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23 Schools on Chopping Block in Detroit; A Soldier's Story: Family Blames VA for Neglect; Saving the Traumatized Veterans; Reinventing in a Recession: Older Americans Returning to School; High Seas Hijacking Big Business

Aired April 09, 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: A rookie pitcher with the Los Angeles Angels killed early today, just hours after making his season debut. Twenty-two-year-old Nick Adenhart was one of three people who died in a hit-and-run car crash. Police say that a minivan ran a red light and hit two cars. They say the minivan driver fled the scene and was arrested a short time later.

Adenhart was the Angels' number three starter. The team's general manager calls his death a tremendous loss.

Everybody knew Detroit's public school system was in trouble. Well, today, parents and students found out just how much.

Twenty-three schools are on the chopping block, along with 600 teachers, as the district deals with a projected $303 million deficit. To come up with their proposed closure list, officials looked at enrollment, condition of the buildings, and academic achievement.

Let's get more now from Jim Kiertzner of our affiliate WDIV.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM KIERTZNER, WDIV CORRESPONDENT: The Detroit public schools are under a state takeover by the state of Michigan. They've put into effect an emergency financial manager only a few weeks on the job, and he's cutting and he's cutting deep.

Right now, 23 schools, K-12, on the chopping block this year. Another 26 next year. Six hundred teachers being pink-slipped before next fall, 7,500 students being relocated to new school buildings.

And this is a city facing possible bankruptcy by two automotive giants, General Motors and Chrysler. But the emergency financial manager says he has one objective. That's to keep the Detroit public schools open.

ROBERT BOBB, EMERGENCY FINANCIAL MANAGER, DETROIT SCHOOLS: The bottom line is that we have too many buildings with too few students. And so we -- the reality is that school buildings will have to be closed and consolidated. Following a series of input from the community, I will make my final decision on these round of closings by May 8th.

KIERTZNER: Detroit's $300 million deficit did not happen overnight. There's evidence of mismanagement and possible fraud. They're looking into possible criminal charges. They're projecting out the deficit will not be erased until the year 2011.

In Detroit, Jim Kiertzner, for CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: In this recession, they're reinventing themselves. Older Americans going back to college. We're going to check in live with Susan Lisovicz on Wall Street with more on this growing trend.

Going to the Big Board now, Dow industrials up 197 point. We're tracking, of course, all the numbers for you there on Wall Street.

Well, it's not a recession-buster, but it's a bit of good news after the awful unemployment report that we've been hearing for months now -- 654,000 Americans filed initial claims for benefits last week. That's 20,000 fewer than the week before.

But the total number receiving benefits hit a record. For the 11th straight week, more than 5.8 million. That's a jump of almost 100,000 from the week before.

The housing crisis and veterans' health care. President Obama tackling two big issues today. He's urging homeowners to refinance and urging veterans officials to cut the red tape.

CNN's Kate Bolduan joins us now from the White House.

Kate, let's go ahead and start with the housing crisis. Why did the president decide to deal with it today?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it seems the White House is returning focus to domestic issues after that European trip where he focused on foreign policy. The president highlighting the historically low interest rates today.

He sat down with a group of homeowners from the greater Washington, D.C., and Virginia area. This is a group of people who the president says have recently refinanced and were now benefiting from lower mortgage payments, kind of holding them up as, you can do this, too, but also taking the time to talk about the challenges that homeowners across the country continue to face in this economy, and taking that opportunity to tout his housing plan that he unveiled in February to say, this could be signs that our housing plan is showing signs of working.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: For too long, we've fallen short of meeting that commitment. Too many wounded warriors go without the care that they need. Too many veterans don't receive the support that they've earned. Too many who once wore our nation's uniform now sleep in our nation's streets.

It's time to change all that. It's time to give our veterans a 21st century VA.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: I think, Kyra, that was from the next -- the other event, the other topic that we're going to be talking about, the veterans affairs and the new plan, the new announcement that the president had today having to do with veterans.

PHILLIPS: No, it's OK. And that works perfectly, Kate, because, you know we've been all over VA-type stories right here on the CNN NEWSROOM.

