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Kansas City Closes 61 Schools; 7.2 Quake Rocks Chile Once Again; Gay Date Prompts Prom Cancellation; Hope for Families of U.S. Hikers Held in Iran; Preventing More Madoffs
Aired March 11, 2010 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And a look at our top stories right now. Problems with Toyota vehicles and government oversight of those issues are back on focus on Capitol Hill. A House panel begins a hearing later on this morning. Among those testifying, the head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
And we're learning more about the Pennsylvania woman who was dubbed "Jihad Jane." She dubbed herself that. The "Wall Street Journal" reports that Colleen Larose has been cooperating with authorities concerning a plot to kill a Swedish cartoonist. She has been detained for months, accused of helping recruit and finance terrorists. Next Thursday Larose appears before a judge and is expected to enter a plea.
And a partial results are expected today from Iraq's parliamentary election, but it could be some time before we know who will lead that country. Final results are expected by the end of the month and they'll be certified, of course, and then the political coalition that wins the most seats will put forward a candidate for prime minister.
And I want to show you these pictures right now that we're just now getting in. Just as we're hearing reports of a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hitting Santiago, Chile, you're looking at some images there to the right which is going to be the swearing-in ceremony for the new president, the president-elect, Sebastian Pinera, is to be sworn in.
That rein, that presidential position being handed over by Michelle Bachelet. So again you're seeing the images right here, everyone looks pretty calm and poised even though there has been report of a pretty sizeable aftershock two weeks after that major 8.8 magnitude earthquake. This time we hear in Santiago a 7.2 magnitude quake.
Well, it's a decision that upset children as well as parents in this country. A Kansas City, Missouri, school board has voted to close almost half of the 61 schools in one district in a mostly urban area. It's all designed to address a $50 million budget shortfall and declining enrollment. The superintendent discussed it just moments ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SUPT. JOHN COVINGTON, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI SCHOOL DISTRICT: It has been a difficult and painful and very emotional process that impacts our entire community. No one likes closing schools. It's hard. It's tough on families and it's certainly tough on our community. Closing schools and making the remaining schools much stronger academically is unquestionably the right thing to do. We were operating far too many schools.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The downsizing plan cuts 700 jobs and closes 26 schools leaving parents and students upset.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRINCE JONES, WESTPORT HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR: I feel like I have nothing. I don't even have a high school legacy at all. I have nothing. I have nothing to go back to.
DENEICIA WILLIAMS, PARENT: I have an eight-year-old and a six- year-old that will be going to school with a 12th grader and I find that to be very inappropriate. Very inappropriate. I don't feel like my children will be safe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Joining me by phone now is one of the upset parents, Christine Taylor-Butler. She has a 14-year-old daughter in the school system. Also on the line with us is school board member Ray Wilson. He was one of the four board members to vote against the closures. Welcome to both of you.
CHRISTINE TAYLOR-BUTLER, PARENT: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right. Let me begin with you, school board member. Give me an idea, while the superintendent is saying this was the right thing to do, you voted in opposition. Why?
RAY WILSON, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER (via telephone): Well, actually I didn't vote in opposition, I voted to scale back the number of schools that were being placed on the list for closure.
WHITFIELD: OK.
WILSON: I felt that some of the programs that we have that really worked are some of our signature schools are being interrupted with the scope of this move.
WHITFIELD: Well, while we heard from a couple of students, just some sound bites that we ran, they said they have nowhere to go. That's not the case, they will have somewhere to go, correct? It's just not going to be the school of their choice. The school that they have known for recent years.
TAYLOR-BUTLER: Fredricka - sorry.
WHITFIELD: Go ahead, sir.
WILSON: Right now, it looks like the logistics of it, you know, even as a board member I'm not clear on what it's going to roll out to be, but I would definitely have my eye on it to see to it that every kid is able to stay as close to their own neighborhood if that's their wishes. And I'm sure the superintendent will work to ensure that this program or this project works out to the best benefit of all the kids.
