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Military Mind Games; Finally Able to Flee Libya; Showdown in Wisconsin; Coffee Prices Climbing; The Help Desk; Talk Back Question; Bottoms Up Beer Dispenser
Aired February 25, 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: And we have been following breaking news out of Libya. Their state television saying that -- these were live pictures that we saw of Moammar Gadhafi in Green Square just moments ago, addressing what we believe to be supporters. A very defiant Moammar Gadhafi saying that he will fight to the death.
This comes amid calls for him to step down and massive protests that are taking place throughout the country of Libya, as opponents, his opponents, take over cities, demanding for his ouster. But we saw just moments ago -- we cannot independently confirm, but Libyan television saying that those were live pictures of the Libyan leader, a very defiant leader, saying that he is certainly here to stay, and it comes amid reports of our own reporters on the ground reporting a brutal oppressive crackdown, killings of some of these demonstrators. We believe that these are supporters that he has just addressed.
And witnesses say that Libyan forces are shooting at anything that moves today in the capital. One Tripoli resident describes the fear and the apprehension to our own CNN's Anderson Cooper.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER 360": I hear fear in your voice and I hear sadness in your voice.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very much stress. Very much sadness and hopelessness, because, you know, we can't go outside. I wish I can go outside and protest. Say, OK, they arrest you, they beat you, they do -- but the problem is, you go outside, they're going to shoot you.
This is not protests. We cannot protest. I wish we can protest. We cannot protest.
We have to find another way to take this, not protest. This is masochist (ph).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Libyan protesters make another land grab. Witnesses say that they took control of the Libyan port city of Brega today, as well as its oil terminal.
Now, it's in western Libya. That is near the border with Tunisia. And that means the protesters effectively have Tripoli surrounded right now.
Now, the United States government is evacuating Americans from Libya today by ship, by plane. A ferry is going to arrive in Malta in just a couple of hours. The U.S. Embassy in Tripoli says that a plane is taking Americans to Turkey today as well.
One man who got out on his own describes the chaos at the airport.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE SAYAR, FLED VIOLENCE IN LIBYA: We pretty much had to push and shove our way through thousands of people. And myself and two of my colleagues finally made it after about three hours of pushing, shoving and kicking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: In Iraq today, another round of nationwide protests against government corruption.
(CHANTING)
MALVEAUX: Iraqi authorities say at least five people were killed when they challenged police. Iraq's prime minister urged people to stay home. He said terrorists and former members of Saddam Hussein's regime planned to stir up trouble.
And a 20-year-old Saudi college student appeared in federal court in Lubbock, Texas, today. A judge ordered Khalid Aldawsari held until a hearing in March. He is charged with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. Now, authorities say he planned to attack several targets, including the Dallas home of former President George W. Bush.
The school board in Providence, Rhode Island, has fired -- yes, that's right, fired -- every single teacher on its payroll, almost 2,000 of them. Now, the city says it gives the school district greater flexibility with its budget for the next term. The board says it will recall teachers this summer, but only those it can afford.
And we are watching out of Wisconsin Governor Walker. Scott Walker is going to be holding a press conference in Kenosha, Wisconsin. We are going to monitor his remarks to see if he mentions anything about the budget battle that is taking place in his state and the standoff that is taking place with those lawmakers.
Democrats refusing to come back to the state to vote in favor of this budget bill. The Republicans who have stayed in the state pushing it forward. And, of course, a lot of teachers and union workers and even some of the kids stuck in the middle of all this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All in favor say "Aye." All opposed say "Nay." The ayes have it. The bill is in the Senate. The assembly is adjourned. UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: Shame! Shame! Shame!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: What you're hearing are chants of "Shame! Shame! Shame!" Wisconsin's State Assembly approved the governor's budget repair bill overnight, as we had mentioned. But the Senate can't vote on it because Democratic lawmakers fled the state.
So the bill, what it does, it guts collective bargaining rights for most state workers. The governor says that these layoffs, they're going to start next week if this bill is not approved.
