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Texas Doctor Murdered in Own Home; Obama Approves Creation of High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group; Cash for Clunkers Coming to an End; Public Option Debate Rages On; More U.S. Troops for Afghanistan; Alleged Election Irregularities in Afghanistan; Bomber Release Fallout; Out of Work, Out of Benefits; The Toll of War

Aired August 24, 2009 - 12:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: A man who saves lives loses his in a home invasion in Texas. Police say prominent pulmonary doctor Jorge Mario Gonzalez was shot and killed at his suburban ranch in Bellville on Saturday. Our T.J. Holmes is at the breaking news desk here in our newsroom. And T.J., I've got to tell you, I'm reminded here of the home invasion murder of that couple in Florida. And this seems, T.J., early similar, doesn't it?

T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You can't help but to make that connection or that parellel at least in our own minds. You're talking about Melanie and Byrd Billings, had 15 children down there, people bust in. Seven people under arrest in that case, as we know.

None arrested in this case just yet. And, Tony, another detail here that was eerily similar is that there are five suspects police believe in this case. You mentioned his name, Dr. Jorge Mario Gonzalez. He was shot around noon, shot and killed at his ranch in Bellville. This is just outside of Houston.

There's his picture, a prominent doctor down there, a 56-year- old. He was the chief of critical care at the Methodist Hospital Research Institute there in Houston. But how this went down, again, this was around noon that police got a 911 call from his wife, Charlene (ph), who was in the home hiding with their 2-year-old son when all of this happened.

Now, here are some of the pictures from the scene, but police actually arrived on the scene after the shooting and were met by three vehicles that were leaving the grounds. One person in one of those vehicles, according to police, fired on that officer.

Now, the officer or his car, neither were hit. But still, this is what happened. So, now police believe they are looking for five individuals.

They don't know if burglary was the motive, they don't know if this doctor was particularly targeted. They just don't know right now, but the search is on for five suspects.

We heard a short time ago from one of the doctor's adult children, his son. Let's listen to him now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) He didn't want to harm anybody. So, why would anybody harm him?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This man had nothing to do with anybody. He was a peaceful man. He was a wise man. Just here to make people better and nothing else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now, again, police were met by three vehicles as they arrived on the property after that 911 call, two pickups and another vehicle.

Now, a short time after the shooting, police then found what they believe was one of those vehicles, one of the suspect's vehicles. So, they went and searched that vehicle, they also found the owner of that vehicle.

However, the man who owned that vehicle, he checked out, apparently. They let him go. So, no connection to the crime, police believe.

So, just a mystery here, why five people in broad daylight would bust into this man's home, shoot him and get out of there, left his wife and his 2-year-old son who were there hiding in the closet, Tony. But again, you can't help but conjure up images of that other shooting, parents killed down in Florida.

So, we are on this case today, going to continue to follow it. We are in close contact with the authorities down there.

But a huge mystery for them and a very prominent doctor down there that a lot of people are saying a lot of good things about. Did a lot to help folks, and right now just a mystery, why somebody would bust in and do this.

HARRIS: OK. T.J., appreciate it. Thank you. Good to see you.

HOLMES: All right, Tony.

HARRIS: The Obama administration is looking at a new way of managing how high-value detainees are interrogated.

CNN's Elaine Quijano is in Washington.

And Elaine, what can you tell us about this?

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, senior administration officials just wrapped up a conference call on this. President Obama has approved the creation of a high-value detainee interrogation group.

Now, a spokesman says this new unit does not at all mean that the CIA is out of the interrogation business. What it means, officials say, is taking a more strategic approach, not an ad hoc approach, to these kinds of interrogations. Now, this team will include different agency members like defense, intelligence and law enforcement. The White House National Security Council will have oversight, but the group, Tony, we're told, will be based at the FBI headquarters here in Washington -- Tony.

HARRIS: OK. And Elaine, turning to this CIA report, what are you learning about what's in it?

QUIJANO: Well, according to knowledgeable sources familiar with this report, we know that in separate incidents, CIA interrogators threatened Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri. Now, he is the man suspected of plotting the deadly of the bombing of the USS Cole. Sources confirm that one interrogation session involved a gun; another, an electric drill; and both sessions were meant to scare this al Qaeda prisoner into giving up information.

