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President Obama Meets With Congressional Leaders; BP CEO Tony Hayward Out; Spotlight on Race in America
Aired July 27, 2010 - 11:58 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And hello again, everyone. I'm Tony Harris. Top of the hour in the "CNN NEWSROOM" where anything can happen. Here are some of the people behind today's top stories.
BP's CEO may be moving on, but many others are still feeling the impact of the oil disaster. Their stories are being told on Capitol Hill today.
In California, city leaders have been slashing budgets, while living the high life. Residents have revolted.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They tell us there's no money, but then again, they're earning $800,000 a year. Our chief is earning $450. So that's a lot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: That really is. You are online right now. We are, too. Josh is following the top stories trending on the internet -- Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, the world's oldest living things. We have these amazing new picture of living beings, some of these have been alive literally tens of thousands of years, even hundreds of thousands of years.
Plus, check this out over here. Bedbugs. New concerns about bedbugs at hotels all over the country based on a study that's just been released. Details on both these, CNN.com.
HARRIS: And they bite all night.
All right. Let's get started with our lead story. We are waiting on President Obama to come out of the White House where he has been meeting with congressional leaders. Reporters are gathered in the Rose Garden.
Our Kate Bolduan is close by.
Kate, good to see you.
First of all, do we have any idea what was discussed in that meeting, like you were the fly on the wall in that meeting, and what the president might say? KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I would love to be a fly on the wall in that meeting. I'm working on that kind of access, Tony. You know that. You know that.
Well, we're told, really, they're touching on a range of topics, is the guidance that we're getting. You said there is a -- the president is meeting -- it's a bipartisan meeting of congressional leaders. That includes House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, House Republican Leader John Boehner, and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.
Administration officials tell us -- while I said they're touching on a range of topics, they're also -- it's a chance to run down the president's legislative priorities. This, at a time -- just look at the calendar -- the August congressional recess is fast approaching. So we're talking about a limited time window here until Congress goes on a month-long break.
The topics that we're told that they could be touching on, things we have been talking a lot over the past few weeks -- the economy, jobs. The president wants to offer help to small businesses. Energy reform, another big thing.
And campaign finance reform, legislation, the DISCLOSE Act. I know you've been talking about it, we have all been talking about it. This has a very important procedural vote that this act is facing today, this afternoon. It's unlikely that it will have enough votes to proceed, but the president is going to be touching on these legislative priorities.
And I'll tell you, as we wait to hear from him -- stop me if he walks out.
HARRIS: Sure. Sure.
BOLDUAN: As we wait to hear from him, it's going to be interesting, I'll say, to hear the tone from the president. You have probably noticed it. Many people have noticed in the past few weeks, the president has really stepped up his campaign-style kind of rhetoric, as we say.
Just yesterday, take, for example, among -- amid the WikiLeaks story that was really everything we were talking about, the president came out and hammered Republicans for their opposition to this campaign finance legislation. He called -- he said that it was, you know, political gamesmanship that they were involved in. So it will be interesting, coming out of this bipartisan meeting, what the president has to say and the tone that he takes on.
HARRIS: Yes, can't wait.
All right. Kate Bolduan at the White House for us.
And you see the shot there at the Rose Garden. We're waiting for the president. We'll usually get a two-minute warning or so, but we'll get you there as soon as we see the president. Kate, appreciate it. Thank you.
Day 99 of the Gulf oil disaster, and the man most associated with the catastrophe is out. In a much anticipated move, BP announced today that CEO Tony Hayward is stepping down. Replacing Hayward, Bob Dudley, an American with Gulf Coast roots.
Hayward became the target of anger for those hurt by the oil disaster. He made a number of gaffes and missteps that critics say demonstrated a lack of sensitivity. Outgoing CEO Tony Hayward says the Gulf disaster represents a failure for the entire industry, not just BP.
CNN Senior Correspondent Allan Chernoff joins us from more from a webcast today by Hayward.
What did we learn? Any news there, Allan?
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT: A lot of news.
You know, Tony Hayward may be departing soon, but he is not leaving without defending his record and his company's record. As you said, he is maintaining that this really was an industry problem. Hayward came very, very close to saying this could have happened to almost any major oil company drilling in the deep, deep water.
Have a listen to this. Remember, the name of the well is the Macondo well. We haven't used that name that much, but that's the Macondo well.
Mr. Hayward said, "Macondo is an accident for the deepwater drilling industry, not for BP."
Tony, very significant comment right over there.