And a bill legalizing same-sex marriages moves to the Maryland House today. The state Senate approved the bill without a single vote to spare. If the House goes along, same-sex couples would have the same rights to marry as straight couples. Maryland's governor has said he would sign the bill.
And another scathing report on the U.S. military. This is courtesy of "Rolling Stone" magazine. An article out this week claims that the Army ordered soldiers trained in psychological operations to manipulate visiting senators.
Our CNN's Chris Lawrence has reaction from the Pentagon.
Chris, how are they responding to this today?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Suzanne, the top brass of the Pentagon, General David Petraeus, in Afghanistan, has launched an investigation that it backed up by the secretary of defense himself to try to get to the bottom of this. These -- some of these officers in Afghanistan who were part of this psy-ops team are alleging that they were given an illegal order by their commanding officer to use some sort of psychological operations techniques to influence some of these senators and sort of bend them to a particular position.
One of those officers says their talk from day one, that none of these techniques are supposed to be used on any Americans, let alone senators. Another one of the officers, the primary one who's made these accusations, described to us what he says he was ordered to do.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. COL. MICHAEL HOLMES, NATIONAL GUARD (RET.): With the senators and the congressmen, it was simply how had these people voted in the past? What were their positions coming in? And what could the generals actually say to them that would get them to do what we wanted them to do, provide more money, provide more troops?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAWRENCE: And again, none of those techniques are supposed to be used on senators.
MALVEAUX: So, Chris, who was allegedly targeted here? Why them specifically? Who are we talking about?
LAWRENCE: Yes, we're talking about some of the leaders of very influential committees like the Armed Services Committee, Appropriations Committee, the guys who basically pull a lot of the budget strings -- Senators McCain, Levin, Lieberman, Jack Reed.
But when you look at this, it raises some questions about the allegations, because some of these men are on board with the war. Some of these men -- you know, Senator Levin put out a statement saying look, nobody had to convince me to send more money for training. I've been trying to convince other people to beef up this program. And Senator Jack Reed told us yesterday -- he said, "Look, when we go on these trips, we always expect a little bit of spin from the military. That's just the way these things go."
MALVEAUX: And how's the military -- how are they responding to the accusations?
LAWRENCE: Well, the man who is primarily accused of this, Lieutenant General William Caldwell, through a spokesman has denied it. And a U.S. official told us that Caldwell will not step down, that he does not believe these allegations are true. And, in fact, that's one of the reasons General Petraeus has launched this investigation.
We've also talked with some military officials as well, trying to see the background, to see whether the primary officer, Lieutenant Colonel Holmes, was actually trained in some of these hard-core psychological warfare techniques. And so far, we haven't been able to find that he actually attended a specific school and got that specific training that some of these psychological warfare officers would use. So a lot to dig through, yes, of this investigation.
MALVEAUX: Sure. A lot of unanswered questions. Thank you, Chris. Appreciate that.
LAWRENCE: You're welcome.
MALVEAUX: Well, here's your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day, state budget battles. They're picketing protesters, hard-line governors. It all adds up to a big question about America's leaders.
Our Carol Costello, she's joining us from D.C. with your "Talk Back."
Hey, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's been an interesting conversation so far, Suzanne.
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is now a star. When was the last time you knew the name of a Wisconsin governor?
He is the ultimate "my way or the highway" type of politician. It doesn't matter. State workers are willing to pay more in benefits. He believes collective bargaining hurts Wisconsin, period.
As for tens of thousands of protesters, they're not changing his mind either. Walker is just one of many newly-elected politicians who talk tough. Newly-elected Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel comes to mind, and so does New Jersey's governor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: Here's the truth that nobody's talking about. You're going to have to raise the retirement age for Social Security. Oh, I just said it, and I'm still standing here. I did not vaporize.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And that kind of thing really resonates. Financial columnist Liz Peek wrote, "I think I've fallen in love with Chris Christie."
Is such tough talk effective though? Like it or not, politics is still about compromise and consensus. Or is it?
