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Pres. Obama Gets Pounded by Poll Numbers; Talking with the Taliban; Adult Services Barred on Craigslist; Accused Drug Lord Nabbed; Two Income versus One; Coaching NFL Players Off the Field
Aired September 05, 2010 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN ANCHOR: On the ropes. President Obama and the Democrats are getting pounded by the numbers. Bad unemployment, bad prospects for business and now a new poll is hitting home, too. It is all coming together or coming apart just as the gun has sounded for the home stretch of the midterm elections.
The accused drug kingpin in Mexico who used to be an American high school football star. Authorities have him behind bars tonight but say while he was free, he may have been involved in hundreds of murders.
And the offline reaction to a major shake-up online. Craigslist has taken down the adult services part of its website amid accusations of promoting prostitution. Victims' rights advocates want more and so does an attorney general who helped lead that charge.
Hello, I'm Tom Foreman. Don Lemon is off.
As we salute the American workers this Labor Day weekend, millions of Americans furious over high unemployment seem poised to punish Washington in the critical midterm elections, and we have brand new numbers that show it. Starting tomorrow, President Obama plans a weeklong push to get out in front on this issue. We're less than two months away from the voting and the latest CNN Opinion Research poll shows four out of five Americans now think the economy is in poor shape.
Our deputy political director Paul Steinhauser has the breakdown.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Tom, some troubling new numbers on the economy. Take a look at this. This is from the CNN Research Corporation, our brand new national poll. And we asked, how do you rate the economy? Check this out. Forty-four percent of those we questioned say they rate the economy right now, they describe it as very poor. That's up 7 points from July.
So who do people blame right now for the current economic conditions? Well, our polls suggest that more people still blame the Republicans rather than the Democrats. Forty-four percent saying the Republicans are more responsible for the current economic conditions, 35 percent say Democrats and 16 percent say you know what, both political parties are to blame.
The Republicans are going to try to frame these midterms as a referendum on Barack Obama and how he's handling the economy. So what do Americans think? Check this out. Only 40 percent of those we questioned, just 4 in 10, give the president a thumbs up, say they approve of how Barack Obama is handling the economy, 59 percent say they disapprove. That 40 percent, a new low in CNN polling since Barack Obama became president.
So we're here with the CNN Express. We're here in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Why are we here, Tom? Because Pennsylvania is kind of a little taste of what's happening in the country. Democrats here trying to hold on to the governor's office, a Senate seat, and Republicans thinking they can win back four or five House seats here in this state -- Tom.
FOREMAN: This is the weekend that it all kicks off and we want you to keep an eye on the CNN Election Express. It will be on the road this week in four states with members of the "Best Political Team on Television" -- Jessica Yellin, John King, Gloria Borger, Dana Bash, T.J. Holmes, all starting the week in Pittsburgh. Tuesday, the bus arrives in Columbus, Ohio. On Wednesday, the CNN Express rolls into Covington, Kentucky, and on Thursday, our team reports from Indianapolis.
President Obama is spending Labor Day in Milwaukee and Wednesday, he is in Cleveland to reveal his new proposals to get the country moving again. Plus, he has a news conference on Friday which is sure to focus heavily on the economy. A recession this bad rarely happens without political consequences. That's just a fact. So, let's bring in our senior political editor Mark Preston.
Mark, how bad does it look as we head into Labor Day for the Democrats?
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, Tom, it really does come down to the economy for all the legislative accomplishments that congressional Democrats and President Obama can turn to. They're still looking at an unemployment rate hovering at just below 10 percent. This is really cataclysmic for them as they head into the midterm elections.
Tom, talking to Democratic strategists just over the last 24 hours, they're telling me that they see about 30 Democratic-held seats now in the House will be gone, will be lost to Republicans.
What does that mean in the grand scheme of things?
Tom, Republicans need right around 40 seats to take back control of the House of Representatives and if that happens, that's the end of the Obama agenda as we know it, Tom. Certainly, as he is preparing for his own election in 2012, he needs to have as much political muscle that he can have here in Washington, D.C. If he loses control of the House, perhaps even the Senate, he will certainly not be as strong as we've seen over the last two years.
