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California Firestorm: 3 Wildfires Still Burning; Time Frame for U.S. Withdrawal in Iraq; Rebuilding in Afghanistan; Bringing the Bed Back in the Marriage

Aired November 17, 2008 - 09:00   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Fighting the flames. Crews battle devastating wildfires in Southern California. We have live reports and your iReport.
Plus a financial lifeline for you. Ways to save and survive the economic crisis.

It is Monday, November 17th. I'm Heidi Collins. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Waking up to a nightmare. Hundreds of people in Southern California have lost almost everything to fire. The largest, the triangle complex fire burning in and around Orange Country. Nearly 24,000 acres scorched, more than 100 homes destroyed.

Ash and cinder are all that's left in the mobile home park in Sylmar. Residents hoped to go back this morning to see if they can salvage anything. The state of the fire is about 40 percent contained now. And firefighters almost have a handle on the spectacular T-fire, as they're calling it. It roared through mansions and a monastery in Montecito.

Several firefighters and at least one resident have been hurt. At least one of the fires is being called suspicious now, too. In fact, CNN's Thelma Gutierrez is in Yorba Linda this morning.

So, Thelma, tell us a little bit more about what you're hearing on that note.

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, the fire that is being called suspicious is up in Montecito which is near Santa Barbara. Fire investigators are looking at this as a possible arson.

In fact, what they have done is they cordoned off the area where they believe that the fire began on Thursday and they will be looking and sifting through the rubble to see if they can come up with any clues.

But right now, many of the evacuation orders in this area, out here in Yorba Linda in Anaheim Hills, where thousands were evacuated, those have been lifted. People are able to come home after a very, very trying four days.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUTIERREZ (voice over): Andrew Caulder saw it coming. A wall of flames that raged toward him.

ANDREW CAULDER, HOMEOWNER: I saw it before it actually started. It was just little way back and farther in the canyon. Within minutes, it's engulfed the entire hill.

GUTIERREZ: Fires jumped from one county to another, across Southern California, charring neighborhoods and devastating lives.

The firestorm began devouring homes in Montecito Thursday night. Wind-swept flames roared through the hills of multi-million dollar homes. 210 were destroyed. The cause suspicious and believed to be manmade.

Friday night, Sylmar, north of Los Angeles, winds clocked as high as 70 miles an hour fanned wall flames through the hillside destroying nine homes and mercilessly taking 500 mobile homes.

Augustine Reyes lost everything.

AUGUSTINE REYES, HOMEOWNER: This is all that's left of my house. This is it.

GUTIERREZ: Saturday, fire breaks out in Corona. It quickly spread to Yorba Linda where this man stayed behind to save a home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're trying to do everything as much as we can to prevent my grandparents' house from burning down. They've been here for -- since I was a baby (INAUDIBLE). This is -- memories here, you know?

GUTIERREZ: The flames quickly jumped to homes in nearby Anaheim hills, then hopscotch toward the town of Brea, all set on one terrible Saturday. Four fires merged as one incinerating more than 200 homes.

On Sunday the fire made its way to Chino Hills where 30-foot flames threatened 1,000 homes. Finally, weary firefighters got a break. The Santa Ana winds eased up, allowing them to make their stand and save the community.

CHRIS GARCIA, HOMEOWNER: You know the magnitude of the fire, I mean, everything connecting, you know, growing together as one, these guys, you got to -- you know tip your hats to them. There's just -- there's just no way you can thank them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUTIERREZ: This is just one of the homes in Yorba Linda that was completely destroyed by the fire. This is the kind of thing that we've seen from neighborhood to neighborhood in this area.

We're talking about four fires that merged in four different counties. It was a huge fire. Again, though, today, people are breathing a big sigh of relief because the red flag warnings have been hold off. And the winds have died down and so that's getting firefighters the upper hand -- Heidi?

COLLINS: Boy, we certainly hope so because these pictures are unbelievable.

All right. Thelma Gutierrez in Yorba Linda for us this morning. Thanks so much, Thelma.

Want to take a moment now to check in with Rob Marciano who is standing by to give us a little more information about all of this now.

And boy, when you look at that map behind you, I mean, these flames are just everything. But we did hear from Thelma a little bit of good news today, yes?

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, as far as the winds are concerned, still going to be a warm day and winds will generally still be offshore but the excess of the winds will be diminished, and that's the good news here.

All right. We're looking at some Google Earth imagery here, and every animated flame here that you see, or graphical flame, is something that the mode of satellite is picking up its heat. So these are heat signatures and this is all within particular complexes and fires.

