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Terror Alert in Europe; New Term, New Supreme Court Justice; Raising 'Money Smart' Kids; What's Hot; Greening Detroit's Food Desert
Aired October 04, 2010 - 11:58 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And hello, again, everyone. I'm Tony Harris. Top of the hour in the CNN NEWSROOM where anything can happen. Here are some of the people behind today's top stories.
Americans traveling to Europe have been told to stay on alert for possible acts of terror.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, we're just being very careful. Watching what we're doing and trying to do the safe thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: And how do you teach your kids about money? We've got some advice from our own money expert and a mom, Christine Romans.
You're online right now we are, too. Josh Levs is following what's hot -- Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, the biggest study ever of life underwater is showing all sorts of marine life that no one knew existed. This is so cool. We have pictures for you right now, CNN.com.
HARRIS: All right. Let's start with our lead story.
Nothing's changed with the terrorist threat here at home, but the U.S. government wants Americans flying to Europe, and those living and working there to be watchful and weary. Offocials say al Qaeda may be up to something. The plot, rooted in Hamburg, Germany, and that's where we find our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson today.
Nic, let's start here. What triggered this alert?
Did we just lose Nic? OK. We will get back to Nic in just a couple minutes.
Let's talk now to our homeland security correspondent, Jeanne Meserve. She's joining us from Washington.
And Jeanne, if you would, what is the specific information, the instructions in this advisory for Americans? JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, let me be clear, first of all, that they are not saying stay home. The State Department is saying be careful if you are going to Europe.
The travel alert issued on Sunday says in part, "U.S. citizens should take every precaution to be aware of their surroundings and to adopt appropriate safety measures to protect themselves while traveling." The advisory mentions in particular transportation. Think subways, railways, airports and tour buses.
It also mentions tourist infrastructure. That would include hotels in tourist areas and popular sightseeing spots, but it does not get any more specific because officials have said they don't have detailed information about possible targets, modes, or timing of attack.
So what are travelers supposed to do? Officials say let the appropriate U.S. embassy or consulate know of your travel plans, stay clear of any disruptions, be vigilant, all commonsense precautions. And I should mention that the FBI and Department of Homeland Security also sent out a bulletin to law enforcement here in the U.S. telling them that the threat information does concern Europe, but they should be wary, should be on the lookout right here at home -- Tony.
HARRIS: And Jeanne, want a quick follow with you. What is the U.S. doing to go after terrorists at the source?
MESERVE: Well, we do know that there has been a big uptick in the number of drone strikes in the tribal areas. And we've been told by U.S. officials that part of this relates to the war in Afghanistan, but part of it also is about this threat information, that they are trying to keep al Qaeda off balance, al Qaeda and its affiliates. That's one of the reasons for the increase in the number of strikes -- Tony.
HARRIS: All right, Jeanne.
Jeanne Meserve for us in Washington.
Jeanne, appreciate it.
I believe we've got Nic Robertson back in Hamburg, Germany.
Nic, if we could, let's start again with the question I asked at the top. What is it that triggered this alert in the very first place?
No. We did not lose Nic again, did we?
All right. We'll try to get to Nic as soon as we can.
So how are Americans in Europe responding to this advisory? They are keeping a stiff upper lip, at least in London.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you aware of the terror warning your government has issued?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, we are.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, indeed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To what extent does that influence your thoughts or feelings about being here today?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm probably more cautious and I look around a little more, maybe. But we always try to be cautious. I refuse to let terrorists do what they think they're doing, which is to terrorize me. I won't let them change my life.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Were you already in Europe when the warning was issued?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, we are. We were already in London, and we have plans to go to Paris.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So can I ask you your thoughts and feelings being here at this pretty big tourist site here today knowing what your government said?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it did cross my mind when we were coming here, because we knew it would be crowded. But as Susan said, we are not going to let terrorists scare us away. And we're going to -- we will be cautious and kind of check things out, but anything we want to do, we're going to do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: All right. The German government also not panicking. The Interior Ministry has said today there are no immediate signs of any threat against their country.
I believe we're going to try one more time with Nic Robertson. He's in Hamburg, Germany.
And Nic, I believe you're on the beeper line with us.
First of all, talk us through this threat, what we know about it and the origins of it.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We don't know exactly what has caused the travel alert to be issued, but we do know about a German-Afghan. Ahmed Sidiqi left Hamburg with a group of other radical Islamists about a year and a half ago, went to the Pakistan border with Afghanistan, went to al Qaeda-related training camps there.
