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Iraq Claims Terrorist Capture; 70-Plus Dead in Iraq Suicide Bombings; GM Plants Face Summer Closures; U.S. Troops Shift from One War to Other; Craigslist Suspect Had Victims Items; Sunday School Teacher Charged
Aired April 23, 2009 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news out of Baghdad. Iraq military claims the capture of a top terrorist, a man targeted for years. Iraq's military claims the capture of a top terrorist, a man targeted for years.
And collecting souvenirs. Reports say a medical student accused of killing a masseuse left the scene with personal items.
And controversial decision. An emergency contraceptive will now be available for more teenagers than before.
It is Thursday, April 23rd. Hi, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
We, obviously, have a whole lot going on this morning. Want to give you a quick walk through now of what we have for you.
Credit cards and sticker shock. Many of us reeling from expensive changes. In fact, President Barack Obama today making his own charge at the credit companies themselves.
Also, Pakistan. Militants are getting more dangerous and Washington is getting more nervous. A key U.S. ally is taking some action today we want to tell you about.
Also, sand dunes and fire lines along a top tourist destination, South Carolina's coast. Dozens of homes have burned, entire neighborhoods are in danger.
But we begin this morning with some breaking news out of Iraq. The Iraqi military is claiming it has captured a top al Qaeda in Iraq leader. A spokesman for the Baghdad operations command says Omar al- Baghdadi was seized during a major military operation in the capital city. The U.S. military has not yet confirmed the capture but two years ago, there were erroneous reports that al Qaeda or Baghdadi, sorry, had been captured and killed. We will continue, of course, to follow this story and bring you the very latest as it becomes available to us.
And there is more to tell you about from Iraq this morning. It has been a bloody day. A suicide bomb attack killed at least 45 people in Iraq's Diyala province, that's northeast of Baghdad. That word from Iraqi officials now. Almost 30 others were wounded in the blast. Officials say the bomber targeted Iranian pilgrims. And in Baghdad, Iraqi officials say a suicide bomber targeting police killed at least 28 Iraqis and wounded more than 50 others. Officials say the bomber struck a crowd of national police who were handing out aid to displaced families.
The perils of classic. Today, President Obama turns his attention to your credit cards. He is meeting with industry leaders now to talk about the rising fees and interest rates that a lot of us are just plain mad about. Meanwhile, lawmakers look like they are ready for action on the issue.
CNN congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar is on Capitol Hill this morning.
Yes, a lot of people really ticked off about this, Brianna.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they are. And the House of Representatives, Heidi, is poised to pass some changes that some of those folks, credit card holders, who say that their credit card companies are taking advantage of them, these are changes that those people will welcome.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR (voice-over): Tens of thousands of angry consumers bombarded the Federal Reserve with e-mails and letters when it considered cracking down on the credit card industry like this one.
"I had to take out a loan for $25,000 to pay off the card was generating $900 per month in interest charges." And this one from a person who said a credit card country increased my promotional APR from a very low 4.99 to 28.99 percent even though I have had no late payments.
The fight to stop these practices is one New York congresswoman Karen Maloney has lost before, but with an ally in the White House, this time the so-called credit card holder's bill of rights could become law.
REP.CAROLYN MALONEY (D), NEW YORK: When we go to a store and buy a gallon of milk, they don't change it as we're walking out the door. A contract is a contract. If you're going to change that contract you have got to tell the consumer. You've got to be clear in your terms.
KEILAR: Maloney's bill would require credit card companies to give you 45 days notice before upping your interest rate, force them to mail your bill at least 25 days before it's due, and prevent companies from increasing your rate because of late or missed payments on unrelated cards or debt.
Credit card companies staunchly oppose the changes saying if they can't penalize risky card holders, they may have to deny credit to other consumers and small businesses.
NESSA FEDDIS, AMERICAN BANKERS ASSOCIATION: They may also find that the costs are increasing and that some people who manage their credit well will have to pay for those who don't.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: Here's the timeline for this. The House of Representatives is supposed to vote on this next week. It's expected to pass the House. The Senate, however, more of a question mark. That is where this credit card holder's bill of rights has been hung up before.
And Heidi, it's also important to note these changes we're talking about under this at least House bill wouldn't go into effect until next summer. That's actually the same time that the Federal Reserve is putting some similar regulations in place. Heidi?
COLLINS: Yes. Why not sooner on that, Brianna?
KEILAR: Sure. Because you have a lot of critics who say I'm hurting right now, I need some help right now with my credit card.
COLLINS: Yes.
