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Tensions High over North Korea; Hurricane Forecast Predicts up to 7; Army Base Focuses Intensively on Suicide Prevention; Conservatives Criticize Sotomayor; Sotomayor Unpredictable on Business Rulings; New Canada/U.S. Border Entry Rules to Begin; Some Employers Hiring Recent Grads
Aired May 28, 2009 - 10:00 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 now. We want to bring you more on this, an American icon. We have just learned that General Motors has struck a new deal with bondholders. Could it allow the carmaker to avoid bankruptcy, though?
Christine Romans of the CNN Money Team joining us now to break it all down for us. So, all right, Christine, we know a little bit more now. What is going on here?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Still going through this 8-K filing, but basically, a bondholder committee that represents about 20 percent of the bondholders has agreed to a new debt exchange offer offered by the Treasury Department, which would essentially give them a 10 percent stake in the new GM, but the opportunity to get an additional 15 percent stake.
So, as the company grew and was more healthy, they would have the opportunity to increase their stake. The whole point here is that they don't want the bondholders, the treasury doesn't want the bondholders to object to so-called the 363 bankruptcy process, which is selling assets during the bankruptcy process, taking the good parts of GM...
COLLINS: Right.
ROMANS: And putting them altogether and selling off the bad parts of GM or liquidating the bad parts of GM to make this healthy new GM. So I don't know if this is going to avoid a bankruptcy filing. I mean the government is pretty clear that the government would buy parts of these pieces in the event of a filing. So, we don't know if this avoids the bankruptcy filing or there's still the bankruptcy filing coming. But it shows that a bondholder committee, a committee representing, I think, 20 percent of the bondholders is on board with what the Treasury and GM are trying to do in terms of righting this company -- Heidi.
COLLINS: OK. So the take away for the people at home in all of this I guess is a little bit too early to know. Because really people just seem to want to know if the car company's going to exist or not.
ROMANS: Right. The car company is going to exist. It will exist no matter what. I want to be clear about that. If there's a bankruptcy filing, it will be, the company will operate under bankruptcy protection. According to these regulatory filings from GM, the Treasury Department has said that it will provide financing during that process. This is a company last year that sold 8.3 million cars around the world.
COLLINS: Right.
ROMANS: So, people buy GM cars. I mean, it's a big company. It makes stuff that people buy. And it will probably continue to do that. What size remains to be seen? Hummer is for sale, Saab is for sale. Pontiac is going away, Saturn is going away. I mean, this company is definitely going to change and there's a lot of cuts to come. And we're also told that there are plants that 14 plants, I think we're waiting to find out which ones and where and exactly how many will be closed.
So, there's a lot of news and a lot of pain to come for people who work for GM and in the GM story. But at least on this bondholder front, this is a sign of 11th-hour progress as they are rushing toward that bankruptcy deadline. That restructuring deadline, rather on Monday. I think what you'll find is you will not see a bankruptcy filing today or tomorrow...
COLLINS: OK.
ROMANS: ... because of this. I think what you're going to find is if there is one, it's going to be Monday, or it's going to be a little later on because it sounds to me like they are still working very hard behind the scenes. The Treasury, the GM and the people who have invested money in this company to try to find some solutions and the best possible outcome for everybody, Heidi.
COLLINS: Absolutely. All right. Christine Romans, thanks for that. Appreciate it.
ROMANS: You're welcome.
COLLINS: And Chrysler, though, already in bankruptcy court. This is the second day now that it's making the case for a deal with Italian car maker Fiat. If the court approves the sale, Chrysler could make a quick exit from bankruptcy protection. Some debt holders will have their chance to argue against it.
Tomorrow night, I want to let you know CNN's Ali Velshi and Christine Romans take a closer look at the carmakers and the road ahead. "How the Wheels Came OFF," the rise and fall of the American auto industry. That's tomorrow night at 8:00 Eastern.
It is a question that may loom as large as your next bill. Is the economy finally getting better? Nine out of 10 economists say it is. And new numbers out this morning may support that.
Just moments ago, a glimmer of good news on your most valuable possession, new home sales rose 0.3 percent last month. And also this morning, new unemployment numbers, fewer people got pink slips last week. And forecasters are taken aback by surging orders for durable goods. Americans are opening their wallets once again. The nuclear defiance of North Korea. Tensions are on the rise this morning. And right now, U.S. and South Korean troops are at their highest awareness alert levels in three years now. North Korea says it is preparing for an American-led attack. The U.S. denies any such military plans.
