Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Kidnapping of a Young Boy Could be Linked to Drug Traffickers; Presidential Candidates Campaigning in the Battleground States; Murder Trial in Egypt
Aired October 18, 2008 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news overnight in a case that involves drug traffickers. Millions of dollars in drug money and most importantly the kidnapping of a six-year-old boy.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Also, we're out on the campaign trail. We got 17 days to go until election time and John McCain -- he is not giving up without a fight despite what some of the polls say. He's had to go, however, to some of those traditionally red states and protect them right now. Maybe they're starting to change their color there a bit to a different shade, a light shade of blue, somebody could be saying.
But -- from the CNN center, you're in the NEWSROOM now on this Saturday, October 18th. I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: Yes, good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
Today here in at Atlanta, 7:00 a.m. in Las Vegas. We'll let you get you caught up on that story we were telling you about. Retaliation against a man may have put his grandson in harm's way.
Drug traffickers are being blamed for Wednesday's kidnapping of a 6-year-old boy named Cole Puffinburger.
HOLMES: Authorities now hope his grandfather can shed some light on the case. Clemens Tinnemeyer, that is the grandfather, he was taken in to custody for questioning late last night. Authorities believe he owes drug traffickers millions of dollars.
CNN's Kara Finnstrom covering the story for us, joins us now from Las Vegas with the very latest -- Kara?
KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're coming to you live from the Las Vegas Police Department where the hope is that grandfather might be able to provide some new information and possibly a break in this investigation.
Overnight authorities in Riverside, California arrested the grandfather, 51-year-old Clemens Tinnemeyer. Now Riverside, California is a little less than a four-hour drive away from here in Las Vegas which is where the boy, Cole Puffinburger, was kidnapped on Wednesday.
Authorities say they've been wanting to talk with Tinnemeyer because they believe that he stole millions of dollars from a Mexican national drug trafficking ring, and they say he disappeared shortly thereafter.
They believe Cole Puffinburger's kidnapping was in direct retaliation for that and they really want to talk with him because they believe he might be able to provide some information.
Now last night we also spoke with Cole's father. He says authorities have asked him not to release any specific information about the kidnapping, but he did make a plea for his son.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT PUFFINBURGER, MISSING BOY'S FATHER: Just find him for me, you know? Because I need my son back. I just want him home. I want him home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FINNSTROM: Right now, Cole is still missing. Police also looking for those kidnappers and they are asking the public to continue calling in with those tips and information.
In Las Vegas, Kara Finnstrom, for CNN.
HOLMES: All right, that's our Kara Finnstrom on the story for us. We'll check in with her as the story continues to develop.
NGUYEN: And Las Vegas police -- they are offering some details about this case that we don't typically hear.
CNN security analyst Mike Brooks joins us by phone to talk more about it.
And Mike, looking at really the news reports that we're getting from Las Vegas, the child's kidnappers were trying to send Cole's grandfather a message and what we know is that his grandfather was part of an operation that stole millions of dollars. But I'm not hearing the word alleged, yet the grandfather is in custody, but hasn't been charged. What's going on here?
MIKE BROOKS, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: That's a good question. No, we haven't heard anything about alleged. Apparently, they know that the grandfather has, in the past, been involved and apparently involved in significant drug dealing as they're calling it.
So -- and then yesterday also the Las Vegas police were saying that some other family members may also have been involved. So hopefully some of those other family members are able to give some information about who they used to deal with, how they used to deal with them, where they did the drug dealing, because apparently they're talking about large amounts of methamphetamine, very prevalent around Las Vegas.
So, you know, hopefully they're able to get some information out of this grandfather because apparently he was the one that was the main person involved in this drug dealing.
NGUYEN: Yes, we're looking at, according to report, somewhere between $8 million and $20 million. That is a whole lot of money.
Now is this drug trafficking? Is this money laundering? What information do you know about this operation?
BROOKS: It's apparently a little bit of both. Whenever you have some drug operation, you know, you do it -- to get away from the IRS you always use some kind of company for laundering the money and that's what they believe that the grandfather was involved in.
So, you know, he was laundering the money through some other fake companies. There's not too much about it right now, but apparently that's what he was involved in and that's a lot of money and as I said, Betty, you know, this is as bad as it gets because these Mexican drug cartels are extremely dangerous and very, very, very vindictive when you steal their money.
NGUYEN: When you talk about vindictive, so this kidnapping, you know, you have a six-year-old boy who's been missing since Wednesday.
Is this a case where he's being held for ransom or perhaps a case where they're just trying to get back at this family and we may not see him again?
BROOKS: You know, there's -- I hate to say it, but there's always that possibility, but now that they have the grandfather, hopefully they can get some information, but, you know, law enforcement isn't saying whether or not there have been any ransom demand and most likely in cases like this they don't.
