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Securing Afghanistan; Fixing Fannie & Freddie; The Help Desk; What's Hot; High School Football Team Practices Overnight
Aired August 17, 2010 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, everyone, I'm Tony Harris. Top of the hour in the CNN NEWSROOM, where anything can happen.
Shameless statistics on your child or grandchild's education. A new study reveals stunning numbers on who is most likely not to graduate high school.
We are digging pretty deep this hour, troubling signs about just how much oil may still be under the water of the Gulf of Mexico. A CNN exclusive as we travel with researchers to investigate.
And you're online right now, we are too. Ines Ferre is following what is hot -- Ines.
INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, top on CNN.com, if you suffer from insomnia, seven ways to get better sleep.
Also, from "Sports Illustrated," Giants quarterback Eli Manning, in a preseason game, he leaves the preseason game suffering a gash to the head -- Tony.
HARRIS: Ouch!
FERRE: Yes.
HARRIS: OK, Ines.
Let's get started with our lead story.
Sounding the alarm on education as your child heads back to school. This country used to lead the world in college graduation rates, but not anymore. The U.S. falling from first to twelfth place among developed nations in the percentage of young adults with college degrees.
And look at this number. Only 47 percent of black males graduating from high school. Compare that with 78 percent of white male students earning their diplomas. These figures just out in a new study.
And Josh Levs is all over this for us -- Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, these numbers have really been striking you today.
HARRIS: Yes. Oh yes. LEVS: Right? A lot of people. And the thing is, we know that graduation rates are a serious problem in this country.
What a lot of people maybe didn't realize is how incredibly stark these numbers are, how really bad it is. There is a study that's out now from the Schott Foundation, which is a group that looks at schools in America in general, and focuses on various divides, gender gap, including a racial gap, as well. And that's what people are looking at right now.
Let me show you some of these key statistics that are coming out today that people are talking about.
First of all, they use some states as examples of cases in which there is a huge gap in graduation rates. Nebraska being one. And they talk about it's alarming.
Black male graduation rate in Nebraska, 40 percent. White male graduation right there is twice as high, at 83 percent.
Look here, New York. Black male graduation rate, among these students, 25 percent graduation rates. Just sit on that for a second. One in four young black men, black boys, actually graduating from high school there. And white male graduation rates, 68 percent. Not that that's such a great number, either, but clearly there is a gap there.
They look at individual districts around the country with some of the worst numbers. In Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, black male graduation rates at 28 percent. White male graduation rates, 44 percent.
New York City, 28 percent for black males, 50 percent for white males.
And I'm going to point to this again, too, because there are cases in which it's even worse among whites. Here is one, Detroit, Michigan. The black male graduation rate is at 27 percent. White male graduation rate is down at 19 percent. Nineteen percent white male graduation right there in Detroit.
It's unbelievable how bad these numbers are when we look at education in America.
One more thing to show you, a place where they say things are good, Newark, New Jersey. Black male graduation rate they say now is up at 75 percent. White male at 62 percent. And they talk a lot about a court decision that helped lead to this.
They also do this, Tony. They talk about characteristics of some schools, conditions that helped pave the way for success. Let's go to that. I want you to see what they talk about when they look at conditions for schools that are successful, having equitable resources, obviously.
They also talk a lot about pre-school. Those schools that offer universal pre-school education are ultimately doing better by various students, including closing that racial gap. There's also programs to address high poverty needs and state accountability, and talk about conditions for success.
Conditions for failure, I'll show you this last, and this is a lot of the opposite stuff. They are opposed to watered-down curriculums in any cases that help advance students. They say those don't work out if you don't have sufficient access to a pre-school, also experienced teachers. These are obvious things.
And we've got to talk about this for a second. It's parental and community engagement. It's not just about the resources in schools. It's not just about what happens for your kids during those hours they're at school.
The parental and community involvement in these young people is a massive factor. And they also talk about state accountability.
So it's a lot to piece through, it's all out there, schhotfoundation.org. And I'll tell you, Tony, it's going to be something people are talking about for quite some time now.
HARRIS: All right, Josh. Pretty sad. Man. OK, thanks.
LEVS: You got it.
HARRIS: The Obama administration is convinced one way to make sure more African-American boys are successful in school is to get more African-American men to teach them.
I talked to Education Secretary Arne Duncan about his push for more black male teachers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARNE DUNCAN, EDUCATION SECRETARY: It's a piece of solution. It's not the only solution. And our students need great teachers of every color and every gender and every ethnicity and background. But as a part of that mosaic, as a part of that team, we don't have enough black males. That's the disturbing fact.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: So we will look closer at the education study in just a couple of minutes. I will be joined by Geoffrey Canada, president and CEO of the Harlem Children's Zone, and John Jackson, head of the Schott Foundation for Public Education, the organization that conducted the study that we're talking about.
