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Senators Want Quicker Action on Credit Card Fees; Taliban Gaining Strength in Pakistan; Veterans Testify about Afghanistan Needs; Former Labor Sec Grades Obama's First 100 Days; Experts Weighing in on Obama's First 100 Days; Facebook Habit Turns into Addiction for Some; Iraqi Military Claims Al Qaeda Leader Arrested; Documentary Features Afghani Girl Sold into Marriage at Age Seven
Aired April 23, 2009 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Buy now, pay later, or is that pray later? We're pushing forward on a presidential push for credit card fairness and we're airing your horror stories.
A nightmare scenario in Pakistan. The Taliban pushing forward. The government pushing back, but still losing ground. The latest live from the capital moments from now.
Hello, everyone, I'm Kyra Phillips, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Well, if you ever tried reaching a real person at your credit card company, imagine top executives, all of the big companies, coming to your house. Oh, it's good to be president.
As we speak President Obama is taking 14 of the biggest names in plastic to the wood shed -- I mean the White House, over what critics call abusive and deceptive practices. Punitive rate hikes based on late payments to other creditors and double cycle billing, a.k.a. finance charges on balances that may have been paid off the month before.
The Federal Reserve and two congressional panels have come up with separate versions of a credit card holder's bill of rights, all of which the industry opposes.
CNN's Brianna Keilar joins me now from the Capitol with some new developments.
Brianna, two senators actually wanting to change this, right? What do you know?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. Well, Kyra, the Fed has already committed to some new rules changes for credit card companies. But we've just learned that senators Schumer and Senator Dodd, Chuck Schumer and Chris Dodd, that they just sent a letter to Fed chairman Ben Bernanke, asking him to speed up this process.
And the change they're really looking for is for credit card companies to be told, effective immediately, that they cannot increase interest rates on an existing balance. So let's say, Kyra, that I owe $4,000 on my credit card, and my credit card interest rate is 11 percent. And I am told by my credit card company that it's going to go up to 28 percent on all of those charges that I already owe. What senators Dodd and Schumer want to do is, effective immediately, have the Fed tell credit card companies, "You can't do that." That's basically it in a nutshell, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: So that's why the rush, correct?
KEILAR: Yes, there is this rush, because what I just talked about, the Fed has already committed to making that change. The thing is, it wouldn't go into effect until next summer, July of 2010. And the senators, as well as many consumer advocates say, knowing that they're going to be facing these changes, credit card companies have upped interest rates without cause on many consumers.
And so they say this needs to go into effect right now so that people who are using credit cards aren't facing that, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Brianna Keilar, appreciate it.
And when it comes to debt in general, the best surprise is no surprise. CNN's Gerri Willis joins me now with how not to get blind- sided by your MasterCard or Visa or Discovery or AmEx, or whatever...
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Whatever.
PHILLIPS: ... whatever it is you have. Whatever the 20 cards that we have, right?
So what fees do consumers need to be aware of right now?
WILLIS: Well, there are lots of things to know. Rates, fees, in terms of your credit card, they can change at any time and for any reason, really. But these days, you want to pay particular attention to fees that, well, they're not obvious. Like this: an increase in minimum payment due. Now, for the most part your minimum payment due is 2 percent to 2.5 percent of your balance. But that could go higher, as high as 4 percent.
Balance transfer fees. It used to be the balance transfer fees were capped at 75 bucks, but more often credit card companies are getting rid of caps on balance transfer fees or increasing the fees. In fact, Discover will increase its balance transfer fee to 4 percent from 3 percent.
Late fees. All right. They're no joke. Thirty-five bucks in some cases, plus a higher interest rate. That's how they get you. Sometimes you're considered late if your payment, Kyra, is just a few hours after the deadline. Right now credit card companies are allowed to mail billing statements out two weeks before the statement is due. The new Federal Reserve rules will increase the length of that billing cycle to make it a little easier for you out there.
PHILLIPS: All right. So the consumers are hit with these fees. What can we do immediately? WILLIS: You have to be extra vigilant. You know, don't throw away anything that looks like junk mail from your credit card issuer. You never know when your terms are changing.
And if you aren't clear about what fees you could be on the hook for, you should ask your credit card issuer. If you're doing a balance transfer, read the fine print. Ask questions. Avoid late fees. Set up automatic payments from your checking account so you don't miss a deadline.
And of course, if you get hit with a fee or your terms change, it can't hurt to call your credit card issuer and plead your case. They don't want to lose your business. And if you've been a loyal customer, believe it or not you have leverage. Pick up the phone. Call them. Ask for a lower interest rate. Ask for them to change or take off a charge. You can do it. They need you now. These businesses are not as profitable as they used to be. They're having real trouble.
PHILLIPS: All right. Good advice, Gerri. Thanks so much.
WILLIS: My pleasure.
