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Hunt for Possible Serial Killer in New York; GOP Proposes Medicaid Overhaul; Ivory Coast: One Country, Two Presidentsj; Now Hiring In Silicon Valley; The Help Desk; Debris Heading For Space Station; Talk Back Question; Government Shutdown Looms

Aired April 05, 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. Want to get you up to speed.

Washington, now juggling the 2011 and 2012 budgets at the same time today. I want to take them one at a time, starting with 2011.

The president had congressional leaders over to the White House today, looking for a deal to fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year. That would be through September 30th. Without a deal or an extension, parts of the government shut down on Friday.

Now, 2012. House Republicans presented a budget blueprint today that cut spending by $6 trillion -- with a "T" -- trillion dollars over the next decade. The GOP plan would replace Medicare with a voucher system.

Rebels are rejecting a peace plan that's been kicked around by Moammar Gadhafi's aides in recent days. Now, under the proposal, the Libyan leader would hand over power to his son, Saif Al-Islam. The son would pledge to transition Libya to democracy. Well, rebel leaders call the notion ridiculous.

Eman al-Obeidy, the woman who frantically told international journalists she had been gang-raped by Libyan soldiers, is telling the latest in her chilling story to CNN. In a rare telephone interview, she spoke from a family member's home in Tripoli, where she says she is now under House arrest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMAN ALL-OBEIDY, ALLEGEDLY RAPED BY GADHAFI SOLDIERS (through translator): My feelings were that they had taken my humanity, that I would never leave this place. They told me I would never see the light of day again, that I would never be released or returned home, and that they will kill me.

When they are raping me, one man would leave, and another would enter, and he would finish and then another man would come in. Of course, they would untie my hands when they would rape me, and one of them, while my hands were still tied, before he raped me, he sodomized me with his Kalashnikov.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: The conflict in the Ivory Coast appears close to a resolution today. Incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo is reportedly holed up in a bunker at the presidential residence this hour. He is said to be negotiating his departure. Fighters loyal to the man widely viewed as the winner of November's presidential election say that they are holding their fire, at least for now.

Well, a new development at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant. Crews say that they are now making some progress in plugging a leaking concrete shaft. Officials say that water gushing from the shaft into the Pacific is 7.5 million times the legal limit for radiation.

Crews are also dumping 11,000 tons of radioactive water that is pooling in basements now. Tokyo Electric says about half of that water has shipped out to sea for disposal.

Well, the pilots call their emergency landing at New Orleans a blind landing. The United Airline's cockpit filled with smoke just after takeoff, and then all instruments failed. Well, pilots followed the Mississippi River back to New Orleans. Everybody kept their cool as the tower talked them down.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 497, we are declaring an emergency, and please roll equipment for our landing, please. A hundred and six souls on board. Fuel remaining at 32,400.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 497, we've lost all our instruments right now, and we're going to need just a PAR.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Aircraft is off the runway.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: The Federal Aviation Administration is ordering new inspections on 80 older Boeing 737s that are based here in the United States. Investigators are going to look for cracks in the plane's skin that may have been hidden by rivets or overlap. A hole opened up in a Southwest plane's roof during flight. That happened on Friday, prompting this FAA order.

New York police are on the hunt now for a possible serial killer. Eight bodies now have been found in a Long Island beach, and investigators are searching now for even more victims.

Allan Chernoff has the latest with the details.

Allan, what do we know about this investigation? This looks as if -- do they believe that they have a serial killer on their hands?

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT: That's the one thing that police are quite certain of. They believe that this is a serial killer who preys on prostitutes. Yesterday, the shocking news came of three more bodies discovered in a very desolate area of Long Island, near Gillgo Beach. This is, as you can see, an area where there are very few residents, just a very long strip of 15 or so miles of just straight highway right next to the beach.

Now, another body had been found last week. Back in December, there were four other bodies. The total now, eight. The original four bodies were identified as women who had advertised online offering prostitution.

