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Long-term Strategy in Afghanistan; Fresh Economic Booster?; Stopping the Bloodshed in Chicago

Aired October 07, 2009 - 11:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. It is Wednesday, October 7th. And here are top stories for you in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Chicago's bloody streets. Forty-five students dead in the last 12 months. Today, President Obama dispatches two cabinet secretaries to the city to find solutions.

The war in Afghanistan. The fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban began eight years ago today. Now a new commander-in-chief searches for a way to end it.

We will devote a lot of time these two stories today with your participation. Your thoughts and viewpoints coming up.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris. And you are in CNN NEWSROOM.

Eight years of war in Afghanistan, 865 U.S. troops killed. What now?

A battle over long-term strategy rages in Washington. President Obama meets today with his national security team to discuss the future of the war. Yesterday, he heard from congressional leaders. Republicans urging the president to make a quick decision to send more troops.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ERIC CANTOR (R), MINORITY WHIP: Obviously, there are many of us who feel that delay does signal uncertainty to the region. It does, I believe, signal uncertainty to the lives we've got on the ground. This is why it is so urgent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Leading the charge for more troops is the man calling the shots for U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal.

So, let's get a check of where things stand eight years into the battle. For that, we turn to CNN's Atia Abawi in Kabul.

And Atia, I think many will hear that this war has been going on for eight years and wonder why. So, why is the war still going on eight years later? ATIA ABAWI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think when you talk to the commanders on the ground, and you talk to Afghanistan government and the international community that's been involved in Afghanistan, they will admit that it's been under-resourced. The minister of defense, we just spoke to him a couple of days ago, and he told me that, yes, technically the war has been going on for eight years, but, really, it didn't start until a couple years ago, in his words.

And when you talk to the international community that's involved in Afghanistan, they will say the same thing. They will say that they've been trying, but they haven't had the resources to push forward. And even the commanders on the ground, particularly General Stanley McChrystal, he has said he needs more resources. He also will say that every general always says that he wants more resources.

But 40,000 troops, that's a very significant number. And the minister of defense here also stating that it's not just the ANA, the Afghan National Army, that doesn't have a sufficient troop level. He says that the coalition troops, they, too, have an insufficient troop level within the country, and it's not enough soldiers, Marines, any kind of military effort in Afghanistan to bring security and stability in this vast land.

And when you talk to the Afghan people, they'll tell you, in this last eight years, they saw some improvement. They have seen some improvements.

You're seeing women, at least in the capital of Kabul, going to work, going to university, ,going to school. But at the same time, in the last four years alone, any progress that they saw from 2001 has been reversed, and it's deteriorating drastically -- Tony.

HARRIS: All right. Atia Abawi in Kabul, Afghanistan, for us.

Atia, appreciate it. Thank you.

New violence outside the annual meeting of the World Bank and IMF in Istanbul, Turkey, today. Take a look at this scene.

Protesters attacked police cars with rocks and fire bombs. Store and bank windows shattered. Police describe the protesters as fringe elements. Several dozen people are jailed.

Combating deadly teen violence in Chicago, Attorney General Eric Holder and Education Secretary Arne Duncan are in Chicago to discuss the problem today. Their visit follows the beating death of 16-year- old Derrion Albert, an honors student. A beating death was captured by cell phone video.

The governor says Illinois needs more after-school programs to keep kids off the streets.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. PAT QUINN (D), ILLINOIS: We want to work every day so we have boys and girls doing positive things, avoiding negative things. We've got to have good role models and mentors who lead the way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: And we want to hear from you. Send your comments on Chicago's teen violence to CNN.com/Tony. And next hour we will talk to Annie Sweeney, reporter for "The Chicago Tribune," and we will talk solutions with actor and author Hill Harper.

Who knew Saturn has a supersized ring? It's always been there. Infrared imaging let astronomers find it.

