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Century-Old Flood Mark Falls in Fargo; Blizzard Closes Colorado Highways; Sending More Advisors and Troops to Afghanistan

Aired March 27, 2009 - 14:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, iReporter Jennifer Sondag has also been watching it by the minute. She sent us some incredible pictures, including this one of the flooding there in North Dakota. We're going to actually speak with her live later this hour right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Slow going in Colorado after a blizzard shut down major highways. Some areas around Denver got up to 17 inches. That situation is so bad that Colorado's governor even declared a state of emergency. For truck drivers nothing to do but wait as the snow just piled up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOUGLAS JONES, TRUCK DRIVER: One of the worst I've seen. One of the worst -- because it was all at once. I came up yesterday and there was no snow in Pueblo, got over to Colorado Springs and it was a white out. So it's one of the worst I've had this year. I've heard about some bad ones. This is the worst one I've been in this year.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: More than seven years into the war in Afghanistan, President Obama says he has a clear and focused goal, disrupt, dismantle and defeat al Qaeda. That means 4,000 more U.S. troops to serve as trainers for Afghan forces. Those would be on top of the 17,000 additional combat troops already announced. That brings U.S. troop strength to almost 60,000. The president wants hundreds of civilian advisers to help build Afghanistan's economy and civil institutions. He wants congress to approve billions of dollars in new aid for public works and development in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Not long after Mr. Obama spoke, we got reports that an Afghan soldier had killed two coalition troops and then killed himself. We're going to get more on this from our CNN correspondent in Kabul later this hour. Suzanne Malveaux at the White House with more on the short and long-term goals of this new plan into Afghanistan. Suzanne?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, the short term obviously they want to decrease the violence. It was the worst year for U.S. soldiers last year. In the long term, they want the Afghans as well as the Pakistanis to deal with actually crippling al Qaeda and squeezing out the Taliban. Now, the president says the hardest thing that he's done in his young presidency is to send U.S. troops to Afghanistan. But today he made an announcement saying that is exactly what he's going to do. He's going to send more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: The situation is increasingly perilous. It's been more than seven years since the Taliban was removed from power yet war rages on. Insurgents control parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The attacks against our troops, our NATO allies and the Afghan government have risen steadily. Most painfully 2008 was the deadliest year of the war for American forces. Many people in the United States and many in partner countries that have sacrificed so much, have a simple question, what is our purpose in Afghanistan.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And Kyra, part of fulfilling the purpose he said that there would be a 4,000 additional U.S. troops that would actually train Afghan police as well as the military. The idea is to double their force in the next two years by 2011. Also, he's asking congress to support Pakistan to provide triple the amount of economic aid to that country. And it was very clear that there was not a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops. They want to keep this whole thing flexible. They say that they will deal with the situation on the ground.

I had a chance to go to an on the record briefing, Kyra, and I saw Richard Holbrook, he's the special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, asked him, how are people receiving this. He actually said that the president, Hamid Karzai, saw the president's speech live on CNN from Kabul in his words say he was extremely grateful and he would go ahead and get back to him later on in the afternoon that morning, to tell him more about it. Then later in the briefing, Holbrook actually got a call on his cell phone and he went running out of the room. It was actually Karzai but the phones got disconnected. So we're waiting for more details on how he's receiving this. Kyra?

PHILLIPS: All right, we're waiting, too. Love how you're working your sources. Thanks, Suzanne.

More troops mean more separated families. Today just outside Atlanta, some of those families are holding a farewell party. We're going to stop in later this hour.

And it's an all too common sight along the U.S. Mexico border, body bags. This one contains the body of an American. Details straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Straight to Robert Gibbs and the White House briefing.

ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: -- I apologize for the --- My apologies. I was in talking with the president so I apologize for the inconvenience. Let me start with a couple of announcements and I'll give you the rundown of the president's thoughts on the meeting that he just finished. As you all know the vice president arrived today for a four day trip to South and Central America to consult with Latin American leaders. They gathered in Chile and Costa Rica to discuss the upcoming summit of the Americas. He's on the trip with Dr. Jill Biden. In Chile the vice president will attend progressive governance conference with several Latin American European heads of state and hold bilateral meetings with leaders in Costa Rica. The vice president will hold a bilateral meeting with the president before participating in a multilateral meeting with Central American leaders. He returns to Washington, D.C., late Monday evening.