Now, what's happened is that the police, when they began this whole search, they were looking for a woman named Shannon Gilbert (ph). She also had advertised online, but her remains have yet to be found. They are hoping that maybe some of the remains that were located either this week or last week will match her DNA.

The bodies right now are at the Suffolk Medical Examiner's Office, and the search, Suzanne, is continuing for still more remains by the beach.

MALVEAUX: All right. Allan Chernoff, thank you very much for the latest. Appreciate it.

Well, as if one budget battle isn't enough, we actually have two. One, to address spending cuts that are happening now. One for later.

And that, of course, leaves us to Carol and the "Talk Back" question today.

Carol, I mean, we're looking at long term here. Obviously, a lost people saying, you know, what is the future here? Medicare, Medicaid -- how is the government going to afford these programs and how are they going to save money?

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: COSTELLO: Well, Paul Ryan has an idea for a 2012 budget. And most economists say to rein in the deficit, you have simply got to take on the sacred cows, those expensive entitlement programs.

Well, Republicans are doing just that. House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan's 2012 budget takes a $6.2 trillion bite out of the deficit over the next 10 years by slashing spending levels to 2008 levels and by tackling Medicare and Medicaid.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PAUL RYAN (R), WISCONSIN: The facts are very, very clear. For too long Washington has not been honest with the American people. Washington has been making empty promises to Americans from a government that is going broke. The nation's fiscal trajectory is simply not sustainable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: In Ryan's plan, the moment of truth comes in 2022. That's when, instead of getting Medicare, where the government foots the bills, anyone turning 65 will get vouchers for private insurance. The GOP plan also calls for deep cuts in Medicaid, the health care program for the poor.

As you might imagine, Democrats are not so pleased. Chris Van Hollen, top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, says this -- and I quote -- "It is now clear that the Republican budget is not bold, but the same old ideological agenda that extends tax breaks to millionaires and big oil companies, while cutting our kids' education and health security for seniors."

Democrats also playing up the fact that Ryan's plan lowers the corporate tax rate and makes the Bush tax cuts permanent. But hold on.

Didn't President Obama extend those tax cuts for the next two years? And the president's proposed 2012 budget, it didn't deal with entitlements like Medicare at all.

So, the "Talk Back" question today: Are Republicans serious about reducing the deficit?

Facebook.com/CarolCNN, and I will read your comments later this hour.

MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Carol.

Here's what's ahead "On the Rundown."

The budget battle, as Carol mentioned -- a promise from House Republicans to end Medicare as we know it.

And a barrier broken. I'm going sit down with a woman who called the shots for the American no-fly zone over Libya.

Plus, bloodshed in Ivory Coast, where the self-declared president may be looking for a way out.

Looking for a job? Look to Silicon Valley.

And finally, the sky rips open. We take you inside a twister that just tore through Kansas.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Last hour, we told you about a proposal by House Republicans to overhaul Medicare, the health care program that is for seniors. Well, GOP leaders also proposed deep cuts in Medicaid as part of their 2012 budget blueprint.

I want to go beyond the headlines again with our senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen.

And Elizabeth, just to be clear about Medicaid, that is obviously for poorer individuals who need help to fund health care.

How deep do we think that these proposed cuts are going to go?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, Suzanne, they are very deep. They are to the tune of about $600 billion over the course of 10 years. So that's a lot of money. And there's concern, obviously, that Medicaid recipients will suffer with those kinds of cuts.

MALVEAUX: What does it mean for someone who is actually on Medicaid?

COHEN: Right. Let's look individually at what it would mean to someone.

First of all, what it could mean is that they might have to pay more out of pocket for the services that they get from Medicaid. The second thing that it might mean is that they actually might get kicked off of Medicaid, because along with these budget cuts that the Republicans are proposing, they're also proposing that states have more flexibility about who they keep on and who they kick off. So, presumably, if this GOP proposal passes, you know, someone who is on Medicaid might find themselves off Medicaid.

MALVEAUX: So we know that Medicaid patients already have a hard time finding doctors. Would it be better or worse under the GOP plan?

