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Connecticut Town Devastated by Hurricane Irene; College Loans: The New Mortgage; Wildfires Spread in Texas and Oklahoma; Good News for Perry; Animals Starving at Tripoli Zoo
Aired August 31, 2011 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Live from Studio 7, I'm Suzanne Malveaux. I want to get you up to speed for Wednesday, August 31st.
Firefighters are calling in air tankers today to battle wildfires outside of Dallas. More than two dozen homes have burned in Palo Pinto County, and crews say the fire is just 25 percent contained. Now, several hundred people had to pack up and run as fires spread. Texas is in the middle of an epic drought and heat wave that is dragging all summer long.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHANIE LUCERO, KTVI REPORTER: More than 100 homes are in jeopardy, and those who lost their homes are just devastated.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It just happened so quickly, and I was thinking, not again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This time it happened, like, now. Before, we knew it was coming, it was taking time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: A brush fire also overran several homes and this church in Oklahoma City. Now, crews say that the fire, it is contained, but they're working hard today to make sure that it doesn't flare up again.
And Irene, long gone, but folks are still feeling miserable in parts of the Northeast. Forecasters say the Passaic River in New Jersey has peaked, but it probably won't fall below flood stage until Friday.
Now, 43 people have died from this terrible storm. More than 2.5 million customers up and down the East Coast, still, they don't have power. And some people who are cut off by Irene have some more pressing problems.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're in need of medical supplies. We have food and we have drinkable water. There's no running water because there's no power, and all the water is run on electric pumps.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and FEMA Director Craig Fugate, they're going to be in New Jersey today to check on things and make sure that things are OK. A lot of problems there still.
And I want you to take a look at this, amazing pictures, unbelievable. People on the Connecticut coast, they're getting a look at their beach houses, and the damage, really stunning. Irene ripped some houses in half, others were knocked off their foundations. Twenty-five homes in the Cosey Beach community are a total loss.
We've got an eye on Tropical Storm Katia. It is gathering speed in the far eastern Atlantic today. Now, right now, winds are at 65 miles an hour. Forecasters predict that Katia will grow into a major hurricane this weekend. Still too early to say where this storm is headed.
So, not only is the Syrian government gunning down protesters in the streets, but a new report now says it is torturing at least some of those protesters. Amnesty International says that investigators have documented 55 cases. They found burns, blunt-force wounds, whip marks and slashes. Some victims were boys as young as 13. One particularly gruesome finding, Amnesty International says at least three victims showed signs of genital mutilation.
President Obama is calling on Congress to renew a bill to repair and rebuild the nation's highways. Now, the White House says almost a million American jobs are going to get lost if Congress refuses to extend highway construction projects. Money is going to run out at the end of September.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If we allow the transportation bill to expire, over 4,000 workers will be immediately furloughed without pay. If it's delayed for just 10 days, it will lose nearly $1 billion in highway funding. That's money we can never get back. And if it's delayed even longer, almost one million workers could lose their jobs over the course of the next year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: House Republicans are offering a new highway bill, but Democrats say that it cuts funding levels by a third.
Well, a father who tossed his 7-year-old son off a southern California boat says he and the boy were just horsing around, but passengers saw things a little differently. They say that Sloane Briles hit the boy, through him overboard, because he wouldn't stop crying. Well, sheriff's deputies arrested Briles on child endangerment charges, and he is out on bond today.
It is no secret Tiger Woods' game is off. He has fallen out of golf's top 20 rankings for the first time now since 1997. Woods blames injuries which kept him off the course most of the summer, and he talks about his return to the PGA tour in an interview with CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIGER WOODS, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: Unfortunately, I haven't played too much, and when I did play, I haven't played too well. I think the best finish I've had is at the Masters this year, but other than that, I really haven't played a lot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Here's your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. Today's question: Is it time for a third-party candidate to get into the race for the White House?
Carol Costello joins us from New York.
Carol, I know a lot of people think Washington is broken, maybe we just need to change the system all together.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, shake things up, right?
So, are American voters waiting for Perot, as in Ross Perot, as in third-party candidate Perot? I'm talking metaphorically here.
