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Alabama Towns Search For Missing, Mourn Those Lost in Storms; Beatification of the Late Pope John Paul II; Financial Advice for a Solid Marriage; Saving Big Bucks on Your Summer Vacation; Matt Damon Bringing Clean Water to Those in Need
Aired April 30, 2011 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM where the news unfolds this live this Saturday, April 30th. I'm Fredericka Whitfield.
Picking up the pieces across six southern states. Among those hard hit from that swath of tornadoes three days ago, the town of Hackleburg, Alabama is a desperate situation that threatens to worsen as 29 people are dead, more still missing. Searchers are scouring open fields this hour for any survivors. Nearly every business is wiped out, even the town's police department is destroyed.
CNN's Martin Savidge arrived a short time ago.
Marty, I understand that they have set up a temporary morgue, that's how desperate the situation has become there.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fred, they have. The morgue facility right now is the backup of a refrigerator truck. And as grim as that sounds, it is the way they are taking care of those they have found that have been victims of this storm.
Let me tell you what's going on here. This is the scene that is being repeated all across this community, but it is a search that's ongoing to try to account for more victims. There are a number of people that are still missing.
And this area where we're located which is just to the west of Hackleburg is considered to be where most of the casualties took place. It's also believed if there are missing, they are most likely in this area. Those victims were found outside of homes, people who were found inside of cars were found outside the vehicle.
There was one report that there may be a storm shelter attached to this house and that perhaps people had taken shelter inside. But because of all the debris, and this has been repeated a number of times in several communities, hat they have become trapped. That's what is taking place. They've brought in heavy equipment, and the fire department is continuing to look.
You mentioned the death toll. One of the things we wanted to show you was that we talked to the police chief in this community here. It's quite clear that all the officials have been going almost 24 hours a day since this storm hit. And they're running up against the wall when it comes to energy and it comes to their emotions. Here's how he described things as he took us around town.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF KENNY HALLMARK, HACKLEBURG POLICE: We're pretty much everybody's running on adrenaline right now. You know, it's such a travesty to our community that we're just trying to do everything we can do to help people. I mean, we're tired. We've been blessed with help, but we're still -- we're tired. But we're going to work and get through this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: Just want to describe to you the litany of things that have been lost so far. The elementary, the middle school, and high school destroyed. The police department's destroyed, doctor's office is destroyed, pharmacy, baseball field, Wiggly Piggly, General Dollar, it goes on and on and on. A small town that took a major hit, but emotions still are very, very raw because they still know there are people unaccounted for, which is why the effort to try to find them here, Fred, is so much in force.
WHITFIELD: And Marty, as we roll by and look at the destruction there, you know, some houses flattened, trees that have just been twisted like toothpicks. And then I understand there have been many cars that have been spotted in the most peculiar of positions just strewn about as if they weighed nothing.
SAVIDGE: Right. One of the things that the police chief said was that this was basically a tornado that came up the highway. That would be route 43. So it came from the southeast headed to the northwest here. And he practically said it ran right down the road.
Of course, anything on the road would have been swept up, picked up and thrown, and they were. They were all thrown to the north. So you come across this unusual scene where you'll find a vehicle a long way away from any major roadway sitting out in an open, grassy field, an indication that it was picked up, and it was thrown. And if anybody was in them, and there were people in them driving down that highway, that's where they ended up. So remarkable scenery no matter where you look.
WHITFIELD: It really is heartbreaking. Thanks so much from Hackleburg, Alabama, Marty Savidge.
So while Alabama bore the brunt of this storm, there's also tremendous tornado damage from Mississippi to Georgia. Here's a look at the devastation in Ringgold, Georgia. Buzz saws can be heard throughout the area there as well as residents start the difficult process of clearing away the debris. And 15 people were killed in Georgia. President Obama has declared a federal major disaster for that state, freeing up federal relief funds for the victims.
