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Falling Home Prices; New Federal Drug Policy; Twin Blasts at Pakistan College

Aired October 20, 2009 - 10:00   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now. Two key groups in the debate over health care reform are raising concerns. The heads of the AMA and the AARP holding a news conference on Capitol Hill talking about the impact of proposed changes in Medicare payments. We are also watching this health care development on Capitol Hill now.

Senate majority leader Harry Reid hosting a meeting with other leading Democrats today. The group is trying to merge two reform bills that made it out of committee. They would like to be able to come up with one bill for floor debate by the end of the week. Three health care reform bills in the House must still be merged.

The health care reform debate has another voice chiming in this hour. A Senate subcommittee will hear from Elizabeth Edwards, the wife of former Senator and presidential candidate John Edwards. The focus today, this hour, bankruptcy reform and medical debt. Mrs. Edwards knows all too well the staggering cost of health care. Five years ago she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Last year she learned it had progressed to the point that it is now considered terminal.

For more than a year American homeowners have asked one question, how much lower will home values plunge? A new forecast offers a gloomy answer. Let's get straight to CNN's Christine Romans live in New York with more on this. So Christine, this is more bad news for the housing market?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, your home is your biggest asset, right, or it's something that was unattainable for you during the boom and it hasn't been affordable and if you haven't been able to get a home. So depending on where you are, this is going to mean a different thing for you.

If you're under water with your mortgage, this is not good news. If you have been looking to buy a home and you've been priced out of the market, this could be beneficial for you. What am I talking about? I'm talking about a survey from a company called (INAUDIBLE) Financial Services Analytic Company that has found that home prices will likely drop further between now and June of next year.

How much further? About 11.3 percent. That's a nationwide number. There are some 380 different metro areas that they measure and they found that 342 of them will see price declines. Where are they expecting the worst pain? The places we've already seen a horrible foreclosure crisis. They are expecting home prices in Miami to decline in Miami another 29 percent, Heidi. In Orlando, Florida, another 27 percent. Another 27 percent on top of huge declines already. In Las Vegas, another 23 percent. There is stability though when you look through these numbers. Where are they seeing stability? Places like Kennewick, Washington. They are actually looking for prices to increase about three percent there. Fairbanks and Anchorage, Alaska, should see maybe two percent gains.

But we're seeing and they're expecting more pain in places that still have a lot of foreclosures to work through. With the foreclosure crisis many economists say is not over. We're going to see millions more homes lost in the next year or so. And they're even talking - others are talking about a shadow inventory of foreclosed homes, meaning there are homes where people have stopped paying their mortgages or they are behind a couple months and the banks haven't started the process yet because they're so inundated with homes that are, you know, behind on their payments.

So New York City prices could fall another 17 percent. But then would turn around and start picking up after that. Overall this firm finds that prices in the country down another 11.3 percent next year, Heidi. But then after that we'll actually gain about 3.6 percent.

COLLINS: So when is that going to be? Do they have...

ROMANS: Next year, 2011.

COLLINS: All right. So hang on for another year or move to Alaska.

ROMANS: This is going to be more affordable for some people. I mean, depending on where you are, this means that it's going to be...

COLLINS: You have to be a first-time home buyer, don't you?

ROMANS: If you want to be a first time home buyer, right. There's a tax credit right now. You got 41 days left to seal the deal and get that tax credit. And you got falling prices. And if prices really do continue to fall over the next few months, that could be a good recipe for some people who have been priced out of the market.

Remember this summer we have seen some stability in home prices. Some of the data has been showing stability in home prices but there's a fear that that's because of the first-time home buyer tax credit and that can't prop up prices forever when you just have a wave of foreclosures ahead of us.

ROMANS: Yes. No kidding. Well, thanks a lot, Christine. It's been lovely talking to you. Appreciate it.

In fact, we are talking about the story on our blog this morning. We want to know how are these falling home prices actually affecting you. Go to cnn.com/heidi and tell us your story. We'll share some of those responses a little bit later in the show.

Also later this hour, President Obama due to meet with Iraq's prime minister. Nuri Al-Maliki faces big questions about a parliamentary election that could be in jeopardy now. He's said any delays to the January vote would create a "wave of chaos." But critical details have not yet been sorted out.

CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom is joining us now from Baghdad with more on this. So Mohammad, could political problems like this actually threaten next summer's planned withdrawal of U.S. combat troops?

MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, that's the big question. I mean, Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki is in D.C. today. This is supposed to be a celebratory trip. This is supposed to be highlighting investment and business opportunities in Iraq because the security situation is so much better.

But what's really overshadowing all this is the fact that this new election law that was supposed to have past last week hasn't passed yet. There's still a lot of arguing in parliament about the fundamentals of this law. If this law doesn't get passed, the elections don't happen in time. And what a lot of people are telling us is if the elections don't happen in time, they're afraid that there is going to be violence.

Now, General Raymond Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq was quoted today in the "Times" of London. He said that he believed that militants were planning attacks around the time of the election. He also said that he wondered if the threat of violence would keep people away from the polls. So basically, there's a big cloud hanging over the stability in Iraq right now as to whether or not these elections will take place and if they don't, what happens next? Heidi -

COLLINS: Yes. Absolutely. In fact, with some of the attention by way of military any way moving to Afghanistan, where does that leave Iraq?

JAMJOOM: Well, Iraq is really in a tough spot right now. I mean, there are parliamentarians here that are saying that things are OK but the fact of the matter is they were supposed to vote on this revised law last Thursday. Then they delayed it until Saturday. Then they delayed it until Monday. We've just spoken with parliamentarians here today. And they say this is going to happen tomorrow.

But it's a really thorny issue. It comes at a time when there's a lot of tension in the north of the country between the Kurds and between the Arabs and we have to realize that if this continues to happen, there could be a wave of violence and people are concerned if that happens. There's a lot of concern that the troop withdrawal schedule, which has been accelerated as of late. That could be modified or shifted -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. We, of course, are watching all of it. Mohammed Jamjoom, thanks so much.

In fact, there is going to be another election in Afghanistan. President Hamid Karzai agreed this morning with the decision of an election commission to hold a runoff. He called it a historic period for his country and praised the people for voting the first time around. CNN Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence is live in the capital of Kabul. Chris, so tell us what exactly happened this morning.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, clearly, you know, everyone presented a united front after this decision was made but up until the very last minute President Karzai has resisted agreeing to this runoff until he got up on stage and actually made the announcement but once the election commission came back and said, yes, he had fallen below 50 percent and they ordered the runoff, he stood there with U.S. Senator John Kerry.

Clearly a lot of international pressure was brought to bear but going forward now U.S. Senator John Kerry says that the U.S. and its allies are committed to making sure the runoff is successful.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: The international community is 100 percent committed to helping to carry out this election. NATO is committed, ISAF is committed, in every way possible in order to make the runoff a success. We know that it will be difficult and it will require sacrifice. But we are committed to this effort.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAWRENCE: And in the last hour, President Barack Obama has also come out talking about the developments today here in Kabul. He said "I congratulate President Karzai and Dr. Abdullah who both earned the support of voters across the country. We look toward to a second round of voting and the completion of the process to choose the president of Afghanistan" -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. Chris Lawrence reporting for us live in Kabul, Afghanistan. Thanks so much, Chris.

Imagine losing a loved one, going to the funeral and finding a stranger in the casket. It really happened to a family in Louisiana.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is a very chilly start for a lot of folks in the southeast today. But warmer temperatures in the forecast. Plus the latest on another typhoon set to hit the Philippines. Your forecast is coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JERAS: And welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm meteorologist Jacqui Jeras. It's one of those days where you have to dress in layers because it starts out so cold we had frost and freeze advisories and warnings across the southeast with temperatures hovering around that freezing mark. Now we're already well into the 50s and by this afternoon we're talking 70-degree temperatures.

So you start with the jacket. You could almost end out the day in the shorts. But a warming trend is on the way after we've seen some of the coolest air of the season. We'll watch for those high temperatures in the 60s in the northeast. 70s in the southeast. I apologize. It looks like we're having some data problems again on our temperatures. But those will be the temperatures that we'll be seeing in the 60s and 70s there across much of the southeast.

Now very dry weather is in the forecast across the east and that's where we're allowed to have such a range in temperatures. The air is drier and it heats up more quickly. Now, in the nation's midsection, we got a little bit of moisture here especially across the intermountain west and across the upper Midwest. We've had some light rain showers in Minneapolis-St. Paul this morning.