He's been picked up in Kabul. He's the one that's been telling U.S. authorities that there is this Mumbai-style plot planned across Europe, that Osama bin Laden has OK'd and green-lighted this plot, and that's what seems to be behind this -- the current travel advisory. No one is saying that specifically. What the German authorities are saying that we're talking to here, they know where Sidiqi is. He's been captured in Afghanistan. They know where a couple of others of this group are. Some of them have come back, they've been interviewed.
But there are other members of this group, some of them with strong ties to al Qaeda, that the German authorities don't know where they are. And another interesting detail, this man and his group attended a mosque here in Hamburg, the very same mosque that Mohammed Atta, one of the 9/1 hijackers, attended with part of his cell -- Tony.
HARRIS: And Nic, one quick follow with you. How are European countries responding to this?
ROBERTSON: Interestingly, none of them are raising their threat levels. What Britain has done is said, OK, anyone who is going to travel to Germany or France, we're raising the warning level at a high. But as far as Britain is concerned, they're keeping their threat level at severe, which means a terror attack is highly likely.
France is keeping its level at red. Spain is keeping its level at number 2, which on a scale of 1 to 4r is still quite low. Germany says it's not changing either. Indeed, the interior minister came out today and said, "Don't get alarmist about this. We don't see an imminent threat."
So that's the picture from here -- Tony.
HARRIS: OK. Our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, for us on the phone from Hamburg, Germany.
Smart politics with TV's newest talkers. "PARKER SPITZER" premiers tonight on CNN. I am talking live with the hosts.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: The Supreme Court begins a new term today and sets a precedence of its own: three female Supreme Court justices.
Kate Bolduan has the details on what's on the docket and new justice, Elena Kagan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Supreme Court currently has more than 50 cases on the docket. The most controversial range from immigration reform to free speech challenges.
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP (singing): America, America --
BOLDUAN: One of the first deals with anti-gay protests at military funerals. Albert Snyder sued the Westboro Baptist Church and its leader, Fred Phelps, after they staged a demonstration outside his son's funeral in 2006. Twenty-year-old Marine Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder was killed in Iraq.
ALBERT SNYDER, FATHER OF MARINE KILLED IN IRAQ: It comes down to dignity. No one -- I don't care if you're not military -- no one should be buried with what the Phelps did to him.
BOLDUAN: This is a case of free speech versus privacy rights. The court will also weigh in on the case of Texas death row inmate Hank Skinner. Skinner says he is innocent of the triple murder he is convicted of committing. Skinner argues he has a civil right to request DNA evidence testing post-conviction to prove it.
HANK SKINNER, DEATH ROW INMATE: All the district attorney has got to do is turn over the evidence and test it and let the chips fall where they may. If I'm innocent, I go home. If I'm guilty, I die. What's so hard about that?
BOLDUAN: Prosecutors argue Skinner had his chance to appeal, and argue that if he wins, it will open the flood gates to frivolous lawsuits clogging the criminal justice system.
Other high profile cases is California's attempt to ban the sale of violent video games to children. An appeals court said the law violates the First Amendment. The court will also consider a challenge to an Arizona law cracking down on businesses hiring illegal immigrants.
Opponents argue federal law trumps state efforts.
TOM GOLDSTEIN, FOUNDER, SCOTUSBLOG.COM: The federal government says we have the immigration laws. Arizona kind of throws up its hands and says yes, but you are not enforcing them.
BOLDUAN: Meanwhile, the newest justice, Elena Kagan, is taking to the bench for her first term, which also marks a historic first for the Supreme Court: three women serving at the same time.
(on camera): However, Justice Kagan has already recused herself from 25 pending cases. Because of her work as a former solicitor General, she's withdrawn to prevent any conflict of interest, leaving the possibility of split 4-4 decisions as the term kicks off.
Kate Bolduan, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Last month was a fantastic one for stocks, the best September in 71 years. And October started out with a gain as well. But today, the rally is fading a bit and some analysts say this could be the new trend. Oh, really?
(STOCK MARKET REPORTER)
HARRIS: When mom and dad are book-smart economics -- wow -- allowances become a study in good money habits for their kids.
