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New Bloodshed in Bahrain; Showdown Over Wisconsin Budget; States Short on Cash; Showdown Over Wisconsin Budget; Taking to the Streets; James Earl Jones Reads Bieber; Boy Refuses To Wrestle Girl; The Help Desk; Talk Back; 5th Grade Oscar Choir

Aired February 18, 2011 - 12:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour. I'm Suzanne Malveaux.

Let's get you up to speed with troubling new video. This is out of Bahrain.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

MALVEAUX: Police opened fire on anti-government protesters today. Gunshots rang out as a few hundred people approach Pearl Square. Reports now say that at least four people are dead.

I want to talk with our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson who is there in Bahrain.

Nic, what is taking place? What is happening there? This was peaceful and now seems terribly violent.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what's happened is the government has decided that protesters cannot congregate there at what they called Pearl Roundabout. It's the equivalent really of the Tahrir Square in Cairo. It's become the sort of focal point where they want to go. The government pushed the demonstrators off there two nights ago and they had a security cordoning it off ever since.

What happened late this afternoon after peaceful protests around funerals of people killed earlier in the week, anti-government protests, and at the same time in the city here, pro-government protests going on. Later in the day, just before dusk, anti- government protesters moved towards that roundabout again, essentially challenging the police at the cordon. They moved forward several times and the police responded with barrages of tear gas, but also live rounds of fire, heavy machine gun and smaller machine gun fire fired -- not clear if that was fired -- any of it, the live rounds are fired into the crowds.

Some witnesses said they thought live rounds were fired into the crowd but the effect was that the police with these barrages of tear gas chased the demonstrators out of the area and have now formed a much bigger cordon around that roundabout area, Suzanne. I've just come back from there. There's a small group of demonstrators away from the police. The situation does seem to have calmed down right now. MALVEAUX: And, Nic, give us a sense how people are reacting to this, responding to this. Do they feel frustrated? Are they giving up? Are they going home? Are they shocked by what they're seeing from their own government now?

ROBERTSON: What we're seeing here is an escalation. We're seeing people become more angry and more frustrated. They heard from the government earlier in the week apologizing for the deaths of the protesters. Now, they see the government responding to -- what until now been relatively peaceful protests. Now, they're getting more angry.

And you can hear in the rhetoric. You can hear when you talk to them. Earlier in the week, they were saying, or just a few days ago, they were saying that the ruling families could step down. Now, you hear the chants, death to the ruling family here.

So, you can see the anger is stepping up. When you step away and talk to people who are on the margin not so angry, they say all we want is equality. We can still work towards that.

MALVEAUX: OK.

ROBERTSON: But the sense is here that it's beginning to get not out of control, but it's on a dangerous path.

MALVEAUX: OK. Nic Robertson, thank you so much there in Bahrain. As he says, on a dangerous path.

We want to also take you to Yemen today. There are rival demonstrations and they are going at it again.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

MALVEAUX: Government supporters threw rocks and swung sticks as they plunged into a crowd of protesters at Sana'a University. Someone tossed a grenade at protesters holding a separate rally. Crowds want Yemen's longtime ruler to give up power.

And there is now fresh violence in Libya today. A medical source tells CNN that 20 people have been killed. Another 200 wounded after security forces turned on protesters. Libyans took to the streets for the first time this week angry over Muammar Gadhafi's 40-year rule.

But a very different atmosphere here in Egypt. The masses returned to Tahrir Square to mark one week since President Hosni Mubarak gave up power. Today's rally is meant to keep pressure on Egypt's new military rulers who have promised a transition to democracy.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

MALVEAUX: And a day after this show of force, protesters are returning to Wisconsin's capital in Madison today. But will the state's Democratic senators show up? They fled to Illinois Thursday.

Republicans did have enough lawmakers present to debate the governor's budget bill. His proposal would end most collective bargaining rights for teachers and have them pay a bigger share of their benefit costs.

So many teachers are out protesting, Wisconsin's two largest school districts are closed today. This is the first day that protests shut down Milwaukee schools. But in Madison there, it's the third straight day that kids were told to stay home.

Now, just within the last hour, I spoke with a teacher who skipped work today to protest the budget plan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NANCY RIESCH, BAND DIRECTOR, KROMREY MIDDLE SCHOOL: He is trying to bust our unions. He is trying to not give us a voice. We need a voice for everyone.

