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High School Sexting Case; President Obama on Economy; Newark Stops Buying Toilet Paper; Pushing for More Black Male Teachers; The Rebuilding of Biloxi; The Help Desk

Aired July 23, 2010 - 11:59   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Tony Harris.

Top of the hour, this in the CNN NEWSROOM, where anything can happen, here are the top stories.

Storm warning. Tropical Storm Bonnie hits Florida and shuts down some oil cleanup efforts in the Gulf. We're tracking the weather for you.

And sexting. This case, a picture of a naked girl sent to three high school students gets them child porn charges and raises some sticky legal questions for all of us about e-mails and text messages.

And you're online right now, and we are too. We're tracking the top stories trending on the Internet.

And we're keeping an eye on the White House, where President Obama is expected to talk about the economy in just a few minutes. We'll bring that to you live as it happens.

So let's get started with our lead story right now.

It's a nervous wait along the Gulf Coast as Tropical Storm Bonnie heads that way. The main concern, what impact will it have on the oil disaster zone?

Chad Myers is tracking Bonnie for us right now.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Meantime, President Obama's point man on the oil disaster has already ordered those ships in the disaster zone to head ashore, as Chad was just explaining. These comments from Admiral Thad Allen in his daily briefing this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADM. THAD ALLEN (RET.), NATIONAL INCIDENT COMMANDER: Sometimes the increased activity on the surface, wind and wave activity, can actually help the emulsification of the oil and the distribution and the biodegradation of the oil. On the other hand, you have a chance of a storm surge will drive that up into beach and marsh areas where it would not have been driven otherwise. So, we're mindful that those are two opposite consequences, and prepared to move out and aggressively attack this once the front has passed through.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Funnel clouds, record-breaking rain, flash flooding. Parts of the Midwest are getting battered by severe storms.

Just last night in Milwaukee, a sinkhole opened up. Take a look at that right there. A Cadillac Escalade fell into the hole at a downtown intersection.

The driver, very lucky. A good Samaritan came along and simply pulled him out.

Milwaukee got more than five and a half inches of rain in a 24- hour period, and that was record-breaking.

And three Oklahoma teens are charged with felonies after allegedly receiving a nude picture of a girl from a friend. It's called sexting.

The sheriff's department says a teen girl send a nude picture of herself to her boyfriend, and he forwarded it to several friends. Well, the teens who actually received that image are now accused of distributing child pornography. If convicted, they will have to register as sex offenders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL BORING, TEXAS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: The only charge that is really applicable in Oklahoma right now for -- well, everybody is referring to as sexting -- is a charge relating and falling under our child pornography statutes. If a girl takes a picture of herself and transmits it to someone, all I can say about that right now is we are looking at the potential of charging that person if it's transmitted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Joining me right now to talk about why these teens are charged so harshly is Jean Casarez from "In Session," on our sister network, truTV.

Good to see you.

JEAN CASAREZ, "IN SESSION" CORRESPONDENT: Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: OK. How unusual is this? You receive an image of someone who is nude, and then next thing you know, you are charged with a sex offense?

CASAREZ: A lot of people are saying this is amazing. I think there are people on both sides of the issue.

But of course we have freedom of speech in this country. But when it comes to sexually explicit material, there is no First Amendment protection, and that's where obscenity comes into issue, and that's where distribution of child porn comes into issue. But the intent of the statute, even in Oklahoma, I don't think is for this situation.

But what happened -- and it was last year in 2009. It was a girl that sent her boyfriend a nude picture of herself, and he transmitted on to a lot of other people. Plus, you have now these charges that may actually increase.

But you know, Fredricka, what I think is, Oklahoma doesn't have a sexting law. So I think this is a message from the district attorney to the legislature that we need to have something for this situation.

WHITFIELD: So then does that -- does it also spell out that this really -- probably will not hold in Oklahoma? If there really isn't a law, that this is just being used almost to teach people a lesson?

CASAREZ: I think this is a case that could actually be overturned on appeal. I think there are a lot of defenses to it. Not only would they be registered sex offenders, but it would be 10 years in prison also.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness.

