Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

New York Agrees to Settlement with 9/11 Responders

Aired March 12, 2010 - 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: Have a great weekend, Fred. I'll be watching you on television this weekend, by the way.

It is Friday, March 12th, and here are the Top Stories for you in the CNN NEWSROOM. Crunch time at the Capitol. The president changes his travel schedule to help push a health care reform bill over the finish line.

Toxic air at the World Trade Center site. A settlement for rescue and recovery workers who say dust and fumes made them sick.

Plus, the air at 30,000 feet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: So, we're going to test the air on board this plane. I'm turning the air monitor on. For 90 minutes, it's going to sample the air.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Think about a long, hot shower after your next flight to wash off the engine fuel. Yes, the engine fuel.

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

The health care reform debate heads toward a final showdown. Democrats still counting votes, but they have set key procedural move for Monday. And President Obama keeping up the pressure on lawmakers. He is delaying an overseas trip to try to push the process forward.

White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is following that part of the story for us, and senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash is joining us by phone from Capitol Hill where Democratic leaders are meeting.

Dana, let's start with you on the phone. Dana, my understanding is that if you're not in the room already, you will be, where the speaker's news conference is set to begin any moment now. What are we likely to hear from the speaker, and for me better yet, what do you want to know?

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via phone): Well, I just came from outside a meeting where House Democrats were discussing health care, and it certainly sounds in talking to several house Democratic leaders, Tony, like things are moving.

You mentioned that the president postponed his trip abroad next week. There is one specific reason for that and that is because house Democrats I'm talking to say that they will need him for a final push on health care. They are waiting for a couple of procedural, yet important things.

First, they're waiting for a final say from the Congressional Budget Office on how much the changes that they're talking about will cost. And something else that they are still waiting for, sounds technical, sounds like sausage making but it is critical, critical, and that is the process through which they will do this very complicated plan because it sounds like process, but it is politics on who passes what bill first. Because it all comes down to what they feel that they can do in the House, which is the bill that's been passed in the Senate, which is quite different.

HARRIS: Okay, Dana, stand by for a second. I've got a couple of other questions for you, but I want to get to the White House and Suzanne Malveaux. And Suzanne, is it as simple as Dana just laid out? Is the president delaying his trip to push this process forward?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: He certainly is, Tony. Dana is absolutely right.

One of the things I've learned from a senior administration official, yesterday when the president was sitting down with the Democratic leadership, they had a frank conversation and he said, look, he was willing to push back, postpone this trip to Indonesia and Australia if it made a difference here, if they could push this thing forward. And those members of Congress said yes, we want you to do that. We think you should be on the phone making calls. We think you should be meeting with us in person. They want presidential intervention as one Democratic source put it, that this would be the time for him to step up, and it's not the time for him to go overseas, so if he could delay it, he would.

The president said in fact that was what he was willing to do. Tony, there was kind of a preemptive move, if you will, some concern that the first lady and the daughters would also be accompanying him on the trip, at least the part to Australia. Some grumblings that maybe that wouldn't look great during the spring break if he's hanging out body surfing in Sydney, even if it is for his family for a couple of days, while lawmakers are trying to get through this very important legislative process, so that, too.

They're avoiding that kind of picture and that kind of criticism, if that was to come about. This is going to be a president, I am told, that is fully engaged here to try to push this thing through, one last effort, over the next seven to nine days.

HARRIS: Stand by. Back to Dana on the phone.

Dana, look. I know I get a little wonkish with this stuff but help me understand this for everyone watching. What has to happen here in the House? Does the House need to pass the Senate version of health care reform to move forward here?

BASH: They do need to pass it. The question is whether they will pass that along with the package of changes. That is really the crux of the discussion here. Whether they can do that all at once. Whether they have to pass it and the president has to sign that into law before Congress can take up that package of changes.

Again as you said, it sounds wonkish, but it is critically important politically, and here's why. You have several House Democrats who simply, first of all, are getting pounded back home for voting for anything regarding health care at all, and more specifically there are really problematic policy issues in the Senate bill for them.

Just, for example, an excise tax on high-cost plans. What they're talking about is making changes to that, but that won't happen until after the House Democrats take a tough political vote saying, okay, we approve this language.

Much, maybe even more importantly is, what's known as the "corn husker kickback." If the House Democrats have to vote on the Senate bill, they will be voting for a health care bill that still has the special deal in there for Nebraska, even though it will be dealt with down the road. What they are doing, they know, is giving the Republican opponents the ammunition for TV ads and, you know, so many other things against them because they will be casting a tough vote.