So we've got fires within fires, obviously, and we're trying to get a circle around the entire set of these flames as seen from this particular (INAUDIBLE). The Sayre fire 10,000 acres burned, in some cases. 40 percent containment at this hour. But still over 600 buildings or structures have been destroyed.

I think we still have -- we have some live pictures that are coming in right now from our affiliate KCAL there over Placerita and KCBS, our affiliate there, again. This is the Sayre fire, obviously, still burning there. Winds today will be any where from 10 to 15 miles an hour.

Maybe a little bit more gusty through the canyons and spots. But generally speaking it will be a better day.

Here's a quick satellite picture taken yesterday from NASA's Aqua Satellite and what we could do here is actually see the smoke plume from these two big complexes. There's the Freeway Complex, there's the Sayre Fire. You just saw live imagery from the helicopter and the smoke plume going offshore.

So that will continue today. The plume itself not quite as concentrated as it was over the weekend. That means the winds are beginning to diminish as they begin to fan out.

All right. We got heat, you bet. 96 degrees in Santa Ana yesterday. Los Angeles, 88 degrees. I think we will see temperatures a couple of degrees down from this but not really in the 80s or 70s, which is what we'd like to see and again, winds still generally offshore.

But as we mentioned, red flag warnings and any sort of fire weather watch has been dropped for today and conditions will, I think, drastically increase or improved tomorrow. But temperatures dropping a little bit and eventually we'll get an onshore wind, Heidi. And that's the key.

We get winds off the Pacific Ocean. That drops temperatures. That raises the humidity. And that's the two things, really, that firefighters are hoping for. But that probably won't get to them until tomorrow and then more so on Wednesday.

COLLINS: Yes, boy. Well, great graphics. That's really interesting how you can see all of those heat flare up. We really appreciate that.

And Rob, we'll check back a little bit later on as we get to even more information when the sun comes up out there.

Thank you, Rob.

MARCIANO: All right.

COLLINS: Meanwhile, more personal accounts of the fires from CNN iReporters now. Heather Cunningham sent us this video. A fire truck raising to Yorba Linda. She says at one point the smoke was so thick it was actually very hard to breathe.

And these are photos from Bill Lynch. He took them from his rooftop deck in Studio City. Look at that fire on the mountainside there. Boy, doesn't look real, does it? Bill told us the flames at that point were actually only 10 miles from his home.

If you have pictures or video that you'd like to share with us, you can always do that. Go ahead and send it to ireport.com. But as always, please remember to stay safe.

Your money now, your worries. Fears of a global recession grow even more ominous. Japan, the world's second largest economy, now says it is in a recession.

General Motors scrambles to raise cash in its fight to survive. GM will actually sell its 2 percent stake in Japanese car manufacturer Suzuki, as it tried to avoid bankruptcy.

Congress opens the debate on a bailout package for the nation's big three automakers. Millions of jobs, billions of dollars are at stake there.

And overseas markets are reflecting the latest round of grim news. Stocks mixed across Asia and Europe. So obviously we have a whole lot of ground to cover this morning and CNN's money team is in place to break it all down for you.

Let's go ahead and begin with CNN's Christine Romans with a look ahead to what could be a very wild week, Christine, for your investment. Obviously, some unbelievable news from Citigroup. A lot of job losses.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know it's almost -- it's so rare, Heidi, to see job losses of this magnitude. I mean the company Citigroup is saying it's going to cut some 50,000.

The company, in a presentation that they post around their -- on their Web site and, of course, that we have seen having a big town hall meeting with its employees and executives right now really, and they're laying out how they're going to, as it says, get fit fast.

That's one of the pages on their presentation. And on that page, it says headcount reduction. They peak headcount was 375,000 jobs at the end of last year. They want to get down to, it says, less than 300,000. That is a 20 percent cut in headcount.

Think of that, Heidi. 75,000 jobs overall cut. That's more -- more jobs they're cutting than most companies have.

COLLINS: Yes, definitely.

ROMANS: So...

COLLINS: This is something they alluded to. But I don't think anybody realized it was going to be this significant.

ROMANS: These are big job cuts. It's rare to see such massive layoffs in one fail swoop like this. So 50,000 jobs. I can tell you now the people who are working in that company are all wondering if it's them. Is it their department? How to know if it's them? I mean clearly it is a rough, rough morning for the employees of Citigroup.