A shocking crime in South Carolina. Double murder charges will be brought against 29-year-old Shaquan Duley. Orangeburg County authorities say she rolled her car into a river, her two boys strapped in the back. The sheriff says the mother admitted she suffocated the children beforehand.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF LARRY WILLIAMS, ORANGEBURG COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA: I believe she was fed up with her mother telling her that she couldn't take care of the children, or she wasn't taking care of the children, and she just wanted to be free. And we believe that her thoughts were "For me to be free, for me to do what I wish to do, whatever that may be, if I didn't have the children, I will get rid of them."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Shaquan Duley has a third child, a 5-year-old girl. She was with her grandmother when all of this happened.
California was on track to resume same-sex marriages tomorrow, but a federal appeals court has put everything on hold.
Here's CNN's Dan Simon in San Francisco.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're at San Francisco City Hall, where same-sex marriages were set to resume on Wednesday, even while Proposition 8 is under appeal. As a matter of fact, the city clerk's office was planning to keep its office open longer to allow all the people to come in and apply for marriage licenses, but that's not going to happen now.
Mayor Gavin Newsom, obviously a huge backer of same-sex marriage, had this reaction --
MAYOR GAVIN NEWSOM (D), SAN FRANCISCO: This was someone saying I can't marry someone I love, that I've been together 20 years, and I was about to marry that person at 6:00 this Wednesday, and now you're saying I can't, when just last week you said I could. I mean, think about, honestly, how that hits the heart.
SIMON: So here's what happened. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has blocked a lower court's ruling, saying those marriages cannot take place while Proposition 8 continues to make its way through the legal system. This obviously marks a victory for Proposition 8 supporters.
A statement from protectmarriage.com, the defendant in this case, says, "California voters spoke clearly on Prop 8, and we're glad to see their votes will remain valid while the legal challenges work their way up through the courts."
And that last statement is the real key here. Proposition 8 continues to make its way through the legal system. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals saying that it will look at this case in an expedited fashion, and you can expect a trial sometime in December.
Now, same-sex marriage supporters have the option of appealing this recent ruling to the Supreme Court, but are choosing not to do so. They have released a statement, and it says, "We are very gratified that the Ninth Circuit has recognized the importance and pressing nature of this case, and the need to resolve it as quickly as possible by issuing this extremely expedited briefing schedule."
The bottom line is, things will remain the status quo here in California. The future of Proposition 8 remains uncertain. (END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: A conversation on education. I talk to two of the men behind a new study that looks at African-American males in public schools. We are looking for solutions.
We need your help, gentlemen.
First, though, our "Random Moment" in 90 seconds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And getting back to our lead story now, a new study on black males in public education titled "Yes We Can," it shows 47 percent of African-American males graduating from high school, compared to 78 percent of white male students getting their high school diplomas. The study also looks to possible solutions to closing that gap.
Joining me from New York, John Jackson, president and CEO of the Schott Foundation for Public Education, the organization that conducted the study, and Geoffrey Canada, who heads the Harlem Children's Zone.
Gentlemen, we need your wisdom, your smarts. We need some solutions.
John, let me start with you. Were you surprised at all by the findings in the report?
JOHN JACKSON, PRESIDENT & CEO, SCHOTT FOUNDATION FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION: Well, we conducted the study two years ago, and it indicated that 48 percent of black males across the country were graduating from high school. We were astonished to see that there was very little progress. In fact, the numbers are headed in the opposite direction.
And we were really surprised to see that in New York State, only 25 percent of black males are graduating from high school, and in New York City, which enrolls the largest number of black males, only 28 percent are graduating from high school. And that's a tremendous problem and challenge for our country.
HARRIS: Geoffrey, why are we going in the opposite direction, and particularly -- you're in New York -- in New York?
GEOFFREY CANADA, CEO, HARLEM CHILDREN'S ZONE: Well, I think those of us who care about education in this country and New York, first we're going to commend the Schott Foundation and John for this really important study.
And the second thing is that we -- you know, we have tried a lot of innovation in New York, and people have been really serious about it, our mayor and our chancellor. And we have taken a big swing, and we have missed. And we've just got to accept that, you know, that we swung hard and we have missed.
We've got to go back to the drawing table, we've got to push innovation. We've got to make sure that we use the highest standards, and that we start, September, saying, what is it we're going to do different that's going to drive these numbers forward?
