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Devil's In the Details for Credit Card Holders; Silver Dome for Sale; Biden Challenges McChrystal's Afganistan Assessment for More Troops; Capone's Wisconsin Hideout Sells for $2.6 Million; Teens Face Child Porno Charges For Allegedly Texting Nude Photos
Aired October 08, 2009 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: All right, let's talk more about America's troops and the dangers they face away from the battlefield. I'm joined on the phone by retired Lt. Gen. Russel Honore. General, it's so hard to understand how we continue to not take care of our own. They're dying on the battlefield. Now if you look at this testimony and all if all of this is proven true, we're killing them for no reason on our own.
LT. GEN. RUSSEL HONORE, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Yes. You know, Kyra, that's a sad story and your heart goes out for the troops and their families. But this is an old story replaying itself because the rules and the regulations that Congress has given the VA in the services to deal with them.
PHILLIPS: So how do you deal with it? You are telling me it's just a matter of more money? Because people should be -- should have spoken out about this a long time ago if, indeed, that there are - I mean we're talking about troops overseas being electrocuted. We're talking about run down barracks. We're talking about toxic water. I mean it's not like nobody has spoken out about these things in the past. What's it going to take to get these things fixed before you see a disaster like we're seeing now?
HONORE: You know, Kyra, it's a replay. You know, Vietnam we had agent orange. You heard about the contamination from the burn pits in Iraq. Each one of them have followed a repetitive story. They're the result of unintended consequences. We try to fix one problem, you create a medical problem. Each time it's taken to Congress to take action, decisive action, that right in the end that gives the VA the authority to take care of those soldiers and Marines. That is a problem they're faced with in America.
PHILLIPS: So are things getting caught up in bureaucracy?
HONORE: Well, it involves a lot of people and it requires the compensation and the money to be created by Congress to add these types of illnesses to the budget. That's what it takes. And they have to be recognized by the VA, and by the services, and that takes time. It takes medical documentation. And your heart goes out to those who suffer as a result of that. And, again, the big story can you go back and look at it is agent orange. It took years before the Congress did what it was supposed to do and pass the legislation so those soldiers could be taken care of. And many of them today still suffer from the results of agent orange. What's going on with the Marines, I can tell you, nobody loves the Marines more than their officers and the Marine Corps, itself. That's got to be resolved. And I'm sure the Marine Corps is going to stand up and do the right thing. But this goes out to science, money, and compensation.
PHILLIPS: Well, that's all got to happen. Hopefully it won't continue to repeat history because it's killing our men and women. General Russel Honore, always good to talk you to. Appreciate it.
HONORE: Good day.
PHILLIPS: Another story we can't let go, several teens in Pennsylvania facing child porn charges because they allegedly texted nude pictures to each other, child porn charges. There is a similar case now in Wisconsin. They easily could be your kids. Don't believe me? Well, a recent survey found one in five teens post or text nude pictures of themselves. Lots to push forward, here.
Do the charges fit the crime? Heck, is this a crime at all? These are teens being teens but their hormones are now in bed with wireless gadgets. This is virgin territory for police, prosecutors, educators and lawmakers and parents. Seems like everyone could use a little sex education. Police in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, want state law makers to figure out how to apply the law here. The law as is will make these teens regret hitting send for a long time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF DAVID ARNOLD, CHAMBERSBURG, PA.: Unfortunately, as the law exists right now, a student could be charged with a felony and have a lot of repercussions for them in the future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And I asked the assistant school superintendent about the charges. This is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS (On camera): Do you support child porn charges against these kids?
ERIC MICHAEL, CHAMBERSBURG AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT: Based on the evidence we have so far, not in this instance. We need to realize that one reckless act could potentially follow them in their future and affect them if a very negative way. That is certainly not our intent. We feel the education component is far more important to make sure the students understand the full implications of what they've done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: So, basically, the problem here is that justice doesn't move nearly as fast as technology. So let's talk to Parry Aftab, she's a lawyer who specializes in Internet and privacy issues. You know, Parry, what's the answer?
PARRY AFTAB, ATTORNEY: Well, we need to understand that there are two pieces of sexting. Number one, if the kids are underage, they can be charged with production, distribution or possession of child pornography and they are around the country. They are, they've become registered sex offenders. So, we are trying to change those laws.
The second piece is once that image moves, boys generally tend to look at it because it's a naked image, but girls move it to cyber bully each other. We're holding an event in Washington, on the Hill, on Tuesday to address this issue.
PHILLIPS: Is that the Ohio bill that you're going to be testifying about?
AFTAB: Well, Ohio, we actually helped put in place. This is where Build A Bear and Google and Microsoft and Disney and Facebook are all joining me at a major event Tuesday to try to help spread the word. In fact, Cynthia Logan, the mom of Jesse Logan, the girl who took her own life after her sexting image was made public will be there to open summit.
