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White House Denies Obama-Clinton 2012; Social Security Increase Unlikely; Teaching Kids How to Handle Bullies

Aired October 06, 2010 - 10:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right. The cruelty is almost unimaginable. A grieving family gathers to bury their loved one. A U.S. marine killed in Iraq, but outside the funeral, protesters taunt the mourners saying that the death of U.S. soldiers is god's punishment for homosexuality.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's going into the beast house. Off you go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: This emotionally charged case is not just about human decency but the legal limits of free speech. CNN's Josh Levs is here with a closer look at this case. Josh.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred. I want to start off with something a little different today because I want us all to remember the man behind this case. Let's zoom way in right here. This is our CNN home and away page about this man right here. Lance Corporal Matthew Albert Snyder, he was 20 years old when he gave his life for our country in a fatal incident in (INAUDIBLE) Iraq. He was in a noncombat related vehicle accident.

He died March 30, 2006 and it was outside his funeral that this group, led by Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church and we have some video here and several family members came from Kansas and they're holding signs like this. This is a video of another similar protest they have done. They have actually done hundreds of these. They claim that the death of U.S. soldiers is part of god's wrath for homosexuality. So they will protest basically at any military funerals. Snyder himself didn't happen to be gay. But we have some sound here from Matthew's father, Albert.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALBERT SNYDER, FATHER OF FALLEN U.S. SOLDIER: It comes down to dignity. No one, I don't care if you are not military, no one should be buried with what the Phelps did to him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: And we also have a little bit of sound here from Fred Phelps. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRED PHELPS, LEADER, WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH: I'm sorry that they raise their sons to the devil in hell. I'm sorry that they let him have anything to do with the Army.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: All right. Well, let's take a look through at this case, what happened in this case. I want you to all have some as we look at what's going on in the Supreme Court today. Let's go back here. It was in 2006 that this group protested outside Snyder's funeral, and it was in the next year, it was 2007, that his family sued Phelps' church on alleged invasion of privacy, intentional affliction of emotional distress and also something called civil conspiracy, and they got a big award.

The jury awarded them $11 million. That was later reduced substantial, down to about $5 million, and it was the next year, in 2008, that a federal Appeals Court then came along and overturned that judgment. Their position was that this speech is protected by the First Amendment.

Now, I want you all to understand how huge this case is. Let's just look at a few of the people who have weighed in. Dozens of lawmakers from across the political spectrum filed a friend of the court brief supporting the Snyder family, among them Harry Reid, Mitch McConnell, Barbara Boxer, David Vitter. These are people who rarely find things they agree about, and they signed this.

And they actually, in the brief, it says that Phelps group is not free to hijack this private funeral as a vehicle for expression of their own hate. Not only that, but 48 states and D.C. also signed on in support for the Snyder family but there are some media groups out there that is supporting the other side. They are saying as hateful and disturbing as it might be, this is free speech and it needs to be protected.

I will tell you that we have a lot of details for you at cnn.com. We also have some new pictures. Take a look at this of the Phelps group actually protesting outside the Supreme Court and getting their word out, their perspective out in advance of that. And Fred, I will tell you I definitely want to encourage everyone while we watch this case today to keep in mind the sacrifice and the heroism of all of our people at war, including this young man who was only 20 years old. In Facebook and Twitter, I sent out today, his page at CNN home and away. We can all remember what he gave for our country.

WHITFIELD: All right. Josh, appreciate that.

We're going to talk about this further, the protests at military funeral certainly may seem cruel and outlandish but the issues and ultimately the ruling will reach beyond the extremism of a small radical church group. Avery Friedman is an attorney who specializes in civil rights and he's joining us now from Cleveland, Ohio. He also specializes in the Constitution and where and how the law is applied to it.

Good to see you. So why would this speech or why would the protesters, their actions be protected by free speech? Is it namely because it was a more general statement and they weren't necessarily targeting Matthew Snyder and the family specifically?

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Primarily, Fredricka, it was content based. Meaning since the inception, since back in the 19th century, the Supreme Court has consistently protected content- based speech. In other words, they had a message. As heinous as it is, it is a message, and, therefore, the laws that are involved here, that is the first amendment, in particular, protect that type of nasty speech and by and large what we have seen over the past 200 years, Fredricka, is that cases like this usually involve nasty speech.

Nasty speech like what we saw coming from Fred Phelps, and the question is -- and Josh Levs teed it up perfectly. You've got senators, you've attorneys general lining up, but 21 news organizations who depend on the First Amendment say, you know what, because it's content based, this speech, no matter how terrible it is, should be protected by the First Amendment because if we outlaw this, then what other kind of speech gets outlawed.