We know that there have been layoff across the board in almost every kind of industry. No industry, except for healthcare. I'm going to keep saying...

COLLINS: Right.

ROMANS: ... healthcare has been immune but almost all industries are seeing job cuts. Last week, we had 14,000 job cuts and (INAUDIBLE) totaling some 14,000 job cuts. Put that up against Citi and 50,000, you can see it, wow, this is one -- this one cut is very, very big.

COLLINS: What likely could happen to the market today in the face of all this? Because I know we have some more economic reports coming out even later on this week.

ROMANS: You know the market is so unpredictable. We'll know in about 20 minutes or so. But I will tell you that job cuts and getting there -- as the company keeps saying getting fit fast, that's something that Wall Street likes to see.

We know that job cuts and frankly getting their houses in order is something that all of the banks have to do. It's a question of whether Wall Street sees that as a sign of confidence of a sign of just how bad the overall environment is.

COLLINS: All right. I know it seems to go either way there.

ROMANS: Right. COLLINS: You never know until the market opens, obviously.

ROMANS: Right. Right.

COLLINS: All right. CNN's Christine Romans, thanks for that.

"ISSUE #1" solutions, ways to save and survive. That's our daylong focus here. And our money team has what you need to know. We've got way to make you through the economic crisis. So stick around for all of those hints.

Meanwhile, lawmakers return to work on Capitol Hill this week and at the top of their agenda, a possible bailout for the nation's auto industry. Debate is partisan, the crisis undeniable. The big three fighting for their very survival.

CNN's Kate Bolduan is on Capitol Hill with the very latest on this. Boy, a big day there, Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A big day here, Heidi. Congress is heading back for a one-week session, a lame-duck session, post election. They're all coming back.

There are a couple of things going on. Well, first, the day kicked off with freshman class photo, I guess you could call it, of the new members of the House. They all got together on the Capitol steps to take their first photo as they arrived here in Washington for orientations as well committee assignment.

But the focus of the session is undeniable, as you mentioned, it is whether or not Congress will offer the auto industry a bailout. Well, Democrats are expected to introduce their legislation for -- to bailout the auto industry today. Now what that could include, as we've been talking about, it could be $25 billion in loans for the big three.

Now here's the important part. Democrats wants that money to come from the $700 billion financial bailout package. Also expected to be included in this big plan is an extension of unemployment benefit that put in there in hopes, of course, support behind this bill.

But while this is going, there has also been some very vocal opposition from Republicans. Republicans saying the financial bailout should not be used to help out the auto industry. That's just not what it's intended for and because of that, Republican leaders, as well as the Bush administration, they're pushing (INAUDIBLE) and that plan has to do with taking $25 billion of an existing loan program that was actually used -- meant to be used for retooling and helping auto industry, the automakers produce (INAUDIBLE) efficiency.

But the debate is all starting here today.

COLLINS: Yes, boy. And it might be a long one, too. All right. Thanks for breaking that down for us, because I think everybody was wondering, Kate, where on earth the money would come from, if it would be within the bailout plan or not. Obviously, a lot more discussion to be had.

CNN's Kate Bolduan on Capitol Hills -- thank you, Kate.

Well, remember that controversial Safe Haven Law in Nebraska? It was designed to protect newborns from dangerous abandonment. But most of the 34 children dropped off, mostly in hospitals, have been preteens or teenagers.

Some lawmakers say that showed a need. They wanted the law expanded so parents could seek mental health help for children up to 15 years old. Nebraska's attorney general has stepped in now saying it's beyond the authority of state lawmakers.

Those representatives will continue their debate today in a special session.

Former foes now working together? Barack Obama and John McCain, live report on their meeting coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: California on fire. Fire crews going up against out of control wildfires. We're looking at live pictures now (INAUDIBLE) morning begins. Hundreds of homes have actually been lost. Devastated families, as you would imagine now, without a place to live.

We are keeping an eye on it with you all day long right here, in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Setting a new course. The president-elect invites his former foe to talk things out and move forward, together. Senator John McCain and Barack Obama set to meet in Chicago a few hours from now.

CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is waiting for that big meeting.

So, I wonder, Suzanne, any big announcements that we might expect today?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, we're not going to expect any big announcements, so unfortunately, no big news out of that meeting. But what we're told is Barack Obama, he really likes to pride himself on the model of the late Abraham Lincoln, that is, of course, to bring capable people into the Cabinet, to reach out to his rivals. But Obama's aides say this is not about a job position.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX (voice over): Today, Barack Obama is meeting John McCain on his own terms. Hosting his former rival on his Chicago home turf. It's part good will, part good picture.