COHEN: Right. Medicaid patients have a very difficult time finding doctors. I myself tried to help someone recently find a doctor who would take Medicaid here in Georgia, and let me tell you, it was not easy. It took a lot of work.

And so there are concerns that with $600 billion less in funding that, you know, doctors might see cuts. And doctors already don't like Medicaid reimbursement rates. And if it was even less, they would say forget it, why in the world should we see Medicaid patients for such a tiny amount of money?

Now, on the other hand, the GOP says that -- the way they phrase it is that Medicaid recipients will have more choice of doctors under their plan. They don't really say exactly how that would happen.

MALVEAUX: OK. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you for breaking it down for us.

COHEN: Thanks.

MALVEAUX: From our affiliates, we're seeing miles of destruction across the South, all from powerful storms that blew through late yesterday, overnight. At least five people are dead, three of them here in Georgia.

Reports of funnel clouds poured into the weather service, mostly from Kentucky and Tennessee. Trees, power lines, down everywhere. It could be days before everyone has electricity again.

And the storms also brought pounding hail, winds, 60, 70 miles per hour. Countless homes are now damaged or destroyed. Frightening storms.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MALVEAUX: We have three stories of determination in today's "Choose the News." Let us know which one you would like to see. You vote by texting 22360.

First, to some he became the symbol of the nation's unemployment crisis. An MIT grad wearing a sign, handing out his resume on the street, determined to get a job. Well, we catch up with him more than two years later.

Next, climbing the highest mountain in Africa. It sounds pretty challenging, right? Well, don't tell that to this determined 11-year- old. He just completed the task, and now he's got his sights on another adventure.

And finally, growing concerns about a potential cyberattack on the federal government. But U.S. officials say that they are now determined to keep the system safe.

So, vote by texting 22360. Vote 1 for "MIT Grad Gets Back on his Feet"; 2 for "Adventurous 11-Year-Old"; or 3 for "Preventing Cyberattack." The winning story is going to air later this hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Approaching an end game in the Ivory Coast, where a bitter and bloody four-month-long presidential standoff has the West African nation on the verge now of an all-out civil war and an escalating humanitarian catastrophe.

John Vause is joining us this morning with insight on the situation.

And John, I understand that there may be talks about a cease-fire and President Gbagbo giving up his power. What do we know about this?

JOHN VAUSE, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, there definitely are talks under way. We've have heard from both Gbagbo's side, and also the challenger, Alassane Ouattara, who was the guy who was recognized by the international community as having won that presidential election back in November.

But we have been told that there are -- there is an agreement for a cease-fire in Abidjan, and that forces loyal to Gbagbo are now laying down their weapons. French and U.N. negotiators are now dealing with Gbagbo, trying to get in writing an agreement for him to step down from power. There's also some talk that they're trying to negotiate an exit for him out of the country, some kind of safe way for him and his family to leave. So it's pretty much over for him.

MALVEAUX: And John, how is it possible that this country has had two presidents now since the November election?

VAUSE: Well, yes, exactly. You've got to go back to November of last year. But even before that, you've got to go back to 2002, when the country started slipping into civil war between north and south.

And what happened is that in 2005, they were meant to have this presidential election, but Laurent Gbagbo, the incumbent, illegally extended his term. And so they had this election back in November, and this was meant to put an end to all of this internal strife between north and south Ivory Coast. It didn't.

Even though the international community recognized Alassane Ouattara as the legitimately-elected president, Gbagbo said no, refused to step down. There was this standoff between these two men. And finally, in the last couple of weeks, forces loyal to Ouattara essentially swept the country, all the way up to Abidjan.

MALVEAUX: And John, the impact? I mean, this has been severe, because we're talking perhaps as many as 800 killed and a million displaced.

VAUSE: Yes, a million displaced. And it looks as if most of those displaced -- most of those killed, rather -- were in the town of Duekque, and I think we have a map in which we can show you where that is in relation to the country.

And what had happened is that Alassane Ouattara's forces swept all the way to Abidjan, and on the way they came through this place called Duekque. It's a cocoa-producing town, and that's where the International Red Cross says as many as 800 people were massacred in this one town alone.

