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President Obama's Focus on Gas; 9/11 Survivor Gives Back; Innocence vs. Violent Images; U.S. Leaves Pakistan Drone Base; Rolling With Life's Obstacles

Aired April 22, 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. I want to get you up to speed for Friday, April 22nd, Earth Day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: Thank you, America! Thank you, America! Thank you, America!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Cheers of "Thank you, America!" Senator John McCain got a rowdy welcome in Libya today. The senator met rebel leaders in Benghazi and toured Freedom Square. McCain supports President Obama's military intervention in Libya, but he argues it should be more robust.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: What I have witnessed today in Benghazi is a powerful and hopeful example of what a free Libya could be, a place where the dignity and the desires of all people for freedom and opportunity are respected.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: U.S. Predator drones are joining the NATO campaign to protect civilians in Libya. The remote-controlled planes can fly lower and pinpoint targets more precisely than traditional fighter jets. Now, NATO has been reluctant to bomb Libyan troops in cities, fearing civilians will be killed.

(CHANTING)

MALVEAUX: Syrians poured into the streets in at least five cities today, demanding that President Bashar al-Assad step down. Security forces opened fire, as they've done over the past six Fridays. So far, we have learned of seven deaths today.

Police are out beating the brush again today, hoping to find new clues in the Long Island serial killer case. The search is focused around Long Island Bay. That is where at least eight sets of remains have been found. Criminal profilers interviewed by "The New York Times" say the suspect is likely a young, married, white male who is financially well off.

Well, it's now up to Nevada's Republican governor to choose a replacement for Senator John Ensign. Ensign, a Republican, says May 3rd is going to be his last day in the Senate. The Senate Ethics Committee has been looking into his extramarital affair and a payment to the woman's husband for almost two years now.

A hearing this hour for actress Lindsay Lohan. A Los Angeles judge will decide whether Lindsay Lohan will stand trial for allegedly stealing a necklace. Lohan turned down a plea deal with prosecutors last month. The judge could also send Lohan to jail for violating parole.

Six states and Washington, D.C., now have gas above $4 a gallon, if you can believe that. President Obama, certainly taking notice at this. He has announced a new taskforce to look into whether there is fraud or manipulation in the oil market.

Now, rising gas prices, unemployment, inflation, that's on everybody's mind, right? Well, they're not happy about the way things are headed.

Which brings us to the "Talk Back" question and Carol Costello.

People are not happy. They're not happy.

COSTELLO: No. People are not happy, Suzanne. I mean, aren't you feeling blue, bummed out about the future?

Well, according to a "New York Times"/CBS News poll, you have plenty of company. Pessimism abounds.

Seventy percent of Americans think the country is headed in the wrong direction. Basically, the American public is in its worst mood since President Obama took office. It could have something to do with the economy.

It's pretty tough to feel optimistic with gas prices the way they are. It will cost you 70 bucks to fill up the tank. And good jobs are hard to come by, with unemployment stuck around 9 percent. And that war in Afghanistan that's been dragging on for almost a decade, not to mention Iraq and Libya -- but back to the economy.

"The New York Times"/CBS News survey shows 57 percent of people disapprove of how President Obama is handling it. Yet, the president is pushing optimism.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We want to make sure this is a country where if you're willing to try hard, you can make it, where everybody has a chance at prosperity. That's my focus. That's my guiding light.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COSTELLO: Is it? Congress isn't doing that well in this poll, either. Seventy-five percent of those responding disapprove of the way those lawmakers are handling their jobs.

Could it be politicians are just not listening enough to what people are saying? We're not all living the American dream. For some of us, it's more like the American nightmare.

Oh, man, I'm so depressed now.

Anyway, the "Talk Back" question today: What would it take to restore your faith in the American dream?

Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll be eager to read your responses, because hopefully they'll make me feel better.

MALVEAUX: You're bringing us all down here, Carol. It's Friday. The weekend's here. We have some reasons to be happy here.

COSTELLO: That's right.

MALVEAUX: And hopefully our viewers, too, will have some ways that they believe --

COSTELLO: I'm counting on you.