But remember back in the 1992 campaign how Perot shook things up? He could say things and the party be damned. Who could forget how he characterized NAFTA, the trade agreement that some say sent jobs to other countries?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROSS PEROT, FMR. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to get a bubble surge building an industrial Mexico, and then we're going to have a giant, sucking, sound vacuum in industrial -- what used to be industrial America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Comments like that ended up splitting the Republican vote and putting Democrat Bill Clinton in the White House. What would a 2012 look like if Republican Sarah Palin ran as an Independent, or Democrat-turned-Republican-Independent New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg decided to give it a go?
I'm not spouting nonsense here. Some yearn for a third party. They really do.
There's even a Web sit called Americans Elect. It's asking people to name and fight for third-party candidates. Even Democratic political analyst James Carville told the "L.A. Times" the presidential race is ripe for a third-party entrant.
So, today's "Talk Back" question: Do we need a third-party candidate in 2012?
Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll read your comments later this hour.
MALVEAUX: Carol, it seems like we talk about this every election season, whether or not there should be a third party. I was back in college. I remember taking a class. Jesse Jackson was the guest lecturer, and he was talking about the possibility of a third party.
COSTELLO: I know.
MALVEAUX: Years later, the same discussion. I think people really -- they're waiting for somebody to come along and really shake it up a little.
COSTELLO: I know. The perennial third-party candidate is Ralph Nader. I don't think he'll be giving it a go this time around. But who knows?
MALVEAUX: All right. We'll be following very closely. Thank you, Carol.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: For a lot of folks along the East Coast, the scope of Hurricane Irene is just starting to sink in. Almost three million people are still without power, entire towns are cut of by those floodwaters. The death toll from the weekend storm, it is still climbing. It's now at least 43.
One of the hardest hit areas is in East Haven, Connecticut. That is where Irene's storm surge tossed homes around just like toys.
CNN's Alina Cho, she has more on the damage there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DINO BRAINERD, HURRICANE VICTIM: The whole first floor is gone. This is the second floor, actually. And --
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the second floor?
BRAINERD: This is the second floor.
CHO (voice-over): The living room, kitchen, rooms that were once one floor up in Dino Brainerd's home are now hugging the beach at ground level.
(on camera): Oh my God.
(voice-over): Homes sheared in half by what many here call the perfect storm.
BRAINERD: It's eerie. You come back and it's almost like it's so surreal.
CHO: Like this scene, people enjoying their summer, just feet away from total devastation.
(on camera): These are the pillars on which the homes were built to protect them. This is what's left after Irene. One resident told me it's as if someone picked up their home, threw it, and stomped on it. All of the homes here, flattened and reduced to rubble.
MAYOR APRIL CAPONE, EAST HAVEN, CONNECTICUT: We believe that we have 25 homes that are a total loss, and maybe another 20 that are uninhabitable.
CHO: Adding to the heartbreak, Cosey Beach is tight-knit, and many families have owned their homes for generations, like Jim DeLucia.
JIM DELUCIA, HURRICANE VICTIM: We did get a little water in here. Now, that's very unusual.
CHO: Sixty-five of his 70 summers have been spent here. DeLucia says with all the beach erosion over the years, owning a home on this stretch of beach is like playing Russian roulette.
DELUCIA: It wasn't a question of if, it was a question of when?
CHO: Lifelong resident Roberta Sabo ignored the mandatory evacuation order.
(on camera): What did you see?
ROBERTA SABO, HURRICANE VICTIM: I saw the house coming down. What did I see? I saw this -- this coming down and coming at me.
CHO (voice-over): Her home was spared, but for Dino Brainerd and his family, there's little to salvage. Yet, for him, leaving the area is not an option.
BRAINERD: I would not let this stop me from coming back.
CHO (on camera): When you hear the name "Irene" now?
BRAINERD: I won't be naming any of my daughters or pets Irene.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Alina Cho joins us from East Haven, Connecticut.
Alina, good to see you. Obviously, when you take a look at those pictures, it's unbelievable. It kind of reminds me of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.
Do we know if people are still without power, without electricity?
CHO: Yes, many of them are, Suzanne. As a matter of fact, nearly a quarter of a million residents in Connecticut are still without power. A quarter of the residents in East Haven, so if you're talking about a population of about 30,000, 7,500 residents just in this small area alone are still without power.
