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Obama's Speech to Schoolchildren in Dispute; U.S. Troops Raid Afghan Hospital; Lacrosse Free-for-All; Unnecessary Roughness?; Kentucky Church Plans to Ordain Convicted Sex Offender; Parade Celebrates Dugard's Return; Debating the Public Option for Health Care; Green Jobs Czar Resigns Amist Controversy; White House Proposes Incentives for Americans to Save More; Female Journalist in Sudan Fights Legal Charges for Pants Wearing; National Kidney Foundation in Florida Holds Annual Surf Festival

Aired September 07, 2009 - 09:00   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: President Obama back from vacation and back to work. On this Labor Day he looks to the high stakes of a busy week.

At this Kentucky church, the devil is in the details. Should a convicted sex offender be ordained as one of its leaders?

And a beach holiday on ice -- chilling images of great white sharks keep swimmers on edge and out of the water.

Good morning, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. It is September 7th, Monday, Labor Day, and my husband's birthday. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Let's get started right off the top this morning. At the White House this morning, CNN's Ed Henry. He's going to be talking about how the president is on the road again today but fighting to stay on his message.

And also Brianna Keilar is looking to Capitol Hill this morning. Of course, Congress returns. Does that mean the focus on health care reform will do the same?

Also, Atia Abawi has a developing story in Afghanistan this morning. A charity there says U.S. troops ransacked a hospital.

Let's begin now with the president's agenda. Next hour, the president leaves for a Labor Day picnic in Ohio. He's meeting with the organized labor group, the AFL-CIO.

Also today the White House released transcripts of the president's televised address to schoolchildren. Now the administration is trying to quiet the critics who say the speech will contain liberal propaganda.

President Obama also getting ready for a critical speech on health care reform on Wednesday. He's due to address the nation at a joint session of Congress.

So we have a lot of ground to cover this morning. Let's get right to our senior White House correspondent, Ed Henry.

So, Ed, good morning to you.

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

COLLINS: Tomorrow's education speech certainly raised some concerns. We've been hearing about this for several days. What, exactly, is the White House doing to quell that controversy? And were they expecting this to raise such a ruckus, if you will?

HENRY: Well, Heidi, they were not expecting it to raise such a ruckus. In fact, when you talk to top White House aides, they say -- sound pretty frustrated that conservatives got so fired up and really stoked this controversy late last week.

They're hoping here at the White House that it sort of died down a little over the weekend and what they're really hoping to do is douse the flames in the next couple of hours by actually releasing the text of what the president is going to say to schoolchildren tomorrow to try to say, look, this is pretty noncontroversial.

The president is going to talk about studying hard, staying in school, some basic American values, essentially, that transcend politics. And White House aides point out, they've been pointing out for several days now, that previous Republican presidents like the first President Bush, the late Ronald Reagan, gave similar speeches just like this.

And while Democrats at the time raised some concerns, talked about the possibility of politics, it certainly didn't cause a ruckus quite like this. And so the White House thinks once they release the transcript of what the president's going to say, they hope it just dies down, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes. Have they toned it down a bit, though? Because I imagined if that was -- if it was as benign as this, maybe people wouldn't have been so upset. Have they sort of changed the message?

HENRY: Well, if it had been so benign, they might have released it late last week, in fact, but instead they were probably tweaking it over the weekend to try to make sure that when they released it's something that everyone can see is not that controversial.

I think, clearly, there was going to be a lesson plan that was distributed with this speech. That was what really fired up conservatives. That's been pulled back, for sure. And I expect the text in the speech we see is going to be pretty noncontroversial.

COLLINS: OK. So we'll be looking forward to that. We're going to talk a lot more about it here on our program throughout the morning.

Meanwhile, though, I wonder, Ed, Wednesday, of course, the big speech to Congress regarding health care reform, where it stands, where the White House stands on this whole public option. Obviously that's been something that everyone's been talking about quite a bit. HENRY: That's the key. And what senior advisers are saying is that the president is going to give a strong push for public option on Wednesday night, to say he still believes that it's the best way to bring down costs, the best way, in his words, to keep insurance companies honest.

When you listen closely to what top advisers like David Axelrod are saying when he appeared yesterday on NBC's "Meet the Press," it's also clear that the door is open to losing the public option. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID AXELROD, SENIOR WHITE HOUSE ADVISER: He believes the public option is a good tool. Now, it shouldn't define the whole health care debate, however.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: Does not define the whole health care debate. So he'll give a strong push for it, but in the end, if he needs to drop that public option to get a deal, that's likely what he'll do, Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. Again, we'll be watching all of it very closely. Nice to see you, Ed Henry, outside the White House this morning. Thank you, Ed.

