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Contractors: Stimulus Money Too Slow; Killer's Blog Reveals Motivation for Shooting; The War Next Door: Los Zetas; Hawaii Preps for Possible Hurricane Strike; Is Former President Clinton Overshadowing His Wife?; 1 in 15 Hospitalized Kids Face Medical Error; Dollar Stores Thriving; Were There More Manson Victims?

Aired August 06, 2009 - 13:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Don.

A lot more cash for a lot more clunkers. We're pushing forward on a Senate vote that will keep the rebates flowing until Labor Day.

But what about the mail? The U.S. Postal Service may lose $7 billion this fiscal year. Wait until you hear what you might lose.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a lot of funny stuff going on. I overlooked a lot of things and, you know, you try and look -- see the best in people, not the worst.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And a sure sign the honeymoon is over: Your wife of six months allegedly takes out a contract on you. The tears may be fake, but the charges are real.

Hello, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, filling in today for Kyra Phillips, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. And you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Two hundred days, two key missions. President Obama is closing out his second 100 days in office with headway against the recession. Headwinds against the campaign to overhaul health care. This hour, we'll look at both, ahead of CNN's prime-time "National Report Card."

Let's start, where else? With issue No. 1.

Signs of hope are popping up across the economy. The latest just this morning: first-time jobless claims dropped last week more than expected. Car sales are in high gear, thanks to cash for clunkers. And the past couple of days notwithstanding, stocks have been on a tear. Blue chips had their best July in 20 years.

On the downside, July marked the 11th straight month of retail sales declines for most of the biggest chains. And the postmaster general's delivering bad news to Congress. Losses in the billions could mean post office closures and no more Saturday deliveries.

Well, across the nation, stimulus dollars are bankrolling highway and bridge projects, but not as fast as some contractors would like. CNN's Kate Bolduan hit the road on New York's Long Island.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Your stimulus dollars at work, filling cracks and replacing concrete slabs on New York's Southern State Parkway, the first stimulus-funded highway project to break ground on Long Island. Cost? One point seven million dollars.

That should be music to the ears of Mark Herbst, head of the Long Island Contractors Association. So, it may surprise you to hear this.

MARC HERBST, LONG ISLAND CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION: Here we are in the heart of the construction season and 40 percent of the workforce here on Long Island are not working. We haven't seen construction that low in the workforce in decades. And the stimulus program hasn't put people back to work at this point.

BOLDUAN: Nearly six months after President Obama signed the stimulus bill, Herbst complains transportation dollars are only trickling down.

(on camera): Generally too much red tape?

HERBST: Too much red tape. And by the time we go to work and the money flows and gets here, we're going to be in the dead of winter. Shovel-ready now; we won't be able to put the shovel in the icy ground.

BOLDUAN (voice-over): He's not alone. Sherry Morian runs a construction company that recently won a stimulus bid to replace this aging bridge in Pennsylvania.

SHERRY MORIAN, QUALITY ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS: It has to be designed. You have to get permits. You have to get environmental clearances. You have to get coordination with the utilities. It still has to go through the agency and get all of their approvals.

BOLDUAN: But, wait. Transportation officials insist recovery money is moving faster than ever. In New York, they say, it's already directly created about 900 highway jobs.

TIM GILCHRIST, TRANSPORTATION ADVISOR TO NEW YORK GOVERNOR: The recovery act funding is going out. The people will see their dollars at work. From my perspective, what will happen next is the motorists on Long Island will be complaining about all of the construction.

BOLDUAN: And in Washington, the secretary of transportation says the focus is not only on speed.

RAY LAHOOD, SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION: We want to get it out quickly, but we want to make sure it's done by the book. No earmarks. No boondoggles, no sweetheart deals.

BOLDUAN: But the question is: are all the checks and balances causing a stimulus slowdown? (END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: So, what does all this mean politically for a president with a huge agenda? Let's ask CNN's Candy Crowley in Washington.

So, Candy, our newest CNN poll shows a majority of Americans think the president's actions are making the economy better or will help it in the future. Some positive signs.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Yes. And he should put that in the bank. Because the fight is very, very tough right now on many, many levels: health care, but also looking at this economy.

If President Obama's legacy will be anything at this point, it will be a turnaround in the economy, if it happens. What does he need in order to bring that about? And we've just heard a story about complications with the stimulus program. We hear people arguing that, yes, the economy's showing some signs, but, in fact, it had nothing to do with the stimulus money. We've heard people say, yes, the economy's showing some signs, but it may go back down again.