And to find out how you can make a difference to help tornado victims in the south, visit our "Impact your World" page at CNN.com/impact. In other news now, the remains of eight Air Force personnel killed Wednesday in Afghanistan returned to the United States early this morning. This is Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. The wife of one slain officer says her husband wasn't even deployed in a combat role.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUZANNE AUSBORN, WIDOW OF MAJOR JEFF AUSBORN: We also felt like this assignment he was going to be safe. He was going to instruct pilots how to fly their airplane. He wasn't -- he wasn't in a job where he was out shooting at people. He was training them. And he enjoyed it. So we really felt that he was safe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Eight airmen and an American contractor died Wednesday when an Afghan military pilot opened fire inside the Kabul international airport.
NASA now says the launch of space shuttle Endeavour is delayed at least until Monday. Engineers have concerns about its heating system. Still unanswered is whether Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords will wait to see the start of her husband's mission or return to Houston to continue rehab for that gunshot wound that she suffered in Arizona back in January.
On to politics now. Donald Trump reinforcing his reputation as a tough talker, but he may have crossed the line this time. The celebrity developer repeatedly dropped the F-word in a speech to Republican supporters Thursday night in Las Vegas. He previewed his blunt approach to a foreign policy in that speech.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, ENTREPRENEUR/REALITY TV STAR: We build another school, we build another road, they blow them up. We build again. In the meantime, we can't get a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) school built in Brooklyn. It's unbelievable. We have nobody in Washington that sits back and said, you're not going to raise that (EXPLETIVE DELETED) price. You understand me? Listen, you mother (EXPLETIVE DELETED), we're going to tax you 25 percent.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Trump on a roll there. He has yet to announce when or if he will declare that he would be running for the president of the United States.
Potential Republican presidential candidates are courting the gun lobby this weekend. The national rifle association is holding its annual convention in Pittsburgh. Former house speaker Newt Gingrich accused Barack Obama, the president, of being the most anti-gun president ever while former Senator Rick Santorum said the president doesn't understand America.
And in some sports talk, the NFL lockout is back in effect. Training camps briefly reopened earlier this week after a judge ruled that the lockout was illegal. But yesterday an appeals court granted a temporary stay, allowing owners to reinstate it. Team owners and players are at odds over a new collective bargaining agreement.
Straight ahead, the Vatican is gearing up to honor a former Pope this weekend. Do you know how many miracles it takes to make someone a saint in the Catholic Church? The answer in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Before the break, I asked you how many miracles does it take to make someone a saint in the Roman Catholic Church? Well, now for the answer. One confirmed miracle means a candidate is blessed and can be beatified, but it takes two miracles to elevate someone to sainthood.
So hundreds of thousands Catholics are flocking to St. Peter's square this weekend. Tomorrow they hope to witness the beatification of the late Pope John Paul II. The move will put him one step closer to sainthood.
Our Jim Bittermann is in Rome.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Even before Pope John Paul I was laid to rest, the crowds were already urging sainthood now. And now six years later, the late Pope is quickly headed in that direction. John Paul was unquestionably one of the most popular Popes in modern history. His long reign, winning ways with the crowds and the media, his strong stands against communism persecution, and the way he put the church squarely on the side of the poor and oppressed are just a few of the often cited reasons for the success of his papacy.
But sainthood is about more than achievements. It concerns, as the present Pope puts it, heroic virtues. Was John Paul II a holy man? In this, his supporters have no doubt. Cardinal Josef Tomko, one of the earliest and strongest advocates for the late Pope's sainthood, says his old friend is now a friend in heaven and a man of god.
CARDINAL JOSEF TOMKO, SAINTHOOD ADVOCATE: "Man of god," that means having contact with god, being in contact with god, a man of prayer for sure. But it is also a man which is deeply human.