But I should tell you that the House Majority Whip, Jim Clyburn, he told myself and other reporters just a few moments ago, that he actually thinks that they can push this vote in the next ten days. It really feels that this might be the real crunch time. Don't hold me to it, but it feels that way.

HARRIS: Yes. And Suzanne, is that essentially the timetable the White House is looking at as well?

MALVEAUX: The timetable that the White House is looking at is, yes, Dana is right. When you talk about crunch time, you're talking about Sunday here. That is March 21st as opposed to the 18th. Three days, they believe those three days could make a difference in the president postponing his trip, at least for part one of this process, and that is for the house to pass the Senate version of health care reform.

The goal was Thursday, March 18th. There is a tacit admission that they don't yet have that together. They don't have the votes to meet that particular deadline. But if they extend it by a couple of days, work into the weekend, they believe that at least part one of this process could actually happen in the next ten days or so.

So, that's why this last-minute push by the president clearly -- and Tony, you're going to see him in meetings, on the phone with key members who are negotiating with the Democrats to make sure this happens. This is a very serious thing for the White House and the president because it is his number one domestic priority, and he's not going to be able to really focus on anything else until this is resolved, so he's trying to show that he is serious about it.

HARRIS: Well, I hope America is watching and paying attention because this is how big things get done in this country or not. Terrific reporting. Suzanne Malveaux at the White House for us, and our senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash as well. Ladies, appreciate it. Thank you.

Probably good to remind you here of the cost of health care in this country. What we're talking about here, a federal study released in January shows the U.S. spent an average of $7,681 per person on health care in 2008. It adds up to an eye-popping $2.3 trillion, which was actually a slower rate of increased spending because of the recession. My goodness.

All right. The day's other big stories we're following for you.

Lawyers asking a federal judge today to sign off on a 9/11 settlement. It could be worth more than $657 million. Rescue and recovery workers contend fumes and dust at the World Trade Center site made them sick. Ninety-five percent of the plaintiffs must accept the settlement for it to be binding. We will break down the settlement with TruTV's "In Session" legal analyst, Sunny Hostin at the half hour.

A bankruptcy examiner has completed his financial autopsy of Lehman Brothers. The firm's collapse in 2008 helped trigger the global financial crisis. The examiner concludes Lehman used an accounting gimmick to hide billions in debt. He calls the tactic "materially misleading."

Tiger Woods' agent is knocking down reports his client is about to return to golf. He tells CNN no decision yet. One newspaper says Woods will play the Arnold Palmer Invitational March 25th. Reports also say woods has hired former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer to orchestrate his comeback.

Should the United States deal with the Taliban, the group that harbored the 9/11 terrorists? We are Digging Deeper in America's next moves in Afghanistan.

Rob Marciano is tracking weather. Some strong storms pushing through the Southeast. We will check in with Rob in just a couple of minutes.

But first, the latest at the New York Stock Exchange. Take a look at the numbers here. The Dow up modestly, five points. We are following these numbers throughout the day for you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: The Pakistani military was the target, but mostly civilians were killed this morning in two suicide attacks in Lahore. At least 39 people are dead. The bombers struck within seconds of each other in a busy market area. The attacks were timed right before Friday prayers. Pakistan is on the agenda this hour as President Obama meets with his national security team. The secretaries of state and defense. Among those gathering in the Situation Room. They're also expected to focus on Afghanistan and recent operations targeting the Taliban.

CNN's Reza Sayah is in Islamabad. Reza, good to see you. There is talk of a new strategy that's taking shape here, talking to the Taliban instead of going after them. How might that work?

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's a great question, Tony. I wish I could give you some details and specifics, but here's the problem: neither U.S. nor Afghan officials have come out with any details or specifics as to how to talk to the Taliban. All we've heard is an aggressive push to sell these two terms: reconciliation and reintegration. They say the plan is to buy off low-level Taliban fighters with cash and make peace with some Taliban leaders by telling them, look, you can be part of the government if you stop fighting.

But how are you going to talk to them? Who exactly are you going to talk to, and where are you going to talk to them? These are all questions that remain unanswered. One man here in Pakistan, the very outspoken spy chief, former spy chief, Hamid Gul, says he has the answer. And the answer is to talk to Mullah Omar himself, the same Mullah Omar who is the leader of the Afghan Taliban, the same man who protected Osama bin Laden. Here's Hamid Gul.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAMID GUL, FORMER PAKISTANI INTELLIGENCE CHIEF: You have to engage him. You have to talk to him. That is normal (ph). For heaven's sake, why beat about the bush?