On the diplomatic front, the United Nations is considering more sanctions against the north after this week's apparent nuclear tests and missile launches.
President Barack Obama is heading back to the East Coast today. Air Force One is scheduled to leave California this hour. On the agenda, next to North Korea is Middle East peace. And a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. CNN's foreign affairs correspondent Jill Dougherty joining us now live from the State Department with a little bit more on this. So, Jill, what do they hope to accomplish with this particular meeting?
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, the objective of President Obama is to get the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks back on track, get them going. Now, the big sticking point for the Palestinians and for Mahmoud Abbas is the settlements issue. They want the settlement stopped. They say essentially there's no purpose in going back to the talks unless those settlements talk.
However, the big sticking point is that 10 days ago the president had another visitor, that was Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. Netanyahu would not commit to stopping those settlements. He was talking about natural growth as he put it. And he also wouldn't sign on publicly to a key issue and that was a two-state solution.
Yesterday, right here at the State Department, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made an unequivocal statement. She said there has to be a freeze, there can't be any natural growth. There can't be any expansion period. So we're seeing a tougher line coming out from the Obama administration about this issue, Heidi.
COLLINS: Well, this also comes as he prepares to head to the region where he's going to make a speech to the Muslim world.
DOUGHERTY: Yes, exactly and that's really kind of overshadowing everything. It's a very major speech. It's outreach to the Muslim world. And you would have to say that unless they can try to move forward, get some progress on this really key issue of Israel and Palestine, these words will be hard to carry out and have some meaning.
COLLINS: All right. Our foreign affairs correspondent Jill Dougherty for us this morning. Jill, thank you.
Back-to-back explosions ripped through adjacent markets in northwest Pakistan today. Take a look at the images of destruction from Pakistani TV now. Police say at least two people were killed, 70 others wounded. The blast happened in the city of Peshawar, not far from the area where Pakistani forces are fighting Taliban militants. We'll work to get that video for you as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, a major earthquake collapses homes in Honduras this morning. We are hearing reports of one person dead in one of those buildings. We are also seeing plenty of damage as new video comes into CNN. Bridges and roads are cracked and broken, as you see there. A tsunami warning for the area, though, was lifted just a short time ago.
Meteorologist Reynolds Wolf standing by in the Severe Weather Center to talk a little bit more about storms. Because that's what we've been talking about a lot lately, right?
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: Meanwhile hurricane season officially gets underway on Monday. The latest hurricane forecast says the season could bring as many as seven hurricanes. Some reaching category three or greater. So are people ready for the coming storms? CNN's John Zarrella takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Galveston, rebuilding the sea wall continues after Hurricane Ike. New Orleans -- the fortified levees are inspected. Alabama - rehearsal for a massive coastal evacuation. Days before the start of hurricane season, preseason drills and preparations are nearly complete. You've been paying attention, right? Surely you heard the chorus of warnings. The U.S. commerce secretary.
GARY LOCKE, U.S. COMMERCE SECRETARY: Public awareness and public preparedness are the best defenses against the hurricane and that defense is more important than ever.
ZARRELLA: The New Orleans mayor.
MAYOR RAY NAGIN, NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA: Each citizen must have a personal evacuation and recovery plan that accounts for your entire family.
ZARRELLA: The hurricane specialist.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Plan now. Know what to do so you'll be ready when the storms threatens.
ZARRELLA: With so many drums beating, everyone living in hurricane-prone communities is ready, right? Well, no, not hardly. A new Mason-Dixon poll sponsored by the National Hurricane Survival Initiative found most people surveyed from Maine to Texas have done little to get ready.
Despite recent big ones, Katrina, Rita, and last year, Ike, 83 percent of the 1,100 people surveyed have taken no steps to make their homes stronger. Sixty-six percent have no hurricane survival kits, basics like food and water for three days. And 53 percent don't know if their insurance policy covers hurricane damage. Every year surveys find hurricane apathy pretty much unchanged no matter how bad the season was. Sociologists chalk it up to human nature, to procrastinate. Emergency managers say the uh-oh factor will kick in when...
CHUCK LANZA, EMERGENCY MANAGER, BROWARD COUNTY: I saw the people really do when the big ones are coming, they get prepared.
ZARRELLA: But this year, emergency managers fear because of the economy, many people can't afford to stock up.
LANZA: We like people to set aside a little bit of the money and buy a little bit of the supplies they need now and a little bit more every week as they get the money.