We're not just speaking about Wisconsin unions, Wisconsin schools. We're speaking about American -- America. And if it starts here, it will be going to other states. So, we need to have a voice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: We want to go live now to the front lines of the Wisconsin budget showdown. Our CNN's Casey Wian, he is at the state capitol in Madison.

Casey, if you could, just walk us through this plan that seems to be causing such commotion and such anger among the people there.

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what the situation is here, like with many states, Wisconsin is facing a very large state budget deficit. It's expected to be -- need to close about $137 million over the next few months, $3.6 billion over the next two years.

And what the governor is proposing and trying to push through -- first off, it would guarantee 170,000 state workers that they would not be laid off or furloughed. But in exchange for that, they would have to give up many of their collective bargaining rights. For example, they would not be able to negotiate anything other than wages. Unions would have to be recertified every single year and they would also no longer be able to deduct union dues from employee paychecks.

Now, the governor says that if this passes -- if this package does not pass, 1,500 state workers could be laid off this year and as many as 6,000 could lose their jobs over the next two years -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And if this measure passes, how is it going to impact workers and those teachers?

WIAN: Well, what's going to happen with workers is if it passes, they're going to have to pay a lot more money in both pension and health care benefits. According to the governor, he wants them to pay 5.8 percent into their pension benefits which he says is about the national average. And he wants them to pay 12 percent of the cost of their health care benefits which he says is about half the national average.

But teachers we spoke to are very upset about this additional cost.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN RADEMACHER, MADISON COUNTY TEACHER: Like other families, we have a mortgage to pay every month. We've got electric bills. And what I've heard is that it's about 13 percent net drop in income with benefits and the wages. That's what we'd be losing every month. And so, then we'd have to start picking and choosing how we're going to make our house payments and still do other things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIAN: Now, as painful as those financial hits will be for state employees, what they're saying is what's really at issue here -- and you can hear them chanting behind me -- is about their collective bargaining rights. Their leaders have actually said they're willing to give up money to help balance the state budget. But what they really do not want to give up and the reason that they're out here in front of the state capitol protesting and the reason schools in many parts of the state have been shut down is they don't want to give up their collective bargaining rights -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: OK. Casey, thank you so much.

The plan would basically double workers' health care contributions to more than 12 percent and their pension contributions would go from less than 1 percent to almost 6 percent.

Our Alison Kosik, she's been crunching the numbers.

And, Alison, tell us -- tell us whether or not you think these cuts will actually work?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Suzanne, we talked with a lot of policy experts and they say, based on these numbers, they say it's a good start especially if you look at the health care issue where more contributions will be put into it, and policy experts say that the state will wind up seeing immediate savings there. But the fact of the matter is, they say this really won't be enough in the big scheme of the problem. The proposed cuts will only save about $30 million this year.

Think about the budget hole, it's almost $140 million. This budget deficit is so big that you really need more widespread cuts to go beyond just public workers. In fact, these policy experts say everything has to be put on the table -- I'm talking about pensions, mandated spending. You know, these things really need to be central issues in these discussions.

And there really has to be shared sacrifice in this. You know, these policy experts say that unions, these pension structures really need to be adjusted to really face the reality of the situation that Wisconsin is in right now -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And what do you think in terms of how the governor of Wisconsin is dealing with this, whether or not it is really the best way? After all, they are taking away the workers' collective bargaining rights?

KOSIK: Exactly. And policy experts are split on this one. One saying that kicking out collective bargaining can wind up helping because it winds up taking away the intangible of union negotiations kind of out of the equation so there aren't any sort of unknowns coming down the pike.

But another policy experts says, listen, Wisconsin is trying to smash the union which is an unbalanced and ideological move at this point. It's really not a good strategy.

You look at other states and how they've handled their budget cuts like Michigan. They've handled their cuts pretty successfully. Michigan didn't single out one group. They went more broadly. They hit low, middle and high income workers.

Policymakers say in Wisconsin's case, you know, it's really -- it's hitting too hard too fast. I mean, think about it -- with pensions only, these people wind up paying 30 times more than what they pay now. That's a really huge and hard slap in the face. You know, state workers are upset because they see these huge jumps in their contributions all at once. It's really a lot to take and these policy experts say maybe they should scale down the collective bargaining part of it as well -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Alison, thanks for giving us the big picture. Appreciate that.

We're going to keep you updated on the developments in Wisconsin. At the bottom of the hour, we're going to talk with the State Senator Mark Miller. He is one of the Democrats who left the state to delay a vote on the budget bill.

