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Stimulus Bill Passes; Continental Crash Update; Young Pakistani Poet Targets Taliban
Aired February 14, 2009 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: OK, well first let's delve into issue No. 1, no love, of course, for the status of the economy as of now. Washington, however, is about to go on a three quarter of a trillion dollar spending spree. Congress has passed and the president will soon sign a stimulus bill.
One designed to jolt life back into the economy, at least, that's the hope. Here now is senior congressional correspondent, Dana Bash.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Democrats are delivering President Obama's economic plan with the warp speed that he demanded, but that meant little time for lawmakers to actually review it.
REP JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), MINORITY LEADER: I don't know how you could read 1,100 pages between midnight and now. Not one member has read this.
BASH: Across the Capitol lawmakers and staff pored through pounds of paper. Trying to determine exactly what's in the bill before approving an unprecedented $787 billion.
What's at the heart of those 1,000-plus pages are some $280 billion in tax cuts and more than $500 billion in government spending. Supporters insist the goal of this economic plan is simple.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jobs, jobs, jobs.
BASH: First, for people who don't have jobs, here's what's in it, $24.7 billion to subsidize health insurance for nine months for most laid off workers; up to 33 weeks of extended unemployment benefits; and an additional $25 a week.
But, creating jobs is what Democrats insist the hundreds of billions in spending will do by investing in infrastructure projects like energy-efficient buildings, roads, bridges and mass transit.
For example, $27.5 billion for highways; $1.1 billion for airports that prove they can start construction work now; $8 billion for high- speed rail, a big funding boost thanks to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada who's pushing for a grant to build a train from Las Vegas to southern California.
But there are also programs like $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts, which critics argue will not stimulate the economy.
REP ERIC CANTOR (R), MINORITY WHIP: This bill is loaded with wasteful deficit spending on the majority's favorite government programs. We need jobs, not mountains of debt to be paid by our children. We can do better.
BASH (on camera): No Republicans voted for this in the house and only three moderate Republicans voted for it in the Senate. In fact, it was so close in the Senate, Democrats held the vote open for more than five hours until nearly 11:00 at night so that the White House could send a government plane to Ohio to pick up Democratic senator, Sherrod Brown and bring him back from his mother's wake so he could cast the final vote for President Obama's stimulus plan.
Dana Bash, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And stuffed inside the 1,000 pages of the stimulus bill, a little something for just about everyone. Most workers will see an extra $13 a week in their paychecks from a payroll tax break, college students is or their parents can get a $2,500 tuition credit. There's an $8,000 credit for first-time homebuyers, if you buy by December 1.
The new law will get $120 billion on infrastructure. Everything from roads and bridges to electric grid. There is $100 billion for schools and half of that money will pay teachers' salaries in districts that have lost state aid; $19 billion to digitize health care records. Other odds and ends, Pell Grants for colleges that would increase to a maximum of $5,500. Buy a car by the end of the year and deduct the sales tax and if you're out of work, the federal government will chip in on your health insurance.
So, we want to hear about how you're coping with this economy. Be here at 4:00 Eastern Time, we'll focus on -- this full hour, on your short and long-term money issues. We have two experts onboard to answer questions as well and Josh Levs will be taking your e-mails at weekends@cnn.com. We want to hear how you're pinching pennies and we also want to hear about your questions to the experts.
Our President Obama calls the bill's passage a major milestone. His signature is the only thing still need now. He's not at the White House this weekend, but our Elaine Quijano is.
Elaine, when might he be signing the bill?
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, President Obama, Fredricka, had set the deadline for Monday, which is Presidents' Day, he wanted that bill on his desk ready for him to sign and it looks like he is on track to have that deadline met, again Monday, Presidents'Day.
Now, in his weekly address, President Obama touted this economic stimulus legislation as being necessary in order to give the economy that much-needed boost, right now, but he also sounded a cautionary note. He said that this really is just the beginning of turning the economy around.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA (D), UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: This historic step won't be the end of what we do to turn our economy around, but rather the beginning. The problems that led us into this crisis are deep and widespread, and our response must be equal to the task.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Republicans, though, are highly skeptical of this plan, that it will actually jump-start the economy. In the weekly GOP address, Senator Lisa Murkowski said that Republican lawmakers will be watching closely to see how Washington spends the stimulus money.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN LISA MURKOWSKI (R), ALASKA: If Americans can't be assured that these programs will work they should at least be told what they're going cost. Taxpayers need to know what Washington is doing with their money, and as Republicans continue to pursue policies that strengthen our economy and create jobs, we'll insist that taxpayers aren't only protection, but are also well informed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Now, President Obama and the Obama administration are planning to launch a Web site, Recovery.gov, that will be up and running once the stimulus package starts to spend out some of that money. The administration is saying that this will be an opportunity for Americans to logon and take a look at how exactly their taxpayer dollars are being spent.
