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President Obama's New Plan for the Economy; Getting an Education Without a Classroom; Reports of Two Bull Sharks in Potomac River; U.S. Coast Guard Rescue near Charleston, South Carolina
Aired September 05, 2010 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: President Barack Obama's new plan to re-energize the economy. A White House official reveals a key provision days before it is unveiled.
And getting an education without setting foot in a classroom. Public schools across the U.S. are offering online lessons. The pros and cons of cyber schools.
And reports of two massive bull sharks in the Potomac River. Why are they there?
Hello, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Welcome to the NEWSROOM.
An amazing rescue off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina. Take a look at these images we're just getting. After a harrowing night and some 20 hours in the rough seas, seven people are safe today. Overnight the U.S. Coast Guard spotted them by moonlight about 25 miles off the coast. They were simply bobbing in the water.
Petty officer second class Ben Rosen is an aviation electronics technician with the U.S. Coast Guard based in Savannah, Georgia. He's joining us by phone right now. He was onboard the Coast Guard helicopter that actually spotted them. So give me an idea how you knew these folks were a, in trouble and then how you were able to locate them.
BEN ROSEN, PETTY OFC. 2ND CLASS, U.S. COAST GUARD (ON THE PHONE): How you doing, Fredricka? Well, we received a report at about midnight from our sector, our command center. They had called us saying they received a report from a woman who stated her husband as well as six others had not returned back home at the time they were scheduled to.
So that time we launched from our air facility in Charleston, four-man crew, a pilot, co-pilot, myself, my mechanic and the rescue swimmer in our MH-65 helicopter. We arrived on scene. We searched for about six hours before we had located the survivors.
WHITFIELD: Now, by the time you located them, a, we know that because of the storms that passed the area in the past few days meant for very rough seas. How dangerous of a rescue was this about to be once you spotted them?
ROSEN: Honestly, the search conditions were ideal. The seas by this time, they were more calm. The biggest aspect was the fact that we didn't actually have a location of where the survivors were, and it was very dark. There wasn't very much illumination. So our biggest task was just finding them. It's hard to find a person in the middle of the ocean because you don't really know where to start exactly.
So the sector did a good job of getting us in the right area. While we were conducting our search pattern - actually our last search pattern we were conducting, one of our legs of our searches, and out of the left hand side of the helicopter just happened that the moon, I guess, was reflecting off the water at just the right angle. It made it very obvious that I could see some kind of debris of some sort in the water.
So at that time we made a right hand turn and our pilot confirmed that there was people in the water and he could see the bowel of the vessel sticking out about three feet or so.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. So the vessel barely visible. Now, these seven people, they were all wearing life vests, is that correct?
ROSEN: Yes, ma'am, they were. That's something that really helped them get through that 20 hours out there. The life vests as well as staying together. They did a real good job of - with their life skills there. Just saving themselves, having the life jackets and staying together is very important.
WHITFIELD: And there were children among the seven?
ROSEN: Yes, ma'am. There were three children. I don't know their ages exactly, but the one I would guess, he was no more than seven years old. The other two were maybe 12 or 13 years old.
WHITFIELD: Wow. And what kind of condition were they in once they got in the helicopter?
ROSEN: From what I could see, just obviously they were exhausted from being in the water that long and the two boys, they had been stung by a jellyfish numerous times. Other than that, though, as far as I could tell, they were just happy to be out of the water at that point.
WHITFIELD: I bet. How long do you suppose they had been in the water?
ROSEN: From the reports we received their vessel sank at approximately 10:00 a.m. yesterday morning and we arrived on scene, found them at 6:00 this morning. So approximately 20 hours.
WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh. That's incredible. Well, thank goodness that they're OK. I understand that they're all being treated or have been treated at a nearby hospital in the Charleston area.
ROSEN: Yes. I know - I don't know what their conditions are at this time, but I know for a fact the five survivors we had on our helicopter, they arrived at the hospital via ambulance from our air facility and the other two survivors were taken directly to the hospital. But other than that I don't know their conditions.
WHITFIELD: Wow, how incredible. Well, they were lucky that you and your crew were able to spot them and thankfully they're all OK now. So Coast Guard Petty Officer Ben Rosen, thanks so much for your time. I appreciate that.
ROSEN: Thank you, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Our Jacqui Jeras is in the weather center. You've been saying that, you know, with the waters the way they have been particularly as this tropical storm, once Hurricane Earl, went through, it would be treacherous out there.
But thankfully at least for the Coast Guard, he said that while they rescued it seemed like it was calm.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes.