But then put up your own conditionalities. I would say it is legitimate (ph) for America to ask whoever they are talking to. We do not want to see any attack on America from your soil. Legitimate, absolutely legitimate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAYAH: We should point out that Hamid Gul is a fierce critic of U.S. policy in this region, but few know the Taliban better than him. He along with the CIA in the 1980s helped train the Afghan Mujahadeen fight the Soviets. Many of those went on to become the Taliban and govern Afghanistan.

Hamid Gul says he knows what makes the Taliban tick. He says he knows Mullah Omar will accept talks, but so far U.S. officials say we are not talking to Mullah Omar. Tony.

HARRIS: That is interesting. Reza, I've got to play this sound for you and for everyone from the president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai. It is something -- we certainly didn't hear this tone when Pervez Musharraf was running Pakistan. Have a listen and give me your thoughts on the other side here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT HAMID KARZAI, AFGHANISTAN'S PRESIDENT: India is a close friend of Afghanistan. But Pakistan is a brother of Afghanistan. Pakistan is a twin brother of Afghanistan. We're more than twins, we are conjoined twins. There is no separation. There cannot be a separation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Reza, what do you think?

SAYAH: Well, look, they are twins in that geographically, they're right next to one another. But Pakistan has not always been brotherly to Afghanistan. Remember, many in Afghanistan, many in Washington suspect that elements within Pakistan's spy agency are supporting the Afghan Taliban, using them to fight a proxy war against India on Afghan -- Afghanistan's soil. If that continues to be the case, then U.S. policy here is in deep trouble.

But over the past couple of months, there's been indications that there's been a shift in policy here in Pakistan, with Pakistan security forces making a number of very high-value Afghan Taliban arrests. The Afghan Taliban's number two. If that trend continues, that bodes well for U.S. policy here.

HARRIS: All right. Reza Sayah for us. Reza, appreciate it. Great analysis as always. Thank you.

Just how dirty is the air you breathe at 30,000 feet? We put samples collected from a transatlantic flight to a toxic test.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: A CNN investigation gives new meaning to the phrase "fear of flying." It has to do with the air you breathe inside the plane the at 30,000 feet. Senior correspondent Allan Chernoff has been looking into so-called fume events. Allan, you actually tested the air on board a flight?

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, for very good reason. Tony, we've reported how toxic fumes from engine oil can actually seep into the cabin's air supply system because that air comes through the engines.

So, how do we know the air on board our flight is safe? Well, we collected samples on board a transcontinental flight. I'm not going to mention the airline because this is an issue that affects all airlines. Even though I was well aware of the risk, our results were surprising.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHERNOFF (voice-over): Could the air onboard your next flight be toxic? Ventilation air comes through the engine, so an oil leak can result in engine oil mist containing neurotoxins that seep into the cabin. (on camera): So we're going to test the air onboard this flight. And I'm turning the air monitor on. For 90 minutes, it's going to sample the air.

Toxins in the air would leave residue on services of the cabin, so I'm swabbing here to bring samples back to the laboratory so we can determine if indeed there have been any toxins in the air here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's have a look.

CHERNOFF (voice-over): Toxicologist Chris Van Netten at the University of British Columbia has studied air quality onboard planes for years.

CHRIS VAN NETTEN, TOXICOLOGIST, UNIV. OF BRITISH COLUMBIA: We'll take this out very carefully.

CHERNOFF: Van Netten places the air filter and alcohol swabs into test tubes. His research associate Tim Ma (ph) adds solvent to extract whatever chemicals or samples captured. They also analyze some of producer Laura Dolan's (ph) hair to see if it collected toxins from her seat back cushion.

Tim runs the resulting chemicals through a mass vecrometer (ph), a device that measures molecular weight and chemical composition.

The finding? Our swabs of the air cabin surface do contain the neurotoxin Tricresyl Phosphate, known as TCP, which is in engine oil.

VAN NETTEN: It's the pattern that really nails it down to the actual engine oil. This is the pattern that you find in engine oil and this is the pattern you find in the swab sample that you took from the aircraft.

CHERNOFF: Tim Ma has analyzed surface swabs from 40 different flights and says he almost always finds TCP.