BITTERMANN: To the church, objective measures of whether a candidate for sainthood has reached heaven and is in a position to intervene with god are the miracles performed after death. For John Paul II, Sister Marie Pierre Simon is the first certified miracle. She was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Parkinson's Disease, the same disease which crippled John Paul. Just weeks after his death, the nun's community began praying to John Paul, and the nun says her symptoms almost immediately disappeared. Because of that miracle, because many of us contemporaries and subordinates still run the church, and because of changes that John Paul himself made to speed up the saint-making process, the former Pope is being beatified, that is to say being declared blessed, in record time.
And while 90 percent of American Catholics according to one public opinion poll believe that he deserves it, dissidents within the church do not, mainly because of the sex abuse scandals that have taken place, many of which took place during the papacy of John Paul.
JOHN ALLEN, VATICAN CONSULTANT: I think most people in the Vatican, frankly, would concede that on the sex abuse front some mistakes were made during the John Paul years. But what they'll tell you is that it's a mistake to focus on one or another isolated element, that what you have to look at is the whole record. And they would say the whole record of John Paul II was an overwhelmingly holy man who had a massive impact on the history of his own times and on the millions and millions and millions of people who he met.
BITTERMANN: At least some of those millions have already begun appearing here for the weekend's beatification mass on Sunday morning, the former Pope demonstrating from beyond the grave that he's still capable of drawing a crowd.
And if some question his fast track or qualification for sainthood, it's a demonstration that in death as in life, John Paul is still capable of creating controversy.
Jim Bittermann, CNN, Vatican City.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Other stories we're following for you right now around the world, Syria is ruthlessly enforcing a curfew in the southern city of Daraa. Witnesses tell CNN that snipers are shooting at any man that dares to venture out onto the streets, and 19 people were reportedly killed in the city on Friday.
A deal to end the political unrest in Yemen is in jeopardy. A senior official tells CNN that the president, after all, won't leave the country to sign an agreement in Saudi Arabia. He is worried his adversaries will stage a coup in his absence.
And the royal family released official portraits from Friday's wedding, because we know you can't get enough of it. The new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will spend their first weekend as husband and wife at an undisclosed royal residence. More official royal photos of the entire wedding party, so to speak. The honeymoon, well, it's going to have to wait the Prince is returning to his official duties as a search and rescue pilot next week.
Well, this is something they probably won't have a problem with, money being the number one thing that couples argue about. So what should you do? Don't criticize. This is kind of a little quiz we've got for you -- don't criticize your spouse about money in front of others, discuss your financial goals on a regular basis, coordinate your responses when your kids ask for something, or is it all of the above?
We'll get the answer from our financial experts, the Dolans, after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: We're talking marriage and money. Did you take the little quiz right before the break? What should you do? Don't criticize your spouse about money in front of others, discuss your financial goals on a regular basis, coordinate your responses when your kids ask for something, or might it be all of the above?
Well, the answer is "D," all of the above, according to our financial experts, the Dolans who, by the way, are with us again today.
While Will and Kate, of course, may not need to worry about their finances, most newlyweds do. And I have a feeling that, Ken and Daria, you guys didn't have to worry about it either because you're so savvy and smart about that money thing, and you're going to help us all out here.
Let's get started. Marriage, how extensive does this discussion get?
KEN DOLAN, FINANCIAL EXPERT: Pre-marriage, what makes us experts, Fred, is because in June we'll have been married 40 years.
WHITFIELD: No!
KEN DOLAN: And we worked together in radio and television and still do, have every day for 25 years. So if we're expert in anything --
DARIA DOLAN, FINANCIAL EXPERT: And started off marriage with a $3,000 loan.
KEN DOLAN: Did we need to discuss that here?
WHITFIELD: I like that you shared. You are an open book. That's why you all have lasted 40 years.
DARIA DOLAN: Come June.
KEN DOLAN: That's right.
WHITFIELD: Congratulations on that.
