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Pension Vote Nears in France; Senate Fight in Illinois Gets Nasty; Greening Detroit's 'Food Desert'; The Help Desk; What's Hot; Church Helps Student Handle Debt
Aired October 22, 2010 - 12:00 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. Top of the hour in the CNN NEWSROOM where anything can happen here. Here are some of the people behind today's top stories.
Protestors hit the streets over government cuts. We're talking about painful economic realities making for frustrated people in France. What lessons could Europe's drastic measures hold for the United States?
Just 11 days before the election and the mud is flying in the race for President Obama's old seat. We are following the big races and candidates as we count down to election day.
And you are online right now; we are, too. Sandra Endo is following "What's Hot" -- Sandra.
SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right, Tony, what do NBA star Shaquille O'Neal and Madonna have in common? Well they both know how to strike a pose. Find out more in "What's Hot?"
HARRIS: OK, let's get started with our lead story.
Protesting pension reform, you try to raise the age of retirement, you're going to get intense backlash. The government of France feeling that full force.
More than a million people have turned out nationwide to protest a plan to push the retirement age from 60 to 62. The government insists it is necessary to save money. And senators are set to approve the proposal.
Senior International Correspondent Jim Bittermann is in Paris.
And Jim, first question, once the measure passes the Senate, as it is expected to do, will the strikes end, or is there a chance they could even intensify?
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Could intensify, Tony. The fact is that it's going to be a fait accompli, this law, in about -- probably early next week. It's going to pass the Senate tonight and it has to go through a reconciliation process, but it will be passed. In any case, the unions are calling for more demonstrations and strikes, even though it's passed. And, you know, just listening to Fareed Zakaria there talk about the gloominess in the United States, it's one of the things you see here, too, a gloominess and a kind of pessimism, and people are anxious. And this pension law really is -- has taken a second seat to this overall angst about things and anger at President Sarkozy -- Tony.
HARRIS: Well, Jim, the strikes, we understand, have really caused some crippling fuel shortages in the country. Has that situation eased at all?
BITTERMANN: Well, not very much. The energy minister said this morning that there's about 20 percent of the gasoline stations in the country that don't have any gasoline at all, and that 80 percent are working, but some of those don't have all sort of varieties of gasoline you may want. And this country uses a lot of diesel fuel, and not a lot of diesel fuel around.
In any case, tomorrow starts the long -- two-week-long vacation here, fall break for school kids, and so a lot of people are planning to take to the roads. And the question is, are they going to have the gasoline? There's uncertainty and they're anxious about that. It just adds to the overall anxiety here, I think -- Tony.
HARRIS: Well, heading into that break, that holiday, give us a sense of the general public's mood standing on issues important there in France.
BITTERMANN: Well, one of the things -- it's interesting. A poll that just came out this morning asking whether or not people, despite the hardships of this strike and this mass movement that's been going on for weeks now, despite all the hardships that that has incurred on the average person, are people supporting the strike? And, in fact, the poll indicates that about 70 percent are still supporting the strike.
But when you ask them specific questions, do you, for instance, appreciate the idea that they're blocking refineries? Is that a good thing? That percentage drops way down, because people are not in favor of individual kinds of things.
But overall, they'd like to see the government challenged more. They'd like to see some kind of an opposition to the government, which, in this country, basically, ,has been able to get all it wants in the way of reforms. And that really is one of the things that people are most anxious about, I think.
HARRIS: All right.
Jim Bittermann in Paris for you.
Jim, good to see you. Thank you.
Let's do this -- let's bring in our Richard Quest to really help us bring this home. He is live in London. Richard spent a lot of time in the United States, as you know, lived here for a period of time as well.
All right, Richard, if you would, bottom-line this for us. America, as you know, has to start balance its books. So what lessons can the U.S. learn from France's attempt to make some real cuts here?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think the first thing to understand is that the U.S. economy is, for a variety of technical and financial reasons, very different to the individual economies in Europe. It's got the reserve currency of the dollar. It has got vast resources. The North can be in recession, the South can be in boom, the West can be having financial problems, the Northeast can be enjoying the good times. So, the liquidity, the depth, and the range of markets and the economy gives it a huge, huge home court advantage.