A live picture to show you there across the area. Beautiful shot overlooking the Mississippi River and downtown where temperatures are in the upper 40s. We should top out maybe a good 10 degrees on top of what you already have at this hour. Most of the rain showers are starting to lift out. But we'll watch for a little bit of sunshine hopefully in the forecast about two days from now.

Now, ahead of our main system we got some very warm and windy conditions here across parts of Texas and on into Oklahoma. Much of the rest of the country looking for some decent weather.

I want to talk about the tropics for a minute. Because we were looking at tropical storm Rick as the second most intense hurricane in the Pacific less than 48 hours ago. Now it has weakened and become a tropical storm with winds of 65 miles per hour. If we see landfall that will be overnight tonight on Baja California. Otherwise on Thursday into the Mexico mainland.

I also want to tell you about one other storm. This is typhoon Lupit. And this storm unfortunately is heading towards Luzon and possibly into the northern Philippines. And of course, this area has been devastated by two other typhoons in the last couple of weeks with major extensive flooding and many, many deaths. So unfortunately, it looks like another typhoon headed that way. It would be the equivalent of a category 2 we think when it makes landfall about two days from now.

COLLINS: All right. We'll continue to watch that one very closely. All right, Jacqui. Thanks.

JERAS: Sure.

COLLINS: A major mix-up adds to a Louisiana family's grief. A woman says her mother's body went to the wrong funeral home. She was shocked to find a much older woman's body in the casket. To make matters worse, the other home mistakenly cremated her mother. The family says someone failed to look at the paperwork.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I let them know this wasn't my mother, he got on the phone and he called Lafayette General and he told them that they have family members here, and they are out of their mind right about now because you all gave me the wrong body.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COLLINS: The family plans to sue the morgue and the funeral homes.

Outrage from immigrant activists groups has prompted stores to pull a Halloween outfit off the shelves. The groups called the illegal alien costumes racist and offensive. Some shoppers at this El Paso reacted negatively to the costume. The store manager says there was no attempt to attack any group.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GABRIEL ESCOBAR, HALLOWEEN SHOPPER: It's not a gray area. You know, they don't know what to think about it. You put an eagle in front of it, it says everything bad that's heard in the news and everything like that.

RICHARD GARCIA, SPIRIT HALLOWEEN STORE: We try to keep everyone in the store with a nice sense of humor. It's really just a costume. It's a one-time thing only. We're not trying to pick on any one group of people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Target stores already recalled a similar costume it was selling online.

And just in now, the White House wrapped up the daily informal briefing a few moments ago and not surprisingly the upcoming election in Afghanistan was a key focus. CNN's White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is joining us now with more.

Suzanne, good morning to you.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. I just got out of that meeting with Robert Gibbs. And obviously what he's saying here at the White House is this is an important day for the Afghan people here. This second round of elections that is going to be scheduled for November 7th. A real sign of relief from the administration that Hamid Karzai actually decided to accept this international body's determination that he didn't outright win, that the second go-around is important.

The White House put out a statement early this morning saying that this election could have remained unresolved to the detriment of the country. President Karzai's constructive action establish an important precedent for Afghanistan's new democracy. The Afghan constitution and laws are strengthened by President Karzai's decision which is in the best interest of the Afghan people.

A lot of questions still, Heidi. However, what does this mean for U.S. troops? Are there going to be more troops? How substantial? That type of thing. And is this going to determine the time line the president obviously faced with a lot of very important questions. Robert Gibbs today said he doesn't know whether or not the decision of the president is going to happen before or after this 14-day period. This runoff election. But they certainly want to make sure that this go-around is legitimate. That and fair and that it is fair. That this is a true representation of democracy. Robert Gibbs said that they've got substantial security forces on the ground that the president to his knowledge, the defense department to his knowledge is not going to ask for any additional support for the second round of elections.

But you can be sure, Heidi, that everyone is going to be watching to see, is it any different this second go round and how is that going to impact just how many U.S. soldiers are sent over to Afghanistan -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. We'll be watching closely, certainly. Sure do appreciate it. CNN's Suzanne Malveaux this morning.

