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Parents Exhume Marine From Arlington; Student Loan Debt Tops Credit Card Bills

Aired September 17, 2010 - 10:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: It's the top of the hour now, and it's tough being a hero. We told you how army suicide rates and PTSD are on the rise. More veterans are dealing with drug abuse, homelessness and unemployment.

Yesterday we talked to the retired army major who has been looking for work for two years. And the VA has failed so many veterans, exposing thousands of them to potentially fatal diseases because of sloppy hospital practices.

Our fallen heroes don't ever seem to get a break, either, because of this. Even Arlington National Cemetery hasn't had their backs. With dumped tombstones, mismarked graves, dumped burial urns, missing burial records and outdated maps, a senate panel has claimed as many as 6,600 graves might be marked wrong, not marked at all or mislabeled on the maps.

Now an Ohio couple heard about all of this and wondered if their son, Marine Private Heath Warner were buried in the right place, in the grave they would be visiting for the rest of their days.

They went to Arlington this week and had the army actually exhume their son's body. Heath's dad confirmed his son was in the right place when he saw the tattoo on the remains of his son.

As grisly and painful as that was for him, the Warners are fortunate. Last month, a family had the same fears and they were confirmed. Turned out their hero was in the wrong place and was moved.

Well, Private Warner was killed in Iraq in late 2006. He was 19 years old. He wanted to be buried at Arlington. His father said when they laid their son to rest that day among all those heroes, the honor matched the grief. After taking their son's remains out of the ground four years later and revisiting that pain, honor and grief have turned to outrage.

Scott Warner joins me now live from Cleveland, Ohio.

Scott, I can't even imagine what it was like for you to go to Arlington and actually have to sift through your son's remains.

SCOTT WARNER, FATHER: Good morning, Kyra. It was beyond anything I ever imagined that I would possibly ever have to do. I hope that my speaking to you and with congressional enforcement this will never happen to another family ever again.

PHILLIPS: Now, Scott, take me to that moment. You saw all of the news coverage about how Arlington Cemetery had literally just botched so many grave sites of our fallen, and you were concerned that possible your son - it might not be his remains, he might not be buried in the right place. So what did you do? Did you call Arlington and say, I want my son's body exhumed. I want to confirm that he's there? Tell me how you did that and what kind of response you got?

WARNER: It really doesn't work like that. There's an 800 number where you contact them initially and they do some investigative research. We received a phone call back from their call center saying that our son was in the right place and everything matched, and it sounded a lot like a blah, blah, blah. So I said, could you please send me hard records. I would like to really be able to look at what you're saying.

So at that point, when I received the hard copies, it was accompanied by a letter, by the executive director Katherine Condon, in which she said she reviewed the records for accuracy and had assured us that our son was in the right place, and as I began to go through the paper work, there was a form called the descendent information sheet, and it was incomplete and had serious flaws in it.

PHILLIPS: What were the flaws?

WARNER: Well, the receiving funeral home had an address for a city in Illinois, and we're from Ohio. So that was my first red flag. The second red flag was that had that Arlington Cemetery was the receiving home in D.C.. Our understanding was that our son was to be received once we had sent him from Cleveland Hopkins Airport to D.C., he would be received by a funeral home, kept there in storage until the day of the burial, and at that point brought to Arlington.

This whole piece is missing. And so that's when Katherine began doing her research, and what really brought it to a head was we had a phone conversation probably a week ago this past Wednesday, and she said that she had found that Murphy's Funeral Home in D.C. had the remains of our son.

So I had a friend on my behalf contact Murphy's, ask them to verify if Arlington had actually called and asked them to verify if they did confirm with Arlington that they had taken care of Heath and had records. They, in fact, said, no, they did not have records and they could not say they took care of Heath.