Secondly, let me give you just a quick rundown on the situation in North Dakota and in Minnesota. The White House is actively monitoring impacts of the flooding in North Dakota and Minnesota. As you know, the president approved a major disaster declaration for the state of North Dakota on March 24th and last night the president approved an emergency declaration for the state of Minnesota. On the ground, the federal government continues to actively coordinate with state and local governments in both states to address the ongoing flood fight. This effort has been underway since late last week. FEMA, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Coast Guard, the National Guard, and other federal agencies as well as the American Red Cross have been continuing to actively work with these officials to ensure their needs are being met.

Federal support is being provided up and down the Red River. Nancy Ward the acting FEMA administrator is on the ground currently in Fargo and directly talking with federal, state and local officials to ensure that federal assistance is provided to support the response to the flooding. The president this morning talked with Governor Hoeven, Governor Pawlenty and Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker today to express his concern for the residents of North Dakota and Minnesota and to ensure that the states are getting the federal assistance they need to supplement any state and local efforts.

Secretary Napolitano has been in contact with state and local officials to express her support and she also briefed the president this morning on the latest developments. This is important. We cannot reinforce enough the importance for residents in both states to remain vigilant in monitoring the reports of flood crests and to follow the instructions from their state and local leaders in the event that evacuations in their local areas become necessary. And, again, the president continues to be impressed with ongoing efforts, the thousands of volunteers as they continue to work to protect their communities.

And then lastly, let me just give you a quick rundown of the president's thoughts about the meeting that just concluded with the bankers. The president believed they had a good productive and frank conversation. The president opened up by talking about the importance of dealing with toxic assets and getting banks lending again. There was a discussion about the president's and the administration's plan to deal with housing that many of the bankers discussed positively. There was next a discussion about regulatory reform. And it's fair to say that they agreed on the need to update the framework of regulation and that being important.

Also discussed were issues of compensation and the importance of recognizing what the American public is going through in this economic crisis. The president emphasized that Wall Street needs Main Street and that Main Street needs Wall Street. That everybody has to pitch in, that we're all in this together. Overall, the president was very pleased about the meeting, continued to stress the need for open lines of communication. And also to stress that there was no agenda -- he had no agenda beyond working to get a solution, the right solution for a financial system and to get it stabilized and working again for the American people. And, with that --

QUESTION: Thank you Robert, this morning when the president talked about Afghanistan and Pakistan, the only costs he talked about was the Terry Lugar Bill, which it just deals with Pakistan civilian projects. What can their American people expect this initiative to cost and are you confident that congress will go along with the cost?

GIBBS: I think that the budget itself is being readied. I don't have an exact increase in monthly operational costs. I think that everybody understands the importance of getting this effort right. That a regional approach that addresses the safety and security of the two countries and of the United States and working together to ensure that what happened on September 11 doesn't happen again. Obviously it's going to cost money and we're asking for a renewed commitment from the American people and certainly both the men and women in uniform that will serve as well as the increased number of civilians that will go over to demonstrate all elements of our national power. But as the president said, it is a goal to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda and that's something that we can't afford not to do.

QUESTION: Do you know how soon you might have some estimates of the -- ?

GIBBS: I don't. I can certainly check.

QUESTION: How do bankers --- how strongly did the president press the bankers to sell their toxic assets through the Geithner program. As you know, a lot of them are reluctant to sell them at these prices hoping that when the economy recovers they can get a better price and that will solve the problem.

GIBBS: Well, I think there was a broad discussion about the program. Obviously, as I talked about it a couple time this week, many people have talked about the need for the financial system to be stabilized by getting a lot of these toxic assets off the balance sheets of bankers. And that because of that, there's an incentive through the market to get a price that is established that works for both investors and for those that want to rid their balance sheets of these assets. So I think the policy is structured so that there is that incentive and obviously the president believes that and I think the bankers said after the meeting that what they've heard is a positive first step.

