Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Explosive Debate on Torture After President Obama's About-Face; 803,000 Foreclosure Notices in First Quarter; Banks Face Stress Tests; "Slumdog" Actress Shocker: Dad Tried to Sell Young Actress; New Orleans Getting the Lead Out; McDonald's Dominating Japanese Lunchtime Cuisine

Aired April 22, 2009 - 10:58   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. It is Wednesday, April 22, Earth Day. And here are the top stories we're folloing for you in the CNN NEWSROOM. President Obama indicates former Bush officials could face prosecution over terror interrogations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: With respect to those who formulated those legal decisions, I would say that that is going to be more of a decision for the attorney general within the parameters of various laws. And I don't want to prejudge that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: You heard those comments from the president during our hour yesterday, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

We want to know this today: Why the reversal? Were laws broken? Who could be in legal jeopardy?

Let's get right to it with our Elaine Quijano at the White House.

Elaine, good morning to you.

OK. Let's get started. Why the about-face? Why the reversal?

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, the administration, first of all, Tony, is not even acknowledging that this is an about-face. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was really hammered with questions on this yesterday, and at one point he was asked plainly, "Has there been -- absolutely, are you saying there's been no change in policy?" And he said, well, "I would direct you what the president said."

But clearly, this seems to be a departure from what we heard just a few days earlier, when the White House chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, said, look, for those who devised this policy, those people should not be prosecuted.

Here is what we know. There are a number of things that are adding to the pressure on President Obama right now on this particular issue. We know that there are groups on the left that are certainly clamoring for some kind of accountability. We know that's been the case from day one, but that pressure has been growing. They want to see accountability of former Bush administration officials who authorized these techniques.

Now, we also know in addition to that, Tony, that right now a powerful member of Congress, the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Dianne Feinstein, actually urged President Obama not to say anything publicly that might preclude some kind of investigation. And we also know, Tony, that as more details are learned about exactly how these interrogation techniques were used, and there is a continued debate over the effectiveness of these techniques, all of that is really only fueling the appetite for some kind of public airing of the facts.

But that, of course, Tony, is problematic for this president. Why? Because it does not square with what he has said, which is he wants to look forward, not backwards -- Tony.

HARRIS: Elaine, appreciate it so much. We're going to get back to you, Elaine, at the bottom of the hour.

And at that time, Elaine will discuss a memo from President Obama's intelligence director. He says the controversial Bush-era tactics yielded important terrorism information, but then he seems to do some backpedaling.

Plus, how long had those tactics been in the works? Our Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash joins us live next hour with details on a Senate report that may surprise you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALISTAIR DARLING, BRITISH FINANCE MINISTER: I'm forecasting growth of 1.25 percent in 2010. In the future, the sources of our growth will be more varied, and we need to ensure that we play to our country's strengths. It will increasingly come from an expansion in investment by business and the industries of the future such as low carbon, advanced manufacturing, and communications.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Britain's Finance Minister Alistair Darling at this morning's budget meeting. He is predicting Britain will start to recover from the financial crisis toward the end of the year. In the meantime, he says his government needs to borrow another $400 billion.

Here at home, a record 803,000 foreclosure notices went out in the first quarter of 2009. Four Sun Belt states dominate the rankings.

CNN Business Correspondent Christine Romans joining us from New York.

Christine, great to see you. CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Tony.

HARRIS: Hi. Let's start with the list.

ROMANS: Well, let's start with the list.

The top 26 cities for foreclosure filings in the first quarter all came in four states. So we know that this problem is super concentrated. A very top-heavy list the people at RealtyTrac call it.

The hardest hit states: California, Florida, Arizona and Nevada. You throw in Illinois, Tony, and 60 percent of all foreclosure activity in the first quarter came in those five states.

In Las Vegas, think of it, one in 22 properties got a foreclosure filing. That means either a default notice or another filing along the foreclosure -- you know, you get several filings before there's a foreclosure -- or a padlock from the sheriff. One in 22 properties in Las Vegas.

When you look at that map, Tony, you can see as well there was an awful lot of speculation in those places. They were kind of at the heart of the subprime mortgage boom. But now the folks at RealtyTrac and other economists are also telling me this has become a jobless problem, because people who had a mortgage even a year ago, they were perfectly qualified for that mortgage, they had a job, it was -- everything, above board. Boom. You lose a job, you lose the paycheck, then the foreclosure filing comes next -- Tony.