So the next morning I had a phone conversation with Katherine Condon and she had with her the man who is the head of all of the military cemeteries of the United States. He said, "what are your concerns, Mr. Warner." And I said, Katherine, "why don't you begin your research." And she begins going through and she says, these are clerical errors, this a computer glitch and we know he was stored at Murphy's from this day to this day and Arlington from this day to this day, and I said here, "well, would you fax that information over to me because I would like to look at it." And there was an awkward pause and she said, "no," and she said "I don't have it." And she said "I thought my word was good enough." And I said, "ma'am, do you not understand the gravity of what's taking place here."

PHILLIPS: How did you cut through all of this B.S., Scott, and finally say, "I want to see if this is my son? This is my right to do this. I want to see if this is him and he's buried in the right place." How did you finally get to that point?

WARNER: Well, it was that conversation because I pinned her down, and I said, "I know for a fact you do not have that information and it has not been confirmed because I had a call made on my behalf to that funeral home" and at that point, the man who is the head of the cemeteries said, Mr. Warner, what would you like us to do. And I said, you have left us no option but to disinter our son's grave for positive identification.

PHILLIPS: And so, after all of this, they finally exhumed his body and there you are having to - I mean, did you say to the funeral director -

WARNER: Kyra?

PHILLIPS: Yes.

WARNER: Let me tell you it was not that easy.

PHILLIPS: It still was difficult after all that?

WARNER: I had engaged Congressman Boccieri's office from the 16th district. They organized a conference call between Katherine Condon, the superintendent, they had their legal counsel, myself, the Congressman Boccieri's chief of staff, and we had to have a conference call to negotiate the terms of the disinterment because the relationship had become so contentious at that point.

PHILLIPS: How did you finally know it was your son? How did you finally confirm that it was him?

WARNER: Well, I will tell you that they did break the agreement that we had made, and the morning of the disinterment, I was left with no choice, because of the compromised grave, that I had to literally jump on the flatbed truck and literally I had to - the funeral director had stopped - he had stalled looking through the remains, and I was like, the hell with this, and I jumped up there and I did what I had to do, and I said, get over here.

PHILLIPS: What did you do, Scott?

WARNER: I said, "get over here and do your job." And I said, "find my son's arm."

And he eventually was able to find his arm, and I was handed a handkerchief by one of the Army officers, and I began to wipe his arm off and at that point, I was able to see his tattoo. I was left with no alternative, Kyra, and that's the thing I want people to know. I was not a deranged, demented, bereaved father. I was left with no other option but to do what I had to do to positively identify my son.

PHILLIPS: I don't blame you. As a parent, I would want to do the exact same thing. Did Arlington Cemetery apologize to you? Did you in any way, shape or form feel any sense of peace once you knew that that definitely was your son? Did you feel better at all, Scott?

WARNER: You know, I'm really processing that right now. The reality is my son's in heaven, and I say I have two miracles that took place that day. The first miracle that god gave me was, one, Heath actually ended up where he was supposed to be, because if you look at the records, it makes no sense he ended up there.

And the second miracle was that god preserved his arm that I could see his tattoo, because his body was so decomposed that for his arm to still be intact that I could see that tattoo, I just call it a miracle, and I thank god that he was still there and I know where my son is, and so I do have peace now from that perspective.

As far as Arlington goes, that's a different story. I believe that they were negligent. I believe they compromised the grave site. I believe that what my family went through, no family should have ever had to go through that.

PHILLIPS: Yes, so true.

WARNER: It was absolutely horrific.

PHILLIPS: Well, Scott, I thank you for just bringing this to our attention and for talking to us. I know this has not been easy for you.

WARNER: Can I say one more thing real quick?

PHILLIPS: Sure.

WARNER: I did contact Senator Mikulski's office. I made her aware of the situation and because she needs to know what's taking place at Arlington, because I believe the Army is incapable and the one thing that's really interesting is that the Army will not allow the executive director or the superintendent to make public statements, and the reason is they're afraid as soon as they open their mouths that everything's going to crumble and fall apart, and I know for a fact that reporters have been trying to talk to them, but they are closed mouth.