QUESTION: What's the incentives for the taxpayers, are they different from the incentives of the bankers, they want the highest possible price?

GIBBS: Well, again, obviously there's -- one of the reasons that many, many months ago under Secretary Paulson the theory was that you might not be able to get this work because you lacked an incentive to change something that somebody might value at 95 cents on a dollar and someone might value at 25 cents on the dollar.

PHILLIPS: If you want to continue to monitor the White House briefing, go to cnn.com/live, we're going to continue to monitor it for you as well.

Meanwhile, unemployment lines getting longer in just about every state but finally there's a bit of welcome news for the people standing in them. Believe it or not, it's coming from the IRS.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Google is eliminating jobs. The internet giant's second wave of layoffs this year will affect 200 employees, that's less than one percent of its workforce. Google makes most of its money off web ads but many companies are cutting back on advertising.

Welcome news for some of the millions of unemployed Americans. The IRS saying all or part of unemployment benefits will be tax-free this year. It applies to the first $2400 in benefits. The change of tax-free benefits is part of the recovery and reinvestment act that President Obama signed in February. More than 5.5 million people are getting benefits this month.

Credit card users be on alert. There could be changes on the way for your credit limit, interest rate and other important factors. Gerri Willis will have the latest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Mexican drugs flowing into the U.S., CNN takes you to the front lines now. Border agents try to make arrests but the bad guys find ways to dodge them. You'll be surprised to see how easy it is.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: The flood of violence along the U.S.-Mexican border has claimed another American life. The body of a fugitive U.S. Marshal was found in the border city of Juarez, Mexico. A U.S. law enforcement source says that Vincent Bustamante appears to have been shot in the head execution-style. The 48-year-old deputy marshal was accused of stealing U.S. government property including handguns and a shotgun. An arrest warrant was put out after Bustamante failed to show up for court in El Paso, Texas last week. The area where he was found has been gripped by raging drug violence.

Mexico's drug pipeline into the United States, we've all heard about it recently. Now we're going to show you just how easy it is to use it. CNN's Gary Tuchman has this startling report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Handcuffed to a bench at the U.S. border patrol station in Nogales, Arizona, this Mexican man is under arrest. He was driving a huge semi truck through a checkpoint 30 miles north of the border. I asked him, what was in the vehicle. He says tomatoes. And he's right. His truck impounded by the border patrol is full of tomatoes but this dog smells more than produce. He smells dope. And lots of it. Bail after bail of marijuana, 40 bails, 908 pounds. At $800 bucks a pound, a street value of over $720,000. It's believed this man was doing transport work for a Mexican drug cartel. Just another night for border patrol.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At this point, it's not much that surprises us anymore.

TUCHMAN: About 2.8 million pounds of narcotics were seized on the border in 2008. Almost half of that just in this part of Arizona. We follow Sarah the drug-sniffing dog through hilly brush near the border wall, two men were seen jumping over the wall with backpacks. The men are gone now but Sarah is on to something. She's trained to sit if she finds the target. She sits and then jumps.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You wouldn't know it as a human being. But she smelled it, it looks like a Christmas tree or bushes. You turn it around and inside there is the marijuana.

TUCHMAN: Agent Ray Rivera has been with Sarah for two years.

How many pounds of marijuana has she found with you?

RAY RIVERA, U.S. BORDER PATROL: Almost 9,600, 800.

TUCHMAN: So it didn't surprise you when she found this just now?

RIVERA: No, she's got a great nose, she's a great dog.

TUCHMAN: Agents also have great technology. This is an x-ray truck that drives up to vehicles taken images that can reveal hidden drugs. Cameras and sensors watch along the border fence. Agents monitoring the video in a control room. Hundreds of people are arrested every day in this region, mostly immigration violations but also with drugs and weapons. An unknown but large number of people and drugs make it through. John Fitzpatrick is division chief here.