This is a real crisis, and we can't put our heads in the sand. I know the chancellor, I know the mayor won't put their heads in the sand, but we need everybody at the table saying, this thing has to change. And we've got to come up with a better, more strategic plan to improve these numbers.
HARRIS: Geoffrey, honest people working on this. A swing and a miss. Why? What is going on here? Why does this feel a bit intractable?
CANADA: You know, part of what I think is going on, there's these sort of two big theories in education. One is that the answer is improving schools, and we are real believers in that, that you've got to have accountability, you've got to have data, you've got to make sure you can close lousy schools, get rid of teachers who aren't performing well. We think that's a basic.
And there's another theory that says you also have to surround certain kids, not all, with wrap-around supports so that those young people will be able to not only have good schools, but get the other supports they need. We believe in both things. And we think that the president and the Race to the Top really focused on schools.
But in promised neighborhoods, he focused on schools, plus community, and we think that in some places that's not go to be the answer. That it's schools increasing the performance of schools. But at the same time, thinking about how we bring real supports to children and their families who are struggling so that we are able to level the playing field for those kids.
HARRIS: And John, how important is it to close this achievement gap for underperforming young people?
JACKSON: It's significantly important. We know that there is a correlation between educational attainment and a community's economic base, a correlation between educational attainment and, quite frankly, incarceration. So I think this story is best told in the tale of two states.
One state which we highlight, New Jersey. In response to a legal decision, the governor and the legislators decided to more equitably distribute their resources, target it in the areas that we know work, improving access to early childhood education, highly effective teachers, college-bound curricula.
Well, you come right across the bridge, and New York was faced with the same challenge and the campaign for fiscal equity. And the governors and legislators did not keep the promise.
Instead, they fired teachers, they closed schools. And now we see that the results are indicating that only 25 percent of black males are graduating across the state, only 28 percent in the city. And if this is any predictor for our future, only nine percent of New York City's eighth graders are proficient or above in eighth grade reading, and that's a national assessment test that students across the country take. HARRIS: Gentlemen, to both of you, do you believe mentoring is part of a key aspect of a solution here?
CANADA: Well, I mean, I think that the mentoring is clearly one of the strategies. But, you know, we've got some people who are really doing some interesting things.
If you look at what's happening at Eagle Academy in New York City, if you look at Steve Perry's work in Connecticut, you see some strategies that I think sort of highlight what we should be thinking about and how we should be looking at this. I think mentoring is absolutely one of those strategies that makes sense, but I think we've got to really take off our blinders and take a much wider view of innovation and thinking about how we move forward.
I really agree with John that the levels in New York City and New York State are not where they need to be. But I don't agree that we haven't really tried to push for innovation in this city, that we really have. And I think that it's not nearly been enough, and we will agree on that. And we've then got to do a better job.
HARRIS: Hey, what do you think -- John, what do you think about the education secretary's push to get more African-American males in front of classrooms as teachers?
JACKSON: I think that's extremely important. In fact, the Schott Foundation is working with Deutsche Bank and Brooklyn College to increase the number of African-American male teachers in the classroom.
But I agree with Jeffrey. The work that he's doing at the Harlem Children's Zone is important. Urban Prep, graduating 179 students and sending them to college.
However, we can't be so focused on the beacons of life that are saving hundreds that we lose sight of the glaring light from the train wreck that is headed our way, because we're losing tens of thousands of black males each year. And in order to address that problem, it's going to take a more systemic solution.
HARRIS: Let me stop you. African-American males, African-American males. Here we're talking for three or four minutes, and we're talking about African-American males.
Geoffrey, what do you say to people who will see this report and say that's not a problem for my child, we are in a performing school district? You know, I have thrown money into the education rabbit hole for years, good, solid tax dollars. And here we are again talking about African-American boys who other than performing. You know, I feel bad for them over there, but it's not my issue.
CANADA: Well, I mean, that's a great point. And this is one of the interesting things.
In the Schott report, while it focuses on African-American males, you look in general across this country, and you see a real education crisis among white boys or African-American boys. Remember, this is really just graduating high school.
We don't really believe that kids who have a high school diploma are going to be prepared to enter the labor market and be competitive with kids from around the world. So we've got a real challenge.
I think the reason this is so important is that we know if we improve the education outcomes for this group, we raise them for all children across this country. And right now, I would dare tell you, this is not just a problem of African-American males, as if the girls are doing good, or if white students around this country are really being prepared for the new labor market.
We've got a real crisis in our education system. And we need to be taking it seriously.
This is the canary in the mine shaft. Hey, guys, this thing is not working. We're not coming up with real solutions. We need to do a better job.
HARRIS: John, do we need longer school days, longer school years?