And I just wrote it down. He said vets don't receive what they've earned. And just today, we've been talking about this audiotape, and we've been airing it. We're going to air it some more about a DOD psychologist recorded on tape saying he's been pressured to misdiagnose vets when it comes to post-traumatic stress. And, you know, you've got vets coming home committing suicide and not being able to function in a normal capacity.

The president has to address that. So, what's he going to do within this medical records system and this new plan to help servicemen and women, you know, both during and after military careers?

BOLDUAN: During and after, and that's the key thing. I'm glad you picked up on that, Kyra.

The big announcement today that the president had was the announcement of a revamped system for medical records. Basically, they're making them -- taking steps to make it an electronic system so, as the president says, you don't have to pick up your paperwork from the Pentagon and walk it to a veterans health center.

He says it's streamlining the transition from the Pentagon to the veterans, to the VA, in order to make it easier, to avoid the loss of paperwork, to avoid the delays that come with so many veterans getting their benefits and cutting through -- he says that's the big goal -- cutting through the red tape that so many servicemen and women face. And really taking a big step, then, towards trying to give the care during service and after service that you were talking about earlier and what they say their big goal really is.

PHILLIPS: Kate Bolduan, thanks so much.

BOLDUAN: Of course.

PHILLIPS: Well, saving our veterans, our focus this hour in the CNN NEWSROOM. You're going to hear from a father who blames the VA for his son's suicide and an Army psychologist who says he was forced to misdiagnose traumatized troops. We're going to talk with two veterans affairs advocates.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Italy is preparing to honor the victims of the L'Aquila earthquake. And here's what we know right now.

With special mass funeral services going to be held tomorrow, Good Friday, the death toll now at least 278. Four of those bodies still haven't been identified.

Meantime, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi saying today reconstruction of the historic city will run into the billions of dollars.

And they're at it again in Fargo, North Dakota, shoveling sandbags by the thousands. The state's biggest city is waiting for the second crest of the Red River just under two weeks. Recent rains and melting snow have swelled the river ago. Twelve days ago, more than four million sandbags helped hold back the Red River as it reached a record crest of 41 feet. This time around, forecasters are not expecting a record crest.

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Well, in New York Harbor, a rare sight. The Coast Guard has set up a safety zone to protect a wayward whale. It's a 20- foot-long humpback, and it's believed to be the same whale spotted yesterday near a Queens beach. Those keeping an eye on the whale say that there's no indication that it's injured or distressed.

There's a family in Vermont that probably hasn't slept in a while, and it's totally understandable. Their loved one is drifting in a lifeboat at the mercy of four pirates.

We're taking a closer look at how the family is dealing with it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: You hope you won't be hearing "Fore!" because the Masters has just teed off down the road in Augusta with plenty of challenges (AUDIO GAP).

CNN's Larry Smith is there.

We're in a recession. What do you think? Has it affected the Masters at all?

LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, it has in some ways. Ticket prices, as you could expect, are down 30 or 40 percent.

Now, the bad news, they're already sold. They are sold way in advance. But for those in the secondary market, the ticket brokers who are trying to find those extra tickets and sell them to people who are latecomers, that's where the discount is really coming in.

Also, you don't see as many of the corporate parties and the homes being rented out for the entire week. Those numbers are down significantly. This is certainly, as you know, Kyra, not really the era that corporations want to be seen throwing lavish parties at Augusta.

Let's go back to you.

PHILLIPS: Yes -- no, and that's true. And I think a lot of people don't understand that it's not like many other golf tournaments, Larry, where you go and you see advertising billboards and banners. And that's one of the things that distinguishes the Masters from so many other tournaments -- no advertising allowed.

SMITH: That's right. And keep in mind, too, once you're on the course, it's a very economic -- it always has been a very economic tournament -- event to attend.

The concessions are always -- have always been very low. The souvenirs are very reasonable compared to what you'll see major events sell their different items for. But at the same time, this is an economy -- in this economy, the Masters means $100 million to the local economy.

Well, they reached that number. It has yet to be seen in the terms of the way some things have already been down. But with tickets already being sold and hotels already sold, the hit here won't be as hard if it's a tournament like the Final Four, where you're expecting people, the teams, to get there, and then last minute, for fans to get to that city.