WHITFIELD: But we still don't know exactly why their vessel capsized or got into trouble.
JERAS: Amazing.
WHITFIELD: They are also lucky.
JERAS: Wow, 20 hours in the water. A seven-year-old. I can't even imagine. And that they searched for them for six hours, you know, in the dark. It's really a miracle that they were able to find these guys.
WHITFIELD: It really is. Extraordinary story.
JERAS: Thankfully, they're all OK. Though seas are a little bit calmer, and I did query some of the buoys in this area here off South Carolina to get a better idea of what the wave heights are doing. And there you can see, they're about two feet. So that's not bad. The water temperature about 82, 83 degrees or so. So that's pretty comfortable. And you probably wouldn't get hypothermia or anything like that in those types of conditions. That's why they were able to be OK and stay out there for as long as they have.
Now even though some of these wave heights have been dying down, the threat of rip currents remains very strong and high from New England stretching all the way down to the Florida Coast. It's a high to moderate threat today. There were over 100 rescues yesterday off Florida beaches. And we do expect that some of those rescues have been taking place today as well.
Tomorrow, of course, the Labor day holiday. And we know you want to get in the water. The threat diminished a little bit tomorrow, but you still want to use a lot of caution and check those flags at area beaches. Don't swim alone. Make sure that there is a lifeguard in the beach if you think you're going to get in that water or not. OK. Those are the Atlantic Coast beaches.
What are the Gulf Coast beaches doing this holiday weekend? Well, we got a frontal boundary right in this area that's kind of parked. And that's been the focus of showers and thunder showers. It's been kind of spelling some lousy weather for you across central and southern parts of Florida.
We got some airport delays in Miami because of it. We also have this area of low pressure down here in the Bay of Campeche. And there's a high chance this is going to develop into our next tropical system. National Hurricane Center putting a 60 percent chance that this could happen in the next couple of days. But best estimates is that it's going to move this way, maybe into northern Mexico, maybe into southern parts of Texas. But either way you slice this thing it's going to be a rainmaker. It's just going to be heavy rain for south Texas and the parts of the Rio Valley.
Big picture for Monday, Memorial Day holiday, high pressure controlling across the east. It's been the best weekend we've had in a long time with the exception of the rip current threat. And then we'll be focusing in on the upper Midwest for the threat of severe weather. So keep that in mind for late in the day for any barbecue plans and things like that. Overall, you can't complain too much. We'll talk a little bit more about the rest of the forecast coming up.
WHITFIELD: Very good. We'll look for that. Thanks so much, Jacqui. Appreciate it.
WHITFIELD: President Barack Obama has a new $100 million plan to boost the economy. Administration officials tell our Ed Henry that the proposal will be unveiled Wednesday in Cleveland, and it will include the extension of a tax credit for businesses.
A new CNN opinion research poll shows just how pessimistic people are about the economy. Eight out of 10 Americans think economic conditions are poor. And here, who, right now is being blamed. 44 percent choose Republicans. 35 percent say Democrats. 16 percent blame both. President Obama talked about the hard times in his weekly White House address. He also talked about efforts to pull the economy out of its tailspin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The steps we've taken to date have stopped the bleeding, investments of roads and bridges and high-speed railroads that will lead to hundreds of thousands of jobs in the private sector, emergency steps to prevent the layoffs of hundreds of thousands of teachers and firefighters and police officers, and tax cuts and loans for small business owners who create most of the jobs in this country.
We also ended the tax loophole that encouraged companies to create jobs overseas. Instead, I'm fighting to pass a law to provide tax breaks to the folks who create jobs right here in America. But strengthening our economy means more than that. We're fighting to build an economy in which middle class families can afford to send their kids to college, buy a home, save for retirement, and achieve some measure of economic security when their working days are done. Over the last two years that has meant taking on some powerful interests who had been dominating the agenda in Washington for far too long. That's why we put an end to the wasteful subsidies to big banks that provide student loans. We're going to use that money instead to make college more affordable for students. That's why we're making it easier for workers to save for retirement with new ways of saving their tax refunds and a simpler system for enrolling in retirement plans like 401(k)s.
And we're going to keep up the fight to protect social security for generations to come. That's why we stopped insurance companies from refusing to cover people with pre-existing conditions and dropping folks who become seriously ill. And that's why we cut taxes for 95 percent of working families and passed a law to help make sure women earn equal pay for equal work in the United States of America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And be sure to stay with CNN for complete coverage of the president's planned speech for Wednesday in Cleveland. Revealing his new economic plan.