(MUSIC)

MALVEAUX: Well, from tackling childhood obesity to tax benefits for breastfeeding mothers -- some are criticizing First Lady Michelle Obama for creating what they say is a nanny state, which brings us to today's "Talk Back."

Our Carol Costello, she's joining us from Washington.

Tell us -- I don't understand. What is this controversy?

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it all started, Suzanne, with Michelle Obama's little garden at the White House. She invited children to plant vegetables to encourage kids to eat healthy. It was the start of her childhood anti-obesity campaign -- a campaign many said was a no downside issue. Boy, were they wrong?

It turns out some conservatives say that garden actually planted the seeds of Mrs. Obama's real agenda to create a nanny state --, an allegation that actually gained steam when Mrs. Obama championed breastfeeding because some studies suggest breastfeeding leads to slimmer adults. That came right around the same time the IRS agreed that breast pumps could be a tax deduction. Do you get the connection there?

Well, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann did. This is what she had to say. She said, "To think that government has to go out and buy my breast pump for my babies, I think you just got the new definition of the nanny state."

And yesterday, Sarah Palin jumped on that bandwagon again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: It's no wonder Michelle Obama is telling everybody, "You'd better breastfeed your baby," because I'm looking going, "Yes, you'd better because the price of milk is so high right now," regardless of the political -- yes, do it for economic reasons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So, it turns out there may be a downside to the first lady's let's move campaign after all. So, the "Talk Back" today: Why has Mrs. Obama's anti-obesity campaign become so controversial? Give me your feedback on my Facebook page at Facebook.com/CarolCNN -- Facebook.com/CarolCNN. And I'll read back your answers later this hour -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: OK. Thank you, Carol.

Here's a look at what's ahead on the rundown:

Protests and bloodshed -- what do the demonstrations in the Arab world mean for the region? We're going to go "Globe Trekking."

And making history on ice -- black players on a National Hockey League team hope to inspire more African-American kids to take up the sport.

And our under cover story of the week -- a high school wrestler refuses to compete with a girl object the opposing team.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Breaking news out of Bahrain: military troops and police opened fire today on protesters. An ambulance worker tells CNN that at least four people have been killed.

Bahrain's special envoy to the U.S., Abdul Latif Bin Rashid Al Zayani joins us from Washington.

Sir, if you could start off telling us about your government, using lethal force against its own people, people who were sleeping there, do you -- how do you justify that?

ABDUL LATIF BIN RASHID AL ZAYANI, BAHRAINI SPECIAL ENVOY TO THE U.S.: Suzanne, thank you for having me.

The loss of life is heartbreaking. It really breaks my heart and it is very regrettable. I -- we need to calm down. Everybody needs to calm down. The -- we need -- it's time now to have dialogue, to sit together around the table and be able to reach conclusions. We need to have -- to come.

MALVEAUX: Is there any dialogue that's taking place? Has the leadership of Bahrain reached out to these protesters and tried to resolve this matter peacefully? What is happening?

AL ZAYANI: We are and we need to really calm down and sit together. We are in the process of getting together all parties of societies. We have to have dialogue between them. Our leadership is committed to dialogue. We are committed to democracy.

MALVEAUX: How do you explain that?

AL ZAYANI: Democracy is something --

MALVEAUX: Sir, how do you explain that? I mean, how do you show that to the rest of the world when the pictures that we are seeing are protesters who are being killed, protesters who were sleeping, mothers and children? How do you show that to the rest of the world that you -- that the regime there is committed to what you are saying?

AL ZAYANI: That's what I'm saying, ma'am. We have to get together, talk. We need to calm -- the forces that was used were proportional, according to the law. They were legal. They were necessary because they were stopping the shops. The economy was hurting, our national economy.

We had to take action. And action was taken by the law. But --

MALVEAUX: So, you are saying that it was justified?

AL ZAYANI: -- as I'm saying, life is -- losing life is really heartbreaking. We need -- it's time now to sit together and have dialogue. The investigation will continue.

Our -- investigation is headed by deputy prime minister who is a lawyer. Well-known people, members of committee are well-known figures in our society, well-trusted, and they will conduct a very transparent, accountable investigation.

(CROSSTALK)

MALVEAUX: Sir, you are in Washington now. I know you're meeting with Obama administration officials, those in the State Department. What have they told you? They are clearly not pleased with what's happening. What have they told you?

AL ZAYANI: Well, my -- the purpose of my visit is really to -- because we value the relationship that we have with the United States. It's a relationship that extends for more than 100 years. I'm explaining to them, putting them in the picture of what is really going on.

