Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

New Credit Card Rules; President Obama to Meet With Economic Advisers; Waterboarding 'Tip of the Iceberg'; Iran: Missile Test Successful; Drug Cartels Infiltrate the U.S.; Who is Kyle Aevermann? The Man Behind the 'Super' iReports; 47-Million-Year-Old Fossil Could Be Missing Link Darwin Was Searching For

Aired May 20, 2009 - 10:59   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. It is Wednesday, May 20th, and here are the top stories we're following for you in the CNN NEWSROOM. You're preapproved for new credit card protections. Congress today may put its final stamp on a bill that limits fees and rate increases.

Iran calls today's missile test a success. We dig for the political and military messages.

Forty-seven million years old and in near-perfect condition. Say hello to Ida. Scientists say the fossil may be a missing link between humans and apes.

Good morning, everyone, I'm Tony Harris, and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Cracking down on credit card rate hikes and fee increases. The House takes up a bill today to impose new restrictions on credit card companies. The Senate approved it yesterday.

Let's talk about what the legislation means for you.

Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis -- where is Gerri? -- live from New York now.

Gerri, good to see you.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hey there.

HARRIS: More protections for you and me. It sounds pretty good.

WILLIS: Yes. Well, it is pretty good, Tony. Let me tell you about some of the changes here in this credit card reform bill. Who doesn't have a credit card?

First off, you get 45 day's notice before rates can be raised. This is important, expanding that amount of time they have to raise your rates.

Now, if you're late on your payments, typically it's wham-o, you got hit with increased fees, increased interest rates right away. Not anymore. Sixty days you have. It will also prohibits sudden fees, such as issuers won't be able to charge fees for over the limit, exceeding the credit limits, unless the cardholder agrees to it. And then restrictions for college students. Let me tell you, this has been a real problem area.

Now, unless a parent, a guardian, or a spouse is the primary account holder or approves -- the consumer approves some independent source of income, well, guess what? You won't get that credit card if you're a college student.

HARRIS: Well, Gerri, the reaction from at least one spokesperson for the industry was a bit troubling to me. Bear with me here. This was Nessa Fetas (ph). She was on a couple of shows yesterday.

It seems to be promising that fees are going to go higher. Now, even if that's true, it's not good form to appear to be a sore loser in all of this and to sound a bit punitive. But is she right about all this? Are fees going to go higher? And how can the card companies make it all up?

WILLIS: OK. Well, let's talk about those fees. They don't typically break them out, but the estimate is that these fees tally up to $20 billion a year.

HARRIS: Twenty billion dollars?

WILLIS: This is a lot of money. This is from outsiders who evaluate the industry. So you've got to assume there's going to be some kind of -- call it backlash to make up some of those profits. The industry itself says they'll lose $12 billion from the changes in the rules.

Now, it could be the good customers will get fewer reward offers out there, even though they're providing what they call interchange income. Even if you're a good customer, you pay your debt off every single month. So they really don't make any interest rate income off of you.

They still make interchange income off of you because you're actually going out, buying things with that credit card. The retailer pays a credit card issuer a fee. So there could be some backlash, good customers could get hurt here.

HARRIS: Yes. All right. Gerri, I know you're back with us later in the hour. See you then. Thank you.

WILLIS: My pleasure.

HARRIS: And as we mentioned, the House takes up the credit card reform bill today. The Senate passed it by a vote of 90-5 yesterday.

Congressional Correspondent Brianna Keilar following today's developments for us from Capitol Hill.

Brianna, good to see you.

You know, there are still some hoops to jump through here. Where are we on the credit card bill?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Tony, the House still has to vote on this. They are expected to be doing that this afternoon. And I should point out there's a really interesting thing about this Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights, and that's that a pro- gun amendment has been attached to it, that version that came out of the Senate.

This was done by Republican senator, Tom Coburn of Oklahoma. So, what that means is, assuming this Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights is signed into law by President Obama, as it's expected to be here in the next few days, his signature will also allow people to bring concealed loaded guns into national parks, assuming they have a permit to carry a concealed weapon in a state where that national park is located. So what do credit cards have to do with guns and national parks? Well, Congress has found an answer, Tony.

