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President Unveils New Proposals to Boost Economy; Hermine To Dump More Rain on Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri; Imam at Center of Ground Zero Community Center Controversy Weighs In; Angelina Jolie Hopes to Bring Attention to Plight of Pakistani Flood Victims; Clinton Stumps in Arkansas; Lab Tech Didn't Submit Mammograms; Buying Happiness with $75,000; Protesters, LAPD Clash over Shooting

Aired September 08, 2010 - 08:59   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. Here is what we are working on this morning.

Protests for and against the Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero have been passionate and emotional. The Imam who's going to run the place speaks out.

Angelina Jolie wants you to know how much people in Pakistan are suffering right now. She talked to our Sanjay Gupta.

Apparently money can buy happiness despite the old saying. The going rate, a new study says only $75,000.

It's 6:00 a.m. out west, 9:00 a.m. in the East. I'm Kyra Phillips and you're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Well, in all the controversy over the Islamic center and mosque plan blocks from Ground Zero, we haven't heard much from imam who basically will be in charge of the place. Now he's really opening up.

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf wrote a guest editorial for "The New York Times." He says said the project will go forward, that it will have separate prayer areas for Muslims, Christians, Jews and others.

And this is what he writes about and the inflammatory -- well, about the inflammatory rhetoric of the last few weeks. He says, quote, "These efforts by radicals at distortion endanger our national security and the personal security of Americans worldwide. This is why Americans must not back away from completion of this project. If we do, we cede the discourse and essentially our future to radicals on both sides."

He goes on to say, "The wonderful outpouring of support for our right to build this community center from across the social, religious and political spectrum seriously undermines the ability of anti-American radicals to recruit young impressionable Muslims by falsely claiming that America persecutes Muslims for their faith."

Now the Imam just returned from a State Department sponsored trip to the Middle East promoting U.S.-Muslim relations. He's been running a mosque 10 blocks from Ground Zero and preaching tolerance for nearly 30 years.

CNN's Deb Feyerick has more details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You have never heard him speak, this is what Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf has to say.

IMAM FEISAL ABDUL RAUF, FOUNDER, AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR MUSLIM ADVANCEMENT: The major theme in Islam is the oneness of god and that we should worship one god, love and adore the one god.

FEYERICK: People who know Imam Feisal say he's a voice of moderation. The State Department.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His work on tolerance and religious diversity is well known.

FEYERICK: The developer of the controversial Islamic center near Ground Zero.

SHARIF EL-GAMAL, CEO, SOHO PROPERTIES: He is somebody who has -- who has sacrificed his life to building bridges within communities.

FEYERICK: Islamic scholar and university professor John Esposito.

(on camera): How would you describe him? Is he a threat?

PROF. JOHN ESPOSITO, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: Feisal is -- from my point of view, he is Mr. Mellow.

FEYERICK (voice-over): Imam Feisal is a Sufi Muslim at the other end of the Islamic spectrum from the radical theology that feeds groups like al Qaeda.

ESPOSITO: He approaches Islam spiritually. He is a Sufi in background, which means one perceives, if you will, a more kind of spiritual, mystical path. He is somebody who would find terrorism and religious extremism as abhorrent. He's run a mosque in this area for years and years.

FEYERICK: That mosque -- the Masjid al-Farah -- is 10 blocks from Ground Zero and has coexisted peacefully in the Tribeca neighborhood for 28 years.

ESPOSITO: He's integrated himself into the community.

FEYERICK: According to his biography, Feisal Abdul Rauf was born in Kuwait in 1948 into an Egyptian family steeped in religious scholarship. In 1997, he founded the nonprofit American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Its mission described on its Web site as, "Strengthening an authentic expression of Islam based on cultural and religious harmony through interfaith collaboration, youth and women's empowerment." Several years later, Rauf founded the Cordoba Institute to improve relations between the Muslim world and the west. Writing how American Muslims can help bridge the divide.

The State Department noticed, sending him as a cultural ambassador on four trips to the Middle East. Most recently this summer.

GRAEME BANNERMAN, FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: They tried to get people who reflect the best aspects of American society.

