Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Battle for Libya Intensifies; Tapping Oil Reserves; Taking Longer to Fill Jobs; Obama Pledges to Hold Gadhafi Accountable; Refugee Flow at Tunisian Border Slows; Bad Habits Costing You Money

Aired March 07, 2011 - 11:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Live from Studio 7, I'm Suzanne Malveaux. Want to get you up to speed for Monday, March 7th.

Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi says that the African Union will investigate reports that he is killing his own people. In a new interview with French TV, Gadhafi says the investigation will show that such claims are "100 percent lies." He blames Libya's violence on al Qaeda.

Well, Gadhafi's jets bombed rebels holding the town of Ras Lanuf today, and his forces appeared to tightened their grip on Bin Jawad, where fighting raged all weekend. Now, this is YouTube video from Misrata, where rebels say they turned back GADHAFI supporters.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today named a special envoy to Libya. The diplomat is Jordan's former foreign minister. He'll go to Tripoli for what the U.N. calls urgent consultations.

And Defense Secretary Robert Gates is in Afghanistan today to gauge progress in the war and try to calm anger at the United States. American troops killed nine Afghan boys last week, saying they mistook them for the Taliban.

Well, one service member asked Gates what keeps him up at night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: I think a lot about the people out here and what you're having to put up with, and the conditions you live in and the sacrifices you make.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: In New York, Muslim-Americans are protesting a House hearing planned for Thursday. They say that homeland security chairman Peter King is on a witch-hunt. King's supporters, they rallied as well. They point to recent homegrown terrorist plots to justify a hearing on the radicalization of Islam.

Well, AAA and the Lundburg Survey says that gas is averaging $3.51 a gallon. Prices jumped 33 cents over the past two weeks, the largest run-up since Hurricane Katrina.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're hurt. They're hurting bad. They're going higher every day.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The economy, as bad as it is already, and then to have to put that much money out for fuel every time you fill up, it makes it very difficult.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: $3.51. The White House says President Obama may open the U.S. Strategic Reserve to force those prices down.

And the Supreme Court refused again today to step into the legal fight over President Obama's birthplace. Justices won't rehear a petition that would have forced the president to prove he was born in the United States. And the White House and the state of Hawaii released birth documents long ago, but so-called birthers don't accept them as proof that he was born in the U.S.

A serial rape suspect made a brief court appearance in New Haven, Connecticut, today. Now, police link Aaron Thomas to 17 rapes in Maryland, Virginia, Rhode Island and Connecticut, dating back to 1997. Billboards featuring sketches of the suspect prompted an anonymous tip which led police to Thomas.

And Shuttle Discovery left the International Space Station for the last time this morning. Astronauts delivered a new storage room and supplies.

For today's wake-up call, William Shatner gave them a little "Star Trek."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM SHATNER, ACTOR: These have been the voyages of the Space Shuttle Discovery. Their 30-year mission, to seek out new science, to build new outposts, to bring nations together on the final frontier, to boldly go and do what no spacecraft has done before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: You've got to love that. Discovery returns to Earth on Wednesday, ending 30 years of service.

Well, more details now on our lead story, Libya's civil war. Government forces and rebel fighters are on the attack in several eastern cities and towns.

Our CNN's Arwa Damon, she is in eastern Libya.

Arwa, what can you tell us about the air strikes, the fighting that is taking place there?

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Suzanne, the battlefield most certainly has been intensifying, especially over the weekend, where we saw the pro-Gadhafi forces launching fairly vicious and heavy air strikes on a number of locations where the battles have been raging between opposition forces and Gadhafi's military. The opposition forces say that they are trying to maintain their morale. The battlefield, proving to be much more intense than they had anticipated.

Also, bear in mind that, by and large, these opposition forces are not trained militarily. They are young men who have picked up arms, who we hear are fighting based on their courage, based on their heart. But they are heavily outgunned by Gadhafi's own forces. They were hoping to be able to take over the town of Surt, which is where Gadhafi himself is from, but they have found themselves bogged down in a number of areas on the outskirts of it.

We are also hearing that it is becoming increasingly difficult to try to resupply them in terms of munitions, although there is a fair amount that is available. But this does remain a very chaotic battleground with very little central command over it when it comes to the strategies that the opposition forces are trying to enforce. But we do keep repeatedly hearing that they are not going to give up -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And Arwa, we saw pictures of people punching their fists in the air, smiling. I don't know if they're playing to the cameras, or are they really excited? Are they happy? Give us a sense of the mood there as they hunker down in this battle.

