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Taliban Releases Video Of U.S. Soldier Held Captive; Pentagon Denounces Video As Exploitation; NASA Moon Walk Videos Perhaps Lost Forever

Aired July 19, 2009 - 14:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITEFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Unfolding this hour, a young American in the hands of the Taliban. The new face of America's war in Afghanistan is 23-year-old Bowe Bergdahl from the tiny mountain town of Ketchum, Idaho. The Taliban released a 28-minute video showing the captive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am scared. Scared I won't be able to go home. It is very unnerving to be a prisoner.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN Pentagon Correspondent Chris Lawrence is monitoring this developing story. He's joining us on the phone now from Washington.

So, Chris, what's the latest on what you're hearing? How the Pentagon is reacting to this video?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, they are certainly monitoring the situation and the actual abduction is something they had been aware of for some time. We got a statement, earlier today, from a spokesman there, in Afghanistan, in the region. You can take a look now and see what it says. This is what the Pentagon is saying publicly about the matter.

It basically says, "We strongly condemn this exploitation of a prisoner. That goes against international codes of conduct. And they talk about some of the ways in which they're going to be going after the people responsible for abducting this soldier.

In the past week or so, they have been using a combination of the carrot and the stick, dropping pamphlets over parts of Afghanistan. One pamphlet showing a soldier kicking in a door, saying if you do not return this soldier, we will hunt you down. Another pamphlet with a soldier surrounded by children, with his arms outstretched, saying one of our guests is missing. Please call this number to help return this guest.

In terms of when and how this happened, a senior military source at the Pentagon tells CNN that apparently Private 1st Class Bergdahl wondered off of his outpost on June 30th. It was an outpost in southeastern Afghanistan. He wandered off and then was abducted by local militants and then sold to a larger clan, a bigger group. There are Taliban statements out there that say he was drunk and abducted but, again, a source in the military says the Taliban has a history of lying, and that's just not true.

WHITFIELD: And his family has released a statement, have they not, post the release of this video?

LAWRENCE: Exactly. You know, the family right now is asking for privacy. Which is perfectly understandable. Being in the military also not going to be talking about any specific operations to try to rescue the soldier. The family did release a short statement, Private Bergdahl's family. The statement basically reads, "We hope and pray for our son's safe return and we know that the military is doing everything possible to bring him home." They go on to ask for privacy and restraint from the media.

WHITFIELD: All the best of thoughts going out to the family and to Bowe Bergdahl, too. As an ongoing search continues in Afghanistan. Chris Lawrence, thanks so much for joining us from Washington.

Another story we're watching out of Afghanistan, the crash today of a civilian helicopter; 16 people were killed. We get the latest now from our Ivan Watson in Helmand Province.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT: They're not releasing the nationality of these passengers but they say none of the passengers, or crew, were military personnel. They are also saying this was not the result of any kind of hostile fire. There will be an investigation into this.

This is the third crash in the last two days. Earlier today there was also a hard landing, an emergency landing, by a U.S. military helicopter in eastern Afghanistan, in Kunar Province, and we're told that the passengers and crew were being treated for injuries. We don't have further details on that, except there wasn't hostile fire.

Yesterday we had an F15-E Strike Eagle, the first, we believe, U.S. fixed-wing warplane that crashed in the predawn hours with two crew members killed. It's a very difficult day for aviation. Despite that, we traveled with Marine helicopters - and I believe we have some video that we can show you - traveled around Helmand Province. This is this very difficult province in the south of Afghanistan. Today, I traveled with U.S. Marines, some 10,000 Marines have been moved into this area, 4,000 launched an offensive earlier this month, moving into areas that the Taliban insurgents had controlled.

During our trip, and we stopped at several bases, it was very clear that I was in the same area last year, the small forward operating bases have tripled, quintupled in size. The base that I'm at right now had perhaps several hundred American and British soldiers, Marines. Now it has some 2,000 personnel. A sign that the U.S. and the NATO allies are ramping up their efforts here, trying to -- to reach out and extend the Afghan government's authority in this very contested region, where poppies, drugs are produced in massive quantities. And this is ahead of the August 20th presidential elections that are scheduled to be taking place then.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Ivan Watson reporting there.