Now, both sides blame the other. Gbagbo's forces blame Ouattara's forces. Ouattara's forces blame Gbagbo.

But what's interesting is that those forces loyal to Alassane Ouattara are called the new forces. And Ouattara has maintained his distance from them. He's saying, I don't have any control over these rebel groups.

So there is an investigation under way. So, if Ouattara does become president, then it will be interesting to see if there is any kind of implications for him being involved in that massacre in that town of Duekque.

MALVEAUX: It looks like potentially both leaders have, you know --

VAUSE: Blood on their hands, absolutely.

MALVEAUX: -- blood on their hands, yes.

VAUSE: And what we know right now is that it looks as if it Ouattara will be president, and that Gbagbo currently is holed up in the basement of the presidential palace.

MALVEAUX: All right. John Vause, thank you very much for calling attention to a very important conflict that's happening in Ivory Coast.

VAUSE: Yes.

MALVEAUX: Well, meet the woman who called the shots in the U.S. no-fly zone over Libya. She is the first female ever to command a U.S. air campaign -- combat campaign, rather. My conversation with Major General Margaret Woodward.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Here's what we have ahead "On the Rundown."

Equal to the task -- the first woman to ever command a U.S. no- fly zone.

Plus, two presidents meet in the White House today. The latest on talks between Tel Aviv and Washington.

And a hiring boom in Silicon Valley. If the tech industry is on the rebound, what does it mean for the country?

Well, NATO is facing now new complications over Libya today. The alliance's top general says that forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi are hiding military equipment in populated areas and using civilians as human shields in several places. Plus, weather is also an issue.

Major General Margaret Woodward was commander of the no-fly zone in Libya when it was under U.S. control. She joins us via Skype from the Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany.

Major Woodward, very nice to see you here. Good to have you here in the NEWSROOM.

I want to -- first of all, we'll talk about your background. But first, how tough is it when you look at that, to avoid civilian casualties, to pinpoint the correct target from so high above the ground?

MAJ. GEN. MARGARET WOODWARD, COMMANDER, U.S. AIR FORCES AFRICA: Well, Suzanne, you know, obviously it's a very important thing for us in this campaign, since our primary responsibility was to protect the civilian population. But when you have -- you know, the American people have invested an awful lot of money and some great technology, and our coalition partners, and also the airmen that are necessary to do that.

So we have the equipment that makes it possible, and we have the incredibly dedicated, talented airmen, as well, who, when you bring them together, are able to combine that. And I think the results speak for themselves.

MALVEAUX: Is that a difficult thing? Because obviously that is the one thing that gets so much attention in the news, is how you can pinpoint those targets and, at the same time, you have a force like Gadhafi's forces trying to hide among the people there.

WOODWARD: Oh, sure. If it were easy, anybody could do it. But, you know, you've got the -- your American Air Force and our great coalition partners together. And it does, it takes a system of systems.

It's not just the pilot in the cockpit, or that specific fighter aircraft system. It's the entire intelligence system, combined with commanding control platforms that tie in, and a very advanced air operations center here at Ramstein, where you have people working in concert that bring all of that together to improve the situational awareness for the air crews down there in Libya, and give them a good coalition -- or give them good coordinates to focus in on --

MALVEAUX: Sure.

WOODWARD: -- and then they can bring the technology and aircraft to bear. And it's been very effective.

MALVEAUX: Major, we have been told you don't like to emphasize your ground-breaking achievements, but we're going to make you talk about it just a little bit. Because when you entered the Air Force back in 1983, women were banned from flying combat missions. Now you are the first woman to lead a combat air campaign in the history of the United States. What does it mean, personally, for you?

WOODWARD: Well, I'll tell you, this has been the greatest experience of my career. But it has been a fantastic opportunity to work with the world's finest airmen, both American and coalition, that have proven, I think, their talents. And that has been, you know, the greatest opportunity of my career, and I tell you, I couldn't be prouder to be part of that team.

MALVEAUX: And when did you know you first wanted to fly?