CASAREZ: But if you explicitly look at the statute, it fits. It's knowingly and willingly distributing child pornography.

This was a minor. But here's the thing. The young girl that took the picture and originally sent to her boyfriend, she hasn't been charged. And there is a big outcry in Oklahoma saying, if you're going to charge these young men --

WHITFIELD: But she started it.

CASAREZ: -- why don't you charge her? She started the chain of distribution.

WHITFIELD: OK. So now the issue here, just so people are clear, it's not that you receive this information, this, you know, alleged pornographic material. But it's that you then disseminate it. You help transmit it, and that's where the charge comes in.

CASAREZ: Yes and no, because they are charged with distribution, you're right.

Now, to simply possess it, that in and of itself can be a crime also. But I think the district attorney has spoken out, saying if you received it and you didn't transmit it on, we're not going to charge you. But, yet, the D.A. will look to see if you possessed it for some time, because that could go toward the intent to commit a crime.

WHITFIELD: Is Oklahoma unique, or are we looking at this same kind of measure that could be duplicated in many other states?

CASAREZ: No. I think all states have child pornography statutes simply like this. But sexting -- some states have sexting. Oklahoma at this point does not.

WHITFIELD: OK. Jean Casarez, thanks so much, from "In Session." Appreciate that.

CASAREZ: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Take a look right now. Live pictures coming from the White House.

We're expecting President Obama to emerge momentarily. He's expected to begin his speech about the economy at 12:05 Eastern Time. We're a minute past that. But, of course, when it happens, we'll take that live.

Also, Newark city employees will have to bring their own toilet paper from home from now on. The city is taking drastic measures to slash its budget and nothing, apparently, is off limits.

First, though, our "Random Moment" in 90 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back.

I want to show you some live pictures at the White House. The president of the United States is expected to emerge momentarily. He'll be making some remarks about the economy. The Wall Street reform signing of that legislation now law. It had been upstaged quite a bit, considerably, during this week of Shirley Sherrod, the USDA and Department of Agriculture.

And so the president wants to put some of these domestic issues back to the front burner, and he is expected to address the economy as a whole. And it's likely he'll also be peppered with questions about other matters, as well.

The president of the United States momentarily to have this press conference.

And there he is right there. Let's listen in.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A little change of venue here. Mix it up.

I want to talk about the progress that we made this week on three fronts as we work to repair the damage to our economy from this recession and build a stronger foundation for the future.

First, I signed a Wall Street reform bill that will protect consumers and our entire economy from the recklessness and irresponsibility that led to the worst recession since the Great Depression. It's a reform that will help us put a stop to the abusive practices of mortgage lenders and credit card companies, and ensure that people get the straight, unvarnished information that they need before they take out a loan or open a credit card. It will bring the shadowy deals that caused the financial crisis into the light of day, and it will end taxpayer bailouts of Wall Street firms and give shareholders a say on executive compensation.

The need for this reform, by the way, was underscored by the report issued by Ken Feinberg this morning, identifying a number of financial companies that continued to pay out lavish bonuses at the height of the financial crisis, even as they accepted billions of dollars in taxpayer assistance.

Second, I signed a law that will improve our ability to crack down on improper payments made by our government. Every year, the government wastes tens of billions of dollars, taxpayer dollars, on erroneous payments to companies that haven't paid their taxes, or to prison inmates, or even to people who died a long time ago.

Today, we have the technology to block these payments, and the law I signed will give us new tools to do so. I've set a target to save at least $50 billion in -- by 2012, savings that are more important today than ever because we simply don't have any money to waste.

Third, we finally overcame the procedural blockade of a partisan minority in the Senate to restore unemployment insurance for about 2.5 million Americans who are out of work and looking for a job.

So, taken together, we made enormous progress this week on Wall Street reform, on making sure that we're eliminating waste and abuse in government, and in providing immediate assistance to people who are out there looking for work. But ultimately, our goal is to make sure that people who are looking for a job can find a job. And that's why it's so important for the Senate to pass the additional steps that I've asked for to cut taxes and expand lending for America's small businesses, our most important engine for hiring and for growth.

