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U.S. Considers Travel Warnings; East Coast Flooding; "One Nation" Rally at Lincoln Memorial; Rutgers University Honors Tyler Clementi; Investing in Healthy School Lunches; McMillan: "Happiness Is a Right"; East Coast Flooding; California Legislators Reach Compromise

Aired October 02, 2010 - 15:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Thousands rally at the Lincoln Memorial. It's being billed as a one-nation working together, liberal coalitions fighting for jobs, education, calling themselves the antidote to the Tea Party.

School lunches are full of junk food that kids love to eat, and it's making them fat and unhealthy. Some say the government should shoulder some of the blame.

Plus Terry McMillan, the author of "How Stella Got Her Grove Back", tells me how she got her happiness back after a betrayal that sparked anger that was eating her alive.

It is Saturday, October 2nd. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, and this is the NEWSROOM.

We begin with new worries about security for Americans abroad, which could lead to some important new warnings if you're traveling to Europe. Our senior state department producer Elise Labott joins us now by phone to explain. Elise, what do we know about these potential warnings?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER: Well, Fredricka, we've been hearing all week about potential threats to westerners in Western Europe, perhaps Britain, France, Germany, that - that al Qaeda could be plotting some kind of new attacks.

We have to caution that there's been nothing credible or specific about any particular place, any particular attack. So we've been hearing a lot of what we call chatter. There's a lot of intelligence chatter about possible threats.

Now, we're hearing that in light of these new threats, the State Department and other agencies are considering issuing some kind of alert to Americans, not necessarily don't travel to Europe, but officials are telling us it will probably be something along the lines of you need to be vigilant when you go to public places, such as airports, transportation hubs, tourist sites. You need to just be street smart, keep an eye out and report anything dangerous.

Now, we have to caution that it's just discussions right now. Nothing has been determined as of yet, because, as you can imagine, it's a very serious thing that the U.S. government were to do, to warn Americans about travel to Europe. It could really prove to be a diplomatic nightmare for the United States, considering the close relationships they have with Europe.

But, of course, the State Department says its number one priority is protect - protecting Americans abroad. So, they just want to be sure that there's enough credible information out there that would make them issue some kind of travel alert.

WHITFIELD: So, Elise, Europe is quite large. Anything specific about what region of Europe, what cities might be the - the more likely to be targeted?

LABOTT: Well, we're not hearing anything yet. We're just - again, we're hearing just that these general discussions are going on, but the information that our CNN reporters have been reporting all week is that these - these chatter about attacks has been possibly about Britain, France, Germany, and of course some of those - some of those capital turnouts, the large tourist sites for America. So, probably -

If anything does come out, and it could be later today, it could be tomorrow. It could be probably those type of cities.

But, again, nothing's been determined yet, and there's a lot of - a lot of factors that go into whether the State Department issues some kind of alert. The amount of information that's out there, whether there's a credible and specific information out there, enough to - to really warn Americans. And - and so, right now, they're making those determinations, and we could see something later this weekend, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Elise Labott, thanks so much for that update, CNN state department producer. Appreciate that.

All right. Meantime, let's talk weather - nasty weather. Floodwaters may be receding along the East Coast right now, but the region is certainly not out of danger. Right now, there is an urgent need in flooded North Carolina for safe shelter.

Just take a look at these pictures out of Raleigh. Streets are flooded, homes are flooded, boats are being used to get a house - get to the houses and businesses and retirement homes in attempt to try to get some people out.

This is Elizabeth, New Jersey. Take a look. Just one of many spots from North Carolina to Maine dealing with the soggy fallout from what was once known as tropical storm Nicole. And among the hardest hit areas, Bertie County, take you right back down to North Carolina - Eastern North Carolina. At least eight deaths are now being blamed on the high water across several states all along the East Coast.

So Bryan Mims is a reporter with our affiliate WRAL in Raleigh, North Carolina. He's joining us right now on the phone. So give me an idea what the greatest needs are right now.

BRYAN MIMS, WRAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'm in Windsor, North Carolina, a town of about 2,000 people in Bertie County. And I can tell you that things are looking much better today than they were yesterday.

There's still a good five or six feet of water in the business district of Windsor. We took a boat ride through downtown, and it's still inundated.

But a town official told me the water has gone down two, two and a half feet since 7:00 this morning, and it's still receding. He thinks by this time tomorrow, things will look much better here. Still flooded, but the water - the floodwater is definitely going down.

WHITFIELD: OK. And - and so there were rescues that have taken place over the last couple of days. At this point right now, is it believed that anyone may be trapped in any particular area where the water is still very high?

