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Pres. Obama's New Economic Plan; 7 Boaters Rescued Off South Carolina Coast; "Alive" Survivors Visit Chile Mine; Chilean Miners Trapped Underground; How to Tell When Food's Gone Bad; Bull Sharks Spotted in Potomac River; Remnants of Earl Cause Beach Advisories Over Holiday Weekend; Anti-Muslim Sentiment Growing Across US
Aired September 05, 2010 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right. This week, the economy remains issue number one. For voters, it's likely to be a driving force in the midterm elections. In just three days, President Obama reveals a new plan to perhaps ease America's economic worries.
We're covering all the bases. Our Kate Bolduan is in Washington with more on the president's plan. Paul Steinhauser is in Pittsburgh, traveling with the CNN Express bus, hearing from people while on the road.
So let's get started with you, Kate. The president's plan, what do we know that he will be revealing?
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Getting some details, Fredricka. An administration official tells CNN the plan President Obama is expected to announce Wednesday will include a proposal to permanently extend research and development tax credits for businesses, and that is being described as a key element of the new plan, but not the only piece.
Also, administration officials say the White House is considering new infrastructure spending as well as payroll - a payroll tax holiday as possible options being discussed by the president's economic team. A lot of moving parts to this, as you can see.
All of this, though, is set against the backdrop - the backdrop of the fast approaching midterm elections. The White House is anxious to show it's working hard to spur economic growth. At the same time, a tough time equals a tough political climate for the party in power and that topic, the economy and the politics of it, was the big issue on the Sunday talk shows today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. LINDSAY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: The centerpiece of the democratic agenda for the first two years has been the health care bill. Not one candidate on the campaign trail is talking about it.
The stimulus bill that was supposed to keep us at eight percent or below unemployment has been an absolute disaster. It grew the government instead of creating private sector jobs.
Let's go into the stimulus bill, cancel a lot of the big spending government programs in the stimulus bill, look at health care, get it off the - the public's back and extend all the tax cuts.
DAVID PLOUFFE, FORMER OBAMA CAMPAIGN MANAGER: Because we have to remind people, when President Clinton left office, we had a surplus. We had a record deficit over $1.3 trillion when President Obama took office.
Why? Because the Republicans had unpaid for wars, tax cuts, entitlement expansion. Do you really believe three years later you can trust them on fiscal matters?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BOLDUAN: So you heard there from longtime adviser to President Obama, David Plouffe, and before that Republican Senator Lindsay Graham.
Both Republicans and Democrats, Fredricka, are trying that make their case and also make clear who they want voters to think is to blame for the tough economic times the country continues to face. You can be sure we're going to be - be hearing a lot more of this in the coming weeks.
WHITFIELD: Oh, yes. All right, Kate Bolduan there, beginning with this Wednesday when the president does reveal that plan.
All right, thanks so much. In Washington. Appreciate that.
So, meantime, there are only 58 days left before the big midterm elections, and CNN deputy political director Paul Steinhauser is on the road with the Election Express bus.
So you're in Pittsburgh. People are talking, of course, about the economy all throughout Pennsylvania and the rest of the country, talking about the economy. Is there going to be a real parallel between what the president says or promises and how that might impact November 2nd?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Oh, you are absolutely right, Fred. You and Kate were just talking about it. There's a lot of policy in what the president will say on Wednesday when he lays out his plans, but there is also a lot of politics at play.
Look where he's going to give that speech, next door from here. He's going to be in Ohio. That's where he's going to give that speech where the Democrats are trying to hold on to a governorship and a bunch of House seats come November 2nd on the midterms.
We're right next door. We're in neighboring Pennsylvania. Right behind me, of course, Pittsburgh.
President Obama is coming to Pennsylvania in about two weeks. He's going to campaign with Joe Sestak, the Democrats' Senate nominee here. This is a state, Pennsylvania, where the Democrats are trying to hold on to that Senate seat, the governor's office and about five House seats also the Republicans are trying to win back. So a lot of politics at play. Why does all this matter? Because of the economy. Check this out, brand new numbers from the CNN and the Opinion Research Corporation, our new national poll, 44 percent of the people we questioned said the economic conditions right now are very poor. And, Fred, that's up seven points from July. So pessimism, it appears, is on the rise, according to our new poll numbers.
WHITFIELD: Well, I wonder, too, you know, Paul, how awkward is this going to be for the president, that he's going to be, you know, campaigning for Joe Sestak when it wasn't that long ago the White House was hoping somebody else would be facing November 2nd, not him?
STEINHAUSER: Yes, exactly. The White House, at one time, was backing the incumbent here, the longtime Senator Arlen Specter, a Republican, who last year turned out - changed parties to become a Democrat.
Sestak challenged him. Of course, the White House was going to back the incumbent. Sestak won, and now he is the Democrat and the White House is - he's the Democratic nominee. The White House is backing him.