KEN DOLAN: Yes. And Fred, that leaves Daria's point, indelicate as it was, leads really to the first thing about pre-marriage, and that is talk about finances openly. It's not very romantic. You'd rather have a bottle of wine and a piece veal and talk about other things, but it's important you discuss it openly because it's an important part of marriage.
WHITFIELD: Yes, I think for so long, people feel like it's so private, you don't want to talk about money.
KEN DOLAN: Yes, it's not romantic.
WHITFIELD: Talk about money before you tie the knot, and you need to talk about your individual debts, what kind of accounts that you guys might have, joint credit cards.
DARIA DOLAN: That's very important, exactly. Fred, it's amazing how many young people -- and not so young people -- who are carrying around debts from student loans, maybe they didn't pay on something, a credit card balance that's astronomical.
KEN DOLAN: Ends up being a surprise.
DARIA DOLAN: And interestingly enough, they oftentimes pair up with someone who has been so fiscally responsible. So you've got the spendthrift who wants to marry the saver. And it makes for an amazing situation. But not one you want to discuss after the wedding when you find surprise bombs in your mailbox.
KEN DOLAN: Exactly right. It's before you tie the knot.
WHITFIELD: That could cause one big blowout, right? Usually finances is like the number one thing that comes been couples.
KEN DOLAN: Number one.
DARIA DOLAN: OK.
KEN DOLAN: Yes, yes, young and old.
DARIA DOLAN: So then how do you approach talking about the goals of your money as, you know, a union?
KEN DOLAN: Yes. And it's not easy pre-marriage after the break- up, we'll talk about some of the after-marriage stuff. It's not easy to talk before marriage about something like money stuff. But it's porn to talk about what are our goals? Do we need to pay off student loans? Daria just said, we were talking about debts. Do we need to pay off student loans? Do we want to have kids early? Should we start saving for college right away? Do we need that second car? Should I, one of the spouses, go to work or not? So it's so important because the last thing you need in an early marriage is a surprise.
DARIA DOLAN: And nowadays, a lot of these marriages are second marriages or people have waited much longer before getting married so they're bringing real assets in many cases into this union. And you want to make sure that you have some sort of protection because let's face it. There's no guarantee that your marriage is going to work. And what we say is better you talk about the money issues before you get married or that's all you'll be talking about after you get married.
WHITFIELD: OK. Well, for those -- go ahead.
KEN DOLAN: No, I was just going to say, one of the secrets, one of the Dolans' secrets of marriage besides "yes, dear," the second secret is keep a continuing dialogue. No surprises. And continue to talk and develop a real strong money relationship even if you don't have a lot of money.
WHITFIELD: So everyone wants to be like Ken and Daria. Celebrate 40 years in the future.
KEN DOLAN: I barely look 40. I can't believe it. I don't even look 40!
WHITFIELD: I know. Incredible potion, you guys, you know, you must have manufactured together there. So you know what?
KEN DOLAN: Or something.
WHITFIELD: For a lot of couples who did say "I do" and they didn't work out the whole finance thing beforehand, you still have some advice for them when we come right back.
KEN DOLAN: Yes, for sure.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: OK. So we're back with Ken and Daria Dolan talking about marriage and money. Everyone so inspired by Prince William and Princess Catherine now. We know money's not going to be their big problem.
But for, in general, people who get married, tie the knot, gone on the honeymoon and then the bills are coming in and now they've got to figure out oh, my gosh, what is our plan? How are we going to manage the bills, manage the money in the household? How does that happen, Ken and Daria?
KEN DOLAN: Let me compliment Daria, if I may, because one of the first things to be concerned about, Fred, after you get married -- and you just said it, bills -- who's going to pay the bills? Who's going to take responsibility to get the bills paid on time? For 40 years, Daria has it, I'm the first to admit it, she's great at it, and we discussed it as soon as we got married and made a great choice.
WHITFIELD: How did you decide that?