Meantime the Obama administration officials were on the Sunday talk shows this morning defending one of the top domestic plans the president is trying to push, health care plans.

They say the proposed overhaul is a work in progress and they are asking Americans to with hold judgment until there's a final version to consider. CNN's Elaine Quijano is at the White House.

Elaine, does the administration still think that it can get Congress to pass something by August?

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, officials are hopeful. They say that is the goal right now to get both the House and Senate to pass their respective versions of health care legislation by August.

But it's turning out to be quite an ambitious goal. Lawmakers from both parties have said, look, we want to slow things down a bit. We want to take some additional time to work on this issue.

The big question across the board, of course, is how to pay for this massive health care overhaul. And some are asking does the president need to step up his efforts in getting legislation done?

Well, today on CNN's "State Of The Union," John King asked the president's budget chief, Peter Orszag, look, is president Obama too timid to get involved here? Orszag said no, that health care reform is a tough issue. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER ORZAG, WHITE HOUSE BUDGET DIRECTOR: It hasn't happened in 50 years for a reason. It's complicated. The legislative process is working. People are sorting reaching judgment about who's going to win the marathon based on who's ahead at mile 19. Not a good way of judging things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Nevertheless, the clock is ticking with just weeks away now until Congress' August recess, scheduled recess. The White House obviously, Fredricka, does not want to lose momentum now.

WHITFIELD: Given the fact there are concerns about the costs and how quickly Congress should move, what is the next step for the president on this matter?

QUIJANO: Well, President Obama is going to continue to try to rally lawmakers basically. We're going to be seeing this coming up this week, on Wednesday, he's set to hold that primetime news conference, where, of course, he's expected to focus on health care reform. And then on Thursday he's heading to Cleveland, Ohio, for a health care event. We still don't know the details of that event but you can bet, Fredricka, the president's broader message will be once again something we heard before, that the president believed health care reform is an issue that cannot wait -Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Elaine. Appreciate that.

Well, the more you hear about health care reform plans, are you more or less convinced it's a good idea? We want to hear from you. And there are many ways in which to give us your feedback. Head to CNN.com/Fredricka and you can comment on my blog. Or you can respond via Facebook. You can even call us now at 1-877-742-5760. We'll have some of your responses ready to go in the 4:00 Eastern hour.

Meantime, President Obama is expected to talk about health care and other issues when he holds that news conference that's scheduled from Wednesday, 9:00 p.m. CNN, of course, will be covering that live.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will go ahead with a Jewish housing project in predominantly Arab East Jerusalem. That is despite opposition from the United States. The Obama administration has warned that new Israeli settlements will hinder the Middle East peace process. Mr. Netanyahu told his cabinet Israel has sovereignty over all of Jerusalem. And Jews have the right to settle anywhere in that city.

All right. Police didn't have to look far for a suspect in the deaths of six people here at home. We'll tell you where they found him, and why they believe he went on a two-state killing spree.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Welcome back.

A man accused of killing six people in two states is now under arrest in Tennessee; 30-year-old Jacob Schaffer was found at one of the victim's houses south of Nashville yesterday. Police say he was sitting on the porch when they arrived. Five victims were found in two separate houses in Fayetteville. A sixth was found about 30 miles away, across the state line in Huntsville, Alabama. Most of the victims are believed to be related. Police believe the killings are the result of a domestic dispute.

And California transit investigators are trying to figure out what caused two light rail trains to collide in San Francisco. At least 48 people were injured in yesterday's crash. Mechanical problems and human errors are being examined as possible causes. Witnesses say one train barreled into the other as they emerged from a tunnel.