PHILLIPS: Well, we put a call out on our new blog for your credit card nightmares, and right away people started posting their problems. Check them out or post your own right now at CNN.com/newsroom. You can click on "Kyra" to find that story. We'll be reading your comments on the air throughout the newscast.
Well, houses are cheap, mortgages are cheap, for sales signs outnumber dandelions. So where are the buyers? The National Association of Realtors says that sales of existing homes fell 3 percent from February to March, but the median price edged up to a little over $175,000.
Pushing forward, the group expects better news this summer, in part because of tax incentives for first-time buyers.
First-time claims for jobless benefits are up again: 640,000. That's a bigger jump than economists had expected and a disappointing omen. That's for sure.
A report by Goldman Sachs suggests that unemployment claims peeked six to ten weeks before the recession ends. Let's take a look at the numbers now. Dow Industrials down almost four points there. We'll monitor the big board throughout the afternoon. Well, it looks like the regular summer shutdown at GM is going to last a lot longer than usual this year. A published report says that the automaker is going to extend its usual two-week assembly plant shutdown to as much as nine weeks. It's all part of GM's effort to reduce inventories nationwide.
Now, the A.P. reports the move could force thousands of workers to be laid off, at least temporarily.
Wouldn't it be cool to grade the politicians that you elected? Join us on President Obama's 100th day in office for a CNN national report card. That's next Wednesday night. Grade them along with the best political team. We can do it all together. Rate the president, Congress, and state leaders next Wednesday night beginning at 8 Eastern. It's online and also on TV.
Pakistan pushes back. The Taliban stand their ground. It's a potentially explosive situation. Anti-American terrorists threatening one of America's key allies in the war on terror.
Here's the latest. Pakistan has developed or deployed, rather, troops to the Buner district, just 60 miles from Islamabad, where Taliban militants have seized at least partial control. Now, the militants are also locking up courthouses, seizing court documents, imposing their harsh brand of Islamic law instead.
And today authorities say that a van carrying paramilitary troops was actually fired on, killing a police officer and wounding another.
Well, that's what we know so far. Here's what we want to know. If the Taliban keeps advancing, will Pakistan impose martial law? And could this lead to another military takeover of the government? Plus, to what degree should the United States get involved? We'll keep watching for developments on that second question.
For now, let's get straight to Islamabad and CNN's Ivan Watson.
IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, we don't know if there's going to be any move towards martial law here. What we do see is some confusion from different organs of the Pakistani government over what to do with those Taliban militants that have occupied that region about 60 miles in that direction, to the north of Islamabad.
From the military, we are hearing vows to throw the Taliban out using force, if necessary, from that district of Buner. From the provincial government in that region, a warning that the Taliban has violated a cease-fire agreement that was signed last week with the federal government. And from the federal government, a call to wait and see and hope that maybe this can be resolved peacefully.
So we're getting a muddled answer from these different agencies, Kyra. In the meantime the Taliban are in that area. They seem to be hunkering down. And that could become another stronghold for the Taliban. Again, just 60 miles away from the capital of this nuclear- armed country -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Now, U.S. involvement, what could that role be? What are you hearing, Ivan?
WATSON: Well, there is a very important American role here, and that has to do with American drone attacks, missile bombardments that take place in the west of Pakistan on suspected Taliban and militant targets. There is a very divisive issue here in Pakistan, and it's one that the militants have used to help attract more support among locals in their areas.
If the U.S. military stopped those kinds of attacks, perhaps that would hurt one of the Taliban's rallying cries. But we don't know right now whether the Pakistani government is capable of handling the Taliban on its own. As we've seen in just the past week, the Taliban moving forward and, not only into this Buner district to the north but into several other districts around the Swat Valley.
A big question right now: will the Pakistani government stand up to the Taliban? What measures will they take now? We know that the Pakistani military has sent a number of paramilitary troops to Buner district, and they're the ones that were ambushed today, with the loss of one Pakistani policeman -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Ivan Watson. We'll keep following the story with you. Thank you.
Well, it's definitely a real wake-up call to the Pakistani government, and that's what Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a House subcommittee hours ago. She says the standoff with the Taliban shows that they're not just confined to lawless frontier areas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We believe that there is a growing awareness on the part of the Pakistani government that their strategy, which historically, as you know, was to leave those areas basically alone. The British left them alone. The Pakistani government from its very inception left them alone. And the mindset was, "Well, that doesn't really affect us in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi." And now they're seeing that indeed it could.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, Clinton's real reason for being on Capitol Hill: the administration's latest budget request, which includes billions of dollars for military, government and civilian aid for Pakistan.
U.S. and Iraqi forces have been gunning for him for years. Now the Iraqi military claims it's nabbed a top al Qaeda-linked terrorist leader. A spokesperson says that troops seized Omar al-Baghdadi in a Baghdad offensive, but there's been no confirmation from U.S. forces.
It's believed that al-Baghdadi has an umbrella group that includes al Qaeda in Iraq, blamed for countless attacks on troops and civilians.