HARRIS: Well, walk me through this then, because there's a Democratic majority in Congress. You would think a pro-gun provision would scuttle the credit card bill, but that's not what's happening here, is it?

KEILAR: Yes, I know it sounds counterintuitive, but what's going on is, in the 2008 election, even though there was an influx of Democrats -- these are, by and large, conservative Democrats. So, Republicans are finding when it comes to guns, they have some allies on the other side of the aisle.

For instance, in the Senate, 27 Democrats, including Harry Reid himself, voted for this. The House is expected to follow that trend. They've done this sort of maneuvering, Tony, where they're going to break it up and vote on the gun amendment separately from the credit card bill, but both are expected to pass. And the assumption is President Obama will then sign the whole package into law.

HARRIS: All right. Congressional Correspondent Brianna Keilar for us.

Brianna, appreciate it. Thank you.

The economy tops the agenda for President Obama and his team today. The president meeting with his economic advisers. His treasury secretary is updating plans to stabilize the banking system.

White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux, Susan Lisovicz following both stories for us.

And Suzanne, let's start with you.

Last we checked, this meeting was still going on. Who is on this team? And what's likely to be at the top of the agenda for the meeting?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Tony, the meeting is still going on. Sorry, getting a little echo in my ear. But the meeting still is going on, and it's interesting because it's streaming live from the White House site, the Web site there. So you can actually get a peek behind the scenes, behind the curtain, if you will, to see him conducting this meeting.

And what we heard was a debate that is taking place among some of these top business leaders, union officials, as well as the president, over what's the best way to provide clean energy sources, and does this actually help and create jobs? The president talked about cutting emissions and the importance of doing that, and one of the people in the meeting said, look, you know, we are way behind when it comes to that, Europe is much ahead, we have a lot of work to do.

There was a little bit of back and forth, as well, about whether or not this would be good for workers and businesses, this idea of cap and trade, being able to cut down on emissions and still make it profitable for some companies, and whether or not that should be a universally, nationally applied, some sort of standard. So that's the kind of things they're talking about.

But Tony, this is really a who's who of folks who are weighing in on the president's economic policy. You're talking about Paul Volcker, the former Fed chair. You're also talking about representatives from GE, from Harvard, Caterpillar, AFL-CIO, all of them weighing in. And the focus here today obviously is energy and ways of creating jobs out of being more efficient when it comes to how those companies are doing their business.

HARRIS: Yes, very interesting. So, if you'd like to see this right now, if you'd like to see how the president works a room like this, I guess you can go to WhiteHouse.gov? Is that the correct address there, Suzanne?

MALVEAUX: That's right, Tony. You actually can go to the Web site there. It's streaming live, and you get a chance to see him doing -- conducting a meeting, kind of the back and forth for those who didn't participate.

He kind of draws them out and says, I haven't heard from you, I haven't heard from you. If you would contribute and tell us what you think about from your perspective?

This is something that obviously the government is providing. We'd like to have our own independent camera live in that room, as well, as you know, but we're going to get a chance to hear from the president a little bit later. He's going to be making a statement about how he feels this meeting has gone. And it is about trying to show the American people that at the very least, he is listening to other outside voices out of the echo chamber, if you will, that he says to get a sense of how this is going, his own administration is handling this economic crisis -- Tony.

HARRIS: Our White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux for us.

Suzanne, thank you.

(BUSINESS REPORT) HARRIS: Lower credit limits and higher interest rates, higher fees. Our Gerri Willis is back in a moment to break down what you need to do to keep your credit in check.

How about this? Live pictures now, Fleet Week. Beautiful.

New York Harbor right now. Some 13 warships and other craft sailing into New York Harbor this week. The annual Naval Review actually starts today.

A pretty sparse gathering so far. It will get better. But sparse overall when compared to last year.

Only three major U.S. combat vessels in the line of this week. We understand that's the smallest contingent in Fleet Week's 22 years. Like everyone else, the Navy says it is trying to cut costs where it can this year.