It's tilted away from the other rings and so vast, it could hold a billion Earths. It's also pretty feeble. If you could stand in the ring, scientists say you wouldn't even know it was there.

The Obama money team may take new steps to help the limping economy. Sources tell CNN the administration is nervous about the still deteriorating jobs picture, and here's why.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Take a look at job losses since the stimulus package was passed. Back in January, 741,000 jobs were lost. That was tremendous.

It's been lessening generally since then. June, we had a bit of an anomaly, then we started to lose fewer jobs. Now, in September, we've just had reports that there are more jobs lost than expected.

This is where the administration has a problem. This is a consumer economy. The way you feel strong is if you have a job and an income. This is the challenge that the administration still has to meet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: All right. Let's do this -- let's drop in on our chief business correspondent, Ali Velshi, who is doing his weekly CNN Radio show. And I know he's just getting started. I'm not sure whether we can jump in.

Ali, can you hear us?

VELSHI: Totally can. I'm all yours.

HARRIS: It's good to talk to you. Haven't seen you in a while, and it's good to spend some time with you.

We just saw the jobs figure chronologically playing out over the last few months, and now we're hearing more and more of a discussion of a possible second stimulus.

What would that look like, Ali?

VELSHI: Well, let me tell you. So, the stimulus package was in February, $787 billion. Right? And the idea was that you're trying to shore up the three things that make a consumer society feel prosperous, to make consumers come back into the game.

What are thee things? The first one is housing, the price of your home.

What we've seen is, since back then, we've seen the price of homes go up. Why? Because there's still a lot of distress and foreclosure homes, so they're cheap. Interest rates are very, very low, and the government had in the stimulus program an $8,000 first- time home buyers credit. So, that worked.

Look at the stock market. Since March 9th is when it bottomed, so about three weeks after the stimulus passed. We've seen a big, big run-up in the stock market. So, two things that make you feel good, your home prices going up, your stock prices, your investments for your future are going up.

What's the most important one of all -- and you and I always talk about this -- more than anything else in the economy? Having work and having your income go up. And that's the thing that's not working right now.

Friday, we got the jobs report. Instead of being fewer jobs lost than the previous month, it was more. And that's what the government is struggling with. So, they're taking some of the things from that February stimulus bill that were working like homebuyers' credit, extending unemployment benefits and things like that, and they would like to get some more money to do some of those things.

HARRIS: Got you. Before I ask the next question, here's the number, if folks would like to join in on the radio show. Boy, the type is too small. You know the number. What's the number, Ali?

VELSHI: I've got it. It's 877-266-4189. And like me being out on the road, Tony, this is my opportunity to hear from people about what they feel.

HARRIS: I just can't read the font size. Too small.

All right.

VELSHI: Yes, you and me both. If I take my glasses off, I can't see it either.

Hey, Tony, I still remember -- go ahead. Go ahead.

HARRIS: No, no, no. What is it you remember?

VELSHI: I'm just saying I still remember you and I together last Friday doing the Olympics in Chicago and how both of us, I think, had the same degree of shock when Chicago got eliminated right off the top.

HARRIS: Exactly.

VELSHI: But I interrupted you.

HARRIS: No, no. No worries.

To this idea of a second stimulus, the figures that I get are a bit conflicting, but I'm going to go with ours, that just 18 percent of the spending portion of the original stimulus has actually been spent. Come on.

VELSHI: Yes. That's correct.

Now, remember, when they put out stimulus, they said that of the $787 billion, two-thirds of it will be spent within 18 months of February, when they passed it. So, the benchmark is still that.

So, even though a little has been spent, they're not -- we can't sort of measure whether or not they're in the right place or not with that. What people want to measure, because it only matters to all of us, ,is how we feel the economy is going.

Before the recession, two-thirds of our economy was determined by spending decisions made by people like you and me, the consumers. So, the most important thing is making those consumers, Americans, feel like there's some chance of prosperity in the future. And while most people -- and on my travels I found this -- most people think the economy is absolutely improving, the bottom line is you will not make major purchases until you think jobs are there.

