Today on CNN Newsroom
Pre-Existing Conditions and Healthcare Reform
Did you know that if you have allergies, it will make your health insurance rates go up by 25%? Yes, just allergies! Sky-high premiums for people with pre-existing conditions is one of the reasons why health care reform is such a hot issue right now. Today, in her continuing series on healthcare reform, CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.
Fashion Statement: I need a job!
When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade.
When a couple of Florida women lost their jobs they made bracelets with a simple message: I need a job.
We thought they'd be good candidates for our 30 Second Pitch but it turns out being out of work has turned into a full-time job for them.
Watch CNN affilate WBBH's Anne Imanuel's story and find out more about the bracelets by clicking here.
If you want to be part of the 30 Second Pitch send us your comments here or on twitter @KyraCNN.
Dads on the Economy, Their Dads, and "Success"
Several weeks ago, our Josh Levs – a father himself – suggested something for Father’s Day weekend: gathering a panel of dads who would speak openly and honestly about the realities of fatherhood.
What he ended up with was an incredibly diverse, fascinating group of guys willing to take on the toughest subjects: How does this economy impact your experiences as a father? Can you talk to your kids about financial challenges? Are you as good a dad as your dad was? How have the roles changed – and do you sometimes wish they hadn’t? And finally: If you are a “successful” father, what will you have achieved?
Join us on CNN Sunday Morning, Father’s Day, starting at 6am ET, to hear the words and wisdom of this panel of dads – including a stay-at-home father, a single father whose wife died when their two children were babies, a dad who adopted a daughter with his male partner, and two dads in more traditional situations.
And weigh in with your own views here on the blog.
Thanks, and Happy Father’s Day.
Balancing Act: U.S. Interests at Home and Abroad
This week, President Obama faced criticism and praise as he tackled a host of issues here at home and abroad.
Domestically, the President has zeroed in on health care reform, a plan to tighten controls on the financial sector, and granting benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees.
But what may be overshadowing his domestic agenda are pressing matters overseas: the unrest following the Iranian election and reports of a growing nuclear threat from North Korea.
It’s a juggling act for this administration. How does it find balance? Or is this a typical challenge of any Presidency in its infancy? Post your comments or questions here, and we may use them when we discuss Balancing Act: US Interests at Home and Abroad. Join us Saturday at 4PM Eastern.
1 Year sentence for raping a child
An Oklahoma rape case is drawing national attention and outrage.
Last month, 64 year old David Harold Earls pleaded no contest to raping a 4 year old girl. Because the girl behaved erratically in court and was not able to testify and the limited physical evidence, the District Attorney's office worked out a plea deal with Earls. He was sentenced to one year in jail and 19 years probation. Because of time already served he is now scheduled to get out of prison in September. Earls has terminal cancer and will be on monitored release once he is out of jail.
The mother of the four year old victim tells "The Oklahoman" that the plea deal was best for her child.
Oklahoma state representative Mike Ritze is co-sponsoring a resolution to remove the judge in the case, Thomas Bartheld, from the bench.
Judge Bartheld has not responded to our calls for his reaction to the call for his removal.
David Harold Earls' daughter Denise is coming forward accusing her father of sexually assaulting her when she was a child. Earls has not responded to that accusation.
Watch as Kyra Phillips interviews Denise Earls and Oklahoma state representative Mike Ritze about his efforts to get Judge Bartheld fired.
We want to hear from you about this case.
Should the judge be removed? What do you think should happen?
Contact us here or tweet us @KyraCNN.
Child support payments are falling as parents lose their jobs
FROM EXECUTIVE PRODUCER CARI HERNANDEZ
More and more parents are failing to pay child support due to the recession.
Caught on either side? Send us your questions
In our 10am hour, a family law expert will answer your questions.
Does the Fine Fit the Crime?
In a do-over of the only music downloading case to make it to trial, Minnesota mother of four Jammie Thomas-Rasset has been found guilty of illegally sharing 24 songs over the internet. A federal jury decided she must pay the recording industry $80,000 per song, for a total of $1.9 million. Thomas-Rasset calls the fine "kind of ridiculous" and her attorney notes that songs can be downloaded for less than a dollar each.
What do you think? Does the fine fit the crime? Or is the recording industry overreaching by going after individuals who trade music online? We'll take a look at the case and your comments with Nicole Lapin during the 12pm ET hour of NewsRoom with Tony Harris.
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