We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: New allegations of U.S. torture, this time from a military attorney who represents a man freed from Guantanamo Bay. The attorney says she believes harsh interrogation methods were used on many more than the 28 detainees documented by the government.

She spoke to our Jim Acosta in her first on-camera interview in the United States. A warning here: Some of what you will hear is graphic.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What you're saying is that waterboarding is only the beginning.

LT. COL. YVONNE BRADLEY, U.S. AIR FORCE RESERVE: Absolutely. It's the tip of the iceberg.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Air Force Reserve Lieutenant Colonel Yvonne Bradley says she came to that conclusion as a lifelong Republican who never had questioned the war on terror when she was appointed the military attorney for Guantanamo detainee Binyam Mohamed.

(on camera): You thought, this is a terrorist I'm dealing with.

BRADLEY: I absolutely did. I mean, my government was saying these were the worst of the worst.

ACOSTA (voice-over): A British resident originally from Ethiopia, Mohamed was detained by U.S. authorities in Pakistan right after the 9/11 attacks. Bradley says Mohamed may have attended an al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan.

(on camera): So he may have been to a camp?

BRADLEY: He may have been to a camp.

ACOSTA (voice-over): After Mohamed's arrest, Bradley says he was flown to Morocco, where he was drugged, beaten, and worse.

BRADLEY: In Morocco, he also reported that they started this monthly treatment where they would come in with a scalpel or a razor type of instrument and slash his genitals, just with small cuts.

ACOSTA: Bradley says Mohamed was eventually shipped back to Afghanistan, where he wrote out this confession, admitting to training at an al Qaeda camp and discussing plans for a dirty bomb. When asked if he had been abused, he wrote, "No."

BRADLEY: He confessed to all of these things after he had been abused and tortured. There's no reliable evidence that Mr. Mohamed was going to do anything to the United States.

ACOSTA: Late last year, a military commission's judge dropped the charges against Mohamed. On his third day in office, President Obama ordered Mohamed released from Guantanamo, a move blasted by one group representing military families.

BRIAN WISE, MILITARY FAMILIES UNITED: When we release these detainees, when we release these terrorists, we put America and we put America's allies in more danger.

ACOSTA: Mohamed told the BBC he is trying to move on.

BINYAM MOHAMED, GUANTANAMO DETAINEE: It's been seven years of literal darkness that I've been through with that. Coming back to life is taking me some time.

ACOSTA: Yvonne Bradley believes there are other former and current detainees on this same journey.

(on camera): You feel comfortable saying that in a U.S. military uniform?

BRADLEY: I do, because I raised my hand to protect the Constitution of the United States. This has nothing to do with our national security, it has to do with national embarrassment.

ACOSTA: The judge in Mohamed's case did not give a reason for dropping the charges. And the Pentagon is not commenting on the matter. The Justice Department did refer us to its statement on Mohamed's release, that it's consistent with the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States and the interests of justice. A special task force is now reviewing whether to release dozens of other detainees.

Jim Acosta, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Well, we have got our sights set on the plastic in your wallet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GREG MCBRIDE, SENIOR ANALYST, BANKRATE.COM: You'll likely find lower credit limits, high interest rates and higher fees than what many have been accustomed to in recent years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: But don't jump at that credit card offer just yet.

CNN Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis with join us with her top tips on managing your APR.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Enough of that bump (ph) shot. Let's get to Gerri here.

You know, as one of our top stories this morning, Congress looks ready to give final approval today to new curbs on credit card rates and fees.

Your Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis has been doing her homework, of course.

Come on, we're trying to get to you here, Gerri. We've got a show to get on the air.

(LAUGHTER)

HARRIS: So, look, Gerri, the bottom line cost of plastic, the truth is, it is probably more than people really realize.

WILLIS: You bet you, Tony. A whole lot more.

We all know the term "APR," right, annual percentage rate?

HARRIS: Oh yes.

WILLIS: That's your interest rate. But the number consumers should be paying attention to, effective APR.