ZARRELLA: If they just can't, experts say now's the time to come up with a plan to evacuate.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: And CNN's John Zarrella joining us now live from our Miami bureau there outside. After so much devastation, John, it seems, you know, hurricanes over the past few years that at the very least people would be serious about getting ahold of these basics, like water, flashlights, and food, right?
ZARRELLA: Yes, you know, here's the problem, Heidi. In this survey it was also found that 62 percent of the people don't even feel vulnerable to hurricanes. Emergency managers say here's the reason, here's an example. 1992, Hurricane Andrew hits 50 miles south of here, in South Day County or in Broward County. Well, people in Broward county say oh, I went through Hurricane Andrew. No, they didn't, they went through the periphery of the hurricane...
COLLINS: Aha.
ZARRELLA: ... the outer edges of a hurricane. And so many people from Maine to Texas who went through the outer fringes of a hurricane have this idea, a misnomer, that they went through a hurricane and that everything was fine, when, in fact, they did not go through the core of a major hurricane. And that's what leads to trouble because those are the people that nine out of 10 don't get ready for a major strike from a hurricane -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes. And it seems like they don't heed the warnings quite as well as others...
ZARRELLA: Exactly.
COLLINS: ... who just plain get out when they're supposed to get out, too.
ZARRELLA: Right.
COLLINS: Hopefully everybody getting better at that every second that we cover it here on CNN. John Zarrella, sure do appreciate that. Live from Miami this morning.
Secretly recorded conversations, talk of campaign donations and denial by Senator Roland Burris. Why he says those FBI tapes clear him of any wrong doing.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: We are finally getting ready to hear some of the FBI audio tapes linked to the alleged quid pro quo deal for President Obama's old Senate seat. On one end it's Senator Roland Burris, then a former Illinois attorney general. On the other end, Rob Blagojevich, the brother of the then Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. The topic, a campaign donation. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROLAND BURRIS, FORMER ILLINOIS ATTORNEY GENERAL: I'm trying to figure out how to deal with this and still be in the consideration for the...
ROB BLAGOJEVICH, BROTHER OF FORMER ILLINOIS GOVERNOR ROD BLAGOJEVICH: I hear you. No, I hear you.
BURRIS: And if I do that, I guarantee you that that will get out and people say, oh, Burris is doing a fundraiser, and then Rod and I are both going to catch hell. And if I do get appointed, that means I bought it. If I don't get appointed, then my people who I'm trying to raise money for look at me and say, what was that all about, Roland? So, Rob, I'm in a dilemma right now wanting to help the governor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Again, those recordings between Roland Burris and Rob Blagojevich. That's Rod Blagojevich's brother. So, I want to clarify that. And Senator Burris is defending those comments telling our Chicago affiliate, WLS, that the tapes actually proved he did nothing wrong.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BURRIS: My whole thing was seeking to placate the governor's brother, after I hung up that phone, after I said that, it dawned on me then that I couldn't give a check. It would not be right for me to do that. And guess what? I didn't. There's no perjury here. There's nothing on that tape that would be, you know, would be perjurous.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Burris said the donation being discussed amounted to about $1,000. The Senate ethics committee has launched an investigation.
Newly minted democratic Senator Arlen Specter is facing a likely challenge from within his own party. Congressman Joe Sestak says he's considering making a run for Specter's Senate seat in a Pennsylvania democratic primary. Sestak tells CNN he's not deterred by the fact that many leading democrats have already aligned with Specter. The former republican switched parties last month.
If you are heading out to catch your next flight, it might be a good idea to watch our next report. The issue, pilot training and how much is enough? Here now is CNN senior correspondent Allan Chernoff.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fifty dead in Buffalo when a Colgan Air crash, the National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary findings indicate Captain Marvin Renslo responded incorrectly to a stall warning. Two pilots dead near Jefferson City, Missouri, after taking a Pinnacle airplane on a joyride up to 41,000 feet. The NTSB blamed the pilot's unprofessional behavior and poor airmanship.
And five dead when an inexperienced private pilot crashed into another plane above Deerfield Beach, Florida. All these fatal crashes within the past six years share a common link. The pilots all trained at the Gulf Stream Training Academy in Fort Lauderdale.
CAPTAIN JACK CASEY, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, SAFETY OPERATING SYSTEM: The one thing that ties them altogether is poor airmanship, you cannot build sophisticated airline pilot skills on top of a soft foundation.
CHERNOFF: Gulf Stream Training Academy is widely criticized among veteran pilots as a pilot factory. A program that quickly trains students and then sends them out to work for commercial airlines, including its affiliate Gulf Stream international airline. It's a quick ticket into the cockpit.
