The spread of H1N1 may be slowing, but parents still need to be vigilant. Children with the virus can go downhill very quickly.

Our Elizabeth Cohen reports on some of the warning signs your child may be seriously ill.

The nation is refocusing on the war in Afghanistan, but at Fort Bragg it's been issue number one since the first parachute deployed.

The famed 82nd Airborne were among the first on the ground at Normandy in WWII, during President Bush's surge in Iraq, and in President Obama's first Afghan surge early this year. Now, more soldiers at Fort Bragg could get their orders in the next few days.

Our David Mattingly reports on the reaction to President Obama's speech at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

West Point, New York (CNN) - President Obama said Tuesday that although the Afghanistan war is not lost, "it has moved backwards" for several years.

Obama outlined his strategy for the war in Afghanistan to an audience at the U.S. Military Academy, one that he says will bring the war "to a successful conclusion."

"There is no imminent threat of the government being overthrown, but the Taliban has gained momentum," Obama said. "Al Qaeda has not reemerged in Afghanistan in the same numbers as before 9/11, but they retain their safe havens along the border.

"And our forces lack the full support they need to effectively train and partner with Afghan Security Forces and better secure the population. ... In short, the status quo is not sustainable."

Obama announced he is deploying 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan "at the fastest pace possible" with a goal of starting to withdraw forces from the country in July 2011. Read more

Transcript | Key points | Troop #s | Full speech

What's your take? Sound off below

By Sean Callebs, CNN

She asked not to be identified. Her first name is Melissa. A victim who beat the odds.

“I thought I would be dead. I never thought I would live to be 22 or 24-years-old,” says Melissa. Her story begins when she was 17, living with another runaway, she says a pimp promised them a better life.

“He started to pay our rent. Pay our bills. Make sure that we had food in our house.” But he also – literally overnight – forced Melissa to trade sex in exchange, she tells us.

“Within a day, my whole life changed. I had to sleep with people. He would tell me where I had to be and when I had to be there.”

Human rights advocates tell us that right now there are about 25,000 young women in the United States who have been forced into sex trafficking. Along with the horror stories we hear of women brought into the U.S. from Asia, Latin America, and Europe, advocates tell us many of the young women forced into sex trafficking are runaways from right here in the United States.

Melissa’s story fits the profile. Trying to escape a broken home, she says she was sexually abused at young age. Pimps prey on women like her.

“It's a problem that's happening right here and it's happening to people’s daughters, nieces, nephews, and grandchildren. And it's plaguing every community in the United States,” says Luis CdeBaca, U.S. ambassador-at-large to fight human trafficking. He says it's time for the U.S. to step up its crackdown on sex trafficking with more aggressive investigations and prosecutions.

Read the rest of this entry »

President Obama will announce his new military strategy for Afghanistan tonight from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

The cadets there right now enrolled during a time of war, knowing the risks. Now, the commander-in-chief could be writing their futures right in front of them. Our Deb Feyerick got reaction to the president's plan, and the war, from right outside West Point's gates in this AM original report.

Editor's Note: With President Obama’s announcement on Afghanistan set for Tuesday, American Morning’s Monday audience was greatly concerned about a “war tax” being proposed by some lawmakers.

• Ellen: ... NO ON THE WAR TAX, WE'RE BROKE ALREADY, OBAMA PROMISED NO HIGHER TAXES ON MIDDLE INCOME AND ALL THE REST OF THE DEMS DO IT RAISE TAXES ON THIS AND THAT, IT ALL AMOUNTS TO THE SAME THING-A TAX INCREASE. WE'RE BROKE. THE COUNTRY IS BROKE WAKE UP.
• Joseph: Concerning the War Tax. It is apparent that the Democratic Party will not be satisfied until such time as they tax the people of this country into complete poverty. They have no sense of what the people want because they do not listen to the people. They are in direct violation of the constitution because they do not follow the people's direction. Every representative currently holding office should be brought up on charges of Treason. They have failed completely in their oath of office to “Uphold and Defend the Constitution of the United States”.
• David: on the war tax, I believe that our country should get out of Afghanistan and Iraq. Granted, we do need to do what must be done to protect our country, but once we leave these wars, are we not still going have to do many things to protect our country here at home? So why not concentrate on what matters and quit worrying about the Wars and bring our troops home!
• Lynn: I oppose a 'War Tax' to pay for the war in Afghanistan. The US Citizens have been paying for this war since George W Bush started it (and left it) over 8 years ago...and we continue to pay in dollars and lives! I strenuously object to any more taxes for this war!
• William: RE. the war tax. We have $12 trillion in debt. We paid $384 bil. in interest on the public debt. Health will cost $2 trillion. We have 17.5% unemployed and we're talking about a war tax. What a joke.

What do you think of a “war tax” to help fund a troop surge in Afghanistan? Continue the conversation below.

The Senate begins debating its health care reform bill today. You're probably already noticing more and more commercials on TV trying to shape that debate.

A record $165 million has already been spent on health care ads, and there's a reason for that.

Remember Harry and Louise? They're actors who some say single-handedly shifted the case for health reform against the Clintons in the 1990's.

Fifteen years after Harry and Louise entered our living rooms – millions of dollars are being pumped into a whole new generation of ads lobbying us for, and against, the health care bills in Congress.

Are they effective – and who are they targeting? Evan Tracey, founder and president of the Campaign Media Analysis Group, spoke to Joe Johns on American Morning Monday.

For most children if they do catch the H1N1 flu, it won't be life-threatening. Your pediatrician will likely recommend a few days of rest with plenty of fluids.

But what if your child is in real danger and you're the only one who can see it? What should you do?

Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen reports on one family's story.

It's a problem hiding in plain sight: modern day slavery.

The State Department says up to 17,500 people are trafficked into the U.S. every year, usually women and children.

This next story puts a new face on the global crisis. 30 men who say they moved half way around the world for a shot at the American dream, but were tricked into a life of forced labor.

CNN's Sean Callebs reports for part one of our AM original series, "No Way Out? Human Trafficking."

Washington (CNN) – President Obama will announce the U.S. troop strategy for Afghanistan in a speech at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Wednesday.

President Obama will announce his U.S. troop strategy for Afghanistan on Tuesday.

In the speech, Obama will explain why the United States is in Afghanistan, its interests there and his decision-making process, Gibbs said, but "the president does not see this as an open-ended engagement.

A leading congressional Democrat, who is the chief proponent of a new tax that would fund future military operations in Afghanistan, suggested Sunday that continuing to fight the Afghan war under current conditions is “a fool’s errand” and, at the same time, said that his tax proposal would create a sense of shared sacrifice that has been missing in the last eight years.

Rep. David Obey, a Democrat from Wisconsin, is expressing serious reservations about the U.S. military effort in Afghanistan – just days before President Obama is expected to announce a substantial increase in U.S. troops in the country.

“The problem is that you can have the best policy in the world, but if you don't have the tools to implement it, it isn't worth a beanbag,” Obey said on CNN’s State of the Union, “And I don't think we have the tools in the Pakistani government and I don't think we have the tools in the Afghan government. And until we do, I think much of what we do is a fool's errand.” Read more

What do you think of the idea of a war surtax to fund military operations in Afghanistan? Sound off below.