He also said, "The industry needs to reevaluate safety. Everyone will reevaluate their business model to reduce risk associated with deepwater drilling."
He is saying, look, the entire industry was operating the same way, and the fact that BP has gotten so much blame, he basically is saying it was unfair. He defended his own record. He said he has improved safety at BP. And indeed, during the past three years, when he was head of the company, as he was head of the company, he was saying that all along -- because just before he took over, BP did have some tragic accidents.
Remember Texas City, the refinery there. Fifteen people died in 2005. So Hayward said safety has been one of his watchwords.
And also, he defended his performance during this entire crisis. He said he's tried to be very open about everything, and he said, "I believe BP has shown what corporate responsibility really means, and that applies to individuals, as well as companies" -- Tony.
HARRIS: Did he apologize for anything? Was it just this staunch defense point by point?
CHERNOFF: Yes. It was not an apology.
This was a webcast. And really, it was a conference call, because there was not video.
This was directed towards investors, the investment community. And honestly, for most of his three years, they have loved him.
Hayward did lead a big increase in profitability for BP. He did that in part by slashing jobs. He maintained that safety was on the up, and he still maintains that, that it had improved. But obviously, we did have this horrible, horrible disaster occur in the Gulf, and BP will certainly be analyzing itself.
An investigation remains under way -- Tony.
HARRIS: Yes, but, boy, it's a webcast for investors, but he would have to know that reporters like yourself would be listening and sharing what came out of that webcast with everyone watching us. And maybe a little more humility.
CHERNOFF: No apology whatsoever, Tony.
HARRIS: Yes.
CHERNOFF: A man who is proud, even as he is exiting.
HARRIS: Yes. All right.
Allan Chernoff for us.
Allan, appreciate it. Thank you.
Well, Bob Dudley will have his work cut out for him, that's for sure. The costs stemming from the disaster in the Gulf are expected to haunt BP for years to come.
Carter Evans is standing by at the New York Stock Exchange with that part of the story for us and a look at the company's earnings.
Carter, if you would, give us kind of a glimpse at these numbers.
CARTER EVANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, we're talking about the largest oil spill in U.S. history here. So, not surprisingly, this took a huge bite out of BP's bottom line.
The oil giant lost more than $17 billion in the second quarter. Now, this loss comes because the company took a whopping pre-tax charge of $32 billion to pay for the cleanup. Now, that's going to cover most of the direct cost, but the company says it just can't estimate future claims from fines and lawsuits, and we all know those are coming.
The crazy thing is, is that BP is actually a really healthy company. Despite the losses, revenue is up almost 30 percent to more than $10 billion in the second quarter. And if it weren't for the cleanup costs, BP would have posted a very healthy profit.
BP's shares, however, today are down about two percent, currently trading at $37.82. Now, they had been trading above $60 at the time of the spill back in April. Then they fell as low as $27 a share in the aftermath -- Tony.
HARRIS: All right, Carter. Appreciate it. Thank you so much.
And I'm just sort of curious, overall, are the shares doing better, BP's stock doing a little bit better today?
EVANS: Well, you know what? Yesterday BP's stock did a lot better.
You know, this is really the worst-kept secret in business history, that Tony Hayward was going to be leaving. And on that announcement yesterday, that's when we saw the big bump on stocks.
HARRIS: Got you.
EVANS: As far as the rest of the market today, not really a whole lot of action. We had a slight decline in consumer confidence, and that kind of took the wind out of some early gains.
HARRIS: Got you.
All right. Carter Evans, New York Stock Exchange, for us.
Good to see you, sir. Thank you.
On Capitol Hill today, lawmakers are focusing on the impact of the Gulf oil disaster on small businesses. They have been hurt, as you know, by a drop in tourism. Beachgoers are concerned about oil washing up along the shore.
A Florida lawmaker told a House panel today BP needs to do more to help those businesses.
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REP. KATHY CASTOR (D), FLORIDA: The efforts of BP to date have been inadequate, to say the least. What is particularly maddening is we watch these incessant ads, full-page ads by BP, that are polishing their corporate image at a time where they should be devoting a good portion of those monies to helping small business owners, our hotels get back on their feet, and explain to folks around the globe that our beaches are pristine and we want you to come to Florida, rather than how many millions and millions and millions of dollars have they spent on polishing their own corporate image.