But as you can see, it's just utter devastation here. It's really surreal to walk around this area, I must tell you.
You know, you'll see walls torn down and desks and photos intact, but many of the homes just flattened. And so many lives ruined here because there are so many wonderful memories. Generations of families have lived in this area -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Alina, is it possible for the photographer to pan over and to show us what you're looking at there?
CHO: Sure. In fact, we can show you over here, this is Dino Brainerd's home. He was featured in the piece.
You can see the home is actually sitting at a 45-degree angle. People refer to this house as a tilted doll house now.
And I talked about this in the piece, but just to explain it a little bit further, this is the living room, and back over here is the kitchen. These were originally on the second floor of the house. They're now, as you can see after the storm, on ground level, hugging the beach, and it's just extraordinary.
I just almost couldn't believe it when I first saw it. But what is more extraordinary to me, Suzanne, is that a lot of the residents -- in fact, most of the residents I spoke to -- told me that they do plan to come back, they do plan to rebuild. That's just how much they love being right here on the water -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Alina, do all those houses look like that along the coast, along that section? Are there any houses that were spared?
CHO: You know, there were. There were a few houses that were spared, and I'm not sure if you can see back a couple of homes down, but there is a home right there that was built on concrete pillars.
And as you can see, that home is still standing. But if you look at the top deck, there's damage there. I mean, really, truly, as you walk down the beach here, I don't believe any of the homes were spared in terms of damage, and many of them, sadly, Suzanne, were destroyed.
MALVEAUX: All right. Alina, thank you so much.
In Vermont, hundreds of people are still trapped in their homes after flooding caused by Hurricane Irene washed away the roads and the bridges. But they are making some progress.
On Monday, highway crews began working on makeshift roads to about a dozen towns that are cut off. Vermont's governor says that some 263 roads and bridges were severely damaged or destroyed, and many parts of the state are still under flood watches and warnings. Vermont's National Guard trucks are just now reaching some of those who were stranded two days now after the hurricane hit.
(NEWSBREAK) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: If you want to get the biggest return on your tuition dollars, you might want to major in engineering. Those are the top- paying college degrees. Now, the highest is petroleum engineering. The average mid-career salary, about $157,000 a year -- that's not bad -- followed by aerospace and chemical engineering, salaries about $108,000.
So whether you're saving for your college -- kids' college tuition, cosigning a loan, paying off your own student debt, you know that the cost of college is skyrocketing. CNN is taking an in-depth look at higher education and the high price of a college degree now. For a lot of young people it means graduating from school with mountains of student loan debt.
Here is our senior correspondent, Allan Chernoff.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT: A growing number of Americans are starting their careers deeply in debt, a result of all the money they had to borrow to pay for their education. For many, education loans have become a de facto mortgage that could take decades to pay off.
(voice-over): Rebecca Billante (ph) is living her dream. She's made it to New York City working in fashion for retail giant J. Crew.
REBECCA BILLANTE (ph), WORKS IN FASHION: Accomplished, definitely. I would say that that's a very good word to describe how I feel.
CHERNOFF: Accomplishing her dream though has been costly. To earn her Masters in fashion design at Drexler University, Rebecca had to take on student loans from the federal government and private lenders. Even with help from her parents, the three-year program left her with debt approaching six figures.
BILLANTE: I have some really dark moments about it. That's for sure. It's overwhelming.
It's overwhelming and it's extreme. It's a lot of money, and I just have to try to ultimately stay positive to know that I will get through it and I will make it work.
CHERNOFF: The working world often requires ambitious, responsible Americans like Rebecca to assume mountains of debt to gain the education their careers demand. That debt load for students at graduation is $27,000 on average. Adding education loans their parents take on, the figure jumps to $34,000. Pile all those loans together, and student loan debt now exceeds credit card debt.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Student loan debt is having an impact on how people live their lives. I mean, it's causing delays in getting married, buying a car, buying a house, having children, saving for retirement.
BILLANTE: Good boy.
CHERNOFF: It squeezes Rebecca's lifestyle. She lives in a small Manhattan studio, watches her spending, and is short to pay her credit card bills in full each month.