WHITFIELD: OK. Christine Taylor-Butler.
TAYLOR-BUTLER: Yes.
WHITFIELD: You're not happy about this, why?
TAYLOR-BUTLER: No. I'm a parent but I'm also a college recruiter for MIT and we have two schools that are exceeding national and state standards and he's closing 50 percent of the campus. So when that girl says she has nowhere to go, we have hundreds of kids signing up for that admissions test and they're not going to have a spot.
So at a time when the Obama administration is saying let's reward these teachers who are doing it right, we have two schools in which 80 percent of the kids are passing the tests, the A.C.T. scores are much higher than the rest of the district, and Covington is closing half of that campus.
WHITFIELD: What is the solution here?
TAYLOR-BUTLER: The solution would have been to go back and look at why parents were leaving. When I was working on the school closing committee two years ago, we had to cut $25 million. And there were reasons why people are leaving. Covington is cutting the wrong schools. He's cutting the only schools we have as a recruiting tool to get people back in the district. So now we're going to have 10,000 because I'm looking to pull my child out of the district.
WHITFIELD: And then put your child where?
TAYLOR-BUTLER: We are currently aggressively exploring private schools.
WHITFIELD: And so, Mr. Wilson, is your concern that a lot of parents who are in a position to take the same kind of considerations will say forget public schools here, we're moving on to private schools?
WILSON: Well, I think that's one of the big tasks, or one of the major tasks that the administration had before this, to go out and market a plan that will make parents feel a lot more comfortable. This process has been draining on everyone.
And I too am a parent and my child is within the district. You know, I have to look and put my parent hat on or my hat on as a parent and weigh my own options, but I'm 99 percent sure that my daughter will stay within the district. I'll just hold that one percent as an x factor more than just one percent of 100. I will be looking to make sure that her school is ran properly, just as all the rest of the parents.
But I think the administration has assured us that they will put forth a marketing plan that will show a lot of the successes that are already in the district as well as what's coming down the pike.
WHITFIELD: All right. Kansas City school board member Ray Wilson and Christine Taylor-Butler, a parent whose 14-year-old is now in the current school system. Thanks so much to both of you.
TAYLOR-BUTLER: Thank you.
WILSON: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: And of course this move to close 26 schools in Kansas City in a radical step to save money, say many, and improve student performance, we're talking about this on the blog this morning. We want to know what you think. Is this radical or is this reasonable? Go to CNN.com/Fredricka and post your comments. I'll read some of your comments on the air later on in the hour.
Here's a quote. "It was the awfulest roaring I ever heard in my life." An Arkansas woman speaks about a powerful tornado that wrecked her neighborhood. More than 20 homes were damaged as a series of tornados touched down across the state. One person was killed and at least three others injured. The storm uprooted trees and downed power lines and hundreds of people are still without power.
Rob Marciano in the Severe Weather Center.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: Back in this country, a school board didn't like the girl's prom date so what happens? The whole prom cancelled. A lesbian student in northeast Mississippi wanted to bring her girlfriend to the prom. School board members say the request violates policy and now they have decided to simply cancel the whole thing because of what they call a distraction.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONSTANCE MCMILLEN, GAY STUDENT: I just want to be able to go to prom and be myself and be happy and bring my date, just like everyone else gets to. I'm not going to pretend I wasn't raised like that. I was raised to be proud of who you are. And I don't think that you should have to hide who you are to go to a school event.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And here's the statement from a school official. "At this time we feel that this decision is in the best interest of the Itawamba County School District after taking into consideration the education, safety and well-being of our students." The school board has told the community it should put together a private prom. Three U.S. hikers held in Iran for seven months. Now their families are talking about a positive sign that could lead to their freedom they hope. We talk to the mother of one of those hikers.
Also, trouble may be ahead for Haiti's tent city residents.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Iran's president is raising the stakes in a war of words with Defense secretary Robert Gates. Earlier this week, Gates accused Iran of helping the Taliban in Afghanistan. Well, today he suggested that Tehran's level of support has been limited, but he expressed concern the situation could get worse. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today warned Afghanistan and nearby nations to be vigilant because the U.S. will use its military power to take over the region's oil reserves.