MIMS: No. Not - not here in Windsor. Rescue officials say everybody's accounted for, nobody is stranded in their homes. There are four shelters open here in the immediate Windsor area, but most folks have family or friends they're staying with, so we're not seeing big crowds at these shelters.

But I can stress to you that - that nobody's unaccounted for here.

WHITFIELD: OK. Bryan Mims, thanks for that update, from WRAL, joining us from Windsor.

All right. Let's check in with meteorologist Bonnie Schneider. It has been a very dangerous, nasty, threatening system we've seen over the past few days, and there's more to come?

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That's right, and it'll take a while for that water to recede, Fredricka, because you're dealing with runoff and you're dealing with a lot of the precipitation kind of running into areas where you may have not seen as much rain.

So let's zoom in right here. I want to show you some of the higher rainfall totals. And you could see that into Allentown. Also into areas as well to the north, we are looking at some heavy rain.

And in Upstate New York, we have an iReport to show you. This is north of Binghamton, so well upstate, completely flooded out area, and our iReporter is showing us that we're looking at - Mary Schilke is doing this iReport. This is actually now in Vermont, the Wells River, and you can see some of the damage that's been across much of the area in much of the upstate region of Vermont.

We've also seen a lot of flooding in the Binghamton area as well. We'll show that a little bit later on.

All right. So let's take a look at where the flood watches and warnings are right now. We still have flood advisories across a good portion of areas into Vermont - into Upstate New York, and particularly down in Eastern North Carolina. That's where those flood warnings will persist as we go through much of the afternoon. In fact, these advisories will go straight until 8:00 P.M. tonight. Oh, boy, there is more rain out there. Now, this is what's happening across the Midwest. You can see some heavy rain through Indianapolis. A lot of that is pushing eastward towards Covington and Columbus, and we'll be watching for more rain for Ohio.

But note that on the bigger picture that this rainfall is actually working its way eastward, so this is going to impact areas on the East Coast tomorrow. The last thing they need, more rain. But it is coming for this first weekend in October. We are going to see some wet weather.

Elsewhere across the country, as we kind of now work our way more into the fall season, we're starting to see some cooler temperatures. You can see colder air coming into areas of the Upper Midwest and parts of the Rockies, temperatures in the 40s overnight. So we're feeling a little bit more like October, certainly, Fredricka. But it would be nice to get things dried out for at least a while across the eastern seaboard.

WHITFIELD: That would be nice. A little dry out.

All right, thanks so much, Bonnie.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

WHITFIELD: Appreciate it.

All right, let's go to Washington now, where members of dozens of liberal and progressive groups have gathered at the Lincoln Memorial. Organizers of the One Nation march and rally say that they want to focus attention on the needs of working class Americans, like jobs, education and equality. The rally is taking place at the same spot that you've seen a number of rallies, including the Tea Party rally, taking place about five weeks ago.

CNN's Kate Bolduan is joining us live from Washington. Pretty sizable turnout there, an interesting host of people who have taken to the microphones, from the known and the unknown -- Reverend Al Sharpton; Harry Belafonte's on the list as well. What else is transpiring?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, Fredricka, you really hit it right there. I mean, it's a four-hour rally. Many people have been taking to the podium.

But you can't talk about this rally without talking about rallies in the past. Just this summer, just weeks ago, on this very same location is where the conservative rallies of Glenn Beck and the Tea Party rallies were held. While they say this is not the answer to the Tea Party rallies, Ben Jealous, the president of the NAACP, he quoted that they are the antidote for those types of rallies.

As you mentioned, a coalition of liberal and progressives have organized this rally. A large crowd has gathered here at the Lincoln Memorial. They're talking about issues ranging from job creation, offering more assistance to the unemployed, improving public education, as well as immigration reform. Big issues, and of course we're talking about November 2nd, midterm elections right around the corner.

Civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton, he took the podium a short time ago. Listen to him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REVEREND AL SHARPTON, NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK: We need America to deal with the issue of jobs. Our young people need education, but we need jobs. We bailed out the banks, we bailed out the insurance companies, now it's time to bail out the American people.

We need to rebuild the infrastructure and provide jobs and training for American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: We have been out in the crowd, talking to many of the people here, trying to get a sense of what really is motivating people to come out here. People say - some are saying it's simply the politics, wanting to get their voice out there to say that the Democratic base, they're ready to vote as well. They're trying to tell other Democrats they should vote.

Other people are talking about social programs, as well as supporting unions. Listen here to one gentleman that we spoke to (INAUDIBLE).

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Remember $4 a gallon? Don't tell me it doesn't make a difference. It makes a big difference. And I hope the American people don't forget, $4 a gallon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: The gentleman there alluding to, as he said, $4 a gallon. Well, that was when Republicans were in the majority, Republicans were in power. He talked about that several times in the conversation that CNN had with him.