DARIA DOLAN: Well, it's pretty easy to tell in a day-to-day living together, if you start seeing bills, final notice and such, addressed to the other person, something's wrong here. So I really do urge that the stronger, more focused one of the duo try and handle the bills. But I caution that the person who is not in the day-to-day paying of the bills pay attention to what's going on just in case.
KEN DOLAN: In case something happens.
WHITFIELD: Right. So both really need to know -- KEN DOLAN: Both need to be in the dialogue.
WHITFIELD: So both really need to know where the money is, where it's going, what's coming in, what's leaving, right?
KEN DOLAN: Fred, I can't tell you, on our national radio show and on CNN, on our television show how many times people called and said we have more month left at the end of our money, which means we don't know where it's going. Nobody's exactly sure who's spending what. We don't have a budget. And what's going on? So a dialogue, especially nowadays when money is so tight, is how much do we have, and how are we spending it?
DARIA DOLAN: And along with that, you need to sit down and have the discussion before anything happens.
KEN DOLAN: Yes.
DARIA DOLAN: You know, you may want to have your own account. And I'll have my account.
WHITFIELD: Right.
DARIA DOLAN: But at the end of the day, if you're going to spend a large sum of money, something unusually large --
KEN DOLAN: Over $500, maybe.
DARIA DOLAN: Maybe, pick a dollar number, you'll both have to be involved in the discussion to spend that money.
WHITFIELD: Right.
DARIA DOLAN: Because if you don't trust one another to have those discussions, then you're going to have problems, and that will be beyond the money at that point.
WHITFIELD: You're talking specifically when you've kind of pooled those resources. There shouldn't be any surprise with spending on something that you both agreed this money would be used for this. Right?
DARIA DOLAN: For example, Fred, do you hide shopping bags from your husband?
KEN DOLAN: Fred?
WHITFIELD: Do I hide my -- no, I hide nothing.
DARIA DOLAN: Good girl. A lot of people -- a lot of women are notorious for either keeping a target bag in the car after they've been to Sak's to put the goods in. There's all sorts of scams. You have to be up front. If you're up front about nothing else, you've got to face your finances square on and be truthful to one another.
KEN DOLAN: Fred, we're going to announce right now, we've written five books. We've just started doing the outline for a book called "40 years together and nobody's dead yet." We'll talk about money lessons, how we did it and the mistakes we made, living in the media as parents and affairs of the heart.
WHITFIELD: You have an awesome story to tell and 40 years of incredible life experience. You really need to share with everybody. We like that. OK. We're looking forward to that.
DARIA DOLAN: It's the first I knew we were definitely doing this. Thanks for embarrassing me in front of America.
KEN DOLAN: Well, you talked about me being in debt.
WHITFIELD: You guys are an open book. Ken and Daria Dolan, good to see you.
KEN DOLAN: Pardon us. Thanks, Fred.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: All right, the Dolans have a lot of financial advice all the time on their Web site including the truth about some debt relief offers. Just go to www.dolans.com.
A look at our top stories right now.
Let me show you an amazing picture -- Tuscaloosa, Alabama before and after the tornadoes this week. Just three days ago. Same place, same angle taken yesterday, a look at the path of destruction there. At least 45 people died in Tuscaloosa County alone on Wednesday. You can see just simply that line of that stream of tornadoes.
And at least 14 were killed in Smithville, Mississippi, just west of the state line. More than a dozen others are still missing. Among the homes and businesses devastated the local Piggly Wiggly grocery store. Despite his loss, the owner tells Martin Savidge that he's going to share what he has left with the community.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: The store has been pulverized.
BRIAN MCGONAGILL, OWNER: Totally devastated. Total loss.
SAVIDGE: What do you think as a businessman?
MCGONAGILL: It's scary. There are some things that will come back in this town. I'm sure all the businesses are having that same talk, too.
SAVIDGE: This stuff here, this is all being given away?
MCGONAGILL: Yes.