WOODWARD: Oh, you know, so long ago that I can't even tell you. I think when I was, you know, three or four years old, to be honest with you.

MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you so much. We really appreciate your time. And, again, congratulations on a mission well done. Thank you.

WOODWARD: Thank you very much, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Sure.

Well, the woman who frantically told international journalists that she had been gang raped by Libyan soldiers is telling the latest in her chilling story now to CNN. spoke to our own Anderson Cooper in a telephone interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: When you were in the hotel room, trying to talk to the journalists, and Libyan government thugs were attacking you, trying to silence you, what was going through your mind?

EMAN AL-OBEIDY (through translator): I was not thinking anything when I came to the hotel. I heard about the existence of the fact- finding organization. I came here because I knew that the Libyan authorities won't respect my rights or talk about this issue. We could have been jailed, and nobody would have heard my story.

I was just looking for my rights to be returned. I came even though I knew that the Libyan government would not leave me alone and would try to silence me. I knew that they could imprison me, and that no one may ever know my story. And even when they were hitting me and trying to cover my face so that I would not tell people the truth, I was not afraid. I have reached the end of my tolerance for this as a human.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Al-Obeidy was speaking from a family member's home in Tripoli where she says she is now under house arrest.

President Obama hosting Israeli President Shimon Peres at the White House today. We're going to take a look at how the upheaval in the Middle East is affecting U.S.-Israeli relations.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Live pictures now from the White House, where President Obama is hosting a working lunch with Israeli President Shimon Peres. They are discussing a wide range of issues, including the current upheaval sweeping across the Middle East, as well as North Africa.

Want to bring in two of our correspondents for some perspective on this meeting. Our CNN foreign affairs correspondent Jill Dougherty, and CNN Jerusalem bureau chief Kevin Flower. Thank you for joining us.

Both sides hope to accomplish something with today's meeting. Want to start with you, Kevin, in Jerusalem. The United Nations is on the verge now of sanctioning a political state. That's going to happen sometime, perhaps as early as September. Does the president, Peres, does he want more time from President Obama, some breathing space, perhaps, from the pressure that he's facing to make that happen?

KEVIN FLOWER, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Suzanne, absolutely. That's what he would be looking for because the Israeli government is increasingly worried that U.N. recognition of a Palestinian state based on borders before 1967 will endanger Israel. In fact, what they're fearful of is that it will put Israel in a situation where it faces increasing international isolation from the international community, subjected to more criticism for its policies in the West Bank, and Gaza, specifically. So, that is certainly one issue that's going to be on the agenda for the Israeli president as he meets President Barack Obama.

The other thing he'll be talking about is the Israeli government's much-talked about but no details present yet proposal to get the peace process started again with the Palestinians. Now, of course, both sides have not been speaking since September, and there's an increasing amount of pressure on the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to come forth with some sort of proposal to get that process moving again. So, that is going to be an important issue in these conversations today, as well.

MALVEAUX: All right. Jill, want to bring you in here. President Obama, he quickly put Middle East peace at the top of the agenda when he became president. Does he want Peres and Netanyahu, as Kevin mentioned, to step up, recognize the Palestinian state?

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, the administration is really not very keen on that at all, ultimately, because they don't talk about it that much. They don't want to define it.

But what they have said is, it unilateral action by either side, meaning the Palestinians or Israel, is not helpful. And they realize -- I mean, there could be, by September, this movement. But they do not -- they don't support it at this point.

That said, there might be some type of initiative coming from, let's say, the Israelis that the U.S. could support. But right now, you know, we can't look at this situation without what's happening in the Mideast and North Africa. The Arab spring is throwing everything up in the air, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Kevin, I want to get back to because Jill mentioned the Arab spring, and clearly this has created some worry in Israel that perhaps the United States is distracted. And it's going have to deal with one of its own nemesis, and that would be Iran, to make sure that Iran doesn't get a nuclear weapon.