MALVEAUX: OK. Cheer us up around here. Thanks, Carol.

COSTELLO: Sure.

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

More on Senator McCain's meeting with rebel fighters in a live report from Libya.

Also, dad and daughter reunited. A soldier's surprise visit.

Plus, a flood threat for parts of the country. Jacqui Jeras is tracking the rain and the rising water.

Also, pictures of children reenacting tragic and violent events. Hear from the artists behind the photos.

And finally, William and Kate, the media frenzy, years before the royal engagement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's probably difficult on their relationship. She was having that incredible scrutiny from the press.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Time to go "X Country" for some stories our affiliates are covering.

In Michigan, a Ford Motor Company executive pleads guilty to driving while intoxicated and child endangerment. Elena Ford was arrested in a Detroit suburb. Her 11-year-old son was also in the vehicle. Ford, the great, great granddaughter of company founder Henry Ford, was sentenced to two years' probation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELENA FORD, FORD MOTOR COMPANY EXECUTIVE: I want to apologize to the court. I know that I've learned a valuable lesson by being here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Two Indiana men celebrate their new fortune. They won a $221 million Powerball jackpot. Awesome.

Todd Reardon and Darin Fox, they work together. They're co- workers. They've been pooling their money for lottery tickets for a couple of years now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DARIN FOX, POWERBALL WINNER: And I went into the computer before I went to work. So, I figured if -- I always checked in the mornings because if I had, I wasn't going to work.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: In Clearwater, Florida, an emotional father and daughter reunion. Army Specialist Robert Pierce told his daughter Rachel that he would send her something special for Easter from Afghanistan. His gift: a face-to-face visit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RACHEL PIERCE, DAUGHTER: I feel relieved that he's OK. And I missed him a lot.

SPC. ROBERT PIERCE, U.S. ARMY: It's like every letter I write her, every time we e-mail back and forth, it's always, "You're my whole world, big hug, big kisses."

RACHEL PIERCE: And I'm really happy he's home.

And I love you, daddy. I missed you.

ROBERT PIERCE: I love you, sweetie.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(WEATHER REPORT)

MALVEAUX: Well, it feels like every time you have to empty your bank account, right, to fill your tank? Well, gas prices, rising sharply across the country. President Obama, he wants to see if fraud might actually be involved. We've got a live report from New York.

And today is Earth Day. There are people all over the world doing their best to be just a little bit more green today. But "The Wall Street Journal" reports that some states treat Mother Nature just a little bit better than others. According to the study, the greenest states are New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont.

So which states need to clean up their act for Earth Day? We'll tell you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: It's Earth Day. When it comes to being green, three states in New England topped the list, according to "The Wall Street Journal."

So which states could use a refresher course on how to reduce, reuse, recycle? Ohio, Indiana, and West Virginia.

Well, we're all feeling it, right, gas prices skyrocketing, pushing up the cost of almost everything that we buy now. Right now, the average price of regular is $3.85 a gallon. Drivers in several states, already paying more than four bucks a gallon.

Our business news correspondent Stephanie Elam joins us from New York.

And Stephanie, we know that President Obama is ordering an investigation into oil traders, speculators to try to figure out if fraud is actually part of pushing the cost up of gas.

Tell us about this. What do they hope to learn?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, about this, Suzanne, is that this is a very huge undertaking that has been proposed by so many different administrations. And I have to tell you, it's something that's very hard to do.

There's so much data you'd have to sift through to be able to figure it out. And there is some speculation that does happen that is actually necessary to the system.

So, when you hear about this idea, I don't think too many Americans should bank on there being a huge change to the way things are done. There is obviously a problem as far as Americans are concerned with how much we're paying for gas. It is painful. There's no doubt about that.