The families of three U.S. hikers detained in Iran are expressing renewed hope for their release. The hikers, who have been held for more than seven months, were allowed to call home Tuesday. The families say the hikers were detained when they accidentally strayed across an unmarked border into Iran. Iran has charged them with spying. The State Department has called again for their release.
Joining us to talk about one of the hikers' conversations with a parent, Laura Fattal, Josh Fattal's mother. Good to see you.
LAURA FATTAL, JOSH FATTAL'S MOTHER: Thank you. Good to be here.
WHITFIELD: OK. what was that phone conversation like? Did you know it was coming? Give me the details.
FATTAL: Sure. I was not on the phone conversation. A phone came and the call came to my husband who had the - both the house phone and his office phone numbers ringing at his office so just in case Josh called, he could be able to have it. Unfortunately, I was not there. But my husband and I are married 34 years and when my husband speaks, we speak as one and we are so excited that Josh said he is strong, he is being well fed, sanitation is good and he had a very upbeat manner to him.
WHITFIELD: Well, why do you suppose Josh was upbeat? Simply because he was talking to dad? Or did your husband say that Josh said anything about a possible release or their fate overall?
FATTAL: He did not speak of release at all. This was a humanitarian phone call, a phone call between a parent and a child, and they were so happy to be able to communicate with us. It had nothing to do with their situation. They are, of course, curious. They know we have hired a lawyer. December 27th we hired Mr. Mahsud (INAUDIBLE) a wonderful prominent independent Iranian lawyer working in Tehran and working on the behalf of the three American hikers.
And so all three hikers have signed papers having this lawyer represent them and they're eager to go on and work with the judicial system of the Islamic Republic of Iran, but they have no update on their case at all.
WHITFIELD: OK. You seem awfully at ease. What has been the last seven months been like for you up to this point?
FATTAL: Thank you for mentioning, I'm feeling more at ease. It was a huge burden lifted from my shoulders after getting that phone call. It was a tremendous relief. There was no independent eyes on Josh, Shane or Sarah for four and a half months, from October 29th till Tuesday, last Tuesday, and so, yes, I am feeling relieved but we are also looking forward to continued action and their release. This seven and a half months has been extremely trying, extremely upsetting, but we are hopeful, we are always hopeful. We are always optimistic that we will see our children again and soon.
WHITFIELD: Laura Fattal, thanks so much and all the best to you and the family and Josh.
FATTAL: Thank you so much.
WHITFIELD: All right. Back now to this story just in. We're talking about an earthquake again in Chile. A powerful 7.2 earthquake rocked the Santiago area. We're talking about just two weeks after that 8.8 magnitude earthquake. Joining us on the phone is Rolando Santos, president of CNN International in Santiago. Give me an idea, Rolando. You felt the tremor, you felt this quake?
ROLANDO SANTOS, CNN PRESIDENT, CHILE: Oh, there was no question about it, Fredricka. It was very, very strong. It went on for a good 45 seconds. The latest information just in the last two minutes, the Navy has issued a tsunami alert, not a warning, a tsunami alert for the region, from the fifth region to the ninth region which basically covers everything from Valparaiso where they're in the middle of the inauguration right now, all the way down to the most affected area which is down near Concepcion.
We also have information from our crews in Valparaiso where the inauguration is taking place that they're evacuating people around the main government building on the outside asking them to move away and move to higher ground, although the inauguration itself is continuing. Aside from the 7.2 that hit just a little before noon this morning, we've had at least four aftershocks, not as powerful as that one but the others were just as strong, lasting anywhere from 20 to 25 seconds.
WHITFIELD: And remarkably, Rolando, as you're talking, you talk about the evacuations taking place around everywhere except for the location where that inauguration is taking place. We're looking right now at Michelle Bachelet and during this inauguration handing over power there to Sebastian Pinera. It's remarkable that everyone there seems very poised, not at all responding to what took place just moments ago.
