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'Virginity Checks' on Egyptian Women; Lewd Photo Sent From Congressman Weiner's Twitter Account; Cell Phones Possibly Carcinogenic; A Teacher's Courage Under Fire; Learning at the Khan Academy; Learning At The Khan Academy; The Help Desk; Talk Back Question; Solving Crimes With Social Media

Aired May 31, 2011 - 12:01   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour. I'm Suzanne Malveaux.

Let's get you up to speed.

Yemen spirals closer to all-out anarchy. Witnesses say 23 protesters have been killed since Sunday in Taiz, a hub of the anti-government movement. Government forces are also battling tribal fighters in the capital, Sanaa. And in a third town, soldiers are facing stiff resistance from Islamic militants who have now taken over.

It's a case similar that sounds eerily similar to the one against former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn. An Egyptian businessman could be arraigned in New York today, charged with sexually assaulting a hotel housekeeper. Seventy-four-year-old Mahmoud Abdel-Salam Omar is accused of groping a maid at the Pierre luxury hotel. She says she went to the room at Omar's request to drop off tissues.

This convoy took former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic to the Belgrade airport just a short time ago. He is now in the air, on his way to The Hague to face war crimes charges. A second Serbian court today rejected Mladic's claim that he is too sick for the proceedings. Mladic is accused of ordering the massacre of some 8,000 Muslims during the Bosnian civil war.

A shootout outside a preschool, and a teacher keeps her cool.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK VALENCIA, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A teacher calmly instructs her students to take cover and sings songs while suspected cartel members exchange gunfire outside of her classroom. The teacher, who is identified only as "Martha," tells the students to put their faces on the floor, that nothing is going to happen. As gunfire rages outside the classroom, the teacher asks the kids to sing along to a song by Barney the friendly dinosaur while people were executed outside of the school. None of the children in the classroom was injured.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: The city of Monterrey, Mexico, honors that teacher for her quick thinking and bravery. Her cell phone video has received more than a million hits on YouTube.

Interstate 95 between Washington and Richmond is expected to reopen this hour. A tour bus went off the highway earlier today and flipped over. The crash left four people dead, another 50 injured.

Rescue teams in Joplin, Missouri, say the number of people unaccounted for after the May 22nd tornado is down now to 29. Storm survivors gathered outside Joplin High School to remember the seven students and one staffer who were killed. The school's graduation ceremony had just wrapped up when that tornado hit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's hard seeing it right in front of a school that just blew away.

CHANCI MCGOWEN, SOPHOMORE: Indescribable. Horrible. It's just devastating to see, like, all the destruction of my school, my home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: The World Health Organization is going to announce this hour whether radiation from cell phones should be classified as a carcinogen. A panel of 31 scientists has been reviewing studies on that subject for the last week or so. They're going to try to synthesize the contradictory and inconclusive findings of the study to try to make some kind of recommendation.

President Obama will step into the Rose Garden this afternoon to announce his new commerce secretary. Two White House sources say the president will nominate businessman John Bryson. He is a former CEO at Edison International, a California energy company.

We have live coverage at 8:15 Eastern.

We have exclusive confirmation that Egypt's military forcibly subjected female protesters to what it calls virginity tests. It is something that many consider sexual assault and torture.

A senior Egyptian general tells CNN that the tests were done on women arrested at a demonstration on March 9th, about a month after president Hosni Mubarak's resignation. Egypt's military initially denied these allegations, which first arose in an Amnesty International report. Prior to their virginity tests, the women were allegedly given electric shocks, strip-searched, threatened with prostitution charges.

Our Ivan Watson has reported extensively on the alleged abuse of protesters. He is joining us from Istanbul, Turkey.

Ivan, tell us what the women protesters -- what they said to you.

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we spoke with one of these women in particular, Salwa Hosseini, a young woman. She had been in Cairo's emblematic Tahrir Square on March 9th when a demonstration was broken up. A number of the protesters were dragged into the Egyptian museum, and according to several that I spoke with, that museum became effectively a torture chamber, as Egyptian military police, some in plain clothes, proceeded to beat and electroshock a number of detainees, both male and female.

The woman in question that I spoke to said that she was repeatedly called a whore and a prostitute. Then, after hours of this, a large number of them were carted off to a detention center on the outskirts of the city, and that's where Salwa Hosseini said that she and other women experienced what she described as a forced virginity test.