Democrats want the Senate Judiciary Committee to vote on Judge Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court nomination next week, but some Republicans are saying not so fast. The ranking Republican on the committee, Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, says he is still troubled by some of the things that Sotomayor has said. He wants to delay the vote until July 28th. Among those still questioning this nomination, anti-abortion groups; I spoke with the president of Americans United For Life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARMAINE YOEST, AMERICANS UNITED FOR LIFE: Americans united for life looks at a whole host of life issues. There's end of life issues, bioethics issues. There's a whole host of life issues that are going to come forward.

WHITFIELD: She doesn't have a legal record, an opinion, a decision, on anything that pertains to abortion rights.

YOEST: She had a couple of cases that she decided in which she upheld precedent. And our concern is that as a lower court judge, she's obligated to do that. So we believe that when you look at the totality of the record, she is going to be reliable, and more aggressive than Justice Souter, vote undermining the kinds of regulation and restrictions on abortion that's Americans want to pass at the state level.

WHITFIELD: But do you feel like upholding precedent is enough in which to read the totality of a jurist?

YOEST: You know, Fredricka, what is a really good question. It is important to understand for people who are not steeped in the Supreme Court, and the layering of the courts, and how they work, and how court cases come up to the Supreme Court. The job of the Supreme Court is to set precedent. So the fact that she upheld precedent on the Second Circuit Court does not really tell us what she will do when she's in the Supreme Court and she has the opportunity to implement the activism that she's pretty clearly demonstrated she is committed to through her speeches.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Right now the vote is scheduled for Tuesday. We'll find out in the coming days, if not hours, if indeed it will be delayed.

Find a summer job during a recession isn't easy, especially for at-risk teens. Stimulus money is helping disadvantaged youth find summer work, but not everyone's happy with the program as we hear from CNN's Kate Bolduan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Twenty-year-old Sean Branch searched eight months for a job with no success.

SEAN BRANCH, COMMUNITY OUTREACH ASSISTANT: I'd go everywhere from big-time places to just mom and pop shops, and nobody's hiring.

BOLDUAN: Fifteen-year-old Kenise Terry (ph) said she needed to keep herself busy during the summer break.

(On camera): If you hadn't gotten this job, what do you think you would be doing this summer?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Getting into trouble.

BOLDUAN: Now, for at least the summer, both are hard at work for Richmond, Virginia businesses.

BRANCH: Hey, everybody.

BOLDUAN: Terry at a radio station, Branch at a community outreach program.

BRANCH: I'm hoping this job could lead me into just the realm of being a businessman.

BOLDUAN: All thanks to the economic stimulus package, $1.2 billion targeted to job training for disadvantaged youth. President Obama has promised the money would create 125,000 summer jobs.

ROBERT BOLLING, DIR., WILLIAM BYRD COMMUNITY HOUSE: It provides another opportunity to help young people.

BOLDUAN: Robert Bolling helped Branch and Terry find work. His organize, the William Byrd Community House, received $439,000 from the stimulus for its summer employment program. Bowling says that money means he can put nearly 200 young people to work this summer compared to 137 last year.

BOLLING: It is very difficult for a young person, with no job skills at all, to compete in a marketplace where individuals are losing work all the time.

BOLDUAN: But these are temporary jobs, which is why some, like Virginia Congressman Eric Cantor, are questioning whether summer employment is the most effective use of stimulus money.

REP. ERIC CANTOR, (R) VIRGINIA: I think the American people are just frustrated seeing their taxpayer dollars wasted and when you say that you want to see a stimulus bill work, they, the American people, expect that stimulus bill will be focused like a laser on creating jobs.

BOLDUAN (on camera): Are they wrong?

BOLLING: To say that this summer program does not work doesn't really hit the point. The point is you're training young people for the future.

BOLDUAN: Shawn Branch, at least, already views this stimulus project as a success.

BRANCH: Somebody like me, I would never think in a million years I would have the opportunity to just sit in a beautiful office, air conditioned, and, you know, just file papers. I never would think that.