President Obama's small business jobs bill has won a backing of a key group, the National Small Business Association. Today on CNN's "State of the Union" NSBA head Todd McCracken said the bill, "will free up a lot of credit for small companies at a low cost to the government." Many of those companies are struggling to get access to cash and credit. CNN's Kate Bolduan has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My second floor was a showroom for the high-end -
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We met Denise Demoore nine months ago as she was closing down Capitol Hill Bikes in Washington after nine years in business. A victim of the recession.
DENISE DEMOORE, SMALL BUSINESS OWNER: A lack of cash, I couldn't support the real estate anymore.
BOLDUAN: That was then. This is now. Demoore has re-opened what she describes as a leaner, meaner operation in a much smaller space. The good news, customers are starting to come back, but Demoore says she, like other small businesses, is still facing the same challenges that got her in a tough spot to begin with. Access to cash and credit.
(on camera): The last time that we spoke you said we need ready access.
DEMOORE: Easy access to cash. To support some cash flow through the hard times.
BOLDUAN: Is your message the same today?
DEMOORE: Absolutely. Absolutely.
BOLDUAN (voice-over): It's something President Obama is trying to show he's tackling, urging Congress Friday to move forward on a bill designed to help small business, including a $30 billion lending fund to help ease credit and $12 billion in tax breaks.
OBAMA: One thing we have a responsibility to do right now is lift to up our small businesses which accounted for over 60 percent of job losses in the final months of last year.
BOLDUAN: Economic policy analyst Anne Mathias says the measure will help, but it's no silver bullet.
ANNE MATHIAS, DIR. OF POLICY RESEARCH, CONCEPT CAPITAL: It's not going to bring a rush of people into stores to buy whatever it is these different small businesses have to offer, but it will help. It will help kind of at the back end.
DEMOORE: Perfect. You look like a cyclist.
BOLDUAN (on camera): Yes.
(voice-over): In the meantime, Denise Demoore says she has adapted to tough times and is looking forward to making it through another bicycle season.
(on camera): But remember, we're heading into election season here in Washington. Congress is set to return in just over a week, and even if the small business bill passes quickly, midterm elections are fast approaching, leaving little time for the measure's impact to be felt before voters head to the polls.
Kate Bolduan, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: We'll explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Students going to school at home online? Virtual education may seem like a futuristic concept, but it's a growing trend around the country and CNN's Ted Rowlands shows us how it works.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 15-year-old Christina Schultz and her 11-year-old brother, Jonathan, are showing off their commute to school. Down the stairs and into their separate classrooms. Once they get online, they're at school.
(on camera): Kristina and Jonathan may attend school at home but they're not home schooled. There's a big difference. They actually attend a public charter school through the computer. They have quizzes and tests and lesson plans which are all delivered from teachers through the computer. It's a public school so it's free to attend. In fact, all of the equipment that they need is paid for by taxpayers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good morning, everybody.
ROWLANDS (voice-over): About 90 miles from Kristina's house in Los Angeles, Lisa Giesbrecht begins the first day of algebra class from her home in Lake Ellsinore, California.
My name is Mrs. Giesbrecht and I am one of the three algebra 2 teachers.
ROWLANDS: Kristina's other teachers are spread across the state. As for the students, watch this map light up when Mrs. Giesbrecht asks her algebra students to mark where they each live with a star.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow, we have a lot of southern California students.
ROWLANDS: Kristina is one of about 200 students in class. Mrs. Giesbrecht teaches using a combination of her voice, PowerPoint-type graphics and this cyber chalk board which students see on their screen as she writes and explain the days lesson.
GIESBRECHT: It's amazing the kid of interaction that we're able to have. You can put quizzes inside of your presentation.
ROWLANDS: Students can ask questions through a chat panel the teacher sees on her screen. They can get extra help through e-mail and phone calls with their teachers. Lessons are recorded for students to watch when they want which is what Jonathan is doing with this Spanish class.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And one, up.
ROWLANDS: Jonathan is a competitive ice skater, practicing for two hours a day every morning going to school online allows him to pursue his skating. He's also an advanced student, an 11-year-old student a freshman in high school, which on-line school also caters to.
JONATHAN SCHULTZ, VIRTUAL ED HIGH SCHOOL FRESHMAN: It allows you to work at your own pace. So you can do the math problems in 20 minutes rather than waiting for the whole class to finish, it really works well.
ROWLANDS: But it doesn't work without a parent or someone supervising. Jonathan, for instance, likes to play video games so mom usually camps out close enough so she can see his computer.