Take a listen to what she told us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SALWA HOSSEINI, ALLEGED VICTIM (through translator): They made us sign statements declaring whether or not we are virgins. During the test no one was standing except for a woman and a male doctor. Six soldiers were standing behind us and watching the back side of the bed. I think they were there to be witnesses.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Now, the Egyptian military, when we first reported this story, they denied any allegations of torture or virginity tests being carried out. They did, however, confirm that 17 women were detained, along with a number of men that night, and that some of them, like Salwa Hosseini, received one-year suspended jail sentences.

We have gone back to the Egyptian military today, and they have once again denied that this kind of sexual assault effectively took place. But this was part of a larger pattern of torture that we were consistently hearing, not always of sexual assault -- carried out against demonstrators by Egypt's military rulers in the months after the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And Ivan, this happened almost a full month after president Hosni Mubarak stepped down by a military that is currently in control of that country. So do we think that these military officials are going to be facing justice?

WATSON: That's a good question. Egypt is going through a fascinating process right now, where its former president himself, Hosni Mubarak, is being questioned by prosecutors, he's being accused of playing a role in the deaths of hundreds of protesters during the January and February revolution against his rule.

The question is, is the Egyptian military, which is supposed to oversee a transition to democracy, could it then face prosecution for the widespread allegations of torture and other abuses, including sexual assault, effectively, that is alleged to be carried out under Egyptian military rule? Are the Egyptian generals who are in power now, are they going to be willing to hand over power if they, too, could face this kind of prosecution, the kind that Hosni Mubarak and his inner circle are now facing today?

MALVEAUX: All right. Ivan Watson, thank you very much. Excellent reporting.

We're going to have more on this very disturbing story about 10 minutes from now. We're going to talk with Egyptian journalist Mona Eltahawy about the allegations and the overall treatment of women in Egypt.

Here's your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. Today's question: Is Sarah Palin's tour a trial run for a campaign?

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Quit laughing.

MALVEAUX: Carol Costello with the question.

I just -- you know, everybody is following the bus. We're all waiting to see. Is it possible?

COSTELLO: Will she? Wills he? Oh, my gosh.

I know you've seen it, Sarah Palin's One Nation bus tour starting in D.C., where she and her family visited some historical landmarks and then continued on to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. There are times Palin sounds like a would-be presidential candidate, but she still isn't ready to call her tour anything but a campaign for America's Constitution.

There is some confusion about where her bus is heading at times since she refuses to tell the so-called mainstream media exactly where she's going, except for Fox News, which would be her employer. Palin told her co-worker Greta Van Susteren that, despite how things look, her One Nation tour is not political.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PALIN: It's not about me. It's not a publicity-seeking tour. It's about highlighting the great things about America. And the media can figure out where we're going if they do their investigative work, or they're going to keep kind of, as you put it, going crazy trying to figure out what we're doing here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Jim Geraghty of "The National Review Online" says Palin's tour looks like a dress rehearsal, the closest we've seen to an actual campaign from her.

We've been here before. I mean, remember Donald Trump? After weeks of ranting on every news station around the country and a trip to New Hampshire, Trump told everyone, never mind.

Now, we all know Palin's motto is "Going Rogue," so either she just wants to do it her way or she's taking the rest of us for a ride.

So, the "Talk Back" question today: Is Sarah Palin's bus tour a campaign trial run?

Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll read your responses later this hour.

MALVEAUX: We'll go do an investigation and find out.

COSTELLO: I'm going to go open up my trench coat and get my magnifying glass, and I'm off.

MALVEAUX: All right. I can hardly wait to see what people have to say. Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: Sure.

MALVEAUX: Here's a rundown of some of the stories that we're covering this hour.

First, a stinging feeling in Florida. Jellyfish invading Cocoa Beach.

And Congressman Weiner wants to know who sent a naughty picture to a 21-year-old woman from his Twitter account.

Then, bullets flying outside a kindergarten in Mexico. A teacher's remarkable courage under fire.

Plus, waterspouts gliding across the water in Australia.

And this --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is how you lose your life. For me to see this, you know, it just brings back the 10 years of suffering?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What went wrong? Alesandra Rain (ph) says too many doctors, too much medicine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Here are your choices for today's "Choose the News."

First, solving crimes with Facebook. Law enforcement agencies are finding clues on the Internet to catch criminals, which means that the FBI can see what you've been up to on the Web.

Second choice, selling your home in a buyer's market. It's all about flexibility and leaving emotions out of the deal. A realtor shares her tips on when to put up that "For Sale" sign.

And a third, clipping coupons, a thing of the past. Online deals can save you 50 percent or more at your favorite restaurant or store. We're going to break down the hottest Web sites and which ones save you the most.

So, you can vote by texting 22360. Text "1" for "Crime Clues on Facebook"; "2" for "Pricing Homes to Sell"; or "3" for "Online Daily Deals."