PHILLIPS: OK. So, from what I understand, right now there really is no law that fits the crime. The only thing that is out there are porn charges. And if you -- if you charge a child with porn charges, I mean, you're basically going to ruin their life, right?
AFTAB: And it's not just porn charges, Kyra. It is child porn, which is you're now going to have them have to register with all those people who molest young children. We need to recognize that because of the laws with statutory rape written the way they are, kids can have sex with each other. They just can't take a picture and share it with each other.
PHILLIPS: OK, so how would you advise the DA right now, in Pennsylvania, that's dealing with almost 30 kids in this high school who have been sending naked pictures around? And because law enforcement is talking about charging them with child porn.
AFTAB: Well, they don't really have an option. It's either too hot or too cold. They either ignore it entirely or charge them under the only law that exists. What I would recommend is some discretion. I'm happy to actually drive out there and talk to the people in the community. And maybe we can get the kids to be involved in the charity that I run, Wired Safety, teaching each other about not being stupid and taking these pictures. And if we can make it community service rather than crime and a tag that will follow you forever, as a registered sex offender, that's the way to go.
But we also are going to have to give them the laws that give them that discretion, because right now they don't have them.
PHILLIPS: You know, you say something very interesting about these kids doing something that's stupid. I mean at that age, 13, 14, 15, 16, I mean I would never even imagine sending a nude picture of myself, you know, to somebody in school. I mean I think -- what's wrong with our kids? I mean at such a young age, why are they even thinking about doing this?
AFTAB: I think they fall into different groups. We're seeing it as young as 10. Where these kids are trying to look older and they're taking pictures and sending them to senior boys. They are all armed with cell phones 24/7 and a photo capability. And when they're bored or somebody had too many beers, or at a slumber party and nothing else better to do, they will take an image and send it off. Once you click send, you've lost control.
So what we need to do is think about what we're putting into our kids' hands. Teach them that there are very serious ramifications here of taking these images, letting them know that even if they love him, when they break up that image may move, when he doesn't love you back.
And we need to also recognize that 10 percent of the teen boys we have polled have sent a naked picture to somebody and generally unsolicited. Like, hey guys, look at this. So we need to recognize that they think it's funny. They may be in love and think it's part of intimacy. They don't realize what's going to happen next.
PHILLIPS: You bring up a good point. It's not just changing the laws. But parents have got to step up and so do those school officials that -- and do some type of Internet safety training and educate our kids. I mean we're operating in a totally different world now.
Parry Aftab, always good to talk to you. Appreciate it.
AFTAB: Thanks, Kyra. And if they can follow us at Wired Moms, they'll get information about the summit on Tuesday on Twitter.
PHILLIPS: Wired Moms, that's on Twitter?
AFTAB: It's on Twitter.
PHILLIPS: Wired Moms, there you go, folks. All moms out there - and dads. Follow Parry Aftab. Thanks, Parry.
AFTAB: Thank you very much.
PHILLIPS: If your kids have cell phones, I know you've got something to say about this. Tweet me with your two cents at Kyra.cnn. I'll read some of your responses later in the newscast.
Now to Afghanistan: After eight years of war, still a country on brink. The Taliban proved today it can still strike at the heart of the Afghan capital and do it brazenly. Seventeen people were killed when a suicide bomber blew up an SUV just outside the Indian Embassy. The embassy was damaged but a worker says no Indians were killed. The Taliban says the bomber was an Afghan.
Could the key to Afghanistan's future lie outside of its borders? As President Obama hashes out a strategy for year nine of the war and beyond, one word, one name looms above the rest, Pakistan. But the U.S.-Pakistan alliance is clouded by suspicion, as CNN's Jill Dougherty explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The mountainous and porous border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, where terrorists find sanctuary.
Stark symbol of why President Barack Obama believes the U.S. cannot win in Afghanistan without commitment from Pakistan.
ROBERT GATES, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Particularly the Afghan- Pakistan border is -- is the modern epicenter of jihad.
DOUGHERTY: But in Pakistan, there's doubt the U.S. is committed to the long haul.
SHAH MEHMOOD QURESHI, PAKISTANI FOREIGN MINISTER: The people of the region have to be reassured that United States has a long-term vision. Not just for Pakistan and Afghanistan, but the entire region. And when I say that, we have to keep in mind history.
DOUGHERTY: Nearly 30 years ago the U.S. partnered with Pakistan supplying mujahedin fighters with weapons and training to defeat the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.
HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Once that was accomplished, we left. And Pakistan feels like we left them holding the bag because all of a sudden they were a wash in weapons. They were awash in drugs. They had all of these, you know, jihadists who had been trained up in conjunction with us.