Let's turn now to Capitol Hill for a moment. The next battleground for the health care debate.

CNN congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar joining us from our Washington bureau this morning.

Brianna, good morning to you. Where do things stand with regard to the public option in congress?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: As a whole, Heidi, the rhetoric is starting to move away from the public option. Now with some of the more liberal members of the House of Representatives, but on average.

And in the Senate, and we've known this for some time now, passing a public option, very unlikely. There is just this lack of support, not only among Republicans, but among key Democrats, like Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson, as you know, Heidi.

And he actually indicated yesterday on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" that he could support a trigger, a so-called trigger for a government- run insurance plan. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BEN NELSON (D), NEBRASKA: Well, I think he has to say that if there's going to be a public option, it has to be subject to a trigger. In other words, if somehow the private market doesn't respond the way that it's supposed to, then it would trigger a public option or a government-run option, but only as a fail save, backstop to the process.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Now, this would go into effect only if certain goals are not met in a certain amount of time. Getting enough people insurance coverage, for instance, or bringing down costs to a sufficient degree.

We should mention, Maine Republican -- Republican Olympia Snowe. She's a key senator involved in bipartisan negotiations. She's been discussing this very idea with the White House. So, obviously, you can see this may be a part where some of these conservative Democrats in the Senate and some of these moderate Republicans can maybe find some common ground, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes. Maybe. Hope so. What about in the House, though? Liberal Democrats, not really a fan of this, right?

KEILAR: Yes, this is getting a cool reception, certainly, from some rank-and-file liberal Democrats in the House of Representatives. They say that health care reform without a public option is -- it's not reform, they say. And a trigger to many of them is just a way of setting up a plan for this government-run health insurance, this public option that never actually goes into effect.

We're still hearing Speaker Pelosi insist the House will pass a public option, but when you listen to some of the other Democratic House leaders, Speaker Pelosi is number two and her number three, their rhetoric seems to be moving away.

They are saying that a public option is important, but maybe they have to only take half the loaf, so they can get health care reform. That's what we heard from her number three, James Clyburn, over this past weekend, Heidi.

COLLINS: Wow. Yes. Ooh. An awful lot to still work out, it sounds like. Brianna Keilar, our congressional correspondent -- thank you, Brianna.

A mother, a father, and their daughter, all three killed in a rocket attack in Afghanistan. It happened yesterday in Kabul. No claim of responsibility yet, but the Taliban are suspected in similar attacks last month.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is calling for an investigation into a deadly NATO air strike. The attack killed at least 90 people in a northern province on Friday. A German commander called in the strike as Afghans tried to siphon fuel from tankers hijacked by the Taliban.

Also in Afghanistan today, claims of U.S. soldiers overstepping their bounds at a hospital.

Our Atia Abawi is joining us now live from Kabul via telephone, actually.

So, Atia, tell us a little bit more about this incident. What happened inside that hospital?

ATIA ABAWI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, the information that we're getting right now, Heidi, is from the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan. They're alleging that U.S. forces raided a hospital in Wardak Province. Wardak actually borders the capital province of Kabul.

They say that they were breaking locks, they tied the guards up, they were going from ward to ward, including the female ward, which is a very culturally sensitive thing to do in Afghanistan, looking for Taliban. Before leaving, they told the hospital staff to make sure that if any Taliban come to the hospital, that they call the military.

The committee says that they can't do that. That the doctors made an oath treat anyone, no matter race, religion, or even political affiliation. And also, what the committee told CNN is that if they did, if they were to go to the U.S. military when the Taliban came to their hospital, hypothetically, what that would mean to them, would the Taliban then attack the hospital?

Would the safety of the hospital staff be in jeopardy? But then when we spoke to the U.S. forces here, they said that they're still investigating the allegations made by the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan. Heidi?

COLLINS: Yes, these hospitals, oftentimes, obviously, become sort of safe houses. Do we know anything about the intelligence that the U.S. soldiers may have had on this?

ABAWI: Right now the U.S. forces, they're not speaking up on the issue until they're clear on exactly what may have happened, what occurred. They're trying to get details of what exactly went on in Wardak Province.

But you're right, yes, places such as hospitals, such as mosques have become hiding grounds for certain insurgent groups. But at the same time, with the new initiative by General McChrystal, U.S. forces, coalition forces, they're still not allowed to attack or go anywhere near certain areas that they think that civilians might be a part of.