We're back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: And teaching your child the value of saving and spending money wisely. Boy, I need some advice on this. That's why we called in CNN's Christine Romans to share some practical ways on raising money-smart kids.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILLY RODGERS, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: I'm saving up for another bike to spray paint again.
YANA RODGERS, ECONOMIST: Another bike. How much does it cost?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Asking mom and dad for money takes on a whole new meaning when mom and dad are renowned economists.
Meet the Rodgers: Bill and Yana, Ellie, Billy and Charlie.
(on camera): How do you guys teach your kids about money when money, the economy is what you do for a living?
Y. RODGERS: For a long time now, we've been using sort of a trick, and that's the children's literature.
ROMANS (voice-over): Bill, a former Labor Department economist. Yana is a Rutgers professor who runs EconKids.Rutgers.edu, a project that uses kids' books to teach economics.
(on camera): Give me an example of a book that I might have in my bookshelf that actually has a subversive economic message in it.
(LAUGHTER)
Y. RODGERS: Oh, "The Berenstein Bears." Everybody has "Berenstein Bears."
There's "Curious George." There's a few of those where he goes to a factory. Well, that's all about production. And then there's "Click, Clack, Moo," cows that type. That's one that Bill likes a lot, too.
ROMANS (voice-over): The cows, in case you forgot, go on strike.
(on camera): Sorry. We're closed. No milk today.
(LAUGHTER)
ROMANS: This the labor economist labor book here.
BILL RODGERS, ECONOMIST: That's right. That's right.
ROMANS (voice-over): Well, the Rodgers' allowance system that's a little more elaborate than most.
ELLIE RODGERS, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: Three dollars a week. We get paid every Wednesday. And depending on chores I do, I get paid $8 an hour.
ROMANS: And for messier jobs, it's $10 an hour.
Economist mom explains that's the economic principle of compensating differential.
(on camera): What is it like to be raised by two economists? They know everything about money and policy.
E. RODGERS: It can be a little frustrating sometimes. When I'll I want something for Christmas and -- but it'll be a little too expensive, and then I'll usually have to go for maybe the bargain brand or just still on sale. I've become a very good sales shopper.
ROMANS (voice-over): It's a family created by economics -- Bill and Yana met in the Econ Department at Harvard -- and a family run by economics, like all families.
B. RODGERS: The one thing that I -- that we -- I talk about with our kids is the budget constraint.
ROMANS: Right.
B. RODGERS: You know, that is the notion of there's only a fixed amount of money, and you have to figure out how you're going to allocate that money across, you know, a more expensive baseball bat versus your cleats that your going to buy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And Christine Romans joining us from New York.
Christine, good to see you again. On the program a lot the last two hours. I love it. Some good ideas there, and a lot more in your book, I'm happy to say, "Smart is the New Rich."
Do you have a copy to hold up there?
ROMANS: In fact, I don't. I've been passing them out like candy around here, so I don't have one in front of me. But I'm going to tell you some things you can find in that book, "Smart is the New Rich."
HARRIS: OK.
ROMANS: First of all, borrowed money -- making wealth with borrowed money, it's over. Risk-built wealth in the '90s, now you have to be smart. Smart is the new rich. And that's what families like the Rodgers have been teaching their kids. So, Tony, some advice for you about your kids.
HARRIS: Great.
ROMANS: One, tell them to take out the trash. What? Take out the trash?
A Schwab survey recently found that kids who take out the trash, Tony, are more likely to grow up to be better with money. They have to earn their allowance.
You just cannot give them -- if you want to do an allowance, don't just give them the money. You have really got to keep a list of things they have to do and make them do it to get the allowance.
Like the Rogers, in fact, they give them $3 a week base, and then they earn $8 an hour for the work they do.
HARRIS: Nice.
ROMANS: So that's -- you know, that's pretty interesting there for that.
HARRIS: Yes. That works.
ROMANS: Also, make them learn how to save early -- birthday money, holiday money. They have to put some of it aside, and they have to contribute to trendy and expensive items.
Saving is the most important thing you can teach your child, Tony, because this is something that we did not do over the past 20 or 25 years. We used borrowed money and we did not save, and these are things that we're hoping we can teach the next generation, not to make the mistakes that we just lived through, right?
HARRIS: That's terrific. Yes. Boy, we need to do that. "Smart is the New Rich."
Let me see that full screen. Let me see that Vista display. There it is, "Smart is the New Rich." Christine Romans!