That said, Tony, the spending cuts that have been seen in the U.K., in France, in Spain, in Italy, will eventually have to come to the United States. And I need to look no further than the sort of cuts that Governor Schwarzenegger finally got through to the California legislature in Sacramento to really make the point clear. Whether it's Illinois, New York, Florida, or California, there is no way that the spending can continue as it has been.
HARRIS: There he is, Richard Quest, the host of "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS."
Richard, as always, good to talk to you.
Eleven days until the midterms, and the gloves are coming of in the fight for President Obama's old seat.
First, though, our "Random Moment" in 90 seconds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: OK. Did you ever play with a hula hoop when you were a kid? Emphasis, exclamation point on "kid." When did you stop, about 13, 14 years old?
If you kept going, you might be a "Random Moment." We found some guys in New Zealand, kiwis, grown men, actually, who are still at it. Apparently, there's not a lot to do in this neighborhood.
Too much time on their hands. Four guys diving through a hula hoop and loving every minute of it.
There's your "Random Moment of the Day."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our economy works only when everybody is participating, and that means that things like equal pay for equal work aren't just women's issues, those are middle class family issues because, you know, how well women do will help determine how well our families are doing as a whole. It means that everybody's got to have access to financing for small businesses.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: President Obama focusing on the economy during a backyard campaign event in Seattle. He says he's been so busy dealing with emergency issues like the economy, he hasn't done enough to highlight what has been accomplished.
The president is on a western campaign swing. He started the day in San Francisco. Next hour it's on to Los Angeles to attend a fund- raiser for Senator Barbara Boxer.
The closely-watched race for President Obama's former Senate seat is getting down and dirty.
The story now from CNN Congressional Correspondence Brianna Keilar.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The race for the Illinois Senate seat once held by President Obama is getting nasty. Illinois' young state treasurer, Alexi Giannoulias, the Democratic candidate, has been billed by Republicans as a, quote, "mob banker."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NARRATOR: He'd make Tony Soprano proud.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: They point to the years Giannoulias spent as an executive in his family's bank, which lent money to a convicted bookie and was seized by the government in April. Giannoulias is hitting back against allegations of wrongdoing.
ALEXI GIANNOULIAS (D), ILLINOIS SENATE CANDIDATE: I say that's offensive, hurtful, wrong, inaccurate and shameful. No one ahs ever, ever even suggested the bank has ever done anything illegal, illicit or improper. And I'm very, very proud -- very proud of the business that my father started, a community bank that my father started 30 years ago.
KEILAR: The Republican in the race, five-term Congressman Mark Kirk, has his own Achilles heel. Multiple misstatements about his military service as an intelligence officer in the Navy reserves, service he highlights on his official Web site.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mark Kirk lied about serving in Iraq and a lot else.
(END VIDEO CLIP) KEILAR: Kirk said he was shot at in Iraq, that he served in the Gulf War and that he won the navy's intelligence officer of the year award. All of which are not true.
(on camera): Were you careless in your remarks?
MARK KIRK, (R) ILLINOIS SENATE CANDIDATE: Absolutely. And you correct that. That's right. And I misstated parts of my military record but in the navy we are trained to take responsibility and be accountable for your people, for your unit and for your mission. I am accountable.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And Brianna Keilar joining us live now from Chicago.
Brianna, this is -- look, this is a Democratic-leaning state. Pretty unusual, isn't it, that a Republican has a real shot here?
KEILAR: Certainly. And the candidates here are neck and neck.
Mark Kirk is slightly up in the polls, and Democrats are really feeling the heat here. President Obama is going to be campaigning for Giannoulias coming next weekend.
I think the real question is, why does the Republican have a shot here? Is it because the economy is such a big issue and Illinois is suffering, or does it maybe also have to do with the personal characteristics of these candidates?
I was speaking with one gentleman here in Chicago just near the bureau today, and he said we just don't have a good choice here. And these are his words. He said, "One guy is a thief. One guy is a liar. I mean, what are we going to pick?"
So, there is certainly some upset among voters that they feel like these are kind of characters, both of which are unsavory.
HARRIS: Harsh.
KEILAR: His words.
HARRIS: There's another reason, Brianna -- yes -- the seat is unique. It is actually a special election where the winner would be seated almost immediately, correct?
KEILAR: Yes. They're running for the special election, which would take them from after the November 2nd election into the new Congress, which begins in January. They're also running for that full six-year Senate term. So, this is one of three Senate seats in the country where whoever wins here would be seated almost immediately.
