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First Lady to Mexico; Nuclear Warning; America in the Red
Aired April 13, 2010 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And time now for your top-of-the-hour reset.
I'm Tony Harris in the CNN NEWSROOM.
It is 11:00 in Mexico City, where first lady Michelle Obama arrives today. We will look at her mission south of the border.
It is noon in Washington, where President Obama warns a security summit of the rising risk of nuclear terror.
And it is 9:00 a.m. in Los Angeles, where a police officer killed in the war in Afghanistan is honored. And it is impressive.
Let's get started here.
U.S./Mexico relations getting a boost from first lady Michelle Obama. She is making her first solo international trip south of the border.
First stop for the first lady today, Haiti. She just landed moments ago in Port-au-Prince.
This afternoon she will travel to Mexico City. The White House is billing the three-day visit as being in recognition of the deep ties between the United States and Mexico. She will meet with Mexico's first lady. Also on her agenda, a visit to a public elementary school that serves low-income students, and a speech to university students. Plus, she will meet with some of Mexico's female leaders.
This trip to Mexico comes amid escalating tensions due to drug trafficking.
CNN Senior Latin American Affairs Editor Rafael Romo is joining us.
And you have some news that broke just moments ago of a new agreement between Mexico, the United States and Canada. Share that news with us.
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SR. LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: Exactly. A little known fact, Mexico has a nuclear reactor. And this agreement between the United States, Mexico and Canada basically means that they will help Mexico dispose of any nuclear waste coming from their nuclear reactor. HARRIS: Is there any special significance -- we just laid out the itinerary of the first lady while she's in Mexico. Any particular significance to this trip at this particular time?
ROMO: Well, Mexico and the United States are getting ready for the big event which is May 19th, a state dinner, the second state dinner by President Obama. President Calderon and first lady Margarita Zavala will be there. But also, Mexico and the United States are really trying to focus on working together to solve a lot of common issues, including the problem with drugs, trade, immigration.
There are so many common issues to these two countries. And so this is -- I would call it the first step in trying to get closer and work together.
HARRIS: Well, I like that.
So there is also news today that the law enforcement official who was responsible for the anti-kidnapping unit is missing.
ROMO: In Mexico City, exactly. He's missing. At this point there are two possibilities.
He may be indeed missing because he was kidnapped, or the second possibility is that he was probably trying to get away from authorities because he, himself, is a target of an investigation. But in either case, it tells you a lot about the situation in Mexico when it comes to organized crime.
HARRIS: Any update on the killing of the U.S. consulate employee?
ROMO: There was one suspect arrested a couple of weeks ago. This happened about a month ago.
As you'll remember, three people connected to the U.S. Consulate in Mexico were targeted, were gunned down. One of them was indeed a consular employee. And there was a lot of pressure on both sides of the border to solve this case. And one suspect has been arrested.
HARRIS: That's a good reset. Rafael, appreciate it. Thank you.
ROMO: Absolutely.
HARRIS: You know, President Obama and world leaders focus on keeping nuclear weapons out of the hands of terrorists. The president opened the main working session of the global summit today with a call for unified action to prevent nuclear terrorism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In short, it is increasingly clear that the danger of nuclear terrorism is one of the greatest threats to global security, to our collective security. And that's why one year ago today -- one year ago in Prague, I called for a new international effort to secure all vulnerable nuclear materials around the world in four years. This is one part of a broader comprehensive agenda that the United States is pursuing, including reducing our nuclear arsenal and stopping the spread of nuclear weapons.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Pretty broad agenda here.
White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux joining us live.
Suzanne, great to see you.
How does the United States and this president hope to accomplish this?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, these series of meetings that he's having, they actually have had some commitments already. We heard from Rafael Romo talking about Mexico, but also those sidebar meetings that the president had, the leader of Ukraine, as well as Canada. Both of them saying that they will go ahead and turn over the highly-enriched uranium, those nuclear components that could be used to make a nuclear bomb, over to a more secure and stable environment.
We also told you as well, Tony, about that meeting between President Obama and China's Hu Jintao. We know that these two leaders are now expressing a little bit more in unison when it comes to perhaps sanctioning Iran for its own nuclear behavior. Those talks are going to come up in New York in the next couple of weeks. But that is also a pretty good sign -- Tony.
HARRIS: Yes.
And Suzanne, how is the president describing the threat?