And a small business jobs bill that contains these measures may come up for a final vote in the Senate in the next few days. With this small business bill, we'll set up a new lending fund to help community banks offer small businessmen and women the loans they need to grow and to hire. We'll help states encourage more private sector loans to small businesses in industries like manufacturing or construction, that have been especially hard hit by this recession.

We'll expand our most successful small business initiatives and more than double the size of loans our small business owners can take out. And to unlock the growth of our entrepreneurs, we'll finally do what I've been advocating since I ran for president, which is to eliminate capital gains taxes entirely for key investments in small businesses.

Now, last night, after a series of partisan delays, the Senate took an important step forward by supporting a lending fund in the overall small business jobs bill. I want to thank Senators Mary Landrieu and George LeMieux for their leadership and advocacy on behalf of the millions of small businesspeople for whom this will make a meaningful difference. I was heartened that Senator LeMieux and Senator George Voinovich crossed party lines to help pass this lending provision last night, and I hope we can now finish the job and pass the small business jobs plan without delay and without additional partisan wrangling.

You know, the small businessmen and women who write to me every day, the folks who I've met with across this country, they can't afford any more political games. They need us to do what they sent us here to do.

They didn't send us here to wage a never-ending campaign. They didn't send us here to do what's best for our political party. They sent us here to do what's best for the United States of America and all its citizens, whether Democrats or Republicans or Independents. In other words, they sent us here to govern, and that's what I hope we will do in the remaining days before the Congress takes its August recess.

Thank you very much, everyone.

WHITFIELD: All right. No questions that the president is taking there. Just a very brief, quick statement underscoring the importance of the signing of that Wall Street reform legislation into law this week.

Meantime, all this taking place while new poll numbers seem to be sending the president a message about the economy. The message being we need jobs, and you need to do a better job.

In this new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll, 42 percent of Americans approve of the way the president is handling the economy, 57 percent disapprove. The survey asked, "Which is more important, creating jobs or reducing the deficit?" Seventy-four percent say jobs are more important, compared to 25 percent who say deficit reduction.

Much more of the NEWSROOM right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. These tough financial times are requiring extreme measures across the country. In Newark, New Jersey, the mayor even plans to stop buying toilet paper. For city employees, that is. His city faces a $70 million budget shortfall.

Our Mary Snow reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A glimmer of hope in a struggling city -- a clothing store opening. But for the rest of Newark, New Jersey, the picture is grim.

Mayor Cory Booker plans to slash spending everywhere.

(on camera): One thing that caught our attention, you said you were even cutting back on toilet paper. Are you really serious about that?

MAYOR CORY BOOKER, NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: I'm telling you that we're going to stop spending everything from printer paper to toilet paper, stop washing windows, anything that we need to do to keep the fiscal integrity of our city strong and solid. Everybody is watching us from bondholders to local residents who are worried about their fourth quarter tax bill. So I would much rather go without some of these things than have my taxpayers in the city of Newark, my homeowners and my renters face yet another cost of living increase they can't take right now.

SNOW (voice-over): Besides the prospect of having to bring in their own paper and toilet paper to work, non-uniform city workers could be cut to a four-day work week. More than 300 firemen and policemen stand to lose their jobs in a city where the unemployment is 15 percent. All city pools are slated to shut next month.

Booker says the cuts are necessary. He had hoped to raise revenue by converting the city's water system into a municipal utility authority, a new agency that could sell municipal bonds, but Newark's City Council rejected that idea and accuses booker of using scare tactics.

RAS BARAKA, NEWARK CITY COUNCIL: That's the most ridiculous thing I ever heard of. You're not going to buy toilet paper, you're not going to do these kinds of things. These are extreme kind of things to force the council to participate or vote for municipal utilities authority that we think is bad public policy.

BOOKER: This is not scare tactics. This is a fact of life right now.