FEYERICK: Rauf is often asked to speak at meetings like the World Economic Forum in Davos. He was criticized after 9/11 for saying U.S. support of repressive regimes was partly responsible for the attacks. He maintained his remarks on "60 Minutes" had been taken out of context.

Rauf supports Israel's right to exist but says as a bridge builder he can't condemn radical Palestinian group Hamas as terrorists.

As for the proposed Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero, he says that, too, is about bridges.

RAUF: This is also hour expression of the 99.999 percent of Muslims all over the world, including in America, who have condemned and continue to condemn terrorism. This is about our stand as the Muslim community -- as in part of this community.

FEYERICK: But right now this moderate Muslim cleric finds himself at the eye of a storm.

Deborah Feyerick, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf will answer more questions tonight 9:00 Eastern on "LARRY KING LIVE." Rauf will talk with CNN's Soledad O'Brien. It's an exclusive interview. You won't see it anywhere else. That's tonight at 9:00 Eastern right here on CNN.

Now later today, President Obama rolls out massive new tax cuts aimed at jump starting the anemic economy at $350 billion. The price tag is pretty staggering and earnings comparisons to the stimulus package.

CNN's chief business correspondent Ali Velshi here to try and break it down for us.

So tell us -- kind of walk us through and tell us what this proposal is supposed to do.

ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: This is a big week. The president has come out with, as you said, $350 billion worth of stuff. Some people calm it stimulus. The White House says don't call it stimulus.

I'm actually on the side of not calling it stimulus. Let me show you what it's all about. First of all, he started earlier this week with a $50 billion proposal which is the most liked stimulus. It's meant to pay for new roads, new runways at airports, air traffic control stuff. High-speed rail.

The stuff we think of as infrastructure building that needs to be done that isn't getting done. So that's -- you might almost think of that as a down payment because it's going to take more than $50 billion to do everything the president wants to do.

But that's the $50 billion. Then the president moves on to $100 billion for -- it's basically a tax credit that already exists. The $100 billion is to expand the tax credit for businesses that engage in research and development.

Again, this is one of those areas where America continues to excel and this is a tax credit to say that if you invent things, if you develop things, you'll be able to do so without paying all the taxes that you normally would for running a business.

And then today, Kyra, the president is going to introduce $200 billion saving and this is -- again, it's a tax credit for companies that invest in physical plant, building things and equipment. The idea is that if you build things, that creates jobs. If you invest in equipment that means you are going to need people to run it.

So the concept is -- as opposed to the $50 billion which is true government funded projects, these ones suggest that independent companies should be spending that money and there is a reward for doing it.

So it's a great attack on those who say that this is an administration that is anti-business because out $350 billion of initiatives this week, $200 billion are actually tax breaks of sorts.

The issue is, politically it's not likely to fly at this point with -- you know, two months to go before midterms. There is not much appetite for government doing a whole lot.

PHILLIPS: Well, and also critics say the first stimulus plan failed.

VELSHI: Right.

PHILLIPS: So what is this -- how is this going to be any different?

VELSHI: Well, this is more targeted. So that $100 billion for research and development, the $200 billion for plant and equipment, that's very specific. In other words, you don't get that unless you spend some money.

Unless you engage in research and development you don't get the tax credit. Unless you buy plants -- buy equipment or build a plant, you don't get the other stuff. So think about it more along the lines of Cash for Clunkers or the $8,000 homebuyer tax credit.

We'll give you free money if you put your own money into doing something first. So it's a little more targeted, a little more specific than the original stimulus bill from last year. That's the argument.

Another criticism, though, by the president's opponents, this is such a big idea, why are you doing it now with two months to go before midterm election?

PHILLIPS: Right.

VELSHI: Because this is not the kind of stuff that this is money that goes out immediately. This is stuff that will happen next year or the year after. The effect may not be felt immediately. Just may provide confidence that there is a reason to invest my money right now.

PHILLIPS: Well, we need that.

VELSHI: Yes.

PHILLIPS: That's for sure. All right. Thanks, Ali.

VELSHI: Good to see you.