What does that mean? It means they could affect President Obama's agenda almost immediately.
Right now, Democrats have 59 seats in the Senate. This would chip away at that majority if Mark Kirk were to win, and he's certainly aware of that, he's certainly touting that, that he could be a 42nd vote for Republicans.
HARRIS: Yes. OK. Brianna, good to see you.
Brianna Keilar in Chicago for us.
Politics, it is about more than just poll numbers and politicians. It is how we define together what our nations' future should look like.
So, here in the CNN NEWSROOM, we are asking you to help us answer one simple question: What does America mean to you?
It is a segment we're calling "My America Is..." Here's what some of you are saying on my Facebook page.
From Janice (ph), "My America isn't the America that my ancestors fought in the American Revolution for. My America has turned from for the people to for the dollars. My heart aches for America."
Nathan writes, "My America is the land of opportunity, and where no matter what social station you were born into, a person can attain anything they set their sights on. My America is a place where race and creed no longer determine a person's lot in life."
OK. Let's hit the phones.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My America is not America. It's where I'm a second class citizen, where hate and tolerance and bigotry are commonplace and accepted by people, more people than it's not. And it's really sad. And I want my America back.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
BRIDGET (ph): My name is Bridget (ph) from Crystal, Minnesota. My America is a country where your zip code or your ethnic background does not determine how you will fare in life.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My America is great. I cried tears of joy and pride the night Barack Obama was elected president. I'm a 50- year-old white woman, and I never thought I would see anyone but a white man in the White House.
America has come a long way. Maybe some day our president will be Asian or Hispanic or Jewish, Muslim or gay. I am proud to live in America. America, you're great.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HARRIS: And there you go. If you want to send us your thoughts, start your answer with "My America is..." please.
I'm on Facebook and on Twitter, @TonyHarrisCNN. You can also go to my blog page, CNN.com/Tony. Or here's my favorite -- it really is -- give us a call. Love to hear your voices. The number, 877-742- 5760.
We will share more of your comments right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Sounding the alarm. We are fast becoming a diabetic nation. Shocking new numbers out today from the CDC, and advice on what you can do to reduce your risk.
We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: News about your health now.
Alarming predictions just released today about the rise of diabetes in America. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of people with diabetes is expected to double or even triple over the next 40 years. Right now one in 10 adult Americans has diabetes. By 2050, the CDC says as many as one in three could have the disease.
Now, last hour I talked with Ann Albright, director of the CDC's Division of Diabetes Translation. I asked her what's behind the projected rise in the numbers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANN ALBRIGHT, DIRECTOR, DIVISION OF DIABETES TRANSLATION, CDC: Positive things are continuing. That means people with diabetes are living longer. That's going to make the numbers go up.
HARRIS: Yes.
ALBRIGHT: More people at high risk, African-Americans, Hispanic Latinos, Asian and Pacific Islanders, American-Indians, as we have more of those ethnic groups will go up. And as people age and, as I said, live longer.
The big negative is if more new cases of diabetes develop. And that's the big story. We need to reduce the number of cases of type 2 diabetes.
HARRIS: Can we do it?
ALBRIGHT: We can do it. That's the good news. We can do it. We can.
We can do it by increasing access to healthy neighborhoods, healthy foods, more physical activity, and getting people into the National Diabetes Prevention Program. It's a new program that CDC is starting with the YMCA. UnitedHealth Group is now paying for people to go through this program. We need more people to access that work.
HARRIS: Healthy neighborhoods? Explain.
ALBRIGHT: Healthy neighborhoods, places where people can get healthy foods, where they can have safe places to be physically active. Those are the questions we need to be asking ourselves. Why are our neighborhoods not as healthy as they should be?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: And there you go. You just heard it. One of the issues cited by Ann for the prevalence of diabetes is the lack of fresh, nutritious food in some neighborhoods.
CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow headed to Detroit to see what's being done about that problem there.
(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: CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow reporting from Detroit.
You know, the growing number of diabetes cases, you being to wonder, what is the cost of it to our country?
Josh is here with that story -- Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. You know these numbers pretty wild. Let me show you something.
The American Diabetes Association, Tony, did a study, and they're using 2007 as the year. They look at the year. What is the cost to our country?
Of the large number of people out there with diabetes, check out this -- $174 billion, the cost to this country.
HARRIS: My goodness.