Hey, don't do another segment where you don't hold the book up. OK?
ROMANS: All right. I'm going to Velcro it to my body.
HARRIS: Yes. Very good. Good to see you, Christine. Thanks.
Throwing out the old political party lines and talking about the real issues, that is the goal of "PARKER SPITZER," a new show debuting tonight on CNN. Hear my conversation coming up in just a couple of minutes with the co-hosts.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: Let's see here. Let's get you to CNNMoney.com and take a look at the lead story there. I think it is the story we've been talking about for the last hour or so, fixing Detroit's food crisis.
We're going to talk to CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow about this story and more in just a couple of minutes right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Take a look at the numbers now. Where are we on the Dow?
We're still in negative territory, down negatively. Wow, triple- digit losses now. We're down 100 points.
We'll follow these numbers for you throughout the day.
CNN is debuting a new show tonight. It is called "PARKER SPITZER." Its mission, to throw out conservative and liberal talking points and get to the heart of the matter from two very different points of view. Pulitzer Prize-winning "Washington Post" columnist Kathleen Parker and former governor and New York attorney general Eliot Spitzer joining me now.
Well, it is about time we got a chance to talk to you here in the CNN NEWSROOM. It's great to have you on the program. Thanks for your time today.
KATHLEEN PARKER, CO-HOST, "PARKER SPITZER": Thanks, Tony. Nice to be here.
ELIOT SPITZER, CO-HOST, "PARKER SPITZER": Wonderful to be chatting with you.
HARRIS: Yes.
Kathleen, let me start with you. What do you hope viewers take away from your new program debuting tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time?
PARKER: I hope they take their remote control and bury it in the back yard. Stay tuned.
No, our show is fantastic. It's content-rich. We have very interesting people joining us tonight and every night.
It's a conversation rather than a food fight. I think most Americans are very tired of the extremes dominating the conversation, so we are bringing people to the table who -- many of whom will not necessarily be familiar faces or voices.
SPITZER: Yes. Food fights were fun back in grade school, maybe, but for politics, we're hoping, Tony, to sort of elevate the conversation --
HARRIS: That would be great.
SPITZER: -- and bring back the seriousness and the actual -- you know, people talk to each other, not past each other. PARKER: But it's not all serious. I just want to make it clear, because I'm here. It's going to be fun, too. We have -- it's not all vegetables.
HARRIS: Yes.
SPITZER: Not all broccoli, as somebody said.
HARRIS: Right.
So, Kathleen, the talking point discussions that you say you want to get away from, how has that style of conversation really impacted the level of honest discourse in this country, in your view?
PARKER: Well, I think the problem is, Tony, is that people tend to gravitate toward those places both on television and on the Internet where they can be reaffirmed in what they already believe. I don't think that ever advances the debate. We simply get in our comfortable chairs, and we don't challenge ourselves much.
So, I think that's what we're really trying to do, is get away from those little pods of comfort and try to find some common ground and figure out how we solve these problems rather than just constantly reinforcing our own point of view.
HARRIS: And Eliot has that lack (ph) of real smart analysis, let Americans believe the problems we face are easier to solve than we think that the problems we face are easier to solve than we think, that the problems can be solved basically in an election cycle?
ELIOT SPITZER, CO-HOST, "PARKER SPITZER": Sure. Sure. Look, I think we all know that when you're campaigning, when anybody is campaigning, there is a certain simplicity to the slogans that are used, and when you take office, whether it's President Obama or a senator, things get really complicated. There's real texture, and there are trade-offs that have to be made that are often not discussed on the campaign trail.
So, one of the things we're going to be doing is saying, wait a minute. If we have somebody here who believes in the Tea Party, and there are lots of them, how are you going to make these numbers really work, you know where - mantras and slogans are easy. And likewise on the other side of the aisle, how are you going to make the numbers add up if you're a more liberal Democrat?
We're going to push people to answer the harder questions and engage in the conversation ourselves because we've both been in the arena, as they say.
PARKER: If we had our way, we would take Democrats and Republicans and lock them in a room together and just say, you can't come out until you've figured this out.
HARRIS: Wouldn't that be great if we could shape the world that way?
(CROSSTALK)
PARKER: Maybe we just won't let them out at all.