PHILLIPS: Well, President Obama unveils his economic plan on the road in hopes of winning the confidence, as Ali mentioned, of voters. Less than two months before the midterm elections.

And the CNN Election Express team is talking to those voters today in Covington, Kentucky. The local economy there is built on manufacturing, retail and health services.

The average family income is just over $42,000. And that's well below the national average. And the high school graduation rate in Covington is 78 percent. That, too, is below the national average.

CNN's T.J. Holmes is actually traveling with the CNN Election bus, and he joins us now from Covington.

Hey, T.J.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning to you, Kyra. You talked about some of those numbers, just there -- the kind of idea of what's happening here in Kentucky. Also Ali talking about the stimulus.

In all of that and our travels so far this week, I have to be honest with you, Kyra. This trip has been a little disheartening and discouraging because we're finding the same thing at each spot.

It's not necessarily the high unemployment rate. People trying to find jobs. And being discouraged by that. It's that people have just thrown up their hands about Washington. I can't believe the number of people I've run into who don't even want to vote, don't care to vote.

And even if they do vote they think they are picking for the lesser of two evils. It's just been unbelievable how much people are just turned off by Washington. I wouldn't even call it anger necessarily that I'm finding towards Washington. People are just saying oh, well, I'm going to get hosed one way or another. They just don't believe in anything coming out of D.C. So talk about the president coming out with another -- some would call it stimulus plan. But again something else to try to jump start the economy, try to get more people to work, get people to spend money as well.

Well, we talked a little stimulus here last night as well in Covington. Talked about the first one and if another one could possibly work.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Do you find the government intrusive like it's in your life too much?

DIANE GAMBLE, OWNER, ROSIE'S TAVERN: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

GAMBLE: I do.

HOLMES: How so?

GAMBLE: That's all I ever do is write checks for the government.

(LAUGHTER)

GAMBLE: I need those checks.

HOLMES: Stimulus help out, would you all say, last year passed?

MATTHEW ROBINSON, COVINGTON RESIDENT: It helped out temporarily.

HOLMES: Temporary?

ROBINSON: I think it was a temporary fix. It might have been necessary at the time. I don't know. Who knows? It's all hindsight.

GAMBLE: I got $1,500 credit. I had to put new furnace on.

ROBINSON: I didn't get any.

HOLMES: So it helped you out, huh?

GAMBLE: I still owe the government.

(LAUGHTER)

GAMBLE: But I got the $1500. I put in here. I don't know how it helped. OK?

ROBINSON: We have taxpayers around here sponsored through the federal government. It was great deal that are first time home buyers. But once that -- once that dried up, no one's buying a house. They're waiting for the next one. So if you continue to wait for the government every time for some help, it -- it causes a lag in what's going on with the businesses.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: So good people. Good spirits. Good conversation. But at the same time, they are under no illusions about what's happening in the country and one more note here for you, Kyra, another state, another unemployment picture of 9.9 percent.

Would you believe that's the last number they had for the last month? But you know, that's encouraging news because it's below 10 percent for the first time this year. But at the same time, they say, Kyra, it's down because people have given up. They stopped looking for jobs.

So they're leaving -- leaving the labor force. Not that more jobs are coming to the area. Just a flavor of what we've been finding this week.

PHILLIPS: We'll keep following your travels. T.J., thanks.

The CNN Election bus is on the road all week carrying the best political team on television. Jessica Yellin, John King, Gloria Borger, T.J., and Dana Bash are all in Covington, Kentucky today. And tomorrow our team will report from Indianapolis.

Well, house after house up in flames. Firefighters battling 85 fires in just a four-year period -- four-hour period, rather. The reason that fires are spreading across Detroit, we'll explain when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Let's go "Cross-Country," starting in Detroit. Firefighters battling 85 fires that erupted in a four-hour period. One resident says that the scene was so horrific it looked like a war zone in one subdivision. High winds knocked down power lines, causing most of the fires. Dozens of homes were destroyed. There were no reports of death or injuries. We're told arson is suspected in at least one of those fires.

Let's move west to Colorado. An out-of-control wildfire has burned more than 90 buildings from homes to outhouses. The blaze broke out Monday west of Boulder and quickly spread, charring some 7,000 acres. Apparently, people in at least 70 subdivisions were forced to evacuate. The governor has declared it a state of emergency.

