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Katrina: Five Years Later; Iraq Handover; Winning the School Lottery
Aired August 29, 2010 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, stick around. We have a very special hour for you right now on CNN, because we're reporting tonight from the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, where five years ago today hurricane Katrina crashed ashore.
Take a look at this aerial photo of the area where I'm standing right now. This is how it looked five years ago. When the levees broke and the barge floated right into this neighborhood from an adjoining canal.
And this is what it looks like right now. This is the Lower Ninth Ward. We are on Tennessee Street where Brad Pitt has been building a number of homes here through his Make It Right Foundation. This is what the city of New Orleans needs to look like and even be more dense than this in the coming years.
And we all remember the painful images of death and devastation, the winds, the rains and the floods that followed. Much of coastal Mississippi literally washed away and much of the city underwater for days.
People here in New Orleans are remembering the storms in many ways, including a special church service at the Saint Paul Episcopal Church in the city's Lakeview neighborhood. The church was among the many buildings inundated by floodwaters.
And President Barack Obama was also in town today marking the anniversary with a message for the people of New Orleans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't have to tell you that there are still too many vacant and overgrown lots. There are still too many students attending classes in trailers. There are still too many in New Orleans people unable to find work. And there are still too many New Orleans folks who haven't been able to come home.
So while an incredible amount of progress has been made. On this fifth anniversary I wanted to come here and tell the people of this city directly, my administration is going to stand with you and fight alongside you until the job is done. Until New Orleans is all the way back, all the way.
(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: Let's go down to CNN's White House correspondent, Dan Lothian. He is travelling with the President here in New Orleans. Dan, it is very significant that the President came here to New Orleans for this fifth anniversary, isn't it?
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It really is. Because some of the folks who live here who have been through Hurricane Katrina and have been critical of the federal government, this was important to them. That the President was able to come here and make those promises that he made that this region will not be forgotten.
But it was also important because there's some here who believe that many across the country have simply grown tired of the Katrina story. There's Katrina fatigue and so by the President coming here shining the bright spotlight on not only New Orleans but also the Gulf Coast region and then making those promises that the federal government as you just heard will be here until essentially the mission is complete. And that is that there is full recovery here -- that's very good news for the people on the ground -- Don.
LEMON: So Dan, the President visited the Gulf Coast, Pensacola, Panama City; he's done that before. He actually took a couple of days or a day or so and went down to vacation there.
But people -- there are people who say too much of the focus is on New Orleans. So I'm wondering why the president came here instead of going back to the Gulf Coast, Mississippi or Alabama.
LOTHIAN: That's right. You know, you hear that every time when either the President comes here to New Orleans or a high level official has come to New Orleans and fail to go to some of these other Gulf coast states. And what the administration says is that New Orleans is sort of the -- the epicenter of where -- that represents the severity of the storm, where much of the damage was.
And they felt that this was a good place for the President to come and make his remarks today. But they also point out that in his remarks he not only talked about the recovery efforts here in New Orleans, but also those across the Gulf. And that while he may not have been in some of these other places like Mississippi there were other administration officials who did make the trip there.
LEMON: I have to ask you this because we all remember during Hurricane Katrina President Bush got a lot of criticism there saying that because in part because of him the federal government took too long to get here.
So I'm wondering what this President's reception is like. Did he hear any criticism about the rebuilding efforts so far? How was he received this -- how was he received at this event?
LOTHIAN: Well, it was a very friendly audience here. In fact, when the President walked into the room, he walked around and shook some hands. The entire room applauded for him, a very positive reception for the President here. But yes, you're right I mean, there are those obviously who have been critical of the federal government in the past. And they still have some criticism here because they don't believe that enough red tape is being broken through, enough money is coming through quickly enough here in the area. And so they want to see the federal government do more.
Obviously for some, what the President said today was reassuring that his administration will do whatever it can to make sure that there is full recovery. Now, the President did get a chance to meet face to face with some local residents.
He stopped in at a local restaurant where the First Family ordered some shrimp, had a chance to talk to some residents there and then met with a homeowner who was displaced and talked about her story, telling the President, sort of giving a personal perspective to the Katrina disaster -- Don.
LEMON: All right, Dan Lothian travelling with the President. Dan, we appreciate that.
You know, it's been a deadly weekend for U.S. troops in Afghanistan. A total of ten U.S. service members have been killed in separate incidents since Friday. Two were killed today in separate attacks in southern Afghanistan. Five were killed on Saturday and three U.S. troops died Friday in insurgent bombing.