DAMON: Well, here, in the city of Benghazi, it has really become something of, like, the de facto capital of opposition-held eastern Libya. And here, we do see people's morale fairly high.

They do believe that finally, they are going to be able to change the fate of Libya. But along with that, Suzanne, there is a lot of concern.

They are very fearful the international community support is going to wane. They want to see more pressure on Gadhafi, for him to step down and basically give up.

There are a lot of mixed opinions as to how much international involvement there actually should be. And they do realize that there still is a lot of uncertainty about the future.

On the one hand, we hear people repeatedly saying that this is it, they're going to bring down Colonel Gadhafi once and for all. And on the other hand, there's a very real fear that somehow the events will turn, and that the international community is going to abandon them to Colonel Gadhafi once again. And that is a very real fear here -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And Arwa, I understand that the opposition has formed a national council. Tell us what this group is doing. How are they leading?

DAMON: Well, this national council is meant to be serving as an interim government. And one of their first statements was to declare themselves the only authority able to speak on behalf of Libya to the international community.

It is so far comprised of eight members. We do hear that there are other members from other cities, but they are not being named because of security concerns.

It is interestingly being headed by the former minister of justice, who we are told is acceptable because he was viewed as being a voice of moderation under Gadhafi. He tried to resign a number of times, and he was amongst the first to defect and actively join the opposition.

They were actually named on Saturday, and there's been a flurry of meetings as they do try to navigate governance, which, for them, is also a fairly new concept. They say one of the key points moving forward is that the international community do recognize them.

And then they're also dealing with other issues like the economy. They are saying that they will continue to honor oil contracts, and they are also trying to deal with forming a plan of defense. They've set up a military council.

They're trying to consolidate, bring together all the various moving pieces. But this still does remain a fairly chaotic situation on all levels -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right.

Arwa Damon, there on the ground for us.

Be safe. Thank you very much, Arwa.

Well, here is a look at what's ahead "On the Rundown."

First, tapping into U.S. oil reserves to lower gas prices. How likely is that?

Also, lava, spewing from a Hawaii volcano.

And talk about earning a tip, a waiter performs the Heimlich maneuver on a customer.

Also, new video of a tornado as it strikes. Our Rob Marciano, tracking the storms.

And, finally, former Defense Secretary William Cohen on what to do about Libya.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Well, we all know that gas prices are going up, and the increase, enough to give anybody sticker shock. According to the Lundberg Survey of gas stations, the average price for a gallon of unleaded is $3.51. That's an increase of almost 33 cents in a two- week period.

Now, that is the second biggest price jump ever. The biggest was after Hurricane Katrina.

Now, the administration is considering tapping into the U.S. oil reserves.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL DALEY, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: The issue of the reserves is one we're considering. It is something that only is done and has been done on very rare occasions. There's a bunch of factors that have to be looked at.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Want to bring in our Christine Romans of our Money team.

Christine, good to see you.

I know this is a difficult decision for any administration to make. I know President Bush had a hard time making that decision, if we're going to tap those reserves.

Why is it so tough? Are there other options out there?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, I mean, because one of the things that can backfire if you tap the reserves is that's an admission that there's a supply disruption and that the administration is concerned about it. Right? So, even if they did tap the reserves, you don't even know right away if oil prices and gas prices would go down.

And as you know, this is the president's call. And the purpose of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is actually if there is disruption in supplies. And we don't have a disruption in supplies just yet. There's a million barrels per day from Libya that's off the market, but Saudi Arabia and OPEC say they're going to make up the difference.

Still, we've been talking to oil analysts this morning. If you continue to see unrest, or even concerns of unrest across the Middle East, you are going to have oil prices still at these levels, $105.46 a barrel right now for crude.

What is the SPR? It's 727 million barrels of crude oil that is held in underground salt caverns, believe it or not, and also in some salt domes. I mean, it's pretty interesting. That's an awful lot of oil, too.

The reserve has only been tapped twice. You mentioned once after Katrina, when there was a disruption in supplies. Also, in the first Persian Gulf War.

But they have also allowed oil producers and oil users to borrow against it a couple of times. So some analysts are watching to see if maybe that might be something that they can do.

There are other things that an administration can do as well. Also very unlikely, quite frankly. One of them, rolling back the gas tax, maybe, so there would be more money in people's pockets when they went to the pump. You know, it's more than 40 bucks to fill up a minivan, for example. I mean, roll back the gas tax in some states, there would be a little more money in their pocket.

