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National Security Adviser Steps Down; U.S. Taxpayers and the Taliban; RNC Falls Short of DNC in Fund-Raising Battle/Body Size and Business Success/Urban Communities Growing Fresh Food; Drill Nears Chilean Miners; Personnel Change at White House; Missing Man on Falcon Lake; Pleading With Mexican Drug Cartel for Return of American's Body

Aired October 08, 2010 - 16:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Just a quick update. We will get another political update for you in just about a half-an-hour. And you can always, if you need to get your fix before then, hop on to the Internet and go to CNNPolitics.com, where they tweet @PoliticalTicker.

And now here we go, top of the hour. I want to welcome the women and the men watching us right now on American Forces Network all around the world. Welcome to you. Hi there. I'm Brooke Baldwin. We're going to hit you fast and furious this hour. See if you can keep up with me. Let's go.

Family and friends of the man believed to have been killed by pirates right now are demanding that Mexico step up the efforts to find his body. Take a look at this. This is Denver. Look at the people rallying and the police presence, people chanting while holding the signs that read -- you can hear them -- bring David home.

Investigators in Mexico still searching for David Hartley's body. And it was his wife, Tiffany, who says pirates shot him on that lake straddling the Texas-Mexico border. Now his sister begging Mexico for closure. Meantime, Tiffany Hartley, the wife, by the way, says she may take a polygraph test to prove she's not lying about the story.

Also, take a look at this brand-new video. This is dash-cam video from the morning of the instrument. And what it shows is the Hartley's truck -- there it is -- with the two Sea-Doos -- you see that in the back? Now, police pulled them over apparently for some expired tags just hours before Tiffany Hartley called 911.

Next, developing right now, the country's biggest banks stopping all foreclosures in all 50 states. Bank of America says the freeze will help make sure all decisions on foreclosures are right and that they're legal. Folks, this is obviously huge, huge news, huge deal.

It comes after two days after J.P. Morgan Chase announced that employees may have signed off on foreclosure sales prematurely without reviewing all the paperwork. State attorneys general around the country widening the net into whether other banks might have done the same thing.

Next, another shakeup at the White House, this one happening today. President Obama announcing that his national security adviser taking a step down. Now, we're talking about General James Jones, only signed up for two years. Sources tell CNN he didn't mesh well with other members of the president's inner circle. That is what we're getting. Still, though, President Obama giving him a nice send- off.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Jim has always been a steady voice in Situation Room sessions, daily briefings, and with meetings with foreign leaders, also representing our country abroad with allies and partners in every region of the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: General Jones' current deputy, Tom Donilon, will be the one taking over. And if you're keeping count here, folks, this is the fifth person in just the past couple of months to announce they're leaving or to leave the president's inner circle.

That includes two economic advisers, a senior adviser, and, of course, Rahm Emanuel, who quit as chief of staff just last week.

Next, well, this one here raising some eyebrows. The government sent nearly 90,000 stimulus checks to dead people, also to inmates. That's according to a new watchdog report on President Obama's $814 billion stimulus program from last year.

Keep in mind here, each check worth $250. So, do the math. All told, the government incorrectly spent more than $18 million. And here's something interesting. More than half of those payments have been returned.

Next, there is a heartbreaking story out of Kentucky. Let me explain. We have this woman. She dies after saving her five children from their burning apartment. Take a look with me. Crews say the flames broke out on the first floor, so the only way out through the second-floor window.

The mom helped each of her three kids and two others jump out that window. Listen to how onlookers are describing how they caught them all on the ground as they fell.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAREY HUDSON, NEIGHBOR: I looked up and saw the smoke and I saw a kid hanging out the window. So -- and the paper man had ran up just as I was running up and I had told the paper man. I mean, the paper man was just like jump. If you jump, one of us will catch you.

LARRY EVANS, NEWSPAPER CARRIER: He jumps out of the window and I caught him, put him down. Then I kept asking the lady who lived there how many more kids up there. She said it was two mores.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Firefighters say the woman collapsed and died after her children got to safety. By the way, we are told all the children are fine. That's amazing courage.

Next, want to show you this amazing video. This is a bionics company in California introducing what they're calling eLEGS. This is battery powered. It's a system designed to help paraplegics walk, like this woman. The woman you see in this video, she was paralyzed in a skiing accident.

And she says she started crying because this is the first time in 18 years she has placed her foot on the ground. The company wants to use the legs in rehab clinics next year. When will it be ready for personal use? We're hearing maybe, maybe the year 2013. Wow.