FOREMAN: Well, Mark, you raise an interesting point here. We're eight weeks away from voting. Is it possible that the Democrats can retrench in that time and that the Republicans are just peaking too soon?
PRESTON: Well, that is an excellent question because, you know, the real bearish Republicans here, Tom, the ones who are on the frontline are cautiously optimistic that they'll take back the House, but they realize that, you know, politics one day is an eternity. We're talking about 60 days now heading into the midterm elections.
Democrats have a financial advantage. Expect them to spend as much money as possible, not to leave a dime on the table to try to keep control of the House and obviously keep control of the Senate. So they're cautiously optimistic. Timing is everything. Democrats right now, Tom, are trying to build that really strong defense heading into November.
FOREMAN: Mark Preston, thanks so much. The game is on. Keep your eyes on it right here on CNN right up until the voting.
News from the Gulf this weekend. Take a look. We've waited to see this for quite some time. BP's failed blowout preventer is now in the hands of the justice department. This massive structure was hauled up from the bottom of the Gulf so investigators can figure out why it didn't shut off the flow of oil last April after the deadly explosion and fire that killed 11 men and caused that drilling rig to sink. Attorney General Eric Holder has said criminal charges will be pursued if the Feds find any evidence of wrongdoing.
Also on the water, the U.S. Coast Guard rescued seven people off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina today. The four adults and three children had abandoned their sinking boat and spent 20 hours in the water. Luckily, they all had on life vests. A Coast Guard helicopter crew was on the final pass of what had been a six-hour search pattern when one member of that crew spotted them in the moonlight about 25 miles from the coast. Some of the survivors were clinging to a cooler. We talked to that member of the rescue team.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
BEN ROSEN, PETTY OFC 2ND CLASS U.S. COAST GUARD (via telephone): From what I could see, just obviously, they're exhausted from being in the water that long. And the two boys, they had been stung by a jellyfish numerous times. And other than that though, as far as could I tell, they were just happy to be out of the water at that point.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
FOREMAN: All seven were taken to a South Carolina hospital for evaluation and treatment.
We will be moving on. Craigslist has been under pressure to make some changes to its site. Now, some state attorneys general are a step closer to having it their way.
And new orders could send hundreds of additional U.S. soldiers to Afghanistan. This is new. We'll have a look at how many troops may be involved. Stick with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOREMAN: CNN has learned this evening as many as 2,000 additional NATO troops including a number of U.S. forces could be heading to Afghanistan in the coming weeks. It is part of a plan being proposed by General David Petraeus. He has not commented publicly on the need for more troops but a U.S. defense official and a senior NATO official familiar with the matter have confirmed the details to CNN.
Afghan President Karzai has announced the creation of a peace council to pursue talks with the Taliban. It is the latest step on the part of the Afghan government to try to reintegrate some militants back into Afghan society. "New York Times" reporter David Rohde, you may recall, was kidnapped by the Taliban and held captive for seven months before escaping. I asked him if he thinks this peace council offers a real possibility or if it is just a pipe dream.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID ROHDE, REPORTER, "NEW YORK TIMES": I would say most analysts think that it is sort of a small step forward. There may be many local Taliban commanders inside Afghanistan itself that might broker agreements, and so, you know, it is -- these analysts say it is OK for President Karzai to go ahead with this approach.
But the real issue is the Taliban safe havens that's exist inside Pakistan. And unless the Pakistani Army is willing to pressure the Taliban that are using safe havens inside Pakistan to launch cross border attacks against American soldiers, it will be impossible to defeat the Taliban. So, it is a small step forward but without Pakistan doing more, it is not going to solve the situation.
FOREMAN: With that said, I keep thinking about how in Iraq, the awakening movement was a big turning point there and clearly there is some sense that that can be replicated in Afghanistan. But it seems to me the circumstances are different enough that to expect that kind of 180-turn like we had in Iraq would be a bit problematic.
ROHDE: Well, again, I think it is worth -- and I think most analysts say it's worth to try. There are still in public opinion polls, most Afghans did not support the Taliban. They are very frustrated with the Afghan government, which they see is very weak and there's a lot of corruption allegations.
So it is simply worth trying to win over some Taliban to the Afghan government side. But you're correct that Afghanistan and Iraq are very different. And it is in a sense the key thing is the regional players here. And will the -- you know, the surrounding countries help the U.S. effort? Will Pakistan help? Will Iran help? So, this is part of a solution but not the whole solution.