WHITFIELD: But it's interesting because the Matthew Snyder family got support all the way through various courts until the Appellate Court said no -

FRIEDMAN: Right.

WHITFIELD: And now it's made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Why would the U.S. Supreme Court take this case?

FRIEDMAN: I think that's a great question because it would have been very easy for the U.S. Supreme Court to simply ducked the issue. There's no conflict among the federal appeals courts, but because the case is so important, because we're dealing with the emotional issue of one of our brave young soldiers, our Marines, who we lost in this war, and because of the dynamic nature of the first amendment, you know what, I think the Supreme Court did the right thing in accepting the case to put to rest whether or not Phelps' behavior as terrible as it is is protected under the First Amendment.

WHITFIELD: So while this case is being argued, if Fred Phelps and his group or anyone who supports what he and his group were doing, were to continue with these protests - are they able to do that? Are they protected to do that until there is a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on this?

FRIEDMAN: Yes. I mean, the bottom line is they have on their side a federal appeals decision, which essentially emboldens them. Think about the irony of this. In the land of the free, these terrible, hateful people are out there saying and doing terrible things about our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and yet the First Amendment stands behind them. So until the Supreme Court, Fredricka, comes down with a ruling, you're going to see mean spirited hateful people like this, exercising their rights under the First Amendment. WHITFIELD: Avery Friedman, always good to see you. Thanks so much. Of course, we'll see you this weekend as well.

FRIEDMAN: Sure. Right.

WHITFIELD: All right. Here's some other big cases that the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to consider this session. Next week, the court will consider whether pharmaceutical company, Wyeth, can be held liable for a defective vaccine. The parents of an injured child are challenging a Congressional act that gives such companies at least some protection from lawsuits. Just how much will be decided by the court?

And next month, the justices will consider whether minors should be prohibited from buying violent video games. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed such a measure into law five years ago, but an Appeals Court struck it down. The Supreme Court could look at this as a free speech issue as well. And come December, the court will hear arguments over an Arizona law that punishes employers who hire illegal immigrants. The National Chamber of Commerce is fighting the law along with various labor and civil rights groups.

And there's quite the buzz about President Obama changing his running mate come 2012. The talk indicates that Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden make a big switch. A legendary reporter says its not farfetched.

Also we're keeping a close eye on Wall Street. The Dow right now up 24 points at 10,968. (INAUDIBLE) close watch on your money, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: OK. Many of you are wondering, why am I in this seat and not Kyra Phillips. This is usually where she is at this time of day. Well, this is why. She's in Washington and she is helping to host one of the panels taking place during the "Most Powerful Women's Summit" sponsored by "Fortune" magazine. You see here there.

She is helping to moderate a discussion there that's titled "True Heroes Leadership Lessons from America's Most Trusted Institution." We're talking about a leadership within the military. You saw General Ann Dunwoody, the first female four-star general of the U.S. Army and of course, you also see right there, Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

So that's where Kyra is today and I'm sure when she comes back tomorrow, she will have lots to share with you on that "Most Powerful Women's Summit" taking place in Washington.

All right. Meantime, speaking of that summit, President Obama was also there last night. He was a featured speaker, and during the speech, the presidential seal kind of went crashing to the ground. Just take a look at how he handled it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In engineering and math. We cannot sustain - whoops - was that my uh - oh, goodness. The that's all right. All of you know who I am.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Good laughs, good applause there, and there were no other interruptions that we have heard about.

Meantime, what do you think about this, Obama-Clinton 2012? Well, journalist Bob Woodward says its quote "on the table" but today the White House is saying not so fast. Our senior White House correspondent Ed Henry is in Washington with the very latest on that. Ed.

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, you are absolutely right. I think White House spokesman Robert Gibbs is really trying to pour cold water on this red hot speculation. It was really fueled by the journalist Bob Woodward, as you mentioned, he was promoting his new book "Obama's Wars" on "John King U.S.A." last night and was suggesting that maybe there would be a little switcharoo and then Vice President Biden would be shoved out of the way in 2012, in favor of secretary of State Clinton. And maybe they switched jobs since Joe Biden is a former Senate foreign relations chairman. Has had his eyes previously on the secretary of State job.

