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Taliban Claim Responsibility for U.S. Embassy Attack in Kabul; Interview With GOP Presidential Candidate Herman Cain; Census: 45 Million Americans in Poverty; Insulin to Treat Alzheimer's; Menswear Booming; The Help Desk; Talk Back Question; Funding Great Tech Ideas

Aired September 13, 2011 - 12:00   ET

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

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour now. I'm Drew Griffin. Let's get you up to speed on what's happening.

An attack. Workers at the American Embassy in Kabul are hunkered down. A firefight is playing out outside. The Taliban attacked that building with rocket-propelled grenades and guns about seven hours ago. U.S. troops are trying to flush out the final insurgent -- or insurgent, we believe now -- from an abandoned building where the attack was launched.

Afghan officials say at least three Afghan police officers and a civilian have been killed.

Let's get straight to Kabul. Our Suzanne Malveaux is at the CNN bureau near the embassy.

It's been a heck of a day there. What is the situation right now, Suzanne?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Drew, just one of the eyewitnesses that lives very close by to that building where the insurgents were shooting from had just reached out to one of our CNN producers and says he is packing up, he is taking his family, and they are leaving their home this evening. That is because they just heard gunfire about 10 minutes ago.

It had been quiet for some time, and then the gunfire erupted again. It may be the international security force that is shooting. It may be insurgents.

What we do know is, three of the four insurgents that were holed up in that building, that were shooting, that were lobbing grenades at the U.S. Embassy and the international security force and other intelligence offices in the city, three of those four have been killed.

And so there is one person they believe that is still out there. And that is why U.S. Embassy personnel are still on lockdown.

We don't have any more information about when they are actually going to be able to leave or get out. We do know that they have canceled all of their activities, all of their exercises out of the embassy tomorrow. So that may give you some sign of just how careful, how cautious they are being right now.

So it's still a tense situation here inside of Kabul.

This has been really an amazing day when you think about it, Drew. Three different attacks on one day in the heart of what is to be the most secure area, those where the power brokers are.

You have the presidential palace, you have the international military force, you have NATO troops, you have the U.S. Embassy, and you have an Afghan community that, quite frankly, is trying to feel more confident about their future and taking over their security. The Taliban, hitting all three different locations within a matter of hours. And so it is bold, it is significant.

While the casualty numbers, while they are tragic, they could have been a lot higher. The grenades and the weapons did not actually penetrate the embassy and some of these other very important buildings, the presidential palace and so forth. But they are striking at the heart of this powerful community and the security inside of this community. And that has had a devastating psychological effect -- Drew.

GRIFFIN: I know this is very, very early on, but has there been any determination of where these Taliban attackers came from? Did they come into the city, or are they within the city and just decided to strike at this time?

MALVEAUX: I really can't tell you. I don't know.

We know that they are Taliban -- in talking with General John Allen, who is the head of the U.S. and NATO mission here in Afghanistan, about what they expect from the Taliban and these kind of strikes, he has told me that they have expected and have been planning for the potential of some sort of attack to happen around the 10th anniversary of 9/11, that they are not completely surprised that there would be these kinds of incidents.

The one thing that they believe that is happening -- and this is his take on it -- is that this is a weakened Taliban and a desperate Taliban, because they are trying to do these surgical attacks, but are not able to really penetrate very far, not able to do these kind of mass killings as they had done before. They see that as progress.

But still, Drew, it's one of those things where, you could have Taliban members who simply meld into the community, who are walking wherever in the city. It is very difficult to tell where they come from and who might strike, where they actually are. This is one of those things that is a challenge for the international community and, quite frankly, the Afghan army and police that have to figure out all of this.

GRIFFIN: Suzanne Malveaux, live in Afghanistan.

Thanks, Suzanne.

Iran is saying that two Americans could be released in days. That's if the men's families pay bail, $500,000 each, for Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer. They've been in custody since 2009. Iran sentenced both of these guys to eight years. The charge, spying and illegal entry. The Americans say they were just hiking in Iraq when they accidentally strayed across the border.