What does the president need to weather all of these things? He needs the people behind him. And if you have got more than 50 percent of people thinking either he has already helped or will soon help the economy, that's money in the bank for a politician.

WHITFIELD: And earlier, the president's chief economic adviser talked about how the economy is faring under the stimulus. Let's listen to Christine Romer's strep-throat analogy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTINE ROMER, CHAIR, COUNCIL OF ECONOMIC ADVISERS: Suppose that you go to your doctor for a strep throat and he or she prescribes an antibiotic. Some time after you get the prescription and maybe even after you've taken the first pill, your fever spikes.

Do you decide that the medicine was useless? Do you conclude that the antibiotic caused your infection to get worse? Surely not. You probably conclude that the illness was more serious than you or your doctor thought and are very glad you saw the doctor and started taking the medicine when you did.

Well, that was exactly the situation with the economy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, fair analogy that hits home?

CROWLEY: Listen, here's the problem: If you are a homeowner, who as we reported earlier, may be one of those who will find themselves at the end of this housing downturn owning a home that is worth less than the mortgage you have out on it, and if you are unemployed, it's more than your fever spiking. You are a dying patient at this point, who needs help to find a job and keep their house.

So, while it's an interesting way to say you've got to hold on, it is very tough to hold on for -- we're closing in on, what, 10 percent unemployment? That is a huge number. It may be inevitable, as an economy contracts and reconstitutes itself. Nonetheless, it is a -- it is a very big number, and it is little consolation for -- to tell these people, "You need to hold on," even though that may be what they have to do.

And the same goes with homes. As you all know, a home is really where the heart is, and it's where most people's savings account is, is in that home. To now have those values be so down, these are two huge problems for the president, and they're largely perception problems. There's very little he can do at this point about either of those figures.

So, that sort of goes back to where we were before, which is he's got to hold on to the people who still believe he can turn the economy around. And it gets very hard when you're talking about people with homes that are having trouble financially and with no jobs.

WHITFIELD: Yes, very scary notion. Your biggest asset, if not your only asset, may be underwater. You owe a lot more than it's worth. Nobody wants to hear that.

All right, Candy Crowley, thanks so much. Appreciate that.

CROWLEY: Sure, sure.

WHITFIELD: All right, well, perhaps you have a clunker and you'd like some government cash. It's probably not too late. Before the Senate goes home for the day, it is expected to pass another $2 billion for the rebate program that burned through most of its first billion a lot faster than anyone expected.

Since the House approved the extra cash last week, it will just need a presidential signature, and that shouldn't be a problem. The new money should last until Labor Day.

All right. We want to crunch some numbers now. Well, the feds say more than 184,000 cash for clunker transactions are on the books. Many more are in the pipeline. Michigan leads the nation, with rebates so far totaling $44 million. It's followed by California, Ohio, Texas, and Illinois.

The U.S. Postal Service isn't just losing money; it's bleeding a fortune. It reported a $2.4 billion loss for the period between April and June. The postal officials expected to be $7 billion in the hole by the end of the fiscal year, September 30.

So, how did this happen? For one thing, fewer businesses are actually mailing out advertisements because of the recession. Also, more e-mail and e-bills mean fewer people buying stamps. So, today in Washington Senator John McCain told Postmaster General John Potter that the service needs to find a way to be relevant in this digital age. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Just as we went from horses and buggies to automobiles, we have gone from hand-delivered mail to the Internet and text messaging and e-mails and Twitter and all of the other new means of communications.

The post office has got to adjust to it, or they will go the way of the horse and buggy and the bridles. And so far, we have not seen, either from the administration or from you, Mr. Potter, who I understand are well compensated for your work, a specific, concrete proposal to bring this situation under control.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So, if the money situation is so dire, why is the post office buying houses like this? One of them was a swanky estate with an indoor pool. Cost? More than $1 million. The story from CNN's special investigations unit next hour.

And it's make-it-or-break-it month for President Obama's proposals on health-care reform, and Americans appear split over his ideas. Our most recent CNN/Opinion Research shows 50 percent favor the president's plan, 45 percent oppose it. It's most popular among younger Americans, least popular among seniors.

Only three in 10 Americans think the president's proposal will help their families. Forty-four percent feel they won't benefit, but other families will be helped. One in five says no one will be helped.

All right. And the president was meeting behind closed doors a short time ago at the White House. He and the so-called Gang of Six senators, three Democrats and three Republicans, are trying to hammer out a health care solution that both sides can actually live with. The six senators are on the powerful Senate Finance Committee.