SNOW: Booker is predicting the next couple years will be the most difficult Newark has seen in a long time.

BOOKER: I have so much faith in our people that we will not only survive this but we will come out of it and find was to thrive at greater and greater levels.

SNOW: Mary Snow, CNN, Newark, New Jersey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. (INAUDIBLE) city officials say they're responding to the financial crisis by making personnel cuts. That's according to the National League of Cities.

Our Ines Ferre has more on what's being slashed to try to make ends meet -- Ines.

INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred. And so many things.

OK. Well, let's start with no more free coffee for senior citizens at their centers in Henderson, Nevada. That's saving the city some $25,000.

Also, San Diego sent their police horses back to the stables. They were auctioned off.

And even having first responders come to your house may cost you in Tracy, California. Residents can pay a yearly fee of $48 to dial 911. Otherwise, if they call and end up receiving medical treatment, Fred, they're charged $300.

Also --

WHITFIELD: Oh my goodness.

FERRE: Also -- I know. It's unbelievable.

And more cities are considering also outsourcing, Fred. Maywood, California, you can see it here in this video from their Web site, cityofmaywood.com. It calls itself the first American city to outsource all of its services. In June, it laid off every one of their city employees, including their 41 police officers. And some were rehired as contract workers, though -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. So, of course, I want to know, what do they do as a substitute, not having police officers?

FERRE: Well, no. They're contracting some as contractors. And so they're basically --

WHITFIELD: So they do have them it's just -- yes, they're not paying them.

FERRE: Exactly.

WHITFIELD: I got you. OK. All right.

So meantime, you know, what are the other extremes, I guess, or the extent that other places may have to go?

FERRE: Yes. Well, you know, we talk a lot about education, and there's been layoffs, there's been furlough days for teachers. Also in West Jordan, Utah, some lawmakers want to make the twelfth grade optional and give out scholarship money in return for graduating early. And you also have districts in at least eight states that are on board to test this type of pilot program.

But, Fred, some cities say, look, we want to give residents the opportunity to give us ideas, to give us input on what they want to cut because they need to cut something. And Austin, Texas, actually started a Web site where residents can actually vote on what to cut. So it's interesting.

WHITFIELD: Wow. That is some fascinating stuff. Tough times, to say the very least.

Ines Ferre, thanks so much. We appreciate that.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT) WHITFIELD: OK. Well, there is no way to know right now how long Tropical Storm Bonnie will actually impact the cleanup of the Gulf, but our Rob Marciano is spending time along the coast, getting a firsthand look at what cleanup crews have been facing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Adam, hey. I'm Rob Marciano.

ADAM HIGGINS, PERDIDO KEY SITE MANAGER: Rob, nice to meet you.

MARCIANO: Nice to meet you.

So, you're in charge of this operation?

HIGGINS: Yes, sir. Got you a shirt here. Put you to work.

MARCIANO: All right.

HIGGINS: Hope you're ready.

MARCIANO: I'm ready.

(voice-over): The first thing I noticed on my trip to the cleanup site, it was hot. Really hot.

HIGGINS: When it gets up in the middle of the day, you'll see that the heat index will be over 100. When you're out here working in heat, and like these guys right here, in rubber boots, rubber gloves, long pants, a shirt, there's no shade out here. Just sun.

MARCIANO (on camera): I've got my sunscreen. There's some tar balls to be picked up. I think it's going to be a tedious workday.

All right.

(voice-over): After suiting up, it was time to work.

(on camera): So this is Hans (ph) -- are you in charge of this crew, by the way, Hans (ph)?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm the foreman.

MARCIANO: So he's the boss, he's my boss for today, or at least for now.

You're my buddy, as well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's correct.

MARCIANO (voice-over): I picked up a broom and got started.

(on camera): So you're just trying to very lightly brush it. It's kind of --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly. MARCIANO: So you don't take that much sand?

This requires the touch of a surgeon. Trying to get these little tiny tar balls off the beach without taking a ton of sand, it's not easy.