While that offensive was under way, suicide bombers struck in Baghdad and Diyala province, killing more than 70 people there. We're hearing that one of the attacks may have targeted Iranian pilgrims. We're going to go live to Baghdad this hour for more on those attacks, the alleged terrorist arrest, and the Iranian connection.
First-hand accounts from the front lines. Dramatic stories from combat vets about what's really happening on the ground in the battle for Afghanistan.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PHILLIPS: Well, part of South Carolina is caught between the Intercoastal Waterway and a wall of fire. Winds have pushed a wildfire into a residential area near Myrtle Beach now. Dozens of homes in ruins already. About 23 square miles are just simply gone. So far, no injuries reported.
Bonnie Schneider, we're talking about a pretty popular area under a state of emergency right now.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely, Kyra.
And I want to show you on Google Earth where we're talking about. Here's Conway, South Carolina. And there is North Myrtle Beach. So it's really a 3,000-area region in this area that we're watching that's already been charred by the wildfire.
I want to go right to video now and show you what it looks like in and around Horry County. We'll show you that video, and you can see the flames and the devastation. Here's the smoke just billowing up from behind damaged homes.
And Horry County particularly has seen some really unfortunately bad conditions. They already have, as I mentioned, 3,000 acres burned from Myrtle Beach -- North Myrtle Beach to Conway.
We're also tracking, as well, some other pictures from the Conway region. And you can see that this really shows you the dense smoke that is in the region. And the dense smoke has really been a concern all across this region. And judging by these pictures, it's definitely taking a while to contain. At least -- only 25 percent officially of the region has been under control in terms of flames.
All right. I want to go ahead and get rid of this video now and show you what's going on as we take a look at the temperatures in the region. Right now they are in the 70s and even in the 80s. So you saw pictures of that smoke. The dense smoke advisory goes until 8 p.m. in the evening.
Now, it's important to note the wind direction and speed. The winds haven't been as strong as they were earlier this morning and last night, but notice the winds mainly coming from the west. So what that's doing right now is it's pushing the smoke in a more northeasterly direction. So we're going to see the smoke crossing over the border into North Carolina, and that's going to bring about some changes in the forecast, as well. We'll be watching for that.
So overall, we're looking at conditions of the heat to build not only in South Carolina but also into Florida for today. And that's where we have another fire burning. We're watching this one closely, because we have hot and dry conditions all across Florida, South Carolina and coastal Georgia -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Bonnie, thanks.
Commemorating the victims of the Holocaust. President Obama says that history gives us cause for hope, but he says all of us have an obligation to resist intolerance.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: A call to move from witness to resistance. President Obama today took part in the National Holocaust Museum's Days of Remembrance ceremony inside the Capitol Rotunda. Mr. Obama says that all of us can apply the lessons of history to challenges of today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have the opportunity to make a habit of empathy to recognize ourselves in each other, to commit ourselves to resisting injustice and intolerance and indifference, in whatever forms they may take: whether confronting those who tell lies about history or doing everything we can to prevent and end atrocities like those that took place in Rwanda, those taking place in Darfur. That is my commitment as president. I hope that is yours, as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: President Obama says that all of us can act against intolerance. In his own words, no one can make us into bystanders without our consent.
Well, they're the kind of stories you just can't forget: a decorated group of military veterans testifying before Congress today, sharing stories about their combat experiences in Afghanistan.
CNN's Chris Lawrence standing by on Capitol Hill. He was there -- Chris.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kyra. This was the same committee that Senator John Kerry spoke to when he returned from Vietnam. Today the rhetoric wasn't quite as heated as that testimony, but the emotions were just as passionate.
In one instance we heard from a soldier who talked about being ambushed by insurgents in Afghanistan, getting into a ten-hour firefight, and watching one of his fellow soldiers hit, shot by a sniper.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STAFF SGT. CHRISTOPHER MCGURK (RET.), U.S. ARMY: As a trained EMT, I moved to assist the medic while continuing to direct the fire of my squad. Upon reaching the PFC O'Neil, he said to me, "Sergeant, is the squad OK?"
I told him that the squad was hanging in there. I told him not to worry, that I was going to get them out of there. He then said to me, "I'm sorry for letting you down." I told him that he didn't and to hold on.
The last words O'Neil ever spoke were "I'm sorry for letting you down." He was only 19 years old, yet he understood the mission was larger than himself. His last words were entirely selfless.
I held Evan's hand and said the "Our Father" as he died. Excuse me. As I think back to that day, I understand the memory and courage of men like PFC O'Neil must be honored with a clear and coherent strategy to help the people of Afghanistan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAWRENCE: Obviously some very, very strong feelings.
Again, we were hearing from the rank and file. These are boots on the ground, not the higher-level colonels and generals that we're accustomed to hearing.