CNN's Casey Wian is in Boulder for us now. So, Casey, any idea when things will improve?

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're getting a little break from the weather so far in morning. The winds are down, the humidity is up. And there may even be some rain this afternoon. That's a 30 percent chance of rain in the forecast. That's all good news. But authorities here are telling the residents who've been evacuated from their homes in the fire-ravaged communities behind me that it is too early, still too dangerous to go back and may be for the next couple days. Already some residents are finding out they're not going to have homes to return to.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WIAN (voice-over): Steve and Dee Spencer built their home in the community of Sunshine 25 years ago.

STEVE SPENCER, FIRE VICTIM: It's 2400 square feet, three bedroom, two bathroom, and we built it. We designed it ourselves.

WIAN (voice-over): Today, it lives only in their camera, reduced to ashes by Colorado's wildfire.

DEE SPENCER, FIRE VICTIM: The sun was orange and sort of obscure. There was a really weird light, I mean, there's a fire, in front of the sun.

STEVE SPENCER: Very eerie. Very spooky.

DEE SPENCER: It was all smoky.

WIAN (voice-over): There's never a good time to lose your house. But this is particularly bad for the Spencers.

STEVE SPENCER: I was working on a deck because we were landscaping and building an outdoor setting for our son's wedding, which is a week and a half from now.

DEE SPENCER: The reception dinner was going to be at our house.

WIAN (voice-over): Then came the reverse 911 call instructing the Spencers to evacuate.

STEVE SPENCER: We casually packed up the important things that we value. Which turned out wasn't very much. We would have packed more.

DEE SPENCER: We kind of thought we were going to go back.

WIAN (on camera): When did you find out that your house was actually in trouble?

DEE SPENCER: Last night.

STEVE SPENCER: Last night, one of our neighbors called and said that she had a call from somebody who had stayed in Sunshine and had walked and saw the house burned to the ground.

DEE SPENCER: It still feels really surreal.

STEVE SPENCER: It doesn't sink in, until we see -- until we have visual confirmation by us. It's hard to sink in. WIAN (voice-over): That may take days.

DEE SPENCER: Let's go see our new house.

WIAN (voice-over): The Spencers already are looking for a local house to rent. One with space for their son's wedding reception.

DEE SPENCER: Both of our sons, Dustin and Noah, said, "We have each other, and our family's safe." We're close. It's important.

STEVE SPENCER: Our youngest son, who's a junior in college, when we told him -- we called him last night to tell him that the house had burned down, he paused and said, "Bummer."

For every end, there's a new beginning. And I don't want to diminish at all the joy of this marriage. Because a couple of special people who have found love and are going to celebrate that. That's what we're going to focus on.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WIAN: Clearly it's early, but the Spencers say they will probably rebuild. But this time, a more fireproof house. They do have fire insurance, so hopefully the financial hit will not be too severe. Kyra?

PHILLIPS: Casey, thanks.

Angelina Jolie puts a face on Pakistan's devastating floods. Her stories and her interview, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Checking top stories. President Obama unveils new proposals to jump start the economy. In a Cleveland speech, he'll call for $300 billion in tax cuts and credits to businesses. Plus another $50 billion in infrastructure spending.

Hermine is now a tropical depression expected to dump a lot of rain on Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri. Hermine came ashore as a tropical storm, drenching Texas with up to ten inches of rain.

And the Imam behind the plan to build a mosque near ground zero says the project will go forward. Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf wrote about his plans in an op-ed for "The New York Times." And the Imam will actually answer your questions tonight, 9:00 Eastern, on "Larry King Live." He'll talk with CNN's Soledad O'Brien in an exclusive interview. You won't see it anywhere else. That's tonight, 9:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: In Pakistan, an area the size of England remains under water. Severe floods ravaging that country. The threat of disease putting hundreds of thousands of people at risk. One veteran disaster responder says he's never seen a more devastating situation. Actress, UN goodwill ambassador, and humanitarian Angelina Jolie is in Pakistan to bring attention to the people affected by the flooding. She visits a camp where Afghan refugees are staying. And earlier this morning, she spoke with our Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You bring so much awareness to what's happening there. Why do you think people haven't paid as much attention to what's happening in Pakistan?