(On camera): This job is more dangerous now than it ever has been, isn't it?

JOHN FITZPATRICK, U.S. BORDER PATROL DIVISION CHIEF: Absolutely. We've had our agents assaulted over 260 times last year alone.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): These narcotics were nabbed just over the last couple of days. 7400 pounds of pot will be removed soon by the DEA.

(On camera): These drug traffickers are incredibly motivated and in most cases pretty strong. This right here is 64 pounds of marijuana, its worth about $50,000 on the street. The scenario is this person is carrying this across the border on their back like this and they're walking. Typically when they see U.S. law enforcement officials they drop it and run away. There's no way they can run with that.

(Voice-over): But how do they get over the border with all the agents, the dogs, the wall?

(On camera): Right now I'm standing in Mexico behind the border fence. I don't want to say exactly where I am because of the loophole you're about to see. Let's say this gigantic rock is a bundle of marijuana. At this point of the border fence, all I need to do is take it, walk around the fence it's discontinued and now I'm in the United States.

(Voice-over): But just minutes later, four border patrol agents showed up. One pointing his rifle at my crew and me, concerned we were criminals. We were spotted on one of those video cameras. They let us go after we explained who we were. But it was a tense few moments. On the border these days, nothing is left to chance. Gary Tuchman, CNN, Nogales, Arizona.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: CNN is live from the U.S. Mexican border tonight, our Anderson Cooper takes an up close look at the drug war and how it's affecting each and every one of us. The war next door, a special AC 360 live tonight, 10:00 eastern, only on CNN.

Is the time right to refinance and what should you do with an old 401(k) account that's losing value? We'll have that after a quick break as well.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Is the time right to refinance and what should you do with an old 401(k) account that's losing value? Personal finance editor Gerri Willis and her team respond to your money questions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR (on camera): We want to get you answers to your financial questions. Let's get straight to the help desk. Doug Flynn is a certified financial planner and founder of Flynn Zito Capital Management. Carolyn Bigoa is with Money Magazine and Jack Otter is a financial journalist. Let's get right to those e-mails. Robert asked, "I have a 15 year mortgage of $380,000 5.25 percent. It's a year old. I can refinance at 4.3 percent with one point or 4.7 percent with no points. The current value of the house is $950,000. I plan on staying in this house for another five years. What should I do? Jack?

JACK OTTER, FINANCIAL JOURNALIST: The answer is b, refinance at 4.7 percent.

WILLIS: Why is that?

OTTER: I ran the numbers for him and his monthly payment now is $3,054. It would go down to $2945. Over five years he would save $6,600. WILLIS: I love that.

OTTER: The key is though he's got to keep those fees down in the refinancing because every dollar cuts out of that $6600.

WILLIS: You know, if you want to do the math yourself go to bankrate.com. All right, we have another email from Atlanta, Georgia. "I have an old 401(k) account from a former employer. When I left the company I did nothing with the account. It's now lost $4500 and its worth only about $8,000. Should I wait or take the loss and roll it into an IRA? Am I able to use it for a down payment on a home? All right Doug, get us started?

DOUG FLYNN, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER: Well, first thing is get it out of there. Whether it comes back in your 401(k) or IRA it doesn't matter, you can mimic the same investments. But the real issue is if you take that money out for the home purchase, $8,000 is going to turn into, even though you can avoid the penalty, and you would, you still have to pay taxes. So you might only see $5,000. And the bigger issue for me is 20 years later, $5,000 could be $25,000 if you leave it in there.

WILLIS: Carolyn I don't know, doesn't sound like a great idea. What do you think?

CAROLYN BIGOA, MONEY MAGAZINE: Well it depends on what investment options they have in their 401(k) to consider. If the funds -- if there aren't a lot of fund options and they are expensive, then maybe rolling it over into the IRA might be a better option because you have more choices there.