Airline pilots who were not in the military typically gain experience over several years as flight instructors in small private planes. But for aspiring commercial pilots who have just 250 hours of experience and $30,000 tuition, Gulf Stream Training Academy speeds the process.
Students study for three months and then serve as first officers on Continental connection flights in Florida and the Bahamas operated by Gulf Stream International Airlines. Students get 250 hours of on the job training, compare that to the traditional minimum of 1,500 hours flight time most major airlines require.
PAT MOORE, COMMERCIAL PILOT: I don't know how they can justify that. When I get on an airplane, I expect a fully qualified crew.
CHERNOFF: Continental Airlines told CNN, "we expect our partners to adhere to the highest safety standards." Gulf Stream told CNN it was not prepared to appear on camera, but said "Gulf Stream does an outstanding job training commercial pilots, and it has done so for nearly two decades. Every U.S. commercial carrier has pilots who have received their training here."
(on camera): As good as the training may be at Gulf Stream, veteran pilots say there's no substitute for experience. They say anyone stepping into the cockpit of a commercial plane should have significant flying time. Far more than many students at Gulf Stream.
(voice-over): Even so, flight schools like Gulf Stream have been gaining popularity as more pilots try to accelerate their careers. But long time pilots warn their career path is not one to be rushed. Because a speedy path to the cockpit may compromise safety.
MOORE: We're talking about lives here. This is not gee, I like flying airplanes, I think it's cool. This is, if I make a mistake, and I'm not trained properly or my crew is not trained properly, people can be injured or die.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHERNOFF: Tragically that has happened in some cases. And veteran pilots say they believe it's no coincidence that the people involved in those accidents had attended the academy. Allan Chernoff, CNN, Miami.
COLLINS: Your child is sick. What rights do you have as a parent to decide the course of treatment? We'll talk about exercising your options.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Thirteen-year-old Daniel Hauser is expected to resume chemotherapy today as ordered by the court. He's the Minnesota teenager with Hodgkin's lymphoma who fled with his mother earlier this month rather than undergo more treatments. His family prefers natural healing practices instead.
The 13-year-old received one chemo treatment in February. Daniel's case and others like it have many wondering what right parents have to choose treatment for their child.
Our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here now to talk a little bit more about this in this week's "Empowered Patient" segment. So Elizabeth, with whom do the courts usually decide? Because it seems like it's different if we're talking about urgent or critical cases, right?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. And that exactly is the way you want to look at it. In this case it's a life or death situation and the courts usually do side with the doctors in this case. Well, in this case the family didn't want the treatment, the doctors did.
With the treatment, he had a 90 percent chance of living. Without it, he had about a 90 to 95 percent chance of dying. So, the courts usually do side, but there have been some interesting developments lately. Sometimes courts actually do side with families in these life or death situations when there is an M.D. who will side with the parents and give those parents alternative treatments.
I want to introduce you to two families, Heidi. One is the Maxen (ph) family, this family. They said they did not want their seven- year-old boy Noah to have chemotherapy. They wanted him to have alternative treatments. And the court sided with the family because they found an M.D. to oversee his care.
Now something interesting happened. He was off of chemotherapy for five months, and the cancer came back. And so, the parents put him back on chemotherapy, and sadly, he died a couple of years later.
COLLINS: Oh, gosh. Well, I guess when we talk about these life or death situations. If the case is not life or death, then do the rights of the parents change?
COHEN: Completely. Completely. Parents have much more leeway when it's not a life or death situation. So for example, let's say your child has asthma and you want to treat it with herbs and yoga instead of regular medicines. A parent can do that. Now if the asthma gets so bad that the child's life is in danger, that's different, the court's may step in there.
COLLINS: All right. Well, it seems somewhat reasonable, but hard. I mean there's a lot of people who are talking about this story, obviously.
COHEN: And I think it's important for people to know that parents do have rights and they also often have much more time to make these decisions than they think. Sometimes they feel boxed in a corner. They do have rights. Now you can see my column at cnnhealth.com where I talk about all the different rights that parents have. It's up there right now.
COLLINS: And then "Empowered Patient" again tomorrow?
COHEN: That's right, "Empower Me, Friday," that's why where we try to solve people's health problems and help find them insurance and lower their prescription bills. Send me your questions to empowerpatients@cnn.com. And maybe you'll be the person we help on "Empower me Friday" tomorrow.
COLLINS: You have all of the answers. We love that. All right, on Friday, thanks so much. Elizabeth Cohen for us this morning.