But Robert Gibbs told me a short time ago "no one in the White House is discussing this as a possibility." Robert Gibbs suggesting this is just something that's been sort of cooked up outside the White House. There have been not just Bob Woodward, but some Democratic activists who in private, in recent months, have been suggesting, look, maybe if President Obama can't turn things around in the next year or so that he might need to bring a heavyweight in on the ticket and Bob Woodward sort of really kicked this into high gear last night. Here's how he put it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB WOODWARD, AUTHOR & JOURNALIST: It's on the table, and some of Hillary Clinton's advisers see it as a real possibility in 2012. President Obama needs some of the women, Latinos, retirees that she did so well with during the 2008 primaries, and so they switch jobs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: The key there, I think, is the fact that Bob Woodward attributed some of this to Hillary Clinton's advisers, that they think she would be a good essentially vice president and then potentially president down the road, saying 2016 or something like that. He was not attributing this to Obama advisers. Every Obama adviser I have spoken to in the last 24 hours basically suggested that they don't think this is real, but it's going to stay alive in part because you remember Joe Biden back in 2008 had said he wanted to be secretary of State some day, and the fact that you know, CNN polling has suggest Hillary Clinton still very popular in the Democratic Party, and some Democrats even wondering if she would run against President Obama in 2012. I think that's a remote possibility, highly unlikely as is this whole switcharoo. Fred.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Something tells me some Clinton advisers are getting a little tongue lashing maybe today, huh?

HENRY: They're a little upset with Bob Woodward maybe as well. It's interesting he didn't mention any of this in his book. In fact, I'm reading his book right now and it looks from that book and other reporting I've done that you know, President Obama and Vice President Biden have a pretty good relationship. Fred.

WHITFIELD: Interesting stuff. All right. Thanks so much for setting it all straight for us. Our own Ed Henry there at the White House.

HENRY: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. People who receive social security checks probably will not see an increase next year. We'll tell you why, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: OK. We are keeping a close watch on the markets right now. At 10,954, the Dow up just barely nine points, kind of going up and down this morning as it usually does but at least there's a lot of optimism with today's figures.

Our Carter Evans is keeping a close watch on that. He's also keeping a close watch on this, how the expectations of people's social security checks, how much they rely on them and how much they may or may not be getting soon. Carter.

CARTER EVANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Fred, a lot of people are going to be unhappy about this, but every year, the government assesses whether a cost of living adjustment for social security is justified. Well, the official announcement is not coming for a few weeks but cnnmoney.com analyzed the numbers and here's what they found out. The conclusion, probably going to be no increase in social security checks this year or in 2011.

This is going to be the second straight year of no increases. Why? Well, it's all about inflation. We haven't seen a lot of inflation. I mean, I guess that's good. If you aren't getting a raise at your job, things still aren't costing a whole lot more to buy. But in terms of social security checks, if there's no inflation, you are not going to get an increase. The average social security check right now, $1,170 a month. Remember, people got a big increase back in 2008 and it was because of those soaring fuel prices, but as it stands right now, again no significant inflation, then no increase. Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. So how many people might this affect?

EVANS: A lot of people, we're talking about 58 million people affected.

WHITFIELD: Wow!

EVANS: And for many elderly folks, this is their main source of income and what this could do, Fred, is it really could limit people's purchasing power. Even though prices are holding steady when people know that their check is not going to increase, it just don't feel as confident to spend because there wasn't an increase and they were hoping for it. There may be a silver lining here though.

Social security checks can never decline. So you can breath easy there. But the Congressional Budget Office says a slight increase is expected in 2012 and hopefully - we don't like to see too much inflation but we would like to see those checks keeping increasing and keeping pace with inflation for seniors.

WHITFIELD: Absolutely.

EVANS: Do you want to take a look at the numbers? I know you mentioned it.

WHITFIELD: Yes, please.

EVANS: - at the top here but things change so frequently. The Dow currently up about seven points right now. You know, we got some disappointing employment numbers from private payroll firm ADP (ph) today, basically showing that the private sector cut 39,000 jobs in September. Now, listen, this is not the government report. The government report comes out on Friday. But it's a really good indicator, Fred, of what we might see on Friday. The numbers are not good, still I got to say investors are shrugging it off for the most part. We are seeing gains for the Dow right now even if they aren't too significant.

WHITFIELD: All right. Carter, thanks so much. Appreciate that. Of course, we're going to continue to talk about money. Maybe this time it will hit really close to home. In a few minutes, columnist Michelle Singletary will be joining us. She's going to put you on a financial diet and explain how to shed that debt. Your money questions, send them to cnn.com/fredricka. And we'll post them to her and she'll have some free advice for you.