LEVS: And here's how -- isn't that massive?
HARRIS: Yes.
LEVS: It's massive. Look how this breaks down: $116 billion in excess medical expenses. That means expenses. This shouldn't have to happen were it not for the large number of cases of diabetes. And the rest of it, the other $58 billion, they're measuring reduced productivity, people who can't work as much, who have to take time off of work, or work fewer hours, or work different jobs because of those limitations.
Now, that's the big macro picture for the whole country. What about for an individual?
On average, they're saying $6,649 in medical expenses just for diabetes. So that's not -- if you're someone who has diabetes, they might also get a cold, get a flu shot, go to their doctor. Just for diabetes-related medical expenses, they're taking about $6,649 on average per person every year.
So, whether you want to look at the big picture for the whole country, or as this one individual situation, you're talking about a tremendous amount of money out of people's wallets here.
HARRIS: OK, Josh. Appreciate it. That's a staggering number. OK.
A young family struggling to get their child into a good school. We will explain why it's simply in many cases the luck of the draw for so many.
We're back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: So, what if your child's future was determined by a lottery? That's the reality depicted in a recent film about New York City schools.
CNN Education Contributor Steve Perry has this week's "What Matters" segment.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ERIC ROACHFORD, TRYING TO GET SON INTO CHARTER SCHOOL: Boo.
STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR: Eric and Shawna Roachford to get their son into a high performing Harlem charter school they have to win the lottery, literally.
SHAWNA ROACHFORD, TRYING TO GET SON INTO CHARTER SCHOOL: That was nice. Now, let's do our words.
PERRY: The Roachfords are profiled in the movie "The Lottery." It explores the emotional process parents go through to get their child into a strong school. Most live in areas with underperforming schools.
The final step is a massive lottery drawing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Welcome.
PERRY: A few hundred children are randomly selected out of thousands to win seats in the most sought after schools.
(on camera): What did you see with people sitting next to you? What was going on with them?
S. ROACHFORD: Seen some tears. We were praying. You know, and you just had seen an antsy feeling, like people were kind of like sitting on the edge, you know, just waiting and hoping.
E. ROACHFORD: You're looking at -- it's like it symbolizes hope. It symbolizes great opportunity.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Barack Obama has those shiny shoes.
LAURIE BROWN-GOODWINE, PARENT: Does he?
PERRY: Laurie Brown-Goodwine is raising her son Gregory alone. Her husband is in prison. Unhappy with their zone school, Goodwine entered a dozen lotteries.
BROWN-GOODWINE: What it meant to me in order to get a decent school was, like, I just want to give my son a fair education. And I kept saying, all right, if I put him in a local school which may be up the block, even though I know it's OK, I'm like, am I throwing him into a failing situation?
PERRY: Filmmaker Madeleine Sackler wanted to highlight the inequity of school choice.
MADELEINE SACKLER, "THE LOTTERY": We've actually had the film described as, like, a horror movie. The parents wake up that day and they know they're walking into a nightmare. I mean, their chances at that particular lottery were one in seven.
There's over 3,000 applicants for about 475 spots. And yet, they go because they're just dying for something better.
PERRY: That something better is a charter school, a public school funded by tax dollars but run independently, and with more freedom than traditional schools. They're governed by performance contracts that require proven academic success.
Charters often have longer school days, a year-round schedule, and in Harlem, no shortage of critics who don't like seeing their neighborhood school replaced by one they'll have to compete to get into, even if the charter school posts impressive results.
SACKLER: The school in the film, about 95 percent of the kids are at grade level. In Harlem overall, which is where the school is located, it's 56 percent. The school in the film is one of the highest performing schools in New York, and it's the most protested.
PERRY: Finally off the waiting list, Gregory attends a charter school. His mom says it's working.
GOODWINE: You can see the difference in him. Like, I mean, I see it in him too now.
PERRY: As for the Roachfers (ph) -
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel that every school should be excellent, and that we shouldn't have to be in a position to make that kind of decision.
PERRY: Steve Perry, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HARRIS: The Roachfers (ph) re-entered several lotteries. Eric Jr. is now a part of the citywide gifted and talented program as part of the public school system. And to read more stories that matter to all of us, pick up the latest issue of "Essence" magazine right now.