Fred, check this out. You know, this is interesting. Who's to blame for the economy? Is it more the Republicans or Democrats? What do Americans think?
Check these numbers out from CNN/Opinion Research Corporation, our new national poll out today. More people blame the Republicans, 44 percent. Thirty-five percent blame the Democrats. Sixteen percent say, hey, both parties to blame.
But what about the president? This is interesting. Four out of 10 - only four out of 10 give the president the thumbs up on how he's handling the economy right now. That is a new low in CNN polling, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Which is why this midterm election is going to be so much of a nail biter.
Thanks so much. Paul Steinhauser, joining us from Pittsburgh. As we say, Paul is traveling with the CNN Express bus. It is in Pennsylvania a good part of this week.
Here's a little bit of preview of what you're going to see this week.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just think Ohio is a state that people look at, because it has a huge mix in one state.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I now hate politics.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're going to talk to different people and everyone's going to have different thoughts.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's hard for me to figure out, because I grew up in a very Republican family. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's too much polarity.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Sarah Palins is not part of what I want to be represented by.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have almost stopped, like, following it altogether because I think it's such a load of crap.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're starting to see some Republican candidates come out ahead. You know, good, strong candidates, and I think - you know, I think we're going to have a good run for it here in November.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jobs need to be brought back to America. I see that part. I don't see anything -
Now, I've got a nice hat that says, you know, "My Boss is Jesus." And when I look inside and I look at the label, it says made in China. OK. Where's made in the USA at?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: OK. So just a taste of the sentiments that we're finding as the CNN Election Express bus makes its way across the country. You'll have special reports throughout this week right here on CNN.
Meantime, let's check with our Jacqui Jeras one more time. It is Labor Day Weekend, and seems like great weekend - great weather just about everywhere this weekend.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. You know, the vast majority of the country is seeing some very nice conditions.
One of the worst spots, though, you know, we always got to talk about the worst of it, because when there's a danger out there -
WHITFIELD: OK.
JERAS: -- you know, we'd like to stay on the positive as much as possible.
But Florida, it's really been a lousy weekend here overall. We've got a stationary front which has just been parked in this area and it's been triggering showers and thunderstorms all day. Heavy stuff moving into Tampa area. You can see right along I-4, over towards Orlando, South Florida getting hit.
Look at Alligator Alley. Man, it is really coming down there. We're starting to get reports of some street flooding in Miami-Dade County, so be aware of that. Use a lot of caution if you're going to be driving around.
And the airports having a little trouble in Miami, too, because of these thunderstorms. The departure delays are about 30 minutes. So that's if you're trying to get out of Miami, as opposed to getting in, and that's really the only airport delay that we have so far today. The other trouble that we have going on across parts of the south is a little bit of tropical trouble, potentially. We've got this little wave or this little area of disturbed weather into the bay of Campeche and the National Hurricane Center says there's a high chance that this is going to develop into our next tropical depression, potentially.
Now, whether it does or not, not necessarily all that important because we don't think there's enough time for this to turn into anything strong, but it is going to be bringing in some heavy rainfall, especially across southern parts of Texas. So we could have some flooding rains here as we head into your Monday as well. So keep that in mind. If you're traveling anywhere along I-10 and southward, expect those popup thunderstorms.
Now, the Upper Midwest, you've had some gorgeous weather for the first part of the weekend. Second half, not so great. We've got some scattered light rain showers across the area. Another - nothing major now, but a very strong cold front is going to be approaching by tomorrow, and in the afternoon we expect that there will be some severe thunderstorms.
So, Minneapolis, down toward Sioux City, into Des Moines, Kansas City, even into western parts of Wisconsin, you've got that risk of large hail, damaging winds and isolated tornadoes. It's going to be very windy with this front coming through, so the four quarters in particular have a high fire danger because of that, and even though it's gorgeous across parts of the east here, a little breezy as well. And it's been like 10 days since you've really seen any rain, so the fire danger remains high.
A lot of campers over the holiday weekend, certainly, Fredricka, need to be very cautious about putting out their campfires and just being careful as they're out and about throughout just the holiday weekend.
WHITFIELD: Oh, but you're just full of all kinds of great tips today. It's all about safety.
JERAS: I'm a safety girl.
WHITFIELD: I like that, Jacqui.
JERAS: Me and Julia Roberts, right?
WHITFIELD: OK. That's right. All right, thanks so much.
All right, meantime, this was a pretty frightening moment for some folks off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina, and the U.S. Coast Guard came to their rescue. Four adults and three children - right there. There's a photograph after the rescue - they were bobbing in the Atlantic Ocean.
They had to abandon their sinking boat. And, guess what? They spent some 20 hours in the water. Luckily, they were all wearing life vests.