A college campus erupts after two suicide bombers complete their deadly mission. We'll tell you about this morning's latest attacks in Pakistan.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Checking some of our top stories now. Vice President Joe Biden travels to central and eastern Europe today. First stop, Poland. Then on to Romania and the Czech Republic. It comes after the Obama administration decided to revamp a missile defense plan for the region.

We are getting a look at the final text messages between a former NFL star and the girlfriend who killed him and then herself. Nashville police released the texts as part of the case summary into the deaths of Steve McNair and Sahel Kazemi.

The day before the suicide, Kazemi texted the married McNair saying, "Baby, I might have a breakdown I'm so stressed." Later, she texted McNair asking for money, and when she could see him next.

"Baby, what are you doing?" Kazemi asks. He says, "At the pool with the kids. I got the guy transferring money." McNair texted Kazemi he wouldn't leave his house until the kids fall asleep. Kazemi texted him for hours at one point saying, "Baby, I have to be with you tonight. I don't care where." About 12 hours after a final message was sent, a friend of McNair's found the bodies.

In Washington, a former government scientists is due in court today on espionage charges. Dr. Stewart David Nozette worked on the cutting edge of moon exploration. The FBI says he tried to sell classified secrets to an agent posing as an Israeli intelligence official. Nozette is credited with helping to discover evidence of water on the moon. While with the Energy Department, he had security clearance for atomic or nuclear related materials.

You probably know someone who has or had H1N1 commonly called swine flu. To limit exposure to people who are already sick, hospitals are taking all sorts of precautions. Some are discouraging children from visiting hospitals, others are turning kids away and putting more restrictions on how many adults can visit any one patient at any one time.

Weeding out the bad seeds. The federal government is taking a hands off approach with companies distributing medical marijuana. But that doesn't mean they're turning a blind eye on all of them.

CNN homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A North Hollywood Compassionate Caregivers, a marijuana dispensary relief that the federal government will no longer target legitimate users of medical marijuana.

RICO MARTINEZ, MEDICAL MARIJUANA USER: Putting the stress on us. We don't have to worry about doing with that. I've been pulled over before for it.

MESERVE: Attorney General Eric Holder says it will no longer be a priority "to use federal resources to prosecute patients with serious illnesses or their caregivers who are complying with state laws."

AARON HOUSTON, MARIJUAN POLICY PROJECT: This is a water shed moment and a major step forward in terms of federal medical marijuana policy.

MESERVE: But opponents of medical marijuana found something to cheer too. A memo to federal prosecutors outlining the new guideline says "prosecution of commercial enterprises that unlawfully market and sell marijuana for profit continues to be an enforcement priority."

CALVINA FAY, DRUG FREE AMERICA FOUNDATION: We see these guidelines as giving clarity, allowing law enforcement to move forward and enforce our federal laws and shut down these storefront operations that are nothing more than a free ticket for drug trafficking.

MESERVE: The Bush administration prosecuted marijuana dispensaries and their customers when a federal drug law was violated. The new memo leaves open that possibility but suggests prosecutors defer to state laws in the 14 states which permit medical marijuana.

TOM RILEY, BUSH ADMINISTRATION DRUG POLICY SPOKESMAN: People are still just as subject to prosecution and I don't think that part of the message is going to get out. I think it's going to make an already confused situation more chaotic.

MESERVE (on camera): The Justice Department took pains to underline that drug enforcement is still a core priority noting that marijuana distribution in the United States remains the single largest source of revenue for the Mexican drug cartels.

Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE) COLLINS: A promise of help for veterans left without promise financial aid for education. The head of the VA now says he is reaching out to solve the problem.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: In Pakistan, back-to-back suicide bombings have rocked a college campus in the capital city. It happened at an Islamic university that draws students from around the world. We'll get the very latest on this developing story now.

CNN's Reza Sayah is joining us live from Islamabad. Reza, good morning.

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. For the Taliban here in Pakistan it seems no target is off- limits. They hit again today. This time their target students at a local university here in the federal capital of Islamabad. Police telling CNN around 3:00 p.m. local time, two suicide bombers walked into the International Islamic University in Islamabad and blew themselves up almost simultaneously.

One of them inside the cafeteria on the women's campus and seconds later a second suicide bomber blowing himself up on the men's campus. The aftermath, just awful, four people killed. 18 injured. Most of them students. Most between the ages of 18 and 25, according to hospital officials.