Adding to this is that you have this high demand globally, but then the production has been cut down, because as the prices keep creeping up higher and higher, a lot of people are starting to curtail their usage for gasoline for all sorts of things. Maybe even trucking, deliveries, all those things that are required to keep our economy oiled and moving. So, with that in mind, you take a look at the violence that has been going on in the Middle East, you've got the unrest in Libya, you also have there as well, when you look in that area, you've got Saudi Arabia saying, you know what, it looks like world consumption is going down, so we're going to cut back on what we're putting out. So that's also keeping prices higher as well. And then you have OPEC downgrading their annual forecast for global oil consumption growth.

All of these factors are creating sort of a hotbed around the price for oil, and that is pushing up prices. And as we know, several states now, when you take a look at it, are above $4 a gallon as the average price for just a regular gallon of gas. So, lots of states, lots of people feeling pain, at a time when the economy is just starting to get itself back on its feet here in the United States.

MALVEAUX: So, Steph, what can the president or this investigation really do? I mean, can they really affect prices at the pump?

ELAM: No. I mean, in short, no. You cannot do it that way.

It's not that easy for any one person or administration or even a branch of government to go in and change this. You can take a look at it. Maybe you can find some things out. Maybe some people would do things differently if they think they're going to be found out for using speculation to raise prices. But overall, I think it's just a tall order. I really just don't think it's an easy thing to go after and fix really -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Steph, it looks like it's a political maneuver, more symbolic than really impacting what we're going to see. And obviously the president wants to --

ELAM: Totally.

MALVEAUX: -- show that at least he's trying to do something about this big problem.

ELAM: And understanding that it's hurting people, how much they're paying to get in their car and drive to work or drive the kids to school. Definitely.

MALVEAUX: All right. Steph, thanks. Appreciate it.

We have three stories. Only one of them can air next hour. Tell us which one you would like to see. Vote by texting 22360.

First choice, Major League Baseball players fight child slavery. Some players are making every strikeout and homerun add up to freedom for potential victims of modern-day slavery.

Second choice, business casual, the debate. How can you make sure that dressing down at the office does not get you called into HR?

And third choice, chocolate inflation. A chef adds up the price of key ingredients for making Easter treats and explains that it's going to cost more to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Vote by texting 22360. Text 1 for "Athletes Fight Slavery"; 2 for "Business Casual Debate"; or 3 for "Chocolate Inflation." The winning story will air in the next hour.

One New Yorker vowed to never forget the help the city received after the 9/11 attack. Well, 2004, Jeff Parness started a cycle of paying it forward. It has now snowballed across the country, and it's why he is this week's CNN Hero.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF PARNESS, CNN HERO: September 11th was a very tough time for the fire department. I lost some friends, guys I went to the academy with.

Afterwards, people came from everywhere to help us out. It was incredible. You knew you weren't alone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, guys.

PARNESS: As a New Yorker, to see that outpouring of kindness and generosity was more powerful than the terror that happened. That really changed me.

I'm Jeff Parness, and I just want to show the world that New Yorkers will never forget what people did for us following 9/11.

Every year, on the 9/11 anniversary, we take volunteers from New York and send them to some part of the country where they had a disaster and help folks rebuild.

Nice to meet you.

You pull into town and the tallest thing there is the grain silo. It's definitely a little culture shock.

Rebuilding homes or barns or churches, it's our way to say thank you. Now more than half our volunteers are not from New York. People from all the small towns that we've helped, they keep showing up to help the next community.

They're from Louisiana and California and Indiana and Illinois. Every year you keep seeing more T-shirts from more locations.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to get you in as much as we can.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After Katrina, we just jumped on his bandwagon. This whole paying it forward thing is just contagious.

PARNESS: It's like this big dysfunctional family reunion of all these disaster survivors who get together and do a barn raising.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're banging nails and building something, but it's the relationships that help you heal.

PARNESS: It's about using the 9/11 anniversary to celebrate in that volunteer spirit.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We'll see you all next year.

PARNESS: People say, "Thank you for doing this." And I say, "You want to thank me? Show up on the next one."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: All of this year's CNN Heroes are chosen from people you tell us about in our CNN Heroes Web site. To nominate someone you think is changing the world, go to CNNHeroes.com.