DOUGHERTY: Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates insist the U.S. won't repeat the mistakes of the past.
GATES: There should be no uncertainty in terms of our determination to remain in Afghanistan and to continue to build a relationship, a partnership and trust with the Pakistanis. That's long term. That's a strategic objective of the United States.
DOUGHERTY: But the U.S. has its own lingering doubts. Whether Pakistan is a reliable partner; whether it's military intelligence is linked to terrorist organizations; whether its obsession with threats from India diverts it from fighting terrorism.
The Obama administration is tripling economic and social aid to Pakistan, $1.5 billion a year for the next five years. But only on a condition that its president, Asif Ali Zardari, pursues terrorists in his own country.
(On camera): And in the spiral of doubt and reassurances Pakistan says by making demands like that, the U.S. is interfering in its internal affairs. Jill Dougherty, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE) PHILLIPS: $829 billion over 10 years, can you wrap your head around that number? Congress is trying to. That's the estimated price tag of the so-called Baucus Health Care Bill. A plan the Senate Finance Committee plans to vote on Tuesday. You could say the plan is a relative bargain. It's $70 billion less than expected. And the CBO says it would trim the federal deficit by 80 billion bucks.
But the CBO also found the plan would still leave about 25 million Americans or 6 percent uninsured. Republicans are skeptical. Democrats say it's time to push forward.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: For those who still want to pick fights against us, even though we're only interested in fighting for hardworking American families. There are those who consider this a zero sum game and will only declare victory if President Obama concedes defeat.
So Mr. President, let be me very, very clear. Just as Democrats believe in insuring quality, affordable health care for every American citizen, we believe equally as strong that this country has no place for those who wish for its leaders to fail.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), SENATE MINORITY LEADER: Listening to the proponents of the plans, you get the sense that they're more concerned about their legacies than what the American people actually want.
This is the moment. Be a part of history. These are the kinds of things they say to each other about health care reform. Well here's an idea -- how about asking the American people what they want instead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Finance Committee is hoping to push the bill to the full Senate floor, or maybe this time we should call it the arena.
So would you believe in insurance company is taking one attorney general to court? It's goal to raise premiums on its customers. Now can you bet the customers are not happy. CNN's Jim Acosta has more on a showdown in Maine that could end up affecting you no matter where you live.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Elisabeth Bean (ph) is what the health insurance industry calls an individual policy holder. As a self-employed social worker she has to buy her insurance on the open market.
ELIZABETH BEAN, SELF EMPLOYED (ph): It went up from $450 a month to $550 a month. Yes, $1,200 over the year.
ACOSTA: Which may explain why she's rooting against her insurance company, Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield, in a high-profile legal fight with the state of Maine. A fight that has been dragged into the center of the nation's health care debate. A fight, Maine's attorney general, Janet Mills says, "She'll win."
JANET MILLS, MAINE ATTORNEY GENERAL: We'll go after them. We won't stand still for this.
ACOSTA (On camera): The fight boils down to this. Earlier this year Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield proposed a rate increase for its individual policy holders of 18.5 percent. The state of Maine, which hast he power to regulate those rates, said no. Lowering that increase to 11 percent. So, what did Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield do? They took the state of Maine to court.
MILLS: That wasn't enough for them. They're going back for more. I just can't believe, basically the greed of it. In this context, in this economy.
ACOSTA: This is greed?
MILLS: In my view, yes.
ACOSTA (voice-over): Mills says she was floored by Anthem's explanation. That 18.5 percent increase was what the company needed to make a small 3 percent profit.
(On camera): It seems like the gist of what you're saying is, the nerve of these guys?
MILLS: Yes. I mean, it is outrageous. Hello, it's a recession.
ACOSTA: Anthem is owned by WellPoint, one of the nation's largest insurance carriers, WellPoint made more than $2 billion in profits last year. In a statement to CNN, a company spokesperson said, "The level of our increase reflected the medical cost trends for our individual market members and included a modest pretax, operating margin of 3 percent, to cover profit and unanticipated risks.
ANNOUNCER: So, let's fix health care.
ACOSTA: And the company repeated the industry's call for health care reform measures now pending in Congress, that would require all Americans to get coverage.
ANNOUNCER: If everyone's covered we can make health care as affordable as possible.
Anthem argues Maine's approved increase of 11 percent will result in no profits for the company. But Maine's attorney general says, not so fast.
MILLS: In Maine alone they paid almost a $1 million in bonuses to their Maine executives in one year alone. And that is an issue in this case.
Elisabeth Bean says she's already spending a third of her income on health care, leaving her nothing for retirement.