Also, "Newsweek" has reported that mock executions were staged, including one where a gun was fired in a room next to a detainee to make him believe that another prisoner had been killed -- Tony.

HARRIS: Wow. And this report is coming out as part of a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union.

What's been that organization's reaction and what is the CIA saying, if anything?

QUIJANO: Well, the ACLU released a written statement calling the tactics under the Bush administration "not only reprehensible, but illegal." The statement went on to say that the American public has a right to know the full truth about the "torture" that was committed in its name.

Now, we should make very clear here that, even though the government had authorized controversial techniques like waterboarding, the use of a gun and a drill fell outside of approved tactics. Now, a CIA spokesman said that the agency in no way endorsed behavior, however infrequent, that went beyond formal guidance -- Tony.

HARRIS: Elaine Quijano in Washington for us.

Elaine, thank you.

QUIJANO: Sure.

HARRIS: The CIA's treatment of terror suspects may lead to a formal criminal investigation. "The New York Times" reports today the Justice Department's Ethics Office is advising Attorney General Eric Holder to go forward.

Now, last hour, I spoke with Mark Mazzetti, who has done a lot of work on this story for "The New York Times."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK MAZZETTI, "THE NEW YORK TIMES" SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Attorney General Eric Holder would, in fact, then reopen some of these investigations and maybe appoint a special prosecutor to examine some of the these death cases, cases that occurred in CIA custody, at some point in the next couple of weeks.

HARRIS: Well, Mark, our understanding -- our understanding is that one CIA official has been formally disciplined. Would a new investigation necessarily have to be about the attorneys who provided the legal justification for the harsh interrogation techniques? It can't just be about those who carried it out.

MAZZETTI: Well, that's been a pointed debate. And President Obama has indicated that he would not want to pursue lawyers from the Bush administration who approved these techniques.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: As you just heard Mark say, President Obama has said in the past he does not want to pursue Justice Department lawyers who approved the interrogation tactics.

Got your car deal yet? The Cash for Clunkers program is coming to a dead end tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

New car dealers have done nearly $2 billion in deals. Still, a lot of those dealers are waiting for their money. The government says 30 percent of applications from dealers have been reviewed. So far, dealers have been paid $140 million.

Our Kate Bolduan has more on the late rush to buy a new car.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With a fast- approaching deadline, customers flocked to car dealerships over the weekend, looking, hoping to be one of the last to drive home a deal.

DAVID BARROSSO (ph), TRADED IN VAN: I came here and there was so many people here.

BOLDUAN: David Barroso (ph) is trading in his van with more than 150,000 miles on it for a new Toyota...

BARROSSO: Say thank you.

BOLDUAN: ... thanks to a $3,500 Cash for Clunkers rebate.

BARROSO: For me, basically, more motivation. You know? And, of course, a new car is always good.

BOLDUAN: As of Thursday, the Transportation Department reported more than 450,000 clunker deals nationwide worth nearly two-thirds of the $3 billion set aside for the program. But dealers say the paperwork and the payback is a major concern.

(on camera): So, 15 to 20 documents like this for every deal.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely. Right. BOLDUAN (voice-over): Tammy Darvish is the vice president of Darcars auto chain in Greater Washington. She has people working around the clock to meet the deadline. They've made 1,400 clunker deals so far fronting as much as $4,500 for each rebate. To date, they've only been reimbursed for nine.

TAMMY DARVISH, VICE PRESIDENT OF DARCARS IN GREATER WASHINGTON: I mean, you know, especially coming out of the times that we've just come out of, and then to have this kind of cash flow hanging out there, it's very unnerving. And it's hard to sleep at night knowing that you have, you know, $6 million outstanding.

BOLDUAN: The National Automobile Dealers Association is urging the government to give them an additional week to process all the deals they expect in these twilight hours. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood assures the money is on the way.

RAY LAHOOD, U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: They're going to get their money. We have the money to provide to them.

BOLDUAN: As for customers like Sarah Nesbitt, she's rushing to cash in on a deal she just couldn't pass up.

SARAH NESBITT, CUSTOMER: From this, with all its dings and dents and scratches and dog hair and all that, into one of those.

BOLDUAN (on camera): So, what are people buying? Well, this dealer says nearly 80 percent of all their clunker customers are buying foreign brands, and about 80 percent of what people are turning in are domestic vehicles.