And obviously, with the NATO air strike, we're seeing why. Because that's when Afghan support fades for the coalition forces, and the Taliban are able to use that as propaganda to actually get more and more support when it comes to villagers throughout the country. Heidi?

COLLINS: Yes. Something they've learned very well, that tactic. All right, our Atia Abawi, on the telephone for us on Kabul, this morning. Thanks, so much, Atia.

Beginning tonight, Anderson Cooper takes you inside Afghanistan live from the battle zone. An "AC 360" special report coming your way at 10:00 p.m. Eastern.

Forgiveness may be a basic principle of Christian religion, but is one Kentucky church asking for trouble now by inviting a registered sex offender to be a minister?

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, it may be a vacation for a lot of people, but you know, weather, it never stops. So if you're headed down to the beach or maybe the barbecue, you've got to know what to expect. Find out, coming up, right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Fire crews working on the massive Station Fire that's been burning nearly two weeks near Los Angeles now have the blaze more than half contained. But it certainly took a heavy toll.

Listen to this. Of course, as you remember, two firefighters died. 78 homes are destroyed. Nearly 246 square miles of the Angeles National Forest have been burned. Fire agencies in cash-stripped -- excuse me, cash-strapped L.A, that is, have sent more than $50 million fighting the blaze, but full containment is not expected for about another week.

Officials have ruled the cause of the fire as arson. Because two firefighters died, they have also opened a homicide investigation.

In Oakland, about 260,000 vehicles may need an alternate route when the work begins tomorrow. Transportation officials say a crack discovered in the bridge's structure has delayed ongoing routine repairs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE FORNER, CALTRANS PRINCIPAL CONSTRUCTION ENGINEER: The question was asked was, how big the crack is. If the crack is significant enough you can see it on the ground and (INAUDIBLE).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Repair crews hope to finish all of the work on the bay bridge before Tuesday, but officials are warning drivers across the bridge that usually use the bridge, it actually could be closed for another day.

All right. Well, as you know, it's Labor Day, and we're laboring, but we say that every year, right, Reynolds Wolf?

WOLF: Absolutely. Hopefully they'll be laboring on that bridge quite a bit. You know what I mean?

COLLINS: No kidding.

WOLF: I mean, it's inconvenience for a lot of people in the Bay Area, but you know, when you're talking about a crack on the bridge, it's like guys, take your time.

COLLINS: Yes. And...

WOLF: And get it right, you know?

COLLINS: Yes, they check it often.

WOLF: Absolutely.

COLLINS: For earthquake, you know, the structure and its actually viability for a possible earthquakes and they were able to find this during sort of this routine examination. So it's pretty interesting.

WOLF: Well, I'll tell you those exams are really a good thing.

COLLINS: Yes.

WOLF: They've certainly had the rough stuff. They were doing the bridge.

Further south, you were talking about the fires earlier, the drying conditions.

COLLINS: Yes.

WOLF: What they really could use some blaze like southern California could be some ample rainfall.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WOLF: That is a wrap on your forecast. Let's send it back to you, Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, that was fast. We'll check back with you later on, Reynolds.

WOLF: You bet.

COLLINS: Thank you.

The gloves come off at a lacrosse game in Canada. Spectators got to see their teams leave it all on the field, but sportsmanship and conduct had nothing to do with it. The game erupted into an all-out brawl after a player on the visiting team got whacked by two players.

Both teams were fined. Another player got suspended. By the way, when the game finally continued, the home team won. Looks like hockey, doesn't it?

San Diego's Chargers lined up -- linebacker, that is, Shawne Merriman could be in some hot water. How a reality show star says a weekend party with the NFL star ended in unnecessary roughness.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Just a week away before the NFL season kicks off, an arrest involving a San Diego Chargers' player, star linebacker Shawne Merriman was arrested early Sunday. He's accused of choking and restraining reality TV star Tila Tequila at an after-party at Merriman's home. An attorney for the football player denies the assault allegations. He says Tequila was drunk and Merriman simply tried to make arrangements for her to leave the house.

Several prisoners are being treated under guard this morning, according to the Associated Press, after their private transport van crashed on Interstate 59 around Hattiesburg, Massachusetts yesterday.

The van was moving nine prisoners when it hit an embankment and some trees, and then flipped over. The driver died. One guard and two prisoners were last listed in critical condition. Authorities are investigating but do not suspect foul play.

