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A Tornado Hits Mississippi; President Calling for Wall Street's Cooperation on Financial Regulatory Reform; Financial Experts Give Advice; Women Still Make Less Than Men for Doing the Same Job
Aired April 24, 2010 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: This hour, the husband/wife money team, the Dolans talk pay gap -- equal resumes and equal jobs, but women are still getting the short end of the paycheck in 2010.
At 3:00 Eastern Time, green solutions in focus, a special CNN hour on the state of the environment and how ordinary people are trying to make it better.
At 4:00 eastern time, 20 years of Hubble. The amazing telescope marks two decades of space photography and 500,000 images of our universe.
You're in the CNN Newsroom where news unfolds live this Saturday April 24th. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
We begin with a dangerous and unpredictable day across the south. A powerful storm system has millions of people on alert. The biggest danger zone, Mississippi, Alabama and parts of Tennessee. A large tornado has already been confirmed on the ground in Mississippi just north of Vicksburg.
This type of outbreak doesn't happen that often. So if you live in the region, you should be very aware of the potential of what's taking place. We understand right now in Yazoo City in Mississippi, where that confirmed tornado has been reported, we understand that some 20 to 30 houses are in peril, have been damaged or destroyed.
Our Jacqui Jeras is in the Severe Weather Center. We say this is an unusual thing, an occurrence. We are talking because it's been such a quiet spring. Now suddenly it seems to be elevating, the potential for tornado risks, right?
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Oh, yes. The rest of this afternoon through 8:00, 9:00 tonight will be the height of this storm in terms of producing these very large, damaging, long track tornados. That's exactly what we've been seeing in Mississippi.
It is unusual because we had a quiet start so far, but it's also just that unusual that this is that extreme of an event. This is a high risk day. We get a handful of these maybe a year. So it's really unusual to have such a quiet start. But once we got going, this is going to be a really rough day.
It's one of those days where you have that sick feeling in your gut where you know this is the day people are going to be injured and possibly lose their lives. So it's really important to take these warnings seriously.
You mentioned the tornado in Yazoo City. The warnings remain in effect here in Montgomery County, Mississippi. This is the storm. It has the history of producing damage, and a tornado emergency has been declared. So this means we know this tornado is still on the ground. Law enforcement as well as storm spotters continue to track this thing, and it is going to continue to cause damage in anything in its path.
We talked to the fire chief in Yazoo City, Roy Wilson, and he tells us 20 to 30 homes have been damaged in this area. There are some injuries. Right now there are no critical injuries he is aware of, but he hasn't spoken to everybody on his team just yet.
We are working to get in touch with Fire Chief Wilson again in the next couple of minutes and hope to have a beeper with him. He wants to make sure he has everything under control and safe first before we get that information from him.
Let's talk about what's also happening here in parts of Alabama. These storms that we've been watching, these few discreet storms here, have potential of intensifying or possibly rotating. There are severe thunderstorm warnings at this hour.
And here is Birmingham. This is all southwest of here. These storms are moving very quickly on the range of 50 to 70 miles per hour. You can't outrun these kinds of things, Fredricka. You need to get to the lowest level of your home and seek shelter.
We have the potential today of getting the type of tornado you are not going to survive if you're not underground. You can see the watches in place. This will take us through the evening. And these top two here are what we call PDS watches, or particularly dangerous situations. This doesn't happen very often. This is a very serious situation developing this afternoon and tonight.
WHITFIELD: Thank you, Jacqui. We are going to try to get more information about what's taking place in Yazoo City in Mississippi. You mention the confirmation of a tornado that touched down. CNN wire is reporting 20 to 30 homes have been damaged or destroyed.
And you talked about the fire chief. We'll try to reach out to him. We know he's very busy there in Yazoo City, but he's already been quoted saying "it's in pretty bad shape so far," meaning the city. So when we get more information about that tornado touching down, confirmation of that in Yazoo City, we'll bring that to you.
And Jacqui, you'll keep us abreast of this tornado activity, as well. Thanks so much.
Meantime, a firestorm of an event has taken place in Arizona. Protestors have hit the streets in Tucson today. They are outraged over Arizona's new immigration law. It requires police to question the immigration status of anyone they suspect of being in the country illegally.