ANGELINA JOLIE, ACTRESS/ACTIVIST: I think people have a fatigue in general when it comes to disaster relief. But if can I say that the thing that I've learned the most in being here is that we tend to focus on one issue at a time because that seems to be what people can absorb and care for.

But Pakistan, as you know, is so complex, because it has not just the people from the flood and the 18 million are affected now, but it still has the 1.7 million Afghan people who are here. And they've been displaced from the flood.

GUPTA: And you may have found this as well in your travels. We tend to think of these places as "Over there. Somewhere else. Not here." But when you go -- and I was there as well -- you meet people. There are real faces and stories behind these crazy high numbers. Raymond and Zainu Gold are two people that you met. Tell me about them. How did you meet them, what did they tell you?

JOLIE: We go to these places, and you always say the same things to the viewer, which is that they would be so moved if they were here. And it's so true. If they met all these children who are so resilient, and are still children, and so full of life and love and hope, and it's always so moving.

This was very unique for me because I met this beautiful older couple who are in their 70s. And they'd worked their whole lives, and the man had been in the Pakistani military twice and he had been lived off of a pension, and with that small pension, he built this home and his family, and for his grandchildren. It was very modest to begin with, but he had something.

And now, they are both dealing with a lot of sickness. And as you see, I believe, in the tape, the woman is so embarrassed with her situation. She -- And the man spoke of the fact he never felt in his lifetime he's ever going to be able to recuperate what he's lost. That he would never, ever have again nice things, that he would never have a nice bed, a nice house.

And they had lived in this place since 1972, and raised their children and their grandchildren there. In a moment, in a few hours, it was completely gone.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: If you want to help the relief effort in Pakistan, just head to our website, cnn.com/impact. You'll find a list of 20 charity groups where you can impact your world.

BP released its long-awaited internal report on the Gulf oil disaster, passing blame on to several other companies, including the rig's owner. We'll take a closer look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: The economy, it's your top concern, and Wall Street's. Today, investors get their first batch of economic reports of the week. Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange. We saw some signs of hope in last week's reports, right?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: We did. And Wall Street is actually expecting some good news as the opening bell rings. Stocks are set to rise. Although some of that could be from a bounce back from yesterday's sell-off. Oftentimes when stocks are lower, it's more of an incentive to buy back into the market.

But, as you mentioned, Kyra, we're going to get a look at the Fed's beige book later today. What that does is break down how the economy is doing region by region and last month most regions said that the economy was improving or at least holding steady. If we do get the same thing today it will most likely boost the market because investors still have last week's economic reports fresh in their minds. We had a good manufacturing report and the jobs report was definitely better than expected. And that's definitely the direction we want to go in.

Now, we've got some good news for BP. Ratings agency upgraded the oil company's rating today. The agency says there's more clarity on BP's liability and there isn't any threat of another spill in the Gulf. BP shares right now are up about three percent.

Overall for the market the Dow industrials up 16. The NASDAQ higher by 7. We'll keep an eye on all the numbers for you especially when President Obama has his speech in Cleveland later today - Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. We're going to be watching that speech, of course.

Thanks so much. We'll all be monitoring it.

For many Americans there's no issue more important than the economy right now. President Obama apparently shares that priority. As Alison just mentioned, later today he's going to roll out massive new tax cuts aimed at jump star starting the anemic economy.

According to the administration officials, the President will propose $200 billion in tax cuts for businesses to purchase new equipment. The White House also says that 1.5 million companies could take advantage of the incentives. That plan would also budget another $100 billion in tax credits for business research and development.

The goal of the proposals is to get business to spend money and create jobs. And for those outside of the business community, $50 billion would be set aside to improve roads, bridges, and other infrastructure.

