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Libyan Forces Batter Misrata; Blueprint for a New Libya; Libyan Woman Faces Charges; Syrian Cabinet Quits; Twenty One Killed in Iraq Attack; Radioactive Water Contained; Japan Needs Replacement Crews; Battling Toxic Water and Soil; The Fight for Libya's Future; Women versus Wal-Mart; Angry Birds All The Rage; The Help Desk; Talk Back Question; Immigrant Guest Worker Law

Aired March 29, 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.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX (voice-over): Gadhafi forces appear to have launched an all-out assault on Misrata today. A resident says Libyan forces are shelling civilians. He also tells CNN troops are forcing people from their homes and housing them in mosque and schools.

Sirte, Moammar Gadhafi's hometown, government fighters stopped the rebel's westward drive cold today. The opposition swept out over Benghazi over the weekend and the fighters met little resistance until today.

A London conference today to plan for a post-Gadhafi Libya. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is there for the United States. She met with Libyan opposition figure Mahmoud Ja Brill on the sidelines of the summit.

A Libyan woman who frantically told foreign journalists she had been gang-raped by Gadhafi's forces is now facing criminal charges. Eman Al Obedi is charged with slandering the men she accused of rape.

Obedi hasn't been seen since she was hauled off Saturday, even though the regime claims it released her. I spoke with CNN photojournalist Khalil Abdallah just this last hour from Tripoli. He was right in the middle of Saturday's dramatic events.

KHALIL ABDALLAH, CNN PHOTOJOURNALIST: She went into graphic details and into the suffering that she's been through during the two days where she was raped and we started filming.

Government officials and government minders immediately tried to take her away. Journalists tried to protect her and hold her and listen to her story. They wanted to shut cameras. They were pushing, shoving people. Eventually they escalated to where they were beating some journalists. Syrians jammed downtown Damascus today cheering for President Basher al Assad. The Syrian leader's cabinet resigned just a short time ago and it's widely reported that he's going to ease a five-decade-old emergency law. The reforms follow antigovernment protest in southern Syria.

In Iraq today, men wearing police uniforms and explosive vests seized a government building in Takrit and took dozens of hostages. They detonated their bombs as police approached killing 21 people. The country's interior ministry blames al Qaeda in Iraq.

Officials in Japan say they've got radioactive water bottled up for now at the Fukushima nuclear complex. Workers plan to pump the water from basements and tunnels, but all the storage tanks are now full. Crews have poured tons of water on the nuclear reactors trying to cool them.

And Japan's government wants replacement crews to take over at Fukushima. Some 400 workers have been on the job now for 2- 1/2 weeks, sleeping on mats and stairs, living on crackers and vegetable juice.

Our CNN's Paula Hancocks tells us they're also dealing with their own personal tragedies.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The plant worker writes, my parents were washed away by the tsunami and I still don't know where they are. In another e-mail they write, crying is useless. If we're in hell now, all we can do is crawl up towards heaven.

MALVEAUX: An uplifting moment in Japan. A sixth grade class went ahead with its graduation program today. The children's school and town for that matter is destroyed. Our CNN's Kyung Lah was there.

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Despite their grief, these parents standing in this unheated evacuation center were determined to hold this graduation because this is all the parents can give the students of the elementary school.

(on camera): First, the tsunami came through and flooded through this school. Then a gas explosion sparked a fire that burned through the town and destroyed this building. Through all of that, the students at Osuchi Elementary all survived. And in that way, these children have become a symbol of hope for this community.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Workers at Japan's crippled nuclear plant are struggling to keep those reactors cool. At the same time, they're having to deal with radioactive water.

Our CNN's Martin Savidge is in Tokyo. It's early Wednesday morning there. Marty, tell us what's being done with trying to store this radioactive water?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now it's a delicate balance, Suzanne. What they're trying to do is limit the amount of water that they pour to keep all those reactors cool. The bare minimum so that they don't get such a tremendous amount runoff, which is they've been battling with.

What they have to do is they've got to drain it out of place like the basements and out of the cable runs, the tunnels that run throughout the facility. But as you pointed out, their problem is they have no places to put the water.

They thought they had two sites they looked at them, they're absolutely full. This is highly radioactive water. So it isn't something you just load in a truck and then haul it off out of the site.