Republicans, though, again, Fredericka, still very skeptical. They just don't believe that many of these provisions contained in this measure will actually jump-start the economy - Fredericka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Elaine Quijano, thanks so much from the White House.
All right, a follow-up now on a very grim scene taking place in Clarence Center, New York. The remains of the 50 people killed in the crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407 are being recovered. Then comes the arduous process of identifying them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT BYLEWSKI, SUPERVISOR, TOWN OF CLARENCE: Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims of both -- from the flight s well as on the ground. I would like to offer my thanks to our disaster coordinators, the agencies that we've been working with have been tremendous as well, whether it is the state police, Erie County sheriffs, all local, federal, state and county agencies that we've been dealing with have been superb in their handling of this devastating tragedy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Our Mary Snow is standing by in Clarence Center.
And so, Mary, you know, I can't imagine how the people there are coping with what has transpired. I'm sure a lot of them feel like this is still so surreal.
MARY SNOW, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: They really do, Fredricka, and they're saying that the reality has not set in. A number of memorial services have already taken place and will continue to take place throughout this weekend. You certainly get a sense of a close- knit community.
And in the city of Clarence, who -- 12 home his to be evacuated, officials, here this morning, said they are going to allow some of those families to go back to their homes to just get necessary belongings. They will not be able to stay and they will be escorted by officials to those homes, but pretty much the area has been blocked off and we're hearing the continuing, incredible stories including the story of Karen Wielinski.
She and her daughter survived the crash. They were in their home watching television in the front portion of their home. Karen Wielinski saying that she was on the first floor of her house, her daughter Jill was upstairs. Tragically her husband, Doug, was in the ding room. He did not survive.
When the plane took a sharp nosedive, crashed into their house, Karen Wielinski told her story to WBEN in Buffalo, and she told us how her house really literally collapsed and she was able to crawl out. Take a listen to what she had to say, how she describes it in her own words.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAREN WIELINSKI, HOME DESTROYED IN CRASH: I shouted first, in case anybody was out there, and then just kind of pushed what was on me, part of that out and crawled out the hole. I had had heard like a woman crying when I came out of the hole. You know, the back of the house was gone. You know, the fire had started. I could see the wing of the plane and Jill was over to the side crying, of course, hysterical. To me, it looked like the plane came down in the middle of the house and unfortunately that's where Doug was. He was a good person, loved his family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: That's Karen Wielinski talking about her husband, Doug, who was killed when the plane hit the house. Authorities this morning who were here talking about the fact that the nosedive was so steep that it only damaged that one house. They said there was a garage that suffered some damage, but really, so many people here are talking about how miraculously, being this residential area, six miles outside of the airport and people were just stunned that the damage was just confined to that one house. Of course, Doug Wielinski was killed on the ground, 44 passengers, four crew members and one pilot who was off duty. And today, Fredricka, investigators are at the scene, they are picking up pieces of the wreckage of that plane. Also fires were put out to the extent that medical examiners are on the ground and they have the very grim job of recovering remains. Officials say that that could take several days - Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, and hopefully we'll hear more details on the investigation later on this afternoon. We understand that the NTSB, the National Transportation Safety Board, will be holding a press conference at about 4:00 Eastern Time. We'll carry that for you live and monitor the remarks as they happen. Thanks so much, Mary Snow.
All right, meantime, trouble in the air for other flights overseas. Flights have resumed in London now after an air scare there. A British airways plane's front wheel gear collapsed upon landing at London City Airport, yesterday. All 71 people onboard used emergency slides to escape. Four people were actually treated for injuries, but nothing serious. That's good news. Investigators are looking into exactly what caused the front wheel to fail.
And remember at the top of the show we talked about the votes being in, a stimulus bill soon being on the way to the president. Well, whatever happened to the promise of bipartisanship?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, a bit of rain in the southeast, a little warmer, as well. Reynolds Wolf in the Weather Center. What season are we in?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, that's a great question. It depends on who you're talking to.