Republican presidential candidates ganged up on the front-runner, Rick Perry, in last night's CNN/Tea Party debate. It was held in Tampa. Perry's opponents put a bull's-eye on the Texas governor, attacking his claims on jobs, immigration, Social Security. Perry, you know, called Social Security a Ponzi scheme that's headed for bankruptcy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The question is, do you still believe that Social Security should be ended as a federal program, as you did six months ago, when you your book came out, and return to the states? Or do you want to retreat from that?

GOV. RICK PERRY (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think we ought to have a conversation --

ROMNEY: We're having that right now, Governor. This is -- we're running for president.

PERRY: If you'll let me finish, I'll finish this conversation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: Well, in a few minutes, we're going to talk with one of last night's debaters, former businessman and now candidate for president, Herman Cain.

President Obama is about to fly to Columbus, Ohio. He's trying to sell that jobs package. He'll focus today on new construction jobs to modernize public schools.

The jobs bill would cost $447 billion. The president would pay for it by limiting tax deductions for wealthier Americans. Republicans are still on that.

And I believe that's a live picture of the president on his way -- I can't read that close, guys, but he is going to -- he's at Andrews Air Force Base, getting ready to go to Ohio.

North Carolina voters rally for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. The statehouse voted Monday to put the issue on the ball. If the Senate goes along, voters could decide next May.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In hurts me personally and it makes me angry. I don't think there's a need for it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I do not believe that the state should sanction something that I consider perversion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: Forty-one states currently ban same-sex marriage by constitutional amendment or state statute.

Here's your chance to "Talk Back" on the big stories of the day. Today's question: Is it time to walk back tax deductions?

Carol Costello joins us from New York -- Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. You saw the president leaving for Columbus, Ohio. You know where he's going -- to sell his big jobs plan. And you know the jobs plan the president wants Congress to pass, like right now, like, it does not look good.

Yes, Republicans like parts of the plan, but they don't like how the president wants to tax the rich to pay for it.

Yes, Mr. Obama wants to end tax loopholes for oil and gas companies, hedge fund managers, and he wants to let the Bush tax cuts expire. The biggest chunk, though, $400 billion, will come from limiting tax deductions for Americans making more than $200,000 a year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We've got to decide what our priorities are. Do we keep tax loopholes for oil companies, or do we put teachers back to work? Do we keep tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires, or should we invest in education and technology and infrastructure, all the things that are going to help us out-innovate and out-educate and out-build other countries in the future?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: It's deja vu all over again, as is the Republican response. This, from Senator Jon Kyl.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JON KYL (R), ARIZONA: Who is it, Mr. President, that are the first to hire coming out of a recession? It's small business. So the very people that we are asking to hire more Americans, to put them back to work, are the people who would be impacted by the taxes that the president talked about the other night.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So, the "Talk Back" question today: Is it time to walk back tax deductions?

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

GRIFFIN: Thanks, Carol. See you in a bit. And here's a rundown of some of the stories coming up as well.

First, he had solid answers for every question he was asked at the Republican debate last night, but a lot of people don't know much about Herman Cain. You're going to meet him in just a few minutes.

Then, the poverty rate in America. We've got new census numbers to show you.

And Hilfiger's wardrobe, exclusive back-stage pass to New York's Fashion Week.

Plus, Suzanne Malveaux gets a read on the worsening situation in Afghanistan. Her exclusive interview with President Hamid Karzai.

And researchers are excited about insulin. It could help people suffering from Alzheimer's.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Republican candidate take on the pocketbook issues that Americans are worried about. Jobs, the economy were a hot topic at last night's debate. Candidates blasted President Obama over his economic policies and took aim at one another over Social Security.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PERRY: Listen, this is a broken system. It has been called a Ponzi scheme by many people long before me, but no one has had the courage to stand up and say here is how we're going to reform it.

ROMNEY: The term "Ponzi scheme" I think is over the top and unnecessary, and frightful to many people.

NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm not particularly worried about Governor Perry and Governor Romney frightening the American people when President Obama scares them every single day.

REP. RON PAUL (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Social Security is broke, and we spent all the money, and it's on its last legs unless we do something.

HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: This economy is on life support. I don't -- we need a bold solution, not one that tinkers around the edges, not one that allows the politicians to continue to pick winners and losers.

RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Some people say that Barack Obama's economy is a disaster. My feeling is would have to make a dramatic improvement just to be a disaster.

