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More to the Murder of the Florida Couple; Is Bank Bailout Money Being Wasted and Even Stolen?; A Mother and Her Children Trapped Inside Burning SUV; U.S. War Plane Bombs Poppy Field; New Language Course for Marines Hopes to Yield Speedy Fluency; Preview of "Black in America 2"
Aired July 21, 2009 - 08:58 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: There may be more to the murder of that Florida couple who adopted special needs children. One possible motive -- a contract hit.
And where's your money going? The bank bailouts top cop says some of it is being wasted or even stolen.
Plus, a mom and her kids trapped inside a burning SUV. Off duty firefighters go to work.
Good morning, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. It is Tuesday, July 21, and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Beginning this morning with several stories that are terror- related this morning. We're tracking them very, very closely. In fact, the Obama administration says it will miss a deadline to file a report today on Guantanamo detainees and how they plan to deal with them.
So, our CNN correspondent Suzanne Malveaux will have that for you. Also, our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr ahs the very latest on efforts to rescue a soldier taken by the Taliban. We'll get to her in just a moment.
And also, from the warfront now, an exclusive -- destroying a lifeline for the militants. U.S. war planes bomb a poppy field.
Washington has said they are among the most dangerous terrorists in the world. Today, they are in limbo along with the Guantanamo Bay prison that houses them. The White House says it will miss today's deadline in its promise to shut down the prison. The issue at hand, how to deal with detainees.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This first executive order that we are signing in order to effect the appropriate disposition of individuals currently detained by the Department of Defense at Guantanamo and promptly to close the detention facility at Guantanamo consistent with the national security and foreign policy interest of the United States and interest of justice, I hereby order.
(END VIDEO CLIP) COLLINS: So what happened? And what happens next? Let's turn to White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux for more on this.
So, Suzanne, where do we stand today in closing Guantanamo?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, you can imagine the Obama administration really trying to get ahead of this story. They put out four -- four senior administration officials brief reporters on this yesterday about missing this deadline that has come and gone and essentially saying there's going to be a six-month extension for one of the task force to look at how do you deal with all these detainee detainees. What do you do with them?
Essentially, they are saying they've made some progress, but it is not where they had hoped. They say that they're about through half of the cases here to figure out whether or not they'll be taken to some other countries or their host countries or whether or not they will face trial, that there are about 50 that they have processed so far.
But clearly, Heidi, this is something that has remained a bit more difficult than they had imagined here. They still insist, these administration officials, that they're going to make that deadline, that goal, if you will, of trying to shut down Guantanamo Bay by January 2010.
It's far from clear whether or not they are going to be able to do this. They say they're trying to get it right. But it is going to take some time. There are some allies, some European allies, who publicly said they will go ahead and take some of these dangerous suspects -- terror suspects.
There are others who say that they will make that commitment, but it hasn't been made publicly. There's a lot of politics.
COLLINS: Yes.
MALVEAUX: There's a lot of legal aspects of all of this. It is going to take more time for this administration. They're acknowledging that today.
COLLINS: Yes. A lot harder than it may have first sounded. What's the White House saying, Suzanne, and actually doing regarding the delay of these reports?
MALVEAUX: Well, they're going to say -- what they're saying is that they're going to give another six months for one task force to figure out what to do with the detainees. They're giving a separate task force that's dealing with interrogation techniques about two months to figure out what they're going to do.
They are facing some criticism, Heidi, already. The ACLU is coming out saying that they're quite worried. Does this mean indefinite detention for some of these folks that are considered quite dangerous? They put out a statement saying, "Any effort to revamp the failed Guantanamo military commission is sure to be challenged in court and will take years before justice is served."
So you can imagine there is going to be a lot of back and forth, very quietly working with a lot of these countries, their leaders to try to take in some more of these people in the next six months or so, Heidi.
COLLINS: All right. Well, we will be watching very closely obviously. Suzanne Malveaux for us outside the White House this morning. Thanks, Suzanne.
COLLINS: Here's a quick look at the prison at Guantanamo Bay. At last check, in May of this year, there were about 240 detainees being held there. That's just about one-third of the number held there at its peak. At one time, the inmate population exceeded 750 men. Of those freed, the Defense Department says 74 of the former detainees have returned to terrorist activities.
The Pentagon now reacting to that Taliban video showing kidnapped Marine Private First Class Bowe Bergdahl. The military says it is sparing no effort to get him back.
CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Private First Class Bowe Bergdahl held captive by the Taliban for three weeks, clearly in fear, missing his family.
PFC. BOWE ROBERT BERGDAHL, U.S. ARMY: I miss them every day that I'm gone. I miss them, and I'm afraid that I might never see them again.
ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Our commanders are sparing no effort to find this young soldier. And I also would say my personal reaction was one of disgust at the exploitation of this young man.
STARR: Hundreds of troops have fanned out across Afghanistan's eastern Paktika Province since Bergdahl was captured June 30. U.S. military officials will confirm few details of the urgent hunt, but have acknowledged they have cordoned off areas, conducted searches, and are using drones to watch overhead for any signs of the 23-year- old soldier being moved.
The U.S. intelligence community also continues to monitor cell phone traffic in the region, according to officials. Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, just returned from the region.
ADM. MICHAEL MULLEN, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: Having been with the forces, in fact, who are conducting the operations to recover him or to find him is -- they are extensive, vast, they're on a 24/7.
STARR: The U.S. has been distributing these pamphlets in the region seeking information. One reading, "If you do not release the U.S. soldier, then you will be hunted." But the biggest clues may come from this 28-minute tape.
KEN ROBINSON, FORMER MILITARY INTELLIGENCE OFFICER: We teach soldiers that if they can get on video, they should because it gives the United States proof of life.
STARR: The U.S. military is now analyzing each frame for clues about who is holding Bergdahl and where he is being held.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Barbara Starr joining us now live with more on this.
So, Barbara, soldiers get training, do they not, in order to try and deal with the possibility of being captured?
STARR: Indeed, Heidi, all troops before they go to the war zone get some level of training about what to do if they are captured. Certainly pilots, special operations forces, they get the most sophisticated training because they're most at risk.
But an infantry man, an army soldier, like Bergdahl would've gotten some basic training, he would have been instructed to always remember under all circumstances to try not to say anything that would put other troops at risk, to only give basic information about himself, not to make his captors mad, and to look for any opportunity to escape...
COLLINS: Yes.
STARR: ... in case his captors let up their guard. So far, that hasn't happened and the hunt for him goes on.
COLLINS: Yes. Absolutely. All right, Barbara Starr, with the latest coming out of the Pentagon. Thanks so much, Barbara.
New information now on the murder of a prominent Florida couple. Just released court documents show a connection between the lead suspect in the case and the murdered couple.
CNN's Susan Candiotti has the latest on the investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Was it a murder for hire? Is it possible someone put out a hit on Byrd and Melinda Billings? Before the sheriffs denied it. Not any more.
SHERIFF DAVID MORGAN, ESCAMBIA COUNTY, FLORIDA: We're not taking any motive, if you will, off the table.
CANDIOTTI: A possible contract hit is something the Billings' grown daughter finds inconceivable.
(on camera): Do you know of anyone who wanted to do harm to your parents? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's just --- would not answer that question.
ASHLEY MARKHAM, VICTIMS' DAUGHTER: I can't, actually. With the investigation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is an ongoing investigation. And those are the kinds of questions...
MARKHAM: I will say, you know, my parents were wonderful people, and I can't imagine somebody having that magnitude of hate in their life.
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): CNN has now learned the group did a dry run at the house a month before the murders. But the sheriff says it was not captured on the home security cameras.
On the day of the crime, he says suspects stole not only a safe, but also a briefcase filled with personal papers. Both items were recovered from the home of Pamela Wiggins, who's charged with accessory after-the-fact to murder.
In a newly released police affidavit, suspected mastermind Leonard Gonzalez Jr. allegedly spoke of knowing the victims and receiving past financial support for the opening of a martial arts studio.
But the family attorney suggests it may have been one of many donations the Billings made to the community. Investigators also believe Gonzalez Jr. was once on Billings' payroll.
MORGAN: Mr. Gonzalez worked, I think, for an automobile dealership. Again, we're verifying that information that he worked with one of the companies that Mr. Billings had owned an interest in.
CANDIOTTI: There's also new information about the crime scene. Police documents indicate the couple was killed in their bedroom. And for the first time, their daughter says they kept no guns inside the house.
(on camera): You must have gone over this in your head a million times.
MARKHAM: I play it over every second of every day. You know, you just think about -- was there pain? Were -- you know, were they scared? The children. It just -- it plays in my mind constantly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Boy. Susan Candiotti joining us now live from Pensacola, Florida.
So, Susan, I'm understanding that the children have returned to the home. Any word on how that's gone for them?
CANDIOTTI: Well, naturally the Billings' daughter says that it's a difficult time for them. As she tries to ease the children back into a normal routine but she said oddly a kind of feel at peace there. They're getting a lot of help from the community. They've cleaned up the house. They've installed new windows, a new security system and gate out front.