(on camera): How long do you think it might be before you actually can pay it all off?
BILLANTE: Well, I would say 25 years, 25 to 30 years. There are repayment plans that let you extend it to take that long, and that's what I thought about when I was doing it.
CHERNOFF (voice-over): Student loans are Rebecca's educational mortgage.
(on camera): But Rebecca says she doesn't regret it. Borrowing was the only way to achieve her career dream.
Allan Chernoff, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Now we're giving you a chance to "Choose the News." Text "22360" to vote for the story you'd like to see in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM.
First, call it the smell of success. A grocery store in Brooklyn is bumping up its business by pumping artificial food smells into the air.
Second, he's probably the world's most famous penguin. Happy Feet on his way home to Antarctica, but will this little guy make it on his own?
Or, third, you know him from movies like "The Big Lebowski" and "True Grit," but now Oscar winner Jeff Bridges trying his hand at music. We're going to take a listen to some of his original songs.
So, you can vote by texting "22360." Text "1" for "The Smell of Success"; "2" for "Happy Feet Heads Home"; or "3" for "Oscar-Winner- Turned-Musician."
The winning story is going to air in the next hour.
Well, the worst wildfire season in Texas history is now getting worse. And in neighboring Oklahoma, a fast-moving fire is threatening neighborhoods in Oklahoma City. This church is just one of the buildings that have burned now to the ground. We're going to get an update.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK) MALVEAUX: Well, there is just no letup in the destructive wildfires that are happening in Texas, Oklahoma, other parts of the Southwest. There is a fast-moving fire in Oklahoma City. It has already destroyed at least two homes and a church. A huge blaze about 15 (ph) miles west of Dallas/Fort Worth has burned more than two dozen homes and other buildings to the ground. Right now, there is no stopping it.
Here's reporter Stephanie Lucero with our affiliate KTVT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LUCERO: There's a lot of heartbroken families out here. Thirty families lost their homes yesterday, and overnight it seemed like the fire settled down. At least that's what fire officials told us. But right now we're watching as flames start to flare up again. More than 100 homes are in jeopardy today, and those who lost their homes yesterday are just devastated.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It happened so quickly, and I was thinking, not again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This time it happened like, now. Before we knew it was coming, it was taking time.
LUCERO: The winds are expected to top out today at about 25- mile-per-hour gusts. Firefighters would like to prevent a repeat of yesterday, but it's just going to be tough, because the terrain here in north Texas is so dry. We're in the midst of a serious drought, and there's no rain in the forecast for today or tomorrow.
The winds are expected to kick up, and we're also experiencing a lot of embers here in the area.
Live in Palo Pinto County, Stephanie Lucero. Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: So, in the tropics, there's new trouble now to worry about. Now, just days after Irene, forecasters are now tracking Tropical Storm Katia.
I want to check in with Rob Marciano.
Rob, tell me this is not happening. Really? Really?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Not only do we have to deal with Katia, but potentially another system that's even closer to home.
MALVEAUX: Hitting the U.S.?
MARCIANO: Potentially, yes.
Tropical Storm Katia, it's 65-mile-an-hour winds. This thing has been organizing in the past day, to increase in intensity up until the last advisory, where it's been held below tropical storm strength. But it's pretty far even away from the Leeward Islands, maybe about 1,000 miles from any sort of land mass. That's the good news.
The bad news is that it's heading in our direction. It does become a tropical -- a hurricane strength 1, category 2 on Friday, category 3 over the weekend, and maybe making a northerly jog. That's a couple decent cold fronts coming away from the U.S., and that may help steer it away from the U.S.
But it's way too early to make that call just yet. So, be on your guard East Coast for the potential of Katia.
This thing now getting into the Gulf of Mexico this weekend, we don't really know what's going to happen here. Some of the models taking it away from Texas, that would be good, give it some rain. But some of it keep it out there and spin for a little bit, maybe bringing in shore Sunday, Monday or Tuesday as a stronger storm, maybe even a hurricane potentially across the northern Gulf Coast. Too early to tell on this one but it's close, you got to keep it here, we'll give you updates throughout the day today and tomorrow.
MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Rob.
A reminder to vote for today's "Choose the News." Text 22360 to vote for the story that you'd like to see. Text 1 for the smell of success -- a grocery store in Brooklyn lures in customers pumping fake food smells into the air. Text 2 for Happy Feet heads home -- New Zealand's popular penguin heads back to Antarctica, and the whole country wishing him well. Or text 3 for actor-turned-musician -- Oscar winner Jeff Bridges hoping to take his box office success to the billboard charts with new country western record. Winning story is going to in the next hour.
So, right? This is the warning. Your mother told you, don't run with scissors but she never imagined what would happen if you fell on a pair of pruning shears face first. We're going to have the story of a man who did and he lived to laugh about it. You got to see this to believe it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: All right, talk to freak accidents, an Arizona man is recovering after he was impaled by a pair of pruning shears that went through his eye socket. This is unbelievable, not only did he survive, he still has his eyesight.
Reporter Barbara Grijalva of our affiliate KOLD, she's got his unbelievable story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEROY LUETSCHER, FELL ON PRUNING SHEARS: And when I felt up there, I sort of pulled on it just a little and it seemed real solid so I just left it alone and realized that it was the clipper.
BARBARA GRIJALVA, KOLD REPORTER (voice-over): Eighty-six-year- old Leroy Luetscher was outside his Green Valley home exactly one month ago when he fell onto the handle of his clippers that looked like a lot like these. The handle went through his right eye socket.
ARPY WILLIAMS, LUETSCHER'S PARTNER: There was just blood all over, but anyway, I saw this instrument in his face and I just said, "LeRoy, honey, what have you done?" I was just shocked.
GRIJALVA: She wasn't the only one. One of Luetscher's surgeons joined at the news conference.
DR. LYNN POLONSKI, OCULAR PLASTIC SURGEON: This was pretty dramatic, and you know, you just didn't understand what you were looking at.
GRIJALVA: University Medical Center had assembled a trauma team.
POLONSKI: And what we found was it was in his neck. And it was close to his carotid artery.
LUETSCHER: It was excruciating. I just -- I can't tell you how much it hurt.
POLONSKI: It was rock solid in his face, making a second incision underneath his gum line, opening up his sinus, and we were able to visualize the handle, and we were able to loosen it up enough to where we could slide it out carefully. So, he had lost his orbital rim, and floor and they were completely obliterated. We were able to remove some of the bony segments and then reconstruct using a titanium mettle mesh plate.
GRIJALVA: Amazingly, Luetscher's eyeball had been pushed up and back where doctors at first couldn't tell if it was even still in one piece. It was.
LUETSCHER: I can cover my eye right now and I can see all of you as good as this eye.
GRIJALVA: Luetscher has double vision that doctors say they can correct. Luetscher can't speak highly enough about his care and the miracle.
LUETSCHER: I thank my lucky stars that I'm here.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Well, that's unbelievable. He is one lucky guy, I tell you.
And this interesting footnote, some of the doctors who treated him also treated Congressman Gabrielle Giffords and other victims of that Tucson shooting. Way to go with those doctors as well. Got to congratulate them. Excellent job.
Well, he has only been an official candidate for weeks now, but Rick Perry already has a big lead in the race for the White House. So, what are the other candidates doing to knock him off the top spot? We're going to be taking a look at the CNN Political Ticker.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Newcomer Rick Perry is making some big strides in the race for the White House.
Our Brianna Keilar, part of "The Best Political Team on Television," live from the political desk in Washington.
Brianna, so, the Perry folks, it's more good news for them, huh?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Good news for them in a new poll out today, Quinnipiac University poll, Suzanne. It has Rick Perry, newcomer, of course, to the Republican presidential field with 24 percent, Mitt Romney trailing him with 18 percent.
And then if you take a look at the three Republicans behind them, you've got Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, Ron Paul with 11 percent, 10 percent and 9 percent respectively. But, yes, Rick Perry doing pretty well.
You take Sarah Palin out of the equation and Rick Perry has an even more significant lead. He was also leading in a poll that we put. A new CNN/ORC poll that we put out on Monday.