JON HUNTSMAN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have millions and millions who are unemployed, millions beyond who are so dispirited, they have completely given up trying to find a job. We have got moms and dads and families that have economically shipwrecked, and it's a great American tragedy that we're watching play out. REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R-MN), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: For years, politicians have run on the idea that government is going to buy people more stuff, and that the federal government would be taking care of people's prescription drugs, their retirement, their health care, their housing, their food. We're the everybody else that's paying for the freight for all of these things. That's the principle that has to change.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: Businessman Herman Cain calls himself a real leader with real solutions to America's economic problems. But can he really win the White House?

The presidential candidate and former pizza company CEO is here with us in the studio.

Last hour I talked with columnist and CNN contributor John Avlon about your candidacy, and I just want you to listen to what he had to say.

CAIN: OK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN AVLON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: The reality is, is that as great as it is to be a CEO in the run for president, the folks who have tried to approach the Oval Office with that resume don't generally do too well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAIN: My reaction is sometimes that long shot becomes the short shot. I started out in this campaign against the odds.

My name I.D. was zero when I announced my exploratory back in January, national name I.D. By the time I announced my official run in May, my name I.D., because I had spent a lot of time on the ground speaking to Tea Partiers, rallies and town hall meetings, my name I.D. had gotten up to 21 percent.

The latest Gallup poll shows that my name I.D. is now 50 percent. So the long shot is gaining ground.

Why? Even though I'm not getting much of the media coverage as "a top-tier candidate," the real folk, the people on the ground, the activists, they know who I am because I have been speaking all over this country for the last year.

GRIFFIN: One thing you brought up last night which has caught a lot of attention is your 999 plan. And I know that's the heart of your economic plan.

CAIN: Yes.

GRIFFIN: So, go ahead. Give us the pitch. CAIN: First, as I indicated, this economy is on life support. We don't need a solution that trims around the edges. Everything that's in President's Obama's proposed jobs plan, trimming around the edge. A little trinket here, a little tax cut here, a tax credit here. Even the other candidates that were on the stage last night, they were all talking about how we're going to refigure this messed up tax code to generate jobs.

999 is bold. It takes the current tax code, throws it out, and puts one in that has a 9 percent business flat tax, a 9 percent personal income tax, and a 9 percent national sales tax. It expands the tax base, which means that once businesses have some certainty, they are going to plan for growth, they are going to expand their businesses, they are going to hire people.

That's what we need to get this economy going, not only because it's an economic crisis, it's also because it's a national security crisis.

GRIFFIN: Mr. Cain, I want to ask you about the president and his jobs plan which he's selling today.

CAIN: Yes.

GRIFFIN: What I hear from the president is an anti-business mentality, a taxing of the wealthy people. It's certainly an anti-oil company mentality. And what I hear from the Republican Part is, look, it's the millionaires, it's the oil companies, it's those corporations that provide the jobs.

You've been the head of a corporation.

CAIN: Yes.

GRIFFIN: You've been the head of a small business.

CAIN: Yes.

GRIFFIN: And you've been the head of an association of small businesses.

From a business perspective, who is right here?

CAIN: The businesspeople are right. Businesspeople see uncertainty in their plan. And let me correct one thing in terms of how this is being described.

If all -- if only it required taxing the millionaires more, and that was going to solve the problem, millionaires don't care. They got -- that's not the issue.

That $200,000 threshold, that's a sneaker tax that most people miss. And what I mean by that, most small businesses -- and remember, I ran the National Restaurant Association, as you pointed out, a collection of thousands of small businesses, not humongous corporations -- most of them are incorporated as Subchapter S corporations. If they can eke out a profit in that restaurant, or in that gift shop, they have to run it through their personal income tax return.

That's the sneaker tax. So you're really penalizing a lot of the small businesses that create most of the jobs when there's some certainty.

GRIFFIN: They're giving me a wrap, but I'm going to ask you one more question. Realistically, I know you want to be president.

CAIN: Yes.

GRIFFIN: I know you want to do this, but it's a hard road ahead, as you well know.

CAIN: It's a journey.

GRIFFIN: I think to Rick Perry ticket, you would bring business expertise. To Mitt Romney's ticket, you would bring Tea Party.

Have either of these men pulled you aside last night after the debate and said, hey, Herman, stick around?