And she said, you know, it's always been part of my mother's will that if anything happened to me, to her rather, that I should step in and take over and she said, I tell my brothers and sisters that's just what I am, their sister. They only have one mother and father.
COLLINS: Wow. Boy, it's just such a tough story. All right. Susan Candiotti, live for us this morning in Pensacola, Florida.
Bailing out the banks. This morning, the man in charge of your $700 billion goes before lawmakers and he may raise some questions you don't really want to hear.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I'm Rob Marciano at the CNN Severe Weather Center. Comfortably cool again across the Southeast, but that's about to change. Temperatures in Texas smoking hot, that's all moving north.
Weather's coming when the CNN NEWSROOM comes right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: The bank bailout program, the $700 billion of your money. Is it being well spent? Next hour on Capitol Hill, we may get troubling answers from the man in charge. Neil Barofsky overseas TARP, the Troubled Asset Relief Program. He says the government is not doing enough to prevent waste and stealing.
CNN's Christine Romans joining us now from New York with more on this.
So, Christine, what can we expect this TARP watchdog Barofsky to say today?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, he's likely to say he'd like to see better safeguards. He'd like to see the banks keep a better accounting for how they're lending the money. He'd like to make sure that the program to buy and sell and trade toxic assets that the government is setting up.
He'd like to see safeguards between the managers of that program to make sure that their private clients aren't benefiting from any of the public money that they're also handling. He's got a whole host of things that he'd like to work through and some questions and better oversight he'd like see from the Treasury Department.
Also he's sort of giving a progress report about where we are. You know this is 12 programs involving $3 trillion. He's launched 35 different investigations into fraud, pilfering, and mismanagement, and here is the eye-popping number in this report that's getting a lot of attention this morning. A lot of political attention, too. $23.7 trillion he says is the total potential, total potential government support for the bank rescues, the bailouts, the backing of loans, the bridge loans, the auto industry, everything all put together, $23.7 trillion. That's twice the size of the entire American economy.
It's a big number, and look, we -- my own count, we get up to $8 trillion, $9 trillion in terms of the value of all of these programs. $23 is a lot. He's also adding in there all the debt that's been issued that has been backed by the FDIC. Put it altogether, it's almost $24 trillion.
COLLINS: Well, the Treasury Department, though, will tell you that that number's inflated.
ROMANS: Yes, or distorted because they rightly point out that some of these programs aren't even in existence any more, some of them have been perfectly paid back. I mean JPMorgan got, I think, a $14 billion loan to buy Bear Stearns. It paid that back in full with interest.
There have been $6 billion in dividend payments, $200 million in interest payments, and I mentioned that all that debt issued and backed by the FDIC, we haven't lost a dime on any of that. So others will say, look, that's a big number, it includes everything, but it's not exactly what we could lose.
You know, some of these programs are actually closed. And Barofsky and his team point out that look, they're just trying to put that $700 billion bank bailout into context. It's one part of a very big effort of government rescue, of the economy, and he's putting that into context for how much money we've spent overall.
COLLINS: I never want to know how much we've spent overall, really.
ROMANS: It's a lot of money.
COLLINS: Is that by chance what the "Romans' Numeral" is?
ROMANS: Well, you know, the "Romans' Numeral" is 611. And this is meant to put it all in perspective. I mean, think, you know, your share of that $24 trillion and $77,000, $611. Here's what the average American worker brings home every week, $611, so here we are with average, you know, weekly earnings of $611, and we're watching our government talk about trillions here and trillions there and billions to banks, backstopping of loans.
It's why, I think, so many people in America get so irritated about the bank bailout in general. They see $700 billion, and you put that into context of what the average American working family makes, and it's stark.
COLLINS: Yes.
ROMANS: It's a very stark difference, for sure. COLLINS: Yes. That's a big number. There's no question. All right.
ROMANS: A big number and a small number. Right.
COLLINS: Yes. No kidding. All right, Christine Romans, thank you.
ROMANS: All right. Bye-bye.
COLLINS: Well, well, well...
MARCIANO: Hey.
COLLINS: Look who it is. It's Rob Marciano, everybody. He's back from foreign land. Yes?
MARCIANO: Yes. Can you hear the crickets? Cricket, crickets. I don't know if you're looking for applause, but you're not going to get any.
COLLINS: Hey, you know, we've had some pretty good weather while you were gone. So I don't know how well...
(CROSSTALK)
MARCIANO: I got off the plane in Atlanta last night in low humidity.
COLLINS: Chilly.