JACKSON: Absolutely. Rather than closing schools, we need to figure out how we can keep them open longer, how we can recruit and retain highly-effective teachers. And as Geoffrey has outlined, this is a challenge that confronts our entire nation.
The president has indicated that in order to be globally competitive, that we have to be a global leader in post-secondary education by 2020. With 47 percent of black males not graduating, we're not providing them the opportunity to learn, to stay on that trajectory.
HARRIS: Geoffrey, last word to you on this.
CANADA: Well, look, this is something -- and I just want to put all my cards on the table on this. We've got to hold our mayors, our governors, we've got to bring the unions, the teachers unions in here. We've got to say to everybody, look, guys, the data is there, it is not working. What are we going to do different?
And we've got to hear who says, "I'm not prepared to change." Those folk, we've got to make sure we get out of this equation, because this is a crisis. The report indicates it's a national crisis, and we really need business not as usual. We need to come up with new innovative plans, and it means all of us have to work on those plans.
HARRIS: Gentlemen, that's solid. Thank you, both.
JACKSON: Thank you both.
HARRIS: John, Geoffrey, appreciate it. Good stuff.
JACKSON: Thank you.
HARRIS: We continue to put faces to the growing humanitarian crisis in Pakistan. Floodwaters have killed hundreds of people and left hundreds of thousands more homeless. Our Sara Sidner talks with victims and those who are trying to help.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Our Sara Sidner is in the southern part of that country where the floodwaters are high, and so many who are in so much need of help right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The flooding in Pakistan is still so expansive, it's difficult to tell where the water ends and the sky begins. Search and rescue missions continue daily. This one by the Pakistani military.
Suddenly, on a tiny sliver of land, flood victims appear. They wade through floodwaters, their eyes fixed on the Pak Marines Hovercraft as it arrives.
These mostly women and children have been marooned here for two weeks now. They need everything from food to medicines.
"Look at our children. They are sick. Where can we go? We can't go anywhere."
"There is water all around us," grandmother Bachul Kahora (ph) pleas. The other women in her clan chime in, spilling out their many woes.
The Pak Navy Special Services group try to accommodate with the small bit of supplies they have. It's not enough. But the main thing on offer, a ride to safety these villagers refuse to take.
They tell us they will not leave their land for fear their enemies in a neighboring village will snatch it. So the craft pushes off, a single flood victim aboard.
LT. COMMANDER BADSHAH, PAKISTANI NAVY: They are thinking that if they leave this area, they will not be allowed to come back. That's also one of the reasons.
SIDNER (on camera): The Pak Marines say they have already rescued about 25,000 people in a 110 square kilometer area here in Sukkur. For those left behind, there isn't much help for them.
(voice-over): In all, more than 200,000 people have fled or been rescued from this area. Some end up in government camps. Others have made their own shelters atop the official dam with little help, fearing the predicted next wave of water officials say is rushing down from the north.
Sara Sidner, CNN, Sukkur, Pakistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Got to tell you, scientists tracking the oil in the Gulf make a disturbing discovery: a toxic threat deep under water. CNN's Ed Lavandera with an exclusive report.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Many have been asking, what happened to the oil in the Gulf? Now scientists say they have discovered toxic droplets at the bottom of an important underwater canyon.
CNN's Ed Lavandera has this exclusive report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the Weather Bird Two, a research vessel that has been used by the University of South Florida for the last 10 days investigating the oil spill. Some 13 scientists have been on board and they're just now coming home to St. Petersburg.
So what's in these containers right here?
DAVE HOLLANDER, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA CHEMICAL OCEANOGRAPHER: Water in here has been -- was collected from 50 meters.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): David Hollander was one of the lead researchers on the mission.
(on camera): Did you feel like you were kind of on the verge of really getting a better understanding of what's going on underneath the water?
PROF. JOHN PAUL, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA MARINE MICROBIOLOGIST: I think we're adding to the puzzle. We're adding to the pieces of the puzzle.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Hollander and another expert on the journey, John Paul, sat down with CNN for an exclusive review of their findings. The USF scientists say they found toxic levels of oil and dispersants infecting marine organisms just 40 miles south of Panama City, Florida. The organisms and other microscopic bacteria in the ocean are the foundation of the food chain.
PAUL: What feeds and fuels the ecology of the ocean, and if those guys are in trouble, then the ocean is in trouble.
LAVANDERA: So far, federal government scientists have downplayed the impact of microscopic oil making its way up the food chain. This is what the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said earlier this month.
DR. JANE LUBCHENCO, NOAA ADMINISTRATOR: Fish will degrade that oil and process it naturally. And so it doesn't bio-accumulate. So it's not a situation where we need to be concerned about that. Over time it will be broken down.