(voice-over): The sand and the oil is piled up, shoveled up, and then placed in a plastic bag to be disposed of.

(on camera): I'm feeling bad that I'm taking that much of sand, but there is just no way else to get it. I mean, the sand here on these beaches is precious. I don't want to take too much, but you would rather have a clean beach with a little less sand than a beach that's got a bunch of oil on it.

This feels like it would take forever.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARCIANO: Look at the sand. I mean, this is Gulf Shores, Alabama. This pristine, white stuff taken down the Mississippi and deposited after the last glacial period.

This is crushed courts, and it's white sand like you've never seen in any other part of the world. And they've done a good job of cleaning it up here. As a matter of fact, there were kind of these sand Zambonis out cleaning up what human hands couldn't pick up.

It is tireless work. We did about -- Fredricka, about maybe 150 yards, eight people in an eight-hour day, grueling work. And the progress is just so slow.

That's one of the many jobs, and people that we highlight in this special we've got coming up this weekend -- I just wanted to give it a quick plug. It's 8:00 Eastern and Pacific Time. It premiers tomorrow night and reruns again on Sunday.

It's called "Rescue: Saving the Gulf." And I go shoulder to shoulder with these guys and just highlight the true heroes that are out there, who every day are getting it done to try to do their part and bring back what was an amazing Gulf of Mexico and surrounding shoreline.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Fascinating stuff. We look forward to that.

Of course, that is a tough job. It looks painstaking. You helped demonstrate that.

So then I want to know, where are they going to put those bags of the tar balls? How do you dispose of that?

MARCIANO: Well, that's a conspiracy theory, or an object of debate. There are basically -- in the surrounding counties, there's negotiated landfills that are taking that on. And as you can imagine, not all residents are happy about that. But that's for business dealings beyond my control. WHITFIELD: Yes, I don't think anybody is going to blame you. Maybe they'll credit you a little bit for helping to keep the beach back there clean, since you did some, you know -- put in some sweat hours.

MARCIANO: Hey, it was sweet labor. You know? I hope they appreciated that.

WHITFIELD: Yes, I think they will.

Rob Marciano, thanks so much. Appreciate that from Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Of course, watch the special, "Rescue," 8:00 this weekend, Saturday and Sunday.

All right. Young black males needing mentors and role models. Our Tony Harris talks to one man with a plan.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, President Obama is on a mission to reverse a shortage of African-American male teachers. It's part of a campaign launch by Education Secretary Arne Duncan and it's what we're talking about in today's "What Matters" segment.

CNN's Tony Harris sat down with the secretary to find out how he plans to push this initiative.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TONY HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tell us why you are advocating to get more African-American males into classrooms, recruiting them to become teachers.

ARNE DUNCAN, EDUCATION SECRETARY: As a country, we have a huge challenge to make sure many more of our students and many more of our young black boys are successful. And our graduation rates have to go up dramatically. Our dropout rates have to go down. To get there, I'm convinced we have to have more men of color teaching, being role models, being mentors and doing it not just at the high school, but at the elementary grades.

And when I ran the Chicago Public Schools, I, you know, had 600 schools, visited almost every single one of them. And I'd go to entire elementary schools and not see one black man.

The fact is, is that less than 2 percent of our teachers nationally are black males. So less than one in 50 teachers is an African-American male. There's something wrong with that picture.

HARRIS: Have you answered the "why" question?

DUNCAN: None of the stuff has easy answers. So there's a myriad of answers as to why. One is, we don't have enough young men graduating from high school. We don't have enough young black men graduating from high school and going to college. Of those that do, not enough are going into teaching.

I was down in New Orleans to give the commencement speech at Xavier last week and spent some time with a number of phenomenal young black male teachers from around the country who are part of the Freedom Schools, the Children's Defense Fund, Marian Wright Edelman's program. And it was amazing to talk to them. It was an absolutely inspiring conversation.

And many of them said, you know, I was going to go into finance, I was going to be a corporate lawyer and decided to, you know, be part of this Freedom School to help out while I was in college, and it changed my life. It absolutely changed my life. And they've gone into teaching and made huge personal and financial sacrifices to do that.