PHILLIPS: Well, Scott, we're on this story. We're dedicated to the story and so are a lot of other journalists. Our men and women are coming home from these wars have to deal with so much, things that they shouldn't have to deal with it, and now just seeing what's happening to our fallen and especially at a sacred place like Arlington Cemetery, it's flat-out wrong. And we are sorry that you had to go through what you did go through, but you are bringing attention to something that's got to be fixed. And I can promise you we'll stay on this story as well.

Scott, I really appreciate you coming on.

WARNER: Thank you, and I want to say god bless to all our troops. Thank you for your service, and thank you to all of the families that have lost their loved ones. God bless you all.

PHILLIPS: Scott Warner, thank you, and we lift up your son today as well and for serving our country so proudly.

WARNER: Thank you very much, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Scott.

We're also following a developing story this morning in London where police have arrested five men on suspicion of terrorism. These arrests, by the way, come on the second day of Pope Benedict's visit to Britain. Our Atika Shubert following the story. We'll have the latest in just a moment. Stay with us.

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PHILLIPS: Back to London where British police say five men have been arrested on suspicions of terrorism. Those arrests coming on the second day of Pope Benedict's visit to Britain.

Atika Shubert following the story for us in London. Atika.

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, the latest that we found is that those five men were apparently working as street cleaners here in central London. That's according to the Westminster City Council. We don't have any more details other than that at the moment.

You know, they were aged between 26 and 50, and they were arrested around 5:30 in the morning at a business address and that police are still questioning them now and that they are still continuing to search a business address and several residences in north and east London.

We also know that police as a result of these arrests did review the security for Pope Benedict while he's here. They say they are happy with the security that's in place, and there will not be any change to his itinerary. We'll keep on top of this and let you know if there are any changes later in the day.

PHILLIPS: Atika, appreciate it.

Straight ahead, leaving college with a diploma and a mountain of debt. If you are a struggling student who needs help, stay tuned.

But first, J.P., Chrissie, and the Fair Ground Boys, they're playing a mini-gig for us live here in Studio 7, this hour.

(MUSIC PLAYING) PHILLIPS: Students taking on more debt than ever to cover the skyrocketing cost of college. And it's really adding up. Stephanie Elam joining us now live from New York. Stephanie, I bet you're so excited about having a new baby, getting ready to grow up and go to college. I hope you're saving now.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: We already set up our 529 plans -

PHILLIPS: There you go.

ELAM: For a little girl born on 529. So we're good, Kyra. We're all covered.

PHILLIPS: I would hope so, being a financial correspondent and all.

ELAM: It would be really embarrassing if I didn't do that. (INAUDIBLE) to smack me if I had not done that already but we thought about that. And you know, it's really something that a lot of people are thinking about now because student loan debt has hit a record high, and it now exceeds credit card debt in this country. That's really shocking.

Student debt now stands at $850 billion and this is according to financial aid web site, finna.org. (INAUDIBLE) credit card debt is at $828 billion. Yikes. So what's behind the trend? Well, for one thing, people are cutting back on credit card use. We've heard about that. It's now fallen for 23 months in a row, and at the same time, college costs are rising, about five percent a year.

So that means more borrowing. That's why students are wracking up loan debt at a rate of more than $2,800 a second. That's really scary. Now, you might think this would freak students out. But that's not really what we found when we spoke to some students here in New York.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think when I become successful, I will be able to pay them off. But, I mean, it's always a little worrying that you have this massive debt on you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hopefully, I can get a nice job and I can pay it of in time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With what I'm in loans, I need to have like a very well-paying job by the time, you know, I'm in my mid 20s to start paying it back.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know that my job prospects out of graduation are much higher, so the price will hopefully be worth it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELAM: OK. So here's the thing. Jobs not so easy to come by these days. We've been talking about that a lot even from people who have been out of college for a while. So more students are having trouble paying off their debt for that reason. The default rate on federal student loans recently hit seven percent, that's the highest since 1997, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Wow. So what can students do so they aren't paying off loans for years and years and years like so many of us did?