(LAUGHTER)
HARRIS: Yes. You know, I want to get your specific opinions on the president and some of the president's moves to sort of shore up this economy. And Kathleen, you've written -- this is from your column from September 22nd. You know, "It is probably fair to say that Obama's ideas were to big for America's appetite. It would have been nice had he made a few incremental repairs to the economy and left the transformative events for a less stressful time, but this is not the way presidents operate. They want to make their mark, create a legacy, go down in history as having made a difference." Then you write, "sad."
So, Kathleen, don't presidents come into office with a huge to-do list of promises they made on the campaign trail?
PARKER: Sure, they do. Sure they do.
HARRIS: Yes, and how can they not attempt to move forward -- this president, in particular, to keep those promises?
PARKER: Well, you know, this president wanted to transform everything. And so -- but what happens is you have to adapt to the circumstances, and you have to shift your course based on what reality -- what the reality is. And in our case, our economy was falling apart.
Now, it's not to say that - you know, we accept that Barack Obama inherited this mess, but I think he would have been far wiser to go after the economy and go after jobs before he tackled health care. And I don't think that's a revolutionary insight at this point. I think most people would agree.
HARRIS: Yes. And Eliot, would the president have been better off with a more incremental approach to a lot of these issues? Say, financial reform?
SPITZER: I'm not sure - no. I actually disagree with Kathleen about this. I don't think it's a question of being incremental, I think it's a question of what the priorities needed to be. I think there's any question in hindsight, jobs, jobs, jobs, restructuring the economy is what should have been first through tenth on the priority list. Health care, unfortunately, perhaps needed to be given a backseat if Congress in fact couldn't do two things at once.
I'm not even sure he couldn't say to Congress, look. Health care is part of restructuring our economy; let's get our arms around it. He ran into a brick wall in terms of his effort to be bipartisan with the other side of the aisle unfortunately. But clearly, I have disagreed fundamentally with the White House about how they have tried to restructure that critical sector, the financial sector.
So, I disagree with many of their moves in terms of where they put energy and how they want -- where they wanted the end game to be. I don't agree with Kathleen that he should have been incremental. Now of all times is the time for fundamental change, because we're losing the game internationally to China and Asia generally.
PARKER: Well, I think maybe in that column -- I'm not sure, but I think the incremental remark had to do with health care -
SPITZER: OK. Fair point. Fair point.
PARKER: -- because health care -
SPITZER: You're right.
PARKER: -- we could have fixed - we could have tweaked segments of it rather than doing this massive overhaul. And so, he agrees with me on that point -
SPITZER: Well, maybe. Maybe.
PARKER: -- but America is happier when we disagree.
(LAUGHTER)
SPITZER: When you actually drill down on health care -- the problem with health care, if you do a little piece of it -- you can't really do a little piece in isolation because it implicates.
PARKER: Right. No, no, that's what they say.
SPITZER: Doing it all at once is, in fact, what makes sense.
PARKER: That's what they say.
SPITZER: Look, we basically approved Mitt Romney's plan. It's bizarre Mitt Romney's running from it, but that's - you know, that's politics.
HARRIS: Oooh!
PARKER: I think Mitt Romney would argue that it's appropriate for states to do this at a state level rather than create a whole new federal bureaucracy.
SPITZER: The distinction with that, it differs to most people. (ph)
PARKER: Not really -
SPITZER: But that's all right.
PARKER: We can get into that later.
SPITZER: We'll talk about that. Eight o'clock. Watch at 8:00, you'll see all of us.
HARRIS: That's what I wanted! That's it. Now you know what the program is going to be about. Those are the fireworks we need.
(CROSSTALK)
PARKER: We just would like some food, if that's okay.
HARRIS: There you go! You got it. That's terrific! Thank you both so much. Can't wait for it tonight, 8:00 p.m.
Take this program, and you're a winner.
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: All right, all right. "PARKER SPITZER." It is tonight, 8:00 p.m. Eastern. It debuts right here on CNN.
We're back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: A look at top stories now.
A travel advisory today for Americans across Europe. It warns of a possible terror threat. The plot said to be tied to an al-Qaeda cell in Hamburg, Germany.
President Obama meeting this afternoon with his economic advisory board. Jobs will be topping the agenda, of course. The team will take questions in the West Wing after the meeting.
And the United States has lost -- what? -- Lost the Ryder Cup to Europe? It went down to the final singles match, where reigning U.S. Open champ Graham McDowell won the cup for the Europeans.
Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel wasting no time. Just days after quitting his job with the president, he is launching a bid for a new position. A live report with chief national correspondent John King. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Time now for your CNNpolitics.com update. And CNN chief national correspondent John King, host of "JOHN KING USA" with the Best Political Team on Television, joining us live in Washington.
John, good to see you. What's crossing right now?
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Tony. Top of the Ticker, let me show you on the Ticker. Rahm Emanuel begins his tour of Chicago neighborhoods. You know, for 20 months every Monday morning, he's been the White House chief of staff. Well, not anymore. He wants to run for mayor of Chicago. And he's gone home for the "tell it like it is" tour. Rahm Emanuel trying to convince the people of Chicago that he's no Washington insider and that deserves their support in a run for mayor. So we'll keep an eye on that. One of the more fascinating political stories unfolding. Here's another one. All the talk in recent days that this will be a Republican route, a huge Republican year. Well, the Democrats are putting out some impressive fundraiser numbers, hoping to blunt all that talk, Tony. $16 million, the Democratic National Committee says it raised in September. That is a record month for them. It's the most since $13 million back in March. And what they're saying is important to them is so many small contributions. Twenty-five dollars, $50, $200 or less. They say that's proving the grassroots, that people are starting to tune in and understand the stakes of this election year.
We'll see how all that one plays out. But the Democrats trying to say, hey, it's not going to be as bad as you think out there.
And one last one. He's a comedian based in Los Angeles. He has a show on HBO. You know Bill Maher, Tony. Well, he's also a big factor in that Delaware Senate race because Christine O'Donnell, the Tea Party candidate, now the Republican nominee -- she used to be on his show, "Politically Incorrect."
Well, all this week, we're going to have Bill Maher on "JOHN KING USA" at 7:00 Eastern here. And we're going to start in our conversation with Bill Maher, asking him, just who is Christine O'Donnell? And with all that stuff she says, like she didn't join the Hare Krishnas because you have to be a vegetarian and you have to give up meatballs.
I can understand that, Tony. I don't know about you. We're going to ask Bill Maher about that and some other things all week long on "JOHN KING USA."
HARRIS: OK. Can't wait. Seven p.m. Eastern time every night here on CNN. John, good to see you. Thank you, sir.
And your next political update coming up in one hour. For the latest in political news, just go to CNNpolitics.com.
Candles and silence last night on the Rutgers campus in New Jersey. Hundreds of mourn the death of a freshman most of them didn't even know. Tyler Clementi jumped off the George Washington Bridge to his death after his sexual encounter with another male was put on the Internet. Organizers of this vigil called for more understanding of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. And for an end to bullying.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Him and everyone else should be able to live the life they want to live without fear of things like this happening.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the fact that someone -- two people could be so cruel to him, it's really upsetting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Four kids around country in three weeks committed suicide. It not a Rutgers thing. Ut's a teenage thing where hate is an American value at this point.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: And there was a moment of silence before Rutgers' homecoming football game on Saturday. The scoreboard reading, "In Memory of Tyler Clementi." Two students have been charged with invasion of privacy in the case.
Clementi's suicide is raising awareness of online bullying. Shortly before this case even came to light, a CNN/Opinion Research Poll asked the teenagers if they have ever been ridiculed, humiliated or verbally or physically threatened by another child, either in person or online. Thirty-seven percent said yes, 63 percent, as you can see here, no. When asked if they had ever been afraid to go to school because of such actions by another child, only 8 percent said yes, 92 percent said no.
Anderson Cooper takes a broader look at bullying in our schools and now online. Why do kids do it and what can be done to stop it? An "Anderson Cooper 360" special report beginning tonight at 10:00 Eastern right here on CNN. And all the stories and pieces we've been running on bullying are available right now at cnn.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: All right, let's rock it. "What's Hot." Josh Levs is checking out what's trending right now on the Internet.
Josh, what's hot?
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right, Tony, well, I've got to start off with this thing everyone's talking about now, this new sex study. It's apparently a really intense sex study. All these things with sexually (INAUDIBLE).
HARRIS: Did you say really intensive sex study?
LEVS: Anything -- any adjective I use is automatically going to be at least a (INAUDIBLE) if not more.
HARRIS: Yes.