Many of the students with bloody clothes being rushed to the hospital. One room was riddled with pockmarks and holes from steel ball bearings. They were packed into the suicide vest. And here's how fed up the students were. After the suicide attack, when the interior minister came on the scene to inspect the blast sites, students pelted his vehicle with stones.

Heidi, these are people who are fed up with these suicide attacks. They want the government to stop them, but so far they just haven't been able to end the cycle of violence here in Pakistan. Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes. Reza, attacks like this on colleges, not something that has happened often?

SAYAH: No, definitely not here in Islamabad. I don't think there's any targets that the Taliban haven't gone after. Of course, this particular attack comes on day four of the military offensive targeting the Taliban and the stronghold of south Waziristan. The Taliban had threatened to launch suicide attacks as payback and today, the interior minister said this was one of those attacks, Heidi.

COLLINS: Reza Sayah joining us live in Islamabad with the very latest on that. Reza, thank you.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan is going ahead with runoff elections, and the results could finally lead the U.S. to a decision on troop levels there. Candy Crowley looks at new research and new numbers. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The president may be undecided on Afghanistan and his advisers seem divided, but Americans are decidedly not. With the latest polls showing just 39 percent of Americans favor sending more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, 59 percent are opposed.

In general, the latest CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll shows an America broadly skeptical that Afghanistan can pull itself together under a stable government and fearful of Vietnam syndrome, vaguely defined as fear of an unending, unwinnable war. Fifty-two percent think Afghanistan has turned into another Vietnam; 46 percent disagree with that.

In the latter category, Senator John Kerry, a decorated war veteran who became known for his opposition to the Vietnam War upon his return home -- Afghanistan, Kerry says emphatically, is not Vietnam.

KERRY: We are here in Afghanistan because people attacked us here in the most significant attack against the United States since Pearl Harbor. We are here because there are still people at large who are plotting against the United States of America, and we are here because the stability of this region is a critical strategic interest to the United States.

CROWLEY: And that's one of the curious twists of the poll, because most Americans agree with the senator. Sixty percent say it's necessary to keep troops in Afghanistan to prevent terrorism in the U.S., but at the same time, 57 percent of Americans say they oppose the war. CNN pollster Keating Holland thinks in part, some Americans no longer believe terrorism should be fought at any cost.

KEATING HOLLAND, CNN POLLING DIRECTOR: Americans don't feel the same personal jeopardy when it comes to terrorism that they felt in 2001 and 2002. Others may simply see the benefit of preventing a terrorist attack somewhere in the United States being outweighed by the costs associated with a long, ongoing war that involves a lot of troops and a lot of money.

CROWLEY: It's not known when and what the president will decide about Afghanistan, but it's pretty clear that should he send more troops, he'll have a big sales job ahead of him with the American people.

Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: President Obama is holding a special ceremony this morning to honor decorated veterans. Eighty-six members of Troop A, First Squadron, of the U.S. Army's 11th Armored Calvary Regimen will be in attendance. This is a look at the group's Web site. Atroopheroes.com. They were given the presidential unit citation for heroism in action during the Vietnam War. They volunteered for a mission to rescue 100 infantry men pinned down by enemy fighters back in 1970.

An update on a story we've been following here. We've told you about some veterans having trouble getting payments for school under the new GI Bill. Many are looking at being kicked out of school or paying for education out of their own pockets. Now, the VA secretary says they're going to the phones to make sure veterans get the benefits they deserve.

In a statement, Secretary Eric Shinseki says, "The post-9/11 GI Bill is one of our top priorities, and we're reaching out to veterans so they can get the money they need to stay in school." He also said they're working to make sure the checks get there on time in the future. Earlier this month, Shinseki approved emergency payments for veterans enrolled in the fall semester. Two hundred seventy-seven thousand veterans have applied for benefits since the new GI Bill went into effect August 1.

We're all keeping a close eye on our money these days. Carefully thinking about the dollars that we spend. But, despite the money- conscious mentality, millions of people have found room in their budget for a few luxuries. Stephanie Elam is here now from the New York Stock Exchange with a few of the details. Hi there, Stephanie.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Heidi. Well, you know, for some people, maybe the commute, they really need some way to play their music. Maybe it's a need for them. I'm trying to justify these wonderful Apple numbers that we've seen.