The last time the two appeared together, Obama had to engage in the messiness of debates. Now he gets points for just reaching out. Obama's aides say he'll focus on their commonalities over issues like climate change and ethics reform.

In Obama's first TV interview since the election, he told CBS's "60 Minutes," the global economic crisis provides a unique opening for both men and their parties to come together.

BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT: You actually have a consensus among conservative Republican leaning economists and liberal left- leaning economists. And the consensus is this -- that we have to do whatever it takes to get this economy moving again. That we have to -- we're going to have to spend money now to stimulate the economy.

MALVEAUX: Obama also emphasized getting his national security team in place as his top priority and he described the threat of Osama bin Laden this way.

B. OBAMA: Capturing or killing bin Laden is a critical aspect of stamping out al Qaeda. He is not just a symbol. He's also the operational leader of an organization that is planning attacks against U.S. targets.

MALVEAUX: Obama also said he would use his unique power as president to issue executive orders to act quickly on Guantanamo Bay and U.S. detainee interrogations.

B. OBAMA: I intend to close Guantanamo and I will follow through on that. I have said repeatedly that America doesn't torture and I'm going to make sure that we don't torture.

MALVEAUX: As for incoming first lady, Michelle Obama, she says their daughters, Sasha and Malia come first.

MICHELLE OBAMA, FUTURE FIRST LADY: And I've -- you know, I had to juggle being mom in chief and having a career for a long time. The primary focus for the first year will be making sure that the kids make it through the transition.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: And Heidi, back to that meeting with Obama and McCain, there'll be two other people in the room, chief of staff Rahm Emanuel on Obama's side, and Senator Lindsay Graham on McCain's side. But folks say they're not going to act as referees, although it's good to have support on both sides.

These two men are very close. They're the ones who kind of quietly arranged this meeting between McCain and Obama -- Heidi?

COLLINS: All right. We'll be watching, CNN's Suzanne Malveaux. Thank you, Suzanne.

The vote was lost, but the fight goes on. Supporters of the same-sex marriage bill take their campaign beyond California.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Three days left to vote for your favorite CNN Hero. Go to CNN.com/heroes to see their stories and you can go ahead and vote. You can join Anderson Cooper Thanksgiving evening to find who will CNN's Hero of the Year. Vote now at CNN.com/heroes. Again, only three days left.

We are waiting for the opening bell on Wall Street now this morning, just a few minutes away. It's the start of what's expected to be a weeklong stream of bad economic news, unfortunately. We'll be checking in when the markets open just a few minutes from now.

Supporters of same-sex marriage vowing to fight on following the defeat of California's proposition 8.

CNN's Susan Candiotti explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CROWD: Yes, we will!

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): During spirited rallies from Los Angeles to Orlando from Boston to Oklahoma City, same-sex marriage supporters promise a re-energized movement despite their defeat in California.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're not going to rest until we're all equal.

CANDIOTTI: Those are fighting words to some opposed to legalizing same-sex marriage.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is not a civil rights issue. It is an issue with morality.

CANDIOTTI: Feelings are raw and acquisitions are flying.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tax this church. Tax this church.

CANDIOTTI: Some protesters accuse Mormons and other religions of crossing the line by helping raise money to keep gays from marrying. Religious coalitions say protests are getting out of hand.

FRANK SCHUBERT, CHMN., COALITION FOR PROP 8: We're put off and we're offended that our voices are disrespected, that we're called bigots. We're analogized to Nazis.

CANDIOTTI: Even comedian Rosanne Barr is weighing in, taking aim on her Web site at a high percentage of African-Americans in California who voted to ban same-sex marriage. She calls them, quote, "as bigoted and ignorant as their white Christian right-wing counterparts."

The NAACP, part of a legal challenge to overturn the California vote, insists the organization fully supports same-sex marriage as a civil right.

RON HASSAN, PRES., NAACP BEVERLY HILLS: I'm not sure as to what extent people of color received a large amount of information on these propositions.

CANDIOTTI: A gay rights advocate says everyone needs to take a deep breath.

EVAN WOLFSON, ATTORNEY, GAY RIGHTS ADVOCATE: This is not a question of blaming somebody or finding a racial group or an ethnic group or even an age group. It's about having a conversation that moves people forward. There are fair people to be found everywhere.

CANDIOTTI (on camera): Same-sex marriage supporters promise a long civil rights battle they intend to win. Their opponents are equally convinced a majority of Americans are on their side.

Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Good morning, space shuttle Endeavour. NASA issues a wake-up call to astronauts as they get started on a very busy day. In just a couple of hours, they're going to be unloading almost 15,000 pounds of equipment on to the International Space Station. The shuttle docked with the orbiting outpost yesterday.

We'll keep our eye on that for you.

A big name in banking will lay off 50,000 workers. How will Wall Street react?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Recession circles the globe. First, the euro zone, now Japan. The world's second largest economy has fallen into recession. And here at home, thousands of new job cuts, as we listen to the opening bell this morning.

Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange now with more details on all of this.

Hi there, Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. While recession fears set to push stocks to a lower open today. Last week the major average plunged by 5 to nearly 8 percent each.

And once again we have another round of massive job cuts. This time Citigroup says it's slashing 50,000 jobs. That's on top of 22,000 previously announced cuts. The total will reduce Citi's head count by 20 percent. The fate of the automobile industry, once again in focus. Senate Democrats expected to introduce legislation today aimed at giving the big three U.S. automakers another $25 billion from the financial bailout fund.

In the meantime, General Motors is selling its entire 3 percent stake in Suzuki Motor for more than $200 million.

On the up side, a new report shows industrial production rebounded last month as Boeing employees returned to work after being on strike. But retail stocks set to fall. Both Target and Lowe's post to double digit percentage drops in quarterly earnings. And we're checking out their stocks now. They are both under pressure. Checking the numbers, of course, we are seeing that, as well.

The Dow right now down 85 points, about one percent. Ditto for the Nasdaq and the S&P 500.

And, Heidi, finally, here's a sign of the times. The top executives at Goldman Sachs have decided to give up their year-end bonuses. The suits will only be eligible for their base salaries of $600,000. Each spokesman for the firm says, quote, "While the firm has distinguished itself through many aspects of the crisis, we cannot ignore the fact that we are part of an industry directly associated with the ongoing economic distress."

And, quote, and by the way, the CEO of Goldman Sachs earned just about $69 million last year. One year, that is in cash and bonuses.

COLLINS: Wow, a lot of people had been wondering if this would actually happen or not. So, appreciate the reporting.

LISOVICZ: Oh, well, Goldman Sachs is being closely watched, I can guarantee you that.

COLLINS: Yes, no doubt about that. All right. Susan Lisovicz, we'll check in later on with you. Thanks.

LISOVICZ: You're welcome.

COLLINS: Your money, your job, your worries. With unemployment rates climbing now, we are spending today, looking at some solutions, ways to save and survive. Here to break it all down for us, Christine Romans of CNN's money team.

All right. So, obviously, we know not good news for Citigroup this morning. Just one of many layoffs.

ROMANS: That's right. And it's almost as if every industry is having layoffs. We've seen it again and again. Just put it into perspective. Last week, there were about 14,000 job cuts announced. Just Citi today is, you know, more than double that, triple that.

So, you can see just how kind of pervasive the job cutting is. Usually what companies do first is they pull back on hours for their hourly workers. They don't hire temporary workers. They do everything they can before they actually get to the overall job cuts, including keeping some positions open that haven't been filled. And then, when you get to the job cuts, it's kind of a sign that they're at the end of the rope in terms of the labor situation. And what Citi said specifically is it said on a screen, they said getting fit fast.

The Citi said that it was cutting its head count from the peak of 375,000 workers to under 300,000. That's a 20 percent decline from the peak levels. So, what does this mean for you? Well, if you're in the financial services industry, you already have seen massive layoffs. And it doesn't look like some other bank is going to be hiring you, at least in the near term. We have found some jobs growth, though, in one particular part of the economy and it has been consistent jobs growth and that is in health care.

And think of this. The Department of Labor says there would be 4.7 million new health care jobs by the year 2010. Here are some that pay better than average for the health care industry. Registered nurse, medical assistant, pharmacy technician, respiratory therapist, radiologic technician -- some of these don't require more than vocational training or a year or two of community college training.

Some of this -- now, some health care jobs growth is in very low- pay jobs. For $20,000 a year or less. Jobs are going to be difficult to be latter jobs for the middle class, but some of the jobs that have training for some of these machines, some of the high-growth technical jobs, some with the proper training, there are some good opportunities there. We've seen it month after month on the jobs report, Heidi, that there is growth in health care, education and the government. But with some training, that might be a place for people to look right now.