KEILAR: Actually, Karen Maloney, the congresswoman behind the credit card holder's bill of rights was pushing for these changes to go into effect almost immediately. She was actually rebuffed by some members of her own party who say that credit card companies just weren't going to be able to imply that quickly.
She did win a small battle, though, Heidi. One change that will go into effect, if this is accepted in its form, this House bill, and that is the giving you 45 days notice before your interest rate on your credit card would increase. The idea there, Heidi, is that it would give you time to say, no, I don't want that interest rate, I'm not going to make any more purchases or look for a card with a better rate.
COLLINS: Yes. Got it. All right. Very good. Brianna Keilar, of course, on Capitol Hill.
Thanks, Brianna.
So, how would credit card reforms help you, the consumer? Here with a closer look at that, CNN's personal finance editor Gerri Willis.
Gerri, good morning to you. Why is this such a big deal right now?
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Well, Heidi, yes, credit card issuers have been tightening the screws on consumers for some time now, even ones who are up-to-date and on-time paying their bills.
Consumers are complaining not only that rates are rising but that limits are falling and that really hurts their credit scores. Some issuers are closing accounts due to inactivity. That also can hurt your credit score. Here are some specific examples of changes. Capital One increased rates on many of their cards including Platinum Prestige customers to 11.9 percent from 7.15. Bank of America increasing rates on card holders with very high balances. Discover increasing its balance transfer rate to four percent from three percent. All of this very recently.
For that reason, experts expect some kind of reform to come and to come soon. Already, there are two bills in Congress, as Brianna was saying. Both would ban credit card companies from abruptly jacking up interest rates and fees and preventing young adults, college students, from getting credit cards - Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes. Aren't there new rules, though, on the horizon for these credit card companies to talk about?
WILLIS: Yes, Brianna was mentioning the Federal Reserve rules which go into effect in July 2010.
Here's what you can expect from those. First of all, highest interest balances would be paid first. So your payment wouldn't necessarily go to the low interest that you have, but to the high interest.
Limits on over-the-limit fees. Over-the-limit fees, if you go over your credit card limit you get imposed a fee, they are trying to bring that down. It would end universal defaults so that if you're late with your water bill, it won't affect your credit card interest.
Longer billing cycles, as Brianna was mentioning.
And I have to tell, I ran into Representative Karen Maloney this week. You know, she says, look, we need a law, not just promises, not just rules. You know, we know how ineffective rules work for the mortgage interest. It's time to get a law on the books.
COLLINS: Interesting. We'll see how that goes over. Sure do appreciate it.
WILLIS: My pleasure.
COLLINS: Gerri Willis, our personal finance editor, thank you.
Well, as you well know, times are tough, tougher than most of us have witnessed in our lifetimes. We want to help you take control of your job, your money and your home. So watch our series called "MONEY & MAIN STREET" tonight 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
Gusty winds and out of control fire near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Certainly not a good scenario or a combination. Rob Marciano is following all of that for us this morning.
Hi there, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Heidi. This thing flared up yesterday, late Thursday -- late afternoon. And it's already burned about 8,000 acres, then nightfall came and they had to evacuate a bunch of people.
Forty homes have been destroyed from this fire just north Myrtle Beach. Very close to the obviously very popular town in beach community, Myrtle Beach. They've got about 8,000 acres have burned. They had -- last time they had a fire this big was back like in '71 where about 30,000 acres were burned.
They evacuated 2,500 people so far, mostly west of the Highway 17 there. So this continues to be an issue, Heidi, with them battling this thing.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: Yes. Such a huge, huge golfing community there, too.
MARCIANO: Mm-hmm. For sure. So a lot of folks, a lot of money there and...
COLLINS: Yes.
MARCIANO: ... they want to get a handle on this thing real quick.
COLLINS: Exactly. All right, Rob, we know you'll stay on top of that for us. Thanks so much. Appreciate it.
MARCIANO: You got it.
COLLINS: Meanwhile to this story now we've been telling you about. Pakistan today pushing back against the Taliban's infiltration of a district 60 miles from the capital of Islamabad.
Paramilitary troops have been deployed to Buner. That district is just south of a Swat Valley, the site of a controversial deal between the government and the militants. Pakistan agreed to pull troops out of the region and allow Taliban to put strict Islamic law in place there.
But as part of that deal the militants were supposed to give up their weapons. They have not and now they have advanced further south. In fact, gunfire erupted in Buner today as Pakistani forces move into the districts.
CNN's Ivan Watson has the latest from Islamabad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A deadly ambush took place in Pakistan's Buner district located a little more than 60 miles from the Pakistani capital. That region was occupied by Taliban militants earlier this week.