In Iraq a major milestone for the U.S. military, in less than 48 hours the formal end of U.S. combat operations in Iraq. On Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. Eastern, midnight in Baghdad the U.S. combat role officially comes to an end.
President Obama says it is an opportunity for the Iraqi government to chart its own course in the fulfillment of a campaign promise he made in 2008.
CNN Pentagon correspondent, Chris Lawrence is joining us now from Camp Adder, Iraq. Chris, can we call this a real milestone? Is it just for publicity? What are people saying?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: You know Don, I asked that very same question to the troops that I've been embedded with. And they say you know what, it does matter to them. They told me that -- it -- it means that I've worked myself out of a job. It means that I am one step closer to going home. It means that the -- some of the men that I saw died back in 2006 and '07 and '08, it means those men didn't die for no reason.
Now, the publicity stunt may have been the somewhat of a portrayal of that last combat brigade leaving Iraq, sort of gave the impression that the fight is over, everybody is going home, and it really led to some interesting phone calls from some of the soldiers' families that are still left here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SGT. JOHN ROBERTS, U.S. ARMY: I got numerous e-mails. You know, hey, when you coming home? What's going on? I was able to explain, you know, where our mission changed. Just because the combat brigades are gone doesn't mean that all the -- and all the soldiers are out of here yet. We still have a mission here to continue to help the -- the Iraqis and partner with their security forces.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAWRENCE: Sergeant Roberts is on his third tour here in Iraq. A lot brilliant intense combat veterans are the ones who are going to be implementing this new -- this new strategy. And really it's been going on for several months now. The only difference is same soldiers, same weapons, same body armor, a lot of the same patrols.
What's different now is that it's the Iraqis in the lead, coming up with the plans, first in through the door, leading the patrols. The U.S. is sort of now in the role that the Iraqis were a few years ago, sitting back, watching, observing and helping -- Don.
LEMON: Ok you said, you said, the Iraqis are in the lead, are they ready for this, Chris?
LAWRENCE: That's a big question, Don. And it really depends which Iraqi forces you're talking about. Some of the soldiers say they remember you know back in 2005 and '06 looking at what the Iraqi Army was capable of. They said, you know, I would get there and they wouldn't stand watch. They would lay down their weapons, they wouldn't engage the enemy. They were too afraid of confrontation.
They said a lot of that has changed with the Iraqi Army; that they see a much more capable force. But the Iraqi Army is better than the Iraqi police. The Iraqi police further along than the Iraqi border patrol. And I've spent the last couple of days with a lot of U.S. troops working with those border authorities right on the Iranian border.
And there is a real concern. That because Iran is exerting much more influence here in southern Iraq that now U.S. troops say it only got a year and a half, 18 months to get that border patrol ready. And Iran is not on the same time line. They didn't sign any security agreement, and so there is a real pressure to make sure Iraq can secure its borders before all the U.S. troops are due to leave at the end of next year, Don.
LEMON: Chris Lawrence, live in Camp Adder, Iraq. I appreciate your reporting.
Iraq's Prime Minister is warning a new wave of attacks is likely, though. The government believes al Qaeda and remnants of Saddam Hussein's political party are conspiring to carry out a series of bombings. Well, this would coincide with the official end of the U.S. combat -- the U.S. combat mission.
Last Wednesday there were 20 bomb attacks in 13 Iraqi cities leaving 48 people dead and at least 286 wounded. The levees in New Orleans protected the city for 300 years until Katrina. So it's no surprise a new levee still hasn't won people's trust.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SONJA HILL, NEW ORLEANS RESIDENT: I'm looking at that wall, I'm thinking what if it breaks again. What if it breaks right here in front the door and I'm inside with my kids? I don't feel safe back here, if a hurricane comes through.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Next we'll look at those levees then and now. Plus, this mountain sat quiet for 400 years until this weekend, more incredible pictures of its eruption straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Five years after Hurricane Katrina, the Army Corps of Engineers is rebuilding New Orleans' system of levees, flood walls, and pump stations. A $14 billion project it is, 220 miles of levees and flood walls built so far. And authorities say the city is already safer. That's what they say but not everyone agrees.
Here's CNN's Jeanne Meserve.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The long road back from Hurricane Katrina has brought Sonja Hill here to one of the handful of houses rebuilt right where the industrial canal flood wall gave way.
HILL: I'm looking at their wall, I'm thinking, what if it breaks again. And what if it breaks right here in front of the door and I'm inside with my kids? I don't feel safe back here if a hurricane comes through.
MESERVE: Sonja says she can't afford to live somewhere else.
HILL: Yes.