Even in tough times, it seems people want to treat themselves to something. In Apple's case, there's a lot of people treating themselves to something because they sold 3 million Macs last quarter. That is a record high. And they are not cheap. The average selling price is $1,200.

Apple also sold 7 million iPhones, and that also happens to be a record high. Those cost anywhere from 100 to 300 bucks, so not cheap, either.

But it's not just gadgets. Take a look at Coach. They are selling more purses, shoes, accessories than last year, and they say it's because they cut their prices. Half of all Coach bags are now under 300 bucks. Coach shares on the downside by about 2 percent with their -- or I should say with their earnings numbers dropping.

And also Apple shares are on the upside right now by close to 5 percent. They did hit an all-time high last night of $204. Doesn't seem like much of a recession in Apple's mind. The Dow on the downside by 33 points. 10,058. NASDAQ on five at 21.70, Heidi.

COLLINS: So, these are just the earliest signs of some spending. Overall, aren't people still pretty budget-conscious?

ELAM: I think that's a fair assessment. That's true. I mean, Apple is one blip on the screen. Look at what the National Retail Federation is saying. They're saying 2009 will be the holiday season of the serious bargain hunter. So if you have some cash, this could be a good holiday for you. Shoppers are expected to spend an average of $682. That sounds like a lot, but that's $22 less than last year.

So, what are people doing? They are planning on shopping for sales. They plan on using coupons. And a lot of people, instead of getting hot new decorations out there, whatever they may be, they are putting up last year's decorations. I don't see anything wrong with that.

But this attitude really could have some ripple effects. Retailers know what to expect and they're likely to keep a tight hand on hiring in holiday temps. So, those holiday temps don't have jobs, they're not spending money and economy is not getting oil in its wheels to get that going, Heidi. We know how the whole cycle we talk about all the time. Self-perpetuating prophecy here.

COLLINS: Yes. I've been using the same lights and Christmas decor since 1992.

ELAM: Me, too. Mine -- ever since I left college and moved to New York City. It's all the same. And you know, it works every year. Just take care of it. Put it away right.

COLLINS: That's right. All right. Thanks, Stephanie. We'll check back later.

General George Patton is a favorite of the Army's new top drill sergeant. Not surprising until you learn the new commander is a woman, the first ever, in fact. The first African-American as well. We'll take a look at how she's doing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: To our top stories now. Vic Mizzy is dead at the age of 93. You may not know his name, but you know his music. Mizzy joked that, "Two snaps got me a mansion in Bel Air." But the songwriter who died on Saturday had many more credits than "The Addams Family." He also penned the theme song to "Green Acres" and other TV shows, and composed the music for the Don Knotts movies "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" and "The Shakiest Gun in the West." Mizzy wrote songs recorded by Dean Martin, Doris Day and Perry Como.

In Mississippi, a senior class photo has landed a girl in the spotlight and out of her yearbook. Here is Sierra Sturgess (ph) wearing a tuxedo, but officials at Wesson Attendance Center (ph) are refusing to put her photo in the school yearbook. They'll only say the issue goes beyond her nontraditional clothing. Sierra's mother is furious.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VERONICA RODRIGUEZ, MOTHER: They don't feed and clothe my child, they don't keep me warm at night, and they don't put food on my table. I don't care. What I care about is my daughter's feelings and how she feels about herself, and I support her 100 percent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Sierra says that she's openly gay and has been gratified by the support she received from around the country.

An Atlanta area driver who plunged into a sinkhole will also land in court. Goddett (ph) County police say thirty-two-year-old Ira Strong faces several driving offenses and a charge of tampering with evidence. You may remember his story. He plowed into the sinkhole after heavy rains washed out the road. But witnesses later came forward to say he had ignored warning tape and driven around barrels to get that far down the closed off road.

The Army's top drill sergeant is often called the toughest of the tough. Make no mistake, the new commander is that and more. CNN's Jason Carroll is on the job with Command Sergeant Major Theresa King.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, she's tough. No doubt about that. The person in charge of overseeing the drill sergeant training for the entire army is no longer a he. It's a she. In this new role, she'll have a say in the training of every enlisted soldier.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice over): Historically, this is the image of a military drill sergeant, a tough guy, immortalized in movies like "Full Metal Jacket."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You will not laugh! You will not cry!