SANTOS: You know what, I'm not sure exactly what they may have felt inside that particular building, because of the way it's constructed or whatever, but I can tell you within our newsroom in Santiago, which is state-of-the-art in terms of seismic construction, it shook for 45 seconds. I had people running downstairs, I had other people who refused to leave because we're on air. I've got a pretty courageous group here and they're just refusing to leave. So I had to walk in the newsroom and basically tell everyone to get under the desks until things stopped shaking.
WHITFIELD: Wow. Remarkable. All right. Rolando Santos, president of CNN Chile, we'll continue to keep tabs with you and the rest of our crews working there in Chile with the 7.2 magnitude quake that was felt just moments ago there in the Santiago area, as you're looking at live pictures of the handover of presidential power from Bachelet to Pinera.
All right. The Bernie Madoff ponzi scheme in this country. One year later. Are you any safer from a similar scam? We'll take a closer look at the government's renewed mission to crack down.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Tomorrow marks the one year anniversary of Bernie Madoff's guilty plea. When the shock of Madoff's scam started to fade, the finger of blame was jabbed at the agency that let it happen. After dodging widespread calls to be shut down, the Securities and Exchange Commission has a change of guard and a fresh start. CNNMoney.com's poppy Harlow reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How did this happen?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How the heck did this happen?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Massive complete total bureaucratic incompetence.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM (on camera): The Securities and Exchange Commission was a product of the new deal era, after the stock market crash of 1929. But in the most recent financial crisis, the SEC missed the biggest financial fraud in history, Madoff.
But there are new sheriffs in town. Call them the top cops of Wall Street, and they say this time things will be different.
ROBERT KHUZAMI, SEC DIRECTOR OF ENFORCEMENT: We took the lessons of Madoff to heart to a very great degree.
HARLOW (on camera): You could call Robert Khuzami, the enforcer. He's tasked with uncovering fraud and bringing charges against alleged perpetrators. He's had to recruit some of Wall Street's top talent without the promise of big paydays. To catch the next Madoff, the SEC needs people who know the game inside and out.
(on camera): How do you pitch them? Can you give me your pitch to maybe a top Wall Street trader?
KHUZAMI: It's not that hard a sell.
HARLOW: Really?
KHUZAMI: Because a lot of people want to be on the right side.
HARLOW (voice-over): But the challenges for regulators are mounting. The number of investigations has doubled in the last year and they're more complex than ever before. Henry Hu is the man charged with monitoring them. As head of the SEC's first new division in nearly four decades.
HENRY HU, DERIVATIVES INVESTIGATION CHIEF: Part of what this division is all about is bringing in these new fresh insights, these new skill sets to people who understand these derivatives and other complex financial products of today to better protect investors.
HARLOW: But the SEC is woefully underfunded, its budget $1 billion, a mere drop in the bucket, some would say, to police today's multi-trillion dollar securities market.
HU: We're terribly under resourced.
HARLOW: And despite a push for regulatory reform from the Obama administration, for now it's still an old outdated system that just can't keep up with an ever-changing market.
HU: We are at an absolutely critical time in terms of that. What happens in Washington over the next year or two might dictate financial regulation, our economy, for the next half century.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And Poppy Harlow joins us now. So Poppy, what concrete steps is the SEC taking to gain back the public's trust?
HARLOW: One of the things they're doing that's really important is they're lobbying Congress. They're trying to get congressional approval, Fredricka, to be able to pay whistleblowers. Remember the whistleblower that went to the SEC bout Madoff four different times, they didn't listen to him. So now they're trying to be able to pay people for these tips about these frauds.