MESERVE: But Roy Arrigo doesn't want to move. His house is just a few hundred feet from where the 17th Street Canal flood wall failed.
(on camera): And this is the same kind of wall that failed five years ago.
ROY ARRIGO, NEW ORLEANS RESIDENT: Yes, yes it is. Yes.
MESERVE: Is that scary?
ARRIGO: Yes, it is. And this is -- this is a fragile wall.
MESERVE (voice-over): Arrigo was angry at the Army Corps of Engineers and blames it for the destruction of the city.
ARRIGO: We see the work. And we're told about all of the progress. But can we trust it? And -- and to be quite honest I don't think that we can.
MESERVE: In the Gentilly neighborhood near the London Avenue canal breach, Willeane Brown believes the engineering isn't what matters.
WILLEANE BROWN, NEW ORLEANS RESIDENT: They can bring the levee as high as they want to. God has the power. So if he want to tear it, tear down the view to whether -- whether it's low, how high as 25 feet, 30 feet he can knock it down with his power.
MESERVE: Her faith makes her feel safe here -- not her sister Carrie --
CARRIE BROWN, NEW ORLEANS RESIDENT: I have to give the government the benefit of the doubt that the walls are going to hold. I'll try but that don't mean it's going to work.
MESERVE: For Carrie Brown and many others the shadow cast by the levees is long and dark.
Jeanne Meserve, CNN, New Orleans.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: And as you just heard, there's a lot of lingering frustration and concern about the integrity of those levees. But are those fears justified?
Or Jacqui Jeras has the answer for you next; reporting for you live from the Lower Ninth Ward on the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. You're listening to the "Party Woods" (ph) the blues guitarists here in the Lower Ninth Ward.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: You know the government has invested billions of dollars in protecting the city of New Orleans from the next big hurricane. Our Jacqui Jeras is in the CNN Weather Center to tell us about that. Jacqui you heard, some people are concerned about the levees. They're not sure if they can hold if there is another big storm.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes.
LEMON: Tell us what they're doing to protect the city.
JERAS: Well, they're in the process of building as we speak. It's scheduled to be done next year before the start of the hurricane season.
But you know the system before Katrina hit was as much as 300 years old. They literally took shovels to build up those walls. The government knew before Katrina hit that there were some problems with that system and it needed to be built up. Since the storm they've been working every day to make it stronger than ever before.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JERAS: It wasn't Katrina alone. It was the levees, too. A government task force reports that major levee breeches and pumping systems that didn't work are what flooded the Lower Ninth Ward and other parts of the city. In Louisiana more than 1,400 people died as a result of Katrina.
Of the 50 major levee breaches, those along industrial canal were amongst the most compromised. What happened is that water got pushed from Lake Bourne. It funneled through the intra-coastal waterway and then pushed up against the industrial canal and it just couldn't hold against that fury.
Here's the Google earth that shows you what it looked like before Katrina. This is the canal here. And this is what it looked like afterwards. You can see the breaches and the water everywhere.
The system was so compromised that those that stayed in New Orleans after Katrina were concerned that even a tropical storm could put them back underwater.
Five years later the United States Army Corps of Engineers says the city is safer than ever thanks to $14 billion of federal funds that's being used to build and rebuild the systems of levees, flood walls, gates, pump stations, break waters and armoring.
The project began in late 2005 and the corps says it's about one- third complete. It promises a 100-year level of flood protection and it's slated to be finished in June of 2011. Already the three major canals that you can see here had been reinforced and gates have been added.
It's a very complex system; the levees and walls encircle New Orleans 350 miles around the city. The walls are as tall as 20 feet. The Corps says that there's a one percent chance on any given year that storm surge or flooding would equal or exceed the level of protection.
The areas most vulnerable today as shown on this map on the Corps' Web site are eastern New Orleans and the area between Lake Bourne and the Mississippi River. Although the project is still under construction, the Corps says there is better protection now than before Katrina struck.
Even when the multi-billion dollar improvements are complete, New Orleans remains a place of risk. The city is surrounded by water on all sides. And for the people here it's like living in a bowl. The ground there is slowly sinking. Adding global warming causing sea levels to rise and Louisiana is losing a little bit of land every day.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JERAS: And the bottom line here Don is that New Orleans will always be at risk. It's not a matter of if another Katrina will hit, but when. And remember, Katrina wasn't even the worst case scenario. It was a category three storm, not a category five and man-made walls will never completely protect you. You need to heed those warnings and come with a plan to evacuate -- Don.
LEMON: Yes Jacqui and you talked about those levees on the industrial canal. Just to my left there, about two or three blocks that way. And we have been showing them live earlier. I don't know if we have shot -- do we have a shot of the -- the levees of the industrial canal? Can we take that, please if we have it?
