and said his family has heard the news and they're happy, but they're still waiting for confirmation that their son indeed has been freed.</s>CHETRY: And a Wisconsin college student has filed a class action lawsuit against the company that owns FreeCreditReport.com. Of course you probably know their catchy commercials, but the complaint alleges that they're not exactly clear and it's not exactly free. The plaintiff said that she signed up to get her quote, "free" report but was unknowingly then enrolled in the company's credit monitoring service. Price tag for that -- 15 bucks a month.</s>SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hey there. We've heard hurry up and wait several times, so I guess that's a good way of putting it. Obviously President Obama is trying to ratchet up the rhetoric, if you will, when it comes to Republicans trying to squarely put the responsibility on them to come to the negotiating table with some ideas. Now it was last night, Christine, that it was at a Democratic fundraiser that the president called on high-level talks with Republicans to try to get some sort of health care reform passed. What's happening now is you've got the Democrats, both in the House and the Senate trying to work out consensus, negotiating their own separate versions of this bill, but the president is now using some new language. He is trying to put pressure on his own party to come up with consensus, at the same time saying Republicans are responsible for getting something done. I want you to take a listen.</s>BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What I'd like to do is have a meeting whereby I'm sitting with the Republicans, sitting with the Democrats, sitting with health care experts, and let's just go through these bills, their ideas, our ideas. Let's walk through them in a methodical way so that the American people can see and compare what makes the most sense. And then I think that we've got to go ahead and move forward on a vote. We've got to move forward on a vote.</s>MALVEAUX: So, Christine, the real question here is, is any of this real? I mean, a lot of cynics are going to look at this and say, is this actually going to happen? Well, it's far from certain. Despite the fact that he is calling for all this, White House officials say this is not a new strategy. But what is happening is, on Tuesday, it's one of those first meetings you might recall, the State of the Union, the president said he wanted to meet in a bipartisan way with Republicans, Democrats, in the leadership at the White House on a monthly basis. That's going to happen this Tuesday, so we'll see if, in fact, health care reform is something where people feel like there's a little bit of wiggle room, some give and take. We'll get something done when it comes to health care reform. I should also let you know this is the big Super Bowl weekend. Last year, you may recall, he invited a lot of Republicans, along with Democrats, their families, kids, ate pizza, had a great time. But I talked to a lot of those Republican last year, and they said, look, we like this guy. We're having a great time here, the party at the White House, but we're not changing our position on health care. Clearly, that is the case as well, and what a difference a year makes. You know, here we are in this position.</s>ROMANS: All right. Suzanne Malveaux at the White House. Thanks, Suzanne.</s>CARROLL: Meantime, the first-ever National Tea Party Convention is underway in Nashville, Tennessee. The grassroots political movement has drawn supporters from across the country who want their voices heard in Washington. Former Congressman Tom Tancredo kicked things off with some very controversial remarks. Let's listen.</s>TOM TANCREDO (R), FMR. REP. COLORADO: People who could not even spell the word "vote" or say it in English, put a committed socialist ideologue in the White House. The name is Barack Hussein Obama.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We hope to come away from this convention with a clear feeling of where this movement might be able to take this country, ways that we can send messages to both major parties to straighten out policies in Washington so that they more clearly reflect the needs of the people that send them.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm interested in having some fiscal responsibility in government. I don't think that anybody in Washington has gotten the message, and every time you turn on the television there's always something that's going on. They just don't get it.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're a little disgusted with both parties and what we see going on in Washington. And when we read our constitution, it doesn't say what exactly what's happening today. We feel like we're going in the wrong direction completely.</s>CHETRY: CNN is taking an in-depth look right now at the growing Tea Party movement with the best political team on television. And they're been finding different ways to organize, including cruising on the high seas. Our Jim Acosta has more on that in his final installment of our special series. Good morning, Jim.</s>JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Yes, new ways to organize. There is the convention in Nashville heading into this weekend. There's all of those rallies that we see happening all over the country and the many Tea Party Web sites. But, Christine and Kiran, did you also know you could pack your bags and take a Tea Party cruise?</s>ACOSTA (voice-over): On board this cruise ship, easing into the U.S. Virgin Islands, among the thousands of passengers ready for some fun in the sun...