The U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew was on the final pass of what had been a six-hour search pattern when a crew member spotted them in the moonlight about 20 miles off the coast, right outside Charleston. Some of the survivors were clinging to a cooler.
It was just last hour I spoke with a member of that rescue team, and he described the dangers of this mission.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN ROSEN, PETTY OFFICER 2ND CLASS, U.S. COAST GUARD: The search conditions were ideal. The -the seas by this time, they're - they're more calm. The biggest aspect was the fact that we didn't actually have a location where the survivors were. And it was very dark. There wasn't much illumination last night.
So our biggest task was just finding them. It's very hard to find a person in - in the middle of the ocean when you don't really know where to start exactly. So the sector did a good job of getting us in the right area.
And while we were conducting our search pattern, it was our actually our - our last search pattern we were conducting. We were on our - one of the legs of our searches. And out of the left hand side of the helicopter, it just happened that the moon, I guess, was reflecting off the water at just the right angle. It made it very obvious that I could see some kind of debris of some sorts in the water.
So, that time, we made a right hand turn and our pilot confirmed that there was people in the water and you could see the bow of vessel's sticking out about three feet or so.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: So incredibly lucky.
All seven survivors were taken to a South Carolina hospital for evaluation and treatment.
All right, 30 days and counting for miners buried alive in Chile. Trapped, but not forgotten, a strong show of support from a group of famous survivors.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A group of famous survivors spent part of this weekend at the Chilean mine where 33 miners are trapped under ground. The visitors are four members of the Uruguay rugby team who survived 72 days in the Andes Mountain after their plane crashed back in 1972. Remember that? Their ordeal was immortalized in the book and the movie titled "Alive".
The rugby players communicated with the miners this weekend via video urging them to appreciate their relative good luck.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUSTAVO ZERBINO, URUGUAYAN RUGBY PLAYER (through translator): We need to ensure this never happens again, but it already has happened and now we need to get them out. That is the most important thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The miners have now been trapped for 31 days.
CNN's Karl Penhaul has been at the San Jose mine for much of that time talking to friends and family.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CRISTINA NUNEZ, WIFE OF CLAUDIO YANEZ (through translator): A friend phoned and said the San Esteban mine has just collapsed and the miners are trapped inside. I said, what? That can't be true. And I began crying.
I was crying and I couldn't talk. I was just crying and crying. I said, my Claudio can't leave me like this. Claudio has to be alive.
HECTOR TICONA, FATHER OF ARIEL TICONA (through translator): I was stunned by the news, but I didn't cry. I'm not the kind to cry. But my wife began to cry and I tried to calm her down. I said, take it easy, we don't know anything for sure just yet.
SCARLETT SEPULVEDA, DAUGHTER OF MARIO SEPULVEDA (through translator): I felt rage and pain and frustration. I thought, how can they be trapped like that? They're not animals. But here in Chile, they've always treated our miners like animals.
It's horrible. I miss him so much. He always cheered us up and made us laugh. I just feel so bad.
YANEZ (through translator): Those first days were unforgettable. It was huge uncertainty. Just waiting and waiting. Those were very bitter moments. I was crying day and night. I didn't want to sleep.
I held out hope Esteban had been outside the mine. When I was crying I hoped he was going to come out and hug me and say, "Darling, I'm here," but the hours went by and they reported the names of the missing miners and Esteban never came.
LILA RAMIREZ, WIFE OF MARIO GOMEZ (through translator): I felt a lot of rage and pain and I felt powerless because I knew this was on accident waiting to happen. A lot of the miners said that they had heard the mountain groaning.
I never doubted and I had a lot of faith that they were alive and that they were all together and that's how they found them, all together.
TICONA (through translator): I always had faith, and I stayed calm. And then what happened, happened. Then the miracle came.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And our Karl Penhaul is joining us live from Chile. So, Karl, what do we know about how these miners are able to keep it together? PENHAUL: Well, they've been having the - the best possible support that the Chilean government can be - can put together, and even this last week they also had a four-man team from NASA who was down here to give additional advice to the Chilean government. That, on the psychological front, on the medical front and on the nutrition front as well.
They continue to be fed through four-inch bore holes, holes no wider than that, three of them. They have to live their lives with everything that has to be passed down those bore holes.
But there is a good news as well there, because now a more permanent line of communication has been established. Both yesterday and today relatives, the family members, have been able to talk from the surface to their relatives via a video communication line that's been set up. That's lifted the spirits of the miners half a mile underground, but it's also lifted the spirits of the family members up here on the surface who really have to set in for this long wait, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Yes. Quite extraordinary. Thanks so much, Karl Penhaul, for joining us. Appreciate that update.
Meantime, Americans are tossing out tons of food thinking it's bad when actually it is not, and that's costing them plenty. Next up, the facts and fictions surrounding food safety.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories right now.