And we've heard from many people here, Fredricka. They acknowledged that things are not perfect, especially when talking about the economy and jobs. It's something that you hear from the people here, as well as we heard from the administration and Democratic members of Congress. They say things are a lot better than they were, and that's part of the message as they use the message of One Nation to try to motivate and reenergize the base to - hope to get the Democratic base out to the polls, and that's the big point today.

WHITFIELD: All right. Kate Bolduan. Thanks so much, from Washington. The steps there of the Lincoln Memorial.

And we're going to talk about a very sad story, a very sad investigation that's underway. Rutgers University is now remembering one of their own today. How they are honoring the teen who took his own life after a tragic case of cyberbullying.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In Mexico, police are trying to free a group of tourists. Gunmen apparently seized their bus last night in Acapulco. They were - there were 22 people onboard. All the tourists are described as Mexican nationals.

And a series of grenades exploded near the U.S. consulate in Mexico. It happened last night in the city of Monterrey. None of the blasts was apparently close enough to damage the facility and U.S. officials don't believe the consulate was actually the target of the attacks.

No Americans were injured, but a watchman at a nearby court house was injured by flying shrapnel.

And Rutgers University is honoring Tyler Clementi today, the teen who committed suicide after a video of his sexual encounter with another male was streamlined (ph) online. And there are now new questions about this tragic case.

CNN's Stephanie Elam joins us now from New York with more on this - Stephanie.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka.

Yes, it's a very tragic situation that is playing out on the campus of Rutgers University, the university already observing a moment of silence at this afternoon's football game, which is in session right now. Some students wearing black, we are hearing, and we also saw that yesterday as well. There will also be a silent vigil tomorrow night.

Meanwhile, as the Rutgers campus grieves, the school is also grappling with some troubling questions. How could this happen? And could the university have done more to prevent it?

One student told CNN she finds the situation very troubling.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAUREN FELTON, SENIOR, RUTGERS UNIVERSITY: It's absolutely horrifying, I mean, for a lot of reasons. For one thing, Tyler was a student who did reach out to people on the internet for a kind of safe haven, and the fact that the tool that he utilized to express himself was also used against him in such a negative way is really terrifying.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELAM: Now, we talked to several students who is say the LGBT community doesn't feel safe on campus and they want the see more done. The university president says he will meet with LGBT leaders and that the university had already set up a resource center last year. But, in a statement, he says he hopes to do more. Quote, "Rutgers is an imperfect institution in an imperfect society, but we are always striving to find better ways to make every student feel comfortable and fully empowered." Meanwhile, the investigation into the two Rutgers students charged with invasion of privacy continues. They are 18-year-olds Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei. Prosecutors have said they are considering charging them with bias as well, but that hasn't happened yet. Neither one of their attorneys has actually made a comment at this point.

Tyler Clementi's family has only spoken through their attorney, but they plan on having a private funeral away from the press, and so far have had little to say about what happened except that they are grieving and that they want their privacy.

And you - just to take a look at how the campus is responding, there was a moment of silence, as I mentioned before. We can show you a bit of what that looked like at the campus.

WHITFIELD: All right. That moment of silence right before that game there.

Thanks so much Stephanie Elam.

When you talk be the LGBT community, you're talking about the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender community, for a lot of people who don't know.

(CROSSTALK).

ELAM: Exactly.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much.

All right, bullying online and in our schools. Why do kids do it and what can be done to try to put an end to it?

An "ANDERSON COOPER 360" special report you can't miss, you don't want to miss. It begins Monday night on CNN at 10:00 Eastern time.

All right, important news for do-it-yourselfers, some 540,000 home improvement books are being recalled. They apparently contain faulty information about electrical wiring. Oxmoor House Publishing is recalling 17 different titles, including "Southern Living Basic Home Wiring" and "Sunset Home Lighting." Following the instructions in the books could actually lead to an electrical shock or a fire hazard in your home.

Contact - contact Oxmoor House at 1-866-696-7602, or online go to sunsetrecall.com for more information about a full recall.

All right. He spends some time all week compiling the hottest new viral videos - not just some time, a whole lot of time - just so that we all can enjoy these incredible bits of video that all go viral and fascinate us all. You know what I'm talking about.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. (INAUDIBLE).

WHITFIELD: Josh Levs. LEVS: We get caught up of all these news stories. We're all so busy. But we've got to carve out that time there for VVR every weekend. We love this, and Fred, today -

WHITFIELD: We do.

LEVS: -- we're going to be seeing a flying water delivery service, Beyonce crashing a block party and a form of dancing that, folks, you've probably never seen before.