A basketball great goes to Harvard. We'll explain why Shaquille O'Neal appears frozen in time, and why he is so hot on the Internet.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: So, we have been watching a Los Angeles courtroom waiting to hear the decision from a judge deciding whether actress Lindsay Lohan should go to jail or remain in drug rehab after a probation violation, which tested positive.
We've just heard the judge is ordering Lohan to remain in that drug rehabilitation program until January 3rd, at which time there will be another hearing.
A realistic look at the zany world of parenting is why the show "Modern Family" rules Wednesday night TV.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PHIL DUNPHY, ACTOR: Things with your mom got pretty intense down there, huh? All like, East Coast-West Coast. You feeling me?
Act like a parent. Talk like a peer. I call it "peer-anting." I learned it from my own dad, who used to walk into my room and say, "What's up, Sweathog?"
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: So, if you think they're pretty funny from the show, wait until you see them on CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE." They're on the program tonight at 9:00 Eastern. Here's a quick look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, CNN HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": Some critics say that you have saved the family sitcom.
JESSE TYLER FERGUSON, ACTOR, "MITCHELL": We feel that we have.
(LAUGHTER)
FERGUSON: It was a seed that we planted.
KING: Where did they find you, Sofia?
SOFIA VERGARA, ACTRESS, "GLORIA": I kind of found them. I went to ABC some years ago with an idea of a pilot. And that didn't work out. But they really liked me a lot. So, Mike Ferguson kept trying to find a good role for me until he found "Modern Family." I think it was like -- I think I'm not going to have a better role in my whole life. KING: I doubt it. Ty, is it hard to play someone who's stupid?
TY BURRELL, ACTOR, "PHIL": Not for me. No.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: OK. The stars of "Modern Family" on the on the on "LARRY KING LIVE" at 9:00 Eastern.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Let's get you caught up on top stories now.
A deadly outbreak of cholera is moving fast across Haiti. One hundred thirty-eight people have died in 48 hours in an area north of Port-au-Prince. A U.N. spokesperson warns more than 1,500 additional confirmed cases.
A New York City jury -- listen to this -- awards a wrongfully convicted man $18.5 million. Alan Newton was convicted of rape in 1985, but released four years ago after it was discovered his DNA didn't match the evidence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALAN NEWTON, WRONGFULLY CONVICTED: I felt like I've been vindicated. After four years, I got exonerated. I walked out of jail. But this says from a jury of my peers we felt the system was wrong, and we want to compensate you. And we also sent a message to the city.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Harry Reid's opponent, Sharron Angle, out with a tough new ad as she tries to unseat the Senate majority leader. We will check it out in our CNN political update.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Just 11 days until election day. And the ad wars heating up. CNN's chief national correspondent John King, the host of "JOHN KING USA," part of The Best Political Team on Television is joining us live from the political desk in Washington.
John, good to see you. What are you following? What's crossing right now?
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Tony, you say just 11 days as if you're going to be glad when it's over.
(LAUGHTER)
What are we going to do? Now we're going to have to worry about governing again. HARRIS: Yes, what are we going to do?
KING: It's 11 days, and the president of the United States is out in Nevada today trying to help a close friend and important Democrat and a very important but embattled member of the United States Senate. Obama out helping Harry Reid in Nevada.
And Sharron Angle, the Republican candidate in that race, launching what her campaign staff is calling a little bit tongue in cheek. The first ad of the 2012 presidential campaign. It says this in the end over pictures, "13 trillion in deficits, 195,000 unemployed Nevadans. Fourteen percent unemployment. Highest foreclosure rate in the country. Welcome to Nevada, Mr. President." That was a big state for Obama a couple years ago. Harry Reid is trying to win re- election. We'll keep an eye on that one for you.
And Tony, you've been talking about this. The country is talking about Juan Williams' controversial firing from National Public Radio because he says sometimes when he gets on a plane and sees Muslims on the plane, he gets a little nervous sometimes. He was fired for that.
The ombudsman at NPR posted this statement, Alicia Shepard, late last night, saying essentially that this was handled poorly. Now, NPR still stands by the firing. But listen to this from Alicia Shepard: "I'm not privy for why this announcement was so hastily made. NPR could have waited until his contract ran out or possibly suspended him pending a review. Either way, a more deliberatative approach might have enabled NPR to avoid what has turned into a public relations nightmare."
No joke there. It is a public relations nightmare for NPR. But again, they're standing by the hiring, just the ombudsman there questioning the process.