It's going to have to remain on site. But right now, they're going to have to find containers so far they have not done that. Unless they get the water out, that's only when at the can begin making the repairs that have to be done, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Marty, you broke the news on this program yesterday about now discovering plutonium in the soil, very dangerous situation. What is the latest on that?

SAVIDGE: Well, this is a real concern out there because the plutonium is by far the most toxic material to date that they have discovered. It was found in very trace amounts, very small, but in five different locations in the soil, three different types of plutonium.

And initially when the release came out from the company about this discovery, they implied, well, it might possibly have been a holdover from the cold war days of nuclear atomic air testing. Now they say that's not the case. They clearly have identified that this has come from one of the reactors on site. They're not sure which one.

We talked about reactor three having plutonium, but plutonium is really a byproduct of the nuclear reactor so it could be any of the reactors there. But again, very serious to be found and an indication that it has come from some sort of catastrophic damage to one of the reactors or it may have come from the fuel rods.

Either way, you don't want to find any more of it. Unfortunately they're doing more testing to make sure they don't, but no one knows until results come in.

MALVEAUX: Some dangerous stuff there. What about these workers? Folks have been there for 2-1/2 weeks, trying to figure out what to do to prevent this nuclear meltdown. They've been taken out. They've been brought in. Any plans to replace those people who have been on the ground and have made the ultimate sacrifice really?

SAVIDGE: They really have. I mean, Paula's story there depicting kind of their life. They are considered to be heroes and they do work under extremely stressful, not to mention physically challenging, conditions and all the while having to try to maintain the control there.

I mean, it really is an unimaginable lifestyle. And, yes, because of that they would like to replace some of the workers. But the reality is, you can't just bring in a bunch of people who haven't been dealing with the circumstance.

I mean, these people know the delicate balance, and, as much as you would like to replace them and get fresh people in there, you don't want to lose the experience. So I think they're going 0 to have to be very careful with this. So the message is, yes, we'd like to replace you. The question is, can we really afford to replace you?

MALVEAUX: Very much a catch-22. Marty Savidge, thank you.

President Obama is making his case for intervening in Libya. He says the United States has a responsibility to act, which brings us to today's "Talk Back" question. Our Carol Costello joining us. A lot of people weighing in on this, Carol?

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're getting a lot of buzz. President Obama's speech was about more than Libya and what we're doing there. It was about his doctrine, the Obama doctrine.

You know, his military principle or set of strategies for taking the country to war. You might remember the Bush doctrine. Come on, I know you do and I know what some of you are thinking. Sarah Palin didn't, but I'm not going there.

I will simply refresh your memory. The Bush doctrine says the United States will not hesitate to act alone, if necessary, to exercise our right of self-defense by acting preemptively against terrorists. It was easy to understand because President Bush laid it out in black and white.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you're with us or you are with the terrorists.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: But President Obama's doctrine is way more subtle.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Given the costs and risks of intervention, we must always measure our interests against the need for action. But that cannot be an argument for never acting on behalf of what's right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: To spell it out for you, according to the Obama doctrine, the United States can intervene abroad when our safety is not directly threatened but our interests and values are like preventing the massive slaughter of civilians in Libya.

Critics say, OK, but does that mean we intervene everywhere if the situation is against our moral principles, if we have international support?

So "Talk Back" today. Do you buy into the Obama doctrine? Facebook your comments to me, facebook.com/carolcnn. And I'll read your responses later this hour.

MALVEAUX: There's so many potential hot spots where tragedy could occur. We're talking about Ivory Coast, Zimbabwe so many different places. I'd like to see if you can put the Obama doctrine to the test. Do you intervene?

COSTELLO: The other thing is the endgame, certainly not spelled out in President Obama's speech last night. How does that figure into his doctrine or the reasons that the United States takes military action.

MALVEAUX: Right. All right, I'm looking forward to hearing what people have to say. Thanks, Carol.

Here's a look at what's ahead. On the rundown, the view from Libyan American watching the fight for control over his home country.

Plus -- we've got dramatic events in Syria. What it all means for the United States now?

And also -- shared suffering. The human thread connecting the victims of the Japanese tsunami.

And women versus Wal-Mart. Behind the headlines of a major discrimination case that is now before the Supreme Court.

And finally, angry birds? It's a hot game turning into a marketing phenomenon.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Libyan-Americans are watching anxiously as the fight for the future of their home country rages on. Mahmoud Kaheel came to the United States in the mid-1970s when he was just 19 years old.