So, they're trying to figure out how to spend this money in the way that gives them the biggest return in making people feel like the economy is getting better. And ultimately, that's going to be about jobs and, ultimately, that's the one that's not working right now.

HARRIS: Don't you want to see more of the stimulus money out in the system? We're just talking about 18 percent. It's just difficult to know where we would be if we could get more into the system here.

VELSHI: We do, but we want it to be in the system in a way that either in the short term or long term, does create jobs. Part of the problem is we're on an entirely short-term-orientated society, and the reality is the right investment might be for the longer term.

But when you have 9.8 percent of the population -- and actually, the number is larger than that, but that's the official number -- unemployed, hundreds of thousands of people losing their jobs, what happens is it creates an urgency to say spend the money now, when, in reality, that might or might not be the right decision.

HARRIS: Yes.

And the phone number again one more time, Ali? I want to get your phones popping here.

VELSHI: It's 877-266-4189. And we are happy to talk to anyone who wants to tell us whether what I just said was full of nonsense.

HARRIS: Terrific. Good to see you, my friend. Thanks.

Once again, we are turning over big chunks of our newscast to your thoughts on two of our big stories today -- the war in Afghanistan and teen violence in Chicago.

Josh Levs is following your e-mail on our blog, on Twitter and Facebook, and also on this, the eighth anniversary of the war in Afghanistan. We are airing your phone calls to the newscast. We've asked you to assess where we are in Afghanistan and what U.S. strategy should be moving forward.

In the meantime, we are awaiting a news conference from Attorney General Eric Holder on the teen violence in Chicago.

Before we get to a break, a quick check of the Big Board.

Stocks selling off so far today, down -- wow, that's a bit of a rebound. Down just over two points.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: The nation's attorney general focuses on the problem of deadly teen violence in Chicago. Eric Holder and Education Secretary Arne Duncan are meeting with students, parents and school officials today. The visit comes in the wake of the deadly attack on a 16-year- old honors student captured on cell phone video.

A news conference with the attorney general is scheduled next hour. We will of course bring it to you live.

From the videotaped beating death of Derrion Albert to a 6-year- old left paralyzed, at least partially, when he was hit by a stray bullet, the problem of youth violence in Chicago was the focus of discussion on CNN's "ANDERSON COOPER 360" last night. Part of the conversation focused on the mother of the 6-year-old shooting victim.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "AC360": It's also stunning that she talks about driving by the man who shot her child every single day. She knows. She's scared to come forward. Others -- others may have witnessed this.

No one's coming forward. No one is willing to kind of break that code of silence.

And that whole thing of being labeled a snitch. I mean, a snitch used to be another criminal who was involved in a criminal act ratting out his fellow or her fellow criminal. Now it's -- that horrible term incorporates anybody who witnessed a crime and comes forward.

STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR: It's unconscionable. And what we've created in our communities are -- and when I say communities, I'm talking about urban centers where education is at all-time low -- is a loss of hope. When people feel like there's no hope for the future, and they don't have the capacity to move forward through education or other reasonable means, they begin to check out. They begin to become disengaged. And they don't care what happens. As long as it's not them that it's happening to, they begin to pull back.

I'm saying that we as a community, and the community extends beyond the black community. But the community extends to the community of people who care. If we don't begin to hold people's feet to the fire, the adults who created these circumstances, then this -- the blood will run through the streets.

Because I'll tell you this: If the child who had been beaten to death, whose skull had been crushed just a couple days ago, had been shot or killed by a white person, blood would run through the streets.

COOPER: People in that community and elsewhere...

PERRY: They would come together. Churches would come together. Religious orders, individuals from all throughout the community, parents and the like, would find a way to galvanize.

We've marched the soles out of our shoes. I'm so sick and tired of civil rights workers -- I mean, civil rights activists talking about what we need the government to do. Enough with the doggoned government.