PHILLIPS: And, of course, there's always a draw because of Tiger Woods, right? That's a no-brainer.

(LAUGHTER)

SMITH: Absolutely. And that -- and the buzz has been there's no question.

He just teed off on 1. Just pared hole number 1 just behind us. And so everyone's asking us, how is Tiger doing? Where's Tiger? You know, it's been a part of the family that has not been at a major in 10 months, so certainly there's a lot of excitement because of that.

PHILLIPS: Great to see you, Larry.

SMITH: Good see you.

PHILLIPS: Well, Britain loses its chief terrorism officer after he accidentally makes a top-secret document not so secret.

We have the details.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Legitimizing same-sex marriage is gathering momentum across the country, but opponents call it a gathering storm.

Our Randi Kaye looks at the latest approach to keeping such marriages off the books.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One way to keep same-sex marriage illegal may be to paint its impact on those who oppose it as dark and scary. That's the latest tactic from the National Organization for Marriage, which just released this $1.5 million ad campaign.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's a storm gathering.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The clouds are dark and the winds are strong.

KAYE (on camera): Do you acknowledge that the ad is dark and scary and paints this picture of this gathering storm?

BRIAN BROWN, NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MARRIAGE: Well, I think there is a gathering storm. Unless we act to protect marriage, we're going to see more and more moves to overturn the will of the people.

KAYE (voice-over): But Evan Wilson, an advocate for same-sex marriage, calls the ad an assault on gay people that undermines civil rights.

EVAN WOLFSON, FREEDOM TO MARRY: Everything in these ads is phony, from the scary, zombie special effects to the actors reading the lines, to the arguments they're making to try to scare people into thinking that allowing gay people to marry is somehow a threat to everyone else.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But we have hope.

KAYE: The ad was supposed to be released late spring, but recent decisions by Vermont and Iowa to legalize same-sex marriage prompted the group to act now.

Connecticut and Massachusetts already allow it. But Vermont is the first state whose legislature approved same-sex marriage and not a court. In fact, legislators overrode the governor's veto.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have voted to override the veto. The house will come to order.

BROWN: People don't want this. This is being forced by both the courts and by out-of-touch legislators.

KAYE: Brown wants to create an army of marriage activists in every state, to put a stop to whatever momentum gay couples are gaining.

(on camera): In California, there's the petition to overturn the ban on same-sex marriage. Governors in both New York and New Jersey say they'll sign same-sex marriage bills. Maine, later this month, will hold hearings on the issue.

New Hampshire's House of Representatives has approved it. Even the District of Columbia is moving towards recognizing same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. WOLFSON: When gay people marry, they don't use up the licenses. And the idea that somehow treating gay people as equal under the civil rights laws in this country is a threat to other people is as bogus as it was when they made this claim in other civil rights chapters in American history.

KAYE (voice-over): In the last CNN/Opinion Research poll, 55 percent did not want to legalize same-sex marriage, but Wolfson hopes the more time people have to think about it, the more they'll be able to ignore what he calls the scary ad campaigns.

Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, the hijacked U.S. cargo ship Maersk Alabama should be in port within a couple of days. The ship and its crew are headed to Kenya with plenty of protection this time. The ship's captain still in a lifeboat, held hostage by four pirates. They've got about nine days of rations left, but no fuel in the gas tank.

The Navy is handling negotiations to resolve this with help from the FBI. Navy surveillance planes, also unmanned drones, all keeping an eye on the small boat.

British police say that the arrest of a dozen suspects may have been disrupted a terrorists plot, and they're indicating there would have been the potential for terrorist acts as early as this weekend if those arrests had not been made.

CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson joining us now from Manchester, England, with more --Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, the police are saying the reason they had to push ahead these operations to arrest these 12 men is not just because documents were leaked naming the men and naming the police officers who had been investigating them for some time, but because they feared that there was a potential for a plot. The police chief here said that in an area where public safety is a top concern, they couldn't take the risk when events had got to a certain point. They say they will only know now, as they begin the investigation, begin searching the houses like the one behind me where two men were arrested, beginning in talking to the men that they've arrested, it's only then that they can figure out how close this plot was actually to being pulled off -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Nic. And so, what's the move from here? What's the next step in this investigation?

