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Hamid Karzai Agrees to Runoff; Pakistan College Attacked; Inspiring Latinos to Dream

Aired October 20, 2009 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. Here are the top stories, the faces of the stories driving the headlines today in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai, he agrees to a runoff after an investigation found clear evidence of fraud in the August election.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, he meets with President Obama at this hour and tries to shift the relationship with the U.S. from military to business.

And Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch inspiring young Latinos to try harder and dream bigger, part of our CNN special coverage, "Latino in America.".

Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris. And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And we begin this hour with the next step in Afghanistan. A runoff election agreed to just this morning by President Hamid Karzai. He concedes he fell short of a first-round victory in the disputed election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAMID KARZAI, AFGHAN PRESIDENT (through translator): So, I call upon our nation to change this into an opportunity to strengthen our resolve and determination to move this country forward and participate in the new round of elections.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Fraud allegations made it impossible for Mr. Karzai to claim a majority in the August vote.

CNN Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence is in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

And Chris, you know, when all was said and done -- and it took a while -- Mr. Karzai accepted the U.N. commission's findings after some hot rhetoric about those findings. Isn't that correct? And in Pashtun, as we heard.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Tony. And look at this. I mean, President Obama has come out praising President Karzai for his decision. The officials at NATO, Senator John Kerry, they've all been praising Hamid Karzai.

But you have to remember, in the days leading up to this, President Karzai refused a lot of calls to come out and say he would accept this runoff, even after investigators threw out about a million ballots and reduced his total below that 50 percent.

He still held out and would not do that until he came to that press conference today. So, what seems like a unified front now really hides a lot of the pressure that was brought to bear by the international community. But it appears now that President Karzai is on board and willing to accept a runoff election in just a few weeks.

HARRIS: And exactly. I guess that's my next question. When would this runoff election actually take place?

LAWRENCE: Well, we've been told that it is scheduled now for Saturday, November 7th. But there are a lot of questions regarding that.

You know, in leading up to the original election, the international community and NATO, they had months and spent hundreds of millions of dollars to put that election in place. Now you have got to do it in just a matter of weeks. And you've also got to deal with problems such as finding unbiased poll workers. What they have to do is they've got to go out and find people and make sure that the people who were implicated in that initial election fraud are not rehired for this election.

HARRIS: Got you.

And one more quick one for you here, Chris. So, it is back, it seems to me, to election run-up security preps for U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan?

LAWRENCE: That's right. And both Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the U.S. commander here on the ground, General Stanley McChrystal, have both said that the U.S. has enough security forces on the ground here. They do not need to bring in extra support, but they can provide security. But again, even with that force on the ground, we still saw violence in the first election.

We still saw some rising ethnic tension, and there was that widespread fraud. All of those elements could very well still be present in this second election, which has to take place under a much tighter time frame.

HARRIS: CNN Pentagon Correspondent Chris Lawrence for us in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Chris, appreciate it. Thank you.

Checking the wire now.

Health officials around the country reporting more cases of both seasonal flu and swine flu, but despite delays in deliveries of the H1N1 vaccine, they insist there is no reason to panic. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THOMAS FRIEDEN, CDC DIRECTOR: There are now millions of doses out in states. What we've done is to get vaccine out as soon as it becomes available to us. We're shipping overnight.

There are about 10 million doses now out into the community, or getting to the community. And it is challenging to people to find vaccine. The good news is that if there are no further manufacturing delays, within two or three weeks we should be in a much more comfortable situation where it is much easier to find the vaccine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: The Plum Organic baby food company pulled some of its products off store shelves because of possibly botulism contamination. The recall is limited to the apple and carrot portable pouches. They have a best buy date of May 21, 2010. The company says the pouches do not have the proper acidity level, making them vulnerable to the deadly bacteria.

A former U.S. government scientist charged with spying is expected in a D.C. courtroom today. FBI agents arrested Stuart David Noceti (ph) yesterday. The man who helped discover water on the moon is accused of trying to deliver aerospace secrets to someone he thought was an Israeli intelligence official. It was actually an FBI undercover agent. Noceti (ph) could face up to life in prison.

Terrorists strike again in Pakistan, this time carrying out back- to-back suicide bombings at an Islamic university in Islamabad.