Next, so which politician has thrown -- has the thrown worst first pitch of all time? Well, we can add a new contender to the list. Take a look with me. Game two, Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers. This is Florida Governor -- ohh -- Florida Governor Charlie Crist. The pitch, you saw it, high and to the right. Sorry, Governor. We're going to watch that again. There we go.

Worst part about it, in college, guess what we found out? He played quarterback at Wake Forest -- quarterback, not, obviously, the pitcher.

Next, finally, do you know what Sunday is? Check your calendars. It is October 10, 2010 -- 10/10/10. This is a once-in-a-lifetime date. So what are people doing to celebrate? They're getting hitched, of course. An estimated 32,000 weddings are planned for across the country. That is according to The Knot and the Wedding Channel Web sites. For some context, only 5,000 weddings were planned on the same Sunday in October of last year.

All the luck you can get, 10/10/10. Now, watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CARL LEVIN (D-MI), ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: -- were found to possess land mines and large amounts of ammunition and were determined by the U.S. military to be in league with the Taliban.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: What is he talking about? Folks, this is a scathing study. The military hired contractors to protect U.S. bases in Afghanistan, but many of those contractors were, in fact, warlords and insurgents. And can you guess who footed the bill for this? Hmm. That's coming up.

Also, the clock is ticking in Chile. And as the drill gets closer and closer to those 33 trapped miners, man, their families, they're waiting, waiting for them. The suspense obviously is building. We're going to tell you how close they are to seeing daylight. That's next.

Stay there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BALDWIN: Want to let you know we're waiting for a live report from Chile from the scene of the miners' rescue. Again, can you believe it's been more than two months now?

Here's the situation now. The American-manned drill -- it's what they're calling plan B -- it's tunneling toward the miners. They have been trapped for 64 days. You know they're counting. Last report that we have gotten here at CNN, that drill just a mere 120 feet from where the miners are located, about two-and-a-half miles underground.

So, we will be getting a live update from Karl Penhaul this hour once again. Meantime, Karl has this piece in which he shows us this round-the-clock vigil being kept by all the miners' families.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Day fades into another night, but, at last, the anguished wait may be drawing to a close for families of the 33 trapped miners.

"Waiting is like a bad itch that bothers you every minute of every day. You get a knot in your stomach, thinking this is the final phase. The only thing I want to do is take my husband home and forget this ever happened," she says.

She's waiting for veteran miner Mario Gomez, the oldest of the 33. Close by, Jessica Yanez mounts a vigil for her husband-to-be, Esteban Rojas.

"All this time, I feel I have been dreaming. But, when I wake up, I see it is all reality. My stomach hurts and my head hurts thinking I have no choice but to carry on waiting," she says.

The roll call of all 33 names is painted on this rock. The families of miners Claudio Yanez and Dario Segovia have huddled here every night for two months to sprinkle the embers with sugar, a ritual to bring them luck.

"This is an eternal wait, but I must be patient. There's only a little while left," she says.

The rescue may be now just days away. And Alberto Segovia is not sure he can find the words to welcome his brother home.

"When the moment comes, I think I will forget everything I plan to say. I will just tell him what I feel in my heart," he says.

But Jessica knows there are two things that cannot go unsaid.

"The first thing I will tell Esteban is that I love him and that he must never go back down to the mine," she says. "There are many ways to earn a living without killing yourself."

Karl Penhaul, CNN, at the San Jose mine in Northern Chile.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BALDWIN: Just a reminder: We are going to talk to Karl within the hour and we will talk a little bit more about that capsule. Just a quick reminder: It's going to be about 21 inches across. You see this? So, these guys are going to have to fit in this capsule. How that process will work, what the families are saying, that is coming up a little later.

Meantime, this explosive report that alleges Americans -- links between American subcontractors and the Taliban. We will break it all down for you, tell you how this hit movie -- remember Quentin Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs"? What does this have to do with this? We are going to explain. Stand by.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: With the war on terror now entering its 10th years, we're getting now some disturbing news about who is guarding some U.S. bases in Afghanistan. This is all according to this new report, this is from the Senate Armed Services Committee, tribal warlords with ties to the Taliban were paid with American tax dollars to act as guards.

Now the Pentagon catching heat for this, obviously. Senators say the lack of oversight for security contractors has put U.S. troops at grave risk.