HARRIS: And Christine, I just want to be clear about this. You mentioned it just a moment ago. You get several filings here. There are several notices on this. So you still have an opportunity after you get that initial foreclosure filing notice to save your home. Correct?

ROMANS: That is correct. And don't forget that a lot of these lenders have had a foreclosure moratorium over the past couple of months. So they haven't actually taken the property back, or they have halted where you are in the foreclosure process. But that could be coming to an end for people, because now that we know what the actual programs are for Making Home Affordable -- that's the government's effort to either refinance or modify loans -- lenders now know who's not going to fit into either of those categories, and those people, the foreclosure process is going to restart.

HARRIS: That's right. All right, Christine. Appreciate it. Thank you.

ROMANS: Sure.

HARRIS: And there's this sad story. A prominent executive at mortgage giant Freddie Mac was found dead at his Virginia home this morning.

Forty-one-year-old David Kellermann served as a senior vice president and acting chief financial officer. A source tells CNN Kellermann apparently hanged himself at his home in Vienna, in suburban Washington.

Freddie Mac, as you know, played a big role in the mortgage meltdown and financial collapse that followed. The company is under investigation by two U.S. attorneys' offices, and the SEC has subpoenaed various documents. It is not clear if the company's business troubles played any role in Kellermann's suicide.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: You know, and thousands of you celebrate this Earth Day, participating in many ways. Josh Levs shows us how you can track your carbon footprint.

That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: So it is Wednesday, and that means that Chief Business Correspondent Ali Velshi is on the air taking your calls at CNN Radio.

Let's drop in for a minute and talk about the stress tests on the major U.S. banks.

Ali, good to see you.

ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Have you ever had one of those? Your doctor make you do that? I haven't had to do that yet, but I think...

HARRIS: Not yet, but I'm coming to an age.

VELSHI: ... I'm going to have to. Put you on a treadmill and -- yes, that's it.

HARRIS: You know that age? Yes.

VELSHI: Yes, that's -- we're going to have to do those.

HARRIS: So Ali, you know the results? Yes, we're going to have to do it.

We are hearing that the first week of May, we're going to start to see some of the results on the stress test on these banks.

VELSHI: Yes.

HARRIS: And here's my question. Will anyone really trust these results? No one will believe, for example, a report that says that all the banks are healthy. Then why do we need all of this bailout money and -- all right. And if the results don't find enough failing banks, who believes that outcome?

VELSHI: Who believes that too? Well, here's -- these are all great questions.

The stress test is where the government is going into these banks, looking at their books and saying, if unemployment would go higher, from 8.5 percent, where it is now, to, let's say, 10.5 percent, and if home prices, which are already down 20 percent in this recession, drop another 20 percent, who would survive?

Now, every business should be conducting stress tests of its own. Worst case scenario, basically, is how we refer to it.

So, now, the government is going to come out and say they are testing the 19 biggest banks in the country, those that are considered important to the system, too big to feel, if you might put it that way. And they're going to come out with a dollar amount that says in the worst case scenario, we, as a government, are going to have to support these banks to the tune of this much money.

Now, they say they are not going to speak of specific banks. They're not going to name a weak bank because they feel if you do that -- you know, what would you do? If you found out your banks was one of the weak ones, Tony, you might take your money out. You'd certainly sell you investments in that bank.

So the government doesn't want to do that. They want to come out with sort of a total commitment that they may need to put into these banks. But I think the market figures out which ones of those are stronger or weaker. We know that Bank of America and Citigroup are in bigger trouble than, let's say, Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase and Goldman, which are otherwise healthy and want to give their money back to TARP.

HARRIS: I get it. Well, that's interesting. I thought we would know. I mean, I thought we would name...

VELSHI: No. And that's -- look, they feel that if you name somebody -- look, the treasury secretary came out and said most of them will be healthy. But if you name the two that aren't, might that cause a run on those two banks? And if they weren't healthy to start with, could they simply collapse?

HARRIS: No, I get it.

VELSHI: Again, is that good or bad? Do we want all the information, or do we want to not have the banks collapse? This is a real conundrum.

HARRIS: A run on the banks and maybe a real shock to the markets overall as well, correct? And you don't want that.