I'd like our viewers to be able to see just how close we are. There they are, really close here. And you know, Jacqui, from what you have been reporting the people who live in this neighborhood and the people who are building these homes, they would certainly like those levees to hold and they're paying very close attention to what you had to say.
Jacqui Jeras, thank you very much.
All right. We want to go now and check on some of the top stories in Atlanta as well with my colleague Mr. Ali Velshi. Hello Ali.
ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Don, always glad to see you. I'm glad that things have cooled down a little bit for you there. We're enjoying your stories that have improved and things that haven't. I was enjoying that guitar music so maybe you can bring that back in a little bit.
But first let me bring you up to speed with some of the top stories that we're following right now. A construction site in Murfreesboro, Tennessee is now a crime scene. Someone set fire to heavy equipment that was used to build a mosque. Muslims say they have lived in the area for 20 years but now are afraid to leave their homes because of the threat of violence.
A sign on the property has already been destroyed twice. Federal officials are investigating the fire, but so far have stopped short of calling it a hate crime.
A long dormant volcano in Indonesia has suddenly roared back to life. The eruption early today sent thousands of people fleeing their homes. The volcano last erupted more than 400 years ago. No casualties or injuries have been reported.
And in Chalmette, Louisiana a symbolic funeral for hurricane Katrina; the massive storm swept over the Gulf Coast exactly five years ago today which is why Don and our team are down there. Chalmette is a suburb not far from Don; it's a suburb of New Orleans. The coffin there filled with written messages saying "Good riddance" to Katrina.
Let's take it back to Don in New Orleans. I'm sure people around you share that sentiment.
LEMON: They sure do and we've been seeing that all over the city Ali. Thank you, Ali. We'll see you in just a little bit.
Parents under pressure to win the lottery -- the lottery that selects which kids get into a charter school. Moms and dads have a lot of hope but need a lot of patience as you'll see coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: A new documentary shows the emotional battle parents go through while trying to get their schools into charter schools in New York City. CNN education contributor Steve Perry actually runs a Connecticut charter school and he takes us behind the scenes of the documentary in today's "Perry's Principles".
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR: For Eric and Shawna Roachford to get their son into a high performing Harlem charter school they have to win the lottery, literally.
SHAWNA ROACHFORD, TRYING TO GET THEIR SON INTO CHARTER SCHOOL: That was nice. Now, let's do our words.
PERRY: The Roachfords are profiled in the movie "The Lottery". It explores the emotional process parents go through to get their child into a strong school. The final step is a massive lottery drawing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Welcome.
PERRY: A few hundred children are randomly selected out of thousands to win seats in the most sought after schools.
ROACHFORD: People are kind of like sitting on the edge, you know, just waiting and hoping.
ERIC ROACHFORD, TRYING TO GET THEIR SON INTO CHARTER SCHOOL: It symbolizes a great opportunity.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Barack Obama has those --
PERRY: Lori Brown Goodwhite (ph) is raising her son Gregory alone. Her husband is in prison. Unhappy with their zone school, Goodwhite entered a dozen lotteries.
LORI BROWN GOODWHITE, TRYING TO GET THEIR SON INTO CHARTER SCHOOL: I kept saying if I put him in a local school which may be up the block, even though I know it's ok, I'm like am I throwing him into a failing situation?
PERRY: Film maker Madeleine Sackler wanted to highlight the inequity of school choice.
MADELEINE SACKLER, "THE LOTTERY": We've actually had the film described as like a horror movie. There's over 3,000 applicants for about 475 spots. And yet they go because they're just dying for something better. PERRY: That something better is a charter school. A public school funded by tax dollars but run independently and with more freedom than traditional schools.
Finally off the waiting list, Gregory attends a charter school.
GOODWHITE: I can see the difference in him. Like I mean I see it in him too now.
PERRY: As for the Roachfords, they're still waiting for their name to be called.
S. ROACHFORD: I feel that every school should be excellent and that we shouldn't have to be in a position to make that kind of decision.
PERRY: Steve Perry, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: We want to preview something that CNN is going to be doing all next week. It's called "Fix Our Schools". We have sent reporting teams all over the country to document the crisis in America's schools and what can be done to fix the crisis.
So I want to tell you that America's top educators -- we're going to start by doing this story -- America's top educator, hitting the road to talk about the country's efforts to improve public schools. Yesterday Arne Duncan, the Education Secretary spoke at a rally in Washington, D.C. And tomorrow the Education Secretary will be in Albany, New York for the first leg of a bus tour that will take him through New York and New England.
