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American Morning

Rutgers Death Ripple Effect; The "Social Network" Connects; Verizon Wireless to Pay Millions in Refunds; High Threat Terror Alert in Europe

Aired October 04, 2010 - 07:00   ET

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


(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Next on AMERICAN MORNING, Americans on alert.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm just going to be vigilant and be careful like I always am.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If it happens, then it happens.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A warning from the United States about increased risk of attacks in Europe. This morning, new information on the alert, the plot, and what you should do about it on the Most News in the Morning.

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KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Good Monday morning to you. Glad you're with us on this AMERICAN MORNING. It's October 4th. I'm Kiran Chetry.

ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Ali Velshi. John has the morning off this morning. We'll have more on the travel alert in a moment, but first, here are the morning's top stories.

Payback, Verizon Wireless announcing the issue refunds to around 15 million current and former customers after they charged them for services they didn't use. Details on who's affected and how much money you could be getting back.

CHETRY: It's a big day at the Supreme Court. The new term opens today and they have a new member, Elena Kagan. There are now three women on the bench for the first time ever. And there are also some prominent cases on the docket. One testing the limit of free speech. We'll be breaking down some of that for you.

VELSHI: And remembering Rutgers University student, Tyler Clementi, we have reaction of his death from fellow students from the school and even celebrities. And all morning long, we're touching on every aspect of school bullying, the problems and the solutions.

CHETRY: Up first, though, the CNN security watch on the heels of a weekend alert that came from our government, there is a new terror warning this morning for all American air travelers, this one coming from the British.

VELSHI: This is different from the U.S. government. One, it says there's a high threat of a terrorist attack in Europe with France and Germany considered prime targets. This has an impact on every American who has travel plans into Europe.

CHETRY: We got the story cover for you like no other network from both sides of the pond. Nic Robertson is live in Hamburg, Germany this morning with more. First, though, we go to Homeland Security Correspondent Jeanne Meserve for us live for us in Washington. So just explain the latest news and also what they're telling people to do about it.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Kiran and Ali, the State Department is not telling them don't go to Europe. It is urging them to take precautions when they do go there. The alert reads in part, "U.S. citizens should take every precaution to be aware of their surroundings and to adopt appropriate safety measures to protect themselves when traveling."

It was issued in response, of course, to the high volume of intelligence about possible terror attacks in Europe, including information that Al Qaeda and its affiliates may be planning synchronized attacks against multiple targets like those in Mumbai.

Although officials do not have specific information about the timing, mode, or location of possible attacks, the alert mentions public transportation systems. Think subways, railways, airports, tour buses. It also talks about tourist infrastructure. That would include hotels in tourist areas as well as highly trafficked tourist sites.

A senior U.S. official says the Europeans are in sync with the U.S. on this, and as you mentioned, Britain has taken a similar step advising its citizens traveling to Germany and France that the terror threat is high. Kiran, Ali, back to you.

CHETRY: And Jeanne, what are some of the specific suggestions, if there are any if you are an American traveling in Europe you should keep in mind?

MESERVE: Well, the bottom line they say is to use common sense. If you see unattended bags, hear a loud noise, see disturbance of some kind, move away from that. Do not have, for instance, baggage tags that identify you as Americans, know how to use the local pay telephones and how to contact the U.S. embassy.

In fact the State Department is recommending you register online with the U.S. embassy or consulate whenever you're visiting so they know where to find you.

VELSHI: And that is something that not everybody thinks about doing. Is that something they recommend you do before you leave or once you get to where you are? Do you call up and tell the embassy, I'm here, I'm an American, I'm here for ten days or whatever the case is? MESERVE: They're saying you can do it online. That's the easiest way to do it. And I think would think the easiest way to do it might be to do it before you embark on your traveling.

CHETRY: Good tips. Jeanne Meserve, following the latest on the terror alerts and heightened security if there traveling in Europe. Thanks so much.

VELSHI: A lot of Americans who are traveling overseas have a common complaint about this type of terror alert. They say it's too vague and they're not sure why the government even bothers to do that. CNN national security contributor Fran Townsend believes U.S. officials are playing it cautious and just want to be on the record in case the worst happens.

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TOWNSEND: It has the ring of, look, the government knows there's this threat. It's an increasing problem. And so what they really want to do is protect themselves that they warned you.

But we don't -- we're not hearing there's any specific information in there about targets, locations, timing, or any really valuable advice to Americans about what they can do. And so if it doesn't have that sort of information in there, you sort of have to ask yourself, why is the U.S. government even bothering to do this?

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VELSHI: Yes, it's a common question. And it's a continent-wide alert.