And tonight on "JOHN KING USA," Tony, we're waiting for George W. Bush to publish his memoir. He posted a new video on YouTube, starting to come back into the spotlight. Another guy who doesn't speak up publicly all that much is his brother, Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida. A great Senate race there, a great governor's race there. Jeb Bush is a big proponent of education reform. We'll talk to him tonight on "JOHN KING USA" tonight about the Tea Party movement and all things politics.
HARRIS: Wow, that's terrific. Hot show. "JOHN KING USA," 7:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN right here. John, good to see you. Thank you.
And your next political update coming up at the top of the hour. And for the latest political news, you know where to go. CNNpolitics.com.
Shaquille O'Neal makes good on a promise. He had to go to Harvard to do it. And without saying a single word.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Should you ever take money out of your retirement plan to pay off things like a mortgage? Stephanie Elam asks the experts at "The Help Desk."
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Time now for "The Help Desk," where we get answers to your financial questions. Joining me this hour, Amanda Gengler is with "Money" magazine, and Gary Schatsky is a financial planner and president of Objective Advice. So we're going to get some advice from you guys right now, starting off with a question from Wendy in Florida. She writes, "is it better to take money out of your retirement account to pay of your mortgage and live mortgage-free in retirement? I owe about $220,000 and I'm not yet halfway in a 20- year mortgage at 5.8 percent."
Amanda, what do you think?
AMANDA GENGLER, "MONEY" MAGAZINE: Generally speaking, no. It's common for retirees or someone heading into retirement to want to do that. But the problem is, you'll have to pay taxes on that money. So even if you pull out say $100,000, you might only see about $70,000 of it. And it could bump you up into a higher tax bracket.
ELAM: And so it will be a little bit more painful there for you.
All right, our next question is from anonymous from Illinois. And this anonymous person writes, "federal law enforcement officers have a mandatory retirement at 57. Next year I will be retiring with $220,000 in a retirement saving plan. Should I pay off my HELOC of $150,000 or continue making monthly payments?"
Gary, what do you think?
GARY SCHATSKY, PRESIDENT, OBJECTIVEADVICE.COM: You probably want to continue making monthly payments and pay it down. But a very similar issue, you don't want to be drawing it out of your retirement system, paying tax on it. Right now the HELOC is probably costing you 3, 3.5 percent, home equity line of credit. It's incredibly cheap financing. And the key is, you have to consider taxes when you make these distributions. So you might use other assets to pay down the HELOC if you so desire, but taking out that sum of money is almost always not the right move.
ELAM: So basically $220,000 was a magic number and also taxes. Yes, that's what we've learned about both of these.
All right, "The Help Desk" is all about getting you answers. Send us an e-mail to cnnhelpdesk@cnn.com. Or you can log on to cnn.com/helpdesk to see more of our financial solutions. You can also pick up the latest issue of "Money" magazine. It's on newsstands right now.
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HARRIS: Let's wrap up "What's Hot" for a Friday with Sandra Endo, in from D.C.
You're going back to D.C. next week?
SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I am. I'll miss you. HARRIS: OK. Well, we've loved having you here for the last few weeks.
ENDO: Thank you, it's been great.
HARRIS: So, Shaquille O'Neal, right, vogueing.
ENDO: Yes.
HARRIS: Are we talking about the Madonna song? Come on and vogue.
ENDO: I know you vogue too, right. Yes, there you go. Sing it. All right.
HARRIS: That's what's hot.
ENDO: Well, yes, it is what's hot right now today. And it's a Shaq attack at Harvard. Check it out.
HARRIS: Oh, no. Oh, no.
ENDO: Yes, he went to visit the prestigious ivory league school yesterday, but, there you go, just to strike a pose. He sat there in Harvard Square as a statue for about an hour and fans all over came out and posed with him for pictures. He didn't really talk much, he just stared like a statue. And he announced his plan earlier this month on a radio show and just tweeted right before he made it on campus. And, of course, he tweeted today, afterwards.
HARRIS: Of course.
ENDO: Here's his Twitter page. He just says, thank you all for being in Harvard Square. Peace. Like peace out. So he said that he always wanted to say he went to Harvard.
HARRIS: So that was the point.
ENDO: Yes.
HARRIS: That was the point? Just to sit there in the square and get pictures with Shaq diesel.