Kate Bolduan, CNN, Silver Spring, Maryland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: President Obama may be taking a bit of a vacation, but there is little rest for the debate over health care reform.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: And if you wanted to follow the health care debate in this make-or-break month for health care, just want to give you a heads up here. There are two health care town halls being hosted by House members today. The first is in Buckingham County, Virginia. The other is in Inman, South Carolina.

Got to tell you, the most contentious part of health care reform for many people is this idea of the "public option." Senate Republicans say no way; House liberals say it is an absolute must.

The bitter debate from CNN's Jim Acosta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With the president hitting the beach on Martha's Vineyard, the tide may be turning against the idea of a government-run insurance program or public option in health care reform.

SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (I), CONNECTICUT: I'm afraid we've got to think about putting a lot of that off until the economy is out of recession. There is no reason we have to do it all now.

ACOSTA: Add Connecticut's Independent Joe Lieberman to the list of Republicans who doubt the president will get everything he wants.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I believe that one of the fundamentals for any agreement would be that the president abandon the government option.

ACOSTA: The president is also feeling the heat from liberals in the House threatening to vote no on the reform unless it has the option.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is he relying on the sand, say I will know.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely.

ACOSTA: At her own boisterous town hall, California Congresswoman Maxine Waters urged the president to start twisting arms in the Senate.

REP. MAXINE WATERS (D), CALIFORNIA: We're going to do everything that we can to organize and put pressure on those senators, some of whom are Neanderthals. I just want to say it took the president, we want you to use every weapon in your...

ACOSTA: In his weekly address, the president was more interested in what he sees as twists of the truth.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And we've all heard the charge that reform will somehow bring about a government takeover of health care. I know that sounds scary to many folks. It sounds scary to me, too. But here's the thing. It's not true.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The beach is nice this time of year.

ACOSTA: But before the president could say cowabunga, an ad from one reform opponent accused the White House of a government takeover.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NARRATOR: Because his public option health plan could leave the government-run health care.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DONNA BRAZILE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: We need message discipline on the Democratic side. I can't speak for Republicans, but I can tell you, without message discipline, this has been a very difficult uphill battle for the president.

ACOSTA (on camera): This week, the president's grassroots volunteer network known as Organizing for America is urging its members to show up at town halls and rally near local congressional offices. The move is right out of the playbook of reform opponents who have raised their voices at town halls for weeks.

Jim Acosta, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Insecurity over Social Security. You know, some checks may be shrinking for the first time in a generation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Checking some of the hour's top stories now.

Crews in Buffalo, New York, have recovered the bodies of two firefighters killed when the first floor of this building that you see collapsed during an early morning fire. Officials have not been able to confirm reports that a third person is still missing.

The man wanted in the gruesome murder of a swimsuit model has apparently killed himself. The body of Ryan Jenkins has been found in a motel room in Canada. He was suspected of killing his ex-wife, Jasmine Fiore, whose nude, mutilated body was found in a trash dumpster in California.

And just last hour, fire rescue teams successfully freed a 3- year-old girl whose arm was stuck in a pool drain. It happened at a condominium in Key Biscayne, Florida. The child has been taken to an area hospital to be checked out.

We will get another check of the top stories -- she's fine, she's fine -- in about 20 minutes.

And as always as this time, we would like to direct your attention to CNNMoney.com, our terrific financial Web site. For the latest financial news and analysis, always go to CNNMoney.com. Our money team is doing a terrific job.

Let's get you to the New York Stock Exchange and a look at the Big Board now, coming up on three hours into the trading day.

We are off of session highs, but the Dow, as you can see, is still in positive territory, up 58 points. We will check these numbers throughout the day with Stephanie Elam, in this week, or at least the first couple of days of this week, for Susan Lisovicz.

If you get a check from Social Security every month, you probably won't be getting a raise next year, or the year after that, for that matter.

CNN's Christine Romans is at the New York Business Desk.

Christine, good to see you.

What is going on here? What's happening? Are we talking about the cost of living increases?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: We are. And the cost of living as measured by the Consumer Price Index, is falling, Tony. Year over year, the CPI is down about two percent. And it's this time of the year when the folks who calculate your cost of living increase for the Social Security, this is the time of year when they're doing the calculations for next year, and you actually have falling inflation. So, it looks very unlikely that there will be a cost of living increase this year, maybe even the next year, for your Social Security check.