He is now founder and director of a mosque in Tampa, Florida, he's lived in the United States for the past 35 years. Well, he's joining us now from Tampa.

And, Kaheel, thank you for being here. Obviously, as a Libyan- American, I wonder if you see things differently. These events that are unfolding in Libya as some of the rest of us do.

What is your reaction, your response when you see the kinds of battle that are happening in your home country?

MAHMOUD KAHEEL, MASJID (MOSQUE) OMAR ALMOKHTAR: Well, what we see, we see a tyrant that is not willing to let go of power. He just wants to cling to power at any cost. This man basically ran Libya into the ground, basically destroyed everything we had before the era of the kingdom.

We had excellent education. We had excellent health care, excellent public service sector. It was all gone, all gone, basically everything is degraded. Everything is now done through bribery and who you know, to get everything done.

MALVEAUX: Sure.

KAHEEL: Any procedure that will take you 15 minutes to do with the state, it takes you two to three weeks to complete. So it's really left Libya in bad shape, in addition to looting.

MALVEAUX: A very frustrating situation there. Do you know people who are still in Libya? Have they reached out to you over the last couple of weeks or so? What are they telling you about their fate?

KAHEEL: You cannot speak much over the phone because those phones are monitored, OK? So there's limited contact over the phone. When we had the internet, we were able to communicate over Skype and we were speaking freely and they all for the revolution.

They're just tired and fed up of having this family looting the Libyan treasury and leaving the country in ruin the way they are doing right now.

MALVEAUX: Mahmoud, I want you to take a listen here to President Obama from last night, when he addressed not only the United States, but he also addressed the world about the mission inside of Libya.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Some nations may be able to turn a blind eye to atrocities in other countries. The United States of America is different and, as president, I refuse to wait for the images of slaughter and mass graves before taking action.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Mahmoud, do you think the president is doing the right thing, that he's taking the right action here?

KAHEEL: Certainly, certainly. That day when they interceded and start heading Gadhafi's military machine in the border of Benghazi, they prevented a lot of mass killing. They prevented a slaughter, literally. It's a city of 1 million people.

MALVEAUX: Certainly.

KAHEEL: I'm sorry?

MALVEAUX: As a Libyan-American, do you feel there's anything else that the United States should be doing to protect the Libyan people?

KAHEEL: Yes. There's a lot we can do, and it does not really require a lot of intervention, hitting that propaganda machine for Gadhafi, his television station. That's not going to require aloft work to do. A couple of antennas and it's all over.

Restoring the internet for the public so you can get more valid intelligence from the ground about what's going on in Libya. Destroying his ability to listen on those phone conversations, for example that's also something we could do easily, technically it could be done easily.

You know, arming the Libyan rebel with light, light arm. We're not asking for B-52s, you know. We're asking for stuff that we can fight.

MALVEAUX: Thank you, Kaheel. I'm sorry to interrupt. We've run out of time here, but thank you for your perspective. We appreciate it.

KAHEEL: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: Well, the government in Syria today stepping down, what does it mean for stability in this pivotal nation? What is next? Michael Holmes is here to break it down.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: We have three stories all covering issues that hit home for millions of Americans. We want you to let us know which one you would like most to see on CNN NEWSROOM.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX (voice-over): Your first choice, how is the United States monitoring radiation from Japan? We've got an upclose look at the equipment used to keep an eye on it.

Your second choice, illegal immigration law controversy. One state's proposed law enabling illegal immigrants to become guest workers draws death threats for its author and questions about whether or not it's even constitutional.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everyone can benefit and we don't leave a bunch of tragedies along the way.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tragedies such as what?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, broken families.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's very discriminatory against people who live in the other parts of the world who are trying to legally and lawfully get into this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And almost one year after the big BP oil spill in the Gulf, the cleanup stops on one Alabama beach. Is the job really done?

So vote by texting 22360, vote one for monitoring radiation levels, two, for illegal immigration law controversy or three for beach oil cleanup stops. The winning story airs later this hour.

After weeks of protests, the Syrian government now is resigning. That is according to state television. We are also expecting what could be a historic speech from President Basher al Assad in the next couple of days.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Now this news comes as tens of thousands of Syrians poured into the streets of Damascus today to demonstrate in favor of al Assad. But this is all just days after brutal fights between protestors and security forces in Syria.