WILLIS: All right, so lots of choices, lots of potential suggestions. Thank you so much for your help. The help desk is all about getting you answers. Send me an e-mail to gerri@cnn.com or log on to cnn.com/ --

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, they never thought they'd see it. A flood record that stood for more than a century falls in Fargo, North Dakota. That city and its neighbor, Moorhead, Minnesota, are reeling from all that water.

iReporter Jennifer Sondag has been sending us incredible pictures from the flood zone. She joins us now on the phone from Moorhead.

Jennifer, thanks so much. You've been giving us sort of video diary and sending us pictures. Tell me when you noticed that it started getting really bad for you and your family?

JENNIFER SONDAG, CNN IREPORTER (via telephone): Well, my husband and I actually were on vacation last week. And we got home on Saturday, and my mom called on Saturday and said you better come up here and help us sandbag. And so we came up on Sunday to help sandbag. And then, I guess it just seems like they keep raising the crest. And every time they do that just, you know, your heart sinks and you think, oh, God, what's next?

PHILLIPS: Wow. Have you ever experienced anything like this before?

SONDAG: Well, I lived here in 1997 and so we experienced the '97 flood. But, you know, the water as it is now is higher now than it was then.

So, no. I've never experienced anything quite like this.

PHILLIPS: Now, you're at your parent's house and they don't even live near the water, right?

SONDAG: Right. They don't have riverfront property, but just the way that, you know, the land is here, if the dikes at our neighbors were to break, you know, the whole area would essentially be under water.

PHILLIPS: So are you prepared for that?

SONDAG: We're working on it. We're trying to get there and we're trying to get things as high and dry as possible. And we're just sort of bracing ourselves emotionally for it.

PHILLIPS: I can imagine. Just every - I mean, not only emotionally, but then all of your belongings, home. I mean, have you guys been moving anything up into an attic? Or, are you trying to save certain things and put that elsewhere?

SONDAG: Yes, we are trying to clean out our basements and you know, we're trying to get our furniture out. We're trying to get anything of value out. But there's sort of a point where you just have to say, you know what? It's just stuff and as long as we're safe, that's all that matters.

PHILLIPS: You're keeping an incredible perspective. And you're absolutely right, everything's replaceable except for lives.

Jennifer, stay in touch with us, will you? Keep sending us pictures and iReports, because we wouldn't have known about you, the family and this certain area if it were not for you. So please stay in touch, OK?

SONDAG: I sure will, thank you.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Jen.

Well, the floods are impacting a lot of people, obviously. And a lot of them are going to need help rebuilding their lives. Here's how you can help if you want to even help prepare people like the Sondags. Just log on to CNN.com/impact.

And Jacqui Jeras is keeping track of all of the extreme weather for us.

Jacqui, I tell you, that has helped us so much when folks send in pictures and videos and give us sort of - because we can't always get in to those areas and talk to folks and see what it's really like.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Plus, it helps give a personal perspective, you know, what people are going through. And so many people being impacted by this flood, too.

And Kyra, we've got some breaking information, too, out of the Fargo area. More evacuations being ordered here. This is for several neighborhoods. We've got about a dozen of them; I'll just name a few. The Forest River neighborhood, including Maple Prairie and Orchard Glenn; as well as Gradberg (ph), Rivershore (ph), Heritage Hills and Eagle's Nest being ordered evacuations. Also, that's on top of the ones we've been telling you about all day. Of course Moorhead, the core of the downtown area and then east of the Four Street area into Fargo as well.

Let's give you a little tour of the neighborhoods to help give you a better idea of what we're talking about. This is downtown Fargo. Point one we want to tell you about is the hospital here, the MeriCare (ph) Fargo Hospital is evacuating patients. They are keeping the emergency room open. So, if there are emergencies, still hospital operations. But they're getting some patients out for cautionary reasons.

Also, this is an area - Linwood (ph) area - where about 150 homes have been evacuated here. This is the Red River and there you can see all those homes just off to the west of this area.

We'll take you to number three, if we can get to number three. And this is Concordia College, they're evacuating the students. And also, Moorhead State University in Moorhead, Minnesota is also telling their students, you know, we think we'll be dry and high here, but best to get home and make sure that you're safe.