FOREMAN: You were held by the Taliban. Do you think that the people, once you get beyond just that very base level, are even susceptible to this kind of agreement or will they say no, we're here for the long haul and we're going to win? ROHDE: I think that there are probably local Taliban inside Afghanistan that would be willing to -- many of them are fighting for power, frankly, in their own districts, and if they could get, you know, post there, they might be willing to reconcile with the government.
Another group of Taliban, these are the people who kidnapped me. They are members of Haqqani network. They are based inside Pakistan's tribal areas. They are much more hard line. They work with swarm fighters including Arabs and are reported to shelter al-Qaeda members as well.
That second group of hard line Taliban, the ones based in Pakistan, will not, I think, agree to this sort of reconciliation program. So again, it is going to be a sort of a two-pronged approach that will lead to, you know, reconciliation potentially inside Afghanistan, but it may take military pressure on other Taliban groups that are based in Pakistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN: Again, that was David Rohde of the "New York Times."
Closer to home, critics have called the online classified ad site Craigslist the single largest source of prostitution in America. CNN challenged its founder on how he was trying to clean it up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What are you guys doing to protect these girls?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: This weekend, Craigslist pulled the plug. Next, see the story that started it all and hear reaction from those who demanded the ads come down.
And stopping the bullying not in class but at the office. One city is considering outlawing workplace bullies. We'll tell you why and how.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOREMAN: Advocates who protect women and children from sex trafficking are noting a major switch on the website many consider America's bulletin board. The adult services section of Craigslist has shut down in the U.S. this weekend in what appears to be a response to allegations that it promoted prostitution.
We say it appears that way because we haven't had a comment from the folks at Craigslist about what they say. They say they are going to release a statement on this later on. We'll see about that.
Credit CNN's own Amber Lyon for turning up the pressure on Craigslist. She investigated the practices on Craigslist and confronted founder Craig Newmark about the site's safeguards. It created quite a sensation. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMBER LYON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I want to show you how easy it is for these pimps to use Craigslist to sell their girls. So we're actually going to post an ad for a fictional prostitute right now.
Don't try this at home, OK.
It says right now that it will cost $10 per ad, $5 to repost. One of the big things going on with Craigslist right now is they're saying that they're monitoring all these ads that come through on adult services to check to see if any of these girls are underage or young. So we put some words in here -- sweet, innocent, new girl. We're going to see what happens. We'll see if Craigslist is going to let our ad post. We hope to see, you know, what kind of calls we get.
VOICE OF UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw your ad on Craigslist.
LYON: Hello?
VOICE OF UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. What's your donation for an hour in-call?
LYON: What are you looking for? What type?
VOICE OF UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Uh, just half an hour. Just a quick half an hour get together.
LYON: OK. What's your name?
VOICE OF UNIDENTIFIED MALE: John. John.
LYON: So, what is that now? We've had 15 calls and the ad has only been up for three hours. Fifteen calls in three hours.
We're on the main page of the Washington, D.C. Craigslist section right now. And to get down to the adult services section, you scroll past the for sale section. It is right underneath pet services is adult services.
(voice over): Craigslist says its staff manually screens all of these adult services ads and will reject any that make it look or sound like you're selling sex. That may not be easy but when we looked through the ads, most of them were pretty blatant.
(on camera): Look at that. She is sitting here in her underwear.
(voice over): On a single day last week, we counted 7,000 adult services ads in the major metropolitan areas where Craigslist is most active. Dozens had photos with young-looking females. Dozens more had words that used youth as a selling point.
The FAIR Fund investigates juvenile trafficking. ANDREA POWELL, FAIR FUND: And most of the young people that we've worked with who have been exploited online talks about Craigslist. They don't talk about the other sites. Craigslist is like the Wal-Mart of online sex trafficking right now in this country.
M, FORMER UNDERAGE PROSTITUTE: We post ads around like four or five and wait for you to get a call. Wait to get a call.
POWELL: From everything that we understand, when they are being exploited by a pimp or a trafficker, more accurately described, the trafficker is keeping the money.
M: If I didn't get it, yeah, he would beat me.