WHITFIELD: It's getting real confusing.
WOLF: You know, it really is.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: OK, thanks so much, Reynolds. A mixed bag. Appreciate it.
WOLF: No question.
WHITFIELD: All right, well, today is the one-year anniversary of the Valentine's Day shootings at Northern Illinois University. Five students were killed before the gunman, Stephen Kazmierczak, took his own life. Well, now an exclusive CNN investigation reveals what fueled his rage. Special Investigations Unit correspondent, Abbie Boudreau, has a preview of tonight's special "Unraveling the Mystery of the NIU Killer."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ABBIE BOUDREAU, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Behind that mask is Stephen Kazmierczak. He dressed up as Jigsaw's alter ego in 2007. Jigsaw is the sadistic killer from the horror movies, "Saw."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Heed my warning, Agent Perez, your next move is critical.
BOUDREAU: Jigsaw tests his victims by teaching them the value of their lives by torturing them and making them face possible death. CNN has learned this would later be a clue that's important to understanding what happened and why he walked into that classroom and opened fire.
DAVID VANN, AUTHOR/PROFESSOR: So, it's just amazing that he could, that coldly, plan to kill all of those people.
BOUDREAU (on camera): It was so calculated.
VANN MALE: So calculated. Everything was planned out carefully.
BOUDREAU (voice-over): David Vann is an author and professor. For nine months he studied the shooting for a book he wrote about the murders. He wanted to find out if there really were no red flags like NIU officials told the media right after the shooting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Actually, there were no red flags.
BOUDREAU: Vann says a law enforcement source gave him access to about 1,500 pages of the investigation, and Vann gave CNN exclusive access to those documents.
VANN: The degree of self-destruction and antisocial behavior, at the end, of really scary behaviors, was just phenomenal and at some point, after you look at all of those records, you just have to wonder what does a mass murderer have to do to get noticed?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Boy, enlightening and sad stuff, there. Don't miss our special report tonight at 11:00 p.m. Eastern, 8:00 Pacific. And in addition to the secret police document that Abbie mentioned, this Special Investigations Unit, also reviewed Kazmierczak's psychiatric and military records. They could help explain the numerous red flags throughout his life, plus why his obsession with serial killers and horror movies could offer clues to what happened at NIU.
All right, a message of hope. One girl trying to make the difference, taking on the Taliban with words.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: It's being called a huge step forward for women in Saudi Arabia, for the first time Saudi's King Abdullah has appointed a woman to the Council of Ministers, that's according to networks including Saudi's state-run Channel-1. Noor Al-Fayez will serve as deputy minister for women's education. The move was part of a major cabinet reshuffling that included other progressive appointments, the include the appointment of a new minister of education and a new minister of justice.
All right, a young girl takes aim at the Taliban. She claims they're holding her country hostage and she's out to prove through poetry that the pen is mightier than the sword. CNN's Stan Grant has her story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STAN GRANT, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Barack Obama, you have won a young heart in Pakistan.
(on camera): You'd like to meet him, wouldn't you?
TUBA SAHAAB, 11-YEAR-OLD PAKISTANI POET: Yes, I'd really like to meet him.
GRANT: You like him?
SAHAAB: Yes, I really like him.
GRANT: Were you excited when he became president.
SAHAAB: Yes, I was very excited and I was praying that he be.
GRANT (voice-over): Like the United States president, Tuba Sahaab, too believes in change. In a land where women are too often told they can't, Tuba says yes, she can.
SAHAAB: I want to give peace to my country, to my nation, everyone.
GRANT: The 11-year-old is a self-styled warrior poet, a small girl pitting her pen against the Taliban's sword, a girl from a simple home in Islamabad. She said she is committed to truth. Through her words she reflects the pain of other children in her country. The injustice of girls denied an education, of schools burned to the ground, books banned and too much death.
SAHAAB: Tiny drops of tears, their faces, like the angels, washed with their blood. They sleep forever as with anger.
GRANT: Tuba Sahaab is now reaching a bigger audience. She appears in newspapers and interviewed on Talk Back radio. The young school girl is top of her class in almost every subject. She has won awards for her poetry and has already published a book of children's stories.
Her classmates, she says call her brave, and she shows no fear speaking out against the Taliban. The hard line Islamic militants who would force girls like Tuba out of the classroom.
SAHAAB: This is really very, very shocking to hear that after four, the girls cannot go to school, it's means they're taking us back to the Stone Age.