BEAN: Where's my retirement account? A CEOs of anthem, I'm sure they have not worries about their retirements, because I'm funding it for them.
(On camera): There are 12,000 individuals policy holders in Maine who will be affected by this decision, but the case has national implications. It's about the government's ability to control health care costs. The case goes to court next month. Jim Acosta, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Credit card companies taking a swipe at the little guy. Jacked up interest, sky-high payments, we told you the story. And Capitol Hill listened. Now maybe you might get a break on your bill.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Hard to believe with a jobless rate nearing 10 percent new jobless claims are at their lo lowest level since January. The Labor Department says that 521,000 new claims were filed last week. Those new claims have dropped four of the last five weeks.
So, what if this happened to you? You get laid off from your job, you're searching for work for months, and then trouble starts on the home front. Crime wave hits your neighborhood. Would you just give up? That is not what laid off public relations manager Ken Castle did. He decided to head up a neighborhood watch program. And his ideas might just nab the jerks that are slashing everyone's tires. Ken Castle is actually our "30-Second Pitch" today.
So, Ken, I even understand you even brought in some high-tech devices that you have incorporated into this?
KEN CASTLE, LAID OFF PUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGER: I did. One of the things that people talk about, homeland security, what about home security? The recession has caused an increase in crime and burglaries. And unfortunately, because of budget cutbacks in cities, there are fewer cops on the street. The issue is what can we do as home owners to protect ourselves?
So one thing that I looked in, as I was exploring new industries, was the possibility of creating a network of private cameras within neighborhoods, cameras like this one, is a brand-new camera, it actually has a motion-detector device. You can hook this up to the Internet, or you can hook it up to a digital visual recorder and see what's going on in your house while you're away.
PHILLIPS: So let me get his right. You're out of work. Every day, you have been pounding the pavement looking for a PR job, but in addition to that, the crime that has risen in your neighborhood, you decided to start up this sort of neighborhood watch group. And focus on that while you're looking for a job. That's pretty remarkable.
I mean, is it because you just felt like you had to do something while waiting for work?
CASTLE: Well, triggered it all, we woke up one morning, on a Saturday, and found that the tires of our car parked outside had been slashed. And when we looked out the door, we learned that 45 other vehicles in the neighborhood had their tires slashed as well. And nobody saw anything. And the police were busy dealing with the bars that night.
And so, once I looked into the situation, it occurred to me, that we really needed to do something. This is a large neighborhood. We have over 1,000 homes. It is about a square mile in size. And I thought, well, rather than just doing block-by-block, let's try to pull the whole neighborhood together.
So, we've actually, in a very short time, come up with over 40 block captains. We have signs that have gone up warning outsiders that we're a neighborhood watch. And now, I want to take one step further, in something I call enhanced neighborhood watch. The concept behind that is what can we do with the new electronics that are available to us that are less expensive than they ever were before?
PHILLIPS: Now there's got to be a PR company out there that needs you to somehow promote their neighborhood watch equipment, whether it is cameras or whatever. That might be a perfect way to start off the 30-second pitch. Are you ready to do it?
CASTLE: I am.
PHILLIPS: Let's start the clock and Ken, take it away.
CASTLE: Hi, I'm Ken Castle and I have more than eight years of experience as public relations professional. I'm looking for a position with consumer electronics, software, or the smart grid industry.
My specialty is putting a face on technology. I tell people, how it helps their lives and businesses. I have international experience. I have an extensive list of relationships with journalists, bloggers and analysts. And I understand social media and how to reach out to new communities. Most important, I emphasize the importance of credibility and trust with each of my contacts.
(BUZZER)
PHILLIPS: Right on the money. I couldn't think of a better PR person to promote some kind of equipment to keep the neighborhood safe. Ken Castle, stay in touch with us. Let us know what happens, all right?
CASTLE: Thank you so much.
PHILLIPS: Appreciate it. Once again, Ken's e-mail is: kcastle77@ yahoo.com. We have that posted on our blog at CNN.com/kyra. If you want to be a part of the pitch, just e-mail us at 30secondpitch @ Cnn.com. Or Tweet me at KyraCNN. Top stories now, are you a frequent flier? Well, my sympathies. A new report says as the economy gets better, flight delays will get worse. The Brookings Institution actually says those delays are already twice as common now as they were in 1990.
And getting a flu shot no longer a hurdle for pregnant women at a major drugstore chain. Rite-Aid will stop making those moms-to-be show a prescription. Pregnant women have low vaccination rates partly because many doctors won't vaccinate. Some pharmacies are wary of giving them shots anyway.
A NASA rocket and a space probe crashing into the moon, tomorrow morning? Not kidding. It is all part of the plan. The rocket will hit first around 7:30 Eastern. Scientists hope it will kick up enough dust so the probe can detect any water that might be in the moon's soil.