COLLINS: Yes. Well, some great advice there. Sure do appreciate that. Christine Romans, thank you.

ROMANS: Sure.

COLLINS: And just to remind everybody, next hour, we keep going with our day-long look for solutions, ways to save and survive -- advice a lot of us could use, "Three Ways to Get Out of Debt." Sound good? CNN's personal finance editor Gerri Willis is going to be talking about those three ways.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LISA HENAGHAN, FIRE EVACUEE: There was hardly any warning. It was about 1:30 in the morning and I woke up to a police officer standing in my bedroom telling me that we had to get out. There were people running around in their pajamas. It was just pandemonium. And you know, I just thank God for my family and friends who helped me out with a place to go and have been supportive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Boy, a horrifying ordeal from Lisa Henaghan. Her story, one of many we are hearing from people in Southern California who have fled those fires with little more than the clothes on their backs.

Lisa's home was in the path of the Triangle Complex Fire. It has burned nearly 24,000 acres and more than 100 homes in and around Orange County. Later this morning, residents in Sylmar will be allowed back to see what's left of their homes. The Sayre Fire roared through their mobile home park over the weekend. And firefighters are close to getting a handle now on the so called Tea Fire. The flames did not discriminate, though, burning small homes, mansions, even a monastery in Montecito. That fire is being called suspicious. We're going to keep our eye on all of this.

And Rob Marciano is doing more of that for us. So, the deal is, three of these wildfires are still burning, but they're going to get a little bit of relief from at least the wind today, yes?

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: Boy, no kidding. Yes. You know, hey, I got to tell you, my 7-year-old did a report for school, could have done on anything he wanted to do. What did he pick? Weather.

MARCIANO: Love that kid.

COLLINS: Yes.

MARCIANO: Love that kid. I haven't seen him. Bring in him again.

COLLINS: All right, I will. All right, Rob, thank you. We'll check back later on.

People in Kenly, North Carolina, still picking up the pieces after a tornado ripped through the area early Saturday. It devastated everything in its path, reducing homes to rubble and burying lifetime possessions under tons of debris. At least two people are dead. Volunteers from around the area came to help the victims.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECKY EVANS, SURVIVED TORNADO: When you go through that, and you come out of it alive --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: North Carolina governor Mike Easley has vowed to help all of the families affected.

Their pastor told them to save sex for seven days. And of course, they are faithful followers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In fact, 12:01, we've already started practicing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because the bible said so.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: One church putting the marriage bed back in the marriage.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Quickly, we check out the big board for you now. The market actually has been open for about ten minutes, and there you see down triple digits right now. Dow Jones Industrial Averages down 136. Nasdaq also down about 18 points. We are watching those numbers and your money, all day long right here on CNN.

Some would see this as a buyer's market. In fact, with home prices coming down in many parts of the country, here now is CNN's Christine Romans with "Right on Your Money."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, let's check out the scene downstairs here.

ROMANS (voice-over): Atlanta real estate agent Melissa Morgan is helping Clare Brown navigate a market that's overcrowded with properties, but not so many buyers.

MELISSA MORGAN, REAL STATE AGENT: I think buyers are just overwhelmed with the number inventory that we see on the market today.

ROMANS: Clare wants a home with a rental unit that could provide extra income. She's decided to act now while prices are lower.

CLARE BROWN, PROSPECTIVE HOME BUYER: I'm more motivated by what's happening in the stock market. What's happening with the weakness of the U.S. dollar.

ROMANS: Personal finance author Eric Tyson says long-term investment properties can pay off. But in today's economy, would-be landlords need to realize they won't always have tenants.

ERIC TYSON, PERSONAL FINANCE AUTHOR: You can't assume that the property is going to be rented a 100 percent of the time. You're going to have a certain vacancy rate.

ROMANS: If you're prepared for those hassles, he says there are deals to be had.

TYSON: We've gone through a pretty significant correction, of the likes of which we really haven't seen since the early 1990s. There really are some terrific buying opportunities right now if you do your homework and be careful about what you buy.

ROMANS: Christine Romans, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: It's an Afghanistan you don't hear much about. We return to a remote region to see how U.S. funds are being used for reconstruction.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COLLINS: Three days left to vote for your favorite CNN hero. Go to cnn.com/heroes to see their story, vote, and then join Anderson Cooper Thanksgiving night to find out who will be CNN's hero of the year. Vote now at cnn.com/heroes. Remember, only three days left.