At least 37 people have been killed since last week, according to the United Nations. Our Michael Holmes is here with more on our globe trekking segment essentially.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Michael, it might be confusing, but we've seen real violent antigovernment protests. What do we think is taking place here?

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: You know, it's a government-organized protest. It's worth remembering that people were given the day off to go along and attend it. But also it's important to remember that Basher al Assad does have a level of popularity in Syria.

He's not his father in many ways, Hafez al Assad who ruled with the proverbial iron fist for 30 years. He came in trying to do reforms at the beginning. None of it got done. Why?

Because it's a hard-line regime. He's not the only guy running things. He's the face of it all, a lot of hard-liners behind the scenes who were saying no, they want a crackdown because they know if the Assad family falls so too do they.

MALVEAUX: What do we suppose is going to be the outcome of all of this, when you take a look at the symbolic, I guess, gesture? Is this similar to what we've seen in Egypt and Tunisia perhaps?

HOLMES: It's probably more akin to Bahrain really in reverse because you've got there a Sunni minority leading a Shia majority. In Syria, it's different. You got a Sunni majority and (inaudible), which is a sect of Shiite Islam running things.

A couple of things that point out, the government resigning doesn't mean much at all. In these sorts of regimes, the government is really just a front there. It's a very different sort of setup there. The government doesn't mean much.

It's really Assad and his regime that are running things. You know, so in terms of what happens next, it's very difficult to say as we've had all the way through all of this, you know?

MALVEAUX: All right, Michael. I know you're going to join us again tomorrow to talk a little bit about the Arab situation, the instability in the region and what it could mean for al Qaeda. Thanks, Michael.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

The nation's highest court, big bucks now in play. It involves Wal-Mart charged with discrimination and a chance the case could grow into more than 1.5 million.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Here's a look at what's ahead on "The Rundown." Women versus Wal-Mart. In just a few minutes, the potential class action lawsuit that could impact employers across the country.

Plus, relatives of the dead and missing in Japan still searching for closure.

And angry birds getting their revenge? Flying from Smartphones to the big screen.

And now, the justices at the U.S. Supreme Court have been hearing arguments this morning on a discrimination lawsuit against Wal-Mart. At issue, whether to grant class action status, which could involve a lot more women. Our CNN's Kate Bolduan explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm just one fish in a great big pond.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It started with six strangers in California. Chris Kwapnoski is one of them.

CHRISTINE KWAPNOSKI, FILING LAWSUIT AGAINST WAL-MART: I'm a fighter, if nothing else. So are all the other women involved.

BOLDUAN: Kwapnoski has worked at Sam's club, part of the Wal- Mart brand, for more than two decades. She says she's been paid less than her male counterparts and passed over for promotions for years.

KWAPNOSKI: They kept hiring men off the street. Men who never had even a day's worth of Sam's club experience were coming in and I was the one training them. I always outworked them, always outlasted them.

BOLDUAN: So Kwapnoski and five other women who worked at Wal- Mart are suing the company in a high-stakes gender discrimination case, seeking backpack pay and punitive damages. (on camera): Someone says, it's just one bad supervisor or it's a couple bad supervisors. Is it worth taking the entire company on?

KWAPNOSKI: It's just not one supervisor, though. It's supervisor after supervisor after supervisor. I mean, one leaves and another one comes in to take their place with pretty much the same mentality.

BOLDUAN (voice-over): A case that started small is now so much more. A class action lawsuit against the mega retailer employing more than 1.4 million people in the U.S.

(on camera): The lawsuit began here at this Wal-Mart in Pittsburg, California, a decade ago. Now the original six women in the case could expand to nearly every female Wal-Mart employee, past and present, some 1.5 million women, making this the largest job discrimination case in U.S. history.

(voice-over): Wal-Mart is fighting back, arguing these allegations are isolated, that there's no so-called corporate culture or nationwide pattern of gender bias at their 4,300 facilities.

THEODORE BOUTROUS, ATTORNEY FOR WAL-MART: I think Wal-Mart has a very strong policy against discrimination and in favor of diversity, and it works hard to instill that throughout the company, throughout the stores.

GISEL RUIZ, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, WAL-MART: Our company culture is about providing all associates opportunities to advance and grow.