(on camera): And on virtually all of them? Do you find it?

TIM MA, UNIV. OF BRITISH COLUMBIA: Pretty much so, yes.

The waves (ph) are at significant levels, but --

CHERNOFF (voice-over): Significant but not large. But the biggest amount we found, 44 billionth of a gram, not enough to have any health consequences. Our air samples do not show any traces of TCP. That means toxic residue has collected on the surface of the cabin from either a prior fume event or from gradual continual accumulation of toxins.

VAN NETTEN: There is a fair amount of remnant material floating around in the ventilation system. This comes out on a regular basis. And that's what you are measuring.

CHERNOFF (on camera): So even if the flight you are on hasn't had a fume event, there are toxic fumes in that ventilation system and it's coming out?

VAN NETTEN: That's the case.

CHERNOFF (voice-over): Van Netten explains his research shows when engines are shut down, some oil can leak overnight. When a plane starts up in the morning, a mist of oil can spread through the cabin.

(on camera): So you don't want to be the first person on the plane in the morning when you turn it on.

VAN NETTEN: That's the pilots, the pilots are the ones that turn on the engine.

CHERNOFF (voice-over): Laura's hair shows traces of TCP as well, though only one trillionth of a gram.

(on camera): The whole hair probably picked it up from the seat, right. That would say to us when you get off that plane, you should take a shower, right?

VAN NETTEN: Well, you should take a shower anyways.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHERNOFF: I'll be certain that I do.

The two leading aircraft manufacturers, Boeing and Airbus, which both use the same ventilation system, acknowledge that fume events can occur. But they say the system does provide good and safe cabin air quality.

Once again, Chris Van Netten says the amount of toxins we found on the cabin interior are not going to cause any health problems. The people at greatest risk of those who work on board the plane. Pilots and flight attendants. And he says those people should be equipped with air monitors, just like the ones we had, so they can measure toxicity levels, especially if there were to be a fume event. Tony.

HARRIS: Wow. Okay, good stuff. Allan Chernoff for us in New York. Allan, appreciate it, thank you.

Let's get to our Top Stories now. Americans kept right on shopping in February despite getting buried by snowstorms. The Commerce Department says retail sales jumped a surprising 0.3 of a percent. That is the biggest gain since November. Overall sales would have been stronger, but Toyota dragged down the auto sector.

A federal appeals court says the pledge of allegiance with the words "under God" is not a government endorsement of religion. That's because no federal law requires students to recite it. The decision is in line with other federal appeals courts. The atheist who brought the case says he will appeal again.

Coolidge High School in Washington made Natalie Randolph its head football coach today. She is believed to be the only female head coach for a boys varsity high school football team. Randolph spent two years as an assistant coach at another D.C. high school. She played in a professional women's league.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hello again. I'm Rob Marciano in the CNN Severe Weather Center.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MARCIANO: Tony, that's all the good news we have in the weather department.

HARRIS: Have a great weekend, man. Appreciate it, Rob.

The more than 30,000 U.S. troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan leave from one fight to take on another, adapting to their new lives. One expert builder, our CNN Hero of the Week, is helping. Dan Wallrath (ph) spends his retirement giving wounded soldiers a place to call home.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SGT. ALEXANDER REYES, U.S. ARMY: Baghdad ended up being a hell of a ride. I sustained a very severe blast injury. My life just came to a complete halt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you doing? How's everything? You look sharp today.

REYES: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFED MALE: I've been building custom homes for 30 years. One of the most important things for a family is a home.

I want you to read a sign for me.

REYES: Future home of Sergeant Alexander Reyes, United States Army.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congratulations.

Giving these folks a new home means the world.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just thank you. That's all I can say.

DAN WALLRATH, CNN HERO OF THE WEEK: My name is Dan Wallrath. Five years ago, I had a friend of mine call me. A friend of his, his son had been injured in Iraq.

This is the day after he graduated from boot camp. He showed me some pictures. His son was a big strapping Marine. Then he showed me pictures of Steven in the hospital. It just broke my heart.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Steven was wheelchair-bound. We were going to have to remodel. I had no idea how I was going to pay for it. Dan just said we're going to take care of it. WALLRATH: We remodelled that home, and I realized this is not an isolated case. So, I went back to my builder buddies and said we've got to do something.

We build homes for returning heroes from Iraq and Afghanistan. The houses are mortgage-free. It changes the whole family's life. It gives them just a new start so that they can move forward.