But I can guarantee you, technology wise, everything else that the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police and the FBI, if some demands are met, will deal with it in the best way possible because they've done -- they've dealt with this before both here in the United States and overseas.
NGUYEN: Yes, but time is of the essence in any kidnapping case no matter who you're dealing with.
BROOKS: Absolutely.
NGUYEN: All right, Mike Brooks joining us by phone. Thank you for that, Mike -- T.J.?
BROOKS: Thank you, Betty.
HOLMES: All right, and of course, we are about two and a half weeks away, 17 days precisely, until the election. Still a lot of campaigning to be done. The campaigning continues in some battleground states. The race is really close.
Let's show you some endorsements here, though, some newspaper endorsements we can share with you. The "Washington Post," "Chicago Sun-Times." Chicago, of course, Barack Obama's home. Both of those papers are backing Obama.
"Los Angeles Times" backing Obama. Whoa, first time that paper has supported a candidate since '72 and the "Chicago Tribune" has never backed a Democrat before is backing Obama.
Well, today, the senator and his running mate, Joe Biden, are both in Missouri. John McCain, meanwhile, campaigning in North Carolina and Virginia and his running mate Sarah Palin in Lancaster, Pennsylvania for a rally. We'll bring you part of that live in just a bit. Expecting her possibly on the stage there in front of that crowd at the bottom of the hour.
Again, as we said, John McCain in North Carolina and Virginia, Mark Preston in Virginia, as well, in Woodbridge where that rally will take place and you'll be at that rally but a lot of people are saying McCain should not be in that state at this late hour. He shouldn't be protecting red state, but he is.
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: I tell you what, T.J., absolutely right. We're 17 days out until Election Day and John McCain will just be here a few hours here in Virginia.
This is a state that has voted for a Republican in the presidential race every year since 1964. So John McCain is coming here to really try to solidify this as a Republican state.
I will tell you, though, he has some work to do. In the latest CNN Opinion Research Corporation poll, T.J., it shows that Barack Obama has a 10-point lead.
As you said this morning he is in North Carolina, another state that he is fighting to hold on to. He is there campaigning this morning, and what this does is that this forces him to stay out of some of the other battleground states as he tries to shore up his support, T.J.
HOLMES: All right. But the campaigning now, again, we've seen things get kind of nasty at times and saw them play nice for a little while, in a couple of ways, but for the most part now, it's crunch time. And an effort now being made by the McCain campaigns, these robocalls, these automated calls, and I believe we have sound we can listen into right quick for one of them.
Let's take a roll of that. I believe we do have it. Let's take a quick listen here, Mark.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello. I'm calling for John McCain and the RNC because you need to know that Barack Obama has worked closely with domestic terrorist Bill Ayers, whose organization bombed the U.S. capital, the Pentagon, a judge's home and killed Americans.
And Democrats have an extreme leftist agenda if they take control of Washington. Barack Obama and his Democratic allies lack the judgment to lead our country.
This call was paid for by McCain-Palin 2008 and the Republican National Committee at 202-863-8500.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, Mark, things like that, certain robocalls, automated calls, sort of have been criticized but is this an effort that McCain thinks can work and is it also a sign of what that they have turned to this kind of thing?
PRESTON: Well, no question. Just in the past few days, T.J., we've heard these calls here in Virginia and other battleground states and what they're trying to do, what the McCain campaign has told me is that they're trying to call Barack Obama's judgment into question.
They want voters to have doubt in their minds when they head to the polls on Election Day. I have to say these calls are legal. There's nothing illegal about them, but right now what you're seeing is that John McCain is facing a huge disadvantage, financially, when it comes to getting his message out.
Barack Obama is spending $4.5 million a day on television ads and John McCain is only spending $1.5 million, T.J. So what we're hearing right now is the McCain campaign, again, is trying to cast doubt on -- in voters' minds about Barack Obama's judgment, they're cost effective. We'll see if they work.
HOLMES: And finally here, quickly, a lot of people are saying, at least, that really Obama at this point, all he has to do is really run out the clock. There was a report also -- this morning we were reporting that he's working with his transition team for what will happen post-election and what not. He's been accused of measuring the drapes.
So -- are there signs in his campaign that they are just trying to run out the clock or are they still being aggressive back there?
PRESTON: No, they're absolutely being aggressive. We know that Barack Obama is in Missouri today, campaigning with a couple of events. He'll head into North Carolina tomorrow where, of course, John McCain is today.
Look, they can't rest on their laurels right now. They are up in the national polls. They are winning in most of the battleground states but there are still 17 days left and let's not forget back in the summer of 2007, T.J., John McCain's campaign was left for dead and he rallied to win the Republican nomination. There's still enough time left.
HOLMES: Well, we will see if he can pull off another miracle.