MARCIANO: Comfortable temperatures. I thought for sure I got rerouted somewhere else. The Southeast again, as you said, very, very comfortable, very, very cool, low levels of humidity, and that's been the story really for the past few days.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: Let's talk more weather in about a half an hour. So nice to be back, Heidi. I'm glad you noticed.
COLLINS: Welcome back. I did notice, absolutely.
MARCIANO: You're the only one. See you.
COLLINS: All right. We'll check back later on, Rob. Thank you.
MARCIANO: OK. Bye.
COLLINS: A new number to add to any formula for a health care overhaul. 870,000 Americans turning 65 every month. Can they actually be covered? Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta is looking at the bottom line.
It's a hot topic on our blog this morning, as well. There's an awful lot of talk out there about taxing the rich in order to pay for healthcare reform. Today we're asking what is rich. Ponder that and then go to our blog at CNN.com/heidi and post your thoughts.
Or you could call in your thoughts. This is the new deal now, you know? The "Hotline to Heidi." Just call that number, 1-877-742- 5760. We're going to read or hear some of your responses coming up a little bit later in the show.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is accusing the Cambridge, Massachusetts police of racism. He was arrested at his home Thursday and charged with disorderly conduct.
Police say they were responding to a report of a break-in at the home and found Gates trying to get in. A police statement indicates Gates refused to identify himself. Gates' lawyer disputes that saying Gates showed the officer his license and his university I.D. The lawyer says Gates was only trying to open his jammed front door.
Professor Gates is joining us live tomorrow night as CNN continues its investigation of the most challenging issues facing African Americans. What are the solutions? Wednesday night at 7:00, the countdown to an all new "BLACK IN AMERICA 2" live from Time Square.
And then, at 8:00, President Obama's news conference followed by the first night of CNN's two night event, "BLACK IN AMERICA 2."
Covering the bottom line in your health care coverage. The Congressional Budget Office says the Democrats' health care plans would actually increase the deficit. When it comes to costs, one of the biggest questions is how many people will need health care in the future.
Great question to be thinking about. In fact our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is joining us now to talk a little bit more about it. So, Sanjay, what are the uninsured numbers like right now before we look to the future?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, people talk about the number of people who don't have insurance. They say it's around $46 million total. And then they're starting to project costs in terms of how much it would cost to get these people insured. Get these folks who are currently uninsured insured.
One thing that's starting to emerge, I think, as a little bit of a nuance and an important one, is that people who are uninsured right now don't simply cost nothing. They still access the health care system. They still...
COLLINS: Of course, yes.
GUPTA: And really, if you put a price tag on it, it's about $100 billion, and oftentimes it's to treat what would otherwise be preventable diseases to take care of later stage cancers than need be, or to take care of more chronic heart disease that may have otherwise been prevented. So that's something that sort of enters into this discussion, as well. Do you save money by simply offering people health care insurance? Because they might get health care earlier and not let some of these diseases get as far as they would.
COLLINS: Right.
GUPTA: But, you know, this is where this cost discussion is starting to go. You know, you're going to add more people to the insurance world, is it going to cost more in the immediate and in the long-term? How is that all going to play out?
COLLINS: Yes. I mean long-term is certainly the big question.
GUPTA: Over time. Right.
COLLINS: Yes. No question about that. But this is really interesting, too, because to me, and I'm certainly not the guy writing the policy, obviously, but when you look at how many people are uninsured right now -- I mean, when you fast forward several years and you try to look at the population that we would be dealing with then in the number of uninsured and the cost of that -- I mean, this new census report has some pretty staggering numbers about that because there's going to be a whole lot of people who are, what is it? The age of 65?
GUPTA: Over the age of 65.
COLLINS: Yes.
GUPTA: The demographics are changing. And keep this in mind as you think about these numbers is that we do tend to spend the vast majority of our health care budget over our lifetimes in the last few years of life.
COLLINS: Right.
GUPTA: That's just the way it is for most people. Unless you've had some chronic disease your whole life. But the numbers are pretty staggering. They think that 506 million hit the age of 65 or older in 2008. I think over the next 30 years, it's going to close to 1.3 billion people. So more than a third of our population falling into that highest spending of health care.
And that's a concern. And that's where the concern has been as far as federal entitlements and providing health care for the older all along.
COLLINS: Yes.
GUPTA: Now what the proponents will say is, look, if you get these people insured early, if you create a more healthy population, if you sort of focus on prevention and wellness, you're not going to spend as much money later in life.
It's going to be one of those things where you don't have to spend the rest of your life in nursing homes or hospitals.
COLLINS: Yes.
GUPTA: You could stay at home. So...
COLLINS: But those numbers -- it's more than double.
GUPTA: I know. And it's so different than a lot of other industrialized nations around the world.