The winning story is going to air later this hour.

Back to our lead story on forced virginity tests in Egypt. A senior Egyptian general has admitted to CNN that its military forcibly subjected female protesters to the invasive exams following protests on March 9th, a month after president Hosni Mubarak resigned.

The military calls them virginity checks. The international community considers it sexual assault and torture.

Egyptian journalist Mona Eltahawy, she is joining us from New York. She's a columnist on Arab and Muslim issues.

And Mona, thank you for joining us.

First of all, help us understand this. Can you explain what a virginity test is?

MONA ELTAHAWY, COLUMNIST ON ARAB AND MUSLIM ISSUES: It's basically a way to determine whether a woman is a virgin or not, and it usually depends on whether a hymen is in place or not. That's forgetting, of course, that not all virgins have hymens in place, and that some women are born without hymens.

But I think what goes to the heart of what happened there in Egypt and that we have final confirmation of is that the state is once more sexually assaulting women in Egypt. But this time, it's under the council of the Supreme Military Council, whereas in 2005, it was the state under the guise of the Mubarak regime that began to deliberately target female activists and journalists with sexual assault. And the goal of both sexual assaults from the army and from the Mubarak regime is to humiliate women, to shame them into silence, and basically tell them, go home.

MALVEAUX: Is this a common practice in Egypt?

ELTAHAWY: You know, this morning I put the question out on Twitter, and I asked people I know in Egypt, "Have you guys heard of these virginity tests?" And this is a common practice in conservative cultures that place a high value on women's virginity.

So, you will hear of conservative parts of Egypt where a traditional midwife will be in charge of showing or examining whether a bride-to- be is a virgin or not. And there are cases in which some Egyptian families have gone to medical authorities to determine whether women are virgins or not in the way that we hear in Latin America they have, and also as recently as 1976, in the U.K., where virginity tests were forced on women emigrating from India.

So, essentially, what I'm saying is, these are tests that are forced on women by a patriarchal authority to determine something as flimsy as a hymen. So it happens in Egypt, it happens in countries that are conservative. And at the end of the day, it's extremely humiliating to women. MALVEAUX: And Mona, you bring up a very good point. You talk about the fact that this was used as a form of sexual assault under the Mubarak regime, but now you have the military in charge, and it is also being used in that way.

What is happening in Egypt? This revolution that we have seen, that has occurred, that has helped women in any way in terms of improving their rights or their status in society?

ELTAHAWY: You know, it's absolutely outrageous, Suzanne, because more than 800 Egyptians died and thousands were injured to get rid of Mubarak. But essentially, what has happened is that we have replaced Mubarak in Egypt with a supreme council of Mubarak, which is the Supreme Military Council.

That same council not only sexually assaults women, but it also tortures people, it detains people, it puts hundreds of civilians in military jails and on military trials. In Egypt today, five journalists were called in for questioning, which was then called a chat with the military, because they dared to criticize the military. Three judges are being questioned by the military because they spoke to the media without permission. It's absolutely outrageous.

MALVEAUX: So, Mona, for those of us who are listening to you, and many Americans in the audience who are listening, wondering should the United States, should the Obama administration support such a regime, such a government that people inside of Egypt -- what should be done next?

ELTAHAWY: Well, you know, the United States gives Egypt $1.5 billion in aid every year, $1.3 billion of that aid goes to the Egyptian military. So here's something that President Obama can do. He can pick up the phone, and say, if you want to continue seeing those $1.3 billion, we -- then let's talk about human rights violations by the Supreme Military Council, about what you're doing to Egyptian revolutionaries, about the shameful sexual assaults on Egyptian women. But more importantly, about why it's absolutely imperative that, basically, Egypt goes to civilian leadership and gets rid of military leadership, finally.

We have been under military leadership in Egypt since 1952. And military leadership is essentially a patriarch that violates everybody.

MALVEAUX: OK. All right. Mona Eltahawy, thank you very much for your perspective. Really appreciate it. Thank you, Mona.

A congressman says that he is the victim of a cyber-prank after a lewd picture was posted on his Twitter account. We're going to have the latest reaction from Congressman Anthony Weiner just a short time ago on Capitol Hill.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: A New York congressman says that he is the victim of a prank by someone who hacked into his social networking accounts. He is responding to the controversy over a lewd photo that appeared on his Twitter account.

Our senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash spoke exclusively with the congressman about the picture and the political fallout.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It came from Congressman Anthony Weiner's Twitter account over the weekend, a photo of an anonymous man's bulging underwear. The lewd picture immediately deleted from Weiner's account was sent to this 21- year-old Seattle college student, but also available to the public to view on Twitter.