Also, government price controls. It happened in the '70s. Also very, very unlikely. I mean, don't forget, the political rhetoric right now, Suzanne, right, is get the government out of my life, don't put the government further in my life controlling prices? So two interesting ideologies coming right against each other here.

MALVEAUX: And Christine, obviously, people are taking a look at what's happening in the Middle East, and it creates a lot of concern, a lot of worry about what's taking place there. And obviously, it also means that this impacts gas prices.

How is that? Where does the United States get its oil from?

ROMANS: Well, it's a reminder when you see $105 crude and then people talking about $4 gas, I mean, it's a reminder than more than half of our energy supplies in this country, oil supplies in this country, are imported. Forty-nine percent is what we come up with ourselves, what we produce ourselves. Fifty-one percent is imported.

Where does it come from? Well, it comes from -- the bulk of that comes from here, in the Western Hemisphere, Mexico, Canada, Venezuela. Then you've got Africa. That's Libya, Algeria, Nigeria.

The Persian Gulf, 17 percent there. And then other sources come up to about 10 percent there.

So, with all eyes really on the Middle East here, when you have got so much oil coming out of the ground every day, and almost every drop of it is pretty much accounted for, that means whenever there's a disruption in some of that imported oil, it makes a big deal to psychology. And again, it's a reminder.

How many times have we talked about this? More than half of our oil supplies are imported. So we kind of have our hands tied.

MALVEAUX: Yes. We're still looking at those gas prices just going up and up and up and up.

ROMANS: Yes.

MALVEAUX: All right, Christine. Thank you. Appreciate it.

ROMANS: Sure.

MALVEAUX: From our affiliates across the country, a bobcat's on the loose in east-central Florida. Wildlife officials have spotted it, but they haven't been able to catch it. They say the wild animal has bitten a woman and may have attacked several dogs.

Now, trappers fear the bobcat may be sick. A woman has been treated for rabies just in case.

Well, check out this surveillance video, a man choking in an Atlanta restaurant. His waiter rushes over and performs the Heimlich maneuver.

Matthew McConnell (ph) says it was just part of his training.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEW MCCONNELL (ph), PERFORMED HEIMLICH MANEUVER: "Hero" might be a little bit of an exaggeration, but I think anybody would have stepped in and did the same thing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's definitely a hero. And if I wasn't a broke college student, we probably would have tipped a lot more than we did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And video we can never get enough of. This is lava that is pouring out of a Hawaii volcano. It has been erupting on and off now for 24 years.

Unbelievable pictures. Look at that.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Moammar Gadhafi is sticking by his promise to stay and fight in Libya. I'm going to talk to former defense secretary William Cohen about the risks that are posed by potential U.S. involvement.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Well, we've got to look at CNNMoney.com's lead story: who is buying the million-dollar homes? The rich. The rich are different from you and me. They're snapping up million-dollar homes. Got a lot more on that one.

Also, the latest look at the markets here. The Dow Jones, down about 39 points. Now 38 points or so. It is creeping along there.

The jobless rate is also down. But employers still have the upper hand when it comes to hiring, and they are taking their time in filling these positions.

Our Alison Kosik, she's at the New York Stock Exchange to explain all of this.

And Alison, how long are they taking? How much longer does it take for these companies to decide, hey, I'm going to hire somebody?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I know. We all wait and wait, right?

Well, to put it this way, this is the easiest way to understand what's going on these days, Suzanne. It used to be where companies took about two months to make a decision. Now it takes anywhere from three to nine months, and they're also upping the competition.

Now, when they even bring back people for a second interview, they are bringing back six people, where, back in 2007, let's say, they would bring back only three people. So this is also why it's taking so long for them to make a hiring decision, because they're going through so many different candidates -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: But Alison, there are so many people out of work now. Knowing that, why are they still waiting?

KOSIK: Why? Well, because they can.

You know what? They've gotten nearly 200 applications for every one opening, so that's a huge field to go through. So that takes a long time as well.

And it also means that these companies can really be picky. They're looking for the cream of the crop here. And if they don't see they're getting it, they're going to go back into the pool of applicants to keep looking and looking.

But here is the problem with so many applicants. There are many applicants who just aren't qualified for these positions, so that means companies keep on digging and digging through these piles of applications and not necessarily finding the right fit -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: So, Alison, what should you do? All that competition is out there. If you are looking for a job, are there certain things that you should be doing now?