Now, 50 million-plus people rely on this. You know, the average check is something like $1,100 -- $1,158. And that could actually shrink for people next year, and here's why -- because the Medicare premiums, the drug premium part of your Medicare program for some six or eight million Americans, that's actually going up. The average premiums rising to $30 from $28.

Some of that is automatically deducted from -- we call it the check, but it's -- for many people, it's actually a debit card. It's a debit card you get added on to every month. The government automatically adds on to.

So, you put in the flat Social Security check, you take out the rising drug premiums, and that is actually a shrinking Social Security benefit for millions of Americans, quite frankly, at the same time that your house is probably worth less if you still have it and you're a senior. Your IRA, your pension, all of these things hit.

So, Tony, this is the time of year every year when we start to calculate what it's going to look like for next year. People get very nervous about it.

Last year, the seniors got a 5.8 or 5.9 percent increase in their checks, and under the stimulus got a $250 one-time benefit. So, this year, there was a little bit of help and a bigger check for people. But next year, don't expect it.

HARRIS: Hey, you know, I wanted to talk to you about this last hour. We're going to do a segment in just a couple of minutes on Cash for Clunkers. I want to ask you this question -- look, on balance, what do you think of this program?

What's the analysis on it? Was it a good thing, more of a headache than a good thing? What's the analysis?

ROMANS: It was a good thing and a headache.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes.

ROMANS: How's that?

Look, some of the dealers are saying they loved this program. It did exactly -- it was a good run, it did exactly what it was supposed to. But they're spending an awful lot of hours trying to do all the paperwork.

It was meant to be temporary, too. You'll hear economists say this was just a sugar rush for the economy and that the momentum could be lost for auto sales.

You know, Tony, something I wanted to remind people, if you didn't have a clunker and you still want to buy a new car, and you're thinking of doing it next year, remember that there is a stimulus tax deduction for this year for a new car. Outside of clunkers, there's a tax that you can write off your state, local and excise taxes on your 2009 tax return.

So remember, if you're thinking, oh, well, I'll wait until next year, there is a tax deduction if you buy it by January 1, 2010. You might want to look that up. That's under the original stimulus. On a $35,000 car in most states, that's about 600 bucks, maybe. So, there's still money out there even if you didn't have a clunker.

HARRIS: Very nice, Christine. Good to see you. Thank you, lady.

ROMANS: Good to see you, too. Bye.

HARRIS: The Obama administration says the situation in Afghanistan is serious and deteriorating. What officials are planning to do now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Taliban tactics are getting deadlier. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff tells CNN the situation in Afghanistan is serious and deteriorating. Live now to CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.

And, Barbara, I've got to tell you, I'm struck by the language, the grim language, being used by top military officials.

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Grim indeed, Tony. And it's going to get grimmer by all accounts. Admiral Mike Mullen spoke yesterday with CNN's John King on "State of the Union." Let's get right to listening to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADM. MIKE MULLEN, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: I think it is serious and it is deteriorating and I've said that over the past couple of years, that the Taliban insurgency has gotten better, more sophisticated. Their tactics, just in my recent visits out there in talking with our troops, certainly indicate that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: So exactly how bad is Afghanistan, Tony? Well, what we've learned from a senior U.S. military official, the latest assessment shows that one-third of Afghanistan is under the influence, if not outright control of the Taliban. That gives them pretty much free reign for their shadow governments, their campaigns of intimidation against the people of Afghanistan. All of this getting to the key point for the United States, will more U.S. combat forces be heading to that war. General McChrystal, the new commander, is expected within the next couple of weeks to issue his report. And he is expected, by all accounts, to ask for more troops.

Tony.

HARRIS: And, Barbara, so in the next couple of weeks, we will at least get the report with the recommendation, correct?

STARR: Exactly right. Now, whether it will become public for the American people to see remains an open question. But one of other very tragic markers of just how bad this is getting and how much they need more force on the ground there, we're in the 24th day of August, Tony, of course, and already this is the second worst month of the war. Sixty-two coalition forces have lost their lives. And I don't thing it escapes anyone's attention. We're just a couple of weeks away from the eighth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that were planned in Afghanistan, are the whole reason the U.S. went to war there.

Tony.

HARRIS: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon for us.