SAVIDGE: Why? MCGONAGILL: Because that's what you do in a small-town community is help people out. These are real good people in this small town, and they all want to help each other. I know a lot of people that's passed, so it hurts. It's what we've got to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: An incredible sense of community on display there. And just outside Chattanooga, Tennessee, the small town of Apison. A lot of heartache, eight people were killed, four from one family.
Our Susan Candiotti is there.
So, Susan, tell us about this family and this incredible discovery that rescuers made.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, Fred. It was a traumatic night indeed for that one particular family when four people inside one home were killed when that twister with wind speeds of almost 200 miles per hour blew apart their mobile home and threw the four people about the length of a football field.
As I said, a 77-year-old matriarch of the family, her daughter, a great-grandson and a grandson were killed. However, another eight- year-old great-grandson was discovered alive in a pile of debris, tree branches, by rescuers who heard him moaning. I talked to the two police officers who made the discovery.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAPT. DAVID RODDY, CHATTANOOGA POLICE: He was face down. They actually heard him moan before they saw him.
CANDIOTTI: Oh, my.
RODDY: And just at that point everybody just hollers up, you know, "We've got one over here. He's still alive." We fortunately had one of our tactical medics with our team in here at that time, got him over to the child, started to get him stabilized.
That night these high-tension wires, they were actually still up above us. Just as we got him stabilized and on the backboard when the life force air medical unit landed, just as we were getting him prepared to get onto the aircraft, they started snapping over our heads. So we picked him up and obviously got out of here as fast as we could.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: And those two rescuers say they still feel goose bumps when they think about what happened. That boy is still list him in critical condition, but Fred, they say that he is expected to recover from his injuries.
WHITFIELD: Wow, that is incredible. Now, what about other survivors? How are they coping? What's taking place in that town? CANDIOTTI: Well, there's a lot of cleanup to be done to be sure. And we have the latest figures from the state. Throughout Tennessee 500 homes were destroyed or suffered major damage. So there is a lot of cleanup to be done.
Also, an update on power being restored to customers, 73,000. A bit more than that, are still without power. So that's a big hardship that people are still hoping that utility crews will be able to get a lot more done today so that that part of the disaster will be corrected sooner than later, of course.
WHITFIELD: Susan Candiotti in Apison, Tennessee.
We're also learning that the number, the latest number, accounting for all the deaths in these storms, these tornadoes that swept through six states, now the number at 337 people who lost their lives as a result of this tornadic activity. So to find out how you might be able to help make a difference, to help the tornado victims in the south, visit our "Impact your World" page. That's at CNN.com/impact.
On to another region of the country where people in parts of North Dakota are dealing with another weather extreme. Would you believe a blizzard has hit? It's the last day of April and they are snowed in.
Take a look at those images right there. IReporter Tom Volk sent us this picture of his house in Williston. He says obviously the power is out. Huge trees are down, as you can see right there, kind of crumpled in the front. And winds are gusting at 60 miles per hour, so not only cold and blustery, my goodness, but just covered in snow, a big blanket there.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: Meantime, let's look at other news we're following for you.
NASA engineers are examining the shuttle Endeavour. A heater problem forced a delay of Friday's launch for 72 hours. The delay raises questions whether recovering Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords will be able to watch her husband. He is Endeavour's mission commander.
The West Virginia mine where 29 workers were killed last year will be sealed. Massey Energy is scheduled to meet next week with state regulators to discuss a plan for sealing it. The explosion at the mine was one of the country's worst mining disasters.
Indiana's governor announced that he plans to sign a law that will restrict abortions and make his state the first to cut federal funding for Planned Parenthood. The move comes as Republican governor Mitch Daniels considers a possible run for the White House come 2012.
When couples get divorced, money problems often get the blame. Well, now that the economy is getting better, the divorce rate is actually going up, not down. We'll tell you why.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: There are several ways to save big bucks on your summer vacation. Our Rob Marciano tells us how to cash in on the deals.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Traveling during the summer can be pricey. But you can score hot deals with careful planning.