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HARRIS: And on the Senate side, lawmakers are examining the impact of the offshore drilling moratorium on small businesses. Critics say the ban adds to the economic problems caused by the oil disaster, and analysts explain how many businesses could be impacted. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ETHAN TREESE, DUN & BRADSTREET: There are at least 16,580 businesses in the five Gulf states that could be impacted by a moratorium in the industries I described. Approximately 98 percent of these businesses meet the definition of a small business, with 85 percent of these businesses having fewer than 10 employees. Six hundred and sixty-seven of these businesses are classified as woman- owned, minority-owned or veteran-owned, and 97 percent of these small businesses are U.S.-owned businesses.
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HARRIS: Race in America -- it jumped to the forefront last week when Shirley Sherrod was forced out of her federal job.
We are continuing the discussion right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
But first, though, our "Random Moment" in 75 seconds.
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HARRIS: All right. CNN has confirmed with the Utah State Supreme Court that Warren Jeffs' two convictions of rape as an accomplice have been overturned and that he will receive a new trial. That information just crossing.
We will get you some broader context on this story in just a couple of minutes, but wanted to share that with you as it just came across the wires here at CNN. And once again, CNN confirming with the Utah State Supreme Court that Warren Jeffs' two convictions for rape as an accomplice have been overturned and that he will receive a new trial.
Got to tell you, a week ago, the Shirley Sherrod saga once again shined the spotlight on race in America. It is a discussion we will continue today. We're going to do our best on this topic.
The NAACP has apologized to Sherrod for initially condemning her after her comments about a white farmer were taken out of context. I asked Sherrod about that in the interview you first saw here on CNN.
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HARRIS: Your reaction to essentially being condemned by the NAACP?
SHIRLEY SHERROD, FMR. GEORGIA DIRECTOR, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, USDA: That hurts, because if you look at my history, that's what I'm saying. I've done more to advance the causes of civil rights in this area than some of them who are sitting in those positions now with the NAACP.
They need to learn something about me. They need to know about my work. They need to know what I've contributed through the years.
HARRIS: What was the point of the story you were telling to the NAACP in March? What was the point?
SHERROD: The point was to get them to understand we need to look beyond race, to look at working together. I've said to audiences here, not just that one -- and, in fact, I spoke at a housing conference in a county just south of here, and I said, "Look, we need to get beyond the Civil War."
I tell them there are good things about history from the white side, good things about history and culture from the black side. People love to come into this part of the state to see that. I tell them, we need to make the most of it, and if we work together, we can do that.
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HARRIS: OK. We want to talk about the issues that would shape a discussion on race in America, which is what issues, what topics?
We are posing that topic to several people today. We are talking with CNN contributor Donna Brazile. She is with us from Washington.
Donna, great to see you. It's good to have you here.
DONNA BRAZILE, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: It's good to see you. And thank you, Tony, for your excellent journalism last week. It was your conversation that helped prompt me.
I was so troubled to try to get as much information as possible about what really happened during her speech. So I want to thank you, too, for your great journalism.
HARRIS: You're kind. You're kind. Thank you, Donna.
And thank you, obviously, to Shirley and to Eloise Spooner as well.
As we start this, Donna, as we try to frame this out, what we're going to do here is we're just going to ask thinkers like yourself, if you were framing this discussion, if you were leading this discussion in this country on race, what topics -- maybe three -- would you include as absolute necessities for that discussion on race in America? But as I was listening to that sound bite again from Shirley Sherrod, it struck me.
How did a rush to judgment play a role in this? And to what extent was race a factor in that rush to judgment on that whole Shirley Sherrod story that broke last week?
BRAZILE: I think when the videotape arrived at Mr. Breitbart's headquarters, he should have taken some time to at least see if it was edited. It was a botched video. It was meant to do the kind of harm that it did in the short term, which was to get us into a superficial conversation about whether or not a black woman, in the case of Ms. Sherrod, a midlevel government employee, was suggesting that she had discriminated against a white farmer. What we didn't know, and until we got the full picture, was that Mrs. Sherrod was telling a story of redemption, about how she had come, based on her own experiences dealing with racism in the Deep South, the segregated Deep South, the South that I grew up in, as well, she talked about how she overcame her own deep-seated feelings, and then she went on to help the Spooners. But we didn't hear the whole story.
Instead, there was a rush to judgment. There was a rush to call upon Mrs. Sherrod to pull aside on the highway, to demand her resignation, and to say, well done. Well, no, it was not well done.
So, number one, first, let's -- it cannot be a teachable moment, Tony, if we're not willing to listen and to learn. Had someone listened to Ms. Sherrod, had someone pulled over and said, can you explain what happened, or can you come in tomorrow and tell FoxNews.com, that had Mr. Breitbart's statement at that point, you say hold off, we're waiting for Ms. Sherrod to come in, as soon as we have an opportunity to talk to Ms. Sherrod, we will give a statement, instead there was a rush to condemn this woman. And the most, I think, damaging way.