It's been a long time coming. Now, Washington and Baghdad may be close to an agreement that could have U.S. troops out of Baghdad by 2011. CNN's Arwa Damon is live this morning now from Baghdad with more on this.

So, Arwa, it's not a done deal yet, is it?

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No, Heidi, it most certainly is not. What we saw happened this morning was the signing of that draft agreement by Iraqi foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari, as well as U.S. Ambassador Crocker.

The signing of this is significant and that it means that Iraq's cabinet has signed off on this deal. No more amendments can be made. But now comes the critical step of getting parliament to pass this security agreement. And we're already running into some problems. The draft of the bill was read out this morning in parliament. There was a little bit of debate about it. But one of the main sticking points that opponents of this security agreement such as the Sadr loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr are bringing up. And that is the mechanism whereby which parliament should vote on this bill.

The Sadrs and other opponents are pushing for a two-thirds majority, where are there are others that are saying that it should be allowed to pass with only a simple majority. There will be ongoing debates within parliament over the next few days. We are expecting a vote to take place on this draft agreement within the next week -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes. Arwa, I know that you've just come off an in bed, and you've had a chance to talk with both U.S. and Iraqi troops. What type of reaction are they having to this draft?

DAMON: Well, you know, Heidi, this security agreement, if it passes, is going to drastically alter the way the U.S. military functions here. It has dates in it, such as June 30th, 2009, whereby which all U.S. troops will withdrawal from major cities.

And that means that their ability to go out and help their Iraqi counterparts is going to be significantly hindered. And when you speak with the Iraqi troops, that across the board pretty much is their main concern. And I'm talking about the Iraqi soldier or policemen who is standing on the ground manning that checkpoint, who for the most part wants to know that there is an American soldier standing by him.

And when it comes to the U.S. troops, there are soldiers that are out there conducting the missions. They actually know surprisingly little about the agreement or how it's going to alter the way that they're operating unless they're following the news. As we have been told earlier by senior U.S. officials, the exact mechanics of how this is all going to play out are still to be determined. But the U.S. military's role is going to be significantly diminished, and some will even go so far to say this agreement is going to handicap U.S. troops here.

COLLINS: All right, we will be watching that very, very closely. CNN's Arwa Damon for us live today from Baghdad.

Thank you, Arwa.

A key supply quarter into Afghanistan reopening today. Pakistan had closed the Khyber Pass last week after militants hijacked several trucks. The convoy had included humvees bound for the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan. Today, heavily-armed pair of military vehicles escorted supply trucks as part of the new security measures.

Progress measured in small increments. CNN's Nic Robertson returns to a remote Afghan province he visited 18 months ago to see what has changed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Amid the rugged beauty of Afghanistan's Hindu Kush Mountains, American tax dollars at working, not as it looks a road to nowhere, but to a remote valley, to help win the war here.

MAJ. RORY AYLWARD, U.S. ARMY: If they are building the road to their village, if it's for them, the was a sense of ownership. And it means something to them, which means if strangers come by and they wanted to put things in the road, like an IED, for instance, they're not going to go with that. Like, get off of our road.

ROBERTSON: So far this year, over 35 kilometers, almost 20 miles of graded road built in the remote Nuristan Province, under the watchful eye of Ellewoods (ph) Provincial Reconstruction team -- PRT.

AYLWARD: We really are starting from scratch in a way that I don't think most people appreciate. I don't think they can grasp it until you've been here, just how much work there is to be done.

ROBERTSON: We first came here a year and a half ago. The PR team was new. They embodied the counterterrorism strategy. Win hearts and mind through helping Afghans. The challenges were daunting.

(on camera): Well, this terrain here is really tough. Nuristan is so remote, it doesn't have any paved roads, it doesn't have any hospitals, it doesn't even have a proper center of government here. It doesn't even have a provincial capital, not a real one. And as the commanders here like to say, where the roads end, that's where the bad guys begin.

That's the mountain we were hiking up a year and a half ago. We have come back to see what's changed, what's not changed and what lessons have been learned. (voice-over): More than $35 million have been spent on a multitude of projects in this province, including more than 20 schools. Two bridges, a radio station to reach remote villages, power plants and a cell phone service. But there is still no hospital. And the road to the provincial capital, originally due to be completed by now has yet to be built. Commander George Perez took over the PRT six months ago. He uses a football analogy to describe the mission.

CMDR. GEORGE PEREZ, U.S. NAVY: If every team that comes here score the first down eventually, you'll get a touchdown, but it's small incremental games that are succeeding.