What if someone baptized your child without your permission? That's exactly what a mother in Breckenridge County, Kentucky says happened to her son on a school trip.

According to the "Louisville Courier Journal" a public school coach took about 20 of his players on a retreat to his Baptist church last month. About half of them were baptized. One mom called a lawyer after hearing the superintendent was there and did nothing to stop it.

The superintendent says she didn't seek consent because she thought the kids were old enough.

A lot of people don't want sex offenders in their neighborhoods, so why is a Louisville, Kentucky church inviting one into its congregation? Registered sex offender Mark Hourigan is becoming an ordained minister at the City of Refuge Worship Center. Hourigan served time for sexually abusing an 11-year-old boy in 1998.

Last night, our Richard Lui asked him if sex offenders can really change.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD LUI, CNN ANCHOR: Mark, in the Jaycee Dugard case, Phillip Garrido is a good example of one who was in recovery, but really wasn't in recovery. Why should parishioners that you go to church along with believe that you are in recovery?

MARK HOURIGAN, CITY OF REFUGE WORSHIP CENTER: Well, I completed a sex offender treatment program while I was in prison and also since I was released, while I was on parole. So I've actually completed it twice and I've learned a lot of tools through that program and I've learned that I have to change the way that I think in order to change my actions and my behaviors.

And I've learned a lot of things, as far as what situations not to place myself in and when I'm having problems on emotional level to seek out counsel from other people, such as my pastor or other members of the church in order to deal with those so that it doesn't turn into something that it has in the past.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COLLINS: The man you saw sitting there next to Hourigan was his pastor, Randy Meadows. He says Hourigan has shown he deserves forgiveness. Their church caters to gay and transgender followers. Meadows says Hourigan will sign an agreement not to minister to children.

Obviously, this is a story that's really gotten us talking this morning right here in our newsroom. So, naturally, we wanted to know what you think about it. Go ahead and blog to us, if you would, on CNN.com/heidi. Tell us your thoughts.

We've got a little synopsis of the story here. "Registered sex offender to be ordained as a minister." We want to know what you think. Do you think the church is right to forgive and accept Hourigan? Or do you think they are taking too big of a risk?

Once again, CNN.com/heidi on that.

A community overjoyed. South Lake Tahoe, California, the town where Jaycee Lee Dugard was kidnapped 18 years ago is celebrating her safe return.

CNN's Kara Finnstrom shows us the parade held in Jaycee's honor.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A sea of pink, girls walking arm in arm, a hometown telling Jaycee Dugard they love her. It's all so familiar.

AMELIA EDWARDS, JAYCEE DUGARD'S CHILDHOOD FRIEND: It's very overwhelming. It's a good overwhelming.

FINNSTROM: Jaycee's childhood friend, Amelia Edwards, walked this route on the tenth anniversary of Jaycee's disappearance. Now, eight years later, this community is walking it backwards, symbolizing they've come full circle and Jaycee has come home.

EDWARDS: All of us are just like in awe. We keep getting goose bumps.

FINNSTROM: In the years since Jaycee vanished, this community has held its children tighter.

EDWARDS: Constantly trying to find out where she is and reach out for her hand.

FINNSTROM: That fear, even more real for Edwards. The week before Dugard disappeared, Edwards says she told her parents a car with a man and woman inside followed her home from the bus stop.

EDWARDS: I remember hearing the tire tracks pull on to the dirt road behind me, and I remember walking faster, hearing the tires go faster, and that made me even more scared, and so then, I ran home.

STEPHANIE TARPEY, AMELIA EDWARDS'S MOTHER: We just thought it was a 10-year-old being overly dramatic and didn't really believe her, actually.

FINNSTROM: Edwards says, at the time, she immediately recognized sketches of the car and the woman suspected of involvement in Jaycee Dugard's disappearance.

EDWARDS: At 11 years old, it was my worst nightmare coming true. My mom stated, you know, it's the bogeyman coming to life.

FINNSTROM: Edwards needed to do something.

EDWARDS: This is one of the original pink ribbons.

FINNSTROM: She started what became a massive pink ribbon campaign. Pink was Jaycee's favorite color. 18 years later?

EDWARDS: We're getting lost in a sea of pink. It's the most beautiful thing I think I've ever seen.

FINNSTROM: Jaycee Dugard is not here with them, but Edwards now knows somewhere that missing girl, now a free woman, just may see and feel their joy.