BOLDUAN: Here in Richmond they estimate each summer job costs between $1,000 and $2,000 in stimulus spending. It's a one-time cash infusion, so come next summer programs like this across the country will need to look elsewhere to maintain this level of funding. Kate Bolduan, CNN, Richmond, Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: An Ohio boy who made a name for himself holding fund raisers for charity is in action once again, this time to help his out-of-work dad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZACH MCGUIRE, SON: It's what you're doing that matters and how you're helping people.

TOM MCGUIRE, FATHER: I have prayed to God, let me win the lottery, as I'm sure a lot of people do. This is better than the lottery. This is worth more because it's other people reaching out to us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: What is he talking about exactly? Zack McGuire's decision to sell his toys to support his family. It captured the hearts of so many strangers. Many have dropped off cash donations. Others have offered a helping hand with checks through the mail.

OK, we knew it was coming. This time a tropical wave is developing in the Atlantic and sizzling temperatures are heating up parts of the country while others are enjoying kind of a cool down. Let's check in with Jacqui Jeras in the CNN Weather Center --Jacqui.

(WEATHER REPORT)

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I want to talk a little bit about the tropics. Hurricane season began June 1st, so we're well into hurricane season. Though the climatologically peak really doesn't take place until September. There are two areas we have been watching into the Atlantic, and one was right here. And that thing is just kind of fizzled away into a whole lot of nothing.

But the second one we're watching is right here still east of the Leeward and Windward Islands. The potential for this to develop into anything is minimal and that has to do with strong winds over into the area.

I have a picture to show you, not necessarily weather related, but science related. This comes from Germany, in the town of Nachterstead (ph) and a mudslide happened here and three people are missing. A big chunk basically of the lakeshore just kind of got swallowed up and one home is basically gone and about half of two other homes are there. They're saying they're not sure exactly why this happened and the ground apparently is still moving in the area.

WHITFIELD: Oh, gosh. That is so frightening.

JERAS: Amazing stuff.

WHITFIELD: Let's hope they successfully find the people that they're looking for. You said three, right?

JERAS: Yes, three.

WHITFIELD: Let's hope they find them OK. Jacqui Jeras, appreciate that. Thank you.

Walter Cronkite is being remembered as a reporter's reporter. We will hear from his long-time CBS colleague Bob Schieffer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALTER CRONKITE, CBS NEWS ANCHOR: ... we've had here at CBS News.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, they will hold a private funeral service for Walter Cronkite in New York City on Thursday and after that he will be buried next to his wife in his home state of Missouri. The long-time "CBS Evening News" anchor died Friday at the age of 92. Former colleagues say that he was much more than a news reader.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB SCHIEFFER, CBS NEWS: Because he was a reporter, because he had been there, Harry. Everybody knew Walter didn't get that suntan from the studio lights. He got it from being out on the scene of story after story after story. And that's why you liked to work for Walter. Walter knew that the news didn't come in over the wire service machine, that some reporter had to go out there. Somebody had to climb up to the top of city hall steeple to see how tall it was. Somebody had to do that.

Walter knew how hard it was to get news because he had been there. So when you worked for Walter, he knew, you knew that he appreciated what he had done to get the story. And that's why when Walter said you did pretty good on that one, son, that's why it meant so much to you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Bob Schieffer on memories of Walter Cronkite.

So people buy all kinds of un usual item when's they go on overseas trips, right? Learn how one woman's travels helped her buy the gift of life herself with the purchase of a new kidney.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Updating our top story, the newly released Taliban video shows a U.S. soldier who disappeared in Afghanistan nearly three weeks ago. On the video, Private 1st Class Bowe Bergdahl says he is being treated well, but he's afraid he will never return home. Also in Afghanistan, a civilian helicopter crashed while taking off from the Kandahar air field. Officials say it was a Russian-owned helicopter on a mission to support peacekeeping forces; 16 people died, all described as civilians. The cause is unknown, but officials say there was no enemy fire.

Iran's hard-line president has come under fire from some of his own supporters. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is being criticized for appointing a vice president who said Iranians were friends of all people in the world, even the Israelis. Ahmadinejad has been under siege by opposition supporters, who claim he stole last month's election.