So the "Talk Back' question today: Does America need a "my way or the highway" kind of political leader? Send your comments to my Facebook page, Facebook.com/CarolCNN. And I'll read some of your comments later on in the hour -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Carol.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: These pictures just in. Moments ago, we saw them. This is from Libyan state television.
Moammar Gadhafi there addressing the crowds that have gathered in Green Square. A very defiant Libyan leader telling the people in his country that he wants them to live with dignity and high morals, but he will fight to the death, that he will stay in power.
And this comes amidst a brutal crackdown from protesters inside of that country as various cities have been taken over by opponents in this picture provided by Libyan television. We believe they are supporters of Moammar Gadhafi who have gathered there. But making it very clear to the people in his country he has no intention of stepping down after 42 years in power, that he will fight to the death before he gives up that power.
There is progress now in the effort to get Americans out of Libya. The U.S. scheduled its first chartered flight out of Tripoli today, and the destination is Turkey. Evacuees aboard the first U.S. chartered boat, they are set to dock in Malta about two hours from now, after extensive delays due to some bad weather.
Well, our Diana Magnay, she is in Malta. She joins is us live. When do we think they're going to arrive?
DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Suzanne.
Well, they're actually expected to dock around three hours' time, we're hoping, which means they're more than halfway between here and Tripoli. This was of course that ship that's been sitting in Tripoli Harbor for 36 hours now, with none of the passengers able to leave.
There were about 285 passengers on board all that time, and they added a few more, bringing the total up to about 300, before setting sail about five hours ago now. So they're going to be coming, landing here in three hours. And when they do, the U.S. Embassy has made all sorts of arrangements.
They've got a travel desk so that people can get some assistance. A, in finding somewhere to stay for the night here in Malta. And B, in making their further travel plans.
They will have to make their way on from Malta themselves. There isn't a sort of facility from the U.S. to get them straight back home.
But we have spoken to various people on board that catamaran when they are still in the Tripoli dock. They say that the mood is calm, that they have been well looked after, that they've been fed, they have water. And really, that they're incredibly glad to be making their way out. Of course, there was a storm that stopped them.
One of the women who's lived in Libya for four years, on board that boat, said it was the worst storm that she'd ever seen in her time in Libya. So that's why there's been such a holdup in getting that boat out -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: And Diana, what kind of preparations are they making for them on your end?
MAGNAY: Well, there will be this travel desk. We haven't really met any relatives, so I think it will just be U.S. Embassy staff meeting them and trying to assist with their travel arrangements.
Bear in mind, there aren't that many Americans on board this ship. Three hundred in total, probably around 200. We know more than half of them are U.S. citizens. Forty of those are non-embassy staff, or family members, embassy staff who have to stay back in Libya.
So there are still a large quantity of U.S. citizens who still need to be got out of Libya one way or another. Some of them may belong to oil companies or other companies, contractors, working in Libya. And those firms have been making their own arrangements to get them out. But compared to the efforts of other countries, the U.S. has had considerable delays, comparatively, in getting their citizens out of Libya -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Right. Diana, we'll be watching very closely as that ferry get closer and they eventually arrive to safety. Thank you so much. Public union workers in Wisconsin, they lose a round in the fight to save their collective bargaining rights.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: Shame! Shame! Shame!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: You're hearing cries of "Shame! Shame! Shame!"
Overnight, Wisconsin's State Assembly passed a Republican budget cutting bill. Now, it strips most collective bargaining rights from the state's public unions. The Senate still has to vote on it, but the Democratic senators, they fled to Illinois to delay a vote. They say the governor refuses to compromise.
Well, Governor Scott Walker, he is threatening to lay off thousands of public workers if this bill does not pass the Senate.
Our CNN Ted Rowlands, he is in Madison with the latest on this showdown.
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Showdown, indeed. And it continues as the pressure starts to build as well, Suzanne. Both sides trying to use what they can to increase the pressure on the other.