VELSHI: One way or the other, I think you can expect a market reaction to this. They come out and say we need $3 trillion to continue to keep the banks healthy, I think you're going to get a few people a little annoyed. There is not much appetite for going back to Congress to use taxpayers' money to bail out banks right now. But if they say we're $200 billion away from fixing these banks and most of them will survive, maybe the market will say, OK, maybe things aren't all that bad, maybe we're starting to see things getting a little bit better. That's just one part of this economic puzzle. There's still the jobs problem and the housing problem, but in reality, this is the one we're worried about most right now.

HARRIS: Right. Absolutely correct on that.

Ali, great to see you. Thank you, sir. Have fun on the radio today.

VELSHI: Always my pleasure. Always my pleasure.

HARRIS: Hey, did we give the number? Did we give the number?

VELSHI: The number, by the way, for all of you is 877-266-4189.

Always a pleasure talking with my friend Tony.

HARRIS: All right. Let's -- a bank can refuse you a loan, but it gladly takes more of your money. Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis has top tips to avoid bank fees.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: It is Earth Day. President Obama marking it with a trip to Newton, Iowa. He is expected to arrive in about an hour's time and tour a wind power plant. He'll be pitching an alternative energy plan as a way to not only clean up the environment, also to boost the economy.

Newton is his example. About two years ago, the town's biggest employer pulled out. Now the brand new wind plant is helping residents get back to work.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNETTE WEST, NEWTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: I think it bodes well for the fact that we have been able to transition, not without some pain, but to this in a pretty short amount of time. So we're pretty proud of what's happened. The people picked themselves up by their bootstraps and moved on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: The stimulus package President Obama signed back in February includes about $30 billion for energy-related projects he says will help create green jobs. Do you know your carbon footprint? Pretty personal question.

The organizers of Earth Day want to help you find out, but first you need to pick your hair color.

Boy. Josh Levs is here to explain.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I knew you would like that.

HARRIS: Josh, good morning. LEVS: Good morning to you, Tony.

I got a little bit of a minor breaking news for you on this. You know we've been doing a lot with EarthDay.net, which is the world's pretty much central clearinghouse for planning all this stuff. They must be getting a lot of traffic, because over the last few minutes, all of a sudden their Web page inaccessible, won't load up.

But that's not problem for me, because I already have everything I need for you. I pulled them up in advance. But I bet they're going to get a ton of traffic. Not too shocking.

Let's zoom in. I thought you'd like the thing about hair color.

HARRIS: Yes. Thank you.

LEVS: This is the main page here, EarthDay.net. And I'll show you what I'm talking about.

One of the most popular features, and I think the coolest feature, is this, where you can calculate your ecological footprint down right here. Anyway, this is what it gets you to.

You pick an avatar, and as part of the process of picking this avatar, you pick your hair color, skin color, shirt color, pants color. So we're going to give this person green hair, and we'll just go up in the corner all over the place, and there you go, nice and colorful.

So, basically, you've created this person. And it's really cool, Tony. What it does is creates this person who walks around town and asks you a series of questions.

Like right here, it says, "How often do you eat animal-based food products?" You give it an answer. Then it's going to ask you some other things, like "How much trash do you use during the day?" Your transportation decisions, how do you get around? How much of the food that you eat is processed?

So you continue to answer these questions as it takes you around this cool square block. It's cool stuff. There's a lot of animation here.

And ultimately, what it leads you to is this right here, your ecological footprint. And it tells you a few things.

I just pulled this up as a sample. It says, "If everyone lived like you, we would need four to five planet Earths to provide enough resources for you."

And over here it gives you a pie chart on your ecological footprint, how much of your waste in that sense comes from food, shelter, mobility, the other basic necessities. And then it goes on to give you tips, Tony. So it's a really neat feature right there at EarthDay.net.

HARRIS: Yes, I love it. And we're hearing from our viewers about Earth Day, right? So what are they saying?

LEVS: We are. It's really interesting.

I was just thinking about that just now when you were talking about the president's trip. We're hearing it in all ways.

We're hearing iReport. We've got Twitter, we've got Facebook book.

Let me show you this Twitter at my new Twitter page. This one is from Dwiggs. "Should Mr. Obama be flying his 747 to Iowa just for the day? The White House should consider giving a 'virtual' speech."

HARRIS: Whoa.

LEVS: It's interesting.

HARRIS: Yes, it is.

LEVS: Here's something else on the Twitter page. "For Earth Day, I'm working from home and will be cooking on my grill for dinner." From mirkop. That's at Josh Levs CNN.