This is about us. These are our communities. We've created the circumstances. Let's undo them now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Wow. OK.

A closer look at the problem of youth violence in Chicago. Next hour, I will talk live with "Chicago Tribune" reporter Annie Sweeney about an in-depth article on why kids fight.

Anderson Cooper examines what's behind the epidemic of teen violence in Chicago. How could authorities win the battle to keep young people safe? Watch a special "AC 360," live from Chicago tonight at 10:00 Eastern Time.

Your money, your home -- how to save some cash this winter when you turn up the heat.

Personal finance editor Gerri Willis has her "Top Tips." That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: So, let's get you caught up with some of the top stories we're following for you in the NEWSROOM.

A PR blitz for the swine flu vaccine. Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says without condition, the vaccine is safe. Surveys show many parents are concerned because the vaccine got to market so fast, but Sebelius calls H1N1 a young person's flu. She's urging parents to get their kids inoculated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NISRINA AZIZAH LUBIS, EARTHQUAKE SURVIVOR: I was screaming for help, but nobody will help me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Boy. This little earthquake victim is one of the lucky ones. She was rescued from the rubble in Indonesia.

Officials confirm more than 600 people were killed in last week's quake. Another 300 are still missing.

If you would like to help, just go to CNN.com/impact to "Impact Your World."

The gig is up for former House Republican whip Tom DeLay. He wasn't kicked off of ABC's "Dancing With the Stars." He had to quit on doctor's orders. DeLay has developed stress fractures in both feet. Doctors told him to hang up his boogie shoes and stop all that rump-shaking.

Fuel costs are down, so it will cost a little less to keep warm this winter. And you can save even more if you plug the leaks in your home.

Personal finance editor Gerri Willis is going to tell us how.

Gerri, you know -- good to see you, first of all.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Good to see you.

HARRIS: It makes sense, it seems to me, to start at the top and work down.

WILLIS: Well, and that makes all the sense in the world.

Tony, about 80 percent of homes built before 1980 don't have enough insulation, and that's not according to me, it's according to the Department of Energy. The number one problem, as you said, the attic.

So, to find out if you have enough insulation, start by determining what's called your R value. That's how much insulation you have. Multiply the thickness of your current insulation by the R value per inch of material, then go to simplyinsulate.com to figure out what the recommended R value is in your area.

This is going to tell you, do you need more insulation? And remember, if your home is really old, maybe built in the '20s or the '30s or the '40s, it may have no insulation at all. And, of course, as we say all the time, installing insulation in your attic is one of the easiest do-it-yourself home improvements you can make. And you can always hire a contractor, but that is easy and dead cheap.

HARRIS: OK. What about small leaks? Look, they're literally everywhere.

WILLIS: Oh, that's right. You know, you've got to seal those cracks and openings in your home. The worst culprits are windows and doors.

To find the air leaks in your home, look at different areas where materials are meeting up. I'm talking about areas where brick and wood siding meet up, maybe the foundation and the walls. You can always light an incense stick, pass it around the edges of common leak sites, and if that smoke is sucked out or blown in, you know there's a problem, there's a draft.

You can also shut a door or window on a piece of paper. If you can pull that paper out without tearing it, you're losing energy. Then you can caulk and weather strip to your heart's desire.

HARRIS: Ooh, that's good. That's good.

How often should a homeowner have a pro look at their heating system?

WILLIS: Each and every year. Each and every year you want to check up on that heating system.

Regular maintenance will boost your heating's efficiency in the long run. Check the furnace filter. It's critical. Make sure to clean or replace it as needed. Dirty filters block airflow through your heating system.

If your filter is full of dust, so is your house. Your system will have to work harder. And guess what? That makes it more expensive for you.

HARRIS: Absolutely.

WILLIS: And, of course, if you have any questions, send them to me at Gerri@CNN.com. We love to hear from you and we answer those questions right here every Friday.