ROBERTSON: A long, slow process. Look, it got off to a really bungled beginning because their whole operation had to be shifted forward, the raids had to be done during the day. But the police are now saying that they're going to proceed very methodically.

They're going to take their time doing the questioning of the suspects. They're going to take their time going through these houses, going through the forensic evidence. They've got lots of different forensic tests to do, so they say this whole process here is going to roll out and it's going to roll out slowly -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. We'll follow it with you, Nic. Thanks so much.

A soldier loses hope and takes his own life. Now his family wants to keep other soldiers from following in his tragic footsteps.

You'll hear from his dad.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Troops mistreated and also misdiagnosed. We got our hands on an audiotape which first surfaced on Salon.com. It features the voice of an Army psychologist and was secretly recorded by a soldier at Fort Carson, Colorado.

On it, Douglas McNinch says that he's been pressured not to diagnose soldiers with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and to label them instead with "anxiety disorder." That could result in the wrong treatment, also lower disability payments, or no payments at all.

Listen to the sound.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID MCNINCH, PSYCHOLOGIST: I and the other commissions who do boards up here are under a lot of pressure to not diagnose PTSD. It's not fair. I think it's a horrible way to treat soldiers. But unfortunately, now the VA is jumping on board and saying, well, you know, these people don't really have PTSD and stuff like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, this note. We have reached out to Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki four times in the past two weeks to discuss vets' health issues. He's repeatedly declined.

Also, I've personally reached out to the Department of Defense for reaction to the tape that you just heard, and here's the reaction that we got.

"The Army does not pressure health care providers in their determination of a diagnosis, nor does it condone such activity. A 2008 Army investigation in fact concluded that commanders were not influencing health care providers. The investigation did, however, note that the requirements for a PTSD diagnosis were too cumbersome, making it difficult for soldiers to complete the physical evaluation board process."

The Army also says it has made it easier for psychiatrists to diagnose PTSD by changing the requirements for a diagnosis.

Well, you might have been shocked by the tape you just heard, but a Massachusetts couple probably wouldn't be. They blame the VA for the suicide of their soldier son, Lance Corporal Jeff Lucey, and they want to prevent other troops from following in his footsteps.

Joining me now is Kevin Lucey, the father of Lance Corporal Lucey.

Really appreciate you, Kevin, being with us. And I'm just curious, your reaction to the audiotape we've just aired.

KEVIN LUCEY, FATHER OF LANCE CORPORAL JEFF LUCEY: Regretfully, it's not surprising whatsoever. I mean, we believe that there's a pressure in the system itself that really inhibits or encourages the failure to diagnose people with PTSD for a number of reasons. But there's also the problem of soldiers seeking out help and the stigma that gets attached to it. So, it's a tremendously complicated issue.

PHILLIPS: So, Kevin, at any time, did your son come to you and say, I know I've got a problem. I can't put my finger on it, but I'm struggling and they're not taking me seriously. They're not giving me the help that I think that I need?

LUCEY: Well, that was evident, especially upon review of any of his medical records.

But there were times. I can remember specifically on June 14th. That evening, Jeffrey was sitting in front of our fireplace, and both his mother Joyce and I were in the room. And he said that, why was he going crazy and why was he going now? There was a complete disconnect between his intellect and the emotions.

It's a tremendously hellish experience, because they feel so different. And, of course, in the civilian society, they're termed to be mentally ill, which is even further stigmatizing.

PHILLIPS: How did you find out that he had committed suicide?

LUCEY: On June 22nd, 2004, I returned home from work. It was about 6:45 in the evening. And I went into the house and I was looking for him. When I was going through the house, I couldn't find him. And on his bed, though, there were three dog tags, dog tags that he would not take off. One was his, and two of them were of Iraqi soldiers.

And coming back, when I was walking through the addition, I saw a light on in our cellar, because the cellar door was left open. So, I went downstairs, and upon - I could see that there was a series of pictures placed almost in a shrine-like shape.

And then, when I was looking at the pictures, I noticed blood. And then I saw, from the corner of my eye, Jeff. I thought he was standing there. But regretfully he was hanging.

PHILLIPS: Oh, Kevin. Were the pictures of family members? What were the pictures of?