Listen to Greg McBride, a senior analyst at BankRate.com. He explains.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCBRIDE: An effective APR represents your total cost of credit. Now, keep in mind this may be more than just the interest rate. If you're paying an annual fee, if you incurred a balance transfer fee when transferring the balance to that card, well, those are costs that will add to the interest rate that you're effectively paying, effectively raising the cost that you pay on that balance. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIS: So, your effective APR is unique, different from everybody else's. Here's an example of how to calculate your effective APR. We got this from Bill Hartikoff (ph) at LowCards.com.

OK, let's take a hypothetical fellow. Maybe we call him "Tony."

HARRIS: All right. OK.

WILLIS: OK. He applies for a credit card with a zero percent APR for one year. Loving that; right?

So he spends $1,000 on the card and decides to make only minimum payments for the first year, because he's thinking, hey, zero percent, it doesn't matter when I pay. Later, he takes out a $2,000 cash advance, not realizing there's a cash advance fee and that cash advances are at a much higher rate than purchases. Yikes.

Then, Tony, misses a couple of payments, oops, which triggered two late fee charges. It also triggers a default interest rate.

His card rate jumps to 29.9 percent. OK. Now he's upset, he's depressed about this. He eventually pays off the entire credit card, closes the account.

So, Tony...

HARRIS: Oh boy. So, well, we've got to get -- first of all, we've got to get out of this "Tony. Tony." We have to get of this.

WILLIS: Well, let's look at this in our example what this actually costs.

HARRIS: Yes.

WILLIS: OK?

HARRIS: I mean, first of all, can we do that?

WILLIS: Let's look at that.

HARRIS: OK.

WILLIS: So, $75.00 in interest on just the purchases.

HARRIS: Right.

WILLIS: Three hundred and seventy-nine bucks interest on cash advances. Can you believe that? Sixty bucks for the cash advance fee, $78 in late charge fees.

So all together, he's spending $592 on all of these extra costs. That makes his effective APR 19.7 percent -- 19.7 percent, nearly 20 percent -- Tony.

HARRIS: Well, but the card was zero percent interest, so what should we, Tony, me, look out for when considering...

WILLIS: Everybody.

HARRIS: Yes, everyone, when considering a new credit card, Gerri?

WILLIS: You've got to look for introductory rates. What is that, introductory rates? That's the language.

Payment schedules, cash advance fees, late fees, default rates, these numbers not even in the fine print, but in the regular print. You really have to sit down, crunch the numbers to determine what the best card is for you. As we just showed you, effective APR doesn't necessarily jive with the APR printed on the credit card offer.

Remember, some of these expenses can be easily managed -- pay on time, i.e., make your payments on time -- keep an eye on your rate schedule, avoid the cash advances when you can. But I have to tell you, some of this stuff has been sneaky in the past.

If you didn't pay by 5:00 p.m., you got a late charge. All that is going away with this new legislation. But I've got to tell you, you really have to pay attention -- Tony.

HARRIS: We've got to get out of the credit card debt spiral in this country.

WILLIS: Yes.

HARRIS: And I know that's something that you believe in, as well. And look, let's continue to talk about this, Gerri. Appreciate it. Thank you.

WILLIS: Absolutely. Thank you, Tony.

HARRIS: Yes. My pleasure, as always.

Check out our special report, "America's Money Crisis." Here's what you do: go to CNNMoney.com.

Still to come, Michael Vick out of prison, but not exactly free. What's next for the former NFL superstar convicted of dog fighting? His new mission may involve dogs.

We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Iran sent a blunt political and military message to the West today. The government says it successfully tested a medium-range missile, one that could easily strike Israel and parts of Europe.

Let's talk with CNN's Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.

Barbara, it is - first of all, good to see you. Is this missile new to the Iranian arsenal? BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, a missile very similar to this was tested last November. U.S. officials confirming that, yes, they do believe Iran has now tested it again very successfully, according to U.S. Officials.

And this is part of a larger picture. What Iran is doing, they tell us, is embarking on a long-term effort to expand its missile inventory to test more sophisticated missiles, improve their range, their reliability, and that all important issue for the Iranians of being able to demonstrate that they have missiles that could hit Israel if they chose to fire them.