President Barack Obama is getting ready to unveil a new plan to stimulate the economy, includes a permanent extension of a tax credit for business research and development. Aides have said the president is also considering a payroll tax holiday and new spending on infrastructure. Mr. Obama unveils this plan Wednesday in Cleveland, Ohio.
And a new offer from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu aimed at moving the peace process forward. He wants to meet Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas one-on-one every two weeks to talk about the agenda for a peace agreement. Chief Palestinian Negotiator Saeb Erekat called that, quote, "the right approach". The two sides resumed peace talks in Washington last week.
And the failed blowout preventer that led to the huge oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico has been brought to the surface. Investigators say it could provide important clues into what caused the disaster. BP installed a new blowout preventer on the plugged well Friday.
All right. By some estimates the average American family actually throws out nearly $600 worth of groceries every year. Why? Well, they think they're actually ditching bad food, but it turns out much of the time it's perfectly good to eat.
Joining us right now live from New York, food safety specialist, Shari Portnoy. So, Shari, good to see you. So we're saying it's not as simple as just reading the label, the expiration label?
SHARI PORTNOY, FOOD SAFETY SPECIALIST: Exactly. For instance, for perishable food, there's actually no law saying that you have to have a certain expiration date. The only thing the FDA actually regulates is infant formula. So the numbers that you see on foods like the fish or meat or eggs is really what the manufacturer deems should be safe.
WHITFIELD: So -
PORTNOY: So don't throw things out at all.
WHITFIELD: OK. I'm sorry to interrupt you, because you mentioned eggs. Because specifically eggs in the carton apparently are good for three to five weeks. So if we see that expiration date on those eggs, are we saying that the manufacturer is keeping under consideration three to five weeks or now we need to say to ourselves, we've got three to five weeks post this expiration date? Help me out with that.
PORTNOY: We need to say to ourselves three to five weeks. But the most important thing is to store the food properly. So most people if they get sick from an egg it's not because of the expiration date. It could be because they didn't store it properly. So the important thing with eggs, really, is to keep them in the refrigerator under 41 degrees.
WHITFIELD: OK. So now we're talking about nonperishable goods - foods on the shelf, good for up to five years defending on the amount of acid in the food? Like what?
PORTNOY: Exactly.
WHITFIELD: From the tomatoes?
PORTNOY: Well, for instance, anything canned, the higher actually the acid level, it's interesting, usually with a high acid level, it's good to about one and a half years. With a lower acid level it can actually be good up to five years.
WHITFIELD: And the only food mandated by the FDA to have an expiration date would be infant formula that you really need to adhere to.
PORTNOY: Exactly. And that's the only one. And the problem is a lot of people see the date, there was a study done. People who ate yogurt and saw the expiration date on the yogurt said it didn't taste good. Other people ate the same yogurt, didn't see the expiration date and said it tasted OK.
So the really important thing is not the date of expiration, but actually storing the food properly and keeping it to the right temperature.
WHITFIELD: OK. And you mentioned that some of these, you know, dates are determined by the manufacturers, and about half of the states, I guess, require perishable goods have that kind of statement on them. But let's move on to the sell-by dates. The last days a store can actually sell an item. I've seen that on breads, for instance, but then what about consumption?
PORTNOY: Exactly. A sell date - exactly. A sell date is actually the date that they actually can sell it by, but it's very different than a quality assurance or used-by date. That's just up to the discretion of manufacturer. And the manufacturers do actual testing on it to determine those dates.
But when you see a sell-by date, that date is for the store. So a used-by date or best before date is for the consumer. But don't throw it out, don't waste your food. The best thing is also to notice that those dates can also be from how many dates you open the food. For instance, if you open your milk and it's exposed to air it's going to be good for less amount of time than milk that wasn't exposed to air.
WHITFIELD: OK. And meantime, I guess, what makes so many people throw away good food? Is it because they, you know, are throwing things away upon expiration? I mean, where's the $600 million coming from?
PORTNOY: A lot of people see the expiration date.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
PORTNOY: Exactly. Exactly. People - like the study done, people see the expiration date, they think it's not good and they throw it out. Don't use that as an indicator. Don't waste food. We have enough problem with wasting food.
But really the most important thing with your food is to know to keep foods - cold foods cold and hot foods hot.
WHITFIELD: Yes. OK. Rather, $600 per family in some instances across America, per year that they actually throw out good food. But now they don't have to thanks to your advice.
Shari Portnoy, thanks so much. Appreciate it. Good to see you from New York.
PORTNOY: You're welcome. Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right. Just when you thought it was safe to go into the Potomac River, yes, take a look at that, right there, found reportedly in the Potomac River. Well explain why and how.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: When you hear people talking about sharks in the nation's capital, usually they're talking about politics. But this week, literally, sharks, Potomac River, coming together. Pretty scary.