KOSIK: You know what? The number one thing you should really focus on, I hear, is really just focus on your resume. It's not the cover letter. It's not the references. It's not even a writing sample.

It's that resume, especially since it looks like companies really spend only seven minutes at a time looking at your resume. That's really the only focus that you're going to get on that resume, so you really want to wow them at the moment they've got it in front of them -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Seven minutes. Unbelievable. Just seven minutes, huh, Alison?

KOSIK: Yes, that's it.

MALVEAUX: All right. Make good use of that seven minutes. Work on that resume.

Thank you very much, Alison.

KOSIK: Exactly. Yes.

MALVEAUX: Well, here is your chance to "Choose the News." We're going to tell you about three stories. You know how this works. You vote by texting for the one you would like to see.

First, a father and daughter living in limbo. What it's like leaving behind a family member working as a U.S. diplomat in Egypt.

Also, a family-run business making children's clothes getting squeezed out now by the skyrocketing price of cotton. Hear how this business is changing merchandise to deal with it.

And a Memphis renaissance is making musicians sing just a sweeter tune. After decades of decay, artists get their mojo back and strengthen the city's economy.

So, all you have got to do is vote by texting 22360. Vote 1 for "Living in Limbo"; 2 for "Squeezed by Cotton"; or 3 for "Memphis Music Mojo."

The winning story is going to air in the next hour.

And former defense secretary William Cohen, he is going to weigh in on the risk of action or inaction in Libya.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Here's a look at what is ahead "On the Rundown."

What to do about Libya? We're going to talk with former defense secretary William Cohen in just a few moments.

Also, an update on people trying to get out of Libya and the efforts to help them.

And ways that you are wasting your money. That's right, how to keep more of your hard-earned dollars.

Well, we have watched as popular uprisings spread across the Middle East and North Africa, but the violence in Libya is a reminder that these are very different nations, fighting very different dictators.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX (voice-over): When the uprisings first began in Libya, the besieged dictator Moammar Gadhafi told his people in no uncertain terms he would die before stepping down. His son Saif backed him, saying, "This is no Tunisia or Egypt."

While Gadhafi is known as a leader prone to diatribe, on this point he's right. The uprisings across the Arab world do not represent a single movement. The revolutions in Tunisia and then in Egypt, marked by popular uprisings, were essentially tolerated and finally conceded by long-standing dictators. We certainly saw violence, but there's a difference between tear gas and air strikes, batons and bullets. That's where Libya has proven to be uniquely brutal.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: I'm joined now by former defense secretary, head of the international consulting firm the Cohen Group, William Cohen. Thank you so much for being with us here.

I want you to listen as we listen. We have some tape just being turned around now, President Obama with the prime minister of Australia. He is going to talk about the scenario in Libya.

Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN COVERAGE)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I just want to provide a hearty welcome to Prime Minister Gillard, who I had a chance to meet during the ASEAN summit and the G-20 summit and was immediately charmed, as I'm sure at least a good chunk of the Australian people are.

We have no stronger ally than Australia. And as we celebrate the 60th anniversary of our alliance, I think it's especially appropriate to have Prime Minister Gillard here.

I understand that you'll be speaking to a joint session of Congress, which is a high honor that is reserved for only our closest friends. And I think it's a measure of the degree to which Australians are held in such high esteem by Americans, partly because we share so much.

Not only do we share a language, a commitment to democracy, a set of shared values, but I think there's also a shared sense of open spaces and a pioneer spirit. And as Prime Minister Gillard said the first time we met, it's what makes us great mates.

We've had a very useful discussion about a wide range of issues. We began by me once again expressing on behalf of all the people of the United States our deepest condolences for those families that were afflected -- affected by the terrible floods recently.

We want to commend Prime Minister Gillard and her government and all the personnel who were involved for their timely response at what is, I know, a very difficult time. And once again we want to pledge any support that we can provide to the Australian people in this moment of hardship.

We also talked about a wide range of international issues.

OBAMA: I'll be traveling this year to Asia once again for the East Asia Summit. And we'll be hosting in Honolulu the APEC Summit.

Australia and the United States have a shared interest in expanding trade in the Pacific region, in promoting clean energy, in making sure that we don't have regulatory barriers that prevent our businesses from working across -- across our borders.