WHITFIELD: Definitely have not seen that before.

LEVS: Hand dancing.

We'll have all the details for you and a lot more. Plus a giant baby - and I mean an actual giant baby - coming up on "Viral Video Rewind".

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, on to the nation's capitol. Right now, live picture of a huge turnout right there at the Lincoln Memorial in the nation's capital. A liberal coalition from labor, civil rights and other groups are hoping to show support for the Democratic agenda in the face of expected GOP election wins come next month.

There've been a number of speakers today, including the Reverend Al Sharpton. Harry Belafonte is also on tap, and the Reverend Jesse Jackson also has been one of the headliner speakers for day.

This so-called One Nation rally, according to the organizers, is apparently the antidote to the Tea Party. That's what the organizers have said. So large turnout all day today. It's expected to last maybe another hour or so after getting started just after noontime earlier today.

Much more as the day progresses.

Meantime, you know what that music signals, a little time for a little "Viral Video Rewind", and that's our cue to Josh Levs, who has all this fun stuff. You dig, you dig, you dig, and you get.

LEVS: And I gave you a little taste of what we're starting with today.

WHITFIELD: I know.

(CROSSTALK)

LEVS: Because I always liked seeing a new form of art no one's ever heard of.

WHITFIELD: Yes. I've never heard of hand dancing.

LEVS: And people spend time on this. And it's pretty amazing what they come up with, right?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

LEVS: All right, let's start off with this -- hand dancing.

WHITFIELD: Cool. The symmetry of it all.

LEVS: And watch the fingers. Everything looks perfectly synchronized, or incredibly close.

WHITFIELD: Yes. I'd like to see those bruised knuckles.

LEVS: What you're saying before is you can't do much with their nails.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Ouch. No. Yes, forget the manicure.

LEVS: No. Apparently this is a form of Irish dance performed on hands instead of feet. It's Suzanne Cleary and Peter Harding. They were in Riverdance.

WHITFIELD: Oh.

LEVS: They did the Riverdance with the feet.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

LEVS: So this is similar, except with the hands. They explain it more in upandover.com. The song we're hearing is called "We No Speak Americano" by Yolanda Be Cool and DCUP.

And basically they're like, I guess, pioneers online. I've never seen anything like this online. So it's pretty amazing.

WHITFIELD: Yes, it is.

LEVS: Now -

WHITFIELD: Serious coordination.

LEVS: Speaking of some amazing feats online, when we get to the next video, you have to keep your eyes in the screen really, really closely for the first few seconds because what you're going to see swish by is a person. Watch this video. Watch this.

WHITFIELD: (INAUDIBLE).

LEVS: Watch. Boom!

WHITFIELD: What?

LEVS: That's a human being, people. Watch - look and see. This is called -

WHITFIELD: No. That's not real.

LEVS: It is, and you're about to see the camera that's on the guy. This is base jumping in Switzerland. But it's from 24-year-old Jokke Sommer who lives in Norway. I spoke with him. He does this in Norway and in Switzerland.

He's done around 300 different jumps. He said he started - he told me he started because of the dream of flying since he was a little kid.

Now, this sport is officially called Wingsuit proximity flying.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness.

LEVS: The wings (INAUDIBLE) fly.

Guys, skip to the next section. I put another section in where I think the fall is even more harrowing and more beautiful. Look at that. And he piped in some music, lyrics by Ladyhawke called "My Delirium," just to like kind of give the sensation of what it is to him.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. What a rush he must be getting here.

LEVS: It's amazing.

Now, here's someone who's actually flying, but it's different from what I'm about to show you, which is -

WHITFIELD: And is this slow-mo'd a little bit?

LEVS: No.

WHITFIELD: No? That was the actual -

LEVS: Well, that was to give - I mean, it's so huge. The expanse is so huge, that you're going to keep seeing the same, but he's going very fast.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh.

LEVS: Pretty wild, right?

WHITFIELD: Yes. It was very wild.

LEVS: Oh, speaking of flying -

WHITFIELD: Nutty. You've got to be a little nutty and super courageous to do that.

LEVS: One of (INAUDIBLE) just do it.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

LEVS: Talk about nutty and flying in one video. Watch this. Now, this one is -

WHITFIELD: Nutty in an admirable kind of way.

LEVS: Well, yes. That's what (INAUDIBLE).

WHITFIELD: I admire that. I don't have those kind of guts. LEVS: Look at this. Check this out. "Superman Water Delivery Service". That's what (INAUDIBLE).

WHITFIELD: Oh, hilarious. No way. He's laughing. Is he on a bike or is he like hanging out - what? LEVS: And he's laughing so hard.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. That's funny.