Health care and the economy are the president's biggest challenges right now. But they're just two of the ten categories that you can grade him on. What do you think about his second 100 days? Cast your vote now at ReportCard.com, then get the results on CNN's "National Report Card" special tonight, 8 p.m. Eastern, only on CNN.

All right, well, somebody has launched a Twitter takedown. All morning folks have been locked out of the site as it battled a mystery hacker!

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The buck stops here, big time. Why discount dollar stores -- stores, rather, are booming in tough financial times and what should be on your shopping list.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. We may be less than two hours away from a moment our grandkids will be reading about. The Senate is wrapping up floor debate and preparing for a vote that will give the nation's highest court its first Hispanic justice: Sonia Sotomayor.

With unanimous support from Democrats and, last we heard, eight Republican votes, confirmation is not in doubt at all. Still, the nominee's critics are having their say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JIM DEMINT (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: On several issues ranging from judicial temperament to her infamous "wise Latino" speeches, Judge Sotomayor experienced what we call confirmation conversions on many of her issues and simply walked away from a lot of her past statements and positions. And now, seeing her willingness to tell us what we want to hear, neither her testimony or her long record on the judicial bench can give the American people any confidence that she will rule according to the clear language and intent of the constitution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Again, that vote is expected around 3 p.m. Eastern, and you'll see it live right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

All right, Twitter had been hit with a big hack attack. The service first went down about four hours ago. About two hours ago, Twitter's status blog announced that the site is defending against a denial of service attack. Basically, someone is overwhelming Twitter's service with no traffic -- with traffic, rather so that nobody else can actually get on.

So Facebook users have also had some problems today, as well. Last hour one of our CNN.com producers talked about the impact of these outages.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN SUTTER, CNN.COM WRITER/PRODUCER: We are so connected now online through Twitter, through Facebook that when the services go down, people kind of panic. We got a lot of those messages on our tech blog, too. People saying that, you know, "I don't what to do now."

Even I, like, when I was writing blog updates earlier this morning, I almost went on Twitter to repost something about it, and I was like, "Oh, I'm writing about that."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy, what are people to do? So, we've been trying to keep everybody updated via the team Kyra blog, CNN.com/Kyra. And right now your comments are pretty split. Some folks have said, "Hey, thanks. I was wondering what the problem was." And some others saying, "Who cares?"

Thanks for the feedback, and we will keep updating the blog as we get new information, because I know a lot of you who tweet all the time, you are hurting without it.

All right. Less than 48 hours after putting his exit plan into action, we're getting a better idea of what fueled George Sodini's shooting rampage Tuesday at a Pittsburgh-area fitness club. It comes from the killer himself, in a chilling online blog.

CNN's Susan Candiotti has these disturbing details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): George Sodini, 48, the guy with the bright smile, had a good job, but couldn't get a girlfriend. It was one of the things that seemed to push him over the edge.

PROFESSOR JAMES ALAN FOX, NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY: Clearly he was full of blame. He blamed everybody for his problems.

CANDIOTTI: In an Internet blog that appears to have started last November, Sodini rails against his mother, his family and women for making him miserable. An entry dated last December reads, "No girlfriend since 1984. Who knows why? I'm not ugly or too weird."

Sodini was a computer specialist for a Pittsburgh law firm. At home, he kept to himself.

BILL PATTERSON, NEIGHBOR: He came, you know, went to work, came back, and hardly ever see him around. Very quiet.

CANDIOTTI: Inside, he appears to be seething. In his blog he singles out a preacher at a church he used to attend. "This guy teaches and convinced me you can commit mass murder, then still go to heaven." He joins a gym, ogles the women.

FOX: All these young, beautiful, attractive, healthy, fit women at the health club. And so he specifically chose the health club, not just some random spot, to go after the people he blamed.

CANDIOTTI: he devises what he calls his exit plan, but backs out last January: "I chickened out. I brought the loaded guns, everything. Hell."

Over the next several months Sodini's rants continue about women and the gym. At home, police say he circles the gym's aerobics class on a schedule.

CHARLES MOFFATT, ALLEGHENY COUNTY POLICE SUPERINTENDENT: He just had a lot of hatred in him, and he was hell-bent on committing this act. And there was nobody going to stop him.

CROWLEY: Tuesday he goes to the gym twice, makes a phone call, and returns a final time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's a mad man.

CROWLEY: Thirty-six rounds, three women dead, and a shot to his head.