Mark Preston there for us in Virginia. Mark, good to see you, we appreciate you and you all can see Suzanne Malveaux. She's in St. Louis where there will be an Obama there. You can see her and the rest of the best political team on television today 2:00 Eastern for our "BALLOT BOWL."
NGUYEN: In this election, we have heard a lot about Joe, average Joe, Joe Six Pack and, of course, Joe Biden. But now it's Joe the Plumber. Remember him? He's at the center of one of John McCain's attack lines.
And Josh Levs is here with the CNN truth squad looking at this. So what have we learned from Joe the Plumber? I've heard that name so many times over the past few days.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Can you believe it? It's ridiculous. I know. It's doesn't take too long for everybody in America to say something.
Hey, Betty, I got something for you. You're going to like this. You know how you and T.J. are always telling me you want to get to the verdict? Know the verdict?
NGUYEN: Yes, we want it. It's either true or false. Don't give me true, incomplete, misleading, blah blah blah. Give me an answer.
LEVS: OK. You want the answer and you want it at the top, so here's what we're going to do.
NGUYEN: Yes.
LEVS: We have this new cool system here. You'll be able to see the CNN truth squad whilst we watch the sound bite. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I've been working all my life, 10, 12 hours I want to buy the business that I'm in, but you're going to raise my taxes and you know what Senator Obama had to say to Joe? He wanted to spread his wealth around. He wanted to spread his wealth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: Well, there you go. That is misleading. See, there you. There's your answer right there. That's the status on the CNN truth squad. That is fact, when he quotes the conversation with that Joe the Plumber that way it's misleading.
Now here's why. Let me tell you a little bit about what we've got here. Senator Obama first met him when he was campaigning in the Toledo, Ohio. He met this guy Samuel Joel Wurzelbacher who works for a plumbing company. And Joe asked Obama about his tax plan.
Now, there was one point during this five-minute conversation when Obama said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Right now, everybody is so pinched that business is bad for everybody. And I think when you spread the wealth around it's good for everybody. But, listen, I respect what you do, and I respect your question.
(END VIDEO CLIP) LEVS: And so, almost, you can even miss it. He was talking for about five minutes and at one point he did say that. And when you look at the full context of what he said, McCain's line is misleading.
Here's the full verdict in the CNN truth squad. I made it big type so you can check it out here. The verdict: misleading. McCain's remark was an oversimplification of a five-minute conversation. Obama replied in great detail about his tax plan and the spread-the-wealth remark was just one small part of the conversation.
So there you go, Betty. You can see why we gave you that verdict.
NGUYEN: Yes, I like seeing the verdict as we're watching it play out. It gives us a better idea of what to look for and what are the key words to whether or not it's true or false, may be even misleading as we found out here.
LEVS: Yes. We're going to do the same thing in just a few minutes. We're going to take a look at Obama's attack on McCain over the cost of a college education.
NGUYEN: OK. Thank you, Josh.
LEVS: Thanks, Betty.
NGUYEN: And coming up, we'll look at Obama's attack, as he mentioned, over the cost of a college education. We'll get into that. Maybe we'll have an answer, T.J., either true or false, not this in- between fuzzy gray area.
HOLMES: I'm almost done with the truth squad. Almost done. No, they're doing some good work and keeping the politicians on their toes right now.
We're talking a lot about the economy. Rich folks out there, nothing wrong with that. Be rich.
NGUYEN: No.
HOLMES: But what are the rich doing these days? Are they spending or they're saving during this crisis?
NGUYEN: We'll take you to see a bunch of millionaires and how they're living life.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Holiday sale signs going up already even though, as you mentioned, it's not even Halloween.
NGUYEN: I saw Christmas trees in stores already.
HOLMES: Really?
NGUYEN: It's crazy. HOLMES: All right. Well, little doubt retailers are going to be facing a pretty tough time this holiday season.
NGUYEN: But as CNN senior correspondent Allan Chernoff reports, just about everyone is going to feel the economy's pinch.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Moving merchandise at bargain prices through an auction at a Manhattan children's boutique.
NATALIE MAYER, NATALIE & FRIENDS: You need to do this to clean out, to go forward.
CHERNOFF: Big department stores will soon be offering bargains of their own to holiday shoppers, relying not on auctioneers, but on pressuring their suppliers.
RICHARD S'DAO, SILLI PHILLIE CREATIONS: It's a very scary time.
CHERNOFF: Richard S'Dao has manufactured baby clothing and gifts through several recessions so he knows retailers in the next two months will be playing holiday hard ball.
S'DAO: It's going to be tougher to deal with them, to get re- orders, to get paid.
CHERNOFF: Retailers were expecting a tough holiday season when they placed orders back in July. Now that the stock market has tanked and credit is hyped, stores may chance some orders and even after delivering, suppliers are at risk.