The president's plan faces tough scrutiny on Capitol Hill as incumbent lawmakers avoid angering voters ahead of the midterm elections. Earlier on CNN's AMERICAN MORNING, our John Roberts spoke to the president's senior advisor David Axelrod. He said Americans could see almost immediate benefits from the plan to revamp the nation's infrastructure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID AXELROD, SENIOR ADVISOR TO THE PRESIDENT: What we're talking about is front loading a larger six-year surface transportation program so that this would be the beginning of the program. And we believe that it'll allow us to rebuild hundreds of thousands of miles of roads of railways and of runways and jump start the construction industry in this country which has been the hardest hit in this recession.

(END VIDEO CLIP) PHILLIPS: Also today, president Obama's expected to argue that the Bush tax cuts should remain in place for the middle class but expire for the wealthiest Americans.

For nearly five months the word has agonized over what caused the BP oil rig explosion that triggered the historic Gulf oil disaster. Two hours ago the company released details of its own internal investigation in which reads in part, multiple companies and work teams contributed to the April 20 explosion aboard the Deepwater horizon offshore oil rig.

What else does the report say? That's why we are turning to Ed Lavandera live for that - Ed.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kyra. There's no question that many critics of BP will view this as another public relations attempt to blunt the criticism of BP and the way it's handled this investigation, and also in the aftermath of this oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

But this report released just a couple of hours ago, as you mentioned, it's important to point out, this is BP's internal, their own investigation into this. They acknowledge from the very beginning of this report that they do not have access to all of the information and that they acknowledged that other reports might have contradictory information. That's kind of looking ahead here towards the government investigation involving the Coast Guard. That report isn't due out until late in December.

Some of the significant things we've seen point over, this 193-page report, which also includes an almost 30-minute long video analysis and video demonstration of what BP says happened in this explosion. Essentially what we're hearing is very similar to what BP has been saying over the last few months. It is not just BP's fault, but that it also involves the problems and the fault of other companies like Transocean which owned the oil rig, and Halliburton, which was responsible for the cementing process that should have secured in the natural gas and oil that came to the surface and essentially caused this rig.

It will be interesting to see how those companies react. You can imagine that their officials are poring over this report throughout much of the day as well as many people, not only in the government are going over what BP has said here.

But one significant thing in and it gets to the point of what exactly caused the explosion itself which killed 11 people. And according to this report they say that gas made its way into the oil rig, that it should have been sent overboard but it went into the oil rig and probably through the ventilation system, went into the engine rooms. That's where the trigger for the explosion BP says probably came from.

It'll be interesting to see how the reaction comes out the rest of the day today -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Indeed it will.

Ed, thanks.

Can't tear yourself away from Facebook? Obsessed with endless status updates and posting photos? One study says you're insecure and narcissistic.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: You're so vain? Well, apparently you're so right according to a study about people addicted to Facebook. The study at Canada's York University found people with very high self-interest spend much more time on Facebook. They tend to self-promote, enjoy putting their entire lives on there, even the most insignificant parts, all on public display. The study documented 100 chronic Facebook users and labeled them insecure and narcissistic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SORAYA MEHDIZADEH, STUDY AUTHOR: We took a step back and said this person is literally posting every single thing they are doing online. You have to sort of question why? You know, why are they doing that? Obviously you're getting something out of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: So, who's Facebooking this morning? Oh, Josh Levs. Facebooking. Obsessed with his updates. And where's our Rob Marciano? Oh, Rob Marciano, Facebooking. Imagine that.

What insignificant information are you putting on your narcissistic page?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know, I'm looking at the insignificant things other people put on the -- no.

(LAUGHTER)

MARCIANO: I love this. It is wonderful stuff. Oh. Nice pic of Josh.

(CROSSTALK) (WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Let's check our top stories.

New study rates the safety qualities of booster seats and for the first time, top performers outnumbered worst performers. One problem persists: lap and shoulder belts don't fit tightly enough on some brands. You can get complete details at CNNMoney.com.

President Obama unveils new proposes to jump start the economy in a Cleveland speech. He'll call for $350 billion in tax cuts and credits to businesses, plus another $50 billion in infrastructure spending.