GRANT: Tuba is critical of her own government, they are not doing enough, she says to end the bloodshed. Tuba wants to any directly to the man she thinks can save her country, her hero, President Obama.
SAHAAB: I want to go to white palace and show him why my points and I want to say him to come into Pakistan and whatever is happening, he should try to control it because he's a superpower.
GRANT: Like Barack Obama, Tuba Sahaab dreams of one day leading her country.
SAHAAB: I would do anything, if my life goes, I don't worry for it, but I just want to do something for my country and for (INAUDIBLE).
GRANT (on camera): I think you will get the chance.
SAHAAB: Yes, and if someone gave me the chance, then you will see what I will do.
GRANT: I can see what you can do, there is no doubt what you can do. Good luck.
SAHAAB: Thank you.
GRANT: Stan Grant, CNN, Islamabad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Wow, who wouldn't be in love with her today or any day?
All right, live pictures right now at the capitol in Washington and the White House because all eyes still focused on the nation's capitol, spending his political capital, President Barack Obama gets his stimulus bill passed, but at what price?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Hello again. I'm Fredericka Whitfield. Let's get you up to speed on the stories happening right now in the NEWSROOM.
Crash investigators say ice on the wings may have been a major factor in the crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407. The pilot remarked on significant ice buildup during the descent into Buffalo. Fifty people were killed when the turboprop pitched and rolled, then took a nosedive into a house.
An NTSB press conference is later on today, at 4:00 Eastern.
Meantime, President Obama will sign the new stimulus bill, perhaps as early as Monday. Congress passed a bill Friday, after weeks of wrangling. The $780 billion package calls for spending and tax breaks to jolt the U.S. economy out of recession. All right, a stimulus and a stumble. The president got his economic plan, but he lost another cabinet nominee and perhaps also learned that bipartisanship is still something of a dream, perhaps for him.
Let's talk about the week that was in Washington politics and that continues to be, I guess. Senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, is in our Washington bureau.
Good to see you.
BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SR POLITICAL ANALYST: Hi, Fredericka.
WHITFIELD: OK, well, you know, If not for the stimulus vote, I guess, snap the president back to reality that bipartisanship is still something difficult to find in Washington, perhaps when his commerce secretary designate decided to withdraw, perhaps on the same reason, maybe now the president's convinced it's going to be difficult to find bipartisanship in Washington.
SCHNEIDER: That's exactly right. He reached out to Republicans and he invited them to the White House, he consulted with them, but in the end, very few Republicans voted for this stimulus bill. Now, it did pass, and you know, one interesting question is, so, what difference does it make? It passed, its law and, you know, it's there. He won what he wanted, which is this big spending stimulus bill, which also includes significant tax cuts.
He went some way to try to accommodate what Republicans wanted, but in the end, they said, this bill violates our core principles, it's too much big government. Not a single House Republican supported it and only three Republican Senators voted for it.
So, the president said in Peoria, the other day, it's time for Congress to act, and I hope they act in a bipartisan fashion. Well, they acted, but bipartisanship not so much.
WHITFIELD: Well, how significant that at least there were three Republican senators, though ...
SCHNEIDER: Right.
WHITFIELD: ...that did say, you know what, we hear you, we agree with this plan, we do feel like it would work.
SCHNEIDER: Well, that is an achievement, he had to have those three to overcome the threat or the reality of a filibuster and get into 60 votes in the Senate. He got it. There was a lot of arm twisting and there were some accommodations that had to be made.
There's Susan Collins of Maine. Her colleague Olympia Snowe of Maine and her colleague Susan Collins of Maine both voted for the stimulus bill as did Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania. All three are moderate Republicans. There are very few of those left, but by and large, the Republican Party held fast because they said, look, this bill is about how we define ourselves, it's a core principle which happens to be exactly what Judd Gregg cited when he said, he didn't think he could serve in President Obama's cabinet.
WHITFIELD: In fact, let's elaborate a little bit more on him. In addition to the stimulus, Judd Gregg says wait a minute, I also have a problem with the issue of the Census Bureau going to the White House as opposed to being under my authority, the Commerce Department if secretary. What's really at issue here? Why is that a big deal?
SCHNEIDER: Well, a lot of Republicans noticed that the White House had said that they wanted to have a connection, they wanted to at least supervise the Census from 2010 or have some input into it. It comes under the Commerce Department.