We are trying to -- we are -- we are having really a great relationship that we will treasure. We always treasure. We have a community of almost 6,500 U.S. sailors with their dependents living alongside our people downtown. We are enjoying an outstanding relationship.

MALVEAUX: OK.

AL ZAYANI: This relationship we really value and the king is really committed to democracy. Democracy is a treat that we have started. We have heard this along the way. I think it's about time that we go over this hurdle and go for a better future for our democracy.

MALVEAUX: OK, Mr. Zayani, we appreciate your time and, obviously, we hope that what takes place on the streets there in Bahrain that people are able to live their lives and that it is a peaceful situation. We appreciate that you are speaking with us this afternoon.

AL ZAYANI: It will be. It will be. It will be.

MALVEAUX: OK.

AL ZAYANI: I have faith in our nation. We have a great nation and a great leadership, and we will get through this stronger.

MALVEAUX: OK. Thank you so much, sir. We appreciate it.

Well, the violence in Bahrain, it could be a dangerous warning sign of what can happen in the midst of all this unrest that we are seeing across the Arab world.

Our Michael Holmes, he's here with more in our edition of "Globe Trekking."

You know, it's just -- when you see it, it's -- people look at that as heartbreaking when you hear that they're sleeping and they're cleared from the streets. The special envoy says it was legal and that it was necessary.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR/CORRESPONDENT: It's fascinating to go hear some of what he had to say. It's hard to find a country in the region that doesn't have turmoil or fear of turmoil. You know, you are talking about in Bahrain, of course, the new protests that we saw there.

Like all the other countries with protests, though, they're all different -- especially in terms of how the government is going to react as you were just discussing there. With concessions, which is what the Shias on the streets want, or with brutal putdown.

In terms of spreading from Bahrain, it looks like Saudi Arabia is most nervous.

MALVEAUX: Well, tell us about their role, because they're right next door. It's a huge influence. Are they involved in any way? Because we've gotten reports from folks on the ground who believe that they're involved in cracking down on the people in Bahrain. HOLMES: They're vitally involved and concerned. In fact, Bahrain, which is an island or group of islands, is joined to Saudi Arabia by a bridge.

Saudis are worried about Bahrain for this reason: it's got a Shia majority and Sunni leadership. It's adjacent to the provinces of Saudi Arabia in the east where a lot of the oil production takes place and that area has a large Shia population. It's hard to imagine the Saudis standing on the sidelines if the Bahraini monarchy is seriously threatened. They do not want this spread to them. And it wouldn't be the first time they've dived in to help out.

MALVEAUX: All right. Michael, thank you for putting it into perspective. Appreciate it. Obviously, we're going to keep a close eye on what's taking place there in Bahrain, as well as the rest of the Middle East. Thank you.

Well, diversity on ice. There are fewer than two dozen African- Americans in the National Hockey League. Well, we're going to look at why when we check on what matters.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Most African-American children don't grow up dreaming of playing hockey. Only about 20 black men play in the NHL, and four of them are on one team, the Atlanta Thrashers.

In honor of Black History Month, Richelle Carey sat down with these history-making hockey players in today's "What Matters" segment.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHELLE CAREY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Each one of you to tell me what you like about hockey. Sell me on hockey. Sell me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the fastest, most physical sport there is.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The teamwork, too. I would say a total package sport.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just like skating fast ever since I was 3.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I guess it's something about being on the ice that I enjoy. It's just -- you know, it's just me being out there, having fun and enjoying the people that are around me.

CAREY: Like what's the biggest misconception or false assumption that people make about you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This guy can't stand on skates.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe in Atlanta, if you tell them you're a hockey player and they don't believe you.

CAREY: What do they think?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know, maybe basketball or baseball. I mean, I have no idea.

CAREY: Who here knew that they were going to be a professional hockey player? Anybody here know that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I knew probably when I was in grade 1. We had an assignment to say what you wanted to be when you grew up, and I said hockey player and she said, "Pick something else." And I said, No, I'm going to be a hockey player," and I stuck with it.

CAREY: Did anybody try to steer to you something different because you don't look out on the ice that often and see people of color? Did somebody say this isn't the right fit for you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, it was almost the opposite.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My dad really instilled -- that's driving me to battle through that kind of stuff, battle through adversity. I think that's what made me so successful.