Typhoons, earthquakes, floods, happening every single week lately. What on earth is going on? I mean, literally what on Earth is going on?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, Mother Nature, just stop it. But she won't stop. Another round of big earthquakes in the South Pacific. Three quakes struck just hours ago northeast of the island nation of Vanuatu; a fourth, just hours later. Thousands of people panicked and fled their homes. And the tsunami warning was issued, but later canceled.
In the Philippines, it keeps getting worse. What is left of Typhoon Parma is still battering the north. Flooding landslides, well, they've killed at least 30 people. And to top it off, Japan just got slammed by a powerful typhoon.
So, Chad, what's going on?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Where do you want to start? I mean, literally.
PHILLIPS: Yes, I know it gets pretty technical.
MYERS: Literally, there goes Meller, right there. It put down almost 20 inches of rain in place just to the west of Tokyo. Now well to the east of Sapporo and moving away. This could be the next one, although the forecast is for it to miss everything. It's still raining in the Philippines, from Parma. That may eventually drift its way over into Vietnam.
You know what, the West Pacific is always active, but this has been an amazing year. It is as active as the Atlantic is not.
And then we talk about these earthquakes. Back a couple of weeks ago, the 8.0 that flooded Samoa and American Samoa, with that tsunami. And then, last night, we had three of them. 7.8, 7.1 and 7.7, not that far from there. Just 18 hours after that big one, 16 hours later, there was 7.6 here in Sumatra. This is ring of fire. Is it normal? No. Is it outside two standard deviations, as we call it, from normal No, probably not.
This is the ring of fire. And 90 percent of the earthquakes happen in this region. Now, it's still shows from the Samoa earthquake and the tsunami that we didn't learn enough about the 2004 giant tsunami that happened back out in Sumatra. Because literally the people in these islands, and anywhere, if you feel the earth shaking, and you live near the water, it's time to go. It is time to go now. Don't wait for a warning. They had less than 15 minutes. By the time the warning came out the wave was already there in Samoa. There was no time to get that warning out, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Chad, appreciate it.
MYERS: Sure.
PHILLIPS: Taking on the tornado. You've seen them do it on the Discovery Channel. No storm's too big or bad for these storm chasers. Well, some of them will be here live, in the NEWSROOM, tomorrow and it is something g you don't want to miss.
What exactly are you paying for when you swipe that credit card? You might be paying the price for lender greed. But we're keeping them honest.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: When you open your next credit card bill, remember the devil's in the details. Interest rate hikes, soaring minimum payments. You told CNN your horror stories, and Capitol Hill listened. And boy, do we love these kind of follow-ups. Here's our Jessica Yellin.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): This week, CNN told you about Chuck and Jeanne Lane, a couple that's played by the rules, but their credit card company, like so many others, has jacked up their payments ahead of new regulations that go into effect next year.
CHUCK LANE, CREDIT CARD CUSTOMER: I'm calling to find out why my payment jumped from $370 to $911 this month.
YELLIN: Through no fault of their own, the Lanes' monthly minimum payment more than doubled. Now they will have to decide whether to pay the card or get surgery Jeanne needs and support Chuck's son in college.
(on camera): Do you have a message you would want to give to Congress?
LANE: I would like Congress to take a stand for the American people and stop credit card companies from making these kind of changes that do have major impacts in people's lives. YELLIN (voice-over): Guess what? Congress is listening. Freshman Congresswoman Betsy Markey saw the story on CNN.
REP. BETSY MARKEY (D), COLORADO: It gave awareness to people like me, other members of Congress who saw that and were just outraged by the fact that credit card companies are just blatantly increasing rates solely because they know that, once the law takes effect, they are not going to be able to do this anymore.
YELLIN: She and 17 other members have since written the banks, calling on them to stop raising rates and changing policies ahead of the new credit card bill. Bank of America had already announced it's freezing its rates for now, but Chase, the company that holds the Lanes' credit card, tells CNN they have no plans to do the same. And Wells Fargo, they are raising their interest rate 3 percent.
An industry representative says the card companies are just trying to protect themselves in a rocky economy.
SCOTT TALBOTT, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS, FINANCIAL SERVICES ROUNDTABLE: The industry is not making changes to interest rates or lines of credit in anticipation of the new law. It's simply a reflection of the changing economic times.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
YELLIN: Now, some members of Congress are pushing forward a bill that would actually move up the date when these new consumer protections would go into effect. But, banks say they need more time. They say they have to update their computer programs to meet all these new regulations, and that will take months.
Jessica Yellin, CNN, Washington.
PHILLIPS: And as Jessica just said, some lawmakers want the new credit card rules to kick in sooner than later. CNNmoney.com's Poppy Harlow is following that part of the story. Poppy, what's the latest?