CAIN: The answer is no because -- now we have a good relationship. I have a good relationship with both of them casually, you know, in terms of being cordial to one another. But no, not at this point.

But here's the thing, Drew. This race isn't over yet.

I know that they -- I know that some people see this as a two- person race, or maybe a three-person race. And like John Avlon said, maybe it's a three-person race. No.

The people that are the activists, they are saying it's OK if you don't have a 100 percent name I.D., it's OK if you don't have a kajillion dollars. And here's the thing that I get an applause for nearly everywhere I speak to groups. It's OK that I'm the only non- politician running and I'm a business problem solver.

GRIFFIN: All right. I do have to wrap now. Wolf Blitzer would have wrapped you up a long time ago. He's much better than me.

(LAUGHTER)

GRIFFIN: Herman Cain, thanks very much.

CAIN: Thanks, Drew. Appreciate the opportunity.

GRIFFIN: Forty-six million Americans are considered in poverty. That's according to the Census report that's out today. That is the highest rate since 1993, and our Alison Kosik will be back to break down the numbers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: It's 23 past the hour.

Let's go right to Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange with a look at the stocks today -- Alison.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Drew.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

GRIFFIN: I just talked about this study that came out showing the nation's poverty rate rising. How bad is it?

KOSIK: It's definitely not getting any better. A record number of Americans are in poverty. I'm talking about 46 million people last year. And this number has been growing over the past four years.

Now, what's poverty? It's described as a family of four living on just over $22,000 a year. And as far as the poverty rate goes, that's 15 percent of Americans. It's the highest since 1993. It's a huge percentage. And single moms are actually a big percentage of that, 31 percent.

And, you know, when you think about where the economy is, though, the overall increase not such a huge surprise. We have got the slowing economy, and of course a stubbornly high unemployment rate -- Drew.

GRIFFIN: You said single moms are struggling. That's the most, according to this new study?

KOSIK: Yes. And what we also find in this study, Drew, is that the poverty rate is actually closely linked to the unemployment rate. That makes sense.

The groups with the lowest poverty rate also have the lowest unemployment rates. Here's the breakdown by race.

You look at the Asian population, it's got the lowest poverty rate, at 12 percent, the lowest unemployment, at 7 percent. Numbers for whites are also low.

But then you look and see the big jump for Hispanics and blacks. It really makes everybody understand why not just the economy overall, but jobs in particular, is a real centerpiece, a real theme in this presidential race. It's why President Obama, he's on the road today to sell his jobs plan, and why GOP candidates, they're focusing on the high unemployment rate. This is a huge issue for this country -- Drew.

GRIFFIN: As it should be.

Thanks.

Alison Kosik, at the New York Stock Exchange.

Well, who are these people who are living in poverty, and what is their story? Poppy Harlow has one story. She goes back to the home of a mother struggling to show her own son you can make it in America.

It's a year later now, and we'll see if anything has changed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANN VALDEZ, LIVING IN POVERTY: Come outside, meet the people in your community where you live, meet the people in the communities where you work, and meet the people in the communities where you represent.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: See the face of poverty.

VALDEZ: See the face of poverty.

HARLOW: We met Ann Valdez a year ago. She was living under the poverty line like millions of other Americans. So we decided to come back a year later and see how Ann is doing.

VALDEZ: My grandparents were one of the first tenants to live here in 1954.

HARLOW: Has the situation gotten better for you?

VALDEZ: No. It actually hasn't changed very much. Right now I'm living on approximately $200 cash a month, $360 food stamps. I do not have a full-time job on a daily basis since about 2004.

HARLOW: How important are the safety nets out there for you right now, the things that are paid for by the government?

VALDEZ: Well, the safety nets are very important, and the more that they get cut, the scarier it is to think about tomorrow.

I buy a lot of nonperishables so that this way, there's always something to eat.

And most of the jobs that they try to get for us are minimum wage jobs. So, if I get a minimum wage job, it's still going to leave me to have to apply for Medicaid and food stamps. So I'm still dependent on the system.

Sometimes you have to forget about getting what's healthy because you can't afford what's healthy. Two for $5.

HARLOW: Brian (ph), your mom grew up in poverty. You've grown up so far in the same situation. What are your aspirations? What do you want to become?