Right now, the governor, Scott Walker, is going around the state, and he's targeting the districts of those 14 senators that are in Illinois. At this hour, he's in Kenosha, which is near Milwaukee, and he is repeating the name of the state senators over and over in his speech there, then he's expected to move around the state and do the same thing, trying to get constituents to put pressure on those 14.
Meanwhile, the 14 Democrats continue to put pressure on the governor by simply staying out of state. They say they'll do that as long as it takes. They say they want to compromise, but at this point there doesn't seem to be any compromise in the short-term horizon -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: All right, Ted. We'll be watching very closely. Thank you.
Well, CNN is dedicating "YOUR BOTTOM LINE" tomorrow to a special called "Educating America." From the union rallies to exploding class sizes and shrinking budgets, our own Christine Romans and her guests, they've got you covered. That is tomorrow morning at 9:30 Eastern.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Well, sometimes people go searching for their past, but for Cicely Schatzman, her past came looking for her when remnants of slave cabins were recently discovered at a notorious plantation in Maryland.
"Essence" magazine tried to find a descendent of one of the slaves who lived there. Well, working with a genealogy group, they found 27-year-old Cicely Schatzman of Atlanta. Now, she is the great, great, great, great granddaughter of the slave John Murdoch (ph).
Cicely and her mother, Kym Kennedy, took a trip to the Hermitage (ph) Plantation and are joining us today for this Black History Month edition of "What Matters."
Thank you so much for joining us. This is an incredible, powerful story.
And Cicely, I want to start off with you, because your father passed away when you were 13. You lost him at a young age. And yet, through this journey to this plantation, you've linked with him. You found connections to the father you lost.
CICELY SCHATZMAN, LEARNED SHE IS A DESCENDENT OF SLAVES: Well, I'll tell you, it's an experience that is very important to me when it comes to my father. He was always in the forefront, in the media, even though I didn't know him very well growing up myself. We were kind of estranged, but I was always hearing about him, seeing him on TV.
And so it's hard for me not to think that he didn't have something to do with this. Working from above, he definitely -- he definitely had his hands in this, and it made me feel very, very close to him.
The experience made me start going through articles that he had read that my mother had saved for years and years that I never really paid attention to. And it's very comforting. Very comforting.
MALVEAUX: And Ms. Kennedy, this was one of the most notorious plantations where slaves were brutalized. So much so, the state of Maryland actually took out complaints against the masters, the slave masters there.
Tell me, what was that like to walk on that ground where that had happened, and you knew that that had happened to those you love?
KYM KENNEDY, SCHATZMAN'S MOTHER: It was really an inspirational time for me, because despite all of that, despite the brutality that took place on that plantation, I felt grateful to our ancestors for surviving it and triumphing despite it. You know? And it just was inspiring to me that we have to, as a people, get to the place where we look at that kind of tragedy and turn it and recognize there's a silver lining to everything.
The work that I do is with Radical Forgiveness. And I believe that our people are angry at a generational level.
You know, our kids are doing drugs and drive-bys, and we adults are dying of heart disease. It's anger that's built into our system, and we have to let it go. It's killing our generations. And so, again, I was grateful. There are beautiful things that came out of that.
We found that her ancestors bought their children out of slavery. That's something to be proud about.
We don't have to look at the tragedies and always face that, point to that. We can point to the beauty that came out of it. These families, these generations are still gathering.
We went to a funeral last week of Cicely's 91-year-old matriarch of her family. And again, it was just a fabulous opportunity for us all to gather together and to love each other, and to recognize that we as a people have survived horrible injustices.
MALVEAUX: That's a powerful lesson that's come out of this.
Thank you so much for joining us. Really, an amazing story and an amazing journey. Thank you.
KENNEDY: Thank you.
SCHATZMAN: Thank you.
MALVEAUX: Well, check out Essence.com to read more about Cicely's story and her experience at the plantation.
Reports of mercenaries firing indiscriminately at protesters in Libya. But state TV, they're telling a very different story. Michael Holmes, he is here to discuss Moammar Gadhafi's manipulation of the media.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: New video rather from Libya shows a very defiant Moammar Gadhafi addressing a huge crowd of what we believe are supporters in Tripoli's Green Square. The Libyan TV broadcast showed Gadhafi fist pumping and blowing kisses to the crowd. He called on young people to "be happy and live with dignity and high morals." And he again announced he would fight to the death rather than give up his power.