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: First of all, great follow-up by Jessica on that story. I mean, really following what's going on with these banks, and it's great that lawmakers saw her piece and are doing something about it.
But here's what you need to know. Today, Kyra, a hearing just wrapped up where House Democrats talked about that, moving the date up from February 22 when these new reforms would take place to December 1st. So, a significant move forward there. Hearings just wrapped up. The banks were given, in the initial outset, nine months, Kyra, to implement all of those reforms.
Lawmakers say, look, they're abusing that time, they're raising interest rates, and they're raising fees. And they're outraged. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REP. LUIS GUTIERREZ (D), ILLINOIS: We can't turn back the clock. But we can make sure that the bank's unreasonable practices do not continue to affect more American households. Today, we must begin the process of accelerating the implementation of the date of the credit cardholder bill of rights.
When I got home that day from signing ceremony of the legislation at the White House, I had a notice in the mail when I arrived home that Friday. It said that my bank was increasing my rate, decreasing my available credit, and increasing my fees across the board.
What changed? What changed between the day we passed the bill and the day I arrived home?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: All right, here's what's going to change to help you, the consumer. Three big things that are going to take place.
First, they're going to limit the interest rate increases on your existing balances. That should help those of you who are in debt. The payments you make to pay off that debt, that's going to have to go to the part of the balance with the highest interest rates. This can be a big moneysaver if you've got a balance with different interest rates.
That will affect a lot of folks, and Kyra, this is critical. No more universal defaults. If you default on one card, then right now, all of the other credit cards that you hold, they can all raise your rates, Kyra. That will illegal starting February 22, and if this legislation is pushed forward, starting December 1.
PHILLIPS: So, will speeding up those rules help consumers, or is it already too late?
HARLOW: It's not too late, but it would help them a lot in the holiday season. You know, you don't think about that much, but a lot of people max out their credit cards during the holiday shopping season. That's when the spending happens.
So, if we see this new legislation enacted December 1st, that will help folks. That's what the experts say. Also what we heard, December and January are the really the biggest months when people apply for credit cards. They spent all that money around the holidays. This is a good time, the experts are saying, get it in, get the new reform, December 1st, before people apply for those cards. But, Kyra, you can imagine, expect some pushback from the credit card and banking industry. We're watching it.
PHILLIPS: Yes, no doubt.
Well, this story's just for you, too, Poppy, because I know Detroit is close to your heart. Take a look at these crowds in Detroit yesterday. A picture is worth a thousand government numbers. I'll tell you what. Fifty thousand low-income people mobbed a downtown convention center, lured by the possibility of free federal cash.
But here's what happened. The city says that there were only enough financial aid applications for about a tenth of those people. Police had to step in. There were angry outburts, violent threats, even fainting spells as people waited for hours to try and get the money.
And Detroit's problems spilled beyond its borders. Just down the road, the city of Pontiac, Michigan is desperately trying to raise some money. One option? Sell the stadium that once hosted the Super Bowl and tens of thousands of fans. The Silver Dome. Susan Lisovicz in New York with more. Susan's a big sports fan. This is a sad thing.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is, because you know as a sports fan, as do many of our viewers, there's so much history wrapped up in it. It was the biggest stadium in the NFL when it was built in 1975. The former home of the Detroit Lions and the Detroit Pistons. It played host to the Super Bowl, the World Cup, to Pope John Paul II, Madonna and Michael Jackson.
But its biggest event was actually for Wrestle Mania 3, the showdown between Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant. Well, the Silver Dome went on the auction block this week. Bidding will continue until next month. The city spends a whole lot of money to maintain a mostly empty stadium.
But Michigan's not the only place selling things to raise money. Ten theme parks have been just sold, including two Busch Gardens, three Sea Worlds, Sesame Place Adventure Island, because the Belgian Brewer Inbev needed to help in its huge takeover of Anheuser Busch. And that helped out quite a bit.
PHILLIPS: Well, what do you think? Do you think anybody will buy the Silver Dome?
LISOVICZ: You were just talking about the frenzy for financial aid in Detroit.
PHILLIPS: Right. You saw those thousands of people fighting because they thought they were getting some cash from the government.
LISOVICZ: Well, Pontiac is 30 minutes away. Detroit has the highest unemployment rate in the nation. People who are out of work typically don't buy expensive tickets for things that aren't related to food or health care. Plus, Detroit also has Ford Field, Joe Louis Arena, it has the Palace in Auburn Hills as alternatives. So, it's a tough sell. And actually, it's been the block before. Because the Lions left in '02.
PHILLIPS: Wow. All right, we'll follow up on what kind of bites it gets. Thanks, Susan.