An entire military base taking a break. They're dealing with a troubling trend. Military suicides. Now the troops are being given the chance to step back and reflect.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Heidi Collins.
COLLINS: We have breaking news to get to on General Motors. Yesterday bondholders rejected a deal to cut GM's massive debt. And today a new development. Susan Lisovicz in the New York Stock Exchange now with more on this. Hi there, Susan.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Heidi. Well, this is a new development as you said. Bondholders have apparently agreed to accept 10 percent of the company's stock with warrants to buy up to 15 percent if they agree to support selling the company's assets to a new company under bankruptcy court protection. These details coming in a filing with the SEC today.
And if the bondholders don't agree to support the sale, then the amount of stock and warrants they get would be reduced, or even eliminated. That compares to what they would get yesterday would be just 10 percent of the company. So, it's sweetened with up to 15 percent of the company. Bondholders are simply groups of people that have lent GM money, $27 billion worth. And for that, they get interest payments.
And because GM has been in such difficulty, their interest rates have gone up. And GM says it simply can't make these interest rate payments. They are due just in a matter of days, a billion dollars' worth in interest payments. So, that's why it's coming down to a wire, not only with this bankruptcy filing, but with the fact that it was the -- these were the last groups that had to come on board to accept some sort of concession.
UAW, as you know, has already agreed to -- other creditors have agreed. But these bondholders, a big group of them, had refused to. And this is the new 11th-hour change of heart -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes. Big question, of course, is it going to save GM from bankruptcy? And this is the bondholders, but what about the workers? What's going to happen to them?
LISOVICZ: OK. Well, let's get to the bondholders first and bankruptcy. It doesn't appear that Chapter 11 is out of the picture. In fact, what it really seems to be is that it will make the bankruptcy process more organized. I mean, specifically, this is what's going to happen is that there's going to be some sort of good GM company.
This is something we've talked about before with the good brands that it has, like GMAC, Chevy, Cadillac. It has these assets that it's trying to sell. Saturn, for instance, and Hummer, Saab, so it has these assets it wants to unload. So, it does not -- does not -- eliminate the bankruptcy Chapter 11 question.
Heidi, as far as workers, well, they've already taken a big hit. And what we do know is that GM is still going to announce that it has companies -- it has plants that it's going to close. The AP says we could find out 14 of them on Monday, which happens to coincide with, of course, June 1st, the deadline to reach some sort of agreement. So, will that eliminate more jobs? You better believe it will -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes. Yes. Boy. All right, we are watching all of this very closely. Susan Lisovicz from the New York Stock Exchange, thanks so much, as we are down double digits right there.
LISOVICZ: You're welcome.
COLLINS: The Big Board as well resting at 8261. Susan, thank you.
New, I want to show you some pictures here coming up in just a moment. We were able to catch President Barack Obama leaving Los Angeles, LAX. He's headed back to D.C. He's going to be heading there to Washington, obviously, from his West Coast swing, if you will. And that will be just in time for him to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Of course, that will be happening at the White House. We will be covering that story for you, as well and the situation in the Middle East all day long right here on CNN.
Dealing with desperation. Commanders at Fort Campbell in Kentucky are giving troops there three days off. It's an extraordinary step to deal with a troubling problem, military suicides.
CNN Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence is joining us now live from Fort Campbell this morning. Hi there, Chris.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Heidi, yes. What this is not so much a day off, but it's basically telling all the soldiers here, push all of your normal workload off the table for three days and just focus on this one problem of preventing suicide.
That means commanders are updating their lists of soldiers that are at risk. That means pounding it into the head of every soldier the people and the programs that are in place for them to go to if they need help with anything. Every soldier here has been assigned a battle buddy to look out for each other. They all have these cards that they carry with them with numbers of hot lines, information.
The thing about this base, so far this year, a Fort Campbell soldier is nearly three times more likely to kill himself than die in battle. You know, think about that for a second. Three soldiers from here were killed in Afghanistan this year. Eleven committed suicide.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIG. GEN. STEVE TOWNSEND, COMMANDER, FORT CAMPBELL: Suicide on Fort Campbell's bad, and it's got to stop now. No matter how tough your problems look like right now, they'll be better tomorrow, believe it. Trust me -- you don't have to believe it. Just trust me, they'll be better tomorrow. Don't take away your tomorrow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAWRENCE: You know, the thing about Fort Campbell is that it's home to the 101st Airborne, a heavily deployed unit. You know, they've been multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. But it's not just one base. You know, the Army has about 64 suspected suicides already this year. Last year, the Marines had 41.