Susan Candiotti, CNN, Collier Township, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Members of Los Zetas, they've earned the reputation as the most feared thugs of the Mexican drug cartels. We'll show you why the U.S. is offering a $50 million reward for their capture.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. We hear a lot about escalating violence along the U.S./Mexican border, right? Nearly all of it drug-related. Well, much of the carnage blamed on narco gangsters called Los Zetas. What sprang from a small group of Mexican army deserters has blossomed into one of the world's most feared paramilitary organizations. And by U.S. standards, the most wanted.

Here now is CNN's Michael Ware.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The dead always tell a story. And here in Mexico, that story is the war raging on America's doorstep. Being fought for the right to supply America's demand for illegal drugs, a war becoming more violent, more ruthless, mostly because of one group.

(on camera): To even begin to understand that violence, come with me, here in a barrio in the southern Mexican city of Veracruz. Imagine, if you will, a band of Special Forces, Green Beret soldiers go rogue and offer their services and their firepower to the drug cartels.

Well, that's precisely what's happened in Mexico. In the 1990s, commandos from the Mexican army deserted and set up their own cartel, known as the Los Zetas. The Los Zetas, a group that the U.S. government now says is the most technologically advanced, sophisticated, and dangerous cartel operating in Mexico.

And this is an example of some of their most recent work. Until not so long ago, this was the home to a local police commander, promoted just two months before. And at 5 a.m. one morning, two cars pulled up in these streets.

Eight or nine gunmen got out, armed with assault rifles and .40 millimeter grenade launchers. They blasted their way into this house, and it took them less than five minutes to execute the father, the police commander; his wife, a police woman; and in the blaze that they started, to kill four children.

This is the drug war in Mexico. This is a war that the Los Zetas are fighting. And this is the war on America's doorstep that shows no sign of ending. (voice-over) And with their fearsome weaponry and military expertise, U.S. agencies consider the Zetas America's most formidable enemy in the drug war.

RALPH REYES, MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICAN CHIEF, DEA: The Zetas have obviously assumed the role of being the No. 1 organization responsible for the majority of the homicides, the narcotic rate of homicides, the beheadings, the kidnappings, the extortions that take place in Mexico.

WARE: From this Washington, D.C., office, DEA Central American chief Ralph Reyes directs America's fight against the Zetas, a fight he says that will take years.

REYES: They continue to train new recruits through several campaigns. One of them is a very public and open narco (ph) banners that they pose around the country of Mexico, specifically tailored to the military, in that they will offer better pay and better benefits if they join the ranks of the Zetas.

WARE: With their mastery of combat, says Reyes, this organized crime network operates more like a U.S. infantry company patrolling the streets of Fallujah in Iraq than they do a street gang. And they're only getting stronger.

(on camera): Veracruz is a popular tourist destination with colorful plazas just like this one. But it's actually a thin veneer for what's really going on beneath. Local newspapers almost daily have headlines of the horror, of the bloody violence of the drug cartels. Cartels that here in Veracruz are more often than not linked to the Los Zetas.

The American Drug Enforcement Agency tells me that, whilst it was originally based on military lines, it's being built on a business structure, with quarterly meetings, business ledgers kept, even votes on key assassinations.

And now the Los Zetas are taxing businesses beyond even their drug reach. From human trafficking across the American border to, as one recent scandal shows, they've been imposing a kind of tax on the Mexican government itself. The state-run oil company, it's just been revealed, has been bleeding billions through corrupt officials linked to the Los Zetas.

And as a DEA agent told me, the American border makes little difference to the Los Zetas. To them, it doesn't matter whether their violence is being perpetrated on the Mexican side of the border or on the American side.

(voice-over): On that American side, one of their instruments of assassination was teenager Rosalio Reta. He was just 13 years old when he first killed.

"I love doing it," says Reta (ph) in this police interrogation. "Killing that first person, I loved it. I thought I was superman." But you can be certain there are more like him. And there will be until America can defeat adversaries like the Zetas and end the drug wars across the border.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: It's been a relatively quiet summer so far, when it comes to hurricanes, but now we're talking August, and the name Felicia. Get to know her.

Here's Chad Myers.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's a Pacific storm. That's why it's already to the "F," because we've had Enrique, and we've had all the A, B, C storms on up to the -- to the "F" letter now. That would be Felicia.

We don't have anything yet in the Atlantic. We had something trying to build on Tuesday. It looked really good, and all of a sudden it just absolutely fizzled out.