And when you look at someone like Rob Khuzami, dubbed the enforcer at the SEC, you see him right there when we visited last week. He was a prosecutor here in New York targeting terrorists and mobsters for about 10 years. And when you do that, you typically sometimes pay witnesses for tips as well. So he's sort of translating what he learned in that profession over to the SEC, trying to prevent what fraud he can. But he didn't say there will not be another Madoff, but he said they are doing their hardest. Certainly a big shakeup at this agency. Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Poppy Harlow, thanks so much.
HARLOW: You got it.
WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories right now. A health care deal may be getting closer. President Obama spent yesterday in Missouri talking about reform plans, but back in Washington, back room deliberations were heating up. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says those talks have helped Democrats to get past some key hurdles.
And vice president Joe Biden is moving past a perceived Israeli snub. We're talking about Israel announcing new settlements while Biden was meeting with Palestinian leaders in the West Bank. Biden immediately condemned the move, but speaking in Tel Aviv this morning he said he was happy to hear Israel's prime minister clarify that those new settlements are still years away. Biden says that still leaves a lot of time for a peace deal to be reached.
Outgoing Congressman Patrick Kennedy is mad at the media for the perceived lack of coverage of the Afghan war. Listen to his outburst on the floor of the House.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. PATRICK KENNEDY (D), RHODE ISLAND: IF anyone who wants to know where cynicism is, cynicism is that there's one, two press people in this gallery. We're talking about Eric Massa, 24/7 on the TV. We're talking about war and peace, $3 billion, a thousand lives and no press? No press? You want to know why the American public is fit? They're fit because they're not seeing their Congress do the work that they're sent to do.
It's because the press, the press of the United States is not covering the most significant issue of national importance and that's the laying of lives down in the nation for the service of our country. It's despicable, the national press corps right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And now a bit of CSI by the CDC. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it used those grocery chain shopper carts to track a Salmonella outbreak last summer. The federal agency says it got permission from Salmonella victims to use their cards in finding the Salmonella source.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Well, they're still feeling aftershocks in Chile. Two weeks after that massive 8.8 magnitude quake, now today we understand within the past hour they have felt aftershocks of 7.2 magnitude as well as 6.9, all of this taking place during the inaugural ceremonies of the new president just sworn in, Sebastian Pinera. Apparently, they evacuated most of the areas around Santiago outside of this particular hall where the inauguration is taking place, but we have heard no reports of any kind of significant damage or even injuries thus far.
Our Rob Marciano is in the Severe Weather Center here and he's also keeping a close watch on this region. They have been rocked by earthquakes, aftershocks, one after the another. I think we have lost count at this point how many aftershocks they have felt just within the past two weeks. ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's been well over a couple hundred, but the bigger ones, the ones over 6.0, we certainly have been making note of. This one being 7.2, and then shortly thereafter about, 15 minutes later, a 6.9 in a similar spot rocking this area.
So, let's show you exactly where this is. By the way, this 7.2 -- and actually now finally that 6.9 is showing up, these are about roughly 80 miles from Santiago. So, that's about 100 miles closer than the original 8.8
I'm happy to hear that there doesn't seem to be a lot more damage that's been done by this because I was a little worried that it being closer and still being a major quake at 7.2 that especially with those weakened buildings in Santiago that we would see more damage. Obviously, the villages and towns in between are going to be a little bit more susceptible to damage, and we'll have to watch out for that. But obviously very unstable still. Aftershocks have not quieted down at all in the last two weeks.
Let's show you what's going on weather-wise. I do want to touch on this. We still have a tornado warning out for around Ocala, Florida. This came out from the National Weather Service in Jacksonville. Crossing I-75, moving to the north at about 75 miles an hour. So, folks in Ocala, moving to the northeast at 35 miles an hour, I should say, so just north of Daytona Beach and just to the south of Jacksonville also. This is an area that we expect to see severe weather today.
Again, we had three reports of tornadoes in Arkansas yesterday with now, this just in, one confirmed fatality from one of the tornadoes that was north of Little Rock. Later on today, we do expect to see some thunderstorms popping up in the areas from Louisiana, say over towards Mississippi and Alabama as well. Here you go, here is the favorite spot for seeing active weather today.