Supporters say it will help stop the flow of illegal immigrants across the border. Critics say it simply encourages profiling. And at least two Latino advocacy groups are preparing legal challenges. The law is set to go into effect later on this summer.
Meantime, President Obama acknowledges immigration reform is needed, but he insists the Arizona law is not the way to go. CNN's senior White House correspondent Ed Henry is traveling with the president in Asheville, North Carolina, and filed this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The president is spending the weekend here in North Carolina with first lady Michelle Obama. But that controversial new immigration law in Arizona still at the top of his mind.
Before he even left the White House, the president had a ceremony in the Rose Garden honoring U.S. service members who are becoming U.S. citizens, the president using that occasion to blast this new law saying that it's misguided.
The president also suggesting the White House will keep a close eye on how it plays out, because it could lead to civil rights violations as local police start pulling people over on the side of the road asking that they prove that they're U.S. citizens.
The president also saying this should be a wake-up call that there needs to be immigration reform at the federal level of the United States unless other states like Arizona start passing their own laws.
BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I've instructed members of my administration to closely monitor the situation and examine the civil rights and other implications of this legislation. But if we continue to fail to act at a federal level we will see misguided efforts opening up around the country.
HENRY: The president of course is also locked in a major battle over Wall Street reform. The White House believes they'll get a victory on that in the next couple of weeks.
Then they are expected to move on to climate change legislation as the next big issue to tackle, but there are signs on Capitol Hill Democrats don't believe they have the votes to move forward on that.
So now it looks like immigration reform could be the next big issue the president tackles, especially because of this controversy in Arizona putting it front and center, and also because back in the 2008 campaign the president promised as a candidate that he would tackle federal immigration reform if his first year in office. He didn't do that because he was dealing with health care and the economy, other big issues.
But it's now looking, especially because of what's going on in Arizona, that the president has been pushing this up higher on the agenda.
Ed Henry, CNN, Asheville, North Carolina.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Meantime, preventing another meltdown, President Obama pushing for tougher rules to govern Wall Street. So what does it mean for all of us? We've got the Dolans here to break it all down for us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Join us, don't fight us. That's the message from President Obama to Wall Street. Earlier this week he urged big banks to get onboard with financial reform.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Given the importance of the financial sector, Wall Street reform is an absolutely essential part of that foundation. Without it, our house will continue to sit on shifting sands, and our families, businesses, and the global economy will be vulnerable to future crisis.
That's why I feel so strongly that we need to enact a set of updated, common sense rules to ensure accountability on Wall Street and protect consumers in our financial system.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: First of all, finance experts Ken and Daria Dolan back with us.
KEN DOLAN, PERSONAL FINANCE EXPERT: You look marvelous.
WHITFIELD: You're so nice. I'm so happy we are all reunited again.
KEN DOLAN: Yes.
DARIA DOLAN, PERSONAL FINANCE EXPERT: As are we.
KEN DOLAN: It's very emotional.
WHITFIELD: I know, I know.
Let's talk about this financial reform. What does this mean when the president says reform needs to take place to help save our homes -- in what way specifically?
KEN DOLAN: That is a very good question, Fredericka, although we'll talk about our reaction to the reform proposed. Let us say there are four things we like. We like all of them. Should I do the first two?
DARIA DOLAN: Go right ahead. KEN DOLAN: Number one is to be able to wind down too big to fail firms without the whole world collapsing as it practically did in 2008. Number two, transparency for the financial markets such as trading these wacky derivatives on a public exchange so you can see what happens. So far, so good. There's two more, we like them all.
DARIA DOLAN: I'll do them quickly because it's not the goal of this bill. The third stated is better consumer protection, and the last is new power for shareholders which allows them to have save-for- pay, nominate board members, et cetera, et cetera.
KEN DOLAN: It's a little loose.
DARIA DOLAN: So the bottom line goals of this bill, however, is none of the above. It is control of credit allocation and complete government control of Wall Street.
KEN DOLAN: Thank you, Daria.
WHITFIELD: So what am I to do with this kind of information? Where is my hope, especially if I've got one of these underwater properties, or perhaps I want to start a business? I'm going to the bank, I can't quite get a loan, or I want to buy a home and I can't get a loan.