Outside his New York home Monday, Weiner, an outspoken liberal Democrat, insisted to CNN it was the work of a hacker.

REP. ANTHONY WEINER (D), NEW YORK: I was hacked. It happens to people. You move on.

BASH: It's not clear who sent it. Weiner tried to brush it off as a prank and a distraction.

WEINER: This is a prank, not a terribly creative one, and it's a distraction. Look, you know, you've got the Republicans who are playing games with the debt limit. You've got a Supreme Court justice who is refusing to recuse himself despite conflicts of interest. You have a health care act that is under siege.

You know, this is a distraction.

BASH: Gennette Cordova is the Seattle college student the tweet was allegedly addressed to. The 21-year-old issued a lengthy statement to "The New York Daily News" admitting Weiner did follow her on Twitter, but insisting that she never met him.

"There have never been any inappropriate exchanges between Anthony Weiner and myself, including the tweet/picture in question, which had apparently been deleted before it reached me," said Cordova.

She blamed an anonymous person for harassing her " -- many times after the Congressman followed me on Twitter a month or so ago," after she sent the tweet saying, "I wonder what my boyfriend @RepWeiner is up to."

As for the Twitter account Weiner said was hacked, he's still using it. He tried to downplay the swirling story with tweets like this: "More Weiner jokes for all my guests! Hacked." Trademark Weiner humor.

WEINER: I use, "Vote for Weiner, he'll be frank." "Vote for Weiner, he's on a roll." "Vote for Weiner, he'll relish your votes."

BASH: But questions surrounding the lewd photo quickly became the subject of a serious Internet war between liberal blogs suggesting it's a right wing conspiracy and conservative blogs questioning Weiner's hacking claim. Andrew Breitbart, a conservative blogger whose BigGovernment.com first reported the story suggested to CNN there should be a " -- forensic analysis to determine the veracity of Congressman Weiner's hacking allegation, which certainly bears criminal implications."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Dana Bash joins us live from Capitol Hill, where Congressman Weiner spoke just a few moments ago.

Dana, you were there in that room. What did he say? Did he explain what had actually happened?

BASH: Well, I should say, our producer Rachel Streitfeld was there, but the answer is not really.

You know, one of the questions that we've had is, why is the police not investigating? According to Capitol Police and the FBI, they are not investigating.

So, the question is, has he asked the Capitol Police to look into it? This is what he said --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WEINER: I'm going to return to working on the things that I care about. You know, I've participated in this story a couple of days now, given comments on it. This is a distraction, and I'm not going to let it distract me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: And Suzanne, he gave a version of that answer to pretty much every question Rachel Streitfeld and others asked him there, like, "Was that lewd picture actually a picture of you? Why were you following a 21-year-old college student in Seattle on Twitter?"

And, of course, that means he had had to go on to Twitter and actually seek her out, click on her profile, as you know. People who use Twitter know how this works. It also allows two people who are following one another to correspond without anybody else seeing it.

He didn't answer any of those questions. Over and over, a version of what you just heard is what he said.

And at one point, Suzanne, he actually walked away when somebody was asking a question. He came back and said, "I don't want you to have a shot of me walking away from the camera appearing to not answer the question."

So he and his aides and his advisers obviously are very well aware that the spotlight is on him, and he's trying very hard to manage this by not answering some basic questions that we all have.

MALVEAUX: All right. So a lot of unanswered questions. Thank you very much, Dana. BASH: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: Dana Bash, there on Capitol Hill.

She kept her cool, as gunfire erupted outside her classroom. Now this teacher is Mexico's new hero. You're going to hear from her in just a few minutes.

Making an impact felt around the world. Some celebrities like Victor Garber from the hit TV show "Alias," they're making it a mission in life to raise awareness about Alzheimer's.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VICTOR GARBER, ACTOR: I'm Victor Garber. And we can make an impact for people with Alzheimer's Disease.

As I witnessed my father's decline with Alzheimer's, there is nothing really more painful to witness. And then my mother developed it, and I became her principal caregiver. I became what is known as a champion for the Alzheimer's Association and organized a team in my mother's name, which is part of a walk.

Be proactive. Get on board, and let's all work together for a cure. Join the movement, Impact Your World, CNN.com/impact.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: We have an announcement finally on whether cell phones cause cancer. It's something that could affect all of us and our children.

Scientists from the World Health Organization have been reviewing studies for the last week or so.

I want to bring in our senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, who joins us live with the findings.

Essentially, what did they find?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: The World Health Organization says that the radiation from mobile devices like cell phones is a possible carcinogen to humans.