Our Reza Sayah live now from that capital city.

Reza, let's begin with the dead and wounded. How many victims so far? And where were they?

REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Tony, four people killed, according to police, 18 people injured. Most of these victims students inside the university, all between the ages of 18 to 25, according to hospital officials.

If anyone thought that there was some targets the Taliban would stay away from because attacking them would be too cruel and too callous, all they have to do is look at these attacks today targeting a university here in the federal capital of Islamabad. Police telling CNN two suicide bombers walked on campus at this university and blew themselves up.

The first blast taking place around 3:00 p.m. in the cafeteria on the women's campus. Seconds later, another blast on the men's campus. The aftermath was just awful.

As I mentioned before, four people killed, 18 injured. Many of the victims in blood-soaked clothes being rushed to the hospital. One room was riddled with holes and pockmarks from the steel ball bearings that were packed into the suicide vest. And how frustrated and how outraged were the students? When the interior minister came to the scene to inspect the blast site, Tony, they pelted his vehicle with stones. These are people who are frustrated with the government. They want a stop to this violence, but the government just can't be able to do it at this point.

HARRIS: Yes.

And Reza, let's turn our attention now to the fighting that's going on in the tribal region of that country. This is day four of the South Waziristan offensive. How is it going?

SAYAH: Yes. Well, the army said in the outset that this was not going to be a cakewalk. And based on what they're telling us today, there's plenty of evidence of that.

Fierce fighting, they say, going on in the Kotkai (ph) region of South Waziristan. That's where a senior military official was telling CNN that heavily armed militants are actually engaging Pakistani soldiers in head-on fighting, using heavy weaponry, heavy anti- aircraft machine guns, and rocket launchers.

Earlier, the Pakistani military had told CNN that the army had secured Kotkai (ph) village, which is the hometown of current Pakistani leader Hakimullah Mehsud and his fellow Taliban commander, Kari Hossein (ph). But clearly, according to the army, they are putting up a fight for this stronghold. They don't want to give it up easily.

The army says they've killed about 20 militants today. They've lost four of their own soldiers -- Tony.

HARRIS: CNN's Reza Sayah for us in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Reza, thank you.

And recapping the news from Afghanistan.

About two and a half hours ago, President Karzai accepted a runoff election. A crucial development for the Obama administration as it considers sending more troops to the region.

We've been asking you to weigh in on Afghanistan. Here's what some of you have had to say.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we need to continue to send troops. If we don't, again, we are backing down from terrorists, and we need to show that we are committed to protecting ourselves and those around the world in the fight for democracy. These men and women signed up knowing that at some point in time they could be called upon, and their job and duty is to go over and do that, what they've been trained to do.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I kind of feel that the reason that Barack Obama chose Joe Biden as his running mate was to build up his foreign policy credentials. So, I feel like Joe Biden's voice should be a little bit louder than it is when it comes to Afghanistan. He has a really good plan put out, and even though it might not be the plan that we should go with, it's definitely something that President Obama should consider, especially considering that the American public is kind of tired of the war and they don't want as quite the number of troops.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think they should get out and get out now in Afghanistan and Iraq. Get out.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

HARRIS: Boy, so good to hear from all of you. And keep calling with your comments. Here's the number: 1-877-742-5760. Let us know what you think the U.S. should do next in Afghanistan.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: There are 51 million Latinos in America, but only 13 percent of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher. Just six in 10 teens graduate from high school.

Soledad O'Brien has the story of a woman working to change that.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: Tony, her name is Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch. She used to lead an army of soldiers. Now she's leading a veritable army of Latino kids, taking them and making them into the next generation of leaders.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN (voice-over): Omaha, Nebraska: Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch has just addressed a thousand Latino teenagers, urging them to stay in high school and go to college.

Now she's mobbed. The kids are packed three deep, hungering for kind words.

CONSUELO CASTILLO KICKBUSCH, LT. COL., U.S. ARMY (RET.): I love you.

O'BRIEN: Or in Juana Mendoza's case...

KICKBUSCH: You come with me. Come on.

O'BRIEN: A little extra advice.

Latinos are a quarter of the school kids here. Roughly six in ten will graduate from high school, about the same number nationally.