(On camera): When big department stores can't sell all of the merchandise they've ordered, suppliers say sometimes the retailer will turn around to them and say take it back.
WILLIAM SUSMAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO, FINANCO: Suppliers are going get squeezed. We're in touch with one major department store retailer who sent out a message to all their vendors saying we need 10 percent back.
CHERNOFF: It happened to Richard S'Dao during the last recession.
S'DAO: We may have a $100,000 order, but may only get paid $70,000 so it may not even cover your costs.
CHERNOFF: Richard responded by moving the bulk of his business online. He now sells directly to consumers at Babygiftcreations.com and supplies other Web sites.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: $36 a pieces, we have $3...
CHERNOFF: For retailers both small and large, surviving this holiday season will be a matter of offering value to shoppers. The only unknown, how deep will they have to discount and how much pain will they and their suppliers endure?
Allan Chernoff, CNN, Brooklyn, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. I came up in Arkansas. You grew up in Texas.
NGUYEN: Right.
HOLMES: So we know fairs, state fairs and things like that.
NGUYEN: Yes, and they do it big there, but not like this.
HOLMES: This is different. This is a fair for millionaires.
NGUYEN: Never been to one of those.
HOLMES: Never seen them before.
This is in Germany, actually, and the rich shoppers can pick up everything from, of course, fast cars to jewelry to private helicopters, I think there's an escort service...
NGUYEN: Maybe even an -- oh, goodness.
HOLMES: No, I'm kidding.
NGUYEN: I was going say a G-5, but you went there. OK. So this fair is going on right now despite...
HOLMES: Wow.
NGUYEN: ... the global financial crisis. Boy, that's a nice ride.
Organizers say attendance was slow yesterday, you think? But still, though, they expect about 20,000 people who will visit this weekend.
Folks, if you're looking for a loan, forget going to the bank, head over to the millionaire fair.
HOLMES: Good point.
NGUYEN: You'll have a better chance at it.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's not a fair. You don't see corn dogs. You don't see the pig competition.
HOLMES: Good point.
WOLF: See anything like that is not real fair.
HOLMES: Fried Twinkies, we have...
NGUYEN: No one around. Look at that.
WOLF: That's a sad thing to see.
NGUYEN: Oh yes, sad when you only have about 20 millionaires at the fair.
HOLMES: Yes.
WOLF: Well, it is. Do you know that in 2005 "Marketwatch" magazine said that 8.9 percent of Americans are millionaires, which translates to about 2.6 million people.
NGUYEN: Really?
WOLF: And you know, I'm not one of them.
NGUYEN: Me neither.
WOLF: No.
HOLMES: That was impressive with the numbers. Where -- what in the world?
NGUYEN: He just made that up.
WOLF: You know we, weather guys tend to play with numbers quite a bit so it's easy just to -- to bring it out.
HOLMES: Wow.
NGUYEN: Yes, very impressive.
WOLF: Hey, you want to see some other numbers? Take a look at these numbers in the northeast.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: All right, that was a million dollar forecast, right?
WOLF: That's what I'm talking about.
NGUYEN: Yes.
WOLF: There you go.
NGUYEN: I won't see you at the fair because you probably won't see us either.
WOLF: No way.
NGUYEN: Thanks, Reynolds.
All right, here is a story for you. It's got everything and, unfortunately, it's true. Sex, celebrity, power and murder.
HOLMES: Yes. An Egyptian billionaire. This is a fascinating story. He's going on trial. Again, a billionaire here, for the gruesome killing of a pop star, but more may be on trial than just this one man's innocence.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Welcome back, everybody. All right. To the story that we were talking about earlier. It has a little bit of everything.
HOLMES: Yes, it had -- this is a strange story, a fascinating story here. It's a murder trial for one of the richest men -- most powerful men in Egypt. He's literally a billionaire. His trial is just now getting under way.
NGUYEN: And want you to take a look at Alphonso Van Marsh. He really followed the details of this because it's truly a murder mystery.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALPHONSO VAN MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Egyptian parliamentary Hesham Talaat Moustafa political and business connections run deep. But his alleged connection to the murder of Lebanese pop star, Susan Tamim, may cost him his life.
FARID EL-DIB, MOUSTAFA'S DEFENSE LAWYER (Through translator): My client isn't at all interested in knowing who the killer is but he is very much interested in denying the charges against him.
MARSH: Moustafa is charged with paying an alleged hitman, a former police officer, $2 million to kill Tamim. The alleged hit man denies the charges. Prosecutors say the murder was, quote, "means of taking revenge."
Moustafa's lawyer says his client loathed the sexy singer, but could not take Tamim as a second wife because his family objected. Moustafa is already a married father of three, though, having multiple wives isn't rare in Egypt.