Across the country, 27 states currently offer some level of full time online public school. Critics say kids miss out on the social aspects of going to school. Kristina says she does meet kids online but -
KRISTINA SCHULTZ, VIRTUAL ED HIGH SCHOOL SOPHOMORE: You don't really get to know them. Yes.
ROWLANDS (on camera): Is that something that you miss?
SCHULTZ: I would say yeah, a little bit because I was always one to make, like, a lot of friends in elementary school. But I mean, yes, you miss it.
MAUREEN SCHULTZ, VIRTUAL ED STUDENTS MOTHER: They're not sitting in a classroom every day, so they're not sitting amongst their peers, so they're not getting that type of social interaction, but when you hear the stories of what goes on sometimes in classrooms you say, oh, this is also a good thing that they're not sitting around with other kids who are influencing them in possibly negative ways.
ROWLANDS (voice-over): The Schultz family does have some proof that this works.
(on camera): This is Kristina and Jonathan's older sister, Jennifer. She also went to school online from the fifth grade through high school. Now she's here at UFC. You feel as though online education works. Why?
JENNIFER SCHULTZ, VIRTUAL ED HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE: I think the structure of the school is a lot more similar to college than a regular school. I attended lecture once a week and then the rest of the readings were up to me. So I think I'm really well acclimated to college already.
ROWLANDS (voice-over): Jennifer was the valedictorian of her online graduating class of 450 students. Kids she met for the first time at this graduation ceremony.
(on camera): Give us something that you think you did miss out on though.
JENNIFER SCHULTZ: I really did miss out on the traditional social aspect of high school, like running to classes, eating lunch in the cafeteria and just the interaction between people on a day-to-day basis.
ROWLANDS (voice-over): A study released last year by the Department of Education concluded that online learning is as effective as learning in a traditional classroom setting, at least in terms of academics. As different as it may seem, the formula for success online is the same as it is in class. Students need to work hard, have lots of support from home and they need good teachers.
GIESBRECHT: All right. Thanks, guy, you have a great day.
ROWLANDS: No matter where they may be.
Ted Rowlands, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: OK. Get a load of this. A man calls 911 with an extremely unusual request. That story's coming up in the "Chat Room." It includes hot chocolate. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories right now.
It's a big week for President Obama. He's expected to outline a new plan to help the economy during a stop in Ohio. And administration officials say the $100 billion proposal includes permanently extending a popular tax credit for businesses and it would be paid for by closing other corporate tax breaks.
Kate Bolduan will be live in about 30 minutes from now to tell us more about the details of the president's proposal.
And new developments on the Middle East peace front. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is extending a new olive branch plant to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. He told his cabinet today that he wants to hold one-on-one discussions with Abbas every two weeks. The two men met in Washington last week to resume talks aimed at ending the long-running conflict.
There it is. BP's now infamous failed blowout preventer as it was raised to the surface in the Gulf of Mexico. Investigators with the Department of Justice are going to comb over every inch of it for clues about what might have caused the world's largest oil disaster. BP installed a replacement blowout preventer on the now plugged Macondo well on Friday.
All right. Now, enter the "Chat Room." This is the time that Jacqui Jeras and I get a chance to talk about all those weird things that are not on radar but we think should be, including a strange situation, a strange 911 call. It was strange before the 911 call out in Oregon.
JERAS: Well, yes, neighbors had been calling because there was quite a bit of noise apparently from the hot tub, and eventually the call -
WHITFIELD: Of someone's house.
JERAS: Yes, went to 911 with a man who apparently was in the hot tub and said all he wanted was, what, a hot chocolate, some towels and a hug.
WHITFIELD: So he needed a little compassion. We do believe, police report that he was a homeless man and so they did arrest him, sadly, because they did, you know, respond to the call. He did call 911 after all. They didn't have that hot cocoa for him.
JERAS: And improper use of 911.
WHITFIELD: Pardon?
JERAS: He was cited for improper use of 911 as well. So we wouldn't recommend this one at home.
WHITFIELD: Yes. Let's take a listen to what we have.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) VOICE OF MARK ESKELSEN, BEAVERTON OREGON 911 CALL: You're sure you don't need any medical help started at this point?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir, I'm positive. I just need a hug and warm cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows in it. I don't think I need medical help, no.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: You got to have the marshmallows in the hot chocolate. It's the only way to go.
JERAS: Who doesn't want a hot chocolate and a hug, right?
WHITFIELD: I know it.
JERAS: Come on. It makes life better.
WHITFIELD: Sadly, you know, trespassing, he did face that charge.
JERAS: Oh, wow.