Kara Finnstrom for CNN, South Lake Tahoe, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: She won't be flogged, but she will pay a fine. A woman gets in trouble for wearing pants, but her punishment could have been worse.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Heidi Collins.

COLLINS: President Obama will spend this Labor Day in Ohio, addressing an organized labor group. The president is talking to the AFL-CIO's annual Labor Day picnic in Cincinnati this afternoon.

You guessed it, health care reform will be a topic of discussion. The president will also be announcing to union members that he's named a senior counselor for manufacturing policy.

In two days, President Barack Obama will spell out his ideas for health insurance in a speech to Congress. As you know, there's been much debate over whether or not there will be a government insurance plan to compete with the private ones known as the public option.

CNN's John King discussed this with Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty and Nebraska senator Ben Nelson on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KING, HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": If he were to do something like that, would you embrace a backup public option if they went to the trigger approach that we create a public option, but it only kicks in if three years or five years, they'd set a deadline, if the insurance market isn't more competitive? Is it -- if there isn't more access, there isn't more affordability?

GOV. TIM PAWLENTY (R), MINNESOTA: There's lots of things we could agree to on a bipartisan basis, John, the public option isn't one of them. The trigger option simply kicks the can down the road. All it does is delay the inevitable. For a lot of reasons it's a bad idea. I think if the Democrats embrace the public option, even in the form of the trigger, they're going to shoot themselves in the foot.

SEN. BEN NELSON (D), NEBRASKA: Well, I think he has to say that if there's going to be a public option, it has to be subject to a trigger. When I say trigger, you know, out here in Nebraska and in the Midwest, I don't mean a hair trigger. I mean a true trigger, one that's -- will only apply if there isn't the kind of competition in the business that we believe there would be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Wednesday night President Obama addresses Congress on his health care reform plan. Coverage from the best political team begins Wednesday, 8:00 p.m. eastern, only right here on CNN.

One of President Obama's advisers stepping down over the weekend. The White House says the president did not force Van Jones to resign, but his apparent link to 9/11 conspiracy theorists did play a role, as Mary Snow explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Van Jones, a special adviser for green jobs, was thrust to the forefront over questions surrounding this 2004 petition he signed on the 9/11truth.org Web site, demanding, quote, "A call for immediate inquiry into evidence that suggests high- level government officials may have deliberately allowed the September 11th attacks to occur."

Van Jones is listed as signer 46. Asked why his name is on it, an administration source tells CNN that Jones did not carefully review the language in the petition.

And in a statement issued Friday, Jones said "I do not agree with this statement and it certainly does not reflect my views, now or ever."

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was asked about Jones' name appearing on the petition, responding, "It's not something the president agrees with."

Jones has also gained attention for comments he made before his White House job, including this one, now on YouTube, when he was talking about Republicans.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How are the Republicans able to push things through when they had less than 60 senators, but somehow we can't?

VAN JONES, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER: Well, the answer to that is, they're (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

(LAUGHTER)

(APPLAUSE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was afraid that was the answer you were going to give me.

JONES: That's a technical, political term.

(LAUGHTER)

And -- Barack Obama's not an (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

SNOW: In 2005, he was quoted in the "East Bay Express," saying "By August, I was a communist," when explaining about his radicalization following the acquittals in the police beating case of Rodney King in 1992.

Jones said, "If I have offended anyone with statements I made in the past, I apologize."

The green jobs guru came under scrutiny by some conservatives, notably FOX TV host Glenn Beck. Defenders of Jones say Beck targeted him because Jones was formerly with a group now working to get advertisers to boycott Beck's show. The boycott came after the FOX host called President Obama a racist.

Before this Jones was primarily known for his environmental work, including the bestselling book, "The Green Collar Economy." Back in May, in comments on the "San Francisco Chronicle" Web site, Jones even won the praise of former eBay CEO, Meg Whitman, now a Republican candidate for governor in California.

MEG WHITMAN, FORMER EBAY CEO: I'm a big fan of his. He's done a marvelous job.

SNOW: On Friday Whitman said she did not know Jones well and distanced herself, saying it's clear he holds views she entirely rejects.

Mary Snow, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Limiting those outrageous banking bonus, that's what the G-20 agreed to do over the weekend in London. The group is made up of the top moneymen from the world's biggest economies. Among them, U.S.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, who says controlling bonuses will help avoid past mistakes. in an exclusive interview with Richard Quest, listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TIMOTHY GEITHNER, TREASURY SECRETARY: There is no risk that we will -- can afford and will allow, conditions to go back to what they were in the peak of the boom.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: But the speed in which they've gone back to their sort of --

GEITHNER: Haven't gone back yet.