Hesham Talaat Moustafa sat in Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak's political inner circle. He is also one of Egypt's richest real estate moguls, but despite his wealth and connections, analysts believe Tamim's murder investigation left Egyptian authorities little choice but to strip Moustafa of his parliamentary immunity, indict and jail him pending trial.
Authorities say Tamim was stabbed and nearly decapitated in this Dubai apartment block in July. As rumors of evidence linking Moustafa to the crime spread he used his influence to plea his case on state- run TV.
But there's a further twist. The man who says he's Tamim's widower fears Moustafa's influence could still taint court proceedings.
RIYADH ALAZZAWI, SAYS HE WAS TAMIM'S HUSBAND: For his part, by (INAUDIBLE) for his connections in Egypt, I'm worried about trial. I would prefer if the trial move to the UAE. I think it would be much better.
MARSH: Riyadh Alazzawi is a world class kickboxer. He says he married Tamim after he says she refused to marry Moustafa and soon after that, Alazzawi says, came the death threats that were investigated by British police.
So the singer and her athlete planned for a new life in the UAE. Tamim went to Dubai first. The powerful kickboxer says he regrets not being there to help Tamim fight off her killer.
ALAZZAWI: I (speaking in foreign language). Every time I saw her on the morning, in the news saying that she'd been murdered.
MARSH: Alazzawi says he hopes there will be justice for his wife's murder in what's sure to be a legal drama and test of Egypt's resolve to ensure that no one if found guilty is above the law.
Alphonso Van Marsh, CNN, Cairo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. We have another case here we're following now. A case of a missing child out in Las Vegas. His abduction linked to his grandfather's suspected dealing with drug traffickers.
NGUYEN: Yes, we're going to take you to the twists and turns of this real-life -- well, mystery at this point. The other story with that murder mystery, we'll continue to follow that for you as well. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Welcome back everybody, you are in the CNN NEWSROOM on this Saturday. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: Hello to you all, I'm T.J. Holmes.
Some of the top stories this morning, we know now 17 days, you just have two and a half weeks to make up your mind if you have yet to do so. The candidates still campaigning out there hard for you undecided voters. Barack Obama in Missouri with his running mate Joe Biden and John McCain meanwhile campaigning in North Carolina as well as Virginia.
NGUYEN: And his running mate Sarah Palin is hosting a rally in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. We're waiting for that to start any minute now and we'll bring it to you live when it does.
HOLMES: Meanwhile, we've had a pretty major break in a story we've been watching for the past several days. A nationwide search for a kidnapped six year old boy. They have now found the child's grandfather who is the man that they wanted to talk to who could possibly shed some light on this case.
CNN's Don Lemon now with some background on the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Six-year-old Cole Puffinburger is the focus of a nationwide search. The victim, according to police, of a kidnapping related to high-level illegal drug trafficking by members of the boy's family. Cole was taken from his mother's home in Las Vegas, Nevada, early Wednesday by three men. At least two of them dressed as police officers.
Authorities say the men tied up Cole's mother and her fiance, demanded money, ransacked the home and then snatched Cole for an undisclosed ransom. Police said the men spoke with heavy Hispanic accents and were believed to be Mexican nationals.
CAPTAIN VINCENT CANNITO, LAS VEGAS POLICE: Don't minimize any of this. You have a very dangerous group of people dealing in narcotics, they have forced their way into the home under the ruse of being law enforcement. They've kidnapped a six-year-old boy, took him out of his home. His whereabouts are unknown. These are extremely dangerous people.
LEMON: A nationwide amber alert is in effect. Local police are working around the clock with the FBI, border patrol and the DEA on the investigation. Cole's family and friends are also searching, hoping for his safe return.
AMBER MOORE, COLE'S AUNT: It's just really hard to have one of our babies out there with strangers because he's a very, very good boy. He's very shy. I just hope he's OK.
LEMON: Don Lemon, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: We continue to follow that story.
I want to tell you this on the agenda for President Bush today, of course the economy. He is at Camp David to meet with the French president and the leader of the European commission and CNN's Kathleen Koch is at the White House, she joins us now live. Kathleen, can we expect anything of significance to come out of this meeting, any policy?
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not really, Betty. The White House has been deliberately down playing expectations for this meeting. Basically, when it was announced a couple of days ago they said that because French President Nicholas Sarkozy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso were in Canada and basically in the neighborhood, the president wanted to invite them to come by the presidential retreat at Camp David for a casual sort of a working dinner.
White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said do not expect any major policy announcements out of it, and she also said to not expect the announcement of any kind of a date for this world leader summit on the global financial crisis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA PERINO, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I think a date for a meeting is a little bit less important than figuring out what recommendations people want to come to the table with. We have issues to deal with regarding disclosure for banks, accounting rules, the credit rating agencies, capital standards, asset valuations, supervision. All of these issues are included in what the financial services forum has been trying to work through for the past several months.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, national security adviser Stephen Hadley are among some of those who will also be joining in the talks at Camp David this afternoon.