KEN DOLAN: You are saying let's be realistic and get past the political gobbledygook.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
DARIA DOLAN: The problem being for people in need of loans is going to make it a very selective process, and more people who would like to get loans probably will not be getting loans.
Now, I will say one of the goals should be to curtail the amount of credit that was flying around this country. And that's very definitely a good thing.
But you know, this is a bill that's being crafted by a few hundred people, lawyers and doctors, primarily, no basis in Wall Street, and a group. What it needs is one CEO, one person that understands the financial world to take a look at this and find what needs to be done, not a group of people that have no basis in Wall Street.
KEN DOLAN: It's pretty hard for the president. We are political atheists. I'm not pro either side, Fred. But for somebody like the president to come to Wall Street with Washington having a $1.5 trillion deficit saying would you please be a little bit more responsible the way you spend money, I think is difficult.
We don't want to interrupt the SEC with all this porn viewing, I know they're busy, but the SEC has been very ineffective even was warned on Madoff years ago.
DARIA DOLAN: And with six or seven consumer protection agency already there, who is protecting whom? Nobody's been protected.
WHITFIELD: You mentioned two things, responsibility and SEC, which is a great segue into Goldman Sachs. Now we hear reportedly there are e-mails that underscored the allegation Goldman Sachs was indeed betting against bad mortgages, et cetera.
What do you do with that information right now? When you talk about responsibility, you talk about the SEC getting involved, how might those things impact the Goldman Sachs case moving forward?
KEN DOLAN: I was talking to a good friend of mine, Jane Agaman, who wrote the book on financial services on Wall Street. He agrees with me and I think Daria agrees with me as well. You cannot legislate morality. You can't legislate it.
Gretchen Morganson with two others wrote an excellent story in today's "New York Times" saying Goldman Sachs said it didn't make a lot of money on the fall of the housing market, but the e-mail apparently tell a different story.
DARIA DOLAN: But the fact of the matter is Wall Street always played this game. While they are telling clients to buy particular securities, they could be shorting it or selling it out of their own accounts to get it out of the firm and off their balance sheets. This is nothing new.
It's unfortunate, but the fact of the matter is we do need greater oversight, but this bill is not the answer. If you want to keep an open, transparent market on these derivatives, these synthetics created, then put them all on the public exchanges, not allow some former Goldman Sachs guy to sit there and pick and choose.
WHITFIELD: Let's talk about something else more people can identify with. That is the fact so many people filed their taxes last week. They are waiting for those refunds. Now they want to know, when am I going to get it? How can you find out an answer on that?
KEN DOLAN: You're not getting it.
WHITFIELD: You're not getting it?
DARIA DOLAN: No, no. Only a few states are holding back on it.
KEN DOLAN: Fred, one quick thing. The bottom line on all this protection stuff and financial reform is everybody in America, you're on your own, protect yourself. Don't do an investment unless you understand it.
DARIA DOLAN: If you e-file, then within 72 hours after you receive receipt of the fact that you e-file, you can go to the IRS website, IRS.gov, type in the search window, "where is my refund?" You will need your Social Security number, your filing status.
KEN DOLAN: And the exact amount of your refund.
(CROSSTALK) WHITFIELD: You can get instant feedback then.
Let's talk about survey that was conducted, a big research outlets asking people do you believe U.S. government is wisely spending your tax dollars? In general what do people say?
DARIA DOLAN: Well, 12.4 percent said yes, 87.6 percent of the people surveyed said no, they are not using it well. And they have priorities for those tax dollars that makes so much sense, but Washington isn't listening.
KEN DOLAN: Big research out of Ohio did it exclusively for us, for the Dolans and for our CNN segment, an d18 percent said we want a comprehensive -- number one choice, by the way, 18.6 percent said we want a comprehensive jobs program for the millions of unemployed Americans, number one.
DARIA DOLAN: And 16.7 percent want to reduce the budget deficit.
KEN DOLAN: Also 16.7 percent say, please return the money to the Social Security Trust Fund that has no money. We would like to continue to get checks.
DARIA DOLAN: And 15.6 percent want their taxes lowered.
KEN DOLAN: Those are the four.
WHITFIELD: OK, something else to talk about when we come back, a lot of folks don't want to know about the pay disparity. Why is it men are still make more money than women, even if it's the same job. We are talking about 75 cents to the dollar.
KEN DOLAN: It's improving, but it still needs work.