QUEST: On the way.

GEITHNER: No, haven't gone back yet. And I think it's important that it not happen again. You are going to see very significant reforms and compensation practice across the major finance centers.

And one thing we did today which was very important was reach agreement on a common framework and commit ourselves to make sure that we will apply those standards on an even basis across our countries.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The G-20 meeting this weekend was a prelude to the major summit happening a little bit later this month in Pittsburgh.

President Obama wants to make saving money easier for you. Our Christine Romans is joining us now with a little more on this. So Christine, what exactly does the administration have in mind?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It's interesting, Heidi, because Timothy Geithner pointed out, the treasury secretary you were just listening to, says that nearly half of the nation's workforce has little beyond nothing of Social Security benefits to live on once they retire.

Think of that -- nearly half of America's workforce simply isn't saving the money beyond Social Security to try to live in the future. Americans have not saved enough for retirement. The nest egg is small and it is fragile.

And now this administration wants to make it a little bit easier and less bureaucratic for people to get enrolled in their company 401(k)s.

Auto enrollment in retirement plans, this is something that big company have said doing for some time, meaning that if you work for a big company, it's very likely that you're automatically enrolled and you opt out if you don't want to do it.

This makes it easier for small and mid-sized companies to do that, cleaning up in some of the paperwork and bureaucracy. Employees must opt out if they don't want to be putting their money directly into a retirement plans, and their paycheck.

Also, beginning in 2010 on your tax return, you'll be able to check a little box that would allow your tax refund to be automatically turned into a savings bond. This really pushes for some automatic investment.

Now, some personal finance types say there are other ways, maybe better ways to save your money, but for people who are not saving their money and who are immediately spending their tax refunds, it would be a way to have some forced savings. You would never see that in your checkbook and you wouldn't be able to spend that tax refund.

And another plan would turn sick days and vacation time into 401(k) money. So think of that. Do you have maybe a vacation bank, and at the end, if you have a bunch of days saved up, you can get a check from your company. Or your sick days, you can take your sick days, and you can get that in cash.

This would be a way you would be able to turn that into money contributed to your 401(k). Some companies like ours, frankly, that have a use it or lose it policy, it doesn't help you if you are in that situation. But for some companies, especially small and mid-size companies, it might be a way to get some more money diverted into the 401(k) -- Heide?

COLLINS: I love talking about all of this, and so we are very fortunate to have jobs. We're talking about a 26-year high for unemployment. People who don't have jobs, millions of them who lost their jobs in this recession, what about them?

ROMANS: It's a very good point because here we're talking about how to have it easier at work, to save your money. But we know that the wages are stagnant. If you've got a job, that your own health care expenses, your own expenses are going up. So it's a hard time to be talking about saving money.

All of these things help, but it doesn't help those people, those 26 million plus people in this country who are ready, willing, and able to work full-time but they don't have a full-time job -- Heidi?

COLLINS: Yes, it's true. Well, we are watching that very closely today too, on this Labor Day, as you know.

Christine Romans for us out of New York this morning, thanks, Christine.

ROMANS: Thanks, Heidi.

COLLINS: This Labor Day is certainly no picnic for people without jobs, with the unemployment rate, as you heard, the worst in 26 years. So what's it going to take the turn things around? We're going to try to get some answer a little bit later on in the show.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: It is Labor Day, and Vice President Joe Biden is keeping his focus on the nation's workers. This morning, he's in Pittsburgh addressing a labor rally and taking part in the city's 26th annual Labor Day parade.

Iran says it's ready to hold talks with the west, but its nuclear ambitions will not be up for discussion. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is coming to New York later this month for the opening session of the U.N. General Assembly. He says Iran is ready to discuss "global challenges." The hard line president did not offer specifics.

New developments for a female journalist in Sudan. Wearing pants in public was the first step that she was going through, but she got fined by a Sudanese judge for public indecency. The alternative was 40 times worse. CNN's David McKenzie is joining us now from Nairobi, Kenya, with the latest details.

Good morning to you, David. Tell us what is going on here.

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. This isn't the first we've heard of the story. Lubna Hussein, a journalist and previously a U.N. worker in Khartoum in the Sudan, she was up for 40 lashes for wearing pants in public.

She said what she was wearing was not at all indecent. She said it didn't break Sharia law. And the strict interpretation of Islamic law in Sudan is what got her into trouble in the first place, Heidi.