And there was a spirited debate about some of the decisions that President Obama has made in his first 100 days in office: specifically the decision to send 17,000 more troops to Afghanistan. Some of these troops said it's a complete waste and will not change anything. Others say it's desperately needed, and they can still make some gains on the ground there.
PHILLIPS: Chris, as you -- you and I both know, it's the boots on the ground that are dealing with this every single second, every single day. And, I mean, just hearing from that member of the military talking about that 19-year-old dying in his hands. And it still happens every day. You talk about them being very upfront about Afghanistan.
Now, with all the news today concerning Pakistan, you know, do these guys think we're missing the mark, as the U.S. military, as -- as even the new administration, with regard to where the priorities should be?
LAWRENCE: That was the question on the mind of Senator Bob Corker. He asked point blank, he said if we put these more troops into Afghanistan, do we run the risk of routing the militants but then pushing them back over the border into Pakistan, where they could potentially destabilize that government and do even more damage?
There was a lot of talk whether -- one colonel, in fact, a retired colonel said that President Obama may be missing the point here, investing so much in propping up Afghanistan's national government and focusing so much on Afghanistan, that really the bigger effort needs to be made right now in Pakistan.
PHILLIPS: Chris Lawrence, appreciate it. Thanks so much.
LAWRENCE: You're welcome.
PHILLIPS: Well, how popular is Facebook nowadays? Popular enough to be a real addiction. All those friends, the fun quizzes, the old pictures. What to do when you just can't log off and walk away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PHILLIPS: Well, we expect to hear shortly from President Obama, surrounded by the people whose cards are in your wallet. He's warning the nation's top issuers of credit cards that new consumer protections are in the works. A White House aide says that the watch words are simplicity, transparency and fairness.
And as banks try to boost their profits and cut risks, they've jacked up fees and interest rates. And they've lowered spending limits, even canceled cards despite regular payments.
The Federal Reserve and two congressional panels have come up with separate versions of a credit card holder's bill of rights, none of which would take effect until next year, by the way. And Democratic senators Schumer and Dodd want the Fed to act sooner.
So, with six days left in the president's first 100 days, most Americans like what they've seen. A new CNN poll of polls shows that a 64 percent job approval rating, 28 percent disapprove. That's almost identical, by the way, to George W. Bush's ratings in April of 2001.
And, despite polls showing deep economic despair, an Associated Press survey finds more Americans than not believe that the country is headed in the right direction. It's the first time since 2004 that the right direction has outpolled wrong in the AP poll.
Now we know everyone has an opinion, including Robert Reich. He's a former labor secretary under President Clinton, now a professor at UC Berkeley. And fittingly enough, he's graded the president's first 100 days.
Professor, you do this very well. You're accustomed to giving grades, both good and bad. So let's get right down to it.
ROBERT REICH, PROFESSOR, UC BERKELEY: Well, I -- I certainly am, Kyra. For about 25 years I've been giving grades. So this is -- this comes naturally.
PHILLIPS: And I love this story. It's about your students and how you remember their grades decades later. I think that's fabulous.
Well, let's get right down. Let's say -- let's go ahead and start with, let's say, the ten-year budget. What would you give him on that?
REICH: I give an "A." I think it's an extraordinarily bold document that includes not only his campaign promises but also a vision for where America ought to be going, with regards to universal health care; protecting the country and the world from climate change; and addressing inequality. Why inequality? In fact, we have inequality today that we haven't seen since the 1920s. We need to do something about that. And so that clearly gets an "A."
I'd give it an "A" plus, except for the fact that the -- there are a little bit rosy scenarios in that budget document. And perhaps a little bit too rosy. PHILLIPS: Really? Can you give an example of what you -- how would you define too rosy?
REICH: Well, the budget document assumes that the economy will be growing again by the end of this year, certainly by the beginning of next year. Most economists believe that that is a little bit too optimistic. Maybe we'll see growth again in the middle of 2010 but probably not before.
PHILLIPS: All right. What does the stimulus package get?
REICH: I'd grade the stimulus package at a "B." I think it is definitely as good as it goes, but it needs to be probably larger.
Now, $787 billion sounds like a lot of money. And it certainly is a big stimulus. But when you consider, No. 1, that the economy is now functioning about a trillion and a half dollars below its full capacity, if we had near full employment. And you also consider that the states are cutting like mad services and raising taxes, we probably need a stimulus package that is bigger than the one that was enacted if we are going to get people back to work.
PHILLIPS: But $787 billion over the next two years, it's -- can we afford bigger than that?
REICH: Well, I suppose the question, Kyra, is can we afford not to? If we don't get the economy growing again and people back to work, then we're going to be in not only the recession for a very long time, but tax revenues are not going to be coming in.
People are not going to be able to pay their own bills. We're going to see a -- just a continuation of this crisis. So, we do need to, at least in the very short-term, have a stimulus big enough to get people back into their jobs.
PHILLIPS: All right, usually we save the best for last. But in this case, it's going to be the worst for last. What do you give the bank bailout?