Top stories now. He made the best cup of red in the nation. Sad news from Washington. We're hearing that Ben Ali has died. He's the Ben in Ben's Chili Bowl, a DC dining institution, by the way, since 1958. Ali was 82 years old.
He allegedly tried to bomb a Dallas skyscraper last month. Now, a grand jury has indicted a Jordanian teen of trying to use a weapon of mass destruction. The feds said that 19-year-old Hosam Smadi wanted to topple a 60-story office tower with a car bomb. But the feds nabbed him in a sting.
Seventeen people killed, 63 hurt. And the Taliban say they were behind it. They say they used an SUV in today's suicide bombing outside of India's embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. It's the latest in a string of recent attack in the capital.
Should we call him Vice President Biden or General Biden? We know that he's no shrinking violet. But when's he's in the War Room, boy does he bloom. We've got the inside story.
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PHILLIPS: Another high-level hurdle at the White House today. And it looks like Joe Biden's ready to make some tackles. President Obama consulting with the VP along with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The topic, of course, Afghanistan. Biden, of course, vocal. Even more than usual, though. Here's CNN's Brian Todd.
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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (voice-over): Administration sources tell CNN of a forceful direct vice president in White House Situation Room meetings on Afghanistan. The sources say Joe Biden has pointedly challenged America's top commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, over McChrystal's proposal to send up to 40,000 more U.S. troops there. By all accounts, Biden vehemently opposes that plan.
Publicly, White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs downplayed the disputes in describing a recent meeting.
ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Nobody raised their voice. Nobody -- there was just a sort of calm discussion about where we are.
TODD: But administration sources tell us in those meetings, Biden has intensely pushed his own proposal to keep U.S. troop levels where they are and to focus the mission more on rooting out Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters with Predator drones and Special Forces raids in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
CNN's senior political analyst, Gloria Borger, has also spoken with administration sources about the meetings.
(on camera): Has he changed the dynamics of this decision on Afghanistan?
GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Before you had the vice president weighing in, you had a lot of folks just assuming that whatever General McChrystal recommended was what the president was going to approve. After all, McChrystal is his guy.
Now, I think the conversation inside that room has really shifted, become a little bit more nuanced -- what do we need for counter-insurgency in different parts of Afghanistan?
TODD: (voice-over): Sources say Biden's gotten his own push back in the meetings from principals who said his ideas are problematic.
As a senator, Biden opposed the surge of troops in Iraq. But in the Balkans and elsewhere, he has favored the use of military force. Sources say with Afghanistan, Biden has become increasingly disillusioned with the government of President Hamid Karzai.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(on camera): Adminstration sources say none of this is personal. It's not personal between Biden and General McChrystal and not personal between Biden and President Karzai. The sources say that Biden has simply become increasingly concerned about committing more U.S. troops to Afghanistan to support a government that has not adequately addressed issues of corruption and mismanagement.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
PHILLIPS: One thing that the president's not doing today or tomorrow, meeting with the Dalai Lama. President Obama holding off until he visits China. So, how does Tibet's exiled spiritual leader actually feel about that? Maybe a bit snubbed? I don't know. Wolf Blitzer's going to find out in an exclusive interview that's in "The Sit Room" 6:00 Eastern tonight, only on CNN.
Fall is in the air. And phony tombstones are in the lawns. It's all fun and games until somebody runs for office.
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PHILLIPS: So, what a great place to take off your spats and chill after a hard week of bootlegging, tax evasion and talking smack about the untouchables. We're told that this was legendary gangster Al "Scarface" Capone's hideout in rural Wisconsin. It's been in foreclosure, believe it or not, and it actually sold today for about $2.6 million.
Mike Duchek actually took those pictures you just saw. He's on the phone with me now. So, Mike, I know you took a tour of this cottage, as they call it. Tell me about some of the interesting things that you saw.
MIKE DUCHEK, PHOTOGRAPHED CAPONE'S HIDEOUT (via telephone): Well, they had a machine gun power where they supposedly have had manned in case anybody would come after them. Some pretty thick walls in the house, which had a big stone fireplace and kind of log-cabin interior. A little holding stall where they could throw somebody in there and with a little exercise yarn (ph) on top.
PHILLIPS: Do you think you know who was thrown into the cell? Were those people he didn't like?
DUCHEK: Yes, apparently, if anybody of his rivals would get up there, they could throw them in there and hide them there.
PHILLIPS: Oh, my gosh. All right, what else?
DUCHEK: You know, just a very nice lake area. Supposedly, there was a landing strip there and even a big dog house they have with two spots for some large dogs. So, just kind of a nice, secluded hideout he had out there.
PHILLIPS: Now, there was a barn that was supposed to have housed chickens? What was up with that?