One of the interesting things about this missile is this is a solid-fueled missile. What does that mean? Well, it means that once they put it on the launcher, it is ready to go. They don't have to spend time fuelling it up, working on it like they do with the more basic, liquid-fuel missile. This is the more sophisticated version, it's all ready to go.

As you saw, Iranian President Ahmadinejad talking about this while he's on the campaign trail in his own country, really pushing this and talking about it as a success.

Very interesting timing, of course. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just wrapping up his visit to Washington. Bit of messages back and forth there.

HARRIS: Absolutely. At the Pentagon, Barbara Star for us. Barbara, appreciate it. Thank you.

STARR: Sure.

HARRIS: At least 98 people in Indonesia were killed this morning when one of the country's military planes slammed into several homes. Fifteen other people were hurt, most of them suffered severe burns. It is not yet known -- boy, look at these pictures -- what caused today's crash. But several witnesses described seeing the plane's right wing fall off while it was still in the air. Boy, can you imagine? This is the latest in a series of accidents involving Indonesia's aging air force.

Let's take you to the New York Stock Exchange now for a look at the Big Board. The Dow has been up, essentially throughout the morning, as you can see now. Just a couple of hours into the trading day, the Dow up 60 points to the good.

You know, it looks like President Obama will get his wish on credit card reforms. Congress looks ready to approve a package of consumer protections, perhaps as early as today.

What does this have to do with guns? Well, attached to the bill, a little noticed provision would allow you to take a concealed and loaded weapon into the national park. The House may vote separately on the gun amendment. If it fails, it would be stripped from the bill. What happens now? California, the hard part, that's what. Governor Schwarzenegger meets today with state leaders on the state's budget calamity. Angry voters soundly rejected five of six ballot measures Tuesday. Taken together, they would have offered a short- term fix to the cash crisis with a package of spending caps, tax extensions and loans. The governor warned of extreme cuts in state services if the measures failed.

So what now? Thousands of state workers may lose their jobs, illegal immigrants, and non-violent prisoners could be released. A health care program for children may be cut. And the state may have to sell landmark properties like the L.A. Coliseum.

Now, next hour, CNN digs deeper into California's cash crisis. I will talk with "Los Angeles Times" reporter Michael Rothfeld right here in the NEWSROOM. He'll be joining us from Sacramento.

And just a few hours ago, disgraced NFL star Michael Vick walked out of a federal prison in Kansas. He will serve the last two months of his sentence under house arrest in Virginia. You'll remember Vick pleaded guilty back in August of 2007 to financing a dog fighting ring, actions he admitted were, quote, "heinous." Now we've learned that Vick is currently in negotiations with the Humane Society to take part in an anti-dog fighting campaign.

You know, Michael Vick made millions in the NFL, and now he is expected to start a job with a construction company. The salary? Ten bucks an hour. But his spokesman says Vick is still hoping the NFL will take him back. Question is, do you think he should be allowed to play? Do this, send me a message on the blog. OK, on my blog. CNN.com/newsroom and click on my dome, my big head when you get there, and send us your thoughts.

Mexican drug cartels infiltrating America. And they've extended their reach and reshaping communities. They may even be growing in your neighborhood. Josh Levs is here with a new spread from CNN.com showing the different ways Americans are being impacted - Josh.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's incredible. You and I were talking about this yesterday.

HARRIS: That was terrific yesterday.

LEVS: It was terrific. And what's happening is that, throughout this week, each day, you're finding more and more is being put up here - we can push in - at CNN.com.

And what they're talking about today, you can see the slide show here, it's currently part of our main story. They're talking about a group of students who crossed the border from Mexico into the United States every day for school. Some of them have citizenship, some have cards to do it. But part of this story, what's so moving...

HARRIS: Josh, my apologies, are we in the window or is the president speaking now? The president is speaking now after a meeting with his economic advisers. (JOINED IN PROGRESS)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... don't need to repeat it. I just want to publicly thank this group chaired by Paul Volcker, staffed by Austan Goolsbee. They are doing extraordinary work, separate and apart from meetings with me, on a whole range of issues. We talked about energy today, but they are helping to advise us in our approach to the financial regulations, regulatory regime that we are looking to put before Congress this year. They're helping us in thinking about employment, manufacturing. There is a whole host of issues that this group is providing wonderful expertise for.