And over here at Facebook, we've got a discussion going. Kristy says, "No, I will not be doing anything specific today. I recycle every day, turn off the lights when they're not needed, drive a car," she says that gets 40 miles a gallon. She goes on to say she is happy to get involved -- you can see it there -- but she doesn't want to feel forced to do these things.

HARRIS: Got you.

LEVS: We obviously love these kinds of discussions. We've got Facebook going. We've got Twitter going. We got your brand new CNN NEWSROOM blog, Tony. So keep them all coming.

HARRIS: We have a blog?

LEVS: Yes. Brand new. You know?

We got your back. I think we have a screen that shows that, don't we? Well, whatever.

We've got a brand new CNN blog that's just out, CNN NEWSROOM. I'll show it to you next hour.

HARRIS: All right.

LEVS: And we'll read some of that, what's there. Send us your comments.

HARRIS: Is it fancy? Does it look good? Is it fancy? Is it bells and whistles and everything?

LEVS: It looks good. It looks good. Yes, I've got to show it to you from the other screen, but yes, it looks really good. You're going to like it.

HARRIS: I'm being dragged kicking and screaming into this revolution.

LEVS: I know. Tell me about it. We love it.

HARRIS: OK. Something tells me that Air Force One question is going to end up being sounded in the presidential daily briefing today.

LEVS: It's a really interesting idea.

HARRIS: It is. It is.

Josh, appreciate it. See you next hour. Thank you.

LEVS: Thanks, Tony.

HARRIS: And if you would like to learn more about Earth Day and the organizations that are working to protect and preserve the environment, just visit our "Impact Your World" page. That's at CNN.com/impact.

The Taliban making advances in Pakistan. Our CNN global resources are bringing you the information you need to stay informed.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: You know what the music means. Well, sure, banks are going through a rough patch, but ever feel like you're the one who's getting nickel and dimed and -- you know, with those pesky -- Gerri, you know what I'm talking about, these bank fee..

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: I'm listening to you. I'm hearing every word. I'm feeling every word.

HARRIS: So there she is. Gerri Willis is here to help us out this morning.

What fees, Gerri, should we keep an eye on here?

WILLIS: All right. Well, here's the ones to be on the lookout for -- ATM fees. These are out of network ATM fees.

They average $1.97 each. That's up 11 percent from last year. That's according to bankrate.com.

Of course, overdraft fees, they kick in when you don't have enough money to cover a check or some money you've taken out of the ATM. Maintenance fees, some banks charge a monthly fee regardless of your balance, while others will ding you only if you fall below a minimum balance.

And then there's something called teller fees. Some banks will charge you just for going to the teller. If you have an express account or an online account, you may be in line for this fee. You can even get dinged for writing too many checks -- Tony.

HARRIS: Wow. How do we dodge these fees?

WILLIS: You've got to avoid them. Don't use another bank's ATM fee.

Look, 99.2 percent of ATMs surcharge. That's according to bankrate.com. So avoid these ever-growing fees. Use your debit card to make purchases, ask for cash back. And if you really just need an ATM, make sure to avoid the ones at the airports, casinos, or any other place where the machine is the only way of accessing money, because the fees will be even higher.

Overdraft fees can be brutal, too, as high as $40 in some cases. Consumer Reports estimates that translates into over 1,000 percent interest rate.

HARRIS: Wow.

WILLIS: Here's how to avoid them. Link your checking account to your savings account, keep track of your deposits and withdrawals, obviously, and keep a cash cushion. Come on, keep some money in the bank, especially if you have companies that withdraw from your account automatically. And so many of us do that now.

As for the maintenance fees and/or teller fees, make sure you ask the bank what fees you will be on the hook for. You can always check the bank's policy, and you can always complain and ask for your money back.

HARRIS: My wicked little ostrich-sized brain started working here as you were talking. Can't we just fire the banks? You know how I kind of love the idea of the old bank as mattress as the bank.

WILLIS: No. Don't go there.

HARRIS: Don't go there!

WILLIS: That's a bad place to go. You could join a credit union, Tony.

HARRIS: Oh.

WILLIS: Yes, credit unions generally have lower fees and higher savings rates on lots of products. Plus, if you're looking for a credit card, the terms and conditions are generally easier to understand, compared to some of the big commercial banks.

A credit union membership may be set up through your employer, even a neighborhood association, maybe a church group. You may even be able to join a credit union that serves just your local community.