So, some pretty good news there for the Perry folks, as we start things out, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Brianna, tell us about the musical chairs that's going on with all these plans that are changing for the candidates. I understand, Romney and some of the others, Palin, all of them?
KEILAR: Yes, we've kind of got the ultimate schedule shuffle going on. As you know, CNN first reported that Mitt Romney was going to be going to a Tea Party Express rally. This is how he was going to be spending Labor Day. He would be in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Well, it's changed now. He's actually going to catch up with the Tea Party Express events over the weekend. On Sunday, instead, he'll be in Concord, New Hampshire, for a rally there and then spending Monday in South Carolina at a conservative forum hosted by conservative king-maker, Senator Jim DeMint.
Now, we told you, Suzanne, that he wasn't planning, because he wasn't initially planning on going to this event in really very important first in the South primary state of South Carolina. But now, he is going.
So, guess who's going to be spending Labor Day in Manchester at the Tea Party Express rally?
MALVEAUX: Tell us.
KEILAR: It is going to be Sarah Palin. And, of course, Suzanne, she's still keeping people guessing is she going to be running? She hasn't said yet. We know really the drop dead deadline is here at the end of the month in September but she's had a lot of visits to Iowa and New Hampshire, lately, making people wonder quite a bit.
MALVEAUX: Yes. We're all wondering a bit. I liked what Shannon Travis said earlier. He called it the drama of it all. Just following the drama -- lots of drama there.
KEILAR: Absolutely drama.
(LAUGHTER)
MALVEAUX: All right. Brianna, thanks.
Well, for the latest political news, you know where to go, CNNPolitics.com.
And many kids leaving for college this week, taking the big step toward independence, right? It includes financially as well. CNN is taking an in-depth looks at the higher education and it's really high cost.
CNN's Felicia Taylor is here to tell us about the top tips on teaching kids some valuable money lessons.
Felicia, you know, you got parents, grandparents out there who really shove the kids off, hoping that they do a good job and that they know how to manage their money. But that's a tough job these days.
FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it is. And it's not something you can start any time -- ever too soon really.
Suzanne, Sally Mae Survey says the average college student has about $842 in credit card debt, with about 40 percent having a credit card, another 87 percent using a debit card instead, and 37 percent having both of them.
To avoid more debt after graduation, before you sign a credit card application, Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, author of "Zero Debt for College Grads," says check out the interest rate. They change. And some could be very high. Also, watch out for extra fees and any charges that there might be.
By the way, the Card Act limits issues credit cards to those under 21 without a co-signer unless they can show proof of income to cover those credit obligations. So, before you sign them up for a card, make sure you want to take on the responsibility and also be aware of the terms on the card as well, Suzanne, because ultimately, as a co-signer, you are responsible for them.
MALVEAUX: So, it's one thing to get a card but then how do you teach your child or your grandchild how to use that card properly?
TAYLOR: Yes. I mean, this is about real responsibility and understanding what that means. So, it begins by teaching kids that a credit card is not free money. It's not like you don't owe money at the end of the month. Consider putting a spending limit on the card or maybe saying it can only be used in an emergency.
Cox says to be specific with kids on how you expect to use the credit card and Cox recommends that statements should also be mailed to the parents or at least you can track the online statements to stay on top of how and where the card is being used -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: All right. Felicia, we're going to take a quick break. And when we come back, Felicia is going to tell us a little bit more about how you can start teaching your children about money well before it's time to go to college.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: CNN is taking an in-depth look at higher education as well as its high costs. We're back with Felicia Taylor.
And, Felicia, you say it's never too early to start teaching kids some valuable money lessons as they head back to school. I guess folks need to be taught really early, right?
TAYLOR: Absolutely. Like I said, it's never too soon to start, Suzanne.
Jack Kosakowski, the CEO of Junior Achievement, a financial literacy organization for students, says it's essential for kids to know that credit is not a blank check, and, obviously, these things cost money at the end of every month. You can start with younger children by giving them a small allowance so they understand the responsibility of having money and managing it to some extent.
Janet Bodnar of Kiplinger says that for elementary and middle school students, a good amount might be a weekly amount that is equal to half of your child's age -- but only if it fits into the family's budget. That's very important for anybody to take into account.