BRIAN VALDEZ, ANN'S SON: I want for high people in the high chairs, the senator, the congressman, even the mayor, to come down here, see what's going on in these neighborhoods, see how destroyed these neighborhoods are, the spirits of these people. They are completely gone.

A. VALDEZ: All right. So what would you like to aspire to?

HARLOW: What are your dreams?

B. VALDEZ: Right now I have none.

HARLOW: You were telling me before Brian (ph), firefighter.

B. VALDEZ: Yes, that's what it was. That's what I wanted to be, a firefighter.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: And Drew, here's the real problem: chronic poverty in this country. Ann Valdez, she is one of the 40-some million Americans facing this.

Her grandparents were born in that housing project. Her mother raised her in that housing project, in poverty throughout her whole life, and now Ann is raising her son here. And this is emblematic of the problem that is facing so many Americans.

And as Alison mentioned in the last bit, talking about single moms and how much they're struggling, what the numbers show us today is you've got over 31 percent of single moms in this country in poverty. That's over four million mothers, Drew. So, the numbers are staggering and they are getting worse.

HARLOW: Poppy Harlow, live from New York.

Thanks, Poppy.

The U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan attacked by the Taliban today. Suzanne Malveaux will be back with us, live from the capital, the scene of the attack. She's focused on hot spots around the capital.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: It's a very important area that we're flying over. Down below is Highway 1.

Now, this is (INAUDIBLE) around Afghanistan. It literally circles around Afghanistan. It's highly protected because the Taliban wants control of that road. So a lot of times, what you'll see below are insurgent attacks as they try to fight for that critical supply route.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: I want to tell you about this research now that's showing encouraging signs, a new study suggesting Alzheimer's can be treated with insulin. Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen here to talk about this. It seems strange to me but they intentionally thought that insulin through the nasal cavity would work.

ELIZABETH COHEN, SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Right. I mean, we usually think of insulin for diabetics --

GRIFFIN: Right.

COHEN: -- but they thought well maybe this has to do with something with the metabolism, basically, of Alzheimer's disease and so what they did is they gave some people a nose spray of insulin and these were people who were starting to get Alzheimer's, who were having some cognitive issues, and then they gave other folks just the saline spray and then they had them take memory tests and they asked folks who took care of them how are they doing and the ones who had insulin really did seem to do better and then they took scans of their heads.

And the scans are really interesting. Let me show them to you. See the one without insulin, that there is a bright -- you see that bright yellow light in the back of the brain? That area of the brain is associated with Alzheimer's and that yellow is decay. That yellow is bad and you can see the decay in that part of the brain. But, with insulin, they didn't see the decay. So, you know, you can see it there on the PET scans but, I will say, this is a test of about 104 people and often, Drew, what looks good in 104 people, you try it out in more, really doesn't work.

GRIFFIN: Right. And how long of a study was this? I mean, do you know the duration of time?

COHEN: The -- the duration of time was a matter of months and the duration is not really so much the issue as the number of people so when you're seeing these kind of results in a small study, when you move on to a bigger study you might see it and that would be great but you might also that, eh, it really didn't do very much.

GRIFFIN: So many people struggling with --

COHEN: It's terrible.

GRIFFIN: -- with this, especially early onset. Availability? When would this possibly be available, even to just try if you're desperate?

COHEN: Right. If this does turn out to work then it wouldn't be available really for many years and we're also not talking at this point about reversing Alzheimer's. We're talking about maybe stopping it early. So that's -- that's two different things and so I want to be clear about it but even if it does turn out to work, several years before you could go to your doctor and get a prescription.

GRIFFIN: All right, Elizabeth Cohen. Thanks.

COHEN: Thanks.

GRIFFIN: Well, if you have a great tech idea and a dream, you're probably looking for funding. Well, here's a perfect place to find a backer for your startup. It's called the Tech Crunch Conference, going on right now in San Francisco. We're going to go there live after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: More now on that brazen Taliban attack on the U.S. Embassy and other international agencies in Afghanistan. What you're hearing is the sounds of small and heavy weapons echoing through the capitol. For most of this day it's been going on. The area under attack should have been -- should have been difficult to penetrate. Suzanne Malveaux joins us live from the CNN Bureau in Kabul. Suzanne, what can you hear from your vantage point?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, at times, Drew, we've actually heard gunfire. We've heard some explosions earlier in the day. It's relatively calm. "It was raining earlier in the evening. No t much noise now but I do want to fill you in on a little bit of news we got. In total today we are finding out from Afghan police there were four attacks. There was one attack outside a high school, one outside a police compound, and one, we understand, it's happened on Airport Road.