WHITFIELD: All right. Let's move on to Texas where you know, everything is big in Texas, including the state fairs. And that means the food is a big deal as well. Getting creative with the food. And boy, are they creative. Everything has to be fried.
JERAS: Right. I thought everything had to be on a stick but apparently everything this year everything has to be fried. The list is unbelievable.
WHITFIELD: Fried lemonade for one. Look at this, we got a great list here. OK. So deep fried S'mores Pop tart.
JERAS: Deep fried frozen margarita.
WHITFIELD: Which apparently is made from a batter, like a funnel cake batter that has the margarita ingredients in it so hence the margarita flavor but I don't know about the frozen part. A fried club salad. Boy, that's an oxymoron, right?
JERAS: Well, no, apparently what they do is they put everything in like a spinach wrap kind of tortilla whatever and then you deep fry the whole thing.
WHITFIELD: Yes, but you usually, you know, lean toward the salads to slice off calories. Now you've got a whole lot of calories extra.
JERAS: Yes. If it's fried, they're eating it.
WHITFIELD: Are you a beer drinker?
JERAS: Used to be.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: If it's fried?
JERAS: No.
WHITFIELD: They've got not too. Fried beer as well. It's kind of putting it in a pretzel pocket and then deep frying - that does not sound good at all.
JERAS: Doesn't. Fried chocolate, you might get me on that one.
WHITFIELD: Really?
JERAS: I don't know. Maybe.
WHITFIELD: I'd like to hear the ingredients on that one. I like my chocolate JUST plain old chocolate.
JERAS: It's just chocolate.
WHITFIELD: But now it's got to be deep fried.
JERAS: Maybe like a deep fried crust with melted chocolate in the middle?
WHITFIELD: It could be good. It could be good.
JERAS: All right. This is my favorite one because you know that I'm kind of a germaphobe, right? Everybody knows. I'm the one with the hand sanitizer like doing the key boards and the mouse and everything around the station. So you know, you go to restaurants and you see the grade that they get, right, for safety? 98 percent, we got an "A" they have to post it legally.
WHITFIELD: Yes, probably post it.
JERAS: Well, The L.A. County Department of Health apparently put out a survey to try and get an idea of just how safe and clean people's kitchens are at home.
WHITFIELD: So you can be a snob when you go to the restaurant, say it must be clean, but when it comes to my own kitchen, oh boy.
JERAS: Apparently, your standards might be a little different there.
WHITFIELD: Interesting criteria here or discoveries they made. I know the print is very fine. 27 percent of reported not storing partially cooked foods that would not be used immediately in their refrigerator before final cooking. Leaving things out too long. 28 percent did not remove all of their jewelry from their hands or did not keep their fingernails trimmed when cooking.
You know what - she's giving me that look like that's disgusting. But you know what, I have - I never take my wedding ring of almost ever, right? So I'm stirring with my wedding ring on and I just had a nice manicure perhaps.
WHITFIELD: I'm envisioning fingernails - (CROSSTALK)
JERAS: Manicured. I don't know. The other (INAUDIBLE) I thought, 26 percent report that their kitchen shelves and cabinet were not clean and free from dust.
WHITFIELD: I can see how that can happen. This is a questionnaire. So we're assuming people are being honest.
JERAS: Yes, I know.
WHITFIELD: It's some interesting stuff. Let's see here. Working thermometer inside the refrigerator? I mean, when's the last time I checked the thermometer in my refrigerator? I'd be guilty of that one.
JERAS: We have a digital one on the outside.
WHITFIELD: You're covered.
JERAS: As long as that's working properly, right? But the worst of the worst is the percentage of people reporting flies, cockroaches and rodents.
WHITFIELD: Oh, yuck.
JERAS: It's under 10 percent.
WHITFIELD: OK. Now, well we've made everyone kind of lose their appetite on this Labor Day weekend as they you know fire up the grill, put on those burgers.
JERAS: Make sure you cook it to 160.
WHITFIELD: Now you're wondering if things have been left out to long or if that --
JERAS: Well you know holiday weekend, like potato salad and stuff, a lot of people get food poisoning over the holidays because they leave the mayonnaise out, potato salad out.
WHITFIELD: Don't be one of the 28 percent who do that.
JERAS: They make coolers for a reason.
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much. We'll see you again later as we talk more about the Labor Day weekend weather as well.
JERAS: Sure.
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much.
All right. Meantime, is that food sitting in the back of your pantry or refrigerator out of date? We're still on the food kind of thing here. Or is it still good? Many of us may be throwing out hundreds of dollars worth of food every year for no reason apparently. Coming up at 5:00 Eastern Time, we'll tell you what those expiration dates really mean and how to decipher good food from the bad stuff.