ELAM: I know, right. Well, there are a few suggestions out there from experts. The first one is start with federal aid first. Borrow there first. Stafford and Plus loans are cheaper and more available than private student loans. Second, don't borrow more for your entire education than your expected starting salary. That means you have to research what your chosen field might pay and make sure you apply for grants and scholarships. You don't have to pay those back. I mean, that's like big one. That's like free money. So make sure you apply for those.

One more thing, Cnnmoney.com has this on-line calculator and it can help you determine how quickly you'll pay off your student loans. And Kyra, I'm sure you're still paying off yours, since you're such a protege. You know, you came out of college like six years ago or something.

PHILLIPS: Oh, yes. Right. Try tripling that, sister. And I think it probably took about a decade to pay off all those loans.

ELAM: It takes a long time.

PHILLIPS: Amen.

ELAM: But they say it's worth it. So you know, got to go to college.

PHILLIPS: I had a single mom working hard. She wasn't able to do a 529. So you're already ahead of the game, sister.

ELAM: Yes, I know. They didn't exist when you and I were growing up and trying to go to school.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: Yes.

ELAM: Wouldn't you say?

PHILLIPS: I think it was you buy bucks for a bond and you just hoped -

ELAM: You just hope it grew.

PHILLIPS: We're old. Thanks, Steph.

ELAM: Sure.

PHILLIPS: Well, beating the odds and making a difference and definitely making her mark. An inner city school principal in Florida is waging a war against ignorance. Back in 2004, Lee Charter School in Ft. Myers had a state rating of F. But Principal Shirley Chapman turned that around with a lot of hard work and an incredibly positive attitude.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHIRLEY CHAPMAN, PRINCIPAL: I'm making a difference with children that many others have given up on. We have high expectations for children. It doesn't matter what you look like. It doesn't matter what you bring when you come. What matters is what you receive once you get here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Every Monday, the principal and her staff dress in Army fatigues just to remind students of their battle to succeed and get this, for the last three years, that school has maintained an A grade from state officials.

And you know that old Joni Mitchell song about how they paved paradise to put up a parking lot. Well, here's a twist. We're going to show you where they're actually putting paradise back and putting sod on the black top.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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PHILLIPS: "Counting Crows," they're one of many bands that covered "The Big Yellow Taxi," the song Joni Mitchell wrote about 40 years ago. Well, now, it's 2010. There's a movement to put paradise back and turn some of that blacktop into green space.

Josh Levs is at one of the event that's taking place in Atlanta. Josh, tell us what it's all about.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, I am doing exactly what I tell my three-year-old son never to do. I'm sitting in the middle of a parking lot except today it's not a parking lot. It's been turned into a park. They laid down all this sod to turn it into a park and it's been inspired by this event that's going on all over the world today called "Park-in Day," where they are turning the actual parking lots into parks.

And the guy who is behind the one right here, Jeffrey Mayer, the CEO of MX Energy, an independent energy company.

What is going on here? Why is this parking lot suddenly look like this?

JEFFREY MAYER, CEO, MX ENERGY: Isn't this incredible though?

LEVS: It is incredible. We're in (INAUDIBLE) in Atlanta and this a huge parking lot, usually.

MAYER: I expect that tonight when there are about 10,000 people they will be dancing on this sod and not sitting around like we are right now.

LEVS: So what's going on?

MAYER: Well, MX Energy has been active in Georgia for years. This is an important market for us. We serve customers with natural gas but more importantly, what we have done for years is we've work with local environmental groups. We've been a sponsor of Earth Day and recently we've been helping to plant a virgin forest in Columbus, Georgia. Tens of thousands of acres of new growth to help - I think you know new forest helps offset carbon dioxide emissions.

LEVS: And the best part - the thing you're getting at here are part of - and we're seeing the time lapse video of how this was change. This is largely about getting people to talk about green space again. Getting people to talk about how we are losing so much of our green space in this country and all over the world to developments of parking lots and things like that.