And take a look at how some kids are learning to deal with school bullies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Listen to me, hamburger head. This is my school. Leave your hamburger at home next time.

Yes. Good, good. Tackle, tackle, tackle. Good. Nice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. That's one way to bully-proof your kids. That story is coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: All right. We got some tornadic activity. We want to check in with our Rob Marciano for more on that. Where?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: In the same spots, Fredricka. You know, we've had two reports of tornadoes earlier today, at least one doing damage across just west of Flagstaff with businesses damaged there. A train derailed and a tractor trailer flipped over. We've got similar cells just rolling along the same path.

There's one just went through Belmont and here's another one, both have warnings on them and this one right here looks pretty strong as far as rotation goes. And that is moving along the same path at about 50 miles an hour. It's to the north, northeast. So residents of west who live just west of Flagstaff, across Belmont specifically, continue to take cover because it looks like even this cell down here might be strengthening as it heads off to the north.

On top of these having some damaging winds, you can imagine just how much heavy rain is falling out of these, falling along the same path. So I wouldn't be surprised if flash flood warnings are posted with this particular line of cells that are moving across parts of Arizona. All in association with this stubborn low that refuses to leave Southern California with all the rain across parts of Los Angeles.

We got snow across parts of the Sierras and we continue to see this line of thunderstorms develop across Phoenix. And now, this red watch box, that is a tornado watch that is in effect until 11:00 local time, on top of these warnings that are embedded on this line. And they continue to redevelop, Fredricka. So an active morning just west of Phoenix. And if these things drift, you know, 15 or 20 miles to the east, and we're talking a lot more populated areas and a lot more dangerous situations.

WHITFIELD: Wow, busy crazy stuff out there. All right. Thanks, Rob.

MARCIANO: You bet.

WHITFIELD: All right. Representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban are involved in secret peace talks. A reporter has an exclusive interview from Kabul.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. There are reports that representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban are involved in preliminary peace talks right now. The "Washington Post" first reported on the secret meetings, and our Ivan Watson will be joining us momentarily on that.

Meantime, the Pakistani Taliban is claiming responsibility for today's attack on NATO supply vehicles. Police say 20 oil tankers were set on fire in Quetta, Pakistan. The attackers killed one person and this is the sixth attack in a week on vehicles carrying supplies for NATO forces in Afghanistan. So the American Society of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry says as many half of all children are bullied some time during their school years. Comedian Ellen Degeneres remembers it well and she blames bullying on ignorance and indifference by parents and she told Anderson Cooper on "AC 360" that she takes it personally.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELLEN DEGENERES, TV SHOW HOST: When these things happen, it feels like a direct assault on me because I am that person that they are bullying. I am that person that feels like committing suicide. They're talking about me. I'm gay, and I have been ostracized my whole life in society, and I'm sent that message on a daily basis by the media, and it hurts, and I want to say to those kids out there, I have been through it. I came out. I am successful. I am happy. I am in love, and there is hope.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So, Degeneres has started a texting campaign. Text word "kind" to 85444, and $5 will go to the Trevor Project. That's a 24-hour suicide prevention hotline for gay youth.

Well, it's not easy to learn how to handle bullies. It takes preparation. Mental and physical. And CNN's Casey Wian takes us to a jujitsu academy showing kids the way.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RENER GRACIE, CO-CREATOR GRACIE BULLYPROOF: Listen to me, hamburger head. This is my school, leave your hamburger at home next time.

Yes, good, tackle, tackle, tackle. Good. Nice.

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nine-year-old Trevor Robertson is one of 60 students in a jujitsu class that says it can bully proof kids.

GRACIE: Very nice.

MARGARITA ROBERTSON, ENROLLED SON IN "BULLYPROOF" PROGRAM: Trevor had to transition into a different school and he had a hard time fitting in with some of the kids.

GRACIE: Good, Trevor.

WIAN: Now Trevor's earned a new stripe on his belt and new confidence.

GRACIE: Very good job, you guys.

TREVOR ROBERTSON, GRACIE BULLYPROOF PROGRAM MEMBER: I was at soccer camp. An older kid, he was kind of picking on me and then he tried to push me. So I got his arm and I put it behind his back and I asked him if he would stop and he said yes, and he didn't bug me. GRACIE: Redirect. Lay down.

WIAN: At the Gracie Jiu-jitsu Academy just outside of Los Angeles, students learn that physically subduing a bully is the absolute last resort.