LEVS: Now, that's the mystery video of the week. I - no one can figure out where it originated.

WHITFIELD: I don't know if he's like hanging on the side - because the guy was kind of laughing before -

LEVS: He knew it was coming.

WHITFIELD: Yes. He knew it was coming.

LEVS: I mean, it's just that (ph) -

WHITFIELD: I mean, that's a little bit before the guy actually -

LEVS: But whoever's out there and knows how that actually came about - right? You'll see (INAUDIBLE), because we want to know.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

LEVS: OK. I think we've got time for one more.

WHITFIELD: OK.

LEVS: This - check - check this out. This guy is a street performer, but this is something unlike anything you've ever seen. He loops his own voice and he loops sounds. He's this music producer.

So he uses only his voice in a loop station and bass effects pedal. So he like does some stuff in front of you, and then does something else, something else, and he loops everything.

Skip to the next section of the video and you'll hear the harmony he comes up with. (INAUDIBLE).

He - he just puts everything in there himself through humming, through movement and through what he uses with his feet there. He's created that whole sound right in front of you.

WHITFIELD: (INAUDIBLE).

LEVS: He is - he's dubbed FX. And this video is by filmmaker Ben Dowden. Really impressive stuff online.

All the links, as always, are up in my Facebook page. Let's show where that is. It's Facebook.com/JoshLevsCNN.

WHITFIELD: And it sounds good, actually. LEVS: Really good.

WHITFIELD: That sounds good.

LEVS: It's really good.

I'm going to go post the links right now in Facebook. I'm going to get these on Twitter for you too.

And we have a whole bunch more of videos we're putting up (ph) tomorrow, all right? Including your relaxation video.

WHITFIELD: Yay. (INAUDIBLE).

LEVS: Talk to you tomorrow.

WHITFIELD: Oh. Must always have that special on Sunday. Yes.

LEVS: Each week we give Fred a relaxation video.

WHITFIELD: Just breathe, and then, you know, Josh brings down his voice. It's the whole kit and caboodle. Yes.

LEVS: Yeah. (INAUDIBLE).

WHITFIELD: Yes. Josh, thank you.

LEVS: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Appreciate it.

OK, you know the drill on the menu - chicken nuggets, French fries. All this on school lunch menus.

Childhood obesity, by the way, is also on the rise. We'll see what's being done to actually fix both problems.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories right now.

It's a mess along parts of the East Coast. Though water is receding in some places now, but remnants of tropical storm Nicole lashed the East Coast with heavy rains and major flooding. The high water is blamed for at least eight deaths in several states. Emergency responders reportedly have rescued more than 250 people from flooded houses and cars in the Carolinas alone.

And new concerns for Americans abroad -- due to new threat information, U.S. officials are considering a broad travel warning for U.S. citizens heading to Europe. At this point, the warning is just a consideration. No decision has actually been made. We're keeping an eye on this developing story and, of course, we'll bring you new information as details become available.

All right. More drone attacks today in Pakistan, 18 people are dead. Many of them were suspected militants. The strikes took place in North Waziristan and targeted a militant hideout. The attacks come amid an uptick in drone attacks in Afghanistan. Insurgents fighting in Afghanistan have taken refuge across the border.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: So all this week, CNN has crisscrossed the country investigating food, how it's grown and how the choices we make impact our wallets and our health.

Some activists say everyone needs to step up to the plate to help school districts serve healthier lunches.

Here's Kate Bolduan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In San Francisco, Dana Woldow saw a crisis unfolding in her son's middle school cafeteria.

DANA WOLDOW, SCHOOL FOOD EXPERT: There was not a single thing being sold at that time that I would have wanted my children to eat.

BOLDUAN: Woldow then became a school cafeteria crusader, taking on what she called the "carnival foods" schools were feeding children every day.

WOLDOW: Soda and potato chips and hamburgers the size of your head.

BOLDUAN: She found a friend in the school's new school nutrition director, Ed Wilkins.

ED WILKINS, SFUSO NUTRITION DIRECTOR: It was hard. A lot of people weren't quite ready for the big changes that would have to take effect.

BOLDUAN: But they persisted. It took years, but eventually replaced junk food with healthier fare.

WILKINS: We have salad bars, fresh fruit and fresh veggies in every school every day. We have zero percent trans fat. We have whole grain breads.

We've made a lot of changes even given the challenges and the constraints on this program that we face and certainly, funding.

BOLDUAN: And funding is a problem. It costs a lot more to serve fresh produce than the convenient bag of chips. The federal government helps by reimbursing schools if they offer meals to low income students. And here's what they get in return, $2.74 per lunch.