LUCEY: The pictures were in the center of the formation was his platoon picture from the Marine Corps. You see, he was a reservist. So, he had that picture in the middle. There was some blood on that. Then he had a picture of his oldest sister and his youngest sister on each side of that. And then he had pictures of family that were surrounding in a half circle.

PHILLIPS: Wow. So, as you listened to the president today talking about support for the VA, for the health care of men and women in the military, did you hear what you wanted to hear today? And if not, what do you expect from the president?

LUCEY: We expect a lot more.

One of the things, ever since Jeffrey died, we have come to be aware of so many different things. For example, the VA established back in the early 1980s the special committee on PTSD. In the mid- 1980s, they issued 24 findings. And yet, in 2005, a representative asked the General Accounting Office to find out how well the findings were implemented. And not one finding was implemented entirely out of the 24 that were offered. And it had to do with PTSD. Had those findings been implemented, Jeffrey possibly could be alive today.

The thing that's very upsetting to us is that all the politicians will shout from the rooftops their support for the troops. But when it comes to down to reality, when it comes down to behavior, we find out that support for the troops are not there.

In 2005, for example, the United States Senate passed three bills that had to go to conference committee. Contained within each bill was money specifically earmarked for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder treatment. Do you know, then, the darkness of conference committee? All that funding disappeared. And it disappeared based on votes of these very same men and women who tell you that they support the troops.

At this point, we're hoping that President Obama will actually treat the veterans as they should be treated, for they sacrificed so much.

PHILLIPS: Well, I tell you what, Kevin, for you and for your son, who we think about today and keep close to our heart and every other men and women in the military that deal with this, we'll stay on the story and keep asking the questions. And hopefully, we'll get some answers and hopefully, we'll see a difference. I really appreciate you sharing your story today. I know it's not easy.

LUCEY: Well, thank you very much.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Kevin.

LUCEY: All right.

PHILLIPS: Well, we're going to keep pushing this forward, like I said, and talk about what more can we do to save our veterans. We're actually going to talk to two passionate advocates coming up right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PHILLIPS: Saving traumatized veterans, our focus this hour. We're pushing forward and finding answers to tough and tragic questions.

Just minutes ago you heard from a father who blames the VA for his soldier son's suicide. Also, we played you an audiotape. On it, an Army psychologist reportedly says he's been pressured not to diagnose soldiers with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

My next guests have spent their lives advocating for veterans lives, Bart Stichman, co-executive director of the National Veterans Legal Services Program. He's actually the one who got his hands on the shocking audiotape and he's working with the soldier who recorded it. Also joining us, Tom Berger who handles mental health issues for the Vietnam Veterans of America.

Good to have you both.

Bart, I want to start with you. The soldier that you are supporting, the one that actually recorded the conversation, I understand that the psychologist is in hiding now, is that correct? And how is your client doing since that recording?

BART STICHMAN, NATIONAL VETERANS LEGAL SERVICES PROGRAM: Well, I don't know the whereabouts of the psychologist who was taped. But our client - and when I say "our," we have a nonprofit organization called Lawyers Serving Warriors that provides free legal help to people like our client going through medical evaluation boards by the military.

And our client suffers not only from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, but traumatic brain injury. And so he can't remember all the time what his doctors tell him. Usually, his wife went with him to these interviews. But on this occasion, his wife couldn't come. And so, he taped this interview, legally, with his psychologist so that he could remember what was said.

And you've all heard the tape. He showed it to his wife when he got back. He didn't remember anything wrong on the tape. But she called to our attention the fact that the doctor said twice that they were systematically - he and his fellow doctors - were being systematically pressured not to diagnose Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

PHILLIPS: So, Tom, let me ask you, then, looking at Bart's client, we'll call him "Sergeant X," who made this recording, what happens when you are misdiagnosed? I mean, what could happen to someone like Sergeant X?

TOM BERGER, VIETNAM VETERANS OF AMERICA: Well, there's both short-term and long-term effects.