GRACIE: Be respectful and calm.

WIAN: And they should never go looking for trouble.

GRACIE: If the bully's aggressing, harassing you, talk to them with confidence. I teach them how to do that. Eye contact, stand strong, what to say.

If the bully still persists beyond that, you have to tell the teacher and get the parents involved, get this principal involved, get the school administrator involved.

Should he punch me in the face?

GRACIE: No. Of course not.

Should he tackle me?

No.

If it ever becomes physical with the bully we give the child the resources to defend themselves without ever becoming violent. Neutralize the threat and end it.

Nice, good, tackle.

WIAN: Michelle Hie was bullied when she started kindergarten last year.

WILLIAM HIE, DAUGHTER TARGETED BY BULLIES: She'd come home with her pants kind of like dirty, her sunglasses kind of like broken. So when we asked, "hey, what happened here?" She really said I just fell. Didn't want to say anything else. But then I noticed kind of like the attitude changed. OK. It's kind of like angry.

GRACIE: Get off of me.

WIAN (on camera): Does she have any problems with bullying anymore?

HIE: Actually, no. She kind of knows what to do. That's a good thing.

WIAN (voice-over): As part of the yearlong class, children are taught responsibility, respect, citizenship, and manners.

GRACIE: If you want something, say "please." If they give it to you, say "thank you." If you don't something, what do you say, Mark? "No, thank you." It's the only way. We're teaching fighting fire with water. It is the humble approach. And again, it can't be more emphasized that the more a child learns how to defend him or herself, the more confident they become. And the more confident they become, the less likely they are to be targeted by the bully.

WIAN: The academy has heard complaints from schools with zero tolerance policies for violence even in self defense. As a parent, I asked Gracie how to advise my son.

WIAN (on camera): I don't want him to go against the school and protect himself. So how would you handle a situation like that?

GRACIE: It makes sense that the schools says no one fights at all. Throw a punch, kick someone or respond to a fight, everyone's in trouble. Everyone gets suspended. The problem is the bullies violate the rules, and the kids who are the victims now of the abuse, the violation of the rules, are too scared of the policy to stand up for themselves.

WIAN: He stresses the goal to avoid conflict giving kids confidence.

Casey Wian, CNN, Torrance, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: We're going to talk about your finances coming up. If you've racked up a lot of charges on your credit cards and the debt is really weighing you down, you don't want to miss our next guest.

We are looking at your money questions. We're talking to Washington Post's Michelle Singletary here. Free advice! We can get in some more questions if you want. CNN.com/fredericka.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's talk about almighty debt in America. We owe a lot. Take a look at some of the numbers. This is astounding. U.S. consumer debt is at nearly 2.5 trillion - T -- dollars. That's according to the Federal Reserve bank.

And if those credit card bills are weighing you down, maybe it's time to go on a money fast and purify those finances. Today, we are talking with Michelle Singletary. She's a personal finance author and columnist. You read her stuff all the time - at least I do -- with in "The Washington Post" and she's helping people with money makeovers. She's also got a book out. We're talking about "The Power to Prosper: 21 Days to Financial Freedom."

So, it can be done in 21 days. That's how you get your financial, I guess, house in order, right?

MICHELLE SINGLETARY, "THE WASHINGTON POST" COLUMNIST/AUTHOR: That's right. That's right. It's like going into rehab. Now, I'm not calling everybody addicts, but -- WHITFIELD: We're spending addicts.

SINGLETARY: We are, we are. We're addicted to debt. We're addicted to credit. We're addicted to shopping. We're addicted to living above our means, and this a 21-day fast where you shut it all down. You concentrate on what really matters to you.

Because when you look at how people are spending their money, it's not where their values are. You ask them where their values are - retirement, college, savings, that kind of thing. But when you look at your checkbook and you look at their credit card statements, that's not where your money is going. And this will help you one day at a time.

WHITFIELD: So, in one minute, we're going to break down how do you that. How do you tackle the 21 days, and we're going to kind of show people a few little steps. But first, we also got a lot of questions from people who want some financial advice from you.

And Kenny wrote in saying, "I have a 401(k) through my work. With possible layoffs looming, should I lower my contribution percentage and look into an IRA or CD? My company is not matching anymore."

SINGLETARY: Well, first of all, if he thinks his job is in jeopardy, he may want to roll back a little bit of what he's putting in there to try to save some cash because we don't know how long he's going to be unemployed. And those unemployment checks per week on average are about $300.