COLLINS: Yes. All right. Well, we have a big one, though, to be talking about, don't we? A lot of people.
GUPTA: Lots to talk about. Yes.
COLLINS: Yes. All right. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks so much.
GUPTA: Thanks, Heidi.
COLLINS: Appreciate that.
And a reminder here, we are going to be bringing you live coverage of the president's remarks on health care reform. That will happen this afternoon at 1:05 Eastern. So watch for that.
Blasting the drug pipeline. Whoa. The military using 1,000- pound bombs to destroy flower seeds. It's a show of force against Taliban's cash crop.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: On Wall Street, the Dow's winning streak, now totals six. Can you believe it? It's the best run in more than two years. Will it continue, though? That's the question as we listen to the opening bell. That depends, of course, on corporate earnings and the Fed chairman, too.
Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange now with a look at what we can expect.
Hi there, Susan.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. Stock futures tell us and we're seeing gains at the open. So the Dow poised to extend that streak to a seventh day.
Investors, meanwhile, awaiting testimony from Fed chairman Ben Bernanke scheduled at the top of the hour. The Fed chairman set to give a semi-annual report to Congress today and tomorrow.
In an op-ed piece in the "Wall Street Journal" today, the Fed chief says that policymakers do have an exit strategy following the central bank's extraordinary actions over the past year. And today we have new evidence that such a strategy will eventually be needed because there are signs of economic hope. Coke, Texas Instruments, Merck, DuPont and Caterpillar, second quarter earnings, all exceeded Wall Street's expectations. Caterpillar, the world's largest maker of construction equipment, also raised its forecast for the rest of the year, says it sees signs of economic stabilization. CAT shares right now are up 11 percent.
On the flip side, Continental Airlines posted a loss topping $206 million. To cope, well, you know what, they do it all the time, the carrier's cutting 1,700 jobs and it's raising baggage fees. Your first checked bag...
COLLINS: No.
LISOVICZ: Yes -- will now cost 20 bucks, up from $15. So we'll await to see whether competitors will follow suit. Continental shares right now are down 1.5 percent. Yes, more nickel and diming.
We are seeing the three major averages higher. The NASDAQ up now for a tenth day, the S&P 500 at an eight-month high -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Wow. All right.
LISOVICZ: The focus -- I know you're focused on Continental.
COLLINS: Yes. A hard time...
(LAUGHTER)
LISOVICZ: Look at the other stuff, Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes, OK. Move on. All right, thanks so much, Susan.
LISOVICZ: You're welcome.
COLLINS: We'll check back a little bit later on with you once again.
Meanwhile, we are watching developments in Afghanistan this morning, including new suicide attacks on local leaders and a U.S. base.
Our Ivan Watson is embedded with troops in southern Afghanistan, watching spectacular efforts to slow the drug trade and the Taliban's pipeline. And our Chris Lawrence is in Washington looking at a program that's helping marines talk to the people they're trying to help.
Burqas and bombs. Militants some dressed in the garments worn by Muslim women launched nearly simultaneous attacks in two eastern cities. The Associated Press reports several militants used rockets and suicide vests to attack a government compound in the city of Gardez. Eight militants and six Afghan soldiers are now dead.
The other attack targeted the U.S. base. U.S. and Afghan forces killed two of the attackers, a third was captured. Defense Secretary Robert Gates wants a bigger army. He announced the planned addition of 22,000 soldiers to help fill gaps caused by operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Those extra troops would be added over the next three years through increased recruitment and reenlistment. The army's last expansion to 547,000 soldiers was just completed in May.
Breaking through language barriers in Afghanistan and other combat zones. A new military crash course teaches Marines to be fluent in some of the world's most difficult languages.
Our Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence tells us they only have a year to get up to speed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What kind of class could make a Marine sergeant sweat? The one where he has one year to learn Poshtu.
(on camera): What are some of the more difficult sounds in it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're the cough. It comes down from the Adam's apple almost, and it's like you're coughing. So there's that one and then the hey versus the huh. And the...
LAWRENCE (voice-over): Poshtu is the primary language in southern Afghanistan and the class is six weeks into Camp Lejeune's crash course.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not just learning to re-pronounce an A, but like actually reconstruct your throat and everything else to try and -- to model the sounds that these people speak in their language.
LAWRENCE: It's brand new, the fastest language course in the military for troops heading to the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. We're protecting their identities because they're part of an elite group at the Marine Special Operations Command.
It's total immersion, seven hours a day in class then five hours of studying, and eventually being dropped in a foreign country. In the next room, they're learning another Afghan language Dahri.