First of all, probably will not get - the soldier will not get treated properly, both in the military health care system or if he or she's discharged, sets up a house of cards in the VA because he or she's got the wrong diagnosis, so they won't receive the proper treatment. And if they do qualify for compensation and pension benefits, they will be on the basis of whatever was disorder or other illness was claimed rather than the PTSD. And this could amount to thousands of dollars given over the lifetime of the individual.

PHILLIPS: And that's - that's what's sad is, you know, the excuse has been to misdiagnose because it's too expensive to help these men and women.

Bart, you sat down with DOD. They have heard this audiotape. What did they tell you? What are they going to do? I mean, first of all, did they admit to - to this pressure by superiors to misdiagnose? Did they admit that psychologists are misdiagnosing and what did they tell you they were going to do about it?

STICHMAN: Well, the story changed over time. We decided to go through military channels so that the Army could correct the problem and find out the extent of the problem. So, we gave the tape to General Graham (ph), who - at Ft. Carson. He was disturbed by it. He sent it to the Pentagon. General Cody (ph) at the Pentagon was disturbed by it, or so he said. Called us up and asked for a meeting.

So, three people from Lawyers Serving Warriors had a meeting with the Pentagon last July. And we thought they were concerned about the problem, because they wouldn't have set up the meeting otherwise.

We get in there, the first thing General Cody says is, are you taping us?

PHILLIPS: So, Tom, has there been any type of investigation? I mean, this is last year that we're talking about, that this has happened? Has been there any investigation? Has there been any effort to take care of this issue?

BERGER: The Army claims that they've investigated it and found nothing wrong. And as you've just heard, there are problems with that. Explanation.

PHILLIPS: So, Bart, are you concerned about your client, that he may face suicide or depression? Or, if he's misdiagnosed, alcoholism, drug abuse? I mean, who knows what could happen.

STICHMAN: Well, we have lawyers who are helping him for free to get the right thing done.

The Army report, you asked what were the results. They thought that there's no systematic wrongdoing. But let me read from part of the report they're not talking about.

Part of the report has this finding, "potential systemic pressures inherent in the Army Physical Disability Evaluation processes may lead providers to avoid making a diagnosis of PTSD on medical boards, contrary to their clinical judgment."

With the end result of this, is if you're diagnosed with PTSD and the Army discharges you because your PTSD makes you unfit, you're automatically retired - entitled to military disability retirement benefits for the rest of your life. And your -- the soldier and the soldier's spouse is entitled to free medical care by the military for the rest of their lives, and the children get free medical care. But if you're diagnosed with anxiety disorder instead, you're not guaranteed any of those benefits.

PHILLIPS: Real quickly...

STICHMAN: It makes a big difference.

PHILLIPS: And we got to go, unfortunately. But real quick, yes or no, Tom Berger, has the Senate Armed Services Committee investigated this, yes or no?

BERGER: We just heard today that the Senate's going to investigate it. We'll see what happens.

PHILLIPS: All right, well, we're going to follow that, then, indeed, because that could make a huge difference. And I'm curious to why it has not been investigated to this point. This has been going on for almost a year.

Tom Berger, also Bart Stichman, both, appreciate your time. Thank you.

STICHMAN: Thank you.

BERGER: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: And we want to reiterate we reached out to an Army for a response to this story. They gave us a statement which says in part, "The Army is making it easier for psychiatrists to diagnose PTSD... Psychiatrists are no longer required to document the specific nature of the traumatic event, which was sometimes difficult to confirm when the events happened in the war zone."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Now that the list is out, some parents are vowing to fight the proposed closure of 23 Detroit public schools. Shrinking enrollment and big budget problems are behind the move. More than 7,000 students could be affected here. Hundreds of teachers losing their jobs as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT BOBB, EMERGENCY FINANCIAL MANAGER, DETROIT SCHOOLS: We're proposing to - we're sending out layoff notices to 600 teachers. It's a process that - it's not an unusual process. We expect that many of those teachers will be called back when we began the process of right- sizing the school district this summer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, hundreds of teachers in Tucson, Arizona, also getting pink slips this week.

Still, education's a very popular career across the country. In the last ten years, a third of all new teachers were career switchers -- people who'd worked in a completely different field. And in this thick of the recession, well, interest even higher. Two groups that help wannabe teachers report applications have jumped 40 percent.