These young men and women are doing this for you and me. How can I not help them?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: You know, so far Dan and his organization have completed homes for four veterans and begun construction on five more. To see how Dan found his inspiration or to nominate someone you think is changing the world, just go to CNN.com/heroes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: New York City agrees to pay more than $657 million to ground zero emergency workers. The settleme3nt goes before a Federal judge today. It must also be approved by more than 10,000 plaintiffs. They say they became sick from toxic fumes and dust at the World Trade Center site after the 9/11 attacks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm 52 years old, and they told me I've got lungs of a 90-year-old man.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Oh, boy. Legal analyst -- think about that for a second, Sunny Hostin of "In Session" on TruTV joins me from New York. Good to see you again Sunny. Good Friday to you, a compelling story here to be sure. It took, what, two years to negotiate this deal and now it goes before a Federal judge today. Sunny, the judge is going to approve this deal, right?

SUNNY HOSTIN, FMR. ASST. U.S. ATTORNEY IN D.C.: It appears that way. I think the question on everyone's mind, Tony, is was it really worth the wait? Six years of legal wrangling, two years as you mentioned just to negotiate this settlement. And in order for this really to work, 100 percent of the plaintiffs have to agree to participate in it.

HARRIS: Why 100 percent? What is that?

HOSTIN: -- 657.5. Well, it's interesting that you ask that. Under the terms of this settlement, if only 95 percent of the participants participate, the plaintiffs participate, they get $575 million. Now that will be, you know, divided around -- between 10,000 plaintiffs. And Again it's going to be a boon for the lawyers because the lawyers will probably get about a third of that. So when you look at it in terms of is it worth the wait, you've got people that will get anywhere between $1,000 for their injuries up to $1 to $2 million for their injuries so I would suspect that some of them will opt out of this class and still sue the city of New York.

HARRIS: Well, that was my next question. I'm wondering what are the conversations like today between some of these emergency rescue workers and their attorneys? I mean look, they're kicking this back and forth. Do we opt in or do we opt out?

HOSTIN: Exactly, because again, it really -- the compensation will be commensurate with what their injuries are. But if someone is really injured, we're hearing stories Tony of people that have cancer, a lot of respiratory illnesses, a lot of asthma-related illnesses. If they are really, really ill, would $5,000 suffice for that? But I will say this. There is a part of the settlement that will provide insurance and money for future illnesses, for perhaps, you know, cancer down the line. I think that is something that many of these plaintiffs will consider, because that will be very helpful at the end of the day.

HARRIS: You know, isn't fraud something the city has to protect against here, people filing fraudulent claims to get a piece of this pot?

HOSTIN: Absolutely. And the judge in this case, Judge Alvin Silverstein from the southern district of New York, a Federal judge, really has mentioned that and is concerned about that. I think what they are planning on doing in looking at some of the reports Tony and also reading some of the terms of the agreement, each plaintiff is going to have to submit proof of their participation in the cleanup and they will also have to present medical documentation of their injuries and of their illness. And this judge has said that he will review every single one of these plaintiffs, every single one of their claims, to make sure that there is no fraud here. That's unusual.

HARRIS: Sunny Hostin, legal analyst on "In Session," TruTV.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, good to see you, conflicted from childhood. All boy on the outside but on the inside, a little girl. A rare look at a life-long gender identity struggle.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Checking our top stories right now, President Obama delays a trip to Asia to focus on a final push for health care reform. A Democratic leadership source tells CNN the House Budget Committee will hold a key procedural vote Monday starting the reconciliation process.

Initial autopsy results suggest actor Corey Haim suffered from pulmonary congestion meaning his heart was enlarged and he had water in his lungs. The '80s teen star was found dead at his home earlier this week.

A lesbian high school student is suing her Mississippi school district trying to force it to reinstatement her prom. The dance was cancelled after she asked to bring her girlfriend. The student says many of her classmates are blaming her for the controversy.

In a ground-breaking documentary this weekend, CNN tells the story of a private choice with very public consequences. Steven Stanton had a wife, a son and an influential job, the city manager of Largo, Florida. Then a newspaper revealed he was planning to become a woman. He was fired and made a change he had been moving toward all his life. The CNN documentary "Her Name Was Steven" follows Steven's transition to become Susan. The journey goes back to early childhood.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVEN STANTON, UNDERWENT TRANSGENDER TRANSFORMATION: I was never attracted to dolls and pink things and all that stuff. I loved digging in the dirt. At that time was feeling very different from other kids, not knowing what I was feeling. You feel that the outside doesn't match the inside. In a very real way that is not easily understood.