HARRIS: Yeah! Thanks, Gerri.

WILLIS: My pleasure.

(BUSINESS REPORT)

HARRIS: Banks taking more of your money. We call it the $38 latte, and you can see it at CNNMoney.com.

We are covering two big stories today -- the Chicago teen violence. Send us a comment to our blog, CNN.com/Tony -- and the Afghanistan war anniversary. We want to hear from you. Just give us a call.

Here are some of your comments.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

CALLER: Good afternoon. My opinion is that we should get out of Afghanistan as soon as possible. We are in a recession, and we don't need to be pouring more money into a war that is not going anywhere at this point.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

CALLER: My name is Mark Frederickson (ph), and I currently have a son who is deployed in Afghanistan. And if sending extra troops will help keep him safe and bring him home sooner, I'm all for sending the extra troops and doing what's necessary to defeat the Taliban and get our fighting troops out of there.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Afghanistan adventure is a disaster. It took the Russians 20 years, and they had to withdraw, and it's very similar, unfortunately, to the Vietnam debacle. And General McChrystal sounded very much like General Westmoreland, who kept asking for more and more troops, and we all know what happened in Vietnam.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Eight hundred sixty-five U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan in eight years of war. Today, President Obama meets with his national security team to consider whether more U.S. troops should be sent to battle. Yesterday, the president discussed the issue in a meeting with top lawmakers from both parties.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Let me just say where there was agreement, that it's a difficult decision for the president to make, that we all respected that he was looking into every aspect of this, and that we would, again, honor what he had to say. Whether we agreed with it or voted for it remains to be seen when we see what the president put forth.

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), MINORITY LEADER: We do recognize that he has a tough decision, and he wants ample time to make a good decision. Frankly, I support that. But we need to remember that every day that goes by, the troops that we do have there are in greater danger.

And so, I don't want to -- I don't believe the president needs to make a decision in haste. But we need to get this right, and I'm hopeful that the president will make a strong decision that will allow us to win this effort that was started many years ago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Well, the president insists he will make a decision on troops after settling on strategy. So, let's talk strategy.

Joing me live, CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr and our White House correspondent Dan Lothian. And Barbara, let's begin with you. Will we know the strategy and in fact that the strategy has been set, or will we learn strategy and the decision on troop numbers at about the same time?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hard to say at this point, Tony, because though what you were just mentioning, this notion from the White House, strategy before resources, deciding what you want to do before you decide on how many people it's going to take to do it, well, there's a little wiggle room to report in all of that.

Yesterday in Washington at a speech, General David Petraeus talked about the fact that the resource options, the number of troops, was going to start being introduced into the discussions at the White House. That caught our attention because as far as we knew, they hadn't decided on strategy, which was supposed to come first.

Well, now we've confirmed with a senior U.S. military official in fact the White House will start discussing troop levels either today or later this week. The only other scheduled meeting is Friday. That they have come to the understanding they are going to need to discuss troops and strategy at the same time: What do you want to do. How many people is it going to take to do it? Do you even have the people to do it?

Yesterday the joint chiefs met here in the Pentagon in the tank for several hours to discuss that very question. If they go for a major plus-up in troops, they're going to have to spend some time finding them -- Tony.

HARRIS: Good ears on that, Barbara.

And a question for you, Dan. Is the White House feeling any real public pressure at this time because congressional pressure is being applied? Let's have a listen to Senator John McCain at the microphones just moments after meeting with the president yesterday. Then a question for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Half measures is what I worry about, not getting completely out of Afghanistan. Half measures that were the same kind that were -- took place under Rumsfeld and Casey that lead to failure over time and an erosion of American public support.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: OK, Dan, so, to what extent will these opinions, which may be the honest expression of beliefs held by these politicians and not simply raw politics, how will these views factor into the president's decision?

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's unclear at this point, Tony. What I can tell you is that the White House says that, you know, publicly they're not talking about feeling any pressure at all, but they are saying that politics will not enter at all into the president's decision.