Now, as job losses grow, out-of-work Americans are looking for ways to reinvent themselves - literally and figuratively. Many are hitting the books, others are taking a more drastic approach.

Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange with more on the trend.

Susan, let's go ahead and start by talking about the number of older students that you found that are going back to school.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Kyra, you see it in community college enrollment all over the country. The enrollment is up double digits. And it's because so many adults are going back to school to reinvent themselves, as you say, or refresh their skills. And the bonus is, if you're laid off, most times you can still draw unemployment.

And it's really one of the reasons why, one of the few bright spots in the economy for hiring, is education. Not only folks who want to get a teaching degree, but because of all the people who want to go back to learn something.

PHILLIPS: What are the students majoring in?

LISOVICZ: Well, it's across the board, Kyra. You're seeing a lot of folks who want to update their math and computer skills. But you're also seeing a big demand for degrees that you can earn in a year or less, anything from working in a dentist office to working in automotive shop.

But you know, there's a really good example with Michigan, for instance, which has the highest unemployment rate in the country, 12 percent. Michigan's been decimated by the loss of manufacturing. They have a program there called "No Worker Left Behind," and it's trying to get all these folks who have been laid off because of losses in manufacturing and go into a more knowledge-based economy. Things like, say, biotechnology, renewable energy, health care.

And so that's the kind of thing's that's the next economy. Those are high-paying jobs, and there's a lot of interest across the country for that as well, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And an interesting little sidebar too, hey, if you're not going to back to school, we understand plastic surgery is up. People trying to look younger. We were talking about that article earlier on.

All right, Susan, appreciate it.

LISOVICZ: You're welcome.

PHILLIPS: Well, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, charges of collusion to cover up problems with levees in New Orleans. The allegations involve members of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. An interim investigation by the society has turned up no wrongdoing. But now a citizens' group is lashing out at the findings. Levees.org says only one problem in a 42-page ethics complaint was addressed and that group is calling for an independent investigation.

President Obama has pledged to be more environmentally conscientious than his predecessor's administration. But this week and next, one official is on a nationwide circuit talking about offshore drilling. CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow has our "Energy Fix" from New York.

Poppy, this could be an energy fix in the making, but there's still got to be a lot of opposition, I'm assuming.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: Oh, you bet. When it comes to offshore drilling, a lot of controversy. The goal here, Kyra, strike a balance between environmentalists, their interests, and economic interests for this the country in a deep recession.

What's going on is that the interior secretary, Ken Salazar, spoke in New Orleans. While the government is trying to work on a plan that could open up more federal waters for offshore drilling, what's known as the Outer Continental Shelf - take a look right there - that could be a huge supply source. It covers more than 1.5 billion acres along both the Atlantic and Pacific Coast.

And up until last fall, those areas were strictly off-limits for offshore drilling. So most of our offshore production as you know, Kyra, is in the Gulf of Mexico and near Alaska, not along those other coasts. But that may change, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: What are environmentalists saying, they're probably outraged?

HARLOW: Of course, the big fear is an oil spill. Think back to the Exxon Valdez.

Opponents also saying everyday operations of offshore drilling cause pollution because they bring up a lot of chemicals when oil is brought up from the ocean floor.

Another issue, tourism along the beaches on those coasts. Who wants to go to the beach, Kyra, and look out at an oil rig? But, they may soon if this gets approved. We'll see, they're weighing in right now.

PHILLIPS: All right, now on the other side, this could give our economy a pretty big boost at a time that we definitely need it.

HARLOW: A big boost to offshore drilling could bring in what they're saying billions and billions of revenue. Of course, create jobs. That's what proponents say.

Oil industry also saying their technology - this is key - has gotten a lot better. Those offshore rigs now have automatic shutoff valves. Those prevent spills. That's exactly what happened during Hurricanes Rita and Katrina, those valves shut off so we didn't have any spills.

Before any final decision is made, they're asking for public comment. What we're going to see next week is Salazar going to Anchorage, Alaska, and also San Francisco, Kyra, holding those public forums.

PHILLIPS: Oh, they'll get a lot of public reaction, that's for sure.

HARLOW: Oh, yes.

PHILLIPS: OK, Poppy Harlow, thanks.