REICH: Well, first of all, I'm a great fan of this administration. I think the president is doing a wonderful job. That's why we have the 64 percent favorabilities. I think the public feels that way, too.
But on the bank bailout, I have to give, reluctantly, Obamanomics an F because so far it hasn't worked. The banks are lending less now than they were lending five months ago. The bank executives are still giving themselves very sweetheart deals in terms of executive pay. They are still providing dividends and thinking about acquisitions and hoarding money.
The money is not getting to Main Street. And that was the purpose of the bailout. So far, Americans have spent about $600 billion bailing out the banks, and we have very little to show for it.
PHILLIPS: So, I'm curious. If you were able to sit down and advise the president at this moment, giving him an F on the bank bailouts, what would you say, OK, this is how you'd raise the grade? I would do maybe this point and point number two right away.
REICH: Well, let me just say this, Kyra. The people on the right of the political spectrum generally think -- generally think -- that the banks ought to be in some form of bankruptcy or negotiating with creditors, that there's no reason for the government to protect them from their creditors, no reason for creditors to get a free ride.
People who tend to be on the left of the political center say we ought to nationalize the banks. Now, I could probably make a pretty good argument for either the right view or the left view, but almost nobody agrees with the administration right now that we ought to continue the policies that Hank Paulson began under the George W. Bush administration and continue to shove money in the direction of the banks, public money, shareholder money.
And again, I -- when I criticize the administration on this, believe me, I am very sympathetic with the notion that they are kind of making this up as they go. Nobody has been here before. No administration had to deal with a bank crisis on this scale since Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration. So, given the magnitude of the crisis, my failing grade is provisional. The administration can certainly improve their grade, and -- but something quite different has to be done.
PHILLIPS: Sure. And if you average it out with all of the grades, it comes to a C plus. We still need better. Robert Reich, good to see you.
REICH: Thanks, Kyra. Bye-bye.
PHILLIPS: Well, you too can grade the politicians you elected. Join us on President Obama's 100th day in office for the "CNN National Report Card." That's next Wednesday night. Grade them with CNN's best political team. Rate the president, Congress, state leaders, all of them next Wednesday beginning at 8:00 Eastern online and on TV.
Well, it's a great way to keep in touch, or so I hear, but for some people, Facebook can take over almost like an addiction. How do you know when you've crossed the line? A lot of buzz on this story back here in the NEWSROOM.
Senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joining us now with this week's "Empowered Patient."
You've heard some interesting Facebook stories. Are you a Facebooker?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I am, but...
PHILLIPS: You are.
COHEN: ... and I started to do it, and when I got all of these responses, and my little sister's best friend from seventh grade wanted to have a discussion with me, I'm like, I've got to go have to have dinner.
PHILLIPS: I don't have time for this.
COHEN: I don't have time for this, exactly. That was exactly the discussion that happened. I thought with myself. I said, I do not have time for this.
But I met a woman -- or I interviewed a woman over the phone, 51 years old, single mom. Her 12-year-old daughter came down to help her with -- ask for help with homework. And this mom was too busy on Facebook. She said, I'm embarrassed to say I was too busy on Facebook.
Her daughter went upstairs, e-mailed her, saying, Mom, I really need your help. And the mom didn't get the e-mail because she was, well, on Facebook. This woman says she knows she has a problem. She calls it an obsession, a compulsion.
She tried to quit, and she just can't. And this is -- these are -- I didn't hear a lot, like a ton of these stories, but I did talk to some psychologists. Like one woman said, I had three people in my office with Facebook issues one day last week.
PHILLIPS: Oh, my gosh.
COHEN: People who just -- they find themselves getting lost in the Facebook world. That's sort of the best way to put it.
PHILLIPS: All right, so, I know you gathered, what, top five ways that you know you're addicted. How do you know?
COHEN: Right, because it's important to note here that all of these psychologists said this isn't Facebook's problem, this is how people are using Facebook. So they said you need to keep an eye on yourself. Are you crossing the line from a fun, entertaining thing to do to a compulsion.
So, five, if you are losing sleep over Facebook, this is a problem. If you are on Facebook until 2:00 in the morning, and then you're exhausted the next day, you probably ought to cut back. Number four, you spend more than an hour a day on Facebook. Now, that's not a hard and fast number, but the psychologists I talked to said, does anyone neat more than a more than an hour a day of social networking? Don't you have a real life?
Number three, you become obsessed with old loves. This one is big. The psychologists I talked to said they are having people come to them, they started to have affairs with people who they met up with on Facebook -- high school boyfriends, college girlfriends, whatever. If you have a real life, you need to pay attention to the spouse or the real girlfriend or the real boyfriend.
If you ignore work -- now, all of us play around on the Internet a little bit at work except for you and me, Kyra...