But they are aware certainly of what some Republicans like Senator McCain are saying, and they're also aware of what the general public is saying about this war in Afghanistan. I mean, Robert Gibbs was asked about this at the White House briefing yesterday, and he says the president is watching the polling. He knows the temperature out there that a lot of Americans do not like the war in Afghanistan, are against ramping up additional troops in Afghanistan.

And all he has to do, Tony, is really look outside the front window here at the White House, and he'll see for the last couple of days anti-war protesters saying, we don't want the U.S. to go into Afghanistan. So, certainly, there's a lot of pressure being applied from up on Capitol Hill and from the general public. At this point, the White House saying the president will make a decision based on what is right to go after terrorists in Afghanistan.

HARRIS: All right. Dan Lothian at the White House and Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Thank you both. Appreciate it.

We are taking a long hard look at what you, our viewers, are saying about the war. Smart, thoughtful comments coming in on both sides of the argument. Let's have a listen to some of those.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

CALLER: We have to keep fighting in Afghanistan. If we run, we send the wrong message. This country does not run. These colors don't run. In every war, politicians have tried to take over from commanders that they have put in the field. The commanders always know what's best. Stay there and fight, or they will follow us home. Thank you.

CALLER: Hi, my name's Heather. I would like for our troops to come home. I don't see anything changing out there in Afghanistan, so a lot of families miss their spouses and loved ones. Please bring them home. Thank you.

CALLER: I think we should pull most of our troops out and just keep enough in the area to attack al Qaeda but not try to reestablish a legitimate government in Afghanistan, and that the waste of American lives and resources is just not worth the effort.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

HARRIS: More of your comments this hour and next.

OK, let's get to Jacqui Jeras in the severe weather center. I didn't know that was coming.

Jacqui, good to see you. You were talking earlier about large swaths of the country facing rain and high winds today.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: So, let's continue with the severe weather happening in some parts of the country as you've seen it yourself. Our iReporters -- Nicole Lapin joining us now with a look at what we're getting in.

And Nic, let's do this. Let's not forget the fire in California, which I understand is still burning. The Sheep fire, correct?

NICOLE LAPIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. It's about 75 percent contained. Seven thousand acres have already burned. And if they aren't dealing with enough out there, you've got to see what one of our iReporters sent us in from Moreno Valley.

You heard of a roof on fire, right, Tony?

HARRIS: Yes -- oh.

LAPIN: Have you ever seen a roof on fire? There it is. One of our iReporters says this explosion happened right down the street from her. It was caused by a cigarette.

HARRIS: Oh, boy.

LAPIN: A cigarette in the garage. Five people left homeless because of this thing. Thankfully, no injuries. But, I've got to tell you that her pool was already covered by ashes. Smoke was all in the area. And these firefighters dealing with this thing, you know, they're already strapped dealing with the other fires in that area.

HARRIS: Well, you're having a little fun at my expense here because during the meeting, we were all having fun with "The roof, the roof is on fire." And thanks for bringing that to the program, Nic. Appreciate it.

LAPIN: You're welcome. And by fun, you mean making fun of you, which I like to do.

HARRIS: Well, basically, yes.

LAPIN: Poke fun. It's all...

HARRIS: At my expense.

LAPIN: It's all in good fun.

Let's bring you over to another situation that is totally different out of Montana right now. This is cold. We were dealing with the hot in California. Look at the first snowfall here in Livingston, Montana. This was captured by our friend Michael Young (ph), one of our iReporters out there.

It really wreaked havoc. Look at this downed tree right there. A lot of downed power lines as well.

This is something that's totally different. Let's take you over here, over to Maldives. Tony, we're switching gears. This is an underwater tea party.

HARRIS: What is this?