FLOWER: Well, for Israeli politicians, especially this Israeli prime minister, everything goes back to Iran, Suzanne. That is the 800-pound gorilla in the room. Much more important to the government here in Jerusalem than the Palestinian issue. And they will at every turn bring the regional chaos back to Iran, and what role Iran might have in it, or what role Iran could have going forward. To be a spoiler, to create havoc in the region for Israel and other countries in the United States, specifically.

So, that is invariably one of the most important issues for Israel in every conversation it has with the United States, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right. Kevin Flower, Jill Dougherty, thank you very much.

Well, an encouraging sign, jobs are opening up in at least one area. We're going to tell you who is hiring and where.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: If you know a lot about computers, social networking, you might want to consider heading to California. A good many jobs, high-tech jobs, are actually out there. Want to bring in our Silicon Valley correspondent, Dan Simon. Dan, can we call this a hiring boom yet? DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Suzanne, you can definitely call this a hiring boom, according to the people I've talked to in the industry. There are a ton of jobs open. But it's a bit of a nuance to answer. Because most of these jobs are for very highly skilled, highly educated people. And if you possess these skills, you can easily get a job today in Silicon Valley.

MALVEAUX: What is driving the hiring?

SIMON: Well, that's an easy one. I'm just going to hold it up right here. It's your smartphone and the apps associated with smartphones. We're talking about mobile commuting.

We're also talking about social networking, of course. There has been so much innovation, and a lot of companies surrounding the Facebook and Twitter ecosystems. And also, cloud computing. All the data that you get from the cloud, everywhere you go, you have access to your information. It's like a hard drive in the cloud. Those are the main things driving this new cycle of innovation and hiring in Silicon Valley.

MALVEAUX: And I understand you had a chance to talk to some students from Stanford?

SIMON: I did. You know, it's really interesting. When you talk to these guys, Stanford graduates usually have it pretty good. Let's just be honest. But this time they really have -- they really have the pick of the litter going for them.

I talked to one guy, his name is Marty Hu, and this is a guy who has been getting calls from Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Oracle. And guess what, every time he told them he wasn't interested. We should all be so lucky. This is a guy who is so smart, so talented, that he is deciding to take some venture capital money that he thinks he's going to get and start his own company.

That's the kind of environment that we're dealing with in Silicon Valley. There's so much money, and there's so many smart people around here they feel like they can, you know, do it their own way and try to make some money at the same time.

MALVEAUX: Good for him. What kind of skills are needed?

SIMON: You know, the skills that are needed are very specialized, as we said. If you have a computer science background and you have computer programming skills, you can really do well. And I want you to listen now to a guy from a start-up called Square. This is the chief operating officer for Square, and he talked about really what it takes to get hired. And he talked about the competitiveness that we're seeing across the situation here in Silicon Valley. Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON: There's a perception that if you're a talented software engineer in Silicon Valley, that you can have the pick of the litter. KEITH RABOIS, COO, SQUARE: That's probably true. So, we think of like building a company of consequence is -- requires talent, just like a sports team does. It's more competitive in Silicon Valley today, recruiting talented people, talented engineers, talented designers than college football, or coaches recruiting high school athletes. And they have the same kind of -- college football coaches realize that they're only as good as the players they have. Same thing is true of software or technology companies. The more talent you have, the better you're likely you are to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON: And so you're seeing people here who are getting multiple calls from the greatest companies on the planet trying to hire them and so these people, you know, they have such great skills that they can basically say, no, and really look closely and determine their own fate.

MALVEAUX: And, Dan, tomorrow's going to be pretty special. We've got rate access, one-on-one, to Sir Richard Branson. He's going to join us at this time tomorrow. And he's going to be flying, right, he's going to be flying in his plane in San Francisco while we do this interview? You're going to be with him?

SIMON: I'm going to be with him. And, look, if Richard Branson asks you to fly on his plane with him, you're going to say yes. So we have a rare invitation from Richard Branson to fly with him on a Virgin Atlantic flight. And if all goes well, fingers crossed here, we're going to be broadcasting live from above the skies of San Francisco talking to you, Suzanne, with Richard Branson talking about all the innovation surrounding his company, as well as this brand-new terminal at the San Francisco International Airport. It's really a one of a kind terminal. A sustainable terminal. Lots of technology and so forth there. And so we're going to be talking to Richard Branson about that and maybe talk about some of the problems that we're seeing in the airline industry and how he hopes to fix things with Virgin.