That's only if he thinks his job is in jeopardy, so that he can build up cash savings. This is the time -- actually, the one time I would tell people don't aggressively pay off your debt because you need to hoard cash because you're going to need that money --

WHITFIELD: But still maybe want to have six to eight months in a nest?

SINGLETARY: That's exactly right. And most people don't have that. This is the only time that you would do that, if he really fears for his job.

WHITFIELD: OK, and Sunny: "I have a job in inventory and I do numerous odd jobs but it's still hard making ends meet. Do you see the company getting any better - the economy, rather -- getting better or do you have strategies from your successful career that can help?"

SINGLETARY: You know, I think that we are still ahead in terms of having a lot of trouble. I do. I know that officially the recession ended last year, but there's another year or two that we are going to be suffering. So, whatever extra money he's getting, I would definitely try to save, and then little by little, build up an emergency fund, build up what I call a "life happens fund," which you'll find out about in the book. And then attack that debt so if something happens, that job goes away or his income reduces, he'll have some cash to deal with it. WHITFIELD: OK. And then Heidi - this is a long one. "My bank sent a mortgage reduction offer to their good customers. It says they will refinance my existing mortgage down 75 percent with no closing costs of any kind. They say this is a simple modification to keep their best customers from going elsewhere for refinancing. Should I have a real estate attorney look over the papers? Could there be a catch? The papers require I sign in front of the bank's notary."

SINGLETARY: I would definitely have somebody look at that, if they can. I mean, talk to another real estate agent who is familiar with this area. Look at the deal. But if it's a good deal and it's the mortgage lender they have been dealing with, definitely look into it. I mean, that's a cut in money, and then hopefully they will save that money and not spend it.

(LAUGHTER)

SINGLETARY: But definitely! I mean, the rates are really great right now, and if the refinance is low and they are staying in that house, I think she should definitely look into this.

WHITIFIELD: OK. So now, let's talk about this 21-day diet. You actually have a subject here in Atlanta that you are putting on a diet. You met with her recently, and before you even ask, I guess, someone to reveal their finances, you say, you got to make this commitment. You've got to be really dedicated about where you spend your money and how you spend it. And in other words, you are really asking them not to spend money except for the essentials.

SINGLETARY: That's exactly right. I'm shutting you down. Everything. No eating out, no gum, no potato chips.

WHITFIELD: No little lattes.

SINGLETARY: No lattes --

WHITFIELD: No Coca-Cola --

SINGLETARY: Nothing, nothing. People say, you're crazy, I can't do this.

But, look. I ask people to look at their finances. And we're talking about people -- not just people making $20,000. But I know people making six-figure salaries who are struggling, and if they lost their job tomorrow would be broke.

So, I'm just saying cut it out. Spend some time looking at your budget and what you're doing with your money. And, listen, all I'm talking about is consumption. I'm not telling you to leave your boo. I'm not saying drop your kids off at a corner somewhere.

(LAUGHTER)

SINGLETARY: People go nuts when I say this. But just think about that in itself. All I'm saying don't shop. Don't use your credit. People freak out. What does that say? WHITFIELD: You are also telling them, don't even use your ATM card. There was that - I guess that mentality if you have cash, you can spend your cash. Just don't put it on credit card. But you are saying at least during the 21 days to kind of discipline yourself. Know where you can spend your money. You can pay your bills, your can pay your mortgage, your rent. Here they are right here, but you're not going to use your plastic in any way. You are not even going to window shop or browse online because of the temptations.

SINGLETARY: That's right. If your drive to work is past a mall, and that's your thing, you know, take another route.

And the thing about the debit card is we think that's the great card. But it's still plastic. And studies show when you use plastic, debit or credit, you still spend more money than if you had cash. If you walk into the grocery store with $20, you are limited to $20. If you have your debit card, you can overspend what's in your account. That's called overdraft, and lots of people pay those overdraft fees. They're listening right now --

WHITFIELD: So, you are still spending more than you need to.

SINGLETARY: You are spending more.

WHITFIELD: OK. So, this single mom, you are putting her on a tight diet, a financial diet. She is only allowed to spend her money on those essentials. She's got a 10-year-old son, correct?

SINGLETARY: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's take a listen to how challenging this might be.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SINGLETARY: So, I looked - I listed exactly the order that you wanted to do, retirement, saving for college and not sure about having a job. Now, where does savings fit in there? So, do you have any savings.

I can already tell the answer is no.

UNIDENTFIED FEMALE: I have some savings, but not as much as I know I need to have.