Judd Gregg in the past has been very critical of the Census and in fact, voted to cut its funding in the 1990s. Now, he would be in charge of it and the White House was worried about that, a lot of minority groups, minority members of Congress were worried because they're concerned about undercounting of minorities.
And Republicans said if the White House exercises control of something like the Census, which is supposed to be totally nonpartisan, they believe that puts -- that makes bipartisanship look like a sham, because if they want to control the Census, they're politicizing it and that means they want to kill us because these members of Congress live and die by what happens in the Census.
WHITFIELD: Senior political analyst Bill Schneider, always good to see you this weekend. Happy Valentine's Day as well.
SCHNEIDER: Thank you. Same to you.
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much.
All right, back to upstate New York and the still smoldering wreckage of Continental Connection Flight 3407. Investigators are sifting through it right now. Their job: to figure out why the plane suddenly took a nosedive. The crash killed all 49 people onboard and one man on the ground.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVE BISSONETTE, EMERGENCY COORDINATOR: The scene has been made safe by the fire department, the Clarence Center Fire Department has completed fire operations there, done a great job. It was a stubborn fire in the latter part of yesterday afternoon, that was finally accomplished.
So, the NTSB is now going through their investigative process. The MES are all working through the rubble to identify the various parts and pieces and the remains have been extricated and they're being processed accordingly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And as investigators look into what went wrong, family and friends remembering the victims of the Buffalo plane crash. CNN's Mary Snow brings us these reflections. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In an instant, 50 lives were lost when Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed. First Officer Rebecca Shaw (ph), seen here on her Facebook page was just 25-years- old. Her mother said she'd been flying for about a year-and-a-half.
LYNN MORRIS, REBECCA SHAW'S MOTHER: She was light, she loved to fly. It was her passion. She just loved flying and any time she could be in the air, she was an amazing woman. She came very, very far. She -- you know, she's just full of energy, she'd try anything, do anything, was up for any new experience and she just loved life.
SNOW: Beverly Eckert had become a well known advocate for 9/11 families after losing her husband, Sean Rooney in the tragedy. She had been slated to attend a ceremony at Canisius High School where a scholarship had been set up in her husband's memory. Fifty-five-year- old Susan Wehle was a cantor at Temple Beth Am. She was returning from a Costa Rica vacation.
Her friend, Rick Ellis, was going to pick her up at the airport and last heard from her at 8:29 Thursday night. She sent him a text to say her plane was delayed and that she'd take a taxi if it was too late.
RICHARD ELLIS, SUSAN WEHLE'S FRIEND: She would go to places that I could only dream of and every time she would go, she would do things spiritually to bring her closer to the earth, to bring her closer to God.
SNOW: Also going home to Buffalo, 66-year-old Alison Deforge, recognized as one of the world's leading experts on Rwanda. She's remembered as a role model and human rights activist. Friends and colleagues say she may have been barely 5 feet tall, but she was a lion of a force, fighting to stop the genocide in Rwanda.
KENNETH ROTH, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: For somebody who spent so much of the last 20 years flying around the world for the people of Rwanda, I suppose there's a sad irony that she met her fate on an airplane.
SNOW (on camera): As families of the victims make their way here, this grief-stricken community is coming together in prayer and Governor David Paterson after meeting with families of victims says some want to go to visit the crash site.
Mary Snow, CNN, Williamsville, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right, questions about the California octuplets, did their mother act recklessly? We're taking a look at the possibility of legal action.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A lot of people still have questions, both legal and ethical, about the California woman who gave birth to eight babies. We can answer one of them, where the mother of the octuplets, her six children and her parents will live.
CNN's Randi Kaye takes us inside their modest California home.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The octuplets are still in the hospital, as their mom showed the world on NBC's "Today" show.
NADYA SULEMAN, OCTUPLETS MOTHER: Hi, Malia. Your eyes are open. This is Noah and he's doing well. He's really well. He's not on oxygen or anything. He's the blond one. He's Johan, the tiniest one that was the troublemaker.
KAYE: But when they are released in a few weeks, this is where they will live. Pictures from the entertainment Web site Radar Online take us inside the octuplets' home for the first time. This bedroom is crammed with two cribs and a bed. Radar's reporter described the home as filthy, with food on the walls.
Mom Nadya Suleman already lives here with her other six children and her parents. Do the math. Soon, there will be 14 children and three adults sharing three bedrooms. In an interview with Radar Online, the octuplets' grandmother Angela Suleman questioned her daughter's decision to have so many kids.