CNN's Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence looks at this investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Security contracting in Afghanistan comes off as some sort of gangster movie in this scathing Senate report. One example, Armorgroup hired a series of warlords to guard an air base and gave them code names to hide their identity.

SEN. CARL LEVIN (D), CHAIRMAN, ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: This is the company's naming of these warlords -- Mr. Pink, Mr. White, Mr. White II.

LAWRENCE: Sound familiar? Senator Carl Levin says they took it right off Quentin Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "RESERVOIR DOGS")

LAWRENCE TIERNEY, ACTOR (portraying Joe Cabot): Here are your names -- Mr. Brown, Mr. White, Mr. Blond, Mr. Blue, Mr. Orange, Mr. Pink.

STEVE BUSCEMI, ACTOR (portraying Mr. Pink): Why am I Mr. Pink?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVIN: Those warlords were variously, variously implicated in murder and bribery. As a matter of fact, Mr. Pink killed Mr. White I. LAWRENCE: The Pentagon contracts with security companies which then pay Afghans to guard base or supply convoys. What did this group buy with American taxpayer dollars?

LEVIN: They were found to possess landmines and large amounts of ammunition and were determined by the U.S. military to be in league with the Taliban.

LAWRENCE: In fact, the report says Mr. White number two was holding a Taliban meeting in his home when U.S. and Afghan troops raided it.

The Armed Services Committee investigated 125 contracts like this and found the Pentagon didn't have the manpower to oversee its own contracts. The Pentagon says it has now hired 300 percent more personnel to audit contracts in the field, and General David Petraeus has made U.S. commands in Afghanistan responsible for overseeing contracts in their battlefield.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates wrote to Senator Levin, "Through the new programs we have implemented, I believe DOD has taken significant steps to benefit our forces on the ground, while not providing aid to our enemies."

Analyst Carl Forsberg was invited to Afghanistan when General Petraeus took over. He has testified on Capitol Hill about contracting issues and says reform is no quick fix.

CARL FORSBERG, INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF WAR: A lot of these (INAUDIBLE) militia commanders will try to retaliate if we cut off contracts and we have to be willing to accepts that there is going to be some short-term difficulty, but the long-term gain will be tremendous.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: I want to bring in Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence who is in Washington.

Chris, wow. I mean, other than the Mr. Brown and Mr. Pink here within the report and also the fact that I'm sure people are hearing that they're paying for this, American taxpayers, I'm almost afraid to ask, but what else, Chris, might we as Americans be shocked at within this report?

LAWRENCE: Yes, Brooke, in some ways, it just gets worse.

In one case, a contractor was hired to guard an installation, they were actually using rocks, regular old rocks to sort of simulate human forms instead of actually posting the guards.

In another case even more serious, this one just back in February, security guards shot at American troops. The troops who were being shot starting yelling out, "We're Marines, we're Marines." They kept shooting and one security guard shot and killed a U.S. Marine. It gets worse from there because when they were detained, when the military detained these guards, they found out not only were they high on opium, they hadn't even been trained how to use their rifle, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Wow. Wow. And I'm sure, Chris, doing your excellent reporting that you do, you know, we try to get both sides of the story. We picked up the phone and called -- is it Armorgroup, this security firm? What are they saying?

LAWRENCE: Armorgroup told us basically that, you know, they did contract with people in these two villages, but they say they only did so on the recommendation and encouragement from U.S. Special Forces and they say their people were in contact with the special forces the entire time to make sure that their employees were supporting the mission there.

And, again, Armorgroup is just one firm. They are just one example that's mentioned in this report. The bigger question is despite all of the problems we just laid out, Afghan President Hamid Karzai wants all of these security firms out of his country by the beginning of the year and almost everyone you speak to at the State Department, at the Pentagon will tell you the mission cannot go forward without using these contractors. You will need almost twice as many military troops to pick up the slack and do these security jobs that the contractors are doing.

BALDWIN: Sure, they need them -- they need them for safety. Still, though, Chris, frightening stuff. Thank you for bringing that to us. A scathing Senate report there.

Meantime, remember we talked on and on about Shirley Sherrod. Here she is. It was her career, really, in meltdown mode because of the videotape. Different pieces of the tape, remember, it was creatively edited together, shall we say, to make it sound as though she were racist.

Well here's what we're getting today. We're getting new information as to what exactly went on behind closed doors, the White House during that PR crisis. You may be surprised by the e-mails that we just got in today. We're going to share those.

Also, I want to share a number that's nice to look at, folks. The Dow closing above the 11,000 mark. And this is the first time that it's been above that nice round number since May the third. Wow.