They took her into custody, said she would face 40 lashes on the spot. But she chose to fight this, and she said she wouldn't take the immunity afforded to her by the U.N. She resigned her job. The trial has been delayed the last couple of months.

Now today she faced the trial. The judge tried to sort of sweep it under the carpet, as it were, and just say, you're guilt. We're going to fine you $200, roughly.

She said, no, she's not going to pay a penny according to her lawyer, who spoke to CNN. And she said that she'll fight this and she'll go to jail if need.

Obviously, she's saying that this is not just about her, it's about, in general, the public punishments that -- the punishments that women face in Sudan she said it's degrading, and Amnesty International is saying it's abhorrent. So she might go to jail as soon as today -- Heidi?

COLLINS: Wow. Well, keep us posted on this one, if you would. David McKenzie live this morning from Nairobi, Kenya. Thank you, David.

(WEATHER BREAK)

COLLINS: If you're dreaming about the beaches off the coast of Cape Cod for your labor day, big problems in the water, meaning you're going to need a bigger boat.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: There ain't no stinking sharking down here at Cocoa Beach. I'm Rob Marciano. We're living from a surfing competition. What better way to celebrate Labor Day. A live report is coming up in just a few minutes. Stay right there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: If you head out to Cape Cod this Labor Day weekend, you may have to settle for just a tan, maybe not a swim.

The water is off-limits because of these. Look at that, four massive great white sharks swimming around the shoreline. Yes, the shoreline. Shark sightings are common, as you probably know, in Cape Cod, but four great white sharks can obviously be rare, even in New England.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IAN BOWLES, SECRETARY OF ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS: It's a common occurrence for these sharks to be in our waters. Swimmers should be aware of that and they should use appropriate caution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Yes, appropriate caution.

A marine expert managed to tag two of the great whites to help monitor their movements. This is a good idea. It's the first time great white sharks have been tagged in the Atlantic.

Hitting the beach is not a bad way to spend this Labor Day. In fact, that's exactly what our incredibly hardworking Rob Marciano is doing. He's in Cocoa Beach, Florida, at the annual NKF pro-am surf festival.

And yes, wipeout, baby. I have seen so much video this morning, it's sad. It's border line pathetic, my friend.

MARCIANO: Um, well, yes. But you didn't quite get all of my successes on tape. As a matter of fact...

COLLINS: Oh, the cameraman out of batteries?

MARCIANO: That's true too. I will show you that in just a second.

Good morning, everybody. I am laboring on this Labor Day at the beach. That's a pretty good deal. Loving my job today for sure.

Here at the national kidney foundation, the Florida version, their surf festival that's happening for the 24th year. They've raised millions of dollars for kidney transplant recipients.

All right, the kids are lining up. We've got amateurs, we've got professionals. Here are some of the amateurs, long boarders. Look at the size of that board compared to that kid. Are you going to hang ten for us out there, you going to make it happen? All right.

Over here we've got the -- well, the ladies are about to go out. That's the pros side.

Hundreds, maybe even thousands of people out here enjoying the sights.

This got started 24 years ago by a retired surfer, and he has a special connection, certainly, to the kidney transplant foundation. Take a quick listen to his story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICH SALICK, NATIONAL KIDNEY FOUNDATION OF FLORIDA: In '74, '68, '99.

MARCIANO (on camera): Three kidney transplants?

SALICK: Yes, and add on three years of intensive cancer therapy, and there I am.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: How about that? Three kidney transplants, plus having gone through surgery. He and his twin brother are here today and they're excited about this. It's taken to its 25 year.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three, two, one!

MARCIANO: All right, the heat is starting. There go the kids. Go tear it up. Some gnarly waves coming in, dude.

COLLINS: All right, you're scaring me a lot. You're scaring me a lot.

I know you're really actually a skier, so I guess I thought -- maybe I was setting the bar too high, but I thought with all of your adeptness in the snow that we would see the same sort of thing in the surf. But we have some video to prove otherwise. You want to narrate this or should I do it for you?

MARCIANO: Listen, I never surfed before. I'm a bit of a landlubber, certainly some skills on the snow, but certainly not on the water.

I got a lesson from my friend Ryan yesterday on a long board, which I'm told a cow could get up on, it's got kind of training wheels on it.

COLLINS: Yes, that's all right, though.

MARCIANO: One, two, three attempts. On the third attempt, I took out some kids.

COLLINS: Yes, good, sounds great.