But we can learn from Ms. Sherrod. We can learn from her story, we can learn from her interaction with the Spooners, and we can make this our own teachable moment, not that comes from on high from the White House, but comes from our hearts, our own daily working with people who have different backgrounds than our own.
HARRIS: OK. Perfect.
All right, so that tees this up perfectly for us. If you were leading that discussion, or if you were taking part in a discussion on race, give me a couple of topics that you feel would be absolutely necessary to a fair, honest and open discussion about race. And we're going to take these, we're going to bullet point them, we're going to put them on the blog page, we're going to put them on the Facebook page.
Help us frame this out a bit, Donna.
BRAZILE: Well, for me, it starts with the acknowledgment that for centuries, we struggled as a country with the issue of slavery and then legal segregation. And without the knowledge of that history, we can't frame a conversation for the future. So it starts with the knowledge of -- some acknowledgment of our own history. And that will help people understand that it's not about pointing fingers, you know, saying that this person is bad or this person -- it's about acknowledging our history.
Secondly, we need to acknowledge where we are today. Since the election of our first black president -- I don't want to put this on, you know, the election, the historic election of 2008, but clearly, we can use that as now a milestone. We reached a mountaintop moment.
Now, what did that mean to you? I think we need to ask each other. For me, Tony, it was a period of jubilation. I rejoiced for a long, long time, because it was -- it felt good to see America go past race and then to the promise land of the future that Dr. King envisioned when he gave his speech back in 1963. So I think that's another step we should take.
Number three, after we acknowledge what this election meant to us, what have we done since the election to try to improve racial dialogue in our community, racial reconciliation? You know it starts with us. It doesn't start with anyone else. And so we need to acknowledge our own issues and what we care deeply about.
And I think another thing we should do, Tony, is to say, you know, we have friends from different backgrounds, whether, you know, I'm black, you're Hispanic, you're Asian, you're white. So we need to also say, how do we interact with our friends? Because I can tell you, there are many people out there interacting each and every day across multicultural, multiracial lines, and they're not focusing on race. They're focusing on something else because they have too much in common.
So I think we also should talk about what we share in common, because we'll find that we share a lot in common. For example, as a New Orleanian, every Monday we ate red beans. When I was a little girl, I had no idea that white people ate red beans on Monday as well. I thought it was just black people.
No. It was laundry day, so we all ate red beans.
So we need to have that period that we can share common grounds.
Then we need to talk about the things we want to change, because I think for African-Americans -- and I don't speak for all African- Americans, but I think for many of them, they want to change some of the present day structural deficiencies and inequalities that still confront us as African-Americans. And perhaps we can learn from other Americans of how we confront that.
But if we take on these issues together and believe that no one has malice in their hearts, that we're believing that we can do this together, we might be able to overcome some of our deep, wounded past.
HARRIS: That is terrific.
OK. So here's what we're going to do, Donna. We're going to put that section of this conversation on our blog page. We're going to draw the points you made on acknowledging slavery and illegal segregation, what did the election of a black president mean to you, racial reconciliation, what we share in common. And then we will continue this conversation.
And just so you know, we're going to be asking this of thinkers and all walks of life for the next few months. And then we'll frame it out and we'll see what we do with it from that point on.
Donna, can't thank you enough. BRAZILE: Can I make one last statement?
HARRIS: Yes. Yes, of course you can.
BRAZILE: It's controversial.
HARRIS: Yes.
BRAZILE: I don't believe that all Republicans are racists. I don't believe all Tea Party members are racists. I don't believe all Democrats and all liberals are racists.
I think that is bogus. I think we cannot start by basically demonizing each other. We cannot smear people the way Shirley Sherrod was smeared before the truth came out. We should start by believing that we're all Americans and we're in this together.
HARRIS: Now, that's a coda to the conversation.
All right. Donna, great to see you, as always. Thanks for your time.
BRAZILE: Thank you, Tony.
HARRIS: All right.
Still to come, an update on the Warren Jeffs case right after this.
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HARRIS: Let's get you an update on the story that we told you about just moments ago.
CNN able to confirm with the Utah State Supreme Court that Warren Jeffs' two convictions of rape as an accomplice have been overturned, and that he will receive a new trial.
Got to tell you, our Gary Tuchman has been on this story from the opening days, certainly was there since the time of the raid of the compound in '08. And Gary is on the phone with us.