COLLINS: Wow. All right. CNN's Chris Lawrence for us right there at Fort Campbell. Chris, thank you. We want to talk a little bit more about this. What about those left behind by military suicides? The numbers of suicides are troubling. But behind each of those tragic stories, there's a family left to fend for themselves.
Kim Ruocco knows that pain all too well. She is the widow of an Iraq war vet who took his own life. And now she's the director of suicide support for the non-profit Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, otherwise known as TAPS. She is in Boston with us this morning.
Thanks so much for being with us, Kim. First, let's start out with your story. Tell us a little bit more about your husband, Marine Corps Major John Ruocco.
KIM RUOCCO, DIRECTOR OF SUICIDE SUPPORT, TAPS: OK. He was a pilot, a very highly decorated pilot. He was a happy guy, a happy-go- lucky guy. He didn't want to let any of his Marines down. Wanted to do a good job. Wanted to be everything for everybody, and would never ask for help, so much like many of our other servicemen and women out there.
COLLINS: Well, I'm really glad you said that because we've done a few stories here. And it seems like something that really needs to be talked about is that culture, the culture of not wanting to go and ask for help. What do you see changing in that regard?
RUOCCO: Well, we all need to start looking out for each other at home and on the battlefield. The peers need to be able to understand what to look for whenever they know a buddy's in trouble and know where to go to whenever they need help and take that buddy with them and grab them and take them to help. And also, family members need to be educated about what to look for and what to do whenever they see signs that are troubling.
COLLINS: I know that your story has brought you to TAPS and the work that you do so well with them. And we appreciate it very much. But I wonder if you could shed a little bit of light for us on how the stresses for the military members are perhaps a little bit different.
RUOCCO: They're very different than civilian life in that we have a lot of separations and a lot -- guys work long hours when they are home, and then when they're away, of course, they're working long hours. And then they come home often to moves and disruption and having to find jobs, and continued trainings. And on top of that, they have the traumas of war and things that they've experienced in the military that they may have not dealt with because they're afraid to say that they need help for fear that they'll be seen as weak.
COLLINS: Yes. And we have noticed also, of course, that a lot of these suicides seem to be happening when the troop members return home, and this whole issue of transitioning into either civilian life if they are finished with their commitment, or back into life away from the battlefield.
RUOCCO: Well, let's face it. When they come back, they're exhausted, and they have a -- they still have a lot to handle. You know, they don't come back and rest. They come back to families who have been waiting for them to come home, who have been wanting -- have a whole list of "honey-dos" and a whole list of things for them to do.
They may be looking for new jobs. They are feeling the pressure, and they don't feel like they should ask for help for fear they be seen as weak or not a good soldier or Marine.
COLLINS: If you could say just a couple of words to some of the troubled families who are dealing with someone who's come back and not transitioning back home as well as they would like, what would those words be?
RUOCCO: Your gut will tell you when something's wrong with your spouse or your son or your brother or your sister. And whenever you're feeling that, and when you're seeing that he or she is not right and something is right, get help. And get help right away, because depression and PTSD can be deadly. It can kill.
Get help. Don't worry about the career. You know, get back on track. You can get back together. I've heard it over and over again even from pilots. They get help, they get on medication, they get down for a little while. But they get back in that helicopter or that plane, they get back on the battlefield. You can do it. You can get help.
COLLINS: Well, Kim Ruocco, we certainly appreciate your time and your story, as well. The director of suicide support for TAPS. Thanks so much.
RUOCCO: Thank you, Heidi.
COLLINS: Sonia Sotomayor, the first shots are fired in what could be the next big battle in Washington. President Obama's choice for the Supreme Court reaches out, and conservative leaders throw down.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama's choice for the Supreme Court, has been calling out-of-town senators. She's hoping to score points before they return from a weeklong break and wade into a looming confirmation battle that could get nasty. Senior political correspondent Candy Crowley takes a closer look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Outrage from familiar voices.
RUSH LIMBAUGH, HOST, "THE RUSH LIMBAUGH SHOW": Obama is the greatest living example of a reverse racist, and now he's appointed one.
CROWLEY: At issue is a sentence in a 2001 speech by Judge Sotomayor about diversity on the bench. She says she tries to be aware of her own assumptions and conceded it's possible for someone of one background to understand the needs of someone from another. She also said, "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experience would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was tweeting, "White man racist nominee would be forced to withdraw. Latina woman racist should also withdraw."