So, if you want to find out about credit unions in your area, go to the National Credit Union Association Web site, NCUA.gov. And if you have questions about bank fees or credit unions, send them to me at gerri@cnn.com. We love hearing from you.

HARRIS: Love it. The issues and the possible solutions.

Gerri, as always, great to see you. Thank you, lady.

WILLIS: My pleasure.

HARRIS: Twenty-eight top companies are hiring. Find out who they are by just logging on to CNNMoney.com.

It is called the Blair Memo, and it shows not everyone on the Obama team is on the same page when it comes to questions about torture. We are drilling down on this controversy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: The Taliban makes another land grab in Pakistan, a critical U.S. ally. And that's raising worries today the nuclear- armed nation may slowly slip into militant hands.

The new Taliban-controlled area is just 60 miles outside the capital, Islamabad. It is called the Buner District. Residents say Taliban fighters are patrolling roads and broadcasting sermons. Experts believe the Taliban will try to impose strict fundamentalist Islamist code known as Sharia law.

Just last week, Taliban imposed Sharia law in the Swat Valley when Pakistan's president turned over that huge swath of land to militants.

Our Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour summed up the crisis on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's dire, Kiran, in no uncertain terms. It's dire.

When the Pakistan government decided to allow the Taliban safe haven in Swat and essentially handed over a great swath of Pakistani territory, many analysts both inside Pakistan and outside, and in the United States government, expressed severe concern that this would just lead to a domino effect. And it does appear now that these people are becoming emboldened, that they are moving along and not just staying in the Swat area.

Already, they've brought dramatic Islamic Sharia rule to the Swat area, and it's having a huge effect not just on the civilians, but eventually on the stability of that area. That affects the Pakistan government and the United States, which needs a stable Pakistan just for stability in the region and to be able to prosecute the war in Afghanistan.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HARRIS: We will dive deeper into this topic next hour. CNN correspondents join me live from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the Pentagon for extensive analysis

CNN correspondents join me live from Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Pentagon for extensive analysis.

An apparent about-face from President Obama. He is raising the possibility that Bush-era lawyers could be prosecuted for authorizing harsh interrogation of terror suspects. We want to know, why the reversal? Were laws broken? Who could be in legal jeopardy?

Adding to the controversy today, a memo from President Obama's intelligence director that suggesting that the controversial interrogation tactics worked.

Live now to our Elaine Quijano at the White House.

Elaine, why wasn't the portion of the Blair memo released that reads, "high value information came from interrogations in which those methods were used and provided a deeper understanding of the al Qaeda organization, that was attacking this country"?

QUIJANO: Well, we don't know. But a spokeswoman for Dennis Blair says, look, that memo, that line from that memo, and the statement that was released to the media last week were two completely different separate documents and there was nothing nefarious about that line not being included in what was released to the media.

Now Blair has now said that even though this information might have been useful, might have yielded valuable information, that ultimately, it did not outweigh the damage done. In other words, bottom line, Blair is now saying the ends just did not justify the means.

HARRIS: Elaine, do we know who leaked the memo? Do we know for sure that - do we know who leaked the memo?

QUIJANO: Yes, my colleague Ed Henry actually obtained the memo from republican officials and of course, they're not happy at all about this. Because what they argue is that this line and the failure to include this line and release it out to the public demonstrates or suggests that the Obama administration is selectively withholding information, not telling people the full story. So we know that it came from republican officials.

HARRIS: OK. At the White House, Elaine Quijano for us. Elaine, appreciate it, thank you.

The Bush-era interrogation methods are right now being reviewed by the Senate Intelligence Committee. Its chairwoman, Dianne Feinstein, discussed the importance of the task with our Wolf Blitzer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D-CA), CHAIRWOMAN, SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: These are momentous events. This is the biggest bipartisan effort the Senate Intelligence Committee has made. I want it to be unvarnished with any kind of comment, bias or prejudice. Let's get our work done in a straightforward way. Then the committee will review it and findings and recommendations may well be forthcoming.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Some members of the Bush administration say the Senate Intelligence Committee - and you've been a member going back, what, to 2001, something like that?

FEINSTEIN: That's right.

BLITZER: That the Senate Intelligence Committee was fully briefed on all of these enhanced interrogation techniques and effectively signed off on them. Did you? Did you know what was going on?