LAVANDERA: USF scientists tell CNN that's a short-sighted view of the danger. NOAA officials haven't responded to these latest scientific findings. The ten-day mission in the Gulf of Mexico was a rocky voyage. Scientists were battered with 12-foot seas and strong storms, taking them within 25 miles of the deepwater horizon spill site. All along the way they found microscopic droplets of oil all along the ocean floor.
HOLLANDER: Here is a sedimentary record from an area 1,500 meters water depth adjacent to the Deepwater Horizon.
LAVANDERA: Using UV light on the sediment, the microscopic oil stands out easily.
HOLLANDER: You can see it all spread out all over. There is no reflections. This is all speckled, and when you turn off the light completely it looks like the southern sky.
LAVANDERA (on camera): It looks like a constellation of stars.
HOLLANDER: Looks like a constellation of stars.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): But most troubling to David Hollander is evidence that the submerged oil is making its way through a region of the Gulf of Mexico known as the Desoto Canyon. The canyon stretches just east from the Deepwater Horizon spill site to an area south of Panama City.
(on camera): So the concern is not only that you found the droplets of oil widespread but where you found it.
HOLLANDER: Yes, it's coming now into niece areas that are critical marine protected areas, critical habitats for commercial and recreational fish.
LAVANDERA: BP officials tell CNN that "We want to know everything that everyone wants to know," and that they've dedicated some $500 million to study the long-term impacts of this oil spill. The scientists here in St. Petersburg will continue to analyze the evidence they brought back over the next few weeks and are planning a return trip to the Gulf waters in September.
Ed Lavandera, CNN, St. Petersburg, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: So listen to this. The top leader in Afghanistan wants to shut down all private security firms in his country. What happens if he does that?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: The numbers are out, and they show Americans growing more concerned over the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and with the governments of those countries. In a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll, six in 10 Americans say they are not confident the Iraqi government can handle things when U.S. combat troops leave this month. Confidence in the Afghan government is even lower. Seventy-one percent say they doubt Hamid Karzai's government can handle the situation.
So listen to this, President Karzai now says he wants a review of the U.S. war strategy. He's also moving to shut down all private security firms in the country. CNN executive producer Suzanne Simons joins us now.
What -- really?
SUZANNE SIMONS, CNN EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: No.
HARRIS: A review -- let's see here, a review of the war strategy?
SIMONS: I don't think so. Yes, a review of the war strategy. Ok, understandable. Shutting down the private security firms, not if the U.S. is going to continue to function in Afghanistan. It's just not possible.
HARRIS: Yes.
SIMONS: For example -- well he says, OK, well, hold on. Those private security firms need to be absorbed by the Afghan national police. Now here's how incestuous it is. Guess who trains the Afghan national police?
HARRIS: Yes.
SIMONS: Contractors train them. The military trains them as well. But a big part of that burden is done by contractors. Taking those contractors out, you know, they go out on missions, Tony.
HARRIS: Sure.
SIMONS: Let's talk about some of the things they do. They go out and they protect diplomats. They protect VIPs visiting the country. Do you think those diplomats and VIPs are ready to jump in the car and go out and not have -- who's going to backfill that?
HARRIS: So, practically speaking, what's going on here, internally, in that country?
SIMONS: A little bit of political posturing going on here. However, having said that, President Karzai has some very valid concerns about the contractors that are running throughout his country.
HARRIS: Right. Armed.
SIMONS: Even the U.S., who employs --
HARRIS: Yes.
SIMONS: I mean let's look at some of the numbers. One hundred and ten thousand contractors from the Department of Defense, right? They work for the U.S.
HARRIS: Look at these numbers. SIMONS: One hundred and ten thousand of them running around Afghanistan. Even the U.S. admits, hey, we're having a tough time managing these people. We need more oversight. We need more management. It's not coming together the way it should. And one of the big problems is, these contractors are going on convoy patrols, right? So they're making sure that things get from point a to point b without attacks by insurgents or Taliban. Well, a lot of the times they go through local villages. And local villages don't like the way they act, they don't like the way they're treated, and that gets back to President Karzai. He's got to do something. The man's got to do something.
HARRIS: Yes. Well, what do we take from the statement from the State Department suggesting that the Department of State will look at this? Really? Are you going to shut down the --
SIMONS: You want to be honest? What else can they say, right?
HARRIS: Yes. Yes.
SIMONS: They're diplomats.
HARRIS: Yes.
SIMONS: They've got to make this look somehow reasonable or doable without being insulting.
HARRIS: Right.
SIMONS: The truth is, there is no way they could continue their current mission at the level it's at in Afghanistan without their private security contractors.