And so we're very excited about the prospects of joining forces with Australia and other countries to promote growth and employment in the region.

We had a good discussion about security. And I want to once again thank the Australian people and the military families who are making such extraordinary sacrifices in Afghanistan.

It is not easy. Australia is our largest non-NATO coalition member making an extraordinary contribution, day in and day out. And I want to personally thank Prime Minister Gillard for her strong endorsement of our efforts there.

And we discussed the fact that 2011's going to be a year of transition in which we more and more provide the assistance necessary for Afghans to take the lead in that effort.

And we had a discussion about the situation in the Middle East. And I think Prime Minister Gillard and I both share a -- a very firm conviction that the violence that's been taking place and perpetrated by the government in Libya is unacceptable. Australia joined with us in imposing swift and firm sanctions, comprehensive sanctions, against the government. We continue to monitor the violence there.

OBAMA: I want to send a very clear message to those who are around Colonel Gadhafi. It is their choice to make how they operate moving forward and they will be held accountable for whatever violence continues to take place there.

In the meantime, we've got NATO as we speak consulting in Brussels around a wide range of potential options, including potential military options, in response to the violence that continues to take place inside of Libya.

In addition, we have taken the lead on a host of humanitarian efforts and I just authorized an additional $15 million that will be provided to aid organizations that are already on the ground.

And we've been coordinating with the United Nations, which now has a number of personnel on the ground as well, to make sure that people are getting the help they need, and we are in a position to respond to any additional emergencies that may arise out of the situation there.

But the bottom line is I think Australia and the United States stand shoulder to shoulder in sending a clear message that we stand for democracy, we stand for an observance of human rights, and that we send a very clear message to the Libyan people that we will stand with them in the face of unwarranted violence and the continuing suppression of democratic ideals that we've seen there.

So because of these shared values, because of the deep and longstanding relationship between our two countries, it is an extraordinary pleasure to have Prime Minister Gillard here. And I have to say that from a distance at least, she is doing an outstanding job, is a very quick study, and

(END COVERAGE)

MALVEAUX: You're listening to President Obama and the prime minister of Australia there obviously talking about the situation in the Middle East.

Former defense secretary William Cohen is joining us at this moment. And you've been listening, as well. And the president talked about that the Libyan leader, Moammar Gadhafi, would be held accountable for his actions, including the violence. If you were in the Obama administration now, what would you advise the president? What would you make clear to Gadhafi? How will he be held accountable?

WILLIAM COHEN, FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY: Well, I think what the president is suggesting is that Gadhafi will be held accountable by the International Criminal Court, that he could, in fact, be tried for war crimes, having committed crimes against humanity, if he continues this kind of assault against his people, using this kind of force.

But I think the president -- his tone and both the content was just about right, namely, that we shouldn't be talking about unilateral action taken by the United States but collective action that we're now discussing, what might be done in NATO. And that means 26 nations and not the United States. And I think we have to be very careful that this not be seen as the United States taking action unilaterally, intervening in this conflict, and thereby sending a signal to others in the region that may be untoward (ph) toward (ph) them and lead to consequences that we haven't really thought through. So I think his tone is just right, and the message he's been getting from Secretary Gates is just right.

MALVEAUX: There's been a lot of talk about the idea of a no-fly zone. You mentioned Secretary Gates, who does not at this time endorse it because it would require taking out the Libyan aircraft that are actually on the ground. We know that air strikes did work in the case of Kosovo back in the 1990s. Do you think that it would be overreaching, overstepping if the no-fly zone was put in place for Libya?

COHEN: Well, first of all, a no-fly zone means we not only take out aircraft that are airborne or those on the ground, but taking out all the surface-to-air missile sites. That can be done, but it requires a lot of destruction. And it is, in fact, an act of war directed against the government as such.

Secondly, it's not as easy as it sounds because you just don't just fly over a limited area, and you can't put all the aircraft on one aircraft carrier, so you have to have some land base capability, as well, probably out of Spain. So it's a major operation. In addition, you have to have search and rescue teams to back up those planes that might get shot down or any American --

MALVEAUX: So you would not endorse it?

COHEN: -- pilots being taken hostage. I think you have to be careful of something -- a no-fly zone can quickly have mission creep into no-drive zones, and then you're talk about people on the ground. I think you have to be very careful, and that's why the president is correct to talk about NATO international operations and collective action, not unilateral action by the U.S.