Now, the British alert that Jeanne was telling us about today talks specifically about France and Germany. Let's hone in on Germany for a minute. Tense times for the troops stationed in Germany. American soldiers are being asked not to warn -- warned not to wear their uniforms in public. A curfew has been imposed upon them.

Nic Robertson is for us live in Hamburg, Germany this morning. Two issues there. One is what's going on with the U.S. troops? And, Nic, you're close to where they're tracing these threats too. They seem to be coming from Germany.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Ali. This mosque behind me looks just like a barred up door. It's been closed by the federal authorities here. And the reason for that is there was a group of extremists here who plotted and planned to go off to a training camp in Pakistan.

One of those, Ahmed Sadiki (ph), has been arrested by U.S. forces in Kabul and is being questioned at the moment. And he's the one talking about these Mumbai-style soft target type attacks across the whole of Europe.

The other thing about this mosque is it's the same mosque that Mohammad Atta, the 9/11 hijacker, attended and gathered a group of people around. And so here, officials here know that some of the people that went from here this time to Pakistan have definite Al Qaeda links.

Why the implications here for U.S. troops in 2007 and a plot was interrupted here in Germany by a group of radical Islamists, they have massive amounts of explosives, and they were planning to attack U.S. soldiers off duty cafes, restaurants, discos, as well as an attack in their bases, Ali.

CHETRY: Today we're getting a little bit of a clearer picture, more clear picture about why they may have told U.S. troops there not to wear their uniforms in public. How concerned are they of any type of actual attack on our U.S. soldiers not just in public, but on bases?

ROBERTSON: Well, I think, you know, as far as the German authorities are concerned, they're saying they're not seeing any imminent threat at the moment. And for the first time, one of their diplomats yesterday in Afghanistan did apparently get to meet with Sadiki.

And so the German authorities here, they want to know more what Sadiki's saying. They want to hear firsthand for themselves, as well.

But they know that as a group of people that left this mosque a year and a half ago, some of them are still unaccounted for. Some of them are still believed to be in these camps. And that's what gives the authorities here cause for concern.

And because they know Al Qaeda has threatened U.S. civilians before in Europe, again, particularly in Germany, that's what's giving people cause for concern. But Al Qaeda in threat has been sanctioned by Osama bin Laden we've been told. For Al Qaeda, U.S. targets are their primary targets. That's why there's so much concern here, Kiran and Ali.

VELSHI: Nic, thanks very much for that. It's a vague warning about a threat they think has something to it. It's an interesting --

CHETRY: Yet, at the same time, as we're saying, what exactly can you do with that information? Maybe not much. But if, god forbid, an attack should happen, and there are some signs --

VELSHI: Be vigilant as a tourist and that potentially tourist attractions are the targets, that becomes a little difficult. But that's what they're telling us.

New this morning, for a third straight day, militants attacking and burning more than 20 tankers carrying oil to U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Three people were killed in this morning's assault near Islamabad. The tankers were stalled because the Pakistanis closed a border to protest a NATO helicopter attack that killed three of their troops last week.

CHETRY: The candle light vigil held last night on the campus of Rutgers University, hundreds of students showing up to remember Tyler Clementi, who took his own life after his sexual encounter with another man was broadcast on the Internet. Police say his roommates put hidden cameras in their room.

After 30 minutes of silence, organizers called for more understanding of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender students and for an end to bullying in general.

VELSHI: Firefighters in Colorado are trying to get the upper hand on a wildfire in the mountains of northwest Denver. The fire has already burned some 300 acres. Residents in the mountain town of Frazier have been asked to prepare to evacuate, but so far, no evacuations have been ordered.

CHETRY: Meantime, on the opposite side of the country, we're dealing with rain. A big problem in the northeast, more storms expected today. And check out this video of flooding, parts of North Carolina still dealing with the nightmare of the rain and flooding from last week caused, as Rob told us, by the remnants of tropical storm Nicole.

A record 24 inches of rain fell in Wilmington, North Carolina, so a big mess there. The east coast, at least the northeast part dodged a bullet. But we're looking at some potentially really bad weather this week. Nine minutes past the hour.

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CHETRY: We have important news to tell you about if you're a Verizon wireless customer. Millions of you may have been mistakenly charged for data use you didn't really use or you accidentally clicked on with your phone. You'll be getting a check in the mail. We'll tell you how much.

VELSHI: And parents have talked about it for generations -- teaching kids the value of a dollar. That lesson's never been more important than it is today. Christine Romans will show us why it is. It's 11 minutes after the hour.

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VELSHI: It is 14 minutes after the hour.

CHETRY: I thought you asked me to say what time it was.

VELSHI: I like the time. You can do the rest of the news.

CHETRY: Well, during the past few weeks, you've heard more and more stories about children getting bullied at school.