And, finally, be a role model with your own finances. It will give them a better understanding of the real cost of credit -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: All right. Felicia, thank you.
Well, we've got news that could affect the future of your cell phone service. The proposed merger between AT&T and T-Mobile -- well, it's actually hit a road block now. We have just learned that the Justice Department has filed an anti-trust lawsuit to block this merger. Now, the government says this deal would lead to higher prices, fewer choices, less quality wireless service for all of us. It would create, they say, the largest wireless company in the country.
Well, AT&T says the merger is going to help speed up the expansion of the 4G network. Sprint, some smaller carriers complain it's going to hurt competition.
You've been weighing in on today's talk back question. Carol Costello is in New York with your responses.
Carol, first of all, love the outfit -- the color there. Really, really good color. Good choice.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I know. Right back at you, Suzanne. Let me tell you.
Today's talk back question: is it time for a third party candidate in 2012?
This from Karla: "Yes, Jon Huntsman. He was the governor of Utah, has business, as well as international experience. It may be just the ticket for many independent voters out there."
This from Dennis, "Yes, Obama isn't doing it for most, but I don't think many voters want a radical Tea Party candidate. We need a moderate who isn't afraid to get their hands dirty."
This from Devon, "Yes! Adding a third party could go a long way toward alleviating the polarization present in politics today."
And this one from Ray, "Only if they're wearing purple." But he didn't specify, Suzanne, whether that meant you or me.
(LAUGHTER)
MALVEAUX: Purple is -- it's the new rage. It's the new black. It's all the rage here.
All right, Carol, you got to check out the next story. The -- I don't know. I don't think that you need a new outfit, but if you need a new outfit and you can get it for free, there's an offer here that you can't refuse.
I want to know if you would actually do this. You have to leave your modesty at home, show up to this shop in your undies. So, the person, the customers, right, to do this at this new clothing store that's in Santa Monica, California -- well, they were able to pick out pants and a shirt if they showed up in their undies, right?
So, they could walk away with free outfit worth $1,000. Look at all those people, Carol. They just like showed up. Could you do it? I mean --
COSTELLO: No!
(LAUGHTER)
MALVEAUX: All right. What if you were not on TV, Carol? If you weren't on TV, would you do it?
COSTELLO: No! Those are some really brave people to expose -- I don't even wear a bikini! Are you crazy?
MALVEAUX: You could have like, you know, a t-shirt, and, you know, the briefs and everything, and you could --
COSTELLO: It didn't look that way, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Yes, that's true. It did not. It did not look that way. Crazy story, interesting story, and we love that one.
Carol, we'll talk to you in a bit.
COSTELLO: I got to go now.
MALVEAUX: You got to go. You got to go.
Remember, we are letting you choose the news as well. Text 22360 to vote for the story that you like to see.
Text "1" for the smell of success. There's a grocery store in Brooklyn that's luring in customers by pumping in fake food smells into the air.
You can text "2" for Happy Feet heads home. That is New Zealand's most popular penguin heading back to the Antarctica. The whole country is rooting for the guy.
And text "3" for actor-turned-musician. Oscar winner Jeff Bridges hoping to take his box office success to the billboard charts with a new country western record. So, we're going to be listening to some of his music if you pick that story.
Winning story is going to air in the next hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: There's still time to "Choose the News." Text 22360 to vote for the story that you'd like to see.
Text "1" for the smell of success. Playing on the power of the sense of smell, a grocery store in Brooklyn is bumping up their sales by pumping some smells.
Text "2" for Happy Feet heads home. This is a penguin stranded in New Zealand now ready to return to the wild.
Or text "3" for actor-turned-musician. He's got an Oscar, but now, actor Jeff Bridges could be in line for a Grammy with a new collection of country songs. We're going to take a listen.
The winning story airs next hour.
CNN's Nic Robertson is in Tripoli with new information. I understand of Moammar Gadhafi's family.
But, first, he reports about the animals that were left behind at the Tripoli zoo.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We've just come into Tripoli's main zoo. The gates were locked. We were told that it had been under renovation for the last three years, that there weren't any animals here.
We're just getting a look around. I can see a vulture up there, certainly a huge bird of prey.