Provocative pictures, children reenacting violence and tragedies. We're going to talk with the artists, along with the mother of two of the children in the exhibit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Checking what's ahead "On the Rundown."

A photo essay that may shock you, young children reenacting tragedies like September 11th. Is this appropriate for children? We're going to hear from a child psychiatrist.

And with the wedding a week away, we're going to look at the rocky road that Prince William and Kate Middleton have traveled as they prepare to tie the knot.

The innocence of childhood, contrasted with the horror of events like 9/11 or the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal and Hurricane Katrina, it's the idea behind a photo essay called "In the Playroom." The pictures show children with toys, teddy bears, building blocks, reenacting tragic and violent events.

Jonathan Hobin is the artist behind the exhibit. He joins us from Ottawa, Canada.

And thank you so much for being here, talking about this. It has generated a lot of discussion so far.

I mean, clearly, these photos are meant to be provocative. One that has captured the most attention, as you realize, is the photo of the children reenacting the torture that took place at Abu Ghraib. You see the child that's under the hood, another with a whip in the hand, the dog.

Help us understand what your thinking was behind doing this exhibit and using children as a part of it.

JONATHAN HOBIN, PHOTOGRAPHER & ARTIST: Well, first of all, a lot of my work has to do with issues that affect children. And I felt that it was an appropriate time to actually stop and reflect some of the issues that actually exist in our world that are reflected in children's play.

I don't think it's as literal as I've chosen to make it, but I just wanted to acknowledge what it is in the world that kids actually do see, and to acknowledge the fact that media is so pervasive, that it's almost inescapable at this point. This is a part of our culture, and we have to acknowledge it.

MALVEAUX: I want to be clear on the use of these photos. You worked closely with the parents of these children. They clearly signed off on the use of these images, using them.

What do you hope to accomplish?

HOBIN: Well, I think that it's been pretty successful in at least inciting some dialogue about just the issues of our world and how we have to remain sort of vigilant and proactive in our own child- rearing. Like, I think a lot of parents would be kind of apprehensive about approaching some of these subjects, which I think that they should be. But I think a lot of parents' tactics today is just to avoid it and just say something like, well, they're going to see these images anyway.

But I also want to point out that these images are intended for adults. These images aren't intended for children. It's for us as adults to look and acknowledge what kids see in the world.

MALVEAUX: And I want to go back to the Abu Ghraib photo in particular there. Were those children who participated in that, were they aware of what they were doing? Did you actually tell them what they were reenacting? Or did their parents?

HOBIN: I don't think we had to go into that level of detail. I think any kid who plays guns or war games or anything like that understands that there is sort of a lesser -- you know, there's less proud moments for us. But I didn't try to explain explicitly what it was they were doing.

They understood that one was a prisoner, one is a soldier. But a more specific example is with the 9/11 image, the twins, which I find is way more reflective of that sort of iconic, iconic imagery. And that was the first image I took.

And in the process of even just setting up the photo, having gone through the process of explaining what I was doing to the parents, the children themselves, after just looking at the structures of the two buildings, could recognize exactly what it was. And even at, you know, 4 or 5, saying this is when the plane hit the buildings. And I think that in that statement alone, it acknowledged the fact to me that I was on to something and that kids do see this -- these imagery.

MALVEAUX: I want to show our viewers another one, the girl who's supposed to represent JonBenet Ramsey, the little beauty queen contestant who was murdered, found with a nylon cord around her neck. When you did this photo shoot, I mean, what did you tell this little girl?

HOBIN: Well, first of all, it starts with talking to the parents. I would never have approached even doing something like this without getting the full support of parents involved. These are very proactive parents in terms of their child-rearing. So I explained that concept to the parents, and I really had to leave it up to them as to how they wanted to approach the child. But, you know, this is a single frame. There's a lot of process in terms of getting the child's -- sorry?

MALVEAUX: Help us understand, though.

HOBIN: Yes. Sorry. You were going to say?

MALVEAUX: For that particular frame, you were there, the parent was there. What did they say to that little girl who was in that picture?