So, I can't give a real good clinical definition of what a transsexual is, but for me at a very early age, I just knew that what was inside, this presence, this feeling of being somebody other than what I was on the outside was real and has been something I've struggled with for many years of my life. I started keeping journals I think when I was about eight or nine. I was writing about feeling a sense of two presence in me even at a small age and trying to understand how that worked. When I was a kid I used to equate it to never feeling alone but never having friends.

I got out of my grungy clothes and placed my dirty body in the soothing hot water. I lathered my legs, arms and chest with a thick coat of white soap. I looked at my body floating in the water and imagined I was a beautiful nurse. My legs looked so pretty and my arms so feminine, but I knew this was wrong. I was a boy, not a girl.

My dad was always distant. He worked very hard and very long. My dad made an OK salary. We were certainly not well off. My mom was a full-time mom. She was a homemaker. I remember sitting down while I had her attention. She was in the kitchen.

I asked her, mom, if I had been a girl who would my name have been? And she said without delay, it would have been Susan. When she said that, I can remember as soon as she said it would have been Susan, this explosive sound going off in my mind that my gosh, that is what its name is. That's what my name is and that's what I've been feeling for so many years. I just knew it to be true and it was just a powerful sensation that I could feel, even as a small child, that it's Susan. That it's Susan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: More on the difficult decision to go from male to female. I will be joined by someone making the change and helping others in the process. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: We are gearing up for CNN's ground-breaking documentary that premieres this weekend. It follows one man's journey to become a woman. My next guest is on a similar journey. This is him before turning his life around and here she is now, Elizabeth Crankshaw joining me from Birmingham, Alabama. Elizabeth, good to see you. Thanks for taking the time and making the trip. It's good to have you here. How long now have you been living your life as a woman?

ELIZABETH CRANKSHAW, UNDERWENT TRANSGENDER TRANSFORMATION: Five years now.

HARRIS: Five years. If you would, describe your journey. When did you begin to feel conflicted about your gender identity and how did that conflict sort of manifest itself in your life?

CRANKSHAW: I grew up in California and I really didn't notice that much variation between boys and girls until puberty hit. And I'm sitting there watching a girl next door and her body change and it's like, OK, when is my body going to start changing that way? And when it started changing, you know, as a boy going into manhood, it was like the wrong direction.

HARRIS: Did you see it in your words changing in your view the wrong direction. Did you feel tormented, your body telling you one thing as your mind is saying just the opposite?

CRANKSHAW: Yes. And you kind of go up and down in your feelings. The problem is every time you go up, then you come down but you don't quite go all the way back down so it constantly adds to itself. And the feeling of who you are compared to who you're presenting as, the conflict just grows to the point where you just have to do something about it.

HARRIS: You've been married, correct?

CRANKSHAW: That's correct.

HARRIS: Can I ask you why you got married? Weren't you having these sort of gender identity thoughts as you were dating, courting, marrying, now your ex-wife?

CRANKSHAW: Yes. You tend to develop -- you try to talk yourself out of it. You're saying that because you find somebody that you care about, you sit there and you try to convince yourself that this is going to be the perfect -- you know, the perfect girlfriend, the perfect wife, keep those feelings at bay and you can be who you're supposed to be. But like I said, it just -- it slowly builds back up on you and it comes out and you have to do something about it. And it got to the point where my ex-wife and I were basically living as roommates because I could not tell her who I was, so I was constantly guarded, constantly hiding behind the facade of being her husband, being a man.

HARRIS: Are you considering gender reassignment surgery?

CRANKSHAW: Yes, I am. I'm actually in the process. HARRIS: You're in the process?

CRANKSHAW: Well, I transitioned five years ago, living full- time as a woman. I started hormones six years ago.

HARRIS: I hear it's pretty expensive. Is it in the neighborhood of $15 to, what, $25,000 and it's not covered by insurance?

CRANKSHAW: That's correct.

HARRIS: That's a big hurdle to leap over. And you're moving forward, correct?

CRANKSHAW: I am slowly but surely trying to move forward. It's kind of hard to do that and continue to support my house and my life.

HARRIS: One more question for you. Living your sexual identity in, you know, small town, Huntsville, Alabama, how has the community responded to you? You're smiling. To you and your work with the north Alabama gender center?