The Imam behind the plan to build the mosque near Ground Zero says the project will go forward. Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf wrote about his plans in the op-ed for the "New York Times." The Imam is going to answers your questions tonight, 9:00 Eastern, on "LARRY KING LIVE." He's going to talk with CNN's Soledad O'Brien in an exclusive interview. Won't see it anyplace else. That's tonight 9:00 Eastern, right here on CNN. 

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Time now for the "CNN Equals Politics" update. Paul Steinhauser from the Best Political Team on Television joining us now to tell us what's crossing the wires. Crossing I guess not just the wires, crossing everything.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: You got it, Kyra. Online, on TV. Everywhere.

Take a look at this. This is hot on the ticker this morning, brand new on the ticker. Former President Bill Clinton, he's heading home, native Arkansas today. He's going to be helping out Senator Blanche Lincoln who has a very tough reelection this year.

Clinton went back to Arkansas this year, he helped Lincoln win a very tough primary challenge. Now she faces as really tough challenge in November, against a Congressman John Boozman, a Republican.

Also on the ticker this morning, check this out. The Republicans have really been going after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, using her in ads, calling her way too liberal and attacking her agenda. We've got some brand-new poll numbers out on Pelosi. What do Americans think about her? 33 percent - just 33 percent -- have a favorable opinion of her. 51 percent unfavorable. And look at the unfavorable. It has definitely jumped from 30 percent in 2007, to 51 percent now.

Also on the ticker this morning, this story was a blockbuster yesterday and everybody's talking about it today. This is Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago, announcing yesterday on the steps of City Hall that he won't run for reelection next year in 2011. Remember, Daley's been mayor since 1989. His father also served for over 20 years.

Now all the speculation is looking at the Chief of Staff of the White House, Rahm Emanuel, former Chicago Congressman and also grew up in the area. Will he run for mayor? He's talked about doing it. Yesterday he put out a statement saying Mayor Daley's announcement was a surprise. But he didn't talk about running. But, Kyra, he's got to act and act soon. You've got to register to run as Chicago mayor by November 22nd, and the election is February 22nd of next year. So, the heat is on.

PHILLIPS: So I wonder who would replace Rahm Emanuel.

What's the president going to do?

STEINHAUSER: That's the other big guessing game. If Emanuel jumps in, who's going to replace him as chief of staff with the midterms just a few weeks away? A lot of buzz out there, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. We're watching it with you.

Thanks, Paul.

Reminder for the latest political news, go to our web site, CNNPolitics.com.

Well, apparently money can buy happiness. And it only takes about $75,000 a year. We'll explain coming up.

But first, flashback: September 8th, 1966. NBC boldly went where no man has gone before. It aired the first episode of "Star Trek". It's a television series starring William Shatner as Captain Kirk and Leonard Nimoy as Spock; ran for three seasons, as you know. The show drew a cult following that evolved in the decades of TV shows and movies.

Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission to explore strange new worlds to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right, let's talk about breast cancer. Maybe you've had it or your wife, your mother, your aunt, daughter or even a best friend. 2.5 million brave breast cancer survivors in the U.S. right now can tell you all about the vomiting, the hair loss, the fatigue, the surgery and the fear.

Think of the fundraisers, the walks, the 5-ks and all those pink ribbons. Over the years we've come a long way with awareness. We know that going to the doctor and getting that mammogram, and catching the disease early are key. Give the doctor and your body every advantage.

So it's really hard to believe that someone can do this. In Perry, Georgia, women were told that their mammograms were fine, no cancer, but get this, prosecutors say that a lab tech never gave the scans to a doctor. Why, is anyone is guess.

So far ten women, who thought they were ok, actually have breast cancer; many more are sick with worry. Listen to what this alleged victim is going through right now as she waits for the real results.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LINDA HARRINGTON, PATIENT: She put 1,289 lives in danger. You kind of lose your faith and you're supposed to be able to trust your hospital. I'm fortunate, hopefully, that mine's going to be fine, but I don't know. I have to sit and wait for six months.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: And how awful that she and those other women did their part, empowered patients that they are, but were betrayed this way and as you heard from her, the faith shaken. That lab tech has been indicted on 20 charges, but the D.A.'s office says more than 1,200 mammogram cases were mishandled.