While many world leaders, including Sarkozy, are very interested in seeing major reform in the world's financial system, right now, the president while he's committed to taking action, he said this himself to prevent such a crisis from ever happening again, Perino is telling us certainly do not expect any announcements along those lines this afternoon even if Sarkozy does bring it up at the meeting -- Betty?
NGUYEN: Sarkozy, I like the way you say that. OK, thank you.
Very well done. Thank you, impressive -- T.J.?
HOLMES: I'm trying to think real hard about any of my French from high school and I can't come up with any right now.
We'll turn to Iraq now, thousands marching in Baghdad to protest the U.S. Iraqi security agreement that is still in its early stages. The draft agreement calls for U.S. forces to be out of Iraqi cities by next June and out of the country by the end of 2011 unless Iraq asks them to stay. Protesters want an end to what they call the occupation of their land. The demonstration was organized by cleric Muqtada al Sadr and for the most part it was a peaceful rally.
NGUYEN: Well, it is a video game the army is using to attract recruits, but some critics say it doesn't reflect the real story about war and sorrow.
CNN's Susan Roesgen takes a look at this controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stay alert, communicate, bring everybody back safe. Good luck.
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's called the virtual army experience. Simulated combat based on actual army missions, a chance for ordinary civilians to blast away at the bad guys on a big screen.
MAJ. GEN. TOM BOSTICK, CMDR., U.S. ARMY RECRUITMENT: Very few Americans understand the army. They know the army is there, but they don't understand how well trained our soldiers are, how well equipped they are. So we want to have the opportunity to make the awareness of the army greater.
ROESGEN: To do that, the army is taking this highly-elaborate show to county fairs and state festivals across the country. And everywhere the show goes army recruiters collect detailed, personal information including phone numbers and addresses from everyone who goes in even children as young as 13. That infuriates critics like the group Veterans for Peace.
RAY PARRISH, VETERANS FOR PEACE: We are training our children to become killers. This is generation kill.
ROESGEN: Critics also say when the show's over too much is left out.
(on camera): The question is how realistic is this? Critics say what you won't see in the simulation is the reality of combat casualties.
(voice-over): In computerized combat, good guys don't have to get killed or wounded, but the army's head of recruitment General Tom Bostick says if Americans knew more about the army, more might sign up.
BOSTICK: Certainly, we have recruiters here and if there are young men and women that are interested in joining the army, certainly we want to engage with them and talk about the opportunities to serve.
ROESGEN: And the message is hitting the mark.
DAVID PETRUZZI, 13-YEAR-OLD PLAYER: There's not that many people who work in the armed forces, so they're really understaffed.
ROESGEN: 13-year-old David Petruzzi just came to play the game, but if he's hooked, some day the army could order him to pull the trigger for real.
Susan Roesgen, CNN, Indianapolis.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Millions of Americans are out of a job and some states are running out of cash.
HOLMES: If you lose your job will there be money for your unemployment benefits? Will they be there?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Another casualty of this economy, another massive retail chain getting ready to close its doors.
NGUYEN: The latest victim of the economy, Mervyn's department stores. Mervyn's has stores in seven states and is closing every one of them. The 59-year-old company filed for bankruptcy in July. Earlier in the week, though, Linens 'n Things announced it was closing all of its stores.
HOLMES: The former CEO of Lehman Brothers, well, he's got some more testifying to do. He's now been hit with three subpoenas. Richard Fuld, you see him there, he testified on Capitol Hill earlier this month about the investment bank's record bankruptcy. Well a source with knowledge of that bankruptcy filing tells CNN that Fuld is now among several people being subpoenaed. Grand juries in Manhattan, Brooklyn and New Jersey now investigating that massive bankruptcy.
NGUYEN: Speaking of massive, millions of Americans out of work and for many their only state safety net is the government check for unemployment benefits. But the nation's struggling economy has put many states at risk of running out of money.
CNN's Lisa Sylvester explains what it means to you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Out of work and out of luck, workers have been crushed by job layoffs. In Ohio, the unemployment rate is 7.4 percent. In the last year, the number of people seeking unemployment checks from the state has surged 63 percent. Helen Jones Kelly, director of the state's job and family services says the state is paying out $34 million a week for unemployment benefits.
HELEN JONES-KELLEY, OHIO DEPT. OF JOB AND FAMILY SVCS.: This is really critical for people who are transitioning from jobs, who are finding themselves through no fault of their own downsized or outsized and needing to call upon the government to assist them.
SYLVESTER: Ohio's unemployment picture is key. It is a battleground state in the presidential election, struggling to keep up with massive layoffs. Ohio, Missouri, Michigan and New York could see their unemployment benefit funds tapped out by the end of this year. Six other states have less than six-months reserves according to analysis by the national employment law project. The impacted states fall across the political spectrum, those that lean republican and democratic. States that run out of money will likely have to turn to the federal government.