Now paramilitary forces and police were on their way into that district in a convoy when they were ambushed by militants. One police officer killed. Another wounded says a local police officer. The spokesman for the Pakistani military say that meetings are under way, negotiations are under way between Pakistani government official, between local officials and the Taliban in that district. They have set up roadblocks. They've been broadcasting on FM radio. They say they are there to impose Sharia law.
Again, a little bit more than 60 miles from the capital of this nuclear armed nation. Now, the spokesman for the Pakistani military, he has a tough warning for the Taliban. Quote, "The Taliban will either move out or they'll be thrown out, one way or another."
And in a reminder that this is more than just a one-front conflict. On the western side of Pakistan, in the city of Peshawar there was an ambush today of a fuel depot. Police in Peshawar say that militants attacked fuel trucks that were going to carry fuel to American NATO forces in Afghanistan. Attack them with rocket propelled grenades, blowing up at least six fuel trucks.
Ivan Watson, CNN, Islamabad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Pakistan's ambassador to the U.S. tells CNN the Taliban is not about to take over his nation. Still the U.S. is sounding grave concern over the possibility a nuclear armed Pakistan could fall into terrorist hands.
Our Barbara Starr is joining us now from the Pentagon.
And Barbara, we do understand Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was in Islamabad to meet with some Pakistani official. Do we know what came out of those meetings?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, he left Pakistan earlier today. He's back in Kabul, Afghanistan, Heidi. This is one of a series of meetings Admiral Mullen has been having with the Pakistanis trying to urge them to crack down on these militants but, by all accounts, so far, it's not really working.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STARR (voice-over): It's a chilling notion. Could the Taliban be planning and succeed in taking over Pakistan?
HILARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We cannot underscore the seriousness of the existential threat posed to the state of Pakistan.
STARR: The problems have moved beyond the lawless border region. After seizing the Swat valley Taliban militants have increased their presence in the neighboring Buner district, some 60 miles from the capital Islamabad.
The U.S. doesn't believe militants have full control of the region but that may not matter. The Taliban vow to bring Sharia law here. That means few rights for women and swift, hardlined justice, all a challenge to Pakistani president, Asif Ali Zardari.
Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, is back in the region for more meetings with Pakistani commanders.
U.S. officials insist Pakistan still fully controls its nuclear weapons but there is deepening U.S. worry that Pakistan's military remains reluctant to challenge the Taliban in their effort to appease militant may have simply emboldened them.
MAJ. GEN. MICHAEL S. TUCKER, INTL. SECURITY ASSISTANCE FORCE: It is on our radar. We're concerned about that.
STARR: Concerns are only growing. The latest U.S. assessment? Insurgent leaders may have thousands of fighters in their ranks.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STARR: So, you know, Heidi, here's the nightmare scenario. What if will Taliban were to make an attempt to being to control the Pakistani government? Would the all powerful Pakistani military step in and try and prevent that?
Right now, the Pakistani government says they are fully in charge. The nuclear weapons are safe. And they don't appear to be terribly concerned. Heidi?
COLLINS: Interesting. All right, Barbara, we know you'll follow that one closely for us. Sure do appreciate it.
Barbara Starr from the Pentagon today.
Some people outraged over the lifting of a restriction. Seventeen-year-olds will be able to buy morning-after contraceptive pills without a prescription.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: A controversial decision just out by the Food and Drug Administration. It's about the morning-after pill.
Want to bring in our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta who's joining us now from our Los Angeles bureau this morning.
And Sanjay, tell us about this pill and why now it is controversial. We're talking about an age group here.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. You know, this has been controversial for a long time. It's called Plan B. It's the morning-after pill, as you mentioned. And really since August of 2006, it's been available without a prescription for women 18 years and older.
What's changed here is that last month, a month ago, a federal court wrote a letter to the FDA saying this should be made available to women 17 and older without a prescription. So, essentially, changing the age limit here.
The FDA did not appeal that. They say they are going to imply with that, sending a letter to the manufacturers of Plan B saying they can go ahead and market it now to 17-year-olds and up without a prescription.
As you point out as well, Heidi, it was interesting to us as we investigated this if you dig deeper into that particular letter from the federal court, they say is there a -- is it possible that this Plan B should be available to women and girls of any age without a prescription? They're not saying that should happen yet but they're asking the FDA to look into that as a possibility as well. So this may become even broader as time goes on, Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes. And part of that controversy is some people really argue this pill is actually abortion.
GUPTA: Well, the way this works is, essentially, a lot of progesterone is released into the body. It's sort of like taking several birth control pills all at once. Now when you released that much progesterone into the body, it can prevent ovulation from happening in the first place, it prevents the eggs from being released.