ROBERTSON: We decided to revisit one of those games, a school we saw under construction in 2007.

(on camera): When we were here a year ago, the reconstruction team is just finishing building the school. We went to see the head master and he told us it was a good project, because they would help build support in the community -- the coalition and the government.

(voice-over): The school is closed for a holiday. Luckily, we found the head master nearby.

Do you remember what you said to us at that time?

As we talked, I'm shocked by what he says. Security is worse than last year. Attendance at the school is down. He's not sure why, but says they're receiving threatening letters from the Taliban.

(on camera): What are they saying to you? The Taliban.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): They are treating us -- you guys are not allowed to work with the government anymore.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Major Ellewood wants to know if anyone has actually been hurt by the Taliban. The head master says no, but he wants to ask Ellewood a few questions, too.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Can I ask you a few questions about the school.

ROBERTSON: It turns out he has no books, no stationery, no chairs for the schools, an Afghan government responsibility. But he wants help from Ellewood.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we'll have to go check. And I just -- just so you understand, I have a stack of proposals for projects that's this high.

ROBERTSON: We part on smiles, but everyone is frustrated.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The lesson I'm learning in this war is that the resources are not enough to accomplish the kind of gains that we need in a short amount of time.

ROBERTSON: The lessons from our visit to Nuristan, that rebuilding Afghanistan, winning hearts and minds is a long, slow process.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Kalagush, Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: A soldier is feared dead after being hit by a roadside bomb.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Justin was blown 90 foot in the air. It was like he jumped off a nine-story building, landed straight on his feet. Landed inside the engine compartment. The thing was blazing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: He broke his back, his hips, and lost his legs. But just months later, he's rodeo riding.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Good job, Burlington, Vermont. It's been rated the healthiest city in the nation. Researchers say it has the largest population of people who are in good or great health.

The skinny on Huntington, West Virginia, though, not so good. It's got the dubious distinction of being the fastest and unhealthiest city in America. Nearly half the adults there are obese. And it leads the nation in heart disease and diabetes. The centers for disease control came up with the rankings.

Bringing the bed back in the marriage. It's a new commandment from a Texas pastor, and his flock seems to be following.

Reporter Michael Rey from our affiliate KDAF has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED YOUNG, PASTOR, FELLOWSHIP CHURCH IN GRAPEVINE: Because we understand that sex comes from God.

MICHAEL REY, KDAF CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ed Young warned the congregation last week this he would kick off what he calls a sexperiment. The pastor challenged married church members to have sex for seven straight days to strengthen their bonds.

YOUNG: I think the church has allowed our culture to hijack sex from us. And we've not really spoken boldly and honestly and openly.

REY: 20,000 attend the Grapevine Mega Church, about half are married. Media attention on the church mandated week of sex has been intense.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In fact, 12:01, we've already started practicing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because the bible said so, OK?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's right.

REY: This couple has been married for 16 years. They plan to take on the challenge.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's a great idea. And I think that he has touched on this before. Not at this depth. But he touch on this before and thinks that this is very, very important obviously in marriage and to keep a marriage strong.

REY: Young has told couples to keep a journal to record their feelings during the coming week.

YOUNG: It's time that we allow God to lead us to a place of grace. Sex is reserved for the marriage bed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a great reminder to kind of clear the clutter out and really focus on my wife and our relationship. And then the benefits that really spring forward from that.

YOUNG: It's time that the church brought the bed back in, because for far too long, the church has been strangely silent over a topic that God was not silent about.

REY (on camera): Some couples have already told us, they won't be able to meet the challenge, timing will separate them. It is, after all, hunting season.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have a trip to Wisconsin. I'm leaving Wednesday.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, we got our journal, and we're just going to do it on a different seven days.

REY: In Grapevine, Texas, Michael Rey, for CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Gentlemen, smart your engines. We'll show you a road rally where very little gas is burned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: No, it's not a parade. And no, shriners are preamp behind the steering wheel. No, they're not. Well, these are actually fuel-efficient smart cars. A gas-zipping subcompact that's popping up on more and more roadways. About 75 owners revved up their pint-sized chariots and took part in this so-called Smartest Road Rally in New Jersey.

Wildfires on three sides. Tens of thousands of acres burned in South California. How fire crews are dealing and what's happening to people's health.

Bailing out the Big 3? Congress looking for a way to jumpstart the sputtering auto industry.

And Barack Obama, reaching out today to John McCain. What's on and not on the agenda.

It is Monday, November 17th. I'm Heidi Collins. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.