Just a few miles downstream from the nation's capitol, this -- take a look, right now -- this is one of two reported bull sharks allegedly caught in the nets. Hopefully, you'll get to see it, because it is kind of gruesome. Just at the point where the Potomac flows into the Chesapeake Bay. Earlier, I spoke to Robert Hueter of the Mote Marine Laboratory.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD (on camera): How rare is this, for a bull shark to find its way, not just in the Potomac River but any freshwater river?
ROBERT HUETER, MOTE MARINE LABORATORY: Well, bull sharks are actually a species that are able to come into fresh water. It's very unusual for sharks, but this is one species that can. They've been found, for example, up the Mississippi River as far north as Illinois.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh.
HUETER: So, they are able to come into the Chesapeake Bay. Getting all the way up to the Maryland side, though, is very uncommon.
WHITFIELD: OK, so I would imagine now, the experts in that area, marine biologists, et cetera, might be trying to figure out, how in the world might this shark made its way from the Atlantic Ocean through the Chesapeake Bay, perhaps, into the Potomac River? Is this going to be a difficult path to nail down?
HUETER: Well, it will, but the fact that more than one of these now have been caught, apparently, indicates that there may be other sharks around. There may be other bull sharks around.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh.
HUETER: What they're doing there, who knows? But they may be feeding on rays that have been reported to be a little bit more common up in the Chesapeake Bay in recent years.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Scary stuff. Needless to say, if you see a bull shark in the Potomac River or anywhere else, try to keep your distance, he says. Bull sharks are considered among the most dangerous sharks in the world to humans. And he says, whatever you do, try to stay calm.
Yes. I'm going to do that, Jacqui, when I'm in the water and I see a bull shark. First of all, all I'll see is fin. I won't know what kind of shark. And staying calm? It's going to be hard to do.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I'm going to say that it's going to be hard to do.
WHITFIELD: But, upon his advice, I'm going to try to do that.
JERAS: What's your fear factor on sharks? Scale of one to ten? It's up there, isn't it?
WHITFIELD: Well, you know what? I've been scuba diving and certainly see sharks. But I realize I'm in their territory and I'm OK with it as long as I'm not flailing -- but something's different when I'm just above water and I'm swimming along, you know? Or water skiing on the Potomac River and I see a fin.
JERAS: Right.
WHITFIELD: Now I don't know what to do. Now I panic actually.
JERAS: Well, it is a scary thing.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
JERAS: It's a real threat. There's always something out there in the water. You know, some people opt for the pool instead.
WHITFIELD: Yes. Let's talk about that. Let's talk about the fun stuff. What are our options here?
JERAS: Well, one, people want to hit the beach this weekend. Holiday weekend. A lot of people have been doing that. If sharks won't keep you out of the water, maybe the threat of rip currents will. That's been a real problem because of what was Earl that moved on through here and brought up the waves and also created a lot of sandbars.
So, we've got advisories and that high threat up and down the east coast from Florida stretching all the way through New England. It's going to subside a little bit for tomorrow. So just watch those flags if you're thinking about hitting the beach.
Now, we do have heavy showers and thunderstorms kind of ruing some beach plans across the state of Florida, Gulf Coast beaches. This is all really I-10 and southward. And it's spotty for the most part, with the exception of some of this action in central and southern parts of Florida. A little flash flooding, by the way, getting reported in Miami area, so be aware of that.
We also have an area of low pressure that could develop into a tropical depression in the next 24 to 48 hours. Not a lot of time for this to turn into anything. Most of the models are bringing it up this way. Either way you slice it, whether it becomes a tropical system or not, it will be bringing some very heavy rain to southern parts of Texas and throughout the Rio Valley, so be aware of that.
All right. What about your camping and holiday plans across the upper Midwest and inner mountain west? A very strong cold front moving through the region here today. Overall, pretty benign weather. Yes, this isn't bothering you too much. More of a nuisance than anything else.
But the storm intensifies by tomorrow and brings in a risk of severe thunderstorms across the upper Midwest. So, Minneapolis, Des Moines, Sioux City, Omaha, Kansas City, into western Illinois as well as western Wisconsin, be aware of that. But just beautiful on both of the coasts overall.
Speaking of beautiful, look at this live picture out of Atlanta.
WHITFIELD: Oh, yes, it's gorgeous. JERAS: There you can see Centennial Olympic Park. People staying out of the oceans but in water here, into the fountains, as you can see.
WHITFIELD: That very safe.
JERAS: 85 degrees is the temperature. The dew point 43.
WHITFIELD: No humidity.
JERAS: That's crazy. Yes, it's like --
WHITFIELD: That explains the recent good hair days.
JERAS: Most people start feeling uncomfortable around 63 degrees, Fredricka, so the humidity is very, very low. A lot of people really loving this. And this brought a couple of record lows across the southeast this morning because the air was so dry. But you know we'll heat up again.