It can also prevent sperm from fertilizing the egg as you're seeing there and it may also prevent the -- if an egg is fertilized from implanting into the uterine walls. So you know,, there's -- call it what you want but that's essentially how it works, Heidi.
COLLINS: All right. CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta from L.A.
Thanks, Sanjay.
GUPTA: Good morning. Thanks.
COLLINS: He's a billionaire businessman who's never at a loss for words. Donald Trump lays it all out in a new book called "Think Like a Champion." He'll be here live to talk about his book, the state of the economy and little on what makes him tick. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: The sputtering economy impacting most of us. Businessman and media mogul Donald Trump is no exception. But he is a survivor. He outlines just how he does it in his new book called "Think Like a Champion."
Donald Trump joining us now live from New York.
Good morning to you. Thanks for being here. I want to begin with a couple of spots of news that everyone seems to be talking about and one of them is certainly the auto industry.
GM, in fact, is likely going to announce -- we think it's going to happen today -- that they're going to have to shut down some of their factories for seven weeks over the summer. Do you think that we're kind of trying to resuscitate a patient that has already died here?
DONALD TRUMP, AUTHOR, "THINK LIKE A CHAMPION": No, I don't. I think General Motors can again become a great company. It will become a great company. It needs leadership. It needs some good ideas.
It will go bankrupt, they will negotiate with bondholders, they will negotiate with unions and I think it will end up being a great company again. Maybe as good as it was before. We can't say better because it used to be the pinnacle, it used to be the ultimate.
COLLINS: Right.
TRUMP: But it will be a great company again, in my opinion.
COLLINS: All right. We'll be watching for that, obviously.
Also, I want to turn to the housing market. You know a little bit about that. Existing home sales for March are going to be due out in less than an hour from now so we'll have them here. They are predicting another fall from last month.
Would you be willing to say that we've reached the bottom here yet or could there be more to come?
TRUMP: Well, I think we're reaching close to the bottom, Heidi. It's getting there. I think we'll be there. People are buying houses. This is the time to buy houses. You get a great pricing.
Try buying the housing from a bank because they'll supply financing. The sad part is the banks have money given to them by the taxpayer, by the president, by everybody, but they're not loaning the money. The only way they'll loan the money is if you go in and buy a house that they got stuck. They'll loan you the money for that.
So I would strongly recommend trying to buy a house from a bank as opposed to going out and buying from an individual.
COLLINS: As a huge businessman, for lack of a better term there, what would you say overall, in general, about the business climate right now?
TRUMP: Well, it's terrible. It's probably the worst since 1929. People are just getting decimated. It doesn't get any worse. And frankly had they not stuffed the banks with money, the banks were all out of business, had they not put the banks back in business by giving them taxpayer money, you would have 1929 all over again.
So certainly, the climate is terrible. But as I discuss in the book this is the greatest time to go out and make deals. This is the greatest time I've ever seen for going out and buying something, even if you don't have that much money, you can make deals.
COLLINS: You know, I need to talk to you quickly about Miss USA while we have you here. There is, obviously, a little bit of controversy there. Something that one of the judges, Perez Hilton, actually said to Miss California's response about gay rights and her feeling that marriage should be about a man and a woman.
The pushback and sort of jilting that she got from him was pretty rough in a lot of people's opinions. Would you have him back on the show?
TRUMP: Well, I would have him back. It was a tough question, but it was really a question that's, obviously, at the forefront of the news long before he asked this question. This is something that's going on all over the country. Probably all over the world. And this is a big debate.
It was a very, very unlucky move for her to get that question, because, frankly, no matter how she answered it, she's going to lose. If she gave the other answer, then the people that currently support her...
COLLINS: Right.
TRUMP: ... would have been very angry.
COLLINS: Yes.
TRUMP: So it was a pretty tough question. I don't believe she lost because of that question, however. I think she lost -- she came in second. She didn't lose. There were no losers but it was a pretty tough question.
COLLINS: Yes. Indeed. All right. So the book. "Think Like a Champion." I've read quite a bit of it and it's interesting because it's a compilation of several small essays. It's sort of a teaching manual, if you will. At least that's the way I saw it.
What do you really want people to take away from this?
TRUMP: Well, I wrote a book, a business book, that was the biggest selling business book of all time and I called it "The Art of the Deal." And so many people have put pressure on me to do this book and it was -- it really talks about the current times that we're in the bad times.
These are horrible economic times. You just saw the jobs report.
COLLINS: Yes.