The woman in charge of the program says the marines will be able to explain operations and support opinions in the native tongue.
TANYA WOODCOOK, LANGUAGE PROGRAM MANAGER: Because one shot, one kills, it's not the answer any more.
LAWRENCE: Very few military translators speak the languages of southern Afghanistan and Pakistan. Troops have to trust local translators, which isn't the same as a U.S. Marine.
WOODCOOK: Their mission and their goals and certain things cannot be really disclosed to an interpreter.
LAWRENCE: So while fellow marines practice their aim outside, the real battle for Afghanistan may be won with words.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Chris Lawrence is joining us now from our D.C. bureau. So Chris, an awful lot of training in just a year. Why such a fast pace?
LAWRENCE: Well, Heidi, because it's essential to the new strategy in Afghanistan, which is all about getting good intelligence, in building those relationships with the Afghan people.
If this works, every marine special ops unit will have a fluent fellow marine on their team. And that's something that could become a model for a lot more of the military.
I've got to tell you, I tried just a few phrases, I cannot believe where they are in six weeks. These are really...
COLLINS: Really?
LAWRENCE: Really tough languages to learn.
COLLINS: Yes. And the training very, very intense, I imagine. All right, Chris Lawrence, keep trying, we appreciate it. Our Pentagon correspondent this morning.
Let's talk now about saving money. Got your attention, right? We'll show you three ways to cut your energy costs during the dog days of summer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: As you know, we are in the middle of summer when cooling costs can drive up your energy bill. But Gerri, our personal finance editor -- Gerri Willis has ways you can save money now.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: That's right.
COLLINS: Good morning to you, Gerri. So...
WILLIS: Good morning, Heidi.
COLLINS: Where do we get started with all this?
WILLIS: Well, you think about the little things. Consider switching out your regular computer monitor for a flat panel computer screen. The flat panel uses a third of the electricity of regular computer monitors. And if you're thinking about replacing that big screen TV, invest in an LCD. It uses half the energy of a plasma TV.
And of course, think about all those gadgets you keep plugged in day in and day out -- your cell phone chargers, you iPod chargers, your digital clocks on your stove. They all use energy when you're not actively using them. And it may not seem like much, but consider, if you keep your computer monitor on all the time, it really adds up.
The Alliance to Save Energy estimates that on a national, what they call these vampire devices.
COLLINS: Yes.
WILLIS: Use about 5 percent of our energy and cost consumers more than $8 billion annually.
COLLINS: Wow. That's...
WILLIS: Crazy.
COLLINS: Much larger number than I would have ever expected. Also got to remember, because everybody's running their air- conditioners when it's hot, obviously, have to keep that thing clean.
WILLIS: Yes, you do. Absolutely. To get the most out of your AC, check your filters at least once a week to make sure they're not clogged with dirt. And if you live in an area with a lot of dust or maybe you have furry pets, you want to be extra vigilant.
Filters for central air conditioners cost about 10 bucks and you can get them at the local hardware store. You want to remove the filter and actually run it under the faucet to clean it.
Not only will you be able to cut down on your energy bill, but you'll be increasing the life of your AC. And that's good news for everybody.
COLLINS: Yes. Also, I guess, people should be thinking about their landscape a little bit. They can keep your home cooler, right?
WILLIS: It's not that obvious, right? But if you strategically plant greenery, believe it or not, you can save $250 a year, a 6-foot to 8-foot deciduous tree planted near your home will be in-shading windows in the first year, the tree will shade the roof in five to 10 years. And if you have an air-conditioner, shading the unit can increase its efficiency by as much as 10 percent.
COLLINS: Aha.
WILLIS: Smart thinking, right? Deciduous trees should be planted to the south of your home to provide maximum summer time roof shading. Trees with crowns lower to the ground are better planted in the west.
COLLINS: OK. Who knew? Very good.
WILLIS: Just thinking about all the angles.
COLLINS: Yes. Got that. Gerri Willis, our personal finance editor, thank you, Gerri.
WILLIS: My pleasure.
COLLINS: American forces are also taking aim at Afghanistan's cash crop now. We are talking poppies, of course. We talked about them before. It's used for opium and heroine. And they're doing it in spectacular fashion.
CNN's Ivan Watson is embedded the marines in southern Afghanistan's Helmand Province and joining us now.
Good morning to you, Ivan.
IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Heidi. Well, it's been a bloody summer. There's -- it is the fighting season here in Afghanistan. And one thing that the marines from the second light armored reconnaissance battalion has done to try to cut down on the number of deadly roadside bombs that have been hitting American and NATO troops is to try to go after the opium industry.