HARRIS: What do you get from that experience, do you believe, from having the black male teaching in classrooms, in urban areas, where you have large, black student populations?

DUNCAN: I think all of our students benefit. White, black, Hispanic, boys and girls benefit from having strong, black males in the classroom, but particularly our young black males. And when I talk to those teachers, those few and not enough, but those black teachers, they talk passionately about how the young boys seem to gravitate to them, how they reach out to them, how they find them before school, in class, at lunch time, after school. They're looking for a connection.

I think we haven't talked about it enough is, you know, we're competing with the gangs. We're competing with the drug dealers on the corner. And when students fall through the cracks, when young people don't have that positive mentor in a school setting or in the church, in the community, there's always a guy on the street coroner who could say, come my way and I'll take care of you.

HARRIS: Now you move on to offer the -- to deliver the commencement address. So you have black men in the audience, right? And maybe I'm one of them. I'm sitting there. And I'm not quite sure where I'm going to go with my career. Wow, there's Arne Duncan. He's the education secretary of the United States. I'm open to what he has to say about me becoming a teacher. What's the pitch? How do you sell me?

DUNCAN: I challenge them to come teach. That this is the call to service. This is the call to action. That if we're -- you know, we talk so much about the achievement gap, and I'm convinced the only way we're going to close the achievement gap is to close what I all the opportunity gap.

Poverty is not destiny. Lots of people want to tell you that poverty is destiny. It is absolutely not. What we have to do is provide opportunity. So my challenge to the men in the audience and my challenge to African-American men, Latino men around the country is that, be part of the solution. Step up. And if you do that, the impact you're going to have is just absolutely extraordinary. Way beyond -- way more gratifying than anything you can do.

HARRIS: I like that. I'm sitting in the audience. I received that. But I look at the pay scale. And I'm thinking about starting a family here. I've got student loans that I've got to pay off now. And the two don't equate. What do we do about that?

DUNCAN: We'll fix that. This is a huge deal and the public doesn't know this. As part of the health care legislation that passed recently, we also had a higher education bill. This puts $36 billion -- $36 billion in additional money for Pell Grants, put $2.5 billion behind HBCUs and other minority serving institutions, put $2 billion behind community colleges.

But maybe the most important, and one of the most important pieces of that was something called income-based repayment, IBR. And starting in 2014, if you graduate from college and go into the public service, teaching being at the -- you know, the military --

HARRIS: Sure.

DUNCAN: Working legal aid clinic, working a medical clinic in a disadvantaged community, after 10 years of public service, your loans will be erased. Gone. And up to that point, your loans will be held down to 10 percent of your income.

HARRIS: What are you going to do personally? Are you going to hit the road?

DUNCAN: I'm going to continue to hit the road. It presents some challenges, but it presents a huge opportunity. And if we can attract this next generation of phenomenally talented, committed folks and get more men and more folks of color coming into education and then do a better job of keeping that talent in education, we're going to change this public education in our country for the next 25 or 30 years.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, fascinating stuff. To read more stories that matter to all of us, pick up the latest issue of "Essence" magazine on newsstands right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back to the NEWSROOM. We're watching the markets. And, of course, we're watching all the top stories pertaining to your money. Cnnmoney.com is the place to go.

Let's take a look at the numbers right now, how Wall Street is shaping up. The Dow up just 7 points at 10,329. We'll continue to watch throughout the day for you.

Meantime, let's take a look at our top stories.

A CNN oil alert on this 95th day of the disaster in the Gulf. Efforts to drill a relief well are now suspended as Tropical Storm Bonnie threatens the area. Boats and personnel are actually evacuating. The leaking well will remain capped.

And folks in southeastern Florida have been bracing for this storm. It made landfall actually last hour near Biscayne Bay. And we've got this video -- we received it, rather, just moments ago from our affiliate WSVN in Miami. The latest storm track showing that it is heading for the Gulf and it could make landfall sometime this weekend along the Louisiana or Texas coast. And oil is being pushed into beaches as it remains a major concern.