ANGELA SULEMAN, OCTUPLETS' GRANDMOTHER: To have them all is unconscionable to me. She really, really has no idea what she's doing to her children. And why would she do this?
KAYE: And how is she going to pay for them all? Her mom owns the home they all live in and her mom says Suleman hasn't worked since she had kids or helped pay the bills.
Suleman told NBC --
N. SULEMAN: No, I am not receiving help from the government.
KAYE (on camera): But we've learned she is. Suleman's own publicist told us she gets $490 every month in food stamps and that three of her six older children get some kind of government disability assistance.
(voice-over): Her publicist told us she was treated here at the West Coast IVF Clinic. Without naming names, the medical board confirmed it's investigating the case. "We are looking into the matter to see if we can substantiate a violation of the standard of care."
Many have wondered why a doctor would implant so many embryos into a single, unemployed mother of six. On NBC, Suleman defended her doctor.
N. SULEMAN: He did nothing wrong. KAYE: Dr. Michael Kamrava is the director at the clinic. He hasn't returned our calls. Suleman hasn't said if Kamrava was her doctor this time, but this is her at his clinic back in 2006 when he treated her.
N. SULEMAN: It was amazing. It was aboslutely -- it was totally different than the old-fashioned in vitro because you see it through the monitor, you see it on ultrasound and he knows exactly which area to pinpoint.
KAYE: Still, the "L.A. Times" reports Dr. Kamrava's clinic had only two successes out of 20 tries that year, one of the worst rates in the country. But Suleman may help change that. Her fertility treatment worked every time, for her first six children and now eight more tiny success stories.
Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And this week, the octuplets' mom started a Web site. It thanks people for their support, but right there on the main page, right up there, a little pink heart with a note "click here to make donations."
All right, well, let's talk more about this with one-half of our regular legal team, Avery Friedman is a civil rights attorney and law professor. Good to see you.
AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Hi, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: We're still thinking about our Richard Herman who makes up our trio, he'll be back, we hope very soon.
All right, let's talk a little bit more about Nadya Suleman. OK, so she is asking for donations ...
FRIEDMAN: Yes.
WHITFIELD: ...to help with her kids. Nothing wrong with that, right?
FRIEDMAN: Right.
WHITFIELD: And nothing wrong with the fact that she's already receiving some public assistance, but ...
FRIEDMAN: Sure.
WHITFIELD: ...some folks in California want to take her to task, in fact, even to court to sue the fact that she just might be receiving more public funds.
FRIEDMAN: Right, yes.
WHITFIELD: Can they do that? FRIEDMAN: Yes. They want to bring a civil suit against her for draining the -- I guess public coffers and they even want her charged with a crime, Fredricka, for what she's doing.
WHITFIELD: What crime?
FRIEDMAN: Yes, and you know what?
WHITFIELD: What would be the crime that they want her charged with?
FRIEDMAN: They don't know, but they think it's a crime and the fact is ...
WHITFIELD: We'll come up with something.
FRIEDMAN: There's nothing, yes. The fact is there is no civil claim, there is no criminal claim and in terms of legal issues, the only thing that really is out there right now is whether the California Medical Board will determine if Dr. Kamrava, who was head of this medical clinic, violated any appropriate standards.
Now, Miss Suleman is not complaining about it, so they are actually initiating an action to decide whether or not the doctor should be sanctioned, should he be suspended or should he be disbarred? And in terms of ...
WHITFIELD: And the possible standards being violated that he implanted too many embryos. Apparently, there -- I guess it's some framework for how many embryos ...
FRIEDMAN: Right.
WHITFIELD: ...someone can be implanted with?
FRIEDMAN: And there are no guidelines, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: OK.
FRIEDMAN: The difficulty here is that he implanted six, two split, she had eight children. Now, she's got 14. Was the doctor irresponsible as far as the State Medical Board is concerned and you know what? It's going to be difficult for them to make a proper decision because again, we don't have any standards and there really are no individuals directly involved that are complaining about what the doctor did.
WHITFIELD: Wow, and you know, so to speak, water already under the bridge. Babies are here, they're seemingly healthy and ...
FRIEDMAN: Right.
WHITFIELD: ...you know, we've got a somewhat happy household here, right, even though there might be some infighting (ph) in the family? FRIEDMAN: Well, I don't know if there's -- you know, I don't know if it's a happy household or not. I mean, she says she loves all 14 ...