CNN's Graham Flanagan is following the secretary. Graham joins us now by phone from Albany.
Graham, you got to speak with the secretary on the specific problem of the lack of African-American male teachers in the classroom. What did he have to say to you about that?
GRAHAM FLANAGAN, CNN PRODUCER: Well, the Department of Education, Don, thinks that this issue, the shortage of African- American male teachers in American classrooms needs a lot of attention. I asked him about it. Let's take a listen to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARNE DUNCAN, EDUCATION SECRETARY: You look across the country today, less than 2 percent. Less than one in 50 of our teachers are African-American male. And that has to change. So many of our young men grow up in single-parent families; they grow up without a strong male presence in their household. And they need to be surrounded by mentors and role models who can help them envision a positive future for themselves. If we want to close the (INAUDIBLE) gaps, if we want to make sure many more of our African-American male students are graduating rather than dropping out, that are going to college rather than going to jail. And having those mentors, having those teachers, having those role models, having those coaches is going to make a huge difference in their lives.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FLANAGAN: So Secretary Duncan is taking this issue very seriously as you heard there. And so is the African-American community itself, Don; I also spoke to a lot of very passionate people yesterday in Washington at the "Reclaim the Dream" event to get their thoughts.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FLANAGAN: I just talked to the Secretary of Education Arne Duncan about the issue of how the American school system needs more black teachers.
Do you think it's a worthy cause to pursue?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of course. Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The reason why we need (INAUDIBLE) teachers is because you need people of like minds.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think the boys, the young men can relate to their own people sometimes better than they can in the other cultures.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's good to have a black man in the classroom because they serve that kind of purpose, role models. Something for the black child to look up to.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Having male figures in the classroom who can talk to these young black men and tell them I know what you're going through. I've been there. I grew up without a mother. You know, I have peer pressure. I think that could make a significant difference for these young men wanting to learn. Wanting to complete high school. Wanting to go onto college.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So listen, Graham, you were traveling with the education secretary for the next few days. What does that involve?
FLANAGAN: Well, we got a busy couple of days in front of us, Don. We're heading four states, starting in Albany and ending in Portland, Maine on Tuesday. Following the secretary Arne Duncan as he talks to teachers, he's going to talk to students and administrators with the objective of overall when it comes down to bringing America back to the forefront of education on a worldwide level.
LEMON: All right. Graham Flanagan, thank you very much. We look forward to your reporting.
He's our producer here for CNN. And again, this is something very important that CNN is doing. Fix our schools. Those three words will drive much of what you see on CNN all this coming week. Because as America's children returns to school, CNN has a mission, as I said, we have sent reporting teams across the country to document the education crisis in America. And more importantly, we'll shine a light on success stories that can empower us to offer our children so much more than they're getting right now. Make sure you tune in to CNN all this week. "Fix Our Schools."
My next guest was stranded on his roof five years ago. He lost his mother and granddaughter to the flood waters and he watched helplessly as his home washed away beneath his feet. He is our host here tonight. His incredible story coming up live, next here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The people of New Orleans have been so gracious to us while we're here and our host for this evening, Robert Green, really has as well. You know, he has a very interesting story. Because he lost his granddaughter and he lost other family members here as well. And from this home that he rebuilt, we want to go out and we want to talk to Robert Green. Robert, you're a strong man. We want to thank you for hosting us tonight.
ROBERT GREEN, HURRICANE KATRINA SURVIVOR: No problem at all.
LEMON: Tell us what happened. You lost in the storm what?
GREEN: We lost my granddaughter (INAUDIBLE) at the age of three, 4:30 in the morning. And we lost my mother Joyce Green at the age of 73, 1:00 in the afternoon. Both died from storm waters relating to our house actually floating up the street with us on the rooftop. When the barge came through about 25 feet of water, inundated our neighborhood and made everything rise up its foundation and float away.
LEMON: And you had been trying to find out where your mother was for quite a long time. And no one could find her. And you came back yourself, was it three months later, how long -
GREEN: 120 days. Actually August 29th is when she died. On December 29th of 2005, we came back and found her in the same location where we left her. We actually pulled her 1826 Tennessee Street to 1617 Tennessee Street. That's where she was for three months. And then finally in the month of December, we decided to come look for her ourselves and we found her.
LEMON: How are you still standing? I can't fathom it.
GREEN: Well, we were raised in a family that believes in god. We were raised by my mother who really struggled hard and taught us good values. My granddaughter enriched my life. My mother teaches us with the lesson that we don't give up. And we continue to fight on. We continue to move on. Today, we celebrate their lives and their memories. We have so much to be thankful for even though that tragedy happened.