TRUMP: 650 jobs lost in the month. I mean it's terrible. So I wrote a book. I talk about fear. I talk about how to handle fear. People are really afraid right now, Heidi. And I discuss how to handle fear and how to put fear to work for you.
And it's not just aimed at entrepreneurs or people like myself it's aimed at people want to go out and make a better life for themselves. Make money and be happy. So I really am honored by how well it's been doing. We've been having a lot of fun with it. It just hit the best-seller list. COLLINS: Yes. I'll tell you I did enjoy it myself. And we sure do appreciate your time here this morning. Donald Trump, the name of the book, "Think Like a Champion." Thank you.
TRUMP: Thanks, Heidi.
COLLINS: So how has the government spent hundreds of billions of your dollars? The so-called bailout czar is about to give us some answers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: More tough news on the state of the economy. Unemployment lines are still getting longer. GM may be idling plants and a shipping giant doesn't see a recovery until next year.
But on Wall Street, investors are optimistic, nonetheless. And stock futures are pointing higher.
Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with details.
So, how does that all that work, Susan?
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Because, Heidi, investors are taking their cue from Apple. The company's quarterly earnings jumped 15 percent. The recession has certainly not slowed sales of its iPhone and iTouch. Investors also relieved here that CEO Steve Jobs plans to return from medical leave in two months as scheduled.
But earnings from UPS could offset some of that optimism. The shipping giant's quarterly profit cut in half on huge decline from businesses and consumers alike. UPS doesn't see the economy recovering until next year.
Another day, another headline at GM. News report say the automaker plans to close most of its U.S. factories for up to nine weeks this summer. It's usually closed for about two weeks in July. The idea is to reduce the backlog of unsold cars and trucks. On the economic front, new jobless claims jumped last week. Continuing claims topped 6.1 million. A 13th straight record highs.
We're not seeing any records on Wall Street in the first minute of trading, but we are higher. The Dow by a few points, the NASDAQ by a few points.
Hershey, meanwhile, its shares are up four percent. On quarterly earnings that's surge 20 percent, even sweeter than the street is expecting. The maker of Reese's wafers and KitKat benefited from a longer Easter sale season and your recent price increase.
And Heidi, did you check out who was ringing the opening bell?
COLLINS: Nick Swisher. Yes?
LISOVICZ: Nick Swisher, New York Yankee. He was acquired last year. He's number 33. He's an outfielder, Heidi. But last week, he pitched the bottom of the eighth because the Yankees were getting killed by Tampa. I'm happy to say he did not give up a run and he saved the bullpen for another day.
And then one last night, the Yankees won in 14 innings.
COLLINS: You're not a fan, are you, Susan?
LISOVICZ: No, no. I was hoping my boyfriend would come, Derek Jeter. He couldn't show. He's still resting from all those extra innings.
COLLINS: Understood. All right.
Susan Lisovicz, thanks so much. We'll check back with you a little bit later on.
LISOVICZ: You got it.
COLLINS: We are following some breaking news we want to tell you about. Out of Iraq now, the Iraqi military is claiming it has captured a top al Qaeda leader. And more than 70 people are dead in separate suicide bombings around the country.
We want to go live now to Baghdad, and CNN's Cal Perry with the latest.
Cal, good morning to you.
CAL PERRY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.
What we're hearing from the Iraqi military that they say they have captured Abu Omar Al-Baghdadi.
Now, this is the man who is believed to run the Islamic army in Iraq. They oversee al Qaeda's operations. But we want to be very careful on our reporting here to our viewers. CNN is not saying that this man has been captured. We are reporting what the Iraqi army is telling us.
The reason for that is this. In 2007, the Interior Ministry reported that this individual was captured. In May of the same year, they reported that the U.S. military had killed al-Baghdadi. Both of those reports turned out within 24 to 48 hours to be false.
So at this point, we are just saying that the Iraqi army has said that they have captured this man in the eastern part of Baghdad. If true it is certainly big news for Iraq. That would be the head basically of al Qaeda in Iraq captured by the Iraqi military. Certainly, a pivotal moment if it does turn out to be fact.
Now on those two bombings, we've had two very, very bad bombings across the country today. The first in Baghdad. At least 28 people killed, another 52 wounded. That target was Iraqi police. They were actually handing out distribution aid to families that had been displaced by violence. And then in northern Iraq, I have fresh numbers just in from the Iraqi government. Forty-eight people killed, 63 people wounded. That was a restaurant. A suicide bomber blew himself up. We understand the restaurant collapsed on itself so those figures could go up - Heidi.
COLLINS: Boy, sounds awful.
All right, Cal, I know you've got a lot of work to do. Let us know if we need to come back to you.