LYON (on camera): So we're here at George Washington University and we just found out that Craig Newmark, he's the founder of Craigslist, is going to be speaking here today at a tech conference. He doesn't know we're coming. He's been very media shy lately about all these allegations against him. This guy is the Craig in Craigslist. It is his list.
So can people trust that children are not being sex trafficked on Craigslist?
CRAIG NEWMARK, FOUNDER, CRAIGSLIST: I think we explained that pretty thoroughly on our blog.
LYON: That's where Jim Buckmaster says that you will immediately contact law enforcement if you suspect any ad...
NEWMARK: Jim does a great job showing that we do more than anyone in this area. Pretty good for a community of 50 million people.
LYON: This is Inspector Brian Bray with the DC Metropolitan Police Department. He is also in charge of the prostitution enforcement unit.
In Craigslist blog, they say that they will immediately contact law enforcement any time they see a suspicious ad and you say you've never been contacted by them.
BRIAN BRAY, DC METROPOLITAN POLICE: That's correct. It does -- you know, it does bother us from a law enforcement perspective because the problem is so rampant that, you know, to get a handle on it, we need all the assistance we can get. And if they're -- if they're notifying, I'm not sure if they're notifying the right people because we're not getting a call.
LYON: What are you guys doing to protect these girls?
You guys say in the blog that you will remove any ad that looks like the person might be suggesting they're going to offer sex. Look at this ad. It says young, sexy, sweet and bubbly. Clearly here she writes $250 an hour. I mean, what do you think she's selling in her bra and underwear? A dinner date? And she's in her bra and underwear.
NEWMARK: Have you shown this to us?
LYON: But you guys say you screen all these ads manually in your blog.
NEWMARK: I've never -- I don't know what this is.
LYON: In Jim Buckmaster's blog, he says...
NEWMARK: Have you reported this to us?
LYON: Why do I have the responsibility to report this to you when it is your website? You're the one posting this online. I just want to know. I mean -- OK.
It's just that we've run into a lot of victims and a lot of advocates that pretty much call your site the Wal-Mart of child sex trafficking.
(voice over): In 2008, Craigslist agreed to report any suspicious ads to the Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which works with police to find and rescue trafficking victims. Two years and hundreds of thousands of sketchy ads later, the Center says Craigslist has reported fewer than 100.
(on camera): Thank you for your time, Craig.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN: Our thanks to Amber. Obviously, we've asked the Craigslist folks to come on and explain all this. That offer still stands. We'll see if they can come visit with us.
Just last week, 17 state attorneys general sent a letter to Craigslist demanding that it shut down the adult services section. Connecticut's Richard Blumenthal helped lead the charge.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, CONNECTICUT ATTORNEY GENERAL: We have other sites in our sight, so to speak, and we will pursue this problem because remember that these prostitution ads lead to other very serious criminal activity. They are not victimless crimes. Assaults on women, human trafficking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Strong words. Our full interview with Richard Blumenthal after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOREMAN: As we've been reporting, the adult services section is blocked on the popular website Craigslist in the U.S., at least for now. This is exactly what Connecticut's Richard Blumenthal and 16 other state attorneys generals demanded in a letter last week. So for Blumenthal, this is a step in the right direction.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLUMENTHAL: I'm very pleased by this very solid and significant apparent step in the right direction. I say apparent because we have received no definite or definitive word from Craigslist itself that this shutdown is permanent and complete, but it certainly is welcome. If it remains shut down, it will be a model for other sites, we hope, because Craigslist is, by far, the biggest. Its scope and scale are unmatched by any others and it is a good step but a continuing battle has to be fought.
FOREMAN: You raise an interesting point there. You say there are other sites, there are also weekly newspapers, all sorts of places where these sorts of ads appear. Is it natural that your group of attorneys general would then pursue further these other sites and say now let's put the pressure on them?
BLUMENTHAL: We have other sites in our sights, so to speak. And we will pursue this problem because remember that these prostitution ads lead to other very serious criminal activity. They are not victimless crimes. Assaults on women, human trafficking. We have been joined by very strong and forceful advocates in the private sector like the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, a very good ally, and our coalition of attorneys general actually is growing on this issue. We are in excess of 20 now and I'm very privileged to lead it, but everyone of them has been a leader in his or her state.