ANDREW STETTNER, NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT LAW PROJECT: It means they're going to have to borrow from the federal government so they're going to have to repay that debt and potentially pay interest or the employers in their state may face federal tax penalties.
SYLVESTER: One option that is not on the table, cutting off benefits to workers. States will continue to make sure workers receive their unemployment compensation.
(On camera): Ohio is a state that will likely have to borrow from the federal government. State officials anticipate the interest alone could be $300 million. State officials would prefer congress provide an infusion of money as an alternative to a loan. Lisa Sylvester, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, could you do it? Sell history in order to secure your own future? A really tough decision for the lone survivor of the titanic.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: OK, so we know this love may be out in the presidential campaign, but that doesn't mean the candidates can't still have a little fun poking fun in fact at each other.
HOLMES: Yes, Obama and McCain keynote speakers at the Al Smith Charity Dinner Thursday night gave them a chance to instead of throwing political attacks at each other, to trade a few punchlines. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCAIN: This campaign needed the common touch of a working man. After all, it began so long ago with the heralded arrival of a man known to Oprah Winfrey as "the one." Being a friend and colleague of Barack, I just called him "that one."
OBAMA: John McCain is on to something. There was a point in my life when I started palling around with a pretty ugly crowd, I've got to be honest. These guys were serious deadbeats. They were low lives and they were unrepentant, no-good punks. That's right. I've been a member of the United States Senate. Come to think of it, John, I swear I saw you at one of our meetings.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Seventh time here actually that both the presidential candidates have served as keynote speakers at this particular event. The first time was in 1960, Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy. This goes back a tradition there. So good to see.
NGUYEN: It's good stuff. It's nice to see that side of them.
HOLMES: That was just one night.
NGUYEN: Without just sticking to those, yeah.
HOLMES: Just one night.
NGUYEN: OK, of course as you mentioned, by the next day they were back at it once again.
HOLMES: Attacking each other and that gave the CNN truth squad more to look at. Josh Levs joins us now with Obama's attack over college affordability.
NGUYEN: We're back to those talking points now. LEVS: Back to them. You know what T.J., you couldn't be with us a few minutes ago when I showed you the new system.
HOLMES: Yeah, I asked to step out of it. I asked to not be a part of it.
LEVS: You so did not, I was there. But you guys get the verdict as we're seeing the sound bite. Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Senator McCain's top economic adviser said the other day they have no plans to invest in college affordability because we can't have a giveaway to every special interest.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: You can see it on your screen there. CNN truth squad status is true, but incomplete. Now, I will tell you how we arrived at that. There's a story from the associated press. I'm going to show you the headline over here, it had the headline, Campaigns Differ on how to help with college costs.
And there's a key quote from this that I pulled up, so you can see an example here. They said, this is McCain's spokesman Douglas Holtz-Eakin who is his economic policy adviser. We don't have any new college proposals in terms of massive expansions of funding. There is a budgetary reality. We have enormous spending pressures already, it would be irresponsible to go to every interest group and promise them lots of money.
But if we're going to look at this question of does McCain have any plans at all that could affect college costs, let's take a quick look at his Web site. He does talk about his plans for higher education policy. He calls overall for lowering the tax burden on families that he says could then help them send their children to college because he says more money would be freed up.
The CNN truth squad verdict, I have it for you right here. That's how we get to truth it incomplete. If you want more details, here it is. While McCain has no plan directly addressing college costs, his campaign maintains his tax plans and improving student loan programs will make it easier to pay for college. There you go. You didn't have to wait until the end for the verdict, but you are all still able to see how we arrived at that. You guys like that?
NGUYEN: I like it because we actually got a true or false in this case, true.
LEVS: Yeah, you guys do like when true or false ends up, and very often --
NGUYEN: It seems like they're a little bit easier when you're trying to decide.
LEVS: OK. HOLMES: All right, thanks Josh.
LEVS: Thanks guys.
NGUYEN: Well, they are just too young to vote, but who cares?
HOLMES: Meet some passionate preschoolers. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YORK MEGGISON, 4 YEARS OLD: I said that John McCain was the best, but -- but tests said that Barack is, but that's actually wrong.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What kind of yogurt is that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think on Wall Street.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What does that mean?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Barack Obama.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Actually, you are wrong! I was right!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because Wall Street made a mess.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: OK. They're just about as hard to understand as some of the stuff I'm hearing on the campaign trail any way.
This is York Meggison, that's the young man, he's four-years-old and sisters Tess we've been seeing. Very opinionated I guess.
NGUYEN: Two-years-old. But not too young to get into it about politics, apparently. Mom says they're not big political junkies, well of course. I mean they're so young, but they hear it and as all kids do, they pick it up.