MALVEAUX: Well, in very dramatic terms, very stark terms, the president is trying to impress upon these other leaders. We've heard in the opening statement that this is a sense of urgency and that this is a real threat to the global community, the possibility of terrorists getting a hold of these nuclear components, building a nuclear bomb or weapon, and attacking the United States or its allies.
Here's how the president put it, Tony, in jump-starting the summit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Just the smallest amount of plutonium, about the size of an apple, could kill and injure hundreds of thousands of innocent people. Terrorist networks such as al Qaeda have tried to acquire the material for a nuclear weapon, and if they ever succeeded, they would surely use it.
(END VIDEO CLIP) MALVEAUX: So that's the kind of tone and tenor coming from the president. What he's trying to do is get these world leaders by the end of today to sign on to a document, if you will, acknowledging, agreeing that nuclear terrorism is a serious problem and that they are signing on to this goal, this idea of within four years, trying to secure those nuclear materials so they don't get in the hands of terrorists -- Tony.
HARRIS: OK. Our White House correspondent, Suzanne Malveaux, for us.
Great to see you, Suzanne. Thank you.
You know, we have some new poll numbers just out on President Obama. The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll shows the president's job approval rating holding steady at 51 percent. That's the same as a poll in late March and up slightly from January and February. Forty-seven percent in the latest poll disapprove of the way the president is handling his job.
Los Angeles police mourning one of their own. Forty-five-year- old Robert Cottle died in Afghanistan last month while on reserve duty. Thousands expected to attend his funeral in Los Angeles.
Live pictures here of the procession route. Police officials say Cottle was the first active LAPD officer killed in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Plenty of us know all about household debt, right? Paying the bills is never easy or fun. What about paying the bills for the whole country?
We're going to take a look at some ways to lower a national debt that runs in the trillions.
First, though, our "Random Moment" in 90 seconds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Got to tell you, Martha Stewart would not approve. Poor housekeeping, our "Random Moment of the Day."
This Detroit area home was so dirty and smelly, stinky, the landlord panicked and called in a hazmat team. She mistook the ferocious ammonia odor lofting from the house for a meth lab. Streets were closed, neighbors inconvenienced.
It turns out the unpleasant scent was not meth. Rather, the tenants had lots of cats that thought the house was their giant litter box.
Redefining dirty with another "Random Moment."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: OK. You know you can't spend more money than you have, right? You have a fixed amount of money to pay the bills -- mortgage, power, phone, gas, food, et cetera, right? When expenses go up, you either take a second job, or you can cut back on eating out or tell the kids they can't go to the movies this week, right? It's common sense.
OK. So take a look at this Web site. It is ticking off America's debt in real time.
Right now the U.S. government is in the red by $12 trillion and climbing. And like you, with your family budget, Congress is going to have to make some really tough choices to bring it down.
The president's policymakers have a tough task ahead of them, to be sure, coming up with more $500 billion in new revenue or spending cuts to reduce the annual deficit to three percent of the gross domestic product. We're going to break all that out in just a second here.
We are joined now by CNNMoney.com's Jeanne Sahadi. Love having Jeanne on the program, as she has written a fascinating piece on this, still available at CNN.com.
Jeanne, let's start here. Before we get to solutions to the debt problem, tell me why I should care about this. Look, America has operated in the red for many times, and for long stretches. What's the difference, as Vice President Dick Cheney is famously quoted as saying to then-Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill, "Reagan proved deficits don't matter?"
So why does the deficit matter?
JEANNE SAHADI, CNNMONEY.COM: Yes. It matters not because the government can't run any debt at all. It's a little bit more complex than just your average American family. Entirely less lovable, but nevertheless more complex.
So it's OK to run some debt, but right now our debt is on track to basically consume more and more of the federal budget. So there will be less and less revenue available for the government to do what you want the government to do.
A really good example, in 2020, the Government Accountability Office estimates that on our current track, we will be spending 93 percent of our tax revenue dollars -- 93 percent -- on just Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and interest on our debt. Another good example, in the next decade, of all the money we're going to accrue in debt, more than half of it will be in interest. That's money that doesn't benefit you, it doesn't benefit me. It just benefits the folks that buys our bonds.
That's the perspective.
HARRIS: OK. So let's do this -- yes, that's solid. Let's get into what the economists you talk to are saying we need to do.
Clearly here, we can either raise taxes, cut spending, or both. Let's start with raising taxes.