CAREY: Anybody else feel they were steered in a different direction for racial reasons at all?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I grew up sort of in an urban neighborhood and my friends were playing basketball and sports like that. And, you know, I was going to place, you know, a little bit of basketball. But after an hour, I'd get, you know, bored of it. So, I'd say I have to go play hockey now. They're going, oh, no, you're not going to make it in hockey. So, you might as well play basketball or something like that.

But, you know, I had some support from my parents. That helped me a lot. And, you know, all of my close friends -- they were minor hockey players. And their support helped me to where I am today.

CAREY: You know, we always hear about hockey as an expensive sport for kids to want to play and often, that's why minority kids don't get into it. Explain why it is so expensive.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think when you have to pay, you know, $500 for a pair of skates as opposed to a $20 basketball or, you know, $50 pair of soccer shoes, you know, it makes a lot more sense to play those sports. But there's a lot community initiative right now in the NHL that are helping, you know, urban kids with the Hockey is for Everyone Program that's helping not so fortunate kids play, and, you know, they're making, you know, good strides.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Richelle Carey joins us now with more about the diversity on ice. It's a great piece.

Are they doing more to promote hockey among minority kids? CAREY: They are and it's making a real difference. Dustin Byfuglien, they called him Big Buff -- I learned a lot about their nicknames. It's really -- the kids are start in starting to connect with him. Dustin told me that he got a letter from a kid who says that his father is starting to call him "Little Buff" because he really identifies with Dustin. He looks on the ice and sees that there are players that look like me.

So, these initiatives that the NHL has to get these players out in the community, in minority communities, is starting to make a difference. These kids say, "I can play hockey. There's someone out there who looks like me." It is start to go make a difference for sure.

MALVEAUX: All right. Richelle, thank you so much. Great report.

CAREY: Thanks for having me.

MALVEAUX: Well, it is not just Wisconsin. We're going to tell you about the budget crisis that is facing other states like Ohio. They are looking at an $8 billion shortfall and across-the-board cuts. Up next: a breakdown of Michigan and Colorado.

(COMEMRCIAL BREAK)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it's a problem in state capitols across the country. Big budget deficits are forcing states to make some tough choices when it comes to education.

Colorado is looking at $570 million in new budget cuts, $375 million in public education. That means the state would be spending about $500 less per student. Higher education costs and teacher layoffs are on the table.

In Michigan, officials are proposing a cut of $470 per student. That would save $452 million. Areas that could be targeted include bussing, music programs, and athletics. Ten thousand jobs could be lost.

More now on the budget showdown in Wisconsin, protesters say that the budget repair bill is an attack on unions and collective bargaining. It also requires teachers and other state workers to pay a bigger share of their pension and benefit costs. In an interview on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" a Wisconsin lawmaker defended the bill.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GLENN GROTHMAN, (R) WISCONSIN STATE SENATE: The state of Wisconsin is in a huge budget crisis and ever since I've been in this building I can't remember the AFT willing to give up anything. But what Governor Walker is recommending is really necessary for the state of Wisconsin right now.

We have one of the biggest budget deficits in the country. We have, I think, the most generous public employee pensions in the country, and I am a part that have plan, by the way, but given the huge deficit we have, the idea of asking teachers to pay more of their health insurance and all public employees and pay more of their pensions seems entirely reasonable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: I want to go beyond the headlines now to hear directly from one of Wisconsin's Democratic lawmakers who is a no-show, State Senator Mark Miller joins us by phone from outside of Wisconsin and he's one of the Democrats who fled to Illinois yesterday so Republicans wouldn't have enough lawmakers present to debate the governor's budget bill.

Mr. Miller, I appreciate you joining us here. Clearly we understand what kind of tactic this is. It's very similar to the filibuster on the federal level. Do you think it's appropriate now?

I mean, do you think it's time to come back and to be a part of the process here, to either vote no, vote yes, debate this, meet with the governor, do something?

MARK MILLER, WISCONSIN STATE SENATOR (via telephone): Well, what's appropriate was for the governor to be a real leader and to engage the state employees on how they can be a part of the solution for resolving the state budget shortfall. Now to a large extent the shortfall is minuscule. We're not required to have the triggers to have a budget repair.

MALVEAUX: But, Senator, as a state senator of Wisconsin, how do you lead from Illinois? How do you lead? How do you participate in this process? A lot of teachers and students you know are very frustrated right the now who want some answers. Is it time to come back to Wisconsin and deal with this?

MILLER: Well, we have an electronic world today. You can do business from anywhere in the world that you have electronic connection. That's how we do our work.

MALVEAUX: Have you reached out to the governor?