FOREMAN: Let me ask you beyond this country because the Internet is a global phenomenon. Some of the advocacy groups out there have said, there also needs to be a way to take this beyond U.S. borders because so much trafficking occurs internationally. Is there anything your group can or will attempt to do on that front?
BLUMENTHAL: Very good question. In terms of our reach and our ultimate goal, certainly beyond the borders of this country since the Internet reaches beyond our borders. Very important that human trafficking, for example, which can be an international activity, be stopped beyond the borders.
But right now our focus really is on Craigslist. We're taking it one step at a time. We want to verify and confirm that Craigslist is in fact shutting down because our focus really is on law enforcement within our borders and victims within the reach of this country's law enforcement activities.
But I would say to you that we also need to think about changes in the law which right now give these sites virtually complete immunity, they claim, from any accountability for these prostitution ads. In other words, Craigslist itself says it cannot be held legally responsible for anything advertised on its site. And my belief is, strongly, and it is my personal belief, I can't speak for other attorneys general in this issue, that we need to change that law to hold the sites more accountable than they are now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN: We should note that Richard Blumenthal is the Democrat running for U.S. Senate in Connecticut against Republican Linda McMahon. We've invited Miss McMahon to appear on this program. That invitation remains open whenever she is available to talk to us.
The NFL is about to kick off again. Keeping players on the straight and narrow as the new season approaches.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that we did whatever we could with Michael. A lot of it was him and a lot of it was, you know, folks that he associated with.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Applying the lessons learned from pro football's infamous scandals.
Plus, from Texas high school football star to accused drug cartel kingpin and mass murderer. The accused criminal known as La Barbie is now behind bars and sharing terrible stories of his past. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOREMAN: This week Mexico's federal police captured an accused drug kingpin, described as one of the country's most powerful and ruthless cartel leaders. Edgar Valdez Villarreal, known as La Barbie, because of his fair skin and eyes, is American born and was wanted on both sides of the border. He was a high school football star in his home town of Laredo, Texas. Now he's said to have organized the killings of hundreds of people.
Fred Burton has been following Valdez's actions along the border. Burton is a former counterterrorism agent with the State Department and a vice president with Stratfor Global Intelligence. He joins us in Austin, Texas.
Fred, were we know there is an awful lot of drug running that exists on both sides of the border. How rare is it, though, for an American- born citizen to be this highly placed in one of these cartels?
FRED BURTON, STATE DEPARTMENT FORMER COUNTERTERRORISM AGENT & VICE PRESIDENT, STRATFOR GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE: It's very rare. La Barbie has managed to make his way to the top of a ruthless cartel. And I think that he certainly has earned that right based on his known viciousness. He was operating as a hit man in Mexico as well as a security chief for Beltran Leyva.
FOREMAN: We have some video of his interrogation. I want to play a little bit of that and then get your reaction if you can. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): What was the route that you operated?
EDGAR VALDEZ VILLARREAL, ACCUSED DRUG LORD (through translation): Panama to Mexico.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): How did you manage the money? How do you do it to move so much cash?
VALDEZ VILLARREAL (through translation): Well, cash would come to me from the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): How do they send you the money?
VALDEZ VILLARREAL (through translation): In semi tractor trucks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Is this typical talk for these drug kingpins, Fred? Is this normally, with what he's talking about there, normal business?
BURTON: This is normal business. It's still very much a bulk cash business and, in essence, they ship the product north. It's a very efficient supply chain. And the bulk cash comes back south. And the money is just astronomical when you start looking at just the flow of cash into Mexico. In many ways, this is Mexico's economy.
FOREMAN: Do we have any idea, Fred, how this transformation happened with la Barbie? How did he go from being a high school football player in the United States to the person he is today?
BURTON: From looking at his past, it appears that, at age 19, he had his first brush with the law down in Laredo. And he was involved in a horrific car accident where he killed a middle school teacher and he wasn't indicted for that. And then, there was a series of minor arrests, possession of marijuana, drinking in public. And then he vanishes into Mexico where he surfaces as one of the security chiefs for the Beltran Leyva organization. And it's rumored that he was involved in several assassinations inside of Mexico as well as some of his cross-border activities.