By how much would Congress have to raise taxes if you wanted to reduce the deficit by, what is it, three percent of the GDP?
SAHADI: Right, two percent.
HARRIS: Strictly through tax increases.
SAHADI: If they wanted to do that by 2015, which is a goal for the president's bipartisan fiscal commission, the Tax Policy Center figures that if you wanted to raise income taxes across the board, you would have to jack them up by about 30 percent. So that means the lower rate -- the lowest rate goes from about 10 percent to 14 percent, and the top rate goes from 35 percent today to 48 percent. That's the mildest version.
HARRIS: Wow.
SAHADI: Most people don't want to raise taxes on the lowest income folks, so maybe they want to raise taxes only on those people making other than $200,000 or $250,000, if you're married.
HARRIS: Yes.
SAHADI: Then it's just -- it's completely untenable. You actually have to double -- more than double rates. The top rate would go from about 35 percent today to 77 percent.
HARRIS: Yikes.
SAHADI: And it gets worse, because that doesn't account for behavioral response to tax increases. It's what's called a so-called static analysis. And I was talking to Bob Williams (ph) at the Tax Policy Center, and he said, "Well, if you factor in behavior, chances are those rate hikes actually would need to be higher."
HARRIS: Oh my goodness.
All right. How about cutting --
SAHADI: So that's not really tenable.
HARRIS: Yes, yes, yes, yes.
So how about cutting spending? What would you have to cut, right? And let's start with discretionary spending, right, to reduce the deficit by what's necessary to reach the goal by 2015.
SAHADI: Right. Discretionary spending is about a third of the federal budget today. It basically pays for everything except Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and interest on the debt. OK, so everything the government does basically is in the discretionary spending pot.
HARRIS: So you're talking a education, defense, those kinds of things? SAHADI: Correct. Infrastructure, all of that. Everything that we think about when we think about the government serving us.
Martin Sullivan, a tax analyst, estimates that you'd have to cut discretionary spending by 40 percent. That's an enormous amount.
Congress is not in the business of cutting spending, hasn't been for years. So, for them to just go from nothing to 40 percent is huge. That's why people say you do have to do a combination of tax increases and spending cuts, despite what politicians who favor one or the other say. At the end of the day you're going to have to do both.
HARRIS: Yes. I don't want you to get there just yet, because there's another track here as well.
SAHADI: Oh yes.
HARRIS: If you didn't want to cut defense, education and infrastructure, right, how much would you have to cut in mandatory spending, right? We're talking about Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security to get the kind of reductions needed by 2015.
SAHADI: Again, Martin Sullivan, a tax analyst, estimates that we would have to cut that by about 25 percent. Now, we all know how politically sensitive all of those programs are. We've heard it over and over again with health reform. We're seeing a lot of pushback -- we saw a lot of pushback when President Bush tried to do Social Security reform because he was pushing for private investment accounts, and that was not very popular among many people.
But the larger question with Social Security is, at some point -- in the next decade we're going to be taking in less revenue than we need to pay out. And while we have a trust fund which represents the money the government has borrowed -- and the government will pay that back -- it's still going to be a strain on federal coffers. And even beyond that, when we're done paying the trust fund off, then we really will only be able to pay a portion of benefits.
Social Security is the easiest thing to fix and it's what a lot of deficit experts are saying -- please, let's just do that first. It's achievable.
What David Walker at the Peter G. Peterson Foundation says is we need some points on the board here. If we can get Social Security reformed in the next couple of years, that will put us at least one step in the right direction of where we need to go.
HARRIS: OK. Jeanne, so you helped us with a big picture. We are going to have you back in subsequent days here, and we're going to drill down on each of those areas that you discussed.
All right?
SAHADI: OK.
HARRIS: Get into the weeds a little bit on one topic. SAHADI: OK.
HARRIS: All right?
SAHADI: All right.
HARRIS: Let's do that.
SAHADI: OK. Good. OK.
HARRIS: Jeanne Sahadi from our terrific money team.
Jeanne, appreciate it. Good to see you, as always. Thank you.
So, we asked you earlier, what are you willing to sacrifice or accept in order to bring down the national debt? Your comments are pouring in. Yeah.
Michael Armstrong Sr. says, "It is no longer a matter of what the people need to cut but instead what the government needs to cut. I am willing to cut the pay to Congress in half because they are doing a sorry job at taking care of business."