It was said to be a live address. We have no way of confirming that. The opposition is reporting that security forces loyal to Gadhafi used gunfire today to disperse thousands of protesters who streamed out of mosques after Friday prayers.
For almost two weeks, we've been bringing you the latest reports on Libya's revolution. But what we can show, it's limited. It's filtered. Admittedly ncomplete. Why is that? Because the picture is purposefully obscured by Libya.
Michael Holmes is here to discuss this media blackout in today's "Globetreking." And Michael, you and I watched this latest address from Gadhafi. Does this indicate to you, does it show a sense of desperation that he is losing his grip over power and the messages and images he's projecting?
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. More and more, it becomes delusional. And you know, I think when you look at Libya, Egypt, you look at Bahrain even, what we've seen is the ultimate failure, if you like, of state media. The people aren't buying into it. Particularly when you look at a guy like Gadhafi is the obvious disconnect between him and the people that we're seeing between him with these speeches. But the state media, of course, is one of the last vestibules of control that he's clinging to. It's all he's got in a way.
And as you said, his address just a short time ago telling people he's ready to triumph over the enemy, et cetera, I mean, when the reality on the ground is so obvious. It is the fourth time we have heard from him since this all began. Saif El-Islam Gadhafi, his son also addressed the press twice now through the Libyan-owned state television channel.
And we're hearing reports now, the mercenaries patrolling the streets of Tripoli, firing on civilians. And mercenaries are also elements of an elite brigade run by one of Gadhafi's sons. We've heard of them hiding bodies. Actually been reports of going into hospitals and removing the wounded to try to cover up what's been going on. But despite those reports, what we've been hearing from the Gadhafis. I want you to listen to something here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAIF EL-ISLAM GADHAFI, SON OF MOAMMAR GADHAFI (through translator): It was a popular (INAUDIBLE) party in the streets, all the people were out. Now, we see a lot of (INAUDBILE) out in the streets, holding banners, holding pictures of leader Gadhafi. We tell you, this is a media warfare.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: There is almost a naivete in watching this, too because as I said, the people aren't buying it. They're not stupid. They can see what's happening around them. The statements being aired on state-sponsored broadcast. Propaganda, these images as you see there. The green flags of support, etc.
MALVEAUX: So, what do you make of this? Because it's a total perversion of the truth. Are these guys delusional? Do they believe what they're saying? Or is this, just, you know --
HOLMES: I think we're desperate to hang on to what they can. I mean, it really is closing in. Like somebody put like playing a violin on the Titanic as the ship goes down.
But as I said, they're not really fooling anyone. Because of how stringent the crackdown on reporting by outside media is, however, what we are seeing is these sorts of things. The glimpses of reality we are able to bring you, often coming from the people on the streets themselves. The Libyans. They're shot on cell phone cameras. Sent out at great risk -- to the world. Citizen journalism, if you like. Now, of course, our Ben Wedeman and his crew have done a terrific job from the east of the country. There he is in Benghazi, but they can't be everywhere, and they're doing this at very great risk --
MALVEAUX: And Michael, we've been told Ben is joining us now by phone. He is in Benghazi now. And Ben, if you can hear us, can you give us a sense of what you're seeing and who is with you?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): (AUDIO GAP) celebrating on the one hand, but continuing to protest the rule of Moammar Gadhafi. We saw thousands and thousands of people braved some pretty nasty weather. It's cold and windy and rainy here, but they came out to express their support for the people of Tripoli, who are many of whom are trying to overthrow Moammar Gadhafi.
In fact, Gadhafi appeared on state television just a short while ago in Green Square, that's the main square in Tripoli, in which he called upon Libyans to defend the country's dignity, to defend its oil resources, but more disturbingly, he said he was ready to open state arsenals and distribute weapons to those loyal to him, to the tribes loyal to him and to unleash them on the parts of this country that are in a state --
MALVEAUX: And Ben, I don't know if you're able to answer this question, but the protesters, the demonstrators, were they able to see and hear state television and that statement from Gadhafi saying he was going to fight to the death?