LAPIN: I know. Right in the Maldives, they are trying to raise awareness to global warming, so they're taking the president -- he already knows how to scuba, by the way -- they're taking the cabinet members. Can you imagine Hillary Clinton and Gates getting down there under water? So, first they have to learn how to scuba, and then they're going to conduct a cabinet meeting here to try to raise awareness for the low-lying nation. This is an underwater fist bump.

HARRIS: Oh, my. Is that what we like to do around here, the exploding fist bump, or just the fist bump?

LAPIN: The exploding fist bump.

HARRIS: What is it, the exploding fist bump?

LAPIN: Well, under water it is obviously, it is floating and exploding. But they're doing hand gestures basically to pass this bill.

HARRIS: All right, Nic.

LAPIN: Good stuff on iReport.

HARRIS: Appreciate it. Thank you.

LAPIN: You're welcome.

HARRIS: You know, we want to draw your attention to a Web site that gives you all the information you need on the war in Afghanistan. Josh Levs joining us next. He is getting a place right now to show it to us.

And you can keep calling us with your thoughts on the war in Afghanistan eight years later. Here's the phone number: 1-877-742- 5760.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And checking our top stories now. The Congressional Budget Office could release its cost estimate on the health care bill sometime today, just this hour. Some Senate Republicans introduced a resolution requiring the estimate to be made public for at least 72 hours before a vote is taken.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JIM BUNNING (R), KENTUCKY: It would require all legislative -- all legislative -- matters to be posted online and fully scored by CBO for 72 hours before consideration by a committee or on the Senate floor. Transparency was promised on TARP and everything else that we did in relationship to the financial crisis, and we are still waiting for Secretary Geithner and Ben Bernanke to fulfill the promise of transparency on what they are spending TARP money for, how much, who it was given to, and everything, so this is just a follow-up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Today marks the eighth anniversary of the war in Afghanistan. Eight hundred sixty-five U.S. troops have been killed since it began. You know, there's one Web site that has everything, and I really mean everything you need to know about the war in Afghanistan.

And Josh is there now, and he's in a position to show it to us. Do that for us if you would, Josh.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Tony, I said it before. I'm going to say it again. This is my favorite spread of anything we have at all on all of cnn.com because it's so extensive and because so many Americans hear about the war in Afghanistan, have a very broad picture.

But it's really hard to understand until you go here. Let's zoom in. I'll show you some of the basics. First of all, it's packed with all sorts of links. There's more than 100 links on the main page itself, generally, so you can access all sorts of information.

Let me trace you through some of the basics here. This talks to you about the history of Afghanistan and the peoples and the various regimes over the years that have been in power in Afghanistan all the way through to today. Helps you understand what led up to here today.

You can get a sense of who the key players are as well, some of the top players in major roles in Afghanistan, so every time you hear us talk about a name, all you got to do is go to cnn.com/Afghanistan. Also, we trace you through year by year in this war itself leading up to today on the big anniversary, the major events and the sacrifices made along the way, all the way up to here, again.

What I also like, Tony, is that we get views of Afghanistan that we rarely get. You can see here some of the beautiful photography that's taken by CNN photojournalists, and it gives you a sense of the landscape, some of the challenges that are faced there.

Plus, look at this over here -- maps. This is a map that shows you where some of the major events are taking place in the war. This one over here shows you some of the major peoples that encompass the population of Afghanistan.

All here, right here at cnn.com/afghanistan. Brings you kind of inside.

And I want to end on this because I think it's so important, especially today. We have a lot of photos that take you inside the losses, and not just the U.S. but the coalition in general. And check it out. CNN.com/Afghanistan, every coalition troop throughout the entire war who has given his or her life, Tony.

You can look up by name. You can see by date. You can go alphabetically. You can learn a lot about the people who have made these sacrifices for the United States and for other countries in the war all in this one place, CNN.com/Afghanistan -- Tony.

HARRIS: Look, thanks for reminding us of that tab to cnn.com. Thanks, Josh.

LEVS: You've got it.

HARRIS: OK.