But let's not end the story there. Let's end it on a positive. Next month is breast cancer awareness month. There's a great website, NBCAM.org, its dedicated to it. Check it out, and ladies remember how important it is to get that mammogram and always follow-up.

Here's a look at stories that we're working on the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM. Let's start with Deborah Feyerick in New York -- Deb.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Kyra. Well, take a look at a peaceful imam who has become the eye of the storm. That's here in New York coming up.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN MONEY.COM: And President Obama in just a few hours set to unveil hundreds of billions of dollars in new tax breaks for businesses, but bottom line, are they really going to help turn the economy around and most importantly what, if anything, is this going to mean for job creation? We'll take a closer look in the next hour.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And we are rolling on the third day, third state with the election express. Another state, we're finding another bleak unemployment picture, and also a recurring theme with the voters here. I'm reporting live from Covington, Kentucky, coming up.

PHILLIPS: All right, thanks guys.

And a report says that one in four college women will be the victim of rape or attempted rape by the time they graduate. Next hour, we talk with a young woman who is trying to stop the cycle of abuse and silence on college campuses.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: We all know that you can't buy me love, but can you buy happiness? Apparently for $75,000 a year, you can.

Joining us from New York to talk about this magical number to happiness, "Time" magazine's editor-at-large, Belinda Luscombe.

So Belinda this actually comes from a Princeton study, $75,000 a year --

BELINDA LUSCOMBE, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, TIME MAGAIZINE: Yes.

PHILLIPS: -- and people are ok with that. Why is this the magical number?

LUSCOMBE: Well, it's not so much that everybody is happy, like in $75,000 a year. It's more like that if you make $100,000 a year or if you make $75,000 a year, money doesn't make you any happier.

After $75,000 the amount of happiness that money brings you levels out and becomes more about whether -- how your life is going, but $75,000 seems to be the amount you need for money to make you happy.

PHILLIPS: Interesting. All right. So you talk about different types of happiness in this article. So, what did you discover and what did you find the most interesting?

LUSCOMBE: Well, the two Princeton University economists, one of whom has a Nobel Prize, so we kind of sort of want to believe him, says that there are two types of happiness. There's the kind of happiness where you wake up in the morning and you feel cheerful and good about yourself. And that's the sort that money doesn't really improve after $75,000. And there's the sort of happiness where you wake up and you think, is my life going the way I want it to go? How am I doing? How do I feel about myself, that kind of Tony Robbins (ph) kind of happiness?

That improves the more money you make. You feel better about your bad self if you are making $110,000 than if you're making $75,000. But the $75,000 that's it the day-to-day how am I feeling cheerfulness.

PHILLIPS: Ok. So those folks that wake up that are making $75,000 and don't need the $100,000 or $300,000 or million dollars to buy things to make them happy or live a certain type of lifestyle. What is it that's making them ok with that amount of money because it seems nowadays, that's all people talk about is how much am I going to make? How am I going to get out of debt? How much can I save or put away for the kids.

LUSCOMBE: Well, of course, the survey really just looked at people's attitude so didn't exactly examine what it was that made them happy, but the two professors who wrote it, they speculate that at $75,000, depending on what city you live in, I guess, you can pretty much do all the things that you want to do. If you want to go hang out with friends, you have money to do that. They have -- sort of these -- there's one of these things where if you can afford to buy a new fridge, then you are usually pretty happy about the way -- you now, you feel pretty good about yourself.

So I think it's that $75,000 gives you a little wiggle room. And of course, we all know that poverty makes the problems you have worse. People who make less money feel worst about being divorced or worst about being sick. So $75,000 seems to be where that is alleviated. Not that I think everybody should just make $75,000.

PHILLIPS: Well, you seem like a pretty happy person. Are you happy with your salary? Are you happy when you wake up every morning?

LUSCOMBE: You know, like I say, the whole self-esteem thing, the more you make. I think I could definitely use some more self-esteem.

PHILLIPS: Got it. All right. I'll be talking to your boss in just about 20 minutes. Belinda thanks so much.

LUSCOMBE: Thanks so much.

PHILLIPS: All right.