WEDEMAN: No, here in Benghazi, now that they're no longer under his rule, now that they are essentially free, very few Libyans in this part of the country spend any time watching state television. They hear about it afterwards. Sometimes, they tune into the radio to listen to his speeches.
For the most part, they're met with derision and laughter. Of course, they hear the threats, and these threats are disturbing to people because they obviously indicate this is a man who's not going to go down easily. But he will use everything at his disposal to try to save his sinking regime.
HOLMES: Ben, it's Michael here. Michael Holmes. We are having a discussion about state media, its control and the like. One of the things we've been hearing is, where you are now, there is already a growth in independent radio stations springing up. Even a newspaper coming out now. What do you know about that and how that's turning the media game around?
WEDEMAN: Yes, what happened here within literally a day or two uprising in the eastern part of the county, a bunch of young people got together using their knowledge of the internet and other technology and created an fm radio station called the voice of free Libya. And it's been broadcasting around the clock, spreading news of the revolution, the revolt in this part of the country. They've been very active in spreading the word, spreading any sort of updates that people are so desperate for. And also, in fact, they've come out with a -- another group has come out with a newspaper. I have it in my back pocket. I wish we were live. I could show it to you. It's just a big piece of paper, but very well put together. There's computer graphics and the name of this -- unfold it now out of my pocket here, it's called (INAUDIBLE) Libya Free Libya, and it comes out every day.
And yes, you do have all these people who have finally had the opportunity to express themselves and they're expressing themselves I must say, fairly eloquently certainly compared to the state media, which has all this sort of shortcomings, any totalitarian regime. Michael.
HOLMES: Fascinating, fascinating. Thanks, Ben.
MALVEAUX: Ben, we appreciate your time, Michael as well.
We're following another breaking news story. This, a group of Democratic governors coming out of the White House at the stakeout cameras to talk about a bit about budgets and some things they are facing, their budgets. Maryland governor Martin O'Malley.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
GOV. MARTIN O'MALLEY (D), MARYLAND: -- the nation's infrastructure, which also creates jobs. We talked a lot about the importance of a reliable power grid, but also the importance of bringing people together so that we have the transportation reauthorization bill so we can do the rebuilding this nation needs in order to create jobs.
I'd like to turn it over now to the vice chair of our Democratic Governor's Association, Governor Beverly Purdue from North Carolina.
GOV. BEVERLY PURDUE (D), NORTH CAROLINA: Thank you. I'm Bev Purdue. The governor of North Carolina. (OFF MIKE) since this morning when fellow governors and the president and vice president (OFF MIKE). It starts with jobs. (OFF MIKE) We've got to have jobs -- we talked about infrastructure. We talked about rules and regulations (OFF MIKE).
And then we focused on what the great job is, we know that's education -- the investments in education from preschool all the way through the university --
MALVEUAX: We'll continue to monitor the statements of the governors, the Democratic governors, that have been meeting with the president and talking about their own ways and strategies they're going to be dealing with their budgets.
We're going to have more news after this quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Time to "Choose the News." Time is running out. All you've got to do is text 22360 for the story you want to see in detail, and we will air it for you. So, here are the choices. How the first Chinese-American player in the NFL wants to spread the game in China. How a Japanese city gets around being overrun by wild monkeys. Or how to get rid of beer lines at ball games.
So, all you got to do, vote 1 for football dreams for China, 2 for hot springs for snow monkeys or 3, for bottoms up, beer dispenser. The winning story airs later this hour.
And a jolt for coffee lovers, me being one of them. The price of your favorite brew is going to go up again! We'll find out why.
(COMMERICAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: So you probably noticed it's not just the higher gas prices that are eating into your budget these days. Prices for food, other commodities, that are also climbing as well, including your favorite brand of coffee. That's right. Here's our CNN's Stephanie Elam.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This might give you a jolt, coffee lovers. The cost of that cup of joe is about to go up some more.