Barbara, thank you.

STARR: Sure.

HARRIS: Adding to concerns about Afghanistan, allegations of election fraud. More than 200 claims in all. Let's get to our Atia Abawi in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIA ABAWI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All the ballots have not even been counted yet, but still some very strong accusations from one presidential candidate to another. Dr. Abdullah Abdullah accusing President Karzai campaign of massive fraud and saying that the country's future is at stake.

ABDULLAH ABDULLAH, AFGHAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think survival of Afghanistan is at stake and I don't see a future for this country. The level off disappoint of the people who reached to a stage that you cannot reverse it. Nobody can reverse it. And also the public opinion back in the United States, let's say, for example. It will reach to a stage where they will think that it might be a mission impossible.

ABAWI: President Karzai's campaign is not taking this sitting down. The campaign spokesperson told CNN that they are leaving this up to the Electoral Complaints Commission. They will not speak up until the process and the institutions had their chance to investigate. WAHEED OMAR, SPOKESMAN FOR KARZAI CAMPAIGN: They are making irresponsible comments and this is disrespectful to the process, this is disrespectful to the mechanism which is in place, which is the institution, and this is disrespectful to the (INAUDIBLE) of the people. So, obviously, the elections, there are violations all over the world in the election, but there are mechanisms to take care of it. And the only way that we spend (ph) in this new democracy in Afghanistan is to respect the mandate of these institutions. If we do their job, then obviously we have not helped democracy.

ABAWI: Both campaigns have stated that they are the ones that have got the most votes in Afghanistan. But the IEC, the Independent Election Commission, here in Afghanistan says that they won't have final results until September 17th. But the ECC, the Electoral Complaints Commission, say that it might take longer than that because they want to go through each complaint one by one.

Atia Abawi, CNN, Kabul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Fury and finger pointing after the freed Lockerbie bomber returns home to a hero's welcome. The Scottish first minister, forced to defend his decision over the weekend. The Scottish parliament held an emergency session today to discuss it. CNN political contributor Robin Oakley following this story for us in London.

Robin, good to see you.

As you know, FBI Director Robert Muller said the decision made a mockery of the law and rewarded terrorism. Was are we hearing from the Scottish parliament? Was it an open hearing today?

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: It was an open hearing. It was Kenny MacAskill, the justice minister of the Scottish national party, who heads the government in Scotland, forced to come to an emergency session of parliament and justify his decision. A decision which many people in the other party said had brought shame on Scotland. They were horrified to see the Scottish flag being waved when al-Megrahi got that hero's welcome you referred to on his return to Tripoli.

And Mr. MacAskill defended himself on the grounds that, no, he wouldn't have been willing to send al-Megrahi back on a prisoner transfer program because the U.S. authorities, the victims, Lockerbie victim's families had been assured he would serve out his time in Scotland. But when al-Megrahi had became terminally ill with cancer last December, he said that put a different complexion on things and Scotland need to live up to its own values and show compassion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KENNY MACASKILL, SCOTTISH JUSTICE SECRETARY: Mr. Al-Megrahi, as I say, did not show his victims any comfort or compassion. They were not allowed to return to the bosom of their families to see out their lives, let alone their dying days. No compassion was shown by him to them. But that alone is not a reason for us to deny compassion to him and his family in his final days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OAKLEY: What was significant perhaps was that Mr. MacAskill insisted that there were no political factors in his decision, not diplomatic factors, no economic factors. He said it was purely on those grounds of compassion.

Tony.

HARRIS: Robin, I really want to know the answer to this question. Why is Prime Minister Gordon Brown being so quiet on all of this?

OAKLEY: You could say the easy answer there is that he is on holiday, but that hasn't stopped him pitching into other issues in the past, Tony. No, he knows that this has created a lot of bad filing in the United States and the military, among senior senators like Joe Lieberman. He knows there's worldwide feeling against the sending back of al-Megrahi and he's able to load all this on to the Scottish national party, bitter rivals of his labor party in Scotland, and say it was their decision, which it was, and it is all down to them.

But, of course, all those clouds of suspicion are still swirling that the British government is going to do quite well out of this in terms of trade deals, oil and gas deals that had already been set up by Tony Blair in his time as prime minister and that Gordon Brown just wants to sit quiet and get the benefit of those.

Tony.