LEVS: So let's just get right to this one here on the main page of cnn.com right now. It links you to this story from our partners at "Time" magazine. And look how they're putting it. They're saying the study of American sex habits suggest boomers need sex ed.
Now, I want to tell you at the top, this study is funded by Church and Dwight Company, which is the maker of Trojan condoms. So we'll wait and see how it plays out in the scientific community. But here's the kind of thing they're talking about. Listen to this. They have found that older people are not using condoms. In fact, listen to this figure. Studies show that among men over 50, 91 percent did not use a condom when they had sex with a date or casual acquaintance. Seventy percent didn't even do so when they had sex with someone they had just met. So this study is getting people talking about older people using condoms instead of look at this, and you know what, as that of teenage kids and, hey, eventually my kids will grow up to be teenagers as well. You might be happy about this. This is condom use in America. According to this study, 79 percent among young people, teenagers, who are having sex, and that it's less and less and less as you get older. Some of that makes sense. You know, if you're married, you might not be using condoms for various other reasons, but this is getting people talking about that.
OK, we can move on to something lighter now, more fun. Ready for this.
HARRIS: OK.
LEVS: Let's get the NFL video. Take a look at this.
HARRIS: Oh, yes.
LEVS: And we have a lot of people talking about now the NFL going pink. And we know why -- and, you know, we've been following this for a few years, what the NFL's been doing to represent breast cancer awareness month.
HARRIS: Absolutely.
LEVS: I remember -- I think in the past we've talked to Fran Dresher about this. So you're seeing all these NFL guys and people involved in games wearing the pink, rocking the pink, all to get everybody talking about the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
HARRIS: Very good. Very good.
LEVS: And, Tony, one more thing I have just for you, then I'm bringing back a third one from the weekend, but I know you're going to love this.
HARRIS: What is this?
LEVS: Mike Tyson rocking to Bobby Brown. Pump it. Let's listen.
HARRIS: No! No!
LEVS: Look at this. The dude has got some moves, huh? Wayne Brady from --
HARRIS: Dude needs a career is what dude needs. Oh. Oh my.
LEVS: This is from funnyordie.com. Wayne Brady set this up. You see him at the beginning and he like falls asleep. But, look, there's Bobby. Bobby himself going in to take part in the action.
HARRIS: Oh, boy.
LEVS: Talk about wild align (ph). Everybody is watching this video.
HARRIS: Oh, that's funny. That's funny. LEVS: And it's pretty much a remake of the original.
HARRIS: Yes.
LEVS: You know, all --
HARRIS: So you rolled in a random moment into "What's Hot." Good stuff.
LEVS: Hey, we got it all there for you.
HARRIS: Good stuff. All right, Josh, appreciate it. Thank you, sir.
LEVS: Yes, see you.
HARRIS: Eating healthy in Detroit. Singer Kid Rock suggests the city is failing children miserably.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KID ROCK: And how can you be smart and learn if you're not healthy? There's nothing healthy in this city for these kids in the inner city and the ghetto? You know what I mean? There has to start with some grocery stores, some education.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Yes, bringing healthy, affordable food to the city. We're back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: CNN is taking a cross-country food journey. We have sent reporting teams to every corners of America and beyond. Our mission here is to get fresh answers about how our food is grown, how the choices we make impact our health, our state of mind, our budgets and the pure joy of eating. We have teamed up with the new cnn.com food destination, eatocracy.com to bring you "Eatocracy: Mind, Body, Wallet." Now today we focus on the people of Detroit. They face sky high unemployment, the threat of foreclosures and major health problems because of a lack of nutritious food in low-income neighborhoods. Cnnmoney.com's Poppy Harlow has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Detroit has become known as a food desert because it's so hard to find fresh food in neighborhoods like this one, the Cass Corridor in Detroit. Take a look up here on this corner. This is what you see so much -- liquor, beer, wine, convenience store. This is what people in low-income neighborhoods have. Let's see what we could get in here.
Do you have any fresh food, any vegetables or fruit or anything?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, we don't carry any. HARLOW: Nothing like that?
Do you have any fresh food, any vegetables, any fruit, anything like that? No?
Do you have any good grocery stores around here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, ma'am.
HARLOW: Nothing good around here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No fruit, no veggies.
ISMAEL AHMED, DIRECTOR, MICHIGAN DEPT. OF HUMAN SERVICES: People's health outcomes are put in danger as a result of this, so the real cost of this is tremendous.