As I understand you guys put about $100,000 into this and this is really going to be a big concert. What you want to see is a big turnout to get people the message, to get people talking about green space. Is that the idea?

MAYER: Exactly. We also want people to have a good time. This is going to be a good time tonight. Families will be out here. We expect over 10,000 people at least. I'm a little worried about crowd control because we think it's going to be a lot of fun. But yes, we want people to talk about the environmental - a lot of practical things people can do to conserve energy, to offset their carbon dioxide emissions, and we have been active in this area for years, and we expect that tonight people will sort of start the chatter and virally people will start to focus on these issues.

LEVS: Well, it is really interesting. I know we have some pictures of years passed and what's happen with Park-in Day and there's something officially in line with this idea of Park-in day all over the world. What you're finding is that each year, more and more place, more and more cities are getting involved, and it's not always as extensive as we're seeing here with a big concert. A lot of cases what we're seeing are people (INAUDIBLE) little parking lots and paving them over. Some stores are doing it. But it is something that's a phenomenon. It might be happening right near you.

In fact there's a map up at the web site, parkingday.org, and I have taken all the information that we found about Parking Day and we put it up for you at myfacebook and twitter pages, that's Josh Levs CNN and you can't all be here in Atlanta to see the big concert but at least you will have a little taste of that concert, right now. Thanks to the show, which brought in (INAUDIBLE). Jeffrey, thank you very much.

MAYER: Josh, thanks for spotlighting this and thanks for hosting Chrissie Hynde as well.

LEVS: And I do have to tell you, it is a pretty amazing thing to be sitting in the middle of a parking lot, what was a parking lot yesterday morning and will be a parking lot again tomorrow. All these sod - can you get a shot of this? Take a look. I just want to see how this works. Look, there you go. This is the sod. This is the parking lot underneath. There were cars here a couple of days earlier. This sod will all be given away for free, Kyra, tomorrow. Back to you.

PHILLIPS: Bring back some, I've got some big holes in the front of my lawn. Help me out. Thanks, Josh.

LEVS: I'll grab you some in the trunk.

PHILLIPS: Terrific. All right. Well, here's the rock in the rock for roots that Josh was talking about. J.P., Chrissie and the Fair Ground Boys, playing a mini-gig for us. Interview, whole song coming up next.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(LIVE MUSIC PLAYING)

PHILLIPS: Well, you've just seen Chrissie Hynde, then with The Pretenders and Chrissie Hynde now with her new project, J.P., Chrissie & The Fairground Boys.

This is a band that explores what you do when you and your soulmate are some 30 years apart. Hear Chrissie Hynde and J.P. Jones, well, you get out your guitars and turn that passion into music. J.P. is helping us see a Chrissie thaat we have never seen before and maybe one she herself didn't even know existed. They join us, of course, along with Patrick Murdoch. Together, they are J.P., Chrissy & The Fairground Boys.

I saw you all react to that. J.P., what is it about you? There's this light around this woman. What happened here?

JP JONES, MUSICIAN: I really don't know how to answer that.

PHILLIPS: You have to try.

JONES: Well, I mean, it's just not me. It's just, you know, we get on so well, we have become like soulmates. And, you know, it's all come out in the music. So, it's just not me. It's just how we are together.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How old are you?

PHILLIPS: Uh-oh! See, she just - and Chrissie's even said that. "I think it's been about him all along." We're going to get back to that, the whole fairground and what that meant to you for years. It's kind of a trip, it's like prophecy. But Chrissie, what is it about JP. I mean, you guys meet and had you thrown down a few, you know? And you are at a Congolese art party. I love that. How random is that? And what, did JP come up and say, "Hey, what's up, Chrissie?"

CHRISSIE HYNDE, MUSICIAN: Well, I went to the bar because I couldn't (INAUDIBLE) to the barbecue. So, I was just waiting for my girlfriend to -

PHILLIPS: That's right. No meat for you.