MARK ORWOLL, TRAVEL AND LEISURE: One of the ways you can reduce the cost of your airfare is by timing when you purchase your ticket. Generally speaking, the sweet spot is about three to four months before your departure date. Another thing you can do to keep your airfare at its lowest is to travel on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
MARCIANO: Stay flexible on where you go and get more bang for your buck.
ORWOLL: If you have no particular inkling on where to go, let the deals drive you. Southwest from the U.S. from Scottsdale, Arizona to Las Vegas, triple-digit temperatures, yes, but that's when you get to see a lot of the four and five-star mega-luxury resorts drop their rates by 50 percent or even 70 percent. Mexico is dealing with an image issue that will keep a nice cap on prices over the summer.
MARCIANO: Buying a vacation package may save you money, but confirm what's included.
ORWOLL: A lot of these extras, taxes and fees sometimes are not in that advertised price. The trick with these vacation packages is knowing exactly what you're getting and what you're not getting when you book a vacation package.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Employment is rising as the U.S. slowly recovers from the recession, but so is the divorce rate. Our Mary Snow explains why.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Nancy Partridge and David Snyder found themselves in an odd situation when they divorced in late 2007. They were ordered to sell their suburban Denver home as the housing market collapsed around them. To avoid potential bankruptcy, the exes decided to stay together in their home but sleep in separate quarters.
NANCY PARTRIDGE, DIVORCED DURING RECESSION: That was one of those awkward things when you're staggering out first thing in the morning barely awake and you run into your ex. It's a little awkward. But you deal with it.
SNOW: And they weren't alone. As the economy soured, many couples opted to put their divorces on hold. Now the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers finds after several years of declining divorce cases, the numbers are increasing as the economy improves.
In New York, famed divorce attorney Raoul Felder says he's also seen an uptick, particularly among clients in the financial industry.
RAOUL FELDER, DIVORCE ATTORNEY: Divorce practice is a good barometer of the economy. It's better but not great. The old joke used to be, my husband's broke. He owes everyone money. We're starving, and now's the time to sue him for divorce. That's really why it doesn't happen. You wait till somebody has money. Then you sue them for divorce.
SNOW: The housing market has also changed divorce battles. In Florida, one of the states hardest hit by plummeting home values, one divorce attorney says instead of fighting to keep the house, duels are responsible for who's responsible for the debt.
SANDY T. FOX, DIVORCE ATTORNEY: In a lot of cases if you do walk away from the home and you don't have any liability, you are considered the winner.
SNOW: Back in Colorado, Nancy and David consider themselves the winners, but not because of their home value. It's still under water. But toughing out the recession rekindled their romance.
PARTRIDGE: I think if it weren't for the recession we wouldn't have gotten back together because we probably would have been living in different states by now.
SNOW: The couple plans to remarry. And once again they find themselves in another odd situation since many people don't know they're divorced.
DAVID SNYDER, DIVORCED DURING RECESSION: How do you explain that? Well, she's not my wife. She's my ex-wife, but she's my fiancee. It's weird. You just roll with it like we are married for the most part.
PARTRIDGE: We joke that the divorce was annulled.
SNOW: Mary Snow, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: The clean water we often take for granted is not so easy to find in other parts of the world. In fact, things are so bad in Ethiopia, Matt Damon, the actor, traveled there to see how he could make a change.
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WHITFIELD: Actor Matt Damon is trying to help bring safe, clean water to people around the globe. In this week's "Impact your World," Damon traveled to Ethiopia to a dirty open well that is the main source of water for more than 6,000 people.
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MATT DAMON, ACTOR: We're about 60 kilometers outside Ethiopia. This is a hand-done well. It services about 6,000 people. They've come here to gather their water. The bottles you see them drinking, full of that dirty water. They've come to fetch to take to school. It's a matter of life and death. It's in people's nature that they'll want to step up and do their part.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Join the movement, CNN.com/impact.