Also tomorrow, Fredricka, the Southeast will still be under the gun for seeing severe weather. So, from South America with quakes to the Southeast with tornadoes, certainly an active day here.
WHITFIELD: Terrible stuff. All right, Rob, thank you.
So, it's been nearly two months since a massive earthquake laid waste to much of Haiti's impoverished capital. The story has largely faded but the suffering has not. In fact, as the rainy season looms, new fears are growing. CNN's Sara Sidner has the story from Port-au- Prince.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARA SIDNER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Seventy-year-old Anoise Pierre says he feels he's living in a prison and wants out. He lives among roughly 40,000 earthquake survivors in one of Haiti's largest tent cities.
"No one has told us what they will do for us. We are here like children in a prison who they feed a little bit every day," he says.
Nearly two months after the quake, all of these people simply don't know what to do or where to go. More shocking, neither Pierre nor his neighbors have heard one word from their government.
"The government should know what to quickly do for us," he says.
And then there's Dr. Luigi Letiko (ph), a psychologist volunteering in the camps.
(on camera): What do you think of the response so far from the government?
DR. LUIGI LETIKO (ph), PSYCHOLOGIST: No response from the government. I haven't seen the government here.
SIDNER: No response at all?
LETIKO: I see the American government here, not the Haitian government.
SIDNER (voice-over): Most troubling of all, the fast approaching rainy season. There's a U.N.-backed plan to help move some 150,000 people who need to get to higher ground. But no one has started to move. And most people we talked to know nothing about it.
The U.N. says it has already distributed tarp or tents to more than 700,000 people. Look at them though, it doesn't bring more confidence.
(on camera): It is scorching hot in here right now. But they are extremely worried about the rain and here's why. There are lots of gaps in the tarp where the water can come in and wash out everything that they have.
(voice-over): And these are the lucky ones.
(on camera): Here. You don't have a tarp?
FARRAH MERISMA, EARTHQUAKE VICTIM: What?
SIDNER: You have no tarp, only this?
(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
SIDNER: So, after all the attention paid to Haiti, how is this possible? We went to talk to the Haitian government to find out. It admits the country is not yet prepared for the next potential disaster.
ABY BRUN, HAITIAN COMMISSION FOR RECONSTRUCTION: There's a high risk of loss of lives. We have some mudslide risk because of the weight has been built on the other side. And thirdly, a lot of camps are overcrowded. So, we have epidemics.
With the wet soil and with concentrated feces, et cetera, we have to move out 150,000 people very quickly. That is going to require about $126 million.
SIDNER: Do you have that money right now?
BRUN: No.
SIDNER: Where is it?
BRUN: The money is in the hands of the donor countries.
SIDNER (voice-over): But the U.N. says much has been accomplished.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think you should -- you shouldn't underestimate the amount which is being achieved in terms of getting 4.3 million people with food and 2.3 million people that received water.
SIDNER: Haiti will make a final push for the pledged money at the end of the month, but nothing is guaranteed. In the meantime, all of these people wait. They wait for word from their government and they wait for the usual torrential rains.
Sara Sidner, CNN, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Learning about world hunger the hard way. Teens spend a weekend reaching out, but not eating. All to help people they have never met.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A look at our Top Stories right now.
Partial results are expected today from Iraq's parliamentary election, but it could be some time before we know who will lead the country. Final results are expected by the end of the month, and they will have to be certified. Then the political coalition that wins the most seats will put forward a candidate for prime minister.
Troubles at Toyota continue to have a ripple effect in Washington this morning. Live pictures right now. A House subcommittee begins meeting at 11:15 Eastern time. When we get those live images. The questions will be asked, is the government doing its job when it comes to highway safety? The head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Commission is among those set to testify. Congress is considering several steps aimed at improving road safety.