WHITFIELD: Yes.
FRIEDMAN: ...and you know what, give her the benefit of the doubt, but the reality is that society will underwrite the cost of these 14 children until they reach majority and the question that the case presents is under our Constitution.
WHITFIELD: OK and you know what, Avery, I don't know if you're talking, but somehow I've lost my audio of you.
FRIEDMAN: Oh.
WHITFIELD: So, are you there?
FRIEDMAN: Can you hear me?
WHITFIELD: I can't hear you.
FRIEDMAN: You can't hear me.
WHITFIELD: OK, well, I'm just going to keep asking the questions.
FRIEDMAN: All right, and we'll get it back here.
WHITFIELD: OK, all right, here, I've got you now. Yay, OK.
FRIEDMAN: Oh, you got ...
WHITFIELD: All right, let's talk about another case if we can.
FRIEDMAN: OK.
WHITFIELD: Sorry, hopefully you may -- you were able to punctuate your last thought on that.
FRIEDMAN: Well, it was a great comment that nobody heard.
WHITFIELD: Oh, sorry. Everyone heard it, but me, maybe.
FRIEDMAN: No, no, it's OK.
WHITFIELD: Maybe it's just my ear piece.
FRIEDMAN: What's -- you want to go to the second case.
WHITFIELD: All right, well, let's talk about what's taking place in Pennsylvania now. We've got judges being found guilty of scheming to jail young people for profit to the tune of what, $2.5 million in kickbacks, explain. How in the world can this happen?
FRIEDMAN: Fredricka, this is a blood boiler. This is a case of juvenile court judges in Pennsylvania, two of them who set up a corporation in Florida to underwrite the cost of private detention centers and the judges were found guilty of wire fraud and other federal crimes by placing young people who, frankly, many of them didn't do anything wrong, into these facilities so they could get kickbacks and you know what?
WHITFIELD: Gosh!
FRIEDMAN: This is -- you couldn't hire screenwriters.
WHITFIELD: That sounds extreme. Do you wonder if this could be happening in other jurisdictions, or might there be an investigation to see, OK, maybe Pennsylvania, but somewhere else, too?
FRIEDMAN: If that is going on, this case that was resolved in Federal Court this week will trigger the notion of perhaps an appropriate investigation. But children will be scarred for the rest of their lives for what went on with these subprime judges, these 30 judges.
WHITFIELD: Oh, that's unconscionable.
FRIEDMAN: Unbelievable.
WHITFIELD: Yes, now let's talk about young people and sports, particularly, you know, Ohio Court rules the NCAA can no longer ban the use of lawyers, particularly for athletes who might be recruited into Major League Baseball.
FRIEDMAN: Yes.
WHITFIELD: So, you mean to tell me as a student athlete, you could have a conference about perhaps going pro, but you could not have an attorney present in the cast (ph)?
FRIEDMAN: Well, that was the crazy thing about this, Fredricka. All these talented young men and women who were going on to college, but also being recruited by professional sports teams, the NCAA said look it, if you get a lawyer, that's going to impact on your non- professional status and therefore, we are going to sanction you and bar you.
Well, the judge ...
WHITFIELD: Now reversed?
FRIEDMAN: I'm sorry?
WHITFIELD: Now being reversed?
FRIEDMAN: Now -- well, now being enjoined. What the judge is saying is you can't do that anymore. Now, let me tell you, the NCAA is not going to take that standing. They're going to appeal to the next court, but you know what? The bottom line is that it's fair for these young people when they go into these sophisticated negotiations, why not have a lawyer? WHITFIELD: Wow, fantastic stuff. Avery, thanks so much. I love that hot pink tie for Valentine's Day.
FRIEDMAN: Hey, thanks a lot. I wore it for Valentine's Day for you, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Oh, I love it. Thanks so much.
FRIEDMAN: All the best. Take care.
WHITFIELD: All right, happy Valentine's. And happy Valentine's to you, too, Richard, out there.
All right, let's talk about some severe weather coming up. Out West, a head's up for travelers. We're taking a look at the trouble spots in all areas.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, last month, we heard the Postal Service may need to cut delivery to five days a week. Well, now in another sign of its money crunch, it is starting to remove little-used mail boxes. Notices have actually been posted in Indianapolis, 55 boxes will be packed up and shipped out this month. The Postal Service says those locations see fewer than 25 letters a month and it's just not efficient to keep them in service.