WILKINS: And quite frankly, we found that it costs us about $3.68 base upon what we're serving now.

BOLDUAN: Government funding doesn't cover it all. So, schools have to find a way to make up the difference. WILKINS: Which, of course, is a problem in a lot of ways because every dollar that has to be supported by the general fund is a dollar out of the classroom.

BOLDUAN (on camera): So, often school serves the cheaper and unhealthier alternative. A study last year found 94 percent of meals served in schools failed to meet USDA nutrition guidelines, so it's no wonder a separate study suggests children who take part in the National School Lunch Program are more likely to gain weight than their peers.

TOM VILSACK, AGRICULTURE SECRETARY: School lunch and school breakfast is one area where we can absolutely improve.

BOLDUAN (voice-over): Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and the Obama administration requested an additional $10 billion for the school lunch program, but Congress has cut that by more than half, offering a 6 cent increase per student.

(on camera): At the very same time, school food advocates describe funding as being criminally underfunded.

Do you agree with that?

VILSACK: You say 6 cents, but the reality is, when you start multiplying 6 cents by 31 million children, it's a fairly substantial amount of money that can be used creatively.

BOLDUAN (voice-over): To help in that effort, the USDA supplies more than 100 commodities to schools nationwide at a reduced rate. Unfortunately, Ed Wilkins says few are up to his district's standards.

WILKINS: I have not used in our program a lot of commodities just because of the quality.

BOLDUAN (on camera): So many people say we're doing our children wrong by what we're feeding them in school. USDA, Congress, we need help, and it's up to you, because you've been turning a blind eye.

VILSACK: It isn't just up to government. I mean, the reality is that everyone needs to be engaged in this.

BOLDUAN: You're saying it's time to stop the blame game.

VILSACK: The blame game doesn't get us anywhere and we have to have everyone recognize that we all have a responsibility. USDA is not going to solve this problem. School districts by themselves are not going to solve this problem. Collectively, we absolutely can make a difference.

BOLDUAN (voice-over): These school food champions agree, saying their district is proof healthy and high quality is possible. But they're begging the federal government to put its money where its mouth is.

WOLDOW: Maybe we've gone as far as we can go in the absence of better funding. We can't afford the sustainably raised apple, but the fact is that we have an apple now and not an apple turnover. And that's how we measure progress.

BOLDUAN: Kate Bolduan, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And remember, go to CNN.com/eatocracy for more stories on healthy eating.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories right now.

In Indonesia, a train crash has killed 36 people and injured 26 others. It happened today in central Java. One train was stopped on the tracks and it was struck from behind by another. Officials are trying to determine whether the crash was caused by human or technical error.

And flooding from North Carolina to New England has killed at least eight people. Homes and businesses are underwater and dozens of roads are closed. The high water is starting to recede in some areas, but warnings and watches are still in place. The flooding was triggered by remnants of Tropical Storm Nicole.

And it's being called the antidote to the Tea Party. Thousands of liberal and progressive activists are gathered in Washington. Organizers say they want to focus on the needs of working class Americans, like jobs, education, and equality. The rally is taking place at the same spot where Tea Party activists gathered just five weeks ago.

Blind sided and betrayed. That's how acclaimed author Terry McMillan she felt when her husband revealed he is gay. The shock wore off but the anger did not. And it took years for the author of "How Stella Got Her Grove Back" to get her happiness back.

Well, that emotional journey inspired her latest novel "Getting to Happy," a sequel to her bestselling book "Waiting to Exhale."

I sat down face to face with McMillan who says women who are unhappy need to rediscover themselves.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TERRY MCMILLAN, AUTHOR, "WAITING TO EXHALE": I think that, emotionally, a lot of women just flat-line, they feel like, you know, this is the hand I was dealt, you know, I'm married to this guy, or my kids are gone. And, you know, here we are, and they just sort of throw in the towel in a sense. And that's what I mean, I use the term flat -- emotionally flat-lined. It's like they can take it or leave it.

And I think that is a very sad way to live. And that life is not over when you're 50 or 55 or 60 or 45. You know, you get so used to be caregivers and caretakers, a lot of women don't know how to take care of themselves. WHITFIELD: And do you suppose the sentiment is going to be this self- discovery that women make that their happiness is not contingent upon other people, that sadly, a lot of people feel like "I'm going to be happy as long as I'm with another person"?

MCMILLAN: A woman's discontent is not necessarily based upon having a negative relationship with a man who may or may not be good enough or any of that business. I think that a lot of times, your life just takes on a different meaning when you are in what I would call the "third act of your life," if it were a play. And things that you settled for years ago, some women either do settle for it, and there are other women who realize their own mortality and they start thinking, "You know what? I think I'm due a little bit more excitement than this."