HOBIN: It was -- the rest of the -- the whole process was the child getting her hair and makeup done and playing dress-up. She -- that was sort of it in terms of the actual finished frame.

MALVEAUX: So she didn't understand about the scarf -- she didn't understand about the scarf and what that --

HOBIN: Not the full --

MALVEAUX: -- putting it around her neck, is that right?

HOBIN: Oh, I think any child putting something around their neck and kind of holding it up they would get what that was about. I mean, kids play that sort of stuff all the time. So she got it, but she didn't necessarily get the context of JonBenet and that sort of reference.

But I think that kids do understand a lot more than we want to acknowledge. I think that that's really important, and that's one of the things I'm trying to say.

MALVEAUX: OK. And real quick here.

What do you say? How do you respond to those child's right advocates, psychiatrists, people who look at this and go we don't think this is a good idea, this looks like it is exploiting children, that this just is not appropriate?

HOBIN: Oh, I can definitely say it's not exploitive. If anything, you know, I work with a lot of kids' charities. This is about bringing these issues that affect children to light and just actually acknowledging what is happening, which is these stories are affecting children and the intention of these photos are for adults as a tool to remind them and sort of incite dialogue with their children and just remain proactive in terms of their childrearing.

So this is, you know, I think it's ludicrous to think that it would be exploitive.

MALVEAUX: All right.

HOBIN: The kids had fun. MALVEAUX: We're going to leave it there and we're going to talk to a parent whose children were involved in this exhibit. We with appreciate your time.

We're going to continue this discussion as well. A well-known child psychiatrist, Dr. Alvin Toussaint, he's going to also be joining the conversation, as well as a mother of two children who's in one of those photos in the exhibit.

Thank you very much.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Back to our conversation about a provocative photo essay called "In the Playroom." It shows photographs of children with toys reenacting tragic and violent events like September 11th, Hurricane Katrina, and Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal, torture.

Amanda Etherington is the mother of two children who appear in one of the photos in the exhibit, and she joins us from Ottawa. Also joining us, from Boston, is child psychiatrist Dr. Alvin Poussaint.

Dr. Poussaint, thank you, both of you, for being with us here, I want to start with you.

What was your first impression when you saw this photo exhibit?

DR. ALVIN POUSSAINT, PSYCHIATRIST & AUTHOR: My first impressions?

MALVEAUX: Yes.

POUSSAINT: My first impressions was it -- well, it looked pretty scary at first.

On the other hand, I realize that a lot of children are exposed to a lot of violence, they've seen many of these images on the front page of the newspaper, on the 6:00 news. So it's not like this is the first time for them.

The other thing I realize --

MALVEAUX: Is it inappropriate?

POUSSAINT: Is it appropriate?

MALVEAUX: Yes.

POUSSAINT: Well, it depends. I think some of it is appropriate. I don't know that it's appropriate to put a scarf around a young girl's neck like she's going to be strangled without her really understanding what that's about or, in fact, it being scary for her. I think you can't use the children in a way that's going to traumatize them or frighten them.

So I think what was going on most of the time, a lot of children thought this was like make believe, like it was Halloween or they were in a haunted house but they really didn't understand the purpose surrounding what they were doing.

And I think it's very important that the photographer talk to the children beforehand, the parents talk to them beforehand, understand what they know, make sure this is not going to be a negative experience.

And I think afterward, you know, they have to do follow-up and see how the children reacted to that experience because maybe in three months or six months it may mean something different to them. Maybe that it was very upsetting to participate in such a project.

But on the other hand, they have an opportunity to act it out a little bit. Something like play, but it's not quite like that.

But I commend the photographs in the sense that I think it does raise the consciousness of everyone, including adults and including parents, that children are being affected by the events around them.

MALVEAUX: I want to --

POUSSAINT: By war, by disasters, by earthquakes.

MALVEAUX: I want to bring in Miss Etherington, if I can.