Omaha's a city ripe for Consuelo's message; part inspirational, part biographical.

KICKBUSCH: Although I have shoes today, most of my life, I didn't wear them. I was barefoot.

O'BRIEN: She was born in the barrio to Mexican immigrant parents. Her teachers, she says, couldn't see past her brown skin and thick accent.

KICKBUSCH: They told me my algebra was a cashier machine.

O'BRIEN: Undereducated, she tested poorly. But she found a mentor who helped her prepare for college; after that, a masters degree. Then a successful career in the army where she rose to lieutenant colonel; then, she gave it all up.

Why?

KICKBUSCH: My mom. She said, "I want you to go home, and I want you to go and talk to these kids. They need to believe that education is the answer, not running around the streets."

O'BRIEN: And that's what she's done; crisscrossing the country for 13 years, inspiring young Latinos. On occasion, she takes them with her, literally.

ROY JUAREZ, EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SERVICES: But if we can take ourselves to a level 9...

O'BRIEN: Roy Juarez is now part of her mentoring team.

JUAREZ: I was very wild when we met. It's a going joke in her company that I'm pretty much the only one that's seen her go colonel. O'BRIEN: In May, this young man who used to be homeless graduated from college.

Remember Juana Mendoza? A good student, the oldest of six, she is just dying to go to college.

JUANA MENDOZA, HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR: She made me think that I can make a difference in somebody -- not just my brothers and sisters, but somebody else that I will meet in 10 years.

KICKBUSCH: Those moments are everywhere in this country now.

O'BRIEN: Everywhere Consuelo goes, she leaves behind young people willing to try a little harder, dream a little bigger. Everywhere.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Consuelo's group also helps educate immigrant parents who may not know how to motivate their kids or participate in their children's American schooling.

Tony, back to you.

HARRIS: Soledad, appreciate it. Thank you.

We are just one day away from "LATINO IN AMERICA," CNN's comprehensive look at how Latinos are changing America. "LATINO IN AMERICA," tomorrow night and Thursday at 9:00 Eastern. It will also be simulcast in Spanish on CNN en Espanol.

New numbers coming out that give us a fresh new look at the economy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: All right. Checking our top stories right now.

Back-to-back suicide bombings in Pakistan leave at least four dead and more than a dozen wounded. The attacks happened at a major university in the capital. Police say most of the victims are women.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

HARRIS: So, the man who wrote that theme song from "Green Acres" and many other catchy tunes has died. Vic Mizzy was 93. Mizzy also wrote the tune for "The Addams Family" and songs for legends like Dean Martin and Doris Day.

So, when it comes to the recession, economists say the road to recovery will be bumpy. And today we're hitting a few potholes. A new report says the value of your greatest asset, your home, is going to keep falling. But by how much, ultimately, is the question here?

Stephanie Elam is at the New York Stock Exchange with details.

And Stephanie, good to see you.

The government says that builders aren't putting up a lot of new homes. So why are prices on existing homes going to fall further?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Tony. It's one of those perplexing questions that a lot of people are wondering about. And there are a lot of foreclosures out there, and economists expect even more in the future, that we're not done seeing this wave of foreclosures.

So, the national median price is expected to fall 11 percent by next July. This is according to research firm Fiserv. This group's predictions have been true in the past as well, so it's worth noting that.

Now, the expected to be hardest hit areas, we're talking about, number one, Miami. Prices are likely to fall 30 percent. Prices there are already down nearly 50 percent over the past three years.

Then following that, you've got Orlando and then Hanford, California, which we're, like, where is that? That is down by San Luis Obispo. I feel like I know every town in California.

HARRIS: Yes, you do. ELAM: Naples, Florida, rounds out that list, down nearly 27 percent. Those prices falling there about 27 percent each. Prices are expected to rise in only 33 of 381 cities -- Tony.

HARRIS: I'm just thinking about the incredible deals that are out there.

OK. So, the government is trying to help out. A new proposal announced -- was it yesterday?

ELAM: Yes, it was announced yesterday. This is true. And the Obama administration is announcing this housing proposal that would help finance agencies to lend more. And this is how it would work...

Treasury, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, they would all buy housing bonds. The agencies could then refinance existing bonds to more favorable terms. Of course, we don't know what the price tag would be on this just yet. Congress is also still mulling the first-time homebuyer tax credit.