PHILLIPS: Exactly. COHEN: ... but if you really aren't doing your work because you're so busy changing your Facebook status, that's a problem. The number one way that you know that you might be addicted to Facebook, if the thought of going off of it puts you in a cold sweat. For example, Kyra, I asked this woman, did you ever think about taking a break?
She said, yes, my therapist told me to take a break. She said, I did it for a day. She said that's all she could handle. And Kyra, I want to add in here, we asked Facebook for a comment. They have not gotten back to us yet.
PHILLIPS: OK, I appreciate it. I break out into a cold sweat seeing all my e-mails. You know?
COHEN: I know. That's bad enough. Right. That's bad enough.
PHILLIPS: I can't even keep up with that.
Thanks, Elizabeth.
Well, it's one of our favorite parts of the day, the 30-second pitch. And we give you the air time. You give us the best shot you can at getting a job. Marsi Thrash gets ready for her close-up coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, right now more than 6 million people are collecting unemployment. They're looking for work, but they just can't find it. And we're trying to hook up job seekers with potential employers. We call it the "30-Second Pitch."
And joining me today, job hunter Marsi Thrash. she lost her job when the pharmaceutical company where she worked downsized last fall. Did you even see it coming?
MARSI THRASH, JOB SEEKER: Yes. We were in the middle of a merger. So, there was some level of expectation that there could be some overlap in responsibilities and some downsizing as a result.
PHILLIPS: Because you did well, you were a top employee, when they came to you, did they -- how did you feel about how they handled it?
THRASH: Well, it's never a pleasant thing. So, they handled it as professionally as they could under difficult circumstances, I think.
PHILLIPS: How have you been getting by day-to-day? Were you prepared for this financially? Are you dipping into savings?
THRASH: Both. Actually, a week before we knew we were going to get the news whether or not we had a job, I prepared a Plan B financial plan just in case, so that I would be prepared. And I did receive a very generous severance package that I've been using. And then we've also had to dip into savings as well, since it's been a while.
PHILLIPS: Oh, it's good, though, you had severance.
THRASH: Yes.
PHILLIPS: A lot of people are losing their jobs and not even getting a severance package.
OK. So, interesting. What made you think about having a Plan B? Was that your idea? Was that advice from somebody else? Did your bank contact you-- you know, your financial planner contact you and say, hey, Marsi?
THRASH: I was in week 12 of the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University program. And so, we were working on budgets, and we were working on where to cut anyway, so it was perfect timing for that program.
PHILLIPS: Top of your head. All right. We've got 30 seconds. Are you ready to go?
THRASH: I am.
PHILLIPS: OK, Otis (ph), let's fire up the clock, and let's let Marsi start. Go ahead.
THRASH: I'm Marsi Thrash. And for the past 10 years, I have been a pharmaceutical health care reimbursement manager and in government affairs working here in the Southeast covering a multistate territory. I ideally would like to stay in the legislative arena, marrying my business background and also my journalism and communications background for a position ideally here in the Atlanta area. So, please contact me.
PHILLIPS: You can tell she was a TV producer because she's got six seconds left. And we learned that she did. She produced in Pittsburgh, where our sound guru is from. And so you've got a little bit of everything. All types of backgrounds. That's interesting. So, you've got -- and you did just have an interview yesterday for a lobbying job, correct?
THRASH: A lobbying job for a financial institution.
PHILLIPS: OK, well, we'll see what today does as well. You'll keep us posted.
THRASH: I will.
PHILLIPS: And the e-mail, marsithrash@gmail.com.
THRASH: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Correct?
THRASH: Yes.
PHILLIPS: All right. Stay in touch with us, Marsi. Thank you so much.
THRASH: Thank you for having me.
PHILLIPS: All right. Well, Marsi is just one of many people who has done the 30-second pitch on our show. You can actually check them out on our Web site. Just go to cnn.com/newsroom. Click on my name up there to see the pitches. And if you're looking for any one of these individuals, their e-mails are on there, and you'll know exactly how to contact them.
Well, imagine the 30-second pitches that this job fair in Dallas. Yes, it's a strip joint -- excuse me, gentlemen's club. Job fair for about nine clubs. Apparently, the recession doesn't apply here. They were looking to hire strippers, of course, but also people who, well, don't really wrap (ph) around the pole, like hosts, bartenders, waitresses, makeup people. Some 200 positions total. Organizers say it was a huge success, and they might want to do this again in six months.
Well, of course, actually wearing a top has benefits, too. We found a woman who owes her life to her bra. We just can't make this stuff up, folks.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, if this story doesn't have you saying, "What the...?" nothing will. What was a teacher in Washington State thinking when she sent a 5-year-old home with his accident in his backpack. Well, the boy's parents are waiting for an answer, and so are we.
KIMA's Melissa Wagner has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA WAGNER, KIMA-TV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A 5-year-old at Apple Valley Elementary in Yakima headed home on the bus with more than books in his backpack. Inside was a smelly package you'd never imagine he'd be toting around.