JOSE SETTE, EXEC. DIR., INTL COFFEE ORGANIZATION: Prices have been rising steadily over the last four or five years. But these price rises have accelerated since May of last year.
ELAM: And roasters are passing some of the cost on to you. Last fall, Starbucks said it was raising the price of large and labor intensive drinks to offset the cost of coffee beans, while the price of packaged Dunkin Donuts and Foldgers coffee products sold in retail outlets rose by 10 percent this month. And with coffee prices hitting a 14-year high and rising more than 100 percent in the last 12 months, more hikes could be on the horizon. So what's behind the boost?
SETTE: Coffee prices are high primarily because we have had three disappointing harvests in Colombia in a row and Columbia is the biggest producer of fine quality coffee.
ELAM: But while prices are high, this isn't the worst we've seen.
SETTE: If we talk about adjusting for inflation, then prices are not as high as we have seen in the past. But in nominal terms, we are to the highest levels since 1977.
ELAM: It's hard to pinpoint when prices will go up at the store, but consumers should get ready.
HECTOR GALVAN, SENIOR TRADING ADVISOR, RJO FUTURES: That sticker shock they may think is bad now will be nothing compared to the -- you know, what they'll have in the next six to eight months.
SETTE: So, will the price hike stop folks from hitting up their local barista?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If it really gets that high, then I'm definitely not going to like get coffee every day. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to stomp my feet and stop buying.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, not at all. I mean coffee's important for --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, because --
ELAM: Stephanie Elam, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: I don't think I can give up my coffee.
Well, you're sounding off on our "Talk Back" question today. Does America need more my way or the highway political leaders? Riley Kellogg says, "we need another headline-grabbing would-be presidential candidate about as much as we need another Palin or Bachmann. Open your eyes, America, it's time to stop confusing tough talk with clear thinking."
We're going to have more of your comments ahead, including yours Kim.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAM: Time now for The Help Desk, where we get answers to your financial questions. With me this hour, Ryan Mack. He's the president of Optimum Capital Management. And Doug Flynn is a certified financial planner and founder of Flynn Zito.
Thank you for being here today, gentlemen.
Our first question is from Vick in New Jersey. He writes in, "I'm 19 years old and looking to invest for the first time. Possibly mutual funds. What advice do you have?"
We like it when the young bucks are asking these questions.
RYAN MACK, PRESIDENT, OPTIMUM CAPITAL MANAGEMENT: This is a great question. You know, a lot of times, and hopefully he's in college right now. A lot of this information is now being disseminated while they're in school. Financial literacy is extremely crucial.
But it's always hard to give investment advice to individuals that young because their income is so uncertain when they graduate. But what I'd advise him to do is really just get some books, read as much as possible, go on morningstar.com, go on cnnmoney.com, go on bloomberg.com and make sure you research as much as possible.
And then you ask yourself from various questions. Why am I investing? I mean am I investing for a new car next year or am I investing for retirement? What's my time frame? One year or 40 years down the road? And what sort of capital do I need in order to achieve my investment goals? Then are questions that individuals, whether they're 19 or 49, should need to be asking themselves. And then, if you're one of those anomalies of individuals who actually have money to invest in the market as 19 as opposed to Cheese-its and tuna fish like I was eating, then you might want to go and look at some exchange trade funds. They give you some great diversification between stocks and bonds and put some money in cash as well.
ELAM: Yes, so know your purpose and maybe you will eat something better than that.
MACK: Right.
ELAM: All right, Carla in Wisconsin writes, "my 17-year-old son filed taxes this year. Does that prevent me from claiming him as a dependent?"
A lot of people wondering this, Doug.
DOUG FLYNN, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER: No, it doesn't. The IRS just doesn't want you both claiming dependents. So if he claims himself, then that's fine. If you claim him, that's fine. And really what you need to do is you need to do your taxes both ways. See if you claim him versus if he claims him how it works better for the family and work that out. But it's OK to claim him even if he files his tax return.