And Gary, what are your thoughts on this story and this development that will come as a shocking development for many?
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, this is a big story because, basically, the only reason Warren Jeffs is in prison right now is because of this conviction. So the possibility exists, and we don't know for sure, but the possibilities exists that he can, for the first time in four years, be released from prison, because the Utah Supreme Court has overturned the conviction of rape as an accomplice and has ordered a new trial for Warren Jeffs.
And basically, what the Utah Supreme Court says is the jury instructions in the 2007 trial were faulty. During the trial, which we sat in, Warren Jeffs attorneys argued with the judge, saying that in jury instructions, the jury must be told that Warren Jeffs knew that unwanted sex would take place when he performed a marriage between a girl -- her name is Elisa Wall -- and her former husband, Allen Steed. So the attorneys for Warren -- the jury explicitly had to be told that.
Now, the prosecutor said the jury is not stupid. They know that if Warren Jeffs presided over the marriage, that he would know that sex would take place.
Nevertheless, the Utah Supreme Court, with regret, says they realize that this may not be justice for the girl, but they say under the rule of the law, there should have been explicit instructions to the jury, and therefore the conviction is dropped. Therefore, he's entitled to a new trial. And therefore, we tell you that the possibility exists that this man who is considered a prophet by followers of the polygamists FLDS Church -- FLDS stands for Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints -- they say they're the true Mormons.
The Mormon Church in Salt Lake City denies that completely, says they have nothing to do with Mormons. Either way, this man is considered a prophet by his followers, and the possibility exists that Warren Jeffs could be released from prison.
We should tell you, and this is very important, there were charges against him in Arizona. They were also dropped. But there are major charges against him in the state of Texas because of that raid that you'll recall in April of 2008, 461 children of families were taken away from this ranch in Texas that is owned by the church. But all the children are now back with their families.
But those charges still hold. And ultimately, he will go to court and have a trial on those particular charges. But in the meantime, he could be released -- Tony.
HARRIS: That is absolutely shocking.
It will come as shocking news to a lot of people who followed this, and certainly followed your reporting on this, Gary. So we would expect some kind of statement from prosecution on this, I would think, pretty soon, in short order. Wouldn't you think?
TUCHMAN: I would think so, too. I will also -- as you said, we have been covering this story for a long time.
As you may recall, Warren Jeffs was on the FBI's 10 most wanted list. He was captured over four years ago, so he has been in prison for over four years.
But I will tell you, from many visits to the twin communities Colorado City, Arizona, Hildale, Utah, that's kind of the nerve center of this church. The people there said, we have faith. We have faith that God will get our prophet out of prison, and all of a sudden that possibility exists.
Once again, I emphasize, if this was a normal guy who wasn't an infamous guy, very likely he would be released on bond. Because it's Warren Jeffs, because of a high profile, there's a possibility they'll figure out a way to keep him in prison. I don't know, but that possibility exists.
HARRIS: All right. Gary Tuchman on the story for us.
Gary, appreciate it. Thank you.
Man -- and moving on now.
Many illegal immigrants who want to leave the country can't without big trouble. That is a story that is coming up next. We will share with you one man's particular story.
That's next in the "CNN NEWSROOM".
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HARRIS: Illegal immigrants who want to leave the country can't do it so easily.
CNN's Special Correspondent Soledad O'Brien talks to one man who is caught between two countries.
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(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Edwin Andrade first came to the U.S. from Ecuador because his daughter Dominica (ph) was dying. Her heart ailment could only be treated here.
When their visas ran out, his family stayed, illegally.
EDWIN ANDRADE, TRYING TO RETURN TO COUNTRY: I make the decision to stay here. I left everything for coming here to save her life.
O'BRIEN: Even after Dominica (ph) got better, the Andrades continued to stay. They had good jobs. They had a second daughter with U.S. citizenship.
(on camera): You want to go home.
ANDRADE: I've got to go back home. In my country, I'm a citizen. I've got to go wherever I need to go. I have -- I'm afraid.
O'BRIEN (voice-over): After 13 years, the Andrades are doing the unthinkable -- trying to leave. But they say they feel trapped, unable to find work in a recession. They're part of an estimated half a million illegal immigrants who are struggling to go back home.
(on camera): Are you stuck?
ANDRADE: Yes. I'm stuck. I don't have -- I don't have hands. I have, like, a tie on my hands. O'BRIEN (voice-over): If Andrade tries to fly out using his Ecuadorian passport, officials will discover he's overstayed his visa. He'll face potential fines and expulsion from the U.S. for years.