The nervousness about the housing market is definitely affecting stocks today.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

HARRIS: There you go. I like that.

Stephanie, appreciate it. See you next hour.

And as Stephanie just mentioned, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Miami are seeing steep declines in home prices. See how your town is faring right now at CNNMoney.com.

The soaring cost of health care in America, it is causing some people to lose their homes and lifestyles.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: So, part of the push for health care reform is aimed at making medical treatment more affordable for people. Today, a Senate panel is hearing from people whose finances were ruined because of a loved one's medical condition. They heard from a mother whose son was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KERRY BURNS, SON DIAGNOSED WITH CYSTIC FIBROSIS: My husband and I stayed right by our son's side during every step of his fight. To do this, we both had to take leave from our jobs. We could not, however, have anticipated how long Fin's (ph) treatment would last or the ultimate ramifications of our decision to be with him.

During this period, we had only temporary disability income and unemployment benefits, which were far less than we had earned before. We struggled to pay our monthly bills, including our mortgage. As our money dwindled and the bills began to pile up, we did everything we could to keep our heads above water, including cashing in our retirement funds and selling belongings for extra money.

Once we were sent to Georgetown for care, we sold our second car. Family and friends were gracious and generous enough to donate money to help us. Eventually, the bills piled up beyond our ability to pay them. We were forced to default, and despite our circumstances, creditors were unwilling and/or unable to help us. They wanted money, and we simply had none to give.

The collection calls were unrelenting, upwards of 30 calls to each of our cell phones every day. All while we were in an intensive care unit willing our son back to health.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: That's crazy. A big health concern for many of you is swine flu. Millions of you plan to get the H1N1 vaccine to protect yourselves against the virus, but you're understandably concerned.

Our Anderson Cooper put you questions to Dr. Jorge Rodriguez.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER 360": We've got a question from AC360.com. Ashley wanted to know, "What are the side effects of the H1N1 vaccine? Are any of them fatal?"

DR. JORGE RODRIGUEZ, BOARD-CERTIFIED INTERNIST, HIV SPECIALIST: Well, the -- first of all, this is a very safe vaccine, as safe as any other flu vaccine. The most common side effect is a localized inflammation in the area that you got the vaccine, redness, a little bit of fever. If anybody has anything other than that, a life- threatening side effect could happen within the first 24 to 48 hours.

Again, none has been found in all the trials of this vaccine. But people need to be on the lookout for example, paralysis or things that happen within a few days of getting the vaccine.

COOPER: We've got a Facebook question from Cathy. She wonders, "Why is the H1N1 nasal spray not approved for people over 49?" She's 51.

RODRIGUEZ: Well, the nasal spray is an inactivated vaccine. This actually is a live virus that has been made a little bit impotent. It isn't recommended for people that are immune- compromised. It isn't recommended for older people that have more of a suppressed immune system. I know I don't want to consider 51 old, but statistically, it is. So, people that are over 51 need to be vaccinated, though.

COOPER: Another question from AC360.com. Laura wonders, "If the flu is peaking early this year (I have heard October versus February) will the vaccine even be of value by the time we get the two required doses into our kids?"

And before you answer, I just want to show our viewers that what Laura is talking about, that first line -- let's put that graphic up -- the first line is flu visits in doctors' offices from the last flu season. The second line shows flu visits most recently. And look at the difference. We're already above peak levels that are usually seen in February.

RODRIGUEZ: Yes. That's a very dramatic graph. And if you notice, the visits are up six times what they are at this time of the year. I think where she's a little, maybe, misunderstanding is that this may not be peaking now. That's our concern, that that line that you saw may just continue going.

So optimistically, yes, hopefully we'll peak within the next month. But I don't think so. So, it isn't that it's peaking; it's just that it's revving up a lot earlier than usual.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: OK. In about 35 minutes, President Obama will honor a group of Vietnam war heroes at the White House. We will bring you that ceremony live when it happens.

You know, some of you are comparing the war in Afghanistan to Vietnam as the national security team prepares to meet again later this week. Here are some of your thoughts and concerns.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

CALLER: I definitely feel that the U.N. should get involved with the decision-making of Afghanistan.