Cal Perry for us live from Iraq this morning.
The bank rescue plan. Now, do you know where your $700 billion is? We should find out this hour on Capitol Hill. The so-called bailout czar is updating lawmakers on how your money is being spent.
CNN's Christine Romans, joining us now from New York to set the stage for us.
A lot of people wanting to know what happened to all that money?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Where has it been? Where has it gone? Has it done any good? Is it open to fraud or waste? Who is going to oversee just how well this is going?
Neil Barofsky is his name. And he is the bailout czar. And it's more than just the banks. The banks sees the autos. It's a lot of other programs, including consumer lending and mortgage. The mortgage program from the government. He's overseeing a whole bunch of them. And he has issued a report earlier this week, but he's going to talk to Congress about today.
This report shows how you get -- there are 20 criminal investigations ongoing right now and six audits of all of these different bailouts, interventions and financial rescues that we've seen in the economy. And he has some very specific concerns and recommendations for Congress.
He wants to better value government shares and financial institutions. Figure out what it's worth. These different shares and different kinds of shares that the government has in its investments and all of these different financial companies.
And he's warning of fraud risk in consumer lending and in the mortgage rescue program. He wants to make sure that the government is doing a good job of safeguarding consumers against fraud in these programs.
Also he wants safeguards against conflict of interest in the toxic assets plan. Remember that? That's -- that's where...
COLLINS: Oh, yes.
ROMANS: ... the public private partnership of government money and private investor money to buy these toxic assets off the banks' books. He wants to make sure that there are safeguards in there to prevent any kind of manipulation of that program or money laundering even.
So he's got a lot of concerns and he is the guy who is going to be with his team. Currently, I think he has fired 35 people. There will be 150 people, and his office is next to the Treasury, who will be watching how this money is going out the door.
COLLINS: Wow. It sounds like they're needed, when you put it in that perspective.
ROMANS: Sure.
COLLINS: New concerns also about the viability of GM. Now, we were just talking with Susan about reports that they are going to idle these plants over the summertime. What's the deal here?
ROMANS: Well, and as you already pointed out, usually in July, you get a couple of weeks of idling. The normal retooling of people take furloughs or time off then. This could be up to nine weeks. And employees are waiting for as early as today to find out, Heidi, how much time they will be off this summer when they simply shut down most of these plants.
There's already about five or six months worth of GM cars sitting there in inventories, ready to be sold and they haven't. So why would you make new ones, right?
Quickly, let me just tell you what GM has to say about this. They say, "We continue to work with the U.S. Treasury to revise our business plan, to go faster and deeper as required by President Obama. As part of the plan, we previously acknowledge we will idle several U.S. assembly, stamping and powertrain plants."
Currently, they are finalizing those plans. It is our intent. And they have said this again and again, Heidi, they will tell their employees first. We'll hear about it right after.
COLLINS: All right. Very good. We are watching all of that closely.
CNN's Christine Romans. Thank you, Christine.
ROMANS: You're welcome.
COLLINS: A fast-moving fire threatening one of the busiest tourist spots along the South Carolina coast. So far, 3,000 acres and more than 40 homes have burned near Myrtle Beach. And gusty winds are certainly not helping matters. The only casualties, though, so far, are pets.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I see my neighbor's dogs. The fire was close to him and I'm trying to pull the chain. I can't let it loose. The fire got on him. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The only thing I know is that I got a call saying that my house was on fire, but it was a structure shed that was on fire and one of the dogs had died in it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The fire is far from under control, too. And more areas are actually being evacuated this morning.
So what about those winds? Rob Marciano is joining us now to talk a little bit about that.
Always a terrible combination with fire.
MARCIANO: Yes. It's pretty dry over there, too. So, we're not going to see any rainfall here in the next day or two. Winds will be a little bit lighter today than they have been. But for all intents and purposes, the firefighters are going to have to battle this on their own because no rain is going to be helping them out for sure.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: Yes. I heard that. All right.
That's why I wore the yellow suit. Trying to bring back the sun.
MARCIANO: Very flattering. That's good.
COLLINS: All right. Thank you, rob.
MARCIANO: See you.
COLLINS: We'll talk to you later on.
MARCIANO: Yes.
COLLINS: Now, if you are trying to eat healthy, you probably have fish on the menu as often as you can, right? But experts say there should be limits as we age.
CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports in our "30, 40, 50."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JACKIE KAMINER, CONCERNED MOM: I'm going to feed my family of five tonight. You think I might get some cod?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Jackie Kaminer is buying fish for dinner. She knows it's full of nutrients, but she's still careful not to serve too much.