FOREMAN: How did he happen to get caught, Fred?
BURTON: When you look at an individual like this, it's typically a dog-eat-dog business. Either an individual has ratted him off and led the Mexican authorities to his location, however, there's one theory that's running through the community that he, in fact, may have turned himself in or, in essence, set himself up because if you look at what happened to Beltran Leyva, there's no good outcome for most of these individuals. To be blunt, I'm surprised that he was taken alive, without any shots that were fired.
FOREMAN: Millions of Americans are struggling this Labor Day weekend to make ends meet as the U.S. economy tries to dig its way out of the rough. Now President Obama says he has a new plan to give Americans a boost, especially small businesses.
Plus, like most people you probably have insurance on your house, your car, what about on your hair? Find out how much an NFL player's hair is insured for.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOREMAN: Let's check out some of our top stories. CNN has learned as many as 2,000 additional NATO troops including a number of U.S. forces could be heading to Afghanistan in the coming weeks. It is part of a plan being proposed by General David Petraeus. He has not commented publicly on the need for more troops, but the U.S. defense official and the senior NATO official familiar with the matter have confirm these details to CNN this weekend.
U.S. troops helped Iraqi soldier repeal an insurgent attack in downtown Baghdad today. It happened at the Iraqi army headquarters for eastern Baghdad. A group of five suicide bombers and gunmen tried to storm the facility. The Iraqi military says at least 12 people were killed. Another 36 injured. None was American. It was the first significant attack in Baghdad since President Obama declared an end to U.S. combat operations four days ago.
On this Labor Day holiday, the city of Santa Fe, New Mexico is considering a resolution to prevent workplace bullying. Our affiliate, KOAT reports a city councilmember is proposing training and a better monitoring system for city employees to report bullying behavior. If passed, Santa Fe would be among the first jurisdictions in the country to have a measure like this.
This week the economy remains issue number one. On Wednesday, President Obama reveals a new plan to perhaps ease America's economic worries, especially for small businesses. It includes a permanent extension of a tax credit for business research and development. Aides have said the president is also considering a pay roll tax holiday and new spending on infrastructure.
Many of you will be off tomorrow to observe Labor Day, but official Washington never really takes a break. Here's a preview of what to expect in the week ahead beginning with President Obama's schedule.
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ed Henry at the White House. With less than two months to go before the Election Day, it is all about the economy for the president. On Monday in Milwaukee, Wednesday in Cleveland. He is going to be unveiling some new details of an economic plan his aides are putting together, likely to include some new business tax cuts. Maybe also some infrastructure spending to try to boost the economy. Then on Friday, the president has a news conference here at the White House. His first since May.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: I'm Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Robert Gates returns from an overseas trip to the war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, and gets back down to business here. Military commanders in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and South Korea will all provide updates on what is going on in their regions. And on Saturday, the secretary will lay a wreath here at the Pentagon in memory of the 9/11 attacks.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. The stock market is close on Monday in celebration of Labor Day, but trading resumes on Wall Street Tuesday morning. And on Wednesday, the federal unleashes its beige book. The latest measure of economic conditions across the country. Some investors will be paying very close attention to that and also to a key trade balance report that we'll get on Thursday. The last report showed that the U.S. trade imbalance with China was at a 21-month high. That caused the Dow to drop more than 251 points. So the markets will be looking for a higher U.S. export number in that report. We'll track it all for you, of course, on CNN Money.
Big news overseas this week as well. Our international desk editor Azadeh Ansari is here. Tell us what will be happening.
AZADEH ANSARI, CNN INTERNATIONAL DESK: Well, starting off we're going to go to Tabriz, Iran, to the city northwest of Tehran. This is a story that has received a lot of international attention. One we've been following for a couple months now. It's the case of the Iranian woman, the 43-year-old Iranian woman Mohammadi-Ashtiani. So she actually faces execution for adultery, and they're going to stone her. Well, they plan on stoning her.
Now the latest development on this story is that she faces an additional sentence of 99 lashes because a photo of her, an alleged photo of hers appeared in the "Times of London." Now opponents of the execution are saying that this is a case of mistaken identity and there is a lot of controversy surrounding the validity of the photo itself. But nevertheless, today the Vatican issued a statement saying the pope said that, you know, I'm going to be following this case and he is willing to go through diplomatic channels to help her. And also, tomorrow out of Paris, a foreign French minister will come out and hold the press conference talking about the case. So again a lot of developments. A lot of international intervention and also, a lot of surprises.