So, you'll have fewer places to drop those letters and soon, it'll cost you a little bit more to actually send them. Stamp prices are, yes, once again, going up. In May, first-class postage will jump from 42 to 44 cents. The Postal Service blames rising production costs, but as a spokesman points out, you can buy Forever stamps at the current price and use them, well, you guessed it, forever.
All right, we have some snow to show you in central California right here. This is what drivers are dealing with around Stockton and into the Lake Tahoe area. Drivers are being warned to take it slow and to put on their tire chains in higher elevations. Those warnings are expected to stay in effect throughout the weekend.
Let's check in with Reynolds Wolf. Sometimes that snow is very welcome, but if you got to drive in it, not usually.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: All right, well, let's talk about casualties of the economy, might love be one? Recent polls indicate that we're feeling a little more Grinch than Cupid right now which means fewer dinners out, fewer movies, all that.
Well, in our 3:00 Eastern hour, we'll be talking with someone who actually tracks trends and we're asking, is this a short-term trend or are we in a love recession? Hopefully, the sparks are still flying.
All right, senior citizen spaniel. This year's Westminster winner giving hope to older dogs everywhere. He may be stumpy, but he's flying high as best in show.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Does it sound like someone you know: he eats steak, avoids stares and snores. Who is he? Stump, the best dog in the world.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He sure doesn't look like a senior citizen spaniel.
(on camera): He doesn't color his hair, does he?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh no.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALES: He has no gray hair.
MOOS (voice-over): But winning Westminster at the dog age of 10, around 70 in people years, well, he deserves a lift up the stairs.
(on camera): Stump doesn't do steps?
SCOTT SOMMER, HANDLER/CO-OWNER: Yes, he could do the steps, I just thought I'd save him a trip.
MOOS (voice-over): Hey, an older guy should be allowed to nap during his media tour.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to catch up with the champion when he's (ph) awake.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know what, stand him up a little bit so people can see him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Come here, baby.
MOOS: You stand up, I'm sitting down. Clean his eyes, arrange his ears, wipe his mouth. There was interview after interview via satellite and the Best in Show Brunch at Grand Central. For a while, his name had us stumped.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stump.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Stump.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because he's got little stumpy legs.
MOOS: Even the judge who awarded Stump Best in Show didn't know how old he was.
SARI TIETJEN, WESTMINSTER JUDGE: I was floored when I found out afterwards.
MOOS (on camera): Really, floored?
TIETJEN: Yes, yes.
MOOS: You can't tell when you -- like I can't tell. He feels silky, I was just touching him and he felt silky and nice, he felt young to me.
(voice-over): As young as all those other dogs at the brunch.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here's a beautiful full-size white lab.
MOOS: The place was crawling with dog mannequin centerpieces, tricky to talk through.
(on camera): This one's beautiful.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a full size greyhound and a grey wolf.
MOOS (voice-over): But they weren't the ones eating celebratory steak in front of a pack of photographers. Stump's age prompted Dr. Ruth Westheimer to paraphrase the old adage --
DR. RUTH WESTHEIMER: Old dogs can learn new tricks.
MOOS: She also showed Stump a copy of her latest book, "Dr. Ruth's Top Ten Secrets for Great Sex."
(on camera): Now, do you have any advice for the dog's sex life?
WESTHEIMER: No, I'm not interested in beastiality.
MOOS (voice-over): With age come manners. Unlike his younger rivals, Stump didn't scratch while the judge was watching nor did he answer nature's call on national TV like Sadie, the Scottish terrier. For a second, we thought we stumped Stump's co-owners with our last question.
(on camera): Does he do anything that seems like an older dog?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not really.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He snores.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, he snores.
MOOS (voice-over): And now, talk show hosts are talking baby talk to an old man.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stumpy!
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Oh, Stump. Wo doesn't love Stump?
All right, well, we're going to update you later on this afternoon on more on that Continental air crash that took place over the past couple of days. An NTSB press conference taking place in the 4:00 Eastern hour.
Also during that hour, we hope to help you navigate these tough economic times. You want to send us your questions about money, just how to manage your money, perhaps how inventive you have been about stretching the dollar. All of that, how are you tightening your belt, and we'll get your e-mails on the air, weekends@CNN.com.
All right, right now, time for "YOUR MONEY."