This is a very big deal because you and I have done segments about this before.

MALVEAUX: Sure.

COHEN: It has gone back and forth, and this is really the first time that a large group -- and you know it doesn't get any more sort of prestigious in many ways than the WHO -- to say that it's a possible carcinogen. It puts it in the company of several other kinds of things. And I want to tell you what it is and I think that might give people an idea of what we're talking about. It puts it in the company of things like lead is also a possible carcinogen, according to the WHO, as well as engine exhaust and chloroform. So that sort of gives you an idea of the kind of risk that we're talking about here.

MALVEAUX: So I can't help but ask, I mean, should we -- should we be alarmed? Should we be freaking out over this information?

COHEN: You know what, I really hope that people who are listening to me are not freaked out. For two reasons. One, they won't do the right thing. And we'll talk about what the right thing is in a minute. And two, they'll panic. And that's kind of silly because all these years we've been on cell phones and holding them to our heads, which is what we're talking about as being bad.

MALVEAUX: Right. Exactly.

COHEN: That's done. You can't do anything about that. And if you're on the phone right now, you don't need to drop it. You know it's not that kind of a carcinogen. It's a kind of a carcinogen, or allegedly, possibly, that would build up over time.

One phone call, doctors tell me, is not going to give you cancer.

MALVEAUX: So what should we be doing?

COHEN: What -- you know what?

MALVEAUX: With this in new information what on earth should we be doing now?

COHEN: We are so lucky that there is something that we can do. Because a lot of medical problems, we can't. But we're lucky that there is something. And I am holding it in my hands right now.

You use a device to keep that phone away from your head, OK? I'm going to make it very simple. This is what experts that I talk to don't want you to do. This radiation is -- is very close to your head. The minute that you put one of these in, you can hold the phone at a distance, and this distance, that radiation is dissipating. It's not going to affect you very much, if at all.

Hold it away from your head, which means using a wired piece like this or a Bluetooth or put it on speakerphone. Keep it away from your head. That's the bottom line. And it's really easy to do.

I mean, I can count on one hand the number of times in the past year that I have spoken on the phone like this. I just don't do it.

MALVEAUX: I'm going to change my habits. Do you have any idea or did WHO say anything about whether or not it can be on your body, on your person, in a pocket, in a holster, anything like that is deadly, you know? COHEN: You know, WHO really focused on gliomas, which is -- which are brain tumors, because that's sort of a lot of the studies have been on.

But Suzanne, I've certainly spoken to experts who say that they themselves do not carry it on their bodies. That they figure why take that risk, if there is a risk. And so they will carry their phones in their purses or in a briefcase.

You know, we'll try to keep it a bit of a distance away from their bodies. But the jury is still out on that.

MALVEAUX: And what do you think cell phone companies are going to do? How do they respond to this? Is there a way they can manufacture a safer phone or --

COHEN: Right. We're seeking a response from the CTIA, which is the industry group. And I think what could happen is that people like the FTC -- FCC, sorry, or other groups like that and other countries might say, hmmm, this is -- you know, this is important what the WHO is saying, and so maybe we ought to tell cell phone companies to make phones with lower radiation.

Now that's a possibility. They may tell cell phone companies, go back to the drawing board, come up with a phone that emits less radiation.

MALVEAUX: So bottom line for those who are watching and who've wondered about whether or not this causes cancer.

COHEN: Right.

MALVEAUX: It's all about keeping it away from your head.

COHEN: Right. The WHO says possibly, so experts I've talked to says-- say why in the world would you take the risk, keep it away from your head by using some kind of an earpiece.

MALVEAUX: All right. Elizabeth, thank you so much.

COHEN: Thanks.

MALVEAUX: It's something a lot of people have been asking and wondering. And clearly, we have something that is rather conclusive from a very prestigious organization. It is a big deal.

COHEN: That's right. It is. It is.

MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Elizabeth.

COHEN: Thanks.

MALVEAUX: Well, a reminder to vote for today's "Choose the News" winners. You can vote by texting 22360. Text 1 for "Crime Clues on Facebook." Hackers aren't the only ones who want to see what you've been up to on the Web. The FBI has been using social media to help solve crimes. Text 2 for "Pricing Homes to Sell." If you want to sell your home in a buyers' market, be ready to check your emotions at the door. Text 3 for "Online Daily Deals." Save money at your favorite shops and restaurants with these popular Web sites.

The winning story is going to air later this hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Hailed as a hero, in Mexico, we are now hearing from the teacher whose courage under fire we've been telling you about all day.