WHITFIELD: So writing is cathartic for you?

MCMILLAN: Oh, yes.

WHITFIELD: But what do you recommend for women who may in that place that you were feeling kind of twisted, angry, upset, and not themselves. What do you recommend to them to get out of it?

MCMILLAN: No one can tell you how long to grieve -- no one -- and I don't care what kind of loss it is that you've experienced. You have to go through what you're going through.

But I think that when it starts to dictate your life when you look up and it's been years and you're still stuck there, then you need to really take a mirror and turn it inward and realize that -- usually the person that you are angry with, they have long since moved on.

Happiness I think is a right, and that we have some capacity to do things to ensure it more. And we don't give ourselves enough credit nor do we give ourselves enough opportunities to make sure that we feel it.

WHITFIELD: Like what do you mean?

MCMILLAN: You know, it's like, you know, if you like to travel, you know, if you love eating out in restaurants, if you love going to foreign films, if you love museums and you love art, you know, you've always wanted to take a jewelry-making class, you know, always wanted to go back to college, just to learn a new language -- what's to stop you? Whatever it is that you've secretly kept to yourself, because you either never took the time or never had the time and now --

WHITFFIELD: But there are 101 excuses why you couldn't.

MCMILLAN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: I don't have enough time. I don't have the money to take that class.

MCMILLAN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: I've got to pick up junior, you know, at 3:00.

MCMILLAN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: And that's what time that jewelry-making class is. And you say, at some point, you just have to just put all of that aside and just say, I got to address me right now?

MCMILLAN: Well, you don't have to put everything aside. I don't think you have to dismiss everything because people have real lives and you cannot just dismiss folks, especially family members and things like that. But you can take baby steps towards doing things that will lift your spirits.

I think that we are the architects of our own lives and at some point, all of us -- but in this case, women realize that, "You know what? I can do this a little better and, you know, if I do more things to ensure my own joy, then maybe I'll feel more of it." And that's what I mean by getting to happy, I don't think it's a permanent state because there are always be variables and things happen that you have no control over. But the things that you do, I say, rock it.

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WHITFIELD: She's rocking it. Terry McMillan guides the lives of four fictional women in her new book, "Getting to Happy." She revealed some key flat lines and tells us some big news about plans for -- yes, another movie that's coming up in the next hour. Stick around for that "Face to Face with Fredricka" and Terry McMillan.

And we'll have much more on the aftermath of that nasty storm that swept through the East Coast.

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WHITFIELD: All right. Floodwaters may be receding along the East Coast, but the region is still not out of danger. Right now, there's an urgent need in flooded North Carolina for safe shelter.

Just take a look at these pictures out of Raleigh. Streets are flooded. Homes are flooded. Boats were being used to get houses and businesses and retirement homes to get to those places in order to get people out.

And then take a look at this -- Elizabeth, New Jersey, just one of many spots from North Carolina to Maine dealing with the soggy fallout from what was once Tropical Storm Nicole.

So, Adam Owens of our Raleigh, North Carolina, affiliate WRAL reports on the evacuations in some of the hardest hit areas. Just take a look.

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ADAM OWENS, WRAL REPORTER (voice-over): The last of the evacuations happened in the dark, a home with nearly 50 residents, most are Alzheimer's patients from Windsor House, an assisted living community. People stranded by rising flood waters called 911 for help. Crews are sent out to pick them up.

This was the moment 80-year-old Mamie White's boat finally came in.

MAMIE WHITE, RESIDENT: I'm scared of water. (INAUDIBLE) I'm glad I'm here.

OWENS: Rescuers say these waters are dangerous.

CHARLES TRIPP, GREENVILLE FIRE & RESCUE: Hazardous materials, gasoline, diesel fuel, sewage in the water.

OWENS: When the waters did not stop moving in on the Bed and Breakfast Dawn Segatti(ph) was staying at, she decided to leave. On the boat ride to safety, she passed homes and cars, gone or nearly gone. A lot of that boat traffic passed the Heritage House Restaurant, but owner Johnny Pierce knows no one will be stopping here for barbecue for a while. He watched water walk up the walls.

JOHNNY PIERCE, FLOOD VICTIM: It didn't take long, about an hour. It was about 20 inches.

OWENS: He estimates the damage at $200,000 and he thinks it will take as many as three months to put it all back together.

PIERCE: I mean, who expected this without a hurricane?

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WHITFIELD: All right. Let's check in with meteorologist Bonnie Schneider.

Yuck, big ol' yuck.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: The good -- interesting --

WHITFIELD: Not you, but the weather.

SCHNEIDER: I don't -- I don't think --

WHITFIELD: We love you, don't love the weather.