And we are hearing from hundreds of you sounding off on the war in Afghanistan. And we are committed to airing your voices in the NEWSROOM. So, let's listen now to more of your comments.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

CALLER: Yes. Please, I am begging you, have Obama remove our troops from Afghanistan. Just bring them back. All we need to do is provide them with resources for the people. But the politicians there are trying to abuse America with our young people. Please bring our troops home as quickly as possible.

CALLER: I think we should stay in Afghanistan for the simple reason there are troops there that are in danger right now as it stands, and they should -- if we don't, these people are more likely to get killed. If we send more people in it might help all of them.

CALLER: Hello, I'm a '61 Vietnam vet, and I think this is just turning into another Vietnam. I suggest we get out slowly, but get out. Thank you very much. Bye.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

HARRIS: Thank you.

Once again, you can still call in, 1-877-742-5760.

Some Latino students having to choose between going to class or helping their family. Our Soledad O'Brien shows you their struggle. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And here's what we are working on for next hour. We're trying to understand the phenomenon behind the deadly teen violence in Chicago. I'll speak with a columnist who has been covering this particular story and talking with these teens about why they fight.

Also, a question for education contributor Steve Perry, and we'll also talk solutions with actor and author Hill Harper. I'll also read some of your comments that you've posted to my blog on the subject. And if you haven't done it yet, the address is CNN.com/tony. Plus, our Frederik Pleitgen is embedded with German troops in Afghanistan. He'll take a look at the trouble and setbacks commanders on the ground are facing as they try to train Afghan troops to help secure their country.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: A new report out from the Pew Hispanic Center today has found that while nearly nine in 10 Latino youths say a college education is important, only about half say they plan to get a college degree. The biggest reason Latinos cut their education short is because of financial pressure to support a family.

CNN's Soledad O'Brien introduces us now to a 17-year-old who has a tough choice to make: Go to school or support her family.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Cindy Garcia's a senior at Fremont High School in South L.A. It's severely overcrowded, almost entirely Latino, and 70 percent of its students don't graduate on time.

CINDY GARCIA, HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR: I don't want to fall into the 70 percent. No. I know I deserve better than that.

O'BRIEN: It's not going to be easy. Cindy is more than a semester behind. And there's just three months until graduation.

(on camera): What happened your ninth grade year?

GARCIA: I guess I didn't find it important. Like, I didn't even care and...

O'BRIEN: Did you go?

GARCIA: To school?

O'BRIEN: Yes.

GARCIA: No, I went -- I would go...

O'BRIEN: You cut every day?

GARCIA: Yes.

O'BRIEN: Every day?

GARCIA: Kind of, yes.

O'BRIEN (voice-over): Now, she's trying to make up for lost time, but family often trumps school. Cindy lives in this three- bedroom house with her mother, two sisters, baby brother and a 2 1/2- year-old niece.

GARCIA: Close your eyes. O'BRIEN: She's constantly pulled out of school to take care of the kids and help out at the family store, which barely makes ends meet.

GARCIA: I'll check if there's some more in the back, because I don't think so.

O'BRIEN: Cindy also acts as a translator for her mother, Onelia (ph), who speaks no English. She's been sick and eats needs help navigating doctors' appointments.

(on camera): Do you ever want to say to her, I need to be in school?

GARCIA: Yes, I do.

O'BRIEN: And do you say that?

GARCIA: No.

O'BRIEN: No. Why not?

GARCIA: Because I'm the only one that can help her sometimes, you know? So, I can't -- I mean, if it was something else, like, go to the store with me, then OK, but, like, if this is very important so, I kind of have to be there.

O'BRIEN: It's a lot of responsibility. You're 17.

GARCIA: I guess, yes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Boy. Find out what happens to Cindy Garcia later this month only on CNN. "LATINO IN AMERICA," a comprehensive look at how Latinos are changing America, reshaping politics, business, schools, churches, neighborhoods. "LATINO IN AMERICA," see it here on CNN.