Your daughter and son posed in one of the photos. Your daughter was 5 at the time, your son 3, I believe. This is a reenactment of the disappearance of the Alabama high school student, Natalee Holloway, who went on a trip to Aruba, a spring break trip -- a graduation trip, met up with Joran van der Sloot, who was suspected in her disappearance. Her body has never been found. Your daughter in this picture is posing as Holloway. One of your sons as one of the -- I'm assuming the frat boys that she partied with.

Can you first of all just tell us why it was that you decided to have your children participate in taking this photo?

AMANDA ETHERINGTON, CHILDREN IN CONTROVERSIAL PHOTOS: I think, at the time when Jonathan spoke to us about doing the photo, we thought it was an interesting concept. And also, I do believe that nowadays with media and what children are exposed to you really can't sort of hide from it, what your children are going to see.

At the same time, we were very hands-on with Jonathan during the shoot. We were present at all times. And, you know, he kept us abreast of the situation about what he was going to do.

And the images that you see are sort of a picture taken of a development of play. It's not like it initially starts out as that picture. I mean, they're sort of playing. My children saw it as very much like when we go to the beach and we bury each other in the sand.

MALVEAUX: Did you explain to your daughter or your son what they were reenacting or what this was supposed to represent? What did you tell your children? ETHERINGTON: At the time, of course, my children were 5 and 3, which is far too young to have that sort of discussion.

As my children have gotten older, we have discussed the pictures that they have been in. We've talked very openly about how do they feel about it, what their memories are of the picture.

I think it's very important to have open dialogue with your children, to discuss what it is they see because I think when you're young the world can be a scary place if you don't have somebody to talk to about what it is you're seeing. It can be very confusing, the images that are on television, in the newspaper.

So for us, as a family, it has brought a lot of these conversations out into the open about what goes on in the world.

MALVEAUX: Do you worry at all that there's going to be backlash for your children being in such a public way, posing in these pictures in an exhibit? Does that concern you at all?

ETHERINGTON: Absolutely, absolutely. And I think the biggest thing at the end of the day is it's we as adults who are the ones who -- it's merely the way that we see the photograph. And I think it comes down to us as adults.

If you take, for example, the picture that my children are in. If you take the title of the picture or the context of what the picture's about, it's merely just children playing in the sand.

MALVEAUX: Dr. Poussaint, if I could, children often use play to understand the world around them. How should parents explain things that are very difficult to deal with and understand like 9/11 or Abu Ghraib? Is this potentially a teaching moment for these parents or these kids?

POUSSAINT: Yes, it's potentially a teaching moment when other children see these images in particular and even adults. But first you have to find out what they know.

I think she's right. A 3-year-old child is not going to really know what's going on, but an 8, 7-year-old and 8-year-old, may really understand that these images are part of reality because of seeing things on the news and they've seen things in the newspaper. So I think you have to talk to children about the world around them and the awful things that frequently happen to help prepare them to be adults in American society.

But I think we can't, in this case, use children and exploit them and not tell them what's going on, that you have to at least ask them what do you think this is all about and also allow them not to participate, not to put any pressure on them that they have to do this or seduce them into doing it when they really don't understand what's happening.

MALVEAUX: Dr. Poussaint, Miss Etherington, we appreciate your time and for both of you coming on to discuss this very controversial exhibit. Thanks.

We'll be right back after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Want to go to our Nick Paton Walsh who's in Kabul, Afghanistan. He's got some information that is developing out of neighboring Pakistan.

I understand that the Shamsi Air Base, that is where there is a lot of U.S. military personnel, is actually being evacuated. Can you give us a picture, a sense of what is taking place and what that means?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I should clarify here. The Shamsi Air Base is in the south of Balochistan in Pakistan. Now, the U.S. has never acknowledged having personnel there at all, but it has often been referred to as a place from which drone strikes within the country are launched by the United States.

Now, today we're hearing from one senior Pakistani intelligence official who says that American personnel have left the base. He hasn't given the time frame during which this departure has happened or given a reason as to why. It's not clear if they left voluntarily or at a Pakistani request. But this comes at a time of increased strain in relations between Islamabad and Washington.