And Jeryl says, "Of course, I'd be willing to cut my lifestyle. As a matter of fact, I already have. But any further cuts are based on one simple thing, Congress being willing to cut spending, to cut earmarks out of legislation, and forget new bills that will raise taxes and costs on the consumer."
And Eddie says, "I am willing to give at least one percent of my paycheck or pay a gas tax increase. Whatever it takes, I will do. Together is the only way we can get this done."
Let's keep this conversation going. Comments are coming in. Love it.
Just send the comments to my blog at CNN.com/Tony, or you can call me at 1-877-742-5760. Leave your comment at the tone and include your name and where you're calling from. And if you would, keep your comments to under 30 seconds.
OK. More to do here.
The overhaul of the nation's financial regulations may be headed for a filibuster or floor fight in the Senate.
National Political Correspondent -- there she is -- Jessica Yellin joining me now.
Jessica, it's the president's next big priority in Congress. And it sounds like Republican leaders are saying they are not on board.
Are we talking about health care all over again here?
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it does have the potential to become that, Tony. Right now the parties are feeling one another out, figuring out how much negotiating room there is on this issue. And today, the leader of the Republicans in the Senate came out against the bill as it's written now saying this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), MINORITY LEADER: Never again. Never again should taxpayers be expected to bail out Wall Street from its own mistakes. We cannot allow endless taxpayer-funded bailouts for big Wall Street banks.
That's why we must not pass the financial reform bill that's about to hit the floor. The fact is, this bill wouldn't solve the problems that led to the financial crisis. It would make them worse.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YELLIN: So, Tony, in context, this is negotiating posture. Republicans say that they support the issue in General, but they want changes to this bill. Democrats do need at least one Republican to get it through the Senate. And they're figuring out what it will take to win one.
And, of course, complicating everything, there are plenty of lobbyists weighing in. So it's very tricky.
HARRIS: Yes. OK. Well, this makes a certain level of sense here.
Do we know what Republicans are objecting to specifically here, Jessica?
YELLIN: There are a lot of very in-the-weeds issues. But big picture, they say that this bill would essentially allow banks -- would allow banks to fail in the future. And because there will inevitably be more bailouts, this bill allows for certain future bailouts. So there are some liberals who agree, but the solutions to this are very different.
Bottom line, Tony, the big thing you have to take away from this is this a PR war at this point. Republicans are trying to cast this bill as a bailout bill. Democrats say it's going to fix Wall Street. Expect to hear a lot more of that argument in the weeks to come.
HARRIS: OK. Our national political correspondent, Jessica Yellin, for us.
Jessica, good to see you. Thank you.
Terrifying moments for an elderly California woman rescued from a raging canal. Man, look at this. Boy, that is hard to watch.
We will find out how she ended up in the water in the first place.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Top stories now.
Remembering an Los Angeles police officer who died while serving his country in Afghanistan. A massive funeral today for Robert Cottle. He was killed late last month while on Marine reserve duty. Cottle also served two tours of duty in Iraq. He was scheduled to return home this summer.
Another blow for Toyota. "Consumer Reports" says the 2010 Lexus GS-460 SUV can spin out in tight turns and roll over. It's given aware "don't buy" warning to consumers. Toyota says it is concerned with the findings and its engineers will try to duplicate the magazine's tests to determine its next steps.
A 74-year-old California woman owes her life to a rescue team. Take a look at this.
They pulled her to safety. She's like a rag doll there. Pulled her to safety after the car she was in plunged into a rain-swollen canal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVE MANZEK, FIRE ENGINEER: I got called in the room by her right before she went up to the floor. And I think I got a little kiss on the cheek. So that was nice.
And it's pretty embarrassing. I think she just said, "Angel." So that was good. Called me an angel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: The woman's son and husband were also in the car. The son was killed and the husband is presumed dead. His body hasn't been found.
More top stories for you in 20 minutes.
Let's get to Chad Myers now in the Severe Weather Center.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Dealing with mental fatigue and trying to prevent a meltdown, what the Pentagon is doing to try to make life easier for U.S. troops.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Nuclear secrets falling into the wrong hands, a big part of what President Obama and other world leaders are worried about.
Josh Levs is back with us here.
And Josh, is there a way to quantify how big a danger this is, really?
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, not exactly. But what I can tell you is that this is one of the top concerns that officials have.