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WHITFIELD: Go to CNN.com/impact to find out how you can help.
Time for a CNN = Politics update. We're keeping an eye on all the latest updates at the CNNpolitics.com desk. Here's what's crossing right now.
Even though yesterday's scheduled space shuttle launch was delayed, President Obama met with the crew at the Kennedy Space Center. He also visited Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords whose husband is commander of that mission. Giffords is still recovering from an assassination attempt three months ago.
And a judge says former U.S. Senator John Edwards must give another deposition in a lawsuit involving his former mistress, Rielle Hunter. She is suing a former Edwards aide.
And there could be an awkward moment or two at the White House correspondents' dinner in Washington tonight. President Obama and Donald Trump are both expected to be in attendance. Of course, the president of the United States will be there. Trump recently raised questions about the president's birth certificate, and he has claimed credit for forcing Mr. Obama to release a longer version of the document, that at the White House correspondents' dinner tonight for all who will be in attendance.
And for the latest political news, you know where to go, CNNpolitics.com.
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WHITFIELD: I know, I know, who can get enough, though, of the royal couple, this new royal couple? They're enjoying their first full day as husband and wife now. And details of their historic wedding are still probably sinking in for them and the billions others who around the world, Alexandra, were watching.
I mean, this is amazing because we're talking 3 billion people, one-third of the world's population, were in some way, shape or form enamored, watching this wedding as it unfolded. ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, it certainly has made the monarchy very interesting, certainly very young, right, kind of rejuvenated everything, that's for sure.
WHITFIELD: That's true. They needed that and wanted that and they got it.
STEELE: She's really neat. She seems really neat, doesn't she, independent, confidence, self-assured, not reticent. She seemed comfortable in her dress.
WHITFIELD: I think people have felt like they've gotten to know her if not leading up to then certainly during the wedding. Now we're seeing new images that have come out today.
STEELE: I like these new ones.
WHITFIELD: I know. It's been an incredible past 24 hours. So here pictures of the prince and princess now kind of talking with, shaking hands with the crew there, leaving Buckingham Palace before making their way to a kind of private royal family retreat. Not honeymooning just yet.
STEELE: No, not yet. Now the newly-minted duke and duchess, right? That's what they are.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
STEELE: I mean, it was interesting to see them come out today and look kind of sweet in her dress and holding hands.
WHITFIELD: I know, very normal.
STEELE: He's casual. We thought maybe they were going to go out on a honeymoon. Word got out a honeymoon later, maybe Jordan, somewhere very cool exotic.
WHITFIELD: They just look like everybody else, which is why so many people came out in large numbers, particularly, you know, along the route just to feel like they were even that much closer to a couple that they already felt like they kind of built a relationship with.
Then let's take a look at the official wedding photos that also came out. And there, that is the royalty right there, the posed pictures of the couple, and then, of course, the entire wedding party including the bridesmaids. They were kind of having a little fun, the kids were here.
STEELE: Yes, the little one, the goddaughter of William. Did you see her cover her ears?
WHITFIELD: Right, when they were on the balcony.
STEELE: It seemed her dress scored an A-plus. Did you see her second one? WHITFIELD: Sarah Burton made that one, and this one of Alexander McQueen. It's gorgeous. It is very fairy tale, isn't it?
STEELE: Oh, my goodness, yes, it really is.
WHITFIELD: Nice. Alexandra Steele, thanks for having fun with me. Really, people can't get enough, including us.
STEELE: When a meteorologist chimes in --
WHITFIELD: I know. We're going to put you back to work because we're going to talk more about that tornadic activity that has tragically taken so many lives throughout the south.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You wake up and it's just gone. Everything's just completely vanished, everything you knew your whole life.
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WHITFIELD: Everything gone, except a tiny town's determination.
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