MALVEAUX: This would be the third Muslim country, if the U.S. was to go ahead and move forward with something like that in Libya. Would that even be tolerable to the Middle East, do you think? COHEN: I think those -- I just returned from the Middle East and spent some time in the United Emirates. I think they are generally -- genuinely concerned and I would say generally throughout the region that people are concerned about U.S. action in the region. I think we have to look -- your lead-in was correct. Each country has to be looked at quite separately. We should not generalize and we shouldn't be having one blanket policy. We have to look at each country individually.

But they are concerned that the United States is going to take certain actions which could, in fact, undermine their own positions, and those positions happen to be stabilizing currently. Whether you'll have modernization take place, you'll have more freedoms, those will come certainly on an evolutionary basis, but there's great progress is being made by other countries like UAE, by Qatar and others, and Bahrain. So we have to be careful.

MALVEAUX: And you know, I remember traveling to Rwanda with President Clinton, meeting a woman who had survived the genocide there, had a machete scar across her forehead, and President Clinton apologized to a woman for not getting involved in preventing that genocide. Do you think President Obama is going to be in a same position, apologizing to the Libyans, if we don't do more now?

COHEN: I don't think the president has to apologize. The president has indicated what his policy is in supporting those who are looking and rebelling for freedom. But that's one thing, to express our support, but the other thing for the United States to commit itself to another war. We're in two now. We are -- we spent a trillion dollars in Iraq. We may have a trillion dollars in Afghanistan by the time we're out of there. And now to say we're going to possibly get involved in another campaign -- I think we have to be at least cautious, and that's why it has to be not unilateral, it has to be collective. If there's any collective responsibility or blame, it should be on all of the democratic nations. It should be on the United Nations and not on President Obama or the United States alone.

MALVEAUX: OK. All right. William Cohen, thank you so much for your time and your perspective. Thanks, William.

Getting aid to the refugees who are fleeing Libya -- we're going to take you live to a busy border crossing where thousands of people are stuck.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: U.S. military planes so far are focused on helping refugees fleeing the Libyan civil war. The main crisis point is Libya's border with Tunisia. Now, we've been keeping you updated on the tens of thousands of refugees that are stuck there. A CNN i-Reporter traveled to the border crossing and sent us these pictures of people carrying their belongings, some going to board evacuation buses, others in this tent city.

Our Becky Anderson, she is at that border crossing. And Becky, tell us what is it like there where you are. Is aid finally beginning to arrive to these folks? Are they getting desperate? What is the scene there?

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, things are getting better here. We've been in and out now for the past four days or so, and it's much more organized than it was just 72 hours ago. The border that you talk about is about three miles this side of me, and these guys are either being bussed from there or simply walking from there. (INAUDIBLE) about 17,000 mostly male migrant workers from all over the world here at this camp. You see the sea of tents behind me. The majority of those are still Bangladeshi, and that's very much the priority for the UNHCR which has helped to set up this camp.

They've got about seven flights, they tell us, going out from Djerba airport to Dakha (ph) tomorrow, but it's been the Bangladeshis that they've been most concerned about. There are some 40,000-odd Egyptians who came through the border, and most of them have now been evacuated from the airport, where a couple days ago, you saw these C- 130s coming in with humanitarian aid. It's on those flights and on other flights that mostly Egyptians have now been returned home.

Let me just stand away from the camera, and you can see exactly what's going on here. Just down behind me, you see some guys. I think they're Bangladeshis. They're getting clean water, as you can see. They're now able to wash. There's a food camp set up here and hospital facilities. But as you can see, I mean, to a certain extent, it looks like a sort of working town at this point. It's grim. It's desolate. But it's not by any stretch of the imagination now the humanitarian disaster that the U.N. was talking about just a couple of days ago.

Now, Suzanne, let me just give you some notes on the border, as it were.

MALVEAUX: Sure.

ANDERSON: At one stage, at its height, there were about a thousand men coming through the border every hour. Now, we've seen that reduced significantly. There are about 3,000 a day coming through now. They still don't know, though, what's happening on the other side of the border. Are these numbers dwindling, because effectively, everybody who wanted to leave has left, or are the Libyan army preventing further evacuees from make that trip to the Tunisian border? They are still extremely concerned here, the aid agency still concerned that that may be the case -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And, Becky, really quickly here, are these -- I assume that these are just men because they're workers who are crossing. Where are the women and children?