"JASON," BOY'S FATHER: I'm still kind of just, like, in shock about it, you know, because I don't -- you know, why would somebody do this? It's disgusting.
WAGNER: Jason says his son's kindergarten teacher bagged up a piece of human feces and stuck it in his son's backpack. His wife found the stinky mess.
JASON: She found a clear plastic Baggie with a piece of fecal matter wrapped up in a brown paper towel with the note on it.
WAGNER: The note read, "This little turd was on the floor in my room." Jason e-mailed school officials. He got a response days later apologizing for the delay. This happened last week, and he still hasn't spoken with anyone about his concerns and frustration. JASON: What happened if this stayed in there for a couple of days? She didn't check the bag, and, you know, other kids, you know, are playing on the bus, and it got out, and you know, it could have -- you know, it's a very hazardous thing. It's disgusting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, that was Melissa Wagner reporting. The school superintendent said that the boy's teacher and principal are now being questioned. School officials said they'll meet with the parents next week. The father wants his son in a different teacher's class for the rest of the school year. I don't blame him.
Well, a really good bra can work miracles, right, ladies? But a Detroit woman's bra proves a lifesaver, literally. Police say the only reason that she's alive today, well, the underwire in her bra stopped a bullet.
She apparently startled some guys breaking into her neighbor's, opened fire, hit her in the chest, bruising her. Great quote from the police spokeswoman here. She says, "We need to get some more bulletproof vests made from that. It is some strong wire."
Well, want to make extra cash? Of course you do. It could be as easy as walking a dog, pounding a nail or getting a hobby. We're going to tell you how next hour.
Also, man walks into a bar. Not quite. How about, man walks into a drink. Don't just imbibe your booze, inhale it. We're just getting started right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, he's been blamed for countless attacks on U.S. and Iraqi forces. Now the Iraqi military says it's arrested Omar al- Baghdadi, a top al Qaeda-linked terrorist leader in Iraq. No confirmation from the U.S. military.
And two years ago, we heard this very same terrorist had been caught or killed, but those reports turned out to be false. Let's get straight to Baghdad and CNN's Cal Perry.
Cal, you actually spent a day with General Ray Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq. He tells you al Qaeda is still a huge focus there.
CAL PERRY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, he impressed that point on me big time, and he said the next 90 days are going to be key for Iraq, because, of course, the U.S. military wants to withdraw all its combat forces from the urban areas before June the 30th. Now, as for al Qaeda, he said they still have the ability to carry out attacks in Iraq, and certainly that was the case today. We saw bloody attacks across the country.
Take a listen, Kyra, to what the general told me about al Qaeda.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GENERAL RAY ODIERNO, TOP U.S. COMMANDER IN IRAQ: I want to still get rid of the al Qaeda capability to conduct high-profile attacks. But we have not yet been able to completely finish that, so we still have some work ahead of us, so I'd still like to get at that a little bit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PERRY: Over 75 people killed today, Kyra, across the country. Over 115 others wounded. Clearly spectacular attacks today. A very big concern amongst U.S. military commanders -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And before my next question, quickly, we still don't know if Baghdadi for sure has been captured or not, right? Iraqi military is saying yes, U.S. military is not confirming.
PERRY: I'll tell you what, I was very happy to hear your skepticism because, as you said, in 2007, they said he was killed. He wasn't. And I have to tell you, on the local Iraqi TV stations it's ebbing down in their rundown. It's moving back in the hour. So, until they show us proof, it's one of those I want to see it with my own eyes kind of things, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Yes. I hear you. All right, well, Cal, now, when I was in Iraq the same time last year, this same time last year, actually General David Petraeus had told me that Iran was one of the biggest sources of weapons support to al Qaeda. So today, there was this attack supposedly targeting Iranian pilgrims. Any connection?
PERRY: Well, it's unclear at this point. It looks at this point like it was a soft target. We know they were having lunch at a restaurant. That restaurant collapsed on itself. Unclear if there's a connection between any kind of smuggling.
Now, I spoke to General Odierno, and he really echoed what you heard a year ago from General Petraeus. He said he's still concerned about Iran. He said there are still weapons coming across the border, he said, but his bigger concern is that they're training fighters, and that those fighters are coming back in. The concern, of course, when it comes to July, when the U.S. has withdrawn its combat troops from the urban areas, if the violence kicks back up, will the U.S. be drawn back into a fight that it doesn't want to be a part of -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Cal Perry, live in Baghdad. Cal, thanks so much.
Well, it's something that many of you could never imagine but something millions of people live under every day, harsh Islamic laws and old-school traditions like the kind being imposed by the Taliban right now near Pakistan's capital. That's a way of life, and it's still very much alive in Afghanistan, as we found out our startling documentary, "Lifting the Veil." Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy introduces us to a girl sold into marriage. And we warn you, this -- what you may see is very disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SHARMEEN OBAID-CHINOY, JOURNALIST AND FILMMAKER (voice-over): Today, Afghanistan is freed from the control of the Taliban and trying to move towards a brighter future. But, still, very young girls are being sold into marriage. I'm on my way to meet a child bride, who lives with her family at the edge of Herat (ph), where the desert begins.