MARCIANO: CNN lawyers, be aware, you may be getting a call today. And on the fourth attempt I kind of -- did you see how big those waves were?

COLLINS: Yes.

MARCIANO: That one wave was totally curling over the top my head. I was shooting through the tube.

COLLINS: Certainly, just like in the bathtub.

MARCIANO: It was sick. I was ripping it, shredding off the top. It was gnarly, dude.

COLLINS: Wow, you are a rock star.

MARCIANO: Come on, Heidi, you know you're jealous. You know you want to be out here. This is a great way to spend a Labor Day weekend.

COLLINS: Yes, I would rather be there than here, that's for sure.

MARCIANO: Maybe for the 25th year, I'm going to enter myself in the competition. I feel the skill set is coming in the next 12 months.

COLLINS: OK. You work hard on that. I think you're going to need all the video instruction and professional help that you can get.

Rob Marciano, take care. Beware of the very large waves out there.

MARCIANO: See you.

COLLINS: Thanks so much.

Obviously, we do have a lot going on this morning, even though it has Labor Day, news to get to you. Our CNN crews are working hard to bring it to you.

Let's check in now beginning with Ed Henry at the White House.

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.

Conservatives still fired up about the president's back-to-school speech tomorrow and whether it will be too political. The White House is about to release a text of the speech to try and douse the flames. I'll have that story at the top of the hour.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Brianna Keilar in Washington. Congress returning to town after a month-long recess. I'll tell you where the debate on health care stands at the top of the hour.

REYNOLDS, WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And Heidi, we're going to take a look at what is going on in the tropics. We may have a main storm, maybe not, but we're seeing a little bit of activity there.

Plus we're going to take a look at your holiday forecast coming up. Heidi, we're going to have the complete picture for you coming up at the top of the hour.

COLLINS: All right, very good. Thanks so much, guys.

We will also a closer look at President Obama's speech tomorrow to school kids. As you herd Ed mention, we're going to talk to parents on both sides of the argument and a school official who is searching for common ground.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Imagine every within was a three-day weekend like this one. It's now a dream come true for kids in one Georgia County, but our Fredricka Whitfield found some teachers and parents aren't happy with the four-day school week.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN S. CLARK, SUPERINTENDENT: I was devastated. I'm sure I speak probably for every superintendent in the state of Georgia.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Susan S. Clark is school superintendent in rural Peach County, Georgia.

CLARK: It was almost like, come on, it's a week before school starts. What are we going to do?

WHITFIELD: In July public schools in Georgia got some bad news. As the state grappled with a budget crisis, they were told to cut spending. Peach County suddenly had a shortfall of nearly $800,000.

CLARK: Do I want to shut the buildings down and take the bulk of my savings in energy and transportation, or do I want to lay off 39 people?

WHITFIELD: So Peach County decided to try something new to Georgia, a four-day school week -- for all 4,000 students in Peach County, no school on Mondays. The county estimates it will save $400,000 by closing school buildings and parking school buses. It's saving a similar amount with a three-day furlough for all staff.

NANCY HARPER, THIRD GRADE PARENT: When they first said we were going to a four-day week, I thought this is crazy.

WHITFIELD: Nancy Harper, whose daughter is a third grader at Byron Elementary, wasn't happy.

HARPER: Planned out what I was going to do, OK? And when you make a budget, and you've got your finances in a budget and you've got it fixed, all of a sudden they threw a monkey wrench in it.

WHITFIELD: Parents are left trying to keep their kids occupied or cared for on Mondays. Some got lucky, thanks to Jesse Fortson, pastor of Byron Baptist Church.

JESSE FORTSON, BYRON CHURCH PASTOR: We sat down and decided to put together a program on Monday's that's extremely low cost. We just don't want to do child care. If we're doing child care we'd put them in a day care. But what we want to do is really come alongside and to mentoring and help them out in school.

WHITFIELD: That helps a few dozen students. A group of moms came up with another plan.

MITZI MCDANIEL, PARENT: Several of us are getting our children together on Mondays and letting the children experience things they sometimes can't learn in school. And we're just making the best out of a delicate situation right now.

We talk about anything from the seven continents to the five oceans to the five senses to coloring, counting, anything that is age- appropriate exercises.

WHITFIELD: Susan Clark says there are no easy options. She believes she took the least damaging course.

CLARK: Are you willing to take the risk to do what you believe is in the best interest of the children or not?

WHITFIELD: There may be more tough choices ahead. The county expects further budget cuts in January.

Fredricka Whitfield, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)