All of these places are pretty close to each other and, of course, there is the big one that was outside of the U.S. Embassy and NATO forces and other very important offices. The very latest is is that there is still one of the insurgents who is -- is still at large. But, we were able to go down, Drew, to the streets to get kind of a closer look to see what was happening there, some of the anxiety, the chaos, that was happening right outside of that -- that compound, some of the people who were being taken to the local hospital, treated for injuries.

Even saw one of the insurgents who had been killed who was in the back of a pickup truck that was headed to the military hospital. I want to give you a sense of what we actually saw earlier in the afternoon.

(VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: We've managed to get a little bit closer to the U.S. Embassy that's under attack and right down the street here is where we heard the gunfire and the explosions. There is a little bit of a crowd that's gathered right here but you can see Afghan police as well as many others who are trying to just keep the crowd at bay.

This is fairly close by. There's the police -- the Afghan police also involved in this firefight but further down you can see the barbed wire. You can see the compound, the concrete there. That is where we heard those loud explosions. The battle is not yet over. What makes this so powerful for people in the community here is the fact that it really is at the heart of the city.

These are the power brokers you were talking about, the international police force, the Afghan officials, intelligence officials at the heart of the security apparatus and that is where t his firefight is taking place. It is meant to make the people here afraid -- afraid of the transition, afraid of Afghans taking over their own security.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: So, Drew, the question is whether or not things are getting better or worse here in Afghanistan. I put that question to the President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, when we sat down for an interview just yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Last month was the deadliest month for U.S. troops in the war in Afghanistan since the very beginning --

HAMID KARZAI, PRESIDENT OF AFGHANISTAN: Yes.

MALVEAUX: -- and also the United Nations says that there is an increase, 15%, among Afghan civilians being killed.

KARZAI: Yes.

MALVEAUX: Are things getting worse here?

KARZAI: Things in the countryside are better. Things on the highways are not better and the casualties for the United States forces, unfortunately -- and for the Afghan people, unfortunately as well, and for other forces, the casualties did rise in -- in -- in the past year and this year mainly because our patrols failed to pay attention to the (INAUDIBLE) of sanctuaries, to the training grounds and to the financial support systems to -- to the Taliban and other terrorist networks who are coming into Afghanistan from outside of our borders.

So, in other words, we will continue to suffer unless our partners; NATO, the United States, Afghanistan, and Pakistan work sincerely and together to address this problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: So, Drew, another deadly month here. We are talking about today six people who were killed, at least 15 injured, and we still have an insurgent that is on the loose. There is still gunfire that is happening very close to the U.S. Embassy. Drew?

GRIFFIN: Suzanne Malveaux, live from Afghanistan. Thanks Suzanne. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Did you know this about the fashion business? Menswear is growing at a faster pace than womenswear. It seems more men than ever are upping their fashion game. So, why the sudden spike in popularity? Alina Cho looks for answers from menswear mogul Tommy Hilfiger. Alina?

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Drew.

With all the focus on women during Fashion Week, it's easy to forget that menswear is a huge business too. It goes beyond jeans and t-shirts. Men are finally getting in the game, upping their game and showing some style.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHO (voice-over): The catwalk. This may be what comes to mind. But this is what's suddenly hot. Not just for the fashion set, but for the every man. Menswear, it's a $53 billion business in the U.S. alone, and growing fast.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They want to distinguish themselves. They want to look better than the other guy, because it's a competition.

CHO: Few know that better than Tommy Hilfiger, who says his menswear business is exploding.

TOMMY HILFIGER, DESIGNER: Years ago it was maybe 80 percent womens and 20 percent mens for a lot of designers. Now we're about 50/50.

CHO: So, what's going on?

HILFIGER: I think the modern man is very aware of what's going on in the world around him. With the Internet, with media today, men will look at the photo in a magazine or on television and they'll say, I want that. I want to look like that.