MALVEAUX: OK. That's awesome. That's awesome, Dan. We'll keep our fingers crossed. All this modern technology. It's all going to work out tomorrow. It's going to be live on the CNN NEWSROOM . Dan, thanks again. We'll be seeing you and Richard tomorrow.

SIMON: You bet.

MALVEAUX: A lot of you responding now to our "Talk Back" question about the Republicans' proposed federal budget for 2012. Is the GP serious about deficit reduction? Joe Gray writes, "obviously the GOP is not serious about reducing the deficit. They have not proposed taking a pay cut. I guess that is too logical." But many of you disagree with this sentiment. Your responses just moments away.

CARMEN WONG ULRICH, CNN MONEY: It is time now for "The Help Desk," where we get answers to your financial questions. And joining me this hour is Donna Rosato, senior editor at "Money" magazine, and John Ulzheimer, president of consumer education at smartcredit.com.

Let's get into it, guys.

Jill in Massachusetts asks, "I have about $10,000 in savings and I'd like to start investing. Is now a good time to put my money in stocks?"

Donna, what do you think?

DONNA ROSATO, SENIOR EDITOR, "MONEY": Well, of course. It's never wise to try to time the stock market. Even the best money managers can't do that. And we've seen that the low -- we would all like to buy at the low and sell at the high. But we saw in March 2009 a real bottoming in the market and we've been in a bull market since then. Will it continue? We don't know.

The real question this young woman should ask is, what is your time frame? And what do you need the money for? If you have a short time horizon, say five years or less, you're probably better off not investing in the stock market. Keep it liquid. If you have a longer time frame, five, 10 years or longer, say you're saving for retirement or a home, then, by all means, you know, develop a diversified portfolio and put it in the market and then you will see that pay off.

ULRICH: Right, and hopefully in a tax-friendly type of account, too. That's good advice. Thank you, Donna.

ROSATO: Exactly.

ULRICH: Next up we have Basuma (ph) in Wisconsin asked, "I have a home loan that is 12.44 percent interest and I want to know how I can lower it. Now, the loan company told me they do not lower interest rates."

John, what to do, because that's really high.

JOHN ULZHEIMER, PRES. OF CONSUMER ED, SMARTCREDIT.COM: Yes, 12 percent on a credit card is really good. Twelve percent on a mortgage is brutal. Look, you don't get 12 percent on a mortgage unless you have really bad credit. So, step one, she's got to improve her credit, because without great credit scores, it doesn't matter. Anything else doesn't matter.

But in today's environment where more people are upside down on their mortgages than anywhere else, there are some programs that can help her. The HARP program, under the President Obama's Making Homes Affordable, is actually a program designed for people who have high LTV loans, meaning that they owe either as much or even a little bit more than the home is worth. Be aware, these have credit down sides, so if you're able to refinance naturally, meaning by going to another lender, putting 20 percent down and refinancing, that's generally the best way of doing it. But you've got to have good credit.

ULRICH: That's right. Thanks, John and Donna.

Do you have a question that you want answered? Send us an e-mail any time to cnnhelpdesk@cnn.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: This just in. We're learning from NASA, a piece of space junk is coming close, could perhaps collide with the International Space Center. I want to bring in our Chad Myers to explain what this means.

What is the significance?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: If a piece of what is now the Chinese satellite that was blown up -- blew itself up in 2007, if that gets into or rams into the ISS, it would lose pressure in the ISS, and the ISS would basically disintegrate. So they're going to take the crew -- if they know it's close enough. They'll know about 3:00 -- put them in the Soyuz capsule, which is basically the escape pod. And if the piece does go into the ISS, the ISS gets destroyed, they will be released from the ISS, they'll come back to earth safely. Hopefully this piece just misses like all the other space junk up there misses every day.