MILLER: We have been watching his statements carefully to see if he has made any move to reach out to the workers in the state of Wisconsin and so far that has not happened. If he was a real leader, he would have done that long ago, but we're hoping that cool heads will prevail and make that overture.

MALVEAUX: When do you plan on coming back to Wisconsin?

MILLER: We are watching the situation and making the plans as they go along. We want to see -- we want to see a responsible and meaningful it dialogue between the governor and the workers that he leads.

MALVEAUX: Are you hoping during this delay while you are away from the state that a Republican perhaps will switch, change his or her mind or the governor will decide he's going to negotiate? What is your strategy?

MILLER: We very much think that's the case. We know that there are a number of Republicans or legislators who are very uncomfortable with the extreme position they're being asked to support. And we're hoping they will hear the protesters and the people who have been begging the governor and the Republican leadership to share their plight, their protests, and to listen to them and that this is a window of opportunity. The governor introduced this bill on Friday and asked the state action four working days later.

MALVEAUX: OK, Senator, we appreciate your time. Obviously we have also asked for the governor to appear on our show to take questions, to explain what he would like to do next. He has declined our request. We are certainly hoping the governor will take us up on that offer so we can talk more about this and obviously get all sides of the story. We'll be right back after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: We're seeing across the Arab world and now on a smaller scale here at home people taking to the streets and protesting. What would it take for you personally to get out and make your voice heard? We sent comedian and radio host, Pete Dominick lunch crashing to find out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETE DOMINICK, COMEDIAN, RADIO HOST: Can I crash your lunch?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure.

DOMINICK: Have you ever protested anything in your life?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

DOMINICK: Never?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Never.

DOMINICK: You don't care about things?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not that I don't care about things.

DOMINICK: What if I took away your milkshake?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I would.

DOMINICK: Have any of you attended a protest at any point in your life ever?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

DOMINICK: What did you protest and when?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm showing my age. The Vietnam war.

DOMINICK: Vietnam War. Next.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Vietnam War.

DOMINICK: You protested the Vietnam War?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely.

DOMINICK: Wow. Sir, what about you? Did you ever attend a protest?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was the union.

DOMINICK: You were part of the union?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was 1960.

DOMINICK: And what about you, Miss? Have you ever attended a protest?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

DOMINICK: Are you on Twitter?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

DOMINICK: OK, just asking.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

DOMINICK: What did you protest in the past?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Women's rights.

DOMINICK: Women right, you're against women's rights?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I am for them.

DOMINICK: Fair enough.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I live in New Jersey. I'm a public schoolteacher and I would be pretty much willing to go out there and protest some of the changes.

DOMINICK: Pretty much willing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'd go out.

DOMINICK: In Wisconsin right now, the kids are walking out of school to defend their teachers' benefits.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Really?

DOMINICK: Yes, would you do that for your teacher?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, probably.

DOMINICK: You would just to get out of school for a little while.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Well, videos you've got to see in today's guilty pleasure. Justin Bieber's song "Baby" from the mouth of Darth Vader. Yes, that's right. Hollywood icon James Earl Jones read the lyrics from the young superstar's hit song on "The Gayle King Show."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES EARL JONES, ACTOR: My first love broke my heart for the first time and I was like, baby, baby, baby. Like, baby, baby, baby, no. Like baby, baby, baby. I thought you'd always be mine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Time now for our under reported story of the week. A high school wrestler from Iowa gives up his chance to become a state champion by refusing to wrestle a girl. Joel Northrup, a home schooled sophomore, is calling his decision to forfeit the match a matter of faith.

And he says he doesn't think it's, quote, "appropriate" for a boy to engage a girl in this manner. Well, Amy Holmes and Eric Cunningham are here to grapple over this story. Take this on.

I'm going to start off -- Eric, I'll start off with you here. I mean, tell us about this guy. Is he being a gentleman, do you think? Was this sexist?

ERIC CUNNINGHAM, FOUNDER, THEFULLGINSBURG.COM: Well, I'd like to think he's being a gentleman, but I just know like watching TV and movies, whenever you see a girl enter a guy-dominated sport, she ends up trouncing them. So part of me wonders if he's just forfeiting to save some time.

MALVEAUX: You think he would have been beat?

CUNNINGHAM: I mean, definitely just watching TV and these movies, you see that every single time. I'm sure he's seen the same things. He has (INAUDIBLE) in his head. I think maybe this entered a factor, he didn't want to lose.

MALVEAUX: Amy, what do you think? Do you think he's got a point there? Is this about religion? Is it about his faith?