WHITFIELD: It's 2010.
DARIA DOLAN: Ken is very upset that I've been making more than him.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: What's going on with that, Ken? Unfortunately, it's the other way around for most women in America. We've got a lot of questions coming your way about that.
And if you have an inquiry about anything else that pertains to your finances, just send your questions right now to my blog, CNN.com/Fredricka, or to my Facebook page as well. We'll have those questions right on the air, and the Dolans will be weighing in right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories right now.
The National Weather Service says a large tornado has hit Yazoo City, Mississippi. The police chief says 20 to 30 houses are damaged or destroyed. And there are injuries. The National Weather Service warns of another tornado near Ebenezer, Mississippi, and reports significant damage there.
And in India, one of the hotels badly damaged in the Mumbai terror attacks reopened today. Thirty-two people died at a hotel in 2008 after it was seized by Pakistani-based militants. Terrorists held a number of buildings over three days and the people hostage in many of those buildings. The attacks left some 160 people in all dead.
And in West Virginia, federal investigators say it may be a month before they can get inside the Upper Big Branch mine. They detected two potentially explosive gasses. That indicates a fire could be burning somewhere deep in the pit. Investigators believe methane gas exploded earlier this month killing 29 miners.
No doubt everybody is paying closer attention to their paychecks these days. But women need to take a closer look. Why? They're still earning less than men for the same job. While men make an average of $844 a week, women earn just 79 percent of that according to the Labor Department.
We are back with Ken and Daria Dolan, personal finance experts.
KEN DOLAN: It's not right.
WHITFIELD: Why is this happening 2010? Why are so many companies able to get away with this?
KEN DOLAN: And they shouldn't. I'm talking as a man. If a woman next to me is doing the same job, she should get the same money. There are a few reasons why this is not happening.
WHITFIELD: What is the justification?
DARIA DOLAN: Well, there are a couple of reasons. One of them, and I hate to beat up on my own sisters here, one of them is totally a woman's fault. Along with the fact a lot of women do take time off for work for child bearing, et cetera, et cetera, which takes them out of the work force, which means they are going to go back in at a lower level.
WHITFIELD: This is making me see magenta at this point. Say you don't have a child. Are you still making as much money as your male colleagues?
(CROSSTALK)
KEN DOLAN: Still not.
DARIA DOLAN: It comes down to one very simple reason in most of those cases. Women are not as aggressive as men are marching into the boss' office and saying, no, I need more money. We're less aggressive when it comes to that. And therein lies the other problem for ones who haven't taken time off. WHITFIELD: What if the starting point is you accepted the job, here's the pay, and you're able to learn later that a male colleague who entered the job, same job and ...
KEN DOLAN: This is an upset woman.
DARIA DOLAN: That's when the woman should get the facts of what her work has been what she has done compared to people doing the same job.
KEN DOLAN: Go to salary.com.
DARIA DOLAN: And make an appointment with the boss to go in there and say, excuse me, I know times are tough, et cetera, et cetera. However, I took this set amount of money assuming that was the top line for this job. I now find out my co-worker, a man, is making this. Look at all I have done as compared to look at what he has done, which may be even less. I think idea serve parity with his salary.
WHITFIELD: What are your options? Because your boss or supervisor can say that's the way it is. Take it or leave it.
KEN DOLAN: Fred, for sure, these are difficult times. There are 17.5 million people not working. So for you to say this guy is making another $100 a week, this may not be the exact time.
But I'll tell you one thing, Fred, this is an excellent time to do what Daria suggests. Get your case ready, because when business is good, when business is better, especially when they start retiring again, be ready to state your case.
DARIA DOLAN: And the good news is this, Fred, the unemployment numbers skewed much more heavily on men than women because the women are making a little bit less. So they keep them around because we are doing our good jobs.
WHITFIELD: That's interesting.
We have viewer questions, e-mails that have come.
KEN DOLAN: Go women!
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: They're not just about the pay disparity, but other questions. But this came from Anthony on my Facebook saying, "Let's not forget there are more women being admitted into college and universities today than any other time in history. Women with degrees can make way more than men can make, at least speaking as a black man."
First of all, there may be more women graduating from colleges and universities, but does that ensure women are getting closer to getting equal pay?