SCHNEIDER: All right.

Well, you know, it's funny he mentioned that it was like -- there wasn't a hurricane but there was tropical moisture from Nicole. And that really enhanced the rainfall.

Look at the totals from Tuesday. We're talking about almost a foot of water on the ground in places like Virginia. Wow! You can see the white. That's the highest level here on this grade.

We saw a lot of rain in New York City, about three inches with much of it falling yesterday. There was so much rain in New York that the New York City subway system had to be shut down on a couple of lines, so commuters were stranded.

Let's see what it looks like right now that it's actually shaping out to be a nice day in this October, first October weekend. We can show you a live picture of New York City.

Take a look and you'll see that the sky is looking gorgeous. That is a nice shot right there. You can see that it looks like midtown. Very, very nice. Very nice indeed.

All right. Good day out there. I'm glad we don't have to have the umbrellas on a -- today, on weekends.

But we are still monitoring the risk for flooding across North Carolina all the way up to Vermont. That's where we have flash flood warnings for a lot of the rivers. And that means we will see runoff. And if you live in an area of lower terrain, and where it rained about you, you're likely to see some of that flooding continue. And that's why the warnings will persist straight into the evening hours.

Now, we are also monitoring the threat of new areas of moisture coming in from the west. Look at this, it's raining across Indiana and into Ohio, and all of that is headed eastward. So, it's bringing some soggy weather to Ohio for today and into Kentucky.

Let's check it out out west that's how -- just a few days ago, the temperatures were so hot in Los Angeles, shattering records on Monday with temperatures above 110 degrees. Finally, you're back to normal. A nice-looking Saturday, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, right around 68, 77 degrees.

Ah, that's more like it. That's what it's supposed to be like in California, at least this time of year.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Usually, the weather is gorgeous and beautiful. So, people kind of come to expect it to be that way all the time.

SCHNEIDER: They do.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks a lot, Bonnie. Appreciate it.

All right. Well, after months, lawmakers in California -- speaking of California -- say they've reached a deal to end the state's budget impasse. The compromise is headed to a vote next week and a report is coming up.

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WHITFIELD: All right. Lawmakers in California say they've hammered out a deal to resolve the state's long-running budget stalemate. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and state legislators announced a compromise last night to close the state's more than $19 billion budget deficit.

Tom DuHain of CNN affiliate KCRA reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) TOM DUHAIN, KCRA REPORTER (voice-over): Lawmakers emerged after another five-hour session with a budget agreement.

DARRELL STEINBERG (D), CALIFORNIA SENATE PRESIDENT PRO-TERM: Everyone has worked very hard. These are very difficult circumstances and difficult times. Not a lot of celebrating.

DUHAIN: The leaders of both parties left quickly, not giving details of how two major issues were resolved, reducing state worker pensions and delaying tax breaks for businesses.

STEINBERG: In the end, it's always about how you package it altogether and it's give-and-take.

DUHAIN: But Senate minority leader Dennis Hollingsworth said Republicans got what they wanted, no new taxes.

And this was the end of the stalemate.

AARON MCLEAR, GOVERNOR'S SPOKESMAN: I think they all just shook hands and congratulate one another for making some difficult decisions. We always knew to solve a $20 billion deficit was going to require some really tough decisions. But, again, we said we're not going to do this without the reforms that are necessary to fix our system and that's going to be the silver lining.

DUHAIN: The legislature will be in session on Wednesday for budget briefings and that a vote is scheduled for Thursday.

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WHITFIELD: According to KCRA, lawmakers say there should be enough support to pass the budget.

All right. This Sunday on "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS": an exclusive interview with China's Premier Wen Jiabao. The premier weighs in on the world economic crisis and the progress of the recovery. Here's an excerpt.

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FAREED ZAKARIA, HOST, "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS": Do you feel that the global economy is, at this point, stable and strong? Or do you worry a lot that there is a danger of the so-called double dip, that the United States in particular could go back into a recession?

PREMIER WEN JIABAO, CHINA (through translator): Well, objectively speaking, I think the world economy is recovering, although the process of recovery is a slow and torturous one. People may not have the same view on this matter, but I believe we will learn a lesson from the reality.

I hope that there will be a quick recovery of the U.S. economy, because after all, the U.S. economy is the largest in the world.

I have taken note of the recent policies and measures taken by President Obama, including the program of doubling the United States' exports and the massive investment in infrastructural development. I think these policies and measures are the ones on the right track, moving in the right direction. Although they came a little bit late, they came in time.

WHITFIELD: And of course, you can catch the complete, exclusive interview tomorrow at 10:00 a.m., and then again at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time.