AMY HOLMES, CO-HOST, "AMERICA'S MORNING NEWS": Well, the young man says it's about religion. But, you know, Suzanne, I think the news here is that chivalry isn't dead. I mean I'd like to meet his kids older brother or a single uncle or maybe even a widowed grandfather in this case. You know I think --

MALVEAUX: A little matchmaking going on here. Go ahead, Amy, you can advertise if you want.

HOLMES: You know, I think we put boys -- I think we put boys in a very contradictory position. That we raise them to say it is never OK to be physically aggressive towards a girl. That boys are told that they have to ask permission for every step of the way for any kind of intimate contact. And then we say, go tackle her. Nail her. You know, it's the state championship. I mean I'm telling you, Suzanne, you would not want to meet the kid who relishes putting a girl in a headlock, OK. That's a kid who ends up on a "Dateline" special.

MALVEAUX: Oh, Eric, do you think this is intimacy? I mean Amy says this is about intimacy, that it's not about sports.

CUNNINGHAM: Well, I mean, I feel like if you're -- if you -- if there's something about wrestling a girl that you think is sinful, then that's not wrestling. I don't know what it is, but that's not wrestling. I mean wrestling, it's not boxing. It's not --

HOLMES: I know what it is.

CUNNINGHAM: Yes.

MALVEAUX: Amy says you know what it is.

CUNNINGHAM: I question more -- I mean it is wrestling. It's obviously a very physical sport. But it's not boxing. It isn't, you know, cage match fighting. It's about control and trying to pin somebody. I think, overall, it might be -- I really -- I would like to see the religious passage that does mention wrestling that this teenager is reciting.

MALVEAUX: Thou shalt not wrestle.

Amy --

HOLMES: Well, Suzanne, it's about (INAUDIBLE) point, that she has a psychological advantage if he walks into that match with any kind of reservations about tackling a girl, pinning a girl. If he's at all hesitant or cautious, then she does have an advantage there and it's not a fair fight.

MALVEAUX: All right. We're going to leave it there. Eric Cunningham, founder of news parody site thefullginsburg.com and Amy Holmes, host of the radio talk show "America's Morning News."

Great match, guys.

HOLMES: Thank you.

CUNNINGHAM: Thanks.

STEPHANIE ELAM, BUSINESS NEWS CORRESPONDENT: It's time now for "The Help Desk," where we get answers to your financial questions. Joining me this hour, Ryan Mack, is the president of Optimum Capital Management and Doug Flynn, he's a certified financial planner and founder of Flynn Zito.

Thanks for being here today, guys.

Our first question is, "I work for a global company and I may move to the U.K. or India permanently after five or six years. Is there any way I can transfer money to India without paying any penalties?" What do you think, Ryan?

RYAN MACK, PRESIDENT, OPTIMUM CAPITAL MANAGEMENT: Well, not necessarily not fee free, they might be able to do some things to make sure you can mitigate the amount that you do pay. So a couple of tips for him. Make sure you shop around some additional fees and make sure you're paying less. But even more important than that, make sure you look at those companies that give you good security within your transfers.

Also, make sure you can get somebody on the phone. A lot of these companies that do international money transfers, they might be Internet transfers. You can't necessarily talk to someone. That doesn't negate the fact for customer service and also ask the right questions, what's the exchange rate, how does the individual mail in, receive the funds. Can I do it in a responsible and a safe way and different things like that and you should be OK.

ELAM: So do a lot of checking first before you make any moves.

MACK: Exactly.

ELAM: All right. Our next question is from Craig in Delaware. He writes, "I'm 43 and have $350,000 in my 401(k). The account is 90 percent stocks and 10 percent bonds. I know a more appropriate mix for my age would be 70/30. But isn't this an awful time to move that much money to bonds with interest rates so low and high bond prices? Should I wait for rates to rise before acting?"

What do you think, Doug?

DOUG FLYNN, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER: Well, we just went through 30 years of lowering interest rates. And so you could be waiting a really long time for rates to come up and peak before you do this.

The answer is, if you should be at 70/30, you need to make that move now. That's the most important thing. Take that 20 percent differential and move it from the stocks to the bonds.

Here's the trick, though. Don't just buy the traditional treasuries or regular bond fund that you might be offered. You have to do a little bit more digging. You want to find bond funds and bonds that will do well in a rising rate environment. And they're out there. You just have to do a little research.