First, though, CNN's Nick Valencia takes us through the terrifying moments.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK VALENCIA, CNN SPANISH DESK EDITOR (voice-over): Listen closely as this story unfolds.

This was the scene at a kindergarten school in Monterey, Mexico on Friday afternoon. A teacher calmly instructs her students to take cover and sing songs while suspected cartel members exchange gunfire outside of her classroom.

The teacher, who is identified only as Martha, tells the students to put their faces on the floor, that nothing is going to happen. As gunfire rages outside the classroom, the teacher asks the kids to sing along to a song by Barney the Friendly Dinosaur.

Five people were executed outside of the school. None of the children in the classroom was injured.

The teacher later posted the video on YouTube. It's received more than a million hits.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: It really is an unbelievable story. And Nick is joining us live.

Nick, I understand you spoke exclusively with the teacher when she was reunited with the kids.

VALENCIA: That's right.

MALVEAUX: I mean, it was quite amazing. People were saying she's a hero, quick thicker. Did she explain to you why it was or how it came about that this was all being recorded as well?

VALENCIA: Yes, that's a great question, Suzanne. In fact, Mexico itself is a country, doesn't have a code of conduct per se for these types of situations. But local school districts, including this one that she's a part of, have violence preparedness seminars.

She leads a commission for violence preparedness for her school. So she was saying that she was actually cataloging this as part of evidence for this security commission she's on.

MALVEAUX: What does she tell you about people who look at her and say oh, my god, you know, you really are amazing, you're an amazing woman, an amazing teacher. And some even saying a hero?

VALENCIA: She is a valiant woman, being hailed as a hero, and of course being applauded by the state government. In fact, I believe we have video of her ceremony yesterday.

Nuevo Leon state governor Rodrigo Medina, he actually spoke to her and gave her an award yesterday. And she's been incredibly humble throughout this whole thing, deflecting to the kids, giving them all of the credit for taking the lead on this.

In fact, we have sound from her yesterday just in Monterey, Mexico as she was reunited with some of those children.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER (Through Translator): What do you think now, Teacher, now that you see the reaction from the media?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (Through Translator): This is what I think. This is what gives me satisfaction.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER (Through Translator): When all of this happened, you didn't cry. But now you are. Why?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (Through Translator): When you are happy, you also cry.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: Now the Nuevo Leon state government in fact wants people, residents to do stuff like this. We talked about how many hits this video has gotten, over a million hits, already. It's gone viral and she did the exact thing that the government wants to do -- wants people to do in situations like this.

Speaks volumes to what's going on, Suzanne, in Monterey actually right now. This city voted the safest a couple of years ago in Latin America, not just in Mexico, but all of Latin America.

MALVEAUX: Sure.

VALENCIA: And now this also victim to the two warring cartels that are battling there and using this as their playground.

MALVEAUX: We applaud that teacher and we're so glad those kids are OK.

VALENCIA: Absolutely.

MALVEAUX: Nick, excellent reporting, thank you.

VALENCIA: Thank you. MALVEAUX: (INAUDIBLE) into an alternative approach to education. The Khan Academy began its mission to educate the world online from a tiny space. It was really the size of a closet. Until now. Millions of dollars started pouring in from Google and Bill Gates.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: One man's vision shaking up the education industry. The Khan Academy offers a world-class education in 10 or 15-minute tutorials on YouTube. Anyone with Internet access can watch them anywhere in the world at any time.

Our CNN Silicon Valley correspondent Dan Simon joins us live to talk about what some are calling the future of education.

Hey, Dan.

DAN SIMON, CNN SILICON VALLEY CORRESPONDENT: Well, hi, Suzanne. Most of the people and businesses we profile here in the San Francisco bay area have a pretty simple motive. They just want to generate healthy profits. But in the case of Sal Khan, he just wants to make education more accessible.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIMON (voice-over): When we first met Sal Khan 18 months ago, he was working at home in a converted closet in the heart of Silicon Valley. The former hedge fund analyst had recently quit his job to do something that at the time sounded a bit strange.

SALMAN KHAN, KHAN ACADEMY: Right now I'm cash flow negative.

SIMON: He gave up a paycheck with a hefty ambition. To help educate the world online.

KHAN: A lot of people thought I was kind of crazy. Obviously, you know, when every waking hour you have you would sneak into a room and make math videos and put them on YouTube, people kind of questioned, you know, what's up?

SIMON: What originally started as some math tutoring for a cousin turned into a global phenomenon. The idea didn't seem so crazy anymore. Though Khan, a brilliant MIT and Harvard grad with a wife and two children to support, was slowly starting to run out of his savings. That's when he learned that one comment from the right man can change everything. An out of the blue endorsement from Bill Gates.