LEMON: You know what many people would go sort of, you know, go inward and would not want to share. You got the snowball standing in front of your house. You got the traveling museum in front of your house. You have a block party here, you have neighbors and friends. People you don't even know. And I always tell people that's indicative of Louisiana. That's how Louisianans are. Just open your home up and you share with everybody.
GREEN: Well, it's actually our way. It's our way to live life to the fullest. We had a celebration which most people would think would be a day of sorrow for me. It's a very exciting day to be able to remember my mother and remember my granddaughter is still staying up here, and smile and have all these people here. Diane is an old friend. Kadir (ph) and Stanley Green (ph) are old friends. Everybody is an old friend. We open our doors to everybody.
LEMON: And I guess now Brad Pitt is an old friend because he helped you.
GREEN: Well, Brad Pitt is really an old friend, but also somebody who I endear and somebody who I respect for what he's doing. He's not doing it for the publicity. He's not doing it to say here, this is who I am. He's actually dong more than just rebuilding houses. He has an idea. He has a statement that he's making. And we are happy for it.
LEMON: Listen, thank you. God bless you. Thank you again for allowing us in. I can't wait to get the crab that you save for me and the shrimp you saved for me.
GREEN: I'll make sure you have. They're soaking for you. (INAUDIBLE.
LEMON: That's going to be great. So I'm going to walk down here and you can see the beautiful home that he had rebuilt here on Tennessee Street, part of the famous street that Brad Pitt has been helping to rebuild.
Hey listen, another group is helping to rebuild the city, especially the spirit of the city. You know who I'm talking about. I'm talking about the "Who Dat Nation." I'm talking about the Saints. We're going to talk about that. We're going to do "Who Dat" talking about beating the Saints. Right after the break. Don't go away.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: A lot of home building right now in New Orleans, but nationwide the housing mark is the worse it's been in a decade. To prop it up, the Obama administration might revive a $8,000 tax credit for first time home buyers. The credit expired at the end of April and many analysts say that caused a sharp drop in home sales immediately afterward.
Housing and Urban Development secretary Shaun Donovan spoke earlier today with CNN's Ed Henry on "State of the Union."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Is the housing credit now dead, or does the administration think we should try to revive it to try to prop this industry up?
SHAUN DONOVAN, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT SECRETARY: Look, Ed, I think it's too early to say after one month of numbers whether the tax credit will be revived or not. All I can tell you is that we are watching very carefully. I talked earlier about new tools that we will be launching in the coming weeks. And we're going to be focused like a laser on where the housing market is moving going forward. And we're going to do everything we can to make sure that this market stabilizes and recovers.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: So Ali Velshi back in Atlanta, I want to ask you this question. A short time ago everybody was saying that we were in recovery mode. Now there's talk of maybe a double dip recession. This is very grim. What's going on? How bad is it really?
ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, this was such a bad recession that there was a hope the recovery would feel fantastic. It would feel fast. People would be making money. Maybe getting jobs. Home prices will be going up and I think maybe we're not close enough to think of a double dip recession yet, but we should definitely think things are slower than we expect.
First of all, we got reading on GDP, the gross domestic product. That's the biggest measure of everything we do in this economy. Earlier this week, we got the measure for the second three months of the year, the second quarter of the year. It wasn't as good as we had initially hoped it would be. Although it was better than some people expected it would be.
But we also heard from Ben Bernanke with a bit of a survey about the economy, answering in a more obtuse way, Don, the question that you just asked me. He talked about consumers. And he talked about businesses. Let me start by telling you what he said about consumers.
Now, first panel there, he says credit continues to remain the biggest problem that American consumers are facing right now. It's just not all there. But look at the next panel. May not be a lot of credit but as a result, people are saving. Six percent. That's the household saving rate. Remember, a few years ago we were at zero. That's the problem though. People are saving. They're not spending right now.
Over on the next panel, Ben Bernanke says that all the saving will lead to spending, but it will probably be next year. The recovery won't be until then. Moving over one more. He talked about housing. And he says that so many people who might be in a position to afford to buy a house can actually do it because the credit still hasn't loosened up for individuals. The credit he talked about in the beginning, it still hasn't loosened up.
But over one more. If you can get credit and you do have money for a down payment, boy, there possibly has never been as good a time to buy a house as right now. Prices have come down a little bit. They're starting to stabilize and mortgage rates are at historic low. For a 30-year fixed mortgage in the four percent range. Now, that's individual.