And interestingly enough, as Paul mentioned, at the end of this discussion, there is impressive consensus, not perfect, but impressive - an impressive overlap of views about the importance of us getting out front on energy, the enormous job creation potential that exists. The requirements to create a more efficient energy system in order for us to remain competitive.

And I'm excited about the opportunities. We've seen some great progress this week. We're going to see more because of the contributions that are made around this table.

So, thank you very much, everybody.

Thank you, guys.

HARRIS: All right, the president after a meeting with his economic advisers. It was a meeting that you could have watched right there at whitehouse.gov. to get an opportunity to watch the president and how he works in this type of setting.

And let's take a quick break. We'll come back and we'll finish our conversation with Josh Levs.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Well, before the president's remarks, we were talking about Mexican drug cartels infiltrating America, perhaps into your neighborhood. Let's get back to Josh Levs now.

And yes, Josh we were talking about how in many cases this infiltration is changing the shape and the character of many communities around the country.

LEVS: It is. And not just along the border, which is part of what's so interesting.

By the way, this is something the president faces a great during his administration. It's going to be one of his great tasks. He has that lot of big tasks, this is one of them.

Let's zoom back in. We've got a camera pushed in on this. Right now our main story on CNN.com is another part of this week- long series looking at the impact of the extending drug cartels in the U.S.

And Tony, this is a moving story. We have pictures up here.

It talks about this group of student who is come in every day from Juarez, Mexico, a city in Mexico, cross the border, they have citizenship or cards to do so, attend school in the U.S. And I want to show you this key line from our write who writes this about one of the students. It says, "From the moment this girl catches her bus in order to come," in downtown Juarez, she catches her bus, "she's mindful of her surroundings. This is a city that saw 1,600 homicides last year."

That's on the Mexican side of the border, but it's another sign of what's happening in the United States as it extends farther and farther in.

Now, part of what we were so interested in yesterday, Tony, we took a look at this. I want to show everyone again, it's worth looking at. It talked about the number of kidnappings, the kidnapping capital of the United States is Phoenix. More than one a day since 2007. It's an astounding number.

And we trace you through different cities and how they're impacted. The things we've been seeing here are just amazing. How often this happens. And we have a series of stories that we'll continue to follow this and give you some really good insight.

And one more thing to show you here, the key cartel player.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes.

LEVS: This is pretty amazing, too. What they've done at CNN.com is they have photos of many of them. You can click on these guys - they're all men - and you can learn what it is they're accused of, which cartel they're with, what their condition is right now, their status. So you can even click over here, based on dead, arrested, wanted. You can learn about the different cartels.

So all of this is amazing stuff, Tony.

HARRIS: And I know that you were telling me earlier that there was a lot of traffic at the blog in response to yesterday's presentation. So what did we hear?

LEVS: Yes, we heard from a lot of people. They were sending in their views. And I'll show you a couple of examples over here on the CNN NEWSROOM blog. By the way, it's easy to find - CNN.com/newsroom, click on Tony, you got it.

Onevoice (ph) says, "Ends prohibition, legalize."

B. Henry (ph) says, "I personally think if the military was deployed along our border with Mexico, the problem would not be as bad."

Randall down here talks about, "Governments are spending hundreds of billions of dollars, but we're just hearing more and more about this."

And Tony, a similar over on my Twitter page, Twitter.com/joshlevscnn, we're getting the same kinds of messages. People saying, hey, I guess those desert jails aren't working. MelodyMusic (ph) says, "It proves we need a southwest border fence and security."

What is the answer? Who knows, but what I'm learning from dotcom this week, Tony, is how huge the infiltration is.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes.

LEVS: I didn't realize a lot of this. You and I are learning a good deal this week.

HARRIS: Right. Boy, Josh, appreciate it. Let's see if we can do more on this. Thank you.

LEVS: Thanks, Tony.