And two I.T. school workers have been placed on leave while an FBI investigation into a web cam controversy continues. A suburban Philadelphia school district secretly turned on web cams on students' school-issued laptops. The district says the web cams were activated in a search for missing computers. One student is suing the school system saying his privacy was invaded when he was photographed in his bedroom. And in women's basketball, the Tulsa Shocks fast break takes on a whole new meaning. Olympic sprinter Marion Jones has joined the team. Jones won five medals at the Sydney Olympic games but had them stripped after admitting she used performance-enhancing drugs. In making the announcement, Jones was asked if going into pro ball was redemption for her past troubles.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARION JONES, JOINING WNBA'S TULSA SHOCK: The word redemption is not in my vocabulary. This is an opportunity for me to realize a dream. This is an opportunity for me to share my message of hope, of second chances -- yes, I agree with you on that, but redemption doesn't creep into the equation for me. This is a new part of my journey.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Jones played on North Carolina's championship team back in 1994 and was drafted by Phoenix in 2003, but never played in the WNBA.
A sign of hope in the housing sector, or is it? Goreclosures fell in February when compared to the month before, but you have to read the fine print. Stephanie Elam is in New York with details on this. Stephanie, the headline sounds good, but foreclosures are down, that's good, but I have a feeling you've got a but coming.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I do have a conjunction for you, Fred, right now. This is one of those reports that you really have to dig deeper to really get the full sense of it.
Let's start with that headline. Foreclosure filings fell two percent last month. That follows a 10 percent drop in January. But RealtyTrac -- that's the company that puts out this report -- says there are two things going on here. One, instead of issuing a foreclosure notice right away, banks are now taking their time to evaluate and see if the homeowner would fit into a modification plan. That's one issue. Now, the second, all that snow we got last month on the East Coast meant courts were closed, so foreclosure proceedings were delayed, Fred, and that could be a factor.
WHITFIELD: And if foreclosures are simply being delayed, does that mean that we could see a big jump in the next few months?
ELAM: You know what, we can't rule that out. That's a good question. After all, the same thing happened last year. Foreclosure filings were steady in January. They were also steady in February of 2009 but then surged by double-digits in March. Overall, foreclosures are expected to hit three million this year and that would top last year's record high.
Now, moving from that to take a look at what's going on on Wall Street today. Stocks are modestly lower. A jump in Chinese inflation is worrying investors. The concern is that officials there could try to slow the pace of growth. Taking a look at the numbers, the Dow on the downside, but just 2 points, 10,565. NASDAQ just barely above the flat line at 2,359. So, as we've been seeing more of this week, Fred, more flat-line dancing here.
WHITFIELD: OK. Thanks so much, Stephanie Elam.
Well, he worked an exhausting schedule in Iraq and now he's back home and ready to jump into the workforce. And today he is making his "30-Second Pitch."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Time now for our "30-Second Pitch." It's when we connect job seekers with employers, hopefully. Larell Frazier has returned home from Iraq after spending two grueling years working as a government contractor, but like so many people, he's having trouble finding a job.
Frazier joins me right here in Atlanta to make his "30-Second Pitch." Good to see you, Latrell.
LATREAL FRAZIER, JOB SEEKER: Glad to be here, thank you.
WHITFIELD: So what has it been like, this job search, since you ended your contracting gig?
FRAZIER: It's just been very tedious and just a hard process. I just ask the people who I know who's applying, where should I go, what fields are open and I just take their lead, but still, I don't know if my application is even being looked at because everybody is applying online these days. So, it's really hard to make my application stand out.
WHITFIELD: So, you really feel like it's been very competitive.
FRAZIER: Very competitive and just a tedious process.
WHITFIELD: OK. What kind of job are you looking for?
FRAZIER: I'd like a fun job. I'd like to work for the Kasim Reed administration. I'd like to work in the event planning, I like -- just something that fits my personality, which isn't too conservative. I'm just, you know, down to do the job at hand and just make sure I like it.
WHITFIELD: All right. So you want to stay here in Atlanta, potentially with the mayor's administration here in Atlanta. You just mentioned Kasim Reed. OK. Give us your 30-second pitch.