</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People are just not ready for this mad charge to the left.</s>ACOSTA: Members of a rising American political movement are having a meeting of the minds. Led by former Republican presidential candidate Alan Keyes, more than 100 conservative and Tea Party activists and their families rented out space on this ship for what was billed as the Cruise for Liberty.</s>MICHAEL O'FALLON, SOVEREIGN CRUISE PRESIDENT: We believe in free enterprise.</s>ACOSTA: Cruise organizer Michael O'Fallon markets the seven-day voyage as a chance to talk politics in paradise.</s>O'FALLON: Right now, people are wanting to be with other conservatives. Maybe they feel like they're a little bit out on an island someplace by themselves. And they're --</s>ACOSTA (on camera): So to speak.</s>O'FALLON: Yes, so to speak. Right, exactly.</s>ALAN KEYES, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Give everybody access to health care. And if you don't want it, we'll shove it down your throat.</s>ACOSTA (voice-over): At the pre-cruise kickoff at this Miami hotel, Keyes explained why he believes the Tea Party is gaining steam.</s>KEYES: I think it's quite obvious that this isn't about Republicans and Democrats. It may be about the failure of both parties and the whole party system.</s>ACOSTA: Conservative activist Alan Gottlieb sees a golden opportunity.</s>ALAN GOTTLIEB, 2ND AMENDMENT FOUNDATION: A lot of people have never involved in politics before. They know nothing about politics. They're extremely naive. They're angry and they're upset. And they're venting their frustration by attending these rallies.</s>ACOSTA (on camera): And so your job is to get them involved.</s>GOTTLIEB: Capitalizing, mobilizing.</s>FLOYD BROWN, CONSERVATIVE ACTIVIST: We could easily slip back into slavery.</s>ACOSTA (voice-over): Cruise for Liberty speakers Floyd and Mary Beth Brown have a Web site calling for President Obama's impeachment.</s>MARY BETH BROWN, CONSERVATIVE ACTIVIST: I know all of us need some encouragement in fighting this battle and -- against Obama who's trying to destroy America. And I know all of you love America and are fellow patriots.</s>ACOSTA (on camera): When it comes to President Obama, this is no love boat. Liberal critics of these conservative expeditions through the Caribbean say they're another picture-perfect example how the Tea Party movement can sometimes go overboard. (voice-over): Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons worries the tone at some Tea Party events onshore and off is getting out of hand.</s>JAMAL SIMMONS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Are we just talking about voting differently, or are we talking about something a little bit more edgy than that?</s>ACOSTA: Want edgy? Keyes refers to the president as the present occupant of the Oval Office. He still questions Mr. Obama's citizenship, even though the White House and the Republican governor of Hawaii where the president was born have produced evidence refuting the charge.</s>KEYES: I don't see how you impeach somebody who may not be president in the first place. So - because...</s>ACOSTA (on camera): That's your position.</s>KEYES: If according to the constitution you are not eligible for the presidency and that does turn out to be the case, then Barack Obama was never president. You don't impeach somebody --</s>ACOSTA: Oh, come on. How can that be? How can he --</s>KEYES: No, I'm sorry. You don't understand what constitutional government is all about.</s>ACOSTA (voice-over): Later this year, there'll be more tea partiers in the Caribbean aboard the Liberty ship and the News Max cruise sponsored by the popular conservative Web site. But the founders of one leading Tea Party group wonder whether this is the best use of the movement's time during an election year. (on camera): Would you go on a Tea Party cruise?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, right now we're working about 20 hours a day. I can't even imagine any cruise, much less a Tea Party cruise.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. We have no time for cruising.</s>ACOSTA: But other tea partiers on these trips argue hitting the high seas is just a new way of cruising for the cause.</s>ACOSTA: Now, Carnival Cruise ships did send a statement stressing that they do not agree with the statements made in this event that was held on their ship, and that they rent out space all the time to private groups. And that doesn't necessarily mean that they agree with what is stated among those private groups. And getting back to this convention, what's happening this weekend, there's a new CNN poll out that shows some 40 percent of Americans don't know much about the Tea Party movement. So the question is, when you hear some of the rhetoric happening on whether it's the cruise ship or at the convention this weekend, whether or not that hurts the Tea Party cause.</s>CHETRY: All right. We'll be talking about that throughout the morning as well.</s>ACOSTA: You bet.</s>CHETRY: Thanks so much, Jim.</s>ACOSTA: You got it.</s>CHETRY: Also, just eight minutes from now, at 7:30 Eastern, we're going to be speaking with Republican Rand Paul, the son of Congressman Ron Paul. He's now running for the Senate seat in Kentucky. And he is getting a lot of support from the Tea Party movement. We're going to talk to him about why he seems to be picking up steam because of the movement.</s>ROMANS: And a special investigation coming up, too. A special investigation air marshals. Are they making you safer? Our Drew Griffin took a fascinating look at this program. And one lawmaker says we're simply not getting what we're paying for. Each arrest costs about $200 million. Think of that.