Unlikely, but her words are being studied as are 17 years of decisions from the bench. A case now before the Supreme Court involves the City of New Haven, which threw out a promotion test for firefighters after whites scored better than African-Americans. The whites sued, but when the case got to federal appeals court, Sotomayor joined colleagues ruling against the white firefighters.
TOM GOLDSTEIN, SUPREME COURT ANALYST: Does she have the perspective of someone who's attentive to claims of discrimination or the possibility of police misconduct? Is she aware that that's a possibility? Yes. But she's not out there ruling for one side in all the cases by any means.
CROWLEY: In the case of a New York City cop, fired for making anonymous racist remarks, Sotomayor dissented from the majority, arguing that the First Amendment was applicable and the fired officer should be allowed to take his case against the police department to trial. Tom Goldstein has argued 21 cases before the Supreme Court and studied her record.
GOLDSTEIN: Judge Sotomayor's on the moderate left. There's no question that she's a liberal. But she's not on the far left. She's not an ideologue.
CROWLEY: There are a few hints in the paper trail about how she would come down on the death penalty, abortion, gay rights. Ken Duberstein helped shepherd four Supreme Court justices through confirmation hearings. He advised each one to punt legal and social flashpoint issues with the following.
KEN DUBERSTEIN, REAGAN WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: As a judge, I must be impartial. I need to look at the facts of every case. I don't have a predestined personal view. My ideas don't matter. What matters is the law. I will judge it as it comes based on the facts of the case.
CROWLEY: Duberstein's best advice -- don't embellish, don't shovel, tell the truth.
Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Companies are scouring the legal opinions now of President Obama's pick for the Supreme Court. One question they're asking, where does she stand on business issues? CNNmoney.com's Poppy Harlow has a breakdown now for us on just that. Hi there, Poppy. POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Hi there, Heidi. Yes, legal experts saying that Sotomayor is pretty moderate on business issues. But when you look at her history, it's unpredictable because she hasn't stuck with ruling on one side or the other. So, we're going to go through a few of her rulings here and then what's key coming up if she is confirmed to the Supreme Court.
She supported limiting punitive damages against companies. One example of that was back in a 2000 case where there were claims against TWA and Boeing after the flight -- crash of that Flight 800. She's been pretty balanced on pre-empting state laws with federal laws. Why does that matter? Well, it's usually turned out to be cheaper for companies to comply with one federal standard, one ruling, than a patchwork of state regulations -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Are there any cases the business community is red- flagging?
HARLOW: Yes. One in particular comes from a "Fortune" magazine editor. The 2004 ruling -- her ruling in a 2005 case, rather, involving Merrill Lynch, that "Fortune" editor calling this disturbing. What was involved here is that she ruled that investors can sue investment firms for fraud in a state court.
Now, under the law, those fraud cases that involved buying and selling stock had to be heard in federal court. She argued because it was the plaintiff not buying or selling stock, but rather holding it, so a literal interpretation of the law there. In other words, they hadn't sold the stock at that point. The law didn't apply, and they could sue in state court.
Merrill Lynch appealed that decision. Again, one of her rulings went up to the state Supreme Court, and her ruling was overturned unanimously, Heidi, by the Supreme Court in 2005. This really matters to the business community, a Tulane law professor telling us securities fraud cases often get dismissed in federal court, so keeping them on the federal level often favors those big investment firms -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Well, if Sotomayor is confirmed, what kind of business issues would she likely have to rule on?
HARLOW: Yes, some interesting cases that will be watched very closely if she is confirmed. One involves how long investors can wait before they make a securities fraud claim. That has to do with pharmaceutical giant Merck. Another addresses whether investment adviser fees have been higher than federal law permits.
The overall feeling, a bit unpredictable where she stands on business. But one thing's clear, Heidi, she's not an anti-business jurist because she's voted -- really she's ruled on both sides.
COLLINS: All right. Understood. Poppy Harlow, thank you.
HARLOW: Sure.
COLLINS: Get ready to pack your passport even if you're just going to Canada. New travel rules go into effect next week.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Casey Anthony is back in court this hour. Anthony is, of course, the woman accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee. You are watching live pictures now of the Florida courthouse where a hearing is under way on a defense motion. Anthony's lawyers want the judge to stop the release of a video that shows her reaction when she found out her daughter's remains had been found.
In a courtroom in Kentucky today, former U.S. soldier Steven Green will hear from the surviving members of the Iraqi family he was convicted of killing. The Justice Department is allowing the family members to speak directly to Green before they return to Iraq. Green is set to be sentenced in September.