Because you know, in a flood, Kyra, if you play your cards right, you won't have those fatalities that we're talking about. And we've had a lot of warning about this flood, so hopefully we're going to come out OK with lives, but just a lot of property damage.

That updated crest, again, well over record probably taking place late tomorrow or early Sunday.

PHILLIPS: OK. Jacqui, thanks.

Now to an international security challenge of the highest order. That's how President Obama describes the war against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and next door in Pakistan. Today, the president rolled out a plan to ramp up the war on several fronts. More troops to train Afghan troops, more civilian advisers and more investment in both countries with benchmarks to measure progress.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Al Qaeda and its allies, the terrorists who planned and supported the 9/11 attacks, are in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Multiple intelligence estimates have warned that al Qaeda is planning attacks on the United States homeland from it's safe haven in Pakistan. And if the Afghan government falls to the Taliban or allows al Qaeda to go unchallenged, that country will, again, be a base for terrorists who want to kill as many of our people as they possibly can.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Let's get now to Atia Abawi, in the Afghan capital.

Atia, first off, what can you tell us about today's attack on coalition troops by that Afghan soldier?

ATIA ABAWI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, we're still working on more information, but what I can tell you is from a joint statement from the U.S. forces and the Afghan Defense Ministry. What we've learned is that earlier this afternoon, an Afghan army soldier shot and killed a coalition service member, wounding two others. One of those wounded dying later of his wounds.

There are two strange elements to this story. One is being that it occurred in northern Afghanistan. Northern Afghanistan is considered a stable region of the country. It's the volatile south that has - that we keep covering, that's always in the news where al Qaeda and Taliban and foreign fighters are at.

The second strange element here, is that it's an Afghan National Army soldier that shot and killed him. The Afghan National Army is seeming success story for Afghanistan.

President Obama, today, also contributing 4,000 additional troops to train the Afghan National Army because they are relying on them to help keep the country stable - Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Atia Abawi, thank you so much.

We're, of course, going to stay in touch with you as that new strategy goes forward.

And then among the new wave of U.S. forces are members of the Georgia National Guard. They're the ones that will be heading over there. And today, those troops and their families are actually holding a farewell barbecue. And the guest list includes the Pomian family - Captain T.J. and his wife, Carrie; also, their kids, Chloe (ph), Sofia (ph), and Thomas (ph).

I understand, Carrie, though, the kids are already running around and having a good time at all of the activities. Is that right?

CARRIE POMIAN : They are having a great time. They have so many things set up for the kids here. Once they come, they just run right in and moonwalks and games and crafts. The FRG leaders have done a fantastic job today. PHILLIPS: All right, well, you let us know if they head over towards you so we can get a look at Chloe (ph), Sofia (ph), and Thomas (ph). I hear they're adorable.

All right, Captain, let's talk about you heading over to Afghanistan. You're going to be taking on leadership training, is that right? Can you tell me what that means and what that entails and what exactly you'll be teaching the Afghans?

CAPTAIN T.J. POMIAN, GEORGIA NATIONAL GUARD: Sure, Kyra. We're actually going to be focusing on the Afghan security forces. We're going to be helping mentor and train them, help them take over their country and all their securities.

PHILLIPS: What do you think has been the biggest challenge for the Afghan people? You know, there was so much focus on Iraq. I know you spent time in Iraq. Lot of money, lot of resources. You know, what are the challenges over there now that you will come in and take on specifically? Is it police capability? Is it intelligence? Is it counter-drug operations?

T. POMIAN: Yes, it's actually a number of issues many levels above my pay grade. But actually, we'll be focusing primarily on integrating them back into the community, making sure they're secure in those local communities and ridding them of any enemy forces.

PHILLIPS: Captain, what's one of your specialties? What's something that you know you will be taking over there that you will be able to offer specifically? What type of training capabilities do you have that you'll be able to implement?

T. POMIAN: We're an infantry company. We actually focus on infantry-type missions or patrolling with the Afghan national security forces. And, again, out there looking for bad guys really.