Let's talk about businesses for a second. Businesses are doing a little bit of spending. They're not spending - they're not hiring people. But they're buying computers and machinery and things like that. That's not as expensive as staffing. Now, where are we building buildings and actual construction? Move it over one, in the oil industry, in the mining industry, in the energy industry, even in the wind industry. That's the only place where money is actually being spent.
Money can be spent on the next panel because people will have big -- big businesses have money. The big business on the left, they don't go to banks for money. They use a different system. And they've got money. Small businesses, they have to go to banks like you and I do. And the banks are not fully lending to small businesses yet.
And finally, the thing he said that there are people and businesses with money sitting on the sidelines, chicken and egg. Nobody wants to be first. Businesses don't want to spend and build plants and hire people until people start buying. People don't want to start buying until businesses start hiring people. So we feel like we've got a job next year. And that's why we'll spend some money, Don.
So he's not thinking double dip recession. A lot of people are not thinking of it. We're talking about it a lot. And just maybe that the recovery takes longer than we would have liked it to take. Don?
LEMON: And, Ali, I remember when it was 10 percent, nine percent, eight percent. They were like that's a good deal. Go out and buy your homes. Now as you said, four percent and some in the three's. Like in the high of mid three's.
VELSHI: That's exactly right.
LEMON: It's a great time if you can afford it.
VELSHI: If folks aren't buying when interest rates are three or four percent, there's only one reason for that and that is you don't want to be caught with a mortgage if you lose a job. That's the fear right now, Don.
LEMON: Thanks for breaking it down. Great information, Ali Velshi. We'll talk to you in a little bit. OK.
VELSHI: Yes.
LEMON: The conservative message and civil rights are two things that normally don't normally go hand in hand. That is unless you are Glenn Beck. Reaction to his hopes of reclaiming civil rights, straight ahead.
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LEMON: As you may know, Fox TV's conservative talk show host Glenn Beck held a large rally yesterday at the Lincoln Memorial. That would have not been a remarkable event except it was the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech on that very same spot. Beck said he would use the rally to "reclaim civil rights," which raised the question, who owns the dream?
I put it to Robert Traynham, the Washington bureau chief of ComCast network and CNN contributor, John Avalon.
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ROBERT TRAYNHAM, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, COMCAST NETWORK: What would Dr. King want to do? He obviously said he want a dream or he had a dream. And that dream was for all people of all colors to come together as one and to be able to confront some of the problems that the country was facing back in 1963 and 1964.
Fast forward to 2010. That's Glenn Beck. Does he understand what African-Americans are going through? Of course not, because he's not African-American. Can he certainly empathize to a certain degree? Of course, he can. So you know, it's very easy for someone to armchair quarterback and say, well, you know, this person can feel this way or this person can't feel this way because of x, y, or z.
I think the point is whether or not he's sincere in what he says where he thinks that he can transcend race and bring two sides together, both black and white or brown people and white people together and to try to move this country forward. So I commend him for that. So you know, I think it's OK for him to be at the Lincoln Memorial. I think it's OK for him to say what he thinks. I mean, after all, it is a free country.
LEMON: Right. And I don't think anyone - I don't think anyone is saying that he doesn't have the right to do it, but it is the same question has been posed over and over with this Islamic center and mosque down near Ground Zero, whether or not - no one is saying that people don't have the right to do it, but the question is, what about the wisdom, as the president said, of doing it. What about the sensitivity, Robert?
TRAYNHAM: Well, there's no question about it that you need to be sensitive to other people's thoughts and feelings. You certainly have to be sensitive to people's cultures and so forth. So, yes, I mean, should he have been a little more sensitive to African-American's thinking, particularly those who are still - had harbor memories of the civil rights movement? Yes, I would concur that he probably should have been a little bit more sensitive to that.
LEMON: John, I hear you want to get in on this. Go ahead.
JOHN AVLON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, let's talk about this in real- time. I mean, you know, President Obama is in many ways the result of the embodiment of Dr. King's dream. I mean, we are in a fundamentally different place of a nation than could have been conceived 47 years ago. But this is also a president who Glenn Beck has repeatedly called racist, with a deep seated hatred of white people.
That hurts your credibility a little bit when you're talking about being a uniter rather than a divider. And that's at the crux of a lot of this difficulty. And we can get into the history of conservative populism as well, and the unfortunate fact of still this diversity deficit that exists between the two parties. We need to be working to bridge that. We need a lot more work at bridging that. And Glenn Beck is not the best symbol of that striving for unity.