A heads-up for travelers now. New rules go into effect next week for Canada. So, if you're planning to go north of the border, you will need a passport. CNN's homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve with the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At certain times, at certain places, it can take hours to cross the border from Canada into the U.S. Some fear new rules will make the wait even longer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Starting June 1, 2009, new document requirements...
MESERVE: Ad campaigns in the U.S. and Canada are spreading the word that, starting June 1st, travelers crossing into the U.S. on the northern border will need to present one of the following: a U.S. or Canadian passport, a U.S. passport card, a trusted traveler card or an enhanced driver's license like those offered by a limited number of states and provinces.
U.S. officials estimate that only about one in three Americans has one of those documents, although people living near the border are much more likely to have one. Officials are promising to be flexible about enforcement in the beginning.
JANET NAPOLITANO, U.S. SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: We hope that people appreciate, however, that as we implement WHTI, we're going to do it with common sense, we want to be fair, but that that is the law, and my responsibility is ultimately to make sure that that law is enforced.
MESERVE: Every day, about 300,000 people cross the U.S.-Canadian border, and every minute, a million dollars' worth of trade goes back and forth. Business and travel groups worry the new rules will create bottlenecks.
PERRIN BEATTY, CANADIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: The last time a shot was fired in anger between Canada and the United States was in the war of 1812 to '14, and yet we are putting barriers between our two countries which keep on getting higher and thicker, and we're moving in the wrong direction.
MESERVE: But U.S. officials predict things will go smoothly. Some of the documents are enhanced with radio frequency identification tags that can be read before a vehicle gets to an inspection booth and may actually speed travel.
MESERVE (on camera): So, what happens if you get to the border without one of the required documents? You will get more scrutiny, and that will take time, but in the end, if you are a U.S. citizen, you cannot be denied entry.
Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Fresh out of college and looking for work? Well, you are in the right place. We're going to tell you about places that are hiring right now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Earlier today, I talked to one of my personal favorite TV guys, Tom Bergeron. He's hosting the 2009 Scripps National Spelling Bee tonight. He also does "America's Funniest Videos" and "Dancing with the Stars" and a whole bunch of stuff. It was a pretty good interview, so we are posting it on our blog. If you want to check it out, you can do that at cnn.com/newsroom, and then just click on my name.
Jobs for the Class of 2009. The numbers are stark, but today, some good news: a list of companies hiring new college grads. Our Josh Levs is checking it all out and giving us the good news for the young people.
Yes, so where do they go? Who do they call?
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm so happy to have some good news, Heidi. Remember just the other day we were talking with the head of this group, 80 Million Strong?
COLLINS: Yes.
LEVS: He was telling us, look, there's no jobs for young people. The numbers are really bad, but check out this headline today, CNN.com, "Employers hiring the Class of 2009." This is actually statistics from Careerbuilder, and it gives you a list.
Let's go straight to this graphic. I want you to see some of the examples that they're showing us here. They give you a list of these major companies and how many estimated new grads from 2009 they're talking about hiring.
Allstate, you can see there, 800. You've got Cbeyond, GEICO, 300 jobs there, Kaplan higher ed, 250, Kroger, 800. In each of these cases, we're talking about jobs for college graduates. So, in many cases it involves computing, technical work. Sometimes it's specialists, but you can see Maxim Healthcare, Sherwin-Williams, all in the hundreds.
Now, I will acknowledge, you look at how many grads there are out there. These examples are not enough to change the big picture that there are incredibly fewer jobs for young people now, and it's really too bad. But I want to tell you, go to CNN.com or go straight to careerbuilder.com, and you will see that list, and we'd link you to all sorts of Web sites that are doing some of this hiring.
I encourage you to check it out because those do exist. Oh, and check it out. Weigh in, tell us your experience, CNN.com/newsroom, the blog Heidi was just talking about. We've had a discussion going on this topic now for a couple weeks throughout this month. And I'm at Facebook and Twitter. In each case, it's just slash Josh Levs CNN. We want to hear your experience, so keep it coming. We'll keep sharing it here, Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes, very good. They are facing so much competition out there.
LEVS: That's right.
COLLINS: And now, it's usually from older people who were retired and coming back or just, you know, out of college for a while. Interesting.
LEVS: And are willing to work for less, yes.
COLLINS: All right, Josh, sure do appreciate it. Thank you.
LEVS: Thanks, Heidi.
COLLINS: I'm Heidi Collins. Middle East peace taking center stage in Washington today. President Obama on his way now back to the White House for a meeting with Palestinian President Abbas at the White House. Live team coverage as CNN NEWSROOM continues with Tony Harris.