We keep hearing about proliferation, concerns about getting rid of nuclear weapons, about everyone admitting what they have. But what we don't hear as much talked about is something officials are also concerned about, which is nuclear secrets.
Let me tell you what I'm standing in front of. This is a map from Federation of American Scientists that labels where it is believed that nuclear weapons are in the world. And as you look at that, it's helpful to keep in mind that there are a lot of groups that aren't on this map, that would love to get their hands on nuclear weapons, which helps explain why there is a really huge black market about this.
In fact, earlier this hour, we heard President Obama refer to a speech that he delivered last year in Prague. And I have a quote from it for you. Let's take a look at this, because he specifically addressed this.
He said, "Black market trade in nuclear secrets and nuclear materials abound. The technology to build a bomb has spread. Terrorists are determined to buy, build, or steal one."
And a lot of you might remember this coming up in the case of this man. We have some video of A.Q. Khan in Pakistan. And this was several years ago.
He acknowledged, he admitted selling nuclear technology to several countries -- North Korea, Libya, Iran -- but leaking them. But what he also admitted at the time was leaking nuclear secrets to those countries.
He was ultimately pardoned by Pakistan in 2004. He was let out of house arrest last year.
But now there are even more questions. What secrets did he leak, where and when?
And Tony, as I was looking into this, I also found another interesting example. Let's come to the map here.
North Korea, as we know, one of the big concerns the United States has, much at world has, is are there -- is the state of nuclear weapons programs inside North Korea. Well, one of the things they want to know is how much in terms of nuclear secrets North Korea may have given at some point to Syria. That's one of the questions they have -- were nuclear secrets given by North Korea to Syria? And if so, what did they find out?
One of the issues on the table there. So, Tony, that is another reminder of what a powerful part of all these discussions at the summit. This is this idea of nuclear secrets. HARRIS: You know, The O'Jays wrote a song, and one of the lines was, "Money is the root of all evil." Do we know how much money is involved in this black market for nuclear secrets?
LEVS: Billions. All I can tell you is that it's billions.
You know, since it's the black market, there's no official figure that I feel confident throwing out there. But what I can tell you is that all the experts who look at this say there are billions involved, because if you think about it, any rogue group would love to get its hands on it, has access to way too much money, and thinks it could make even more if it got its hands one of these nukes. So, billions of dollars floating around at some point in that black market.
HARRIS: All right, Josh. Thank you, sir.
LEVS: Thanks, Tony.
HARRIS: Got to tell you, the wear and tear of combat fatigue, living with the fear of death every day, really takes a heavy toll, especially when the troops have to juggle the stress with pressures from home.
Our Chris Lawrence takes a look at what the Pentagon is doing to lighten their mental load.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): A sniper's bullet or a roadside bomb.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, gunner (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come down.
LAWRENCE: Makes soldiers and Marines live at a heightened state of alert.
CPL. BRENT LARIMER, U.S. MARINE CORPS: We're fighting something we can't see. We can't shoot back. And you never know when it's coming.
CPL. KYLE GREEN, U.S. MARINE CORPS: It's absolutely one of the hardest things we have to deal with is that stress on a day to day basis.
CAPT. SCOTT CANFIELD, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SUPERVISOR: Well, when you've done that every day for a year, and then all of a sudden you go home, is that little switch supposed to automatically turn off?
LAWRENCE: Captain Scott Canfield says his combat stress teams are trying to identify less severe symptoms while troops are still deployed. CANFIELD: You know, I'm starting to have insomnia. You know, I'm not sleeping real well. I'm having nightmares about particular incidents.
LAWRENCE: Before those escalate when troops head home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's in his pocket?
LAWRENCE: But sometimes problems with money or marriages don't wait.
1ST SGT. MICHAEL BASS, U.S. MARINE CORPS: It's hard dealing with, you know, two kids and a, you know, an unstable relationship, you know, in itself.
LAWRENCE: 1st Sergeant Michael Bass is dealing with a divorce while deployed. And he's not alone. Those rates have been steadily rising for years.
BASS: The "dear John" letters will start coming probably about month two. Guys that, you know, if your relationship is on unsteady ground to begin with, it's going to -- it's going to happen.
LAWRENCE (on camera): Some of the troops have told me they're still afraid to open up about their problems to counselors here because they could have their weapon taken away. So the counselor's first job is going to those unit commanders to say, look, we're not here to send your guys home, we're here to make sure they can stay.