CHO: "Mad Men," "Gossip Girls" Web site like The Sartorialist, images of stylish men are everywhere.

HILFIGER: He sees it all and he wants to be a part of the game.

CHO (on camera): Has it taken the fear out of shopping for men?

BILLY REID, DESIGNER: It does. You know, I'm thinking a little bit it has.

CHO (voice-over): Designer Billy Reid is among the hottest menswear designers.

REID: You've taken this little bitty fashion market of men's that now has just gone from, you know, say here, it's broadened itself because more men care about it.

CHO: Reid has a women's line, but sales of his menswear make up 85 percent of his business. His approach, bring them along slowly, don't shock them, because old habits still apply.

REID: I guy will come in and say I want -- I need -- I need six new shirts and they will pick out six new shirts and a coat. I mean it's almost like wardrobe building, where women are more, I've got to have that piece.

CHO: That's why Tommy Hilfiger designs his men's shirts to go with all of his sweater, making men's dressing dummy proof.

CHO (on camera): You still have to make it a little easy for the guys. HILFIGER: Oh, yes, you make it very easy, otherwise -- well, we call it the no brainer way of shopping.

CHO (voice-over): Then there's this.

HILFIGER: He has to be able to walk in, very quickly make a decision, get to the register and get out.

CHO (on camera): Women are a little different.

HILFIGER: Women take their time. And women go into the dressing room. Men hate fitting rooms. And that's why we also standardized all of our sizes.

CHO (voice-over): Because if they get home and it doesn't fit, they won't come back.

CHO (on camera): Men are still, at the end of the day, more practical.

REID: A lot more practical. Definitely more practical.

CHO: I don't know if I believe that.

REID: Some men.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHO: Women's wear is still a bigger business, $107 billion in the U.S. alone versus $53 billion for men's wear. But important to note that women's wear sales are on the decline and sales of men's wear are picking up. Analysts say that's because men are not only replenishing their wardrobe, they're dressing for success, buying items that will separate them from the competition at work, as you do, Drew.

Back to you.

GRIFFIN: Yes, right. Well, Alina is going to have many more inside looks at the runway shows, the designers, the fashions and the trends that you won't see anywhere else. Watch the CNN special, "Fashion Week: Backstage Pass," with Alina Cho. It airs Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

And you've been speaking your mind on today's "Talk Back" question. Is it time to walk back tax deductions? Our Carl Costello is going to have your responses.

But first, here's some free money advice from the CNN "Help Desk."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Well, time now for "The Help Desk," where we get answers to your financial questions. Joining me this hour, Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, the founder of the financial advice blog askthemoneycoach.com, and Stacy Francis is a certified financial planner and also president of Francis Financial.

Thanks, ladies, for being here.

First question for you, Lynnette. This is a pretty straightforward one. Elizabeth writes, "how can I get a loan without a co-signer if I have a limited credit history?"

LYNNETTE KHALFANI-COX, FOUNDER, ASKTHEMONEYCOACH.COM: Elizabeth, the truth is that you might not be able to do so if you don't have a co-signer if you don't have very strong credit on your own. You do have a couple of options, though. One is to wait, build your credit rating and then try to apply for a loan later. The second is maybe put up some collateral of some form, depending on the type of loan you want. She wasn't very specific. I don't know if it's a person loan, a home type of loan, whatever. But, really, lenders want to see that you have some skin in the game, so collateral might be the way to go.

HARLOW: Especially now, which is a good thing for the overall economy.

KHALFANI-COX: That's right.

HARLOW: Stacy, your question comes from Ali. The 51-year-old has an IRA balance of about $50,000. Will have about $10,000 in taxable income this year and next year. Is it wise to convert to a Roth IRA? So it's all about taxes here.

STACY FRANCIS, PRESIDENT, FRANCIS FINANCIAL: You know, it may not be that wise for him. He's age 51. The first hurdle he has to cover is, can he pay the taxes from outside money? If he's able to do that, then he has to look at, how long can this money stay in the IRA before he has to tap it. The longer -- if it could be in there one, two or three decades, three decades, possibly. But the younger you are, the more sense it makes for you to do that Roth conversion.