HYNDE: And especially, Busch meat. And he came up and started talking. It was really noisy. I said, "Look, I'm going on tour tomorrow, and give me a call sometime." (INAUDIBLE) Welch folk fairground. And I thought he was interesting. And then I went off on tour, he sent me a few songs on computer. I thought, guy's got an amazing voice and writing these genius songs. So, I didn't see him for months because I was on tour. But I sort of met him through his voice and songs, very crude demos. But I was totally seduced by it.

PHILLIPS: When you say he wrote these amazing songs, how do you define an amazing song? Because so many times, you don't know until it just happens. You had no idea what was going to come out of that room in Cuba when you were looking at each other and jamming on the guitar. It was like, it just happened.

JONES: Totally. This whole thing has been such like, a natural, organic process. We haven't planned anything. We've just liked exactly how the songs came out. We wrote them all in about ten minutes each, and it just flowed out of this. And this whole process of this album and everything has just snowballed as if it is all out of our control, like how the songs came out.

PHILLIPS: I remember Sting saying one time, you know "I can't write music unless there's drama in my life." You two met, you had this passionate love affair --

JONES: Who said we had a passionate love affair?

HYNDE: Who said we had a passionate love affair?

PHILLIPS: Hell, the both of you! There's passionate love. It's obvious. There's a spark between you two. You do something to him, he does something to you. You listen to the lyrics of your music, something's going on there. There's something deep. This isn't Britney Spears.

See, Patrick, you know what I'm talking about. You have to sit back and observe this. You know your best friends here. You have grown up with him. You have been in a band.

JONES: Yes, but the thing is, like, you know, all of that lot -- Britney, whatever -- you know who when they are brushing their teeths, but --

PHILLIPS: It's image. It's fireworks and flash. JONES: Yes, but, you know, talking about a love affair. We never said that.

PHILLIPS: There's love.

JONES: Of course, there is love. I love her with all my heart, but, you know --

PHILLIPS: So, let me ask you this, Chrissie. This love -- there's a connection obviously that the two of you have. When you wrote these songs - I mean, you listen to the lyrics. It's like love letters to each other.

HYNDE: Well, we didn't intend to make an album out of it. We actually were writing to each other. We were just sitting there writing the songs to each other, and the sad part of about it - and you know, the tragedy for both of us is I'm 30 years older than him. And if we had wanted to start something -- it's just never going to happen. So, we just wrote it all in this music and they're songs to each other, and we kind of demoed them. And then I sat back and -- these are kind of personal --

PHILLIPS: It's very personal.

HYNDE: It's very personal. And when I listened to that, I thought, wow, that's the best thing I have ever done.

PHILLIPS: And why is that?

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: Why is it the best thing you have ever done?

HYNDE: Because he's so honest. Because he's involved. I'm singing with someone. I'm not a solo artist. I've always liked to be surrounded with the band. That's what turns me on.

But to actually have someone writing with me, because I'm not really a collaborator. I'm more of a recluse when I write. And it happened so fast. It's great to share the limelight, which I don't really enjoy to have someone else to -- and the music was so un - I wasn't sitting there for two years thinking I should come up with some songs; I want to make another album. They just arrived.

PHILLIPS: But that's the best stuff, right, JP? It's the heart, it's the minds, it's the emotions. It's what happens among people. It's not -- so much more raw. You're a songwriter. You know what I'm talking about.

JONES: Yes, for me as a songwriter, it's always the first thing that comes to mind is always the most truthful because if you think about it too much, then, you know, it becomes pop music. So, for me, I like how we wrote all of these songs. I was pushed and pulled back home in Britain, and in this pop kind of world.

And meeting Chrissie, she has made me realize that you just got to be yourself. If you're a true rock 'n' roll musician, you got to be yourself and just be honest in the songs, and that's what we've done in this album, and, you know, it's clear that people want the truth.

PHILLIPS: People want the truth because that truth brings about clarity when we can't always express it by ourselves.

One final thing, and this might seem a little too strange -- I will let you sing in a minute. Promise. But this is kind of that spiritual side of me.