A woman in dire need of a new kidney travelled to Pakistan and made a life-altering decision. She is one of a growing number of so- called transplant tourists, people in search of a precious organ they cannot get at home. But there are legal repercussions for such operations, as our Nic Robertson explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you imagine? They won't even allow me to talk to anyone. Please keep it hush, hush.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Sukhi Johal shows me photos of her recent visit to Pakistan. It was no ordinary holiday. Her kidneys were failing. She was on a mission to find a kidney donor and save her life.

SUKHI JOHAL, KIDNEY TRANSPLANT PAIENT: Here I am with some of the other patients.

ROBERTSON: At 46, she had all been given up hope. Doctors in the United States told her she would have a ten-year wait to get a kidney and dialysis wasn't working.

JOHAL: I kept getting blood infections, sepsis I got a couple of times. I was in and out of the hospital almost 19 times I went into hospital.

ROBERTSON: Then a family friend told her of a hospital in Pakistan where she could buy a kidney. She went for it.

JOHAL: Everything was arranged for us. We paid up front.

ROBERTSON: When she got to Pakistan last December, she found the conditions at the hospital shocking. She said she was told, tell no one what you are here for. She kept a photo diary as she waited three weeks in a hospital guest house until the hospital found a donor.

JOHAL: I got very emotional at that point. I couldn't believe it. I was like wow. Sorry. And then -- and then I was very emotional because I was shocked and wowed. I'm going to maybe let my life back.

ROBERTSON: About to get her life back, but also unwittingly, she says, about to break Pakistani law that forbids the sale of kidneys for transplant tourists like her.

JOHAL: I know this is a very controversial subject. But so what you have to think if you're judging me, if it was a matter of life and death for you, would you also do the same thing? I think the majority of people would say yes, they would.

ROBERTSON: But it is not the view of leading kidney transplant surgeon Dr. Hassan Rizvi of the Karachi-Based Institute of Neurology and Transplantation or SWEET. He was the primary mover behind the 2007 law that banned organ sales. At the time the government said about 2,000 kidneys was being sold legally to medical tourists every year. Rizvi runs a fully legal transplant hospital, performing a dozen free transplants every week. Earlier this month, he alleged that the hospital in Lahore allowed illegal transplants to take place.

Rizvi also pointed to the kidney center, that's where indentured farmer told us he had his kidney removed for cash last year. He told us his landlord ordered him, sell your kidney or sell your children to raise the money.

DR. ABOUL HASSAN RIZVI, SINOH (ph) INSTITUTE OF UROLOGY AND TRANSPLANTATION: They should be tried; these hospitals and they should be tried and punished.

ROBERTSON: Rizvi's reputation as an honest campaigner convinced the Supreme Court to investigate. The court named a few hospitals and ordered them to stop selling organs, demanding the hospitals turn over all transplant records. Two weeks later, the court disposed of the case, accepting assurance from both hospitals they will not break the law in the future. The Aboul hospital adding the case them the highest forum for the Adoul's hospital's decision never to do any transplant of any organ in the future for ever.

In Pakistan, transplants are supposed to be regulated by the Human Organ Transplant Authority, HOTA, set up to enforce the 2007 law banning transplant sales. But its director admits HOTA is ineffective.

DR. ABOUL QADIR USMANI, HOTA: There could be many reasons. One that they had limited success or records are not being obtained. At this point in time, the patient wasn't there. The patient had left there maybe two months back or six months back. So once the patient is not there, it is very difficult to assert the facts.

ROBERTSON: Remember the case of the farmer? When he went back to the kidney center, he said the doctors told him his medical records were destroyed as soon as he left the hospital. But the kidney center says it has been vindicated by the Supreme Court that it has never indulged in illegal transplantation, and have no intention of such a legal transplantation in the future.

The lawyer representing the Kidney Center threatens to take Dr. Rizvi to court for damaging our credibility by putting baseless complaints against the Kidney Center of Rawalpinci and its doctor. They say Dr. Rizvi never presented any evidence against them.