Be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: You remember this lady? How could we not, right?

This is Shirley Sherrod, she was the victim of that Internet hack job, video of a speech by her taken totally out of context posted by conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart. Well, some documents have now been released and while certainly no smoking gun, implicates the White House here. It is very clear that some Obama administration officials and USDA officials, Department of Agriculture officials pushed her out for political reasons.

I want to read you some of the e-mails that we have here today. In fact, one AG official, Krysta Harden, wrote this, take a look with me. She says, quote, "We need to make sure that someone has seen the video. I am quick to jump to conclusions but want to be certain it is what it is said to be before I tell the secretary."

So a couple of minutes pass, then you have a couple others says, quote, "We need to take immediate action."

And here is Harden again, she says, "The (Secretary) is absolutely sick and mad over the Sherrod issue. He wants her immediately on (administrative) leave." Another person adds, "Concur. She should be fired."

So here you have some saying, you know, look, don't rush to judgment and others saying the secretary of the Agriculture Department wants her out. All of this going on without anyone actually bothering to watch the full speech. Remember? We played that for you here on our show. And other e-mails show that when chief of staff Rahm Emanuel was keeping tabs on what was going on.

Now Sherrod has since commented on all of the e-mails that are coming to light and still maintain the support for President Obama. Here's what Shirley Sherrod herself was saying, here's what we have, "The newly reported details surrounded my dismissal shed light on the decisions made within the Department. I have accepted the apologies of both President Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. I have always said that I support President Obama and I'm available to him and his administration," end quote.

Now, we have breaking news right here. Take a look at the flames -- let me walk you through what I'm just getting here. This is in California. This is a vacant -- thank goodness, vacant bowling alley clearly burning. Look at the smoke. Obviously, firefighters attacking this thing from multiple sides.

These are pictures that are coming in from KTLA. This is Belleflower, California. I mention those firefighters. Look at how high the smoke plumes are. Right now, this thing is fast and furious. I'm hearing 75 firefighters on the scene. But, believe it or not, this is a two-alarm fire.

You can see all of the different, though, the water on the right side, the flames against -- against this building, again, thank goodness, it is vacant. It's a vacant bowling alley. But you can believe, I would imagine, streets cordoned off, people getting out of the neighboring buildings.

I have no idea if this is a residential area or more or less businesses, but I bet we're making phone calls right now behind the scene and as soon as we get more information -- wow, look at those flames -- we'll bring it to you. Again, our thanks, pictures from KTLA from Los Angeles. Also, we're keeping our eye on this story, New York's mayor is on a crusade to prohibit sodas from some drinkers. So, you're thinking, why would you target certain people and certain drinks? Well, if you can imagine, this has a lot of people talking. That's why it's in the trending block. That is ahead.

Also, what is breaking in the world of politics. We're going to get the latest from the political ticker with "The Best Political Team on Television."

You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: CNN's got you covered with all the latest political news with "The Best Political Team on Television," Mark Preston, Paul Steinhauser, both of these guys at the CNNPolitics.com desk. Eenie, meenie, miney, mo. Who's going first?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIR.: I'll take it, Brooke. Let's talk about the battle for campaign cash between the Democrats and Republicans. Remember, campaign cash in these final weeks pays for get-out-the-vote efforts and commercials. So who's winning? Who's on top? Well, the Republicans showed their money today. Republican National Committee confirmed to me they raised $10.3 million in September. Now, that's a lot of money. That's about $3 million than they raised back in August. But that's $6 million less that Mark confirmed earlier in the week that the Democrats raised.

So you could say the Democrats are winning this battle. But wait, there's more, Brooke. Let's talk about some of those outside groups, the independent groups separate from the party. And the big bucks there that are being raised spent are all on the Republican side. So in the end of the day, looks like the Republicans may have the advantage. Over to you, Mark.

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: You know, Brooke, we talk a lot about how many seats Republicans need to pick up on November 2nd in order to take back the House majority. Well, one of those seats that they're really zeroing in on is down in Texas, down in Waco, Texas, in the Bryan-College Station area. It's held by a Democrat by the name of Chet Edwards. Now, Chet Edwards is this very conservative Democrat, has been able to defy the odds, has won previous elections, has been able to stave off any kind of Republican challenge down there.