You know, you're from Rest Bay, Wales.

JONES: Rest Bay, yes.

PHILLIPS: Cool place. You surfer, you're a total surfer dude. I love it.

And you decided to travel across America. We were looking at these pictures of your trip, and my writer and I were talking about this. And you made this trip across America and made all of these stops. I think we have a picture of you in, is it, Niagara? No -- I love this picture. This is fabulous.

JONES: That's the Grand Canyon.

So - so, Chrissie, I'm thinking, Chrissie had that song "Thumbelina," talking about this road trip, right, across America. And I'm thinking, ok, this is weird. It's like the two of you were destined to meet. You have written about things, you've sung about things that you are doing in your life. And this whole fairground connection. You grew up next to a fairground. This is a always sort of been a romantic thought for you --

JONES: It's always been a theme. I've done videos at fair grounds and always gravitated to them.

PHILLIPS: It's like you were destined to meet or maybe knew each other in another life. Am I crazy?

JONES: Uh, yes, but -

(LAUGHTER)

HYNDE: Yes, no, I mean, I've always had this thing about fairgrounds, and I don't know why. It's been a real strong pull for me. And when I met him that night at that Congolese barbecue I said, I can't hear you. What are you saying? And we were both - you know.

He said, yes, I'm from Wales, I'm from a fairground, and he hears this all the time. My mother's whole family was Welsh and worked in the coal mines in southern Ohio. And I always had this thing about fairgrounds, and I went away and thought about it and thought maybe that's why I had it, so I'd recognize it.

It's like our album cover. He wrote me a song and sent it to me before I even had seen him again that night. He said, we could meet on Venice Beach. I said, why Venice Beach? when are we going to California? What are you talking about? The album cover, that was taken on Venice Beach. I said, guess where we are?

PHILLIPS: See, I'm telling you, the whole thing is a trip. It was all meant to be. Well, let's do it.

HYNDE: And now we got to meet you through it.

PHILLIPS: Oh, and what an honor for me. Really, it is. I mean, just the whole dynamic is awesome. All right, tell me what you are going to sing, guys? What's your pick?

JONES: We are going to do our single, "If You Let Me."

PHILLIPS: You want to tell me there's no love affair, passion? This song is perfect. We're going to listen to the lyrics. Because it says it all. Are you ready, Patrick?

MURDOCH: Yes, I'm ready, yes.

PHILLIPS: Yes, please do. I want to be serenaded.

JONES: Oh, okay. JP Jones, Chrissie Hynde, Patrick Murdoch. Here they are.

(LIVE MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Checking top stories.

British police say five men have been arrested on suspicion of terrorism. The arrests coming on the second day of Pope Benedict's visit to Britain. Security arrangements for the pope's trip under review.

The mother of missing American teen Natalee Holloway in Peru. That's where the prime suspect in the disappearance of her daughter is jailed, facing charges in a separate murder case. The Dutch journalist who is accompanying Beth Holloway says they visited Joran Van Der Sloot's prison.

And as early as today, the FDA could yank back its approval on Avastin. It is a popular treatment for advanced breast cancer. In July, an advisory panel voted 12-1 that it's not helping. Pulling the approval will mean insurance companies could stop paying for it.

Soda, potato chips, candy. How about carrots as a choice in a high school vending machine? Yes, starting today, students at Fayetteville (INAUDIBLE) High School in Syracuse, New York can buy a pack of 15 baby carrots for 50 cents. It's part of a campaign by a group of farmers who say they want to help kids make better food choices.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JEFF DUNN, CEO BOLTHOUSE FARMS: And we start to get kids to think about it not in the way of eat your vegetables, but more in the same way of thinking about snacking today.

TAYLOR MILES, HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR: At first, kids are going to be skeptical to it but then I think the longer it's here and people talk about it, I think kids will buy the carrots.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Carrot farmers are also putting the healthy snacks in school vending machines in Cincinnati and San Antonio.