BOLDUAN: And they've launched a national pr campaign to show that.

ANNOUNCER: At Wal-Mart, we're thinking big about diversity and inclusion.

BOLDUAN: The Supreme Court, though, isn't weighing in on whether the women's discrimination claims are valid. Rather, it's deciding the more technical yet closely watched question -- Can they file as a class, or do they have to fight Wal-Mart individually?

KWAPNOSKI: It's just Wal-Mart's way of trying to stalemate us. They know we're right, and they just -- they don't want to admit it.

BOLDUAN (on camera): What the Justices decide could reach far beyond Wal-Mart to companies big and small, some in the business community fearing the outcome could open them up to a flood of frivolous lawsuits costing jobs and hurting the economy. We expect a ruling by the end of June.

Kate Bolduan, CNN, at the Supreme Court.

(END VIDEOTAPE) MALVEAUX: Joining us from outside the Supreme Court, Catholic University Law school professor and author of a casebook on class action lawsuits and an article on the Wal-Mart case specifically for the "Harvard Law and Policy Journal" is Suzette Malveaux, who also happens to be my sister. Full disclosure.

Good to see you, Suzette. You just got out of the courtroom.

SUZETTE MALVEAUX, LAW PROFESSOR, THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA: Hi.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX: Hi, Zan.

Why is this case so important to the women who are charging discrimination against Wal-Mart, that this should be a group or a class action lawsuit?

SUZETTE MALVEAUX: This has been an amazing warning, Zan. This case is so important for women because a class action is really the only effective way of challenging widespread discrimination. If you're by yourself, you're probably not likely, you're too afraid to challenge your employer, especially in this economy. And if you think about it, may not be able to afford a lawyer.

So, it's important women come together and are able to use the class action to empower themselves to go up against a giant like Wal- Mart. It really levels the playing field and gives them a chance to have their day in court.

SUZANNNE MALVEAUX: And so we caught up with one of the plaintiffs, one of the women who was complaining about Wal-Mart discrimination. I want to roll a quick clip, if we can, to listen to what she's got to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTINE KWAPNOSKI, FILING LAWSUIT AGAINST WAL-MART: That was actually before I got promoted, when I was asking what I needed to do. I was told to blow the cobwebs off my makeup and to doll up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX: "Blow the cobwebs off and doll up." That's some pretty harsh stuff there, those allegations. And I'm assuming that Wal-Mart is hitting back as well as other big companies, really concerned about this particular case, watching very closely. Why do you suppose?

SUZETTE MALVEAUX: Well, there's certainly a lot at stake here. If you think about, from Wal-Mart's vantage point, they feel it's not fair to lump all of these individual, different cases together, that this is not fair because you have one woman across the country has one situation, very different than somebody elsewhere.

And so for them, a lot is at stake. If you add all of these cases together, it may turn out that Wal-Mart will have to pay billions of dollars. So, clearly a lot of the business community is focused on that reality.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX: And we've got a little bit more time here. I want to ask you really quickly, there was a lot that happened outside the Supreme Court this morning. I know you got in because you're part of a group that follows Supreme Court cases. But there were a lot of everyday folks, folks, who were there from like 2:00 in the morning?

SUZETTE MALVEAUX: Sure. Yes, it was amazing. I mean, it was really cold outside. We had people here 2:00 in the morning wrapped in blankets, waiting -- a couple hundred people. I think at least half of them were never allowed in the courthouse. I mean, if you were here at 6:30, you got turned away. And the courthouse doesn't even open until 7:00. People were clamoring to get in and see this oral argument because they understand just how important this case is to women all over the country.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you very much. Obviously a very important case, very good to see you, Suzette.

SUZETTE MALVEAUX: Yes! Great, thanks, Zan.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX: Thanks.

Well, here is a reminder about your choices for choose the news. We have three stories that affect millions much Americans. So, you vote by texting 22360 for the story that you'd like to see in detail at the end of the hour. Vote 1 for the story on monitoring U.S. radiation levels. Vote 2 for one state's illegal immigration law controversy, and vote 3 for the beach cleanup that stops on a strip of Alabama coastline, polluted now by the BP oil spill.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, constantly, seven days a week, and I think that they did a real good job.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know good and well there's tons of oil out in the Gulf still. Yes, they're going to have to come back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVUEAX: Make your pick and we'll show your choice in a few minutes.