VELSHI: The problem is it's reaching great proportions. It seems with each case we hear about, we uncover a different reason behind the bullying, whether it's because of a child's looks, intelligence, or sexual orientation, or other characteristics.

The numbers to back that up are staggering. This is a new CNN opinion research poll out this morning. It finds that more than a third of our children have been threatened or harassed. Also, 81 percent of people think bullying presents some sort of problem in our schools or neighborhoods.

CHETRY: So this week, CNN, as well as the Cartoon Network, "People" Magazine, pretty much the entire Time Warner family, taking a look at the problem and also what can be done to end the violence.

And we begin with our coverage this morning, new developments in the story of Tyler Clementi. He was the Rutgers University freshman who took his own life after video showing his sexual encounter with another man was broadcast online.

VELSHI: Last night, hundreds stood in silence on the campus at Rutgers. The candlelight vigil to both honor the bright young man who died and a call for greater acceptance of the gay community. This morning, several celebrities are adding their voice to that message. Stephanie Elam joins us for the latest on that -- Stephanie.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is a story that's really getting a lot of attention. You can look at it by the messages that you see. People posting about it.

VELSHI: Sure.

ELAM: People are talking about it. It's all over the place. And now, we've seen celebrities are using their platform to really get their comments out there, make their feelings known to hopefully influence everybody to do something about this.

Let's take a look at what we've heard from a couple of people. Ellen DeGeneres was one of the first people to come out really emotional in the statement that she put out here. You can see it here. This is where she was talking about it. But one of the things she said is that we can't let intolerance and ignorance take another kid's life. She said our heart is breaking for the families and their friends and for a society that continues to let this happen. We also heard from Lance Bass, as well. What's --

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LANCE BASS, SINGER: This is an unnecessary thing --

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ELAM: What's interesting about what Lance Bass is saying is that when he was in high school in Mississippi, he was one of the first people that was picking on people that were gay because at that point he said he had this big secret. He wasn't telling people that he was gay. And when he came to fame, no one knew this about him. He told us later, and he says, you know, I was one of those people picking on people. But look at where I am now.

We also heard from Neil Patrick Harris. We've heard from Perez Hilton. A lot of people using their platform to speak out about this and get people talking about it. And also, I should mention, too, at the Rutgers football game on Saturday, they had a moment of silence before the game got started. People just really saying this is a time to take a look at what's happening because it's so different the way people are bullied now -- you know --

VELSHI: Particularly in terms of cyber bullying, in terms of the reach.

ELAM: Right. You can do it so quickly, from your hand-held device --

VELSHI: Yes.

ELAM: You could do it on the computer. You can do it so quickly now that it's different than in the ages when we were kids because, you know, it was maybe a couple of people then. But now, it's hundreds of people who can do it.

CHETRY: Right. It's so much easier for it to become insidious because we're anonymous.

VELSHI: Yes.

CHETRY: And oftentimes you can post anonymously. It's interesting, though, because some blogs and some Web sites are making you put your name --

VELSHI: Yes.

CHETRY: -- your e-mail address, and how you can be contacted so that perhaps some of the vitriol will be tamped down a little bit if you have to sort of stand up behind your words.

VELSHI: Well, if that's kind of -- if you're hiding behind your keyboard, you don't have the same experience that an old-time bully would have had in being able to see the whites of your eyes.

ELAM: Right.

VELSHI: To see your reaction. Am I making somebody cry or did I hurt somebody? Maybe that would have given you pause to step back, but --

ELAM: I think a lot of these people maybe don't think of themselves as bullies in the traditional sense.

VELSHI: Sure, that's exactly right.

ELAM: Because they're not going up to somebody and saying, hey --

VELSHI: And I had some of that feedback on my Facebook page. Why are we calling this bullying?

ELAM: I've gotten some of that too.

VELSHI: But it is interesting what these celebrities who you just talked about are trying to do is create almost an anti-drunk driving type of campaign about cyber bullying. Let's make this entirely unacceptable in society. ELAM: Yes. And it's interesting with the bullying thing, too, because someone says they're adults, they're 18 years old, they're in college. But let's keep in mind, they barely got to college. They just got there.

VELSHI: Yes.

ELAM: So it's something that does need to be talked about.

CHETRY: And it's not an easy time in your life when you're a freshman.

ELAM: No, it's a whole transition. You're trying to fit in, a new school, people from all over the country, world, it's hard.

CHETRY: Exactly.

VELSHI: The Tyler Clementi story highlights a problem that seems to be spinning out of control. So how do we get a grip on bullying in our schools or civility, if you want to call it that? Straight ahead, Carol Costello has what's being done to curb students on student violence, from parents and teachers to lawmakers.

It is 18 minutes past the hour.