REV. MICHAEL MIKSTAY, CHAPLIN: There is a big challenge because we have shortages of chaplains, we have shortages of mental health professionals.
LAWRENCE (voice-over): Father Michael Mikstay has to rotate around remote bases to fill gaps where Marines can't connect with their assigned counselor.
MIKSTAY: They're so spread out and they're so diversified in their operations that they haven't been able to be able to make contact with that person.
LAWRENCE: Research shows when time at home goes up, mental illness goes down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you see?
LAWRENCE: So by this fall, most Marines will get 14 months at home for every seven months in a war zone.
LAWRENCE (on camera): The Army has even announced plans to open a new school back in the states. A 10-day course to teach soldiers how to think positively and deal with stress before they deploy here to a war zone.
Chris Lawrence, CNN, Kabul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Figuring out what makes a bully tick.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHANEIKA LEWIS, HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR: Being a bully really was degrading. And I can see how those people feel, whoever I used to pick on, torment, how they felt. Because when I had that feeling, it lowered me as a person.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Whoa. OK. One teen telling it like it is.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And, of course, CNN is your source for money news. Love the terrific work done by our Money team at CNNmoney.com. You heard Jeanne Sahadi on the deficit earlier in the hour. So smart. May have gone on a little long and may have gotten into the weeds just a bit, but she is so smart. We're going to have her back to drill down on specific areas and taxes and spending and we'll work it out with the fabulous CNN Money team.
New York Stock Exchange now. Just a little past three hours into the trading day. The Dow is -- that's a bit of a rally, huh? We were in negative territory for most of the morning hours and we turned positive, up 4 percent. Let's call it pretty flat. The Nasdaq is down two. So a mixed day. We're following these numbers with Stephanie Elam right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Taking the fight out of bullies. A mentoring program that looks into what's fueling teenage aggression. Our Brooke Baldwin gets the inside track from a teen who terrorized her peers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Shaneika Lewis is counting the days until her high school graduation. It's a day that almost didn't happen. She fell in with the wrong crowd and considered dropping out.
SHANEIKA LEWIS, HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR: People were friends with me because they were scared of me. They were friends with me because they wanted to see something happening. I was somebody else's laugh. Any time they see me, they could easily know which buttons to push.
BALDWIN: Early in Shaneika's teen years she became a bully. It started with words, tormenting her classmates verbally. When she got older, her aggression turned violent, forcing her father to intervene two years ago.
LEWIS: Being a bully really was degrading. And I can see how those people feel, whoever I used to pick on, torment, how they felt. Because when I had that feeling, it lowered me as a person. I felt less than human. BALDWIN: Shaneika's life changed after her dad brought her here, to Ladies of Favor. It's a faith-based, non-profit mentoring program which helps young girls address issues like low self-esteem, bullying and self respect.
GABRIELLE STARR, FOUNDER, LADIES OF FAVOR: As a teenager, I went through an array of things. I dealt with low self-esteem. I dealt with trying to find myself. And a lot of the issues that our young girls are facing, that was me.
BALDWIN: Shaneika sat with a mentor once a week where they would discuss self confidence, character building and how to become a leader.
DR. NADINE KASLOW, EMORY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: There's lots of jealousy.
BALDWIN: Why do certain girls, like Shaneika, become bullies? Doctor Nadine Kaslow says it begins in a social setting when girls are trying to figure out who their friends are.
KASLOW: There's lots of competition. There's lots of sort of struggles to express their own identity. Girls often feel helpless and powerless. Being relationally aggressive is a way to try to assume power.
BALDWIN: Shaneika has faced her own struggles and now knows not to resort to violence to be popular.
LEWIS: If I wasn't in Ladies of Favor today, I could honestly say, I don't really know where I would be at right now.
STARR: Shaneika is a very, very bright young lady. She's very smart. She's very articulate. But it was just something on the inside that had been damaged and she was trying to find a way out.
BALDWIN: Ladies of Favor helped Shaneika address the issues she was facing. She would discover --
LEWIS: That I'm a phenomenal woman.
BALDWIN: Now she fights with a new weapon, self confidence, which has prepared her to face an important day, graduation.
Brooke Baldwin, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: On CNN's "Larry King Live" tonight at 9:00 Eastern, Bill Cosby on bullying. Why are we losing so many kids to it? What does he think parents should do? He is answering your e-mails on "Larry King Live." That's tonight at 9:00 Eastern.