Now, I should point out that U.S. officials we've asked for comment about this have not clarified whether there ever have been U.S. personnel at Shamsi and have simply said, at present, there are no U.S. personnel at that base.

But there has, I think, been a lot of a lack of clarity as to how the United States operates its drone operations in Pakistan. As I say, many reports, from a different Pakistani intelligence official I spoken to today, saying they have used this air base as a place from which to launch drone strikes in Pakistan's tribal areas, the latest of which this morning killing 25 people -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right. Nick Paton Walsh, appreciate your reporting. Thank you. If anything else develops, we'll get back to you.

A new CNN Poll of Polls suggests tough times are ahead for the White House. Paul Steinhauser, part of "The Best Political Team On Television," live from the Political Desk in Washington.

And, Paul, I can bet you that the White House is not happy with these numbers.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes, and it's a trend we're seeing, Suzanne.

What we did was our polling director, Keating Hall, took the four most recent national surveys averaged them all together. Take a look at this, our CNN Poll of Polls. It indicates that 45 percent of Americans are giving the president a thumbs up, they approve of how Mr. Obama's handling his duties in the White House, with 48 percent saying they disapprove.

But if you go to the next graphic look at this trend here. Look how it's changed since January. The president was as high as 52 percent, Suzanne, when we average all those polls together early in January.

Listen, it's kind of obvious in some ways. We all see these gas prices soaring at our gas station as round the corner. Americans also see these budget deficit and the battles in Washington over the budget and the deficit. And that may be a factor on the president's approval rating dropping. Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And, Paul, it's not just the polls that we see the president having a tough time. Some hecklers that sang -- actually, this is unusual that they sang their grievances.

Let's take a look at the tape.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER: Can we sing it?

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, let me --

PROTESTERS (singing): Dear Mr. President, we honor you today, sir, each of us have given you $5,000 to --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Paul, I mean, it's not unusual for the president from time to time to have a heckler or two. But the singing, that's kind of unusual. What happened there?

STEINHAUSER: Yes, this was in San Francisco yesterday morning at a fundraiser the president was having. These people actually paid. They were contributors, they paid, they donated money to the president's reelection campaign to get in.

They were protesting, though, Bradley Manning. He is the Army military intelligence specialist who's being held as part of the WikiLeaks investigation, and they want him freed or put in a different detention center.

Jay Carney, the White House press secretary, later in the day, was asked what the president thought about this. And Jay Carney said, well, you know what, the president said you don't get that every day. And I guess that's true, you don't -- you don't, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: It's probably good he doesn't get that every day.

STEINHAUSER: Yes, I guess so.

MALVEAUX: Paul, thank you. For the latest political news, you know where to go, CNNPolitics.com.

Today's "Talk Back" question: What would it take to restore your faith in the American dream?

Kate says, "Everyone paying their fair share of income taxes would be a good start."

More of your responses ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: On this high holy day, Good Friday, there's word of a new translation of the Bible. Well, consider the source -- Conan O'Brien.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, TBS, "CONAN")

CONAN O'BRIEN, HOST, TBS "CONAN": A new Catholic translation of the bible is coming out that gets rid of the word "booty" because of its current connotation. What's strange is that it replaces it with the word "badonkadonk."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Sorry, Conan. The new translation actually replaces the word for pirate treasure with "spoils." That is -- that is the word.

(LAUGHTER)

MALVEAUX: Most people think that a country is heading in the wrong direction. According to a " New York Times"/CBS News poll, 70 percent of Americans think that things are now getting worse. It is the lowest measure of the nation's mood in two years, and that brings us to the "Talk Back" question and Carol with the responses.

COSTELLO: I must say, we have outstanding responses today.

The "Talk Back" question: What would it take to restore your faith in the American dream?

This from Michael, "An across the board 20 percent pay raise for every American earning less than $1 million along with a letter of apology from Wall Street for 20-plus years of wage suppression. That would be a good starting point."

This from Chase, "The American dream is perfectly real for those who work hard enough to achieve it. The government is not the cause, it's a societal issue. We've gotten lazy and begin pointing the finger at whoever we can find."