HARRIS: Yes.
SIMONS: Now, remember, the Department of State, before Iraq, was not real keen on working in war zone areas. Not real keen on going out with heavy security. You know, they go out to make peace, they don't go out to make war.
HARRIS: Right. Right.
SIMONS: They let the military do that. And they'll tell you that over and over again. But to actually cut down on the number of private contractors, I think you're going to see that the Department of State is going to continue to be diplomatic, but be straight about the facts, they can't function.
HARRIS: Hey, before I forget again, there is a web component to everything we're talking about here, as well.
SIMONS: Yes, brand-new security brief that CNN has been kicking off with a lot of our very talented folks all over the world. D.C. as well on this issue. Afghanistan. Cnn.com/securitybrief. We love hearing from people, too. There are lots of places where you can post comments, ask questions, things like that. Go in there, post us a comment, see what you think. There's a lot of really good sort of insider stuff there that you're not going to find anywhere else.
HARRIS: Yes, terrific. And remind everyone, once again, of the terrific book you wrote. What was that, a year ago now? A little over a year?
SIMONS: Yes, it goes fast, doesn't it?
HARRIS: It really does.
SIMONS: Yes, "Master of War." It's a look at Eric Prince, the head of Blackwater.
HARRIS: Right.
SIMONS: And it tells us really just kind of how we got in the position we're in. He's a fascinating character, as well.
HARRIS: Yes, he is.
SIMONS: A fascinating person with his experience and how he moved through the ranks of every government agency here and got what he wanted and needed.
HARRIS: And we will be announcing the book deal turned to movie deal soon, right? I'm messing with you.
SIMONS: Yes, thanks for that.
HARRIS: I'm messing.
Good to see you again. Thanks.
SIMONS: You too, Tony.
HARRIS: It is a story that will literally make you shudder. A mother accused of smothering her two baby boys, then trying to cover up the crime in a staged car accident. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Checking our top stories.
Double murder charges will be brought against a South Carolina woman. Authorities say 29-year-old Shaquan Duley admitted smothering her two sons, then putting their bodies in a car and running the car into a river. Her sons were just one and two years old.
At least 48 people were killed and 129 wounded today in a suicide attack outside an Iraqi military recruitment center. The bombing comes as the U.S. prepares to end combat operations in the country by the end of this month.
And President Obama is on his way to Seattle. He's meeting with a group of small business owners and attending a couple of fund raisers.
HARRIS: And still to come, Fannie and Freddie. Boy, did those two outfits have a lot to do with the big mortgage meltdown. Now the government considers a range of fixes, including their demise.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Cnnmoney.com. I want you to go there. I want you to read through here. We're going to talk about Fannie and Freddie in just a second here. There's the lead story here, 15 CEOs, low pay, big results. How about the bonus structure there. OK. So, cnnmoney.com.
Let's look at the Dow. Three hours into the trading day now. Just past three hours. And we're still in positive territory, up 144 points. I believe that's right around session highs for the day. The Nasdaq at 34 in positive territory.
$150 billion. That's how much money the federal government has pumped into Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac so far. And there is no end in sight, right? So Stephanie Elam joining us now from New York.
And, Stephanie, look, what is the -- what's the long-term prognosis here for -- what's going to be done with these housing giants?
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's the really big question, Tony. And the truth of the matter is, no one has the right answer on this one. If you take a look, the Obama administration, they really do want to have a comprehensive reform proposal by January. That's what they want.
But right now, we've been seeing the Treasury Department today spending time having a conference with industry experts kicking around some ideas on what they need to do. And everyone knows, it's no secret, that overhauling Fannie and Freddie will not be easy since the housing meltdown. They're pretty much the only game in town. So that's all we've got right now. And together with the Federal Housing Administration, Fannie and Freddie now guarantee more than 90 percent of new mortgages in this country.
HARRIS: Wow.
ELAM: That's why they're such a big deal. Ninety percent. So if you get rid of them, then the idea of getting a mortgage could be so expensive for virtually so many Americans that it would make it basically impossible, Tony.
HARRIS: I'm wondering if it would just open up a whole bunch of new opportunities for banks and other lending institutions. But let me ask you, what -- if you don't know what the exact fix might be right now, what are the options that are being considered?
ELAM: Yes, well, I can tell you that if this were to happen, you're right, other lenders would look at ways to jump in there.
HARRIS: Yes. Yes.