PHILLIPS: So, you'll be, basically, on the streets taking down a number of the terrorists that roam the streets and harass these people. Is that what you're saying? That you'll be right there on the front lines with the security forces?

T. POMIAN: Yes, that's correct. And actually, the Afghan Security Force, they're in the lead now. We're just there in a mentor role and we focus on any leadership opportunities, any training - you know, tweaking final things that they're not doing correctly. But for the most part, they're in the lead now.

PHILLIPS: Carrie, this has got to be tough.

T. POMIAN: That's right.

PHILLIPS: Well, we'll follow your progress. Captain T.J. Pomian...

C. POMIAN: It is.

PHILLIPS: ... and Carrie Pomian, guys, thanks so much. I appreciate your time and good luck to you, Captain.

T. POMIAN: Thank you, Kyra.

C. POMIAN: Thank you, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, the statistics are pretty shocking, 49 percent of all murder victims in the United States are black. And even those who survive a violent assault face a greater risk of receiving another violent wound.

This week, CNN's hero is a Baltimore trauma surgeon who got tired of seeing the violence firsthand so he's doing something about it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is "CNN HEROES."

DR. CARNELL COOPER, COMMUNITY CRUSADER: As a trauma surgeon, I see a significant amount of violence (ph) every year.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The guy had brought somebody...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was shot with a .45-caliber gun.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got shot twice...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It actually blew my leg off.

COOPER: We take care of them, and then they'll come back again.

My colleague said there's really nothing you can do in these situations. I knew that wasn't true, and I knew I could make a difference.

I'm Dr. Carnell Cooper. I'm saving lives by breaking the cycle of violence in Baltimore.

When they are here in the hospital, it represents an opportunity.

I want to talk to you about the violence intervention program.

Maybe for the first time, this individual says, "I almost died."

Are you interested?

Yes. OK. Good.

We say, look, we are going to help you get out of the game.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Before I was into shooting people, robbing. This group has changed my life tremendously.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We all got goals now. We know where we're going at.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A GED, job training, more support. COOPER: You guys have all done great, and I'm very proud of you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dr. Cooper, he saved me.

COOPER: Every physician's goal is to save lives.

This is another step in that process. In my mind, it's what I should be doing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, if you'd like to help Dr. Carnell Cooper or if you know someone who deserves to be a CNN hero, tell us about him. Remember, all of our heroes are chosen from people that you nominate at CNN.com/heroes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, keep an eye on the credit cards now more than ever. The credit card companies are making big changes to their customer agreements -- interest rates, credit limits, everything is fair game.

Personal finance editor Gerri Willis is here with more.

There's a lot of negotiating going on, Gerri.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Well, Kyra, listen to this, you know, credit cards can be your best friend or your worst enemy. And that plastic card in your wallet has undergone some drastic changes. Guess what. You're paying the price. Let's take a look at the recent trends.

First off, you've seen those lower credit limits. In some cases, people are only allowed to charge less and less and less over time. The difference can be thousands of dollars from the kind of limits they had before.

Higher interest rates, even for good customers who pay on time. Interest rates went from - this doesn't sound big, but it is - from 11.3 percent to 12.1 percent over the past year, even as the prime rate of interest has fallen.

There are more fees, more penalties. Caps on balance transfers. They used to have them, they don't anymore. Balance transfer fees can go wherever the companies want them to go.

There's been closing of inactive accounts. So if you don't use your credit card, you lost it.

Fewer and more stringent reward programs. Those big, fat, juicy rewards you used to get not as available as they used to be.

And of course, this is all happening as banks receive TARP money from the taxpayers and the lending rate between banks remains at lows. You know, some issuers like American Express are even paying you to close their account.

So, tough situation for people, especially who have a lot of credit card debt - Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So, how can a consumer fight back?

WILLIS: Well, now more than ever, you have to look at those statements, really review them because a lot of times these changes are in there, but they're buried in the fine print.

If you had your credit limit lowered or your interest rate raised, you can call the issuer and try to get that rolled back. You have nothing to lose, but there's no guarantee that they'll make the change.