Hawaii, right there. The Hawaiian Islands. There's Felicia, right there. Very large storm. Probably Category 3, Category 4.

Now, they haven't flown into it to know, but they take these satellite estimates, and they say, "OK, if a storm is that big, one that has been that big, this is what we think." And that number that they think right now is about 140 miles per hour.

Here it goes. It will turn to the left and make a run at Hawaii. But, watch, 4, 3, 2, 1. Tropical storm, tropical depression. So it is forecast to get much less, much lower, than that 140. That is a good thing.

Now, the people of Hawaii all remember, if they were born in time, all remember Hurricane Iniki. Iniki happened quite a while ago, say, '90, '95, '92, something like that. That storm did not do this and get up into the cold water up here. Iniki stayed to the south in the warm water and away from the trade winds, and it turned. It went right up to Kauai, at like 100 -- I don't know, 145, 150 miles per hour.

I was in Poipu, one of the islands there, on the south side of the island three or four years later, and there was still a lot of damage from that storm.

So now, let's kind of get back to what we're thinking here about Felicia.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

MYERS: It will turn to the left and really lose intensity. Down to probably only a 30-mile-per-hour storm, maybe 50-mile-per-hour. That's just a blow compared to everybody that knows. If you're in the Florida Keys, 50 miles an hour, OK.

WHITFIELD: Seventy or more, right?

MYERS: We'll be OK. Exactly right. But I think the amount of rainfall that this could bring could be amazing.

Here are some preps. Here are some -- what we call people going out to buy things that they need for the hurricane. And whenever I would go to the hurricanes along the Gulf Coast, the first thing to sell out -- no, not water, beer.

WHITFIELD: Wood!

MYERS: Beer.

WHITFIELD: Beer?

MYERS: Beer always gone. You can always buy water. I don't know why it is, man, but you go...

WHITFIELD: That's part of the survival kit.

MYERS: You go to the super Wal-Mart, and they are sold out of beer. You don't want to live without that.

WHITFIELD: Oh!

MYERS: The thing that -- the thing that I'm thinking, Fred, is that what -- the biggest threat, I think, to Hawaii might be these winds that could come into Hilo if the storm does go to the south, and that could bring in enough storm surge to flood the area. Hilo, a very pretty town, but...

WHITFIELD: Hilo is so used to the water anyway.

MYERS: It's so close to the water. Exactly. It would only take three or four feet to really make that town a mess.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. Well, not to make this all about me, but this is -- this means maybe a very dangerous or powerful year for me. You've got Felicia. That's my middle name.

MYERS: Uh-oh.

WHITFIELD: And on the Atlantic list is a Fred.

MYERS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Watch out, people!

MYERS: All right.

WHITFIELD: That's all I'm saying.

MYERS: All right.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks for keeping us posted, Chad, appreciate that. MYERS: Sure.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, from a walk down the aisle to a perp walk now. Married life apparently not a big hit with one newlywed couple.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

WHITFIELD: OK, ixnay the "love" part. Marriage, here we go. We've all heard of the seven-year itch, but surely this is not what people meant. A Florida woman has just been charged with trying to off her new husband six months after saying I do. Here's more now from Katie Brace of our affiliate WPTV.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL DIPPOLITO, HUSBAND: It's 10:50, I should have been dead at, like, 9:00.

KATIE BRACE, WPTV-TV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dead if his wife's alleged plan had worked. Dahlia (ph) Dippolito was accused of trying to hire a hit man to take him out.

M. DIPPOLITO: Just divorce me and take everything. I mean, that's the best way, right? So, I mean, I don't understand.

BRACE: Michael Dippolito says he's also trying to understand what unfolded at his home. Detectives knocked on his door. They told him his wife was trying to kill him and staged a crime scene. His wife sobbed uncontrollably when she arrived. Michael confronted her at the police station. He says there was nothing to say.

DAHLIA (ph) DIPPOLITO, WIFE: I didn't do anything. And I didn't plot anything.

BRACE: Detectives say they received a tip about Dahlia's (ph) plan. She had been dealing with an undercover police officer posing as a hit man. Michael was shown the recording.

M. DIPPOLITO: I saw it. I'm OK with it.

BRACE: Michael Dippolito and his wife met less than a year ago. He's now 38. She's 26. They were married six months ago. He says strange things started happening.

M. DIPPOLITO: There was a lot of funny stuff going on. I overlooked a lot of things. And, you know, you try and look -- see the best in people, not the worst.

BRACE: Money went missing. Threatening notes were left on his car. He says now that makes sense. But it's far different than his wife trying to kill him.