FEINSTEIN: No, we did not. I was briefed, it was either 2006 or 2007. As a matter of fact, in a conference committee of a House and Senate Intelligence Committee, I put a measure in the intelligence authorization bill that was limit interrogation to the Army Field Manual. This was added to the authorization bill. The authorization bill was vetoed by the president.

So, I have worked for a long time. I believe the use of contractors is inappropriate. That contract has now been canceled. I believe that we should go to the Army Field Manual. I have legislation, again, that will do that. To my record, it's very clear.

BLITZER: So let me be precise, so when Abu Zubaydah or Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (ph) were waterboarded, you as a member of the Intelligence Committee did not know about the waterboarding?

FEINSTEIN: That is correct.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: OK. Feinstein says she is expects the committee investigation to be completed in six to eight months.

On Wall Street, investors getting a chance to take corporate America's temperature. A slew of companies are reporting quarterly earnings.

Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with a look at today's results.

Good to see you, Susan.

LISOVICZ: Good to see you, Tony.

Well, corporate America is out of the ICU - intensive care - but there's probably a long rehab ahead before full recovery.

Case in point, Boeing. Its first quarter earnings tumbled 50 percent. The company plans to slash spending, restructure parts of its business. Boeing's customers are by and large airlines and they have been cutting capacity and grounding planes because fewer people are flying as a result of the global recession. Also, the credit crunch makes it difficult to get financing for planes, which I think qualifies as a big ticket item, Tony.

HARRIS: Absolutely. But you know, Susan, there are some signs of hope out there. We've been getting them lately. Where's the positive news out there today?

LISOVICZ: And I know, Mr. Harris, you like that.

HARRIS: I do.

LISOVICZ: You like that silver lining. Well, look no further than AT&T profits which beat estimates. Now it's earning did fall nine percent in the first quarter, but Its wireless unit is doing well because probably so many of us are dropping our land lines for cheaper cell phones.

HARRIS: Absolutely.

LISOVICZ: Then there's Apple. It's benefiting from its -- continues to benefit from the deal to be the exclusive iPhone provider. AT&T activated more than 1.5 million iPhones in just the first three months of the year and iPhone users pay 60 percent more than other customers. Apple and AT&T shares are each up at least 2.5 percent.

And the market's turned around, once again, the Dow is up 56 points or about three-quarters of a percent. The Nasdaq up 1.75 percent. There's your the green on Earth Day.

HARRIS: On Earth Day.

LISOVICZ: Tony.

HARRIS: Susan, appreciate it. Great to see you. See you next hour. Thanks.

You're sending them. We're showing them. Earth Day iReports are next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: An estimated one billion people around the globe celebrate Earth Day. We asked you to join in by showing us a piece of your world from CNN.com's iReport Desk, Tyson Wheatley with some stunning images.

TYSON WHEATLEY, CNN.COM PRODUCER: Yes.

HARRIS: Look, we've been pointing to this day since Monday and we have really been looking forward to the contributions of the iReporters. Can't wait to see what they sent in.

WHEATLEY: Let's go right to the videos and start looking at these incredible, I think really stunning images that we've been getting in just over the last 24, 48 hours as people, as iReporters basically starting across the country and world celebrating Earth Day.

And, you know, Tony, we reached out to iReporters out to the community and asked them to tell us, what's the biggest environmental challenges in place where you live? And I want to highlight just a couple of those for you today.

And let's go ahead and start with James Amerson and he lives in Pensacola, Florida, and he's also a wonderful photographer. And he shared some images that really sort of took my breath away.

HARRIS: Right.

WHEATLEY: These are images of a very beautiful but fragile ecosystem that are just a few short steps from his door. It is called Garcon Point. And you know, it's a little speck of land, but it's home to a large and diverse population of wildlife - the American Bald Eagle, Florida Pelican, alligators, red foxes. You know, James, he says he loves living in such a beautiful place, but it's incumbent upon humans who live there to recognize that they do have a huge impact on the ecosystem. And he's hoping that Earth Day is going to act as a reminder of that today.

OK. I want to show you another one. Very similar, but from a different part of the country. This is along the U.S./Mexico border near the Rio Grande and they come to us from Krista Schlyer and she's been documenting wildlife there along the border. And she's says that her main concern is that there are restricted movements of wildlife being affected by barriers, in this case, a man-made border. She says the wildlife facing tough climate and some are endangered species. She hopes that humans will learn to create borders that can not only protect our borders, but also protect the wildlife in that area.

HARRIS: That is beautiful.