HARRIS: Yes. One final question. I understand Buckingham Palace has scrapped a visit to Lybia by Prince Andrew. Is that correct?

OAKLEY: Yes, Prince Andrew has a special role boosting trade for Britain. He goes around the world a lot doing that. He's been to Lybia before. And there are big celebrations coming up. The 40th anniversary of Muammar Gaddafi coming to power. Prince Andrew was likely to be among those invited. Now, I think, with all this controversy, particularly over the welcoming home of al-Megrahi, then that has been scrapped. It's obviously been seen as not a good signal. Not something that the British royal family wants to get associated with.

Tony.

HARRIS: Yes. CNN political contributor Robin Oakley for us just outside of number 10 Downing Street in London.

Robin, good t see you. Thank you.

Their unemployment checks are running out and there's no job on the horizon. The stories of people struggling just to get by.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: More than 650,000 Americans will have used up their unemployment benefits by next month. One and a half million will run out by the end of the year. And, for many, there's no job in sight. Cnnmoney.com's Poppy Harlow spent the day with two people experiencing that reality first-hand.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM (voice-over): Rachel Gold and Anthony Barberio don't have much in common. Rachel is 28 and worked in recruiting after graduating from college. Anthony is 46. He worked on Wall Street for 20 years, but he never went to college. The thing they do have in common, a $430 weekly check from the government. Like 6 million other Americans, it's life on unemployment after losing a job.

RACHEL GOLD, RECEIVING UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS: I definitely didn't think that I would be sitting here, you know, nine months later, you know, without employment.

HARLOW: Rachel lost her job in November.

For Anthony, it's been more than a year.

ANTHONY BARBERIO, RECEIVING UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS: When I first was let go, I figured maybe a month, two months, you know, and I didn't think it would last this long.

HARLOW: But it has and each day brings more work to find work.

GOLD: This afternoon at 2:30 I have a recruiting meeting with somebody that I was networking with.

HARLOW: But the responses are few and far between.

HARLOW (on camera): So you've applied for more than 650 jobs?

GOLD: Correct.

HARLOW: How many interviews have you had out of that?

GOLD: Maybe 10.

HARLOW (voice-over): Anthony has applied for hundreds of jobs too. If it were up to him, he'd extend unemployment benefits.

BARBERIO: I think they should just keep continuing it until the job picture gets better.

HARLOW: Unemployment benefits have already been extended. But the Labor Department forecasts 4.4 million Americans may lose their benefits before finding jobs. For Anthony, that will happen by the end of this year. And Rachel expects to lose her benefits in January.

GOLD: I would go out and get a waitressing job. I would have to.

BARBERIO: Well, I'm going to put a -- like a deadline as to when I'm, you know, I'm going to really seriously, you know, look for a -- something, you know, whether it be a department store or something like that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Poppy Harlow joining us now from New York.

And, Poppy, I think I know the answer to this question but I'm going to ask it anyway though. What about Rachel and Anthony just getting temporary work?

HARLOW: It's a great question, Tony. It seems obvious, I mean why not just get a temp job or a waitressing job or, you know, a host or a hostess at a restaurant. Here's the issue. If you do that, you can't get the unemployment checks. And they're getting about $1,700 a month, Tony. And here in New York City, they can get by on that. But if they got an entry level job, they'd be making probably less than that. And that's a huge issue. It's something a lot of folks talk about as a potential glitch in the system. So they're not incentived to go out and get those jobs.

And we give the numbers all the time, Tony, but we wanted to go out and find actual people living in this situation. It's not sort of a sob story at this point, but it's a reality that millions are facing. And if they do lose them, it's going to be a whole nother issue.

HARRIS: All right, Poppy Harlow. Poppy, appreciate it. Thank you so much.

All right. If you've got your $4,500 Cash for Clunkers deal, you're probably sitting in pretty good shape here. If not, whoa, not much time left. 8:00 Eastern tonight is the deadline. A lot of new car dealers were busy over the weekend to be sure. They've still got a lot of work to do today filling out those lengthy forms for reimbursement.

Let's talk about that with Terry Miller. He is the general sales manager for Galpin Ford in Van Nuys (ph), California.

Terry, good morning to see you. Good morning to you. And let me ask you something, you have had it with the program, haven't you? You've heard all the people who -- and the other dealers who are frustrated. Tired of the government bureaucracy. You've had it. You wish the program had never been put in place, correct?