In fact, President Obama had him on his list of potential vice presidential nominees back in 2008. Well, Edwards is in the fight for his life right now. The Republicans -- his name is Bill Flores. Even Edwards has said that he is the underdog, especially going into this election season. Of course, he says he's going to keep fighting on for it. We have a great report up on CNNPolitics.com by our own Ed Lavandera -- Paul.

STEINHAUSER: Brooke, let's talk about our brand-new CNN Opinion Research Corporation national poll. We got a number on there that is really trending on line right now, on CNN.com and everywhere else, as well. Check this out.

We asked in our national survey, Who's the better president, who's doing a better job, Barack Obama or his predecessor, George W. Bush? Check out these numbers, Brooke, because according to our numbers, the president only has a 2-point advantage right now. Basically, Americans are divided between who is the better president, 47 to 45. But look how it was a year ago -- 57 percent back then saying Barack Obama, 34 (ph) percent now. These numbers are important why? Because Republicans are trying to make this election a referendum on Barack Obama. Troubling numbers for him and for the Democrats. That's what we've got Brooke.

BALDWIN: Paul, I'm just now noticing that sign over your left shoulder, as if you needed reminding, accuracy first. Very funny. Mark, Paul, we thank you. Have a great weekend.

Just a quick reminder. We're going to get another political update next hour. You can always get the latest political news at CNNPolitics.com. These guys are on Twitter. Go to @PoliticalTicker.

Meantime, have you heard about this one? Take a good long look at your boss. Is he a bit larger than average? Is she fit and trim? There's apparently some kind of link between body size, corporate success and salaries. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Time to find out what's "Trending." What are you talking about? What are you tweeting about today? And guess who we got to do "Trending"? My pal and colleague, Poppy Harlow, CNNMoney.com. She's all over "Trending" today. Poppy, good to see you.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: Good to see you, too.

BALDWIN: We thought you'd be perfect because, you know, you're a business gal and we got some jobs numbers today.

HARLOW: Yes.

BALDWIN: And I tell you what. You know, this is a number we were hoping would change, and it didn't.

HARLOW: Not at all. I mean, of course, we're talking about the unemployment rate, our top story here certainly for CNNMoney people. A lot of people talking about this one, 9.6 percent unemployment remains pretty abysmal jobs reports. Look at that, 95,000 jobs lost in September alone. Look, economists, Brooke, thought we wouldn't lose or gain any jobs. So this was a lot worse than expected. I think the only bright spot here is the private sector, private companies, not the government-added jobs, added 64,000 jobs.

But the bottom line, look, it's the same sectors, the same folks that are hurting, and that's why people are talking about this. Construction and manufacturing -- they lost the most jobs again. And really the only large increase we saw, Brooke, was in health care. So no wonder people are talking about it. You see the chart right there, talking about our job loss. It's that 159,000 number you're looking at.

BALDWIN: Yes.

HARLOW: Guess what? That's government jobs that were lost. That's a pretty scary indicator, really strapped state budgets. They are cutting jobs, Brooke, left and right.

BALDWIN: Yikes. And I hopped on CNNMoney.com and I thought what was interesting, you guys broke out some of the numbers by demographics. And if you look at the men and the women, it says women are faring much better than men, with an 8 percent unemployment rate --

HARLOW: Yes.

BALDWIN: -- compared to 9.8 percent for men. Yet -- and this is going to get you into this little study that came out today -- I don't know if some of these women are the skinny girls, but apparently --

HARLOW: Probably!

BALDWIN: Apparently, you need to lose the LBs if you're a female, not a male, but if you're a female, if you want to make the money. What's up with that?

HARLOW: This is really interesting, and a lot of people have a lot of opinions. That's why this story's trending. "The Wall Street Journal" has this blog about a study that just came out from the American Psychological Association. And guess what they said? They said that thin women make more on average, than women -- not that are heavy, Brooke, than women that are just average weight. I couldn't believe this. Look, women that are 25 pounds below the norm, they get paid an average of $15,572 more --

BALDWIN: Wow!

HARLOW: -- than women that weigh just average. I don't love that study!

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: But it's not just the women, it's the exact opposite for men, isn't it?

HARLOW: Isn't this crazy? Men, as they pack on the pounds, according to this study, get paid more! So I guess the fatter you get, the more likely you are, if you're a man, to become a boss. Those men get about $13,000 more, the heavier they get. Can you believe it?

BALDWIN: Are we talking, like, weight, or are we talking muscle? Do we know? HARLOW: I think -- I don't know.