ANDERSON: There aren't very many of them, to be frank. Mostly, these are migrant male workers who have been working for quite a lot of Chinese companies, actually, in Libya. They'd have been construction workers --

MALVEAUX: OK.

ANDERSON: -- guys who were working on oil rigs, many of them, let's be frank, are indentured or bonded labor. We haven't seen many men -- many women and kids. Few West Africans and sub-Saharan men with their families, but very, very few --

MALVEAUX: OK.

ANDERSON: -- thankfully, I guess, at this point.

MALVEAUX: OK. Becky, we're happy to see that they're doing so much better than they were before, averting a potential crisis there. Thank you very much, Becky.

Well, up next, ways you are wasting -- potentially wasting your money. How to keep your hard-earned dollars. That up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: They say old habits die hard, but your stubborn ways could be costing you -- that's right, costing you hundreds of dollars every year. Our Stephanie Elam, she's here to tell us how you might be wasting your money. I hope -- I hope I'm not wasting my money, Stephanie, but you would know.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, Suzanne, I have a feeling that, being the saver that I believe you to be, this may not be really something that you're going to learn from.

MALVEAUX: We'll see. You go ahead.

ELAM: But I bet you there are a lot of folks out there -- yes. There are a lot of folks out there who probably do fall into this camp, all the spenders out there. I mean, "Kiplinger's" has put out this new great list of the ways we Americans waste our hard-earned cash, and this stuff really can add up over time, even if it seems like pennies along the way.

Now, first off, there's a dreaded "D" word, debt. And if you're carrying a balance on any of your credit cards, you're throwing money away. For instance, if every month you have a balance of $1,000 on your credit card that has an 18 percent APR, it's costing you about 180 bucks a year in interest, a waste of money. So make it your goal to pay off that balance every single month.

And while you're at it, don't add to your debt with impulse buys. Think you don't do that? Well, according to research by the University of Pittsburgh, more than 75 percent of participants in a study left room in their mental budgets for an unplanned purchase. So "Kiplinger's" says, make it a rule to give yourself a cooling-off period on a purchase. And "Money" magazine takes it even a step further. They say, Look at it, but do not touch it. Holding that shiny new camera or sweater, whatever the thing may be, it might just increase your sense of ownership, making it even harder for you to walk away, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: OK. So don't touch it. A lot of other people, you know, they overspend, but one of the areas I understand is on their car. Is that right? ELAM: I mean, it happens all the time. And if you're in the market for a new car, the folks at "Kiplinger's" say -- I know it's hard -- but go used. The moment any car is driven off the lot, it loses about 20 percent of its value, and then 65 percent in just the first five years alone. "Kiplinger's" says say buying used can also save you on insurance and taxes, as well.

Also, with gas hovering around $4 a gallon in some states -- you know, out here in LA, in California, it's always more expensive than everywhere else, it seems like -- filling up with regular unless your car's manufacturer specifically says it needs premium is definitely the way to go. And when it comes to that 3,000-mile check-up, skip it. Many newer cars, they can go for 5,000 to 7,000 miles between tune-ups, and many have sensors now and will tell you when it's time to change your oil. But always make sure you check with your owner's manual to see exactly what they recommend for your car, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Yes, I'm a sucker about that car. I like the shiny new ones!

(LAUGHTER)

ELAM: I know. That's the hard part. Once you try them you, you get in there behind the wheel, it feels good --

MALVEAUX: Oh, it does!

ELAM: -- you just want it.

MALVEAUX: It does. I know smoking, a bad habit, also an expensive habit for folks, and Stephanie's going to break down how much you can save by giving that up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Well, kicking a bad habit could not only be good for your health but also for your budget, for your wallet. Stephanie Elam joining us again with more ways to save money for those smokers, Stephanie.

ELAM: Yes. I mean, come on. We all know it's a bad habit, and but it also may be hurting your cash flow, and that's what's so important about this. According to the MIT Press, the cost of smoking to a 24- year-old woman over her lifetime is $86,000, and a 24-year-old man will spend $183,000. That's not even adding in the additional expenses from health and life insurance. You also may pay more for your auto and home owner's insurance, as well. So think of all the good places your money could be going if you weren't doing that -- savings, your 401(k), maybe getting rid of credit card debt, maybe starting a 529 plan for your children, all better and healthier things that you could be doing with your money, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All good reasons to stop smoking. Thanks, Stephanie. Appreciate it.

ELAM: Yes. MALVEAUX: Well, more of the day's top news after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)