CALLER: We need to pull out of Afghanistan. We should have learned from the Vietnam War, the Iraq war and also the Korean War that fighting on other people's territory just does not work. So, my vote is to pull out.

CALLER: I don't think Obama, President Obama needs to withdraw troops from Afghanistan. I think he needs to send more troops to Afghanistan because Afghanistan is a country that has been one of the most unstable and one of the most impoverished countries in the world for the last, I don't know, thousand years.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

HARRIS: That's true. We want to hear more of your comments. Just give us a call. Here's the number: 1-877-742-5760. Let us know what you think the U.S. should do next in Afghanistan. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: The University of Connecticut hosts a day of silence today in memory of football player Jasper Howard, who was fatally stabbed outside a school dance. Police are still looking for his killer. Howard was a star cornerback for the UConn team and was awarded the game ball just hours before his death Saturday. Last night, friends and students gathered outside the school's football stadium for a candlelight vigil. New details about the final hours of former NFL star Steve McNair and his girlfriend. A police report reveals text messages between McNair and Sahel Kazemi in the hours before the murder/suicide. The story now from reporter Ben Hall of our affiliate WTVF in Nashville.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN HALL, WTVF-TV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Metro Police have released a summary of its investigation. It says Kazemi was responsible for the murder/suicide and includes text messages between Kazemi and McNair in the hours before the murder.

In fact, the day before the murder, at 2:00 a.m. on July 3rd, she texts, "You love me?" One minute later, McNair texts, "I love you, baby." Then Kazemi writes, I'm going to have all of you soon." And McNair writes back, "Yes, you will."

Then at 10:05 a.m. she texts, "I might have a breakdown. I'm so stressed." She later asks McNair to transfer money into her account to pay bills, and he says he will. Then she texts, "I have to be with you tonight. I don't care where." McNair repeatedly says he's with his family.

But at 10:45 p.m., Kazemi says she is going to McNair's condo. At 12:38 a.m., McNair texts, "On my way." Police believed the murder happened just two hours later.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somebody's been shot. I haven't checked the vitals.

HALL: The other interesting thing in the report is that when McNair's friend, Wayne Neely, first found their bodies on July 4th, he did not first call police. He instead called Judge Casey Moreland. That's apparently why it took 44 minutes for 911 to be called. The report says the judge told Neely to immediately call 911.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Police say McNair, a married father of four, was seeing at least one other woman besides Kazemi.

Let's get you caught up now on our top stories. Afghanistan making plans for a runoff presidential election. Incumbent Hamid Karzai announced he will face rival Abdullah Abdullah on November 7th. This comes after a U.N.-backed panel found evidence of fraud in the original election.

As the president and his advisers debate U.S. troop levels in the war in Afghanistan, I headed back to class to hear what smart college students think we should do. Yes, "Class in Session" is back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Was that your understanding, that we could be there a generation? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to be spending either money or our soldier's blood one way or the other if we don't defeat this enemy.

HARRIS: So, we've got to stay?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have to. We have to finish what we started.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: It was a flat-out terrific conversation with students from all political perspectives. One served two tours in Afghanistan. Hear the rest of what they had to say coming up next hour, noon Eastern time.

A global force for good -- that's the U.S. Navy's new slogan. Some marketing critics say it's not going to draw new recruits who are looking for a more adventurous message. The Navy says its strategy is to appeal to the next generation's focus on service beyond self.

An unusual sight in Sacramento. How about this in your neighborhood? Three black bears cozy up in a backyard tree for hours. They've been apparently exploring the neighborhood for days. The Department of Fish and Game says they won't remove them because it's hibernation season. They're going to leave them up there?

Surviving members of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment are gathering in the Rose Garden at the White House right now. The president will recognize their heroism and determination, and we will bring you that ceremony live in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: A new report today calls for changing the menu in the school cafeteria. It recommends more fruits and vegetables, more whole grains and substituting whole milk with skim or low-fat. On CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING," John Roberts talked with the chair of the study panel about another recommendation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR, "AMERICAN MORNING": You also are suggesting putting caloric limits on school lunches, as well as breakfasts, and grading them on children's age and development. For example, K through 5, you're recommending that lunches be limited to 650 calories. Grades 6 through 8, 700 calories. Eight hundred calories for high school. And for breakfast, respectively for the same grade levels, 500, 550 and 600 calories.