ELAM: Yes. So that's good to know. I'm sure a lot of people are -- that's going to help them out this weekend as they start working on it.
All right, thanks so much, gentlemen.
If you have a question you want to get answered, we'd love to help you out. Send us an e-mail any time to cnnhelpdesk@cnn.com.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Here is your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. Top political leadership styles are being put to the test in states caught up in these big budget battles. Our Carol Costello is here with your "Talk Back."
Hey, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Suzanne.
Even though Wisconsin public employees are willing to take cuts and benefits, Wisconsin's governor is not changing his mind about gutting collective bargaining and his hard as nails approach is resonating. So, "Talk Back" today, does America need a my way or the highway kind of political leader?
This from Kim. "If we want a my way or the highway kind of political leader, I hear that Mubarak and Gadhafi are looking for jobs. Maybe our voters would like to elect them."
This from Alexander. "I think in a sense, yes, I'm tired of politicians whose views change with the polls or thoughts of the day. Don't like it, vote them out the next election."
And this from Karla. "Didn't we leave the king behind 230 years ago or so. Come on."
Continue the conversation at facebook.com/carolcnn and thanks, as always, for your comments.
I'm going to go on the FaceBook page right now. Thanks, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: All right. Thanks, Carol. Appreciate it.
Well, our producers have been tallying last minute results. We're going to have your "Choose The News" winner up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: You voted for it. We're now going to air it. "Choose The News" winner right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The best place to see Josh Springer's invention is at a ball game, but away from the action.
SIMON (on camera): How simple is the technology?
JOSH SPRINGER: It is -- it's very simple. It's very -- very simple.
SIMON (voice-over): To fully appreciate it, you need to have two traits. One, you hate standing in line. Two, you have an affinity for beer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've got Bud regular. I've got Michelob Ultra.
SPRINGER: I don't -- I'm the kind of guy that won't wait in a beer line. I go to the event. I pay good money for the seats.
SIMON: So just to prove to himself it could be done --
SPRINGER: Everybody looked at me like I was crazy.
SIMON: He set out to end the beer line forever with a dispenser that pours the beer from the bottom up. The speed is something to behold. Springer says he holds an unofficial world record for pouring 56 beers in one minute. His videos on YouTube have gone viral.
SIMON (on camera): Why do you think people get so excited seeing a beer filled up from the bottom?
SPRINGER: That's a great question, but I still kind of giggle when I see it happen too. It just kind of -- it captivates you. SIMON: So, how do you fill a beer up from the bottom? Well, as you may have suspected, there's a hole in the bottom of the cup. But the key to making all this work is with this, a simple magnet.
So when you put the cup on here, the magnet is suspended and then the liquid comes in and then you get --
SPRINGER: Right, the liquid comes in from around the holes underneath the magnet.
SIMON (voice-over): Once the beer is filled, just grab the cup and the magnet forms a perfect seal with a tin (ph) ring embedded in the cup.
SIMON (on camera): What do people do with the magnets when they're done with them?
SPRINGER: They take them home and put them on their fridge.
SIMON (voice-over): Which leads to Springer's second great idea. Get advertisers to put their logos on the magnets. There is, though, the occasional incident, with fans (ph) wondering what's up with the strange cup.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, don't do that.
SIMON: A bottoms up dispenser with four nozzles cost $3,400. But Springer says most of his profit comes from the cups. Right now the system can only be found in a few major venues. The Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas was the first customer.
JOE CARTER, THOMAS & MACK CENTER: So being able to go through lines is absolutely critical. So, yes, I think that eventually every arena will have this.
SPRINGER: I'd like to see it just grow and grow and grow. I mean we're getting inquiries from all over the world daily.
SIMON: Josh Springer isn't eliminating the world's most pressing problem, but putting an end to the beer line isn't too shabby either.
Dan Simon, CNN, Las Vegas.
MALVEAUX: CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Don Lemon, who's in for Ali. Hey, Don.