HARLOW: All right, thank you, ladies.

And, folks, if you have a question that you want answered, just send us an e-mail any time to cnnhelpdesk@cnn.com.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: You have been weighing in on our "Talk Back" question of the day. And here it is. Is it time to walk back tax deductions? Carol Costello in New York with your responses.

Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I have them right here.

This is from Gretchen. "If you would all stop crying about how much taxes you pay and start holding all of your representatives responsible on how they've spent it, then just maybe we would all be working and our taxes would be lower." This from Jeff. "Politicians in both parties have vilified taxes to the point where we're literally risking the destruction of the country because we're so opposed to opening our checkbooks and paying the tab for the very services and programs that make our country great. That's not being prudent, it's being cheap."

This from Jordan. "Of course it's time to end tax cuts. We should have done it a long time ago. The cuts were instated because the government has a surplus of money and didn't need it all. Clearly that's no longer the case."

And this from Jen. "It's time for these politicians to forget about their pocketbooks. At this point I say, to hell with them. Get rid of all of them and start with a fresh breed of innovators."

Keep the conversation going, facebook.com/carolcnn. And thanks, as always, for your comments.

GRIFFIN: Carol, thank you.

And if you have a great tech idea and a dream, you're probably looking for funding. Well, here's the perfect place to find a backer for your start-up. It's the TechCrunch Conference. That's in San Francisco. We'll go there live next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: You might have a great tech idea, but you don't have the money to pay for it, to develop it. Well, then the TechCrunch Disrupt Conference happening right now in California is the place to be. Why? Because more than 2,000 people are attending from countries all around the world and our Silicon Valley correspondent Dan Simon is there.

You've got the money, looking for the idea. Is that the idea of this thing, Dan?

DAN SIMON, CNN SILICON VALLEY CORRESPONDENT: Well, bottom line, Drew, if you are a technology startup, there's really only one place in the world you want to be right now, and that's in San Francisco, California, at the TechCrunch Disrupt Conference. All these companies you see assembled here, this is called start-up alley. They are all vying for attention. Attention from the media, attention from investors, attention from really anybody who will listen to them. The ideas really range. And here's a snippet of what you can expect to see.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIMON: What is Dolphin?

ALEX MALLOY, DOLPHIN: Dolphin is the most comprehensive and customizable mobile browser on the market right now. We're actually launching on iPad, but we have over 9 million viewers on Android. And we launched on iPhone last week.

FANG CHENG, PROXIMIANT.COM: We're an early start-up based in Mountain View, California. We make a product that allows shoppers to get digital receipts directly sent to your smartphone without you having to share an e-mail address with the store.

JIM TOUSIGNANT, POSITIVE TALK: Positive Talk is a revolutionary new social media app that helps you quickly rate and rank your level of positivity and all of the positivity of your friends and followers on FaceBook and Twitter.

PABLO FUENTES, PROVEN: We're a local employment marketplace. We basically solve all of President Obama's problems with employment by matching local businesses with skilled workers.

MIKE BELSITO, FUNERALLY: Families in need visit our service and they can very quickly understand rate quotes and user ratings from funeral homes in their neighborhood so that they can make a decision in funeral planning.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIMON: That's right, Drew, I think it was only a matter of time until technology would catch up to the funeral business. We should tell you that, you know, you look around here, again, the ideas just really range. This is YapMap. This is a search engine that talks about cars. This here is calls Zowat (ph). If you have a wish, any wish, it will team you up with a company or people to grant your wish true or make it come true. This is Zippoe. This is called a social networking site for real estate.

So the best of the best here will actually win a prize. The top company will win $50,000 to start their company. They're going to be up on stage trying to woo the audience, if you will, and we'll just see what happens.

Back to you.

GRIFFIN: Dan, I'm still trying to get over the one guy that wants to rate the positivity of me and my friends, juxtaposed to the guy that wants to help virtually plan my funeral. This is -- any of these really attracting some financial backers?

SIMON: You know, it's like opening up a restaurant. Most of them fail. But, look, they have a dream and this is where you come in you want to launch that dream because all of the major Silicon Valley movers and shakers are going to be here checking them out. So anything they can do to get attention, they'll do it.

GRIFFIN: Dan Simon, living the collective dream out there in San Francisco.