CARROLL: That was then.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's go!

CARROLL This is now.

At 48, Command Sergeant Major Teresa King is the first woman to lead the Army's drill sergeant training school.

(on camera): What are you looking for? I mean, because it all pretty much looks like everybody's exercising to me.

CMD. SGT. MAJOR TERSA KING: I'm looking for attention to detail, conformance.

CARROLL: Before sunrise at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina, King readies her drill instructor candidates for a rigorous run.

What's wrong with that...

KING: That's too big, Top. You need to break it up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fall out!

CARROLL She leads by example. King runs the five-mile course from the front of the pack. Outperforming men half her age.

STAFF SGT. LERON DELANEY, U.S. ARMY: She's older than me, so if I fall out and she's still running, I feel bad.

CARROLL: Extinguishing those who think a woman can't be commandant.

SGT. 1ST CLASS MICHAEL CHILDS, U.S. ARMY: We've got to stay on top of our game even more than we used to, but for her, because she's that sharp.

CARROLL: King says she wakes up some mornings still shocked she is commandant.

KING: I had never considered it, although I've been in training for about seven years. But I never considered it, the drill sergeant school.

CARROLL: King's first Army job some 30 years ago was postal clerk, but her hero, General George Patton, inspired her.

KING: I saw that he had the respect of his men. And I saw he was resolute.

CARROLL: King eventually rose through the ranks, excelling at training infantry men, and paratroopers alike.

KING: I'm doing what I've always done. It's just now, people are paying attention to it.

CARROLL: And to her opinions. The military prohibits women from serving in front line combat roles. King trains men for combat and thinks it's time to train qualified women.

KING: I think if they can do it, they should be allowed to do it.

CARROLL: The reality, women make up 14 percent of active soldiers in the Army. Some women question how many others will follow in King's footsteps.

OPERATIONS SGT. ANGELA ANDREWS, U.S. ARMY: I wouldn't say it opens the door, but it may crack it somewhat.

CARROLL: King says she will continue to lead by example.

KING: I have vision. And I believe I can cause people to do some things that they thought they never could do.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL: Well, you know, Heidi, at one point in her 30s, King was married to another soldier. That marriage failed, and King turned to the Bible for inspiration. She actually considered joining the ministry as early as this year. But then, of course, that great promotion came up. Heidi?

COLLINS: All right, Jason. Thanks.

The cost of homes expected to go down again. We've been asking how this is affecting you on our blog. CNN.com/heidi. We'll give you those comments coming up in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: The national median home price is expected to drop by 11.3 percent by next July. That's according to a new report from Pfizer. On our blog this morning, we asked how falling home prices are actually affecting you. Let's look over at the Heidi Mac and get a look at what some of you had to say.

Our first one coming in from Ramblers. "Our home has gone from about $375,000 to about $250,000. We had intended to sell and move for health reasons, but now, can't afford to and can't afford not to. We're between a rock and a hard place."

Next, from Karen: "We've been in our home twenty years, and it's dropped in price so much that we are probably at a break-even point between what we owe and what we might be able to sell it for."

A different story from CoolGayDad: "Our home in suburban Houston is up in price. For some reason, Houston real estate didn't explode over the past decade. We saw normal, basic 5 to 10 percent year increases. At this moment, I could take my equity and purchase about five homes in Las Vegas.

And finally, from Adam. "The housing price drop is great for my new wife and me. It is a bright spot in my generation's position in history. Everyone knows that we graduated college at the wrong time, so this is a small beacon of light for us!"

Once again, always love to hear from you. CNN.com/heidi. We always like to post your comments near the end of the show.

Only the most energy-efficient appliances are supposed to get the EnergyStar label, right? But that's not always what happens. Alison Kostic has our "Energy Fix" from New York. So, Alison, what's the deal here?

ALISON KOSTIC, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, you know, when we go shopping for new appliances, many of us aren't just looking for a certain color or brand. We're also looking for that EnergyStar logo. That sticker on the product.

But the Energy Department's inspector general says problems with the program could wind up undermining consumer confidence in that logo. Here's one red flag. Manufacturers test their own appliances, so some companies could put stickers on products that don't even qualify, and it's happened before.