Eight days ago she said good-bye and watched her husband to go to work. It was the last time she saw him alive. Her memories of the man she knew who died in a West Virginia coal mine. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: All right. Checking top stories for you now.
Thousand have gathered in Los Angeles to honor a police officer killed while fighting in Afghanistan. Robert Cottle was a Marine reserve. He and another Marine died after their armored vehicle hit a roadside bomb. Cottle had served two tours of duty in Iraq and had been with the LAPD since 1990.
In West Virginia, the bodies of all 29 miners killed have been recovered. The last nine bodies brought out early this morning. State and federal investigators are taking over now. It could take months to find out what caused last week's explosion inside the Upper Big Branch mine.
It will take time, too, for the families of the 29 miners. Life doesn't simply go on after you've lost a loved one. The widow of one of the miners opened up to CNN's Ines Ferre.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA CLARK, WIDOW OF MINER: They did a release of names of the individuals who were -- who perished. And, of course, my husband's was the second name they called.
INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Robert Clark was one of the 29 coal miners killed in last week's West Virginia mine disaster.
CLARK: There he is when he was a baby.
FERRE: A mine operator, Clark was savvy with machinery. But Melissa, like so many other miners' wives in the area, knew the job was dangerous.
CLARK: You always have a fear. As his wife, I mean, I would -- I would always worry that, like I had said earlier, that it may be the last time I would see him. But he was doing what he liked doing.
FERRE: But the Clarks agreed their three-year-old son Steven should follow a different path. They were saving up for college.
CLARK: He loved my son so much. He wanted so much to teach him things and to see him grow up. He wanted him to have the best. And that's one reason he worked where he did, because he wanted the best for my son.
FERRE: Her faith, friends, and relatives are pulling her through now, as difficult as it is.
CLARK: Everything that I do, everywhere I look, I see him and I -- I can still feel him here. It's -- it's just really hard. It's really hard.
FERRE: Ines Ferre, CNN, Beckley, West Virginia. (END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Confusion over tax credits and whether to file for bankruptcy. CNN's Stephanie Elam gather "The Help Desk" team to clear it all up for us.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Time now for "The Help Desk," where we get your answers to your financial questions. Joining me this hour, Ryan Mack, he's the president of Optimum Capital Management, and Lauren Young from Turbo Tax.
All right, guys, the first question today comes is from Bevon. He writes in, "I live in Rhode Island and bought my first house, a multi-family unit, in December of 2008. Do I qualify for any first time home buyer tax credit? If yes, is it too late to file for it since I already did my 2009 taxes?"
What do you say, Lauren?
LAUREN YOUNG, TURBO TAX: Yes, you qualify, but you qualify for the 2008 credit, which is a little bit different than the 2009 credit, but it's still pretty lucrative. You are going to have to file an amended return. You can't e-file that. But it is pretty good. And as long as you bought that home between April 8th and December 31 of 2008, you're golden.
ELAM: So he just has to just take care of that little paperwork and get it done.
All right. Next question from Lisa. "I've been on unemployment for over a year and it's about to run out. I have a car payment and credit card debt. I need to find work ASAP to pay my bills. Is it better to file bankruptcy or do debt consolidation -- does it work enough to get a low enough payment?"
What do you say to that, Ryan?
RYAN MACK, PRESIDENT, OPTIMUM CAPITAL MANAGEMENT: Well, first of all, again, it's $2 billion into this student aid and financial responsibility act. So it's for community colleges. So maybe check out community college. Get additional training. See if you can get another job. Additional training to get another job.
Second of all, the difference between bankruptcy and debt consolidation, essentially bankruptcy, 200 points off your FICO score minimum. It will be on your score for at least 10 years. Debt consolidation, as opposed to that, they might have a mark on your credit report, but it doesn't impact your FICO score. Once you pay the loan off, the debt consolidation gets removed, you can still keep your credit intact.
ELAM: So that's probably a better way for you to go about it.
MACK: Debt consolidation, absolutely. ELAM: All right, Lauren and Ryan, thanks so much for getting us some answers today.
"The Help Desk," of course, is all about getting answers. So send us an e-mail to CNNhelpdesk@CNN.com. We might just have the answer to your question right here next week. And, of course, you can also pick up the latest issue of "Money" magazine. It's on newsstands now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: So, let's take a look at some of the stories generating some buzz over the Internet. Josh Levs. The online maestro has that for us.