Death and coping. A look at how Japanese families are pushing on after the quake and tsunami disaster.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: The death toll from Japan's quake and tsunami is now almost 11,000 people. More than 17,000 are still missing. Our CNN's Kyung Lah talks to grieving friends and relatives who are trying to cope with this tragedy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KYUNG LAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the new normal of Japan's tsunami zone there is no time to grieve. Sixteen- year-old Huroki Sukuwara (ph) is underneath this blanket. His parents and two brothers drove his body to the emergency shelter for the best farewell they could offer in the wake of the tsunami.

"Don't give up hope." Huroki's father tells his friends. "Keep living for my son."

This car side tribute to a life stolen young ends in minutes. His father covers his teenage son and says goodbye.

The disaster's toll is measured not just in damage but in human suffering. Ninety-three year old Matsio Iriohana (ph) barely escaped the tsunami but is sick and getting worse by the day in the evacuation center. "I don't know what to do," says her granddaughter, Emiko Sato. "I'm just trying to take this day by day."

"That's all any victim can do." says Keiko Naganuma.

Seven or eight of my family is missing, she says, including her oldest son, eight-year-old Koto (ph), presumed dead, his body washed away from his school by the tsunami.

Of 100 students at Ishinomaki Okawa (ph) Elementary, 77 are dead or missing. The school gutted by the tsunami. Backpack after backpack sits for parents to retrieve along with a picture of the school little league, the bats they used, art bags filled with crayons.

"I'm not OK," she says, "of course, I'm not, but I have another son." I can see he's pretending to be happy so we don't worry about him. So mother joins and pretends for her son and for herself.

But pretending is not an option for city crews, victims themselves who cry as they work.

"I don't want to lose my hometown. I want it to come back. We won't give up." he says. A fighting spirit that keeps this region from crumbling. The son who won't leave the wreckage of his home until he can find his parent's body. The hometown boy who pledges to rebuild despite that nearly every part of this town is leveled. And the newborn babies, Yuma (ph) and Yukia (ph), just days old, small signs, say their homeless mothers, that the next chapter in the rebirth of a region can be written.

Kyung Lah, CNN in Northern Japan, tsunami zone.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEUAX: Angry Birds already the rage on smartphones everywhere. Now the game of Revenge exploding into a global phenomenon.

Our CNN Silicon Valley correspondent Dan Simon joining us live. Dan, my niece just showed me this over the weekend. Seems like it's contagious.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know what? This is where technology meets pop culture, right? The phenomenon that is Angry Birds is actually spawned a fierce Internet debate on whether it has earned its right to go next to Pac Man as one of the biggest video games of all time. We'll let others do the debating here, but clearly this is a game that's caught fire.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIMON (voice-over): Since it debuted on the iPhone two years ago, Angry Birds has become more than just a popular game. It's now on its way to becoming a global brand. Rovio, the Finnish computer game developer, started selling Angry Birds merchandise last year. It expected maybe a few thousand buyers. That was a bit off.

PETER VERSTERBACKA, ROVIO: These are the toys we started making, and we sold 2 million of these plush toys. So, that's been kind of like, really phenomenal.

SIMON: Peter Versterbacka heads Angry Birds business development. He has no shortage of opportunities. The game can be played on almost every conceivable platform, has been downloaded 100 million times.

Now, Rovio has its eyes set on Hollywood, with ambitions for an Angry Birds movie or television cartoon.

VERSTERBACKA: What we're really in the process of making here is kind of like the next generation entertainment franchise.

SIMON: Next month, Twentieth Century Fox is coming out with Rio, an animated film about birds. So, that spawned yet another version of the game, Angry Birds Rio, along with a creative way to promote it. Not surprisingly, Angry Birds Rio is now the most popular game on iTunes.

If you're watching all this and still don't have a clue about what "Angry Birds" is, here's all you need to know. Players use a slingshot to launch birds at pigs on different structures. Destroy all the pigs and advance to the next screen until you complete all the levels. Simple enough for a toddler.

SIMON (on camera): Why do you think it's caught on the way it has?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's really difficult to say. I think that it's a combination of many, many things. But, of course, "Angry Birds" is one of the first games that's really optimized for the touch devices. You know, the iPhones and iPads and all that. So it really works great for touch.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIMON: Well, "Angry Birds" cost about $100,000 to make, which is pretty modest for a video game. I'd say that was a pretty good investment. It is bringing in the company Rovio in excess of $1 million each month, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right, Dan, thanks. I'll have to give it a try. Thank you, Dan.