BALDWIN: We don't know. We don't know. It's a study --

HARLOW: I don't know.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: We thought it was interesting. We went there. One more "Trending" story that you have, Poppy, is the mayor of New York, of New York City --

HARLOW: Yes.

BALDWIN: -- Mayor Bloomberg is saying people with what, food stamps getting soda is a no-no.

HARLOW: This is really interesting. Mayor Bloomberg has been, like, on the health train for a long time.

BALDWIN: Yes.

HARLOW: He basically cut out smoking anywhere inside in New York not long ago. And I want to show you this, folks. Let's pull this out for you. Do you remember the effort in New York to tax soda? I want to show you this. The ad campaign we saw, "Are you pouring on the pounds?" Take a look at that. Remember that all over the place last year?

BALDWIN: Yes.

HARLOW: Well, guess what? This is what Mayor Bloomberg wants to do now. He wants to not allow anyone using food stamps in New York to spend them on sugary drinks. Of course, that means soda. Take a quick listen to what the mayor said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (R), NEW YORK CITY: -- the experts all tell you is very detrimental to your health. It is contributing to the number one public health issue remaining in this city and in this country that's getting worse. It's not unreasonable. And it's not picking on anybody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Well, I think the soda industry would disagree. Look, the mayor is even tweeting about this. Let me read you his tweet.

BALDWIN: Yes, we have it pulled up.

HARLOW: Yes. "Sugar-sweetened drinks fuel America's obesity epidemic. Today, we are taking one more step to save New Yorkers' money and lives." Yes, that's what the mayor says. Take a look at what the American Beverage Association says. They're coming out full force here, Brooke. They say, "This is just another attempt by government to tell New Yorkers what they should eat and drink and will only have an unfair impact on those who can least afford it."

They don't like it. That could be a big, big blow to their business. It would be sort of a two-year pilot program.

BALDWIN: OK.

HARLOW: And I should say, to their part, they've taken sugary sodas out of schools. So you can still get diet --

BALDWIN: So that's one step.

HARLOW: -- but you can't get those sugary sodas.

BALDWIN: That's one step. Still a lot people say diet isn't great. And we'll just have to wait and see if, you know --

HARLOW: It's awful.

(CROSSTALK)

HARLOW: It's not supposed to be good for you, but I drink it, so --

BALDWIN: I know! Me, too. Guilty!

HARLOW: Guilty.

BALDWIN: Poppy, awesome having you on. Thank you.

HARLOW: Nice to see you. Good weekend.

BALDWIN: Thank you. Same to you.

Also, speaking of trying to be healthy, you know, getting farm- fresh produce may be hard to come by in some inner city areas. But one man, one guy's out there, is trying to change all of that. CNN's Gary Tuchman looks at this urban agriculture pioneer in today's "Solutions" segment.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL ALLEN, FOUNDER, GROWING POWER: OK. Let's huddle up here, you guys.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Will Allen is calling the shots on this farm, a long way from the basketball courts where he made his name years ago. Allen is the founder of Growing Power, a non-profit organization that turns rundown city land into vibrant vegetable gardens. He planted the seeds for the project, helping local kids plant a garden. Allen now has 14 greenhouses in inner city Milwaukee alone. His goal is to teach communities how to grow their own food, especially in spots he calls "food deserts."

ALLEN: A food desert is a place where you have to travel over three, four miles to the nearest retail grocery store. There is no access to healthy -- to fresh food. TUCHMAN: Allen is now sharing his city farming secrets with people across the country, including Omar Brownson (ph), who works with faith-based groups in California.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is something that's real. Urban agriculture is a good vehicle to have, good, healthy community, good food, and a good job.

ALLEN: Obviously, I'm not going to be here on this earth forever, so it's my responsibility to come up with a succession plan to pass on what I've learned to others.

HARLOW: Gary Tuchman, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: I don't know if you've been following this story quite as closely as I have. I bet you have.

Can you believe these 33 miners have been underground in Chile for now 64 days? It is day 64, but there is some incredible news that is coming out of this Camp Hope. And CNN's Karl Penhaul is live down there.

He's joining me now to talk me through -- Karl -- the latest, including the question everybody has: When could these guys possibly get out?

KARL PENHAUL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That really is the only question on everybody's lips, Brooke. What day and what time?

We still don't know for sure. What we do know is that the drill that is going to bust through into that tunnel where those 33 miners is, it's just 120 feet away from its target. But that won't be the end.