Leaving isn't so easy.
PABLO CALLE, ECUADOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL: We have a case of an Ecuadorian that when ICE, and they said, "Listen, I have nothing left in this country. I have no money for my air ticket. I just want to go back to the country." And they told him no.
O'BRIEN (on camera): Are you saying that some people say I'd love to go home but I can't?
CALLE: Yes, that's their reality.
O'BRIEN: (voice-over): Some illegal immigrants even face detention if they try to leave.
JOHN DE LEON, MIAMI IMMIGRATION LAWYER: If you want to stay, they get you out very quick. If you want to leave, they try to make it hard for you to leave.
O'BRIEN: Immigration authorities declined to be interviewed on camera. They say people facing deportation orders may be detained while they're processed. The only way to come and go without a penalty, sneak back across the border.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: All right, let's get you to the Rose Garden now with the president of the United States, Barack Obama.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I just concluded a productive discussion with the leaders of both parties of Congress. This is one of a series of regular meetings that I called for in the State of the Union because I think it's important for us to come together and speak frankly about the challenges we face. And to work through areas where we don't agree, hopefully find some areas where we do.
Our conversation today focused on an issue that's being discussed every day at kitchen tables across this country. And that's how do we create jobs that people need to support their families. I believe that starts with doing everything we can to support small businesses. These are the stores, the restaurants, the start-ups and other companies that create two out of every three new jobs in this country. And they grow into the big businesses that transform industries here in America and around the world.
Well, we know that many of these businesses still can't get the loans and the capital they need to keep their doors open and hire new workers. That's why we've proposed steps to get them that help. Eliminating capital gains taxes on investments. Making it easier for small lenders to support small businesses. Expanding successful SBA programs to help these businesses access the capital that they need. This is how we create jobs, by investing in the innovators and entrepreneurs that have always driven our prosperity.
These are the kind of common sense steps that folks from both parties have supported in the past. Steps to cut taxes and spur private sector growth and investment. And I hope that in the coming days we'll once again find common ground and get this legislation passed. We shouldn't let America's small businesses be held hostage to partisan politics. And certainly not at this critical time.
We also talked about the need to move forward on energy reform. The Senate is now poised to act before the August recess, advancing legislation to respond to the BP oil spill and create new clean energy jobs. That legislation is an important step in the right direction, but I want to emphasize, it's only the first step. And I intend to keep pushing for broader reform, including climate legislation, because if we have learned anything from the tragedy in the Gulf, it's that our current energy policy is unsustainable.
And we can't afford to stand by as our dependence on foreign oil deepens, as we keep on pumping out the deadly pollutants that threaten our air and our water and the lives and livelihoods of our people. And we can't stand by as we let China race ahead to create the clean energy jobs and industries of the future. We should be developing those renewable energy sources and creating those high-wage, high- skilled jobs right here in the United States of America. That's what comprehensive energy and climate reform would do. And that's why I intend to keep pushing this issue forward.
I also urged the House leaders to pass the necessary funding to support our efforts in Afghanistan and Pakistan. I know much has been written about this in recent days as a result of the substantial leak of documents from Afghanistan covering a period from 2004 to 2009. While I'm concerned about the disclosure of sensitive information from the battlefield that could potentially jeopardize individuals or operations, the fact is, these documents don't reveal any issues that haven't already informed our public debate on Afghanistan. Indeed, they point to the same challenges that led me to conduct an extensive review of our policy last fall.
So let me underscore what I've said many times. For seven years, we failed to implement a strategy adequate to the challenge in this region. The region from which the 9/11 attacks were waged and other attacks against the United States and our friends and allies have been planned. That's why we've substantially increased our commitment there, insisted upon greater accountable from our partners in Afghanistan and Pakistan, developed a new strategy that can work, and put in place a team, including one of our finest generals, to execute that plan. Now we have to see that strategy through. And as I told the leaders, I hope the House will act today to join the Senate, which voted unanimously in favor of this funding, to ensure that our troops have the resources they need and that we're able to do what's necessary for our national security.
Finally, during our meeting today, I urged Senator McConnell and others in the Senate to work with us to fill the vacancies that continue to plague our judiciary. Right now we've got nominees who have been waiting up to eight months to be confirmed as judges. Most of these folks were voted out of committee unanimously, or nearly unanimously, by both Democrats and Republicans. Both Democrats and Republicans agreed that they were qualified to serve.