WHITFIELD: I know. We can't get used to this. It's beautiful, gorgeous, but we know some more heat is along the way. Because usually fall, winter, we go straight from summer to winter.
JERAS: Three weeks, yet, until fall.
WHITFIELD: OK. Thanks, Jacqui, appreciate it.
Is there a new wave of hate sweeping across the US? People across the country say yes. They say Islamophobia is alive and all too well. CNN's Deborah Feyerick takes a closer look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Islamic center and mosque to be built near ground zero is not the only mosque drawing fire. About a dozen others across the country are also under attack. From angry protests and suspected arson in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you forget 9/11 so fast?
FEYERICK (voice-over): To Temecula, California
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They destroy the community.
FEYERICK (voice-over): American mosques in some cases being portrayed as monuments to terror or terror training centers.
JOHN ESPOSITO, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: It's open season on hate toward Muslim and Islam.
FEYERICK (on camera): Why now, especially since the majority of Americans have resisted the urge to scapegoat Muslims in the years since 9/11, despite negative images in the movies and on the news?
FEYERICK (voice-over): John Esposito is a religion and Islamic professor at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.
ESPOSITO: People feel under siege, they feel threatened by the economy, by terrorism, et cetera. The risk is that Islamophobia will become the kind of new form of discrimination. You know, like anti- Semitism, like racism toward blacks.
FEYERICK (voice-over): Conservatively, figures show an estimated five million Muslims in America. And the intensifying hostility and rise in hate speech is alarming to many, like these clerics who we met at a recent Islamic summit in Houston.
YASIR QADHI, AL-MAGHRIB INSTITUTE: You would never hear any mainstream commenter say, "Do you think another Christian sect could open up a mosque? Do you think Jews should be allowed to open their synagogues anywhere they want?" But we have mainstream news presenters just asking the question bluntly, "Do you think Muslims should open -- should be allowed to open mosques anywhere they want?"
WISAM SHARIEFF, BAYYINAH INSTITUTE: What changed the game? Nineteen people changed the game? How did that happen? Because we've been your doctor, we've been your x-ray tech, we've been your accountant, we've been serving you slushies for a long time. So what tipped the scales?
FEYERICK: Wisam Sharieff, Yasir Qadhi, and other prominent American clerics say American Muslims are under siege, both by Islamic extremists and some US conservatives.
QADHI: You have radical Islamic clerics, right? Preaching from abroad saying, "You cannot be an American and a Muslim at the same time." Well, lo and behold, on the far right, you have quite a number of famous, prominent Islamophobes who are saying the exact same message.
FEYERICK: The ground zero mosque, as some call it, has whipped up national debate, fueled in part by misinformation and fear mongering. Yet anti-Muslim feelings have been simmering. Since last year, this YouTube video has been viewed more than 12 million times.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The world is changing. It's time to wake up.
FEYERICK (voice-over): Islam has become a political wedge issue, with politicians like Newt Gingrich comparing Muslims to Nazis.
NEWT GINGRITCH, FORMER SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Nazis don't have the right to put up a sign next to the Holocaust Museum in Washington. There's no reason for us to accept a mosque next to the World Trade Center.
FEYERICK (voice-over): In fact, a Duke University study finds, rather than fuel terrorism in America, contemporary mosques prevent it. National security experts and American Muslims, like Siraaj Mohammed, fear there's a lot at stake.
SIRAAJ MOHAMMED, AMERICAN MUSLIM: The more they speak and the more they incite people, they, themselves, are a concern to be dealt with. And have to be told, "You have to stop this rhetoric. It's hurting America's security."
FEYERICK (on camera): Right, because it's creating hatred?
MOHAMMED: Yes, it's creating a lot of hatred.
FEYERICK (on camera): The latest 2008 FBI statistics on hate crimes against Muslims don't reflect what's going on now, but experts believe the spike that happened after 9/11 could repeat itself.
FEYERICK (voice-over): Several mosques have recently been targeted for violence. Security videos capturing an attempted pipe bombing in Florida. And in New York, a cab driver stabbed after allegedly being asked if he was Muslim.
QUADHI: Slowly but surely, we will counter this Islamophobia. Everybody had it. The Irish had it. The Catholics had it. The Italians had it. Now it's just the time of the Muslims.
FEYERICK (voice-over): How long it will take to counter is anyone's guess. Deborah Feyerick, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: A student struggling the make the grade and a mother who can't seem to find the answers to help. Up next, an unusual house call that may be just what the teacher ordered.