Well, we're getting quite a few responses to our "Talk Back" question. Do you buy into the Obama doctrine? Shannon says, "yes, I absolutely support the Obama doctrine. It is refreshing to have a leader who recognizes and supports the true nature of an international community." More of your responses up ahead.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It's time now for "The Help Desk," where we get answers to your financial questions. With me right now, Donna Rosato. She's a senior editor at "Money." And Lynnette Khalfani-Cox is a writer for walletpop.com.

Thank you so much for being here with us.

Our first question is from Jeff in Michigan. And he writes in, "I am underwater on my home, but no one will help me because I am unemployed. I have paid my mortgage on time, but I've been told that I could get help if I stop. What should I do?"

Donna, we hear this so often.

DONNA ROSATO, SENIOR EDITOR, "MONEY": Oh, yes. It's never a good idea to stop paying your mortgage. And I know he's in a tough situation where he's unemployed, but last year the Obama administration did expanded some programs to help people like this young man here. And one of the things he can do is apply for a loan modification, which may help him reduce the amount of payments or he can get a suspension on his home mortgage payments. But he really needs some good advice to do this and what I recommend is calling Housing and Urban Development, a HUD-vetted counselor, which he can do through the Making Homes Affordable Program. The number is 888-995- HOPE. And he can also Google Making Homes Affordable program and get advice about what's best for his situation. But, you know, the damage to your credit score by stopping paying on your mortgage is really long term and he wants to try to avoid that if possible.

ELAM: And there should be some help for people who are actually making their payments despite their personal situation.

ROSATO: Sure.

ELAM: All right, our next question is from Brad in Arizona. He says, "I'm 31 years old and I'm just now at the stage of being able to save for my future instead of living paycheck to paycheck. I'm interested in investing in gold. Where should I start?"

Lynnette.

LYNNETTE KHALFANI-COX, WRITER, WALLETPOP.COM: You shouldn't start with gold, I can tell you that.

ELAM: I thought you might say that. KHALFANI-COX: I'm sorry to tell you. You know, he's probably seen -- there's been a huge run-up in gold prices lately, but gold just hit a record high. And so you don't necessarily want to buy in at the top. I'm not saying gold doesn't have more room to go, but if you've just stopped living paycheck to paycheck and you're getting started in investing, gold isn't where you want to start.

First of all, if you just stopped living paycheck to paycheck, before you invest anywhere, you need to do two quick things. Get an emergency cash cushion. You know, $500 to maybe $1,500 in case something goes wrong in your life. The car engine goes out. The roof leaks. Whatever.

Then start saving for the long term, three to six months worth of your expenses you need to amass in case you lose a job or in case some other long term unexpected thing happens. Then you start investing.

And, again, I'd suggest something like mutual funds, index mutual funds, low cost index mutual funds. But I would not get started investing with gold.

ELAM: Start putting away for your future if you haven't been able to do that. Then you can go think about those high price (INAUDIBLE) metals.

KHALFANI-COX: That's a little later.

ELAM: All right, well, Donna and Lynnette, thanks so much. Of course, if you have a question you want to get answered, we'd love to help you. So send us an e-mail anytime to cnnhelpdesk@cnn.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: President Obama defending the mission. He says intervening in Libya saved countless civilian lives and the U.S. has a responsibility to act. Our Carol Costello, she joins us for today's "Talk Back."

And, Carol, I know a lot of people weighed in on this one.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A lot of buzz about this one.

President Obama, last night, offered up his reasons for military action in Libya. The Obama doctrine, so to speak, which is the U.S. can intervene abroad for moral reasons when our safety is not directly threatened but our interests and values are. So today's "Talk Back" question, do you buy into the Obama doctrine?

This from Cynthia. "How selfish are people in America really? How can we, as human beings, sit back and watch people get slaughtered? I love that he said we had to decide and we cannot use the excuse not to act."

This from Tarek. "For the first time in a while, the Arabs are singing our praises, not just Libyans either, even some Palestinians, instead of burning our flag. That has to count for something, right?" This from Susan. "Absolutely agree with President Obama. His doctrine was very clearly stated. We will look carefully at each international incident and choose how we will react on a case-by-case basis. We'll choose our actions wisely. This is genius," she says.