SINGLETARY: Do you have a budget? OK, that would be a no.

UNIDENTFIED FEMALE: No, I don't. You know what? To be honest, if there's something that I want, I will probably just purchase it and figure out the rest later.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And that's probably very common. Just figure it out later, how do I pay for it. SINGLETARY: That's exactly right. We don't have a budget. You know, no one wants to call it a budget. They want to call it a spending plan or whatever. Listen, it's a budget! You have to know what's coming in and what's going out.

And if you don't have that plan, that budget, you won't be able to save. You get rid of that debt. You won't know where your money is going. And people just spend, and they don't know that they're spending.

WHITFIELD: And you want people -- when it means not spending, where do you want people to put their money? Your savings should go into that reserve, that emergency fund? Or are you wanting them to put it into savings for kids' college? Where do you want it to go, any or all of those places?

SINGLETARY: You dictate where you want the money to go. If you are behind in retirement, you want to boost that. If are children, rug rats -- I have three, you don't want them to graduate with a ton of debt. So, start saving. You may not be able to pay all of their education, but save what you can.

Get rid of that debt. There's an emergency fund and a "life happens" fund, and that's the money you pay for say, for things in life that happen. Your car breaks down, that kind of thing because if you only have an emergency fund, you're going to dip into that, and when you lose your job, it's not going to be there.

So, you know where your values are. I'm just trying to get you to put your money where your values are.

WHITFIELD: All right. Michelle Singletary, Washington Post columnist and also financial advisor. "The Power to Prosper: 21 Days to Financial Freedom." And of course, we're going to see you more with this "BLACK IN AMERICA" special. "THE ALMIGHTY DEBT." You're part of a panel discussion. So, we'll see you during that. And of course, we love to see you on the weekends as well.

SINGLETARY: Oh, that's great! I hope people watch the special because I think they'll learn a lot about the families profiled and a lot about themselves.

WHITFIELD: Excellent! Michelle Singletary, good to see you.

SINGLETARY: Oh, you're so welcome! You're going on the fast, right?

WHITFIELD: Oh, yes! I will continue to fast, maybe more than 21 days. That's just the starting point, right?

SINGLETARY: That's right. That's exactly right.

WHITIFIELD: All right. The pulpit. It has joined the fight against the financial crisis, as well. The black church has fought for civil and human rights and now it's waging a war on debt. Don't miss "ALMIGHTY DEBT: A BLACK IN AMERICA SPECIAL," right here on CNN. It will air Thursday, October 21st, 9:00 p.m. Mark your calendar. Right now.

A look at our top stories right now. There are reports this morning that secret high-level talks are underway between the Taliban and Afghan government. The two sides are said to be trying to end the war.

And we're keeping a close eye on Wall Street. There is speculation that the Dow Jones could top the 11,000 mark today, but early trading has been slow so far following a weaker-than-expected jobs report. You see right there, barely under 11,000 at 10,952.

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear is a controversial case involving a case of privacy versus free speech. It involves the rights of church groups to protest outside military funerals. The group staged a demonstration at the 2006 funeral of Marine Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder. Well, the family says it was a violation of their privacy, and now, the U.S. Supreme Court will be weighing in.

A new study says the members of the Tea Party movement tend to be Christian conservatives and not libertarians. We'll go deeper into that survey with its lead author.

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WHITFIELD: All right. Time now for our political update. Our senior political edior Mark Preston is in Washington at the CNNpolitics.com desk. So, Mark, what's crossing right now?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey, Fred. There's been a lot of talk about President Obama on the campaign trail. A lot of Democrats don't want to see him. A lot of Democrats are trying to distance themselves.

But we're not seeing that in Nevada nor in California. In fact, yesterday, two senior senators, Barbara Boxer from California, and the Senate majority leader Harry Reid from Nevada both released web videos that emphasized their ties to the president. The Boxer video is a little bit over a minute and what is is is taken from a speech that the president gave on her behalf earlier this year, a very forceful speech saying she needs to be re-elected. The Harry Reid video is him texting back and forth, or to show him texting back and forth with his wife and, in fact, the president interrupts his texting. So, two senior Democrats really trying to tie themselves to President Obama heading into the mid-terms.

Speaking of ads in general, out in Arizona, Republicans are trying to emphasize those August 2009 town halls. Those were very contentious with Democrats, very good for Republicans. If our viewers remember, that's when the health care issue really exploded on the scene. Out in Arizona, one where we have the Democrat in the fight for her life, Ann Kirkpatrick. She's being challenged by Paul Gosar out there. Republicans think they can take back the seat. In fact, national Republicans have a new ad up right now showing a contentious town hall Kirkpatrick was at back in 2009.