It's a $3 billion a year industry for Afghanistan and it -- part of it is helping fuel the Taliban insurgency. So we saw marines gathering 1,600 huge sacks of poppy seeds, tons of poppy seeds, piling them up in a big pile and then in a ceremony today, they made a very serious show of force, a message to the Taliban and to the narco traffickers, with a series of air strikes against that mound of poppy seeds.
Let's take a look at that right now, Heidi.
COLLINS: Gee, that's unbelievable.
WATSON: So yes, a spectacular -- those were 1,000-pound bombs, and we really felt the impact from that. Now that's a warning, of course, to the Taliban, and it is also a warning to the poppy farmers in this district.
COLLINS: Right.
WATSON: I mean, most of the crops that are raised here are poppies. That's the cash crop, that's what people do to put food on the table, and this is an impoverished area.
I asked America's top coordinator for economic and development affairs Tony Wayne what is going on here. Is the U.S. military getting into the poppy eradication business? Here's what he had to say, Heidi.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: Is the U.S. military now in the poppy eradication business?
ASSISTANT AMBASSADOR EARL ANTHONY WAYNE, USAID: No, but they realized -- not at all in the eradication business, but we realize there's a nexus between poppy growing and drug trafficking and money for the insurgency.
So when there's opportunity to find stashes like this that was discovered, DEA is there with them, the Afghan authorities, drug authorities are there with them and they help point the military to look here or they have intelligence to say, let's go look there and then it's part of the mission is to destroy that, to take it and destroy it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: So there we hear it from a U.S. official describing that the U.S. military will now destroy heroin and opium when they find it. Heidi?
COLLINS: Wow, just incredible video, Ivan. Really, really good reporting. We appreciate it so much.
Just curious, though, with the international community and Afghan government is going to be doing to help some of these farmers who lose their livelihood. I mean we should probably make clear that we're not talking about terrorists who are actually growing the poppies.
WATSON: You're absolutely right, Heidi, these are ordinary Afghan, very poor people. This is an incredibly poor country and this is the only way that they can feed their children and their family.
Now, Ambassador Tony Wayne, he did say that the U.S. government is going to funnel in hundreds of millions of dollars just to southern Afghanistan for this very reason, to help with agriculture.
It's also going to send in agricultural experts to help teach people to learn to grow other crops like fruits and vegetables, things that Afghanistan used to do before it was plunged into 30 years of war.
But he said that the American and international community, these aid workers will need Afghan partners for this project, and that is a big challenge because if you talk to any Afghan in this country, the Afghan central government's credibility is really on the line right now.
After eight years, many people accuse the Afghan government of being corrupt.
COLLINS: Yes.
WATSON: And being involved in this very same heroin problem. And we're going to see a test of that on August 20, Heidi, when we see presidential elections here in Afghanistan.
COLLINS: Yes.
WATSON: Heidi?
COLLINS: A very good reminder of that. Quickly, before we let you go, I heard you say that the United States is going to be kicking in money to help some of these farmers. Just the United States? Or other countries and the government themselves going to be trying to help out?
WATSON: No, the British are very active here. Their soldiers are fighting here. They have lost lives. Another British soldier killed by one of those deadly IEDs yesterday. They also have experts in the area. They're trying to funnel in aid, as well, but this is an impoverished area.
One of the programs that they've organized is try to organize in the immediate term on the back of this marine offensive into southern Helmand Province, work projects to try to get some of these impoverished farmers, give them jobs immediately, give them some kind of salaries, also vouchers, Heidi, so that they can buy things like fertilizer and seeds for legal crops.
COLLINS: Yes. Other types of crops, understood. All right. Ivan Watson embedded with the U.S. marines there. We sure do appreciate the reporting. Thanks so much, Ivan.
Two brothers risk their lives to save a mother and her two children. The dramatic rescue is all caught on tape.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, two brothers who are also off- duty firefighters are being called heroes after they helped save a mother and her two young children. And a quick warning here, even though this is a great story, the video may be difficult for some people to watch.
Police say the woman hit a tree and her SUV burst into flames. Everyone inside was trapped. The men immediately jumped into action.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Step back! There's a baby in there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The men broke the windshield and quickly pulled the mother and her 2-year-old daughter out from the flames. The 4-year- old boy had to be cut free from his car seat. And the boy has burns now on 30 percent of his body and is still in critical condition.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Health care reform and who pays for it? Heating up the blog and phone lines this morning. We ask you to define the word "rich." Here's what Laura from Michigan says.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CALLER: I think $200,000 a year and above is rich. You live on less than $40,000, you would feel that way, too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: And we also want to let you know what some of our bloggers are saying this morning because we asked you to not only call in, but also to write in, as well, CNN.com/heidi, in order to get your response posted here.