This from Alex. "Yes, what happened to patriotism in this country? I fail to believe how more people supported attacking Iraq than people do now for Libya. It makes me sick."

Please continue the conversation, facebook.com/carolcnn.

MALVEAUX: So, Carol, I remember when President Bush announced his own doctrine about preemptive strikes. It really made a lot of people nervous and worried about the U.S. position in the world. What do you get a sense from the viewers, do they prefer the Bush doctrine or the Obama doctrine? Is there a split there?

COSTELLO: Well, at least from our FaceBook page, more people seem to buy into the Obama doctrine a lot more than they buy into the Bush doctrine, although I must say, we all know how Iraq came out, not so good, right? So it would be probably pretty logical that people would be more in tune with the Obama doctrine right now than the Bush doctrine since, you know, Iraq, with no post-war plan, you know, we're still embroiled in that conflict.

MALVEAUX: Right, right.

COSTELLO: We spent millions and millions and millions of dollars. So it's easy to say, oh, I'm not buying into the Bush doctrine anymore.

MALVEAUX: All right, Carol, thank you. Appreciate it.

COSTELLO: Sure.

MALVEAUX: Well, three stories, three big issues. You had your choice. "Choose The News" winner moments away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: You choose the story you wanted to see. Well, you chose it. Utah passes a bill enacting the nation's first guest worker law. Here's CNN's Thelma Gutierrez.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bill Wright is a dairy farmer who says he's as conservative as they come. A staunch Republican who believes in a common sense approach to solving problems. So when the federal government failed to come up with comprehensive immigration reform, Wright said he wanted Utah to take the lead.

GUTIERREZ (on camera): Why get involved with immigration?

BILL WRIGHT, UTAH STATE HOUSE: For three or four years now all I'd heard was enforcement, enforcement.

GUTIERREZ (voice-over): We met up with State Representative Bill Wright on his ranch in Utah to talk about a brand new law he sponsored, HB-116, the nation's first guest worker permit law that would allow Utah's undocumented immigrants to work legally.

WRIGHT: I believe in real solutions. It's common sense that is helpful for both sides, that everybody can benefit and we don't leave a bunch of tragedies along the way.

GUTIERREZ (on camera): Tragedies such as what?

WRIGHT: Well, broken families.

GUTIERREZ (voice-over): This woman we'll call Kathy (ph) has lived in Utah for 18 years. She has an MBA, a job and she pays taxes.

KATHY: Being in the shadows, you're afraid of everything.

GUTIERREZ: Kathy entered the country legally on a student visa. At the time, she was given a Social Security Number. The visa has since expired. Under the new law, Kathy and an estimated 110,000 undocumented immigrants who lived and worked in Utah before May of this year could apply for a guest worker permit. They'd have to pass a criminal background check and pay up to $2,500 in fines and study English.

Wesley Smith with the Salt Lake City Chamber says undocumented immigrants like Kathy contribute $2.3 billion to Utah's economy.

WESLEY SMITH, SALT LAKE CHAMBER: Business is very pleased with a lot of our champions up there on the hill who did what we think is the right thing.

GUTIERREZ: But before the law can be enacted, the federal government would first have to grant the state a waiver, making it legal to employ people who have entered the U.S. illegally, a federal crime. That's something Utah Tea Party activist Dave Kirkham says will never happen. He calls the law unconstitutional and unfair.

DAVID KIRKHAM, UTAH TEA PARTY: I think it's very discriminatory against people who live in other parts of the world who are trying legally and lawfully to get into this country.

GUTIERREZ (on camera): How far will you go to take action against those who defended it?

KIRKHAM: The Utah Tea Party, I'm very confident, will challenge everyone who signed this bill.

GUTIERREZ: So you want them out of office.

KIRKHAM: Yes, I do.

GUTIERREZ (voice-over): Bill Wright says he's already feeling the heat, angry e-mails, even death threats. GUTIERREZ (on camera): You're not afraid?

WRIGHT: I'm not afraid.

GUTIERREZ (voice-over): He says he's unfazed by the political fallout.

WRIGHT: I don't need to be in office to verify who I am.

GUTIERREZ: Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Salt Lake City, Utah.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Randi Kaye, in for Ali Velshi.

Hey, Randi.