It is the beginning of the end, but the final countdown will start when that breakthrough comes, and then the experts here on the surface have to prepare that rescue shop (ph) to be able to haul the rescue cage that's been called the Phoenix Capsule back to the surface with each miner one by one. They may have to put steel piping down the whole length of that rescue shaft, so-called encasing.

And if you look over my shoulder there, that massive structure there is a winch and a crane that can both put the steel casing down, but it can also crucially be used to hoist that Phoenix Capsule back to the surface. So, the fact that it's in place is a sure sign that the beginning of the end is here.

But the exact time, the exact day, we don't know, although the health minister says that he believes that first miner could come back to the surface on Tuesday. And you can bet for sure that that will mark the first day of the rest of their lives for these 33 miners -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Freedom. Freedom indeed.

And we're looking at the pictures at the bottom right-hand part of your screen. We're scrolling through these faces that we're seeing for the first time of these miners.

And Karl, once that Plan B drill breaks through that hole and they can send the Phoenix down, it's my understanding that it won't go empty. And correct me if I'm wrong, but they're going to be sending down a navy commando and a rescuer on down to help facilitate this process, correct?

PENHAUL: Yes, exactly. They're going to actually send four rescuers down. Two of them are going to be navy paramedics and the other two are going to be rescue experts for the state copper company here in Chile.

They will go down. First of all, they'll carry out a medical check of the 33 miners, and that will help determine the order that they come back to the surface.

And then what they will do is, one by one, enclose the miners in that rescue capsule, and they will be the ones who give the order, hoist it up. And from the moment that that rescue capsule is down in the mine, until the time that it gets back to the surface, that ride could take as little as 15 minutes.

It's likely to be claustrophobic. It could be scary. But it's going to be the ride of these miners' lives, because it's going to be the one that brings them back to the surface -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Oh, so it will happen a little bit faster, I think, than we had initially thought.

Karl, final question. Thirty seconds here. What happens once these guys get out and they see the sunlight?

They can't just go home to the families. There's a hospital set up. Is there not?

PENHAUL: Absolutely. And the medics want to protect them from that bright sunlight as they come out of that hole because they say there's a huge potential for damage to their retinas if their eyes aren't protected. So that's going to be the first step.

Then to the field hospital for initial stabilization. And after that, they could have their first contact with one or two of their family members.

And after they say their first "hellos," they'll be taken off to a hospital about 15 minutes' flight by military helicopter away. They'll spend a couple of days there for thorough medical examinations, psychological checks too. And then after that, they can try and resume a normal life or open a whole new chapter in their life -- Brooke. BALDWIN: Finally, freedom, 64-plus days.

Karl, we'll be watching that moment along here with you on CNN. Karl, thanks for the update.

Meantime here, President Obama hit the campaign trail today and made some changes to his inner circle. Wolf Blitzer and "The Best Political Team on Television," they're all over these developments today. We'll talk more about that coming up.

Also, Bill Maher never short of opinions. And tonight he'll be talking politics with John King. You can watch Bill Maher, "JOHN KING USA," tonight, 7:00 Eastern.

And then at 10:00 Eastern, join "AC 360" for the special town hall. They're going to be talking about ways to fight back against bullying. You know, can it happen? Can it be done? The special report, 10:00, you can't miss it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Well, today we had another personnel change at the White House. Jim Jones announced he will be stepping down as national security advisor.

Wolf Blitzer joins me now from "THE SITUATION ROOM."

And Wolf, I guess this announcement not much of a surprise. He sort of alluded to the fact that he was going be there for two years or so. But what do we know about his replacement?

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": He's an old Washington hand. He's very well known to insiders here in Washington, Tom Donilon. He worked in the State Department during the Clinton administration.

He's got a very heavy political background here in Washington. Very different than Jim Jones, a retired commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, spent his professional life as a United States Marine.

Tom Donilon comes from a different background. He'll have a different attitude as the national security adviser. Doesn't have that direct military -- extensive military experience that General Jones had, but he's highly respected, Tom Donilon, a lot of people like him a lot. And this is what the president wants, and the president gets to pick.

BALDWIN: He does. He is the president, after all.

Wolf, also today, we were talking about this earlier in our show, those e-mails. You know, the whole Shirley Sherrod story in which she was basically outed out of the U.S. Agriculture Department. And now we're finally seeing some of the back and forth between the White House and the Ag Department.

Have you had a chance to look at those e-mails? And what do you make of them?

BLITZER: It goes to show you what happens when you rush to judgment and you panic on the basis of faulty information and you just think it's true. And you've got to check and check and recheck.