MALVEAUX: And we're expected to find out just within a few hours whether or not that's going to happen.

MYERS: We'll do.

MALVEAUX: All right, thank you, Chad, appreciate it.

Well, here's your chance to "Talk Back." One of the stories, big story of the day, the 2012 federal budget. Today the Republicans put forth their version of it, including $6 trillion in cuts. Our Carol Costello, she's joining us with the answers to today's "Talk Back" question, is the GOP serious about reducing the deficit?

Carol, what are folks saying?

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we've got a pretty good response to this, Suzanne. Not many people think the GOP is serious about reducing the deficit. So let me run some comments by you.

This from Will. "The GOP thinks it's doing the right thing, but they need to get outside the same old box. Without serious cuts in military spending and some selective tax increases, this problem won't be solved."

This from Lynn. "If we continue to raise the tax rate on the rich, we will continue to talk to people in India when we need help with a purchase. We will continue to have products from China, Bangladesh, Vietnam, rather than from the United States. Is that what we want?"

This from Tom. "What was the debt when Reagan left office? What was the debt when Bush left office? And what was the debt when Clinton left office? Republican smoke and mirrors won't get the job done."

And this from Jacquee. "Every family has a budget that's best for them, so the GOP has a budget that's best for them and their family of millionaires. They are serious about lowering the deficit, as long as the spending cuts don't hurt their family."

Thanks, as always, to all of you writing in. And continue the conversation. Facebook.com/carolcnn. And I'll be back tomorrow.

MALVEAUX: All right. Looking forward to seeing you, Carol. Thanks.

Well, you told us what story you wanted to see. Your "Choose The News" winner, that's just moments away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Well, here's the story that you wanted to see. A government shutdown looms, and that means many federal IT specialists would likely be sent home until the budget battle is solved. Well, some experts say that could leave the country's computers at risk. Here's CNN's Deb Feyerick.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The last time Washington, D.C., shut down over stalled budget talks in 1995, Holt Tipton (ph) was in charge of protecting critical infrastructure. Power grids, water supplies, monitoring natural disasters. Back then, he says, cyber security was so new, it was almost a nonissue during the shutdown.

FEYERICK (on camera): The government shutdown that you experienced back in 1995, for one to happen today, it would be a completely different ball game.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's just no comparison. The number of people that would be -- will be determined essential this time, just for the security piece alone, will be several orders of magnitude larger.

FEYERICK (voice-over): Federal agencies are required to have back-up plans listing essential employees. People who stay behind and safeguard their agency when everyone else goes home.

FEYERICK (on camera): Where do you see the biggest threat being when it comes to security of the cyber infrastructure?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just need to have people who can read the output from the monitoring systems that come in. And if there's targeted attacks, which we get every single day, then you have to be able to respond to those.

FEYERICK (voice-over): Karen Evans was in charge of information technology under President George W. Bush. She says policy guidelines have not adequately changed since 1995 to reflect the new cyber reality.

KAREN EVANS, FORMER E GOVT. ADMIN: How you connect in with your Blackberries and how you can connect in with multiple devices, it's really about protecting the information. And so you have to have defenses around your most sensitive information.

FEYERICK: The federal agency in charge of managing government, Office of Management and Budget, says it's prepared for any contingency. They declined to be interviewed or discuss any agency specifics. Still, Evans worries.

EVANS: But that's what I'm really concerned about right now is, is that we're advertising that the agencies are going to shut down.

FEYERICK: Tipton has been on Capitol Hill lobbying lawmakers on what he sees as an already existing shortage of cyber security personnel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't have enough people to do the things that need to be done now. And during a shutdown, when we start sending people home, we will have less. So the risk, to me, has to go up.

FEYERICK: A risk redefined by data in a largely digital world.

Deborah Feyerick, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: And more on a potential government shutdown in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM. Now, if your choice did not win or you just want to check out the runners up, we're going to have links to them on my page at facebook.com/suzannecnn.

CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Randi Kaye, who's in for Ali Velshi.

Hey, Randi.