DARIA DOLAN: No. The greatest disparity ...
KEN DOLAN: It helps though.
DARIA DOLAN: ... for women versus men is in the medical field with physicians and surgeons, whereas the parity, because it tends to be gender blind, is in the high-tech industry.
WHITFIELD: This is taking a turn away from the pay disparity. This is a personal finance question that Kenny has. He says "Regarding mutual funds and bonds, should most of the money they save be put into a savings account?"
DARIA DOLAN: Versus a mutual fund?
WHITFIELD: I guess that's what that question is.
KEN DOLAN: We can't answer that Kenny -- great name. If you and your wife have three to six month emergency fund, which has never been more important than the last couple of years.
WHITFIELD: What is it now, six to eight months?
KEN DOLAN: More so. If you have an emergency fund, you can take a look at stocks. We think it's a difficult time. You can look at corporate bonds with high ratings if your income makes sense, but not without an emergency fund, I don't care what the market is doing.
WHITFIELD: Daria, do you sometimes call ken "Kenny?"
DARIA DOLAN: No. He hates that.
WHITFIELD: Really?
KEN DOLAN: Fredricka, you can call me anything.
DARIA DOLAN: He's not fond of "Kenny."
KEN DOLAN: You can call me anything, Fred.
WHITFIELD: I'll stick with Ken. I want to continue to be your friend.
(LAUGHTER)
All right, Ken and Daria Dolan, thank you so much.
KEN DOLAN: See you soon.
DARIA DOLAN: See you soon.
WHITFIELD: And of course, at home, don't forget that you can always get the Dolans to answer your questions. They have an incredible website -- dolans.com. This week's special report, the best ways to spend your tax refunds, one of the highlights there. One tip they say, invest in yourself. Find out what they mean by visiting dolans.com. Meantime, our eyes are on the sky in the southeast portion of this country. Millions of people are on alert for more tornados. Already we reported one has touched down in Yazoo City, Mississippi. What might be next? Jacqui Jeras is coming up.
And guess what. A Kansas town flattened by a tornado three years ago making an amazing comeback. And it's environmentally friendly. See why they call it Greensburg next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: It's a pretty frightening day for millions of people in the southeast portion of this country. Tornado watches covered a big part of the region today. In Yazoo City, Mississippi, the fire chief there says a large tornado has actually touched down and destroyed 20 to 30 homes and people are said to be trapped in the rubble.
The Storm Prediction Center says there is a high risk of tornados the rest of the day, especially in Mississippi and Alabama. The center issues that warning only a few times a year, by the way, so this really is catching a lot of people's attention.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: In the case of one particular town, this was the reality. They had a chance to rebuild their town from the ground up because of a tornado. And in today's building up America segment, Tom Foreman takes us to a Kansas town that turned tragedy into opportunity by living up to its name.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The tornado that ripped through Greensburg three years ago was a swirling black cloud with winds exceeding 200 miles an hour. And it left this small town in ruins.
DANIEL WALLACH, GREENSBURG, GREEN TOWN: It was a 1.7-mile-wide tornado. And the town is 1.5 miles wide. So there was just very little on the peripheries that survived.
FOREMAN: But the storm of rebuilding that Daniel Wallick and others have led since is proving just as powerful, only this one is green.
WALLACH: And so this town knew they had to have a unique identity.
FOREMAN (on camera): That's what you set out to do with this plan?
WALLACH: Yes.
FOREMAN (voice-over): With the strong backing of the local government, this town is being rebuilt as a model of environmental sustainability. At the new school, drainage systems capture and conserve rainwater to feed the landscaping. Salvage wood covers the walls. Cabinets are made of wheat harvest leftovers. And natural light pours in everywhere.
Superintendent Darin Headrick is expecting much lower power bills.
DARIN HEADRICK, SUPERINTENDENT: During the day we won't even turn lights on here to have classes and activities during the day. Our classrooms are the same way. We really don't know if we'll have to turn a light switch on during the day for the classrooms.
FOREMAN (on camera): That's a big savings.
HEADRICK: Well, we hope.
FOREMAN (voice-over): One of the town's many new wind turbines generates up to 30 percent of the new hospital's electricity, while power and water saving utilities dominate. Mary Sweet runs the place.
FOREMAN (on camera): Were you skeptical of this idea to begin with?