WHEATLEY: And this...

HARRIS: Wow, that is beautiful.

WHEATLEY: There's one more video actually I want to show you now. There's all sorts of events happening around the country today and there's one in particular we're following very closely and it comes to us from Long Beach, California. Let's go ahead and take a look at this video.

This is where Chris Morrow has been dominating a massive art project today. Artist Wyland, he is painting the Earth on the roof of the Long Beach Arena. Now, this is a really big space as you can see. This is actually 2.8 acres. And Wyland estimates it's going to take him 24 hours using thousands of gallons of paint. He started yesterday, Tony, but as you can imagine, this is a big project and we're going to be following his progress on iReport.com as he tries to paint this massive globe on the side.

Can you imagine trying to paint that? HARRIS: We are watching you, Chris.

Tyson, good stuff. We appreciate it. Thank you.

WHEATLEY: OK. Thank you, Tony. If anyone has any Earth Day stories they want to share, go to iReport.com. Tell us what you're doing today.

HARRIS: Yes, yes, It's great. Thank you, Tyson.

Communities making and using their own currency to boost the economy. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Nine-year-old Rubina Ali dazzled the world with her debut in "Slumdog Millionaire" but there are new allegations her father tried to cash in on her popularity by selling her to what he thought was a wealthy Dubai couple.

Sara Sidner has this new slumdog story from Mumbai.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Call it "Slumdog: The Sequel." No dancing, no singing.; just shouting and shoving. A mom and a stepmom and their little girl. This little girl. Latika in the film, nine-year-old Rubina Ali in the real life. A girl we fell in love with on the silver screen and Oscar's red carpet. She and her friends won our hearts and made the makers of "Slumdog" a small fortune. Slumdog actors were paid a fee and a trust fund was set up, but did Rubina's dad try to make a buck himself? A British tabloid says he did.

This is video purportedly showing Rubina's father, Rafiq Qureshi, on the right with a couple posing as wealthy Arabs. The father allegedly agreeing to offer Rubina for adoption in exchange for nearly $300,000. But there's no sound on the tape and Qureshi says he did no such thing.

RAFIQ QURESHI, RUBINA'S FATHER (through translator): They said the sheik's wife wanted to take Rubina. But I said, no, I could never give my child away.

SIDNER: Rubina agrees.

RUBINA ALI, ACTRESS, "SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE": I talked to them in the room. My dad said I could meet people if I want to, but I will never give my daughter away for any amount of money.

SIDNER: Back to the fight. It was mom who complained to police after seeing the news reports. The stepmom took exception to the accusation. The tabloid stands by the story. Authorities are on the case. Figuratively and literally, the blow by blow. And somewhere in the fight, in this slum, in this story, a little girl waits for the kind of Hollywood ending that lingers even after the lights come back up.

Sara Sidner, CNN, New Delhi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: You know what? Toxic pollutants could lurk in the ground you walk on, the soil your children play and even your own backyard. On this Earth Day, photo journalist Ken Tullis (ph) looks for answers in New Orleans where they're getting the lead out yard by yard.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MEL CHIN, FUNDRED.ORG: This is a problem not brought in by a storm. It's brought in by time and industry and history.

In this soil is lead. Lead at quantities that we've measured in this yard to be almost 3,000 parts per million.

CHIN: This is a safe house. It houses the most important part of the project which is the fundred bills.

Here's an amazing portrait of Martin Luther King. I asked what would it cost for the solution? I would told it would cost about $300,000,000 to transform the city of New Orleans. The immediate thought was, we probably won't be able to raise that much money, but we can make that much money.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You are going to design this dollar bill exactly how you want it to look.

CHIN: Because lead readily is absorbed, it goes to the brain and the blood, the bones of a child.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are trying to gain attention with the amounts of lead that are found here in our city.

CHIN: Lead affects mental capacities, it creates aggressive tendencies, it creates lifelong medical issues.

ANDREW HUNT, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST: Many of the homes have been painted with lead-based paint. It was very popular up until the '70s. Especially on the outdoors and that sort of flakes off, gets into the soil, contaminates it.

CHIN: And if it comes from the exhaust from automobiles, pre- 1978 where they used to add lead to the gasoline.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To solve the problem, the treatment is add ago mineral to the that will trap the lead into a stable molecule that cannot be digested.