All right, flooding has forced the closure of General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee. Severe thunderstorms dumped up to eight inches of rain in some places just last night alone. No serious injuries or deaths are reported in Wisconsin's largest city.

And some tough questions post-Katrina. Fix up historical sites or start over fresh? Tom Foreman tells us what's happening in Biloxi, Mississippi.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: So when Hurricane Katrina batted the Gulf Coast five years ago, Biloxi, Mississippi, was in jeopardy of losing its identity. Well, Tom Foreman introduces us to one man fighting to build a future for Biloxi by keeping an eye on the past.

TOM FOREMAN, ABC CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred.

When you're trying to recover from a massive hurricane or you're facing a catastrophic oil spill or maybe another storm coming, many people say there's just no time or money to worry about historic sites. But others say you must because those sites convey the stability of a community. They make people want to stay, reinvest, and build up again.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FOREMAN (voice-over): The 150-year-old light house is gleaning again in Biloxi, reopened just this year after a massive restoration. And other glimmers of hope are appearing all over town.

BILL RAYMOND, HISTORICAL ADMINISTRATOR: This is the Magnolia Hotel. It is the only surviving antebellum hotel along the Gulf Coast.

FOREMAN: Bill Raymond, historic administrator for Biloxi, is overseeing the revival of more than a dozen landmarks hammered by Katrina.

FOREMAN (on camera): How much damage did you have here?

RAYMOND: We had seven foot of water. We had water up to about there.

FOREMAN (voice-over): And he's sharply aware that with so many jobs lost in the recession, and so many in peril from the oil spill, many citizens are asking hard questions.

RAYMOND: Why would you spend money to save a historic structure? You need to help people get jobs.

FOREMAN (on camera): And what did you tell them?

RAYMOND: Think about the future. Think about just a few years from now when you do have a house, you do have a place to work --

FOREMAN: You're going to also want a town with an identity.

RAYMOND: Exactly.

FOREMAN (voice-over): For three centuries, this town, one of the oldest on the Gulf, has had a deep identity rooted in fishing and tourism.

MAYOR A.J. HOLLOWAY, BILOXI, MISSISSIPPI: This is a 103-year-old building right here.

FOREMAN: And in the newly restored city hall, the mayor believes regaining a sense of that history is critical to convincing tourists to come back, business leaders to reinvest, everyone to believe his town will fully return from all of its calamities.

FOREMAN (on camera): You lost a lot of history in the storm.

HOLLOWAY: We lost a tremendous amount of history. But we want to bring it back as much as we can.

FOREMAN (voice-over): Inside the light house, the wall shows how high flood waters have risen over many years. But sites all over show that this town has always built up, no matter how far it is beaten down.

RAYMOND: It is an honor of history, but it is a reminder and the markers of our history.

FOREMAN: And bill Raymond is convinced, with each bit of history he can save, the future too grows brighter.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOREMAN: In short, they say these old places are visible evidence of the fact that this town has recovered many times before and it will again.

Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Tom Foreman.

We've got the answer to your questions about college loans, by the way, at "The Help Desk."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: If you are a regular listener of NPR, then you came to really hear his voice and feel comforted by his analysis of politics and sometimes even culture. This man right here, Daniel Schorr. He died at the age of 93 this morning in Washington, D.C. He had an incredible career with CBS News and then later on with NPR. You'd hear him on the weekends especially with his analysis. Well, he died this morning, peacefully, after what's being described as a short illness. He died at the age of 93. He had lots of family and friends around him. And, of course, we extend our condolences to all those loved ones of Daniel Schorr.

And what to do if you are in college and you have to take out some extra money, an extra loan on top of your regular school loans? And should you take out a car loan while in college, as well? Poppy Harlow and "The Help Desk" team have answers to your financial questions.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Well, time now for "The Help Desk," where we get answers to your financial questions. Joining me this hour, Jack Otter, executive editor of moneywatch.com, and Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, columnist at walletpop.com.