KAMINER: I am concerned about the mercury levels in the fish and what that can do to your body.
GUPTA: Mercury is a toxin that affects the nervous system. Mostly caused by industrial pollution released into the atmosphere, mercury contaminates water systems when it rains. As fish feed on one another, mercury stores up in their bodies. The larger the fish, like sharks, swordfish, mackerel and fresh tuna, the more mercury.
DR. JOHN BUEK, WASHINGTON HOSPITAL CENTER: They could affect your IQ long term in people who get acutely expose to high levels of mercury. They can even have gait problems or motor skill problems. And ultimately, people can die over mercury poison if it's high.
GUPTA: In their child-bearing years, women need to watch the fish they eat. That's because mercury can affect an unborn fetus.
BUEK: That's when it's most susceptible when the nervous system is developing.
GUPTA: The U.S. Department of Agriculture advises pregnant women and women of child-bearing age to avoid fish high in mercury such as Shark, Mackerel and Swordfish. Even those fish with lower mercury levels should be kept 12 ounces a week. And as for fresh tuna...
BUEK: Our recommendations are to limit it to maybe six ounces or one per week.
GUPTA: As you get older, if you consistently eat a lot of fish, mercury can build up in the body.
Last year, 43-year-old actor Jeremy Piven dropped out of a Broadway play complaining of severe fatigue and exhaustion. The reason according to his doctor, mercury toxicity. He claims he ate fish, mainly sushi, twice a day for years.
BUEK: Sashimi, particularly the tuna, that's where you would have the higher levels.
GUPTA: Various studies have found those who eat large amounts of mercury-laden fish throughout their lives can suffer from mild depression, cognitive problems, even high blood pressure.
Health experts say at any age, moderation is key. Fish is full of good things for you like Omega 3 fatty acids, which can protect the heart. It's also choked full of protein and Vitamin D. So doctors say be like Jackie Kaminer. Pick your fish wisely and enjoy.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Profile of an alleged child killer. We're learning more about the Sunday school teacher charged with murdering her 8- year-old neighbor. We'll have the details.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Pakistan is pushing back against the Taliban. It has sent paramilitary troops to Buner. It's a district about 60 miles from the capital. Taliban militants moved in earlier this week and are said to be in control now of about 25 percent of that area. They have said they will not interfere with schools, hospitals, or police. But overnight, one person was killed in a gun battle between militants and arriving troops.
U.S. troops leaving the battlefields of Iraq and landing in a place even more dangerous now -- Afghanistan. There, they face the militant Taliban that are growing stronger and more sophisticated.
In this exclusive report, CNN's Frederik Pleitgen travels along with one battalion as it heads to a new war.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Wheeled up from Baghdad, American troops leaving Iraq, but not heading home. We're in the cockpit of an Air Force C-17 cargo plane headed for Kandahar, Afghanistan.
On board, soldiers and a mine crew vehicle from the 4th engineering battalion, redeploying straight from Baghdad as the U.S. shift its focus from Iraq to Afghanistan.
LT. COL. KEVIN LANDERS, U.S. ARMY: The president has asked our army and our country basically to support his initiative to kind of change the effort, if you will, or bolster the effort in Afghanistan. And we're really spearheading some of that effort.
PLEITGEN: The soldiers hadn't even finished painting their emblem on the blast walls at this camp in Iraq. They deployed here about two months ago. Now Private First Class Kimble Han is already carrying down the tent his unit just finished setting up.
OFC. KIMBLE HAN, U.S. ARMY: I think we're looking forward to. I think we've been prepared. I think we've all done the training that's necessary to accomplish the mission we have.
UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER: Lock and load. Next!
PLEITGEN: Preparation for Afghanistan includes extra target practice.
UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER: You're jerking when you pull the trigger, you're jerking.
PLEITGEN: As they get ready to face the Taliban in possible firefighters. The fourth engineering battalion specializes in route clearance, clearing roads of bombs and land mines.
LT. MATTHEW FITZGIBBON, U.S. ARMY: With years and years of war going on in the Afghanistan area, there's a lot of anti-vehicular and anti-personnel mines that are still out there, that haven't been cleared.
PLEITGEN: Their skills are so badly needed in Afghanistan, the military is air-lifting the entire unit out of Iraq. 500 soldiers and their special vehicles, each weighs about 40,000 pounds. (on camera): Right now, the soldiers that you see under this vehicle right here, what they're doing is they're putting wood blocks under the axle so the vehicle doesn't bounce around during the flight.
(voice-over): The move requires about 50 giant C-17 cargo planes. For the soldiers, a lot of time waiting, thinking about the new missions and their families back home.
UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER: I know that I'm going, but they don't know -- I try not to tell them too much, you know, just to get them worried, but they don't know what it's going to be like.
PLEITGEN: Then it's finally time to get on board.
UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER: Awesome.
PLEITGEN: After a flight of several hours, the pilots put on their helmets for a combat landing at the Kandahar Airport, one of the most dangerous approaches in the world. Exhausted, the soldiers hit the ground for the first time in their new battlefield.
(on camera): Shortly after arrival, the soldiers from the 4th engineering battalion have already found out how important their job is going to be here. So far, no one has been doing route clearance in this area. No one has been ridding the roads of roadside bombs and also of land mines. So for them, this is the beginning of a long deployment.
Frederik Pleitgen, CNN, Kandahar, Afghanistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Inside the apartment of the suspected Craigslist killer. Police reportedly find unusual items from his alleged victims kept as so-called souvenirs.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Media reports say it looks like the Craigslist killing suspect collected underwear from his alleged victims. The report says suspect Philip Markoff apparently kept them at souvenirs and hid him at his apartment in a medical book.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES ALAN FOX, CRIMINOLOGIST, NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY: We all like to keep souvenirs of our successes, whether it's in sports or in business. And here's a souvenir of his success at being an offender.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Markoff, who is attending Boston University Medical School, is charged with killing a woman he apparently met through a Craigslist online ad. He's also charged in the robbery of another woman at a Boston hotel.
There is a lot going on this morning, and we have crews working to bring everything to you that you need to know.
I want to check in now with some of our correspondents beginning with you, Suzanne Malveaux.
Good morning.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. Well, here at the White House, we're waiting for President Obama to meet with at least a dozen executives from top credit card companies. Obviously, the message here is that he wants to cut this credit card abuse and crack down on it. And we'll much more of that at the top of the hour.
KEILAR: I'm Brianna Keilar on Capitol Hill, where the credit card holders bill of rights finally has a fighting chance. So what's in it for you? I'll tell you at the top of the hour.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Elizabeth Cohen here with this week's "Empowered Patient."
Are you addicted to Facebook? Psychologist say that Facebook addiction is causing more and more problems. I'll have a quiz today to figure out if you're one of them at the top of the hour.
COLLINS: Uh-oh. All right. Thanks so much, guys. We'll talk more later.
We are also following the fast-moving, out of control fire heading straight for a popular South Carolina tourist spot.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: New details are coming out about the California Sunday school teacher accused of killing an 8-year-old girl. Melissa Huckaby is accused of kidnapping, raping and murdering young Sandra Cantu.
More now from CNN's Dan Simon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What you're about to hear, could it be the voice of a child killer, the woman charged with killing 8-year-old Sandra Cantu?
MELISSA HUCKABY, MURDER SUSPECT: Sandra was my daughter's best friend.
SIMON: Shortly before her arrest, Melissa Huckaby spoke by phone to a reporter from KPIX-TV in San Francisco. He asked about certain details of the case, including whether the suitcase that contained Sandra's body had belonged to Huckaby.
Huckaby sounds like an intelligent woman, cool but under enormous pressure.
HUCKABY: The police have not disclosed any information as to whether or not it is my suitcase. I know they are in the process of getting pictures of suitcases. So that I can let them know whether or not this specific suitcase is mine.
SIMON: But later in court, her inner turmoil spilled out into the open and details continued to emerge about the 28-year-old's past, which includes a heated divorce and a conviction for petty theft.
And there's more. Police in Southern California confirmed to CNN that Huckaby was questioned but never arrested in an arson case from July of 2007. Huckaby rented a room at this house, which caught fire twice that month.
But nothing in her known past would explain what might have caused Huckaby to kill. A famed forensic pathologist, Dr. Cyril Wecht, who is not connected to this case, offers this theory.
DR. CYRIL WECHT, FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST: I think that something ensued, possibly a sexual advance, which was spurned. Maybe a threat was made by the little girl, I'm going to tell my mommy, or whatever, and that precipitated a rage.
SIMON: Just three months ago, police in Tracy investigated whether Huckaby may have abducted another little girl. The 7-year-old lived in the same mobile home park where Sandra and Huckaby lived and disappeared for four hours. A few hours after the girl was returned, her family discovered she was under the influence of a drug, later determined to be muscle relaxers. But police say they could not prove that Huckaby had given the drug, and no arrest was made.
(on camera): As for Sandra Cantu's murder, police have not given a motive but say Huckaby acted alone. On Friday, she's back in court and expected to enter a plea.
Dan Simon, CNN, Tracy, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