DR. ASLAM KHAKI, REPRESENTING RAWALPINCI KIDNEY CENTER: The complaint is being made from his business rival, and it is from the same person from the street. It is a business rivalry.

ROBERTSON: But does this defense hold water? Dr. Rizvi's hospital the Siut (ph) doesn't make money performing transplant surgeries for free. The World Health Organization holds Dr. Rizvi in high regard and the most serious legal challenge to the law banning paid transplants came from none other than Dr. Shaw (ph) at the Kidney Center who repeatedly and unsuccessfully tried to have the law overturned in Islamic courts. Now Dr. Rizvi says the government must get tougher. The oversight body, HOTA, he says needs further enforcement help.

RIZVI: Hota cannot do anything. The kind is against the law of the land. So it is the law enforcement agency who should be pushed to take action.

ROBERTSON: But even that may not be enough. Suki Johal says she could tell the hospital was trying to stay one step ahead of the law.

JOHAL: Why was the hospital telling me hush, hush? You can't mention anything. You can't talk about this. You can't go anywhere. It's because they want to keep it quiet. As far as I know and this young lady who is obviously living there, everybody's involved. The governments involved, the police are involved.

ROBERTSON: But she says, she has no regrets. She broke the hospital rules and found her kidney donor, a 25-year-old mother of three who had given birth only six months earlier. She says she didn't ask her why she sold her kidney but accepted the hospital's account she was poor, probably in debt. Suki Johal was never in doubt; she was buying a new kidney.

JOHAL: We had done all of our research before we went and so the fact that we were going to a hospital and we made sure the hospital paid the donors and they said they did and everything, regardless of that we decided we were going to give her a substantial amount of money, a lot, lot more than the hospital is going to give her. We gave her in their money almost $70,000, and then also I still have money there that the young lady that is still living there, and what I'm trying to do basically is have her send her kids to school and we're trying to find a school nearest to them.

ROBERTON: She says she paid the hospital about $50,000 for the operation, and so far, about $1,200 to her donor. For many Pakistani families living in poverty, a fortune. But nothing, she says, compared at her chance for a new life.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Pakistan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Depression among African-American women. We look at ways to recognize it and treat it, how to help yourself when you're often caring for everyone else.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: It can be a taboo topic among African American. So black women often don't even realize they like millions of other Americans are actually suffering from depression. Our Soledad O'Brien explains.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Terrie Williams is a successful publicist, who's had a long list of top-tier clients. On the surface, she always looked like she had it together. But on the inside --

TERRIE WILLIAMS, AUTHOR, "BLACK PAIN:" It was so dark. It was the hardest thing in the world to just get up, to shower and to dress and to put the mask on, because you had to put the mask on. You had to walk out that door and pretend that all was well.

O'BRIEN: Even a background in social work didn't help Terrie see she was suffering from depression. You're a social worker. You know what that means.

WILLIAMS: Exactly.

O'BRIEN: How come you didn't know that's what you had?

WILLIAMS: You don't. You just don't.

O'BRIEN: Some mental health experts say there's a reason black women often don't recognize they're depressed.

DR. MARILYN MARTIN, PSYCHIARIST: It's definitely something that hasn't been talked about in our culture, and so people don't know what the signs and symptoms of depression are.

O'BRIEN: Because it's unrecognized, depression often goes untreated and some health experts say ignoring their mental health may be causing black women's physical health to suffer, contributing to high rates of heart disease, hypertension and diabetes.

MICHELE BALAMANI, PSYCHOLOGIST: I call it the body screaming. Somehow it has to get out. Something has to break down eventually. So we are breaking down in numbers that are astounding.

O'BRIEN: It was after a mental breakdown that Terrie Williams got help in the form of therapy and medication.

WILLIAMS: I was highly irritable. I snapped at people.

O'BRIEN: She decided to share her story in a book, and with audiences around the country. She's been moved by the response.

WILLIAMS: When I speak about it at these events, I can't tell you the number of people who come up to me afterwards and say that's my story, in tears.