Constance says this. "Donald Trump is rich, so is Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. President Obama and Wayne Huizenga, too." That's Huizenga, sorry. "There are lots of celebrities that are rich. And then all of those invisible bankers and developers who are incredibly rich. And no one knows who they are.
"There are a lot of those invisible millionaires, but, however, to put a number on rich would have to include how much does that person give back? That should be part of the equation."
So, obviously, a lot of responses coming in this morning. Everybody's idea of rich seems to be a little bit different. We wanted to hear what you had to say about it. The lines are still open. Just go to CNN.com/heidi, if you're a blogging kind of person, or call the "Hotline to Heidi" if you'd like your voice to actually be heard on the air. The number is 1-800-742-5760.
Well, there is a lot going on this morning in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM. And our crews are in place to break it all down for you. Let's begin with Poppy Harlow now live in New York.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Hey there, Heidi. Well, $700 billion in TARP money, but the Treasury Department doesn't require the banks to tell us where all that money is going and how they're using it but there's a new report with some interesting findings. We're going to dig deeper on the numbers at the top of the hour, Heidi.
MALVEAUX: I'm Suzanne Malveaux at the White House. President Obama pushing -- continuing to push his health care reform. He has said this morning that if you don't set a deadline nothing happens, nothing gets done. He's setting the deadlines for the August recess for Congress. I'll have much more of that at the top of the hour.
LISOVICZ: And I'm Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange where the Dow is riding a seven-session rally and is nearing the 9,000 mark. This is as investors await testimony from Fed chief Ben Bernanke on the economy and the so-called exit strategy from recession.
Heidi, I'll have more on that at the top of the hour.
COLLINS: All right. Very good. Thanks so much, everybody. We will also look at the gap between the wealth of white Americans and African Americans. A wealth building expert is going to be joining us to talk about what you can do to narrow the gap.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Most ex-convicts will commit another crime and end up behind bars again. This revolving prison door is costly for communities and devastates family. In "BLACK IN AMERICA 2," special correspondent Soledad O'Brien travels to Oakland, California where one pioneering program is working to stop the slide back into crime.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS SHURN, SAN QUENTIN INMATE: I'm different. I don't want to settle for this. This is not me. SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Our first meeting with Chris Shurn is behind bars at San Quentin. It was more than a year ago.
SHURN: Been down for three years and about six months now and I'm about to go home. I want to go somewhere and be somebody.
O'BRIEN (on camera): Where do you want to be? What do you want to be?
SHURN: I want to have a family. I want to own house. I want to have everything that an average American would want.
O'BRIEN (voice-over): How realistic are Chris Shurn's dreams? Like other felons, once he's released he'll likely face setbacks, frustration and life with little money, but he's not alone.
Everett Highbaugh is there for him. Everett is the lead case worker with Project Choice, a pioneering program to help ex-cons get support and keep them from going back to prison.
(on camera): How would you describe your job? Because you're an employment agency, relationship counselor, mentor, role model, all the above.
EVERETT HIGHBAUGH, PROJECT CHOICE: It's almost just like being somebody's assistant. You know, I'm taking care of this person's business in some sense.
O'BRIEN (voice-over): Five months after we first met, Chris Shurn is released from San Quentin. Everett tries to help clients like Chris Shurn develop a life plan, where he wants to work, where he'll live, how he'll avoid temptation.
(on camera): Are you ever going to go back to San Quentin?
SHURN: Only to work and not to be an inmate.
(LAUGHTER)
I'll go back there and teach something, not to be an inmate.
O'BRIEN: Never?
SHURN: Never. Never.
O'BRIEN (voice-over): He's an ex-con, so he can't get subsidized housing. He can't receive welfare. He has no health care. What he does get is a job right away at Good Will Industries. But it's part- time and pays $10 an hour. A fraction of what Chris was making selling drugs on the street.
(on camera): What's your big challenge of the day?
SHURN: Trying to convert lifestyles. Even though I've changed my life, it's very, very hard to adjust to this new lifestyle. O'BRIEN: What do you mean?
SHURN: I'm used to having a lot of money. Everyday...
O'BRIEN: How much money do you have on you now?
SHURN: Enough to buy lunch, like $10.
O'BRIEN (voice-over): But will very little money and lots of frustration lead to temptation?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Tomorrow night, beginning at 7:00, the countdown to an all new "BLACK IN AMERICA 2" live from Times Square. Then at 8:00 President Obama's news conference and then the first two hours of a two-night "BLACK IN AMERICA" event.