HOLMES: They start talking, they start saying exactly what they hear.
NGUYEN: Throwing fingers and starting to yell, just like the adults do, right?
HOLMES: That's a good point there that we are setting a bad example a lot of times. Those kids don't know, they just see adults behaving a certain way on the campaign trail and getting into it so they think that's OK. That's a pretty scary point we just made.
NGUYEN: So, we need some stability.
HOLMES: We do, set a better example for the children.
NGUYEN: There is a first time for everyone. This is such a great story. Check them out right there. 86-year-old twins Stella and Marcela John, they plan to vote for the first time next month. A neighbor, in fact, encouraged them to register.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCELLA JOHN, FIRST-TIME VOTER: I told Craig, OK. I'll do anything now at 86.
STELLA JOHN, FIRST-TIME VOTER: We -- Barack Obama is young, John McCain, he's nice and all, but he's 72-years-old.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: You know, I just don't get it. They're 86-years-old voting for the first time, but playing the age card with McCain. What? So the sisters said that they were motivated to vote because of the economy. Apparently, we know who they're voting for.
HOLMES: It doesn't say, but it's not good if an 86-year-old is calling you old.
NGUYEN: I don't think we'll see that in any of the campaign ads, well at least not on McCain's part.
HOLMES: All right.
If you're planning on a business trip or maybe just a quick getaway any time soon, we have a little advice here for you. Richelle Carey tells us how to save a little money on the go.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHELLE CAREY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Getting away can be a much-needed break, but right now it is all about the money. There are ways to stretch your travel dollars at home and abroad.
STEPHANIE OSWALD, TRAVELGIRL MAGAZINE: One of my biggest pet peeves is spending a fortune to have internet connections in a hotel room. You're going to save money by walking a few blocks away to a local internet cafe. You're get a slice of life that maybe you wouldn't have seen.
CAREY: From staying connected to what's on your plate, saving money can also be about timing.
OSWALD: Spend your money on a bigger lunch. A lot of times the dinner menu is going to be the same as lunch money, and you're still getting the same quality of foods but you're spending less money.
CAREY: If you need cash while vacationing overseas, use an ATM to get the best conversion rate and when using your credit card, watch out for those hidden fees.
OSWALD: What you have to be careful for now are special foreign currency fees that banks and credit card companies are charging. Sometimes they will wave the fee. If you make a simple phone call you will save yourself a lot of money.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: John McCain hosting a rally in Concord, North Carolina this morning. We'll bring you part of it live. You see his wife there introducing him. Then at noon, the latest on -- I forget it's breaking news to me today.
NGUYEN: I can't believe you didn't know. Heard earlier this week, Madonna getting a divorce. What does it mean for the kid and is there a pre-nup. Our legal guys take a look.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Stories about the Titanic have lived on for, what, 96 years now and yet all of those who survived, there's only one person left.
HOLMES: That's something. Her family heirlooms are being auctioned today to help pay for her nursing home care. Nina Naamar (ph) brings us this story from London.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NINA NAAMAR, ITV CORRESPONDENT: Millvina Dean to be feeling sad right now. About to sell off parts of her history, but having survived the Titanic has left her philosophical.
MILLVINA DEAN, TITANIC SURVIVOR: I'm really an optimist. I don't have a look on the -- but I occasionally look on the dark side, but not very often. I mean if I have to do it, I have to do it, so that's it.
NAAMAR: Millvina was only nine-weeks-old when the family left England in 1912 as third-class passengers on the Titanic heading for a new life in America. Her father felt the ship's collision with the iceberg and ordered his wife to dress Millvina and her older brother and go up to the deck. They were placed in a lifeboat but Millvina's father died when the Titanic sank along with more than 1,500 others.
The survivors were supported by the Titanic Relief Fund and 96 years letter, Millvina is selling the letters her mother received outlining their weekly payout of 1 pound, 7 shillings and sixpence.
(On camera): By far the most poignant of Millvina's possessions being auctioned off is this wicker suitcase. It was given to Millvina's mother when the family arrived in America in 1912 after their rescue. They lost everything when the Titanic sunk and people in New York filled this case with clothing for the destitute family.
ANDREW ALDRIDGE, HENRY ALDRIDGE AND SON: Millvina is the last Titanic survivor. So, she's the only person that was actually on the Titanic. So because of that, there is a massive premium on it.
NAAMAR: There has already been plenty of interest including from the Belfast Charity which wants to display the memorabilia on a site near where the Titanic was built. Millvina is hoping for at least 3,000 pounds to pay for her private nursing care. Now, she must stay in her home.
DEAN: There is a saying, can't be cured, must be enjoyed. So, I'm the enjoying kind. So I'm being very enjoyed.
NAAMAR: She's certainly that. Nina Naamar, ITV News in Hampshire.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