This from Jennifer, "The complete abolishment of the Republican and Tea Parties, doing away with corporate America and Wall Street, creating a man-made island in the Gulf, putting them all on it along with the birthers and the wingnuts, and then turning it into a reality TV show so we can enjoy watching them all duke it out over control of that island."

(LAUGHTER)

MALVEAUX: I'm sorry, that was a good one.

COSTELLO: That's crazy! I know.

This from Danielle, "Stop with the Democrat/Republican crap. How about we try being one nation, or heck, even one nation under god. That would help. Regardless of who your god is, it is better than what we're doing now."

And this from Angel, "I'm pretty sure technology has damned us all. Let's all be Amish."

I don't know exactly what that meant, but I liked it.

Facebook.com/CarolCNN, please continue the conversation and I'll be back in 15 minutes.

MALVEAUX: You know, you think people would have a simple solution, oh, you know, take a vacation, a break. No, people are very serious about major changes to make people happier.

COSTELLO: I think people feel really helpless right now and they don't know what the answer is and they don't know who can really help them, and that's creating quite a big depression in this country.

MALVEAUX: They certainly don't believe in the politicians. They almost uniformly do not believe that they are solving the problems.

COSTELLO: No, and that's the saddest part of all, because that's why we put them in office.

MALVEAUX: We'll see if they do a better job. Keep your fingers and toes crossed.

COSTELLO: Absolutely.

MALVEAUX: Thanks, Carol.

Here are three stories for "Choose the News." Pick which one you'd like to see in the next hour, vote by texting 22360.

Text 1 for athletes fight slavery. Major League Baseball players use their skills to prevent child slavery.

Text 2 for business casual debate. Will your flip-flops get new trouble with the boss.

Or text 3 for chocolate inflation. Why that milk chocolate bunny is going to cost you. Yes, that's a shame.

Winning story airs in the next hour. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Each week we take a look at people who have achieved extraordinary things while overcoming challenging obstacles. This week CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta introduces us to Zach Anner, a young comedian and filmmaker who can now add TV host to his resume.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZACH ANNER, COMEDIAN & FILMMAKER: I come from a very creative family. My mother's a playwright, my dad made videos, too. So it was a great place to be.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When he was growing up, Zach Anner always knew he wanted to work in film.

ANNER: It was always like, whatever you want to do, we can find a way to do it.

GUPTA: Now at 26, he lives in Austin and spends his days writing, editing and brainstorming with this production and support team, his friends.

A year ago, Austin, and really the rest of the country, didn't know who Zach was, and then he decided to enter a contest to become Oprah Winfrey's next TV talk show star.

OPRAH WINFREY, OWN NETWORK: How old were you when you figured out that you were different than the other kids?

ANNER: I knew that I had a wheelchair obviously. They didn't shield that from me.

GUPTA: As a result of the contest, Oprah gave Zach his own travel show scheduled to air later this year.

ANNER: Taking life as it comes and whatever you run into you just learn to roll with it.

GUPTA: And rolling with life's obstacles, well, that's just what Zach does. Zach has cerebral palsy, it is a neurological disease that affects the brain's ability to control body movements.

But having CP never stopped him from doing what he wants to do.

ANNER: Everybody has problems, I always say, and like mine are no bigger than anyone else's. And I think that's the message that I want to get across.

What I've got to deal with is really small in the scheme of things.

GUPTA: Zach gives his family a lot of credit for not dwelling on his disability. He hopes someday to be an inspiration to others but says he he's not there yet and has this advice.

ANNER: I would say to anybody who feels really like they're bogged down by their obstacles, just really think of who you are without those and imagine yourself doing what you love to do. Because that will drive you to do things you never thought you were capable of.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Coming up this weekend on "SANJAY GUPTA MD," the Fit Nation Challenge. CNN's six triathletes, regular viewers who wanted to take on a big challenge, hit the halfway point of training now and they also hit Hawaii with Sanjay. Exercise tips, inspiration, a bit of practice racing, that on Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 a.m. Eastern only on CNN.