FOREMAN: Sure.
ANSARI: Now, what we can -- actually, let's go to Korea first. So this is the first high level meeting of Korea's Workers Party since the 1960s. So something like this has not happened in over 40 years. So what a lot of people are speculating is that North Korea's President, Kim Jong-Il, will supposedly make his son his predecessor. Now he hasn't come out and made that announcement, and it would be the first time his son is going to be making an appearance to begin with. So, again, a story we're going to watch closely and see if it surprises us.
FOREMAN: Do you consider possibly a shaky succession there?
ANSARI: Absolutely. Absolutely.
FOREMAN: I know. Interesting.
ANSARI: Now this is a really interesting story. So obviously the U.S. isn't the only place where divorce is on the rise. Japanese couple can now end their marriage with what is called the divorce ceremony. And they pretty much can say "sayonara" in the same way that they say "I do." So what they do is they ride up in rickshaws, and they smash their wedding rings, they dine with their backs to each other and they receive well wishes from their friends as they embark on their separate journeys in their separate lives. It's so crazy. Now what do you think the price tag on this is?
FOREMAN: $100. I don't know. What?
ANSARI: 55,000 yen, estimated to be around $606.
FOREMAN: Really! Does that include the dinner?
ANSARI: You know what, it probably does.
FOREMAN: So good to have you here. The update from overseas.
Millions of Americans closer to home are struggling in this economy. But as the age old standard of two incomes still better than one? Some surprising answers coming up.
Plus, fame, money, power. There's no limit to the temptation for many NFL players.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wish stuff off the field was like throwing a football. I know how to throw a football.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: How one team is pushing players to make better decision when they are out of uniform?
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FOREMAN: On this Labor Day holiday, we're taking a look at a lot of issues having to do with jobs. And a common perception among families, especially in a bad economy that they need both partners to work. But are two incomes always better than one? I talked with Jennifer Openshaw, the CEO of The Family Financial Network. She said sometimes, one income is the way to go, but you have to do the math first.
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JENNIFER OPENSHAW, CEO, FAMILY FINANCIAL NETWORK: Let's take a look at this example. Let's say this second person earns $50,000 in income. But you have maybe $10,000 to $15,000 off the top going to taxes and that leads you with $35,000.
But then let's not forget that we have got clothing cost. We have transportation, maybe a car to get to our job. Maybe we've got child care expenses. And if you take those combined, those can easily come up to $15,000. And that can whittle that $35,000 net pay down to something $20,000. And then, of course, maybe you're thinking about, gosh, does it make sense to have somebody at home raising my kids versus me? Those are some very real questions that the couples need to ask themselves.
FOREMAN: So this is something where people have to, on an individual basis, really do the math here and not make an assumption here because I'm guessing, you mentioned some of the obvious costs. For any given family, there may be all sorts of hidden costs. Like if you have a big yard and you're working so much that you have to hire someone to mow the lawn or something like that.
OPENSHAW: You bet. So if somebody is going to decide to stay home, Tom, it may make sense if they're going to sort of take over those services that could be mowing the lawn or taking care of the kids or even doing the accounting, which so many women do increasingly at home.
So there are times when one income does make sense maybe you're picking up those additional costs. Certainly if you've got a job that's very secure with strong health care benefits -- and that's a big one for a lot of families. And if you've got low debt, you certainly don't want to be relying on one income if you've got a fair amount of debt that you've got to be paying off every month.
FOREMAN: You have sort of a rule of thumb that people can apply if they look at the cost of their living space, their home or apartment. Tell us about that.
OPENSHAW: That is you don't want your housing cost -- if you can have somebody stay home -- to be more than 25 percent of your monthly pay before taxes. So the example there Tom would be if one person's income is $4,000 a month, they should not have ideally more than $1,000 going to rent or the housing payment. And that's for all sorts of reasons, including making sure that they can pay off the debt but also have room in case they face some financial crisis down the road.