Nevertheless, some in the minority have used parliamentary procedures time and again to deny them a vote in the full Senate. Now, if we want our judicial system to work, if we want to deliver justice in our courts, then we need judges on our benches. And I hope that in the coming months we'll be able to work together to ensure a timelier process in the Senate.
Now, we don't have many days left before Congress is out for the year. And everyone understands that we're less than 100 days from an election. So during this time, the noise and the chatter about who's up in the polls and which party's ahead threatens to drown out just about everything else. But the folks we serve who sent us here to serve, they sent us here for a reason. They sent us here to listen to their voices, they sent us here to represent their interests, not our own. They sent us here to lead. And I hope that in the coming months we'll do everything in our power to live up to that responsibility.
Thanks very much.
HARRIS: There you have it, the president with comments out of a meeting with a bipartisan congressional delegation. The president asking for Congress to finish its work on war funding legislation. The president also downplaying the significance of the document dump on the WikiLeaks website.
Let's move forward now. We're back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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HARRIS: CNN, of course, is your source for financial news. Let's get you to cnnmoney.com. There you see the main page here. "The tax hike nobody is talking about."
But, you know what, let me draw your attention to the breaking news here. This is good stuff here, because there was some thoughts that this Chevy Volt, the electric car, would run in the price range of $50,000. So GM is setting the price at $41,000. That's not cheap, obviously, but some thought it would be an even more expensive vehicle. $41,000 price tag for the Chevy Volt electric car.
Let's get you to the big board now. The New York Stock Exchange. Three hours into the trading day. And we started -- we've been mostly flat for the morning. But as we turn it to the afternoon, we are -- we've got a modest rally going on, up 26 points. And the NASDAQ is still negative. So a mixed day. The NASDAQ down five.
We're back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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HARRIS: And we learned a short time ago that the Utah Supreme Court -- we learned that Warren Jeffs, his two convictions of rape as an accomplice has been overturned by the Utah Supreme Court. So the prospect is there -- the very real prospect that Warren Jeffs could be released from prison at some point soon here. It is a development we will continue to follow for you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Ninety-nine days into the Gulf oil disaster, and outgoing CEO Tony Hayward says it is not only BP's fault. In a webcast he says the disaster represents an industry-wide failure and urges safety measures to be reevaluated. Eleven workers died when the rig exploded in April. Efforts to permanently seal the ruptured well head could begin next week.
Meantime, environmental activists launch a new campaign against BP on its own turf. Members of Greenpeace briefly shut down BP stations around London today. And ESPN reporter Erin Andrews has a new mission -- persuade Congress to pass tougher anti stalking measures. Andrews, a stalking victim herself, says current laws are unclear and out-of-date.
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HARRIS: Millions of Americans have credit card debt or mounting student loans. CNN's "Help Desk" has solutions.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: 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 from walletpop.com.
The first question goes to you, Jack. This comes from James. James wrote in, "since my wife lost her job last year, I've been using credit cards to pay some bills, including part of my mortgage. We're no longer able to make the monthly minimum payments and exhausted all of our savings. Do you think credit card companies will accept less than minimum payments? Can you recommend a reputable company that can help us?"
JACK OTTER, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, MONEYWATCH.COM: Wow, that's a very tough situation. Yes, the starter, the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, nfcc.org.
HARLOW: They're great.
OTTER: And there are so many unreputable places who will pretend to help you and take your money. So that's a good one to go to.
I realize this is hindsight and it's not terribly helpful to him, but to other viewers, I would not recommend paying your mortgage with a credit card. That's just exacerbating the situation. Before you get to that point, that's when you want to look for some help, see if you can negotiate lower fees. The bottom line of his question is, I think the credit card company will be forced to accept less. So, yes.
HARLOW: Right. If you don't have it, you can't pay it.
OTTER: Yes.
HARLOW: That's a good point.
All right, Lynnette, your question comes from Lonzell. Lonzell wrote in, "I'm a single father of three and have a limited income. It's been very difficult to address my mounting student loan debt. I'd love to change careers in order to have a better salary, but can't due to the job market. What can I do to create some opportunities and try to change my situation?"
LYNNETTE KHALFANI-COX, COLUMNIST, WALLETPOP.COM: Right. Tough thing, obviously, 15 million Americans out of work. About half of them chronically unemployed for six months or longer. So I feel for this viewer with this question.
A couple things you might try. One is, boost your educational skills, your marketability in terms of your technology skills, your communication skills. Anything that you might have been lacking in the past that perhaps held you back from getting a promotion on the job or getting a different job, seek to shore up those areas.