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WHITFIELD: Fix Our Schools. CNN has a mission to document the nation's education crisis as America's children head back to class. So, we've been talking about problems and solutions all week long. And this hour, we're heading into the home. We sent our education contributor on a house call to help out the Taylor family. Homework is going undone, Mom is struggling to keep her son on track. Until principal Steve Perry rolls up.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR: I'm Dr Steve Perry. I'm a high school principal. But today, I'm here to make a house call. We're at the Taylor residence with Mom, Ms. Jasmine Taylor. She's a single mom, and her son, Hezekiah. Hezekiah had a tough time last year, barely made it out of sixth grade. This year, we're going to make some changes. That's why I'm here.
JASMINE TAYLOR, MOTHER OF HEZEKIAH TAYLOR: Hezekiah's a very rambunctious, happy, loving child. If Hezekiah puts his mind to it, he can be a fabulous student.
HEZEKIAH TAYLOR, STUDENT: This is our warm-up for today.
JASMINE TAYLOR: Last year, he didn't bring the homework home. "Where's homework?" "Oh, we didn't have any today, I did it in class." Everything under the sun that most kids come up with for not having homework. He'd be scoring 30s on quizzes, and missing, like, five, six homework assignments.
Why is this shoved in your notebook?
I had to take him to see a therapist. Because I didn't understand why I couldn't get him to understand the simple things. I would want someone to help him educationally, to help him find his best way to focus. Because I haven't found it yet.
PERRY: Hello.
JASMINE TAYLOR: How are you?
PERRY: Steve Perry.
JASMINE TAYLOR: Jasmine Taylor
PERRY: Nice to meet you. Who's this?
JASMINE TAYLOR: This is Hezekiah.
PERRY: Of course, it's Hezekiah.
HEZEKIAH TAYLOR: This is my bedroom. Could be worse.
PERRY: OK. So what happened?
HEZEKIAH TAYLOR: Yes. I got home from football practice, my room was worse than this. I cleaned it before I went to bed last night. It just -- See, I didn't make up my bed. Just apparently, somehow it just all poofed away when I thought about doing it.
PEERY: How did you do last year in school?
HEZEKIAH TAYLOR: I didn't do so well.
PERRY: What happened?
HEZEKIAH TAYLOR: See, part of the fault was my teachers.
PERRY: What do the teachers have to do with you doing your homework, son? Come on, man.
Last year was a tough year?
JASMINE TAYLOR: Extremely tough year for Hezekiah. Hezekiah was a roaring honor roll student. And in sixth grade, we went from A's and B's to D's and F's.
PERRY: When I look at a child's academic performance, one of the first places I look is how they're doing at physical education. Or art, or music. All a kid really has to show up and participate. You simply have to do what the adult, who is in charge, tells you to do. I think we know that our little boy has some trouble with that, yes?
JASMINE TAYLOR: Yes. PERRY: OK. So that's something that happens. This is a tough time for moms. Because you've been carrying them for so long. You figure, if you let him go, then he'll just fall down. Here's what the thing is. He's going to fall. You're going to fall. He's going to.
HEZEKIAH TAYLOR: OK.
PERRY: That's not the problem. It's what we do with the fall and how we learn from the fall.
What we can do to be successful.
JASMINE TAYLOR: OK.
PERRY: All right? We're going to come up with some very simple strategies.
JASMINE TAYLOR: OK.
PERRY: And this is the beginning of it. First one is accountability. We're going to break accountability down into two basic parts. The first part is Mom. And the second part is Hezekiah. Accountability, another word is "responsibility." It's another way to say "accountability."
It doesn't look like that's what it should say, but that's exactly what it says.
So, we could just as easily change that and put "responsibility."
I want to point something out to you. One of his assignments was to talk about what he was bad at. Do you know what you did?
JASMINE TAYLOR: I asked him.
PERRY: And then, you answered it.
You're a single mom, he has to help out. You can't put all this on you. You can't go to work and go to school, and come home, and cook, and clean, while he sits there like the Prince of Sheba
JASMINE TAYLOR: I have some reservations because of the lack of responsibility.
PERRY: How's he going to learn it? How did you learn it?
JASMINE TAYLOR: I don't know, but burning down a house is not the option.
PERRY: You're not going to let him in there with a match. Dear, you've got an electric stove.
JASMINE TAYLOR: If I'm not home, the tator tots are burnt and so is my house.
PERRY: Not going to happen. JASMINE TAYLOR: OK.
PERRY: His education has to be his responsibility. You have to take a different role in this. If you watch the littlest ones, the coaches are out on the field, right?
JASMINE TAYLOR: Yes.
PERRY: But as they get older, where do the coaches go?
JASMINE TAYLOR: On the sidelines.
PERRY: That's right. We've got to put you on the sideline.
HEZEKIAH TAYLOR: I'm not trying to say I want to put my mom on the sideline, like one of my coaches. I don't --
JASMINE TAYLOR: But maybe you're ready for me to take a step back?
HEZEKIAH TAYLOR: Yes.
JASMINE TAYLOR: All right. I can handle that.