DUCHECK: Yes, I guess he had a barn up there. Today, I believe that same -- at least, it was converted to a museum. But yes, apparently, he had that, too, up there.
PHILLIPS: So, the gangster liked fresh eggs in the morning, I understand.
DUCHECK: Yes, apparently.
PHILLIPS: All right. And you mentioned the thick walls. I'm reading here, 18 inches thick. And tell me about Cuterey (ph), Wisconsin. I lived in Wisconsin and never even heard of the place. I guess it was the perfect hideaway for him.
DUCHECK: Well, it was a logging town back in the day. It's not as big as it used to be, but it's still a pretty secluded spot. It's popular sort of destination for people heading up to the north woods.
PHILLIPS: So, final question -- is there a history of mob activity in that area?
DUCHECK: Oh, yes, there's a lot of history about activity. We just had Johnny Depp last summer filming his movie "Public Enemies." He had a big shootout in a location in northern Wisconsin, as well, and there's a lot of other mob history in the northwest up there. So, hopefully, people come see us and come to Wisconsin.
PHILLIPS: Well, I can't wait to see who bought it and who moves in and what the heck they do with that little cell inside that house. That's kind of scary. Mike Duchek, great pictures. Thanks for calling in.
DUCHEK: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: All right, from one gangster to another. Rick Sanchez, what are you working on back there?
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: You know, he's also reputed to have had a home in south Florida.
PHILLIPS: Oh, that makes perfect sense, your neighborhood. SANCHEZ: Yes, exactly. I remember it was in one of the islands where Shaq lives now, and the Estefans and all those folks -- Star Island, I think. He had one of the homes there, had a lot of people still all the mysteries and everything. We'll have to call Geraldo Rivera to file a report.
PHILLIPS: No, he didn't find anything, remember? (LAUGHTER) That was a disaster.
SANCHEZ: It was, but he's still a good guy, that Geraldo.
Listen, we've got a couple of things going on. Black face. Black face is something that America is way beyond. Black face is something that is probably the most insensitive way of portraying an African-American in this country. We get that. I mean, Al Joelson, Milton Berle, this is 50 years ago.
But is there another country where perhaps they're still in the 1950s in this regard? Because this weekend, they had a show on TV where they did a black face routine. Yes, we're going to show it, and it's kind of difficult to watch, but we're going to put it in perspective, and then we're going to go a step further. We're going to speak to somebody who is an expert on Australian culture to make us understand. The best part about this story is, you know the singer Harry Connick Jr., right?
PHILLIPS: Right.
SANCHEZ: Good-looking young guy.
PHILLIPS: Good singer, crooner.
SANCHEZ: He was one of the judges in this show, and he stands up and he says, "This is insensitive, it's wrong," gave them a zero, and said, if this show was in the United States, he said the show would be off the air.
PHILLIPS: Yes, but there's controversy about that, because he participated in something similar a while back, is that not true?
SANCHEZ: No, no, no. I looked at it. I checked into it. What he participated in was he once played the part of an African-American man on SNL as a skit. But there's a huge difference between a white guy playing a black guy or a white guy playing a white guy, and black face. Black face is shoe polish. That's insensitive, I think, in all circles.
PHILLIPS: Yes, Australia or not, it's wrong.
SANCHEZ: Right.
PHILLIPS: All right, Rick, look forward to it.
SANCHEZ: Cool.
PHILLIPS: OK. Politics and Halloween. One's known for frights and fears and dirty tricks. The other falls on the last day of October. But you put them together, and you get this scene on a lawn in northern Ohio. A first-time candidate for township trustee decided to bury his opponents before election day.
The opponents aren't taking it lying down, though. One calls the fake tombstones "distasteful" and says his wife actually fears for her safety.
Well, if it's any consolation, these aren't the first grave markers to go up in the guy's yard. Last year, his wife made graves for all his ex-girlfriends. Now, that's funny.
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PHILLIPS: Sexting. It makes the days of sneaking a peek at dad's playboy seem so tame. Teens in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin now facing child porn charges for allegedly texting nude photos. Police not even sure what the law says about it.
So, here are some of your tweets on the topic.
TakeABreath writes, "Child pornography laws are too broad. Minors have the potential of getting felony records and having to register as sex offenders."
Couragewolf says, "Sexting worry comes across as a bumbling misunderstanding of youth culture. The times are changing. Teens have sex. Calm down."
This tweeter writes, "Charging these teens with child porn would be a mistake. I would suspend them, make them sit through a lecture on computer safety."
And this viewer writes, "I don't think the sexting thing is much different than kids who play doctor with each other. Kids are just curious."
That's a new form of curiosity.
Thanks to all of you for all your thoughts. We appreciate it. Rick Sanchez takes it from here.