Keep in mind, though, that next summer there will be sweeping new changes enacted that will address how credit card companies engage in these controversial practices. There could be some good stuff coming out for consumers when that happens, but in the meantime, you've really got to keep an eye on those monthly charges and on the materials that accompany them.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Gerri.

WILLIS: My pleasure.

PHILLIPS: So what are you doing tomorrow night at 8:30? Environmental activists hope you'll be sitting in the dark.

Milanee Kapadia has our "Energy Fix" from New York.

Hi, Milanee.

MILANEE KAPADIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra.

Well, tomorrow night is Earth Hour and people around the globe will turn off their lights for one hour from 8:30 to 9:30 local time to make a statement against climate change. Now the event began in Sydney, Australia in 2007. Last year it spread to 370 cities with an estimated 50 million participants. And this year, organizers say the number could reach one billion. Nearly 3,000 cities are planning to go dark, more than 200 of them in the U.S. alone - Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, Milanee, what about people who say that this is just a PR stunt that doesn't really save energy?

KAPADIA: Well, there are plenty of people that feel that way, but the World Wildlife Fund says there is a point to this kind of symbolic gesture.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. RICHARD MOSS, WORLD WILDLIFE FUND: You understand by turning out that light for an hour, you're not really solving the emissions problem. You're not going to, you know, reduce the greenhouse gas pollution enough to make a difference. But you are establishing a connection between your individual energy use patterns and this overall problem.

So one of the great things to do during this one hour, would be to actually sit down as a family and talk about, well, what could we do to make changes longer term. You can start with easy things, like putting in compact fluorescent light bulbs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAPADIA: And there's also a political dimension to Earth Hour. Organizers say, events like this put pressure on world leaders to do something about climate change. And we know President Obama has made cutting greenhouse gas emissions a priority. Whether Congress can deliver is still up in the air.

Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: Milanee, thanks.

Police from around the country and around the world in Oakland, California, right now. Not for a convention and not for a bus, but to honor fallen comrades and we'll take you there live.

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PHILLIPS: Well, the first dramatization of the Monica Lewinsky scandal and much more. HBO is planning a film about Bill Clinton and Tony Blair called, "The Special Relationship." Blair became British prime minister just months before the Lewinsky scandal broke, but that won't be the movie's focus. Word is, it's all about the war in Kosovo and disputes between the leaders over strategy.

The cast is in place. Dennis Quaid as Bill Clinton, Julianne Moore as Hillary Clinton, and Michael Sheen as Tony Blair, same role that he played in the Oscar-winning movie, "The Queen."

He's a wildly popular rapper, but for the next year or so, T.I. will be an inmate. A federal judge in Atlanta sentenced him today to one year and one day in prison on weapons charges and gave him a fine topping $100,000. The terms of the sentence were reached last year in a plea deal in which the 28-year-old rapper agreed to perform hundreds of hours of community service.

T.I. spoke to reporters just after his sentencing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

T.I., RAPPER: Apologies to my family, to the young men, young women that I mentor. And I just hope everyone can learn from my situation. And I hope that I can keep one -- at least one, if not a million or more from going down a similar path as mine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: T.I., real name Clifford Harris, was arrested in a federal sting in 2007 for trying to buy unregistered machine guns and silencers. Well, you can see T.J. Holmes interview with rapper T.I. on "CNN SATURDAY MORNING" starting at 6:00 a.m. Eastern. The rapper talks about his plea deal, prison term, and why he's still a role model.

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PHILLIPS: Well, Oakland, California filled with more police officers today than ever before. And they're not busting anyone, they're mourning their own.

Look at this. More than 19,000 people packed this arena for the funeral of four Oakland policemen. Arnold Schwarzenegger now, the governor of that state, speaking live.

As you know, those officers were gunned down in the line of duty last weekend allegedly by a parolee. Federal officers have come from across the country and around the world. Truly a somber day.

But there is a bright spot. We're now hearing that organs donated by one of the slain officers already saved the lives of four California men.

That does it for us here. Have a great weekend. Rick Sanchez picks it up from here.