CRANKSHAW: Actually the response has been remarkable. When I decided to go full-time, I had the greatest fear of losing my family, losing my friends, losing my job. And where would I -- you know, where would I be, where would I go, would I end up being homeless? But I slowly came out, came out to my family first and my sister was very accepting. So was my father, which was very surprising and I'm very grateful for. And my brother's trying to do his best to understand, but he's also been very supportive.

HARRIS: Well, Elizabeth, appreciate it. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us.

CRANKSHAW: You're quite welcome. Thank you.

HARRIS: And sharing some insights on your life.

And, of course, you will hear more on this on CNN's Saturday and Sunday night, a popular local official with a secret ignites a national media firestorm. A private choice, a very public consequence. CNN's broadcast premiere of "Her Name was Steven," Saturday and Sunday night, 8:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

You know, if you're a parent, then you know getting your kids to eat their vegetables can be an epic struggle. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta found a school cafeteria in Georgia offering vegetarian options for lunch, with surprising success.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tofu dogs, black bean burgers, soy chicken patties, not a typical diet for most teens, but a Berkmar middle school in Millburn, Georgia, the kids don't seem to care.

ALISHA ZARIWALLA, BERKMAR MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT: I like the vegetarian chicken nuggets and the vegetarian corn dogs.

CHRISTOPHER HOLMES, BERKMAR MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT: I eat the grilled cheese sandwiches and apples and sometimes I'll eat the veggie burger.

GUTPA: Berkmar is just one of the Gwinnett County schools that offers vegetarian options in the lunch line. And the kids are voting vegetarian at a surprising rate.

KAREN CRAWFORD, NUTRITION EDUCATION COORDINATOR: It's estimated around 3 percent of teens are vegetarians, which is around 5,000 students for us.

GUPTA: Now some of the kids eat vegetarian for religious reasons, but many of these 10 to 12-year-olds say they choose it for health reasons.

CINDY HERNANDEZ, MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT: I went to the doctor and I was 10 pounds overweight. Since the doctor said that could be more -- a faster way when I grow up I could die faster, so my mom didn't like this, so she started making more healthy food, and actually made me lose those 10 pounds.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Because I want to stay healthy and have a healthy life.

GUPTA: All in all, Gwinnett County schools have served close to 500,000 vegetarian meals in this last year alone. And Karen Crawford hopes the habits they learned now will stay with them for a lifetime.

CRAWFORD: We know that nutrition profoundly affects, you know, how kids -- their ability to learn and grow and maintain a healthy lifestyle and it's important to teach them these lessons when they're young.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Here's what we're working on for the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM. After six years of legal wrangling, a settlement for recovery workers who became ill after 9/11, it is finally before a judge. We will break down how many millions are at stake and how many people are affected.

And after using bankruptcy proceedings to thin its dealer ranks, General Motors has decided to reinstate hundreds of those who filed for arbitration. We will talk with a GM dealer not quite ready to pop the champagne just yet.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: You know, when it comes to getting our economy back on track, a lot depends on you and me. And Wall Street has two new reports that show how shoppers are feeling these days. Stephanie Elam is in New York with details. This had been -- I tell you, the news had better be positive here, or it's going to be tough on the messenger. What are we hearing about consumer spender, Stephanie?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It's up to you to do some spending, Tony, so actually we're just going to bring it back to you and say it's all your fault if things don't work out. But you're right. It is important. We really do need people to spend, that's two-thirds of the economic driver in the country, consumer spending and if people and businesses do not start doing that and making some investments, this economy does not stand a chance.

Here's where we stand today. A new report shows retail sales unexpectedly rose last month, gain not huge, just 0.3 of a percent, but it's the biggest increase since November. That's key, because November and December, those holiday months, those are when people usually do their spending and so obviously this is good news.

Also encouraging the report shows people spent money in a wide variety of places, appliance and department stores, furniture stores, sales at restaurants and bars were up, too, a sign that we're eating out a bit more often. But we'll have to wait to see if the trend holds up. That's because another report shows consumer sentiment dipped a bit this month and investors taking it in stride.

Do flat-line dancing, fairly above the flat-line. Nasdaq, fairly below the flat-line. So lots of flat-line dancing today.

HARRIS: Why did anybody show up? That's all we got going?

ELAM: Not a lot of drivers this weekend. We'll see on Monday.