Listen to this. The report finds one refrigerator company snitched to the Energy Department about a competitor. Independent testing confirmed that the model in question, made by LG Electronics, actually used double the amount of energy it claimed. Now, to keep this from happening more often, the inspector general is calling for third-party testing, independent testing, of all EnergyStar products and improved oversight by the Energy Department. Heidi?

COLLINS: So, what does the Energy Department say about this? Can you trust that label as a consumer or not?

KOSTIC: It's a good question. The department says it agrees with the report's findings, Heidi, and plans to do more independent testing and policing. It also says when companies misuse the logo like the refrigerator example we talked about, the department does take action and it stands by the program.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CATHY ZOI, ASST. SECY. FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND RENEWABLE ENERGY: There are 60 products that have the EnergyStar logo. Now, when we have confidence that when consumers go shopping and buy an EnergyStar product compared to one that doesn't have the logo, that it will save them money and help the environment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSTIC: Now, the EPA says EnergyStar appliances will pay for themselves within five years and save the average home will be saved 75 bucks a year.

And we could wind up seeing a lot more people shopping for them because beginning late this year or early next year, $300 million worth of federal rebates will be available on many EnergyStar products. It's part of the stimulus bill, and rebates could reach $200 on some appliances. Heidi, though, we'll see if this report gets people to do a little more homework before they go out and shop for these products.

COLLINS: Always a good idea. All right, Alison Kostic. Thank you.

The city by the bay looking more like the city under the bay in some areas. Rain came down hard and it came down fast in San Francisco yesterday. Trains were stopped at some stations because tracks were flooded.

The wet weather today is in the mountains, though. Let's get over to meteorologist Jacqui Jeras standing by in the Severe Weather Center. Hey there, Jacqui.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey there, Heidi.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: Yes. My favorite time of year really. Jacqui, thanks for that. Appreciate it.

JERAS: Sure. COLLINS: "LATINO IN AMERICA." One girl shares her story of torment and an attempted suicide. The problem is much more common than you might think

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Latina in America. For some girls already struggling with the universal angst of teenage years, the battle to fit into two cultures can be unbearable. CNN's Soledad O'Brien has one story in this preview of her CNN documentary, "LATINO IN AMERICA."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): By her thirteenth birthday, Francisca Abreu had become a statistic.

FRANCISCA ABREU, STRUGGLES TO FIT INTO TWO CULTURES: I wanted to take my mom's pills, and I actually did. I just took very little of different pills so she wouldn't notice I took any.

O'BRIEN: One out of every seven Latina teenagers attempts suicide according to the CDC. Dr. Luis Zayas, a psychologist at Washington University, has spent the last 25 years trying to find out why.

DR. LUIS ZAYAS, PSYCOLOGIST, WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: We have the U.S.-born daughter of immigrant parents who is feeling the need to become more independent while her parents are saying, "No, you cannot. You must retain and kind of keep to the values of our culture."

O'BRIEN: Francisca is one of the girls that Dr. Zayas is studying. She came to the United States when she was seven, after being separated from her mother for four years.

(on camera): Did you ever feel that your mom did not want you to be like the American kids around you?

ABREU: She wanted me to be American, but she did not want me to act like them. Said they're very rude to their parents. They tell you what to do. Where they want to go. What they want to eat. No, doesn't work that way.

O'BRIEN: Do you guys fight a lot, you and your mom?

ABREU: Yes. Every day.

O'BRIEN: Over what?

ABREU: From cleaning, doing everything she basically does, because I'm the girl.

O'BRIEN: As the years passed, the tension grew. Trapped between two worlds, she fell into a deep depression and took her mother's pills.

(on camera): Why did you want to kill yourself?

ABREU: I was tired of being another burden in my mom's life.

O'BRIEN (voice-over): The pills didn't work. The pain didn't go away. She told no one. One year later, Francisca was in trouble again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Francisca recovered with therapy, the support of friends and a much stronger relationship with her mother. You can see her story and more tomorrow on CNN. "LATINO IN AMERICA" is a comprehensive look at how Latinos are changing America. CNN's two- evening event takes place Wednesday and Thursday 9:00 p.m. Eastern. It will also be simulcast in Spanish on CNN en espanol.

I'm Heidi Collins. CNN NEWSROOM continues with Tony Harris.