It's the same in our business. If the story sounds too good to be true, as you know, Brooke, it's almost certainly too good to be true.

So you really want to vet it. And before you go ahead and ruin someone's career and fire someone, you really have to be sure you have all the information and not just some quotes and some -- and some stuff that's taken way out of context.

BALDWIN: Yes, you took the words right out of my mouth. It's just like journalists, check, check, and recheck.

Wolf Blitzer, I thank you. We'll see you in a couple of minutes here on "THE SITUATION ROOM."

But first, still here, coming up next, we're starting a little something new today. I want you to watch this.

I'm going to show you some small-town papers, how they cover the news, their headlines. So take a look with me.

Right now, a lot of eyes on McAllen, Texas. This is the McAllen, Texas, "Monitor" because of those Mexican pirates on Falcon Lake and the search for a young husband's body. We're going to go "Beyond the Headlines" for the latest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Today we're beginning something new. We're calling it "Beyond the Headlines." So every day, we're going to find three of the most interesting stories being reported in your hometown newspapers, kind of like all of these different papers we're selecting from right here. And we're going to bring them to the rest of our viewers here on CNN NEWSROOM.

And then all together here, we're going to "Beyond the Headlines" for an in-depth look at some of the stories. So, again, we're getting this here from this Web site. Let me take you to specifically -- let me take you -- here we go.

So this is the first headline we're looking at. This is headline number one.

This is Ashland, Oregon. This is the "Mail Tribune."

Advocates and opponents are butting heads over this state measure. This is certainly a heated topic. I know we've reported on this. The question is: Should marijuana be legalized for medical use or otherwise?

It's an issue on voters' ballots in four states this November. But this particular paper in Oregon reports how the ballot measure would allow privately owned, nonprofit dispensaries to distribute medical marijuana.

Last night, proponents debated the issue with police, who are against it. Why? Well, because not everyone would follow the new law and use marijuana legally, and they simply don't have enough resources -- this is what they're reporting in the paper here -- to handle the new crop of marijuana cases on top of their normal duties to protect and to serve.

We know you're interested in this topic. And next week CNN NEWSROOM will be dedicating several days here of coverage to marijuana on the ballot.

Let me show you headline number two. There we go, headline number two, Long Beach, California.

The "Press-Telegram" headline reads, "Long Beach PD Honors Act of Bravery." And get this -- police are honoring a soldier and three Marines who helped a police sergeant. The sergeant somehow struggling here with the suspect. Had a knife, was hurt.

They jumped on him to try to help him. The police chief said if they had just stood by and not intervened, well, he's not quite sure how things would have turned out.

And finally, this is our third headline here. And I know you know this story.

This is the McAllen, Texas, "Monitor." It reads here, "We Just Want a Body," which grabbed our attention.

This is a story a lot of you are talking about. Here, officials are pleading with a Mexican drug cartel to return the body of 30-year- old David Hartley. That's the American man reportedly shot and killed while he was with his wife, Tiffany, on Falcon Lake, the lake that straddles the Texas-Mexican border.

So, with this story, we're going "Beyond the Headlines."

Joining me now from McAllen, Texas, Farrah Fazal from affiliate station KRGV.

Farrah, what do you have today?

FARRAH FAZAL, REPORTER, KRGV: Good afternoon.

There's actually a lot of new developments in this story today. And let me start with the search for David Hartley.

This afternoon, just a few (AUDIO GAP) the Zapata County sheriff told me that -- Zapata County is the county where Falcon Lake is. He told me that at 10:00 this morning, he saw a boat in the water, in the Mexican water. He said it was a Mexican boat searching the area around Old Guerrero, where David Hartley disappeared. He says last night, around 5:30, he saw a big Mexican plane going between one part of Falcon Lake in the U.S. and Old Guerrero, in Mexico. He says that now that's evidence to him that the Mexicans are actually vigorously searching for David Hartley.

The Mexican government, the embassy in Washington, D.C., released a statement this afternoon. And the spokesman there is saying that the Mexican government is adding more army, federal police, and local officers. They're searching in the water, in the air, and in the Rio Grande.

By the way, there's one new quick thing to tell you.

BALDWIN: Farrah Fazal, I've actually got to cut you off. I apologize. We're 10 seconds away from "THE SITUATION ROOM."

But again, that's "Beyond the Headlines."

Farrah, I thank you for that.

And how let's send it up to my colleague Wolf Blitzer with "THE SITUATION ROOM."