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VELSHI: I was grabbing a bagel before work and I was over at the corner. I was telling Christine Romans, there's a guy I guess who recognized me from TV and he just -- you know, it was early morning for me but it was late night for him.

CHETRY: Right. A really odd time of day to be out in the balcony.

VELSHI: He kept looking at me. And he didn't greet me or say anything. He says Dow is going to open 20 points down and then it's going to close 14 up. And he said it three or four times. I did the only thing I could think of doing --

CHETRY: You ran.

VELSHI: I e-mailed Christine Romans to tell her because if he's right, I want to get the notice (ph).

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: And I said if I had any money, I'd bet on it.

VELSHI: Yes.

ROMANS: But I don't have any money.

VELSHI: He was very adamant.

Welcome back. It is 22 minutes past the hour.

CHETRY: Well, the "Social Network," by the way. VELSHI: The movie?

CHETRY: Yes.

VELSHI: Or the thing?

CHETRY: Well, I mean, the things out there, but the movie did really well, actually coming in at number one taking in $23 million. Who would have thought that people really want to go see a movie about why they Facebook? But they do.

VELSHI: It's the kids today.

CHETRY: There it is. And it follows the growth of Facebook, of course, from a small little social network at Harvard University.

VELSHI: Yes.

CHETRY: Right?

VELSHI: Yes.

CHETRY: The controversial --

VELSHI: Just keep in mind Aaron Sorkin said very clearly this was not history. This was his fiction. He did interview the principals. It's a drama. So don't come out of there thinking that you know everything about the history of Facebook.

CHETRY: Why didn't he just change the names, then?

VELSHI: A lot of people ask that question. Why not? But if I knew that much --

ROMANS: We had the Winklevoss twins on Friday.

VELSHI: Right. And the movie, by the way --

ROMANS: They look exactly alike.

VELSHI: In the movie, it's one actor who plays both of them.

ROMANS: They look so much alike, it's actually scary.

VELSHI: Yes.

ROMANS: Usually by the time you get to your late 20s and you're twins, you know, you start --

VELSHI: You start to look different. Yes.

ROMANS: Right. And you have a different hair style or fashion. These guys look exactly alike. One wore Sperry topsiders, the other one didn't.

VELSHI: I have to go see that movie. CHETRY: Nice.

VELSHI: Christine's got great news for us this morning.

ROMANS: I do.

VELSHI: You're giving money -- you're going to give people money back.

ROMANS: I'm not, Verizon is. But the bad news is they took it from you in the first place so it's not really free money. It's the money that you gave them and didn't know it.

Verizon Wireless 15 million customers on their October-November bills are going to get a little notice there about a credit you're going to get, a credit of up to $2 to $6. This is because people were charged for sessions, for data sessions, data sessions that they didn't really sign up for on a plan they didn't have. In fact, sometimes it was just for getting on erroneously getting on the Internet for a wireless --

CHETRY: Right. So is this a benevolent company coming clean and saying, you know what, we realized this error?

ROMANS: People were starting to complain about it and in fact, the FCC has been investigating now if there were overcharges. This is what the company says. The majority of the data sessions involved minor data exchanges caused by software built into their phones. Others involved accessing the web which should not have incurred charges. Apparently these were charges of like $1.99 a megabyte. Is that right? $1.99 a megabyte. Right.

VELSHI: That sounds right.

ROMANS: Anyway, you were charged for doing something that you should not have been charged for and now the company is giving you the money back. If you are no longer a Verizon Wireless customer, you're going to get a check in the mail. I would suggest if you've been moved a couple of times, maybe you want to make sure they have the right address so you can get your $2 or $6 and don't spend it all in one place.

VELSHI: Yes.

ROMANS: The other thing that we were all talking about is what does this mean about all of the nickels and dimes --

VELSHI: Are there anyone else -- yes. All these bills that we don't know how to read or we trust somebody else's measurement for, whether it's your electricity or your natural gas.

ROMANS: Right.

VELSHI: Or anything you do.

CHETRY: I always wonder because I recently got a correction on my electric bill and I said, you know, at the time of the estimated reading we overcharged you $41 or whatever it was. And I was thinking, how would I have known?

VELSHI: Right.

CHETRY: You know, it's --

VELSHI: And if you did know and you called them up, they'd say, well, we took a reading.

CHETRY: Right. Exactly.

VELSHI: That's an interesting --

ROMANS: Well, I mean, I would say clearly there are some customers who did notice who spend more time with a fine-toothed comb and a microscope and magnifying glass than I do on this bill.

VELSHI: Yes. Good for them.

ROMANS: But take a close hard look because you're going to get 2 or 6 bucks back. Altogether, that's like -- that could be up to $90 million.