HEZEKIAH TAYLOR: I'm not trying to say you have to because it's --
JASMINE TAYLOR: It's not a bad thing. I can handle taking a step back if I know that you're going to step up in my place.
PERRY: Feels good, right?
JASMINE TAYLOR: It does.
I promise you, I struggled last year to pull all of this out of him. I did. And I -- I know now that I allowed the situation of, like, the bad grades, the bad reports of the teachers, to have me put my anger first.
PERRY: As much as I'm a principal, I'm a father, and it's my hope that the relationship I have with my sons is as strong as you have with yours. You should feel very good about yourself.
JASMINE TAYLOR: Thank you very much.
PERRY: Proof is on the board. Thank you so much.
JASMINE TAYLOR: Thank you.
PERRY: My man. Thank you.
JASMINE TAYLOR: Thank you very much.
PERRY: All right.
JASMINE TAYLOR: I'm excited. (END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: So, that's just the beginning. Dr. Steve Perry is going to be visiting the Taylors again to keep up with them, which means we're going to be along the process as well to check back with the Taylors to see just how they're doing based on his advice.
Back from the battlefield, wounded vets face a tough road in their recovery. Coming up, we'll talk with one of those soldiers battling back from war.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: America's combat mission in Iraq may be over, but the pain of fighting in that war, and in Afghanistan, is far from over for thousands of injured American troops. CNN's Brooke Baldwin spoke with one of those soldiers about his life-changing injuries and his recovery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Arghandab Valley, Afghanistan. Taliban stronghold, one of the most dangerous assignments for US troops, and First Lieutenant Dan Berschinski's new home one month into his deployment.
DAN BERSCHINSKI, CAPTAIN, US ARMY: People were ambivalent at best and outwardly hostile, most commonly. Rocks and thumbs down, middle fingers up.
BALDWIN (voice-over): From his first mission outside the wire, this West Point graduate realized every day had the potential to be deadly.
BERSCHINSKI: My very first mission, I watched three IEDs go off in succession on a group, so from the first day, it was, like, hey, game on. This place is not friendly, let's try to keep ourselves off the road as much as possible.
BALDWIN: To keep off the road, soldiers would stick to dirt trails, even orchards. That's where his platoon was patrolling on August 18th of last year.
BERSCHINSKI: We heard an explosion. You could see the dust rise up over the trees.
BALDWIN: An IED had be triggered and, soon after, another explosion. Two men were killed. Berschinski, unscathed, had to hold the area so they could search for the bodies come daylight. And as he was walking down a trail, stepped from his compound, another blast.
BERSCHINSKI: I don't really remember a sound or a flash. I just remember a pressure. But immediately, I knew what had happened. And the next thing I know, I'm just opening my eyes in a bright room in the ICU here at Walter Reed. I didn't even understand that gravity of my injuries. BALDWIN (on camera): Who told you, the doctor?
BERSCHINSKI: They tell you, but it doesn't sink in until you really have the strength and mental clarity to lift your sheets and look. I'm kind of at the point I can walk with one hand, so that's the first step to being able to walk with one cane.
BALDWIN (voice-over): Dan's left leg amputated above he into the knee. His right, at the hip. A year after the attack --
BERSCHINSKI: It's a bit frustrating. I wake up every morning and I go, maybe it was all a dream, and I think about swinging my legs over the edge of the bed and hopping into the shower, but so far, it hasn't come true. So then, I just go, "Oh, crap. Back to that."
BALDWIN: Here in Walter Reed, Dan, now a captain, knows pain is the price of progress. Ask his physical therapist, his recovery's faster than anyone predicted.
BO BERGEROAN, WALTER REED CLINICAL SUPERVISOR: Time-wise, I think it's remarkable. From the very beginning, he's been one of those guys that he gets frustrated and he's determined to make it work.
BALDWIN: Dan is taking his rehab step by step. And as he remembers that day in Afghanistan, this Georgia native says he wouldn't have wished it any other way.
BERSCHINSKI: Quite honestly, if it hadn't been me walking through those orchards in Afghanistan, it would have been some other 25-year-old infantry lieutenant. Really, I have no regrets.
BALDWIN: No regrets?
BERSCHINSKI: Yes, no regrets. And I pause, because it's kind of -- I have to double-check in my head but, yes, I've thought about it quite a bit, and I really don't think I have any regrets.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Wow. Extraordinary guy there. That was Brooke Baldwin reporting. The Defense Department says more than 30,000 American troops were wounded in Iraq, 7,000 more in Afghanistan.
I'm Fredricka Whitfield Enjoy the rest of your Labor Day weekend. Tom Foreman is up next with more of the day's headlines, and he'll look at how you can ask the boss for a raise, perhaps, even in this economy. That's straight ahead, right here in THE NEWSROOM.
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