So I think the key is, you need to do it and you need to do it now. But don't just pick the bond fund that's in there. Do a little research and find the type of bonds, get on the Internet and look for bonds that do well in a rising rate environment or a fixed account that can change rates in an upward fashion and you'll do very well.

ELAM: I think someone like Craig, who knows what the ratio should be, should not have a hard time doing the research.

So, guys, thanks so much for helping us out today.

If you have a question that you want to get answered, hey, we're happy to help you out. Send us an e-mail any time to cnnhelpdesk@cnn.com.

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MALVEAUX: First Lady Michelle Obama told a group of reporters that she wants to promote breast-feeding as a way to reduce childhood obesity. There are some conservatives that say it's leading to what they say is a nanny (ph) state. Well, now is your chance to "Talk Back." Our Carol Costello, he's joining us from Washington.

I guess there are a lot of people who had some pretty strong responses to this.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, yes, we had a lot of response to this question. Almost all the shout outs to Michelle Obama, I must say. The "Talk Back" question, why has Mrs. Obama's anti-obesity campaign become so controversial?

This from Terez. "I am super sick of people who think that it's a bad thing to want better for American children. Mrs. Obama is America's mom. She's the shining example of the modern motherhood."

This from Lucas. He says, "I find it ironic that Sarah Palin says regardless of the politics, we should breast-feed our kids because the price of milk is high, when the only reason this issue is controversial at all is precisely because of politics."

And this from Deborah. "Because we are going to take our tax deductible government bought breast pumps and sell them on street corners to other breast-feeding junkies?"

That's my favorite. You go, Deborah.

Keep the conversation going. Facebook.com/carolcnn. And I'll see you again tomorrow.

MALVEAUX: All right, Carol. Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: Sure.

MALVEAUX: Well, our producers are tallying the votes right now on the story that you wanted to see this hour. Our "Choose The News" winner. That is coming up just ahead right after we make good on yesterday's winner. You'll see that as well.

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MALVEAUX: So yesterday you voted for it but we had to delay airing your "Choose The News" winner for breaking news. It happens sometimes. So without delay, we want to tell you, the great story out of Chicago, the entire graduating class of Urban Prep Academy has been accepted into a four-year college university for the second year in a row. One student was accepted by 21 universities and is being offered $719,000, that's right, in scholarships.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR RICHARD M. DALEY, CHICAGO: The facts are the facts. These young men are going to college.

TIM KING, FOUNDER OF URBAN PREP ACADEMY: The majority of students come to us reading below grade level and our job is to do our best to work with them each and every day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Urban Prep is the nation's first all boys public charter high school. It has three campuses, wants to duplicate this model across the country. Congratulations to those guys.

And now today's "Choose The News" winner. And I understand this was very close. The voting very close here. But this is the one you chose. A fifth grade glee club from New York is taking its show on the road all the way to the Oscars. Our CNN's Jason Carroll tells us how it all happened.

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JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Videos from rehearsals have gone viral. These fifth graders from PS 22 Choir on Staten Island capturing the hearts of celebrities, like Kylie Mino (ph), Torre Amos, Stevie Nicks, and Ann Hathaway, who showed up with a special announcement.

ANN HATHAWAY, ACTOR: They wanted me to invite you guys --

AZARIA, PS 22 CHORUS: I'm going like oh my God.

MOHAMMED, PS 22 CHORUS: You're going to Hollywood.

GREG BREINBERG, PS 22 CHORUS TEACHER: Unbelievable. I mean, surreal. My head is still spinning.

CARROLL: Choral instructor Greg Breinberg is the man who made the group what it is today.

BREINBERG: They are amazing, amazing kids. They come with experience and soul experience. When you come from that kind of background, you're just maybe a little bit more attuned to the way life can be a tough thing.

CARROLL: Gifted 10-year-old like Denise (ph) and Azaria round out the group.

CARROLL (on camera): Explain to me why singing is important to you.

AZARIA: For me music is something that I cannot live without it.

MOHAMMED: I realized that my mom was a singer, so I want to be like my mom.

DENISE, PS 22 CHORUS: It's what I wanted to do since I was a little girl. To me --

CARROLL: You are a little girl. DENISE: Since I was a little baby. A little (INAUDIBLE) baby.

CARROLL (voice-over): Singing is their passion. And come Oscar night, millions will hear why.

BREINBERG: Awesome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Awesome, he said.

CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Don Lemon, who's in for Ali Velshi.

He said they're awesome. I think they're awesome, Don.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: They are awesome. Thank you, Suzanne.