MARY SWEET, KIOWA COUNTY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL: Initially I was, yes. At first I thought it was a gimmick, a way to go back and have people help us. But like I mentioned, it's a roadmap of a way to follow in construction.
FOREMAN: And you think it's working now.
SWEET: It's working wonderfully, yes.
FOREMAN: All over town, houses are springing up with eco- friendly designs, like this model made of concrete filled with smart utilities feeding off solar cells, a machine that pulls drinking water from humidity in the air, and so much more.
FOREMAN (on camera): What's going on up here?
WALLACH: Up here we have the roof top garden.
FOREMAN: You really grow food for the house up here?
WALLACH: Yes, absolutely.
FOREMAN (voice-over): The pay-off? By most accounts this was a small dying town before the storm, but with each new stage of the green comeback it is being reborn. And every day fewer folks are looking back.
WALLACH: With a name like Greensburg, it was a natural fit.
FOREMAN: Tom Foreman, CNN, Greensburg, Kansas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And next hour, "Green Solutions in Focus," a special hour program dedicated to the environment and people making a difference in their neighborhood.
Plus the immigration debate intensifies after Arizona cracks down hard on illegal immigrants. Reaction to the state's controversial new law in a live report from Phoenix is coming up at 4:00.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories right now.
Protests and legal challenges over Arizona's tough new immigration law. The measure signed by Governor Jan Brewer yesterday requires police to question people about their immigration status if they consider them suspicious. Protesters are hitting the streets of Tucson today and another rally is scheduled for Phoenix tomorrow.
At least two Latino advocacy groups are preparing to challenge the law in court. The law actually goes into effect this summer.
And after scouring some 5,000 miles in the Gulf of Mexico for nearly three days, the U.S. coast guard called off the search for 11 oil workers following Tuesday's explosion of the platform they were working on.
And a jury in Oregon orders the Boy Scouts of America to pay $18.5 million to a man who was sexually abused by a former assistant scout master. The scout master admitted he abused 17 boys in the early 1980s but was allowed to continue in a role with the organization. It is believed to be the largest such jury award against the Boy Scouts.
And can the Catholic Church recover from the recent sex abuse scandal? The Vatican gives an answer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: The Vatican is speaking out how the church can recover from the recent sex abuse scandal. A spokesman insists the church was hurt, but it can and will heal.
In the past few days, Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of an Irish bishop who failed to report abuse to police, and Belgium's longest-serving bishop stepped down expressing regret for having sexually abused a young boy.
The Pope has met with some of the victims, most recently in Malta. And earlier this week I asked senior Vatican analyst John Allen what the pontiff is telling them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: What would those actions potentially be?
JOHN ALLEN, CNN VATICAN ANALYST: He assured the victims the church is taking action. I think in part he is talking about things they've already done, largely a set of reforms that then Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict executed back in 2000-2003 to speed up the process of weeding abusive priests out of the priesthood.
He's also talking about the fact that the Vatican is currently considering additional reforms that would take the tough policies in the United States, the so-called one strike and you're out policy, and give them a kind of global force.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The Vatican said today now is the time for "truth, transparency and credibility."
We found today's CNN hero at the hospital helping families deal with the huge cost of caring for the tiniest patients, turning heartbreak to hope.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Some of the most vulnerable patients in a hospital are found in the neonatal intensive care unit. But often it's the whole family that struggles to survive, unexpected costs adding to the emotional strain. And that's when our CNN "Hero of the Week" steps in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I entered the ER for a severe cold, I was 24 weeks pregnant, had H1N1. The put me in a coma to stabilize me. I was in a coma for roughly six weeks. When I woke up my husband said we had to take out the baby. I clenched my stomach. But he settled me down and said he was OK. He was down in NICU.
DR. SEAN DANESHMAND, CNN HERO: Life doesn't stop. I'm Dr. Sean Daneshmand. I provide assistance to families with babies in the NICU. I wanted to take the suffering away from them to focus on their baby. It's emotionally draining, and the way the economy now is, people are suffering.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I didn't think this was going to be as hard. She's going to be OK.
DANESHMAND: They need extra money for clothing, diapers, medical expenses, rent. These are families that in a time of crisis now need extra help. That's what we're about.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They helped us with our mortgage, with gas.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Something as simple as gas cards to be able to make it to t the NICU every day just helped tremendously.