FRAZIER: All right. I'm Latreal Frazier. And after working in a war zone, there's nothing I can't handle. While working in Iraq and London, I've learned to apply diverse approaches to achieve results. In fact, I'm great at managing resources, and -- and I like the opportunity to work for the Kasim Reed administration in event planning and public relations. I'm the guy who does the job to get the job done.
WHITFIELD: And folks can find you, latreal.frazier@gmail.com. And you hope folks will have an offer for you -
FRAZIER: Right.
WHITFIELD: -- put you in the right direction --
FRAZIER: That's right.
WHITFIELD: -- and you're looking for maybe even advice on how to stand out, as you mentioned.
FRAZIER: Exactly.
WHITFIELD: All right. Latreal Frazier. Thanks so much. All the best --
FRAZIER: Thank you. I appreciate it.
WHITFIELD: -- in your search.
Well, if you are out of work and you want to sell yourself to prospective employers, let us know. Send a resume and letter to 30secondpitch@CNN.com.
All right. Thirty hours -- how about that -- without food?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a great experience for us, but for other people, this is a way of life. They don't know when their next meal is coming or if it's coming.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHTIFIELD: So at times it may look like fun and games here, right? But these teens are learning an important lesson about the world around them.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: President Obama says buy American. He's announcing an export initiative just about 20 minutes from now at 11:15 Eastern time. The president wants U.S. exports doubled in five years. CNN will bring that to you live.
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WHITFIELD: Learning about hunger by going hungry. It's a project aimed at teaching tough lessons to teens. It took just one weekend. But in the end, it gave them a whole new perspective on the world around them. Here's CNN's Brooke Baldwin.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I guess it's going to look like a giant cardboard palace. BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Empty boxes and duct tape. Not exactly your typical building materials, but that's precisely the point. To give young people like 16-year-old Alex Sparerand an idea of what it's like to be among the poorest in the world.
ALEX FERRAND, PARTICIPANT, 30 HOUR FAMINE: This will be very high quality because it's giving you a shelter. But right now we're just basically creating someplace to spend the night.
BALDWIN: Alex is nearly one of a half million teens participating in World Vision's 30-Hour Famine this year. It's an annual event that raises money and awareness to help fight world hunger. Participants do not eat for 30 hours while collecting donations and performing community service. Katie McFee (ph) is the group leader.
KATIE MCFEE (ph), 30-HOUR FAMINE GROUP LEADER: This is a great experience for us. But for other people, this is a way of life. They don't know when their next meal is coming or if it's coming.
BALDWIN: Since 1992, Sam (ph) and participants have collected more than $130 million. That money goes to relief efforts in countries like Haiti, areas where children experience extreme poverty every day.
FERRAND: I think it looks pretty nice.
BALDWIN: Inside his cardboard shelter, Alex tells us participating in the famine has given him some time to reflect.
FERRAND: I'm happy for the things I have and the friends and the family.
BALDWIN: That night, we gave Alex a camera and asked him to record the rest of his experience.
FERRAND: The time is 11:00. It's really cold out here.
I'm starting to get a little hungry. The temperature is probably going to keep on dropping. Hopefully we'll warm up and get through the night.
BALDWIN: After about an hour in 30-degree weather, the famine group leader decided to take the teens indoors. It was just too cold. Not an option for many of the world's poorest people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So far, we've been out here about 30 minutes.
BALDWIN: The next morning, the teens took to the streets, planting a fork for every child that dies from hunger. Thirteen thousand in all, hoping to match each one with one donated dollar. That's the daily amount World Vision estimates will feed and care for a child.
Finally, the fast is over. It's time to chow down. After 30 hours, these teens have a better idea of hardship others live with every day, and they realize they are the lucky ones.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you for having us, Father, and keeping us safe. In your name we pray.
CROWD: Amen!
BALDWIN: Brooke Baldwin, CNN, Roswell, Georgia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right. Trying to learn a very tough lesson in a very tough way of life. Our Tony Harris is coming up next.