It's the kind of scare that inspired the movie "Jaws." But these sharks were actually swimming in freshwater instead of the ocean. We'll explore.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Could be something out of the pages of a horror story. Sharks found not in the ocean but in the fresh water of the Potomac River. That one right there allegedly found in the Potomac River just last week. Fishermen claim they found not one, but actually two bull sharks. Bull sharks are among the most dangerous sharks to humans due to their aggressive natures and their ability to tolerate, actually, fresh river water. The experts rank them right up there with great whites and tiger sharks. The catch has unsettled residents along the Chesapeake Bay.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTY HENDERSON, MARINA OWNER: I was like, oh my gosh, my granddaughter was just swimming there two weeks ago.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): This is one of the four most aggressive sharks on the East coast. This is the one that attacks people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Oh boy. Let's bite down on this topic, so to speak. Robert Hueter is in Tampa, Florida. He's a shark expert with the Mote Marine Laboratory. Good to see you. Are we looking at the jaws of a bull shark?
ROBERT HUETER, MOTE MARINE LABORATORY: Yes, these are jaws from a bull shark about the same size as the one that was reported --
WHITFIELD: Oh boy.
HUETER: Or two that were reported taken from the Potomac. So you can see how formidable those choppers are.
WHITFIELD: Oh my goodness. OK. So how rare is this for a bull shark to find its way not just in the Potomac River but any freshwater river?
HUETER: Well, bull sharks are actually a species that are able to come into freshwater. It's very unusual for sharks, but this is one species that can. They've been found, for example, up the Mississippi River as far north as Illinois.
WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh.
HUETER: So they are able to come into the Chesapeake Bay, getting all the way up to the Maryland side, though, is very uncommon.
WHITFIELD: So I would imagine now the experts in that area, marine biologists, et cetera, might be trying to figure out how in the world might this shark made its way from the Atlantic Ocean through the Chesapeake Bay, perhaps, into the Potomac River. Is this going to be a difficult path to nail down?
HUETER: Well, it will, but the fact that more than one of these now have been caught, apparently, indicates that there may be others sharks around. There may be other bull sharks around. What they're doing there, who knows. They may be feeding on rays that have been reported to be a little bit more common up in the Chesapeake Bay in recent years.
WHITFIELD: Oh boy. So the rays are plentiful, so in other words the bull sharks are going to do OK as long as they don't end up on somebody's hook? Meaning they'll survive?
HUETER: Well exactly. From the shark's perspective I guess that's true.
WHITFIELD: Oh boy. What do you recommend to people who are, you know, boating, swimming? I've been water skiing in the Potomac River and a shark was nothing that crossed my mind. What do you tell people now about their approach to the Potomac River or even the Chesapeake Bay?
HUETER: I grew up in that area actually. I still have relatives there. I just talked to my cousin. He said 60 years they've never seen any shark activity there. So I think, you know, people need to be cautious. Seeing a couple of these sharks around, and they are dangerous species, there's no question about it. Seeing a couple species around, swimmers need to exercise caution I think as the rest of the summer rides out.
WHITFIELD: So what do you do say you are in the water and you do see a fin and you are thinking, oh my gosh, maybe this is one of those bull sharks. What do you do, if anything?
HUETER: There's really not much you can do at that point except try to stay calm.
WHITFIELD: That's going to be easy.
HUETER: Well, try to think of something else I guess.
WHITFIELD: The whole finger in the eye kind of thing if you end up being that close?
HUETER: Well --
WHITFIELD: Too risky.
HUETER: That's really, you know, that really is like last resort. Hopefully you never even see one and hopefully it doesn't come to that. Actually these animals have very, very rough skin. So using your hands at the end can really cause some severe abrasions. If that's all you've got left to do, go ahead and do it.
WHITFIELD: So if you try to figure out the psychology, whether it be these two bull sharks or maybe there are more, does it have something to do with, perhaps, the food source, what they are not finding in the Atlantic, that would drive them to go to the bay or fresh waters, or does it have something to do with simply the weather that we've seen with the tropical storms pushing them?
HUETER: Well, it's possible that the weather conditions have moved animals a little bit further inland. I guess that's not a bad idea, but you know, as I said before, these sharks are able to get into freshwater areas, and coming up into the bay is not that unexpected. Being caught, though, is unusual. They probably are feeding, though, on rays or other fish that are abundant there and as long as there's food, the sharks will stay there.
WHITFIELD: Wow. You realize you have not comforted anybody in the mid Atlantic area.