M. DIPPOLITO: I feel a little bad, but, I mean, there's no reason she had to do this, you know? She was well off. She could have just left.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy. And so this morning, a judge agreed to release Ms. Dippolito on $25,000 bond. She's now under house arrest at her mother's house.

The ex-mistress of former presidential candidate John Edwards is apparently testifying before a grand jury. Rielle Hunter arrived at the federal courthouse in Raleigh, North Carolina, this morning. Grand jury proceedings are secret, so there's no official word on Hunter's appearance. But in May, Edwards confirmed federal investigators are looking into his campaign finances. From 2006 to 2007, the candidate's team paid Hunter's video production company $114,000. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Ex-Congressman William Jefferson could learn today how much money he has to hand over. Jurors convicted the former Louisiana representative yesterday of bribery, racketeering and other charges. Now, they're considering if he has to forfeit all or part of $450,000 in assets. Jefferson served seven terms in Congress, but lost his re- election bid last year. He'll be sentenced October 30th and faces up to 20 years in prison.

All right. Fresh from his mission to North Korea to free two journalists, former President Bill Clinton is back at work in New York. Today, he's talking about a major partnership between his foundation and drug manufacturers. He wrapped up his humanitarian trip to free journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee yesterday. The pair were convicted on charges of entering North Korea illegally. They were held for five months before their emotional homecoming, which you saw unfold on television yesterday.

All right. That humanitarian mission to North Korea is raising the question: Is the former president overshadowing his wife, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton? CNN's Carol Costello has more on the continuing Clinton saga.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, it didn't take long, did it? A story with an incredibly happy ending has in part become another chapter in the continuing Clinton soap opera.

(voice-over): It was a Kodak moment -- the best kind. And the man who made it possible...

LAURA LING, FREED JOURNALIST: When we walked in through the doors, we saw standing before us President Bill Clinton.

(APPLAUSE)

COSTELLO: A rescuing angel who sat for the other Kodak moment with a man some call the devil and brought two Americans home safely.

Not only that, but some are saying Mr. Clinton's visit may also pave the way to a nuclear-free North Korea.

It wasn't long before the Hillary question came up.

RUSH LIMBAUGH, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Now, where is Hillary? The real secretary of state is in Kenya. Why go to Kenya unless you've been ordered to go over there and kiss Obama's grandfather's grave? Is North Korea too important to send the girl?

COSTELLO: Hillary Clinton, America's secretary of state, is in Africa on a diplomacy mission -- important, yes. But as "The New York Times" columnist Maureen Dowd writes, Mr. Clinton's mission trumps hers. "Just as Hillary muscled her way back in to the spotlight, she was blown off the radar screen again by an even more powerful envoy: the one she lives with."

The overshadowing question comes after concerns just last month that President Obama was overshadowing Secretary Clinton by meeting with world leaders himself and by sending Vice President Joe Biden to Iraq. Clinton supporters say that wasn't true, and the latest overshadowing charge isn't either.

WILLIAM COHEN, FORMER CLINTON DEFENSE SECRETARY: I don't think Bill Clinton would overshadow Secretary Clinton. In fact, if that were to be the case, I'm sure he would have not done it.

COSTELLO: William Cohen, President Clinton's defense secretary, says Mr. Clinton not only worked closely with President Obama to free the journalists, but he worked with his wife, the Secretary of State too. And besides, many analysts say this was the kind of mission more suited to former presidents.

LARRY SABATO, POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: The North Koreans wanted a high-level envoy and it was clear that it couldn't be somebody currently in government. So, you know, there were only several people imaginable: Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Bill Richardson. And the North Koreans got the top banana, which is what they wanted.

COSTELLO: And it worked. For Laura Ling and Euna Lee, that's all that matters.

(on camera): Of course, many are wondering if President Obama will use President Clinton more in this sort of role. Larry Sabato says, yes, but rarely, because, he says, it degrades the asset. And it also raises questions about who's actually running the State Department, something both President Obama and Secretary Clinton surely want to avoid -- Fred.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks, Carol.

All right, so what is the most underutilized resource in keeping kids safe when they're hospitalized? Why it's you, the parent. What doctors and nurses want you to tell them.

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WHITFIELD: All right, your child is hospitalized, and despite your faith in the facility and staff, you're doting and double- checking to prevent any possible mistake. Well, you fear you're being a little too high maintenance, but a new study said you're reacting like most parents, and actually, that's a good thing.

Senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us. So, Elizabeth, why the compelling need for this kind of vigilance?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Because studies show that 1 out of 15 kids who are in the hospital have a medical error happen to them that harms them. That's 1 out of 15 kids harmed by a medical error in the hospital.

That's a pretty high number, so these parents in this study who were vigilant, they were vigilant for a reason. And two-thirds of the people in the study were vigilant.

Now, this isn't just a matter for children. Consider these statistics: Every year there are up to 98,000 deaths due to errors that happen in hospitals, and 99,000 deaths from infections that people get in the hospital. In other words, they came in without the infection. They got the infection in the hospital and died. So, some people would say you can't do too much.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

COHEN: You really need to go the extra mile to make sure that you're safe in the hospital.

WHITFIELD: So, infections, one. Your, empowered patient column said there are other errors that nurses revealed to you that are made. Like what?

COHEN: Yes, absolutely. We figured, who is going to know more about what really goes down at a hospital than nurses. So, we asked a bunch of nurses, what have you seen in the hospital that really makes you nervous?

And we got quite a few responses, actually. This is Susan Gonzalez, who's a nurse here in Georgia. She said that she was with her father, who was in the hospital. She was visiting him. The nurse came, hung up a bag of medicine, started to attach it to his IV. And she said, excuse me, what are you giving him? And they said ampicillin.

And she said, my dad is allergic to ampicillin. She said that nurse could have killed him. And so she said -- this was one of many stories like this that we heard from nurses who really talked about the kinds of things that they've seen in the hospital.

WHITFIELD: So, yes, you've got to be vigilant. You've got to really know the condition or any kind of allergy, that kind of stuff. But what else do perhaps nurses suggest that you need to do to avoid these kind of mistakes from happening? COHEN: All right, well, these nurses gave us some insider tips, things that you need to do when you're in the hospital or when a loved one is in the hospital. Take a look at this.

First of all, ask about every single drug you receive. What is it? Is it the right dosage? Is it at the right time? Also ask doctors and nurses to wash their hands. That sounds silly, but studies show that many of them don't.

And don't back down. If you aren't sure about something or something doesn't look right, don't back down. Keep asking about it until you get an answer that satisfies you. And you can get more tips at -- on my column, which is up right now on CNNhealth.com.

WHITFIELD: Cool, and people can send you questions there, too. And you'll answer them.

COHEN: Well, actually, you can send me questions at empoweredpatient@CNN.com.

WHITFIELD: OK, very good.

COHEN: That's where you send questions.

WHITFIELD: Thanks for that clarity, then.

COHEN: OK.

WHITFIELD: Appreciate it, Elizabeth. Good to see you.

COHEN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, discount dollar stores are booming in these financial times. We'll show you what should be on your shopping list to make your green go even further.

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WHITFIELD: Are you budget conscious? Well, who isn't these days? Despite the souring economy, there is one type of retail store cashing in, It's those discount dollar stores. CNN's Maggie Lake has the back story behind the bargain.

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MAGGIE LAKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dino and Jessica Scotto are searching for bargains at their neighborhood dollar stor in New Jersey. They say they are constantly surprised at how far their dollar goes each and every visit.

JESSICA SCOTTO, DOLLAR STORE SHOPPER: The appeal is, you get 20 things for $21 instead of going to the other stores and getting maybe two or three things for $20. LAKE: Shoppers across the country are taking notice. In a year of dismal news for the retail industry, dollar stores are thriving. Family Dollar recently reported a 36 percent jump in quarterly profits. Sales at Dollar General Stores, open for more than a year, soared 13 percent.

Business is so strong that major dollar retailers plan to open hundreds of new locations this year even as scores of other chains close stores.

(on camera): So we're here at a Dollar Tree stores. It's one of the chains that's benefiting as Americans try to stretch those paychecks. And we decided to come and see what $20 is going to get us. Oh, toothpaste.

(voice-over): First things first, the essentials.

(on camera): Paper plates, definitely.

Bargain hunting is nothing new for American consumers. But these deep discounters are taking it to a whole other level. Household, especially things like cleaning products, these are the same things that are -- same brands that are sold in other stores, but they're only $1 here.

(voice-over): Other must-haves, aluminum foil, $1, drain cleaner, $1, Kleenex, $1.

(on camera): Wolfgang Puck organic soup.

(voice-over): Even designer-label soups and USB computer labels, $1. Some products are sold in smaller sizes than you'd see in the supermarkets. Even so, savings are substantial, and $20 really does go a long way.