OBAID-CHINOY (on camera) (translated): What is your name?
SHAHNAZ, CHILD BRIDE: Shahnaz.
OBAID-CHINOY (translated): Shahnaz. How old are you?
SHAHNAZ (translated): Fourteen.
OBAID-CHINOY: Shahnaz, tell me about your father.
SHAHNAZ (translated): My father? My father was a drug addict. He had many gambling debts. And so, he sold me.
OBAID-CHINOY: How old were you when your father sold you?
SHAHNAZ (translated): I was seven.
OBAID-CHINOY: How did you feel when your father told you that you had been sold?
SHAHNAZ (translated): I felt depressed when I found out.
OBAID-CHINOY: It's difficult for us to speak to Shahnaz because her mother-in-law and her husband keep coming into the room.
(voice-over): And although I have permission to speak to Shahnaz, her husband seems nervous because as it turns out, she had burned herself to protest their marriage.
(on camera): Tell me why you decided to burn yourself.
SHAHNAZ (translated): Because of the people saying, "Look at all her father did, look at how her mother married, look at how they married you off." Because of all this kind of talk, I thought I should just burn myself so I could just die and not hear this anymore.
OBAID-CHINOY: How old were you when you decided to burn yourself?
SHAHNAZ (translated): When I was 11 years old. I still have fresh scars, and I have had two operations.
OBAID-CHINOY: Would you like to go to school?
SHAHNAZ (translated): Yes, yes.
OBAID-CHINOY: What would you have liked to have done had you not been sold into marriage?
SHAHNAZ (translated): I was too young to wonder about what I would do with my future.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Can't live with them, can't live without them. Millions of Americans depend on credit cards just to get by, only to get further and further behind each month. President Obama just wrapped up a meeting with the nation's biggest credit card issuers on the issues of fairness, transparency and simplicity.
Moves are afoot in Congress to crack down on such practices as jacking up interest rates over late payments to other creditors and also charging interest on balances from the previous month, balances that may have been paid off. Now, the Federal Reserve has already posted a credit cardholders' bill of rights, but it won't take place until next year.
A pair of Democratic senators, Chuck Schumer and Chris Dodd, want the Fed to act sooner. Time was, if you watched your spending and paid your bills on time, paid more than the minimum due, you and your card were the best of friends. Well, not anymore.
Even the best credit customers are getting slammed. And CNN's Gerri Willis has all the gory details. Gerri, what's happening right now?
WILLIS: I don't know if the details are so great. But here's why it's important. Look, credit card issuers have been tightening the screws on consumers, even the ones who are up to date on payments.
Consumers are complaining that not only are interest rates rising, but limits are falling, and that hurts credit scores. Some issuers are closing accounts due to inactivity, which can also hurt your credit score.
Here are some specific examples of changes going on out there. Capital One increased rates for Platinum Prestige customers to 11.9 percent from 7.15 percent. Bank of America increasing rates for cardholders with high balances. Discover will increase its balance transfer if fee to four percent from three percent.
And for that reason, experts are expecting some kind of reform to actually go through. Already there are two bills in Congress. One would -- both actually would ban credit card companies from abruptly jacking up interest rate and fees. And it also looks out after young adults who are getting so many credit card solicitations -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, so, aren't there new rules on the horizon for these credit card companies?
WILLIS: Yes, at full year away, even more. Next year, July 2010, the Federal Reserve puts into place new rules on credit cards. Here's what you can expect. The highest-interest balances will be paid first.
Typically, you know, you end up putting your money towards the lowest interest-rate balances. Limits on over-the-limit fees, which can be expensive. It would end universal default. That's when you forget to pay your water bill, and all of a sudden, you get dinged on your credit card. Longer billing cycles, which can actually be very, very short.
I ran in to Representative Carol Maloney this week in New York. She is the author of the Credit Card Bill of Rights, and that bill just passed through a congressional committee last night. She says that having rules are one thing, but remember, the mortgage industry had lots of rules during the mortgage crisis. That didn't seem to help very much. She says it's more important to get legislation on the books.
We'll have to wait and see if that actually happens.
PHILLIPS: Yes. We'll be doing a lot of waiting. Gerri, thanks.
WILLIS: My pleasure.
PHILLIPS: Are you trapped in a credit card nightmare right now, skyrocketing rates? Maybe the company's giving you the runaround? Well, fill us in on our brand-new blog page, cnn.com/newsroom. Just click on Kyra up top there to get to our stuff. You can also leave your comments there, and we'll read some of them on the air.
Oh, and guess what? I am finally on Twitter after being forced into it. The name is kyracnn, all one word -- I got a lot of help here with how to do it.