How far can a school lunch program go -- excuse me -- in battling the obesity epidemic in this country?

DR. VIRGINIA STALLINGS, CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA: Well, one of the important things the new recommendations address is that we want to keep enough calories and quality food in the program for children that may not have enough food, who come from families where food resources may be scarce. On the other hand, one of the things that's changed in the last 20 years is the obesity epidemic in pediatrics.

So, we will now have both a minimum and a maximum, so, a range. So, we'll be able to support the safety net, if you will, and continue to be watchful about not providing too many calories in the school setting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: A school in my hometown of Baltimore is cutting costs by going vegetarian one day a week. But some critics say the plan brainwashes kids to go vegan in the future.

CNN's Lisa Sylvester has more on the meatless Monday controversy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At the Hampstead Hill Academy in Baltimore, it's meatless Monday. The only food served in the cafeteria, vegetarian. The Baltimore city schools implemented the districtwide policy this year as a way to cut costs and to promote healthier eating.

TONY GERACI, FOOD AND NUTRITION DIRECTOR, BALTIMORE SCHOOLS: In every culture on the planet, there are, you know, plant-based meals, and we wanted to be able to start a conversation around that.

SYLVESTER: On the menu, vegetarian chili with rice, corn, green beans and fruits. The policy is being embraced by the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, which presented the school district with its Proggy Award for the most progressive public school district 2009, and has been praised by the Center for a Livable Future, a group out of Johns Hopkins University that's promoting these cartoons called "The Meatrix," a play off the movie "The Matrix," criticizing large factory farms. Baltimore school officials say they do not have a political agenda.

MATT HORNBECK, PRINCIPAL, HAMPSTEAD HILL ACADEMY: We're not the food police, and so we know that families and children will make choices, and we don't want to judge those choices. We just want to provide more options.

SYLVESTER: Parents we spoke to didn't have a problem with the new menu.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's a great choice for kids. I mean, they can learn about theirs other ways to eat food without having meat.

SYLVESTER: But the American Meat Institute does. The institute represents meat packagers and processors, and says that what kids are being served up is an unhealthy dose of indoctrination.

Janet Riley is with the meat institute. She's also a mother of two.

JANET RILEY, AMERICAN MEAT INSTITUTE: I'm not suggesting that every child should be forced to eat meat every day. What I'm suggesting is that children and parents should have the ability to choose what their children eat.

SYLVESTER: Riley says the school lunch may be the only source of protein some children get during the day. Three-quarters of Baltimore students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.

(on camera): The American Meat Institute says in fact, three out of four children are actually not getting enough protein.

Lisa Sylvester, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And quickly let's get you to Jacqui Jeras -- well, OK.

All right, let's quickly now get you to Jacqui Jeras in the severe weather center. And Jacqui, fall temperatures, cool temperatures through large portions of the country, which means usually some really nice fall colors, huh?

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Do you have any appliances with the Energy Star label? Well, according to both the government and "Consumer Reports," those stickers don't necessarily mean you're saving energy or money.

Mary Snow has what you need to know before buying a new appliance.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Energy Star label is intended to guarantee consumers a product is energy efficient. But at "Consumer Reports" labs, Mark Connelly has found appliances like this freezer that should not have the Energy Star logo.

MARK CONNELLY, DEPUTY TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, "CONSUMER REPORTS": In our labs, we found it used a lot more energy than it claimed.

SNOW (on camera): So, can a manufacturer just put on an Energy Star sticker if it wants to?

CONNELLY: Well, they're supposed to have these products tested, and they do, but they themselves test it.

SNOW: So if you had not run this test, people would buy this thinking, "OK, I'm saving on energy, and I'm saving money."

CONNELLY: Correct.

SNOW: But in reality?

CONNELLY: In reality, it's using twice as much energy that it claims.

SNOW (voice-over): In an appliance like this, claiming an energy bill of $60 a year, could actually be double. Of hundreds of products he tests every year, he estimates 5 to 10 percent should not be labeled Energy Star.

CONNELLY: For the most part, the products that we test that claim to be Energy Star are, in fact, telling the truth. But, again, there is enough products out there that give us some concern.