And the Tea Party. We talk a lot about the Tea Party and its influence on politics. Well, there's a new survey that shows that members of the Tea Party tend to be Christian conservatives, not libertarians. And, in fact, the survey says one in ten Americans consider them services part of the Tea Party movements. Of course, these are people who like Sarah Palin, not so much President Obama. Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right. Mark Preston, appreciate that.

And we want to take a closer look at the poll and other findings from the Tea Party survey. So, joining us from Washington is Robert P. Jones, the founder and CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute. Good to see you.

ROBERT P. JONES, FOUNDER/CEO, PUBLIC RELIGIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE: Thank you for having me.

WHITFIELD: OK, so what is the lure here? How is it that these common denominators, or people with these common denominators have found themselves supporting the same cause, supporting, perhaps, the same candidates?

JONES: Sure. One of the things that we did in the American Values survey, which is a large survey of more than 3,000 Americans, is to take a hard look at the Tea Party. There has been a lot of anecdotal evidence about what is the relationship between the Christian conservative movement and the Tea Party movement.

And now we actually have some hard data. And it turned up some surprising things.

One of the most surprising things it turned up was the surprising overlap between the Tea Party movement, those who consider them services part of the Tea Party movement, and those who consider themselves part of the Christian right, which has the movement that has been around for a much longer time on the Republican side of politics.

And we found nearly half, 47 percent, of those who consider themselves part of the Tea Party movement also consider themselves part of the Christian conservative movement. So, that means that these are not just two separate groups that found common cause, but in fact these are two groups that are sharing largely the same membership.

WHITFIELD: Well, it's interesting, too and surprising because usually gravitating or associating yourself with a religious cause or mindset might mean that you might be more apt to want to talk about social issues. But instead, the Tea Party movement as a whole has been attaching itself to economic issues, financial issues, so it seems like an oxymoron.

JONES: Right. Well, one of the things we also wanted to see, and this is something that public opinion polls are great for, is to see if there's a gap between the rhetoric of the leadership and the people who are actually the rank and file who identify with the movement. And another one of the things -- well, we confirmed several things about the Tea Party movement. You already mentioned some. Fox News, high favorability for Sarah Palin. High antipathy for President Obama.

On the other hand, one of the things you are pointing to here is we looked into whether or not, for example, those who identify with the Tea Party had more of a libertarian view on social issues, and we actually found that they look much more like social conservatives than libertarians on social issues. For example, on the issue of abortion, nearly two-thirds of those who identify with the Tea Party say abortion should be illegal in all or most cases, and less than one in five who identify with the Tea Party say that same-sex marriage should be legal.

That's hardly --

WHITFIELD: So, then these are not the issues that they are talking collectively, publicly about?

JONES: That's right. Certainly, we see Glenn Beck sort of shying away from those issues, but if you look underneath the leadership and the issues in where the hearts and minds of the people who are forming the ranks of this group, they look very much like social conservatives rather than libertarians.

WHITFIELD: All right. Very fascinating stuff. Robert P. Jones, the founder and CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute. Thank you so much for your insight on this.

JONES: Thanks very much for having me.

WHITFIELD: And of course, check out more about this survey on the CNN Belief blog. That's at CNN.com/belief.

And we'll be right back in a moment.

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WHITFIELD: We talked about nasty weather in Arizona. Well, it's gotten nastier. Rob Marciano, more on this tornadic activity.

MARCIANO: Yes, a number of other tornado warnings have been issued now, and following the same track that the tornado that touched down just west of Phoenix earlier this morning is taking. So, certainly if you live just west of Phoenix or western parts of Phoenix and also in the Cottonwood area which is south of Phoenix, southwest of Phoenix, just north of Sedona, you're going to want to remain in your home until further notice because these storms continue to development and train over one another.

And we do have reports now of injuries from the tornado that touched down about an hour and a half ago in Belmont, Arizona, which is west of Phoenix by about 15, 20 miles. Those seven people that were injured were treated and released, according to a National Weather Service employee. Just west of Phoenix. So, dangerous situation happening in Arizona, Fredericka. We will continue to monitor it. Right now, three tornado warnings out actively in that part of the state.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you so much, Rob Marciano, appreciate it.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Thanks for being with us in the NEWSROOM. Tony Harris is coming up next in the NEWSROOM.

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