VELSHI: Right.

ROMANS: I mean, that's no small mistake.

VELSHI: My dad is one of those guys who checks every bill for everything and I think why he's wasting your time. But he always finds things.

CHETRY: You always have to ask yourself this, as well as the amount of time I'm spending on this, like --

VELSHI: Right.

CHETRY: -- how much would you make an hour and then how much time do you spend --

VELSHI: By the way, Christine tweeted out whether people say data or data.

ROMANS: I did. And mostly everyone is saying data.

VELSHI: Oh.

ROMANS: I tweeted this. And the people who are up at 7:25 on the east coast, 6:235 in the Midwest in the middle of the night --

VELSHI: Christine, we will see you soon. Actually, Christine is coming back in just a little bit.

CHETRY: Yes, because she is actually giving us some pretty good advice this morning about raising your kids, teaching them about money, what do they need to know? She's going to come back and introduce us to two economists and parents who are using kids' books to get the message about thrift and spending wisely and maybe more important, saving wisely for your kids.

Twenty-six minutes past the hour.

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VELSHI: Good morning. It's 29 minutes after the hour.

CHETRY: That's right. Time for our top stories. More heavy rain expected today in the northeast. The mid-Atlantic, New York, southern New England could see thunderstorms too. And all of this comes as the entire region is trying to dry out from a week of heavy rain and flooding.

VELSHI: The Supreme Court starts the new term today with a new justice, Elena Kagan. Among the high-profile cases the court's going to look at, the legality of California's ban on the sale of violent video games to kids. Also, whether Arizona's income tax credit scholarship directs state money to religious schools in violation of the constitutional separation of church and state.

CHETRY: Meantime, British officials echoing a warning that we heard this weekend from our own State Department, announcing a high threat of a terror attack in Europe. France and Germany considered prime targets according to the warning from British officials. American travelers are being warned to stay alert.

Atika Shubert is live in London for us this morning. I understand you were able to talk to some American travelers this morning. Are they doing anything differently in light of this warning?

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the short answer to that is no. People are basically going ahead with their plans and Londoners in particular are taking things into stride. Even though that travel advice has been upgraded for France and Germany, it's interesting to note that here in Britain, the terror threat level remains the same. In fact, I'm just going to show the cover for "The Times" today. They're more concerned about budget cuts than they are about this terror alert. In fact, it doesn't hit the news until about page six here.

We did get a chance to speak to some American tourists that were at Buckingham Palace to ask them how this might have affected their plans. Here's what they said.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm probably more cautious and I look around a little more, maybe. But we always try to be cautious. I refuse to let terrorists do what they think they're doing, which is to terrorize me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It didn't stop us from doing what we wanted to do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You concerned?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, concerned. But as I said, we're trying to be safe and do the right thing, take care of ourselves. But at the same time, we're not letting it stop us from doing what we want to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHUBERT: Now, one tourist actually told us they're staying away from the Tube, the underground subway here, staying away from some kinds of public transportation. And that goes along with a travel alert. That was issued by the State Department. Staying away from those crowded spaces and areas where they fear there may be an attack.

VELSHI: Atika, did I hear you correctly when you said this is sort of page five in the newspaper? I mean, one would think Britain has experienced terrorist attacks more recently than the United States has, this is just not being taken all that seriously there?

SHUBERT: What it is that the travel alert has come out, but they're not raising their terror threat level. They're saying, basically, it's important to stay alert but we don't see an imminent attack happening. There's no new information of any specific targets or areas. So just stay alert, watch for things, but that's really the extent of it.

VELSHI: OK. Atika, thanks very much for that.

If, as Atika is saying, if U.S. officials and British officials have no specific details about a potential terror attack, people have wondered - people have speculated and we've seen it all over the internet, would we be better served not to have these sorts of warnings? And there's the other side.

CHETRY: If they're not specific, how are they helping, I guess? Well, Fran Townsend, a CNN contributor and former Homeland Security adviser to the Bush White House joins us. She's a member of the DHS and CIA external advisory committee. So certainly plugged into all of this.

So Fran, you're on the phone with us this morning. Part of it, I think, is obviously just sending out the warning. Because if they didn't and something, god forbid, were to happen, right? Then they'll say, why didn't the government tell us something could potentially have happened?

FRAN TOWNSEND, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (via telephone): That's exactly right, Kiran. You know, having served myself and had to make these decisions, it's very frustrating. Because you don't want to unnecessarily frighten people. On the other hand, you feel like you ought to give them enough information so they understand that there's a heightened threat environment.

You know, talking to officials now, they have been very clear with me about just how serious the threat is. But I don't - I think they don't have the specifics that you'd like to see in these kinds of warnings. And I think they're also frustrated.