DENISE LOWE, DOLLAR STORE SHOPPER: Sometimes you may find bargains on different things that you may have to spend a lot of money for in different places. But I always pop here first before I go to a regular department store.

LAKE (on camera): Right, to see if they have it.

LOWE: Bargains, exactly.

LAKE (voice-over): Retail watchers say it's exactly that kind of behavior that is worrying the competition.

WENDY LIEBMAN, WSL STRATEGIC RETAIL: Dollar stores take a bite out of Wal-Mart, especially if you're in the communities where they both live together. Kind of their entry price point. I go to the dollar store first. And then I fill out when I'm in Wal-Mart.

LAKE: It is now estimated that nearly half of all U.S. households shop at dollar stores each month, even shoppers who can afford to buy elsewhere. And a lot of them are leaving the store satisfied. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very good. Got everything we needed at a great price.

LAKE: Maggie Lake, CNN, Hazlet, New Jersey.

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WHITFIELD: All right, very encouraging there. But, here's what "Consumer Reports" says are actually good buys and not-so-good buys at dollar stores. Among the good ones: heavy-duty aluminum foil, gift wrap and party supplies and cotton balls. For the price, can't beat them. Among the bad buys: electrical-related items, medications, vitamins and supplements and kids jewelry because of concerns about lead. Budget vitamins and medicines may not list ingredients or could be out of date, so you need to watch out for that. And electrical cords, lamps and the like can often have fake safety labels.

So, earlier, we told you that the U.S. Postal Service is really hurting. We are talking red ink that's going to be in the neighborhood of $7 billion this year. Next your, we'll show you how the problem is going to affect you likely.

Plus, the lonely life of a Florida family. They're the only tenant in a 32-story condominium billing, that one right there. The recession's making for some unique and very different stories.

All right, she's been locked away for 34 years. But in 10 more days, Squeaky Fromme will leave a Texas prison on parole. Fromme was part of Charles Manson's "Family," but she didn't go to prison for the infamous Tate/LaBianca murders. Her crime was pointing a gun at President Gerald Ford in 1975. The Secret Service was on her before she could pull the trigger.

So, Manson and the other followers who did go to prison for murder may not see the outside world ever again. Forty years after they became synonymous with fear, murder and helter-skelter, the case still fascinates so many. And it might not be closed just yet.

CNN's Ted Rowlands checks out reports that more victims could be buried in the desert.

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QUESTION: And are you guilty of any murders?

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For decades, speculation has swirled that the nine murders linked to Charles Manson and his followers could be just tip of the iceberg, that more victims, possibly runaways or others who came in contact with the Manson family may have been murdered. According to prosecutors, Manson Family members alluded to as many as 35 victims.

(on camera): If there are other Manson victims, the theory is that they could have been buried at one of the Manson Family hideouts. Right now, we are at the Spahn Ranch. This is where the Manson Family was before the Tate/LaBianca murders. This used to be an old movie set. There were buildings right in here. They were all wiped out by a fire. But the theory is that just over this ridge, there could be grave sites.

KITTY COX (ph), CARETAKER, SPAHN RANCH: This is where they lived, right on the riverbed.

ROWLANDS (voice-over): Kitty Cox (ph) is a caretaker at Spahn Ranch.

(on camera): Do you think there are bodies out here?

COX: I think there could be.

ROWLANDS (voice-over): The other place people believe there may be more Manson victims is in Death Valley, the Barker Ranch, where Manson was eventually arrested. When we traveled there last year, we met Emmitt Harder, a gold prospector who met Manson and some of his followers, including Tex Watson. Harder says one story he was told by a Manson follower made him believe there are bodies here.

EMMITT HARDER, KNEW MANSON AT BARKER RANCH: This one girl didn't get along with Manson or Watson at all. And they took her for a walk, and they came back in a short distance, and we never saw her again.

ROWLANDS: Paul Dosty, a former police detective, brought his cadaver dog, Buster, to both the Barker and Spahn ranches. Dosty says Buster located potential grave sites in both places. The local sheriff authorized a dig at Barker ranch last year, but nothing was located.

One person who would know is Charles "Tex" Watson, Manson's right-hand man. We wrote to him in prison and received this letter back. It says, in part, "I was the first family member to go to the desert after the murders and also the first to leave. I say this only to let you know that no one was killed while I was in the desert, but I don't know what took place after I left."

Over the years, none of the Manson family members have ever said anything specific about other victims. And they are the only ones who may ever know.

Ted Rowlands, CNN, Los Angeles.

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