HUETER: Yes. I know that. I guess in this case, though, I do believe that people need to exercise some caution in that area where a lot of people do swim in the summer months.
WHITFIELD: Yes, your feeling is that if there are two then there really are more, huh?
HUETER: Yes, but keep this in mind that we have bull sharks in Florida, too, and you know, it's very, very uncommon for anyone to get bitten by them. When there's a bite, it's pretty serious, but it's very, very uncommon. So just exercise some common sense.
WHITFIELD: OK. Robert Hueter thanks so much, joining us from Tampa, Florida. Thanks for informing us, but I know this is making a whole lot of people rather nervous now. This is just the way it is, right?
HUETER: That's the way it is. This Labor Day weekend I guess.
WHITFIELD: That's right. All right, thanks so much. You have a great rest of the holiday weekend. Appreciate that.
All right. Jacqui Jeras now in the Weather Center. One more reason for us not to get in the water? You gave us a litany of reasons earlier. And now I'm like, OK, forget it.
JERAS: You know, Jacqui Jeras tells you to stay out of the water because of rip currents, eh, we'll see, Fredricka tells you about the sharks, I'm out. Fred's making up a logical explanation in hopes there are only two.
WHITFIELD: Can it be?
JERAS: It's got to be because of the storm.
WHITFIELD: Let's just hope it's not a giant school. Anyway, what do you have for us?
JERAS: We do have that rip current threat like I was talking about and that is still up and down the East coast. It's a moderate risk through today. Tomorrow it's going to wane a little bit. Just watch those flags at area beaches tomorrow. That's the best advice that I can give to you. Don't swim alone and make sure that you're at a beach that actually has a lifeguard that can swim and can come and rescue you should something happen.
Gulf coast beaches of course a very popular destination over the holiday weekend as well. We have this stationary boundary in place here that has been focusing showers and thunder storms. Seas are a little bit rough here. We're getting mostly coastal showers and storms. Most concentrated here across parts of Florida. We have got some airport delays to by the way out of Miami; there you can see them, about 30 minutes. These are departure delays and it is because it's taking a little bit longer because of those showers and thunderstorms. They continue to be out there.
We're also monitoring an area of disturbing weather in the bay of Campeche. The National Hurricane Center has put a high chance that something's going to develop out of that the next couple days. All right. Weather could be a little bit better for you across the upper Midwest. Nothing severe here today, but this is part of the next weather system that is pulling in here. As that strong cold front reaches up with that warmer, more humid air from the south we're expecting a risk of severe thunderstorms which includes you from Minneapolis through Des Moines down toward Kansas City. Probably going to stay west of you hopefully in Chicago or maybe come in late at night on Monday. So be aware of that.
Heavy rain and thunderstorms across south Florida, primarily due to that remnant low. Much cooler conditions come in across the Pacific northwest, but ahead of this system those temperatures are going to start to heat up a little bit more, again, so I hope you enjoyed your little bit of break. It's going to be 94 again in Dallas, 91 in Kansas City, Chicago looks great, 85. Look at those temperatures up and down the East coast. Makes you want to feel like a beach weekend, but sharks something can pool.
WHITFIELD: The pool it's going to be.
JERAS: We had the story a while back about the chemicals in the public pools.
WHITFIELD: We have to perk folks up. It's going to be all right. Maybe a hot tub and some hot chocolate.
JERAS: And marshmallows.
WHITFIELD: Now we're talking. Maybe a little fried margarita while we're at it. OK. We have to be out of here.
Let's talk now about something else that's happened if you happen to be checking the Internet lately. Adult ads, they've been pulled off the Internet. A major move by Craigslist in particular. Coming up, we'll exam the free speech implications of this decision.
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WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories now. President Barack Obama is set to release a new $100 billion proposal to boost the economy. An administration official tells CNN that it will be unveiled Wednesday during a speech in Cleveland.
And in a new CNN Opinion Research Poll, people are split on who is to blame for the economy, 44 percent say the Republicans, 35 percent say the Democrats are the problem and 16 percent say both share the blame.
As many as 12 people are dead after a suicide attack on an Iraqi military base in Baghdad. Several suicide bombers took part in the assault. The attack comes less than a week after the U.S. officially ended combat operations in Iraq and turned over that responsibility to Iraqi forces.
And the popular website Craigslist has blocked its adult services section. It has been under pressure for years to pull the adult ads. Some state attorneys general accused Craigslist of promoting prostitution. We're now waiting for an official statement from company representatives.
And the move by Craigslist highlights the debate over freedom of speech online and the responsibilities of website owners. Earlier I talked with Attorney Evan Brown who specializes in Internet law.