VELSHI: Fran, what are people - I mean, I understand that there are sort of two levels of importance to these warnings. One is authorities and allowing countries to coordinate on them. But what are travelers supposed to do with this highly non-specific information that at this point is about a continent? At least British authorities have said it could be France or Germany. But American authorities are talking about Europe.

TOWNSEND: Yes. I mean, I hesitate to make light of this. But you can imagine every country in western Europe now coming out and saying, yes, you better be worried about France and Germany, but you're OK if you're a tourist here. That's the problem with these. And if the Americans could narrow it down to France and Germany, that would have been helpful. I just think what you're seeing is they're getting information from people in custody. That changes by the day as these guys give them different information.

What they're afraid of is they want to share what they've got even though it's not, frankly, enough for American tourists in western Europe to do very much about it. And it's common sense stuff. You tell people, have an emergency plan, look for a safe haven if something were to happen. Don't answer your door at a hotel to somebody you don't know. These are all common sense things. But it's worth reminding people at the time of a heightened threat.

CHETRY: Right. And Patrick Kennedy, the under secretary of state for management is saying we're not telling Americans to alter their travel plans. We're not saying don't go abroad. And he's even saying we're not saying don't visit the major tourist attractions like a lot of people do. But he said, register at the embassies abroad. And this one was also interesting. Don't discuss travel plans with others. And don't be near civil disturbances. Can you sort of explain if you're overseas. I mean, what should you be doing that with information?

TOWNSEND: Well, these public disturbances tend to take place around government buildings. And so, you know, while in London that may be an issue because people visit the Parliament. In most countries in western Europe, it's not. So I think that, you know, people - this is really use common sense.

Here's one ray of good news it seems to me that we ought to make mention of. And that is that you notice there's been no threat alert issued here in the United States. Presumably, if the Department of Homeland Security thought this threat extended into the United States, they too would've issued a warning and the fact that they haven't suggests, at least, that authorities are not as worried about the threat here inside the United States.

VELSHI: Fran, good to talk to you as always. Thanks very much for being with us. Fran Townsend is CNN's national security adviser.

CHETRY: Meantime, whether you're a parent, an educator, bullying is a very real fear. And it's one that requires solutions. Straight ahead, we're going to be taking a look at how to handle the problem and one father's mission after a devastating loss. VELSHI: It is 35 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Welcome back to the most news in the morning. We're following a pretty sad story this morning. The death of Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi. It has really resonated across the country now and perhaps because it brings to light an issue that so many parents and children worry about and struggle with and that's bullying.

VELSHI: In our back to school series on bullying, we're starting off with an intimate look at the problem from the perspective of a father who lost his son. Carol Costello is here with this story. Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a sad story. Prepare yourself. Not long ago I met a man named Kirk Smalley. He's a modest guy. He's quiet and private. But after his 11-year-old son committed suicide after years of bullying in school, he is quiet no more. As he told me, no one should lose their child to bullying, no one. And he's determined to make sure no one else does.

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COSTELLO (voice-over): Kirk Smalley is on a mission. There he is an honored guest at Oklahoma City's Western Heights High School trying to put a stop to bullying.

KIRK SMALLEY, TY SMALLEY'S FATHER: I have to make a difference. I promised my son on father's day this year I'd stop this from happening to another child.

COSTELLO: For years, Smalley's son, Thank you, struggled with a bully at school.

(on camera): And when you say he was being picked on, how was he being picked on?

SMALLEY: Name calling, Ty was always kind of small. Shove here, push there.

COSTELLO: His father says Ty was a typical kid with typical grades who took the abuse for two years. On the day Ty finally decided to push back physically, he got into trouble. He was suspended from school. For Ty, that was too much to bear. On that day last May, he killed himself. He was 11 years old.

SMALLEY: Ultimately, my son's safety rested in my hands. I was responsible for my son's safety. I don't hold -

COSTELLO: That's a harsh thing to say about yourself. I mean -

SMALLEY: I'm his dad.

COSTELLO: I know but he's out in the world -

SMALLEY: It's my job to protect him. No matter what, no matter where he was, it was my job to protect him.

COSTELLO (voice-over): But how do you protect your child from a bully? Assistant deputy Education secretary Kevin Jennings was appointed by President Obama to keep kids safe at school. Ty's story could have easily been his own.

(on camera): Were you bullied in school?

KEVIN JENNINGS, ASST. DEP. EDUCATION SECRETARY: Like many kids I was bullied very severely when I was in junior high and high school. And the first day of 10th grade, I actually refused to go back to school because I simply wasn't going to go back to a place where I got bullied every day.