TERRY MILLER, GENERAL SALES MANAGER, GALPIN FORD: Well, I'll tell you what, Tony, we actually are having a very good time. I think it's a good frustration, actually, because we've seen such a spike in business. Yes, the forms are long and trying to input these deals has been frustrating. But, at the end of the day, I believe we'll get -- we'll get all the money that we've got coming to us (INAUDIBLE).

HARRIS: Wait a minute, Terry. Wait a minute. Are you telling me you're not whining about the difficulties of the program and navigating the bureaucracy? You kind of think it was a good thing?

MILLER: Well, I think the program itself is a good thing. I just think the paperwork process, obviously, has definitely been a little cumbersome to say the least.

HARRIS: So how have you managed your staff here? Because I understand it's anywhere from 18 to 25 pages that had to be filled out. That's a lot of man hours. How have you managed your staff?

MILLER: It sure is. We actually had staff over the weekend pretty much around the clock inputting these deals. When you've got as many deals as we've done, Galpin Ford is the number one Ford dealership in the world. And so through all of our franchises, we've done nearly a thousand clunker deals. So we didn't real initially that we would have to have them all submitted by 5:00 our time today. So we thought we'd have a little time. But we had people here over the weekend and we got all but 30 deals submitted to the government. So we've done a great job at our store.

HARRIS: Are you concerned about getting paid?

MILLER: All our i's are dotted and t's are crossed. It might be -- I think we'll get paid.

HARRIS: You know, we just saw some pictures -- maybe we can show those pictures again. Is that -- are we talking about boxes of paperwork in your office? What is that we're looking at here?

MILLER: I don't see what you're looking at, Tony.

HARRIS: Well we've got -- I'll describe it to you. It looks like just boxes of clunker paperwork. Do you have boxes of paperwork? What is that, to be filed, already filed? What am I looking at here?

MILLER: Well, we actually have -- we do have boxes of paperwork. And actually these deals have all been submitted to the government and we're just waiting to get the confirmation back that we're going to get paid on them. So, again, we haven't gotten confirmation on many, but we're hoping to get that done in the next -- hopefully within the next 10 days.

HARRIS: Terry, do I hear you say you've done 1,000 or so clunker deals?

MILLER: Yes, sir.

HARRIS: How many have you been paid for?

MILLER: At this point, I don't believe we've been paid on one.

HARRIS: Come on, Terry, not one?

MILLER: Not one.

HARRIS: How are you able to maintain? I mean that's a lot of money you're floating here, isn't it?

MILLER: It is. But again, like I said before, Galpin Ford is the number one Ford dealership in the world and we've positioned ourself to be able to do things like this. So, you know, we saw it -- when we did our ordering maybe two or three months ago, you know, we felt this program would be a very good success.

So we really geared up for it. We prepared inventory wise. We had the inventory, where a lot of dealers ran out. And we've prepared with the personnel as well. So I think overall I'm pretty pleased with how things have turned out based on, you know, the volumes that we've had on this program.

HARRIS: All right, last word here. If not for the Cash for Clunkers deal, would you have moved 1,000 vehicles in essentially this month time span?

MILLER: No, we would not. I would say of those clunker deals, probably 50 percent of those deals probably I can contribute to the Cash for Clunkers program. Fifty to 60 percent.

HARRIS: Wow, Terry, if I want to leave the house right now -- I'm watching you on television. I want to get to one of your dealerships in the network, how much time do I have to get there, to get the paperwork done? How long does it take from start to finish to get through the process? And when are you shutting this thing down?

MILLER: Well, it looks -- today we're taking it deal by deal, frankly. We've told everybody here that 11:00 is really that crucial point because of the amount of time it takes to input a deal. So I know the website right now is a little slow as far as inputting deals, is what I've been told by my business manager. So we're just going to take them as they come and we'll let our customers know that, you know, we'll try to get their deal into the system. And if we can, we'll make a deal with them.

HARRIS: Wow, Terry Miller is the head sales manager for Galpin Motors in Van Nuys, California.

Terry, thanks for your time. Appreciate it.

MILLER: Thank you, Tony.