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EVAN BROWN, ATTORNEY: Craigslist is in a very difficult spot. Not unlike many other intermediaries as we call them. The service providers who aggregate content that's put up by users and allow it to be viewed by people all around the world. So it would be a very difficult task to ask Craigslist to monitor every bit of content that goes through its system. And what we do know is that they enjoy a fairly robust amount of immunity under federal law for the bad content that some of its users may put to the site.
Right now Craigslist's motives in doing this the way it has done it is unclear. From one perspective you could interpret this as them seeding to the demands that law enforcement has made. The attorneys general from around the country calling for Craigslist to take this down. But on the other hand, the fact that they've put in black letters the word censored on this, might indicate that they're being a bit defiant. But at the end of the day what we are seeing here is that for whatever reason they're allowing there to be a little bit of a cooling off period perhaps to let the dust settle and see what public reaction is going to be. And so it's anybody's guess as to how Craigslist is playing this game and what the motives may be in this situation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Before the change, a CNN investigation counted more than 7,000 ads posted in a single day on sites covering major metropolitan areas.
Floodwaters are rising in parts of Pakistan and so are tempers. As neighbors turn against neighbor in a heated battle over a life-saving levee. That story straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: It is getting worse in Pakistan, 17 million people are now affected by the massive flooding there and more than 1,700 have been killed. It's growing more desperate by the day. Here now is CNN's Sara Sidner.
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SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Ahmed Raza Chandio is ready to go to battle. To stop anyone from breaching the levee he's standing on. Are you prepared to shoot someone if they try to break the levee?
AHMED RAZA CHANDIO, LANDOWNER, MEHAR VILLAGE (via translator): "Yes, we will fight for our security," he says. "We don't care who is on the other side. Our women and children are here. How can we let them drown?"
SIDNER: If his levee is breached everything he and thousands of his neighbors own will be washed away in Pakistan's historic floods. The problem is those who live upstream say the levee must be broken to save everything they own.
RUSTAM ALI SHEIKH (via translator): "The biggest problem is that this water will reach our city in Nasifabad," Rustam Ali Sheikh says. "Hundreds of villages will go under water and hundreds of rice mills and millions of business transactions, too." Sheikh says all cities should be saved, but he can't think of how.
SIDNER: This fight over whether or not to break a levee is happening all over Pakistan. Basically it's town versus town, neighbor versus neighbor and politician versus politician. Of course, nobody wants their particular village or city to be flooded.
Here, pressure from the floodwater is already tearing apart the infrastructure. Two hours before we arrive, this was a bridge. Down the road a city has already been inundated with water. The question the government has to keep asking itself is which locality gets saved and which gets flooded?
ABOUL GAFFAR SHEIKH, MEHAR MUNICIPAL ADMINISTRATOR (via translator): "If they make the cut in the levee definitely we will be drowned. If there's not a cut we will have a chance to be saved."
SIDNER: Aboul Gaffar Sheikh is responsible for about 200,000 people in the Mehar area. He says engineering experts should help decide, but in the end he says he intends to win the argument. This fight like others has become so vicious the president of Pakistan has called an emergency meeting of local leaders to make a decision.
No one knows who will win, forcing residents to make a difficult choice, wait it out and risk their lives or grab what they can and go.
HAMIDA SOLANGI, MEHAR RESIDENT (via translator): "If water comes, how will we save our children? Where are we supposed to go now? We have no hope. It is up to destiny."
SIDNER: The water is rising, and the pressure on the levees is mounting. If the leaders don't act soon, nature will act for them.
Sara Sidner, CNN, Pakistan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And CNN documents the humanitarian crisis in Pakistan and its potential impact on U.S. national security. You'll want to see Dr. Sanjay Gupta's journey through the catastrophic floods of Pakistan. Tune in for "Washed Away: Sanjay Gupta MD in Pakistan" right here tonight, 7:30 Eastern.
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WHITFIELD: Heavy rain and landslides have killed at least 36 people in Guatemala. Officials fear the death toll could reach 100. Many of the dead were onboard a bus that was buried by mud. Authorities say some 40 people tried to dig out possible survivors on the bus, and they, too, may have been buried by a second landslide.
It's estimated that New Zealand's 7.0 magnitude earthquake could cost the city of Christchurch nearly $1.5 billion. More than five hundred buildings were damaged in the quake and only two serious injuries were reported. Most of the power is back on, but people still have to boil their water in order to drink it. A 12-hour curfew is in effect to prevent looting and protect people from unstable buildings.