COSTELLO (voice-over): Jennings organized the nation's first ever bullying summit. But he admits it's a baby step. Experts can't even agree on how to define bullying. Is it physical, electronic, psychological, nonverbal, or all of the above?

(on camera): When might something happen? When might the federal government act and say these are the guidelines we want to put in place, do it?

JENNINGS: I think that it's taken us a long time to develop a bullying problem and it's going to take us some time to solve it.

COSTELLO (voice-over): It's why there are no federal guidelines schools must follow to deal with bullying. They're on their own. In Smalley's home state of Oklahoma, each school deals with bullying in different ways. It's something else that infuriates Smalley.

SMALLEY: A lot of schools around the country their answer to bullying is they let the victim leave a little bit early. They let them go home early to get a head start on the bully. You're singling this child out. This child is being picked on. You're singling him out now.

COSTELLO: Real solutions will come too late for Ty, but Kirk Smalley is on that mission.

SMALLEY: We've kept this alive through the summer.

COSTELLO: It's why he organizes vigils at the Oklahoma State House. He thinks bullying ought to be a crime and it's why he tries to convince other kids to stand up for the bully.

SMALLEY: Save the fragile self-esteem, save their lives.

COSTELLO: It's his promise to a boy who loved his family, hunting, and the St. Louis Cardinals.

SMALLEY: We haven't done Ty's last load of laundry because it still smells like him. We haven't washed his sheets because I can go in there and lay on his bed and still smell my boy. And you want to learn what bullying and suicide's all about, you talk to the people directly who it affects the most. (END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: He's a very brave man for speaking out. I thank you, Mr. Smalley for sharing your story with us. As what Ty's school says. We have a statement from the school. "Mr. and Mrs. Smalley never reported any incidents of bullying to administrators or staff at Perkins-Tyron Schools. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the Smalley family. In order to protect their privacy, confidentiality laws prohibit the release of any additional information by Perkins-Tyron schools without a confidentiality waivers signed by Ty's parents."

Of course, Mr. Smalley says they did report incidents to the school, but there's no requirement to write these things down. So let's say Mr. Smalley called two years ago, complained to somebody at the school, there was never any written record of it, according to Mr. Smalley, and that's why the school wasn't aware of any complaints filed. And that's the problem across the nation. Since there are no federal guidelines.

VELSHI: There's no rules that somebody the minute that -

COSTELLO: In Oklahoma, that's right. I mean, 41 states have anti- bullying laws on the books, but they're all different. And some leave it to each school district to figure out what anti-bullying things to put into place.

CHETRY: Have we lost our ways so much that we don't know what right and wrong is that we need federal guidelines? It's almost scary to think. You know, what are parents teaching their children about how they should treat fellow human beings?

COSTELLO: And I thank you for saying that because I talked to so many bullying experts and we're going to get into that tomorrow on "AMERICAN MORNING." And she told me, you know what, these kids learn bullying from somewhere.

VELSHI: Right.

CHETRY: Exactly.

COSTELLO: They don't -- they're not born bullies. But, look at our culture, look at our political culture. We bully all the time and frankly bullying works, right? You get what you want.

VELSHI: Let me ask you this. When we're talking about the idea of setting guidelines, a lot of people have said that what happened at Rutgers to this young man, Tyler Clementi is wrong. Some people say they're not sure it's bullying.

COSTELLO: That's right. Bullying, most experts agree, is a sustained campaign. I don't know what happened at Rutgers. I don't know if this kid was bullied over an extended period of time by his roommate. I know that Ty Smalley's father said he was, over the course of two years. He was made fun of, he was teased, he was pushed, he was punched at school. That's a sustained campaign. So there are differences. But again, we need that definition. We need the federal government to come up with some definition so everybody is clear on what bullying is.

VELSHI: And then we can do something about it. OK. We've got more of this interview, a web extra on our web site, as well.

COSTELLO: CNN.com/amfix. And please comment if you'd like. And send a message to Mr. Smalley, because what a brave guy.

CHETRY: It's a heartbreaking story, but an important one.

Carol, thanks so much.

COSTELLO: Sure.

VELSHI: All right. One of the problems of bullying is that once you've singled out a problem child, when do we start holding parents accountable for their kids' actions? Tomorrow on part two of our series, Carol Costello lays out the solutions to try and keep kids safe.

CHETRY: Also on "AC 360" tonight, bullying in our schools and online. Why do kids do it? What can be done to put an end to it? They're going to be tackling that issue tonight, 10:00 Eastern.

VELSHI: And you can also find complete coverage of CNN and Time Warner's efforts to stop bullying. You can get involved, if your school is trying to stop bullies by holding events. Send us your iReports. Go to CNN.com/bullying. It's 14 minutes to the top of the hour. We'll be right back.