More from the CNN NEWSROOM straight ahead.

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PHILLIPS: Well, an ex-foreign (ph) bishop has allegedly confessed to running 15-year, $20 million Ponzi scheme. The feds are freezing his bank accounts, they've started seizing some of his big money assets. Among them, homes in Colorado, Idaho; artwork by Rembrandt and Picasso; and a bunch of rare classic cars. No arrest has been made yet, but the SEC filed a lawsuit this week. Apparently some of the victims of the Ponzi scheme, fellow members of the Church of Latter-Day Saints.

And a bar in Arkansas will be pouring a different kind of spirit this Easter Sunday. The new pastor of a new church is holding services at Rumba. They're taking up one of the backrooms - no there won't be any booze, virgin margaritas if you're lucky. The pastor said the idea is to take church where the people are and he figures some people will feel more comfortable on a stool or in a booth than in a pew.

Piracy on the high seas is a big business and apparently there's a business plan onshore to deal with them. We're pushing forward the hijacking of the Maersk Alabama in just a moment.

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PHILLIPS: Well, if you want proof that we're still a country at war, here it is. Just in to CNN, two democratic Congressional sources tell us that President Obama is seeking more than $83 billion to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan into the fall. If Congress OKs that money, it would bring the total amount the U.S. has spent on the two wars to nearly a trillion dollars since 9/11.

Right now, the captain of a U.S. cargo ship is pirate collateral as they negotiate with the U.S. Navy. NATO says that pirates tried but failed to seize another cargo ship today off the Somali coast, a Greek ship this time. That's at least seven attacks in a week.

Piracy's big business and it's spawned a cottage industry onshore.

Here's CNN's Atika Shubert.

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ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): More than 100 pirate attacks off the Somali coast last year, more than 60 already this year, half a dozen in the last week. Piracy is now an industry, and not just for the pirates.

(on camera): London has also been a maritime hub, but the increasing number of pirate attacks has spawned an industry here of insurance companies, lawyers, negotiators, and security teams all designed to reduce the risk of a hijacking or face the consequences.

(voice-over): It starts before a ship ever sets sale, insurance premiums through the Gulf of Aden have increased tenfold because multinational military patrols now define the area as a war zone. Shipmasters are now also trained to prevent a hijacking using evasive maneuvers, water cannons and barbed wire to keep pirates from boarding.

Once a ship is captured, the costs turn to negotiations with pirates, a process that can take months.

It all adds up to a hefty bill says one lawyer who has advised on a number of pirate attacks.

STEPHEN ASKINS, INCE & CO.: When you look at the additional insurance you may require, that's going to cost them tens of thousands of dollars. More and more ship owners are now looking at having security teams on board, that's tens of thousands of dollars. So -- and then in terms of the hijacking itself. The ransom becomes just part of the cost, because you have the costs of your professional advisors and, of course, the costs of delivering the money to the ship, which in itself is a very difficult, difficult part of all this, because the pirates expect to be paid in cash.

SHUBERT: Exact amounts cannot be confirmed. But in high-profile cases, such as the Saudi oil tanker the Sirius Star, millions can be paid out. With such success, pirates are now holding ships longer and demanding more.

It's a high cost, but there are few alternative routes. An oil tanker traveling to the U.S. via the Cape of Good Hope, for example, would add another $3.5 million in fuel costs alone, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Even so, Maersk decided last December to reroute all its tankers around the cape. But even that does not guarantee safe passage, since Somali piracy can still reach hundreds of miles offshore. One recent hijacking occurred not far from the Seychelles.

John Burnett, author of a book on modern piracy, says piracy won't stop and businesses need to factor in the cost. JOHN BURNETT, AUTHOR, "DANGEROUS WATERS": The only real solution is to have enough defenses. To be well aware - the ships themselves - be well aware that they're going through pirate territory, and going at full speed, not economy speed, full speed. And having some plan, some security plan, on board, that will keep the pirates off.

SHUBERT: Ship owners are now trying to shift some of that cost on to cargo owners. But industry sources say the whole package can cost as much or more than a pirate's ransom.

Atika Shubert, CNN, London.

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PHILLIPS: We'll see you again tomorrow. Rick Sanchez takes it from here.