SNOW: Those concerns are shared by the Department of Energy's inspector general, who in an audit found "the department had not implemented plan improvements in the Energy Star program." The report concludes that those delays "could reduce consumer confidence in the integrity of the Energy Star label."

We asked the Department of Energy's Cathy Zoi about the criticisms.

CATHY ZOI, DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY: The inspector general identified a number of improvements to the program, and frankly, we agree with those improvements, and we put a plan in place to get all of those improvements implemented.

SNOW: But as the Department of Energy works on those improvements, it's in the process of planning a rebate program for consumers buying Energy Star products. Three hundred million dollars of stimulus money is being used. Can consumers be confident those products are as energy efficient as they claim to be?

ZOI: There have been examples that are very rare where a manufacturer has misused or misappropriated, misapplied the Energy Star logo. And when the Department of Energy or when the EPA has found out about that, they've taken steps, they've taken action, and those manufacturers have had to recompense people who have bought those appliances.

SNOW (on camera): We also asked the DOE's Cathy Zoi about independent testing. She says the department has started using a third party to test some products and wants to expand that.

Mary Snow, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And here's what we are working on for the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM. The debate over what to do in Afghanistan. We will hear what college students from completely -- and I mean completely -- different backgrounds think.

Plus, does President Obama deserve his Nobel Peace Prize? I have the latest poll what many of you are saying.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Well, director Roman Polanski has lost his latest appeal to get out of jail. A Swiss court ruled he's a flight risk and denied bail. Polanski was arrested last month and faces extradition to the United States. Before he fled the United States in 1978, Polanski pleaded guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl.

The man accused of killing a Yale University student is due in a courtroom today. Police say Raymond Clark murdered Annie Le and hid her body in the wall of a laboratory building where they both worked. His attorney says Clark will plead not guilty.

It may be a year before a controversial justice of the peace could be removed in Louisiana. Keith Bardwell gained national attention when he refused to marry an interracial couple. Louisiana's governor called for his dismissal, but it will take action by the state Supreme Court to remove him. An investigation could take as long as a year to complete.

Medical marijuana guidelines are relaxing at the federal level, but that doesn't mean local authorities are OK with just anyone lighting up. Casey Wian tells us it may bring unwanted attention to some suppliers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Obama administration will no longer prosecute medical marijuana dispensaries nor their customers in the 14 states that have legalized pot for medicinal purposes, as long as they are not violating state law.

According to a Justice Department memo sent Monday to federal prosecutors, the department is, quote, "committed to making efficient and rational use of its limited investigative and prosecutorial resources."

But in Los Angeles, home to an estimated 800 medical marijuana facilities, local law enforcement is promising to step up prosecution of pot dispensaries because so many operate outside the law.

STEVE COOLEY, DISTRICT ATTORNEY, L.A. COUNTY: The vast, vast, vast majority, about 100 percent of dispensaries in Los Angeles County and the city, are operating illegally. They're dealing marijuana illegally, according to our theory, so we are going to over time, we are going to eradicate the illegal sales of marijuana that are occurring in dispensaries.

WIAN: The Los Angeles district attorney says in a statement, "The attorney general's announcement recognizes that those dispensaries operating in violation of state law are subject to prosecution by the state and federal governments."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This one might be a little bit more on your head, but you'll still be functional.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Medical marijuana can save California, if you think about it.

WIAN: Many supporters of medical marijuana are advocating outright legalization, in part because they say it could be taxed and would help balance California's persistent budget deficit.

MARK KENT, MEDICAL MARIJUANA ADVOCATE: It's approximately a $4 billion industry. The crop is so significant that it could probably balance the state budget on its own. There are literally hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue possible.

WIAN: But others insist that with California's recent deficit running in the tens of billions of dollars, it's unlikely taxing marijuana sales would have much impact. Still, 56 percent of California voters responding to a field poll in April said they favored legalizing marijuana for recreational use as a way to reduce the state's budget deficit.

(on camera): The Justice Department says it will continue prosecution of what it calls significant marijuana traffickers, in part because marijuana distribution in the United States remains the single largest source of revenue for Mexican drug cartels.

Casey Wian, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)