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FOREMAN: Our next story coming up in a moment. It sounds like something out of a well-known Stephen Spielberg blockbuster. Massive bull sharks. Yes, the potentially man-eating type found swimming in the Potomac River. Do you think D.C. is tough? You don't know the half of it. We'll have it in a moment.
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FOREMAN: The new NFL season starts this week which can mean we can all start looking for those instances where some player lets the money and fame go his head and does something not very bright. But one team is hoping to avoid that by doing a different type of coaching with the help of speakers like our own Don Lemon, and he brings us that story.
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DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When you're an NFL player on the field, there's always a coach watching to whip you into shape. Off the field, it's a different story. Players making names for themselves in all the wrong ways, bad decisions, bad role models, bad habits that teams like the Atlanta Falcons have seen too much of in the past.
ARTHUR BLANK, OWNER, ATLANTA FALCONS: I think we did whatever we could with Michael. A lot of it was him and a lot of it was folks that he associated with.
LEMON: In the aftermath of the Michael Vicks scandal, the Falcons found themselves fighting the perception that NFL players have too much money, not enough brains.
ALICIA PHILIPP, COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF GREATER ATLANTA: I really want you to think about planning for what each of you wants to do in the community.
LEMON: Welcome to Falcons U, a crash course that teaches players how to handle themselves when they're out of pads.
BEN WHITE, ALSTON & BIRD, LLP: Don't give until it hurts. Give until it feels good.
LEMON (on camera): If there were more Falcons U programs, do you think we wouldn't hear about the Vicks, the Roethlisbergers?
MATT RYAN, QUARTERBACK, ATLANTA FALCONS: You do see a lot of negative things about players in the NFL, but it's such a small minority.
LEMON (voice-over): Quarterback Matt Ryan attended this year's summit along with dozens of other Falcons players.
RYAN: Good things that players do within the community, taking care of theirselves (SIC) financially, all those kind of things sometimes get lost.
BRETT ROMBERG, FORMER CENTER, ATLANTA FALCONS: If you have to second-guess yourself on what you're doing, if you're going to question yourself and step back and say, should I be doing this, or is my family going to reap the nastiness of me choosing this decision or is my name going to be tarnished.
LEMON: But Falcons U is about more than public perception. The brainchild of owner Arthur Blank, this year's summit also offered lessons on how to invest, which charities to give to, which endorsements to take.
BLANK: On the football field they have got a lot of good counseling for many years and they're getting great coaching. But in somebody's life transition, life skill areas they haven't and so we can add value there.
LEMON (on camera): In three years I believe that's how long it takes an NFL player to lose the money that he made in the NFL. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This window, you know, especially on playing football, can be short sometimes. But you have to make that transition from college to the real world.
CHRIS REDMANN, QUARTERBACK, ATLANTA FALCONS: You know the others 29 in 37 months now, and I'm closer to the end of that time where you need to be thinking about that next step. It gave us the opportunity to meet a lot of people.
LEMON (voice-over): Given his position and his importance to the team, Matt Ryan knows he's under extra scrutiny.
RYAN: I wish stuff off the field was like throwing a football. I know how to throw a football, but I've had to learn and try and listen to a lot of different people.
LEMON: A reminder that in the NFL handling your business means more than winning football games.
Don Lemon, CNN, Flowery Branch, Georgia.
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FOREMAN: We have time for just a little bit more of the news you may have missed before we go. We always try to give you that on Sundays. And the first one actually is about the NFL. About an NFL star whose hair is now insured for $1 million. Look at him. Proctor and Gamble took out the policy with Lloyd's. London to protect the hair of Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Stealers in all for his safety. He is featured in commercials for Head and Shoulders shampoo, and he says he hasn't cut his hair in years.
And a fisherman pulled this eight-foot long bull shark from the waters of the Potomac River last week. Down river from Washington, D.C. Willy Dean said he realized there was something unusual and enormous in his net. It was a bull shark. One of the meanest critters out there. And the second one pulled from the river this week.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was like, oh, my gosh, my granddaughter was just swimming there two weeks ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is one of the four most aggressive sharks on the east coast. This is the one that attacks people.
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FOREMAN: Another reason to be nervous about some of the things that go on in Washington. I'm Tom Foreman at the CNN Center in Atlanta. Thanks for watching. Have a good night.