HARRIS: From weather reports to tips on how to save energy, even political analysis from time to time, this guy seems to be everywhere. Who is he? He is our super iReporter. We'll meet him next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Normally we take you live to CNN.com live right now, but instead we've got a special guest appearance. Where is he? CNN super iReporter Kyle Aevermann is in the house. And Kyle has done iReports on everything - what? - from the presidential election, we talked about weather, cancer walks, tips on conserving energy, just a broad spectrum of reports.

So, why don't we do this, Kyle. Let's take a look at some of your stuff.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KYLE AEVERMANN, "SUPER" CNN IREPORTER: Hi there. I'm esteemed iReporter Kyle Aevermann. Today, we're talking about how the Internet has changed my entertainment viewing habits.

Today I'm in downtown Chicago at one of the beaches. In fact, I'm at North Avenue Beach. We're it's all just sand right here. And basically my tip for the day is volunteer.

Barack Obama is now the president-elect of the United States of America. It's kind of exciting, well, it's not kind of, it is exciting. I'm sitting here watching CNN waiting for his speech.

OK. First off, personally I want to clarify to the world that I am not a republican nor a democrat. I'm an independent. Today we're talking about things you can do in your very own bathroom to help save you money and be kind to the environment. So obviously I'm in the shower right now.

Among the thousands of people participating, I was able to find and catch up with NBC reality star Betty Sue of "The Biggest Loser."

Right now it's about negative nine degrees, wind chill negative 29.

Thousands are now returning to their homes while others are still waiting to hear word that their neighborhood is safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Let's go. Let's go. Good stuff, man. What do you think when you see yourself, Kyle?

AEVERMANN: It's kind of crazy.

HARRIS: Is it a little weird?

AEVERMANN: It is a little bit.

HARRIS: How many iReports would you say you have filed for us and over what stretch of time?

AEVERMANN: Since last August, probably upload about 70 videos.

HARRIS: Seventy videos? Tell me why you do it.

AEVERMANN: Why?

HARRIS: Yes. You've got designs on a career in this business, don't you, Kyle?

AEVERMANN: This is what I want to do. I either want to be your co-anchor or your competition.

HARRIS: Why don't you just work with me, not against me. Work with me, Kyle. Can you?

AEVERMANN: OK.

HARRIS: The biggest reaction you've gotten from your iReports, is there one that stands out?

AEVERMANN: Definitely. The election was definitely a lot of attention.

HARRIS: It's interesting because at some point you said you actually felt like you need to declare your political leanings. Was it because you felt you need to do it or was it in response to what you were reporting?

AEVERMANN: Well, every video I had I would say something against the republicans or against the democrats and they would just clash. And everyone would say I was against this and against that, I just wanted to make my points clear.

HARRIS: So I've got to ask you, do you get a lot of discussion about what you're filing? And how have we set it up so that that conversation about what you're reporting on continues?

AEVERMANN: It really depends on how newsworthy the story is. If it's very newsworthy -- today "American idol," the video...

HARRIS: Yes.

AEVERMANN: My video yesterday had, I think, this morning had 25 comments of people going back and forth on who they wanted to win and reasonings why. So it really just depends.

HARRIS: You going to keep - keep going for us?

AEVERMANN: You know it.

HARRIS: Yes, yes, yes, and with us.

AEVERMANN: With you.

HARRIS: With me. With me.

Kyle, are we treating you well?

AEVERMANN: Very much so.

HARRIS: We've gotten you a good lunch maybe later?

AEVERMANN: I think so.

HARRIS: OK, let's take care of you.

AEVERMANN: All right.

HARRIS: All right, Kyle, appreciate it.

If you'd like to see Kyle's work, here's what you do. Search kylehd at iReport.com.

Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick out of prison. One of the stories we're updating for you next hour on the CNN NEWSROOM.

We will also tell you what's ahead for Vick as he serves out his sentence in home confinement and we'll have an update on some of the pit bulls from his dog-fighting operation. Have they been rehabilitated?

Are doing an iReport? Are you filing an iReport right now?

AEVERMANN: I actually am.

HARRIS: Is that what you're doing? AEVERMANN: Yes.