ELAM: But ideas on fixing Fannie and Freddie, right now they're all over the map. So some of the plans call for full nationalization. Others say, you know what, split up these two giants into pieces. There are also suggestions out there to just phase them out all together. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, he says there's not a consensus yet, but sticking with the current system is just not an option. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIM GEITHNER, TREASURY SECRETARY: We will not support returning Fannie and Freddie to the role they played before conservatorship, where they fought to take market share from private competitors while enjoying the privilege of government support. We will not support a return to a system where private gains are subsidized by taxpayer losses.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ELAM: All right. One analyst we spoke to says Americans need to decide if we want the government to subsidize mortgages. He says if we do, if we want those low-cost, 30-year fixed rates to stick around, then Fannie and Freddie need to be fully budgeted and they also need to have a very clear, defined presence on how they are actually going to do all of this. If not, financing a home will become a lot more expensive, but taxpayers won't be subsidizing it. So, obviously, Tony, this is one of those things that the administration is going to be hammering out, we're going to be paying attention to because even if you didn't get your mortgage through Fannie and Freddie, chances are this is going to affect you as well if you want one.
HARRIS: Yes. OK, Stephanie, good to see you. Thank you, lady.
ELAM: You, too.
HARRIS: See you tomorrow.
Sermons on skates. Wal-Mart has a dancing queen. And a new study puts broke boyfriends on the spot? It's "What's Hot."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ELAM: Time now for "The Help Desk," where we get answers to your financial questions. Joining me this hour, Carmen Wong Ulrich, she's a personal finance author, and Ryan Mack is the president of Optimum Capital Management.
Thanks so much for joining us today, guys.
All right, our first questions come from an anonymous writer, but they write, "I lost my job where I made $80,000 a year and have been unemployed for three years. I also lost my retirement savings of $300,000. I'm 56, and if I get a job now, what's the best way for me to recover my losses and where should I invest?"
That's a tough situation, Ryan.
RYAN MACK, OPTIMUM CAPITAL MANAGEMENT: It's been a tough situation. We're at a decade-long high in terms of individuals who are over 50 unemployed. There's over 170,000 individuals who fit that category. That's up over 50 percent just over the last year alone. So a lot of individuals find themselves in this situation. The first place to invest is actually in yourself. Making sure you're getting back to education. $2 billion went into the Stafford legislation to improve community colleges. We can start investing in ourselves and get inexpensive or even free education, starting developing trades and skills to improve yourself in your career.
And just know that you do have value. I know that they they're trying to find the younger individuals who go out there and they find cheaper labor, but you do have value. Colonel Sanders started KFC when he was 65 years old with a $105 Social Security check. So you can get out there and get some stuff going today, right now.
ELAM: That will get a lot of people feeling pretty positive, 65 years old.
MACK: Exactly.
ELAM: All right, the next question coming in, also an anonymous writer, says, "I have over $30,000 in credit card debt and $110,000 upside down in my mortgage, and I'm in school with $40,000 in student loans. However, my credit score is 746. I want to go to grad school and would like to cut my work schedule in half to do so. Should I file bankruptcy and how would it affect my ability to get future student loans?"
Good question, Carmen.
CARMEN WONG ULRICH, PERSONAL FINANCE AUTHOR: Stephanie, no wonder this person's anonymous, because he's been living someone else's life with $30,000 of credit card debt. That's just way, way, way too much. Something's out of hand. If it's not a medical issue or a family issue, you've got to take care of that first.
Here's the thing about bankruptcy with student loans, you cannot escape student loans in bankruptcy at all. So even if he declares bankruptcy, that $40,000 is going to stick with you. And then if you go on top of that and add on more student loans.
What I really think this person needs to do is reassess, get a job, keep the job that he has instead of going part time, and try to get -- whittle down that debt. Go to nfcc.org, get someone to help you, non- profit, to work on this. But there needs to be another system before you get even deeper in the hole.
ELAM: Yes, so maybe postponing full-time school for a while.
ULRICH: Maybe putting it off a little bit. A little bit.
ELAM: All right, good information here.
Well, "The Help Desk" is all about getting you answers. So 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 know what else, you can also pick up the latest issue of "Money" magazine. It's on newsstands right now. CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Everyone, I'm meteorologist Chad Myers with another storm that couldn't. You know that little train that could? This is another one that couldn't. TD number five just can't get to be Danielle. Just can't get a name. It's going to spin around here, get back on shore, making showers and thunderstorms. Tony's off for a couple of hours here, trying to go shoot his golf game before all the rain moves in here.
Gotcha, Tony, I know.
Showers all the way up and down the East Coast today. You know, I think golf scores are actually going down in this weather, Tony, because, in fact, this ground is getting softer --
HARRIS: There you go.
MYERS: The balls are sticking. And --
HARRIS: That's right.