BILL GATES, CHAIRMAN, MICROSOFT: There's a new -- a website that I've just been using with my kids recently called Khan Academy, k-h-a-n. Just one guy doing some unbelievable 15-minute tutorials.

KHAN: It was surreal. I mean it's one of those things where, you know, it's this person that you grew up knowing. Kind of almost a hero most of your life. All of your life.

SIMON: Soon, Gates kicked in $1.5 million. He also won $2 million from Google. It had a contest to see who had the best ideas to better the planet.

KHAN: We did now have millions of dollars to essentially pursue the dream.

SIMON: A dream that's enabled him to post more than 2,300 videos on a host of different subjects, from math, to history, to economics.

KHAN: It involves an expansion of the Central Bank's balance sheet.

SIMON: Khan has expanded his approach to create a software platform for classrooms. And he's working closely with one local school district.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why don't you start with reviewing some of these and getting them out of the way?

KHAN: It was literally it started with me (INAUDIBLE) saying, look, my cousins have a problem, I think I have a solution for my cousin's problem, so I did it. And it required pretty much no resources. A little bit of my time. It was like, oh, wait, my cousins liked it and other people liked it. Let's keep going.

SIMON: With his new-found fame and resources --

KHAN: This is the worldwide headquarters of the Khan Academy.

SIMON: Khan has been able to ditch the bedroom closet for an office and he now has a small staff to take things to an even higher level.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: So, Dan, are these videos free?

SIMON: Right now all of the videos are free. It's pretty amazing when you think about it. And right now he's reaching an estimated 2 to 3 million users a month. Eight months ago, he was only reaching 80,000 users a month. And, remember, these are just in English. But he has plans to translate them into as many as 10 different languages. So his reach is only going to expand even greater, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Wow, that's pretty cool.

All right, thank you, Dan. Appreciate it. Great story.

Today's "Talk Back" question, is Sarah Palin's tour a trial run for a campaign? Tyron (ph) says, " if the media ignores her, it will not be a trial run, but rather a random summer vacation." More of your responses straight ahead.

CARMEN WONG ULRICH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Time now for "The Help Desk," where we get answers to your financial questions. Joining me this hour, Manisha Thakor is a personal finance author, and Doug Flynn is a certified financial planner and founder of Flynn Zito.

Let's get to it, guys. The first question is from Bill in Greenwood, Indiana. He asks, "can I take my money from a 401(k) and put it in another IRA or a CD without paying taxes?"

Doug.

DOUG FLYNN, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER: The interesting thing about his question is that he said IRA or CD.

ULRICH: Right.

FLYNN: So you can take from a 401(k) and do a direct rollover, that's the official term, into an IRA. And then the IRA is the vehicle. You can then purchase an IRA CD, an IRA mutual fund or an IRA anything that you want. But if you take it from the 401(k) and walk into a bank and say, can I have a CD and they don't put it into an IRA, that is not a rollover and that would be taxable. So you have to be very careful. What you're looking for is an IRA CD.

ULRICH: And you wonder why he wants to do that, too. Ask yourself, my friend.

All right, thanks, Doug.

Vanessa in New York has another question. "I am 21 years old and I have over $7,000 in debt with hospital bills, credit card debt and a student loan. What would happen if I filed for bankruptcy?"

Manisha, she's young.

MANISHA THAKOR, PERSONAL FINANCE EXPERT: Oh, I hate to hear this. It's such a pervasive problem, though, these days. So my advice to Vanessa is this. Yes, you can -- yes, it's possible you could declare bankruptcy. But that's sticking with you for seven to 10 years, depending on the nuances. A much better thing is to address it head- on.

So the hospital bills, call the hospital. Negotiate. You're 21. There are a lot of different payment plans that they are probably likely to be willing to discuss with you. On the student loans, are they federal loans? Can you defer? Is forbearance an option?

And then on that credit card debt, you may have to move in with mom and dad. But if you can add an extra $50, $100, $150 a month to that credit card debt, you can create your own repayment plan on your own. So my advice, just attack it head-on.

ULRICH: All right, got to get active with that.

Thanks, guys, very much.

Now, do you have a question that you want us to answer? Well, send us an e-mail any time at the cnnhelpdesk@cnn.com.

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MALVEAUX: Sarah Palin says she plans to take her tour bus -- the bus tour, rather, to Iowa, but she's keeping reporters guessing about whether or not she's going to run for president. Which brings us to today's "Talk Back" question and Carol Costello with the response.

I don't know, Iowa might give us a clue, do you think?

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm sure there's some national monument there too she's going to look at because that's what she's doing on the way, right?