HARRIS: And still to come in the NEWSROOM, you know, they've put their lives on the line and leave their families behind. The strain of repeat deployments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNA HURNING, MILITARY SPOUSE: The hardest part was when he deployed the second time. And Hannah was watching a movie about him and thought it was a window. And we made a home video before he deployed of him reading books to her and she didn't understand that it's not a window and that dad's really not sitting behind the glass.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: A member of Saddam Hussein's Baath party, now living in Syria, ordered last week's bombings of government buildings in Baghdad. That's according to a man who allegedly confessed to helping organize one of the bombings. The attacks Wednesday killed at least 100 people and wounded hundreds in Baghdad. Iraqi officials tell CNN, they have the confession of a former Baathist police chief. The bombings are raising real doubts about the ability of Iraqi forces to provide security since U.S. combat forces pulled out of urban areas.

Multiple tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan have practically become the norm for U.S. troops. Almost 2 million American service members have deployed to Iraq and or Afghanistan. More than 750,000 have been to war at least once, make that twice. Here's CNN's chief national correspondent John King on the cycle of stress it is causing back home.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New combat gear can mean just one thing, another overseas deployment. For some in the first infantry division, the third or fourth time they will ship out to the country they call the sand box. For Master Sergeant John Versage (ph), a veteran of the first gulf war 20 years, it will be the second Iraq deployment in four years. For his wife, Trisha, and their four children, the transition is underway.

TRISHA VERSAGE: It's really funny. We have this strange cycle in our house. Dad gets very clingy and the kids start distancing themselves because they know, OK, he's leaving soon, so we've just got to start being very independent now and he starts wanting to spend all this time with them.

KING: Six plus years of constant deployments have taught the families and the Army so many lessons. At Fort Riley's brand-new training center, high tech classes and battlefield simulation, including efforts to improve communication among hum v (ph) convoys often targeted for deadly IED attacks.

Lessons too about the strain on military families, including cultural changes Fort Riley Community Services Director Cheryl Erickson says are aimed at removing any fear soldiers or families might have about seeking counseling or other help. Not too long ago . . .

CHERYL ERICKSON, DIRECTOR, ARMY COMMUNITY SERVICES: It would have been in your medical record and maybe you would be afraid your command would know or a doctor would notify your command.

KING: But now . . .

ERICKSON: A soldier or a family member can go in complete anonymity. I couldn't get those names. The commanding general couldn't get those names.

KING: More family support groups to help the soldiers deploy and as they return home and more work for Army chaplains like Lieutenant Colonel David Waters (ph), a father of three who will soon deploy again to Iraq himself.

LT. COL. DAVID WATERS, U.S. ARMY CHAPLAIN: It's an unnatural environment. We were meant to be together with our families. And it's not a natural thing to be apart. KING: As the U.S. footprint in Iraq shrinks, the Army hope to guarantee troops 30 months of what it calls dwell time between deployments. But the escalate in Afghanistan puts those plans in doubt and means continued strain for military families.

WATERS: Having time to recover, to be restrengthened, to get strong again, refortified in your life, in your relationships, that's a big key. They're not going away. We don't see the deployments going away any time soon.

KING: The children pay the biggest price. Hannah Hurning (ph) is four years old. For half her life, Sergeant First Class Mark Hurning has been in Iraq.

KING (on camera): So, what has he missed?

ANNA HURNING, MILITARY SPOUSE: Most of the first smiles, missed the first teeth. Missed a lot of firsts.

KING (voice-over): Sergeant Hurning was in Iraq most of 2006. Then home nearly two years. Then duty called again.

HURNING: The hardest part was when he deployed the second time and Hannah was watching a movie about him and thought it was a window. We made a home video before he deployed of him reading books to her and she doesn't understand that it's not a window and that dad's really not sitting behind the glass. And would knock on the window and wanted dad to take her hand. I think that was the hardest. She's four. She doesn't understand why dad is gone. We talk on weekends, but for some reason she doesn't feel the connection.

KING (on camera): What does she understand about coming home?

HURNING: She didn't, I guess, for a while. She couldn't understand how soon is soon. We made a paper chain of about how many days we have left. And every night before going to bed, she'll take a chain off. So that kind of gives her a visual for how long.

KING (voice-over): Just a few links left. Sergeant Hurning is due home within days. Others ready to take their turn or another turn in the Army's constant cycle of strain.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: That's CNN's John King.

CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Kyra Phillips.