HARRIS: I tell you, you are addicted to this thing.

California's budget, voters reject -- how am I doing? Am I doing all right? -- voters reject a handful of measures designed to pull the state out of a deepening crisis. How will California recover now? The governor warns of drastic cuts. We will update that story for you.

And the power of the Web. A distracted bus driver behind the wheel, eating, reading, talking on the phone, texting. The passenger who complains says nothing was done until the video showed up online. Nicole Lapin of CNN.com will be back with that story.

Will you stop that? Stop that! Go to break already.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: From I guess cars to cell phones, the global positioning system really is everywhere, and it's especially important to the military. But a new report says GPS might soon be MIA.

Nicole is here with that story.

And Nicole, what's going on here?

NICOLE LAPIN, CNN.COM CORRESPONDENT: I think mismanagement is the short answer to this. Underinvestment in our GPS satellites by the Air Force could mean failure or blackout by 2010, according to the federal watchdog agency, the Government Accountability Office.

Now, the biggest concern here, Tony, of course, is for the military. This is where the satellite guides these forces to very, very precise locations. The 99.9th degree in some cases, down to mere centimeters.

But you were mentioning a few examples before. It affects our everyday lives, driving to work, looking that coffee shop, taking in an airlines, timing financial transactions, seeking emergency help. Experts say that too many of the satellites that we use and the military uses are one step away from failing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALAN CAMERON, GPS WORLD: Some of the satellites on orbit have been up there since 1992. They've lived well beyond their design life. It's anybody's guess to when some of them might fail.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAPIN: Now despite what we just heard, the Air Force stands by its capability, saying it's committed to maintaining the same level of service (ph). GPS, no doubt, has affected our everyday lives, the way we live and work. And experts say, if we want to keep it that way, the Air Force needs to replace these satellites, Tony, and soon. HARRIS: Well, why can't we just simply do that?

LAPIN: I think the problem that we're seeing now is they're over budget, they're behind schedule. And we're talking about a lot of consequences here, more delays, more cancellations for flights, downgraded 911 service. And I've got to say this, smart bombs getting dumber, which is not good for anyone.

HARRIS: Yes, yes, good point. Next hour?

LAPIN: Next hour. See you soon.

HARRIS: All right, see you then.

She's no missing link, but may be a big clue in man's early roots. We will take a look at an unusual coming-out party in New York.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Now on display at New York's Natural History Museum, an amazing fossil of a primate about the size of a house cat. Now some believe this creature could help explain the roots of human evolution.

CNN's Richard Roth has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Could the so- called missing link behind the curtain? Behold. A 47-million-year- old primate fossil.

JOHN HURUM, UNIVERSITY OF OHIO: This is the most complete primate fossil before human burial.

ROTH: These paleontologists believe the primate is a gateway to discovering everything about human evolution. The found humanlike nails, not claws. Plus toes and teeth.

INGA BOSTAD, UNIVERSITY OF OHIO: I remember from my school days the discussion about the search for a missing link.

ROTH: The female primate is believed to have drowned in a crater lake and was discovered in a shale mine outside of Frankfurt, Germany in 1983. It all makes for a very good TV show, doesn't it?

ANTHONY GEFFEN, ATLANTIC PRODUCTIONS: The story of a little girl who connects possibly to every person on this planet.

ROTH: Unknown to the primate named "Ida," numerous TV and book deals were signed. The History Channel's special is called "The Link."

But is it really the missing link of evolution?

HURUM: It's really, really, hard to pinpoint exactly who gave rise to the humans at that point. But this is as good as it gets, really.

ROTH: The scientists call the primate one of the ancestors of all of us.

JENS FRANZEN, SENCKENBERG INSTITUTE: We are not dealing with our grand-grand-grandmother, but perhaps with a grand-grand-grand-aunt.

ROTH: Ida the primate will be on display at the Museum of Natural History.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg got the first look.

MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: This is what Darwin was looking for, and it just reconfirms the basic concept of Darwin.

ROTH: They may not have the missing liven, but the investigators hope the hoopla over the primate in a mine will lead to a goldmine of interest in science.

Richard Roth, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)