Thanks for being here, guys.

LYNNETTE KHALFANI COX, COLUMNIST, WALLETPOP.COM: Sure.

JACK OTTER, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, MONEYWATCH.COM: Great to be here.

HARLOW: Lynnette, first question for you. This comes from Katharine. She wrote, "I'm entering my second year of college and in addition to may Stafford loans, I'm going to need to take out additional private loans. In my search for lenders, what should I look for?"

KHALFANI COX: Competitive interest rates to start with. Some lenders will give you a lower rate based on a number of things. If you're a good student, if you put your payments on automatic repayment, if you have a cosigner. Those kind of things.

But, you know what, right now we know there's been a lot of change in the student loan universe. The move to federal loans has been a big one. And federal loans, I always tell people who need student loans, federal loans first. Try to really make sure that you've maxed out before you go to the private loan market, because those are more expensive loans.

HARLOW: OK. More expensive. Good to know.

Jack, we have a question that we got from an anonymous viewer who wrote in, "I'm a college student and currently have $4,000 in savings. I earn about $1,000 a month and I'm thinking of buying a $12,000 car. I plan to take out an $8,000 car loan. I'll be graduating in 2013 and my financial aid and scholarship covers most of my rent and tuition. Is this the right decision?" What do you think?

OTTER: Well, this isn't so much a financial call as almost a strategy call. And I don't really like this idea. He -- an $8,000 loan, $12,000 car, that means all of his savings or her savings, exhausted, gone. And $12,000 annual income, $8,000 loan, I would say, can you get through college without a car? Hang on to that $4,000. You might find in a couple of years when you graduate, wow, there's something else I want to do with that money. Or you might live somewhere where you -- yes, you might live somewhere where don't need a car. You're walking to the office. So, hey, you're going to triple your salary, I hope, when you get out of college, and you're going to have this nice savings to start with. I would put it in a very safe place to earn you some interest. And try to avoid buying that car. If you absolutely need a car, then let's look for a $5,000 used car.

HARLOW: Or a bus.

KHALFANI COX: That's what I was going to say.

HARLOW: Or take the bus. Take a bus.

KHALFANI COX: Or maybe just a cheaper car. You know, a used car.

HARLOW: That's true, a cheaper car. Yes.

KHALFANI COX: (INAUDIBLE).

HARLOW: Good advice, guys, thank you.

All right, "The Help Desk," of course, all about getting you answers. Send us an e-mail to cnnhelpdesk@cnn.com. You can log on to cnn/helpdesk to see more of our financial solutions. You can, of course, also pick up the latest issue of "Money" magazines, right there. It's on newsstands now.

WHITFIELD: All right, one day you're being forced out of your job. Days later, you're on the phone with the White House. Shirley Sherrod reflects on her conversation with the president of the United States.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: OK. So what's next for Shirley Sherrod, the former USDA employee forced to resign over comments taken out of context. Well, we've learned Sherrod could meet with the man who actually started this whole firestorm. Both she and blogger Andrew Breitbart have been invited to a minority journalism conference next week. Sherrod says she will attend. No word on whether Breitbart will.

So, meantime, Sherrod says she was actually pleased to get a call from President Obama.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHIRLEY SHERROD, FORMER GA. DIR., RURAL DEVELOPMENT, USDA: He didn't say I'm sorry, in those words. And I really didn't want to hear the president of the United States say I'm sorry to Shirley Sherrod. I felt he was saying that, in his talk -- just by simply calling me, I felt it was in a way saying I'm sorry, because he didn't have to do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: So this Saturday night, we'll actually take an intimate look into the life of Shirley Sherrod, from her early years growing up in rural Georgia, to the murder of her father and the impact this week has had on her life. The woman behind the controversy, Saturday night, 7:00 and 10:00 p.m. Eastern.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Thanks so much for being with me this afternoon. I'll see you all weekend long. But now, time for more of the NEWSROOM with Ali Velshi.

Ali.

ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Fredricka, you have a fantastic weekend. Thank you so much.