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CHETRY: Seven minutes to the top of the hour. Right now, Ali's pretending he can read here.

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CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. We're talking about Christine's book today, teaching your child the value of saving and also spending money wisely. It's of course as we know --

VELSHI: Does this look obvious?

CHETRY: This is a plug. But you're proud of her. You're proud of your buddy. She's got her book out. And more people should be talking to their kids about money.

VELSHI: Do you know the percentage of parents who is taught their kids about money in the wake of the financial crisis?

CHETRY: Let me think. 54 percent.

VELSHI: That was excellent.

CHETRY: I just pulled that out of thin air.

VELSHI: Yes, no. 54 percent.

Christine is the days of using borrowed money to build your wealth and your power -- well, some people think, over. Christine has this new book out. It's called, "Smart is the New Rich."

ROMANS: That's right. And my whole point is those days of using borrowed money -- that was risk that made people rich and made them financially secure over the past 20 years, right? Risk is not going to make the average family secure anymore. Being smart is going to make them secure so that's the title, "Smart is the New Rich." And it also means it's never more urgent to teach your kids the right lessons about money. Maybe they won't repeat the mistakes that we made. We spent time with our good friend Bill Rogers, he's a well-known economist.

VELSHI: You can see him on TV a lot. We talk to him a lot. He used to be the chief economist with the Department of Labor.

ROMANS: Yes. He really knows the big picture about economics. His wife is also an economist. We thought what's it like to be economists and parents trying to teach your kids about money after a crisis?

Listen.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm saving up for another bike to spray paint again.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Another bike. How much does it cost?

ROMANS (voice-over): Asking mom and dad for money takes on whole new meaning when mom and dad are renowned economists. Meet the Rogers, Bill and Yana; Ely, Billy and Charlie.

(on camera): How do you teach your kids about money -- when the economy is what you do for a living?

YANA ROGERS, ECONOMIST: For a long time now we've been using sort of a trick and that's the children's literature.

ROMANS (voice-over): Bill, a former Labor Department economist, Yana is a Rutgers professor who runs econkids.rutgers.edu, a project that uses kids books to teach economics.

(on camera): Give me an example of a book that I might have in my bookshelf that actually has a subversive economic message in it.

Y. RODGERS: Oh, Barenstain Bears. Everybody has Barenstain Bears. There's Curious George. There's a few of those where he goes to a factory. Well, that's all about production. And then there's Click Clack Moo, cows that type, that's one that Bill likes a lot, too.

ROMANS (voice-over): The cows, in case you forgot, go on strike.

(on camera): Sorry, we're closed. No milk today. This is the Labor Economists labor book right here.

BILL RODGERS, ECONOMIST: That's right.

ROMANS (voice-over): The Rodgers' allowance system is a little more elaborate than most.

ELLIE RODGERS, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: $3 a week. We get it paid every Wednesday. And depending on chores I do, I get paid $8 an hour.

ROMANS: And for messier jobs it's $10 an hour. Economist mom explains that's the principle of compensating differential.

(on camera): What is it like to be raised by two economists? They know everything about money and policy.

E. RODGERS: It can be frustrating sometimes when I'll want something for Christmas and but it'll be a little too expensive, then I'll have to go for like maybe the bargain brand or just to go on sale. I have become a good sale shopper.

ROMANS (voice-over): It's a family created by economics. Bill and Yana met in the econ department at Harvard. And a family run by economics like all families.

B. RODGERS: The one thing that I talk about with our kids is the budget constraint. That is the notion of there's only a fixed amount of money and you have to figure out how you're going to allocate that money across a more expensive baseball bat versus your cleats that you're going to buy.

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ROMANS: Yes, when your dad starts talking about the budget constraints. Look, a few things from also talking to this family and talking to many others that I wanted to tell you about. If you have kids right now, you must teach them that money is finite, that it doesn't go on forever, and that you are all sharing these resources. Put strict rules on your allowances and stick to it. The Rodgers have a fantastic allowance system. $3 a week for everybody, Then they've got to earn $8 an hour -- just like they were working maybe a little bit more above minimum wage.

A level of chores that the kid does for free. This is pretty important.

VELSHI: You don't get paid for everything.

ROMANS: Right. And a Schwab Foundation study found earlier this year that kids who is take out the trash, whether they get an allowance or not, kids who take out the trash grow up to do better with money. So, mom and dad, tell your kids to take out the trash. If you do nothing, make them take out the trash.

CHETRY: Count down the minutes until you get a two-year-old to work.

VELSHI: Honestly, I just have to tell you, this book is excellent. Congratulations on this. "Smart is the New Rich," by my good friend Christine Romans.

ROMANS: Thanks, Ali.

All right. Top stories coming your way in 90 seconds.

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