CHIN: This entire wall represents 3,000 bills, a thousand of these walls is what we intend to pick up, and then we will take all the bills to Congress where we will ask for an even exchange of $300 million real dollars to put into transforming the conditions that we find in New Orleans.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And here is what we are working on for you next hour.

It is a throwback to the Depression and it appears to be working. Our Brooke Baldwin reports on a town that's keeping local shop keepers in business by printing its own money. There's Brooke.

A Senate report out today with new revelations about harsh interrogation tactics on terror suspects. Dana Bash has the reports and details.

And Taliban forces take control of an area just 60 miles from Pakistan's capital. Live reports from the region, including CNN's Ivan Watson in Islamabad.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Eating healthy can take a lot of money and prep time. That's why more people in Japan are turning to an American favorite at lunchtime, but as Kyung Lah tells us, they're paying for the convenience in other ways.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lunchtime in downtown Tokyo -- American, fast, and cheap. The golden arches, the golden ticket for Sakumi Nakajo.

SAKUMI NAKAJO, MCDONALD'S CUSTOMER: They were decreasing prices. That's why everyone who comes here to get their lunch, everything is so cheap.

LAH: Ditching the sushi roll for the Happy Meal, Japan is biting into more burgers. The recession's tough times have been a cash cow for the king of burgers. McDonald's in Japan posted a historic sales record of more than $5 billion U.S. dollars in 2008.

It's not just the Dollar Menu, says McDonald's. It's the whole deal. Our product offers the value that matches the price, says McDonald's. That's why customers support us.

But you will eventually pay, says Dr. Iwao Sasaki.

(on camera): So the McDonald's diet is upside down.

DR. IWAO SASAKI: Yes, yes.

LAH (voice-over): That's right, says Dr. Sasaki. He says the Japanese diet of fish and veggies is ideal for the country's infamous longevity and health, but it's rapidly on the decline in this recession. On the increase, says Dr. Sasaki, two all-beef patties and Japan's waistline.

You should choose food not for its price tag, says Dr. Sasaki, but what's good for your body. Dr. Sasaki is seeing more patients like Katsuchi Matsuo (ph), not exactly your super-sized person, but thicker than the average Japanese man and diagnosed with high blood pressure. Doctors ordered Matsuo (ph) to start walking and lay off the burgers.

My children love hamburgers, he says. I hope they stop eating them because the traditional diet is better.

(on camera): The traditional Japanese meal is low fat and quite healthy, but it also costs at least twice as much as a value meal.

(voice-over): It's why restaurant bankruptcies in Tokyo, especially Japanese restaurants, are on track to break records this year, a stark contrast to McDonald's success.

McDonald's says any food in excess without exercise without exercise is bad for your health and stresses a balanced lifestyle which includes pricier Japanese food is best.

But for a lunch crowd trying to pinch pennies in this economic downturn, that's a tough sell.

Kyung Lah, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Voting is in full swing right now in South Africa. Millions of people casting ballots in the country's fourth elections since the end of white majority minority rule in 15 years ago. The ruling African National Congress party and its controversial leader, Jacob Zuma, expected an overwhelming victory. Among those casting ballots, former president Nelson Mandela, the country's first democratically elected leader. The 90-year-old icon of South Africa's democracy supports Zuma who spent a decade jailed alongside Mandela.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton got dragged into the fuss over terror interrogations and the possibility that some Bush officials could be prosecuted. Republican Congressman Dana Rorhabacher put her on the spot at a House hearing this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DANA RORHABACHER (R), CALIFORNIA: Dick Cheney says that the documents that have been released by the administration tend to show a negative picture of those people who are protecting us against terrorists. And he says there are other -- there are several specific documents that are being kept classified by the administration that would show that those -- that any time there was a problem, people tried to correct it.

Are you in favor of releasing the documents that Dick Cheney has been requesting be released?

HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, it won't surprise you that I don't consider him a particularly reliable source of information. RORHABACHER: Madam Secretary, I asked you a specific question. Are you -- Dick Cheney has asked for specific documents to be unclassified. We're not asking your opinion of Dick Cheney. About those documents, if you want to maintain your credibility with us, what is your position on the release of those documents?

CLINTON: Well, Congressman, I believe that we ought to get to the bottom of this entire matter. I think it's in the best interests of our country and that is what the president believes and that is why he's taken the actions he did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Well, the congressman asked Secretary Clinton if she'd urge the president to release documents Dick Cheney wants public. The secretary wouldn't say.