MYERS: Yes, mine are still in the weeds. So that doesn't help very much. They bounce around. Very heavy rain showers, though, if you're going to be outside, anywhere out and about in the plains today. An awful lot of thunder and lightning all the way through this area. This is a danger zone for lightning today. And anybody out and about, especially kids, at bus stop coming or going, you're going to have to be careful. You're going to have to think about that.
One thing that is going on that is actually fairly good, a cool down all the way through the upper part of the Midwest. Temperatures are in the 70s -- 79 in Detroit, 74 in Chicago, 74 in Kansas City at this hour. Still going up a few degrees. We're not all the way done with today just yet, but temps are at least quite nice.
There are almost 6,000 planes in the sky and only about 15 or so are, in fact, delayed. Excellent news in the skies today for a change. A couple of thunderstorms later on today across parts of the Midwest and the deep south could slow down some planes. But for right now, we're in good shape.
We'll be back in two minutes. See you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: So you have to explain this. Oh, I'm sorry, Ines is back with "What's Hot."
What is the story with the skateboarding priest here?
FERRE: So he's a Hungarian priest that likes to skateboard. And he follows the way of St. John (INAUDIBLE). He was an Italian priest that used to be dedicated to the poor youth.
HARRIS: Look at this. He can do it. Look at him.
FERRE: Yes. Check his moves out. HARRIS: Yes.
FERRE: Unbelievable. He's also given away some skateboards to youngsters in the area. And this video has gone viral on YouTube. He's got --
HARRIS: What does that mean for a video to go viral? Does that mean that everybody wants to see it? Is that what that means, they goes viral.
FERRE: It means that -- it means that there's a whole bunch of websites that are featuring this and that a lot of people are clicking on it and just watching this video and sending it to people.
HARRIS: He is getting down on this thing.
FERRE: Yes, totally. I mean, Tony Hawk's nothing on him.
HARRIS: Right. Yes, right.
FERRE: (INAUDIBLE).
All right. This next one is also -- check out some moves. This is from a woman in a Wal-Mart store.
HARRIS: Right.
FERRE: That was sampling music. And you can see --
HARRIS: And then just broke out in dance? Is that's what's going to happen?
FERRE: Yes, she starts to break down and completely started dancing to Lady Gaga's "Just Dance."
HARRIS: I got the music in me. I got the music in me. I got the music in me.
FERRE: And there you go, Tony.
HARRIS: OK, all right.
FERRE: And this next one --
HARRIS: Got more for us?
FERRE: Cnn.com. And this is a study that men are more likely to cheat on women who make more than them.
HARRIS: What's that about?
FERRE: Yes.
HARRIS: Is there a rational? Or you're just saying, go read (ph)?
FERRE: Well -- well, no, the rationale behind it is that it really threatens the male's traditional view of being the bread winner.
Now if you reverse it, women are less likely to cheat on men who make more money, you know.
HARRIS: Yes, yes.
FERRE: So --
HARRIS: No, you're not -- you're not roping me into that one.
FERRE: No, no, no, no. Come on. Come on.
HARRIS: No, you're not going to pull me into something.
FERRE: I know you haven't been (INAUDIBLE).
HARRIS: Look, everybody's looking around here. That will get me lit up by e-mails.
Thank you, lady.
All right, still to come, a Michigan high school takes a unique approach to practicing football.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just kind of figured, let's try this. Let's see how it works.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Wow. We will tell you why they are practicing in the middle of the night.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Pretty unusual move by a football team. Fordson High School in Dearborn, Michigan, is holding pre-season practice in the middle of the night. That allows players to observe Ramadan, the holy month of fasting. This way they can eat and drink at sundown and before sunrise.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WALKER ZABAN, FOOTBALL COACH, FORDSON HIGH SCHOOL: For Muslims, this is the holy month of Ramadan. We just finished breaking our fast and we're getting out here on the field. We'll be out on the field about 11:00.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like Friday nights right now, under the lights here, and that's why we're so excited to be here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The sooner you get on the line, the sooner we start. Let's go.
ZABAN: The majority are Muslim kids. What we do at this time is, we are fasting from sunrise to sundown.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Coach Walks (ph) came up to me and he's like, Rabel (ph), what do you think, we might be practicing around 11:00 until 6:00 in the morning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I thought it was going to be not a smart idea, but it was the best idea he's ever thought.
ZABAN: Just kind of figured, let's try this, let's see how it works. Ultimately this is what we're trying to do. It's for the health and the safety of our student athletes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I was excited from the get-go to begin with, with this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is beautiful right here. The weather, everything.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: OK. Good stuff.
Got to go. Got to go. CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Ali Velshi in New York City.
Doctor.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Good to see you, my friend. Have a great afternoon, Tony.