LEMON: You know, Robert, you mentioned earlier about whether or not you believed Glenn Beck's message about wanting to, you know, reclaim the civil rights movement, but there are people who - there are many people who believe that this is a publicity stunt, in the sense that Glenn Beck is using this moment and the place where he did it to raise his own platform, and that the media is falling into it by reporting on it so much.
He could have said the same thing on his radio show or on his television show, where he has a huge platform as well, and probably more people than he got, than he assembled today in Washington.
TRAYNHAM: Well, let's be clear, Don. First and foremost, we need to put this in context. Glenn Beck is a shock jock that just so happens to be on television. He is all about ratings. He is all about being provocative. He is all about being thought provoking. So when you put it in that context, would I make the argument that Glenn Beck is doing this for self-promotion? Probably.
However, I do believe that he is sincere when he believes that this country is going down the wrong path. That is his opinion, that is his point of view, he's entitled it. Clearly, there are tens of thousands if not millions of people that follow that line of thinking, and he has every right to think that and to say that.
So, yes is it for publicity? No question about it. But I do believe that he is sincere in his thoughts. I'm not sure that I agree with it 100% but again his points are very well valid.
LEMON: Listen, Glenn Beck, for the most part, does not appeal to the majority of African-Americans, so where might this end up? Is this - can this backfire and people become upset because of the venue, because of the date, or might he win over some African-Americans by saying he's going to reclaim the civil rights movement?
AVLON: I don't think that's the goal, and I don't think that's going to happen. But there is a real need. Republicans and conservatives need to understand how they got this diversity deficit. The Republican party was the party of Lincoln. African-Americans voted overwhelmingly Republican for over 100 years, and in 1964, there was total realignment, based on the civil rights act.
That effort, Michael Steele recruited over 30 African-American candidate to step on the right direction but conservatives and Republicans need to understand how they ended up on the wrong side of history with civil rights. And really, really deal with that and then we can get to a place as a nation where we get over the fact that our political parties are polarized along racial lines too often, and that is a real problem in our democracy. It's something we need to transcend and we're going to do it by genuinely reaching out, not trying to play political football with the legacy of Martin Luther King.
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LEMON: Thanks so to our guests. And coming up, how the "Who Dat" nation got its groove back. This remarkable story of faith and determination next as we're live here in New Orleans for the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
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LEMON: Back now live in New Orleans. "Who Dat" saying they going to beat them Saints, a rallying cry heard for years in New Orleans, but it took on a new meaning last season. Look at that, that's Gumbo right on the porch, standing. The team rose from the ashes to the top of the NFL. Now, the city is trying to emulate them.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who dat!
LEMON (voice-over): This is Saints' country. The "Who Dat" nation, as in -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who dat! Who dat!
LEMON: An unusual way of speaking, befitting an unorthodox group of fans, who for years stood by their perpetually losing football team, the New Orleans Saints. In the 1980s, the team was so bad, fans donned paper bags to cover their faces, but Saints die-hard Lionel Alphonso Sr. turned to divine intervention for help.
LIONEL ALPHONSO, "DE POPE": I'm wearing this outfit now but back then the brown paper bag (INAUDIBLE) I can't lie. I'm the pope. I wore a bag.
LEMON: Alphonso is now known worldwide as "De Pope" of the Saints, and in 1999, was one of the first fans ever to be inducted into the football Hall of Fame. The first fan in the hall of fame?
ALPHONSO: Right
LEMON: What do you think of that?
ALPHONSO: I loved it.
LEMON: Then in 2005, all hell broke loose on the city and the team's home. The Superdome. Even the Pope was powerless against Hurricane Katrina's destruction but the entire "Who Dat Nation" stuck by their team and prayed the boys in black and gold would stay in the Big Easy. And they did, in a big way.
ALPHONSO: You know, to actually see football players put hammers and saws in their hand to go rebuild houses, that's amazing.
LEMON: Then came the 2009 season. The team once known as the "Ain't" won the Super Bowl. World champions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm still in shock to hear you say world champions, New Orleans Saints. It picks me up every time (INAUDIBLE) and carry us through again this year and keep our spirits up.
LEMON: Faith, a recurring theme here in Louisiana, and every Sunday, their miracle team, a statewide call to worship.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who dat!
LEMON: We will is no doubt the chant for the rest of the NFL.
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LEMON: Oh, "When the Saints go marching in." I'm Don "Lemon down in New Orleans. I'll see you back here at 10:00 p.m. Eastern. Don't go away.
"In the Wake of Hurricane Katrina" is going to start in just a little bit. But we're going to leave you with the sounds of New Orleans. Mr. (INAUDIBLE) Woods, who is a blues guitarist and he sings.
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