O'BRIEN: How many of those people who say that's my story, too, are black and female?

WILLIAMS: Overwhelmingly female, black female. Black women carry the nation, carry our community, you know. We're nurturers, we're caretakers, and feel like we have to be there and do for everybody.

O'BRIEN: Brenda Gallion is the oldest of five children and was the one the family turned to after her siblings became ill and her mother was diagnosed with cancer. She cared for everyone but herself. She was worn out and gaining weight.

BRENDA GALLION, BATTLES DEPRESSION: I don't recall ever crying. I did not have time to cry. So 65 pounds could have been mostly tears, you know, just stuff on the inside that wasn't or I just have the ability to get out.

O'BRIEN: It never occurred to Brenda to see a therapist, like so many generations of black women, she turned to god instead.

GALLION: We grew up in church, and when things were beyond what I thought I could handle, I pray about it.

O'BRIEN: Dr. Michele Balamani understands the importance of the church to black women because she's also an ordained minister. She spent her career trying to build a bridge between church and therapy, letting women know they're not turning away from god by seeking help.

BALAMANI: If I preach that god could heal in many ways, in the same way that you go to a doctor to get your leg fixed if it's broken, you can go to a therapist. You need to put your own gas masks on first. So if you're going to be taking care of all of these other people, take care of yourself first so you can do a better job.

O'BRIEN: Now with her own gas mask in place, Terrie Williams hopes her words can help others begin to soothe themselves.

WILLIAMS: When you hear somebody else and their tears start to flow, you feel the emotion. It's other people talking. That's the goal.

O'BRIEN: Soledad O'Brien, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And this programming note, Wednesday night on CNN at 7:00 Eastern, catch "The Moment of Truth" with Steve Harvey and Tom Joiner live from Times Square. And then at 8:00, the premiere of "Black in America 2" part one.

Drywall so hazardous, fumes from it can destroy metal. An NFL coach had to leave his home. What is he doing about it now?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Well we told you about the problems hurricane Katrina victims are having with tainted Chinese drywall. Well it is so hazardous it could corrode metal. Now one of the most recognizable men in New Orleans is part of the fray.

The coach of the New Orleans Saints had to move out of his house and he spoke with our Sean Callebs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Taking over the Saints after hurricane Katrina Sean Payton has always had sympathy for storm victims and now he also knows what it's like to be displaced. Payton's North Shore home was built almost entirely from tainted sheetrock from China, drywall that emits noshes and potentially damaging gases.

SEAN PAYTON, HEAD COACH, NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: When something like this happens to the head coach of the New Orleans Saints or somebody that might be a little bit more visible, I think it draws attention to the fact that this thing really could happen to anyone.

CALLEBS: Investigator say they think they've traced the harmful drywall to a single coal mine in China, the source of hazardous waste used as filler. Scientists say human conditions bring out dangerous gases that attack and corrode metal.

PAYTON: We had five computer failures. We're on our fourth hard drive right now. We had 14 air conditioning service calls, 3 different coil failures. We're on our third microwave oven panel. We had to install a second set of phone lines, second alarm system.

CALLEBS: Drywall from China came pouring into Florida and the gulf coast states after a series of hurricanes in 2004 and 2005. It isn't all bad. The problem is, homeowners don't know what is tainted until it's too late. Toxicologists Patricia Williams said investigators have consistently found three different toxic gases in the drywall and she's getting a growing number of calls from people worried about their health.

PATRICIA WILLIAMS, ENVIROMENTAL TOXICOLOGY EXPERT: They begin to think well if they can do this to copper wire, what is it doing to my lungs? What is it doing inside of my body? I think they have to get out, first and foremost.

CALLEBS: Few are as lucky as Sean Payton. He, his wife and two children have moved to the comfort of their beach house in Florida while his million dollar house is gutted. The host of lawsuits in the south have been rolled into a massive class action suit being heard in New Orleans, but it's an uphill fight.

CALVIN FAYARD, ATTORNEY: I don't see this as an easy situation for the consumer or for the homeowner or the or the property owner. It will take some effort to collect.