DANESHMAND: You need someone to be there for you. I have a special role in life. I never thought I'd be here, and, my god, I'm having a great time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So in less than six months, Dr. Daneshmand and his organization have assisted 80 families. To nominate someone you think is changing the world, go to CNN.com/heroes.
And I'm not telling you anything new when I say this -- teens love texting. But you may be surprised to find out how much time they are spending doing it on a day to day basis. Wait until you hear these numbers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JERAS: I'm CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras. We have a large and dangerous tornado on the ground in northeastern Mississippi right now that has a history of causing damage and injuries. The most recent location is a town called Sturges. Six minutes ago it just moved through the town causing damage and injuries.
You need to be seeking shelter right now. This storm is heading to the Starkville area now. It caused damage about a half hour ago in Yazoo City, Mississippi. This tornado has a history now of tracking on the ground for over 70 miles. We'll continue to keep you updated as the story continues to develop -- Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Jacqui, appreciate that.
Meantime, let's talk about something else a lot of folks can identify with, and that's trying to figure out how do you talk to your teen, especially when they're always do this, constantly texting?
You may not be surprised to find out a study by the Pew Research found a third of U.S. teens with a phones text 100 times a day. Isn't that insane? CNN student news anchor Carl Azuz spoke to a lot of teenagers, and CNN student news.com. You can find you guys online, catch you on HLN as well as iTunes.
You are all accessible. Teens reach out to you all the time, and they are letting you know they text all the time.
CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS: A great deal. We had a survey we took at CNNstudentnews.com to try get a sense how much students are texting. We talked to them also about whether they think it's an addiction. I'll have comments on that in a moment.
First, let's look at the numbers they gave us. We asked them how often do you text? How many texts do you send per day? A quarter of them say they don't text at all. Some are middle school students and they don't have phones yet.
And you can see our findings here, around a third of sending more than 100 texts a day are in line with that Pew Research study.
WHITFIELD: When do they have time for anything else? When are they using those moments of texting, in between meals, or in place of meals, around homework?
AZUZ: Sometimes it's at school. I think it's the 21th century version of passing notes. We wanted to find out --
WHITFIELD: I didn't pass notes 100 times a day. It seems excessive.
AZUZ: Some would say it's an addiction. That's what we asked our student audience. They were straight-up divided on this.
The first comment we have for your is from a student named Sam. Sam is telling us, "Texting is not addictive. It is one of the many ways you want to talk to your friends. You might not want to take the chance to be overheard. So it gives you a measure of privacy."
But then Maddie on the other side of this is saying teens should start cutting back on the texting, going on to say that teens can be way too forgetful of the things that really matter in life.
WHITFIELD: They're hooked, but they don't want to admit they are hooked. But 100 times a day is an astounding number. I'm simply shocked. It will be interesting to see if this flows over into the younger generation of people who are texting and people of all ages are texting. If teens are doing it 100 times a day, you have to wonder, what about the rest of us? Are we all texting in an excessive way, are we addicted, everyone?
AZUZ: We have our BlackBerry's, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: I think we are hooked. Carlos Azuz, thank you so much. CNNSTUDENTNEWS.com. Good to see you. Appreciate that.
All right. Let's take a look at our other top stories right now. Very dangerous and unpredictable storms racing across the south, you heard Jacqui Jeras at the top that there is much more to say about it. Much of Mississippi is under a tornado watch and warning right now. One actually touched down near Yazoo City. Somewhere between 20 maybe 30 houses were actually damaged.
We also understand that there are a number of people who might be trapped, as well. We hope to be able to get contact with the fire and police department to find out a little bit more. This is what it looked like a few hours ago from our own newsroom right in Atlanta. A dramatic lightning before the rain and it continues to pour throughout Atlanta. The storm is also affecting that oil spill cleanup in the Gulf of Mexico; choppy seas have forced crews to quit for now. The spill is from that oil rig that exploded and sank earlier this week. Eleven workers are still missing and presumed dead. The search for them has been suspended.
And get ready for a special hour here on CNN dedicated to the environment. Our photo journalists introduce us to people making a positive impact in their own neighborhoods. "GREEN SOLUTIONS IN FOCUS" begins right now.