MALVEAUX: That's what she says.

COSTELLO: So our "Talk Back" question, is Sarah Palin's bus tour a campaign trial run?

This from Barry. "Stop feeding the beast. Ignore Sarah Palin. Her bus tour is not a news worthy story. If and when she announces, then you have a story. In the meantime, all you and the others in the media are doing is acting like Pavlovian dogs, drooling every time she rings the publicity bell." I kind of enjoyed reading that, frankly.

MALVEAUX: Wow! Woo!

COSTELLO: Hey, I asked for the truth. My friends deliver.

MALVEAUX: They do.

COSTELLO: This from Pablo. "Of course! Her tour bus is a political campaign and to gain popularity, otherwise, she could do it in a more discrete way."

This from Rob. "She won't run. Why should she? She makes plenty of money. As stupid as people think she is, I think she knows she couldn't win, but she does have enough supporters to help influence other candidates."

This from Debbie. "If it's a trial run, it's a false start. It's coming off much more as a publicity stunt than as a serious attempt at connecting with voters beyond her base."

And this from Jennifer. "No, it is actually a tour to lead the media on a wild goose chase. She's enjoying the chase." As are we, frankly.

Facebook.com/carolcnn. Please continue the conversation.

MALVEAUX: Oh, Sarah Palin, what are you going to do? Tell us, tell us, tell us. Don't make us chase you anymore. Tell us.

COSTELLO: But it's a great strategy, you have to admit.

MALVEAUX: It's (INAUDIBLE).

COSTELLO: I mean a lot of --

MALVEAUX: It's working.

COSTELLO: National media figures are following her. And the only media she's talking to is Fox News, which is her employer.

MALVEAUX: And we're talking about it, so, yes --

COSTELLO: I know. I'm not going to talk about it anymore. I'm even going to tear up my (INAUDIBLE). I'm going.

MALVEAUX: All right, Carol, we've got to go. We'll leave it there.

COSTELLO: OK.

MALVEAUX: President Obama is going to step into the Rose Garden this afternoon to announce his new commerce secretary. Two White House sources saying the president will nominate businessman John Bryson. He's a former CEO at Edison International, a California energy company. We've got live coverage at 8:15 Eastern -- I'm sorry, 1:15 Eastern. I apologize.

Well, you told us what you wanted to see. Your "Choose The News" story just moments away.

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MALVEAUX: You told us what you wanted to see. Here is your "Choose The News" winner. Law enforcement agencies are finding clues on the Internet to catch criminals. Our CNN's Dan Simon has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Facebook allows users at any time to adjust privacy settings. You can make your photos and personal information available only to friends instead of everyone. But that doesn't guarantee it will always be private.

Law enforcement are now turning to Facebook and other Internet services to help solve crimes. This man, 25-year-old Anthony Wilson of Detroit, was recently indicted on bank robbery charges, partly because the FBI compared his Facebook photos with bank surveillance video. He's been released on bond and pleaded not guilty.

E.J. HILBERT, FORMER FBI CYBERCRIME SPECIALIST: It is definitely the wave of the future. People -- we forget the Internet's only about 10 years old.

SIMON: E.J. Hilbert is a former cyber-crimes specialist for the FBI. He says while social media is just one tool for law enforcement, its importance is growing.

HILBERT: The use of social media or online searches is absolutely crucial. It is free information. It's there. Absolutely people should be utilizing this.

SIMON: But with that comes concerns about law enforcement overstepping boundaries. Facebook says it is cautious about turning over users' information. In a statement provided to CNN, a spokesperson tells us, "we never turn over content records in response to U.S. legal process unless that process is a search warrant reviewed by a judge. We are required to regularly push back against overbroad requests." Civil liberties groups say Facebook has adopted the correct position by insisting on a search warrant, but worry that other less scrupulous Internet services won't have the same requirements.

JIM DEMSEY, CENTER FOR DEMOCRACY AND TECHNOLOGY: I think what we need to have, written clearly into the law, is the requirement that when the government wants sensitive information, e-mails, cell phone tracking information, photos that you've only shared with friends, they need to go to a judge, make their case, and get that warrant.

SIMON (on camera): So civil liberties groups concerned about the potential for abuse here. But the bottom line is, if users are concerned about law enforcement somehow getting a hold of their information on Facebook, then they probably shouldn't put any information online to begin with.

Dan Simon, CNN, San Francisco.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Well, if your choice did not win or you just want to check out the runners up, I'll have links to them on my page at facebook.com/suzanneCNN.

CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Randi Kaye, who's in for Ali Velshi.

Hey, Randi.