But I often tell people, look, if the jobs aren't there, create your own work, you know. Turn a hobby into cash. We've seen a lot more push toward entrepreneurship, which I think is a great thing. It helps the economy overall.
HARLOW: Great companies start in recessions.
KHALFANI-COX: So don't just think, oh, the only way I'm going to get an income source is to have somebody else pay me. See if you have some skills. If you can teach piano, you know, get somebody to pay you for that. If you're good with your hands, make something that people will want to buy from you. But think a little bit entrepreneurially, as well.
HARLOW: That's a great point. All right, guys, good answers. Thanks so much.
Of course, "The Help Desk" is all about getting you answers. Send us an e-mail to cnnhelpdesk@cnn.com, or you can log on to cnn.com/helpdesk to see more of our financial solutions.
You can also pick up the latest issue of "Money" magazine. It is on newsstands now.
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HARRIS: Time to find out what's happening, what's hot online. We know that you're online right now. We are, too. Ines Ferre is in New York for us.
And I tell you, I know one of the trending stories is this garage sale bonanza, Ines.
INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Tony. A Fresno-based commercial painter knocked down the price of some negatives from $70 to $45 back in 2000. Well, he spent the last 10 years trying to prove that the negatives were very significant. Today, sweet vindication. It was authenticated and values at millions of dollars. Turns out that they belonged to famed nature photographer Ansel Adams. Can you believe this? Buying these negatives for $45, and now experts and appraisers are saying that the landscape photos are worth some $200 million. They were believed to have been destroyed in a fire in 1937, but it turns out that here they are.
HARRIS: Ines, what is this story -- we've been talking about that story with the Ansel Adams negatives all morning. What is this story about the government allowing people to hack their own phones? Will you sort this out for me, please.
FERRE: Yes, and this is on cnn.com. It's called jailbreaking. And the U.S. copyright office has decided that you can now download apps not necessarily authorized by Apple. It's also acceptable to unlock any cell phone for use on multiple carriers. So that's called jailbreaking and iPhone users can now legally download software that lets their phones join a non-AT&T network. I'm sure a lot of iPhone users are happy about that.
HARRIS: IPhone jailbreaking.
All right, Ines, see you soon. Thank you.
FERRE: You're welcome.
HARRIS: We are back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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HARRIS: So officials in the blue collar town of Bell, California, were paying themselves hundreds of thousands of dollars. Last night the people of Bell told them what they thought about it. Here's Ted Rowlands.
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TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Looking for answers and for heads, hundreds of furious taxpayers showed up at a Bell city council meeting last night.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please, I need respect for everybody. Please.
ROWLANDS: Respect for government is hard to find in this city with a median income of less than $40,000, because over the past few years, unbeknownst to seemingly everyone, while city leaders have been slashing budgets, they were paying themselves ridiculous salaries, including a jaw-dropping $787,000 a year to city manager Robert Rizzo. That's almost double of what President Obama makes. Rizzo, thanks presumably to taxpayers, owns this horse ranch in Washington state and this beach home in southern California.
Then there's the police chief, Randy Adams, making $457,000 a year.
OFC. GILBERT JARA, BELL, CALIFORNIA, POLICE: We're all upset. ROWLANDS: Showing us a squad car with 116,000 miles on it, Officer Gilbert Jara says for years while the chief and city manager have been lining their pockets, the police budget has been shrinking. Jara, who's the president of the Police Officers' Association, says he and the other 18 members of the department have gone without a pay raise for three years.
JARA: They tell us there's no money, but then again they're earning 800 grand like a year and our chief is earning 450. So that's a lot.
ROWLANDS: The assistant manager is also making a lot, $376,000. And some members of the city council, who only work part time, have been pulling in about $100,000.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shame on you! Shame on you!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're disrespectful. You're a piece of (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
ROWLANDS: Angry as they are now, voters here agreed to make Bell a charter city in 2005, which gave officials the legal right to basically pay themselves whatever they wanted. Attorney General Jerry Brown has launched an investigation.
JERRY BROWN, CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: My office puts people in jail for taking $10,000 or $20,000, much less $50,000. Here we're talking hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars, maybe millions, when you add it up over a number of years.
ROWLANDS: In the past week, Rizzo, his assistant and Chief Adams resigned. Last night, the mayor announced he'll finish his term without pay and won't seek re-election. And members of the city council say they'll take a pay cut. But unless something changes, Robert Rizzo's pension will be more than $600,000 a year.