PAYTON: Get mad at the reaction of those people that you were counting on in the beginning. This product has pasted through a lot of hands and the problem is it takes a lot of time to sort through who's at fault here. CALLEBS: That is the question. The contractor who put it in and the supplier who sold it and the Chinese producers. Many like Payton, a plaintiff in the class action suit, just want the sheetrock replaced but it could end up that so many victimized by nature are just being victimized again.

Sean Callebs, CNN, New Orleans.

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WHITFIELD: We're also asking your thoughts today on President Obama's plans to reform health care. The more you hear about it, the more or less convinced, are you, that it's a good idea? We have been asking you on my blog as well as on Facebook and this is some of what you're saying.

On my Facebook, Mary Ann says, "Health care reform is a necessity. We need to get health care costs under control and the only way to do that is include a couple suggestions she gives. U.S. citizens with health care coverage being allowed free preventive care and access to private insurance to add onto the public coverage that would cover catastrophic events."

And then Jeremiah says, "About this health care reform issue, the problem I have with this is the last thing the country needs. And he goes on to say, the people just need to take some initiative if they're not already and support themselves and give us hard-working taxpayers a break."

And then Eva said, "I'm so thankful that I have insurance with the company that I work for. I wouldn't know what to do if I didn't."

And then on my blog, let's see if I can get this going here. Uh- oh. This is probably operator error here. We will give you some blogs on as soon as possible. We thank the nice folks who have been regularly submitting their information. I told you it was operator error. Here we go. We have Arash who is saying, "The United States needs health care reform but I support Obama's plan only as a first step towards universal health care, which is what the country really needs."

And then Richard responds to him saying, "It seems that only people who are going to be taxed are against it." And then Mike weighs in as well saying, "Arash, you have the biggest draw back to President Obama's plan right on the money. Money and profits for private HCI companies. They have been taking us for a ride for 15 years now at our expense and their big gain.

Some of what have you been saying about the health care, we continue to encourage you to send in your comments on Facebook and my blog, CNN.com/fredricka. And you can also call us and leave us a voice message. Here's the number, 877-742-5760. We will share some of those comments at 4:00 Eastern Time.

There are big blasts and then there are blasts of historic proportions. Take a listen. Apollo 11 and a new look at mankind's giant leap.

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WHITFIELD: NASA is marking a major anniversary, 40 years ago "Apollo 11" was making its way to the moon and Neil Armstrong was about to make that giant leap for mankind. To mark the occasion, NASA has something new to show you. Here's CNN's Tom Foreman.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's the iconic image of our efforts to explore space, and now as we approach the 40th anniversary of man's first visit to the moon, NASA has restored and enhanced the original grainy black-and-white images, including that one that riveted the planet.

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): That looks beautiful from here.

FOREMAN: Astronaut Neil Armstrong setting foot on the lunar surface on July 20th, 1969. The new high-definition video is an improvement over the original but NASA officials believe that somewhere out there is video that could take our breath away. Images like this but sharper and clearer than anything seen before. The problem is, no one knows where it is.

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): And liftoff of "Endeavour."

FOREMAN: Regular shuttle missions and the crisp-color images they transmit have space fans a little spoiled. You forget just how complicated it was to transmit pictures from space to earth in 1969. Here is how it worked; a small camera built into "Apollo 11" scanned the lunar landing in a unique format unsuitable for regular TV.

Those images were transmitted to tracking stations in southeast Australia and California's Mojave Desert, where they were converted to a standard format and sent on to Houston, losing picture quality every step of the way. But veterans of the Apollo mission recently reminded NASA that technicians at both ground stations recorded the transmissions onto special tapes, which if converted now with modern technology, would produce the highest quality images of man on the moon ever seen.

A search has been launched but three years into it, after scouring multiple NASA facilities, there's no sign of those tapes. And now many feel the spectacular images on them, images far superior to anything you've ever seen may be lost forever.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: The day's top stories in one hour. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. "Your Money" begins right now.