ON SCREEN WORDS: Every Saturday, 250 vendors come to sell their goods at Eastern Market in Detroit.
HARLOW: Why do you care about helping people get access to healthy foods?
ORAN HESTERMAN, FOUNDER, FAIR FOOD NETWORK: We have a food system that is as broken as our health care system, as our energy system and as our education system.
ON SCREEN WORDS: Oran Hesterman's Fair Food Network is working to fix Detroit's food crisis.
HESTERMAN: In Detroit, we know there are about 500,000 of this city's population do not have access to healthy and fresh foods.
HARLOW: More than half the population of Detroit?
HESTERMAN: Right.
HARLOW: How important is it to you as a mother of nine to make sure that all these kids have healthy, fresh food and not fast food every day?
MARLYN MINUS, DETROIT MOTHER OF NINE: It's extremely important because the food they eat is life for their body and life for their mind, their brain, and I want them to be able to perform at their full potential.
HARLOW: Is it a social injustice issue?
MINUS: It is. But, you know, it's a choice that even low-income can make.
I'll take these right there.
HESTERMAN: So we're trying to work in a variety of ways to help fix this broken food system. And our Double Up Food Bucks project is one way we're doing that.
MINUS: I get double my money every time I swipe my Bridge Card. It's a huge help. You're getting twice (INAUDIBLE).
HARLOW: How much was this?
MINUS: $5.
HARLOW: For the entire thing?
MINUS: Yes.
HARLOW: You know, pretty much all the food here at Detroit's Eastern Market is from Michigan. But as the demand for local food grows, more and more people are saying, why not turn all of this abandoned land in the middle of Detroit into farmland, urban farming?
MIKE SCORE, PRESIDENT, HANTZ FARMS: The city of Detroit has 40 square miles of vacant foreclosed property.
ON SCREEN WORDS: Hantz Farms President Mike Score is trying to create the world's largest urban farm.
SCORE: We have plenty of land to work with, being able to, within your own neighborhood, go out and pick fresh fruits and vegetables for your family is a step forward for Detroit.
HARLOW: Do you really think this is going to be an apple orchard in two years?
SCORE: We know it will be.
HARLOW: You know it will be?
SCORE: People in Detroit are people who are hopeful, who are optimists, who believe that Detroit is a great city. And even though we've gone through a downturn, we've always had a sense that there will be a comeback and the comeback will be breathtaking.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And Poppy Harlow joining us from New York. Poppy, first of all, kudos to you for all the time you spend in Detroit. All right, I just want to -- in reporting from there.
HARLOW: It's my second home. Look, I think Detroit has been ignored. I think, you know, people need to pay more attention to how do you fix Detroit?
HARRIS: Yes.
HARLOW: So we like to go back.
HARRIS: Yes. Yes. Look, you showed us two possible solutions to this crisis, but maybe give us some real sense of how serious a problem this is. HARLOW: It's a huge problem. I mean I sort of found out about this a year ago and I was trying to find the right time to do this story and it was sort of perfect for Eatocracy week. But the problem is massive. I mean, in Detroit, they've got a 50 percent higher obesity rate than the rest of the country. A 70 percent higher diabetes rate than the rest of the country. And there was actually a study done recently, Tony, that found out that those folks in the low income neighborhoods, the ones we talked to, the problem's so bad for them, they are more likely to get seriously ill or even die prematurely because of their lack of access to healthy food. I mean you saw just part of our hunt. We spent hours looking for healthy food. So this is a serious, serious problem. You found two people trying to fix it. We'll keep an eye and see what they can do, tony.
HARRIS: Food, education, the economy. Kudos to you for your work in the Detroit area.
Poppy, appreciate it. Thank you.
HARLOW: You've got it.
HARRIS: And, remember, just go to cnn.com/eatocracy for more stories on healthy eating. It is also where you can learn more about how to unlock the CNN Healthy Eater Badge on Four square.
Got to go. Got to go. CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Don Lemon in for Ali Velshi.
Doctor.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Did you just call it the Four square, like the Internet?
HARRIS: I -- yes, I -- I'm not real familiar with that. I need your help on that.
LEMON: We'll talk afterward.
HARRIS: OK. Beautiful. Let's do it.
LEMON: We'll talk offline.
Thank you, Tony Harris. Always a pleasure to be hanging out with you in the same room.