What do you have for us, Josh?
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'll take it. Tony, when you are 91 years old, do you think you're going to be able to do this?
HARRIS: What are you teeing up here?
LEVS: This is Tao Porchon-Lynch. We're going to keep watching her go.
HARRIS: Are you kidding me?
LEVS: She's the 91-year-old yoga instructor.
HARRIS: Well, that explains it. I can't do it now. Maybe if I got myself into yoga -- one of those -- what are those, hot yoga classes. Maybe.
LEVS: Yes, we were all -- we were all watching this in the newsroom and we were saying, none of us can do anything like this.
HARRIS: Ah, look at her. No, no, no.
LEVS: Now look at that. Ninety-one years old, in White Plains, New York. She grew up in India. She says that, to her, she's never even thought about age. Age is nothing but a dance number. I like that font on the screen. That's cool.
She is so inspirational and she is part of a little series that they've got going on CNN Money. I'm going to show you this right here. These are some of America's oldest workers.
HARRIS: Wow. Man.
LEVS: So she's one of them because she's still working in her 90s.
And take a look at this next one over here. Another inspirational guy. Jack Borden, 101 years old, Tony.
HARRIS: Wow. LEVS: Who is an attorney in Weatherton, Texas. And, little props over here to a member of our profession, a reporter, Mildred Heath, 102 years old.
HARRIS: OK.
LEVS: In Overton, Nebraska.
HARRIS: Love it.
LEVS: Who's reported for one of the papers she and her husband created decades ago. Just one of the inspirational stories we've got going for you. Plus, that really cool video. And it's kind of hard to find, so I linked it for you at my Facebook and Twitter pages, which you can see right here on this look -- look at it look at it look at it.
HARRIS: So are we running this piece because I'm close to 100 or are we running this piece because I'll need to work until I'm at least 100 because I've made some choices, let's just say.
LEVS: I've got to say, you're being very you centric. I was thinking that the viewers might enjoy it.
HARRIS: Oh, my God, my hamstrings would be popping like accordion strings by then.
LEVS: Ouch. I know. I hurt a little just looking at it.
HARRIS: Thank you, Josh. Appreciate it.
LEVS: You got it. Thanks, guy. See you.
HARRIS: Whoo. OK. Still to come, no more long nights on city streets. After years of being homeless, a California man -- boy, this is a good story -- has a job, health care and a place to call home all because a police officer cared.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: You know, sometimes you just need a second chance and a helping hand. Martin McCall knows that very well. Until recently, he was homeless. Then a cop helped him get a job. KTVU affiliate reporter Rob Roth has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROB ROTH, KTVU REPORTER (voice-over): For 48-year-old Martin McCall, today was moving in day. Moving in to his new home in the Harbor Village mobile home park in Redwood City.
MARTIN MCCALL, FORMERLY HOMELESS: Very happy. Very happy. I cried like a little baby. Tears were flowing when I walked into this house this morning all by myself.
ROTH: McCall says his life began to unravel about five years ago when he lost his job and his wife left him. He ended up homeless, sleeping in front of the traffic court building in downtown Redwood City and spending his days sitting here in courthouse square. That is where Officer Brad Johnson would see him and talk with him.
OFC. BRAD JOHNSON, REDWOOD CITY POLICE: He was always very friendly, very respectful. He was never intoxicated.
ROTH: Officer Johnson heard there was a maintenance job open at the mobile home park, so he told the manager about McCall. The job not only pays a salary, but includes health benefits and a mobile home rent free.
BILL KOONS, MOBILE HOME MANAGER: When I listened to his story, it -- I think he needs a second chance. And I think he's worth saving.
ROTH: And as of tonight, McCall will have his own bed. No more doorways.
MCCALL: Blessed is what I feel. It's been a long, hard three years.
ROTH: This afternoon, Officer Johnson dropped by to see how McCall is making out.
JOHNSON: I'm actually proud of him. It's kind of strange, you feel like it's one of your kids going to school for the first time. Kind of keep tabs on him and to see him come up off the street.
MCCALL: It's awesome. It's wonderful. It doesn't suck to be me anymore.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Wow, that's a good story.
All right. It is go time. CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Drew Griffin in for Ali Velshi.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Tony. Glad to be with you, in for Ali Velshi this week.