(voice-over): As I'm looking at it, we hear a lion roaring.
(on camera): It's an eerie feeling walking around here. You don't know what you're going to bump into. The gunfire is still going on.
Most of the cages seem empty. We're just trying to follow the sound of that roaring. There he is. There he is. Tiger.
He's seen us. Just looking at him, you can see how thin he is the way he's walking. Those thighs, so skinny against his back. He looks like he's going in there to get shade.
(voice-over): Then we see the lions. The male particularly skinny, the deep scar on his head.
(on camera): There's no one here to tell us how often they're being fed, how much they're getting fed. We don't even know if there's a vet here to look after them. All we've seen so far is the food left by the giant tortoises.
These lions look like they're just not getting enough to eat.
(voice-over): Suddenly, we get some answers.
(on camera): The zookeeper has just arrived. So, I'm going to ask him about the animals.
Assalamu Alaikum. How are you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fine.
ROBERTSON: Fine? Fine.
So what about the animals? Are they getting enough food, the lions, the tigers?
(voice-over): He tells me for seven days the animals got nothing. Now, 10 of the 200 staff have returned. They're trying to feed all the animals. The big cats get only half the food they need.
But their biggest problem is water.
He takes us to see the hippos. Of all the animals, they seem the most forlorn.
(on camera): The keeper tells us he tried to get more water in here, even laid this plastic pipe on the floor right in the tank here, but it didn't work. And they just left with that rank water, and even they don't seem to want to go into it.
(voice-over): They're struggling to keep up, and so many animals to feed -- hyenas, bears, moneys, deer, emus. But it's the big cats, the meat eaters, they can't feed enough.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Our Nic Robertson is live for us.
Nic, we're going to talk about a couple things. First of all, your story about the animals there -- why isn't there enough food for the animals, first of all?
ROBERTSON: Well, the whole system to take care of them is completely broken down. The Gadhafi regime is gone. The sort of the way that the city works, there isn't the food coming into the city. They can just about get enough vegetables for some of the other animals, but the big cats eat a lot of meat. There was even a big bear as well. They eat a lot of meat and they can't just get.
And the water is the big problem, is that water shortage in Tripoli, about 60 percent of the population without water. And there's no water at the zoo, and the animals need it because they're in the heat and dehydrating, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: And, Nic, I understand that since you're reporting on the zoo, you have new information about the Gadhafi family. What do we know good Gadhafi's family, perhaps even their locations?
ROBERTSON: Well, Saadi Gadhafi has been e-mailing me over the past, almost a week now, and he's emailed most recently about wanting to reach out to the National Transitional Council to negotiate.
MALVEAUX: That is one of Gadhafi's sons?
ROBERTSON: Even saying to me that he wanted to come -- Saadi Gadhafi, one of Gadhafi's sons. Yes, saying that he wanted to come here to the capital to negotiate face to face with the TNC, would they give him safe passage to come to the city? I asked the deputy prime minister here for the National Transitional Council. He said, look, he's safe to come to the city, we'll take care of him, but we're going to put him on trial.
Now, Saadi Gadhafi, when I went back to him, he said, well, it seems that the National Transition Council are prepared to negotiate, but not about what he wants to negotiate. He said he's not coming to the city because it's clear -- you know, it's clear what's going to happen to him. He'll be taken into custody, and he said he's not about to surrender right now.
So, the Gadhafi family right now saying they are not about to surrender to the Transitional National Council, and this is when the council has told the government forces, put down your weapons, this is time to talk -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Yes. Nic, pretty good connection there when you got one of Gadhafi's sons emailing you. Does he know, or is he revealing at all where his father might be, Moammar Gadhafi?
ROBERTSON: He's not. He's not even revealing his own location. I think there are some clues in what he's saying about where it might be and it's perhaps still fairly far north in the country. But I don't think you can take things entirely at their face value. When somebody says they might be somewhere, that perhaps just means that's the place they want you to think they are at, and they could be somewhere entirely different.
So I am caution about what I read in these e-mails. But what he's saying about the negotiations ties up directly with what the National Transitional Council is also saying -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: All right. Nic Robertson, thank you very much.