Just ahead, the latest news from The Best Political Team on Television. CNN's Dana Bash will tell us what's crossing the political ticker

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right, time now for the latest news from The Best Political Team on Television. CNN senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash in Washington at the desk there. So, what's crossing, Dana?

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What's crossing is something that we just posted here, this morning, and that is that 48 hours after Christine O'Donnell's upset in Delaware, Jim DeMint, who of course was one of her earliest supporters, has announced that his political action committee has raised $174,000 for her campaign. Now, you might be asking, Kyra - that's such an odd number. Why was that his goal? Well, the reason is because he says that is the limit that the National Republican Party should be able to give, but they are not. And in his statement, he really took a shot at his own leadership, saying "Despite what Beltway pundits think, Americans clearly believe that Christine can and should win."

But this just in to CNN. CNN has learned, Kyra, that John Cornyn, the head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, is going to meet with Christine O'Donnell here in Washington today.

(CLEARS THROAT)

BASH: Excuse me.

Next up on the ticker, a conversation I had with Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine. She is one of the moderates in the Senate. She is one of the few moderates left there. She is somebody who says that moderates cannot be endangered. If you want to be a majority party, she said, "Ideological purity is 100 percent is utopian, and I don't know who lives in a utopia." She was very clear that she does not believe that the party is going in the right way if they do want to get the majority.

Kyra, back to you.

BASH: All right, Dana Bash. Appreciate it. We will have your next political update in just about an hour. And a reminder, for all the latest political news, just go to our Web site, CNNpolitics.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Today is National P.O.W. /M.I.A Recognition Day, and there are more than 80,000 U.S. service members who are missing in action or prisoners of war from World War II up to the Afghan war.

The Pentagon now has an exhibit honoring their service and sacrifice. The military is dedicated to bringing them all home.

Every day at this time, we honor service members who gave their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. And we call it "Home and Away."

Today, we want to tell you about Specialist Lucas Sesarvic. He died in Iraq in April 2007 after his vehicle hit a roadside bomb. Luke's mom, Eva Reeves Thompson, said "He just reenlisted the morning he was killed. Luke knew in his heart that he was career military and also knew he could not leave his guys behind while there was still a war. The way Luke lived his life has become an example for all of us: share, love, stand up for your beliefs, enjoy life's simple pleasures, and live each day to the fullest. To my son, I say, I love you. You are a great kid, and I'm very proud of the man you became."

If you have a loved one you'd like to lift up, here's all you have to do. Go to CNN.com/homeandaway, type in your service member's name in the upper right-hand search field, pull up the profile and send us your thoughts, your pictures. We promise to keep the memory of your hero, our hero, alive.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Midterm elections are more than six weeks away, but the ballots have been largely set by angry voters wanting to send a clear message to Washington. Of course, comedians Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert also want to harness that public frustration. So, what are they going to do? Well, they're going to hold their own gatherings on the National Mall at the end of next month.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON STEWART, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART": Tonight, I announce the Rally to Restore Sanity.

(AUDIENCE CHEERING)

STEWART: It is happening, people! It is happening! It is happening! A real gathering! We will gather! We will gather on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. A million moderate march where we take to the streets to send a message to our leaders and our national media that says we are here. We are only hear, though, until 6:00 because we have a sitter.

(LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE)

STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "THE COLBERT REPORT": Ladies and gentlemen, it is on! October 30th, on the Mall. Because now is not the time to take it down a notch. Now is the time for all good men to freak out for freedom!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Don Lemon in for Tony Harris today.

Restore sanity? The world'd be so boring if we tried to restore sanity!

(LAUGHTER)

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Why on earth -

PHILLIPS: What would we do --

LEMON: Why on earth would we want to do that?

PHILLIPS: -- you and I?

LEMON: Hey, great stuff with Chrissie Hynde. Brought me back to -

PHILLIPS: Took us both back to the 80s.

LEMON - um, high school? Elementary school!

All right, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Have a great day!

LEMON: Have a great weekend.