ENDO: He's (INAUDIBLE) with the fans.
HARRIS: OK. We got something hotter?
ENDO: We've got more, yes.
HARRIS: OK, good.
ENDO: Yes, we've got a lot that's hot today.
OK, Mel Gibson's hangover is over.
HARRIS: Hey, we talked about this yesterday. ENDO: Yes, I know. Just three days ago. Well, his cameo appearance in the movie "Hangover II" has been nixed. And evidently the rest of the cast protested him being in the movie. And it's really hot on Twitter. Check it out. Here are some tweets from people talking about this today. Global news from AHN says, Mel Gibson's "Hangover" sequel cameo thwarted by cast and crew. Here's another quick one. Perks Fitness says, just as he thought things were looking up, Mel Gibson dropped from the "Hangover."
HARRIS: Yes. Yes, yes, yes.
ENDO: Yes.
HARRIS: Well, OK, so he's not going to be in that, but -- OK, fine. But the movie's great. I hope the sequel -- the first film was amazing.
ENDO: It was pretty hilarious, yes.
HARRIS: I hope the sequel is as good. One more piece of video for us.
ENDO: And one more. Yes, you know I like cute little babies. Well, check this one out. Baby Braden's (ph) first lemon. And this video is the top five on MySpace this week. And, get this, it was posted three years ago, but more than a million people have viewed it. Look at that face. So precious.
HARRIS: Yes, three years ago?
ENDO: Yes, but a million people have viewed it and it's gone viral. This video has been viewed more than a million times. And you can see why. Check out that precious face.
HARRIS: Yes, yes, yes. I'd like to see what the baby looks like today, you know, as a three, three and a half year old.
ENDO: Probably a cutie, wouldn't you think?
HARRIS: Yes, I think so.
Hey, it's been fun. Thank you.
ENDO: It's been fun. Thanks, Tony.
HARRIS: Sandra Endo with us with "What's Hot" this week.
Fighting the financial crisis from the pulpit. Hear one young man's story from almighty debt from our "Black In America" special. We're back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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HARRIS: Got to tell you, college grads owe about $80,060 on student loans. And Fred Philp may be on the verge of signing up on some of that debt if he can get into college. Soledad O'Brien introduces us to him in her documentary "Almighty Debt," a "Black in American" special.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This just seemed like a good place where you could study, you could sink (ph). It would be real great, right?
FRED PHILP, STUDENT: Yes.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fred Philp dreams of becoming somebody.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just pray for his audition and I pray that you would give him the strength, that you would bring every line to memorization.
O'BRIEN: First, he must get into college, then he must find the money to pay for it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Stay focused and completely tune and block everybody out.
Can we go in?
O'BRIEN: Today he's auditioning to get into the drama program at Cain University in New Jersey.
PHILP: Now I have to just go in there and prove to them and prove to myself that I am good enough to be here.
O'BRIEN (on camera): Deliver it?
PHILP: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Now, pretty much?
PHILP: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Good luck. It's 3:00. I have given you an extra 15 minutes. So whatever you all actors do, center.
PHILP: All right, girl. All right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right. You ready?
PHILP: Thank you. Good afternoon.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whenever you're ready.
PHILP: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
PHILP: I hate you. You know that? You know that? Yes, you do because now you turned your head, so you ain't looking at me nowhere.
O'BRIEN: While Fred acts, Christy Adams waits. Christy is the 28- year-old youth minister at Buster Sori's (ph) church.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have so much to be grateful. We spend so much time complaining.
O'BRIEN: She has a masters of divinity from Princeton Seminary.
O'BRIEN (on camera): Without being humble, if you were not here, would he make it this far?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to say yes. I believe he needs motivation. And if I wasn't here or anybody here pushing him, then I think that he would be a lot more nervous and I think he would probably choke.
O'BRIEN: Has he choked before?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
O'BRIEN (voice-over): Fred Philp really wants to go to college, but it will likely require taking out tens of thousands of dollars in loans. So youth minister Christy Adams has entered Fred in an NAACP acting competition. If he wins this round and makes it to the nationals, the grand prize is $2,000.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: It is go time. Have a great weekend, everyone. CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Don Lemon in for Ali Velshi.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: You make sure you have a fantastic weekend.
HARRIS: Yes, sir.
Thank you, sir.
LEMON: Good to see you.
